Disclaimer- I'm sick of writing these……………. Nobody cares about little children who adore characters….
AN- I cannot apologise enough for this lateness… If you saw my bio in the interval, you know I had a slight breakdown issue. I still don't know where it came from, but it was very annoying, and kind of scary. So then I stopped for a while… I write volumes when I feel sad, but for some reason I didn't want to write this… once more, sorry…
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koko made no arasuji (story thus far)
So then Hiei's dad hits him a lot, and Shuuichi takes it upon himself to fix Hiei's life, ignoring the fact that he doesn't even understand what's going on, but he starts to change, along with Hiei, and next thing you know, Shuuichi's expressing his extreme "like" for Hiei, and Hiei doesn't quite get the implications there, but all is well because Hiei's dad is knocked out by a lamp, and they head back to Shuuichi's house to make living arrangements. Dun dun dun…
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kore kara hajimatteiku
futari no monogatari wa
fuan to kibou ni michiteru
the story of two people
that begins here
is filled with uncertainty and hope
(depend on you (Hamasaki Ayumi))
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"He followed me home," Shuuichi said, smiling widely. "Can I keep him?"
Shiori looked, speechless, from her son to the sullen teenager in the doorway. She hadn't seen Takahashi Hiei for what must have been months, but he seemed a little different. A little calmer, a little more self-conscious, with a softening of his piercing ruby eyes… a little more like Shuuichi, who was apparently heading in the opposite direction.
"Shuuichi…" she began tiredly, pulling him off to the side. "We can't support him. You know that. The money your father left us has to go to your education. There's no way…"
"He has nowhere to go, kaasan. It wouldn't be that hard." His green eyes were pleading, ignorant of the burden he was asking her to bear.
Her face, painfully thin from so many years of illness, suddenly looked even more drawn. "You can say that as much as you want, Shuuichi. It can't change the fact that it'll be too much trouble. Surely you haven't forgotten that I'm sick."
This had what might have been the desired effect- Shuuichi reeled back as though slapped. "Of course I haven't! I… I'm sorry. I'll find another way." For a moment, the thought crossed his mind of guilting his mother into taking Hiei in, but he couldn't do that. Not to her.
Shiori watched his face for a few seconds, seeing the mixture of fear, anger, and absolute horror from her statement. He really was changing, slowly emerging from his protective cocoon. Somehow it saddened her; she almost wished that he could have stayed the innocent child, if only just until she was gone. He was still innocent, though, wasn't he? There is some glass so beautiful that nothing can sully it.
In the background, Hiei shifted from one foot to another, one foot to another, uncomfortably aware that the rift between mother and son was because of him. He considered just leaving, but found he couldn't, and it felt selfish. But he so wanted to stay…
There was silence. Shuuichi could not look away from his mother's dulled eyes, but he could not think of anything to say that wouldn't come off as manipulative. It was perhaps the first time he had truly noticed how much he had changed. Never before had he had nothing to say to her. It scared him- he didn't want to let go, but at the same time he knew that there was no going back.
"All right, Shuuichi."
"Hm?" He blinked, scarce daring to hope.
"He can stay…" Her face betrayed only a little of what it cost her to grant her son this request. "But if he causes any trouble, he has to go. Do you understand? I know he doesn't have an alternative… but I hope you realize that even such a situation should not be a reason to allow him to impose. We aren't as well off as you'd like to think."
"I know…" Shame was written across his pretty face. He hadn't meant for it to be such a big deal… It was just an idea that popped into his head, something that had seemed right at the time. That it would become such a cause for discomfort… "I'll try really hard. I can get a job after school or something; I'm sure they would make an allowance."
"No, don't. You can't slack off on your studies, no matter how noble your reason is. You have to get into a good university." Her expression softened after a moment. "We'll manage somehow."
"Thank you," Shuuichi whispered, more sincerely than he had ever said it. It was a gratitude he felt only because he was no longer primarily faithful to her, and somehow it was almost okay that way. "I'll still try to help a lot…"
With a last grateful look, he walked to where Hiei was still standing, grabbing his sleeve.
"Nee, nee, let's figure out where you're sleeping!"
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Why is it that children almost never understand? So many live in blissful ignorance of what is done for them. That they maintain their pure naiveté for as long as possible, parents hide their struggles, believing that they are protecting their children. Is that right? Can that be right?
Children cannot stay that way forever, no matter how we wish for it. One cannot shield someone forever. Eventually, all barriers will fall. As we age, slowly more and more sacrifices become clear, even as we ourselves begin to venture out into the world, the shock magnified by our sheltered lives.
The transience of childhood is beautiful, but it is precisely that, transient. To preserve it is almost like freezing snow…
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"You really don't have much stuff, do you?"
Hiei scowled, tossing his uniform into a corner. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but what I have is what I get by finding cash places, or stealing from my dad's wallet. Not that that's ever been particularly rewarding."
"And school?"
Letting a worn-out notebook join the pathetic pile, he rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure 'tousan even noticed that he never paid for it 'cause I personally humbled myself back when I had an interest in school and managed to get them to give me money. The jerk, he probably still thinks school's free."
A pillow landed on his head, and he looked up to see Shuuichi grinning. "That's yours. You get to sleep on the floor, lucky you. Well, I mean, unless you really want the bed or something…"
"I'm not that much of a freeloader," he protested. "I'll sleep on your stupid floor."
"Oh good," Shuuichi said brightly, tossing a blanket over. "I can see we're going to get along famously."
"Damn straight." Hiei gave the floor a tentative kick, testing out the hardness, and promptly fell onto the bed clutching his foot. "This is no floor! This is military-grade armor, you liar!"
"Oh?"
"Don't 'oh' me! At least get a rug or something for a poor kid in a strange home, you sadist!"
He laughed. "Dummy, the rug's on the other side of the bed."
"…"
"…"
"Oh."
Miffed, Hiei put the pillow and blanket down on the rug and proceeded to sit on them, pretty determinedly for a boy who probably weighed seventy pounds. To add to his display of extreme displeasure, he crossed his arms. Shuuichi shook his head at the childish petulance.
"So."
"What?"
"When's dinner?"
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EEP! (bows so low her face sinks into the carpet) I swear I didn't mean for it to take so long… and even now, as it is done, my internet is broken, so you're getting this slightly later than it could have been. No da.
Shuuichi's finding that life isn't sparkly and sugar-coated in grand fashion, but for him there's a limit on the exposure. He's still so naïve that some things actually just fly over his head, with him oblivious. That'll change too, if my grand vision ever comes true. I'm not very good at keeping to it… But reviews shall help me and keep me alive! This week has actually been pretty depressing (the week where I had my breakdown was completely unextraordinary, which makes it all the weirder), so I'm not sure how I'll feel after it all sinks in, but most likely I'll be writing and updating 's soon as possible. Thanks for all the reviews I've already gotten, and peace and plushies to all. (ni'ko)
