Here is the wonderfully crappy twenty-fifth chapter of A Red Rose in the Darkness!!!
Sadly, it is the last chapter of the actual ARRitD storyline... -cries-
WOOOOO it's gonna be crap. Like, super crap-crap. Like burnt poo on a stick. Huzzah.
A Red Rose in the Darkness
Chapter Twenty-Five
Shuiichi heard the sound of a car pulling up in their driveway. He looked up from the video game he was playing and out the window, seeing his mother's car door opening. She was talking to someone who was sitting in the front seat. His eyes widened and he grinned as he saw his brother step out of the passenger's side. He ran down the stairs, threw open the front door and jumped into Kurama's open arms.
"'Niichan!!" He said, hugging the surprised fox.
Kurama smiled, squeezing him back. "Long time no see, ne 'niichan?"
Hiei quietly stepped out of the backseat of the car, staring for a moment at the little child in Kurama's arm. Shuiichi caught his gaze and wriggled out of Kurama's grasp, running up and grabbing Hiei around his waist, burying his face in the demon's cloak. Hiei's eyes widened at this, unsure of what to do. Kurama giggled at Hiei's wide eyed look, which caused a glare to be shot his way.
Hiei, Hiei, you're such a pushover, Kurama thought.
"I heard that," the fire demon growled, leading to more giggles from the kitsune.
Kurama smiled, leaning over into the backseat and grabbed a box that carried some of the few possessions from their apartment. After freeing himself from Shuiichi's deathgrip, Hiei too lifted a box and two bags from the car and followed Kurama into the house. Shiori opened the door for Kurama, so he could carry the box into his bedroom. Hiei attempted to follow, but Shiori stopped him and shook her finger.
"Ah ah ah, Hiei. You," she said and pointed to an open doorway down the hallway. "Get that room."
The demon blinked, wondering how to take this. Should he growl at her for commanding him, or be thankful that she allowed him to have a room? As he stepped into the open doorway, he instantly chose the second option.
The room had been stylishly set up according to Hiei, meaning everything was black. There was a bed, a dresser and desk, a closet and much more that would go in a bedroom. And it was all black. Hiei stood unmoving in the doorway, staring.
"Well?" Shiori asked, coming up behind him. "I personalised it for you. Obviously, you like black, so I stuck with it."
Hiei walked in, setting the box and bags down on his bed. His bed. He turned to Shiori, who was smiling at him. "I..."
"That translates as 'I'm too shocked for words but I want to thank you', 'kaasan," Kurama said, leaning on the doorframe of Hiei's new bedroom, smiling at the little fire demon.
Shiori smiled at her success and clapped her hands. "Okay, now who's ready to have lunch!?"
Shuiichi, appearing out of nowhere, made his hand fly up. "I do!!"
Kurama, smiling, rose his hand slightly, and they all looked to Hiei. Kurama gave him a look. The fire demon stared back for a while, sighed, and gave in, raising his own hand. Kurama and Shuiichi smiled and Shiori squealed in delight and hugged him. Hiei once again threw a glare at Kurama. He was doomed to live in this place, worse than the Makai, with it's hugs and it's squealing, until they both agreed it was time to leave.
Shiori led all four downstairs to eat in the kitchen. They each sat at the table, as everything was set out and they began to dig in.
"So, what have you two been up to?" Shiori asked, directed at the jaganshi and the kitsune. "The school has informed me that you, Shuiichi, have been attending school everyday, but how have you been paying for your rent?"
"Well, I've been working a lot of extra hours at the flower shop, but it's been really stressful. I kept finding envelopes of money that I don't remember putting there, so it really must have been getting to me..." He said, furrowing his brow.
Hiei didn't own up to it.
"Yes, I see Hiei had to get a job too," Shiori said.
Kurama rose his eyebrow. "Really? When did this happen?"
Hiei shrugged in response, as his mouth was full of Shiori's delightful cooking.
"What? You didn't know?" Shiori asked him. "That's how I bumped into him in the park. He was babysitting a sweet little girl... Hime, I think."
Shuiichi's eyes widened and he choked on the food in his mouth, trying to hold in his laughter. Kurama just stared in shock as Shiori ranted on about how cute the two looked eating their ice cream and things like that.
"Well..." Kurama said quietly, still in disbelief. "That explains the envelopes of money lying around. Here I thought I was going crazy."
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Shiori had sent Kurama, Hiei, and Shuiichi off to their own bedrooms, and Hiei watched his clock, yes, his clock, slowly drift from ten o' clock to twelve twenty-four before he sat up, fully awake, and sighed. It just felt... so unnatural. He had been laying with Kurama by his side every night since they had left Shiori's house, and now? He just couldn't fall asleep without his kitsune.
He stood up quietly and opened his door, slowly peering out to see if Shiori was up. In satisfaction, he slightly opened the door more, until the opening was big enough for him to fit through.
He tiptoed down the hallway, quietly passing by Shiori's and Shuiichi's doors with more caution so he wouldn't get caught and sent into his own room. Hiei knew that he could always open his window and sneak out, which was very tempting, but he chose to be with Kurama tonight, in this strange house.
Finally reaching Kurama's door, he lightly knocked, but instantly found it was unlocked, so he quietly opened it and stepped in.
His kitsune lay there still, half of his body underneath the covers, facing the wall. Feeling Hiei's presence behind him, he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Come in, Hiei..."
The fire demon closed the door behind him in slight annoyance. "I was going to anyway."
This caused the kitsune to smile again. He sat up and held out his arms. "Come. Join me?"
Hiei snorted. "I was going to do that too."
The smaller demon walked over to Kurama's bedside and climbed in with him, settling himself down in between Kurama's arms and legs, the kitsune leaning his back against the bed board. Hiei's back was against Kurama's chest and the fox wrapped his arms around his fire demon's tiny shoulders. He peered down into Hiei's crimson eyes as the fire demon looked up at him. Kurama smiled and planted a kiss lightly on Hiei's cheek.
Things were beginning to look up. Shiori had forgiven them, they forgave her in return. As a result, Kurama moved back in with his mother and his brother. Better yet, Hiei came as well, showing Shiori's complete tolerance for the two as a couple, which further brought happiness to Kurama. And Hiei would get used to the love that Shiori would offer him, maybe he would finally have someone he could know as his motherly figure. Maybe Hiei would even get used to the hugs.
The kitsune placed his chin upon the head of the fire demon, his fire demon. He couldn't see a future that did not hold Hiei in it. There was no future for him without Hiei. He loved his fire demon, and the darkness that was Hiei. He would just find himself drowning in the warm darkness, the black vast space surrounding and encompassing him in a kind, warm embrace.
He truly was a red rose in the darkness.
And he loved every moment of it.
-owari-
Hieica: And here I am, at the end. I'm NOT loving every minute of it, Kurama, so screw you!! T.T -sobs uncontrollably-
Swissy: This doesn't quite count as the last chapter, though. You see, it's the last chapter of the Kurama/Hiei part. The next chapter is the story of how Jin and Shishiwakamaru fell in love, because Hieica is dumb and just couldn't figure out where to place it within the story. Thus, she will type it out soon and post it as another chapter for this, though it isn't really.
Hieica: -wipes a tear away- I'd like to thank all of you guys, my lovely reviewers!! -huggles and glomps all of you before proceding to sob uncontrollably-
Swissy: You do realize you'll see them once more...?
Hieica: -ignores in her devastation-
Swissy: ... I hate you... Anyway, you guys had better review! REVIEW NOW DAMMIT before I whip out the axe!!