Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Hypocrite Hunter ❯ The Abortion Issue ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Neither of the authors own or make any claim whatsoever upon Yu Yu Hakusho and the events and characters of the aforementioned series. We also do not make any claims upon the games mentioned in this piece. This is a non-profit endeavor and is in no way, shape, or form associated with or endorsed by the copyright holders.

Warning: This deals with abortion issues.

Chapter Four
Yuusuke fidgeted in the hallway, waiting impatiently. "Keiko? Is it done yet?"

"No, Yuusuke! Be patient!"

He winced slightly at her tone. They were both worried about this, her more than him. The ningen paced the hallway, thinking. Damn it . . . this wasn't supposed to happen . . . He paced the hall again, biting his lip nervously. What exactly would count as good news here . . .? He started as the bathroom door opened and Keiko emerged. "Well . . .?" The girl was pale, and Yuusuke flinched and followed her silently to her room. "K-Keiko . . .?"

The girl closed the door behind them, then looked at Yuusuke. "Yuusuke . . . It was positive . . ." The boy's eyes widened impossibly, and he gaped, the words not quite registering, even though he'd almost been expecting them. "Yuusuke . . . I'm pregnant . . ."

Yuusuke sat down on the bed, filled with a disturbing mixture of fear, disbelief, joy, and uncertainty. "You're pregnant . . ." he repeated softly. "Keiko . . . i-is that a good thing?"

Keiko sank onto the bed next to Yuusuke, her lower lip trembling slightly. "We can't afford a baby, Yuusuke. I don't know what we're going to do . . ."

"It's not your fault, Keiko . . ." Yuusuke rubbed the bridge of his nose, wincing at the beginnings of a headache. "We used a condom . . ."

He flinched as tears spilled down Keiko's cheeks. "I know, but what can we do . . .? We don't have the money to raise a child, and we're just out of high school . . ."

"We could get married, and I-I could quit school and get a full-time job somewhere, and we can talk to our parents and maybe stay with either my family or yours until we get on our feet . . ." He winced. His mom would have no pity and would be more likely to kick him out than anything else, and Keiko's parents would be really upset. What're we going to do . . . I don't want to ask her to . . . but . . .

Keiko sniffled. "Or . . ." She looked at Yuusuke. "I could get an abortion."

Yuusuke's eyes widened. It was what he hadn't wanted to suggest. "Are . . . are you sure?"

"My parents would be so disappointed in me if they knew . . . They want me to go to school and get a proper education so I can make something of myself. If . . . if I have a baby and we marry now, I'll be doing what they did, and I know they want more for me. I don't want them to be disappointed in me. And . . . your mom . . . I like her, but she probably wouldn't help us." She paused. "Plus, you have ties in the Makai, and you have to go there a lot to take care of things. I don't blame you," she added as Yuusuke opened his mouth. "I know it's important. But it'd be really hard for you to hold down a real job and still be gone a lot. I don't know how you manage just with school now . . ." A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away. "As much as I don't want to go with an abortion, it's what's best until things are more settled in our lives."

The tightening in Yuusuke's chest faded with the last sentence. It wasn't that Keiko didn't want to accept him and marry him. It was that things were way too chaotic for a child. The way things were going at the moment, the child would end up being hurt in the long run, and that definitely wasn't what either of them wanted to do to a child. "Okay. I'll do some research and get the money together, and we'll take care of it." He hugged her. "Keiko, don't think I was proposing just because . . ." He sighed. "You know I'm not good with words, and I'm not all that intelligent, but I love you and I would love to be married to you."

A slight blush darkened Keiko's cheeks. "Y-Yuusuke, are you proposing to me?"

Yuusuke blinked, then nodded slowly. "I guess so." He smiled at her. "I want to be with you forever, Keiko."

The girl stared at him for a few minutes. Then she nodded numbly. "Hai. I accept, Yuusuke . . ." She suddenly leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, Yuusuke."

Botan pouted cutely, her arms crossed. "Mou . . . It's not fair! My one day off in the longest time and Keiko's sick! I was looking forward to going out for a girls' night, with all of us . . ."

Shizuru lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "She's been sick quite a lot lately. I wonder if something's wrong . . ."

Yukina frowned. "I hope not."

Botan suddenly straightened. "I know! We can go cheer her up!" Shizuru hid a smile at the ferry-girl's excitement.

Yukina clapped her hands. "I'm sure that would make her feel better! And maybe I can try to see what's wrong while we're there!"

The pink-eyed girl grinned. "Alright then, it's decided! Let's go!"

Kuwabara let out a shill noise that made both Hiei and Kurama wince as Johnny Cage was bitten in half by Liu Kang's dragon form. "You always do that, Shrimp!"

Hiei snorted. "And you always pick the buffoon. What's your point?"

The ningen glowered at Hiei. "It's more fun with Yuusuke. At least he doesn't use the same character all the time."

Kurama glanced up from his book. "Speaking of Yuusuke, where is he?"

Kuwabara sighed. "He said something about visiting Keiko because she's sick."

Hiei frowned. "Again?"

His partner's frown matched his. "She's been ill an awful lot lately. I wonder what's wrong."

"I dunno." Kuwabara scowled. "And lately, Yuusuke's always busy--working and stuff. I dunno why, and he won't talk."

Hiei and Kurama exchanged a look. The redhead sighed slightly. "Maybe we should talk to him about it. Maybe see what's going on. We might be able to help him, depending on what the problem is . . ."

Kuwabara brightened. "Yeah! You might have better luck than I have. Keiko's parents went to visit some relatives, so it shouldn't be a problem if we stop by."

Kurama smiled. "I'll bring a movie with so we can pretend that's the reason we're visiting. I just bought a new American movie yesterday, and it's supposed to be really good."

Hiei shrugged. "Well, let's go then."

Yuusuke held Keiko's hair from her face as she finished emptying her stomach into the toilet. "You okay now?" He waited for her nod and pulled her up gently, handing her a paper towel and a glass of water that he'd set on the sink. One more day of work, and I'll have the money together. Then things will be on the track to getting better. He led Keiko back to her bedroom and tucked her back in.

The girl sniffled a bit. "I hate this morning sickness. It's not even just morning, and it sucks."

Her fiancé sat on the bed, sighing softly. "I know, Keiko. But one more day of work, and I'll have the money together. And your appointment's on Wednesday. They'll give you the pills and things will start getting better."

Keiko nodded. "I know . . . I just feel really bad. I was supposed to go out with Botan, Shizuru, and Yukina today because Botan finally got a day off, but I can't because I'm sick . . ."

Yuusuke winced. Keiko had been looking forward to this for weeks. "I know, Keiko. Maybe you'll feel better later, and then you can go out?"

Keiko smiled at him tearfully. "Thanks, Yuusuke." The boy smiled back at her. Both of them jumped slightly as the doorbell rang. "Who could that be . . .?"

"I dunno . . ." Yuusuke frowned, getting up. "I'll go find out. Don't worry." He left the room to answer the door.

Keiko's eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice at the door. Botan . . .? She sat upright as she heard Shizuru and a pause that probably indicated Yukina's soft speech. They came to visit me . . .? She bit her lip, forcing down the touched tears that stung her eyes and cursing her whacked hormones. She had just gotten her emotions under control when Botan bounded into her room, followed by Shizuru and Yukina.

Botan sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling, Keiko."

The brunette smiled. "Okay. I'm sorry I'm sick. This really ruins our plans . . ." She paused and glanced at Yuusuke as the doorbell rang again, shooting him a curious look.

He sighed. "I'll check it out. Be back in a minute." He left the room.

Keiko gave her friends a warm look. "I wasn't expecting visitors, but I'm really glad you came." She paused as she heard a familiar, loud voice from the door.

Shizuru's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "What's my baka brother doing here?"

Botan blinked. "Sounds like Kurama-kun is here too."

"And probably Hiei-san," Yukina added softly.

More visitors . . . Why are they all coming here . . .? Yuusuke reappeared, looking slightly annoyed. Keiko frowned. "Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara . . .?"

Yuusuke nodded. "They said they heard you were sick and came to visit. They brought a movie."

Keiko sighed. "I'll get dressed and join you. It's better than sitting in bed all day."

Botan grinned. "That'd be fun. We'll wait in the living room with the boys, then." She stood and left the room, her gait filled with energy. Shizuru shook her head at Botan's antics and left, Yukina following.

The brunette deflated. This was not supposed to happen . . .

"'Che! I will not watch a chick flick!" The fire demon hadn't expected his sister or the other girls to be there, and it unnerved him to be near his unknowing kin. So close, and yet so far away . . .

Kurama, who was seated on the floor beside the couch with his legs crossed, hid a smile. "Hiei, be tolerant." That earned him a glower. The redhead grabbed Hiei's hand and tugged him closer, whispering something to him that the others couldn't hear. The fire demon eyes widened slightly and he hned, allowing Kurama to pull him into his lap complacently.

Botan and Shizuru exchanged an amused, knowing look, moving closer to each other on the couch to make room for Keiko to sit between Botan and Yukina. The brunette sat, then glanced at Yuusuke. "What movie are we watching?"

Yuusuke looked at the title. "Cider House Rules. It's subtitled in Japanese, fortunately." His eyes widened as Keiko paled. "Keiko?"

The girl stood and ran from the room, her hand over her mouth. Botan ran after her, followed closely by Yukina.

Yuusuke sighed and sat down on the floor heavily, running a hand through his hair. Damnit . . . I hate seeing her so miserable.

Hiei and Kurama exchanged a concerned glance. Kurama then devoted his attention to Yuusuke. "Did you want to tell us what's wrong?"

Yuusuke looked up, his expression that of a deer caught in headlights. "What makes you think anything's wrong."

Kurama sighed. "Yuusuke, Keiko's sick and you're working most of the time for some reason. What's going on? Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Nothing's wrong! She's just sick. And I just want money. Is there a problem with that?" The defensive inflection in his voice gave him away.

A burst of loud conversation from the bathroom interrupted their conversation. Hiei frowned. "What the hell is going on?" He looked at Yuusuke. "What are they talking about, Keiko being pregnant?"

Yuusuke blanched as three sets of eyes turned on him and Shizuru rose and headed toward the bathroom. "It . . ." He blushed. "The condom broke . . ."

Kurama winced. Kuwabara frowned. "That explains why Keiko's sick, but why are you working all the time?"

The raven-haired youth looked away. He was saved from answering by girls' return to the living room. Keiko sank to the couch, and the other three followed suit. Kurama smiled at Keiko. "Congratulations." The smile disappeared as Keiko burst into tears. He glanced at Yuusuke.

The boy sighed. "We're getting an abortion, Kurama. There's no way we can have this baby right now . . ."

Kuwabara stood. "What?! But-"

Shizuru silenced him with a deadly glare. "Kazuma, shut up!"

Keiko looked up, sobbing. "My parents would be so disappointed in me if they knew. They . . . they keep telling me I have all this potential. If I have a baby . . . I won't be able to do anything, and I'll end up the same way they did. And they want me to be better than they were . . ."

Kurama looked at Yuusuke. "And that's why you've been working lately?" The boy nodded slightly. "You didn't have to do that. I know of plants that can induce miscarriage. All you had to do was ask."

Yuusuke looked at the floor. "I . . . we weren't sure how you guys would react . . ."

"Yuusuke, you've supported Hiei and me in our relationship. And we're your friends. Friends support friends. Our views on the matter don't matter all that much. The decision belongs to you, and, as friends, we're going to support you. It's obvious that it was a hard decision to come to, and I know that the support of friends is important in matters like this." His arms tightened slightly around Hiei, who looked a bit confused.

Keiko sniffled. "The problem is, it'd be really hard for us to provide a good home for a baby right now. Yuusuke still has that bad reputation from high school, and it'd be hard for me to hold down a job while I'm pregnant. There's no way we could cover expenses, and both of us could count school out of the picture. And I don't like the idea of abandoning the baby to adoption either. Adopted children are expected to not do very well in the long run, and low expectations lead to low goals and accomplishments, for the most part [1]. I'd hate to think we'd be abandoning a child to that."

Hiei finally spoke. "What exactly are abortion and adoption?"

Kurama hugged the fire demon. "Abortion is when a pregnancy is terminated, and adoption is when parents who can't afford a child give the child away, usually to an orphanage." Hiei stiffened, and Kurama gently kissed the back of his neck. "The child is usually taken in by another family, but sometimes children are never adopted and they live in the orphanage until they're old enough to leave and live on their own." Hiei slid off Kurama's lap, opting to sit beside him instead. The redhead winced at the closed-off expression on his partner's face. That strikes him a little too close to home . . . He gently put a hand on Hiei's knee, whispering a promise to talk later.

Yuusuke shot Kurama an apologetic look. No one else noticed anything amiss, except for Botan and Shizuru who exchanged yet another glance, this one concerned. Yuusuke cleared his throat. "We are going to get married, though. That's the second priority after . . . after this."

Keiko nodded. "That's definitely not the reason we're getting an abortion."

Kuwabara finally sighed. "I don't agree with it, but I'm your friend, so I support you in your decision." The others agreed silently.

They sat for a few minutes, no one speaking. Finally, Kurama picked up the DVD he'd brought. "I don't think this is a good movie for us to watch right now. Anyone else have any suggestions.?"

Keiko smiled wanly. "I'm actually feeling better. Why don't we go out as a group? We rarely do that, and it should be fun."

Shizuru grinned. "That sounds like a good idea. Let's get out of here. We'll decide what we're doing on our way." She rose and tugged Botan from the couch, dragging her toward the door and causing Hiei and Kurama to smirk knowingly at each other. "Come on, you bunch of lovebirds. We're wasting Botan's day off!"

"Hai!"

It was much, much later when Kurama and Hiei finally reached their apartment. The redhead was worried about his diminutive lover. Hiei, while usually somewhat reserved, had remained mostly silent throughout the entire outing, and he'd stiffened noticably--even to Kuwabara--when Kurama had told Yuusuke to stop by for the medication later in the week. "Koi, are you okay?"

"Hn."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"Hn . . ." The fire demon sat down on the couch, curling his legs to his chest. Kurama sat beside him. "It's really hard to be around Yukina . . . especially with everything that happened today . . ." Hiei looked up, his deep eyes piercing. "Things here in the Ningenkai are so much easier . . ." He looked away again. "If they had the abortion option in the Makai . . ."

Kurama hugged Hiei, pulling the fire demon into his lap. "Shhhh . . . Hiei . . ."

The Jaganshi shook his head. "Fox . . . It made me wonder if I would have been better off."

The youko's eyes widened impossibly and he hugged Hiei so tightly that the fire demon felt as though he was in danger of suffocating. "Don't say that! Don't ever say something like that, Hiei!" Kurama loosened his hold on Hiei, allowing his lover to breathe. "Hiei . . . If that had happened, I never would have met you. And I love you. I love you so much, Hiei." Kurama's voice broke and he kissed Hiei over the Jagan and buried his face in the dark, spiky hair.

Hiei slipped his arms around the fox , hugging him gently. "I'm sorry, Fox. I shouldn't have said that."

Kurama pulled away. "No. I want you to be honest with me, Hiei." He placed a chaste kiss on his partner's lips. "I'm just afraid that I'm not doing well by you if you still feel like that."

The fire demon smiled slightly at the redhead. "Fox . . . it's been a long time since I've felt like that, because of you."

His lover smiled back, his worry appeased. "And everyone feels like that from time to time. They just need reassurance, ne?" Hiei nodded and Kurama's smile widened, turning somewhat lecherous. "So . . . where do you want that reassurance?"

---

[1] I don't know if that's really how it works in Japan. However, in the Kodomo No Omocha manga, they said something along those lines because the main character, it turns out, is adopted. Therefore, we're using it. It's also similar to how adopted/foster kids tend to be viewed in America.

From sources that we could find, abortion is usually readily available in Japan for those who want it and, for a time, was supposedly more popular than birth control. But that's according to the sources we found, and may not be based on fact.

This was a rather long chapter. We hope you liked it.

Authors' notes: The views and opinions expressed within this story are a reflection of the authors'. We are in no way saying that our personal opinions are right, but we are saying that everyone has a right to express their own opinions without fear of being censored. While we may or may not agree with abortion, we believe that friends should support friends in things like this despite personal views. Otherwise, the friendship isn't really much of one. Voicing one's opinion once is okay, but repeatedly condemning the person isn't friendship. That is our opinion and this is our way of voicing it.