A/n: So here we go. The sequel to Love Blossom that I promised… four months ago… If you haven't read it I highly suggest that you click into my profile and do so because it's not going to make much sense otherwise. Other than that, read, enjoy, and review!
Disclaimer: Yami Yami Yugi does not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. She doesn't own other things either, but we'll get into that again later.
Warnings: Yaoi (M/M relationships)
Family Life- Prologue
A figure walked soundlessly through the empty streets of the city. Everyone was asleep, so no one noticed her. In the daylight her pure white hair, old style clothes, and blank expression would have attracted attention, but under the cover of three A.M. she was allowed to fulfill her journey without incident.
She stopped in front of an old, run down building. The windows were broken, rust covered the beams that jutted out unnaturally from the various holes in the walls and roof, and debris could be seen littering the ground both inside and out.
These devastations were old. Eight years old to be specific. The causes were not natural, however. A fight had occurred here. One of love and passion conquering over the evil that got in its way. It had not been touched since. No living being had been in there since.
At least, that is what many hoped.
She walked inside, the doors knocked down to begin with. Moonlight seeped in through the gaps in the ceiling and reflected softly against her mirror. Several feet in from the entrance she stopped.
"Eight years, huh?" a woman's voice sounded from her right. "Must have been one hell of a battle."
"You did not know the true nature of the battle," the soft ghostlike voice stated.
"No. I was knocked out. Practically dead. I was dead. Until just recently." She moved in the shadows, but did not come out into the light. "So I assume he's recovered."
"He will return soon."
The woman flicked her fan open and held it over her face, covering the bottom half. "It's about time."
He could hear the beating of his heart echoing through his ears and his breath as it came out in short, ragged breaths. He opened his eyes only to find darkness all around him accompanied only by a feeling of the cold. The turned about and stepped forward searching for something, anything. Each step was uncertain and only brought him closer to nothing.
That's what it was. It was like walking around in nothing. There was no light, and no sound. He didn't even fell contact with anything as he walked. Was he even walking? Was he just falling and moving his legs so that he thought he was walking? But there was no wind. It was like he was just hovering in the dark.
He continued to walk forward, or whatever it was he was doing, keeping one hand forward incase he hit something. Although it didn't seem possible the way things were going.
Where was he?
His hand finally came into contact with something. It was hard and had a rough texture to it. He blinked. He could see it. It was still dark but not the engulfing darkness from a minute ago. Just regular midnight darkness. His eyes began to adjust as he ran a hand over the concrete wall. Just a normal wall. But why a wall? Where did the nothingness go?
His head whirled around. A sound? A foot step? But he was alone. His eyes darted around searching for the source of the sound. Nothing.
He stepped back against the wall so nothing could get him from behind. Where was he? Who was there with him?
"Fool. Have you truly forgotten?"
The wall which supported him vanished and he felt himself falling. The moment he made contact with the ground, his immediate reaction was to sit up and look around, only to find himself unable to. He couldn't move.
"Don't you remember?"
He could feel himself being pulled up into a kneeling position. Someone was holding his head back by his hair. But who was it? Who was there?
"I said I'd come back."
A figure swam into view before him. A cruel, pale face, with cold piercing eyes. A long mass of black hair that came down around him. A cruel smile across his features.
Kurama shot up in bed as quick as lightning. The sheets were thrown around him in an indication of how much he had been tossing and turning. His breathing was quick and ragged as he tried desperately to slow the beating of his heart. A look at the digital clock on the night stand told him it was 4:06 A.M. Much too early to be awake.
He slid himself out from underneath the blankets and let his feet rest on the soft carpeted floor. Keeping his position on the bed, he looked around the room. Everything looked the same. The book shelf, dresser, desk… Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
He sighed and closed his eyes, running a hand through his long red hair. Why was he remembering this? Why now of all times. It had been over eight years since it happened, and yet the memory still haunted him.
"Kurama?"
His eyes snapped open and he turned around to see the object of his affections feeling around the bed groggily, eyes half open, sleep still thick in his voice. "Wherd'ja go?"
He smiled softly and shook his head. "Go back to sleep, Yusuke. It's too early for you to be awake."
The other boy yawned loudly and stretched his arms over his head. Bringing his hands down he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with one and scratched his head through the long mess of hair with the other. "Then why're you 'wake?" he mumbled.
"I'm always up before you."
Yusuke yawned again and glanced at the clock before looking back at his partner skeptically. "At four o'clock in the morning?"
Kurama turned his gaze back out the window and Yusuke sighed. He crawled closer to his husband and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. He rested his head on his shoulder and took the older boys hand into his own, brushing his thumb for a second over the wedding band on the other's finger.
"So why are you up at this un-godly hour?"
"Why are you?" Kurama countered.
"Because you moved and it became really cold all of a sudden," he said in a light tone. He removed his hand from Kurama's and used it instead to turn his head so that he would look at him. "Now you tell me."
The red-head sighed and averted his eyes to the floor. "A bad dream."
"About…"
"Naraku."
Yusuke's eyes softened and he bit his lip. "Oh."
They sat in silence after that, neither making eye contact. It wasn't the first time this had happened, but it hadn't recently. Both of them had privately hoped that the memory had simply faded away and they wouldn't have to re-live it anymore.
"Hey you guys!" A voice rang through the house. Kazuma Kuwabara stepped inside followed closely by Botan and Keiko. "We're coming in so you'd better not be doing something we'd regret seeing."
"Yeah, not like last time," Botan said slipping off her shoes and walking further in. "I still have nightmares about that. But honestly, right in the middle of the floor where anyone can see."
"Well then maybe you guys should try knocking like normal people for a change," came Kurama's reply as he peaked out from the kitchen. "That's how we avoid those kinds of incidents."
From his position at the kitchen table Yusuke could have sworn he heard one of them mutter "Who ever said we were normal?" He grinned slightly at his friends who had followed Kurama in and gripped the mug of coffee in his hands tighter. It was the only thing sustaining him at the time after all.
"The little voice of hope in my dreams," Kurama said, ducking as three muffins were thrown at him. "Why are you guys even here today. Yusuke doesn't have a class you have to drag him to today."
"We're here for breakfast." Keiko said smiling, pouring herself some juice. Botan and Kuwabara nodded in agreement, mouths full.
"Freeloaders," the kitsune muttered under his breath before dodging two more muffins and a banana. "And please stop throwing food stuffs at me," he said. He took another sip of his coffee and sat down in a chair beside Yusuke.
The raven haired boy smiled softly watching his friends and husband innocently bicker across the table. This was not the first time this scene had played out before him. It had become almost a daily routine, save for days when a signature red fern was placed outside, signaling that it was not a good time to come in.
Hey, that incident was mortifying for both parties, so precautions had to be made. (For some reason, a simple lock just didn't cut it with these people.)
"So we're trying to push off the wedding as long as possible until Yukina finds her brother. We asked Spirit World for help but for some reason," he shot a look at Botan, "they won't help us."
Everyone at the table got a nervous look on their face as Botan defended herself. If that was Kuwabara's game plan, then he wasn't going to get married for a long time. Hiei would be happy, however.
"So you're just going to wait for some phantom brother to show up?" a hard voice came from the window. Everyone's heads turned to see Hiei standing just inside the kitchen window.
"It's her idea, and I choose to be supportive of it," Kuwabara said dramatically. The muttered word "idiot" however, put a damper on his macho act.
Their conversations continued late into the morning until they had to separate to their respective jobs and other daily activities.
Kurama was the last of them to leave, giving Yusuke a quick kiss before going off. The Spirit detective sighed and plopped himself on the couch, switching the TV on. On days like this he was always bored. He was actually bored a lot.
Although still retaining his position as spirit detective, there weren't many missions coming up anymore. Most demons were too afraid of his team and their reputation. Sure he had school and various part time jobs, and his friends never ceased to be interesting and provide some fun with all their little quirks. Still, he couldn't help feeling like he wanted more.
Something to bring his life back out of the ordinary.
