YYH: Kurama x Yusuke From a Distance

A/N: There's no real yaoi in this chapter, but there will be in the future. Just a warning.

Events starting from episode 6; Kurama's POV

I wasn't paying attention to whatever Hiei and Gouki were talking about. They were celebrating our successful heist of the Artifacts of Darkness; if circumstances were different, I would have been just as eager to be cheery. The thrill of the hunt, the success, the power we have given to ourselves… But things are different now. I am not Yoko anymore, but Shuichi.

I turned to look at Hiei. I haven't told the shorter demon the real reason I joined him. I wanted to, but I just could not bring myself to trust him fully. He wouldn't understand. He wouldn't care. He would just mock me, and call me weak and soft, like the human I have truly become…

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. That's when I realized something seemed a bit off.

There was the scent of the rain and the scent of the plant life as it soaked in the fresh water. But there was another scent… It was faint, but definitely there. A human was approaching our clearing. But this was no ordinary human. This was a human who was spiritually aware, someone who has been through some of the worst possible trials. I knew I should warn Hiei and Gouki, but for some reason, I want the human to come closer. I want to look at the person, and attempt to understand why they were coming here.

"And once the moon becomes full, we can use Kurama's weapon and supposedly get complete control. Isn't that right?"

I quickly snapped back into reality. Hiei was clearly questioning my silence. He has also proven in the same question that he was ignorant of what price the Forlorn Hope would demand for this total control. I wasn't totally sure how to respond… I could have just confirmed what he said and left it at that…

"Sorry, but I must withdraw from this alliance." I said instead. It was time to put my plan for the Forlorn Hope into action.

"What?!" Gouki and Hiei both said at once.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hiei demanded, his fury rising. "Surely you're not dropping out from the game when we've come this far!"

"Yes." I said simply.

"You coward!" Hiei snapped. "Years of hiding yourself in this human world has made you just like them: spineless and ready to be walked on!"

"I don't give a flip if he leaves." Gouki butted in, the Orb of Baast glowing in his hand. "But he has no right to the loot. Give us the pretty little mirror."

"I can't. I have great need for it myself." I said, feeling dazed. That human was getting closer, the smell starting to become overpowering. While it didn't surprise me that Gouki didn't notice the smell, I was surprised that Hiei wasn't noticing this. He would never admit, but his own fury had a tendency to blind his senses.

Gouki went in to punch me, but just before his large fist would collide into me, the human at last decided to show itself.

"'Scuse me neighbors, I couldn't help but notice that there was no rain falling here. Maybe the next time you guys go stealing some magic toys, you should hide where it's obviously not so sunny."

This confirmed my suspicions that the person was intentionally searching for us. The young man was dressed in his school uniform; clearly he had come searching for us right after school. Gouki and Hiei both demanded to know who he is, and he introduced himself as Yusuke, a Spirit Detective.

"He must have been the only human they could round up! His spirit energy is pathetic." Hiei said, trying to assert control over the situation.

Ah, Hiei. If only it were that easy. Yes, Yusuke had minimal power. But that wasn't what I was sensing. You were seeing what was there at that moment. But I was seeing what could be. Yusuke had fantastic potential if he had enough training.

But for now, I couldn't be bothered by Yusuke's intrusion, now that my alliance was cut off with Hiei. I turned on my heel and walked away.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" he called after me.

"Sorry. I don't have time to be arrested." I simply said as I headed back into the rain.

"Stop, Kurama! You can't just walk out on our plan!" Hiei now called after me. I could hear him jump into the air and begin to give chase to me.

"I'm sorry Hiei." I said as I now began running. "But you wouldn't understand!"

"Understand what? That you have changed since you came here fifteen years ago? That was to be expected! What I didn't expect was for you – YOU – the great bandit to give up on a brilliant plan and all of the rewards." Hiei snapped.

I paused in my running. Hiei stopped a few feet behind me. I looked down at my feet, not turning to face him. "This is something you would never understand, never having experienced it yourself. You see, my mother… My human mother… is dying."

"So? Humans have shorter life spans than us demons! Why are you taking it so personally?"

I stay silent. I needed to tell someone what was on my mind, but Hiei was not that someone. From what little I truly knew about Hiei, he was a loner from birth, only mentioning having a sister back in the Makai. I could understand his position. When I was Yoko, I had no family to speak of either. But now… now things are different.

"I take it personally because I have to. Please, Hiei, understand that our deal is off. You can still accomplish your goals without the Forlorn Hope, though it would be very useful to you. You should also know that if you come after me before my use of the mirror, I will not hesitate to kill you or give you eternal punishment." I said darkly.

Hiei stepped back. "You're crazy!"

"I am serious." I replied, and I started walking away.

"Very well. I don't even need you for my plans any further! I also have a feeling that your Forlorn Hope will end up in my hands very soon! So enjoy what precious time you have with your mother, Kurama. You certainly don't have much time left!" Hiei said, giving an evil laugh.

The house is very cold and empty without Shiori.

My mother gave our home a very special feeling. When I would return home from school, the house would smell of her wonderful cooking, especially when she made dumplings for dinner. She would always ask me how my time in school was, ask me what I was reading for pleasure, ask if there was anything she could do for me.

It was very hard to come here when she was in the hospital.

I began to quickly prepare myself a small dinner. When that was done, I put together a basket of food and fresh flowers. Shiori needed to eat properly, but every time someone offered her food, she would refuse it.

Now that the basket was finished, I allowed myself a few moments of rest on the sofa.

I let my mind wander, thoughts immediately returning to the incident earlier. But what surprised me was how much my thoughts lingered on Yusuke. I was curious about him and wanted to know everything there was to know about him. The best way to get to know him was to get him to trust me first. I let out a soft sigh and decided to head towards the area he found us three demons at. I found myself wishing that Yusuke would be okay, and that he would be accepting of me…

He wasn't too hard to find, in the end. I spotted him from a distance, limping and clinging to a walking stick, a blue-haired girl with him. The girl's hair color stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd. He looked down at what appeared to be a watch and his face grew grim. I knew at once what he was thinking. He knew I was close and was afraid that I would try to kill him.

I walked closer to him, my thoughts reaching out to his. "Don't worry, I have no intention of fighting you, nor do I intend to kill you. In fact, I've come to ask you a favor."

"Are you crazy?" he asks me. Funny, had not Hiei said the same thing? Perhaps I have lost my mind, trying to open up to humans. But yet, I do not feel any regrets for it.

"Give me three days. After that, I will gladly return the Forlorn Hope…"

I left him at that. The moon would be full in three days… All I can do is hope he will trust that I will not hurt him…

I started to head back for home, when I felt the urge of curiosity flowing through my mind again. I just had to understand Yusuke better, and to see what he thought of me. I made my way through a building across from where he was staying, and from the rooftop I could see him sitting on the bed by the balcony window. "Yusuke…" I say softly.

I turn around suddenly, my senses awakening with a start, alerting me that someone was behind me. It was Hiei. We just stared at each other. He did not seem too angry, which was a good sign.

"I just thought you should know he killed Gouki." Hiei said, turning away slightly.

I wasn't surprised. I merely dip my head at the loss of my former comrade. "Yes, I sensed that he had the Orb of Baast on him. What do you plan to do to him now Hiei?"

Hiei snorted as he eyed me. "I intend to kill him of course! There is no other alternative, if my plan is to succeed."

"He's not so pathetic, is he?" I say, mockingly. This causes Hiei to frown, but he said nothing. There is a silence as he walks alongside me to the edge of the rooftop. "Hiei… Do you know what the price of the Forlorn Hope is?"

Hiei still remained silent.

"I thought so. The price the mirror asks for is for life itself." I said, watching as an older woman, who could only have been Yusuke's mother, began yelling at her son for some sort of antic I missed.

"You have arranged it so I will not get the mirror then." Hiei said, matter-of-factly.

"Indeed. I will not pretend to understand why you hate humans so much, Hiei… But at the same time, I will help the Spirit Detective to protect them. He will come around to understanding my position in the matter."

"Hn. You completely underestimate me, Kurama." Hiei said, turning and began walking away. "Let the detective get the mirror. Like I said before, it will not be long before the mirror winds up in my hands, along with the orb. There is nothing you can do to stop that from happening. You arranged that yourself, after all. Farewell, Kurama. I had hoped that we could have ruled the three worlds together. I hope that your human mother was truly worth the price."

I watch Hiei as he uses his speed to disappear into the night. Instead of anger, I began to feel pity for the shorter demon. I turn back to Yusuke's apartment. The light to his room was off, and I could no longer see anything inside. I sigh, slightly disappointed. I had hoped to learn more, but every attempt has lead to some sort of distraction. I can now only hope to understand him better before I sacrifice myself to the Forlorn Hope…

Yusuke's POV

Okay, who is that crazy bastard? I just don't fully understand what I've seen today. Botan dumping bottles of rubbing alcohol on me isn't helping my mood either…

So, basically, the long story short is: today has sucked! First I am accused of stealing people's crap during gym class because that bastard Iwamoto hates me. Then I get the beating of a lifetime from Gouki. I couldn't use my new spirit gun because I wasted my only shot of the day on Iwamoto. And now this Kurama guy is offering me a chance to get the Forlorn Hope without fighting, something that Botan has pointed out as being too good to be true. Well, at least I got the Orb of Baast back, that's one less thing to worry about I guess.

My mind is wandering back to that Kurama guy again. Despite being a thief, something deep down in my guts tells me he is telling the truth when he says he doesn't plan to kill me. After all, if he wanted me truly dead, he'd have killed me in the forest, right? Not to mention that creepy Hiei guy…

I guess I won't solve anything more just sitting up this late and thinking about it. I'm better off just getting some sleep, focusing on surviving school and meeting Kurama in a few days… I wonder where he intends to meet me? And why?

Ugh. Get your ass to sleep, Yusuke. This deep thinking shit is cut out for Keiko, not me.

"Yusuke… Yusuke, wake up! Please!"

Oh great. Mom's crying hysterical. Again.

I open my eyes and she hugs me in relief. "Oh Yusuke, I had another dream again! This time you were with some group of weirdos, fighting off a man with a flute and insects! I got so worried when you wouldn't wake up… I thought it was coming true!" Atsoko sobbed more. I sigh and place an arm around her to comfort her.

"Hey, mom, if it makes you feel any better, the only place I planned to go today was to school and probably hang out with Keiko later." I said. Lord knows I owe Keiko more time, after all she did to save me while I was dead.

This, of course, brought a huge smile to my mom's face. And, bonus, she wasn't drunk today.

As I dress and head to school, I realize how critical I've been to her lately. Well, it's not entirely without reason! She drank most of my childhood away, dammit! But ever since I've come back to life, she's been trying to make things better. She really had cut down on the drinking.

I smile slightly. Today seems like it's going to be a decent day.

School was, of course, a drag. I skipped gym class (of course), I didn't do any of my math homework (seriously, why do we have to learn stuff we won't ever use in real life?), and I got into my daily scuffle with Kuwabara (when will the guy ever learn that I'm going to always whoop his sorry ass?). Botan was nowhere to be seen. Guess I have the rest of the day to myself then.

I head for home, wanting to ditch the school uniform and my bag. I was about half way, when he appeared. He had his head down low, leaning against a tree.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. It would figure. He'd ambush me when Botan was back in Spirit World to gather more information. For all I could know, he'd have that short freak with him too.

We stare at each other for a moment. He seemed sad and disturbed, as if something was on the back of his mind. I found myself starting to relax a bit. He wasn't going to attack after all.

"In two days, meet me at the hospital." he said, so softly I could barely hear him. "There is something I must show you."

"Can't you just show me right now?"

He didn't speak for a moment. I was about to ask him if he was alright, when he gave me a small smile. "For what we need to discuss, I need two more days."

As he turned and started walking away, I found myself starting to feel some sort of unexplainable sadness. Geez, this guy's depression was catchy and I was the next victim it would seem.

The day finally arrived for me to go meet Kurama at the hospital. Time is a weird thing. When I was dead, it flowed so quickly and I nearly ran out of it. Now when I wanted it to go faster, it slowed down.

Ah, whatever. It's all good. I survived yet another boring day at school. It's always the same. I arrive whenever the hell I feel like, Keiko pretends to get mad at me and tries to keep me in line, I skip gym, and I beat the crap out of Kuwabara while his buddies watch from the sideline and keep score.

In a way, I'm almost – note that I say almost – grateful for Kurama and his request. It at least serves as food for thought.

Well, I'm finally here. The hospital. And, as I expected, he's waiting for me outside. I can't help but notice that he seems almost relieved that I arrived.

"Ah, you're here." he said.

"Yeah, I made it. Now what did you want to show me?"

He says nothing and leads me inside. As we crossed the lobby to the elevators, some of the nurses wave hello to him, as if he were a regular visitor here or something.

We were alone in the elevator, and he pushed a button on the panel, for one of the top floors. There was an awkward silence but he broke it rather quickly. "Thank you again for coming. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're going to have to do a better job explaining this all to me. How do I know that this isn't a trap?"

Kurama gave a look of hurt. "As I said before, I have no intent to fight you or kill you. Once you see what I show you, you'll understand everything. This is very important to me…"

The elevator door finally opened, and as I stepped out, I couldn't help but wonder what it was he wanted me to see…