Dedication: To my very patient reader and reviewer who reviewed everyday, Crystal, and to my other reviewers, Ara and neonate, thank you making my day brighter. And to my imouto, Reeza, and to my cousin and mirror, Heiko, thank you for bearing with me.
Standard disclaimers apply.
How to Get Your Guy Back in Ten DaysChapter Two: Finding and Losing
The mansion was big and despite the fact that only a few people actually lived in it, the place was warm. It was as if love flowed from every corner. Kurama smiled, guessing where it came from.
After Otowa Madoka's concert, the violinist had invited all of them in her mansion for dinner and some celebration after hearing that it was his birthday. The redhead was reluctant at first, quite uncomfortable with the fact that they had all just met and they were doing such things for him already. But Kazuki and Amano Ginji were two guys one could never say 'no' to.
And so, here he was, standing near the window of the living room, with almost all of the gang. Hevn and her boyfriend had excused themselves after the concert, saying that they had 'other' things planned. Akabane Kuroudo and Kudo Himiko had a job to finish so they weren't there too.
"I want to thank you, you know."
Kurama glanced at the blonde guy beside him, surprise written in his face. The seriousness in the guy's voice and face surprising him more than what Ginji had just said.
"Thank me? But what for?"
"For being by Kazu-chan's side tonight," he replied, smiling at the string-wielder's direction. "If it weren't for you, I think he wouldn't be wearing that smile now. And it pains me to see him not smiling considering the fact that he always does little things for me to make me smile."
Kurama smiled and turned his eyes in the same direction Ginji was looking at. Kazuki was beside the girls and Ban and Haruki Emishi, the latter telling jokes. All traces of the sadness Kurama had seen earlier that night were now erased from Kazuki's face. And Kurama could say the same for himself.
"The truth is, Ginji-kun, I am the one indebted to Kazuki-kun. If it weren't for him, I'd still be drinking alone in that bar."
"Then it seems that both of you found each other at the right time."
Both turned to their right, surprised to see Fuyuki Shido standing near them, arms crossed across his chest, eyes gazing at his girlfriend across the room.
"Found each other? What do you mean, Shido-kun?"
"Kazuki was supposed to come with us with someone special to all of us, but to him most of all. But due to some unknown circumstance, the certain person had to back-out at the last minute, leaving Kazuki so unlike himself."
He sighed and glanced at the redhead's direction. "Then he found you sitting in the bar. And from the way your eyes looked the moment we were introduced, I'd say you were in the same position as he was."
Kurama's eyes softened. Shido was right. He was feeling alone that time and Kazuki had found him. Kazuki, on the other hand, was supposed to be alone for the rest of the night and Kurama found him. Yes. They had indeed found each other.
Shido found himself smiling as he saw the look the redhead was giving Kazuki. There was something special about the gaze. Something that made him smile. Something that made Kazuki smile as well. It was kind of weird to see the Fuchoin Ryu master smiling without Jubei's presence but his friend was smiling now and for Shido, that was all that mattered.
"Oi, Shuuichi!"
The redhead pulled himself out of his reverie and tilted his head to indicate he was listening.
"Hai, Ban-kun?"
"Madoka-chan has invited everyone to stay overnight. You up to it?"
Kurama blinked. "Overnight?"
"Onegai desu yo, Shuuichi-kun," Madoka said, her ever sweet smile gracing her features.
He returned Madoka's smile and bowed. "Gomen ne, Madoka-san but I will have to decline. I still have an early meeting tomorrow that I can't possibly miss."
There was this momentary sadness in Kazuki's eyes and Shido saw it. He was about to persuade the redhead to stay for the night when his girlfriend spoke up.
"Ah, sou ka? That's ok. Next time perhaps?"
"Hai. Thank you for the offer, Madoka-san." He glanced at his watch. "Ah! I can't believe it's already eleven in the evening! I really have to say goodbye, guys. Thanks for everything."
"You're always welcome to hang out with us," Ginji said, putting a hand over the kitsune's shoulder. "Just visit us anytime at the Honky Tonk café. It's owned by a close friend of ours."
Kurama smiled. "Of course. I'll make sure to pass by sometime."
"Ne, Ban," Kazuki said as Kurama said goodbye to the others.
"Hmm?"
"Can I borrow your car?"
Ban stared at the person beside him. Kazuki was staring straight at the redhead's direction, watching his every movement. There was something weird about the string wielder, he thought. And he knew that it was probably because of the redhead's presence.
He found it weird for everyone to accept the redhead that readily. But there was something in the redhead that attracted everyone and made everyone smile.
The Jagan-user smiled to himself. What great charm you have, Minamino Shuuichi.
He fished the key out of his pocket and tossed it to Kazuki. "Be sure to bring it back in one piece, ok?"
Kazuki smiled. "Thanks."
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Hiei was tired. He was exhausted. He was dying to sleep on that comfortable bed he had in Mukuro's palace.
And he would do just that, he thought as he entered the corridor of the palace that directly led to the bedrooms.
"Tired?" he heard Mukuro ask as he passed by her bedroom.
"Very. I'm going to sleep in my room," he answered, not even stopping for a chat like he had always done before.
He thought that he was used to sleeping anywhere for almost more than a decade. He never thought that the day would come that he would hate sleeping on trees and would crave for the comforts of his own bed.
Upon reaching his very own bedroom, he quickly stripped himself off his coat and katana and launched himself on his bed. He closed his eyes, stretched his arms and smiled as he felt the silky covers and the soft mattress. He opened his eyes moments later and glanced about his room.
The room hadn't changed since he left two months ago. No one ever dared to change anything in the room; the servants only came there to clean it occasionally.
He saw his calendar – something that was quite uncharacteristic of him but he kept it as a favor from Yukina. His sister insisted on him having a calendar – putting a circle on important dates like birthdays and other stuff. She had been looking out for him ever since she discovered that they were siblings.
He got up and decided to update his calendar since he knew it was already two months late. He studied the calendar and saw an encircled date. His eyes widened as he saw the name of the person that was under the date.
Not knowing exactly what day it was already, he rushed towards Mukuro's room to ask her, knowing she was the type of person who took note of what day it was.
"Mukuro, what's today's date?"
Mukuro blinked, surprised, but then glanced at the calendar on top of the desk beside her.
"The twenty-ninth."
At her reply, Hiei quickly went back to his room. Curious, she followed him and waited on a seat in his room. A few minutes later, Mukuro saw him freshly showered and ready to go. She raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you were going to sleep?" she asked, thoroughly confused with what was going on.
"I need to go Ningenkai. I forgot that I had something to do," he said, rushing out with a small wave. "I'll be back in a few days."
Before Mukuro could react, he was gone. She blinked, unable to decipher what was happening to the fire demon. What could possibly more important to him than his sleep? He could always visit Yukina later. She would understand.
Deciding that it would just be better to ask him later, she marched out of the room to resume her moment of complete relaxation. She was almost at the door when she saw something encircled on the koorime's calendar. It was the date today.
She smiled finally understanding what the important thing was.
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"I don't understand why you have to do this. I'm causing you too much trouble."
"No, you're not. It's just that I want to assure your safety."
"But really. This is too much. I could've just called you when I got home. I want you safe, too."
Kazuki smiled at the person beside him even if they had been going on with their seemingly pointless argument for quite some time now. How could someone this wonderful be left alone on his birthday? Has the world really been dominated by insensitive people?
The string-wielder fought the urge to sigh. Yeah. Like a recovering-from-blindness needle-wielder for example. No. I shouldn't be thinking of him right now.
There was a sigh from the redhead's lips. "I still can't understand why you need to drive me home when I could just call you…"
"I want to spend more time with you."
Kurama blinked. "Huh?"
"That's the truth actually. I want to spend more time with you."
The fox fought the blush that was coming to redden his cheeks. He knew that under the moonlight, it would just seem too prominent on his fair complexion.
"I want to spend more time with you."
Somehow that was exactly what Kurama needed to hear from someone he knew was far away. But somehow, he heard them coming from the lips of the wonderful person beside him. And somehow, he didn't quite mind that it came from him. He actually liked it.
"So do I," Kurama replied, a smile on his face. He turned his attention back to the road then realized that they were already near. If he had stared at Kazuki for a second longer, they would've missed the house.
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He could not believe that he almost missed it.
Nearing the house, he sensed some familiar chi inside so he decided that it would be better to use the front door instead of going inside through Kurama's window. He rang the doorbell twice before the door opened.
"Ah, Hiei-kun! We thought it was Shuuichi already. Come in please," greeted Kurama's ningen mother.
The fire demon gave Shiori a small smile. Upon entering the house, he saw the very people whose chi he recognized – the whole gang.
"Yo, Hiei! Glad you could make it on time," Urameshi Yuusuke said, patting his back.
"In time for what?"
"Aniki's surprise birthday party," answered Kurama's half-brother.
Hiei raised an eyebrow. He wasn't the one for parties.
"Yeah. We kinda felt guilty that he would be left all alone on his birthday," Kuwabara Shizuru said, lighting a cigarette.
"How could he be alone? Isn't Shiori-san always here?" Hiei asked.
"Kaasan and Tousan were out of the country. They had just come home."
The gang took turns in telling why they were not able to entertain the birthday boy on his special day. Every five minutes that passed after that, Hiei glanced up at the clock. He was beginning to feel worried. It was already pass eleven and the kitsune had not yet come back. He excused himself from the group, saying he would just search for Kurama's whereabouts. With all of them worried, everyone thought it would be a nice idea if someone did look for the missing birthday boy.
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"Why don't you come inside and have some tea or coffee or water?"
Kazuki shook his head. "No. You need to rest the moment you step into that house. I don't want to be bothering you."
Kurama smiled. "You won't bother me at all. In fact, your mere presence is relaxing." Or should I say, exhilarating?
A small blush crept up Kazuki's face, a smile curving those lips as well. Kurama watched in silence as they leaned on Ban's car, the redhead not really wanting to go inside and feel alone just yet.
He stepped outside the house and wandered on the extensive grounds of the mansion where his friend lived. The air was quite cold but that was nothing to the koorime. He went up on a tree, deciding that was the best way to locate the missing person. He had not been up long when he saw a car pull over in front of the gate and Kurama's red head popped out.
There was something ethereal about Kazuki, the plant master thought. The moon was full and shining behind the string-wielder, making the white long-sleeved polo he wore glow. The way the moon was basking Kazuki with its light, making the manly contours of his face look softer than usual. And then there was the way the wind blew, soft and silent as it carried a few of the straying strands of Kazuki's brown hair that was pony tailed behind him, the bell chimes in his hair tinkling.
Kazuki looked like an angel sent down and Kurama was simply breath taken by his presence.
Hiei was on the verge of going down the tree to tell the others that the birthday boy had arrived when he saw Kurama extend his hand and cup his companion's face. He stood there, unable to move as the redhead closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against the other's lips. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. And for the fire demon, it was agonizingly slow.
He was not supposed to give in to the kiss Kurama was giving him. After all, he had only known the person for less than ten hours! But there was something in the redhead that made him feel light headed and made him return the kiss. And the funny thing was, he even liked the fact that Kurama was kissing him under the moonlight with only the celestial beings as their witness.
He didn't exactly know what had gotten into him. Perhaps it was because of the moon – it was making the whole scenario so romantic and it was making Kazuki look even more gorgeous than he already was. Whatever it was, it drove him to insanity. Insane enough to kiss someone he had only known for less than ten hours.
Hiei thought he was already accustomed to the feeling of pain but now he knew he was mistaken. The pain he was feeling in his heart right now was excruciating. He didn't exactly understand why seeing Kurama kiss someone else would bring such pain to him. After all, the kitsune was just his friend, right?
Right, he thought. But deep inside, there was something telling him that he was dead wrong. Kurama really meant something more to him.
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Ruling Muugenjou's Lower Town was never easy especially for a fourteen year old. Even if the said fourteen year old was Makubex, boy genius.
It had been another hellish day of keeping the town in order and Makubex was ready to rest. But before proceeding to do so, he checked on his main computer room. He knew that the room would be deserted at that particular time, it already being near midnight, so he was surprised to see Kakei Jubei there.
"What are you doing here, Jubei? Aren't you supposed to be with Kazuki-kun tonight?"
The Kakei Ryu master turned towards the sound of the voice. "I had some things to do tonight so I called him and said that I would have to take a rain check."
Makubex cocked an eyebrow. "You're not even on duty this week. I remember telling you to take time out to adjust to your eyes since they have just been operated."
Jubei pushed back his glasses to prevent them from slipping from the bridge of his nose. It was true that he had been given time to adjust as his sight had just been partially returned. He was required to wear glasses by the doctor, something that accentuated his piercing eyes.
"There were certain things that I needed to do, more important than going to a concert," he countered firmly and vaguely, not really wanting the computer genius to know why he didn't go to the concert.
Makubex sighed and turned his heel, knowing that if Jubei was there, he needn't check on anything.
"I just hope you don't lose sight of what's really important to you," he said before leaving the needle wielder to his thoughts. That, I know, being Kazuki-kun.
Tsuzuku…
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