All the kids' names are in this chapter! As per suggestion, the set up the CUTK timeline on my profile, but it's also still in chapter four. I'll have to update them with the new names. Not now though. Anyways, this is the chapter that came out my fingers as I typed today. I was beginning to go crazy from not writing this up sooner~
The sound of the door sliding open woke Yusuke from the sleep he'd fallen into. For a moment he didn't open his eyes. He hadn't felt this exhausted since the last demon tournament; not in a physical since thought. The sheer mental and emotional clusterfuck just sucked the energy right outta him like an ass kicking never could.
Yusuke heard the soft rustling of clothes and blearily opened his eyes. The sight he saw was both excoriating, in the sense that he was a man for fuck's sake, and completely horrifying. Before him was a girl on the brink of womanhood. Curves were beginning to pop along her sides and the swell of her breasts was kept in check with bindings wound tight around her chest. While her body was enticing all on its own, what really got Yusuke worked up was the fiery look in her eyes as she stared him down. The whole situation was a turn off on account of one simple, miniscule fact. This was Kuwabara's daughter.
Obi dandling in hand and kimono wide open, Sayuri didn't hesitate to stomp her socked foot down on Yusuke's throat when a strangled cough started to work its way out his mouth. Her foot was quickly taken back. Sayuri hopped on the one leg while clasping the thigh of the other, her eyes squeezed tight. Breathing deeply through clenched teeth she hissed at Yusuke as he sat up to steady her teetering form.
"I hate you so fucking much." Placing her hands on Yusuke's shoulders, Sayuri gently lower herself to the ground. The way she favored her right leg was obvious. "You don't got much of a honor code do ya?" she said probing along her hip, right under her panties line.
Yusuke's eyes were busy roving over the long length of her legs. Sayuri definitely got the Kuwabara height and she was working it well. "Huh?" he grunted out.
Sayuri snorted and jerked her head to the side. "Pops don't fight girls. And Dad only hits 'em in fights. You just go around kicking their joints outta whack."
"So Kuwabara and Hiei really are going at each other? " Yusuke gasped.
"Pay attention asswipe! You're gonna help me pop back in the hip you dislocated," Sayuri snapped. The pain throbbing up and down her leg was eating away what little kindness she had in her for Yusuke. Guilt flooded through him as he noticed the ugly bruise blossoming across her upper thigh. A moment later the area was covered with part of Sayuri's kimono, her eyes averted to the ground and jaw hard set.
"I'm sor—"
"Just!" Sayuri cut off Yusuke's apology. "Just ram her back into place," she said with a gesture to her leg. Yusuke grabbed her under the knee and above her hip as she leaned her back on her arms.
"I didn' mean to hit so hard," he said quietly.
"Yeah, well, I'm human," Sayuri stated. Yusuke chose that moment to slam her femur back home in her hip socket. Sayuri managed to choke back her scream but the tears in her eyes fell rapidly. On a sob she said, "We break a Helluva lot easier than demons do."
Yusuke thought about Kuwabara lying weak in another room. He looked at the young woman scrubbing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and felt a pang tear through his heart. Yusuke had no idea how to comfort someone in pain like Sayuri was suffering from. The physical pain of having a joint reset had probably faded into a dull throb, but he could feel the worry and fear in her tears echo in his chest.
How in the world did Kuwabara make it through all these years as a father? The weight of responsibility Yusuke was imagining was pressing down on him, making it hard to breath. He had to do something. Anything, damnit! Just so long as these messed up emotions left him alone.
Yusuke reached forward and pulled close the two halves of Sayuri's kimono. She gave him a confused teary eyed looked just as the screen door was slammed open.
"What the fuck?" the figure in the doorway whispered to himself. He saw a completely different scene in front of him than what really happened. What he saw was his sister in between the legs of some demon dick that had his hands on her half unclothed body. His eyes flashed a dangerous red. The bowl piled high with ice cream he was holding cracked in his tightened grip.
Yusuke had a deer-in-the-light look in his eyes as they flickered from brother to sister, trying to fully taking in the situation. Once it clicked he threw his hands in the air and cried out, "This isn't what you think, mini-Hiei!"
"Rouko," Sayuri corrected. She scooted away and snatched up her obi, moving to settle her clothes right. The boys tactfully ignored her; Rokyou glaring at Yusuke and Yusuke cursing himself for pissing off anyone related to Hiei. Or was it Kuwabara? He honestly didn't know what the fuck was going on with this family stuff right now.
"And how would you know what I'm thinking?" Rouko bit out.
"Cause I know what it looks like!" Yusuke argued. He had a sense of déjà vu wash over him. A conversation on the school rooftop popped into his head but he shook it out.
"Alright," Rouko said abruptly. He scooped up a large spoonful of ice cream and shoveled it into his mouth.
"That's it? You're just takein' my word for it?" Yusuke asked incredulously, bringing his arms down to rest in his lap. Sayuri gave a short laugh laid down at Yusuke's side.
"Sure am." Rouko replied around another mouth full of ice cream, spoon sticking out the side of his mouth. He walked over to Yusuke and kicked him in the face. With a chirper hum and a flat face, Rouko flopped onto the ground on the other side of Yusuke's crumpled form. He took one last bite of ice cream before setting the half eaten bowl on Yusuke's stomach.
"Brought you some sweet snow," said Rouko. Yusuke took hold of the bowl and gingerly pressed it against his aching nose.
"How the fuck did Kuwabara raise little shitheads like you two," Yusuke groused.
From her position flat on her back, Sayuri piped up. "Nah, Pops' the good one. And Dad spoils us rotten. Not to mention Keiko and Yukina."
"Yeah, Mah-maw Meshi and Genkai that taught us how to be tough little shitheads," Rouko finished. From the doorway the three heard a pitter-patter on footsteps.
"Bubby said bad word! You go to time out," little Kuwabara (as Yusuke had dubbed him) chirped, waging a spoon held tightly in his little fingers. He wore a scandalized look on his face as he dealt out his brother's punishment. Rouko rolled over onto his stomach and began to loudly cry. The noise sounded obviously fake to Yusuke and Sayuri, but little Kuwabara thought his brother really was upset. His orange eyebrows bunched up, his lips falling into a pouting frown as tears gathered in his own eyes. "What wong Bubby?"
"O-out! I want out time out!" came Rouko's muffled cry from his face plant on the floor.
"You come out now," quivered little Kuwabara on the verge of tears himself. When Rouko popped up with a wild grin, the look on little Kuwabara's face vanished to be replaced with bubbling laughter. "That silly!" he yelled.
He raced the short way across the room and jumped on top of Yusuke's chest. Yusuke let out a 'omft!' as the air was knocked outta him.
"You got owwie on you nose," said little Kuwabara in reference to the small bit of blood leaking from Yusuke's nose. The toddler dipped his spoon into the bowl Yusuke still held against his nose. "My sweet snow!" he squeaked. He shoved the spoonful into his mouth and went to get another bite, pushing the bowl into Yusuke's abused nose.
Yusuke let out a howl and threw the bowl in Sayuri's direction. He felt the bony little knees that were digging into his ribs disappear as the bundle of energy atop him following the flying dessert. The pained sound of a crash landing brought a smile to his hot face. He missed to cold of the dish already, but sacrifices had to be made. Yusuke didn't mess with kids til they were potty trained.
"Kazaku! Come get your little butt in here!" Yukina's voice rang out from down the hall. Little Kuwabara perked up from his perch on Sayuri's boobs. "I gotta go," he said with a serious look on his face, "Watch my sweet snow for me!" Kazaku flew out the door crashing into the wall outside. He gave a one breath cry, throwing his head back, before he picked himself back up and took off again.
"Imma hold your sweet snow in my tummy!" Rouko hollereded after the tot, flopping over Yusuke and snatching the treat outta Sayuri's hands. Sayuri shook her head at both of her brothers' antics as Rouko settled with his head resting on her stomach and back across Yusuke's. From down the hall a wailing started up with 'Nonononon!' on repeat.
Yusuke lay in amazement. "It always this crazy round here?"
"Off day for us with Pops down. Usually more chaotic." Sayuri answered with a shrug of the shoulder. She absentmindedly picked at her teeth. Yusuke couldn't even imagine the possibility of any more action than this going down. Unless someone was kicking some bad guy ass, of course.
"You should see what happens when Chu comes around. Right 'Yuri," Rouko said in a suggestive tone, waggling his eyebrows. Sayuri wacked him upside the head. The two shared a look and burst into peals of laughter.
Yusuke didn't get the inside joke. Then again, he'd never had a sibling.
Hiei appeared in the doorway and saw two of his kids cuddling with his old teammate. He liked the warmth that sparked in him at the sight. Hiei craned his head around to see the entire framework of the door. Rearing back, Hiei landed in the room on a roll, the door beneath him completely taken out. Yusuke met Hiei's gaze and gave an awkward little wave with the hand trapped under Rouko's thigh.
"S'up." Yusuke was kinda getting tired of everyone just dropping into 'his' room. Hiei's entrance was the most unique so far though and a smile tugged onto his face. Hiei smirked at Yusuke, "Detective."
The moment was ruined when the two Kuwabara siblings clambered on top of Yusuke even as he shouted out in protest.
"Pops okay-" "What's doing-" "Get your fat asses off-" everyone clamored at once.
"Kurama is still looking at his back. He's doing fine, fever's down," Hiei explained. He reached out to Yusuke's ankle and yanked him out from under Sayuri and Rouko. The two tumbled to the side in loud indignation. Hiei did as any parents would their disgruntled kids; he ignored them in favor of dragging a body out of the room. Usually when this would happen, he'd either be dragging a dead body or Kuwabara. Both were equally disturbing in the eyes of the kids, so this was actually a nice change in routine.
Down several hallways Yusuke was dragged. At one point the two came across Kazaku, who was playing at Yukina's feet as she folded laundry. He let out a shriek at the sight of Hiei pulling his new found best friend along the ground. With a running leap, he landed on Yusuke's chest (again).
"It's a sled!" he shouted. Yukina chuckled as Hiei took him on a Yusuke ride, not even bothering to pause in her task. A moment later her daughter Ume came in dragging Kazaku in much the same fashion as Hiei was Yusuke.
"My sissy said sled real, real tired," Kazaku reported to his mom.
Back with the dragging duo, Yusuke was withering on floor. His shirt was up around his shoulders and he had rug burn bad all up and down his back. So far his time at the Kuwabara residence was filled with pain and injury. Finally Hiei came to a stop outside a room. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yusuke saw that the door opposite the one the stood/lay outside of was torn apart just as his had been.
"The Fuck? Did you just drag me all over this house just ta bring me back here?" Yusuke asked irked.
"Yeah. I was just fucking with you," Hiei said with a sadistic laugh, "In all seriousness, Kuwabara wants to see you. So pull yourself together and come on in."
Hiei left through the door, shutting it behind him. Yusuke sprung up and hastily tugged his shirt back down and tucked it into his pants. He patted his hair into place. Taking a deep breath in, Yusuke closed his eyes and held his breath. A few counts passed before he slowly let out the air in his lungs. Yusuke reached out to the door.
The thought of having an actual conversation with the man he's left behind all those years ago brought him up short. Kuwabara was not Keiko. He could have come back if only to see just him. But Yusuke hadn't. He stood there in front of the door to Kuwabara. The tips of his fingers barely brushed against the grains of the wood. He was waiting. Waiting for a way to make everything right with Kuwabara.
Nothing came to him.
He let his arm drop back to his side and stumbled away from the door. All he could do was stare and stare at the damn thing as he bumped into the wall behind him and slide to the floor.
Outta everything that's tried to stop him before-life, demons, death—it was an old, ordinary door that caused him to pause.