Kurama spent the rest of the day thinking about that girl. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep her off his mind. Around 3:30, he decided he would leave for the day and take a walk through the park to try and clear his mind. In any case, it wasn't like he'd be missed if he left a little early.
School was out by now, and children ran to and fro playing this game or that as he walked through the park. He smiled faintly as a girl forced him to stop as she ran a circle around him, trying to escape a young boy who was chasing her. He watched them disappear among the surrounding trees, then turned his gaze ahead of him once more.
He continued his walk along the path, enjoying the breeze that blew the sent of the blossoming flowers his way. It was late in August and the last blossoms of the season were in full bloom. Soon, the fall colors would claim the green around him and the autumn death would begin.
He rounded a corner, now focusing his thoughts on the flowers around him, when he happened to glance at the bench in front of him. He stopped, eyes wide. On the bench was that girl, and her sister, and...Kuwabara? He remained there, staring for some time until Kuwabara finally noticed him.
"Hey, Kur-" Kuwabara caught himself, side glancing at Kairi and Sazume, "uh...Shuichi, over here!" It felt more than weird to call Kurama by his human name, but Kuwabara figured it was probably best to introduce him by his human name to other humans. It would prevent confusion later. Or would it?
Kuwabara was still pondering whether he had done the right thing by introducing Kurama as Shuichi, when Kurama regained his composure and calmly approached the bench.
"Who are your friends, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked, acting as though he had never laid eyes on the girls before.
"Oh," Kuwabara suddenly pulled himself out of his thoughts and addressed his friend, "This is Kairi and her little sister, Sazume. Me and Kairi were friends when we were little, but she moved away. She and her sister are staying with her aunt. She owns a bakery, you know, that place by my house. What's it called?"
"'Bake 'n' Take,'" Sazume informed him.
"Right! That place. Anyway, now Kairi's going to be going to my college. Oh, and I think Sazume is going to you little bro.'s school," Kuwabara finished, then he turned to the girls sitting next to him. "Kairi, Sazume, this is K-...Shuichi," he said, almost calling him Kurama again. Kairi giggled at Kuwabara's mistake.
"Gee," she said to Kurama, "for a friend, he doesn't now your name too well, huh?" She smiled warmly at him and he was hard put to suppress a faint blush that threatened to creep onto his face. Bush? BLUSH!?!? He mentally slapped himself once more. What was this girl doing to him?
Kuwabara blinked in confusion, noticing that Kurama had been lost in thought for a few minutes now.
"Anything wrong?" he asked.
"What?" Kurama abandoned his thoughts and forced himself to concentrate on what was going on around him. "Oh...No. I'm fine." He gave Kuwabara a reassuring smile when he continued to stare, but it still didn't convince the orange-haired punk that his friend was alright.
"Hey, Ferret-face?" Kairi suddenly asked. Kuwabara turned to her but didn't get a chance to hear her question because Kurama interrupted.
"'Ferret-face?'" he asked, suppressing a laugh.
"Yeah, you see-" Kairi began.
"Oh-no. Don't tell him, please," Kuwabara whined, dreading the grief Hiei would give him if the shrimp ever discovered his nick-name.
"-when we were in kindergarten," Kairi continued, ignoring Kuwabara's protests, "this kid brought his ferret in for show-and-tell. And it looked exactly like Kuwabara!!!"
"It did not!" Kuwabara argued hotly.
"You kidding?! You two could have been twins!" Kairi said simply. She was laughing now, and Sazume had begun to laugh as well. Apparently the laughter was contagious because despite the fact that Kurama was trying exceptionally hard to hate this girl who was making him act so strangely, he found himself laughing as well. Only Kuwabara didn't laugh. He sat on the bench, fuming.
When the laughter subsided, Kurama opened his eyes to find Kairi staring at him. He stiffened slightly, but not noticeably. He could feel that blush coming back again and fought hard to suppress it. Now it was Kuwabara's turn to tease. As he glanced at his red-headed friend he noticed the wide eyed look he was giving Kairi and, although Kurama was fighting against it, Kuwabara clearly saw a split second of red on Kurama's cheeks. The younger boy smiled mischievously.
"Shuichi..." he started, careful to use his friend's human name, "was that a blush I just saw?"
Kurama visibly stiffened and turned towards Kuwabara. Had he seen? Had he guessed the confusing feelings Kurama was experiencing towards this strange girl? No. Kuwabara wasn't that smart. Was he?
Kuwabara's smirk widened as he met Kurama's startled gaze. "You like her, don't you?" he teased. Kairi and Sazume both turned to stare at him.
"Who?" they asked in unison.
"You," Kuwabara said simply, turning to smile at Kairi. Kairi's eyes widened and she turned to stare at Kurama. He noticed she wasn't blushing, which is what almost any other girl in the world would have done if they had just been told that Shuichi Minamino liked them. She seemed more startled then anything else. Kurama on the other hand was now fighting a loosing battle as, little by little, he felt his cheeks grow hotter as they turned red.
"Ha! I knew it!" Kuwabara cried, jumping up and pointing a triumphant finger in Kurama's face. Kurama just stood there, not sure what to do. He looked from Kuwabara to Kairi and back again. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he felt towards this girl. All he knew was that it was a completely new feeling that he had never in his life, human or demon, experienced before.
Sazume had noted the uncomfortable situation which was steadily getting worse, and decided it was time to leave.
"Kairi," she said quietly. Her sister dragged her gaze from the red-head before them and turned to look at Sazume. "We should be going. Mai said she wanted us home by 4:30, remember?"
Kairi was eighteen and felt she was too old to have to be back at certain times like a little kid, but she was getting tired of being talked about like she wasn't sitting right here. "Alright." she agreed with her sister, getting up and seating herself on her bike, pushing the kick-stand up with the heal of one foot. "See you Ferret-face. Um...." she paused, unsure what to say to Kurama. "Good-bye Shuichi," she said more quietly. Then she kicked the pedals into motion and sped down the path, Sazume jogging after her.
Kurama and Kuwabara stood where they had been frozen for several minutes already. Kuwabara was still wearing his goofy smile and Kurama was half staring, half glaring at him. Kuwabara broke the silence.
"I'm right, aren't I?" he said, sitting on the bench once more. Kurama considered the question, then sat on the bench as well.
"To be honest, I don't know," he admitted, staring upwards at the Sakura tree the bench was placed under.
"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama sighed, then gave Kuwabara an account of the events that had occurred earlier that day. When he had seen Kairi through the window, and everything that had gone through his head. Kuwabara sat quietly and listened, all thoughts of teasing driven away as he realized that his friend really wasn't sure about his feelings towards the golden-haired girl.
It felt strange to tell these things to Kuwabara, but he already knew Kairi, so Kurama figured he probably was the best one to talk to. He certainly couldn't ask Hiei after all. When he finished his story, he waited patiently for Kuwabara to say something.
"Sorry," Kuwabara said at length.
"For what?" Kurama asked, taken back by his answer.
"For teasing you. I didn't know that you...well..." Kuwabara trailed off. There was silence for a moment, then Kuwabara regained his voice. "I don't know what to tell ya. I think this is something you gotta figure out on your own. But, you know, you're like the smartest guy I know. You'll figure it out."
Kurama smiled at the encouragement. "Yes, I will," he agreed. There was silence again and Kurama was thinking about leaving when Kuwabara suddenly began talking again.
"You know, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but...there's something you should know about her," he said, suddenly becoming very grave.
"What is it?" Kurama asked, turning his full attention back on Kuwabara.
"Well...Kairi...she..." Kuwabara stumbled over his words, searching for the right ones. "The reason she moved...you see...her Mom...she was..." Kurama continued to stare, waiting patiently for Kuwabara to find the best words to express whatever he was trying to get across.
"Kairi's Mom was killed in front of her when she was five. That's why they moved," Kuwabara finally said in a voice just above a whisper. Kurama's eyes widened but he didn't say anything, waiting for Kuwabara to continues. "She was hiding a closet with one of those vene...venes...those doors you can see through like window blinds."
"Venetian," Kurama supplied the word.
"Right. She saw the whole thing, and ever since...she's been kinda...detached, you know? In fact, I was really surprised when she was laughing with us earlier. She must have been in a good mood. Most of the time she's real sad, almost depressed. She only acts happy so no one will worry about her. She has bad nightmares too. I just thought...I mean, if you're really serious about her...that you should, you know, know."
With that, Kuwabara got up off the bench and began walking in the direction of his house, leaving Kurama there to process all he had just heard. It was hard to believe. The pretty, smiling, happy, girl who he had watched jump over a street on her bike had really been through all that? He pondered the thought for a moment longer before Kuwabara interrupted.
"By the way," Kuwabara called over his shoulder. "Koenma wants us to meet Botan tonight. Midnight, behind Urameshi's apartment building."
School was out by now, and children ran to and fro playing this game or that as he walked through the park. He smiled faintly as a girl forced him to stop as she ran a circle around him, trying to escape a young boy who was chasing her. He watched them disappear among the surrounding trees, then turned his gaze ahead of him once more.
He continued his walk along the path, enjoying the breeze that blew the sent of the blossoming flowers his way. It was late in August and the last blossoms of the season were in full bloom. Soon, the fall colors would claim the green around him and the autumn death would begin.
He rounded a corner, now focusing his thoughts on the flowers around him, when he happened to glance at the bench in front of him. He stopped, eyes wide. On the bench was that girl, and her sister, and...Kuwabara? He remained there, staring for some time until Kuwabara finally noticed him.
"Hey, Kur-" Kuwabara caught himself, side glancing at Kairi and Sazume, "uh...Shuichi, over here!" It felt more than weird to call Kurama by his human name, but Kuwabara figured it was probably best to introduce him by his human name to other humans. It would prevent confusion later. Or would it?
Kuwabara was still pondering whether he had done the right thing by introducing Kurama as Shuichi, when Kurama regained his composure and calmly approached the bench.
"Who are your friends, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked, acting as though he had never laid eyes on the girls before.
"Oh," Kuwabara suddenly pulled himself out of his thoughts and addressed his friend, "This is Kairi and her little sister, Sazume. Me and Kairi were friends when we were little, but she moved away. She and her sister are staying with her aunt. She owns a bakery, you know, that place by my house. What's it called?"
"'Bake 'n' Take,'" Sazume informed him.
"Right! That place. Anyway, now Kairi's going to be going to my college. Oh, and I think Sazume is going to you little bro.'s school," Kuwabara finished, then he turned to the girls sitting next to him. "Kairi, Sazume, this is K-...Shuichi," he said, almost calling him Kurama again. Kairi giggled at Kuwabara's mistake.
"Gee," she said to Kurama, "for a friend, he doesn't now your name too well, huh?" She smiled warmly at him and he was hard put to suppress a faint blush that threatened to creep onto his face. Bush? BLUSH!?!? He mentally slapped himself once more. What was this girl doing to him?
Kuwabara blinked in confusion, noticing that Kurama had been lost in thought for a few minutes now.
"Anything wrong?" he asked.
"What?" Kurama abandoned his thoughts and forced himself to concentrate on what was going on around him. "Oh...No. I'm fine." He gave Kuwabara a reassuring smile when he continued to stare, but it still didn't convince the orange-haired punk that his friend was alright.
"Hey, Ferret-face?" Kairi suddenly asked. Kuwabara turned to her but didn't get a chance to hear her question because Kurama interrupted.
"'Ferret-face?'" he asked, suppressing a laugh.
"Yeah, you see-" Kairi began.
"Oh-no. Don't tell him, please," Kuwabara whined, dreading the grief Hiei would give him if the shrimp ever discovered his nick-name.
"-when we were in kindergarten," Kairi continued, ignoring Kuwabara's protests, "this kid brought his ferret in for show-and-tell. And it looked exactly like Kuwabara!!!"
"It did not!" Kuwabara argued hotly.
"You kidding?! You two could have been twins!" Kairi said simply. She was laughing now, and Sazume had begun to laugh as well. Apparently the laughter was contagious because despite the fact that Kurama was trying exceptionally hard to hate this girl who was making him act so strangely, he found himself laughing as well. Only Kuwabara didn't laugh. He sat on the bench, fuming.
When the laughter subsided, Kurama opened his eyes to find Kairi staring at him. He stiffened slightly, but not noticeably. He could feel that blush coming back again and fought hard to suppress it. Now it was Kuwabara's turn to tease. As he glanced at his red-headed friend he noticed the wide eyed look he was giving Kairi and, although Kurama was fighting against it, Kuwabara clearly saw a split second of red on Kurama's cheeks. The younger boy smiled mischievously.
"Shuichi..." he started, careful to use his friend's human name, "was that a blush I just saw?"
Kurama visibly stiffened and turned towards Kuwabara. Had he seen? Had he guessed the confusing feelings Kurama was experiencing towards this strange girl? No. Kuwabara wasn't that smart. Was he?
Kuwabara's smirk widened as he met Kurama's startled gaze. "You like her, don't you?" he teased. Kairi and Sazume both turned to stare at him.
"Who?" they asked in unison.
"You," Kuwabara said simply, turning to smile at Kairi. Kairi's eyes widened and she turned to stare at Kurama. He noticed she wasn't blushing, which is what almost any other girl in the world would have done if they had just been told that Shuichi Minamino liked them. She seemed more startled then anything else. Kurama on the other hand was now fighting a loosing battle as, little by little, he felt his cheeks grow hotter as they turned red.
"Ha! I knew it!" Kuwabara cried, jumping up and pointing a triumphant finger in Kurama's face. Kurama just stood there, not sure what to do. He looked from Kuwabara to Kairi and back again. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he felt towards this girl. All he knew was that it was a completely new feeling that he had never in his life, human or demon, experienced before.
Sazume had noted the uncomfortable situation which was steadily getting worse, and decided it was time to leave.
"Kairi," she said quietly. Her sister dragged her gaze from the red-head before them and turned to look at Sazume. "We should be going. Mai said she wanted us home by 4:30, remember?"
Kairi was eighteen and felt she was too old to have to be back at certain times like a little kid, but she was getting tired of being talked about like she wasn't sitting right here. "Alright." she agreed with her sister, getting up and seating herself on her bike, pushing the kick-stand up with the heal of one foot. "See you Ferret-face. Um...." she paused, unsure what to say to Kurama. "Good-bye Shuichi," she said more quietly. Then she kicked the pedals into motion and sped down the path, Sazume jogging after her.
Kurama and Kuwabara stood where they had been frozen for several minutes already. Kuwabara was still wearing his goofy smile and Kurama was half staring, half glaring at him. Kuwabara broke the silence.
"I'm right, aren't I?" he said, sitting on the bench once more. Kurama considered the question, then sat on the bench as well.
"To be honest, I don't know," he admitted, staring upwards at the Sakura tree the bench was placed under.
"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama sighed, then gave Kuwabara an account of the events that had occurred earlier that day. When he had seen Kairi through the window, and everything that had gone through his head. Kuwabara sat quietly and listened, all thoughts of teasing driven away as he realized that his friend really wasn't sure about his feelings towards the golden-haired girl.
It felt strange to tell these things to Kuwabara, but he already knew Kairi, so Kurama figured he probably was the best one to talk to. He certainly couldn't ask Hiei after all. When he finished his story, he waited patiently for Kuwabara to say something.
"Sorry," Kuwabara said at length.
"For what?" Kurama asked, taken back by his answer.
"For teasing you. I didn't know that you...well..." Kuwabara trailed off. There was silence for a moment, then Kuwabara regained his voice. "I don't know what to tell ya. I think this is something you gotta figure out on your own. But, you know, you're like the smartest guy I know. You'll figure it out."
Kurama smiled at the encouragement. "Yes, I will," he agreed. There was silence again and Kurama was thinking about leaving when Kuwabara suddenly began talking again.
"You know, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but...there's something you should know about her," he said, suddenly becoming very grave.
"What is it?" Kurama asked, turning his full attention back on Kuwabara.
"Well...Kairi...she..." Kuwabara stumbled over his words, searching for the right ones. "The reason she moved...you see...her Mom...she was..." Kurama continued to stare, waiting patiently for Kuwabara to find the best words to express whatever he was trying to get across.
"Kairi's Mom was killed in front of her when she was five. That's why they moved," Kuwabara finally said in a voice just above a whisper. Kurama's eyes widened but he didn't say anything, waiting for Kuwabara to continues. "She was hiding a closet with one of those vene...venes...those doors you can see through like window blinds."
"Venetian," Kurama supplied the word.
"Right. She saw the whole thing, and ever since...she's been kinda...detached, you know? In fact, I was really surprised when she was laughing with us earlier. She must have been in a good mood. Most of the time she's real sad, almost depressed. She only acts happy so no one will worry about her. She has bad nightmares too. I just thought...I mean, if you're really serious about her...that you should, you know, know."
With that, Kuwabara got up off the bench and began walking in the direction of his house, leaving Kurama there to process all he had just heard. It was hard to believe. The pretty, smiling, happy, girl who he had watched jump over a street on her bike had really been through all that? He pondered the thought for a moment longer before Kuwabara interrupted.
"By the way," Kuwabara called over his shoulder. "Koenma wants us to meet Botan tonight. Midnight, behind Urameshi's apartment building."