12.
"You need to tell me what is going on Kurama; this shit show has got to end now!"
"I don't even know what you are talking about; she is the one who is acting childish."
"Oh you are the last one to start talking about childish, she told me what you said; why couldn't you be man enough to tell her the dammed truth instead of letting her believe that lie?!" Zoie had snuck off to Kuramas' house while Siera was out; something wasn't right, it had seemed their world was off balance and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He had known him for over a decade but he knew there were secrets in that boy' eyes, he could sense it from the time they met. But Siera cared deeply for him, even bound herself to him in friendship and so out of respect he minded his business but now his mistress was hurting and it angered him deeply.
"Because I would rather have her despise me and live than forgive me and die; I made a mistake that night I allowed myself to become vulnerable with her. It won't happen again. However, I can use this little mishap to an advantage for the both of us." Kurama looked to the large dog on his bed as he leaned forward in his chair. He liked him well enough but knew that his main objective was to keep Siera safe even if it meant from him. He had never gone so far as to call him friend but they did enjoy each other's company when appropriate and their common interest kept them amiable; but even now it was evident that even this relationship was very strained.
"Being?"
"She is angry with me, so much so that she has become irrational; we both know she is not experienced enough to control her anger in battle, she will make mistakes and it will cost her greatly."
"So you're saying we use this as a scapegoat to convince her to stay away from the slaughter?"
"If there is a sliver of rationality left in her then yes."
"We both know the only thing more powerful than her bullheadedness is her loyalty, she would want to strangle you where you stand but will fight for your life. Do you really think she will be rational about this? You guys need a fifth member and last I checked she was supposed to be it." Kurama stood as he looked out his bedroom window, his mind playing many a memory.
"I never told her that she would be the fifth member precisely."
"Are you saying you let her train for these past couple months for nothing?!"
"No, she has trained so that she could better defend herself and learn to strategize that in turn will help her!"
"She is pissed at you now, you take this opportunity from her you may not be able to fix this friendship!"
"If that saves her life then so be it." silence fell between them, Zoie studied him intensely but relaxed on the bed again.
"We both know I'm right Zoie."
"Of course, but must you break her heart? It is one thing to anger her or to pull her goals out from under her, but this girl cares for you a lot! You and I are the only thing connecting her to a time that wasn't full of death and sadness." Kurama continued to stare out his back to Zoie.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying to tell her the truth, she will forgive you I know that to be true, but if you continue to play this game with her, to let her believe that you would devalue her in such a way; you are going to lose her, possibly for good."
"Zoie…in two weeks I leave with Yusuke, Hiei and Kuwabara to fight for our lives. It is possible that I won't come back at all, now I could have her mourn my death for a part of her life or I can leave this world with her despising me, and then my loss won't be so heavy on her heart. I trust that she would take care of my mother; she loves her and will comfort her. You see, in this way I'm being merciful."
"You are a wise old soul; painfully morose but nonetheless wise. I hate seeing her this way; call me a softie but I really wanted the two of you to reconcile, she loves you."
"I don't see why…besides there is a chance she will forget me soon enough now she is going out with Haru."
"She doesn't even remember his name; he's just some tool with good looks that she is using to make you jealous."
"Well it isn't working."
"Oh?" He didn't answer and Zoie chuckled to himself before his ears perked.
"She's here." They both listened as there was a knock and Shiori answered greeting the visitor.
"I came looking for Zoie, I know he's always over here."
"Oh yes, Shuichi has been watching him for you while you were gone."
"Thank you. So you must tell me about this man of yours!" the two began to laugh and chat as they always did. Zoie and Kurama however watched the door tensely because what Shiori didn't feel or know about was the palpable rage that filled the house since Siera knocked on the door.
"Her energy is so different nowadays, it's dark and so violent…you see why I want you to fix this; there is no telling what this will make of her." the door swung open and she stood before them both, shooting daggers at Kurama before bending over to Zoie's level.
"Hi baby, did you miss Mommy?!" Zoie yipped and wagged his tail as he greeted his owner to Shiori's pleasure.
"He is always a joy to have; he is the sweetest dog I have ever seen!" She patted his head as she received several licks to her cheeks.
"Oh Shuichi, it is getting dark, why don't you walk them home? You two haven't spent as much together as you used to, I'm beginning to think you're having another fight."
"What, no, everything is right as rain; we have just been very busy with our other classes!"
"Mm-hmm, I know you both and I know when you aren't yourself Siera, I think you two need a simple heart to heart to clear the air." She smiled as she turned to leave. The three of them stood in awkward silence before Siera walked out without acknowledging either of them.
The three of them walked on in silence with Siera storming ahead; she would have given anything not to be put in this position and as far as she was concerned it was Kuramas' fault as well and what's worse Zoie is in cohorts with him. She could hear them whispering to each other and it only infuriated her more; it was like she was some sort of object or something, like she didn't have feelings!
"Siera we need to talk." She refused to look at them as she kept walking.
"Come on, I know you have been angry lately, we need to talk about it.'
"Angry? Who's angry, I'm not angry. And even if I was, what would I have to be angry about, my so called best friend being a lying manipulative two-faced asshole or my guardian that sneaks off to whisper about me when I'm not around like a back-stabbing little snitch?!"
"Okay good, we are finally putting our feelings into words, getting communication going."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP ZOIE!"
"Geez, what happened to 'Baby?"
"Your dispute is with me not him."
"Yeah you're so right it is; you know what, I really am wondering about what this thing is here. Here I have known you my whole life and you have lied to me repeatedly while I keep nothing from you! You're a demon? Fine! You fight spirit world crime? Cool! But what gets me are the lies that you had no reason to tell! Why bother to tell me you care about me when it's so obvious you don't?! You could have said nothing at all and it wouldn't have made any difference! But all of that bullshit you felt the need to tell me about you caring about me and considering me family? What purpose did that serve?! What outcome did you want?!" He broke eye contact with her and she felt her heart break along with it.
"Nothing…I wasn't looking for any outcome." Zoie looked at him and back at her but kept his tongue; he knew better than to speak out of his place.
"I can't trust you Shuichi…Kurama…whoever he hell you are; I can't trust you! I think…after the tournament we should just go our separate ways."
"You were never meant to be the fifth member of the team; I let you believe that so that you would train harder." Another hard blow to her heart made her drop her books to the ground like dead weight.
"Wow…it really is effortless for you isn't it? And the sad thing is, it isn't even the lying that hurts me so much; it's the fact that I literally tell you everything and you feel the need to keep things from me. I trusted you with my life and you couldn't trust me with what was really on your mind. Don't you see how uneven this is?!" he looked at her with the same conflicted and tortured look in his eyes as that night in the tree and in that very brief exchange she realized that nothing about this made sense. His words weren't adding up even if they were lies; there was no consistency. He either didn't care about her or he did; but he wouldn't agree with her and yet look that way, so hurt himself. He was either taking her for a fool or he was protecting her; it cannot be both ways so which is he lying about?
"Then we may as well go our separate ways today then." She wasn't expecting this, she expected an explanation, an apology, even a half-assed one was better than this. As angry and hurt as she was she couldn't let him go, not like this. She sent her gears turning and retraced every moment that led to this point and sighed. She looked in his eyes again, and against her many promises she tried to read his thoughts. His mind was completely blocked; damn him, he knew how to close the door to his mind from her prying eyes even when they were little. She picked her books up off the ground and simply turned her back on him. She hid her tears from him as she looked to her hand and started to walk. Every step away felt like torture and she felt her chest tighten more as she wanted to scream at him, to beat his chest to shake him into his senses.
"Siera, hey, please don't cry; I know this hurts now but maybe it is for the best."
"No Zoie, something isn't right, he's hurt me and lied to me but the words do not add up to the actions."
"What do you mean?" She looked to her scar again before balling her fist.
"The blood doesn't lie… I am yin, and he is yang…we have balanced each other from the moment we met. If it weren't the case I would have known, I would have seen some indication wouldn't I?"
"Just because you balance each other doesn't mean you are meant to be friends. There are mortal enemies that are equally as balanced."
"So you're saying we should be mortal enemies? Maybe you're right, I have given him everything short of my heart and yet I feel like I don't even know him anymore. To be honest, here are moments when I am unsure whether I want to love him or destroy him…"
"That…is not healthy at all, even if what he had said that day meant what you thought-"
"What?!" Zoie kept walking, trying to find some other explanation to what he said.
"If that isn't what he meant then—" She played his words in her head again: I'm just humoring the girl alright?! Whatever juvenile notions she has in her head are hers alone; you and I both know that it will never go any farther than what it is. It can't and it won't, too much is at risk to simply pacify a brat's fantasy!
"They never intended for me to be the fifth member… that crafty son of a bitch! And you knew?! That's why you didn't want me to tell him?!" He stopped and turned to the little girl he had raised as she looked to him confused and hopeful.
"I knew he didn't want you to be a part of this; as for omitting the truth I was unaware. But once you told me what he had said to Hiei I felt there were…inconsistencies. I went to speak to him to find if my notions were correct, I apologize for betraying your trust."
"Then if what he said was about me being in the tournament…then it had nothing at all to do about that night. He let me believe that, he broke off our friendship just to keep me away? Well that pisses me off!"
"Oh Geez, what are you mad about now? I just told you the truth!"
"But he didn't, yeah I would have fought him but it's better than fooling me and playing with my emotions! And how dare he try to break off our friendship that goes against the best friend forever and ever code! I'll show him, he will regret this."
"I guess when they get back-"
"What do you mean, I'm going too."
"What?" She stood looking back in the direction of her best friend's house knowing he had long since gone. He was smart, but she was stubborn; this new anger she felt was different, more indignant than devastated and it felt much more refreshing.
"I'm still going, I'll just have to find my own team and then I will show him that I'm not a cream puff or damsel in distress for him to protect. Maybe I'll even win."
"What you're doing is reckless, you don't know what you're up against!"
"This time I know exactly what I'm up against." She turned away with a wicked smile on her lips as Zoie watched her in disbelief before chuckling at his own thoughts. Call me a softie, but that girl is better with you than by herself, she's right, you two do balance each other and that balance must be maintained. It is for her good as well as yours; if you knew Korrin like I did, you would know that we are underestimating this girl without prejudice. This way she is off the team but there is still a chance for the two of you to mend this companionship. You will thank me later, all you have to do is survive and tell her the truth; and then I can finally call you friend.