So here's a mandate from hColleen, which I probably should have done months ago … But the important thing is, I've done it Forgive my poetry, I know it's not the best—but hey, it is supposed to be from Yusuke's point of view, eh?

Had Things Been Different
February 6, 2007

Hiei clenched his teeth, struggling to suppress the scream mounting within, knowing that at the slightest give, it would escape. Sweat gushed from his pores; blood pounded in his ears; he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that his determination would soon fail.

He was prey, being toyed with and tormented for as long as possible before he caved. And his tormentor was skilled in this cruelty, having had a millennia's time to hone it.

"It won't be long now," the predator taunted, brushing his lips against Hiei's most vulnerable area. They curled into a smirk as he felt all the muscles in Hiei's legs tense.

Hiei hissed as the tensing spread throughout his body. His stomach knotted up; his shoulders grew so taut that the blades protruded sharply; the muscles in his neck strained and became more prominent. "Ku—" he gasped, his breath short and choppy.

"Come on," Kurama crooned, flicking his tongue out. He watched Hiei's fangs become visible as they bit into the Koorime's bottom lip. His lover's strength, Kurama knew, was about to give out. A sly gleam appeared in his eyes. He reached out and massaged the two swollen orbs hanging from the base of Hiei's shaft.

"Kurama!" Hiei shrieked, the last of his resistance melting away into euphoria as he came in the Fox's mouth. He threw his head back against the chair, taking deeper breaths now, feeling his body relax.

Kurama swallowed the last of Hiei's seed—and narrowed his eyes when he heard a knock on the door. 'Who…?' He furrowed his brow, recognizing the visitor's energy.

"Why are you getting that?" Hiei groaned, hearing the redhead move.

"Because," Kurama replied, "though it may be bad manners to call on someone this late, I am awake, and obligated to not leave them standing out there. Besides," he added dryly, "you're in no condition to play host."

Even before he opened the door, he knew that the one who had knocked had already gone.

There was a rectangle of white on the floor outside the apartment. Picking it up, he discovered it was an envelope addressed to him—by his demonic name. "What game are you playing," Kurama murmured, staring at the handwriting on the paper.

Hiei was dozing in the armchair, legs sprawled out carelessly, exposed for whomsoever to see. Kurama smiled a little, covered the smaller demon with a blanket, and then sat down on the couch. Eyeing the envelope contemplatively, he shrugged and opened it. His eyes widened a little as they scanned the letter inside. It wasn't really a letter at all, he realized. It was a poem:

"Had Things Been Different

"To the cutthroat with a conscience,
Who taught me that
Right and wrong are often blurred:

"Imagine my shock when I met you,
The first demon I knew who showed his heart
In spite of the times others used it against you.
But even when you're hurting
You play it Lord of Cool,
Put on nonchalant airs and
Do what needs to be done.

"Though it's not like you're helpless,
You can handle yourself
And strike such cruel blows,
Showing that looks are deceiving,
Nerds can be boss too

"—And you showed me that 'flower power'
Can truly kick ass.

"Of course you're strong,
And a fucking genius too.
Only as an afterthought
Do I think of the beauty of you.
Slight and bright,
Like some rare flower.
Supermodels, centerfolds, and
Porn stars just don't compare.

"You break all the rules,
Switch them around,
Flip them upside down.
Beauty and brains and brawn
All rolled into one.

"But Foxes are tricksters, and you've fucked with my mind.
I love her to death, and tough guys
Aren't supposed to be queer,
But at night I wake up with a hard-on,
And I'm thinking of you.
Then I wonder, had things been different,
Instead of a wedding tomorrow,
We'd have a commitment ceremony.

"… So maybe I've already crossed the line
What would it hurt to take one more step?
Would you join me for just one night
And satisfy my longing to
Know firsthand, what it was that
Passed me by?"

It was Yusuke's handwriting. Kurama's hand was trembling slightly as he finished reading. He'd had no idea….

True, Yusuke was friendly with him—But they were friends, after all. Was it not common for friends to inquire about each other's wounds, personal lives, feelings? Or had there been a difference, that Kurama had somehow overlooked?

He swallowed. Yusuke was marrying Keiko tomorrow, yes, why was he even up, he should be in bed, he didn't want to look dead at the ceremony tomorrow …

But now, he wasn't even sure he could sleep. How could he sleep?

Something was written on the back of the paper. He turned it over. Whereas the poem was in Yusuke's best script, the message on the back was scrawled, messy, wrote in haste:

"I'll be on the corner, at the bus stop."

Yusuke was sitting on the bench at the bus stop, though Kurama knew it wasn't transportation he waited for. The Detective looked up, hearing his footfalls. "I wasn't sure you'd come," Yusuke said, rising to greet him. Kurama responded with a curt nod. "Where's Hiei? I thought he was with you."

"He was." In more ways than one. "But why would I bring him here?"

"Kinda weird," Yusuke said with a shrug, "to be visiting someone that late."

His comment puzzled the redhead, who didn't know if he was being insinuative or simply naïve. "You mean like you did?" Kurama asked, holding up the poem. "I hadn't known you were interested in this sort of thing."

He shrugged off the compliment. "You never know what's in you, I guess, until a muse comes along to incite you."

"… And your muse incited more than just literary feelings in you, did it?"

The Detective leaned against the back of the bench, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Yeah, he did."

An awkward silence filled the space between the two. Kurama struggled to find words that might dissipate it. "And you're addressing this muse on the eve of your wedding, because …"

"I want him to stop teasing me," Yusuke finished.

"Tease?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, tease," Yusuke affirmed, eyeing him accusatively. "Making me think about a lot of big words that I don't know what to do with, and …" For a moment he looked hesitant. "… and some other things that I don't know what to do with."

Kurama listened, wondering how he might rationalize Yusuke's agitation. "Perhaps the muse wasn't aware that he was teasing anyone," he finally said. He glanced over Yusuke's poem again. "But apparently you figured out what to do with some of those words."

"Yeah," Yusuke said, an odd look settling in his eyes. "I figured out what to do with a few things."

Something metallic glinted under the streetlight as Yusuke pitched it to Kurama. The Fox caught it, and stared down at the item resting in his palm. It was a key. He gave Yusuke a perplexed look. "I got a room," the brunette elaborated. "I thought that you might come back with me—if you want."

"… Come back with you …" Kurama murmured, allowing the significance of those words to sink in. He thought of Hiei, and wondered if the Jaganshi was still at the apartment sleeping. What would happen, he wondered, if Hiei knew of the situation he was in? More so, "Does Keiko know about this?"

Yusuke shrugged. "I guess not. But we won't be married until tomorrow." Kurama looked at him skeptically. "Hey, it's not like I'm not thinking of her!" he argued defensively. "I want to make peace with the muse before this conflict ever touches Keiko."

'So much for "if you want",' Kurama thought reproachfully. Yusuke made it sound as though he had intentionally seduced him. His thoughts drifted back to Hiei. This arrangement of theirs had gone on for a little over a month, and he wasn't positive where it would progress—if it would progress. Would it really be a betrayal, then…?

He heaved a sigh, doing his best to conceal it from Yusuke. "Where's our room?"

"Hey, you want anything to drink?" Yusuke called over his shoulder while he counted out change for the vending machine.

"I'm fine," Kurama replied absently, scrutinizing their room. "Wait—water."

"Okay, I'll be right back." The door clicked as it shut behind him.

Yusuke must have been in the room earlier, Kurama surmised, observing the disturbed comforter on the bed, the half-empty bag of chips on the table—the condoms on the nightstand. 'Aren't you the confident one?' he thought, frowning.

Too bad Yusuke didn't think he was simply into guys, no; he had to be into Kurama specifically …

Kurama pursed his lips, and began to unbutton his shirt.

Yusuke closed the door, and froze when he saw Kurama. The Fox lay prone on the bed, resting his head on his arms, watching the news. His shirt sat neatly folded on the table. "Uh …" the brunette managed, opening his soda.

Kurama looked over. He sat up, turned off the television, and redirected his attention to Yusuke. "Well?" he asked.

"… Um …" Yusuke could probably count on one hand the number of times he'd seen Kurama without a shirt. Consequently, seeing his friend this way paralleled the phenomenon of seeing a girl topless.

The Fox furrowed his brow. "Did you bring my water?" he asked.

"Huh?—Oh! Yeah." Yusuke hastily handed the bottle to him. Kurama unscrewed the cap and took a few greedy gulps. "So …" Yusuke said uncertainly, staring into his soda.

Suddenly Kurama laughed a little. "What?" Yusuke asked nervously.

"You," the Fox said. "You're like a child. You brought me here to explore, but here we are, and you have no idea what to do."

"Shut up!" Yusuke cried indignantly. "I know what to do, I just didn't want to rush you is all!" But Kurama continued to laugh—and uttered a small, startled cry when suddenly his view of the world turned, and he found himself lying on his back with Yusuke kneeling atop him. An assertive gleam shone in the Detective's eyes. "I've fantasized over it enough," Yusuke said haughtily. "I know what to do."

He gave Kurama one last defiant glare, and then lowered his head and lapped at Kurama's nipples. Immediately, the Fox squirmed a little, a soft moan escaping him. The emerald eyes, which had crinkled in laughter at Yusuke mere moments before, had now squinted shut. Beneath his lips, Yusuke could feel the rise and fall of Kurama's chest increase, could feel the nipple held captive in his mouth perk and harden. He wrapped an arm around the redhead's waist—slenderer than his, but not as curvy as Keiko's—and crushed his companion's body closer to his own. He drank in Kurama's scent like a rare perfume. It had a light, musky fragrance to it.

Sweat. His friend had broken a light sweat earlier. But it wasn't a hot night; had Kurama worked out or something?

"Oh," Kurama moaned, arching his body against Yusuke's mouth as it trailed down his torso. Perhaps Yusuke did know what to do after all. Should he be guilty that if felt so nice?

"Kurama," Yusuke breathed hoarsely. Kurama looked up. Yusuke locked eyes with him, and still staring at the redhead, slid his hand inside the latter's pants. Kurama hitched his breath, squeezed his eyes shut. A cream-colored hand reached down and unbuttoned the pants; Kurama sighed loudly as he freed himself.

Kurama's skin had adopted a rosy hue. The blush spread throughout his body, but stood out profoundly both in his face and—.

Yusuke stared. Drowsy green eyes peered at him through the slightest of cracks. He quickly asserted himself, repeating "I know what to do," grabbing Kurama's thighs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurama saw a tanned, muscled hand grope for the condoms on the nightstand. The Kitsune tensed when he felt Yusuke's fingers brush against a most private area, and then he grimaced. "Yus-uke!" he cried.

"What?" was the concerned reply.

Kurama bit hard into his lip. "Not all at once!" he hissed, eyes stinging.

Immediately, the painful intrusion disappeared. "Sorry," Yusuke said hastily.

"Start with the smallest finger," Kurama instructed, "and then work your way up." Only recently had he let Hiei get this far, and the Koorime still had to give him time to adjust. "Slowly," he emphasized when Yusuke tried again.

"Uh-huh." Yusuke reminded himself that riding Kurama would not be the same as riding his fist while thinking of Kurama. If he didn't curb his exuberance at least a little, he might hurt the Fox.

Kurama took a deep breath as Yusuke gradually added more width. 'Good boy,' he thought. Yusuke was being much more restrained this time. "I'm ready," he finally said.

Yusuke swallowed, and knelt over Kurama again. He wrapped an arm around the redhead's waist, closed his eyes, pushed himself in—"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed when Kurama cried out.

"No, it's fine," Kurama panted. "I do it when I'm with—" He stopped short. "It's just a reflex on my part," he concluded. "You're not hurting me."

Yusuke furrowed his brow. "When you're with—Oh!" Kurama had slammed up against his pelvis, absorbing his penis entirely. "Oh man!" he yelled, while the redhead let out a long yowl. He hissed as Kurama wiggled under him; the Fox was … clenching, as though trying to milk him. 'Wait a minute!' he thought.

"Oomph!" The redhead found himself pinned to the bed, pushed into the mattress with every thrust that Yusuke made. He closed his eyes and enjoyed—enjoyed—the feel of Yusuke pushing in and out of him. Yusuke's arm tightened its grip around his middle; the other grasped a spot of mattress beside his head, bracing Yusuke, preventing the latter's weight from crushing down on him. It undulated, its hand clenched into a fist and tightened its grip while Yusuke increased tempo.

The body beneath Yusuke's had grown very warm, almost hot, and turned an interesting, near-magenta hue. "Oh man, Kurama," he groaned. The Fox was pleasantly tight, almost impossibly so, and felt so warm …

Kurama practically shrieked when his companion hit a particularly sweet spot. He was panting so hard that his throat had gone dry. Perspiration dampened his hair and, as it increased and pooled, trickled down his face and neck.

To his astonishment, salt liquid even began to well in his eyes. He couldn't possibly be crying, could he? After all, Yusuke wasn't hurting him. In fact, the Detective felt luxuriously wonderful inside of him. Why should he cry?

—Could it be that he felt bad? Nonsense, he told himself: Hiei and he were only casual, weren't they? And he wouldn't have done this if Yusuke had already married Keiko. Was this so horribly bad—?

"Hiei," Kurama gasped without thinking. His face blushed brighter than his hair, his body shuddered beneath …

His eyes shot wide open, and he was thankful that his face was turned away from Yusuke's. However, even with this transparent comfort, he could still feel the body atop his; it had already peaked and was now alarmingly still. Kurama's gaze was level with the fist clutching the sheets beside him. Its grip had tightened so much that the knuckles were white. It unclenched, and a moment later Yusuke rose up off him. Kurama could feel the brunette's seed, still warm, dripping down his thighs. After a moment, he gathered the courage to turn his head and look.

Yusuke sat cross-legged by Kurama's feet, gawking at the Fox. The two stared at each other, neither speaking. Until Yusuke cleared his throat. "So …" he finally said, "that's why Hiei was…?"

Kurama nodded.

"So you and him are…?"

He received another nod. Kurama's complexion was rosy again, but it didn't appear at all pleasant. Yusuke bit his lip. "You should have told me," he said, his voice wavering.

"But I didn't," the redhead replied.

"Still—Kurama, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Kurama said, staring down at the sheets. He was too embarrassed to continue looking Yusuke in the eye.

When he glanced up, he saw Yusuke hurrying toward the shower, a blush appearing on the back of his neck. Kurama could feel his own deepening.

Why hadn't he mentioned Hiei? Why had he kept silent and followed Yusuke here?

He grabbed a handful of tissues from the table and began to clean himself up. 'Had things been different …' he mused.

Yusuke was surprised to find Kurama sitting on the bed (though dressed now) when he emerged from the shower. "You're still here?" he asked.

"Hm?" The Kitsune looked over at him. "Is that it, Yusuke?" Kurama asked in a quiet, miffed voice. "Slam, bam, thank you ma'am?"

"W-What?" the Detective sputtered.

Kurama chuckled, and stood up. "May I keep this?" he asked, holding up the poem.

"Uh … y-yeah," Yusuke managed. "I mean, I wrote it for you, so …"

"A muse," Kurama suddenly said, folding the poem neatly and putting it in his pocket, "is supposed to inspire creativity in the person it affects, and fulfillment, not a sense of nostalgia." He placed his hands on Yusuke's shoulders. "Thank you for the beautiful words; tomorrow, I want to hear you say beautiful words to Keiko." He paused, and a moment later added, "The muse who inspired your fighter's spirit."

Yusuke stared at him. And then he laughed. "Fighter's spirit, huh?"

Kurama tossed off his shoes at the door, heaving a sigh. His outing had been much longer than expected and he wanted very much to go to sleep now.

"Where have you been?"

The Fox jumped, and winced as he stubbed his toe.

"Heh." Hiei smirked. "Clumsy."

"You're still here?" Kurama blurted out. Hiei seldom stayed all night.

Hiei quirked an eyebrow. "What did you expect? Slam, bam, thank you ma'am?"

He bristled a little, his gaze immediately focusing on the ward placed over Hiei's Jagan. "Um …"

"Mediocre words don't suit you," Hiei said. "Come sit down."

Kurama stared at Hiei, wondering if his lover's calm face was a front masking rage; warily, he accepted the invitation.

And then his companion asked, "What's a commitment ceremony?"

"What?"

"Are you deaf?" Hiei retorted, though his tone was not malicious.

"No … Your question is a little spontaneous is all." Kurama cleared his throat. "A commitment ceremony is just as it sounds: a ceremony where two people officiate their intention to commit to one another for the duration of their lives."

The Koorime looked thoughtful. "So it's like a wedding," he said slowly, though he sounded confused.

"Precisely," Kurama affirmed. "Just like a wedding."

"So what's the difference?"

"… None, really," the redhead admitted. "Why do you ask?" he inquired hesitantly.

Hiei furrowed his brow, and it was almost a full minute before he answered. "I want one."

Kurama blinked. "What?"

"I want one of those ceremonies," Hiei said. "With you." He gave the Fox a funny look. "Are you feeling okay?"

Kurama stared at him blankly, and then appeared more focused. "Yes. I'm fine. It's just been a long night." A long, interesting night. "Do you … Do you really want one of those ceremonies?"

"Should I not?"

"No—I mean, yes—I—." He stopped, hoping to untangle his tongue. "I mean, I think it's wonderful if you want one." He paused, and a little pink crept into his face. "I'll, ah, have to formally introduce you to my parents," he said sheepishly. 'Mother, Father, this is my fiancé, Hiei.'

"'Bout time," Hiei told him, smirking.

"Ah … Is it really that late?" he exclaimed.

"Or early," his lover—his fiancé—countered, "depending on how you look at it. We might look like zombies at that event tomorrow—today." Hiei pulled on his sleeve, and stepped toward the bedroom.

"Hiei," Kurama said suddenly. The Jaganshi looked at him. "I know it's late, but does getting up early sound okay to you? I thought that we might go out for breakfast, before going to the chapel."

Hiei shrugged, and then nodded. "That sounds fine."

Kurama also nodded, a smile creeping across his face.

"Fighter's spirit, huh?"

"Fighter's spirit," Kurama confirmed.

Yusuke laughed again. "… Poetry's more of a hobby," he mused. "But maybe I could get better at the words …"

"Just remember: Fulfillment, not nostalgia."

After all, Kurama thought, had things been different, maybe there would be a commitment ceremony tomorrow—

However, had things been different, he might never have come to the Human World. He might never have been his mother's son—And instead of becoming Hiei's lover and Yusuke's friend, he might have been their rival, or downright enemy.

"Yusuke," he said, opening the door. "A millennia of living has taught me this: Don't yearn for what might have been, when you have so much going for you now."

All right, so she made me do Yusuke/Kurama. But initially, I had to do a poem from the former to the latter (which took forever, because I suck at poetry)… which then evolved into a lemon … But I managed to keep my Hiei/Kurama preferences in there, so it's all good! XD Um, probably no more Yusuke/Kurama action in the future, so for fans of that pairing, consider this a probably one-time-only, definitely rare, gift from me to you. Unless you hated it, then you're free to pummel me with curses, insults, blunt objects, and what else have you. Adieu.