Chapter 2: Of Canoes and Romance
The lake was calm, the breeze fresh, and the little canoe floated peacefully with its two occupants out on their romantic boat ride. Or so it was until… "YUSUKE!" Keiko screamed as she slapped his face hard for grabbing at her skirt…again.
"Aw, Keiko…" the young punk complained with a frown, holding his stinging cheek. He was already sporting a matching mark on the other side of his face from a similar attempt earlier. Not exactly the "romantic" date either of them had been planning on…
Any lovey-dovey feeling that may have been present faded away as the sky began to darken and the water to bubble ominously. A huge demon appeared, seeming to emerge from the water itself. Keiko screamed and flailed, threatening to capsize the canoe with her erratic movements. Yusuke was thus too distracted to use his Spirit Gun to save them both as the swamp-demon raised its giant fists in preparation to smash the tiny craft.
There was a sudden cry of "Rose Whip!" from somewhere behind them and the demon fell back into the water, in pieces. Yusuke took a moment to calm Keiko, then looked over to where the cry had come from. What he saw was something he never would have expected. Yes, he expected to see Kurama holding his signature Rose Whip, but what Yusuke didn't expect to see was Hiei sharing a canoe with him! But indeed both demons were there, and Yusuke watched as Kurama transformed the whip back into a normal-size rose and proceeded to hand it to Hiei, who blushed as he accepted the token.
Kurama turned back towards Yusuke. "Well, enjoy your romantic canoe ride you two!" he shouted cheerfully.
"Uh… thanks Kurama, you too…?" Yusuke replied uncertainly.
As the demons' canoe drifted off in the opposite direction, Yusuke could just make out Hiei's voice: "Aw, Fox, you know I like the ones that smell like you and the blood of your enemies."