Time of The Twilight Rose

Chapter Five


Kurama stepped over the broken bottle as he made his way to the kitchen. Yusuke was taking a shower so he was going to order out something for dinner. Seeing as there was no food in the whole apartment. He'd already called and spoken to his mother letting her know where he was. Instead of going to the Makai as planned he was going to stay here for a few days. He would need to go shopping in the morning for some groceries. His mother told him she'd call to let him know if Kagome called there for him.

First thing that needed to be done was to clean up the place, he refused to sleep in the mess. Atsuko had gone out again it seemed leaving the boy alone once more. Of course Yusuke was now old enough to fend for himself. Kurama felt sorry for the woman and could understand her pain. Yet drinking wasn't the answer to her problems, she still had a son to think about.

He called his order in and began picking up the trash off the floor. Hopefully, no one would come back with her tonight. He felt Yusuke didn't need to put up with a bunch of drunks carrying on. Hiei had left to head back to the Makai and Mukuro. Kurama wasn't sure what their relationship was, nor did he want to know. His own life was confusing, he didn't need to worry about the other man.

Yusuke came out in just a pair of jeans, hair still damp from the shower. His hair hung in his face giving him that boyish look that Kurama adored. He looked up at the fox, "You don't have to clean."

"It's no problem, dinner will be here in about thirty minutes. I'll go shopping tomorrow morning to get a few things." Kurama sat down next to him on the couch keeping some space between them. He could see the tension in the other man's shoulders. "How do you feel?"

"Confused. I wonder if I did the right thing. Maybe I should have just let it go, let it be. Now not only will it effect my life but hers as well. She has a family, from the looks of it a good one. What if I just messed that up for her? Once again I did something without thinking." He placed his face in his hands, feeling the begining of a headache coming on.

Kurama scooted closer, placing an arm around his shoulders. "True but then again that's what makes you Yusuke. Don't worry about it, you did the right thing. Even if you went about it the wrong way. You felt that she needed to know, so you told her. She is your sister, now she will have to decide if she wants to accept that fact. The worst that can happen is she doesn't call. You did all you could, we'll give her time to think about it. Maybe she will decide that she wants to get to know you. Don't let yourself get so down about it." He leaned forward so he could look at him clearly.

Yusuke turned his head taking comfort from his friend. He was right, they'd just have to wait and see what the girl did now. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt the tips of Kurama's fingers glide across the nape of his neck. The hand ran down the top of his back and up along his spine. His abdomen jerked at the sensation it caused. The touch was meant to be comforting but was having a strange effect on his body. He let his eyes land on the man's face, who was smiling at him. Yusuke let his gaze fall to the smiling mouth. 'He has a beautiful mouth.'

Kurama's eyes widened when he saw Yusuke staring at his mouth. He leaned a little closer without being too obvious. His heart soared when he felt him start to lean as well. A few more inches and he'd be able to see what those lips tasted like. He could hear Yusuke's heartbeat speed up, he leaned in closer his eyes seeking for an answer. Shock filled him when their eyes met and Yusuke was the one to close the distance between them.

Kurama closed his eyes at the feeling, his lips were soft yet firm. Before Yusuke could pull away he deepened the kiss wanting to make sure the boy enjoyed their first kiss. His tongue came out forcing Yusuke to open his mouth. He moaned when he felt Yusuke's tongue shyly came up to meet his.

Yusuke felt his body respond when Kurama's tongue brushed against his. He brought his hand up tangling it in the long red hair. His mind told him to stop, that he was making a move on one of his best friends. Kurama didn't pull back when he took control over the kiss, instead he let him taste his mouth. The feeling was leaving him lightheaded, excitement filled him. Shock entered his mind when he realized that he was aroused. He wanted to touch the other man, to kiss more than his mouth.

Loud knocking caused them to break apart, Yusuke jumped up off the couch. He didn't look at the other man as he walked over to the door. "Yeah." He took a deep breath trying to calm his body down. Horror filled him, he had just kissed another man. He had kissed him and enjoyed it immensely. What would Kurama think of him now? Would the man be upset with him for doing it?

"Yusuke!" Keiko yelled from the otherside, "Open up, who's in there with you?"

He jerked the door open to confront her, "Hey Keiko, what's the matter with you? There's no one here but Kurama." He saw her angry look disappear, if only she knew what she had just interrupted.

"Oh, you missed our date again. You better have a good reason for standing me up." She walked inside the apartment and greeted the redhead sitting on the couch. "Hey Kurama, have you been with Yusuke all day?"

"Yes, I have." He was waiting to get up, he didn't need her to see the evidence of his arousal. Yusuke was wearing jeans so she didn't seem to notice anything where he was concerned. Yet Kurama knew if he stood up in the pants he had on she'd wouldn't be able to miss his erection.

"So where were you today?"

"It's kind of complicated, I'm not sure how many people I should tell." Yusuke waited for the explosion but Kurama's voice interrupted them.

"Go ahead and tell her, I'm going to jump in the shower before dinner gets here." He got up carrying his back in front of him. He heard Yusuke begining to tell her as he walked into the bedroom. What would Yusuke do now? Would he regret the kiss they had shared? He hoped he wouldn't but with Keiko's appearance it would surely remind him of the woman in his life.

Kagome was sitting at the dinner table trying to eat the meal her mother had placed before her. She eyed the woman she had always known as her mother. She sighed, it didn't matter if what he said was true. This was her family, she loved them. They had been there for her all her life and she wouldn't change that. But what if she did have brother out there, another mother. A family that had been taken from her for whatever reasons. What should she do?

"Mom, do you remember what it was like when you had me?" She threw the question out there, suprising her mom.

"Actually, yes I do. It was horrible, I was in labor for almost two days. You simply didn't want to come out. The last hour or so has always been kind of hazy, by then I was so tired. As soon as you were born they rushed you into the nursery. Then I was told to rest, they brought you in the next day after I was better. Don't worry dear, all childbirth isn't that hard. When I had Souta I was only in delivery for ten hours, the first one is always the hardest. Just don't think about having one of your own until you are married."

"Right mom, I don't think you have to worry about that." Kagome tried to eat the rest of her meal. Grandpa and Souta chattered away about the effect of his wards. So it could be true, had her mother's real child been the sick one? Maybe she should go ask to see these so called papers. "May I be excused?"

"Of course dear."

Kagome put her dishes away before heading upstairs to change. She picked up the card sitting on her dresser. She would call and find out the truth for herself, she had to know. She dialed the number given and asked for Shuichi when a woman picked up the phone.

"He's not in, can I take a message?"

"Yeah, can tell him that Kagome tried to call him." Kagome was about to hang up.

"OH you're Kagome, wait a second dear. He told me to give you the number and address where he's at. He said you'd probably be calling later this week, so I wasn't expecting your call."

Kagome took the information from her then thanked her, the address wasn't too far from here. She'd be able to take a cab, she dialed to have one pick her up. She changed her clothes as she waited for her ride. Her feet dragged across the carpet, dread filling her. If only Inuyasha were here, then she'd have someone to talk to.

She grabbed her purse when the cab blew his horn, "Mom, I'm going out. I'm not sure when I'll be back so don't wait up."

"Okay, be careful."

"I'll be fine." She ran out the door before anyone could stop her with their questions. The driver took the address from her and pulled away. She leaned back into the seat trying to calm her nerves. It had been one hell of a day and wasn't over yet. What was she going to do if it was all true? She would want to know her enstranged family but she could never give up her family. Mom, Grandpa and Souta were her family, her life and meant everything to her. They had been the ones to be there for here during her trips to the past. She'd make sure this Yusuke knew that her family was to never know the truth.

What kind of relationship she'd have with him or his mother would have to be decided later. Now she just needed to know if it was absolutely true so she could move on with her life. The cab pulled along the apartment building in question, she payed him. Not wanting to announce her presence just yet she erected a barrier. She walked inside and took the elevator.

Her nerves were on end by the time she reached the door, she knocked and held her breath. A female voice was heard as the door was swung open. Kagome recognized the girl immediately and smiled, "Hello Keiko."

"Ummm, hi Kagome. What are you doing here? Did my parents tell you where I'd be?" Keiko asked not sure what one of her friends would be doing showing up at Yusuke's house. She didn't think she'd ever introduced the girl to her fiance. "Come in, please."

Kagome entered the apartment looking around, it was a pretty nice place. "Actually, Shuichi's mother gave me this address, she said he'd be here."

"Oh, Yusuke and him will be back in a bit. They went to go pick up a friend that was stranded when his car broke down. I'm suprised they aren't back yet. Dinner is waiting on them to get back. Would you like to take a seat while I finish straightening up?" Keiko started collecting the glasses that were scattered around the living room.

"Need some help? I don't mind helping while I wait." Kagome helped her grab the glasses. "So Yusuke is your fiance that you told me so much about?" She smirked at the irony.

"Yep, sorry you haven't met him before now. He just got back about two months ago actually. So I've been kind of keeping him to myself." Keiko smiled at her as she began to rinse the dishes out.

"Understandable, I was wondering why the only one that was calling me was Eri. Not that I mind of course, after all I need my daily dose of Hojo news." Kagome laughed as she collected the rest of the dishes.

"Ewww, I'm just glad they directed him back in your direction. While Yusuke was gone they were constantly throwing him at me. Not that I really had to worry about it since he's obsessed with you." Keiko opened the dishwasher and started placing them inside.

Kagome took over rinsing them off and handed them to the girl. "Lucky me. You'd think they boy would take a hint already. He asked me out twice just today, had to turn him down three times to get the point across."

Keiko began laughing at the joke, "Actually, it was Kuwabara that they went to go pick up."

"Really? I haven't seen him in awhile, months actually." Kagome's mind raced as she thought about it. Two of her friends from high school had known Yusuke all this time. She'd heard his name being spoken many times but had never thought anything of it. Now it turns out that the very same Yusuke might be her brother.

The last of the dishes were placed inside and the washer cut on. They collected the rest of the trash up, finishing up the cleaning. Kagome's ears twitched when she heard the loud laughter coming down the hall. A smile spread across her face at the sound, "Is that them?"

The door opened and Kuwabara stepped inside laughing. His eyes widened when he saw the extra girl standing in the living room. "Hey Kagome!" He ran up to her and put her in a bear hug. "Where the hell have you been? Not sick again are you?"

"No but I can't breathe." She gasped as he squeezed her tighter than needed. "You're squishing me Kuzuma." His hold loosened giving her room to breath. "Good to see you again."

"What the hell is going on here?" Yusuke and Kurama came walking in, looking the pair over.

Please read and review