A.N. Hi everyone, I'm sorry for the delay. Will explain more at the end of the chapter.

Cocoa Beanie144: Your support and enthusiasm means the world to me!

The Zod: Mmm, I think Leatherface might have a few pointers on a leather jacket...

You're right, it's a difficult situation. Yusuke is really struggling with the feeling of being helpless and his wounded pride. Not a great combination.

Hina714: This is going to be a very interesting conversation...

I'm glad you love the inclusion of Kurama's family. There's a couple of chapters I have planned with Shiori that I cannot wait to write properly. They're drafted though!

Karina Guardian: My friend's wedding was absolutely perfect. Couldn't have had a better day! Those two have an amazing life ahead of them.

Lumina Rose: Lots of complicated things and emotions to work through when Sakura wakes up. And Yusuke is about to learn what happens when Kurama has had enough.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 3: Enough

"But what if I fall?" Sakura whimpered. "I don't want to die!"

Yusuke stood up and squeezed his sister's hands. "You won't die, Kura," he said. "If you fall, I'll save you!"

"Okay," Sakura nodded.

Yusuke went back on all fours. Gingerly, Sakura stepped on his back, and though she wobbled like jelly, she clambered up on the chair, onto the bench and managed to reach the cupboard.

"You did it!" Yusuke cheered. "What do we have?"

Sakura yanked the package from the shelf and inspected it. "Crackers, Yu-chan!" she said. "Now let's – AH!"

She lost her balance and fell head first from the bench.

Yusuke dived for her. "Kura!"

BANG! Sakura landed on top of her brother, and immediately began to wail as she saw a few drops of blood coming from her forehead.

"Yu-chan!" she sobbed. "I'm dying!"

It was only a small cut, but Yusuke still looked scared.

"I won't let you die, Kura!"

He ran to the bathroom and returned with a Band-Aid. "There," he carefully stuck it on her wound. "All better,"

But Sakura continued to sob. "I broke the crackers," she choked. "I'm sorry, Yu-chan. Now we can't eat."

"It's ok, Kura," Yusuke said. He ripped the package open and handed her a piece. "We can eat the broken crackers. They'll still be yummy!"

Sakura stuffed the fragment in her mouth. "I don't like it when Mama leaves, Yu-chan. It's scary when she's gone."

"But we have each other," Yusuke said while munching on his own crackers. "I won't leave you. You're my best sister."

When more tears fell from Sakura's eyes, Yusuke swallowed his mouthful and started pulling some funny faces. And at last, a few crumbs fell from Sakura's mouth as she giggled at his antics.

"You're my best brother, Yu-chan. I love you more than anything in the whole wide world!"

Yusuke jumped to his feet. "See, Kura? We can still have fun. Let's make a fort to keep the monsters out!"

~*~*~*

BAM!

Yusuke's fist slammed into the tree trunk. Bark chips and wood splinters flew in all directions, but he didn't care. He couldn't even feel the impact of the blow.

How the hell did we get here?!

Those memories felt like a lifetime ago, and they might as well be. Had he and Sakura ever truly been those four year old children wondering why their mother kept leaving them alone? Hell, turns out they weren't even fully human…

Yusuke stopped punching the tree and rested his forehead against the trunk. What had happened to the days when he could cheer Sakura up by pulling a stupid face? When building a blanket fort was sufficient security for both of them?

After everything they'd been through, after all the strength he'd gained, why was he still so damn helpless? What good was his power if he couldn't use it to save his little sister?

"You don't know how to use your power. Let me show you!"

The taunting words of their ancestor exploded in Yusuke's mind. His vision went white with fury as his fist connected with the tree once more.

"DAMN IT!"

He punched the tree again. And again. And again. But it did nothing to mitigate the absolute chaos inside him.

"You don't know how to use your power…"

CRACK!

The final fragments of the tree trunk parted company and crashed to the ground. Yusuke watched, motionless while his hand throbbed from the effort.

"You won't die, Kura! If you fall, I'll save you!"

There had been a time when he could save his sister from falling. But not now. She'd fallen so far he wondered if she'd ever truly climb out of it.

Overwhelmed, Yusuke trudged over to the porch. He sat down and buried his head in his hands.

"You don't know how to use your power…"

That same voice hammered away at him. The ancestor who had taken him over and ruined everything. The others dismissed it, but they didn't understand. They didn't know what it was like to lose control over your own body.

I'll never forgive him. Never–

"Yusuke."

As usual, Kurama appeared without a sound. And though Yusuke tensed up, he didn't respond or acknowledge his friend.

"Yusuke, look at me."

Yusuke didn't move. He didn't want to turn around, and frankly it wasn't necessary. He could feel those eyes burning holes in his back from here.

"Yusuke, we need to talk."

"Don't start with me, Fox Boy. I'm not in the mood."

Kurama took a step closer. "You know as well as I do what would happen if the truth got out. That cover story is necessary."

"What part of I'm not in the mood don't you understand?" Yusuke snapped. "Last thing I want or need is a stupid lecture."

"This has nothing to do with lectures," Kurama said, his voice becoming sharper. "This is about you putting your ego aside and listening for once."

That got Yusuke's attention. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"You heard me."

Yusuke's eyes flashed. He stood up and spun around. "The hell are you talking about?!"

"I don't care how angry you are about the outcome of the fight," Kurama said. "Your priorities are completely off-target."

Glaring, Yusuke moved right in Kurama's face as he hissed, "What exactly are you saying, Fox Boy?"

"I'm saying that you need to stop sulking about what may or may not have happened during your fight with Sensui and start worrying about what actually matters!" Kurama shot back. "Didn't you listen to a word Hiei said? Kura is far more important than your ego!"

"Oh come off it, Kurama. Yukina and Botan are looking after her, aren't they? And she's not even conscious!"

"Be that as it may, she still needs her brother. And you aren't at her side right now."

Yusuke snorted. "Well, I guess I'm even more useless now. Lucky you. Now you've got something else to add to that damn cover story. Go on, make me look even worse!"

Even years later, Yusuke would still replay what happened next in his mind, trying to figure it out.

Everything went deadly quiet. For a few seconds, Kurama looked at him without any kind of facial expression. And then, in the blink of an eye, Yusuke felt himself flying through the air.

CRASH!

The force of Kurama's punch sent Yusuke careening across the garden, straight through the shoji screen of Genkai's house and across the training room until he landed on the ground and slid to a halt.

Before he could even register what had happened, Kurama was standing over him.

"Have you learned nothing, Yusuke?"

Yusuke stared up at Kurama, rendered temporarily speechless from the shock of it all.

"After all this time, you still behave this way," Kurama breathed. "Dismissing reality, putting yourself above her needs. It's beyond childish. I'm not going to tolerate it anymore."

Yusuke wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth as Kurama continued.

"This isn't about you, your pride or your failures. It's about Sakura. Or aren't you interested in that?"

"What…what the fuck was that?!" Yusuke asked with a snarl. "You seriously think I don't care?!"

"You have a strange way of showing it!" Kurama said. "Your sister is possibly fighting for her life, and here you are wallowing in self pity–"

"I am NOT–!"

"That's exactly what you're doing! Your ego is the least of our worries right now, and it's about time you got that through your head!"

Yusuke heaved himself up on his elbows, yelling, "You don't know what it's like! To have someone take over your body…not being able to control anything or even remember…" he shook his head, trying to clear it. "It was meant to be me, not my ancestor or anybody else. I had to finish him…it was my job…"

Kurama picked Yusuke up and slammed him against the wall with a resounding bang.

"You had no intention of finishing the fight! That's why you sacrificed yourself, isn't it? You trusted us to finish the job. And above all, you trusted Kura!"

Yusuke's words died on his tongue. Kurama's eyes were blazing with an intensity usually reserved for hated opponents. Not his friends.

"I heard you, in the cave. How she would be the greatest threat to Sensui. Have you forgotten your own words?"

"What…what are you saying?"

"Remember what you said in the bonus round?" Kurama said fiercely. "About Kura? Or was that all a lie?"

The memory slammed into Yusuke harder than Kurama's fist had.

~*~*~*~*

"You can't stop me, Detective," Haruki laughed. "Me and my bride are going to have the new life we both deserve."

"Shut it!" Yusuke shouted. "You think you can control her heart? Well, you're dead wrong about that. You've underestimated how strong she is. And that's the worst thing you could have done. I should know."

He took a breath; tears were threatening to appear.

"I'm not making that mistake again. So you better get ready, asshole. Because as soon as we catch up to your real body, you won't need to duplicate yourself again. You'll be in a million pieces."

~*~*~*~*

"You are asking me to take your life, Yusuke?" Sensui said.

"Yeah, that's right. And do it with some style. I don't want some half-assed try. I know you can do it real quick."

"Yusuke!" Sakura yelled. "No! I won't let you!"

"See that?" Yusuke said. "If you think she's pissed now, wait til she powers up and gets her hands on you, Sensui. I'd rather face ten Toguros than her when she's mad."

"Interesting," Sensui chuckled. "Do you have faith in her, even in that condition? Some might call that optimism to the point of idiocy."

"If you want to underestimate her and learn the hard way, then be my guest. But don't say I didn't warn you."

~*~*~*~*

"Well?" Kurama said. "Are you planning to leave her disappointed once again? How many times have we gone through this, Yusuke? A promise to change, with minimal results?"

Yusuke glared back, but didn't respond.

"You said underestimating her was the worst mistake you made," Kurama said. "So where is that resolve to learn from your past errors and stop repeating them? Where?!"

"Get off me, Fox Boy! I'm doing the best I can–"

"Your best is not good enough!" Kurama shouted. "Did you mean a word of it, Yusuke? Or was it mere lip service?"

Shock flashed across Yusuke's face for a split second. "I…"

"Answer me!" Kurama growled and shoved him further into the wall. "Did. You. Mean. It?"

Yusuke gritted his teeth. "Of course I meant it. Every word."

"Really?" Kurama hissed. "You keep saying that you know she's strong. You say you believe in her, yet you continue to doubt her!"

"That's not what I do! I just–!"

"That's exactly what you do! You've seen what she's capable of. You've fought by her side…and still you treat her as a helpless child…" Kurama took a breath. "Why, Yusuke? Why do you act this way?"

"What else can I do at this point?!" Yusuke shouted. "No matter what, it's never made a difference! Go take a look at her if you don't believe me!"

"And how is staying out here going to help? Hiding away from the situation is not going to heal her wounds; it will add to them!"

Yusuke clenched his fists. "You think I don't know that?!"

"Then start acting like it!" Kurama said. "Because right now you're failing in every single way. She needs her brother, Yusuke. She needs YOU!"

"Like hell she does! Didn't you just say I'm a failure? That I can't do anything right when it comes to her? What the hell do you want from me, Kurama?!"

With that, Kurama slammed Yusuke into the wall so hard that the panels squeaked in protest.

"It's not about what I want, or what you want; it's about what Kura needs! You're putting all your energy into worrying about Sensui, a fight you won, and neglecting your own sister—"

Yusuke's temper flared. "I DIDN'T BEAT HIM!" he roared. "Don't you get it?! I didn't beat him, so quit rubbing it in!!"

"Come to your senses!" Kurama shouted back. "If you were the one lying in a coma, do you think Kura would be out here feeling sorry for herself?!"

Yusuke's breath caught in his throat.

He'd never thought of it that way. If he had been taken hostage by a crazed enemy, if he'd been through all the abuse and trauma Sakura was subjected to, there was no way on earth she would be behaving like he was at this very moment. No matter how much she might blame herself, no matter how bleak the situation, she'd be glued to his side until he woke. She'd be holding his hand, calling him out from the darkness, helping him find his way back. She wouldn't be out here, punching a tree to matchwood, throwing fists with Keiko or stewing about the unexpected ending of a fight. Not a chance.

Yusuke shook his head. "I…no," he said. "She wouldn't."

"Exactly! You need to be there for her, Yusuke. She needs you more than ever."

Yusuke swallowed hard. "Don't you get it?" he whispered. "I'm not…if I wasn't strong enough to fight…I can't… I screwed up so many times…"

Kurama's grip tightened.

"Do you think I'd be wasting time with you if I believed you were a lost cause?" he asked. "I know you aren't, Yusuke. And your sister knows it too."

"You reckon she'll still think that way after this shit?" Yusuke said bitterly. "I'm supposed to protect her. And look how that turned out."

"You aren't the only one who failed," Kurama said. "I made mistakes too. We all did. But this isn't about blame. It's about what we need to do next. Do you understand?!"

The slight tremor in Kurama's voice made Yusuke pause, and they stared at each other until Kurama's hold on Yusuke loosened.

"Yusuke…this has to stop."

The anger in Yusuke's heart began to dissipate as he realised his friend's hands were shaking.

"Fox Boy?"

At last, Kurama released him and took a step backwards in the silence. Neither said a word. The raw tension between them said it all.

What do we do now?

Kurama blinked, and something flickered in his eyes before he looked away.

What do we do now?

Yusuke opened his mouth, then instantly shut it. There was nothing worth saying at this point. Nothing that could fully convey everything he felt. Somehow, the simple act of turning around was the most vulnerable thing he'd ever seen Kurama do.

"I see that you've beaten me to the punch, Kurama. Literally."

Yusuke jumped about a foot in the air.

Genkai stood in the doorway, arms folded and stone-faced while she observed the scene in front of her. Kuwabara hung slightly behind. His enormous fists were clenched and his eyes darted between Yusuke and Kurama, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to intervene.

"Grandma?!" Yusuke spluttered. He hadn't even sensed that anyone was nearby. "What the…how long have you been standing there?!"

"Long enough," Genkai said. "Are you done shouting at each other yet?"

"We…what are you doing here?" Yusuke asked.

"Kuwabara came and got me. He was worried about potential bloodshed," Genkai's gaze flitted from the cracks in the wall to the shredded shoji screen, then through the hole at the tree Yusuke had punched to splinters. "But it seems the only casualty is my poor house."

Kurama finally turned around to face them all. "My apologies for the damage, Genkai," he said. "I'll clear it up once Kura shows signs of improvement."

"Don't be ridiculous. Dimwit here can do it."

"What?!" Yusuke yelped. "But I didn't—!"

Genkai shot him a look so full of venom it was a wonder Yusuke didn't keel over from it.

"You might not have done the throwing and punching, but it was your idiocy that caused it to happen," she snapped. "Get your head out of your ass for ten seconds and think!"

Yusuke glared back at her. But before he could say anything, Kuwabara stepped forward.

"Come on, Urameshi. That's enough."

"Oh great; more talk," Yusuke muttered. "Just what I need…"

He couldn't take much more of this. The red hot fury from a few minutes earlier had been replaced with a deep, gnawing guilt.

Useless. I'm so damn useless.

Kuwabara was still talking, but Yusuke barely heard it. His head was spinning with the trauma from what they'd been through, the despair of Sakura's condition, the reality of Kurama's words…

I'm such an idiot.

Waves of helplessness lapped at Yusuke. Any second now, he might be dragged under and never resurface…

"Urameshi, they're right. Look, we're all feeling what we feel. But this is about helping Kura get better, not beating ourselves up," Kuwabara was saying. "Just stop it already. We need you to—"

But Kuwabara was cut off as someone burst into the training room.

"Yusuke! Kurama!"

Everyone looked around. "Shizuru?" Kuwabara said.

"Kurama, Yusuke," Shizuru gasped. "Listen!!"

Kurama's heart jumped at the sight of Shizuru's pale face and panicked eyes. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong with Kura!" she said. "You have to come, now!"

A.N. Oh dear... this isn't looking good!

It was great to share this chapter with you all. I first drafted it way back in 2021 while planning Book 3. It all started with the image of Kurama staring at Yusuke before punching him through the shoji screen...

And in case you're wondering, their conversation is not over yet.

As I said before, I apologise for the delay in publishing. It was very unexpected.

My best friend's wedding couldn't have gone better...and then the very next day a certain insane family member did something unforgivable to me that sent me into a three day crying marathon. So yeah. Wasn't really in a headspace to do any editing. Hopefully the more insane members of my family won't get in the way of my creativity again.

Next chapter isn't going to be too long, so I'll have that up in a week or two.

FanFiction's emails are back at long last, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think of this chapter and what you think might happen next. We've got some interesting things coming up in the next couple of instalments, including a surprise returning character!Who could it be? Hmmm...

Until next time, stay safe, stay awesome and we'll see you soon!

- Rosentic xx