“Let’s Fly as the Birds Do…” Chapter Fourteen

8/8/01

By: Hikari

E-mail to: [email protected]

Notes: Music theme to chapter: “Ameno Remix” by Eric Levi.

~*~*~*~

 

            “Do you know what makes me happy?”

 

            “…What…?”

 

            “Waking up and having the first thing I see… be your face…”

 

~*~*~*~

 

            Hiei ran- down the brook and through the meadow, the ground itself shifting to every beat of his foot. The ground… how strange it felt, it seemed to move from under him- tickling his toes and flapping to the wind.

 

            He fell.

 

            Without warning, the soil soared from under him- pieces of colors flying about the air like confetti. Orange… red… pink and violet, yellow and green… The colors sparkled brilliantly in the extravagant light, patching everything with tints as the luminosity transformed the insects into soaring fragments of stained glass.

 

             Butterflies… So many butterflies…

 

            As they uncovered the earth with their wings, a body was slowly being revealed on the ground… A familiar body. Hiei crawled towards it- his eyes squinting to identify who it was. He was covered in vines, butterflies from all over settling upon his ivory skin and dancing upon his delicate lips.

 

            “Kurama!” He crawled even faster, holding fast to the ground and crushing many butterflies… many young caterpillars.

Once reaching him, he cupped his lover’s face lightly. For a reason unknown to him- tears were leaving his eyes… and he couldn’t control them. The tears from his eyes, hot hot water… rolled down his cheeks and splashed upon the other’s- causing some landed insects to fly away.

 

            “Wake up, Kurama! You have to wake up!”

 

            At his cry, a hurricane of butterflies engulfed him- sucking him into the earth and making him drown among the numerous wings. 

 

            “…I cannot breathe… Everything hurts! Everything is painful!” He cried and violently turned to his friend, who was still embedded in the ground- still sleeping peacefully at his side. The tears pouring freely from his face… they turned into blood that later hardened into rubies. “Am I- am I dying?” Loosening a hand, Hiei tried to reach for him. Even if just their hands- their fingers could touch, maybe that would be enough…

 

            “Let him go… Do you actually dare to bring him back into this endless nightmare? To suffer? Let him be… Lest two worlds collide and are both eternally destroyed…”

 

            More vines continued to wrap around his lover, all over until he no longer could be seen. Hiei’s eyes broadened- terrified.

           

“Who are you?” The fire demon asked.

 

            A blue butterfly landed upon Kurama’s ivy covered chest- its wings moving up and down in the slowest and most of gentle of motions.

 

            “…I am the last…”

 

*****

           

The entire bed shook fiercely as Hiei immediately sat upright. In his sudden rise, the blankets heaved in giant waves, and slowly descended the moment air left from beneath. The sheets were tangled all around his legs, his hips, and his arms- winding around him in the same messy fashion as the ivy had covered Kurama. He shuddered at the thought, and soon realized how sweaty he had become. His garnet irises wandered to the right side of the mattress, where the redhead normally was. For some reason, the bed- although a twin one- appeared too large for him…

 

            And it was cold- chilly at night. More than four times he had awaken to find himself huddled into a tight ball. This was awful, and it was only the first time. Whenever he had had a nightmare, his friend would catch him on the shoulders. He would always catch him from that falling sensation he had- when it felt as if he were dropping at the speed of over one hundred miles per hour. If he were drenched in perspiration, Kurama would get out of bed to find a towel to dry him off with it. He could clearly recall that feeling.  How he would dab his back tenderly with pure soft cotton- wipe his face and forehead…

 

            Hiei clutched his pillow.

 

            There was no one to that now.     

 

*****

 

“She found out? Shuiichi-kun, why didn’t you tell her about how you feel about him in the first place?!”

 

            “She wouldn’t have understood…” Kurama answered, looking at his fists as they were set on his desk.  “My mom’s very religious- if I told her, she would do whatever it takes to set me ‘the right way’…”

 

            Honoka shook her head from side to side briskly. “And you think waiting for her to find out on her own would be better?”

She stood from the desk she was in to head for her table. There she took her canister and unscrewed it to refill her mug of coffee. Once done, she took her mug and sat down in front of him again. Blowing away the steam, she looked up from her drink and slowly sipped “Would you like a cup?”

 

            The redhead courteously raised a hand. “No thank you.”

 

            “Well, if you ask me, I think what she did was reasonable. Your mother was gracious enough to not throw Hiei out of the house, right? Give her time; she needs to be able to absorb what happened. If I were in her position, I would have done the same thing.” Honoka paused momentarily to tilt her coffee. “How was the examination?”

 

            Kurama lowered his head and let it sink in between his two raised forearms like a vise. “Horrible…” he murmured. “The physician actually asked HOW we did it… Argh! She took something so personal and broke it down to its perverse core!”

 

            His teacher leaned back against her chair- her posture flawless and still. Taking off her glasses, she folded them and let them rest on the tabletop. “You should know, Shuiichi, that lovemaking- no matter who is involved- IS perverse if you look at it in an detached level. But that’s the how it is- to one person, the sex is nothing more than a depraved drive, but to another, it’s romantic and significant to the heart. Either way, the actions involved are without a doubt quite grotesque…”

 

            “It wasn’t disgusting to me…”

 

            “Of course not. I would imagine that for you and Hiei it was very beautiful, yes?”

 

            Lifting his head, the other half-smiled. “You always seem to know what to say…”

 

            Laughing lightly, she reached over to pat her student on the back. “I hope so, it isn’t easy trying to lead a class everyday…”

 

            “Kairu-san…”

 

            “Hm?”

 

            “What we have… is it really wrong?”

 

            From his sincere and concerned question, she lowered her eyelids in thought. The manner in which his voice spoke… he was confused- unreservedly confused. Shuiichi wasn’t sure or clear about anything. It was as though the borders of right and wrong had completely blurred to be one in the same… “So difficult…” she whispered, crossing her arms over her navy blue blazer. “That is something I have no right to answer… Nor anyone else…”

 

            His head cocked to the side curiously. “Why is that?”

 

            Honoka opened her eyes. “Because I’m not God- I can’t see how devoted your love is… and no one on this earth has the sole prerogative to judge…”

 

*****

 

            Shiori handed him a giant cardboard box, and Hiei tried to balance the heavy load from beneath. As Shuiichi’s mother re-entered the walk-in closet, she came out again not long after and burdened the box by placing more items on top of it. These items ranged from old clothes, antique boxed jewelry, books that haven’t been read for years- the type of things you would find in a dusty attic. As the piles grew and grew, Hiei’s pointed hair disappeared from behind the masses, and his legs began to tremble with strain.  He said nothing about it, however. If he complained right after yesterday’s incident, then he’d cross that last inch to get into Shiori’s hit list. That would be pathetic- he would be the only name there.

 

            “You can put it down now.” She stated. To him, the voice came out of nowhere. All he could see were the edges of novels and patterns from garments.

 

            “What IS all this?” The demon asked once lowering the cargo with his knees.

 

            “Old stuff- I’m giving it to good will…”

            His hands started drifting along all the belongings- somewhat fascinated.  “What’s good will?”

 

            “An organization for the poor.” She answered, exploring through the collection to find if there was anything she could still use. “What we don’t need anymore can be used by someone less fortunate…”

 

            “One man’s trash… another man’s treasure, you mean?”

 

            The woman raised her eyebrows. That was quite the intelligent remark- given it came from someone improperly educated. “Something like that… Is there anything here you want to look at?”

 

            The demon shrugged quietly- his face blank until he found something bulky beneath all the old and used. Groping around for it- he pulled that puzzling object out. It was a book- or at least it LOOKED like a book. It was thick, as were the pages within it, and there was a satin ribbon on the edge which kept it from bursting open. The cover was almost like a pillow- but harder, with decorative pearls and girlish frills all over the place. The demon came close to puking at it.

 

            “Oh, how did that get there? That one is definitely staying with us…”

 

            His fingers trailed around the lacing. “What is it? It’s so… WOMANLY…”

 

            Because of his sexist comment, she put her fists on her hips chidingly.  “It’s an album… Haven’t you seen one, Hiei?”

 

            He shook his head.

 

            “Well then, open it.” She replied.

 

            Feeling rather inquisitive about it, he did so without much hesitation. His eyes blinked when he discovered what was inside. “Pictures?”

 

            “Not JUST pictures…” Shiori came closer to him and took part of the album in her hands protectively. Looking at her, Hiei became aware that she wanted to sit down on the floor with it. She flipped through the laminated pages, stopping only when she found pictures of her son as a little boy. “Here he is on his first day of kindergarten… and here again getting on the school bus! Oh, he was so small…”

 

            Cute. VERY cute. Shuiichi had such chubby hands and legs! The school uniform he had was doubtlessly charming. There was another photograph of him on a rainy day. He was wearing a yellow sailor’s hat with matching raincoat and black goulashes. There was even a squeaky duck patch on the breast of the plasticy coat. In one hand, he had an umbrella that was much too hefty for him, and his pose was so humorous! Little Shuiichi was bending over to look at his reflection in a puddle- as if he had never seen one before!

 

“THAT was KURAMA?” Hiei spurted. To his last word, Shiori peered at him perplexed.

 

            “Kurama? Who’s Kurama?”

 

            His inner lip had the honor of being jabbed aggressively with his fangs. “…Shuiichi is Kurama.”

 

            “What?”

 

            Think! Think! “Yes, it’s a name I gave him… His friends call him that too, at times…”

 

            Shutting the book and laying it on her lap, Shiori appeared to shake her head in disbelief. “But… why Kurama?”

 

            “It’s a secret…” Hiei compromised.

 

            “A secret?” Apparently, she hated confidentiality too. Maybe they could get along…

 

            “…Our last one…” His tone trailed. “…There’s nothing left, but that…”

 

*****

 

            For today, he had reached the reasoning that food is food and when one wants food, one gets that food. Therefore, Kurama decided on passing the offering to stay in Honoka’s room for lunch. He had stayed during break, however, his stomach had been grumbling for the past two hours already. Forbid he would disregard an opportunity to get some instant ramen, or anything at all for that matter. As he entered the double-doored cafeteria, the redhead was frankly aware of all the silent stares zeroing in on his back.

He waved it off. ‘Very well…’Kurama thought. ‘Attack me at will…”

 

            Picking up a tray from one of the steel carts, he slid it along the railing and loaded it with whatever seemed appealing to his appetite: a plate of custard, a bowl of mango ice cream and nuts, and some parfait jello. Bringing up the tray to the cashier, he suddenly frowned. ...These were all the foods Hiei liked to eat... He shook his head in a slight daze. Custard? Caramel custard? It was too sweet! He hated this desert… but he always ended up making it for his friend anyway... Ice cream and parfait jello? What was he thinking? He had to watch his weight for track practice!

 

            “Putting on the calories are you? Just like a girl who got dumped by her boyfriend…”

 

            He was about to turn, when he felt something hot- searing hot pour down the back of his uniform. Kurama gasped at the burning,- his mouth gaping from the disgusting feeling of having something hot and sticky slide in clumps down his clothes.

 

            “Here!” The student laughed. “Take some fresh rice pudding- straight from the kettle!”

 

With that, he emptied bowl down Shuiichi’s shirt and threw it carelessly to the side. Green eyes watched that bowl- how it revolved around and around, finally stopping by landing on its rim. The redhead made a fist at his side, and tried his best not to shake out of his own control. Oh, how he wanted to kill him… Nice and slow with a pointed bamboo pole… He could envision it so seamlessly… The pointed end would go through this asshole’s mouth- inch by agonizing inch- until the plant would shoot out from the other side of his hard- albeit empty- head… Blood everywhere… Splattered all along the tile and leaking into the floor gutters. He nearly licked his lips at the thought of it…

 

             “Hey! You jerk! Leave him alone!”

 

            Kurama blinked. “…Arisu…?”

 

            The young girl practically stomped her way in between Shuiichi and this- this fool. She tucked her arms together and gave an exceptionally threatening gaze. The boy had come close to laughing at her naiveté, but he halted himself the moment his eyes caught Shidou watching from one of the tables. Shidou was seated in the far back of the cafeteria, but he made it clear that his vigil was at it’s sharpest.   

 

            “Keh’.” Being smarter than most people assumed him to be, he walked away with a scratched pride and kicked the tossed bowl to the other side of the facilities. The bowl left some skid marks of liquefied rice on the tiles.

 

            “Are you okay?” The blonde asked.

 

            “I’m fine. Sticky, but fine.”

 

            “I’ll follow you to the bathrooms-”

 

            “You don’t HAVE to…” Kurama interrupted, sensing it wasn’t such a good thing to be defended by such a sweet person.

 

            “NO.” She pressed. “I DO. I want to ask you something while we walk there… Alright?”

 

 

            Walking down the corridors, Arisu kept a one-foot distance from her ex-friend. It wasn’t out of aversion towards Shuiichi’s personal preferences; it was only because she didn’t want to get gummy stuff in her hair or clothes- or be left with a semi-sugary, semi-rice paddy odor. When Kurama glanced at her, she put on a pitying smile. The redhead sighed. The kind of smile it was was the kind that was accompanied by curved eyebrows- a manifestation akin to a puppy dog. 

 

            “You wanted to ask me something?”

 

            “Um…” Arisu looked to the ceiling, watching the stationary lights pass her by as she walked. “I don’t mean to sound meddlesome or condescending, but- for my own peace of mind- did I have anything to do with you… ‘liking’ that other boy?”

 

            “Eh?”

 

            “I’m sorry- I’m being rude… But I’ve found out you once liked me- Shidou told me. He told me that you were about to give me a bouquet of flowers when you overheard me talking with some girls that I had a crush on your friend, Shidou, instead… He told me everything you did, Shuiichi, a year ago… How YOU gave him the flowers to give to me…” They stopped in the middle of the hall. “I just didn’t want to bring it up because I thought it would hurt you…”

 

            Kurama smiled to himself. At the sight of this, Arisu’s aqua eyes started wandering frantically- trying to decode what was going through the other’s mind. Kindly, he rested his palms on her shoulders- his face softening to the extent it may be compared to silk.

 

            “It’s true- I won’t deny it… But… I’ve known Hiei for two years. I’ve known him even before I was in high school… So if you’re worried that you’ve left some sort of ‘impression’ in my mind- don’t be… If anyone left an impression… It was Hiei himself…”