xxx A Rose in the Dark xxx

Warnings: mild swearing, slight OOC, sucky writing-ness
Rated: PG-13 (for later chapters)
Pairings: KuramaOC, KazumaOC (more may be added later)
Disclaimer: Yes, I own nothing. Sad, isn't it? All I own is my character, Kakeru. All things Yu Yu Hakusho related are copyright their creators, and Talim & Ashura are copyrighted to my friends.

"blah blah blah" - talking
(blah blah blah) - thoughts
--()-- – change in scene

Chapter 3: Interrupted, Lunch-Time Conversation

Kakeru began to stir, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Instantly, a sharp pain came rushing to her head, making her dizzy and clouding her vision.

(Uhn...what's that? I think I hear voices...is someone there?)

"I think she's waking up!" a female voice exclaimed.

Kakeru blinked her eyes a few more times in an attempt to be able to see. She noticed that there was someone standing over her, but she couldn't make out who it was.

"Bri-chan, are you alright?" A pair of bright emerald green eyes stared down at Kakeru in concern.

(Hmm...? Bri-chan...? That voice...it's so calm and soothing)

"Ow...my head..." Kakeru groaned, slowly attempting to sit up, failing miserably and falling back on the hard bed.

"Don't strain yourself," the voice said. "Perhaps you should rest for awhile longer."

Looking up, she saw a blur of, what looked like, red hair and the same emerald eyes from before. Her vision finally began to clear and Kakeru saw Shuichi standing over her, Ashura and Talim right behind him.

"Hmmm...?" Kakeru slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "What happened? Where am I?"

Shuichi put his hand on Kakeru's shoulder to help stabilize her. "You're in the nurse's office. I believe that you may have hit your head on something during the accident in biology class," he said, pointing to the bandage that was wrapped around her head. "You seem to be much better now, though." Shuichi then gave off a smile that made him seem very relieved.

Talim and Ashura walked over to the bed, both of them looking worried.

"Gomen, K-chan! We didn't mean for that to happen," Talim said apologetically, blushing a bit.

"We'll be more careful from now on, we promise!" said Ashura.

"You guys don't need to apologize. I'm ok, right? It's alright to make mistakes, but hopefully you'll pay a bit more attention to the directions from now on," she smiled patting her two friends on the shoulder. "Ok? Hey...speaking of which, how long was I out for? I didn't miss too much, did I?"

"No, not really. You've only been here for about an hour," Shuichi said.

"Heh. Looks like I missed World History. Oh well!" Kakeru stood up and grinned. "I really feel much better now. I should probably head off to class before I miss anymore than I already did."

Shuichi stood up and looked at Kakeru. "Are you sure that you're fit to go to class now?"

"Yup! I'm not dizzy anymore, plus my headache has gone away completely," Kakeru stated as she unwrapped the bloodied bandage from her head. "I'll be fine. I really appreciate your concern, though, Shuichi!"

"No problem."

All four of them grabbed their belongings and walked out into the hallway.

"Well, come Talim-chan! We have Literature class in room 3-A. See you later Ashura-chan! Try not to get into anymore trouble while we're gone, ok?"

"Hey, I'll be fine! See you guys at lunch!"

Talim and Kakeru waved and began heading for their class.

"Sabrina, wait a minute!"

They turned around and saw Shuichi walking toward them, a smile on his face.

"Oh, Shuichi. Why are you following us?" Kakeru inquired.

"Well, I was scheduled to switch over to the Literature class in 3-A today. They said that the class I was in previously wasn't challenging enough for me. Since we're going to the same room, I thought you might be able to help show me the way."

"How awesome! You must have done extremely well in that class to be eligible to transfer!"

"Yes, I suppose so. They said they had accidentally placed me in the less-advanced class. I assume this is the room, then?" Shuichi pointed to the door that they had stopped in front of, which was conveniently labeled "3-A".

"Wow, smarty pants, how did ya figure THAT out?" Talim said in a very sarcastic tone.

Kakeru shot Talim an evil "what-was-that-for" look as the three of them opened the door and walked into the room. Shuichi stopped next to the teacher's desk, while Kakeru and Talim took their seats in the middle of the room.

"Alright, students. We have the honor of Minamino Shuichi transferring into our class today. Everyone, please make him feel welcome." The teacher then turned to Shuichi. "The only available seat is over there in front of Hino-san. That is your seat now."

"Arigatou sensei." Shuichi bowed politely and calmly walked over, taking his seat in front of the slightly embarrassed Kakeru.

"Now, take out your literature books and turn to page 259. We will be continuing with our lesson on poetry analysis," the teacher announced.

Shuichi turned around and whispered to Kakeru. "It appears I'll be sitting next to you in this class as well," he said, smiling.

"Yeah, it looks that way," she smiled back. "If you need any help or you get lost, feel free to ask me."

"Arigatou Bri-c….Sabrina."

The teacher began calling on people to read the poems out loud. Kakeru was having a hard time focusing, though, with all that was on her mind.

(Why does he keep calling me Bri-chan? I haven't been called that for so long... Bri-chan…..Bri -)

"Hino-san!!" yelled the teacher for the third time.

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Kakeru as she finally managed to jerk herself out of her thoughts.

Surprised and embarrassed, Kakeru quickly stood up and bowed. "Gomenasai, sensei!"

"Good, now that I have your attention, would you please answer the question?"

Kakeru flushed slightly. "Um…what question was that, exactly, sensei?"

All of the students, even Shuichi, laughed quietly at her absent-mindedness.

She gave out an audible sigh. "You need to try and pay more attention, Hino-san. I asked you what personification means."

"Oh, that's easy. Personification is when you use human qualities, actions, and emotions to describe an inanimate object," Kakeru replied.

"Thank you, you may take your seat. Try to pay attention when I initially ask the question next time."

"Yes, ma'am, I will," Kakeru said, as she quickly returned to her seat.

(That was really stupid! I need to focus and stop letting my mind wander. Focus, focus, FOCUS!!)

Kakeru rubbed her temples in an attempt to get rid of her sudden, pounding headache.

(This must be from the wound I got earlier. I need to calm down and just try to focus...at least until I can rest and gather myself.)

Kakeru looked forward to see Shuichi diligently taking notes. She smiled a little to herself and lightly shook her head. (But still...why is he being so nice to me? Why can't I get him out of my head...)

--()--

Kakeru sat down underneath the large oak tree in the outside lunch area. The sunlight sparkled through the branches above. The smell of freshly-cut grass and the sweet, warm spring air reached her nose and brought a wave of calm over her body.

She pulled out the boxed lunch she had made that morning and waited patiently for her friends to come get her once they had bought their lunches. She had just begun to eat when she saw Shuichi approaching her.

"May I sit here?" he asked, gesturing to a spot on the grass next to Kakeru.

Kakeru looked up at him, smiled and nodded her head, then returned to eating slowly.

He sat down and looked over at Kakeru, glancing at her lunch. "Your lunch looks very delicious. Did you make it yourself?" he inquired.

Kakeru gulped down her mouth full of food and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, I did," she grinned. "Some white fried rice, baked fish, and caramelized fruit. It's nothing entirely special, really."

"That may be so, but it still looks good. Would you mind if I tried some of your fruit?"

"No, of course not. Help yourself," Kakeru said, holding out the box in front of him.

He used his chopsticks to scoop up some of the caramelized fruit into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, as if making sure to thoroughly experience every aspect of its taste. After swallowing, his lips curled up in a smile of true delight.

"Absolutely wonderful. You're truly a great cook, Sabrina."

Kakeru's face flushed a bit at his praise. "Thank you. I really don't think so, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

Their eyes turned towards the ground, and they both continued to eat in silence.

"Hey, Shuichi….? I was wondering….."

"Hmm…?"

"Well…why have you been calling me Bri-chan? I'm never called that by anyone, plus you seemed to try and correct yourself every time you call me that, like you didn't mean to or something."

There was a long pause after Kakeru's question, in which Shuichi looked deep into her eyes, as if searching them for something familiar.

"You don't remember anything at all….do you?" he said, a disappointed tone in his voice.

Kakeru gave him a bewildered look. "Remember what…? Was I supposed to remember something?"

"I see…so you have forgotten," he murmured. He hung his head a bit, but quickly corrected himself. "No, it's nothing."

"Hmm? Are you sure it's nothing?"

"Yes. Let's just forget that I mentioned anything, ok?"

"Well…I guess. I would really like to know what you were talking about, though. Are you sure you can't tell me….please?"

"Well, I-"

Shuichi was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps as Ashura and Talim came dashing toward the two of them.

"Hey K-chan!!" Talim and Ashura yelled in unison as they approached them.

"Hey guys!"

Kakeru put the empty box back in her bag and stood up. She looked down at Shuichi and smiled. "Gomen. See ya later, Shuichi!," she said as she ran toward her friends.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Eh…gomen. Ashura couldn't decide what she wanted," Talim said in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, I'm sorry! Everything just looked soooooo good!! Too...many….choices!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I was just worried a little bit, that's all."

"You worry too much, K-chan. And I thought I was the one who was paranoid about everything! Your hair's gonna turn gray if you keep worrying like that," Talim chuckled.

"Hehe, funny," Kakeru stated in a sarcastic tone.

"Let's eat!" Ashura yelled, as she ran off to a table in the cafeteria.

"C'mon, Kakeru-chan," Talim smiled and grabbed the sleeve of Kakeru's uniform.

Kakeru hesitated a bit and glanced back over at Shuichi as she followed.

Shuichi waved and smiled at her retreating back. He then closed his eyes and stretched out under the tree for a few minutes.

(She hasn't changed a bit from before,)he thought to himself.

Just then, the lunch bell rang. Shuichi stood up, brushed off his uniform and walked into the building, heading for his next class.

--()--

The last bell of the day had finally rung. Ashura, Talim and Kakeru went to their lockers, grabbed their bags and started to make their way out of the school.

"I am SO happy the day's finally over!" Ashura sighed. "I have Algebra homework again, though. I HATE ALGEBRA!!"

"Yeah…but at least you have friends who are good at it, right? That way we can help you, if you want," Kakeru said, playfully poking her in the head.

"It's not that I'm not good at it, I just don't like it," she pouted.

"Well, I don't think any of us like it, but we still have to take it," Talim said.

"I like it!" Kakeru shouted happily, raising her hand enthusiastically up in the air.

Talim scowled. "Yeah, well that's you K-chan. You like everything about school!"

"No, not everything. I don't like….um….well, I guess it depends on my mood."

"I think we all know that Biology is your favorite subject, and we all know why-y," Talim said teasingly in a sing-song voice.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Speak of the devil…" Ashura said, pointing directly in front of them. It was Shuichi at his locker, putting away his books.

"Oh, hey Shuichi!" Kakeru ran over to his locker just as he closed it.

"Hello Sabrina," he smiled. "Are the three of you on your way out?"

"Yes, we are, so we'll see you later Shuichi. C'mon, K-chan! We have someplace important to go!" Talim said hurriedly as she pushed Kakeru forward.

"Actually, I was wondering if I might be able to walk part of the way with you," he said to the girls' retreating backs.

Kakeru planted her feet on the ground and stopped Talim from pushing her. She then turned around and faced him.

"Of course you can. My friends and I would be honored if you would walk with us!"

"Well, actually-"

Kakeru glared at Ashura before she could say another word.

"Well, what I meant to say was that we would actually like it if you would walk with us! Hehe," Ashura faked.

"Thank you very much," Shuichi said.

"Great! Alright then, let's go!" Kakeru stated enthusiastically.

The four opened the doors of the school and began to walk down the sidewalk, following Talim. Ashura, Shuichi and Kakeru had no idea where they were being lead to.

"Um…hey Talim-chan? Where are we going, anyway?" Ashura asked.

"And why are we following you in the first place? You have no sense of direction…." Kakeru muttered under her breath. Shuichi overheard this and chuckled softly.

"Oh, no place special," Talim smiled and giggled like a giddy school girl.

Kakeru looked at her in confusion. "Ok….why are you acting so strange? You've never laughed like that before."

"I've seen many lovesick girls act like that before. Perhaps she has a crush on someone," Shuichi pointed out.

"Oh!" Kakeru stopped and jumped up and down. "Who is he, who is he?!"

"Well, I dunno…."

"C'mon, tell us Talim!" Ashura said, as equally excited as Kakeru.

"Yes, why don't you tell us?" Shuichi asked, amusement playing across his face.

"Well….ok! Just don't laugh or make fun of me, ok?"

"Of course! We would never do that!" Ashura and Kakeru said in unison.

"Ok. Well, you know the tall, carrot top that goes to Sarayashiki Junior High? He's a bit of a punk, but he's so handsome and loyal and-Oh Kazu-chan, I love you soooooo much!!" Talim squealed.

"Wait...Kazu," Kakeru pondered. "You don't mean Kazuma Kuwabara, do you? I've seen him at the arcade before!"

"Yeah, me too!" said Ashura.

There was an awkward silence between the four. Kakeru cracked a smile, and soon began laughing like crazy. Ashura tried as hard as she could not to laugh, while Shuichi smiled knowingly.

"oh...my...god...THAT guy?! You like HIM!?" Kakeru managed to say between fits of hysterical laughter. "He's got to be one of the funniest-looking guys I've ever seen! Not to mention I heard that he gets the lowest grades in his class, and that he's a total klutz. Hahahahaha!! That's a good one, Talim-chan."

Talim's rage burned, bottled up inside her, as her hands visibly began to twitch. She closed the space between her and Kakeru, and smacked her over the head with her fist, knocking Kakeru to the ground within seconds.

"You jerk! I told you not to laugh! You promised!" Talim screeched. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she turned around and ran in the direction they had been headed.

Ashura looked in Talim's direction and then back at Kakeru. "Shuichi, could you please help her? I need to go stop Talim before she hurts anyone else."

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks. Talim-chan, wait!" Ashura yelled as she ran after Talim.

Shuichi kneeled down on the ground next to Kakeru. "Are you alright? That was quite a hit you took from her."

Kakeru pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked at him. "Yeah, I'm ok. I'm not used to being hit over the head like that, though. Normally I would be the one smacking Talim," she said with a smirk.

Shuichi immediately put his hand on Kakeru's head where she had fallen and checked to see if she had been hurt. "You don't appear to be injured whatsoever. That's quite surprising."

She blushed a little bit as Shuichi worried over her. "Hehe, yeah. Aside from this bump on the back of my head, but that'll go away soon enough," she said, gently rubbing the back of her head.

(Hmm...she caught herself so she wouldn't fall as hard. It takes incredible reflexes to do something like that….) Shuichi thought.

"Well, it was very lucky that you weren't hurt worse, especially after your injury in biology class this morning. You could have broken your head open," he stated sternly.

"Yeah, I know. I should really learn to keep my thoughts to myself sometimes. Now that I look back on what I said, that was really rude of me. I mean, how would I feel if one of my best friends said that about a guy that I liked?" she said, a hint of regret in her voice.

Shuichi laughed to himself and put his hand softly on her shoulder. "Well, seeing how you've acted today, I don't think it would bother you that much. Besides, you thought she was kidding with you, so you couldn't have known."

"…Yeah, I guess you're right," Kakeru smiled.

Shuichi stood up and offered his hand to Kakeru. She willingly took it and he helped pull her up on her feet. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"No, no, you really don't have to trouble yourself. I'll be fine, honest."

"Maybe so, but you're still hurt. I want to make sure you get home safely."

"Okay, if you insist. I'll take the lead! Don't worry, I won't get us lost like Talim would," she smiled and giggled softly. She turned and began walking down the sidewalk.

"That's good to hear," Shuichi whispered to himself.

The two of them walked, side-by-side, for about 20 minutes, until Kakeru stopped in front of a small house. It was a very charming little house, colored a shade of pale lavender with deep violet shutters and a charcoal black roof. A cherry blossom tree grew on the bright green lawn near the front of the house. There were flowers in a box just outside each of the windows, mostly filled with deep purple pansies and shining orange and yellow marigolds. A few rose bushes grew in a small garden near the door, which also contained multiple varieties of flowers. It was quite lovely and almost a bit out of place in the small neighborhood of mostly white apartment buildings.

"Is this your house?" Shuichi inquired, practically in awe of the sight before him.

"You bet!" Kakeru exclaimed. "I've been living here for almost two years now. It may be unusually quiet around this area, but I love it here," she smiled, obviously very proud of the home in which she lived.

"I see you love flowers. I bet you have a garden of roses in the back, don't you?"

"Hey, how did you know that?"

"Oh, just a lucky guess," Shuichi said, smirking slightly.

Kakeru walked over to the door of her house and waved. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Shuichi."

"Yes, tomorrow, then. Goodbye," Shuichi said, returning her wave.

With that, Kakeru opened the door to her house and closed it behind her.

Kakeru put her back on the door and slid down it to the floor. She was blushing and looking down at the floor in slight embarrassment. At that same time, Shuichi began walking home from her house. The two of them smiled inwardly to themselves about the day's events, looking forward to what the next day might bring.

Yes, another long chapter! 3 And I've finally revealed the two main pairings (if they weren't made pretty obvious in this chapter, lol)! If you think Kakeru seems Mary-sueish - just continue reading. It may seem that the relationship between her and Kurama is really sudden, but you'll understand why once you read about her past. All will come in time, my friends...

Anyway, thanks for reading! As always, please review so I know what you all think, and I hope that the story has been enjoyable so far! I'm still working on chapter 4 (and have been for quite awhile)...but if you have any questions about it or about my story/characters...or just questions in general, just send me an email or leave a comment on my story :3