EYE TO EYE
~A Kazuma Kuwabara Dedication~
All Yu Yu Hakusho characters are owned by Togashi Yoshihiro/Sheisha, Fuji TV, Pierrot, and FUNimation.
I switched from one foot to the other, my tux scratching in new places now. Pleasantries, as my sister had called them, were taking forever. I only wanted to be going down the aisle, to wait for my fiancée so we can be wed, not this talking and jabbering beforehand. I have, still, fifty minutes to go, thanks to Shizuru's expensive pre-wedding gift, given with the words "So you won't be late, little bro'." Everything else I had expected to get after the ceremonies, like normal, but Keiko had given me a stress release ball, the ones that bounce back after a few moments when you crush it. Luckily for me, mine was a yellow one with a smiley face, dorky, but just the right mood that I wasn't in. I guess Keiko knows what she's doing, since she already went through a wedding. She got married just out of her university, when Yusuke popped up to tell her the date, without any further planning, and dragged her off to the Makai. However, he called it "whisked away" while Keiko still calls it "being kidnapped". Luckily, after being married for a whole year now, neither seems to use it as anything more than a passing joke.
Still, both presents were taken gratefully, and the second didn't come in handy for the first hour of the morning, around six, when I woke up and was walking around, with, as Botan calls it, "that big, stupid grin on your face" as I took out every picture I had of her, then sat on her seat in the couch, then walked through the whole house and did it all over again. It wasn't until around eight, or half past eight, that I started getting nervous. /Would she come? Would she change her mind? What if she thinks I'm too ugly? What happens if… If… If… /Then, I managed to snap at any smiling face I saw, even on the screen, and the stress ball came in handy. Then, about hour after that, I went into depression, for who knows how long, and I gave up the stress ball. Then, another wave of giddiness overtook me, just before I got to the estate for the wedding, which was the deceased Genkai's dojo, where Yusuke and Keiko had had their wedding. I came in with my trademark grin, and anyone who had stopped by in my bad mood wrote it off as wedding jitters.
Now, my grin has stayed for an hour, but was just a little stressed a few minutes ago. Now, I'm considering giving it up. The grin, at least, not anything else. There was a lull in the chaos of the room as the door opened. I just sighed, thinking of only more guests, and leaned against the wall.
/"I got a kick out of watching you fight, Kazuma!"/
My eyes flew open. Where had that come from? The Dark Tournament, after the semifinals, wasn't it? Fighting…
/"Throwing punches isn't the only way of fighting, bro'."/
Shizuru taught me a good portion of my skills, and tutored me when in school, after I left the Urameshi Team. Or, more correctly, the Urameshi Team fell apart. Fighting… Isn't fighting unrest a form of fighting? I sighed deeply, before pushing myself away from the wall and into the chaos of the room, walking around a bit, making small talk. My grin enlarged as I took time to imagine what Yukina would say to each of these comments. My spirit had lifted greatly, and in only twelve minutes, leaving thirty-eight to go. My gaze fell downward as I walked between a few tables, in the midst of the worst part of the crowd, and I saw him. Of all the times…
"Hello, Kazuma Kuwabara."
/"So, tell me, what's it like, living in a constant haze of stupidity?"/
/"He's a first-rate fool."/
/"Koenma may see us as equals, but I do not."/
/"Like I said, babysitting."/
Hiei stood before me, looking up, a cold glare on his face.
/"Yukina's brother. Sounds like a noble cause. We should assist her too, Hiei."/
/"Yeah, you can even lend an eye!"/
Even since then, I knew. Is that another reason I let her into our conversations, even when it really wasn't called for? To press him into telling her? Of course, the resemblance was uncanny, impossible to miss. Truly, I'm surprised Yukimura didn't figure it out, being the "straight-A"-type student she is. Short, swift, and elemental-power laden, how could one not put it together? I played dumb, yes, so I wouldn't have to admit it to myself, or to them. Their eyes were the same, had the same red that could not be mistaken, both having seen too much blood, although it slid off Hiei like water on a duck, but it held onto Yukina. The scars of the lives they lead were too similar not to see they were related. And since she didn't know… I wasn't about to tell her. Hiei was right. Yes, it would end her search, but would she live happily ever after, knowing her brother was a killer? And, yet… Hiei was right, then. Now, have not circumstances changed? He works for the Makai, keeping the connection between the human and demon world clear, so should that not be heroic enough to tell her? It's not like she dislikes him, she just doesn't know him well…
/"Hiei… is he the boy who would not play cards with us, the one with the gifted eyes?"/
They'd get along fine, truly.
"So, we're going to be…" He stopped, as if considering to tell me. I sighed. Here goes nothing.
"In-laws," we both said in unison. I started when our voices came out almost as one, and he started at my word.
" /What?/ " He asked, slowly, as if fearing either he had heard wrong, or as if I could not understand unless he went slow. Due to his low level of respect for me, probably the latter.
"We're going to be in-laws in… twenty-seven minutes." My pause elicited from shooting a look at my brand-new, still-shiny silver watch, which was now coming in handy. Hiei's eyes narrowed.
"You knew?"
"Well, I should say it was obvious, I mean, every time she popped up in conversation you would freak out, and every time something happened to her, you would-"
"So? How do you know I did just not care for her?"
"The eyes. Duh." I could see him seething, and making a show of feigned indifference, and failing. So, I burst his bubble. That's not too big a deal.
"You told her?"
"What? No, of course not!" My answer drew looks along the many tables.
"Why?"
"Because /YOU'RE/ going to tell her." He glared at me. "And /then/ if you refuse, I will." We stood, glaring at each other, for quite some time, before he sighed suddenly.
"In-laws…" He grumbled irritably. "With the /moron/…"
"Hey!"
"And, yet," he said, looking up at me. "I trust you to take care of her. Continue holding her in your high standards, and if you're lucky, you won't get any more calls from me than needed." He paused, looking me in the eye, a flicker of understanding passing between us, before he just nodded to me and turned to leave, and take a seat in the sanctuary. He was really going to stay and watch. As if I wasn't nervous enough. But… We understood. The best thing for Yukina was for us to both be there for her, one by her side in the light, and one in the shadow of her made by that light.
Finally, everything was set. I had been standing at the alter a total of five minutes, sweating as much as humanly possible, and barely breathing. Finally the doors crashed open. Everyone spun in their seats, startled, and I jumped. Hiei walked in, leading the beautiful Yukina in by the arm, and, after the large crash of the door, probably due to his brash methods. He slowed and walked carefully, as though holding a precious flower petal. What am I saying?!? He /IS/ holding a precious flower. My best man, Urameshi looked shocked for a moment, before he turned to see if I was startled. However, after his kicking-in of the door, I had paid him no more attention. Yukina was all I saw, and all I ever wanted to see.
/"Who are you?…Kuwabara?"/
/"Don't worry, I like humans…Very much."/
"Isn't in wonderful, Kazuma? Hiei's accepted my request to stand in for my lost brother!" Yukina cried out.
Here we go again.