Mr. Kuwabara stood stiff and straight, Shizuru at his side, as the mourners walked by to pay their respects. There were many mourners, which didn't surprise him. Kazuma had been popular at his high school; many of his peers and teachers were there. Their neighbors were also in attendance, as well as people Mr. Kuwabara didn't know but Kazuma had somehow impacted.
It's not fair, Mr. Kuwabara thought. I already had to bury my wife; why should I bury my son as well?
But life had never been fair. He knew that better than many. So had Kazuma.
Kazuma's principal stopped to speak with Mr. Kuwabara. "I'm sorry for you loss," the man said. "Your son was a good man."
"Thank you," Mr. Kuwabara said woodenly.
The principal didn't know the half of it. None of them did. They didn't know how many times that Kazuma had put his life on the line to protect innocents. They didn't know that he'd died in an effort to save the world. They didn't know anything.
Kazuma had had many skills, but keeping secrets had never been one of them. He'd only been too eager to show Mr. Kuwabara his spirit sword when he'd discovered his abilities. He'd always given Mr. Kuwabara a blow by blow report of his adventures when he got home from Spirit World business. He'd had no idea how many times Mr. Kuwabara had almost had a heart attack hearing how close his son had come to dying. But despite his worry, Mr. Kuwabara never tried to dissuade him from the path he'd chosen. He'd known since Kazuma was young that he was meant to be a warrior. Death was part of a warrior's lot. Mr. Kuwabara had just never really believed that it would come to Kazuma first.
The front door opened, letting in more mourners. Mr. Kuwabara had never met them face to face, but he instantly knew who they were thanks to Kazuma's stories. The redhead was Kurama. His face was serene, but his body was tense, and his eyes were hard. Beside him was a short young man with black hair and red eyes that could only be Hiei. Hiei looked uncomfortable and angry, not unusual for him if Mr. Kuwabara remembered correctly. Behind them came three young women that Mr. Kuwabara identified as Botan, Yukina, and Keiko. Botan and Keiko had their arms around Yukina's shoulders, and all three were silently crying. Mr. Kuwabara kept his eyes on the door as they approached him, but no one else walked through.
"Mr. Kuwabara," said Kurama when they made it over to him. "I know we've never met before," he started, but Mr. Kuwabara interrupted him.
"I know who you are," he said. "Kazuma talked about you a lot." Mr. Kuwabara managed a small smile when he saw the surprise on their faces. "Kazuma never could keep a secret. Thank you for being his friends."
Kurama nodded. "It was an honor to know him."
Mr. Kuwabara turned his attention to Yukina. He held out his hand to her. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Yukina."
Trembling, she reached out and took his hand, her skin cooler than any person's should be. Tears fell down her face in a continuous stream from her red eyes and plinked on the floor, but she didn't seem to care.
"I never told him I loved him," she whispered brokenly.
"He knew," Mr. Kuwabara said. "He always knew what people felt, even when they didn't."
The door slammed open and everyone turned to see Yusuke standing in the doorway. The young man looked haggard and exhausted, as if he hadn't slept since Kazuma's death, which very well might be the case. His hands were clenched into trembling fists, and he glared at the picture of Kazuma on his coffin like there was no one else in the room.
The room was silent as Yusuke marched forward until he was less than a foot away from Kazuma's grinning picture. Still glaring at it, the young man hissed, "Bastard." Mr. Kuwabara couldn't tell if Yusuke was talking about Kazuma or himself, but there was such pain, anger, and brokenness in his voice that Mr. Kuwabara felt it was probably a little of both.
Moved by Yusuke's anguish, Mr. Kuwabara took a step towards him. Yusuke looked at him, and Mr. Kuwabara could see him bracing himself for the attack. Yusuke fully expected to be blamed for Kazuma's death, but he hardly needed any help in that department. His eyes already told Mr. Kuwbara that he was blaming himself.
Instead, Mr. Kuwabara reached out and yanked Yusuke into a tight embrace, not caring about how the young man stiffened. Holding him the same as he would if Yusuke were his own son, Mr. Kuwabara gave him the most precious gift he could, the gift he knew that Kazuma would want him to extend.
"I forgive you, Yusuke."
Yusuke remained stiff for a moment longer, and then he caved, his arms coming up to return Mr. Kuwabara's hug. "I tried," he said, his voice breaking on the last word.
"I know, son," Mr. Kuwabara said. "I know. And you're going to keep trying. You're going to keep living. If you give up, then Kazuma will have died in vain, and if that happens, I won't forgive you." He pushed Yusuke back a little by the shoulders so he could see into the young man's eyes. "Kazuma believed in you. Don't you dare let him down."
Tears still swam in eyes that shown with determination. "I won't. On my honor as a man."
Mr. Kuwabara's eyes blurred with tears at hearing Yusuke repeat one of Kuwabara's most frequently used vows. "I'll hold you to that," he said firmly.
AN: I know, I know, I have no business writing sad stuff the day before Valentines Day. But I got this image in my head of Kuwbara's dad having to comfort Yusuke after Kuwabara's death, and I really wanted to write it down, so...Yeah. And no, I'm not really clear on how Kuwabara died. Some random evil yokai I guess. How he died wasn't really the point of this piece.