Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fluff Forevermore ❯ Forgiveness is All the Better if You Wait ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

DISCLAIMER: How the heck am I supposed to find a way to own Yu Yu Hakusho? I can BARELY afford to buy two Dragonlance novels! The only thing I can afford to do with the Yu Yu Hakusho characters is play with them a little bit and send them on their way.

“Professor Sprout?”

“Oh, there you are!”

The woman who had spoken was very short and dressed in green robes covered in dirt and soil. Her hair poked out from under the gardening hat she wore, giving her a rather flyaway appearance. Her face was pleasantly round, and laugh lines creased her features.

“And you must be the new foreign students,” Professor Sprout said brightly. “I'm your Herbology teacher.

Yusuke held out his hand, and Professor Sprout stripped off one dirty glove and shook it—hand, not glove.

“Well, go ahead, join everyone else at the table. We've got an easy class today—just feeding the mandrakes. Would have done it myself, but I didn't have anything planned for my seventh years…”

Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Harry joined Ron and Hermione at the trestle table. They were given earmuffs to wear—Hermione gave them a quick explanation of mandrakes—and they were shown how to poke strange seed-like things down the throats of the mandrakes—purplish, tufty plants with ugly, muddy babies in place of roots.

Kurama, for one, was beginning to think that nothing about this place could surprise him.

Kurama spent almost the entire Herbology class trying to catch Hiei's eye. When Hiei avoided his gaze every time, Kurama got angry and stared down at the plants, jaw tight, until the bell rang, and everyone began to clean up.

Hiei fought down a sigh as he followed the rest of the group into the Charms classroom for their last class of the day. I hatethis! He thought grumpily. Stupid school…stupid classes…stupid people!

“Come on, Hiei, it's not that bad!” Kuwabara said, noticing Hiei's scowl.

Hiei froze him with a death glare. “Shut up.”

Kuwabara shook his head and shrugged. “Whatever. Be miserable. What the hel do I care?”

Hiei rolled his eyes as Kuwabara turned away, ignoring the twinge of remorse he felt. And stupid ningen for teachingme remorse! He thought violently.

He was in a very bad mood. It had gotten worse all day as he went with everyone else to Transfiguration, skipped lunch, and then went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. (In those two classes, they had simply “observed”, as they couldn't actually do magic, though the Tentei could have shown the ningen a thing or two about defense, and even more about offense, as Hiei had muttered rebelliously when he was told to sit and watch the class with the rest of the Tentei.)

As much as he hated to admit it, he did miss Japan, as Kurama had said. He missed Kurama's house, and the familiarity of Tokyo, and Shiori, his only full-blood-ningen friend. He didn't like England. It was unfamiliar, and it made him feel out of place. He hated feel out of place. And it was lonely without Kurama by his side.

As he was sent to the corner of the room with Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama to have people stare at him openly as they worked, he kept repeating, It has to be done, it has to be done, it has to be done…over and over in his thoughts.

It was the only thing that kept him sane.

“What do you mean, you're not hungry?” Ron demanded. “You skipped lunch and hardly ate any breakfast!”

Hiei regarded him with a cold stare. “I said I wasn't hungry. I'm staying here.” His tone brooked no argument, but Ron tried anyway…or he was going to, before Hermione said, “Oh, Ron, leave him be. If he's not hungry, he's not hungry. I suppose you are telling the truth?” she added to Hiei.

“What's it to you?” Hiei asked coolly.

She glared at him. “Don't be rude. I'm only asking because if you really are hungry and just want to avoid the crowd, we can bring something back. You don't have to act like an ungrateful little brat.”

In a flash, Hiei had his sword out and leveled at her throat. “I could kill you right now,” he said softly, ignoring the frightened look Ron gave him.

Hermione gazed at him coolly. “I know you would. But that wouldn't make you any more polite…or any less hungry.”

There was a moment of utter silence, and then Hiei sheathed his sword and, to everyone's shock, favored Hermione with a small smile. “I'm really not hungry,” he said, and then he turned away, and climbed back up onto the windowsill, while Hermione left with the others, feeling as if she'd just passed some sort of test.

“That was awesome!” Ron said excitedly, as he left for lunch with Harry, Hermione, and the Tentei. “I didn't know Hiei had a sword!”

Hermione glared at him. “And I suppose it would have been an even better show if he had decapitated me!”

Ron faltered a bit. “Well…well, no, but…he wouldn't really do that…would he?”

“Yes,” Yusuke and Kuwabara said at the same time.

“H-he would?”

“Yep. If he got mad enough. But I don't think he would have this time.”

“Then why did he threaten to?” Hermione asked.

Yusuke shrugged. “He was testing you. He wanted to see if you were brave enough to face down him and his blade.”

“Why me, though?”

“That's harder to understand. Maybe you were just the first chance he got,” Kuwabara said, shrugging.

“That guy's weird,” Harry said.

“He is,” Yusuke agreed. “But…” he paused.

“But what?” Ron asked.

Kurama made an indistinct noise in his throat. Yusuke glanced at him and said quickly, “Never mind. Let's just go eat.”

Ron shook his head as Yusuke hurried ahead, shaking his own head as if angry with himself. “You're all weird,” he muttered.

In the Great Hall, the absence of the Jaganshi was immediately noticed by the Gryffindors. (Hiei was a rather memorable person because of his tendency to frighten people out of their wits.) It took half a dozen explanation before the disappointed Gryffindors stopped demanding to know where he was. (He awed many of the ones who feared him.)

“How did Hiei get so popular so fast?” Yusuke asked in mild surprise as he took a seat.

Harry smiled. “We don't usually get foreign exchange students, especially ones as scary as Hiei.”

“Well, there are very few people as scary as Hiei,” Kuwabara pointed out.

“”True.”

“Hi!” a shrill voice interrupted excitedly behind him.

Kurama, who had been awkwardly buttering a piece of bread, froze as if he had been turned to stone. Then he closed his eyes as if in prayer and turned slowly, glaring at his friends, who were smirking at his discomfort.

“Hello,” he said, fighting to keep his voice polite.

“Hi,” the girl repeated. “I'm Parvati Patil!”

“My name is Kurama.”

“I know that,” Parvati said, shoving Ron to the side so she could sit down. “Everyone knows that! So how do you like this school?”

Kurama sighed inwardly and resigned himself to a long, drawn-out conversation with yet another Hogwarts girl. Every new school…

He forced a smile onto his face and said, “It's very nice.”

“Better than the schools in Japan?”

Kurama thought about this and said honestly, “I like my home better.”

Parvati smiled. “Maybe I'll go there sometime.”

Please, no…“Great.”

Parvati paused and said, “We've all been just dying to ask you. What happened gto your arm.”

“Car accident,” Kurama lied.

“Madam Pomfrey could mend it in a minute,” Parvati said.

“We tried that.”

“And it didn't work?” Parvati asked, shocked. “Why?”

“We don't know,” Ron said suddenly. “But we do know that you're being very annoying, so will you stop flirting and go away?”

Parvati glared at him. “Well, you may not want my company, Ronald, but Kurama…”

“Wants it less,” Harry said.

“That's not true!”

“Yes, it is. He's too polite to say it, but you're the fifth girl that's come up to him today and forced him into long, boring conversations, and it's getting annoying. So go away,” Hermione said.

Parvati glared at them all and stalked off in a huff.

“Thanks,” Kurama muttered to Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

“You're really popular,” Ron commented.

“I know. It's a dam curse,” Kurama said, shaking his head. “Those girls are scary.”

Hurry up and get back here, you stupid ningen! Hiei thought.

He was sitting in his window. His sword lay across his lap, and he was running a rag over it, even though it didn't need polishing. But the motions helped to clear his head.

He never thought he'd be waiting for ningen to come back. Especially a whole annoying group of them. But if they came back, Kurama would come back.

He looked at the clock across the room. Nine-thirty…he thought after managing to work out the numbers and their meaning. How long does it take to eat? He wondered. He glared at the door as if by doing this, he could make it open and force Kurama and the others to appear. And there was no way in hel he was going to leave the quiet of this room to go down to the rest of the school.

Though that idea did have its merits, Hiei reflected, remembering with a smirk how thoroughly he'd managed to frighten the students on his very first day meeting them all.

Hiei swallowed a yawn. He was tired! He shouldn't be—he was hardly ever tired before eleven—but he was. Must be the new environment…

He couldn't fall asleep. He would miss doing what he wanted to do…

“I'm turning in,” Kurama said, having checked his watch and finding that it was almost eleven. He and the others had been in the common room for almost three hours, now, and Kurama, for one, was tired.

“Oh…all right,” Hermione said, even as Ron and Harry looked faintly disappointed. “Sleep well.”

Kurama waved his hand at her as he walked up the stairs. As he threw open the door to the dormitory, he said, “All right, this has gone on long enough, Hiei. I know you're mad at me, but—”

He stopped midsentence when he saw Hiei, curled up in the window, fast asleep. He was still fully dressed, including cloak. Smiling softly, Kurama very carefully removed the cloak and spread it over its owner. Hiei rolled over and pulled his “blanket” around himself tightly, but didn't wake.

Kurama bit back the urge to wake him. Hiei had looked tired today, and he needed to sleep.

But tomorrow morning, no matter what tried to get in his way, he would apologize to Hiei. First thing in the morning. He was tired of fighting with his koi.

It's funny, Kurama thought sleepily as he stumbled to his bed. I haven't thought of him as my ex once the whole time we've been fighting.

Hiei woke suddenly, staring into the darkness and wondering what had woken him.

The room was utterly silent, except for a small, almost silent whimper. He doubted he would have even picked it up if his youkai hearing wasn't so acute.

Hiei looked across the room, and his heart melted at the sight that met his eyes.

Kurama was curled up in a small ball on his bed. It looked like he was trying to be as small as possible. He was obviously the source of the sound that had woken Hiei, and his whimpers seemed to be growing in confidence.

Hiei sat up, and his cloak fell off him. He looked at it, confused, but then he decided to ignore the fact that he'd been wearing it when he'd fallen asleep.

He crept over to Kurama's bed and placed a hand on his head. “Shh,” he said softly. “Shh…it's all right. You're safe.”

Kurama quieted, coming out of his protective ball, but Hiei didn't move away. He hadn't been this close to Kurama since their fight. He's beautiful…

Before he even realized what he was doing, he slid into the bed next to Kurama, and curled up at his side, content to be close to him, even if it was just for a moment.

Suddenly, an arm snaked around his waist, and he was jerked close to Kurama. He bit back a cry, because something told him that nothing was wrong.

“Koi…” Kurama said softly, the word coming out slowly, as if he were tasting it. Hiei felt a jolt of happiness at the sound. “Koi…” he repeated. “I'm sor—”

Hiei placed a finger at Kurama's lips. “Shut up, fox. You were right. It's me who's sorry.”

“But I wasn't right, Hiei! It wasn't your fault!” Kurama protested. “I didn't mean that—I was just…scared. Scared of meeting him again. It made me a bit…harsh. But today is the day you stop blaming yourself, because it's useless and annoying to both of us. Is that clear?”

Hiei felt a smile spread across his face, and he kissed Kurama and said, “Crystal. So is there room for two to sleep in this bed?”

Kurama chuckled. “You actually thought I was going to let you move?” he teased, drawing the Jaganshi closer.

Hiei found the idea of falling asleep in Kurama's arms right then very inviting, but there was still something to do. “I'm sorry, fox. I couldn't save you from the worst fate that bastard could give you. I tried…so hard. But…we couldn't find you. Mukuro had people looking, and they had people looking…it just wasn't enough.”

He felt Kurama shake his head. “Forget it. It was awful, but…it happens. I can't do anything about the past, so why dwell on it?”

“Make sense. So we're…what is that phrase ningen use?…we're good now?”

“Yes. We're good.” Kurama's lips pressed against Hiei's forehead in the dark. “Aishiteru, koi.”

Hiei wrapped his arm around the kitsune's waist, planted a kiss on his lips, and curled up, practically on top of his fox. He just had time to think that Kurama fit perfectly in the circle of his arms before sleep carried him away.

Kitsune: According to this contract that I have drawn up…brandishes sheet of paper…you must REVIEW now that you have READ.

Hiei: They have to sign it before it's legal, moron.

Kitsune: They…they do?

Kurama: I believe so.

Kitsune: Oh…but…you'll review anyway, won't you? Please? looks pleadingly at readers

Reviewers' comments:

darkspirals: I don't mind you pointing things out! That's why people review! I was just countering the things you pointed out. And I have to admit, your explanation does make sense…but Hiei hasn't ever lived in England, just Japan, so…yeah. Anyway, thanks for the review!

StormAZ: Yep, you're pretty much the only reviewer around on Mediaminer. Most of my reviewers—of which there are precious few—read the fic on So anyways, thanks for the review, and yes, I did choose this chapter to pick on poor Kurama. I didn't mean to, honest! defensive It just sort of happened! They made me do it! points at the evil muses in the form of assorted chibis and bishis

YokoYoukai: Well, they finally made up! breathes sigh of relief Now Hiei-muse can get off my back…looks apprehensively at saber and starts to run HIEI, I PUT YOU AND KURAMA BACK TOGETHER, SO NOW YOU HAVE TO DO ME A FAVOR AND HEEEELLLLP MEEEE!

Koritsune Dragonrider: Okay, so I know that you sent a review to Fluff and Circumstance, but I wanted to reply, so…here it is, if you ever get around to reading this story, too. Thanks for reviewing me! How long ago did you write your first story? I'm kind of a rookie—the Fluff series is the first set of fanfics I've really written on my own (I used to co-author with my sister, see) and because of that, it always means a lot to me when people say they like my stories. So thanks a lot for the review! And by the way, the Rascal Flatts are one of my favorite groups…and the song fit the chapter perfectly.

“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” -Voltaire