Roses and Thorns

digiitalis‌:

Kurama looked back down and away to hide the smug smile on his face. He knew Kuronue wasn’t really bothered, but it was great to get him to be all dramatic. “Is it? Hm.” He tilted his head to the side, then chuckled. “You’ll have to prove that to me, you know that, right? It’s hard to say I know your skill anymore.” Not that he had any doubts that Kuronue was in top shape– or at least better off then he himself, all human and out of practice. He just wanted to see.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. Eat the rich? Well, he wasn’t into cannibalism, but at this point… “Or guillotines. The French had great ideas.” It would be more classy than eating them– or, perhaps, they could eat the rich with some nice Chianti? That was culturally relevant. Hannibal Lector, really aesthetically savvy there.

 Cannibalism aside, they would have to compete anyway. “I don’t think Yusuke knows about you. But I assume you would come regardless of Reikai’s plans.”

“We could spar sometime if you really want. I imagine I’m rusty as all fuck, and I know my energy’s not what it should be.” Resurrection was unnatural, and his body had no qualms reminding him such. He could feel faltering when he tried to summon up his spirit energy and he wasn’t even going to attempt his dark magics until he was away from humans that could get hurt. Kuronue had once been strong, powerful enough that he wasn’t fucked with. But a part of him worried that he wasn’t the same.

Unlike Kurama, he certainly had no issues with eating someone. He did try to pretend to be civilized for his fox. Especially now that he was all human-hearted and such. “What’s a guillotine? Is it fun?” Kuronue shifted so that he could nuzzle the exposed neck so close within his reach. He was looking forward to watching this tournament, intrigued by the prize and by the notion of getting away from humans and their rules for a bit.

“Good. I’ll enjoy seeing what you can do now. And watching blood fly, of course.”

“Oh, good. We’ll be equal then.” It wasn’t as if Kurama was the person he’d once been. Kuronue had a point. He was soft, slow, and weak, comparatively. It was a blessing that he was able to keep his wits. If he’d had to restart entirely, it would have been impossible. Also, he would have never lured Kuronue back to him, to be sure. 

He paused, a little surprised by the question. Oh, yes, right. A century missed, a border of separation. “A little human invention.” Was it little? It wasn’t really all that impressive, just... useful. “Used for execution. They drop a blade on someone’s neck. Very efficient.” He sighed contently at the brush of Kuronue’s nose against his neck. The topic didn’t bother him, couldn’t bother him. Not with his past. “You should look at human history sometime. It’s more brutal that you’d think.” 

The tremble in his breathing betrayed his control over his emotions. Shiori recognized the first signs of tears to come when she saw them. Her thumb gently ran circles over the back of his hand, reassuring him as best she could. He had cried some when he was very small but hardly ever in her presence since he’d grown up.

She circled an arm around his shoulders and dragged his head to the crux of her neck, gently stroking his hair. One hand remained curled around his, doing her best to comfort her grown son. He was too big for her to pull onto her lap but this was the best she could do. “Shhh,” she soothed. It had to be a lot to take in, their lives being so secretive from each other.

Shiori loved him more than she could express in words. In the fibers of her very being, she loved unconditionally. More so because he was her son, the being she had carried in her womb and whom she had raised all alone. He was her baby – no matter how grown he became or what experience he’d had prior to being secreted into her womb.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Shuichi. We’re both safe and together. Shhh.”

She didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand, perhaps-- what Kurama was apologizing for. It wasn’t for hiding. He’d never felt terribly bad about that. It was in his nature, after all. A fox in his hole, a thief in his den. He would have been content to hide from her for the rest of her life, to keep the unnatural tightly under wraps. Even if his pretending was grating, the effort to hide sharp grins and twitching fingers exhausting at the best of times, it was doable, and necessary. 

No, he was apologizing for what she deserved. For what he’d stolen from her. Safety and security, a normal child with a normal future, true kindness and love that didn’t require build up and work. She should have never had to spend a decade earning the love of a fox with trust issues. She should have had a child who loved her, who would play and rebel and grow. 

“Well that’s just fucking rude,” he declares, mock offended. He gives a small squeeze, entirely different kind of squeeze, to the lapful of Kurama. Kuronue was a manipulator of shadows, dark energies, and blades. He had no qualms fighting head on if he absolutely had to but as far as he was concerned there was no reason for him to prove ‘honour’ or some bullshit when he was fighting.

The bat wrinkled his nose. He supposed they had once included themselves among ‘the rich’, but mostly they stole from ‘the rich’ to amuse themselves and build their own wealth and power. They had both come from nothing, had stolen wealth and hoarded it so that they could grow a power base. Entirely different than the way others worked, or so he told himself. “I saw something on the Internet the other day. It said: eat the rich. I like that. But I also like the idea of senseless violence, so really I don’t have a foot to stand on.”

“I’m assuming, of course, that I’m coming along.”

Kurama looked back down and away to hide the smug smile on his face. He knew Kuronue wasn’t really bothered, but it was great to get him to be all dramatic. “Is it? Hm.” He tilted his head to the side, then chuckled. “You’ll have to prove that to me, you know that, right? It’s hard to say I know your skill anymore.” Not that he had any doubts that Kuronue was in top shape-- or at least better off then he himself, all human and out of practice. He just wanted to see.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. Eat the rich? Well, he wasn’t into cannibalism, but at this point... “Or guillotines. The French had great ideas.” It would be more classy than eating them-- or, perhaps, they could eat the rich with some nice Chianti? That was culturally relevant. Hannibal Lector, really aesthetically savvy there.

Light stick? Nari was confused, but she would accept anything that didn’t sound dangerous! She wasn’t ready for him to grab her hand, but resisted the knee-jerk reaction to pull away in hopes of getting somewhere safe.

Was she going somewhere safe?

“Um, yes please.”

Shuichi nodded quickly, reaching in his bag to pull out a little flashlight. Tugging her along by the hand, he offered it, pressing the button on the back to make a small beam of light. Light stick. It was descriptive enough. 

Kuronue gave a quiet snort of air through his nose in short lived laughter. It was sometimes a little hard to reconcile his notion of his life partner and this smaller, softer human-ish person. But then, as disgustingly cheesy as it sounded, their souls recognized each other. There was no way he could have mistaken him for anyone else once they were close. It wasn’t half bad being under Kurama’s supervision and learning about modern humanity.

He liked video games. And the books. And clothing was fantastic. The human world still bored him quite frequently and he missed the chaos and mayhem of the demon realm. Eventually they would return and he’d really be able to have fun again. It was a bit frustrating not being able to cut down someone that truly annoyed him.

“Aww, you’re fighting almost like I do. I’m a little proud,” he teased, a laugh in his tone. Kuronue’s arms tightened for a second, his words registering in his brain (and his lower half) before he did his best to relax with a loose smile. “We’ll have to see about that. Sometime. So what’s this tournament thing?”

“Have to make up for weakness. Much like you do.” He teased, his voice pitching just a bit lower in a mimic of his teasing purr. If Kuronue was going to play this game, he could match him wit for wit. Besides, it was amusing to fee him fluster, even slightly. Kurama quirked an eyebrow and looked up. Oh my, that was an interesting sort of tense. 

     ( “ you needn’t ask, kurama, “ the ice maiden would reassure, careful in approaching the other demon before landing herself on her knees by his side. “ it seems that the enemies you’ve made enjoy ruining my work, “ the girl would softly laugh at her own joke regarding her powers, laced with sarcasm to the perpetrator as she’d extend her hands to the fox’s abdomen. stretching her hands out, she’d let a soft blur tint overcome her palms, slowly but surely healing the wounds kurama had received.

     ( red eyes would focus on the task at hand as she’d query once more. “ is everyone else alright? “ yukina would ask with honesty, “ i can help them as well once your wounds have healed. “

Yukina approached him like a cornered animal, a frightened one with teeth bared. She was right to do so, with his injured pride and seething frustration. Were she anyone else, he wouldn’t have allowed her to come so close, to touch him and reassure him. But she was who she was. Kind, non-judgmental Yukina, who only ever wished to help. While not harmless, she didn’t mean harm, so he quietly watched, staying perfectly still. 

Kurama’s muscles tightened at the cold touch of her healing. It was in stark contrast to the searing heat of the inflamed skin and deep lacerations, a shock to the system. But it was soothing, and it did its work, even slowly. He relaxed, letting out a held breath. “Yes, all of my enemies love undoing your work, I’m starting to think their vendetta is against you, and not me, at this point.” He attempted a smile, wincing against a throb in his side.

The police? But why would she leave? Weren’t the police there to help? Would she want to run from them? She wasn’t sure, but she also wanted to get away from here as soon as possible. After taking a shaky breath, Nari pressed herself to stand.

“Let’s go, please,” she said finally.

Shuichi smiled behind his mask-- he was sure she’d be more at ease if she could see his face, but he had no interest in being arrested. “Down the hall. This way. Do you need a... ah.” He thought for a second. What was the english word again? Shit. “...Light... stick?” Close enough. He resisted grabbing her hand, instead half walking backwards as he lead her down the hall.

“I mean, physically your mother assumes you are as well.” Kuronue had no seriousness in his teasing. It was just fun to fuck with his fox a little bit since he could. He really wasn’t sure how much she really guessed or knew. But it was more than nothing. Kurama just had blindfolds on when it came to his recently on her deathbed mother.

There was a bit of shifting and shuffling so that Kuronue could have a lapful of Kurama. It was fun to have his partner small and able to be crowded by him sometimes. Especially when they were both lazy and relaxed, or Kuro was and Kurama was vaguely doing homework. He tilted his head back to look up into green eyes with a smile.

“I’d like to see that. People underestimate you, don’t they? I’d worry about making you bleed even in play – but I’d like to see you make others bleed.”

Kuronue did have a point. His mother treated him like a child-- and to her perception, she was. It wasn’t a wonder she kept asking him about girls in his class, regardless of interest. Which he had none of. Still, it was an eye-roll worthy tease. He had to wonder what his mother thought of Kuronue staying in his room like this, really. 

     ( something was off. something was wrong and yukina knew it well.

     ( but whatever it was… the korime couldn’t put a finger on it. with worried red eyes does she look over to the fox; back turned to her as her brows would furrow with concern. she’d tried to speak to him earlier, but he was unresponsive - something that set her on the path of confusion. “ kurama…? “ yukina would query with a hushed tone, careful in her approach as if one wrong move could anger him. the girl knew the other demon was a force not to be reckoned with. if her assumption was right… he looked as if he was in a bad mood. “ kurama - are you alright? 

@digiitalis liked for a starter.

Things were quiet. Preternaturally so, a stillness that should have been normal in the quiet of Genkai’s forest and yet was not, lacking birdsong and the wind rustling the trees. Tension, not ease, colored the quiet, like the very woods were holding its breath. Perhaps in fear, or, by not personifying trees and songbirds, in perception of the quiet anger was Kurama expressing, just in his still presence. 

Calling Kurama’s mood bad was, perhaps, an oversimplification. The fox was leaning heavily on the wall, unwilling, or unable, to stand, his pale, but brightly colored clothes, spotted with blood. It was hard to say if it was his or not. Truthfully, he was in a mood to be left alone. He was hurt, which put him on edge in the first place, he was truly peeved, which was an uncommon occurrence, and he was mostly embarrassed--- this was the fourth time this month he’d had to tuck tail and run after finishing a battle to seek out help. Yukina’s help, in particular. He liked the ice maiden, he was furious at himself that he might be damaging her perception of him. 

So wrapped up in a ball of frustration and embarrassment, he’d just sat there for a time, completely unawares of who or what was around him. Once he was calm enough to pick up on Yukina’s soft voice, well, he was twice as embarrassed to notice she looked concerned. 

           coming up on hour two of not being able to leave his apartment. was it that it wasn’t safe for ‘ his kind ‘ to be running around ? was there something he wasn’t supposed to know about outside ? it was pretty boring being holed up in the same small space for two hours. ❝ are you going to let me out anytime soon ? ❞ he rocks a bit on his bed until he’s rolling himself until into a sitting position. ❝ no one explained to me why you’re all allowed to go out and do stuff and i have to sit in here. ❞

// @digiitalis

The world was supposed to be safe now-- life was supposed to be safe. Tokyo was, to Tokyo standards, quiet, and even the slowly integrating demons weren’t causing a ruckus. After years of fighting and struggling, the former spirit detectives deserved as much, Kurama thought, especially those pulled into the dangerous world of demons and gods. Those who had no choice. Kazuma deserved as much. 

Yet here they were, holed up in Kazuma’s apartment, Kurama watching the locked door closely for any sign of sound or disturbance. It was silent, eerily so. He sighed softly, leaning his head backward against the wall. Of course there were questions, and of course they were questions that he didn’t have too many answers for. Well, he’d do his best.