Toge Aida de Bara (Thorns Among Roses)

Chapter 4: Yûshoku Shûkai





Hiei had walked into the kitchen and was rummaging through the freezer for ice cream. “Hiei, there\'s no need for a snack, dinner will be ready shortly.” Kurama stated with a sigh. Hiei, clearly ignoring Kurama\'s comment, got out of the freezer with a small pint-sized container of ice cream, glared at Kurama, grabbed a spoon, and left the room to go eat on the couch in silence. “What\'s gotten him so angry?” Kurama said to himself while continuing to cook dinner.



“Hey, Kurama, what’s for dinner?” asked Yusuke as he took off his shoes, came into the sliding glass door, and shut it behind him, before he walked into the kitchen.



“Shougayaki, with vegetable nimono and natto.” Kurama replied.



“I\'ll pass on the natto, but everything else sounds great.” Yusuke said. “Hey, where\'s Jin and Kuwabara?”



“Well, Kuwabara\'s in his room with Eikichi and Jin\'s in your room with Sakana and Kizuna, and while we\'re on the subject can you tell everyone dinner is ready?” Kurama asked.



“Sure, whatever.” Yusuke said as he left the kitchen, and headed up the stairs, towards his room.



As he walked in the doorway, he saw whom he assumed to be Sakana being hugged by Kizuna. “You’re squishing me.” Sakana said. Kizuna immediately let go.



“Gomen,” she replied apologetically. Sakana just rubbed her back and as she did she noticed a giant tear in her shirt and felt bandages. “What happened to my back?” she asked no one in particular. But, nonetheless; Yusuke answered.



“You wounded it when you were fighting Kurama earlier,” he said still standing in the doorway. Then he remembered what he had come up there for in the first place. “Hey, are you guys hungry?”



“Hai!” Kizuna replied excitedly. Yusuke smiled slightly at how cute she was. \'She gets excited about the littlest things\' he thought.



“Well then, come on dinners ready,” with that being said he left the room.



Sakana looked around confused. “Okay, where am I, and what about my shirt?” at that Jin quickly flew out of the room and came back with the black T-shirt he had worn after he had lost the Dark Tournament, he handed the shirt to Sakana.



“Here,” he said and then smiled. “As for where you are that\'s a long story, Sakana.” Kizuna said with a grin. “Man, I\'m starved let\'s go eat.” Jin said and with that he flew out of the room yet again. Sakana looked at the doorway Jin had just flown out of moments ago, then looked down at the shirt he had given her. She took off the shirt she was wearing and put on the shirt Jin had given her.



“He\'s awesome!” she said with a smile. “Let\'s go eat.”



“Let\'s.” Kizuna replied with a smile, as she led Sakana out of the room, down the stairs, and to the kitchen.



Kizuna sat on one side of Yusuke, and then Sakana sat on the other side next to Jin, then came Kuwabara, Kurama and an empty seat for Hiei. Sakana looked at her food funny then looked at Kizuna.



“I don\'t like natto,” she whispered.



“Then don\'t eat it.” Kizuna whispered back. Kizuna, she then noticed the empty seat next to her and the turned her attention towards Kurama. “Where\'s Hiei?” she asked curiously.



“On the couch eating ice cream,” he said while cutting a piece of his shougayaki.

“How come shrimpy gets ice cream?” detested Kuwabara with his mouth full. Kurama just ignored Kuwabara and turned his attention back on Kizuna.



“I made botamochi if anyone wants some.” Kurama said cutting himself another piece of shougayaki.



“Yay! Botamochi.” Kizuna said excited eating her vegetables.



“I don\'t like the sweet bean paste its squishy.” Sakana said with a look of disgust.



“Don\'t worry not everyone likes sweet bean paste so I made some plain rice cakes.” Kurama smiled as he looked up and saw the look of disgust Sakana was giving her natto. Kizuna smiled to herself while they ate dinner, she had never felt so welcome. Everyone talked, everyone laughed, everyone got along, during dinner Kurama explained once again what happened earlier, afterwards everyone finished and botamochi was served, and time passed quickly.



Jin looked around the table to discover everyone was almost done with their dessert. He was so bored then he got an idea. “Hay, ya guys wan\' ta play some video games?” he asked hopefully. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other and grinned.



“Last one to the living room is a loser.” Kuwabara said as he got up and booked it for the living room, only to discover Jin had already beaten him there; by the time Yusuke got there Jin and Kuwabara had already started to play. \'Guess I\'ll just sit and watch,\' he thought as he sat on one of the many couches in the living room.



Shortly after Yusuke sat down, Hiei got up with the now empty ice cream container, and was walking into the kitchen. Kizuna was talking to Sakana when Hiei walked in. She paused in her conversation and tried to make small talk with the short fire apparition.



“Kon\'nichiwa, Hiei-san!” she said cheerfully.



“Hn,” he said in reply as he glared at her, and then threw the empty ice cream carton in the garbage. At that she turned and started to talk to Sakana again.



“So why are we staying here anyway?” she asked questioningly to Kizuna.



“Because I feel safe here for some odd reason. That and if their going to let us stay, why not just stay, its not like we have anywhere to go back to, right?” Kizuna explained.



“Right.” Sakana replied. “Until we find this Yoko guy we can\'t go back.” Kizuna looked down and her eyes saddened.



“They wouldn\'t want me back anyway. Yoko or no Yoko,” she said solemnly.



“Well, that\'s your own fault for not being able to control your fox spirit.” Sakana retorted. “By the way, did you take you herbs today?”



“No. I ran out.” Kizuna said bowing her head in shame, she then lifted her head and smiled. “But, don\'t worry I can control it.”



“You better hope so cous\', and just so you know tonight’s a full moon.” Sakana said slyly. At that comment Kizuna\'s heart skipped a beat, thoughts started racing through her mind. \'What if it fully takes over like last time?\' she thought and the thought of it was enough, she couldn\'t live with more blood on her hands.



She quickly shook these thoughts out of her mind. As she did Kurama walked over to Sakana and her and smiled. “You two must be tired?”



Sakana looked at him and said. “Yeah. I am.”



“Well, in that case, let me show you to your room, Kizuna you must be tired as well.” he asked.



“No, not really. I think I\'ll just go watch the boys play video games,” she said as she got up and walked into the living room.



Kurama then pushed in Kizuna\'s chair, and ushered Sakana upstairs to her room. It was down the hallway, the last door on right.



“You can sleep here, Jin\'s room is right next to yours,” he said as he opened the door.



“Thanks.” she said simply as an orange twinkle appeared in her golden brown eyes. “Be careful she’s dangerous.”



Kurama was going to reply, but before he had the chance to, she had shut the door in his face.