Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Discovery ❯ CHapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Fanfic 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.03.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 683 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.03.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 683 | Status: Completed
Hiei had been living at Makoto's for a week now and there had been no other attempts on his life, or Yuusuke, Kuwabara or Kurama for that matter. They all would meet tonight at Hikawa Temple to discuss it. He drank his tea pensively. Makoto had left for school; he had escorted her to school and came back to her apartment. She told him he could stay and read a book or watch TV if he wanted. He read some books but he disliked TV. He liked her apartment. It felt cozy and it made him feel... wanted. Hiei found he didn't want to leave the apartment. He wanted to stay, but he couldn't do that.
While drinking his green tea, he thought about the little incidents that have been happening around here. The first night he was there, he dreamt he was kissing her and that she was kissing him back. It felt so real. There was another time when he helped her clear the table. Their hands touched and they looked into each other's eyes. They were on the verge of a kiss when that Mamoru and his girlfriend Usagi came calling to see how they were doing. Hiei was fuming, but he wondered if it was because he almost kissed her again or because they had prevented the kiss.
And then there was yesterday night. He woke up and went to get a glass of water. He heard her talk. She was mumbling in her sleep. "Oh yes, darling, that's very nice of you..." she had said. Intrigued, Hiei entered her room, and sat on the edge of her bed. She was having a conversation in her dream on her day, how she had spent it. She seemed to be talking to her boyfriend. Hiei started to envy that guy when she turned on her back and whispered.
"Oh, Hiei... That's so sweet of you, darling..."
Hiei blinked. Had he heard right? He inched closer to her. She whispered his name again. Hiei looked down on her. She looked so beautiful. Her pale rosy lips beckoned to him. He inched closer to her. His eyes closed and... he stopped. He couldn't do this... not now. What would she think? She would never trust him again. So he carefully got up and tried to go back to sleep.
"What should I do?" said Hiei out loud. Maybe talking to someone could help... Yeah... but who? He thought and reviewed all is friends and he can up with the only person who might possibly help. Yes, I'll go see her... If she can't help, well, I can always talk to her. He grabbed his coat and headed for Makoto's balcony and was off.
--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
Seiya was happy. Redi and he had started to go steady, even though Taiki thought it was a bad idea. Strange thing, though. Yaten told Taiki to leave Seiya alone. His two siblings were conversing as he went on his date with Redi. When he came back, he expected Taiki to sermon him again but he didn't. He simply asked how was the date. When Seiya finished telling him what he wanted to know - leaving some juicy details out of course - Taiki and Kurama went back into teaching Yaten what was taught that day in school.
Yaten's health was much better, as though the poison actually made her stronger. She could change back now, but until she would feel better she had decided against it. Seiya wondered if Yaten didn't want to lose the male persona. He hoped not. The Three Lights wouldn't be the same without Yaten. No, maybe not now, but he had the definite feeling that one day, the male Yaten wouldn't exist anymore.
Seiya never thought about his sex. Seiya was Seiya. Inside, that was all that mattered. He knew he always had a preference towards women. So did Taiki, but Yaten... He had never had interest in women, so it wasn't a surprise for Seiya that Yaten had fallen in love with a man, Kurama.
Kurama, for the past week, had been living with them. Seiya was happy he did. He liked having him around. He was such a calm person. He smiled. No one had a serious fight since he was there with them. And he could tell Yaten appreciated having him around. He slept in her room, on the futon next to her bed. This morning, Seiya caught Yaten looking longingly at Kurama who was still sleeping. She had reached with her hand and had started to comb her fingers through his hair when the alarm woke him. She jumped and pulled back in surprise at the sound and made it look like she was still asleep.
Now, he thought if I could just get Mamoru to stop looking at me like he does when I'm with Redi-chan, I should be okay. Seiya knew that Redi-chan came from the 30th Century. But he no longer was chasing Usagi-chan so what was Mamoru's problem? Seiya long ago understood that he and Usagi could never be. So why did everyone seem to be against him and Redi being together? He sighed and tried to re-interest himself in what the literature teacher was saying.
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Everyone was surprised at the temple later that day to see Yaten waiting with Hiei on the steps. Kurama went to Yaten and started to scold him gently when Hiei told him to relax and that some sunshine couldn't hurt Yaten.
"Besides, I was walking next to her the whole trip to make sure she was okay..." he added. Kurama was surprised Hiei would take the time to actually walk with someone. He knew Hiei would rather jump to his destination. Kurama wondered what Hiei wanted. Yaten smiled and took her lover's arm and asked him how was his day.
Once Yuusuke and Kuwabara arrived, they were ready to start their meeting.
"Do you have meetings like that all the time?" Hiei asked Makoto.
"When we have a situation, yes... Most of the time we compare notes and ponder on how to deal with it," she answered him.
"I've done a scanning sweep of our area and I could not detect any demonic activities," started Ami.
"Indeed..." continued Taiki. "It seems all antagonist activity has ceased... Now, either they decided against attacking you or..."
"They decided to pause their activity to lull us into thinking they went away..." said Haruka suspiciously.
"What should we do, then?" asked Yuusuke.
"I think we should go back to our normal way of life..." said Kurama. Yaten pouted without wanting to, she sighed heavily. There goes my nice evenings and mornings with Ku-chan, she thought. "But we should still be on our guard, just in case. I don't think they will make their presence known unless they feel we have our guard down."
"In any case, I think you guys should keep the communicators we gave you," started Mamoru. "Just in case you do encounter problems, you can always communicate with us..."
"We can take care of ourselves..." started Kuwabara.
"Normally, I would agree with you, Kuwabara. Unfortunately, with the attempts that were made... I'm beginning to wonder if they won't put the senshi into the equation..." started Kurama.
"I agree," said Ami. "When you were attacked, Hiei, Sailor Jupiter helped you and when the failed attempt on Kurama happened... Sailor Star Maker was seen checking the area."
"It won't take long for them to put two and two together," added Makoto.
Everyone nodded grimly. Someone was targeting the Reikai Tantei and being allies, the senshi couldn't let them down. Redi fumed. Everybody had long faces. They were no fun at all. Suddenly, she remembered something that would mix necessity with pleasure.
"Hey, minna-san!" she chirped. "Tomorrow is the Cherry Blossom Festival. Why don't we get ourselves a nice little spot under the cherry trees and relax. Everybody can come, right? I mean NO ONE has got school, ne?"
Everybody blinked at her. Yuusuke broke the silence. "I was kind of hoping to be with Keiko tomorrow..."
"I was supposed to pass my day with Yukina-chan," added Kuwabara.
"You can bring them... Come on. It'll be fun. You will come also, won't you, Hiei?" asked Redi. The three guys blinked at her a little embarrassed. She became all starry eyed and looked up at them with the most cutest irresistible pose she could make.
"PLEEEEEAAAAASE!" she begged, while all the senshi sweat dropped at the display. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease... With pink heart sugar on top!"
Usagi was beginning to wonder if the guys would start to develop cavities with all that sweet talk, when the guys finally accepted. Even Hiei nodded.
"There's just one thing I don't get..." said Kuwabara. "How come you didn't bother Kurama?"
"Because I know if Yaten-chan is there... Kurama WON'T be far, ne? Kurama?" asked Redi, turning slightly to see the two lovers' reactions. They both looked at her blushing, their emerald eyes blinking. Everyone started to chuckle when Kurama scratched his head in embarrassment, still blushing.
---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Yaten kissed Kurama good-bye. She sighed. He wanted to go to his home early and bake a few goodies for their holiday. Taiki was walking with Ami on the temple grounds and Seiya was talking with Redi, under the watchful eyes of her parents. Yaten sighed. She didn't have the heart to tell Seiya she thought he was making a mistake. Seiya was lonely; she knew. He was happy. Who was she to tell him not to fall in love with Redi. She had Kurama and Taiki, Ami; Seiya was entitled to fall in love.
She was about to walk a little herself when she felt a tug at her arm. She turned around and saw that it was Makoto. The brunette led her to a secluded part of the temple grounds. Yaten wondered if what Makoto wanted to talk to her about was of the same subject that she discussed with Hiei.
"Yaten-chan... I'm sorry to bother you, but..." started Makoto.
"But you wish to talk about something... right?" asked Yaten as she sat on the bench. Makoto nodded. There was a silence as the taller girl was trying to formulate her sentences.
"Yaten..." she started. "I think I have a problem... Well, not exactly a problem. What I mean to say is..."
"Take your time, Mako-chan..." said Yaten, trying to make her relax. "Is it because of Hiei?" Bingo, thought Yaten when she saw the brunette gasp.
"Is it... that obvious?" asked Makoto.
"No... Remember, I have empathic powers. I just could feel it," said the silver haired girl. That! and the fact that Hiei came to me this afternoon on the same subject, she thought to herself.
"Yaten-chan... I think I've fallen in love with him..." said Makoto slowly. Yaten smiled, Hiei had confessed his own interest with Makoto this afternoon. He was unsure on how to approach Makoto with this.
"Then, everything is all right, isn't it?" asked Yaten.
"No... not really..." Makoto replied. Yaten raised an eyebrow. "It's just that... I don't know, I thought I would fall in love with a nice guy who would marry me and give me a nice little house and bring me flowers. I would bake him sweets and take care of the house and have children..."
"Errr... Mako-chan... that's a nice dream, but..." started Yaten.
"I know I can find a guy like that... I know I can..." replied Makoto, her hands brought up in prayer. Yaten raised an eyebrow.
"Mako-chan, you don't want a guy, you want a stereotype..." answered Yaten dryly. Makoto fell down the bench, not believing Yaten had just said that.
"W-What?"
Yaten sighed. "You heard me. You want a doll, live in a cute little doll house and live happily ever after... News flash, Mako-chan... Life isn't like that... No prince in shining armor is going to come to sweep you off your feet..."
"You should talk!" barked Makoto. "You found YOUR Prince Charming. Why can't I find mine?"
"I'm not saying... Let me start over..." Yaten said, trying to calm the brunette. "Mako-chan... Didn't you say you wanted to open your own shop or a restaurant?" Makoto nodded.
"And I know you take your role of protector to the Princess very seriously..." Makoto said nothing but nodded again.
"Mako-chan, that dream of having a husband that would provide everything to you and all you have to do is be a nice little wife. Are you sure that's what you REALLY want? Do you really think you would be happy that way?" Yaten paused and let that sink in.
"I- I thought that was what I wanted..." said Makoto.
"That husband fantasy... don't you think it's because you lost your parents and that for you it's an ideal you want to attain because you think it's a way to have a normal life..." Yaten said softly. Makoto looked at her as though she was seeing things with new eyes.
"You think I'm searching for the impossible?" the brunette asked.
Yaten shook her head. "No. All I'm saying is that you put this fantasy on such a pedestal that no one will ever be able to fulfill it. And by clinging to it, you might let love slip through your fingers..." Makoto was pensive. Had she been deluding herself, scaring guys away because she asked too much of them? Was Yaten right? Was she searching for something so unattainable that any sane person wouldn't want anything to do with her. Was it that fantasy that scared her first boyfriend away? Was it what scared... She started to cry, her hands covering her mouth.
"I was a fool..." she started. Yaten, afraid she had done something wrong, took the brunette's head and placed it on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry... Mako-chan... Don't listen to me... I'm wrong..." started Yaten, embarrassed that she provoked such a reaction in Makoto.
The brown haired girl shook her head. "No, no Yaten-chan... You were right..." she started to chuckle. "I never thought about it this way..." She lifted her head from Yaten's shoulder and looked into the shorter girl's emerald eyes. "Arigato... You are right... I let two persons slip from me because I thought the way I did. And if I'm not careful, Hiei might slip away too..."
Makoto hugged Yaten. They both started to cry softly. Yaten felt something burn brightly inside her. It felt good. She helped a friend. Her words helped someone. Her eyes were full of tears of joy and pride. She actually did something right. It made her feel so good inside.
Makoto started to chuckle. "Even though... Even though Hiei isn't what I thought I would like in a man..." Yaten wiped her tears.
"Why is that Mako-chan? Isn't he nice with you?" she asked.
"Yes... yes, he is..." Makoto admitted.
"What do you feel when he's with you?" asked the silver haired girl.
Makoto paused and thought about it. "I feel... protected, warm, but I feel the need to protect him, too. I think of him when he's not around. I like his silence. Those cute little smiles of his, his strength. Am I making any sense at all?"
Yaten smiled and nodded. "You make more sense than you know, Mako-chan..."
"I feel a sadness in him, too... It reaches me inside. It feels so familiar. I feel he would understand my own loneliness..." whispered Makoto.
Yaten smiled and saw her brothers come towards her and Makoto. "I think we should stop here... You have a lot to think about, Mako-chan..." Makoto nodded and they both got up. Yaten started to walk toward her brothers when Makoto called to her.
"Yaten-chan... Domo arigato..." smiled Makoto. Yaten smiled back and winked.
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Makoto walked back to her home alone, deep in her thoughts. She didn't feel Hiei following her from afar. She hummed to herself. Yaten was right. She needed to think about herself.
Meanwhile, Hiei himself was deep in his thoughts. Yaten had told him to do something nice for Makoto, that way he would know if Makoto liked him. You can't be alone all your life, Yaten told him. She might be a pain sometimes, Hiei chuckled to himself, but she made him realize that he really felt something for Makoto. He was at a loss at what to do to tell her or show her. Part of him feared she might not be interested or that she would fall out of love with him, just like Kurama.
He saw her enter her building. He jumped up to her balcony and waited, looking toward Tokyo Tower. Wondering what to do next, he just stood there. When she came into the apartment, she saw his dark coat floating in the wind. She slowly opened the balcony door. He hadn't heard her. She took a few steps and whispered his name. Hiei was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped and yelped, scaring them both. They both looked at each other startled.
Makoto started to chuckle and then laugh. "Gomen... I didn't want to startle you, Hiei... Why don't you come inside?" He nodded, trying to regain his composure. He's so cute when he's pouting like that, she thought.
Makoto reheated some dinner for them, when suddenly it started to rain cats and dogs.
"Oh! I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow... Cherry Blossom Festival is so beautiful..."
"What do people do at that festival?" he asked.
"Well first you have to get up very early to get a nice spot in a park," she replied taking out a big blue plastic carpet. "They we sit under the trees and talk and eat and have fun." He looked at the plastic blanket questionably. "Oh! That's for putting on the ground tomorrow morning. I'm sure the ground will be wet... Hiei... Since it's raining outside... I was thinking... you better stay here for the night. So you don't get wet and catch a cold..."
He nodded. "Arigato, Mako-chan... You're... You're so nice to me... I don't know if I deserve it..."
She sat next to him, looking down at her feet. "I... I like having you around..."
He looked up to her. "You do?" She looked to him and nodded.
"I'm not lying..." she said softly. They both looked at each other as on the radio a song played.
One look at love
and you may see
it weaves a web
over mystery.
All raveled threads
can rend apart
for hope as a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Mako-chan..." whispered Hiei.
Whispering world
A sigh of sighs.
The ebb and the flow
of the ocean tides.
One breath, one word
may end or may start
for hope as a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Yes... Hiei..." replied in a sigh Makoto, gazing into his red eyes.
Look to love
you may dream,
and if it should leave
then give it wings.
But if such a love
is meant to be;
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
He looked deeply into her green eyes and inched closer to her. "Mako-chan... I... care..."
Under the heavens,
we journey far.
On roads of life
we're the wanderers.
So let love rise,
so let love depart.
Let hope have a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Hiei... I... care too..." Makoto eyes closed as did Hiei's as they got closer to each other.
Look to love
and you may dream
and if it should leave
then give it wings.
But if such a love
is meant to be;
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
Their hearts skipped a beat when their lips touched, lightly at first, shy of the other's reaction. Then the kisses became more sure. He moved to cradle her in his arms. She moved with him, her arms hugging the koorime's little frame. She tasted like sweet honey to him. She felt comforted by his presence. She felt like she was melting slowly in his arms.
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
The microwave emitted a high pitched beep to tell them that their dinner had finished reheating. They both ignored it.
While drinking his green tea, he thought about the little incidents that have been happening around here. The first night he was there, he dreamt he was kissing her and that she was kissing him back. It felt so real. There was another time when he helped her clear the table. Their hands touched and they looked into each other's eyes. They were on the verge of a kiss when that Mamoru and his girlfriend Usagi came calling to see how they were doing. Hiei was fuming, but he wondered if it was because he almost kissed her again or because they had prevented the kiss.
And then there was yesterday night. He woke up and went to get a glass of water. He heard her talk. She was mumbling in her sleep. "Oh yes, darling, that's very nice of you..." she had said. Intrigued, Hiei entered her room, and sat on the edge of her bed. She was having a conversation in her dream on her day, how she had spent it. She seemed to be talking to her boyfriend. Hiei started to envy that guy when she turned on her back and whispered.
"Oh, Hiei... That's so sweet of you, darling..."
Hiei blinked. Had he heard right? He inched closer to her. She whispered his name again. Hiei looked down on her. She looked so beautiful. Her pale rosy lips beckoned to him. He inched closer to her. His eyes closed and... he stopped. He couldn't do this... not now. What would she think? She would never trust him again. So he carefully got up and tried to go back to sleep.
"What should I do?" said Hiei out loud. Maybe talking to someone could help... Yeah... but who? He thought and reviewed all is friends and he can up with the only person who might possibly help. Yes, I'll go see her... If she can't help, well, I can always talk to her. He grabbed his coat and headed for Makoto's balcony and was off.
--------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
Seiya was happy. Redi and he had started to go steady, even though Taiki thought it was a bad idea. Strange thing, though. Yaten told Taiki to leave Seiya alone. His two siblings were conversing as he went on his date with Redi. When he came back, he expected Taiki to sermon him again but he didn't. He simply asked how was the date. When Seiya finished telling him what he wanted to know - leaving some juicy details out of course - Taiki and Kurama went back into teaching Yaten what was taught that day in school.
Yaten's health was much better, as though the poison actually made her stronger. She could change back now, but until she would feel better she had decided against it. Seiya wondered if Yaten didn't want to lose the male persona. He hoped not. The Three Lights wouldn't be the same without Yaten. No, maybe not now, but he had the definite feeling that one day, the male Yaten wouldn't exist anymore.
Seiya never thought about his sex. Seiya was Seiya. Inside, that was all that mattered. He knew he always had a preference towards women. So did Taiki, but Yaten... He had never had interest in women, so it wasn't a surprise for Seiya that Yaten had fallen in love with a man, Kurama.
Kurama, for the past week, had been living with them. Seiya was happy he did. He liked having him around. He was such a calm person. He smiled. No one had a serious fight since he was there with them. And he could tell Yaten appreciated having him around. He slept in her room, on the futon next to her bed. This morning, Seiya caught Yaten looking longingly at Kurama who was still sleeping. She had reached with her hand and had started to comb her fingers through his hair when the alarm woke him. She jumped and pulled back in surprise at the sound and made it look like she was still asleep.
Now, he thought if I could just get Mamoru to stop looking at me like he does when I'm with Redi-chan, I should be okay. Seiya knew that Redi-chan came from the 30th Century. But he no longer was chasing Usagi-chan so what was Mamoru's problem? Seiya long ago understood that he and Usagi could never be. So why did everyone seem to be against him and Redi being together? He sighed and tried to re-interest himself in what the literature teacher was saying.
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Everyone was surprised at the temple later that day to see Yaten waiting with Hiei on the steps. Kurama went to Yaten and started to scold him gently when Hiei told him to relax and that some sunshine couldn't hurt Yaten.
"Besides, I was walking next to her the whole trip to make sure she was okay..." he added. Kurama was surprised Hiei would take the time to actually walk with someone. He knew Hiei would rather jump to his destination. Kurama wondered what Hiei wanted. Yaten smiled and took her lover's arm and asked him how was his day.
Once Yuusuke and Kuwabara arrived, they were ready to start their meeting.
"Do you have meetings like that all the time?" Hiei asked Makoto.
"When we have a situation, yes... Most of the time we compare notes and ponder on how to deal with it," she answered him.
"I've done a scanning sweep of our area and I could not detect any demonic activities," started Ami.
"Indeed..." continued Taiki. "It seems all antagonist activity has ceased... Now, either they decided against attacking you or..."
"They decided to pause their activity to lull us into thinking they went away..." said Haruka suspiciously.
"What should we do, then?" asked Yuusuke.
"I think we should go back to our normal way of life..." said Kurama. Yaten pouted without wanting to, she sighed heavily. There goes my nice evenings and mornings with Ku-chan, she thought. "But we should still be on our guard, just in case. I don't think they will make their presence known unless they feel we have our guard down."
"In any case, I think you guys should keep the communicators we gave you," started Mamoru. "Just in case you do encounter problems, you can always communicate with us..."
"We can take care of ourselves..." started Kuwabara.
"Normally, I would agree with you, Kuwabara. Unfortunately, with the attempts that were made... I'm beginning to wonder if they won't put the senshi into the equation..." started Kurama.
"I agree," said Ami. "When you were attacked, Hiei, Sailor Jupiter helped you and when the failed attempt on Kurama happened... Sailor Star Maker was seen checking the area."
"It won't take long for them to put two and two together," added Makoto.
Everyone nodded grimly. Someone was targeting the Reikai Tantei and being allies, the senshi couldn't let them down. Redi fumed. Everybody had long faces. They were no fun at all. Suddenly, she remembered something that would mix necessity with pleasure.
"Hey, minna-san!" she chirped. "Tomorrow is the Cherry Blossom Festival. Why don't we get ourselves a nice little spot under the cherry trees and relax. Everybody can come, right? I mean NO ONE has got school, ne?"
Everybody blinked at her. Yuusuke broke the silence. "I was kind of hoping to be with Keiko tomorrow..."
"I was supposed to pass my day with Yukina-chan," added Kuwabara.
"You can bring them... Come on. It'll be fun. You will come also, won't you, Hiei?" asked Redi. The three guys blinked at her a little embarrassed. She became all starry eyed and looked up at them with the most cutest irresistible pose she could make.
"PLEEEEEAAAAASE!" she begged, while all the senshi sweat dropped at the display. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease... With pink heart sugar on top!"
Usagi was beginning to wonder if the guys would start to develop cavities with all that sweet talk, when the guys finally accepted. Even Hiei nodded.
"There's just one thing I don't get..." said Kuwabara. "How come you didn't bother Kurama?"
"Because I know if Yaten-chan is there... Kurama WON'T be far, ne? Kurama?" asked Redi, turning slightly to see the two lovers' reactions. They both looked at her blushing, their emerald eyes blinking. Everyone started to chuckle when Kurama scratched his head in embarrassment, still blushing.
---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Yaten kissed Kurama good-bye. She sighed. He wanted to go to his home early and bake a few goodies for their holiday. Taiki was walking with Ami on the temple grounds and Seiya was talking with Redi, under the watchful eyes of her parents. Yaten sighed. She didn't have the heart to tell Seiya she thought he was making a mistake. Seiya was lonely; she knew. He was happy. Who was she to tell him not to fall in love with Redi. She had Kurama and Taiki, Ami; Seiya was entitled to fall in love.
She was about to walk a little herself when she felt a tug at her arm. She turned around and saw that it was Makoto. The brunette led her to a secluded part of the temple grounds. Yaten wondered if what Makoto wanted to talk to her about was of the same subject that she discussed with Hiei.
"Yaten-chan... I'm sorry to bother you, but..." started Makoto.
"But you wish to talk about something... right?" asked Yaten as she sat on the bench. Makoto nodded. There was a silence as the taller girl was trying to formulate her sentences.
"Yaten..." she started. "I think I have a problem... Well, not exactly a problem. What I mean to say is..."
"Take your time, Mako-chan..." said Yaten, trying to make her relax. "Is it because of Hiei?" Bingo, thought Yaten when she saw the brunette gasp.
"Is it... that obvious?" asked Makoto.
"No... Remember, I have empathic powers. I just could feel it," said the silver haired girl. That! and the fact that Hiei came to me this afternoon on the same subject, she thought to herself.
"Yaten-chan... I think I've fallen in love with him..." said Makoto slowly. Yaten smiled, Hiei had confessed his own interest with Makoto this afternoon. He was unsure on how to approach Makoto with this.
"Then, everything is all right, isn't it?" asked Yaten.
"No... not really..." Makoto replied. Yaten raised an eyebrow. "It's just that... I don't know, I thought I would fall in love with a nice guy who would marry me and give me a nice little house and bring me flowers. I would bake him sweets and take care of the house and have children..."
"Errr... Mako-chan... that's a nice dream, but..." started Yaten.
"I know I can find a guy like that... I know I can..." replied Makoto, her hands brought up in prayer. Yaten raised an eyebrow.
"Mako-chan, you don't want a guy, you want a stereotype..." answered Yaten dryly. Makoto fell down the bench, not believing Yaten had just said that.
"W-What?"
Yaten sighed. "You heard me. You want a doll, live in a cute little doll house and live happily ever after... News flash, Mako-chan... Life isn't like that... No prince in shining armor is going to come to sweep you off your feet..."
"You should talk!" barked Makoto. "You found YOUR Prince Charming. Why can't I find mine?"
"I'm not saying... Let me start over..." Yaten said, trying to calm the brunette. "Mako-chan... Didn't you say you wanted to open your own shop or a restaurant?" Makoto nodded.
"And I know you take your role of protector to the Princess very seriously..." Makoto said nothing but nodded again.
"Mako-chan, that dream of having a husband that would provide everything to you and all you have to do is be a nice little wife. Are you sure that's what you REALLY want? Do you really think you would be happy that way?" Yaten paused and let that sink in.
"I- I thought that was what I wanted..." said Makoto.
"That husband fantasy... don't you think it's because you lost your parents and that for you it's an ideal you want to attain because you think it's a way to have a normal life..." Yaten said softly. Makoto looked at her as though she was seeing things with new eyes.
"You think I'm searching for the impossible?" the brunette asked.
Yaten shook her head. "No. All I'm saying is that you put this fantasy on such a pedestal that no one will ever be able to fulfill it. And by clinging to it, you might let love slip through your fingers..." Makoto was pensive. Had she been deluding herself, scaring guys away because she asked too much of them? Was Yaten right? Was she searching for something so unattainable that any sane person wouldn't want anything to do with her. Was it that fantasy that scared her first boyfriend away? Was it what scared... She started to cry, her hands covering her mouth.
"I was a fool..." she started. Yaten, afraid she had done something wrong, took the brunette's head and placed it on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry... Mako-chan... Don't listen to me... I'm wrong..." started Yaten, embarrassed that she provoked such a reaction in Makoto.
The brown haired girl shook her head. "No, no Yaten-chan... You were right..." she started to chuckle. "I never thought about it this way..." She lifted her head from Yaten's shoulder and looked into the shorter girl's emerald eyes. "Arigato... You are right... I let two persons slip from me because I thought the way I did. And if I'm not careful, Hiei might slip away too..."
Makoto hugged Yaten. They both started to cry softly. Yaten felt something burn brightly inside her. It felt good. She helped a friend. Her words helped someone. Her eyes were full of tears of joy and pride. She actually did something right. It made her feel so good inside.
Makoto started to chuckle. "Even though... Even though Hiei isn't what I thought I would like in a man..." Yaten wiped her tears.
"Why is that Mako-chan? Isn't he nice with you?" she asked.
"Yes... yes, he is..." Makoto admitted.
"What do you feel when he's with you?" asked the silver haired girl.
Makoto paused and thought about it. "I feel... protected, warm, but I feel the need to protect him, too. I think of him when he's not around. I like his silence. Those cute little smiles of his, his strength. Am I making any sense at all?"
Yaten smiled and nodded. "You make more sense than you know, Mako-chan..."
"I feel a sadness in him, too... It reaches me inside. It feels so familiar. I feel he would understand my own loneliness..." whispered Makoto.
Yaten smiled and saw her brothers come towards her and Makoto. "I think we should stop here... You have a lot to think about, Mako-chan..." Makoto nodded and they both got up. Yaten started to walk toward her brothers when Makoto called to her.
"Yaten-chan... Domo arigato..." smiled Makoto. Yaten smiled back and winked.
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Makoto walked back to her home alone, deep in her thoughts. She didn't feel Hiei following her from afar. She hummed to herself. Yaten was right. She needed to think about herself.
Meanwhile, Hiei himself was deep in his thoughts. Yaten had told him to do something nice for Makoto, that way he would know if Makoto liked him. You can't be alone all your life, Yaten told him. She might be a pain sometimes, Hiei chuckled to himself, but she made him realize that he really felt something for Makoto. He was at a loss at what to do to tell her or show her. Part of him feared she might not be interested or that she would fall out of love with him, just like Kurama.
He saw her enter her building. He jumped up to her balcony and waited, looking toward Tokyo Tower. Wondering what to do next, he just stood there. When she came into the apartment, she saw his dark coat floating in the wind. She slowly opened the balcony door. He hadn't heard her. She took a few steps and whispered his name. Hiei was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped and yelped, scaring them both. They both looked at each other startled.
Makoto started to chuckle and then laugh. "Gomen... I didn't want to startle you, Hiei... Why don't you come inside?" He nodded, trying to regain his composure. He's so cute when he's pouting like that, she thought.
Makoto reheated some dinner for them, when suddenly it started to rain cats and dogs.
"Oh! I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow... Cherry Blossom Festival is so beautiful..."
"What do people do at that festival?" he asked.
"Well first you have to get up very early to get a nice spot in a park," she replied taking out a big blue plastic carpet. "They we sit under the trees and talk and eat and have fun." He looked at the plastic blanket questionably. "Oh! That's for putting on the ground tomorrow morning. I'm sure the ground will be wet... Hiei... Since it's raining outside... I was thinking... you better stay here for the night. So you don't get wet and catch a cold..."
He nodded. "Arigato, Mako-chan... You're... You're so nice to me... I don't know if I deserve it..."
She sat next to him, looking down at her feet. "I... I like having you around..."
He looked up to her. "You do?" She looked to him and nodded.
"I'm not lying..." she said softly. They both looked at each other as on the radio a song played.
One look at love
and you may see
it weaves a web
over mystery.
All raveled threads
can rend apart
for hope as a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Mako-chan..." whispered Hiei.
Whispering world
A sigh of sighs.
The ebb and the flow
of the ocean tides.
One breath, one word
may end or may start
for hope as a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Yes... Hiei..." replied in a sigh Makoto, gazing into his red eyes.
Look to love
you may dream,
and if it should leave
then give it wings.
But if such a love
is meant to be;
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
He looked deeply into her green eyes and inched closer to her. "Mako-chan... I... care..."
Under the heavens,
we journey far.
On roads of life
we're the wanderers.
So let love rise,
so let love depart.
Let hope have a place in a lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart.
"Hiei... I... care too..." Makoto eyes closed as did Hiei's as they got closer to each other.
Look to love
and you may dream
and if it should leave
then give it wings.
But if such a love
is meant to be;
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
Their hearts skipped a beat when their lips touched, lightly at first, shy of the other's reaction. Then the kisses became more sure. He moved to cradle her in his arms. She moved with him, her arms hugging the koorime's little frame. She tasted like sweet honey to him. She felt comforted by his presence. She felt like she was melting slowly in his arms.
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
The microwave emitted a high pitched beep to tell them that their dinner had finished reheating. They both ignored it.