Beaten

Kurama walked in the front door of his house while Hiei entered through his bedroom window, as always. He found Shiori sitting in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea and clearly waiting for him. He walked quietly across the room to the table and sat down across from her. She didn’t say anything, just waited silently for him to speak.

“Mother, I didn’t run away, I swear. There were…extenuating circumstances for my decision to stay at Genkai’s.” He fell silent and Shiori just looked at him.

“And those circumstances are…?”

“Kuroki and I had an argument…and I decided it would be easier for both of us for me to stay at Genkai’s.”

“An argument over what?” Shiori demanded.

“I don’t remember exactly what we were arguing about. It wasn’t anything important. I suppose we just clash a little because we have such different opinions about everything. I shouldn’t have left without telling him, I know, but I was so angry at the time. When Genkai told me she had talked to him, I decided just to stay there instead of coming back home. He knew where I was, so I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

“You’re leaving something out, Shuichi, I know it. But if you don’t want to talk about it right now, I’ll respect that…for now. But I expect the full truth later. Tonight at dinner, we will talk it through with Kuroki. I expect you to apologize to him for worrying him and for running off, do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kurama hung his head. He felt ashamed that he couldn’t tell his mother what had really happened, but every time he opened his mouth to say something, his throat and tongue froze up and he couldn’t say it. He just couldn’t be the one to break her heart.

“Okay.” Shiori sighed. She stood up and walked over to the sink, looking out the window. Kurama just sat there, not sure if she had more to say or if he should leave the room.

Just then came a knock on the door. Shiori went to open it and Kuroki came in. Kurama paled and wished he’d escaped when he’d had the chance. He was wrong…he couldn’t face this man.

Kurama refused to look Kuroki in the eye as he came in and sat down at the table.

“Shiori, honey, why don’t we have the discussion you wanted to have at dinner right now instead, so we don’t spoil the meal with such talk.

“Okay, love. Shuichi, would you like to begin?” Shiori asked him.

“Kuroki, I would like to apologize for my behavior these past few weeks,” Kurama said, his teeth clenched.

“I forgive you, Shuichi. I remember what it was like to be young and impetuous,” Kuroki said in a condescending tone. Kurama could barely stand to look at the asshole in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he ground out.

“Shiori, darling, Shuichi just had a teenage moment. There’s nothing to worry over now,” Kuroki said, gently patting Shiori’s hand. Kurama’s teeth were grinding together. He really hated this man, really, really, HATED him. But he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

“Very well. As long as you two are okay with each other now, I will let this go,” Shiori said.

“Thank you, dear,” Kuroki said.

“You’re welcome, darling.”

“Mother, if you’ll please excuse me. I’m not feeling very well tonight. I think I’ll go lie down for awhile,” Kurama said.

“Very well, dear. I’ll wake you for dinner.” Kurama nodded and left the room, feeling Kuroki’s eyes on his back. Once out of hearing, he darted up the stairs and burst into his room, throwing himself into Hiei’s arms, sobbing quietly.

Hiei was shocked. His arms tightened around his fox instinctively and cradled him close. Kurama’s hands were fisted in Hiei’s shirt and his face was buried in his chest.

“What happened, love?” Hiei asked him after a few minutes.

“I-I couldn’t tell her,” Kurama sobbed. “Then he came in and I had to apologize to him or Mother would get upset and I just didn’t know what to do and I’m scared of him and I don’t want to see him ever again!”

“I’m right here, Fox. I swear I won’t let him hurt you, my love.” Hiei was furious at the son of a bitch. Kurama wasn’t afraid of anything and here he was, reduced to a trembling mass in Hiei’s arms.

***

Hiei cradled the sleeping fox in his powerful arms, holding him close to his body. He had finally cried himself to sleep with Hiei whispering comforting words in his ears. His ears caught the sound of light feet on the stairs and he knew they were Shiori’s. Hiei could still feel Kuroki’s ki in the house. He gently disentangled himself from his fox and hid in the closet as Shiori knocked, and then opened the door. She smiled softly as she saw her sleeping son, but as she came closer to the bed, her eyes showed shock. She gently trailed her fingertips over his pale cheeks and traced the tear tracks. Hiei was rather glad she had seen them, so now she would question him about his problem more closely. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly.

“Sweetheart. Shuichi,” Shiori called softly to him.

Kurama stirred and opened his emerald green eyes to look up at his mother.

“Mother? Is everything okay?”

“I should be asking you that question. Why were you crying?”

“Umm… I wasn’t crying.” Kurama was obviously lying and Shiori knew it.

“Shuichi, don’t lie to me. What’s been going on with you?” Shiori cried out. Kurama fell silent and refused to look his mother in her eyes.

“Very well. If you refuse to tell me, that’s your decision. But I will find out eventually, Shuichi. I love you, and I’m worried about you. I hope soon you’ll be able to trust me enough to tell me what’s going on.”

Kurama burst into tears again as soon as the door shut behind her, and Hiei came out of the closet to wrap his arms once again around his fox.

“I’ll tell her, Kurama.”

“But I don’t want to hurt her!” Kurama cried in anguish.

“I know, love, but don’t you think she deserves to know what an asshole her boyfriend is?”

“Yes, she does, but I don’t know how to tell her!”

“We’ll figure something out,” Hiei said, then kissed his lover gently, caressing the side of his face and his hair, and running his hands down the fox’s arms and shoulders. Kurama kissed him back, needing to feel his reassuring presence.

The two demons hadn’t noticed the door crack open slightly and Kuroki peer in. The older man’s eyes grew wide at the conversation, but when he saw them kiss, he grinned lecherously. Now he had it made.

He snuck quietly back down the stairs and into the kitchen where Shiori was sitting with a cup of tea, staring out the window.

“Shiori, darling, I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but I have some news,” Kuroki said gravely.

“What?” she asked, looking worried.

“I believe Shuichi may be gay,” Kuroki answered. “I opened the door to his room to see if I could find out what was wrong with him, and I saw him sitting on the bed with a boy with black hair, with his tongue down his throat. I think Shuichi may have run off these past few weeks to be with him because you were gone, not because of any real problem between us.”

Shiori gasped and her eyes filled with tears. Her own son had LIED to her, something before today she would have thought to be impossible. She stood up and went to the bottom of the stairs and called for her son.

“Coming, Mother!” he called back. A moment later, he came down the stairs and into the kitchen. Shiori could see the tell-tale signs that her son had indeed been doing exactly as Kuroki had said. His lips were slightly swollen from being kissed and his hair was tousled.

“You called for me, Mother?” he asked.

“Shuichi, why don’t you also bring down whoever was in your room with you,” Shiori told him, raising her eyebrows. Kurama paled and took a step backwards.

“I-I don’t know what you mean, Mother,” he said.

“You lying little fag,” Kuroki snapped. Shiori turned shocked eyes to her boyfriend.

“Shiori, I didn’t want to tell you this because I knew it would hurt you, but the reason for our fight while you were gone is because Shuichi came on to me and when I told him no, he was embarrassed and angry. I’m sorry for having lied to you, but I can’t let this go on for any longer,” Kuroki said. Kurama was shocked and Shiori gasped at the awful things being said.

“Bullshit, you mother-fucker,” came Hiei’s deep voice from behind Kurama. He stepped into the kitchen, his crimson eyes glaring at the taller man. Kuroki quailed slightly under the burning gaze. “You raped him and you have the fucking audacity to blame it on him! You should go to fucking hell, you son of a bitch.”

“How dare you accuse me of raping him! I would never do anything like that!” Kuroki bellowed.

“Yes, you did do it,” Kurama stated softly.

Shiori looked like she was about ready to faint, but she quickly pulled herself together and turned towards Kuroki.

“Did you rape my son?” she asked quietly and calmly.

“NO!”

“You are lying to me. You RAPED MY SON!” Shiori slapped him across the face with all her might. Kuroki stumbled backwards, cursing as he fell against the counter. He straightened back up with a murderous look in his eyes. Hiei darted forward, his katana in his hand, and pressed the razor-sharp blade against Kuroki’s neck.

“Don’t you dare move a muscle towards them,” he spat viciously. He grabbed hold of Kuroki’s arm and yanked him out the door.

Kurama turned towards his mother, who had tears running down her smooth cheeks and folded her into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I never meant to tell you this way.”

“This was not your fault, baby. Don’t you ever think it is.” Shiori said this strongly, then hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I shouldn’t have left you alone with him.”

“It wasn’t your fault either, Mother. You should have been able to trust him.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Awhile,” Kurama admitted. “Only this was the first time he has ever raped me. Before, he just beat me.”

“I’m so sorry baby.”

“Don’t be, Mother. Hiei will take care of him and you won’t ever have to think about him again.”

“He’s not going to kill him, is he?”

“No, he won’t kill him. But he will probably make him wish he was never born.”

“I just wish I had known about this before. I could have done something!”

“Mother, you cannot blame yourself. We hid it from you very well. None of my friends knew what was going on either. I just couldn’t tell you. I didn’t want to hurt you, and now I realize that keeping this from you hurt you more. Please, don’t be upset any longer. I’m over it.”
Shiori gave him a look. “You don’t just get over something like this. I know it has to be hard for you. If anything like this ever happens again, I expect to know about it immediately. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mother, of course.”

By the time they were done speaking, Hiei had returned.

“What did you do to him, love?” Kurama asked him.

“Turned him over to the proper authorities,” Hiei said with a wicked grin. Shiori sighed in relief and Kurama restrained a smile. He knew that Hiei had probably turned him over to a band of demons or to something as equally horrible.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and the suggestions for this chapter. I did use some ideas, but I mixed them around to suit the way I wanted this to go. I haven’t decided on the next chapter yet, but we will all be surprised. I may reveal the reason why Kurama allowed this to happen to him in the next chapter, or possibly the one after that. Thank you again!