The Realization of the Situation

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  Don't own, don't sue... can't get nothing.))

Cece:  I'm back!  YAY!!!

Kurama:  I see...  sorry for the long wait... there were some problems.

Yusuke:  Okay, let's get on with it, you guys!

Cece:  Agreed.

Kurama:  That's my line.

Cece:  Oops.

            "If I couldn't beat him..." Andrea started to protest to Kurama.

            "Karasu only took you by surprise," Kurama interrupted her, carrying her injured form upstairs to her room, where he unlocked the door.

            After Kurama walked in, Andrea walked in after him, holding her back.  It felt like a thousand knives were digging into her back with one step; her face was contorted with pain.

            "Come here," Kurama said, grabbing her arm above her wrist.  He led her to her bed and sat her down on the soft mattress.  "I need you to lie down on your front."

            "Why?" Andrea asked as she did what she was told.

            Kurama didn't answer her; he only went into the bathroom to find a cold cloth and a first aid kit.  Finding them, he went back into the room, seeing the look of pain upon her innocent face.  Inwardly, he was angry that something like this could happen to her, but he wouldn't show it outwardly.  Instead, he sat down on the bed and patched up the injury she sustained.

            "Kurama?" Andrea asked, looking up at him.  "Something wrong?"

            "Don't worry; I'll take care of you and the girl in due time, he remembered Karasu's words.  Kurama turned his emerald green eyes away from Andrea.  Was this what you meant by 'taking care' of Andrea? he thought to himself.

            "Kurama?"

            Kurama snapped out of his trance and looked back at Andrea, who looked overly concerned about him.

            "Something wrong?"

            Kurama smiled while shaking his head.  "Nothing's wrong, Andrea," he answered.  All of a sudden, he walked to the open window, where his normal calm face turned to a darker, more anger-filled look.  His eyes seemed to narrow at what had taken place, and his ears couldn't pick up Andrea's worried voice calling his name.

            "Kurama?  What's going on?" she asked him, getting off of the bed and looking at him, her blue eyes looking worriedly at the redhead.

            Kurama only looked in front of him.  Seeing a vision of Karasu in the back of his mind, he clenched and unclenched his fists.  "I will take care of him soon enough," he said to himself.

            "Take care of who, Karasu?" Andrea asked, her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

            Kurama recoiled; he didn't want Andrea to hear that.  Still, she was concerned about him, so he nodded his head.  "Yes," he answered simply.

            "You didn't expect to go after Karasu and try to kill him," she replied.  She took one step closer to Kurama.  "It's not your fault this happened to me."

            Kurama shook his head in complete disagreement at her words.  He had already lost one too many people in his life... one too many friends had died, and he would be damned if he lost another.  In a way, losing Andrea would be the end of him.  He would stop Karasu... even if he had to pay his own life to do so.

            "I was the one who decided to go outside," Andrea continued, dropping to her knees.  "If I hadn't gotten myself involved, this wouldn't have happened."

            Once again, Kurama shook his head in disagreement.  He knelt down next to her and held her shoulders gently.  "You mustn't blame yourself, Andrea," he answered her.  He lowered his head, letting his long red bangs cover his eyes.  "Even if you hadn't gotten involved,

Karasu would still have come after you.  All it would take was one glance at the way I acted with you to see that my feelings for you are different than what I feel towards my other friends."

            "I know that..." Andrea answered, but stopped when she heard his last statement.  "How different?"

            Kurama looked up at her, and then looked away.  "I don't know, but it's different," he answered her.

            "Yeah, that I'd have to agree with you on," she answered.  "I was meaning to ask you... what were you looking at outside?"

            "Looking at?" Kurama asked her.  He stood to his feet and looked at the open window again.  "I was just looking at the children playing outside."  He smiled.  "I suppose that should make me jealous as I can't remember a single time when I felt such innocence."

            Andrea agreed, standing to her feet as well.  "Yeah, but they've never felt the pain of losing someone."  Her eyes looked downcast at the floor.

            "Perhaps they can handle the feelings better than we can," Kurama answered her.  He looked back at Andrea, who looked melancholy, and when he saw the look on her face, he frowned.  "What's wrong?"

            "Just thinking of all the people who died..." She cringed on the last word and continued.  "And I wonder... what if I had been there sooner?"

            Kurama held her gently while shaking his head lightly at the same time.  "Don't torture yourself with such 'what if' thoughts, Andrea," he answered.  "What's done is done.  We cannot go back, we can only go forward."

            Andrea bit her lip again.  "I just heard from that big mouth, Kuwabara..." she said. "You'll have to turn back into Youko to beat him, won't you?"

            At those words, Kurama stepped away from Andrea and stared out the open window.  "Yes... it's the only way, I'm afraid," he answered her.

            "Well, I can't stop you," she replied, holding her back again.  The pain had gone, but she'd have to be more careful.  "Someone once told me, 'Sometimes you have to do the things you hate in order to accomplish your goal."

            Kurama leaned his head against his hands and sighed.  "I agree wholeheartedly," he said.

            "My now 'father' told me that, because he knows I don't like killing and seeing the people I care about being killed," she continued.  Andrea faced the wall, tears forming in her eyes.  "And I have this strange feeling something terrible's gonna happen."

            "I know the chances of something bad happening are very high, especially with my going against a strong foe like Karasu," Kurama said, still looking out the window.  "But if your worry is for me, I want you to know something."  He walked over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders lightly.  "I will try to keep myself as alive as I can."

(How will Kurama keep his promise to Andrea?  Will they EVER tell each other their true feelings?  All in the next part!!)

Cece:  That feels great, writing again.

Kurama:  Perhaps you should start on your other ones.

Cece:  Right!  Ja ne!!