Hiei and Yusuke

"What do you need, Koenma?" you ask through a mouthful of half-masticated cow. ((I love that word, "masticate". It's so much fun to shout to someone who knows what it means in a crowded place, "What do you think about when you masticate?" and they say something like "Mmmmm... Turkey" or "Dogs". \/))

"There's something I'd like you to look at," he says, pushing a book toward you, pointing at a particular paragraph.

"And there will be two Heirs of Demons, demons of all kinds of the planet with the most awesome power that may even be conceived, and they will alter the order of the worlds and clear it of its impurities," you read aloud. You look at him.

"It shouldn't be possible for someone like you to exist. You are almost definitely the only one of your kind. 'Demons of all kinds of the planet'. A mixed breed demon, a mix of all of them. 'Most awesome power'. Ring any bells?"

"So?"

"So it sounds like these demons will be your children or your grandchildren," Botan says cheerfully. "Which means that the other half of your offsprings' gene pool will be a Koorime, not likely, or a Hinote, or--"

"Don't even say it," you threaten, no longer chewing on your steak, having swallowed the bit you had in your mouth in surprise. "Don't even i dare /i ."

"Why not?"

"It's not true. It's not true," you say, reiterating yourself with different tones as you sit heavily on your chair, staring at Koenma's desk heatedly. You wish you could burn holes into it, but the mixedness of your breeds actually makes it difficult to use anything but your spirit energy. Then his desk explodes violently and the different parts hit the walls or floor violently. You smirk slightly, watching the papers flutter around wildly, using the opportunity to leave. You feel the heat in your face from where your pulse is moving faster than normal.

You aren't gonna have children. You swore that to yourself the instant you learned you were put up for adoption, even though you were only three. You aren't ever having children. Especially with Hiei, no matter what those idiots think. Yeah, he's cool and he looks pretty good, but... No! Hell fucking cat shit NO!

"Are you okay?" Kurama asks from somewhere behind you.

"No. No, I'm not," you answer. "I'm going home, call me if you need me."

Home feels better. No one is in when you get there. It is very quiet. Ender is probably out flirting, and your mom is probably shopping. You only go to the house every once in a while, but right now, no one needs you in Spirit World, so you head to your room and fall on your bed, pressing your face on it. The three snakes that you keep in your room slid onto your bed and onto you, wrapping around your neck and wrist and upper-arm. You pet them gently and look at the one you've had longest. Her name is Aga.

"Hello," you say.

Hello, she answers. Troubled? You kiss her nose, thinking about something you read. Oh, Darling, you always notice the little things about me.

"Koenma says it's prophesied that I'm gonna have children. And the potential father is someone I work with," you answer. "Or, at least, Botan suggested it. I wouldn't have thought of it without the hanging sentence she'd let out of her mouth."

Hiei.

"Very good," you answer. "How'd you know?"

Silly child, I went to the tournament with you. You would have dismissed it as stupid or ridiculous and ignored it if it was someone that you admired a little less.

You look at her hard, but she slides with her snaky body around your neck to your waist and looking at you. I wouldn't worry. He would be a good father. He takes care of what he feels is important. Very loyal, very strong. Look at how he defends his sister.

"You've been hiding out at work, haven't you?" you demand. She flicks her tongue out at you. You pet her again, then pull the other two gently away from you. You decide to trust her judgment. But... Like hell he'd ever have sex with me, anyway, you think. And what are the odds that it's talking about you? If you could wind up with all those bloods, why couldn't someone else?

Even as you tried to convince yourself differently, the ever-annoying logic plagued your mind. The odds of anyone else being as mixed as you are zero to nothing. Hell, the odds of you being as mixed as you is zero to nothing. There are so many breeds, and between getting to conception age, finding the mate, having the kid, and that kid getting up to so old without being killed... And then there's the fact that a mating between a Koorime and Hinote is not the only forbidden union of the whole of the Makai, so one of your ancestors has to have been forbidden...

You shudder a little bit and sigh. They're fucking right. I hate it when they're fucking right. The solution I find is always the painful one.

You go to your bridge, resting on the railroad tracks, poking at the fire you're making down there. Footsteps sound on the rocks down the tracks, and you look up to see Yusuke.

"Hello, Yusuke," you say. You remember that he still doesn't trust you, but you'll try to be nice.

"Yo," he answers. Aga slithers off your neck, and slides over to Yusuke and starts up his leg. He starts to scream like a child and freezes. "OH GOD GET IT OFF!" he shrieks.

You laugh and walk over, pulling the snake off his leg and putting her back around your neck. "Aga, if you wanted a better look, you could have asked," you say, looking at him cheerfully. "Yusuke, Aga. Aga, Yusuke. Forgive each other, neither knew better," you say gently, petting her head and grinning at Yusuke.

"Eeeagh," he answers. You gesture at the place near your fire and walk over yourself and sit down, poking at it again and settling. He sits across from you.

"Kurama said somethin' was buggin' ya," he says, looking at you carefully.

"Nah. Just slightly freaked out," you answer, rubbing your nose.

"About?"

"Suggested that I was gonna have children, for one."

"And for two?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hiei," you answer, "is supposedly the other half of my children's gene pool. It was suggested, anyway."

He starts to laugh, and you feel your face burn. "Not funny. The only reason that's said at all is because they're supposed to be an incarnation of every breed, and Hiei's the only Koorime and Hinote mix I've ever heard of!" you say. "Unless you know another one?"

He shakes his head, but stops laughing. "So where does it say this?"

"Koenma's book of prophecies," you grumble glumly. He chuckles a little.

"Count on Binky-breath to ruin the day, huh?" he jokes. You suddenly feel a lot more welcomed by him.

"Yeah," you say, laughing a little. "You trust me, yet?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," he responds. "Anyone who has played Tekken long enough to master Nina that well can't be all bad. Means you don't spend all your time busy doing illegal things."

"Yeah, my older brother's really good at that game. He's the only one who's ever beat me," you say, smiling cheerfully. "And even then, I kick his ass if he happens to pick the wrong order."

"Really? I wish I had a brother that could beat me. Kuwabara sucks at that game."

"What doesn't Kuwabara suck at?" you challenge playfully, leaning back on your hands and crossing your legs.

"Sucking," Yusuke responds, laughing.

"He sucks like a vacuum cleaner!"

"He sucks like a fat kid on a slurpee!"

"He sucks like a Vegas hooker on blow!"

You both start to laugh, rocking back on your back and staying there a minute before you get upright again. Aga even agrees with you, hissing into your ear.

He sits back up and looks at you. "You're not bad. Can I meet Aga, now that I'm not afraid that he or she's gonna kill me?" he asks. You take the snake, who is curled up like an odd necklace, and hand her to him. He looks at her, and she starts to snake around his arm, up to his neck.

"She likes you," you explain. He looks slightly freaked out, but he starts to laugh.

"She starts to tickle when she moves across like that!"

"You'll get used to it in a second, kinda like when your body's asleep."

He goes cross-eyed to look at Aga, who is now on his neck like she was on yours a little while ago, and stands up, looking across at you. You start to walk down the tracks, and he starts to follow. The fire would burn itself out.

"So what's so bad about Hiei being your future husband?" Yusuke finally asks.

"Nothing, really. I just thought it was stupid that someone as cold as him could be anyone's father at all. Or that I could fall in love with someone, which is what it would take to get me to play Heat the Sheets with anyone," you say. "Who needs love?"

"Everyone," Yusuke answers, surprising you. You swing your gaze to him and look hard at him, and you feel your mouth hanging open.

"Funny, Yusuke," you answer.

"I mean it. Everyone needs love. I feel kinda dumb sayin' it, but that's what gives me my power. When my strength fails, that's all I gotta think about, the people who I'd hurt like that," he says, looking at you very sincerely.

"It hurts," you say, watching him. "It always hurts."

"Well. Can't help nature, can you? Love happens. Sucks, huh?"

You sigh and nod.

"So what did they do to you in that place we found you at? There're holes all over your skin." He points at the bandages all over your torso.

"Studied me," you answer. "Poke and prod to see what my energy reacted to."

"What did it react to?"

"Pain and fear," you answer. "And... love. Or lust. Hard to tell. And strange gasses."

"How'd they know?"

"Poke in my head, fed the images."

"So what were the holes in your skin? They were bleeding pretty bad."

"Torture devices," you answer. "Shocked the fuckin' hell out of me until it stopped hurting."

He winces, then reaches over and pats your back. Aga slides down his arm and back to your neck and settles there. You feel a funny trust between you and Yusuke, like he would protect you if there ever came a time when you couldn't protect yourself. And you feel, somehow, even more vulnerable than before. Then you realize it. You love him, too, in a brother-sister sort of way. And it scares you. Either it is the feeling of love, or it is the fact that you love, but it frightens you and makes you feel very vulnerable.

"Why are you being so nice, Yusuke?" you finally ask.

"You seemed like you needed a friend. You are kinda tryin' to make friends, but you never did quite manage it," he answers, smiling slightly. "Like when you started playing Tekken, or when you tried to talk to Hiei. And when you fought us and apologized."

"Ah," you answer, picking something out of your teeth. Bit of cow bone. "...Thank you."

"No problem," he says. You turn back around again and start to head back to your house. He follows you. "Where are you going?"

"Home. Would you like to visit? If my brother's home, you'll get to meet him, and I think you two'll get along," you say, smiling.

"Sure," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets at the same time you do. You both noticed the other one's actions and laugh slightly. Then you start to run. You are faster, so you are taking it easy on him, watching him start to tire out as you turn onto your street. He stops running and starts walking, and you look at him and grin. "So... What's your story?"

"Adopted when I was three-ish. Found me in an orphanage with more spirit energy than you have now, so they told my current family to adopt me, and they trained me to manipulate it. Sort of a Spirit Detective myself. Only I tend to get paid so I don't run off and do something illegitimate. And I never have to work with partners 'cos they can't make me. 'til now."

"Why work with us?"

"Because otherwise, he'd fire me. He can afford to do that, now that he's fixed shit so that I can't tell anyone anything."

"How'd he do that?"

"You guys. He stuck you with me, that way if I ran off, you'd be able to catch me. He stuck me with you so I'd learn to deal with partners. Deal is, you four are the only ones under his command that have enough combined power to beat me. He's probably already spoken to Kurama and Hiei to let them know that. You don't make plans, so I'm sure that he'd just tell you the instant he found out I'm gone."

"Ah. Sure it's not Hiei?" he teased, looking at you smugly. You look at him, narrow your eyes, then punch him in the face. He holds his nose, trying to look at it.

"Yes. I'm very sure it's not Hiei. He doesn't like me."

"I dunno. He talks to you. And he hasn't called you 'baka' much, has he?"

"No."

"Ask Kurama. Kurama's a smart guy."

You snort slightly and open your door, looking around inside. Ender is there, this time. ((Ender is your eleven-foot-tall, twenty-one-year-old brother with long blue hair that is tied back in the back, but his bangs hang over his forehead and slightly into his eyes and a funny black goatee, both of which are natural.)) He's laying on the couch, staring at a pornographic magazine with a pair of scissors on the pillow next to him and a few beers. There's a stack of pictures on the floor next to the couch, so you assume he's going to redo the "wallpaper" in his room again.

"Hello, Ender," you say, letting Yusuke into the house. Yusuke looks at Ender and then at the magazine and he's instantly leaning over his shoulder, staring hard at the current naked woman on the page.

"Hello, Kali," he answers.

"I have that issue," Yusuke says, looking through the stacks that Ender has sitting on the couch with him. "And that one, and that one, and-- oooh, I don't have that one!" he says, pulling it out and sitting on the floor.

"Dammit, boys!" you murmur. You pull the magazines away from them, and the stacks of pictures and carry them to Ender's room.

"Andrew, no one wants to see that," your mom says as she walks into the living room. "Hello, Kali. Who's your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah right. Anyone who's stayed chastised as long as you would have a boyfriend by now," Ender says. You hit him in the head. He looks at you and grins and flips you off. You glare at him and he floats into the air, fighting whatever's holding him there.

Yusuke watches interestedly, until Mom attacks him with her inquiry.

"So who are you?"

"Yusuke."

"How'd you meet Kali?"

"Work."

"Where do you go to school!"

"Jeez, Lady!" Yusuke shouts suddenly at the same time you go "Bad Mom! Down!" You drop Ender on his head onto the floor.

"I was just asking a few questions," Mom says defensively, picking up her hands. "What do you want for dinner? Yusuke, would you like to join us?"

"Fuckin' hell, Mom," Ender says, holding his neck. "Kali brings home a guy and you're doin' all the work for her."

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND, AND I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE!" you shout, hitting Ender on the head. "Mom, we're having spaghetti for dinner, now go cook!" you demand, pointing at the kitchen.

"But, Kali--"

"GO!" you shout, pointing harder.

She narrowed her eyes at you, then looked at Yusuke. "You're staying for dinner. Like it or not."

"Okay," you say, shrugging. Yusuke does the same, to no surprise. You go back to your room and pull Aga off your neck. Your mom calls after you again.

"Kali! Show him around!"

"Let Ender do it!"

"Fine!" she shouts. You stare at your snake tank, then decide to find the other two and have them scare your mom. You pick up the snake and walk out and go to the kitchen, walking into the living room and putting one of the snakes on the floor. It slithers over to the woman who is currently sitting and reading while the stuff cooks, and slithers up her ankle. She screams and kicks madly, flinging the snake to you. You catch the snake and grin and run to see Yusuke, but another knock sounds at the door.

"Kurama?" you say, fairly shocked. Hiei and Kuwabara are there, too, standing back a ways, but there all the same. "Hiei, Kuwabara," you continue, staring at them incredulously.

"Hello," Kurama answers. Kuwabara makes a funny noise, like he's going to be ill all over the porch and Hiei "hn"'s. You move aside and gesture into the house, letting them walk in. Ender has gone up to his room, and Yusuke is with him.

"Why are you guys here?"

"Followin' you and Yusuke. We were makin' sure-- Ooooof!" Kuwabara says, stopping when Hiei elbows him in the stomach to silence him.

"That I wasn't cutting his body into tiny pieces and hiding them in my walls, or making sure that I wasn't fucking him on the couch?" you ask, narrowing your eyes.

"Either," Kuwabara says quietly.

"No. We're feeding him. We can feed you, too, if you're hungry. Any of you hungry?"

"You cook?"

"Yes, but I'm not doing so right now- Mom is. Spaghetti. You want any?"

"Got Tabasco?" Kuwabara answers.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. MOM! You're cooking for three more!" you call to the kitchen. Your mother moves so she can see you and grins.

"More boys? My, Kal, you've been busy!"

"Shut up!" you shout, looking back at them. Kuwabara is making himself comfortable, watching the porn on TV that Ender has left on. Hiei is still standing next to the door, and Kurama is looking at you expectantly.

"Uhhh... Yusuke and Ender, my brother, are in Ender's room, probably picking out Playboy centerfolds to paper Ender's room with, and Mom's cooking. Kuwabara, you can go see them, they're in that room," you say, pointing. Kurama looks at you. "You wanna meet my mom?" you suggest. You hand Hiei your snakes, whispering to Aga that she can talk, but not to say anything important to him. Including what you learned this afternoon.

Kurama follows you to the kitchen and you introduce the two and help start conversation until they manage to figure out how to do it themselves and then you return to the living room and sit down on the couch. You wave a hand at the seat, looking at Hiei. "You can siddown" you say. He walks over and sits down on the window seat, looking out the window while the snakes are whispering in his ears. You turn off the TV and sit silently, staring at the floor. Hiei's continuously making "Hn" sounds as he listens to the snakes, and after a minute or two, he looks at you, narrowing his eyes and he smirks.

"You..."

"Shut up. No."

He smirks. You feel something probing in your mind, but you don't bother to shut it out.

"DINNER!" your mom calls.

"Good, good," you mumble, running into the kitchen. Kurama has set up the table, and there are three plates left on the counter. You grab one of those and fix your food as everyone else rushes into the room, and you manage to squeeze out to the living room before everyone else gets in and takes all of it.