Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Why, why cruel world???
Pen Name: sarahh86
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Is the power off?"
Kurama fumbled with the light switch to no avail. "It looks that way."
After Kurama and Relli had gone over to Keiko's family diner, they had gone to fix Runo's papers. It had turned out harder than planned because of the fact that Relli wasn't married to Kurama but it had finally worked out. Runo now had a last name, Minamino and she had a new family, one that would not abandon her.
Although they had both tried to adopt her as a couple, the main custody went to Kurama since he was the one who had a professional career and would be able to support Runo even if Relli left and that wouldn't happen, at least not now.
Relli clutched Runo's sleeping body tighter as she blinked, trying to focus her eyes to the darkness. She moved slowly to her own room to put Runo in her crib. Runo was going to sleep in the same room as Relli.
Kurama found his way to the cabinets beside the bathroom and grabbed one of the candles that he had. He lit one and flooded the room with dim light. He walked back into the living room meeting Relli as she too, came in. They sat across from each other on the two sofas.
"They all looked so happy." Relli expressed, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.
Kurama smiled lightly as he placed the candle on the table in front of him. "They all seem to have found their other half."
She stared at the ground. Her eyes flooded over with memories of the past and for the first time in her life there was no trace of fierce revenge lurking in her mind. The only thing she wanted was to be complete and at peace, the way all of them looked. They way her parents had looked.
"My father loved my mother very much."
Kurama's eyebrows lifted. This was the first time she had said anything about her parents.
She looked up to gauge his reaction. Kurama's face was intent with trust. A slow, trembling smile formed over her pretty face. He was listening and he looked interested.
"My parents were young when I was born and they wanted to explore the world." Relli smiled remembering. "I was left behind most of the time. One day…they were both murdered." She closed her eyes, remembering that day. "The worst was that they were killed by the Siluvian Brothers although I didn't know it at first." She would have never known who killed her parents if the Siluvian Brothers hadn't kidnapped her in the first place all those years ago. Their arrogance had made Realeza sick.
Kurama stood up and sat beside her. He took both of her hands in his. He didn't say a word, there was nothing he could say and her certainly wasn't about to pry. She would go at her own pace with him.
"I was thirteen that year and I went to live with my aunt and uncle. They didn't like having me around." Relli said in a bitter tone. "My aunt would beat me and treat me as a slave. My uncle did pretty much the same. For two years he saw me as nothing more a burden." Relli tightened her grip on Kurama's hands. "That changed when I turned fifteen."
Kurama tightened his own hands around hers. "What happened?" he said in a low voice, matching the suddenly tense atmosphere.
She didn't look up at him. "He started…to touch me in-in ways I didn't like and I would hit him to defend myself. When my aunt was home she would stop him but when she wasn't-" Relli broke off unable to finish. She couldn't. It felt sick, nasty to confess something like this to him. She didn't want the image he had of her to be destroyed by what she said.
Kurama's eyes flashed with deep anger and his chain glowed black. He let go of her hand and wrapped them around her body in a comforting embrace.
"Stop," he murmured in her ear. "Stop if it hurts too much to remember." He buried his face in her hair inhaling her sweet lavender scent.
She tore away from his suddenly, remembering earlier in the afternoon the scene in the bathroom. "Isn't that what most men are after?" she asked, watching his face closely.
Kurama sighed. "Maybe, but it's not my priority."
She raised one eyebrow and he colored in spite of himself, remembering what she probably thought of this afternoon's scene.
"Botan came in unexpectedly. She never knocks and she was telling me about our new mission. Besides…she's married."
Relli perked up. "To who?"
"Prince Koenma of course. You haven't noticed?"
Relli felt incredibly naïve. Of course they were married. That's why Botan and Koenma were always giving each other those tender and affectionate looks. No wonder. They were married. Married. The scene in the bathroom was just purely coincidental.
"So that's why…" she mumbled. Her stupidity never went away.
Suddenly, her cheeks flamed up and she looked straight at him. "But I still think that you're a pervert in disguise."
He chuckled. "You think I'm a pervert?"
"Yeah, I mean you are always polite and respectful to women but I think that secretly, just like all the other men, you're after the same thing. And if you remember the first day that I came here you were going to watch god-knows-what with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei." she said, slightly teasing but part of her was serious.
"They practically forced that on me. Yusuke and Kuwabara thought that I needed to find a girlfriend."
"Maybe they're right." she answered and looked down at her lap.
"Well perhaps I've already found her." he said tilting her chin up.
Relli glanced up to see his expression. Was he was serious? She took a deep breath and hoped that she wouldn't kiss him. The proximity between them was making her head foggy. She would make a fool of herself if he kept holding her like this. Why had she gotten into this mess? Why had she started teasing Kurama about being a pervert?
Instead of drawing away as she should have, she drew nearer and wrapped her arms delicately around his neck so that she could feel his long red hair.
It's so soft she thought as her fingers slowly through his hair. And much silkier. How would it feel to-
She stopped her train of thought instantly as she felt his nose touch hers gently. Her eyes closed instantly and her fingers shook, trembling in anticipation and anxiety.
He didn't know what possessed him to move towards her. All he could think of…but that was precisely it-he wasn't thinking. Everything he was doing was by instinct that hadn't been resurfaced until Realeza had come into his life.
Kurama's mouth traced her mouth with his and she trembled. Her face flushed and there was no need for her eyes to open. She could feel his mouth, barely on top of hers, moving gently.
She could feel his cool breath hit her softly and when he pulled away she opened her eyes, demanding silently to know why he had stopped.
But she didn't get to say a word.
He covered her tenderly with a kiss that sent her stomach clenching in absolute fear, exactly like the first time. The feelings he provoked in her scared her completely. She'd never felt anything so powerful, so strong, for one person.
It was about time Youko murmured.
Relli's hands wandered to his hair and grabbed it freely now, with no regard to the embarrassment that was surely going to come afterward.
Kurama's own hands tangled in her hair and pulled her, perhaps too roughly towards him, as his demon spirit began to ignite again.
It was too much and yet it was so little. Their kiss grew more urgent and wanting.
Kurama pulled back roughly, with no apparent reason and looked at her with his eyes narrowed and cold. They were no longer green, they were amber.
His mind was full of sinful thoughts or rather, Youko's mind. One thought had been enough for his inner demon to take control of half his mind and it was time for the other half.
Her confused gaze fell to his necklace. It was glowing yellow. He was turning into Youko! She raised her eyes to face him and watched how his ears grew pointy and his clothes started to change.
He clutched his head and groaned.
Stop it Youko! he pleaded.
No. It's your own fault. If you hadn't thought of her in that way…. But I any case I'm taking over and there's nothing you can do to stop me.
"Relli," Kurama groaned. He was still grabbing his head trying to keep his inner demon under control. "Leave. I don't know what Youko would do if he managed to take over."
She stepped back slowly as she watched him struggle with his other self. Realeza turned and had just reached her bedroom when a hand reached out and placed itself on her door.
Relli froze in her spot. What was he going to do?
He turned her around roughly and held her by her shoulders.
She looked up at him and wasn't surprised to see Youko looking back at her.
"Kurama was a fool," he muttered running one finger down Reli's cheek. "To have you near and never make a move. But now, I'm going to do what that idiot was too afraid to do."
Relli gasped and Youko smiled harshly. "It's quite a shock isn't it? Polite, kind, caring Kurama really has a dark mind. Now you know that that fool has desired you for some time." he chuckled darkly. "He was too much of a coward to try and take what he wanted." Youko ran his finger down her neck and began to run it down her chest but she slapped his hand away.
She glared at him with no fear in her eyes. "As if I'm going to let you."
Youko narrowed his cold amber eyes and tightened his grip on her shoulder. "I see. You refuse me…but if Kurama was the one who had you in his arms, you would completely give into him-wouldn't you Realeza?"
Reli glowered at him, unable to contradict him because it was true. It was true. But unfortunately the feeling that had made Kurama and allowed Youko to take over was lust. It was just desire, not love.
Youko smiled. "I knew I was right."
In the deepest corners of his mind, Youko sensed Kurama's strong emotion.
If I was the one in your place then she would be with me…
Tough luck. You're paying for your mistake now.
Youko stared at her intently. "I don't like people resisting to my commands."
Realeza glared at him, not with hate, but with anger. "Leave me alone Youko. I wouldn't want to hurt Suichi but if you dare to try and put another finger on me-"
He grabbed her chin, hard. He gazed at her intently until his eyes shone with cold light as inspiration came to him. "I don't love Runo." he stated.
Her eyes widened and her intelligence wasn't needed to decipher his words.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh I'm certain that I would. That child is a bother to me and she's only in the way. I could get rid of her very easily."
Relli stared at him, seeming calm but in her mind her neurons were working overtime. What was she going to do?
The only way to get out of this mess was to get Kurama back out and she wasn't sure how to do that. If she fought Youko he would win. She'd heard stories about his great power…
So the only way was to talk him out of it. How? What could she possibly say that could draw him out of his demon's control?
Meanwhile, in the same state of mental madness, Kurama was in deep anger as he considered several different ways to bring him back to control, none of which were that effective before.
A sudden spark of inspiration crossed Relli's mind and she looked straight into Youko's amber eyes.
"Can Suichi hear me?" she asked, tentatively.
Youko growled. "Every word."
Relli took a deep breath. "Well Suichi I wanted to tell you something very important about Runo…Have you wondered why I love her so much?"
Youko heard Kurama's response and repeated it to Relli. "He thinks it's because you're very maternal."
"Not quite," Relli said. She took a deep breath and said "It's because I'm Runo's real mother."
There was silence.
It was quite easy for Kurama to take back over and shake Relli hard. "What?!"
I didn't quite see that coming, Youko remarked from his place in Kurama's mind.
Shock was in his eyes and Relli didn't say a word until she saw that his eyes glowed green once more and that the necklace she'd given him was completely green.
"Is that true?" he half-asked, half-demanded.
She glowered at him. "No but I sure wish it was. I had to say something extreme for you to come out."
He let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding as he relaxed once more.
"Can you let me go now?" she asked in a strained voice.
Kurama loosened his grip instantly while she rubbed her arms.
"Sorry." he apologized.
She glared at up with hurt in her face. "Sorry? Sorry? You knew that had I been abused and yet you still had that idea in your perverted head?! What kind of man are you?"
"I didn't have it, Youko did-"
"Yeah right. You must have felt something to let him take over you so easily." She turned her head to the side, not wanting to look into his face. "I'm going to bed."
"Relli I-"
"I don't want to hear anything Suichi," she said irritated and embarrassed beyond belief. "The only thing I want is to forget this ever happened."
She slammed the door shut as she went into her bedroom and covered her face with her hands as she let out tears of sadness.
Kurama leaned against the wall, hearing her cry and he felt infinitely disgusted with himself, for what he had almost allowed himself to do.
What have I done?
Well okay this is the end of my eighth chapter and I want to know if it turned out okay. This chapter is real short comparing it to my others and besides I got stuck on this chapter on the longest time because I didn't know what would be extreme enough to 'draw' Kurama from Youko's control and that's what I came up with. And aside from that I was debating on whether or not to put it in because I nearly gave up on it but then I got my flash of inspiration. As always remember to review and just a note, this is as far as I'm going to go on the lovey-lovey stuff...probably. Remember to review!