Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reviewing for
this fic. I haven't been putting in my usual responses (I just don't have
the time anymore) so I wanted to put in a note here. ^_^ Because it has
become so popular, I'm fully dedicating this fic to all of my readers.
Without you, this story would never of become the wonderfully twisted thing
that it has ~grin~. I certainly hope you will continue to post your
reviews, as I live off of them!
Reaching Your Limits: Continual Cycle Episode 23: Speaking Out. A Tender Peace
When black-clad legs appeared beside his desk, Kurama looked up and smiled when he saw Hiei standing next to him. Hiei had been gone all week, on a mission for Koenma. Apparently, the parasite that had taken over Miya was not the only one to appear in the Humanworld. Since it was a relatively easy mission, Koenma had sent Hiei to take care of them alone, while the rest of them continued with their training.
"I wonder when we'll be considered good enough to be included in missions," Kurama commented.
Since it was lunch and the class had divided out into groups, the seat in front of Kurama was open. Sitting down, Hiei shook his head. "It was a boring case. Find them and kill them. They usually didn't have the chance to retaliate," he replied.
"That's because of your skill," Kurama said.
Hiei blinked at him, then looked away quickly. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, and Kurama smiled widely when he saw it. They'd spoken to each other all night that night, the night before Miya's attack. For the first time, Hiei had opened up to him and spoke of his feelings. Knowing it would never happen again, Kurama kept that moment in a special place of his heart.
They'd worked out their insecurities, admitted their feelings. But they hadn't had the chance to speak since then. Kurama couldn't help but feel a little worried that Hiei might of changed his mind. Or pulled away in embarrasment for having admitted so much.
"Since I've remembered my past, I've remembered most of what I can do with my power. Maybe Koenma will allow me to come with you on your next mission," Kurama said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one would be able to overhear.
Hiei nodded. "Actually, almost all of you have finished your training. Genkai told Koenma that she only has a few things more to do with Yuusuke before he'll be ready. And Yukina told me that Kuwabara has become a master with his Spirit Sword," he replied. "I'm sure that you'll be included with the next one."
"Do you think we could talk tonight? I want to ask you something," Kurama questioned, nearly forcing the words out. He wanted to ask Hiei to go out with him, but couldn't help being worried that the other would say no. Luckily, since Miya was still at Genkai's, Hiei would be staying at his house for a while longer.
"Only if you do me a favor," Hiei stated, giving him a hard look.
Kurama's brow furrowed. "What kind of favor?"
"You have to talk to Miya," Hiei replied.
Kurama frowned, relunctant. Miya had been affected greatly by having a parasite demon possess her. Once she'd returned to Genkai's, she refused to leave. She wouldn't even go out into the yard, afraid that she might be possessed once again. She refused to see both Hiei and Yukina, and even avoided Yuusuke as much as possible when he was there for his training. It was obvious that the possession had filled her with a great fear.
Sho was staying with her, both he and their grandmother attempting to comfort the young woman. Kurama had avoided the area, afraid of what his pressence might bring. Miya would no doubt still be angry, but he was afraid that she might be frightened of him as well. She thought of him not as a human but as a demon, after all. He didn't want to make her more upset.
"I don't know if I should," he said quietly.
Hiei watched him for a long moment. "You can't keep putting it off. What happened between you and Miya's mother is not important. But what happened between you and Miya will likely influence her future. Even if she does hate you, the two of you have to discuss what happened. She blames herself for your injuries."
Kurama looked down at his arm. Yukina and Botan had been able to heal all of his injuries, except for his broken arm. He had told his mother that he'd slipped on the edge of a pool. He felt bad for having to lie, but there was no way that he could tell her the truth.
She'd been treating him with kids gloves ever since he came back. It was obvious she was still uncomfortable around him, but was showing a definate desire to understand his chosen lifestyle. They hadn't talked about it since that first day, but Kurama felt certain that it wouldn't take long before Shiori would be acting normally around him once again.
"You really want me to do this, don't you?" Kurama asked.
Hiei shrugged. "I don't really care either way. Koenma, however, thinks that it is something that has to be done. He thinks it would help Miya greatly to know that you don't blame her."
Kurama sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. After a moment, he looked back at Hiei. "Alright, I'll do it. After school."
***
"Have you come to punish me for trying to kill you?" Miya asked, the first thing spoken after Kurama joined the siblings in the kitchen.
It had taken him a lot of courage to walk into the room. His pride and determination had finally forced him to enter. He'd promised Hiei he would do this, and so he would. Of course, neither Miya or Sho had been glad to see them. And he doubted it was because he'd interrupted their supper.
"Of course not," Kurama said quickly, horrified. The thought of punishing the girl had never crossed his mind. "I'm insulted that you would think such a thing. Even if you do hate me, your actions were caused by that parasite. I would never hold something like that against you."
"I wasn't under control," Sho interrupted, staring down at his food with a sad expression on his face. "I went along with Miya's plan. I didn't realize that she was going to try and kill you, but I didn't do anything to stop her. I even helped the plan along."
Unable to help himself, Kurama reached out and touched Sho's shoulder. The youth looked up at him quickly at the action. "I don't blame you. Either of you. I understand what you're going through. I've been through a similar situation, after all," Kurama said quietly.
"You?" Miya asked, disbelieving.
Kurama nodded. "When I was born as a human, I had no father. He was killed in an accident before I was born. My mother grieved for a long time. Recently, I've also remembered when I was born as a Youko. I had no idea who may father was. He bed my mother, and took off before I was born. My mother hated him for what he'd done to her. The difference between you two and myself is that I never held it against him. He had made his own decisions, as had my mother. I decided as a Youko child and as a human child to live my own life the way I wanted, no matter how other people influenced it."
There was a long moment of silence. "You can't expect me to believe that? Life isn't that black and white," Miya hissed.
Closing his eyes, Kurama shook his head. "Of course it isn't. Life is never black and white. I know that more than anyone. I've been through hell and more in the last few months. My whole life has been turned upside down. My own mother is still taking time recovering after finding out I'm gay. Sometimes I even wake up and wonder if all of this has simply been a strange dream," he admitted.
There was a long moment of silence. "All of my life, I've hated the mysterious man that caused me so much pain. All I knew of him was that he was a demon, that his name was Kurama, and that he broke my mother's heart. I can't just forget about all of that anger," Miya said quietly. "I'm truley sorry about what happened when I was under that thing's control, but I can't bring myself to like you. I can't even bring myself to stop hating you. For taking both my mother, and Hiei away from me."
"You don't have to like me. In fact, you can continue to hate me all you want. I just thought that it was time we spoke. I cannot appologize enough for the pain that I've caused your family, but I cannot take back those actions. And, honestly, I don't want to. If I hadn't met your mother, then you wouldn't be alive. You wouldn't be the grandchildren that Genkai is so proud of."
"How can she be proud of me now?" Miya said bitterly.
Kurama smiled slightly. "She doesn't hold judgement. She didn't hold judgement against your mother or me, and she certainly doesn't for you. That's part of what makes her a special person."
"I wish I could be more like her," Miya admitted.
"I don't hate you," Sho said suddenly.
Two sets of eyes turned to him quickly. Sho blushed and looked down, fiddling with his chopsticks. "I went along with what Miya wanted because I love my sister more than anyone, and would do anything for her. But I just can't bring myself to think of you as the moster that she's always claimed you to be. Not once I got to know you, and see you around the others. Especially once I saw the battle between you and Miya. Even though she was trying to kill you, you wouldn't strike her back. Not even a little. I thought that, how can a person with such dignity and grace be the horrible person I thought him to be?"
"I was a horrible person, back then," Kurama admitted.
"But you're not that person now," Sho stated firmly.
Kurama was quiet for a long moment, then he smiled.
"You can never be a father to us," Miya stated.
"Perhaps, though, I can be a friend," Kurama replied.
Reaching Your Limits: Continual Cycle Episode 23: Speaking Out. A Tender Peace
When black-clad legs appeared beside his desk, Kurama looked up and smiled when he saw Hiei standing next to him. Hiei had been gone all week, on a mission for Koenma. Apparently, the parasite that had taken over Miya was not the only one to appear in the Humanworld. Since it was a relatively easy mission, Koenma had sent Hiei to take care of them alone, while the rest of them continued with their training.
"I wonder when we'll be considered good enough to be included in missions," Kurama commented.
Since it was lunch and the class had divided out into groups, the seat in front of Kurama was open. Sitting down, Hiei shook his head. "It was a boring case. Find them and kill them. They usually didn't have the chance to retaliate," he replied.
"That's because of your skill," Kurama said.
Hiei blinked at him, then looked away quickly. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, and Kurama smiled widely when he saw it. They'd spoken to each other all night that night, the night before Miya's attack. For the first time, Hiei had opened up to him and spoke of his feelings. Knowing it would never happen again, Kurama kept that moment in a special place of his heart.
They'd worked out their insecurities, admitted their feelings. But they hadn't had the chance to speak since then. Kurama couldn't help but feel a little worried that Hiei might of changed his mind. Or pulled away in embarrasment for having admitted so much.
"Since I've remembered my past, I've remembered most of what I can do with my power. Maybe Koenma will allow me to come with you on your next mission," Kurama said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one would be able to overhear.
Hiei nodded. "Actually, almost all of you have finished your training. Genkai told Koenma that she only has a few things more to do with Yuusuke before he'll be ready. And Yukina told me that Kuwabara has become a master with his Spirit Sword," he replied. "I'm sure that you'll be included with the next one."
"Do you think we could talk tonight? I want to ask you something," Kurama questioned, nearly forcing the words out. He wanted to ask Hiei to go out with him, but couldn't help being worried that the other would say no. Luckily, since Miya was still at Genkai's, Hiei would be staying at his house for a while longer.
"Only if you do me a favor," Hiei stated, giving him a hard look.
Kurama's brow furrowed. "What kind of favor?"
"You have to talk to Miya," Hiei replied.
Kurama frowned, relunctant. Miya had been affected greatly by having a parasite demon possess her. Once she'd returned to Genkai's, she refused to leave. She wouldn't even go out into the yard, afraid that she might be possessed once again. She refused to see both Hiei and Yukina, and even avoided Yuusuke as much as possible when he was there for his training. It was obvious that the possession had filled her with a great fear.
Sho was staying with her, both he and their grandmother attempting to comfort the young woman. Kurama had avoided the area, afraid of what his pressence might bring. Miya would no doubt still be angry, but he was afraid that she might be frightened of him as well. She thought of him not as a human but as a demon, after all. He didn't want to make her more upset.
"I don't know if I should," he said quietly.
Hiei watched him for a long moment. "You can't keep putting it off. What happened between you and Miya's mother is not important. But what happened between you and Miya will likely influence her future. Even if she does hate you, the two of you have to discuss what happened. She blames herself for your injuries."
Kurama looked down at his arm. Yukina and Botan had been able to heal all of his injuries, except for his broken arm. He had told his mother that he'd slipped on the edge of a pool. He felt bad for having to lie, but there was no way that he could tell her the truth.
She'd been treating him with kids gloves ever since he came back. It was obvious she was still uncomfortable around him, but was showing a definate desire to understand his chosen lifestyle. They hadn't talked about it since that first day, but Kurama felt certain that it wouldn't take long before Shiori would be acting normally around him once again.
"You really want me to do this, don't you?" Kurama asked.
Hiei shrugged. "I don't really care either way. Koenma, however, thinks that it is something that has to be done. He thinks it would help Miya greatly to know that you don't blame her."
Kurama sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. After a moment, he looked back at Hiei. "Alright, I'll do it. After school."
***
"Have you come to punish me for trying to kill you?" Miya asked, the first thing spoken after Kurama joined the siblings in the kitchen.
It had taken him a lot of courage to walk into the room. His pride and determination had finally forced him to enter. He'd promised Hiei he would do this, and so he would. Of course, neither Miya or Sho had been glad to see them. And he doubted it was because he'd interrupted their supper.
"Of course not," Kurama said quickly, horrified. The thought of punishing the girl had never crossed his mind. "I'm insulted that you would think such a thing. Even if you do hate me, your actions were caused by that parasite. I would never hold something like that against you."
"I wasn't under control," Sho interrupted, staring down at his food with a sad expression on his face. "I went along with Miya's plan. I didn't realize that she was going to try and kill you, but I didn't do anything to stop her. I even helped the plan along."
Unable to help himself, Kurama reached out and touched Sho's shoulder. The youth looked up at him quickly at the action. "I don't blame you. Either of you. I understand what you're going through. I've been through a similar situation, after all," Kurama said quietly.
"You?" Miya asked, disbelieving.
Kurama nodded. "When I was born as a human, I had no father. He was killed in an accident before I was born. My mother grieved for a long time. Recently, I've also remembered when I was born as a Youko. I had no idea who may father was. He bed my mother, and took off before I was born. My mother hated him for what he'd done to her. The difference between you two and myself is that I never held it against him. He had made his own decisions, as had my mother. I decided as a Youko child and as a human child to live my own life the way I wanted, no matter how other people influenced it."
There was a long moment of silence. "You can't expect me to believe that? Life isn't that black and white," Miya hissed.
Closing his eyes, Kurama shook his head. "Of course it isn't. Life is never black and white. I know that more than anyone. I've been through hell and more in the last few months. My whole life has been turned upside down. My own mother is still taking time recovering after finding out I'm gay. Sometimes I even wake up and wonder if all of this has simply been a strange dream," he admitted.
There was a long moment of silence. "All of my life, I've hated the mysterious man that caused me so much pain. All I knew of him was that he was a demon, that his name was Kurama, and that he broke my mother's heart. I can't just forget about all of that anger," Miya said quietly. "I'm truley sorry about what happened when I was under that thing's control, but I can't bring myself to like you. I can't even bring myself to stop hating you. For taking both my mother, and Hiei away from me."
"You don't have to like me. In fact, you can continue to hate me all you want. I just thought that it was time we spoke. I cannot appologize enough for the pain that I've caused your family, but I cannot take back those actions. And, honestly, I don't want to. If I hadn't met your mother, then you wouldn't be alive. You wouldn't be the grandchildren that Genkai is so proud of."
"How can she be proud of me now?" Miya said bitterly.
Kurama smiled slightly. "She doesn't hold judgement. She didn't hold judgement against your mother or me, and she certainly doesn't for you. That's part of what makes her a special person."
"I wish I could be more like her," Miya admitted.
"I don't hate you," Sho said suddenly.
Two sets of eyes turned to him quickly. Sho blushed and looked down, fiddling with his chopsticks. "I went along with what Miya wanted because I love my sister more than anyone, and would do anything for her. But I just can't bring myself to think of you as the moster that she's always claimed you to be. Not once I got to know you, and see you around the others. Especially once I saw the battle between you and Miya. Even though she was trying to kill you, you wouldn't strike her back. Not even a little. I thought that, how can a person with such dignity and grace be the horrible person I thought him to be?"
"I was a horrible person, back then," Kurama admitted.
"But you're not that person now," Sho stated firmly.
Kurama was quiet for a long moment, then he smiled.
"You can never be a father to us," Miya stated.
"Perhaps, though, I can be a friend," Kurama replied.