Okay, so this chapter is so much better than the last one - and longer, too. Sorry about how ridiculous chapter three was and I totally made up for it with this one. Enjoy!
Shizuru tapped her fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the music that was playing on the radio. It was an old song that she had heard years ago, before she and her brother had gotten mixed up with Yusuke the Spirit Detective. She was trying to remember the words to it and the last time she had heard it. It was a slow love song, something that the crappy DJs at high school proms would play for the last dance.
She smiled as she remembered where she had heard it last; it was her prom, her senior prom. She remembered the dark auditorium and the slow dancing couples. She had worn this strapless sparkling red mermaid style dress that hugged her body and flared out at her feet, a small slit exposed her feet. By that time during the night, the high heels were killing her and she had taken them off which made her two feet shorter than her date.
" . . . I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love suicide and I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life . . ."
She even remembered her date; his dark brown hair slicked back and the smell of his cologne, his burgundy tuxedo and his hands on her waist. Ataru Yoshida, her boyfriend at the time. He was so beautiful and charming, athletic and toned, six foot something and had a dazzling bright white smile; all the girls at Shizuru's high school had chased after him and were extremely jealous when he had asked her out. They had dated for six months during the school year and almost half the summer before he moved away for college.
"Watch the road!" Hiei warned, pulling her from her daydream and pointing out the windshield.
"Oh, holy shit!" Shizuru exclaimed, swerving.
Haru and Sumi gasped in the backseat of the car, looking at each.
"Mommy said a bad word!" Sumi giggled.
"Sorry." Shizuru flashed an apologetic smile at her children from the rearview mirror then gave the same smile to Hiei. "Sorry."
"Hn." He grumbled, turning back to his window.
She sighed, shaking her head as she pulled into the school's parking lot. She unbuckled and opened her door, leaving the car running. She looked back at Hiei, smiling guiltily.
"I'll be back in a minute."
"Hn."
The twins bounced from the car and took Shizuru by the hand, pulling her towards the school. Inside the classroom, Shizuru's eyes widened when she saw the singed black spot on the wall at the corner of the room where Miss Ito's desk had been. A new desk was in its place, looking awkward against the charred wall and floor. Haru turned away from Shizuru when she looked down at him. Miss Ito approached her, her friendly smile on her face.
"Hello, Mrs. Kuwabara."
Shizuru didn't correct her; instead she just smiled at the kindergarten teacher. She put her hand on Haru's head, making him look up.
"Haru has something to tell you."
Haru looked up at Miss Ito and wrung his hands nervously. She cocked her head to the side, smiling down at him.
"Go on, Haru." Shizuru encouraged him, patting him on the head.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your desk and I'm sorry for punching Ryo in the nose."
"It's all right, sweetheart, but you might want to apologize to Ryo."
Haru looked over at a table, seeing a little boy with black hair glaring back at him. Haru looked at Shizuru, who smiled down at him. She crouched down and kissed him on the forehead, leaving a kiss mark. Haru tried frantically to wipe it off when his mother's back was turned as she kissed Sumi on the forehead.
"I'll see you guys later, okay?" she said, looking back at them. "Have a good day, babies."
The twins hugged her and said their goodbyes. Shizuru stood and smiled a goodbye at Miss Ito, who kept her wide friendly Botan-like smile, then left the classroom. She jogged back to the car, looking at her watch. She was running late.
"Shit!" She mumbled as she got back into the car, slamming the car door behind her. "Shit, I'm going to be late."
She glanced at the passenger seat and was surprised to not see Hiei sitting there. She sighed, thinking that he must have gotten sick of waiting for her and had left even if she had only been in there for a few minutes. He didn't like to be kept waiting. She buckled and drove off to the salon where she worked, her memory coming back to her.
Shizuru smiled to herself, resting her head against his chest and inhaling deeply in the smell of his cologne. His calloused hands held her tiny waist as they danced slowly. Shizuru glanced at the group of six girls standing in the corner of the dark lit auditorium, their arms crossed over the chest of their expensive frilly overly glamorous prom dresses as they glared at Shizuru.
"Are they still glaring at you?" His velvet voice rumbled in his chest.
She looked up at him to see him smiling down at her lovingly, his teeth gleaming in the scarce light of the room. She blushed up at him, hating herself for acting so feminine.
"Yeah, I think so."
"They're just jealous of you." He said softly, taking her red-gloved hands and hooking them behind his neck. "You're so beautiful."
She smiled widely up at him and he spun her around, the flared part of her dress flying up and exposing her ankles. Ataru put his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they danced.
"I love you." He said, spinning her again. "You look like a storybook princess."
"I feel like a storybook princess." She winked at him. "Just call me Princess Shizuru."
As the song neared its end, he leaned towards her, as she stood on the balls of her toes to meet him halfway. She slid her hands from behind his neck down to his thick muscular chest, where they rested against his pectorals lightly. He cupped her face in his thick tanned hands and kissed her deeply. She smirked when she heard the girls standing in the corner giving her death glares take a sharp intake of breath then let out a series of collective envious growls and pathetic whiny whimpers. Ataru pulled away from her, smiling down at her lips.
"This is our song." He said, watching her eyes flutter open. "Always and forever."
She smiled and flung her arms around his neck, kissing him again. He stumbled backwards then regained his balance, chuckling softly and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. The song ended and the lights came on, making the dancing high school seniors blink and groan. Ataru led Shizuru off the dance floor, holding her gloved hand. He retrieved her black silk shawl and placed it gently on her shoulders, kissing her ear from behind her. She turned to him and put her hands on his face, staring into his bright entrancing hazel eyes. He kissed her forehead then got down on his knees. Everyone turned to stare at him, gasping as they watched, thinking they knew exactly was going on. Shizuru blushed, covering her mouth with a hand. His position did seem strange, surprising and yet a bit predictable.
"Can I help you put your magic slippers on, my dear Cinderella?"
He winked up at her and she handed him her red pumps, letting him slip them on her feet. He stood and put an arm around her waist, leading her out of the auditorium to his car. He opened her door for her, smiling at her as she got in. He jogged around the car and got in. They kissed once more as he started the car.
"So, uhm . . . should I take you home now or . . .?" He asked politely.
She blushed as she looked out the window, smiling to herself. He was blushing too, giving his tanned face a red tinge that matched her dress as he stared straight ahead with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She turned to him and put a gloved hand on his knee.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to go that far yet, Ataru."
He glanced at her and smiled, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles before turning back to the road.
"That's all right, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to."
She practically melted in the seat, her heart fluttering in her chest. She looked down at her lap, fiddling with her gloved fingers. She hadn't paid any attention and was surprised when she saw that Ataru was pulling into the parking lot of her apartment complex. He sat back, sighing audibly through his nose. He smiled at her when she unbuckled. She crawled onto his lap, bunching up her dress. His eyes widened with surprise and he gasped.
"Shizuru, what're you –"
"Sh."
She kissed him, cupping his face in her hands. He put his hands on her hips, leaning into the kiss. He pulled away a minute later, turning his head away from her.
"Shizuru, stop."
"I'm not doing anything. I just wanted to kiss you."
"I know, but . . . we're being watched."
"Huh?"
He pointed out the windshield and she turned to see her brother standing at his window, watching them. Shizuru's eyes narrowed as she watched Kuwabara run from the window. She got off of Ataru's lap, sighing as she fell back into the passenger seat. She blushed, moving a loose strand of her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her head.
"Sorry, my brother . . ."
"It's all right, shall I walk you to the door?"
Before she could say anything, he had gotten out of the car and walked around the car to her side. He opened the door like a gentleman, smiling at her as he helped her out. He walked her up the stairs and shoved his hands into his pockets, acting coy.
"I had a great time, Ataru." She said softly.
"So did I." He smiled down at her before kissing her again. "I'll call you tomorrow, we'll hang out."
"Okay." She bit her lip, fumbling with her key as she kept her eyes on him. "I'd like that."
Ataru pulled her to him and kissed her deeply once more. The door opened as Shizuru dropped her key. She and Ataru stared at Kuwabara standing in the doorway. She glared at him.
"Kazuma . . ."
"What're you doing with my sister?" He barked at Ataru. "Hands off!"
"Kazuma!"
"Whoa, buddy, I don't know what you're thinking but I'm not hurting her or anything."
"He's my boyfriend!"
She shoved Kuwabara back into the apartment, turning back to smile at Ataru one last time. He picked up her keys and handed them to her.
"I really did have fun." She said. "See you later."
Shizuru ran into the salon, apologizing frantically for being late. She rushed into the backroom to put her things away and hang up her jacket.
"Shizuru!" The short chubby friend/co-worker of Shizuru's stuck her head in through the bright butterfly wall beads, smiling at her. "You got someone waiting for you. And my, is he a fine looking someone."
"Oh, hush. I'm taken, Airi."
"Ask him if he's single for me then!"
Shizuru waved her friend away and walked to her little hairdressing station. The man was already sitting in the chair, flipping through a catalog and searching for the right hairstyle.
"Hi, how can I help you today, sir?" Shizuru asked, sounding like an overly friendly fast food restaurant employee.
The man in the chair set the catalog down on the small counter in front of him and sighed deeply.
"Just a little trim, I suppose."
He lifted his head to smile at Shizuru in the mirror and the two gasped; the man's smile disappearing.
"Ataru?" She clutched the back of the chair in her hands, her knuckles turning white. "What're you doing here?"
"I came in for a trim, I didn't know you worked here!"
She smiled nervously at him through the mirror then reached over to pick up the haircutting scissors from the counter, her hand shaking. Ataru grabbed her wrist, sending familiar little waves of electricity through her body. She gasped, dropping the scissors.
"You're shaking." He stated, turning her hand over to look at her palm. "Are you nervous?"
"No, I'm just . . . I'm surprised to see you." She lied. "It's been a few years, right?"
"Almost decade, I think."
"Oh, really?" She pulled her hand free and picked up the scissors again. "Has it really been that long?"
Ataru chuckled as she turned the chair around and stepped behind him to trim his hair. His long chestnut brown hair was almost as long as Kurama's and she couldn't help but run her hands through it.
"So, how have you been?" Ataru asked sounding interested in her life. "What's new with you?"
"Oh, uhm . . . my kids just started school."
He tensed a little, she watched the muscles on the back of his neck tighten then relax when he did. She resisted the urge to run a finger down the back of his tanned neck and resumed trimming his hair.
"So," He said softly, a smile in his voice. "You're a mommy."
"Yeah, I'm a mommy." She smiled widely and proudly, thinking of the twins. "They're twins and they just started kindergarten."
"Twins? Wow, Shizuru. What're their names?"
"Well, my daughter's name is Sumi and my son's name is Haru."
"Wow, Shizuru." He repeated. "You're husband's a very lucky man."
"Oh, I'm not married."
He tensed again, inhaling deeply. He nodded, as if he understood what she meant.
"I mean I have a . . . partner,"
"Partner?" He voice sounded high and surprised.
She rolled her eyes at what his voice implied; she was sick of people assuming that she was a lesbian. Just because she didn't skip and prance around and giggle like Botan did or act a worried girlfriend like Yukina did or put on make up and tease her hair up just to see if her boyfriend would notice like Keiko did, she was automatically a lesbian.
God forbid anybody saw her and Kurama together; being referred to as a girl grated on Kurama's nerves more than anything but that was the consequence for having that long luxurious red hair of his.
"He's the children's father."
"Oh, so you're not married?"
"Not yet, I guess."
"I've been thinking about you a lot lately."
What was she supposed to say to that? 'Oh really? That's weird because I heard our song on the radio this morning and ever since then I've been thinking about you and –' She pushed the thought away with a disgusted look on her face.
"I've missed you." He said softly as she finished up. "For the longest time, I kept thinking that maybe we made a big mistake."
"All done." She said, straightening her back and changing the subject.
She spun the chair around to face the mirror and her heart fluttered in her chest when she met his eyes in the mirror, a small gasp escaping her lips. He smiled at her, running his hands through his hair.
"Come have lunch with me." He smiled at her reflection in the mirror. "We'll catch up."
"I don't know."
"Please? My treat."
She bit her lip as she blushed. Her heart pounded in her chest and she could feel a nervous sweat drip down the back of her neck. Ataru stood and turned to her, that charming smile on his face. She opened her mouth to turn his request down again when her coworkers, Airi and Ei ran up behind her, grabbing onto her shoulders.
"She'd love to!" They exclaimed, wide smiles on the two young women's faces.
Shizuru looked from Airi to Ei, sputtering as she tried to protest. The two women ran off as fast as they could, giggling. Shizuru shrugged, raising her arms in defeat.
"Sure, Ataru, I'll go to lunch with you."
Miss Ito had moved Haru and Sumi away from each other, saying that the two needed to spend more time with the other children that they didn't know and not spend as much time as they did with each other. So, Sumi was moved to the other side of the room, next to her friend Ai and two other little girls. Every once in a while, she would wave to her twin brother and he'd wave back.
The two had a secret language that only they knew of and would flash each other strange hand signals or tap on a table or whisper a strange gibberish word and they would completely understand what the other was saying. That was the reason why Miss Ito had moved them, in an attempt to teach them to not to rely on each other so much.
Sumi tapped on her table twice loud enough for her brother to hear from his seat two tables away from her. Without looking up from the picture he was drawing with a black crayon, he picked up a bottle of glue and tossed it behind him. Sumi reached up and caught it then proceeded to glue the pink pony she had painted the day before onto a piece of paper that she colored half blue and half green.
Miss Ito picked up the bell on her desk and rang it, standing up.
"Okay, kids! Time for lunch!" She said sweetly, clapping her hands together. "And since it's such a nice day, I thought we'd eat outside."
The kids got up from their tables and stampeded towards their cubbies to grab their lunchboxes. Haru and Sumi stood next to each other, waiting patiently and watching as the other children pushed and shoved each other to get their lunchboxes. Sumi clicked her tongue and Haru nodded, understanding her.
The two sat next to each other, eating their lunches in a corner of the chain linked fenced kindergarten playground. A little girl with short brown hair ran up to them, smiling at Sumi.
"Sumi, come eat with us by the swings!"
Sumi smiled at the girl then her smile disappeared when she looked at her brother, who was looking at the girl with a sad and quizzical look on his face. Sumi looked back at the girl, smiling again.
"Can Haru come too?"
"No, girls only!" The girl stuck her tongue out at Haru.
The girl took Sumi by the hand and helped her up. Sumi looked back at her brother as the girl pulled her over to the swings. Haru sighed sadly and resumed eating his lunch. He threw his lunch back into his red plastic Power Rangers lunchbox and snapped it shut, his appetite gone. He sighed again, stretching his arms up above his head and leaning back to rest against the cold metal on the chain linked fence. He hated kindergarten and it was only the second day! To him, it was only getting worse by the minute.
"You have twelve more years of this school crap . . . sixteen if you go to college after high school . . ."
Haru sighed again as his father's words echoed in his head. He rested his hands on the back of his head, thinking. He smirked to himself, an idea coming to him.
"Well, maybe I won't go to college, dad." He said to himself, looking up at the sky. "You can't make me."
He didn't notice the three boys coming to him. He blinked, finally seeing the boys in the corner of his eye. He gave them a look that he had seen Yusuke make on numerous occasions when Kuwabara was bothering him.
"What do you want?" He asked, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I'm not bothering you."
"We don't like you!" One of the brunette boys said snottily.
"Well, good! I don't like you, either!"
"This is our corner!" The other brunette boy said, jabbing a finger at Haru's forehead. "Get out."
"No!" Haru jumped up, narrowing his eyes in a way his father did when he was very angry with someone or something. "I don't see your name on it!"
"Move it, freak." The short boy in the middle sneered. "Go away."
"I was here first!"
The little boy in the middle shoved Haru to the ground, the two boys on either side of him laughing at him. Haru could feel his blood boiling with anger and that familiar feeling of a fire wanting out fighting him from the inside. He kept wondering where Miss Ito was and if she even knew what was going on. He wondered what Sumi was doing by the swings. He glanced over and saw that his sister's back was to him.
"Hey!"
The four little boys turned to see a black haired boy with a bandage on his nose standing there, his hands balled into fists that rested on his hips and an angry glare on his face.
"Leave him alone, Kiyoshi!" The raven-haired boy stated, glaring at the middle boy.
Haru's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the boy with the bandaged nose standing there and defending him.
"R . . . Ryo . . ." He said softly, sitting up.
"Get out of here, Ryo!" Kiyoshi sneered, sticking his tongue out at him. "We don't want you here, either."
"You leave him alone and I'll leave you alone." Ryo answered, puffing his small chest out as he stepped towards Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi shoved Ryo, but fell backwards when his attempt to push the bigger kindergarten boy down backfired. Ryo walked over to Haru and shoved his hand out to him, offering to help him up. Haru grabbed his hand and let Ryo pull him up. Haru dusted the woodchips from his front as Ryo wiped the ones off of his back.
"Are you okay?" Ryo asked, looking down at Haru with a concerned look on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Kiyoshi stood up and lunged at Haru, growling. Haru turned with lightning-like speed and set the kids shirt on fire, his eyes narrowed in a death glare. The two brunette boys jumped at Ryo as Kiyoshi shrieked and cried, dropping to the ground and rolling to put the fire on his shirt out. Ryo kicked the two other boys away from him, knocking them to the ground. Miss Ito ran over, shouting at them as the fire from Kiyoshi's shirt spread to the woodchips.
"Everyone inside!" Miss Ito shouted at the rest of the class. "Now!"
In the crowd, Sumi searched frantically for her twin brother, smelling and seeing smoke. She whimpered, her throat tightening as she started to cry. She ran to Haru as he and Ryo made their way into the classroom, crying with her arms stretched out to him.
"Haru!" She sobbed, holding onto him. "What happened?"
The class stared from the sliding glass door of their classroom that lead out to the playground, watching Miss Ito and a janitor fighting the fire with two fire extinguishers. Haru flopped down onto the green beanbag in the corner of the room, rubbing his nose on the back of his shirtsleeves as Sumi asked him question after question.
"It was an accident. Don't tell mom, okay?" Haru said as Sumi sat next to him. "Please?"
"I won't." She promised, fretfully playing with a thick lock of her long raven curls.
Ryo stood in front of Haru and Sumi, staring at Sumi. His eyes were wide and there was a pale rose color across the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones. Sumi tilted her head to the side, staring back at him.
"Who are you?" She asked softly. "Didn't Haru punch you in the nose yesterday?"
Ryo grabbed Sumi's hands in his, staring into her eyes and he got down on bended knee. The blush on his face deepened and Sumi's eyes widened in surprise. Who was this strange little boy and why was he holding her hands?
"I'm Ryo Narita!" Ryo exclaimed, holding Sumi's hands. "You're so pretty, you make me want to give you the cupcakes I get for lunch!"
Haru's eye twitched as he glared at Ryo. Sumi giggled at Ryo's words, smiling at him in a way that made her resemble her aqua-haired aunt Yukina. Haru resisted the urge to set Ryo on fire, slapping the boy's hands away from Sumi.
"All right, hands offa my sister!"
"Haru Kuwabara and Ryo Narita!"
The three children looked up to see Miss Ito standing next to them, looking frazzled with her hands on her hips. She breathed heavily through her nose and her face was flushed. Her hair was frizzy; strands of her hair sticking out every which way. She pointed to a stool by her new desk then to another one across the room, the one Haru had sat on the day before in timeout.
"You two are in timeout for five minutes for fighting on the playground!"
The three children stood up and protested the timeout, their words all rushing together and falling on deaf ears. Miss Ito pointed at the stools again.
"Go." She said. "I'm calling your parents."
Kuwabara sat in front of the television, playing Snowboard Kids with Yusuke when the phone rang. The twenty - somethings tried to ignore it, elbowing each other in attempt to make the other mess up and lose the game. Kuwabara groaned as Yusuke won again. Yusuke flicked his friend in the nose.
"I kicked your ass again, bitch." He taunted as his big friend got up and answered the phone, grumbling.
"Hullo, Kuwabara residence." Kuwabara groaned into the phone, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. "Kazuma Kuwabara speaking."
Yusuke turned the game off and turned to look back at Kuwabara, watching his friend's eyebrows furrowing.
"No, she's at work right now . . . No, he's not here . . . I'm their uncle . . . Are you serious? Aw, crap . . . Yes, ma'am, I'll be right there."
Kuwabara hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket from the couch. Yusuke hopped up, stretching his arms above his head.
"Wuzzat about?" He asked during his stretch, a content half smile on his face.
Kuwabara groaned once more, scratching the back of his head with one hand as he grabbed his car keys off of the side table with his other. He shrugged on his jacket, a concerned look on his face.
"Haru got in trouble again. His teacher needs someone to pick him up a few minutes early but can't reach Shizuru at work; they say she's still out to lunch. And seeing as Hiei ain't here, it's uncle Kazuma the great to the rescue."
"And uncle Yusuke." Yusuke smirked at the back of his best friend's head as he followed him out of the apartment and to the white compact car. "Can we listen to Ying Yang Twins?"
"You'll listen to whatever the hell's in the CD player of my car." Kuwabara retorted, unlocking the car and sliding into the front seat.
Yusuke rolled his eyes and got into the passenger seat, not even making a move to buckle up.
"That means we have to listen to Heart a billion more times."
"Hey, I like Heart." Kuwabara started his car, glancing at Yusuke. "Buckle up for safety, mother hugger."
Yusuke rolled his eyes again and reluctantly buckled up, mumbling under his breath about his overly protective friend. Kuwabara turned up the volume of his car stereo and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he nodding his head to the beat of the music and sang softly to himself. He pulled out of the parking lot, making his way to his nephew and niece's school.
"Dude, put on Barracuda." Yusuke suggested, smirking at his friend. "We can have a little sing-a-long."
Kuwabara snickered, pressing the next button a few times on his car stereo and nodding in agreement. He turned the volume up to full blast, which made his car shake and vibrate.
"I like the way you think, Urameshi!" He shouted over the music. "I'll do drums on the steering wheel and you do guitar and vox!"
"Sounds like a plan!"
Shizuru sat next to Ataru, outside a small restaurant and under the shade of an umbrella from their table. It was very nice to spend time with Ataru and catch up, even if he was an ex-boyfriend. She felt so young again; with him, she was still that slow dancing high school senior in the red prom dress.
"You should have called me when you got back in town!" She said, slapping his hand as if he were just an old friend instead of an old beau.
"I tried!" He chuckled, putting his hands up as if to defend himself. "I tried your old number, but it was disconnected."
"We moved from our old apartment years ago, when the twins learned to walk."
She rested her chin in her hand, smiling dreamily at Ataru. His watch caught her eye and she gasped, pointing to it.
"Is that the right time?" She stood up, grabbing her jacket and purse. "Shit, I have to get back to work!"
"Whoa, settle down." He put his hand on hers gently, giving her his charming smile. "I'll drive you, don't worry."
"No thank you, Ataru. I run pretty fast, I ran –"
"You ran track in high school." Ataru finished, standing up. "Yes, and so did I. I believe that's how we met."
"Oh, yeah." She couldn't believe that she had forgotten something like that.
"Your chariot awaits, milady."
She looked at him as he held his arm out to her. She smiled politely, blushing a little, and hooked her arm in his. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder as Ataru lead her to his shiny cherry red convertible, unaware that someone was watching her.
Hiei grimaced as he watched his lover arm in arm with a strange tall man. His eye twitched as he watched them get into his car, he could hear her laughing at something the man said. He felt a slight pain in his chest, in his heart. He blinked profusely as if to get something out of his eyes then rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. He let out a sniffle then let out sad, watery "Hn" before flitting off.
Haru sighed, cupping his chin in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees as he sat on the bench outside his classroom. Ryo sat next to him, watching his legs swinging. The blush hadn't left his face and Haru rolled his eyes when he would glance at the boy next to him and see it across the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones. He was glad that his sister wasn't there; Sumi was out on the playground with her friend Ai, who waiting for her mother to pick her up. They were the only four children at the school; all the others had been picked up early after the fire. Haru sighed again then looked at Ryo.
"Sorry I punched you in the nose yesterday."
"It's all right," Ryo shrugged. "Somehow, I deserved it. Sorry those kids were being mean to you."
"It's all right, thanks for helping me out."
"No problem!" Ryo smiled at Haru, who smirked back.
The two five-year-old boys looked down the hall, hearing somebody running towards them. A chubby young man with slicked back black hair ran towards them, breathing heavily. He stopped suddenly, seeing the two boys. He waved and walked the rest of the way over.
"Ryo, what happened?" The man asked, ruffling Ryo's hair.
"Hi, big brother!" Ryo chirped, smiling.
Haru cocked his head to the side, wondering where he had seen the big man before. He turned to the left, hearing footsteps coming from that direction. He smiled, seeing his uncles running towards him. He hopped off the bench and waved to them.
"Boy, am I glad you guys are here!" He said as Kuwabara and Yusuke got closer.
"Dude, Okubo!" Kuwabara smiled goofily and high fived the big man, smiling goofily. "I haven't seen you in forever! What've you been up to?"
"Nothing much, man!" Okubo answered, pounding his fist against Kuwabara's. "I've been working a lot, what's up with you? Hey, Urameshi. What're you guys doing here?"
"I'm here picking up my nephew." Kuwabara said, glancing down at Haru. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm picking up my brother." Okubo answered, ruffling Ryo's hair again.
"Jeez, just how many brothers and sisters you got?" Yusuke asked, snickering. "Is your mom half rabbit?"
"Urameshi!" Kuwabara shrieked, trying to smack his best friend in the head. "Ya can't talk like that in front of little kids, man, they're like sponges! And don't insult my friend!"
"Oh, it's all right, Kuwabara. Around the time we stopped hanging out, my mom got a new boyfriend and got married to him. Ryo's their kid."
The three young men laughed as Haru and Ryo looked up at them, wondering what they were talking about. Kuwabara scratched at the back of his head then looked down at Haru.
"Where's your sister?" Kuwabara asked. "We gotta get going."
"I'll go get her." Haru groaned, knowing that Ryo was going to want to go with him.
"I wanna come!" Ryo chirped, running ahead of Haru and into the classroom. "Sumi, my Cupcake Girl!"
Yusuke smirked at Okubo's younger brother, crossing his arms over his chest. From what he could see, the kid was just a mini Kuwabara, another hopeless romantic. Okubo and Kuwabara noticed it as well and chuckled.
"Aw, to be young and in love." Kuwabara muttered, thinking about when he was younger and chased after Yukina.
Ryo and Sumi came out of the classroom a few minutes later arms linked, Ryo with a large goofy Kuwabara-like smile and Sumi with her aunt Yukina's oblivious face and smile. Haru followed after them, glaring daggers at Ryo with his arms crossed over his small chest.
"My teacher wants to talk to you." Haru said, looking up at Kuwabara.
Kuwabara nodded then looked back at Yusuke, tossing his car keys at him.
"Can you take them to the car for me?"
"Sure."
Yusuke nodded at Okubo, flicking his two-fingered salute wave at his best friend's old friend. Okubo gave him a small wave then said good-bye to Kuwabara before taking Ryo by the hand and leading him the opposite direction of Sumi and Haru. Kuwabara sighed and walked into the classroom to see his nephew and niece's teacher standing at her desk, shuffling papers with a worried look on her face.
"Uhm, hello?" Kuwabara said, knocking on the wall to get Miss Ito's attention. "My nephew said that you wanted to talk to me?"
Miss Ito looked up at Kuwabara and gasped. She stood up straight, trying to smooth out her frizzy hair as she smiled at him, blushing slightly.
"You must be Haru's uncle." She said, her smile more than friendly, as she looked him up and down. "I'm Miss Ito."
"Yeah, we spoke on the phone earlier." Kuwabara rubbed back of the neck, looking her up and down as well.
"It seems he's quite the troublemaker."
"Yeah, it kinda runs in the family." Kuwabara chuckled nervously, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"He seems like a good kid, I'm sure he really is. I'd really hate to suspend him."
"Oh, please don't!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I mean – can't you just give him a warning or something? The fires are just accidents, y'see – Haru and Sumi aren't like other kids."
"What do you mean? Should they be put in the special classes?"
"Oh, god. I'm just making things worse. No, they shouldn't." Kuwabara sighed, looking Miss Ito in the eyes. "You should talk to their mom later today, I'm no good with this kind of thing."
"All right." Miss Ito smiled at him. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Kuwabara."
"Oh, uh . . . call me Kazuma."
"Oh . . . okay, Kazuma."
The two giggled nervously as Kuwabara left the classroom, a blush on his face. He ran to car and hopped into the front seat, starting the car. He cleared his throat and in the corner of his eye, he saw Yusuke smirking at him.
"What?" Kuwabara snapped. "What're you starin' at, Urameshi?"
"Nothing." Yusuke shook his head, his eyebrows quirked. "Nothin' at all, best buddy."
"Did you do something to my car?"
"No, I swear."
"Good."
Kuwabara looked back at the twins in the backseat of his car, making sure that they were buckled then pulled out of the parking lot. Yusuke kept smirking at his friend, aggravating Kuwabara.
"What, what do you want?" Kuwabara snapped when they were halfway home. "Quit lookin' at me like that, Urameshi!"
"Did you know that Fergie did a cover of Barracuda?"
"Really?" Kuwabara scrunched his face as he tried to imagine it, wondering if that was really what was on his friend's mind. "I don't really care for Fergie that much, Botan's crazy about her though. What does this have to do anything?"
"Just talking music. Hey, Kuwabara." Yusuke said in a sinister joking voice. "What's your favorite Van Halen song?"
Kuwabara blushed and tighten his grip on the steering, knowing full well what Yusuke was doing. He had seen Tommy Boy about a million times.
"Personally, I like Jump." Yusuke wiggled his eyebrows at his friend, biting his tongue as he smirked. "But Hot for Teacher comes in a close second for me!"
Kuwabara growled and punched his friend in the chest, causing Yusuke to laugh maniacally.
Shizuru stepped out of the car, smiling at Ataru who grinned back.
"Thanks so much for taking me to lunch. I'll pay you back."
"Oh, it was nothing!" Ataru waved the thought of her paying him back with a wave of his hand. "It was just a quick meal between two old friends. Here."
He handed her a slip of paper with two phone numbers on it. He lowered his sunglasses, looking over them at her.
"Call me sometime and we'll do lunch again, Princess Shizuru."
She blushed as he chuckled. She waved goodbye then ran back into the salon, watching Ataru drive off.
Hiei let the hot water of the shower hit his face, closing his eyes tightly. He balled his hands into fists and tried not to think about Shizuru doing anything with that stranger. He knew that there was probably a reasonable explanation, Kurama would say, as to why she was out with another man. Hiei bit the inside of his lip hard, making it bleed. He was not the cool calm Kurama – he was the hotheaded Hiei.
He sat down in the tub, letting the hot water wet his body as he crossed his arms over his chest and thought. He grew more and more angry with the millions of little situations between Shizuru and the stranger that played in his head over and over again.
"If he touched her," Hiei said lowly, picking up a bar of soap and crushing it in half in his fist. "If he touched her in anyway, I'll kill him."
He sat in the scalding hot shower for about a half hour, letting the water calm him down then got out. He wrapped a pale blue towel tightly around his waist and slipped in the bedroom he shared with Shizuru to get dressed. Shizuru had managed to take him shopping every once in a while to buy him new clothes, not that his black clothes didn't fit him or look appealing.
"You just need new clothes," She had said once, flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder. "Clothes that make you look sexy."
Hiei groaned as he ripped a lavender button up shirt from a hanger on his side of the closet. He pulled the shirt on, not bothering to unbutton it first. He jerked on a pair of black jeans, jumping a few times to pull them over his hips. He left his room to see his children coming in through the door, Kuwabara and Yusuke following after them. Haru smiled at Hiei and ran to him, his arms out to his father. Hiei crouched down and smiled at his son, hugging him.
"Hi, dad!" Haru chirped in his father's ear.
"Hi, Haru." Hiei stood, holding Haru in his arms. "What are you and your sister doing home so early?"
"Haru set a boy on fire!" Sumi exclaimed.
"Sumi!" Haru glared at his twin sister.
"What?" She shrugged, her hands up. "You told me not to tell mommy."
"Damn it, Haru!" Hiei snapped, putting his son down. "I thought you weren't going to do that anymore! I thought we talked about this last night, didn't we?"
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Sumi and Haru stared at Hiei with wide eyes; Hiei had never yelled at his children before. Haru opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly.
"Didn't we?" Hiei repeated, raising his voice.
"Yes, dad." Haru said softly, his eyes starting to water. "I'm sorry. Please, don't yell at me, dad."
Hiei narrowed his eyes at his son, making Haru yelp as if Hiei had struck him. Hiei put his hands on his hips and jerked his head in the direction of the twins' bedroom.
"Go to your room." He said crisply. "Do not come out until I or your mother come in to speak to you."
"But dad, I –"
"Go!"
Haru jumped, hearing Hiei yell at him. He bit his lip and wiped his eyes, running passed his father to go to his room and slamming his bedroom door behind him. Sumi started crying, clutching onto Kuwabara's leg. Hiei's angry facial expression deepened. Kuwabara picked the little girl up, bouncing her and trying to calm her down as he went into the kitchen to get them something to eat. Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was agape.
"Hiei, what's wrong with you?" He asked, his voice rushed.
"Shut up, Yusuke." Hiei snapped, sitting down on the couch.
"What's got you all pissed off?" Yusuke asked, sitting down next to his short friend. "You didn't have to yell at him, he's just a kid! Stuff like that scares the crap outta them."
"We had a talk last night, he told me and then he told his mother that he would not make any more fires. God, that kid!"
"How is Shizuru gonna feel when she finds out you yelled at him? I thought you guys were totally against that kind of thing, like spanking."
"I don't really care how Shizuru is going to feel, you illiterate idiot."
Yusuke grabbed Hiei by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close to his face.
"I'm gonna let that one slide but next time you insult me, I'll punch your lights out." Yusuke growled at him. "Now, let's step outside and have a nice friendly man to man chat about what's going on with you."
Hiei narrowed his eyes into a glare at Yusuke, hoping that it would scare his friend into letting him go. Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes, jerking away from Yusuke and going to the door. Yusuke followed his friend to the door, glancing at the kitchen to see Kuwabara staring at him as he spoke to Sumi. Yusuke slipped through the door, closing it behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door.
"All right, Hiei. Talk."
"I saw Shizuru with another man today." Hiei mumbled, looking down at the ground.
"Oh, so you're jealous?" Yusuke clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Dude, you know that there's gotta be a logical explanation for it all, right?"
"Shut up." Hiei shot a glare at Yusuke. "When did you turn into Kurama?"
"Hey, I'm just sayin' my opinion." Yusuke shrugged, smirking. "Maybe, he's gay. Just talk to her about it later, what she says will settle everything. She loves you and you know she'd never cheat on you, the Kuwabaras aren't like that."
Hiei growled, that hurt and angry feeling still binding itself into a knot in his stomach. He still felt uneasy about Shizuru with the other man. He turned to Yusuke, his face blank and uninterested as always.
"Are we done here?"
"You should go apologize to your kids."
"What do you think I was going to do?"
Hiei smirked and pushed Yusuke out of the way to get to the door. Yusuke shook his head and followed Hiei back into the apartment. Hiei went into the kitchen, walking up behind Sumi. He moved her hair out of the way and kissed her on the cheek. She turned to look at him, a small smile on her face.
"You're not mad anymore, daddy?"
"No, Sumi." He hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry that I yelled like that, I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay, daddy."
Kuwabara looked from Hiei to Yusuke, an uneasy look on his face. Yusuke shrugged then sat down next to his ox-like friend. Hiei left the kitchen and made his way to his children's bedroom. He opened the door and stuck his head in. The door was completely dark and Haru was nowhere to be seen. Hiei stepped in, closing the door behind him quietly. He got down on his knees and walked over to his son's bed, seeing Haru sitting in the space between his bed and the wall. His face was hidden in his knees and his little body was shaking.
"Haru." Hiei said softly.
The little boy jerked and tried to press himself into the wall in an attempt to get away from Hiei. Hiei put his hands under his son's arms and picked him up, pulling him into a hug. The little boy cried and tried to push Hiei away from him, beating at Hiei's chest with his fists.
"Haru, stop!" Hiei said softly, holding his son tightly to his body. "I am so sorry for yelling at you. I will never, ever do it again. I promise. I was angry at something else and I took it out on you."
"I didn't mean to, dad!" Haru sobbed, wiping his face on his father's shirt. "It was an accident, I swear. I get so angry that I can't keep it in. Please, don't tell mom!"
"I have to tell your mother, she needs to know."
Hiei ran his hand through his son's auburn hair as Haru started to calm down, clutching the fabric of Hiei's shirt in his fists. Haru snuffled, whimpering softly.
"I'm sorry, dad." He whispered. "I'm really sorry."
"I know, son, I know."
Shizuru smiled to herself as she gathered her things and left the salon. She waved back at her coworkers then made her way to her car. She rummaged around in her purse, searching for her keys when her cell phone lit up, displaying that she had six new messages. She took her keys out and unlocked her car. Getting into the car, she took out her cell phone and listened to her messages.
Hello, it's Ataru. He chuckled. I just wanted to let you know that I really liked going out to lunch with you today. I've really missed you. We should go to lunch again. I hope the rest of your day is wonderful, princess Shizuru. Bye.
Shizuru smiled to herself and deleted the message, going onto the next one.
Dude, Urameshi, cut it out! I'm on the phone! Shit, is it recording? Hey, sis, for dinner can we have –
She rolled her eyes and deleted the message from her brother about what he wanted for dinner as she started the car and left the salon.
Hello, Mrs. Kuwabara, this is Miss Ito, Haru and Sumi's teacher. Shizuru's eyes widened, thinking that something bad had happened to the twins at the school. There has been another fire and all the children in the school need to evacuate the school. Oh, well, I'll try back again later.
Shizuru groaned, her eyes narrowing in anger as she deleted the message.
Hello, Mrs. Kuwabara, this is Miss Ito again. I called about a half hour ago about the fire at the school. It seems that your children are the only ones who haven't been picked up yet. I forgot to mention that Haru was also in a fight with four other little boys at lunch today.
She deleted the message, groaning again.
Hey, sis, it's me again. I just called to say I picked up the kids from school. I think Haru started another fire or something. Uhm, oh yeah. Their teacher really needs to talk to you. 'Kay, seeya later. Love you.
She deleted the message as she drove on, thinking about what she was going to do and say when she got home. Haru was in big trouble.
Hello, Mrs. Kuwabara, this is Miss Ito again. I would like to schedule a meeting with you and Haru, if that's all right with you. He's is a very good kid, I can see that. I'm just worried that he might have some, well, behavior problems. Please call me back at this number or talk to me in the morning when you drop your children off. Thank you, goodbye.
Shizuru pulled into the parking lot of the apartment, saving the message on her phone. She turned the car off and jumped out of the car, angrily going up the stairs to her apartment. She shoved her key into the doorknob, unlocking the door and flinging the door open.