Hate d'Amour
Chapter one
Kurama sighed into the reflective glass of the mirror, his red locks hacked off at his ears, his emerald eyes reflecting starbursts of light. Running his hands through his hair he turned and picked up a glass of amber liquid on the dresser table. He sipped the bitterness, focusing on the cherry scent rather than the alcohol, his heart calmed staring at the photo framed on the wall. His mother's smiling face shining through the airy gloom.
His eyes flicked to the papers on his desk, the large print "Divorce Notice" freezing his hand, the alcohol glass suspended on its path to pluckered lips.
"Five years." He gritted his teeth, placed the glass on the desk, and fell back; his eyes on the ceiling of the makeshift bedroom, the studio apartment clustered to economic size. "Ended in one night."
He flexed his arms to his face, covering his eyes with darkness, then swung them down to the unfurnished floor.
" 'Sorry dear, but the child we married for isn't yours' " He heard the bitterness break the air, a knife to his jugular, as he mocked those words. The last words his wife said before she kicked him out.
Kicked him out for his stepbrother.
"What a fine family."
"Minamino-sensei, its' 4 o'clock, I'm here." Kurama heard footsteps, the voice echoing into the closed off space; his visitor's shadow on the screen splitting the apartment in two. "I need help with my math, I'm way behind. I hate doing it."
"Why fuckin' sign up for it then?" Kurama bit his lip when the steps silenced, sitting up and pulling his hair at his remark.
"Your sensei isn't very polite, is he?"
Kurama flashed to his feet, and pounded into the other apartment half, eyes inflamed and lips stone.
"Sayaka-san, I cannot deal with a guest right now, you have no right to drop in with a friend, to imped on..."
"Minamino-sensei, I..."
Kurama flinched back, the coal black hair cropped short around the pearl face of the uninvited visitor, with piercing sapphires divided by a thin bridge nose, brought forth fresh and old memories. He blacked out.
0
Pain pinched on his cheeks awoke him to the bright overhead light, the bulb blurring to blue as he stared; he followed the color spot as it changed to red and floated through the air. Sight mixed with light was a strange thing.
"Minamino-sensei? Please be okay...are you all right?"
The color from light faded and his surroundings bled into view, he recognized the ceiling above his bed. His mattress creaky and rough under his bare back, his scratchy rag of a blanket by his side. A sharp intake of breath and his free hand flinching to his forehead brought his hangover to consciousness, the dim window in the corner showing a darkening sky.
"What time...?"
"Going on 7PM, the girl I brought went home."
"...it's late, go home. Come tomorrow." Kurama turned over and faced the wall, grabbing at the folded clothes he used as a pillow.
"...how long...Minamino-sensei, my parents won't pay if you don't tutor me..."
"...you're not coming back then, are you?" Kurama groaned from a nasty throb through his skull; his brain boiling he turned back over, facing his pupil's eyes. "Fine. I can't tutor you anyway."
"Sensei, I know you're going through tough times...I...the girl I brought today..."
"I can't tutor her." Kurama closed his eyes, blacking out sight and all but his throbbing migraine; he heard footsteps leave, the door shut and then he fell asleep.