Here we go, James helped me with this, wonderfully adorable evil muse that he is… Ok, I know, "adorable" and "evil" don't seem to fit… but you haven't seen James!! ^__^
WARNING: The following Fan Fiction may not be suitable for all readers, and may contain violence and/or language or things that parents might not wish their children to see… in other words, viewer/reader discretion is advised. Hey, it is a death/dark fic, people… get over it!
A/N: This story is yaoi free. I chose not to include it. If this is not your type of story, then you have the almighty amazing "Back" button, and do not have to read it. Otherwise, Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the wonderful characters therein. They belong to the wondiferous Yoshihiro Togashi and Shonen Jump comics, and all those wonderful legal people who yell at me when I forget to mention these things. So, onward then…
Chapter 2: Boiling Point
Shuuichi sat on the bench in the park. When he thought it over, the day had not been that unusual.
No, not the day. I am the one who is different. He watched a family walk by on the path... a father, a mother, and two small children, a boy and a girl. They all looked happy. The perfect nuclear family; a thing Shuuichi Minnamono would never truly know. He and his mother had always been alone. Though soon she would marry another man, with a boy whose name matched his own… matched his human name, that is. Heh, she would not even miss you now, Kurama. She has another Shuuichi to love and care for. He shook his head to clear it. No, that was wrong. He stood up and headed back towards home.
Everything just had to be so complicated… He rubbed his temples. School had been a typical routine. Teachers, classes, homework, and groups of girls swarming him, asking him for help, study dates, dates, anything the boy could gives, they'd zap away from him quicker than the blink of an eye. Today they had mobbed him as usual. He had made as many promises as he could, as he always did, but as always happened, he ended up sending most of the girls away.
However polite and friendly he appeared to his admirers, inside he always groaned inwardly when the crowds approached him. Still, he gave his greetings. Still, he made his promises. Still, he doled out smiles that made them swoon with a promise to return the next day and perform the same custom all over again. Whoever thought that being a human could have these difficulties? he mused as he approached his apartment.
He opened the door, and headed inside. He could already smell the ramen cooking for dinner. He sighed. He never told anyone how much the girls disgusted him. Sure, attention from females was not a bad thing, but seeing them so clingy and so desperate for returned attention from him that they practically threw themselves literally at him turned his stomach.
His mother, Shiori, smiled at him from the kitchen as he sat down at the table. "Did you have a good day, Shuuichi?" she asked with a look of genuine interest and care on her face.
Shuuichi forced a smile at the woman. "Yes," he answered. "I had a very good day, 'kaasan." He did not care if this was mostly a lie, he cared enough for the woman to wish to see her happy at least once in a while.
They ate in silence. It was a peaceful silence, Shiori seemed happy just to be with her son. A front, he thought idly as they ate. All a front to sneak the others in while I am not looking… When they had finished, Shuuichi helped his mother clean and put away the dishes before he went to his room to start on his homework; the same as he did everyday.
Soon, however, his mother called from downstairs. "Shuuichi, there's a young lady here to see you!" her tone was not one of surprise, or even eager interest, it was something they both had become accustomed to, though Shiori still loved it when another girl showed interest in her son.
He put down his homework book and took a deep breath of preparation for the next few hours of torture by attention. Ironic, yes, but so was everything about his life. He finally deemed himself ready to deal with the trial, and called out to his mother for her to send the girl on up. I wonder who it is today, he thought. Shuuichi makes so many appointments; I can hardly keep track of them all anymore.
He found out a minute later when a shy, but beautiful 16-year-old girl entered his room from the hallway. One never had to wonder what one would find, entering Shuuichi Minnamono's room. He kept it exceptionally simple and completely neat. The girls who begged for study dates found him nearly too perfect to be true. In truth, he was…and he knew it.
He smiled genuinely at the girl. "Konnichiwa, Kira-chan!" he greeted her warmly.
She grinned shyly in return. "Konnichiwa, Shuuichi-sama," she responded as she stood in the doorway, waiting for an invitation it seemed.
Beautiful, maybe, but they take so much effort to entertain. He gestured for the girl to come in, and she immediately complied, rushing inside, placing her book bag on the floor and getting out her homework. So, it is a study date then, he thought. Good. They seemed to go much more smoothly than any other engagement Shuuichi pledged himself to make. Perhaps it was simply the fact that a steady flow of conversation surrounding homework served as a buffer, never allowing awkward silences where the girls would always seem to get extremely nervous around him.
The two had just begun on their studies when Shiori knocked on the doorframe, peeking through the open doorway. "I have to run to the store for a while, kids, so have fun and behave while I'm gone. Oh, and feel free to raid the fridge, there are plenty of snacks!" she said, smiling pleasantly at them both.
They each nodded in return, thanking her and effectively sending her off on her errands, leaving them alone in the apartment to study in peace. The homework in question covered several subjects, though Shuuichi had no problem assisting Kira with every question or problem she had. This was at least the fifth time that Kira had come by to study with him, and each time she seemed to have several of the same questions to ask. He knew she was often just making excuses, and he did not mind completely, though at times the redundancy of the afternoons would annoy him.
After a while of solid study, they took a break and Shuuichi headed to the kitchen to get a snack for them both. When he returned with drinks and some fruit, Kira was stretching from sitting for so long a time, and gazing out his bedroom window. He set down the food on his desk and watched her for a moment. She did not notice him right away, so he just stood silently.
After a minute or so, Kira finally realized that her mentor had returned, and looked back at him, smiling. "You have a nice view, Shuuichi-sama." Though the comment sounded innocent enough, he had a feeling she was not just talking about the window. This was also evident by the slight blush on her cheeks.
He merely smiled in return, taking the compliment for all its possible meaning. With the look in her eyes, and her total ignorance of the snack he had brought back, he could guess that her shyness earlier was probably more an act than reality.
When he stayed standing still where he was, she walked over to him, stopping far enough away so that he would not back up, but close enough that she could touch him if she wanted. She smiled at him in a not-quite seductive way, and spoke softly, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me out lately."
Shuuichi listened to the sound of her voice, and knew that she had another method of recognition in mind than a spoken thank you. But instead of responding in kind, as he was tired and still getting over his daily swoon fest at the high school, he simply nodded politely, and replied, "It is no trouble, Kira-chan, I'm happy to help," and smiled again. Thoughts inside him fought in his mind. Half of him was weary of the game, hoping for an excuse to escape; and the other half simply told him to let her continue, as a little fun never harmed anyone.
Seeming to be satisfied that she had spoken enough words, Kira stepped closer to him and leaned up slightly to kiss him tentatively. Sensing no resistance, she placed a hand on the back of his neck, and another on his waist, to make sure he would not get away easily. When he held her head in his hands, she would have smirked, had she not been otherwise occupied at the time.
Yes, Kurama, kiss the girl. What good is it being human, if you never have any fun?
He tried to ignore his thoughts, tried to think about his mother returning, that he should stop, and let Kira go home.
If she annoys you that badly, then get rid of her.
Did the two halves of his mind really agree just then? Would the intense presence in him allow him to send the girl away? He continued kissing Kira, not sure of what decision he should make. Unaware of his inner turmoil, Kira stepped even closer to Shuuichi.
He held her head gently, thumbs resting at her jaw line, fingers on the sides of her neck. He did not fully want to let her go… not yet. The darker half of his psyche seemed to laugh at him, mockingly. Did you think I meant to let her go home, Kurama? This caught the boy off guard. Surely, this was the only thing he COULD have meant?
No… my words were, get rid of her. She annoys you, I can tell… She has had her fun, now end her life when she least expects it. You will feel better… I promise.
Shuuichi could not believe what he was hearing, his eyes opened wide, and he had to concentrate to not break his contact with Kira. He closed his eyes again, trying to ignore the fading, repetitive echoes of the whispered command…
Kill her.
As if of their own accord, his fingers flexed further around the girl's neck. She took this as a caress, and her own fingers seemed to massage the back of his neck. She again was oblivious as his thumbs moved off her jaw and down towards the front of her throat. Indeed, it was not until he pressed on her throat, and squeezed slightly at her neck that Kira seemed to sense that something was wrong. She paused, and tried to pull away, but the redhead was too strong for her, and she could not move.
That's it…yes…Just a little more…
He at last gave up ignoring the authoritative voice, and began to squeeze the girl's neck in earnest. She struggled for a few minutes as the hands that just moments ago were delivering soft caresses slowly crushed her airway. She whimpered and cried out into his mouth, but he did not let go.
So pathetic… silence her.
Kira beat against his back, trying to scream with all the strength that was left in her. She could not, however, as his hands were steadily draining her very life from her, and he still held his lips to hers, effectively silencing her as commanded.
It was not long before the girl gave up her struggle, and sighed slightly, relaxing and then going limp in his hands. He then broke the kiss, looking down at her still beautiful face, now forever with a peaceful yet confused expression on her soft features. Still holding her by her neck, he moved her over to lie listlessly on his bed.
There… was that so hard, Kurama? After all… that IS who you are… Not human, not Youko… the space in-between. The loner. Now… don't you feel better?
Kurama heard the voice, but seemed to ignore its question. He settled Kira's clothes and hair as if she were asleep, and stared at her. He stayed standing there beside the bed that held the dead girl's body for what seemed like forever.
So lost was he in his own thoughts, he never even noticed that his mother had returned, and was watching from the doorway, not daring to believe what she saw in front of her. She saw the girl's limp limbs, her expression, deathly pale skin, and worst of all, her son standing beside the girl, unmoving, transfixed.
A murderer.
A curious strand of emotions floated through Kurama's mind. Despite the body beside him, the deed behind him, the possible retribution before him, he felt a sense of release… freedom. Yes… he mused, in thoughts of his own making.
I do feel better.
~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~
A/N: Ok, I know… it took me FOREVER! Sorry… . Hope this was sinister enough for you all, I'll try to write/update A.S.A.P. Please review, flame me if I bored you, tell me what you liked/hated!
Special thanks to James… such a great evil muse! ^__^ Sorry all you authors and authoresses out there, James is taken. Pierce, he may be your muse… but he's MINE! * grins and giggles* ^__~
-Draith