I had gone for a holiday for the last two weeks, so the chapter is delayed. Sorry, but please don't abandon me. I've also updated many other stories at the same time as compensation. Give reviews too!!
June
The long awaited rain had finally come, but only lasted for some twenty minutes, leaving people unsatisfied and hungry for more. At least the rain made the heat ebb down a bit. The ground was covered by puddles which reflected everything above them, creating a new world of illusions below our feet, shattering every so often, but coming together a few seconds later. Too bad they were quickly disappearing as the heat came back in full intensity.
The humidity in the air made everything smell and seem fresher. The unique scent of rain. A gently breeze blew by, cool and refreshing, breaking up the heat waves for just a few moments. It was no doubt an ideal day for outings.
"Hiei, you want to go out? There's a newly opened park nearby." Kurama suggested.
"Would you comply if I say no?"
Kurama gave a sheepish grin and pulled Hiei out of the door. "You understand me too well, Hiei."
Leaves gleamed under the sunlight, its surface looked as if a layer of wax was applied on it, and not even one streak of brown could be seen. The cleaning power of rain. Were humans also cleaned too? If only a shower of rain could clear away the sins on everyone, then the world would be a much prettier and simpler place.
"Ah! There it is," Kurama pointed as he dragged an unwilling Hiei along. Pretended dragging and unwillingness, so that their holding hands would seem much more natural and arouse less curious, encouraging, disapproving, suspicious and every kind of glance that you could think of. They didn't want to repeat the mistake they made last month, when Botan filmed them down. The videotape was rather cute, though, but that was not the point.
The park had opened recently, and had every kind of public entertainment device which was possible to fit into the park. But what attracted people most, was a giant maze built up of tall hedges, situated right in the center of the park.
So after some time of wandering (by wandering, it meant by strolling along, hand in hand, talking about nothing in particular, or just enjoying each other's company, etc. Get the idea?) they ended up beside the maze. It was a rather magnificent structure, with the walls as tall as five meters and the total width of the maze at eighty meters. A female staff stood by the entrance, explaining things to visitors, whom all didn't seem very eager to step into the maze. That was not surprising. The maze was a little intimidating while it was beautiful.
"Want to race to see who can reach the finish point first?" Kurama challenged.
"Fine, but be prepared to lose," Hiei smirked, and in a flash, he had already rushed into the entrance. Kurama followed.
"WAIT!" A girl yelled out, and they turned back. It was the female staff and she was staring at them reproachfully. "You shouldn't have just gone in like that! I haven't explained the rules yet, and also, you have to bring this along!" She scolded and handed them a walkie-talkie each. She was a rather lively girl with blond hair, and her eyes seemed awfully familiar. . .
"I don't need this, whatever it is," Hiei said and threw back the appliance. Kurama smiled politely and asked, "Why do we have to bring this?"
"Well, it really is big in the maze, so if you get lost, and prepare to give up, then just call us and we will send people to pick you up!" she chirped out and Hiei gave her a glare, making her wince. Kurama pocketed the walkie-talkie and said, "It's better to have a precaution, right, Hiei."
Hiei just snorted. "Can we go now?"
"Wait, wait. There's a saying about the maze. If two lovers go into it, one turning right and now turning left, then if they can meet up at the center of the maze, they will be blessed forever. But if you cannot meet up, then bad things will befall. It doesn't mean that you'll break up, but you will encounter great difficulties. Be warned that it is very hard to get to the center, so if you want to escape the bad luck and not want to take the risk, then don't go in."
"Done now?" With an impatient growl, Hiei went into the maze and turned right.
"Oh! And you cannot break through the walls, it's against the rules!"
"Don't worry, he won't do anything that despicable, unless the circumstances are even more unfair." Kurama smiled and went into the maze, turning left.
When they were totally out of sight, the girl gave a cryptical grin.
Kurama walked in the maze and came to a cross section. Using his natural instincts, he could sense a tiny bit of an unusual aura coming form the route on the left side, so he turned right, leaving a plant on the ground as a landmark. He walked and walked, every time he came to a cross section, he used the same method, but it seemed that he was nowhere near the center. There was a few times when he felt that he was treading on a path he had walked on before, but there was no plant to indicate that he had gone there before. Strange . . .
Hiei walked straight up all the way until he felt that it must have been some forty meters before he stopped and turned left. Since they were to reach the center, it was rather logical that he should reach the middle position of the maze then walk opposite the direction he first started from. The path seemed too straight, and he hadn't even met the single cross section yet. It couldn't be so simple. Strange . . .
Although he was a patient person, this was slowly getting him frustrated. Kurama was sure that he had been walking in this maze for about an hour and all he saw was endless green walls. A few times when he was walking on a straight path, he suddenly found himself facing a dead end. The path had been through just seconds ago! There must be someone with powers controlling this maze. He gave up on trying to find the way and started trying to track down Hiei's aura. He concentrated, but . . . he couldn't sense Hiei at all!
He walked on and on, but the path seemed endless. He had been walking on the same straight path for about an hour and it was impossible for the path to not end! "This maze is definitely not made by humans," Hiei said to himself, and suddenly, his aura flared and a ball of fire appeared in his hand. He thrust it at the tall plant wall, but instead of burning up, the wall seemed to have absorbed the flames and not even a scratch was made.
"Just as I thought, the fire of the human world doesn't work on things from Makai. Then, let's try this," Hiei said and smirked, "I don't have the mood to play hide and seek. Show me where Kurama is!" His katana was out of its sheath immediately and a greenish-black flame surrounded the blade. With one swift action, the wall was cut into two.
Kurama summoned much of his powers and watched as the plants which made up the walls react to his calling. Slowly, he directed them to all form one straight path, instead of twisting round and round to form the maze. Now that the whole maze was only one path, he must be able to find Hiei as long as he walked along that path.
Suddenly, the wall in front of him was cut open and Hiei appeared as the plants burnt to ashes form the greenish-black flame.
"Hiei! Where have you been!?" Kurama gushed out as he ran towards Hiei, then checking up and down for any injuries. Finally, after making sure that Hiei was not hurt, he gave him a tight hug. "I was so worried, I couldn't even sense you anywhere . . ."
"That's because I was in another dimension, if I'm not wrong. You get flustered too easily, Kurama."
"No, I do not! At least I didn't try to hurt or destroy any plants, unlike you!" Kurama held him at an arm's length and scolded, only to see Hiei still smirking. "Plants are living things too, and they have feelings, and you know it. It is not right to hurt something innocent! You should have more compassion towards things."
"If I have compassion, then I won't be living till now. And I if didn't cut up the plants, I would be stuck in the dimension forever. Your method can't really free me. Can't have you crying over me, can I?" Hiei smiled mockingly.
A peal of laughter came form above them, and they jerked their head up towards that sound. The girl whom they met at the entrance of the maze was sitting on an oar and floating around in the sky with a toddler clinging to the rear end of the oar. "Don't they fight like a married couple, Koenma-sama?" the girl asked an landed in front of Kurama and Hiei. Then with a "puff", her blond hair change to blue and her outfit to a kimono. She was Botan in disguise.
"Why did you do that?" Hiei asked menacingly.
"Well, I have to prove to Koenma-sama somehow that you two are a couple, since you took away the film of my video camera last time." She replied and stuck out her tongue, making a face.
"So this is for revenge?"
"Not totally, but part of it is. Anyway, why don't you want everyone to know your relationship?"
"Since you can have revenge, then I think I'll have some of mine." He said and drew out his katana.
Botan gave a tiny squeak and pulled the toddler prince in front of her, but the blade still managed to rest on her neck.
"Ahem . .. ." Koenma coughed, " I won't control you on the way you want to use your sword, but can you please explain why you and Kurama did not report to me about your relationship?" he arched an eyebrow and tired to look serious, but there was something in his eyes which gave away that he was laughing as loud as he could in his heart.
Hiei glared and inched the blade nearer to the flesh. ( "Eeek!! Koenma-sama, save me!!" )
"Koenma, please drop the subject before Hiei really cuts Botan's neck in his anger," Kurama said rather peacefully, " I won't and don't want to stop him. Hiei, please let her go if Koenma agrees to stop holding this matter above our heads for the rest of our lives, okay/" Hiei reluctantly nodded.
"Sure, I'll do that, now let Botan go." And Hiei really drew back his katana. Then Koenma grinned and said, "but I'm warning you, Botan and I are not the only ones who saw what happened, and I can't guarantee that person won't do what I can't . . ."
"Who?" Hiei shot out.
"The person who made this maze, of course," and he disappeared with Botan.
The sun had swept away any residue of the rain that could be found. Was that good or bad? According to an old saying, the skies clearing up after a rain is a joyful thing, but in the summer, people all hope for more rain under ht sunny sky. Things and circumstances change all the time, affecting our definition of happiness, thus, some people would never by happy.
"Who do you think that person is?" Kurama asked, as the tall green walls sank into the ground and they were returned to the park as if nothing ever happened and the maze had never been there.
Hiei tensed for a second or two, then suddenly shouted, "Mukuro! Come out, wherever you are!"
But some other people would be always happy. It depends on how you look. The same world created so many different people. So are we really all that different? We see the same summer, witness the same rain, and fell the same heat. But the summer, rain and heat taken on different forms in the eyes of different people. Nothing is definite.
Hiei's shadow changed, and the silhouette now seemed like Mukuro. "Looks like you found me, Hiei," her voice sounded in their minds, "so this is why you applied for a year of holiday. Having fun?"
Kurama frowned. "What do you want? Just say it," Hiei demanded.
Mukuro continued, "I actually wanted you to come back to later, but it seems that it's quiet impossible now. There is a new job, and it's rather challenging, and I'm not willing to let the other fools do it, so please come back as soon as you can. Sorry, Kurama, I have to take hi away from you for a while. But as compensation, I've granted Hiei's leave for his honeymoon."
"Fine. I'll be there tomorrow." With that, the shadow went back to normal.
A sudden clap of thunder, and it began to rain again. Just moments ago, it brought relief form the heat, but now . . .?
They walked back in silence, the rain fell on them without receiving any reaction.
No matter people liked it or not, the rain continued falling.