Raindrops and Feet

by Rhionae
 
 
 

Running... he had to keep running...

The rain pounded down on him as his feet pounded into the ground, each blow driven into his mind, adding to the endless sea of
pain that threatened to drown him.  Not that it would matter very much if it did.  No-one would care what happened to him
now.  Not that anyone ever had...

Green eyes watching over him...
Red hair framing green eyes...
Red eyes pleading...

He shied away from that thought, concentrating instead on the steady rhythm of raindrops and feet.

Running... he had to keep running...


"SHE SAID YES!!!"  The cry was enough to temporarily deafen all those within a hundred metres.  Kuwabara burst into the
room, dancing around like a hyperactive  circus bear, accidently knocking  Yuusuke into Keiko's lap as he flung his arms up in
victory.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing you oaf!"  Yuusuke complained as Keiko helped him return to an upright position.

Hiei snorted in disgust.  "Baka."  The idiot was demonstrating his idiocy once more.

"Who said 'yes' to what?" Kurama asked, his smile suggesting he had a fairly good idea... His gaze slid across to Hiei, one
merry green eye winking at the diminutive Koorime.

"Yukina!"  Kuwabara lowered his voice slightly, the result still enough to jar Hiei's nerves.  Stupid ningen.  But what was this
about Yukina?  "She agreed to marry me!"

Hiei froze.  She did what!?!

Congratulations were flying around the room, but they were unable to penetrate the corner of the room where Hiei sat in shock.

He had known the baka was fond of her, and that she tolerated him... But to actually agree to marry him?  Could she possibly
care for that... baka... that much?

His eyes flicked over to where the giant ningen was being teased by Yuusuke about getting engaged.  The idiot was grinning like
the fool he was. She couldn't possibly... could she?

Kurama caught his gaze before he could cross the room and beat the baka up until he admitted that he was forcing her into the
marriage.  Did she even realize what marriage was?  Calm green eyes bore into his own, hands resting on his shoulders as lightly
as the smile that touched Kurama's lips.

"Can you at least be happy that she is happy?" He murmured softly.  "I know you dislike him, but he does care about her, just
as she cares about him.  She is happy with him, Hiei.  You wouldn't wish to destroy that happiness, would you?"

Hiei blinked.  "Hnn."  He shot a dark glare at the idiot who wanted to marry his innocent sister before flashing out the window.
Stupid fox.  What would he know?

He sped through the treetops towards Genkai's temple, pausing a moment to locate his sister.  There, in the gardens.  He chose
a tree near where she knelt, and observed her silently as she fed the pigeons.  She was smiling her beautiful smile, the one filled
with gentle joy.  He always loved that smile, especially when it chanced to be directed in his direction...

She looked up, suddenly aware that she was no longer alone.  Wide red eyes blinked once, then filled with joy as she noticed
the dark shadow in the tree above her.

"Hiei-san!"  He flitted down to the ground to face her, then froze, blinking in wide-eyed startlement as she flung her arms around
him enthusiastically. What was she...?

"Kazuma-san asked me to marry him!"  She was beaming at him.  "I'm so happy!"

He blinked once more.  She... she really was happy...  She actually wanted to marry that jerk...!

"I - I..." he stuttered.  He took a deep breath, and gazed into her bright eyes.  "I'm happy that you're happy, Yukina-chan."  Her
eyes widened once more.

"Thankyou, Hiei-san!" She exclaimed in delight.  "If only my brother could be here, then everything would be perfect!"

Hiei barely managed to choke out his standard "Hn!" before flitting off into the trees.  He would be there, he promised her
silently, gazing back at the gardens from a respectable distance.  But how could he tell her...? Slowly, he made his way back to
the others.

Kurama raised one eyebrow at him and smiled as he appeared on the windowsill.  He scowled back.

"Hey shrimp!  Where'd you go?"  The giant ningen's voiced boomed.  It had been loud before, but now laced with a good
measure of sake it achieved new heights in volume.  He gritted his teeth, as the scowl deepened.  He spent a moment
consciously relaxing muscles that tightened in the mere presence of that stupid oaf.  The he answered.

"I went to see my sister."  Kurama blinked.  Yuusuke's jaw dropped open.  He was going to tell him.  And then he was going to
make the fool promise never to hurt Yukina, or to let her get hurt in any way, on pain of Kokuryuha!

"You have a sister, shrimp?"  The red-headed idiot asked in surprise.  Then he smirked.  "So is she as much of a bitch as you
are a bastard?"

Yuusuke dropped his glass and made to grab his tall friend -

Kurama's mouth dropped open, before turning swiftly to restrain Hiei -

- whose katana had impaled the drunken Kuwabara.  They all stood in frozen tableau - until Keiko walked back in, with
Yukina right behind her.

She screamed as Kuwabara's eyes started to glaze over, catching him and lowering him gently to the floor.  Arms wrapped
around him, she turned in horror to Hiei, who stood motionless, staring at the slumped body of the man that his sister loved.

Her wide red eyes locked onto his own.  "Why?" She pleaded.

"Gomen nasai, Yukina-chan, gomen nasai..."

Then he was gone.


He had always been proud of his speed, it was one of his strengths.  But did he have enough speed to outrace the memories
that threatened to smother him?  Could anyone run from their own mind?  How long could he continue to run ahead of his past?

He didn't know.  But he would find out.

Running... He had to keep running...

The sound of raindrops and feet echoed in his head...
 
 
 


Perfect
the sequel to Raindrops and Feet


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