Hello again...Readers. Despite very few reviews I just can't stand not updating this story when I'm as far ahead in the writing as I am. I'm writing chapter six right now and this is technically chapter 2 so yeah...Big difference. I actually had to watch a few YYH episodes and take NOTES! Yeah NOTES for chapter 6. My poor finger is dead from writing pages and pages of dialect. But you'll find out more when that chappie comes along won't you. ^^"
It also occurred to me lately that I'm horribly mean to these characters lol. In Third Time's the Charm Yusuke dies, in Peace Must Always Come to an End Hiei get's kidnapped and in this one Hiei tries to kill himself...Hmmm...I'm so mean...T.T
And if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes then I'm sorry. Word is a total bitch. I wrote in another chapter "he tried to find his belongings" and word wanted to change it to "he tried to find him belongings"... Yeah...How bad is that?
Anyway, enough of my babbling. I want to thank Sinistera of the Akatsuki and Natsume-chan (again yay!) for reviewing the last chapter. Hugs all around! And life size Yusuke and Hiei plushies!
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Disclaimer: ...I tire of having to say these words...I die a little every time...No I still don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Warnings: This chapter contains very slight amounts of coarse language.
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Chapter 2: When the Devil Holds Your Aces
The dark haired young man gathered the scarily lifeless fire demon into his trembling arms and stood, an indescribable expression settling firmly on his face, his mind carefully blank.
"C'mon." He whispered harshly to the red head behind him. Kuwabara started at his friend's cruel tone but had no time to form a reply for the other man ran off without waiting. The human scrambled after the hanyou as fast as he could but it was a hopeless endeavor. Yusuke practically flew across the ground, running as though the Devil himself was on his heels.
As he sprinted towards their destination, Kuwabara couldn't help but think how scarily true that might be…
Yusuke's sneakers thudded heavily against the small dirt path that ran through the park, winding its way around the trees and flowered fields. But the beauty of the night was now the last thing on the hanyou's mind.
Ten minutes later Yusuke was still running. His breath came in short gasps and his legs burned like hellfire but he never once faulted. He couldn't afford to slow down, the price of comfort far too high. He kept running. Maybe it was his imagination but Yusuke swore he could almost feel the sands of life and time slipping away from him, from Hiei. And it scared him.
More than anything else ever had...
Finally! Yusuke thought as the hospital came into view. The raven haired man pushed himself to go faster, not even stopping for the ambulance that drove into the hospital vehicle only zone outside of the emergency entrance. Instead he ran blindly in front of the ambulance, ignoring the obnoxious honking of car horns and the angry shouts that followed him as he burst through the doors and into the emergency room.
All occupants in the emergency room looked up at the loud BANG and came to a complete standstill, staring in shock at the sweaty and disheveled youth that stood panting in the entryway.
Yusuke glanced around desperately, his chocolate eyes finally landing on the middle-aged nurse behind the paper littered counter. Without hesitation he strode towards her.
The nurse behind the desk, Beccy May, had been innocently sorting paperwork and medical reports when the jarringly loud BANG of the door disrupted her. Like everyone else in the room her head had instantly whipped towards the source of the noise. The brunette had stared in surprise at the unruly young man now standing there, trembling with exhaustion and gasping for breath. She watched as his wild brown eyes found her own grey orbs and he jogged over to her. The first thing that went through her head was that there was a crazy man in the hospital and he was going to kill her. An irrational thought she discarded the second he came to a halt before her. He looked down at her, his face constantly shifting, almost as if he couldn't decide which emotion to settle on. In what she had thought less than a minute ago were wild, desperate eyes, she could now see fear and hurt.
"Please…" He whispered, voice cracking with overwhelming emotion. "You have to help him…"
Beccy May was instantly filled with confusion.
"Help who?" She asked concerned.
She saw the youth hesitantly shift his arms away from his body. How was it, she wondered as she stared in horror, that she hadn't seen the second young man, covered in blood and deathly pale, held possessively in the grasp of the obviously taller male?
The nurse quickly shook away the paralyzing revulsion that had gripped her and jumped to her feet.
"HELP!" Beccy May shouted. "WE NEED A STRETCHER IN HERE STAT!"
Everything after that was a blur for Yusuke. Doctors in pastel green scrubs had run in and immediately taken the limp fire demon from the hanyou, transferring him onto the stretcher and whisking him off down the hall. Of course Kuwabara chose this exact moment to come crashing through the door, gasping desperately for air. Once the lanky youth had been filled in the nurse who had called for the doctors gently directed the two boys to a seat in a quiet waiting room a little ways off from the emergency room where they had entered. She briefly disappeared before returning with a bottle of water and a small chocolate bar for each of them, advising them to sit there and try to relax while they waited on news of their friend. Yusuke had quietly downed the liquid and sugary snack, forcing them to his dry mouth with trembling hands.
Gradually Yusuke began to calm down, his shaking subsiding and his panic receding enough to allow exhaustion to overcome him. But as he fell into unconsciousness his sleep was far from restful.
As Yusuke came to an hour or so later he was instantly assaulted by the smell of disinfectant and an almost tangible silence. The hanyou wrinkled his nose in disgust. Lazily the youth shifted, sitting up and stretching, his muscles screaming in protest. Finally he shook his head of the last remnants of sleep and blearily opened his eyes. Chocolate orbs gazed around the dimly lit white room in confusion.
A hospital… Yusuke thought, confused. Why am I in the hospital?
Suddenly the memories of earlier that night came flooding back. The boys' night out, the park, Hiei…
Hiei!
The detective spun around in his seat so fast that he fell off, hitting the ground with a light thump. A slight scrambling reached his ears a few seconds before he felt a pair of hands helping him up.
"Urameshi, man are you alright? Just about scared the shit outta me." Kuwabara, the owner of said hands, said as he pulled his friend to his feet.
"I'm fine." Yusuke replied straightening and glancing up at the red head with a hesitant gaze.
"So um…Have you…? You know…Heard anything?" He asked, looking away and moving his hand to massage the crick in his neck.
Kuwabara studied his friend and rival with firm grey eyes before sighing, slumping back in his chair.
"Nah. I haven't heard anythin'." He said gruffly. He felt sorry for the other man when he saw his whole body droop at the disheartening news.
"But hey, no news is good news, right?" He tried again, hoping to cheer the hanyou up a bit. It didn't really work the human observed but at least his friend had attempted a smile along with a noncommittal grunt.
Just as silence again began to settle in the empty waiting room Yusuke turned to Kuwabara once more.
"Hey man, do you have your phone on you?" Yusuke asked. Kuwabara frowned reaching into his jeans pockets.
"Yep. Why?" He finally answered, withdrawing his hands and holding up a small black mobile phone.
"Can I borrow it for a few minutes?"
"Sure. But why? Who ya calling?" Kuwabara inquired, handing over the thin telecommunication device.
Yusuke stood up and started walking out of the room.
"I'm going to call Kurama." He replied over his shoulder. The taller man watched his friend walk away with a grimace, not envying him in the slightest.
Ring, ring. Riiiing, riiiing. Ring, ring. Riiiing, riiing.
The detestable noise rang insistently through the quiet house invading the happy dreams of its sleeping inhabitants. A groan escaped the red haired demon as he felt sleep slowly recede from him.
"Noooo…" He almost whimpered as wakefulness set in. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he rolled over in his bed, attempting to ignore the phone's pleas for attention.
Suddenly the ringing stopped. Kurama's ears perked up as he heard his human mother's voice, quietly conversing with whatever hell-demon had thought calling at, – a quick glance at the digital clock by his bedside – three in the morning was a good idea. His mother stopped talking and the sound of her voice was replaced by light footsteps coming up the stairs. Kurama frowned as he laid there, footsteps coming closer and closer, followed by the creak of his door opening. The red head shot up his emerald eyes falling on the silhouetted figure in his doorway.
"Mother, what-"
"It's for you Shuichi." Shiori said, cutting him off.
"Who is it?" 'Shuichi' asked, staring at the offered phone with his frown still in place.
"It's your friend Yusuke. He sounded upset." The dark haired woman explained softly. Without waiting for a response she gently pushed the telephone into her son's hands and stood up with a small smile. "I think it would be best for you to take it." Shiori left the room swiftly, closing the door behind her and not leaving the grumpy red haired male any chance to argue.
Kurama stared in bemusement at the door his mother had just exited through. Sometimes I have to wonder if all mothers are in some way psychic, he thought wryly.
A muffled voice came through the receiver, drawing his attention to the phone once more.
"Kurama? Kurama are you there?" Yusuke's voice crackled. The fox demon in question sighed as he moved the device to his ear.
"Yes, I'm here." He replied, annoyance lacing his tone. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Silence dominated the conversation briefly before his friend responded.
"Kuwabara's mobile says it's just after three am."
"Why are you on Kuwabara's phone?" Kurama asked, his eyebrows puckering.
"We're…We're at the hospital…" Yusuke answered his tone meek. Worry instantly flooded the red head.
"The hospital! Are you alright? What happened?"
"…" The other man's silence filled him with dread.
"Yusuke!"
"Please just come…Click. Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee-" Kurama pressed the end call button, effectively silencing the high pitched beeping. Instantly he jumped off the bed and hurriedly pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing his jacket from the back of his desk chair he rushed out the door.
…And immediately bumped into someone.
"Mother? What are you doing, I thought you had returned to bed." The young man asked, shifting his wait impatiently from leg to leg. Shiori smiled at him and held out her arm. There clutched in her pale hand jangled a set of keys.
"Take the car." She said simply, a knowing look in her eyes. Kurama stared at the older woman before a smile broke out across his face. He briefly swept his mother into a grateful hug before snatching the keys and running down the stairs.
"Thanks!" He yelled over his shoulder as he threw open the front door and disappeared outside. Shiori shook her head as she chuckled, staring after her son for a moment before turning to go to bed.
"Here." Yusuke handed Kuwabara back his mobile phone as he returned and sat back down next to the tall ginger haired man with a shaky sigh. Kuwabara slid the device back into his right jean pocket with an uttered "thanks" before turning to his friend.
"How'd it go?" He asked. Yusuke glanced over before sighing.
"I…I told him we were at the hospital but…I just couldn't tell him why." Kuwabara could hear the tears in the other man's voice.
"I'll tell him…When he gets here." The dread in Yusuke's voice was palpable and once again the lanky youth felt pity well up inside him.
Yusuke, he knew, valued his friend's above all else in his life. Before the spirit detective gig he'd never had any besides Keiko and now that he did…Well Kuwabara knew how much they all meant to the hanyou. To face the possibility of losing one of them and to something as horrible as suicide…It must be torture to him. Sure it was scary and hurtful to Kuwabara and would be to Kurama too, but it would surely pale in comparison to whatever Yusuke was feeling now.
"How the hell didn't we see this coming?" Yusuke whispered mournfully.
Kuwabara looked over to see his best friend staring at the ground with his head in his hands. A single, salty drop of water fell, landing with a silent splash on the tiles. He could see that the dark haired man wasn't actually talking to him. He was merely wondering aloud the question that had been plaguing the both of them since they witnessed the attempt.
Kuwabara sighed as he leaned back and turned his eyes heavenward. I don't know. He thought.
I just don't know…
'Somewhere life is good, and things go as they should
it's hard to find, but that's alright yeah
Searching for the way, push harder everyday
It's deep inside, that shining light yeah
But I'm scarred, by barriers placed in my path
I'm scathed….
This ride that takes me through life
Leads me into darkness but emerges into light
No one can ever slow me down
I'll stay unbound.
Sometimes when we're young, and always on the run
It gets so dark and I know that place yeah
So don't be too concerned, you've got a lot to learn
Well so do I and we've got plenty of time yeah
Don't fall off the track yet with so many races to go
Hold on…
This ride that takes me through life
Leads me into darkness but emerges into light
No one can ever slow me down
I'll stay unbound.
Some live so wrong, with what we do is each his own
But living in fear, endless shame for countless years
I never lived in fear I knew I'd die another day
I never viewed my life as something... slipping away!
Some live so wrong, with what we do is each his own
But living in fear, endless shame for countless years
I never lived in fear I knew I'd die another day
I never viewed my life as something... slipping away!
There's nothing here to take for granted
With each breath that we take
The hands of time strip youth from our bodies
And we fade
Memories remain
As time goes on…
There's nothing here to take for granted
With each breath that we take
The hands of time strip youth from our bodies
And we fade
Memories remain
As time goes on…'
Unbound (The Wild Ride) by Avenged Sevenfold.
There we go! Chapter 2 is up! So tell me what you all think. I will most likely be putting up the next chapter around the weekend. So don't forget to read and review!