Disclaimer: the usual. I only claim ownership over the plot.
A/N: Ok, I started writing this story but I'm not sure if I should continue it or not. I'm posting the first two chapters to give you a good feel for the story, so give it a whirl and let me know what you think. Pleeeease? Thanks!
Comforting Heat
Chapter 1
Yusuke sat there, trying to listen to what his friend was saying, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. He was missing something. There was a clue and he'd missed it.
"Oi Yusuke! You even listening to me man?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Kuwabara. I guess I'm a little distracted."
"Anything you wanna talk about?" The redhead leaned in conspiratorially and whispered to his best friend. "Is it Keiko?"
Yusuke just shook his head as he sat there drawing patterns in the pile of sugar he'd dumped on the table. He and Keiko had broken up over three months ago and despite what Yusuke told Kuwabara, his friend couldn't accept the fact that the breakup was mutual and neither was unhappy about it.
"No, man. I told you, I'm happier now so just drop it before I pound your thick skull into the ground."
Kuwabara sat back and studied the man that he'd known since childhood. Through all those years Yusuke had yelled at him and threatened him, and he could tell that his heart just wasn't in that last threat.
"So what is it then?"
"I don't know." Yusuke slumped back in the booth and looked across the table at the redhead. "I just can't shake the feeling something is really wrong."
"Oooh, I've had that. It's not something you should ignore Yusuke."
"I'm not ignoring it stupid! That's the problem."
"Well, you want me to give it a shot? I could try and read your spirit energy and see if I can pick something up from your subconscious."
"You can do that?"
Kuwabara just shrugged but he had a smug grin in place. "I spend a lot of time at Genkai's with Yukina and the old lady has been teaching me a few things."
Yusuke smirked, "You've been holding out on me Kuwabara. Let's do it."
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Yusuke and Kuwabara left the diner and headed for Kuwabara's house. They sat down on the sofa facing each other and Kuwabara reached out for Yusuke's hand.
"What are you doing?"
"I need physical contact. I'm not skilled enough yet to do it without touching the subject."
Yusuke sighed and held his hand out which was lightly gripped within Kuwabara's hand. Wow. I never realized how huge his hands are. Yukina is going to be one lucky gal.
"Hey! I heard that you sicko!"
"What!"
Yusuke jumped back slightly and tried to pull his hand away but Kuwabara held fast.
"I'm trying to read you Yusuke. I'm picking up your thoughts. Subconscious and otherwise."
"Oh. Heh, sorry about that."
Kuwabara sent Yusuke one more quick glare before he returned to concentrating on reading his friend's spirit energy. Silence reigned for a few moments before Yusuke spoke up again.
"But I'm right, aren't I?"
Before Yusuke knew what was happening, Kuwabara punched him with his free hand and kept him from falling backwards by pulling on the hand he still held firmly.
Yusuke could only chuckle as he rubbed his jaw and looked back to see Kuwabara's flushed cheeks.
"Alright, alright. I get it. Yukina is pure as driven snow and I'm never to utter her name with my filthy mouth again. Damn man, you're worse that Hiei."
"Punk."
"Idiot."
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Kuwabara closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath before he tried to read Yusuke's spirit energy. The first thing he felt was a powerful wave of what? Confidence? Arrogance? He quickly bypassed it, knowing it's not what he was looking for and continued to sift through Yusuke's emotions and subconscious thoughts. Kuwabara hit upon Yusuke's laughter, insecurities and even lusts. He tried not to linger too long because he honestly didn't want to intrude on his friend's feelings.
He kept searching until he finally hit a patch of fear. So much fear for someone so confident and powerful. I had no idea Yusuke. Kuwabara sifted through Yusuke's fears and found what he had been complaining about. His nagging worry that something was wrong. Kuwabara reached out to touch the grey cloud and he was immediately hit with an image of Atsuko.
Kuwabara quickly pulled away and came back to see wide brown eyes fixed on him.
"It's my mom isn't it?"
Kuwabara just nodded. Yusuke shot to his feet and was out the door in a flash.
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Yusuke came barging in the front door, "Mom!" He frantically scanned the living room and quickly made his way through the small house, shouting for his mother. But his search turned up empty.
He stood in the living room trying to figure out his next move when the phone rang. His mind still occupied at how to best search all the bars in the city he picked up the phone, not even speaking a greeting. Finally, a voice on the other end caught his attention.
"Hello! Is anyone there? I'm Doctor Hiwatari and I'm calling from Mercy Hospital on behalf of Urameshi Atsuko. Hello!"
"Wha-? Th-this is Urameshi. Uh, Yusuke. Uh, her son. Who did you say you were?"
The voice became softer and Yusuke's stomach lurched. "My name is Doctor Hiwatari. We have your mother here at Mercy Hospital."
"Is she ok? Why didn't she call?"
"It's hospital policy for the doctor to call. Yusuke was it? Yusuke, I'd like you to come down to the hospital please."
"Put her on the phone."
"I can't do that Yusuke. Just please come down to the hospital and we'll explain everything."
"You still haven't answered my question Doc. Is she ok?"
"Young man, please---"
"Answer me damn it!"
There was a long pause on the other end and then a sigh. "No Yusuke. She's not ok."
Yusuke felt his throat closing up and he swallowed hard. I have to ask. I have to know. "How bad?"
There was silence on the other end and Yusuke knew the answer. But I want to hear him say it. "Is she….dead?" Yusuke barely managed to choke out the words.
"I'm sorry Yusuke. You mother died a few hours ago. We tried everything but…."
Yusuke listened as the doctor explained that his mother had been hit by a car. Bystanders said they didn't know why she just walked out into oncoming traffic. We ran a toxicology test and it revealed her alcohol level was . She'd suffered major head trauma and by the time she was brought in to the hospital she'd lost a lot of blood and her internal injuries were too severe and numerous to repair all at once.
"Thank you. I'll be in later."
Yusuke's hollow voice interrupted the doctor and he hung up. He stared straight ahead, not feeling or thinking anything. He didn't even know how long he had been standing there when the phone brought him out of his daze.
He didn't answer it; he just dropped it and walked back to his mother's bedroom. He usually hated coming in here because it smelled of alcohol and cheap perfume. He took a step in and his foot hit an empty bottle on the floor. He bent down and picked up the liquor bottle. Well, at least she didn't drink cheap.
Yusuke tossed the bottle aside and went over to her bed and collapsed in it, hugging one of her pillows tightly
"You stupid, selfish drunk. It's one thing to be a bad mother and have me take care of you more than you take care of me, but you….you…"
Yusuke clamped his eyes shut against the tears that wanted to flow.
"I can't believe you left me like this. You didn't even say goodbye. You selfish bitch."
Yusuke muttered the words into the pillow as his willpower failed him and he began sobbing.
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"So he really did love me."
Atsuko looked down upon her son with a warm smile. She was hovering in the air above the bed with some perky blue haired girl on an oar who claimed to know Yusuke. Atsuko was pretty sure she was imagining all of this, but it made her feel good to believe, to know, that her son loved her.
Botan couldn't understand why Yusuke's mother would think he loved her after comments like that, but then again she knew they didn't have the most…..normal of relationships.
"Ah, yes. Well, I'm afraid we should be going now. I have lots of others to pick up deary. Shall we?"
"Yeah. I'm ready. Goodbye Yusuke." Atsuko turned to Botan, "Is this going to be a long flight? Can I at least get a drink to go?"
"Wha-? A drink! A drink is what got you killed in the first place!"
"Relax. I was just kidding Bonbon."
"That's Botan."
"Whatever." The two women took off on the oar leaving behind a grieving Yusuke. "So how do you know my son? Girlfriend?"
"Oh no! Yusuke and I are just good friends."
"And how exactly did you meet?"
"I was his guide when he died the first time."
"The first time."
"Yeah. You remember. He died saving that little boy. He was such a brat back then but he finally learned---"
Atsuko listened intently to the surreal tale the blue haired girl was telling her. I must be really wasted to be hallucinating something like this…….
To be continued….