A/N: This is my entry for YuYuHakusho Fanfiction Review's rare fanfiction contest. It's platonic main four interaction-centric. This is sort of AU for my OC Asaki, but from Kurama's third-person perspective. What if the two of them hadn't met when she was in junior high? Expect shenanigans. I hope you enjoy the weirdness that comes from me trying to write with a bit of a prompt!

It was after Yukina and Keiko had come over that Yusuke and Kuwabara decided. Hiei pretended he was just along for the ride, but Kurama had seen the way the demon's eyes had lit up at the thought.

"You need a girlfriend."

"Thank you, Yusuke," Kurama drawled. "I'm pleased to know you seem to think I need a woman in my life."

"Face it, you're kind of a lonely guy." Kurama raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Yusuke said, "Hear me out. Every one of us is paired up. You've got us, but eventually we're gonna move out and then where will you be?"

"I am not 'paired up,'" Hiei grunted. He was perched on the back of the couch, eyes narrowed at the ex-Spirit Detective.

"Please," Kuwabara said, "Mukuro has you by the balls, man."

"Say that again!" Hiei jumped to his feet, glaring up at the much taller man. It had been five years since they'd first met, but that height difference wasn't going away.

"You heard me, shorty," Kuwabara replied.

"There's nothing wrong with being whipped, Hiei," Yusuke teased.

"And you would know," Hiei barked, making Kuwabara snicker. "Shut up." Hiei didn't like that the human was dating his sister in the slightest, but it was hard to complain since Yukina was so happy. That didn't stop him from doing so; it just made it more difficult.

"Focus here!" Yusuke said, clapping his hands together. "This is about Kurama."

"Honestly, I'm fine." Kurama tried to wave Yusuke away, knowing it would likely be of little use. Once he got a plan in his head, the only way to get him to leave you alone was to see it through to the end. He shuddered to remember the pineapple fiasco from last summer. Kuwabara still swore there was pulp in his sheets even now.

"No way. Somehow, we're going to hook you up."

…

This "somehow" ended up being a combination of things. Firstly, they were to spend the entire next day at Kuwabara's college. This was apparently for Kurama to scope out "smart women," something the other three had deemed the most necessary quality in a potential romantic partner for him. No points for having a decent personality or a sense of humor.

Secondly, Kuwabara was going to set him up on a series of dates for the following week. Today was Sunday, and the dates were to start tomorrow, each with a different girl Kuwabara knew. Kurama was still trying to figure out an appropriate way to get out of that as it sounded more like torture than anything else.

Presently, they were walking across one of the greens separating the dorms from the class buildings, heading for a bookstore that had a small cafe perfect for people-watching. If Kurama could pick out a few dates of his own, then he'd be cut at least a little slack.

"Kuwabara, explain something to me," Yusuke said as they walked, trying not to get in the way of frisbees and soccer balls, most of the students making the best of the beautiful early summer day.

"What?"

"Why the hell do you even go here?"

"Why?" Kuwabara grunts. "Because I'm hoping to get a good job in the future, and for that, I want a degree."

"None of the rest of us have degrees and we're doing fine," Yusuke said. "It just seems like a waste of time."

"Look," Kuwabara snapped, "I'm not as smart as Kurama, and I'm not a demon like Hiei. As far as you're concerned, I think you've just got dumb luck. Your ramen stand is stupid popular."

"Why, thank you," Yusuke replied, grinning.

"Besides, it makes Shizuru happy."

That, no one could argue with. Kuwabara's sister had been raising him on her own for as long as any of them had known him, and while she was fierce, she also loved her baby brother endlessly. She wanted him to be more successful than her, and if college was the best way in her eyes, Kuwabara would make it all the way through.

"Yusuke has more luck than the average person," Kurama said, carefully steering the subject. If he could keep control of it, maybe it wouldn't turn back on him again.

"Even morons succeed on occasion," Hiei stated.

"Gee, thanks," Yusuke replied, shaking his head. "You know, I think you guys are just jealous. I have a great job, a great fiancee, and I make the best damn ramen in town."

"The only thing I'm jealous of," Hiei snapped in return, "is how blissfully ignorant you manage to be about everything."

"Asshole," Yusuke said, sticking his tongue out at the short demon. "Name a time and place; I'll kick your three-foot hide right back to Demon World."

"I don't have to be here," Hiei grunted. "I have no interest in this stupid game."

"Then why did you come?"

"To make sure Kurama doesn't kill you out of irritation."

Kurama shook his head as the banter continued, death threats and the like flying good-naturedly through the air as they left the green and moved on to a small shopping district where the bookstore was located. It was a little more crowded navigating these sidewalks, and so the boys took to walking two-by two. Even so, that didn't stop him from getting jostled occasionally by passersby.

"Haruka!" Running footsteps caught Kurama's attention, and someone dashed past him, bumping him on the way. "Sorry!" The offender was a young woman with the brightest blue eyes he'd ever seen. She gave him a little bow, even as she ran backward for a moment, a smile on her face, before turning and racing down the street, her red braid bouncing as she went.

No one else had noticed her. The other three were so engrossed in their conversation that they had completely missed the entire incident, although it wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for strangers to collide on a busy street like this. What was unusual, however, was the fact that Kurama couldn't tear his eyes from the girl until after she disappeared from view.

"Right, Kurama?"

"Mm." Kurama had no idea what Yusuke had said, but he was certain it was more important than strange red-haired girls.

…

The bookstore was two stories, the second floor being open in the middle, creating a sort of indoor, wrap-around balcony. It was packed with students, but few of them were using any tables, most standing or lounging on the furniture intermittently placed among the stacks. The boys all grabbed a table in the cafe, and Yusuke brought out his phone, opening an app that let him take notes. Kurama had a feeling he had downloaded that for this exact purpose, as he wasn't the type to take notes on anything. Ever.

"All right, fox boy, what's your type of girl?"

"My type?"

"Yeah." Yusuke tapped the words "Kurama's Girl" and then "smart" immediately under it, starting a bulleted list. "Let's start with looks."

Inane was a good word for this. Useless? Asinine. A bit depressing, in all honesty. Kurama really wouldn't have minded a girlfriend, but it had never been a priority. Having his single status thrown out before all of them like this made him feel like he was missing something important, and he hated that. Feeling like he was less than other people was irritating to say the least. As much as he tried to be more humble and understanding, pride was still a driving factor in his daily life.

Apparently, what he needed now was a girlfriend to be proud of.

"Looks aren't that important," Kurama said, suddenly thinking of the red-haired girl. Maybe she was his type. That would explain why he couldn't get her out of his head.

"That's what they all say," Yusuke drawled, tapping out the words "not butt-ugly" and then "big boobs".

"Dammit, Urameshi, those kinds of things aren't important to everyone," Kuwabara snapped.

"Like you have room to talk. Yukina's pretty cute," Yusuke replied.

"She's an angel," Kuwabara said, getting moony-eyed. Kurama ran a hand over his face, suddenly exhausted. He loved his friends, but he was getting annoyed. He had not been onboard with this when it began, but now he was slightly invested. If, by any chance, this crazy venture worked….

"All right, what else? What does Kurama want in a woman?"

"She'd have to be able to put up with his attitude," Hiei stated, drawing laughs from Kuwabara and Yusuke.

"My attitude?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, nonplussed.

"Yes, Kurama. Your attitude." Hiei crossed his arms, saying, "You're cleverer than the rest of us, and you've got a not-so-subtle way of showing it."

Kurama watched as Yusuke typed "must be able to handle know-it-all smarty-pants." This was going from bad to worse.

"Come on, guys," Kuwabara said. "Can't we focus on positive things? Like she's got to be nice, friendly, and open to meeting new people?"

Bless Kuwabara. Kurama would have to buy Eikitchi a new toy for him as thanks.

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, typing "nice and boring", "friends", "new people". Clearly, he was only pretending to take this seriously.

They hung around a little longer, Yusuke and Kuwabara pointing out girls they thought might be a good match on looks alone, but Kurama was only half paying attention. He had work to do when they got home, and he needed to call his mother. With any luck, no word of this would ever reach her ears. As much as he loved her, she would definitely be on his friends' side with his need for a significant other.

…

When Kurama came home from his first date on Monday, his three friends were playing video games in their living room. He settled in, watching as Yusuke and Kuwabara duked it out in a brawler. Apparently, Hiei was content to just watch as well.

"How'd it go?" Yusuke asked after they finished the round, with his character the winner.

"As expected from a blind date," Kurama replied. "She spent the entire time talking about herself and her thesis on the migration of coconuts."

"Migration...of coconuts?"

"I'll spare you the truly enlightening details. Let's just say it wasn't a good match. It might have been interesting if she'd given me a moment to speak." Kurama knew more about plants than anyone, and this girl hadn't even given him a chance to comment.

"Sorry, man," Kuwabara said, passing him the controller. "Shiina's really sweet, but I know she's been stressed lately."

"It's all right. I appreciate the attempt. Perhaps, if possible, no more dinner dates. If we can compress it into the time I have for lunch, I'll have a better excuse to leave than that my cat needs to be fed." As if on cue, Eikitchi hopped onto the back of the couch, rubbing her face against Kurama's. He scratched the cat absently as Yusuke picked the next venue for the game.

"Yeah, no sweat," Kuwabara said. "Hopefully, Noriko will be better. She's your date tomorrow."

Kurama didn't say anything more, just nodded his head as he proceeded to mercilessly beat Yusuke in round after round of the game. When he'd had his fill, he passed the controller to Hiei, who looked at it like it was a snake that might bite him, before the fox demon headed to his room.

One bad date wasn't enough to make him want to give up, but it was close.

…

The next date was at the bookstore, and it was just as bad as the first, with Noriko spending the entire time staring at him like he was some strange creature she'd never seen before. Were all women like this? It would have been a complete bust if not for one thing: he'd gotten to see the red-haired girl again.

It had happened while he was waiting for Noriko to arrive. He'd merely been standing near the counter, thinking about ordering himself some coffee when he felt a presence above him. He barely had time to look up before someone launched herself from the balcony railing of the floor above, doing a backflip mid-air, and sticking a perfect landing barely a foot from him.

Her landing was met with applause, and it made him wonder if this wasn't a regular occurrence. Interestingly, he found he didn't care. It was her again: the red-haired girl. He'd tried to banish her from his thoughts since he'd seen her nearly two days ago, but sometimes, he would see her dark hair or her blue eyes in his head when he least expected it.

"A-chan, you need to stop!" a girl said, approaching the redhead.

"But it's so much faster," she replied, her voice full of laughter.

"You're going to give me a heart attack."

Before Kurama could even think to do anything-tap her on the shoulder, ask her name, offer to buy her coffee if she would stick around until he figured out why he couldn't get her out of his head-a voice behind him said, "Shuichi?"

He turned to find who he would shortly learn was Noriko smiling up at him. When he looked back over his shoulder, both the redhead and her friend were gone.

…

"A-chan" had to be a nickname, but for what? There were so many A names, and that was assuming the nickname was for the first letter of her first name. He couldn't stop thinking about it to the point that he got very little work done. By the time he got home, he was so irritated that he nearly stepped on Eikitchi on his way to the living room.

"Sorry!" he gasped as the cat gave him an indignant look before dashing away. This was unfortunate, and the last thing he ought to do was take it out on his friends or their pets. Taking deep, calming breaths, he changed destinations, heading into the kitchen. He would make dinner. That would clear his mind.

When Kuwabara came home from class, he joined the fox in the kitchen. "How'd this one go?" he asked.

"Do you think she was raised by wolves by any chance?"

"Wolves?" Kuwabara frowned, grabbing the milk from the fridge. "What did she do?"

"She stared at me like she'd never seen a person before." Kurama sighed, shaking his head.

Kuwabara laughed. "That's a good way to describe it." He poured himself a glass, saying, "She's really nice if you can get past that expression. She always looks like that."

"Kuwabara, is the next one normal? No theses, no deer-in-the-headlights resting expression?"

"Totally. Mina is a keeper."

Sighing, Kurama put the finishing touches on the food he was making, doling out some for himself and Kuwabara. "Forgive me if I don't have high hopes." The pair sat down at the table, and began to eat, Kurama trying his hardest not to ask the question on the tip of his tongue. He failed.

"Kuwabara, you don't know a red-haired girl who goes to your school, do you?"

"Red-hair, huh? That's not very specific."

"I don't know her name, but she was at the bookstore today."

"Beats me, but if you've got your eyes on someone, should I call off your dates?"

"No, no it's all right. I was just curious." The two were silent for a while, nothing but the sound of eating to break it. Then, he said, "How did you know you were in love with Yukina?"

"Hm?" Kuwabara swallowed his bite of food before saying, "It was love at first sight. She was a beautiful damsel in distress, and I wanted to be her knight." He struck a pose, and Kurama smiled. "Once I saw her, I couldn't stop thinking about her, couldn't get her out of my head."

"Is that so?" Perhaps that was what had happened to him, but it didn't feel like love. At least, not the way Kuwabara described it.

"Yeah. It made it hard to focus on things like school work, but after I told her I loved her, it got easier on me."

That part at least sounded like what Kurama was dealing with. "Thank you, Kuwabara. And thank you for the dates."

"You sure you're actually grateful for those?" Kuwabara asked, smiling as he picked up the empty dishes, taking them over to the sink.

"Just because they aren't going well doesn't mean I'm not thankful for the effort."

…

Date number three was late. Kurama had been sitting at a diner for about five minutes when she came in, looking irritated. Were all of Kuwabara's friends just abnormal? Not that he had a lot of room to talk, but still, these dates were terrible.

"Sorry," she said as she sat down across from him. "I got held up."

"That's all right," he replied, smiling.

She sat down, grunting, "I swear, if I hear one more word about how great Asaki is, I'm going to hurl."

"Asaki?"

She growled, burying a hand in her hair. "Yeah, Asaki Anno? Red hair, always in a braid? She's like little miss perfect. She volunteers at just about every function, and she manages the bookstore, so everyone thinks she's this super-helpful angel who can do no wrong. People like that piss me off."

A-chan. Asaki Anno. The rest of the date might have gone well, but Kurama was too distracted to notice if it had. All he could think was that now he had a name to go with her face and his strange feelings.

…

"Asaki Anno." Kuwabara looked up at him from where he sat on the couch when Kurama said the name.

"What?" It took him a second before he realized. "Oh, yeah, she's a red-head. That's your girl?"

"What do you know about her?"

"Wait, wait!" Yusuke said, sliding into the living room from somewhere else in the house. "Kurama's got his eyes on a girl? Was it today's date?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head before turning back to Kuwabara.

"Asaki's like this super-smart chick who's always running around campus, helping everybody. I haven't really talked to her much, but there's tons of rumors about her."

"Ooh!" Yusuke said as Hiei climbed into the house through the living room window. When it was warm out, they kept the window open since Hiei didn't like using the door like a normal person. "What kind of rumors?" Yusuke was having entirely too much fun with this.

"Well, I've heard she's got really weird social skills because her dad locked her up or something. She probably breathes fire. Uh, some people say she lives in a mansion and others think she lives in a dumpster. I heard she recently got out of a really abusive relationship. They say he beat her and crap like that."

"What kind of man beats his girlfriend?" Yusuke growled, crossing his arms. "It's disgusting."

"Right? That's not a man. A real man would look after her and make her feel like she's a princess." Kuwabara sounded like he was grinding his teeth as he spat this.

"Damn straight. Well, Kurama, if you're interested in her, I think you've got one hell of a battle ahead of you."

"I never said I was interested like that," Kurama replied. What he'd said didn't match the rapt attention he paid to Kuwabara's every word, however.

"Anything else?" Yusuke asked.

"Not really. I think she went to high school around here somewhere, and I know she runs the bookstore."

"A-ha!" Yusuke had been scrolling through his phone for a minute or two while they'd been talking, apparently looking something up. "Asaki Anno, Business student. It says here she graduated top of her class from Meiou High School." Which made him look up, frowning. "She's Kuwabara's and my age, so she would have been a first-year there when you were in your third."

"Go figure," Kuwabara replied as Yusuke passed his phone to Kurama. There she was, bright eyes and a great big smile, her red hair tied neatly back in a long braid. It looked like this was her student ID picture. Based on appearance alone, you never would have guessed she'd ever had a cross word said to her, let alone been mistreated her entire life if the rumors were to be believed.

"Well, she's smart, and she's pretty," Yusuke said as he took his phone back. "That's two qualities down. And if she helps people on campus, she's probably friendly and good with new people. She's perfect."

"You've forgotten the most important part," Hiei stated, crossing his arms. "She has to be able to put up with him."

"Damn, you're right."

"The only way we'll know that is if we try," Kuwabara said. "Should I call off your other dates?"

"I'll make it through the week," Kurama said. "Two more dates. Besides, I…." Besides what? Besides, he didn't know how he actually felt about this girl? Besides, it was weird to be this interested in a complete stranger? Besides, the way she was taking up all of his thoughts made her dangerous?

"Besides, you're too afraid that it might work out," Hiei finished for him.

...

Kurama found Hiei on the roof of the apartment building that night. It was one of the demon's favorite places to sleep when he wasn't at Mukuro's.

"Are you two having a fight?" Kurama asked as he settled down beside his old friend.

"We're always fighting," Hiei replied, knowing exactly who Kurama was talking about.

"Mm." They sat in silence for a while before Kurama said, "What about this time?"

"Does it matter? Mukuro has mood swings like a human female. Unlike a human, however, hers are actually dangerous."

Mukuro grew stronger when she was angry or filled with hatred, two things Hiei had managed to alleviate immensely when he became her second-hand man. That didn't mean she wasn't still incredibly powerful, but she was nowhere near as strong as before the first Demon World Tournament.

"How do you feel about Mukuro?" Kurama asked him.

Normally, this wasn't a question the spiky-haired demon would entertain, but Kurama had a feeling Hiei had guessed at his purpose. "I don't dislike her," he replied after a while. "She irritates me to no end, and she's inflicted graver wounds upon me than any other foe I've faced, so she has my respect. I do not mind working with her or living with her, although her moods are tiring."

"I can only imagine." Whatever sort of relationship Hiei had with Mukuro, while it didn't make sense to Kurama, he was happy for his friend. He could tell that being near her made him happy or at least as happy as Hiei could manage.

"I enjoy making her happy," Hiei admitted before turning his red eyes on his friend. "However, you would do well not to base the kind of relationship you may want on my own. Ask one of the other morons instead. You would do better with their kind of partnership."

Hiei was right. The idea of routinely fighting with a significant other, whether warranted or otherwise, did not sound appealing to him in the least. What he really wanted was a nice girl that he could introduce to his mother. Someone with a strong mind who liked quiet moments but could handle the loud ones, who had at least a mild interest in gardening, and who wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty.

Red hair flashed through his mind, and he wondered what kind of person Asaki Anno really was. He was determined to find out.

…

Kurama went to the bookstore Asaki managed after he got off work. He didn't want to admit it, but he was hoping he would see her again. For a Thursday night, the place was pretty empty, only a few people at the cafe and no one in the main part of the store.

He slowly made his way through the stands, not really sure what he was doing. This was folly, being so consumed with curiosity over someone else that he would waste his time here. The thought had him so irritated that he turned, fully planning on leaving. What stopped him was someone shouting, "Dammit, A-chan!"

"Just a little more," was the reply from the voice he felt like he knew so well, even though he'd only heard it three times.

"It's not going to work. I can't hold it."

"You can do it, Haru!"

"I swear, I'm going to kill you." All of this while Kurama made his way to the source of the voices. He could see the dark-haired girl, presumably Haru, carrying a ridiculous amount of books. She was staggering under the weight as another book landed on top of her stack from above.

The stack started to tumble, but Kurama dashed forward just in time to catch a good half of them, keeping them from falling to the ground.

"Nice catch." Kurama looked over at the girl who had a relieved smile on her face.

"See, Haruka? I told you this would work." Kurama could barely see beyond his stack of books, but he could just make out Asaki leaning over the railing, smiling.

"It only worked because Soldier A was here to help," Haruka said, tilting her head toward Kurama.

"You can't call people that," she replied, shaking her head.

"Everyone has to be Soldier A sometimes. Anyway, thanks for the assist." It took Kurama a second to tear his eyes away from Asaki, but the expression on Haruka's face didn't match her words. She looked like she was trying to figure him out, and he didn't like it.

"You're welcome," he said.

"Look out below!" Kurama looked up as Asaki vaulted over the edge of the railing, landing on the ground beside him, sticking her landing much like the other day. She threw her hands up in the air, grinning, only for Haruka to slap her in the back of the head. "Ow, hey!" she groaned.

"I told you not to do that!" Haruka growled. "You almost landed on Soldier A."

"I am 900 percent sure he has a name!" Asaki snapped, turning those bright blue eyes on Kurama for the first time today. He watched, curious as a frown flitted across her face. "You...look familiar."

"You bumped into me a few days ago," Kurama said.

"Right…." She dragged out the word as though that wasn't quite it. "Um, I'm Asaki." She held out a hand for him to shake, and he looked at it for a moment before taking it in his own, balancing the books he had in his free hand.

"Shuichi," he replied as their hands touched. Warmth jumped into his hand, and he slowly pulled away, confused.

"Nice to meet you," Asaki said. He saw her ball her hand into a fist, and he was sure she'd felt the same thing. What was this feeling?

"Likewise," she said, taking Kurama's books from him. "Thanks for the assist, Shuichi." She gave him a smile, turning to look at Haruka who was regarding them both coolly. "Haru?"

"Ignore me," Haruka said. "If you stare at him any harder, he might melt."

"Haruka!" she snapped, and Kurama had to refrain from chuckling as warmth filled him. He watched as Asaki's face grew as red as her hair. She brushed past her friend, not looking back as she set her books down by a door. "I hate you sometimes," the red-haired girl said, glaring.

"You love me!" Haruka cheered, making Kurama smile.

Asaki opened her mouth to say more when her phone began to ring. Kurama recognized the tone as the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and frowned as Asaki's face fell. She grabbed her phone, answering with a, "Yes, father?"

Kurama could just make out an angry voice on the other line, very clearly telling Asaki off about something. She just kept nodding, and when she finally hung up, she sighed. "Haruka, I've got to go. Will you be okay here?"

"No sweat. Tell your old man he's a dick for me."

"Will do," she offered in reply. "It really was nice to meet you," she said to Kurama, giving him a strangely formal bow. She froze halfway through as though realizing how odd it seemed. "Catch you later." With that, she dashed past the two of them and out of sight.

"All right, Red, that's enough staring." Kurama looked back at Haruka, frowning at her expression, like he was a jigsaw piece she couldn't quite fit in place. "Usually, her suitors aren't quite so obvious."

"Suitors?" Both meant to ask if that was what he was and to clarify that she'd had more than one man approach her in such a way. Haruka could only answer one of those questions.

"It's fine, honestly," she said, shrugging. "She's been talking about this guy she bumped into the other day with this bright red hair. Must have been you."

Kurama was disproportionately glad to hear this. Asaki had been talking about him? Maybe, just maybe, she'd been feeling the same strange things he had toward her.

"Tell you what," Haruka said, turning and walking toward a door marked "Employees Only." "Help me carry these to the back, and I'll answer your questions about her. How's that?" She passed him some of her books and then turned, walking and assuming Kurama would follow. He did.

When they reached the door, Haruka dropped all of her books on the floor, gesturing for Kurama to do the same. "Kai will get those later." After Kurama followed suit, Haruka leaned her shoulder against the wall, crossing her arms. "Shoot, Red. What do you want to know?"

What did he want to know? Haruka seemed rather close to Asaki, so he could ask her any question about her that had been pressing against his mind the past few days. What he ended up with was, "Are the rumors true?"

"Depends on which ones," Haruka replied, not missing a beat. "There are a lot. If you mean the one where she breathes fire, that's definitely not."

"Breathes fire?" Kuwabara had said something like that, hadn't he?

Haruka shook her head. "People come up with the weirdest crap. If you're asking about the one where she's a classist bitch because her father secretly owns, like, half of this city, that one's also a lie. She lives off her own money from running this place and whatever odd jobs she does. She's just a really nice girl who got dealt a really bad hand in life, and I'm really tired of assholes trying to say she's all these awful things when she isn't."

A bad hand, huh? "I suppose that means the rumors about her ex-boyfriend are true, then?"

The look on Haruka's face made him regret his words. "That fucking son of a bitch can go die in a hole. If he ever comes near her again, I'm going to break every bone in his damn body." Haruka pushed off the wall, her murderous eyes turned on him as she said, "It's none of my business to tell you what happened there, but I will tell you this."

She took a few steps toward him until they were practically touching, looking up into his face. She couldn't have been more than 5'5", but it felt like her anger made her grow a few sizes. He wasn't facing down an average human anymore but one made fiercer by dint of righteous fury. "If you decide to pursue her, if she decides to go out with you and you hurt her, I will make you regret living, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," he replied immediately, looking her in the eyes.

She nodded, taking a few steps back, her expression suddenly sad. "All she needs is someone to help her find herself again. She hasn't made it past a first date since that bastard, and she's lost her confidence."

Kurama felt like he understood her much better than before...both Haruka and Asaki. "One last question," he said, making Haruka sigh.

"Shoot."

"Does she like flowers?"

…

Yusuke was the only one home when he got there. Sitting on the couch, watching something on TV, he raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."

"I'm home," Kurama said, settling beside him.

"How'd it go?"

"Hm?"

"The date?"

"Oh." He'd completely forgotten about the girl he'd gone out with today. "She was...nice."

"That's not a good sign," Yusuke replied, picking up the remote and changing the channel.

"Yusuke, might I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Why Keiko?"

Yusuke muted the TV, sitting up and eyeing Kurama like he didn't know who he was looking at before saying, "Because she's my whole world."

"I don't understand," Kurama replied, shaking his head.

"Keiko's like…." Yusuke scratched his head, his face growing red. "She's like air or water or food, you know? I can't live without her anymore. So, what do you do with things you can't live without?"

"Marry them?"

"Damn straight!" Yusuke replied, shooting a finger gun at him. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'd be a moron to let her get away." He grinned, and suddenly, Kurama could see that same 14-year-old boy he first met five years ago staring back at him. Time was funny like that. Despite how much had passed, it was good to know Yusuke was still Yusuke.

The couple had been engaged for a while now, but as Keiko was still trying to finish college and Yusuke hadn't paid off his ramen cart yet, they hadn't moved in together, instead trying to save up as much as possible beforehand.

"We're a little weird, though," Yusuke said. "Just because we've known each other for so long. She's been my friend since we were little kids, and she's stuck by my side despite how stupid I've been. On top of that, she's totally chill with me having demons for best friends and being a weird demon-human-thing myself."

Kurama had to admit, he respected Keiko for that and the way she could rein Yusuke in when he was being too over-the-top. Yusuke was easily the strongest human in Living World, but one good slap from Keiko was enough to get him under control. Every time Yusuke left to fight in some new tournament or on some new case for Spirit World, Keiko was left fighting in her own ways. She had to fight the loneliness of being without him and the fear that he might not return. And yet, she stayed.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" Yusuke asked, suddenly hyper-focused on the fox demon.

Kurama stared at him, surprised by the question. It wasn't something he'd expected from Yusuke, but then again, he never ceased to surprise, to throw off even the most careful of plans. Kurama frowned, really thinking about what he'd been asked.

Before he'd come to Living World, he would have said no. Even back when he met Yusuke, he would have told him things like that didn't exist. Sitting here now, however, knowing how devoted each of his friends were to their significant others, what else could he possibly say?

"Yes."

…

His final date had ended with a headache. Kurama was thoroughly glad this entire endeavor was over, even if it had been fruitless. Or, at least the intended goal hadn't been reached. He'd gotten to meet Asaki because of it, so perhaps it wasn't a total waste. All that was left for him to do was actually say two words to her.

Standing outside the coffee shop where he'd stopped for some hot tea, he sighed as he looked up at the night sky. What to do now? He wanted to talk to Asaki, but it would have to be planned out carefully. The last thing he needed was to scare her away. His mind was racing through scenarios, thinking of different ways to approach the problem as he took a step forward, thinking to take a shortcut home.

"Look out!" Someone grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him backward. He stumbled, falling to the ground and landing on whoever had been behind him.

He quickly slid off, turning to find himself looking at Asaki herself. She looked a little dazed, and when their eyes met, her face flushed as red as her hair. "S-sorry!" she said. "You almost stepped on the lilies."

Sure enough, had Kurama taken that step forward, he would have crushed the white and red lilies growing beside the coffee shop. "It took me forever to get them to grow," she confessed, her words coming out quickly like she was torn between apologizing more and justifying herself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right. What about you? I think you took the brunt of my fall."

She sighed in relief before venturing a hesitant smile. "You're not that heavy."

Sitting on the ground like this with people passing by all around them, Kurama felt like his world had shrunk considerably. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was this girl in front of him. Looking into her blue eyes, he could see all the pain and fear she held close to her heart along with a strong fire that burned hot, proof that she was still here, still living, refusing to let her pain keep her down.

Do you believe in soul mates?

"You grew these?" Kurama asked, reaching out and touching the petals on one of the lilies.

"Mm-hm. I work weekends at this shop, and they told me it'd be okay if I wanted to give it a shot. For some reason, I'm only good at growing the pickier flowers. Silk Road lilies are my favorites." She blushed again, putting up her hands. "Ah, not that you needed to know all of that. Shuichi, right?"

Kurama nodded, smiling. This was not how he would have ever intended for this meeting to go, not in a thousand years, but if his friends were any example, such things didn't need to be meticulously planned. Sometimes, it was okay to just let them happen.

"Indeed," he replied. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Asaki." He got to his feet, extending a hand to her. She looked at it for a moment as if uncertain what to do before taking hold at last.

"You too," she said, her smile genuine and bright. How could anyone have looked at this girl and thought it was all right to hurt her? He wanted to protect her, keep her safe so that she never had to be sad. He wanted to make her happy, certain that would bring his own happiness. And, he wanted the chance to stay by her side, regardless of what foolish trouble might come their way.

It was funny, really, how the relationship Kurama wanted had situated itself somewhere squarely in the middle of the relationships of his closest friends. Each of them could take a bit of credit for what happened next, and when he told them this story later, they certainly would. Not that he cared. Whoever decided this was their influence over him didn't matter. What mattered was this girl in front of him and whatever future they might have together.

"I don't suppose you'd like to have lunch with me sometime?"

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. He watched as a gamut of emotions raced across her face-fear, uneasiness, nerves-before finally settling on something between happiness and hope. He wondered if maybe she hadn't been feeling the same pull toward him that he had toward her and if that was why she was still standing here, looking up at him with an expression that made him want to pull her into his arms.

"Sure," she said at last, the word coming out like a relieved sigh. She blushed again, and Kurama had to resist the urge to laugh and jump for joy all at once, the latter of which was very unlike him.

They exchanged numbers, and Kurama bid her a good night, heading straight home to tell his friends the news.

"Way to go, man!" Yusuke said, slapping him on the back.

"You got a girlfriend on your way home from a date, and it wasn't your date," Hiei stated, looking cross, but Kurama could tell he was happy for him as well.

"Kana won't care," Kuwabara said, naming off the last girl Kurama had gone out with today. "So, when are you going out with Asaki?"

"Soon," Kurama decided. He didn't think he could wait much longer before getting to know her. It had already been an agonizingly long week.

"Text her," Yusuke said. "You're the king of planning ahead, so do it!"

Kurama chuckled, pulling his phone out of his pocket, surprised to find that Asaki had beaten him to the punch. She'd sent him a text, just a picture, but this one was of red roses. A beat later, he received another message: How do you feel about roses?

Tomorrow. If they didn't have lunch together tomorrow, he wouldn't get any of his work done. After sending her a reply and asking about lunch, Kurama settled on the couch beside Yusuke and Kuwabara, Hiei perched on the arm. As Yusuke changed the channel, Kurama found himself smiling, certain that he would never feel lonely again.