A/N: Concerning my re-wioop-ing project: Chapter III of "re-WIOOP?" consists of Chapters V-VI.

Was It Out of Pity?
Chapter III
Edited: June 6, 2007

"No offense, Urameshi," Kuwabara muttered, "but this place is like a ghost town."

"Shut up," Yusuke said, his tone threatening.

"I'm serious, man." He sat back and examined the empty room, chewing his ramen thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you and Keiko haven't gone bankrupt yet."

"Just barely," Keiko said. "Of course, it'd help if Yusuke would stop acting so immature while he worked."

"What!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Geez, Keiko. You're starting to sound like Kurama."

He received four puzzled stares. "What?" Botan asked.

Yusuke blinked. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. Um, Kurama came by a few days ago."

He did?" Kuwabara asked. He nodded. "How was he?"

"Oh, he was perfectly fine," he replied. "Except he was telling me how he doesn't remember a thing that happened last month." He was quiet for a minute. "When he wasn't telling me that if I grew up I'd have more customers, that is."

"Um… I think he might be right there."

"Shut up, Kuwabara!" Yusuke grabbed the nearest object he could find and chucked it at the carrot-top.

"Ew!!! There's fly guts on that!"

"That's what you get for insulting me!"

"Hey, Kurama said it; I was just agreeing!"

"Are you sure that he doesn't remember?" Yukina inquired.

Yusuke abandoned his task of clobbering Kuwabara and turned toward her. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure," he replied. "Just to check though, I asked him to try to remember." He shrugged. "But nothing happened. He called it a blank. He was kind of upset that he couldn't remember, too."

Keiko stared at him. "Yusuke, what would you have done if Kurama did remember?"

The confident look left Yusuke's face. "I, um…" he trailed off. "Shit, I didn't think about that."

Somebody mumbled, "Moron."

"I heard that!" he shouted angrily. He lunged for Kuwabara, who immediately took flight. The chase pursued around the empty shop for several minutes, until they hit a portion of the floor made wet by spring rain. Both boys went flying in random directions.

"Ouch…" Yusuke groaned from where he now lay in a sprawled heap. He craned his head around to survey the site upon which he had landed. "Ouch…" he said again.

He was just outside the ramen shop's entrance. Sitting up a little, he now noticed that the door to the building was hanging off one hinge- presumably because he had just somewhat gone through it- and that the door's window lacked any glass. 'That would explain why the floor was wet inside,' he thought, observing a fresh cut on his hand. He sat straight up and looked around, seeing that the portion of sidewalk in front of the door was littered with glittery shards of glass. Yusuke discovered that his other hand and both arms also bore cuts now. "Keiko, the door's broken," he whined. "And I think I might need a tetanus shot."

"Idiot."

"Huh?" Yusuke leaned back and came to rest against a pair of legs. He looked up. A dark shadow stood over him, silhouetted by the midday sun. Shielding his eyes with one hand, the sun's glare disappeared and the person's features began to materialize. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Hiei just looked at him, the expression on his face a mixture of disdain and partial amusement. Yusuke noted that today Hiei was wearing his official dress: an outfit composed of primarily royal purple accented by black and a dark wine color. He was still not used to seeing him dressed this way; it looked odd on him. That was, assuming Hiei ever appeared normal.

A woman walked past, throwing a strange look at the two. "What are you staring at?" Yusuke yelled after her, but immediately after he took stock of his current situation and realized why they must be a spectacle. There was Hiei's appearance, naturally, combined with the fact that Yusuke currently had his head pressed against Hiei's crotch. He gave an involuntary shudder. "Hey, it's not like that!" he shouted frantically, though the woman was now out of earshot. "We're not—"

He saw a shadowy blur, and Hiei now stood in front of him. Now lacking any back support, Yusuke fell back to lie flat on the pavement. "Ouch," he said, though it had not hurt. He rose to his feet and brushed himself off.

Hiei examined the broken door, the spot where Yusuke had landed, and then stared at Yusuke himself. "Idiot," he said again. "Perhaps when this eatery of yours fails and you have no place to go, I'll suggest Mukuro create a position for fool. I believe you'd fill it with no trouble at all."

"Hey, this place is not gonna fail!" Yusuke retorted. "And if I'm such an idiot, why'd you come see me?"

"Believe me, it was not by choice," Hiei said coolly, following Yusuke inside the restaurant.

"Hello, Hiei," Yukina said sweetly.

He looked at her. She was standing by the counter, wearing a western-style sundress in some shade of blue, giving him a warm, beaming smile that could light up the entire city. Yukina, his twin sister—sweet, pure, innocent, perfect in every way. His complete opposite. For that reason alone, Hiei was thankful she did not know he was her brother.

Something that vaguely resembled a smile flickered across Hiei's face. He nodded to her. "Hello, Yukina."

"So, Hiei," Yusuke ventured. "If you're not here by choice, why are you here?" A noxious scowl was thrown his way.

"Um … Yukina? Keiko? A little help?" Everyone's gaze shifted to the corner. Kuwabara was attempting to stay balanced on only one foot, his other one caught in the framework of a chair back.

Hiei's expression grew even surlier, but a sideways glance at Yukina made him bite his tongue. "Hn. I came here because Mukuro sent me. I'm obligated to follow any order she issues if I want to maintain my status. That, Detective, is why I'm here."

"Oh." Yusuke supposed the Koorime's explanation made sense, given his current apparel. "What did Mukuro send you for?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the excess in idiotic questions. Yusuke acted as though Hiei were not about to explain his presence. "I was ordered to bring these," he held up a wrapped package, "to you and the—" He looked at Yukina again. "—Kuwabara," he finished.

"Yeah?" Yusuke took the package and looked inside it. He raised his eyebrows and stared at Hiei. His gaze came to rest on the demon's chest, now noticing how his uniform was adorned with various metallic objects.

Hiei caught Yusuke staring and shifted slightly, the ceiling lights reflecting off his decorations. "Her expression of gratitude, I suppose."

"I see." Yusuke laid the package down on the table. "Why don't you have one like ours?" He received no reply. Yusuke thought for a moment, and a sly smile found its way on his face. "Oh … I see now. She expressed her gratitude to you in another way, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Hiei snapped frigidly. Yusuke recoiled. "I'm finished here." Hiei turned and made for the door.

"Yusuke said Kurama was here a few days ago," Yukina called after him.

He paused at the doorway. "Yes," he said quietly. "I know. I've spoken with him."

He doesn't remember—" Yusuke began.

"I know," Hiei interrupted. "He told me."

"I think that he's kind of upset about it."

Hiei shrugged. "So be it." He stepped outside, and moments later vanished from sight.

Yukina stared outside. "Do you think he'll come around anymore?"

"Who knows?" Kuwabara answered, having freed himself from the chair. "I doubt it. He hates it here. I don't think he'll come back if he doesn't have to."

"Oh," she said, disappointed. Hiei was so nice a person; she would miss seeing him.

Keiko noticed several small, dark stains on the package. "What are those?"

"Huh?" Yusuke looked where she was pointing. "Oh." He held up a hand. "The glass on the door's busted. I guess that's how the rain got in."

"Um, no offense, Urameshi," Kuwabara began, looking at the door. "But you're kind of a klutz."

"At least I didn't get my foot stuck in a chair!" Yusuke retorted as he left in search of a broom.

Kurama stared at the computer screen, his eyes seeing the words and graphics but his mind comprehending none of it. He heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair, massaging his brow while he glanced about the office—bland, unadorned dull bluish walls; gray carpeting; a large office window overlooking the street below; cream-colored filing cabinets; an artificial potted plant. Altogether, it did not provide an incredibly stimulating work environment.

But he was blaming the room's decorator for his own problems. For the past several weeks Kurama had been feeling horribly distracted and often stayed late at the office attempting to catch up on work he did not complete during the day. Afterward, he would go home, grab something to eat, and go to bed. Kurama had not done anything leisurely or recreational for some time.

Only recently had it occurred to him that, at some point, he had been unknowingly chained down to a corporate hell. The entire situation was rather depressing; Kurama felt he was falling victim to a rapidly growing nostalgia for something he felt he could not obtain. The only problem was that he did not even know for sure what it was he missed. Simpler times, perhaps?

Then again, Kurama doubted he ever truly had experienced such a thing. His entire life, he had never been without some sort of weight to carry. First, he had intended to regain his strength and return to the Makai. Then, his aspiration switched to pleasing his mother, to make her proud, and to save her when she became ill. And after that, to work to maintain both his life as Shuichi Minamino and his job as a Reikai Tantei. Though it would appear that, even if he was now without any obligations to either the Reikai or Makai, his burden had not lessened as much as he would have thought.

Finally, the time came for Kurama to leave the office. It was already dark; there would be nowhere to go now but straight home. He sat behind the wheel and held his head in his hands. He had been hoping that perhaps today he would have the time to visit with his friends. Every day, he hoped he may have the time; every day, his schedule proved too tight to allow such activities.

By now, Kurama had fallen into a dark mood. He discarded his tie and jacket and tossed them into the back seat. 'The adventure of Ningen life,' he though sarcastically while he drove.

Thus ended another day. Tomorrow, Kurama would wake and start yet another. Each day had come to vary little. Life, his at least, had apparently become a repetitive cycle with little excitement.

Hiei sat kicked back in his chair, observing the prisoner and interrogator on the other side of the glass. The interrogation, he observed, was not progressing well; however, he had expected as such. The demon questioning the prisoner was, it seemed, very new and had no clue what to do. Even if he had, he still would not have succeeded much. This particular prisoner….

He found himself staring at him. His ears heard none of the pathetic conversation the interrogator tried to strike; his eyes did not see the prisoner's features, save the lips that only moved to curl into a smug, superior smirk; his mind generated no conscious thoughts. Hiei still felt emotion though, even if the sight of the prisoner inspired only one; a bitter, pure, raw hatred that overpowered all of his other senses. Hatred so strong- more so than any he had ever felt with the exception of perhaps one other occasion- that it made him want to explode, to set off in a sequence of destructive fury, to obliterate everything surrounding him, and then maybe himself in addition. Such hatred that it was almost too much for even Hiei to handle.

Unable to deal with it any longer, Hiei rose and stormed out of the room. If he stayed, he might very well give in to the intense negativity he was experiencing.

Mukuro saw her heir stalking down the hall, looking as though he could blow up the three worlds. "Bad day?" she asked, suspecting she knew where he had been.

Hiei shrugged, pretending to be indifferent. "Just another day," he muttered, not even glancing at her as he passed.