sorry guys, its kinda long, and parts of it are dry but its also important, so enjoy!

"NO! NO! BEN! WHY?NO! WHYWHYWHYWHY!"

"Akira! Akira! Wake up! Your having a night mare!" He jumped and looked around his room. He wasn't sure what was going on for a moment and after he relaxed he realized what happened. He had dreamed of Ben again, his old friend, he dreamed of him often.

"Akira?" Kurama pleaded quietly. For a moment Akira couldn't figure out why Kurama was there. Then he remembered that he and Kurama were talking about things that irk them and it got late and dark before the realized it, so Kurama stayed at his place.

"Oh Kurama, thanks for waking me, I'd forgotten you stayed over last night."

"Its okay" he smiled to the bewildered Akira. After he calmed down a little he wandered routinely into the kitchen.
"You hungry Kurama?" he said yawning, pulling out a box of frozen instant hash browns from the freezer.

"Akira, if you don't mind me asking, who is Ben?" Akira almost dropped his heavy pan on his foot that he once got from a yard sale.

"Ben? He was a friend of mine from the states." He said a little flustered.
"Was? What happened, did he start poking fun at you?" Kurama asked, he wasn't really awake himself, just barely from the screaming.

"no, he never was mean to me. He… died" Kurama swallowed hard because he felt bad for asking the question without thinking.

"I'm sorry Akira, I didn't know, I didn't mean to pry."

"Its alright, I guess my nightmares are getting louder." Kurama flinched, how could he be so stupid, from the sound of his screams Kurama knew it couldn't have been good. He felt bad and guilty as Akira scratched the fry pan with a spatula while he pushed the frozen potatoes around on it.

"I uhh…" Kurama was at a loss for words, Akira's nightmare sounded horrid, but he couldn't help but want to know what the heck was in that dream, and what happened to Ben. He began thinking if anything from the makai could help him before he shook the thought from his head. "what am I thinking? I can't try anything like that on him, he's just a human"

"Kurama? What are you thinking about?" he said fiddling with toast. Living in America for the last several years and always alone, he learned how to cook lazily and quickly. More than once he thought he just made himself look even more like a woman.

"Oh its nothing Akira, I was just thinking of something I was gonna do."he sighed trying not to look terribly worried so as not to alarm Akira.After a little more fiddling around in the little corner that was the kitchen, Akira set down a plate in front of Kurama, who soon started laughing.

"hehehe the classic smiley bacon face, I had a feeling I'd get you with that" Kurama rolled his eyes. Akira shrugged "It was too quiet, andsince I met you guys I don't really like having that negative, quiet "I feel sorry for you" vibe in the air. It just makes me uncomfortable now."

"Really, we helped that much?" he said with a smile looking up and locking eyes again with Akira across the table. They shared another awkward stare at each other like the first time kurama came to Akira's house, only it seemed tolast longer and didn't break off as fast.

They had woken up earlybecause of Akira's nightmareand had plenty of time to get ready and walk to school. Kurama wriggled uncomfortable in his school uniform that he had worn the previous day and night. He rememberedhad a change of clothes at home but decided to just stick it out and walk with Akira.

"Hey there you two! " Keiko yelled and waved at the two boys.

"Hi Keiko."

"Hello Keiko." Yueske and the others followed quickly behind the energetic girl.

"Where were you this morning kurama? We stopped by your house and you weren't there."

"I was studying with Akira and It got late fast, before we knew it, it was dark so I stayed the night. What were you doing at my house this morning?"

"Nothing…" Kuwabara said trying to push an industrial sized can of silly string back into his bag. Akira rolled his eyes at the two and they went to class. In his second class of the day he fell asleep as much as he tried not to. His dream flowed back into his mind, he saw flashes of his friend laying on the ground, bright light and a sinister laugh that seemed far away and long ago.

He couldn't have been happier for the ring of the bell, he hadn't been asleep long enough to start screaming, and he sighed as he left the class and the teacher didn't look at him. At lunch he was back to being depressed. He poked distractedly at his salad and didn't eat more than half a leaf when kurama noticed.

"Are you okay Akira?"

"Oh, yeah I'm okay." He said, clearly not. Kuramasighed anddecided that he would talk to him after school and away from the others. He knew the others(especieally the idioatic Kuwabara)wouldn't understand.

After parting ways with the others Kurama asked Akira. "You aren't okay are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you didn't eat that much today, less than normal even, that dream is bothering you isn't it?"
"I don't want to talk about it." akira said a little short andquiet.Kurama didn't press it, he knew how fragile Akira was and didn't want stress him out.

"Oh! Akira could you wait for a little bit, I need to pick up something at this store."

"Sure I'll wait." That turned out to be a mistake. One of the other bullies who was friends with the big bully butch noticed him.

"Oh Prinnnncessssss…" Akira gasped at the short stocky little bully and ran for his life but was cornered in the ally.

"oh no not again, my bruises are just healing." He said under his breath.

"Get away from him you insignificant insect."

The bully turned and the now painful Akira saw over his shoulder that it was Kurama. " Kurama, what are you doing, if you fight him, he'll get you in trouble for it. just go, i don't want you to get in trouble for me." akira thought desperatly.

"You will leave. Now." he said tothe bully, whorefused and was swiftly defeated by the scarlet haired boy, and what seemed to be Akira's protector. "Leave him alone, If i or my friends catch you again you will pay for it."

"thanks…" Akira said painfully as Kurama helped him up.

"Come on id best take care of those wounds." kurama was beating himself up for leaving him, but fortunately, he thought, he caught him in time.

see it was long! i hope you enjoyed it! its about to get more exciting! so keep reading!