Title: Define My Pain

By: Aina Song

Fandom(s): YYH/FF8 Crossover

Genre: Yaoi

Rating: NC-17

Warning(s): Language; Angst; Blood - Possibly some Saap, if I can manage it.

Pairing(s): Yusuke/Squall; implied Hiei/Kurama

Reviews: Yes, please.

Author's Note: Standard Disclaimer. This story was not written for money. Italics= dreams, and such.

Teaser: He didn't know what he needed… Until it found him.

Chapter One - Do It Again

Yusuke Urameshi hefted his duffel higher up on his shoulder, looking at the sight before him with a satisfied smirk. He was standing at the base of a large hill, at the foot of some stone steps that eventually would lead up to a temple at the top. Genkai's temple. His home away from home.

Behind him, Kurama gave a soft chuckle at their former leader's wistful look, and Hiei rolled his eyes. Though they both felt the same as did Yusuke. They rarely got to spend time in each other's company anymore; even less often could Yusuke find the chance to escape his responsibilities. This vacation was going to be just what they needed.

But then Yusuke sensed a sudden shift in the natural energies surrounding them; and Kurama gave a shout, pointing toward the sky. To any normal human, it would seem as though the skies were clear. But Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama watched as grey clouds swirled overhead. The air grew suddenly chill, and a large bolt of lightning struck the top of the hill. Its echo

roared in their ears.

Then it was over. With a low rumbling of thunder, the skies cleared and the flow of energy returned to normal. Yusuke swore. He raced up the stone steps two at a time, with his friends following close behind him.

They needn't have worried. Genkai was safe.

But the energy storm had not fled without leaving something in its wake. Two men lay unconscious upon the stone patio, small tendrils of smoke still coming up from their bodies. The three demons stared, and Yusuke knelt to better examine them. One was a tall blond. His short hair was slicked back, and an old scar crossed the bridge of his nose. He wore a thick blue vest, dark pants, and leather gloves. The storm did not appear to have seriously injured him.

The other was unlike any Yusuke had ever seen before. This one wore a white tee-shirt, dark pants, and a short-sleeved leather jacket. He also seemed to have a thing for belts. He wore a black one around his waist, where it belonged. Another black belt, and two of brown leather, hung loosely across his hips and intersected each other. Three more smaller brown belts hugged his left forearm.(1) His right forearm was heavily bandaged. Like his friend, his hands were gloved in black leather.

Yusuke lifted his gaze to this one's face. Its fine features seemed sculpted from marble, with a mouth that Yusuke was surprised to feel was simply begging to be kissed. With feathery soft brown hair that reached just to his shoulders, this stranger was an attractive youth. In between his closed eyes was a slim scar, exactly matching his friend's, but at an opposite angle.

Then Yusuke noticed the odd-looking weapons hanging from both newcomers' hips. Why would a sword require a trigger? He reached toward the nearest one, which belonged to the young man in leathers. But then the young stranger suddenly stirred, catching a hand to Yusuke's wrist; and he opened hauntingly blue eyes.

Yusuke froze. Genkai, Hiei, and Kurama stepped back. Yet it must have only been a reflex, for in the next instant the man's eyes rolled back, and he had fallen unconscious again.

Genkai shook her head, giving a sympathetic sigh. "Bring them inside. We can at least offer them a safe place to rest until we can learn who they are."

Shrugging, Yusuke gently tugged his wrist from the stranger's slackened grip and dropped his duffel to the stonework. He took the one in leather up in his arms, while Kurama took up the blond, and with Hiei they followed Genkai into the temple.

~o~

Seifer awoke, his very bones aching after too many hours of sleep. He sat up in a bed he did not remember wanting, in a room he could not recognize. Glancing around, he found Squall lying in another bed across the room, tossing about in his sleep and obviously suffering from another nightmare. Seifer stood and came over, roughly shaking his old rival by the shoulder.

Squall's chalk-blue eyes flew open, and he stole a sharp breath, his only confession of the turmoil within. He slowly sat up, taking in their unfamiliar surroundings. He frowned, "Where are we?"

"You tell me."

He looked at the door, as did Seifer. It was shut, but did not appear locked.

"Have we been taken prisoner?" Squall quietly demanded.

"Not likely." Seifer nodded toward a corner of the room, "They left us our weapons. Any idea how we got here?"

Squall sat a moment in silence, his chalk-blue eyes clouded with thought. "The storm," he finally muttered. "There was the start of a hurricane brewing over the ocean."

The blond quickly shook his head, "But we never flew near it. We programmed the Ragnarok's auto-pilot to take us around it."

"We tried," he corrected. "We were pulled in."

"But that still doesn't explain how we got here."

After another moment's silence, Squall stood and took up his Revolver, tossing the Hyperion to Seifer. "Let's look around."

~o~

At first, all they found were stone walls and ancient statues. It seemed they had been brought to a temple. A very empty temple, by the looks of it, which appeared more of a dojo than anything else. Finally, they came upon a larger room with a marble floor. In its center, three young men were sparring against each other, with a speed and grace that Squall's eyes strained to follow.

One was tall, with flowing red hair and wise emerald eyes; while another was a small-framed man with spiky black hair streaked with white, and eyes a menacing garnet red. The third, however, seemed uniquely different. Skillfully holding his own against the other two, this one was a dark-haired youth with a cocky grin. His startlingly fierce brown eyes were alight with humor and yet, somehow, piercingly dangerous.

~o~

Yusuke stumbled for half a second when he noticed their guests were awake. He laughed when Hiei tried to take advantage of the moment, easily fending him off. It had been so long since they had fought together like this, that it was another fifteen minutes before Yusuke gave a whistle. Hiei and Kurama immediately halted their assault, and they too noticed the new guests' presence.

"We'll notify Genkai," Kurama offered as he and Hiei walked passed the two strangers and out the door.

Yusuke turned to the newcomers and crossed the room to introduce himself. He watched with a wondering grin as the blond one quickly stepped in front of his friend and lifted his weapon as a warning. Did they really believe they were in hostile territory? But then the other reached his left hand to the blond's right shoulder, stepping around his friend with a slow shake of his head. The blond backed down, though the warning never left his eyes. The one in leathers also turned his hauntingly blue eyes upon Yusuke's approach. And Yusuke was once again surprised to feel that irrepressible urge to taste those sultry lips.

His mouth quirked in a smirk, and he offered his hand in greeting. "Name's Yusuke Urameshi. Glad to see you're both up and about."

Whatever their reason, neither one would shake his hand. The blond simply looked at him with a calculative look in his dark blue eyes. "What are you to this place?"

Thinking it an odd question, Yusuke dropped his hand with a casual shrug. "A guest, same as you."

"How did we get here?" The other patiently demanded.

Here was a guy who believed in getting to the point. "Far as we know," Yusuke answered, "a storm dropped you here."

"Was it a hurricane?" The blond quickly asked.

He shook his head, "Energy storm. And if one of those brought you here, that's gotta mean you two are from another world."

"Another world?" The blond repeated, sharing a disbelieving glance with his companion.

Yusuke nodded, "Genkai's temple is common grounds for half a dozen separate realities."

"And are you from another world as well?" The blond's companion suggested.

"You could say that," he smirked. "But I was born in this one."

His hauntingly blue eyes narrowing, the one in leather hesitated a moment longer. His companion watched him quietly, obviously waiting toward their next move. "My name is Squall Leonhart," he finally answered. He then nodded toward his friend, "This is Seifer Almasy."

"Squall," Yusuke echoed, trying it out. It tasted foreign and familiar, like an exotic scent. His mouth slid into a slow, crooked grin. "Wanna test your mettle 'gainst me, Squall?"

He stared, "Fight you?"

"Yeah, why not. I'll even let you use that weapon o' yours. Unless you wanna prove you can do it man-to-man."

Squall glanced down at the blade in his hand, but was already shaking his head. "I will not use the Revolver on an unarmed opponent."

But Yusuke caught the quick gleam in those hauntingly blue eyes, and knew it to mean he was interested. If Squall Leonhart was a man who could not turn down a healthy challenge, it would make him exactly Yusuke's type. His grin this time spreading into a triumphant smirk, Yusuke stepped back and assumed a playful fighting stance. "So put it down. Give it over to your friend, and let him hold on to it."

~o~

Seifer Almasy had learned the hard way how to read the truth in another person's eyes. But what he saw in Yusuke Urameshi's fierce brown eyes confused and intrigued him. He could tell this strange youth meant them no harm - for the moment - but there was still something… Following his instincts, Seifer put a hand to Squall's shoulder and carefully removed the Revolver from Squall's grip.

His old rival gave him a questioning look.

Seifer nodded, "I'll keep an eye on him."

Squall sighed, but stepped forward. It was against the entirety of their training to give up his weapon until their surroundings were proven non-hostile. But though in his past Squall had once thrived on discipline, Seifer was confident that his old rival now understood some rules needed breaking.

"What are your terms?" Squall was asking.

"Simple," Yusuke smirked, beginning to circle him. "You try to hit me; I try to hit you. I know you might have a few tricks up your sleeve. People stayin' here usually do. For now, we won't use 'em. Keep it physical."

Squall turned a bit, keeping Yusuke within his sight. "And the winner?"

~o~

"Whoever walks away with the least amount of cuts and bruises." And then Yusuke knew how he was going to get that kiss. "How 'bout we make it interestin'. A bet."

"What would we wager?"

Yusuke smirked, feinting a first attack. He was going to enjoy this. "What do you want?"

Squall Leonhart fell silent again, his haunting blue eyes full of thought for priorities, even as they carefully tracked Yusuke's movements. "We need an ally," he slowly confessed. "Someone to help us find a way back into our own world."

"Done."

Few paces away, Seifer stared. "You alone can't possibly be capable of such power."

Yusuke gave the blond a quietly confident look which hid nothing and everything. "You have no idea how much I can do."

"And if you win," Squall prompted.

"When I win," he smirked, "you'll let me take you for a night on the town this Saturday. No questions asked."

And so the game began.

They kept at it for several minutes, with Yusuke biding his time while he waited to see the adrenaline ignite in Squall's hauntingly blue eyes. But just as the fun was about to start, Squall deflected another of Yusuke's swings and backed away.

"Wait."

Yusuke dropped back, slightly confused. He had been convinced the game would last much longer than that. But then his smirk returned, as he watched Squall quietly ask his blond companion to remove the bandages from around his right forearm. Squall returned to the center of the marble floor, flexing his wounded arm, examining his new scar with a critical eye.

"Ready?" Yusuke asked.

Squall nodded, "You were holding back."

With a slow, crooked grin at having been caught, he lifted his fists once more. "I was, huh?"

And Yusuke's heart suddenly missed a beat as he watched those sultry lips give a small smile.

"Don't do it again."

1) Squall's description borrowed from Disney & SquareSoft's "Kingdom Hearts".