Dachi Part 6-The stark nakedness of this heart full of wounds

It was the middle of the next week, when Yusuke arrived at school, that he realized that something was very wrong. He'd become worried the afternoon before when during gym class Kuwabara was absent. The orange haired boy had been at school all day so to skip the last class of the day was odd behavior for him. A few years ago he wouldn't have even thought twice and actually would have been disappointed that he'd not been asked to go along with him. But now, it was downright worrisome.

Thinking back to yesterday he realized that Kuwabara hadn't looked too good the day before. He was much paler than usual and his eyes seemed unfocused. Yusuke had grabbed his hand during lunch to ask him if he was alright and found it to be dripping with sweat that seemed to cover his whole body. It made very much sense that he would skip the last period of the day in retrospect. It would also explain where he was today. What it didn't explain is why he hadn't tried to get in touch with Yusuke. Best friends tell best friends when they're ill.

Yusuke managed to sit through half the school day before he felt his control slip. It was nearly time for lunch when he snatched one of Kuwabara's friends out of the hallway and accosted him.

"Do you know where Kuwabara is?", he asked, glaring at the boy.

"Um... uh... no. Pleasedon'tkillme!"

Yusuke turned his glare down a bit noticing that the boy was uncomfortable. "Well do any of his other friends know where he's at?"

"Uh," he swallowed. "No. Nobody does." Yusuke frowned. "Actually, we thought he'd be with you since you're his best friend and all..."

Yusuke nodded, agreeing with him. "I should know where he's at. Thanks a lot." He let the poor boy go and started down the hallway.

"Wait," he called after the demon. "Next period is about to start, where are you going?"

"To make sure I know where Kuwabara is." He mock saluted and left the building.

Fifteen minutes later, Yusuke found himself standing in front of Kuwabara's apartment door. He quickly debated with himself whether to knock or to just try climbing into his friend's window again. Deciding on knocking he did so several times in rapid succession. Then he waited. Not patiently, but he did wait.

He heard the lock on the door click and the door opened a crack. A sharp brown eye looked out at him before disappearing. The chain lock came off as well and the door swung open revealing Shizuru. She stared at him disinterested as usual, cigarette to her lips.

"The fuck do you want?", she asked flatly. Yusuke failed to notice her tone and asked if his best friend was there. "Yeah, he's here. Now what do you want?"

"I came here to see him." Though he looked calm, his eyes pleaded with her. She sighed heavily but let him in. She led him down the hall to her brother's room, but did not open the door. Yusuke looked to her, but finding neither permission or dismissal in her eyes, he opened the door.

Inside the room was dim, the blinds only halfway open and any other source of light nonexistent. He could see a lump in the bed several feet away that had to be the body of his best friend. He navigated his way through the darkness the only thoughts in his mind dwelling entirely on Kuwabara. When he reached the bedside he knelt down and took in all the features of his best friend.

He looked to be half of the man he was usually, his skin so pale that the veins would probably show through and the sheen of sweat from the day before was firmly in place. His hair was half undone most likely from sleep and sweat. His eyes were clenched shut in his rest, a testament to the pain he must be in. The blankets were shoved up all the way to his neck but his body shivered beneath them. He looked terrible to say the least.

Yusuke reached out a tentative hand and brushed some of the hair out of his friend's face. "Kuwabara," he whispered. He rested his head next to Kuwabara's on the pillow, his hand still brushing at the orange locks.

"He's injured because of you, you know." Yusuke recognized the voice and turned. Sure enough it was Kurama in his school uniform with a bag in his hands. "If you weren't so hell bent on being an idiot, he'd probably be ok." Yusuke stared at the fox demon in disbelief. How was it his fault? What had happened to Kuwabara?

"The other day, on that mission, you just had to get Hiei angry, didn't you? You didn't think for a second that Kuwabara would stand in your way. That hit was meant for you Yusuke." The red haired boy sat down in the chair in front of Kuwabara's desk.

"Kuwabara is only human and wouldn't be able to take too many direct hits like that. You said so yourself. So why did you assume that he was ok after that?" Yusuke had no time to answer as Kurama kept on. "Then later, you let your guard down. I saw you take time to look at Kuwabara and then the demon attacked. I don't know why you didn't just take him out in 5 minutes when you know you could've!" Yusuke would no longer face Kurama, already feeling guilty.

"Worse yet, he really had been injured by that ki blast and you never noticed that he was hurt! In all the times that you've seen him since then you never wondered why he seemed to have a lingering pain in his arm?"

Yusuke's head snapped up. "He said it was muscle strain. He said that he hadn't been in good fighting shape-"

"That's bullshit Yusuke. He's in just as good a shape as all of us. I practice less than he does and I was able to walk away from that fight just fine and in human form." Yusuke turned his head back to his friend the shame bearing increasing weight.

Kurama snorted. "You don't even know what you're doing to him." Yusuke wanted to ask, but found himself unable to talk. "I've been here since yesterday afternoon. Shizuru called to ask me for help. He's very sick. But the moment I arrived I could hear him calling for you. Every few minutes I could hear him moan out your name or grope blindly for you. And just where were you?"

A groan erupted from the bed and the injured boy cracked open his eyes. Kurama's harsh tones appeared to have awoken the boy. He blinked slowly a few times, not yet focusing on anything. He turned his head to the side slightly and his face lifted in a small smile.

"... Yusuke...", he whispered, his voice dry.

"Hey, Kuwa. How ya doin'?"

"... better I think..." Yusuke still had his hand buried in Kuwabara's hair and was stroking his head gently.

"Well you rest up, ok? If you don't I'm gonna kick your ass." He forced a grin as he said this.

"Ok. I'm glad you're here Yusuke... I missed you..." He drifted back into unconsciousness, his features falling slack. Yusuke continued to stroke him.

Kurama rose from the chair and walked over to the bed, feeling at Kuwabara's forehead. He frowned before reaching in his bag. He pulled out a funny looking leaf and laid it on the side of the bed before standing up straight and looking directly at Yusuke. "Get out." Yusuke stared at him bewildered by the harsh tone from such a gentle person. "You heard me. Get. The fuck. Out." The glare Kurama sent him was enough to get him moving towards the door. The fox shut it after he'd exited.

Yusuke slumped against the closed door expelling a breath. 'I've really fucked up this time haven't I? I'm such an idiot for not noticing all this time... And to think he's hurt cuz of one of my numerous screw ups!' He smoothed a hand over his firmly gelled hair. 'He said he missed me... Why miss me? I'm the reason you're in this mess you sentimental idiot.' He pushed away from the door and made his way to the kitchen where Shizuru leaned up against the refrigerator smoking. Her gaze locked firmly on him as he entered. She didn't look particularly pleased that he was here.

"Sit." Yusuke did as he was told. She took a final drag on her cigarette and put it out in an ashtray on the table. She took the seat opposite him and took her time getting comfortable. The boy was suddenly very nervous- but who wouldn't be after the gentlest of their friends just told them off?

Shizuru locked eyes with him and started speaking. "I heard Kurama telling you how much you screwed up." Yusuke nodded slowly. "Good. Well that's a few less things I have to bitch you out about." His eyes widened in both shock and fear. What else had he managed to do wrong? "Don't give me that look. You've fucked up far beyond what you think and trust me if it wasn't for a promise I made to my sick-as-hell brother I would explain everything and more. Not to mention I'd kick your ass. But I promised him, thank God for you." Yusuke said nothing. There Kuwabara was protecting him again even when he was out of commission. He stared down at the table filled with shame for what seemed to be the 50th time that day.

"I've watched Kuwabara over the last few weeks very closely and ever since you started dating that bi- girl- I noticed how unhappy he's been. It's pretty obvious that spending time with you made him happy. It's also pretty obvious that he's been wanting something more from you, but since you probably won't catch on short of me telling you I won't dwell on it." Yusuke nodded dumbly. "What I can and will say is that you have no fucking clue what you're doing. I saw when you brought that girl into my home that she was up to no good. I kept telling myself to poison her juice or something, anything, to keep her from sinking her claws into you." Yusuke opened his mouth to say something. "And don't you dare get angry at me or I'll kick you out of here without another word and put a restraining order on your ass so fast your balls'll fall off!" He snapped his mouth shut.

"That girl may look innocent, but I knew she wasn't too fond of Kuwabara. The bitch has the nerve to look at him like he's some animal even after he got her what she wanted so badly. But I can understand. She's fighting for your attention and you've already given most of it to your male best friend. I'd be pissed too if I was a tightwad little bitch. Thank the Gods I'm not."

"The point is, my dear stupid boy is that you've hurt Kuwabara pretty bad. The idiot won't admit it probably because he inflicted some of the pain on himself, but he's hurt. It's your fault. And you'd better fix it or never come back here." She stood abruptly, walked over to the other side of the table, and grabbed Yusuke by the scruff of his neck. She hefted him out of his chair and shoved him over to the door. She opened the door and pushed him over the threshold.

"Yusuke Urameshi I don't want to see your dumb ass until you figure out your shit. Ask yourself if this girl is worth more than your best friend. When you've figured that out you can come back. Until then, don't bother." She slammed the door in his face and put the locks back in place.

Yusuke stood, solemnly, on the doorstep. He looked lost and bewildered. He was so confused and lost, but this time Kuwabara wasn't there to help him. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be there to help him again.

Kuwabara didn't show up to school for the rest of the week. Eventually word got around that he was terribly sick. It seemed like everyone was talking about it in the halls and classrooms especially when Yusuke passed by. Even the guys in gym class were talking about it. But they were laughing about it. It only took one day of that before they were influenced to call the young demon 'sir' again.

Keiko meanwhile was overly joyous for the remainder of the week. There was no Kuwabara to take the attention away from her so she had Yusuke all to herself. He was paying so much more attention to her and she was loving every minute of it. They'd even made plans for the weekend and they didn't involve the imbecile. To say that she was excited would be an understatement.

Saturday afternoon found the couple sitting in a darkened theatre watching the latest chick flick. Keiko was loving every minute of it, but Yusuke appeared to be close to committing suicide.

A really sad scene played and sent Keiko into a round of tears, which she tried futilely to hold in. She tugged on Yusuke's shirtsleeve to get his attention but was unable to. She tugged, harder this time, but still with no response. She lifted herself out of her seat just enough to look at Yusuke's face. His eyes were closed and his breathing even. 'He's asleep! I can't believe it! When I need him most he's passed out!' She scowled at him and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could and whispered his name harshly.

His head lazily turned to face her, his eyes now open. "What?

She looked embarrassed for a moment. "I thought you were asleep," she whispered.

"Well I wasn't. Watch the movie." He gestured vaguely at the film and went back to his former sitting position. Keiko frowned at this action but decided not to push it at that particular moment. That was weird behavior, even for Yusuke.

'I wasn't sleeping. I haven't been sleeping. I'd love to sleep right now.' Yusuke sighed and shifted his head to his hand. 'All I do lately is think. I don't understand what the hell about either, but what Shizuru said just won't leave. On top of that no one will tell me how Kuwa is. Kurama blew me off, Hiei's nowhere to be found and I know enough to not talk to his sis right now. Dammit.'

The movie ended sooner than expected, but considering the weak plot it had to begin with, it shouldn't have been over an hour and half for any reason short of a message from God. Keiko had to nudge her boyfriend to get his attention at which he automatically stood up and started scooting down the isle. She scooted after him as fast as she could. He didn't seem to be paying attention to the fact that he was walking much faster then she was.

She suggested that they eat out to finish of their afternoon. Yusuke shrugged one shoulder but didn't disagree. She reached for his hand feeling comforted by his response. He wasn't upset with her if he was still willing to hold hands. 'Maybe he's just tired.'

Keiko lead them to the one place she could think of that would help her boyfriend perk up. The burger joint they'd visited the week before. Upon arriving, Yusuke hesitated outside the door, jerking her back.

"Yusuke-kun, what's wrong?" She looked up at him imploringly.

"Nothing," he replied and walked in. She lead them over to the same booth they'd chosen before and sat next to him, cuddled up to his shoulder. "Yusuke, would you order for me?" He shrugged. "Do you have enough money today?" He shrugged but pulled out his wallet to check. Like before, he didn't have nearly enough. She sighed softly to herself and took out a handful of cash. It wasn't just any random handful, though. It was exactly what she would need to purchase two burgers, a large fry, and a large shake. She grinned to herself at her craftiness. This way they could for sure have a romantic meal.

"Um... this is all I have, but I'm sure you'll make do." She smiled endearingly at him. He paid her no mind and slid out of the booth to the ordering counter.

About 5 minutes later he returned with a meal. As in one. Keiko stared dejectedly at the burger, fries, and shake in front of her. This was just the standard combo, not what she'd expected. Yusuke, for once, was not eating. He even gave her change back. She stared hopelessly at the side of his face now terribly worried that something was wrong.

"Yusuke-kun?" He grunted. "Is there something wrong?"

He thought about it and almost laughed. Of course there was something wrong. His best friend was terribly sick and he wasn't allowed to see him. In fact he was forbidden from seeing him until he managed to figure out something he couldn't possibly understand. He was miserable. But, he lied anyway and told her he was fine.

"Are you sure, because you've seemed really distant lately. Mostly today, really, but yesterday you didn't seem the same either."

"It's nothing Keiko. Eat your food."

She nibbled on her meal in silence for a minute or two before deciding to try something. "Would you like a French fry?" She'd seen the interaction between the two best friends because of the fries before. This had to get a rise out of him. However, he only shrugged and took one. No playful attempt to steal another. No sound. No nothing.

She dejectedly ate the rest of her meal in silence.

no pics for this. unless it's keiko DYING. >:3

Thanx to u peeps: bit-Blackmage(i still write funni stuff, but i hav a heart full of angst as well dramatic head toss), AlibisDragon(well if it makes u feel better the last part's coming up..), crazy-lil-nae-nae(domo arigato!), Saferia(i'll b the judge of ur kyutness! and enjoi the out-of-town-ness), Trans(thanx for reviewing again and get some sleep), Zelia Theb(i had foreshadowing? missed it so was the outcome really really bad?), JovianShe-Wolf(oh they'll get 2gether alright...cackles in hell!), Kazi-chan(yeah i had to included the tennis thing and stop advertising! >:O), kogas-mate(laughing yes, too bad he didn't laughs again), JoannaKuwabara(i'm glad u like it! XD but unfortunately kazima won't update for a while since i'm going to kill her smiles creepily)

the final part will be posted drum roll on SATURDAY! the 23rd! wear a bikini.