A/N: I wanna sleep…finally got this part of the story done…now I just want to sleep in and do nothing…too hot to write!
But before I go off to finish reinstalling my Sims game and promptly pass out afterwards, I want to thank everyone that has reviewed so far and give them a chocolate chip muffin as a token of my appreciation! MUFFINS FOR ALL!
:Shoves muffins down everyone's throats:
Unfortunately this chapter is pretty short; however, this is merely because I wanted to save the upcoming life dilemma for Yusuke and Kuwabara for the next chapter. So enjoy this annoyingly short chapter! (At least its annoyingly short to me)
Chapter 6- Yusuke Doubts
The sound of nurses scuffling about in the room roused the redhead from the inky blackness of slumber. His muscles tensed slightly at the unfamiliar feel of the sheets and clothing on him but instantly relaxed once the smell of sickness and medication wafted up his nostrils. His brain sluggishly registered the fact he was in the hospital still before his thoughts diffused, his mind a hazy fog from the painkillers and liquids being fed into his system by the thin IV in his lower left arm.
It took him a few minutes to visually recognize where he was and another moment to realize his mechanical companion was MIA. He could have sworn the Persocom was there just a little while ago, he remembered comforting the distraught android while on a medicated high. Maybe he went to explore the hospital? He began to look over the room once more franticly, worried the Persocom was doing something he wasn't supposed to again. A passing nurse noticed his unease and smiled a sickeningly sweet smile as she stepped into the room.
"Are you looking for your Persocom friend?" At his slow, hesitant nod she continued, "After you fell asleep he left in quite a hurry; seemed to be very unsettled about something," she let out a small chuckle. "Oh those emotion simulators never cease to amaze me." Kuwabara watched her as she left the room, shaking his head at her lack of concern for the robot's strange behavior.
Rotating his body to get into a more comfortable position, Kuwabara began to try and figure out what could have possibly upset the ill-tempered computer this time. He swore he hadn't done anything to make him mad. Then again he could barely remember what took place when he first woke up the day before. 'He probably ran off to go cause more trouble…' Feeling a mind splitting headache coming on, his left hand unconsciously went to his hair and ran through the now limp curls covering his noggin. Kuwabara made a small mental note that later he needed to wash his hair; he could feel it needed a wash by simply touching it.
Any further thoughts on the matter were pushed aside as there came a light rapping at his door. Glancing toward the doorway he broke out into a grin as he spotted four people standing there with mixed looks of concern and relief; Kurama, Hiei, and his two college professors Koenma and Botan Daioh. Though he had been expecting his red-haired friend to stop by, the appearance of his teachers had completely caught him by surprise.
Koenma was a very slender man who appeared to only be six years older then his pupil. He had short, fluffy chestnut hair that matched with his wide eyes which normally held a look of mirth and wisdom within them. He was the same height as Kurama and usually wore white dress shirts and light brown slacks. The English professor was a very hard person to deal with at times; he had a very bad temper and would often refuse to admit his own shortcomings. It must be noted he was not always like this, and served as a father figure and advice column for all who needed it.
Beside him was his wife Botan, looking at the citrus haired man like a mother concerned for the wellbeing of her child. Botan was a very kind woman and was one of the few people that could calm her husband down during one of his temper tantrums. She had sky blue hair and unusual light pink eyes; many students suspecting she wore contacts and dyed her hair. Teaching art was her passion, though it often appeared if she didn't have a clue as to what she was doing or what was going on around her.
Both teachers were very close to the young man and treated him as their own son. Why the two hadn't already had their own children was beyond him but he figured perhaps they didn't feel they were ready or they simply couldn't. Kuwabara came to them with a lot of his problems as he knew his sister wouldn't care, and Kurama was often too busy with his own issues; he felt his friend didn't need his troubles adding to the pile as well. He refused confide in his grandparents as he was afraid he would cause them to worry too much for their one and only grandson.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when Kurama placed a concerned hand on his shoulder, careful not to jar his friend too much and hurt him. Blue eyes glanced into worried green ones before the scratchy voiced male smiled comfortingly, instantly easing some of the feelings of unease in his friends. Seeing the boy was indeed all right the other two humans went over to the bed while the short Persocom hung back, not a particularly large fan of Kuwabara Kazuma. Soon an animated conversation struck up and Kuwabara began to feel better then he had in months.
Yusuke sat huddled in a corner in the dark apartment, his forehead pressed against his knees. It couldn't be true; the human was just trying to trick him. No human would ever care about a machine as Kuwabara pretended to. Screwing his eyes shut Yusuke continued to stew in his own denial, refusing to believe that perhaps the human did actually care for his well being.
"It was just an impulse because I look human…that's it…" He mumbled, nodding his head as if doing so would make what he said true. However he felt something nagging at the back of his processor, telling him he was being foolish and should relish the fact someone cared about him rather then pick it a part, looking for deceit and malicious intent. The Persocom knew it to be true, but was afraid to listen. What if this was a one time thing? What if the next time the human would let him be destroyed rather then risk his life again?
There was something about the human…it was so familiar, yet he was a hundred percent sure he had never met the man before. Then again, he was missing his entire memory of the time before he met Kuwabara. Perhaps he had met him before. But then…why did it hurt so much when he thought about it?
His fingers dug deeper into the fabric of his jeans as Yusuke's inner turmoil was still unresolved and only worsened by his mental pep talks. For reasons unknown to him Yusuke both desperately wanted Kuwabara to care about him and yet hate him, unable to decide what he wanted more. If the carrot top hated him, Yusuke could go on without caring about anyone. On the other hand, if Kuwabara did care for him, Yusuke wouldn't need to suffer the bitter embrace of loneliness he felt now.
It didn't take long for Yusuke to realize he as terrified of caring for someone, though there was no logical reasoning behind it. Perhaps it was something in his scrambled memory banks? He couldn't remember it, but perhaps it was bad enough for it to leave an impression on whatever caused him to have emotions.
Curling up more as if to try and hide in the corner, the Persocom found himself wishing the cause of his troubles was there to keep him company in the darkness.
The Persocom's sensors picked up the sound of the apartment door opening and closing softly, signaling someone Kuwabara knew was here, or someone had broken in. Yusuke guessed it was the former when he detected the smell of roses in the air. Pressing himself further into the corner Yusuke glanced up to see the smooth and beautiful face of Kurama, the green eyes looking at him bemusedly.
After a few moments the human shaped computer managed a shaky 'what?' before the scarlet haired man began to smile softly.
"So you ran away from him I see." Rather then replying Yusuke averted his eyes to the floor, his frame trembling slightly. However, this didn't stop the man before him from continuing, "Tell me Yusuke, why do you hide from him behind words of mock and scorn?"
"Because I don't want to feel sadness again," he answered automatically, not quite sure what he was even talking about. "There's something about him…it makes me both want him to care about me and want him to hate me." Kurama stared at the machine before him, his suspicions slowly being proven correct.
Feeling something gently rub his head, Yusuke started and his eyes darted up to give Kurama a look of confusion, fear, and sorrow. He could not help but pity Yusuke, figuring how terribly confusing this must have been for him. Yusuke was something that was not supposed to think or feel the way he did; he was simply supposed to be a mobile computer, a servant. But he wasn't; he was different then every other Persocom. Yusuke had a soul.
"Relax, Yusuke," he whispered quietly. "You know you really worried Kuwabara-kun today. He couldn't find you and thought something happened to you again." Noting how the Persocom lifted his head slightly, indicating he was listening. "That's why I'm here; Kuwabara-kun practically begged me to go out and look for you."
"R-really?" Yusuke slowly began to visibly calm, his eyes clearing slightly of the old emotions. At Kurama's nod he felt his internal processors cool, relieved to know Kuwabara's big heart still held room to worry about him. "Not that I care or anything," He quickly added not wanting to appear that he actually happy at this news. Listening to the Persocom theyoung mancould not help but stifle a laugh, finding the machines antics somewhat amusing.
"Yes; now I believe we should go back and put his mind at ease, don't you think?"
Another long week passed, this time Yusuke visiting everyday along with the others. It was quite unfortunate his first meeting with Koenma and Botan did not go as well as anyone would have hoped; the Persocom instantly rounding upon the two as if suspecting of their only reason to be there was to bring Kuwabara harm or cause some sort of mischief. Already off on a bad start with the brunet teacher, Yusuke stayed far from him as possible, determined not to let his anger deter him from his real objective.
Soon afterwards the carrot top was released from the hospital with a big bottle of pain killers and strict instructions to stay at home and recuperate for a month. This put a damper on the carrot top's mood as he feared this would put him greatly behind in his studies and lower the pay he'd get from his job. Thankfully his boss understood his situation, agreeing to pay him for that month despite his inactivity. To make things even easier on him, his college professors and Kurama promised drop off his assignments and the lesson plan for each day.
The 18 year old male had never felt so relieved in his life to be back in his cramped and somewhat dirty apartment. Hell, he would have taken to staying in an alley way; anything was better then the building of white walls and teal and tiled flooring. Kuwabara could not remember a time he actually felt comfortable in that suffocating facility. It was always nerve wracking to be alone in one of the rooms, the sound of the heart monitors beeping loudly in your ears. Sheets and pillow cases felt as if they had never been touched by fabric softener, and for some reason or other the ugly brown bordered television hanging from the wall only had 5 working stations.
Sadly his return home meant he'd require a lot of help from the smart-aleck Persocom. The carrot top was quick to discover that he was pretty much handicapped in almost all departments and would need assistance often. Though he absolutely refused all and any help with anything needed to be done in the bathroom. He could easily picture the smug and amused grin on Yusuke's face as Kuwabara asked him for help stripping down and washing in the shower. Oh, may god help him if that day should ever come; Kuwabara was positive the tan-skinned android would never let him live it down, and he'd rather not have the Persocom have leverage over him.
Oddly enough Yusuke remained somewhat civil towards the redhead even after he was allowed back home; actually making attempts to ensure Kuwabara was comfortable before going about his own business in the tiny apartment. This struck the human as strange but he paid no mind, figuring it was just the Persocom's way of finally relieving the guilt and sadness he displayed in the hospital room. Though they did have minor squabbles over tiny things, it never got as fully blown out as before. In fact the two roommates had some how managed to limit their verbal bouts to four times a week, which may not seem that great to others was a major step up from before. Deciding against thinking too deeply into it he simply thanked whatever gods there was that he wouldn't have to deal with Yusuke causing any more trouble; at least for a while.
Recovery road for Kuwabara was difficult and painful and often more then not downright frustrating. However, it so happened it unexpectedly branch off into a completely different direction that the carrot top would eventually stumble upon unaware.
It was a lazy, hot, sticky July afternoon; the tiny apartment accumulating a large amount of heat and feeling as warm as a preheated oven. Yusuke had spent most of the day trying to repair the horribly damaged air-conditioning unit while Kuwabara lay nearby the TV dead to the world. The redhead was out like a light, the heat completely draining him and leaving him sleeping for what was going on 3 hours. His college assignments littered the floor, papers half covered in horrid chicken scratch handwriting on one side of the room while papers used for studying covered the other half.
Looking over at the snoozing human Yusuke halted his work and padded over to Kuwabara, reaching over his prone form to turn on a tiny fan to keep the human cool till he had finished the repairs, taking care as to make sure the human's hard work was not blown all over the apartment. With a nod he went back to the wiring that desperately needed his attention, yet all the while during his work Yusuke would often take quick glances over his shoulder, as if checking to make sure the human was still there.
Ever since the incident a few weeks ago Yusuke couldn't help but fear something would happen to the human again, afraid that the next time the human might not make it. Kuwabara's near death experience as well as some counseling from Kurama had shown Yusuke the human was indeed not a bad guy; and despite the machine being a constant pain in the ass, he actually cared about his well being.
Kuwabara Kazuma cared about the condition of a Persocom, a computer simulation of life, a giant electronic, a machine.
And though it seemed completely illogical to him, Yusuke was quite pleased someone cared about him that much. Whenever he thought about it his insides would warm up, like his system was overheating or something.
As he continued to work diligently, Yusuke let his thoughts wander to a different topic. Being around Kuwabara made Yusuke feel things he never thought he would. Comfortable, safe, happy almost; though he'd never admit such things to the young man himself. Whenever the human was near him Yusuke swore he felt his processor completely stop, his systems frozen by the sheer presence of the carrot top.
He had only known the human for a little over a month and yet he felt as if the human were a long lost friend; someone who he could entrust with any secrets he may have had. Yusuke felt foolish for thinking such things, but he could not help it.
With a heavy sigh Yusuke looked over his job on the air conditioner. Satisfied with his work so far the Persocom flopped down on the floor near the slumbering college student and yawned, his inner systems indicating it was time to go into sleep mode to cool off his circuits. However he found it difficult to get into a position that agreed with him.
A coffee brown eye opened to gaze upon the still slightly bruised face of Kuwabara, a light smile forming on thin lips. He scooted a bit closer to the human, instantly feeling a great sense of comfort and ease. With a last strong whirr his systems fell into a silent sleep mode, sending the Persocom spiraling into the darkness of a hibernated slumber.
An hour later Kuwabara jerked awake at the sound of someone noisily banging at the front door, nearly scaring the redhead into a heart attack. Groaning he rolled over onto his back and swatted his left arm outward, catching the Persocom on the side of his head. Normally the human would have gotten up to answer the door himself but at the current time it felt as if someone had struck him in the lower back with a steel baseball bat.
"Yusuke," he whispered hoarsely, his hand gently patting the robot on the cheek in an attempt to awaken him. When that didn't work Kuwabara tried calling his name again, "Yusuke!" The machine's brows furrowed, a strange mixture of a growl and a whine slipping past his lips as he tried to get away from the annoying hand on his face.
After another moment of pestering Yusuke finally relented and got up, stalking to the small entrance area, already planning how he could scare off whoever was interrupting his sleep time. Kuwabara felt some concern for what a grumpy Yusuke could mean for whoever was on the receiving end of his temper; however this was soon deemed unworthy of the mental exhaustion it would bring forth and Kuwabara promptly dozed off.
Hearing the human start up his snoring storm again only worsened Yusuke's mood, his hand tightening around the brass doorknob as he turned it. Throwing the thick wooden door open, Yusuke gave the unwanted visitor an annoyed glare, though it faltered somewhat when he realized just who it was. Standing there with a sour expression on her face was Shizuru, a cigarette hanging limply from her fingers. The brunette eyed the Persocom before walking past him without saying anything, which didn't help much in regards to his current temperament. Stepping over a pile of papers she slipped over to her sleeping brother and knelt down beside him silently.
"Well," She finally said, blowing a steady stream of smoke from her lips. "It looks like the baby is asleep." Giving the room a once over she snorted with slight disgust. "Jeez, have either of you heard of a trash can or air freshener? It looks and smells like a garbage dump in here." Yusuke gave her a rude hand gesture before settling down back into his sleeping area prior to getting up.
"Did you just come here to piss me off, or is there another reason for this sudden drop in?" He snapped as his patience for the woman began to ware thin. Shizuru dismissed his question as unimportant and took to watching her precious baby brother snore on, completely unaware of her presence as he dreamed of whatever it was that guys his age dreamed about. Her failure to comply ticked the human imitation but he knew by now it was better to keep his mouth shut then start something with the brunette; past experience proving both her bite and bark stung like fuck.
Her hand unconsciously found its way into the tick carrot colored curls, stroking them gently in a comforting manner that seemed to relax Kuwabara in his almost comatose state. She refused to let the smile tugging on the corner of her lips break the surface; pulling her digits free from the mass of soft orange her palm quickly found new purchase on her bent knee. Yusuke observed the strange one-sided brother sister bonding somewhat surprised at the lighter side of Shizuru's personality. Why didn't she seem to want to display this affection for her younger sibling while he was conscious?
Whatever her reason, Yusuke couldn't help but feel as if the brunette had just backstabbed him in the worst of ways. Watching the two brought a strange sensation upon the robot, and he found himself feeling sudden resentment toward her. Why did Shizuru get to be so close to Kuwabara while he wasn't even considered a close friend yet? Though he wasn't quite sure why he was feeling such things, he felt it with an intensity that even startled him self. Desperately Yusuke wished he could snap at her, strike her, kick her out, ANYTHING to relieve the uncomfortable burning inside.
Thankfully almost five minutes later Shizuru stood up and announced her visit was over, promptly leaving afterwards to go only god knows where, a new cigarette in hand and her scary disposition in tack. Brown eyes watched her leave; pale fingers clutching slightly at the door fame. The strange feeling from earlier was gone, only to be replaced with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Stupid bitch," Yusuke growled, though not really sure why he was mad at her in the first place. Just as soon as she was out of his line of vision, vanishing beyond the elevator doors; he ducked back into the small apartment, instantly falling silent lest he wake up the sleeping man on the floor. Quietly shutting the door behind him with a soft click, Yusuke leaned against the wall and sighed, his head resting against the plaster coating. Faint sounds of Kuwabara's snoring and snorts reached his ears, the Persocom turning to peer at the dozing man. He had moved from being on his side to resting on his stomach, his face buried in his arms as Kuwabara slumbered on.
Kicking aside a stack of magazines and textbooks the machine flopped back down into his earlier sleeping spot; although he put more distance between him and the human before shifting back into sleep mode. Though he wasn't actually 'tired' in a computer sense, he felt he had nothing better to do at the moment and simply decided to pretend he was sleepy anyway. His heavy frame heaved once with an unnecessary breathe and then went completely still, almost all internal systems going offline to keep from wasting energy.