"The heart was made to be broken."
-Oscar Wilde
Hiei's first reaction was shock. His second, when he managed to regain a modicum of control over his emotions, was fury. Was this supposed to be some sort of a joke? He hadn't pegged Kurama for the type to have a sense of humor this twisted.
Yukina was staring at him with something akin to wonder. Hiei felt sick to his stomach. She wasn't supposed to be here. He was never supposed to see her again, not after what had happened the last time.
"Hiei…" she breathed, taking a step forward. What she was seeing seemed to be finally sinking in and she smiled joyfully. "It's really you! I've been searching for so long!"
She took a step forward and raised her arms, as if to embrace him. Hiei took a quick step backward, hating the surprised hurt that flickered through her eyes at his rejection.
"Yukina," he said again, "You can't be here."
She frowned uncertainly at him. "What's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"
He paused, and the silence stretched on, blanketing the entire room until he thought he might suffocate. She waited for him. His answer would define their future.
He opened his mouth, and stopped at the look on her face. He didn't like causing her to suffer. But this suffering, one of distance and longing, was better than the alternative, were he to allow it.
She waited for his reply.
He steeled himself and prepared to tear apart his heart for the second time. "No. I don't."
--
Yusuke waited for Jin just outside the front doors, leaning against the cool stone walls and staring up at the stars. He was beginning to wonder if the other man had gotten cold feet at the last minute.
"Get outta mah way, ya idiots." A familiar accented voice hollered, followed by a loud thump and several indignant shouts.
Yusuke smiled. Guess not.
Jin emerged after a moment, remnants of his previous irritation lingering in the lines on his face. He was followed by three others, each laughing and chatting comfortably, despite the glaring
differences in their appearance. One was huge, at least seven feet tall, and one was a child. The other fell somewhere in between and seemed a good deal more reserved than his companions. Quieter.
Of course, Yusuke would call anyone who managed to keep their mouth shut for more than a few seconds at a time "quiet".
Yusuke caught Jin's eye and flicked his fingers, motioning that they should move the fight to somewhere more concealed. They walked together until they came upon a somewhat secluded clearing, surrounded by trees and benches.
Yusuke stopped. "This alright?"
Jin shrugged and twisted down to touch his toes. "Well, its fine with me."
His companions each took up a position around the edge of the circle, and began placing bets. The tall one, also sporting tattoos and a Mohawk plopped down cross legged in the grass and started them off.
"Fifty on Jin." He announced, slapping his hand on the ground.
The quiet, slender man with pale blue eyes and an armored shirt smiled. "I'll take you up on that one. Fifty on Yusuke."
"You're so silly Touya!" the third one giggled, running a small hand through his short, messy brown hair. "Jin hasn't lost a fight since the last tournament!"
Yusuke eyed the three of them with curiosity. So they'd been invited to the last tournament. Interesting. Someone behind him coughed loudly. He turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
Jin was watching him with bright, eager eyes, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a half smile. A long white fang gleamed in the half light.
"Ya ready for this, now?"
"Born ready." Yusuke smiled lazily, feeling the prickling of power as it flowed down his arms to gather in his fingertips. It had been far too long since his last decent fight. He lashed out without warning, gauging the speed of his opponent's reaction. Jin weaved back impossibly quickly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
This was good news, Yusuke decided. He'd put a lot of speed into that strike. But now Jin was doing something strange with his hands. Yusuke could practically feel the energy building, pouring out of the other man.
The wind picked up. Strong, cool gusts of air whipped the trees into a frenzy. Leaves rained down around them. Jin winked and moved in for the hit.
Yusuke ducked the punch and spun, kicking out. This time he connected and Jin stumbled. Giving him no time to recover, Yusuke advanced again and curled his fingers into a fist. There was a sudden shift in the wind, and Yusuke was thrown backwards.
Jin turned around leisurely and rolled his neck in a tight circle. "That all ya got? And here I was thinking this was supposed to be fun."
Yusuke laughed and pushed himself up off the ground, wiping blood off his lower lip. "Better watch what you say, because I'm about to shove all those words right back down your throat."
--
Kurama shifted restlessly in his seat, dinner untouched. Appetizers had been served over twenty minutes ago, and Hiei was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was Yusuke, his mind added maliciously. He told it to shut up and turned his attention to the woman who was speaking next to him. She had turquoise colored hair, tanned skin, and big eyes, which she used to wink at him. Had he invited her? He smiled back politely and turned away again.
So much for distraction.
His eyes scanned the room for what must have been the tenth time, and he was disappointed yet again. Nothing. He hadn't seen Jin all night either. A rueful smile curved his lips. The plan for using Jin as a way to keep tabs on Hiei had been an epic failure. Too bad. It would have come in handy tonight.
A flash of pale blue and red caught his eye, and he turned quickly. Yukina passed through the open doors and out into the hallway.
He was out of his seat and after her like a shot, ignoring the strange looks and murmurs from curious bystanders. He prayed fervently that it wasn't too late.
"Yukina, wait!"
His cry made her hesitate for a moment, one foot poised above the ground to take a step. He caught up and reached out to touch her shoulder. She turned to face him, tears sparkling in her eyes. His stomach dropped.
No.
"You knew," she accused him in a trembling voice, "All along you knew where he was. And you never told me."
"No." He told her gently, "That's not true."
"Don't lie to me!" Her voice cracked and she spun around, tears streaming down her cheeks to land on the carpet as beautiful gems.
"I didn't—"
"Not anymore," she whispered. And then she was gone.
Kurama cursed and went to find Hiei.
--
Yusuke was beginning to tire. His punches were getting more and more half-assed with every go around. And Jin was taking advantage.
Yusuke knew, knew that the fight wouldn't last much longer. He also knew that the outcome depended on what he could accomplish in the next few minutes. He knew his technique was flawed; fighting just for fun wasn't enough of a push. He needed a different motivation.
Adrenaline would send him flying through the first quarter of the fight; he'd dominated in the beginning. Jin would bear a nice collection of bruises in the morning.
Sheer determination would fuel the second quarter of his fight. He'd thrown himself into this fight, and damned if he couldn't haul himself back out again.
The third quarter was where he faltered. The breaking point. If he could push through it, he would win. If he lost focus, he would not. It was as simple as that.
He was there now.
His opponent knew. Jin was striking out with more confidence, giving him less time to recover. His mind told him not to stress out, and that it was only a mock fight. But that didn't fit. It never had, and never would, screw the circumstances. His gut told him that it mattered immensely.
He'd learned a long time ago to trust his instincts over all else. So he fought like it was the only thing that mattered.
Jin's blue eyes sparkled as he landed a kick. Yusuke let out his breath in a huff, clutching his side reflexively. Confident, Jin moved forward again.
Come on, Yusuke growled to himself. Come on Jin. Do it. Just give me a reason, dammit.
Jin's friends were howling encouragement from the sidelines. All but the blue eyed one who had bet on him. That one was leaning against a tree trunk in silence, a knowing smile on his lips.
Their eyes met briefly. Then Yusuke pulled himself back into the fight, bringing his forearms up to block a strike to the neck. The force of the blow caused him to stagger back a step. He tripped over an uneven patch of ground and fell.
Jin was laughing. "Oh, come on now. Go out with a bang, at least, will ya?"
And that was it. He had it; a reason to overcome. Yusuke came to his feet with a dangerous smile on his face. Out with a bang. He could manage that.
--
Kurama found Hiei in his room, staring blankly out the window. He closed the door quietly and padded closer on soft feet.
Apparently not soft enough.
"What do you want." Hiei said flatly, more of a statement than a question.
Kurama took a deep breath. "Hiei, I apologize. I never meant for things to turn out like this—"
"Oh?" Hiei turned sharply, "What, have our reactions interfered with your perfect plans? Then I suppose it should be me apologizing, shouldn't it?"
Kurama flinched at the venom in Hiei's tone before remembering he had nothing more to be sorry for.
"You go too far. I don't need an apology from you, Hiei, nor do I want one. I've offered my sympathies. Accept them or not, it's up to you."
Hiei merely turned back to the window. Kurama didn't leave, and Hiei made no move to chase him out. They simply were.
And yet, they were not. Whatever they'd had earlier that evening was gone, like the mist after dawn. He had almost been able to touch it, to understand. And now it had slipped through his fingers.
He turned away, his heart aching for the things he could not hold on to, no matter how hard he tried.\
--
Aww, poor Hiei and Kurama. They were so close...
Q & A
Um, hello? WHERE have you BEEN?
You're right. I have no excuse. Well, actually, I have many excuses. But you don't really want to hear those, do you?
Where's Boton?
Out with Koenma. No, really, I have no idea. Ask me again later.
Hey, no romance? What, last time to embarassing for you?
Exactly. I have learned my lesson. One simply cannot write romance without a beta. And, yes that was a very unsubtle hint. I do need a beta, desperately. Any volunteers??
What's the deal with Yusuke? He seems to have more time in this chapter than Kurama!
Okay, you've got me. Yusuke has a big part in this chapter. But, hey, I'm building the mood here people! Any guesses as to what sort of a mood that is? Right, conflict.
Conflict isn't a mood, dumbass.
Shut up. And, hey, that's not a question!
--
Okay, lets leave it at that, shall we? Indeed. Read and review, please. I'm begging you. Shamelessly.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to ladyasile, Loraya, Shinigami Requiem, and Chaseha-Wing for reviewing the last chapter.