Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Kyuketsuki Shishi ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Talking”

`Thoughts or Thinking'

Chapter 2

Ten years later

In the business streets of Tokyo, Japan, stood a building complex with an apartment that pertained to a young man with copper hair and blue eyes. He was twenty-two years old, living in apartment 15A with the only company of a cat. Both were sleeping soundly. The apartment consisted of three rooms, an only bathroom, and a piece which was both kitchen and living room. One of the rooms was used as a bedroom, another as a painting studio, and the last was a study full of books on fiction and myths.

An alarm clock went off, only to be cut off quickly by a large, pale hand. The young man groaned, taking his golden-yellow cat with him as he rolled out of bed. The feline meowed loudly at him for being woken up so rudely.

He smiled at her, "Sorry, Myoujou."

He moved the sheets away and picked up Myoujou, then walked to the kitchen and began to search for a can of cat food. Finding one, he placed the food in her dish with fresh water and left to take his morning shower. Once finished, he came back wearing dark gray pants with an orange polo. Kazuma jumped over the sofa and landed with a soft thump; he didn't need to worry about college since it was summer. Myoujou, now finished with her breakfast, walked over to the sofa where her master was. Jumping up, she landed on his washboard abs, walking in small circles before laying down while purring up a storm.

Kazuma reached out to pet his new cat. After Eikichi had died form old age, he had found Myoujou in an alleyway. The female cat was near death from injuries, probably received in a fight with another stray cat or a dog. Kazuma, with his soft spot for cats, had taken her home, slowly nursed her back to health and ended keeping her.

Someone knocked at the door. Grunting, Kazuma went to open but he didn't see anyone there till he looked down. A little boy with hair the same color as Botan's and equally blue eyes stood at his doorstep, shaking like a leaf on a windy day. He was holding a letter in his little hands.

"Can I help you?" Kazuma asked. His voice was no longer held in that high peck tone. It had gotten low and smooth after so much time.

"Here!" The boy pushed the letter at Kazuma and turned to leave, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from running.

"Are you hungry?"
Blue bangs covered the boy's eyes as he nodded. He hadn't eaten anything since his master gave him the letter that was to be delivered to his former slave. Kazuma moved aside to let the boy in. He knew the boy belonged to a vampire for there was a strong vampiric hold on the boy's mind. He led the boy to the kitchen and began to search in the refrigerator for something the boy could eat.

"Meow!"

"Agh!"

Kazuma's head shot up and he looked around the refrigerator door to see Myoujou sniffing the boy's feet. He chuckled a bit before speaking.

"It's okay. Myoujou's very tame, she won't hurt you. By the way, what's your name?"

"Akito."

Kazuma smiled and handed Akito some leftover Chinese take out. Akito happily took the food and began to stuff his face using his hand.

"Whoa, kid, slow down! You're going to choke to death if you don't take smaller bites."

"That would be a blessing for me," Akito said bitterly through a mouthful of food.

"Why? Is it because of... your master?"

The boy nodded.

“Who is he?” Kazuma asked.

"Kiron."

Kazuma nodded, but he was a bit surprised. "He isn't that bad."

"You may be right, but I've been a slave since I was in my mother's womb but I belong to other master before Kiron brought me."
Akito finished his food and handed back the now empty box.

"Wait here," ordered the older boy.

Akito watched as Kazuma took the box and threw it away then got out a brown paper bag and began to fill it with some food and something Akito remember hearing about once: candy.

"Take this. It's something you can eat on your way back." Kazuma carefully handed Akito the bag. Akito stared unsurely at the bag, but took it.
"Take it easy, kid. There's nothing suspicious about a lunch bag."

"T-thank y-you. No one has ever b-been this kind to me except maybe Kiron."

"Akito, you probably know I'm a former slave. I know how it is to be treated unkindly, beat and starved."

Akito nodded and bade his good-byes to Kazuma. Although Kazuma would rather not let Akito go back, he knew Kiron would come for the boy and that would bring trouble. Needing to forget about his terrible past, he decided to head for Genkai's temple, even though now it was referred as Yukina's temple, seeing how Genkai had passed away two years after Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama returned from Makai. Grabbing his car keys, he remembered the letter Akito had given him. `Better to read the letter now than come back later to find an unexpected guest,' he thought. Carefully picking up the letter and opening it, he knew instantly who it was from, and a nagging suspicion formed in his mind that he'd have to agree with whatever was written in it. `Time to find out what Kiron has in store for me.'

Dear Kazuma,

I hope you haven't forgotten our promise, for now I need you to represent me in a tournament that will be held on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It'll be a team event, like the one I know you took part in Makai once. The tournament will start in three months, which leaves me a short amount of time to train you and your teammates. I hope you'll also learn to get along with them during that time. I expect to meet you at Tokyo's train station at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Yours truly,
Kiron.

`Damn it! That's not enough time to come up with a good pretext for Urameshi and the others.' Kazuma sighed as he placed the letter in his jeans back pocket. The drive to the temple was a quite one. Kazuma was too busy thinking of an excuse that his sister and friends would believe to cover for the long absence he was about to communicate them. He couldn't very well tell them that he'd be participating in a tournament for a vampire. In fact, he didn't want them to know about his past dealings with vampires. Coming up with nothing that sounded truthful and believable, he stopped the car a block away from the temple and walked the rest of the way. He needed more time to think. Immersed in his thoughts, he didn't realize his feet had already taken him to the temple.

Entering the building, he made his way to the main room and was about to open the door when Yukina's voice rang out.

"Kurama, this...-this ring it so beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you, koi," answered another voice that Kazuma recognized as Kurama's.

"Better than anything the stupid oaf could give her. Kurama, I must say you are a better mate for Yukina than the idiot." That was Hiei, Kazuma was sure.

`That little...' The orange-haired youth's fist clenched and unclenched. Anger and rage were building inside of him but he forced himself to calm down. Then Yusuke's voice broke out.

"Yeah, I agree. Kuwabara's so stupid and ugly I'm surprised he hasn't choked on a gain of rice yet!"

`Urameshi, I thought you were my friend.' Kazuma shook his head, trying to stop the tears that threatened to slip out. However, as if he hadn't been hurt enough, Shizuru added her two cents.

"I bet he has. He just wouldn't tell us because he doesn't want us to know he's even more of an idiot than we think."

"There's no arguing with that," said Hiei.

Laughter filled the room, coupled with more backstabbing comments. Kazuma's first reaction was to go in there and yell his head off at them, but his second reaction was to leave and come back when he had his anger under control. He felt the shields from his time as a slave come back up; shields that kept his feelings and emotions in check when he was supposed to be just an object. Years of efforts trying to forget those shields were swept away. Kazuma's fist clenched tightly again; his nails digging into his skin, almost drawing out blood.

Kazuma moved quietly as not to alert the others to the fact that he was there eavesdropping. A thought ran through his head for a moment. It was the old saying `Old habits die hard.'

`But they come back so easily,' thought Kazuma as he walked away. Halfway to the temple's main gate, the building front door opened.

"Kazuma?"

Kazuma turned to look over his shoulder, giving Yukina the coldest, most hateful glare in his life. More so when he saw the ring Kurama had given to her and where she wore it. Yusuke, Hiei and Shizuru were behind Yukina, shocked and confused at the coldness and hatred Kazuma was now showing. Then it hit them.

Kazuma saw the realization in their faces. He wasted no time. He didn't want to hear whatever they were going to say now that he knew what they thought of him. His friendship with them was over. Even when Shizuru and Yukina called out for him to stop, he didn't listen.

He had almost reached his car when a figure stepped out of the shadows right before him. Kazuma recognized it immediately.
"Kiron!" Kazuma called out in surprise.

Author note: Myoujou means Morning Star.