All right, here's the thing. For every one chapter of Kikyoku, I'll be doing two chapters of Touketsu. So you won't get another Kikyoku chapter until this one's been posted. My way of stalling. ^^;; So, let's review! Kaeru and co. went to a party at Suzuki's house, lots of chaos (including the hospitalization of several senior citizens), and now things are about to get very interesting for two of our characters…
*sniffle* I don't wanna finish Kikyoku…. You can't make me! *runs and hides* It's those Stupid Orcs!
Inuki: Woof!
*calms down slightly* Fine, fine…enjoy, readers!
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"I hope ye die, ye thief!!" Chuu yelled at Kurama's back, as the redhead accepted the armful of bottles from a snickering Rinku. "Trying to separate a man from his one love!"
"That's kind of pathetic, Chuu," Kelsey remarked, who had come with the two…mainly to prevent the drunkard from attacking Rinku, who kept provoking him.
Chitsuko shook her head amusedly. "You'll get them back in a week. This is just to make sure that you don't accidentally forget and take a drink."
"Bye, Chitsuko!" Rinku called, as he and Kelsey dragged a wailing Chuu away. "Take care of it!"
That had been three days ago. Now it was late morning in the Minamino household. Shiori had left for work. Kurama and Chitsuko had gone to the movies, although Kuronue suspected they wouldn't actually be watching the movie. Rei had dropped by and "kidnapped" Suzaku, pausing only long enough to assure Kuronue (who could care less) that she wasn't going to kill him and to deliver a saucy wink at the stricken Saint Beast.
The chimera had been sitting at the table, deep in thought and absently popping dried hot peppers into his mouth. He seemed oblivious to the taste, not bothered in the slightest. He was alone in the house, with the exception of Kaeru, who was still sleeping. The Koorime wasn't much for all-nighters, and she hadn't slept since the sleepover, lost in a sort of brooding silence. Chitsuko had finally gotten her to bed and, once her head hit the pillow, she was a goner.
With a sigh, Kuronue finally rose, taking a sip from one of Chuu's beloved bottles and heading to his room for a nap of his own.
Two minutes later, a rumpled-haired Kaeru dressed simply in an oversized gray nightshirt with red-trimmed long-sleeved cuffs walked into the room, blinking and yawning. Spotting the jar of peppers that Kuronue had forgotten to put back in the kitchen, she reached into it and pulled out a pepper. Curious as to what this small, shriveled shiny thing was, she put it in her mouth and swallowed. And promptly learned why it was probably wise to investigate anything she ate BEFORE she ate it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOUUUUUUUUUCHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Kuronue was rudely awakened from his slumber by several loud yelps. Frowning, he staggered out of his room to investigate.
By now, poor Kaeru was frantically searching for anything that would quell the burning in her throat…it felt terrible! And then she saw the bottle.
If only Kuronue had remembered to hide the bottle, as Kurama had instructed. If only Kaeru hadn't swallowed that dried pepper. But he had, and she had, and by the time Kuronue arrived on the scene, he was too late. The Ice Maiden had managed to chug the entire bottle.
With Chuu, even the slightest sip got him instantly drunk. With a Koorime, who had never had anything alcoholic in her system, results were more than disastrous. They were catastrophic.
"Kaeru!" Seeing his charge sprawled on the floor, the bottle rolling out of her hand, Kuronue should have assumed the obvious. But he didn't. "Crap, you're not dead, are you?? Please don't be dead!"
Kaeru peered up at Kuronue with bleary eyes. "Doeshn' burn anymore," she said thickly, and then hiccupped. "Tastesh funny, though."
Okay, so she wasn't dead. And Kuronue finally realized what was wrong. "Kaeru…did you drink all of that?"
"Yesh." She hiccupped again. "I wanna go outshide," she added petulantly. "It'sh nicesh out…" And, before the startled chimera could stop her, she'd slipped out of the door…still in her nightshirt.
If she'd downed the contents of that bottle…she was in a lot of trouble. And now she was out there. Kuronue cursed himself for being so thickheaded and slow this morning and rushed out after her, grabbing one of Kurama's coats to hide his wings.
For being incredibly drunk, Kaeru had covered a good distance before Kuronue finally caught up with her. She was weaving unsteadily amongst a crowd of gaping people…the males nodding approvingly and starting towards her, recognizing a chance when they saw it, and the females looking absolutely horrified at this "hussy" clad in "practically nothing", traipsing along.
Kuronue gritted his teeth and strode forward, catching the Koorime's arm and hauling her backwards. "Are you INSANE?" He hissed, glaring venomously at everyone, who immediately retreated, cowed. "You know better than to go out on the streets alone…and especially when you're drunk!"
The petite Ice Maiden's eyes welled up. "I'm bad?" she questioned, sounding more like a plaintive three-year-old than herself. "I'm shorreh…" Obviously she was one of those sentimental drunks.
"Uh…" The bat-winged youkai suddenly became aware of the stares of the crowd.
"Get that girl home and put her to bed!" One woman yelled.
"Better yet, I'll take her home!" A teenaged boy shouted, amidst hoots and jeers from his comrades.
"I've got a good recipe for hangovers!" Another female called helpfully. "Let me see, you use two raw eggs, some brown sugar…"
The first idea was probably the one he should follow. Kuronue picked up the sniffling Kaeru, catching a few of the hiruiseki gems in his hand as he did so. He couldn't fly with so many people around…the Mirror Holders would flay him alive if he was seen with his wings. So he ran, and he didn't stop running until they were safely back in Kurama's house. There he sat Kaeru down on the couch and did his best to look stern.
"All right, young lady, you sit there and think about what you've done!"
A long silence. Then--
"What'sh I do?"
The chimera glared at her. "You got drunk, you went out in your nightshirt, and Enma knows what you'll do ne--"
Even in her inebriated state, Kaeru figured out the best way to effectively silence him. She slid off the couch, walked over, seized a handful of hair, and dragged Kuronue's head down to kiss him. Then she let go.
Kuronue couldn't help gaping at the Koorime. "What was THAT?"
"You wantsh me," Kaeru told him cheerfully. "I shee…everyone looksh at Koorime that way…all the ningen malesh…do you like me, Kuronue?"
Even more startling than the kiss was her use of his name without the honorific "san" she usually attached to it. "Ah…" he said carefully, avoiding her direct gaze. "I--"
"When I watch… (the next word was so slurred, it was almost unrecognizable, but he thought it was "television") with Rei-shan…we watch shoap operash…and the man alwaysh doesh shomething with the girl…Rei-shan callsh it sheducing…are you gonna sheduce me, Kuronue?" She grabbed his wing and yanked, knocking him off balance until he landed on the floor, where she put her hands on his shoulders to keep him down, her unbound teal hair falling into his face as she leaned downwards.
At this point, she was the one doing the seducing, Kuronue thought dizzily. How easy it would be just to go along with her…after all, she probably wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.
"I'm only a liability to them if I stay. At least I can prevent more deaths on my account…"
Suddenly, he flinched, as those words came to mind. Kaeru had said that when they'd been visiting her home. She'd left to save her friends and family from Zenkai…how could he even think of taking advantage of a Koorime who was risking everything, including her own life, to protect those she cared for? Even if she wouldn't remember, he would. Right now, the best thing to do was to get her in bed.
"Kaeru." He gently pried her hands off his shoulders and stood up. "You need some rest. If I'm right, you're gonna have a hell of a headache tomorrow morning."
"Notsh tired," the Ice Maiden protested. But, apparently, she was. She blinked slowly, then sighed, and toppled over. Kuronue caught her and lifted her up. He carried the unconscious Koorime to her room and tucked her into bed. Kaeru gave a sleepy mutter and then relaxed into slumber. Shaking his head and smoothing the covers over her, Kuronue tossed the empty bottle up and down.
"How am I going to explain this to Kurama…?"
When Chitsuko and Kurama returned two hours later, Kuronue explained. As he had expected, neither one was very pleased, and Chitsuko spent another hour brewing up a hangover cure for Kaeru. It came in handy when the Koorime awoke.
"Hey…how're you feeling?" Kuronue looked down at Kaeru, who was sipping from the cup Chitsuko had given her and trying not to grimace.
The girl smiled wearily. "Like I was hit by Hiei-san's dragon…what happened? All I remember was eating that really hot thing, and then I woke up with this horrible headache…"
The chimera coughed into his hand. "Er…well, see…you…" He met Kaeru's questioning eyes and then decided not to tell her. "You drank Chuu's alcohol and passed out."
"Well, that would explain the headache…"
As he watched her rub her forehead and drink the rest of the brew, he resolved to do something…besides hiding Chuu's bottles extremely well.
He was never going to let Kaeru watch soap operas with Rei again.
*OOC*
Hooo…why you should never let someone braindead do stuff like this! Be afraid…very afraid. So, if you're not afraid by reading this chapter, please review and here's what's coming up next chapter!
* Kaeru is summoned to Reikai and gets her first-ever oar ride…pray for her.
* When she gets to Reikai, Koenma has some very solemn news for her…you'll now learn why Zenkai seeks to destroy Kaeru.
* Hiken discusses his past with Kuronue and Suzaku's goat buddy returns.
*sniffle* I don't wanna finish Kikyoku…. You can't make me! *runs and hides* It's those Stupid Orcs!
Inuki: Woof!
*calms down slightly* Fine, fine…enjoy, readers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I hope ye die, ye thief!!" Chuu yelled at Kurama's back, as the redhead accepted the armful of bottles from a snickering Rinku. "Trying to separate a man from his one love!"
"That's kind of pathetic, Chuu," Kelsey remarked, who had come with the two…mainly to prevent the drunkard from attacking Rinku, who kept provoking him.
Chitsuko shook her head amusedly. "You'll get them back in a week. This is just to make sure that you don't accidentally forget and take a drink."
"Bye, Chitsuko!" Rinku called, as he and Kelsey dragged a wailing Chuu away. "Take care of it!"
That had been three days ago. Now it was late morning in the Minamino household. Shiori had left for work. Kurama and Chitsuko had gone to the movies, although Kuronue suspected they wouldn't actually be watching the movie. Rei had dropped by and "kidnapped" Suzaku, pausing only long enough to assure Kuronue (who could care less) that she wasn't going to kill him and to deliver a saucy wink at the stricken Saint Beast.
The chimera had been sitting at the table, deep in thought and absently popping dried hot peppers into his mouth. He seemed oblivious to the taste, not bothered in the slightest. He was alone in the house, with the exception of Kaeru, who was still sleeping. The Koorime wasn't much for all-nighters, and she hadn't slept since the sleepover, lost in a sort of brooding silence. Chitsuko had finally gotten her to bed and, once her head hit the pillow, she was a goner.
With a sigh, Kuronue finally rose, taking a sip from one of Chuu's beloved bottles and heading to his room for a nap of his own.
Two minutes later, a rumpled-haired Kaeru dressed simply in an oversized gray nightshirt with red-trimmed long-sleeved cuffs walked into the room, blinking and yawning. Spotting the jar of peppers that Kuronue had forgotten to put back in the kitchen, she reached into it and pulled out a pepper. Curious as to what this small, shriveled shiny thing was, she put it in her mouth and swallowed. And promptly learned why it was probably wise to investigate anything she ate BEFORE she ate it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOUUUUUUUUUCHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Kuronue was rudely awakened from his slumber by several loud yelps. Frowning, he staggered out of his room to investigate.
By now, poor Kaeru was frantically searching for anything that would quell the burning in her throat…it felt terrible! And then she saw the bottle.
If only Kuronue had remembered to hide the bottle, as Kurama had instructed. If only Kaeru hadn't swallowed that dried pepper. But he had, and she had, and by the time Kuronue arrived on the scene, he was too late. The Ice Maiden had managed to chug the entire bottle.
With Chuu, even the slightest sip got him instantly drunk. With a Koorime, who had never had anything alcoholic in her system, results were more than disastrous. They were catastrophic.
"Kaeru!" Seeing his charge sprawled on the floor, the bottle rolling out of her hand, Kuronue should have assumed the obvious. But he didn't. "Crap, you're not dead, are you?? Please don't be dead!"
Kaeru peered up at Kuronue with bleary eyes. "Doeshn' burn anymore," she said thickly, and then hiccupped. "Tastesh funny, though."
Okay, so she wasn't dead. And Kuronue finally realized what was wrong. "Kaeru…did you drink all of that?"
"Yesh." She hiccupped again. "I wanna go outshide," she added petulantly. "It'sh nicesh out…" And, before the startled chimera could stop her, she'd slipped out of the door…still in her nightshirt.
If she'd downed the contents of that bottle…she was in a lot of trouble. And now she was out there. Kuronue cursed himself for being so thickheaded and slow this morning and rushed out after her, grabbing one of Kurama's coats to hide his wings.
For being incredibly drunk, Kaeru had covered a good distance before Kuronue finally caught up with her. She was weaving unsteadily amongst a crowd of gaping people…the males nodding approvingly and starting towards her, recognizing a chance when they saw it, and the females looking absolutely horrified at this "hussy" clad in "practically nothing", traipsing along.
Kuronue gritted his teeth and strode forward, catching the Koorime's arm and hauling her backwards. "Are you INSANE?" He hissed, glaring venomously at everyone, who immediately retreated, cowed. "You know better than to go out on the streets alone…and especially when you're drunk!"
The petite Ice Maiden's eyes welled up. "I'm bad?" she questioned, sounding more like a plaintive three-year-old than herself. "I'm shorreh…" Obviously she was one of those sentimental drunks.
"Uh…" The bat-winged youkai suddenly became aware of the stares of the crowd.
"Get that girl home and put her to bed!" One woman yelled.
"Better yet, I'll take her home!" A teenaged boy shouted, amidst hoots and jeers from his comrades.
"I've got a good recipe for hangovers!" Another female called helpfully. "Let me see, you use two raw eggs, some brown sugar…"
The first idea was probably the one he should follow. Kuronue picked up the sniffling Kaeru, catching a few of the hiruiseki gems in his hand as he did so. He couldn't fly with so many people around…the Mirror Holders would flay him alive if he was seen with his wings. So he ran, and he didn't stop running until they were safely back in Kurama's house. There he sat Kaeru down on the couch and did his best to look stern.
"All right, young lady, you sit there and think about what you've done!"
A long silence. Then--
"What'sh I do?"
The chimera glared at her. "You got drunk, you went out in your nightshirt, and Enma knows what you'll do ne--"
Even in her inebriated state, Kaeru figured out the best way to effectively silence him. She slid off the couch, walked over, seized a handful of hair, and dragged Kuronue's head down to kiss him. Then she let go.
Kuronue couldn't help gaping at the Koorime. "What was THAT?"
"You wantsh me," Kaeru told him cheerfully. "I shee…everyone looksh at Koorime that way…all the ningen malesh…do you like me, Kuronue?"
Even more startling than the kiss was her use of his name without the honorific "san" she usually attached to it. "Ah…" he said carefully, avoiding her direct gaze. "I--"
"When I watch… (the next word was so slurred, it was almost unrecognizable, but he thought it was "television") with Rei-shan…we watch shoap operash…and the man alwaysh doesh shomething with the girl…Rei-shan callsh it sheducing…are you gonna sheduce me, Kuronue?" She grabbed his wing and yanked, knocking him off balance until he landed on the floor, where she put her hands on his shoulders to keep him down, her unbound teal hair falling into his face as she leaned downwards.
At this point, she was the one doing the seducing, Kuronue thought dizzily. How easy it would be just to go along with her…after all, she probably wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.
"I'm only a liability to them if I stay. At least I can prevent more deaths on my account…"
Suddenly, he flinched, as those words came to mind. Kaeru had said that when they'd been visiting her home. She'd left to save her friends and family from Zenkai…how could he even think of taking advantage of a Koorime who was risking everything, including her own life, to protect those she cared for? Even if she wouldn't remember, he would. Right now, the best thing to do was to get her in bed.
"Kaeru." He gently pried her hands off his shoulders and stood up. "You need some rest. If I'm right, you're gonna have a hell of a headache tomorrow morning."
"Notsh tired," the Ice Maiden protested. But, apparently, she was. She blinked slowly, then sighed, and toppled over. Kuronue caught her and lifted her up. He carried the unconscious Koorime to her room and tucked her into bed. Kaeru gave a sleepy mutter and then relaxed into slumber. Shaking his head and smoothing the covers over her, Kuronue tossed the empty bottle up and down.
"How am I going to explain this to Kurama…?"
When Chitsuko and Kurama returned two hours later, Kuronue explained. As he had expected, neither one was very pleased, and Chitsuko spent another hour brewing up a hangover cure for Kaeru. It came in handy when the Koorime awoke.
"Hey…how're you feeling?" Kuronue looked down at Kaeru, who was sipping from the cup Chitsuko had given her and trying not to grimace.
The girl smiled wearily. "Like I was hit by Hiei-san's dragon…what happened? All I remember was eating that really hot thing, and then I woke up with this horrible headache…"
The chimera coughed into his hand. "Er…well, see…you…" He met Kaeru's questioning eyes and then decided not to tell her. "You drank Chuu's alcohol and passed out."
"Well, that would explain the headache…"
As he watched her rub her forehead and drink the rest of the brew, he resolved to do something…besides hiding Chuu's bottles extremely well.
He was never going to let Kaeru watch soap operas with Rei again.
*OOC*
Hooo…why you should never let someone braindead do stuff like this! Be afraid…very afraid. So, if you're not afraid by reading this chapter, please review and here's what's coming up next chapter!
* Kaeru is summoned to Reikai and gets her first-ever oar ride…pray for her.
* When she gets to Reikai, Koenma has some very solemn news for her…you'll now learn why Zenkai seeks to destroy Kaeru.
* Hiken discusses his past with Kuronue and Suzaku's goat buddy returns.
