I'd love to hear your thoughts as the story progresses.

Anticipation

His mind was fogged as he woke. Yusukes stretched, accidentally grazing past Kurama's leg. The redhead was sleeping peacefully beside him, his frame relaxed and his breathing even, something Yusuke hadn't seen for some time.

The rumbling of his stomach coaxed him out of bed, judging from the inpour of light, Yusuke wasn't surprised to have woken at the start of noon. Considering Kurama was more exhausted than he was, Yusuke suspected he wouldn't be up any time soon.

Entering Kurama's kitchen, he rummaged through the cupboards, grabbed some pans, and opened the fridge to find absolutely nothing useful to create some sort of healthy breakfast. He wanted to hit himself in the head, this meant he had to go out and buy food, leaving Kurama alone while he slept. Though it was a huge gamble, Yusuke judged him to not wake if he'd go for just a few minutes.

Just the thought of leaving Kurama alone while he slept brought him back to that first night in the bug. When he went to speak to Mukuro only to return too late, Kurama had been frantically looking around. The difference now was that he actually had his vision and was in his own apartment. He should be fine, right?

Slipping into his shoes, he took his jacket and looked back once. He froze. Kurama was awake and stood at the door opening of the bedroom.

"Hey bud, I- uhm am going on a food run for a bit…" He wasn't making excuses, he didn't want it to sound like an excuse. "I wanted to make you breakfast but saw you had no food to make some, so I just thought that… I mean, I will be back really soon… I thought you were still sleeping… I won't say out long…"

"You're rambling," Kurama said after he had listened to Yusuke's mutters, yawned, and rubbed the blurriness out of his eyes successfully. "Bring some sugar while you're at it."

Yusuke was at a loss, wasn't he going to ask him not to leave? Was his trust already that low? Did he expect him to go? He stayed silent for a little while before carefully speaking again. "I'm not going to leave again like I did last time. I'm going to the store and will return immediately."

"That's okay," Kurama replied casually.

"I promise I'll be back immediately."

"Just go Yusuke, or else you'll have to go out and buy lunch." Kurama was laughing… Laughing? Did he not lose trust? Was he serious? Yusuke felt a surge of joy wash over him, the Kurama he knew was coming back little by little.

"Go before I change my mind." Kurama waved him off, a smirk still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He apologized, took the keys, and ran out the door, leaving Kurama behind.

For a moment, he stared at the door, his smile softly fading as his footsteps receded into the lobby and towards the outside world. The sun shone brightly despite the chilly temperatures and Kurama didn't hesitate to open the balcony doors and set foot into the fresh air. His apartment was high up and he was able to enjoy the horizon as people went on with their lives. It gave Kurama much joy as he watched them, their paths, and the distance allowing Kurama to compare the view to watching an ant colony.

He had missed this view, he had missed a lot while he was stuck in demon world. He closed his eyes, the cold breeze brushing past his cheeks. There was a moment when Kurama doubted he'd ever return again, but here he was, back home.

For a moment, he stayed there, his skin reacting to the chill temperature of the wind. He indeed enjoyed being back home, Yusuke's presence largely affected his comfort for the better, but there was a feeling he couldn't shake. Somewhere, in the air, the thinnest strand of demon energy unsettled him. He knew he wasn't imagining it yet he was hesitant to tell Yusuke about it.

No doubt Yusuke would call him crazy, label it as yet another part of 'healing', though Kurama knew better than to dismiss his senses. He was closing in, somehow wiggling his way into the world they blocked him out of.

Redirecting his view to the people below, Kurama felt like screaming, he wanted to give voice to his frustration, give voice to the feeling of being hunted, being on edge every single waking moment.

But he didn't. That would alarm the neighbors, the poor souls, or maybe lucky. Kurama envied them.

Instead, he just sighed, hoping it would take those fears and release them into the air. But it didn't. How could one be so free and unbothered? He had thought of Yusuke, how he always lived as if he had nothing to lose, while, when he did it, he'd be ridiculed for fighting sloppy. The truth was; he actually had nothing to lose besides his human mother.

Kurama closed his eyes as the rustling of the wind intensified.

"Yo."

Kurama's entire body jolted, and he turned faster than he thought possible. "Damnit Yusuke!" He gritted through his teeth as one hand clung to the fabric covering his chest.

"Wow, sorry, I didn't know you were that deep in thought." Yusuke put his hands up as a sign of peace.

"Well, apparently I was. I didn't hear you return." Kurama allowed his breathing to return to normal.

"I've figured, I even called your name several times."

"You did?"

"Yeah… Are you okay?" Yusuke placed his bag on the ground as he approached Kurama. "You seem really on edge lately."

There was some truth to that. "I'm just a bit jittery, that's all." Kurama gave him a small smile. "What'd you get?" He said, turning the conversation towards something else. To his relief, Yusuke joined the switched narrative.

While he showed off the food he bought, Kurama actively nodded and joined him in his enthusiasm for new ingredients to try out. But still, he couldn't shake the thought, he couldn't shake the energy signature floating around. First outside, now nearly inside his apartment, it made him sick. Physically.

He knew he wasn't getting mad, but Yomi's words haunted him. How he 'needed him' and how he worked to get him back to his demon form. The pain of transforming, the feeling of his bones as they were broken and bonded…

Kurama was starting to feel unwell, raising his hand to his throat as he resisted the rising bile.

He wasn't keeping his attention on Yusuke anymore, he had to close that door.

Raising to his feet, he stalked towards the door leading to the balcony and closed it in one fell swoop. Eyes burned in his back as he continued to the bathroom.

His fingers were curled around the porcelain sink as he carefully eyed himself in the mirror, there was nothing wrong with him, it was just the smell that nauseated him. Opening the faucet, he splashed cold water on his face, sensing that Yusuke was approaching.

He wasn't crazy.

"Did I buy something you dislike?" Yusuke asked innocently. "I can leave things out if you don't like them…"

Kurama shook his head as he pressed a towel to his face, drying off the cool liquid and ridding him of nausea. "You don't smell it, do you? You don't sense it?"

Yusuke glanced behind him quickly before turning back with a frown. "Did I buy rotten vegetables?"

"You don't," Kurama concluded.

"What's wrong then? I don't smell anything."

"I'm not crazy."

"Whoa, I didn't say that!" Yusuke raised his hands in front of him in a defensive manner. "You'll have to explain to me what's going on, you know me, I don't get hints."

There was hesitation as Kurama searched for a way to explain it. His fear still lingered. "I can sense Yomi's energy in the air, it's thin and I'm surprised I can even sense it but it's there."

Yusuke blankly stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. The hairs on Kurama's neck stood on edge, anticipating Yusuke's response.

"Oh bud, I think this is just a part of…"

"Don't give me that crap, Yusuke!" Kurama exclaimed, his eyes wide as his fears were validated. "He's trying to get to Ningenkai, I know it, I can sense it!"

"Why would he come after you again? He lost, Enki is king again and everything is fine, why are you afraid?"

"Because he's not letting go this time." Kurama felt the pit in his stomach as he spoke.

"Why not?" Yusuke was trying to make sense of things. He was surprised to see Kurama nearly convulse and close the glass door a bit harder than necessary before going to the bathroom without looking back or saying a word.

"He left me alone after that first demon tournament because of Shura, because he needed a new and better plan. I am a part of that plan and as long as I'm a key ingredient, he won't leave me alone."

"Are you sure you're not overreacting?" Yusuke asked carefully. "He had you under his control for quite some time."

"I'm not!" Kurama was ready to pull his hair out from frustration. "I've been sensing it for some time now, it started after you left and I can't get rid of it… Why is it so hard to believe?!"

"He tried to break you." Yusuke got closer to Kurama. "He tried but did he succeed?"

Kurama eyed the ground, he didn't want to face Yusuke anymore.

"Did he break you, Kurama?" Yusuke repeated his question.

"I don't know." Kurama sat down on the side of the tub, his mind was a mess and he didn't know anything anymore.

"He didn't." The words cut like a hot knife through butter but in a good way.

He looked up at him, their eyes meeting.

"Cause if he had succeeded," Yusuke continued. "You wouldn't have come back to me. You wouldn't have listened to a single dumb word I've said and everything I've said was dumb."

Kurama felt his eyes widen.

"You wouldn't have rebelled against him, you feared what he did but you never feared the consequences of retaliation."

Yusuke's hands found their way to Kurama's shoulders, squeezing them securely. "He failed in every way I can think of and if you sense him trying to reach you then I will believe in your instinct. I will not back away from facing him head-on if that meant I could keep you."

"What am I to you?" Kurama asked him, the comforting hands releasing their hold for a split-second.

"Everything," Yusuke admitted, not needing to think about the answer. "You're everything to me."

Kurama did hesitate a little, reluctant to ask further questions but if there was a time for it, it would be now. "So, that night at the bar…"

"There were no lies told." Yusuke's grip tightened again. The way Kurama stared up at him made his heart skip multiple beats. There was a beauty in the chaos that was Kurama's mind and he knew that chaos wasn't caused by anything Yomi had done to him. It was there for fear of what Yomi was going to do. In that, Yusuke mirrored Kurama in every single way, he dreads the day Yomi breaks through to Ningenkai, but he'll fight. He'll fight for everything he loves and that includes Kurama, all of him.

The deep browns of Yusuke's eyes captivated Kurama, as they always had. He loved how they perfectly mirrored his true emotion. Somehow, they were the same, wearing facades to hide true emotions. But these were real. Kurama wanted to touch them, he was tempted to reach out but he stopped himself.

"And you?"

Kurama blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"That night… After the bar." Yusuke smiled at Kurama's shocked expression. "I know we passed out drunk but…"

"I lie, a lot, but not at that moment." Kurama understood Yusuke had the same doubts as him; if that outing was ever even real. If the emotions were real. If he wasn't just being toyed with. Yomi had maybe treated him as such but he knew Yusuke wasn't seeing him as someone to toy with.

A relieved smile crossed Yusuke's face, and the way his eyes squinted as he did, made Kurama want to touch his face even more.

He didn't stop the urge this time, he slid his hands onto Yusuke's cheeks before pulling him towards him. Yusuke didn't seem to resist, in hindsight, he seemed to have planned the same move.

Yusuke closed his eyes as he went in, the slight tug from Kurama sparking his ability to move. He tasted sweet, chamomile mixed with honey. He used his tongue to softly lick that taste off of Kurama's lip, careful not to move too fast. This was all so new to him, he couldn't shake his slight insecurity.

Though he felt addicted, he wanted to taste him more. Pride was slowly creeping up as he realized he was able to do this without numbing himself with liquids first, loosening himself up with them. There was no fear of rejection, not anymore. He wanted more.

It was a sudden jerk that pulled him off of his feet. Yusuke was leaning too much into Kurama which resulted in him losing his grip, and falling into the empty tub. He fell with him as he nearly supported all his weight towards Kurama.

A groan escaped the redhead and Yusuke was forcing himself to move, their position making it wildly uncomfortable to do so. They had fallen into the width of the tub, their legs sticking out.

Yusuke struggled to get out of his position, reaching out his hand awkwardly to help Kurama out of it as well. "Shall I start making some food? I'm starving." He asked as he felt his stomach protesting. "What would you like me to make?"

Kurama was quick to recover, laughing it off as he nodded his answer to Yusuke. "Your regular please."

See you in the next one!