Fourth chapter here we are! Well this was fun to write. I'm finally starting to get deeper into the story. I'm going to add a bit more info on Nao in the next chapter and hopefully begin where shit starts to go wrong for the family. I can't wait to write Hiei and hopefully get his character right. Oh btw if you see writing that is slanted like this it is basically just the character's thoughts. It's just to save me from writing"he thought" all the time. Well hope you enjoyed it!
"Ready, set, go!"
The two figures darted out into the woods instantly, weaving their way through the branches and shrubbery. Yusuke launched himself from branch to branch, effortlessly. All those years of training with Genkai had clearly paid off. Yusuke caught a glimpse of a small figure trailing behind him. She's gotten faster. Promptly, he increased his speed, making the top class human athletes look pathetic in comparison. Once he had gained a considerable amount of distance from his pursuer, he slowed down his pace. I've got this one in the bag. Just as he had begun to relax, he heard an enormous shriek. He halted immediately. Fear overtook him and he spun around, hurriedly retracing his steps. "Nao! Nao I'm coming hold on!" Yusuke felt a wave of emotions overtake him: fear, distress, worry. But most of all he was severely pissed off. Whoever had decided to mess with his daughter was about to feel the full fury of Yusuke's fists.
"Say it again Urameshi, and this time loud enough for us to hear it," Kuwabara incited.
Yusuke hung his head in shame, releasing the barely audible set of words "I lost to my five year old in a game of dash."
Kuwabara erupted in laughter, until he was promptly hit by his friend. "Hey what the hell was that for? Just because you're a sore loser doesn't mean you should take your anger out on me. You're ruining my good looks." Yusuke scoffed.
"I can't ruin what's not there and the only reason Nao won is because she took advice from an idiot like you."
He gazed down at his daughter. Her glinting hazel eyes, brown wavy hair that fell messily over her face and petite round face all contributed to the innocent look of the child. Definitely Keiko's child.
"Yeah! Nao kicked daddy's ass!"
"Hahahaha there you have it Urameshi. Nao kicked daddy's a…" Kuwabara was interrupted by a swift punch to the gut.
"I swear you two just love conspiring against me. Looks like you'll be seeing less of this clown from now on." Nao stamped her foot in defiance and puffed her face angrily at Yusuke.
"No. Nao loves uncle Kazuma. Daddy is just being petty." Yusuke felt himself shrink. Rejected by his own daughter.
"Who taught you that word petty? Anyway that's beside the point. Come on we better get you home before your mammy has my head. Let's go. Oi Kuwabara, you coming?"
Kuwabara still writhing in pain from the blow he had received from Yusuke lifted his head slightly.
"Gi…..give me a minute."
Yusuke took hold of Nao's tiny hand and led her on. As she beamed at him, her face devoid of any corruption from the outside world, he couldn't help but feel that life couldn't get much better than this.
If there was one thing Yusuke hated about himself it was his tendency to speak too soon. Back at his apartment Yusuke and Keiko watched a news report quietly while Kuwabara and Nao played contently in the background. The incident involved a brutal murder of an old retired couple, whose house was quite close to Yusuke's neighbourhood. Apparently the couple had been tied and gagged, with evidence of a number of severe blows to the head with some form of weapon.
"This case is one of many in which the police believe is connected to a new emerging serial killer. The targets so far have been unrelated, but one thing is certain. Whoever this killer is, regardless of motive, is undeniably barbaric in nature. All we can hope for is…." The news report was muted abruptly by Yusuke. He never had been fond of watching depressing stuff.
"Yusuke…." Keiko's voice was faint, but he could hear the uneasiness in her voice. He shot a quick glance to ensure his daughter was at a safe distance, so their conversation would not be heard and then wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Hey Keiko, everything's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to us. The police will definitely catch this jerk and if they don't, he won't be getting within an inch of this household. I'll protect you guys, I promise."
His soothing words weren't enough to ease the tension she was feeling. There was something deeper bothering her. Most likely the same fear Yusuke was feeling. The murders described had been horrific, savage even. Surely a human wasn't capable of committing such crimes, were they? After his time as spirit detective, Yusuke knew he was being incredibly naïve, but somehow these murders reeked of demon scent. He hoped his hunch was right, that way there was no way of him holding back if the bastard ever set foot near his family.
The knock came at an ungodly hour. Kuwabara had already left and Nao had been put to bed when Yusuke had been awoken from his slumber. He shifted slightly, and then tried to return to sleep, to little success. The knock came louder next time.
"Yusuke….. get the door."
A loud snore escaped him. To hell if he was leaving his palace of a bed to attend to some psychopath in the middle of the night, who had never heard of the terms "visiting hours."
"Idiot I know you're not asleep. Now get the door before my hand connects with your face."
With that threat in mind Yusuke made his way reluctantly out of the bed and crawled his way to the door. The knocks were becoming increasingly louder which only added to Yusuke's frustration.
"I'm coming I'm coming Jesus. This better be worth it."
Yusuke swung the door open, readying his fists to knock out the idiot who awaited him on the other side. He was rewarded with a familiar guest.
"Evening detective. You look terrible."
The small figure grinned at him cheekily, no sign of guilt in his face (not that he'd be able to tell, what with his body being drenched in exhaustion).
"That would be because of being woken up at 3am, which we're apparently calling evening nowadays."
"Well are you going to invite me in or do I have to beg?" Yusuke did his best to smirk, although his fatigue probably lessened the impact.
"How could I deny my favourite three-eyed demon from the prospect of a cosy home during the middle of the night?" Yusuke waved his arms inside, gesturing to his friend to enter. "Long time no see Hiei."