A/N: To anyone who liked "Graduation," I hope you're pleased: I thought it'd be cool to further explore the Kaito/Kurama relationship. Sort of piggy-backing on the title of the aforementioned one-shot (wait, if it has a sequel, I guess that might not make it a strict one-shot anymore. Hm … ah well), this piece will be called "One Does Experiment" after the college cliché, and as that might suggest, college will be the setting.

Basics of this story: Kaito's an upperclassman (probably a sophomore, I just haven't given him an actual designation stated in the story yet) and Kurama and Kuwabara are freshmen. Kurama's a part-time advisor for the "recently reunified province of Gandhara" (because I'm dearly fond of Yomi, and he's also a bit of a megalomaniac, so I don't see him doing the wandering sophist bit long-term). And while the principle purpose of this story is to further explore the Kaito/Kurama relationship (and oh won't it be fun), there will be other pairings and Kurama will be a feature in some of them (I'm not sure how many yet, we're experimenting here, after all); you'll see one such pairing in the last scene of this chapter here.

And so I present you the first chapter … full of content heavily lifted from my oh so thrilling experience with the bookstore here back in August (at least something good came from it!):

One Does Experiment
Chapter 1:
Are You Serious?
October 9, 2008

Yuu Kaito looked over his schedule. This semester he was working on completing the core curriculum; he'd only have a class or two left next semester, and then he could focus on his major. No problem…

Except for the biology class and its subsequent lab. Damn thing was longer than its credits were worth. Naturally the unnecessarily long class also demanded the most egregiously-priced book. It always ran that way with the scientific courses; that department was so full of itself. His psychology textbook hadn't cost much less, but at least that class hadn't run as long and had actually been passably interesting.

Nonetheless, he had to take the class, and had to have the book, ridiculous price regardless.

"You've gotta be kidding me! How can it be that high?!"

Apparently not everyone was taking the insult so gracefully. Someone was protesting loudly and obnoxiously up at the counter.

He furrowed his brow. He knew that voice. Taking his outrageously expensive book with him, he stepped out into the open front area of the bookstore, where he had a clear view of the disgruntledstudent.

And then he stared, and thought, to no one or thing in particular, Are you serious?

"I added everything up before I came here and it was NOT that high," insisted Kazuma Kuwabara vehemently. The cashier shrugged apologetically but said that the amount displayed in neon green on the little rectangular black screen by the register was his total, regardless of his own calculations.

Maybe it would have been interesting to see how the disagreement could progress, and Kaito wasn't necessarily opposed to Kuwabara's argument. On the other hand, he had other things that could be done today. "Just pay them, you dolt."

Kuwabara stiffened a little, more so when he actually looked over and saw Kaito. "You?!"

"Funny; I was thinking something similar. You're holding up the line, freshman." Currently the line consisted only of Kuwabara and him, but he was at the back of said line.

"Hey, I added—"

"Kuwabara, did you figure in the tax when you calculated the price?"

That voice. It was coming from behind him. He tried not to mimic Kuwabara's body language as he turned round and confirmed the owner of the voice. He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect to see you here," was all he could think of first off.

Shifting a little, Shuichi Minamino shrugged and said, "I was concerned that I was denying myself an intellectual stimulant by skipping over college. I have the means; I may as well…"

"Kura—"

"Shuichi," said redhead interrupted mildly.

"Sorry," Kuwabara replied. "Can you make sure they don't lose my stuff or anything? I have to go take out some cash." A sour look on his face, the carrot-top left the two Meiou alumni alone together as he stalked to the ATM outside.

"… experiment," Shuichi concluded, focusing on him again.

"I see." Literally; Kaito took the opportunity to look his once and perhaps future classmate over. He could already see the co-ed stalkers, oh joy. "Are you still working at the computer company?"

Shuichi shook his head. "My step-father would not permit me to study and work simultaneously."

"Right. Because an office job's much more distracting"—he took care that his voice was low—"than fighting demons."

The redhead smiled his agreement. "Actually, I've been—"

But Kuwabara had returned, and whatever Shuichi had been doing, he switched now from elaborating on this to giving the tall psychic a sympathetic look while the latter made (rather accurate, Kaito was inclined to opine) comments about how next time he may as well have the bookstore staff open his wrist as payment since he'd be flat-broke after this. "Freakin' ridiculous," Kuwabara muttered, pocketing his pathetic amount of change from the transaction and shifting the sacks containing his purchases so they wouldn't drop. "You still need to find all your stuff, don't you?" he asked Shuichi.

Here now the other man looked at Kuwabara a little sheepishly, and began to reply "Well…," when from the back of the store an employee emerged with a large box, and handed it to Shuichi.

Both his companions looked scrutinizingly from the box to him. "That's what happened to all the used books," Kaito finally stated.

Kuwabara took a more personal approach to his observations: "You thrifty bastard."

"Now, now," protested the insulted. "I can show you how to next time."

"Presuming your professors don't make last-minute changes," added Kaito, as this had been his unhappy situation this semester.

"I'll bet I know why that Yomi guy likes you so much," Kuwabara continued in an accusative tone. "You're gonna make his economy the ritziest in all of Makai or something like that. I'm going to see if they have anything cheap around here to eat."

"Um…" Shuichi rubbed the high collar of his shirt a little nervously, then sighed and began to follow Kuwabara out of the store. "Perhaps I'll see you in class," he called over his shoulder to Kaito.

Damn interdivision core classes. "Perhaps," the brunette psychic echoed, looking from his own books to the register. Thinking of Kuwabara's lament, he wanted to add that in the meantime he could be found crouched in a corner somewhere, lapping at the poor withered remains formerly known at his veins.

"Okay, so 'dolt' isn't one I've heard before; I'll give him a point for creativity," Kuwabara said, submerging a fry in ketchup and then eating it. "But that jerk better not be in any of my classes if I have to hear it too often. It'd be like going to school with Hiei or Urameshi—well, actually, I think that assuming the shrimp wanted to get in, he probably would before Urameshi…"

Kurama laughed a little and took a sip from his shake. Between leaving his job and setting everything up with school he'd developed a bit of a sweet tooth where comfort food was concerned, though he didn't let it run rampant (his was the small size shake). "He had the same biology book," he pointed out. "So there's the high likelihood that he'll at least…"

The psychic groaned. "At least tell me that outside of playing mind games with us for Genkai he's not an ass to work with. Crap, what if we get him in a lab or something and he is…?"

"Not … in my experience with him, he isn't," replied the redhead. Of course, the last time he'd been in a lab with Kaito … he rubbed his collar absently. Would that come up at all?

"Hey, your shirt givin' ya a rash or something? You keep messin' with it."

This observation alarmed him a little. "Am I?" he asked, promptly dropping his hand. "Must be a little hot is all." It was warm out, and humid—ah, summertime.

"Yeah, go figure. No offense, but I'm not sure you've got the most practical taste in clothes sometimes."

On the contrary: he had actually selected this shirt with its high collar for very practical reasons. Weather had not been one of them; he would just have to deal with it. Better that than Kuwabara catching on to what he was wearing under the collar.

When he made no reply Kuwabara switched subjects. "So, since you're doing school now, are you going to go to Makai less?"

He considered and then consumed the last of his burger, took a drink from his shake. "I'm unsure at the moment," he answered. Yomi had made no comment when he mentioned enrolling in school. Of course, it'd been later in the night, and probably not the best time to bring anything substantial to mind and expect his companion to keep it in mind. No need to share with Kuwabara all those unnecessary details, though.

Even without said details, Kuwabara gave him an odd look. "Just don't overdo it. I don't want Makai to go to war or you to flunk out by accident because you spread yourself too thin and messed up."

A slender red brow rose ever so slightly. "How kind of you," he said uncertainly. His concentration as work hadn't lessened that drastically after accepting Yomi's offer of a position in the cabinet of the recently reunified province of Gandhara. "Besides, even if I 'messed up,' Yomi didn't attain position as king—well, governor now, I suppose—by following stupid advice. Which I wouldn't be giving him to begin with; this is merely a hypothetical situation. And if you're concerned about anyone causing a Makai war, I would keep eyes on Yusuke instead, were I you."

"Nah," Kuwabara dismissed casually. "Urameshi dumps all his policy stuff on that bald monk guy—Uh, I forget which one right now…"

"Hokushin," Kurama supplied, acquiring a faux-miffed tone. "I'm so flattered you place more faith in Yusuke's diplomacy than you do mine."

"Fine. Just find your own bald monk guy to dump your stuff on there when you've got tests and stuff going on here." Kuwabara grinned at him as he donned a playfully resentful look.

"No chance," he contested. "If Youda thought there was a weakness in my performance, he'd exploit it to try and force me out of Yomi's favor." He was exaggerating; the other demon tolerated him and his humanized self well enough, and no one could disagree and win that all things considered Youda was once again the warlord's most reliable advisor and thus held in high esteem. Kurama only received preferential treatment in certain functions in the Gandharan capital.

The mattress made a thick-sounding thud as its occupants collapsed bedward, the one on top rising off the one on bottom and rolling beside it. Deep, gasping breaths were exchanged for a minute or two, and then finally the reclining figure said to the other, face-down against the pillows: "Enjoyable as this always is, I'm concerned with the potential problem it represents if we can't temper it when necessary."

A gliding sort of noise was heard between the sheets as Kurama wriggled into a position where he could rest his head on his arms. "Should I be insulted that you consider this a task?" he inquired hoarsely.

Yomi made something that might have been a sarcastic snort. "Your comfort always hold place among my most chief of concerns. Be that as it may—"

"I'm fine," the Fox insisted indignantly. "Getting into school's just been stressful." It had been, even if it perhaps wasn't 'just' that. When the only sign Yomi gave that he might humor this claim was a quasi-interested "Hm," Kurama rolled over and prepared to go to sleep.

Someone was apt when they coined the term "stubborn goat," he decided when Yomi reached over and roughly petted his head. "How are your studies going?" was the mild-toned inquiry.

Oh no, it was far too soon to concede anything, assuming that there was anything, to his protégé-turned-boss. "My classes only started a few days ago."

Fingers prodded his back; he complied and rolled onto his stomach. "If this is your remedy," Yomi said, not designating "this" to the massage, "perhaps you should keep some medicine close to home." In this context, "home" being the Ningenkai, a peculiarity on Yomi's part. Maybe he was as concerned as he professed to be. Tone changing, the warlord noted, "You weren't exactly writhing with two decades' pent-up frustration when I got to you."

"I have a plant," answered Kurama shortly—wincing as Yomi suddenly bore down on an especially tight spot.

I'm sure you do," replied his companion sincerely. "I recall a few that would have made adequate torture apparatuses for someone of a different persuasion…." And then: "I won't demand the names of the other species."

Clever euphemism, he thought sardonically. But of course Yomi wouldn't pry, not unless he had something to gain from it, and right now the Goat was pretty well-off all things considered. And was too skilled with his hands for Kurama to continue feeling guarded…

Until: "Another possibility would be you detouring to Mukuro's before reporting to me."

Tension returned; contact broken. "You shouldn't theorize without actual study," Kurama rejoined crossly, sitting up and glaring.

Yomi didn't appear highly concerned with the Kitsune's discontent. Donning an obscenely artificial smile of innocence, he answered, "I was only hypothesizing. Apparently I erred." He reached out again, shrugged and lied down when Kurama pulled away. "Speaking of plants, my own condition has made me partial to lavender. I've retired; perhaps that can better put you to ease tonight." In short, he was kicking Kurama out.

It was his right: this was his room and his rest being intruded. Kurama outfitted himself as neatly as possible; made a sarcastic gesture of withdrawing a seed and growing a potent bloom; bade the warlord good night (to which he received a wry good morning) and slipped out.

A/N: By the way, since they're his classmates and his boss, we'll be seeing a lot of Kaito (duh) and Kuwabara and Yomi. You could view this story as a sort of props to some of the less appreciated YYH folk. But don't worry, Yusuke et al will have plenty of face-time too, I promise (someone has to give Kurama honey packets!).