_________________________________________________


	
Shonen
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm

This is the continuation of the yaoi parody 
chapter. As always, there is no real yaoi
content.

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


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Chapter 9: Taiyo
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     Kurama knew the day wasn't going to start well after last night's 
latest perplexing dream.

     "Aw... you didn't wear the hot pink number I bought you? But it 
would have looked good on you, and it complimented your red hair quite
well!" Kuwabara Kazuma disappointedly said. 

     Kurama's aforementioned intuition was an understatement, 
apparently.

     Kurama boggled as he froze. Just how many of these weird dreams
did he have to sleep through in one night? He then blinked as his 
ears were suddenly assailed by Kuwabara's chortling laughter. 

     The amused orange-haired boy amicably slapped Kurama's back as he
wiped the tears off the edges of his eyes. "Gotcha! You should have 
seen the look on your face! Er... nothing personal, eh Kurama?" 

     Kurama coughed as if he was choking in something. He waved 
Kuwabara off as he recovered from his coughing fit. He idly noted that 
the boy was in his casual clothes instead of his usual blue uniform... 
something which he wasn't used to seeing. "I'm alright... well now, 
why don't we go in the coffee shop, Kuwabara-kun? Let's wait for
Yusuke in there."

     "I was kind of wondering what this meeting is all about," 
Kuwabara contemplated. His features suddenly turned grim. "Is it about
that fucking bastard Chuuku?" The taller boy spat the words like
venomous toxin. 

     It was in the same manner Hiei spewed out Kurama's name in his most 
recent dream. 

     Kurama decided that he had no time to dither about... that. <Like I 
said to Yusuke... I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get there.> 
To Kuwabara, he offered a wan smile, saying, "It's partly about him, if 
you must know." 

     Kuwabara just nodded dourly as he wordlessly followed the youko
inside the small restaurant. Kurama kept silent himself in respect
to Kuwabara's quiet meanderings.

     "So what _is_ the main topic of our little chitchat, Kurama?" the 
teen with the carroty-colored hair suddenly inquired when they finally
took their seats, toothily grinning like a bastard child of a hyena and 
a shark. 

     Kurama noted that Kuwabara seemed to have already recovered. <My, 
my... such a tenacious fellow you are, Kuwabara-kun,> Kurama thought to 
himself amusedly. 

     "We're not going to talk about your love life, are we?" Kuwabara
sniggered. "So how is Hiei doing nowadays?"

     <Too tenacious,> Kurama summarily concluded to himself. <A bit of
depression won't hurt him. It builds character... and it'll keep him 
quiet to boot.> 

     Kuwabara burst into laughter again. "I was just joking, Kurama! 
Don't get your panties up in a bunch." There was a moment of silence
before the inevitable hilarity ensued... at least from Kuwabara's point
of view. "I'm sorry... hihihi... oooh, my sides hurt...."

     Kurama just sighed as he looked at the menu. <Well now... Yusuke 
was right about Kuwabara not being too uncomfortable with... issues 
concerning alternative lifestyles. And at least he's not getting too 
personal.>

     The youko reconsidered that thought. <Though, if he doesn't have an 
idea, why is he spouting out such gibberish?> He warily observed the
rambunctious teen... a lot like Yusuke in many ways, but also different
in many ways... personality wise, at least. Sometimes the young 
curly-haired human had insight beyond his age... and sometimes he did 
not.

     Kurama was aware of Kuwabara's occasional pokes at his manliness...
in fact, ever since they met at the Four Guardian Beasts' tower the
rowdy teenager had always been like this. The red-haired boy never took 
those jokes seriously, letting them slide down his back with a smile and 
a shrug. But with the unique situation he was in right now, Kurama had 
to wonder... did the boy know him more than he knew himself?

     The youko put such contemplations to rest when he saw said boy ogle 
over a couple of waitresses, drooling. <Or I could be over-thinking 
things again,> Kurama mused. 

     "So, what now? What is it, Kurama? Did you get any new leads on 
that bastard? Three months and we haven't heard a peep from Botan nor
from the brat." Kuwabara slammed his hands on the table in a show of 
enthusiasm. "We have to do something... anything! We can't just sit down 
and watch that asshole slowly wreck our lives! We need action."

     "It isn't just about Chuuku, Kuwabara-kun... it's about me."

     Kurama didn't know how to respond further to the lively teenager's 
spirited questions and avowals. It wasn't because his inquiries were 
questionable... an oxymoronic statement, the youko thought, but
he digressed. Kuwabara's questions were perfectly sound and reasonable 
that it neared being out-of-character for him to ask. The redhead 
simply didn't know how to put his answer into words that wouldn't
necessarily put him in a position where he'd be eating his own foot.

     Kuwabara merely sat there, mouth slightly agape, as he eagerly
awaited Kurama's response. That, or he was looking at one of the
waitresses again... whichever. 

     Kurama struggled hard with his response... he wished it would
contain words that wouldn't contain any embarrassing, humiliating 
connotations... an answer that wouldn't compromise his self-respect and 
dignity... an answer that wasn't so hazily ambiguous yet also wasn't so 
crudely blunt.  

     "Gay or not gay?" 
     
     That was a textbook example of irony. "W-what?" Kurama managed
to ask.

     Kuwabara pointed at one of the waitresses discreetly. "She kind of 
looks... mannish, don't you think? She has muscles that I'd expect to see 
from Toguro." 

     "I... see." Kurama sweatdropped, not bothering to look at the 
direction Kuwabara was indicating. The youko took a deep breath... he 
knew that they were going nowhere with this kind of roundabout 
conversation. Kuwabara was right... they needed action. He needed 
action. "Kuwabara, I know this may sound weird, but... do I look gay to 
you?"

     Upon hearing what Kurama said, the carrot-topped teen reacted 
accordingly as he suddenly swalled the entirety of the croissant that he
intended to only take a bite out of and gulping a whole cup of scathing, 
hot coffee to keep himself from altogether choking... which instead made 
him choke all the more. Needless to say, he was quite a sight to behold.

     Kurama merely sweatdropped some more at the curious spectacle 
before him. "Uuumm...." 

     "Pardon?" Kuwabara said after recovering slightly from the unique
experience. "I think I didn't quite hear you right the first time."

     Kurama looked sheepish as he fidgeted. "Um... I said, 'Do I look 
gay to you?'"

     Kuwabara thought for all of three seconds before replying, "Of 
course you do."
     
     Kurama breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to... WHAT?"

     Kuwabara nodded sagely. "And I finally understand the whole setup 
of this little date of sorts... even though you invited Yusuke, I know 
what's really going on. Don't worry... it's all right for you to have a 
crush on me and everything, but I have to make it clear to you that I 
don't swing that way," he said in all seriousness.

     "Oh," Kurama simply said, not quite able to follow what was being 
told to him. He again found himself struggling for a much more 
substantial reply to Kuwabara's queries, though it was more because of 
the fact that he had no idea what to reply instead of how to reply. 

     "So what's going on here with you guys?" a voice from behind
the two teenagers nonchalantly asked. 

     "Urameshi! It's about time you got here! Sit down with us!" 
Kuwabara said friendlily. "Kurama just confessed to me that he's gay and 
that he has feelings for me." 
  
     "...." was Yusuke Urameshi's witty response.
     
     Kurama rubbed his temples as a headache assailed his sensitive
youko senses... it was a welcome headache amidst the indescribable pain 
the situation at hand was giving his brain. He sighed as he attempted 
to correct some of Kuwabara's incorrect assumptions, feeling that 
somehow the day seemed to get longer, and longer, and longer. 




***     




     "Sooo..." Kuwabara slowly said as he attempted to mentally 
digest everything Kurama had just related to him... thusly giving him 
the mental equivalent of heartburn. "Let me get this straight... you're
not?" 

     Kurama briefly wondered why he let Kuwabara join this impromptu
meeting of sorts in the first place... perhaps mental shock from last 
night's latest nightmare was to blame, but it was also due to the fact 
that he didn't want the homophobic Yusuke to feel too uncomfortable 
discussing the whole thing with just the two of them together. The 
thought also left him feeling a bit anxious... more anxious than usual 
anyway, as his unease from last night hadn't quite left him yet.

     "I wouldn't say that per se, Kuwabara-kun," Kurama calmly said as 
he quietly sipped his iced tea. How much he wished that he felt as 
calm as he looked. 

     "...." Yusuke said. 

     "Well, then... let's recap. You first dreamed about a girl... 
right, Kurama?"

     Kurama nodded, absently glancing at Yusuke indirectly. He sighed,
knowing that it was probably in Yusuke's best interests never to know 
the fact that the girl he was referring to in the first dream was 
actually Keiko. "But I then realized that it wasn't really my dream."

     "In other words, you didn't really like the girl romantically, 
right?" Kuwabara speculated as he lightly tapped his chin with his 
finger.

     "No, of course not," Kurama almost automatically agreed, eyeing 
Yusuke warily as if the teen already knew about his forbidden fantasy. 

     "...." Yusuke exclaimed, idly cracking his knuckles. Kurama 
almost flinched at the sleek-haired boy in trepidation until he saw the 
bored look on the half-demon's face. He heaved a sigh of relief.

     Kuwabara gave Kurama a curious look as he noticed the strange way
the demon fox was acting. He shrugged the feeling off as he continued 
with the conversation, stating, "That's before you dreamt about your
manly love-love with Hiei, right?"

     Kurama's left eyebrow twitched slightly. "We only shared a kiss,
Kuwabara-kun," he calmly stated, mentally wincing as he hoped the 
statement didn't sound as bad as it did. 

     "No need to get catty. You can call it whatever you want," Kuwabara 
assured, making Kurama feel anything but.

     "...." Yusuke affirmed. 

     Feeling Kurama's glare... hidden in a plastered, polite smile 
that somehow made it all the more scarier... Kuwabara hastily continued. 
"So you're now hoping that somehow that dream has a deeper meaning than 
closeted queerness... ain't that right?" 

     Kurama rubbed his temple idly as he smiled enigmatically, making 
Kuwabara sweat and shuddder. "Mostly right, Kuwabara-kun," the kitsune 
said through gritted teeth, smiling all the way. 

     Kuwabara rubbed his head awkwardly. "Well... I hope you don't hang 
me on a tree with your rose whip or anything, but all three of those 
dreams suggest the same thing... that you're a bonafide, whip and 
tied...." 

     "DON'T we have any other answers? Any other alternatives?" Kurama 
interrupted, still smiling sweetly. "I'm open to any suggestions."

     "If I have any, I'll gladly tell you, man... but nothing comes to
mind," Kuwabara said honestly, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "See
here... you dreamed about a girl that you ultimately 'dumped'... you 
dreamed about Hiei two times in very suggestive terms. What _else_
could it be other than... y'know... the 'g' word?" 

     Kurama nearly let out a feral growl, but he still put himself in
check. "You don't have to say it like that. I can take it." 

     Kuwabara whispered discreetly, "I said it that way for our mutual
homophobic friend's sake. _He's_ not taking it too well." He then 
glanced toward the sleek-haired boy's direction. The half-demon was 
apparently finding his cup of cappuccino very interesting and exciting
as he swirled its contents with a plastic spoon. "See what I mean?" 
Kuwabara stated.

     Kurama sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Yusuke to come to this
meeting in the first place... on the other hand, Kuwabara would have 
mistaken the gesture as... something else. He shuddered at the thought. 
"I don't see what makes you so convinced that it's all about..." he 
glanced briefly at Yusuke's direction, "the 'g' word." 

     Kuwabara shook his head sadly, smirking. "Don't you see the
readily apparent, Kurama? Look at your clothes... look at your hair.
Look at that face... your beauty rivals that of Botan and Keiko. Of
course, you couldn't possibly be as cute as Yukina-chan... she's 
beyond cute!"

     Kurama pouted as he heard the words. <Frowned! I frowned as I heard 
the words! I do not pout!> He addressed Kuwabara directly, saying, "My
looks have nothing to do with anything! I can't help the way that I 
dress, my mother picks my clothes. And the hair... let's not go there. 
I've already discussed this with Yusuke... there's no need to discuss
this any further." 

     "Fine, fine... fair enough. But let me ask you something Kurama...
how many girls are you close with? I'm not talking about Keiko and 
company, I'm talking about the girls at Meiou." Kuwabara stated, 
looking as if he already knew the answer. 

     "Well... actually, I'm close to a lot of girls in school," Kurama 
stated, not sure how this piece of information could incriminate him.

     "And boys? Again, in school, not the Spirit World people." 
 
     Kurama shrugged. "I'm not close to many boys in school. My 
interests and their interests are completely different." He didn't know 
where the conversation was going... he thought that not being close to 
many boys is a good thing when trying to prove that you weren't 
attracted to them.

     Kuwabara seemed to contemplate this carefully. "I see. And did you 
have any girlfriends at all? I'm not talking about friends that are 
female, I'm talking about the kind of Human World relationship that
develops from courtship and usually results in either mating or
matrimony," the robust teen said, mimicking Kurama's usual speech 
pattern for effect.

     Kurama thought about Maya briefly but then thought the better of 
it. After all, he was the one that insisted that they shouldn't have a 
relationship. "No, not really." 

     "I knew it," Kuwabara said smugly. "Kurama, you're the classic
example of a closeted... er... 'g' person."

     Kurama narrowed his eyes, all pretenses of goodwill leaving him in
an instant. "Explain."

     Kuwabara once more put his hands up in a warding gesture... which 
was fast becoming a habit for him while talking to Kurama, given the 
situation. "Nothing personal, Kurama... but you don't have any close
male friends in school. From that fact, I would presume that you don't 
have an actual sport you're interested in, unless gardening is a sport.
Then you hang out with girls... girls you aren't romantically 
attracted to! My God, Kurama... you have the looks that could attract 
girls like flies to really strong-smelling stuff and yet you aren't 
interested in any of them! If that's not 'g', then I don't know 
what is!" he glibly said. 

      Kurama wanted to rebut, to protest, to retort, but he didn't have 
the heart to do so. Actually, he didn't have the grounds to do so. As 
much as he hated to admit it, Kuwabara had a point... also an oxymoron, 
but again, he digressed. He just never thought of it that way before. 
He _knew_ that he acted far different from the people at Meiou, but not 
the sort of 'different' that would result to this kind of conclusion. 
But it didn't mean that he wouldn't try to rebut, to protest, and to 
retort. 
  
     "That's nonsense! I'm not attracted to boys! I'm fairly sure that
I'm not attracted to either one of you two."

     Kuwabara shook his head again, as if patronizing Kurama's 
statement. "Hell, yeah! Of course not... but what do you feel about
Hiei?" 

     Kurama was shocked... shocked that out of all people, Kuwabara was
able to throw his own words back at him. Again he had underestimated
the teen's debatable debating abilities. But he was mostly continuing his 
'amazed' line of thought because he didn't want to entertain any other
line of thought. 

     "_How_ do you feel about Hiei, Kurama?" Kuwabara prodded as Kurama
remained silent, his face unreadable. "It isn't about liking boys in
the plural sense... one boy is all it takes." 

     "It's not like that! I may be close to Hiei, but I don't... feel
that way about him. I may... love him, but I love 'kaasan as well! It 
isn't about romance!" Kurama couldn't help but exclaim. "I don't like 
the fact that these... dreams are using half-truths against me, making
me think things I normally don't think about, and feel things I don't 
usually feel! I'm not gay, Kuwabara!"

     The youko and the carrot-top suddenly went silent as Yusuke 
suddenly slammed both hands on the table, startling the both of them and 
a few close-by patrons. 

     "Uh-oh... you said the 'g' word," Kuwabara whispered to Kurama,
not taking his eyes away from his agitated and homophobic half-demon 
friend. 

     "So... your answer is still the same, Kurama," Yusuke said
passionately, pointing at the youko with equal fervor. "But you don't 
seem to like simple answers, since you're such a complicated guy to 
begin with."

     Yusuke unceremoniously grabbed his two companions, dragging them
away from the cafe despite their mutual protests... mutual _unsaid_
protests, seeing that a determined Yusuke was someone that shouldn't
be messed with. "There's only one thing to do, Kurama... we'll have 
make a true man out of you!" 
     
     "Eh?" Kurama said austerely. "But we haven't paid the bill, 
Yusuke!"




***




     Kurama just... looked at the excited Yusuke as he entered the
half-demon's room with Kuwabara following close behind. He raised an 
eyebrow upon seeing the general state of the room... with dirty laundry 
strewn all over at various places along with numerous other increments 
to the pile that hid the fact that the room even had a floor. "Where's
your mom, Yusuke?"

     "Wouldn't you know it... she's in a bar somewhere," Yusuke said 
exasperatedly. "She claims to remain awake all night worrying about
me during my month-long stay at Granny Genkai's, but once I returned 
home it's now her turn to disappear, probably drinking to her liver's 
content at some bar! Parents just don't make sense at all!" he ranted, 
before exclaiming, "Yeah! Here we go! The mother load!" 

     Kurama looked over Yusuke's shoulder in curiosity. "What did you
find, Yusuke?" The youko then summarily blushed at the spectacle before
him. 

     Yusuke was holding a glossy magazine centerfold photo of a girl in 
a tight-fitting black body stocking with holes at certain places that 
defeated its purpose of concealment. Kurama not-so-idly noted that the 
girl was... was... shaved.

     "SU-WEET!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he drooled over the picture. 
"That girl is cute! She kinda looks like Keiko, though."

     Thusly, Kuwabara was beaten within an inch of his life. 

     <He always does know the right things to say at the wrong time,>
Kurama thought, feeling that he should somehow pity the boy, but
couldn't find it in his heart to do so, especially with the treatment
he had gotten at the coffee shop earlier. 

     Surprisingly, Kuwabara quickly recovered from the savage beating...
which should also come as typical really, since he was always at the 
receiving end of Yusuke's fists. "Sorry, man... didn't know you'd be 
so touchy about it."

     The curly-haired boy suddenly perked-up as he leafed through the
the many stacks of magazines. "Wow... you were really collecting a 
lot of porno... this is literally a lifetime supply! So that's where you 
spent all the lunch money you've stolen since grade school!"

     Yusuke nodded smugly as Kurama merely stated, "...." 

     "If you really have such a big collection... then you must have
the 'must-have' issue of Tokyo Shiro... nay, the 'must-have' issue of
1999!" Kuwabara said dramatically while Kurama just stared at the two
excited teens, looking as if he had no idea what they were talking
about... because, quite frankly, he didn't. 

     "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Kuwabara. You
couldn't possibly be referring to the rare issue of Tokyo Shiro where 
the fan favorite, would-have-been pop idol Yoshizuki Iori was in, could 
you?" Yusuke supposed. "Here," he then said as he casually tossed a 
mint-condition magazine at Kuwabara direction, smirking. 

     "I don't believe it... I've been looking for this for years!" 
Kuwabara said in awe as he cried manly tears. "You really do have the
most complete and comprehensive collection of porno from all the boys 
at Sarayashiki Junior High! You are a porno God!"

     Yusuke laughed in a self-aggrandizing way... in other words, he
laughed like he was really full of it... and he was. "Really now? Of 
course you'd say that." 

     "Uummm... excuse me," Kurama said as he tapped both of the boys
on their shoulders. Eliciting a response, he continued, saying, "It may 
be silly of me, but I have to be frank... I don't see the point."

     Both of the two Sarayashiki Junior High students mutually sighed
in dismay. Kuwabara was the first one to respond to Kurama's admission. 

     "I can't believe that you'd easily disregard high-quality porno 
like these, Kurama! Rare celebrity nudes... panty slips... topless beach 
bitches... photos that you were never meant to see!" Kuwabara absently
wiped the drool off of his mouth. "This is a virtual treasure trove 
you're flippantly ignoring!" 

     Kurama decided then and there that Kuwabara was a pervert. "But 
what about your 'noble' feelings for Yukina? Aren't you betraying her
by looking at pictures of other naked girls?"

     Kuwabara blushed despite of himself. "I am not! This is different."
He then adopted a tone which reminded Kurama of his 'kaasan whenever 
she was explaining some sort of weird human behavior to the youko. "Just 
because I look at other women doesn't necessarily mean I'm betraying
Yukina-chan! I think it's in a man's genetic makeup to look at other 
women... it's in our DNA to look at T&A," Kuwabara said, nodding sagely. 

     Kurama mentally noted that the curly-haired boy's statement was a 
strange declaration to nod sagely to. 

     Yusuke slung his arm over Kurama's shoulder as he pointed at yet
another magazine picture of a couple of girls in... rather compromising
positions. "Look at that, Kurama... how do you like them pretty, naked 
girls?"
 
     Kurama soundly blinked, looking apprehensive. "Well, they are 
pretty naked."

     Kuwabara picked up several other magazines... one was entitled
"Barely Legal" while the other was headlined "Hot Mommas". He waved them 
at the youko's face excitedly, stating, "Do you like hot mommas with big
boobs or cute li'l girls with equally cute li'l tits?"     

     Kurama swallowed in embarrassment. "That's a little too crude for 
me, Kuwabara-kun." 

     Yusuke sighed dejectedly as he put the magazines down. "Okay, 
Kurama... what _do_ you like about girls? I'm curious... I really am." 

     Kurama was silent for exactly one minute before he responded, 
"Um... I usually like a girl for her mind?"

     Everyone fell silent for perpetuity contained within an awkward  
moment.

     "I told you he was gay," Kuwabara told Yusuke in a whisper loud 
enough to defeat its purpose.




***




     The three Spirit Detectives, deciding that the stuffy environment
of Yusuke's room-- not to mention and the uncomfortable discomfiture
that was now associated with said room herewith-- was severely clogging
their little quest for Kurama's manhood, went out for a stroll in the 
park.

     Yusuke gestured with his darting eyes at a jogging woman while
Kuwabara stupidly grinned. Kurama... for the life of him... couldn't 
even follow what his friend was gesturing at, mistaking the gesture
as a manifestation of some sort of human disease instead. These humans
were truly queer creatures indeed. <Strange... I meant humans were... 
never mind.>  

     "Well, what do you think?" Yusuke asked subtly as he checked out 
the woman's retreating form... particularly her confectionary posterior.

     "I'd give her a 7.5, give or take a notch," Kuwabara said. "I 
particularly like my girls cute and innocent. She looked old enough to
be your mom, Yusuke." 

     "Feh. You're just a lolita perv. I bet you get off on little girls
named Tomoyo," Yusuke contemptuously rejoined.

     "I don't know about that... for one thing, I think your mom's hot,"
Kuwabara retorted nastily. Kurama wrinkled his nose absently in faint 
disgust.

     "Fuck you! Stop fantasizing about my mom, you asshole," Yusuke 
said, revolted. He then contemplatively added, "Though she did have a 
sweet piece of...."

     "Yusuke! How could you say that about your mom?" Kurama berated
the errant Spirit Detective, aghast. 

     Yusuke deadpanned. "I was talking about the woman jogger from 
before."

     "Oh. Go on with your little game, then."

     Kurama then blinked as the two Sarayashiki Junior High students 
again sighed in unison. <What did I do this time?>

     "Kurama," Yusuke started, perfectly mimicking Kuwabara's 
patronizing tone from before, "we all know you're intelligent and all, 
but when it comes to things like this, you're clueless. You just don't 
see the big picture." Kuwabara just nodded affirmatively to everything
Yusuke said, effectively outvoting the youko two-to-one. 

     "I don't get it, Kurama... you're a good-looking fellow... a pretty
boy, in fact," Kuwabara said, scratching the back of his head to 
illustrate his confusion. "But all indications just lead to one 
conclusion... with the way you can relate with girls and can't relate 
with boys, the answer should be pretty obvious."

     "I for one can't see acting in what I consider as gentlemanly 
conduct for a human boy and respecting women's rights and some such
as... unmanly," Kurama said in his own defense, since not one of his 
so-called friends were particularly interested in defending his manhood. 
"And just because I can't relate to a majority of males doesn't mean 
anything in particular. So I don't fit in... I would be the first one to 
admit that. But it would be overkill to interpret the fact as being a 
result of unmanliness in my part."

     "Yeah... what he said," Yusuke said, not completely following
everything that Kurama had said. Like he had said, the youko was a very 
complicated guy. "But I can see Kuwabara's point." Mainly because
he couldn't understand Kurama's point for the life of him.

     "You did at least have a girlfriend, right? Or maybe even a 
significant other? Someone you had a mutual understanding with? Anyone?" 
Yusuke asked the youko desperately. "There has to be at least one, 
right?"

     Kurama had a wistful look in his eyes as he answered, "Yeah... 
once." He sighed. <I couldn't say that you were actually a girlfriend,
Maya... but you were definitely special to me.>

     Yusuke nodded resolutely. "See, Kuwabara? He's not totally gay,"
the sleek-haired teen smugly said while Kurama inwardly groaned at the 
half-insulting praise. 

     Kuwabara looked considerate for a bit before asking, "Did you
meet the girl before or _after_ you met Hiei?" He emphasized a
certain word in that sentence as if he already knew the answer.

     Kurama sulked. "You're not helping, Kuwabara-kun." 

     "Kurama's a pretty boy, Kuwabara. You said it yourself," Yusuke
said determinedly, leaving his two other companions confused with how
the assertion could actually help in their little debate. Nonetheless, 
the half-demon continued, "And from what I saw back there at Meiou when 
I visited...."

     "You mean after you cut classes," Kuwabara and Kurama said to
Yusuke in unison, with most of everything in the mutual act identical 
up to the deadpanned tones and faces.

     "Whatever. Anyway, from what I saw back in Meiou, you were 
quite the heartbreak kid... women were swooning from left to right,
calling you 'Minamino-sama' and stuff... it looked like they had
an entire organization made just for you! They were worshipping you 
like a God, Kurama! A God!" Yusuke then grinned lecherously. "How
many have you slept with?"

     "I'm not that kind of guy!" Kurama protested.     

     "Oi, oi, Urameshi... you must be exaggerating," Kuwabara scoffed,
unbelieving. "He may look pretty, but how could an effeminate face like 
this... no offense, Kurama... be the object of many a girl's affection? 
I was running under the assumption that girls didn't want to get hitched 
to a guy who is much more feminine than they are. Kurama, Urameshi's exaggerating, isn't he?" 

     Kurama's eyes darted back and forth, as if he was asked the 'g'
question again. "Um... right. Sort of." 
     
     "Hey, hey... don't act like that. That sort of behavior is the
reason why people think you're gay in the first place," Kuwabara
said as he patted Kurama's head deferentially. "So a few girls made a 
li'l fan club in honor of you. You should be flattered. Don't act as
if you have a tree branch stuck up on your butt... it's not another 
gay joke, if you have to ask. How bad could a few girls worshipping
you possibly be?"

     From there, as if on cue, fate quirked.




***




     Ever since Shuichi Minamino entered the prestigious school of 
Meiou High, an entire gaggle of girls had taken a liking to the "Angel 
that had fallen down from Heaven." It was their general designation for 
the youko since it was understandable that "Demon fox that crawled out 
from the gates of Hell" didn't quite sound as impressive, no matter how 
close to the truth it really was.  

     High School crushes were curious things indeed. Infatuation did not
lie upon the plain of reality... no, they came from a realm of fantasy 
and make-believe most of the time. In a cynical sense, 'love at first 
sight' sprung from one's hopeful first impressions... it was all about 
what one wanted to see instead of what was actually there. 

     It would also be apt to mention that girls, more than boys, were 
more prone to this realm of hopeful make-believe when it came to their 
ideal mate. Boys weren't so idealistic... what they see was what they 
got. In most cases, boys need not delve too deeply into a crush since 
it was just that... a high school crush. No need for consideration of 
the girl's personality and some such, they'd just sit back and enjoy
the ride. 

     It was different for girls. Girls were far more idealistic when it
came to first crushes... to search for the perfect man who had the 
perfect mix of emotionality, sensitivity, strength and good-looks. Of
course, such a man didn't exist in the real world, but a girl's first
crush was made up of sugar, spice and everything nice... even when 
reality set in, the fantasy would remain in her heart for all of 
eternity. "The dreamer may die, but the dream is eternal." 

     When said reality set in, most girls would just settle for what
was there... acceptance and compromise was at order, since they'd be 
seeing those words till the day they die... or until the day they get
married, which was essentially the same thing. Marriage was all about 
compromise, acceptance and the death of the soul, after all.

     So, no matter how much of a gross, disgusting pig Akira turned out 
to be, he still had his good points, and he did look kind of handsome 
in a rugged hobo sort of way. It was all about compromise. What else was 
there to do? It wasn't as if the perfect guy would suddenly waltz in and 
sweep a lucky girl off her feet. Reality was reality... there was nothing 
that could be done about it.

     Then came Shuichi Minamino. 

     He may not be perfect... but he was damn close, at least to a 
wide-eyed, innocent and ultimately idealistic young high school girl.
It would also be interesting to note that the word 'idealistic' had 
synonyms like 'naive' and 'romantic' as well. These 'naive,' 
'idealistic,' and 'romantic' young girls envision the young boy as their
dream date, their knight in shining armor... to be quite concise about 
it, their perfect guy.  

     Minamino had everything they could ever hope for in a boy... no, a 
young man... good looks, a charming personality, not overly brusque nor 
so delicate and frail, sensitive and mysterious. He had a bearing in him
that his fellowmen could never see but was readily apparent to the 
average teenage girl... he was the epitome of cool. Now, whether or not 
Minamino possessed all these traits was debatable to many... perhaps
facts were embellished, and the 'perfect young man' traits 
that he did possess could have been magnified to unbelievable 
proportions, but again to the average teenage girl, this didn't matter.
Hands down, Shuichi Minamino was the perfect guy.

     He was such a perfect guy that he had a major following... 
literally. Imagine the number of High School girls disappointed by the 
sharp rocks of reality once they figured out that their dream guy wasn't
really like every other Tetsuo, Hiroshi and Daisuke. A lot of girls, 
perhaps... how about if the number was magnified by proportions 
reminiscent of a j-pop idol's fan following? It would be lot more, to 
say the least... but how many, exactly? 

     Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara were about to find out.




***




     "This annual Summer picnic for the Legion was a great idea, 
president!" a girl practically beamed at the gaudily dressed Chiho 
Sasae... at least, the official president of the 'Legion of 
Minamino-sama' was now even more gaudily dressed than usual since it 
was Summer Vacation and she didn't need to follow the strict and stiff 
rules concerning school uniform.

     "Of course, of course... a picnic of this proportion shouldn't be
a problem, because even if there's just a tenth of us paying for the 
club fund, we still have more than enough money to stage this event,"
Chiho declared, her pointer finger up as she posed in a dramatic 
fashion. "Isn't that right, Midori-chan?" 

     Midori Ohya looked at bit distracted as she stared into the 
horizon, sighing thoughtfully as the midday sun glinted on her 
coke-bottle glasses. Chiho coughed once to get the attention of the 
mousy girl.

     "Yes, we could get more money with just one-tenth of us paying the 
club fund compared to all the third-year classes' club funds combined... 
the fact that more than half of us are more than willing to pay for said 
club fund speaks for itself," Midori automatically stated without
missing a beat, as if she was used to being asked that question. Being 
the unofficial secretary and treasurer of the club, it shouldn't come
as a shock. She then continued to pensively look at the horizon, her 
face unreadable.

     "That is sooo cool, president!" another girl said, practically 
beaming. She was... accessorized in the same manner Chiho was.
Actually, nearly all of the girls near the Legion president... with the 
distinct exception of Midori... were dressed similarly to the object of 
their fondness. "Everything you do is so cool! You're almost as cool as 
Minamino-san!" 

     "Now, now... don't say such silly things!" Chiho lightly berated 
her little doppelganger posse, sweatdropping. <I hate to say this... but
sometimes I could really relate to Minamino-sama's situation,> she thought 
as she daintily wiped the perspiration on her brow. She then elegantly 
pouted.

      "It's so hot out! We need umbrellas here, people! Could one of you
please get an umbrella from the Minamino dress-alike people over there?"
Chiho politely asked as she exquisitely waved a folding paper fan on her 
face, pointing at a group of girls who were, strangely enough, in 
Meiou's assigned male school uniform. 

     One of the members of Chiho's little 'fan club within a fan club' 
scurried toward the cross-dressers, a look of disdain apparent in her 
features and body language as she approached them. Chiho herself 
delicately wrinkled her nose in slight revulsion. <Cross-dressing 
butches using the club as a means to come out of the closet... what is 
the world coming to?> But even Chiho had to admit that some of the 
cross-dressers looked kind of... chic with their mannish threads. Chiho 
sighed as she turned pensive.
   
     The Legion... there was a reason behind the name. It wasn't just
a moniker for the heck of it. It literally was a legion... they were
groups within the large group, all unifying into one body, one 
organization. <What were the different groups again?> Chiho thought
idly. 

     There were the aforementioned cross-dressers... people who liked 
the way Minamino carried his uniform, looking both fashionable and
cool at the same time, carrying Minamino-sama worship to 'another 
level.' Then there was the freshmen group... composed of not only the 
first years, but of several junior high students that weren't even in 
Meiou. Then there were the sophomores and the seniors, the fashion club 
which was Chiho's original club before it was inevitably 'absorbed' by 
the Legion, the j-pop club that desperately wanted to jumpstart 
Minamino's 'career' as a j-pop idol, the homosexuality club that 
wanted Minamino to finally 'come out' and some such... Chiho personally
liked that group... and even a paranormal club that kept on insisting 
that Minamino was actually a youko taking residence in the body of a 
human, of all the nonsense. Minamino's appeal apparently catered to even 
the lowest common denominator, it seemed. 

     It was tough work, but somehow Chiho had organized everything and
everyone within the Legion... making them a formidable force to be
reckoned with indeed. There were times that Chiho wondered if the Legion 
was even bigger than Minamino himself... the very reason for the club's 
existence. 

     "Chiho-san, I don't mean to be rude, but it seemed to me that you 
were a little bit harsh on Ayame-san yesterday... I think you should 
apologize."

     The statement was said so softly and quietly that the Legion 
president idly wondered if she was hearing things. "What was that,
Midori-chan?" Midori repeated the statement more softly than before, 
making Chiho frown. By the third repeat, the flashy girl waved the
gentle girl off flippantly. 

     "I heard you the second time, Midori," Chiho said, not bothering
to put honorifics after the addressee's name. She frowned when it did 
not elicit the desired reaction from Midori. "Well, I don't see what 
I should be so sorry about... besides, she didn't even attend today's
assembly... practically a Legion tradition! Now that's rude."
 
     "True... but she just doesn't want to think about Minamino-san
right now...."

     "That's not my problem. She knew that Minamino was going to dump
her... she knew a relationship with him was doomed from the start. She 
asked for it... now she's bawling her eyes out because of it. I warned 
her as a good friend, and then as the president of the Legion. She 
didn't even bother to listen. I don't see why I should further concern 
myself with her trivial problems... she should just deal."

     Midori bowed her head low. "That's so cruel,  

     Chiho snorted derisively. "Tough." 

     There was a considerable pause before Midori spoke again... with
startling vehemence and spite that startled even the usually unflappable
Chiho.
   
     "So the way you reacted toward Minamino-san after he dumped you is 
better? You knew you could never reach him nor be close to him, so 
instead you settled into making an organization dedicated to him so that 
you'll cover up for the fact that for once you didn't get what you want?"

     Chiho looked at the gentle girl with confusion. "What has gotten
in to you, Midori?" she demanded in a tone more shocked than incensed. 

     Midori continued as if Chiho never spoke. "Then you even created 
a yaoi fixation to further yourself into denial... you want
Minamino-san to become an unreachable sort of ideal, to convince 
everyone of the fact. 'If you can't get Minamino-san, then no one can.'
Was that your unsaid motto? Tell me, is your way of handling your 
rejection from Minamino-san any better than Ayame-san's?"

     Midori's glasses tumbled on the soft grass as her cheeks stung
from the bright-red handprint. Chiho looked like she was about to say 
something when they both heard an excited shout that put the rest of the 
Legion in a frenzied realization.

     "Hey! Isn't that Minamino Shuichi sitting on the bench over 
there with those two other guys?" 
     
     There was a shocked silence before chaos erupted that afternoon
in the otherwise quiet park.




***




     "Minamino-san! Who are those people you're with... are they your
lovers? Hey, Minamino-san!"

     "Shut up! Minamino-san isn't gay... aren't you, Minamino-san? 
MINAMINO-SAN!"

     "Minamino-san... no, Youko Kurama! Show these disbelievers in 
our midst your true youko self by transforming into your true form right 
now!" 

     "Minamino-sempai, I'll be turning fifteen next week! I can now love 
you not just as a girl, but as a woman!"

     "Minamino-kun, we love what you're wearing! What is the brand of 
your khakis?" 
 
     "Minamino-san, you're going be the biggest thing since Larc en 
Ciel! Can we have your autograph?" 

     "Minamino-sama, stop! Stop in the name of love!"

     "Get your filthy claws off poor Minamino-sama, you harlots! He
should fly free like a butterfly... fly, Minamino-sama, fly!"

     "Minamino-kun! I love you! Marry me!" 

     Kurama thought that the last statement should be the least 
disturbing of all the contending statements, but the fact that it was 
said by a formerly male teacher from his school had instead put the 
declaration in his "Top Ten Disturbing Things the Legion had said to me" 
list. But he had no time to think about that... in fact, he had no time 
to think about anything else other than running for his pitiful life. 

     "Kurama has a lot of nutty admirers here, doesn't he?" Kuwabara 
understated as he 'wheezed' his way into a suburban road. 

     "Gee, ya think?" was the unstated statement of the two companions 
of the tall, brawny and, through unsaid opinions of the very same 
companions, dumb teen.

     "Well, I guess that take cares of the gay issue," Yusuke said as 
he had to pummel several nearing students who were curiously in male 
school uniforms, despite the fact that it was already summer.

     "Yusuke! Don't knock my schoolmates out!" Kurama yelped in 
protest.

     "Hey! They were getting close! And I only punched those weird
male classmates of yours that kinda look like you... I didn't punch any 
girls," Yusuke retorted as he hit another pursuer in the gut.

     "Actually... those were some of my cross-dressing girl classmates," 
Kurama said quietly as he avoided the amorous advance of the teacher 
that proposed to him just moments ago. 

     "Oh," Yusuke said as he looked at the person he currently held in 
a submission hold. He grabbed the person's crotch briefly before he 
sheepishly said, "So she is," which earned him rather painful 
bitch-slaps and colorful nicknames from the now-confirmed female 
cross-dresser. The Spirit Detective then had an idea as he rubbed his 
sore cheek. 

     Yusuke, with a brief apology, shoved the protesting Kurama 
doppelganger towards the excited mob while he motioned for his other 
cohorts to follow him into an unseen alleyway. The horde, thinking that 
the poor girl the half-demon pushed toward them was actually the real 
Kurama, gave chase to her instead and ignored their real object of 
affection.

     The three Spirit Detectives remained mostly quiet for quite a 
while, the occasional pant, wheeze and gasp the only things breaking the
silence. When they finally caught up with their breaths, Yusuke was the 
first to speak.

     "Did you see that, Kuwabara?" he said through gasping breaths. 
"If a gaggle of girls chasing after him wasn't an indication of pure, 
in-your-face heterosexuality, then I don't know what is."   

     "On the other hand, Urameshi... the gay issue isn't necessarily 
over," Kuwabara replied, his constant wheezing almost bordering 
asthmatic. "Think about it... for these girls, Kurama is the most 
sophisticated, handsome, dignified, righteous guy around. I bet he'd go 
out of his way to help any girl in need and do it on principle rather 
than as a way of trying to impress them and get into their panties. The
fact that he makes himself openly and suspiciously unavailable makes him 
even more irresistible to some girls. Why do you think bishonen guys are 
so popular with girls?"

     "Because they're good-looking, they have all that emotionality 
and sensitivity shit going for them and they're _straight_," Yusuke 
answered unwaveringly.

     "No they're not! It's because they do other guys... which is a 
turn-on to some girls, for some unfathomable reason!" Kuwabara insisted. 

     And so the conversation was reduced to childish playground drivel. 
 
     "Straight!"

     "Gay!" 

     "Straight!"

     "Gay!" 

     "Straight-- oi, Kurama? Where are you going?" 
     
     "Somewhere... anywhere else," Kurama said through tired tones. "I 
really appreciate all the... help you've given me, but I think I have
had enough help for one day. Besides, it's getting dark... you two
minors better get home before your mothers get worried about you."

     "But Kurama..." the two teens whined, making them sound more like
preschoolers.

     Kurama rubbed his temples as he ignored the two teenagers' 
protests. He easily leaped away from building to building, wafting 
through the darkening streets, his head clear for the first time since 
last night's dream. He smiled a little as he glanced back at the 
direction of the two teenagers... probably still debating over his 
supposed questionable sexuality. He chuckled... he was tired, but in a 
good way.

     Kurama's little impromptu marathon had taught him a valuable 
lesson. The different assortment of people chasing after him with all 
their weird and wonderful personalities clashing with each other... 
and even the way Kuwabara and Yusuke's opinions conflicted with his 
own... had shown him the wisdom of the ages, all contained within
one phrase... "To each his own." 

     <I've been gripping about this and that, not looking at the big 
picture... Yusuke's simple answer won't work for me because I'm not that 
simple. Kuwabara's answer won't work for me because his definition of 
masculinity is different from mine. The opinions the Legion held about 
me were both half-truths and half-presumptions... no, these aren't
the answers I'm looking for.>

     Kurama's eyes suddenly glinted determinedly. <I'll just have to 
find my own answer.>




***



     
     Seconds ticked as Kurama stared wordlessly at the doorknob. He
heaved a heavy sigh as he finally allowed himself to contemplate the
situation, revealing his innermost insights. 

     <I should just open the door. Whether or not Hiei is there, the 
fact remains true... this is still my room. I'll understand if he 
hasn't come back yet. After all, he is trying to protect me from a 
soul sucking non-entity... that warrants as a valid excuse for his 
extended absence.>

     Kurama had felt a strange sense of deja vu as he opened the door 
and went in his sparsely-furnished quarters. He felt himself carefully 
avoiding looking directly at the room, as a fear of loneliness crept
inside his heart.

     Kurama narrowed his eyes. <It's the same dream... the first dream
I had about... Hiei. Yes... the one where I kissed him. This is the 
one,> he thought with no hesitation nor uncertainty. He would not allow
the dream to control him anymore... he would overcome this dream just
as he had with his dream about Keiko. 

     "Oi, kitsune. What's with that pensive look on your face?" Hiei
scoffed in his usual stoic voice as he idly polished his long and 
deadly katana, his mostly raven-black hair wafting through the summer 
breeze.

     <And there he is,> Kurama said as he took a deep breath, bracing
himself for whatever was going to happen. Was there going to be a fight
again, like his dream last night? Or was it going to be exactly like
his dream the day before? All he could do was prepare himself.

     Hiei suddenly stepped down from his precarious perch on the window
sill and unabashedly held the youko at his arm's length.

     <Here we go again,> Kurama said as his heart palpitated, his unease
rising to near panic. <Remember Kurama... there's a thin line between
what's voluntary and what's involuntary here in this dream world... 
there are things you're responsible for and thing's you're not 
responsible for. Just relax and take deep breaths... everything is
going to be fine.>

     "What the hell happened to you, kitsune?" Hiei said as he wrinkled
his nose in distaste. "You look like hell. Your clothes are ripped in
places."

     Kurama looked at himself as if he realized the fact for the first
time. <How did I get these ripped clothes? Something must happened 
earlier... or maybe it's something that happened in the dream. Maybe
it's some sort of symbolism that totally went over my head. I can't
be completely sure.>

     Then Kurama looked at Hiei, who was in a similar state... except 
there were what appeared to be rope burns on his hands and bite marks
on his neck. <Bite marks? Rope burns? What...?> That was when a stray
memory of one of Kuwabara's offbeat 'g' jokes came to mind. Some joke
about rope burn and bite marks.

     Kurama boggled despite of himself. Rope burns and bite marks...
both Hiei and himself had disheveled and ripped clothing... the fact 
that the youko couldn't remember what happened earlier. <Oh, this dream 
just gets sicker and more perverted every time... why? Why do I have to
go through this?>

     Hiei waved his hand curiously at the teen, his eyes wide and 
quizzical. "You're acting weirder than usual, fox. You didn't even seem
surprised to see me. Were you expecting me?"

     Kurama gave Hiei a token plastered smile as he shrugged helplessly.
"Sort of."

     Hiei then let go of Kurama as another thought entered his mind. 
"Did Chuuku do this to you? Don't lie. Never mind all your martyrdom 
nonsense, the puppet owes me a lot."

     Kurama absently waved Hiei off. "Oh, no! No! Nothing of the sort 
happened. I'm fine." The youko felt like he had forgotten something 
important, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. <Damn... what if 
it's something important? What if this dream world is blocking my 
memory somehow so that it could have its way with me? I can't allow 
that. Think... what did I forget?>

     Hiei shrugged and snorted derisively. "Anyway, what do you think
of my sword?"

     "Why would you want to know what I think about your sword?" 
Kurama nearly yelped at the fire demon as he looked away, embarrassed. 
<All these innuendo will be the death of me. This dream is starting
to become the worst of the lot.>
  
     Hiei continued, unconcerned with the youko's outburst. "Do you have 
that human invention... paper towels? And perhaps some of that grease you 
put on your skin? I need them to polish my sword."

     Kurama just stared at the floor, shuddering slightly as unbidden 
dirty thoughts entered his mind. <Is this your divine retribution at 
work, Kurunue? Must you haunt me in this dream as well, old friend?
You're not jealous of Hiei, are you? He's two feet shorter than you.>

     "Kurama," Hiei said, slightly perturbed as he unsheathed his
long, metallic and slightly rusted sword. "You're... dithering again."

     <Oh. He really was going to polish his sword,> Kurama thought 
numbly before realization struck him out cold. His face turned almost as 
red as his hair in his mortification and embarrassment.

     Hiei saw the way Kurama was intently staring at his sword, so he 
just coughed once to get the youko's attention before he gave his 
explanations. "The human's blood from three months ago rusted this 
sword good. I tried to have it re-tempered in the Demon World, but
I suddenly ran into a couple of my old...."

     Kurama seemed to blank out a bit as the world suddenly spun 
around him, Hiei's words suddenly becoming murmurs, his room a
swirling blur.




***




     "What's this about?" Kurama asked as he came to, startled.
<Can't believe I blanked out like that. What happened?>

     "Hn. Just shut up." Getting his desired response, Hiei seemed to 
brace himself as he seemingly tried to collect the courage to say
something. Finally, he spoke.

     "I'm sorry." 

     Kurama blinked several times before responding. "For... what?"

     Hiei growled audibly as he struggled with words. Talking, after 
all, wasn't his strong point. "I'm sorry that I've taken you for granted 
for so long."

     Kurama nodded slowly in understanding. Then, a flash of an impish 
grin formed on his face before it melted into an expression of innocence 
and wonder. "Taken me for granted...?"

     Hiei fidgeted a little as he avoided Kurama's beautiful gaze. 

     "You're teasing me, fox!" Hiei exclaimed, but it came out more like
a whine, to his chagrin. "What do you want me to say? That I was worried
when you were nearly rendered mindless by Chuuku?! That I had never 
been so scared in all my life at that very moment?! That...."

     "I love you too," Kurama said before silencing the koorime 
altogether with a soft, fluttering kiss.




***




     "Kurama! Kurama! What the hell happened to you, fox? Kurama!"

     Hiei... it was Hiei's voice. The blurred image that suddenly came 
into focus... it was definitely him. He with the pointy-hair that defied
gravity, looking like a large, black fireball amidst his blurry eyes.
He then heard other voices... voices from his immediate past.

     "Gay or not gay?"      

     "So... your answer is still the same, Kurama. But you don't seem to 
like simple answers, since you're such a complicated guy to begin with."

     "So I did this... instead of living in my dream, I went to live my 
dream."

     "Kurama-san could only be Kurama-san. Kurama-san could never, ever 
hurt the people he cares about the most... he never has any selfish
reasons behind his motives... because Kurama-san is nice."

     Kurama then heard his own voice... his own words.

     "Why am I supposed to realize?" 

     "I could never do this. I could never hurt him in this meaningless, 
brutal and impetuous way. I could never hurt someone I love so much like 
this."  

      And things suddenly made sense to the youko as he opened his 
eyes... and kissed Hiei.




***




     "Mmmmmph!" Hiei protested as he pushed the youko away.

     Kurama then suddenly looked up at the scandalized and outraged 
koorime, a hurt and offended look in his eyes. "Are you really this 
cruel, Hiei?"      

     "Wait, fox... I didn't mean to..." Hiei started to apologize before
he caught himself in mid-sentence. His features suddenly darkened as he
ominously inched toward the youko, glinting-- albeit rusted-- sword at
hand. "What the HELL am I supposed to be apologetic about? What the hell
did _I_ do?"

     "You pushed me away!" Kurama cried, his eyes shimmering.

     "You... you... you... you... kissed me!" Hiei said in an outraged
manner, absently wiping his mouth. 

     "Oh. That I did." Kurama blinked cutely... a fact that unnerved the 
koorime to no end. The youko then laughed daintily as he sheepishly 
rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Hiei. I thought that I was
still dreaming... that this was one of my fantasies about you."

     "...." the koorime said, before altogether ending the silent 
statement with, "Good-bye, fox," as he made his leave. He could have 
decapitated the damned youko right then and there... he really could... 
but right now he was just too... traumatized to be angry.

     Kurama mutely watched the koorime leave before he plopped into his
bed. And, with no further contention nor disputation in the way, he 
laughed. He laughed long and hard. He laughed like a lunatic, a raving
madman. Even after he assured his mother than everything was fine,
that he wasn't going crazy, he still laughed... he laughed through
pillows stuffed on his face, just so his 'kaasan could sleep. He laughed
from late evening to early morning, like he had just listened to the
funniest human joke he had ever heard.

     It was the best-damned laugh he ever had in years.



***




     "Let's recap again... you _kissed_ Hiei in actuality and not just 
in a dream... and that makes you straight how...?" Kuwabara confusedly
asked. 

     "I hate to say this... but I agree with Kuwabara," Yusuke said 
worriedly. "You can tell us the truth. I can handle it. I did promise 
you that I'll deal if ever you confirmed you were faggy... um, I mean, 
queer... or something."

     Kurama laughed candidly. "Relax, you two. I was just teasing Hiei. 
Nothing more... though I doubt he'll ever want to visit me by the window 
sill anytime soon." The youko chuckled some more.

     Yusuke and Kuwabara looked back and forth at each other and at
Kurama before they both put their hands on the youko's forehead to
check if he had a fever of some sort.

     Kurama sweatdropped at the two teens before he altogether smiled
enigmatically. "Maybe I am gay," he whispered secretly.

     He left the dumbfounded teens with his feeling of well-being still
intact. He then looked back briefly at them as he smiled, saying, "I'm 
just full of gaiety... ne?"




***




To be Continued...


Next: Midori's Inquiring Mind

Note that I put in the title _Shonen_ not  _Shonen-Ai_. Shonen-Ai 
(male-male relationship) and yaoi are just not my cup of tea. 
But I must note that, due to the nature of this chapter, there is now
some undeniable and inevitable Shonen-Ai parts in the dream sequences. 
This is dedicated to Chimamire Kitsune for giving me the inspiration 
to write this fic...wherever you are, this is for you.

Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others) 
are the rightful property of Yoshishiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV 
and St. Pierrot. Iori Yoshizuki is copyrighted to Masakazu Katsura 
and Studio K2R. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

          


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