Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Junior ❯ Morning ( Chapter 5 )

Junior V

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me and I make no money from this work of fanfiction at all.

The morning smelled good, part of him noted.

It was so early it could still be called late, as the sky was that shade of steel blue that only shows up in the early mornings. Dew covered the grass, and the sky was clear, a few stars balanced on the opposite horizon as the patch of gathering light. The air was cool and clean, no noise or pollution out this far...

Yuusuke Urameshi walked quietly back to Genkai's temple, thinking about what he had learned in the mere span of hours, and wondered how the world could suddenly turn on its head like it had. Then he snorted at his contemplative mood- something from Ketsui, probably. Yuusuke didn't bother to think deeply, it gave him a headache.

Mornings were when he'd used to meet up with Zoutou, since they'd been children. A smile played on his lips, and headed for Koenma's room. Zoutou had changed a great deal from the boy Ketsui had known- of course, he wasn't exactly the same either. Ketsui would have been laughing his ass off over how things had turned out.

Slipping in as quietly as he could, the dark haired warrior smiled down Koenma.

He was still pissed as hell at him for making him forget- Zoutou had done nothing to make him remember. Yuusuke had asked, he'd answered, and in the normal way of buddies, they would have gotten smashed and been done with it. Koenma hadn't known who Yuusuke had been...

A brief flash of memory, meeting Botan as she took him to Enma, looking horribly worried, and the Judge of the Dead scowling at him like he'd personally offended him about something. Then the god smiled- and Ketsui had been so cold... Then an even briefer flash, of being held back from Zoutou as he stared at the giant defiantly, seeing Zoutou looking shocked and horrified- then he was back in his body, alive, wondering had happened and why he felt so empty...

Death sucked, but living was worse.

Sitting with his back to a corner, legs crossed, Yuusuke shook his head slightly, still in awe over what had happened.

A baby, a freaking honest to gods child that Koenma had conceived. It was a miracle in every sense of the word. Something amazing. It also scared him, with questions and worries and consequences he'd never imagined. Shoving those thoughts away, he looked back at his expecting lover.

Zoutou slept as he always had, sprawled over his futon, blanket kicked off. He'd removed his shirt, pants and shoes, leaving a pair of boxers. This did nothing to hide the curve of his waist... Yuusuke found himself staring at it. How could he keep from staring?

Ketsui had always wanted to give something back to his Zoutou. While Yuusuke didn't think was what he had in mind… It would do. He'd take care of this child, this gift to both of them, and use their second chance together as best he could. Anyone who stood in their way could go to hell. No matter who it was.

~*~*~*~*~

Bright sunlight flashed into Yuusuke's eyes, waking up him from the doze he'd fallen into a few hours before. He blinked and grinned at the sight in front of him- Zoutou had managed to completely reverse himself, his head at the foot of the futon.

Then his stomach decided to remind him that food would be a good thing- it was gnawing his backbone. Muttering in annoyance, he got up, stretched, listening to his bones pop and his joints creak. Shaking his head he slid the screen open, shut, and shivered at the cool air outside. Mornings were always so damned cold here...

His mind picked up and sorted through the events of yesterday- had it only been yesterday? Then it stopped on something that had nothing to do with past lives, angst or pregnancy.

"Oh gods, I did NOT see Kuwabara and Hiei- not those two. I must have seen been delusional- no damned-" he shook himself like a horse, trying to rid himself of that bizarre image.

Then he stopped, hearing approaching steps. Turning he saw-

Kuwabara and Hiei were walking side by side... holding... hands?

Oh shit, he hadn't been dreaming.

His brain ticked off other details, like the bruised bite mark on Kuwabara's neck, the hickey on Hiei's collar bone, Hiei's lack of scarf, in fact, his robe was completely open and his skin was marked much the way Yuusuke's had been the morning after... um, that.

"Holy shit."

The pair paused, Kuwabara looking like a deer in headlights, while Hiei just smirked smugly at him. Hiei did NOT let go of Kuwabara's hand, instead, gripped it possessively. Yuusuke's eyebrows tried to hit his hairline. Hiei's posture was a clear warning- back off.

"Why the hell didn't you guys TELL me you had been screwing around? I mean, good fucking grief man, Kuwabara, I'm your best friend! We're not girls to go gossiping-" there was a sudden, mad snicker from Hiei right there- "but I would think you would tell me if you'd scored!"

Kuwabara was doing a credible impersonation of a tomato. He started to stutter, putting his free hand behind his head, still blushing. Hiei just kept smirking.

Then Yuusuke directed his gaze to him. "I thought you had a thing for Kurama? What are you going to tell him when he finds out you've been fucking a human?"

Hiei snorted. "It would be-" There was a sound of a sliding door, "none of his business."

Kurama had awoken, the sound of voices bring him out of slumber, and walked out to the veranda, stopping dead still when he saw the pair holding hands.

"Hiei... what's going on here?" He turned his gaze to Kuwabara, eyes turning to emerald ice. "What are you doing? He's mine!"

"Yours?" Kuwabara blinked. "He's-"

"YOURS?" Hiei screamed in rage, just as Kurama launched himself at Kuwabara. The human backed away, his reflexes barely saving him from being maimed as his mind tried to catch up with what was going on.

"He's mine! You can't have him!"

Yuusuke stared with his jaw slack, eyes bulging out of his head. This was worse than one of those stupid soap opera's Keiko had made him watch. Kurama was flicking his Rose Whip at Kuwabara, trying to hit him, while Kuwabara would try to doge- emphasis on the word try- and slice of sections of the whip before it hit him. He was marginally successful- well, not really, but he did try…

"KISAMA!" Hiei hissed, getting between Kurama and Kuwabara, while making the motions of preparing his Black Dragon Wave. "I have never, and will never, belong to anyone!"

Everyone froze.

Then a door slid open with a slam, and a scream rent the air-

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SOMEONE WAKE ME UP?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Koenma had always been a heavy sleeper, but he had an internal clock so precise you could set the sun by it. Now, it was saying he'd slept way too long, that he would never get anything done and that the universe would fall apart because of it. Sitting straight up, not noticing it wasn't his bedroom he was sleeping in, he scrambled into his rumpled clothes from the previous day, putting his shirt on backwards, forgetting his robe and snatching at his cape before bolting to the screen door.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SOMEONE WAKE ME UP? I'LL NEVER GET MY WORK DONE!"

Then he paused- looking out on what might have been a scene from the Apocalypse had it been allowed to continue.

Yuusuke was staring like a cow in headlights, Kurama was frozen in place, staring at Hiei who was about to attack, while Kuwabara had his Rei Ken out… but looked absolutely confused. Apparently his shout had stopped something.

To the surprise and no little shock of everyone there, Hiei turned around, closing his Jagan and extinguishing the black fires of his Black Dragon, and walked over to Kuwabara, maintaining eye contact with Kurama. Then, deliberately, he put an arm around the human's waist.

"You never expressed more than a passing interest in me, and then I only thought of you as an ally, perhaps, and if the oaf is right, a friend. I am my own person, and I belong to none. Kuwabara interests me- and its none of your business who I bed at night."

Kazuma's face went through a spectrum of emotions at that comment. Joy as Hiei wrapped an arm around him, then resignation, then sadness, and finally, more resignation. Idiot though he might have been, he knew better than to keep Hiei… Though he looked like he was being torn apart.

Kurama, it should be noted, saw that, even as Hiei clung to Kazuma a little more.

"Great, I oversleep and the world is ending," Koenma muttered, rubbing his eyes free of sleep. His internal clock might work great- but his brain needed coffee. Unfortunately, due to morning sickness, that had been something he'd been foregoing lately.

Everyone turned to look at him, confused by his babble.

"Why the hell are you fighting?" he asked.

Yuusuke had started to chuckle, trying to NOT giggle at the situation, and pointed at Kuwabara and Hiei, and then at Kurama. Then he fell over laughing his butt off.

"Oh," he said, still rubbing his eyes. "Its about time, too."

Then he turned around and went back to his room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Genkai frowned as she sipped her tea, watching 'her boys'; the nitwit, the pretty boy, shorty, and the oaf sit around the table looking nervous.

"I'm not wearing that, Botan!" called someone outside the screen. Koenma.

"But you'd look so CUTE in that maternity dress!" said the familiar voice of the ferry girl.

Everyone inside face-faulted.

"I'm NOT wearing it! Thanks for bring my clothes, but good grief Botan! I'm pregnant, not female!"

"Oh, come on!" interrupted a new voice- Keiko. "Botan and I spent a good couple of hours getting you baby stuff! The least you could do is try on the clothes!!"

Everyone got up and blinked at each other. Botan and Keiko opened the door, dragging in the reluctant Koenma. He had apparently bathed and changed into something different- it was all put on correctly and his hair was damp. His no longer looked haggard, but he did look severely miffed. Yuusuke found his eyes inevitably drawn to Koenma's middle…

"Will you stop staring at me?" the young god huffed, sitting at the table and crossing his arms. Quirking a grin, and NOT looking at Yuusuke, he quipped, "You'd think you had never seen a pregnant man before."

"It does happen in the Youkai," Kurama said, face calm, not showing the raging emotions beneath the surface. "Not often, and I've never heard of a Kami being that way."

"I did some research when it became too obvious for me to ignore," Zoutou said, slumping his shoulders and pouring some tea, sipping carefully. Thankfully it WASN'T the coffee reaction again, and he kept it down. He didn't want to go running for the bushes. "A male kami can become pregnant, obviously. It happens so rarely though it's barely mentioned. Unfortunately…" Koenma looked away and grimaced. "I will need your help. I know you have no reason to help me, and I have no authority or power to force you with, but I need your help."

Hiei snorted. "I'm glad you realize your situation here, Gramps. You're weak, you're in no position to ask for anything."

Yuusuke found himself growling, eyes narrowed. "Right- he could have sent you to Hell, but instead sent you to a rather cushy parole, if I must say so. Plus he sent us to get Yukina back, remember?"

"Expedience," Hiei said succinctly, and Koenma nodded, smiling ironically, almost bitterly. He wasn't going to mention the fondness he had for the Urameshi team, that he risked his father's anger for them- nor was he going to say whose child this was. It would but Yuusuke in a bad position.

However, this did not stop Kuwabara and Yuusuke from coming to Koenma's defense.

"Hey- you can't just leave him like this!" protested the tall boy. "I mean, he's in a delicate condition!"

Yuusuke just narrowed his eyes at Hiei in a way that promised not even the Black Dragon Wave would save him. Hiei blinked, wanting to shrink away from that deadly glare. A contest of wills took place- and Yuusuke won, when Hiei looked away.

Kurama, watching all of this, smiled to himself and scooted a little closer to Yuusuke.

"How about the… other father?" Kurama said calmly, sipping his tea. "Surely he'd help? Hiei said he was a demon."

"He's part demon," Koenma corrected. "He also just found out and we haven't gotten a chance to talk about it. It was," he blushed, looking at his hands. "uh, a surprise to all parties involved?" Koenma coughed delicately.

"Who is he?" Kuwabara asked with his usual lack of tact. "Someone we know?"

"His name," Yuusuke flinched, sure Koenma was going to tell them what happened, "was Ketsui. I had known him when I'd been alive. I didn't realize I knew his reincarnation."

"Yeah? So who is he now?"

"That's for him to decide to tell. The rules for someone remembering his past life are pretty loose, but that one is firm. You can't make a person remember, you can't hold them to what their previous life did. It counts for demons as well as humans, which, Kurama, is why you haven't been prosecuted for being Yoko Kurama."

Koenma sighed, one hand instinctively covering his belly. "I shouldn't have done anything, when I realized who Ketsui was, but… sometimes you can't escape your past. I had loved him a great deal, and…" He trailed off, snorting to himself.

"We really don't care about who you bed, Gramps," Hiei said, but not unkindly. "Its your business," he glared daggers at Kurama, who again scooted closer to Yuusuke, who in turn was oblivious, while Koenma frowned faintly.

Botan was watching all this and giggling. She had figured out who Ketsui was- after all, she had been the one to take him to the Afterlife, along with Zoutou.

"Don't worry about it, Zoutou," Yuusuke said, using the half-kami's birth name without thinking. "I'll help you, and I think everyone else will help you, too."

To be continued!