Continuation fic to 'Classes', as per shinchansgirl's request. You would understand this fic more if you read 'Classes', but it's not a must. 2178 words. Genfic, but you can spot faint Kurama/Botan flirtiness if you look for it. :p I hope everyone enjoys it. :-)
DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot. Dammit.
Convictions
The evening sun lazily bathed Tokyo in its benevolent glow as the residents of the city scurried about busily, engrossed in their own active lives. The brilliant light blazed and reflected off tall, glass skyscrapers in the business district as well as the smaller, residential housing in the quieter sections of town. In one of these houses sat a red-haired youth in his room, bent over his desk industriously, golden rays of sunlight entering through the open window and illuminating the room and its single occupant as if in thanks.
Kurama was engrossed in grading student essays when he felt a distant, familiar ki approach. He looked up for a moment, his face mirroring faint surprise. After a small moment, the redhead exhaled slightly and put his pen down. He had planned to finish this stack as soon as possible, but he couldn't say he minded the distraction. There was only so much abuse of his favourite subject he could take, even for a millennia old fox demon with untold amounts of patience.
He scraped his chair back, stood up and walked over to the unlocked window. Kurama's placid gaze skipped over the vehicles and people on the roads, flitted up the houses and past sloping roofs, finally resting on the vast blue of the sky just as a pink blur of light streaked across the heavens. His eyes followed its breakneck movement as it curved steeply around the clouds, plummeting dizzily and stopping inches away from his amused face as he stood leaning against the window, hands folded expectantly in front of him.
"Good evening, Botan."
The immortal, blue-haired deity, clad in her usual pink kimono was looking straight at him while sitting on her floating oar. One hand was resting on the wooden handle and the other was cocked on her hip. She had an expression on her face that was a strange blend of laughter, annoyance, resignation and amused exasperation. Neither spoke for a few seconds until finally Botan rolled her eyes at him in slight pique.
"Mou, Kurama-kun! Can't you, just for once, have the decency not to notice me before I arrive?"
Kurama just smirked at her, his emerald eyes sparkling with ill-concealed amusement. "Isn't that just so that you can startle me like you do so often to Yuusuke and Kuwabura?" he teased back.
Botan huffed slightly in indignation. "Well, excuse me if I want some fun once in a while. Do you know how irritating it is when nothing seems to surprise a person?"
Kurama chuckled as the mirth colouring his eyes grew. "I have been told that once or twice, yes."
Botan eyed Kurama suspiciously, not sure whether he was making fun of her or not. Kurama stared back innocently. Botan knew that look. She was very familiar with it. From her experience with the fox, that was usually when Kurama maintained a serene façade on the outside while laughing hysterically inside his mind. She glared at him.
"The least you can do is allow me to sneak up on you once in a while," she continued, lifting her chin up and folding her hands in front of her with great dignity.
A red brow arched. "Are you asking me to lie, Botan?"
Botan stared at him incredulously for a second more before throwing up her hands in complete aggravation and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Why do I even bother?"
Kurama could not hold back a laugh even as he moved away from the window and waved the deity in.
Botan flew into the room and hopped off her oar, making it disappear with a snap of her fingers. Kurama gestured her to a seat before sitting down himself.
"So, Botan, what brings you here? If it's another world-saving errand, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until I've marked all these papers," Kurama leaned back in his chair, still with a hint of a smile on his lips.
The irrepressible deity pouted at him. "Why must everyone automatically assume that there's trouble every time I come by?"
Kurama quirked a single brow at her. Botan pursed her lips and sat straighter. It really was amazing how he could convey such a wealth of skepticism in that single gesture. "Oh, c'mon, I'm not that bad," she asserted staunchly.
Kurama had schooled his features into an expression of polite disbelief. "I didn't say anything," he remarked.
"You didn't have to," grumbled Botan as she flopped back on the bed. "And here I thought I was being such a good friend to come and tell you about today and you mock me in return!"
Kurama assumed a falsely chastened expression. "I apologize for teasing you, Botan."
Hah. Botan didn't believe that for even oneinstant. Possibly those laughing green eyes had something to do with it. She glared at him. His expression didn't change although the amusement colouring his eyes grew until the green gaze fairly twinkled at her. But she refused to give in to the wily fox, oh no. She wasn't like the rest of his vapid fangirls, after all. Botan maintained her annoyance with great strength of will.
"I'm sorry. Really," Kurama smiled at her, one graceful hand underscoring the apology. "So what did you want to tell me about?" Kurama sat back, expressive eyes still containing vestiges of mirth.
Botan kept up her righteously indignant expression for a second more before allowing her features to soften into their natural good humour. It wasn't like she could resist for much longer, anyways. Ah, well.
Botan grinned back at him. "Apology accepted, Kurama-kun." She ran her eyes around the room, to finally rest her gaze out the open window into the blue sky. She looked outside for half a minute before firmly fixing her gaze back on the patiently waiting fox demon. Kurama was mildly surprised to observe the seriousness in her eyes. As ever, Botan went for the direct approach.
"Earlier today, in the morning, I was scheduled to transport a soul to Reikai."
Kurama kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt the unexpected narration.
"It was nothing unusual, well, except that he was a bit young. He was in a hospital close to here… he was unconscious when his soul left his body." Botan's eyes thoughtfully turned back to the window.
"His relatives were there when he died. They were very upset, naturally…" Botan's voice tapered out as she recalled the events that had happened only a few hours ago.
"But what I was surprised about, Kurama-kun…," her purple eyes came back to rest squarely on his puzzled gaze as she turned back towards him, "…was that I recognized your younger brother, Shuichi, among the people who were standing there when it happened. And it didn't seem like he was accompanied by anyone, either."
Kurama's eyes widened fractionally at this revelation. They continued to look at each other for a few beats before Kurama closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose and lifted his eyes.
"Botan, the human who died – was his name Honda Hiroshi?"
This time, it was Botan's eyes that widened with surprise. "You… you knew him, Kurama-kun?"
"Oh." She whispered at his affirmative nod and turned her gaze back down. "And Shuichi-kun?"
Kurama was looking down pensively. "Well, he knew of him, but I had no idea that he would go and visit him at the hospital when he's never even met him before…"
"I'm sorry, Kurama-kun." Kurama's eyes snapped up and he looked over at the deity of Death who was still staring intently at the carpet. His eyes warmed a shade as he regarded the contrite girl.
Kurama walked over to her, lifted a hand and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "You have no reason to be sorry, Botan. It's not your fault."
Botan smiled gingerly at him.
"No, on the contrary... I have to thank you," Kurama walked over to the window and looked out pensively.
"Thank me?" Botan asked, puzzled.
Kurama spared her a fleeting glance before returning his gaze to the busy streets.
"For sparing the time to tell me about this."
Botan shook her head as she stood up, summoning her oar once again. "There's no need for that, Kurama-kun. I wanted you to know. And, well, I must be going now; Koenma-sama'll throw a fit if I'm late."
Kurama nodded and moved out of the way so that Botan could fly out the window. She hovered outside, still facing Kurama.
"I hope Shuichi-kun will be fine…even if he's too young to be dealing with such things."
Botan looked away for a moment before looking back at Kurama, eyes soft. "Kurama-kun... if it helps, Honda-san told me he was happy, even though he lost his life at such a young age, and that he didn't have too many regrets. He was content with his life… and with his death."
Kurama leaned by the open window and nodded at the messenger of death, smiling faintly. "Thank you, Botan."
The deity shared a final smile with the kitsune before shooting up to the heavens at an incredible rate of speed. Green eyes watched her until she finally winked out of sight.
Kurama regarded the cheerful blue skies with a sigh. He would really have preferred for his family to never be touched by the dismal issues that he had had to deal with so casually. Death, blood, betrayal, loss... these were all things that were very familiar to him. He had hoped to protect his family as much as he possibly could; shelter them from the dirty side of life with all his might. But, was that hoping for too much? Was he being too optimistic? The emerald eyes turned thoughtful.
Humans, with their firefly existences, could sometimes grow to be as wise as demons more than five times their age. The redheaded demon propped his face against his hand contemplatively.
Living their life as they could in this world of theirs, experiencing their own hardships, successes and trials in life... whatever joy and sorrow that came with it... this was how every human in this world evolved to adulthood. Each experience shaping their life and their choices, which, in turn, affected their future.
Kurama had to admit, it was rather more complicated than the simple 'kill or be killed' rules of the Makai where all that mattered was that you were more powerful than your enemies. Nothing more, nothing less.
Was he hindering his younger brother, being as overprotective as he was now? Denying Shuichi the natural process of growing and maturing? Kurama continued to gaze at the lazily moving clouds reflectively. Maybe he should relax and let things take their course. Let his brother have the chances to experience the more serious aspects of life. But still...
He frowned. Was he being too harsh? Shuichi was very young, after all. Emerald eyes sparked as another thought intruded his musings. Yuusuke was about Shuichi's age when he had thrown himself in front of that car, dying in the process. That single act had changed his life. And afterwards, Yuusuke himself had changed the lives of many who associated with him.
Yuusuke had been someone with a strong will, even before he had known of his spiritual talents. Yuusuke's mother, Atsuko, was not the nurturing type, and Yuusuke had not exactly had an easy life. Each day, each decision that he'd taken in his life had shaped the person Yuusuke was. Was Kurama denying his brother the chance to be all that he had the potential to be?
Hmm. Maybe he was overprotecting his stepbrother too much.
A timid knock on his door interrupted Kurama from his musings. He turned away from the window, still distracted by his thoughts.
"Come on in," he called out, already having recognized the person standing outside the door.
The sombre face of his young stepbrother peeked in. "Nii-san," he greeted, voice quiet, almost unrecognizable as the perky boy Kurama had come to know and care for.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but...," he came into the room and fidgeted as he stood near the open door. "Is... is it okay... I mean, do you mind if... if I could talk to you for a bit?" Haunted brown eyes caught and held placid green imploringly.
Kurama was struck by how very young the boy looked, with windblown hair and the telltale signs of stress on his youthful face.
Yes, maybe it was harsh, letting such young kids learn life's hard lessons, but... that didn't mean they had to go through them alone.
Kurama smiled at him.
"Of course not, Shuichi-kun. What is it?"
No, Kurama thought, as Shuichi shuffled into the room, closing the door and seated himself on the bed, turning too-solemn eyes to his older brother. Not alone. Never alone.
Kurama would be there by Shuichi's side as much as he could, lending unwavering, unconditional support. As his brother. As a friend. As family. That, he could promise.
Not alone. Never alone.
--- The end. ---
Review, please! I'd love to hear what you think of it. :-)