A/N: Sooo, welcome to my new fan fic... I haven't done any in this genre before, But YYH is my favourite anime so I figured it should get some of my attention. ^.^

Well here's the typical disclaimer: I do not own, Yu Yu Hakusho... or their considerably sexy and ridiculous characters...however, Reika is MINE, as is the plot.

Thanks for reading!

~ V

P.S. This chapter is now different from the original. I have edited it a bit, and (thanks to a reviewer) changed Yusuke's name to what it should be. Not Yuskue. *face palm* I will be going through and editing the entire story, hopefully making it flow much better. No more uploading these babies at four in the bloody morning. :D Enjoy!

All writing that is in Italics is either a memory (which will be obvious), or a premonition.

Chapter 1

Reika Urameshi stood resolutely by her mother's grave, one long fingered hand rising to brush away the icy kiss of a raindrop as it caressed her silken cheek. Sarayashiki was cold this time of year; spring had brought a disappointing mixture of rain, fog, and despair. She watched as they lowered her mother's oak coffin into the dark, dank hole; her hands clenched desperately as she tried to hold back her tears. Even though she knew that the coffin was empty, that her beautiful mother had been cremated just days before this symbolic burying of her was still enough to bring all her pain, all her anger, crashing back to the fore. Her father placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his heat barely felt through the layer of her trench coat.

"It's time to go, Reika. We need to get you home and out of the rain." She shrugged his hand off angrily, stepping away from him to gaze down into the hole.

"I'm not fragile Dad. A little bit of cold water isn't going to do me in." She watched the hurt cross his still youthful face, then the hurt fled as his temper sparked indiscriminately into existence. A temper she had rightly inherited.

"Reika, we are leaving, right now!" He barked, stepping towards her. Kuwabara strode forwards, one hand outstretched to grab his best friend. Reika shook her head in warning, she had had plenty of experience dealing with her father's sometimes volatile temper, and there was no way she was backing down now. Her long hair lashed the air as she shook her head angrily, her next words leaving her mouth like the staccato beat of a rapid fire gun.

"Mom was sick, Dad. I, however, am perfectly healthy! Now leave me the hell alone so I can cry in peace!" She turned her back to him once more and glared down into the dark hole, where they were tossing dirt back into the grave. Reika stood there for what felt like hours, watching the hole drink greedily of the earth, listening to the rhythmic whoosh as it slowly filled. Her mother's grave. The grave that had been dug years before, when Keiko had come home from the doctor with horrifying news, a developing tumour in her brain, inoperable, and slowly but surely killing her. It had taken five years, but Keiko Urameshi had finally succumbed to the ravages of illness at the age of forty five. Rei barely registered the rain slipping silently down her cheeks, mingling with her own tears. It wasn't until she turned around and saw her uncle and father arguing in the vehicle, saw the windshield wipers flicking back and forth obscuring their faces, that she even knew there was moisture there. Scrubbing futilely at her eyes she stumbled towards the vehicle. The door jammed as she opened it, and with a vicious curse she ripped the door open and slid into the car. Yusuke flinched as she prodded him, interrupting his tirade mid sentence.

"We can go home now." Yusuke kicked the vehicle into drive, and proceeded to ignore Kuwabara and his daughter for the rest of the ride. Reika didn't care, her thoughts were occupied with memories of her mother.

Reika collapsed onto her futon, the emerald green comforter giving way beneath her supple form. She pillowed her head on her folded arms, brown eyes closing as she listened to the English rock gently flowing from her iPod docking station. It had taken her years, but she had learned English, thanks to her red haired uncle Shuichi. He'd gone through the basics with her, basic sentence structure and grammar. American slang still evaded her, why someone would yell 'burn' when they insulted someone seemed an idiotic thing to do. It wasn't until a couple months ago, when Shuichi had come to their house with some pamphlets, that she'd even realized his true intentions for teaching her the language.

"I don't think I can go, Shuichi. Mom's still so sick, and Dad's running himself ragged between the ramen booth and taking care of her. I'm working as a maid at a hotel and taking night courses at the university. I know if he wanted he could shut the booth down...but it was left to her by her parents when they died, and he knows it makes her happy to have us working there, taking care of it after all of these years." Shuichi's emerald eyes, so kind and yet so sharp seemed to bore into her.

"I understand if you don't want to come live with me in America... I know you can finish your degree here, do your social work here, but this is a rare opportunity. You still have half a semester until your finals, and then the following semester and summer to decide. Just think about it, put the application in, and if you're accepted than you have the chance to go somewhere new, experience a new lifestyle. The Reika I know would jump at the chance." She watched the small smile pull at his lips, the warmth and affection in his eyes. With a sigh she grabbed the package of forms, ripped it open, and started reading. Shuichi's smile spread into a grin and he happily began pointing out programs she could take in the foreign exchange division. By the end of the package she was more excited then she'd been in months, and eagerly signed the necessary forms. It wasn't until Shuichi hugged her goodbye, leaving her with the number for his home phone in New York, that she wondered what her parents would think about this.

Reika tried to fall asleep, really, she did. But the pounding in her head wouldn't abate, and her throat was parched. Grunting she pushed herself up off her bed and padded barefoot down the hallway and into the kitchen. She paused just outside the kitchen, wary of the light glowing from inside. Peeking around the corner she caught sight of her father, sitting at the table, head in his hands and his shoulder shaking as he sobbed. Oh. Steeling herself she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Resting her cheek on his head she breathed deeply of his spicy scent and wondered when the pain would end. Yusuke froze when she touched him, but gradually relaxed as his sobs became more of a cleansing than a turbulent release of pain and anger. After a couple of minutes she pulled him off the chair and dragged him upstairs.

"You need to sleep Dad, Even if it's just for a couple of hours." Yusuke flopped onto his bed, curling up on his side. Reika looked down at him, her eyes tracing the familiar stubborn features of her only living relative. Yusuke was 46 years old, the only thing that marked his age were the scars on his arms, hands, and chest, and the lines of grief and laughter on his face. Other than that, Yusuke could be any young thirty something man. Muttering darkly to herself she curled up next to him, and wrapped her arms around him, pillowing his head on her shoulder.

"Just go to sleep, daddy. You'll feel better tomorrow, I promise." Yusuke huffed slightly at that, a small smile quirking his lips. After a few minutes she could sense he was sleeping, and as she lay there, she wondered if her promise would ever come true.