Thursday1st period
Kurama took a deep breath before opening the door marked 'Peer Counseling'. Inside sat a guy Kurama's age, dressed completely in black. He was staring at the wall with his trademark 'stay out of my way and go burn in hell' expression on his face. 'Oh no, anyone but him.' Kurama thought as he closed the door. The guy looked over, snorted, and looked back to the wall. 'Great…' Kurama sat down on the other side of the table and stared at the guy. A few seconds passed. "What?" Kurama blinked, and then realized that the guy was looking at him. "Nothing……um…my name's Suichi and I guess I'm your peer counselor." A few more seconds passed. Kurama reached into the bag and got out the packet his counselor gave him. "Karasu." "Hmm?" "My name is Karasu." Kurama blinked. "Nice to meet you." "Nhn." "…so…why are you in peer counseling?" "All of my teachers except one recommended me." 'Except one? What teacher wouldn't recommend him?' "Incase you're wondering, my study hall teacher doesn't give a damn about what I do as long as it's silent." "…Oh." Kurama looked through his packet, trying to find something to talk about. "Why don't you tell me about your life?" Karasu narrowed his eyes. "Mother's a bitch, father's a bastard, my life is fucked up, and I hate this school and everyone in it. How about you?" "Uh…" Kurama was slightly shocked by Karasu's statement. After about 30 seconds, Kurama decided to answer Karasu. "My stepbrother can be annoying sometimes, and my stepfather..." Karasu shuddered slightly. 'What the?' "He's almost never home…and..." The bell rang, and Karasu and Kurama collected their stuff and walked out.
Friday
Kurama opened the door, slammed it shut, dropped his books on the table, and sat down. "Having a bad day?" Kurama glared at Karasu. "Yes." Karasu tilted his head slightly. "What, got a C on a math test?" Kurama growled. Karasu smirked. "Really? Oh no, the world is coming to an end." "Shut up!" Karasu raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well. Did the great Suichi Minamino, pride of the school, actually get a C on a math test?" Kurama growled again and put his head on the table. Karasu walked over. "Go away." "……I could help you, you know." "I don't need help from someone who's failing all his classes." Karasu glared at him. "The only reason that I'm failing is because the teachers take one look at me and assume I'll be spending most of the year in the principal's office." "Don't you?" Karasu narrowed his eyes, grabbed his books, and stormed out the door. Kurama stared at the door. 'What the hell is his problem?'
Monday
Karasu
walked into the Peer Counseling room. Kurama was already there,
apparently doing his math homework. Kurama stared at a particularly
hard problem. 'How do you do this again? Take out the x and then…'
Karasu walked behind Kurama. "Having problems?" Kurama growled.
"Nothing you could help with." Karasu looked at the problem, and
then wrote down an answer. Kurama looked at the answer and then up to
Karasu. "How did you?" Karasu shrugged. "I told you before,
the teachers discriminate against me." "Give me an example."
Karasu looked at Kurama and said "I always get A's on all my
tests." "So?" "The teachers assume that I had to cheat in
order to get such a high grade, so I get suspended." Kurama
blinked. "That's not very fair." "Tell me about it." Karasu
sat in the chair next to Kurama. "What's the one thing you regret
the most?" Kurama looked at Karasu, wondering why in the world he
had asked that question. "…That I let my mother die." Kurama
looked away. Karasu didn't even glance at Kurama. "…Did you
really…contribute to her death, Suichi?" Kurama closed his eyes.
"…No. Not really. I…I just can't…" He fell silent. "Can't
help but feel you caused her to die?" Kurama looked at Karasu,
surprised. "Yeah……Hey Karasu?" "What?" The bell ran,
causing Karasu to tremble slightly. Kurama smiled. "Thanks. And
call me Kurama." He walked out. Karasu stared at his receding back.
'Why is he being so nice to me?' Karasu sighed and started
walking to his next class. 'Oh well. He'll give up eventually,
just like all the others.'
Lunch
Karasu dropped his bag on
the floor and sat down in his usual seat. All by himself at a table
in the far corner with the light above it that was burned out. He
took out his lunch and started eating. He sighed again. 'Why
doesn't anyone care?' "Karasu." Karasu looked up, slightly
surprised to see Kurama standing next to him with a tray full of food
in his arms. "Mind if I sit with you?" Karasu blinked, wondering
why Kurama would want to sit with him. "No, I don't mind."
Kurama smiled slightly and sat down next to him. Karasu glanced at
Kurama's tray, laden with food from the 'Prep' line, (AKA: The
expensive, actually cooked food) then frowned and looked down at his
own lunch. A peanut butter sandwich and a cheap, small bag of chips.
Kurama noticed the frown, and said "Want some?" He motioned to
his tray. Karasu's eyes lit up and then dimmed again. "No,
thanks." Kurama frowned slightly. "Really, I can't eat all of
this. I usually give most of it to my friends." "Then why did you
buy it?" Karasu expected Kurama to reply with something along the
lines of 'Because I can!' Kurama chuckled slightly. "I don't.
My fan club buys it for me everyday. I could care less. Now, let's
see, where is the food that I bought for myself…" He started
digging though the food. After about 30 seconds, the rest of the
table was covered in food, and only a ham sandwich, a 75 cent bag of
Ruffles, and a pretzel was left on Kurama's tray. Karasu shook his
head. "Do you throw all this out if you can't eat it?" Again,
the inner voice that hated preps responded with 'of course he
does.' Kurama shook his head. "I give it to…whoever wants it."
Karasu raised an eyebrow, and started eating his chips. Kurama stared
at him. Karasu stopped eating, a chip about halfway to his mouth.
"What?" "You should eat more." Karasu raised his other
eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm skinny?" Kurama looked away,
thinking he had somehow offended Karasu. "…Kind of…" Karasu
rolled his eyes. "Figures." He reached over and grabbed a chicken
sandwich and started eating it. Kurama stared at Karasu again. Karasu
noticed and swallowed a mouthful of the sandwich. "You said I could
have some, right?" Kurama sweatdropped. "Uh…yeah…" They ate
in silence for a few minutes, before "Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke and
Kuwabara walked over to the table. "Whatchya sitting with the freak
for?" Karasu glared at Kuwabara. Kurama rolled his eyes. "He's
not a freak, and I'm sitting with him because we're in peer
counseling together." Yusuke smirked. "Sucks to be you." He and
Kuwabara sat down on Kurama's right side, away from Karasu. They
were soon joined by nearly all of the cheerleaders in the school.
Karasu sighed, grabbed his bag, stood up and started walking away.
Kurama turned around. "Karasu, wait! Come back!" Karasu threw the
remains of his lunch in the waste basket and walked out of the
cafeteria. Yusuke smirked. "About time. Who's up for some poker?"
Everyone but Kurama joined in, because he was still staring at the
door. 'I have to follow him.' He somehow managed to get away from
all of his 'friends' with the 'I need to go return a book'
excuse.
In the hallway
'Damn preps. They're all alike. Kurama's no different.' Karasu was suddenly slammed sideways into the lockers. He quickly let his bag drop to the floor and turned around. 'Great. The Toguro brothers. Just what I need right now.' The taller brother cracked his knuckles. "It's been far too long since the last time we sent you home crying, freak." Karasu's eyes narrowed and he moved slightly to the left, trying to escape and avoid fighting them. The elder Toguro leapt over and quickly kicked the back of Karasu's legs making him fall to his knees. E.T. grabbed Karasu's arms and pinned them behind his back, one of his hands reaching up to the back of Karasu's neck to hold him down. Y.T. slowly walked over. He smirked and said "I need to blow off some steam, and you're perfect for it since you don't fight back." Karasu glared at him, not being able to do much else considering the position he was in. Y.T. drew his fist back and was about to punch Karasu when someone slammed into Toguro and knocked him to the ground. Karasu's eyes widened when he saw that it was Yusuke. A few seconds later, the elder was pulled off of him by Kuwabara. The Toguros took off. Y.T. yelled over his shoulder "We'll be back!" Kurama walked over to Karasu, who was rubbing his wrists slightly while being glared at by Yusuke and Kuwabara. "You okay?" Kurama extended his hand. Karasu smiled slightly and took it, allowing Kurama to help pull him to his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine…" He looked at Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Why did you help me?" Yusuke snorted. "Kurama made us help." Karasu blinked and looked at Kurama, who shrugged. "I saw the Toguro brothers slam you into the lockers, so I went back and got some help." "Oh." Karasu looked at his feet, his shoulders sagging slightly. "What's going on here?" A hall monitor walked up to them, glaring at Karasu. Kurama turned to her. "Nothing. We were just talking." The hall monitor looked about to protest, but decided against it. "Go back to the cafeteria. The period's almost over." She walked away. Karasu went over and got his bag, and walked back to the cafeteria, muttering a thank you as he walked past. Yusuke glared at the door as it closed. "What's his problem?" Kurama looked down. 'That's exactly want I need to figure out.'
Flashback
"Okay Suichi, usually I don't let people know anything about the person they'll be counseling, but you'll be counseling a…special…person." Kurama raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, special?" He asked, fearing he was going to have to counsel a druggie, a Goth, or someone like that. "Well, to tell you the truth, all the other peers that tried to counsel him gave up after a few days, and they kept saying something about him not wanting to share and insulting them and making them feel like dirt." Kurama looked at the head counseling person. "But don't worry. If you feel like that, or you're just not making progress with him, don't worry about it and drop out of the program."
Different
flashback
Kurama saw several cheerleaders pointing at a table
under a broken light. "I heard that his parents are so poor, they
can't pay a psychiatrist, so they make him go to peer counseling
instead." "Well I heard that his parents don't care
about him, and just ignore him and hope he'll disappear." Kurama
shook his head, disgusted that they could talk about someone else
like that.
End Flashbacks
Kurama sighed and went back into
the cafeteria. He spotted Karasu and ran over to him. "Hey, Karasu,
is your shoulder okay?" Karasu walked a little slower so Kurama
could keep up. "It's fine." Kurama rolled his eyes and pulled
down Karasu's sleeve. His eyes widened when he saw the big black
bruise that covered his entire shoulder. Karasu jerked away. "Don't
touch me!" His eyes burned with hatred and he turned and walked
away. Kurama rolled his eyes again and ran to catch up with Karasu.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked…so what happened?" Karasu
still didn't look at him. "Nothing." "Karasu, that couldn't
have come from the Younger Toguro slamming you into the lockers."
Karasu stopped. "I was wrestling with my friend and he pushed me
into a street lamp pole, alright?" He walked away. Kurama slowly
shook his head, knowing that Karasu wasn't telling the truth. As
Karasu walked off, he thought 'That was close. I need to stop him
from finding out the truth.'
Tuesday
Kurama
was late. He had been called down to the Guidance Office to see Mr.
Kashefkey (Ka-chef-key), the head of the Peer Counseling program. He
had wanted to see if Kurama wanted to get out of the program, but
Kurama had turned him down, insisting that he could help Karasu. So
Kurama walked into the peer counseling room 10 minutes late only to
see that Karasu wasn't there. 'What the? He's usually here by
now…' Kurama waited for another 20 minutes, then went to the
cafeteria and ate some breakfast for the remaining 20 minutes of 1st
period.
Wednesday
Kurama had just walked and sat down when Karasu slowly walked in. "Where were you yesterday?" "I was…sick…" Karasu sat down. "Oh…how's your shoulder?" "Better…" "That's good…" They fell silent. "Karasu?" Karasu looked at him. "What?" "……" "What is it Kurama?" Kurama sighed. "Karasu, I know that you were lying about what happened to your shoulder on Monday." Karasu looked away. "Am I right?" Karasu closed his eyes. "Yes." "So what happened?" Karasu was silent. "Well?" More silence. "Karasu, how do you expect me to help you if you don't answer my questions?" "…Maybe I don't want your help." Karasu picked up his bag and walked out. Kurama stared at the door. 'Now I know something is wrong.'
Lunch
Karasu
sat down, hoping that Kurama wouldn't sit by him again. 'I don't
want to hurt his feelings, but I…I can't have any friends…'
He took out his lunch and started eating it. Kurama stood about 10
feet away, trying to decide whether or not to sit next to Karasu. 'If
I sit there, then my friends- wait, they're not my friends. None of
them are truly my friends. They just like me so they'll be in the
in-crowd.' Kurama sighed and walked back to his regular table.
After he finished his lunch, he opened his math book and stared at
the page. 'There is no way I can do this…' He gulped and stood
up. "Watch my stuff, okay Yusuke?" "'K." Kurama walked over
to Karasu's table. "Karasu?" 'Oh great. Now what?' "Yeah?"
Kurama gulped again. "Could you…help me with my math homework?"
Karasu looked up at Kurama, surprised, and then looked at the clock.
There was about 5 minutes left in the period. "Not enough time."
Kurama looked at his watch. "Damn." He sighed and bit his lip
slightly. "Could you…come over to my house after school, then?"
Karasu looked at Kurama and blinked. "You want me to come over to
your house?" "Uh, yeah, that isn't a problem, is it?" Karasu
shook his head. "No, not at all. I'd love to come over and help
the pride of the school with his math homework." Karasu smirked.
Kurama's eye twitched. "Fine, but not a word of this to anyone
else." Karasu nodded. 'Who would I tell?' The bell rang. "I'll
meet you in front of the school, okay?" Without waiting for an
answer, Kurama rushed off to get his bag. Karasu slowly shook his
head and went to call his mother. 'Thank god my step-father isn't
home.'
After school
Kurama
glanced at his watch. 'Damnit, where is he?' Karasu came running
over. "Sorry I'm late, the damn Physics teacher was yelling at me
again." Kurama chuckled slightly. "What?" "If I may ask, how
did you get into Physics?" "The one teacher who doesn't think I
cheat happened to be my Science teacher last year. He recommended
me." "Oh. Well, come on, my step-father wants me to be home by
4:00." Karasu raised an eyebrow and started walking next to Kurama.
"You walk home from school?" "Uh huh. I only live about 3
blocks away." "Oh." They walked to Kurama's house in silence.
(DAMNED ENGLISH ESSAY ABOUT SILENCE THAT HAS ME SEEING ALL THE
EXAMPLES OF SILENCE EVERYWHERE!) Kurama opened the door. "I'm
home!" A man who looked to be around 50 walked into the entryway
from a door on the left. "Hello Suichi." A few seconds passed.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Kurama
blushed slightly. "Of course. Father, this is Karasu." Kurama's
dad held out his hand. Karasu shook it, smiling slightly. "Pleasure
to meet you, sir." Kurama's father chuckled. "At least he has
manners, unlike your other friends, Yusuke and Kuwabara." Kurama
blushed more and pulled Karasu away. "We'll be up in my room!"
He ran up the stairs, still pulling Karasu. "Kurama! Stop it!"
Karasu yanked his arm away as they stopped in Kurama's room. Karasu
shut the door and leaned against it slightly. Kurama sighed. "I
know, I know. I'm not supposed to touch you. And where did you
learn how to be so respectful?" Karasu rolled his eyes. "I know
how to be polite if the situation calls for it." Kurama rolled his
eyes and took out his math book. Karasu walked over and helped Kurama
with his math homework.
2 hours later
Kurama's father knocked on the door. "Do you two want some dinner?" "Yeah, we'll be right down!" Kurama yelled to be heard over the music that was playing. Not only was Karasu good at math, he also liked the same music as Kurama. Kurama hit the pause button. "I wonder what we're having for dinner…" He and Karasu walked down stairs and sat down, two plates of spaghetti waiting for them. Karasu fought the urge to gulp it all down and managed to eat it slowly. After dinner, Kurama's father offered to drive Karasu home. Karasu paled. "No, it's fine, I'll just take the bus." "No really, I insist." Karasu bit the inside of his cheek. Kurama sensed Karasu's uneasiness and said "Father, if Karasu doesn't want a ride home, then don't pressure him." Karasu let out a silent sigh of relief. "Oh all right." Kurama's step brother poked his head in the room. "You just want to show off your new car!" "Hey!" Karasu slipped out of the house and started walking away. "Karasu, wait!" Kurama ran up to him. "Why didn't you want my father to drive you home?" Karasu sighed. "Kurama, I don't…I don't live…in the…nicest of neighborhoods…" "What do you mean?" "You know about King's Alley?" "You mean the most violent area of Tokyo? Yeah, I know about it, why? Karasu looked away. Kurama's eyes widened. "You live there?" Karasu nodded. "Oh…" A beat-up looking green station wagon pulled up. A woman stuck her head out of the window. "Karasu, let's go!" Kurama stared at her. "That would be my mother. See you tomorrow, Kurama." Kurama just stared as Karasu got in the passenger seat and the car drove off, occasionally backfiring. Kurama walked inside and went up to his room. 'So Karasu doesn't want anyone to know that he's poor…' Suddenly what Karasu had said about his teachers made sense. 'The teachers all have access to the student files; they must discriminate against him because of where he lives.' Kurama shook his head, laid down on his bed and went to sleep.
At Karasu's house
"WHERE WERE YOU!" Karasu gulped and took a step back. "I w-was helping someone w-with their homework." Sangue, Karasu's father, laughed. "You, help with homework? You're failing ALL OF YOUR CLASSES!" Karasu cringed slightly. "But…" Sangue slapped him, hard. "You are NEVER to go over to ANYONE'S house EVER AGAIN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" Karasu looked away. "Yes sir…" Sangue walked away, his mother following him. Karasu slowly walked away, a dark purple bruise forming on his cheek. 'Why? Why did I go over to Kurama's house? I should have known better.' He lied down and went to sleep.
The
next day
Karasu was awoken by someone roughly shaking him. "WAKE
UP!" Karasu moved closer to the wall, away from his drunken father.
"It's about time." Karasu bit his lip as Sangue started beating
him, knowing he wasn't going to be able school today.
At School
Kurama was waiting in the peer counseling room when his cell phone rang. He looked at the number and didn't recognize it. "Hello?" "…Kurama?" "Karasu? Where are you?" "I'm…not coming to school today." "Wait, why?" "I…I just can't. Bye." "No, wait, Karasu!" The line went dead. Kurama stared at the phone. 'That was weird…'
Lunch
An unfamiliar guy with spiked black hair walked up to Kurama's table. "Which one of you is Suichi Minamino?" Kurama stood up. "Who wants to know?" The guy threw a letter at Kurama. "What's this?" The person snorted. "A note, what's it look like?" The guy walked away. Kurama sat back down and unfolded it.
'Kurama, please come to the 456 King's Alley after school. I'll explain everything. Karasu.'
Kurama blinked, then crumpled up the paper and shoved it in his backpack before Yusuke could read it. "Another love letter?" Kurama just smiled slightly, and went back to eating.
After school, at the address above
Kurama had been waiting there for about 5 minutes, and he was starting to get nervous, due to the stares he had been getting. "Well well well, what do we have here? A prep? What are you doing here?" Kurama's eyes widened when he saw that the leader of the toughest gang in Tokyo had spoken. "I…I was just…" "Leave him alone Rei (King in Italian)." Kurama looked to his right and let out a sigh of relief. Rei stared at Karasu. "You know him?" Karasu shrugged. "He's my peer councilor." Rei laughed. "So that's what, #15 this year?" Karasu rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mr. I-have-practically-the-whole-student-body-as-peer-councilors-each-month." Rei rolled his eyes. Kurama walked over to Karasu. "How the hell do you know him?" Karasu rolled his eyes again. "I do live here, you know." "Yes, but…" "I think he means 'How can you be on friendly terms with the meanest 18 year old in Tokyo' Karasu…And are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Rei walked over and pulled Karasu into the light. He now had several new bruises on his face, along with the large purple one on his cheek. "Fine my ass. Did your fa" "Shut up!" Kurama stared at Karasu. "What, I can't talk about what's happening with your" "No!" Rei blinked. Karasu jerked his head in Kurama's direction. "Oh, right, he doesn't know." Kurama walked toward them. "Know what?" "Nothing that you'll need to know." Rei took a step forward glaring at Kurama. Kurama gulped and took a step back. "Rei, chill. He…has actually been helping me." Rei actually looked surprised. "Really?" Karasu nodded. "Right, well…" A muscular looking boy with a red crown-shaped pendant around his neck ran over. "King, we need you. It's the Toguros." "Again?" Rei glanced at Karasu. Karasu nodded. Rei sighed and ran off with the boy. "Later Karasu!" Karasu sighed. "Anyway, come with me…" Karasu lead Kurama through several alleys and through a junkyard until they got to a really run-down looking neighborhood. Karasu finally stopped in the shadows of a very small alley and looked across the street at a house that looked more like a shack than anything else. "I…live there." Karasu looked away. Kurama didn't say anything. "I've been living there all my life. And…I never really had any friends…" Kurama gently put his hand on Karasu's shoulder. Karasu cringed, but didn't move away. "Please Kurama…I…want you to meet my mother…" Kurama finally understood why Karasu had seemed so tense the entire way here. 30 seconds passed. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to her?" Karasu looked very surprised. "You…actually want to meet her?" Kurama nodded. Karasu smiled slightly and motioned to the house. They walked up to the door and Karasu opened it. "You keep the door unlocked?" Karasu sadly smiled. "I know everyone around here, and they know that there's nothing worth stealing here." Karasu stepped in side and, after a few seconds, pulled Kurama in too and shut the door.
"I'm home!" A woman, who Kurama recognized as the woman who drove Karasu home, came out of the kitchen. "Oh, Karasu, you…brought home a friend." Karasu glared at her. "Is there a law against that or something?" "No, but…your father is coming home soon." Karasu's eyes widened before turning to Kurama. "You should go." "But" "Please, just come over next week, when my father isn't" They heard the door slam and Karasu, Kurama, and Karasu's mother looked at the man who was standing in the doorframe. The man walked in, saw Kurama, and then walked over to Karasu. "What did I say about having people over?" Karasu gulped and looked away. "Not to have anyone over at all." "Exactly." Kurama glanced from Karasu to Karasu's father and back to Karasu. "I-I was just leaving." Kurama walked past Sangue and went out the door. He heard a punch being thrown and Karasu's mother scream as he closed the door. Kurama looked at the ground and started walking away. Rei was leaning against the entrance to the alley. "I suggest you run." "W-what do you mean?" "If Karasu's father gets mad enough, he might come looking for you. It's best if you just run." Kurama smiled slightly. "You know, despite you reputation, you're really very nice." Rei rolled his eyes. "Just go. Oh, and if you tell anyone about me being nice to you," Rei came closer until he was about 3 inches away from Kurama. "I will personally rip off one of your arms." Kurama backed away slightly, and then ran off. Rei started laughing as soon as Kurama was out of earshot. "Can't believe he fell for that…" He looked up at Karasu's house, shook his head, and started walking away.
The Next Day
Kurama
walked into the Peer Counseling room, only to find Karasu's upper
body slumped over the table, his head buried in his arms, one leg
crossed over the other at his calve. (Yes, it's a very tall table)
"Karasu?" Karasu shuddered slightly. "Karasu? You okay?"
Kurama gently put a hand on Karasu's shoulder. Karasu moved away
and whimpered. "Please, no more." Karasu's voice was hoarse, as
if he had been crying for several hours. Kurama's eyes widened,
significantly worried. "Karasu, lift your head up." Karasu shook
his head slightly. "Please lift your head up?" This time Karasu
didn't even move. "Karasu, if you don't lift your head up, I'm
getting the principal." Karasu whimpered slightly and lifted his
head up, his hair covering his face. Kurama frowned and gently moved
Karasu's hair out of the way. What he saw was not what he expected.
Karasu had his eyes closed, his right eye black and swollen, his
bottom lip looked like it had been bitten through several times, and
he had various colorful bruises on his face. "Ka…Karasu…d-did
your father do this to you?" Karasu looked away and opened his
eyes. "No. My…my stepfather did this. My father is dead." A
tear slowly slid down Karasu's face. "Oh Karasu…" Karasu
sighed. "My step father treats me like I'm more worthless than
dirt…and he…" Karasu trembled slightly. "He beats me, nearly
every night…and I don't know why…" Karasu fell to his knees,
with his hair shielding his face, and started crying. Kurama gently
embraced Karasu, not caring if Karasu didn't want to be held. To
his surprise, Karasu buried his head into Kurama's chest and
started sobbing. Kurama shifted so Karasu was leaning on his chest.
"Shh…It'll be alright, it'll be okay…" He gently ran a
hand through Karasu's hair. When the bell rang a few minutes later
neither of them paid any attention to it. The head guidance councilor
walked in, saw them, and leaned against the door frame. About 10
minutes later Karasu calmed down, the violent sobs turning into quiet
whimpers. Kurama looked up and saw the head councilor. "Oh, Mr.
Kashefkey, I-I didn't hear you come in." Mr. Kashefkey just
smiled. "I see you've succeeded in breaking past Karasu's
emotional barriers." Karasu looked away and backed up slightly.
Kurama blinked. "Well, I wouldn't say that…" Mr. Kashefkey
sighed and walked over to Karasu. "Do you see now that you have to
make your own decisions, even if they're against your stepfather,
in order to be happy?" Karasu nodded, not meeting Mr. Kashefkey's
eyes. Kurama was just a tad surprised. He turned to Mr. Kashefkey.
"You knew? You knew what his step-father was doing to him and yet
you did nothing to stop him?" Kurama was almost yelling. "Suichi,
calm down!" "Calm down? How can I be calm now that I know that
I've been set up!" Karasu looked at Kurama, confused. "What do
you mean, set up?" "You and Mr. Kashefkey! You've talked to him
before didn't you?" Karasu looked away again. Mr. Kashefkey
stepped forward. "Suichi, please, understand that I thought it was
best for Karasu to work out his own problems before I contacted the
police." Kurama's eye twitched. "So what, I was just some
random person you decided to use to help Karasu?" "No, no, not at
all, I had noticed your caring attitude, and I knew that you could
help break down Karasu's barriers. And your friends knew about the
fact that you were upset about your mother's death, and noticed
that…" Kurama's eyes widened as he realized, "You told Karasu
my mother had died!" Mr. Kashefkey blinked. "Well, yes, but"
"How dare you tell anyone about my mother! Especially a freak!"
Karasu suddenly looked incredibly hurt. He looked away, tears forming
in his eyes. Kurama realized what he had said. "Karasu, I didn't
mean that. I-it just kinda slipped out, I" Karasu stood up, his
eyes burning in anger. "Is that who you think I am? A freak?"
Karasu shook his head. "I shouldn't have trusted you. You're
all alike! I thought you were my friend!" Karasu stormed out of the
room. Mr. Kashefkey sighed and sat down. "Well, that could have
gone better…" "Tell me about it." Kurama gasped when he saw
who was leaning against the door frame. "You…you go to our
school?" Rei laughed and stepped inside. "Uh huh. I'm just in
ISS all day." Kurama looked at the floor. "So, you're the first
person to crack the barrier he built around himself, and then you go
and do something like this. I would stay here and pound the crap out
of you, but I have to go catch up with Karasu before he does
something really stupid, like pissing off his step." Rei ran out.
'His step?' Kurama's eyes widened. 'His stepfather.' Kurama
quickly followed Rei.
Outside 30 minutes later
Rei managed to catch up with Karasu and knock him to the ground just as Karasu was about to go into his house. "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME REI!" Rei quickly shifted and pinned Karasu to the ground. "I'm not letting you go until you calm down! You go in there all pissed and your step'll kill you!" Karasu squirmed, trying to get free. "Believe me, Kurama didn't mean it! He's been depressed for over a month because of his mother's death, and the fact that Kashefkey told you without his consent really pissed him off!" Karasu growled and fought harder to get up, somehow managing to turn over. "So you're in this too?" Rei shook his head, panting slightly. "I know Kashefkey, and he told me." Karasu calmed slightly, no longer trying to get away. "But…I just don't get it…" Rei rolled off of Karasu. "Well, how would you feel if a teacher told Toguro about your father's death?" Karasu looked away. "Karasu…" Karasu looked to his right to see Kurama. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" "I…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that to you…" "Damn straight." Rei helped Karasu up. They looked up when they heard a door slam open. "What's going on here?" Karasu's father looked at them. Rei stepped in front of Karasu. "Nothing. We're just talking." He cracked his knuckles. Sangue's face contorted in rage. "How DARE YOU DISOBEY ME! AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU!" Karasu's eyes narrowed. "You've never done anything for me except nearly put me in the hospital several times! I'm sick and tired of having to do everything you say and take all the abuse you throw at me!" Sangue lost control and ran at Karasu. Rei quickly threw a cell phone at Kurama. "Call the police! And hurry!" Kurama dialed and backed up. Karasu's father threw a punch at Karasu, but Karasu managed to step aside and kick his father in the gut. Rei joined him and punched Karasu's father in the chest. They heard sirens and backed up. Karasu's father saw Kurama snap the cell phone shut (It's a flip phone). "Hey! Be careful with that!" Rei yelled. "YOU BASTARD!" Karasu's father started running toward Kurama. Karasu's eyes widened and he ran at Kurama, managing to push him aside as his father's fist connected with his chest, a few ribs shattering as he was thrown into the wall behind him. "Karasu!" Rei ran over and kneeled in front of Karasu, facing Karasu's father as the police cars drove over. A few dozen policemen got out and tackled Karasu's father, forcing handcuffs on him and shoving him into a car. Rei turned around and gently moved Karasu so he was leaning on his chest. "Karasu?" "It…hurts…" Karasu started crying. "Shh, it'll be okay…" One of the policemen walked over. "Is he okay?" Rei glared at him. "Does he look okay?" The policeman shouted for someone to call an ambulance. "Hey, just relax; an ambulance is on its way." Karasu simply leaned against Rei, his body shaking with every breath. Kurama ran over and gave the cell phone back to Rei. "Shit, that looks bad." Rei rolled his eyes. "No duh." The ambulance arrived in 2 minutes. Karasu was loaded in the ambulance and given a pain killer. Rei and Kurama tried to go with him. "Sorry, only family members can ride with him." Rei growled. "I am his family, now move!" Rei shoved his way into the ambulance and it drove off, leaving Kurama in the dust. "Rei is his…" "His step-brother." Kurama looked in the direction of Karasu's house and saw Karasu's mother close the door. "But…how…" "I'll explain on the way." Karasu's mother ran over and pulled Kurama toward the backyard. "On the way to what?" Kurama gasped when he saw the shiny new convertible. "How?" Kurama got in the passenger side as Karasu's mother got in the drivers seat and pulled onto the road and followed the ambulance. "You see, I'm really Karasu and Rei's mother. Rei was the result of my first marriage, before I met Karasu's father. Then my first husband divorced, leaving me with Rei and a shitload of money. I met Karasu's father 3 weeks after the divorce, and he helped me get through my depression I was suffering through. Then I had Karasu, and I was so happy……Until Karasu's father died…" She fell silent for a few minutes. "I re-married to Karasu's step-father, my third husband. But, he was only after me for my money. He gambled it away, every last penny…except for what was left in Rei's bank account. It turns out my first husband had had a very sick, wealthy aunt who promised him her fortune if he was single. So, we divorced, but he felt so bad that he gave half of the money to me, and the rest to Rei in an account that couldn't be used until he was 18, intended to be used as college funds." She sighed. "But, Rei wasn't accepted into any colleges, so he took out some of the money, bought an apartment and this car, and moved out. Granted, the apartment was 3 streets down, but he didn't want to leave for Karasu's sake." She parked the car next to the ambulance. A security guard tried to get her to leave, but she insisted that her son was in the ambulance. When they took out Karasu, the security guard let her and Kurama go with Karasu, along with Rei.
Later that day
Kurama sat next to Rei in the waiting room, waiting to hear if Karasu was going to be okay. Karasu's mother had gone down to the station to be questioned about what Karasu's step-father did to him. Kurama was fairly certain that Karasu's step-father wouldn't be coming home for a long long time. "So…you're Karasu's step-brother." Rei nodded. "I hope Karasu is okay." "I'm sure he is, Kurama." A doctor approached them. "Are you two waiting for Karasu?" Kurama and Rei nodded. "You can see him now. Follow me." The doctor led them to a bright white room where Karasu was lying on a bed, his chest bandaged. Kurama could see a faint line of blackened skin around the edges of the bandages. They ran over to the bed and kneeled next to it. "Karasu, I'm so sorry." "It's alright Kurama. I forgive you." Kurama smiled slightly, and then noticed all the other bruises on Karasu's body. "Gods, how could someone do that to his child?" "Well, technically, neither of us are his children." Kurama rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean." Rei and Karasu started laughing, the latter stopping after a few moments and wincing in pain, and the former stopping immediately after. "You okay?" Karasu smiled. "Yeah, I'll be alright. For the first time in years, I'll be alright."
A few weeks later
Rei had bought a house near Kurama's, and Karasu, Rei, and their mother had moved in a few days later. Karasu's father had gotten life in prison on charges of prolonged child abuse and illegally gambling away his wife's money. Karasu's grades drastically improved after Mr. Kashefkey talked to his teachers and proved how smart he really was. Best of all, Rei, for the first time all year, got out of ISS for a day.
Lunch
Yusuke and Kuwabara sat down next to Kurama. "I wouldn't sit there, those seats are reserved." Yusuke and Kuwabara looked surprised. "For who?" Someone behind them cleared his throat. Yusuke saw who it was and started laughing. "The freak?" Rei stepped out of the shadows. "Say something about my brother, Urameshi?" "HOLY SHIT! IT'S THE KING!" "No duh. And if you say another bad thing about my brother, I'll personally rip one of your arms off." Yusuke and Kuwabara took a step back as Kurama hid his smile behind his book. Karasu sat down next to Kurama, and Rei leaned against the wall behind them, glaring at anyone who passed by them. "So, think I did alright as a peer councilor?" "I think you did a…satisfactory job." "Hey!" "Alright, you did exceptionally well as a peer councilor." Kurama and Karasu started laughing. Rei rolled his eyes and smiled. 'Finally, he found a friend.'