Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Remains Unspoken ❯ Chapter VII ( Chapter 7 )

That Which Remains Unspoken:

Chapter 7

A flash of light, the cracking of a whip, and the battle cries of the three boys rang out through the sweltering Makai forest. The sun shone down directly above them, filtering through the trees and creating a hothouse that threatened to sweat them dry. Yusuke panted, he had given that last blast of his Spirit Gun all he had left, and now he was totally out of Spirit Energy. He looked over at his fox lover and saw that the red-haired boy was also dripping sweat, his breathing rattling harshly out of his dry mouth. Looking over to his other side, the Spirit Detective saw that Kuwabara was also almost finished, his bare upper torso was flushed a bright red and a small wound on his ribs trickled blood. His face was shining with sweat and his breathing was shallow and quick.

Luckily for the trio, the demon in front of them toppled over, making the ground shake with a tremendous crash. Teeth rattling, Yusuke collapsed on the ground, and Kuwabara followed him moments later. Kurama was slightly more composed, leaning against a tree to regain his breath. A scratch on his cheek trailed blood down his neck. Yusuke looked up at him, sweat running into his eyes and blurring his vision. Kurama met his gaze, then let his eyes wander all over Yusuke's lean body, scrutinizing his love carefully for any injuries. Seeing none, he sank down to the ground, rested his back up against the tree trunk, and closing his eyes, slowly breathed in and out, trying to regain his strength.

Crawling on all fours Yusuke dragged himself over to Kurama's still form. He snuggled up to the fox-boy's side, then reached out his tongue and slowly licked the blood off his neck. Trailing his tongue slowly upwards, he soon found Kurama's cut and licked it clean, the taste of coppery blood lingering in his mouth.

Kurama opened one eye and looked down at his dark-haired love. Chuckling, he caught Yusuke's bloodstained lips in a passionate kiss and the taste of his own blood filled his mouth. Grimacing slightly he turned away for a moment and spat on the ground. Yusuke smirked when he saw this, but didn't let the fox see. When Kurama turned back to him, he tiredly slipped an arm around the Spirit Detective's waist and gently caressed his waist. Yusuke leaned on Kurama's shoulder and glanced over at his other friend. The carrot-headed boy was asleep, flat on his back. A tired grin stole across Yusuke's worn face and it lingered there as he fell asleep in his love's embrace. Right before he drifted off, a lone thought stole through his head: "Where is Hiei?"

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The said fire demon was wandering throughout the forests of the Makai, all by himself, not planning on going back to the team. Seeing the two lovers intertwined so had been the last straw for him, and he had left…for good. He had sworn never to go back, never to see Kurama or Yusuke again, and most importantly not to love Kurama anymore. The pieces of his shattered heart had turned to stone and that was the way he wanted it. He didn't want to feel the pain anymore, didn't want to cry anymore. So he had hardened his heart and shut off all traces of feeling, closed them into the farthest recesses of his mind, where hopefully they would collect dust and be forgotten.

What he would do, or where he would go was still unknown to him, but he knew he would survive somehow. There was always use in the Makai for someone with skills such as his, even if it wasn't always the best of jobs. He knew he would be able to survive…but moving on was another story.

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The three boys had awoken hours later to find the late afternoon sun slanting down through the trees and spattering the ground with light and shadows. Kurama had been the first to wake, the sun shining in his face painting rainbows and half-formed images on the insides of his eyelids. Looking down and finding Yusuke still asleep he had grinned and brushed a lock of his downy hair off his face. He leaned his head back against the rough bark of the tree trunk and grimaced when an image of Hiei's face played through his mind. The pain and anguish had been displayed openly the moment he had met his friend's eyes. What could he have done to get Hiei so upset?

Yusuke stirred slightly in his sleep and snuggled in closer to Kurama's warm body. Tightening his grip on the smaller boy, Kurama continued to brood over Hiei. He sat there and stared up at the sunny canopy overhead for a long time until it finally hit him. Hiei loved him. The look he had seen in Hiei's eyes so many times now became clear to him. It was love. Hiei loved him, and he hadn't realized it. He had turned on Hiei and latched onto Yusuke right in front of his face. He had taken Hiei's heart and ground it into a million pieces over and over again. That was why the little fire demon had run off, that was why he had been gone so long.

Sighing Kurama turned his head and looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. Yes, he loved Yusuke. Hiei was…well Hiei was Hiei. The little fire demon was his best friend and yes, Kurama loved him, but his affection for Yusuke came first. He loved Hiei, but not in the fiery passionate way he loved Yusuke. Yusuke was his one and only love, and he was foremost in Kurama's life. The fox felt bad for Hiei and knew he would have to talk to him as soon as possible and explain things. Maybe then the little fire demon would come back.

Kuwabara sat up at that moment, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He glanced over at Kurama and got a small wave by way of a hello. Waving back he stumbled sleepily to his feet and walked off into the bushes. Kurama stretched slightly and the small movement woke the Spirit Detective sleeping next to him. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, the first thing in his line of sight Kurama's grinning face. Yusuke grinned back and hugged the fox-boy, getting a squeeze and a kiss on the ear in return. Kuwabara stumbled back into the clearing and began rummaging in his pack for something to eat. All that he found were three granola bars and a bottle of water. Sighing he tossed each of his friends a granola bar and passed around the bottle of water. The boys could always tell it was time to go home when the food ran out.

Shortly thereafter, the three boys started their trek back to the normal world, Kurama and Yusuke clinging to each other as always. Kuwabara had pretty much given up on splitting them up, because after Hiei had left there seemed no point in it. He now walked ahead of them, swinging a stick he had picked up and hitting almost every tree he passed in muted anger. The two behind him however were blissfully unaware of the tall boy's emotions, both of them still lost in the world of lovers.

In fact, all three of them were caught off guard when moments later a blast of energy exploded in their midst. Yelling to wake the dead, Kuwabara flew back about 20 feet and cracked his skull off a tree trunk, sinking to the ground unconscious. Shaking, the Spirit Detective and the kitsune shifted into a fighting stance, the latter pulling out his Rose Whip and the former's hand beginning to glow blue. Several massive demons stepped out of the foliage, blocking their path to Kuwabara.

"Who the hell are these guys?!" Yusuke asked Kurama. But before the fox could answer, one of the demons laughed and said, "We're friends of Shinjita, the demon you happened to murder earlier today." His ugly face split into a wide leer. "And we're not too happy about it." The two other demons behind him stepped forward menacingly.

"They don't look too happy," Yusuke said matter-of-factly to Kurama. Kurama chuckled in spite of himself. Yusuke's mouth never failed him, even when they were in the midst of the most dire of situations. The small laugh, however, was cut short as the three demons launched themselves at the remainder of the Urameshi Team.