That night, Kurama sat in bed. His homework was neatly piled on his desk. He opened the script-book.
"Are you sure you are up to school, Shuiichi?" his mother had asked.
"I am sure, mother."
She, however, wasn't as positive. "You have been sick a lot lately, Shuiichi. I think you should take one more day off. We'll go see the doctor and if he says you are alright..."
So Kurama was going to see the doctor.
It wasn't that he didn't like human doctors, he just never had had a use for them. He had never been sick in his life. Even if he had been, he could have run circles around any doctor in the Human World with the concoctions he could brew from a few Spirit World plants. He was surprised his mother had such faith in them, considering...
He sighed.
It was night and Kurama glanced up at the window of his bedroom. He could see the silouette of the tree in the moonlight with spider-web foliage moving in the wind. It was cold now. It was almost winter. The moon was beautiful.
Kurama peered out the window and let himself expected Hiei to appear.
Perhaps it was just a routine Kurama had grown accustomed to.
Kurama forced his eyes away.
He would get used to it.
There was that, but what would he do the next time he saw Hiei? Would he look at the Jiganshi a little too long? He could explain that, he could come up with something to say. Would he say something a little too familiar? It was just a matter of distraction in such an event.
What was Kurama worried for?
He knew, more than anyone, how to conceal, how to disguise.Kurama rubbed his eyes.
His eyes were red because he was tired, he reasoned.
His heart was aching...
He knew the why for that too, even if he never could say it out loud.
"Hiei..."
Kurama stopped resolutely and shaking his head, buried his nose back into the script-book.
It was strange, but even though he had been told he was the lead, there was no mention of his character for the first few pages. There was, however, enough to let him know this was a love story.
On page 8, there he was.
Kurama paused; read it again, then once more.
Someone had written a note in pencil under his first line, but that wasn't why he was laughing, throwing back his head. His laughter was full and ripe with exhaustian, that heady sound of being too close to an edge too long.
Minamino (the note said)
Costumes will be made for the play, but until then, please bring in anything you think will
help you stay in character.
See? That really wasn't a funny note at all.
What Kurama was actually laughing at was his character's name.He said it out loud, between grinning lips. "Youko...? A youko? You would think I couldn't be suprised anymore..." He threw his head back and laughed until his voice cracked and even then, he shook with a silent variety of his strange humor.
It really wasn't that funny. You see, if Kurama hadn't been laughing, he might've been looking toward the window at that moment.
If he had done that, he would have seen Hiei gazing in with a look that would've put a stop to Kurama's laughter.
Hiei touched the glass of the closed window. Sometimes he didn't understand that Fox. Sometimes he didn't understand himself. Why did he come here? Yukina needed him, but even so...
For a moment, it seemed he knew, then, like light on water suddenly breaking, the thought was gone.
Hiei turned away and vanished and behind him, Kurama took a breath and glanced at the empty tree.
See? Not funny at all.
...to be continued...