Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Codependency ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Codependency

Disclaimer: Sadly, YYH isn't mine.

Summary: Hiei's sister, Yukina, will die if she doesn't have an operation. Their family has no money and no other way of paying for her operation, so Hiei steals money from Sakyo-san in desperation. He is caught and is sentenced to six months in juvenile hall. Hiei immediately falls head-over-heels for his counselor, Shuuichi Minamino. Unfortunately for Hiei, Shuuichi is already happily attached… or is he? Oh, and other crap happens, too.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance/General (AKA has humor, drama, sadness, and all that other stuff)

Chapter One

Hiei glared at the policemen as he rubbed his wrists. Those handcuffs really chafed! And really, this was just friggin' great. Who was going to take care of Yukina now?

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" he growled, banging a fist on the wall. It probably hurt, but he didn't notice.

"All right, sonny, you'd better stop doing that," a fat police man told him, giving him the `evil eye'.

"…don't call me that," Hiei growled.

"Heh. You'd better just get used to it. You're charged with burglary… and Sakyo-san doesn't appreciate it when people try to steal his money. No, no. I'm afraid you're going to be here for quite a while, sonny."

Hiei slid down the wall, dejected. As much as he hated to admit it, Porky over there was right. He was stuck here. Gah… and if he was lucky, he'd be sent to juvie for who knows how long… if he was unlucky, though, they'd try him as an adult and he'd be sent to the big house and they would tape him to the wall… or something. Hiei wasn't exactly sure what went on in the big house, but it was bound to be at least as bad as high school.

"Bail is a hundred thousand yen," the police man informed. "I doubt you can pay it; I just want to rub it in your face."

"You're so kind."

"Oh, but they'll tell you all the stuff you need to know at your preliminary arraignment."

"And when is that?"

Porky shrugged.

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Hiei tiredly slid into bed. He'd had his trial. The jury just didn't seem to understand that he was stealing money for his sister, who was on the brink of death because they had no money to pay for an operation she desperately needed. He was doing it for a good reason-they should have at least gone easy on him.

Oh, well. At least they had tried him as a child. Hiei was sixteen, teetering dangerously between adolescent and adult, and he had been worried that he might be bumped up to adult status. That was probably the first time he was glad to be just a little kid.

He had been given six months. Six months wasn't too bad. In fact, it wasn't bad at all. Of course, Yukina would probably be dead in six months… Hiei ground his teeth together, a lone tear rolling down his cheek at the thought. He buried his head in the pillow, biting down on it savagely in order to prevent any more tears-signs of weakness-from issuing forth.

He growled. Life officially sucked. The powerlessness of his situation didn't make him feel any better, either. He'd be the first to admit that stealing wasn't the best idea, but… he hadn't had any other choice. His mother was on welfare and so they barely scraped by-in fact, both children had to work just to be able to pay the rent and buy groceries. His mother had always had failing health and it had taken a turn for the worst when he turned fourteen. She hadn't been able to work in the past two years-in fact, she had scarcely been able to get out of bed on most days.

It wasn't terrible to start with. At least, they managed. However, when Yukina's health began to fail as well… it left Hiei as the sole breadwinner, which was really too much responsibility for any sixteen- year old. He did the best he could, though-he worked long into the night, not getting home until one A.M. on most nights, then dragging himself out of bed at six to do his homework and get ready for school. His grades began slipping-Hiei went from straight A's to C's and D's.

Then the school withdrew his work permit. That was the end of the world for him. That left the three of them to live on his mother's tiny welfare check. He tried working secretly, but the school found out and he was punished severely. They threatened to expel him if he did it again. And that, my friends, was when Hiei decided that the only way he'd be able to pay for Yukina's operation was to steal the money from someone.

He'd had a plan. After hearing a group of loud, annoying teenage girls talking about `the great Sakyo-san' and his `many wonderful accessories', one of which being his gargantuan amounts of money, he decided that Sakyo would be the one to get money from. Sakyo would hardly miss the money, he reasoned. Oh, and the guy was an asshole.

Sakyo lived in a large mansion located on the edge of the city. Hiei had it all planned out beforehand. He had picked a time when Sakyo would be gone, and therefore, most of his guards would be gone with him. There had been two at the front door, but Hiei had avoided them easily by jumping on the roof from a nearby tree. He had squeezed through a bathroom window that had been cracked open, and then he was free to take whatever he wanted.

Sakyo, like most people, kept the vast majority of his money in the bank. However, Sakyo was unlike most people in the fact that he usually kept his pocket change, which was quite a bit more than the 3,300,000 yen Hiei needed, lying around on his dresser-or at least that was what Hiei had heard from the people in the bars he had snuck into.

So, Hiei had snuck into Sakyo's room and stolen the money. Easy as pie. However, what he hadn't counted on was that Sakyo would have accidentally left his extra tub of hair gel at home and happen upon Hiei just as he was leaving Sakyo's bedroom, a thick wad of money in his hand.

He and Sakyo had stared at each other-Hiei with the wide, frightened eyes of a child who knows he's doing something he isn't supposed to do, and Sakyo with the glare of a man who likes to keep a hold of his money (unless, of course, it is being exchanged for vodka or sex-then the money is free to go). Hiei, unfortunately, didn't own an alcoholic beverage business, nor was he a wanton slut-and so, Sakyo was very pissed at him for having attempted to steal his money.

And six-and-a-half minutes later, there were blue lights and sirens outside and a scared, handcuffed Hiei inside.

Hiei's thoughts were interrupted by the door banging open loudly. Hiei didn't bother to see who or what it was, too drained to care.

"And then I pummeled him, Urameshi! I beat him into the ground!" came an annoying, stupid-sounding voice that grated terribly on Hiei's nerves.

"Riiight… and that's how you ended up with a broken arm and a black eye, is it?"

"Shut up, Urameshi!" the annoying voice yelled; Hiei had the strong urge to beat whoever it was about the head severely with a lamp. "…who's been sleeping in my bed?!"

"Stop yelling, Kuwabara," Urameshi said. Hiei decided that he disliked Urameshi a whole lot less than he disliked Kuwabara.

Kuwabara poked Hiei in the side. "Don't do that," Hiei ground out.

"Get out of my bed, you freak!" Kuwabara screeched, pushing the significantly smaller Hiei off the bed and onto the floor.

Hiei stood slowly, glaring up at Kuwabara with undisguised malice.

"Urameshi! That kid has red eyes!"

"Idiot."

"So, what do you think you're doing in here, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, looming imperiously over Hiei. Hiei stared at him, unfazed.

"I'm your new roommate."

"Oh, really? What did you do to land yourself in here?"

"…got caught stealing some money…"

"From who? Grandparents? Principal? Long-lost twin uncle?" Urameshi asked.

"…Sakyo."

Urameshi and Kuwabara stared at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing. When they quieted down (a full five minutes later), they turned to Hiei again.

"No, really." Urameshi asked, still grinning like an idiot.

"I'm not lying," Hiei said though gritted teeth.

"Jeez! What are you, suicidal? He's got tons of guards! And attack dogs! And… stuff."

"…" Hiei refused to speak.

"…all right, so you won't tell us anything else. Whatever," Urameshi murmured, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Anyway, I'm Urameshi Yuusuke and this idiot," he indicated Kuwabara, "Is Kuwabara Kazuma."

"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled, beating Yuusuke over the head with a pillow.

"…Jaganshi Hiei," Hiei muttered, casting his gaze around the room.

"…for being named after a mountain, you're quite small," Yuusuke observed.

Hiei glared angrily.

"Don't glare at me like that. It's creepy seeing a twelve-year old wish for your death."

Hiei glared harder, positively seething, "I'm sixteen, dimwit."

"Oh, really? …wow. You must be a medical miracle or something-I bet the old wrinkled ladies would pay you to have whatever you have that makes you look so young!"

"…you morons aren't worth my time," Hiei growled, and stormed out. He didn't intend on going back to that room until lights out. He wandered around the halls, not caring where he was going. He turned the corners randomly, going wherever his feet took him. He turned left… and was knocked over.

Hiei's eyes widened.

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Shuuichi's day had started off fine-Karasu had surprised him with breakfast in bed, which he thought was awfully nice, although he attributed it to the fact that Karasu had hurt his feelings the day before, but whatever. His classes hadn't been too difficult, as classes went. And, of course, he had work today. He liked his work-he did part-time at juvenile hall, counseling the children. He liked helping people, children especially. If a child was psychologically messed up, there was still a chance that they could be healed. It was much harder when an adult was involved.

So, Shuuichi stepped through the door in high spirits, waving to people as he passed.

"Hello, Koenma!" he called merrily to the guy in charge. Koenma walked over to say hello in order to put off doing his paperwork for a few precious seconds, before his secretary, Jorge, had to drag him back to his desk. Shuuichi smiled before continuing toward his office.

"Shuuichi!" someone called from behind him.

He stopped and turned around. "Oh, hello, Botan," he said, smiling brightly at the bubbly activities director.

"I just wanted to let you know-you have another patient," she said. "It's a sixteen-year old boy. Jaganshi Hiei, I think."

"All right. When do I get to meet him?"

"Your first session is two days from now, I think," Botan mumbled, looking unsure. "I can't exactly remember…"

"Well, that's all right; I'm sure they'll tell me later," he said. "I'll be seeing you around, ne?"

"…oh! Yes!" she cried, as if suddenly remembering what she had been doing. "Goodbye then, Shuuichi!"

Shuuichi rolled his eyes and continued down the hall. Botan was nice, if you could overlook the fact that she was a bit bubble-headed. He clutched his clipboard to his chest, making his way through the halls. He smiled at several of his patients and they smiled back. Almost all of the kids liked him, and although he didn't know exactly why, he was glad.

He turned into the hall to the right. His foot caught on something and he lost balance. Shuuichi plummeted to the floor, falling onto something small and warm. He opened his eyes.

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!" Shuuichi yelled.

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Hiei currently had a very dazed, very hot chick on top of him. She seemed quite a bit taller than him (then again, didn't that describe almost everyone?), with long, soft hair and the light complexion of a redhead. She was wearing blue jeans and an emerald blouse under a white coat. Her slender form was pressed flush against his chest…

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!"

And then he realized that perhaps his fair redhaired maiden wasn't a maiden at all. The beauty disentangled him- or herself from Hiei, scooting away.

"I'm terribly sorry," the beauty said, cheeks coloring slightly. Hiei was now certain that this was a man-his voice, although soft and light for a man's, was too deep to belong to a female.

Hiei sat up, embarrassed about having such thoughts about a man… did this mean he was gay? He sheepishly handed the man his clipboard, which had skidded across the floor when they had collided. He scratched the back of his head, trying to hide the blush that wanted to break through.

The man stood, offering a hand that Hiei gladly accepted. The other's hands were soft and delicate-piano hands-yet their grip was strong.

The other gave him a small smile. "I'm Minamino Shuuichi."

Hiei slid his tingling hand into his pocket, not intending to wash that hand for a while. "Jaganshi Hiei," he murmured, staring at Shuuichi's pink sneakers in an attempt to take his mind off of the rest of the man.

Shuuichi's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, really? I've heard rumors that I'm going to be your counselor soon. Have you heard anything?"

"No…"

"In any case, I suppose I'll be seeing you around, ne?" Shuuichi remarked.

"Yes, I suppose so," Hiei mumbled, making sure his voice didn't betray the fact that he was quite happy about the idea.

Shuuichi chuckled and ruffled Hiei's hair before carrying off down the hall. Hiei stared after him.

"…HE THINKS I'M A LITTLE KID, TOO!" He yelled, and stalked off angrily in the opposite direction.

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Hiei dejectedly chewed through his dinner (slop much like the foodstuffs of school cafeterias), reflecting on how everyone seemed to think he was just a little kid. The jury had probably thought he was only twelve-that must have been why he was in juvenile hall instead of the big house. Yes, that was it.

"What's wrong with you, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, plowing through a serving of gummy mashed potatoes.

"None of your business," Hiei ground out, dropping his spoon back onto his tray. He took his napkin and tore it into small pieces that fell from his lap like confetti.

"Did the other guys finally tell you about puberty?" Kuwabara asked, mock-sympathetically.

"I've gone through puberty, thank you," Hiei growled.

"I bet you've never seen a naked girl!" Kuwabara challenged.

"I bet the only naked girl you've ever seen is your mom."

Kuwabara crossed his arms. "Yeah right, shrimp. Girls are always throwing themselves at me. Ain't that right, Urameshi?"

Yuusuke looked over at the two. "You mean that girl who'd rather go out with Bakken than you?" Yuusuke asked, referring to the scarred policeman who was obsessed with doing odd things with his own sweat.

"Heh."

"So! That girl just had bad eyesight. All the other ones love me."

"More like they love your money," Yuusuke put in. "Kuwabara's family is filthy rich, but even so they refuse to pay his way out of juvie. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Yes; it is pathetic. Mind sharing any of that money with me?"

Kuwabara stared at Hiei for a moment. "Perhaps if you made your hair hang downwards… you know, like a normal person's hair? Then I suppose you'd look enough like a girl."

Hiei glared. "I don't want to go out with you! I just want your money!"

Yuusuke glanced between the two. "How much you need?"

"A little over three million yen…" Hiei mumbled.

Yuusuke had conniptions. "What are you thinking?! What would you do with that much money?"

"…look at a whole bunch of naked girls, I'm guessing," Kuwabara mumbled.

"Pervert. I'm not interested in women. Well, not romantically, at least…" Hiei stared out the window, thinking of Yukina… he loved his sister so much… she shouldn't have to suffer…

"You mean you're gay?!" Kuwabara exclaimed, jumping about a foot in the air.

Hiei's focus snapped back to his two annoying roomies. "NO!" He yelled instantly, thoughts instantly going back to the very un-straight thoughts he'd been having about Minamino-san… Hiei blushed slightly. He covered his burning cheeks by pretending to wipe some non-existent food from his face using a napkin. He suddenly turned serious. "It's just… my sister…"

"What? What about your sister?" Yuusuke and Kuwabara were rapt with attention.

Something in Hiei snapped and he clammed up again. "It's nothing." He said, standing abruptly.

"…that kid has problems," Yuusuke muttered, staring after Hiei.

"Yeah. It looks like my buddy Minamino will have his work cut out for him, ne?"

Yuusuke's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Your special buddy?"

Kuwabara turned red. "Of course not!"

"Oh, right. I forgot; you only wish he was your special buddy…" Yuusuke said thoughtfully, easily dodging Kuwabara's angry punches.

"…you need to go into a forest and die, Urameshi," Kuwbara gasped, exhausted from his fruitless attempts at punishing Yuusuke for his comment.

Yuusuke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms behind his head. "Don't be mad at me because you're an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Sure you are."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-uh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-uh."

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"So, how was your day?" Karasu asked as he heard Shuuichi enter through the front door, slipping his shoes off in the entryway.

Shuuichi dropped his bag on the floor, moving to the kitchen. "It was just lovely," he murmured, slipping his arms around Karasu's waist and pressing a kiss into his back.

Karasu laughed. "Obviously. So you had a good time during classes?"

Shuuichi withdrew his arms, shrugging. "They weren't terrible."

"Heh. What about work?"

"It was easy. I only had two patients today, so I didn't have much to do. But I have a new patient who I met today. I won't see him for a few days, but you know… always good to meet the patients."

"Yes, I know what you say… so obsessed with being on good terms with the patients. That's part of why they like you so much."

"Oh, really?" Shuuichi asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's the other reason they like me, then?"

"…you're incredibly sexy… that's why," Karasu answered, smiling. "Now you go and study. I'll finish dinner."

Shuuichi stood on tiptoe, giving Karasu a kiss on the cheek. "Ja."

Finished 9/09/04

Beta-ed by the voices in TRT's head

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AN: Mou! I am back, once again! Unfortunately, updates won't be on a totally fixed schedule for this fic, considering I haven't written anything past this so far! Even so, I'm going to try for once-a-week updates… I shall cross my fingers…

Meanwhile, tell me what you think. I do care. Really. I'm not exactly sure where this is going, but… that's OK, I guess. And if anyone is interested in beta-ing and has loooooots of free time (my two previous betas just went back to school and are bogged down in work, so I don't want to bother them), please tell me. After all, think of the benefits! Er… getting personal e-mails from me! Seeing my stories before everyone else! And…erm… getting to correct all my grammatical and other-type errors! (Wow, that sounds more like reasons not to be my beta… heh).

Anyway, please review! I don't know how successful this fic will be, so I won't make any demands yet. But I'd be pleased if you would satisfy my lust for reviews… that's just odd. It really is. I'm shutting up now. I think.

P.S. Be smart. Buy ketchup!