InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of the Night ❯ Night CC: Unfetter ( Chapter 29 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kurai Mori 
Though no goodbyes had been said, his parting gift spoke louder than words could.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 05.21.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 729 | Status: Work In Progress
Though no goodbyes had been said, his parting gift spoke louder than words could.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 05.21.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 729 | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Night CC: Unfetter
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): Light angst
As they jumped from Yuka's new boyfriend to how things were going in Souta's own relationship, which was to say very badly, she felt a familiar aura of youki heading up the stairs. It was not familiar in a Hiei way, but rather in a different life way. It brought to mind azure skies and clean air, fields of green grass and childish laughter. Just when she had thought she had successfully pushed aside all thoughts and memories of the feudal era, one youki signature brought it all back. It was very aggravating to her as it seemed that whenever she was close to succeeding in living as normal a life as she could, something came up and shattered it.
It was when she saw the red hair coupled with near-feminine grace did she realize who it was. She had no name to give the kitsune soul for they had not actually met. She only recognized him from a night a while ago. They shared just one mutual relationship: Hiei. It made her want to cry because she had not seen him in about a week and she was trying so hard to put that knowledge out of her mind. It seemed as if everything wanted her to remember what she was trying so hard to ignore.
Souta was quick to step between her and the youkai soul. He truly had grown up too fast, and she blamed herself for that. More than ever, she wished she could be a normal big sister to him. "Who're you?" His voice was laced with suspicion, and she had a feeling that he knew their visitor had a kitsune soul. She could merely offer an apologetic smile to their unknown guest.
She gripped Souta's shoulder gently and said, "You're one of Hiei's friends, right?"
His eyes, spring pools of green, looked between her and Souta as if he was trying to figure out the best way to proceed. A half-second passed before he settled on a congenial smile that made him look very much like a woman. She wondered if that was how Shippou grew up to be. Yet it did put her immediately on-guard; she had spent enough time around Shippou to know she should be wary of a kitsune attempting to be too nice too soon. No good ever came of it.
"That's correct. And you are Higurashi Kagome-san, I presume? I am Minamino Shuuichi. Or perhaps you would know me as Kurama?"
She shook her head with deliberate and confused motions. Did he honestly suspect that Hiei would have told her his name? Her grip tightened on Souta's shoulder as she prepared to step around and face him. However, his heavy sigh stopped her. It was as if he already knew she was going to send him inside. "You'll tell me later, right?"
"Of course," she promised. He glared at Shuuichi/Kurama and made some threat about watching from the house before he left. She breathed out a laugh before giving the man in front of her her full attention. "Please forgive me if I act surprised. Hiei never really spoke of his friends, actually I don't think he ever did aside from acknowledge that he knew you. The only reason I recognized you is because I saw you once before. It wasn't all that long ago." She paused as she remembered that night before laughing. "He fell out of the tree."
He laughed as well. "Ah, that night."
Their laughter was weak and strained somehow, and it trailed off into an uncomfortable silence after a second or two. She had no clue as to how or why he knew her, and she did not like the implications of why he was there. Just as she opened her mouth to ask some of those questions, he beat her to it. "I have to admit, Hiei never spoke of you either until a week or two ago.
"I knew someone had to be in his life given how much he changed in so short a time." His gaze pierced into her heart and sought to know all about their relationship. Yet he was polite enough not to pry. "I've known him for a few years now, and never have I seen him display more than a tolerable attitude toward those around him. I suppose I have you to thank for that?"
A sudden lump of emotion clawed its way into her throat. She could do little more than nod. She did not know if she would cry or scream once it dislodged, only that it would be bad. But she still attempted to swallow, to try and speak around it. "Where is Hiei?" She did not sound as brave or self-assured as she would have liked.
He looked baffled for a second before understanding unclouded his features. "I thought he would have said goodbye at the very least. Yet I see why he didn't now."
"And why is that?" The words rushed out in hurt ire faster than she could reign them in.
Pity joined his look of calm understanding, and she wanted to slap it off him. She did not want his pity, nor did she want to hear what he would say. She wanted him gone. Yet she would not get her wish. "Because I am more than certain that had you requested it, he would have stayed. He must care about you a great deal."
All the implications such statements came with sunk into her heart. Knowing that somehow made it hurt even more that he had left. She turned away, unwilling to break or look at him any longer. "He went to the Makai, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. Save for one of our friends, we all are." She heard him step closer to her, though she did not care.
When he placed a hand on her arm, she stiffened. Hiei's friend or no, she did not like being touched in such ways. Before she could say anything, his hand had slid down to hers only to turn it palm up. He placed a small, though warm, gem into it. "He wanted you to have this. It is a Koorime tear-gem--his sister's actually. He lost his quite a while ago."
She closed her hand around it and stepped away from him. She did not want him touching her nor did she want to look at it. "Thank you," she said, though she was feeling far from thankful.
"Hopefully we will meet again under better circumstances one day, Kagome-san," he said. She listened to him walk away and did not bother to reply.
After he had not wanted her to meet his friends, Kurama's presence spoke more words than she was sure he knew. That he had been sent with Hiei's goodbye and a parting gift said even more. And it cut so deeply. It was much more final than any words spoken that evening. However she did not say anything nor did she cry, she simply headed inside. It would hurt too much to cry, especially since he had not said goodbye in person.
It would take her the passing of many more nights before she realized that his actions had spoke of his farewell for five nights. He had given her the last bits of himself and the love he held for her that he had to give that night a week ago. It was a beautiful memory that hurt her too much to remember because she loved him, and she was certain he loved her too. Though she would be among the first to know that sometimes love was not enough to make a relationship work. They had not told each other all they should have; they had too much still unresolved in their pasts and lives to move on with each other, or to even try to make it work beyond physical love with each other.
She knew, though, that she had accepted his leaving months ago. She had known without knowing, and perhaps she had even pushed him to his decision with her own actions. There was one thing she did know for sure though: he had never been hers to begin or end with. But that tear-gem proved that somewhere along the way, he had been.
Word count: 1501
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): Light angst
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A week later found a strange visitor at the shrine. Kagome had been outside sweeping the courtyard after a long day and trying her hardest to not look at Goshinboku or the well. She was just trying to be normal and catch up with the goings-on of the social world she had turned away from months ago by listening to Souta gabble on about it. Granted, most teenagers did not ask their little brothers about the latest gossip, but there was little else she could do in her situation. And for a boy around six years her junior, she had a feeling Souta knew more about what was happening at her school than her own friends did.As they jumped from Yuka's new boyfriend to how things were going in Souta's own relationship, which was to say very badly, she felt a familiar aura of youki heading up the stairs. It was not familiar in a Hiei way, but rather in a different life way. It brought to mind azure skies and clean air, fields of green grass and childish laughter. Just when she had thought she had successfully pushed aside all thoughts and memories of the feudal era, one youki signature brought it all back. It was very aggravating to her as it seemed that whenever she was close to succeeding in living as normal a life as she could, something came up and shattered it.
It was when she saw the red hair coupled with near-feminine grace did she realize who it was. She had no name to give the kitsune soul for they had not actually met. She only recognized him from a night a while ago. They shared just one mutual relationship: Hiei. It made her want to cry because she had not seen him in about a week and she was trying so hard to put that knowledge out of her mind. It seemed as if everything wanted her to remember what she was trying so hard to ignore.
Souta was quick to step between her and the youkai soul. He truly had grown up too fast, and she blamed herself for that. More than ever, she wished she could be a normal big sister to him. "Who're you?" His voice was laced with suspicion, and she had a feeling that he knew their visitor had a kitsune soul. She could merely offer an apologetic smile to their unknown guest.
She gripped Souta's shoulder gently and said, "You're one of Hiei's friends, right?"
His eyes, spring pools of green, looked between her and Souta as if he was trying to figure out the best way to proceed. A half-second passed before he settled on a congenial smile that made him look very much like a woman. She wondered if that was how Shippou grew up to be. Yet it did put her immediately on-guard; she had spent enough time around Shippou to know she should be wary of a kitsune attempting to be too nice too soon. No good ever came of it.
"That's correct. And you are Higurashi Kagome-san, I presume? I am Minamino Shuuichi. Or perhaps you would know me as Kurama?"
She shook her head with deliberate and confused motions. Did he honestly suspect that Hiei would have told her his name? Her grip tightened on Souta's shoulder as she prepared to step around and face him. However, his heavy sigh stopped her. It was as if he already knew she was going to send him inside. "You'll tell me later, right?"
"Of course," she promised. He glared at Shuuichi/Kurama and made some threat about watching from the house before he left. She breathed out a laugh before giving the man in front of her her full attention. "Please forgive me if I act surprised. Hiei never really spoke of his friends, actually I don't think he ever did aside from acknowledge that he knew you. The only reason I recognized you is because I saw you once before. It wasn't all that long ago." She paused as she remembered that night before laughing. "He fell out of the tree."
He laughed as well. "Ah, that night."
Their laughter was weak and strained somehow, and it trailed off into an uncomfortable silence after a second or two. She had no clue as to how or why he knew her, and she did not like the implications of why he was there. Just as she opened her mouth to ask some of those questions, he beat her to it. "I have to admit, Hiei never spoke of you either until a week or two ago.
"I knew someone had to be in his life given how much he changed in so short a time." His gaze pierced into her heart and sought to know all about their relationship. Yet he was polite enough not to pry. "I've known him for a few years now, and never have I seen him display more than a tolerable attitude toward those around him. I suppose I have you to thank for that?"
A sudden lump of emotion clawed its way into her throat. She could do little more than nod. She did not know if she would cry or scream once it dislodged, only that it would be bad. But she still attempted to swallow, to try and speak around it. "Where is Hiei?" She did not sound as brave or self-assured as she would have liked.
He looked baffled for a second before understanding unclouded his features. "I thought he would have said goodbye at the very least. Yet I see why he didn't now."
"And why is that?" The words rushed out in hurt ire faster than she could reign them in.
Pity joined his look of calm understanding, and she wanted to slap it off him. She did not want his pity, nor did she want to hear what he would say. She wanted him gone. Yet she would not get her wish. "Because I am more than certain that had you requested it, he would have stayed. He must care about you a great deal."
All the implications such statements came with sunk into her heart. Knowing that somehow made it hurt even more that he had left. She turned away, unwilling to break or look at him any longer. "He went to the Makai, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. Save for one of our friends, we all are." She heard him step closer to her, though she did not care.
When he placed a hand on her arm, she stiffened. Hiei's friend or no, she did not like being touched in such ways. Before she could say anything, his hand had slid down to hers only to turn it palm up. He placed a small, though warm, gem into it. "He wanted you to have this. It is a Koorime tear-gem--his sister's actually. He lost his quite a while ago."
She closed her hand around it and stepped away from him. She did not want him touching her nor did she want to look at it. "Thank you," she said, though she was feeling far from thankful.
"Hopefully we will meet again under better circumstances one day, Kagome-san," he said. She listened to him walk away and did not bother to reply.
After he had not wanted her to meet his friends, Kurama's presence spoke more words than she was sure he knew. That he had been sent with Hiei's goodbye and a parting gift said even more. And it cut so deeply. It was much more final than any words spoken that evening. However she did not say anything nor did she cry, she simply headed inside. It would hurt too much to cry, especially since he had not said goodbye in person.
It would take her the passing of many more nights before she realized that his actions had spoke of his farewell for five nights. He had given her the last bits of himself and the love he held for her that he had to give that night a week ago. It was a beautiful memory that hurt her too much to remember because she loved him, and she was certain he loved her too. Though she would be among the first to know that sometimes love was not enough to make a relationship work. They had not told each other all they should have; they had too much still unresolved in their pasts and lives to move on with each other, or to even try to make it work beyond physical love with each other.
She knew, though, that she had accepted his leaving months ago. She had known without knowing, and perhaps she had even pushed him to his decision with her own actions. There was one thing she did know for sure though: he had never been hers to begin or end with. But that tear-gem proved that somewhere along the way, he had been.
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A version of this chapter was posted to the livejournal community 30_Nights for their theme #001. You were never mine to begin with.Word count: 1501