His Own Hero - JoannaKuwabara - 幽☆遊☆白書 (2024)

Chapter 1: His Own Hero

Chapter Text

"Mama, can ya tall me that stowy again, pwes?"

A small boy of four or five years old was tucked into a race car shaped bed. His orange curls fluttered across his brown eyes where he had to blow on them to push them back. He was looking through the curls at a beautiful woman. She shared the same beautiful hair color as her son. Her hair was long and tied into a low ponytail, restricting most of the curls. Some broke free and fell into her smiling face. Her blue eyes sparkled as they looked down at her son. She gave a small laugh as she pushed away the curls away from her son's face.

"Sure, but only once this time, ok?"

The little boy nodded before snuggling more into his covers.

The woman walked over to a book self that was to the right of the door and pulled out a book. She looked over the cover with a fond smile before going back to sit next to the bed. She scooted her chair closer before opening up the book.

Once upon a time there was this beautiful girl named Cinderella, who lived with her two evil step sisters and an evil step mother. Everyday, she had to clean the house and do anything and everything her step mother and step sisters told her to do.

Then one day, the prince of their kingdom had sent word to all of his subjects that he would be having a ball and that everyone was invited. However, Cinderella's step mother had told her, on the day of the ball, that she couldn't go. Poor Cinderella was crushed. She cried as she watched them leave to go to the ball.

As she cried, she didn't notice that a beautiful woman appeared. "Please don't cry my child."

"Who are you?"

"I'm your fairy god mother, and I came to help you."

"Really?"

"Yes. You are going to that ball."

And with a wave of her magic wand, Cinderella was wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. Another wave, and a carriage appeared. "Now, go my child and have fun. Though remember this: at the stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken."
Before Cinderella could say even a 'thank you' the woman was gone. Cinderella climbed into the carriage and was taken to the prince's castle. As soon as she walked in side, everyone stopped and watched her descend the steps.
The prince had seen her and immediately got up, entranced by her beauty. He walked up to her and asked her to dance. All she could do was nod and was lead to the dance floor. They danced for what seemed like an eternal bliss to Cinderella, when she heard the clock strike midnight.

In a panic, she fled from the prince and rushed to her carriage, which drove her home before disappearing. The prince watched her go in awe, and noticed that she had left her glass slipper. He was then determine to find her and marry her.

For weeks the prince searched, but he found nothing. No one seemed to know or have seen that beautiful girl that was at ball. He had tried hundred, maybe even thousands of feet, but still, there was no match. He finally came to a small cottage and went inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw her. Cinderella. He walked up to the woman who he met. She was dressed in rags and looked a mess, but he didn't care. She was still beautiful to him. She blushed and turned from him, as he slid the glass slipper onto her foot, which fit. He then took her away from her horrible step mother and step sisters and brought her to his palace, where they lived happily ever after."

The woman closed the book and looked down at her child who had fallen asleep. She smiled down at him before closing the book. She placed it on the nightstand before turning back to her son.

"Good night, my sweet prince." she said, bending down and kissing his forehead.

She looked back once before leaving the room.

The boy opened his eyes, not really being asleep and stared up at the ceiling.

'Once day, I'll find my Cinderella, and save her. I'm gonna be that prince! I'm gonna help the people I love.' he then yawned and fell asleep, dreaming of the day he would come in and save the ones he loves.

Chained to a wall was a very tall man. If he wasn't on the ground, he would be 6'5". His orange curls were in a soft cocoon on his head, hair gel having sweated a bit out. The room was a cold, dark, cellar of a room. A groan came from the man as he stirred.

"Where am I?" came from the man.

His head was pounding, and he was sore everywhere. He moved his hand to his head. A weight on them made him notice that his wrists were chained to the wall behind him.

"What happened?" he thought aloud.

It then hit him what happened and he groaned again, this time in annoyance.

~Flashback~

Yusuke was looking over to his best friend, Kuwabara. He had missed the big guy. He had just arrived home from the Makai. He had lost the demon tournament and was ready to just settle down. Maybe open up a ramen stand and spend some quality time with his best friend. Kuwabara was more then delighted and was enthusiastically sharing all the things the raven haired man missed these past three years. Yusuke listened with true interest. He was genially proud and happy for his best friend.

Yusuke didn't realize how much he missed his best friend. He missed that big goofy laugh, that brilliant grin, and just walking side by side, well it was almost nostalgic.

It was Kuwabara who noticed first. Yusuke had raised an eye brow as the carrot top instantly stopped talking about which college he was thinking about attending for his teaching career. He had stopped walking, forcing Yusuke to stop too. It was then Yusuke sensed them.

"Ah, the great and feared demon Lord Yusuke Urameshi."

Standing a bit farther up the path was a demon. He was 6'8" with green scaly skin that looked sticky. He had spikes that ran like a Mohawk from his forehead down his back. He had yellow slit for eyes and a long snake like tongue slipped out as he spoke. His eye lids blinked sideways, giving an extra creepy factor to the demon.

Yusuke got into a fighting stance right along side Kuwabara.

"What do you want!" growled Yusuke.

He was a bit more then annoyed of having his reunion disrupted.

"Nothing from you..." the demon said before looking over at Kuwabara.

Both men look dumbfounded for a bit. Yusuke snapped out of his stupor and immediately took a step forward.

It made no sense. He thought that after the tournament, they wouldn't have any issues like this. Enki, the new demon lord, had put strong rules into place for this very reason.

"What does that mean?" Kuwabara asked, brining his fists up.

He hadn't fought in a while but that didn't mean he was slacking. He made sure that his reiki was well maintained. Yusuke and the rest of the group may have been busy training for the demon tournament, but that didn't mean Kuwabara was slacking those three years.

The demon laughed as he took out glass bottles from his pockets.

"Urameshi watch out!" Kuwabara shouted as he sensed a demon appear right behind them.

He shoved Yusuke just as one of the glass bottles smashed into his head.

Smoke began to erupt from the broken glass, more being thrown as more demons appeared. The last thing Kuwabara would ear was his best friend screams.

"KUWABARA!!!"

~End Flashback~

Kuwabara groaned again.

"Great. Just great. As soon as Urameshi comes back I'm kidnapped by psycho demons."

He reached up and winced at the head wound. It looked as if they had bandaged him. There wasn't any blood on his hands, so that was a plus. That also would explain the headache he woke up with. He looked around at his surroundings. It was a dark, cold room, more like a cellar. It was small, only big enough to fit maybe six people comfortably. He was against the farthest wall, across from the cellar's door. But the chains seemed to be from above him. He was able to move comfortably but not too much father then possibly three feet.

Kuwabara's head snapped as he heard the door open. Five demons walked into the room, closing it behind them.

"I see you're finally awake." said the lizard looking demon.

The other four looked to be roughly the same type of demon, just with different color scales and different heights.

Kuwabara growled before trying to call forth his Reiki blade. He froze, eyes widening. The demon laughed.

"Surprised? Well, we were told about your reiki powers so were prepared. Those chains are specifically made to contain a human's reiki." the demon said as he approached the sitting Kuwabara.

Kuwabara growled before standing up. The demon had a good three inches on himself.

"How do you even know about me?" Kuwabara growled.

"We were hired by someone you know." snickered the demon before reaching to pet the orange curls.

Kuwabara growled before hitting the hand away.

"Paws off creep." Kuwabara growled before moving as far as he could within the chain's restraints.

"Don't be like that." cooed one of the demons.

He was shorter then Kuwabara, closer to Yusuke's height. He got closer, causing the carrot top to punch him in his smug face. His punch seemed to catch the demon off guard, as he was sent onto his back.

The other three demons laughed while the main one huffed.

"Try to behave yourself Lina."

Lina growled from his spot on the ground before jumping back up.

"Bitch! Wait until we give you over to Toguro. You won't be so tough then."

The room went silent.

"Baka! You weren't supposed to reveal our boss!" hissed one of the other demons.

"I don't care. It's not like it matters." Lina huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kuwabara stared with wide eyes. Fear began to fill him.

"But Toguro is in Limbo...." Kuwabara whispered.

The last time he had seen the bulking man was when he plunged his fingers deep into his chest. His hand instinctly went over his heart.

"Different Toguro." sighed the main demon.

It really didn't make a difference at this point.

Kuwabara paled, his hand dropping.

"Wait, but Kurama put him in a plant thing!" Kuwabara shouted with wide eyes.

"Yeah, well, he hired us to grab you. For what, not too sure." the demon said before going closer to the carrot top.

Kuwabara couldn't help the small shiver as the demon hovered above him.

"But, I wouldn't mind having some fun with you before then..." he said, his yellow eyes slowly looking over Kuwabara's body.

Kuwabara wrapped his arms around himself and pulled backwards. He didn't like that look, or the looks the others were giving him.

"But we were told not to hurt him..." Lina said.

"Well, he's already damaged." hissed the main demon.

"That wasn't my fault Balten! It was Shori who threw it!" Lina said, pointing at a taller demon with purple scales.

"How was I supposed to know the human would push Urameshi outta the way." growled Shori.

"Shut up!" Balten growled before turning back to Kuwabara.

"We don't have to hand you over for a couple more hours. In the mean time, we can do whatever, just as long as we don't hurt you even more." Balten said, reaching a hand out to touch the bandage on the carrot top's head.

Kuwabara growled and went to punch the demon. However, he was too quick and dodged the punch. Kuwabara gasped as he found demon next to him, his face leaned forward.

"If only I could be rough, you'd be so much fun." Balten hissed as he let his tongue slip out and lick the rim of Kuwabara's ear.

"Ack! Don't touch me!" Kuwabara growled, jerking away, rubbing at his ear.

The chains kept him closer then he wanted.

'sh*t, this ain't good.' Kuwabara thought as he played a game of 'dodge' with Balten.

The other demons seemed content to just enjoy the two 'dance'. Every once in a while, Balten would get a lick on him. A lick on his neck here. A soft cress on his ass. It seemed the demon was allowing Kuwabara to escape his grasp. It was annoying.

'What am I gonna do! I'm chained to where I can't move more then three feet in a friggin circle! And to top it all off, I'm warded!'

Balten noticed the carrot top was a bit distracted and was able to push him up against the wall. Kuwabara gasped as he was now pinned against the cold wall. He growled as the demon smirked down at him.

"That was fun, but I'm getting bored." Balten said with a smirk.

"f*ck off." Kuwabara growled.

"That's the plan." Balten said with a gleam in his eyes.

Kuwabara paled.

'f*ck.' Kuwabara thought before closing his eyes.

'No, I gotta get outta this! I know Urameshi is on his way, but knowing my luck, it will be too late. I gotta get myself outta this! I need to save myself, I'm no Cindrella!' he thought.

He opened his eyes once he felt a cold snake like tongue run along his collar bone, nibbling a bit with his fangs. Kuwabara hissed at the slight pain.

"Hmm you taste as good as I thought." he hissed.

"I said don't touch me!!" Kuwabara growled as his hands began to glow an orange-yellow.

Balten hissed a laugh before finding Kuwabara's Jigen Tou shoved into his belly. His yellow eyes widened as he pushed away from Kuwabara. He looked down at the hole in his gut, green blood pouring out. He let out a scream of pain as his hands went to the wound.

"H-how..." Balten said as he watched as Kuwabara sliced off the chain from above.

"I am the great Kazuma Kuwabara, master of the 'Jigen Tou' and a knight who fights for those I love! Now prepare to get your ass whipped!" growled before slicing off Balten's head.

The other four demons yelped but found that they weren't able to avoid the wrath of the carrot top's blade. Kuwabara looked around at the dead lizard demons. He let out a breath before shrinking his sword down so he could cut the cuffs off his wrists. Once they were off, he rubbed his wrists.

"Glad to know that the Jigen Tou can also defy wards." Kuwabara whispered to himself.

"Now let's see how I get outta this creepy place."

Kuwabara turned to leave but stopped. Three strong energies came rushing towards his direction. He knew without even checking the reiki signatures.

"KUWABARA?!" screamed a panic filled Yusuke.

He opened the door, his hair disheveled. He looked around and found the dead demons on the ground.

"Geeze, took your sweet time didn't ya Urameshi." Kuwabara said with a chuckle.

"Hn, it seems the baka didn't need us after all." Hiei said.

Hiei sheathed his sword and looked a bit proud at the human's work.

Kurama walked around the shorter demon and came up to the carrot top. He instantly looked at he bandaged head.

"Are you hurt, Kuwabara-kun?" he asked, concern fully visible on his face.

Kuwabara shrugged.

"Not more then usual."

Yusuke let out a breath before looking over Kuwabara. He could tell something happened. He looked closer and noticed a weird mark around Kuwabara's neck.

"What's that?" he asked, touching it.

Kuwabara jumped, not anticipating the touch.

Yusuke jumped at Kuwabara's jump.

"What the f*ck!" Yusuke said blinking hard.

"That's my line!" Kuwabara said, bringing his hand up and feeling where Yusuke just touched.

He hissed.

"I guess he got me." Kuwabara mumbled.

It felt like a bruise and a small scratch.

"Let me heal it." Kurama said, looking worried at the mark.

The red head recognized the type of mark. It was a mark certain demons make when they are trying to dominate a partner during mating. His green eyes flashed yellow as they turned to the dead bodies at the group's feet. They were just lucky Kuwabara killed them. The fox wouldn't have been so swift.

"We got not time for that." Kuwabara said, swatting away the gentle hands.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

Yusuke didn't know how that bruise got on Kuwabara's neck but it didn't seem to hurt the carrot top too much if he didn't notice until Yusuke touched it.

"I got some bad news. Now Kurama don't freak out..." Kuwabara said looking seriously at Kurama.

This made the three demons tense up.

"But Ani Toguro is back."

The room was silent.

"Nani?!" Kurama said, his emerald eyes growing wide.

"That sick f*ck?!" Yusuke growled.

Hiei couldn't hide the disgusted look that crossed his own face.

"Yeah, and that sicko hired them-" Kuwabara said, waving to the dead bodies, "to capture me and bring me to him, unharmed."

"Well they failed that mission." Yusuke said, eyeing the bandage and the bruises.

"Yer tellin' me." Kuwabara snorted.

"But, he's trapped in my plant! The only way to escape is to die and he can't die!" Kurama said.

"No clue but we need to get Koenma in on this. He has to know what's going on!' Kuwabara said.

The three nodded before turning to leave.

"Hey, did..." Yusuke said, running his hand through his hair. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Yusuke had been so worried about his best friend. Once he had disappeared in the gas. He was lucky that Kurama was planning to meet up with the two men. After telling the red head what happened, he was able to contact Hiei, who used his Jagen to help find the carrot top. Sure, it took about six hours but still, Yusuke was a complete wreck that entire time.

Kuwabara froze up a bit, earning a look between the three demons.

"Yeah, just a bit unnerved s'all. Come on. Let's get outta here. I'm getting the hibe jibes." Kuwabara said before leaving, his three demon friends close behind him.

End of Chapter One

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Once the gang had made their way to a safe place, Kuwabara used his Jigen Tou to open up a hole to the gates of the Underworld.

The three demons had looked at this in awe. Kuwabara couldn't help but grin proudly.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Yusuke said with wide eyes.

"Heh, while you were all training, I've been doing my own training." Kuwabara said, his chest puffing out in pride.

"Can you go anywhere?" Yusuke asked, a bit curious.

"Any place that I've seen before. I'm working on making it where I can go anywhere by just imagining it." Kuwabara said as he walked through his hole, "better hurry before it closes up."

The three followed close behind him. Once they entered, the hole closed up behind them.

"God dam Kuwabara, that is badass." Yusuke said, having an impressed and a proud look on his face.

"Heh, you're finally worth something." Hiei said with a snicker, but a bit of pride in his red orbs.

Kuwabara huffed but decided not to respond. He was starting to get anxious now that they were in the Underworld.

He had only gone there a handful of times. While his friends were off in the Makai, Koenma had pulled the carrot top a couple of times to do some missions on the downlow. Koenma had discovered that his father had been doing some shady sh*t these last thousand of years. Brainwashing low level demons and releasing them into the Ningenkai. It was to keep the kekkai barrier up by using fear of those low level demons. Sometimes he would keep them locked up and release them again or worse case, he would dispose of them.

Kuwabara would go undercover and help save some of those demons. He would bring them back to Genkai's temple, as she was using it as a demon sanctuary. That's where he learned to do a couple of new abilities. Abilities he couldn't wait to show his friends. But it looked like it would have to wait.

Kuwabara knocked on the huge doors.

"It's Kazuma Kuwabara!" the carrot top announced, not even waiting for someone to ask, "I'm here to talk to Koenma."

After a moment, the doors to the creaked open. Once they were opened, Kuwabara walked into it, the three demons on his heels. Yusuke hadn't seen Kuwabara this determined since they were in middle school. Whenever Kuwabara had come at Yusuke for a fight. Yusuke caught up to walk along side his best friend. He glanced up at his face. Kuwabara had grown in the last three years. Not just height wise, but his face. It seemed to mature or rather he seemed to grow into his skin. His cheek bones were more defined. His brown eyes seemed to have a tint of blue as they looked forward. His body had seemed to become less bulky but was still muscular. Yusuke couldn't help finding the shirt a bit tight on his friend and it was making him feel a sort of way...

Yusuke shook his head before turning his attention ahead.

The group continued down the darken hallway before entering another room. Inside was chaos. Ogres running with papers, phones ringing off the hook, and lots of shouting. Yusuke couldn't help the grin.

"Hasn't changed a bit." he said with a fondness, remembering the first time he had arrived almost four years ago.

Kurama and Hiei looked around. Neither of them had been to the Underworld, or rather this part of the Underworld. It was a bit different then what they expected. The group went through the bustling room until they reached the other end, where there were a set of doors. Kuwabara knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came a voice from behind the door.

Kuwabara pushed through the doors, the three still close on his heels.

Koenma sat at his desk, piles and piles of paper work. He had just came back from the Maki Tournament and had lots of things he needed to approve for. Mostly, the arrest of his very own father. Not to mention, all of those who were allied with him. He was in his teenage form and was sucking extra hard on his binky. He stamped a few more papers before looking up. He sat there blinking a bit.

"Hey Koenma." Kuwabara said with a nod.

"I'd say it's been a while but..." Yusuke said with a smirk, "I think I saw you last week."

"What a surprise." Koenma said, looking at each of his form team.

"What brings you all the way here?" Koenma asked, pushing his papers aside, giving his former team his full attention.

"We are here on business." Kurama started, stepping forward.

Koenma quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Have you gotten any reports on a particular demon escaping? I know you've been busy what with you father and the Makai Tournament. But I'm just curious." Kurama said, figuring he would feel out the situation.

Koenma furrowed his eyebrows.

"Escaping? You mean into the Ningenkai from the Makai?" Koenma asked.

Kurama shook his head.

"No."

"Oh stop beating the bush Kurama." Yusuke huffed.

"That's beating around the bush." Kurama corrected.

"You're still beating a bush either way." Yusuke growled before looking dead into Koenma's eyes.

"Ani Toguro is back. Do you know how the hell that happened?"

Koenma sat there stunned before his eyes widened.

"What?"

"It's true. He sent some demons after me." Kuwabara said, bringing the attention to him, "They didn't mean to tell me, but he hired them to capture me, unharmed, and to bring me to him."

Koenma looked over the carrot top.

"It looks like they failed in the unharmed department." he said.

"That's what I said!" Yusuke said with a snort.

Koenma always seemed to share the same sarcastic humor as the raven haired demon.

"No, I don't know anything about that. But that is disturbing." he said wincing at remembering that awful man being locked away in Kurama's plant.

"Is there a way to figure out what happened? Such as, did you have it being monitored." Kurama asked, hopeful that they could see when and how the vile man escaped.

"Unfortunately, any surveillance from that area was destroyed when the kekkai barrier was broken. I'm not sure if my father had something to do with it or if the energy from it breaking destroyed the connection. But I never thought to restore it because I didn't think he could escape." Koenma said, standing up from his desk.

"This is very troubling." Koenma mumbled before he began to pace a bit.

"Yer telling me, the creeper is trying to get me." Kuwabara said with a shiver.

Yusuke leaned against Kuwabara's side.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." Yusuke said with a comforting smile.

Kuwabara snorted.

"So far you've proved otherwise."

"Hey! It's not my fault you pushed me away!" Yusuke growled, pulling back so he could face the carrot top fully.

Kuwabara growled and looked down at his best friend.

"If I hadn't pushed your ass, you would have been knocked out by that glass bottle, like I was." Kuwabara said, pointing to his head.

Yusuke bit his lip. Kuwabara was right. He felt guilty. He had done all of that training and he couldn't even sense those demons coming up behind them. In his only defense, he was dense in the Reiki awareness department. Kuwabara was clearly better at detecting them.

Yusuke looked up at the bandage. He wanted to see how bad it was, but this wasn't the time.

"We need to find out what his plan is. Why is he trying to get Kuwabara-kun." Kurama said, his eyebrows furrowed.

Hiei snorted, causing the group to look at the fire demon.

"It's obvious. He has an obsession with the human. Always has."

"Ew." Kuwabara said with a look of disgust cross his face, Yusuke sharing the same face.

"That could be possible..." Kurama said in thought.

'But why...' he thought.

"So what's the plan? I mean, if he tried to grab me, he'll try it again." Kuwabara said with a huff.

"Maybe you could stay with Genkai while I look into it." Kurama said, giving his friend a reassuring smile.

Kuwabara seemed to relax at it. If anyone could figure this out, it would be the redhead.

"Thanks Kurama."

"And I'll go with you!" Yusuke said.

Kuwabara raised an eyebrow at this.

"Don't you have to start planning your wedding with Keiko soon. You did promise to marry her when you got home." Kuwabara said, a small smile on his lips.

There was a soft pang in his heart though. He loved his best friend. He had since he first laid eyes on the guy. It was one of the main reasons why he had challenged the punk in the first place.

Yusuke felt a pain at those words. It was true. He loved Keiko. But he wasn't sure in what way he loved her. He only promised to marry her so she wouldn't worry about him. So he had an excuse to come home. So he would come back to Kuwabara and Keiko. He used Keiko as an excuse to come back to Kuwabara. If he hadn't, he was sure he would have continued to stay in the Makai, running from his feelings for his best friend. But now that he was back, he found that he did his best gal friend dirty.

Although, after all the years and times he had proposed, he was sure she was expecting him to retract his proposal. Sure, it was an asshole move, but she would get over it like she always would, or so he hoped.

"But..." Yusuke began.

"No buts. I'll be fine. I mean, I'll be surrounded by demons I helped recused. They have been trained by Genkai and I'm sure she won't mind having an extra pair of hands to help maintain the temple. My only issue is when I gotta go to the college orientation. That's next week." Kuwabara said, groaning at how bad the timing was.

"Well, I could always go with you? I mean, I might as well walk with you to Genkai's when you go there too. I can be yer personal body guard." Yusuke said.

Kuwabara seemed to consider it and nodded.

"I agree with Yusuke. It would be safer for Yusuke to stay close to you." Kurama said with a nod.

Kuwabara sighed.

"I guess."

"In the meantime," Koenma said, bringing everyone's attention back to the new ruler of the Underworld, "I will send some scouts out to look at the location."

"Can I go?" Kurama asked.

"Yes. I'll let you know when I'm sending out the team.:" Koenma said with a nod.

"Hm, well if that's all, I'll go back to doing my job." Hiei said, turning around.

"What? You're not gonna help?" Yusuke asked with a raised eye brow.

He knew deep down Hiei was worried for Kuwabara. The fact he had used his Jagen to find him the minute he heard he was captured, again. That proved that his friendship was real with the human.

Hiei snorted.

"I think the oaf has more then enough body guards." he said before leaving.

Kurama chuckled.

"I'm sure he'll be investigating from the Makai." he said, resting his hand on Kuwabara's shoulder.

Kuwabara nodded.

"He's still a prick."

The group laughed, in agreement.

"Well, I will go home and get ready." Kuwabara said.

"I'll be coming too." Yusuke said.

"I'll stay a bit longer, I would like to look over the records if I may?" Kurama asked, turning to Koenma.

Koenma nodded.

"When you're done I'll have Botan drop you back home." Koenma said before going back to his desk.

"The records are behind me." Koenma said, hitting a button under his desk.

A hidden door slid open, revealing a secret room.

"How many doors do you have?" Yusuke said with wide eyes.

He glanced around the room, wondering if there were anymore hidden rooms.

"I'm not a liberty to say." Koenma said before picking back up his stamp.

"Meaning at least one more." Kuwabara said with a snicker.

Koenma cleared his throat.

"I suggest you go. As you can see, I have a lot of paperwork I need to catch up on." he said.

The two nodded before leaving.

Kurama watched as the door closed behind the boys. He turned to Koenma.

"What do you think he's after?" Kurama asked, having his own suspicions but wanting to hear a second option.

Koenma sighed as he stamped another paper.

"To be honest, I'm worried it has to do with Kuwabara's power. Ani Toguro may not have Gourmet's ability anymore, but I'm sure he has other tricks up his sleeves. And that's what I'm worried about. Kuwabara has grown immensely while you three were away." Koenma said, now looking into those green eyes.

"I know you've noticed each time you came to visit." Koenma said before stamping another paper.

Kurama nodded.

"Yes. And it seems to be growing more." Kurama said with a sigh.

He was proud of his friend. But he was more worried then anything else. He was strong now, but there were still demons that could be stronger then the carrot top. One day, he might be strong enough to defend himself without the rest of their help. But he wasn't there yet. If he was taken before that could happen, there were ways to use Kuwabara's powers even without his permission. Kurama had a lot to research.

"I'll let you know if I find something." Kurama said, only receiving a grunt from the Underworld King.

Kurama smiled before going into the room and looking for anything to help his friend.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

It was a nice cool summer night. The two men walked in silence as they just enjoyed each other's company and the weather.

"Hey, I appreciate you always trying to protect me..." Kuwabara said, a faint pink crossing his cheeks.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at this.

"Where's this coming from?" Yusuke asked.

"I was just thinkin' 'bout it, is all." Kuwabara said, not looking at this best friend.

Yusuke nodded and hummed.

"Well, you're my best friend. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Yusuke said, his own face flushing.

The two couldn't look at each other and went back to being quiet.

When they reached the Kuwabara household, Yusuke turned to leave.

"Oii, aren't you comin in? Ya know for dinner? My mom is cooking curry tonight." Kuwabara said.

Yusuke pursed his lips in thought before a grin crossed them.

"Why not! I haven't had yer mom's cookin in a while!" Yusuke said, following Kuwabara as he entered his house.

"Well look who finally came home!" came a deep voice coming from upstairs.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. sh*t happened." Kuwabara said before taking off his shoes.

Yusuke took of his own. He watched as an older looking Kuwabara walked down the stairs. Older looking but still different. He had his hair tied back in a short pony tail, a few orange strands falling in his face. His eyes were covered with sunglasses, despite being inside the house. He had loop earrings in both ears. His small stash above his lips seemed to complete the look. Yusuke was always a bit tense around the man. He had a bit of an intimating aura. It didn't help that he was a few inches taller then the giant Kuwabara himself.

"Hey Mr. Kuwabara." Yusuke said, trying to be as polite as possible.

Mr. Kuwabara laughed heartily before walking over and slapping Yusuke's back good and hard.

"Well lookit here! Haven't seen yer mug in a while. Whatcha been up to?" Mr. Kuwabara said, a grin on his face.

Yusuke couldn't help but grin back.

"Ya know a little of this and that." he said while scratching the back of his head.

Mr. Kuwabara let out another boisterous laugh.

"Honey, could you help me?" came a soft voice from further in the house.

"Well, that's my cue. I'm guessin' yer staying for dinner?"

"Yeah." Yusuke said with a nod.

"Well, come on in. Yo, Kazu!" Mr. Kuwabara said, turning to his son.

"Come help me." he said nodding towards the kitchen area.

Kuwabara frowned but turned back to Yusuke.

"It shouldn't be long, just head upstairs. I'll be there in a bit."

Yusuke nodded before heading up to the familiar room. He felt as if he had been in Kuwabara's room more then his own over the last couple of years. He opened the door and looked around. It still looked the same. The same posters on the wall. The same curtains gently moving at the slightly open window. The same smell of cinnamon and sweat. Yusuke took another sniff. It was Kuwabara's scent. Yusuke took off his jacket and threw it over Kuwabara's chair. He found a manga and decided to read it. He flopped onto of the perfectly made bed. It made his grin inwardly.

'What a dork.' he thought fondly before leaning back on the bed.

Kuwabara's scent was even stronger here, as he laid his head back on the pillow. He felt comfortable just laying there. He picked up the manga he grabbed and began to read it.

"Dinner's gonna b...."

Yusuke looked up from the manga and grinned.

Kuwabara stood in the doorway. His face was adorable. A slight blush on his cheeks as he was blinking at Yusuke.

Yusuke grinned before placing the manga on the bed and sitting up. He swung his legs over the bed and just looked at his best friend.

"Sup? You were saying something about dinner?"

Kuwabara took a few more steps into his own room. He noticed the jacket on his chair. A bit of confusion crossed his features before turning back to Yusuke. Yusuke raised an eyebrow and co*cked his head to the side.

"What's up?" Yusuke asked.

Kuwabara looked a bit longer before shaking his head clear of something.

"Yeah, dinner is almost ready. So we should get down stairs." Kuwabara said, his grin coming back to his face.

Yusuke hummed in thought before slowly nodding.

"Ok." he said before getting off the bed.

He cracked his neck and stretched for a bit before turning a smile at the carrot top.

"Last one downstairs is a rotten egg!" Yusuke said before pushing past the carrot top.

Kuwabara grunted at the push and was a bit shocked. But it only lasted for a moment before a wide grin crossed his lips.

"Oii that's cheatin' Urameshi!" Kuwabara shouted before rushing behind his best friend.

Yusuke had Kuwabara in a headlock as the two entered the dinning room. Both teens were laughing as they scraped a bit.

"Hey now, that's enough!" came from Mr. Kuwabara, a slight grin on his face.

"Come on boys!" said a softer voice.

Both teens turned to the softer voice. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a hot pot, was a beautiful woman. She looked to be in her early forties. She stood at 5'8", an inch taller then Yusuke. Her orange locks were a bit darker and closer to brown then her son's. It was tied back in a low ponytail, a few strands falling into her face. Her face looked similar to Shizuru. Her blue eyes were sharp but kind as they stared at the two teens.

"It's time to eat." she said with a wide grin.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" came from behind them.

The two jumped apart and stared at Shizuru who was smoking as she walking past the two boys.

"No smoking at the table." Mrs. Kuwabara said as she placed the crock pot full of curry on the table.

Shizuru sighed before walking over to an ashtray and putting out the cig. She put it back in her pocket, just not lit. She would save it for later.

Mrs. Kuwabara smiled at her daughter. She turned and plucked the cigarette out of her husband's lips, causing the man to pout.

"That was my last one." he whined.

"You know the rules Denki." the woman scolded as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Aww come on Tomoko...." pouted Denki.

"Here." Shizuru said, sliding a new cig to her dad.

He snickered.

"There's a reason yer my fav, Ru." Mr. Kuwabara said

"Hey!" Kuwabara said with his own pout. "Yer not suppose to have a favorite kid."

"That's something a 'non-favorite kid' would say." Shizuru said with a small snicker.

Yusuke laughed at the family's antics. It was one of the reasons he loved coming over to Kuwabara's house. Sure, he had a much better relationship with his mother now. But the love that was shared here was something he craved for. He sat back and just watched as the Kuwabara family bantered between each other. He should have felt out of place but Kazuma and his family never made him feel out of place.

When he first started hanging out with Kuwabara, the carrot top's parents never seemed to be home. It wasn't until the Yukina mission...

~Flash Back~

Kuwabara walked into his house, Yusuke right behind him. They had to watch that video Hiei handed him. Kuwabara was grumbling 'why he had to have a working VCR in his room'. He didn't want to get involved in any more demon sh*t. Not after the Four Saint Beasts. He was still trying to recover from biting it in a literal hellscape.

"Welcome home." came a deep chuckle.

Kuwabara's eyes widened before snapping to the couch.

"Wow, yer home?" Kuwabara said before walking more into the house.

Yusuke blinked. He watched as a Kuwabara look alike, though more gangster, stood up. He was even a bit taller then the already giant teen. He slung an arm around his son, a cig in his other hand.

"I'm off for a couple days actually. No good cases going." Mr. Kuwabara said.

Kazuma blinked at his dad.

"Oh?"

"And I'm not on call tonight!" came a cheery voice from the kitchen.

Out came Mrs. Kuwabara with a happy smile. She looked over at the wide eyed Yusuke, who stood in the door way.

"Well, don't just stand there, come on in!" she said with a wave of a hand.

"Don't mind if we do!" Perked Botan who was right behind Yusuke.

Yusuke jumped, having forgotten the blue haired girl had followed.

She winked at Yusuke before bouncing into the Kuwabara household.

"Oh, you've come back too I see." Mr. Kuwabara said before turning his head back towards his son, "Such a lady killer you are!" he said.

His laugh was loud and grew louder as he slapped his son's back good and hard.

"It's not like that dad." Kazuma huffed.

"It's business!" the carrot top added.

"Hmm? Business you say?" the man said before noticing the tape in Yusuke's hands.

"Ah, well." he said, letting his son go. "I guess you got everything under control right?" he asked, his face having that playful charm.

Below the look, was a serious air around it. As if, he was telling his son that if it was too dangerous to let him know. Like Mr. Kuwabara trusted his son to deal with his own sh*t. But also knew when to ask for help.

Yusuke finally got his shoes off and shut the door. He walked more into the room.

"Yes, sir." Kazuma said with a nod.

Mr. Kuwabara smiled before putting his hand on his son's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

"Well, try not to get into too much trouble. I only have so much pull." Mr. Kuwabara said before turning towards Yusuke.

Yusuke felt a bit creped out that the guy was wearing sunglasses in the house. It seemed the man understood Yusuke's thoughts and laughed.

"Well, it really is nice to see you awake." Mr. Kuwabara said with a grin at he looked at Yusuke.

"Huh?" Yusuke said, blinking at the man.

"Remember Urameshi? You stayed in my room for three days. Well, I still had to get permission and my parents were cool with it." Kuwabara said, pulling away from his dad.

"I trust my son's judgement when it comes to people, so I didn't see the harm." the man said with a shrug before taking a puff on his cancer stick.

"I will have tea ready in a bit, if you all want to head upstairs?" Mrs. Kuwabara said, coming back out, wiping her hands on a wash cloth.

"You said you're not on call tonight mom?" Kazuma said, a soft smile on his lips.

Yusuke had never seen such a face on his best friend's face. It was so soft and beautiful...he slightly blushed before shaking his head at the thought. Guys can't be beautiful...ok, Kurama was beautiful but he was different. He felt a shiver go down his spine. He noticed Mr. Kuwabara was looking at him. It was so unnerving with his eyes being covered. He couldn't tell if the man was staring at him or not.

"Yup. We actually have enough people working tonight." the woman said with a warm smile.

"So, does that mean you won't be working as much?" Kazuma asked, a bit hopefully.

"As long as there aren't any major issues, I should be fine." she said before bending up to kiss her son on his cheek.

He blushed.

"Come on mom, not in front of my friends..." he said shaking his head.

She laughed.

"Oh my, have you reached the age you're embarrassed of me, Kazu?" she asked, a slight twinkle in her blue eyes.

"Never." he said instantly but felt his face grow redder at the addmition.

Everyone laughed, making him grumble and walk back to Yusuke. He grabbed the tape out of his best friend's hand.

"Let's get this over with..." he grumbled before heading upstairs to his room.

Botan bounced up right behind the carrot top. Yusuke moved to follow.

"Hey kid."

Yusuke turned back around. Mrs. Kuwabara had gone back into the kitchen. It was just Mr. Kuwabara standing there. He sighed before removing his sunglasses.

Yusuke's eyes widened as he gasped. The man had a long slash that went across his eyes. Both eyes were a dull brown color. It was obvious he couldn't see too well. But the sunglasses were there to hide the awful scar. He wondered if Kuwabara knew about it.

"You keep an eye on him. Us Kuwabaras, well we seem to get into trouble too easily." Mr. Kuwabara said before putting back on his sunglasses.

Yusuke understood and nodded.

"Don't worry." Yusuke said before a smile crossed his lips, "I tend to get into as much trouble. But I'm good at getting us outta it too."

Mr. Kuwabara laughed good and hard before walking over to Yusuke. He slapped Yusuke's back good and hard before going to the kitchen, to help his wife.

~End Flash Back~

Yusuke glanced at the sunglasses. He knew what laid behind them. He looked over at Kuwabara and couldn't help to look at his chest. He also knew the scar that lay above the carrot top's heart. Mr. Kuwabara's words echoed. It had been a long time since he thought of that conversation. He had visited many times after that. He loved hanging with the man. Mr. Kuwabara was an undercover police officer. He would be gone for weeks. He would mostly infiltrate yakuza or other dangerous organizations. It was a pretty dangerous job. Yusuke thought it was pretty cool.

Mrs. Kuwabara began to make plates and pass it to everyone. She would always look forward to feeding her family. She rarely got a chance to be a 'mom' or do 'mom' things. Her job as a nurse was rewarding, but nothing beat being a mother. Once Shizuru was old enough to watch Kazuma, she picked up more shifts. It wasn't because they needed the money. Her husband was able to support them with what he made. But his job was dangerous. She wanted to make sure they had enough of a cushion if anything should happen. It wasn't healthy to think that way, but she knew what she was getting into by marrying a police man, especially one who went undercover.

Yusuke took the plate with a grin on his face and a thanks, before digging in.

"This is wonderful honey!" Mr. Kuwabara said as he shoveled a huge amount into his mouth.

"Thank you." she said with a warm smile.

"So, I'm gonna stay at Genkai's shrine for a bit." Kazuma said between bites.

"Why?" Shizuru asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"Underworld stuff. Don't worry, it won't affect my college stuff." Kazuma said, shoving more of the delicious curry in his mouth.

"I thought you were given a small break since Ennma's been inditied?" Mr. Kuwabara said, curiosity in his voice.

Kazuma ended up telling his parents about everything a year ago. He couldn't justify disappearing for a week here and there. His dad had his own reiki and could tell it wasn't a lie; his reiki similar to his daughter who could sense a load of bull sh*t by one sniff. It was one of the reasons he was able to catch as many perps without being caught himself as a spy.

"Yeah...." Kazuma said, trying to figure out what to say.

He didn't want his parent's worrying.

"He has to help some demons with some training." Yusuke said.

Yusuke didn't seem to be lying but Mr. Kuwabara wasn't fooled.

"Well, whatever it is, just let me know if you need me." Mr. Kuwabara said, a serious tone to his voice.

"Of course." Kazuma said with a sigh and a quick glance to his best friend.

"When are you going?" Mrs. Kuwabara said, having almost finished her own dinner.

"I was gonna pack tonight and leave sometime tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be though. So I'm gonna pack a week's worth or something."

"I hope you won't stay too long. Don't forget I'll be using some vacation time in two weeks." she said, a small smile.

Kazuma's eyes widened.

"Oh sh*t I almost forgot!" he shouted.

"Language at the table." Mrs. Kuwabara said with a stern look.

"Sorry mom." he said with a side ways grin.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure the big lug will be home by then." Yusuke said, elbowing his best friend in the side.

"I'm sure you will." Mrs. Kuwabara said with a warm smile.

Shizuru seemed to be giving Yusuke and her brother a look. It looked like the two were going to be interrogated later. Mr. Kuwabara was less readable thanks to the sunglasses.

"Well, thanks again for the food mom." Kazuma said, getting up and taking his plate.

"Don't you want seconds?" she asked a bit disappointed.

"Naw, I'm good." he said before walking by and giving her a quick kiss on her head.

She gave her son a warm smile.

"Well, let me know if you need anything." she said as she got herself another plate of food.

Yusuke finished off his food quickly and followed behind Kazuma into the kitchen. Kazuma was washing his plate before putting it on the drying rack.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked.

"Huh? Uh yeah...." Kazuma said with a sigh.

"Let's talk in my room." he added in a whisper.

Yusuke nodded before washing his own dish and putting in on the drying rack.

The two left the kitchen and headed upstairs.

Once back in the room, Kazuma went straight to packing clothes in a huge duffle bag. Yusuke sat on Kuwabara's bed and just watched as his best friend dug through his closet.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

It wasn't like he was going on a trip that required fancy clothes. If it was Yusuke, he would have brought two shirts and two pants. If anything, he would have brought a ton of extra boxers and socks.

"Gotta find clean sh*t to wear." Kuwabara said before tossing a couple of different shirts into his duffle bag.

It was amazing they were landing in it and not around it. Kuwabara went over to a drawer and began to dig out boxers.

"Why? It's just Genkai's....unless you're trying to look good for a certain ice demon?" Yusuke said with a smirk.

"N-no." Kuwabara said, a slight tint to his ears.

"Yer ears say something else." Yusuke teased, leaning back in Kuwabara's bed.

"Shut it Urameshi! Besides..." Kuwabara said, pausing in trying to find two matching socks, "well, she likes someone else."

Yusuke blinked before sitting up in the carrot top's bed.

"Whu?"

"Yeah, that was my reaction." Kuwabara said with a sad chuckle.

"When? Who?" Yusuke asked, still in shock.

"About a year ago and well....my sister." he said with a sigh, before finding a matching sock.

Yusuke's eyes widened more.

"Dude, that's kinda messed up..." Yusuke said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yer tellin' me. But I guess it makes sense. I mean, Yukina came from a tribe of just women. And my sis, well she is bi so...." he said with a shrug.

Kuwabara couldn't look at Yusuke as he went to the duffle bag and was pushing the clothes into it.

"I'm sorry man." Yusuke said before sitting Indian style on his bed.

Kuwabara shrugged before zipping up his bag.

"Is what it is. I'm over it." Kuwabara said finishing up his packing.

He turned back to his best friend with a smile. However, Yusuke could tell it was a bit forced. Yusuke could feel a pain in his chest. But he could feel a little....relieved? Well that couldn't be right. Yusuke shook his head.

"So then why with all the extra clothes?" he asked, looking at the barely zipped up duffle bag.

"I don't feel like washing my clothes if I'm being honest." Kuwabara said with a chuckle.

Yusuke stared at his best friend for a moment before laughing.

"That just sounds lazy as f*ck." Yusuke laughed even harder.

"Hey! You try having yer sh*t dry in the sun, when it's basically blocked by trees! Never dries good enough! Did it once, never again." Kuwabara grumbled as he folded his arms.

Yusuke let out one last chuckle before giving his friend a smile.

"I get ya. That was the worst while training with her both times."

"Even worse then the bed of nails?" Kuwabara said with a smirk.

"Don't remind me." Yusuke said with a wince.

A few meows caught the boys attention.

A black cat walked in, followed by two more of different colors. One of which was a recognizable feline.

"You becoming a cat lady or something?" Yusuke asked with a grin as the black cat jumped on the bed.

"Shut it Urameshi! These are just some rescues that's all! I'm thinking of opening up an animal rescue after I graduate college." Kuwabara said, putting his duffle bag on top of his desk.

Yusuke smiled before noticing the black cat sit right in front of him. Yusuke raised an eye brow at the little thing. They both tilted their heads at each other. All of a sudden, the cat sat down and began to clean his lower area. Yusuke scrunched his face up in disgust.

"You had to do that here in front of me, didn't cha." he said, being ignored.

Kuwabara laughed.

"That's Mittens. My mom named him just so you know. I wanted to name him Hiei cause he reminded me of the shrimp." Kuwabara said with a laugh.

Both boys laughed harder as Mittens stopped cleaning himself and looked as if he was scowling. Now to which name, neither knew.

"You're right! He's just like the little guy!" Yusuke howled, holding his sides.

"And this little princess." Kuwabara said, picking up a white short hair.

"Is Yuki." he said rubbing his face against her face.

She purred and looked happy. Yusuke couldn't help the wide grin that crossed his face. Kuwabara looked so cute. Wait, cute? Yusuke slightly blushed at the thought. He had been away too long. He obviously missed his best friend a little too much. Yeah, that was it!

"So does that make Eikichi the head cat? Like he is the king of the cats?" Yusuke asked, watching the OG cat rub against Kuwabara's leg.

Obviously he wanted to be the next one to be picked up.

"Oh, you don't even know! He acts like a dad really! It's a bit adorable." Kuwabara said before putting down the white cat to pick up his baby.

Eikichi meowed loud before licking his owner's cheek. Kuwabara chuckled as he held his cat closer to him. Yusuke felt like he was home. This felt good. This felt natural. Just being here with Kuwabara and his cats. He felt comfortable...maybe too comfortable. He couldn't help the small yawn that escaped his lips. Kuwabara chuckled before putting his cat down.

"I guess it is bedtime. I do need to get up early to go to Genkai's."

"I'll come by and walk with you." Yusuke said, sliding off Kuwabara's bed.

"Ya don't haveta." Kuwabara said.

"I want to. I haven't seen you in forever. And today was basically a bust." Yusuke said with a side ways smile.

Kuwabara thought about it before nodding.

"Ok and hey, I can introduce you to some of the demon's I saved!" Kuwabara said, a proud look crossing his face.

Yusuke smiled wide. He was so proud of his best friend.

"I'd love that! What time should I come by?" Yusuke asked as he walked out of Kuwabara's room.

Kuwabara looked up in thought, following his friend as they went downstairs.

"I guess nine would be good. I don't want to go too early to Genkai's. I don't want to make her grumpy." Kuwabara said with a smile.

"She's no fun first thing in the morning." Yusuke frowned at a bad memory.

Kuwabara smiled before letting out a small chuckle.

"I bet. Welp, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Nite Urameshi." Kuwabara said before walking Yusuke to the front door.

'Ever the gentleman.' Yusuke couldn't help but think before giving a warm smile.

"Nite Kuwabara."

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

"Seriously Urameshi, you don't have to go with me." Kuwabara said, as he was putting on his shirt.

Yusuke had arrived around 7 o'clock in the morning. Kuwabara had planned on leaving around 9, so the poor carrot top was a bit annoyed to be woken up. Actually, his sister was more annoyed as she was the one who had to answer the door.

"I'll just port myself to Baa-sans with my Jigen Tou. I sometimes forget I can quick travel." Kuwabara said with a soft chuckle before suppressing another yawn.

"Well, I still want to go with you. It's kinda badass to quick travel. Besides, you kept bragging about all these demons you saved and sh*t. I'd like to met some of them, ya know." Yusuke said, running his hand through his hair.

Kuwabara let out a sigh before swinging his duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Fine, but you'll have to walk back by yerself. I'm not a free taxi service." Kuwabara said as he took out his sword.

Yusuke pouted.

"Aww, come on." Yusuke whined.

Kuwabara huffed before slicing a portal to the steps of Genkai's temple.

"I'll think about it." Kuwabara said, "but no promises."

Yusuke gave a triumphant grin before following behind his best friend through the portal. It instantly closed up behind him.

"Seriously, we'll never need to walk anywhere ever again!" Yusuke said with a grin.

"It does use my reiki just so you know. I can only use it a limited number of times." Kuwabara said, getting a better grip on his shoulder bag before walking up the steps.

"Kinda like my rei gun?" Yusuke asked, following in step besides the carrot top.

"Yeah, kinda. I've experimented and the max is five times in a full 24 hours from the first time I use it. After that, I'm spent. I can't use anything without tapping into my life force. And I mean anything. I can't even summon a reki knife." Kuwabara said, glancing over to the raven haired demon.

Yusuke hummed.

"Five is still pretty good."

Kuwabara grunted in agreement.

The two continued to walk up the massive staircase in a comfortable silence.

"Couldn't ya just ported us up to the top of these damn stairs?" Yusuke asked, as they reached just before the halfway point.

"Baa-san's barrier is too strong. I can only get as close to the bottom of her steps. Which, according to her is impressive. I shouldn't even come within 50 kilometers of the steps."

Yusuke's eyes widened and turned blinking up at his best friend. Kuwabara had a faint proud grin on his lips, as well as a faint tint of pink to his cheeks.

"Seriously?! When the hell did ya become such a badass?" Yusuke said, giving his best friend a slight elbow to his ribs.

Kuwabara chuckled, ignoring the elbow jab.

"Three years is a long time."

"I guess so..." Yusuke mumbled before looking around.

For some reason, he felt like someone was watching them. He didn't feel any reiki or yoki. He glanced back up at Kuwabara. He didn't seem to notice. Yusuke shrugged. If Kuwabara wasn't noticing anything, then it was just in his imagination. Or Yusuke was on extra high alert because of Ani Toguro coming after his best friend.

The two walked another two set of stairs before someone appeared in front of them.

Yusuke had his finger up and ready to blast the attacker. He faulted at Kuwabara's words and took a good look at the one that attacked.

It was a demon, or rather a cat demoness.

"How did you notice me?" the cat demoness asked, sheathing her katana, "I know I suppressed my yoki."

"You did, but you need to not stare so hard. I could feel your eye burning into the back of my head." Kuwabara said with a chuckle.

The demoness tsked.

"Damn."

"You've still improved though!" Kuwabara said with a proud smile.

The demoness seemed to not care for the praise, but her tail swished in delight behind her.

"No really! Before, I could sense you completely! But now, I am only able to sense you once you're up close!" Kuwabara said with a puffed out chest, as if he was a father proud of his child.

The demoness blushed slightly but didn't show any other emotions.

"I'll surpass you one day." she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Kuwabara's own eye seemed to have the same twinkle.

"Bring it."

Yusuke cleared his throat. It seemed the two had forgotten about him. It made him feel a bit out of place. Especially with how causal the two were talking. Something began to build in his chest a bit. He wasn't too sure what it was, but he didn't like the feeling.

"Oh, right!" Kuwabara said, a slight blush crossing his face.

"Urameshi, this is one of the demons I helped out. Her name is Jade Shoe." Kuwabara said, pointing to the cat demon.

"And this is Urameshi Yusuke." Kuwabara said, pointing to Yusuke.

"Yo." Yusuke said with a small smile and wave.

Jade blinked her one eye at him before it widen.

"Thee Urameshi Yusuke?! I didn't believe Kuwa-chan when he said he knew you." she said.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow and looked over at a growingly turning red Kuwabara.

"Kuwa-chan?" he asked with a small smirk.

"Shut it Urameshi." Kuwabara growled.

Yusuke's smirk turned into a huge grin as his friend's blush went to his ears.

"So what are you doing here?" Jade asked, grabbing the two men's attention.

"Actually, I'll explain once everyone else is around." Kuwabara said, turning a bit serious; his blush going away.

Jade furrowed her eyebrow. It looked that she understood that is was serious. She nodded in understanding.

"I'll go ahead and let everyone know you're on your way up." she said.

"I can't wait to talk to you Urameshi-sama." Jade said with a wink towards Yusuke before blinking away.

Yusuke blinked before turning to Kuwabara.

"And you had to save her?!" he asked a bit dumbfounded.

Kuwabara chuckled.

"How many demons did you save?" Yusuke asked, giving the carrot top a sideways glance.

"I lost count after about fifty." Kuwabara said a bit in thought.

Yusuke's brown eyes widened. That was a damn lot of demons under King Enma's control. It made him a bit sick to his stomach. How many of those were demons he, Yusuke, had defeated? How many demons did he fight were actually under King Enma's control? A couple came to mind but he shook his head. They had to be bad demons. All of them couldn't have been under control of the Underworld's former king, right? There had to be a few that were really evil right?

He didn't want to think about it if it wasn't the case.

"But only a few live with Baa-san." Kuwabara said, breaking Yusuke out of his guilt spiral.

"The rest have gone back to the Maiki while others are living peaceful lives here in the Ningenkai. They do come back here some times to just check in or just say hi and stuff." Kuwabara added, having a fond smile cross his lips.

Yusuke looked at his best friend. Three years really were a long time it seemed. There was whole history of Kuwabara that Yusuke had no clue about. He needed to ask him more about that. All Kuwabara had shared in the very short time he had come back was school sh*t. This, this right here was the kind of stuff Yusuke was interested in.

"I think there is only four right now that I think about it." Kuwabara said a bit in thought.

"There's Jade, Selena, Lotar, and Hiroshi, I think. I don't think there are any others. Damion is probably out right now and I know Lila is on tour or something...." Kuwabara thought, counting on his fingers.

"You remember all of their names?" Yusuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" Kuwabara said as if offended, looking over at his best friend, "I helped them! I would be a horrible person to forget those who I've saved!"

"Yet you lost track of how many you've saved?" Yusuke said with a smirk.

Kuwabara opened his mouth before shutting it. He grumbled before quickening his pace.

"Can it Urameshi." he grumbled, earning a laugh from the raven haired man.

The two went up the last set of stair in silence.

Once they entered the temple, a blur of red came at them. In a blink of an eye, Kuwabara was tackled to the ground.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted in fear.

"Kuwa-chan!"

"You're back! Let's play!" the boy said with a laugh as he pulled back to look down at the carrot top.

Kuwabara blinked up before letting out a laugh.

"Hey to you too Hiroshi."

"It's Hiro!" pouted the boy as he sat on top of Kuwabara's chest Indian style.

"I can't breath." Kuwabara gasped for a moment.

Hiro jumped off with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry!"

"He's human remember." came a gruff laugh coming up to stand next to Yusuke. "And despite your size, you can be pretty heavy."

Yusuke could feel a very intense yoki. It was strong, an upper A-class. He was bulky and looked even more in the white t-shirt that barely fit his physic. He stood a good 7 feet even. His skin color was an ashy grey which contrasted with his beaded red eyes. Two orange horns stuck out his black buzzed cut hair. One of them looked a bit warped or at least broken, as it wasn't as long or sharp as the other.

The ogre looking man looked down and gave Yusuke a wide grin.

"And you must be the great infamous Urameshi."

Yusuke's eyes widened.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Cause Jade told us like you were coming, duh." came a female voice coming up to the ogre of a man.

Her voice reminded Yusuke of a valley girl accent from American TV shows. Although it had a smooth tone to it.

A woman came up with teal colored skin. She was wearing a beautiful baby blue kimono that stopped mid thigh, but had long sleeves that covered her hands a bit. The kimono itself was form fitting, showing her hour glass shape. She was beautiful, even with the fin ears that twitched. She reminded Yusuke a bit of Juri because of the ears. Her huge eyes were a violet color that felt like pools you could fall deep into.

Her dark blue hair was long, tied up into two pig tails and two braids draped over both her shoulders. She was drop dead gorgeous.

"I'm really sorry Kuwa-chan! I really didn't mean to hurt you." said Hiro in a sad tone.

"It's fine, I wasn't expecting it is all." Kuwabara said with a warm smile to the child demon.

Kuwabara stood up before giving the kid a pat on his head. This seemed to cheer Hiro up as he laughed in delight as he got head pets.

"So what brings you? Obviously it is serious if you brought the dimwit." came an old gruff voice.

The group turned to see Genkai walking up. She looked a bit worn since the last time Yusuke saw her. He couldn't help but give her a wide smile.

"Happy to see you haven't keeled over yet, Baa-san." Yusuke said.

"Could say the same to you, dimwit." she said back, a faint smile crossing her lips.

"I'm here to ask if I can stay for a bit." Kuwabara said, ending the reunion of master and student.

"I'll help!" said the beautiful demon, skipping over to walk with the old master; her fish like tail swishing behind her.

"Soooo....you're not here to play or to just visit?" Hiro asked with a bit of sadness to his voice.

Kuwabara looked down fondly at the demon child. He grinned and ruffled his already wild hair.

"I'll be staying for a little while; so plenty of time to play. Right now though, I need to talk to everyone about something." he said.

"Something dangerous?" Hiro asked.

Kuwabara nodded.

Hiro stood up straight and put on a face to show that he was serious.

"I'm a big boy now. I can help." he said, standing up even more at his words.

Kuwabara couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

"I know you are. Let's see what happens ok?" he said, making the little boy grin wide.

"Are you sure?" Yusuke said, leaning in to Kuwabara as he started to walk to the temple.

"He's seen some sh*t, so I think he can handle this." Kuwabara whispered, watching the boy go up to the ogre.

The ogre picked Hiro up and put him on his shoulders. Hiro laughed as he held gently to the horns of the ogre.

Yusuke looked at the two. He noticed the light touch on the broken looking horn. He felt a pain in his gut. He wondered what these demons had gone through. He couldn't imagine the suffering they could have gone through.

The group went into Genkai's temple.

~Scene Change~

The small group was brought into a room that looked to be a traditional sitting room. Everyone sat around the long table that was the only thing in the huge room. There were no chairs, just a traditional room with the table and some soft lights scattered around the room.

After everyone was settled, Genkai and the fish demon walked in with a tray of cookies and tea. Once the tea and cookies was set at the table and everyone had a cup in front of them, Genkai sat down at the head of the table.

Yusuke and Kuwabara sat on the one side of the table, closer to the door. The ogre looking demon sat across from Genkai at the other end of the table. Hiro sitting close to him. Jade and the other girl sat across from Yusuke and Kuwabara respectively.

"Let's start with some proper introductions." Genkai looking at the demons, "For my dimwit of a student."

Yusuke gave his former master a glare, making Kuwabara snicker.

"Oh oh I want to go first!" Hiro said, raising his hand before standing up.

He cleared his throat before turning serious; as serious as a twelve year old could look.

"My name is Hiroshi, but call me Hiro. Kuwa-chan saved me last year from some weirdos who wanted me to hurt people with my fire." Hiro said before producing fire balls in his hands.

"What did I say about fire in the temple?" Genkai said.

Hiro instantly extinguished his flames with a pout.

"Sorry, I got excited." he said before sitting back down with a pout.

The ogre chuckled before giving the boy a pat on his head.

"I guess I'm up next." he said before turning towards Yusuke.

He didn't stand up but did give a slight bow.

"My name is Lotar. I was one of the first sets of demons Kuwabara-sama saved. I was under the control of one of the Underworld King's secret service. I was too strong to brainwash but was given a collar to suppress my yoki from hurting whoever put it on. Kuwabara-sama was able to free me and I am forever in his debt." Lotar said with a low bow to Kuwabara.

Kuwabara couldn't help the blush of embarrassment that crossed his face and the soft chuckle to follow.

"It wasn't that big of a deal...." he said, looking away, scratching the back of his head.

Yusuke looked at his best friend with a brim of pride in his chest.

"Oh but it was. You not only saved me but my wife and my son. You saved us and then reunited us." He said before ruffling Hiro's hair.

Yusuke blinked at the two.

"He's your son?!"

"Yup!" Hiro said with a proud grin to his lips.

"He takes more of his mother's features." Lotar said with a chuckle.

"How is Lila? She still on tour?" Kuwabara asked.

Genkai cleared her throat before the conversation would get off topic.

"We can catch up later." she said before looking over at Jade.

Jade nodded before looking at Yusuke.

"I'm Jade Shoe, but we met earlier. I was, however not strong enough to push against the brainwashing. Kuwa-chan was able to break me out of it, but not without a cost..." she said, pulling at her bangs, as if to cover her right eye.

Yusuke wondered what happened to the eye under the bangs. He looked over at Kuwabara who had looked away a bit in guilt. Yusuke looked back at the cat demon.

"I was the luckiest." said the fish girl, bringing the attention to her.

"I was treated kindly but it was only because of like my beauty and voice. I was used for like entertainment stuff and was with Lila. We were saved about like two years ago." she said, touching her throat.

There was a faint band around her neck, as if there was a collar that once was there.

"My name is Selena by the way." she said with a seductive smile as she looked at Yusuke.

Yusuke couldn't help the blush that went to his ears.

"Stop trying to seduce Urameshi, he has a finance." Kuwabara said, a little too harshly.

Selena's eyes widened before a soft blush crossed her pretty teal skin.

"I'm sorry I didn't like know. I'm no home wrecker." she said before seeming to turn down the charm.

Yusuke felt himself cool down a bit. He let out a breath.

"I'm guessing you can seduce people?" the raven haired demon asked.

Selena gave him a warm smile.

"Only those I find attractive."

This made Yusuke blush again but a small grin cross his lips.

"Is that right..."

"And everyone knows Yusuke." Genkai said, stopping any more of that conversation.

"So now that we are well introduced. What is the reason you need to stay here, Kuwabara-kun?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke both turned serious.

"Ani Toguro some how got free from Kurama's plant." Kuwabara said, looking at Genkai.

Genkai's eyes widened before narrowing.

"How?"

"Not sure, but fox boy is looking into it." Yusuke said, looking just as serious as Kuwabara, "and the worst thing is he's after Kuwabara."

The room was quiet for a moment.

"Can't Kuwa-chan kick this guys ass?" Hiro said.

"Language." Lotar said with a stern look.

"Sorry papa." Hiro said with a small smile.

"He's sent some demons after me who were able to capture me." Kuwabara said.

The demons all looked ready to say something, but Kuwabara held up his hand to stop them.

"I was able to get away, but they used a dirty trick to get me. I've fought the creeper before and I may be stronger now then when I was 14 but I'm not sure I can take him by myself. I also have college stuff I need to worry about. So, while we figure out a plan, I was hoping to stay here for at least a week so Kurama and Koenma can figure out a plan or at least figure out where the creep is hiding out."

The room went silent for a moment.

"You are always welcome here, whether you are in danger or not." Genkai said, "but I think you're here for more then protection."

Kuwabara gave a sideways grin.

"Yeah, I figured I should have a bit more training. It has been a couple of months since I seriously trained."

"I can help you train!" Hiro said excitedly.

"I wouldn't mind sparing." Jade said with a small smirk.

"I can put some charms on you to protect you." Selena said, taking out some small items out of her kimono sleeves.

They looked to be some string and some different color stones or beads. Yusuke couldn't tell from his seat.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need me to go with you to your orientation?" Lotar asked.

Genkai released a strong aura that caused everyone to calm down.

"Now." she said, seeming to get everyone's attention.

"One thing at a time. Selena, that is a good idea. Make a protection charm for Kuwabara-kun to wear." she said looking at the fish demon.

Selena nodded before going straight to work on a bracelet.

"I want Jade and Hiro to train with Kuwabara-kun for a couple of days." she said looking between the two.

Both looked excited in their own way; Hiro showing more then Jade.

"As long as Yusuke is by Kuwabara's side, he should be fine." Genkai said, glancing over to the raven haired demon.

'He learned from his mistakes.' she thought, thinking about the Chapter Black case. 'The fact he is here now, despite Kuwabara having the Jigen Tou proves it. He didn't leave Kuwabara to come here alone.'

"Yeah! He has nothing to fear when I'm here! I might even stay!" Yusuke said, bringing his best friend into a headlock.

"You got a wedding to plan!" Kuwabara growled, struggling in the headlock.

"No rough housing at the table." Genkai said, causing Yusuke to let go.

"Keiko will understand..." Yusuke said.

"No way." Selena said.

"Doubt it." Jade said.

Both girls had said it at the same time. Yusuke turned to look at them.

"If you were like my finance, I would totally want you there. Unless she is like the most selfless girl in all three worlds. Any real girl would like want her man by her side." Selena said.

"Just like Selena said. Don't worry. Kuwa-chan is in the best hands here." Jade said, giving Yusuke a look that released a bit of worry.

However, Yusuke wasn't completely comfortable leaving his best friend.

"At least let me stay for a couple of days or something." Yusuke said looking at Genkai before looking over at Kuwabara.

Kuwabara looked in those chocolate brown eyes. They were begging the carrot top to let him stay. Kuwabara sighed before looking over at Genkai. Genkai saw the look and let out a sigh. She pulled out a cigarette before lighting it.

"Fine. But only for tonight." she said.

Yusuke looked a bit more relived.

"Maybe you can train a bit with Hiro." Lotar said with a warm smile.

Hiro's eyes widened before looking over at Yusuke.

"Could you?! Please?!" he asked with an excited voice.

Yusuke couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"Sure." he said, making the kid cheer.

"I wouldn't mind giving a shot against you." Jade said with a small smirk.

"I was thinking the same thing." Yusuke said with his own smirk.

She seemed like a worthy opponent. He wondered how she would fair against Hiei. She seemed almost as fast as the fire demon.

"Now that everything is settled, I need a nap." Genkai said, standing up.

Selena put the charm back into her sleeve before getting up and helping the old master clean up.

"Why don't we do some sparing now?" Jade said, looking at Yusuke.

Yusuke had a gleam in his eyes as he stood up, stretching a bit.

"I'm ready for a warm up before lunch."

https://www.deviantart.com/kuwalover/art/His-Own-Hero-OC-pics-1032539004

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Kurama looked around. He didn't think he would ever come back to this cave. It still brought up so many emotions that he had suppressed for too long.

"We'll look around." came from the new Underworld Task Force Captain.

The other one had been a hardcore follower of the former King and had sworn to take revenge or some sh*t similar to those words. The new leader happened to be the same man who had almost killed the kitsune. The two had some respect for each other but weren't any more then allies in the loosest terms.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

'This better end soon, or they will really take Kuwabara.' she thought.

After a few more minutes, everything outside the blanket went quiet. Kuwabara waited a good 10 more minutes before dispelling his blanket shield.

The group was all gone. The only thing left were the ice spikes, which were starting to melt; and the two dead bodies of the lizards. Kuwabara collapsed on to his back.

"Kuwa-chan!" Jade shouted, kneeling next to him.

Kuwabara let out a sigh as he looked up.

"I'm so exhausted. I don't think I'll need to train tomorrow." he said, earning a chuckle and laugh from the three around him.

"I think this means you need more training." Genkai said, with a sigh.

Kuwabara groaned from the ground, making the old woman smirk.

"Although, I'm going to have to make the barrier not let anyone in." Genkai said, letting the three look at her.

"The only reason Daisuke was allowed was because I have it set for those who Kuwabara has brought here before. This is a demon refuge after all. And anyone who brings others in are allowed, as long as at least one has been approved prior." Genkai said with a sigh.

She really needed a cig.

"So if any of us leave, can we not come back in?" Jade asks with wide eyes.

Genkai nods.

"I need to set that up, it will take a day to set it up." she said before turning back to her temple.

"Wait! But I got oreniation in a couple of days!" Kuwabara said, finding enough energy to sit up.

"I'll have it where only demons can't come in. You will be able to come in. But Yusuke won't." Genkai said, with a frown.

She couldn't make an exceptions at this point.

Kuwabara frowned.

"You'll just have to meet him outside my barrier." Genkai said.

Kuwabara sighed before grunting as he stood up.

"Guess I gotta let Urameshi know." Kuwabara said before taking a step forward.

He wobbled for a moment before Lotoar steadied the young man.

"Need me to help you back?"

Kuwabara gave the demon a warm smile.

"Naw I should be fine in a couple of minutes."

"After I set up the new barrier, I need to help you with that new ability you made." Genkai said.

Kuwabara nodded.

He realized two years ago that he could make things by just drawing them. He had to tap into his Jigen Tou energy in order to do it. It would wear him out depending on how big the item was, but he found it used less reiki then using the Jigen Tou itself. He could make weapons with his normal reiki, but it seemed that the Jigen Tou used a different level of his reiki. So Kuwabara named the two levels to know which was which. One was his Weapon Reiki while he called the other Manipulation Reiki. Both were two different colors, which also helped.

Kuwabara would make simple objects out of his Manipulation Reiki. He's made a net, rope, bandages, a reiki ointment that could heal small wounds once applied, and similar objects. What made this different from his Weapon reiki; other then that one making only weapons, was whatever he made would stay as a physical item until he, himself, dispelled it or destroyed it with his Jigen Tou.

After a few minutes, Kuwabara felt he was able to walk again. He gave Lotoar a smile before turning to him and Jade.

"Thanks guys for helping."

"We really didn't do much." Jade said with a shrug.

"Yeah, you took care of most of it, with Genkai." Lotoar so looking over at Genkai's retreating form, which was almost in the temple.

Kuwabara couldn't help the small blush.

"Naw, I think I would have been a goner, if it lasted much longer."

Jade frowned.

"That bounty has to be high if Daisuke was willing to betray us and go after you."

"I don't care how much it is, there's no excuse." Lotoar said with a frown.

"I'm not condoning what he did. I'm just saying that it's a real problem if the bounty is that high." she said before letting out a sigh.

"Well, nothing we can do until everything settles down." she said.

"Yeah." Kuwabara added before letting out a sigh.

Everything was quiet for a moment before all three of their stomachs growled. They all began to laugh.

"Guess it's dinner time." Lotoar said with a chuckle.

"Guess so. I'll do one more round to make sure they are really gone." Jade said before vanishing into the shadows.

Kuwabara smiled before looking back at the temple.

"Worried about how Yusuke will react?" Lotoar asked.

Kuwabara nodded.

"Welp, that just means that whoever is after you, is in for some real pain once he gets ahold of them." Lotoar said, wrapping an around around Kuwabara's shoulder.

Kuwabara couldn't help the chuckle and nodded.

"Yeah, Ani is a dead man once Urameshi gets ahold of 'im."

The two walked back the temple, their conversation turning into a discussion on how Yusuke would defeat Ani.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Yusuke was waiting for Kuwabara at the bottom of the steps. Genkai was able to put up the barrier. Which was an annoyance to Yusuke as he wanted to hang out more with his best friend. But with Ani Toguro back, it was making it harder. He couldn't wait until they found the bastard and tore him apart.

Kuwabara waved at his best friend. Yusuke gave one back but looked miffed. The carrot top chuckled as he came up to his best friend.

"Why the sour look, Urameshi?"

"Cause, I'm being treated like a threat." Yusuke growled, glaring at the invisible wall.

Kuwabara laughed before swinging an arm around the raven-haired man's shoulders.

"Don't worry Urameshi, it's not permanent."

Yusuke huffed but leaned into the sideways embrace.

"Yeah, I know. It just sucks, ya know?"

"You're telling me! I have to have a bodyguard just to go to orientation." Kuwabara growled before pulling away from Yusuke.

Yusuke pouted at the loss of contact. He draped his arm over the carrot top's shoulders and brought him a bit down; continuing to walk.

"So, what if you got a bodyguard! Makes you important." Yusuke said with a grin.

Kuwabara looked at the grin and couldn't help the blush to cross his face.

"Feh, just makes me feel useless." Kuwabara said but didn't pull away from his best friend.

Yusuke frowned before pulling back, stopping his walking. Kuwabara also stopped walking and looked down at the raven-haired demon.

"You're not useless."

"Come on Urameshi. Even with all the power I got, I still need you to protect me. That's being pretty useless." Kuwabara said with a roll of his eyes.

Yusuke frowned. When did his best friend lose his confidence? Where was that bravo and peaco*ck attitude? Why would he feel that way, especially after bragging how many demons he saved?

"It wouldn't matter how powerful you got; I'd still be there to save you." Yusuke said before feeling the blush cross his face.

Kuwabara blinked down at the raven-haired demon, his own face going completely red. Yusuke cleared his throat before he started to walk again.

"Besides, it's only until we get Ani right? So, there's no problem." Yusuke said, glancing back.

Kuwabara shook his head before giving his best friend a wide smile.

"Yeah, yeah that's true."

Kuwabara walked a bit faster to be walking along side Yusuke.

They walked in silence for a bit.

"Hey, why don't you just port us there?" Yusuke said looking at his carrot top.

Kuwabara chuckled.

"You gotten lazy these last three years, Urameshi?" Kuwabara chuckled.

"It's not lazy! It's called using what ya got! You have a quick travel perk, so why not use it!" Yusuke said as if it only made sense.

Kuwabara laughed, making Yusuke glare at the carrot top for a moment before joining on the hearty laugh. After they cooled down, Kuwabara gave Yusuke a smile.

"Like I said before, I got only so many times I can use it in a 24-hour period. I rather use it if I absolutely need to."

"Come on! Four times is enough! It's not like you're gonna need it another three times."

Kuwabara thought about it.

"Well, I was gonna use it to port you back home and then myself home...."

Yusuke's grin widened. He also felt as if his heart jumped, despite the organ not beating like that anymore. Either way, he felt butterflies of joy at Kuwabara was willing to 'waste' one of his times on himself.

"SOOOO that leaves two right there! If you use one now, you'll still have one more left! So what's the problem?" Yusuke said with a sh*t eating grin.

Kuwabara thought about it before grinning.

"Alright!" Kuwabara looked around.

They were still within Genkai's area, but they were far enough out where he could use his Jigen Tou. He stopped walking which made Yusuke stop. He focused on a spot he knew was empty by the school. He opened his eyes before forming his sword in his hand. He sliced open the portal before jumping through. Once Yusuke jumped through, it closed up behind him.

"Still badass." Yusuke said, making the carrot top grin wider.

"Could you imagine if I could just do it willy nilly?"

"I'd be able to save my change for the arcade instead of using it on public transportation." Yusuke said with a laugh.

"I was gonna say save on gas, but that's true too." Kuwabara said with a grin.

Yusuke smiled as the two walked out of the alley way and towards the college. It was only five minutes from where Kuwabara ported them. It was actually in their sights.

"So, what are ya gonna do while I'm in the orientation?" Kuwabara asked, looking over at his best friend.

Yusuke shrugged.

"I'll just chill on that bench." he said, pointing over to a small park.

"You won't get bored or something right?" Kuwabara asked, a bit worried.

"I'll just take a nap if I get bored." Yusuke said before patting his best friend's back.

"Don't worry about me, just focus on acing that orientation!" Yusuke said, letting his hand continue to stay on the carrot top's back.

Kuwabara smiled down at his best friend before nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah! I'm gonna ace this thing!"

Yusuke patted his back again before walking the carrot top closer to the entrance.

"You get 'im tiger!" Yusuke called as he watched the carrot top straighten the tie he was wearing.

Yusuke looked over the outfit Kuwabara was wearing. He really didn't pay attention until now. The carrot top was wearing a grey suit and a white button up top under the grey jacket. His tie was a maroon color which brought out the deep browns of Kuwabara's eyes. The grey seeming to make his presence even brighter and show cased his orange curls. His hair was still up but in a much looser version of his normal pompadour.

Yusuke liked the look.

"Thanks, Urameshi." Kuwabara said, after finishing fiddling with his tie.

He turned and gave a confident grin. Yusuke gave the carrot top two thumbs up and a grin.

He watched Kuwabara walk into the college.

Yusuke let out a sigh before walking over to the bench not too far off. He leaned his head back as his arms laid around the back of the bench. He looked up into the blue sky. A couple of clouds pasted above. He could hear the chirping of birds from a tree next to him.

It was still early enough that there wasn't too much traffic on the roads. It was nice. Yusuke closed his eyes and just enjoyed the heat wash over his face from the sun. He let himself be lost in the sensations.

After a while, Yusuke's mind began to wander. First it was wondering how that bastard escaped. He hoped the redheaded fox learned something. He hadn't heard from Kurama since they went to the Underworld and spoke to Koenma. Yusuke wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to get worried.

The fact there wasn't any news, not even an update was worrisome.

Yusuke was seriously worried for his best friend. He knew Kuwabara had gotten much strong over the last couple of years. Hell, he wouldn't mind going a round with the carrot top to see how much better he had gotten. But even so, this was Ani f*cking Toguro. The sleaze ball seemed to be like a co*ckroach. They couldn't get rid of him.

What bothered Yusuke the most was the guy's fascination with Kuwabara. It rubbed the raven-haired demon the wrong way. Actually, it caused something deep within him to be extra protective. It felt more than a normal best friend feeling.

Yusuke had felt this way for a while. Even while he was in the Makai, he worried for Kuwabara. Kurama had helped settle most of his nerves with the monthly updates. The redhead going back once a month, for a week certainly helped calm Yusuke's nerves.

But it didn't help the ache in his chest. He seriously missed the carrot top.

Despite popular belief, Keiko wasn't the reason Yusuke was rushing back. Well, she wasn't the only reason anyway. Yusuke had greatly missed Kuwabara during the two years he spent in the Makai. He didn't realize how bad he would miss the carrot top. But even the small updates from Kurama couldn't always satisfy knowledge of how Kuwabara was doing. Yusuke swore that the next time he needed to go somewhere, he would offer Kuwabara to come with him. Hopefully, Kuwabara would be done school by the time Yusuke needed to go away.

It was over that time, that Yusuke realized how much he cared about the carrot top. Maybe even cared more than a best friend should. He didn't feel this way with Keiko, and she was supposed to be his best 'girl' friend. Actually, she was supposed to be his fiancé. But he wasn't even sure if he really wanted to marry her. He needed to figure out his feelings before that became a mess that he wouldn't be able to dig himself out from. But it would have to wait until Kuwabara was safe. Until Ani Toguro was removed as a threat. Who knew how long that would take, but Yusuke intended to make sure Kuwabara would be safe.

Yusuke let out a sigh and opened his eyes. There were a few more clouds in the blue sky. He looked down at his watch. It had only been fifteen minutes. Yusuke let out another sigh before tilting his head back up.

'I knew it would be boring but damn...' he thought.

He yawned big, causing tears to appear in the corner of his eyes.

"sh*t..." he huffed as he sat up, finding his body was slinking down the bench.

Yusuke shook his head trying to wake himself up.

'This is harder than I thought.' he thought, standing up and stretching out his limbs.

Yusuke stopped mid-stretch. He could sense some demons coming his way. His awareness wasn't as strong as Kuwabara's, but it had gotten better while he trained in the Maiki. He turned towards the energy and noticed a small group of four coming towards him. He raised an eyebrow as the group looked to be all wearing hoods. It was too nice out to wear something that would cover your head. Two of the hooded figures were holding hands, one being childlike in size and body.

Yusuke tensed up as it looked like the group was heading towards the school. They didn't seem to pay him any mind as they walked past him. The only one who did was the smaller person. They glanced at him from under their hood. It was a little girl. Yusuke's mind went back a couple of days ago to a conversation he had with Kuwabara over the phone....

~Flashback~

"It was weird. I mean, who brings a kid to a kidnapping?" Kuwabara had complained over the phone.

"Someone who didn't have a babysitter." Yusuke said with a smirk.

Yusuke's grin widened as he could hear the eyeroll from his best friend.

"I'm being serious Urameshi!"

Yusuke let out a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, at least they shouldn't bother you for a while now, right? I mean, one of them is injured from what you told me. So that's one last thing to worry about." Yusuke said with a smile.

"Yeah....yeah, you're right." Kuwabara said with a sigh.

"Of course I am!" Yusuke said with a grin and laugh.

~Flashback End~

Yusuke's eyes widened at the realization this was the group! He growled before jumping in front of the group.

"Hey. Didn't you learn not to bring a kid to a kidnapping?" Yusuke growled out, pointing his finger at the group.

They stopped.

"Ah, so you're Urameshi Yusuke." came a male voice.

"And you must be an idiot if you think you can try to attack Kuwabara again. Didn't you guys learn last time not to mess with him?" Yusuke said with narrowed eyes.

A chuckle came from the male hooded figure.

Yusuke could see the obviouschild, grip the hand of most likely her mother. The girl seemed scared. This just pissed Yusuke off even more.

"I will admit, I forgot how powerful he could be. But I'm ready this time. We are ready." the man said as he pushed back the hood.

There was the demon Kuwabara had fought a couple of days ago. A demon that Kuwabara had once saved from slavery and abuse. A demon that should have been groveling at the carrot top's feet for forgiveness instead of trying to use him, for money. Daisuke just gave Yusuke a smug grin.

"Yeah, ready to get yer asses beat!" Yusuke said before rushing in.

Daisuke was barely able to blink before Yusuke's fist slammed hard into the demon's face. Spit and blood came out as he was sent skidding backwards. The three hooded figures had moved out of the way at the last second.

"sh*t..." Daisuke said, wiping the blood from his bit lip.

"Daisuke!" came a female voice.

"I'm fine!" he shouted back before gasping.

"Not for long!" Yusuke growled, appearing right in front of the man.

Daisuke was able to dodge. He did a couple of backflips away before looking at the rest of the group.

"Retreat!" he shouted, turning around.

"I don't think so!" Yusuke growled, rushing off after the demon.

The rest of the group followed close behind the two.