Thick and Thin
Author:
Summary: A shocking move by Keiko sets off a chain of events that leaves the entire cast confused and lost when it comes to love. And to think all she did was call off her wedding to Yusuke. Shonen Ai.
Pairings: Yusuke/Keiko, Kuwabara/Yukina, Shizuru/OC, Kurama/Hiei, Botan/Koenma.
Disclaimer: I don't own…so sue me.
………………… is scene change.
Chapter One: Of Breakups and Makeups…
Emerald eyes opened to focus on the computer screen before them, darkening slightly at the no where near complete report his boss had expected from him yesterday. The brilliant pair turned to the clock on the desk next to the computer, taking in the unholy hour of 11:30 shining in bright red light. Kurama growled softly under his breath, raising his hands to his face to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Why had he neglected the 'oh so important' report again?
Oh yeah…
His mother's anniversary dinner had been the night before. He had checked out early.
Dammit…
No excuses. Why was he so nice?
A slight knock at his door caused him to jump and he turned a burning glare on the wood, spitting out, "Come in," in a less than kind tone.
His secretary stuck her head in, looking just as miserable as he felt, "Call on line one. A Mr. Yusuke Urameshi."
At the sound of his good friend's name Kurama groaned, burying his face in his hands again. Yusuke's bachelor party was the next day. That was not going to help his three week streak of no sleep.
"Should I tell him you're busy?"
"No," Kurama picked up the phone as the door shut behind the woman, "Yusuke," he greeted, tiredly, "What can I do for you at this hour of the night?"
Yusuke gave no response on his end of the line, but his ragged breathing told the kitsune immediately something was wrong.
"Yusuke?" Kurama leaned forward onto his desk, eyebrows furrowing, "What's wrong?"
"Kurama…" Yusuke stumbled over his words, sounding confused, "I-I don't know what happened…I don't…I don't get it…"
"Don't get what, Yusuke?" After waiting a few seconds and getting no answer, Kurama's worry increased tenfold, "Yusuke did something happen to Keiko?"
At the sound of his fiancée's name, there was a sharp intake of breath from the teen. Kurama immediately assumed the worst, "Yusuke…what happened?"
Silence…
"Tell me…"
"She…."
"She what, Yusuke!" Kurama's actually stood up as he spoke these words, slamming a hand down on his desk in frustration. Yusuke took an audible breath and spoke in a low, hollow voice.
"…She called off the wedding."
………………
It had begun to rain. Kuwabara pulled his long coat around him, turning away from a sudden burst of wind. He looked up at the apartment complex to his left, recognizing the brick work immediately and smiling. He and the fox hadn't spoken for a while; both were busy with work and school.
But to call at midnight….there must be a problem.
Kuwabara mounted the stairs and entered the welcome warmth of the building with a sigh. He shook his umbrella dry and pulled it closed, grumbling when he wet his shoes. He crossed the hall to the elevator and wasn't surprised that it came immediately after he pressed the button.
This better be good, Fox-boy, I was studying.
Pressing the button for the sixth out of ten floors, Kuwabara leaned back against the back wall, replaying his conversation with Kurama in his head.
"What?" Kuwabara snarled into the phone, letting the caller know exactly how mad he was at the late call.
"Kuwabara, forgive me for the timing, but we have a problem…"
Kuwabara blinked, "Kurama?"
"Yes, I need you to meet me at my place as soon as you can."
"Why?" Kuwabara was already closing his book and reaching for the coat he had discarded on his dorm room bed earlier that evening. His roommate looked up from his own bed, raising an eyebrow.
"Something wrong?"
Kuwabara shot the boy a small smile and shook his head. His roomie accepted it without comment, turning back to his studies.
"Just do it, Kuwabara, I'll explain later."
"Right."
A soft 'ding' announced his arrival on the sixth floor and Kuwabara stepped out of the elevator and across the hall to Kurama's conveniently placed apartment. He knocked softly.
Kurama answered him, looking just as wet and miserable as he was. Kuwabara glared openly at his friend.
"What's the problem?"
Kurama stepped aside mutely and gestured for Kuwabara to enter the apartment. The teen did so, taking in the two coats crumpled on the floor, the large amount of beer bottles on the coffee table in Kurama's small sitting room, and more importantly the person sitting behind the pile, leaning against the couch.
"Urameshi?"
When he got no response, he turned to Kurama, "What's wrong with him?"
"Keiko…" Kurama muttered, Yusuke jerked at the name. The fox flinched and drew closer to Kuwabara, hissing, "She called off the wedding."
"WHAT!"
Kurama flinched again, covering Kuwabara's mouth with one hand and locking the door with the other, not in any mood to deal with angry neighbors. He again leaned close to him, whispering in an almost murderous tone, "He's drunk; I don't know what reaction you'll get if you say it too loudly. Take him to Genkai's, that way she can control him when he sobers up in the morning…"
"…." Kuwabara gazed at Kurama, visibly uncomfortable, "What do you think he'll do if we leave him alone?"
Kurama glanced at Yusuke and turned back to Kuwabara sullenly, "I don't want to take any chances…we both know what he's capable of when he's angry…"
Kuwabara nodded and approached Yusuke cautiously, "Urameshi…?"
Dull brown eyes turned on him, "Kuwabaka…" the drunken teen muttered before falling forward in a dead faint. Kuwabara glared at the boy for a second before lifting him up.
"Somehow he always finds a way to insult me…"
……
Kurama called in sick the next morning, knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate on work with what had happened the previous night weighing on his mind. Instead he went to Genkai's to check on his friend. Finding him still in his alcohol induced slumber, Kurama decided to do the last thing Yusuke would want him to.
Standing in front of Keiko's family ramen shop Kurama suddenly felt very uncomfortable with both Yusuke and the girl. It wasn't even his business… and yet…
His hand rose against his will and rapped with surprising sharpness on the door in front of him. It swung open with the contact. Kurama stepped in without hesitation, feeling no guilt over his lack of permission to enter. His eyes ran over the front room, taking in the over stuffed suitcases and the plane tickets and maps lying haphazardly on the front counter. He raised an eyebrow and stepped further into the shop. It was then he heard the voices.
It was Keiko's parents. They appeared to be arguing, though it was hard to tell over the sound of something scraping across the floor that drowned out the voices. He recognized the sound of a sob in Mrs. Yukimura's voice almost immediately and stepped closer to the front counter in an attempt to hear exactly what was going on in the room beyond.
"…you are absolutely impossible!" Mr. Yukimura sounded like he was trying not to scream. The scraping sound grew more frantic.
"I'm impossible!" Mrs. Yukimura's mixture of sobs and rage seemed extremely out of character for the kind woman Keiko and Yusuke had introduced him to five years ago. He leaned out over the counter, completely absorbed it what he was listening in on and not noticing the quiet presence sneaking up on his left side, "Because of you everything is ruined!"
Kurama's eyes widened. It couldn't be…
"You could've just asked, Kurama-kun…"
The redhead didn't show any surprise at Keiko's soft chide, pushing away from the counter so he could fix her in his emerald stare.
"Keiko-chan…"
The girl couldn't tell if it was an acknowledgement or an apology, part of her didn't care. She simply gazed back at the demon boy, waiting for his reaction…his disgust, his rage. Emerald eyes regarded her calmly, "So…this is it, then? The reason why you called off easily the biggest wedding in at least a millennia?"
Keiko lowered her own gaze, not willing to let the fox before her see the unshed tears, "You wouldn't understand…"
"Would I?"
The question spurred an interesting thought in the girl's head, one that caused a brief moment of uncertainty. Did Kurama…even Yusuke…did they understand what she was going through?
She looked back up at him and saw obvious disappointment. Her temper flared.
"Why is it any of your business!" She demanded, causing Kurama's eyes to harden slightly. She knew…it was so obvious…why he had elected to come here.
"Keiko…"
"All you and your stupid little demon friends care about is that stupid treaty and all that crap! OUR WEDDING WAS JUST A POLITICAL MOVE FOR YOU!" The rant was finished at a shout. She looked ready to hit him, and Kurama wouldn't put it past her, but he wasn't about to be outdone by some human…even if she was the only person Yusuke, his good friend, could bring himself to love. …In fact…it was because of it…
Kurama's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched as he spoke.
"Hardly."
"You don't understand anything…!" Her voice was rising again, along with everything that she had bottled up since her parents had told her just how much her wedding meant to them… "YOU'RE A MONSTER! BOTH YOU AND YUSUKE!" A sob broke her screaming and she was reduced to practically whimpering, "You…you don't know how to love…"
The silence that followed these words was deafening. It took the distressed woman a good two seconds to realize what she had said and when she did everything in her life came crashing down on her.
"Kurama…I…"
"Don't…"
Keiko looked up at him pleadingly, expecting rage, hatred…but not what she found…
Pity?
A weak smile flitted over the fox's face, "Keiko, you are not mad at me, nor Yusuke…I don't even think you're mad at them," he jerked his head in the direction of her parents, "You just want to be…"
Nearly panicked brown eyes gazed up at him, "Then who am I mad at?"
Again, Kurama gave that strangely weak smile, "That's for you to figure out…on your own…"
Wow…that was really…spastic? Creepy…I really suck at writing. Oh well.
So…if anyone reviews this story…I want to see if you can guess the following:
What is the treaty Keiko mentioned?
What's going on with Keiko's parents?
Please Please Please R and R! Thanks!