Crimson Tourniquet

By: Minuiko

Reminder: This IS going to be angsty, when I get the chance, but for the moment, I'm building up their images. Besides, nothing truly sad's going to happen until at least September of 1862 (people who know what happens on September 17 should know what I'm talking about…)

And Bluespark: Yes, I did mean fetish, not fettish (It's changed now). I just typed it wrong because fettish is the way I pronounce it; I pronounce fetish as "fee-tish…" (I know, it's weird, but if you think about it, it's logical) and that reminds me of the not-yet-delivered baby in a mother's womb, the fetus (shudders)… xDD;; and yeah, I am continuing the story. Thanks for correcting that little mistake and for being my first reviewer!

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Chapter Two: April 1, 1862

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"So what do we get to eat?" Yuusuke demanded. Not long after they'd gotten into their tents to take a break from the tours, most of them had come out, their stomachs growling from hunger. Kurama and Hiei, who were the leaders of squad seven (which Yuusuke and Kuwabara were in), must've known that they'd come some time or later, because they were just sitting there, expectant. Besides, Yuusuke had only eaten two pieces of sushi, thanks to Kurama, since he'd been on the train.

Hiei looked at him silently, but his answer was addressed to the group. "You are each given raw materials, and that means you cook your own meals…" there was a groan from everyone, "because you can't expect the women in every camp we break into to cook for us, and besides, how likely is it for you to come across cooked food on your travels when you're out of town? Be glad at least that the materials are there for you now. When we start marching, there won't be any raw materials. You'll need to forage for your own food."

It's a fair point, Yuusuke thought grumpily, but I'm freaking starving here, and I don't WANNA cook my own food like some housemaid, or worse yet, Keiko. No offense to her or anything. Hiei looked pointedly at Kurama. "First Lieutenant Minamino?"

Kurama smiled and continued, "On a lighter note, you'll be getting real meals and rest every Sunday. We aren't fighting yet, so enjoy every day's rest you have. It may be harsh now, but it'll be much harsher out on the battlefield… so don't take anything for granted. Your materials are in your tents, if you've noticed. Today's ingredients, because it's your first day, are ideally for beef stew (it should be easy to make), but it's really up to you; cook it any way you want. You may eat in the mess hall, and if you know someone who can cook without making the food completely inedible, go ahead and ask him for help. Dismissed."

He was basically predicting impending doom. Pessimist. Yuusuke had things he wanted to ask the red-haired first-lieutenant, so he followed Kurama. He had to run to catch up with Kurama's stride as he went to his own designated tent, which he shared with Hiei. He put his hand on Kurama's shoulder, turning the taller boy around. "Oi, Kurama! What do you get to eat?"

He had a feeling that Kurama, with his higher rank, would get better food. Probably. Bastard.

"Same as you," Kurama replied smoothly. Yuusuke didn't know if he was lying or not, but he couldn't cook, and he didn't want to. Kurama then searched Yuusuke's face to see if he was sporting any disbelief or accusation. He wasn't. Kurama then smiled and offered, "You and Kuwabara could join Hiei and me at our table… you've never cooked before?"

Yuusuke turned faintly red and shook his head. Kurama shook his head and told him, "You'll need to learn. I'm not saying that you'll get into this kind of situation, but it's best to be prepared. Oh, I'm definitely not going to be cooking for you, but I'm willing to teach you how. It's not that hard. The hardest part is probably remembering how much of what to put in to make it taste good; of course, if you're not bothered by the taste, then by all means, throw everything in there and make do with whatever results from it."

Again, Yuusuke wasn't sure what Kurama's last statement meant. Is he trying to be funny again? If so, he had a rather dry sense of humor. Of course, he could've been insinuating that Yuusuke couldn't cook and if he tried to do so without teaching, the result would be horrible, but then again, he reminded himself, he couldn't cook anyways. "Ah. Thanks, man."

Kurama shook his head again, smiling. "You should get your things, and tell Kuwabara to come too, will you?"

"…Sure."

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"Yuusuke, you put too much sugar in."

"Can't help it, man. I'm a farm boy, whaddya expect? We have little to no sugar on the farm. It's some kind of delicacy to us."

"Yes, well, I can't really help with that. But I'd think you'd rather keep the sugar outside the beef stew? Save it for something else. We get rations, you know. We need food to keep the soldiers who have already fought in shape, and for them to share it with trainees…"

They were too happy, Hiei thought. He didn't even know what drew Kurama to this farm boy, although he himself would be termed gutter scum. He scoffed. Kurama was born to a rich family, but he didn't judge by money or ties; he judged by how interesting the person was. Kuwabara was middle-classed, and his candid frankness (what Hiei termed as "stupidity") might've been something of merit. But Yuusuke was nothing special. Not compared to him, at least. Great. Now I'm thinking like that aristocratic snob, he thought. He reasoned with himself as his own stew boiled: he didn't even know Yuusuke, and Kurama had a better eye for interesting people than he did. Since he hadn't seen the boy in training, he couldn't really judge Yuusuke's character. He'd just have to watch and see.

"Hey, Hiei."

Hiei turned an impassive face to Yuusuke. His brown eyes were dancing wickedly. "I wanted to know… just who is Yukina? She your girlfriend or something?"

Hiei's pupils dilated slightly, not that anyone other than Kurama would notice. Kuwabara definitely didn't. He was in his own happy little corner, stirring his pot of stew rapidly like some crazed maniac. The red-haired boy himself was apparently minding his own business, also stirring his pot of stew, but Hiei could sense an air of amusement around him. He was listening. Damn him. "Why do you want to know?"

Yuusuke blinked, but his answer didn't answer Hiei's initial question. "Then she is your girlfriend?"

Hiei had stiffened, instantly regretting not answering the younger boy the first time he'd asked; he supposed that the implications were reasonable, but they were wrong. He was just thankful that he hadn't knocked over his pot of simmering stew while his hand instantly reacted to the question, ready to throttle Yuusuke for even daring to assume such a thought. He controlled himself and demanded, "What makes you think that?"

Again, Yuusuke didn't answer his question. "Are you and Kuwabara fighting over this girl? I saw him stiffen when Kurama's mother," his eyes flicked briefly to Kurama, to see if he'd taken offense or even looked up or not; Kurama's eyes were still fixed on his stew, "said that Yukina sent her love."

Ah, so that was what had sparked the question in the first place. I told Kurama to tell his mother to stop babying me. Damn woman won't listen. Hiei finally bit out, "I'm Yukina's brother."

"Oh. So that's it. I… I see. Wait, that still doesn't explain Kuwabara."

Do I need to spell it out for you, dimwit? Hiei thought, only mildly angry now, but somewhat exasperated. Kurama answered for him, smiling, "They don't like each other very much, so the very thought of them being potential in-laws renders them speechless. Don't worry, as long as you're not caught in the crossfire, you'll be fine."

He acts like I'm some kind of demon. "Would you shut up? And I'd prefer it if Kuwabara didn't want to marry my sister at all."

"You see?" Kurama sounds too smug.

"Wait, wait, so that means that Kuwabara is courting Yukina?"

Yuusuke wouldn't stop asking questions, and Kurama didn't seem to mind at all. This was getting on his nerves. Now I know why Kurama took a liking to him. He's just like Kuwabara. He. Can't. Keep. His. Mouth. SHUT. "Yes! Now drop the subject." Hiei looked Yuusuke over, from slicked-back raven hair to worn, unpolished boot, and added quietly, "That's an order."

Yuusuke blinked again, smiled, and resigned. Kurama's amused look drifted from Hiei's face to Yuusuke's, then finally to their pots of stew. "I'm sorry, Yuusuke." Yuusuke blinked. Kurama's voice was regretful, but amusedly so. "I was supposed to teach you how to cook."

"Ehh? Oh shit… DAMN IT! IT'S BURNT!"

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Yuusuke crawled into his makeshift tent bed, pondering. Kurama and Hiei sure were weird. Thankfully, Kurama and Kuwabara had shared their stew with him (Kurama's tasted better), so that turned out okay, but he thought that it was strange for Kurama to be the first one to come up and make friends with him; he'd already had several friends of his own, so what good could Yuusuke do to him? Still, he was glad that Kurama had made friends with him. He's really… sushi fetish and all… a nice guy. I don't know much about him, but he's nice. And while he couldn't read Hiei that well, he was pretty sure, despite appearances, that the older boy had taken no offense from his blunder; he was irritated, but not hostile. Kuwabara didn't seem worth mentioning. He hadn't said one word to Yuusuke while they were eating, besides the gruff, "Here, take some of my stew," and the loud, "G'night," which was addressed to everyone there, so that didn't count.

Yuusuke frowned. Kurama had insinuated that Kuwabara was very articulate, candid, honest, loud… so why was he so quiet? He yawned and decided not to think about it right then. Within moments, his snores joined those of his already sleeping squad members in their separate tents.

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April 2, 1862

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Yuusuke woke up to Kuwabara splashing freezing water on his face (to his irritation) and exclaiming right next to his ear, "Oi, Urameshi, wake up!"

He growled and punched the orange-haired boy's face, leaving a black eye and several suggestive bruises. "What the hell was that for!"

Kuwabara had covered his bruised eye with his large hand. "Bastard! You didn't have to punch me! And it's six-twenty, that's why I woke you up. First Lieutenant Jaganshi told us to wake at six. I didn't want to ruin your beauty sleep, but I didn't think you'd want your rations taken off either!"

Yuusuke muttered under his breath and demanded as he dressed, just for the sake of argument, "I didn't ask why you woke me up, I asked why you had to frikkin' splash cold water on me and yell into my ear!"

"'Cause you were sleeping like a rock, that's why! Did you know that I screamed for you to wake up twelve times before I decided to resort to that?"

"Great, so that's why my eardrums hurt so damn much. Whatever, jerk, just get out! I'm changing! You ruined my sleep, so at least give me some privacy!"

Kuwabara grumbled but complied. Yuusuke realized, as he was mopping his wet, cold face, that Kuwabara was actually very articulate, like Kurama had said. He was loud, clumsy, painfully honest… but dependable. Kuwabara was right, Yuusuke really didn't want his rations taken off. But the orange-haired boy was so silent the other day… something other than his natural communicative tendencies must have triggered that. Yuusuke grinned as he pulled his coat on and stepped outside. I wonder if it has to do with Yukina?

He quickly got breakfast (it was one of the meals they weren't required to cook; apparently, that particular lesson was for lunch and dinner only. Breakfast, someone told him, was the most important meal of the day, and the higher-ups didn't want them to faint during training because of inedible food cooked by incompetent men who had never cooked in their lives), gulped it down, and joined his other squad members in the training hall. Each squad had their own separate training halls; there were only eleven squads in this camp. There were other training camps scattered all over the North, but they had considerably more men; this one camp was special for some reason, with only ninety-something men.

Hiei paced back and forth until the last man arrived; there were nine of them in all, counting Hiei and Kurama. Hiei was bare-chested, wearing only long black pants and a metal belt. Kurama was also loosely dressed, donning only a light, white, long-sleeved shirt made of some kind of thin material and pants similar to Hiei's only it was white. Hiei looked at them with a critical eye, frowning. "You're all dressed too warmly for this."

They all looked at one another, then back to Hiei and Kurama. Kurama defended them unnecessarily, "They didn't know how hard your training was going to be, so it's not their fault," but Hiei merely snorted and told them to take their thick shirts and coats off and to recite their names, ages, and hobbies, grumbling under his breath about how the last was a waste of time but standard procedure to instigate "friendly relations."

Yuusuke was the third to go. The first man, a tall, muscular man of an age that ranged from twenty to thirty (he couldn't tell how old he was) told them, "Chuu. Don't got a last name, mates, me ma was an illiterate an' didn't know who my father was. She kinda got 'round, if ya know what I mean. I'm twenty-nine, I like a good wrestle."

The next man, or boy rather— he looked far too young to be in the room, let along the army— piped up, "Rinku. I'm Chuu's little brother," the whole room was silent, as the two looked nothing alike… but then again, their mother was a prostitute, wasn't she? "I'm fourteen, believe it or not, and I like playing with yo-yos."

"Yuusuke Urameshi. I'm sixteen, and I like fist-fighting, when I can get the chance. I'm mostly cooped up in the barn, though. Family has to make a living, yeah?"

Well, they'd find out he was poor and from a farm sooner or later; besides, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara already knew. He really did like fighting though— he liked the excitement and the feeling of rushing at his opponent he got from it— but he seldom got the chance to, unless he went to town and Keiko wasn't there. He'd never really gotten hurt from it either.

"Kazuma Kuwabara, sixteen. I like Yukina…" His face took on a goofy look as Hiei scowled at him and told the next man to start talking.

The next man, who was bare-chested on Hiei's orders but still wearing a fancy getup both on his legs and on his face, had a retarded answer, in Yuusuke's opinion anyway. "I am the beautiful Suzuka. My full name is Suzuka Shinzenbi. You don't need to know my age, because that would ruin my entire image of beauty. People judge too much on age. I enjoy looking into the mirror and worshiping my perfection, applying makeup, and inventing things, and I want to one day become famous enough for people all over the world to—"

Hiei growled and interrupted, "That's enough. Next."

The next was a short, rather plump black-haired boy around Yuusuke's age. "Uraurishima Ama. I'm seventeen and I like fishing."

And Yuusuke's oh-so-narcissistic landlord's son. "Shishiwakamaru Utsukushii. Eighteen. I enjoy granting benevolence to my underlings. Anyone who is not grateful to me is a fool. I think I'm a generous enough lord, but I do NOT tolerate a servant who does not obey his master," and he looked, one eyebrow raised, at Yuusuke. Yuusuke rolled his eyes and looked at Hiei, who started talking.

"I am first lieutenant Hiei Jaganshi, and that's all you need to know about me. I do not tolerate slackers."

Kurama smiled at Hiei, shaking his head, and told them, "I'm first lieutenant Kurama Shuuichi Minamino. Hiei and I are both eighteen," Hiei threw him a dirty look, but Kurama ignored it, "and I enjoy growing plants of all kind. Roses are my favorite kind of plant."

That last statement began a wave of snickering through the group, which Hiei silenced with a harsh glare. He then told the trainees, "You will assemble here swiftly and silently each morning. I have no problems with putting a man of lower rank who disobeys me into the hospital. We may need all the men we can get, but we do not need disobedient or cowardly men who would betray us to the enemy should his own life be threatened. I hope you're clear on that point?"

Salute. "SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Better. This is where your training begins. I want a total of fifty push-ups today, in addition to one hundred sit-ups, ten pull-ups, and a run of two miles through the forest nearby; the track is marked, so you'll know how much you've ran. I don't care when you finish, so long as it's within…" Hiei looked at his watch. "forty-five minutes as of now. We will be watching your every move," he added, his scarlet eyes glinting dangerously. "You may begin."

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.:Owari:.

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A/N: Well, I'm done… I wrote seven pages, like the last chapter. XD

Thanks for reviewing, Zeila E! Uraurishima's last name means fisherman, and Shishi's and Suzuka's have something to do with beauty. I didn't know what to do with Chuu's and Rinku's, so I just made them siblings with a prostitute mother and illegitimate fathers (sweatdrops). I just went to and looked up the other names. Hehe. It's really useful.

Tell me if I made any mistakes…

Review!