AU – Tatakoe koukou no shusseki suru: Attending Tatakoe High
(alternate universe, shonen ai) Kurama and Hiei are normal humans attending regular, everyday human school. NOT YOUR USUAL SCHOOL 'AU' FIC. This time they DON'T go to the same high school . . . pairings; KurHiei, YusKei, KuwYuk, KoeBot.
Shonen ai (perhaps some yaoi) eventually. n.n;;
BE WARNED if you don't like it, ok, minna-san? n.n
Pairings: Kurama x Hiei, Yuusuke x Keiko, Kuwabara x Yukina, Koenma x Botan
Disclaimer: Kita doesn't own yuyu. So don't you/you sue, kudasai. :3
Semi-important notes . . .
1- Yuusuke, Keiko and Kuwabara's school is still Sarayashiki Junior High (Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko are all fourteen).
2- Hiei's school is Tatakoe High (the next step for students in Sarayashiki Junior High).
3- Kurama, Yukina and Botan's school is Meiou High. (Hiei, Kurama, Yukina and Botan are all sixteen).
::is perplexed::
( . . . due to the review turnout for last chapter . . . )
I feel alternately loved and ignored T.T
;.; hope you guys like this installment (slightly?) better u.u... . . .
OH! BEFORE I FORGET . . . the deal with Kura writing on the tree last chapter was . . . what he put on there was basically a short message.
Although he DID sign his name ::wink:: . . . ::hands plushies to Queen of the Paperclips and What2callmyself for being the only ones who took a guess . . . ::
Lol, you find out why I DIDN'T just have him carve 'Kurama' on the bark in this chappie . . .
Hopefully no more confusion, minna-san!!
:: peace sign :3 ::
Thankies are at the end! ( n.n;; . . . )
(xxxxxxx)
Friday evening
(xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
. . . beforehand . . .
(xxxxxxx)
Red eyes widened at the unintended realization.
"Shimatta!" Hiei cursed softly, fixing a more normal, though no less dark, glare on the two boys that were nearly quivering, but wanting to stand their ground; like 'men'. "We'll finish this another time." And, using his years of built-up speed, he flitted away into the night.
(xxxxxxx)
(xxxxxxx)
Chapter Eight
A proposition
(xxxxxxx)
D—n it all . . .
Gritting his teeth, Hiei ran as fast as he could back along the paths . . . he noticed the sky darkening as the sun began to fade, and increased his speed, now practically nothing but a black blur as he raced back to the tree in the park . . . where he had left his switchblade.
(xxxxxxx)
After what seemed like hours, the red-eyed teen finally reached his destination; climbing up with an assurance and speed that rivaled any feline's grace. Reaching the spot, he placed his hand in the hole, searching around for . . .
K'so!
He growled, pulling his hand out quickly. It was empty . . .
The black-clad boy now blinked; finally noticing the elegant scrawl on the bark, just above and to the right of the hole in the trunk. He moved his face closer, to read the characters, and then let out a low hiss, jerking back again, eyes transforming to slits of sparking crimson as he glared fiery death at the short message.
"Kisama . . ." he muttered, scanning over the letters again, eyes memorizing the brief details . . . before he swiftly jumped down from the tree; off and running to the designated place.
Who is it—kisama—who IS it!?!
He continued to race away into the night; the spiky blue-black hair blown back a bit in the breeze he was creating for himself . . . the short teen pushed away the nagging feeling in his gut . . . that he KNEW . . . who . . .
(xxxxxxx)
The redhead was leaning, hands in his pockets and back against the tree, in the park just a few blocks away from his home . . .
He had been standing there for close to three-quarters of an hour.
The shadows of the fast-waning sun spilled through the fading autumn leaves, falling subtly over the casual clothing he wore. A vague, half-amused smile found its way onto his face as the green-eyed teen recalled the scant sentence he had carved into that tree, not even a half-hour before . . . and then signed it . . .
He chuckled again to himself . . . the boy should arrive WELL before darkness fell . . .
(xxxxxxx)
Hiei found himself getting closer to the spot . . . running the short directions through his head yet again, he scanned his eyes over the park, searching . . . . and then his eyes narrowed.
There . . .
Coming to an abrupt halt, to stand in front of him, the shorter teen glared openly up at the other, annoyance showing clearly in his tone and manner as he spoke, eyes seeking to meet the gaze of the thief, to determine the level of 'honesty' . . .
"Kurama." The figure, concealed by the tree's lengthening shadows, let out a chuckle at the single word that was spoken only for confirmation, closing his eyes and pushing his upper back away from the trunk, hands still buried in the 'pink' uniform's pants pockets. He then slowly stepped into the darkening light. Now Hiei narrowed his eyes . . . he could see the jade orbs that were now sparkling with obvious mirth . . . and something else, hidden—
"You might say . . ." the boy finally murmured softly . . . after having run his gaze up and down the new arrival's small form . . . then averting his now teasing eyes to a most interesting spot, located away to his left . . . giving the impression that whatever had now caught his attention was far more interesting than the irate teen before him . . . a moment later they flickered back up, and a smile broke out on the fair face . . . as the redhead chuckled in response to the dangerous flash in the dark eyes of the one he was tormenting.
"What do you want." Hiei spat out in a cold, restrained tone, his angry glare never moving from where it was locked on the dark green orbs. The redhead nodded, getting to the point.
". . . I take it . . . you want your blade back . . . ? " A flat, annoyed glare answered his casual question, and Kurama found himself chuckling again . . . matte . . . . . . who . . . . . . has ever been . . . . . this AMUSING . . . before . . . . . . ? . . . he wondered briefly, then sobered, remembering . . . and soon continued on, now in a aloof and indifferent voice . . .
". . . then . . . I have a proposition for you." A single thin eyebrow was cocked, half disappearing under the white bandana that, for some reason, completely covered the red-eyed teen's forehead. Kurama fought back the urge to laugh again, and somehow managed not to crack his serious face.
"If you can defeat me . . . I'll return it to you." the taller finished coolly, finally allowing the smallest of grins to grace a corner of his mouth . . . the action coming dangerously close to a smirk. The shorter teen 'hn'ed, and turned his back to him, hands delved deep into black pockets. For a fleeting moment, Kurama thought he would leave, but then the dark figure spoke, with his back still turned.
"I can beat you anytime I want." The redhead suddenly moved back, narrowly avoiding the kick that came out of nowhere. The short teen hissed as the red orbs traced his adversary as the taller youth moved fluidly to the other side of the tree's trunk, settling into a stance in the time it took for Hiei's left foot to land neatly back on the ground . . . the action spinning the younger teen's torso in the slightest . . . so that he now faced his skilled opponent.
They stayed like that . . . Hiei standing to the right, in front of the tree, where he had landed, both arms slightly bent back at the elbows in preparation, eyes narrowed, his small form tensed for any sudden movement from the redhead . . . Kurama to the left, having also retreated into defense, his right arm put out parallel to his chest, the left poised and ready by his side . . . prepared for any indication of abrupt movement . . .
The peace lasted for scarcely more than a few brief moments . . . before inevitably becoming shattered.
The shorter leapt forward with a cry, his right arm shooting out in a flat-handed cut aiming directly for the green-orbed face. The redhead easily moved away to the left, his eyes glinting with deep-seeded amusement . . .
. . . as he swiftly passed by the attacker's side from his previous dodge, Kurama put his right arm out, catching the other, and—using his momentum to move around behind the darker teen—didn't give the unsuspecting fighter time to react as he quickly hooked his elbows under the boy's arms in less than an instant, crossing them securely over the other youth's chest and lifting his slight-framed opponent off the ground by a few inches as he straightened . . .
. . . holding the spiky-haired youth tight and restrained with the confident assurance that obviously came from many years of practice.
The wiry teen struggled, trying to break free from the firm grasp . . . without looking TOO undignified. After a few minutes, in which Kurama managed to keep his wriggling hostage, Hiei realized it was of no use, and cast a fiery and irritated glare over his right shoulder at his captor, turning his head a bit so as to deliver it eye-to-eye. The redhead laughed, then shook his crimson locks in disbelieving merriment . . . but did not release him.
Kurama leaned down, to whisper in the ear still facing him from the red-eyed teen's awkward position; the shorter boy had basically turned sideways as a result from his attempt at a glare.
"And what's your name, Kodomo-chan?" he whispered in a low voice, his teasing tone not lost in the could-have-been-embarrassing position he currently had the dark boy confined to . . . had they been younger and the latter more innocent. The pale skin under his face was abruptly replaced by surprisingly soft spikes of blue-black. Kurama drew back, slender brows furrowing, perplexed (though the eyes held faint traces of amusement) at the response.
The redhead registered that the other had whipped his head around, so that the garnet eyes were facing away again, having wrenched his ear from where the redhead had whispered so very softly into it . . . due to the fact that Kurama's grip had been loosened by the slight surprise and easy confidence . . . the captive broke free, skitting with almost unnatural speed to a safe spot under another tree.
"Hn." he commented, and Kurama could see the boy fold his arms over the small, compact chest, and then lean back against the trunk, feigning annoyance as he closed his eyes . . . . . but . . . perhaps the teen was still slightly shaken from being caught so easily . . . not a few minutes before . . . slowly, the taller of the two straightened . . . to meet a now dangerously dark garnet glare. The youth spoke again, his voice far too deep to be that of a child's.
"How long are you prepared to continue this." Kurama slightly smiled, and shrugged . . . ever so casually.
"As long as it takes for you to win." he replied, emerald-colored eyes twinkling with hidden mirth.
"Che." The darker boy looked away in arrogant dismiss, blatantly ignoring the steady gaze that lingered on him, before the green eyes shifted to look away to the sky, as well.
A few minutes, or perhaps hours, passed . . . in which the sun completely disappeared . . . and the silver orb of night began to tentatively peek out from its hiding place . . . the stars now visible throughout the entire sky, shining white pinpricks of light in the deep, dark expanse—
". . . hn . . . Tomorrow." When Kurama's confused gaze instantly snapped back to the darkened shadow, slender brows beginning to come together in puzzlement . . . he found to his surprise that there was no one there.
Gone . . .
Sighing . . . and shaking his head, he turned his gaze back to the sky, chancing to see the bright tail of a comet sweep over the dark heavens . . .
. . . his name . . . ?
(xxxxxxx)
Hiei walked home, gaze cast down, eyes puzzled in deep thought . . .
He scoffed inwardly . . . who does he think he is . . . currently glaring ferociously at the innocent sidewalk . . . he's so arrogant . . . at this the dark teen 'hn'ed, trying to ignore the whisper of truth that HE was no humble fighter, either . . . shaking his head, he looked up to find himself at an old, beaten down, ramshackle 'ranch' house . . . the grass was sparse and often bunched together in brown clumps, long and ragged from years of neglect . . . chips of paint were peeling off the rows of weather-stained wood . . . and most of the windows were dirty and broken.
. . . tadaima . . . he thought with bitter resignation. Hiei crossed the messy yard, spotting various foreign objects littered among the dying grass, walking around them with a dull and detached ease . . .
It HAD been beautiful . . . the paint, now grey and shedding, was once a cool, creamy white-yellow . . . the windows bright and reflecting the warmth inside . . . green grass healthy and well-kept . . . the lawn a free, safe space to play when he was younger . . . though most times he had chosen the backyard, for a bit of privacy . . .
He walked up the few cracked stone steps, opening the weather-beaten door and entered . . . a wave of some disgusting smell, that he didn't care to identify, met him. 'Otousan' had missed the trash again, no doubt . . . Hiei shook his head, closing the door quietly . . . not bothering to call out 'Tadaima!' or 'I'm home!'. . . he didn't need that bas—rd drunk of a 'father' to know he was home . . . if he was lucky he'd make it upstairs undetected and not have to face the middle-aged man that positively reeked of sake . . .
With quick motions, he slid off his shoes, then walked briskly into the hall, heading for his 'room' . . . in other words, the attic . . . which was barely big enough to be CLASSIFIED as a room, but better than sleeping on the dirty and well-worn first floor . . . for some reason, he had always liked tall places . . . there was . . . a certain sense of isolation . . . of peace . . . when you were up higher than everyone else . . . armies did it, as well . . . higher ground . . . he continued to walk, shrugging in his mind . . . that's what's best about trees, after all . . .
Lost in his recurring thoughts, he walked right over a . . .
Crrrreaaak . . .
Hiei froze, the sound like a car's horn blasting in the dead silence. Unconsciously, he held his breath, glancing at the pull-cord at the end of the hall that was the 'doorknob' to his room . . .
Still silence . . .
He let out a breathless sigh, and continued walking, but his eyes widened slightly . . . and then narrowed dangerously as he felt a presence behind him. So much for entering 'unnoticed' . . .
Hiei slowly turned around to face his only living foster parent; the dark garnet glare conveying most of his utter disgust as those cool red eyes slipped with disdain into foggy brown ones . . .
Ryujin was older than Miuko had been. The teen narrowed his eyes as he took in the scraggly beard on the elder's face. Long-dried stains of alcohol and vomit played across the dirty white muscle top he wore; the dull dark eyes and permanent red flush over his face the only visible signs of his intoxication.
A sudden image from the past—the youth remembered this same man going to work, dressed neatly in a business suit and tie, beard shaved, hair clean and fresh . . . and tussling the now-teen's mess of blue-black spikes good-naturedly as the big man laughed, heading off with a waved farewell to his wife and 'son' . . . to work.
Ryujin had spiraled downwards after Miuko's death. His employer had been sympathetic at first, but after the man's behavior only continued to worsen, the boss was forced to bump him down to the 'grunt' level.
The once middle-average-class businessman was now taking orders from those that had, at some point, served under him . . . the company head was hesitant to fire 'Imouta-san' . . . because he knew, from once being a close friend of Ryujin's, that it was Miuko's death that had brought this drastic change about, and had even MET Hiei a few times, when he came over for dinner . . . that was when Miuko had been alive, as well . . . the benevolent head of the company didn't want the designated 'child' to have to work for food . . . hn.
If only Kamata-san knew how that 'food money' was REALLY spent . . .
It was an obvious fact that his 'father' was a good two feet taller than him, and Hiei might have been intimidated . . . had he been anyone else. He glared without hesitation into the muddy brown orbs, and then the man began to speak, his sentences choppy and slurred.
". . . you . . . skipped . . . morning . . . today . . ." Red eyes narrowed even further, but the alcoholic continued. ". . . the school . . . called . . ." Hiei 'hn'ed, turning away.
"Is that all? I'm going to bed." He started to head down the hall.
"Don't you speak to your father that way!" Ryujin yelled in a sudden rage, no doubt spurred on by his drunken state, and Hiei heard harsh footsteps thumping behind him. Shaking his head, the teen easily avoided the hand that had sought to hit him front behind. Turning around, he glared dully at his father, realizing too late in his arrogance that the man's OTHER hand was coming around to—
From the force of the blow, Hiei was sent to the wall to one side of the broad hallway . . . he slid down the battered surface without a word, his rear landing with a dull 'thud' on the dirtied floor as his back was curled against the wall. He looked up, almost aghast (though his eyes were the only thing that conveyed it), to see Ryujin smirking, which was basically a lopsided, non-comprehending drunken grin of triumph. For a few moments Hiei was frozen . . .
. . . never . . . he had NEVER . . . Ryujin hadn't . . .
He'd never hit him before.
(xxxxxxx)
yay, my favorite chappie!
n.n;;
LOL, but personally I like the practically nonexistent moment of fluff and the Hiei's-all-ticked-at-Kura-as-they-talk-and-then-fight scene!
n.n
YAY!!!
n..n
( . . . btw, gomen for the cliffie, Volpe-chan, Kit-chan, Angel-chan, What2-chan, Ifurita-chan, Day-san, Paperclip-chan, shadow-chan and minna-san! n.n;; lol . . . )
::throws head back and laughs maniacally::
I HAVE FINALLY GONE INSANE!!
::a weird, demented grin appears on her face::
Review kudasai!
n..n
::wicked, high-pitched, obnoxious cackling is heard::
- Kita-chan X..x;;
PS
Arigato . . .
Vople Di Spirito (I know, right? ::gasps:: Kurama has broken his own taboo!! ;3 lol . . . ::laughs at Volpe's comment::: . . . eheh, a grinning Youko holding a knife . . . that IS funny, lol :3 . . . ah! 'tis ok about the kitty fic! ::smiles sunnily, then calls over her shoulder:: Oh Hi-ei!! Volpe's not quite ready to turn you back to normal yet!! ::a loud HISS is heard, and suddenly a black cat, with yellow eyes and a white mark on its forehead appears, looking around for her:: She's that way . . . ::Kita points behind a scrawny tree that Volpe-chan used to hide behind . . . the Hiei-cat takes off after her, and 'MEEP's are heard echoing in the distance as the authoress runs:: n.n LOL!! you can run from ME, but not the Hiei-kitty's wrath!! . . . . ::falls off chair after re-reading and realizing the utter stupidity and absurdity of that sentence!!:: n.n;; LOL! I'm in a weird mood tonight, ne? X.x;;;; oro . . . ah, and thanks for reviewing, Volpe-chan!! ::hands her a Youko plushie:: n.n arigato gozaimushta, chica!! :3 )
Kitsune Kit (oooh, headache. 'tis ok, Kit-chan n.n thanks for reviewing anyway! ::hands her a pack of ice:: hopefully that pain's LONG GONE by now, ne? n.n;; lol . . . )
Hiei's Gothic Angel (Angel-chan! YAY!! Someone as insane as me!! n..n lol . . . ::hands her a biiiiiiig mint chocolate chip cookie that has 'shonen ai' written on it in curvy, pretty letters . . . :3 ::. . . gomen if I end up not writing a lot . . . I had four hours of sleep last night . . . maybe THAT'S why I'm in such an odd mood now, ne? T.T;; sigh u.u;; . . . ah, the trials and triumphs of being a writer ;.;'' . . . ah, and YAYNESS!! SWEET!! SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME (and my friends . . . and my parents . . . and my aunt and uncle . . . and my cousins . . . and random strangers off the street that I'm really nice to for no particular reason . . . and underclassmen . . . and ::continues listing n.n;; ::) THINKS I'M ODD!! ::does victory dance:: I CAN ADD 'random nice online people' to the list, too!! n.n YAY!!! LOL!!! I'm TIRED!! Going to BED!!! GOOD-NIGHT!! ::falls asleep at computer:: snooooore . . . snoooore . . . mumblemumble . . . arigato for reviewing, Angel-chan! :3 I have finally gone INSANE!!! BRING ON THE WHITE JACKETS YOU CAN'T WRIGGLE OUT OF!!! n..n bye bye . . . ::is taken away, then shouts back:: I'LL ESCAPE IN TIME TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER, ANGEL-CHAN! ARIGATO FOR REVIEWING!! n.n wow . . . that ended up being sorta . . . long. n.n;; lol!! n.n;;;;;;;;)
What2callmyself (dum dee dum . . . ::twiddles thumbs:: oh!! ::blinks:: HI!! . . . THANKS!! ::glomps and huggles:: LOVED YOUR REVIEW, CHICA!!! n..n THANKS SOO MUCH!!! lol, Kura sorta IS a 'Mama's Boy' . . . ne? n.n;; eheh . . . oh, and I KNOW!! jus had to put the little 'take it' in there, ya know? n.n;; eheh . . . ::shakes head:: bad habits from childhood, right? ::wide smile, twitching at the corners:: LOL!! n.n;;;;;;;;;;;; and as for the tutoring . . . :3 they set it for Monday afternoon, and I, with all my sad in-depthness, have only gotten to Friday night in this fic T.T SO 'after the weekend' you'll see that little session . . . keep the dates in mind, lol!! n.n alsooo you'll find out about what will happen with Hiei and Yuki in later chapters . . . and ah, yes! I'll also eventually tell you guys how Hi-kun found out about her, ne? n.n sweet . . . and arigato gozaimushta for reviewing, What2-chan! n..n doumo!)
Ifurita the Black (::shrugs:: 'tis ok n.n wasn't REALLY aiming that comment last chapter at you . . . know we're all busy people, ne? :3 I aimed more for the users that reviewed this fic ONCE in a previous chappie and didn't do so again n.n lol, I'm a glutton for feedback u.u;; sigh . . . ::is honored:: . . . ::bows:: . . . glad you think it's cute and you liked the background! n.n eheh . . . I have all this stuff planned for sooo much later in this story . . . but I need to find the time to write it all down!! T.T;; ERK!! . . . n.n;; lol, well, thanks again, Ifurita-chan! n..n arigato gozaimushta!)
PV2 Day (sure thing n.n it may take some time, but is worth the overall effort to actually aorta get to know my readers . . . ::shrugs:: n.n lol, I know, 'Youko's speaking to him in his dreams' right? nn;; eheh, not quite, but yeah X.x;; ORO!! BRAIN FRIED!! X..x;;; thanks for your compliments on how I worked the situation with the two twins, and get plenty of sleep!! I'm currenlty running on four hours from last night X.X;; ORO!! so THAT'S why I'm more insane than usual, lol n.n;; thanks again for the review, Day-san! n..n)
Queens of the Paperclips (YAY!! ::would do happy dance but is VERY tired right now ;.; :: aww!! I FEEL SO LOVED!! ::huggles!!:: n..n thankies, Paperclip-chan!! n.n I look at everyone on this site as a friend . . . that is, if they review so I can ACTUALLY TALK TO THEM!! -.-;;; grr . . . gomen nasai, I'm almost running on empty tonight T.T should go to sleep soon . . . WAH!! But I want to stay up and write because it's a Friday!! X.x;; ::shakes head:: decisions, decisions . . . eheh, I watch 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' every year at my b-day party in May!! n.n lol!! 'What is the weight of an unleaden swallow? . . . What do you mean? African or European swallow? . . . What?! I don't know that—AHHHH!!! . . . Gee, how'd you know? . . . I'm a king. You have to know these sort of things.' LOL!! n.n;; eheh . . . YAY!! n..n I'll try and stay on track, it's working so far I think!! n.n arigato gozaimushta for reviewing, Paperclip-chan!! :3 )
shadow priestess (ahh . . . got it. n.n lol, was a bit confused before nut now . . . meh. n.n;; lol, it's all good, ne? n.n;;;;;;;;;;;;; eheh . . . yes, yes, poor Yuki and Hina and Hiei . . . HEY!! Did you ever notice that 'Yukina' has the end part of 'Hina's name? The same 'ina', ya know? . . . and 'Hiei' and 'Hina' both start out with an 'Hi' . . . n.n;; LOL!! that's jus my and my obsessiveness talking, eheh. n.n;; aber danke shoen fuer reviewing, shadow-chan!! n.n arigato!)
::wipes sweat off brow::
WHEW!!
even if it was only eight, that's a lot of response typing!!
I'll either start the next chapter or go to sleep . . . ::shrugs::
AH!!
As for the note last chapter . . .
I put in 'chotte matte' for 'jus a minute' and . . . well . . . it was late at night, I had just written a chapter, and so made a small error . . .
It's actually pronounced 'chotto matte'
an 'o' instead of an 'e' for the ending of 'chott' n.n;; lol . . .
does this REALLY matter?
—no . . .
does it make me feel better-ish?
yes. ( n.n;; )
WELL, I'm off to go do something, so please review, minna-san!!
n.n
Ja!
PPS
Extra note for non-reviewers . . .
Review onegai! I would like to hear your thoughts! n.n
Well . . . peace out, everyone!
:3