A/N: Just to show you all I'm not dead. I'll have more written soon, I promise...
:sneezes and goes into a coma near a pile of tissues:
Disclaimer: If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho...it probably would have never been finished, just like most of my stories :p
Interlude – Smiles
Like most alleyways it was small, uncomfortable and dark; yet it was the only thing separating the apartments from the large office building beside it. Lifting the scum encrusted lid Yusuke tossed the trash-bag inside the steel dumpster, utter disgust plastered on his face as he quickly yanked his hands away. Normally Kuwabara would have been the one to toss out the garbage, but unfortunately Yusuke had been forced to take on the chore while the carrot-top finished tidying up his small home claiming it crossed the line when he was unable to see the floor anymore.
Spinning on the ball of his heel the Persocom headed back to the apartment taking his time as to avoid anymore tedious tasks Kuwabara may come up with. He paused at the mouth of the alley way and waited for an opening in the sea of people so he could get to the entrance way of the building.
The corner of his mouth twitched as several people glanced at him with slight interest before going on their way, only one sleazy looking fellow having enough nerve to actually try and approach him. A strange unpleasant sensation shot through him like an electrical surge as the distance between the two of them began to shrink rapidly. Just as the man smirked and opened his mouth to use his infamous silver tongue, something inside Yusuke kicked into high gear.
"What the fuck do you want?" Yusuke growled, the menacing fire in his eyes startling the man.
"Huh?" The man was absolutely bewildered. Never before had he witnessed such hostility from a Persocom – especially ones wandering the streets at this hour. His mouth opened to say something more, but he was unable to find his voice as he began to feel great unease about this strange machine.
"Unless I owe you money or something I suggest you beat it before I decide to find out how many different ways I can rearrange your fucking ugly ass face!"
Clenching his fist the android made another threatening snarl, daring the stranger to go ahead just try and pull something on him. Terrified by this strange display of behavior the man backed away and quickly left, possibly going to search for other prey that wouldn't threaten to cause bodily harm.
"That's what I thought!" He shouted after the retreating man. Brown eyes narrowed as he realized he had attracted more unwanted attention from people passing by, solving the matter effectively by directing the same deadly glare back at them.
Pushing his way to the main entrance of the apartment complex, Yusuke began the five floor hike up the stairwell. Sure there was an elevator; however, the raven-haired computer did not trust the ancient contraption to support all his weight.
Walking down the hallway Yusuke glanced over the railing to his left, gazing out into the city surrounding the dingy building. Several hallways of the apartment complex were built with railings to one side rather then a wall so that both fresh air could waft through the building and so that the people living there could have a large, gaping view of the suffocating city they come to reside in.
Cold air blustered about him in a rough wind, tussling raven-colored locks into an even messier state then before. Though the strong sudden gales tended to be annoying after a short time the cold was welcomed after the blazing heat of the summer months. Autumn was approaching fast, the temperature cooling for the snowy months afterwards.
It had been a month since Kuwabara's accident and the young adult seemed to be recovering quite well. Luckily his sister agreed to help pay the rent for that period of down time, the act of kindness a rarity in itself. She made a few more unexpected visits, greatly displeasing Yusuke and awing Kuwabara into a stupor. Apparently Shizuru had never shown this much concern for her younger sibling before, the brunette being more of the type to let her brother land on his own ass when the going got rough. And despite her nonchalant temperament each check up, one could see she was truly worried about Kuwabara.
Yusuke particularly loathed the times Shizuru would bring her laptop Persocom, Chiriyum, along with her. He was tiny, cute, obedient, and had an eerily cheerful air about him at all times; basically everything Yusuke hated rolled up into one tiny five pound package. Luckily she made her appearances less frequent in the last few weeks, both greatly relieving the two boys.
Placing his hands on the black railing Yusuke leaned over to watch the busy streets below; the yellow lights from buildings, cars and streetlamps reflecting in his vacant eyes. Yusuke took his time and surveyed the display before him, muscles tightening as he began to pick out each an every Persocom in the rushing current of people. One hundred and sixty Persocom had passed by in only seven minutes, and each one on the arm of a human or two.
The number of Persocom was alarming, and how many of them were paired with a single human even more startling. Each human had a look of happiness on their faces as they walked down the street with their robotic companions, asking them for inexplicitly accurate directions, precise calculations of the temperature and weather patterns, or just giving the living dolls instructions for errands or other perverse unmentionables. And the Persocoms just smiled in response, an expression destitute of true feeling only programmed into them to please their owners.
Persocom made people happy it seemed; no person below bore a look of displeasure when with their perfect, inhuman companions. No one had to deal with annoyingly emotional human beings when they could have a Persocom who would never question them or have conflicting opinions. Yes, each human live happily with their human sized computers.
Yusuke's arms fell limply to his sides as a dull burn lit up inside his chest. He was a Persocom and was always with the carrot-top, and yet he had never seen Kuwabara smile like the people below. And standing there in the overly populated city of Tokyo comprised with both people and Persocom, Yusuke had never felt more alone.