Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Orenji no Taiyou ❯ Blood Lust ( Chapter 6 )

Sakanaya Park was a peaceful place. Filled with luscious green grass and blooming Sakura trees, it was one of the most popular cherry viewing spots in town. The birds were always chirping as squirrels ran from tree to tree causing havoc; kids would play in the jungle gem's sandbox while parents conversed over the daily headlines in the newspaper.

 

There was a pond always filled with ducks. The water was as clear as overpriced French mineral water which was sold at a vender's cart a few meters away. The smell of fresh baked doublings and taco on a stick filled the air while teens went for the sweeter crepes also sold in the park near the pond.

 

Fishing wasn't allowed.

 

Too bad it was still winter.

 

The news had said the winter weather would clear into summer faster then it had been clearing in the past week. The news was notorious for lies.

 

Panya Park was an empty place. Patches of melting snow dotted the brown, soggy grass. The Sakura trees were weighted down with snow, no green popping threw. The sound of emptiness filled the air as a squirrel scavenged for that one last nut. The jungle gem was empty, covered in ice. The sandbox was mushy in the spots where the snow had already melted. The neglected lid lay four feet away.

 

The pond was also frozen over in most spots; a goose swam in the cold water that had melted already. There were no food carts around, the air smelled of oak and ash. The smoky smell that comes with all snow was clearing, slowly but surely.

 

Despite these less then satisfactory conditions, two teens walked threw the park. It was the last day of Gold Week and the memories of the dancing were just that-memories. Tokyo was a world away and everyone was back at home, procrastinating on those last few math problems.

 

A dark-haired boy walked with his arms folded behind his head, his elbows stuck up in the air. As he walked he stopped and lifted his right foot and pushed his toes down against the ground. A small crack could be heard before he took a step forward and repeated this action with his left foot.

 

“I wish you wouldn't do that Yuusuke,” a brunette girl said bringing her hand up to her mouth and turning her head to look away from the boy. “I hate that sound.”

Yuusuke smirked and put his arms in front of him before lacing his fingers together and straitening his elbows. More little pops could be heard coming from his fingers.

”Yuusuke!” the girl swung her bag to hit the boy in the jaw. “Stop!”

”Ah, Keiko, I'm just messin' with ya.” Yuusuke ducked and stood once the bag had safely passed over head. “You don't have to get violent.”

With a sigh, Keiko nodded. “You're right; I don't need to get violent.” She looked down and removed her hand from her mouth, carrying her bag with both hands in front of her. The brown leather bag bumped against her knees gently as she walked.

 

“Wha-?” Yuusuke stayed put, looking at the spot where Keiko once stood. Shaking his head he jogged to catch up with her. “What do you mean I'm right? Since when am I right? And since when don't you love hitting me with that evil little bag of yours?”

 

Keiko ignored him and continued walking down the snow laden path with her companion. She looked at her feet as she walked; a childhood habit she had never been able to break. She carefully noted the detail of her dress slip on shoes as she rehearsed what she would say to the other over and over in her mind.

 

Yuusuke, I'm sorry but…

Yuusuke, there's someone else…

 

You're gone so much that I don't think we…

 

I'd rather be single…

 

Yuusuke, I'm a lesbian…

 

“Yuusuke…” Keiko's voice was soft as she spoke. She tried to cover her eyes nonchalantly but failed.

 

The raven-haired teen looked at the shorter girl, “Yeah? What's up?”

 

I can't.

 

“Never mind,” she said after a long pause. She looked up to the sky wishing there was more sunlight. Maybe a sunny day would help her make this decision.

 

Yuusuke I'm cheating on you…

 

Yuusuke we go to different schools…

 

You're future isn't set…

 

Yuusuke nodded and took in a deep breath of cold air. “Why does it always smell like smoke whenever it snows?”

I have to.

 

“Yuusuke, I know you're cheating on me.” Keiko came to a stop and looked down at the ground, hiding her face behind her bangs.

Yuusuke came to a stop and starred at Keiko. “What are you talking about? I've been loyal for the past two years.”

Every thought that could, pushed its way through Keiko's head. Thoughts about how Yuusuke had been loyal and about how he didn't pressure her for things as long as he was free to look on the internet passed her by. Thoughts about how he forgot an anniversary here and there but always made it up to her with some pendent or a bouquet of flowers or some other splendid gift that she would have never thought of getting.

 

The thought that stood out most in her mind was the memory of last Obon when Yuusuke had gotten a job and saved his money to buy her a really expensive white yukata covered in sakura petals with a matching Obi. She had worn that thing for two days strait and slept in it for a month before she began to worry about damaging it. Keiko loved that thing. Yuusuke really was a closet romantic.

 

Other thoughts also pushed inside of her. She was accusing Yuusuke of cheating when she was the one cheating. She was about to pan something that she had done off on him. He had given her nothing but trust and she was breaking it.

 

“Ye-yes you have been cheating. I f-found the panties you keep in your coat pocket. I don't we-wear lacey pink and white panties.” As she said this, Keiko tried her best to keep a steady voice and not cry. She really was horrible. She knew it and she wished he knew it too.

 

Just take the defeat Yuusuke…

 

I'm terrible, smack me and go…

 

It's my fault!

 

Yuusuke stopped walking and was silent. “Those…I don't…Shuuichi gave them to me…” That realization hit Yuusuke like a ton of bricks. Shuuichi gave him the panties which was making Keiko suspicious.

 

“I don't care how you got them…I can't date a pervert!” Keiko shouted at him. Tears pushed out of her brown eyes as she starred into Yuusuke's eyes.

 

Yuusuke shook his head no, “No.No.No. You can't break up with me over this! Please don't. You wouldn't…you're better then this.”

”It's OVER!” She screamed at him before turning and running back to the park entrance.

 

Yuusuke looked as she ran from him. “Shuuichi gave me those…” he murmured to himself. She just broke up with me because of Shuuichi. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't…

 

It started to snow as a lone tear escaped his eyes. The season change was late. The winter was lasting a good four weeks longer then it was suppose to.

 

Sakanaya Park was a beautiful place in the summer. Birds chirped, children played, teens dated, and parents conversed. It was the best place in the town for cherry blossom viewing and it was the most popular place to watch fireworks on Obon.

 

Sakanaya Park wasn't so beautiful in the winter. The deathly silence drove away most people out for a romantic walk in the snow. The trees were bare. The dirt wasn't covered from the eye's gaze by luscious green grass. It was barren and deserted.

 

One teen stood in the park. He was a short boy of sixteen with slicked-back raven-colored hair. His eyes were the color of chocolate and his skin was pale. He had a build of a street fighter or martial artist. His name was Urimesshi Yuusuke and he had just been dumped by Yukimora Keiko, his girlfriend for two years.

 

He did.

 

--

 

Shuuichi looked around the bathroom, his body submerged up to the top of his upper lip in the green-blue bath water. Green eyes met blue tile and white washed walls. The shower hose hung down over the drain next to the little wooden stool used for bathing.

 

A rubber ducky floated past.

 

Shuuichi sat strait up in the deep ofuro cedar tub. His thin yet well defined body disrupted the steam coming from the top of the bath. A thin hand with finely manicured fingers reached down and picked up the duck, squeezing it until an old squeaker made a quacking sound. With age, however, the quack had become more of a wheeze. A smile crossed the red head's lips.

 

Some may say it was childish for a fifteen, soon to be sixteen year old to bathe with a little yellow rubber duck, but he didn't care. His mom had often played with him and the duck at bath time when he was little. The faint memory of bathing with his biological father at the age of three brought long forgotten memories of the car crash. After that he had to bathe with his mom instead. Just as any other three year old boy who wanted to be just like their father, Shuuichi hadn't been fond of bathing with her. She bought him the duck to calm him down.

 

Shuuichi squeaked the duck again and dunked his head under the water to wet his hair in order to make it easier to comb when he got out. He tossed the old yellow duck into his bathing bucked and added his rose scented shampoo and conditioner in it as well. He topped the wooden bucket with his wash cloth. Standing on the stool and cursing his small height, he put the bucket on the top shelf next to his mom. He was granted first bath in the house followed by his mother because he was the oldest man within the family. Normally his dad would have first bath, but since his mom had remarried, his step father was not an original family member by Shiori's standards. She loved him but she still recognized the fact that he was her second husband.

 

A good way to remember father I suppose. Shuuichi thought wrapping up in a towel and walking down the plush carpeted hallway to his room. He kneeled down in front of his mirror and grabbed a brush from his bed side stand. He combed his hair out before using a large hair clip to tie up his red mane to the back of his head. He dried his face and stood up pulling on some panties and some red pajama pants with little kitties from Trigun all over it. He pulled a grey hoody over his head dislodging his hair clip a bit.

 

Looking around Shuuichi sought to lay out a uniform for the next day. When none of the ugly pink material was found in his closet, he went down past the living room and through the kitchen to access the laundry room. Shaking out a large sheet from the dryer, he began to fold the laundry, humming one of his favorite songs while doing so—Gackt and Hyde's Orenji no Taiyou.

 

“Yuugure ni kimi to mita orenji no taiyou
Nakisou na kao o shite eien no sayonara”

 

[At dusk, I beheld the orange sun with you.
With a teary face, you bid an eternal farewell.]

 

He sang aloud graduating from humming to words, the red head's light voice floating into the kitchen softly. It was quiet but it was on key.

 

A sigh could be heard barely over the singing. A middle aged man with brown hair and winkles was kneeling at the low table, his legs under the blanket being heated by the seasonal electric heater placed under the table each year. A pair of glasses and a shallow rounded glass of sake sat next to a stack of paperwork for his hospital.

 

The man closed his eyes and listened to his step son sing.

 

“Akireru hodo kimi o omou yo
Sore dake de boku wa mitasareru
Nakanai de, itsu date aeru yo
Hitomi o tojireba...”

 

[I can't love you any more than I do.
And just by that, I feel complete.
So don't cry, we can always meet again.
Whenever we close our eyes...]

 

Thinking back, Shiori's second husband remembered that he couldn't wait to marry his bride. He was so excited to have his son Shuuichi have an older boy, coincidently with the same name, to look up to and learn from.

It had been almost two years though, and things had changed. Getting to know the older Shuuichi more was difficult. He often left at a whim without a word and wouldn't return for days on end. When he had confronted Shiori she had just said that it had been happening for a year already and he always came home safely. That was all she cared about. But he just couldn't trust that.

 

As more time went on Shuuichi started to disappear less and less. He would try to spend time with his step son but Shuuichi would often make excuses. He would say things like “I would but I have homework” or “I have chores and a book I need to finish.” Of course these were lies. The boy never brought home more then two books from school, both usually being outside reading books or manga. Once or twice it was a magazine.

 

Despite the lies, he had let his stepson do as he pleased without question, thus ultimately failing to create a relationship with the boy.

 

Ever since he had taken up that government job, he had been able to stay home more from the hospital during the day. This allotted more time to his sons and more time to observe them.

 

Older Shuuichi seemed to hate him. He detested the presence of another man in the house which was understandable since he had been the only man for almost fifteen years. It was hard to let others into your life after only having a mom for that long. Over time he thought that the teen would come to accept and ease up around him, but he was wrong.

 

Running into him on the way out, Shuuichi would act like he had just been caught killing someone. Maybe it was because he had question the teen so much about his disappearances or maybe the red head hated leaving his mother home with him. Either way it didn't matter. It was typical for a teen to be tense when caught going out.

 

More time passed and he had observed many other things about older Shuuichi. The way he walked, talked, the sound of his voice, his diction, his cloths, his hair---hell his hair stuck out the most---was off. It was feminine.

 

Assuming it was an after effect of growing up without a father, he let it slide. He thought having another man, hell, two other men if you counted his biological son little Shuuichi, that older Shuuichi would grow out of his phase and into a strapping young man. He had seen Shuuichi without a shirt on a hot day and he was toned and had a well defined body, just like any manly man. The fact that the red head had been in the garden at the time didn't even occur to him.

 

As time went by it was clear Shuuichi wasn't growing out of his phase, he was growing into it. He was becoming thinner, leaner. He was getting more graceful, gliding across the floor with ease and confidence. He was sure that if Shuuichi has been in a Kimono, he would have given the illusion of floating just as a Geisha would.

 

He was a little relieved when Shuuichi started dating that Dai girl, though his lack of enthusiasm clearly showed. Hell, he was happy when Shuuichi went to visit her not a week ago in Tokyo, though he was a bit deterred when Dai had visited that morning.

 

“Mr. Minamino?” Dai's black hair was pulled back into a tight bun with a waterfall-like center.

”Actually, I married into the family,” he responded shrugging off the Minamino.

 

“Ah, gomen Sakana-san,” she used a filler, not asking his name. “Is Shuuichi-kun here?”

”I'm sorry but he's sleeping, can I give him a message for you?” he frowned leaning on the door frame and wiping his glasses with a handkerchief in his back pocket.

Dai thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes.” She looked down at her feet. She seemed to inspect a rose growing next to the steps contemplating what she was about to say. “Tell him we're over. Just…rip up my number. I don't want to talk. It's done.”

Needless to say he was still taken aback thinking about what Dai had said to him. She had left shortly after that bowing goodbye and picking the rose by her feet. He had gone in and woken Shuuichi up with the news, but Shuuichi had just shrugged it off. It didn't bother him one bit. He went back to sleep shortly after.

 

He thought that maybe Shuuichi was too tired to comprehend the news or that maybe he was in denial. He really leaned towards the denial theory when Shuuichi had woken up with a smile and gone in for his bath. Now that he was singing in the laundry room he just seemed so cheerful despite the words in the song.

 

“Shuuichi?” he asked pouring himself more sake.

 

The red head poked his head out the door, “Mmm? Nan desu ka? What is it?” He looked at his step father with big round green eyes full of life and happiness.

 

“Are you okay? I mean,” he sighed. All other attempts to get through to him hadn't worked but this one could. “About Dai…”

”I'm fine, really. I expected it to happen sooner or later,” he said nonchalantly while letting his hair down and sticking the clip in his mouth. He flipped his head upside down and put his hands around his hair as if he was about to put it into a ponytail. Instead of putting a tie around it, he twisted it and put the clip back in

 

He sighed, “Shuuichi, you can't stay in denial about this. She was your first girlfriend.”

”I know,” he put his head back up with his hair back up. “I'm not in denial about it though. We've been talking about this for some time. It's really no surprise.”

In truth they had been talking about it for a long time. The plan was that Dai would break up with him as soon as she was able to bag the girl she had been chasing.

I wonder who that girl is… Shuuichi inwardly wondered, ignoring the fact that his step father had started talking again.

”Shuuichi…SHUUICHI!” He shouted.

”Ah, sorry. I was distracted. What did you say?”

”Do you know why she decided to break up with you?” He sighed and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. He lit up and breathed in deeply.

Shuuichi thought for a moment. Because I'm gay and she's a lesbian. “Because she realized I was more then just long red hair and a good grade point average. You know how those girls at school are. They've chased me home more then once.”

He let out his drag, a big puff of smoke spilling Shuuichi's way. He nodded. “What didn't she like about you?”

 

That I have a dick. He inwardly smiled at his mind's commentary. “She just didn't like me. I can't explain it. Maybe you can just call her fickle? I don't know.”

He nodded again, “There were girls like that in my school as well. I got dumped multiple times for no apparent or plausible reason.”

I'm sure there was a plausible reason for any number of girls to dump you. “I'm sorry to hear that. Ah-“a buzzer went off, “The wash I put in is done.” He retreated back into the laundry room and finished folding what was in the dryer before putting the sopping wet load of whites into the dryer. He was risking this but he needed to get the vomit out of his blouse and skirt. He had been so drunk that he had gotten sick and he didn't remember anything about that night, just that he had woken up between some dude named Mell and his good friend Yuukou. Apparently and thankfully nothing had happened according to the sober Yuukou.

 

Shuuichi looked through the wet mass of cloths as he put them into the dryer. Where are my pink and white lacey…Yuusuke! The red head realized. He remembered back to when he had given his friend his panties. A small smiled crossed his rose petal lips.

 

“Kirameku nami to tawamureteita mujaki na kimi no sono yokogao
Hadashi de sunahama o kakenukeru kimi ga itoshii”

 

[I watched your innocent face as you frolicked with the waves.
Running along the beach with your bare feet, you are so precious to me.]

 

He started to sing again, setting the dryer for ninety minutes. He took the basket full of folded cloths into his arms, letting one arm dangle while the other arm supported the basket against his side, much like a mother would do with her laundry while holding her child. He padded upstairs through the carpeted hall and into the square room.

 

“Suna ni kaita kimi no namae to kazari tsuketa kaigara wa
Kata o yoseta bokura no mae de nami ni sarawareta”

 

[I carved your name in the sand and decorated it with shells.
Nuzzled together behind it, we watched as the waves washed it away.]

 

He sang more as he put his cloths in his cedar dresser.

 

--

 

Yuusuke huffed walking down the street. He didn't want to be angry at his friend and had attempted to take his anger out on some thugs in the slums of their small town. In other words he had gone back to his apartment complex and taken a walk, waiting to see who would attack.

 

The first gang had been from the high school neighboring his. It was weird, being in high school. He was already in his second year and would graduate next year. Kurama was graduating this year.

 

Oh yeah, Kurama.

 

The first gang had been from a high school neighboring his. All Yuusuke had to do was imagine each person in the five member posse with red hair and they all went down with a flick of his wrist.

 

The second gang was a bunch of drug dealers thinking Yuusuke was out roaming to steal their clients. He kicked their asses when they offered him weed, a type of plant.

 

The third was a bunch of drunkards, probably his mom's friends, who wanted some money for liquor and maybe some acid shots. He didn't have any on him and one of them was wearing a rose in his shirt. They were down before Yuusuke could let off enough steam to even get a fraction of his frustration out.

 

There was no fourth gang. Instead there was just Kuwabara. He came up to Yuusuke cheerfully. When Yuusuke hadn't high-fived him Kuwabara had started asking questions. Finally annoyed to death with his friend's repulsive nature, though everything was repulsive to Yuusuke at this point, Yuusuke beat the shit out of him before taking off for Kurama's house.

 

Kurama who lived in a house, not an apartment.

Kurama who had a sober mom and a step dad.

 

Kurama who had a little brother.

 

Kurama who had the perfect grade point average.

 

Kurama who all the girls were after.

 

Kurama who had made the love of his life break up with him.

 

Yuusuke's walk quickened as he weaved his way through the neighborhood's streets hurriedly. He avoided the walk-around police officer Mr. Sakana. He found his friend's house and came to a stop in front of it.

 

It had lush green grass and a small tree growing in front of it. It was brick with some off-white siding near the top.

 

Looking at it Yuusuke counted the windows, trying to calm down. He saw the read head in his room smiling, putting away clothing. He picked up an empty laundry basket and disappeared from view.

 

That smile mocked him.

 

Yuusuke jogged to the back entrances that lead directly to the kitchen. He starred in the back door's window. He saw Kurama's step father looking over documents and drinking sake.

 

Shuuichi saw Yuusuke looking in the backdoor as he emerged into the kitchen entrance from the living room. He looks angry… Shuuichi gave him a smile and motioned for him to come in.

 

Yuusuke did come in. He charged in, almost taking the door with him. He rushed Shuuichi and took him by his collar, causing him to drop his empty laundry basket. Pushed against the wall Shuuichi took Yuusuke's wrists. “What are you doing!?” he shouted. His step dad had gotten up and was about to jump Yuusuke.

 

“She left me,” he pushed Shuuichi up the wall with force, “She left me and it's all your fault!” Tears began to flow from his eyes and his grip tightened. “I'll kill you!”

Shuuichi's step father started to push on Yuusuke, trying to move him.

”I'LL KILL YOU!” He yelled again.