Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Right Thing ❯ Chapter V ( Chapter 5 )

The Right Thing:

Chapter 5

Handing the obviously chilled youth a hot mug of cocoa, Kurama sat down across from him and watched the orange-haired boy intently. The suspicion still hadn't fully left his eyes and there was a wariness about him that belied his usually calm exterior.

Just as Kuwabara looked up to find the fox-boy watching him and was about to comment on it, Hiei strolled into the room wearing nothing but his typical black pants. Kuwabara's mouth dropped open as the little demon walked over to the red-haired boy and placed a lazy kiss on his lips before sitting down next to him. He shot Kuwabara an uninterested glance. "You look like some species of fish," he drawled and with one finger, reached over and shut the other boy's mouth with a click of teeth. "Better," he decided and got up once more to get himself something to drink.

Kurama chuckled at the dazed look on his friend's face and took a sip of his own cocoa. "Yes, Kuwabara, Hiei and I really are together. What Yusuke told you was true."

"But…how?!…I never…I mean-"

Kurama cut the stuttered youth off. "So my hunch was right, Yusuke did tell you everything."

Kuwabara felt his cheeks flare with an angry heat. "So what?! Why should you care?! He needed me, Kurama! Needed me! You have Hiei now, so why should you give a damn about what happens to Urameshi? So just leave him alone!" Surprised at his own outburst and depth of feeling, Kuwabara quickly clamped his mouth shut and stared down into the swirling chocolate liquid.

Hiei sat down at the table with them again, snickering. "Looks like Urameshi doesn't need Kurama anymore…"

With a sharp glance, Kurama kicked the fire demon under the table and gave his head a brief shake. Hiei stared back at him blankly. With a quiet sigh, Kurama turned back to the orange-haired teen and saw that he was staring into the depths of his mug as if the chocolate held al the answers to his problems. "Kuwabara?" he queried gently.

With a start, the other boy looked up and found a pair of understanding green eyes meeting his own confused black ones. "What?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably. Kurama's eyes were so…intense; it felt as if he could see right down into your soul, as if you could hide nothing from the kitsune in disguise.

"I think…" Here he paused, unsure of how to word this so the other teen wouldn't be scared off.

"I think that you and Yusuke need to talk," said Hiei, he hid his expression from the others by taking a sip from his mug, but they could hear the tone of compassion in his voice. "You won't get anywhere by hiding how you really feel." He set the mug down with a soft thump and watched Kuwabara with flaming red eyes and an unwavering gaze.

Kuwabara held the demon's stare for several moments more before quickly averting his eyes. Hiei was right and he knew it. But…how did one talk to someone about these things? Especially someone who, up until very recently, had been you best friend?

"Maybe you should sort things out for yourself first, though." Kurama voice was kind and his eyes still radiated understanding like a beacon. "It's no good talking to someone about how they feel when you yourself don't even understand things."

And once more, Kuwabara knew Kurama was right. Heaving a huge sigh, he shoved the mug of almost untouched cocoa out of the way and buried his face in his arms. With a finger to his lips, Kurama motioned to Hiei and the two demons left the room silently. It was best to leave the confused Spirit Sword wielder alone for a while, he obviously needed some time alone to think about everything that had happened. Assuming something had happened in the first place.

"You know, Kurama," Hiei said once they were in another room. He sat himself down on the kitsune's lap and looked him square in the eye. "We could be wrong about this. We don't even know for sure if something really happened. We could be steering them both down the wrong track."

Kurama smirked a little and a gleam of craftiness, reminiscent of the Youko buried deep within him, sparked in his eyes. "I think we did the right thing. You should have seen him earlier, he would barely even meet my eyes! Yes…" he mused. "Something did happen. And I'm sure it's along the lines of what we're feeling-" He was cut off here by a possessive kiss from the other demon.

"Who cares?" Hiei growled, slipping his arms around the fox boy's neck and tightening them considerably. "Let them work it out." He began to nibble on Kurama's neck, eliciting little gasps from the other.

"Hiei!…Hiei!" Gently he pushed his demon lover away. "You know as well as I do that you care."

"Hn," the little fire demon snorted, but Kurama caught the glimmer of truth in his scarlet depths. With a smile, Kurama kissed Hiei once more before gently placing him on the couch and rising. "I think I'm going to go look in on Kuwabara. Then I think I'll head upstairs to my room to do some homework." His smile widened into a full-blown smirk after he had said that last sentence and as he left the room, he felt Hiei rush by him and up the stairs.

Still smirking, he stuck his head into the kitchen quietly, only to find it empty. Nodding to himself, he also turned and headed up the stairs, following Hiei. "I do hope they manage to work something out," Kurama thought, concern swirling in his mind. But all that was forgotten the moment he stepped into his room and found Hiei waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuwabara found himself once more wandering aimlessly down the sidewalks, not really knowing where to go or what to do. He wanted to go talk to Yusuke, but he wasn't sure if he should or even could! After all, everything had happened so fast, and he wasn't sure if Yusuke had had enough time yet to think his side of the issue over.

Shoes tapping softly on the concrete, Kuwabara eventually found himself almost at the other end of the city from where Yusuke lived. Sighing once more, he flopped down on a bench and placed his head in his hands. This was getting him nowhere. He had to do something!

"Get some backbone, man!" he chastised himself. He knew that if he didn't do something soon, he might lose his chance altogether. But even so, he just could not bring his feet to turn themselves towards Yusuke's house.

So, even as the afternoon lengthened, Kuwabara found himself still sitting on that bench, almost as far away from Yusuke as he could get. And even while his heart screamed at him that this wasn't right, that this wasn't where he was supposed to be, his pragmatic mind refused to be sucked in and kept him trapped in a prison of his own making.

The first shades of night were just beginning to fall when a pair of shoes appeared in his line of vision as he stared at the cracked concrete by his feet. His breath catching in his throat, Kuwabara looked up to find Yusuke standing over him, rubbing bare arms for warmth. One hand left his arm and came up to rub the back of his head almost shyly. "Um…hi Kuwabara…Can we…talk?"

With a relieved nod, Kuwabara stood up and for a moment, Yusuke gaped in wonder as the taller boy's head was silhouetted against the darkening sky. Kuwabara looked down at the motionless teen and shifted awkwardly. With a start Yusuke shook himself from his stupor and began walking with his friend, not knowing that these next few hours would become the most important (and the most cherished) of his life.