27
This story had been added a c2 group, the original name of which was "Gay Ass Stories with Marysues." I checked back and they changed the name and description to remove 'gay' 'noob' and 'fuck' which had been sprinkled liberally throughout. I actually find it rather amusing to be added and am not offended at all, so please don't flame the admins on my behalf. My one objection to this archive is the use of the word 'gay' as a derogatory term. "Gay Ass Stories?" Excuse me, last time I checked my major characters were not openly homosexual, in spite of going to a gay bar in chapter 20, and that is the only time I can understand using the word unless you are intentionally mocking Victorian or Edwardian speech, as in 'what a gay old time we had, whot whot?'
When I was an underclassman in high school, I'll admit I used 'gay' as a derogatory term without thinking about it, but then I had a brilliant teacher who in our first class my junior year told us three things were not tolerated, Ever, in his class room: intolerance, violence, and derogatory language towards others, including using 'gay' as an insult. 'Why,' he asked us, 'should someone's sexual orientation be used as an insult equivalent to stupid, or worse?' I had never even thought about it before, and as someone with enough ego to think herself intelligent, I was ashamed. I have not used it in that manner since. Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinions, but everyone is, as well, entitled to freedom from vicious and pointless abuse based on some stereotype or, perhaps worse, thoughtlessness. Do you really hate gays enough to bash them every time you want to call something stupid? Because that's what it amounts to. I really try not to rant at you all ever, and I'm sorry if this has made anyone uncomfortable, but it's something I feel strongly about and in a moment of exam stress I let loose.
On a less ranty note this will probably be my last post for a while, as I'm going to spend pretty much all of June on a farm without wireless internet (I'm Still trying to wrap my head around that). I plan on bringing my computer and working on things while I'm there, but it's quite possible that I won't get much done since there's going to be a lot of people, little space, jet skis and a golf cart.
We're getting closer to the end so it's kinda painful to have to take a break here, I'll probably either end it in 3 or 5. I like numbers that are divisible by five and, even better, ten, but I'm pretty sure I can't wrap everything up by 30.
Today's word of the day is actually two: wisdom teeth, for the four I had removed that interrupted the writing of this chapter. I currently look like someone beat the shit out of me, including the obligatory black eye (which I really don't understand given that they were operating on my Mouth).
Kurama took a few steps back and leaned against her desk, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as she watched him.
"I have everything perfectly under control, Gwen."
"Sure you do," she smirked.
He opened a distinctly yellow-tinted eye and she planted her hands on her hips. He let his eye drop closed as he focused on his breathing. The next thing he knew, a towel had hit him in the face and there was another 'thunk' as a pair of pants seconded the motion.
"Gwen!" he exclaimed as the shirt followed.
"Go take a shower, you're stinking up the room."
"What—" He was cut off as she pulled his shower caddy out of the closet and shoved it into his hands.
"Go."
"But we still have to talk. Gwen, don't think you can just dodge this."
"Psshhh," She flipped her hand through the air and rolled her eyes. "We'll talk, after you get cleaned up. Now Out!"
Shaken and slightly confused he was shoved out into the hallway as the door closed behind him. A second later the lock clicked and he heard her let out a loud sigh. Kurama sniffed delicately as he walked down the hall to find that the unpleasant odor of the night before was lingering about his person. His nose wrinkled as he entered the guys' hall. 'I guess she was right about that,' he though as he pushed open the door to the steamy bathroom.
He entered Gwen's room to find her sitting cross-legged on the futon, her hands clasped in her lap. It appeared that she had also showered. Her hair was wet and a few drops were still sliding from the strands of her hair to her dark shirt. He slipped into the room and put his things down by the door before easing onto the futon as well. A contemplative Gwen was one that made him vaguely uneasy.
"No more," she said abruptly and he managed not to jump. "I won't drink any more and neither will you. That will not happen again. No more…. And I will be okay," she said after taking a deep breath.
"How do you know?" he asked, risking shifting a little closer.
"Because I have to be," she said, turning to face him, her face set. "And you will be okay too, because I need you to be."
"Of course," he agreed, allowing his eyes to drift away. He just couldn't look her straight in the eye. "But I was more concerned about you."
She let out a short, sharp laugh. A 'ha' with no humor behind it. "Don't be, I'll be fine. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it, so you deal."
"True. There is also very little you can do about your emotions once they've settled onto a certain track."
"I think," she said with measured words, "That we are good at repressing ourselves."
He had to nod in agreement at that one. He knew he could keep himself under control except in the most extreme circumstances, and the girl's carefree madness obscured the way she was always curbing herself, she slapped herself in the face instead of acting on her instincts.
They sat in silence for a few moments, each left to their own quiet contemplation. The air in the room was still, slightly stale from being contained so long and tinged with the lingering scents of alcohol and cigarettes. The dorm around them was quiet as well. Saturday mornings being a time for recovery and laziness, the other residents were still asleep or taking it easy. Active souls were long gone, off to the gym or rounds of errands. Gwen and Kurama sat.
"You could come back with me," he said softly, shooting her a sideways glance. Her head jerked around and her wide eyes fixed on his face.
"Are you crazy?! I've known you for a month!" The quiet was definitely broken and the expression on her face said it would not soon be restored.
Kurama cringed at the exclamation, but it didn't stop him from correcting her. "Five weeks and three days."
"Same thing. What if they were able to bring you back two days from now and I went with you? Huh? My family and friends would all think you'd kidnapped me or killed me or something, they'd never believe I just left them all. I don't know Japanese, I'd need you to translate everything. I don't know Japanese culture. I shake hands. And I'd be helpless. So not only would you have to protect your human family, you'd have to baby-sit me. What if demons attacked your mother and me at the same time?"
His eyes widened at the notion, and the way she was delivering this, without romantic notions, just using cold logic and a slightly twisted imagination.
"You can't be two places at once, can't depend on people helping you fast enough, you go for her first and I die."
It was true of course, his mother came first. Years of patient love could not be replaced in less than two months' time.
"And," she continued, her voice dropping to a much quieter tone, "You'd probably get tired of me after a couple of weeks, get bored."
"Gwen! I am not so fickle as to get bored of you." He picked up her limp hand but she pulled away and used it to flip her dripping hair back from her face.
"Well, we'll never get the chance to find out, will we? You got a taste of normal and it was new and exciting and that's the only reason you've been sticking around."
"Because I could never in my right mind have feelings for a girl such as yourself. Because I am cold and heartless and repressed I could never have a romantic interest in another. Because I am a demon I will always look down on humans," he said evenly. "Is that what you think I am like, Gwen? I find it a rather unfair assessment, a little too harsh on my character." She cringed slightly and looked down. "I also do not find you to be normal," he muttered as he glanced across the room.
"There is no such thing as normal," she said with a slight smirk.
"What a very American thing to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she yelled, lunging for him.
Kurama caught her hands and fell backwards, glad to be back in familiar territory. He was getting quite good at these little games, it just served to prove that he could learn almost anything if he really wanted to. She flushed as she realized that she had basically landed in his lap and couldn't get away.
"Now that you know my feelings on the matter I want a clear and direct answer from you, Gwen Finnegan."
"You weren't direct!" she exclaimed.
"No, I wasn't. I am just letting you know what I expect. You've given me all your reasons for why you won't come with me, but now I want to know how you feel towards me."
"You already know how I feel!" she squeaked, flushing a deeper shade as she tried again to pull away.
"I have an idea, but if I was certain I would not require your explanation."
"You would! Just to embarrass me!" When he merely stared back at her expectantly her shoulders dropped. She sat there for a moment, chewing her lips and avoiding his gaze. "When you said I could come with you what I was really thinking was 'Hell Yes!' I don't know if that's as direct or clear as you wanted, but that about sums it up. I don't want you to go, but I know you have to, and I want you to see your family and friends again, but I don't want you to leave…me."
There were a few seconds where they both stayed where they were, Gwen a faint pink as she tried to glare down Kurama.
"Well you can let go of me now."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips and she caught a glint of malice in his eyes. "Actually," he said as he as he shifted both of her wrists to one hand, "There's something I want to test first."
"Kurama…. Kurama, nooo," she said, attempting to scoot backwards as he reached for her midsection. But her second 'no' quickly turned into a shriek of laughter as she collapsed sideways and nearly fell right off the futon. He stopped tickling her long enough to pull her back from the edge, only to be rewarded when a flailing arm collided with his stomach. Then she rolled right off the couch and scrambled across the floor as the fox descended into a fit of laughter.
"Gwen, is the reason you don't like being snuck up on because you're so ticklish?"
"I am NOT ticklish!" she yelled, jumping to her feet but making sure to keep her arms bent close to her sides.
"Do you want me to prove it to you?" he asked, making a move to get up.
"Don't you touch me!" she squealed, tucking her hands under her arms and hunching up her shoulders.
Kurama's laughter only got worse and he tipped sideways, coming to rest against the back of the couch while Gwen glared from across the room.
And so their interactions attained some state of balance and a return to 'normalcy,' whatever that meant in so short a relationship. They entered their sixth week together playing around and joking as before, but the hesitance came this time not from uncertainty of the other's reactions but from knowing that things could quite easily go too far. Gwen was careful to keep them from being alone in private places, especially her room. She knew all to well now that she couldn't trust herself. All the recent excitement had pushed past troubles from the girl's mind at least.
On a cool and breezy day Gwen was lamenting how early the sun seemed to be disappearing these days and starting dinner. The kitchen window was wide open, admitting all the sounds drifting up from people on the quad and the trees swaying in the wind. The colors hadn't begun to change yet, but some of the leaves were starting to drop free of the branches. Kurama only smiled at Gwen's squeals of dismay at the sprinkle of green on their walks to and from class.
She let out a sigh and turned the oven up while tapping the cookbook impatiently. The breeze fluttered the pages again and she shivered. The kitchen door whispered back into its jamb and Gwen tensed, turning her head slowly to look for the cause. Three men in black suits stood just inside the doorway and she recognized one of them.
"Please don't be alarmed, Miss," one of the unfamiliar ones said as she scrambled backwards, snatching up a butcher's knife. "We're here for your own safety."
"What the hell do you want?" snarled the girl as she backed towards the window.
The men in black suits began closing in. 'Agent Smith' was in the back, staying close to the door while the other two were before him, evenly spaced between the narrow room's walls. All three men were of average height with hair of an indeterminate shade of brown, and though each was obviously distinct from the others, their features couldn't be described as anything more than 'average' or 'plain.' Their clothing however was identical, black shoes, suits and ties with white, collared shirts.
"Miss Finnegan, we only want to know where your red-haired friend is. You don't seem to understand the danger he poses to those around him, including you," The second newcomer spoke in a voice only shades different from the first.
It was either rigorous training or exacting criteria which had selected this lot, Gwen decided as her back brushed one of the wooden chairs. From that she knew the table was directly behind her and the open window beyond that. She began edging to the side to skirt the table.
"I don't know who you're talking about, I haven't got any red-haired friends," She said as her eyes flicked between them. The first speaker's eyes shifted towards 'Smith.'
"Did you know that your friend can affect people's memories? We've had a very difficult time helping Agent Smith recover his, and they're still patchy, but we know there was a red-haired male with you, Miss Finnegan. Agent Black and I need to find this man; once we do, we will leave you alone."
"You can go to hell, that's what you can do!" Gwen yelled. "I don't know any red-haired guys, and the last time I saw that freak I was alone when he came running through the woods screaming like crazy and tried to attack me!" She waved the knife in the direction of 'Smith' and he winced. The others exchanged a slight look but their expressions didn't change.
"And how did you get away from him if he was chasing you?" 'Black' asked.
"I climbed a tree and he ran off somewhere else. I was stuck up there for hours afraid he was gonna come back!"
"You must really be frightened of what this young man would do to you if he found out that you had revealed his whereabouts, but don't worry Miss Finnegan, we will protect you from this monster. Now tell us where he is!" The still nameless man demanded, advancing a little further.
Gwen's back hit the wall and she snarled. Her left hand felt along for the edge of the window sill while her right was white-knuckled around the handle of her butcher's knife. It was then that the door swung open again, though from her position she couldn't see who it was as the three men turned just enough to look back.
"I'll warn you just once," a cool voice said in the moment of silence. "Don't do anything to the girl."
Kurama stepped further into the room, taking in his three adversaries and Gwen along with the other contents of the room. He noted the knife in her hand with some amusement. She had seen what Smith was capable of and these two new additions must be stronger yet, and there she was waving around a kitchen knife like it was some enchanted sword. Smith was close to him, and he already knew the man's tactics. The other two, however, were almost within arm's reach of Gwen and he knew nothing about them. The room was long and narrow, he would have to get past his three opponents to get to the girl, but that would only draw their attacks in her direction. Of course if he didn't get between them and her they could always attack her, and she had no defense.
"Well," he said slowly, eyeing them all as they shifted their positions. "I must admit I was wrong, Gwen, and you were right. They are as unintelligent as you predicted; they did come back."
"I'm so glad to be right," Gwen said with an eye-roll, oozing sarcasm. "But of course, now they'll realize!" she exclaimed as she snapped her fingers. All four males mouthed 'realize what?' to themselves as they watched her. "Realize that I'm the one who's been summoning demons. I might as well admit it!" she continued with excessive amounts of energy. The fox felt himself drooping as the humans' attention shifted to the slightly maniacal girl. "I've just been using him as a host, that's why he seems like he's not human, it's their left over energy. I can summon demons in anyone but I can't control them!"
"Gwen," Kurama said abruptly, cutting off her mad tirade. "Shut up."
Her mouth was still open and for a second it looked like she was going to protest but then her teeth snapped shut and she deflated. "I was jus' tryin' t'help," she muttered as she slunk against the wall again.
"Appreciated, but unnecessary at the moment."
For the moment at least the three 'agents' were slightly off balance, they couldn't decide which of the college students facing them was the real danger. The girl had been violently uncooperative from the beginning and it was possible her claims were true, they would explain these strange phenomena, but the male was definitely giving off an inhuman energy and from what they could tell he was the one responsible for Smith's injuries and newfound fear of plants. (They still couldn't quite place the plant phobia)
Kurama was as close to ready as the situation would allow, and if all went well he would soon be in a far better situation than the three men facing him. If things went badly, well, he hoped he would at least die in the battle and so be spared whatever experiments they had in store for him; it would also save him from having to face his mother, if he ever got home.
"Gwen," Kurama said carefully, watching everyone at once for the slightest change. "Jump out the window."
For a second no one breathed. The girl blinked, then spun as quickly as she could, slashing the mesh of the window screen with the knife in her hand. She dropped the butcher's knife before any of the men realized what was happening, and did a swan dive from the second story window.
The tree caught her. It didn't catch Mr. Black, who came flying out a few seconds later with some telltale lacerations marring his nice suit. Gwen was too far into her panic attack to notice him, though, as she clung to the branch and prayed to all the divinities she could think of. The panic had only really set in after she was safe again. The whole slash and jump had been an automatic 'Kurama says jump out the window so I jump out the window' kind of thing, and then she was falling so briefly that the fact she had just dived out a window because someone told her to didn't really occur to her until she was safely settled by the tree trunk. That's when the prayers began. The overarching theme of the panic, the realization and the invocations was 'What kind of stupid am I?' That was, in fact, what she said to herself.
"What kind of stupid, brain-dead, moronic, zoned out, crackhead jumps out of a window not because the building they're in is on fire and the stairs are blocked, but because somebody says 'Hey, jump out that window'?! What kind of Idiot am I? How….What…Oh merciful mother of God. Holy Mary, Mother of God… "
Below her on the ground Mr. Black was forcing himself to stay conscious through his mild concussion. He had just realized that his legs were pinned to the ground by the roots of the large tree whose branches had not broken his fall at all, in spite of the fact that he was now underneath several of them. He also saw, from the corner of his eye, what looked like a small vine poking through his torn clothing, coming from the open wound in his side.
Two stories up, in the kitchen, Kurama was negotiating. Well, it was more like extracting information from his victims by offering not to hurt them anymore, and maybe, just maybe, let them live, if they told him something really interesting. Really, these poor humans had no idea how to deal with demons.
Also dear readers, I added a second chapter to 'Deleted Scenes.' It's not actually a deleted scene, more of a behind the scenes thing, but it's cracktastic! I'm also still taking requests if you've got 'em (Pm, review, snailmail, however you wanna send em).
cat-ears343: this one was less of a cliffhanger, so the wait for the next one shouldn't be as bad! And don't worry, I'm not stopping, I just have to take a break, the story will continue! I'm so glad you like it!
