Yes, minna-san, all your reviews on the last chapter were very nice and I
appreciated them.
On with the fic, because I'm not feeling insane or random today . . . . . . . ^-^;;;;
The Roots of a Rose by Kita –– Part Nine: Confusion Blooms
Kurama shivered in his sleep for a moment, but almost instantly the cold was chased away . . . . his consciousness began to return . . . . slowly . . . . the fox began to wake up . . . becoming a bit more aware of his surroundings.
/ . . . . . hmm . . . . . is it morning already? . . . . . . I feel sore . . . . a dull ache in my stomach . . . . . . . . . oh, right . . . . I was in pain yesterday . . . . . from that youkai? . . . . /
Something shifted in his bed, and Kurama was vaguely aware that it wasn't him. His half-awake mind began to wake up more as he realized there was something soft in his face.
/ . . . . mmm . . . . warmth . . . . . /
He cuddled closer to the object, which, in his mind, was a pillow. Strangely enough, this caused something to tighten around his back . . . almost like . . . it was embracing him . . .
Still not fully awake, Kurama took a deep breath of the softness.
/ . . . . mmm . . . smells like pine . . . . /
His eyes snapped open, finding nothing but black. After quickly drawing his head away he looked down.
/ . . . Hiei . . . /
The Jaganshi's face was right against his chest, snuggled up against his shirt. The compact yet muscular arms were wrapped around the kitsune . . . Kurama then realized that his own were holding the fire demon . . . very closely to himself, he might add . . . and next the fox did the most unimaginable thing in the world for the great youko, the legendary bandit, that was both cunning and cruel . . . to do—
He blushed. (a.n./ ^-^;;;; heehee! ^-^)
Kurama felt the heat rise to his face, and knew that it was slowly turning a dark shade of pink. He needed to get away . . . before Hiei woke up . . . he started to blush more furiously when thoughts of what sight the fire demon would wake to flittered into his mind . . .
Moving back to see how possessively the Jaganshi had embraced him, the fox surprisingly found the strong arms loosening as he pulled away . . . curious as to the reason, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth (a.n./ ooh, look!! a cliché!! ^-^;;;;), Kurama quickly but quietly got out of bed, and headed toward the bathroom connected to his bedroom . . . his mind so flustered that he forgot to bring a change of clothes for the day with him.
Hiei sighed when he heard the water running. / . . . I'm such a baka . . . / he thought as he rolled over on his back, left arm rising to rest on his forehead . . . as the crimson eyes stared profoundly into the ceiling . . . he'd known right when Kurama had been awake, of course . . . well, mostly—he HAD been awake ever since the kitsune had nuzzled into his hair, that much he was sure of. Then he'd felt Kurama's body heat rise slightly, and it hadn't been from his own ki that was keeping the fox warm . . . next the kitsune had pulled away, and he had let him, not wanting to keep his love from whatever task he had to—
His mental thoughts stopped abruptly.
/ . . . wait a minute . . . whoever said Kurama was my LOVE . . . / then he found that annoying little voice in his head answer him.
\ Why you did, of course! Who else? \ He growled.
/ Not YOU again. Can't you just shut up and leave me alone?!? /
\ Nope. \ It replied cheerfully. \ Look, just because you've fallen in love with him and aren't willing to admit it—\
/ I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM! / He heard the voice chuckle.
\ Of course you are! Hey, it's MY problem, too . . . if you can't admit you've got feelings for the guy, even just to yourself. \
/ . . . hn . . . /
\ HaHA! Now I KNOW I'm right! You only say THAT when you haven't got a comeback. \
/ Hn. Baka, if I DO anything, it'll upset this partnership we've got going. /
\ . . . . but . . . aren't you wondering . . . why he cried out for you in his sleep? \
/ . . . Hn. No. /
\ But . . . he called your name . . . then embraced you . . . don't you think that means ANYTHING? \
/ . . . Hn. No. / He heard the other mental half sigh in exasperation.
\ You're IMPOSSIBLE. Look, I'VE got no problem with us falling in love with the fox . . . but you should at least TELL him. Then we won't have to worry about it anymore. \
/ Hn. Shut up about the stupid thing; and go away. /
\ Fine . . . \ The slightly annoyed voice faded into nothingness, leaving him to his former thoughts . . .
(a.n./ NO, Hi-kun is NOT crazy. Haven't you ever had an argument with yourself; just in your own little mind? Where you argue BOTH points of view that are possible?.......I have. So I decided to put this scene in......I have a feeling that EVERYONE has this kind of argument at some point........hopefully......^-^;;;;;)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama dried his damp hair, furiously moving the fluffly cloth back and forth. Finished at last, he took the towel away, and almost burst out laughing at the sight of his normally elegant red hair looking frizzy and sticking out in odd places. He managed to contain himself, then tied the white towel firmly around his waist and started searching around for his brush . . .
Many minutes later . . . (a.n./ ^-^;;;)
Ok, the tangles were out. His red locks were behaving themselves now, looking soft and natural as they usually did (a.n./ no, he does not use hair gel -.-;;;).
He searched around the bathroom for his clothes . . . only to find that there WERE none. He blushed a little when he realized he would have to go back into the room . . . where Hiei was. Kurama found it highly unlikely that the Jaganshi was still asleep . . . and he had nothing but a towel on, leaving his chest exposed. / Strange . . . / he thought, while going over to crack open the door, to see if the fire youkai was awake . . . / . . . I've never been so nervous about this kind of thing with Hiei before . . . normally it wouldn't be such a big deal . . . / . . . he peered out into the room through the cracked-open door, finding, with great surprise, that the Jaganshi was on the bed . . . and STILL ASLEEP!! Hiei was lying in the same position he had been when Kurama had left (a.n./ YES, the SAME position......sneaky lil Hiei! ~-^). A sweatdrop appeared on the fox's head when the fire demon's relaxed and open breathing reached his ears. Not able to keep the amused smile off his face, Kurama watched him sleep for a moment, then shook his head and walked over to his closet, picking out his mandatory magenta-colored school uniform. He was strolling casually back to the bathroom, and had just laid a hand on the doorknob, when a voice from the bed spoke out suddenly.
"Hurry up, fox—I don't want to pretend that I'm asleep ALL MORNING." Blushing furiously, and glad that Hiei couldn't see his face, Kurama sped into the bathroom, closing the door securely behind him. / So Hiei had been awake, had he . . . . / he thought as he changed . . . / I'm . . . surprised . . . I don't feel . . . violated . . . /
When he entered the room again, Hiei was sitting on the window sill, looking out into the rain. He sighed at the inclement weather conditions. The walk to school was going to be a LONG one . . . (a.n./ btw, the phrase 'inclement weather conditions' is what my school always says whenever we have lots of snow, or rain, or a tornado is coming up the coast......^-^;;;;; it just sounded so funny I had to put it in!! ^-^).
"Hn. It's about time. What do you DO in there, fox." Kurama chuckled and walked over to stand at Hiei's side, looking out into the rain as well.
"Many things, Hiei. Some of which will never be known." (a.n./ and I'M going to tell you!! ^-^......later!!!! Muahahaha!!!.........::gets hit on the head by numerous objects from annoyed readers....and is now swirly- eyed::........@.@.........oro.......)
"Hn." They stared out the window for a few minutes, each silently aware of the other's presence. Hiei, as uncharacteristic as it may sound, broke the silence first.
"Kurama." The redhead shifted his gaze away from the rain to look at the short demon sitting on the window sill.
"Yes, Hiei?" Still not turning his head around to face the fox, Hiei continued.
"I've got something to tell you."
"Hm? What is it, Hiei?" He noticed little beads of sweat had started to accumulate on the fire demon's skin . . . / . . . that's curious . . . Hiei HATES moisture . . . of ANY kind . . . /
"I . . ."Kurama bent down to the eye level of the short, seated youkai.
"Yes, Hiei?" Said demon was now sweating more profusely, and had started to stutter a bit.
"I . . . think—"Kurama leaned down closer to the Jaganshi, trying to see his face . . .
:: . . . a dramatic pause . . . ::
"Shuichi, dear! Breakfast is ready!" Kurama anime fell, but called down to his mother when he had recovered a moment later.
"Hai, kaasan! I'll be down in a moment!" He heard something that sounded close to a laugh behind him.
"Hn. Baka kitsune." Said 'idiot' looked down at his friend and raised an eyebrow in feigned annoyance/amusement. Hiei opened the window to make a quick getaway, but Kurama managed to catch the lightning-fast apparition's sleeve, forcing him to stay. When Hiei turned his head to face the fox, the crimson eyes were met with a warm smile.
"You're welcome to come back . . . it's interesting when you're here." The red eyes widened a little in surprise, then were veiled again.
"Hn. Like I would ever come back to some ningen house." Kurama smiled politely, knowing to take that as a 'yes'. He let go of the black fabric and Hiei disappeared without another word. Sighing a little, Kurama closed the window, making sure that the latch wasn't locked. He wandered downstairs . . . wondering all the way . . .
/ He can be so cold at times . . . but at others . . . so kawaii . . . maybe I DO feel that way about him . . . / Kurama chuckled to himself at the thought of Hiei 'sleeping' on his bed as he sat down across from Shiori (a.n./ that's his mother's name, if ya don't already know ^-^;;;). He gave her a cheerfully reserved smile.
"Ohayo, kaasan. This looks wonderful . . . arigato." Shiori beamed back at him, though slightly wondering why he seemed so distant this morning . . .
"Do itashimashite, Shuichi-chan. Now eat. You've got to head out for school soon." He smiled at her again, though this time it was slightly softer.
"Hai, kaasan. I know."
The end of another chappie! ^-^
Sorry, I don't exactly have a lil 'ending thing' so you know what the chapter's over and my comments begin.......gomen!! ^-^;;;
Anyways.....I know this was kinda short, but I have to write for my other fic as well....and the thought that I shouldn't leave you hanging again took over, so I gave you this nice lil update. I think the next chapter may start off with Kura-kun coming home from school on this same day, but who knows!! ^-^;;;;;;; My ideas come, go and change as fast as liquid fire (if there actually IS such a thing as liquid fire....not counting lava, though........^-^;;;;;;).
- Kita out ^-^
On with the fic, because I'm not feeling insane or random today . . . . . . . ^-^;;;;
The Roots of a Rose by Kita –– Part Nine: Confusion Blooms
Kurama shivered in his sleep for a moment, but almost instantly the cold was chased away . . . . his consciousness began to return . . . . slowly . . . . the fox began to wake up . . . becoming a bit more aware of his surroundings.
/ . . . . . hmm . . . . . is it morning already? . . . . . . I feel sore . . . . a dull ache in my stomach . . . . . . . . . oh, right . . . . I was in pain yesterday . . . . . from that youkai? . . . . /
Something shifted in his bed, and Kurama was vaguely aware that it wasn't him. His half-awake mind began to wake up more as he realized there was something soft in his face.
/ . . . . mmm . . . . warmth . . . . . /
He cuddled closer to the object, which, in his mind, was a pillow. Strangely enough, this caused something to tighten around his back . . . almost like . . . it was embracing him . . .
Still not fully awake, Kurama took a deep breath of the softness.
/ . . . . mmm . . . smells like pine . . . . /
His eyes snapped open, finding nothing but black. After quickly drawing his head away he looked down.
/ . . . Hiei . . . /
The Jaganshi's face was right against his chest, snuggled up against his shirt. The compact yet muscular arms were wrapped around the kitsune . . . Kurama then realized that his own were holding the fire demon . . . very closely to himself, he might add . . . and next the fox did the most unimaginable thing in the world for the great youko, the legendary bandit, that was both cunning and cruel . . . to do—
He blushed. (a.n./ ^-^;;;; heehee! ^-^)
Kurama felt the heat rise to his face, and knew that it was slowly turning a dark shade of pink. He needed to get away . . . before Hiei woke up . . . he started to blush more furiously when thoughts of what sight the fire demon would wake to flittered into his mind . . .
Moving back to see how possessively the Jaganshi had embraced him, the fox surprisingly found the strong arms loosening as he pulled away . . . curious as to the reason, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth (a.n./ ooh, look!! a cliché!! ^-^;;;;), Kurama quickly but quietly got out of bed, and headed toward the bathroom connected to his bedroom . . . his mind so flustered that he forgot to bring a change of clothes for the day with him.
Hiei sighed when he heard the water running. / . . . I'm such a baka . . . / he thought as he rolled over on his back, left arm rising to rest on his forehead . . . as the crimson eyes stared profoundly into the ceiling . . . he'd known right when Kurama had been awake, of course . . . well, mostly—he HAD been awake ever since the kitsune had nuzzled into his hair, that much he was sure of. Then he'd felt Kurama's body heat rise slightly, and it hadn't been from his own ki that was keeping the fox warm . . . next the kitsune had pulled away, and he had let him, not wanting to keep his love from whatever task he had to—
His mental thoughts stopped abruptly.
/ . . . wait a minute . . . whoever said Kurama was my LOVE . . . / then he found that annoying little voice in his head answer him.
\ Why you did, of course! Who else? \ He growled.
/ Not YOU again. Can't you just shut up and leave me alone?!? /
\ Nope. \ It replied cheerfully. \ Look, just because you've fallen in love with him and aren't willing to admit it—\
/ I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM! / He heard the voice chuckle.
\ Of course you are! Hey, it's MY problem, too . . . if you can't admit you've got feelings for the guy, even just to yourself. \
/ . . . hn . . . /
\ HaHA! Now I KNOW I'm right! You only say THAT when you haven't got a comeback. \
/ Hn. Baka, if I DO anything, it'll upset this partnership we've got going. /
\ . . . . but . . . aren't you wondering . . . why he cried out for you in his sleep? \
/ . . . Hn. No. /
\ But . . . he called your name . . . then embraced you . . . don't you think that means ANYTHING? \
/ . . . Hn. No. / He heard the other mental half sigh in exasperation.
\ You're IMPOSSIBLE. Look, I'VE got no problem with us falling in love with the fox . . . but you should at least TELL him. Then we won't have to worry about it anymore. \
/ Hn. Shut up about the stupid thing; and go away. /
\ Fine . . . \ The slightly annoyed voice faded into nothingness, leaving him to his former thoughts . . .
(a.n./ NO, Hi-kun is NOT crazy. Haven't you ever had an argument with yourself; just in your own little mind? Where you argue BOTH points of view that are possible?.......I have. So I decided to put this scene in......I have a feeling that EVERYONE has this kind of argument at some point........hopefully......^-^;;;;;)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama dried his damp hair, furiously moving the fluffly cloth back and forth. Finished at last, he took the towel away, and almost burst out laughing at the sight of his normally elegant red hair looking frizzy and sticking out in odd places. He managed to contain himself, then tied the white towel firmly around his waist and started searching around for his brush . . .
Many minutes later . . . (a.n./ ^-^;;;)
Ok, the tangles were out. His red locks were behaving themselves now, looking soft and natural as they usually did (a.n./ no, he does not use hair gel -.-;;;).
He searched around the bathroom for his clothes . . . only to find that there WERE none. He blushed a little when he realized he would have to go back into the room . . . where Hiei was. Kurama found it highly unlikely that the Jaganshi was still asleep . . . and he had nothing but a towel on, leaving his chest exposed. / Strange . . . / he thought, while going over to crack open the door, to see if the fire youkai was awake . . . / . . . I've never been so nervous about this kind of thing with Hiei before . . . normally it wouldn't be such a big deal . . . / . . . he peered out into the room through the cracked-open door, finding, with great surprise, that the Jaganshi was on the bed . . . and STILL ASLEEP!! Hiei was lying in the same position he had been when Kurama had left (a.n./ YES, the SAME position......sneaky lil Hiei! ~-^). A sweatdrop appeared on the fox's head when the fire demon's relaxed and open breathing reached his ears. Not able to keep the amused smile off his face, Kurama watched him sleep for a moment, then shook his head and walked over to his closet, picking out his mandatory magenta-colored school uniform. He was strolling casually back to the bathroom, and had just laid a hand on the doorknob, when a voice from the bed spoke out suddenly.
"Hurry up, fox—I don't want to pretend that I'm asleep ALL MORNING." Blushing furiously, and glad that Hiei couldn't see his face, Kurama sped into the bathroom, closing the door securely behind him. / So Hiei had been awake, had he . . . . / he thought as he changed . . . / I'm . . . surprised . . . I don't feel . . . violated . . . /
When he entered the room again, Hiei was sitting on the window sill, looking out into the rain. He sighed at the inclement weather conditions. The walk to school was going to be a LONG one . . . (a.n./ btw, the phrase 'inclement weather conditions' is what my school always says whenever we have lots of snow, or rain, or a tornado is coming up the coast......^-^;;;;; it just sounded so funny I had to put it in!! ^-^).
"Hn. It's about time. What do you DO in there, fox." Kurama chuckled and walked over to stand at Hiei's side, looking out into the rain as well.
"Many things, Hiei. Some of which will never be known." (a.n./ and I'M going to tell you!! ^-^......later!!!! Muahahaha!!!.........::gets hit on the head by numerous objects from annoyed readers....and is now swirly- eyed::........@.@.........oro.......)
"Hn." They stared out the window for a few minutes, each silently aware of the other's presence. Hiei, as uncharacteristic as it may sound, broke the silence first.
"Kurama." The redhead shifted his gaze away from the rain to look at the short demon sitting on the window sill.
"Yes, Hiei?" Still not turning his head around to face the fox, Hiei continued.
"I've got something to tell you."
"Hm? What is it, Hiei?" He noticed little beads of sweat had started to accumulate on the fire demon's skin . . . / . . . that's curious . . . Hiei HATES moisture . . . of ANY kind . . . /
"I . . ."Kurama bent down to the eye level of the short, seated youkai.
"Yes, Hiei?" Said demon was now sweating more profusely, and had started to stutter a bit.
"I . . . think—"Kurama leaned down closer to the Jaganshi, trying to see his face . . .
:: . . . a dramatic pause . . . ::
"Shuichi, dear! Breakfast is ready!" Kurama anime fell, but called down to his mother when he had recovered a moment later.
"Hai, kaasan! I'll be down in a moment!" He heard something that sounded close to a laugh behind him.
"Hn. Baka kitsune." Said 'idiot' looked down at his friend and raised an eyebrow in feigned annoyance/amusement. Hiei opened the window to make a quick getaway, but Kurama managed to catch the lightning-fast apparition's sleeve, forcing him to stay. When Hiei turned his head to face the fox, the crimson eyes were met with a warm smile.
"You're welcome to come back . . . it's interesting when you're here." The red eyes widened a little in surprise, then were veiled again.
"Hn. Like I would ever come back to some ningen house." Kurama smiled politely, knowing to take that as a 'yes'. He let go of the black fabric and Hiei disappeared without another word. Sighing a little, Kurama closed the window, making sure that the latch wasn't locked. He wandered downstairs . . . wondering all the way . . .
/ He can be so cold at times . . . but at others . . . so kawaii . . . maybe I DO feel that way about him . . . / Kurama chuckled to himself at the thought of Hiei 'sleeping' on his bed as he sat down across from Shiori (a.n./ that's his mother's name, if ya don't already know ^-^;;;). He gave her a cheerfully reserved smile.
"Ohayo, kaasan. This looks wonderful . . . arigato." Shiori beamed back at him, though slightly wondering why he seemed so distant this morning . . .
"Do itashimashite, Shuichi-chan. Now eat. You've got to head out for school soon." He smiled at her again, though this time it was slightly softer.
"Hai, kaasan. I know."
The end of another chappie! ^-^
Sorry, I don't exactly have a lil 'ending thing' so you know what the chapter's over and my comments begin.......gomen!! ^-^;;;
Anyways.....I know this was kinda short, but I have to write for my other fic as well....and the thought that I shouldn't leave you hanging again took over, so I gave you this nice lil update. I think the next chapter may start off with Kura-kun coming home from school on this same day, but who knows!! ^-^;;;;;;; My ideas come, go and change as fast as liquid fire (if there actually IS such a thing as liquid fire....not counting lava, though........^-^;;;;;;).
- Kita out ^-^