Smoke
Keiko hated the smell of smoke. Yusuke wasn't sure if it was because she'd saved him from a burning building or because of his health. None of that really mattered to him though, as he lit up another cigarette. The taste of nicotine and the curling wisps of smoke entranced him. He didn't need them. But he liked them. If she was here now he was sure she'd snatch it from between his lips. But she wasn't. Yusuke was alone…or as alone as you could be in a tower full of his demonic subjugates.
The scent, the taste…it reminded him of home. Whenever Hiei traveled to the Ningenkai to visit Yukina he would beg the other demon to bring him a pack. He would always grumble and complain, but he never failed to return with them. Yusuke was certain the little bastard stole them too, which only brought a smile to his face. It was the same thing Yusuke would have done back in the day. It was just another reason for Keiko to reprimand him…but he wouldn't lie and say he didn't like riling her up.
The flaming ember at the end of the cancer stick lit up his face as he took another drag. He breathed the smoke out through his nose, watching the puffs dissipate on the wind. His arms hung over the edge of a balcony and he soaked up the cool breeze of Makai's nighttime air.
Yusuke would never quit smoking. And he was perfectly fine with that, just so long as it continued to remind him of home…and of her.