A/N: I have so much planned out for this story that it is so not funny. I just hope that everyone here enjoys it, and maybe someone would drop me a line or two? Just to let me know that people are reading this. c:

"Ah, it is good to be back!" said Yusuke, loudly. Not to anyone in particular, but just to the city at large. Three days had passed by since Koenma had granted him with life again, but the feeling of blood coursing through his veins was still a welcome feeling.

Above him, the sun shone down hot, sky clear of clouds. It made for a perfect day to walk through the town, one last break before Keiko forced him back into school for a few days.

For the last two or so hours, Yusuke had mostly walked on his own. But then, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a familiar face. Short dark hair and soft brown eyes, with a light blue uniform that showed he went to Sarayashki too.

"Hey, Okubo! That's your name, right?" Yusuke waved in the other boy's direction, pleased when he looked over at him.

"Me?" Okubo pointed a finger at himself, as though he was surprised that Yusuke had bothered to speak to him. Then that surprise changed to something else, something close to looking absolutely upset. "I know you. You're Urameshi."

"Damn right I am." said Yusuke, walking over to where Okubo was standing. "And you're one of Kuwabara's boys, right? Where is the big oaf at? I haven't seen him for a while."

Around them, the bustling city life kept moving. People spoke with each other and talked on the phone, they laughed and they shouted. A car drove past, blaring its horn at a bird that had flown into the rode. But on that one little patch of sidewalk, it was as though the world had come to a stand still.

Okubo looked as though he had been struck. The color drained from his face and his eyes went wide, mouth opening but no words coming out.

Frowning, Yusuke reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay? You look like you saw a ghost or something."

At first, it looked like Okubo was going to pull the tough act. He backed up a step and nodded, the words 'of course' on the tip of his tongue. And then he crumbled, because what was the point? None, really. There would be no point in not telling Yusuke what had happened.

After all, Okubo could still remember how distraught Kuwabara had been at the other boy's funeral, back before the 'miraculous recovery'. Despite the two class-mates words, Yusuke and Kuwabara had been more friend then rival, and didn't he deserve to know?

Yes, decided Okubo, he did.

"Well?" prompted Yusuke, slightly annoyed at that point. "Out with it. Usually he'd be out here trying to beat me in a fight by now. He sick or something?"

"Something." muttered Okubo, mouth suddenly dry. "Urameshi, you were gone for a bit and - there was a problem. At school, with one of the teachers and some other students and..."

"And what? Out with it, Okubo." demanded Yusuke, arms crossing over his chest.

Okubo took a deep breath, unsure if he had ever actually said it out loud before that exact moment. "Kuwabara's funeral was last week, Urameshi."

Another car passed by and the horn blared, but the city had gone silent in Yusuke's ears. Okubo's words seemed heavy, as though they had tumbled out of the slightly younger boy's mouth of their own accord. Stifling, wrapping around Yusuke's throat and digging at his chest, because that couldn't be right.

"His funeral?" echoed Yusuke, words soft and quickly lost in the city air.

Okubo nodded, one arm coming up to scrub at his eyes. "It was my fault. He wasn't allowed to fight those other kids because he was trying to help me, but one of them had a bat. They beat him to death, Urameshi."

For a long moment, Yusuke was silent. Okubo's words didn't really register right away, but were instead swallowed by the wind. And then they slammed into him, full force and clawing and digging and scratching, twisting around his throat to the point that he couldn't breath any more.

Everything fell into place right then. Ikashi getting arrested. The look on Okubo's face when they first walked up. The absence of his long time rival; and maybe Kuwabara had been more then that, maybe Kuwabara had been the closest thing that Yusuke had to a friend, maybe there was a reason that it felt like the ground had just been ripped out from beneath him.

"Who did it?" Yusuke's words came out stunted. Croaked, almost, as though saying them any louder would be taboo.

Okubo gave a small, tired looking shrug...and then he turned and disappeared into the crowd of city life.

-c-c-x-x-x-x-x

Despite his earlier promise to Keiko, Yusuke did not go to school that day, nor the next. In fact, he did not make an appearance at school that entire week. There was no point, really. It wasn't as though he ever learnt anything there, and skipping every day just gave him so much more time to do exactly what he wanted.

Beneath that, in a part of Yusuke's mind that was there and active but seldom heard, he couldn't help but think that it was rather pointless going when Kuwabara would not be there anymore.

Kazuma Kuwabara and Yusuke Urameshi had been friends for many years. And, for many years, each school day had ended with the two getting into a fight. A friendly scuffle really, where they went at each other with all they had, niether afraid of hurting the other one.

Now, that was gone and Yusuke was actually feeling rather lost.

-x-x-x-x

Three days passed by before Yusuke decided on what to do. Except it wasn't so much a decision as it was a whim, because he couldn't stay in the house anymore and didn't know where else to go. Had no where else to go, because Keiko was not speaking to him at that moment, not since he dropped out of school completely.

So Yusuke pulled on his jacket and began to walk. The streets were not crowded, as many were already in school or at work, and niether were the roads. It made the walk short and easy - and how did he know where Kuwabara used to live? Had he gone over to the other boy's house once or twice in the past? At that moment, Yusuke couldn't remember the reason. Just the path.

The white walled house had a somber look to it, though Yusuke couldn't place why to begin with. Not until he had made it up the walk and to the front door, peering in through the window as he knocked.

The curtains were all black, hung in the windows like veils. They were drawn shut, blocking out the mid-morning sun. When the door opened a moment later, it was to reveal a tall woman with dark brown hair, skin turned almost sickly by the black suit that she had on.

"Do I know you?" she asked, and there was something about her voice that just seemed so tired.

Yusuke shrugged, scuffing the toe of one shoe against the ground. "I don't think so. But, uh, I knew Kuwabara. I mean, Kazuma. I knew Kazuma. This was where he lived, right?"

For a long moment, the woman just stared at him. And then she opened up the door and motioned him inside, walking further into the dark house herself. Yusuke had no choice but to follow, trying hard not to stare at the covered mirror hanging on one wall or how most of the photos were turned so that the image was facing the wall.

Eventually they made it to the living room and the woman sat. Dark eyes focused on Yusuke, watching him, waiting until he had taken a seat as well. "I'm Shizuru. Kazuma was my younger brother."

"Oh." It was suddenly hitting Yusuke that this had been a very bad idea. He knew nothing about Kuwabara's home-life and the other boy nothing of his, so why go to his old house? Why bother his still grieving family?

Shizuru leaned back against the couch, fingers moving until she had a lit cigarette between her lips. "I haven't seen you before. What's your name, kid?"

"My name? Yusuke Urameshi. I used to go to school with your brother." muttered Yusuke and, yes, this had been a very bad idea indeed.

For a moment, something passed through Shizuru's eyes. It wasn't anger or surprise, but it was /something/. And then it was gone, floating into the air on a cloud of smoke. "He spoke about you before. Said the two of you were really good friends, even if you never came over. I don't think the rest of the guys liked you very much though."

Yusuke shrugged. "I don't like them all that much either. But...I guess you could say that we were friends. We messed around with each other a lot."

"I know. You used to send my baby brother home covered in bruises." said Shizuru, and for a moment Yusuke thought that he was in trouble. Instead though, the older woman offered him a slight smile. "He was always real happy when he got to fight with you. The dumbass never learned, did he?"

A small smile flickered across Yusuke's face. "No, he sure didn't. As if he was going to be able to beat me."

"You came over here for something, right?" questioned Shizuru abruptly. "A question about my brother? Or did he owe you something?"

"What? No! I just...I wasn't around when he died." said Yusuke. "And I don't know anyone that actually has a clue about what happened. I was wondering if you could tell me?"

It was clearly not his brightest move, and Yusuke could tell that by the look in Shizuru's eyes. Sad and angry and a little bit lost, like she wasn't positive about what she should be doing anymore. All the same, she answered him.

"It was a deal he made with one of the teachers at his school. He would go without fighting for two weeks, and Ikashi wouldn't mess with Okubo's job." said Shizuru, with a heavy sigh.

"Ikashi though, he set it up so that these kids would go after Kazuma and try and get him to fight. When he didn't, well, word got around pretty quick. Some kids thought that it would be fun to bring a bat into the mix."

Yusuke felt cold, arms moving to wrap around his chest. When he had died, it had been quick and painless. The car slammed into him, breaking his neck and killing him almost instantly. But that, it sounded painful and drawn out and so very unfair.

"One of his boys, Saramotou, found Kazuma a few hours later." Shizuru's voice broke then, breath locking itself in her chest. "He was already dead."