Title: Define My Pain

By: Aina Song

Fandom(s): YYH/FF8 Crossover

Genre: Yaoi

Rating: NC-17

Warning(s): Language; Angst; Blood - Possibly some Saap, if I can manage it.

Pairing(s): Yusuke/Squall; implied Hiei/Kurama

Reviews: Yes, please.

Author's Note: Standard Disclaimer. This story was not written for money. Italics= dreams, and such.

Teaser: He didn't know what he needed… Until it found him.

Chapter Six -What I'm Gonna Do

"Damn it."

Yusuke had returned to the human world, and was now wandering the city where he had long earned a reputation as the worst punk around. He had bloodied his fists on these very streets so often, he had once expected the pavement to become stained with it. Always there had been someone who would hope to find glory by challenging him. Now, however, the other punks were too smart to try. They had learned their lesson.

Too bad. Yusuke had a lot of negative energy that only a good knuckle-buster could have gotten rid of.

"Hey, Urameshi."

Irony, thou art cruel…

His fists clenching at his sides, he quickly spun around. He could feel his adrenaline racing with his anger, and the next thing he knew he had swung his fist. When the black fog of his temper had cleared from his eyes, he found Kazuma Kuwabara butt-first on the sidewalk.

The auburn-haired idiot was rubbing a hand against the left side of his jaw. "Guess I deserved that."

Yusuke glanced down at his right fist. Its knuckles were actually a sore red, and he flexed his hand to shake it off. He had forgotten to practice some restraint, something he made certain never to forget with a human. Even Kuwabara. "Didn't see that comin'," he muttered below his breath.

Kuwabara slowly stood, staring. "Y-you're apologizing?"

Yusuke fisted his hand again, and he glared. "Hell no, stupid. I'm just pissed I couldn't watch you fall." He swore, "What the Hell are you doin' here, anyway? I thought I told you never to come near me again."

"Come on, man." Kuwabara shoved his hands into his pockets, "Keiko and I both said we were sorry. It was one night; we never meant for it to happen, and we both swore never to let it happen again."

"Actions speak louder than words, witless. Once was enough."

"But-"

"Have you even told Yukina what you two did behind her back?"

"No. She doesn't-"

"Asshole!" Yusuke's fist flew a second time, and the blow threw Kuwabara back against the side of the building. "Get the Hell outta here! Stay away from me, and stay away from Yukina. Come within fifty yards of Genkai's temple, and I swear I'll let Hiei kill you!"

Still wiping blood from his mouth, the simpleton ran off before Yusuke could change his mind and carry out the threat himself right there. Yusuke swore, turning around and going off in the opposite direction. He let his rage lead him through the city, and stopped only to stare into the window of a gift shop. It was the same one he and Squall had passed by the night before.

Yusuke stood there awhile, his head swimming in anger and frustration. His whole world had come crashing down on him once before. And he could no longer deny that he must let it do so again. But at least this time, Yusuke would help it tear apart. On his own terms.

~o~

The sun had set long hours ago. Squall had barely rested long enough to notice it.

He swung his weapon again, but Seifer quickly leapt back. "Enough, Leonhart," the blond youth pleaded, waving him off. "I don't know where you always find the energy."

"I could ask him the same thing," laughed another voice. "But for an entirely different reason."

Both Seifer and Squall turned toward the other end of the room. It was Yusuke, of course. He stood there, his cocky grin well in place; he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. In his hand was a small red box. He gave Squall a sly wink.

"So. Who's ready to go home?"

~o~

Seifer followed Squall into their borrowed room one last time. He sat on his bed, facing the wall, and waited as Squall changed back into his newly washed leathers. "Well? What do you want me to tell everybody when I get back?"

"What?"

"Should I tell them you drowned at sea?" Seifer smirked at the wall, "Or do you think they could handle the truth?"

"What are you talking about?"

He glanced over his shoulder, turning the rest of the way around when he saw that Squall had nearly done. "You are planning on stayin' here, aren't you?"

"What?" Squall was adjusting one of the smaller buckles around his left forearm, "Why would I stay here?"

Seifer rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "You know why, Leonhart. Or did you really think a one-night stand would be enough to satisfy a guy like Urameshi?"

Squall paused, staring.

Seifer groaned, "You did. You disappoint me, Leonhart. I thought you were smarter than this."

His old rival narrowed his chalky blue eyes in warning. "Smarter than what?"

"Go ahead," he drawled. "Deny it." He shook his head, crossing his arms, "But you'll never convince me that waking up in his bed this morning didn't make you feel more complete than you ever had in your life."

He should've seen it coming. And after that last remark, Seifer knew he deserved it when from out of nowhere Squall's fist met with his jaw in a very solid swing. Seifer reeled with it, falling to the mattress with a soft grunt. Rubbing his sore jaw, he looked up.

Squall was glaring down at him, his fists clenched at his sides as though to keep from swinging again. "You've tested my patience this week," he growled dangerously. "But that time you crossed the line. What happened last night or this morning is none of your business. And you will never speak of it to anyone."

~o~

Yusuke could feel Squall's anger through the door before he knocked, so it was little surprise when Seifer opened it bearing a bruised jaw and a look of frustration. The blond barely spared Yusuke a backward glance as he stormed down the hall. Yusuke shrugged and came into the room. "There you are." He grinned, "Though I'm gonna miss seein' you in my clothes."

Squall spun around. Almost immediately, Yusuke could feel the anger evaporate; he could see the tension leave Squall's muscles. "Yusuke…"

"You looked ready to kill somebody," he answered. "What happened?"

Squall sighed, sitting down on his bed. "Nothing important. Seifer finally made one observation too many. That's all."

Nodding, Yusuke came to sit next to him. After a moment, he offered, "Someone pissed me off today, too."

Squall's glance was slightly curious. "But you were gone all day."

"Yeah, well." He shrugged, "It was on my way back to the temple. If I hadn't already been so distracted, it wouldn't have happened."

"What was distracting you?"

Yusuke tried to answer, but the words lodged themselves in his throat. How could he tell his new lover that the world he held in such high regard was falling apart?

But Squall's clever mind quickly guessed the problem. "Something happened while you were in our world?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

Yusuke sighed, glancing away. "I found one of those Gardens you were talkin' about, but… I mean…"

"You must've found Trabia."

He looked up. Squall's expression hid nothing, and his hauntingly blue eyes even shone with some relief. "Last year, the Galbadian army declared war against the rest of the world. Their betrayal of the people's trust was influenced by a sorceress, which made them more of a threat than had they acted alone. But they also knew there would be resistance."

Now Yusuke was catching on. "The other Gardens."

Squall nodded, "Two other ground locations, and the White Ship."

"What's the White Ship?"

"SeeD members from all over the world, especially chosen for a specified list of commands and brought together on a vessel that is very difficult to locate when it wants to remain hidden."

"Cool."

"Missiles were launched against the two other ground locations. We managed to save Balamb Garden, but Trabia suffered a heavy loss."

"Wait." Yusuke shook his head, "That was a missile?"

Squall frowned, "You didn't go near it, did you? It was never disarmed."

"I saw it, but I kept my distance."

A silence passed between them, then. Yusuke remembered the small cemetery, and wondered how much worse Squall must have felt when it had happened…

"Yusuke."

"Yeah?"

"What happened when you came back?"

"Oh. I ran into an old friend. Least we were friends, before he-" Yusuke took a breath to compose himself, "His name is Kuwabara. He, my girlfriend Keiko, and I were always together. But one night, she came to his bed instead of mine. And I'll never forgive either one of them for it…" His hands fisted on his lap, "I was on my way back to the temple, to warn you about what I found, and then…"

Squall nodded, "Kuwabara."

"Yeah." Then Yusuke suddenly cleared his throat, standing. "Come on. I promised to get you and Seifer home, and that's what I'm gonna do."