Carbon

Chapter eight

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Yusuke had to be accompanied by either Kurama or Hiei wherever he went, but when Yusuke woke up the next morning, Hiei had his hand halfway down his pants before either of them were even conscious. Luckily, Hiei didn’t take it personally when Yusuke leaped from the bed and took a twenty minute cold shower but Yusuke couldn’t help but feel awkward around the fire demon for the remainder of his morning. He was just glad that Hiei finally left his side when they approached the school. It allowed him to relax knowing that there was no risk of being set off by Hiei’s presence.

It wasn’t that Hiei particularly bothered him, it was simply that being in such close proximity to the fire demon caused unwanted feelings to crop up. And he’d rather not have a physical reminder of the fact that his first sexual experience was with a man. Not just a man, a male friend. Yusuke shuddered at the sight of a different male friend when Kuwabara came bounding up excitedly.

“Urameshi!” he exclaimed. “How was break?” Kuwabara gave Yusuke a smack on the back in greeting and Yusuke shrugged him off.

“It was…” Yusuke paused. “Y’know, nothing special.”

Kuwabara grinned. “I went to the temple and saw Yukina-san.” Yusuke immediately zoned out Kuwabara’s blathering. He was really fond of Kuwabara, but sometimes he couldn’t stand the constant blah blah blah about Yukina. “Then, she told me she liked how I made tea…”

“That’s great, Kuwabara,” Yusuke muttered, not really paying attention.

Kuwabara paused just in front of the entrance to the school. “Somethin’ the matter, Urameshi?” he asked.

Yusuke yawned. “Pacifier breath has our favorite demonic duo tailing me. He thinks I might decide to blow up the planet or something.”

Kuwabara looked awe-struck.

“Yeah, stupid, I know. Like I’m gonna throw away two years of protecting this place by destroying it? Heck no. It would take too much effort. Anyway, I kind of like being a hero.”

Kuwabara just shook his head. “Dumb.”

“I know. Plus, it’s not like there could possibly be a bigger badass villain than Sensui, so protecting the Living World should be a piece of cake now.”

Kuwabara shuddered at the sound of Sensui’s name but didn’t bother to say anything about it. Instead, he said “see you later” to Yusuke and took off for homeroom. Yusuke headed for his, ignoring the stares of his classmates. They still weren’t used to him showing up for class every day. Even his teachers were shocked when he turned in all his homework assignments, complete and seemingly done correctly.

School was boring. Yusuke was irritated when he realized he’d forgotten to pack himself a lunch and didn’t feel like going through the trouble of harassing Kuwabara to share. He leaned back in his desk chair and stared at the ceiling.

Keiko walked up behind him and tipped his chair forward so the front legs would sit the right way on the floor. Yusuke spun around and gave Keiko his trade-mark cheesy grin. “Hey, Keiko.”

“Don’t ‘hey, Keiko’ me,” Keiko snarled. “Why is Hiei here?”

Yusuke stared at her, wide-eyed. “How did you know?”

“I saw him walking you to school. I’m not an idiot, Yusuke… if this is about another mission…”

“No more missions. I got sacked, remember?”

“I don’t want you risking your life again.”

Yusuke shrugged. “Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be praising me or something?”

“Praising you?”

“For doing my homework and actually showing up?”

Keiko dropped her bento box in surprise. “You did your homework?”

“Well, yeah… maybe I don’t wanna be a dead-beat my whole life.” Yusuke smirked.

Keiko smiled and picked up her bento box. “Or you want to go on to high school because you have nothing better to do.”

“Caught me.”

“Have you thought about where you want to go?”

Yusuke shrugged. “I was thinking about Meiou or something.”

Keiko’s face fell. “Isn’t that the school… Kurama-san attends?”

“Yeah. It’s not college prep, so I was thinking it’d be alright.”

“Oh… I just thought you might want to go to the same high school as me.”

“You can go to Meiou if you want…”

“I want to go on to S University. I have to go to their prep school.”

“Oh…” Yusuke sighed. “We can still see each other.”

“Yusuke… you remember that I told you I just want you to be happy, right?”

Yusuke leaned forward in his chair. “Yeah, of course.”

“If you’d be happier with Kurama, I won’t be mad.”

Yusuke stared at Keiko. He was at a loss for words. “Wh-wha?”

“I’ve seen how he looks at you, Yusuke-“

“Shut up, someone could hear you!”

“The class room is empty.” Keiko gave Yusuke her “I’m not taking your crap look.”

“Okay, fine,” said Yusuke. “There’s nothing going on between me and Kurama. Don’t be so paranoid.” Thank the gods she didn’t ask about Hiei.

“I’m not stupid.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes.

“Don’t lead me on, Yusuke.”

After a long silence, Yusuke sighed. “Okay, I won’t.”

Keiko started tearing up. “It’s okay, Yusuke. I… I still want to be your friend.”

Yusuke nodded. “Thanks. It means a lot.”

= - = - = - =

“You broke up with Keiko?” Kuwabara exclaimed.

Yusuke looked over his shoulder at his stunned friend. They were in the court-yard after school, getting ready to leave the front gates. “How did you find that out so quick? She telling people?” Yusuke asked.

“She doesn’t have to. She looks all sad and you look like your favorite show got canceled. What happened?”

Yusuke shrugged and reached into his jacket pocket for a cigarette. As soon as they exited the school gates, he lit it up and took a long drag. A moment later, the cigarette was snatched from his mouth, seemingly by the wind. Yusuke glared at the fire-demon who was crushing the cancer-stick in his palm, a look of disgust marring his features.

“Hey!” Yusuke objected.

“Kurama doesn’t like it when you smoke, idiot,” Hiei scolded him. He gave Kuwabara a blank stare until the human decided to take off.

“Damnit, Hiei,” Yusuke muttered. “You don’t have to be such a freak all the time.” Yusuke reached into his pocket for another cigarette but Hiei grabbed his wrist.

“I don’t see anything unreasonable about what I did,” Hiei snarled.

Yusuke scowled and wrenched his hand from Hiei’s grip. “Taking the cigarette is one thing, implying I shouldn’t smoke because Kurama wouldn’t like it is just wrong. Did you have to say that in front of Kuwabara? He already knows something’s up.”

Hiei raised an eyebrow. “I was under the impression that nothing was happening between you and Kurama. Or did you tell that to Keiko to make the trauma of leaving her less?”

“You’re a real dick, Hiei. You didn’t have to eavesdrop.” Yusuke glared at a random point in front of him, determined to ignore Hiei.

As the pair reached the end of the block, Yusuke suddenly felt a grip of panic suffocating him. It was unfortunate timing because there were people around. Some of Yusuke’s classmates were nearby and if Yusuke had another one of his freak-outs… well, Yusuke didn’t need any more rumors going around.

In what would be his last rational move for almost an hour, Yusuke bolted at top speed toward the forest. Anyone looking in his direction at the time would chalk up his sudden disappearance and the blur that passed the spot he’d been in moments before to their eyes playing tricks on them.

When Hiei caught up with Yusuke, he was leaning up against a tree, breathing heavily. Hiei sent a quick telepathic message to Kurama urging him to come quickly and giving him the location. It was then that a blast of demonic energy came rushing straight from Yusuke’s core and Hiei was knocked backwards several paces.

Out of pure instinct, Hiei drew his sword and it was lucky he did. After only a few more sharp intakes of breath, Yusuke turned to Hiei, seemingly calm but there was something wrong with his posture. He was holding himself in an aggressive stance and Hiei had only a moment to take in the glow of Yusuke’s markings and the sudden lengthening of his fingernails into claws before he had to fend off a punch with the flat edge of his blade.

Undeterred, Yusuke lunged at Hiei again, his claws out and intending to tear out Hiei’s heart. Hiei deflected and countered with a punch to Yusuke’s jaw. A jolt of panic struck Hiei when Yusuke didn’t budge an inch in spite of the force Hiei had thrown behind his punch.

“Yusuke,” Hiei snapped. “What are y-“ Hiei was cut off when Yusuke let out a feral growl and aimed another swipe at his throat. Hiei caught Yusuke’s wrist and used Yusuke’s momentum against him to send the toushin flying into a tree.

Yusuke leaped back up and let out a purely animal growl. His hair had sprouted into a long mane and his markings were burning brightly against his tan flesh. Hiei tore the ward off his jagan in preparation for binding Yusuke if necessary. He raised his guard a millisecond too late and caught a kick to his abdomen. Hiei sprang back up and caught Yusuke by the throat when his friend attempted to lunge at him again.

“Forgive me, Yusuke,” Hiei muttered as the jagan glowed purple. Yusuke was immobilized but it was apparent that he hadn’t calmed down. He was still letting out the animalistic growls and his eyes had an inhuman blankness. It was clear that Yusuke was giving in to his darker instincts.

Hiei allowed Yusuke to sink gently to the ground. He wondered, as he sat beside his prone friend, how long Yusuke had been fighting his demonic instincts. He scolded himself for not realizing sooner how difficult the transition would be for his part human friend

He sighed and gazed down at Yusuke until a rustling of leaves told him that Kurama had arrived. “It’s about time,” Hiei growled.

“What happened?” Kurama asked. He looked down at Yusuke, who was finally beginning to come back to himself.

“He ran off and when I followed, he attacked me.”

Kurama sat beside Yusuke and touched his hand. “Are you alright, Yusuke-kun?”

Yusuke blinked and Hiei took the response as a sign that it was okay to release Yusuke from his hold. Yusuke sprang upright and gave Hiei a murderous glare before turning to Kurama. “Yeah… I feel like I had a bad dream.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Kurama asked.

“Yeah, sorta. I feel like I was watching myself attack Hiei from inside but my body wouldn’t listen when I told it to stop.” Yusuke shivered and leaned into Kurama. “I don’t scare easy but that shit was insane.”

“Insane is an apt term for it,” Hiei muttered.

Yusuke shot Hiei a glare again. “You didn’t have to do that… whatever voodoo mind trick with your crazy third eye. You coulda just knocked me out.”

“If I thought I could physically defeat you, I would have,” Hiei growled. “You broke one of my ribs.”

Kurama turned to Hiei and placed his palm over the broken bone. With a flare of white ki, Kurama mended the fracture. He didn’t allow his hand to linger a moment longer than necessary but his eyes betrayed his desire to do so; if only for a moment.

Yusuke was significantly unnerved by the “moment” his two friends appeared to be sharing. He wanted to leave the bizarre scene behind so he stood up. He couldn’t decide where to go for a minute until he headed off in the direction of his house. Hiei followed dutifully and glanced backward at Kurama when the kitsune began to follow.

Yusuke ignored the presence of his friends for the most part. His mind was reeling with thoughts of what had just happened. Why had he lost control of his body again? This time was worse than the last. When he’d been in the restaurant with Kurama, he’d run off but hadn’t attacked when Kurama came after him. Not that he could recall anyway. Why had he attacked Hiei? It was almost as if he couldn’t recognize Hiei as an ally.

Maybe that was it. Perhaps Hiei seemed like more of a threat than Kurama. Yusuke certainly felt a bit uneasy around the fire demon but that was entirely to do with what had happened the day before.

Yusuke barely paid attention to where his feet were bringing him. He was well aware of his surroundings, Hiei’s present made sure of that, but he had no desire to focus on his destination. Yusuke reached over to his left wrist and absent-mindedly tugged at the bracelet there. Without giving the matter much thought, he’d yet to remove the trinket for more than a moment. He found that he was more anxious and less coordinated without it. While wearing the bracelet, he felt as if his body was perfectly normal whereas without it, he felt big and awkward.

He was thankful for the gift now that he didn’t suffer bruises from running into tables and chairs and when he reached for doorknobs, he no longer missed. As he let himself into his house, Yusuke smiled at how clean it still looked. Although he knew his mother was home (sleeping off a hangover in her bedroom, no doubt), the living room was still in good condition, save for a few misplaced cushions on the couch. He didn’t bother to check the kitchen; he went straight into his bedroom and lay on his bed, face first.

When he felt the weight of his two friends settle on either side of him, he realized he wouldn’t be able to ignore their presence much longer. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” Yusuke muttered, keeping his face firmly planted in his pillow.

“Which part?” Hiei asked. “Attacking me or breaking up with Keiko?”

Kurama took a sharp breath.

“Both seem equally as upsetting,” Hiei continued. “Although, I can’t fathom the reason leaving that girl should bother him so much.”

Yusuke lifted his head and glared at Hiei. “First of all, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Second, I’m still pissed at you for using a damn binding curse on me.”

“I expected you to be angry, that’s why I apologized beforehand,” said Hiei. “You have every right to take revenge on me for that betrayal. I simply thought you’d like killing me slightly less.”

Kurama visibly tensed but contributed nothing to the conversation.

“I wouldn’t have killed you, Hiei,” Yusuke muttered. He sat up and faced Kurama, who was closest to the wall. Yusuke felt a small tingle in his chest when he realized that was the side Kurama usually slept on.

“You normally wouldn’t have attacked me unprovoked either,” Hiei pointed out.

Yusuke looked at Hiei over his shoulder. “I said I didn’t wanna talk about it.” He looked at Kurama. “Either thing. Can we just let it go?”

“For now,” said Kurama. “We will have to address the issue of you losing control of your actions eventually.

Yusuke sighed.

“Also, who are you planning to bring to my mother’s wedding as a date?”

Yusuke laughed. “I guess I’ll go with you.”

Kurama smiled, but the expression looked out of place. His eyes betrayed a sadness that had Yusuke worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Kurama frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Hiei chuckled. “The boy is referring to the look in your eyes.”

Kurama looked down.

“What are you all depressed about?” Yusuke asked.

“It’s nothing, Yusuke,” Kurama insisted. “Don’t worry.”

Yusuke flopped back against his pillow and stared at the ceiling. The small size of Yusuke’s bed didn’t stop Kurama and Hiei from lying beside him. He felt a gentle flow of ki coming from both his friends and immediately relaxed. Kurama reached over and stroked Yusuke’s cheek and Hiei placed a hand on Yusuke’s waist. Both were silent reminders that they were both there.

Yusuke let out something like a purr and closed his eyes. The gentle caress of Kurama’s hand quickly had him drifting off into a dream-like unawareness.

= - = - = - =

“What should we do?” Kurama asked Hiei, looking down at his sleeping friend. Yusuke had fallen asleep moments before and neither Kurama nor Hiei had risen from the bed.

Hiei frowned and gazed down at Yusuke’s sleeping face. “I don’t know.”

“I’m worried,” Kurama began. “If he loses control at the wrong time, he may end up harming a human. Koenma may have had a point. Our assignment is far more important than I had at first imagined.”

Hiei shrugged. “Between the two of us, we might be able to stop him.”

Kurama bit his lip. “I can’t be with him all the time. Not until the end of my school term.”

“Hn. And when will you be done with your ridiculous Ningen training?”

Kurama smiled. “Next year is my last. I hope to help Yusuke get into my high school in order to keep a better eye on him.”

“And when is this term over?”

“Two months.”

Hiei sighed. “I’ll have to watch him more closely. I’ll have to use the Jagan again if I need to control him quickly.”

“We’ll have to think of a more permanent solution eventually.”

Hiei nodded but said nothing further. He gazed down at Yusuke’s sleeping face and thought to himself that he looked so much younger when he slept. Not at all like a demon capable of not only killing him but destroying the entire Ningenkai if he so choose.

He began to regret being so hasty in his pursuit of Yusuke. He was rather young and no doubt suffering major confusion over what had occurred between them. He had a terrifying moment of realization that human boys had a tendency to respond to any sort of sexual stimulus regardless of the gender of the person performing the act.

Hiei bit his lip. He hoped he hadn’t damaged his relationship with Yusuke. He vowed to apologize later.

Kurama frowned at Hiei’s expression. His partner seemed deep in thought and it was clear his thoughts were troubling him. Deciding that he should leave Hiei to his musings, Kurama relaxed back against the pillows and placed his arm over Yusuke’s chest. Hiei reached across Yusuke’s waist and held both of his friends. On an unspoken agreement, Kurama and Hiei both began sending Yusuke their ki in hopes that it would help make his transition a little easier.