火の思う出・二番目の物語
Memories of Fire・Second Tale
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第十一話
Chapter 11
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I take my seat quietly as students begin to drift towards their own homerooms. I hear a group of girls whispering excitedly nearby, but I hardly care. It's very hard to concentrate on such things as schoolwork when I know my mother's murder is somewhere out there, just waiting for me to find him. For now, I have to keep up my appearance as a normal human being since I can hardly return to the demon world, even if my mother is gone.
Now that I think about it, it's going to be very difficult for me, and Hiei, to stay here for much longer. My mother was able to leave me some money that covered for the house and the basic necessities, but that money wouldn't last forever. I would probably have to get a job soon, which grated on my nerves. That means I would probably be very busy while attempting to juggle schoolwork, so time that I would have to track down that bastard.
As for actually finding the man, I was very uncertain about how to go about it. I had no recollection of my mother's murder and though I had many enemies as a youko, I couldn't grasp a specific name that would be so vengeful or have discovered my human identity even. Then again, Koenma would probably have some sort of information…
Sadly my thoughts were interrupted as the teacher entered and noticed me.
"Ah, Minamino. I see your in class today?"she said happily. I flashed her a noticeably forced smile, but she seemed to understand.
"Good morning, sensei."I said mechanically. Suddenly all eyes were on me and I didn't quite know why.
She gave me a comforting smile and leaned in to whisper softly. "If there's anything you need to talk to me about just come and visit me anytime before or after class…"
I doubted this woman could help me with my problems, but I was grateful to her nonetheless. She was kind-hearted and it was people like her that really made me appreciate living in the human world.
Classes continued like I remembered them, exceedingly boring. Though I had missed quite a bit of the material, I was able to catch up quickly. I had been alive for far longer than anyone else in that room and I hadn't picked up nothing in all that time.
It was until gym class that the first incident occurred. I had just finished changing clothes, exiting the locker room, when I happened to pass by a group of girls that obviously hadn't noticed my arrival.
"Yeah, and I heard that her body was so viciously destroyed that they couldn't figure out what weapon had actually caused it…" One girl recounted boldly.
"The inhumanity! With a murder running around like that, I can't help but wonder why they haven't sent out a alert or something," another interjected.
"I hear some people think it was Shuichi!" the bold girl said, trying to dominate the conversation once again.
The girls squealed and I felt my stomach clench uneasily. How could they even suggest…
I felt myself shake furiously, but I quickly composed myself and made my way back into the locker room. Luckily everyone had left, gathering outside for their class. I let my anger cool as I sat on a bench near the lockers and held my head in my hands. I need to be able to deal with issues like this. I can't let my classmates ever see me this discomposed.
What I really wanted now was Hiei to be there. The silent man was so comforting and his icy façade never fooled me. He's really such a sweetheart and I know he's been trying so hard to be supportive of me and show his feelings as often as possible. The fact that he's able to be so loving to me is something that really gives me strength and I don't know what I would do without him.
Thinking of Hiei, I can't help but wonder what he's doing at home right now. He's probably upset at me for how I treated him this morning, but…his eyes look so much like blood. He's self-conscious about himself as it is and I don't think I can really tell him that it was his eyes that were reminding me of things better not remembered. I know it would hurt him and I don't want to do that.
I really have to overcome it though, if I want to be able to look into his eyes. I have a theory, that maybe if I can find my mother's murder than my fear of the memory will dissipate to some extent. This is one thing that I'm frantically clinging to.
I probably need to discuss with Hiei about my plans for…well…revenge, or at least justice. I know he'll be opposed to it, but I'm sure he won't be able to stop me. I've been thinking as the hours of class pass, and I'm pretty sure my first move will to get my hands on the police report. I know they wouldn't just hand me out that kind of information, but it doesn't worry me. I wasn't called a great thief for nothing after all.
Currently though I should probably stop skipping classes and get back to this charade.
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It seems that the school has taken way too long to be ended. As if that weren't enough I have cleaning duty for this week, so I'm stuck staying after school for another thirty minutes sweeping. I'm never one to grumble, so I take to the broom with a fake, but nonetheless there, smile.
A few girls giggle at me as I pass out the doors. Maybe my fan club didn't totally disappear with the rumors of me being a psycho murder. I'm sort of glad, in a way, that they aren't stalking my every move. I can actually breath freely once again, though it is bittersweet.
A few students are still lingering around the entrance as I leave. I hear a couple of them saying, "Hey, who's that strange kid? Is he someone's younger brother?"
I turn and look to see that Hiei, looking rather forlorn and irritated, as he stands near the entrance steps. I watch as a girl approaches him, "Hey, are you lost? Did you need help finding your brother?"
The look Hiei gives her is priceless and I can't help but let a laugh escape from my lips. As soon as I do, Hiei's eyes lock onto me and I see a strange emotion pass over his face. It takes me a second to realize that Hiei is blushing.
The girl follows his line of sight to look at me and suddenly I realize it's that girl from this morning, Aimi I think.
"Hey, Shuichi-kun! I didn't know you had a little bro!" she says as I approach them.
Hiei glowers and I smirk and put my arm around him. "No, he's not my brother. He's my cousin from out of town. You see, my relatives are visiting since…you know…the incident."
She smiles and instantly backs off knowing it's a rather 'taboo' topic. Just what I suspected she would do. She bides good-bye and I'm left alone with Hiei.
"Hn. You're too good at lying, fox." He says, looking at me uncomfortably.
I sigh, but then put on a bright smile for him. "It's just a hobby of mine."
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We arrive home quickly. I can't believe Hiei actually came to met me. I think he was too bored cooped up in the house by himself. That theory is proved when I come home and discover the entire placed has been turned upside-down.
He looks at me guilty, but I say nothing. Plopping down on the couch, I decide that I might as well come straight out with want I'm planning to do this evening.
"You're going to do what?" he asks me, crossing his arms. I pout at him from where I sit on the couch. I really hope he doesn't put up too much of a fight.
"Well, if I have the police report I'm sure it'll give me some sort of lead, even if they are unaware of demonic presence. Besides, it'll hardly be a challenge for me." I reason. Hiei is well aware of my talents.
He glowers at me. "Fine then I'm going tonight too."
I had already anticipated that reaction as well. "I don't want anyone to get killed. It's a much bigger deal in the human world you know."
"Hn" is Hiei's only reply and I know he's given in. I smile happily at him and kiss him lightly on the lips.
Apparently he'd been missing me a lot more than I realized because before I knew a simple little kiss and turned into something a lot more. I guess he was worried for me, so he liked to take out his anxiousness out physically.
I took this moment to savor his sweet tongue grazing against mind and his hands entangling in my hair before I gently pulled him away.
"There's something else I need to talk to you about." I said while he gave me that 'you damn fox' look.
He seemed content enough to lie in my lap, so I continued. "I'm going to have to get a part-time job soon, so this means I may not be able to spend a lot of time home."
"Why would you need one of those," he asked me and I was once again reminded of his ignorance of the human world. I ran my fingers through his black hair and sighed.
"Money is very important here, and well, frankly we're running low. If we want to keep living comfortably…"I trailed off, but he seemed to have caught onto my point.
"Then I'll get one too.." he said, suddenly looking at me with conviction. I gave him a startled look.
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…" I started but he gave me a silencing look. I sighed. Hiei was probably going to be very stubborn about this and the only thing I could see coming from it was something very bad.
The evening passed quietly. Hiei was probably anxious about my plans because he went to extra lengths to be open and emotional towards me. I was so tired though that I decided to take a nice nap, ignoring the homework sitting in my backpack. Sometimes there were just more important things in life.
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Author's note: Yes, it's been a while. 8 months? Something like that. I'll always love Kurama and Hiei, so I'll probably end up coming back to this story after neglecting it for a while.
