A/N: A bit shorter now, as I struggle to produce some character filling bits before we go into the long haul action packed main plot.
"What're we doing at your house again?" asked Kuwabara, trailing along behind Yusuke. The path up to the other boy's house was littered with broken bottles and trash that had supposedly blown out of the open door.
Kuwabara had only been over to the Urameshi Household once or twice in the past, both on the invitation of Keiko. Still, he could remember always being rather appalled at the state that the building was kept in and the sheer amount of beer bottles that had been scattered about the place. It seemed that in his absence none of that had changed.
Despite the house evidently being empty at the moment, the front door was still open, leading almost directly into the living room. A futon had been placed in the middle of the floor just in front of the television, the covers thrown back and still unmade. It was far from being a pleasent living place, Kuwabara couldn't help but think.
Yusuke rolled his eyes, kicking off his shoes on the way towards the staircase. "God, do you have cotton in your ears or some shit? I already said that you're gonna stay the night over here!"
"I heard you the first time, Urameshi! I just meant why? I mean, I'm alive now. Shouldn't I go back home and let my sister know?" questioned Kuwabara. None the less, he followed Yusuke up the stairs and down into the following hall.
Yusuke snorted. "Oh yeah, that'll be a blast. You look like you just crawled out of the ground, Kuwabara. Go get a shower or something before you start smelling like it, too."
"Hey! I don't smell!" shouted Kuwabara, arms crossing over his chest in annoyance. "You're the one that looks like they don't bathe, with that nasty ass hair of yours."
"My hair isn't nasty." snapped Yusuke, scowling over his shoulder. "Now get your ass outta my hallway before I kick it out."
"Like you could!" Kuwabara stuck his tongue out at Yusuke, only to scamper off down the hall in the direction he guessed was the bathroom.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The water was warm against his sore muscles, and Kuwabara found himself not doing much more then leaning against the poreclain wall of the tub and closing his eyes. It may have only been a few weeks since he had a shower, but it felt like it was far longer then that.
It ran dark for the first few minutes, washing away the ash from his otherwise pale skin. According to Botan, his body was made in an urn, just like one would bake clay in. It made him wonder if maybe there was a bit of clay inside of him now, and maybe that would eventually affect things?
He didn't know, and his skin showed no answers, no matter how long Kuwabara stared at his hand. Curled and then uncurled his fingers, dark blue eyes watching the motion, the rivulets of water running over skin, the fact that the water didn't feel nearly as hot as it should have.
And Kuwabara could smell earth, too. That heady scent, the one that filled the air after a heavy rain storm, where everything was fresh and new. Like soil and grass and growing things, and Kuwabara decided rather abruptly that he was finished with the shower.
The water smelled weird, after all.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Ta da!" cheered Yusuke, setting a chipped, blue plate down on Kuwabara's lap. "Breakfast is served!"
"Well look at that, Urameshi! You do have manners!" laughed Kuwabara. The grin slipped off of his face when he looked down, lips twisting down at the item on his plate. "So, uh, what the Hell is that supposed to be?"
"It's a waffmore." Yusuke sat down beside Kuwabara, the springs of the couch creaking beneath him.
"A what-a-what?" asked Kuwabara, blinking down at the rather slopply made dish.
"Just shut up and eat it, you dumbass!" snapped Yusuke, picking up his own thrown-together sandwhich and taking a bite. Warm marshmallow oozed down his chin, and he made a smacking noise with his lips.
"Ugh, gross. Forget what I said about manners, you eat like a pig." muttered Kuwabara, looking at Yusuke disfainfully out of the corner of his eyes. The other boy was shoving the waffle-creation into his mouth as though it was the first thing that he had been able to eat in weeks.
After his own first bite, Kuwabara had no problem understanding why that was. It was salty and sweet and just a little bit crunchy, one of the most amazing things that Kuwabara had ever had before. His own waffmore was gone in just several bites, and then he was trying to suck the cream off of his fingers.
Beside him, Yusuke laughed and sat the plate down on the cushion beside him. "What did I say? Waffmores are only the best thing ever."
Kuwabara let his hand fall from his mouth and turned to frown at Yusuke. The effect was lessoned by the marshmellow and peanut butter stuck to his chin and lips, crumbs from the waffles scattered over his shirt. "It's probably the only thing you've ever been right about, dumbass."
Yusuke's face crumpled into an angry scowl...and then he was leaning forward and rubbing the remnants of his breakfast all over the front of Kuwabara's shirt.
-x-x-x-x-x-
The walk to Kuwabara's house was silent and almost tense and Yusuke found himself wishing that he had just stayed at his own home. It would have made it far easier to avoid all of this awkward nonsense, piecing things together later from bits of conversation rather then witnessing himself. It was too late for that decision now though, and he could do nothing but walk.
Down the road and up the driveway, pausing at the front door and watching as Kuwabara shifted from foot to foot. The taller boy looked so unhappy, so nervous, biting down on his bottom lip and then just standing there, as though he physically couldn't bring himself to knock.
"Well? You just going to stand there like a dumbass, or are you actually gonna do something?" chided Yusuke, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why the Hell bother knocking? It's your house too."
"It was my house before I /died/," snapped Kuwabara, hackles raised and muscles tense. It wasn't that he didn't want to go in, and he certainly wanted to see his big sister. He was just a little afraid that she wouldn't believe him or accept him and then what would he do?
Live on his own, probably, with few options aside from that.
Another few minutes passed and then Yusuke gave an irate sigh. Fed up with the entire ordeal, he shoved past Kuwabara and moved to knock on the door - only for it to swing open and nearly hit him. Yelping, Yusuke flung himself backwards and out fo the way.
Kuwabara was unable to dodge his attacker, as strong arms circled him and a warm body flung against him. The sudden weight of his older sister had him stumbling backwards, but Kuwabara threw his arms around her anyway, out of sheer instinct. Shizuru didn't fall often, but he always caught her when she did.
"H-hey!" cried Kuwabara, barely regaining his footing in time to keep himself from hitting the ground.
Shizuru pulled away from Kuwabara, eyes large and shot through with red, like she had spent a long time crying. She still wore black, and the clothing made her skin look pale. "You little shit! What the Hell do you think you were doing, dying like that? Do you know what you put me through?"
Yusuke looked surprise, because that was hardly the reception that he'd been expecting. Shouting, yes, but also surprise and maybe a little bit of fear. Not this certainty, like Kuwabara had been away too long on a trip or come home far too late. Not like Shizuru had known that he was alive and back and would be on the otherside of the door.
For his part though, Kuwabara just looked ashamed of himself. He couldn't stand making Shizuru worry about him, not when she already had so much to deal with. "I'm sorry, sis. I didn't mean to upset ya like that."
She slapped him. Hard. Pain shot across his face and Kuwabara could feel the skin begin to tingle, knew that it had already turned red. Then, Shizuru once more hugged him, burying her face in Kuwabara's shoulder.
Despite the fact that she was older by several years, Kuwabara was taller than she was. Stronger too, in more ways than one. Shizuru gave a heavy sigh and closed her eyes, just breathing in her brothers scent.
He smelled like cheap soap, maple syrup, and earth.