Beauty Reborn {A Kurama story}

[Konnichiwa]

-sigh- again, I found this on the internet..... O.o.... it's rather.... erm interestiong.... yet cute at the same time! ^__^

Chapter One: The Meaning Of Hate: School- Among Other Things...
The sun was shinning brightly, spreading warmth over the human world like a small fire in a dark alley. Not all of it was friendly and comforting, but the neighborhood in which the sight was spotted was just that¡ªfriendly and comforting, with no strings attached. You just never see enough of the beautiful picture around the globe¡­ but it¡¯s alright¡­ for if you did, it would be a shallow place to live.

Kurama knew this well. He had seen sights that were not at all pleasing to the eye, had done things that was filled with unadulterated horrifying actions. Yes, it was his life back then, when he was free to do as he chose, and could control anyone if he inspired enough bone-chilling fear inside him or her. His power had been practically limitless, and his stolen treasures were taken with great force¡ªand he had enjoyed every minute of it.

Or¡­ so he thought. Now¡­ he wasn¡¯t so sure.

¡°Suichi!¡± A female voice called affectionately. It drifted into a seemingly empty room, save a couple pieces of furniture and decorations. But, standing next to the wide, open window stood a boy around the age of 6, with thick red hair on top of his head and a small, yet lean frame for a body, looking innocently at the outside beauty the world held on that particular summer day. He was clothed in a simple red and white striped shirt and blue shorts, his socks white and bare, since good boys leave their shoes at the front entrance of the house. He turned around to see his mother standing in the entryway of the room, her hands folded in front of her.

¡°Yes, mother?¡± the young boy responded politely. She smiled lovingly at him.

¡°Tomorrow is your first day of school. Are you sure you¡¯ve got everything ready?¡± He was unable to stop himself from smiling back up at her in return.

¡°Yes, mother. I made sure that I put everything near the door. If you look in the main hallway, you should see my backpack settled against the wall with everything that I will need for tomorrow. My lunch is also ready for tomorrow¡¯s meal¡ªit is in the refrigerator. But, if I have forgotten anything, please let me know.¡± His voice was sincere and his articulation was perfect. His mother sometimes marveled at his flawless personality.

¡°No, I believe that you¡¯ve got everything under control,¡± she said with a light laugh. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you go on out and play while I make dinner? It¡¯s a beautiful day, it would be a shame to waste it inside.¡±

Suichi brightened. ¡°Do you mean it, mother? I can go outside?¡±

She laughed. ¡°Well, yes! It¡¯s not like you¡¯re to be caged inside the house for the rest of your life. Go on, have some fun! You can have yourself a little adventure, what do you say?¡±

The little boy ran up to her and hugged her legs happily. ¡°Thank you, mother!¡± Then, he stopped and looked up at her face. She looked worn out; weary, as if she hadn¡¯t been sleeping well for the last few days. The bags under her eyes were black while her face held a pale, sickly look.

¡°Mother?¡± he asked quietly. She looked at him questioningly. ¡°Are you okay? You look tired.¡±

She simply smiled, her eyes brimming with what looked like tears. ¡°I¡¯ll be just fine, hunny. I just need to rest tonight, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll be perfectly alright tomorrow, in time for your first day of first grade.¡±

Suichi grinned once more, and uttered a respectful, ¡°Thank you, Mother,¡± the quickly exited the room to escape to the outside. Shiori sighed sadly, watching her son walk calmly out of the house, unshed tears blurring him from her vision.

¡°My dear Suichi¡­¡±

[Konnichiwa]

Suichi walked outside, slowly taking in the strong sun, the stunning greenery, the wonderful aromas¡ª he couldn¡¯t get enough of it all.
Stepping down the small stairway, he automatically went to the rose bushes lined up outside against their house wall. Bending down, he did a simple check to see how it was coming along. It was planted and nurtured by his own hands, and he was very proud of it. He saw some buds starting to sprout from its prickly branches and he beamed humbly at them, unable to hide the swell of joy that rose from his stomach.

Suddenly, Suichi had an urge to help it along. Looking left and right, then to the house, he made sure that no one was watching. Satisfied that he indeed was alone, he concentrated back onto the rose buds. Putting his hands on top of each other out in front of the small buds, he closed his eyes and tried to focus, digging deep within himself to find his buried power that use to be so easy to acquire. When he found a small bit of it, he slowly poured it into the buds awaiting lips, feeding it his energy gradually. The buds shook slightly, but accepted it greatly. They started to grow in size, turning from its immature green color to its ripe red. The rose¡¯s lips became more defined and started to unfold. By that time, Suichi stopped, and opened his eyes. His breath was slightly heavy, and he had started to lightly sweat, but all the same he gave a genuine smile. He didn¡¯t have to help the plant, he knew it could do it on its own, but he felt that it was a token of thanks¡ªa gift of appreciation for its beauty that it gave the world. And he knew that the plant was grateful for it. He could tell. It was strange that he was questioning it now after such a long time, but he was suddenly enthralled by his powers to communicate and control vegetation. He guessed it was his new innocence that had come with his new body.

Suichi rose from his crouching position, and turned to look at the world he was now imprisoned in. It was beautiful, yes, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel confined¡ªtrapped, while he was cut off from his powers and senses. Still staring at the glittering emerald leaves from high above him that were held by their strong, healthy based trunks, his eyes instantly tore away when he heard a loud coughing session coming from inside the house. It wasn¡¯t a simple ¡°I choked on a bit of liquid¡± cough. No, this one was different¡­ and definitely unnatural.

Suichi immediately forgot about all of the beauty that had first caught his interest, and ran back inside the house, quickly making his way to the kitchen where he knew the maker of the dreadful sound was located. His mother was hunched over the sink, coughing like she would loose a lung, and all he could do was stand their in shock and fear. He wasn¡¯t able to move a muscle and all he could think of was, no, don¡¯t take her away from me, please! After a short moment, he managed to force his body to approach her.

¡°Mother?¡± he asked tentatively, as if worried that if he spoke any louder, she would break into a million pieces. ¡°Mother, are you okay? You¡­ you don¡¯t sound so good.¡± She managed to beat her coughing down, but she looked exhausted. She only stared blankly at her son as she fought for her breath.

She gradually made her way over to the nearest chair, in which she collapsed into without any worry of what she was sitting on, like the newspapers and a placemat that had been removed to finish paperwork. Shiori tried to smile at her worried son, but all she managed to do was show her teeth. ¡°Yes¡­ yes, I am fine, Sui¡­chi. Just give me¡­ a¡­ moment to¡­ catch my breath. Dinner will be ready shortly¡­¡±

Without thinking, Suichi grabbed a small, plastic cup that his mother usually gave him to drink from, and filled it with cold water. He gave it to her swiftly, almost tripping over his own feet out of concern and panic. She muttered a quiet thank you, and drank deeply from the cup, emptying it of its contents in one gulp. Suichi grabbed it and refilled it once more and continued to do so until his mother was able to drink it in smaller portions. Her breath had returned, but she still looked drained of her energy. Even so, she stood up slowly, making her way back to the sink. Suichi watched with fear.

¡°Mother? Are you sure you¡¯re alright? You really don¡¯t look well, and I don¡¯t think you should be cooking with that cough,¡± he told her, worry thoroughly included in his tone.

¡°I told you, I¡¯m fine, Suichi. Please, do not concern yourself with this. I¡¯ll be perfectly okay, you go ahead and go back outside and play. Dinner will be finished in just a few, so be prepared to be called back in.¡±

He simply stared at her, in a mixture of admiration and anger. Stubbornly, he told her, ¡°No. If you will not rest, then I will assist you in fixing this evening¡¯s meal.¡± And without another word from either of them, they set about to making dinner.

The dinner was Suichi¡¯s favorite, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. He couldn¡¯t tear his eyes off of his mother, for he feared that if he did, she would disappear in an instant¡­ and he didn¡¯t want that to happen.

Strange, he thought to himself with a sad smile. The infamous Yoko Kurama, thief of the Demon World¡­ afraid to loose his human mother. What would the others think? That was from the buried mind of Suichi¡¯s other self¡­

Yoko Kurama.

[Konnichiwa]

It was peculiar, walking to this school like a fearful little child; clinging to his mother’s arm like if he were to let go, he would fall into the oblivion. Kurama knew that his eyes were wide with curiosity and alarm, but at the same time, he didn’t mind, letting his childishness take over for his usual calm and composed self.
His mother stopped at the entrance. She turned and knelt down beside him, still holding his hand in hers just as tightly. It was almost as if she were truly as frightened as he was.

“Now, Suichi,” She said with an unusually relaxed tone, “I need to talk to the principal with all of the other parents. So you go on and explore a little bit, okay? Make some friends, check out the playground… just don’t stray too far away, please. Are you alright with that?”

Kurama simply stared at her and nodded blankly. For once, he was unsure of what would happen, since he had never been to such a place as this. It unnerved him, and he let it show—there wasn’t a reason to hide it since it would be normal for a boy his age to be a little anxious.

“Yes, Mother. I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said, his voice shaking slightly.

She smiled reassuringly at him, squeezed his hand for a moment, then stood up and walked over to the small gathering of parents around the principal. So, Kurama stood alone, a nervous look of doubt crossing his seemingly naïve features.

What should I do? he asked himself silently. But, it was immediately answered when he spotted a couple of bushes in poor health. Running over, he saw with dismay that it was exactly like his rose bush at home.

Once more, he checked to see if anyone would be able to see him, and he smiled slightly when he saw that there was none, and crouched down. Returning his attention to the ill plant, for a second time he placed his hands on top of each other over the bush and closed his eyes, digging for his hidden energy that was becoming even more difficult to use. Finding some, he dug even deeper to gather more, and started to feed the plant directly instead of just a specific part. It was draining him greatly, but he could sense the bushes joy as the nutrients found its way to it. When he felt satisfied that he had helped enough, he stopped and opened his eyes, and the sight that they met was heart-warming. The bush had regained its rich, intense olive coloring, and rose buds were starting to show, only more father along than the ones at his own. And, right in the middle of them all, was a single rose that had such a deep red color that it was as if it were dyed. But even that would have been an insult because it was natural beauty, with no engineering from those disgusting humans that seem to think that genetic creativity could create a better flower than nature itself. It was simply stunning and Kurama just wanted to reach out and touch it.

And he did. He brushed the mounds of his fingertips over the delicate petals gently, unable to do anything more but stroke it slowly and lovingly. He couldn’t help it, it was amazing and satisfying to see the effects his work had done, so much that it left him breathless.

A snap of a twig brought him back to reality, for it sounded unnatural. Simply unlike the sound a foot makes when it steps on a stick on the ground… it sounded higher up. Instantly swinging his head around, he saw two large boys across the playground breaking off the small branches of the surrounding trees—the ones that were to grow to replace the others that would die soon. The boys were laughing, like it was some game that they were playing. One would find one and snap it off, then the other would try to find another and snap it off, and they continued to do it until there were barely any left.

It enraged Kurama, and he stood from his crouched position and walked over to the duo, determined to make them stop. He could sense the trees discomfort and pain from their entertainment, and he didn’t like the feeling at all.

Stopping a mere foot away, Kurama said with a calm boldness, “I suggest you stop this charade before I am forced to do something that I normally wouldn’t want to.”

The two boys stopped, but when they turned around, Suichi realized with a twang of terror that they were… big kids. He barely came up to their chests, and they were quite built. They were glaring down at him, and he suddenly felt very small in his defenseless human body, with his frail arms, his fragile legs, and the small upper torso that he would have had no trouble snapping in half in his old demon form.

One of the two scowled and said mockingly, “Really? Are you sure you can do that, little boy?”

His comment sent flames of fury inside Kurama that was burning in his stomach like a bonfire. His fists unconsciously balled at his side and he glared at them with pure hatred. He knew from the start that anyone cruel enough to torture a simple tree would be too stupid to care.

“Just don’t continue your sick game,” he attempted to say calmly, trying to fight the shakiness that was starting to enter his tone. “Your killing it, and it won’t have any branches in the next summer to bloom. You’ll kill it if you keep doing that. Please, go play with rocks or something. Leave this tree alone.” He tried to stare them down, but they’re gazes were cold and powerful, just like his use to be when he had the strength to back it. Kurama’s stare wavered, and then he found himself looking anywhere but at the now-smirking boys.

“That’s sad—can’t even stare down his enemies,” the other boy said tauntingly. “I think we need to give this guy a lesson, Yoshiro.”

“You’re right, Hiroshi,” Yoshiro agreed. “We need to show this guy that only the strong and upperclassmen can boss people around.”

They both smiled evilly down at the quivering Kurama. He was cursing himself for being so foolish, to think that he could still order those that use to be beneath him with his weak body. If he were in his natural form, they wouldn’t be giving him such difficulty. Actually, if they knew what he once was, they wouldn’t be doing anything of the sort.

The boys prepared themselves to start Kurama’s beating, but were stopped when a whistle blew. They immediately brought their fists down and pretended that they weren’t doing anything wrong, which almost amused Kurama… if it weren’t for the fact that they were about to beat him…

“Attention, students! Please gather around, and we will begin our presentation.”

The two boys, Yoshiro and Hiroshi, glared at him for a moment before saying, “We’ll continue this later.” Then, they walked off to their parents, pretending that they were the most angelic sons that any family could have. All Kurama could do was nod his head deeply, and watch them leave. His feet were planted and he slowly let out a breath that he was unconsciously holding.

Maybe this school thing wasn’t going to be as easy as he had thought…

[Konnichiwa]

Chapter 2: School Can Be A Second Hell...
School. Dictionary definition: A place where young children up to the age of 18 must attend to learn.

Kurama¡¯s definition: A place where young children up to the age of 18 must attend to either follow him around or torment him to the end of his days¡ªor good looks; which ever came first.

At least, that¡¯s what it would be later on in his life. Right now, he was still planning out how he would survive his first year of this human confinement prison for the adolescence. The whole experience was new to him¡ªhe had never been surrounded by younger, and older, children than him, though he seemed to be the eldest of them all due to his maturity level. After all, he was still the 700+-year old Yoko Kurama sealed inside a human boy. The school held students up to the 6th grade, mostly kids around the age of 11 and 12-year olds that made sure that they were far away from the ¡®younger¡¯ children. They were, compared to Suichi¡¯s small form, large and bulky kids, with muscles as strong as their B.O.

And they, compared to Yoshiro and Hiroshi, were skinny, little ants that were being scared to death. They were as big as they came, standing over the students like they were Godzilla over Tokyo. And the scary bit of it was¡­ they were only in 4th grade. And, when you¡¯re in 4th grade, you make sure that you make your last years at the school memorable.

For them, Kurama was Yoshiro and Hiroshi's way of earning a reputation. They would do subtle things¡ªbig enough to do some damage, but small enough to get away with it. They would trip him, ¡°accidentally¡± shove him into a wall or a crowd of people, somehow trick him into talking loudly in the library¡ªKurama managed to control himself, though he could feel himself powering his energy until he almost stabbed them with one of his plants.

School in general seemed to irk him.

He was sitting in those uncomfortable plastic chairs that forced his chest to press against the hard edge of the wooden desk in front of him. He had a Study Link booklet that had all sorts of math sheets, a Mathematic Book that held all of his class work for that subject, and a couple folders for Writing and Reading topics. The classes were unusual, nothing he had ever heard of in his past demon life, but they were simple enough for his intelligent mind. He caught on quickly when completely different matters were introduced, and aced every test that had been given to him. He was so advanced that he was raised to higher levels of teachings that were not all that complicated. It made him wish even more that he was at least back at his house with his rose bush, which had started to form beautiful roses with rich, intense coloring.

His social life was non-existent. Kurama had no friends, the only companionable conversations were with his tutors and even that was strained because they treated him like a child barely able to understand big words. The other kids always stared at him with distaste, as if it were his fault that he was academically gifted than they. And it¡¯s not as if he hadn¡¯t tried to be friendly¡ªthey just didn¡¯t understand what he was saying.

The only thing that made him happy was recess.

Of course, he didn¡¯t run around trying to kick a ball or rock as high as he could on the swing set. No, he hid himself in the field concealed by the trailers where the older kids were taught. There were plenty of plants that earned his interest for the limited amount of time he was allowed outside. Lilies, wildflowers, daisies, and¡ªhis first and only favorite¡ªrose bushes. All had needed his immediate attention, taking most of his energy to help them recover from their lack of care. The result had earned him a ninty-eight percent on his math test that he had taken as soon as recess ended instead of the usual persistent score of one hundred percent, envious perfection.

It was at such a place that Yoshiro and Hiroshi found the young Kurama fondling the flower petals with admiration and respect. He had his back turned and he was too distracted to actually notice their bulky forms until they were blocking the sun¡¯s blanket of warmth that had wrapped both he and the flowers in its embrace. The two bullies, Yoshiro and Hiroshi, were actually planning on playing kickball with the other 4th graders, but had coincidentally spotted the small red-headed boy buried in the thicket, completely oblivious to the world around him. It was too good a chance to pass up.

¡°Well, well, well,¡± Yoshiro chuckled softly. ¡°Look what we have here, Hiroshi! It seems that our favorite little friend is playing with his little flowers!¡±

¡°Yes, maybe he forgot his dolls at home and he didn¡¯t have anyone to share theirs with. Maybe we can help him, Yoshi. What do you think?¡±

¡°That¡¯s a pretty good idea. Hey, Suichi,¡± he mocked innocently. ¡°Would you like to play with us?¡±

Kurama turned slightly and simply stared up with calm eyes, but there was that ever-consistent hidden look of uncertainty buried deep in them.

¡°I need no help of yours,¡± he said slowly, doubtfully standing up and staring into their cold, seemingly emotionless eyes. ¡°Please, leave me be and return to your immature and bullying antics. Do so, and I will not tell the teacher that you have been bothering me once again.¡±

¡°Huh?¡± Yoshi asked his partner with a raised eyebrow.

¡°What?¡± Hiro agreed with the opposite eyebrow raised.

Kurama sighed. ¡°Please leave me alone or I will tell the teacher,¡± he said, making sure that he said it in the simplest terms possible.

They smirked at each other again and, suddenly, Yoshi quickly punched Kurama in the gut. His eyes widened and he bent forward, collapsing to his knees once more as Yoshi pulled his fist away. He started to cough as the wind was forcefully knocked out of his lungs, and he gasped as he hugged his stomach tightly, fighting to regain his breath.

But, he was not given the chance.

Hiro unexpectedly plowed his foot into his unprotected forehead, forcing him to arch his back and fall with a loud thud among the beautiful flowers. He cried out as he felt the back of his head connect to a sharp rock buried in the dirt, his warm blood soiling his vibrant red hair as it trickled down his neck onto the ground below. Rolling onto his stomach, he made an attempt to rise up, but was kicked once more in his abdomen before he could fully push himself up. He was rolling again, and coughed out a mouthful of a crimson liquid that he was not use to seeing come out of his own body. It enraged him even further when he heard evil laughter of Yoshiro and Hiroshi behind him, and as Hiro ground his foot into the small of his back¡ªhe snapped.

Without warning, Hiroshi was thrown backwards by the sudden mounting of Kurama, with his cold, furious, emerald eyes replacing his usually calm and loving ones. His hands soon found themselves balling into fists at his sides, and he considered using the plants to slaughter the disrespectful boys. He then decided that he wanted to hurt them directly, without the aid of his powers to fulfill this meaningless task.

Kurama struck swiftly, forcing the remaining boy to cry out loudly in agonizing pain as his fist buried itself deep in his stomach, effectively breaking a couple ribs. Looking on emotionlessly, Suichi then proceeded to pick him up by the hair and kick him repetitively in the groin, causing even more yelps of pain to be emitted by the squealing monstrous boy. With one last kick to the head, he sent the boy flying through the crowd of kids¡ªwait, crowd of kids?

This shocking fact quickly was dismissed by his enraged mind as he watched with vicious glee as the young boy crashed headfirst into the broadside of the trailer, falling limply to the ground, most likely unconscious. He turned his steely gaze to the shaking Hiro and walked over to him with deliberately slow steps, doing his best to intimidate the human without his demon form to complete the technique. He stopped when he was standing right in front of him and squatted down so that the two were at eye-level. Kurama stared deep into the boy¡¯s young eyes, and saw with rage that he was still looking down at him with those bullying eyes, despite his acts of pain. Putting his youthful hand behind the adolescence¡¯s head, he swiftly slammed it into the ground, forcing it to cover it with dirt and grime. Deciding that it wasn¡¯t enough of a punishment, Suichi picked up the boy once more by the hair, and started to punch and kick him like he was some form of a punching bag. Howls of torturing agony filled the still air, and Suichi found that the sobs were not as pleasing to the ear as he remembered them to be a long while ago, and he gritted his teeth with frustration when he discovered that he didn¡¯t like this at all. With one last kick, he sent the boy flying backwards with a sickening thud a couple meters away.

And that¡¯s when everything came back in focus. Standing straight with a smirk on his face quickly changed to that of a shaking little boy with wide eyes and shivering limbs, which had been weapons of mass destruction only a few moments before. Kurama¡¯s eyes darted around the scenery, taking in all of the information it held¡ªthe dent in the trailer where Yoshi had hit it head on, the motionless body of Hiro only a few feet away, the stream of his own blood pooling at his feet¡ª

¡°Suichi!¡±

Turning to the voice with fear, he held his hands up like he was trying to ward off a blow to the head. The sight that met his eyes was of an angry teacher, with her hands on her hips. It wasn¡¯t just any teacher¡ªit was the Vice Principal. Ms. Hidori.

¡°Suichi, what in the world have you done!¡± she practically screamed, her eyes shooting from Yoshiro, to Hiroshi, to Kurama himself.

Before Kurama knew what he was doing, he sunk down onto the hard ground, pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, buried his face in his knees¡­ and cried. His tears flowed freely, his heart-wrenching sobs getting the better of the Vice Principal as she walked slowly over to the weeping young boy, who was no more than 6 years old. Squatting down beside him, she took him into her arms and let him bawl his head off into her chest, her eyes filled with hurt from hearing such sorrow being emitted by the small boy, who had shown her such kindness and one of the most intellectual conversations she had ever had in such a long time.

Threading her young hands through his burning hair, she noted that there was blood coming from a wound in the back of his head. And, by the way his cries increased in volume and intensity, and jerked away from her gentle touch, she could tell that it was deep.

Automatically stroking his small back, she whispered, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Suichi, shhhh¡­¡± then turned to the others and said, ¡°I need one of you to fetch a nurse from the main office. Tell her to call 9-1-1 and get over here with first aid as soon as possible.¡± Everyone immediately complied, rushing around and yelling out orders to each other as Ms. Hidori continued to comfort Kurama and whisper sweet nothings in his ear in an effort to calm him.

After a few moments, Kurama managed to control himself, allowing his usual calmness and composure to confine him once more. At the exact same moment, a nurse came running, flanked by the two young helpers that had sent for her, carrying first aid equipment for the injured boys.

A gentle hand was soon applying a stinging substance to the back of Kurama¡¯s head, making him wince in pain and grip his pant legs tightly.

¡°Well, that makes things easier,¡± the nurse said with a surprised and pleased tone, a small smile playing across her lips. ¡°Usually I¡¯m dealing with kicking and screaming patients when I use this stuff. Makes it more difficult to help with the healing, and I sometimes have to take drastic measures, if you know what I mean.¡± Kurama remained silent, his squinting eyes staring straight ahead while she continued to apply the substance to his wound. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you kids were doing, this gouge is deep. I suspect you hit your head on a rock?¡± Still, Kurama remained silent. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it, Hun, but you really did a number on those two trouble-makers, can¡¯t say that they don¡¯t deserve it, I¡¯ve had to nurse more kids beaten by them than the number of freckles on Yoshiro¡¯s face, but I think you went overboard, don¡¯t you?¡± Silence.

¡°Geez, with the cold shoulder, I would have actually preferred you screaming and crying,¡± she muttered with a grim smile, finishing off her nurturing with a last gentle wipe to clean away the crusted blood and dirt before wrapping it with the white medical cloth.

The ambulance arrived a short while later, carrying a medical unit in its¡¯ compartment with stretchers that they forced Kurama to lay on along with Yoshiro and Hiroshi. They said they were going to check for any brain damage as well as broken bones, internal injuries and such. Kurama knew it was a waste of time¡ªthere was nothing wrong with his human body and, if there was, he would be able to heal himself on his own, without the need for these drugs and medicines that the humans seemed to rely on all too much for his liking.

His first experience at the human¡¯s hospital was not pleasant, nor interesting, so it would be a waste of time to describe it in detail. All that he cared to remember was when he had been allowed to return home, his heart still filled with subdued loathing for all humans¡ªsave his mother. Despite the straightforwardness of the whole event, Shiori had been crying and worrying over her precious child, refusing to believe that he had gotten himself into a fight and, even though he had won, earned himself a serious injury.

¡°Mother, I assure you, I am perfectly fine, these doctors are stressing over nothing, I swear to you,¡± he had said for the tenth time as his mother held him once more in a crushing hug, patting her on the back as if uncomfortable with the affection.

¡°My poor baby, I don¡¯t know what you were thinking, taking on those boys, they were practically three heads taller than you, you should¡¯ve known that you were only going to get hurt¡­¡± she had sobbed out, rocking back and forth with the small child in her arms struggling to breathe yet again.

¡°Mother I couldn¡¯t just let them do what they wished another moment, they were hurting everyone.¡±

¡°Violence never solves anything,¡± she said, and those words had branded themselves in his head for the rest of the visit there.

Once he had returned to school, everyone was acting jittery around him. Yoshiro and Hiroshi were back as well, though keeping their distance with the usually tempting child, who seemed so easy to beat down. Yoshiro remembered with a dreadful shiver the pain he had went through and how he had only got away with a couple broken ribs and a throbbing private area. Hiroshi, on the other hand, practically collapsed to his knees as Kurama walked by innocently, reminiscing the numerous broken bones and black-and-blue markings all over his body that he had earned from their foolish escapade.

That alone had annoyed Kurama and that, along with the various rumors and whisperings that had followed him around for the longest time, had made the young boy stone-faced and irritable. No matter what he did or where he went, fearful whispers and cautious murmurs followed behind him, speaking of phobias that even he was appalled by. Frightened eyes were glued to his small body everywhere, like if they were to remove their gaze, they would wind up beaten and bruised, left on the ground like Hiroshi and Yoshiro.

Never had Kurama disliked the feeling he was getting from these children. Fear was not what he wanted anymore¡ªhe learned that much and it still make him shiver in self-disgust. How he had operated so easily with it pursuing him so consistently when he was in his true form¡ªhis true life¡ªwas a baffling mystery for the boy. The once-strengthening feeling of the terror he had on so many weak demons was now a disease that he longed to be rid of.

It was then that he realized that he could never live the way he once did, his way of coping with death was altered¡ªhe no longer wished for blood for his hands to bathe in, never wanted to smell the decaying flesh of a deceased demon, would never long for battle with no purpose¡­

He was no longer the cold-hearted, blood-lusting, ruthless Yoko Kurama.

[Konnichiwa]

Chapter 3: Making A Friend Without Power Or Threats

¡°¡­Happy Birthday, dear Suichi. Happy Birthday to you!¡± three women sang with happiness. Shiori, Ms. Hidori, and their senior neighbor, Hisako Urata crowded around the newly turned 9-year old Suichi Minamino (Kurama) at the ancient dinner table, setting the birthday cake down in front of the shinning boy¡¯s face. Mrs. Urata¡¯s husband sat in a chair beside the cake, his mouth watering and his fingers itching to taste the sugary chocolate coating of the birthday cake that had just been placed on the table.

The women¡¯s singing was off-key and hurt Kurama¡¯s sensitive hearing rather badly, but surprisingly, he didn¡¯t mind¡ªif anything, he appreciated it.

Needless to say, Kurama was slowly getting use to the strange ways of the Human World. For example, he had found it impractical to celebrate the date of one¡¯s birth, but then realized that, despite mankind¡¯s vindictive past history, humans treasured life dearly. They celebrated every occasion, diving headlong into the mysteries the world provided for their curious minds¡­ they even managed to capture nature¡¯s beauty with artistic talents that rivaled even his own. Kurama couldn¡¯t blame them for such adventurous actions¡ªafter all, they had a considerably short lifespan compared to that of a demon¡¯s, since Kurama himself was once physically well over 700 years old¡­ even if now it was only mentally.

¡°Make a wish, Suichi, and blow out the candles!¡± his mother told him with a pleasant smile adorning her radiant face.

Kurama always got confused at this point of the celebration, unsure how a simple birthday wish could make anything come true. He had been frustrated in the past when this specific ritual was held, cursing the God that controlled the birthday wishes, with words that should never leave a young child¡¯s mouth, for not granting his¡ª his desire to return to his demon form with his energy intact so that he could resume his thievery ways back in the Demon World. He had been so excited, thinking that he could finally be free from his human prison earlier than he had planned, but had been quickly shot down. Now, however, he had recently changed his wish from his typical request for his original power and then some, to something more personal in his human life¡ªthe well being of his mother.

He had noticed that the last couple days were filled with his mother¡¯s pain, as her coughing condition grew worse. He had watched her almost collapse after every attack, grasping any nearby prop for support until here knuckles were white with the pressure and her face as pale and sickly as sour milk. The very sight tortured him, wrenching at his heart mercilessly, and forced him to gasp for air as well. When he had retreated to his room to hide his discomfort from his human mother, he had unconsciously gone through a mental list of all the plants that could assist her recovery from such an insignificant disease. He had been appalled that he would willingly attempt to heal her, but quickly became more disgusted when he discovered that he couldn¡¯t do a thing and nearly broke down in tears when he realized the emotional agony the conclusion brought him. This was not suppose to happen¡­

He was not supposed to get attached to anyone that might jeopardize his original plan¡­

To leave when he had recovered enough Spirit Energy to fend for himself.

He had known for a while that the connection he shared with his human mother was strong and affectionate, but he had simply assumed it was his childish instincts that had contributed to such a relationship, and that they would disintegrate as soon as he escaped and returned to his original life¡­ his original purpose. His reaction to his mother¡¯s relentless illness had effectively proved him wrong¡ªand he was not happy about it; he had done exactly what he had tried to avoid.

Once more calling on his aspiration for his mother to recover, he took a deep breath and blew; his created current of air extinguishing the small flames resting vibrantly on the small wax candles¡­

Knowing that as he made that wish, he was wishing away his sacrifice for his mother¡¯s life.

[Konnichiwa]

I have yet, Kurama thought with distaste, to enjoy such transitions¡­

Kurama and his mother stopped their walk as they approached the school grounds once more. Kurama stared with subdued hatred at the surrounding children, wishing once more that he had decided to run away a little earlier than he had planned.

¡°Well, here we are,¡± Shiori said with hesitation. She was still relieving the events of the last couple years of school, and was praying that nothing like that would happen again.

Kurama just made a soft grunt, turning his head away to look at the strong trees that towered overhead, making his vibrant red hair shine like a polished ruby in the sunlight.

Shiori gave into a small smile at his behavior and put her slightly shaking hand on his shoulder. He tensed a bit, but relaxed again, keeping his eyes defiantly on the trees.

¡°Suichi, please look at me,¡± she whispered sadly.

He looked at her, but didn¡¯t fully turn his head. It wasn¡¯t that he was mad at her, but more that he was disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t tell him that she was ill. He was silently praying that she would tell him now¡­

¡°I want you to behave yourself this year. I know that this is new to you, but you don¡¯t see any of the other kids constantly getting sent to the Principal¡¯s office, do you?¡±

Kurama just grunted again. Yes, he was getting to be quite the troublemaker, but he knew for a fact that it wasn¡¯t his fault. The only time he got sent to the Principal¡¯s office for a good reason was when he had beaten the two boys, Yoshiro and Hiroshi, mercilessly, and that was after he got back from the Emergency Room. All the other times, he just was¡­ well, he was innocent, that¡¯s all that mattered.

¡°Now, I don¡¯t want to get any more phone calls from the Principal telling me that you¡¯ve made another kid soil his pants alright? I have enough problems I need at the moment¡­¡± her voice drifted off as she tried hard not to cough, placing one hand over her mouth and another on her chest.

It was at that moment that Kurama felt guilty and ashamed, so much so that he bent his head, allowing his bangs to hide his uneasy eyes. He knew that she was trying to remain strong for him, even if she was unwell, and he had to go and make it even harder on her...

Slowly, he brought his arms up and draped them around his human mother, giving her a firm, but loving hug. He hoped he was doing it right¡ªhe never actually hugged his mother like this before¡­

Shiori herself was smiling with happiness at her son¡¯s rare show of affection. She gave him a squeeze before allowing him to pull away and take a couple steps towards the large building of the school.

Then, he turned back, and gave a wide grin. He wasn¡¯t showing his teeth or anything, but his smile shone like the sun that made his hair glint brightly.

¡°I love you, Mother,¡± he told her firmly, like he was assuring her of something. And in fact he was¡ªhe was telling her that despite all that he said, the way he acted, he cared deeply for her.

¡°I love you too, Suichi,¡± she told him with a smile. Kurama prayed that she understood what he meant, but the chances were very unlikely.

¡°I will see you after school, okay, Mother?¡±

¡°Yes, Suichi. I will see you after school.¡±

¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself while cleaning the house.¡±

¡°I won¡¯t, Suichi.¡±

¡°And don¡¯t strain yourself too much while working.¡±

¡°I won¡¯t, Suichi.¡±

¡°And don¡¯t try to weed the garden, I will do it when I get home.¡±

¡°Okay, Suichi.¡±

¡°And please be careful when shopping at the market, you could get mugged. I don¡¯t want you to try and get back what they might have stolen. If need be, I will retrieve it for you.¡±

¡°What¡¯s wrong, Suichi?¡±

¡°And I want you to ask for help when¡±¡ªhe tried to continue, but Shiori covered his mouth with her hand and asked again.

¡°What¡¯s wrong, Suichi?¡±

Unable to look her in the eyes, Kurama closed his eyes before looking away at the trees once more. His soft reply was barely heard by her.

¡°You¡¯d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn¡¯t you, Mother?¡±

She was silent, staring solemnly at him.

He gained enough control to look her in the eye, and asked her in a stronger voice, ¡°You¡¯d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

She stood up and pulled her hand away from his shoulder, saying dully, ¡°I will see you after school, Suichi. Be careful walking home.¡± And with that said she walked away from him¡­

¡­Pretending that she didn¡¯t see the silent tears rolling down his face as he sunk to his knees and quietly cried.

[Konnichiwa]

¡°And so, the little boy said, ¡°I¡¯m too tired to go to school. I want to stay home and play with my puppy.¡±

¡°The mother said, ¡°Hunny, the puppy needs its rest, because it is also tired. It won¡¯t want to play with you.¡±

¡°Fine, then I won¡¯t play with my puppy,¡± the boy said with a pout. ¡°I will play with my toys.¡±

¡°The mother said, ¡°But, Hunny, you¡¯re toys are too worn out from you playing with them for so long. They are also tired, and they will need rest or they will break. You won¡¯t want to play with them when they break, would you?¡±

¡°Okay, then I won¡¯t play with my toys,¡± the boy said with a pout. ¡°I will play with my friend, Billy.¡±

¡°The mother said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hunny, but Billy is sick today. He needs his rest.¡±

¡°Alright, I won¡¯t play with Billy,¡± the boy said with a pout. ¡°I will play with Henry.¡±

¡°Dear Hunny, Henry went away for the rest of the week. He can¡¯t play with you because he is not here.¡±

¡°Then who can I play with?¡± the boy asked with a pout.

¡°Maybe there are some kids at school that would play with you,¡± the mother said.

¡°Well¡­¡± the boy sighed with a smile. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not so tired to go to school after all.¡±

The End.¡±

The teacher put down the small child¡¯s book, and smiled a wide, cheery grin that looked like Botan¡¯s, except it was EXTREMELY fake. Kurama winced every time the teacher smiled like that.

¡°Now that ¡®Story Time¡¯ is finished,¡± she said in a sickly nice tone, ¡°what is next on our schedule?¡±

¡°Snack Time!¡± the children chorused with silent cheers.

¡°Very good!¡± the teacher praised, her eyes widening as well as her false smile. ¡°I need two volunteers,¡± she added as she held up two fingers, ¡°to help me pass out today¡¯s snacks. Who would like to help me?¡±

Although his spiteful feelings were still great, Kurama sighed and raised his hand in the air, straight and perfect. Seeing this, everyone made sure that their hands were down, as if afraid to work with ¡°Meanie Minamino¡± (lol).

¡°Only Suichi wants to help me?¡± the teacher asked innocently, hurt clearly written in her tone.

Kids turned to look at their neighbors, muttering to each other and daring each other to assist the teacher along with Suichi. Suichi sighed, lowering his hands just as a few went up.

¡°You don¡¯t want to help me anymore, Suichi?¡± the teacher asked pointedly, uncharacteristically raising an eyebrow.

Suichi opened his mouth to explain, maybe to say that he wasn¡¯t feeling good or his leg was aching, but he was cut off as the teacher said, with finality, ¡°Alright, I want Suichi and Maya to help me pass out snacks for snack time.¡±

There was a small gasp as a brunette girl stood up from the sea of students, with her hands brought up underneath her chin, clinging to one another and making them turn white. Her knees were visibly trembling, but other than that, the girl stood tall and proud.

Kurama had to respect her for that¡ªhe was starting to feel like himself back in his old thievery life when everyone stared with fear at him. He tried to smile friendly at her, but she wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes properly¡­ the smile didn¡¯t have the desired affect.

¡°Y-Yes, Mrs. Mika,¡± she mumbled, avoiding all eye contact while keeping her head high.

¡°Thank you, Maya. You pass out cups and napkins while Suichi distributes the snacks.¡±

¡°Actually, Mrs. Mika,¡± Kurama interrupted politely when the fearful mutterings began again. ¡°I was hoping that maybe I could pass out cups and napkins, and Miss Maya could distribute the snacks.¡± Kurama worried that his peers would start a rumor that he had slipped some poison into their snacks to explain some nameless kid¡¯s stomachache.

¡°Okay, as long as you both help out and everyone else gets their snacks,¡± she responded dismissively.

And so they did, and so they worked, never once looking at each other. Kurama noticed that the girl kept glancing over her shoulder when he¡¯d walk by, and he sighed once more. When would the fear disappear? He¡¯d take anything over this distance between these people he wanted so much to blend in with¡­

[Konnichiwa]

The educational part of the school day ended shortly afterwards, and throughout the whole day, the children in his class were tense and worried, fearing the worst from their short break meal. Kurama inwardly scoffed. Did they really think he would poison their snacks? Did they really think so lowly of him? Did they even know how farfetched that proclamation even sounded? Where Kurama had grown up before he merged with his human counterpart, it was not unheard of for death coming from ill food, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be the same in the Human World¡­

The last hour of the school day was dedicated to recess, and it was safe to say that Kurama¡¯s peers were quite happy with that fact. They swarmed out of their classrooms so fast that it created a brief sea of bobbing heads blended together. Kurama waited politely for the majority to leave before exiting himself, making his way pointedly to his favored ¡°flower patch¡±.

On his way, he paused momentarily to see Maya sitting adorably on one of the school benches, reading what looked like a fairly thick library book. Too enthralled in the story, Kurama had not the heart to sneak up on her, even if it was with amused intentions. It taunted him, telling him that it would be so easy¡­ but he didn¡¯t want to scare her. He didn¡¯t want anyone to fear him now.

So, Kurama silently turned away, noting offhandedly that the name of the novel was Nature¡¯s Beauty. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself as the name registered in his mind as a history book on plants and their medical capabilities.

Looking up quite a while later from his lilac patch that he had just ¡°nurtured¡±, he heard the piercing sound of the dismissal whistle, and couldn¡¯t stop himself from releasing a brief cry of joy. In the back of his mind, his mother¡¯s health always pulled at his attention, making him wish to be at her side. He stood gracefully, stretching his stiff muscles due to crouching for so long, and trotted elegantly towards his home, weaving through the flow of excited and eager students. Once he broke free of the crowd, he paused, noticing that something was left on the bench that the girl, Maya, had occupied before.

It was her book.

And Maya was nowhere to be found.

Ah, wait, she¡¯s up there¡­ at the front of the crowd.

Pause.

Uh-oh.

¡°Maya!¡± he called to her, but he knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him. After all, there were screaming kids filling the air¡­

Sighing, he quickly scooped up the library book and made his way towards Maya. Only he didn¡¯t seem to be getting any closer to her as he meant to. So he followed her home.

She may have thought it to be stalking, but she never heard him when he called to her, and was too weighed down by his backpack to run after her. The sidewalks they took to get to her home were packed full of people anyways.

In no time, they made it to her home. She took the steps leading to her house two at a time, and knocked on the door three times before it opened up for her to enter. She smiled at the person who opened the door and spoke, her lips forming words of appreciation, as far as Kurama could tell.

She went inside, and the door closed, just as Kurama was within a few steps of her house¡¯s entrance. Climbing the stairs much like Maya had done beforehand, Kurama caught the sound of her sweet, energetic voice floating through the open window near the door of her home.

¡°¡­and I had to help him pass out snacks! That was so scary, everyone thought that he would put something nasty in their food or something.¡±

¡°Maya,¡± another voice spoke, probably her mother due to her kind and feminine tone, ¡°don¡¯t you think that you kids are jumping to conclusions? This Suichi boy couldn¡¯t be that mean.¡±

¡°I know,¡± Maya¡¯s voice said, hinting a bit of confusion. ¡°It¡¯s weird, Mom, but he looks so small and kind from just looking at him. But he hurt those two boys a long time ago, and now everyone thinks he¡¯s bad. And he really didn¡¯t do anything to those snacks, they just think he did.¡±

¡°Maybe he takes defensive classes, Maya. He could¡¯ve just been defending himself from those boys.¡±

¡°Maybe¡­¡±

¡°And maybe you could be his friend!¡±

¡°You¡¯re right, but¡­ I don¡¯t know, Mommy, he just was so mean to those kids. I can¡¯t help but be scared of him.¡±

¡°That¡¯s okay, Maya¡­¡±

Kurama stood in his position, unsure of whether or not he should just leave the book on the porch or knock on the door and deliver it himself. Did they really feel that scared of him? Did he really seem that mean?

¡­was that why no one liked him?

He had been asking these questions for a while now, and even though he knew the answers to them, he didn¡¯t want to believe. Sometimes he didn¡¯t want to admit the fact that the kids were scared of him. But this Maya girl¡­

She didn¡¯t think that he was that mean. She didn¡¯t think he was bad. She seemed different somehow¡­

Making up his mind, he set down his backpack, opened it up, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. Kneeling down onto the hard, flat porch, he scrawled a quick note onto the paper. When he had finished, he folded it in half and stuck it in the front of the book, so that the top stuck out a little to insure that she would see it. Then, he got up from his hunched position and knocked calmly on the door.

It opened to show a smiling little girl. Maya.

Her smile quickly turned into a fearfully shocked expression, but Kurama didn¡¯t give her time to say anything. He held out the book, and told her as warmly as he could, ¡°I saw you reading this during recess. You left it when the whistle blew. Make sure you don¡¯t loose it again, or you could get into trouble with the school librarian. Who knows, she could make you write a paper on a clipping from the encyclopedia.¡± He tried to joke, but he wasn¡¯t sure how. He¡¯d never had to attempt humor before.

Even so, she giggled softly, before quickly grabbing the book. She muttered a quick thank-you, and started to close the door.

But he didn¡¯t want her to. Not yet. He still had something else he wanted her to know. Something that he hoped would make him seem like a nice kid, not someone to be feared.

¡°I¡¯m not a mean person,¡± he told her hurriedly.

That made her stop, the door opening slowly once more, her head poking out to stare at him.

¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not a mean person,¡± he repeated, softly this time. His eyes drifted towards the floor. ¡°I was only defending myself when Yoshi and Hiro tried to injure me. I didn¡¯t really want to hurt them, but they gave me little choice. I¡¯m not all that different from the rest of you people, and I just wanted you to know that¡­.¡± His voice drifted off as his thoughts returned to his mother. ¡°I just wanted you to know that¡­¡±

Maya stared at him sadly, a pitying smile finding its way to her lips. She stepped out slowly onto the front porch, hesitancy still seen in her eyes. Even so, she stopped in front of him, staring him deeply in his eyes before giving him a simple, yet loving hug. Kurama tensed immediately, but forced himself to relax. To be perfectly honest, he didn¡¯t actually think she would pull such a maneuver, and he didn¡¯t know what he should do. So he did what he thought he should do.

He hugged her back, burying his head in her shoulder. He took a deep breath of air, and smelt the familiar smell of¡­

Lilacs¡­

They pulled away almost immediately after the embrace, but Maya looked him straight in the eye.

¡°I¡¯ll be your friend, if you want.¡±

Kurama¡¯s eyes, which had drifted back to the floor, shot back up to meet hers in a surprised action. Maya stood in front of him, an adorable smile plastered to her face as she shuffled her feet cutely.

¡°Excuse me?¡± he asked her politely, as if he was unable to believe what she had said moments ago.

¡°I said, I¡¯ll be your friend, if you want,¡± she repeated.

Kurama stared at her for what seemed like eternity. Then, he slowly broke out into an honest smile, and nodded his head in agreement. ¡°I would like that,¡± he told her with sincerity. ¡°I would like that very much so.¡±

She smiled at him in turn, and they continued to smile at each other. Then, Kurama¡¯s thoughts snapped back together, and he remembered his mother.

¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized, his face turning into that of anxiety. ¡°I must return to my home. My mother needs me. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow for school, ne?¡±

¡°Okay,¡± she agreed, waving to him as she watched him run away. She continued to stare after him, her face still smiling as her thoughts ran wild.

For some reason, she believed that he would be an important part of her life later on¡­

And until then, she would be an important part in his.

[Konnichiwa]

-Sigh- >.> Yeah, that was it..... ^_^ found it on fan fic.... *_* it's sweet story though.....