Note from author: Just in case you are wondering, I am not going to make poor Kurama gay. And there will be not lemon or any stuff like that in this story. Karasu is a gay freak that insists Kurama is not open-minded. I suppose he kidnapped him to open his mind or something... Please R & R, because I am so scared of myself at this moment, I'm almost afraid to write this story because I can't believe it's coming out of my mind, but if enough people like it, I'll continue. So far, everybody has liked it. This chapter is a bit odd.
CHAPTER THREE
Not Open-Minded?
"Otousan! How much farther?" Mai whined. Hiei clenched his teeth. She was bad as Kuwabara. Possibly worse. Kuwabara didn't call him otousan...
Hiei'd found them an easier route to the forest on top of the cliff. Granted, it wasn't 100% better, there were still parts they had to climb, but at least it wasn't half a mile of vertical cliff face. Also, he knew it would take longer to go around this way, but it was better than having everybody behind him whining and complaining about rocks hurting their hands every two seconds.
Mai had complained the first time they had a 20-foot climb. Hiei hadn't even climbed it. He'd jumped up. So had Yusuke. Shadow and Eclipse had had no problem climbing it, but Mai had taken so long that Hiei had eventually got so sick of waiting he picked her up and jumped up again.
"Would you stop calling me otousan!? I am not your father, nor do I intend to become your father, or anyone's father, for that matter. I am sick of you complaining, I am sick of you slowing us down, and I'm sick of putting up with you! Just because you knew me several years ago does not give you special permission to be a pain in the ass!" Hiei yelled, his temper finally exploding. "Now I expect you to shut up, only speak when you're spoken to, and only complain if something REALLY bad has happened to you! Not blisters and sore feet!" He sped up, leaving Mai standing where she was, on the verge of tears.
Shadow, being a heartless fool, passed her by just as easily as if she had been a dead tree stump, because frankly, she had been getting sick of her too, and the only thing that had kept her from exploding on Mai was the fact that she thought Hiei would be mad. Obviously, Hiei didn't think of her as fondly as she thought of him.
Eclipse passed Mai cautiously, not knowing what to say, but not being a heartless witch like Shadow. She smiled slightly and kept walking. Only Yusuke had a heart. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her along beside him.
Shadow caught up to Hiei. He was walking along muttering under his breath. She caught the word 'girl,' and several swear words, along with a couple words associated with murder and death.
"Hiei?"
"What? I don't want to hear some lecture about being rude to girls, because I don't give a---"
"I was NOT going to lecture you, I was going to thank you, baka!"
"Thank me? What for?"
"For getting her to shut up. I mean, it might have been a bit rude, but she shut up, and that's all that matters to me, because I'm a heartless witch," Shadow said.
"You seem quite proud of that."
"I am!"
"Good for you. I'm a heartless bastard, so I guess we just make the perfect pair, right?" Hiei said dryly. Shadow stopped and watched him continue walking like he hadn't even noticed her stop.
"Shadow? What's wrong? Don't tell me you're going to cry to!" Eclipse said, running up to her friend.
"I DON'T CRY, BAKA! No, Hiei just called himself a heartless bastard and said we make the perfect pair. The perfect pair thing was sarcastic. I think he's having a mental overload from this whole thing... Nobody annoy him. He'll kill you," Shadow warned.
"Yes, obviously," Yusuke said, passing them up with Mai still crying into his side. "Heartless bastard..."
"Yusuke! Listen to yourself! Hiei has a heart! It's because he has a heart that he's being such a bastard!" Shadow said.
"So?! It doesn't change the fact that he yelled at Mai, and now look at her!"
"Yusuke, she needed it! If Hiei hadn't said something soon, I would have been doing a bit more than yelling at her!" Shadow snapped. Mai wailed even louder. Shadow let out a disgusted sigh and spun around, walking up the trail after Hiei. Eclipse followed with a 'Sorry, I can't help you,' shrug directed at Yusuke.
When Shadow got around the bend, she found Hiei had already climbed the next wall and was waiting for her at the top. She climbed up quickly, but when Hiei turned to continue, she stopped him.
"Now don't get mad at me for this, but you really do need to relax a bit," she said. Hiei glared at her.
"Don't start telling me what to do, Shadow. I thought out of all my friends, I could trust you to keep your mouth shut about how I was acting. I have a feeling that before any of us find any trace of Kurama, we're going to kill each other first. And it's probably going to be my fault. Let's just concentrate on getting to the top of this damned cliff, and after that, we're going to find Kurama. Okay? Now let's go," Hiei said. He turned and walked up the narrow trail.
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Kurama paced the room nervously. After Karasu had run crying from the room yesterday, he hadn't seen him. In a way, that was a good thing, because Karasu made him as nervous as was humanly possible. Or demonly possible, for that matter.
But in a way, it was a bad thing too, because he was locked in this room with no way out, no food, no water, and if the guy he assumed was taking care of him suddenly started hating him, he couldn't do anything to help himself. Except something he knew Karasu would suggest, but that he would rather die than submit himself to. The door slid open. Kurama spun around.
"Hello, Kurama," Karasu said coldly.
Okay, back to being a cold-hearted murderer now? Kurama thought. Thank God. Hopefully he isn't the type of cold-hearted murderer who rapes his victims before killing them.
"Hello," Kurama said nervously. Karasu came toward him.
"Are you hungry?"
Not sure whether Karasu meant this in a perverted way or not, Kurama shook his head no.
"Good, because all there is to eat is squid."
"Damn, man! You really used squid to bribe Koenma!?" Kurama said. He still couldn't believe it.
"It worked," Karasu said, shrugging. Kurama shuddered.
"Damn that little pipsqueak. He's so dead if I ever see him again..."
"If you ever see him again? Already giving up hope, Kurama?"
"Ptht."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Karasu asked, narrowing one eye.
"Exactly how it sounds. It's supposed to mean ptht, and that's what it means. Would you mind leaving now?" Kurama asked hopefully. Karasu laughed.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, my friend."
"Would you stop calling me your friend?! I'm not your friend! I'm your enemy! I killed you, remember?"
"But I came back to life, so it all turned out okay in the end. I forgive you."
Kurama rolled his eyes. This guy was way too easy-going. When somebody kills you, you're supposed to hate them. This guy was going against his own words.
"Whatever happened to, 'When I like something, I like to take it away?'" Kurama asked, crossing his arms.
"That? That's just something Bui told me to say. He said it'd scare you," Karasu replied. "And judging by the expression on your face when I said it, it worked."
Kurama was shaking. He couldn't tell whether he was mad or scared. It was a mixture of both. He felt slightly light-headed, but he wasn't about to pass out again; not after what that hormone-driven gaybo had done last time. Touching him like that... Perv.
"So, what do you say, Kurama? Do you think your friends will come to rescue you? Or will they decide that since there was no sign of a struggle or any path, that you must have died and vaporized on the spot, and you'll be stuck here with me for the rest of your life, which, as a spirit fox, is a very long time, I'm assuming," Karasu said, moving closer to Kurama. He backed into a corner.
"They'll come. If Hiei has anything to say about it, they'll come," Kurama assured him.
"Oh... Then I only have a short time to be with you," Karasu said seductively. Kurama shuddered.
"Back off, fag," he muttered, attempting to walk across the room. Karasu grabbed his arm.
"If I were you, I wouldn't make another movement," he warned. Kurama suddenly remembered Karasu's ability to blow stuff up with one touch. He relaxed his entire body, hoping to hide any signs of fear.
"Good. Good, good, good," Karasu purred. He let go of Kurama's arm. The boy turned to face Karasu, taking a few steps away in the process.
"How long are you planning on keeping me here?" he asked.
"As long as I feel. I never had somebody like you in my possession before, I plan on using this to my fullest advantage," Karasu replied. Kurama shuddered so badly he almost went into violent convulsions. He spun around, walked to the corner farthest away from where Karasu stood, and sat down, pulling his knees up to his chest.
"What's wrong? Don't you find me attractive?" Karasu asked.
"You're a man, right?"
"Yes, of course!"
"I am not attracted to other men. I'm straight. I am not gay, no matter how many screwed up people may think it."
Karasu smiled. "I take it that you are not attracted to me, Kurama."
"Not in the least."
"I understand."
"You do?"
"Yes, but that doesn't keep me from finding you attractive."
DAMN! This man just never gives up, does he?! Kurama thought. Maybe I really should kill him again. If it'd keep him from harassing me like this, I would, gladly.
"Well... uh... Can you leave? I want to be alone."
"Why be alone when we can be together?" Karasu asked, sitting down beside Kurama.
~Does a cut screen. The Kurama/Karasu situation is paused and shown small in the corner. The main screen shows Hiei, Shadow, and the others standing on a rocky cliff. This, too, zooms out and goes to the corner above Kurama and Karasu. The main screen now shows a girl (who has an amazing resemblance to Shadow...) scribbling furiously on a notebook, muttering and scribbling, muttering and scribbling. Hiei is standing over her shoulder~
HIEI: Kurama sent me to file a complaint. He's strongly displeased with your story. He's just not telling you himself because he's afraid of you.
GIRL: Shut up, Hiei. Tell Kurama to go jump into a swimming pool full of razor blades. I am the author; perverted, twisted, and disgusting as I may be, I am, and it's not my fault. It comes from hanging out with the people that I do.
HIEI: That won't go over well with him.
KARASU: *walks through the door carrying a tray of hot chocolate. He leans over and reads a few lines of the story* Yes, very good. I like it.
GIRL: *whispers* See the people I hang out with, Hiei?
HIEI: *looks at Karasu nervously* Wow, thank God Kurama sent me... I understand your pervertedness now, and I forgive you and I shall explain it all to Kurama. Good-bye! *vanishes*
KARASU: Kurama?! Where? Where is he? *looks around, desperately searching for Kurama*
GIRL: He's not here. He's... somewhere else. Don't worry, just keep telling me what to write in this story and I'll be okay.
KARASU: Let's see... Well...
~Karasu and the author girl (who strongly resembles Shadow) start talking and drinking hot chocolate. The screen with Hiei and the others zooms up, gets scribbled all over and falls apart, and the screen with Kurama and Karasu is behind it.~
Karasu put his arm around Kurama's shoulders.
"Stop it!" Kurama snapped. "All you're doing is scaring the living Hell out of me; I suggest you stop it!"
"But Kurama-chan... Why can't you just cooperate?"
"Because I'm. Not. GAY!!!" Kurama answered, standing up. Karasu followed him.
"But can't you just relax?"
"NO!"
"You're not very open-minded," Karasu pouted, crossing his arms.
"I'm perfectly open-minded, just not in this type of situation!"
"Then you're not open-minded enough," Karasu whispered, coming closer.
"Get. The Hell. Away. From me!" Kurama snapped. He was trapped in a little room with a gay man insisting he was not open-minded enough about being gay. He was having horrible images come into his head, not sure whether it was his own mind or Karasu putting them there, but whichever it was, he wanted them gone. This was torture in the highest manner.
"Please?"
"NO!"
"Kurama!"
"NO!"
"Why not?"
"I'M NOT GAY!"
"Be open-minded!"
"NO!"
"KURAMA!!!!"
"NO!"
This went on for quite a while. Let's see how Hiei and the others are doing.
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"Hiei? Shouldn't we set up camp?" Shadow suggested. "It's dark already."
"We're fine."
"I'm not," Yusuke complained. "Why do you have to be in charge?"
"Because I am. If you've got a problem, either fight me or turn back."
"Fight you?! What are you, insane?! On this tiny little path?"
"There'll be NO fighting!" Shadow snapped. "If you two are going to be arguing like this for the rest of the trip, I'm going to have to do something about it."
"Like what?! You can't do anything to us," Yusuke said.
"You're forgetting I'm a half breed fire demon. Fire demon. Like Hiei."
"Half breed."
"You're only half, too, and look at you, dumbass!"
"Oh... Oh yeah. I forgot about that. But you're a girl, and you've never fought anyone in your life."
"YOU WANNA BET? You know nothing about me, baka," Shadow snapped. "You're forgetting I lived in Makai for what... 13 years? Actually 14. You think somebody can live alone in Makai, a girl can live alone in Makai, without fighting somebody at some point?!"
"Well you're not as strong as me, or Hiei, and you couldn't hurt either of us," Yusuke said, sounding quite sure of himself. Shadow was on top of him in a second, and punched him straight in the eye.
"MY GOD, BITCH!"
She punched him across the face, giving him a bloody nose.
"Shadow!" Eclipse yelped, grabbing her friend and dragging her away from Yusuke. "Yusuke, you really haven't got many brain cells."
"Good going, Shadow," Hiei whispered, smiling.
"SUCKER!" Shadow screamed at Yusuke. The boy glared at her, his eye already swelling up and his nose bleeding like mad.
"If you EVER---" he started, coming towards her. Hiei calmly stepped between them.
"We'll camp here. If you don't mind, I think you've learned that Shadow can do a bit of damage. I'd stay away from her if I were you, because if I'm right, she's not carrying around a katana for no reason."
For the first time, everybody noticed Shadow had a sheathed sword strapped to her back.
"Suckers," she said, sticking out her tongue. She pulled her arm out of Eclipse's hold and walked along to the next cliff. It wasn't very high, and at the top was a large flat area, large enough for them to camp on.
"Up we go!" She started climbing. Eclipse and Hiei followed. Mai was still miserable and wanted to stay away from Hiei. Yusuke let her hang onto his back while he climbed so she didn't have to work.
He was way too kind to her now, in Hiei's opinion. Just because she got yelled at, she is now taking advantage of somebody who has a heart. Typical. Hiei couldn't believe he'd actually cared about her at one point. She was just a leech. He'd been kind to her, taken care of her, and because of that she had seemed to return his care, but now he saw she was just a little leech, hanging off of whoever would let her, just so she wouldn't have to work or do anything for herself.
Shadow pulled off her backpack, threw it on the ground as a pillow, and curled up to sleep. Hiei and Eclipse were nearby, lying the same as her, with their packs as pillows. Yusuke and Mai were a short distance away from the others, sleeping even closer together than Hiei was to Shadow and Eclipse. And he wasn't very far from them. Mai and Yusuke were practically touching.
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As Kuwabara drifted off to sleep, a random thought drifted into his head.
I wonder why it's taken Urameshi two days to buy donuts...?
~ ~ ~
If there's a lot of spelling errors, or grammar errors, or any other kind of error, it's because I didn't reread the entire thing to fix it. I sent it through Microsoft Word's Spell check. Since Computers are supposed to be so smart, then it should be fine, right?