Chapter 3
Shuuichi stared at him, a slight smile beginning on his oh so innocent face. Arthur glared at him, hating the cockiness he was exhibiting, not the boy himself. The teen tilted his head to the side slightly, motioning towards the side yard, "May I suggest we go to the backyard to discuss this? I wouldn't want someone innocent to overhear us."
As much as he hated to admit it, Arthur knew the teen was right. He followed Shuuichi around the side of the house, his eyes widening slightly at the amount of plant life that suddenly surrounded him. He felt like he had just stepped into a different world and somehow he didn't like it at all. Shuuichi came to a stop beside an iron set of garden benches. He sat himself down on one, motioning for Arthur to do so on the other. Feeling like he was walking into a trap, Arthur did so, his gaze never leaving that of his nephew. Shuuichi gave that unnerving smile of his, backing Arthur into a corner, "So, you need my help. Why, if I may ask? What is so important it drew my father's brother, who has remained silent and hidden for fifteen years, to this doorstep begging for help from, of all people, me?"
Arthur eyed him for a second before answering, "Things have changed."
Shuuichi cocked his head, "How so?"
Arthur glared at him, "I came here to ask for help, not to be questioned!"
"Isn't it natural for me to want to know what I'm getting myself into? Or is that just something in demon nature?"
The wizard flinched at the attack, his eyes breaking away from his nephew's for the first time since they had met. He gazed at the ground, his heart suddenly feeling heavier than ever.
"That was uncalled for…" he muttered, still refusing to look at Shuuichi, "I suppose it's my duty," he glanced up for a moment, before looking down again, "to tell you."
Shuuichi shifted slightly, drawing Arthur's eyes up from his lap, "I suppose you should," he stated softly, "And I'll keep an open mind about it."
And so Arthur began. He started the story with his brother's death. As he spoke, Shuuichi watched him with a sort of detached attention. His eyes were almost unfocused. But Arthur knew he was listening, not by the way he was looking at him, but by his hands. At the mention of his father's murder, Shuuichi's hands tightened dramatically into two angry fists. And as the story continued and Harry Potter came into the story as the 'Boy Who Lived'; the fingers flexed from a clenched fist to a relaxed, limp position on the boy's thighs. Arthur was fascinated by this. Whatever was going through his nephew's mind was undoubtedly interesting. Arthur could only hope the thoughts favored him instead of Lord Voldemort.
He finished the tale with Dumbledore's death and even surprised himself by admitting his leadership skills were limited at best. The silence that fell after the final words left his mouth was crushing him within minutes. Shuuichi had been awfully quiet during the whole thing and Arthur was getting worried. What if the demon turned his back on his father and went to join Lord Voldemort? What if he had just condemned his family, his friends? What if he had just assured Voldemort's success?
"Arthur."
The man jumped and turned his panicked gaze on Shuuichi. It was coming, the thing he had feared all along. He had just sealed the fate of everyone he loved…
"Arthur, my name isn't Shuuichi."
This caught Arthur off guard. Why, of all the things he should be saying after what had been revealed to him, why was he saying something like this?
"It's Kurama."
Arthur stared at the teen before him, suddenly feeling more hope than he had been in a long time just because of this simple statement. Those unnerving emerald eyes locked on his…suddenly they weren't so unnerving anymore.
"Voldemort could have killed any man," Kurama's eyes burned. It was as if something inside of him had been set a flame by Arthur's story. And Arthur felt as though that flame had helped to relight his own.
"But that foolish, greedy human had to pick the only one…the only one with a demonic son. And now, thanks to his own stupidity, he will face the consequences," Kurama's face slipped into a small smile, "I'm with you, Arthur, just tell me what to do."
Three words: Horrible Filler Chapter. Please don't hate me. But I promise the next one is coming soon.