Yare, yare. This one gave me such a fit; it just absolutely didn't want to come out of my head. But we got it out there in the end, despite the lack of reviews. --makes a sad puppy face at you all-- Thanks to ladyasile who did review. :D And if the rest of you were busy or something, don't worry, you can still review it.

I honestly don't mind lots of reviews in a row for the different chapters, because they're all their own individual stories. So if you're a new reader, feel free to review each one individually. :D Even a few short words can mean so much. And if you didn't like it, let me know so I can improve! Anyway, on to the story.

Theme #6: Break Away. Yusu/Keiko followed by Yusu/Kuwa. Could be considered the prequel to my other story, "Realizations." T for mild language.

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"Yusuke, let's go shopping!" Keiko said cheerfully, practically bouncing along at Yusuke's side. She had practically chained him to her side every day since he'd come back and this weekend was rapidly shaping up to be exactly the same. Not for the first time, Yusuke regretting her school being out on holiday.

"Do we have to?" Yusuke grumbled, sighing.

"Yusuke! You have a lot to answer to for being gone so long. It's natural that we should make up for all the time you lost us while being in... that place..." Keiko scolded, her nose wrinkling with distaste at the last few words.

"'That place'? You mean the Makai?" Yusuke asked, giving her a curious look. "What's wrong with the Makai?"

"Yusuke, don't you remember?" she said, as though explaining something to a very small, very stupid child. "That's where you had to fight all those dreadful demons in that awful tournament! We all almost died there. And then later, you went back for two whole years to fight in another stupid tournament! That place is just not for anyone of a civilized nature."

Yusuke felt himself bristling a little. "You know, the Makai's technically my home, now. And in case you'd forgotten, I'm half-demon, too."

"That place will never be your home! Your home is here with me!" Keiko insisted, stamping her foot. "You're supposed to be happy here. As to your affliction, it's not something you can help, so you should just ignore it."

"Affliction??" he asked incredulously, stopping to stare at her. "Keiko, this is a huge part of who I am! It's part of my heritage, and it's why I'm ALIVE!"

"Honestly, if you'd never taken up that job as a detective, you'd never have had to worry about it," she retorted snippily. "You could have stopped being a juvenile delinquent and graduated high school and come to college with me, instead of running off all the time on those silly missions and getting yourself into all those stupid fights."

"Keiko! Fighting is what I do! It's who I am!" Yusuke was practically shouting by this time, unable to believe that the girl he was supposed to love, who was supposed to love him, felt so totally against everything that made up who he was.

"Well maybe it shouldn't be!" she shouted back. "Didn't you ever think about what I wanted, Yusuke? Maybe I don't want to constantly have to watch you go off to fight and get yourself beaten up all the time!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't be watching me at all!"

Keiko drew back as though she'd been slapped. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Maybe you shouldn't be watching me at all," he repeated darkly. "Maybe we shouldn't be together at all."

"Yusuke! But.. but you promised! You said we'd get married! I waited for you!!" Keiko screeched, beginning to sound hysterical.

"You waited two years before you shouted that you were going to move on with your life! Didn't you ever think how that felt for ME? To come home and find the girl you asked to wait basically telling you to shove off a year before your promised time was up?"

Keiko was nearly in tears. "But you were gone for so long to that awful place! I thought you'd been eaten!"

"Thanks, Keiko," Yusuke said scathingly. "Thanks for having so much faith in me. You know, we really don't belong together. It was always just something that 'should' happen, because we've known each other forever. Childhood sweethearts and all that crap. Knowing each other for so long. But you don't really know anything about who I am. If you did, you'd know that I fight. That the Makai is home. If you'd loved me, you would have waited for me and accepted me as I was, like Kuwabara-" He abruptly cut himself off, a dawning look of epiphany creeping over his face. "Like Kuwabara did," he muttered to himself. "Damn, I'm an idiot."

Keiko looked up at him, tears running freely down her cheeks. "Are... are we broken up, then?" she asked, sniffling. Yusuke nearly rolled his eyes.

"Yes. Consider us officially over," he said distractedly, running a hand through his hair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious thinking to do." He walked off, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Behind him, Keiko stood crying as she mourned the loss of something she never really had.

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Yusuke sat on the roof of his old middle school, leaning against the familiar building. His mind was in a tumult of emotion and old memories and speculation over his new discovery. "All this time, it's been Kuwabara," he mumbled, leaning back to stare at the clouds. Clouds had been one of the things he had definitely missed in the Makai. Along with a certain red-head and his constant banter and drive to fight.

The ex-spirit detective had always assumed that his feelings for Kuwabara were just those of a teammate and a best friend. He'd always wanted to protect Kuwabara. He'd always assumed he hadn't felt the same about Hiei and Kurama because they were demons and more capable of protecting themselves. He trusted Kuwabara with his life and always felt better when he knew Kuwabara had his back. He'd always known Kuwabara would be there for him, and he'd always chalked it up to being best friends. Not having had any real other friends before Kuwabara, he'd had no way to compare. How was he supposed to know that what he felt for Kuwabara wasn't friendliness, but love?

He smiled to himself. Genkai was right - he really was a dimwit. He stood up and brushed himself off. He was going to go invite Kuwabara out for a normal match-up, and then tell him everything. That way, he thought wryly, if he wants to kill me for it, he won't have any energy left to do it with. He slung his jacket over his shoulder and headed off to Kuwabara's house, whistling nonchalantly. He always felt better after he made a decision and got to the action part.

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As always, let me know what you thought, be it good or bad! Stay tuned for the next theme, Heaven! And as always, reviews make me write much faster. :3