Chapter 1: Life or Something Like It
Yusuke awoke with a loud yawn. Steadily, he rose, every now and then giving a grunt or a groan. A pleasant aroma had already made its way to the bedroom. He smiled, eyes still closed, as he mumbled to himself. "That Keiko hasn't lost her touch at cooking." Reluctantly, he threw off the covers, and opened the blinds. Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke tried to shade the light coming from the sun. "Oh man, it's so bright outside." He mumbled, complaining to himself. The Spirit Detective then turned around, and headed towards the drawers. Absent-mindedly, he pulled out a few pieces of clothing and slipped them on. Once again, he headed for the bathroom. Yusuke, seeing his reflection, sighed. 'Man, I look horrible. Keiko'll have somethin' to yell about today.' After finishing his daily morning rituals, Yusuke headed downstairs for breakfast, or at least what he thought to be breakfast. Entering the kitchen, he stared at the plates of food on the table. "Um, Keiko, what's this? It's only breakfast." Yusuke asked, a bit clueless about the time.
All she did was laugh, "Yusuke, silly, it's noon already. You slept quite soundly and deeply."
Yusuke turned a light shade of red, "Oh. Heh, I didn't read the time on the clock upstairs. Didn't know what time it was."
Keiko smiled kindly, and motioned for him to sit down. "Sit down, and eat. You were exhausted when you came home, so you must be terribly hungry right now." She read his mind, as she watched him stuff all the food down his throat.
In mid-bite, Yusuke looked up. He motioned down to the food, and then looked back at Keiko.
"It's all right Yusuke. I've already eaten." She said, smiling and laughed softly again. As he ate, thoughts ran through his mind again. This time, however, they were happy ones. 'Damn, I can never get enough of her laugh.'
"Oh! Yusuke!" She said, suddenly remembering something. "Kuwabara called earlier today. He wants to talk to you. He said to meet him in the park."
'Man, what does he want now?' Yusuke thought, but merely nodded to Keiko. After finishing his meal, he stood up and nodded to Keiko. "That was great, and now I'm going to go meet Kuwabara all right?" She nodded to that and watched him leave, as he grabbed his coat and went out the door.
Hands in pockets, he spotted Kuwabara standing near the lake. Approaching him from behind, Yusuke spoke. "Hey. What do you want now?" After a few minutes of silence, Yusuke spoke once again, this time in an irritable voice. "Hey! I said what do you want now?!"
Suddenly, swirling around, Kuwabara grabbed the Spirit Detective by the collar. "Damnit Urameshi, there's somethin' going on with you! We all sense! Kurama, Keiko, Yukina, even Hiei! So tell us the problem, so we can solve it and get on with our lives!" Yusuke had been caught off guard. He didn't expect Kuwabara to act like this.
"H-hey, chill out man." The dark-haired one said, trying to get Kuwabara to let go of him. "N-nothing's the matter with me man. I'm still Yusuke, you know, that kid that was always immature." He hoped that would be enough to get the orange-haired man off his case. However, in his mind, he knew something troubled him. The only thing was, he, himself, couldn't even pinpoint the reason he was upset.
Loosening his grip, Kuwabara turned away again. "Well, if you're not ready to spill the info now, I guess that's all right. But don't think that I won't keep trying. We will find out what's wrong with you somehow."
Yusuke sighed, and slouched over. 'Geez, I hate it when he does that. It scares the hell out of me.' Then, he straightened up, and looked back at Kuwabara. "What gives? How do you know there's actually somethin' wrong with me?"
"Well, you've been acting differently. Been more serious lately, not cracking the stupid jokes and stuff." Kuwabara shrugged. He, too, could not pinpoint the problem either.
"Well, I'm sorry if people can't grow up. I can't always been a wise- crack." Yusuke replied, denying his own feelings of anxiety.
"Yeah, people can grow up, but they don't change that dramatically. Especially not you, Urameshi." Kuwabara began to walk away. "I'm not off your case just yet, but I'll let you off the hook for today."
Finally, Yusuke's tension began to fade, as he relaxed. "I don't know how long I can hold this up." He put his hands on his head, and looked out onto the lake. "Maybe this Spirit Detective thing is getting to me. Or maybe it's the demons. Nah, it couldn't be the demons, I'm always around Kurama and Hiei and they're demons." Yusuke closed his eyes, and sighed. "Man, what's wrong with me?"
Back in Reikai, Koenma was complaining yet again. "Oh, I'm worried. Those boys barely made it through another mission. Demons are getting stronger everyday, and they're trying to lead normal lives. I'm afraid they might need to train for a couple of months." He said to nobody in particular. However, Botan had overheard everything he said. "Well, Koenma, they have to have some free time." She said, contradicting him. "But, what if a demon suddenly appears and they're not strong enough?! What then? You have to think of all the possibilities! They're responsible for protecting the human world from extinction!' Koenma babbled on. Botan, however, tuned out. She heard this from him everyday, and it had become natural to not listen. "Well, if you're going to do what you please. You're the one telling them, I'm not getting yelled at for something you want." She said, shaking her head. He always had to have his way. Certainly, this reflected his childish side. "Botan, have you forgotten who's the boss here?" He smirked, knowing this tactic would work. Botan, who was now wide-eyed, "WHAT?! You really want me to tell them this?!" Running through her mind, was what each would say to her after hearing this. Hiei, who always trained, would simply give her a 'hn', but Kurama would start about how he needed time to catch up on his studies and how he needed to visit him mother too. Kuwabara would go off mumbling to himself, and how he needed to spend more time with Yukina. However, those were not the worst she would get, Yusuke would completely explode. 'WHAT?! WHAT'S HE THINKING? WE JUST GOT BACK FROM A MISSION?! I'M TIRED AND EXHAUSTED. WHAT DOES HE THINK WE ARE? MACHINES?!' She shuddered at the thought of what the Spirit Detective would scream to her, but she would have to do as Koenma told. He was her boss, and that's what bosses do. Coming back to reality, she realized Koenma was now yelling at her. "BOTAN? BOTAN! Are you there?!" He screamed in her face. Jumping back, she nodded meekly. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry!" "Ok," He said, assuming calmness again. "I'm not going to make you tell them yet. I agree that the boys do need some free time, and I realized they just got back from a mission. BUT! You will need to tell them soon. I have a feeling that something bad will happen." Botan nodded, and sighed. 'I too, have the same feeling. But the boys need to relax themselves before hearing the big news.' She thought, as her mind trailed off.
Yusuke awoke with a loud yawn. Steadily, he rose, every now and then giving a grunt or a groan. A pleasant aroma had already made its way to the bedroom. He smiled, eyes still closed, as he mumbled to himself. "That Keiko hasn't lost her touch at cooking." Reluctantly, he threw off the covers, and opened the blinds. Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke tried to shade the light coming from the sun. "Oh man, it's so bright outside." He mumbled, complaining to himself. The Spirit Detective then turned around, and headed towards the drawers. Absent-mindedly, he pulled out a few pieces of clothing and slipped them on. Once again, he headed for the bathroom. Yusuke, seeing his reflection, sighed. 'Man, I look horrible. Keiko'll have somethin' to yell about today.' After finishing his daily morning rituals, Yusuke headed downstairs for breakfast, or at least what he thought to be breakfast. Entering the kitchen, he stared at the plates of food on the table. "Um, Keiko, what's this? It's only breakfast." Yusuke asked, a bit clueless about the time.
All she did was laugh, "Yusuke, silly, it's noon already. You slept quite soundly and deeply."
Yusuke turned a light shade of red, "Oh. Heh, I didn't read the time on the clock upstairs. Didn't know what time it was."
Keiko smiled kindly, and motioned for him to sit down. "Sit down, and eat. You were exhausted when you came home, so you must be terribly hungry right now." She read his mind, as she watched him stuff all the food down his throat.
In mid-bite, Yusuke looked up. He motioned down to the food, and then looked back at Keiko.
"It's all right Yusuke. I've already eaten." She said, smiling and laughed softly again. As he ate, thoughts ran through his mind again. This time, however, they were happy ones. 'Damn, I can never get enough of her laugh.'
"Oh! Yusuke!" She said, suddenly remembering something. "Kuwabara called earlier today. He wants to talk to you. He said to meet him in the park."
'Man, what does he want now?' Yusuke thought, but merely nodded to Keiko. After finishing his meal, he stood up and nodded to Keiko. "That was great, and now I'm going to go meet Kuwabara all right?" She nodded to that and watched him leave, as he grabbed his coat and went out the door.
Hands in pockets, he spotted Kuwabara standing near the lake. Approaching him from behind, Yusuke spoke. "Hey. What do you want now?" After a few minutes of silence, Yusuke spoke once again, this time in an irritable voice. "Hey! I said what do you want now?!"
Suddenly, swirling around, Kuwabara grabbed the Spirit Detective by the collar. "Damnit Urameshi, there's somethin' going on with you! We all sense! Kurama, Keiko, Yukina, even Hiei! So tell us the problem, so we can solve it and get on with our lives!" Yusuke had been caught off guard. He didn't expect Kuwabara to act like this.
"H-hey, chill out man." The dark-haired one said, trying to get Kuwabara to let go of him. "N-nothing's the matter with me man. I'm still Yusuke, you know, that kid that was always immature." He hoped that would be enough to get the orange-haired man off his case. However, in his mind, he knew something troubled him. The only thing was, he, himself, couldn't even pinpoint the reason he was upset.
Loosening his grip, Kuwabara turned away again. "Well, if you're not ready to spill the info now, I guess that's all right. But don't think that I won't keep trying. We will find out what's wrong with you somehow."
Yusuke sighed, and slouched over. 'Geez, I hate it when he does that. It scares the hell out of me.' Then, he straightened up, and looked back at Kuwabara. "What gives? How do you know there's actually somethin' wrong with me?"
"Well, you've been acting differently. Been more serious lately, not cracking the stupid jokes and stuff." Kuwabara shrugged. He, too, could not pinpoint the problem either.
"Well, I'm sorry if people can't grow up. I can't always been a wise- crack." Yusuke replied, denying his own feelings of anxiety.
"Yeah, people can grow up, but they don't change that dramatically. Especially not you, Urameshi." Kuwabara began to walk away. "I'm not off your case just yet, but I'll let you off the hook for today."
Finally, Yusuke's tension began to fade, as he relaxed. "I don't know how long I can hold this up." He put his hands on his head, and looked out onto the lake. "Maybe this Spirit Detective thing is getting to me. Or maybe it's the demons. Nah, it couldn't be the demons, I'm always around Kurama and Hiei and they're demons." Yusuke closed his eyes, and sighed. "Man, what's wrong with me?"
Back in Reikai, Koenma was complaining yet again. "Oh, I'm worried. Those boys barely made it through another mission. Demons are getting stronger everyday, and they're trying to lead normal lives. I'm afraid they might need to train for a couple of months." He said to nobody in particular. However, Botan had overheard everything he said. "Well, Koenma, they have to have some free time." She said, contradicting him. "But, what if a demon suddenly appears and they're not strong enough?! What then? You have to think of all the possibilities! They're responsible for protecting the human world from extinction!' Koenma babbled on. Botan, however, tuned out. She heard this from him everyday, and it had become natural to not listen. "Well, if you're going to do what you please. You're the one telling them, I'm not getting yelled at for something you want." She said, shaking her head. He always had to have his way. Certainly, this reflected his childish side. "Botan, have you forgotten who's the boss here?" He smirked, knowing this tactic would work. Botan, who was now wide-eyed, "WHAT?! You really want me to tell them this?!" Running through her mind, was what each would say to her after hearing this. Hiei, who always trained, would simply give her a 'hn', but Kurama would start about how he needed time to catch up on his studies and how he needed to visit him mother too. Kuwabara would go off mumbling to himself, and how he needed to spend more time with Yukina. However, those were not the worst she would get, Yusuke would completely explode. 'WHAT?! WHAT'S HE THINKING? WE JUST GOT BACK FROM A MISSION?! I'M TIRED AND EXHAUSTED. WHAT DOES HE THINK WE ARE? MACHINES?!' She shuddered at the thought of what the Spirit Detective would scream to her, but she would have to do as Koenma told. He was her boss, and that's what bosses do. Coming back to reality, she realized Koenma was now yelling at her. "BOTAN? BOTAN! Are you there?!" He screamed in her face. Jumping back, she nodded meekly. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry!" "Ok," He said, assuming calmness again. "I'm not going to make you tell them yet. I agree that the boys do need some free time, and I realized they just got back from a mission. BUT! You will need to tell them soon. I have a feeling that something bad will happen." Botan nodded, and sighed. 'I too, have the same feeling. But the boys need to relax themselves before hearing the big news.' She thought, as her mind trailed off.
