Chapter 4 ! God lord, I realize I'm moving very slowly, but I'm trying to really get into the character's heads because they are so OOC. Anyway I really hope you guys are liking this , please review ! You're reviews attracted other readers!

Kuwabara had finally finished washing all the pots, pans, and putting away the food from preparing dinner. The entire clean up had seemed to have gone really quickly, because he had been so lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't seen his mother in two months now, and even still the last time he saw her she was only home for a half a day, to do her laundry and repack her suitcase. He felt childish for missing his mother. He felt embarrassed that he was upset she wasn't home. He would never admit to Shizuru that this strapping lad of seventeen, a winner of the dark tournament, and proud bearer of multifarious broken bones, cuts, bruises, and wounds missed his mom. He wasn't ready to grow up and fill in the hole she was leaving.

But just like the dark tournament, just like his sister, just like so many unfortunate kids in the world, in this he didn't have a choice. Grin and bear it. Kuwabara looked out the window hearing a plane fly over head, wondering if his mother was on that plane. Wondering if she could see the crumbling household he and Shizuru were trying desperately to maintain. As the plane travelled further and further away, the pitter patter of the rain against the window became the most profound noise once again.

"OH! The rain!" Kuwabara thought, grabbing the tray, "Hiei is still upstairs!"

Kuwabara hastily climbed the stairs to his bedroom. Balancing the tray on one hip he swung the door open, only to find a completely Hiei empty room.

"Hiei?" Kuwabara questioned, as he walked into the room.

But of course, no one answered. He looked at the wet spot of carpet beneath his window which had been left agar allowing rain to pummel into the room. He set down the tray and closed the window. With his back to the wall he slid to the floor into a squat; face in hands he sighed loudly. He was beginning to really enjoy Hiei's company. In a weird way, Kuwabara liked doing what his mother never did for them, taking care of someone else in need. Suddenly feeling insufferably lonely, he picked up the tray and walked down the hall to Shizuru's room.

He gently tapped on the door waiting for her to answer.

"Yeah?"

"I made dinner, can I come in?" Shizuru shuffled over to the door to let her baby brother in. He looked somber and disappointed. Eikichi, who had been aroused by the aroma of cooked food, had followed Kazuma, sprinting passed his feet into Shizuru's room first.

"What is it party time in Shizuru's room?" She asked, eyebrow raised at the spoiled feline.

Kuwabara set the tray down on her old school desk and sprawled out with a great sigh onto her bed. Shizuru, walked over to tap his side, gently telling him to make some room for her to sit.

The siblings, sat together in silence until Shizuru asked,

"Why aren't you entertaining Hiei?"

"He left."

"Oh," She said, "So you're giving me his left overs?"

"Oh come on Shizuru it's not like he touched it!"

Shizuru flipped her hair nonchalantly, she had teased her brother knowing what he was really upset about, and also knowing he would never talk about how much Mom leaving had bothered him. She decided to bring up another topic teasing him further, and ultimately distracting him from the real issue.

"Listen, Kazuma, I know you came out to me a while ago and as your sister I completely respect who you are and what you do-"

Instantly, Kazuma's face became beet red,

"But please, if you and Hiei are gonna keep hooking up, would you mind only doing it when I'm not home?"

At this point Kuwabara's face was glowing red, his mouth was agape as he immediately started to protest,

"SHIZURU! HOW CAN YOU EVEN-", hiding her grin she cut him off,

"I just don't want to hear my only baby bro gettin' it on ok? Is that so much to ask?"

"BUT I'M NOT- BUT WE'RE NOT- HE'S JUST-!" Kuwabara sputtered,

Shizuru started laughing, "You always were so articulate baby bro, chill, now go study you need all the practice you can get!" Shizuru proceeded to push him out of her room and close the door. Only to open it a second later and dump a very disgruntled Eikichi out the door after.

Kuwabara marched over to his room, completely and utterly embarrassed. He had never even kissed someone else before, let alone 'got it on' as his sister so delicately worded. He opened the door to his room; he had come out to Yusuke and the rest of his friends the day of his seventeenth birthday party, after Yusuke had demanded to order a stripper, and Kuwabara tried to subtly slide into the topic of his being gay. He had muttered "only if it's male…". After the silence of people wondering if they heard correctly he proceeded then to explain red faced and staring adamantly at the ground that he had preferred men and that if any of them couldn't handle it, well quite frankly, they could go fuck themselves.

Kuwabara was surprised when Yusuke slapped him on the back, smiling with a thumbs up, said,

"Male stripper it is!"

Kazuma changed out of his clothes exhausted, and slumped over to his bed. With his face already buried into his pillow his brought his arm around to slide under the pillow groping for a familiar object.

That was missing.