After relieving himself Yusuke stayed outside, not in a hurry to return to either the stuffy air or the tension inside the cave. He sat down to rest his back against the sun-warmed wall, knowing that if he attempted to wander off he wouldn't get far. He wondered what part of Makai they were in. That they were in Makai and not Ningenkai he didn't question; the smell of the air was unmistakable. He had never quite gotten used to it, after all these years.
It wasn't long before Kurama also came outside. He stood next to where Yusuke was sitting, also leaning against the wall, and spoke without looking at him. "You should consider it the highest of compliments that Hiei and I are on speaking terms," he said, as if there had been no break in the conversation. "We wouldn't do it for anyone else."
"Like I said. One good thing."
"We will take care of you until we believe you can take care of yourself again. You will not find being taken care of by us very pleasant, by the way, so hopefully you'll be back to your old self in no time." Yusuke marveled at Kurama's ability to speak so pleasantly and viciously at the same time. "After that, you can do as you wish. But you should be aware that if you continue the path you've been on, I will fight you at some point. I don't like what you've been doing."
Even with the bluntest of criticism, Kurama's voice was mellow, exactly as it had been when he was fifteen. His body was exactly the same too, not having aged a day--apparently he'd stuck to his resolve not to inhabit Youko's body, even now that he was living in Makai. It was increasing Yusuke's sense of nostalgia tenfold--it also made him wonder if his own human form had aged. He hadn't tried to inhabit it in ages.
He found himself speaking. "I don't like what I've been doing either. Or what Hiei's been doing. You, I don't know about. Can't keep track of you."
"That's the difference between myself and either of you," Kurama replied. "I can go underground for a century or so and not consider the time wasted. I intend to wait this out."
Yusuke wasn't sure what "this" Kurama was referring to: Yusuke's actions, or Hiei's actions, or possibly Hiei's very existence. Or just their situation in general. "You think we'll both be gone in a century, huh?"
Kurama glanced at him. "At the rate you're going, Yusuke, you'll be gone in a few years."
There was no threat to his voice; no pity, either. Some sorrow--so we're still friends--but mostly, just a calculated assessment. Yusuke managed a lopsided grin. "Well, hell, you know me. Dying's usually good for me."
Kurama gave him a hard look. "Yusuke, do you even realize what it is you're addicted to?"
The same lopsided grin--the one Yusuke had developed to privately sayfuck off to the world. "Well, some people call it snow angel."
Kurama didn't smile. "Or snow for short. That's because the plant it's derived in grows in snow. The highs it gives you are drawn directly from your own energy--your spirit energy, and then your life energy when your spirit energy's gone. I used to grow it and use it for a weapon, because once an enemy became hooked on it they'd do my work for me. They would weaken themselves until all I had to do was step on them and they would break. I know exactly what we're dealing with here, even if you don't. It's going to stop, now."
For the first time since waking, Yusuke felt anger bristling under his skin. So this was what they... how dare they... "No, it's not," he said firmly, a low warning growl in his voice.
Kurama was unimpressed. "Just what, exactly, are you planning on doing about it?" he asked, a hint of amusement coloring his tone.
If it had been more than a hint, Yusuke would have attacked him. "You think I can't fight you?" he snarled. Ten minutes ago he had readily conceded as much; but now, it was the snow talking.
Kurama glanced at him. "I don't think you can even touch me."
There was contempt in his tone--or at least, Yusuke heard contempt. He reached out an arm to knock Kurama's legs out from under him and prove him wrong--only Kurama was not there anymore. Yusuke struggled to his feet--why was it such a struggle? Who had beaten him up? Kurama was standing a few feet away, not bothering to move farther, not bothering to draw his weapon. He could move so much faster than Yusuke's aching body could match that there was no need for anything else. There was no way Yusuke could reach him, and the goddamn gloating fox knew it--
Without thinking, Yusuke did the only thing that could possibly result in part of him touching part of Kurama. He raised his right hand and fired the spirit gun.
Three things happened. One, Yusuke froze almost instantly with shock and horror, realizing what he had just done. The other two were so closely intertwined Yusuke could barely tell them apart. Kurama, surprise painted across his face, sprang to the side in a movement that seemed to defy the laws of physics; but almost at the same moment, a black blur shot out of the cave and Kurama's movement was brutally curtailed as he and Hiei both hit the ground hard, Hiei on top of him.
Yusuke was still completely frozen when Hiei made another abrupt movement. It took Yusuke a moment to realize the movement hadn't been voluntary. Kurama had kicked Hiei away from him so violently that Yusuke had mistaken the movement for Hiei's own. Hiei held a hand to his solar plexus, where the fox's feet had connected; Kurama propped himself up on his elbows, winded, looking at Hiei with hatred. "Get off me," he said, his tone one to freeze blood.
"I didn't exactly enjoy it myself," Hiei spat back, retreating a few steps.
Kurama pushed himself up farther. "You ever try to protect me again and I'll kill you. I won't tolerate it."
"If I thought your reactions were worth a damn I won't have done it!" Hiei's voice matched Kurama's for loathing. It made something inside Yusuke ache. "Next time I'll let you get fried."
"It wouldn't have hurt me even if it had touched me." Now Kurama's hard gaze turned to Yusuke. "That doesn't pack nearly the punch it used to."
Yusuke tried to get his jaws working. "I--didn't mean--"
Kurama got to his feet, and before Yusuke could do so much as look for an escape route Kurama was in front of him, his fingers touching Yusuke's throat. Ever so lightly, but Yusuke knew better than to move. "No, you didn't mean to," Kurama said calmly. "You lost control of your actions a long time ago. Do you understand what I'm talking about now, Yusuke? That you can't even come close to defeating us? You've lost the right to choose what happens next." Kurama was trying to speak steadily but it was a lost cause, Yusuke could hear the anger and pain making his voice shake easily--and he knew somehow, despite what he'd done, that very little of the anger was meant for him. It was for Hiei. "You can hate us as much as you like, but we're going to break you of this. Then we're going to train you until you resemble the person we used to know. After that if you want to fight, we can."
The fingers left his throat. "And don't touch me," Kurama shot, as an afterthought, to Hiei. Hiei said nothing, but glared back at him with an intensity that Yusuke would have expected to cause the fox to go up in flames.
Yusuke turned around and stumbled back into the cave--for the same reason he had stumbled out a few moments ago, to escape the tension. He had a weary feeling he was going to be doing that a lot before the "help" was over. Fine role models you two are, by the way. Clearly you both have your lives completely together. But he didn't say any of it because he didn't want any more fights, didn't want anything but sleep--a headache was setting it, and he knew it was because his body wanted snow. Sleep was preferable to how his body was about to feel. And preferable to thinking on what he'd just done.
Nobody spoke to him as he shuffled away. The whole world seemed silent behind him, even the wind and the birds struck dumb by the anger blazing between the two demons who stood outside the cave. And yet--even though Yusuke knew how long it had been since they'd been even remotely on each other's side, he couldn't help but note how fast Hiei still moved, on blind instinct, to come to Kurama's aid.