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

Mask

"Yusuke?"

"Yeah?"

"That time you confronted me in the catacombs…"

"What about it?" Yusuke patted Kurama's head. They had been watching a movie on Kurama's couch. Yusuke had nonchalantly kicked his feet up and invited Kurama to lean on him, allowing him to rest his head on his shoulder.

"Did I scare you?" Kurama's voice was soft, husk as if just waking from a deep sleep.

Yusuke thought for a moment. "A little bit."

"Oh." Kurama's body seemed to curl into itself a bit.

"Why? Something wrong?" Yusuke wasn't able to see Kurama's face but he knew there was something bothering him about that.

Kurama softly shook his head. "Not really, you can forget about it."

"Na-ah." Yusuke moved away from Kurama, forcing him to sit up and face him. "What's bothering you?"

"I scared you," Kurama whispered.

"Just a little, it startled me." Yusuke scoffed softly. "But I'm never scared of you."

"It's the first time you've seen my demon form up close." Kurama averted his gaze. "It's hideous."

"No, it's not hideous." Yusuke cupped Kurama's chin, redirecting him back towards him. "You're quite majestic in that form."

"You haven't truly seen it." Kurama sighed. "There is a reason why I revert from turning."

"Why is that?" Yusuke asked.

"It hurts."

…

It was in the days leading up to the final round of the dark tournament that Yusuke found Kurama to be acting stranger than usual. True, Kurama always acted somewhat different from others but his secrecy intrigued Yusuke even more.

The fact that the other members of his team were more wary of Kurama gave him an eerie gut feeling something had happened to shift this team dynamic. It wasn't that they were mad at him, they were more reserved, gave him more space, and even refrained from joining him on outside walks which he usually took before eventually turning in for the night.

Yusuke had asked Kuwabara about it but he said he'd rather focus on his own training, it didn't help that Kuwabara was reading comics while answering such a question.

He was mostly silent when he returned from those 'walks'. The only indication Yusuke had was the running faucet as he either washed his face, drank some water, or did both. Not to mention the softest groan when he got into his bed in the other room.

Being the oldest in the group even if it was just by a year, Yusuke didn't deem Kurama to be old enough to sound like an old man getting up from a couch. He would wait for him the next night.

Having thought of an excuse to not go to bed yet, Yusuke was determined to wait for the redhead. He plunged himself into darkness as the sun disappeared past the horizon. He didn't want Kurama to be prepared, not allowing him to apply his mask before entering the suite. He sat in darkness to catch him red-handed.

And catch him he did.

Kurama's awareness was lowered, one could easily scare him from behind but Yusuke would dare do that. He had entered, a shaking sigh softly escaping his frame. He didn't bend down to take his shoes off, instead; he used his feet to avoid bending down. This was the first indication that something wasn't clicking.

Another sigh left him as he lifted his arms to hang his coat. And another as he supported himself against the wall.

It didn't take Yusuke too long to find out those sounds weren't sighs, they were muted groans. Was he in pain? Why?

Flipping the switch on the tall lamp next to the couch, the room was dimly lit, partially blinding Kurama as he squinted. He didn't look at him, he knew he was busted.

"How long have you been there?"

In Yusuke's mind, that was a stupid question, unheard of coming from Kurama. "I've been waiting for you."

"You didn't have to." He made his way to the kitchen even though his walk was abnormal. He moved and looked like he was suffering from muscle fatigue. The running water was indeed meant for him to splash some in his face and drink something. When he re-emerged, Yusuke tapped the seat next to him, asking to sit down.

"I'd rather go to bed." Kurama tried to decline but Yusuke insisted, remaining silent as he tapped the seat once more. He had no choice.

The trick was to view him more carefully. The mystery around the sudden change of character was something Yusuke couldn't physically handle, he had to know what was going on.

He muffled another groan when he finally sat down, his hands clearly shaking and Yusuke swore he saw his jaw do the same, a motion only done when one was in extremely cold environments. Like when he was trapped in a freezer trying to hide from Keiko's parents when he first visited without permission. But Kurama wasn't suffering from hypothermia, his lips weren't blue. Yet he was shaking.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke asked as he placed his hand on Kurama's shoulder. He jerked away instinctively which took Yusuke by surprise.

"It's nothing but nerves." He brushed him off.

"Those weren't nerves, Kurama. Look at you, you're shaking like a fucking blender what happened?"

He was silent for a bit, trying to control his body without success. "When you were gone, during the last match. I found a way to revert to my demon form."

"Hang on, that's awesome!" Yusuke grinned. "So now you get to dominate team Toguro?"

"Not really." Kurama dimmed down. "I don't know what it's doing to me yet, but we need the win."

"What do you mean? Is it why Kuwabara and Hiei seem to leave you alone more often?"

"I think so. To be honest, I don't know what is going to come from this but each time I try it out; this is what I'm left with." He raised his hands slightly above his knees and Yusuke saw them shake uncontrollably. If he didn't know any better he'd judge Kurama to be in pain.

And he was right.

Witnessing Kurama's demon form in his match against Karasu blew him away. It was frightening and he now understood why Kuwabara refrained from being alone with him. He also understood what Hiei meant by him being more ruthless and his unwillingness to fight him.

But the feeling Kurama had about his continuous switching was also the right one. After he had returned back to his human form during the Makai tournament; Yusuke became aware of the identity crisis Kurama was going through. Though he seemed to have made great decisions for himself regarding his life in both worlds, he knew there was another reason he didn't want to turn into Yoko anymore.

Kuwabara came around not long after, seeing as Kurama had become more like himself after the Makai tournament. Though Hiei was slightly disappointed in his choice, it was his own to make.

…

"I didn't know it hurt you," Yusuke mumbled softly.

"Yoko's physique is so much larger, if only this body was a bit taller and broader, maybe it wouldn't be as bad…"

"You can't change your physique, we all wish to be a bit taller, leaner, broader, or even shorter. I can imagine Hiei sees his shortness as an advantage."

"If he were shorter he would slip in between the tiles."

They laughed, it was nice to break the tension a bit. Kurama didn't mask himself as much anymore, Yusuke judged him to be more comfortable. He had seen Yusuke's weakness, how he'd openly cried for Kuwabara's supposed death at the hands of Toguro. He still felt a flash of annoyance at the memory.

Cupping Kurama's head, he halted their laughter. "You don't scare me. You never will."

…

Yusuke's hands shook as he worked, the gauze nearly slipping out of his fingers and he tried to keep his posture. During one of their missions, they were tasked to take out a hostile Tengu. Kurama was supposed to crack the lock leading towards the item they needed to get rid of the creature. Because he was closest to the thing it was protecting, they were blindsighted as it struck Kurama.

Somehow, they managed to secure the item and return it to Koenma. Yusuke berated him for his lack of knowledge about their enemy, not being informed it was a high-level demon.

Kurama was calling for Yusuke multiple times as he was engaged in a heated conversation with the spirit world prince. He assumed it was merely an attempt for Kurama to calm Yusuke down but a dull thud proved him wrong. He had fainted, convulsing lightly as there wasn't enough blood in his system to keep him and his body working.

He cursed himself for not looking deeper than Kurama's facade, the mask of purity covering the damned and broken. He never asked for help but when he did, calling Yusuke's name as his voice grew smaller with each plea, Yusuke didn't rise to the occasion. The fainting spell sent chills through Yusuke's body, Kuwabara was the one to ensure him it wasn't an actual seizure. It gave him some form of comfort but it didn't sit right with him.

Carefully carrying him to his home, Yusuke was tasked with fixing him up. He had laid him down on his bed, knowing his mother was never home, he didn't dare carry Kurama to his own home for fear his mother would see him. He wanted to stay on her good side, for no particular reason. He eyed the paled skin for a second, the dampness of his skin combined with the ragged breathing. A soft groan escaped him, his eyes tightening as a seeming wave of discomfort washed over him.

Hurrying towards the first aid kit, Yusuke started treating the slashes on his arm. He had been roughly catapulted when the Tengu hit him, slamming against the wall of the compound. Neither of them thought it was serious, none of them knew he hadn't just been slammed. The slashes on his arm were deep, the flesh underneath it torn and angrily red. They were slowly leaking liquid. Kurama's pulse had lowered enough to halt the speed of the flow.

Taking another roll of gauze out of the kit, he didn't want to lift his body in fear he'd hurt him. But Kurama didn't respond much when he finally found the courage. He felt something tickle his shoulder when he worked on his torso, combined with a small sigh, Yusuke knew the tickling he felt was Kurama's lashes as his eyes opened. His head leaned on his shoulder yet he didn't move after regaining consciousness.

"You fainted," Yusuke said shakily as he leaned Kurama against the headboard, finally done with bandaging the slash on his chest.

Kurama didn't respond much, a simple "not surprised," was enough.

Taking his arm, Yusuke's hands shook more as Kurama was now watching him. He might be very specific about the way the bandage was wrapped, Yusuke didn't want to mess up. It had to be perfect.

At one point, he had to stop to take a breath. His hands were shaking enough for him to lose his grip multiple times. While Kurama watched, he saw little flashes of pain shoot across Kurama's face but he always tried to have a pleasant expression. Probably to not scare Yusuke even more.

…

As time passed between their first meeting and the progression of their supposed friendship, Yusuke was glad to see Kurama open up more.

He pulled Kurama closer, burying his nose in the red locks. The scent had returned to them. Being stripped of it for so long was odd to Yusuke. Kurama was the embodiment of pleasantries, the scents, expressions, actions, and mannerisms, everything about him was pleasant.

Yusuke knew without a doubt that the mask Kurama used to wear, disappeared along with his anxiousness.

See you in the next one!