Anger And Tears, Happiness And Joy

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of it's characters.

CHAPTER 2

“What was that?!” Kuwabara said, feeling the burst of spirit energy.

“It’s coming from the jewelry store by the movie theater!” Hiei said.

“Yusuke!” Keiko gasped. “He’s in trouble!” There was already an ambulance racing toward the scene. The group was startled when Hiei’s cell phone rang.

“For once I‘m glad I have this damn contraption,” Hiei said, reaching into his coat pocket. “Kurama insisted I buy it when we were together so we could keep in contact with each other in ‘normal’ ways. Like I need it to know where people are. Yes, it’s him. What’s happened, Kurama?”

“We’re on our way to the East Hospital,” Kurama said, sobbing. “Someone attacked us, and Yusuke’s nearly been killed!”

“We’ll be right there!” Hiei said, hanging up. “Come on! They’re taking Yusuke to the East Hospital. They should be there by the time we get there.”

“Yusuke...” Kuwabara breathed.

********************************************************************

When the group arrived at the hospital, Kurama met them at the doors, his eyes as red as his hair. “Thank you for coming. Yusuke is in the intensive care unit, and they won’t let me see him. I’m so worried.”

“It’ll be all right, Kurama,” Hiei said, hugging the taller man. “He’s strong, and he’ll pull through. For you, if not for himself.”

“Here comes the doctor,” Keiko said. The doctor was blasted with a crowd of worried people asking her a whirlwind of questions.

“Calm down, everyone, please,” said Amy Mizumo. “I need to talk to the patients closest relatives.”

“I’m Yusuke’s fiancée, Miss,” Kurama said. “He lost his mother recently, and has no other family that live close by.”

“Follow me, please,” she said, leading him into a secured area of the hospital. “Suichi Minamino, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said.

“Yes, I remember you from when your mother was sick a few years ago. I must say, Mr. Minamino, your partner is a remarkably strong young man,” she said. “He’s going to have problems with his memory and some motor skills, but he should be just fine besides that.”

“Is he awake?” he asked.

“He regained consciousness just a little while ago,” she said with a smile. “He asked for his boyfriend.”

“Thank God he’s all right,” Kurama breathed. They walked into the recovery room, and he gasped at the sight. Yusuke was covered in bandages, with an oxygen tube in his nose. “Yusuke...”

“Koi...” Yusuke breathed. “I’m glad you’re all right, Love.”

“I should be thanking you for saving my life,” he said, taking his hand. “I was so afraid I’d lost you.”

“No such luck,” he teased.

“You’re a tough old stick, Yusuke,” Kurama said. “The others will be glad to hear you’ll pull through.”

“Rakana and Makuro are here?!” Yusuke asked, nearly causing Kurama to faint. Rakana and Makuro were two demons that he had not seen for years, since before either of them had been reborn. “By the way, Yoko, you look good with red hair,” Yusuke said.

“Oh my god!” he said in shock. ‘He must still be living in his past, when he was Prince of Demons!’

“What’s wrong, love?” Yusuke said, puzzled.

“Dr. Mizumo, can I be alone with Yusuke for a few minutes?” Without a word, she left the room, and Kurama sat in a chair next to the bed, taking his hand. “Yusuke, how much do you remember about what happened?”

“I remember this,” Yusuke said, kissing him. “We were walking in Father’s gardens with Rakana, and then I felt a blast of energy coming towards you. I don’t think you realized that anything was wrong until I pulled you around behind me to avoid the blast.”

“This can’t be happening...” Kurama said. “Yusuke, you were killed in that attack. That was nearly twenty years ago.” Yusuke didn’t say anything, so puzzled by the situation that he was almost numb. “You were apparently reborn, and you’ve had a lot of experiences fighting demons. I had hoped that you’d be able to have a normal life, but after you were killed in a car accident a few years ago, you were given back some of your spirit powers. You may not remember, but we discussed this only yesterday. There are a lot of people waiting out in the waiting room who care about you.”

“Hiei here?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah, he’s here,” he said.

“Who else is out there?”

“A girl named Keiko, a classmate of yours named Kuwabara, Hiei’s sister Yukina, and Botan.” Kurama said.

“Since when do I associate with humans and Koenma’s little lackeys?” Yusuke said irritably.

“Since you became a human yourself,” he said. “Shall I have Hiei come in?”

“If you can, have everybody come in,” Yusuke said. “But Hiei especially.”

“See you in a few minutes, then,” Kurama said, smiling. As he walked down the hallway toward the waiting room, his mind raced with what he should tell the people waiting for him. Would Yususke recognize them, or would he, Hiei, Yukina, and Botan be the only ones he knew? When he came into sight of the others, they stood up and walked to him. This time, they didn’t say anything. “Hiei, Yukina, and Botan, I need to talk to you.”

“What is it, Kurama?” Hiei asked.

“He doesn’t remember his human life at all,” Kurama said. “He still thinks he’s living in his demon form. He recognizes me, but only because I was there with him before. I don’t know what we should tell Keiko and the others.”

“Tell them the truth, Kurama,” Botan said. “They all know that Yusuke has special powers. It doesn’t have to be a secret that he had a life before this one.”

“All right,” Kurama said. “You remember how you felt about him back then, don’t you, Hiei? All three of us were together, as lovers.”

“What the hell are you talk.....” Hiei was suddenly struck with realization. “It’s been so long, and I didn’t even... Oh, my god... That’s really the prince?!”

“Yes, Hiei, that’s our prince laying in that bed in there,” he said. “He wants to see you.”

“When His Majesty summons me, I must obey,” Hiei said. He and Kurama walked back to Yusuke’s bedside, and the young spirit detective smiled instantly. He took Hiei’s hand and pulled him in for a tight embrace. “Your Majesty, I...”

“Stop with the formalities, Hiei,” Yusuke said, looking into his eyes. “Don’t you remember what we were to each other?” Hiei was stunned. He’d thought that he’d gotten over his demon master after the young man had been killed. That familiar embrace was re-igniting the flame that he thought had died years before.

“I didn’t realize who you really were until Kurama told me, Milord,” he said.

“As soon as I get out of this bed, we’ll go to one of our own and...”

“I’m afraid I cannot,” Hiei interrupted. “I have a woman who loves me now, and I love her. I would be yours in an instant if it wasn’t for my attachment to her. She would be furious.” He squeezed his former lover’s hand and looked apologetically, his eyes misting slightly. “I hope you understand that a lot has happened since we were together.”

“It’s all right, Hiei,” he said. “I hope you understand that the offer is always on the table, whenever you feel you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Majesty,” Hiei said, bowing. When the others walked in a few minutes later, Yusuke nearly had a heart attack when he saw Kuwabara’s face.

“Oh sweet Shinigami!” he yelped. “Father?! You were reborn as well?!”

“What are you talking about, Yusuke?” Kuwabara said. Hiei and Kurama looked at each other in stunned silence. Could this really be their King? He was in no way related to Yusuke, but he did have some features of King Raizen. The sudden look of realization on his face made it evident that he suddenly remembered everything. “Oh my god! I can’t believe that I didn’t remember before this.”

“Your Majesty,” Kurama said, bowing. He gestured for Hiei to do the same, but Hiei was still in shock. All this time, this buffoon had been HIS King? Kuwabara chuckled at the display, realizing that it was going to take some time for his son’s former lover to accept this.

“Yusuke, do you remember your mother at all?” he said.

“Only a few chunks, of her laying in a bed, dying.”

“He’s remembering a recent memory,” Kurama whispered. “At least the amnesia isn’t completely encompassing his mind.”

“It’s amazing, but your mother was given a second chance to raise you,” Kuwabara said. “She died giving birth to your younger brother, but was reborn shortly thereafter and given the chance to raise you here in this life.”

“But she recently died of lung cancer, not remembering a thing about her former life,” Kurama said. “I hope to God that you can remember more of her, because you were devastated when she died.”

********************************************************************

“Welcome home, Yusuke,” Kurama said a few weeks later as they walked into their new apartment. “It’s small, but I think it’ll do.”

“It’s lovely, Yoko,” Yusuke said. Looking around, he saw some of the pictures that Keiko and Shizuru had set out when she’d helped everyone move Kurama and Yusuke’s things into the apartment. A flash of memory sparked in his mind. “I recognize these pictures. This is Keiko and me as kids.”

“What else do you remember,” Kurama said hopefully.

“Not much more, unfortunately,” Yusuke said. “I remember all the idiot teachers at my school always lecturing me, and Keiko bitching me out for not coming to school very often.”

“Do you remember when we first met, a few years ago?” Kurama cooed, nibbling on his lover’s ear softly.

“You were... a thief...” Yusuke said, trying to concentrate but having a hard time doing so with Kurama’s loving ministrations. “If I’d known I was a demon at the time, I would’ve gladly helped you steal those artifacts.”

“But you saved my mother’s life, risking your own life in the process,” he said. “No cold-hearted demon would’ve done that, and you were one of the oldest and cruelest in Demon World, except for your father.”

“Only because I had to be,” he responded. “If I hadn’t been that way, I’d have been killed even sooner by one of the many lowlife demons who wanted my head on their walls.”

“When you died, Hiei nearly went mad with rage,” Kurama said, remembering that day. “He found out who did it and went after him. He brought the man’s head to your grave and offered it to your spirit. He wanted to make sure your soul would be taken to a good place.”

“It was,” Yusuke said. “I was put back with you, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, and I thank God for that every time I look at your beautiful face,” he said. “I love you.”

“I only wish Hiei was not attached to Keiko now,” Yusuke said.

“You may not realize it, Yusuke, but he feels exactly how he did,” Kurama said, sadly. “It’s killing him that he can’t be with you anymore.”

“Did he say that?”

“No, but he didn’t have to,” he said. “He’s always loved you.” When the two boys walked into the bedroom, they were caught by surprise – Hiei lay on the bed, completely naked, waiting for them. “My god...”

“Hiei, what are you doing?” Yusuke stammered.

“Waiting for you, Your Majesty,” Hiei said, his Jagan eye glowing. “Keiko’s working late at her father’s shop. She’ll never know about this.”

“Are you sure about this?” Kurama said. “You’re cheating on your girlfriend just for one bout of pleasure from the past.”

“Quiet, Yoko,” Yusuke said. “This may not ever happen again, and I want to enjoy it.”

“I...” Kurama didn’t know what to say. Yusuke levitated over to the waiting bed with the short demon in it. Kurama turned to leave, but Hiei moaned his name, immediately causing the red-head to tighten in his pants. “Wait, I’m coming.”

********************************************************************

A few hours later, when Yusuke and Kurama awoke, they saw immediately that Hiei was gone. In his hand, Yusuke found a note. When he read it, his heart felt like it was going to break.

“What’s wrong?” Kurama asked, and Yusuke handed him the note. “My dearest Yusuke, I’m sorry I left so soon. I had to get back to Keiko before I was missed. I love you both, and this was good, but I know it will never happen again. We must continue as friends. I’m sorry. All my love, Hiei.” Kurama held Yusuke’s sobbing body in his arms in an attempt to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Yusuke.”

“Why does God keep doing this to me?” Yusuke said. “First Rakana, then Mamoto, Jinshisho, and my young Miss Genkai! How many more people will leave me before this madness stops?!”

“I will promise you now that I will never leave you, even after I die,” Kurama said, holding him tight. “And that could be at any time at all.”

“Please don’t say things like that,” he whimpered. “After everything that’s happened, I couldn’t stand losing you. I would have to be dying myself before I’d watch you die again.”

“I pray to God that never happens.”

“Thank you so much, my love,” Yusuke said.

Hiei watched outside the apartment as his short-haired lover shed those tears. He couldn’t help shedding tears of his own, and the black gems dropped onto the floor of the balcony. He did indeed love Yusuke, but he also knew that he’d done something that could lose him Keiko for good if she ever found out. “Goodbye, my love,” he said before jumping down from the balcony.

A little while later, Yusuke felt a strange urge to smoke. It was odd because he hadn’t remembered ever smoking as a demon. By instinct, he reached for the pack of cigarettes on the table, got up and put his pants on. Before he could open the door to the balcony, he heard Kurama calling him.

“Something wrong, Yoko?”

“Please don’t smoke, Yusuke,” Kurama said, sitting up. “I don’t want you to fall into that awful habit.”

“I’m afraid I’m in that hole a lot deeper than I can help,” he said. “But hopefully I can quit.”

“Start now,” he pleaded. “My father, Jounishiro, and your human mother Atsuko died from lung cancer after smoking for years.”

“I need a little fresh air,” Yusuke said, dropping the cigarettes into the garbage. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was the small handful of black stones. “Kurama, you may want to see this.”

“What is it, Yusuke?” he said, wrapping a sheet around his waist.

“Hiei was... crying.” he said, picking up the black gems.

“As I said, he loves you with his whole heart,” Kurama said. With a quick thought, he used his plant powers to loop the stones into a small necklace. “Here is a special gift, from both of us.” He placed the jewelry around his lover’s neck. “Part of my spirit is in these bands, and part of Hiei’s heart is in the stones.”

“I love you, Kurama,” Yusuke said. ‘Hiei, if you can hear me, know that I will never forget you.’

‘Nor will I, My Beloved King,’ Hiei said telepathically. ‘Never forget that I love you.’

‘Never,’ Yusuke said, closing the mental link.

********************************************************************

Hiei arrived home to an empty apartment, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was able to take a shower before hearing a knock at the door. He wrapped a towel around his waist and mid-section, and answered it.

“Hi, Hiei,” Keiko said happily before realizing that he was wearing very little. “Mm, don’t you look good tonight?”

“Care to see more of me, Milady?” he said softly, reaching to undo the knot in the towel. Before he could do so, however, his head began swimming, and he dropped to his knees.

“Hiei!” Keiko cried.

“I’m all right,” he panted. “I’m just a bit tired. I’ve had a busy day.” He smiled inwardly, his eyes as dark as midnight on the outside. He’d a VERY busy day. “I’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

“Thank goodness,” she said. She touched his forehead and gasped. “Hiei, you’re burning up!”

“My love, I’m a fire demon,” he said, reaching up to touch her face. “I’m supposed to be hot to the touch. But I must admit I feel somewhat ill. Kiss me and make me feel better?” Keiko smiled, pressing her lips against Hiei’s, her mouth tasting something rather strange, salty. She liked the taste, but she knew it wasn’t him.

“Hiei, what have you been doing?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Hiei said in the midst of kissing her neck and shoulders.

“You taste different,” she said. “You said that you and Yusuke were together in the old days.” Hiei’s half-closed eyes snapped open. Did she know?!

“Keiko, I can...” He looked up at her, but she put a finger to his lips.

“You had a fling with him, didn’t you, Hiei?” she said. “Am I not enough for you?”

“I’m sorry, Keiko,” he said, pulling away. “But it’s true. I still love Yusuke. I love YOU so much, but I loved him first, and I can’t forget that.”

“I can understand that,” she said. “But that doesn’t explain why you were unfaithful to me.” She stood, straightened her clothes, and walked toward the door.

“Keiko, wait!” Hiei cried.

“I don’t think I will, Hiei,” she said. “It’s over between us.”

“No!” he yelled. “Keiko!”

********************************************************************

Botan knew something was wrong with Keiko again. She could feel it in her link to the young girl. She didn’t know why, but she always knew how Keiko was feeling. She loved her so much and... Botan shook her head sharply. Did she really have feelings for the little brunette? She looked down at her shaking hands. She always had problems keeping her thoughts straight when Keiko was around, and especially now. Using her powers, Botan quickly flew to where Keiko was.

“Keiko, are you all right?”

“B... Botan?” Keiko stuttered. “Yes, I’m okay.”

“Well, if okay means red eyes and wet cheeks, then I guess you’re just peachy,” Botan said sadly.

“I broke up with Hiei because he cheated on me,” Keiko said. Botan suddenly took Keiko into her arms, hugging her tightly. She couldn’t feel any resistance on Keiko’s part, so she carefully lowered the two of them into a sitting position on the ground. Rubbing her hand through her hair, she felt the tears from Keiko’s eyes softly falling onto her shoulder.

“Just let it out, dear,” Botan said. “Just know that I care about you.”

“Thank you, Botan,” Keiko said. Much to her surprise, however, Botan pressed her lips to hers. Her eyes snapped open in shock, and she reared back. “BOTAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Well, I would’ve thought it was quite obvious,” she said, releasing Keiko’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, Keiko, but I feel connected to you in a way I can’t really explain.”

“I....”