I don't own any YYH characters. Please feel free to leave a review, I live for the validation haha. As I said, updates might be a bit more spread out due to personal reasons, but I will continue to try and update as often as I can. I hope that you like it!
Yusuke suppressed a burp, placing a sleeping Keiko gently on the bed next to his passed out mother. Kuwabara had just dragged the sofa and crammed it into the bedroom with an already asleep Yukina on it, leaving the rest of the girls not a whole lot of space on the floor. Hikari was small, but really there was only enough room for two on the ground.
Then Botan got the idea that Hikari, as the one still with many injuries, ought to take the loveseat out in the front room with the boys. At first, the girl had protested, wanting either Botan or Shizuru to have a comfy sleeping place, but then Botan reminded her that she and Shizuru were much too tall to sleep comfortably on it. At that logic, the girl caved. Even Yukina would have been slightly cramped on the loveseat.
Yusuke struggled to think in his still-sobering-up-drunken-haze. He was so tempted to crawl next to Keiko, but one, he knew she'd kill him for it, two, he wouldn't fit with his mother already taking up more than half the twin, which brought him to point three- He didn't really want to crawl into bed with his mother.
Yawning, he reentered the lounge area. They had already removed the coffee table, placing it upright in the corner behind the small dining table. They had also already shifted the remaining furniture as far back as much as possible, so there was more room to spread out. The love seat was pushed against the wall.
Hikari came out of the bathroom, having changed into a pair of pajamas the girls had bought for her during their shopping trip. Her bottoms were the super fuzzy kind, sporting adorable hamsters, and Yusuke was tempted to run his hand across them. Her button-up shirt matched the design on the pants but was much less fuzzy. Was it just him, or did she look bulky? Was she so cold that she was wearing layers?
Kuwabara took the bathroom next to change. Yusuke had no shame, so he simply dropped his jeans to pull on his sleeping sweat pants, causing Hikari to squeak in embarrassment.
"Really, Yusuke?" Kurama rolled his eyes.
"I'm wearing underwear." The Detective retorted, next pulling off his shirt.
"Am I the only one here without abs?" The girl asked, snickering from her little blanket mound on the loveseat.
"Pretty much. You should cut back on the hamburgers." Yusuke teased her and dodged the throw pillow she aptly threw at him.
It landed in front of Kurama, who returned the wayward plush to the girl.
"Settle down, children." He chastised, but there was a lick of humor in his voice. Hiei's hair was visible next to the arm of the loveseat, smushed between the end of the furniture and the wall. That's where he was going to sleep? Well, he did kind of fit… Yusuke sniggered at the thought.
He looked around. Had Jin and Toya stepped out? Oh well, their loss.
Yusuke began checking for the least uncomfortable place to sleep for the night and found it in front of the loveseat.
"If you gotta pee in the middle of the night, make sure not to step on me, short stack." He said to Hikari as he began making his bed on the ground.
"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure to use your face as a step-down."
The door opened, and Toya and Jin appeared.
Seeing Yusuke's questioning stare, Jin smiled and announced that they had to take a leak. Someone was still a little tipsy.
"Oi, ye stole my spot, Urameshi!" Jin exclaimed.
"I didn't see your name on it!" Yusuke flipped off the wind apparition, who promptly launched himself at the Detective and tackled him into a playful fistfight. They tussled for a minute, rolling around on the floor. Suddenly one of Yusuke's slippers flew off and hit Hikari in the face.
"Oh shit, are you ok?" He asked, scrambling up. Jin looked horrified.
"Och lass, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm fine, rela-"She was cut off by Hiei flashing past her and punching Yusuke straight in the face. He held back tremendously at the last second, Yusuke could tell, so Yusuke wouldn't go flying through the thin walls. Yusuke recovered, landing feet first against the wall before dropping down.
Ow. Hiei had held back a lot, but it still left a mark.
"Hiei!" The girl whisper-screamed, "What the hell?!"
The fire apparition had a strange expression on his face, and Yusuke couldn't tell what he was thinking. After a moment, the demon swept back around and returned to his spot.
"Stop fooling around. I would like to sleep at some point tonight, and I don't want to continue babysitting." Hiei growled quietly from his corner.
Yusuke slowly walked back towards Hikari. The poor kid looked scared after that display of violence.
"Sorry about that, Hikari. We can get kind of rough sometimes. Are you sure you're ok?" He searched her face for any marks.
"Yes, I'm fine." The girl snuggled into her couch blankets. Yusuke noticed she had an extra one.
Where did that come from? He wondered.
"Excuse me, Yusuke," Toya spoke politely. His face was still flushed from drinking, but he seemed much soberer than Jin, who was currently fussing around Hikari. The girl was trying to wave him off.
"I should take the spot closest to the sliding glass doors. The cold doesn't bother me- not like it would for some of you."
"Ah, yeah, sounds great, thanks." Toya nodded and began to set up. Remembering that the spot in front of the love seat was already taken, Jin took the middle of the floor, casting Yusuke envious looks.
Hey, you snooze, you lose buddy.
That left Kuwabara and Kurama with the area closest to the door, which Yusuke felt was probably the fox demon's preference anyways. Kuwabara could sleep outside in the snow for all Yusuke cared.
Speak of the devil… Kuwabara came out in long johns, making Hikari snort.
"What? They're warm!" Kuwabara defended himself. He then settled next to Jin,
Not long after, Yusuke listened to the gentle breathing of Jin and Toya and the not so soft snores of Kuwabara. Though he knew she was quite drunk, the girl seemed restless, and it was starting to irritate Yusuke. He took a peek at the glowing clock. It was past two in the morning. They had wanted to head out around 10 after taking advantage of the Inn's hearty breakfast. He wanted to sleep soon.
Yusuke closed his eyes.
There had been something about the enemies they faced today, something that felt familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it… They were human, and the truth was he hadn't faced many human opponents since becoming a spirit detective. There were those brainwashed students being controlled by Dr. Ichigaki, Oh, and Kazemaru and Kibano that he had fought during Genkai's tournament.
Whatever happened to those guys?
Strange images plagued him as his thoughts blended into dreams.
Yusuke suddenly blinked awake, instantly alert. Something had woken him from his doze, but he wasn't sure what. He tilted his head back and saw a pair of small slippered feet tiptoeing towards the kitchen.
Ah, it's just Hikari...
Yusuke listened to her quietly rummaging around in the kitchen. After a moment, he heard a shushing sound. If he hadn't been intentionally listening so carefully, he would have missed it. Then there was the tell-tale crinkle of paper. Was she writing a note? He looked at the clock again. It was almost six. The sun wouldn't rise for another half hour at least.
He stretched and rolled over. Hikari's feet came back into view, and silently she opened the linen closet that housed the bags of the guys and all the coats. Yusuke watched as she pulled out hers.
What is she doing? She tiptoed to the door, and Yusuke observed as she put on her shoes. She stood and looked back. Yusuke shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep, curious about her actions. She seemed to stand there for a minute before quickly and quietly opening the door. Yusuke opened his eyes just in time to see the edge of her coat slip through the gap before the door closed again with a soft click.
He locked eyes with Kurama, who also had clearly been awake the whole time. He peered nervously at the shadow of Hiei's hair, but the fire apparition did not move. Was he asleep still? Yusuke looked back to Kurama, who jerked his head to signal the Detective to come closer.
Yusuke obliged and found the hastily scribbled note Hikari had left on the table.
"I'm so sorry to leave you all without a goodbye. I'm immensely grateful for everything that you have done, and I hope that someday I can repay the favor. I can't put you all in danger anymore, though, so I'm leaving on my own. I know it's dangerous, but I can't stand to see any of you get hurt again. Please forgive me. – Hikari."
Yusuke looked at Kurama wide-eyed, and quickly put on his shoes while Kurama read the note.
"I'll go bring her back," Yusuke said, smiling. "Stupid kid can't have gotten too far."
Kurama nodded. Yusuke slipped out the door and into the cold.
Her tracks weren't difficult to follow. Houdini she was not.
"Hey! Hikari!" Yusuke called to the girl as he saw her brown coat standing out in the white snow. She froze, looking back at him. Then she bolted like a frightened rabbit.
"Hey, stop running!" Yusuke began to chase her and quickly caught up. Short legs and high snow didn't make running the easiest task for the poor thing.
Yusuke playfully grabbed her around the middle and fell back with her into the snow. She squirmed free and got to her knees, glaring at him.
"Where are you going? We haven't solved the mystery of who you are yet."
"I'm putting you all in danger." She dipped her head. "I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I didn't want you guys to get hurt anymore… It's better if I just go."
"Don't be stupid," Yusuke snorted. Hikari looked at him with exasperation. "First, you'd never make it on your own. Second, you're kind of stuck with us now, kid."
He smiled his cocky smile at her. "Like it or not, we are involved now, and we don't leave a friend behind. Or let them run away in the middle of the night." Hikari raised an eyebrow, and Yusuke guessed what she was thinking. "Well, except for Hiei. He kind of comes and goes as pleases."
Hikari tsked. "I figured."
After a moment of silence, she let out a quiet sniffle.
"Oh shit, please don't cry!" Yusuke found himself panicking. He might have been teasing her, but he really didn't want her to leave.
"I can't help it, asshole! You all are so kind to me, have done so much for me, and I almost got you killed! And what's more, I've hurt you too. Most people would have thrown me out long ago, with these weird-ass flames I have no control over." She looked at him, and his heart broke a little at the pain in her eyes. "What if I kill one of you by accident? I'd never be able to live with that…"
"Hey, don't give yourself too much credit. Tons of people stronger than you have tried to kill us and failed." He put a hand behind his head. "Sure, your power is weird, but that's why we are taking you to Genkai's tomorrow. If anyone can help you control your power, she can. And don't worry, we won't let you hurt anyone you don't want to hurt."
She raised an eyebrow. "I doubt I'll want to hurt anyone, but what if she can't help me? Then what?"
"Then we will just find someone who can."
"How can you be so carefree?" She gripped her hair in frustration. "Even if we can get this under control, that doesn't change the fact that I'm putting you guys in danger just by being near you. Look what happened today! You, Kuwabara, Yukina, Hiei… You were all hurt trying to protect me."
"Well, of course, we tried to protect you. You're one of us." Hikari met his eyes in surprise.
"We haven't known you long, that's true. But I meant what I said about our little group- once you are one of us, there's no escape!" Yusuke joked. "Listen, Kid, I don't have many friends. Honestly, Keiko was my only friend for most of my life. So once I call someone "friend," I become a barnacle- I'm stuck on you for life."
The girl couldn't suppress a chuckle at his anecdote, but her smile quickly faded.
"And as for all this worry about us dying, well, we almost get ourselves killed every day, so it's kind of a wasted effort on your part."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I know you guys said you are fighters, but I'm sure every day is a bit of an exaggeration."
"Honestly, it's not. And anyway, it wouldn't be my first time dying either."
Hikari tilted her head in confusion.
"Did you have one of those flat line moments after a fight or something?"
"Hah, not exactly. I was actually dead dead. Like my body was ready for cremation and everything."
"What?!"
"I'll tell you the whole story, but let's at least go into the lobby of the Inn. It's too damn cold to stay out here." As if on cue, Hikari sneezed.
Yusuke stood up and brushed himself off and then offered Hikari a hand. He brought her to the indoor lobby, once again leading her like a child. To him, the movement was natural, and very unlike when he held hands with Keiko. He liked this fraternal, protective feeling. Hell, maybe if they never found her family she could stay with his mother.
Settling themselves in the deserted lobby/check-in area, Yusuke began to tell Hikari about how dying had changed his life forever. He told her about spirits that he and Botan had helped while waiting to come back to life, which he realized he had never told anyone about before. He went off on a brief tangent as he explained the fire that Keiko had run into, trying to save his body, and how he had thrown Puu's egg into the flames.
"Who or what is Puu?"
Yusuke explained that she'd meet him at Genkai's. Then he apologized again for leaving her and the others to get that stupid but awesome book to replace the one he had lost in the fire.
She smiled at him and told him she didn't blame him.
"You had no way of knowing that we would still be in danger. And it sounds like that book holds important memories for you."
He scratched his chin and admitted it was still irresponsible of him, but secretly he felt some absolution. He returned to his story.
He blushed as he mentioned coming back to life thanks to a kiss from Keiko. He told Hikari proudly about being appointed spirit detective after coming back to life, and his first encounter with a demon.
"Oh, I was wondering why some of them called you detective."
He didn't give her details as he wasn't sure how much Hiei or Kurama wanted her to know, but he did tell her that he met them during one of his assignments. He spoke more about Genkai, and the tournament he endured to become her student. He told her about the four saint beasts and how he had nearly died- again- defeating Suzaku. He got to rescuing Yukina, though he left out her relation to Hiei. He yelped as he noticed her eyes brimming with tears.
"Poor Yukina…" Hikari murmured. Twisting her hands in her lap. "I think I'm actually a little grateful that I can't remember all the bad things right now…"
"Yukina is stronger than we give her credit for," Yusuke assured the girl. "What she went through was horrible, but she survived, as did you."
Yusuke then told her a condensed version of the dark tournament. He described how Genkai had passed the spirit wave to him, and how she too had been resurrected following their victory.
"Damn, you guys really are hard to keep dead."
Finishing his tale, Yusuke grinned. "And now, we've found you. So begins the exciting new chapter of our "What-is-going-to-try-and-kill-us-next" lives. If it hadn't been you, something else would have happened- someone trying to take over the world or some rampaging demon. Compared to all that, you're a walk in the park."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But like I said, kid." Yusuke reached out and tousled her hair roughly as she protested and swiped his hand away. "You're stuck with us now. Even if you try to sneak away again in some stupid-ass way to try and protect us, I'll chase you down and bring you back. If you truly want to leave, I won't stop you, but it needs to be because you WANT to leave, not because you think you're helping us by doing so."
She looked thoughtful as she tried to smooth her hair down. She dipped her head.
"I… I don't want to leave you guys… I like being here with you. If you'll really have me, danger and all, I'd like to stay…"
Ugh, she was too precious for this world. Yusuke grinned at her sincerity and patted her gently on the head. Just like the time before, the night Hiei got sick, she leaned into his hand. The sun was just beginning to rise, the orange glow coming through the lobby windows. The beams fell on Hikari, making her silver eyes glow gold in the dawn's light.
"I promise that you always have a place with us. We aren't going to leave you, and we will help you as best we can with finding your family and controlling your powers. Everything is going to be ok."
She smiled sadly at his reassurance, and he felt his heartbreak a little more. He shouldn't promise things he was unsure of himself.