Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Small Talk ❯ Small Talk ( Chapter 1 )

Small Talk

 

 

 

There are rare events and then there are truly rare events. Daisuke was sure this was one of the latter. He sat by himself next to the water, silently watching the blazing sunset. He was relieved to find a moment to himself, away from his obnoxious, screaming kid sisters, away from the world.

Then he heard a slight noise behind him and spotted his father approaching. Hiei gave his son a slight nod and took a seat close, but not too close to him. So here they were, sitting next to each other in silence, and Daisuke was in complete and total shock.

Rarely did his father express any true interest in talking to his son. Fighting with him, yes. But never talking, well talking civilly at least. Daisuke risked a glance over at his proud father. The prince of a wide span of territory covering most of the east was wearing his usual getup. Dark blue tank top, black pants, and black boots. He sat with his arms wrapped around his drawn up leg. Composed of nothing but muscle and raw power contained in that compact body. His face was passive yet stern. The upswept hair blowing in the slight breeze.

Daisuke realized that his father looked extremely young, even for his age, well not old enough to have a son his age at least. Daisuke hoped he looked half as good as his father did at his age. Well of course he was bound to, giving he was a demon and the ageless blood ran through him.

Hiei had that look on his face that Daisuke recognized, signaling that his father was about to speak. But then he scowled and looked down at the calm water. Daisuke turned away and looked down as well. It seemed his father was having some sort of internal battle. That made Daisuke a little nervous. His father fighting was scary enough, but his father fighting himself was even scarier. Hiei spoke suddenly.

“You come out here often, don't you?”

“When I can...yes,” Daisuke replied slowly, “It relaxes me, I suppose.”

“Hn... I have a place like this... awhile from here.” Daisuke stared at his father. He could barely picture his father calmly relaxing in a field of flowers somewhere. As if reading his son's thoughts, Hiei spoke again. “It's a cabin... in the middle of nowhere. I took Kurama there a couple of times, it--” he stopped when he realized that was much more information than he originally intended to tell Daisuke.

“Really?” Daisuke's left ear did its trademark twitch when he raised a dark eyebrow.

“It's a nice place,” Hiei grumbled avoiding the question, then visibly trying to change the subject, he lapsed into silence.

Another breeze swept through the forest, and the last remnants of sunlight disappeared over the far-away mountains.

“So... Daisuke...How's schooling going with Sensei Uzumaki?” Daisuke wondered what Kurama put in Hiei's food that night to make him suddenly so talkative.

“Oh...It's fine.” Daisuke did not mention the fact that Uzumaki gave him a month's vacation that started a week ago.

“That's good.” His father curtly nodded as if he truly cared about his education. “I noticed you walking with a girl a while ago... You're not getting any ideas are you?”

Daisuke suppressed a roar of laughter; instead it came out as a choked giggle. His fathers' tact to grasp Daisuke's innocence was downright hilarious sometimes.

“No. She wandered into our territory; I was just being nice.”

“Ah, I see. You're a nice boy now.” Hiei almost sounded disappointed. He raised an eyebrow. “And quite the lady-killer, so I hear.” Daisuke wished his father wouldn't use the term `lady killer'. Hiei continued. “Of course, you are his son, so who could blame them.” He chuckled. Daisuke couldn't help but laugh at that one, knowing that he was speaking of Kurama.

“True.” Daisuke grinned.

Another uncomfortable silence fell between them. By now the sky was blanketed in dark purple as twilight set in at full effect. Stars pierced through the sky and the moon loomed over them from a distance. Daisuke could distinctly make out his father's silhouette, and so he decided to ask a question that had nagged him for years.

“How did you and Touchan ever end up together?” It was a somewhat risky question, but a very obvious one to him and his sisters. He was sure his father's face went through a range of expressions then finally settled on an amused but calm shock.

“You know, some days I wonder that myself.” Hiei mused; “Things were different then... I was different.” He took a deep breath and Daisuke wondered if this was not good territory to delve into. “After working with the Tentai...getting beat by Yusuke. I wanted nothing more than to defeat the spirit detective. I drove myself nearly insane with rage. But more than anything; I was lonely. Nobody saw it but your Touchan. He knew. Even after you were born... I was still the same. It took me many years to finally realize how much he cared for me all along. Even when I had been nothing but a total jackass to him.” He trailed off in thought; “I love him very much. I suppose I always have,” he said it more to himself than to Daisuke.

Daisuke watched his father inquisitively, very much aware of the rarity of a moment like this.

“I have done a lot of terrible things in my life,” Hiei continued in the same introverted tone of voice. “But I hope somehow... I've changed” He looked at Daisuke. “I never knew my father, and the bandits that took me in never spent any time with me, they couldn't have really cared less if I lived or died.”

“Did you know your mother?” It was all Daisuke could think of to ask.

“No... I was told she died a few years after I was born.” Daisuke winced at that, and he heard his father take a deep breath. “Oh well... doesn't matter anymore. Somehow I was cursed to be forbidden and forgotten, and look at me now.” Daisuke knew quite well the implications of the statement.

“Well, you never know what the future holds, Tousan,” Daisuke didn't realize the irony of the statement until Hiei gave him one of his infamous lopsided grins.

“Tell me about it. I never expected you to come along.” Daisuke shifted positions uncomfortably. “You are much different than him in some ways,” his father observed, “I'm glad though... I don't think I could stand another like your Touchan.” He chuckled.

Hiei was indeed in a good mood tonight; Daisuke still couldn't get over it. Hiei stood up suddenly.

“Guess we should head back, I can sense your Touchan's anger reaching its threshold.” Daisuke didn't argue; that wasn't something we wanted to witness either. They began to walk slowly down the gently sloped hill to the looming structure of their cave.

Daisuke walked closely beside his father and was shocked when Hiei placed a hand firmly on his son's shoulder, His father's face was softer than normal, but Daisuke wasn't sure if that was just the dim light or not. “We should really do this more often.” Daisuke thought it was pretty bizarre the way his father was acting, but laughed when he saw him grinning emphatically down at him. Father and son continued up the hill, silently with lopsided grins.

Their grins soon faded though, when they saw Kurama in his tall, silver youko form, leaning against the side of the cave, his arms crossed over his chest and his tail swaying furiously behind him. Daisuke smiled nervously up at him, but Kurama's expression remained stern.

“Hi...Touchan.” Daisuke mumbled and shuffled his feet.

“Bed. Now.” Yoko's golden eyes glared harshly at his son. The boy nodded and ran into the cave without a word. When he was sure the boy was gone, Kurama's unhappy frown turned into an amused smirk and Hiei rolled his eyes then sighed.

“I hardly think the boy deserved that.” Hiei frowned and leaned over to watch Daisuke crawl into bed next to his two sisters.

“I take it that you talked to him?” Hiei nodded. “Well?”

“We had a... good time.” Kurama chuckled and unfolded his arms.

“See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?” Hiei growled and mumbled something about damn kitsunes always being right, then stomped off. He was just about to enter the cave when Kurama grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. Hiei looked over his shoulder at Kurama with a curious expression. “Huh uh... We aren't sleeping here tonight.” Kurama flashed one of his trademark smirks and pulled Hiei away to the garden behind the cave, Hiei grinning behind him the whole time. If this was the reward for spending an hour with his son, Hiei was definitely going to have small talks with Daisuke more often.

 

^. ^ Owari