All right, folks! this is another bonus chapter! ^_^ The suggestion came from a faithful reviewer! Kuramasredredrose, this is your suggestion! I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose/Nozomi, though.
And so...ENJOY!! ^.^
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Leiko walked briskly through the currently deserted halls of her large home. Her determined brown eyes scanned the hall ahead of her, obviously searching for something, or someone. A door opened and Youko walked out, followed by her best friend, Nozomi. She smiled up at her mate, said something, then went back inside the room, closing the door behind her. Standing there for a moment, Youko sighed before turning to walk away in the opposite direction.
Growing frantic, being him that she actually wanted to talk to, Leiko began jogging over to him.
"Youko! Wait up!"
Pausing mid-step in his walk, Youko turned on his heel and glared at her mildly, wondering what she could possibly want.
As she reached him, her heels clicking dully against the polished floor, Leiko let out a heavy sigh of relief that he had actually stopped and looked at her. That alone was a feat, since apparently they hated each other. Supporting herself by leaning against her knees with her arms, Leiko panted somewhat for breath, having run fully the last bit to catch up to him in time.
"And what is it you want now, Leiko?" He asked coldly, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, raising an eye brow ever so slightly.
Finally managing to catch her breath, Leiko stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye.
"Could I talk to you privately? This is important."
Blinking, Youko nodded silently, knowing that if something were bothering her and she bothered to come to him first instead of his brother, it must be important.
--A few minutes later
"You want me to do what?!" Youko exclaimed, his usually cool and calculated complexion and attitude blown right out of the window.
"I want you to talk to your brother and tell him your sorry." Leiko replied coolly, sitting on a light green colored futon, her back straight and her eyes closed, feeling his rage and shock at the same time.
"I heard you the first time!" He snapped, glaring at her. "What makes you think that I'd bother even speaking to that fool?! I have a hard time wondering how you even fell in love with him!"
Leiko stood up, her hands clenched into tight fists as she glared at him coldly. "Just like I'm having a hard time believing how my best friend, usually a really kind hearted person, could fall for such a pervert like you!" She saw that he was about to interrupt her, but as she finished, the urge fell.
He sighed heavily. "Yes, I keep getting that. Not only do you think that, but many others…"
"Yeah, I wonder why." She snapped crisply, glaring at him, her arms now crossed. "Now, could you please tell him your sorry, and actually have a REAL conversation, not some 'I'm gunna slit your throat' b.s.?"
Youko looked her dead in the eyes and saw the determination his wife and mate had not too long ago when she tried to convince him to do something that he really didn't want to do.
"Why don't you ask Nozomi to do it for me? Wouldn't that be easier?"
Leiko scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "You're kidding, right? Do you really think I'd put my best friend in a situation that's not meant for her? Besides, she came to me for help in trying to get you two thick headed brothers' to make up. This is stupid, and both of us are sick and tired of living in secrets. We barely get to see each other! And when you and your brother are with us, all you do is glare at each other!" As she continued to say this, her voice was rising, now to the point of yelling. "I mean, SERIOUSLY!! What the hell! He's your brother! I have one! He's awesome! You should talk to him more! You never know what info you can share that neither of you thought you would know! Please?" She asked, lowering her voice as she finished her rambling. "I know Rose wants this too. And she'd really appreciate it, especially from you, Youko."
Watching her closely, Youko sighed. "I suppose if it'll make her happy…" He glanced up at her suspiciously. "And where will you and my wife be when all hell is breaking loose?"
Leiko smiled brightly, her eyes closing in the process. "Probably watching from a safe distance, enjoying the mess." (Leiko's expression: ^__^ )
Youko, eying her carefully, sighed heavily once again. "I suppose so…" Fiddling with the edge of his fraying silver colored shirt, he asked in a low voice, "When does my brother return from his business trip?"
"In about 4 hours."
Sighing once again, Youko began making his way to the door. "All right then, I'll be waiting in the main hall. If he goes in through a different door, tell him to go there instead." A small sad smile appeared on his face suddenly. "Let us see how this goes… Although, I must admit, it would be nice not to argue anymore with him…" Without another word, he left the room.
--5 Hours later
There was a heavy silence in the main hall as both brothers stared at each other from opposite sides of the small coffee table. Although it was about the size of a normal round glass table, to the nobles, they're coffee tables. Both stared at each other, the tension between them electric. Their eyes were narrow as they studied the other, both wondering what was running through the other brothers' mind.
Hiding behind a corner, Leiko and Nozomi stood, watching curiously. Turning slightly to her best friend, Leiko couldn't help but give a quiet, irritated grumble.
"Damn it! They've been like that for 30 minutes now! I wanna see some action!" She hissed, making sure her voice didn't echo.
Nozomi sweat dropped, forcing herself to smile. "Give them a break… We kind of forced it upon them anyway… I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed like that for another hour or so…" She replied in a quiet voice. With her naturally quiet voice, she didn't exactly have to strain for it to stay quiet.
Growling silently, Leiko turned back to the two brothers again, growing impatient. As the grandfather clock ticked away the seemingly endless hours, which was only about the next 15 minutes, it caused Leikos' already impatient self to grow even more impatient and feel the deafening silence, broken only by the ticking clock.
Feeling herself shaking with built up irritation now, Leiko let it all out the only way she could.
"GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!!" She shouted, poking her head out from behind the corner and glaring at them, causing them both to turn to her, surprised.
Nozomi, sweat dropping, calmly stepped out from behind the corner and placed her hands firmly on Leikos' shoulders.
Giving both brothers' an apologetic smile, she said, "Heh, sorry about that. Don't mind us! We were just passing by."
"Cht, yeah right, Rose! You know perfectly well we were eaves-" Nozomi firmly clasped a hand over Leikos' mouth before she could finish that sentence. Laughing somewhat nervously at the brothers' who were still staring at them, both bemusedly and thankfully, she continued. "We'll be going now. See you guys later!" And she managed to drag Leiko back behind the corner, still with her mouth covered tightly.
Walking away for a while, she opened a door in the hallway, and still covering her friends' mouth, removed her shoes and threw them onto the cushions in the room. Removing her hand from Leikos' mouth, she quietly motioned for her shoes. Nodding, Leiko angrily removed her shoes and handed them to her. Doing the same thing, Nozomi quickly closed the door, allowing the sound to travel down the hallway.
"Why the hell did you-?" Once again, Leiko was hushed quietly as she began her whispering tyrant of questions to her friend.
Nozomi had held up a finger for silence, listening intently for any signs of conversation coming from the main hall. Sure enough, there was.
"It would seem as if Leiko and Nozomi really care about this happening…" That was Kurama.
"Yes… I'd hate to displease her, so…" That was Youko.
"You only do things for your mate? No one else?"
"Besides myself and those important to me… No, not really." Youko replied, too coolly.
They heard Kurama sigh. "That…suits you, I suppose…"
"What do you mean it suits me?"
"Well, everyone says that all you care about is women, thieving, and those few around you." A pause. "Am…I anywhere involved?"
Both Leiko and Nozomi listened intently, having resumed their post near the corner to listen more clearly. Both girls looked at each other in shock, surprised beyond belief he had even bothered to ask such a direct question.
"Hmm…" Came the pensive response. Youko eyed his brother carefully. "To be absolutely truthful…" Another pause. "No, not at all."
Nozomi suddenly felt a boiling anger that filled her very being. Her fists suddenly clenched, her eyes suddenly narrowed, and yet she remained where she was, listening further for anything she could use against either of them.
A moment of silence. "I see… So…you really don't care about me…do you?"
A creaking filled the hall, signaling that one of them, probably Youko, had leaned back in his smooth oaken chair.
"Not at all."
Leiko glanced at Nozomi, noticing that she was suddenly trembling. She grabbed her wrist suddenly, shaking her head, warning her not to do it. Nozomi snatched her wrist back roughly, her eyes narrowing even more as she continued to listen.
A soft sigh filled the main hall. "And to think…that perhaps we could stop this silly argument and continue on with our lives in peace…instead of trying to kill each other…"
"Hm. I would love to, but I'm afraid that we're too different."
"AUGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT!" In a flurry of anger, Nozomi stormed out from around the corner, ignoring the shocked expressions. Stalking over straight to Youko, she grabbed the front of his shirt, forcing him to stand.
Even if he was taller than she was, he did appear to be very pale as he faced her. Leiko had come out as well and was standing behind Kuramas' chair, both watching curiously and worriedly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Huh?! You're the one that told me that you loved your younger brother and that all you've been trying to do all his life was to teach him how to take care of himself and that he didn't really need your help to make himself known in this world! What the hell's wrong with you!?" She shouted, glaring coldly at him, her hands clenched tightly.
Youko swallowed dryly, trying his hardest to not back down. It was times like this that he actually kind of feared her anger. Since she also controlled water…that made the situation even worse.
"I…kind of don't have to anymore…now that you've blurted it out…" he replied quietly, regretting it immediately as he saw her eyes flash dangerously.
"Like hell you don't! He's right there!" She pointed at Kurama angrily. "Get your lazy ass in gear and tell him what you really want to tell him! Don't waste anyone's time here! Not even your own! You're too good for that! Now, MOVE IT!"
Sweat dropping, Youko glanced down at his brother and suddenly felt embarrassed. Forcing himself not to blush at the fact that a woman, his mate for that matter, was actually telling him what to do. However, they were both dominant, so they both succumbed to each other from time to time. Apparently, this was one of those times. Swallowing roughly to get his throat at least a little wet, Youko slowly turned to his brother, who stared at him curiously.
Sighing, he said, "Everything that Nozomi has said is true…"
"Tell him what! Don't just say that!" Nozomi cried, smacking him on the back of his head.
Massaging the spot gingerly, he cast her a somewhat hurt filled glance before sighing again and returned his attention back to his brother.
"Fine…" Taking a deep breath, he looked at his brother straight in the eye and said, "As my mate has mentioned before, I did all of those things, the lies, among other things, to get you stronger. If I had done that, I knew you would learn, even if it was the hard way, how to depend on yourself more. Become more of a man on your own. It worked…to some degree. I had foreseen the side effects it would have… Such as us being hated brothers and not wanting to be in each others' presence for an over exposed amount of time." He sighed again.
"But, I never passed the chance in teaching you something new, something that could have been useful for you. It has pained me over the years to see you grow up, and I wasn't there to assist, or teach you first hand…but… I had my own problems to deal with. Such is life, unfortunately."
A small smile appeared on his face, though it appeared to be somewhat sad. "But, you know…I'll tell you the truth… That day, when we claimed each other would die…if it hadn't been for Nozomis' persistence, I would have let you kill me that day… I wouldn't have been able to deal with the guilt if I actually killed my little brother… But, after the whole battle, I found out that Nozomi had saved my life, and she told me her strategy… I was impressed, and very grateful for it. I couldn't stand the thought of killing you, Shuuichi." He smiled at his younger brother. "You are mother's pride and joy, while I'm a delinquent. I couldn't stand you making the same mistakes I did. I tried to teach you, and I'm glad you learned." There was a moments' pause in which everything seemed to be either settling or being gathered. "I hope you can forgive me…" he finally said in a low voice, lowering his head slightly.
Nozomis' anger had subsided, and now she stood, her head also bowed, though in respect. She was glad he actually told the truth. She had been furious that he was lying so coolly, which was the opposite of what he actually wanted to do. She glanced up at Leiko, who shrugged from behind Kurama. Kuramas' facial expression, however, remained hidden in the shadows of his bangs. Glancing at him, Leiko didn't dare to touch him, knowing that he had to do this transition on his own.
Standing up slowly, Kurama faced his brother fully, his expression still shadowed. Youko raised his head, studying the form of his younger brother.
"I…forgive you…" Came Kuramas' soft reply, causing a look of relief to cross Youkos' face. Raising his head so that he could see his older brother clearly, Kurama smiled. "I'm glad you apologized… It must have been hard…"
Leiko popped up at his side, glaring coldly at him. He glanced at her and flinched at her cold eyes.
"Don't you dare think you're going to walk away after he said all that mushy stuff! You'd better say what's on your mind, too!"
Flinching, surprised that he had been caught up in all of this as well, he sighed heavily, knowing that he should have known better. There was no fooling Leiko when it came to serious situations… The other times…she tended to be a bit scatterbrained. Looking back up at his elder brother, Kurama sighed again, then said with a small smile,
"Well…even if you did try and push me away with all you did… I think that…somehow…I managed to get closer to you… I mean, respect wise. After you lied to me by telling me that I was a mistake…" He trailed off, eying his brother carefully. "That was a lie…right?"
"Of course. Nothing mother did was a mistake. Why should you be the first?" Youko replied easily, shrugging lightly.
Nodding in approval, Kurama continued. "Anyway, after you told me that, I got angry with you. I wondered why you left me all on my own. After the first few years, I grew to realize just how important staying alive at sea was. I experienced my first storm at sea, among other things, based off of what you told me, and what fathers' books had. But, it was your information, however scarce it was, that helped me through it all."
"The purpose of actually giving you very little information lay with the fact that I wanted you to improvise and find what was best for you, and how to survive properly while only depending on yourself and your crew. I had to learn it the hard way, so, I wanted to spare you the cruelty of it. I don't think it worked very much, though…"
"No, not really…" Kurama agreed, nodding to himself.
Leiko rolled her eyes as the conversation continued. 'This is getting boring…' She glanced at Nozomi and was glad that she looked the same.
Youko wrapped an arm around her slender waist suddenly, drawing her near.
"I'm glad I have you by my side…" He cooed, nuzzling the side of her neck, causing her to blush immensely.
Kurama did the same with Leiko, however gently kissing her cheek repeatedly. "I agree… I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help, Leiko…"
Both girls squirmed to get out of their mates' arms. Managing to do so, they glanced at each other, then at their curious mates.
"I'm going to go check on Komaru." Nozomi said quickly, turning and beginning to walk away.
"Hey! Don't you dare leave me here ALONE!" Leiko called after her, running to catch up.
Both brothers watched their retreating forms, then turned to each other and smiled. It was a warm and friendly, not to mention brotherly, smile; one that they hadn't shared in years.
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Okeechobee! (That's my weird version of saying 'okay'.) That's the end of this Bonus Chapter! Thanks again to Kuramasredredrose for the suggestion! ^^
I know at the end it got a bit...rushed... Like, when it was Kuramas' turn to say everything on his mind... I'll be honest with you guys when I say my mind went completely blank. And I mean blank. x.x Twas so frustrating! -_- Anyways, please review!
Oh yeah! And, to answer the question before anyone asks; Komaru is Nozomi and Youkos' son, mentioned somewhat in, I think, Part 2 of the final chapter. ^^ Just so you guys know!
Don't forget to keep the bonus chapters coming! ^^ I don't mind writing them! So please, don't feel bad about it!