Hydra | By : Rosids Category: Yuyu Hakusho > Yaoi - Male/Male > Yusuke/Kuwabara Views: 2413 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho nor make any profit writing fan fiction for it. |
After all the years spent among Kuwabara, Kurama and Yuusuke, Hiei had thought nothing any of them would do could possibly surprise him anymore. Yet, it seemed like idiots would always think of ways to surprise him with their stupidity.
"What are you doing here?" Hiei snarled. Of anyone he'd have expected to visit him in Alaric, Kuwabara was the last. He didn't understand how the human could stand the miasma, let alone having obviously run here from whatever portal he'd taken. Even more surprising was the fact that Mukuro's soldiers hadn't managed to capture him. Hiei didn't know whether to be more shocked about Kuwabara's sudden appearance or by his apparent strength and the amount of guts he had. Sure, Hiei knew Kuwabara was no coward but to wander through Makai wilderness as a human and somehow not get himself killed was either a great deal of bravery or the human had finally lost his mind. Possibly both.
"I'm here for your help." Those were words Hiei most likely never even imagined he would hear from Kuwabara, but he had no one else to turn to. Kurama had been the one to start this train of thought running through his head; nearly a year ago Kurama had mentioned rumors and myths he had heard, of humans turning youkai, although Kurama had shrugged the questions Kuwabara later asked off. "I– I haven't got anyone else to ask for help, about this."
"What the hell are you rambling about?" Hiei gave Kuwabara the most contemptuous look he could manage. "What makes you think I'd help you with anything?"
"Because I'm asking you to?" Kuwabara looked bedraggled and exhausted. "No, I'm beggin' you to help me, Hiei!" Any sense of pride he held was nothing next to the reasons he had. Kuwabara dropped to his knees and lowered his head to the ground, "Please help me out–!"
"Get off the ground." Hiei sighed, aggravated. Humans. "If you're going to be pathetic about it, I suppose I can at least listen. Or were you going to tell me what you needed at all?"
Kuwabara didn't even argue pathetic as he sat up, hands on his knees as he sat on the ground before Hiei. "Kurama didn't tell you...?"
"I haven't spoken to Kurama in months." Hiei didn't often visit Ningenkai and when he did it was only for brief periods to check on Yukina. It wasn't like he had all the time in the world to get tea with Kurama.
"Keiko's dead." Blurted fast, hoping it wouldn't burn as much if it came out quick. Kuwabara's breath still caught in his throat and he struggled to keep himself from crying. Hiei wouldn't listen to anyone that was sobbing. "She was...She was pregnant, and something happened when she gave birth. I wasn't even there. I should've been there."
Hiei said nothing for a few moments, giving Kuwabara time to collect himself. He hadn't been expecting this. "I hope you are not under some false impression that I can raise the dead." Hiei paused. "What about the infant?"
"The baby's fine. Kurama...Kurama called, told me what happened. Yuusuke hadn't named her when I left." Kuwabara wiped his face with the back of one hand roughly. Hiei could probably tell he had been crying all this time. His face was swollen and eyes red. "I don't know what got into me, but all I could think was that I didn't want to see Yuusuke that way and...And that I couldn't leave him alone. Not forever."
Hiei didn't even question the fact that Kuwabara was as important to Yuusuke as Keiko. Nor did he think it weird that Kuwabara would feel the way he did about not leaving Yuusuke. Hiei knew enough about Yuusuke and his sentimentalism that he could actually follow Kuwabara's train of thought perfectly. "You want to be a youkai."
Kuwabara only nodded, swallowing any lingering doubts he had along with his grief. "Kurama told me it was rumored possible, although he...He laughed it off. Said it had never been done, that whoever had spread the rumor was hoping for the impossible."
Hiei barked out a laugh but he felt no need to explain to Kuwabara why what he'd said was so amusing. "Impossible? No. It is not impossible. I happen to know how it is done. Almost all humans perish in the process. They are too weak."
That laugh out of Hiei unnerved Kuwabara greatly, but he finally got to his feet. Hands balled into fists and trying not to be scared. "I can do it. Whatever it is, whatever needs to be done, I can handle it. I have to. I...I can't go dyin' on Yuusuke." He had known for a while now that Yuusuke would outlive him by centuries upon centuries. Kuwabara had thought he had come to terms with it, but he had clearly not.
"Determination alone won't protect you." Hiei sighed again. Yuusuke and Kuwabara were going to be the death of him but if any human was strong and stubborn enough to survive the training, even Hiei had to admit that Kuwabara was the one. "Fine. But realize if you die, I will drag your body back to Ningenkai to tell Yuusuke you failed."
Hiei was probably being honest, since he had no reason to lie about this. Kuwabara had to grin at what Hiei had said, taking it as a sort of challenge rather than something to be afraid of. "Determination might not protect me, but love sure will!" Kuwabara was also sure he deserved the sneer Hiei gave him, for that line.
_________________________________________________________________________
"Yuusuke." Kurama's voice jarred Yuusuke out of his stupor. He held the small bundle in his arms imperceptibly tighter, securing his daughter to his chest as though she were a life-line. "Yuusuke, you need to eat something. I made soba. Allow me to hold Yumi-chan for you while you eat."
"Your cooking sucks," Yuusuke muttered. "I'm not hungry."
Over the past few months, Kurama had learned not to take Yuusuke's rudeness personally. After all, the poor man had been through so much. Kurama just gently coaxed Yumi from Yuusuke's arms. "You will feel better if you eat."
"No, I won't." Yuusuke relinquished Yumi anyway, letting out a small whimper. She looked just like Keiko. Just like the woman who had died bringing her into the world.
Kurama pretended not to see Yuusuke's tears. He just held Yumi against one shoulder and tugged Yuusuke to his feet. Yuusuke went willingly even though he would have preferred to sit in the rocking-chair for days, holding Yumi and caring for her.
A plate of food was waiting for Yuusuke on the table. Kurama was pleased when Yuusuke began to eat immediately and without question although Yuusuke only managed a few bites. Kurama sat beside his friend, drumming his fingertips lightly on the table top. "Eat more, Yuusuke."
"Will you shut up?" Yuusuke snapped. He took another bite, but the food felt like wet paper-towel in his mouth and tasted worse. "Learn to cook better and I'll eat more."
Kurama heard the door opening and sensed Yukina's youki. He was glad she'd arrived. Having dealt with Yuusuke for this long, mostly alone, had been draining. Yukina came by sometimes to bring different food in hopes that Yuusuke would eat. Atsuko had been there several times but she never stayed long but Kurama hadn't left Yuusuke's side for more than a few hours since Keiko passed away. Yukina entered the kitchen, happily took Yumi from Kurama's arms and sat on Yuusuke's other side. "You've gotten bigger, Yumi-san." She gently tickled Yumi's stomach and smiled when the baby made a happy gurgling noise at her. "How are you feeling today, Yuusuke-san?"
Yuusuke didn't respond, he just stared irritably at his plate.
Yukina took a pair of chopsticks from the table and plucked a piece of beef from the soba to sample it. "This is delicious, Kurama-san."
"Thank you, Yukina-san." Kurama smiled. Even though Yukina hadn't heard Yuusuke's comment about Kurama's cooking today, it was something he'd constantly complained about, giving it as the excuse for why he wouldn't eat. Yukina had heard it enough times to read the look on Yuusuke's face.
Yuusuke said nothing more. He ate a third of what Kurama served him, took Yumi from Yukina's arms and went to his room. Kurama and Yukina remained at the table, giving Yuusuke's back worried looks. "It has been nearly six months since Keiko passed on. I had assumed by now there would have been some change in his behavior. His stay at the temple did him no good, and moving him back here does not seem to have lifted his spirits in the least." Yuusuke was painfully thin, prone to angry out-bursts and cried himself to sleep nearly every night.
"I believe he misses Kazuma-san as well…" Yukina glanced over her shoulder at the door. "I must say, whatever his reasons, Kazuma-san chose a terrible time to simply vanish. Yuusuke-san needs him."
"You had mentioned before. You believe he is with Hiei?" Kurama sat up a little straighter, elbows on the table. "Why? For what purpose? Hiei despises him."
"I have… a theory." Yukina leaned back. "I can sense my brother perfectly. I know precisely where he is and what he is doing. They are in Makai."
Kurama frowned and leaned backward in his chair. "Makai? All this time? I am surprised Kuwabara-kun has not perished from the miasma…"
"Hiei seems to be… training him." Yukina sighed. "I cannot fathom what sort of training requires so much mental strain on him, however. He is wearing himself to exhaustion every day."
Kurama raised a brow, feeling he knew exactly the type of training Hiei was putting Kuwabara through. But how on earth had Kuwabara convinced him to do such a thing? Kurama had mentioned the possibility to Kuwabara himself, so he would be forced to take a certain measure of responsibility if things went wrong. Sometimes, he felt he knew exactly what Hiei meant about them being baby-sitters. "I certainly hope this training ends soon."
Yukina said nothing, she was staring down at the table. She looked incredibly sad. "The training has ended. I-I…" Yukina twisted her kimono in her hands. "For a moment I feared Kazuma-san had been killed but… he is on his way back with my brother. You should be able to sense their youki."
The words 'their youki' confirmed things in Kurama's mind. Hiei had been training Kuwabara to become a youkai.
"Kurama-san? I… I am going to go speak with Hiei. I need to know what he was thinking." Yukina stood and Kurama walked her out.
Not twenty minutes after Kurama had said 'good bye' to Yukina, there was a crash as Yuusuke opened the door to his bedroom and stomped out, heedless of Kurama's objections. It was the most energy he'd seen out of Yuusuke in months. He was outside before Kurama could object, and returned moments later with a spluttering, bearded Kuwabara, shouting curses and insults at him. "…stupid, fucking jack-ass. What the FUCK gives you the right to disappear for six months and then come waltzing back in here reeking of Makai, huh?!" Yuusuke tossed the redhead into a wall, rattling the few framed pictures, all of which were of Yumi.
"W-wait! L-let me ex—" Yuusuke didn't let Kuwabara finish, he just punched Kuwabara square in the jaw and watched his friend… oddly enough not crumple to the ground unconscious. Had Yuusuke gotten that much weaker?
"Yuusuke!" Kurama scolded from the door-way, holding Yumi, who was wailing, to his chest. "If you do not calm down, I will be forced to restrain you."
"Explain yourself," Yuusuke muttered darkly. He'd calmed himself down because he still remembered how badly it had sucked the last time Kurama had to restrain him to defuse his rage. Or, rather, the last six times. He'd thrown a lot of fits the past six months.
Kuwabara was too afraid that Yuusuke was going to actually kill him to say much for a moment. "I… I'm…. I'm a youkai now-"
"I figured THAT out for myself, lame-brain! Your energy isn't human anymore!"
"Yuusuke," Kurama scolded again. "Do not shout. You are upsetting your child." Kurama rubbed Yumi's back to soothe her but she was already quite worked up.
"Sorry." Yuusuke hauled Kuwabara to his feet. "Explain."
"I left. Was trainin' with Hiei t'become a youkai." Kuwabara obviously felt that this was an adequate explanation.
"Hiei…? Wh-what? Why would Hiei…?" Yuusuke gestured meaninglessly at Kuwabara.
"Because even if he doesn't like me, he liked my reasons." Kuwabara folded his arms over his chest. He wasn't going to explain to Yuusuke if Yuusuke was going to be such a prick about everything.
"…why?" Yuusuke stared at Kuwabara. "You left without a word and you come back all…?" Yuusuke shook his head. He didn't need answers right now. He was a little startled when Kurama touched his arm, handing over Yumi, who Kurama had finally managed to make stop crying.
"I thought that Kuwabara-kun might like to meet your daughter," Kurama explained.
"Oh, right." Yuusuke grinned down at the little baby in his arms before handing her over to Kuwabara. He even smiled at how awkward Kuwabara looked while holding her but was shocked when she suddenly blurted "Mama!"
Kuwabara blinked, staring at the baby in his arms. "Wha–… I… ain't…"
Yuusuke stood there, stunned for a minute before laughing. "Mama… she called you mama!"
"So what? At least I got her first word."
Kurama stepped forward. "I will going." After the last six months, Kurama felt zero guilt dumping Yuusuke in Kuwabara's care now. Kuwabara deserved it for leaving so suddenly. "Good luck," he muttered while Yuusuke was preoccupied with trying to make Yumi say "dada."
Kuwabara nodded, understanding the task Kurama had left for him. He'd take care of both of the Urameshis. For life.
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