Genkai looked at the 5-year-old boy. A half breed between a forbidden koorime and a fire demon. With a Jagan, and also a fully mastered Kokuryuuha. Big chance he’ll throw a temper anytime on the slightest thing that doesn’t suit his taste buds.
The little boy with the sleepover bag was blinking its eyes at
the old lady who was deep in thoughts.
Then she looked at Yuusuke. She gestured the boy to follow her out of the room, leaving Kurama and Hiei in there.
“Why is it that you’re leaving him here?” she asked. Yuusuke smiled. “Well, you see… at first, Kurama wanted to just leave him at home. But knowing Hiei, we don’t think he’ll leave the things in the house alone. Also in addition, he won’t listen to Kurama’s normal affection coo…” Genkai’s thin brow lifted in amusement.
“You mean he doesn’t listen to Kurama anymore?” she asked. Yuusuke smirked. “Not that… he listens to the redhead. He just doesn’t… He doesn’t want Kurama touching him without a perfect explanation. That hurts Kurama. Also he thinks for himself and kept saying that Kurama taught him this and that even though the redhead said nothing. If you ask me, I think Hiei has a little problem,” Yuusuke sighed.
“Meaning you’ll risk my temple?” the old lady smiled. “Baasan! Ok, I mean… please do this for Kurama… He’d done a lot for us,” Yuusuke sighed again. Genkai nodded. “I’ll let Yukina handle him. Will he be alright with it?” the lady asked. Yuusuke shrugged.
“I dunno… we won’t know until we try,” he grinned. “Heh… Just don’t let Yukina be charred by that boy,” Genkai smiled.
Just as Yuusuke and Genkai wanted to walk back inside, the youth stopped that lady. Something was happening. They could see from where they were and also because of the ajar sliding door. “Wanna see how Hiei reacts to Kurama’s touch?” he asked. Genkai shrugged. “Look,” he pointed inside.
That ice cream Hiei was eating was dripping all over his face. Kurama wanted to just lick it off the boy’s face but he would then be risking his face to be slapped. :… Kurama… this Hiei is different from the one before… be patient …: a voice in his head warned him.
“Hiei, you got ice-cream all over your face,” Kurama told the boy and inched closer to wiped it off. Hiei slapped his hand away and took the handkerchief. He rubbed his face and dropped the ice cream that was in his hand on the floor. “Opps,” Hiei blinked. Kurama sighed and took his handkerchief from Hiei and wiped the floor with it. “Stay here okay?” Kurama said before going out the door. “I’m coming,” he ignored Kurama and followed the redhead out the door to the toilet.
Kurama let the boy follow him. God, he was so in love with him that he was going to cry. Why was this happening? Why did his heart ached so much when Hiei slapped away his hand?
Yuusuke and Genkai watched as Kurama walked out of the room with Hiei close behind. “I don’t understand the boy,” Genkai shook her head.
“Are you done yet in the toilet?” a voice hollered the redhead. Kurama closed his eyes and reached out to shut the tap that was running to clean his handkerchief. “Yeah,” Kurama replied and open the door. He found Hiei sitting on the ground waiting for him. Automatically Kurama bent and tried to scoop Hiei up. “Why are you sitting on the dirty floor?” Kurama asked, as he touched Hiei’s sides. The boy pushed away and stood up.
Kurama felt another stab of pain though his heart. He then sighed and folded the already cleaned handkerchief and stuffed it inside his pocket.
Kurama slid open the door and saw Yuusuke and Genkai were already inside. He walked in with Hiei trailing him behind. “He can stay here tomorrow,” Genkai smiled. Kurama sat down and bowed to thank Genkai. “Thank you,” he uttered.
Kurama turned to Hiei and motioned him to sit closer. The latter followed and blinked at Kurama. “Tomorrow I’m going to school. So you’ll be staying here for the week. Okay?” he asked. Hiei shook his head. “I don’t want to! I want to stay with you!” his frown was deep, obviously angry. “Okay then, what about if I’ll pick you up after school and we’ll go home?” Kurama asked. Hiei’s lips were trembling. “Noo…” he said softly.
“Hiei, you can’t follow me to school. You have to stay here,”
Kurama explained. Yuusuke sat next to Hiei and put a hand on Hiei’s shoulder;
Hiei shoved Yuusuke’s hand away and pouted. Yuusuke put both hands in the
air. :… pretty touchy guy …: he thought. “Ne, Hiei… Kurama
needed to go to school and you can’t go with him. You can stay here
and play with Yukina-chan. Maybe you guys can catch butterflies,” Yuusuke
coaxed the boy.
“I don’t want to play! I wanna be with Kuramama!” Hiei insisted. “Come on Hiei…” Yuusuke coaxed. “I don’t want to!” Hiei’s eyes were full with tears. “Kuramama will leave me! I know it!” he then scrambled on his feet to Kurama. The boy suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Kurama and cried. “Kuramama! Don’t leave me! Please! I’ll do anything! Just don’t leave me and go! I am a good boy ain’t I? I did nothing wrong didn’t I? Please…” he was crying.
Genkai sighed. Yuusuke was sad looking at the scene. It wasn’t because of Hiei’s stubbornness. It was because he could feel the pain in Kurama’s heart now. The love he couldn’t express and the pain he had to bare with.
Kurama closed his eyes. If softness couldn’t solve this, then let him have it the hard way.
Kurama pushed Hiei away and slapped him. Hiei blinked and silenced himself. “Kuramama…” he uttered sadly. “Don’t you Kuramama me! You’re making things very hard for me as it is. I hate you! And I don’t want you to follow me around, that’s why am sending you here!” Hiei’s lips trembled. Suddenly he felt scared. He felt painful to have Kurama scold him like that. “Please… don’t leave me…” his eyes starting to well up with tears again.
Kurama threw Hiei his bag and got up. “I’ll see you in a week,” he said gruffly and walked to the door. Hiei threw away his bag and scrambled to his feet to go after Kurama. The running redhead was biting his lips to suppress himself from crying.
Yuusuke started to stand up to go after Hiei but Genkai stopped him. “Wait. Kurama’s doing the right thing. If worse comes to worse, you just bring him back and bring the boy here tomorrow morning,” Genkai said. Yuusuke sighed and sipped his tea.
Hiei ran after Kurama but tripped over the stairs and fell. “Kuramama…” he cried louder. His knees were bruised but he got back on his feet then slipped his steps and rolled on the ground. Kurama wanted to turn back but then he heard Yukina’s voice.
“Ah, Hiei-san! Daijobu desu ka?” she crouched to check the boy. Kurama continued to run, as he knew that Hiei would be taken care of.
“Kuramama… don’t leave me… please… don’t leave me…” Hiei said over and over again, his body shaking with fear.
Yukina looked at the tear stained boy. “What’s the matter?” Hiei stifled a cry. “Kuramama wants to leave me,” he said. Yukina shook her head. “No he doesn’t, he just needs to do something,” Yukina explained, softly patting the bruised knees. “Let’s go inside and I’ll heal this for you,” Hiei shook his head as Yukina brought him up the stairs to the living room. “I don’t want to be healed. I want Kuramama,” he whined.
“Okay, we’ll ask Yuusuke-san to get you home, okay?” Yukina promised the boy with a smile. Hiei nodded and bit his lips.
Yuusuke looked at Hiei as Yukina brought him in. “Bruised knees?” he asked. Yukina nodded. “He fell,” she put him down and brushed off Hiei’s tears. She went out to get a basin of warm water.
Yuusuke looked at Hiei. “Hiei?” he called. Hiei blinked. “Why did you do that?” he asked. “What did I do?” Hiei asked. Yuusuke sighed and looked on the floor. How was he to ask a boy like that?
“Did I do something wrong to make Kuramama hate me like that?” Hiei asked. His knees were bleeding, Yuusuke realized. Yukina came back and went to the cupboard to take some cottons and antiseptic lotion.
She sat next to Hiei and wet the cotton to clean the dirt on his bleeding knee. Yuusuke waited for Yukina to finish dressing Hiei’s wound.
She smiled and patted Hiei’s wound gently. “There… it should be alright,” she smiled and went out with the basin of dirty water.
Yuusuke resumed his questionnaire with Hiei. “Why is it that you push him away when he wants to touch you?” Yuusuke asked. “Touch me? Why would he want to touch me?” Hiei asked. “Because he loves you,” Yuusuke smiled. “I love him too, but why must he touch me?” Hiei asked. :… Oh this is going nowhere …: Yuusuke bit his lips.
“People who love each other touches each other everyday. It’s to show your love. And you don’t go and slap people or push people away when they try to touch you,” Yuusuke started to raise his voice. But Hiei wasn’t afraid of Yuusuke’s raised voice. “What’s touching anyway,” he asked casually.
Yuusuke nearly fainted.
Genkai chuckled. “Shaking hands and hugging are touching; to show affection. There are more but…,” she thought Hiei won’t be able to digest what she meant if she talked some more.
Hiei was silent. “Was it because I didn’t touch Kuramama and didn’t let him touch me that he is angry at me?” Hiei asked. Yuusuke blinked. :… Well, not all; but I know partly, Kurama is …:
So Yuusuke decided to nod. “Yes Hiei,” he smiled. Then Hiei stood up. “Where you going, Hiei?” Yuusuke asked. “I am going back to Kuramama and touch him so he won’t leave me alone,” Hiei said determined. Yuusuke looked at Genkai. She nodded.
“Wait Hiei, I’ll get you home. It’s dark and you might get lost!”
Yuusuke ran after Hiei.