Summary: Josefumi and Hoshikage unfuse and Yasuho doesn't know how to feel about it. A multi-chapter fanfic.

He'd stripped at his own suggestion.

It was the most strategic course of action rather than having to rewash his clothes, he explained. She could only nod before he tossed his sailor shirt near the door, turning her back toward him to grant the privacy he didn't know he needed.

Up till now, Yasuho assumed he had been styling his own hair. It wasn't until she started seeing little 'nicks' in Josuke's hair line that she'd questioned Tsurugi about who had been cutting his hair. To her dismay, Norisuke-san had assigned the task to the disgruntled Joshuu.

An attempt at forcing a brotherly-bond, she bemused.

The nicks became even more apparent after Josuke started asking her to go out with him more often. Josuke, was so honest in the way he dealt with people, she couldn't bare the thought of Joshuu trying to sabotage him under the ruse of helping his adopted brother keep up his appearance. And so she offered to to style his hair, which Josuke animatedly agreed to.

"Yasuho-chan!" Avoiding his gaze proved to be in vain as he ducked around her small frame to come face to face with her, in nothing but a pair of navy blue boxers.

"Oh my gosh." She said, feeling heat rush to her cheeks at the state of his undress. His eyes were bright, excitement permeating off him like a child on the first day of school. She could could feel her lips form their own smile as the warmth of his joy lit a spark in her.

Yasuho had him sit in a chair, facing away from the large bathroom mirror.

She grabbed the clippers Josuke had borrowed from his adoptive brother as she prepared to cut his hair.

"Here it goes." The crack in her tone was as unintentional as the shakiness of her hands. She'd be be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. Her heart was beating through her rib cage.

But why worry?

She'd cut her own hair since middle school so she knew her way around a pair of clippers. She'd never doubted her hair styling capabilities before, at least until Mamezuka came along. Overall, he was a courteous man but his flowery hospitality, grew from a dark crevice she was convinced hid monsters her nightmares could only dream of.

She avoided contact with him when at all possible.

Yasuho had been open to him when they have first met. They were under threat of attack by an enemy stand and Mamezuka had taken in both her and Josuke to his ski lift abode on the mountain. But in the midst of it all, he saw fit to use her as bait. Josuke had come to her aid after the plant appraiser pushed her down a 20ft drop, but she still had the scars to remind her of how disposable she was.

Unfortunately, she couldn't dodge Mamezuka without completely cutting off Josuke. The quest for the rokakaka had the two paired off like a married couple. But when she did have to see the plant appraiser, she spared only a few words.

Hello.

Goodbye.

And not much in between, if she could help it.

Mamezuka seemed to have a dark sense of humor.

He loved small talk.

Correction.

He loved small talk with her.

So much that he would break a extensive conversation with Josuke just to make a random remark she'd be forced to respond to. Lately, he'd taken a liking to doubled-edged comments on her appearance. The plant appraiser's compliments had their own backhand, most of which were aimed toward Yasuho's hair.

'You look like you cut your own bangs.' Yasuho recited the words internally. There was nothing offensive in what he said alone.

What was that supposed to mean anyway?

That man irked her to no end.

She loved the way her pink hair brushed the roofs of her eyelids and framed the sides of her face. She had a feeling that Josuke did too.

The buzzing roar of the clippers in her hand died in an instant when Yasuho realized her first folly. Stopping in her tracks, she instead pulled out a black heart-shaped compact decorated in gold colored roses.

"Woah, Yasuho!" Josuke jumped as he felt her soft form press into his back, Yasuho's arms wrapping around his shoulders and trapping him in a welcomed embrace. She rested her chin over the Joestar mark of his left shoulder as she spoke into his cheek.

"You forgot something." She teased.

His head whipped around so he could face her, a small amount of panic etched into his handsome features as his brows raised in question.

"Oh! I-I did?"

He was so cute, she could hardly stand it.

"Mhmm." She opened the compact mirror in her hand and faced it toward Josuke.

He looked intently at his own reflection.

His bi-colored eyes widened, inspecting his face from every angle as if recongizing himself for the first time. Yasuho almost dropped the mirror when his hand reached up to cover her own. Gently he angled her hand so that the mirror included both of them within its depths. The heart-shaped black border of the mirror, made their reflection look like one of those lovey-dovey couples photos her friends carried in when they wanted to brag about their boyfriends.

'If only..'

Yasuho averted her gaze, embarrassed about her thoughts.

She bit her lip.

"Yasuho? Was it something important? I'm s-sorry..I can't remember.." She could see the disappointment in his eyes over not being able find the answer.

He was just like the lost puppy she'd loved so much in her childhood.

"Oh, no. It's just...your hat is in the way. I need to get to your hair so i can cut it." She angled her hand up to reflect the white and blue sailor hat he was wearing in the mirror's reflection. His decorative tassle bounced where it hung on the rim of his hat as he titled his head, trying to understand the situation. His dark brows furrowed.

"No worries! I was just teasing you." Yasuho stood up and closed the compact mirror with a soft click before grabbing his left hand in both of hers. She felt a tightness in her chest. She regretted that her teasing had caused him distress. Had she been thinking, she would've remembered how sensitive Josuke was over his memories. It wasn't much but she rubbed the soft skin on the back of his hand, hoping it would be enough to soothe him.

Josuke looked up at her from where he was seated. Slowly his full lips stretched into the gap-toothed smile she loved so much. Promptly, he took off his sailor hat and placed it on the counter behind him. Free from constraint, his hair cascaded to his shoulders. Each strand, a wave in a dark ocean of lustrous hair. It was in stark contrast to his alabaster skin, and plush rose-colored lips.

His mischiveous dark eyes turned to Yasuho.

"What a naughty girl!" In his excitement he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. It might've been a bit too tight, because Yasuho's knee collided with his, causing her leg to bend as she fell into his lap.

Yasuho squealed.

If it wasn't for his strong arm, she would've been picking teeth off the bathroom floor. Her body weight had completely rocked over his legs, her face halting inches from touching the tile as her legs flailed in the air to counterbalance her weight on Josuke's bare thighs. She knew he would never hurt her, but sometimes she wondered if he realized how strong he actually was.

"Oh, my gosh." Yasuho let out an exasperated breath that turned into a nervous laugh. She allowed her legs to drop as she relaxed. The distribution of her weight put a pressure on her lower abdomen and pelvis that left her slightly breathless.

"What are you laughing at Yasu-chan? Huh?!" Josuke cocked his head to the side as he peered down at Yasuho, a playful glint in his eyes.

Yasuho may be small, but she was never one to back down from a challenge.

She turned her head to look him straight in the eyes.

"I'm laughing at you, Josuke Higashikata!" She attempted to lift herself up from her bent position only to have Josuke tickle her profusely. Her body involuntarily writhed at the feel of his treacherous fingers gliding along the exposed skin, where her shirt had hiked up to expose her belly and back.

"Uh-uh. You're still in time out, you naughty girl!"

Yasohu laughed frantically.

"What was that?" Josuke held his right hand up to his ear, as if he struggled to hear her. He was rubbing it in. Part of her wanted to throw a hissy-fit, and the other half wanted to kiss him.

Though, she could hardly respond for all the giggles that escaped her.

"Josuke, please!"She spoke between breaths.

"Hmm?" The lilt in his voice was full of amusement.

"Please!" Yasuho couldn't take it anymore.

She caved.

Payback was a given.

Josuke Higashikata's day would come.

For now she'd play nice, because he'd won today.

Cheater.

She resisted rolling her eyes and Josuke grabbed her hand to pull her up. Yasuho, who had been face down the whole time, landed in a resting position on her knees as Josuke gently positioned her weight to the lower half of her body.

Yasuho pouted.

She squinted her eyes into the best death glare she could muster, resulting in Josuke wiping tears from his eyes from laughing so hard.

"Yasu-chan, is sooo cute." He never let go of her hand, which he held in his lap as he stared down at her in all his half naked glory. His porcelain skin glistened in the fluorescent light. Not because he was clammy, but because he was born with skin that most girls would strangle a cat for. Both soft and firm.

Yasuho found herself mesmerized, yet again, in the gaze of his bi-colored eyes. He possessed a beauty, that didn't belong in this world. When she looked hard enough she could see the seam that ran along the center of his body. It was easy to forget that at one point Josuke had been two separate people, each with their own hopes and dreams. She wondered if she had gotten to know either Kira Yoshikage or Kuujo Josefumi, would they have been as close as she was with Josuke.

She wondered if Josuke was attached to her because he truly liked her, or just because he felt he didn't have anyone else to turn to. She craved his attention. It was undeniable. But sometimes she felt guilty. Was she taking advantage?

She found herself becoming self conscious when she realized Josuke was still holding on to her hand. He turned it, palm side up. Lightly, he began tapping the base of her index finger with the tip of his own. His breathing had become heavier, his broad shoulders rising and falling in a rythmic fashion.

"Umm, Josuke.."

He didn't bother to explain as he intersected their fingers.

Softly, he pushed the tips of his fingers through the divides at the base of her hand, forcing a gap between them. Yasuho's skin tingled as he slowly uncurled the joints of his noticeably larger hand. It felt like thread gliding the eye of a needle, building static as he traced between them, spreading her fingers to match is own. The stretch was gratifying and somehow wider than she'd ever positioned them on her own accord.

It felt strange.

Yet pleasurable like something she was almost too scared to name.

Yasuho could feel her heart begin to race when Josuke bit his lip. His gaze fixated on her slightly trembling fingers. He'd never acted this way before. She was in a bit of a daze. Her mind tried to process what was happening but drew up a blank.

Josuke closed his eyes. His mouth parted as began lift her hand.

He wouldn't...

The warm moisture of his steady exhales against her fingers made the cool air of the room all too noticeable in its absence. His mouth parted a little wider, his tongue peaking ever so slightly over the curve of his moist lips.

"J-Josuke?!" Her voice was urgent. Almost pleading. This was not normal behavior for him. It was increasingly difficult to fight back the notion that this Josuke wasn't quite the same guy she picked up from between the wall-eyes.

"What a lovely voice." They were both brought out of the moment by a voice that was neither Josuke's or her own. Josuke released Yasuho's hand as his attention focused on the intruder.

"Ah, Jobin-san. Konnichiwa!" Josuke greeted in a chipper voice. It was as if nothing had transpired between them. The atmospere lightened immensely with his change in demeanor.

"I wish my wife would say my name like that." Jobin sauntered in to the bathroom, amusement rolling off him like a heady perfume. The green hair that swept over his right eye, was held in place by its usual hair clip. A left-over from the Higashikata ritual of dressing the first-born son as a girl in order to ward off misfortune. It was a feminine contrast to his masculine demeanor.

The eldest Higashikata son's presence was overwhelming and Yasuho instinctively retreated ever so slightly behind Josuke's form, hoping to God that she could somehow dissapear.

"Jobin-san, I thought you had gone to Hawaii as well." Josuke turned his body toward the Jobin and the door; Away from where Yasuho kneeled at the side of his chair.

Josuke had told her that his adoptive family had flown to Hawaii as a weekend getaway. She hadn't expected any run-ins. Least of all with Joshuu's older brother. She recalled very little interaction with him despite being his younger brothers childhood friend. He always wore a pleasant smile on his lips despite his predicament of worrying over the possibility of his only son suffering the cruel fate of the rock illness.

'Oh, God...please don't look at me' She begged inwardly.

"I'm still jet-lagged from my business trip to New Zeleand. I'd like to keep my zombie ass here in Morioh for a while." His laugh was unrestricted and warm as a thousand summers. "Don't mind me, I just came to grab an aspirin."

He patted Josuke's shoulder as he passed them both by to open the closet on the far end of the room. There was a series of bangs and clunks until he held up a small white bottle with a red cap that rattled when shook. Pleased with himself, Jobin stepped right over a flustered Yasuho who clung to Josuke's leg like a lost child seeking protection. He didn't acknowledge her in the slightest.

'It's like he doesn't even see me.. '

Yasuho's eyes crossed as a translucent bubble floated into her line of sight, settling on the tip of her nose. Relief washed over her as recognized the barely visible bubbles of Josuke's stand, "Soft and Wet," most of which, settled in the palm of his hand. She never felt more greatful for his ability to remove things selectively, such as sounds and sight.

Josuke was hiding her from Jobin!

Her grip on Josuke's leg loosened, and she couldn't help but smile in gratitude to his reflexive protection. Josuke seemed at peace with Jobin's company. Though her friend's actions made her wonder if the elder Higashikata put him on edge as much as her.

Jobin grabbed the door knob as he began to exit the bathroom. He stepped into the hallway, then paused to turn toward Josuke again.

He lowered his uninterested eyes to where Yasuho was kneeling behind a seated Josuke.

He waved.

"Ya-chan, Yo!" Leaning against the frame of the open bathroom door, Jobin's eyes widened as he feigned shock at Yasuho's compromised position on the floor. He gasped, bringing his hand up to pathetically cover his slackened jaw. "I'm sure Joshuu would be heart broken!"

"We're not dating!" Yasuho sputtered.

"No need to explain to me, missy." He winked at her then regarded Josuke.

"Those are fuckboy problems." And with that, Jobin skipped down the hall muttering words that suggested a little heartbreak might grow Joshuu a few chest hairs..

The door shut with a resounding click.

Yasuho turned to Josuke who appeared just as shocked as she felt.

His eyes were fixated on the door through which Jobin exited.

It was Yasuho who chose to break the silence. "I thought you hid me from him."

"I did." was Josuke's soft reply.

To be continued..

Author's notes: Hey guys, I'm pretty excited about this story. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I'll try to update at least once a month.

Yasuho needs more love in the fanfic community!

Comments and criticisms are more than welcomed :D