Adult-FanFiction.org : YuYu Hakusho

A Little Laughter	By : UKImouto Category: Yuyu Hakusho > General Views: 2397 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Note: The idea that
Kuronue�s spirit was still alive in his pendant was borrowed from another
author, whose name is vampmistress76. The story, named Kuronue�s Pendant, is
listed in my recommended reading and I do highly recommend it. Although I won�t
tell whether it is actually Kuronue yet or not, or if his soul is really
�alive� or not, her tale is a very twisted, ingeniously told one. If you can,
please kindly leave her a review and ask her to continue soon. ^_^ I quite enjoy
that tale and it is what drew me in the first place to this site.

Another note: In this
chapter, Rei comments that �Shuichi�s mother� must go into downtown Tokyo a
lot, because she has tissue with an advertisement on it. A bit of trivia on
Japan from a reliable source: Japanese public toilets almost never have tp in
the stall with you. So to counteract that, there are a lot of people in
downtown Tokyo that pass out little packets of tissue with ads to their stores
on them. Neat, huh?

Disclaimer: I don�t own
YYH or any of the music presented or mentioned here.

The title here came from
MCR�s song �It�s not a fashion statement, it�s a fucking deathwish�. I rather
like the term, so I was determined to find a use for it. ^__^()

Chapter 7: Pitchfork Red

School crawled by like a
tiny snail on the corpse of a dead humpback whale. Unless the snail figured out
that school was useless, he would stay there forever. I sighed, glancing up as
my name was called.
�Let�s have our new
student, Galis, read the next few stanzas,� said Gun-sensei, a young teacher
with brilliant blue eyes and striking black hair. �Page two hundred
eighty-four, Galis, from��
�I know where we are,� I
said softly, not to be rude, but just to let him know. He nodded and allowed me
to read.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there
wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream
before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no
token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word,
�Lenore?�
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word,
�Lenore!�
Merely this and nothing more.

The teacher smiled and
nodded, bringing the stanzas slowly up my row and then the last one reached
Shuichi. Gun-sensei nodded to the redhead and, with a voice lower than usual
and an edge to it I barely recognized, Shuichi read the last line.

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon�s that is
dreaming,
And the lamp-light o�er him streaming throws his shadow on
the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the
floor
Shall be lifted�nevermore!

Gun-sensei nodded. �Good,
thank you, Minamino. Now, class, can you tell me what happened to the person in
the story?�
One of the girls toward
the front answered first. �Well, it�s pretty obvious. The Raven killed him.�
I sat up straight. �No, he
didn�t.�
Gun-sensei glanced at me.
�I�m sorry?�
�Poe specifically states
that the Raven did not move. So how could he have killed him?�
Gun-sensei nodded.
�Continue, Galis, I want to know what your theory is.�
�The fourth from final
line��his eyes have all the seeming of a demon�s that is dreaming��that�s the
key. It�s not the Raven who killed him, but a demon who was reflected in the
Raven�s eyes. The Raven, as seen in Norse mythology, actually was there to
escort his soul to Lenore, and possibly as a distraction to the man.�
�And you know that from
experience, don�t you, Galis?� snarled a
scathing voice from somewhere off to my right. I winced, having my �condition�
thrown so harshly into my face like that. �Your own little demons murdered your
boyfriend! With a little help from you, I�m sure. Wanted to rid yourself of
him, eh?�
The class fell silent, not
a pair of eyes to be found averted. They all stared at me, even Gun-sensei. All
waiting for me to say something. I whimpered under their gazes, my words caught
in my throat. I had been reasonably�happy here.
But they�d all just been
waiting.
Biding time.
And hoping that I�d leave
their presence like some ill animal. My stomach twisted in on itself. I was a
toddler again. I had nothing to say, nothing to rebuke whoever had said it
aloud at last. Because the fact of the matter, he spoke the truth, and I
couldn�t refuse the truth as lies. Only part of it could I say anything for.
�Don�t say that,� I
murmured, choking on the words. �I didn�t�I don�t�I loved Michael, don�t you
dare suggest�don�t you�dare�� I had closed my eyes, and slid under my desk. The
eyes, the eyes, they wouldn�t stop looking at me. Don�t look at me! Let me
alone, leave me be, let me just�
Let me just�
What did I want?
I felt something on my
shoulder and glanced at it to find a hand. It guided me out of the room and
into the hall. I forgot my books, but who the hell needed �em. I expected to
look up and see Gun-sensei�s face scrunched up in pity. I expected him to guide
me into the principal�s office and call my mom. I expected them to get my
backpack from some scared-looking student later on, expected my mom to come and
just hug me, hold me again like the scared little child I was.
I expected it all to
happen all over again.
I looked up and saw
Shuichi, carrying my book bag, and looking on with empathy�true empathy�instead.
�I told Gun-sensei that I
would take you home,� Shuichi said softly. �The office will call your mother to
let her know.�
�Mom�s at work,� I said,
my throat still tight.
�Would you like to come to
my home instead? My mother is home. She can make us something to eat.�
�But�� I glanced back at
the classroom door uncertainly. �What about school?�
�I�ve had perfect
attendance my entire life,� Shuichi chuckled. �I�m sure they won�t miss me this
once.�

I nodded�whatever. Just get me out of here. Just get me away from them, away
from that nameless boy. Away. Just stop the memories, stop the gun from firing.
Stop the painting from shattering, and stop me, oh stop me from trying to�from
trying�from trying to�
I swallowed hard.
�Memories?�
I blinked twice at him.
�Huh?�
�Bad memories?�
I shuddered, feeling
Shuichi�s red hair brush against my arm as we walked. ��yes.�
�Want to talk about them?�
I shook my head
feverishly, as though talking would make me sick. And then�slowly�I nodded. I
don�t know what made me do it. What made me think this boy who looked so much�so
much�like Michael would understand?
�The�the police said�that
I was found trying to�trying to tie Michael�s brain back into his head,� I
murmured. �With his hair.� I blinked, and then, I reached up and twirled a bit
of Shuichi�s red hair in my fingers. �His�his felt different. Coarser.
Shorter.�
Instead of seeming
perturbed, Shuichi smiled and let me play with his hair. I dropped my arm to my
side as he asked yet another question. �You said the police told you?�
I shook my head. �I don�t
actually�actually remember anything.�

Shuichi smiled. �You can�t remember? Then why�?� He left the question to trail
off.
�Post traumatic stress. I
don�t actually recall what happened�just
what Dirken repeats over and over in my head sometimes. He did it, really, so I
guess he knows what it looked like. Or maybe he just likes tormenting me with
it.� I shrugged. �Dirken�s�weird.�
�Weird how, Galis-san?�
�He�s beautiful,� I said,
pausing at the double doors that led out of the school. �He�he makes you want
him�� I bit my lip, then somehow, the courage came. �He makes you love him,
want him so bad it�it��
�Burns?�
�I thought you were the
eloquent one here.� I half-smiled at my feeble attempt at humor.
He laughed.
�Yes, it burns,� I said,
continuing as if I�d never stopped. �It burns like the fires of hell, like
sinking into molten lava, and like being on the very surface of the sun. And
then, he just�leaves you.�
�And he also makes you
relive your darkest moments in your dreams?�
�He�s got power over
dreams, that�s about all I really know about him,� I said. �And that he�s an
Origin. He�s got a big rep for being a badass, but�I�ve never actually seen him
behave in a way that would suggest it.�
�What is an Origin?�
I sighed. �Well, I asked
the same thing�Jirkle said it�s basically a really, really old demon. One
that�s been around since the beginnings of time. And that even if you do manage
to kill an Origin, their spirit will remain and haunt humans all the same. I
guess that�s what a poltergeist is. Not a human spirit, but a demon one.�
Shuichi seemed almost lost
in thought when I finished my explanation. After what seemed like a moment�s
hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek-looking silver
cell phone.
�Hello. Yes. I would like
a little information, Botan, if you don�t mind doing a little research. Tell me
all you can about Origin demons. Yes, I realize the term is a little bizarre.
Yes. Please look. Thank you.�
I blinked as he hung up
the phone. �Who��
�A friend of mine who
knows quite a bit on demons and spirits,� Shuichi said. A smile crossed his
face, followed by a frown. �Do you have an appointment any time soon?�
�Er�yeah, it�s tomorrow��
�May I accompany you?�
I blinked. �Um�sure, I
guess. Whatever for?�
He smiled mysteriously.
�You will see, Galis-san. For now, cookies are in order.�
I blinked yet again. �I
didn�t know you ate cookies. I picture you the health-food junkie.�
�I enjoy cookies as much
as the next person. Don�t let idle images fool you.�
I nodded and, quickly,
followed him onto the bus. Suddenly, I felt like a weight had lifted off my
shoulders. Someone else knew about Michael, and he hadn�t cringed. He hadn�t
stopped listening or blocked it out. He hadn�t said I was crazy or that I had
imagined that Dirken had manipulated the gun in Michael�s hand.
He hadn�t done anything
but listen.
Maybe that�s all I�d ever
wanted, anyway. Was someone just to listen to me, know what I thought about
something. Gun-sensei had tried, too, but the class hadn�t heard. They heard
what I said, and they threw it back in my face.
But Shuichi hadn�t.
Shuichi had helped me.
Maybe�there was someone
who could understand me. If not believe
me, maybe understand that there was truth in what I said. Truth that perhaps,
while not true in the real-life sense, was true for me.
Damn it, now I�m confused
again.
The bus was almost empty
except for a little old lady fast asleep by the front window. She stirred
slightly as Shuichi and I took the seat beside us. Snorting softly and smacking
her loose, chapped lips together, she slipped down against the window again.
She was asleep as the bus rolled away.
Shuichi and I sat in
silence, and I nearly didn�t get up with him to get off the bus a stop earlier
than what I was used to. His gentle hand on my shoulder was all that brought me
out of my silly little stupor. None of my demons were around, or so I thought.
Even Kuronue seemed to be fast asleep in his pendant. Shuichi was the one to
finally break the almost unbearable silence.
�Galis-san, I hope you
don�t mind my asking, but where did you get that red pendant?�
�In a vacant lot near my
house,� I said, studying the pendant as I followed the sound of his steady
footfalls. �Actually, I never would have found it had I not gone to your friend
Genkai�s house. The bus dropped me off on the other end of the street.�
�Don�t you know your own
neighborhood?�
I blinked, glancing up at
his backward gaze. �Why would I? I don�t go anywhere but straight to the bus�I
ride them all over the city sometimes.�
�Why?�
I shrugged. �Because, it
gives me a chance to calm down, do my homework, and listen to music. And to be
alone.�
Shuichi paused on the
sidewalk. �Why don�t you walk beside me, instead of behind, Galis-san?�
�I�m not used to having friends.�
He cocked his head to the
side. �Then why do you get on a bus and allow them to drive you all over Tokyo
to be alone?�
I shrugged, staring at the
cracks in the sidewalk, at the way his school uniform pants fell just so over
the tops of his shoes. I glanced down at my own, seeing that one of the socks
had fallen to bunch just above the shoe�s tongue. I knelt onto the sidewalk,
allowing the tiny rocks to dig into my naked knee as I fixed the sock. When I
stood up again, I trailed behind Shuichi for the rest of the way to his house.
Shuichi Minamino�s house
was upper-middle class normal-looking. It was painted white, and it had a very
decent-sized yard for Tokyo. The fence was fresh-painted a nice pale green
color and there were little flowerbeds everywhere with autumn mums planted. I
stopped beside the dying rosebush and cupped the last bloomed rose, the color
of dried blood, in both hands.
�You like roses?�
I blinked and glanced up
at Shuichi. �No�actually, I hate them. They remind me of Dirken. Evil.�
He reached over and took
the dying rose from my hand, delicately plucking it with a little of the stem
still attached. �How do you come to that conclusion?�
�They�re beautiful,
alluring, yet dangerous.�

He chuckled softly. �Dangerous?�
I took the rose from him
and gently squeezed the stem, feeling the thorns prick angrily into my palm and
fingers. My blood tainted the green stem brownish black as I handed it back to
him, tenderly licking at the wounds. The taste of the blood, so fresh and clean
and sweet, tickled my tongue with tantalizing secrets. Secrets of metals and
oils and strawberry fields, and a little ocean cove thick with the scent of
salt�
�Galis-san?�
I glanced up at Shuichi
and promptly dropped my arm to my side. �S-Sorry�I��
He smiled politely. �We�ll
clean that up inside. Just for future reference, Galis-san, but if you handle a
rose delicately,� he gestured to the gentle hold he had on the dying rose,
still tainted with my blood, �it will never harm you.�
�That�s like what MCR
says,� I said, watching the way he held the rose, as if it were a precious
child. �About vampires. The title of the song is �Vampires Will Never Hurt
You�. Good song.�
Shuichi smiled again, and
led me through the front door of his home. The moment he crossed the threshold,
a woman with pale brown hair, several shades lighter than mine, took him in a
fierce hug. �Shuu-chan, welcome home!�
�Hello, mother,� Shuichi
smiled warmly at the woman. �I�d like you to meet my friend, Rei Galis. I�m
afraid we had to leave class early.�
�Yes, the school explained
everything,� Shuichi�s mother smiled at me, too. Why did everyone smile at me,
even knowing what I was? �The school
gave me your mother�s work phone and I explained where you were and what
happened. She was very pleased to hear that you left when you did.�
I blinked, not quite sure.
This woman, Shuichi�s mother, was far too sweet to be real. She gave off an air
of innocent honesty. I didn�t trust her right away. Not until Mishu�s voice
stirred within the back of my mind.
@~Well, now, who�re the
pretty ladies?~@
~*~Mishu, Shuichi is a
boy.~*~
@~Oh, sorry, which one�s
Shuichi? What�ve I missed, anyway? Violin�s shriek, girl, gimme details!~@
~*~Dirken said I could
befriend Shuichi. He said that Shuichi has secrets.~*~
@~Felony, ain�t that
somethin� there! Well, who�s the pretty lady, then? She seems nice.~@
~*~I don�t trust her.~*~

@~Well, why the felony not? Don�t tell me you�re scared of a little middle-aged
human!~@
~*~Well, no�~*~
@~Well, I�ll be leavin�
yeh alone, then.~@
Promptly, Mishu fell
silent. For odd reasons unknown, she often vanished and reappeared, as if she
wasn�t always there. I mentally shrugged and smiled at the blank looks I was
receiving from both Shuichi and his mother. I removed my shoes in the walkway,
seeing how Shuichi had already done so.
�Sorry�I�um��
�It�s quite all right,
dear. Why don�t you and Shuichi sit at the kitchen table, I wrote down the rest
of your classes� homework for the day. You can work on that while I fix up some
lunch. Is peanut butter and jelly okay?�
I blinked, uncertain as
how to answer that. I had been the one to cook and clean and keep house for my
mother, for six long years. Never before had I been asked what I wanted to eat.
If I got dinner other than what I made myself, it was ordered out and my mother
simply chose at random whatever she thought sounded good. I hesitated a moment
before nodding slowly.
�We have strawberry,
grape, and apple butter, which one would you like?�
My mind was reeling. I had
a choice. It was a simple choice, a
choice that most people would think nothing of. But for nearly half of my life,
I hadn�t had a choice of my own. My mother told me what she wanted to eat for
dinner�I never even gave myself a second thought of what I wanted.
�What�s apple butter?� I asked.
�You�ve never tried apple
butter?� Shuichi�s mother looked at me as if I�d grown a sixth finger. �Well,
then, you�ll just have to try it this once, then.�
Shuichi smiled, placing
his hand on my shoulder. I tensed under the touch, the nicks from last night
still burning slightly. He frowned, but didn�t let his mother see. �You�ll have
to try it now, my mother won�t take no for an answer. And as she made it
herself, I�m sure you�ll love it.�
Now we were back at least
on semi-familiar territory. I relaxed slightly, letting out a breath I hadn�t
known I�d been holding. Why did such simple things affect me so much? I sighed
inwardly as I sat at the kitchen table next to Shuichi. The rest of the day�s
work was neatly written down on a bit of tissue with a department store logo on
it. I could tell that Shuichi�s mother was often in downtown Tokyo, if she had
enough of the advertisement-covered tissue to use it as stationary.
Or maybe that was all that
she�d had on hand at the moment. I would never know unless I asked, and
obviously I wouldn�t.
The moment Shuichi�s
mother went into the kitchen, Shuichi whispered to me. �Karasu hurt you again,
didn�t he.�
�It wasn�t Karasu the
first time, nor was it this time,� I said. �Last time it was indirectly Dirken,
and this time it was directly Dirken. I�m used to it by now. Him and his damn
pink daggers��
I smirked at the slightly
startled look that came over Shuichi�s normally very calm fa�ade. �I�ve lived
with these demons since I was eight years old. It�s not like I�m not used to
being nicked a few times.�
�You say this all happens
in your dreams, and yet the wounds show up on your skin when you wake up?�
�Not nearly as bad as they
were in the dream,� I said, shrugging. I was used to passing my dreams off as
nothing. A little pain never really hurt me. It was when they went too far,
when they really went too far� �I�m not worried about me, Shuichi. I�m worried
about whoever I get close to. I�I�m scared for you. Even though Dirken spoke to
Karasu last night after he left me, I�m still not so sure�And I don�t know why
Dirken told me to befriend you. It�s not like him.�

It was only a half-lie. Even though Dirken said he wanted me to find out
Shuichi�s secrets, there had to be more to this. There had to be something
else. The question was, what else was there? What was so damn special about
this red-haired boy that he had the attention of most of my demons? The little
taste of his blood that Dirken had given me was enough to know that he was
partially demon.
Was that it?
Were they using me to get
to a partling?
�You would think they�d go
after Hiei, that three-eyed fire halfling I met at Genkai-san�s house,� I mused
to myself. �I can sense that somehow, he�s�special.�
�There we are, peanut
butter and apple butter sandwiches,� Shuichi�s mother smiled. �If you need
anything, I�ll be in the living room.�

I waited until she was gone again before commenting. �Is she always like that?�
�Like what?� Shuichi
blinked, at a loss for how his mother had been acting in any way strange.
�So�nice. Giving.� I
searched hard for the word. �Respectful.�
Shuichi smiled. �Yes, my
mother is always like that. I love her deeply.�
I thought about my
relationship with my mother. �It�s�weird. To see someone like that. My mom must
be the weird one, then.�
�How do you come to that
conclusion?�
�I make everything for
her,� I shrugged. �It�s almost the exact opposite between you and your mom,
only�I don�t think she loves me. Likes me, as is filial obligation, but not
love.�
�Your mother acts like a
child?�
I nodded and tried to
explain. �I wake up before her every morning. Six o�clock, because of my
dreams. I make breakfast. I wake her up and we eat. She goes back to bed and
goes to work when her alarm rings at eight. I come home, she says hello, I go
to my room, do my homework and read or listen to music on my CD player. I make
dinner and lunch for both of us the next day.� I shrugged. �It�s been like that
since I was ten.�
Shuichi closed his math
book slowly. �What happened before then?�
I blinked, slowly. �Um�I
don�t think I should say any more.�
�Why not?�
I lied. �The demons told
me not to.� I glanced at the clock and started in on the work without another
word.
�You still haven�t tried
the sandwiches,� Shuichi said, a note of amusement in his tone. His sandwich
was already gone when I looked up. My work was nearly done and the clock said
that I�d been sitting there an hour in silence.
�Sorry�I lose track of
time.�
�Your demons didn�t tell
you not to say anything, Galis-san.�
I sighed and took the
sandwich from his outstretched hand. �No, they didn�t. How�d you guess,
anyway?�
He cleared his throat and
whispered, in a voice so quiet I leaned in and still strained to hear. �I, too,
was not entirely honest. I can hear, ever so slightly, the demons that inhabit
your mind. It is a kitsune trait.�
I blinked, dropping the
sandwich that I still hadn�t taken a bite from. �Kitsune�trait?�
�Eat your sandwich,
Galis-san.�
I sighed, knowing almost
instinctively that I would get nothing more from him. I bit into the sandwich,
savoring a new, wonderful taste. Apples and cinnamon and spices and just a hint
of something more imbedded into the very fibers of the home-baked wheat bread.
I have never tasted anything like it before.
�I take by the look of
pure ecstasy on your face that you like my mother�s apple butter,� Shuichi
chuckled. I polished off the sandwich, wishing there was more even though my
stomach told me I was full. �And my bread.�

I blinked slowly, coming down from an almost sexual high from the wonderful
tastes still swimming in my mouth. �You made that?�
�Yes, I grew the wheat
myself,� Shuichi smiled, leaning on one hand pleasantly. �I have a rather large
garden at Genkai�s house.�
�Then that rosebush
outside��
�Is mine too, yes.�

I suddenly felt like the most inhuman monster to ever walk the earth. �I�m so
sorry, I didn�t know it��
�You don�t need to
apologize for your feelings toward roses, Galis-san,� Shuichi smiled again.
Instantly, as if a giant wand had passed over me, I relaxed. �I think you need
to see something. Would you follow me?�
I nodded numbly, standing
up from the kitchen table noiselessly. Shuichi glanced in the living room. His
mother was engrossed in a soap opera, reaching sightlessly for the popcorn
she�d made sometime during the silent homework battle Shuichi and I had waged.
He led the way down the opposite hall, into a room I knew very well, and yet
shouldn�t have.
His bedroom.
On the floor, he�d placed
a pair of shoes over a bit of the white carpet, along with a small area rug
that I swear had been in the middle of the carpet in my dreams. I soon found
out why it had moved. Shuichi picked up the end of the rug without a word and
pulled it back, revealing several large bloodstains dried deep in the soft
fibers.
�My sheets, when I woke
up, were also quite stained, though I was mostly unharmed, save for this.� He
moved aside his hair, where I saw a scabbed-over line where Dirken had cut him
with the dagger. �I have no recollection of where I received this wound, nor
can I explain the sudden pain I felt in my heart around three o�clock this
morning, Galis-san. I believe you have that explanation.�
I stuttered, my eyes wide.
�B-But�but�he�it was�a�this�s never happened before!�
�I realized that when I
first showed you the blood on the floor, Galis-san,� Shuichi said calmly. �And
I now also realize that Dirken may be more of a threat to my life than I
previously thought, if he can cut my throat without having me in his hands.�
I shuddered, hugging
myself tightly, feeling the barely-healed letters of my name open anew. I
cringed and worked gently around my uniform to grab my t-shirt beneath it. I
must have pulled my shirt up too high, because Shuichi saw the wound and
somehow procured a bit of gauze and tape and wrapped it around my waist.
�He wrote your name?�
�Dirken does it all the
time,� I murmured, my face hot. The gentle touch he used was similar to
Jirkle�s, and yet different. Everywhere felt warm and soft, like I�d suddenly
turned into a fresh-from-the-oven cookie.
�Don�t let the
psychiatrist see these wounds.� Shuichi�s warning was unneeded. I had had many
wounds like these and none of them had ever been revealed to Kamiya. Shuichi
recovered the blood on the carpet with the area rug and his shoes. �I will have
to see if bleach can get it out.�
�Use a steam vacuum first,
then Resolve,� I said offhandedly. �It�ll come right out.�
�You�ve done this before?�
I smiled sadly. �When
people die in your house, you find out everything you need to know to clean up
the mess afterwards.�
***
Note: The real Michael didn�t die in my house. He died at
his own, I had gone there to pick him up. It was the day after my birthday, and
the day after he gave me the blue pendant that is similar to the one Rei wears.
And I really have no idea if what Rei suggested would really work. I�ve never
in my life had to deal with blood in white carpet. XD
- 6
- 7
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A Little Laughter