The sun was coming up over Sariashiki, Japan, and Yusuke was officially on his 36th hour awake. He wanted sleep, desperately, but he was not nearly as tired as Keiko who was not used to pulling all nighters. She kept yawning, drinking green mountain tea to keep awake. Kurama, clean from the shower and exhilarated by the food, was perhaps the most 'energetic' one in the room... because Kuwabara looked simply and utterly depressed.
"Kazuma, why don't you tell us what's on your mind." Keiko offered politely, looking a little nervous as she silently met Kurama's eyes. Yusuke's decision to reveal hidden truths to Kuwabara had left them all in the dark as to what to do next. Frankly, Keiko thought Yusuke ought to take charge. This was his decision, and he would need to see it through.
"Hooooo." Kuwabara let out a deep sigh, propping his chin on his hand with disdain, "It's just Yukina. She's been real down lately. I can't seem to cheer her up. I tried taking her out to the movies but she didn't seem interested. We had a dinner date too but she just picked at her food. She's got it set in her head that Shimo isn't her brother. Can you believe that?" Kuwabara looked at them, clearly expected to see sympathy and agreement. When he saw the looks of morbid joy on their faces, he was off put at once.
"What?" Kuwabara sat up straight, staring from Kurama to Yusuke, both of whom seemed pleased. "What are you lookin' at me like that for? This ain't funny guys! Yukina's really upset, and I can't convince her that Shimo's her brother. I came here hoping to plan a dinner party with you guys to help cheer her up but if you're gonna be a bunch of jerks-!"
"A dinner would be nice!" Keiko broke in at once before Yusuke and Kurama could give anymore away, "Kazuma that's so sweet of you! I'll go grab a pen and paper right now. We can plan the whole thing. I'm sure that'll cheer Yukina up!" She made to rise out of her chair, but Yusuke stopped her before she could leave the room.
They stared at one another.
"Yusuke, please." Keiko urged, her voice soft and fearful. "Not like this."
"Don't leave." Yusuke asked. "I need you here when I do this. It's my fault this went on as long as it did. It's time for me to make things right."
"What're you talking about, Urameshi?" Kuwabara demanded, his tone changing from irritated to downright paranoid. "You're making no sense!"
Keiko slowly sat back down in her chair.
Kurama sat a little straighter in his own.
The old clock ticked faintly from the wall, and outside a few birds chirped. Cars rushed past, commuters made their way to work and school... all of them unknowing of the horror that was about to unfold for one unfortunate man.
"... So Yukina doesn't think Shimo's her brother." Yusuke began, hunched as he narrowed his eyes at Kuwabara, "Strike you as odd?"
"You bet! A few weeks ago she was real happy! Now she's just plain miserable. I don't know where this came from or why she suddenly thinks Shimo's not her brother!" Kuwabara frowned. "I don't get it man..."
"Have you asked her, Kazuma?" Kurama broke in, "About all this?"
"Man, she's chewed my ear off about it. I think she feels like I'm the only one she can talk to." Kuwabara admitted sheepishly. "She says that her heart aches and that if Shimo was her brother, her heart wouldn't ache. But she could just be depressed or something, that's why I've been trying to get her out of the dojo and on the town! All she wants to do is sit in her room and play with her birds."
"You might not have realized the significance, Kazuma, but Yukina's words make sense in regards to demons." Kurama began, his tone gentle as if he were speaking to a child. It was no mark against Kuwabara's intellect, for the man was exceptionally bright regardless of what others might have assumed. Kurama only wanted Kuwabara to feel safe, or still in control of the situation.
Yet things were about to change irrevocably, no matter what tone Kurama took.
"Yeah?" Kuwabara perked up at once, thinking the answer was sure to come. "What's up, man?"
"You see, Kazuma, when demons have siblings, they are connected in a deeper way than lineage. Their energy, their aura, their smell... all these things are soothing. Like, the small of lavender." Kurama offered. Kuwabara just wrinkled his nose, "Or maybe a double cheeseburger after a long day! Think of it that way."
Kuwabara nodded, seeming to understand.
"But surely, Kazuma, you've noticed a few things about Shimo by now that are not... normal. Haven't you." Kurama prompted.
Kuwabara's brow furrowed with deep thought, and as the silence pressed on, Kuwabara just shrugged.
"Not really, I mean. He's quiet. He doesn't say much. He's... a little different, but hey Hiei's a downright creep and we're all cool with him. So who cares?"
Kurama frowned at the mention of Hiei's name. This would prove harder to explain that he had first thought.
"You care." Yusuke growled, "Cause he doesn't have demonic energy and you know it."
"Don't dress up the facts, Urameshi!"
"I'm not dressing up shit!" Yusuke shot back, cutting Kuwabara off before the argument could begin, "You're way too smart not to have noticed by now that Shimo's got no energy. You're the one whose always sensing things! You haven't sensed crap from the guy, and I know that's got you worried!"
"I- well-" Kuwabara looked flustered, and Yusuke's heart soared. His assumption had been correct; Kuwabara had sensed Shimo's lack of energy! "There's gotta be some explanation, right Kurama? Maybe he's just tired."
"No Kazuma." Kurama shook his head, somberly. "Energy levels may fluctuate with stamina... but even when a demon is completely drained, he still retains a sense of energy. Just barely enough to suggest he still lives. Shimo has no energy... and that is extremely unsettling."
"But..." Kuwabara seemed to be getting nervous, shifting in his seat, "Then... what does it all mean? I thought that things were better now! I thought our problems were over! I don't want to be thrown in a bag of cats again, Kurama. I don't want all that crap in my life!" Kuwabara groaned.
"I'm afraid that 'crap' has come again." Kurama paused, "Kazuma... Yukina's senses are right. Shimo is not her brother. He is an impostor."
Kuwabara did a double take, looking to Kurama with such bizarrity that it seemed as if the sentence had not sunk in.
"He's not." Kurama repeated quietly. "Shimo is not Yukina's brother."
"...What?" Kuwabara demanded, agog, "How do you know that? How long have you guessed that?"
"Since the moment he arrived." Kurama admitted quietly, "Since the moment you burst into Yusuke's shop and told us the news."
Kuwabara looked affronted.
"But you hadn't even met him then! How'd you know he wasn't Yukina's brother before you-" Kuwabara's voice trailed away.
He stared into Kurama's eyes imploringly, and though he was tough on the surface, Kurama could sense his heart beginning to break on the inside. Kuwabara had felt this kind of pain and emotional detachment before, when Genkai had died and nobody had told him right up until the very end. It was the kind of exclusion that made him feel as if no one trusted him, as if no one enjoyed his company or wanted him on the team.
"... Kazuma..." Kurama began, but Yusuke touched Kurama's knee. Kurama fell silent, and at the look Yusuke gave him moved out of his seat to let Yusuke replace it. Taking Yusuke's chair, he watched now from the passenger angle of this hellish car ride. He almost wanted to bite his nails, emotionally invested in whatever Kuwabara's response would be to the bitter truth.
"Remember when Genkai died, and we didn't tell you." Yusuke began quietly.
"Yeah." Kuwabara bit out. "Thanks a lot."
"The reason why we didn't tell you was because we were so busy trying to stay alive none of us could find a moment." Yusuke admitted, "Toguro had us running scared, and no one knew if we'd make it through the day or not... so people got left out. We didn't do it on purpose."
Kuwabara shrugged at this, looking away, but as Yusuke grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn back around, Kuwabara seemed to sense the horrible swelling silence that was about to come.
"...What." Kuwabara's tone was clipped. He was nervous.
Keiko watched, fearful.
"That isn't the case this time." Yusuke finally admitted. "This time... we haven't told you because... we..." Yusuke trailed off, "Because... You love Yukina."
Kuwabara was getting more confused and anxious by the second, tilting his head at Yusuke's words. Yusuke gave him a grim smile, clapping him with brotherly love upon the shoulder as he bravely strode on through the darkest paths. This was Yusuke's forte. This was Yusuke's work of art. He knew how to be brave. He knew how to lead.
There were some men in this world that were meant to do the tough jobs.
Yusuke was one of them.
"... You loved her. And we thought it would... be a big blow to you. So we didn't tell you."
"Didn't tell me what." Kuwabara demanded. "What're you keeping from me, Urameshi. I thought we were friends."
"We are!" Yusuke cut him off imploringly. "We'll always be friends Kuwabara. You know that by now."
"So tell me the truth!" Kuwabara demanded, "Tell me what you know if we're friends! Trust me, like you trust Kurama and Hiei!" Yusuke flinched at the name, "Stop treating me as if you think I'm too stupid to understand!"
"It's never been that we thought you were stupid!" Keiko begged. "You were invested! You were too close! We didn't want to hurt you with the truth about Yukina's brother-"
She froze.
Kuwabara's eyes flashed to her own, and she clapped a hand apologetically over her mouth as she slowly sank back into her chair. She was cowed, horrified.
"... What..." Kuwabara whispered, soft spoken and truly afraid.
"What do you know about Yukina's brother that you don't want to tell me." Kuwabara asked quietly, never taking his eyes off of Keiko's own, "Because I love her, and I'm invested. What do you think would change that."
Yusuke clenched Kuwabara's shoulder, and Kuwabara finally turned to look back around.
"I don't know how to say this. I'm not like Kurama. I'm not good with words." Yusuke closed his eyes, "But I've known you longer than Kurama, and better than Kurama, so I don't have to be Kurama to tell you the truth. That we know who Yukina's brother is. That we've known who Yukina's brother is from the very moment we started her investigation. That the moment you ran out of your sister's bedroom to catch the bus... was the moment you got left out."
Kuwabara was speechless, his face now pale.
"You..." He finally managed to swallow, forcing out a shaky response, "You... know...-"
"Yeah." Yusuke nodded, "We've all known. Since her file began. It was on the tape that Koenma sent us. You ran out of the room right before the tape ended... right before Koenma told us who Yukina's brother was. And why it was so important that we rescue her first."
"...First...?" Kuwabara whispered.
"First." Yusuke repeated. "Because we weren't the only ones looking. The truth is, you weren't the only one in the dark that day. Koenma specifically left someone else out too. Though you were unintentional." Yusuke added as an afterthought. "... There was one person Koenma left out for great reason."
"Who."
The moment had come, and all that Yusuke, Kurama, Keiko and so many others had come to rely on was about to go crashing around their ears. How would their lives change after Kuwabara found out the truth? Would Kuwabara be furious at them? Would Kuwabara be furious at Hiei? Would he try to tell Yukina the truth? Would he destroy even more lies in the process of finding out the truth about his own?
It was a risk that Yusuke had never wanted to take.
But he couldn't dare to lie anymore.
"Hiei."
Kuwabara stared.
A shuddering breath passed between his lips, as his eyelids closed. A tear, small but bitter, rolled down his high cheek bones to disappear into his sideburns, and Kuwabara brought a thick fingered hand to his mouth.
"We didn't want to tell you!" Keiko burst out, absolutely terrified, "You and Hiei never got along well and we thought you'd be furious at everyone! Yukina has no idea; Hiei won't tell her! We thought it would be too risky to tell you because you love her so much! We thought you'd inadvertently tell her, that you'd let it slip by accident, but Hiei's not ready Kazuma you have to understand-"
"SHUTTUP!" Kuwabara bellowed, jerking to his feet. "Just shut the fuck up, all of you!"
Keiko winced, curling up tighter in her chair. Yusuke rose up as well, taking a quick sidestep to stand between his fiance and his best friend. He'd never thought the day would come when Kuwabara would say 'shut the fuck up' to Keiko, but the day had arrived... Yusuke had no choice but to deal with it.
"Listen, I get that you're pissed." Yusuke snarled, "We all knew you would be. Why do you think we've held back for so long? Why do you think no one's filled you in until now? It's not like before with Genkai where we didn't have time! We've had all the time in the world, but we didn't know how to say it. Even now I regret saying it. I'll regret it for a long time, I bet, but I'm sick and tired of lying to you just because Hiei's fucking reclusive. You're a member of this team, and you're my best friend. I can't keep you in the dark anymore, okay?!" Yusuke glared, "It fucks with my head as much as it fucks with yours! And you can be furious at all of us, I won't stop you, but you aren't going to take it out on Keiko! If you want to get mad at someone, get mad at me! I'm the one who didn't tell you! I'm the one who kept you in the dark!"
Kuwabara snapped.
He lunged, grabbing Yusuke hard by the shoulders and forcing him back so fast that the pair of them toppled over the coffee table and slammed into the dry wall! Dust, wallpaper, and dry wall flew everywhere as the struggling pair burst through through the wall and into the front hallway! Keiko screamed, petrified, but Kurama was on his feet in seconds and ready to intervene. He lashed out with energy, and the ficus by the door that had once restrained yusuke now jumped back into action once more as a sordid bouncer; its tentacles snagging both men and pulling them back from one another with enormous strength!
"I HATE YOU!" Kuwabara screamed "YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE FOR ME! NOT LIE TO ME!"
His voice broke, his strength wavered, and Kazuma Kuwabara collapsed to the floor in a heap of slimy green tentacles as he clutched his chest to hold back a miserable sob.
"You all... you all lied... for YEARS!" Kuwabara's face glistened in the swinging lamp light, and Kurama winced at the sight of tears upon his comrades face. Keiko, torn between coming to Yusuke's aid and staying out of the line of fire, simply stood at Kurama's side. She was utterly miserable, and buried her face in her hands grief stricken.
Yusuke's lip bled heavily, and one of his eyes was beginning to swell rapidly from a well landed punch. Though battered and bruised from the sudden assault, he did not attack Kuwabara in revenge. Instead, he allowed the tentacles of the ficus to hold them apart, simply taking the beating with honorable understanding.
He had lied.
He would now take his punishment.
"You two fought like fuckin' dogs!" Yusuke's words burst from his mouth despite his intended quiet, "We didn't know how to tell either of you without someone getting hurt! Look, we can't say shit to Yukina, not until Hiei's ready! I don't like it either but that's just the way its gotta go!"
"I won't fucking lie to her!" Kuwabara bellowed, "I won't do it! You don't lie to the people you love! You don't lie to your friends! I thought you were a man, but you're just a fuckin' coward!"
He began to struggle once more, and the plants (lulled into a sense of calm) were too weak to react! They snapped in a spray of green, and Kuwabara lunged forward again! Yusuke, bound by the plant, had no way of defending himself, and the pair staggered from the hallway into the tiny kitchen. Kuwabara threw another punch, Yusuke ducked, and as a result was thrown into the counter by the stove. Heavy cast iron pots hanging from hooks above the range shook violently with the impact, and one fell loose!
"Yusuke!" Keiko screamed, but her words were not enough to stop the pan from slamming hard onto Yusuke's head.
He fell to the floor, knocked out cold.
Warmth, and the feeling of a blanket covering his laying figure.
Horrible pounding pain in his skull, impairing his judgment and making him feel woozy.
Yusuke took a slow shuddering breath, trying to gather his senses as he swallowed a moan of pain. He was propped on the couch, judging by the roughness of the fabric under his fingertips.
"Yusuke?"
Keiko's voice, weary and weak, brought him to his senses more than any deep breath could. He opened his eyes, and the vision of his darkened living room swam before him.
It was nighttime. But how?
Keiko sat next to him, propped upon the coffee table with a steaming mug between her hands. From the splotchy discolorations on her cheeks and the swollen look of her eyes, she'd been crying for some time. Her hair was loosened from it's usual bun, curling about her shoulders and breasts which were clad in an oversized nightshirt that he recognized as one of his own.
"...What're you cryin' for..." Yusuke consoled, reaching his hand out from underneath the blanket and stroking her knee. Each movement cost him a terrible throbbing sensation in his head, and he winced.
"What am I crying for?" Keiko sniffed, distressed. She wiped her eyes with a dainty finger, burying her face in her hand. "My fiance busted his head, my best friend is an emotional wreck that I can't fix... and..." Keiko's voice cracked, "My home is destroyed because I couldn't shut my mouth-"
"Keiko!" Yusuke interjected, attempting to rise up from the couch, but his head throbbed with such agonizing power that all strength from his arms fled him in a rush. He gasped, collapsing back on the couch and groaning.
"Fuck my head!" Yusuke moaned. "What the hell did he do to me?"
"He did nothing to you." Came Kurama's serene voice. A shadow passed across the room, and Yusuke peeked through a hooded eye to see the outline of Kurama's form in the kitchen. "The agony that you feel is the result of a frying pan falling on your head. You have a concussion, and I would advise you to remain still."
"Shit... shit!" Yusuke cried out, remembering his battle with Kuwabara, "Oh my god the house! What did we do to the house?"
"You demolished the hallway and the kitchen." Kurama spoke up. At this, Keiko burst into tears once more. Yusuke, unable to comfort her for his own pain, merely continued to hold tight to her knee cap, stroking her thigh with his long fingers. "I admired your resistance and self control."
"Don't be a dick." Yusuke snapped.
"I am not being rude." Kurama assured him, "As the Mazoku, you could have taken out the entire building if you had truly wanted to fight. Kuwabara is just as impressive with strength, though admittedly he is not of demon origin. I was impressed that you constrained your fight. I'm glad that it ended with the frying pan, and not with the police banging on the door.
A hiss and fizzle came the kitchen, and suddenly Kurama returned. Yusuke managed to open his eyes completely despite the pounding in his head, and saw that Kurama had his hair tied back in a bun. His chest, so often covered with conservative button downs, was now bare to the night air with a pair of pajama pants that Yusuke thought looked rather familiar. It was a side of Kurama rarely seen... that of a tired, normal boy. That of young man who was of flesh and bone, susceptible to hunger, disease, fatigue, and desire.
He had a sake cup in hand, and, hoping for a drink Yusuke took it when offered. Yet instead of alcohol he found that it was full of a dark blue liquid that seemed hot.
"What is this?" Yusuke asked.
"For the pain." Kurama explained. "An elixir from one of my pants. It'll take care of your concussion."
"Oh. Right." Yusuke grimaced, "Cheers." He threw it back in one shot, though it did not stop him from tasting the foul mixture. "God that's vile!" He grimaced, handing Kurama back the now empty cup. Yet even as he winced with regret from the taste, he felt the strange pressure and pain in his forehead slowly began to ebb away. Much like a muscle being massaged, the tension dissipated till non remained.
It was gone.
Yusuke cracked his neck with a sigh of relief, sitting up straight at once to draw Keiko into his arms. He rubbed her back, giving Kurama small smile of gratitude as he looked over Keiko's shoulder to see the damage done to their once homey apartment.
It was awful.
The front hallway which had once been divided by a wall from the living room now looked as if a demon had taken a massive bite out of its end. Dry wall, plaster, metal, and brick covered the living room floor and coated everything in a sheen of white. Yet the hallway was nothing compared to the kitchen... the table was shattered, laying in a pile of splinters upon the floor. The wok pans, which had once hung over the stove on a rack were all over the floor.
The damage would cost them greatly. Just when Yusuke and Keiko had thought that their wedding date would come... it would have to be put off again.
"We can save up again." Yusuke urged Keiko, pulling back to brace her shoulders. He tipped her chin up to the light, wiping the tears from her cheeks as her mouth quivered in a whimper, "We can, Keiko, I swear it... We'll just have to... wait..."
His voice fell away, too feeble to continue.
Wait indeed. How long had they waited.
"We were so close..." Keiko whispered, her face screwed up with grief. "We were so close-"
She broke into fresh tears.
Yusuke had endured great pain and suffering in his life. He had watched his mother weep over his own corpse. He had seen the woman he adored be torn away from him time and time again. He had come too late to save the sage who had taught him how to be a man instead of a selfish little boy. He had begged for the life of his best friend, all the while knowing that a corpse would not hear his pleas. He had gazed upon the fallen bodies of his three closest friends- all of whom had wasted themselves for his own sake in a fight against a sociopath.
He had seen all these things, but seeing Keiko cry still affected him greatly. Perhaps, it always would.
Pulling her into his chest once more, Yusuke felt utterly useless. Indeed, all this chaos was his fault, regardless of what Keiko had said. If Yusuke hadn't gotten under Kuwabara's skin, Kuwabara wouldn't have lost control. Kurama had done all that he could to keep the damage constrained, but in a small apartment even a misplaced kick could have devastating results. Their land lord was going to kill them- they'd not been able to afford insurance. Such damage would send their rent soaring, and Yusuke couldn't see how things could get worse. He would have to work double or triple shifts just to cover bills; Keiko would have to take a second job, and Mr. Yukimora would have to loan them money again.
"Damnit..." Yusuke whispered, closing his eyes, "I'm so stupid... How are we gonna afford this?"
"Simple." Kurama replied, standing up and taking the cup back into the devastated kitchen, "I will pay."
"Pay for what?" Yusuke opened an eye, curious and confused. Kurama washed the cup, placing it upside down in a drying rack before gesturing to the broken wreckage.
"All of it." Kurama's tone was nonchalant.
"What?!" Yusuke demanded, his temper flaring, "Are you crazy?! This bill would be too hot even for you to handle! I'm already in deep with you as it is for the stinkin' coffee table! How the hell am I gonna be able to repay you?!"
"Repay me?" Kurama looked amused at this, "Why would you repay me?"
"Cause it's my apartment, Kurama!" Yusuke snapped, "It's my responsibility! I can't just keep taking from your pocket every time I screw up!
"You are not taking." Kurama corrected him, "I am giving."
Keiko's tears stiffened to a halt, and as she wiped her wetted cheeks she pulled back from Yusuke's chest to blow her nose. Dabbing her eyes with a new kleenex, her voice was thick as she spoke again (as if she had a strong head cold).
"Would you really do that, Kurama?" Keiko asked, "Would you?"
"Naturally." Kurama chortled, and a smile spread across his face. "The damage won't be as difficult to cover as you might imagine. A few phone calls, a couple of checks written... we'll take care of all of this. Of course, you'll need a new table, and a new rack for your wok pots. We can take care of both of those purchases while we look at supplies for the party Kazuma is planning. We could make a day out of it." Kurama offered, seeming to enjoy the idea of throwing money without care.
"But, party supplies would be expensive-"
"Oh I'll take care of that too." Kurama added reassuringly.
"You like giving out donations to poor people?" Yusuke grumbled, more irritated with himself than Kurama. From the first time Yusuke had met him, Kurama's generosity had shown through like a beacon in the mist. Not once, in all his years of being Kurama's friend, had Yusuke ever had to pay for a meal when they went out. Not once had Yusuke had to worry about hospital bills or unexpected rent climbs. Kurama simply gave without asking for a return. Yusuke didn't know how deep Kurama's pockets went, but he never let on to the growing debt that Yusuke had been collecting for years now.
Kurama probably didn't see it as debt, and god only knows how much money he gave Hiei (who came to human world with nothing in his pockets).
"Riches come not from wealth, but from friends." Kurama replied kindly, "You enrich my life far more than you will ever know, Yusuke... I would never consider you poor. You are a king in the eyes of your comrades."
Yusuke flushed, and Keiko let out an enormous sigh of relief. Rising up, she left Yusuke's side to hug Kurama with all the strength she could muster; Kurama wheezed a laugh, accepting her hug.
"Thank you, Kurama!" Keiko cried, "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you? Anything you want I'll do!"
"Well you can tell me where your trash bags are so we can start cleaning up this mess." Kurama offered wryly. "We can take care of most of the damage ourselves. I'll call a carpentry company tomorrow and have an inspector come out to fix your wall. As for your kitchen table, well..." Kurama smiled, pulling back from Keiko and patting her cheek in a brotherly way, "You'll be in charge of finding one that suits you well."
Keiko grinned from ear to ear, bending down to sift through the wreckage. She found the handle to the sink cupboard, and withdrew several large black trash bags.
"I'll go get the broom!" Keiko chirped, stepping carefully over the large table splinters to dash off down the hallway where the mop and broom lay waiting in a cramped closet.
Yusuke, still upon the couch, rose up and rubbed his face wearily.
"How long have I been out. What happened after I clocked it?" Yusuke asked, taking a trash bag from Kurama to start chucking large pieces of table inside.
"Kuwabara was horrified with himself. He didn't mean to have you be knocked unconscious I believe." Kurama added thoughtfully, "The sight of you on the ground sent him running, and he left for a good six hours. During that time, Keiko and I both moved you to the couch, tried to recover from the damage, and slept. We called Shizuru, but she hadn't seen Kuwabara, and we feared the worst. But then, six hours later, Kuwabara returned only a little worse for wear. He had bought a massive dinner for all of us- your share is in the fridge." Kurama added. Yusuke looked around, hungry and now a little excited to see his meal. "He was so embarrassed that he said he would sit on the balcony until you awoke. He's out there still." Kurama added. "Freezing." Kurama rolled his eyes. "He won't come inside. He's so upset about the damage that's been done to the house. I tried to tell him that I would take care of it but he simply wouldn't listen." Kurama shrugged, continuing to stuff pieces of table into the bag. They'd cleared a good amount from the floor, and as Keiko returned she began to sweep smaller pieces into the dust tray.
"He's out there now?" Yusuke asked, glancing down the hallway where his bedroom lay. Just beyond his bedroom, the balcony lay on the furthest edge of the house as their fire escape exit. It was tiny, good only for drying laundry and keeping a few plants.
"He is." Keiko agreed. "I tried to make him come inside, but he said that he wouldn't until he was punished enough by the cold."
"Dear god alive!" Yusuke scowled exasperatedly. "You two handle the trash, I'll go take care of the dummy." Yusuke thrust his garbage bag into Kurama's open hand before storming off down the hall. "Frickin dumbass!"
He heard Keiko's floating laugh over his shoulder, more of relief than of humor, and as Yusuke entered his darkened bedroom he saw that the balcony door was slightly ajar letting a cool stream of air in. He was furious, yes. Irritated beyond belief. Yet he was also highly sympathetic towards Kuwabara who had received the shock of his life not six hours ago. He didn't know what emotional state his oldest friend would be in, but he was determined to see through the rough road. Sneaking out a pack of hidden cigarettes from inside the back of his sock drawer, Yusuke approached the balcony and slid the door open.
Kuwabara was hunched in the corner, his knees to his chest. His eyes were puffy and red, and his nose was runny from cold fall wind that came whipping through every so often. He didn't look at Yusuke as Yusuke slid the balcony door closed, and as Yusuke lit up a cigarette he remained duly silent.
"... Y'know when I bought this place they swore the balcony was bigger. What they meant was 'bigger than a shoe box'." Yusuke snorted, scuffing his shoe on the concrete balcony floor. "Still, it's alright for laundry. Keiko likes to come out here and feed birds."
Kuwabara said nothing. Yusuke spotted him rubbing his eyes, and knew that he was greatly distraught. There were cuts and bruises all up and down his massive arms, clear indications of their earlier fight. His lip was also split and swollen, though Yusuke saw a well placed band aid- clearly Keiko's work.
"... We didn't know how to tell you." Yusuke admitted quietly.
"How about 'Hiei's Yukina's brother'?" Kuwabara snapped bitterly, "Could'a summed it up real quick. How many years you kept your mouth shut, Urameshi? Ten?"
Yusuke nodded, accepting the criticism.
"Well... It was a tough call." Yusuke knew that honesty was the only way forward, even if it hurt more. "We thought you'd tell Yukina. That was the one thing that couldn't happen-"
"It's bull crap, Urameshi!" Kuwabara was growing heated again, his eyes wide with anger, "You have no idea how much she's suffered! She's suffering now! All of it, just because the shrimp won't tell her the truth, and why?! Why does he think it's better for them to be apart?!"
"He considers himself a felon and a rogue." Yusuke explained as gently as he could, recalling Hiei's words from the time when, after Yukina's rescue, they had escorted her back to the very northern edge of Japan where Yukina had entered a small makeshift portal back to demon world. "He figures that it'd be better to watch her from a distance."
"... Is that why he got that creepy eye?" Kuwabara asked, nervously.
"I think so." Yusuke agreed, "But he'll never tell. Lips of iron, that guy has."
"She wants her brother!" Kuwabara rose up, beginning to pace back and forth, "She needs him! Her heart is breaking every day that she's apart from him, and I can't stand watching her in pain anymore! She told me herself that the only time she felt better was when we were all together- and it all makes sense! She could feel his aura, his energy, and it made her feel better! Man when he gets back I'm gonna have a word with him, that's for sure." Kuwabara grumbled, "Stupid hamster legs-"
"Yeah yeah yeah-" Yusuke waved off the retort, "Trust me you're preaching to the choir. Kurama and I have tried for years to get him to bend, and he's made of rock. Look can we take this inside? I'm about to freeze my ass off and I wanna eat!"
Yusuke yanked the balcony door open, leaving Kuwabara out on the ledge without waiting for a response. Kuwabara followed through, still fuming even as Yusuke headed for the hallway to where the warm kitchen lay waiting.
"Hiei needs a wake-up call!" Kuwabara snarled, "And I'll be the one to give it to him! It's my duty as Yukina's future husband!"
"Make sure to call yourself that when you give him the 'wake-up call'." Yusuke snickered, glad for the warmth of the kitchen as he returned to the living room. Kurama and Keiko were sweeping up the very last remains of the table, and Kuwabara blushed at the sight. Still embarrassed, he looked to his feet.
"Still not looking at me, Kazuma?" Keiko teased sweetly. "Don't be upset! Kurama's so generous, he's going to take care of everything. I'm not mad at you, I promise!"
Kuwabara shrugged, still blushing a bright red across his high cheekbones.
Yusuke fished through the fridge, finding a brown sack with his name on it and pulling it out eagerly. Inside was a large sandwich along with a bag of good chips and a pickle. Delighted, he began to eat at once, fetching a beer from the bottom of the fridge and heading to the couch. Relaxing, he ate his supper as Kuwabara awkwardly took the broom from keiko and began to try to get the plaster off of the tough living room carpet.
"We might need a vacuum for that." Keiko pondered, tapping her chin, "Yusuke, get your feet off the coffee table!" She snapped, and Yusuke jerked off his sore dogs at once.
"C'mon you were sitting on it five minutes ago!" Yusuke retorted. "Your butt's okay but my feet aren't?"
"You were taking up the couch then." Keiko frowned. "I was keeping watch over you. I serve guests with that coffee table!"
"Blah blah blah-" Yusuke shrugged, "So Kurama, when are we gonna expect Hiei?"
"Well... it took me about two weeks to get here." Kurama admitted. Kuwabara looked greatly confused, but kept silent, "So Hiei's no doubt recovered from surgery by now."
"Wait, surgery?" Kuwabara interjected, "Why did he have surgery? Did he hurt his arm again with the dragon? Is he in the hospital?"
"No to both." Yusuke waved Kuwabara's questions off, "It's his eye. The jagan. Remember when he and Shimo go into it on the first night?"
"Yeah."
"Well it turns out, Shimo cursed the jagan right in front of us, and we didn't even know."
"Cursed the jagan? But that's impossible! Nothing happened! The shrimp threw him to the floor and that was it!" Kuwabara balked. "Wouldn't there have been a light or a sound or something?"
"You would imagine." Kurama agreed, tying off the full trash bag and dragging it to the front door, "But no, I'm afraid that some curses can be nigh undetectable, Kazuma."
Kuwabara looked deflated, and ran a hand through his hair as he came to sit on the couch by Yusuke.
"Creepy..." Kazuma murmured. "But... Then... Shimo's an impostor, and Hiei's Yukina's real brother! Yukina could be in danger! Right now!" Kuwabara almost leapt up from the couch, but Yusuke grabbed Kuwabara by the back of the jeans and yanked him down again.
"Cool your jets." Yusuke warned, "We can't go busting in the dojo till we know we can beat Shimo. That's gonna take Hiei being here."
"But Yukina-!"
"Is with Genkai." Kurama soothed, "Genkai knows that Hiei is Yukina's brother, Kazuma. She won't let any harm pass to Yukina, I can assure you that."
Kuwabara seemed dejected again, and he sunk into the couch with a small scowl.
"So everybody knew. Boy is Shizuru gonna be surprised."
"She knows too."
"Shizuru!?" Kuwabara screeched, now absolutely outraged. "Shizuru knew and she said nothing?!"
"Pretty much." Yusuke grinned, and Kuwabara let out a screech like a wounded animal. Without warning, a banging came on the wall of the neighboring apartment, and an elderly voice cried from the other side 'Be quiet!' . Kuwabara clapped a hand over his mouth, embarrassed once more.
"Man I'm so pissed!" Kuwabara hissed, this time keeping his voice low, "Even Shizuru knew and she didn't say a word!"
"It's only because Hiei doesn't want Yukina to know until he's ready." Keiko sympathized, tying off her own garbage bag. She tugged it to the door to stand by Kurama's own bag, though it took her a great deal more strength to do so. "So we've all had to keep quiet. Gosh it's been hard. I'm glad you know now." Keiko added with a smile.
"I'm glad I know too." Kuwabara admitted. "But..."
Silence fell, and Kurama wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"But?" Kurama prompted after a moment.
"It's just..." Kuwabara sighed, looking to his feet. This time, there was no embarrassment in his eyes, only sorrow.
"Yukina's told me stuff about her mom. And... It's odd. Knowing that her mom is Hiei's mom too... it makes me sad for him. Cause I know how she died."
"You know Hina's death?" Kurama seemed downright eager, his eyes gleaming. Kuwabara looked up, confused.
"You know her mom's name is Hina?" Kuwabara demanded, and his cheeks flushed again, "Man if you're gonna tell me you all knew that too-!"
"Nope, I only found out today." Yusuke assured him. "Kurama had to go to spirit world to find that shit out."
"You went to spirit world?!"
"Maybe we should let Kurama fill you in to save you from more confusion." Keiko offered, tickled at the exchange. Kuwabara waited, his arms folded over his chest.
"Well?" Kuwabara demanded. Kurama just smiled, and began his tale again.