Writer's Block is SO not my friend. No, not my friend at all…*sigh* I'm so sorry, guys…everything's just been really hectic and I haven't found the time to work on Touketsu OR Kikyoku. So I figure I might as well force myself to do this. Once again, my apologies. I swear, it's all a conspiracy to make Kikyoku end VERY slowly…*sniffle* I love it too much, I don't want to write the last three chapters!
Anyway, last chapter…the gang went to the zoo, chaos ensued. Such as…the liberation of the animals. The goat eating Suzaku's pants. Kaeru falling into the polar bear enclosure. Speaking of the goat, I have decided to keep him. His name is Barbolla. Because Barbolla has a goat. *evil grin*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzaku tilted his head back as he reclined in an uncomfortable straight-backed wooden chair. His pale purple eyes softened as he watched Kaeru run past, with Yukina pursuing. The giggling of the two playful Koorime sparked a recollection of one of the Ice Maidens, then very young…
***Recollection***
"Noooooooooo! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" A tiny Koorime child, no more than four or five, struggled in Suzaku's arms, her own flailing as she kicked wildly, seeking to get back to her home. "RURI-SAN! SHINSETSU-SAN! NEYUKI-SAN! FUBUKI-SAN! SEKKA-SAN! OKAAAAAAAASAAAAAAAAN!"
Suzaku was starting to wonder if she was going to name the entire Koorime population, so he didn't give her the chance to. He merely covered her mouth with his large hand. "I'm just as unhappy about this as you are, Kaeru," he informed her, watching the island dwindle in the distance. He glanced down at her and sighed. "Okay, maybe not."
Tears were running down the little Ice Maiden's face, and hitting the floor of the boat with small metallic clinks. Her entire body was shaking with sobs as she watched the only home she had ever known slowly disappear.
The Saint Beast couldn't help thinking that Koenma must have been absolutely daft to entrust him with the care of this little youkai. And worse…what were the others going to say? A Koorime…living with them? He had a feeling they weren't going to be very pleased…
He was right.
"Suzaku, kindly explain what you think you're doing…" Seiryu glared at Kaeru, who was clutching Suzaku's leg nervously. "We can't let a CHILD stay here!! A FEMALE one, nonetheless! Are you INSANE?!"
"And since when are you one to listen to that whiny toddler?" Genbu added, his stone tail slowly hitting the ground to express his displeasure. "What possible reason--"
"I owed one of the Koorime a favor," the golden-haired Saint Beast muttered. "This is it. And if I do this for Koenma, he'll be in a position to favor our demands later on. I won't let him forget it."
The dragon Saint Beast shook his head. "I don't care what your reasons are, I will not allow that…that…SNOWDROP to stay--"
Kaeru made an angry noise in her throat, and Suzaku felt her youki stir. But something else had bothered him. "YOU will not allow?" He queried, his voice lowering. "Express your opinions if you must, Seiryu, but you will remember that I am the leader of the Saint Beasts and if I say that she stays here then she WILL stay here. Do you understand?"
For a moment, the two glared at each other. Kaeru was too short for Seiryu to notice her glare, but she made her annoyance known by doing what Koorime did best.
"…Hmph." Seiryu snorted. "Do what you will, then. But if that little brat comes NEAR me--" He turned to leave…and found his feet firmly frozen to the ground. He put two and two together and scowled at the little Ice Maiden. "How DARE you?! Do you know who I AM??"
"Seiryu, Saint Beast, dragon of ice," Kaeru recited in a clear voice. "And a mean old ugly toad!"
Byakko and Genbu couldn't suppress smirks. "She's fairly accurate," Byakko remarked, between snickers. "Mean old ugly toad…"
"Shut UP," the Saint Beast growled, a hint of color rising in his icy blue cheeks. "Listen to me, brat," he addressed the Koorime. "You do NOT want me for an enemy."
Kaeru ignored him and bowed to the other two Saint Beasts. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Byakko-san, Genbu-san. I hope that we can all get along."
Genbu looked at Suzaku. "How long is she staying?"
Suzaku shrugged. "Until she's old enough, I guess. Ruri said she wouldn't be able to handle the threat against her until she was older."
"What threat?" The tiger asked. "What possible threat could be so bad that she'd be sent here?"
"Koorime hunter," was the curt reply. "Come on, Kaeru, I'll introduce you to Murugu."
"Who's Murugu?" She asked, reaching up to take his hand.
"A bird…a rather annoying one, but sometimes I think she can't help it."
Byakko, Seiryu, and Genbu watched their leader go, leading a little teal-haired girl by the hand. "No good can come of this," Seiryu sighed, trying to yank his feet free. "Damn her, I'M the Ice master, not her! Why the hell can't I break loose??"
***Back to Reality***
"See?" Kaeru called encouragingly to Kuronue as the chimera wobbled on the ice. "It's not that bad."
"Remind me again how I got into this?" Kuronue muttered, just as his feet flew out from under him and he landed on his rear, sliding across the ice skating rink.
Chitsuko was giggling. "You needed to get out more. You know, Kuronue, you seem to be making better progress this way than you were on your feet."
"Hn." Hiei smirked, having no problem whatsoever with staying upright. "It just proves that his ass is used more than his brain."
"HEY!" Kuronue struggled to his feet, swaying. "Once I get my balance, I'm going to kill you!"
The Jaganshi rolled his eyes. "You won't even be able to catch me." And he grabbed Chitsuko's hand, skating off with her.
Kurama blinked. "I believe Hiei has just stolen my girlfriend…"
"Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll give her back," Kaeru suggested, absolutely serious.
The Youko chuckled, offering her his hand. "Perhaps I will. But for now, will you skate with me?"
"Hai!" And they were off, circling the rink.
Hiken, who had shown up at the rink, was now trying not to laugh at the expression Kuronue wore. "I'm sure that young spiky-haired man is actually very nice. Are you all right?"
"Just…fine!" The beet-red chimera gritted, as Suzaku watched amusedly from the sidelines. "Don't you have a niece to skate with or something?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, she seems to be enjoying herself with the redheaded fellow." He smiled. "It's good to see that she's made so many friends here in Ningenkai."
Kuronue slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess." His ears suddenly twitched, and he frowned. "Hey…do you hear that…cracking?"
Hiken, about to reply, was interrupted as several people screamed and everyone began to exit the rink in a less-than-orderly manner. Turning to see what was going on, the two males saw what looked like a giant snake made of ice pursuing Kaeru. The Koorime was remarkably swift in her element, but now the ice was acting against her. A coil rose from the ice and wrapped around her ankle, yanking her down. Kurama had called forth his Rose Whip and was slicing up the snake, but it soon reformed. Hiei and Chitsuko were assisting Kurama, but a constantly-strengthening wall of ice kept them from reaching the Ice Maiden, as Kuronue had discovered when he had tried to charge to her rescue.
Kaeru cringed as she was dragged closer to the gaping maw of the snake. She couldn't battle back against something that wielded the same type of power that she did! She closed her eyes as the icy reptile lunged…and then felt a rush of heat as something sped past her. A shrieking hiss and someone dragged her back as the snake fell, melting as it did so, until the entire ring was filled with water.
"Hiken-san!" Kaeru gasped, recognizing her savior as he straightened, helping her up. His hands were…sizzling? "Did you…"
"Part of having a fire youkai father," her uncle explained. "Fireballs. Are you injured?"
"No, I'm fine." She shook her head. "Arigato…if you hadn't…"
"If I hadn't, I'm sure your chimera friend or Suzaku would have gotten to you in time." Hiken took her hand, leading her back to the others.
Suzaku watched them approach, sighing. So Zenkai had attacked again, had he? As he gazed at Kaeru, who was now trying to help a scowling Kuronue to his feet, he became lost in the past, once again.
***The Past, Once Again***
"Suzaku-saaaan!" Six-year-old Kaeru tugged on his hand, ruby eyes large with fear. "Seiryu-san said that if I bother him again, he'll feed me to Byakko-san's dogs! Can he do that??"
"Not without Byakko's permission, he can't." Suzaku picked up the tiny Koorime, shifting her to his right hip. "And you know how much that overgrown kitty adores you."
Kaeru relaxed in her caretaker's comforting hold. "Genbu-san is teaching me how to be faster," she said suddenly. "I'm getting better--I only got hit five times today." She beamed up at Suzaku, as if eager to earn his approval of her dodging skills.
The Saint Beast frowned. "Arms," he demanded sharply. When Kaeru hesitated, he held her in place with a muscular arm and, with the other, pushed up the sleeves of her kimono. Dark marks decorated her thin arms and his frown deepened. "Kaeru--"
"It didn't hurt that much!" She quickly interrupted him. "And I didn't cry, either!"
"Be that as it may, Genbu is supposed to be looking after you, NOT bruising you!" He glanced at his charge. "If this keeps up, you'll be a tomboy, and THEN what will Ruri say?"
"A what?"
"…Never mind." He set her down. "Just stay away from Seiryu from now and go play with Murugu…"
The Ice Maiden nodded, running off to do as she had been bid.
Seiryu would probably never like Kaeru, Suzaku thought. But she'd been accepted by Byakko and Genbu was gradually beginning to open up to her. It was all he could ask for…and she wasn't dead yet, so that was probably as good as it was going to get.
***Four Years Later…***
Kaeru straightened, stroking the green bird on her shoulder as she adjusted the red flower ornament in her hair. "It's been a pleasure, Murugu-san."
Murugu twitched a few feathers. "Stay sweet, Kaeru. Of course, with you gone, I'll have Suzaku all to myself…"
The Koorime giggled. "Yes, you will." She watched the bird flutter away and went to say good-bye to three of the Saint Beasts.
"You've grown," Byakko commented, ruffling her hair with a large paw. "Stay out of trouble."
Kaeru nodded. "I'd say the same, Byakko-san, but that is what you do best, isn't it?"
The tiger laughed. "Genbu, say good-bye."
"Good-bye," the stone beast said dutifully. After a minute, he gruffly added, "Your dodging skills have improved. Make sure they stay that way. Seiryu?"
The last Saint Beast snorted. "Good-bye and good riddance."
Unperturbed, the Ice Maiden merely froze his feet to the ground, and left Maze Castle with a last called "Good-bye, minna-san!"
All too soon, Kaeru was hugging Suzaku good-bye, crying almost as hard as she had when she'd first left the island. The Saint Beast managed to keep his own eyes dry until he was leaving, turning back for a last look at Kaeru, who was being engulfed in hugs from all of her Koorime hugs. Ruri met his gaze and nodded calmly, smiling. She knew. And she wouldn't tell anyone that Suzaku, leader of the infamous Saint Beasts, had to blow his nose or that he'd cried silently on his way back to Maze Castle.
***Once Again, Back to Reality…***
"Suzaku-san? Suzaku-san!"
"Huh?" Suzaku snapped out of his reverie and found himself staring at Kaeru…now six years older.
"Your eyes were glazed over…are you all right?"
"Fine," he said, more brusquely than he had intended.
The Koorime nodded and went to talk to Hiken and Chitsuko. Suzaku found himself wandering over to Kuronue, who was keeping one eye on the Ice Maiden, looking frustrated.
"…Hey, Bat. Stop worrying, she's fine."
Kuronue gave his head a shake, looking at the Saint Beast. "I'm not worried."
"Sure you are. I STILL worry about her…" Suzaku smiled. "If only you could have seen her when she was younger…it's amazing how much she's grown and matured. She's grown even now. Every time I see her, she continues to develop."
The chimera, surprised, looked more closely at Suzaku. The other seemed to be talking more to himself than to his companion.
"I guess…" The Saint Beast said softly. "I guess…it's just hard to admit that she isn't so little anymore. I can remember her childhood…but children are bound to change…and Kaeru is no exception. I once watched a ningen movie with the Mirror Holders…and, in the wise words of Maurice Chevalier ((A/N: Pronunced Sheh-Vay (sounds like why)-yay (sounds like hey))), 'their little eyes, so helpless and appealing…will one day flash and send you crashing through the ceiling'…oh, how true. And that little girls…don't stay little very long."
Indeed, Kaeru had grown…and the look of utter adoration that she still gave him would perhaps one day belong to another male, for entirely different reasons. He even thought he knew which male, even though Kaeru herself didn't seem to realize it.
"Kuronue."
"Yeah?" The chimera blinked.
"You do realize that she's grown up, don't you?"
Kuronue didn't have to ask. He knew who Suzaku was referring to. "Yeah, she has…" That's probably what made him so nervous. He couldn't think of her as cute…in the way of those fuzzy little animals the girls so often fawned over. He couldn't deny it; he was attracted to her, and he couldn't understand why. She wasn't like the other females that he and Youko had enjoyed in the past…no, she was the complete opposite. While he was attracted to her, he couldn't let himself go all the way, as it were. For Kaeru's sake. And he hated himself for being so jealous…of Suzaku…of Hiei…even of her own uncle, all because they had been close to her or done his job. If she was little, he wouldn't have minded.
"Maybe that Maurice guy had a point…"
*OOC*
Awwww. ^^ We just loves Kuronue. Anyway…please review and NEXT chapter!
* The return of Truth-or-Dare…
* Let's see how many heart attacks Rei can inflict on the elderly when she pops out of a birthday cake! One…two…three…four…
* Aside from Hiei singing the Grinch song, Suzaku acting like a cowboy, Jin acting like Legolas in public and Touya admitting a very embarrassing moment, Chitsuko dares Chuu to do the most unimaginably horrible thing…
Anyway, last chapter…the gang went to the zoo, chaos ensued. Such as…the liberation of the animals. The goat eating Suzaku's pants. Kaeru falling into the polar bear enclosure. Speaking of the goat, I have decided to keep him. His name is Barbolla. Because Barbolla has a goat. *evil grin*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzaku tilted his head back as he reclined in an uncomfortable straight-backed wooden chair. His pale purple eyes softened as he watched Kaeru run past, with Yukina pursuing. The giggling of the two playful Koorime sparked a recollection of one of the Ice Maidens, then very young…
***Recollection***
"Noooooooooo! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" A tiny Koorime child, no more than four or five, struggled in Suzaku's arms, her own flailing as she kicked wildly, seeking to get back to her home. "RURI-SAN! SHINSETSU-SAN! NEYUKI-SAN! FUBUKI-SAN! SEKKA-SAN! OKAAAAAAAASAAAAAAAAN!"
Suzaku was starting to wonder if she was going to name the entire Koorime population, so he didn't give her the chance to. He merely covered her mouth with his large hand. "I'm just as unhappy about this as you are, Kaeru," he informed her, watching the island dwindle in the distance. He glanced down at her and sighed. "Okay, maybe not."
Tears were running down the little Ice Maiden's face, and hitting the floor of the boat with small metallic clinks. Her entire body was shaking with sobs as she watched the only home she had ever known slowly disappear.
The Saint Beast couldn't help thinking that Koenma must have been absolutely daft to entrust him with the care of this little youkai. And worse…what were the others going to say? A Koorime…living with them? He had a feeling they weren't going to be very pleased…
He was right.
"Suzaku, kindly explain what you think you're doing…" Seiryu glared at Kaeru, who was clutching Suzaku's leg nervously. "We can't let a CHILD stay here!! A FEMALE one, nonetheless! Are you INSANE?!"
"And since when are you one to listen to that whiny toddler?" Genbu added, his stone tail slowly hitting the ground to express his displeasure. "What possible reason--"
"I owed one of the Koorime a favor," the golden-haired Saint Beast muttered. "This is it. And if I do this for Koenma, he'll be in a position to favor our demands later on. I won't let him forget it."
The dragon Saint Beast shook his head. "I don't care what your reasons are, I will not allow that…that…SNOWDROP to stay--"
Kaeru made an angry noise in her throat, and Suzaku felt her youki stir. But something else had bothered him. "YOU will not allow?" He queried, his voice lowering. "Express your opinions if you must, Seiryu, but you will remember that I am the leader of the Saint Beasts and if I say that she stays here then she WILL stay here. Do you understand?"
For a moment, the two glared at each other. Kaeru was too short for Seiryu to notice her glare, but she made her annoyance known by doing what Koorime did best.
"…Hmph." Seiryu snorted. "Do what you will, then. But if that little brat comes NEAR me--" He turned to leave…and found his feet firmly frozen to the ground. He put two and two together and scowled at the little Ice Maiden. "How DARE you?! Do you know who I AM??"
"Seiryu, Saint Beast, dragon of ice," Kaeru recited in a clear voice. "And a mean old ugly toad!"
Byakko and Genbu couldn't suppress smirks. "She's fairly accurate," Byakko remarked, between snickers. "Mean old ugly toad…"
"Shut UP," the Saint Beast growled, a hint of color rising in his icy blue cheeks. "Listen to me, brat," he addressed the Koorime. "You do NOT want me for an enemy."
Kaeru ignored him and bowed to the other two Saint Beasts. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Byakko-san, Genbu-san. I hope that we can all get along."
Genbu looked at Suzaku. "How long is she staying?"
Suzaku shrugged. "Until she's old enough, I guess. Ruri said she wouldn't be able to handle the threat against her until she was older."
"What threat?" The tiger asked. "What possible threat could be so bad that she'd be sent here?"
"Koorime hunter," was the curt reply. "Come on, Kaeru, I'll introduce you to Murugu."
"Who's Murugu?" She asked, reaching up to take his hand.
"A bird…a rather annoying one, but sometimes I think she can't help it."
Byakko, Seiryu, and Genbu watched their leader go, leading a little teal-haired girl by the hand. "No good can come of this," Seiryu sighed, trying to yank his feet free. "Damn her, I'M the Ice master, not her! Why the hell can't I break loose??"
***Back to Reality***
"See?" Kaeru called encouragingly to Kuronue as the chimera wobbled on the ice. "It's not that bad."
"Remind me again how I got into this?" Kuronue muttered, just as his feet flew out from under him and he landed on his rear, sliding across the ice skating rink.
Chitsuko was giggling. "You needed to get out more. You know, Kuronue, you seem to be making better progress this way than you were on your feet."
"Hn." Hiei smirked, having no problem whatsoever with staying upright. "It just proves that his ass is used more than his brain."
"HEY!" Kuronue struggled to his feet, swaying. "Once I get my balance, I'm going to kill you!"
The Jaganshi rolled his eyes. "You won't even be able to catch me." And he grabbed Chitsuko's hand, skating off with her.
Kurama blinked. "I believe Hiei has just stolen my girlfriend…"
"Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll give her back," Kaeru suggested, absolutely serious.
The Youko chuckled, offering her his hand. "Perhaps I will. But for now, will you skate with me?"
"Hai!" And they were off, circling the rink.
Hiken, who had shown up at the rink, was now trying not to laugh at the expression Kuronue wore. "I'm sure that young spiky-haired man is actually very nice. Are you all right?"
"Just…fine!" The beet-red chimera gritted, as Suzaku watched amusedly from the sidelines. "Don't you have a niece to skate with or something?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, she seems to be enjoying herself with the redheaded fellow." He smiled. "It's good to see that she's made so many friends here in Ningenkai."
Kuronue slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess." His ears suddenly twitched, and he frowned. "Hey…do you hear that…cracking?"
Hiken, about to reply, was interrupted as several people screamed and everyone began to exit the rink in a less-than-orderly manner. Turning to see what was going on, the two males saw what looked like a giant snake made of ice pursuing Kaeru. The Koorime was remarkably swift in her element, but now the ice was acting against her. A coil rose from the ice and wrapped around her ankle, yanking her down. Kurama had called forth his Rose Whip and was slicing up the snake, but it soon reformed. Hiei and Chitsuko were assisting Kurama, but a constantly-strengthening wall of ice kept them from reaching the Ice Maiden, as Kuronue had discovered when he had tried to charge to her rescue.
Kaeru cringed as she was dragged closer to the gaping maw of the snake. She couldn't battle back against something that wielded the same type of power that she did! She closed her eyes as the icy reptile lunged…and then felt a rush of heat as something sped past her. A shrieking hiss and someone dragged her back as the snake fell, melting as it did so, until the entire ring was filled with water.
"Hiken-san!" Kaeru gasped, recognizing her savior as he straightened, helping her up. His hands were…sizzling? "Did you…"
"Part of having a fire youkai father," her uncle explained. "Fireballs. Are you injured?"
"No, I'm fine." She shook her head. "Arigato…if you hadn't…"
"If I hadn't, I'm sure your chimera friend or Suzaku would have gotten to you in time." Hiken took her hand, leading her back to the others.
Suzaku watched them approach, sighing. So Zenkai had attacked again, had he? As he gazed at Kaeru, who was now trying to help a scowling Kuronue to his feet, he became lost in the past, once again.
***The Past, Once Again***
"Suzaku-saaaan!" Six-year-old Kaeru tugged on his hand, ruby eyes large with fear. "Seiryu-san said that if I bother him again, he'll feed me to Byakko-san's dogs! Can he do that??"
"Not without Byakko's permission, he can't." Suzaku picked up the tiny Koorime, shifting her to his right hip. "And you know how much that overgrown kitty adores you."
Kaeru relaxed in her caretaker's comforting hold. "Genbu-san is teaching me how to be faster," she said suddenly. "I'm getting better--I only got hit five times today." She beamed up at Suzaku, as if eager to earn his approval of her dodging skills.
The Saint Beast frowned. "Arms," he demanded sharply. When Kaeru hesitated, he held her in place with a muscular arm and, with the other, pushed up the sleeves of her kimono. Dark marks decorated her thin arms and his frown deepened. "Kaeru--"
"It didn't hurt that much!" She quickly interrupted him. "And I didn't cry, either!"
"Be that as it may, Genbu is supposed to be looking after you, NOT bruising you!" He glanced at his charge. "If this keeps up, you'll be a tomboy, and THEN what will Ruri say?"
"A what?"
"…Never mind." He set her down. "Just stay away from Seiryu from now and go play with Murugu…"
The Ice Maiden nodded, running off to do as she had been bid.
Seiryu would probably never like Kaeru, Suzaku thought. But she'd been accepted by Byakko and Genbu was gradually beginning to open up to her. It was all he could ask for…and she wasn't dead yet, so that was probably as good as it was going to get.
***Four Years Later…***
Kaeru straightened, stroking the green bird on her shoulder as she adjusted the red flower ornament in her hair. "It's been a pleasure, Murugu-san."
Murugu twitched a few feathers. "Stay sweet, Kaeru. Of course, with you gone, I'll have Suzaku all to myself…"
The Koorime giggled. "Yes, you will." She watched the bird flutter away and went to say good-bye to three of the Saint Beasts.
"You've grown," Byakko commented, ruffling her hair with a large paw. "Stay out of trouble."
Kaeru nodded. "I'd say the same, Byakko-san, but that is what you do best, isn't it?"
The tiger laughed. "Genbu, say good-bye."
"Good-bye," the stone beast said dutifully. After a minute, he gruffly added, "Your dodging skills have improved. Make sure they stay that way. Seiryu?"
The last Saint Beast snorted. "Good-bye and good riddance."
Unperturbed, the Ice Maiden merely froze his feet to the ground, and left Maze Castle with a last called "Good-bye, minna-san!"
All too soon, Kaeru was hugging Suzaku good-bye, crying almost as hard as she had when she'd first left the island. The Saint Beast managed to keep his own eyes dry until he was leaving, turning back for a last look at Kaeru, who was being engulfed in hugs from all of her Koorime hugs. Ruri met his gaze and nodded calmly, smiling. She knew. And she wouldn't tell anyone that Suzaku, leader of the infamous Saint Beasts, had to blow his nose or that he'd cried silently on his way back to Maze Castle.
***Once Again, Back to Reality…***
"Suzaku-san? Suzaku-san!"
"Huh?" Suzaku snapped out of his reverie and found himself staring at Kaeru…now six years older.
"Your eyes were glazed over…are you all right?"
"Fine," he said, more brusquely than he had intended.
The Koorime nodded and went to talk to Hiken and Chitsuko. Suzaku found himself wandering over to Kuronue, who was keeping one eye on the Ice Maiden, looking frustrated.
"…Hey, Bat. Stop worrying, she's fine."
Kuronue gave his head a shake, looking at the Saint Beast. "I'm not worried."
"Sure you are. I STILL worry about her…" Suzaku smiled. "If only you could have seen her when she was younger…it's amazing how much she's grown and matured. She's grown even now. Every time I see her, she continues to develop."
The chimera, surprised, looked more closely at Suzaku. The other seemed to be talking more to himself than to his companion.
"I guess…" The Saint Beast said softly. "I guess…it's just hard to admit that she isn't so little anymore. I can remember her childhood…but children are bound to change…and Kaeru is no exception. I once watched a ningen movie with the Mirror Holders…and, in the wise words of Maurice Chevalier ((A/N: Pronunced Sheh-Vay (sounds like why)-yay (sounds like hey))), 'their little eyes, so helpless and appealing…will one day flash and send you crashing through the ceiling'…oh, how true. And that little girls…don't stay little very long."
Indeed, Kaeru had grown…and the look of utter adoration that she still gave him would perhaps one day belong to another male, for entirely different reasons. He even thought he knew which male, even though Kaeru herself didn't seem to realize it.
"Kuronue."
"Yeah?" The chimera blinked.
"You do realize that she's grown up, don't you?"
Kuronue didn't have to ask. He knew who Suzaku was referring to. "Yeah, she has…" That's probably what made him so nervous. He couldn't think of her as cute…in the way of those fuzzy little animals the girls so often fawned over. He couldn't deny it; he was attracted to her, and he couldn't understand why. She wasn't like the other females that he and Youko had enjoyed in the past…no, she was the complete opposite. While he was attracted to her, he couldn't let himself go all the way, as it were. For Kaeru's sake. And he hated himself for being so jealous…of Suzaku…of Hiei…even of her own uncle, all because they had been close to her or done his job. If she was little, he wouldn't have minded.
"Maybe that Maurice guy had a point…"
*OOC*
Awwww. ^^ We just loves Kuronue. Anyway…please review and NEXT chapter!
* The return of Truth-or-Dare…
* Let's see how many heart attacks Rei can inflict on the elderly when she pops out of a birthday cake! One…two…three…four…
* Aside from Hiei singing the Grinch song, Suzaku acting like a cowboy, Jin acting like Legolas in public and Touya admitting a very embarrassing moment, Chitsuko dares Chuu to do the most unimaginably horrible thing…
