Pain of the Past
Waking a few hours later to the sound of thunder, Kurama remembered that he was still in his demon form. Now I remember, that idiot went to sleep too, but is he still? He thought stifling a yawn as another snap of thunder rang out in the growing night. "He's as bad as Yusuke, sleeping through just about anything…" Yoko scoffed walking over to the still slumbering crow. "Although he does seem…different, when he's asleep, not as evil, but more like the person I'm sure he was before Toguro warped him…" Shortly after, he began to stir.
"What time is it…?" Karasu moaned tiredly.
"Sleeping beauty awakens…" Yoko remarked, still standing over him.
Was he watching me sleep? Yeah right, that would never happen… It was just merely a coincidence that he was standing over me when I woke up… he thought, trying to hide his surprise. "Sleeping beauty am I? Coming from someone who conspicuously hates me, it's rather odd…"
"It was a joke moron; don't go inflating your ego again…" Yoko reprimanded. "Anyway, we must've been out for a while, I think its twilight."
"Yes well your disobedient behavior takes a lot out of a person, so I'm not surprised I slept so long."
"So does your nagging… Anyway, what are you going to do to pass the time that you force me to be here?" Yoko questioned, sitting down next him.
"I don't know I never expected you to be this cheerful so soon after your confinement, but then again, that might've just been your foolish human side getting in the way…"
"Yeah, probably… It's just so boring here, no where to really have any fun, and absolutely no plant life either, very dull indeed. No wonder Shuichi hates it…"
"Just what kind of fun were you indicating exactly?" Karasu asked.
"Not the kind I'm sure you're thinking of just looking at me," Yoko remarked. Stealing a glance at the quest, he saw a small flush light up his normally porcelain features. Smiling slightly, he looked up and continued, "I don't know, just being able to run, or train, or something other than just sitting around," he said, yawning again.
"Are you sure you had enough sleep? How long were you up before me?"
"A few minutes, why?"
"Oh, no reason, just curiosity getting the better of me…" Figured as much, I don't know what I was getting my hopes up for anyway…
"What, did you think that I was watching you sleep? I did for about a half a minute before you woke. You looked relaxed…attractive even…"
"What was that?" Karasu asked with a raised eyebrow, a small gleam of hope in his violet eyes as he gazed over at the kitsune.
"Shouldn't have said that…" Yoko muttered, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall behind him.
"I think that's the first actual compliment that you've ever given me with a straight face…" Seems I am actually getting somewhere with him…
"Whatever…"
"Well it's not like I was the one who made you say you thought I looked strikingly beautiful…"
"I never said that! I said you looked attractive you damn crow! Stop making things up!"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they one in the same?" Karasu asked smirking. "You don't have to hide your feelings Yoko…" he murmured, leaning towards the angered kitsune.
"You even think of touching me, and I will kill you," Yoko warned venomously, getting up and walking away.
"Very temperamental when it comes to these kinds of matters I see. Apparently you actually have hormones, unlike your human form. I swear, if that beautiful boy didn't have acalmingtenorvoice, I'd wager he hadn't gone through-"
"If you don't shut your damn mouth, I'll shut it for you," Yoko interrupted bitterly.
"By means of…?"
"I told you to shut up! What part of it don't you get?" Yoko demanded, whirling around, just about to lose his temper.
"Neither part, would you mind teaching me?"
"Forget it, you're impossible," he said, letting himself fall back onto the bed.
"Yeah, and you like it…"
"I don't know if you've got the right person, I've never liked you at all, so how could I like something that you do?"
"Well I remember differently, seeing how you said I was gorgeous and how you wanted so badly to bed me…" Karasu teased, finally getting to his feet.
"DAMN IT I DIDN'T SAY THAT! STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH!" Yoko yelled out in protest, lurching up as he did so.
"So instead of words, is there something else you'd want me to place there?"
"All right, that was sick. Then again, with a one track mind, I should've guessed that was coming…" he said much quieter from his previous outburst.
"Yes, you should've known, now why don't you just relax, you seem very agitated since you've awakened. Did you have a nightmare of somekind?"
"Why the hell would you care?" Yoko demanded, taking a step away from him.
Seems I've frightened him again… "Why I would care, let's see, curiosity I guess, but mainly because I want to know what has you so restless. You sure weren't like this before you slept…"
"Maybe because a certain emo is getting on my nerves…"
"Emo? What is this 'emo' that you talk about?" Karasu asked, confused.
"It's a classification that humans give to others that are always overly dramatic, oh and they are obsessed with blacks and reds. And they enjoy seeing others in pain. You fit the description perfectly," Yoko explained in a patronizing tone.
"So what does that make you? Or are you in a category of your own…?"
"Just shut up would you? All of your talking is giving me a headache…" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
"So now you have a headache? Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?"
"Do you want me to feel sick again? That was the result last time…" Yoko reminded, stepping back again when Karasu advanced.
"Yes, last time, when you were still in your human form. What ever happened to your true attitude, you know the one that was trying to seduce me? Or were you just lying, as I suspected, to get yourself out of my grasp?"
Damn it, if I don't do something, he'll know I was just bluffing earlier and then I really won't have anything to go back on… If it starts to become too serious, I'll just have to kill him… if I even can anymore… he thought. Blinking, he feigned as if he was coming out of a trance. "Sorry, I had to act like that so much, it became second nature. You said yourself that habits were hard to break…" That was horrible. He'll never fall for it.
"Yes, I'm sure that truly is how it is for you. So have you gotten the act to slip yet? Or is the show still going?" Karasu asked skeptically.
Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I really hate these kinds of situations. I just had to be dumb enough to fall right into his trap… Yoko thought, mentally kicking himself for his obvious blunder. "I'm done acting. Are you going to help with this headache or not?"
He apparently has noticed that he slipped up, and is now trying to make up for it…even if it does get me the spoils, it is pathetic… "Help indeed, what I had planned would probably make it worse, so instead," he said grabbing Yoko's wrist he nearly had to drag him to the bed that he had clearly backed away from. "You sleep, now." Karasu ordered, throwing him down again.
"Domineering bastard…" Yoko mumbled sourly, his face buried in the sheets.
"Call me what you want, but I know you like this option better. Not that I won't do the other one…I'll just wait until somewhere else on you is throbbing instead."
"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?" Yoko asked, his voice muffled by the pillow.
"Yes, as do many people, now get some sleep," Karasu replied, sitting down so that he could rest against the bed while Yoko slept. After a few minutes both had fallen asleep again as the storm outside raged. In an hour's time, the two were awakened simultaneously by an explosion caused by lightning striking down a tree in the forest surrounding them.
"What a great way to wake from a nightmare…" Yoko muttered, sitting up.
"What could torture your sleep? For some reason, I can't imagine you being afraid of anything…" Karasu replied expectantly.
"Does it really matter?"
"Let me guess, it was about me?"
"No."
"Really? I find that hard to believe…" Karasu said, sitting next to an irritated Yoko.
"Good, then let it be hard for you, but I'm telling you, it had nothing to do with you, all right?" Yoko stated, looking straight into Karasu's eyes to prove his point.
"Okay, I get it, but if it didn't have to do with me, was it about your old thieving partner…?" Karasu asked, his voice soothing.
"Yeah, now drop it. I don't want to talk about it…" he said, looking away.
"Forget I asked, but will you be okay?"
"If you leave me alone," Yoko said coldly.
"You don't have to be furious with me; I didn't cause your discomfort…" Karasu said, backing off.
"Yes, well you never had to see your only friend killed before your eyes, knowing there wasn't a damn thing you could do to help him, now did you? Don't act like you know I went through…"
"I would if you would tell me about it."
"Maybe I don't want to tell you because it was too painful to go through again."
"Sometimes it's too painful because you've never talked about it… If you ever want to, don't hesitate, you have my word I'll listen," Karasu offered, preparing to get up, but was stopped by Yoko.
"You mean you'd actually listen to me?"
"Yes, why else would I ask?" Perhaps having this conversation will bring us closer… If it doesn't…at least I'll know more about him…
"I-I don't know, no one has ever actually offered to listen and care about anything to do with me, except for him…" he started, eventually telling the whole story of Kuronue's death to Karasu, keeping an emotionless façade, even though he was screaming with pain inside. At the end, lament from bringing up such old wounds, he laid down again, trying to hide his expression.
"I don't know if that helped you any, but hopefully you feel a little better from sharing that," Karasu said slowly.
"Sort of, thank you…" Yoko responded drowsily, his renewed grief allowing him to slowly slip into the half conscious state of sleep. After watching his breathing become a slow steady rhythm, Karasu gently laid down next to him. Softly draping the sheets over them both, he got as close as possible the comatose kitsune without waking him. Without knowing, he soon followed him into sleep.
LOL. Okay, so I may have lied...this chapter was excedingly fun to write. Could it possible for Yoko to be attracted to Karasu? We can only cross our fingers and hope. -laughs- Oh yeah, almost forgot. If any of you reading this are what people classify as "emo" you have my apologizes, but you have to admit, Karasu IS emo. LOL. I think so at least. As it is, people have called me that before as well...so...yeah. Please review! Thanks everyone!