Day Series

Act one: One Day

By: Chibi

Summary: A series of days, a series of events. A series of complicated feelings all from a promise Yusuke makes to Kurama.

Pairings: Yusuke and Kurama (one sided?), Hiei and Kurama.

Warnings (for this act): Shonen ai, slight angst, one-sided love?

Notes: Once upon a time I had this idea for a one shot that ended up growing into something more. But when my account was taken down and I started reposting fics, this one seemed to be forgotten and left behind. However, today I got a review for a fic from Raining Petals and I remembered that she wrote me a Yu Yu Hakusho fic because I made her interested in Yusuke and Kurama. Then I remembered my own Yu Yu Hakusho fics, like this series of stories, so now I'm redoing and reposting them. If you're reading this Raining Petals thanks for making me remember Yu Yu Hakusho again.

Spoilers: Mostly dark tournament stuff, not sure if it'll go any further then that at the moment.

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't be a poor college student anymore

flashbacks

He couldn't understand it. His mind had the incident in a constant loop, forever pushing rewind to watch it again and again but he still couldn't understand it. There were few things in the world that Urameshi Yusuke tried to understand, so it made it even more frustrating when he tried so hard to understand something and couldn't.

"Oh look, he's back up. The match continues."

How could...

"You look so peaceful with your little flowers."

How could...

There was so much blood, too much blood. Was it possible for that much blood to exist inside of one person? All those cuts, all that red, staining his clothes and the leaves that crept out of the wound in his arm. Green and red wrapped around his entire body, matching his hair and eyes in a sadistic kind of fashion statement. The outfit had been a clean white once but that was a far off memory ago. Now it was slashed in cursed paint, torn to the point of looking like cheap paper streamers, fresh bruises dotted all along his face and unmoving body.

How could someone...

Broken, and this bastard was going to break him even more until he turned to dust underneath his rough, inhuman sized fists.

"STOP IT!"

How could someone hurt someone so beautiful? How could someone even think of hurting one of the most beautiful creatures his eyes had ever seen?

Perhaps one day he would understand.

Yusuke stepped into the room where Kurama was resting. He knew that he should've been doing something else, not watching someone sleep. Perhaps he should sleep as well to be ready for another day of cheerful booing and having someone wanting to beat the crap out of you more than the school bullies back at home. Another day of greedy men betting against them, insane amounts of money that Yusuke never knew existed. Was there really that much money in the world? Another day of demons screaming at them, telling them how to die and where to die. Telling them to do it quickly and with enough pain to spread across the arena floor like a virus.

There were few things in the world that Urameshi Yusuke tried to understand, maybe that was why the message of die human diewas drilled into his head like a constant drumming, so he would be sure to understand the severe levels of hate these creatures had for him. The point was to scare him, right? The point was to see him lose, right? So why hurt someone that he was willing to throw it all away for? Didn't they understand that by Kurama getting hurt it would have an opposite effect on their die human die chants?

Bakken turned around, the big rock of a man looking more then a little surprised when he saw the team captain of the Urameshi team glaring at him.

He was ready to fire on him. He was going to fire on him! With his back turned this punk kid was going to blast him with his rei-gun.

All for this? All for the shattered red head that he was able to hold up with just one mighty fist? He was going to break the rules over this?

He surprised himself when he did that. It was such an easy decision for him. Blast the bastard and anyone else who dared to step in his way from getting his Kurama back. Screw the rules and the tournament, kill the asshole and kill anyone in the audience who dared to make a smart-ass remark.

His Kurama? His?

Yusuke ran a hand through his hair, which for once was free from its greasy prison, and smiled. Yes, his. That he did understand. Kurama was his.

Maybe one day he would let Kurama know that.

He remembered when he first met Kurama, truly got a chance to meet him and talk to him. He remembered that he couldn't do anything but just stand there and look at him. Keiko was pretty, a very pretty girl but Yusuke had never used the word beautiful until he met Kurama. He couldn't do anything but stare at him, listen to him talk, watch his lips move. He took in every little thing the other did on the hospital roof that day. The way he licked his lips just a bit when they got dry. The way the wind played in his hair like a lover's touch. The way his eyelashes caressed his skin when he closed his eyes.

But at the time he couldn't understand the feelings he got when he was around Kurama. He knew that he was happy when they both survived the mirror incident. He knew he was confused and angry when Hiei stabbed him with the sword even if he didn't mean to. He knew he was excited when Kurama ended up joining the team.

He just didn't know why. The feelings he got around Kurama weren't the same feelings he got around Keiko. It was true that he loved Keiko and he would do anything for her, but it seemed like it was an obligation to be with her. She was that girl who everyone just knew he would marry. The best friend since childhood, the girl who couldn't even stand next to him without someone assuming they were together. He didn't mind being around her of course, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be in a real relationship with her. What was a real relationship anyway? Wasn't it enough to just love this girl more than anything without the need to kiss and hold hands? But that's what everyone else wanted. Kuwabara, Botan, everyone who saw them together immediately started to play matchmaker and they ended up reducing years of friendship to a simple word that didn't even begin to describe their relationship: girlfriend.

Wasn't it enough that he'd do anything for her without a second thought? Just like Kurama at the match, but that just felt different somehow. He felt deep down that if he were to have a relationship with Keiko... they'd kill each other. The only way they would speak to each other would be with shouting, like they did most of the time already. People already called them an old married couple, so what would happen if they actually did become an old married couple? They'd argue over serious issues that generally could and did break couples up. It would ruin a life-long friendship that was already the best relationship Yusuke had. That's not what he wanted and deep down he knew that she didn't want it either.

But if he were to have Kurama...

Yusuke lifted Kurama up in his arms and wondered when he started to be so gentle with a person? Yusuke barely knew the meaning of the word and any kid on the streets back at home could tell you that, but here he was, walking away with Kurama in a way that could only be described as being sweet. Kurama didn't stir in his arms and for a second Yusuke was worried that he wouldn't wake up after what happened. It felt like he was carrying something shattered, like carrying a package marked fragile that the mailman dropped a few times anyway.

Damn that bastard in the ring. He would have to show him why people did their best not to piss him off.

Oddly enough, as Yusuke carried Kurama, he had a feeling of everything suddenly being o.k. in the world despite the horrible situation. Holding him so close suddenly made having the drunken mess of a mother O.K., made horrible grades in school o.k., made being in this tournament where everyone begged for your early demise o.k.

He wondered what it would be like to hold him like this when he wasn't unconscious

And that's when he finally understood the feelings he had for Kurama. That's when he finally was able to tell the difference between his feelings for Keiko and his feelings for Kurama.

Because in all of his years with Keiko he never once thought of holding her like that.

"Damnit fox-boy." Yusuke muttered, now standing in front of Kurama's bed and just watching him. He was still sleeping, curled up on his side with his wounds wrapped and treated. If eyes could smile that's what Yusuke's would be doing, an odd sense of pride appearing over his lips. Kurama would be walking around again tomorrow no doubt. "I bet they beat you up just to piss me off. It's probably obvious from the way I look at you how I feel." Kurama just continued to sleep, his breaths even and his lips parted. Yusuke wondered if anyone knew that Kurama snored. Of course it wasn't loud like Kuwabara's all out rock band sounding snores. It was a soft, like music people listened to so they could fall asleep. Everything Kurama did was done with grace.

Even snoring.

Yusuke sat in a chair that was placed next to Kurama's bed, content with watching him sleep. That made two words he didn't really use. Content and beautiful.

"I think it was when we first met, not that time in the woods when you left but that time on the streets?" He reached a hand forward and laid it against the side of Kurama's face, his fingers brushing against skin soft like the roses Kurama was known for. Yusuke smiled when he felt him lean into his touch. "And the hospital roof. I think that's when these feelings started. But... see... I thought that I was only supposed to have feelings for Keiko. But... well... me and her are just friends and I actually think that... she knows... how I feel."

"Don't just stand there, Yusuke! Go in there and help your friend!" It was amazing how over a crowd of shouting demons that he was still able to hear her voice. How was it possible for one little human girl to be louder than the guy with the horns and green bean colored skin? Yusuke wanted to turn and look at her but he didn't, his eyes refused to move away from the ring where Kurama was dodging numerous shards of ice. He wanted nothing more then to go and help but Kurama wasn't listening to him, he kept fighting. He was determined to take some of these guys out so Yusuke wouldn't have to do it all by himself.

"Um... Keiko... I think that's against the rules." The helpful comment was provided by Kuwabara's older sister, her voice decorated in a puff of cigarette smoke. Keiko just frowned at the woman next to her.

"Who cares about the rules!" She turned back to Yusuke. "Yusuke! Get in there and help him!" For the first time in his entire life Yusuke heard his best friend tell him to break the rules. Hell had truly frozen over.

"Gods Kurama, you have no idea how scared I was. The only person I've ever worried that much about has been Keiko... and Kuwabara sometimes... but see you're different. They're my friends, and you..." His fingers went up into Kurama's hair, enjoying the feeling of it in between his fingers that started to act like a comb. Kurama made a soft, almost purring sound in his sleep. Yusuke chuckled. "Of course, you're a fox you like to be petted." He continued to comb out his hair with his fingers. "Listen, I'm going to make you a promise. O.K.?" His fingers stopped moving as he moved closer, so close that his lips almost brushed against Kurama's.

"I promise you, Kurama, that I will always try to protect you if I can. If I can't, then I promise to be there for you to carry you away from your fights so I can try to make you feel better." He wondered when his voice was suddenly capable of speaking so softly when it was usually screaming at one thing or another. He wondered when his voice was suddenly capable of speaking words so kind when it was usually being sarcastic or threatening. Yusuke brushed one of his fingers against Kurama's lips, was this the reason why his voice was capable of such words? Kurama's eyes began moving under closed eyelids in an attempt to wake up. Yusuke just smiled and leaned forward, brushing his lips against Kurama's in a light kiss. Such a quick and simple contact reminded Yusuke's heart of the mint chocolate chip ice cream he'd eat on those hot summer days as a kid. It always brought a smile to his face with a blend of something cool and sweet. It proved to him that there were such things as simple pleasures in life, if nothing else, mint chocolate chip ice cream would always brighten your day.

"I promise you that one day I'll be able to tell you all this when you're awake. One day, I'll be able to tell you that... I love you." Yusuke pulled back and headed to the door.

Green eyes snapped open in surprise and Kurama shot up, reaching a hand out to...

"Yusuke wait!"

"Hm?" Kurama looked around the hotel room in surprise until his eyes landed on the small figure lying next to him in the bed, a possessive arm wrapped around his waist. "What are you mumbling about, fox?"

"I..." But... just now wasn't...? Kurama looked around again and next to him Hiei sat up, frowning at him and yawning. His eyes were caked in the fog of sleep and he looked like he wanted to jump back into the fog as soon as possible.

"Go back to sleep. You were having a dream." Hiei would ask him about it in the morning, but at the moment sleep still had its arms wide open for Hiei to jump into. He made this point clear when he lied back in the comfort of the bed and pulled Kurama with him.

"But..."

"We have to get up early in the morning so go back to sleep. We can talk about it on the way to the stadium." He was right, they were going to watch their next opponents tomorrow. Kurama settled back against one of the pillows and watched Hiei fall right back asleep as if nothing happened. Short arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close, Hiei's head resting against Kurama's back. He made no noise as he slept, not even a light snore like Kurama had, as if any sound would set off some kind of alarm and alert everyone of his whereabouts.

Kurama slowly brushed his fingers across his lips. He could still taste Yusuke's lips on his. It tasted like homemade cookies, fresh out the oven so when you bit into them the chocolate chips were melting and delicious against your tongue. Of all things for someone so tough to taste like, but Yusuke was forced to grow up so fast so his kiss tasted of the boy he didn't get to be. "One day..." Kurama whispered, looking at the door of his bedroom. "I'll ask you about what happened tonight."

And outside the door Yusuke smiled, heading back to his own room.

"It's a deal, fox-boy. It's a deal."

Act one end