Inu-rose: Hey everyone. I'm ba-ack! But this time, this is a Kurama fic. Um... sorta.... kinda...
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Inu-rose: ONWARDS!
Life's prospects are dangerous
Kurama wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he stared at his mother's dead figure.
You probably read about how people look peaceful when they die.
Well, Shiori didn't look peaceful. She just looked… dead. As if she were possessed.
Thinking of this, Kurama shook a bit.
Shiori didn't need to be in this position right now. It was him that needed to be blamed. Him!
Six years ago… six years ago was when he began realizing that he grew to care for the woman.
Flashback (OK, I got this from a Manga book, so this is true.)
Little Kurama (I'll just call him Shuiichi for now…) walked into his house from school.
"Mama, I need I big bottle for school."
"There should be one in the cabinet dear," Shiori said, not looking up from washing the dishes.
Shuiichi pulled up a chair to the cabinet and climbed on it. "I can take it?"
Suddenly, the chair underneath him wobbled and tipped over. "Ah!"
Shiori screamed in spite of herself, dropping the dishes. They broke and shattered all over the floor.
She caught Shuiichi before he hit the ground, the broken glass slicing her arms.
Her arms were bleeding from the plates but she was smiling reassuringly at her son. "You're alright? You're not hurt?" she asked, her voice straining with pain.
Shuiichi's eyes glimmered. "Mama…"
End of Flashback
It took awhile before Kurama realized that he was nearly crying.
His shoulders shook as he fought to keep back the tears. He succeeded… barley.
"Shuiichi?" The doctor's voice rang through his ears. "We're going to take your mother now…"
Kurama pretended not to hear him. His voice was so annoying. He wanted to slice him in half…
"Please…" he hissed angrily through clenched teeth. "I need to be alone."
The doctor looked quite scared. "O-ok… I-I'll be back later, then…"
He stared at Shiori, thinking about the forlorn hope. The night he had first saved her life.
Flashback (This one is from the series. I'm sure you all have seen it…? It might be a little off but I'm doing this from memory, so just bare with me, please.)
"Shuiichi," Shiori struggled to sit up. "It's been so long since you've brought company."
Shuiichi said quickly and worriedly, "It's alright mother, you don't need to sit up!"
"I'm fine. I'm feeling much better today," Shiori protested.
Shuiichi looked over at her. "Shall I peel an apple for you?"
Shiori shook her head. "No thank you. I'm not hungry."
Her son's voice was pleading. "Please eat mother. You need your nutrition."
"I know, but it's just so hard to remember these things." Shiori murmured.
"Try hard," Shuiichi said, soothingly.
He had then gone to speak with Yusuke on the rooftop.
Once he had finished a nurse rushed to them. "Shuiichi! It's your mother!" she called.
Without hesitation, Shuiichi raced inside.
The doctor adjusted his glasses. "She's in what we call the critical stage. To be perfectly honest, your mother is about to die."
"How long?" Shuiichi asked calmly, trying to keep his cool.
"Probably tonight. I'm sorry."
That was when he used the forlorn hope.
He was willing to sacrifice his life for her, but Yusuke had stopped him.
"You want to save her so for the rest of her life so she can mourn the loss of her son?! I've seen that before and I never want to see that again!" Yusuke had said.
The forlorn hope had granted Shuiichi's wish, without taking either life.
When he had gone to see his mother she looked up at him, her eyes mostly closed. "Shuiichi…"
"Yes, mother…" That scene always makes me so happy. :')
End of Flashback
"Kurama?" The redhead turned at his name.
Yusuke was standing there, a worried look on his face.
"You okay, pal?" he asked quietly.
Kurama resisted the urge to shout, 'Of course I'm not okay! My mother is dead and I'm the one to blame for it!', but he was silent.
It was then that Botan came in as well. "Kurama, I need to… well…"
"Do what you must." Kurama whispered, his voice quivering.
Botan silently took his mother's soul and left the room without another word.
Yusuke came over to the depressed fox. "You never answered my question." He pressed, softly.
"All things considered, Yusuke, I guess I'm fine."
"I know that's not how you really feel about this, Kurama."
Kurama was silent, but Yusuke filled in the conversation.
"Mind telling me what you really feel right now?"
Kurama couldn't help it. He broke down and began to cry.
Yusuke stood there, listening to the fox's sobs.
"It should be me on that death bed. Not her. Me. I caused this. All of it." Kurama choked.
Keiko came in herself, looking at Kurama with pitiful eyes. She grabbed Yusuke's arm and whispered softly, "We should go, Yusuke."
Yusuke nodded and left the room with Keiko, leaving Kurama to cry.
After a while, Kurama wiped his eyes with his arm, trying to collect himself.
He finally found it in himself to stand up and try to leave.
Before he made a move to exit the room, Kurama walked over to his mother's form again.
"I'm sorry mother. All these years, I've been deceiving you. But I want you to know… I really did learn to care for you, no matter what you may think. You raised me well, mother. You made me understand that humans aren't just a waste of time. I learned so much from you. You taught me to care for others and that people can change." His eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back. "Thank you mother. And farewell. Maybe someday, if I'm fortunate, I'll meet you in heaven."
He gave one last mourning glance at his mother, then left, silently and sadly.
Little did he know, Shiori was watching him from heaven.
She grinned. "That-a-boy, Shuiichi."
"That-a-boy."
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Inu-rose: As always, reviews are wonderful. Also, in your review, tell me if I should make another chapter or if I should just leave it a one shot. Okies? Ja-ne!