Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Sin of Regret ❯ Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the wait!

For those of you who don't already know, I had a minor inspirational crisis of an unusual sort: I had too _much_ inspiration!!!

I had two different ways I thought that the story could go in the next couple chapters, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted. I figured it out, finally, compromising between my two ideas, and I had to rewrite the last half of chapter 4, which led to the addition of some dialogue that might be important later, and a scene that made the whole transition to certain events in chapter 5 much smoother.

So anyway, here's chapter 3, and hopefully chapter 5 will progress smoothly so that I can get chapter 4 to you soon.

On the muse front....ACK!!! I now have one, possibly two, prequels to this fic planned, as well as _another_ YYH fic, which is based on the idea I originally had when I started writing "Parting Gift"; also I have a Trigun epic (if anyone's read Axis, yes, it's the prequel to that), and a Digimon epic (no, not at all related to "Shattered Reflections" and "Trust and Kindness", plus she's starting to pick at one of my old Gundam Wing fic ideas (sorry, not "The Crow: Shinigami", the reprise of "Acting Therapy") -_-;;; Jeez, Shonia sure has a thing for the epics, doesn't she?

Sin of Regret

Chapter 3

Shiori stood up immediately when the doctor came into the waiting room and fixed his eyes on her and her husband.

"How is he?" Shiori asked.

"He seems to have stabilized," the doctor said, giving her a reassuring smile. "He's sleeping now. Why don't you go home and get some sleep yourself?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here, in case..."

"Why don't we set up a cot in an empty room for you?"

"Thank you. Is it alright if I look in on him?"

"Only for a moment."

~*~

Shizuru met Yuusuke and Botan in the hallway to the waiting room.

"The limiter seems to be working," she said, without preamble. "Shiori-san just went in to see him. How did it go with Hiei?"

"Not well." Yuusuke replied, with a sour expression. "He was a real bastard!" At Shizuru's sardonic look he amended; "I mean, a lot more than usual."

"Well, I'm shoving off." Shizuru said. "You should probably take your fiancée home." Shizuru tossed the com back to Yuusuke and walked off down the hall.

"Don't worry." Botan laid a hand on his arm in a reassuring gesture. "I'm going to stay here to keep an eye on him. You should get some rest."

"Yeah."

Yuusuke walked into the waiting room and saw Keiko asleep across two of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. He crouched down beside her and looked at her angelic, sleeping face, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face. Keiko's eyes opened slowly and she gave Yuusuke a small smile.

"Let's go," Yuusuke said quietly.

~*~

Shiori stood by her son's bedside, watching him sleep. His sleep wasn't altogether peaceful; his brows were knotted slightly and he tossed and turned every so often. She brushed his sweat-soaked bangs off his forehead, feeling that his temperature had gone down a little, though it was still high.

Shuuichi's right arm jerked slightly, and a silver gleam caught Shiori's eye. She moved the edge of the hospital gown sleeve up and saw that a silver band with engraved symbols was wrapped around his arm.

"'Kaasan..." Shiori looked up from inspecting the band and saw her son's slightly glazed, green eyes fixed on her.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"Iie...daijoubu..." Shuuichi glanced over at the band with a puzzled expression, then it changed to recognition and he chuckled softly. "I see...how clever..."

"What is it?" Shiori asked.

"Nothing..." Shuuichi's eyes drifted shut. "Gomen, `Kaasan...I never meant to hurt you..."

"Don't say things like that," Shiori admonished softly. "You're a strong young man, you will get better soon." She watched as her son's breathing evened out and she decided that he was asleep, then she quietly left the room.

~*~

Yuusuke and Keiko were nearly back to Keiko's house before Yuusuke broke the silence.

"Y'know, part of me is hoping that Kurama's sickness is from some kind of youkai attack. I guess that might sound a little weird..."

"Not really," Keiko replied. "Because if it's a youkai, then you have something real that you can fight." Keiko smiled at Yuusuke's dumbfounded expression. "Don't look so surprised, I've known you since we were kids, you don't think I'd know a little about how you think by now?"

"I guess you have a point there..."

"Why didn't Hiei come?" Keiko asked. "I thought he'd come right away if he heard that Kurama is sick."

"So did I," Yuusuke said. "He acted like I'd expect him to if it were Kuwabara who was sick. No... Maybe even worse."

"Worse?" Keiko asked, looking surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Yuusuke said slowly. "If it were Kuwabara, he'd grumble and say it served him right, but he'd probably still come." `If for no other reason than to look after Yukina.'

By then they'd reached Keiko's house. Yuusuke pulled his fiancée close and gave her a deep kiss. He just continued to hold her in his arms for a moment, savoring the feeling of her warm body against his before letting her go.

"What was that for?" Keiko asked with a gentle smile.

"What? I have to have a reason?" Yuusuke asked. "Goodnight, Keiko."

"Goodnight, Yuu-chan." She went inside an shut the door, even as he started to sputter indignant protests to the pet name.

~*~

Incessant beeping infiltrated Yuusuke's dreams. Still mostly asleep, he reached out and smacked his alarm clock before realizing that the beeping was in a completely different pitch than his clock.

Yuusuke sat up and glared muzzily at his nightstand for a moment before he registered that the sound was coming from his com.

"Wazzit?" Yuusuke mumbled at Koenma.

"I think I know what's wrong with Kurama."