Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. It belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

You're Not So Bad

Chapter 1

"Are you serious?!"

Botan Fukuyama screeched.

Her eyes stared disbelievingly at her dad, Yukio Fukuyama.

Yukio, who had been trying to fit all their belonging in one, big bag (though it seemed like he was far from successful), rolled his eyes at her before retorting in an irritated voice, "For the eleventh time already, I'm serious."

"How serious are you?"

Botan sounded like she thought he was insane.

And he probably was.

You see, her Dad had been dating a woman named Shiori for two weeks now. The two lovebirds seemed very happy together and that was obvious by the way he talked about nothing but Shiori in those two weeks. Shiori, Shiori, Shiori... Shiori this, Shiori that, everything was about Shiori. He was so into the woman that he didn't even acknowledge his daughter's existence even for once second. At all. Nothing. Nada.

And frankly, it was annoying the hell out of Botan.

Oh, don't get her wrong. It wasn't like she didn't want him to be happy, neither did she hate Shiori (she hadn't even met her yet so Botan didn't think she knew if she liked her or not). From what she heard – because sometimes, she had no choice but to listen to her Dad's ramblings – Shiori was a kind-hearted, polite woman who not only knew how to cook for a man, but also knew to take good care of a man's heart.

In Botan's point of view, Shiori was nice. Maybe too nice even. But, let's talk logically here. What kid wouldn't get peeved if their parents talked nothing about their lover for 24/7 and complete ignore them?

Unfortunately, getting pissed off wasn't the worse thing that happened though.

Apparently, after going out for weeks, her Dad and his lover decided to do something to get them closer to each other. Something that was completely nuts in Botan's opinion.

And seriously, it didn't matter how nice or perfect this 'special lady' was, it still didn't make any sense to move into her house after only dating each other for a couple of weeks. Of course, Botan knew, and predicted, that they would make some improvements in their relationship but the teen girl obviously didn't expect this kind of improvement. Moving into your lover's house, not to mention bringing your kid along with you? A very, very, very, big, and drastic step.

Yukio heaved out a sigh. "As a heart attack."

He was serious? He was actually serious? Botan had thought that maybe if she kept pestering him with questions like "Are you serious?" or "Why?" would end up making him say something like, "Okay, okay. I'm just pulling your leg" or anything else that was similar that meant he was only tricking her.

It seemed like he wasn't though.

And a thought occurred to her:

Her dad had completely lost his mind.

"You've lost your mind," Botan said, saying the exact same thing that was in her head.

Yukio stopped his efforts to fit their things in the damn bag (which just won't fit) to look at her.

"You're crazy. Are you drunk? Or are you on drugs? 'Cause it looks to me like you're not really thinking straight, dad."

To Botan's utter shock, and horror, her dad's lips curved up into an ear-to-ear grin. Ignoring her obviously abnormal questions, he dreamily replied, "I am crazy. Crazy in love."

Botan could've sworn she never saw something so disgusting in her entire life.

"Are you sure about this?"

Shuichi Minamino stared at the woman in the kitchen cooking something for their guests (more like permanent guests), his emerald eyes in a pool of concern; concern of the decision that his mother and her lover apparently made and, concerned that his beloved mother would end up regretting it someday.

"Yes, I am, dear..." Shiori replied, a smile forming on her face as she thought of her life together with the man of her dreams: Yukio Fukuyama.

"But don't you think you guys should slow down a bit?" he asked again.

Shuichi had to admit, he didn't really know much about this Yukio guy that his mother was going out with. Shiori never really told him much about him, mostly because he was usually busy with his studies and school activities. It wasn't like Shuichi didn't want to know though. He wanted to know, really, but it seemed to him Shiori didn't want to disturb her son, knowing perfectly that his time schedule was filled with nothing but school.

Although Shuichi did lack a lot of information about the man, he could tell that whoever Yukio was, Shiori was really happy to be with him. Yes, Shiori was always happy but since she met Yukio, she seemed happier. It was evident by the way she would sometimes smile or blush with no reason whatsoever.

And Shuichi thought that it was a good thing.

Not until Shiori told him that the two lovers would be living together in their house from now on, which had surprised the redhead when he heard it. To him, it sounded like they were taking their relationship too fast. Really, Shuichi wasn't an expert in anything involving love – heck – he had never even been in love but, he knew for sure you shouldn't move into your lover's house just after two weeks of dating each other.

It was rash.

Shuichi had to wonder if the man his mother was seeing had actually manipulated her into doing something so stupid.

The teen wasn't dumb enough to voice his thoughts though.

"Hmm...I know we're taking it too fast, but...I really love this man, Shuichi..." She sighed.

Shuichi nodded his head. "Yes, I know that, mother," he paused for a moment, thinking of the best way to tell her what he was thinking before finally continuing his sentence, "but, isn't this decision too...hasty?"

"I know it is," Shiori started, turning around to gaze at him with a big, confident smile on her lips.

And Shuichi could only hope, and pray, that his mother wouldn't get her own heart broken as Shiori said:

"But, I'm more than willing to live my whole life with him."

The car sped through other vehicles on the road, going at a fast speed that would scare any drivers off.

Botan, who was comfortably seated at the backseat (and completely ignoring the dangerous way her dad was driving the car) stared at her dad – or rather his back – with a weird look as if he had just duplicate or had two heads stuck on one body.

"This is stupid," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and finally taking her eyes off Yukio's form – after practically long minutes of staring at him with that strange expression on her face –, now averting her gaze to the window.

Botan had said those words in a low voice that anyone would, or could barely hear, so it had taken her by surprise when Yukio suddenly called out to her, "What was that, Botan?"

Although she was shocked at the high hearing capability her dad had suddenly discovered, the shock died down soon after and the azure-haired teen decided to not answer him.

Yukio averted his eyes to the mirror to stare at his daughter's reflection, who was staring back at him and urged her, "What did you say?"

Botan rolled her eyes. "Nothing."

"You said something."

"I said nothing."

"No, I heard you."

"You didn't."

"What does that mean?"

"That means I think you're delusional, and that you probably heard it in your head, dad."

A vein popped.

"Spit it out, young lady."

"Don't call me-"

"NOW."

Botan let out an exasperated sound, gripping her head in her hands before giving Yukio an cheesed off expression. "I said, this is stupid."

A frown marred Yukio's features as he asked her in a tone which meant 'no-more-playing-games-just-answer-me', "And why is that?" His dark purple eyes stared at her as he waited for her to reply.

Botan would've kept her mouth shut, not saying anything and just ignoring Yukio just to annoy him and somehow put some sense in his head if it hadn't been for the seriousness in his voice. She knew him more than anyone else. Yukio was a bit of an air-head sometimes and maybe loved to goof around than actually being the responsible parent he was supposed to be but, she knew that when Yukio was serious, he had no sense of humor whatsoever and playing around or trying to get on his nerves were not really good ideas.

"I..." Botan trailed off, glancing at him before looking away then continued, "...just think it's a bit too..."

"A bit too...?"

Yukio raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.

Botan watched him for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought of a good way to continue what she was about to say. When she found none, she decided to say something else.

The azure-haired girl shook her head furiously before opening her mouth to speak again, this time using a different sentence. "I mean..., living together? Seriously? Why don't you guys just get married? You've just known her for about...two weeks! Don't you think it's dumb?"

Yukio sighed.

"I know it's a big step, Botan."

Botan retorted, "Huge."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, huge step. Whatever." Yukio then turned around to look at her, forgetting that he was driving (which Botan forgot about too) as he said softly, "I know it's a really huge thing, but I love this woman. And I can actually see myself living happily ever after with her."

Botan ignored the 'happily ever after' and responded, "I know you do. And I can tell, that it's a lot. A LOT." She remembered the times when he talked endlessly about Shiori before adding, "But...this is just happening...too fast, okay?"

Not realizing that he had nearly hit more than a few pedestrians the whole time he turned around, Yukio gave her a gentle smile before ruffling her hair roughly, which earned a protest from her and he laughed at this. "It's okay. You'll love it soon enough."

Botan was about to snort when he suddenly added, "Plus, you'll even get to live with someone around your age."

Hearing this, she looked at him with big anticipated eyes as she leaned into him. "She has a child?"

A nod was her response.

The girl who was obviously against the idea in the first place, suddenly started to like it bit by bit as she eagerly asked him, "A boy or a girl?"

He smiled. "A boy."

Okay, forget about liking it, Botan begin to hate the idea even more. "Huh?! A boy? I'm actually going to live under the same roof as a boy? No way ho zay!"

Yukio frowned at her. "But why-" He was soon cut off as a loud noise interrupted their conversation, and something hit the car, gaining the two's attention and immediately shutting both of them up as they simultaneously looked at the source of the sound.

Botan's eyes widened as she let out another piercing screech that day.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU FUCKING HIT A SIGN, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Shiori frowned. Her eyes stared at the stove in what seemed like a look of...lost? She was sure that she was forgetting something. Something important that had something to do with Yukio. What was it again? She racked her brain for a few moments before finally remembering what she had fail to recall.

Looking over her shoulder, Shiori shouted,

"Oh, yes! Shuichi, can you come here for a minute..."

Shuichi, who had been sitting on the couch, contemplating on what would happen from then, was snapped out of his thoughts when Shiori's voice called from the kitchen. He shouted back, "Okay, mother. Wait a sec!"

Lifting himself up from the couch, Shuichi sauntered into the kitchen and walked over to his mother's side. The redhead gave her a gentle smile before saying in a soft manner, "What is it, mother? Do you need me to help you with something?"

Shiori smiled back at him and shook her head. "No, I just forgot to tell you something..."

Shuichi arched his eyebrow in curiosity at hearing this, his emerald eyes holding a look of bewilderment in them as he asked, "What did you forget?"

At that moment, Shuichi decided to lend his mother a helping hand – even though he knew she didn't ask for any assistance – and took a knife before beginning to cut the vegetables (his mother wanted to add salad into the menu) expertly.

"Yukio has a daughter..."

PANG!

Shiori almost jumped at the surprisingly loud noise. She took a glance at Shuichi who, apparently, had somehow slammed the kitchen knife so hard that it was actually stuck to the kitchen's counter.

"Shuichi...?"

"Are you telling me..." he said slowly, his face paling at the thought. "...a girl is actually going to live here with us?"

Shiori's shock had somewhat vanish as she arched a brow at him. "Yes."

Seeing Shuichi's face grow paler at her answer, she asked worriedly and a bit disappointingly, "Why? What's wrong with it?"

Now, Shuichi didn't really have a phobia of girls or something. He just wasn't really fond of them and had pretty bad...experiences with them. As the memories flashed in his head, he shuddered at the thoughts of the fangirls from his school stalking him wherever he went, asking him to go out with them on more times than he could actually count, and doing some freakish things like buying voodoo dolls of anyone who they thought had a close relationship with him and practically willing to kill or die just for him.

What was more horrifyingly terrible was that his fangirls weren't the only psychopaths. Girls, same age, younger, or older, would take a long minute just to stare at him and probably spend the whole day stalking him and following him around like some crazed maniac.

So, a girl in their house wasn't something Shuichi think he'd 'love'. Especially when the biggest possibility was that that girl, whoever she was, was just like the girls who were literally obsessed with him – clingy, control freaks, stalkers – you name it.

"No...nothing at all, mother. Nothing's wrong. It's just...a girl? Hmm..."

Shuichi looked away for a fleeting moment.

Finally understanding her son's anxiety (because she had seen how girls act around him), Shiori burst into a fit of giggles before patting Shuichi's red head softly and explaining, "Oh, don't worry, Shuichi. I don't think she's like that...Yukio says not once in his history of taking care of the girl did he ever see her drooling or swooning over some guy, so I doubt she'll even look at you..."

Shuichi pursed his lips at her words.

Although Shuichi didn't really like it when girls love him and practically worshiped him, he was actually used to being looked at, stared at and swooned at by many (he just didn't like the way they expressed their affections towards him). He liked to be seen as someone charming and irresistible.

The thought of one girl not noticing him, or feeling at least a little bit attracted to him was a bit...

...disappointing and frustrating at the same time.