Disclaimer: I do not own IY or YYH

Part III in the Call of the Dragon Arc

Acceptance

Yusuke ambled slowly down the street, cold rain drenching his hair and clothes; beads of the icy mixture sliding down the back of his collar. He shifted his jacket, flipping the collar up and pulling the heavy material tighter around him. He was tired but had no desire to go home; the house was lonely and far too quiet after his mother passed. He didn't want to go bother Kuwabara or Kurama either; both had enough to worry about with their school work. They didn't need him distracting them from their studies. He knew they both had major reports to do before the New Year; and he didn't want any excuses to why they couldn't enjoy New Year's Eve with everyone.

Besides, he didn't want to trouble them with his problems... all of them were tired and stressed, but unlike him they all had families to go home too. Which is what it really came down to; he was lonely.

With his mother gone and Kieko unable to handle his new found demon heritage; he was alone. Sure he had Genkai but the old bat had Yukina to care for. Even Hiei seemed to have found some sort of pseudo home with his rescuer, the priestess Kagome. The small demon could normally be found camping out in the old tree next to her house. His fondness for the miko had surprised everyone; except Yusuke.

Kagome had a way of drawing people to her. Perhaps it was her quiet calm...or just the soothing presence she possessed. Whenever Yusuke was around her he felt warm, safe and loved. Yusuke just wanted to bask in her warmth and never leave. Foolish, he knew. He barely knew the girl; yet at the same time he knew so much about her. Instinctivly he knew she was safe...

All of his life he had felt this gnawing anger deep within his chest, this need for violence and aggression. As a child it manifested in an odd sort of territorial aggression; later this need was quenched by battling demons, matching his strength against the badest of the bad. Only after he died...for what the second time... did he finally realize his aggression stemmed from his demon heritage. Certainly explained a few things. Even now he could feel the restlessness, the ache in his jaws... the longing to feel his claws rip flesh and taste the sweet copper tang of blood.

These urges troubled him; frightened him even. He knew his ancestor Raizen had consumed human flesh before his self-imposed starvation and now it seemed that Yusuke had inherited that trait as well. He didn't want to start looking at his friends like they were steaks... imagining if they would taste as good as they smell. It was why he didn't press the subject when Kieko dumped him. Though it broke his heart, he let her go without a fight simply due to the fact that he caught himself taking in her scent...and his mouth had watered. He shuddered at the memory. Lost in thought and not paying attention to where he was walking; Yusuke crashed into someone.

"Hey!" A soft feminine voice snapped. Yusuke barely glanced up;

"Watch where you're goin'..." he growled.

"Yusuke?"

The sound of his name made him pause and actually look at who he had run into. He half expected to see Kieko behind him; it would be his luck. Instead, warm brown eyes smiled at him through pale blue tinted glasses framed by midnight black hair rather than brunette.

"Kagome?" His voice held a question; he was surprised to see her outside of the shrine. His heart skipped a beat; with the way he felt at the moment the last person he needed to be around was soft, sweet, innocent Kagome.

"You ok?" She asked, peering at him from under a clear plastic umbrella.

"Yea I'm fine," he said, dismissively, "Sorry 'bout that."

Kagome watched her new friend; instinct telling her that he was anything but 'fine'. Something was troubling the young detective; and she'd be damned if she let him walk away.

"Well I'll see you 'round Kags..." he said, turning to head back into the weather.

She needed to do something quick... judging by the stubborn set of his jaw and the guarded look in his eyes; she somehow knew he wouldn't come with her voluntarily. Thinking fast, Kagome smiled at him and bid him farewell; only to take a step and gasp in false-pain.

Yusuke turned back at Kagome's soft cry of pain to see her favoring her right leg; the side he had run into.

"You ok, Kags?" He asked, concern overriding his need for solitude.

"I'm fine," she muttered dismissively, giving him a small smile and taking another step; this time nearly falling as her knee seemed to give out on her.

"Liar," he accused, reaching out to steady her. He blushed as she leaned heavily on him for a moment; her body pressed against his. Her scent filled his nose; soft and warm, lavender and spring breeze. The scent was oddly comforting; like coming home...

"Let me help you home, Kags..." he said, stepping back and taking both her bag of groceries and umbrella.

"Really Yusuke..." she said softly, "you don't have to. I don't want to impose..."

"Shut up," he growled, settling her groceries in the crook of one arm and holding the umbrella with the other hand, "you're not imposing. I didn't have anything important I was doin'... just walking."

Kagome tucked her hand into his arm holding the umbrella and leaned on him as they started walking toward the shrine; enjoying the warmth his solid frame provided.

"Really? In this weather?" She tsked, "You'll catch pneumonia." Yusuke glanced at her and grinned,

"It's not like the cold affects me Kags..." he muttered.

"Still," she replied, "just because you're demon doesn't make you immortal. It just makes you harder to kill. Or was Hiei's recent dance with death not enough to emphasize that point?" Kagome lectured, "So what's so important that drove you out into the freezing rain?"

For once Yusuke didn't respond. Kagome didn't let his lack of response deter her. They continued on in silence. She enjoyed the detective's presence as much as she enjoyed Hiei's silent one. Recently Hiei had alluded to the interesting fact that her presence actually soothed and comforted him; which was the unspoken reason for his residency within the branches of the Tree of Ages. Perhaps she could see if Yusuke was affected similarly by her energy as Hiei. She leaned her head against the taller youths shoulder and allowed her energy to slowly flow outward. Not a lot, just enough to wrap both her and the detective in a cocoon of her aura.

Yusuke felt her energy wrap around him like a warm blanket, easing the tension from his shoulders and soothing the ever present anger that bubbled just below the surface. Yusuke glanced at the small women leaning against him; her eyes closed and a soft smile on her face. It was almost like...she enjoyed his company.

Which was ridiculous, no one wanted to be around him; except maybe Kwabara. Keiko had for a while; but she befriended him first out of sympathy and later because she wanted to 'fix' him. Turn him into something he wasn't so she could have the little domestic family that she had always dreamed of. He sighed; a sweet girl like Kagome would never want a punk like him. The fact that Keiko had stuck around as long as she had was amazing.

"That was an awful heavy sigh," Kagome said softly, "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking," he said giving her a small smile, "just got a lot on my mind." She nodded as they ascended the shrine steps.

"Tell me…?" she said. He shook his head,

"It's not important..."

"Hmm," she replied, clearly not believing him. For a moment he thought she would press; try to force the truth out of him like Keiko use to. Yet after giving him a look that clearly said she knew he was full of shit... yet she let the matter drop.

"Thank you by the way," Kagome said, "I've really enjoyed your company." Yusuke blinked at her and flushed,

"You're... welcome..." he muttered, "thou...we didn't really talk or anything..." Kagome laughed and gave him a stunning smile;

"We don't always have to talk, you know," she said, "sometimes I just like to sit in silence and enjoy someone's company." Yusuke grinned,

"No wonder Hiei likes spending time here..." he muttered; Kagome laughed as she unlocked her door.

"True, it's quiet here. He likes the solitude. And I think he enjoys the energy of our tree. It's very soothing... and someone as volatile as he is... that is something that is truly a blessing." She replied;Yusuke nodded in agreement.

"Yea I guess it would be," he said, "speaking of the lil ass-wipe... where is ol' Hiei?"

"Hiei left for the Makai I believe. I guess his friend M...something or another summoned him."

"Mukuro?" Yusuke supplied.

"That's it!" The priestess exclaimed. Yusuke looked around the Higurashi kitchen; surprisingly he wanted to stay even as another part of him longed to leave. He knew he should go. He didn't know the relationship between the priestess and Hiei was; but it was obvious that Hiei cared for her. He had no desire to step on the smaller demons toes if he was trying to forge a relationship with Kagome.

"Stay?" Kagome asked, even as his hand had reached out to grab the door knob. "Have dinner with me? It gets lonely around here without my family and doubly so without Hiei's presence outside."

Yusuke sighed as he was given large watery puppy eyes from a certain supposedly mature miko.

"Fiiine..." he sighed. Kagome grinned at him in triumph. He was such a sucker for a pretty girl and big brown eyes. He flipped one of the kitchen chairs around and flopped down into it; crossing his arm across the back and setting his head on his folded arms. He watched as Kagome moved through the kitchen gathering what she needed for dinner. She then moved over to a small white ipod and speaker set on a small shelve above the sink. Soon the harsh guttural tones of Ramstien filled the kitchen; surprising Yusuke.

"Ramstien?" He asked surprise evident on his face. She glanced behind her as she tied an apron around her waist.

"Is that ok?"

"Yea..." he said, "just surprising. I didn't peg you as someone to listen to rock and metal." Kagome grinned,

"Aw well, I have a variety of music on there...but I like listening to the harder upbeat stuff when I'm cooking."

"Nothing wrong with that..." he said. They lapsed into silence, Kagome cooking and Yusuke content to watch her. He'd never noticed before; but Kagome had a really nice ass. He knew he should stop starring but she had started swaying her hips in time with the music and the tie on the back of her apron was rocking with each movement causing an almost hypnotic effect. He couldn't look away. His hands started to itch with the sudden need to hold those hips and sway with her; bodies flush together. His mouth was watering and it had absolutely nothing to do with the delicious scent of food filling the room.

"Yusuke? Did you hear me?" He jerked and blinked as he was suddenly snapped out of his daze. He shook his head a blush staining his cheeks. Did she notice him starring?

"Er...no I'm sorry Kags..." he said scratching the back of his head. "I kinda zoned out..." She smiled at him,

"It's ok, Yusuke" she said, "I just asked how you wanted your steak cooked?" Yusuke blinked,

"Uhh... well?" He replied; she paused as she turned around giving him a puzzled look over her shoulder. He sighed; what would she have said if he had told her just to brown it on both sides and make sure it was still bleeding? Or better yet... mooing? That was what his demon side wanted... just raw bloody meat. Even though his demonic side wanted it; the human in him wanted to gag at the concept. Yusuke sighed; leaning his head back onto his arms.

"Don't worry so much," Kagome said, "the more you worry, the more negative energy you put into whatever is troubling you and the more likely it'll come to pass." Yusuke blinked at her... how had she? She smiled at him as she pulled potatoes out of the oven.

"Thoughts become things." She said sagely.

"Getting a little philosophical there aren't we?" Yusuke replied; plastering on a devil may care smile. Kagome shook her head and laughed softly at him.

"It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know something's bothering you. And since you, like all men, seem to want to suffer in silence broken only by heavy sighs; I can only give you some very general advice. Whatever is bothering you...don't dwell on it so much. The more energy you put into it the more likely you'll cause whatever it is you're worried about to come to pass."

"And what if it's gonna come to pass anyway...what if it's...genetic?"

Kagome snorted; "Genetics only accounts for so much. You are your own person, and your life is what you make of it. If you already know that this problem is a possibility... stop worrying and start trying to find ways to prevent that possible outcome." Yusuke looked at her or rather the back of her head since she was turned away busy sautéing onions.

"What do you mean?" He asked, intrigued despite himself.

"Genetics doesn't define who you are," Kagome stated, "it's simply a blue print for what could be. Some things can't be helped, like if your parents have brown eyes then there's a good probability that you'll have brown eyes. However when it comes to matters of personality... those characteristics are mostly learned rather than inherited. Sometimes by studying the parents we can have a clue as to the possible outcome of the child. For instance, a child raised by an abusive parent is more inclined to become abusive to their children because they were taught that was acceptable behavior. But say that child grows up and decides that they don't want to continue the saga? So they make a constant effort to change. Or say a family that has a history of addictive behavior... there's a long line of drunks, drug addicts, sex addicts, chronic smokers, gamblers...et cetera, et cetera... so as an individual you know this is a possibility within... a genetic weakness if you will. Being that you know this about yourself...you can guard against it. So you're careful when you drink and guard against having a drink when you NEED one; this way you don't become dependent on the alcohol. Does that make sense?" Kagome glanced at him, finally taking a breath. Yusuke thought about it for a moment.

"What..." he paused for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase the question without actually coming out and just saying that he had been wanting to eat humans. "What if it's more like an eating disorder?" He asked. She regarded him for a moment,

"Clarify..." she stated, realizing that now they were finally getting to the crux of what was bothering the young detective.

"What if someone is worried about...over indulging? What's...it called... bingeing?"

Kagome was quiet for a moment silently pondering Yusuke's question. She suspected this was finally the problem he had been worrying over; yet somehow Kagome knew they weren't speaking about a normal eating disorder. Yusuke was a demon after all... he had no problems eating. Perhaps he was having odd cravings?

"Moderation." She said finally, giving a generalized response since she didn't know exactly what was bothering him yet, "Denying what your body craves will only make the desire worse. The cravings will continue until your control snaps and you binge on whatever it was you were so desperately trying to avoid. So instead, satisfy the craving with moderation. So...say you're craving junk food... instead of denying yourself completely maybe have a couple pieces of chocolate... or a small bit of brownie. You don't need to eat the whole pan...but a small piece wouldn't hurt..."

"What if you can't have what you want...what if it's...unavailable?" Yusuke muttered; he was growing more uncomfortable with the subject. How much longer could he dance around it before Kagome guessed? She wasn't stupid; in fact she easily rivaled Kurama and Keiko in smarts. Plus she was familiar with demons, which would provide her with insight that Keiko would never have.

"Substitution? Maybe?" Kagome suggested. She set his plate down in front of him piled high with steak, potatoes, sautéed onions and steamed vegetables.

"American?" he said, changing the subject, "Nice."

She sat in the chair across from him. He diligently ate the food; his mind still preoccupied with his problem. He took a bite of steak expecting it to be the same burnt tasting piece of meat that even the best well-cooked steaks tasted like now. Instead the steak was hot, juicy...and...rare. The demon in him perked up at the taste of blood; even though it was bovine instead of human.

Kagome watched with a small smile as Yusuke inhaled his steak; without him asking she got up and placed another on his plate having anticipated the appetite of a demon. She had been surprised when he had ordered a well done steak; but noticing the distaste on his face she had taken a chance and cooked it like she use to fix it for Kouga. Inuyasha hadn't really cared how his food had been cooked as long as there was ramen. However, during the time of the final battle when both Sesshomaru and Kouga had camped with their group along with their respective parties; she had learned pretty quickly that demons didn't particularly enjoy cooked meat. They were predators through and through. No matter how pretty or how human their outside appearance was; they were predators. In the case of Kouga she knew that he and his wolves consumed human flesh. Poor Rin could testify to that.

They were predators and predators killed and ate weaker prey animals...which was what humans were to demons. Prey. Yet, Kouga and even the lofty Lord Sesshomaru had enjoyed a rare steak.

Yusuke sat back and pushed his now clean plate away. He was stuffed and for the first time in months even his demon side was satisfied.

"That was delicious Kags..." he said. She grinned,

"Substitution worked then?" Yusuke froze and looked at her; resembling a deer caught in headlights. She laughed.

"You're not the first demon I've cooked for silly," she said, "back during the final days before our battle with Naraku. All of our 'army' took to camping together. Well being me... I somehow became in charge of food. We had demons that regularly ate humans that joined our army... I couldn't very well let them eat our allies... so I had to come up with alternatives. Figured out pretty quickly that the bloodier the food the better when it came to feeding demons. Human was a preferred meal...but they could survive just fine on say deer or fish if cooked right."

Yusuke looked at the floor amazed and ashamed that she had found out his dirty little secret. He knew she was too damn smart not to figure it out sooner rather than later.

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

Kagome put the dishes in the sink and stood in front of the forlorn detective. Poor man looked like a kicked puppy; all pitiful and cute. She reached down and cupped his cheek forcing him to meet her eyes. Dark chocolate locked with milk as she forced him to meet her gaze,

"What are you apologizing for?" She asked, confused.

"For these..." he couldn't finish the sentence; unable to vocalize the horrible notion that he craved human as a menu item.

"Yusuke," she said her voice soft and serious, "look at me..." Yusuke glanced up and met serious milk chocolate orbs; "am I food?"

He jerked, "NO!"

"I'm serious Yusuke; at this very moment when you look at me, do you see me or prey?" Yusuke looked down,

"You...I mean….I… I'm... not hungry now...but…. later... I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Yusuke look at me," she said, her soft voice like velvet covered steel. Yusuke flinched, expecting her to condemn him like Keiko had. She had known about Raizen's food of choice and it had sickened her. She was human; it was only natural. He expected no less from Kagome; she too, was human.

"Urameshi;" Kagome said, her voice even harder than before. He refused to look at her and see the condemnation in her eyes. Instead, Kagome knelt in front of him, once again cupping his cheek and forcing him to look at her.

"Do not apologize for what nature has made you," she said, "You are a predator of predators. I could no more condemn you then I could condemn the wolf or sharks of the world. You cannot help what nature and circumstance has molded you into. You are demon, and demons are the fiercest of predators. Yet, only those who kill for cruelty hunt for sport. Those who hunt for food do not kill less they are hungry. Do you feel the need to hunt now?"

Yusuke though about it for a moment; then shook his head. No, at the moment all he wanted was to stretch out on the couch and take a nap. Kagome smiled at him,

"Good, for now... try not to allow yourself to become hungry. Ok?" She pressed their foreheads together. "See if that helps the cravings."

"What if it's not enough?" Yusuke asked, "I couldn't live with myself if I lost myself...and killed innocent people..."

Kagome thought about it; "remember when I told you about the first time I met Inuyasha?" she asked. Yusuke nodded, "Well... what I didn't mention was that we were not allies by choice. When we first met he tried to kill me. It was only through the elder priestess Kaede's intervention that he didn't. Kaede cast a spell on him. She created a necklace called the Beads of Subjugation. These beads would cause Inuyasha to collapse to the ground with a single word from me. With as stubborn as he was I used it on him frequently. But it proved very useful several times when he lost control."

"Inuyasha lost control?" Yusuke asked; comforted that he wasn't the only half breed that had a hard time controlling their demon aspect. Kagome nodded

"From what I understand; it's the curse of those with mixed blood. Whenever Tessaiga was removed from InuYasha's possession and his life was in danger; his demon side would rise to protect itself;" she explained, "I won't lie to you Yusuke; it was a terrifying thing to witness. Worse to experience; he would often black out and have no recollection what happened. During those times he had no conscience, no loyalty, and no humanity. He was a killer born. The beads prevented him from attacking on more than one occasion. They even matched the power of Sounga once; though I wouldn't want to test that theory again. My point is...I could try to recreate the spell for you if you wanted. Like a safeguard, just in case."

Yusuke looked at the floor again, thinking over what Kagome had said. Kagome nuzzled his face in a show of affection she had picked up from Shippo. Oddly enough Yusuke found himself mimicking the motion as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Inhaling the soothing scent of lavender and spring breezes.

"Think 'bout it." She murmured, "but later... now we're going to go in the living room play some games and relax for a bit.'Kay?" Yusuke grinned.

"Yes ma'am…."

Hey ya'll, what did you think? This will probably be a two-shot for this installment; depending on if I can finish up the rest of the story. I wanted to show Yusuke and Kagome's budding relationship and wanted to try my hand at the whole demon Yusuke vs his instincts issue; brieftly touching on the whole nature vs nurture debate. A conversation with my husband involving the 'I don't want to be like my dad' issue; inspired this fic lol. And who better to accept a guy, ugly scars and all then our uber understanding miko? LOL. I hope you enjoy it. REVIEW!