Charms
Dear readers... "Ah! Get on with it!" Kuwabara threw some popcorn at Eiri-san. Why you! "You're blocking my view!" Ko-enma told her. "Down in front!" Yusuke threw Kuwabara's popcorn. "Hey!" the carrot top teen protested. Every one?...Eiri-san pouted. Fine, on with the story!
Chapter 19
Yoko-Kurama stood a short distance away looking into the forest on the edge of the field that had once spread forever. Shuichi walked closer to him, watching the way the wind played with his hair.
"It's you." Shuichi called. The silver haired demon's ears twitched.
"That again?" he half registered the teen behind him.
"You mean, we're seperate again? But I thought..." the red head realized, he didn't mind the thought of having to join together like before. There was a fun kind of dirtiness about it he found irrisistable.
"So did I..." Yoko-Kurama turned to face him. His face felt hot when the demon stepped toward him. "We were the same for a time, I remember." He touched Kurama's hair, lifting crimson strands between his fingers. "But something happened..." the demon leaned close, breathing his scent.
"Something?" Kurama watched those golden eyes with breathless anticipation, feeling a strong arm reaching around him.
"We..." The word barely touched the others lips when Yoko-Kurama shielded his red head self from a sudden wave of hot air pressure followed immediately by an explosion. Kurama was so shocked he didn't know how to begin to recover. Then the silver haired demon spoke again. "Remember what I told you?" The silver haired demon asked, releasing him. He began to walk to the tree line. Green eyes recognized the crimson trailing down his leg from the terrible gash in his lowerside.
"Wait! You're hurt!" Kurama tried to come closer to his past self but every step seemed to pull him futher away.
"Be careful," the golden eyed demon continued as a chilled gust of wind rushed between them, "a storm is coming." The forest was burning, bellowing smoke and heat, his other self was wounded and there was a terribly annoying buzzing sound that wasn't like any insect he had ever heard.
*RIIINNNGGG* The phone woke Kurama with a start. He sat up and Daiki's arm slid off his side. //Huh?// He looked at the strawberry blond. He was sleeping soundly. *Riiinnnggg* He carefully moved away wondering how he found himself with his back to his friend and an arm over him. *Riiiiinnnnnggggg* Was that getting louder?
"Hai Hai," he made it before it rang again. "Mushi mushi (kind of like saying 'can you hear me?')?"
"Shuichi-kun!" his mother's voice was on the other end.
"Mother, I'm glad to hear from you." he really was, being a stablizing force was hard without someone to stablize you. Then he remembered what he told her about calling him. "Do you need something?"
"No, no dear. I just wanted to make sure you're alright. You sound cheerful. How's Daiki-kun?"
"Uh," Shuichi didn't know what to say. He looked to his room, where Daiki should still be sleeping. "He visited his family yesterday," he tried to put as much of the truth into his report without telling her everything. "We had the stew you left us last night. It was great!" Knowing Daiki is in this state wasn't going to help anything. It'd probably just ruin her vacation. "Are you having fun there?"
"Oh, yes!" she added humor to her voice. "The water is wonderful but the smell is always strange." Shuichi smiled. "You're grandfather has brought a guest with him. He's very nice, I'm meeting so many new people. I'm enjoying myself." she assured him.
"That's wonderful." Shuichi was happy for her. "I hope you're eating right." he scolded.
"Yes, sir." she said obediently. They giggled at each other. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Mother," he complained.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I know your old enough to handle anything. It doesn't mean I'll never worry about you." there was a short silence on the phone. //mother// there was nothing more he wanted in this moment but to have his mother hold him like she always had. To pet his hair and tell him everything would work out in the end. "Oh!" she said suddenly. "There's a ping pong tournament and I'm up next, good bye, son."
"Good bye mother."
"Love you." she added.
"I love you too." he put the phone down. He didn't like misleading her. It was necessary sometimes. He went to his room and found Daiki standing in the middle of the blankets. His storm blue eyes looked at him. "Hikari-san." Kurama was a little surprised, he was fast asleep and tried to keep things quiet enough not to wake him.
Before the red head knew it, the young man moved toward him and grabbed his hand. Kurama gasped unsure how to react. Daiki's hand was losely around his own, but that wasn't the point! The seemingly puppet like boy had moved and touched him without pressure or coaxing. Blue eyes looked at him. //Are you making sure I'm real? Or trying to tell me you don't want me to go? Maybe both.//
"It's okay." The red head squeazed his warm hand. "I'm here."
Kurama prepared a simple breakfast and fed him with chopsticks. He was getting better! The red head made their lunches and everything but even after he had everything together, he knew he shouldn't bring Daiki to school like this. There would be a lot of unwanted questions, but he couldn't leave the boy here either. Daiki made it clear the didn't want to be alone.
"Hikari-san." Kurama took his friend's hand. "I have a very special friend for you to meet." Blue eyes stayed fixed on the red head.
It was a little odd navigating the streets, guys holding hands wasn't exactly a common sight. Daiki might follow other wise but he didn't want to take any chances of losing him in the morning crowds. Finally they arrived. They walked the steps up to Genkai's temple. At the top of them a dark figure loomed.
"Hiei." Green eyes narrowed. //This is very suspicious// "Are you visiting Genkai?" he asked sarcastically. the brunet huffed.
"I already told you, she's none of my buisness." the fire demon's deep voice was cold.
"Then..." Kurama recognized those red eyes fixed on Daiki. "What are you planning?" The red head moved between Hiei and his target.
"I could ask you the same question." Hiei looked at the teen, disapproving.
In an instant the fire demon flashed forward. Kurama was ready for any attack but it was Hiei's black coat that rushed for him. The fire demon dashed around him and appeared behind Daiki. The boy didn't move.
Kurama threw the cloth aside in time to see Hiei grab Daiki's arm. The brunet twisted the young man's arm behind his back and pulled him away from the fox demon. Blue eyes seemed to recognize the distance growing between them. But his body moved because Hiei manipulated it, he didn't cry out or seem to be in pain.
"Hiei!" Kurama saw his friend's helplessness //What is hiei trying to do?// "Release him!" the fox demon moved toward them with caution, reaching out to his friend. The strawberry blond reacted, reaching out as well. //Daiki!//
"Are you having fun with your toy?" He pushed Daiki at the fox demon. Kurama caught his friend, but fell back on the steps. "He's just a puppet, you know." Hiei brandished the dark cloth, retriving his coat. "Just a flesh doll without a soul." the brunet almost spat.
"Without?" Kurama's green eyes filled with horror. "What do you mean?"
"Can't you feel it?" red eyes looked down on him. "Or have you renounced your blood for this boy?"
"Renounnced?" Even Hiei was saying it, that he some how rejected his demon self. It just wasn't true! "Hiei, don't be rediculous! Why would I do anything like that?" he helped Daiki to his feet.
"Do you think I'm stupid? That I can't see everything you do?"
"You're..." he was feeling very violated but there was something else too that felt flattered. "You're watching me?"
"You're smarter than this Kurama...to get involved with misuteta." Hiei vanished again, having said his peace.
"Misuteta." he repeated looking into those stormy blue eyes. //forsaken.// that's what the word means.
"Hm." Genkai looked him over. "This boy." Genkai watched as no matter how she turned the boy's head Daiki would turn back to look at Kurama. She looked at Shuichi. Green eyes were steady as he waited for her verdict. "You say he lost his soul?"
"How terrible." Yukina held an ash tray the old temple master used for her cigarette.
"That's what Hiei told me." Kurama didn't want to believe it, he wanted a second opinion. The old woman pinched a pressure point on the boy's arm. She frowned when nothing happened. "What does it mean Genkai-sama?" the fox demon hesitated. Did he really want to hear the answer, especiallyShe tapped her cigarette and Yukina quickly caught the ashes in the dark tray.
"Please be more careful, Genkai sama." Yukina told her, but the old woman ignored her.
"I'll tell you the short verson." Genkai sat on a pillow. She took a puff and breathed the smoke out in a sigh. "Hiei is right." she scratched her head with her pinky. "Or at least he would be if not for the fact that his soul has only been taken recently. The problem we face is if he is left this way, he will die."
"Please, Genkai-sama." her words terrified the fox demon. "Tell me what can be done." he bowed asking for this favor. "How can I help him?"
"Hold on." she cautioned him. "Something like this doesn't necessarily have a simple solution. I'm not even sure how he got this way." Genkai told him, motioning to the boy with her cigarette. "I understand you're concern though, if it weren't for the demon keeping his heart beating, he would probably be a forsaken by now."
//What?// in that moment Kurama found a new level of shock.
Dear readers... "Ah! Get on with it!" Kuwabara threw some popcorn at Eiri-san. Why you! "You're blocking my view!" Ko-enma told her. "Down in front!" Yusuke threw Kuwabara's popcorn. "Hey!" the carrot top teen protested. Every one?...Eiri-san pouted. Fine, on with the story!
Chapter 19
Yoko-Kurama stood a short distance away looking into the forest on the edge of the field that had once spread forever. Shuichi walked closer to him, watching the way the wind played with his hair.
"It's you." Shuichi called. The silver haired demon's ears twitched.
"That again?" he half registered the teen behind him.
"You mean, we're seperate again? But I thought..." the red head realized, he didn't mind the thought of having to join together like before. There was a fun kind of dirtiness about it he found irrisistable.
"So did I..." Yoko-Kurama turned to face him. His face felt hot when the demon stepped toward him. "We were the same for a time, I remember." He touched Kurama's hair, lifting crimson strands between his fingers. "But something happened..." the demon leaned close, breathing his scent.
"Something?" Kurama watched those golden eyes with breathless anticipation, feeling a strong arm reaching around him.
"We..." The word barely touched the others lips when Yoko-Kurama shielded his red head self from a sudden wave of hot air pressure followed immediately by an explosion. Kurama was so shocked he didn't know how to begin to recover. Then the silver haired demon spoke again. "Remember what I told you?" The silver haired demon asked, releasing him. He began to walk to the tree line. Green eyes recognized the crimson trailing down his leg from the terrible gash in his lowerside.
"Wait! You're hurt!" Kurama tried to come closer to his past self but every step seemed to pull him futher away.
"Be careful," the golden eyed demon continued as a chilled gust of wind rushed between them, "a storm is coming." The forest was burning, bellowing smoke and heat, his other self was wounded and there was a terribly annoying buzzing sound that wasn't like any insect he had ever heard.
*RIIINNNGGG* The phone woke Kurama with a start. He sat up and Daiki's arm slid off his side. //Huh?// He looked at the strawberry blond. He was sleeping soundly. *Riiinnnggg* He carefully moved away wondering how he found himself with his back to his friend and an arm over him. *Riiiiinnnnnggggg* Was that getting louder?
"Hai Hai," he made it before it rang again. "Mushi mushi (kind of like saying 'can you hear me?')?"
"Shuichi-kun!" his mother's voice was on the other end.
"Mother, I'm glad to hear from you." he really was, being a stablizing force was hard without someone to stablize you. Then he remembered what he told her about calling him. "Do you need something?"
"No, no dear. I just wanted to make sure you're alright. You sound cheerful. How's Daiki-kun?"
"Uh," Shuichi didn't know what to say. He looked to his room, where Daiki should still be sleeping. "He visited his family yesterday," he tried to put as much of the truth into his report without telling her everything. "We had the stew you left us last night. It was great!" Knowing Daiki is in this state wasn't going to help anything. It'd probably just ruin her vacation. "Are you having fun there?"
"Oh, yes!" she added humor to her voice. "The water is wonderful but the smell is always strange." Shuichi smiled. "You're grandfather has brought a guest with him. He's very nice, I'm meeting so many new people. I'm enjoying myself." she assured him.
"That's wonderful." Shuichi was happy for her. "I hope you're eating right." he scolded.
"Yes, sir." she said obediently. They giggled at each other. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Mother," he complained.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I know your old enough to handle anything. It doesn't mean I'll never worry about you." there was a short silence on the phone. //mother// there was nothing more he wanted in this moment but to have his mother hold him like she always had. To pet his hair and tell him everything would work out in the end. "Oh!" she said suddenly. "There's a ping pong tournament and I'm up next, good bye, son."
"Good bye mother."
"Love you." she added.
"I love you too." he put the phone down. He didn't like misleading her. It was necessary sometimes. He went to his room and found Daiki standing in the middle of the blankets. His storm blue eyes looked at him. "Hikari-san." Kurama was a little surprised, he was fast asleep and tried to keep things quiet enough not to wake him.
Before the red head knew it, the young man moved toward him and grabbed his hand. Kurama gasped unsure how to react. Daiki's hand was losely around his own, but that wasn't the point! The seemingly puppet like boy had moved and touched him without pressure or coaxing. Blue eyes looked at him. //Are you making sure I'm real? Or trying to tell me you don't want me to go? Maybe both.//
"It's okay." The red head squeazed his warm hand. "I'm here."
Kurama prepared a simple breakfast and fed him with chopsticks. He was getting better! The red head made their lunches and everything but even after he had everything together, he knew he shouldn't bring Daiki to school like this. There would be a lot of unwanted questions, but he couldn't leave the boy here either. Daiki made it clear the didn't want to be alone.
"Hikari-san." Kurama took his friend's hand. "I have a very special friend for you to meet." Blue eyes stayed fixed on the red head.
It was a little odd navigating the streets, guys holding hands wasn't exactly a common sight. Daiki might follow other wise but he didn't want to take any chances of losing him in the morning crowds. Finally they arrived. They walked the steps up to Genkai's temple. At the top of them a dark figure loomed.
"Hiei." Green eyes narrowed. //This is very suspicious// "Are you visiting Genkai?" he asked sarcastically. the brunet huffed.
"I already told you, she's none of my buisness." the fire demon's deep voice was cold.
"Then..." Kurama recognized those red eyes fixed on Daiki. "What are you planning?" The red head moved between Hiei and his target.
"I could ask you the same question." Hiei looked at the teen, disapproving.
In an instant the fire demon flashed forward. Kurama was ready for any attack but it was Hiei's black coat that rushed for him. The fire demon dashed around him and appeared behind Daiki. The boy didn't move.
Kurama threw the cloth aside in time to see Hiei grab Daiki's arm. The brunet twisted the young man's arm behind his back and pulled him away from the fox demon. Blue eyes seemed to recognize the distance growing between them. But his body moved because Hiei manipulated it, he didn't cry out or seem to be in pain.
"Hiei!" Kurama saw his friend's helplessness //What is hiei trying to do?// "Release him!" the fox demon moved toward them with caution, reaching out to his friend. The strawberry blond reacted, reaching out as well. //Daiki!//
"Are you having fun with your toy?" He pushed Daiki at the fox demon. Kurama caught his friend, but fell back on the steps. "He's just a puppet, you know." Hiei brandished the dark cloth, retriving his coat. "Just a flesh doll without a soul." the brunet almost spat.
"Without?" Kurama's green eyes filled with horror. "What do you mean?"
"Can't you feel it?" red eyes looked down on him. "Or have you renounced your blood for this boy?"
"Renounnced?" Even Hiei was saying it, that he some how rejected his demon self. It just wasn't true! "Hiei, don't be rediculous! Why would I do anything like that?" he helped Daiki to his feet.
"Do you think I'm stupid? That I can't see everything you do?"
"You're..." he was feeling very violated but there was something else too that felt flattered. "You're watching me?"
"You're smarter than this Kurama...to get involved with misuteta." Hiei vanished again, having said his peace.
"Misuteta." he repeated looking into those stormy blue eyes. //forsaken.// that's what the word means.
"Hm." Genkai looked him over. "This boy." Genkai watched as no matter how she turned the boy's head Daiki would turn back to look at Kurama. She looked at Shuichi. Green eyes were steady as he waited for her verdict. "You say he lost his soul?"
"How terrible." Yukina held an ash tray the old temple master used for her cigarette.
"That's what Hiei told me." Kurama didn't want to believe it, he wanted a second opinion. The old woman pinched a pressure point on the boy's arm. She frowned when nothing happened. "What does it mean Genkai-sama?" the fox demon hesitated. Did he really want to hear the answer, especiallyShe tapped her cigarette and Yukina quickly caught the ashes in the dark tray.
"Please be more careful, Genkai sama." Yukina told her, but the old woman ignored her.
"I'll tell you the short verson." Genkai sat on a pillow. She took a puff and breathed the smoke out in a sigh. "Hiei is right." she scratched her head with her pinky. "Or at least he would be if not for the fact that his soul has only been taken recently. The problem we face is if he is left this way, he will die."
"Please, Genkai-sama." her words terrified the fox demon. "Tell me what can be done." he bowed asking for this favor. "How can I help him?"
"Hold on." she cautioned him. "Something like this doesn't necessarily have a simple solution. I'm not even sure how he got this way." Genkai told him, motioning to the boy with her cigarette. "I understand you're concern though, if it weren't for the demon keeping his heart beating, he would probably be a forsaken by now."
//What?// in that moment Kurama found a new level of shock.