Chapter 3: Shiori and Shuichi's vacation
"Shuichi, don't forget to pack your toothbrush," Shiori called up the stairs to her son.
"I won't mother," a boy called down.
Shiori, a woman in her mid-thirties with long black hair and black eyes, waited patiently for her ten year old son to come downstairs with his suitcase. They were leaving to visit her late husband's parents for the summer since they lived next to the ocean. Shuichi appeared at the top of the stairs with a large suitcase and a backpack. The boy struggled to carry all the weight by himself.
"What are you doing carrying all of that by yourself?" Shiori asked as she climbed the stairs.
"No," Shuichi objected as she reached for the suitcase. "I've got it mother, you don't have to worry."
His mother ignored him and struggled to pick up the baggage. The suitcase was an inch above the ground before she dropped it and clothes and books spilled out on the floor and stairs. Shiori gasped in pain as she gripped her right wrist, rubbing the scars.
"Mother!" Shuichi exclaimed. He looked up at Shiori with great concern.
"I'm alright," she reassured. "Let us clean this up and get moving so you can see Grandma and Grandpa."
Shuichi nodded and began picking up all his belongings quickly so Shiori wouldn't have to strain herself. About a year ago, Shiori had to go to the hospital to get stitches in both her wrists. She had lost a great amount of blood and since then had not been as able as she was before. Shuichi felt responsible because he had broken the plates the caused her condition. He had knocked them from the cabinet while searching for a container; he lost his footing and Shiori caught him before he landed on the ceramic shards. His weight was also accounted for since, as she caught him, her arms went into the shards. Shuichi has tried to look after her ever since.
Shuichi was an unusual child, to say the least. He was more intelligent than any child in his age group, and he refused to socialize with other boys.
'It won't be long now,' he thought as he picked up his last book and packed it into the suitcase. 'Almost ten years have passed. Soon, I'll have full control of Yoko Kurama's powers.'
"All done, mother," Shuichi informed as he looked to his mother.
Shiori chuckled a little. "I should have known better than to take on too much again. At this rate, I'll never regain my old strength."
"I'm sorry mother," her son apologized. His emerald eyes looked up at her with such care.
"It was my fault," she assured.
"No, I don't mean-"
"Come on, we better get on the road before traffic becomes unbearable." Shiori opened the front door and went out to the car. Shuichi followed with his luggage.
The first week at his grandparents's house was uneventful but Shuichi was still alert for any possible danger. He did this even at home: sensing the surrounding area for trespassers, both human and demon alike. He placed precautionary traps and barriers around the small house with care because his grandmother was slightly psychic. Most of her detections consisted of muscle aches and strange dreams that Shuichi knew was ridiculous, but that did not mean they weren't true. Shuichi had to be careful with his youki around her.
One night, Grandma had decided to try to read everyone's fortune through palm reading.
"You will die a slow and painful death," she informed Grandpa.
"That's nothing new. I'm married, aren't I?" Grandpa joked, causing Shiori and Shuichi to laugh.
Grandma looked to Shiori. "Your turn, sweetheart." Shiori gave Grandma her hand and looked her straight in the face. After some time, Grandma said, "You will find love again, but a hardship that you are not aware of will arise. You will have no control over it, and the outcome is still unclear."
"Oh great," Shiori laughed. "So basically, I won't know what or when something will happen, but it will and there is nothing I can do."
Grandma nodded. "If it ends wrong, you will become more heartbroken than you have ever been."
Shiori withdrew her hand with an exaggerated sigh.
Grandma turned to her red-headed grandson. "Shuichi, I think we all would like to know what your future holds." She offered her hand to take his. Shuichi thought briefly if this was really something worth trying. He shrugged and gave her his palm.
The elderly woman looked longer at his palm than she had at anyone else's. "Hm," she mused. "This is rather complicated. Not surprising since you're such a gifted child, but this is interesting."
They sat in silence for several minutes before she finally spoke again. "Okay, I can only get a few definite answers. You will become a powerful man with great wisdom. But you will experience a lot of physical pain, but nothing compared to the emotional pain when losing the love of your life. You will, however, create many bonds to people. In particular, it seems you will gain brothers who you will be willing to die for, and they you in return."
"Well that is nice," Shiori commented. "I mean the brothers thing."
"But," Grandma exclaimed. "You will have an identity crisis, being torn between two worlds. I can't tell how this will end."
'No surprise there,' Shuichi thought as he withdrew his hand.
Later that night, Shuichi and Shiori sat outside on the porch. Shuichi sat in his mother's lap with his head on her chest as she rocked soothingly in the rocking chair. He listened to his mother's heart beat and heard her humming a small tune. It was times like this that Shuichi forgot about the demon inside him. He wasn't Yoko Kurama, the spirit fox trapped in the body of a young human boy. But he always knew he wasn't Shuichi Minamino, son of Shiori. In this moment, he just existed.
Shiori continued to hum, not knowing the greatest demon thief was sitting in her lap with his ear against her chest being lulled to sleep. She wrapped her arms around him tighter, feeling him relax. He shifted slightly so he was looking at her face. She looked down at him with such an angelic smile he couldn't help but look away.
"I'm sorry mother," her son whispered.
"For what?" She wasn't really asking, the moment was too peaceful for her to remember anything.
Shuichi touched her wrists, tracing the scars with his small fingers. "For everything."
Shiori looked at her son with a confused expression. Then she saw him staring at her scars. "Oh honey," she crooned, holding him tighter. "That wasn't your fault, I did that. I could never have let you get hurt."
'You have no idea how much pain you'll be in when I leave,' Shuichi thought. His mind was riddled with guilt and confusion. Since the day Kurama had occupied the body of Shiori Minamino's child, he knew that once he had regained all of his powers within ten years that he would have to leave. But this woman had been through too much: first was the death of her husband, then the incident that had given her those scars and left her frail, the thought of leaving her without a son was heart wrenching. But why should he care? Shiori was not his real mother, but she cared for him as if she was.
Suddenly, Shuichi asked, "Why do you love me, mother?"
Shiori stared at her son, wondering what brought on this question. "Shuichi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine mother. Please answer the question." He didn't loo at her.
Shiori sat there for a bit before finally responding, "I love you because you are my son."
"That is not really an answer."
"So you want a list?" she teased, but Shuichi continued to look out at the ocean. "Well, I love you because you're so sweet and caring and smart. You always help me in the garden without being asked, and you always do what you're told."
"So you like me for being obedient?"
"I love you for listening."
There was a pause. "What if I wasn't all those things?" her son asked.
"It wouldn't matter, because you're still my son. I carried you for nine months and gave you life. You are half of me, but with all the good things." Shiori stroked Shuichi's bright red hair. Then she began to feel him tremble under her touch. "Shuichi?" He buried his head in her chest as she felt warm tears come from his eyes.
"I love you, mother," Shuichi whispered. 'Kurama be damned,' the boy thought. 'I'm not leaving her.' He felt her arms wrap protectively around him.
"I love you too."