Hey there! Chappy eight!! yay!!
Kuronue: NOOOOO!!! SHE'S GONNA HIT ME ON THE HEAD!!!!
Nagem: O.O; All righty then.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Oh, and this chapter might be just a little confusing at first, okay? Just go with the flow, it'll get better, I promise.
("Heh. They'll never know what hit them." Youko holds up the golden mirror and angles it so that the dim light reflects off of it.
"This has to be our easiest job yet!!" Kuronue flaps his wings in his excitement. "It was nothing." They suddenly both go very still.
"Do you hear something?" Youko asks as his ears twitch.
"No, but I sense something." Kuronue replies. "We'd better get out of here." They both jump off into the bamboo forest. Moments later spears and arrows land where they would have been, and demon guards follow the scent the thieves accidentally left behind.
Youko knows something is wrong, but he cannot place it. He hears a snapping sound and looks down to see Kuronue's pendant flying toward the forest ground. Kuronue turns back. Youko sees the trap before he does.
"Kuronue! No!" Youko yells. Yes, there's something off here.
"I need it!!" Kuronue yells back. Youko starts to go after him but stops dead in his tracks after he sees the sharp bamboo poles spear through Kuronue's body. "Kurama . . . ."
"Kuronue!!!" Youko screams, and begins to go to his friend.
"Kurama! Get out of here! Forget about me! Just go!!" Youko pauses. Should he? Then he turns around and tries to escape.) (A/N: We all saw this coming. I couldn't help it. I needed it.)
Kurama sat up in bed, gasping for breath. He hadn't had that dream in a long time. Usually, he'd get to the point where the infamous Youko Kurama became the timid Minamino Shuichi. Not this time, though. Did it mean something about Kuronue? Was the chimera trying to tell him something? Not likely. He brought a hand up to his forehead and brought his knees up to his chest. He didn't want to think about Kuronue, it always led to . . . too late. One tear made its way down his cheek, and then another. He thrust his face into his knees and began to cry.
"I could have saved him . . . " he sobbed. "I should have saved him, but I was too . . . stupid, too . . . selfish . . . Why?"
"Shuichi?" Kurama looked up. There, in the doorway, was Kanon. Kurama wiped his tears away with his sleeve. (How much did he hear?) Kurama wondered.
"Kanon," Kurama replied. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, I was heading back from the bathroom when I heard you crying, and I decided to see what was up," Kanon said.
"Oh," Kurama said. Thinking about Kuronue, and seeing how well Kanon and Jeroun got along, and everything, it just made Kurama too emotional. "You actually care that much about me?"
"I try," Kanon said. "But truthfully, I'm afraid to."
"Go on," Kurama promted.
"It seems like everyone I ever bother to care about always get taken away from me," Kanon said. "Like my old partner. I would have probably broken out of jail to rejoin him if he hadn't died."
"Really," Kurama said. He knew better than to ask who Kanon's partner was. The other demon never told him.
"Yeah. I was planning it when I heard he was killed by a bounty hunter," Kanon said. Even though there were tears in his eyes, Kurama decided not to ask.
"Do you . . . ever regret his death?" Kurama asked.
"I know it's not, but I can't help but think that it was my fault," Kanon said. "Did you have a partner when you were a thief?"
"Yeah. And I always feel the same way," Kurama said. "Although I'm not so sure it wasn't my fault that he died."
"I'm sorry," Kanon said.
"Not your . . . fault," Kurama said. "Go back to bed, it's nothing for you to worry about."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*
When Kuronue got up the next morning, Shuichi smiled more warmly at him then he normally would have. Kuronue smiled back, reminded of the . . . er . . . moment they had shared the night before. Then Kuronue remembered that they were going to do something today.
"Remind me," Kuronue said over breakfast. "What are we doing today?"
"Well, in about a week there's this ningen holiday called 'Mother's day' where children go out and buy things for their mothers," Jeroun said. Kuronue wondered how he knew of such things.
"And we're going out to get my mother a present, because you all owe her anyway," Shuichi said, cleaning up breakfast.
"We're ALL getting her something?" Kuronue asked. "I don't have any money!!"
"I'm paying for it," Shuichi said.
"What are we getting her?" Jeroun asked. He liked Shiori. Kuronue was stiffly polite with her. Couldn't blame him after what she did to him, even if it was an accident.
"Jewelry," Shuichi said. "Now hang on while I go get my money . . . " (A/N: You'd think he'd keep it with him.) Kuronue, meanwhile, panicked.
"Jeroun, jewelry is shiny," Kuronue told the other demon. "I like SHINY things." Jeroun knew where he was going with this.
"I'll keep an eye out for you," Jeroun told the chimera.
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"Cause if Shuichi tries to call Koenma in on me, I'm screwed."
"I get the point, Kuronue," Jeroun said. "I will personally make sure that you don't steal anything. If you do, I am probably screwed as well."
"Ready to go, guys?" Shuichi asked, returning to the kitchen. Both demons hesitated, then nodded.
"Must . . . have . . . shiny," Kuronue said, staring at a pair of diamond earrings.
"Kuronue!!" Jeroun hissed. He was holding Kuronue back by the arms and hissing threats into the chimera's ear, but it seemed to have no effect. They were earning themselves strange looks from the manager and other customers, and Jeroun couldn't help but praise the fact that Shuichi was in another part of the store.
"It's . . . shiny," Kuronue said staring at it. Jeroun slapped him across the face. Kuronue blinked and stared at him.
"Sorry," the chimera said. "I just . . . lose control."
"No kidding," Jeroun said, rubbing the spot where Kuronue had bit him in an attempt to get away. "That hurt."
"Sorry, again," Kuronue said.
"Hey! Find anything?" They both looked over to see Shuichi holding something in his hand and staring at them. Kuronue couldn't help wonder if what Shuichi was holding was shiny.
"No," Jeroun said.
"Sorry," Kuronue said for a third time. Shuichi smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "Just keep looking, okay?"
"'Kay," Kuronue said.
"Want me to help?"
"Sure," Kuronue said. (I'm less likely to steal something if someone I know is watching,) Kuronue thought.
"Come with me, there's some nice stuff over where I was before," Shuichi said, leading them across the store. Kuronue was fine for several minutes until he saw something else that was VERY shiny. He tried not to look at it, knowing what would happen if he did, but it was no use. His eyes zoomed in on it. He managed to keep his hands away from it, but something happened. Jeroun looked over to see a silver chain holding up a ruby pendant. He blinked. (Oh, shit,) he thought. He glanced over at Shuichi, and decided he would take the chance.
::Kuronue! Kuronue!:: Jeroun called, praying that Shuichi had not overheard.
::Shiny . . . :: Kuronue responded. ::Huh??::
::Your pendant!! The pendant!!:: Jeroun said.
::My pendant? Oh, shit,:: came Kuronue's reply.
::My thoughts exactly,:: Jeroun told him. Kuronue tried to hide the pendant, but it was already too late. He felt his wings slowly coming out from his back and that meant that his demon form was coming out. Ducking his head, he ran off, bumping into Shuichi on the way.
"Huh? Kanon?" Shuichi asked. "What's wrong?"
"Bathroom," Kuronue muttered, praying once again that Shuichi had not seen his demon form. "Be right back."
"Okay then," Shuichi said.
In the privacy of one of the bathroom stalls, Kuronue carefully-and slowly-pulled back his wings and managed to hide his pendant. After he had accomplished this much, he felt rather worn-out from the excitement of the sudden change. He put his forehead against one of the walls and leaned against it, breathing deeply as to calm himself. He didn't know why, there was just something about Shuichi that too familiar to trust entirely. He heard footsteps coming into the bathroom and decided that he had better go and find Shuichi to tell him that he was ready to go. He opened the stall door and stepped out, colliding with someone.
"Sorry," he grunted, keeping his manners about him. There was silence, and Kuronue briefly feared that he was still partially demon when a voice spoke.
"You're not supposed to be in here!" A shrill voice told him. He looked up to meet brown hair and brown eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
About an hour later Kuronue sat with Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Hiei, Jeroun, Shizuru and Shuichi in Shuichi's living room. Shuichi had brewed Jeroun a large cup of tea and everyone else had a soda. Truthfully, Kuronue was greatful for the tea, it helped, but he wanted something stronger. At first there was only silence, broken gently by the sounds of people drinking.
"Honestly, Kanon, the women's bathroom, what is wrong with you?" Shuichi asked. Kuronue looked up to meet his eyes. He had never really noticed the fine shade of green they were, right now holding a mixture of amusement and disgust. And there was something else as well. Kuronue's eyes widened as he recognized that look.
"You," he managed to croak out. Shuichi, not to mention every person in the room, looked at him. "You're a . . . " Kuronue could not manage to speak his next word.
"Yes?" Shuichi prompted somewhat nervously.
"You're a Youko," Kuronue told him.
Dun dun dun!! Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko, Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko, Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko . . . about freaking time!!
Sorry, 'bout that, it's just that I've been waiting and waiting to get to this part. It's been in my mind ever since I started this story.
Kuro: I figured it out! GO ME!!
Nagem: o.O Righty then. Oh, and by the way, I know that my spelling really sucks, but I think I've got most of the words to where you people can tell what they are. If not, just e-mail me and tell me. I think that maybe I should have put this in the first chapter.
Kuro: Yay! So . . . when do I find out who Shuichi really is?
Nagem: You'll see. Hang on, there was no hitting Kuronue on the head this time.
Kuro: ^____^ Yay!
Nagem: Well, just for the fans. *Whips out Shuichi's biology book and hits Kuronue on the head with it.* There we go.
Kuro: @____@
Next time! Kuronue has figured out that Shuichi's a Youko, but can he tell exactly which one? And when Jeroun finds out a long-kept secret, will he keep it to himself? All this and more next time!!
Nagem: *as an afterthought* I should really be in advertisement or something.
Kuro: You just figured this out. *gets hit with Shuichi's biology book* @____@
Kuronue: NOOOOO!!! SHE'S GONNA HIT ME ON THE HEAD!!!!
Nagem: O.O; All righty then.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Oh, and this chapter might be just a little confusing at first, okay? Just go with the flow, it'll get better, I promise.
("Heh. They'll never know what hit them." Youko holds up the golden mirror and angles it so that the dim light reflects off of it.
"This has to be our easiest job yet!!" Kuronue flaps his wings in his excitement. "It was nothing." They suddenly both go very still.
"Do you hear something?" Youko asks as his ears twitch.
"No, but I sense something." Kuronue replies. "We'd better get out of here." They both jump off into the bamboo forest. Moments later spears and arrows land where they would have been, and demon guards follow the scent the thieves accidentally left behind.
Youko knows something is wrong, but he cannot place it. He hears a snapping sound and looks down to see Kuronue's pendant flying toward the forest ground. Kuronue turns back. Youko sees the trap before he does.
"Kuronue! No!" Youko yells. Yes, there's something off here.
"I need it!!" Kuronue yells back. Youko starts to go after him but stops dead in his tracks after he sees the sharp bamboo poles spear through Kuronue's body. "Kurama . . . ."
"Kuronue!!!" Youko screams, and begins to go to his friend.
"Kurama! Get out of here! Forget about me! Just go!!" Youko pauses. Should he? Then he turns around and tries to escape.) (A/N: We all saw this coming. I couldn't help it. I needed it.)
Kurama sat up in bed, gasping for breath. He hadn't had that dream in a long time. Usually, he'd get to the point where the infamous Youko Kurama became the timid Minamino Shuichi. Not this time, though. Did it mean something about Kuronue? Was the chimera trying to tell him something? Not likely. He brought a hand up to his forehead and brought his knees up to his chest. He didn't want to think about Kuronue, it always led to . . . too late. One tear made its way down his cheek, and then another. He thrust his face into his knees and began to cry.
"I could have saved him . . . " he sobbed. "I should have saved him, but I was too . . . stupid, too . . . selfish . . . Why?"
"Shuichi?" Kurama looked up. There, in the doorway, was Kanon. Kurama wiped his tears away with his sleeve. (How much did he hear?) Kurama wondered.
"Kanon," Kurama replied. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, I was heading back from the bathroom when I heard you crying, and I decided to see what was up," Kanon said.
"Oh," Kurama said. Thinking about Kuronue, and seeing how well Kanon and Jeroun got along, and everything, it just made Kurama too emotional. "You actually care that much about me?"
"I try," Kanon said. "But truthfully, I'm afraid to."
"Go on," Kurama promted.
"It seems like everyone I ever bother to care about always get taken away from me," Kanon said. "Like my old partner. I would have probably broken out of jail to rejoin him if he hadn't died."
"Really," Kurama said. He knew better than to ask who Kanon's partner was. The other demon never told him.
"Yeah. I was planning it when I heard he was killed by a bounty hunter," Kanon said. Even though there were tears in his eyes, Kurama decided not to ask.
"Do you . . . ever regret his death?" Kurama asked.
"I know it's not, but I can't help but think that it was my fault," Kanon said. "Did you have a partner when you were a thief?"
"Yeah. And I always feel the same way," Kurama said. "Although I'm not so sure it wasn't my fault that he died."
"I'm sorry," Kanon said.
"Not your . . . fault," Kurama said. "Go back to bed, it's nothing for you to worry about."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*
When Kuronue got up the next morning, Shuichi smiled more warmly at him then he normally would have. Kuronue smiled back, reminded of the . . . er . . . moment they had shared the night before. Then Kuronue remembered that they were going to do something today.
"Remind me," Kuronue said over breakfast. "What are we doing today?"
"Well, in about a week there's this ningen holiday called 'Mother's day' where children go out and buy things for their mothers," Jeroun said. Kuronue wondered how he knew of such things.
"And we're going out to get my mother a present, because you all owe her anyway," Shuichi said, cleaning up breakfast.
"We're ALL getting her something?" Kuronue asked. "I don't have any money!!"
"I'm paying for it," Shuichi said.
"What are we getting her?" Jeroun asked. He liked Shiori. Kuronue was stiffly polite with her. Couldn't blame him after what she did to him, even if it was an accident.
"Jewelry," Shuichi said. "Now hang on while I go get my money . . . " (A/N: You'd think he'd keep it with him.) Kuronue, meanwhile, panicked.
"Jeroun, jewelry is shiny," Kuronue told the other demon. "I like SHINY things." Jeroun knew where he was going with this.
"I'll keep an eye out for you," Jeroun told the chimera.
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"Cause if Shuichi tries to call Koenma in on me, I'm screwed."
"I get the point, Kuronue," Jeroun said. "I will personally make sure that you don't steal anything. If you do, I am probably screwed as well."
"Ready to go, guys?" Shuichi asked, returning to the kitchen. Both demons hesitated, then nodded.
"Must . . . have . . . shiny," Kuronue said, staring at a pair of diamond earrings.
"Kuronue!!" Jeroun hissed. He was holding Kuronue back by the arms and hissing threats into the chimera's ear, but it seemed to have no effect. They were earning themselves strange looks from the manager and other customers, and Jeroun couldn't help but praise the fact that Shuichi was in another part of the store.
"It's . . . shiny," Kuronue said staring at it. Jeroun slapped him across the face. Kuronue blinked and stared at him.
"Sorry," the chimera said. "I just . . . lose control."
"No kidding," Jeroun said, rubbing the spot where Kuronue had bit him in an attempt to get away. "That hurt."
"Sorry, again," Kuronue said.
"Hey! Find anything?" They both looked over to see Shuichi holding something in his hand and staring at them. Kuronue couldn't help wonder if what Shuichi was holding was shiny.
"No," Jeroun said.
"Sorry," Kuronue said for a third time. Shuichi smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "Just keep looking, okay?"
"'Kay," Kuronue said.
"Want me to help?"
"Sure," Kuronue said. (I'm less likely to steal something if someone I know is watching,) Kuronue thought.
"Come with me, there's some nice stuff over where I was before," Shuichi said, leading them across the store. Kuronue was fine for several minutes until he saw something else that was VERY shiny. He tried not to look at it, knowing what would happen if he did, but it was no use. His eyes zoomed in on it. He managed to keep his hands away from it, but something happened. Jeroun looked over to see a silver chain holding up a ruby pendant. He blinked. (Oh, shit,) he thought. He glanced over at Shuichi, and decided he would take the chance.
::Kuronue! Kuronue!:: Jeroun called, praying that Shuichi had not overheard.
::Shiny . . . :: Kuronue responded. ::Huh??::
::Your pendant!! The pendant!!:: Jeroun said.
::My pendant? Oh, shit,:: came Kuronue's reply.
::My thoughts exactly,:: Jeroun told him. Kuronue tried to hide the pendant, but it was already too late. He felt his wings slowly coming out from his back and that meant that his demon form was coming out. Ducking his head, he ran off, bumping into Shuichi on the way.
"Huh? Kanon?" Shuichi asked. "What's wrong?"
"Bathroom," Kuronue muttered, praying once again that Shuichi had not seen his demon form. "Be right back."
"Okay then," Shuichi said.
In the privacy of one of the bathroom stalls, Kuronue carefully-and slowly-pulled back his wings and managed to hide his pendant. After he had accomplished this much, he felt rather worn-out from the excitement of the sudden change. He put his forehead against one of the walls and leaned against it, breathing deeply as to calm himself. He didn't know why, there was just something about Shuichi that too familiar to trust entirely. He heard footsteps coming into the bathroom and decided that he had better go and find Shuichi to tell him that he was ready to go. He opened the stall door and stepped out, colliding with someone.
"Sorry," he grunted, keeping his manners about him. There was silence, and Kuronue briefly feared that he was still partially demon when a voice spoke.
"You're not supposed to be in here!" A shrill voice told him. He looked up to meet brown hair and brown eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
About an hour later Kuronue sat with Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, Hiei, Jeroun, Shizuru and Shuichi in Shuichi's living room. Shuichi had brewed Jeroun a large cup of tea and everyone else had a soda. Truthfully, Kuronue was greatful for the tea, it helped, but he wanted something stronger. At first there was only silence, broken gently by the sounds of people drinking.
"Honestly, Kanon, the women's bathroom, what is wrong with you?" Shuichi asked. Kuronue looked up to meet his eyes. He had never really noticed the fine shade of green they were, right now holding a mixture of amusement and disgust. And there was something else as well. Kuronue's eyes widened as he recognized that look.
"You," he managed to croak out. Shuichi, not to mention every person in the room, looked at him. "You're a . . . " Kuronue could not manage to speak his next word.
"Yes?" Shuichi prompted somewhat nervously.
"You're a Youko," Kuronue told him.
Dun dun dun!! Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko, Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko, Kuronue knows Shuichi's a Youko . . . about freaking time!!
Sorry, 'bout that, it's just that I've been waiting and waiting to get to this part. It's been in my mind ever since I started this story.
Kuro: I figured it out! GO ME!!
Nagem: o.O Righty then. Oh, and by the way, I know that my spelling really sucks, but I think I've got most of the words to where you people can tell what they are. If not, just e-mail me and tell me. I think that maybe I should have put this in the first chapter.
Kuro: Yay! So . . . when do I find out who Shuichi really is?
Nagem: You'll see. Hang on, there was no hitting Kuronue on the head this time.
Kuro: ^____^ Yay!
Nagem: Well, just for the fans. *Whips out Shuichi's biology book and hits Kuronue on the head with it.* There we go.
Kuro: @____@
Next time! Kuronue has figured out that Shuichi's a Youko, but can he tell exactly which one? And when Jeroun finds out a long-kept secret, will he keep it to himself? All this and more next time!!
Nagem: *as an afterthought* I should really be in advertisement or something.
Kuro: You just figured this out. *gets hit with Shuichi's biology book* @____@