AN: Written for the prompt: Yuu Yuu Hakusho, any pairing of Yuusuke + Kurama + Hiei, giddy exhaustion after a fight
The six demon assassins are in pieces, some singed, some sliced neatly, others in fleshy chunks from where Yuusuke's rei-gun blew them to bits. They had been taken by surprise, doing reconnaissance. The demons had not been very strong—for assassins, they hadn't done their homework on their targets' levels of strength—but they'd clipped Yuusuke on the first pass through. They hadn't died quickly or easily, having the annoying ability to melt into the surroundings.
Yuusuke is the first to laugh, blood dripping from a head wound into his eyes and down his neck to pool in his collarbone. He is filthy; he was hit in the bloody-rain when Kurama sliced through the torso of the cat-clawed assassin. Kurama is spotless. Yuusuke finds this hilarious. "How the hell did I get a gut bath and you only got a single rip in the sleeve?" he gasps past his laughter.
Kurama lifts his sleeve and tsks. "I thought that missed." If he weren't sweaty and his hair disheveled, Yuusuke would think Kurama hadn't fought.
Hiei smirks where he stands over a burned corpse of a wolf-demon. "Getting slow?"
"I'm not the one with the bite on my arm," Kurama says. The advantage of having the distance of a whip—he avoided most of the attacks aimed for close quarters by keeping them away and blocked the majority of long range attacks. "But really, Yuusuke, were you trying to paint yourself with the blood of your enemies? You ran right under the cat when I cut him."
Yuusuke snorts and sprawls on his back. "Please. You probably planned that."
Kurama tucks his rose whip away. "Would I do that?"
"Yes," Hiei and Yuusuke say together. Hiei has the expression on his face that says he's laughing his ass off at them on the inside. Kurama rolls his eyes.
"Eh," Yuusuke sits up again, grinning, "this situation isn't quite fair." He leans over and wipes one gore-covered hand on Kurama's face. Hiei's smirk shifts to a grin and Yuusuke laughs at the surprised disgust across Kurama's face.
Kurama's eyes narrow. Before Yuusuke can react, he shoves him bodily into Hiei. Yuusuke's gore smears across Hiei's shoulder as he fails to dodge one of Yuusuke's flailing arms. Now Hiei is glaring and Kurama is smug.
Yuusuke picks himself up, grinning. "Oh, it's on now."
Ten minutes later they are half a mile from the mess of demon assassin corpses, covered in blood and dirt and riding adrenaline high, laughing. Yuusuke is happy to see even Hiei laughing—it's more of a triumphant "ha!" than unrestrained laughter, but he counts it a win. When they left on the mission, Hiei was worn tight over Kuwabara dating his sister and Kurama had worried about leaving his mother alone for as long as the mission required, but they were getting along now. Yuusuke tackles Hiei, bowling over him and Kurama and takes the elbow in the ribs he expects to come.