Chapter 2

"Why does it have to be like this?"

Yuusuke Urameshi lay on his bed and stared blankly at the water stained ceiling to his small bedroom. He promised to himself that he wouldn't be like this, and yet he was.

A loud shattering noise distracted Yuusuke's train of thought. His irresonsible mother must of dropped another beer bottle on the floor.

His mother. . . . . . . . . .

He never felt much envy before, of course he knew that he didn't have the best life, but Yuusuke was content. But recollections of seeing Kurama's mother, how caring she was, how resonsible. The small feeling of jealousy sparked within Yuusuke.

Sometimes he wished that he could just tell his mother everything that happened, and she'd understand, taking it seriously. But he knew she wouldn't, because that's just how she is.

"Why am I here?"

Yuusuke found himself asking this question many times. He couldn't stand it anymore. Though its only been six months, it's felt like six years since he fought someone.

He pointed his index finger upward and formed it as if he was going to do his Spirit Gun. How badly he wanted to let the trigger go, but something was holding him back. And that someone was the only reason why he came back to this "hell hole".

Yuusuke stood up and walked over to the little window at the south side of his bedroom. Droplets of rain splattered onto the glass and rolled down until it hit the bottom. He lightly rested his forehead on the window and looked below. Cars zoomed down the wet streets with their glaring red brake lights, and a few pedestrians with umbrellas slowly walked along the sidewalks.

"I don't belong here," Yuusuke muttered to himself," but. . . . . . .if I'm not here then..."

He took his head off the window and then slammed it back on hard. "What the hell am I suppposed to do? If I go to the Makai I'l be able to be who I want. I can fight, train, everything. But, you won't be there. If I stay here. I'll hate my life, but then you are here too..."

Yuusuke became silent. Never before had he felt so deppressed. For the first time in his life he was. . . . . helpless.

He once again dwindled into the past. Ever did he know the day he decided to be different and help that kid playing on the streets, would change his life drastically."What would it be like if that didn't happen?"

"You can't change the past, nor hide from it. . . . . . "

Yuusuke abruptly turned around to see if someone had entered his room. No one was there. Bewildered, the former Spirit Detective sat back down on his bed andheld his head in stress. "Now I'm hearing things."

"Yuusuke, I once asked you if you were in love..."

Yuusuke looked up. . . . . "Raizen?"

"You answered me by saying 'I guess so.'"

"Your point?"

"Your answer surprised me, Yuusuke."

"Now that I think about it, why did you ask me that anyway?"

"Because sometimes you do things you don't want to do for the people you love. And I was hoping you would understand that."

Urameshi fell silent. He had just realized that Raizen went through the same thing he is going through now.

"For seven-hundred years I waited for her, hoping that her ghost or reincarnation would visit me. But I was an idiot, she completed everything in life already and had no reason to come back. What get's me annoyed is that here you are having so many chances to see her, and yet all you do is sit in your room and feel sorry for your damn self."

"SHUT-UP!"

Raizen's spirit finally took form. He sad indian-style in the center of Yuusuke's room.

"Haven't you passed on yet?"

"Heh, as long as I have unfinished business or something to complete or solve, I can't leave limbo."

"What do you need to do yet?" Yuusuke asked curiously.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. Though I think it has something to do with you."

Yuusuke blinked cluelessly. "Me?"

Raizen ignoured his question and browsed around the small, unclean bedroom. He noticed a small picture on a cluttered desk in the corner. The demon glided over and examined the picture. It was taken right after Yuusuke returned from the Makai, Botan forced the group to take a picture together (except Yukina because she thought it would capture her soul.)

"It's that one isn't it?" Raizen asked while he pointed at long brown-haired girl.

Yuusuke walked over and nodded. "She's not an 'it'."

"What's her name."

"Keiko. . . ."

"How old is she?"

"What is this twenty questions! She's the same age as me." Yuusuke stated with annoyance in his tone of voice.

"She's pretty, like Kuda was.. . ."

"HEY, YUUSUKE, who are you talking to?"At that moment the door flew open and Atsuko barged into the dark room.

"No one."

She wasn't sure of her son, Atsuko was famous for sticking her nose into other people's business. She scanned the room to make sure her son was telling the truth. "You don't have one of those weird friends over do ya? Though I have to admit that redhead is pretty cute."

"MOM!"

"What, can't a woman speak her mind once in awhile." Atsuko shrugged her shoulders and slammed the door as she left.

"I can see where you get some of your personality from." Raizen joked.

Yuusuke rolled his eyes and peaked into the hallway just to make sure his mother wasn't prowling around.

"So, where's your father at?"

Yuusuke froze, unsure what to say. It was true that he never met his real father, let alone even know what he looked like. "I don't know anymore than you do. I always lived with only my mother, he could be dead if all I know."

"No, I'm sure he's still around."

"How would you know?"

"Because, I have a link with your father, as I do with you."

"Wait a minute! That means!". . . .

"Yes, the demon blood comes from your father's side."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed that. I highly doubt that it would come from my Mom."

"Why don't you ask your mother about him, if you know so little?"

"Mmm. It's crossed my mind many times, but I just sort of feel... You know.. uncomfortable talking about it.. They aren't together anymore, so something must of went wrong between them. And it just doesn't seem right to ask her."

"You're seventeen and you no nothing of your father. I think you have the right to ask her Yuusuke. I just think you're afraid."

"Why the hell did you come here in the first place! You just think you can show up, and tell me what to do with Keiko, and then tell me to find out about my father!"

"They're just two things that you have to face in your life Yuusuke. It will only get harder from here."

Raizen, with his last words, slowly faded until he was no longer seen.

"Maybe... the old man's right."

I LOVED doing this chapter. Out of all the fanfics I've ever written, I think this is the best chapter I've ever done.

Please read and review

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH