Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Just Another Day ❯ Change of Scenery ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: Not mine. Nothing's mine. *cries* I'm not even sure if the plot is mine! Hell, I don't even know what the plot is yet!

A/N: A/U. School fic. Most of the characters are probably very OOC. Everyone is human, Kurama is in his Minamino Shuuichi form.

Just Another Day

Prologue: Change of Scenery

Youko Kurama sat down in his usual back corner of the classroom, away from the harshly bright florescent lights and the incessant chatter of his classmates. Each day for the past two years Kurama had sat in the exact same spot, sometimes with company, sometimes without, draped in shadows that almost acted as a shield to the outside world. Kurama adored his lunch hour. It was the one time when stares, whispers and giggles did not engulf him and he was given peace with his own thoughts. Currently, he was finishing a chapter in his life science book. It didn't occur to him that he needn't bother with this activity. He was already six units ahead in nearly every subject, including the one, which he was now focusing on.

To anyone who happened to glance at him, he would have made quite a picture, sitting cross-legged on the bench, one hand turning the pages in his book as his eyes lazily scanned it, the other entwined in his silky smooth hair. Some would say in their whispered diatribes that his hair was too beautiful to be possessed by anyone but the most deserving of females.

"Perhaps he is some sort of cross-dresser..."

"I've heard that the sensei made him dye his hair black one year, saying that it was unnatural and against the uniform policy and his kaasan had to discuss it with the principal!"

"Really?"

"Hai," they would mutter, completely oblivious to the fact that Kurama's sharp hearing could pick up every word. Yes, some believed that his hair was his most distinguishing feature, fit only for a king…or queen. Indeed, his locks lay smoothly along his back, the hue of which was one few had ever seen, sunlight filtered through the velvety translucentness of a red rose petal. One would thing that suck a color would clash horribly with the crimson uniform of Fukuyama High, but amazingly enough, the two shades complimented each other perfectly.

Kurama's eyes were another topic of discussion hear sometimes in the classroom or hall during break. The way the emerald orbs displayed no emotion other than a frigid detachment from his surroundings, or the rare times he was excited, the way they looked lit-up from within seemed to fascinate his peers.

Kurama shook his head in annoyance. This whole school was inhabited by no more than shallow souls whose only desire was to admire your physical traits, then cast you out of their protected circle of superficiality to become devoured by the lions if you dare show any sign of being a remotely profound individual. The lions in questions were what were more commonly known as the thugs of Fukuyama High. They would sit in the middle of the room, making themselves the center of attention and enjoying every moment in the spotlight. The group consisted mainly of three teenaged boys, their lackeys and their girlfriends. Their loud banter could be heard all through the halls, the social outcasts of the school being made the butt of their morally lacking jokes. Kurama was unfortunately a member of this minority group. Unlike the others, who would burst out in angry tears at the mere mention of their names, he would simply ignore them, and return to his work. It would take much more to rile Youko Kurama than that pathetic group and their cruel comments.

Kurama sighed happily. One more page before he could begin the chapter on botany, his favorite subject, and he still had 20 minutes left before his next class. As he was finishing the last sentence, a sharp poke was administered to the small of his back. Kurama calmly turned, and his eyes met the beetle-black gaze of Kuwabara Kazuma, one of the members of the fearfully revered thugs.

"May I help you with something?" asked Kurama smoothly.

Kuwabara simply glared, before responding, "Why the hell are you reading that? Are you stupid or somethin' that you need to read during lunch?" as he tried to grab the textbook. Kurama shifted, moving the book to the side. "You are stupid aren't you? You're nothin' but a big baka. You-"

"I assure you I quite know the difference between a horse and a deer," said Kurama, before he could finish. "You see, this…" Kurama flipped a few pages in his textbook, and pointed at a picture. "…is a deer. You are a horse." Kuwabara looked puzzled for a moment.

"Oh, excuse me," Kurama continued, perfectly serious, "this is a horse, but the both of you look so much alike, it confused me." A few people who had overheard the conversation giggled as Kuwabara's eyes narrowed and his face turned a lovely shade of tomato red. Kurama could practically see steam rising from his ears.

"Now if that's all, I'd like to finish my reading," said Kurama, turning his back towards the other. Kuwabara glared at him for a moment more, debating, then stalked back to his table.

*****

If humans had tails, Kuwabara would have his firmly between his legs, Hiei noted silently. The leader of the group watched as Kuwabara made his way back to the clique, silently fuming.

"Don't bother messing with that one, baka. He's too smart for you," stated Hiei.

"Hey! I'm not a baka. I know the difference between a horse and a deer!" shouted Kuwabara, causing the others to clap hands over their ears. "See, you're a deer and I'm a horse…no, you're a horse. No, wait…that's not right either…" Hiei shook his head at Kuwabara's pathetic attempt to mimic Kurama's retort.

"Baka."

Jaganshi Hiei was strange, according to everyone, although they would never admit it, for fear of his wrath. He stood a foot shorter than even most junior high students, although his spiked hair made quite a difference. Apparently the people at Fukuyama had some sort of a hair fetish, as Hiei's became a topic of discussion as well. Hiei's hair was long and spiked, and seemed to glow blue in direct light. It also had a white starburst in front. A few people had tried to copy that style by bleaching their hair, but ended up looking like skunks with stripes ranging from pale yellow to bright orange. It was quite comical to see them before the teachers made them dye it back. For some reason, no one had ever approached Hiei about his hair. Perhaps it was his icy ruby glare that made the teachers keep their distance. Colored contacts were one thing that was permitted. Hiei and his twin sister both possessed blood red eyes, courtesy of the lenses, the exact color of the uniforms. If it were anyone else, people would have said it was school spirit.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

*****

The mathematics sensei walked in, causing everyone to run for his or her seats. He surveyed the class for a moment, an unreadable look on his face, and then spoke.

"All right class, new seats today!" Half of the class gave a barely disguised cheer at the thought of leaving their undesirable seat position while the other half moaned as they looked longingly at their friends whom they would be soon moving away from.

"I have each of your names written on a slip of paper and placed in this hat. When I call your name, please move to the seat I have indicated." the sensei directed, then began listing names. "Yukimura Keiko, here, if you please. Kuwabara Kazuma, Abe Sakura…" Kurama half-listened, waiting for his name to be called. "…Jaganshi Hiei, Youko Kurama, Matsuo Lia… " Kurama rose, moving to the seat indicated.

Hiei had hoped that he would have been able to sit near people that he actually tolerated, but alas, that hope was crushed with the calling of his name. Hiei looked around. He was sandwiched between the American exchange student, the window, the back of the room, and Youko Kurama. Hiei was thankful that he only had to deal with two people. The American exchange student was a loner, and only spoke when asked to answer a question in class. Kurama was a puzzle to Hiei. You couldn't really classify him into a group. He had a few friends, but mostly was seen in the company of his books. As long as he doesn't irritate me, Hiei thought, I'll leave him alone.

Kurama had struck up a conversation with Lia, whom he now sat by. He had to admit, it was hopeless. The girl was stuck in her own little world, and obviously had little contact with outsiders. He would have had a more interesting conversation with a stick. Why did I have to say hello, thought Kurama, nodding and smiling randomly as Lia ranted about how her pet parakeet could chirp the tune of the national anthem. As soon as she started to mimic it, Kurama turned away, desperately seeking another source of conversation. His gaze landed on Hiei, who was currently seeing if he could bore a hole into the chair in front of him, just by glaring at it. Kurama flinched for a moment, but as Lia hit a particularly high note, Kurama dared the wrath of the boy next to him.

"Er…hello," he began, his voice slightly wavering as he thought he saw smoke begin to rise from the chair. Hiei turned, eyes narrowed at the source of the interruption. The mixed expression of interest, fear and horror on Kurama's face nearly made him laugh out loud. But, Hiei didn't laugh, so he settled for a simple grunt. Kurama looked at him wildly for a moment before deciding that he was better off sitting next to that creepy guy Karasu, who was practically obsessed with him. Kurama shuddered at the thought. As the teacher announced a pop-quiz, he resisted the urge smack his head against the wall. This was going to be a long two hours.

A/N: Poor Kurama, stuck in the hell more commonly known as school with no one to talk to. As for the whole baka thing with Kuwabara, I read somewhere that baka originally meant horse and deer, so, if you couldn't tell the difference between horse and deer, you were considered an idiot. I don't know how long classes last in Japan, so I put two hours. And Lia's parakeet? I have my own to thank for the inspiration, except mine chirped to the tune of Wild Wild West. I know, this part was boring, but future chapters should have less detail and more action. Any comments are welcome, and flames, well, if they're interesting, I'll print out copies and give them to my friends so we can all have a good laugh at your expense. ^.^