Again, I apologize for taking soooooooooo long. The college entrance exam just passed and now our quarterly tests are coming. My schedule is so loaded I don't even have time to write. So I'm sorry.

Anyway, let's perk up and enjoy! Read and review!

Disclaimer: YYH? No. I don't own it. Only Akihiro and Inoue.

The Rose In Between

by four-eyed 0-0

CHAPTER FOUR

Kurama was positively incensed now. And he could no longer stand there, watching Anikka in the arms of another man who unluckily was his very stepbrother while he held Narako. He could not help the shaking of his knees and the trembling of his hands. He quietly pulled off from the tight dance they were having and did not bother checking Narako's reaction before walking away and disappearing from the crowd and into the comforts of the house.

He went for the kitchen first, and after checking that no one was around, reached for a cupboard above the counter and took a bottle of vodka and reached for a glass. He knew he was being foolish and all. Shiori had been particular in telling him off years ago after drowning himself in alcohol the night Anikka ran away. He had been so drunk that he retched his guts out all over his front just as Yusuke and Kuwabara rang the doorbell. Ever since that day he was forbidden to touch any liquor except for wine or champagne and in small amounts at that.

And tonight, he could no longer help himself. This was too much. He could not take the sight of her and Hiro. He could not take seeing her with Kokoda. He could not stand pretending that he was happy and okay. For once, he needed to be insensible. He had always been detached. He wanted to feel pain normally. And he wanted to drink ― just like every man he knew would when in times of trouble. He wanted to succumb to his weakness. He ought to do this.

He was furious because of Anikka. He was angry. He was jealous. He felt like she was being unfair.

It was the first time in years did he feel this urge to throw something right at the wall. It was the first time he wanted to lash out his whip and destroy. His chest was so painful and his knees were trembling. The grip he had around the neck of the bottle was so tight that it would have broken. He quietly made his way to his room and was swallowed by immediate darkness as he sat himself on the couch, the only sound made was the slight hiss of spirits at the opening of the bottle.

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Inoue looked up from Kokoda's shoulder, her brown eyes surveying the whole dance floor to see Kurama and Narako nowhere. She instinctively pulled free from her partner's hold and looked around, dimly realizing what she had done. When she looked back at him, it was to see a look of utter confusion on his face.

"I ― I'm sorry, Hatanaka-san," she muttered, almost stuttering, her eyes unfocused. She could not explain what she felt right now. She was half hoping that they did not do anything at all. But it was the stupidest thing to hope for. When did she become this crazed? The first birthday of his that she attended ended rather tragically. "I've got to go," she said with finality before nodding good-bye.

As she walked away, there was only one thing in her mind. She needed to find him. It was more like of utter jealousy. And she was not sure why.

Do I still love him?

She stopped and stared into the face of Shiori. She had not realized that she had walked straight to the kitsune's mother. She thought of something to say, but the elder woman spoke first.

"Would you mind if we talk?" she asked, a fond smile on her face.

Inoue blinked and her head snapped right the girls' table. She found out that Hiro was chattering happily with the lot. She could not help but smile.

Shiori chuckled. "He sure is an adorable chatterbox."

Inoue turned to her and had to nod in agreement. "He is."

"So, can I take that as a yes?"

She looked back at her son and seeing that he was being gay and all, she shrugged affirmative. Shiori led her to the porch overlooking the rose bushes and away from the party. They sat themselves across each other and both leant on their seats. Inoue decided to turn at the bushes and could not help but feel elated by the scent wafting her senses. It had been years since she last inhaled the very fragrance. She was very sure that those bushes were taken care of by Kurama. No one else had the skill to grow roses as well as he did.

"Shuichi's taken care of them as always."

The voice made her turn toward Shiori who appeared to have been studying the bushes with greater fervor. "Yes, I know."

Shiori breathed so that her breath rose to the air. "You know," she said, looking at her with a glint in her eyes, "he almost lost interest in taking care of roses. Well, not only roses, but other plants as well."

Inoue swallowed. "I don't think I'll buy that for a topic." That was rude, but it should be.

"Well, dear, I don't think it should bother you." Inoue almost blanched. "I mean, who's my son to you? You've never met him till a week ago, right?"

So, she wanted to talk to Inoue. She wanted to meet her as she perceived herself right now. Inoue was devoid of her past. And it was rather flustering to know that Shiori considered her that way. She had always been the understanding person here. She never changed.

The elder woman smiled and raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"True." She tilted an eyebrow. "So…"

"One question," said Shiori, smiling still. "How old is Hiro?"

Inoue smirked and gave a shaky laugh. "Five turning six in October." She waited for any change in Shiori's face bit there was none. "Why should you ask?"

"Just curious, dear." She looked around and after a while turned back at Inoue. "I suppose he was raised in Britain? He has that accent and you do."

"Yes, he was. We went to London right after he was born."

Shiori's expression suddenly changed. "Oh, I almost forgot. I want to express my sorry for the loss of your mother."

Inoue gulped. "Thank you." This was really starting to get awkward.

They stayed silent for a while until Shiori spoke up yet again. "Tell me, Inoue-san, how's life been as a single and young mother?"

The whole situation was simply absurd. "It was hard at first, yet it perked up pride for myself. You know, living through all the adversities. Hiro is such a smart boy that he sometimes drive me mad with his questions. I think that it's Socratic method." She laughed heartily, amused by herself. "He's really clever at his age and it pains me that he sometimes outwits me without my realizing."

Shiori herself chuckled and she nodded in approval. "He must've really been annoying at the very least, right?" The question was rhetorical and Inoue just shrugged. "I'm lucky Shuichi would rather look up the answers in a book rather than wear me off. He had been the quiet type but sometimes I wish he would at least ask one question a day so that I can consider him normal."

But it was the truth. Kurama was not normal at all. And Shiori was still right about that. He was really the quiet person he was and sometimes it made Inoue wonder why Hiro was so talkative and everything when neither of them was. She shivered at the thought. She could not help herself from denying the fact. But seriously, Hiro was someone different.

Anyway, she didn't need to dwell on that. "You're right about that, Shiori-san." What was she saying? What was she confirming? Did it make her sound like she knew Kurama so well?

To her relief, Shiori merely shrugged. "By the way, when will Hiro go to school? He must've been enrolled two months ago if he studies here."

"I haven't enrolled him yet but I guess he'll start kindergarten next week."

With this, Shiori had to chuckle. "I'm telling you, Inoue-san, he would not fit in a kindergarten. He beats me to thinking that he had read a whole library."

Inoue grinned and took pride of that fact. But her smile quickly faded away when her thoughts drifted to Kurama. She instinctively looked at her watch and took note that it was minutes past seven. They needed to go home so that she could tuck Hiro in bed.

"Shiori-san, I guess we need to get going. Hiro needs some rest." She stood up and Shiori followed.

"Of course," said Shiori. "But I guess you need to bid good-bye to my son first."

Crap. She totally forgot about his disappearance from the dance floor. Where was he now? "I didn't see him after his speech," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Shiori's eyebrows twitched. "Perhaps he's inside the house."

Before Inoue could ask if she could just leave with Hiro, Sutoku Hatanaka chose to appear. "There you are!" he told Shiori, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Inoue felt embarrassed and cleared her throat. Sutoku smiled at her and said, "Excuse us, will you, Inoue-san? A guest is looking for my wife."

She did not want to allow her leave, but who was she kidding? "I ― "

"Inoue-san, he must be in his room. Second floor, the door to the left of the corridor," Shiori said, before being swept away by her husband who merely gave a nod. "Be sure to say good-bye, dear."

She was rooted on her spot and she could not think of anything else to do. Half of her wanted to just go away but the other wanted to know whether he was really with that bitch. She could not help it. She felt so crazed by the situation. Why did she have to do the latter? Perhaps if I catch them and Hiro finds out, he would not befriend the fox anymore. But he was just a kid. He should not know anything about those things.

She thought and thought. What if he was just lying around in his room or reading a book? She would really hurt him if she ran away with Hiro. Or was she just being soft?

But there was that point again. Kurama had done nothing to Inoue. And she was Inoue. So she should be nice. At least be civil. Or if she could not, at least for Hiro.

Deciding not to bring Hiro along in case things go unwell, she started inside the house and too the flight to steps that led to the second storey. Her heels clanked against the marble floor and when she reached the corridor, her heart skipped a beat.

There were two possibilities: he was lounging all by himself or he was doing so with Narako.

She turned to the door to her left and lifted the knocker. She knocked three times.

No answer.

Her heart raced. She knocked another three.

Still no answer.

"Minamino-san?" she called, almost nervously.

There was a grunt from behind the door and she cleared her mind when a horrible image ran across it.

"Minamino-san, can I come in?"

Another grunt. "Go ahead." It did not sound very much like his cool voice. She shivered. Why would that be?

"Okay, I'm coming." With that, she pushed the door open and was surprised to see nothing from the darkness that was only lightened up by the little light that passed through the narrow opening she made. Her eyes warily surveyed the room but could not make out any figure. "Why is it so dark? I'll turn the lights on."

She went in and jumped from her position when a sudden sentence echoed through the room.

"Sorry 'bout the lights. Lemme help ya…"

There was a thud then a clinking of glassware. Next thing she knew were the sounds of footsteps. She could here grunts and could not help but think that something was really off. The footsteps were nearing and she wildly fumbled for the switch that must be somewhere on the wall within her reach, but realized it was too late when a hand descended on hers. Next thing she saw was his handsome and flushed face.

So, he was not with Narako but with her, now.

She inhaled sharply and the stench of alcohol filled her nostrils. "Are you drunk?" she interjected, her eyes shifting from his face to his hand on hers that was on the switch and then to her free hand that was so near the doorknob. She gulped when he hiccupped, releasing a breath that smelled strongly of vodka.

Inoue immediately pulled her hand from his press and was about to speak when he did.

"Is it only me…" he muttered, eyes trying hard to focus on her face. She silently reached for the doorknob in case she should go out. "Or are you Anikka?"

Inoue's heart pounded painfully in her chest and her breath was caught in her throat. "I do think I should get ― "

His hand descended on her shoulder and he almost lost his balance when she swung dangerously at the touch. It seared her bare skin. Now that he was so close, she could implicitly smell the roses over the stench. Her eyes automatically looked into his and she could say that he was totally under the influence of alcohol. "I ― "

"Tell me, are you Anikka?"

She could not bring herself to say no. He was shaking. She had known long ago that he did not drink. He could not stand even a bottle of beer. And now, why should he?

Kurama placed his other hand on her other shoulder and shook her. "You know, my son is here. He looks very much like me but I don't feel like he should've inherited those features of a perpetrator. His mother must be very displeased when she found out that the boy looks like me." He teetered, so that she instinctively took hold of his arms to steady him. "Gee, thanks." Just when she thought he would mumble something, his eyes instead rolled out of focus and then the fox was standing, limply propped upon her. Her heart raced with him being this close. Figuring out her stupidity for staying here when he was drunk, she cursed.

The only sensible thing to do for now was to bring him to the bed and secretly report to Shiori. She would not want to put herself into trouble.

Wrapping her arms around his middle for lack of anything else to do, she worked their way to the bed, her heels making the best of her. She wished she could just leave him lying on the floor but that would not be permitted by her conscience. Their position was no different from that of crabs, but she should do this before anyone else knew about it. What would everyone think of if they found out?

They were feet from the bed when her foot was caught between his and she had to pull him closer so as not to fall. His head rocked from where it was hanging over her shoulder and his breath tickled her bare skin, making her shake. It had been years since she held him close like this and she missed it.

What the heck? She missed it?

Shaking her head as violently as she could to take her mind off the thought, she continued her crab-walk with him to the edge of the bed. Her arms were already numb from holding him like this and in her desperation, she quickly dropped him on the bed, unable to restrain his weight any longer. She had to regret it right away, when she landed with him due to the fact that her legs got tangled with his.

He let out a small, "Umpf!" and her face landed right on his chest so that he groaned again. She quickly hoisted herself up and had to exert more effort since her arms were beneath the sleeping ― no, he was awake now, his emerald-green eyes looking up at her in confusion.

"Anikka?"

She needed to go away now before he confirmed his drunken thoughts. Goodness knew what a drunken man could do to a woman. Goodness knew how Kurama could hypnotize the sanest woman even with his shortest statements. Goodness knew how she could be swept away.

She was almost on her feet when he suddenly grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her to him so that her head was tucked into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, his hand pressed against the back of her head, brushing her curls in such a soothing way.

"Let me hold you, Anikka. Please, let me hold you. Just this once."

Tears pooled in her chocolate-brown orbs and a stitch built up in her chest. A sob was materializing in her throat and she could not help its escape. He squeezed her more tightly and even placed a soft kiss on her temple. She inhaled his scent and let her tears pour down from her eyes. She could no longer deceive herself. Kurama was drunk right now, and even so, he was so sane, so sensible. Even in his state he could be himself. He could still not let go of her. Of Anikka. He still loved her like yesterday. And she felt so guilty.

His arms around her added up to her guilt. How could he be so selfless? How could he stand being so kind? To her, of all people.

She did not bother how long she stayed like this with him. She did not bother how absurd this whole situation was. She just wanted to grant him his wish. Her wish.

She knew that this night would be over. And she should make the most of it for the two of them. She did not know if this would ever happen again.

He suddenly cupped her forehead and tilted it to face him. He had that look of concern on his face and moved his fingers to wipe her tears away. She sobbed at the gentleness and he smiled calmingly. "Hush, Kaka… hush…"

Tears gushed forth from her eyes even more at the words he said. Kaka. She wanted to call him Kuchi like years before. Her heart pounded. A sob escaped her lips and she buried her face into his neck.

"Hush now…. I don't want you to cry. Please," he whispered, lifting her face again to gaze into her eyes. She could drown into those orbs. She could forever look into them and never get tired. Her breathing evened and he smiled. "That's it. Don't cry."

She shook her head. "I won't."

He brushed the loose hair out of her face and pressed his lips on her forehead. She flushed. He brought her face closer to his and she felt dizzy at the scent of him. She had trouble in breathing once again. She was afraid of what would happen.

But she knew that she wanted his touch.

And she very much wanted the feel of his lips against hers. It was full of longing, full of love. It shouted of happiness and it called for her name. It was soft, soothing, and calming. It told her that he loved her still, that he would love her forever. And she kissed back, her senses blunt. She kissed him back with what she felt like love, passion and promise. It had been years since she had kissed him this way.

She parted her lips to him and he kissed her more deeply, more lovingly. Her hands found their way to his chest, feeling his heart beat. His arms wrapped around her waist and she cupped his face, unable to help herself. Her lips moved with his in a rhythm that only the two of them understood, and she mentally smiled at the fact.

His lips were perfection and she missed that perfection. She had never been kissed since that dreadful night ―

She suddenly pulled away and was on her feet in a moment's notice, her eyes wide, her chest heaving. Kurama stared at her as though dazed. Inoue's eyes filled with tears yet again at the memory. She was dirty. She could not understand how she forgot about that. She had been touched by another man. Well, not really touched… almost. But either way, she had sinned to Kurama. He had been so loyal, so faithful. But she had been so stupid to let herself be kissed by another man she did not meet till that night.

Her knees were too weak to run, but with his state right now, she was quite sure that he would not be able to catch up with her. Inoue quickly turned to her heels and scuttled for the door, wiping her tears away and was about to descend the stairs when a picture she was so sure she had subconsciously laid eyes upon before running for the door flashed in her mind. It bore her and Kurama years ago.

Her hand gripped the banister and she shook her head. Quickly regaining her poise, she fixed her hair and tried to smoothen the wrinkles on her dress before she strutted downstairs and was out in the garden within a minute. She walked over to the table where Hiro was and got hold of his hand. He looked up at her.

"Come on, Hiro. You need some rest." She looked at the others and said, "We really need to go. I still need to bathe him before he goes to bed."

"That's fine by us," Shizuru quickly replied since no one else appeared to be interested.

Inoue smiled and turned to her son. "Say good-bye, now, son."

The boy bowed at the men and women before saying, "It's been really great to know you. I'm looking forward to meeting you again."

The group nodded in agreement and Inoue swept Hiro away, not minding to say good-bye at all. Just then Shiori showed up and quickly crouched down to kiss Hiro good-bye.

"Take care, little Hiro," she whispered, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you, Shiori-san. Where's Ku-kun? I need to bid good-bye."

"Hiro, he's resting right now. He's been really tired." Hiro looked at Inoue in suspicion. She ignored this and instead told Shiori, "You better check on him, Shiori-san."

Knowing that she should do as Inoue wished, she simply smiled and patted Hiro's shoulder before going away.

In the car, Hiro asked her, "Mum, is Ku-kun someone special?"

She froze. They might have told him too much. "What makes you think of that?"

"You showed concern when you told Shiori-san to check on him."

"Oh, that," stammered Inoue, "it's just that I bet Minamino-san wasn't feeling very well when I talked to him."

"You talked?"

Inoue looked at Hiro who was so innocent. "Yes, we did." Such a lie.

"Are you friends again?"

"Of course we are. Why shouldn't we, right?" Another lie. Damn.

"That's great to know. I don't want my Mum not befriending a friend of mine."

Inoue had nothing else to say so she just nodded.

Wow. And I just realized I have a new reviewer! And I'm afraid I haven't proofread. Sched. Just sneaked in to update, really. Argh. T_T

Kaori Minamino: Thank you for the well-rounded review! It's such a great thing to hear such words from a reader! And I'm sorry about your being unable to review the previous chapters. I myself don't know why you couldn't. I know this chap mustn't have much for you but this is one that I had written in advance before even posting the previous one. I'll do my best to be better! Thank you so much!

KuramaEnzanBlues: Well, yes. They're poor. And I'll make them sooo sad. Hahaha. grins evilly Wait for it.

So there's it. Thanks to those who have 'favorited' the prequel, by the way. And this sequel. Haha.

Till next time.

Give a a review burger. (even just a la carte, please? Haha.)

Bye!

~four-eyed 0-0