InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of the Night ❯ LXXXVI: Tears and Fears Part I ( Chapter 15 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kurai Mori 
The sound of the raging storm reflected the one that he was experiencing internally.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.27.2008 | Updated On: 06.03.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Work In Progress
The sound of the raging storm reflected the one that he was experiencing internally.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.27.2008 | Updated On: 06.03.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Night LXXXVI: Tears and Fears Part I
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.
Warning(s): Heavy swearing.
Kurama had become crueler, thanks to unlocking more of his soul's power and secrets. That was the only attack in the entire tournament that had ended up backfiring spectacularly. What had been meant to make Kurama a defenseless little baby had instead made him even more deadly. Hiei had thought Kurama a cold bastard when they first met around two years ago, now he was a cruel one as well. Hiei's smirk grew as he thoughts over the whispers that had spread since that day: "Kurama has returned." They did not know how right they were.
The oaf, on the other hand, had lost his spiritual powers. Or rather, they were locked away from him. Such was his punishment for playing with temperamental swords not meant for him. If it was possible, Kuwabara's worth had dropped even further in his eyes.
Out of the four of them, the detective had grown the most. The ass-kicking he had received at the hands of Toguro Otouto was exactly what Yuusuke had needed to grow up some. It seemed it always took losing something precious and dear for a person to learn how to cherish it. Yuusuke had learned that lesson when he almost lost both his mentor and best friend for good.
And he... Hiei had also learned that lesson. Though it would be more appropriate to say that he had relearned it. He had learned the value of precious things when he lost his hiroseki stone because he was fool. It was taught to him again when he found out about his twin sister who was also missing at the time. And now, he was learning it for a third time because of one insufferable miko.
Two weeks away from her and he was already ready to be in her presence again. He needed to make sure she had not forgotten about him or found some other youkai to torment. If it meant keeping her company to himself, then he would put up with all of her antics for however long. It took only twelve days away for him to realize that despite how weak and soft he felt around her, he did not want to be anywhere else in all the realms.
All he wanted was to go back to spending his nights in that ancient tree on her shrine, watching over her. While he knew it would make him seem like some lowly stalker with a crush, they both knew it was not true. As she had said so many nights ago when they had first met, he was more like her guardian angel. It was sickening for him to think of how many times he had saved her from harm and certain death. How did her following of mangy mutts ever put up with it?
"Man, I bet KoEnma's laughing his ass off from up in Reikai," Yuusuke muttered, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "That little toddler-bitch probably thinks it's funny how our home-coming got rained out by this damn storm. It's summer, for fuck's sake!"
Hiei ignored the ramblings of his former team leader. He did not like the rain either, but was he complaining about it? No, he did not think so. Just because everything turned out all sunshine and puppies for the detective and the rest of the team most of the time did not mean everyone was bemoaning the gloomy atmosphere.
"Well, Yuusuke-kun," Kurama said, "just because you won the Dark Tournament doesn't mean you can control the weather."
"Yeah, well, it should. Stupid weather." He could hear the detective grumble.
"So, ah," Kuwabara said, scratching his head, "I guess it's all done now... We can go back to our regular lives?"
Hiei snorted. Of course they could go back to their normal lives. And finally, after months of servitude toward that stupid toddler-god and damn Reikai, he was finally free of their shackles. Apparently, he had helped saved the world and their detective enough times to earn his semi-freedom. Unfortunately, he was unable to return to the Makai. But it was not as if he wanted to leave just yet. There was a certain little miko keeping him in the Ningenkai.
Kurama nodded his head in agreement. They could finally head back into somewhat normal lives. Complete normalcy was out of the question, though. Two humans with high spiritual awareness and one still in debt to Reikai, another human harboring a youkai soul, and a half-and-half youkai... There was simply no way for them to be completely normal or live normal lives.
"Hey, that reminds me!" Yuusuke snapped his fingers as he remembered. "What did KoEnma speak to you two about during the tournament anyways?"
Kurama and Hiei shared a brief look before Hiei shrugged. It was not as if he cared what was told to the idiot twins.
"KoEnma told us that if we helped you to defeat Toguro Otouto, then his father would consider our probation over with."
"So, you guys are free to go then?" Kuwabara asked.
"So it would appear," Kurama said.
Yuusuke glared. "How come you two get to go off and do whatever, but I'm still stuck being their little lap-dog! I mean, you two fucking stole from them with a plot to take over the Ningenkai!"
For the first time in two weeks, Hiei resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes while Kurama chuckled. "We were only on probation, detective. You're the idiot who owes them your life."
"Who cares!" he shouted. "You all get to go back to your lives and I'm stuck doing the 'save the world' gig. Fucking bullshit!"
He watched with a small amount of amusement as the oaf caught Yuusuke in a headlock and gave him a lecture about the necessity of saving the world and how he was not alone in that job. Better the detective than he.
"So Hiei, what do you plan on doing with your new-found freedom?" He turned his attention to the fox, not liking the sly smile on his face.
He knew they knew something was up with him and that it involved something in Tokyo, and that Kurama was trying to pry information out of him. As if he would let anything slip about his private life, even if he did consider them to be friends. Hiei already knew exactly what Kurama would do if he ever found out about her and that would be to steal her away. Now that was something he would never let happen.
However he revealed none of his inner thoughts and kept a cold air about him. "What I do in my private life is none of your damn business."
Almost as if it was on cue, Kurama's smile became one of teasing as he held up his hands in mock surrender. "I meant no harm. I was merely curious."
Hiei snorted at that. Curious coming from a fox never meant the right kind of curiosity.
"I guess this means we part here, until KoEnma screws up again that is," Yuusuke said. "Try to stay out of trouble you two! I don't want to have to drag your asses back to Reikai!"
Kurama sighed. "I assure you, you won't have to worry about us, Yuusuke-kun."
Kuwabara waved as he walked off with Yuusuke. "Keep in touch! It'd suck for us all to only see each other to save the world! Except for you, hamster legs!"
"As if I'd like to see your ugly face more than necessary," Hiei said. Though he knew Kuwabara would not be able to hear him, he was unable to let that oaf have the last word.
With a small smile Kurama shook his head. Hiei knew he was probably thinking something along the lines of how him and Kuwabara could not get along, even in parting. Though he said nothing along those lines as he inclined his head toward him and said, "I'll see you around."
Hiei did not respond, but he did wait until the fox was out of sight before leaving. He did not want anyone to follow him because he wanted to keep her all to himself. There was no way he would share her with his friends--he wanted all her attention for himself. And he now had two weeks without her presence to make up for.
If there was one thing he was going to do for certain, it was spend as much time as he could in her presence. Though, of course, he would never admit to it if anyone called him out on that. Because, as he would say, it was not because he liked her that he spent his nights with her, but to keep her from doing something stupid. He was thoroughly convinced that she would die from her idiocy long before old age. And he did not like that thought.
As he came closer to the Higurashi Shrine, he could feel the storm pick up. Not only was the rain falling harder, but he could also hear the beginning rumblings of thunder and smell the ozone that signaled lightning. He sped up as he realized the storm was about to turn nasty, and he would rather be in the safe confines of her room when it did.
Yet all he really wanted was to see that she was all right. He needed to reassure himself that she had not pulled any stupid stunts while he was away and could not watch over her. After watching her jump into a dry well, he would not put anything past her even though he did know the reasons why she did.
The familiar torii came into view, and he quickly jumped over it and headed into the branches of Goshinboku. For the first time in hours, he finally had some shelter from the rain. The cold drops clung to his clothes, skin and hair, but he did not notice. All his attention was focused on one little window that kept him from breathing in her scent and power.
In the two weeks he had spent away, he found himself able to ignore the urges to touch her and feel her skin against his. Yet now, being only a few meters away from her, he found those longings returning. She was so close. However he knew he should not act on those urges. Whenever he came into physical contact with her, it made him want more. Or so he had learned from experience.
Yet the sight that greeted him was not one he had been expecting. While it was close to midnight, she was sprawled haphazardly across her bed with a pillow held tight in her arms. He leaned in closer to the window as the first bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and provided enough illumination for him to see that much more clearly into her room.
Even in her sleep, she was crying.
An all-too-familiar feeling of guilt wormed its way back into Hiei's heart at seeing the tears she was still crying. He did not notice the water dripping from his face and hair as he leaned forward and opened her window. Before too much rain could be blown into her room, he slipped in and shut the window.
While he had told himself he was not going to touch her, he needed to wake her up. He needed to make this right because he never intended to make her cry. And, for the first time, he was afraid of a human and what she might think of him.
How could one slip of a woman cause so much anxiety in someone like him? It was all because he was terrified of not being forgiven.
Word count: 2019
Edited: 3 June 2010
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.
Warning(s): Heavy swearing.
- - - - - - - -
The mood could not have been more perfect in his mind. A freak storm was what the captain of the boat they were returning on had said. It was not so odd, given that it was late summer/early fall; storms happened. Hiei smirked; it was the perfect homecoming after everything that had happened. The tournament of darkness was over, but at some high prices.Kurama had become crueler, thanks to unlocking more of his soul's power and secrets. That was the only attack in the entire tournament that had ended up backfiring spectacularly. What had been meant to make Kurama a defenseless little baby had instead made him even more deadly. Hiei had thought Kurama a cold bastard when they first met around two years ago, now he was a cruel one as well. Hiei's smirk grew as he thoughts over the whispers that had spread since that day: "Kurama has returned." They did not know how right they were.
The oaf, on the other hand, had lost his spiritual powers. Or rather, they were locked away from him. Such was his punishment for playing with temperamental swords not meant for him. If it was possible, Kuwabara's worth had dropped even further in his eyes.
Out of the four of them, the detective had grown the most. The ass-kicking he had received at the hands of Toguro Otouto was exactly what Yuusuke had needed to grow up some. It seemed it always took losing something precious and dear for a person to learn how to cherish it. Yuusuke had learned that lesson when he almost lost both his mentor and best friend for good.
And he... Hiei had also learned that lesson. Though it would be more appropriate to say that he had relearned it. He had learned the value of precious things when he lost his hiroseki stone because he was fool. It was taught to him again when he found out about his twin sister who was also missing at the time. And now, he was learning it for a third time because of one insufferable miko.
Two weeks away from her and he was already ready to be in her presence again. He needed to make sure she had not forgotten about him or found some other youkai to torment. If it meant keeping her company to himself, then he would put up with all of her antics for however long. It took only twelve days away for him to realize that despite how weak and soft he felt around her, he did not want to be anywhere else in all the realms.
All he wanted was to go back to spending his nights in that ancient tree on her shrine, watching over her. While he knew it would make him seem like some lowly stalker with a crush, they both knew it was not true. As she had said so many nights ago when they had first met, he was more like her guardian angel. It was sickening for him to think of how many times he had saved her from harm and certain death. How did her following of mangy mutts ever put up with it?
"Man, I bet KoEnma's laughing his ass off from up in Reikai," Yuusuke muttered, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "That little toddler-bitch probably thinks it's funny how our home-coming got rained out by this damn storm. It's summer, for fuck's sake!"
Hiei ignored the ramblings of his former team leader. He did not like the rain either, but was he complaining about it? No, he did not think so. Just because everything turned out all sunshine and puppies for the detective and the rest of the team most of the time did not mean everyone was bemoaning the gloomy atmosphere.
"Well, Yuusuke-kun," Kurama said, "just because you won the Dark Tournament doesn't mean you can control the weather."
"Yeah, well, it should. Stupid weather." He could hear the detective grumble.
"So, ah," Kuwabara said, scratching his head, "I guess it's all done now... We can go back to our regular lives?"
Hiei snorted. Of course they could go back to their normal lives. And finally, after months of servitude toward that stupid toddler-god and damn Reikai, he was finally free of their shackles. Apparently, he had helped saved the world and their detective enough times to earn his semi-freedom. Unfortunately, he was unable to return to the Makai. But it was not as if he wanted to leave just yet. There was a certain little miko keeping him in the Ningenkai.
Kurama nodded his head in agreement. They could finally head back into somewhat normal lives. Complete normalcy was out of the question, though. Two humans with high spiritual awareness and one still in debt to Reikai, another human harboring a youkai soul, and a half-and-half youkai... There was simply no way for them to be completely normal or live normal lives.
"Hey, that reminds me!" Yuusuke snapped his fingers as he remembered. "What did KoEnma speak to you two about during the tournament anyways?"
Kurama and Hiei shared a brief look before Hiei shrugged. It was not as if he cared what was told to the idiot twins.
"KoEnma told us that if we helped you to defeat Toguro Otouto, then his father would consider our probation over with."
"So, you guys are free to go then?" Kuwabara asked.
"So it would appear," Kurama said.
Yuusuke glared. "How come you two get to go off and do whatever, but I'm still stuck being their little lap-dog! I mean, you two fucking stole from them with a plot to take over the Ningenkai!"
For the first time in two weeks, Hiei resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes while Kurama chuckled. "We were only on probation, detective. You're the idiot who owes them your life."
"Who cares!" he shouted. "You all get to go back to your lives and I'm stuck doing the 'save the world' gig. Fucking bullshit!"
He watched with a small amount of amusement as the oaf caught Yuusuke in a headlock and gave him a lecture about the necessity of saving the world and how he was not alone in that job. Better the detective than he.
"So Hiei, what do you plan on doing with your new-found freedom?" He turned his attention to the fox, not liking the sly smile on his face.
He knew they knew something was up with him and that it involved something in Tokyo, and that Kurama was trying to pry information out of him. As if he would let anything slip about his private life, even if he did consider them to be friends. Hiei already knew exactly what Kurama would do if he ever found out about her and that would be to steal her away. Now that was something he would never let happen.
However he revealed none of his inner thoughts and kept a cold air about him. "What I do in my private life is none of your damn business."
Almost as if it was on cue, Kurama's smile became one of teasing as he held up his hands in mock surrender. "I meant no harm. I was merely curious."
Hiei snorted at that. Curious coming from a fox never meant the right kind of curiosity.
"I guess this means we part here, until KoEnma screws up again that is," Yuusuke said. "Try to stay out of trouble you two! I don't want to have to drag your asses back to Reikai!"
Kurama sighed. "I assure you, you won't have to worry about us, Yuusuke-kun."
Kuwabara waved as he walked off with Yuusuke. "Keep in touch! It'd suck for us all to only see each other to save the world! Except for you, hamster legs!"
"As if I'd like to see your ugly face more than necessary," Hiei said. Though he knew Kuwabara would not be able to hear him, he was unable to let that oaf have the last word.
With a small smile Kurama shook his head. Hiei knew he was probably thinking something along the lines of how him and Kuwabara could not get along, even in parting. Though he said nothing along those lines as he inclined his head toward him and said, "I'll see you around."
Hiei did not respond, but he did wait until the fox was out of sight before leaving. He did not want anyone to follow him because he wanted to keep her all to himself. There was no way he would share her with his friends--he wanted all her attention for himself. And he now had two weeks without her presence to make up for.
If there was one thing he was going to do for certain, it was spend as much time as he could in her presence. Though, of course, he would never admit to it if anyone called him out on that. Because, as he would say, it was not because he liked her that he spent his nights with her, but to keep her from doing something stupid. He was thoroughly convinced that she would die from her idiocy long before old age. And he did not like that thought.
As he came closer to the Higurashi Shrine, he could feel the storm pick up. Not only was the rain falling harder, but he could also hear the beginning rumblings of thunder and smell the ozone that signaled lightning. He sped up as he realized the storm was about to turn nasty, and he would rather be in the safe confines of her room when it did.
Yet all he really wanted was to see that she was all right. He needed to reassure himself that she had not pulled any stupid stunts while he was away and could not watch over her. After watching her jump into a dry well, he would not put anything past her even though he did know the reasons why she did.
The familiar torii came into view, and he quickly jumped over it and headed into the branches of Goshinboku. For the first time in hours, he finally had some shelter from the rain. The cold drops clung to his clothes, skin and hair, but he did not notice. All his attention was focused on one little window that kept him from breathing in her scent and power.
In the two weeks he had spent away, he found himself able to ignore the urges to touch her and feel her skin against his. Yet now, being only a few meters away from her, he found those longings returning. She was so close. However he knew he should not act on those urges. Whenever he came into physical contact with her, it made him want more. Or so he had learned from experience.
Yet the sight that greeted him was not one he had been expecting. While it was close to midnight, she was sprawled haphazardly across her bed with a pillow held tight in her arms. He leaned in closer to the window as the first bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and provided enough illumination for him to see that much more clearly into her room.
Even in her sleep, she was crying.
An all-too-familiar feeling of guilt wormed its way back into Hiei's heart at seeing the tears she was still crying. He did not notice the water dripping from his face and hair as he leaned forward and opened her window. Before too much rain could be blown into her room, he slipped in and shut the window.
While he had told himself he was not going to touch her, he needed to wake her up. He needed to make this right because he never intended to make her cry. And, for the first time, he was afraid of a human and what she might think of him.
How could one slip of a woman cause so much anxiety in someone like him? It was all because he was terrified of not being forgiven.
- - - - - - - -
A version of this chapter was posted to the livejournal community 30_Nights for their bonus theme #039. Hear the thunder roar and the lightning clash.Word count: 2019
Edited: 3 June 2010