Meeting the Rain
Ch9: Throwing His Lot in

"YOU DID WHAT?" Kuwabara flabbergasted.

"I called her and had lunch with her." Yusuke sat down on his couch.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW DANGEROUS KOENMA SAID SHE WAS?" Kuwabara jerked him up off the couch by the collar of his shirt. Kurama just sat in the easy chair whereas Hiei sat on the windowsill.

"Look, she could've killed me at the club, at the restaurant, and at the warehouse, but she didn't, don't you think that means something?"

"She's setting you up, man!" Kuwabara threw him down on the couch, "You're involving yourself with the enemy!"

"She's the not the enemy!" Yusuke protested. Kuwabara went silent and looked at him.

"Look, I called her and asked her out to lunch, because I knew she would be more open in a relaxed setting; she wouldn't tell us anything if we just ganged up on her like we did in the field in the Makai. At the club she said she came to warn us, why she chose me to talk to is beyond me, but I think she chose me because I'm also a Mozaku, therefore she trusts me. She said that her family was betrayed by her uncle when he tried to take over the throne and he just recently came out of hiding after a year with a plan to get rid of us and then take control over of all the Spirit World. She was sent to warn us and give us some help. She's helping us according to her own agenda and when she needs to let us know anything she comes to me, at least that's how I think this mission is going to work." Yusuke said.

"So you thought ahead…you wouldn't have done that five years ago, Yusuke." Kurama smiled at him.

"I'm starting to think you rubbed off on me, fox-boy." Yusuke returned the smile.

"So the Spirit World got some phony information?" Kuwabara sat down.

"From what she told me it did." Yusuke said.

"I think you put yourself in a situation where you are alone with her not only for information, Detective, you like her." Hiei looked at Yusuke out of the corner of his eye.

"What? That's crazy, Hiei." Yusuke gave him a goofy smile, "Damn since when can he read me like a book?" Yusuke questioned in his thoughts, then looked at Hiei's forehead, "Oh yeah…"

"Hn." Hiei looked back out the window.

"In any case, we have to be careful, Yusuke, we can't afford any slip ups." The red head looked at the younger boy.

Yusuke nodded, "Right."

################## (Two weeks Later)

The mission had come to a sudden stop the day after Setsuna had disappeared. Yusuke tried to call her, but she never returned his messages. The team took on small assignments as they waited for developments. Yusuke and the team hadn't yet told Koenma and Botan about the meeting Yusuke had with Setsuna and the information she gave him. The boys had agreed that it would be wise just to keep that information amongst themselves for now.

Yusuke closed the door behind his friends as they filed out of his apartment after their visit. Yusuke locked the door. Yusuke turned to head for the kitchen to clean the dishes that were in the sink, he gasped in surprise when he found himself face to face with Setsuna, "S-Setsuna, what are you doing here? How did you even find me?" Yusuke asked.

"You have a very distinct scent, Honey." Setsuna stated. Yusuke noticed that she looked pale; she almost looked as if she could collapse any second. Yusuke caught her when she fell forward. He braced her up with his own body.

"Setsuna, are you okay?" Yusuke reached forward, hesitant at first, and brushed her hair out of her eyes. He saw that the shine in her eyes had dulled completely. Setsuna looked at him.

"I haven't eaten since you saw me in the warehouse." She answered.

"That was over two weeks ago!" Yusuke exclaimed. Not only was Setsuna exhausted, she was weak due to the lack of food and was dehydrated.

"I know that." Setsuna said, her vision blurred for a split second then returned to normal.

"You mean you're starving yourself on the account of me? You shouldn't do that Setsuna." Yusuke got closer to her.

"Why worry about me?" Setsuna looked at him, "What does it matter if I do or not?"

"Sure, seeing you eat like that disturbs me, but you need to eat despite what I think. And I know that we've known each other and been allies for a short time, but I've…actually gotten…to the point…where I…care about you…"

"Yusuke…" Setsuna wasn't sure how to react. He cared about her? A deep red blush covered Yusuke's face, he looked away. Setsuna looked at him, she cupped his cheek and made him look at her, she smiled tenderly at him, "I care about you too…"

Yusuke smiled at her, and then he stared into her eyes as she stared into his. They slowly moved in. He tenderly ran his lips over hers as he brought her against him gently with his arms snaked around her waist; she draped hers around his neck. Setsuna eased her tongue into Yusuke's mouth and began to fight with him for dominance. Setsuna got sly; she ran her hands into his raven hair and tugged slightly. Yusuke groaned as she roamed every inch of his moist cavern like a prowling predator. Setsuna moaned as Yusuke forced his way into her mouth and deepened the kiss. Yusuke braced the back of her head as she grasped the back of his and ravished his mouth hungrily, demanding more of him. Yusuke complied. They soon broke apart, their lungs burning for oxygen. Yusuke pressed his forehead against hers as he filled his lungs, "Please Setsuna, eat something, for me." Yusuke whispered against her kiss abused lips.

"Okay, okay…" Setsuna whispered back, she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand softly.

"So why did you come find me?" Yusuke wondered after they released each other from another kiss. Yusuke sat down across from Setsuna.

"If I was going to pass out I didn't want to do it front of irksome humans." Setsuna answered, "And plus, my uncle has made his first move."

"He what?"

"Aye, he has taken out an entire region in the Spirit World. And the entire SDF army has been wiped out, but I haven't the slightest clue as to who killed them." Setsuna stated, "The Spirit World won't hear word about it for another hour or so, but I thought I might as well give you the heads up."

"Ok…hey I have a few steaks in the freezer why don't I make us some dinner?" Yusuke looked at her, Setsuna smiled and nodded, "Oh and I got a big ol' jug of lemonade in the fridge." Setsuna's smile grew bigger.

Setsuna sat in the plush easy chair, curled up under the throw-blanket like a cat as Yusuke moved around in the kitchen. Setsuna was close to dozing off when Yusuke came back in the living room, "Here drink this…it'll help you get hydrated." He handed her a bottle of Gatorade. Setsuna nodded, took it, and drank it. Setsuna took a little nap as Yusuke fixed their meal.

Every few minutes Yusuke would peer into the living room to find her still asleep, he'd smile at her and return to his task. "You love her." A small voice would say in the back of his mind.

"No I don't…" Yusuke protested as he flipped the steak.

"You've been worrying yourself sick for these past two weeks about her; if she was okay, if she was in trouble, had she been caught by her uncle, etc. You even kissed her, for God's sake. If that's not love then what is?"

"Look she's my ally and simply caring isn't love, right?"

#####

"What do you mean you haven't had anywhere to sleep all this time?" Yusuke sat down his cup.

"Just like it sounds, I've just had to make do with a tree and sleep in it." Setsuna had the blanket over her lap as she sipped on her glass of lemonade.

"Would…would you like to stay here?" Yusuke wondered, "What am I doing? How will I explain her staying at my place if the guys find her here?" His thoughts ran wild.

"I'd hate to impose." Setsuna clanked her nails against the glass in her hand.

"It's no problem; you can stay in Keiko's old room." Yusuke went quiet for a minute after that.

"Who's Keiko, your mate?" Setsuna lifted a brow at him.

"Mate? No, no she wasn't my mate; she's my ex-girlfriend." Yusuke stated.

Setsuna cocked her head to the side slightly as she studied his face then moved her head up right again when she figured it out, "She left you, didn't she?"

Yusuke nodded wordlessly, "She had said that she had had enough and it was time for us to move on…"

"You didn't want to…"

"Well, that's because she's the only girl I've ever dated and dating another girl would be sort of strange, but…I eventually got over it. I haven't seen her since she broke up with me." Yusuke lightly tapped his fork against his plate. He perked up again when he looked at her, he gave her a goofy grin, "I'll just have to get some of my junk out of there."

Setsuna smiled, "I appreciate you letting me stay here, Honey."

"Don't worry about it, the least I can do for you helping us." Yusuke drank his soda.

"What will you do about your friends and Hiei? The red head and Hiei will be able to sense me here when they come over as well as pick up my scent whether I'm here or not."

Yusuke knew she had a point; Hiei was a mind reader and one couldn't hide practically anything from Kurama, "I'm sure we'll think of something."

To Be Continued…