Catharsis

- Yuu Yuu Hakusho; Inuyasha; Kuwabara Kazuma, Kurama, Yukina

- By some quirk, the Inuyasha gang crashes a modern day festival. Kuwabara is Not Amused.

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"Wait," Kuwabara held up a hand, whether to forestall further explanations from the group of five trussed up in front of him, or a headache, was anyone's guess, "let me get this straight...

"You," he said while pointing to one of the two girls, "are the reincarnation of some miko who was the guardian of that," now pointing to the sparkling jewels held in Kurama's hand, "which is apparently not only powerful, but then you went and broke it, around the time when you met him," the boy with golden eyes snarled again and tried to break the vines. (Off to the side, Kurama poured more energy into them. Honestly. This was the third time...) "And then it turns out that there's some other youkai--" ("Actually, he's a hanyou..." the first girl said, weakly. She was duly ignored.) "--after the thing, and you pick up these other people who've got beef with him, and you're all on some kinda quest to defeat him. Oh yeah, wait, what was that other thing...?"

"The time-portal posing as a well?" Kurama piped up helpfully. It wasn't the way he had imagined they all would be spending the festival, but he could admit that it was much more entertaining.

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget that all of this had been happening in the Sengoku Jidai until some dried well magic went crazy and pulled you all here." Kuwabara's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and then he started to explain, loudly, clearly, and with small words as though the group were a bunch of five-year olds, exactly why it was Not Okay to chase your Demonic Enemy through a heavily populated festival grounds, even if it does have something that you want and can more than double it's power. There are people there, ignorant people, who probably wouldn't know a demon if it ate them, and definitely wouldn't be able to defend themselves from said demon. Why didn't they try to redirect it to, oh, the other side of town, you know, without all the lights and stalls and kids running around in masks and yukata?...

"How long do you think he'll continue with this?" Kurama absently asked the others, disinterestedly poking a shard.

"I'm guessing right about when Ear Boy hits the color puce."

Keiko cast a quick look at Shizuru, then at the unfamiliar demon (What had that girl said he was? A dog hanyou?), and started fiddling with her fan. "Oh dear..."

"Well, I'm not going to let this ruin my night. C'mon girls. I want to see if that comb is still there..." Shizuru grabbed Keiko's arm and began leading her away, but Yukina lingered, casting an... appraising? look towards the (still) ranting Kuwabara.

"Something wrong, Yukina?" Kurama asked, pocketing the shards. He would deal with them later. As it was, Yukina had been even quieter than usual, fading into the background so well that even he had forgotten about her for a few moments.

"Oh," she said, looking at him with wide eyes, "I was just wondering how long it would take for him to start repeating himself. Kazuma has been going for quite some time..." trailing off, she checked to see where the other girls were, then continued observing.

"This was not exactly how I'd envisioned spending Momo Sekku. This was supposed to be relaxing..." He eyed Kuwabara again. He didn't look very relaxed, and yet...

"Well..." Yukina got an odd look on her face. "You must admit, this must be very cathartic for him."

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Momo Sekku -- the Peach Festival; held in early March
Cannon: Kuwabara really wants to get into Gai Tech High School
HeadCannon: Kuwabara burns himself out studying for the entrance exams
Real Life Fact: Japanese school systems start the year in April

Turn

- Kekkaishi 198

- Tokine will not allow this

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It's the same old thing, she thinks, furiously, uselessly. It's the same. Stupid. Thing. But this isn't like the other times, this isn't like anything before. This is a GOD, and it's mad, and it's going to destroy Karasumori and kill us along the way and this IDIOT is going to do something stupid AGAIN but this time it's really going to kill him and us and (I wish Grandmother was here and) --

"Ketsu."

-- he's still just a kid. A stupid, stupid, stupid kid that's always getting into trouble and I'm always the one pulling him out of it. Only now he thinks he has to take it all on himself. But he won't. He can't.

Not this time.

"Metsu."

It's my turn.

Title: Way of Clarity

-Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Jaganshi Hiei, Kuwabara Kazuma

-This is the first understanding

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He is tired and slow and hurting and waiting waiting waiting for what passes as night to be gone and done with so that he is healed enough and he may remove the warding and actually begin his search --

and the sky lightens --

and he reachs up --

and pauses --

and lets the wind uncover a violet iris --

and awakens two hours later staring up at the canopy and hurting even more and only able to form the most inane thought from the memory of light --

oh, that must be what burning feels like --

before he gets up and tries again.

-----

He is feeling young and awkward because she is small and old and scary but he needs needs needs the help and she has told him to --

sit down and --

close his eyes and --

feel his reiki and --

stay there until she tells him to stop and that feels like it was hours ago and his nose itches and he thinks he's getting a cramp and that is it he needs to move permission or not so holding onto his reiki he opens his eyes and --

is mesmerized by the sparkling life that he's not had eyes to see before.

//////////

"To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light." -- RW Emerson

Title: Preternatural Normality

-Harry Potter, Harry Potter

-ALL YOUR NORM ARE BELONG TO US

//////////

Lily! . . . --ere! Ta-- . . . and r--. . .

. . . --ot . . .-- ease, n-- . . .

--ve . . . --de gir--

ta-- . . . ead!

AVADA KADAVRA!

He spasmed (don't knock the walls, they'll hear), green eyes wide and lungs heaving for oxygen as he awoke. Already the green light was slipping away like quicksilver, but he felt frozen, and he was so relieved when he heard the shifting and felt the warmth of other hands gently prying his own away from the blanket.

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah."

They didn't say anything else, just listened to the mingled sounds of their breathing, one calm, the other becoming so, and both slowing, slowing, slowing...

And nine-year-old Kory Potter fell back asleep under the cupboard of number four, Privet Drive, next to his twin.

--

TBC?