|
|
Dreams and Nightmares Part 10
by Korogi
Hiei and Kurama trudged through the rain, the rising morning
sun trying it's best to break through the thunderheads above them, or to
at least disipate this storm system that threatened to dump rain on them
all day. They each dripped profusely with water as they walked along,
their hair matted to their faces, rivers runing over their skin to drench
them completely.
"Oh, this was a brilliant idea, Kurama," Hiei grumbled,
tightening the white scarf around his neck. "Next time you want to
go on another one of your 'picnics', check the weather first."
"Picky picky, love," Kurama smiled, rustling a hand through
Hiei's wet hair, watching drops of rain water spatter out from it.
In a way, this was better than a picnic. Hiei's black silk cloak
clung to his body tightly, showing off every little ripple and curve of
his compact body. He watched his lovers figure as they walked, tuggin
at the sloppy mess his thick green shirt and jeans made on his own body.
Hiei kept walking through Kurama's beauty seminar, watching
his hair flip occasinally before his eyes as Kurama tried furiously to
mold it into some odd sculpture. "Having fun?"
"Hai," Kurama laughed, patting the head and removing his
hand, watching the soaking mass just fall back to hang at Hiei's shoulders.
Kurama smiled and whipped back dripping locks from his own face, adjusting
the plastic bag full of sandwiches that nestled under his deep green shirt.
Kurama rather enjoyed this. It had been so long since he had taken
a long walk in the rain, and the fact that Hiei accompanied him made it
that the more special.
Sighing contently, Kurama turned his face up to the thunderheads
above, feeling the rain patter onto his face and run down his neck.
Intently, he listened to the lulling patter of the rain around him, catapulting
from leaves, globbing into humungus, soaking drops that broke into pieces
on his face, running into his shirt and down his back. He listened
to the thunder roll by over head... but something floated up with that
roll, sparked by the sonorous boom.
Someone was crying.
Hiei heard it too, stopping stone still in his path, diverting
Kurama around him like a great roadblock. His little red eyes scanned
the terraine beyond, the rain mocking his hearing and his vision, increasing
in force around them, pouding down to the ground.
"You heard it too?" Kurama whispered, stepping up next to him,
scanning bright green eyes aroud the wet landscape.
Beside him, Hiei nodded an affirmative, ripping the bandanna
from his forehead and opening the Jagan. Quick images floated
into his mind in an instant... the crying was getting louder as the Jagan
flew outwards, through an open glade just beyonf their position.
"Over there," Hiei pointed seconds before Kurama ran off through the trees.
Kurama's senses flared as he bound through the forest,
trees dumping their heavy, rain loads on him, completely drenching him,
soaking him down to the bone. As he ran across the glade, a mass
of pine trees
popped into view along with the slight twinge of you-ki, floating lost
through the rain about him, much too weak to be any sort of a threat at
all. He pulled himself to a hault, scanning around the pine trees.
Thunder broke through the sky again, immediately sparking
a high- pitched yelp into the air. Definately from under the pine
trees.
In a short leap, Kurama had crossed the glade and appeared,
crouching by the drooping arms of the pine trees, leaning down to the groud
on his hands, his cautious eyes darting throug the pine needles.
Within their canopy, he could hear a tiny voice, whimpering and crying,
sputtering under the rain and the onslought of the thunder storm above
him.
Kurama knelt down, summoning the pine tree to allow his
large body access underneath, the thick branches curling up into the canopy,
clearing a path for him. Rain diverted from their limbs to cascade
over onto Kurama's back as he pushed himself in, fighing of weeds and globs
of dead pine needles.
Just inside, a tiny figure lay huddled in a little ball,
sniffling and crying inder a branch of the pine tree, water dripping in
steady beats onto it's little head. As Kurama pushed through, features
began to take shape... small, pink ears pearked and drooped from matted,
dirty silver hair, a bushy silver tail curling up under a tiny chin.
It was a youko kit... and it could not have been more
than 2 years old.
"Hello there," Kurama spoke as softly as he could, crawling
further up under the canopy.
The little bundle squealed in alarm, raising large, gold
eyes from the warmth of its tail. It snarled and gnashed out with
teeth and claws, grolwing fiercely as Kurama approached, the growl dying
quickly into a half-hearted whimper. The little kit dropped it's
head back into uts tail and shuddered, whimpering.
"Oh, where are your parents, little one?" Kurama soothed,
pushing still forward under the tree. "Are you hungry?"
The little kit whimpered, rising it's little head from
it's tail. shaking its head slightly. "Hungry. Mommy and daddy
left me," it whispered, curling back under the limb.
Kurama reached into the bag he kept under his shirt and
unwrapped one of the sandwiches Kuraihana had made, unbuttoning his shirt
and holding it out, deflecting the large droplets of rain around it.
He held the sandwich out underneath his shirt as it doubled as an umbrella,
shaking the sandwich lightly through the air.
The youko kit snarled at him, but scampered out under
the limbs anyway, ducking underneath Kurama's shirt and taking up the sandwich,
tearing viciously into it.
Kurama smiled down to the little guy, wiping wet strands
of hair from its little face as he practically inhaled the sandwhich in
large, growling bites. The little kit whimpered to itself as he did, watching
a flash of lightning break through the canopy above.
The inevitable thunder roll boomed into existence, splitting
the sky in two as it rolled along, shaking everything in its wake.
The kit screamed and bundled down into a little ball, cowering with the
remenants of his little sandwhich under Kurama's outstreatched shirt.
Kurama unwrapped another sandwich and took the kit into
his arms, pulling his damp shirt over its little, cold body, drawing it
into his own body. "There there, now. It's ok," he cooed, smothing
the strands of silver hair back. "You're alright now."
Hiei's black head of disheveled hair popped under the
canopy, snarling and growling to himself, wiggling his way under the partial
protection of the limbs. "Damn weather!" He pulled on his cloak,
wringing out large portions of it, cursing to himself.
Kurama turned quickly with a smile, rasing a finger to
Hiei's lips. "Shh..." Kurama smiled and turned on his
knees, opening his shirt to Hiei. "Look what I found."
Hiei frowned at Kurama slightly, finishing his wringing
with a grunt. He tossed the dry portion of his cloak to the side
and leaned in. Under Kurama's shirt, the baby youko kit curled tightly,
munching away on one of the sandwiches, blinking large, golden eyes
out to meet Hiei's red ones. "Nani... oh no, Kurama. No you
don't! We are NOT keeping..."
Kurama stuck his toungue out...
Hiei watched in surprise as the little kit stuck
his tongue out too, glaring down Hiei before he returned to munching on
the sandwich.
Kurama giggled and circled a look down from Hiei, petting
back matted strands of the silver hair. "What's your name, little
one?"
"Kiroshu," the kit spoke in a soft, high voice, muttering
through his mouthfull of bread and meat.
Kurama nodded, pulling the kit up further into his arms.
"I'm Kurama... this is my fiance, Hiei."
Hiei grumbled a greeating and sat back roughly, crossing
his hands before his chest. "Kurama... you're not bringing him back
with us are you?"
"We can't just leave the little guy out here. He's
way too young." Kurama closed his shirt and bundled up the kit in
his arms, crawling out past Hiei and out from under the tree back into
the pouring rain.
"You're nuts! What if his parents come looking for
him?" Hiei objected behind him, crawling out into the rain, snarling up
at the clouds.
Kurama looked down to the moving bundle under his shirt.
He nudged it lightly with a finger and sighed deeply, raising his eyes
to Hiei. "I don't think that will happen."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I think the little guy was abandoned."
Hiei groaned loudly and turned into the forest.
"Fine... your choice. Just keep him away from me," and the youkai
flicked off into the forest in his trademark burst of black wind.
Kuraihana set a cup of tea down on a little table
that sat beside a plush chair, fighting back a disobediant braid of rich,
black hair. As she did, a chuckle arose from around her, a stray
hand popping into view to tuck it behind her shoulders.
"Arigato, Yo-mawari-san," she smiled, setting down her
own cup and collapsing back into another chair. "How's your head
this morning?"
Across the tiny table from her, Yo-mawari rubbed a finger
across his forehead, scowling inwardly. "Better. Though I still
feel awful."
"It's the herbs. You'll be queezy and unstable on your
feet for a few days. You really took it hard back at the fortress
you know."
Yo-mawari sputtered loudly, blowing air out between his
lips, pressing back into the chair. "How long's a few days?"
"A.. few days... 48 hours maybe."
"That long?" he whined.
"Oh, quit your complaining and drink your tea. You can't
expect to heal so quickly after so many wouds."
"I don't want anymore of your crazy medicines," he whined
harder, curling his knees up under his chin, staring off out the window
before him. "I just wanna go back to Yomatsu..."
Kuraihana huffed beside him, taking up her tea cup.
Yo-mawari dared a glance at her from the corner of his
eye. She sat staring down into her tea cup, watching the spearmint
leaves swirl about. Somehow, she looked disappointed, almost sad,
swirling the cup around un her hands, the stream fingers rising up to caress
her cheeks.
His mind flashed back to when he had waken up... to what
all had happened between the two of them not more than a few hours ago.
Back to the kiss.
He blushed deeply and snuggled back in the chair, wrapping
a large, knitt blanket around his body. "Gomen nasai," he said softly.
"I didn't mean that I wanted to leave. It's just... it's just that
I want to get out and do something instead of being cooped up in here!"
"Instead of being cooped up in here with me?"
"Now, I didn't say that..." Yo-mawari sputtered again
and pulled the blanket up over his head, yelling into his knees.
"Women! They're impossible to talk to!!"
"NANI!!" Kuraihana yelled. She pulled a pillow
from her chair and smacked it over his blanketed head, realling back to
bop him several more times. "Impossible, eh? I'll show you
impossible!!"
Yo-mawari untucked his head from the blanket only to be
bashed over the head with a pillow again. "No fair!!" he whined,
leaping from the chair. His feet tangled in the blanket, tying him
into a pretzel, pulling his feet out from under him. He sprawled,
loosing all balance, arms flailing widly to try to find support... before
he crashed face first to the floor.
"Yo-ma-san!!"
"Ouchie," he whined from the floor, neither moving nor
squirmling. "OWWW!! Hana-chan!!"
Kuraihana dashed from her chair easily over to the mass
of blankets that lay helpless on the floor. She dug through, pulling
back the blanket, unraveling Yo-mawari and pulling him to sit up.
A large red mark streaked his forehead and left cheek, a nice indentation
of one of the floor boards welting upon the tip of his nose. He growled
at his useless, flimsy body, struggling to regain his balance as he sat
on the floor, bobbleing aroud like a dunkard.
Kuraihana giggled at him, untucking the blanket from his
legs. "Yo-ma- san... I told you that you wouldn't be stable on your feet
for a while."
"It wasn't me! It was the damn blanket!" he yelled,
wiggling out of it. "I'm just fine on my feet!" he declared stubornly,
pushing himself up quickly.
Kuraihana rose along with him, barely making it to her own feet
before Yo-mawari tumbled over on her. There was no diverting his
weight, it over powered her and the two of them stumbled back to the floor.
Kuraihana laughed out loud, watching Yo-mawari right himself
and rub his red nose, whining and whimpering like a spoiled child,
He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye, sticking his bottom
lip out. "It's not funny," he pouted.
"Hai, it is!"
The front door burst open across the parlor from them,
two soaked figured shuffeling in quickly, slaming out the rain behind them
in a heartbeat. They dripped water in great rivers, puddeling the
foyer floor around them, sending it off to pool at the door. They
each looked like drowned rats, absolutely dreanched from head to toe.
"Kyodai-kun!" Yo-mawari waved from the floor, rising slowy
to his feet, wobbeling about as he steadied himself on the chair.
He picked up the blanket from the floor and stumbled almost drunkenly over
to his brother, throwing it about his sholders.
Hiei shook violently beside him, spraying water about
in tiny dropplets. He seethed and growled, removing his black cloak
and sending it to slosh on the floor, sending up more rainwater about him.
Yo-mawari stood frazzeled and dappled with drops of rain,
a half- frown curling over his face as he watched the youkai shake again.
"Arigato, Meijin-san." He wiped water from his face and set to drying
his brother's hair. "So.. how was your picnic?" he teased, raising
an eyebrow.
Kurama chuckled and flicked a wet lock of hair from his
face. "Funny, 'Wari-kun." Kurama winked at his brother as his
face was being dried, bundeling something up under his shirt. Yo-mawari
set a firm look upon his brother as the bundle wriggled under the drying
blanket.
Hiei snorted beside the twins, stepping out of his shoes
and circling a glance up to Kurama. "He wants warm milk?"
"Hai. Thank you Hiei," Kurama nodded, watching Hiei stalk
off into the house.
Yo-mawari raised an eyebrow and looked his brother straight
in the face. "He who?"
Kurama smiled widely and shrugged out of the blanket,
giggling to himself. "Look," he whispered, holding up the bundled
shirt. He opened the shirt he held tucked before him to reviel the
tiny kit, big gold eyes blinking out to Yo-mawari, still munching away
on one of the sandwiches.
Yo-mawari stuttered a bit, blinking black eyes down to
the kit. He smiled keenly and raised a finger to the tiny baby, watching
as it reached out and curled little fingers around his much bigger finger.
Happily it munched away, watching Yo-mawari's big, black eyes with subtle
curiosity.
Kuraihana's head popped into view over Yo-mawari's shoulder,
instantly sending the man into severl shades of brilliant red. She
rested her chin on his shoulder, sighing and turning her head to the side,
smiling immensely. "Oh, how sweet!" she cooed, reaching out a hand.
"Oh please," Hiei's deep voice rang in behind. Kurama
leaned aroud his brother, flashing wild green eyes. Hiei padded slowly
from the kitchen, a glass half filled with milk sat steaming in his hand,
the glass surrounded in the purple flames of his you-ki. "Good greif,
you're all turning to mush over a baby."
Kurama took the glass of warm milk with a smile, turning
the baby youko up, handing him the glass of milk. The little fingers
unwound from Yo-mawari's hand and took the glass tightly, tipping it down.
The milk splashed over the rim, dousing the kit's head, only a mouth full
making it down the youko's little throat.
It sputtered under the milk and began to cry, it's little
body shaking in Kurama's arms, sputtering and coughing.
"Awww," the twins and Kuraihana mused.
Hiei snorted.
Kuraihana pulled a piece of cloth from her satchel and
dabbed at the baby's face. "I think there's bottle in the kitchen.
Hold on, I'll be right back."
Yo-mawari flicked off into his room for a moment as Kuraihana
danced of into the kitchen, coming back with an armload of clothes and
a towel. "You and Meijin are absolutely soaked," he smiled, handing
them each a change of clothing. "Change now before you get sick and
have to suffer under Hana-chan's odd herbal concoctions."
"I heard that!!" Kurihana's voice floated in from the
kitchen, the sound of dishes shuffeling up with her.
"Uh.. heh heh... what I meant was..." Yo-mawari laughed
heavily, stumbling around a bit as he lost balance.
Kurama chuckled and handed the crying kit over to his
brother. Carefully, he cradled the baby down into Yo-mawari's arms,
running a finger over the little cheek before quickly changing clothes.
Hiei relaxed back on the large couch in the living room
just beyond the kitchen, Kurama feeding the kit off in another room.
He listened to the pitter-patter of the rain as it still continued to fall
outside. It lulled him into relaxation, soothing his mind and soul,
something he had not been able to do in quite a while.
Beyond in the kitchen, he could hear Yo-mawari and Kuraihana
fixing lunch up, quietly talking. Occasionaly, the youko would sputter
about, crashing into tables and chairs on account of his unhealed injuries,
sparking loud crashes of dishes and pans and yells and laughing from the
healer.
But other than that, things were relatively quiet.
"I'm gonna get you!!"
Hiei sat straight up, eyes flying wide open at the yell,
his body tensing and preparing for an attack. He caught a glimps
of the little kit scampering across the wood floor, a bottle dangling out
of his little mouth.
Seconds later, Kurama slid into the room, hunched over,
a playful smile painted over his face. "Where are you?" he sang,
creeping into the room silently, hunched over like an old woman, scanning
with wide, green eyes. He stalked silently forward, curling his fingers
before him, wiggling them as if tickling the air itself.
A small sqeak and giggle came from a corner of the room,
drawing all Kurama's attention and most of Hiei's. "There you are!
I'm comin' ta get ya," he laughed, prancing of across the room like a derranged
marionette.
Hiei watched curiously as Kurama ducked his head under
a table, a high-pitched little sqeal ringing through the air. Scampering
little feet ran across the wood floor out of Hiei's vision, the youko kit
popping clumsily up over the arm of the couch. Hiei blinked a few
times, watching the kit furiously claw his way over the air am Kurama stalked
up behind him, the little body tumbling down tot he cusions and dashing
across the pillows to Hiei.
The little kit burrowed into the space behind Hiei, crawling
up the back of his shirt to perch just behind his head, wrapping little
arms around his neck. The bottle flopped out onto Hiei's sholders,
still held tightly in the sharp little teeth, the kit scrambling up onto
Hiei's back, bracing himself between him and the back of the couch.
Kurama's green eyes slid into view, grinning playfully
back at Hiei, watching the large gold eyes slide into hiding in Hiei's
black, spiky hair. "Kiro-chan likes you," he smiled, circling around
to peak at the hiding kit. It squirmed and giggled, clutching at
Hiei's neck as it shifted around to hide. "Haven't you ever wanted
to be a parent?"
Hiei rolled the idea over in his mind, eyes growing wider.
"Parent?"
Kurama broke forward towards the kit, tickling at its
belly with swift, nimble fingers. "Boo!"
Again, the kit giggled, scampering aroud to perch his
little chin on Hiei's other shoulder, the bottle flopping down to smack
Hiei in the cheek.
"Crazy kitsunes." Hiei rose from the couch, tucking
his arms behind his back to cradle the kit's little body. "So, you're
keeping him?"
"Damn right I am!" Kurama circled around Hiei, peaking
around his face, laying a soft kiss on his nose as he laid eyes back on
the kit. "Gotcha!"
The kit cooed and nuzzled into Hiei's back, sucking away
on the bottle as Kurama streatched out a finger to stroke its little cheeks.
The huge gold eyes blinked lazily, sighing lightly into Hiei's ear.
"He is cute," Hiei finally admitted. "For a baby...
" He looked over to Kurama, skooting the kit up further into his
back. For a moment, the two just looked at each other, Kurama smiling
widely, petting the kit, Hiei's expression totally blank...
Until the fire youkai smiled, closing the red eyes momentarily,
feeling the kit coo and mumble on his back. Perhaps he could deal
with this little guy scurrying around underfoot. Hell, anything that
made Kurama so utterly bright and cheery couldn't be all that bad.
"Hiei, I do believe you're smiling," Kurama whispered
over into his ear, running his tongue along the soft flesh.
"So what?" Hiei snorted, halfway between a laugh.
A shrill clang of pots and pans suddenly burst into earshot,
startling all three of them from their peace.
"Gomen nasai!!!!" Yo-mawari's voice echoed, calling frantically
throug the kitchen.
"Quit being so POLITE!!" Kuraihana echoed back.
"You're dangerous, Yo-ma-san! Go sit down before..."
A large thud sent a kitchen chair sprawling out into the
hallway, smashing into the wall across, spinning around on one of the legs
before toppeling over. Kuraihana's voice floated after it,
laughing lightly as she tugged Yo-mawari up from the floor. "Lunch
is ready. Come and get it before Yo-mawari destroys it!"
The rest of the day was pretty much uneventfall.
Occassionally Yo-mawari would tumble off his feet to be expertly caught
by either Hiei or Kuraihana. But other than that, the day fell into
night in one of the most peaceful and relaxing days the four of them had
ever remembered having.
Hiei laid awake in bed, lazy eyes watching the patters
that the rain was making on the skylight in the room he shared with Kurama.
Kurama was intertwined with him, sleeping soudly from
a playful night of lovemaking, dozing silently on Hiei's chest. Hiei
couldn't remember a more enjoyable night in times before than what had
gone on this night. Kurama was all spice, playfully seducing Hiei
into bed yet again. The youkai enjoyed it immensely, playing hard-to-get
and turning the tables, seducing Kurama before he could so much as get
his shirt off, throwing the both of them into a heated passion.
The youko kit had been put down to sleep in Yo-mawari's
room where there was a small bay window which had been converted into a
crib for the tiny figure. It was more on Yo-mawari's insisting that
the kit be put in his room. He said little Kiroshu reminded him too
much of himself at that age.
Hiei watched the full moon through the rain above, it's
undulating yellow surface reflecting of his eyes to dance around the room.
Oddly, he couldn't sleep tonight, though his body was thoroughly exhausted.
He was content to just lay and watch the rain, listening to Kurama's breathing
beside him.
Uneasy thoughts tugged at his mind, but Hiei couldn't
put a finger on them. He had tried to pin-point them, running through
old memories of his child hood, hopping that the uneasy feelings he had
were just awakened memories.
But that wasn't it.
Something else tugged furiously on his mind... like he
had gone away on a long trip and left the stove burning. There was
something he was forgetting, but for the life of him, he couldn't think
what.
He scowled to himself and quickly put the thought to the
back of his mind. He was happy now with Kurama and wanted things
to stay that way. No matter what.
The rain tapped rythmically above him, nearly drowning
out a light scratching that was coming at the bedroom door. It pawed
and scratched, tiny whimpers floating into his ears.
Hiei wiggled deftly out from Kurama's embrace and tugged
a pair of pants on over his body. He streatched his arms and back,
popping joints as he softly walked across the room, opening the door.
No one was there.
'Hn,' he humphed. 'Just the rain.'
Thunder rolled by outside, bringing with it a soft whimper
down at his bare feet. Hiei lowered his eyes to see the youko kit
nervously sucking a thumb, a small blanket curled around his shoulders.
The large gold eyes looked pleadingly up to him, shaking in the moonlight
"What do you want?" Hiei whispered.
The kit poped the thumb out of his mouth and crept forward,
opening his arms up to Hiei, beckoning.
The youkai frowned and bent down. "Nani?"
The little kit scampered over, crawling up into Hiei's
lap, wrapping little arms around his neck. It whimpered slightly,
burrowing its face down into Hiei's shoulder, tightening it's little grasp,
returning the thumb to his mouth.
Hiei smiled slightly and rose to his feet, bunbling the
tiny body into one arm, quietly closing the door with the other.
He turned and padded smothly across the room and slipped back into bed,
laying the kit between him and Kurama's still sleeping body.
Quickly, it curled between them, wrapping itself into
a ball, purring as it closed its eyes. Hiei watched the kit, moving
over closer to Kurama until the little youko laid sandwiched warmly between
them. He lifted a hand and smoothed it over the kit, watching it
yawn and coo, burying it's nose in it's tail as it snuggled.
'...haven't you ever wanted to be a parent?...' Kurama's
voice floated through his head from earlier in the day.
Hiei closed his eyes and pulled the sheets up over the
three of them, moving his head over to rest against the kit's back. "Yes."
