Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Codependency ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Shuuichi surveyed his new apartment; it was fairly nice, he noticed, especially as cheap as it had come… he wondered why, but he was too tired to think on the subject. He flopped tiredly into his bed, abandoning his suitcase and boxes for another time. They could wait for when he wasn't so tired…
Loud music blasted from the ceiling. Shuuichi's eyes snapped open; he glanced at his clock. He had only been asleep for five minutes… "Eurgh," he muttered, sitting up in bed; he rubbed at his eyes.
He soon realized that the music coming from the floor above was 80's pop music and that it wasn't going to stop playing any time soon. He angrily stomped out of his room, fully prepared to stomp upstairs and yell at whoever it was.
He ascended the winding staircase, easily locating the source of the noise. He saw a crowd of people in front of the door; they were yelling and shouting, but of course, the people inside couldn't hear.
Shuuichi sighed angrily. He really needed sleep… he had classes tomorrow… He watched as the landlord came up the stairs, led by a black-haired woman who was fussing about random things.
"Always playing their music so loud! It never stops!"
"Yes, yes," the landlord muttered distractedly, parting the crowd to bang on the door. When no one answered, he unlocked the door and barged in, yelling. The crowd of people flooded into the room.
Shuuichi, however, was rooted to the spot. He and the raven-haired woman stared at each other. She huffed, looking away.
Shuuichi gave a tired, melancholy exhalation. "I'm sorry for yelling the other day… but I meant the things I said."
"I know," Shiori answered.
"Are you going to blame me for the way I feel?"
"I don't have the right to, Shuuichi."
"Hmph. Don't accuse me, Shuuichi. You did enough of that the other day."
Shuuichi glared. "Fine; I need to sleep anyway. You'll be sure to have a nice life without me weighing you down, ne?" He turned and tromped back down the stairs and to his room. He flumped dispiritedly into bed, but for the life of him, he couldn't sleep.
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"Hello, Yomi…" Shuuichi muttered.
"Wow, Shuu… you sound tired."
"Are your eyes all bloodshot?" Yomi asked, as if he was imagining Shuuichi in his head.
"I hate it when that happens… so, why are you so tired?"
Shuuichi glared. "I was by myself, you perverted idiot."
"Oh, don't be so touchy. You girly men are always overreacting…"
"Just remember, Yomi. You're blind and if you make me too angry, I might decide to push you in front of a car. You know, like Tohma."
"…I wish Tohma Seguchi was real…" Yomi murmured, smiling giddily. Shuuichi rolled his eyes.
"Aren't you supposed to be listening to several children whine about their lives?" Shuuichi reminded.
"Oh! Right!" Yomi cried. "Pete, my seeing eye parrot, will lead me to my destination! Gwa ha ha!"
"…that guy went crazy after I dumped him…" Shuuichi murmured, kneading his forehead with his knuckles. He could feel the lack-of-sleep headache beating against his skull…
"Are you dead?" Yuusuke asked, peering at him. "You don't look nearly as… super model-esque today."
"Then what do I look like?"
Yuusuke studied him thoughtfully. "…A disheveled drag queen."
"Thank you, Yuusuke. That's very kind of you."
"Oh, don't go all tongue-in-cheek on me now! I need to ask your advice on something…"
"Yuusuke, now isn't exactly a good time…"
"Well, this morning I woke up and I had green hair. Except I didn't really have green hair, because I was really asleep and I just thought I was awake," Yuusuke said, ignoring what Shuuichi had said.
"Seriously, Yuusuke, I hardly got any sleep last night…"
"I was still dreaming, right, and so I was walking through these fields… you know, like the ones in cartoons, all funny-colored… and suddenly I WAS ATTACKED BY LEPRECHAUNS!"
"I'm really… about to collapse… from lack of sleep…"
"And the leprechauns kidnapped me and took me to their laboratory! They performed a ton of experiments on me! One of them was named Shigure and he tried to give me a third eyeball! Hey, Shuuichi! Shuuichi?" He stared where the redhead had fallen on the floor. "KAMI-SAMA! SHUUICHI! SHUUICHI, ARE YOU OK?!"
Yuusuke dropped to his knees beside Shuuichi. "DON'T GO TOWARD THE LIGHT, SHUUICHI… oh, wait… he's just asleep." Yuusuke sweat-dropped. "He fell asleep during my story! …the big meanie!" Yuusuke stomped off angrily.
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Hiei had been wandering down the halls nonchalantly, minding his own business, when he was practically run over by someone. No, it wasn't Shuuichi (as is custom), but a woman with black hair. "Ahhh!" Hiei yelled, as he was knocked to the floor.
The woman gasped, collapsing on the floor beside Hiei. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" the woman said in honeyed tones, helping him up and generally fussing over him. "I was in such a hurry… are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Hiei said quickly as she pulled him to his feet.
"Oh, well no wonder I didn't see you! You're so little…"
Hiei fought the urge to glare.
Hiei succumbed to his urges and glowered darkly at the woman.
"Tee-hee, you're the cutest thing I've ever seen!" She glomped him fiercely.
Hiei growled dangerously. Inside his head, he was screaming, "ASSAULT! ASSAULT!" and, "Save me! Save me from the scary hugging lady!"
A sleepy Shuuichi stumbled down the hall. Hiei stared pleadingly at the redhead, who didn't seem to notice. "Shuuichi!" he cried in desperation.
Shuuichi's head snapped up at Hiei's voice; Shiori let go of Hiei and stepped forward. An `Oh Kami, she's stalking me!' look crossed Shuuichi's face before he was able to halt its progress across his features. "What are you doing here?" Shuuichi asked softly.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"You do realize that it didn't work before, don't you?"
Shiori shrugged nonchalantly. Hiei's gaze flicked back and forth between the two. "I'll keep talking for as long as I have to."
Shuuichi's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you such a bitch earlier?"
Shiori tried to hide her shock by coughing into her hand. "One does not call their mother that." Hiei gasped, feeling the little Volkswagen Beetle (symbolic of Hiei's mind) crash into a brick wall (symbolic of the Shiori-is-Shuuichi's-mommy thingy).
"You're not my mother," Shuuichi spat, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away.
"What, are you so angry that you're denying that I gave birth to you?!" Shiori asked angrily.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I mean `mother' in the sense of someone who is nurturing and provides warmth and love…"
"What made you so sentimental all of a sudden?"
"I can't. The things you say are true."
`Oh! Score one for Shuuichi!', Hiei's mind said.
"So then do you really have any reason to be here? You've said all you can say, haven't you?" Shuuichi asked coldly.
Shiori shook her head, a slight smile crossing her lips. "No. Shuuichi, what I wanted to say is… despite everything that's happened, I love you. I love you with all my heart and I wish I hadn't hurt you so much."
Shuuichi sighed. "I love you too, you know. I just… can't stand you."
A sparkly pink question mark appeared above Hiei's hair. `What's going on?' he puzzled, but didn't dare ask aloud. He didn't think he was supposed to be watching this-it would be best not to draw attention to himself.
"Just seeing you hurts me, mother. Hearing your voice… it makes me remember… and I just don't want to."
Shuuichi stared at the floor, refusing to speak.
"I know it's not your fault for having an addiction. Addiction is hereditary, after all. But I do blame you for letting it ruin our lives for fifteen years. And because you screwed up my life, I can't take pity on you. You've had a rough life, I know. Getting yelled at and beaten isn't fun. But still, I can't feel sorry for you."
Shiori shrugged nonchalantly. "You think it bothers me?"
"Everything else I do bothers you. Why not this?"
She glared. "I'm lying, you idiot."
"Don't call me an idiot."
Hiei growled. Why did he always have to fix things? "Stop arguing like little children!"
The two glanced at Hiei. Apparently they had forgotten about him. "Oh, hello, Hiei," Shuuichi said merrily, waving. "How long have you been there?"
"Stop acting like a five-year old."
"If the two of you are going to yell at each other, at least be more mature about it. You know, act like you're having a… discussion. Or something."
"You know, like when adults argue with each other and pretend that they're not?"
"Oh. All right," Shuuichi said, smiling brightly and wrapping an arm around Shiori's shoulders.
"Yes. See? We're behaving now," Shiori declared happily.
Hiei narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he replied, "Good," and walked off.
Shuuichi and Shiori broke apart as soon as Hiei was gone. "That kid is adorable… but he's so very odd," Shiori remarked.
Shuuichi managed a slight grin. "I agree."
"I think he might be smarter than the both of us combined, though."
Shuuichi sweat-dropped. "It's quite possible and highly likely."
"Oh, why not? After all, yelling won't solve anything. In fact, it would probably attract Hiei's attention and then he'd come back and insult our intelligence some more…"
Shiori gave him a brilliant smile, seeing through his excuse. "Thanks, Shuuichi," she murmured, reaching forward to hug him, "I really appreciate it." She drew back. "I love you, Shuu-chan."
Shuuichi stared nervously around, wondering how he should respond. "It's OK, Shuuichi. You don't have to say anything."
"Oh. OK. Thanks," he replied gratefully.
"Well, I… I guess I'll be going now," Shiori said, turning to leave.
"Wait," Shuuichi mumbled feebly, trying to steel his already weakening resolve. "Would you… erm… like to eat dinner with me tonight? I mean, seeing as how we live in the same building and everything…"
"Well, umm… bye," he said, watching her go. "…Kami help me."
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Every few days, Hiei was allowed to make a phone call. He hadn't used the privilege as of late, but today he made an exception.
"Hello," he said nervously into the receiver.
"Hiei!" came the cheerful voice from the other end. "How are you? Are you doing well?"
"Me? I'm just as good as always. But how about you? Did your operation go well?" Hiei asked, concerned.
"I'm quite well. They say I'll be able to leave the hospital at the end of the week."
"And I'll be able to go back to school soon after that. Maybe I can make up all the work I've missed," Yukina mumbled hopefully.
"Don't overtax yourself, Yukina. Your health is more important than making up schoolwork."
"I guess so. But still, I don't want to have to repeat a grade."
Hiei sighed. Yukina was always such a disciplined student. "Yukinaaaaa…"
"Yeah, I know," Hiei said. He could practically hear Yukina pouting. "All right, I love you too."
"Yay!" Yukina cried happily.
"So, when will you be able to come home?"
"Soon. After all, I only got six months."
"It seems like such a long time, though."
"I know. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
"Oh, and Hiei? Who is Kuwabara?"
Hiei blanched. "One of my idiotic roommates."
"Well, his sister said that Kuwabara paid for my operation."
"Why?" Yukina asked, sounding puzzled.
"Emm… because you're my `hot sister' and you're not allowed to die."
"Oh. Well, erm…" Yukina mumbled, embarrassed.
"He's not as perverted as he sounds. He's just a moron."
Hiei felt someone tapping his shoulder; he looked up, to see Porky (see chapter one). "Your time's up, sonny!" the fat man declared, glaring threateningly at Hiei.
"Sorry, Yukina, but I have to go…"
"Ja-," Hiei began, but Porky had snatched the phone from him and slammed it down on the hook. Hiei glared at him. Porky glared back.
"It's time you were heading back to your room, sonny."
"Don't call me that!" Hiei said angrily.
Hiei growled and stalked back to his room.
"Did she ask about me? Did she?" Kuwabara asked, as soon as Hiei had come in the door.
"Yes. I told her you were an idiot."
"HIEI!" Kuwabara yelled. "That's mean!"
"Oh, go tell it to the security guards, why don't you?"
"Well, maybe I will!" Kuwabara said haughtily, marching out.
"How much you wanna bet he's going to go pout in the women's bathroom?" Yuusuke asked, eyes glinting with mirth.
"Funny, Yuusuke. Unfortunately for you, though, I'm not enough of a moron to bet against that."
Yuusuke growled. "I hate people who aren't idiotic."
Not even beta-ed by the voices in my head
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AN: Oh dear, I'm a week late… *dies* Anyway, if this has any glaringly obvious mistakes… DEAL WITH THEM! MWAHAHAH! I'm trying to get the chapter out as soon as I can. Mou.
Meanwhile, only one more chapter! I'm glad… woo. Well, I'm really sorry it took so long! Thanks to all the reviewers and I hope y'all review again!
