Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Cry For Me ❯ Chapter VI: Confusion ( Chapter 6 )

Cry for Me - Chapter VI: Confusion

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

 

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They stared; I smiled. Even though Kuwabara broke out of his state of shock first, Hiei's advantage in speed made up for the delay and more. Consequently, Hiei had his arms around Yukina - his tears staining her dress - before the other even reached her side. Normally, Kuwabara would have stopped right then and there to mock Hiei about one thing or another…but this time he didn't. He simply continued on his way to his beloved.

 

I put down my newspaper as Yusuke walked over to where I sat, suppressed excitement boiling up from inside of me. Have you ever had a moment where you feel so joyous that you felt the urge to thank Mother Earth for all the great things she's given you? Right then, only unspeakable demonic tragedies could bring sadness down upon my heart. How ironic, considering how just earlier this morning I was filled with sorrow.

 

“Wow…is this for real?” asked Yusuke, sighing in amazement. He took as seat across from me on the loveseat.

 

“Why wouldn't it be real?” I countered, echoing Kina's words. Everything is real. Even dreams are real - in our minds, that is.

 

He didn't reply. I understood why. Those words would not have normally exited my mouth. Strange how, when I said it, it sounded somewhat bitter; when she had said it, it sounded as though she had been shocked for there to be a reason for my not believing. Or maybe she had been trying to comfort me…Maybe she had been surprised at such an idiotic statement as the one I said.

 

I sighed a deep, long sigh. I will never forget that, will I? Well, whatever the reason for her tone of voice, that copied question was one everyone had an answer to, but none were willing to share for fear of the sorrowful feeling of doubt. For example, Yusuke continued staring speechlessly at the interesting collaboration in my living room. The soft clink of tear gems against carpet echoed in my ears. I couldn't stand to see or hear her cry, so I flipped over the couch again and headed down the hall.

 

I know she was weeping for joy, but I still could not stand it. By the end of this thought I had reached the end of the hall. I grabbed an old, rusty key from its perch atop a nearby door frame, then used it to unlock the corresponding door. Placing the key in my pocket, I heard the sound of metal against metal. For a moment I was surprised, but then I remember that was where I had put the Forlorn Hope.

 

`Now, where could it be…Where could it be…?' I thought absently while stepping down the concrete stairs. The smell of laundry detergent mixed with mildew wafted up my nose. `Hmm…It seems either I or my mother accidentally left some laundry here last time the basement flooded.' Past the old and overused toys - arranged neatly but yours truly - stood a large, plastic container. Removing the bright violet lid revealed tightly packed garments of many types and colors.

 

Personally, I would have chosen a mellow green or red-toned storage box, but it was my mother who purchased it, not I. I anxiously searched for any blue attire available. After all, blue was Kina's favorite color. At last, I found the perfect piece of clothing. After delicately taking it out, I re-closed the box and headed back upstairs. I locked the basement door and efficiently replaced the key, then gathered up the courage to return to the interesting predicament of a scene.

 

However, I soon found that I had no reason to worry. To tell the truth, I've never seen Hiei smile like that ever before in all the time I've known him. He, Yukina, and Kuwabara were crowded around in a circle were I last left them, speaking of miscellaneous topics. The remaining three - Yusuke, Keiko, and Shizuru - sat several feet away. They were staring at the former group, but looked up when I entered the room.

 

“Where exactly have you been, Kurama?” Shizuru wondered aloud.

 

“Just getting this,” I answered, indicating the garment in my hands. I turned my head to the ice apparition sitting nearby. “Ki-” I stopped mid-word, realizing an important complication. How would they have reacted if I called her Kina? And even more important, how would she have reacted? I suppose Jin must have referred to her as that during their instances of communication, but I had never spoken it to her face. Thus, I decided on saying her full name. “Yukina?”

 

“Yes?” she stared up at me in wonder, gradually climbing to her feet. I handed her the pale blue cloth with a smile. Again, our fingertips met underneath, causing the familiar safe and warm feeling I had felt twice already today to enter my nervous system. And nervous I was. I quickly removed my hands and lowered my head in embarrassment. “What's this?”

 

“It's an outgrown dress of my mother's. I didn't think you would like to wander about in your funeral outfit.” Surprisingly, the word “funeral” was not as hard to say as I originally thought it would be. Now, it was just another word in the language.

 

She giggled, peeking my curiosity. I angled my head up to see her smiling face. “You do have a point, Kurama… Thank you.” I shook my head.

 

“No need to thank me. Any room down the hall is fine.” Nodding, she quickly made her way to the empty hallway. Quickly, I suppose, as to not keep us waiting. Not that any of us would mind waiting for her. Then, another thought entered my mind: For those few minutes in which Yukina and I talked, it felt like we were alone again. Like the half or full hour earlier this morning that seemed like eternity. I loved that feeling.

 

“So…what's with you, Hiei?” I asked, breaking the silence. He looked up at me curiously.

 

“What do you mean?” he questioned in return, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You seem much more cheerful than you've ever been before.”

 

“What, I'm not allowed to smile?” Apparently not: He frowned.

 

Before I could reply, Kuwabara snorted softly. “Yeah, shorty's been acting kind of weird lately,” he stated, poking the stiff Hiei on the side of the head. Funny…before that moment, I had thought Kuwabara hadn't noticed any of his surroundings during his lamentations. Apparently I was wrong. Nodding in agreement at his statement, I glanced over at the other collection of people. My eyes widened slightly when they took in Yusuke's mischievous appearance.

 

“Care for some macaroni and cheese, Hiei?” he teased, causing the fire apparition to lower his head in embarrassment. That is, if he could ever become embarrassed. Strange - I would've expected a glare rather than such a reaction as did occur…I guess Hiei has been acting more differently than I thought. Still, I couldn't help but laugh at what could be called an “inside” joke. Kuwabara, Keiko, and Shizuru, however, earned confused expressions.

 

“I'm not going to even bother asking,” stated Shizuru, boredom coating her voice. A smile made its way onto my lips.

 

“Asking about what?” This innocent but sudden question turned all our heads towards the source: Kina stood at the entrance to the hall in the azure dress I had giver her. The smooth cloth fell perfectly about her figure, enhancing every feature. Three-quarter sleeves curved about her feminine arms, yet still gave enough way to display her slender hands and fingers. The lengthy skirt flowed about her legs in pure harmony. Just a simple dress, but her wearing it made the two exquisite. I opened my mouth to comment, but the other redhead won the race.

 

“You look beautiful, my love!” he exclaimed, jumping up off the floor. She blushed and smiled sincerely. I, however, detected my mouth curving downward. The words “my love” struck a bitter chord unlike ever before. In all the time, previous to that day, in which Kuwabara and Yukina had been together, I thought of their relationship as nothing more than a slight embarrassment for her and a fantasy for him. Nothing about it truly bothered me.

 

But today was a different story. A whole new set of pages for writing confused and inexplicable feelings. A clean slate for Hiei and Kina. Brother and sister. But her and Kuwabara…An interesting thought entered my mind at that time: `How did she feel about him?' Followed by another thought, `What difference did it make to me?' Of course, like a good friend, I wished them happiness, yet those two questions persisted on staying put among all that was floating about within my head.

 

“Hello! Kurama, are you okay?” I opened my eyes - Since when were they closed? - to multiple hands waving in front of my face. They slid away, revealing slightly worried faces and arched eyebrows. Hiei frowned, Yusuke smiled, and Keiko sighed in relief.

 

“Good. For a moment there I thought you feel asleep,” admitted Yusuke. I smiled comfortingly.

 

“I was simply thinking, that's all,” I replied in truth. Thinking of her, that is.

 

“Tell you what,” Shizuru cut in, “How about we all go down to the local pizza place to celebrate?” At this suggestion, everyone's spirits were immediately lifted away from their worry for me. They and I nodded in agreement.

 

“But first, there's one more thing we should be able to celebrate.”

 

“And what's that?” a multitude of voices wondered at once, some along with arched eyebrows and others with stares in my direction. I turned to Hiei. “You haven't told her yet, have you?” I wasn't sure whether I sounded hopeful or upset, but either way he snorted and lowered his head.

 

“Yeah, now would be a good time to,” agreed Yusuke, clearly being the only other person present - save for Hiei, obviously - who understood what I spoke of. Shizuru seemed to have a hint of what it was, but her face showed that she wasn't sure.

 

Hiei sighed deeply. “Yukina,” he began.

 

“Yes?” provoked Kina. She looked towards him but he didn't even glance upwards.

 

“What would you say if I told you I knew your brother?”

 

Kuwabara and Keiko gasped. Yukina's eyes widened, but they were soon clouded with sadness. What felt like a jolt of electricity shot through my body; I couldn't stand to see her like this - so heartbroken. “I…” She gulped. “I would wonder why you hadn't told me sooner…” Then, she paused, causing the room to be shrouded in silence. When Hiei didn't reply, she continued. “Who is he?”

 

“You're looking at him.” While she stared with large, innocent eyes, he inclined his head to see her reaction. Even though his face showed no emotion, I could tell inside was a swirling of happiness and sadness. Two completely opposite feelings, combined and spread over a period of less than 10 minutes. Eyes welling up with heartfelt tears, Kina fell into her brother's embrace.

 

“Why didn't you tell me sooner?” she pleaded, as tear gems clicked against the floor for a second time that day.

 

And that was all I could take. Too many emotions in one day…I just couldn't handle it. Thus, I quickly headed for the door, muttering, “I'll be waiting in the car.” On the way out I grabbed the keys of the hook by the door. I might have slammed the door behind me; I couldn't tell - my thoughts were too clouded. It wasn't until five seconds after I sat down in the front seat of my mother's van that my own tears began to pour down my face. Lord, what's wrong with me? Maybe it was the multitude of emotions floating around, or maybe it was the sight of Kina crying. Whatever it was, I didn't like it - especially if “it” made me act like this.

 

“Kurama? Are you okay?”

 

“Pardon?” I blinked. Yusuke's concerned face came into view in the passenger seat.

 

“You'd better stop zoning out on us, man,” he ordered playfully. “I'm starting to get worried. Something wrong?” He handed me a tissue, which I gladly accepted to wipe my tear-stained face.

 

“I don't know,” I answered truthfully. “It seems as if I've been preoccupied a lot over the last few days.” I frowned slightly, but Yusuke smirked.

 

“Maybe it's love,” he teased jokingly. Or at least, I thought it was a joke. Luckily, before I had any time to contemplate on the subject, Kuwabara's loud mouth - that I seemed to have missed so much - entered the scene.

 

“-can't believe you've waited so long to say you're related!” he complained, coming in the sliding door. “It's kind of important, after all. And for all you guys to keep it a secret from me, too? Of course, my Yukina knowing is much more important…” And on and on he went. During the times when he glanced up at the ceiling, Hiei stole the opportunity to childishly stick his tongue out. When the taller looked back at eye-level, Hiei glared at him.

 

It's funny, how something as rude as a glare can be so relieving when seen done after a half-week-long absence. The two enemies and their shared precious one climbed in the back, while Shizuru and Keiko grabbed seats in the middle row. Truly wonderful - How after all those years of incognizance, Kina still loves Hiei more than any sister would love her brother. No hard feelings. They knew their separation wasn't either of their faults.

 

Mentally checking off every important aspect of leaving one's house, such as locked doors and turned-off lights, I placed the key in the ignition and started up the car. I tried to focus only on driving, but what Yusuke had said insisted on echoing in my mind…

 

Maybe it's love.