Chapter 14: Kurama I
Kurama Minamino was a precocious young man. He was the youngest person in his class because he had skipped two grades. All the girls loved him for his bright red hair and mysterious green eyes. All the boys, however, hated him. They thought that because he was quiet, the young man thought himself better than them. This was not so; the boy was simply shy.
Even though he was considered a prodigy in his town, the redhead spent a lot of time being confused. His mother, who he adored, had told him that his youth was a time for exploration. A time to figure out what exactly it was he wanted in life. But Kurama already knew what he wanted.
At thirteen he was already perusing college catalogs and being wooed with scholarships. He planned to major in botany so he could learn all about the plants that he loved. When he graduated, he wanted to get a job working in a garden store until he had enough money to open his own. More than anything, he wanted the girls in his ninth grade class to stop fawning over him. And he wanted the dark haired kid in his math class to pay just a tiny bit of attention to him.
He wanted the girls to leave him alone because even at thirteen, he knew that he had a preference for boys. Kurama knew that this wasn't something he should share with many people, which was easy enough since he kept to himself most of the time. He was sure that his mother wouldn't care, but he wasn't really ready to take that chance.
There was one day that the young man knew he would never forget. He made his way to his 3rd period math class with his head in the clouds. His mother had been feeling sick that morning, and though he had insisted on staying home and taking care of her, she had made him go to school. Kurama spent most of the day worrying about her, and knew this class would be no exception.
He slid into his seat and opened his book. A shadow fell over him, and it was a mark of how disoriented he was that it took him a moment to notice. When he finally looked up, he was astonished.
Yusuke Urameshi was standing over him with an unhappy look on his face. He was one of the most attractive young men that Kurama had ever seen, and he had always wanted to say something to him. More than that, he envied the teen's ability to speak his mind and do what he wanted.
"You just gonna stare at me all day?" the raven haired boy demanded. There was something unnerving about the emerald gaze.
Kurama shook his head. "I'm sorry. Is there something I can do for you?"
Yusuke looked at the floor. "You're uh…you're good at this Trig crap, right?"
The redhead blinked and nodded. "I'm proficient."
"Yeah well, I suck at it. I don't really give a fuck, but I need at least a B- to stay on the martial arts team."
"Yes, that is true…" Kurama was pretty sure he knew where it was going, but he wanted to hear the words.
Yusuke picked up on that and glared at him. "Will you help me or not?"
"Of course I will." Kurama said quickly.
The teenager quirked a smile at him. "Thanks." he tore a piece of paper out of the notebook he held and scribbled a phone number on it. "Can you call me when you know what time would be good?"
"Sure. No problem."
"Thanks." Yusuke said again. He checked the hall to make sure that the teacher wasn't coming, and then left the classroom.
Kurama blinked again. He wasn't sure how the rough young man expected to do better in the class if he didn't show up for it, but that was his own business. All he knew was that he was excited, and it was a somewhat foreign feeling for him.
The day ended quickly, and Kurama walked home in a fog. His hand kept returning to his pocket where he had placed the folded piece of paper with Yusuke's number on it. Would it be too much to call him tonight? Hell if he knew. He figured that Yusuke would want to get started as soon as possible since he was hardly ever in class. Was this something he could ask his mother?
A frown wrinkled the young man's forehead as he let himself into his house. Being confused was not something he enjoyed.
"Mother?" he called as he walked into the house. There was no response, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. Shiori Minamino was a force. Ever since her husband, Kurama's father, had passed away, she kept herself busy. Mr. Minamino had left them enough money that Shiori didn't need to work very much so she could be home for her son.
Kurama checked in the kitchen for his mother, but it was empty. He frowned a little harder and made his way upstairs. "Mother? I'm home."
Still nothing.
She wasn't in her room, or his, and Kurama was beginning to worry. He titled his head, thinking he heard the sink running in the bathroom.
He walked to the door and knocked. "Mother, are you in here? I need to ask you something." No answer. With a pounding heart, he banged on the door harder. "Mother?" When it was clear that there was not going to be a response, he pushed the door open.
A gasp left his throat as he took in the sight of his mother lying on the floor looking pale and breathing shallowly. His heart stopped for a moment, but then, true to his nature, he snapped into plan mode.
He sprinted down the stairs and snatched up the phone to call an ambulance.
"What's your emergency?"
"My mother is lying on the bathroom floor and she's not moving."
"Is she breathing?"
Kurama frowned. "Yes, of course. Shallowly, but she's breathing. She was sick this morning, but she thought it was just a cold."
"Does she have a fever?"
"She did this morning, but now she's clammy."
"From your location, I can tell you it will be a while before an ambulance can get to you. It might be quicker to just driver your mother to the hospital."
Kurama didn't even bother to reply to that. He hung up and bit his lip. He knew how to drive of course, but he was going to need help getting his mother down the stairs and into the car. Then there was the matter of him only being thirteen and not having a license. He needed help.
His hand went into his pocket almost involuntarily. Could he? For one of the first times in his life, Kurama did something rash.
He picked up the phone again and pulled the folded piece of paper out. He forced his fingers to dial the number and listened as it rang.
"Yeah?" a woman's voice barked.
"Good afternoon, may I speak to Yusuke please?" Kurama returned.
"What am I, the boy's answering service?"
"I…It's important that I speak to him, ma'am."
"Fine. Hold on. BOY! PHONE!"
Kurama flinched at the woman's tone. "Thank you." he murmured.
Yusuke came on the line a moment later. "This you, Kuwabara?"
"No…this is Kurama, from school?"
"Oh yeah. What's up, Red? This about the tutoring?"
"Actually, I…I need your help."
Ten minutes later, the raven haired kid showed up at the Minamino home. He was a little surprised that he had jumped at the occasion. He barely knew the ridiculously smart red haired boy, but when he had called needing help, Yusuke knew he had to be there. If there was anything he could say about himself, it was that he went with his gut feelings.
Yusuke knocked on the door, and not even five seconds later, it was flung open by the kid. There were traces of tears on his face.
"C'mon, let's do this." Yusuke said.
They went up to the bathroom and the older boy felt a rush of sympathy. He knew what it was like to come home to a passed out mother, but at least he knew that his mother brought it on herself.
He bent down and lifted Shiori into his arms. Yusuke was stronger than he looked due to the numerous fights he got into and the training he did for martial arts. The woman didn't weigh much and her skin was cool to the touch. "Let's not waste any time." he advised.
The two of them made their way to the car quickly, and Yusuke got the woman settled on the back seat.
"I can drive, but I don't have a license, so I don't know if I should." Kurama said quickly.
"Don't worry about it." Yusuke replied. "I got my license a while ago." He took the keys from Kurama and slid into the driver's seat. Once Kurama was in and buckled up, the raven haired young man peeled out of the driveway and down the street.
Kurama's eyes were wide they raced along. "Shouldn't you slow down?" he gasped.
"Nah, the rules can be broken in times of emergency. I think this counts." Yusuke turned sharply, and his passenger was glad for his seatbelt. "How's she doing?"
The redhead looked back to check. "As can be expected, I suppose." he responded.
"What happened?"
Kurama leaned his head back against the head rest. "I don't know exactly. She was feeling sick this morning, and she wouldn't let me stay home to care for her."
"So she didn't overdose on anything?" Yusuke asked.
"Of course not!" Kurama replied indignantly. "Why would you even ask that?"
The other boy shrugged. "It happens, trust me."
Kurama wasn't sure what to say to that, but he thought it explained a few things about how Mrs. Urameshi had sounded on the phone and how Yusuke acted.
He didn't have time to ponder that because they pulled up at the hospital just then. Everything seemed to go by in a blur for Kurama. Somehow the car was parked, they signed in, and Shiori was taken back to see a doctor.
Yusuke sat with the younger boy in the waiting room. He knew what it felt like to be waiting to see what was going to happen with a mother. Mrs. Minamino was probably a better parent than his own mother would ever be, but the feeling was probably much the same.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." he said aloud.
Kurama looked up, pinning Yusuke with that unnerving gaze of his. "Thank you." he whispered. "For everything."
The teenager shrugged. "You're gonna help me stay in martial arts, at least now you have some incentive other than the fact that I asked you."
"I would have done it anyway." Kurama assured him.
"I figured."
The evening stretched on, and finally a doctor came out to talk to them. "Your mother's going to be fine." he said. "It's good you got her here when you did, or it could have been much worse."
A wave of relief crashed over Kurama. "What's wrong with her?" he wanted to know.
"It looks like she's been running a fever all day. She was dehydrated and that-"
"Made the fever affect her more." Kurama finished. "She'll need fluids then. I assume you'll be keeping her overnight."
It wasn't a question, and the doctor stared down at the boy in front of him. He couldn't have been more than twelve or so, yet there he was talking as if he had medical training. "Yes." he answered slowly. "We will. Will you be able to get someone to pick her up tomorrow afternoon?"
Kurama glanced over at Yusuke who gave him a thumbs up. "It won't be a problem." he said. "What time?"
"Come around five." the doctor told him. He gave the boy another searching look and then headed back to his patient.
Kurama walked back to the chairs and sank down onto one in relief. "She's going to be okay." he whispered.
"Told ya." Yusuke said smugly. "Can we get out of here now? I'm starving."
The green eyed boy nodded. "I can make you dinner, if you'd like."
The other boy grinned. "Hell yeah. It's got be better than whatever slop my mom's putting on the table. If she's even sober enough to think about dinner."
Kurama lowered his eyes. "You're welcome at my house for dinner whenever you'd like." he murmured.
"You are so my new best friend."
The redhead blushed, and the two of them headed back to the car. He was naturally intuitive, and he knew that life would never be the same again.
A/N: A few people had asked to see some of Kurama's past, and now that we all know what happened to Hiei, I was only too happy to oblige. I have to admit that while Kurama and Hiei are my one true pairing, I do enjoy seeing my favorite redhead with Yusuke. So yeah, Kurama had a little crush on him as a teenager. That will be explored more, as well as Kurama's relationship with his stepfather. I've gotten a lot of requests and ideas for a Sunday chapter, but I don't know which one I'm going to do yet. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this glimpse into Kurama's past. I've noticed that reviews have slacked off a little over the last few chapters. I'm not complaining, I promise! One review is better than none. I just want to know if there is something I can do better to keep people reading and reviewing.