Bri: Why did you put this scene in, UK?
UK: Well…in all honesty it has no real bearing on the story at all.
Kurama: Then why did you put it in?
UK: CAUSE! I LOVE KURONUE TOO MUCH!
Kurama and Bri:
Kuronue: A human girl likes me? I don't know whether to be delighted or disturbed.
UK: . . . Kurama, do the disclaimer, I'm leaving before I decide to delete this scene.
Kurama: UK does not, nor will she ever (thank Inari) own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Chapter 12: Affections
…Kurama…
The crowd surged all around us, a waving sea of human bodies. The mall was busy, but we were in grave need of clothing for Ayame and my old partner. Ayame couldn't stop looking around, as if waiting for a predator to pounce. Bri reached over me and jabbed Kuronue in the side.
"Stop staring at the girls, they don't like that," she said.
"It's going to take me a while longer to get used to this," he said, laughing.
It was so good to hear his laugh again. His pendant rested over his heart, safely secured on a new silver chain. Kuronue was the same as I remembered him, but I knew he would have a lot to learn about the human world. I was glad to hear that he knew it, too.
"Why are all these people crowded in so tightly in one place?" Ayame asked, her nervous eyes darting back and forth. "Isn't it dangerous?"
"Not at all," Bri said. "We're not at war or anything, so it's safe for people to gather together en masse. After being in the Makai, I kind of see why you'd need to scatter, though."
She smiled and gave the coyote a companionable touch on the shoulder.
Bri sighed as we entered what must have been the twentieth clothing store. Even Ayame, who was very interested in these new and different clothing styles, was tired. Kuronue allowed her to lean against him.
"Let's go to the food court," Bri suggested. "Food's on me!"
Ayame cocked her head at my girlfriend. "I don't see any food on you, Bri."
Bri and I laughed. Kuronue frowned at me. "I don't see what's so funny."
"It's an expression," I said. "It means that Bri will pay for the meals."
Kuronue and Ayame blinked at us.
"C'mon," Bri grabbed Ayame's arm and dragged her away. "I'll get you something, boys!"
"Does she even know what I eat?" Kuronue asked, watching Bri tug the hesitant coyote partling away.
"Bri knows everything," I said. …Especially since she started keeping her powers up…
Kuronue slid into a chair at the table I chose. "It's strange. You say I've been dead for thirty years and yet…here I am."
I smirked. "If it wasn't for you, I would have never found Bri."
"Oh? How is that?" Kuronue leaned over the table, studying the napkin dispensers and the miscellaneous condiments. I tried not to think about what he was asking, hoping that he would forget it. "Kurama?"
"I was able to learn love from you," I said. I glanced over Kuronue's shoulder at Bri, who was laughing with Ayame. The nervous coyote was beginning to laugh, as well. "It's strange, how short a time it took for Bri to change."
Kuronue glanced at her over his shoulder. "What do you mean? Wasn't she always like this?"
I smiled ruefully and shook my head. "She used to be very much like myself. Not a killer, but… Bri has told me that she has many regrets in life. Her friend that broke through to her was Koko. Strange…"
"How so?"
"Our lives are mostly similar, except my life is thousands of years and hers…are only eighteen. After she met Koko, Tsuki discovered their relationship and staged Koko's 'suicide'. We, from the future, somehow helped stage your demise for my sake, as well."
"I don't think it's so strange." Kuronue stared at Bri and Ayame. "You love her."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" I asked sarcastically.
"Aside from the blatant shows of affection? Just the way you look at her is enough to see it, Kurama." Kuronue pretended to wipe a tear from his violet eyes. "My baby is all grown up!"
I punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow! Jeez, Kurama, look where you aim that thing!"
"I did," I said, smugly.
"Boys, stop arguing before I raise my energy," Bri said, bringing with her a large tray. Ayame held four paper glasses. "I know you're a bat, Kuronue, but try this stuff. I think you'll like it."
Kuronue stared skeptically at the Big Mac and French fries before tentatively taking a bite. He started wolfing it down almost three seconds later.
Ayame, Bri, and I laughed.
…
…Koko…
I dunno what the hell came over me. I'm mated to Hiei. Hiei. Snowball, the idiot who tried to kill me the first time he saw me. I am practically married to him! What the hell did I do!
It was only a week later, and Hiei simply could not leave my side any more. He explained in low tones that he could not leave me alone again. Proved it by walking away a couple of days ago. I had immediately grabbed hold of his arm again. It hurt to be away from him. Well, I guess I could've done worse.
Like Kuwabara.
I shudder at the thought.
But, now that I think about it, Kuwabara and Yukina are supposed to be married sometime in June, after Bri's actually planned wedding and mating next week. She was working on getting final arrangements done for their wedding. Hiei and I were in her room, the room she now shared with Ayame instead of me. I had to move into Genkai's temple so I could sleep with my mate. Otherwise, I couldn't sleep. How frickin' wrong is that?
"I wouldn't say that, Koko, I think it's kinda cute," Bri said. She'd changed a little in the time she'd been in the Makai. She refused to keep her powers any lower than the abilities she had to read the thoughts that people broadcasted readily. It didn't hurt her head because it was more like standing in a quiet room.
And she'd also insisted on training her Spirit energy and her Dream energy higher. She wasn't a fighter, everyone knew that. But she did want at least some semblance of self protection. For that, I couldn't blame her.
For calling Hiei and me cute though, I could.
"Refrain from using my name and his in the same sentence as the word 'cute'," I said. I was trying to be nice. She knew me well enough to know this, even without her powers. Yet she still pressed the issue.
"No, you misunderstood me," she said. "You two have liked each other for a really long time. It only made sense that you would get together eventually. I just think it's cute that you're the one who initiated it, big sister."
"I ought to slit your throat for that one, Bridget." I spoke in English, which Hiei definitely couldn't understand. It was the only way to talk to Bri and Kurama without anyone else catching what we're saying.
"You love me too much to care," Bri said. She gave a mocking flourish of a wave from under her chin as she stood up. She switched back to Japanese after a minute. "So, when do you think you and Hiei will have a human wedding? You know that Koemna will make you if you don't."
"Do I gotta paint my face white and my teeth black?" I wrinkled my nose. It was a tradition in Japan for the women to paint their face white for their wedding and to paint their teeth black after having sex. I hadn't done it before, because, well, I was supposedly already married.
"Nah. Kurama's agreed to do a splicing of our two nationalities for mine. I'm having a normal white wedding dress. And no, you can't have it when I'm done. You're going to get your own and plan your own wedding."
She knew me too well.
…What do you think, Hiei?...…Hn…He even did the grunt thing in his mind. …I don't care.…
…You're gonna have to care. I think Shiori is going to try and take our wedding over, since Bri and Kurama wouldn't let her…
…Hn…
…I take it you don't care about that, either…
…No…
…Fine. I'll let Shiori take our wedding over…
"You two come to some conclusion?" Bri asked, nonchalantly searching the room. "I couldn't hear that convo and I doubt I wanted to."
"Since you decided to plan your wedding on your own, we're gonna let Shiori take ours over."
Bri smiled faintly as she found what she was looking for. She held up the bouquet of roses and nodded. "I'm glad she'll get to plan someone's. Poor lady…but she knew that I didn't want a huge wedding. Only friends."
I smirked. "You got plenty of those."
She smiled again. "I sure do. Thank you, Koko."
"What the hell for?"
"For being the first."
So, hell, I guess that's it. Bri's rescued, Kuronue and Ayame are still trying to adjust to the human life, and Hiei and I are mated and to be married. Some people say that's just where the story should end, at that happy-ever-after point. I guess certain godlings don't believe in that sort of thing.
Kurama knocked on the door and poked his red head in. "There you are, Hiei. We need to go. Bri…" He chewed softly on his lip. "I don't want to leave you behind again, come on. I will explain on the way."
"What's wrong?" Bri asked.
"Yusuke has been kidnapped."
…
(AN: I was almost gonna leave you off there…but I'm not that mean. :P)
…Bri…
"It's been three whole years since your old house burned down," I said. "What do you mean, they resurfaced?" I was running to keep up with my taller-than-me boyfriend and his supposed-to-be-dead friend. Koko and Hiei were having no problem, though how that was possible, I don't know.
"Just as I said it," Kurama explained. "The same boys who claimed to have burned our old house down have somehow managed to kidnap Yusuke. They want a ransom."
"And just what is that, pray tell?" Kuronue asked.
Kurama scowled. "They want Tsuki Sawaguchi alive. They think Koenma can do it."
"Still doesn't explain how Mr. Pompous-I-Can-Kick-Your-Ass got kidnapped by a bunch of normal humans," Koko pointed out.
"That's just the thing," Kurama said. "They are at least part human. We're certain of that. Botan and Kuwabara are going to meet us in the park to determine our course of action."
"Where is Ayame?" Kuronue asked.
"She and Kaasan are at the mall," Kurama said. "They'll be all right, Ayame is stronger than she seems."
"Hn. I say we grant their ransom and kill them all as soon as we have the Detective back," Hiei said. I glared at my brother-in-law.
"No way, Hiei, we're not giving in only to kill them. I'd rather take them in alive and ask questions."
We crested the hill into the park, where I could clearly see three figures waiting by a stone bench. As we approached, Kuwabara and Botan waved us over. The third figure was my own uncle, and I guess stepfather. He had settled on the name of Sakyo, the name of his spirit.
"Uncle Sakyo, what are you doing here?" I asked.
"Hey, Bri, Koko. Guys. Hiei." He gave his son-in-law a hard look before letting his face spread into a warm grin. "Long time no see."
Uncle Sakyo was also my dad, Marion Wolf's, brother. I was told they were twins and that would explain a great deal why Koko and I looked so much alike. We both got our looks from our fathers. Uncle Sakyo had dark brown hair and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. Still trying to be Toguro-like, I suppose.
"I'm afraid I wasn't entirely honest about how we got Bri into Kurama's house," he said, a sheepish blush coming over his cheeks. "Since they'd disappeared, I had decided not to say anything about the Junior Vacant Lot."
I groaned and sank onto the stone bench. "You mean to tell me those guys are little Matsus and Unes?"
"In a word, yes," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I should have said something…"
"You know something now, Dad," Koko said. "Why would they want Tsuki Sawaguchi alive?"
"She was the leader of the Vacant Lot after Gun Wa tried to shy away from the plot. She was also the Junior Vacant Lot's mother."
"All five of them?" Kurama started.
"Yes. Tsuki was a…very busy woman. She practiced a 'service', or so she says, to male demons who were in heat and need to be 'released' without having the downside of being mated. More often than not, she became pregnant. Marion and I were attracted to her charm as young men."
"Young is an understatement," I muttered. "You were fifteen when you had Koko!"
"And Marion was sixteen when he had you. I agree. Marion and Gun Wa weren't intelligent, but they were being hormonal teenage boys. I wish they hadn't made the mistake, but then again, I wouldn't have two almost-adult daughters to look after now."
Despite myself, I smiled. If they hadn't made the "mistakes" they had, I wouldn't be alive today. Kuronue and Ayame would still be dead. Koko would be a heartless clone of her mother. Hiei wouldn't have a mate and Kurama…
I wouldn't have Kurama.
"You know, this is just freaking weird," Koko said. "First, our enemy is my dad. Second, the enemy is my mom. Now, the enemies are my half brothers. What the hell gives?"
"I guess family values don't count for much on Tsuki's side of the family," I said with a shrug. "It's up to us to stop that pattern."
"Got that right. Crap, if I would have known about this, I would have killed her myself."
I sighed and nodded. "Well, what do we do now?"
"You stop flapping those damning lips of yours and listen to what we have to say."
I turned around and faced a thirty-some-odd year old man. He looked like Tsuki, with black hair and the same alluring eyes. Beside him was an even older looking man with silver hair. I don't think it was any coincidence that he was about fifty. Just how old was Tsuki, anyway?
Yusuke appeared, from thin air, between them. He was slumped over, unconscious. I raised my Dream energy enough to be absolutely certain of the last thing I noticed. He was completely unharmed, save for a scratch or two he probably had gotten himself from stupid fights earlier. They looked old.
It didn't make any sense. If Yusuke had put up a fight, he would be covered in scratches and scrapes, even if the "enemy" wasn't all that tough. And these guys had him unconscious.
"They're using the same technique I did on you and Kurama," Sakyo said. "Yuu, Kyu, what do you want? Tsuki is dead."
"That's where you're wrong," said the younger one. "She's alive. You can't kill her any more than you can kill that wench." He pointed at me.
"What the hell do you mean?" I growled.
"Hn. You obviously don't know the ramifications of a mating," Hiei said. "Though how she got out of it is another story."
I glanced to my right at the short fire demon who had mated my sister. What did he know that I didn't? It was Kurama who answered my silent questions.
"She is a cat demon. If you recall, Sakyo has gained much more Spirit energy than Gun Wa had. All demons pass some part of themselves to their mates. Cat demons, however, have the very unique ability to, as we say in the human world, divorce those who are not the same as they are."
"And Tsuki never mated another cat demon," said the elder. "Heh. So intelligent, that woman. I'm her first born."
Sure as hell looked like it.
"We're not here for matters of bringing her back, however," said the younger.
Sakyo's eyes hardened. "Explain, Yuu. We don't understand."
"We want her dead, same as you," grinned the elder. "That fiendish feline's been haunting trails of men since she escaped from the Makai. We just told a little white lie to get ya'll down here faster. Don't worry about the Detective, he's perfectly fine."
Yuu offered a smile. "It is true. People mobilize together faster when they believe there is a danger. When an offer of alliance is all we offer, then only one person is sent."
"Why kidnap Yusuke?" Koko asked.
"He was the only one stupid enough to accept a fight with someone before thinking it through first."
Kurama glanced at me. I had my powers on a relatively high level. They weren't lying. In fact, just by looking at them, one could see they were honest. A little unorthodox, but honest.
"Honor among thieves," Kuronue said quietly. "It suggests that you are not from the human world."
"I am," Yuu said. "Kyu's not. He was born in the Makai. Half ice demon."
A loud groan alerted us all to Yusuke.
"Finally wearin' off?" Kyu asked. He shook the black-haired boy lightly and Yusuke glared blearily at him. "Sorry about that. I take ye heard it all?"
"Course," Yusuke muttered. He tested his feet, then pulled his arms back to himself. Hiei smirked at him.
"Same old thing, Yusuke," Kurama chuckled. "We should count ourselves lucky that the Junior Vacant Lot are on our side."
"It makes no difference." Everyone whirled around to face the new voice.
Tsuki was back.
…
…
…
Okay! We are getting down to the last inning stretch…er…that is a basketball analogy, right? I'm not a sports person…
I added the first scene from Kurama's POV as an afterthought. Mostly cause I liked how Kuronue ended up and I wanted a bit of light humor before everything got dark again.
Here are my answers to your last reviews. And thank ya'll so much! You don't know how much it means to me to see "Review Alert!" in my Yahoo inbox!
Suntiger: Thank you for spawning the new scene! Meow. I rather liked it, especially considering it showed just how little Ayame and Kuronue knew of humans and the future in a comical way.
Sillylittlenothing: As you can see, it definitely became a background Koko/Hiei. O.O The funny thing is, they mated before Kurama and Bri, who've been officially together for three years… Eh heh, go Hiei! ;; I think Yusuke and Kuro would understand promises between lovers…that's why they sighed. I think Kuronue gets a basic rundown, but aside from that, he's basically in the dark. Talk about your laid-back men… As you saw, Koko's "affected"…er, quite interestingly. ;; And this chapter was meant to show what Kuronue's like in the future. Adjusting pretty well…until darkness strikes again! evil laughter
SilverDragon: Well, we're coming to it pretty quick here…in fact, if I remember my writing correctly, it is next chapter…of course, my memory's kinda fuzzy…;;
Kuramafan06: You're the first person who's caught a whiff of something bad on the horizon, cakes! Congratulations, you know something other people haven't quite figured out yet…unless I told them… Here's two more for your reading pleasure!
Saori, Kandra, and Sonya: Kuronue's awesome. Too bad he goes bye bye again…oops, spoiler. Shutting up.
