re: FANFIC: Rose Red
Posted: Apr 05, 2005 2:43pm
All right, the last part seemed to cause some confusion. Kurama's demonic aura has already returned (that's what happened at age ten). Kurama becoming fully demon is my own idea, because in the anime he was a human with a demon aura. This is a fanfic, remember - I have the right to fabricate a few things.
Part Two, Scene Three
"Yakazawa, get some more packets on the double!" the doctor ordered, unhooking one of the packets from the IV. He frowned down at the woman in the bed. Her pain-contorted face was covered with a plastic respirator mask, but the sheen to it told him that she was sweating profusely. "Damn, I don't think she's going to make it -"
As the little blond nurse ran out of the room to find some packets, a brunette woman and two teenagers moved out of her way, allowing her to pass before entering the room themselves. The doctor glanced at the burgundy-haired boy.
"Shuuichi, your mother is having a crisis. To be honest..." The doctor turned back to Shiori, unable to meet Kurama's eyes. "Your mother is probably about to die."
"How long until...?" Kurama bit his lip.
"Tonight, maybe tomorrow morning," the doctor replied to the unfinished question. "We'll do what we can, Shuuichi. I'm sorry."
Somehow, the atmosphere of the night had become much more tense, despite the fact that the weather remained pleasant. Kurama looked down at the mirror he held in his hand.
"Yuusuke, Shiori - she's the one who taught me kindness." Kurama swallowed a painful lump in his throat, glancing at Yuusuke. "I would never have cared for Hiei, or for her, if she hadn't shown me how. Did you happen to notice those scars along her arms?"
"Yeah," Yuusuke said, eyebrows furrowing. "They looked pretty old."
Kurama stared down at the mirror again. "This body was six years old when that happened. Look into the mirror."
Yuusuke glanced down at the looking-glass, and blinked, moving in for a closer peek. A scene had begun to play like a movie on the mirror's surface. There was no sound, but he could easily interpret what was happening without dialogue.
A small boy with short burgundy hair - Kurama, Yuusuke guessed - was walking through a hallway of his house. Upon entering the kitchen area through an open doorway, a dark-haired woman wearing a frilly pink apron came into view. She was at the sink, washing dishes.
The younger Kurama said something to Shiori. Apparently he got a response, because he went over to the small table, seized one of the rickety-looking chairs, and dragged it over so that it leaned against the counter. Yuusuke leaned forward, watching as the boy climbed on top of the chair and reached for something on the top shelf.
Suddenly, calico cat came dashing into the room. It tried to skid to a stop, but was a fraction of a second late in its timing. It crashed right into one of the legs of the already-wobbly chair.
Bright green eyes widened as the chair moved, and his clothed feet slipped on the padded surface. His hands hit several of the plates and glasses stacked on the shelf, knocking them to the floor, where they shattered into hundreds of sharp-looking pieces of glass. His mouth moved in what was an unmistakable gasp as he lost his balance, beginning to fall backwards - he would land right on top of those shards -
But just before he hit the blue and white tiles, a pair of arms reached out, blocking the glass. The younger Kurama blinked, rolling onto his side, and looked up at his savior. Shiori smiled down at him, saying something inaudible, as blood flowed from the wounds in her arms.
The image faded to blackness.
"Ah, what would have happened if I hadn't lost my balance," Kurama chuckled, as Yuusuke turned to look at him. "You see, had she not caught me, Shiori would never have gotten those scars. And I think that's what kept me from leaving when I had planned to. Seeing those scars, remembering the way she smiled and asked if I was okay... I couldn't bring myself to leave her after that."
"...Oh," Yuusuke said simply.
"You see now?" Kurama whispered. "I love Shiori as if she were my real mother. She's taught me so much." Kurama smiled, but his eyes clearly revealed how much pain he was in. "Yuusuke, I cannot let her die. I would never have learned what I know now if it hadn't been for her. I never would have stayed here in the human world. I never would have healed Hiei the way I did. And I never would have told you any of this."
He kneeled on the ground, set the mirror face-up on the stone surface, then stared up at Yuusuke, who had remained standing.
"I never told you what the Mirror of Darkness takes from its user." Kurama was still smiling. "It's nothing of any real importance to me. I never deserved it anyway."
Yuusuke's heart suddenly began pounding. Something was wrong. "What is it?"
For some reason, the question made Kurama's smile become that much brighter. "Life."
Dun dun dun! Suicidal youko-turned-human! The 'movie' the mirror played was taken from the manga, but I altered it slightly. Originally, Kurama lost his balance on his own (no cats were involved). As for where the cat went after that... Um... It was taken to the animal shelter.
Part Two, Scene Three
"Yakazawa, get some more packets on the double!" the doctor ordered, unhooking one of the packets from the IV. He frowned down at the woman in the bed. Her pain-contorted face was covered with a plastic respirator mask, but the sheen to it told him that she was sweating profusely. "Damn, I don't think she's going to make it -"
As the little blond nurse ran out of the room to find some packets, a brunette woman and two teenagers moved out of her way, allowing her to pass before entering the room themselves. The doctor glanced at the burgundy-haired boy.
"Shuuichi, your mother is having a crisis. To be honest..." The doctor turned back to Shiori, unable to meet Kurama's eyes. "Your mother is probably about to die."
"How long until...?" Kurama bit his lip.
"Tonight, maybe tomorrow morning," the doctor replied to the unfinished question. "We'll do what we can, Shuuichi. I'm sorry."
Somehow, the atmosphere of the night had become much more tense, despite the fact that the weather remained pleasant. Kurama looked down at the mirror he held in his hand.
"Yuusuke, Shiori - she's the one who taught me kindness." Kurama swallowed a painful lump in his throat, glancing at Yuusuke. "I would never have cared for Hiei, or for her, if she hadn't shown me how. Did you happen to notice those scars along her arms?"
"Yeah," Yuusuke said, eyebrows furrowing. "They looked pretty old."
Kurama stared down at the mirror again. "This body was six years old when that happened. Look into the mirror."
Yuusuke glanced down at the looking-glass, and blinked, moving in for a closer peek. A scene had begun to play like a movie on the mirror's surface. There was no sound, but he could easily interpret what was happening without dialogue.
A small boy with short burgundy hair - Kurama, Yuusuke guessed - was walking through a hallway of his house. Upon entering the kitchen area through an open doorway, a dark-haired woman wearing a frilly pink apron came into view. She was at the sink, washing dishes.
The younger Kurama said something to Shiori. Apparently he got a response, because he went over to the small table, seized one of the rickety-looking chairs, and dragged it over so that it leaned against the counter. Yuusuke leaned forward, watching as the boy climbed on top of the chair and reached for something on the top shelf.
Suddenly, calico cat came dashing into the room. It tried to skid to a stop, but was a fraction of a second late in its timing. It crashed right into one of the legs of the already-wobbly chair.
Bright green eyes widened as the chair moved, and his clothed feet slipped on the padded surface. His hands hit several of the plates and glasses stacked on the shelf, knocking them to the floor, where they shattered into hundreds of sharp-looking pieces of glass. His mouth moved in what was an unmistakable gasp as he lost his balance, beginning to fall backwards - he would land right on top of those shards -
But just before he hit the blue and white tiles, a pair of arms reached out, blocking the glass. The younger Kurama blinked, rolling onto his side, and looked up at his savior. Shiori smiled down at him, saying something inaudible, as blood flowed from the wounds in her arms.
The image faded to blackness.
"Ah, what would have happened if I hadn't lost my balance," Kurama chuckled, as Yuusuke turned to look at him. "You see, had she not caught me, Shiori would never have gotten those scars. And I think that's what kept me from leaving when I had planned to. Seeing those scars, remembering the way she smiled and asked if I was okay... I couldn't bring myself to leave her after that."
"...Oh," Yuusuke said simply.
"You see now?" Kurama whispered. "I love Shiori as if she were my real mother. She's taught me so much." Kurama smiled, but his eyes clearly revealed how much pain he was in. "Yuusuke, I cannot let her die. I would never have learned what I know now if it hadn't been for her. I never would have stayed here in the human world. I never would have healed Hiei the way I did. And I never would have told you any of this."
He kneeled on the ground, set the mirror face-up on the stone surface, then stared up at Yuusuke, who had remained standing.
"I never told you what the Mirror of Darkness takes from its user." Kurama was still smiling. "It's nothing of any real importance to me. I never deserved it anyway."
Yuusuke's heart suddenly began pounding. Something was wrong. "What is it?"
For some reason, the question made Kurama's smile become that much brighter. "Life."
Dun dun dun! Suicidal youko-turned-human! The 'movie' the mirror played was taken from the manga, but I altered it slightly. Originally, Kurama lost his balance on his own (no cats were involved). As for where the cat went after that... Um... It was taken to the animal shelter.
I wish I was more descriptive in my stories. Great Job! Keep it up!