Shuichi yawned as he padded into Yuki's office early the next morning, a
very large, steaming mug of hot chocolate laden with marshmallows in hand,
and was surprised to find the three...whatever they called themselves,
already awake and at work. Funny pieces of paper with strange writing on
them were set us around the room, glowing faintly, and Shuichi took one
from the wall, looking at it closely. Another of the papers was stuck to
the computer screen, which Kurama sat in front of, staring unblinkingly
forward. Vines trailed from his fingertips and into the back of computer
while Hiei watched carefully, giving directions. Yusuke sat on the floor
close by, almost seeming to be sulking, and was the first to notice
Shuichi.
Face brightening, he leapt to his feet and moved toward the slightly younger boy, ushering him back into the hallway.
"What's going on in there?" Shuichi asked.
"Keep it down; they're trying to concentrate. They're trying to lure the monster out of the computer – Kurama thought we should try that fist. If it comes out peacefully, we won't have to smash it in."
"Yuki would be pissed if you hurt his computer!"
"We're trying, all right?"
"What are these thingies?" He asked, holding out the paper he had taken from the wall.
"What?" Yusuke reached for it, then drew back with a hiss, shaking his hand. "Put that back!" He snapped. "Damn it, do you know how long it took us to put those up? Damn!"
Shuichi quickly returned the paper to where he had found it and when he turned back to Yusuke he found the other boy examining a large, angry red burn on his hand.
"That little piece of paper did that?"
Ignoring him, Yusuke stalked to the kitchen and turned on the water, sticking his hand under the faucet.
"Yusuke-san? What happened? Is it my fault? I'm sorry...."
"I need bandages. And ice." He snapped, glaring back when Shuichi didn't move. "Now!" The light made his eyes seem almost golden, but Shuichi didn't think about it as he gave a small jump and hurried to do as told, also getting some burn salve for good measure.
"What were those things?" He asked as he and Yusuke sat at the table and attempted to treat his hand.
"Demon wards, to keep Tryxidion from interfering." He hissed, attention focused solely on his hand.
"Why...why did it burn you?"
Yusuke looked up at him and he gasped as he realized that his eyes really were golden, and the pupils were slit like those of a cat. Shuichi stumbled backwards out of his chair, mouth gaping. "You...you're a...? But....Yuuukkkiiiii!" He wailed, turning and running back to his lover's bedroom, leaving his hot chocolate forgotten on the table.
"Yuuuuukkkkkiiiiii!" He screeched, turning the corner's quickly and skidding on the rug in the living room, falling to his backside with a loud crash. Tears stung his eyes, but he quickly picked himself up off the ground and went running again. "Yuuuukkkkkiiiii!!!" He wailed, turning down the hallway so fast he lost his center of balance and crashed into a wall. Yuki's door opened and Yuki stepped out, pale, leaning against the doorframe. Shuichi stopped in his tracks at the familiar scowl.
"What the hell is it this time, brat?" He demanded, voice a touch breathless.
"My thought's exactly." Kurama said from the doorway to Yuki's study. "You are making quite a racket, I fear, my concentration has been broken. Had you started that incessant wailing two minutes earlier, we all would have been killed! And you caused Yuki to leave his bed, when it is far too soon for him to do so. Don't you realize that the medicine severely weakens him as it takes affect? Bruising could be enough to cause weeks of agony at this point, much less if he were to fall!"
He sank to his knees helplessly, whimpering and unable to stop the tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."
"What is it, Shuichi?" Yuki sighed. He actually smiled, and Shuichi's heart sank with the knowledge his lover really was unwell.
Shuichi froze as Yusuke passed him and went to stand with Kurama in the doorway, the bandage around his hand bringing all of Shuichi's fears back. He pointed a trembling finder at the dark haired boy.
"He...he...he's a demon!"
"So?" Kurama asked calmly. "We are all demons, my dear. Who better to deal with a case such as this than those with the most understanding of the workings of such beings, neh?"
"Y...you're...you're all...."
(NOTE: Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei put up the wards with gloves on, and didn't activate them fully until they were up – that's why none of them were initially hurt by them)
~
"Jeeze, I told ya already, I didn't expect him to faint! Stop lookin' at me that way; it's not my fault he figured it out!"
The pale, now slightly sweating Yuki continued to glare at him, now propped up amid a mess of pillows, the unconscious Shuichi beside him. Yuki's hand rested on the boy's chest as if he didn't even notice it there. "You frightened him."
"I'm not an evil demon!" He snapped. "Hell, I'm barely a demon."
"Well, now that they know, you may as well take the hat off, kitten." Hiei smirked, arms crossed over his chest.
"WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH MY EARS, YOU FREAK?"
"It is not only your wonderfully fluffy ears, Mr. Kitten. I like your ass as well."
"HIEI!!!"
~
When Shuichi woke, he had a wonderful moment of forgetfulness, forgetting entirely why he was in bed in the middle of the day. At first he had thought that it must have been because Yuki had decided to especially friendly and had torn himself away from his writing for long enough to spend a little quality time with his Shu-chan.
But then Shuichi realized that he was still clothed, and when Yuki wanted middle-of-the-day sex, he never left a scrap of clothing on either of them.
He whimpered as he remembered it. The computer, Yuki's sickness, the demons...
A hand moved across his back and he froze, lifting his face to see Yuki sitting next to him, propped up on pillows, so pale it frightened him.
"Yuki..." He whispered.
The older man smiled – something he rarely did – and Shuichi whimpered again.
"You...you really are sick, aren't you? You're going to die, aren't you? WAHHHHH YUKI DON'T DIE!!!!"
The smile faded. "Don't be a complete idiot." The writer snapped coldly. His voice was strong, despite his appearance. "You've done enough of that today, don't you think?"
"Are the...the demons...still here?" He asked, frightened.
He snorted rudely. "Of course they are; they haven't finished their job yet."
"How...how much longer?"
"They're estimating tomorrow or the next day. The monster still refuses to come out of the computer on it's own. I sure as hell am glad I have that piece of crap insured."
"How are you feeling?" He asked, fear for his lover taking precedence over fear of the scary monsters in their home.
"Better. Go away now."
"What?"
"I don't want those people alone in my house – you're supposed to keep an eye on them, remember? You've been out for two hours; I'm already annoyed as hell with you for acting like such a child. Get the hell out of my room."
Shuichi tried arguing, he tried flattery, he even tried seduction (which he didn't think he was very good at yet but which had actually almost broken Yuki, who was secretly very turned on by his fumbling innocence and inexperience) but nothing worked to convince Yuki that he didn't need to go and keep an eye on the demons. A mere few minutes later he found himself outside the door to the study, terrified.
He peeked in and stared.
Then he squealed and ran in, glomping Yusuke violently.
"Sugoi!" He squealed. "Kawaii Yusuke neko-chan!"
~
"So what's that supposed to do?"
"Lure the monster out."
"Can I have one of the French fries?"
"No, they're for the monster."
"Oh. Can I have the pie then?"
"Also for the monster."
"Oh. Well, then, can I have..."
Kurama whirled on Shuichi, patience finally lost. "It is all for the monster; all of it!" He yelled.
Hiei snickered and continued trying to fan the scent of the food into the computer.
Shuichi had barely moved since coming back to the computer room – he had sat for nearly an hour on the floor, arms around Yusuke (who's tail was unwrapped from around his body and ears were no longer hidden by his usual hat) occasionally petting the other boy's long, silky hair and murmuring a "good neko. Good boy. What a pretty kitty you are." To which Hiei laughed and laughed and laughed and was in one of the best moods Kurama had ever seen him in.
"He's not coming out." Yusuke said after several moments, teeth gritted in annoyance, one eye twitching. "Let's just smash the damn thing."
"One more attempt, my dear." Kurama sighed, "It's regulation, you know. Hiei?"
"About time." He huffed, smiling, as he dropped the fan and moved in front of the possessed computer. He drew the cloth from around his head and turned toward the screen.
Shuichi screeched at Hiei's reflection, grabbing Yusuke tighter. "Scary!"
"No, no." Yusuke corrected. "Cute. He's a very cute chibi. Go glomp him. Go...can't...breathe..."
Kurama took note of the slight blush staining Hiei's cheeks and stored it away for later as his longtime partner began to look for the monster in the computer.
"Anything?" He asked finally, watching his lover begin to sweat.
"Yes. Almost. Almost I..." Faster than the eye could see, his hand whipped out into the computer screen, scattering glass everywhere. It came away bloody, a tiny monster clutched in it. It struggled, it bit, finally it turned and threw up on him. Threw up a lot. Hiei was completely covered by green slime. Yusuke and Shuichi had been behind him, and Shuichi had ducked behind the "cute little neko-chan" when the spray occurred, and Yusuke had been splattered by the green gunk.
Kurama began to laugh.
~
To Be Continued!
I know it's short, but I thought this was a good stopping place. Let me just say that I really liked writing this chapter! It was fun! Review, please; reviews are fun, too!
Face brightening, he leapt to his feet and moved toward the slightly younger boy, ushering him back into the hallway.
"What's going on in there?" Shuichi asked.
"Keep it down; they're trying to concentrate. They're trying to lure the monster out of the computer – Kurama thought we should try that fist. If it comes out peacefully, we won't have to smash it in."
"Yuki would be pissed if you hurt his computer!"
"We're trying, all right?"
"What are these thingies?" He asked, holding out the paper he had taken from the wall.
"What?" Yusuke reached for it, then drew back with a hiss, shaking his hand. "Put that back!" He snapped. "Damn it, do you know how long it took us to put those up? Damn!"
Shuichi quickly returned the paper to where he had found it and when he turned back to Yusuke he found the other boy examining a large, angry red burn on his hand.
"That little piece of paper did that?"
Ignoring him, Yusuke stalked to the kitchen and turned on the water, sticking his hand under the faucet.
"Yusuke-san? What happened? Is it my fault? I'm sorry...."
"I need bandages. And ice." He snapped, glaring back when Shuichi didn't move. "Now!" The light made his eyes seem almost golden, but Shuichi didn't think about it as he gave a small jump and hurried to do as told, also getting some burn salve for good measure.
"What were those things?" He asked as he and Yusuke sat at the table and attempted to treat his hand.
"Demon wards, to keep Tryxidion from interfering." He hissed, attention focused solely on his hand.
"Why...why did it burn you?"
Yusuke looked up at him and he gasped as he realized that his eyes really were golden, and the pupils were slit like those of a cat. Shuichi stumbled backwards out of his chair, mouth gaping. "You...you're a...? But....Yuuukkkiiiii!" He wailed, turning and running back to his lover's bedroom, leaving his hot chocolate forgotten on the table.
"Yuuuuukkkkkiiiiii!" He screeched, turning the corner's quickly and skidding on the rug in the living room, falling to his backside with a loud crash. Tears stung his eyes, but he quickly picked himself up off the ground and went running again. "Yuuuukkkkkiiiii!!!" He wailed, turning down the hallway so fast he lost his center of balance and crashed into a wall. Yuki's door opened and Yuki stepped out, pale, leaning against the doorframe. Shuichi stopped in his tracks at the familiar scowl.
"What the hell is it this time, brat?" He demanded, voice a touch breathless.
"My thought's exactly." Kurama said from the doorway to Yuki's study. "You are making quite a racket, I fear, my concentration has been broken. Had you started that incessant wailing two minutes earlier, we all would have been killed! And you caused Yuki to leave his bed, when it is far too soon for him to do so. Don't you realize that the medicine severely weakens him as it takes affect? Bruising could be enough to cause weeks of agony at this point, much less if he were to fall!"
He sank to his knees helplessly, whimpering and unable to stop the tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."
"What is it, Shuichi?" Yuki sighed. He actually smiled, and Shuichi's heart sank with the knowledge his lover really was unwell.
Shuichi froze as Yusuke passed him and went to stand with Kurama in the doorway, the bandage around his hand bringing all of Shuichi's fears back. He pointed a trembling finder at the dark haired boy.
"He...he...he's a demon!"
"So?" Kurama asked calmly. "We are all demons, my dear. Who better to deal with a case such as this than those with the most understanding of the workings of such beings, neh?"
"Y...you're...you're all...."
(NOTE: Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei put up the wards with gloves on, and didn't activate them fully until they were up – that's why none of them were initially hurt by them)
~
"Jeeze, I told ya already, I didn't expect him to faint! Stop lookin' at me that way; it's not my fault he figured it out!"
The pale, now slightly sweating Yuki continued to glare at him, now propped up amid a mess of pillows, the unconscious Shuichi beside him. Yuki's hand rested on the boy's chest as if he didn't even notice it there. "You frightened him."
"I'm not an evil demon!" He snapped. "Hell, I'm barely a demon."
"Well, now that they know, you may as well take the hat off, kitten." Hiei smirked, arms crossed over his chest.
"WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH MY EARS, YOU FREAK?"
"It is not only your wonderfully fluffy ears, Mr. Kitten. I like your ass as well."
"HIEI!!!"
~
When Shuichi woke, he had a wonderful moment of forgetfulness, forgetting entirely why he was in bed in the middle of the day. At first he had thought that it must have been because Yuki had decided to especially friendly and had torn himself away from his writing for long enough to spend a little quality time with his Shu-chan.
But then Shuichi realized that he was still clothed, and when Yuki wanted middle-of-the-day sex, he never left a scrap of clothing on either of them.
He whimpered as he remembered it. The computer, Yuki's sickness, the demons...
A hand moved across his back and he froze, lifting his face to see Yuki sitting next to him, propped up on pillows, so pale it frightened him.
"Yuki..." He whispered.
The older man smiled – something he rarely did – and Shuichi whimpered again.
"You...you really are sick, aren't you? You're going to die, aren't you? WAHHHHH YUKI DON'T DIE!!!!"
The smile faded. "Don't be a complete idiot." The writer snapped coldly. His voice was strong, despite his appearance. "You've done enough of that today, don't you think?"
"Are the...the demons...still here?" He asked, frightened.
He snorted rudely. "Of course they are; they haven't finished their job yet."
"How...how much longer?"
"They're estimating tomorrow or the next day. The monster still refuses to come out of the computer on it's own. I sure as hell am glad I have that piece of crap insured."
"How are you feeling?" He asked, fear for his lover taking precedence over fear of the scary monsters in their home.
"Better. Go away now."
"What?"
"I don't want those people alone in my house – you're supposed to keep an eye on them, remember? You've been out for two hours; I'm already annoyed as hell with you for acting like such a child. Get the hell out of my room."
Shuichi tried arguing, he tried flattery, he even tried seduction (which he didn't think he was very good at yet but which had actually almost broken Yuki, who was secretly very turned on by his fumbling innocence and inexperience) but nothing worked to convince Yuki that he didn't need to go and keep an eye on the demons. A mere few minutes later he found himself outside the door to the study, terrified.
He peeked in and stared.
Then he squealed and ran in, glomping Yusuke violently.
"Sugoi!" He squealed. "Kawaii Yusuke neko-chan!"
~
"So what's that supposed to do?"
"Lure the monster out."
"Can I have one of the French fries?"
"No, they're for the monster."
"Oh. Can I have the pie then?"
"Also for the monster."
"Oh. Well, then, can I have..."
Kurama whirled on Shuichi, patience finally lost. "It is all for the monster; all of it!" He yelled.
Hiei snickered and continued trying to fan the scent of the food into the computer.
Shuichi had barely moved since coming back to the computer room – he had sat for nearly an hour on the floor, arms around Yusuke (who's tail was unwrapped from around his body and ears were no longer hidden by his usual hat) occasionally petting the other boy's long, silky hair and murmuring a "good neko. Good boy. What a pretty kitty you are." To which Hiei laughed and laughed and laughed and was in one of the best moods Kurama had ever seen him in.
"He's not coming out." Yusuke said after several moments, teeth gritted in annoyance, one eye twitching. "Let's just smash the damn thing."
"One more attempt, my dear." Kurama sighed, "It's regulation, you know. Hiei?"
"About time." He huffed, smiling, as he dropped the fan and moved in front of the possessed computer. He drew the cloth from around his head and turned toward the screen.
Shuichi screeched at Hiei's reflection, grabbing Yusuke tighter. "Scary!"
"No, no." Yusuke corrected. "Cute. He's a very cute chibi. Go glomp him. Go...can't...breathe..."
Kurama took note of the slight blush staining Hiei's cheeks and stored it away for later as his longtime partner began to look for the monster in the computer.
"Anything?" He asked finally, watching his lover begin to sweat.
"Yes. Almost. Almost I..." Faster than the eye could see, his hand whipped out into the computer screen, scattering glass everywhere. It came away bloody, a tiny monster clutched in it. It struggled, it bit, finally it turned and threw up on him. Threw up a lot. Hiei was completely covered by green slime. Yusuke and Shuichi had been behind him, and Shuichi had ducked behind the "cute little neko-chan" when the spray occurred, and Yusuke had been splattered by the green gunk.
Kurama began to laugh.
~
To Be Continued!
I know it's short, but I thought this was a good stopping place. Let me just say that I really liked writing this chapter! It was fun! Review, please; reviews are fun, too!