Charms
No talk, story.
Chapter 15
"Don't let these fractions fool you." The teacher, Miss Hinageshi pointed with her chalk at the problem one of the students just solved incorrectly. "The divison of two characters as indicated here isn't the end of the problem."
Kurama wasn't paying attention. He was looking out the window considering the strange things that happened of late. The ice demoness, the attack, Yoko-Kurama, and the //The hunter.// That word echoed in his mind.
{"You've already sensed his presence." the silver haired fox demon told him.}
It can't be...It has to be impossible. The Matsue would never allow such a skilled hunter to come to the human world for anything less than...assasination.
{"My father was only thirty-eight and healthy..." Daiki explained once. "He died a month ago...I still don't know the cause."} //Could it be connected?//
{"The one with the mark is the property or, at the most, under the protection of the one who put it there." Genkai had explained about Daiki's scar. "Cresent moon...arrow...could be a warning to the protectorate."} //what's the connection?//
{"The young master's neice....Miku-san's condition has worsened..." the old butler told him. "She's not sick, but she is weak."} //What is it that sets them apart? Why is Hiei so insistant?//
{"Whatever buisness you have with this house...leave it alone." Hiei warned him once. "That creature...he's nothing like you."} //What?//
{"Where's Botan!" Yusuke had asked Ko-Enma. "...it's imparative you don't interfere." Ko-Enman answered.}
Maybe he was reaching, what connection could Botan have to this besides an appearance similar to the ice demon, but Yukina also...Kurama was having a crisis of time. Everything seemed to be hinging on a month. Some days dragged by like a 'dead man walking,' while others had the speed of a flame in the wind.
He brushed a hand through his crimson locks. //What does it all mean?// The fox demon felt a head ache coming on. His other hand idoly scribbled on some paper as he looked from the cloudy day to the chalk board. Nothing new. Green eyes glanced at Daiki.
{"So human." Hiei had said.} His memories of that dream were vivid. The fire demon seemed so disappointed, maybe even angry. //Human.// the fox demon frowned.
//Stop getting distracted.// he scolded himself, trying to stay focused on figuring out the events of late and hopefully drawing some kind of useful conclusion. His hand stopped and he looked down at the paper. A bitter feeling welled up in him and he turned the paper over.
"Daiki Hazama-san." Kurama hadn't noticed one of the office aid's open the door to the classroom.
"Yes." Green eyes watched him stand obediantly.
"There's a phone call for you." The aid told him.
"Thank you." he left the room.
"Let's continue with geographic forms in three dementional space," the teacher focused the class. Although some girls were talking diagonal from Kurama. "It's important to understand that no matter how the form changes, these concepts still apply."
"I heard that Daiki's whole family is cursed." one girl whispered to another. "They don't live very long and you barely ever see them at all. They lock themselves inside and stare out the windows waiting for demons to put them out of their misery."
"It's probably the demon on the phone," a boy behind them leaned forward, "'I've come to take your soul.'" the boy reached over them wiggling his fingers menisingly, the girls squealed.
"If you can't pay attention, stand in the hall." Miss Hinageshi ordered, the students obeyed.
//Curse?// Kurama had never heard that rumor.
{"In a final warning she said she would take revenge if he were to mistreat her children." Genkai's story of Korina was like that.} //But if it's the ice demon why would she attack me? And in that case what would the hunter have to do with it?// Now he was getting a head ache.
"Excuse me." The office aid was back. "Hazama-san has asked to be excused from the rest of his classes today. The priciple has given his permission."
"Very well." The teacher nodded.
"Sensei." Kurama stood, he had to find out what was happening. With a few excuses, Miss Hinageshi allowed him to leave. He ran out the door and was racing down the hall when, out of the corner of his eye he saw Daiki in the school yard running toward the front gate. "It must be an emergency. I wonder if his niece is alright."
The fox demon tore open the closest window. After a quick glance to be sure no one saw him, he jumped from the third story. He shot through the trees and flashed over the wall to meet the blond as he came around the corner. Daiki stopped, his eyes wide like he had just seen a ghost.
"Shuichi-kun." he was panting. So was the red head, trying to look like he had exerted himself. A thunder boom was soft from the distance.
"What happened?" the fox demon heaved trying to sweat a little. Hazama lowered his head. The gray clouds rolled in waves darkening the already dim day. "Hazama-san!" he insisted, tired of being ignored.
"Please stop calling me that!" Daiki shouted. Kurama took a step back, he had never shouted before. "The truth is..." his voice was not steady. "The truth is, I'm adopted. My father, my real father's name was Hikari. Shinzo Hikari."
"Daiki Hikari." Kurama remembered that name from his first day. Miss Hinageshi said it but after saying Hazama a few times, he thought it must have been a mistake.
"That's right." he began to walk, inviting Kurama to come. "I'm still apart of the Hazama family, but I'm acctually a distant cousin." He explained. "I was adopted by the head of the family when my real parents died in a fire ten years ago. Only Miku-chan and I survived."
"Forgive me but I called yesterday and they explained that she was your neice. Was he lying to me?" Kurama told him.
"That's not it." He shook his strawberry locks. "Miku, she's-she's my sister." Daiki looked sad. "She was two years old when We were seperated. She was adopted by Fuyuki Hazama who's the acting head of the family. I don't think she even know's who I really am. But I swore, I'd do everything I could to be there for her. Even so...I didn't turn out to be such a great brother after all." He put a hand over one side of his face.
"I've been so selfish." Daiki laughed bitterly. "So wrapped up in my own problems, if she did know, she'd probably hate me." a sad smile lingered. "Being an uncle you've got more excuses. I think I've used them all." Those blue eyes never once looked Kurama's way. "Maybe I'm being selfish now by telling you all of this. Then again, you've been so kind to me. I think you deserve the truth."
"Hikari-san." Kurama tired it out. "I don't deserve anything."
"But," the strawberry blond was already protesting. The fox demon raised a hand to silence him.
"I did what I did because I wanted to help you. Not because I wanted something from you." Green eyes told him. They walked for a time without a word between them. Blue eyes front, yet distracted, like he was considering something.
"Say," Diaki broke the silence, "Shuichi-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Do you believe in curses?" the boy asked.
"Curses? Like curse of the mummy?" Kurama tried to act unknowlegable.
"No." He shook hus head. "This one's genetic." Daiki told him solmnly. "It's been in my family since the feudal era at least. All of the original master's decendants have suffered medical conditions that are directly connected to weak hearts."
"Weak hearts?" Kurama asked. //Can that be considered a curse?// "What about a transplant?"
"Miku has already had one." he told him. "it seemed to be working for a while but the exact same symptoms came back not even a year later. They've all but given up on her."
"But...what about you?"
"I'm worried of course, she's getting worse everyday. And there's nothing..." his fists clenched and his body was tense.
//That's not what I meant, I wanted to ask you...//
"Shuichi-kun?" he seemed more relaxed, maybe a little helpless.
"Yes."
"You're the only friend I have right now." he told him bashfully. "It's not manly but, I don't want to be alone." blue eyes told him. "Please come with me. Meet my sister, if she's feeling well enough that is. They try to keep her quarentined so that she won't get sick. That would just complicate everything."
{"You see...I don't want to be alone anymore." Golden eyesconfessed.} Kurama was surprized to hear those words again so soon.
"I understand."
"So...you'll come?" Daiki asked trying to hide his hopefulness.
"Of course." Shuichi smiled. Daiki really did care, his heart was greatful and a bit sad, heavy but alive with excitement. //Poor Miku-chan.// He worried about the little girl, his friend's sister.
"Walking isn't fast enough," Daiki stopped suddenly and waved down a taxi. "The main house will pay the bill." he pulled Shuichi in. "Step on it." the strawberry blond ordered.
No talk, story.
Chapter 15
"Don't let these fractions fool you." The teacher, Miss Hinageshi pointed with her chalk at the problem one of the students just solved incorrectly. "The divison of two characters as indicated here isn't the end of the problem."
Kurama wasn't paying attention. He was looking out the window considering the strange things that happened of late. The ice demoness, the attack, Yoko-Kurama, and the //The hunter.// That word echoed in his mind.
{"You've already sensed his presence." the silver haired fox demon told him.}
It can't be...It has to be impossible. The Matsue would never allow such a skilled hunter to come to the human world for anything less than...assasination.
{"My father was only thirty-eight and healthy..." Daiki explained once. "He died a month ago...I still don't know the cause."} //Could it be connected?//
{"The one with the mark is the property or, at the most, under the protection of the one who put it there." Genkai had explained about Daiki's scar. "Cresent moon...arrow...could be a warning to the protectorate."} //what's the connection?//
{"The young master's neice....Miku-san's condition has worsened..." the old butler told him. "She's not sick, but she is weak."} //What is it that sets them apart? Why is Hiei so insistant?//
{"Whatever buisness you have with this house...leave it alone." Hiei warned him once. "That creature...he's nothing like you."} //What?//
{"Where's Botan!" Yusuke had asked Ko-Enma. "...it's imparative you don't interfere." Ko-Enman answered.}
Maybe he was reaching, what connection could Botan have to this besides an appearance similar to the ice demon, but Yukina also...Kurama was having a crisis of time. Everything seemed to be hinging on a month. Some days dragged by like a 'dead man walking,' while others had the speed of a flame in the wind.
He brushed a hand through his crimson locks. //What does it all mean?// The fox demon felt a head ache coming on. His other hand idoly scribbled on some paper as he looked from the cloudy day to the chalk board. Nothing new. Green eyes glanced at Daiki.
{"So human." Hiei had said.} His memories of that dream were vivid. The fire demon seemed so disappointed, maybe even angry. //Human.// the fox demon frowned.
//Stop getting distracted.// he scolded himself, trying to stay focused on figuring out the events of late and hopefully drawing some kind of useful conclusion. His hand stopped and he looked down at the paper. A bitter feeling welled up in him and he turned the paper over.
"Daiki Hazama-san." Kurama hadn't noticed one of the office aid's open the door to the classroom.
"Yes." Green eyes watched him stand obediantly.
"There's a phone call for you." The aid told him.
"Thank you." he left the room.
"Let's continue with geographic forms in three dementional space," the teacher focused the class. Although some girls were talking diagonal from Kurama. "It's important to understand that no matter how the form changes, these concepts still apply."
"I heard that Daiki's whole family is cursed." one girl whispered to another. "They don't live very long and you barely ever see them at all. They lock themselves inside and stare out the windows waiting for demons to put them out of their misery."
"It's probably the demon on the phone," a boy behind them leaned forward, "'I've come to take your soul.'" the boy reached over them wiggling his fingers menisingly, the girls squealed.
"If you can't pay attention, stand in the hall." Miss Hinageshi ordered, the students obeyed.
//Curse?// Kurama had never heard that rumor.
{"In a final warning she said she would take revenge if he were to mistreat her children." Genkai's story of Korina was like that.} //But if it's the ice demon why would she attack me? And in that case what would the hunter have to do with it?// Now he was getting a head ache.
"Excuse me." The office aid was back. "Hazama-san has asked to be excused from the rest of his classes today. The priciple has given his permission."
"Very well." The teacher nodded.
"Sensei." Kurama stood, he had to find out what was happening. With a few excuses, Miss Hinageshi allowed him to leave. He ran out the door and was racing down the hall when, out of the corner of his eye he saw Daiki in the school yard running toward the front gate. "It must be an emergency. I wonder if his niece is alright."
The fox demon tore open the closest window. After a quick glance to be sure no one saw him, he jumped from the third story. He shot through the trees and flashed over the wall to meet the blond as he came around the corner. Daiki stopped, his eyes wide like he had just seen a ghost.
"Shuichi-kun." he was panting. So was the red head, trying to look like he had exerted himself. A thunder boom was soft from the distance.
"What happened?" the fox demon heaved trying to sweat a little. Hazama lowered his head. The gray clouds rolled in waves darkening the already dim day. "Hazama-san!" he insisted, tired of being ignored.
"Please stop calling me that!" Daiki shouted. Kurama took a step back, he had never shouted before. "The truth is..." his voice was not steady. "The truth is, I'm adopted. My father, my real father's name was Hikari. Shinzo Hikari."
"Daiki Hikari." Kurama remembered that name from his first day. Miss Hinageshi said it but after saying Hazama a few times, he thought it must have been a mistake.
"That's right." he began to walk, inviting Kurama to come. "I'm still apart of the Hazama family, but I'm acctually a distant cousin." He explained. "I was adopted by the head of the family when my real parents died in a fire ten years ago. Only Miku-chan and I survived."
"Forgive me but I called yesterday and they explained that she was your neice. Was he lying to me?" Kurama told him.
"That's not it." He shook his strawberry locks. "Miku, she's-she's my sister." Daiki looked sad. "She was two years old when We were seperated. She was adopted by Fuyuki Hazama who's the acting head of the family. I don't think she even know's who I really am. But I swore, I'd do everything I could to be there for her. Even so...I didn't turn out to be such a great brother after all." He put a hand over one side of his face.
"I've been so selfish." Daiki laughed bitterly. "So wrapped up in my own problems, if she did know, she'd probably hate me." a sad smile lingered. "Being an uncle you've got more excuses. I think I've used them all." Those blue eyes never once looked Kurama's way. "Maybe I'm being selfish now by telling you all of this. Then again, you've been so kind to me. I think you deserve the truth."
"Hikari-san." Kurama tired it out. "I don't deserve anything."
"But," the strawberry blond was already protesting. The fox demon raised a hand to silence him.
"I did what I did because I wanted to help you. Not because I wanted something from you." Green eyes told him. They walked for a time without a word between them. Blue eyes front, yet distracted, like he was considering something.
"Say," Diaki broke the silence, "Shuichi-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Do you believe in curses?" the boy asked.
"Curses? Like curse of the mummy?" Kurama tried to act unknowlegable.
"No." He shook hus head. "This one's genetic." Daiki told him solmnly. "It's been in my family since the feudal era at least. All of the original master's decendants have suffered medical conditions that are directly connected to weak hearts."
"Weak hearts?" Kurama asked. //Can that be considered a curse?// "What about a transplant?"
"Miku has already had one." he told him. "it seemed to be working for a while but the exact same symptoms came back not even a year later. They've all but given up on her."
"But...what about you?"
"I'm worried of course, she's getting worse everyday. And there's nothing..." his fists clenched and his body was tense.
//That's not what I meant, I wanted to ask you...//
"Shuichi-kun?" he seemed more relaxed, maybe a little helpless.
"Yes."
"You're the only friend I have right now." he told him bashfully. "It's not manly but, I don't want to be alone." blue eyes told him. "Please come with me. Meet my sister, if she's feeling well enough that is. They try to keep her quarentined so that she won't get sick. That would just complicate everything."
{"You see...I don't want to be alone anymore." Golden eyesconfessed.} Kurama was surprized to hear those words again so soon.
"I understand."
"So...you'll come?" Daiki asked trying to hide his hopefulness.
"Of course." Shuichi smiled. Daiki really did care, his heart was greatful and a bit sad, heavy but alive with excitement. //Poor Miku-chan.// He worried about the little girl, his friend's sister.
"Walking isn't fast enough," Daiki stopped suddenly and waved down a taxi. "The main house will pay the bill." he pulled Shuichi in. "Step on it." the strawberry blond ordered.