Here's Chapter 10 of the fanfic "Before & After."  It has some yaoi content
but nothing graphic.  Read at your own risk.  Constructive C & C is welcome.
Have fun reading.

Shuichi Minamino
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BEFORE AND AFTER
Ch 10

	Fifteen was a vulnerable age.  For a young youko, fifteen was the year of
discovery, the year of love, and the year of loss.  It was also the year
that would change Kurama forever.

	Kurama put on his daily clothing after he had washed himself.  One of
those daily routines again.  Rokuso would come in every night and every
morning to sleep with him, not that he was unfamiliar with it.  It had been
years.  Kurama knew that he hated it at the beginning, at least when he was
much younger.  But then for some reasons, as 
the years go on, at one point, it didn't seem too bad.  Sex wasn't as bad
as he had remembered.  He had found physical pleasure to be rather
appealing, and he wondered if it would be the same if he ever try it with
other people.

	He wouldn't dare though, for he knew the consequences of disobedience.  He
had suffered to much already from Rokuso's harsh punishments.  So what
usually happened during the sessions was that Kurama would pretend that he
had enjoyed every minute of it, and that he was completely devoted to
Rokuso, while his mind wandered else where.  For some strange reasons, his
thoughts had always been on Hakuya.

	Hakuya...that name brought a smile to the youko's face.  His best friend.
The only person he could talk to, argue with and fight with.  Their
personalities were different but they got along just like brothers.  In
many ways, the time he spent with Hakuya seemed to make up for the time he
had lost when he was with Rokuso.

	Kurama and Hakuya had met everyday for the past several years at that
secret place by the stream.  There they would practice their fighting
skills, play games, and sometimes just talk.  Over the years, Kurama had
found Hakuya to be one of the kindest and most protective youkai he had
ever known.  Hakuya seemed to be protective of him of pratically
everything.  He would worry over the smallest things.  Kurama often found
it amusing whenever Hakuya got frustrated.  The way he would brush his gold
hair back in annoyance, and the way his eyes seemed to sparkle and gleam
under the sun... a perfect image of beauty.  

	Yes, beauty was an appropriate word for Hakuya, but Hakuya was much much
more than that.  Kurama knew deep in his heart that for some strange
reasons, he had a feeling and an emotion toward this youkai that was
completely different from the feelings he had for anyone; and he was lost
and confused about it.

	"Oi!  Kurama!!"  That familiar voice again.  Upon hearing Hakuya, a sly
smile spread across Kurama's face as he whirled around and threw a handful
of petals toward his friend.

	"Whatta...?!!" Hakuya started and his eyes widened in surprise as the
flower petals suddenly expanded themselves and managed to engulf him with
it.  

	"Gotcha!" Kurama exclaimed ecstatically.  It was the first time he had
ever caught Hakuya by surprise.  But his excitement was short lived when
the cocoon which had trapped Hakuya suddenly exploded in a ball of white
fire.  

	"Damn!  Almost!" Kurama remarked in disappointment.  He knew that his
skill wasn't as advance as Hakuya's yet.

	"My turn!" Hakuya said as he lunged toward Kurama.  Kurama side stepped
him as Hakuya threw a punch.  He ducked at the kick that followed but was
instead tripped by Hakuya.  He landed hard on his back and before he could
get up, Hakuya had managed to have Kurama pinned under him.

	"You've improved," he said and grinned down at him.  "but still not good
enough."  Hakuya smirked while Kurama glared up at him.

	"Show-off..." Kurama muttered. 

	"Look who's talking now," Hakuya teased.  "I've seen how you love to look
at the water just to see you own reflection, and how you love to show off
your plants."

	He had a point, Kurama figured.  But still, he didn't like the idea of
always losing to Hakuya.  He looked up at Hakuya again, who was no longer
grinning at him but looking at him with very intense stares.  Kurama didn't
like that at all, it was one of those looks that he had sometimes caught
Hakuya doing lately.  It made him feel uncomfortable, no...uncomfortable
was not the word.  The way Hakuya looked at him made him feel hot.  He
didn't know why but whenever he found Hakuya doing that, he got hot and
uneasy while his emotions seemed to be at odds with each other. And now
Hakuya was 
doing that again.

	"Hakuya...get off," Kurama said.  When Hakuya didn't, Kurama started to
feel very nervous.  That strange turbulent emotion he had been having was
surfacing... threatening to break through him.  Kurama didn't know what
kind of feeling it was but he thought that it would be a bad time to act
strangely, for he didn't want to frighten his friend.

	"Hakuya, I'm serious," Kurama said again, while trying desperately to push
away the strange emotion that was building up in him. "Get off me!"

	Instead of answering, Hakuya reached up and fingered a strand of Kurama's
silvery hair.  His trembling fingers combed through the hair slowly, as if
afraid that he would hurt Kurama.  Kurama gasped softly when he felt
Hakuya's finger tips stroking his skull.  

	It was at that moment, when everything suddenly turned crystal clear for
Kurama.  With a swiftness that he didn't know he possessed, Kurama pulled
Hakuya's face toward him and kissed him fully on the lips.  For a moment
Hakuya seemed stunned, but before he knew it, he was returning the kiss;
first slowly, then with more passion.  Nothing was needed to be said, it
was all clear then.

	Hakuya reached up and started to push Kurama's clothes off his shoulders.
Kurama responded by unbuttoning Hakuya's shirt.  Hakuya dropped another
kiss to Kurama and was proceeding to do more when he felt Kurama tensed and
froze in terror.  He looked toward the direction of where Kurama was
looking and what he saw brought both fear and dread to him- it was Rokuso.

	Before he could react, Hakuya was sent crashing into the tree by an
invisible force.  Kurama cried out in horror as he realized that Rokuso had
attacked Hakuya.  He screamed for them stopped but was too late, for Hakuya
had retaliated.  White fire wrapped themselves around Rokuso, threatening
to engulf the latter.  Strangely enough, the fire extinguished by itself
when it reached inches from Rokuso.  Kurama ran toward Rokuso, begging for
him to stop.  But Rokuso ignored the youko and instead grabbed him suddenly
and twisted his arm painfully behind his back.

	"Kurama!!"

	"I'll kill him right now if you don't surrender," Rokuso said calmly.
"either way, you cannot beat me.  So unless you want to make the matter any
worse, I suggest you give up now."

	Hakuya growled and glared venomously at Rokuso.  This was the man who had
hurt Kurama over the years and he had Kurama again!  He couldn't bear to
see Kurama suffer again, the very thought of it was enough to tear him
apart.  With a sigh, Hakuya stepped back, his fighting stance was down.  

	"Good, now that's a good boy," Rokuso chuckled.  He lifted his hand and
sent an invisible blow toward Hakuya, whose eyes widened in surprise.
Kurama screamed his friend's name as the force sent his friend crashing
through several more trees and eventually landing hard on to the ground.  

	"Why are you so worried Kurama?" Rokuso asked, smiling cruely.  "The fun
is just about to begin."

------------Before & After Chapter 10 End (TO BE CONTINUED)-----------

	      --Shuuichi Minamino
	      ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` 
	    *      Shuuichi Minamino / Silver Fox / Youko Kurama       *
	    * The Proud Maintainer of the Yaoi/Slash Info Mailing List *
	    *  Firm Supporter of the YYH Dynamic Duo: Kurama X Hiei    *
	    *       A Thousand-Year-Old Fox Spirit As Human            *
	    *   Innocent Student At Large in Northwestern University   *     
            *              http://www.kurama.ranma.com                 *  
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