So, we're back at the hospital. Maria is on duty again. This hospital works three 8 hour shifts, just in case you were wondering how she could be on duty last night and now. "Shuichi," she called when she saw the redhead.

Reluctantly, Kurama stopped. Yusuke did not let go however. He'd seen what his mother looked like last night, and if the nurse was stopping him before he went in, it couldn't be good. Kurama asked, "Yes?"

Maria took a deep breath. She was actually glad to see Yusuke again, and the other boy, Hiei, even though she didn't know their names. She was glad Shuichi had friends, support. What she had to say wasn't easy on her, either. "Your mother is off the ventilator, but she is still having trouble breathing. She's on oxygen. I know that sounds good, but I want you to keep in mind that it doesn't guarantee anything. We're doing every thing we can. They ran some more tests today and we're waiting on the results. She's resting, so your visit can't be too long, okay?"

Kurama swallowed hard, trying to accept and deny Maria's words. He felt Yusuke's arm tighten around his shoulder. His mind, unwilling to deal with anymore conflict at the moment, labeled the gesture "friendly" and allowed him to accept it. Hope you have the friendly/flirting dilemma still in your mind. Okay…then you'll know what Yusuke is thinking. Anyways, back to the action. Kurama nodded, "I understand." He moved to his mother's room, Yusuke still attached to him and Hiei still attached to Yusuke. It was a challenge getting through the door, but they did it.

Shiori looked over at the noise and managed to smile. Her nose and mouth were covered by a clear plastic mask that had lovely green elastic attaching it to her head and a tube attaching her to the wall. But, at least it wasn't the tube down her throat. Kurama moved quickly to his mother's side, Yusuke letting him go, knowing the redhead needed to be with his mother for a few minutes. Shiori opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Kurama stopped her, "Don't talk, Mother. You're supposed to be resting. I love you." He reached out and grabbed her hand where it lay on the white blankets. She did manage to squeeze his fingers and he smiled at her, "I know you love me too."

Yusuke walked over, his arm still draped over Hiei's shoulder. Hiei, by the bye, was feeling a bit uncomfortable, actually, but that's totally understandable. Here is he, drug along into some stranger's hospital room. He didn't like hospitals in the first place, I mean, who does, really? He was also a little surprised Yusuke hadn't let him go yet. Yusuke was oblivious to this, however, as he smiled at Kurama's mother. "I'm glad you're looking better this morning, ma'am."

Shiori managed to wrinkle her nose as Kurama pointed out, "It's afternoon."

"I know, but if she were feeling better, she would have laughed," Yusuke answered, smiling at Kurama as Shiori squeezed his fingers.

The redhead looked at his mother, who nodded slightly and he relaxed a bit and smiled at her. "We ran longer distances today, mother. I ran my best 1600 so far. I'm down to three fifty-nine nine, now." Yusuke let out a low appreciative whistle and Hiei's eyebrows went up. His best time at the 1600 meter was four minutes, one point nine seconds. He regretted quitting track. It'd have been fun to compete with Kurama to see who would ultimately be faster. Are you wondering what Shiori's records were? She ran the 100 meter in ten seconds, flat and the 400 meter in 50 seconds. She had been scouted for the Olympics, but love derailed that plan before it even started. She married not long out of high school and never regretted it. She knew scouts were looking at her son, too. She hoped whatever he decided, he would be happy.

Something else you should know. Shiori knew Yusuke was gay and attracted to her son. She's observant like that, even as sick as she is. She also knew her son didn't know what to think. Did it bother her that her precious baby boy was the object of lust of a gay punk? No, but mostly because she liked Yusuke. He talked to her like she was healthy and seemed to be genuinely caring. Do we dissuade her of this? No, but mostly because she may not be wrong.

There was a small motion at the door that caught Yusuke's ear. Maria was standing there, waiting for them to leave, looking uncomfortable with the idea, too. Yusuke caught the hint, and, putting a hand on Kurama's shoulder, "It's time we went. I'm sorry we can't stay longer, but I'm dragging your son out to eat. Take care of yourself, okay, ma'am?"

Remember what I said about decisions made by default. If you put off a decision too long, someone else will make it for you. Kurama was now stuck going out to dinner with Yusuke and Hiei. It dawned on him that no one had introduced Hiei, so he did so as he stood, "Mother, this is Hiei. He's Yusuke's friend and used to run track. He'd give me a run for my money if he was still on the team, too." There was a tinge of regret in Kurama's voice when he said that. Shiori squeezed his fingers understandingly and smiled again as he bent to kiss her, "I love you."

Yusuke released Kurama and Hiei so that he could bend over and whisper to Shiori, "I'll take care of him. I promised you that and I meant it." He kissed the woman on her cheek and turned to join the other two.

Awkwardly, Hiei added, "It's nice to meet you." Shiori smiled and wiggled her fingers at the three boys before they turned to leave.

We're going to stay with Shiori a minute longer before we follow the boys to dinner. You're wondering about her health. Is she going to make a wonderful recovery? That would be fantastic, wouldn't it? If I knew at this minute, I'd tell you, but that's not why we're staying with her. As I said before, she is very observant. She saw that Yusuke and Hiei were more than friends. She also saw that Hiei was also attracted to her son. A mother always sees this, you know. Did this bother her? Not so much bother as baffle. She didn't care if her son went for guys as long as he was happy, but she also saw that he was a bit…oblivious of how the other two felt, and how he felt, too. She knew her son was beginning to care for Yusuke. She just hoped that Shuichi wouldn't push them away with his obliviousness. She knew he'd need the support, and it seemed to her that Yusuke would be a good support.

We're done with morbidity for the moment. Our boys have arrived at the restaurant owned by one of Yusuke's mother's friends. In other words, free food. Connections are such a good thing, aren't they? It was a small Italian style diner with tiny horseshoe shaped benches around tables that were just bigger than a bistro set, really designed for two people very much in love to eat at. Well, our three boys sat at one of these, Kurama in the middle. There was no way to avoid legs pressing against each other, hips touching, arms brushing against each other. No way to avoid such friendly contact. Nice, isn't it? Depends on who you ask. Kurama was feeling a bit crowded, but, again, manners kept his mouth closed. Yusuke and Hiei were quite happy with the arrangement. Especially Yusuke. Remember the flirting/friendly thing. Yusuke believed that Kurama was responding to him, so, he was a bit happy, and a bit confident. Friendly/flirting contact was kept to a minimum while they looked at the menus, suspiciously free of prices. They were special menus, designed for those with connections. But, the lack of prices and the atmosphere of the place made Kurama nervous. Have you ever heard, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it"?

"Order whatever you want," Yusuke said when he noticed Kurama shift for the umpteenth time. Small booth makes it impossible to miss nervous motion.

"I don't want to be a burden," Kurama murmured, his cheeks going pink.

Yusuke's arm went over the back of the bench, right over Kurama's shoulders. "You'd never be a burden," he countered when Kurama looked at him. Oh, how Yusuke wanted to kiss Kurama. He looked utterly kissable, too. His eyes a little wide in confusion, his lips slightly parted so his lower lip looked a bit pouty, the pink on his cheeks. Utterly kissable. So, he did, very lightly. He can exercise some restraint when the situation calls for it.

Kurama felt an odd twinge in his stomach as he looked again at his menu. Now, he's slapped Yusuke for kissing him, and he's accepted it, too. So, how did he react now? He blushed more and muttered, "Don't do that."

I have not forgotten Hiei on the other side of Kurama. He was quite simply shocked. He figured Yusuke was falling for the redhead. What surprised him was how far Yusuke had fallen already. He was surprised he hadn't heard a crash with as hard as Yusuke had fallen. He was more in love with Kurama than Kuwabara was with Yukina, and that's saying something. Hiei also knew that Yusuke didn't know how hard he'd fallen, yet. He placed a hand on Kurama's thigh, and when the redhead looked over at him, he felt something tighten in his lower abdomen. Again with the utterly sexy confused redhead…it's amazing what a blush will do to someone's appearance, isn't it? "A friend of Yusuke's family owns the restaurant, so they don't charge us. Order what you want."

Kurama brought his lower lip between his teeth and nodded. I don't think he was quite aware of the effect he was having on the other two, do you? Seeing that pink lip trapped between white teeth made Hiei want to pull it between his own teeth. But, having more self-control that Yusuke, he merely squeezed Kurama's thigh between his fingers.

The waiter returned with drinks. Our trio didn't order anything to drink, for matter of record. So, what were they brought? House special, vino. Wine, red. Now, I know, you're going to protest, 'They're high school students!' and I know this, but, again, you need to remember organized crime connections. Yusuke raised his glass, Hiei following suit. Both looked at Kurama, waiting for him, so he, too, raised his glass. "To new beginnings and happy endings," Yusuke intoned before he brought the glass to his lips. Hiei silently lifted his glass before bringing it to his mouth, sipping as well. Kurama, never having partaken of the custom or the drink, mimicked Hiei, figuring that to be the correct response. The drink reminded him of vinegar and he was hard pressed not to choke or make a face at the taste.

He was about to set his glass down when Hiei raised his again, Yusuke following suit. "Life, laughter, lust," Hiei solemnly quoted. All three sipped again, Kurama finding the taste more palatable

Yusuke and Hiei kept their glasses raised and looked at Kurama expectantly. Nervously, the redhead cleared his throat, "Good food, good company." The third sip was almost decent. Yusuke and Hiei seemed satisfied with what he'd said, so Kurama began to relax.

When the wiater returned for their orders, the redhead still hadn't decided what he wanted. "Trust me to order for you?" Yusuke asked. He took Kurama's shrug as assent and turned to the waiter, "I'll have the antipasto salad. He'll have angel hair with alfredo and he'll have rototini with meat sauce." Yes, Yusuke just ordered for all three of them. Hiei always got the same thing, and since he was ordering for Kurama, Yusuke just continued. The waiter removed their menus and returned shortly with breadsticks and a towel wrapped bottle. After setting down the basket, he refilled their drinks and left the bottle on the table.

Remember that detail I promised you? Get a picture of breadsticks in your mind. Not the skinny crunch ones. The plump, fat, round ones, soft on the inside, steaming slightly, a touch of garlic and parmesan on the lightly golden crust. Hungry yet? Hold on, it gets better. All three boys reached for a roll, their fingers brushing against each other's in the process. Kurama was about to bite off the end f his when what Yusuke was doing caught his eye, causing him to turn his head and absently lay the breadstick against his lower lip. Wide eyed, the redhead watched as Yusuke held his gaze, his tongue licking the end of the roll, swirling around it as he opened his mouth and slowly, ever so slowly, slid the oblong roll into his mouth, wrapping his lips around it, drawing it back out, and back in, moaning slightly. Flustered, Kurama dropped his own breadstick as he looked down at the table.

Seeking something to distract him, he grabbed his glass and took a large swallow. Not the best of ideas. He choked. Well, choking makes a good distraction, to be sure, but there are better distractions. He could have looked at Hiei. Well, that may not have been a good idea, either. He was bound to copy Yusuke's actions. Actually, he was. Why? He was hoping the redhead would look at him. Both Yusuke and Hiei dropped their bread when Kurama started choking and the waiter appeared with a glass of water. Hiei wrapped his arm around Kurama and lifted the water to his mouth. Yusuke brushed Kurama's hair out of his face as his other arm tightened around the redhead's shoulders. "Sip some water, Kurama," Yusuke ordered, his voice full of concern.

Kurama managed to obey, mildly irritated when Hiei refused to let him hold the glass. He got his coughing under control and the water helped put out the inferno in his troat. He was prepared to yell at Yusuke for playing with is food when the brunet did something that made that simply not possible. Bet you're wondering…and wishing I'd just tell you.

Yusuke brushed Kurama's hair back again and gave him a look that would have touched the most hardened soul and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, are you okay?" Now, Kurama could feel something tighten between his chest and his throat. He didn't trust himself to speak so he nodded. Yusuke stroked his flushed cheek and whispered, "I'm glad." He then bent in and stole a kiss from the silent boy. It was a nice kiss, gentle, full on the lips with just enough pressure to express relief. See, as I said, Yusuke stole any chance for Kurama to yell at him, and very neatly.

When Yusuke pulled back, Kurama looked at the table and murmured, "Quit kissing me." Actually, mumbled would be a better word. Yusuke and Hiei heard something about "kakissamee"…where ever and what ever that is.

Now, we haven't forgotten Hiei on the other side of Kurama, right? Remember how I said he and Yusuke didn't have a touchy relationship? Kissing is touchy. Oddly enough, Hiei wanted to be kissed just then. Okay, now you're wondering. Yusuke's been kissing Kurama every chance he gets and quite expressively, so why didn't he and Hiei kiss? The answer's simple, Hiei didn't want it. Explains why it was so odd that he wanted a kiss just then. You should also know that Hiei doesn't believe in denying himself what he wants. And, since Yusuke was planning on convincing the redhead to be with both of them, Hiei reached over and cupped Kurama's cheek, turning his head and brought their lips together a little awkwardly. Well, inexperience plus not quite willing is going to add up to awkward.

Kurama's hair is bright red. His cheeks were now the same color. Actually, his whole face was that color. He pulled away from Hiei. "Why did you do that?" he demanded.

Briefly, before Hiei answers, let's take a look at Yusuke. If jaws made a sound when they dropped, it would have been heard when Hiei's lips touched Kurama's. Don't get me wrong. He wasn't jealous or angry. He was shocked. Remember, Hiei kept their relationship non-touchy. And Hiei just kissed Kurama. Okay, now you can understand how Yusuke felt.

Back to Hiei's answer. He shrugged, "Dunno, felt like it."

Remember that feather we talked about a long time ago, while we were under the tree with Yusuke and Hiei the second time? Yeah, that one, only with Yusuke this time. Good thing he was sitting down, wasn't it?

Kurama made a move to stand up. He couldn't handle anymore too-friendly guys. Were all the guys at the school gay? No, not all at the school, just in case you're wondering. And not even all the ones we've met. Kuwabara isn't. But, I digress. Kurama made a move to stand and was about to demand that he be let out when the food arrived. Remember how wonderful school lunches are? Add that to track practice and a touch of alcohol. The smell of food was a kick in the stomach that had Kurama sitting down again as he swallowed a couple of times to clear his mouth. No matter what his mind said, his body wasn't going to cooperate until it'd had its fill.

While they were eating, that's all that happened, really. Yusuke and Hiei insisted that everyone try everyone else's food. They managed to eat without being perverted about it. Remember the bottle left on the table? It did its part to make things flow well. Kurama smiled at Yusuke and Hiei and felt more relaxed as the meal progressed. By the time the food had been eaten, the bottle was empty and Kurama was feeling a bit light headed. It should be noted that more of the bottle had been poured into Kurama's glass, so our redhead was definitely feeling it. He was weaving slightly in his seat.

Yusuke looked over, seeing the bleary eyes…now, before you go and blame him for Kurama's state, I should tell you that neither he nor Hiei had intended to get Kurama drunk. They both had refilled his glass, not paying attention to what the other did. So Kurama being drunk was an accident. Anyways, Yusuke looked over and saw Kurama's bleary eyes, he said, "Why don't we get you home?"

"Why? So you can fuck me?" Kurama slurred. Drunk people, no matter how intelligent they normally are, are dumb and tactless.

"Much as I'd like to, no."

Kurama blinked in surprise. One blink must not have been enough to convey his surprise, though, because he blinked again. "Why not?" You'd almost think he was disappointed.

Yusuke looked a bit uncomfortable. His mouth worked a moment before he answered. "I told you. I want to get to know you."

Kurama's head swiveled on his neck, almost like one of those bobble head dolls, to focus on Hiei. "What about you?"

Hiei sniffed. "I don't take advantage of drunks," he replied. Between you and me, that was a lie…or had been up until just then.

Kurama's head came back to center and he stared at his plate a moment. "Okay," he murmured, "I'm ready to go home."

Yusuke stood up and actually stepped aside to give Kurama room to get up, only, well, Kurama's feet weren't staying under his body very well. Not wanting the redhead to fall, Yusuke wrapped an arm around his waist. Kurama patted his chest, "I'm okay. I can walk." He tried to push away and almost hit the table. Hiei stepped next to Kurama on the other side and wrapped his arm around the redhead as well. "Really," Kurama insisted, "I'm okay."

"But, I want to hold you," Yusuke said, hoping the redhead would respond favorably. Kurama was really in no state to try and walk on his own.

Green eyes tried to meet brown, "Really?"

"Yeah."

Green eyes turned to meet ones that looked red, "You too?"

"Yeah," Hiei answered.

Kurama seemed to be trying to think. "Okay…I guess so." He stopped trying to get away and actually wrapped his arms around the other two.

Carefully, the three made their way out of the restaurant. Well, two were careful and one was along for the ride. They managed to make it to Kurama's apartment without incident, though. Here, trouble began. And you thought there were problems over dinner.

Kurama was almost asleep on his feet and couldn't stand without support, so between Yusuke and Hiei, they managed to find his keys and keep him upright. Hiei unlocked the door and Yusuke was going to simply kiss the redhead good night and leave it at that. Really, that's all he intended to do. Kurama, however, wasn't stable enough to walk in his door much less to his room. And his words didn't help either. "Take me to bed, Yusuke. You too, Hiei." He looked over at Yusuke, his eyes not focusing on him, and said, "Aren't you gonna kiss me?"

Are you scratching your head, or cheering for Yusuke to go for it…take advantage of the begging drunk redhead? Remember, Yusuke, punk, yes, idiot, no…noble, not so noble. That reestablished, let's move on. Yusuke knew the redhead was pretty nearly out, so he said, "Why don't we get you inside and then I'll let you know, okay?"

"What are you going to do to me?" Kurama asked blearily as he let himself be led inside. Hiei closed the door behind them and watched Yusuke for signs of what they were going to do.

Oh, the dilemma Yusuke faced. He so wanted to take advantage of the redhead there and then. It would be so easy. So very easy. But, he couldn't. "I'm not going to do anything to you, Kurama. We're going to put you to bed."

"I don' wanna go to sleep," Kurama whined.

"What do you want to do?" Yusuke had a hard time keeping the whine out of his voice. There was only so long he could be noble and not an idiot, after all. He'd had some wine as well and wasn't exactly thinking as clearly as he could have been.

"Stay with me," Kurama murmured, his head coming to rest on Yusuke's shoulder. With his hand, he reached out for Hiei and pulled the other boy in, holding both tightly. "I get so lonely, please, stay with me," he begged.

Yusuke felt as if he could hardly breathe, and it had nothing to do with Kurama hanging onto him. Hiei felt nearly the same way. Both of them were on totally unfamiliar ground here.

"Please…" Kurama begged again.

Yusuke ran his hand along the red locks, "Okay, we'll stay, but you have to go to bed and sleep, okay?"

"You will?" Kurama asked, his head coming up and looking at Hiei.

"Yes," the red eyed boy answered.

Kurama smiled drunkenly. "Good, I'm so glad," he muttered as his head came down onto Yusuke's shoulder again. Before it touched, he was asleep on his feet.

Hiei and Yusuke made eye contact over the back of the redhead. Silently, Hiei stepped back and Yusuke swept Kurama into his arms. The redhead mumbled something and wrapped his arms firmly around Yusuke's neck. It was a good thing there were only two doors in the apartment. One to the bathroom, and one to the bedroom. Gently, Yusuke put Kurama down on the full sized bed, and Hiei pulled off his shoes. They both stood awhile and watched Kurama sleep. Yusuke bent down and kissed Kurama, his hand caressing the smooth cheek as his lips lingered on Kurama's. Hiei mimicked the action and both boys left the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

A/N Well...did you enjoy it? Want breadsticks now? Just so everyone's clear, I do not advocate underage drinking. Okay...a couple more comments, to address things in reviews: Yes, my muse is happy...reviews are wonderful things...Yes, daily updates will continue as far as I know...I'm starting chapter 8 when I finish posting (And I really did only start this on Thursday)...and the next chapter has been editied so it could be posted here. The full version can be found at aff...my profile page is listed as my home page. So far, however, they've been identical except my author notes. (provided aff cooperates and lets me post...I've been having issues with it so far this morning and yesterday).