Chapter Three- Confiding

The mutual confession had occurred Tuesday afternoon and it had left Yusuke with a warm feeling and a determination to do something new. He pondered that as he sat in school. He projected the air of paying attention, but his mind was awhirl with new possibilities that appealed to him. When lunch came around, he quickly ate and then went to the library to browse the subjects that had come to him this morning as well as any new ideas. He knew his abrupt change in behavior was attracting attention, but he didn't care. I'll be researching and slacking off alternatively and eventually everyone will get used to it. His eyes scanned the books and one bore the title "Botany." Curious, he plucked the book from the shelf and leafed through it.

Oh, it's about raising plants; the very job I suggested to Kurama. He continued to skim through the book, finding it interesting. He checked it out and hurried back to class. I think I found my new thing to learn; in fact, it might become a hobby.

Yusuke was leaving school at the end of the day, the book tucked under an arm when he heard Keiko call out to him. He turned and gave her a friendly smile. "Hey, Keiko."

"You feeling all right, Yusuke? I mean, you were in the library and that's not like you."

"I'm great. I suddenly wanted to try a new hobby and checked out a book on it." He nodded at it.

Keiko looked at it. "Botany? You're interested in plants now?"

"Well, I've seen Kurama do amazing things with plants and decided to learn more about them."

"Oh, that's it."

"Yup and who knows? Maybe this is what my job will be."

"Really? Wow, Yusuke, what got into you? You seem happier; happier than when you're fighting."

Yusuke hesitated. His relationship with Kurama had just started and he wasn't sure he wanted anyone to know. On the other hand, Keiko knew Kurama's secret life that most humans didn't know. "I…fell in love yesterday afternoon. That's what got into me."

"Love? Then, it is another girl. You lied to me!"

"I didn't! I'm in love with Kurama."

Keiko blinked. "Kurama? You're in love with a guy? A demon?"

"Yeah, I am. He's had strong feelings for me about halfway through the tournament and admitted it to me on Monday. I thought it over and realized that I do love him."

"Oh, Yusuke…" Keiko didn't know what to say. She was glad he was happy, but the idea of him in love with another guy was strange and weird. But, I think he likes anything strange and weird.

"You think it's weird, don't you?" Yusuke asked neutrally.

"Yes," she admitted. "But if it makes you happy, I won't complain or stand in the way."

Yusuke smiled again. "It does make me happy and I'm glad you understand."

"Of course, I'll understand. We're still friends."

Yusuke nodded in agreement as they split up to go home. Keiko took the news well enough. She thinks it's weird that Kurama and I are in love, but she supports it as she's happy when her friends are happy. I don't know if Kurama has anyone to tell, except maybe Hiei.

Kurama studied his notes for an upcoming test; not an easy thing to do when you have a fox demon inside you that kept thinking of Yusuke as said boy would suddenly pop up in his mind while he studied. He sighed. "Yoko, could you maybe focus on something else?"

"I cannot. I desire to spend more time with him."

"I understand that, but your incessant thoughts of him are distracting me from my studies."

"My apologies." Kurama felt Yoko settle down and reasoned that he might have decided to take a nap. He went back to his notes, aware that he had company outside his window. He finished studying, put them away, and went to the window, opening it. "Hello, Hiei. I am surprised to see you and thought you would seek solitude."

"Hn, I can but that doesn't mean I have to," Hiei grunted.

Kurama smiled as he let Hiei in. He knew the fire demon well enough to know that he considered Kurama a friend and Yusuke as well.

"Now who's thinking of our boyfriend?" Yoko teased.

"I was thinking of him in relation to Hiei."

"Of course. I was just teasing."

"Fox?"

Kurama turned his attention back to Hiei whose eyes held concern that he usually only reserved for his sister.

"I am fine, Hiei. Yoko and I have recently fallen in love with the same person and Yoko is having trouble thinking of anything else." Kurama spoke the last part of the sentence with mild irritation.

Hiei smirked. "The mating season is coming. Naturally, Yoko can't think of anything else. So, who is it and how are you going to share her?"

"It's a he and it's Yusuke, so sharing is not a problem."

Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "Yusuke? Both of you love the detective. Does he know about this?"

"He does and he loves both of us as well. It all came out yesterday."

Hiei shook his head. "I guess I don't understand how you can be attracted to one another."

"We have opposite personalities in some respects, yes. The human have a saying that opposites attract. It's more of a scientific notion, but it also applies to friendship and love."

"So a studious fox and a delinquent could fall in love."

"Could and have. I believe Yoko and Yusuke see a little of himself in the other."

"Does your mother know about this?"

"She does not. I should tell her about Yusuke and myself, at the very least."

"You'll have to explain him and she'll insist on meeting him."

"Actually, I will not have to. I invited him to the hospital a few days after stealing the Artifacts."

"What?" Hiei asked, stunned.

"I wanted him to understand why I wanted to use the Forlorn Hope. So, Mother and Yusuke have met but now that he's my boyfriend, she will likely want to see him again."

"You confided in him the reason you stole that mirror at the time when he was our enemy."

"I did not see him as an enemy; merely someone doing his job. The fact that I did not fight him may have factored into my being released on good behavior."

"When do you plan to see him again?"

"I believe this weekend. We can explore our hopes, dreams, and feeling of our relationship. Yusuke and me first and then Yusuke and Yoko."

"Don't think Yusuke will be up for talking. He seems like a typical human male."

"He seems that way but I have a knack for getting others to talk."

Hiei grunted again as he settled on the window sill and Kurama sat in bed, reading. He kept an eye on Kurama though his reflection in the glass. He never thought of Kurama as gay, but such was clearly the case. He wondered what the three of them would discuss when Kurama proposed their weekend together.