Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
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"Keiko," he said, meeting her gaze. Then he hesitated, realising that maybe he should have thought this out slightly more. Luckily, she stepped in.
"You saved the kingdom." She said, looking around with mixed feelings in her eyes. "This devastation would be infinitely worse had you not stopped Yomi."
"Well, I had help." Yusuke grinned. Then he sobered. "It was the least I could do, really." He added quietly. "Look, Keiko, I'm sorry I never told you about the half demon thing. It's not something I like talking about." For a moment Keiko thought he would point out that if it hadn't been for his demon side, they would all be dead, but he didn't. He just went on. "I'm sorry about a lot of things, actually. But I never lied-"
"You certainly left some key details out!" Keiko interrupted. Yusuke grimaced.
"Yeah, one or two. But only 'cause I didn't want you to run screaming."
Keiko bit back an angry retort at that, because however insulting he unintentionally made it sound, well, it was sort of true, wasn't it? All she had seen were foreign markings, red magic and a look in his eyes that didn't belong there, and she had gotten the hell out of dodge.
"I was upset because I felt betrayed and misled." She said instead. "and because… the way you attacked Toguro…" You scared me. She didn't say it, but from the look on his face he heard it anyway.
He nodded. "That's what I'm sorry about. But Keiko, everything I said or did or… or felt, I never lied about that. I meant all of it."
Keiko would be lying if she said there wasn't a swelling feeling in her chest, like she was about to take off into the air. And damn him for being so entirely easy to love that she just couldn't help herself.
"Will you marry me?" He suddenly blurted. The words took Keiko by surprise, and she found herself blushing.
"You… what?" She stuttered. Yusuke looked surprisingly at ease, considering. He kept his eyes on hers, and repeated.
"Will you marry me?"
Keiko found herself stammering awkwardly, and had to cut herself off before she embarrassed herself and the royal name too much. But he had just proposed, right here in front of everyone, including her father, and she wasn't quite sure what to do about that.
"That is the strangest way of getting a girl to forgive you!" She finally exclaimed hotly. Yusuke flashed her a smirk.
"Worked, didn't it?" And she was seriously considering marching down those steps, right past her father and slapping the bastard, when he continued. "Seriously though, I do love you. Will you marry me?"
And then she was back where she started. With an infuriating yet somehow amazing boy that despite herself, despite everything, she had fallen in love with a long time ago. She sighed, acknowledging that she had lost this fight. But then, she was up against Yusuke, and when did he ever lose? A smile slowly lit up her face, and she nodded.
"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you!" With that, she flew down the steps, and leapt into his arms. He spun her around, grinning like an idiot, and the assembled crowd cheered. The celebration was cut short by and angry cough from the king himself.
"I must object," the man, expression a mix of anger and perhaps distaste. It was hard to tell. "No man may marry my daughter unless he has completed the trial I set out - the King's Quest. Therefore, I must tell you that you will not marry my daughter."
Yusuke's heart dropped, as did Keiko's. He slowly released her, and turned a puzzled face to the king. "But-"
"There will be no argument. My word is final." The King declared, drawing himself up. Yusuke blinked, having forgotten about the quest. Keiko looked from him to her father, and blurted the only thing she could think of.
"But he has completed it."
Yusuke's gaze flew to his face sharply. "I have?" He whispered. Keiko nodded.
"Well, we did, actually. Together. We completed it."
The King looked suspicious, as Keiko subtly passed Yusuke her leather pouch behind her back. Yusuke's face lit up with understanding to an almost comical degree, and Keiko was reminded that he was a person who fought things head on, and had little need for subtlety and deception.
"Yep, and I have all the items right here in this pouch! This one, right here." Yusuke said, waving it in the air as proof of his possession of it. The handmaiden he had seen with Keiko earlier drew in a sharp breath when she saw it, but she didn't rat them out.
"For starters, I have here," Yusuke started, opening the leather pouch, "a mermaid's scale. He handed it to the King. "An Icarus bird's golden feather – watch that, it's really sharp – and some lava from the hottest volcano in the Fire Plane." He handed the items over, one by one. "And here," he reached back and yanked a strand of his own long, wild mane, "a hair from a demon lord."
The king arched an eyebrow. "Do you count?" He asked sternly. Yusuke nodded.
"I'm the Demon Prince. You don't get more lordly than me. Well, except my father."
After a tense moment, the King nodded. Yusuke rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Well, now-"
He was interrupted by the shuffling in the now assembled crowd. Parting the people, was Kurama, walking serenely towards them. As he stepped on the ground, grass and flowers grew underneath his feet, green appearing around him, reacting to his restoring magic. And dancing elegantly at his side, the outline of a fox with five tails, following after its companion.
Kurama reached the assembled Party, and smiled. "Yusuke, I believe you left this with me for safekeeping." He said, a meaningful glance sent over the flower he handed over to Yusuke. Keiko gasped as she saw it. It was a beautiful flower, well worthy of the King's Quest. Yusuke grinned at the Earth mage.
"Uh, yeah, thanks for returning it, Kurama" He turned and handed over the flower.
"That's five out of six." He said. Then he exchanged a glance with Keiko, took a deep breath, and faced the King.
"As for the Ice Crystal – "
"Ice Crystals mean a lot to Ice Maidens. It shows far more valuable character traits to have returned without one." Keiko interrupted firmly. "It took great compassion, and kindness – things more important to me than brutality and – and cruelty!"
Her father looked momentarily surprised, before his face hardened. "Nonetheless, I will not-"
His damning words were interrupted by a scream, followed by the now familiar sound of the air ripping. More panicked screams and shouts, followed, and even the King gasped and took a step back.
"No! It's okay!" Yusuke yelled. "He's on our side!"
Some fled, but most just backed up, unwilling to miss the show of the century, and only preparing to flee at the sight of the great black dragon. Yusuke's words did little to comfort them, even less as Hiei suddenly dove towards the space created by the crowd. As he drew nearer to the ground, he pulled in the darkness around him, scaring away some more spectators. Yusuke grinned. At around thirty feet, the shadows were blown away, revealing Hiei falling, scabbard clutched in one hand, face calm and composed, black coat whipping around him, not unlike his wings. He hit the ground hard, conveniently in the crater Yusuke's attack had made and dropped to a crouch to absorb the shock. After a beat that allowed his coat to settle around him, he rose, ignoring the shocked and terrified looks all around him, and strode towards Yusuke.
"Is that bastard dead?" He snapped. Yusuke gave an easy grin.
"Yeah, he is. That was one hell of an entrance, you little show off." He teased. Hiei's lips drew into a snarl, and his hand tightened on his katana. Before he could say anything though, Yusuke cut him off.
"Before you start, I'm sort of in the middle of something here. Can it wait?"
Hiei's red eyes moved between Yusuke, Keiko and the King, before he huffed and turned away.
"By all means, I would hate to interrupt." He sniped sarcastically. The King cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, if you do not have an Ice Crystal, you have not completed the quest. And you cannot marry my daughter."
Yusuke waved his hands in frustration. "Look Your Majesty, you don't get it. The Ice Maidens treasure their crystals. I couldn't just take one!"
They argued for a while, with Yusuke and Keiko explaining why bringing back an ice crystal had been impossible, and the king refuting their arguments with cold looks and immovable refusals. Yusuke was about to say something he would probably regret, but he was interrupted by a growl at his side, and he turned back to see Hiei with his eyes closed, seemingly debating with himself. Then with a snarl, Hiei's hand went to a chain around his neck that Yusuke hadn't noticed before, that he tugged over his head.
"Here." He all but spat, holding out what was revealed to be an unmistakeable Ice Crystal.
"YOU!" A bellow sounded from off to the side, and Kuwabara appeared, furious. He rushed forwards, knee forgotten, and grabbed Hiei by the collar, lifting him a good few feet off the floor. "Where did you get that? Who did you kill to get hands on it? Where's Yukina?"
"Kuwabara, stop!" Yusuke yelled, taking an urgent step forward. "Put him down!"
Kuwabara hesitated, glaring into Hiei's angry red eyes, but eventually trusting his friend's judgment, lowering the shapeshifter. Yusuke turned to focus on Hiei, who was straightening his coat.
"You're Yukina's brother, aren't you?"
Everyone froze, including Hiei. Then the shrill sound of cold steel rang out, and one flurry of black later, Hiei's katana was pressed against Yusuke's throat, red eyes glaring furiously – and perhaps with a hint of fear – at Yusuke.
"She can never know!" He hissed, causing gasps behind him. "If I find out she found out I will track you down and murder you." He stepped back and gestured with the sword to encompass the whole group. "All of you!" Then he resumed a threatening stance directed at Yusuke.
"Okay, okay! We promise we won't tell her! Right, guys?" Yusuke said, motioning at the others. A chorus of hesitant affirmatives replied, so Hiei lowered the weapon and after a moment, sheathed it and hung it back on his side. Yusuke watched his slightly less graceful movements than usual, and spoke up.
"That explains a lot, actually. I thought after our first battle that maybe you were half demon, like me. But I've never heard of a half demon being able to do something like turn into a dragon. But, if an inhuman Ice Maiden fell in love with a powerful Fire mage, the result would be…"
He trailed off. Hiei gave a put-upon sigh, and finished for him.
"Something unheard of, totally unpredictable and unknown. Something terrible."
Yusuke narrowed his eyes shrewdly, and tried to imagine being something like that, a totally unique being, hated and feared by your own people because of the very nature of your existence – being called cursed for something you had no control over, no choice. Being something dangerous and scary and yet very, very cool.
"Oh come on! Your curse is the ability to change into a fire breathing dragon! Best. Curse. Ever!" He exclaimed. Hiei turned visibly surprised eyes on him. Yusuke gestured wildly with his arms. "I mean, I get how your whole situation sucks, but still, silver lining, buddy!"
Hiei blinked. Then opened his mouth to say something, before shutting it again. He seemed to draw a total blank, and shook his head slightly. Kuwabara cleared his throat.
"Uh, you're Yukina's brother?" He said. Hiei rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything mean, though, Kuwabara went on. "Only, Yukina said that everyone thought her brother died."
Hiei sighed. "I was thrown off a mountain, so that's hardly surprising. " He muttered. Upon seeing the curious looks around him, he went on. "I was found by a man from a human settlement. I lived there for a few years, but when I was a child I first discovered my ability to change form." He explained.
Yusuke winced. "Oh, cute kid to baby dragon. That might freak them out."
Hiei nodded. "It was bad enough once they figured out I was a Fire mage. The shapeshifting was the last straw. They knew I was dangerous. So they sent me through the Portal."
"The one to the Fire Plane, or the Air Plane?"
"The Fire Plane. The idea was that I would die in the Plane I belong in." Hiei spat. Keiko shrank back at the venom in his voice. "What they didn't know is that there is a path that leads out of the volcano, but it goes up through the roof of that cavern." He explained. Yusuke nodded slowly.
"In other words, you'd need wings to find it. That's why you're the one of the only ones to return from the Ice Plain. You can fly. In the Air Plane, all you'd have to do when you found yourself free falling is shift forms, and fly off. We survived by sheer dumb luck." The last part was said in a grumble.
"Dumb sounds about right." Hiei muttered, causing Yusuke to shoot him a glare. Then the Spirit mage spoke.
"Alright, so I got one for you. What were you doing down in that cave? Just lurking?" He asked mockingly.
"I was going to head to the Ice Plane the next day. You just had bad timing." Hiei huffed. Yusuke's expression didn't waver.
"What, so you just go back and visit? Why? I thought you said no one there liked y–" He broke off, and realization dawned on his face. "Wait, do you go to check on Yukina? You're like this shadow watching over her, aren't you." He said, more a statement than a question. Hiei's scowl was enough to tell him he was right. "Man, you must have been pissed off when you found out she'd been captured. I mean, if I'd been you I'd–" He stopped again, and his eyes grew wide. "Holy crap, it was you, wasn't it? You slaughtered those mercs!"
Hiei glared, but didn't deny it. Kuwabara stared, remembering the carnage. "Shit." He said simply. Hiei's scowl grew more pronounced.
"That's why you can never tell Yukina." He said. "She's… not like me. The Ice Maidens may be cold and dead inside, just waiting for their bodies to catch up, but Yukina's not. She's…" Hiei trailed off, so Kuwabara took over.
"Sweet? Gentle? Kind? Warm? Compassionate?" He suggested. He stopped when Hiei's hand fell onto the hilt of his katana.
"I'm a murderer and a mercenary. She does not need me in her life." The Fire mage finished. Kurama frowned slightly.
"She would be happier knowing that her brother is alive and well. And cares about her." He said pointedly. A scathing glare was the only reply he got, so he raised his hands in surrender.
"So you followed us through the Portal? Just on the off-chance that we might harm Yukina?" Yusuke asked, remembering Hiei's harsh words in the Fire Plane. "And you came with us later to find out more about us?"
"If you were going to be in her life, I wanted to know what you were capable of." Hiei said. Yusuke tried to process that. It meant that Hiei had thrown himself into an unknown situation on the slim chance that Yusuke and his friends were going to harm the Ice Maidens, and on the even slimmer chance that out of all the Ice Maidens there, they were going to go after Yukina. And then, once they befriended Yukina, he had joined them just to try and figure out if one day, they would be dangers to Yukina once more.
He glanced at Kurama, who looked totally unsurprised. He must have known all about Yukina already, Yusuke guessed. Which meant he had known what he was talking about when he had said that Hiei would want to join the quest.
"I can't decide if you're the world's best or worst older brother." He muttered, brow furrowing.
Hiei glared, thoroughly unimpressed, before nodding in direction of the crystal, which Yusuke was still holding.
"I expect that back one day, by the way. It's a loan, not a gift." He growled, but Yusuke was getting to know him well enough to detect the slight unhappiness in his tone.
"Hiei…" Yusuke hesitated. "We didn't let Yukina give us her Ice Crystal. We can't accept yours either." Yusuke said at length. Hiei snorted.
"Don't be stupid. It's sentimental garbage. I've had it for too long anyway. Just take it, you utter fool." He snapped. Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
"Take it on loan, you mean?" He asked. Hiei's face twisted.
"Yes. On loan." He said in a low voice. Yusuke laughed slightly.
"Thank you, Hiei. It means a lot." He said sincerely. Hiei just snorted and turned away. Keiko smiled slightly.
"I promise to return it." She said quietly. Hiei nodded shortly. Yusuke moved over to the King, who had been watching their conversation with interest.
"I present to you, Your Majesty, the last item needed to complete the King's Quest. An Ice Crystal."
The king took the crystal, and turned reluctantly impressed eyes on Yusuke. Yusuke grinned cockily. The King sighed, and turned to his daughter.
"Keiko, are you sure you want to marry him?" He asked gently. Keiko nodded.
"Yes, father. I love him." She said simply. And somehow, for some reason, it was true. Yusuke grinned like an idiot. The king sighed, before nodding.
"So be it, then. I give my blessing for Yusuke, Prince of the Demon realm, completer of the King's quest, to marry my daughter, Princess Keiko of the Water Plane."
Keiko smiled, and turned to Yusuke. Her smile faltered.
"Where are we going to go? You're on the run in the Spirit Plane?" She asked anxiously.
"I'll go back to the Demon Court. My father needs me to return one day since I'm his only heir, and once I'm officially back the Spirit Court won't be able to touch me. No one wants war." He said. Keiko bit her lip.
"Yusuke… Demons are…" She trailed off, and gestured around them, at the rubble and the injured and the corpses of demons and humans alike. Yusuke winced.
"Yeah, I know your opinion on demons can't be… favourable just now. But these demons, these are the ones that followed Yomi. My father isn't that bad. Besides, we can change them, Keiko. Together. We'll change the Demon Plane."
Keiko raised her eyebrows. "The Demon Plane?"
Yusuke shrugged. "That's what the demons call it."
"What if this doesn't work?" She asked softly. "What if I can't stand living there? What if we stop loving each other one day? What if-"
"Keiko," Yusuke laughed. "We'll figure it out. One day at a time, with trial and error. There are a ton of Portals in my Plane, so you'll never be stuck anywhere."
She smiled at that. But he wasn't done.
"And also, me stop loving you? Don't make me laugh." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I love you. That's not gonna change. So get used to it, Your Majesty."
Keiko grinned despite herself, and they kissed, on the steps of the Palace, to the cheering and whooping of the crowd. And this time, nothing went horribly wrong.
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A/N: My apologies for the delay in posting this. Anyway, it seems that I miscalculated slightly the amount of chapters it would take to end this story, so there is in fact one more to come. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed!