Chapter 5: Tense Crowd
The chuckle that came from Kurama sent shivers down my spine. It was like nothing I had ever heard before in my life. The way his hair framed his eyes, those eyes that looked like they had seen the entire universe, made me want to run away and hide where I could only hope he would never find me. He must have noticed the discomfort I felt by the smile that crept onto his face.
"Now, there is no reason to be upset. I mean you no harm. I just find great humor in our… similarities. It isn't every day I meet someone who has the same traits as I do. Especially in this corner of the world," he said. The way his lips curled around his teeth made him look even more predatory, if that was possible. An awful, sick feeling started churning around in my stomach. What had Keiko and Urameshi gotten me into?
With his hands in his pockets, he leaned towards me. That's when the height of him dawned on me. He had a head on me and maybe a little more. "Oh, and she smells like charcoal. How odd," he smirked. The comment made my face turn red. Jerking back, I tried to make the color leave my face. As I moved, I got a whiff of him. I had to hold back a nervous chuckle.
"And you smell like roses. How odd," I replied. I almost regretted saying it when Kurama's face darkened. The apology was on the tip of my tongue when he started laughing.
"I guess that just adds more similarities to the situation," he said with the hint of laughter still coating his words.
I took his lapse in attention to get a closer look at him. He was older than me, in his 20's. Definitely no more than 25. Getting past the first daunting features, I saw that his body had more harsh lines than mine. I could see the shapes of the muscles in his arms under his button up when he moved just right. Beefy would not be the way to describe him. Lithe seemed more appropriate. I was also happy to notice that his jaw line and cheek bones were more masculine than mine.
The last thing I needed was to look exactly like a guy. While I was trying to give him a casual rundown, I could tell he was doing the same to me. My chin rose as I tried to look more certain of myself. I'm not threatened by you. I told myself as a pep talk.
"Kurama!" a dainty voice called from somewhere behind me. "It's good to see you could make it. Kazuma said he wasn't sure if you would be able to take time off of work. I know you've been so busy lately," the voice softened.
At the spoken words, Kurama's face changed completely. Everything that ever seemed hard or cruel suddenly turned into a face that looked as if it could only hold kindness. I was too busy searching his face to turn to see who the new comer was. There was something about this man that I wanted to know what it was.
"I was able to take a night off. It is nice to take time off to see you guys. It always seems like there is more and more time between each meeting," he said. I was perplexed by the smile that crossed his face but did not reach his eyes. Even with the new found emotions that Kurama displayed, I didn't completely trust him. There was still something off about him that made my skin buzz with unease.
What's going on here? I thought to myself.
The touch of a hand on my arm made me jump, taking me out of my whirring mind. Looking at the hand resting on my arm, I was surprised at how delicate and small it was. Like that of a small child. Following the arm to the person it belonged to, I tried to keep my face from showing surprise as I saw the girl it belonged to. The blue haired girl that stood in front of me had eyes like no one I had ever seen in my life. They couldn't be real. There was no way eyes that red existed naturally. I had only seen eyes that came slightly close in a person I meet who had albinism. But this was nothing close. The girl who stood before me had eyes that were so red a cherry couldn't compare.
Her figure was so petite. She could have been the poster face of any women's clothing line. Her body curved in just the right places and her hair looked as if she had walked right out of a salon. I couldn't help but to think of my mother when I looked at her. The only difference was her curves were gentler, not yet dramatized by motherhood. The girl and mother were even about the same height. She had to tilt her head slightly to look me in the eyes, but nothing to drastic. The top of her head came to my nose. Just like with my mother, I couldn't help to feel a twinge of jealousy for the girl's looks.
"Hello," the girl said drawing me out of my stare. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as I realized how rude I had been. "I'm Yukina," she said with a polite bow.
Bowing back stiffly, it took me a moment to remember my own name. "Hanamura, Akane," I said rushed and quietly.
"I'm glad Keiko and Yusuke brought you along. It seems as if I have a little too much food this time and there is always a seat to be filled at my table," Yukina said. The same sad smile that had crossed Kurama's face bleed onto hers. "Come to the kitchen whenever you're ready. I know it is a lot to take in sometimes."
Everyone else in the room started to fill through a pair of paper doors on the far wall. I could hear the distinct clatter of utensils being moved around and seats being taken. The laughter and conversation that drifted from the room made me wonder how often a stranger was brought into this place. No one had seemed to be concerned or thrown off by my appearance in the slightest.
Even though no one seemed to mind, I felt as if I was invading on something special. Everyone here had obviously known one another for what seemed to be a while. Maybe I should just go. I could make it back to the station by myself easily and catch a train. The money I tried to give Urameshi would probably be enough to cover a ticket. The only way to know would be to go check.
Noticing that no one was standing with me in the room, I knew if I wanted to leave it was now or never. Everyone was occupied in the kitchen. I could slip out now and not make a fuss. Keiko could have fun with her friends. There was no need for me to be a third wheel of sorts.
Right as I was silently making my way towards the door that we had entered from, my progress was thwarted by none other than Urameshi. "Come on, Hanamura, "he said with a smile, "Want to leave the party already?" I could see that he was just begging for me to try to go. I had completely forgotten about why he had brought me here in the first place for a while. It came clearly to me now. He didn't really want me here but he did not trust me go either.
The look in his eyes warned me that I wouldn't get far if I did try to go. He would come find me and drag me right back here. "We've still got someone for you to meet," he said. The weight of his hand on my arm only enforced what his eyes had reflected earlier. I was to follow him, no questions asked until he said otherwise.
Swallowing to try to wet my mouth that had gone dry, I knew my voice would come out as a squeak if I tried to get any words out. Instead, I let a tense smile slip onto my face as Urameshi lead me to another room. As we got closer to the paper doors, the unmistakable smell of food wafted towards us. I could tell now that it was the smell I had encountered when I had first made my way into the temple. When I finally saw the table, I groaned internally.
The two must have planned it. As I took another scan over the table, I was sad to confirm my suspicions. There were only two seats left at the table that I could take but I knew which one was meant for me. Everyone else carried on with their pleasant chatter as if I wasn't dying on the inside in the same room as them. Urameshi walking me towards the place at the table only made my stomach continue to fall further down towards my feet. It was like I was trying to walk with a hundred pound weight tied to each foot. Each step was taking me closer to the face that had that terrifying smile that held an underlining predatory gleam.
"I'm so glad you have decided to join us, Hanamura," Kurama said. His eyes were drifting to the two set places at the table. One beside of Keiko and the other beside Kurama himself. When he patted his hand on the seat to motion for me to go ahead and take my seat, I couldn't help but to notice that even his hands were very feminine. They looked very soft but he had long fingers, not unpleasantly so, that nails were neatly trimmed and cuticles that looked like they had never seen a day of work in their existence. His hands and nails looked so pristine I had no doubt that they could beat mine anyway.
I couldn't help but to glance down at my own hands which looked a little dry with cuticles that looked a little bloody from where I would occasionally bite and pick at them. There was even little black hair caught on the cuff of my sleeve. No doubt from Taro. He had probably laid on my clothes before I was able to put them in the closet after they had come out of the dryer. Glancing at Kurama's sleeve, I saw that the shirt was perfectly pressed. Nothing looked out of place at all.
As I sat down, I self-consciously stuck my hands under the table where they couldn't be seen. I had never been embarrassed of my physical traits before. This was absolutely ludicrous. There as absolutely no reason to now find myself inadequate just because I happened to be around someone who looked like me… in an unsettling amount of ways. But that wasn't the point here.
"So, darling, how do you know Yusuke?" Botan asked from the other side of the table. Yukina had doled out some sukiyaki into a bowl in front of Botan that smelled heavenly. She nodded politely to Yukina in thanks and turned back to me. "I'm sure it's an interesting story," she continued with a smile.
"Well," I said, clearing my throat to speak where everyone could hear me. "We just met today. My mother and I had come to see Keiko's parents. I was watching things for Mr. Yukimura while he went to run some errands when Urameshi and Kuwabara came in. I guess they… mistook me for Kurama," the words came from me more quietly than I had wished. "They uh… said something about a Koenma and… lower levels? I don't know. But that's why I'm here, I guess. I don't even know why he decided I needed to come," I said starting to get frustrated.
I was looking down at my hands as I let the words come out of my mouth. In my mind, they made no sense but they obviously held meaning to the people I now sat with. There was no telling what they would think of me now or what they would do.
"Yusuke! How could you mistake Akane for Kurama?" the girl who introduced herself as Botan said a little too loudly. I was taken back when she had called me by my first name.
"What? They're both redheads. Not like we have many around here. Especially those who dress like such dorks. No offense, Kurama Plus, she was in the diner. So don't get on my ass, Botan," Urameshi retorted laying his hand on the table a little too harshly. I saw Yukina eye the glass that had teetered suspiciously with nervous eyes when Urameshi's hand had met the table.
"You've known each other for years. How could you not tell the difference in the two? I mean, look at her! She's clearly a girl," Botan said throwing her hand towards me, almost smacking Kurama in the face in the process.
"She was turned away from me! What do you want me to do every time I see a redhead when I'm looking for Kurama? 'Oh, I'm sorry. I need you to turn around so I can stare you in the eyes to make sure you're actually Kurama.' I was in a hurry, dammit! There are more thigs for me to do in my life than looking for Kurama. The brat is lucky I still do his dirty work," Urameshi said, angrily standing up.
"You could have at least sensed him, Yusuke. It's simple. Things are tight right now and you know Koenma is doing his best with the current situation," Botan said with her voice sounding a little less angry and a little more worried than it had been.
"Whatever. We're all too old and tired for the brat's shit anyways," Urameshi continued, shoving his chair against the table carelessly. "I'm gonna go smoke," he continued. As he exited, cigarette in hand, the door slammed behind him.
Everything in the room was silent until Kuwabara cleared his throat. "You know, Urameshi isn't wrong. We are all a little old for this. He's got the diner to help out with, Kurama has his job, and I have school. It's not all the kicks it used to be," he said looking at Botan. "But we all do what we can to make this work. I won't defend him on messing up, but these days it's so easy to. We're out of it, Botan. I don't know about everyone else, but I just want to settle down," he said quietly. The look that passed between Kuwabara and Yukina made me realize she was one of the things he wanted to settle down with.
The feeling of not belonging hit me like a boulder. There was something going on here that I was definitely not supposed to be a part of. Something that had been going on for a long time. Guilt spread all through my chest. If I would have just turned around when I heard the door open, none of this would have happened.
"Well," Keiko said from her seat. "I think we should all eat this beautiful meal that Yukina has taken her time to prepare for us and go from there. That seems like the best idea," she said. The look she gave me across the table held pity. She had clearly no expected this to happen.
"Yes, that sounds quite nice, Keiko," Kurama added from beside me.
The only noise that was made at the table for a long time was that of eating. I was glad to finally eat something. Due to the day's events, I hadn't had time to eat anything other than what mother had made for me at breakfast. The great quality of the food only made me enjoy the meal even more. As much as I would have liked it to, the meal did not make the unease in my stomach lessen.
The argument from earlier kept rolling around in my head. What had half of the things they had been saying even mean? Urameshi to sense someone. What was that all about? The whole situation made my head hurt. Urameshi had thought I needed to come because I had heard some things he didn't think I should have, but what I had just heard seemed to be even odder than the things I had heard back in the diner.
"Well," Botan said. "I guess we might as well have a talk. There is no point in putting it off for any longer," she said standing up.
"I'll clean things up here. You guys go on," Yukina said following suit.
When we all ended back in what I seemed to be the sitting room, I could see the passing of the time by the darkening of the room. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a small fire crackling in the fire place in the front of the room. It let of a nice aromatic smell as it burned. Whoever had started it had obviously known what they were doing.
Everyone had taken different places around the fire tinted room. Seeing as the couch was taken up by Botan and Keiko and the single chairs were occupied by the two males, I sat myself down on one of the floor cushions. Deciding the warm of the fire didn't seem too bad of an idea, I pulled my pillow as close as I dared to the fireplace and made sure I was could still see those in the room with me plainly.
Looks were passed between the members of the room as they settled in. Absent mindedly, I took out my mint chap stick and put on an absurd amount of layers as I watched them silently confer with one another. It also seemed as if there was a small thread on the hem of my jeans that just begged to be picked at as I waited for the conversation to start. In the end, it seemed Kurama was dubbed to be in charge to start by the slight nod of the head he gave to Botan and Kuwabara.
"I assume the best way to start this is from the beginning," Kurama said with a rather stern look on his face. I immediately knew this wasn't going to be just any story. This was going to be like nothing I had ever heard in my life.
There we go. I'm pretty okay with this chapter. I actually had most of it wrote out, then I went back and completely rewrote over 1,000 words of it. So here it is. It's been a while since I updated, but I'm kind of glad I let this chapter sit for a while. That let me get a better grip on what I wanted to get done in it. I can't wait until the next chapter!
Also, thank you for the new follows and favorites. I'm glad to know that there are people out there who look forward to this! Please review. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!