Standard disclaimers apply.

Notes: Almost pointless. Genfic. YAOI. HK, H for Hiei and K for... Keiko?! Then of course, HieiKuramaHiei and YusukeKeikoYusuke. Yusuke POV. Yugao is an OC.


Nuances
Secrets

Something is wrong with this kid, I thought to myself, as she just sat there on Keiko's lap with the most somber look unimaginable for a 1-year old. Weren't kids supposed to be bright-eyed and curious and happy? Weren't they supposed to stare stupidly at anything that caught their attention? Weren't they supposed to giggle, flail, drool, put random objects in their mouths, pick at their noses, whine or infuriate their parents by doing all of those at once? Especially on a bullet train like this?!

It was a nice day out, and the gang, long retired from ass-kicking and long resigned to wedded bliss, planned a short stop at Baasan's temple, to pay a little homage to the master who died a few years ago. After that, we're off to - what do you know - Mount Hiei, for a three-day vacation. It was Kurama who suggested it, actually, saying he'd been dying to go to Mount Hiei. On the other hand, Hiei, too used to our human presence to even bother putting up an act, merely shrugged and told him, "Sure, anata. Wherever you want." That was classic psychological warfare, and it sent us howling with laughter. Kurama, stunned, flushed a bit too brightly to be decent; he wasn't obviously expecting it. With that, all our secrets were unraveled in plain sight, and we officially became best friends, I think.

A little earlier though, after we've all eaten lunch and were all feeling drowsy, sunlight filtered through the window and shone on Yugao's eyes. All this time, I never knew her eyes weren't really brown, but deep, dark red. They were shaped like Keiko's, but the color... was red. It was definitely easy to miss. Since then there was only this numb knot in my stomach.

When everyone else had succumbed to a nap, only Hiei, Yugao-chan and I were left awake. On the other side Hiei was perusing a map of Kyoto while balancing Kurama's sleepy head on his. As for me, I didn't know where to look, but I felt so restless. Then I saw Yugao-chan. One would call her well-behaved and well-disciplined, but never once in this entire trip did she act her age. It was too early to be precocious, and I was kind of hoping I'd be able to experience the joys of a father with a delinquent and rebellious teenage girl who was of the exact likeness of his own wayward youth. She just sat there, stared hard at the floor, and her calm was suspicious. It was the calm of someone with great awareness; the kind you'd only expect Hiei to have.

Keiko's head lolled on my shoulder.

I wasn't aware that I was staring absently at Keiko's brown-haired head until Yugao-chan's little voice cut through the trance. "Touchan."

I perked up. "Nani, Yu-chan?"

"Touchan dai suki."

Something is wrong with this kid, I told myself. She can read minds. But I decided it didn't matter much. "Touchan mo. Yu-chan ga daaaaaaiii sukiiiiiii."

Yugao-chan giggled quietly. On the other side, Hiei was now perusing Kurama's hand. Lovingly.

END (eh?)


1. Touchan - "Daddy"
2. Yugao - "evening face." It was really random, meditated for about three seconds. I just read The Tale of Genji, so there.
3. Dai suki - "I like/love you very much"
4. anata - "honey," or "dear." Obviously a romantic endearment.
5. I think I wrote this because I kinda don't like the YusukeKurama pairing. Okay, I really don't.

Wai wai wai