"You all can go back home now," Kurama said softly, still transfixed by the tree. "Gomen for dragging you out here when you could have been sleeping."
Yusuke smiled and shook his head. "No problem. We're here for you, you know."
Kurama tried to smile. "Yeah, I know."
They left Kurama there.
"So, Mayumi," Kurama said, kneeling in front of the tree. "You're leaving again, huh? Never occured to you how others might feel before you left, did you?" He waited for an answer.
There was none.
"Well let me tell you something, Mayumi, we're all going to be fine without you. In fact, we're going to pretend you never even existed. How's that?"
Still silence.
He hit the ground. "Why don't you answer?"
Silence. Kurama sat there for a minute, seething with anger. How dare she leave them like that. How dare she make a mockery of their power. How dare she. How dare she.
The silence was broken by Kurama's angry voice.
"CHIKUSO, MAYUMI!!" He slammed his fists into the ground. "After all the things we've been through, now is the time you decide to bail. How could you...how could...
A tear fell from his eye, running down his face before splashing on the ground. Another one came. Then another one. "Mayumi," he whispered. "Why did I say those things? How could I have said those things?"
A sob escaped him as he tried to apologize. "Sumimasen...we'll never be whole again without you...but...why did you have to go?"
Her voice came into his head.
::I knew I was going to die...but I didn't want to tell you::
"I'm so sorry, Mayumi...I didn't know what kind of pain you were going through...I only thought of myself...and now that I think of you, you're gone."
He wept with shame.
---------------------------------------
"Excuse me, Minamino-san...I need to talk to you."
"What is it, Asakura-sensei?"
Kurama stood in front of his teacher's desk. His teacher's eyes were concerned.
"Is anything wrong?"
'My soulmate just died, what do you think?' "No, everything's fine."
"The reason I ask is because...well, you seem preoccupied. You failed your biology quiz."
'Is that all?' "I'll try to do better next time."
"Thank you, Minamino-san."
Kurama stepped out into the bright sunlight from Meiou High and started to walk away. He heard two voices that he recognized very well.
"Hey, Kurama, wait up!"
He didn't acknowledge them, just continued walking.
"What's his problem...KURAMA!! YO!! IT'S YUSUKE HERE!!"
"AND KUWABARA!!"
They finally caught up with him. "Come on, Kurama, it's like you don't even know your own name anymore."
"Shuichi."
Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at him. "Nani?"
"My name is Shuichi."
He left them staring at him.
He smiled and shook his head. It took a while for him to get used to the idea too. He was still the same person...just without the essence of youkai about him. He didn't have to lie anymore about his name. It felt good to be his own person for once.
He went home, thinking of the homework he'd have to do before his mother got home. Just another seventeen year old boy. Nothing weird added.
Finally.
Yusuke smiled and shook his head. "No problem. We're here for you, you know."
Kurama tried to smile. "Yeah, I know."
They left Kurama there.
"So, Mayumi," Kurama said, kneeling in front of the tree. "You're leaving again, huh? Never occured to you how others might feel before you left, did you?" He waited for an answer.
There was none.
"Well let me tell you something, Mayumi, we're all going to be fine without you. In fact, we're going to pretend you never even existed. How's that?"
Still silence.
He hit the ground. "Why don't you answer?"
Silence. Kurama sat there for a minute, seething with anger. How dare she leave them like that. How dare she make a mockery of their power. How dare she. How dare she.
The silence was broken by Kurama's angry voice.
"CHIKUSO, MAYUMI!!" He slammed his fists into the ground. "After all the things we've been through, now is the time you decide to bail. How could you...how could...
A tear fell from his eye, running down his face before splashing on the ground. Another one came. Then another one. "Mayumi," he whispered. "Why did I say those things? How could I have said those things?"
A sob escaped him as he tried to apologize. "Sumimasen...we'll never be whole again without you...but...why did you have to go?"
Her voice came into his head.
::I knew I was going to die...but I didn't want to tell you::
"I'm so sorry, Mayumi...I didn't know what kind of pain you were going through...I only thought of myself...and now that I think of you, you're gone."
He wept with shame.
---------------------------------------
"Excuse me, Minamino-san...I need to talk to you."
"What is it, Asakura-sensei?"
Kurama stood in front of his teacher's desk. His teacher's eyes were concerned.
"Is anything wrong?"
'My soulmate just died, what do you think?' "No, everything's fine."
"The reason I ask is because...well, you seem preoccupied. You failed your biology quiz."
'Is that all?' "I'll try to do better next time."
"Thank you, Minamino-san."
Kurama stepped out into the bright sunlight from Meiou High and started to walk away. He heard two voices that he recognized very well.
"Hey, Kurama, wait up!"
He didn't acknowledge them, just continued walking.
"What's his problem...KURAMA!! YO!! IT'S YUSUKE HERE!!"
"AND KUWABARA!!"
They finally caught up with him. "Come on, Kurama, it's like you don't even know your own name anymore."
"Shuichi."
Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at him. "Nani?"
"My name is Shuichi."
He left them staring at him.
He smiled and shook his head. It took a while for him to get used to the idea too. He was still the same person...just without the essence of youkai about him. He didn't have to lie anymore about his name. It felt good to be his own person for once.
He went home, thinking of the homework he'd have to do before his mother got home. Just another seventeen year old boy. Nothing weird added.
Finally.