Silverwing013: Not mine. Placed after the Dark Tournament. On a boat. Team riding back with the girls. Got it? Good.
"Uh…. Keiko? Can I ask you something?"
Keiko looked up to see Yusuke before her, his rough hand combing through his hair with the question. Blinking, she looked over at the girls around her to see them nodding.
"Oh, it's fine Keiko!" Botan said cheerfully with a shove to Keiko's back. "Go on now! We'll be fine without you!"
Yusuke glanced meaningfully at Keiko, walking off to outside the room, Keiko following behind him. She looked curiously at his back, wondering what was on Yusuke's mind. Was it something still lingering from the Dark Tournament?
Clutching to Puu, Keiko watched the silent Yusuke with a worried eye. His eyes stayed shut from viewing his surroundings, arms and legs crossed as he used the wall for back support. Keiko waited patiently, waiting for what was to be said.
"How do you like Puu?"
Startled at the question, Keiko answered it quickly with a smile. "This little guy? I love him! He's so cute! Although most times I have to wonder about the spirit he came from." Keiko squeezed Puu gently like a favored teddy bear before looking up at Yusuke. "Why? I doubt that was the real question from you."
Yusuke peered open his eyes to look at Keiko. "What if it was?" He stared at Keiko's silent coming to a slow fuming before speaking again. "Okay, fine. When we get back home, keep him, alright?"
Keiko became indigent. "I knew it! You only want to skip out on your responsibilities to Puu! And you're putting them on me! You're such a jerk Yusuke!"
He closed his eyes again. "Heh. Of course I am. I wouldn't take very good care of Puu, but I know that with you he is in very good hands. And Puu is always around you."
Yusuke stood up from against the wall, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "Well, that was all I suppose…. See ya in the morning Keiko." He strolled back inside under the pretense of going to sleep in the guy's room.
Yusuke lay on his bed, listening as Kuwabara and Kurama entered the room listlessly. He was pondering over something that had been bothering him a while about his spirit beast.
"URAMESHI!"
Without thought, Yusuke aimed a sound punch for Kuwabara. "Shaddup already!" He sat up looking around. "Huh. Guess I've been awake longer than what I thought."
"You too?" Kurama asked in the midst of changing clothes. "I won't be getting much sleep tonight either."
"Well then," Yusuke stated surging up from the depths of his bed. "Let's spend it together."
Kurama glanced at him before shrugging his shoulders. Yusuke had already quickly left the room. "They say misery does love company. Goodnight Kuwabara," Kurama said to the one left in the room as he left as well.
"Karsuru is your problem isn't it?" Yusuke asked at Kurama entered the kitchen area, pulling two glasses from the cupboard. Kurama seemed slightly taken aback at Yusuke, standing to observe the preoccupied Yusuke for a moment. Yusuke pulled open the refrigerator door easily. "Milk's fine with you, right?" Kurama smiled briefly before heading inside.
"Yusuke. You are being obvious." Yusuke seemed to be the one startled instead, holding the gallon of milk in midair with his one hand. "Now I must ask what is on YOUR mind."
Yusuke turned, setting the carton down. "How did you…?"
"Know?" Kurama finished the younger boy's question. "Firstly, you tried diverting your problem by trying to focus on mine. Secondly, if you were paying attention to what you were doing…pouring me a glass of milk wouldn't be done. It is unYusuke of you. And milk is fine," Kurama finished sitting down. It seemed he would take advantage of Yusuke's brief politeness.
Yusuke grinned, pouring up the second glass. "Can't get much past you, can I? Besides, your own problem is causing you to point things out right away rather than being fox-like and drawing out other people to slowly realize that you do know."
Kurama smiled, taking the glass from Yusuke. "Correct. I will just be glad it wasn't your usual form of politeness. I would have probably received a glass of beer instead."
Yusuke grinned with a chuckle. "You know me too well. So does Koenma. He personally told me that all storages of alcohol were removed. Although, he mostly removed them for my mom's 'benefit'."
Kurama chuckled as well. "I'm glad in any case," he sipped at his glass of milk peering curiously at Yusuke. "So, what has gotten YOU acting so preoccupied?"
Yusuke grinned, downing a large gulp of milk only to wipe the excess off his chin before dripping farther. He wasn't nearly as neat as Kurama could be. Yusuke chuckled.
"Now you're trying to divert attention away from your problem," he accused.
Smiling briefly, Kurama answered shortly. "Correct."
Yusuke starred at the red head for a moment, surprised that Kurama out and admitted it. He suddenly grumbled under his breath on Kurama's antics. "Stinking fox…." He gulped down another gulp of milk before turning to Kurama again.
"It is Karsaru then," Yusuke denounced. "So…. Could I ask you something here oh wise elder?"
Kurama frowned over the praise, Yusuke grinning at his small accomplishment. "It's only fair from me; you should know that by now." Yusuke glanced down at his nearly empty glass. "Puu. He's basically my true spirit, correct?"
"The outside form of your spirit without all the usual…crap placed between Puu and Puu's actions. Puu feels the same as you and acts on them on he wishes. What came about this question Yusuke? I figure Koenma explained the basic ideas and principles on a Spirit Beast."
"He did," Yusuke said monotone-like. He swished the milk around in his glass. Yusuke seemed to be distracted by thoughts.
"Then how can it be possible that I am jealous at my own spirit?"
Kurama seemed startled at this statement, pondering the question Yusuke posed. "Jealous at your own spirit? You are jealous of Puu? How and why…?"
"But then…." Yusuke swished the milk around some more, not really paying attention to Kurama anymore. Kurama watched the younger boy with curiosity, quietly waiting for what Yusuke would say next.
"How is it that I am also glad of Puu being accepted and loved?"
Yusuke frowned to himself, Kurama widening his eyes in understanding. However, before any more could be said, Yusuke seemed to realize that Kurama was still in the room with him.
"Sorry. You probably didn't want to hear about my problems. This is stupid. I sound like a girl," Yusuke scowled to himself furiously.
"Yusuke," Kurama spoke up from his momentary silence. "I think you wanted to talk about it. Kuwabara would have been confused at what you are saying and if he did get it would only laugh. Hiei would have not cared about some 'human' feeling even though he holds it himself with his sister. The girls…yes, they would point out you are sharing your feelings. They wouldn't listen to it right away from thinking you cute, you probably getting angry and marching off."
Kurama sipped down the remainder of his glass as Yusuke silently nodded to the valid points Kurama gave. "I believe that you wish to be so open, not hide your spirit from others. Be the one accepted, loved. Instead of being jealous to how you wish it to be. Perhaps Puu is not such a stupid creature after all. Perhaps it is just you, trying to still protect your spirit from being seen by others. I think you need to think it over on what YOU want to do Yusuke. Keep hiding or be more open?"
Kurama smiled at Yusuke thinking seriously, standing up to place his glass into the sink before leaving the kitchen. "Goodnight Yusuke. Good luck with that."
Kurama smirked as he left the room. Who claimed he was not being sneaky enough for a fox? Ah yes, Yusuke did. But yet, how was Kurama able to get away with no question on his own problem? His problem was more nightmarish problematic.
He scanned the room trice over for anything abnormal, cautiously eyeing a round shadow next to the wall. Flicking a shoe in the direction of it, he released his breath as the round object did not blow up. Instead, the shadowy round object clattered to the floor to land in some moonlight, allowing Kurama to breathe even more easily as it proved to be a broken nightlight.
Climbing into bed, Kurama starred at the ceiling in hopes of memories not coming to haunt him in sleep as well.
Up on the top of the boat, Hiei stood with a confused scowl. "Hn. Stupid human emotions."
Wordlessly, the cloaked demon flickered out of sight to check in on his sleeping sister.
Kurama did bring up one true thing, Hiei grudgingly admitted to himself. He would never take Kurama's ideas and place them to action thought. The fear of losing his sister was too great and it caused him a great peace to watch over her. He liked things as they were even if he did want to hear "brother" come from her lips instead of "Hiei".
He flickered back out of the room.
Silverwing013: You took the time to read it. I took the time to make it. Least you can do is tell me your opinions. Review please.