A note on the bus door explained that Hiei and Kuwabara had left to get dinner and would be back later. Yusuke stepped into the bus and moments after having closed and locked the door; Touya was on him, kissing him frantically, caressing him anxiously. Yusuke put his arms warmly around Touya, rubbing his back gently, responding softly to the eager kisses. He eventually drew his hands up to Touya's face, tenderly cupping it and pulling Touya's face away. "Are you all right?" he asked, knowing what the answer would be already, but understanding that the question would also open the flood gates and Touya would be able to deal with everything he was feeling.

Touya broke down in sobs, hugging Yusuke close to him. "I had thought, even hoped, that he was dead... why did he have to come back? Did I do the right thing, Yusuke? Should I have accepted his apology? Should I at least have heard him out? Or was I right not to?" Touya begged, desperate to know if he had made the right decision.

Yusuke sighed. "I'm not sure. No one can be about something like that. But if nothing else, I believe you were certainly justified. And I think you didn't really have many options. Don't beat yourself up over it. He's not worth the pain he's put you through; been putting you through," Yusuke answered, showing rare eloquence.

Touya sobbed in Yusuke's grasp, taking comfort in his warmth. Suddenly his legs just gave out; he'd simply had too much. Yusuke kept him from falling, and carried him back to the 'bedroom', sitting with his legs out on the narrow bed, Touya in his lap.

"You want something to drink, eat?" Yusuke asked quietly, running his hands through Touya's hair.

"No..." was the whispered answer. "I wish... I wish we were back home, so we could make love and forget all this." Touya breathed, and Yusuke smiled slightly, nodding.

"That'd be nice." So together they lay till Touya fell asleep on top of Yusuke, his hands pressed against Yusuke's firm, reassuring chest, his head laying against Yusuke's own, legs entangled with Yusuke's. The covers were pulled up to their waists, but could go no further since they were still sitting up.

Yusuke heard the door unlocking, and the sound of footsteps; Hiei and Kuwabara were back. Hiei stepped in, took one look, and said, "Yes, it was a romantic escapade, wasn't it?"

Yusuke scowled. "Quite the opposite, in fact." Touya had never told anyone but Yusuke about what Jin had done. "I can't explain, it's his story to tell, but I can say this: we met a phantom from the past that should have stayed in the past, and preferably leave his memories."

Hiei nodded. "Hn."