Rating: PG (just to be safe)
Disclaimer: All
characters of YuYu Hakusho are owned by their writer and company. They
aren't mine (sigh!) and even if I wished on a hundred falling stars, Kurama
will never be mine. This fiction was made to entertain and hopefully does
not infringe on their copyright.
Ok, long long
chapter! This is for everyone who commented. Domo domo! This is one long
critter, I tell ya! Its at page 126 in Word. But its nearing completion
though…I need to try and check the whole document before I post so its
just touch and go for a while ^^
The Reddest
Rose
Part 5
"Hitori? Hitori!"
Hitori had been dreaming of luxurious
red hair and green green eyes when something disturbed her. She awoke to
find Keiko staring down at her, shaking her by her shoulders. "Wha…what
happened?" She asked her, rising up by her elbows. She still felt a little
dizzy, like she'd slept too long…
"Oh, good, you're awake." She heard
Yusuke's voice and found him just beside Keiko, a look of relief on his
face.
Hitori looked around to find everyone
except Yusuke and Keiko gone. Where's everyone? She felt a little
fear creep in…Maybe I failed the truth test…"Where's everyone?"
She couldn't help the apprehension that tinged her voice.
"Koenma and Botan had to head out.
It seems the little snot had been playing hooky with his job." Yusuke grinned,
answering Hitori as Keiko busied herself with pouring out some tea for
her.
"Don't worry." Keiko had apparently
heard the fear in her voice and rushed to reassure. "You've been cleared.
Kurama told us that you were telling the truth. And promptly fainted after
that. That's why no one's here, Yukina and Kuwabara rushed Kurama to his
room. Yukina's nursing him." She shoved a cup into Hitori's hands. "Here,
drink this."
Hitori nodded in gratitude and sipped
a bit, more for Keiko's benefit than her own. Her brows had knitted together
in worry. "Kurama…got hurt?" She asked them, concern mixed with worry in
her voice.
Yusuke grinned and moved his hands
up and down in a placating gesture. "Now, now, don't worry so much! Its
not that serious."
Keiko interrupted Yusuke. "It seems
that Kurama is still in his "my-life-for-another" mode. He does that at
times, you know." Keiko said almost conversationally. "When Kurama put
forth the suggestion he neglected to tell us a little fact. Janen-Ju may
not have harmed you in any way but to do what it did, it drained the caster's
energy, instead."
"Yeah! If we hadn't hauled him off
of the plant when we did, he might've really gone…Ow!" Yusuke's explanation
ended in a yelp of pain as Keiko pinched him from behind. "Now what did
you do that for, Keiko?" Yusuke rubbed his arm.
Keiko ignored Yusuke, unlike him she
had seen the almost-stricken look that had flashed in Hitori's eyes as
he had casually mentioned how close Kurama came to dying. "Pay no attention
whatsoever at him, Hitori. Kurama's safe. All he needs is rest, Yukina
told us that." She smiled at Hitori. "Just like you do, young lady! You
need to rest too. Today wasn't a particularly quiet day for you either.
Your forehead must be throbbing." Keiko extended a helping hand.
As soon as Keiko said it, Hitori felt
the wound on her forehead throb. She clasped Keiko's hand and stood up.
"I'd like to go see Kurama." A wave of weakness assailed her and she almost
fell back down.
"Tomorrow. You need to rest up. You
can barely stand as is." Keiko told her sternly, lodging herself between
Hitori's right arm and body..
"Yeah. Kurama will keep until tomorrow.
Sleep, alright?" Yusuke put her left arm around his shoulders and together
with Keiko forcibly helped her to her room.
***
Day 9
"And you apply it like this?"
Hitori rubbed the balm on Kurama's
forehead.
"That's right, now rub it in slowly,
a circular pattern." Yukina instructed, demonstrating how on Kuwabara,
who was trying hard not to squirm away. Who would ever thought he would
be ticklish on the forehead?
"S..stop it, Yukina. Hee, hee,hee.
That tickles…" Kuwabara slid away from Yukina, unable to hold still much
longer. He ran out the door. "I'm getting out of here while I still can.
I'll wait outside alright?" He said slipping away to the corridor.
"Oh, that Kuwabara." Yukina sighed.
"That reminds me, I have to help Keiko prepare lunch." She rushed outside
then popped her head in, smiling. "You can watch Kurama for me, can you,
Hitori? All you have to do is sit there and call me if he wakes up. Oh,
and don't forget to rub in the balm on his forehead. That's important.
Remember, circular patterns. Arigato, Hitori-san!" Without waiting for
Hitori's reply, she ran off, dragging Kuwabara with her, leaving Hitori
alone with Kurama.
Hitori didn't have time to protest.
I guess I don't have a choice. She shrugged and smiled. It had been
a week now since she told them who she was. At first, everything had been
awkward, but everyone seemed to have accepted her and things seem to be
back to normal. Except for Kurama who still didn't waken. Extreme exhaustion.
Yukina had told her as she had hovered over his prone form. Janen-ju
had drained away at Kurama's life force and now his body had to replenish
the energy.
For the whole of the week, she had
been in his room, helping Yukina when she needed a hand and taking turns
with the others guarding him. In that time, whomever she was with had always
regaled her on stories about their adventures to pass the time. She had
learned about the famous Ankoku Bujutsukai and Sensui, of Hiei and Mukuro.
Yusuke and Keiko in particular, seemed to put more emphasis on Kurama in
their stories than the others combined. Not that Hitori noticed, she had
been too eager to hear about him than any other, as Keiko had told Yusuke
out of Hitori's hearing. She also noticed how Hitori seemed to have an
overwhelming urge to skip any story with Hiei in it (which was next to
impossible much to Hitori's disgruntlement!). That had amused Keiko to
no end. Why, it almost seemed like Hitori was jealous of Hiei. Keiko
should have seen how Hitori's eyes had narrowed after she had seen some
pictures of Hiei and Kurama together.
A slight rustling from the bed broke
her thoughts. She looked down and noted that Kurama had moved a little
in his sleep. She looked into his face, so familiar now for the many times
she had sat here watching him. She had never tired of watching him although
she knew not why. Of course, she knew that Kurama was handsome. More
like beautiful. Why, he's more beautiful than I'll ever be. But then,
even Yusuke and Koenma-sama were handsome enough and she never had this
strange compulsion to let her glance linger on their faces like she had
with Kurama. Maybe its with the hair. She liked Kurama's flaming
locks very much. It certainly couldn't have been the personality. She
snorted, remembering the anger and hostility in his voice when he had found
out that she was kitsune. Then she remembered what put him in this situation
in the first place. She chided herself. Be fair, Hitori. He gave
you this chance, didn't he? She sighed to herself and looked away.
Hitori then remembered Yukina's last
reminder. And proceeded to rub the balm onto Kurama's forehead. Now that
Hitori was all alone with Kurama, the act of rubbing the balm on him seemed
so much more embarrassing somehow. A blush stained her cheeks but she kept
on rubbing anyway. Its not like he's even conscious of the fact that
I'm here. Just don't wake up now, please. Wake up when the others are around.
As her hands fell into a pattern, her eyes, as if drawn by some magnet,
settled once more on Kurama's face… to find startled green eyes staring
up at her. Hitori felt her cheeks grow redder but she couldn't look away.
Like the time she had looked up to find these selfsame eyes staring at
her, she couldn't tear her eyes away, mesmerized by the emerald depths,
seeming to lose her very self into them.
A bird chirped on the tree just outside
Kurama's room and Hitori shook herself out of her state. She blushed even
redder (if it were possible) and mumbled, "I…have to go t..tell Yukina
you're awake.", without once looking at him, she sped out of the room.
Idiot! How could you let him catch you staring?
***
Kurama had regained consciousness to
find a soothing coolness on his brow and the comforting rhythmic massage.
Must be Yukina. Yukina had always acted as a surrogate nurse for
them. He slowly opened his eyes to thank her and was startled. Instead
of ice-blue hair and blue eyes, he found reddish-brown hair and red eyes,
also staring at him…Hitori?
Before he could utter a word, she had
fled the room. Exasperation flashed through his eyes as he pulled himself
up and propped himself on a pillow, sighing. Why is it that every time
I so much as look at her, she runs from me? Do I look like a monster or
something?
Out in the hall, footsteps thudded
noisily on the wooden floor, warning that he was going to have company
any minute now.
"Heeey there! Glad to see you're back
with the living." Yusuke, grinning that maddening grin (the one that reduced
his eyes to reversed half-moons and enlarged his mouth to fill the lower
part of his face), was the first to reach him as everyone spilled into
the room, bouncing on the left side of his bed..
"Hyahahaha!" A loud laugh, obviously
Kuwabara's by the sound and tone of it, rang out from behind Yusuke. "I
knew Kurama wouldn't let something piddly like a demon plant kill him."
"Kuwabara-san!" Yukina reprimanded
him.
Kurama smiled, intending to respond
to Kuwabara's quip, but before he could do so, Keiko had come up on his
other side with a fixed look on her face. Uh-oh! Here it comes, I'm
in for it now.
A slight wrinkle in his brow and a
resigned expression settled on his face, small signals, but one that Yusuke
immediately recognized. He knew what it meant. After all, he had always
been the recipient of Keiko's reprimands before, it was nice to see someone
else on the receiving end. He doubled over in convulsed laughter.
Keiko threw Yusuke an irritated look
but her gaze remained on Kurama. She wasn't about to be distracted by Yusuke's
antics. "Kurama." She said, dragging Kurama's attention away from Yusuke.
"Why didn't you tell us about Janen-Ju?"
Hmmnnn…well she said that mildly
enough, I guess she isn't that angry. Good! Kurama sighed and told
Keiko dryly. "I didn't want to worry you guys."
"Nice try." Keiko quirked up an eyebrow,
a skeptical look on her face.
"I could have told you that wouldn't
have worked." Yusuke guffawed.
If I was Hiei, I could probably
just glare at Keiko and that would be the end of it. Kurama felt a
twinge as he remembered Hiei. Even after three years, he still couldn't
fully accept the fact that Hiei had thrown him and everyone else over for
Mukuro.
"Kurama…I'm waiting…"
Kurama sighed, his thoughts interrupted
by Keiko's impatient voice. She's even worse than my own mother. A
resigned expression settled on his face.
***
"Seiya, Katsura and Ririka have just
arrived., my Lord!"
"Excellent, we have only to wait for
the four. And then I will have my revenge at last."
***
Day 11
Tonk.
Hitori was idly watching the hollow
bamboo's left end spill its watery contents and rise up again when it was
drained, only to be filled with water and tip over again.
Tonk.
The action repeated endlessly, catching
Hitori's fascinated gaze. Her hand was playing with the water in the small
pond. She didn't notice the figure in yellow that approached her. If she
had noticed, she would have rushed off somewhere else, like she had done
the past few days since Kurama had gotten better.
But she didn't notice until it was
too late. By the time she realized who it was, Kurama was only a few inches
away from her. Still, she attempted to rise.
"Stay." Kurama said softly, his hand
was on her right shoulder, preventing her from standing up. His eyes were
gentle and reassuring but Hitori didn't notice because she kept her eyes
downcast. She had to, because she was sure that if she looked up, he would
see the roiling emotions that his near presence evoked in her. Because
of this, she also didn't see the single red rose Kurama held out at her
in his left hand.
Kurama had noticed how Hitori had been
avoiding him for the past few days. How can I not notice? He thought
wryly. I only have to come into a room and she'd disappear. No one
had ever treated him like that before. In fact, eversince he had left Meioh
School and entered college, people, especially girls, seem to flock to
his side. Not that he did anything spectacular. He was still the quiet,
calm Kurama he had always been. He had gotten quite used to the attention.
That's why he became perplexed when
Hitori started avoiding him like the plague. He had thought on it and came
up with the realization that he had been quite cruel and callous the day
he had found out Hitori was kitsune. She must hate me for what I did.
Guilt began to set in. And it didn't sit well with him at all. He tried
to apologize many times before but he couldn't quite catch her. Today had
been a godsend. Hitori had been too preoccupied to notice as he stealthily
approached. My days as a youkai thief are paying off after all…
"Hitori, I have to tell you something."
Kurama started out, sitting beside Hitori, his gaze fastened on her face,
waiting for a reply. She remained silent, her eyes on the bamboo.
Tonk.
Minutes passed by. How can I apologize
if she doesn't even look at me. Kurama thought, irritated. Maybe
this was a bad idea. He started to rise then reconsidered. I have
to set things straight. He sat back down. " I'm sorry, Hitori, for
what I did days ago."
Tonk.
No reaction from Hitori. He plowed
on. "It just took me aback to hear that a kitsune assassin had penetrated
my circle of friends. That's why I reacted that way. I'm really very sorry
and it won't happen again. I promise."
Tonk.
Still no movement from Hitori except
for her eyes, which darted over the whole scenery, anywhere but him. This
irritated him, enough to make his voice rise. "Look, I know you're angry
at me but could you at least look at me? This is hard enough as it is…"
"I'm not angry at you." Was Hitori's
quiet reply.
"Then why are you avoiding me?" Kurama
said more softly, not wanting to do anything that would cause Hitori to
clam up but wanting to know the answer.
Hitori shrugged. "I just thought you
wouldn't want to see me for a while, so you wouldn't remember the incident."
That and because I don't think I can bear to see your eyes reflect the
loathing you must feel for me, knowing I'm kitsune.
Relief flooded through Kurama. "Is
that all? Well, I don't blame you for what happened…at least not now."
"Really?" At last Hitori looked at
him, tilting her head at an angle. "You forgive me so easily? I would think
that's impossible." She shrugged and shifted her gaze back to the pond.
"If it was me instead of you I wouldn't have forgiven me easily."
Kurama smiled at the frankness in Hitori's
tone. But you haven't been inside my head like I have been in yours.
Janen-ju has given me insights into your personality that I wouldn't have
deduced by myself. But I'm not telling you that now am I? I have a feeling
you'd beat me to a pulp if you knew I'd been inside your head. "But
you aren't me, are you?" He raised the almost forgotten rose
up near her face, startling Hitori
who looked at him with a question in her eyes. "Oh, that's right. I forgot.
Kitsune don't give flowers. Here, take it. It's my peace offering."
Too intent on their conversation, the
two didn't hear the rustling bushes to their left…
"Stop shoving." Kuwabara whispered,
digging an elbow into Yusuke's side.
The two were crouching near the pond,
trying hard to masquerade as bushes. Both had noticed as Kurama had approached
Hitori and both were curious to what he would say.
"You stop shoving, Kuwabara!"" Yusuke
whispered back, jabbing his elbow into Kuwabara's ribcage. "You're wriggling
so much, I'm surprised they haven't seen us yet."
"I can't help it! My legs are cramping
up…uh-oh…" Kuwabara started to fall to the side, waving his arms wildly,
trying to stay upright. "…help!"
Yusuke hauled him up to his side. "Ssshh,
they might hear …"
"What was that?" Kurama's head swiveled
to the side, looking at the bush suspiciously.
"Coo! Coo!"
Yusuke rustled the leaves a bit to
imitate the supposed bird Kuwabara and he were supposed to be.
"Coo! Coo!"
"Oh, it was just a pigeon." Kurama
shrugged and turned back to Hitori.
Yusuke and Kuwabara let out a silent
sigh of relief.
Tok!
"Idiot!" Yusuke bopped Kuwabara one.
"You could have blown our cover. Now settle down and be quiet…"
"Yusuke! Kuwabara! What are you doing
there?" Keiko stood on the veranda perplexed and saw Kurama and Hitori
talking by the pond. Understanding dawned on her. "Oh!"
She was going to take it back but was
too late. Kurama and Hitori had stopped talking to look at the direction
she had been looking at. Yikes! Think of something, Keiko or Yusuke
will never forgive you. I know! "Hey you guys, have you gotten the
roots that Yukina and I need from there?"
Fortunately, Yusuke and Kuwabara were
quick to catch on. They tore some innocent plants from the ground and stood
up, waving to Keiko.
"Oi! We got them Keiko!" Yusuke told
her cheerily. To further the deception, he turned around and tried to look
startled when he saw the two by the stream. "Oh, Kurama, Hitori! How long
have you two been there?"
"Eeeey?" Kuwabara got into the spirit
of things, waving the uprooted plants around. "You guys have been there
all the time and didn't even help us? How could you?"
He turned towards Kurama who, for some
reason, was laughing. Kurama turned to face Keiko. "For what reason do
you need these plants?"
Oh, no! "Uh, for cooking, what
else?" Keiko fibbed.
"Then I don't think I'm going to eat
today." Kurama said, a smile still dancing in his eyes.
What the devil is he so happy about?
Yusuke thought, scratching an arm that was becoming increasingly itchy.
"Nani? That's not a nice thing to say
Kurama! Are you implying that I don't cook well?" Keiko's eyes narrowed
to slits.
"No, Keiko, of course not. Its just
that…" Kurama couldn't go on. He couldn't help laughing as he saw Yusuke
and Kuwabara scratch their arms.
Hitori continued where Kurama left
off, smiling a little herself. "What he is trying to say is that the plants
Yusuke and Kuwabara are holding aren't meant to be eaten…"
"Naze? Why?" A startled Keiko asked
Hitori.
"They're poison ivy." Hitori said,
smiling.
"Yikes!" Kuwabara and Yusuke dropped
the plants like hot potatoes and rushed to the pond, trying to wash off
the itch while Keiko, Kurama and Hitori laughed.
***
That night as Hitori got ready for
bed, she saw a single red rose placed on her pillow. The first of many
to come…
She picked it up and placed it beside
the other one she had gotten earlier with a thoughtful look and a quiet
smile…
***
Day 13
"Hiiitorriiii!"
Yusuke was opening and slamming every
door in the dojo, searching for Hitori. He was mumbling to himself as well.
"Now where did she go off to…that girl isn't around when I want her…" He
stopped in the living room and shouted. "Its no use, Hitori. Even if you
hide I'm going to find you, so you might as well show yourself. We're training
whether you want to or not."
After a few minutes of silence, "Alright,
so you aren't anywhere inside, what about outside…", Yusuke stomped off
outside and saw Kurama by the pond, reading.
"Ohayo, Kurama! Have you seen Hitori?"
"Ohayo, Yusuke. I believe you've just
missed her. She went to the town with Keiko. Shopping for food, I think."
"Darn! And just when I got up so early
too. Now who do I get to train with me?" Yusuke's tone was disappointed.
Then an idea dawned on him. Aha! He started to ask Kurama…
"Oh no, Yusuke." Kurama held up his
hands as if to ward Yusuke off. He had read Yusuke's intent. "I'm not going
to train with you so forget it."
"Awww, please? Pretty please! I haven't
trained since Hitori got hurt and that's a long time ago." Yusuke pleaded.
"I promise I'll go easy on you."
Kurama quirked an eyebrow. Wrong
tactic, Yusuke. "Go easy on me, huh?" I'm not going to fall for that
trick, my pride's unassailable, so forget…on second thought, why not?"
Kurama changed his mind. "I could use the practice."
***
"Keiko?"
"Yes, Hitori?" Keiko looked up from
the carrots she was choosing to give Hitori a smile. Good, you're finally
going to say something. I was afraid you were gonna keep it in all day.
Hitori had been silent all throughout the trip to town, seemingly intent
on something. And Keiko had been hiding her amusement. After all, she had
a pretty good idea what this preoccupied state was a result of. "Is there
something on your mind?"
Hitori blushed a little, her eyes looking
down on the ground and her feet tracing circles in the floor. "Uh…well,
I just wanted to ask about Yusuke and you, if it's ok…"
"Sure, why not? Fire away." Keiko said,
tossing a few carrots inside the shopping cart Hitori was pushing and walking
to the radish section, motioning Hitori forward.
Hitori followed Keiko. "Well, you and
Yusuke go back a long time and I just wanted to ask…how did you know that
Yusuke was the one for you?"
***
"How did you know that Keiko was the
one for you?" Kurama asked Yusuke after just evading one of Yusuke's rei
gun.
"Kagon-Retsuzan-Shi."
The question distracted Yusuke a bit
from the rose whip that came his way. "Say what?" He backflipped away from
Kurama.
"How did you know that Keiko was the
one for you…" Kurama repeated impatiently, manipulating the whip skillfully,
trying to hit Yusuke.
"Hey, you improved some…" Yusuke said
appreciatively, evading the cracking whip again and again. He saw Kurama's
impatience. "Ok, ok. How did I know, right? Hmmnnn…I don't know, I just
did I guess." He said nonchalantly. And with a burst of speed too fast
for Kurama to see, Yusuke emerged from a series of jumps to appear behind
him. "Ha! Got you. REI GUN!"
***
"You just know."
Keiko's reply puzzled Hitori. "How
can you just know?"
"That's a hard one, Hitori. I think
it varies, a case-to-case basis actually. With Yusuke and I, well, we were
classmates for such a long time, friends before that. But from the start,
I knew that he'd be the one for me." She smiled, remembering the past.
"Of course, it was harder to convince Yusuke. You know how he is, a hammer
would be more subtle than he would be." She looked at Hitori and they both
laughed.
***
"How can you just know?" Kurama was
just as puzzled as Hitori had been. He sat down on the practice room floor,
looking relatively unruffled, and only slightly dirty, a big contrast to
Yusuke's sweaty, dirty self.
"Damn, I really can't figure out how
you stay so clean." Yusuke's tone was admiring as he threw himself down
beside Kurama.
Kurama just shrugged. "Hey, answer
the question…"
"How can I, when you throw such hard
ones in the first place." Yusuke sighed, bringing his hands up behind his
head. Kurama nudged him. "Alright, alright. How can I know…hmmnnn…if Keiko
was to hear this…she'd probably tell you something like I had to be hit
by a hammer to realize…" He grinned that large grin of his. "But contrary
to Keiko's opinion, I didn't have to be hit by a hammer. Don't tell her
this but I really knew from the start." Yusuke stared off into the distance.
"I was just too stubborn to admit it but I did know…"
That isn't much help! Kurama
thought to himself. How can one just know? He didn't realize that
he had sighed out loud.
"Incidentally," Yusuke said, turning
to face him, his eyes alight with mischief, "why are you asking?"
***
How can one just know? A perplexed
look marred Hitori's features and she remembered the roses that she always
found on her pillow every night. She was concentrating too hard on the
question that she didn't see Keiko stop in front of her. The shopping cart
met Keiko's rear end.
"Ouch."
"Sorry, Keiko…"
"It's alright." Keiko rubbed the offended
body part. "As I was saying…why did you ask?" Keiko's eyes danced with
mischief. Of course, I know why you're asking. I just want to see if
you're going to tell me…
She saw Hitori turn a bright, bright
red. "N…no reason. Oh, look! There's the meat section." Then, as if there
were dogs chasing after her, Hitori took off down the aisle. "C.mon, Keiko!"
Keiko smiled a knowing smile and followed
Hitori.
***
"No reason at all." Kurama told Yusuke
nonchalantly, seemingly cool and unperturbed on the outside, but inside
he was panicking.
"Really now…" Yusuke was unconvinced.
"Anyway, I have to go…" Kurama frantically
searched for an excuse. "…take a shower. That fight made me sticky." He
pushed himself up. "By the way, nice fight, Yusuke…"
"Back at you…" Yusuke called after
the hurrying Kurama, smiling knowingly.
***
Day 18
"Sayonara, Hitori, Kurama! And don't
forget to buy the sake for the chicken!" Yusuke waved at the disappearing
couple and walked back to the dojo with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
Shnik!
"Ok, guys, the coast is clear." Yusuke
slid the door closed and sat down next to Keiko, flashing a thumbs-up sign.
"So what do you guys have to report?" He looked at each face. "Any progress?"
"That would depend…" Yukina said, hesitantly,
"on what you call progress."
"Anything is progress, as far as I'm
concerned." Yusuke told her, grinning.
"After the poison ivy incident," Keiko
paused, smiling a little at the remembered farce, "I saw Kurama pointing
out some star constellations to Hitori that night. And you know how Hitori
can get when she gets into something that interests her."
Everyone smiled. Hitori had an insatiable
hunger for knowledge. Ever since the first few days when Keiko had taught
her the basic alphabet, Hitori had asked questions about almost everything
and read a lot. She's really so perfect for Kurama.
"I bet she grilled Kurama on the subject.
He he he!" Eugene smirked a little. He had been Hitori's first victim and
he still remembered the endless questions. He turned back towards the others.
"What else?"
"Well, I followed them the next day
like Keiko said…" Yukina seemed hesitant. Hitori had gone into the forest
for her habitual walk and they had noticed how Kurama had followed her.
Everyone had pushed Yukina to follow them, telling her that she would be
the least suspicious. She had been against spying on the two but had been
overruled.
"And?" Yusuke prompted her. "It's alright,
Yukina, we know how you feel about spying but its really for their good
you know…"
Yukina sighed. "Kurama caught up with
Hitori about halfway through and they sort of just walked together for
a while."
"What about you, Kuwabara?" Yusuke
asked the red-orange topped boy at Yukina's side.
"I think they caught on to us after
that." Kuwabara told Yusuke thoughtfully.
Yusuke's eyes widened. "Ey? Why do
you think that?"
"Well, we haven't really been all that
subtle." Kuwabara said reflectively. "A charging bull would have been subtler,
come to think of it." He grinned. "Anyway, haven't you guys noticed how
they never got together alone after that walk in the forest?"
"Impossible. I doubt they noticed at
all." Yusuke said disbelievingly.
"Kuwabara has a point." Keiko lapsed
into reflection.
"Ey?"
"I have noticed how Hitori seem to
make excuses everytime we try to get them alone together. What do you think,
Yukina?"
"Sou…I agree with Keiko and Kuwabara-san,
Yusuke."
"Ey? Are you all nuts?" Yusuke told
them. "What do you mean? They still talk…"
"And that's all they do!" Kuwabara
burst out. "Talk! Nothing else but! Oh, they also steal glances when they
think the other isn't looking but that's it." Frustration was evident in
his tone.
"Oooh!" Keiko let out a small scream
of utter frustration. "I don't get it at all. I know they like each other,
we know they like each other, don't they know they like each other? They've
certainly given enough signs to show they do."
Yusuke went quickly from being frustrated
to being amused. It was a rare treat to see Keiko so ruffled. "Maybe they
need to be hit on the head with a hammer?" He suggested playfully, striving
to make his eyes widen in supposed innocence.
Hearing the words she had said to Hitori
only days ago, Keiko looked at Yusuke suspiciously but was met with the
most innocuous of expressions. She let it pass.
"Maybe they're just shy?" Yukina suggested.
Kuwabara snorted. He doubted that very
much. Both were youkai and warriors, whoever heard of youkai or warriors
being shy. Silly thought. But he wasn't going to be the one to point
it out to Yukina. He didn't want to hurt his love's feelings.
"I doubt it, Yukina." Keiko answered
her. "Quiet maybe, but shy? Kurama, we all know. He's just quiet. Hitori
too. I mean, she never balks at meeting people or expressing her opinions
when needed."
"So what the hell is the matter then?"
Yusuke interrupted her musings. "Why aren't they together?" He folded his
arms. " They should be."
"Perhaps, they need a catalyst." Keiko
said.
"A what?" Yusuke asked, not understanding.
"A catalyst, stupid." Kuwabara told
him. "Something to get them together, a thing or a third person or something…"
Boink!
An apple bounced off of Kuwabara's
head.
"Ouch!" Kuwabara rubbed his head.
"That's what you get for calling me
stupid, you idiot!" Yusuke smirked.
"Stop that, Yusuke." Keiko swatted
him absentmindedly. "Now what can we do about this?"
Catalyst…A light bulb appeared
above Kuwabara's head. "I have an idea. Leave it up to me you guys…"
TBC ^_~ Comments onegai? Not much angst
in this chapter…more funnies I guess ^^
