I only got two votes against a confrontation, so here it is. It might not last the whole chapter, we'll see.
I'm so sorry for how late this is. I had major writer's block. I must beg your forgiveness!
This chapter isn't as long as I would have liked, but after weeks of being stumped, it came out pretty well. I wish there was some way to make up for it. Well, here it is.
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Words Once Spoken: Chapter 13
From that moment forward, Youko and Kuronue made their peace. With Shiori's death, though both regretted it, Kurama's strongest ties to humanity were severed. Now they were free to return to Makai, free to go home. There was but one thing left to do, face Kurama's stepfamily.
He was prepared to do it on his own, but Kuronue refused. He was the one who killed Shiori, and he wished to be there too. How could Kurama refuse a request like that? He consented, but insisted on picking them up himself.
Kurama took his mother's car and drove to the airport, then briskly headed to meet his family. He got there just as the flood of passengers poured into the station. All around him, people kept giving him odd looks. He must be quite a sight, dressed all in black and waiting solemnly among the press of people.
Then among the crowd, he spotted the familiar faces of Hatanaka and Shuichi. His breath caught as he looked at their happy faces, knowing that they would soon be feeling quite different. They waved and called out to him, smiling amiably without any concern.
As they approached, his stepfather noticed that he looked very somber, and his outfit probably alerted him to the fact that something was wrong. "Hey." Shuichi greeted, coming to a stop by his side. "What's with the black?"
Kurama didn't answer and instead looked upon Hatanaka, waiting for the inevitable question. "What's wrong Shuuichi?" he said quietly, earning a questioning glance from his son. Kurama just shook his head and walked away, indicating for them to follow.
They walked out to the car in silence. The other two seemed to know that he would answer in his own time. They slipped into the car, Kurama at the wheel, and set out for home.
They drove along the highway as the sun was setting. About an hour from the airport, they drove into a tunnel and were plunged into darkness. Kurama decided this was as good a time as any to begin talking. "A few weeks ago, I was returning from a party of sorts at about one in the morning, and I walked by mother's house.
"I was a bit disoriented, but as I walked by, I just had a feeling that something was wrong. So I went around the side of the house to get inside, and I saw that the living room window was broken. Then, I moment later, I saw her…"
Kurama's voice had remained steady up until now, but reliving the night he found his mother's body brought back that overwhelming grief. There was no question from his stepfather about what he meant when he said he saw her. "How badly is she hurt?" He asked, hoping that that horrible feeling he had was misplaced.
"It looked like she had been ripped to pieces…" Kurama sobbed as they exited the tunnel. "I nearly lost it at that point, I'm surprised I didn't faint." He heard a strangled gasp from Shuichi and a silent word of denial from Hatanaka.
"One of my friends showed up, he's always wandering around at night, and found me there. As soon as he saw me, he called Kuwabara and another friend, Yusuke, to come and be with me…" Kurama's voice trailed off as they came to a stop in front of the house.
Without a word, Hatanaka got out of the car and walked toward the door. Shuichi stayed where he was, completely overwhelmed by what he had just learned. Kurama gently placed a hand on his shoulder and gestured for him to get up.
They stepped up to the front door and paused. "I was completely out of my mind for weeks, there was no room in my mind to think of trying to get a hold of you." Kurama turned the knob and pushed the door open, he hadn't bothered to lock the door.
They all walked into the pitch-black living room and Hatanaka switched on the lights. Kuronue sat there waiting patiently on the couch. His wings were carefully folded under his cloak, but his long, pointed ears were exposed.
The moment the lights came on, Kuronue's eyes snapped open, and crimson eyes met green ones. "Who are you?" Hatanaka asked sternly. Kurama moved without hesitation to kneel on the ground by Kuronue's legs.
"This," he told them, "is Kuronue." He turned his head to the side and let it rest on Kuronue's legs. Kuronue unconsciously began stroking his hair back out of his face. "We knew each other a long time ago, and if not for him, I probably wouldn't be sane right now."
"I'm glad to finally meet you." Kuronue said as he gazed lovingly at the boy resting on him. "I'm truly sorry that it was not under better circumstances."
Hatanaka narrowed his eyes at the way this man was touching his stepson. "And how exactly did he manage that?" he asked coldly.
"He stayed with me at all times." Shuuichi informed him. "He comforted me, and he helped me stop crying." Red locks shifted as Kurama turned his head upward to see Kuro's. "He took me away from this place for a while, and he gave me a reason to keep living."
"It was the least I could do to make everything up to you dear." Kuronue told him softly.
"You!" Hatanaka snapped, his eyes clouding in outrage. "How dare you take advantage of Shuuichi while he was grieving his mother's murder!" He approached Kuronue with clenched fists.
Shuuichi jumped up and spread his arms out between Kuronue and his stepfather. "Hatanaka, he didn't-"
"-Step aside Shuuichi." Hatanaka grabbed him by the shoulder and thrust him out of the way. The redhead stumbled onto his knees and barely managed to keep his head from hitting the table.
"Shu, you okay?" Shuichi approached his stepbrother in concern and offered him a hand. Kurama nodded and rose up off the ground. "What's wrong with him?" Kurama heard the boy next to him whisper worriedly.
"You'll understand one day when you're in love." Kurama murmured as he watched the staring contest between his lover and stepfather, deciding to watch it play out.
Kuronue glared at the mortal in anger. He couldn't care less about the mortal's accusation, for it was true in a certain respect. But the way he had just pushed the kitsune aside, nearly causing him injury; that was unforgivable.
"And why sir, do you assume that I have taken advantage of your son?" Kuronue asked, rising to his feet and looming a few heads above the human.
"The way you were touching him, clearly!" Hatanaka snarled. "I have never known him to be so subservient. If he weren't upset, he would have never allowed anyone to touch him like that."
At this, Kuro's anger erupted. "You dare to criticize me for the way I touch him!" Hatanaka winced, as the Chimera seemed to rise up before him. "And yet I'm not the one who just shoved and nearly wounded him!"
Hatanaka looked surprised. "Shuuichi?" he said, whirling to face the redhead. "Are you alright?"
Kurama walked over to stand by Kuronue's side. "As I said, I already knew him before. And besides that, he could have taken advantage of me as much as he wanted while I was upset. The fact is that he didn't. Anything we did was at my urging."
Kuronue wrapped an arm around Kurama's hips and pulled him against his side. "I'm glad I came when I did, who knows what would have happened if I had left him with you any longer." Kuronue addressed Kurama, "Come on, we're leaving."
Hatanaka stubbornly refused to move from their path. The lovers met his stern gaze and held it for what seemed like an eternity. With a deep exhale, Hatanaka let his face fall. He wasn't an angry man defending his wife's son any longer; he was just a grieving husband.
As if all anger flooded out of him, Hatanaka sat back on the sofa and said resignedly, "Just go then." There was an underlying message in the man's words. He didn't expect to see his stepson again, in fact, he wasn't sure that he wanted to.
So they left. In complete silence, they exited the house and walked down the street. Kurama kept his eyes turned down. Though he hadn't expected a great parting, this hadn't been as satisfying as he felt it should have been. They should have given Shiori's murder time to sink in before introducing Kuronue.
"Shu!" Kurama heard the call and stopped. He heard the sound of running footsteps stop a few feet behind him. He waited, for once in his life uncertain if he wanted to turn around.
A nighttime silence surrounded them. Then, with a smile, Kurama raised one hand above his head in a goodbye gesture. A second later, he and Kuronue continued to walk down the street. Shuichi stood there long after they faded into the night. He would always wonder what had become of his mysterious older brother.
Even if they weren't related by blood, and even if they never saw each other again, Shuuichi would always be his brother. "Goodbye, Shu…"
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And that's a wrap. (At least for this chapter.) Once again, I'm very sorry for the delay. It might be a few weeks before I am able to update again, I have a project to work on.
Next chapter is the return to demon world. Not only that, but it's the beginning of a fun little two part chapter. I give you one hint: Youko's version of Ningenkai detox.
Until next time, this is Red Kitsune Flames, signing off.
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I got a question about Hiei's whereabouts. He and Yusuke will both reenter Youko's life in a chapter or two.
Autograph-use it for the epilogue