VII. when all the cows come home...

"Come on in, Shu-chan’s about ready to come down from his room." Kurama heard his mother say from where he had been lurking in the stairwell. Well might have a go down and face the music. If he didn’t go to their Saturday meeting ‘kaasan would become suspicious and pry. Something he didn’t want to happen with him being very active in his Reikai Tantei duties. All he would need now was for his mother to unearth the truth to add to his troubles. Not that she had ever done so all these years. Kurama was paranoid about such things.

"I’m here, Ran-niichan." Shuuichi said going the stairs oh so cheerfully.

"Hn."

"Let’s go to the park." Where I have a slight advantage over you, if things turned iffy.

"Hn." It was an unhappy agreement at best but Kurama did not press the issue. He didn’t dare to in front of his mother.

***

They went into a glade in the park where they were relatively unobserved.

"So tell me what this all about!" Ran said finally letting his impatience get a hold of him. Though he a fair bit of the impatience were born of the way Shuuichi had been evading him all week, some of it had been concern over his little brother’s welfare and that knowledge made him irritable. It helped that Naoe kid was no longer going to the same school but still… Schwartz had something now to back up their suspicions and that would make them try harder despite handicaps.

"What is this all about?" Kurama said managing the most innocent of expressions.

"Hn." Ran said in an annoyed huff.

"Ummm…" Kurama said backing up slightly only to find out that he was surrounded. Ken-san stood between two trees to the east, Omi-kun sitting on a rock to the west, the blond man was leaning on one of the trees to the south and of course his Ran-‘niichan facing him in the north. He was so doomed.

***

Youji stood in his position tensely waiting for anything to happen. He had been with Ran that night when they had tried to rescue Aya-chan from the Schreint. He had seen the ki ball come Ran's way during the battle with Hiei and was wary. He didn't know what could those things do but he'd been in the business end of one of Nagi's force balls at least once to know that they did something unpleasant. He also remembered that this was the one who supposedly took on a number of trained assassins by his lonesome, and gulped. Hopefully they wouldn't need to contain the youngster too long before the latter gave in to Ran's request. It was reasonable enough. Youji knew both Ken and Omi hadn't misgivings about the advisability of cornering Shuuichi like this mainly because they thought that the youngster wouldn't blast them out of the way. Hopefully they were right.

***

"You will not avoid the issue." Ran said implacably at Kurama, divining his intent.

"Meep!" Kurama said startled at that. He never saw this side of his aniki before.

"Shuuichi-kun…"

"And how about you, Ran-'niichan?" Kurama said sweetly, gathering his wits together. He decided to counterattack in the most effective way possible. Ran could not be at all innocent if he had been at that particular scene.

"You first?" Ran asked, trying to get out of his share of confessing. He knew he might have to come clean as well as the young one but he having advantage of age may well postpone for a time if not forever.

"Hai." Kurama agreed after it became apparent that no other concessions would be had.

"Where should I start, aniki?" Kurama said rather formally trying to gauge what the latter saw and what he could still get away with.

"About your disappearance the other night and who that tall white-haired guy and the blue-haired guy were… And about that the powers you and your friends possess…"

This looks very bad for me…

"Well it's a long story…" And that's not the least of it.

"We got time, we're not going anywhere."

Kurama finally capitulated. The determined look on Ran's face made it all to clear that he wasn't stopping short of the truth this time. Resigned he decided to give in before things turned ugly. As if things can get any uglier than this…

"Well, 'niisan…" Said Kurama in his alto voice. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as well as trying to avoid Ran's eyes rather like a schoolboy anticipating a scolding. Then he began to explain about an outcast fox-demon kit called Yoko, a "name" that had simply meant "Fox" in the kitsune tongue. His rise to power through the slave pits and how he had earned his freedom through countless fights even before he was supposedly weaned. How the few times he had tried to have a family was torn by vengeance of the kitsune clans who called him outlaw for his color. How he had earned a name for himself as the best fighting thief in the demon world. Earning the right to name himself and the name he had chosen was Kurama.

Naming some of his atrocities, more specifically those that made him notorious in the demon world. How once tired of being hunted, he had decided to gather a bandit group one of the greatest ever known and perform an act that would forever stun the kitsune clans. The Hundred-Fold Vengeance it was called now, an entire clan slaughtered for the sins of a few of its men-folk. His partners that he had betrayed or outlived…

Kuronue…

And the hardest, how that same fox-demon not a kit this time but full grown fox demon was being hunted and in desperation had run into the Ningenkai to hide in the womb of a woman Shiori displacing the human soul that was to be her child. How she had become the mother of his heart and what he did for her when he learned that she had been dying.

"…I couldn't have let her down, she was the first person to really care for me, she even gave me a name that I didn't have to work for. And you 'niisan, you were the older brother I wanted but never had, how Ayaka would have been if they hadn't poisoned his thoughts against me. So I couldn't have told you about this, it would have endangered you and besides I thought and still think that you would reject me…"

Kurama spared almost none of his story to the man he now considered as part of his family.

"I guess it's my turn ne?" Asked Ran in an even tone after a lengthy silence. He really didn't know how to react to what was said and decided to pass it in favor of explaining his side. He had been ready for lies, for deception but this? This was too outrageous to be false.

They always said the truth was stranger than what you could imagine…

Kurama seemed to understand that he needed more time didn't argue.

Ran explained what happened to his father, stepmother and sister in detail. How he had taken the option of turning informer to pay for Aya-chan's bills. When that wasn't quite enough, a stint with the Crashers, and when the Crashers had been annihilated to freelance his service as an assassin when he discovered the Weiß Kreuz. He had become one of them then, one of the White Hunters. How he had assassinated for the money. Yes, they were corrupted and cruel, doing harm to their fellow men but he had killed them for his own selfish reasons as a means to his ends. How he had been able to avenge himself and his family on Reiji Takatori. How Schrient used Aya-chan to lure him into their clutches and how he felt it was his fault in the first place since it was one of their missions that killed the master of the Schrient, why they wanted their vengeance on him in the first place.

It was a long time since he had confided in anyone like this and was glad that his teammates were gracefully giving Kurama and him relative privacy.

"'Niisan?" Kurama asked uncertainty in his eyes. Suddenly, he rushed to embrace Ran.

Ran didn't know quite how to react.

This was all going too fast…

Kurama felt Ran's reluctance. He sighed out his disappointment. He let go and gave Ran a little apologetic smile.

I knew it was too much to ask that he accept me…

***

Hiei sat on his tree branch in a contemplative mood. The Fox was in his room tossing in bed. It was good for the Fox that he had no school tomorrow for dawn was just breaking on the horizon. Besides sleep, Hiei had known that Kurama had needed some comfort after being rejected by his brother for what he was and he had given what comfort he could. He had watched the confrontation in the nearby tree and had wanted to knock some sense into Ran but knew that the Fox wouldn't have liked it if he had butted in like that. When had he begun to be this protective of the Fox he wondered? When he had felt Kurama change into his youko form, Hiei had assumed that the Fox had been injured and that broke the illusion spell he had been under. He had been so angry with Sohliel for injuring his Fox so. Wait, His Fox when did he think of Kurama of his? And the dreams that the spell magnified, Hiei had no experience about relationships aside from the one he had with Yukina. Being friends were hard enough for him but to acknowledge that he wanted more, much more, from Kurama was almost impossible to admit. Yet the feeling was slowly demolishing his emotional barriers. It frightened him.

What if he doesn't want the same? No one's ever wanted me before, why should he be different.

Yet, yet he could hope and…dream.

***

Kurama curled up in his bed, feeling miserable. He knew very well that his Ran-niichan would not accept him for what he was and feared it and now his fears were realized. Ran had left with not a backward glance at him or his usual affection. He'll just have to live with it. In addition, Ran didn't exactly promise to keep quiet about this. Kurama held an additional dread that his 'niichan might try to tell his kaasan and then his fat would really be in the fire. He might be close to his brother considering the amount of time they spent together but it was like a candle to a bonfire as to what he felt for his mother. Oh 'niichan…

***

Ran's mind was in turmoil after all that he had heard this morning, correction yesterday morning. My little brother wasn't completely human? Were those moments of brotherly affections, the caring all a lie? He said it himself he is youkai demon… demon can't really care? Or could they if they had clans? But he took over your brother's body and displaced his soul… But could you see anyone else as your brother?He cares for you and that grouchy Hiei and the rest of the team but how much of the caring is feigned? A mask, he is after all a charming thief. But all that caring and thoughtfulness couldn't be all fake, his mask would have slipped by now wouldn't it? We have been together for so long, his patience would have snapped and let it out if there was anything to let out wouldn't he? Unscrupulous, as he was?

But Shuuichi--no, Kurama--had accepted Ran… And that probably bothered him most of all. Someone who did that right off would be either pretending or…or maybe Kurama had seen as much as he had said he had. A thousand years in the demon world…

The Makai, from the way Kurama had told it, was a harsher world than this where an orphan would have no chance at all a life rather than an existence. Where the strong lived and the weak perished in a greater degree than here in the Ningenkai, he acknowledged. Here there was some chance that an orphan would be taken in by one of the orphanages to have good life, injustice here wasn't comparable to the magnitude in the Makai from the glimpse he had seen through Shuuichi's retelling. A cross between the cave and the gladiatorial stadiums with a dash of the jungle thrown.

Do I have the right to judge him? He could have possibly killed your real brother…but can your really want it otherwise…

Maybe this is all a dream and I'll wake up tomorrow.

***

"Ohayo, Aya-kun." Both Ken and Omi chorused.

"Ohayo, Ken, Omi." Ran knew something was brewing, both had determined looks on their faces. And he was right.

"About your otouto, Shu—Kurama…" Said Ken not wasting any time on any sort of preamble.

"What is it?" Ran interrupted him in his most intimidating voice, hoping Ken wouldn't continue. His thoughts were troubling enough without their interference to his way of thinking.

"We think that you should give him a chance. No one bad can be that good with children or take some time to give sympathy and aid to the enemy, he even checked if Nagi was all right after the incident." Ken had seen Kurama corner Nagi at one time after school and had not commented on it especially since the meeting had gone on quite friendly-like. He knew it would have made Aya go ballistic if he had said something beforehand. Personally, Ken had thought Aya overprotective of the lad and after the incident, he was sure Kurama could take good care of himself and didn't need the tailing.

"Or tolerate my shadowing for more than a week, day in day out, or tolerate those scary fan-girls and fan-boys of his with good humor." Added Omi, shivering in distaste at the thought of the 'Fan Club'. "He has his own following in school, you know, as we have in the shop."

"I'll think of it."

"Aya-kun!"

"I said I'll think of it." Giving both the younger members of Weiß his death-glare. Stopping all conversation for the moment. Why was it that the other members of his team could accept all this so easily while he couldn't was beyond him…

***

It was another day at school. Shuuichi trudged about with his usual cheerfulness. If you didn't note a certain lackluster glitter to his eyes when he thought no one was looking. Omi took note of it and sighed. Aya-kun, you are one cold blooded baka.

"Konichiwa, Shuuichi-kun." Omi said sitting down as usual at the lunch table with his usual genki smile showing that at least he hadn't change his opinion of Shuuichi with this turn of events.

"Konichiwa, Omi-kun." Kurama smiled his first genuine smile of the day, grateful that Omi had at least treated him normally. If Omi-kun can accept me, maybe there is a chance that 'niichan could too…

"Ken-kun would like to ask you if you would be willing to help him with the children again sometime…"

Yes it was definite comfort that at least two of his 'niichan's teammates accepted him for what he was. The day was a little brighter but still Ran's rejection weighed heavily on Kurama. Besides that, Ran seemed to avoid him and he hadn't had the opportunity to tell his older brother about their demon heritage and the perils that accompanied it.

***

At last, a problem he could vent his frustration on. The Estet was supposed to be due sometime tonight in the airport that's why he and the rest of Weiß were lurking about waiting for them. They charged out of hiding only to end up stalemated with Sakura-chan pointing out a gun at him as their target whizzed away on their limousine. He was about to try for disarming Sakura-chan when he heard a cry.

"Ran-'niichan!" Shuuichi hurled himself in between Ran and Sakura, throwing his whip in front of him to catch the gun squarely on the muzzle.

Startled, Sakura fired. The bullet would have hit the ground missing Kurama but for Hiei. Hiei tried to slice at the gun in the Kurama's wake and Sakura recoiled to protect it simultaneously. Hiei manage to hit magazine, not hard enough to slice it but the force of the blow had made the gun explode managing to catch Kurama unaware. He had dodged but ended up getting hit by the blast on his left side. Blood bloomed on several places on Kurama's tunic. Sakura crumpled to the pavement. Everyone was shocked.

"Kurama!"

"Shuuichi!"

"Sakura!"

Hiei caught Kurama as he fell. He had only beaten Ran to it because he had been closer and was inhumanly quicker than the assassin. Review this Fic...