Author: Shinkou
Author's Notes: eh... challenge songfic... -.-;; I didn't want it to turn out major angst (which was what I was gonna write) so I changed to major sap =D! eh... shounen-ai, probably KxH if I can't change it ;; otherwise it'll be HxK (I like Hiei on top .) anywho... enjoy ;; if you can... um... yeah. Good luck reading!
ps- written about... 2-3 years ago. forgive me for the bad everything.
Oh yeah... standard disclaimer apply. (oh and this song is called You Don't See Me by Josie and the Pussy Cats... I think o.O it's a challenge fic! I dunno!)
You Don't See Me
----------------------------
Day 1
It had been a week. A whole damn week after Valentine's Day and the chocolates were still coming in.
A sturdy figure trampled the foot deep snow, trudging across the street for his house. Foggy breath puffed out of cold trembling lips as hands expertly balanced several packages on top of each other while still carrying many more bags.
Both hands full of gifts on the day of Valentine he could understand, or maybe even the next few days, but a whole week? This was torture. Thank God it was the weekends. The irritated redhead adjusted his gifts as he fished for the keys. Finally he gave up with a sigh.
"Okaa-san! I'm back! Can you open the door for me?"
One minute later a middle-aged woman opened the door and bathed him in her radiant smile. "Welcome back, Shuuchi," she glanced at his burden and her smile widened, "I see your admirers have grown. Last year's gifts were half this size and only lasted till the end of the week." She transferred some of the boxed into her hands, but due to her petite form she was only able to carry a few.
"Aw, stop it Okaa-san. I never eat these chocolates anyway. Shuuchi ends up eating them all or you give them to Otou-san." Kurama huffed indignantly and set down the gifts. He wiped away imaginary sweat from his face and winked at Shiori. "I bet this will last you till Christmas." His mother laughed and gave him a hug. He smiled and hugged back.
A while later after a hearty dinner with his family, Kurama was on his merry way up the stairs when Shiori's voice rang out. "Shuuchi, you got a card this time."
"Hm?" Having his curiosity aroused, Kurama made his way down the stairs and peered at his mother. Most of his admirers thought cards too childish for their 'mature' minds, settling into the ancient tradition of wasting money on useless gift-wrappings and candies, which most, if not all, went into his little brother's stomach. "A card?"
Shiori nodded and sighed the way mothers sigh. "Aww, look, it's hand made. Isn't it so cute? You should open it, Shuuchi." Kurama eyed the envelope made of dried leaves. The sides looked as if they were stitched together with strings made from tree barks and the whole package looked so frail, as if wind could blow it apart. The redhead was wary of touching it, half expecting a dozen insects to fly out as a prank from his fellow classmates.
"Open it," Shiori urged, cheering him on from behind. Kurama nodded.
Carefully he fingered the delicate rope tying the leaves together. Suddenly, a wave of energy touched him, coursing though his body like a wave of electricity. He gasped aloud and simultaneously the leaves crumbled apart as if ages old. A piece of paper, haphazardly torn from some kind of magazine, remained in his palms, along with a ring made of the same tree bark material as the rope tying together the leaves. There was but one verse of a song printed on the paper.
This is the place where I sit
This is the part where
I love you too much
Is this as hard as it gets?
'Cause I'm getting tired
Of pretending I'm tough
I'm here if you want me
I'm yours, you can hold me
I'm empty and taken and
Tumbling and breakin'
'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
The way I know you could
"What is it, son?" Shiori leaned over his shoulder and peeked. Swiftly he tucked the paper and the ring in his pocket. "Nothing, Okaa-san. It's just another love note." His mother wavered a bit then left him alone, walking away with a doubtful glance from the corner of her eye. From his reaction and her years of maternal experience, that paper was definitely not 'just another love note'.
After escaping to the sanctuary of his room, Kurama took out the paper and ring again. He slipped the ring onto his ring finger and was surprised that it fit snuggly, as if the maker knew his finger size. He glanced at the paper and reread it.
Somehow this message touched him more than any other kind of love note. Maybe because it didn't have any mushy 'I love you because' essays, or maybe because he felt the same about a certain someone. A certain... unobservant someone. Or maybe just unobservant of his feelings.
Kurama sighed and carefully folded the paper. He went to his closet and pulled out a thick English-Japanese dictionary. Inside the center of each page was cut out, leaving a hidden box-like container within. [1] It was a perfect treasure box. Putting the paper in, Kurama replaced the book in its original position.
Flopping down on his bed informed him of how seriously tired he was. Once again, thank God it was weekend. To tell the truth, he hated his 'admirers'. In fact, he despised his fame and the fans he obtained with it. Maybe if he didn't get so much attention, Hiei would notice him. Maybe then, the fire demon wouldn't be so unobservant.
With a sigh Kurama closed his eyes. A strong gust of wind made his curtains fly and he realized the window was open. That is, completely open. The shadow on the walls seemed to squeeze out another portion of itself in front of the glass, melting into the form of a short figure with spiky hair. Kurama sat up on the bed and waited. The figure seemed content where he was. The redhead held back a sigh and spoke, "hello, Hiei."
A quick nod was the only reply.
The pair remained silent and unmoving for a couple of awkward moments. At least, awkward for a certain fox. Frantically, he searched for a topic.
Isn't it such a nice day, Hiei? The snow-covered trees looked dashing. And how about those frost bites? This one looked like your dragon tattoo. Kurama mentally smacked himself. Then a thought hit him.
"Hiei, I got something strange today. Would you mind checking it out?" He slipped off the ring and held it out, "When I got this there was a strange energy that felt kind of like youki but wasn't quite like it. It's like a spell, almost, and it went away right when I touched it." He shuddered a bit, "and close the window, please."
Silently, the fire demon did as he was told. When he got to arm's length with Kurama, he took the ring and inspected it. "What do you want to know about it?" He asked afterwards.
Kurama shrugged. "What was that energy, who it's from. Anything you know about it."
Hiei tossed the ring in front of Kurama and turned to the window, looking out. "It's a spell." He said no more.
They stayed there, one standing and one sitting, for a few minutes. Kurama tried to think of a new topic, since Hiei obviously didn't like the original one, but he couldn't get his mind off of something. "Hey Hiei-"
But he was gone. Like a flash of lightening. One moment he was standing there and the next wind blew from the open window and there was no short fire demon in sight.
Day 2
Another letter. This time it fell from the Heavens. Actually to be exact, it fell from Hiei.
Kurama was positive. Definitely Hiei, with that quick flash of dark ki, the timely fluttering of the same leave-made envelope into his hands when he went outside... definitely Hiei. He was also convinced that a powerful jagan did the spell on the strings, and who besides the fire demon had one with such control?
Kurama was determined. He would drag the identity of the sender out of Hiei tonight.
I dream of worlds
Where you'd understand
And I dream a
Million sleepless nights
I dream of fire when
You're touching my hand
But it twists into smoke
When I turn on the light
I'm speechless and faded
It's too complicated
Is this how the book ends,
Nothing but good friends?
'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
The way I know you could
Another verse, probably a continuation. This time the little gifts were three seeds. Puzzled, the redhead grew one out. A plain, original, blood red, ningenkai rose. He shrugged and tucked it away.
Rereading the song verse, Kurama sighed. This one was even more similar to his situation than the one before. Especially that thing about the touch. He laughed pitifully. Hell, Hiei never even touched his hand. Just like yesterday, when Hiei was taking the ring from him. It was merely there on his palm then gone. No skin contact.
Indeed, the fire only burned in his dreams.
Curtains fluttered as it always had and the same routine repeated itself.
"Hello, Hiei." A nod. A period of silence. An attempt at a topic. Some more silence. Another try. Failed. Kurama sighed and decided it was time.
"Hiei, you know that ring I showed you yesterday?"
"Hn."
"Well, another one came today. The same exact packaging. But you know what? When I got the letter, I felt something similar," he glanced at the fire demon, "I felt you."
"Hn."
"You're not denying it?"
"I don't lie."
"Was that an insult or a statement?"
Hiei glanced at him sideways. "Whichever you see fit."
Sensing this approach would get him nowhere, Kurama decided to try a different tactic: Going straight to the question. "So who is it?"
"I've vowed to keep that fact a secret." He didn't deny that he knew the answer though, which meant Kurama's assumptions were true. Not to mention that his no-lying statement was true as well.
Now Kurama's pissed. He didn't think much about what would come afterwards, but now that he did, the possibilities of this secret person could be anyone from the one side of the Makai to the other side of Ningenkai. Hell, maybe even Reikai.
Damn it.
"Well, if you can't tell me who this person is, maybe you can tell me other things. How many of these letters am I going to get? When do I find out who this mysterious person is?"
"There's one more letter, and you can find out who this person is at your own spare time."
Kurama narrowed his eyes. "What if I don't have any spare time?"
"Then," Hiei smirked, "you won't find out."
"You're treading on thin line, koorime." His voice dropped lower, rivaling the ice outside with his draftiness. "This is my territory. You give me what I want or you'll never get out alive."
Hiei raised an eyebrow. Guess he had pushed a little too far. But he just couldn't resist. "What's wrong, Kurama? Is it that time of the month already? Or are you just not getting enough sleep?" [2]
The redhead didn't reply. Swiftly he took out the rose he grew and threw it towards Hiei. The flower burst into a dozen thick vines with long sharp thorns, flying toward the fire demon at top speed. Hiei raised his right hand and was about to toast the offending objects when they shriveled back into a rose and fluttered to the ground. He glared daggers at Kurama and got a grin in return.
"Hn." Hiei toed the flower and created a ball of fire. Just because it returned to a flower didn't mean he couldn't burn it. He was about to throw the ball when a voice interrupted.
"Keep it."
"Why?"
"So when I want to kill you I don't have to throw another one."
"Hn." Reluctant, but he kept it in the end.
Kurama leaned forward. Apparently his usual calm self had returned. "Since I have no spare time, let's make a bet. I get three guesses on who the sender is, and you have to tell me if I'm right or not. If I guessed right before I get the last letter, then you have to do something I tell you. If not, then you have to tell me who it is and," he leered, "I'll be your slave for a day." The fox definitely returned to his old self. Either that or he had really serious mood swings.
"Hn." Hiei inwardly smirked. He liked that idea.
Kurama grinned and lied back on his bed, hands crossed behind his head. He had no idea who the letters were from, but he would rather pretend then loose his face in front of Hiei. To tell the truth he almost did. That's how serious he was about these letters. Idly he read the song verse again and sighed. These things could seriously make you depressed.
"Are we even friends?" He muttered aloud.
"If you think we are." A deep voice replied and Kurama jumped. He didn't know Hiei was still there. Glancing over, he saw the same image as last night: curtains fluttering in the air.
Silently he vowed that whoever this person was, he would never let her feel the loneliness he felt now. [3]
Day 3
Five 'o clock in the morning and Kurama buttoned up his uniform. Ha, guess he was a little early for school. Just a little. Nervously he adjusted the rope ring on his finger.
Only until this morning did the redhead fully comprehend his mistake in the bet with Hiei. Of course, whatever Hiei might force on him probably would not bother him too much, unless... he ended the thought right there. [4]
Checking his clock again he nodded to himself. School always started at seven, which left him with about two hours of freedom. Just enough time for his little visit. Carefully he tucked the two remaining rose seeds into his hair, picked up his school bag, left his mother a brief note, and departed for Genkai's temple.
It didn't take long for him to reach the temple, although he felt a little out of shape. After all, life in the human world could only offer so much.
"Ohayo, Genkai-san," a nod, "is Yukina-san up yet?"
"Gets up at four everyday. In the gardens."
"Thank you." Kurama promptly strolled over to the flowerbed and smiled at the ice maiden in greeting. "Ohayo."
"Ohayo, Kurama-san. You're up early."
He smiled his charming smile. "Not as early as you."
She smiled back then frowned lightly. "I don't mean to intrude, but what brings you here this early? Is Hiei-san hurt?" Her frown deepened and her lips quivered lightly.
Kurama chuckled, "don't worry Yukina-san, he's perfectly fine. I just wanted to say hi, that's all. Oh and," he put his hand in his hair briefly and drew out a full grown rose, red as blood, "I want to give this to you."
Yukina's smile could light up the sky. "Why thank you, Kurama-san! But what is this for?"
He shrugged and grinned. "No reason." Then with a gentle pat on her shoulder, he left.
A faint 'hn' echoed in his mind, not quite imagined yet not quite not.
Second target: random girl in school. The first note came along with his bundle of gifts, so he might as well look for some swooning teen.
There was no way in hell for he to go to Makai to search for someone, leaving his mother alone and all. [5]
Leisurely, he made his way toward his school, stopping in a bakery for a small breakfast before continuing on. Three girls on their way to school saw him, blushed, and giggled. Kurama shrugged and sighed. Might as well let the rumors go, since he's got nothing to loose.
With light steps he made his way toward the girls. All three of them gawked and blushed deeper, settling into a deep silence as he approached. He smiled at them in greeting and one looked about to faint.
"Ohayo."
"Ohayo, Kurama-san!" They spoke in unison, one staggering, one cheerfully, and one shyly. Inwardly Kurama sighed.
Slowly he took off his ring and held for them to see. "Do any of you girls know who this might be from? I'm looking for the person who gave this to me."
All three gawked, surprise written across their faces. The famous Shuuchi was looking for someone? The staggering girl was about to cry, the cheerful girl was fuming with jealousy, and the shy girl hung her head in sadness. This time, Kurama sighed out loud.
"I guess you don't know then huh... well, thank you for your time anyway." He forced a smile and walked away. A bit fast, but just a little bit. In the distance he could hear the crumpling of cardboard and the crunching noises of wrapping paper as three boxes full of whatever were thrown angrily at the ground.
Now he just had to wait for the rumors to spread.
By noon, a third of the school gathered around the tree he ate under. "I gave you a ring, Shuuchi-san." "Um, I think I gave you one, I don't know if it's the right one though... can I see it?" "Oh, Shuuchi, I didn't know you got my ring!"
Kurama sighed. Apparently his fame exceeded his knowledge. He stood up and scanned around the crowd. "Um... did you all give me a ring?" Nods, some seemed honest while others seemed a bit... unnatural. No wonder Okaa-san had to get another jewelry box.
He sighed again. Carefully he picked up a few people who might spark Hiei's interest. Heh, unless one of them was a Mukuro undercover, there was no way any of them could get the fire demon to deliver love letters by force.
"You, you, you, you, and... you. Stay here. The rest of you thank you, but you're not the one I'm looking for," He smiled apologetically, "sorry." He really couldn't make it any nicer, not that he wanted to either.
Most of the crowd hung their heads, some burst into tears, and, sadly, only a few left. The remaining turned hateful eyes on the lucky contestants. Of the five, three were, surprisingly, guys, and two were, well, girls. All were blushing, but one had the reddest face: a short, pretty-looking guy.
Kurama eyed the guy for a moment then sighed. What the heck, might as well do it. With that thought in mind, he took the second rose out of his... gasp! lunch box. [6] There was no need for his classmates to know he had special powers to make plants grow. They probably suspected him of being gay already, which wasn't totally wrong, but Kurama preferred the term "bisexual" more than all the fancy insulting terms people tend to use.
Having taken out his rose, he handed it to the blushing youth. "Thank you for your time. Um... that's all. Thanks. Good bye." With that he stood up and walked away, leaving a third of the school gapping at his back.
Damn it. He had better start preparing for whatever Hiei might make him do.
By the end of the day Kurama was exhausted, happy, and afraid: exhausted because of the rumors, happy because there were no more gifts, and afraid because of Hiei. He still had one more guess, but who could it be? He searched through his hair for the last seed but couldn't find it. Hm... suddenly a light bulb turned on above his head. Ha, that would be the streetlight. He had better get home now.
Upon arriving at his house, the redhead felt a very familiar ki. Another light bulb turned on and this time it wasn't the streetlight. It was his front door light. Just kidding. [7]
"Hm..." he thought, "now I remember where that last rose went... ah what the heck, I've got nothing to loose. Except..." he ended the thought. Quickly he entered, greeted, and went up stairs. Shiori glanced at him as he hurried up. Young people these days, high metabolism and what not.
His room was dark. Duh, the lights weren't on. Kurama could feel Hiei's ki clearly, and the curtains were flying around, but no shadows melted into short figures with spiky hair. A sudden displacement of air jolted him out of his reverie and he sidestepped. Something hit the far wall and fluttered to the floor.
A letter.
"Did you guess yet?" The shadows spoke in a thick, baritone voice.
Kurama's hand shot out and flipped on the light. The instant flash of light temporarily blinded him and he blinked.
Hiei was leaning, arms crossed, on the wall opposite him. A smirk plastered his face.
"What's so funny?" Kurama half-snapped.
"A bit jumpy, aren't we?" The fire demon countered.
"It's good to have reflexes." Kurama sat down on his bed. He let out an exhausted sigh and began taking his clothes off. When he reached his pants he heard a choked gasp.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hiei growled after recovering from the shock.
"Changing," the redhead answered, "A bit jumpy, aren't we?"
"Hn." Hiei turned away, a faint blush on his face. "So did you make your guesses?"
Kurama pulled on a pair of pajama pants, but made no move towards his shirt, leaving him bare-chested. "Weren't you following me? The people I gave roses to are my guesses."
Hiei crossed his arms again and smirked. The situation was once again under his control. "First, I would never let you get a mile near Yukina if I could help it, so there is absolutely nil chance that I would ever deliver a love letter for her. Second, what's with the kid?" he made a disgusted face, "does he have some heart problem or something? That colored face is abnormal." He leaned back against the wall and smirked. "You lose, Kurama."
But the fox didn't flinch. He stared at Hiei as if waiting for him to go on.
"What?"
"You missed one. I gave three roses out."
"What? No you didn't. You gave one to Yukina, one to that kid..." then it hit home. His eyes widened and he couldn't think of anything to say but "you bastard!"
"Not in this life, I'm not." Kurama smiled. "You lose, Hiei."
"Hn." The fire demon huffed, angry at himself.
"Are you going to back out?"
"Huh?" He turned toward Kurama. There was a hint of sadness in his tone that could not be ignored.
"I said, are you going to back out?"
"I don't lie."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"I won't make a bet unless I'm willing to carry it out."
Kurama was silent for a moment then he gave the fire demon a smile hot enough to burn him. "Okay, I'm ready for my prize."
"What do you want?" He didn't really like that smile but wanted to see it again for some odd reason.
The wind decided to double its efforts and sent a gust of wind into the room. The letter jumped to action and danced around the room crazily. Kurama caught it without breaking eye contact, and the leaves crumbled into nothingness the way it always did. The redhead was unfazed. "Kiss me."
"Hn." Hiei never broke promises and he certainly won't now. Especially ones this good. He approached Kurama slowly and only when their lips were millimeters apart did he allow a grin to escape.
Who's the real winner, Kurama?
The last verse of the song flew out of the redhead's grasp, unnoticed. The wind picked it up and played with it, carrying it away from the two lovers.
This is the place in my heart
This is the place where
I'm falling apart
Isn't this just where we met?
And is this the last chance
That I'll ever get?
I wish I was lonely
Instead of just only
Crystal and see-through
And not enough to you
'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
The way I know you could
End
[1] I've always wanted something like that but I never cut out any of my books... I know a guy who made one out of an English dictionary . that's why I used it.
[2] Hahaha! Sorry peeps, I just can't resist .
[3] He said 'her' because he thought it was a girl . (it'll be weird to write "him or her" right?)
[4] In case you want to know what he's thinking about... well... if you REALLY want to know.... I have no clue. I just thought that'd be good to write =D haha!
[5] Do you get it?? No way in hell is he going to go to hell?? You get it?? cracks up at her own jokes (-.-;; sorry for the stupid joke... I just can't resist)
[6] Gee, what were you expecting? o.O a lemon? Ha! Don't be silly!
[7] Sorry. I was in a weird mood. I can't help it.
gahhh!!! I can't write!!! I'm sorry!!! .; um... totally messed up o.O destroyed the mood, yadda yadda... ;; I wanted it to be more dramatic than this but... oh well ;; anywho um... . comments, flames, whatever... pweeze tell me. Thanks for making it so far (in my fic)!!