(Disclaimer: "Dreaming Again" is a song by the late Jim Croce. Yuyu Hakusho and everything related to it is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi. All rights reserved.)
Note:
//// indicates lines of the song
// indicates lines spoken by another person aside from the main character
italics indicates lines not spoken
[ ] indicates flashbacks
dReAmInG aGaIn
CHAPTER 1 //Don't you know I had a dream last night
That you were here with me
Lying by my side so soft and warm…//
It's already half past ten and here I am twisting and turning in my bed, as if struck by diarrhea (boy, what an exaggeration). Another day of school tomorrow, another set of assignments to answer, another batch of classmates to have lunch with, another series of novels to read about, another virus in my PC, another…okay, okay, that's enough complaining, Kurama. You always complain when in fact you still study like a maniac and even insist on shouldering other people's responsibilities and play the good samaritan.
Oh, no, I don't play the good samaritan, I contradicted myself.
On the contrary, I play the role of a saint.
I smiled faintly at my own sarcasm. Pulling the blanket over my head, I curled up like a ball and sighed.
Blinking once, I sighed again. Of course I don't mind helping my classmates with their studies, especially if it's about biology, even if most of the time I don't get credit for it. As for their responsibilities at school, I don't mind helping anyone. I like to help others, but I don't expect anything in return. I really don't.
/Stop fooling yourself, kitsune. You know for a fact that you don't really care about any other creature, more so offer help. Especially to pathetic ningens./
There he goes again with his remarks about humans.
But why did I say that I play the role of the saint? Saints are supposed to be holy, but I can't say I'm one of the holies.
I've been living with humans for quite some time now, and I've more than adapted their ways. I feel more human everyday. I have a family I could call my own, a mother, a stepfather, a brother, a home. I guess being human is not so bad after all.
/Oh, yes it is, kitsune. Being human is worse than being a youkai. It's even worse than your worst nightmare./
Why does his voice keep on interfering with my thoughts??
/…It's even worse than your worst nightmare./
Hai, hai, that must be why. I've been having a lot of nightmares lately. Well, not exactly nightmares, but perhaps I could use the word dream.
Yume.
I was never a believer of the power of dreams, and yet here I am twisting and turning, not because I do have diarrhea, but because I am perturbed by the lingering thoughts of a single dream. Out of all those dreams I dreamt all these nights, that little dream , I could say, is the sole reason why I am so anxious tonight…
It was a wonderful dream, a very wonderful one in fact, that I almost felt I was in it…
[As I was about to close my eyes for the night, there was a soft tap that came from the windowsill. I flapped the blanket and snapped my head toward the direction of the disturbance, and I was very surprised to see the familiar shadow of a raven-haired koorime in his matching outfit and unchangeable obnoxious, leering stare. Not contented with the mere sight of his shadow, I moved at the edge of the bed and barefooted, walked with silent, careful steps and neared him. But when I was already at arm's length from him, he was no longer there. I almost gasped, however I covered my mouth and no sound came out. And then I heard a voice say briskly…
/Oi, fox, mind if I sleep here tonight?/
I spun around and he was already putting his katana down near the headboard and was already removing his boots and his shirt.
/N-no, Hiei-kun, not at all/ I reply casually. Too casually, I guess.
/I've had quite a day. May I sleep on your bed? Don't worry, I won't take up much space./
I don't know why he still asks permission to sleep on my bed when I've already told him more than a dozen times before that the other side of the bed is his share. He didn't wait for me to answer, though, so I suppose he is aware that he can sleep any time, any day, on my bed. Even if it means sharing it with me.
He settled himself quickly, and as he said, did not take up even half of his side of the bed and was practically at the edge of the mattress. He had his smooth, bare back on me, which I perfectly understand that he wants to get some sleep as soon as possible.
I positioned myself to sleep on the other half of the bed, lifting the blanket as I lay my head on a pillow. But I can't stand seeing him sleeping uncomfortably while I'm not so I had to wake him again and tell him what's on my mind.
/Hiei-kun/ I softly whispered.
/Nani?/ came the irritated, half-awake reply.
/Why don't you move little? You might fall, you know, and hit your head on the floor or something/ I joked, thinking I could convince the stubborn koorime into doing my suggestion.
/Leave me alone, kitsune, I'm trying to get some sleep/ was the curt, frank reply that I received. With that kind of reply, I know he meant it, but I wanted to try one last time before I go to sleep myself.
/But I insist, Hiei-kun. There's a lot more space for both of us---/
/Kitsune-baka./
Oh well. At least I tried.
With his back still on me, I decided to finally go to sleep with my back to him also. Sometimes I wonder why I insist on offering Hiei something which I'm not so sure whether he appreciated or not. Like, something as simple as sharing my bed with him. I closed my weary eyes.
I could hear the clock tick into the deafening silence, and it makes my heart beat faster every second, every minute. I still couldn't sleep. I finally got a hold of myself, opened my eyes again, and rolled to my other side.
Hiei's back was still on me. That was when I noticed that he had pushed aside the pillow that was under his head, which explained why there was an extra pillow near my head. His raven locks lay sprawled on the linen covering of the mattress and his arms lay crossed on his chest even as he slept.
I thought that he was already asleep.
I couldn't resist myself anymore, so I finally brought myself to embrace him. He didn't fight back, which was quite unlikely of him. But I continued to embrace him anyway.
/You couldn't sleep, ne?/ a deep voice suddenly asked, piercing the ear-deafening silence.
/Oh, gomen, ne, Hiei-kun, I'm so sorry to have awakened you/ I stammered as I was about to withdraw my arms and harbor regret over what I've just done.
Unexpectedly, all the more that he pulled my arms over his shoulders and he inched closer to me.
/It's alright. I can't sleep either/ he reassuringly, almost inaudibly, whispered, though I'm not so sure if I heard him right. Or if I understood him right.
He gently stroked my hand which was clasping onto his other hand, and, interlacing his fingers into my own, kissed the dorsum of my hand and sighed…
Hiei came and he spent the night here in my room, on my bed, beside me.]
I dreamt of Hiei. Just last night.
-To be continued on chapter 2