Let's Fly as the Birds Do...
chapter 5
by Hikari
“Let’s Fly as the Birds Do…” Chapter Five
4/17/01
By: Hikari
E-mail to: elvina99@hotmail.com
Site:
www.oocities.org/hikari_nanase/
Notes: Music theme to chapter: “Time’s Scar” From: Chrono Cross.
~*~*~*~
Happy tears burn like no other…
They sting as they course down your dry cheeks… And yet you smile… How
ironic it is… To be in pain and bliss at the same time…
If I could be this content… I would
always be crying …
~*~*~*~
“What IS this place?”
“An amusement park.”
“And we came here for… what
reason?”
“Because it’s fun!”
Hiei made a face at the sound of
that. A face that simply, and bluntly said: ‘I don’t DO fun.’ He actually
had a choice from before. Kurama offered that they either go to a theme park-
whatever that was- or take pictures at the beach. The latter sounded like
something the youkai wanted to avoid. His premonitions were strong at that hour,
but he still felt himself to be a poor decision maker the moment he stepped off
the bus they took.
As soon as school was out, Kurama met
Hiei around the curb heading home. The weekend. Two days of: A.) Sleeping in;
the smaller’s personal choice. B.) Doing homework; the redhead was thankful he
had none of that THIS time. Or C.) Bonding. Canceling options A and B, and the
result is…
“It’s so loud here.”
His friend laughed as took another
sip from his paper cup full of lemon-lime soda. “It’s SUPPOSED to be loud!
Hiei, I need to take you out more often…”
Looking up, tangles and twists of
tracks could be seen. Some went up and down, others twisted or even went in
loops. Few of the tracks were made of wooden planks, and they creaked as the
wheels of the cars would run through them. The rest of the tracks were of solid
metal- they were, by far, sturdier, and therefore, could exert, as well as
endure, significantly more stress.
In a split second a car would zoom by, loaded with passengers smiling and
screaming their heads off. To the further right, by the bathrooms, was a tall
tower. Within that tower was a peculiar looking elevator that seemingly only
went up and down. That was weird. Why make an elevator if you’re just going up
for a nanosecond? Humans… The fire demon would never understand them…
“Too bad mom couldn’t come…”
The redhead went on, strolling nonchalantly to the ticket booth. “She loves
this place. She always tells me it brings her back to those silly dates she had
with her suitors…”
“Hn.”
They had stopped by the Minnamino
household for a short period to pack some necessities. Kurama found his mother
working in her home office, so he quickly asked for her permission to have an
overnight at a hotel near the park. Shiori had no doubts in trusting her son. In
fact, she smiled, waved her delicate hand – while part of her face was
fastened to the receiver end of a telephone, blew a kiss, and mouthed a: ‘Have
a good time…’ at Shuiichi’s little friend.
As for the hotel, they only dropped
off their belongings and had the services take the bags to their room while they
went ahead to the park. Kurama was in his jeans, the legs of it having several
tears for easy movement, and evidently, style. The top he wore was strategically
colored white to reflect the sun. In all the years he had stayed in Japan as a
human, he learned a very important element about the climate… HOT summers.
FREEZING winters. Regrettably, Hiei’s wardrobe consisted of: black, black, and
MORE black. He practically refused to wear any other color, save for the few
dark shades of blue, red, and green he had. It was almost impossible to reach a
compromise with him, but being the ingenious arbitrator he was, Kurama found a
way. The solution was this: a white tank, and dark blue Bermuda shorts. That
wasn’t so bad, and the shorts were quite the equivalent to the pants Hiei wore
from day to day…
‘Click’ and ‘Latch.’
All he could really do was blink. One
moment they were at the ticket booth, the next they were inside some odd
contraption, with something like a vice surrounding their heads. The vice also
had a clear shield over it, possibly to protect the face. With all the shielding
and strapping, yet another question came to mind. A question not so different
from the last…
“And this would be?”
“Headgear, I guess… It’s so you
won’t fall off…”
The other looked down as he saw his
feet, among many others, dangling from their chairs.
“The visor?”
“That’s in case you
throw-up…”
“THROW-UP?!” By this time Hiei
reached his last inquiry. He heard the chains and the engines moving, while the
chairs rattled and bumped as they moved back and forth ever so slightly- almost
mocking them with anticipation. And then…
“Ku-RA-MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
“Whoooooooooooo!!!”
Their hair went flying back and
whipping all around as the levitating seats twisted and turned sharply.
Kurama’s red locks cut through the air and flowed with every spin. The ride
had taken them through several loops- some of them inwards, others outwards. The
scenery went by in quick blurs, an array of colors from red to green, black to
white, and blue to yellow. A temporary tie-dye viewed directly before the eyes.
Kurama glanced further ahead of the track…
“Hiei! This is the best part!”
“SCREW THAT! YOUR HAIR IS GETTING
IN MY MOUTH!”
Brushing away the infinite strands
whipping over his complexion and out of his headgear, blood-tinted eyes widened
at seeing what his companion had meant… A quadruple three-sixty twist heading
straight up, and then the foreboding free fall there after.
‘Damn… I’m being tossed into a
giant blender…’
One, two three, four… All the way
up, and stop. The machinery snapped into place- several rail guards locking into
their proper positions. That must have been the longest second all of them had
ever experienced. There was a silence, the atmosphere around all of the riders,
whistling. A number of seagulls had glided by- obviously the coast wasn’t too
far off. The scent of the wind was of salt and sun-warmed water. None of these
great feats were to be enjoyed. Everyone was concerned over his or her
pulse-rate- even the two youkai seated down front felt blood rushing through
their heads. The bizarre thing was, Hiei was used to free-falls. However,
looking down, he realized that the ride put more g-force on the body than he was
used to. A LOT more g-force.
Then, the dreaded release.
“OH MY GOD!!!”
“SHIT!”
‘VHOOOOM!’ The only screaming
they could hear was their own. All the other passengers’ voices were
completely drowned out of their minds. Who cares about them, when YOU’RE the
one feeling yourself flying out of your seat, and simultaneously being pushed
down by your own chair? At the rate and speed they were going, their hair soared
up for the last time, away from their features, allowing them to see just how
far down they were going. All the same, the rushing air caused the majority of
the thrill-seekers to close their eyes.
Faster and faster they plummeted. The
lower they got, the more power seemed to press against their bodies. Kurama
reached over for Hiei’s free hand, and raised it into the air.
Abruptly, there was a white flash and
the smaller shook his head as a result of utter confusion… and the few
diminutive stars he saw. The chairs began to slow, later followed by the rides
end.
The restraints were raised,
permitting them jump out of their seats. The redhead wobbled a bit, kind of
searching for a bar for him to lean on and get reoriented. Hiei trailed after
him, equally unsettled. When they finally found a handrail, Kurama almost
collapsed over it, whereas the fire youkai draped his chin atop the metal.
“That… was INTENSE…” The
taller spoke. “I thought my eyeballs would pop out of their sockets…”
His friend said nothing. He merely
stared intently on the sweet, sweet, blessed ground.
Tapping on his bare shoulder, Kurama
cocked his head to the side rather concerned. “Are you all right…? Was it
too much? I thought you could take it because-“
“Kurama…” The other moaned,
still not looking up.
“Hm…?”
“Are there any more rides like
that?”
The redhead scratched his head.
“Lots… Why?”
At long last, Hiei stood upright to
face his companion. “Let’s go then…”
With shock, Kurama plainly jolted.
After absorbing what his beloved had said, he relished in those words, and
released an eager smile. “Sure! That’s great! But first, why don’t we look
at our snapshot?”
“Snapshot?”
Pointing up, to a television hooked
onto the upper corner of a wall, Kurama’s finger led to a projection of a
certain couple’s faces. The worst part was that it was a full screen capture.
The way they looked was comical; lips blowing up their gums, and tongues
retracted into their mouths as they screamed. Hair stood upright, but in
Hiei’s case, that hardly made the difference. Their eyes were nothing, but
sheer slits. Their foreheads- wrinkled with a vain or two bursting from the
side. From all this, Hiei gaped.
“I look… Stupid!”
“Well, I don’t think so. I think
I’ll buy a copy…” The redhead let go of the rail and started straight for
the photo stand. Hiei struggled to catch up to him, but found he couldn’t stop
walking diagonally. He had nearly spilled into a trashcan, if he hadn’t been
saved by an intervening fire hydrant. Using the hydrant for stability, he forced
his stare upwards. Too late, his love was already coming back with a copy… and
to his dismay… the negative.
“Give me that!” Bounding to steal
the souvenir from his hand, Hiei missed terribly as Kurama somberly pulled his
arm out of reach.
“I don’t THINK so.”
Again, Hiei leapt into the air. He
would have moved faster if the ground didn’t seem so lopsided. Needless to
say, he missed again. The redhead smirked impishly, tucking the film into his
wallet, which he cunningly slipped into the rear pocket of his pants. Not able
to say anything to that, the other gave a livid stare. The kind of stare that
could light something combustible on fire…
“You won’t show that to anyone
will you?”
His friend batted his lashes
innocently. “Actually, I never thought about that… But now that you gave me
the idea…”
Peering down from his triumphant
beam, Kurama softened and pushed Hiei to the side. Hiei walked backwards a bit,
not fully understanding that he- for the first time-permitted someone to shove
him like a weakling. When that fact dawned on him, he grumbled something
intelligible and wouldn’t stop piercing the asphalt with his eyes.
“I was only kidding…” The
taller admitted, feeling reasonably apologetic for the ambush on Hiei’s
self-esteem. “I’ll tear it if you like…”
A shrug escaped- the tone of it
somewhere in between laxity and forgiveness. “Forget about it. Just don’t
EVER remove it from your wallet, otherwise I’ll be forced to kill you.”
“Fine by me… Hey, do want to try
the funhouse next?”
There was that word again…
‘Fun’. The first onslaught was a complete bombshell- chairs hooked to a
railing that would send you through a tornado and back.
Still, the ride was… ‘Interesting’. It wasn’t at all like bounding from
building to building… You had no control… You weren’t sure of where you
were going… It was almost comparable to blind faith… To let yourself go, and
let the wind carry you for once. A new adrenaline rush… he concluded. And he
liked it…
“What’s in…” He narrowed his
eyes. “…a fun house?”
“Stuff…”
Not good. Kurama was dancing around
words again. The redhead loved doing that… Doing so would usually earn him a
couple of disturbed faces, maybe a hint of worry, or even slight apprehension in
the movements of the body. They were the kind of details that were difficult to
notice. That or, the type of details only the selected few could see. Hiei’s
naivety to Ningenkai was cute, but at the same time, very sad. As they walked
through the door of the funhouse, Kurama noticed what could be five-percent
tension in the smaller’s hidden flinching. This included the crossing of the
arms over the chest… Focusing ONLY in one path… and absolutely NO blinking.
Other comrades, such as Kuwabara and Yusuke, would have defined this behavior as
confidence or ‘ill-will’. They may have been correct in some occasions…
But on others, well, Kurama knew better.
The room they were in was dark, the
floor having tiny lights as would a theatre. The walls all around them were
painted black, that was, until the hall they were walking through suddenly came
to a divergence. Both paths appeared shadowy, no allowance of light
whatsoever… at least, not from where they were standing.
“Where do you want to go, Hiei?”
He glanced at one walkway, and then
the other. Discerning into both entrances, he decided. “There’s only one
way…”
Stepping forward, he touched the
space heading toward the left. It wasn’t an opening. It was solid black.
Knocking on it, Kurama recognized that it was a mirror. Reaching to the right,
however, Hiei’s hand when straight through.
“The mirror is reflecting the
darkness from this hall… So it looks like two doorways…”
Thin red eyebrows going up, the other
was astonished by the cleverness in the analyzation. “How did you know…?
Without touching the other entrance?”
Leaning forward, Hiei breathed on the
glass. It fogged, but quickly disappeared.
“Impressive…”
“Hn.” From there, they walked on,
down the obscurity into yet another room, this time filled with mirrors that
reflected themselves. They were of various shapes, several more grotesque than
others. A few swerved and gave the impression of a thin man being fat or a fat
man being thin. One of the mirrors, Hiei noted, made him exceptionally tall.
Kurama popped up from behind him, and gazed at the distorted reflection.
“You like yourself like this?”
He shook his head. “… It’s not
me… So why should I care?”
“Hm…” The taller thought about
that for a moment, walking casually around the array of glass in the mean time.
“You know… It’s a little hard to get out of here… Some of the mirrors
are placed at a distance, when you think it’s right there in your face… Or
vice versa… I suppose that’s the thing about mirrors… Nothing’s
real…”
“I would think… that a mirror
gives part of the truth… You have to remember that you cannot make a lie
without some logical base… We ARE here, correct? The looking glass shows
that… The only catch is… we don’t know where we are… That’s the
point…”
The fire youkai’s voice seemed to
have drifted from far away. Getting out of his pensive state, Kurama looked
around and found the reflection of his friend everywhere. “Point of what?”
He asked, not only out of curiousness, but also as a means to trace Hiei.
His friend saw through this, and
therefore, remained silent.
“Not funny, Hiei…”
In the mirrors, Hiei smirked. Feeling
his own pride being dented for the day, Kurama comprehended that this test he
was suddenly being put through was also a means for just revenge. Revenge
against the photograph…
How to find him… He could reach out
his arms and walk around like a mummy… Or think of a more rational and less
stupid way… Right… Not moving, Kurama stayed at perfect poise and looked
directly forward. His only wish now, was that by some fate of chance, something
would give away the little demon’s location. There was the challenge… The
entire room appeared exactly the same from one corner to the next.
After standing for a short two or
three minutes- he got it. Searching with his hands in his pant pocket… Kurama
retrieved his house keys. One of the chains, he remembered, was a pen
flashlight.
Clicking on the switch, he pointed
the tiny ray of light in all directions, until he found a mirror that would not
reflect the light. Striding to the left, then to the right, and down a hall of
even more mirrors- he found him. Meeting Hiei with only a foot between them, he
turned off the flashlight, and put the keys back into his jeans.
“You cheated.” Hiei said blandly.
“Not really… I used my head…”
Moving his intent look from his accomplice to the advance of the house, he
remembered what he had asked before:
“So what was the point?”
The other turned and started leading
the way down a ramp and into the next room. “Point of what?”
“… Not knowing where we are, and
yet being there…”
The next part of the house was predictably gloomy again, and Kurama had to keep
his concentration on the top of Hiei’s spiky hair to make sure he wouldn’t
lose or trample over him.
After saying that, he heard a minor
grunt, and then…
“I don’t know… I was just saying crap.”
Of course, he didn’t believe him on
that memo. Hiei had always had those weird mood swings- or mental swings,
something of that nature, that went on and off like a lighthouse. Lots of times
the redhead would try and sort this attitude out. An attitude that was bitter,
sadistic, and ironically poetic all at once- that was what his friend was.
Endeavoring to figure out why was met with innumerable answers. So he gave up,
and stayed with what there was.
The question that irked Kurama more
than anything else, however, was what HE meant to the youkai. A friend? Surely
that.
“Watch your step, there’s a dip
after the ramp…”
A partner? Definitely.
“Lift your legs as you walk,
there’s some netting close to the floor…”
Someone who loved him? Why question, he shows it doesn’t he? It wasn’t just
physical- right?
“Duck your head, the doorway suddenly shrinks down…”
Why the doubt? Where did the doubt shoot from? Why now?
What was odd about this insignificant
adventure was that Kurama didn’t notice it pass. He was just following
directions and warnings, all the while torturing himself with his own
consciousness. That was the problem with being mentally versatile, there’s
always the chance of fading out from the present world and into your own little
haven… The haven, on occasion, isn’t always such a wonderful place.
“We’re finished… That was
dull… No challenge.”
Shaking his head, Kurama shielded his
eyes from the sun. They were out. Outside and in the open.
“That was fast…”
“I know… It was fine until the
end… At that point it was as if we were walking through the woods- ”
“Hiei…” The taller interrupted
him there. It wasn’t sharp, but it was still a cut.
“What?”
“Do you want to eat something?”
“Depends… What is there?”
Kurama did a rapid scan of the park.
Hotdogs stands by the Ferris wheel. Pizza tables were by the games. Mexican food
was placed next to the freefall and near the bathrooms- for a very obvious
reason. Lastly there was…
“How about cotton candy?”
“Cotton candy?” Peaking at
Hiei’s reaction, he forgot his troubles and saw that his friend was
desperately imagining actual cotton wrapped in plastic wrappers. The shorter
looked both nauseated and disapproving.
“It’s not REAL cotton… It’s
just sugar that’s as soft AS cotton…” He took him by the arm. “Common’
I’ll show you…”
The lady at the machine, which to
Hiei, resembled a horizontal air conditioning fan- handed him a white cone with
a fluffy pink substance on top. As an example, Kurama tore off a piece and set
it on his tongue. The sugar quickly melted, but it left a lingering sweet
aftertaste in his mouth.
Hiei took a piece, did as the other
demonstrated, and remained inquisitively wordless.
“Did you like it?”
“Is it expensive?”
That came out of nowhere.
“No, not at all.”
“Can I have more then?”
Kurama smiled pleased. “Sure. How about a big bag?”
Going back to the stand, the lady there loaded an enormous plastic sack filled
to the brim with softened sugar. Hiei gawked at it with bright eyes… bright
hungry eyes… ‘Just like a kid…’ His friend thought. ‘I’m surprised
he doesn’t have any cavities…’
Once the bag was tied with a green
twisty string, Kurama hefted it over his shoulder- almost teasing Hiei with his
vertical superiority. When time came that the demon was hinting at a sort of
pouting expression, the redhead relinquished and handed the plastic to him…
Two seconds flat the twisty string was removed and thrown away.
The sun was setting- a big orange in
the sky disappearing in the horizon. It carried with it shades of purple and
blue, night’s lovely gown. In short time, that gown would be lit with precious
sparkles. At the park, not many noticed. Kurama did, though. He stopped laughing
and flew off to outer space. Indulging in the sky, the events of the day phased
through him little by little. First, the roller coaster- the one that nearly
killed them all. Then there was the photo, where they both looked like their
faces were being pressed against a glass window. The funhouse… Hiei thought it
to be a bore, but it was fascinating walking through the maze of mirrors. Cotton
candy. He chuckled tenderly at that. His friend finished the whole thing in one
sitting. He asked for more later, but then Kurama introduced him to the ‘churro’-
long sticks with sugar and cinnamon. They bought seven of those, five of which
went to the smaller’s stomach. Following those snacks, they road the water
raft. He chuckled again… The water raft…
‘So THAT’S how your hair looks
like when it’s wet…”
‘Did you think it would ALWAYS
stick up?’
‘No, but… I never knew how long
it really was…’
‘Hn. Now you know.’ Hiei bent
over to wring his hair. Shaking his head from side to side- almost akin to what
a dog would do- his hair ‘puffed’ out and settled in the fashion it formally
was in. No tangles whatsoever.
Originally, Kurama had wanted to go
on the Ferris wheel. Hiei took one glance at it and instantly sighed. ‘SLOW’
was how he described it. ‘SLOW’. Instead of riding it then, they rode on the
freefall twice, did several repeats of a few coasters, experienced the 3-D
simulator, and had a small dinner at the hotel.
Kurama stood outside, on the balcony of their room. He had been thinking about
all this ever since the walk out of the park. They had fun. He thought so
anyway. By peering back on Hiei, sprawled over his bed, it could be assumed that
he had a great time too.
Rubbing his shoulders, as a very
chilly breeze caught him. The redhead left the veranda, and shut the sliding
door soundlessly behind him. Pajamas. He was in his pajamas- warm, comfy, and
smelt like home and mom. Hiei was in one of his old polo
shirts, and had sweat pants which had to be rolled up for convenience.
“Hiei…” Kurama nudged on his
shoulder. No response. “Hm… Good night Hiei…”
Pacing around the twin bed, he walked
to his own- separated from Hiei by a mere night table in the middle, lamp on top
of that. Getting under the covers, he sat in meditation for a while, and
finished with sign of the cross.
He lay back, shut off the light, then
his eyes.
“…Oyasumi Nasai, Kurama…”
The whisper wasn’t heard. He
already drifted into a bottomless sleep.