Dachi Part 2- If we are such fools, in what way may that be?

The next morning Kuwabara woke to a several thin rays of sunlight on his face. He was surprised to see that he wasn't in his bed as was the norm. He was more than a little surprised to feel a warm body sprawled out on top of him.

'The hell!' He looked down his body to find the form of his best friend unceremoniously covering his own. Yusuke's body was half covered in blankets hinting that he'd fallen out of the bed in the middle of the night and ended up all over his best friend. Kuwabara scrunched up his eyebrows. This had to be one of the weirder ways to wake up.

Kuwabara shifted his hips a bit to test how attached his friend was. He was disappointed when Yusuke shifted to remain on top of him. 'This...is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought.' He gently pushed on his friend's body in an attempt to roll him off. Unfortunately he was met with firm resistance.

"Crap...", Kuwa muttered to himself. In response, Yusuke twisted in his sleep and muttered something about happy bombs. Kuwabara sighed. His good buddy was dead to the world as he was most mornings. It's just that usually he wasn't sprawled all over him. He may not care if he was late for school, but Kuwabara did and therefore wanted to get up and get dressed.

It seemed as though an eternity passed before Yusuke made any signs of waking up. His face took on the appearance of a cat yawning as he awoke. Kuwabara smiled at the sight despite the aggravation the boy had caused that morning. His smile widened when Yusuke rolled off of him to stretch. Wasting no time, Kuwabara picked himself up off the floor and stepped over his friend's prone form to get at his closet.

From the floor, Yusuke was on his back blinking sleepily up at the ceiling. He laid there for a time, just listening to his friend hustle around the room. 'Hm... are we late for school?' He lifted himself up on his elbows and took in the sight of Kuwabara hopping around on one foot, pants half on, trying to get his other down the hole of the pants leg. Yusuke continued to watch his friend get dressed, snickering softly every time he almost tripped or put on an article of clothing the wrong way. Kuwabara flustered never ceased to amuse him.

Deciding it was time he too prepared for school, he leapt off the floor and walked to the closet, barely dodging Kuwabara's near-spastic movements. He grabbed his spare uniform and slipped out the door to go shower.

After a quick shower he wandered into the kitchen where Shizuru, as always, was smoking.

"Hey Yusuke. French toast?"

Yusuke nodded both in greeting and agreement. He plopped down at the small, four chaired table and leaned back in his seat. Five minutes later, Kuwabara emerged from his room looking perfectly gelled and manly as always. He took a seat next to Yusuke.

"So, baka, what took you so long this morning?"

Kuwabara grunted. "You, idiot." Yusuke's eyes widened. Shizuru flipped the toast.

"Oi, I know you blame me for you being slow and all, and honestly that's probably my fault, but I've never kept you from getting your ass to school."

"Yeah, well you've never rolled off the bed on top of me have you?", Kuwabara said deadpanned. Yusuke's expression looked to be stuck between shock and incredulous laughter. Shizuru took a long drag on her cigarette and piled some French toast on a plate. She set it down between the boys and went about getting forks and knives for them.

"I-I didn't fall off the bed! I always sleep on the floor! And that's where I was when I woke up, the floor!" Shizuru set plates, cups, knives, and forks in front of them.

"Yeah, well I always sleep on my bed, but I took the floor cuz your dumb ass decided to conk out on MY bed!" She placed two pieces of toast on their plates, each, then thought better of it and gave Yusuke an extra piece.

"The fuck do you know! I woke up on the floor, and that's where I went to sleep at, not your skanky-ass bed!" She set out the syrup and poured them a glass of milk.

"My bed's not so skanky that you wouldn't sleep all over it! I found you passed out there after my shower and you sure looked a hell of a lot more comfy than you say!"

"Boys," Shizuru interjected.

"Couldn't have cuz it smells like your fat ass!"

"Boys."

"That's partially your own damn fault Mr. 'I have to climb through the effin window'!"

"Boys!" They both stopped at the sudden outburst. "Both of you shut the fuck up and eat your damn breakfast. If you're late for school it isn't my damn fault." She took a long drag on her cigarette before putting it out in Yusuke's glass of milk.

Surprisingly, Yusuke said nothing, but began stabbing at his French toast like there was no tomorrow. Kuwabara followed suit, but not before getting Yusuke a fresh, ash less glass of milk. They ate in silence. Shizuru smiled at them, lighting up another cigarette. It didn't matter how dumb they acted sometimes, they still managed to be kind of cute.

"You've got gay sheets, man." She took that back. They were terrible little bastards that needed to shut up.

Kuwabara attempted to speak around a mouthful of toast. "Shut the fuck up Urameshi!"

"Hey I'm just saying you need a hand in the manliness department," Yusuke said mouth equally as full with toast.

"Bite me!"

"I will!"

Knock, knock, knock. The boys froze, hands outstretched in a position that suggested both were trying their best to sabotage the others breakfast. Whoever was outside knocked again. They blinked. Kuwabara was the first to withdraw, getting up from his chair to answer the door. He was more than a little surprised to see who stood on the other side of the threshold. It was the one person he'd never expected to see on his doorstep, but there she was, smiling endearingly up at him. Keiko.

"Good morning Kuwabara-san!", she said brightly.

"Uh.. Good morning Keiko-san," he replied a little less cheerfully. "May I ask why you're here at-" he glanced at the clock in the hallway "-seven forty-five on a weekday?"

"Of course, Kuwabara-san! I just wanted to know where, um.." she flushed cutely, "where my boyfriend was."

Kuwabara was expressionless for a moment before donning a rather tight smile. "Oh, Keiko-san, he's right inside. Let me take you to him." He opened the door wide enough so that she could get through and waited for her to take of her shoes as was custom at any Japanese household. He then led her down the hallway and to the kitchen.

Yusuke was still sitting in his chair digging through breakfast. In fact in the time that it took his friend to open the door he'd already helped himself to another serving of French toast, a.k.a Kuwabara's. He smirked to himself as he heard footsteps. 'Man, I can't wait to see his face. He always looks so shocked when I eat his food.'

The footsteps stopped as they reached the table. Yusuke swallowed his latest mouthful and put on his best innocent look. "Gee Kuwa, I have no idea where your...French... Keiko?" She beamed down at him. Kuwabara wasn't even in the room.

"Um... Hey Keiko, good morning."

"Ohayo Yusuke-kun!", she reached down and placed a kiss on his cheek causing them both to blush. Blushing furiously, she found her way to the chair Kuwabara once occupied. "I looked for you at your home this morning but your Mom said you weren't there. I don't know where Kurama-san lives and I don't remember Hiei-san ever saying he had a home to begin with, so I came here." She looked up at him. "Is that okay?"

Yusuke looked up from his now empty plate intending on answering her question. He jumped when he saw trademark silver-blue eyes staring at him from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Kuwabara mouthed something and made crude sign language, his hands imitating two people snuggling and kissing. Yusuke flushed and glared at him.

"Yusuke?"

Said boy blinked then focused on the girl in front of him. "Uh, yeah?"

"I asked if it was ok that I came looking for you. You never answered." Her hands were situated in her lap, twisting the fabric of her pleated skirt.

"Oh... right. Well, naw I don't mind." He smiled at her as she looked up. "Besides, you were just... worried about me right?" Keiko looked ecstatic. She nodded then reached up and kissed his cheek again starting to blab on about how understanding he was.

Kuwabara put down his arm bearing the thumbs up sign and slumped against the wall. He sighed to himself before rolling himself off the wall and headed for his room. He stared down at the homework he had sprawled all over his desk. Only his homework this time. He'd been so used to Yusuke's work taking up all of his extra space so it was odd to see only his work there.

'Hey, I have no right to complain. I told him to date her and I knew there were going to be some changes.' He gathered up his work and shoved it into his bag. He wandered back out to the kitchen where the two lovebirds were talking animatedly. He grabbed only his lunch out of the fridge and stuffed that into his bag as well. He walked through the kitchen and to the entryway, unnoticed. He kneeled down to put on his shoes.

'It's not like I haven't known Yusuke for a long time. I've had plenty of time with him, right? Doesn't she deserve as much time as I had?' He finished tying his shoes and was about to get up to leave when his sister pushed him back down.

"If she marries him, won't she have him all to herself for the rest of her life?"

Kuwabara wouldn't look his sister in the face but got up and reached for the door. Her hand on his wrist stopped him. "If you're thinking in terms of being fair, then it's you who should be spending more time with him." Kuwabara turned the knob on the door.

"Shizuru, I wasn't even thinking that. I was just worried over a test is all." And with that he opened the door and started for school. His sister stared after him, shaking her head.

Yusuke looked up as the door shut. "Kuwabara?" When Shizuru walked into the kitchen he was surprised. "Where did Kuwabara go?"

"He left already," she said as if that were enough explanation.

He gave her an inquisitive look. "But why? We were gonna walk to school together." She shrugged and took a puff on her 3rd cigarette of the day.

"Maybe he had to go get help from a teacher," Keiko supplied. "I know he's gotten better in school, but I still worry about him." Shizuru twitched but said nothing. Yusuke nodded slowly, agreeing with her. Shizuru had to restrain herself from saying anything crass.

"My gosh, Yusuke-kun! We should be getting to school too!", she exclaimed.

Yusuke got up from the table and turned to Shizuru. "Hey, do you know where Kuwa put my lunch?" She was about to reply when Keiko broke in.

"He made you lunch? But I made you lunch today Yusuke." She reached into her bag and produced a rectangular light blue lunch box. Yusuke took it with a bit of hesitation. "If that's all you were worried about then can we go?" She tugged impatiently at his arm.

"Uh, sure." They left a few moments later, leaving Shizuru alone in the apartment.

"Wow. I do believe I hate her." She blew out a final puff of smoke and put out her cigarette.

After a rather exhausting morning, Yusuke was glad to be let out for lunch. He was also glad to be away from the looks he was still getting just because he was dating Keiko. So they were going out, didn't mean everyone had to stare. New lunchbox in hand, he was searching for Kuwabara. He hadn't seen much of him that day really.

Then he spotted Kuwabara at his locker also getting ready for lunch. "Oi! Kuwa!" Kuwabara looked up and smiled, though he looked less cheerful than normal. Yusuke shrugged that off as being a trick of the distance between them and ran over to his friend.

"Hey idiot, what's up?"

"Nothing, Urameshi." Kuwabara kept fiddling around with something in his locker.

Yusuke leaned up against the locker next to Kuwabara's. "Well, aren't you coming up to the roof to eat?" Kuwabara paused.

"No..."

"Whaddya mean 'no'?"

Kuwabara sighed and looked away. He slammed his locker closed before answering. "I mean that I can't eat lunch with you today Yusuke."

He was about to say something when what Kuwabara said caught up with him. 'Did he just call me 'Yusuke'?'

"Besides I'm sure Keiko would like to have you all to herself for at least today. And I've got work to do, so..." He trailed off. Yusuke was staring at him blankly. "Look, I'll see you later, ok?"

Yusuke nodded dumbly, watching Kuwabara walk off towards a classroom. Sure enough, a few moment after that, Keiko appeared with a group of her giggling friends to drag Yusuke off for lunch.

"Come on Yusuke-kun! Let's eat lunch in the classroom!" He didn't protest as he was lead to homeroom.

As if Yusuke hadn't been feeling Kuwabara deprived enough for one day, his buddy was already dressed and outside for gym. 'Not to sound like a needy girl or anything, but he should've waited for me. It's tradition,' he thought while slipping on his socks and shoes. 'Besides he's good at running and always finishes early. He could've hung back at least.' He was still fussing around with his shoes with a half-pout on his face.

"Oi, Urameshi!" Yusuke's head snapped up. Kuwabara! He looked up into the face of a boy he recognized from his class. Not Kuwabara. He returned to fixing his shoes and ignored whatever else the boy said.

"...I might take a run at her if you're not that interested...", the boy trailed off.

"Hn. Okay." Yusuke stood up from the bench in front of his locker and stretched. He was on his way out to the field with one thought on his mind. Have Kuwabara time. He was thrown off course when he noticed that about half the boys in the class were staring at him. "What the eff are you idiots lookin' at?"

The boy who had been speaking earlier answered him. "Dude, I was just saying how I was gonna take Keiko."

"Oh, is that all." Yusuke shrugged. "If you take her I'll just come rescue her later. Not the first time." He pushed past the boys and almost made it to the door, but was grabbed by the upper arm. "What now bitch?"

The boy paled a bit noticing the warning tone in his voice. Last time he spoke that way was during the kitty incident and no man came away from that unscathed. "W-well Mr. Urameshi, sir, I was merely joking about how if you didn't start showing more interest in Ms. Keiko that I might be kinda, um, tempted to take her from you as in, uh, date her instead of you...um... Please don't hurt me, sir."

Yusuke blinked at this. He wasn't being boyfriendy enough with her? Once again just a small thing sent him into the deepest depths of confusion. 'Now I really need to see Kuwabara. I thought I was doing fine!' Yusuke threw the hand on his arm off, roughly, then stalked outside to the track. He saw Kuwabara running alone, the coach timing him.

"Hey, Urameshi, what's taking the ladies so long?"

"Eff if I know coach." He decided to not waste anymore time and took of running as soon as Kuwabara came close enough. He easily fell into step with his friend who seemed to be running slower then normal.

They ran in silence for a minute or so, maybe less. "Not gonna frickin' say hi to me?"

Kuwabara's head snapped to the side. He honestly had not noticed the arrival of his best friend. "Sorry man. Guess I was caught up."

"Hm." Yusuke was starting to lose his breath a bit. He couldn't run like this forever, not like Kuwabara. Then again the orange haired boys legs went on forever making it quite a bit easier for him. "So why were you avoiding me?"

Kuwabara didn't speak for a while. He kept up the silence until he'd finished his last lap. "I had stuff to do today," he said, wiping his face with his shirt.

"Right. Frickin' Koenma's busy but he still finds time to bother me. So seriously, what's up?" His hands were perched on his hips and he was glaring upwards so as to make eye contact with his taller friend.

Kuwa looked at him for a moment, a snigger starting up in his chest. His lips were pursed together so as to not let the laughter through which served to make Yusuke glare more. Finally he could keep it in no longer and burst out laughing.

"Oi! What the hell's so funny?" Kuwabara laughed more at his outburst. Yusuke crossed his arms in frustration, still glaring at his friend who was currently halfway to the ground with tears leaking out of his eyes. He waited quite impatiently for his friend's laughter to cease before accosting him again.

"The fuck's so funny?"

"Man, your face!", Kuwabara answered with a grin.

"That's the oldest damn insult in the book. I thought you were better than this scholar-boy."

"No, not your face all the time. Though it is pretty funny." He smirked. "I meant just then I swear you could've been a frickin' girl." His smirk widened as his friend grew indignant.

"Does it look like I have tits!"

Kuwabara sniggered. "If I say yes, will you punch me?"

"You bet your ass I will!"

"Then, yes."

Yusuke lunged at him, his fist out in front of him. Said fist solidly connected with Kuwabara's face. Kuwabara was forced to take a step back from the blow, but still remained upright. Despite the bruising he knew was creeping up the side of his face, he smiled.

"Thanks buddy." He patted Yusuke on the shoulder.

Yusuke blinked at him, then smiled as well. "No prob. Now hey, I needed to talk to you."

"Yeah?", he stretched out his arms. "'Bout what?"

"Some of the bitches in our class were saying I'm not boyfriendy enough with Keiko."

Kuwa raised an eyebrow. "'Boyfriendy'?"

"Yeah like caring and kissy or whatever." Yusuke scratched at the side of his face and watched his friend in anticipation.

"Well... go finish running your laps first before coach is forced to fight you himself. I'll talk to you after school, alright?" Yusuke nodded then took off to run his laps. Kuwabara paused for a moment to think over something before going to join Yusuke. The black haired boy caught sight of his friend out of the corner of his eye.

As they ran both of the boys had smiles on their faces.

After school seemed to come more slowly than usual that day. Yusuke couldn't figure out why gym lasted an eternity and a half, but he was glad to be released for the day. Much like every afternoon, he rushed off to the spot where he met Kuwabara. He was happy to see that his friend stood there waiting for him as always. As he jogged over he raised his hand in greeting.

Kuwabara smiled at him as he stopped right up next to him, panting. "Hey, Urameshi. What's up?"

Yusuke grinned at him. "You know, man, keeping up with my phys ed homework."

The tall boy failed to laugh at the comment, his eyes focused on some point in the distance. He stared dazedly for a moment before his attention snapped back to his friend.

"Look, Yusuke, some of the other guys are being kinda stupid kinda not."

"What? Kuwa what're you-"

Kuwabara cut him off. "Yusuke, when you date a girl you have to treat her better than your friends."

"Well yeah, I don't beat her up," he said grinning.

"Sure, you're stupid but not that bad," Kuwabara said his eyes once again drifting off.

"Hey-"

"The point is you have to spend time with her, she needs you. You need her. You may not understand yet," his eyes flicked downward, "but you really like her and when you really like someone you need them."

"Well, then I need you right?"

Kuwabara responded with a look that was a mix of anger and incredulity. "No, you don't. I'm just convenient," he spat out his temper flaring suddenly. "I could leave and you could get over me, and don't tell me that you couldn't cuz you could!" He paused and his tone softened though his anger was still apparent. "But, she... she's special. She's going to make you happier then anyone else on this earth if only you'd let her."

Yusuke looked indignant and confused. "But I'm dating her, what more'm I supposed to do!"

Kuwabara jabbed a finger in the shorter boy's face, his face tight. "Basically, Urameshi, stop being a prick and actually interact with her!" Yusuke looked shocked and angry to say the least, but Kuwabara continued. "Instead of being confused all the fucking time, take her, kiss her, and just enjoy her damn company!"

Yusuke was more than a little angry and confused but as soon as he was about to reply, the topic of discussion appeared behind him.

"Um... is this a bad time because you both look a little upset," Keiko said softly.

Kuwabara snorted, turned on his heel and stalked off leaving only his words in his place.

Keiko put a hand to her mouth, covering a gasp. "What was all that about?"

Yusuke turned his head away and looked down. "Nothing."

"But, Yusuke-kun, he looked really mad."

"It's nothing, Keiko."

However, she continued to push. "You know, if you're having a fight with him then it'd be in your best interest to go talk to him immediately. It won't do if you two go around avoiding each other all the time."

Her reprimands stung with irony. "Like he hasn't been avoiding me already," he mumbled out.

"Did you say something?", she asked while leading him away from the school grounds.

"No, I didn't Keiko...", he thought for a split second, "...chan."

And suddenly it was as though she forgot that she'd even seen the two fighting. She beamed up at her boyfriend and half hugged him as they walked. She remained firmly snuggled up to him all the way to the noodle shop.

They were both greeted with 'Good Afternoon's from her parents. Good afternoon. Right.

hope no one's too pissy at yusuke or kuwabara. everything'll work out, i promise. u'll just hav to wait till july 23rd to see how well it works out. ahahahahahahahaha yawns
ok! how 'bout some thank u's?... and a sandwhich... coughs right.
thanks to JovianShe-Wolf, Katzztar, Annonymous, Zelia Theb, and dear swt Kazi-chan! most reviews i've ever gotten in 3 days. or 3 months. thanx guys.

fanart request: i want pics of kuwa and yusuke bickering over french toast and of yusuke sprawled over kuwa. yesh. gimme.

butt sex! goes to work