An Empty Shell

Chapter 1: Something for Myself

Synopsis:

A demon's heart is not made of the hardest stone nor an impermeable steel. Rather it is more like a hollow husk, empty of life and incapable of containing feelings or emotions. It doesn't beat to survive, it is as good as dead.
For a thousand years he lived as one of the most notorious and feared demon, Youko Kurama, a fierce demon fox, reincarnated a measly human in a form of Shuichi Minamino, managed to survive in the human world carrying a human heart. Decided to continue his life as a human, however, is he already capable of understanding what a human heart could bring?

It has been 3 years since their last combat, where kings and the strongest clashed into a jaw-breaking battle in the demon world unification (Makai) tournament. But now, each of them has their own new journey to begin. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko are now on their Senior Year in high school. Yusuke and Keiko have already made plans of getting married after they graduate. Kuwabara , influenced by his father, is preparing to enter college soon. Yukina is now going to high school too, together with Botan to keep an eye on her. Hiei chose to stay in the demon world working with Mokoro, King Enki and Yomi to help maintain balance between demon and human world. Koenma is pretty much the same doing his old job as the Ruler (Prince) of the spirit world. Genkai is staying at her temple to take care of Puu, Yusuke's animal spirit guide, and home for Yukina and Botan. And Kurama, still living in the human world as Shuichi Minamino, just passed his SAT exam to enter the Kyoto University to continue his studies. They might have to take separate ways but their deep friendship remained intact. Life could never been this peaceful because of them after all the near-death struggles they have to face at a very young age to keep this peace and balance and to ensure they have a future waiting.

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"Yes mom, I just got off the train and I'm headed first to the University before I go back to my apartment. I just need to fix some paperworks before the school starts on Monday." Shuichi Minamino (Youko Kurama's Human form) now 19 years old and just got entered to college at The Kyoto University. There's no question about it, he's always dedicated to his studies since he was a child and never missed to ace. He's taking up his Major in Biology in line to his Degree to become a Doctor someday, well, sounds about right for his exceptional intelligence and passion in the line of medicine, not to mention he's also into Botany and Kyoto University is the most difficult Japanese university to get in to as well. This University is a top-notched research-oriented institution and is famous in producing Nobel prized scientists, researchers and doctors, and Shuichi Minamino might just be one of their aspirants in time.
It was a Friday and he thought of moving to the city days earlier to make sure everything was ready for his first day at the University. This was a new world and a new life for him. Although Kyoto's smaller than the main capital (Tokyo), it is still one of the most prestigious cities in Japan. His town that he grew up with was far more suburban than this place. He chose Kyoto because it is more traditional than any other cities. He liked staying close to culture albeit rather to nature, and he would start to live on his own here, a step towards adulthood. Although this kind of new life is scary to many young adults like him, Shuichi rather was more excited and eager to learn new things and opportunities. He was always the mature one in the group before and always takes the lead in decision making, with his superb analytical thinking, and lay them out as precisely as possible.

"I understand your worries about me, but I am old enough to take care of myself now. I promised to keep in touch with you okay? I gotta go now.. love you too.. bye!"
He hung up his phone, and put it in his pocket. Although, he's  officially an adult, he will always be Shiori's  little baby and he will always be a loving child for her, besides he's practically still a teenager.
He's carrying a bag pack and a folder where he puts his documents for his school. He rushed out of the station to catch up his appointment at the University, which was 15 minutes walk from there, before the administrative office closes in the afternoon.
"Is there any other documents I'm missing Ma'am?" Shuichi asked the assistant at the office as he tried to fix all the papers left that were not needed back to his folder.
"Nope, everything is good! Welcome to the University Mr. Minamino, we'll see you then next week," the office assistant answered after rechecking all the papers he gave her.
"Thank you so much!" he bowed with a big smile and excitement, then he bid.
Before he went back to the train station he thought of dropping by the grocery store to buy food supplies at the apartment. There was an old lady he noticed struggling to reach an item on top of the shelf. He didn't hesitate to approach her to give her a hand.
"Here, let me help you Ma'am. Is this what you need?" He reached for the item and asked the old lady politely while handing it to her.
"Yes my child. That's the one. Thank you very much," the old lady was very thankful and gave him a big smile as she took the item from his hand and put it in the shopping basket.
"You're very much welcome," he replied sincerely.
"Such a sweet young man.."she muttered still with a smile as she turned to go to the cashier.
He then resumed his grocery shopping with lightness in his heart after he saw the smile of the old lady.
Shuichi was always very polite and kind towards older people. I guess that's his mother's upbringing and he sees her in the future growing old someday as she has also aged by this time now. Even though he's got a demon spirit inside him, he still have a human heart that have learned to soften since he began his life with his human mother and decided to stay.
"Obachan, I'm sorry I was late, I have to drop something at the book store (panting)... are you okay?" a girl's voice was heard, seemed to have rushed through the door to see her grandmother out of concern when she was left alone momentarily..
"I'm okay my dear, don't worry about me and don't push yourself too hard! I still can take care of myself.." the old lady replied surprised and concerned about her granddaughter's appearance when she came to her.
Shuichi was smiling as he overheard their conversation while he was at the nearby aisle. Their voices started to fade away as the old lady and her granddaughter continued with their little happy argument as they exited the store. He chuckled a little thinking how adorable they were.
He then went to the cashier to pay all the goods he needed. He was having a little conversation with the cashier as he was making a payment when he noticed a  piece of red paper on the floor. He picked it up and noticed there's something written in it. It was a hand written Japanese script saying "raito" which also means "light." He decided to show it to the person in front to see if it belonged to him.
"Nope, and I'm pretty sure that's not from this store either. Maybe someone must have dropped it,"
"Yeah, I guess so..."
He subconsciously inserted the paper in his folder while thinking what that was for. To him it looked like some sort of a talisman but he couldn't see or feel anything unusual about it so it might be just a regular paper that looked like it. He then took his bag of groceries and decided to leave.
"Thank you for your patronage!" bowed the grocery worker.
"You're welcome! I will surely come again!" Shuichi bowed back and bid.
As soon as he opened the glass door, he felt something, like a warm and light breeze blew on the back of his neck. To his surprise, he turned around to see if someone was behind him. But didn't see anyone... This feeling was very peculiar to him, he never felt anything like it before. He didn't sense anything like what he used to when he feels danger, an evil spirit or even an unusual energy. He only felt that warm gentle breeze as if someone blew air softly on the back of his neck.
"What was that..?" Shuichi gave it a thought for a moment. Maybe it's just the sudden changed of temperature since he just got out from the grocery store? Maybe it was just the draft from the closing door? Or maybe it was just his imagination ? He looked around and nothing looks any different to him, just regular busy people passing by. He couldn't seem to explain to himself. He shook it off for now since he still have to go home to his apartment to start unpacking and fix his stuffs.

RIIINGGG...!

"Hey mom... yes I'm already back to my apartment and just started unpacking..." he put his ear buds on so he can still talk on the phone while keeping himself busy from unpacking and arranging his supplies. Shuichi always made sure to answer his phone at least when he knew that Shiori was calling no matter how busy he was. He understood how worried his mother since this was their first time they get to be separated far away from each other in a very long while, unlike back when he was still in high school.
"Uhuh, I did pass my documents and already got my subjects and there schedules..." explaining the details of his school trip from earlier.
"Don't worry mom, I stopped by at a grocery store to get some food supplies earlier before I went home.." he chuckled a little bit from the worried voice of his mom over the phone.
Their conversation on the phone lasted for a little bit while he was still organizing his apartment.
"Mom, I already told you I am not interested getting into relationship right now..." his mother was patronizing him about getting in to a serious relationship this time now that her son has grown all up, not that she doesn't want him to have one. Shiori always encouraged him to engage to people and make lots of friends, fall in love and enjoy life while being young. But sometimes she can be overprotective, like at that very moment for example. She only wanted to remind him to always take precaution in engaging intimacy, teenage hormones can be ravaging. Shuichi was very much aware of what his mother wants him to realize, that given the extent of freedom he has now, takes an awful lot of responsibility. Oh no, here we go again.. he sighed with a smile on his face as he stopped momentarily from his tasks listening to his mother. Shiori understood and knew her boy more than anyone else, that was apart from him being reincarnated from a fox demon. Shuichi always has a tendency to become preoccupied to his studies and in achieving his goals, not realizing other beautiful things he was missing around him.  She's worried that her son still does the same habit of creating a barrier towards other people. However, without her knowing about it, her son was only doing this to protect everyone around him from danger because he's still not an ordinary person.
"Mom, I have to go and finish my chores here now okay? Don't worry, I know and trust my heart well enough, so I will let it decide this time when it comes to those kinds of things," he teased his mother and laughed at each other knowing that he never really got into relationship before, well, as a human at least.
Please, give something for yourself as well.. something that you really hoped and wished for.. something that could make you really happy. These words from his mother echoed in his head moments after they got off the phone. Shuichi was trying to realize if he really could engage in a much more deeper and meaningful relationship now that everything seemed to be in a normal and peaceful pace. Can I really do that? Can I completely spend my life living here, as a normal person? Is this what I truly hoped and wished for? He asked himself with these questions as he sat down on the floor with his back against the wall looking up the ceiling. I do have friends, although we are now in our own different paths, we still try our best to keep in touch. But are they enough? My mother married to Kazuya a few years back, and I know and I could see it until now that she's happier than ever.
Ahhh... happiness.. Do I now understand what that word really means? I don't even know what really could make me happy or where could I find one. He continued to ponder.