Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Clean ❯ Affection ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: This story was written by me, mhmartini, for enjoyment purposes only. All characters taken from a show/series/book/etc. are property of their respective creators; I am only borrowing them. Original characters are mine. The storyline is mine. I am making no money from this endeavor. The only �profit� involved is the joy of writing and the reviews of my readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.30.2004 | Updated On: 06.03.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Completed

Yusuke awoke to a light tapping on the door to the bedroom. It took him a few minutes to remember where he was: the Yukimura guest room. Still half asleep, he stumbled to answer the door. Keiko greeted him as he opened the door. "Good morning, Yusuke," she whispered.

"Morning. What time is it?" he replied, yawning.

"Six in the morning. You said you had to leave early for this mission. I wanted to see you off. I also wanted to thank you." Yusuke just looked at her with a confused expression. "For what you said to my parents last night, silly!" she elaborated.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it. I only said what I felt. They took it pretty well. I thought your dad was gonna slice me when he didn't move away from those knives he has."

Keiko giggled softly. Wrapping her arms around her beloved, she said, "You're silly, Yusuke Urameshi. Now go get Botan. And be careful!" Yusuke returned her embrace warmly.

"I will."

Kuwabara was already waiting at the corner where they were to meet when Yusuke arrived. Silently, the two friends began walking to the abandoned warehouse that was their enemy's lair. The sun was just creeping over the horizon as they approached the dark building. "Gee, why do the bad guys always have to pick some dark, drafty, spider-ridden dump to hang out in?" Kuwabara muttered softly. "Just once, I'd like to bust a demon in a five star hotel. Then maybe we could check out the pool and the hot tub, and order some room service after kicking his butt." This comment had the desired effect of breaking the tension that had been building up to this point.

"You're right, Kuwa. I'd much rather be fighting at Club Med." With a smile, the two boys slipped in through the broken door.

Two burly demons sat under the single light bulb that provided poor illumination for the large room. Next to them was a large, iron cage, with wards at each of the four corners. These were not typical demon wards; they were intended to keep the ferry girl inside. They prevented her from forming a portal to spirit world and from summoning her oar. Until they were removed, or she was released from the cage, Botan was helpless.

"I still say we should have some fun with her," the first, a green, lumpy looking demon said in a raspy, uncouth voice.

The second, a smaller, grey-skinned demon with a much smoother complexion replied in his silky voice, "No, idiot. Master Intaro said she was not to be harmed. He may have made us stronger, but I fear crossing him. He has made himself very strong."

"I still don't get it. What's his deal with these detectives? I mean, with the strength he has, he could easily carve out a territory in Makai. But no, he wants to come to Ningenkai and make trouble for some human brats and their pet halflings," the first responded.

"Master has his reasons. The detective and the other human are trivial. Master's true interest lies with...wait, what was that noise?" The two demons turned to look into the darkness behind them. Seeing nothing, the grey skinned one continued, "Master wants revenge. One of the halflings wronged him during the Dark Tournament. He wants that one to suffer, before he destroys the wretch completely."

"Whatever," the green one retorted, turning his attention back to their captive. "I still say we should have some fun with her," he repeated.

"That would be dishonorable. I won't let you creeps take advantage of an innocent woman. I, the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, will defend her honor and win her freedom!" said...well, you know, as he entered the small circle of light.

"Yeah, what he said. But me, too," replied another voice, as the Spirit Detective entered the light behind the demon guards, cracking his knuckles.

The green demon grinned in anticipation. "Okay, so we'll have some fun beating up some ningen, then we'll have some fun with her," he taunted, lunging at Yusuke. The detective sidestepped the attack easily, not bothering to hit back yet.

"Man, you're so pathetic. I can't believe I actually got up before noon just for your sorry ass," he jibed. The green demon turned, but did not attack again. With a sadistic smile, the guard started to glow slightly. The verdant glow grew, and soon the body of the demon began to grow as well. As Yusuke watched, the demon continued to power his body with his youki, growing to just over twice his original size.

"Now, detective, care to play?" the power-gorged demon teased.

Yusuke just shrugged. "Whatever. You know that's not..." What it wasn't was never determined, as the detective flew backwards into the darkness, courtesy of the left hook he had received from the swollen youkai.

"Heh. Fight now, talk later. Or talk never, since you'll be dead!" the guard muttered into the darkness.

Kuwabara looked at the grey-skinned demon before him. "The Great Kazuma Kuwabara, is it?" the darker one asked, in his smooth, even voice. "Well, Great One, what have you came here for? What is your goal? What..." the words faded off, and all Kuwabara heard was the silky, lulling voice surrounding him. It was too silky, almost hypnotic. He knew this demon was physically very weak; one hit would finish him off. But the voice continued to fill his head, distracting him, consuming his attention. Subconsciously, he knew the voice would hurt him, that the demon would drain his life force as he stood there helplessly enraptured by a simple voice, but his conscious mind would not register this, or any thoughts, focusing only on the beautiful music of that voice.

The grey demon continued speaking as he approached the human. 'Once they are ensnared, it is so easy to touch them, to drain the life out of them, and watch them crumble, limp to the floor. Stupid ningen, they rely so heavily on their mortal senses,' he thought to himself, all the while speaking softly to his victim.

After the third punch that had knocked him into the darkness, Yusuke stopped his wild charges at the green beast, and tried to come up with an alternative plan. "Oh, don't want to play anymore, detective? That's okay, I'll come and get you!" The monster stepped out of the light, groping his way carefully through the darkness, trying to find his prey.

Yusuke just looked at his predator with an unseen look of amazement on his face. 'What an idiot!' the boy thought, as he began to taunt the demon, luring him further away from the light.

"Dammit, human, this little chase can't last forever!" the demon bellowed after a few moments of blindly chasing the voice in the darkness. "Come out, pathetic ningen!" With that, Yusuke complied, striking quickly before fading back into the shadows, landing a solid right cross on the green demon. "What the... how the hell...."

"Hey, you still glow, moron! You can't see me, but I sure as hell can see your sorry ass." Realizing his mistake, the green demon turned to make his way back to the light. He never got there. Out of the darkness came another cross, a hook, and a vicious upper cut, sending the demon sprawling back on his butt.

"Stop that! This fight is not fair!" the demon yelled plaintively.

"You're right, and I like a fair fight, so I'll tell ya what, I'll even it up." Yusuke replied. The demon smirked as a blue glow formed to his left. The glow grew brighter, until it illuminated the detective completely.

"Idiot human, giving away your position. Now you die!" The demon lunged for a killing attack. Yusuke just rolled his eyes. The demon was too dumb to even realize the source of that blue glow.

"Spirit Gun!" were the last words that demon ever heard.

Kuwabara heard only the voice. It invaded his five senses, becoming almost tangible. His mind swam in the ocean of that voice, floating on its gentle waves, being lulled into its depths. The demon approached, reaching out to grasp his victim with his vampiric touch. Less than an inch from Kuwabara's shoulder, the grey hand suddenly stopped. The demon looked down in shock, at the glowing, yellow sword that entered his stomach, and protruded unseen from his back. "But...how?" he said, his soft voice nothing but a timid squeak.

"I grew up relying on my spirit awareness. You can mask my five human senses, and lull them into a trance, but my intuition is never wrong," Kuwabara said coldly, as he withdrew his rei ken from the body before it slumped to the ground, quite dead. Looking up, he saw Yusuke step out from the darkness. The detective's lip was split, and several bruises were forming on his face, but he was smirking happily.

"Scratch one ugly, glowing, green idiot," Yusuke said. The two boys turned to the cage.

"Thank goodness you're here! I thought you had forgotten me!" Botan cried. The two humans looked at the locked cage door, at the two dead demon bodies, then at Botan.

"I'm not searching their stinking corpses for some lousy keys, stand back, Botan," Yusuke said, as he took aim at the lock. "Spirit Gun!" The door swung open, releasing the ferry girl from her captivity.

"We must get to Koenma. I have some information that may shed some light on this case!" Botan said. Quickly, she summoned her oar, and took the teenagers to Spirit World.

Koenma was more relieved than he cared to admit when Botan rushed into his office. "Botan! You're back! How are you? Did they abuse you? Do you need medical attention? Do you..." he began, but was cut off.

"I'm fine, no, no, and stop talking we have a problem here!" Koenma sat back into his chair abruptly.

"Go on," he said meekly.

"The demons guarding me talked about their boss. His name is Intaro. He has a grudge against one of the guys. From what I heard it's probably Kurama. This grudge dates from the Dark Tournament."

Koenma looked at the ferry girl with narrowed eyes. "The tournament? OGRE!"

"Yes, Koenma, sir," George replied.

"Get me the file on the Dark Tournament. I want to find out who this freak is." The blue oni scuttled off to get the requested information. Koenma looked back at Botan, his eyes softening. "You're really alright, Botan?" he asked gently, with no trace of his usual, annoying, obnoxious self.

Startled by his genuine concern, Botan looked back. "Yes, Koenma, sir. Thank you," she replied.

By lunchtime, Koenma and his staff were still stumped. "We've been through all of the records from the Dark Tournament. Intaro was not listed as a competitor, an alternate, a team manager, owner or trainer. He's not mentioned anywhere. His name seems familiar, but I can't find anything linking him to the competition." After a taking a short break to eat, Koenma set his ogres to continue the search, and asked Botan to lead Yusuke and Kuwabara back to the human world.

In the solarium of the hospital, three figures sat in comfortable silence. Kurama had his eyes closed, and his face turned towards the sun. He wished he could go outside and feel the sunlight directly on his face, along with the wind. His mother's voice called him out of his musing.

"Shuuichi, Hiei, are you two hungry? I was going to run down to the snack bar and get some lunch, do you want anything." Hiei shook his head slowly. Kurama smiled warmly.

"Anything would be a welcome change from the hospital food, Mother." Smiling back at her son, Shiori nodded and left.

Kurama shivered a bit, and started to draw the blanket on his lap up higher to cover more of himself. He was surprised when small hands grasped the edge of the material and pulled it higher, gently tucking him in. Hiei moved closer, and Kurama could feel the warmth radiating from the petite form. "Thank you, Hiei."

Hiei nodded. "You look much better today, Fox. You'll be out of here soon. What did the doctor mean when he talked about physical therapy? Is this some strange human healing ritual?"

Stifling a laugh, Kurama nodded. "Yes, that is a pretty good description. Because my body has been weakened, and has not been used since the injuries, it will take some practice to regain my previous physical condition." The fire demon nodded. "As soon as I regain my ability to walk, I will be released. After I have gone home, and recovered some more, I will be able to continue training at a more advanced level. I will need your help for that, Hiei."

Hiei looked up at his kitsune. "Of course, Fox." The two sat in silence after that brief exchange. They did not touch each other, but merely enjoyed each other's closeness and the bright day outside the window.

Shiori returned shortly thereafter with lunch. She had brought her son's favorite: chicken salad on toasted rye. Despite Hiei's refusal of her offer, she brought the same for him. She had no idea what type of food the small demon preferred. Hiei looked at the sandwich suspiciously at first. He trusted Shiori more than he usually trusted anyone, but the morsel looked odd. He could smell meat, but it seemed to be hidden in some white goo with pieces of green mixed in. The bread was dark, and crispy. His own experience with ningen food was very limited, and most of the consumables he had seen in the human world he did not find to be appetizing.

When he saw the fox tear eagerly into his own sandwich, Hiei finally decided to try a bit of it. He found it surprisingly tasty, for ningen fare at least. He had barely finished the first half of his meal, and already Kurama's sandwich was gone. Hiei gave the second half of his sandwich to the kitsune, who accepted it gratefully.

The three sat and chatted quietly together for the remainder of the afternoon. Finally, as dinnertime approached, it was time to return Kurama to his room. Both human and youkai could see that the red head was fighting to stay awake. As they approached the elevator, Hiei eyed the doors with disgust. "Hiei, you can use the stairs if you prefer," Shiori said softly. "We will be going down a floor this time. It'll only be a few seconds until we see you again." Resolutely, Hiei shook his head. When the doors opened, he walked in with the others. They were not alone this time. Two candy stripers were also going down, on their way home. Clutching the rail, Hiei braced himself for the dropping feeling, and the ensuing panic.

The ride down was not nearly as bad as Hiei remembered. Perhaps it was because he knew what to expect this time, perhaps it was because the two young ningen girls in the strange red and white striped pinafores were not afraid, and Hiei refused be less brave that little, human girls, or perhaps it was because the ride was so short. Hiei didn't really care why he was better able to accept the elevator ride; he was just glad it was over. He knew that in the future he would continue to use the stairs whenever possible. The noises the elevator made were far from reassuring.

As the sun sank into the horizon, Shiori tucked her son into his bed, and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. As the human left the room, Hiei tentatively grasped Kurama's hand in his own. After the closeness they had shared the other night, neither knew why they were both feeling so anxious at being alone together. Quickly, Hiei raised Kurama's hand to his cheek, and gave a swift nuzzle. "Good night, Fox. I'll see you tomorrow." Kurama just smiled and nodded, fighting the sleep that threatened to claim him. With only a blur, Hiei was gone from the room.

The following morning found Yusuke in the last place one would expect to find him...school. He had intended to impress Keiko's parents by attending school regularly. By fourth period, literature class, his resolve was fading fast. When the bell rang, releasing him from what he now looked upon as his own, personal hell, he escaped as fast as he could to the roof. He was surprised to discover that he was not alone there. A familiar, dark figure stood at the very corner of the building.

"Hiei? What are you doing here? Aren't you usually guarding the hospital right around now?" the teen asked. No answer greeted him. Yusuke edged closer to his teammate. He wondered what was wrong that would bring the hiyoukai here, rather than stay at Kurama's side, where he had been since this whole situation began.

Slowly, Hiei turned to face Yusuke. His face betrayed no emotion. Outside, he was steady and solid. Inside he was churning with new feelings. He was using this time while Kurama was in this strange, ningen "physical therapy" to get some air and try to sort through his emotions. He knew that the fox had awakened something in him. He knew he wanted to be near the fox, and that even this small separation was driving him insane. Yet, the previous night, he felt so shy when he bade Kurama good night. He attributed his confusion to his lack of experience. He knew he wanted to share something with his fox, but he did not know what that something was. It was a strange feeling he had, like he had to give something away to become complete. He wasn't sure how that would work, but that was his inclination. Thoughts like these had been running rampant through his mind since the night before, all carefully concealed behind his impenetrable mask of indifference.

Ignoring the fact that Yusuke had asked him a question, Hiei simply began a new thread of conversation. "What do ningen do for each other when they are...concerned about the other?" he asked, breaking eye contact to stare into the distance.

Yusuke was caught off guard by that. "Concerned? Like for a sick friend?" he asked, guessing that the youkai was referring to the kitsune. Hiei nodded. "They get each other cards or gifts. Flowers are popular. And they call or visit and check on each other often." Hiei just nodded again. After a brief pause, Hiei answered Yusuke's original question.

"Kurama is in some human custom called physical therapy. I will go to visit later." With no more explanation, the hiyoukai blurred slightly and was gone from sight. Yusuke was just shaking his head, wondering about Hiei's unusual behavior, when the sound of a door slamming open behind him jerked him out of his reverie.

"There you are, Yusuke Urameshi! I swear, I thought you wanted to impress my parents! Keep this up and you'll impress them right into changing their minds!" Keiko's voice resounded, as a hand from behind him grabbed a hold of his ear and started tugging, none too gently. With a startled expression on his face, Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective, and heir to a third of Makai was dragged by the ear back into the school building and straight to fifth period algebra class.

When the nurse eased Kurama back into his bed, he couldn't recall ever being in something so comfortable. Every muscle in his body, spoiled by disuse, was screaming at him. The exercises had not been difficult; if he had not lain in bed for so long, he would have scoffed at the very notion of doing such trivial movements. But the fatigue in his limbs prevented any such reaction. All he wanted to do now was fall asleep. All this, and he had barely taken three steps! The therapist was amazed at his rapid recovery. The fact that he was able to even stand upright was inconceivable. The idea of him being able to balance on his feet without assistance was inconceivable. The three steps he had taken, supporting himself on the parallel bars was inconceivable. In fact, his therapist had used that very word so many times, he was strongly reminded of one of his favorite American movies. This memory brought a smile to his face, and that smile greeted Shiori as she and her family came into the room to visit the red head.

"Shuuichi, your therapist was astounded at your rapid progress. She said it was inconceivable that you could go so far so soon." The smile widened. "She believes that you may be able to go home within the week," Shiori told him, pleased by his high spirits. Hatanaka and Shuuichi-kun took seats next to her, and the family talked and spent some quality time together.

It was evening when the Hatanaka family left. Kurama sat alone, wondering where Hiei had been today. The fire demon had been by his side throughout his incapacitation. He hoped that their shared closeness had not scared the youkai away. He recalled with a pang the discomfort they had experienced the previous night. Neither was sure how to progress. In the old days, in Makai, Kurama would have known exactly how to proceed. He would have ripped off his prey's clothing and they would have had a wonderful overnight relationship. The next morning he would either be gone before the other awoke, or be gone with all the other's possessions before the other awoke. This was different. He had never felt anything but lust for his previous partners, with one exception. But even those feelings paled in comparison to what he was feeling for the small demon. His time in Ningenkai had not only taught him familial love, like that he felt towards his mother, but true love as well. The idea of romance and the depth of the feelings that accompany it were unheard of in Makai, but now he was feeling only the tip of the iceberg of these sensations. He knew that Hiei was inexperienced. Having never been tainted with one-night stands, and the use of sex as a tool to gain power or favor, Hiei may be able to feel the same love Kurama was discovering. But being emotionally stunted, chances were the fire demon would not know how to experience, or react to these new feelings. Just as he had convinced himself that he had ruined any chance of a true relationship with his beloved, Kurama's attention was caught by a silhouette in his doorway.

Hiei stood in the entrance to the room, watching his fox. Kurama had a pensive look on his face, and seemed to be troubled by something. The mere fact that it took the kitsune ten minutes to realize he had a visitor attested to his distraction. When he was finally noticed, Hiei entered the room. Drawing a chair towards the bed, Hiei sat down, placing a bag on the floor. "How are you feeling, Fox?" he asked softly.

Relief washed over Kurama as the hiyoukai entered his room. His fears quieted, but did not go away. In response, Kurama smiled and replied, "I feel like every muscle in my body has been torn out, stretched on the rack, and sewn back in with a fishhook. Other than that, I feel great. You?"

Hiei smiled at he description. "You look like you have something weighty on your mind, Fox. Care to share?"

Kurama just smiled again and shook his head. "Not now. Thank you." Hiei just nodded.

After a few tentative moments, Hiei sneaked a hand out, and laid it over Kurama's, stroking the soft skin on the back of the fox's hand gently. Kurama looked at their hands, and spoke. "I missed you today, Hiei. I was a bit afraid you weren't coming." Hiei responded with only a confused look. "I thought, perhaps, I had scared you off by being so forward."

Hiei just shook his head. "It takes more than that to frighten me, Fox. You should know that."

After a comfortable silence, during which Hiei continued to caress Kurama's hand, the hiyoukai smiled and withdrew his hand. Reaching down beside him he picked up his bag. It was a brown, paper bag, very common, very nondescript. Reaching inside, Hiei drew forth an envelope. The envelope was squarish, larger than a letter, and bright purple. A bit surprised to see something so...cheerful in Hiei's possession, Kurama was even more surprised when Hiei handed it to him. Wondering what was going on, Kurama opened the envelope, and removed the card within. The card was cheerful and happy. It had a cute little rhyme in it about getting well, one that included a few comments about hospital food and the less-than-concealing hospital gowns. The whole thing rang of humor that a youkai just would not understand. When Kurama turned his puzzled expression to Hiei, the hiyoukai explained, "The lady at the store said all the black cards were sympathy cards, and it was inappropriate to give one of them to a person in the hospital. She assured me that this one was funny. I don't see it; I think it's a ningen thing." The solemn, yet nervous expression on Hiei's face was priceless. With a huge smile, Kurama assured him that the card was perfect, and thanked him.

Glad that the card had raised his fox's spirits, Hiei reached back into the bag and withdrew the second, and final item from within. "I was told that flowers were appropriate for someone in the hospital, but they were all cut, and thus dying. I got you this instead. I think it could use your skills as you recover your ki," he explained, as he set a tiny pot on the bed stand. In the pot was a very tiny baby tree. Eventually it would grow strong and tall, but now it was so fragile that the slightest breeze could seemingly snap it in two. Kurama smiled as he reached out his fingers to the small plant. As he raised his ki, the little stem tilted, and the plant leaned into his touch. It had not received very good care at the florist, being the smallest of a whole display. The larger trees had blocked the sunlight. With Kurama's gentle guidance, the tree would recover. Surprised by the demon's thoughtfulness, and his interest in human customs regarding sickness, Kurama again thanked him.

A few moments later, the nurse stuck her head in the room to announce the end of visiting hours. Hiei stood, and looked at his fox again. Silently, he leaned over the bed, and placed a soft, chaste kiss on Kurama's lips. Kurama just closed his eyes and returned the gesture. As he withdrew, Hiei whispered, "Feel better, Fox. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, the hiyoukai left. Kurama sat, stroking the stem of the tiny tree, reflecting in Hiei's actions. Relieved that his beloved was comfortable with their situation, the fox closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.