Title – Roads

By – Kaylbunny

Fandom – Yu Yu Hakusho

Pairing(s) – Variations of Hiei/Kurama/Yuusuke

Rating – R overall, just to be safe.

Disclaimer – I own nothing.

Feedback – Some con-crit would be lovely.

Notes – Since I seem to be unable to write more than ten pages by myself, I'm hoping to remedy that by doing a multi-part fic. I have no idea what I'm writing, of course, but I've never let that stop me before. If I write it, the plot shall come. Hopefully. Timeline wise, it's sometime after the Sensui thing, since everyone knows that Yuusuke is a half-demon.

Part One: Attrition.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and human children were out in their masses, laughing and having fun in their trivial little ways. Everywhere he looked Kurama could see smiling happy faces, and those faces in turn gave a passing thought to why the redheaded teenager seemed so sullen before quickly returning to their games. What did it matter to them if he were depressed? They didn't care how some stranger was feeling, being too caught up in their pointless existence to even notice or care, never mind help.

Not that they could do anything, Kurama thought. From the minute he woke up there seemed to be a little rain cloud floating above his head, determined to ruin every little thing that he did. Not literally a rain cloud, of course, but in his world it wouldn't have been such a surprise. Kurama saw strange things almost every day, things that no ordinary human could even begin to comprehend.

He briefly wondered what their reaction would be if there really was a cloud hovering over his head, pouring cold rain on him everywhere he went. He snorted. They'd likely look the other way, pretending not to notice. They'd tell themselves that they were seeing things and needed to get more sleep. Humans had a way of making themselves believe whatever they wished, he knew. Strange things didn't happen in their world. Rain clouds did not simply manifest themselves over someone's head, and otherworldly beings did not exist.

Kurama knew this was not true. As a demon he'd lived in the Makai, and as the reborn human Minamino Shuiichi he'd travelled through not only the Ningenkai, but also the Makai and Reikai. He'd seen and did things that would make most humans scream in terror, and had lived his whole human life knowing about and how to do things that ordinary humans could not. It was because of this that his day had started, and continued so badly.

As a member of the Reikai Tantei, it was Kurama's job to take care of any demons that happened to pass through to the Ningenkai. He'd been awoken at an ungodly hour by a phone call from Kuwabara and Yuusuke, telling him to meet them at Kuwabara's immediately. Koenma had sent Botan with a new mission, one that apparently could not wait till a later hour.

And so Kurama had made his way to the Kuwabara household, wishing that he could just turn back and curl up in his bed. Hiei was already there, and Kurama wondered how he'd known there was a mission, since he was fairly certain that the blue-haired ferry girl wouldn't have been able to find him herself.

Once they'd all sat down, she explained to them that a group of demons had passed through the barrier and held a small village hostage. The demons were demanding that several demons be released from the Reikai prison, and every hour that their partners were not with them a villager would be killed. So far three villagers had been slain, but Koenma had no intention of meeting their demands.

Instead, Kurama, Hiei, Yuusuke and Kuwabara would go to the village and dispatch the criminals by any means necessary. A fairly straightforward mission, Kurama had thought. Go to the village, kill whatever didn't surrender, and then come back home. Simple. He had not counted, however, on what met them on their arrival.

The demons had expected that Koenma would send his Tantei, and had planned in advance. Traps had been set around the village, blocking their entrances. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but each trap had a civilian on it. If they were triggered, the human would die and the one who triggered it would be injured.

With no way inside it was left to Kurama to lure them out. He used his plant manipulating abilities to force the enemy out of the trees where they'd been hiding. To use his power on such a scale drained a lot of his ki, and when it came to the actual fight he hadn't been of much help.

Instead, he'd helped Botan to gather the hostages and take them to safety, while Hiei, Yuusuke and Kuwabara fought the demons. All was going well until Kurama turned to see Hiei and Yuusuke fighting two demons side by side. From their positions they didn't see a stray demon behind them, ready to shoot an energy blast at their backs.

Without thinking, Kurama ran forward, mind blank of anything other than saving his friends. "Look out!" he'd shouted, jumping on Hiei and forcing him to the ground. A split second later the demon attacked, and Yuusuke, moving too late, bore the brunt of the blast.

Kurama sighed. Everything after that had happened so fast that it was still a blur in his mind. Seeing Yuusuke falling to the ground, eyes wide open, shock and pain plainly written on his face. Hiei pushing him away, running towards the attacking demon with a new rage. Botan flying into the air, heading to the Reikai for healers. And then Kuwabara, rushing to the fallen Yuusuke, only to see that the energy blast had drove straight through his body, leaving his side torn and broken.

And then Kurama had snapped, finding new power in his anger and charged towards the enemy, killing any that came in his path. By the time he and Hiei had killed all the demons, Yuusuke had already been transported to the Reikai. Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara had quickly followed, but were not allowed to see Yuusuke. The half demon was barely breathing, his body shutting down on itself and only his will to live keeping him there.

And then the guilt came. It had been instinct to jump for Hiei; he hadn't even known what he was doing. Kurama knew that whatever he'd done, one of his friends would have been hurt. But that didn't make it any easier. The look in Yuusuke's eyes was flashing in his mind, and it wouldn't go away. He saw it, knew that Yuusuke had a second of disbelief that Kurama had picked Hiei, and could see the hurt that it had caused him.

Even now, hours later and back in the Ningenkai, knowing that Yuusuke would pull through still didn't make it any better. He hadn't wanted to leave the teen's side, but Koenma had told him to, knowing that Shiori would be worried. And so he'd left, feeling the sting of betrayal, knowing that when Yuusuke woke up he'd want him to be there.

And that made it worse, because not only had he unconsciously chose Hiei; he'd also betrayed a trust far more important than friendship. Yuusuke wasn't just his friend, but also his lover. No one but Hiei knew of their relationship, which was both cruel and ironic. From the moment they became an item, Yuusuke had been aware of Kurama's feelings for the fire demon and Hiei's feelings in turn. It had been a constant fear of Yuusuke's that Kurama would one day leave him for Hiei, he knew, and he'd practically made that true by leaving him to die.

As soon as he wakes up, he'll want nothing to do with me, Kurama thought. How can I ever make it up to him?

Kurama had never made a habit of feeling sorry for himself, but as he made his way back home, thoughts on his unconscious lover, he could do nothing else.

-

Yuusuke didn't mind being unconscious, it was the waking up part that was a bitch. He never could get used to the feeling in his body from not moving for a long time. And then there was the pain. That was usually on the top of his list of Bad Things to Wake Up To, and having been knocked unconscious so many times as a Reikai Tantei he'd managed to make quite an extensive list. The best part of it, though, was seeing the people that had watched over him as he slept, happy that he was alright. It was always nice to know people cared, even if it took a life threatening accident to show it.

This time, however, he wished he could stay under for longer. As he slowly regained consciousness and his senses began to focus, he knew he wasn't in the room – wherever he was – by himself. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was.

"Yuusuke?"

"The one and only," Yuusuke answered, squashing down the emotions that the fox-demon's voice brought. He heard Kurama sigh in relief, and turned his head to look at his face. There were faint worry lines across his brow, and Yuusuke could tell that he felt guilty about what had happened. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days," Kurama told him, leaning forward in his chair. "We're in the Reikai. You had to be treated here due to the extent of your wound."

Yuusuke winced as he remembered the large chunk missing from his side. He knew that it must have been serious if he wasn't able to heal it himself using the Spirit Wave that Genkai had taught him. He resisted the urge to look down and see the new set of scars that would no doubt cover his side. "And the villagers?"

"All safe and accounted for. Botan took care of it."

"Oh. Good." He didn't know what else to say. So many things were running through his mind, clamouring for attention, but at the same time he knew that they would only bring another change. He'd only just become used to life with Kurama, and didn't want to loose it. Yet he knew they would have to talk about it sooner or later. Aversion was never his style, but he didn't know how much he could take after waking up.

Kurama let the pause sink in, seemingly as uncomfortable as Yuusuke. He rarely saw him like this. Kurama seemed to be naturally cool and confident, being nervous didn't suit him. "We were all worried about you. There's been someone by your bed at all times."

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I imagine I'll survive missing a couple of days. Besides, this is more important."

Yuusuke didn't answer, but made to sit up. Kurama sat back and let him, knowing that Yuusuke was fully able to judge his own condition. He couldn't help the little sigh of relief that came as Yuusuke managed to sit himself up with only a small wince, though.

"Kuwabara's waiting outside, if you want me to bring him in."

"Nah," Yuusuke said, leaning to the side a little to test his mobility. "I'll go see him myself." He slowly climbed out of bed, noticing only after the sheet fell from his body that he was half naked. Huh, he thought. I must still be a little out of it. Wordlessly, Kurama handed him some clean clothes and a pair of sneakers.

"I'll wait outside," he told him, standing gracefully from his chair and walking to the door. "I'm glad you're awake," he said, smiling softly, before opening the door and walking out.

Yuusuke let him go, not knowing what to say. What do you say to the man who has everything you want, but can take it all away in a second?

-

"Urameshi!"

"Hey, Kuwabara," Yuusuke greeted, walking down the corridor. He'd left the healers and was on his way to see Koenma. Kurama walked by his side, not saying anything. Yuusuke took it as a good sign that the fox-demon had even stayed with him.

Kuwabara marched right to Yuusuke's side, looking at where he knew the newly healed wound to be before speaking again. "Everyone was worried, you jerk. You heal too slowly."

Yuusuke shrugged. "Another day, another broken bone. Did you guys leave any demons for me?" he asked, cracking his knuckles and smirking. "I have a score to settle."

"Like we'd leave any alive after what they did," Kuwabara snorted.

"Che, you guys take all my fun," the half-demon joked, continuing to walk along the corridor. "What does the toddler want with me anyways? I'm not staying here all day."

"Just to check how you are," Kurama told him, speaking for the first time since he'd left the room. "If you don't mind, I'm going to leave now. I told Shiori I'd be back for lunch." When Yuusuke didn't answer, Kurama spoke again. "I'll visit you later," he told him, a pointed look on his face.

"Okay. Later, Kurama."

"Bye, Yuusuke, Kuwabara."

As Kurama walked down another corridor and out of their sight, Kuwabara turned to his friend. "What was that all about?" He could almost see the tension between the two. Yuusuke and Kurama usually got on great, but today they seemed strained, like they'd been arguing.

Yuusuke shrugged. "How should I know?"

"If you're lying to me I'll kick your ass. Injured or not."

"Ha!" Yuusuke laughed, poking Kuwabara in the side jokingly. "Like you could. I could beat you in my sleep." He'd known it wouldn't be easy to keep it from Kuwabara. Like his sister, he had a way of sensing things that others didn't, and not just otherworldly energy. Kuwabara wasn't nearly as thick as most people thought him to be, he just played up to it a lot.

"You wish, Urameshi. But I can take the hint. I'll be the bigger man and leave it alone." Either Yuusuke would come to him in his own time, or he'd find out himself. He hoped that Yuusuke would tell him, though, since that way would probably involve fewer arguments. He didn't mind a good fight, but between friends it just wasn't necessary.

"Whatever," Yuusuke shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant but was really relieved. He didn't like lying to Kuwabara, but he didn't even know about his relationship with Kurama, and wouldn't be able to understand why Yuusuke was mad. He made a promise to sit Kuwabara down and tell him everything, just as soon as he'd sorted things out himself.

They made the rest of the journey to Koenma's office with Kuwabara filling Yuusuke in on Keiko's reaction to his injury. She had cornered Botan in the Ningenkai to find out what had happened to Yuusuke, and the ferry girl had no choice but to tell her. Yuusuke had visibly winced when Kuwabara told him. Keiko was his oldest friend, and he knew that she worried the most whenever he went on a mission. He felt a little guilty at making her sad, but he knew that deep down she understood why he did the things he did. Just before they entered Koenma's office, he promised that he'd go visit Keiko the moment he was back in the Ningenkai. She deserved that, at least.

Fortunately, Koenma didn't keep them for long. The godling knew perfectly well that Yuusuke would refuse staying another night at the healers, so he had arranged for a medic to check over Yuusuke before he left. To everyone's relief he was given the all clear. He'd be sore for a while, and it would take a couple of days to replenish his energy, but was otherwise in perfect health.

"It'll take more than an energy blast to keep me down," he told them triumphantly.

Koenma shook his head, somewhat amused. "One day you'll be made to eat those words, if you're not careful."

Yuusuke grinned. "But you'd just bring me back to life, right?"

"Don't push your luck."

Yuusuke left with Kuwabara after teasing the godling a little more. They parted ways when back in the Ningenkai, Kuwabara heading home and Yuusuke going to find Keiko. Part of him wished that his friend had tagged along, but he knew that it'd be best to meet her on his own. After all, Keiko was the one person he could always count on knowing how she'd react.

It made him feel better, knowing that he had control over some part of his life. He just wished that he'd figure out what to do with the rest of it, and soon.

To Be Continued.

This may just be my interpretation of what I saw, but (in the episode that Yuusuke defeats Rando and she heals Kuwabara) Genkai said that her powers were originally used for healing, right? And in the fight with Sensui, when he'd been shot and fell unconscious, Yuusuke was able to heal himself using Spirit Wave (I'm not even sure if that's the right name). By all means, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm new in this fandom, after all (and yes, I know I'm using names from both the sub and dub. I'm sure you'll get over it).

Also, the 'Don't push your luck' part is me referencing Enma's Torment Theatre, by Chrissy Sky and Rose Thorne. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend it.