Chapter Text
Kuwabara had been spending a lot of time with Kurama.
Like, a lot.
Yusuke tried not to let it bother him, but he just couldn’t help it.
Kurama and Kuwabara both had been avoiding him like they were being paid to. Kuwabara no longer spent time in his bedroom with him. No matter how much Yusuke assured him that his intentions were pure, or pleaded the man to cuddle with him, or begged him to stay, he wouldn’t.
Yusuke would lay alone at night with a sore, heavy heart and wonder if Kuwabara was in his own bed, or…
Kurama was the same.
His eyes were wide and round with fear when Yusuke stepped into his line of sight, even with a false little smile pasted to his lips like a shield. He’d quickly think up a reason why he had to leave and dash away to his bedroom, or out the front door.
Yusuke would knock on his door from time to time, but Kurama was loathe to answer it, Yusuke could tell.
Sometimes he just didn’t answer it at all. Once, when he’d been on his way to knock again, and to see if perhaps he was with Kuwabara, Kurama had actually opened his bedroom door.
Yusuke had still been a few feet away, and the interaction lasted only seconds, but as soon as their eyes met Kurama swiftly gasped, pulled back and snapped his door shut fast but silent.
After that, Yusuke had stopped trying to pursue either of them, thinking that perhaps if he gave them space, they’d come to him.
Hiei had come to him a few times, but he often shied away when Yusuke got too involved in their affections, and he was spending most of his time with Kurama anyway.
Koenma had finally gone back to the spirit world, leaving the four of them to get back to their daily lives. He believed that Kurama and Kuwabara had both healed enough physically and mentally to be left to their own devices, and that the strange majickal drug had run its course.
Essentially; Yusuke was alone.
He became a part of the background, trying to stay out of everyone else’s way, leaving the family room if he heard someone exiting their bedroom. He watched them together, happy despite him not being with them.
Waking early, Kurama would leave his bedroom in the cool morning hours and head outside for his garden, tending the little sproutlings he’d coaxed to life. Yusuke would hear Kuwabara shortly after, trying his best to be quiet with his uneven gait.
He’d sneak outside and meander over to wherever Kurama was working that morning. He’d hang back, shy and nervous and sweet.
Yusuke would watch them from his bedroom when he could, or sometimes from the kitchen while he cooked or washed dishes.
He saw the little lovesick smiles Kuwabara sent Kurama’s way when he thought he wasn’t looking.
He saw the soft chuckles and the gooey doe-eyes that Kurama sent back.
He saw the kissing.
He saw the embraces, so soft and tender and consuming.
The cuddles and making out in the grass and wildflowers.
His heart ached.
His eyes felt swollen from the tears he’d shed, and the many tears he’d forced back.
He didn’t sleep well.
There were nights that he could hear Kuwabara in his bedroom, his breathing slowly beginning to pick up speed. He could hear his low, grumbling moans turn to cries of pleasure in the darkest part of the night.
Sometimes it almost sounded like he was in pain.
He never heard Kurama, but he assumed that must be who was warming Kuwabara’s bed instead of him.
Must have been good.
For the first time, he understood how Kuwabara had felt, in the beginning. Before everything that had happened to drive them apart and then put them back together differently.
He understood that intense, painful jealousy.
Still, he did his best to smile in the other boys’ direction whenever he saw them, hoping he was hiding his hurt deep enough inside him that they wouldn’t see it.
Yusuke stood in front of the stove after another night of fitful sleep. Stirring leftover rice from the night before in a hot pan, he poured in a bowl full of egg mixture, continuing to stir until the egg was cooked.
He hadn’t cooked for a while, for his lovers or at his ramen stand. He found himself smiling softly as he lost himself to his work, chopping some green onion and carrots, moving next to crush some sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. He couldn’t have sesame, but his lovers enjoyed it, and he wanted to please them, even if they hadn’t wanted to be around him for a while.
Turning the flame off, he moved the pan from the hot burner, cutting grilled fish that he’d prepared the night before into square pieces.
He enjoyed the quiet in the house, knowing that Kurama would be awake soon, the earliest of them all to rise. Kuwabara would follow shortly after.
He may have to wake Hiei himself.
Pulling his favorite black bowls down from a cupboard, he began to portion the porridge he’d made into the four of them, topping them with the green onions, carrots, zucchini and shiitake mushrooms, all chopped into tiny bits.
He arranged everything artfully, standing back and smiling at his work as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, admiring the beautiful arrangement he’d created.
A sound caught his attention, coming from the direction of Kurama and Hiei’s bedroom hallway, and he glanced that way quickly, not seeing anyone yet.
Waiting patiently, he grabbed a small container of sesame oil and the little ramiken of crushed sesame seeds, setting them on the table in preparation, his heart racing.
He felt silly, but he was nervous and excited. It would be hard for Kurama to excuse himself so early in the morning, and Yusuke had been longing to spend time with…anyone.
Nervously, he wrung his hands together, realizing that there were two voices in the hallway, murmuring to each other, and he felt himself smile. Hiei had woken up earlier than usual, and Yusuke was glad not to have to wake him for breakfast.
His heart pounded hard once in his chest when he heard a soft giggle and then saw shadows moving toward him down the hallway.
Kurama appeared, his red hair brushed and shiny over his shoulders. His green eyes looked bright and rested. He wore a soft sapphire blue shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged his figure, and Yusuke felt his heart jolt again at the sight of him. His hair had gotten long again, nearly as long as it had been before.
He looked back over his shoulder, still smiling about whatever Hiei had said to him, when he turned and met Yusuke’s chocolatey brown eyes.
“Kurama-chan!” Yusuke greeted with a grin, careful to keep his voice soft but cheerful, inviting and hopeful. “I…made us all breakfast!”
He couldn't help the way his heart soared and rapidly fluttered, wringing his hands as he waited for a response.
Kurama stopped, his green eyes wide and round and his smile dropping from his face as he glanced at Yusuke, clearly surprised to see him.
“What's the matter?” Yusuke heard softly from the hallway. His heart sank when Kuwabara came into view, his arms circling lovingly around Kurama's waist. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against Kurama's temple, and Kurama's eyes grew wide with something like fear as he continued to stare at Yusuke, his breath caught in his chest.
Kuwabara noticed the way Kurama froze and turned his attention in the direction the redhead was looking.
Sucking in a fast breath, he yanked his arms back, tucking them behind his back as if he'd been burned, or as though he’d been caught doing something he shouldn't.
“Yusuke!” He gasped, his face turning pink. “I didn't realize you were up so early!”
Kurama and Kuwabara both wore a look of guilt on their faces, unsure where to look.
“I…,” Yusuke began, trying to swallow down his hurt, hopefully before either of them saw it. “I had a hard time sleeping, so I made us all breakfast.”
He gestured toward the table, where everything was artfully arranged and painstakingly prepared.
“Oh, Yusuke, that was so thoughtful of you,” Kurama said softly, trying to pull a smile onto his lips. Yusuke could see the mask for what it was and he turned his own smile down to the floor.
“Would you like to come eat? I'm heating up some water for tea, too.”
“Oh! Of course!” Kurama said stiffly, taking a few slow, small steps forward. Kuwabara awkwardly followed with slow steps, trying not to stand too close to Kurama. “Tea sounds…lovely!”
Yusuke sat himself in the seat farthest away from the two of them, and predictably, they sat next to each other on the opposite side of the table.
Yusuke watched as they awkwardly picked up their spoons, both moving almost robotically as they timidly poked at their porridge.
Kurama pulled his silky red hair over his shoulder, petting it down to keep it from getting into his breakfast. Yusuke picked up his spoon and watched as Kurama took a dainty little bite.
“Mmm,” Kurama hummed, taking another small bite. “This is delicious, Yusuke, thank you.”
Yusuke nodded, putting a bite into his own mouth. He barely tasted it, so excited to share it just moments ago.
“I should wake up Hiei -” Yusuke mused, looking at the fourth untouched bowl.
“No, he'll be too grumpy. I'll heat up his portion once he's woken up,” Kurama replied, comfortably now tucking into his breakfast properly.
“Aren't you going to try it?” Yusuke asked, noticing that Kuwabara hadn't touched his yet. “I used your favorite kind of mushrooms.”
Kuwabara’s lips turned up into a soft, shy smile, and Yusuke felt a tiny part of himself light with hope, seeing the smile was genuine.
“That’s sweet of you,” he replied softly. Taking his spoon in his hand, he scooped up a little bite and tasted it, Kurama and Yusuke watching quietly. “This is good,” Kuwabara smiled delicately. He took another, bigger bite, humming as he chewed.
“You made me this once, didn’t you?” Kuwabara asked, breaking the silence. “I was sick.”
“Yeah,” Yusuke smiled, his grin widening as he felt his spirits rising slowly. “You looked like you were gonna die, it was the only thing you’d eat,” Yusuke mused gently. “You remember?”
Kuwabara smirked, looking more comfortable now than Yusuke had seen him in….well, a long time.
“‘Course I remember. I got my ass beat, I didn’t get amnesia,” he joked gently.
Yusuke felt himself tense at Kuwabara’s words and the ease with which he simultaneously spoke openly about his abuse and downplayed it at the same time.
Staying quiet, Yusuke watched as Kuwabara enjoyed his breakfast, Kurama squirming uncomfortably beside him. It seemed he hadn’t liked Kuwabara’s casual statement any more than Yusuke had.
Yusuke slowly took a bite of his own meal, seeing the moment when Kuwabara’s eyes fell on the little bowls of sesame seeds and oil. He watched Kuwabara move his hand hesitantly, scooping a small spoonful of seeds and spreading them across his bowl.
Yusuke watched curiously as he dipped the spoon back into the bowl, scooping up some more. Idly creeping his hand across the table, Kuwabara reached toward Yusuke’s bowl, poised to spread them there, too.
Yusuke felt a spike of something sharp and cold strike his chest and he snatched his bowl from the table.
“What are you doing, Kuwabara?!” Yusuke gasped, his calm demeanor slipping as he held his bowl to his chest. “You know I can’t have those! I’m allergic!” Yusuke yelped. His chocolatey eyes met Kuwabara’s velvety grey ones and he could see a question there, though he didn’t know what that question was.
“Are you?” Kuwabara asked, and Yusuke thought his voice sounded hard.
“You know that I am! Don’t you remember the time the school cafeteria put the sesame oil in the tamagoyaki and I puked my guts out for two days? You were there!” He exclaimed.
Kuwabara pulled his hand back, still peering at Yusuke curiously.
“I just wanted to be sure that you remembered.” Kuwabara sat back, looking lost in his thoughts, and Kurama looked from him to Yusuke, confused.
Yusuke furrowed his brow, shaking his head as he felt his insides bubble like a can of soda when it got shaken up.
“Kuwabara, what’s going on? Why have the two of you been ignoring me?” he finally challenged, setting his spoon on the table and sitting back, arms across his chest. “Why’d you try to poison me? And why are you being so cryptic?”
Kuwabara quickly set his spoon down with a clank, pushing his chair back away from the table and startling Kurama.
“Don’t worry about it, Yusuke,” he said evasively as he stood up. “I gotta go-”
“No!” Yusuke interjected, jumping to his feet and jolting the table with a loud clang. “You’re not getting out of this, I deserve to know!” he cried, swiftly moving in Kuwabara’s direction.
Kurama stood from his chair and swiftly placed himself between the two men, holding his arms out at his sides to try to block any blows from being thrown.
“Stop, this is getting out of hand!” Kurama cried, his eyes betraying his fear as Yusuke stopped just in front of him. “Please, let’s just calm down!” Added Kurama, turning and placing his hands on Kuwabara’s chest, looking pleadingly up at him.
Yusuke surprised them both when he pressed in against them, wrapping his hands around both of them and squeezing them tightly to himself.
Kurama let out a squeak and Yusuke felt his back muscles tense against his front, but he held firm, placing one hand against Kuwabara’s shoulders, the other lacing his fingers into Kuwabara’s patchy hair at the back of his neck.
“Please kiss me, Kuwabara!” he pleaded, dropping every wall he’d built, releasing every hurt he’d felt, not ashamed to show his love or his fear written clearly across his face. Kurama shifted a tiny millimeter, opening one eye to peer at Yusuke curiously, but Yusuke could feel that his body was still rigid.
Yusuke turned his head and closed his eyes, leaning onto his tiptoes over Kurama’s shoulder.
“I can’t, Yusuke,” Kuwabara sighed sadly, not relenting to the press of Yusuke’s hand at the back of his head, urging him to lean forward too.
“Why not?!” Yusuke screamed out finally, angrily. “I watch you kiss everyone but me, every single day, and you can’t even have the decency to tell me why?!”
“I can’t, Yusuke!” Kuwabara boomed back, taking Kurama by the waist and attempting to step out of Yusuke’s grip.
“Stop!” Kurama gasped fearfully, clinging to Kuwabara’s shirt with his fingers curled tightly.
“And what about you, red?” Yusuke continued to yell. He took a big fistful of hair in his hand and firmly pulled it, forcing Kurama’s head back from Kuwabara’s chest. “Why have you been avoiding me?”
Yusuke’s breath caught in his throat and his eyes grew wide as he peered into Kurama’s watery green eyes.
Kurama was in a state of pure panic.
His pupils were tiny pinpricks swimming in the vibrant emerald of his iris, tears building up and threatening to pour down his cheeks at any moment. His plush red lips quivered and his breath shuddered shallowly in his chest. His fingers gripped iron-tight to Kuwabara’s shirt, like he was afraid he’d be ripped away.
Kurama stood perfectly still, his gaze unblinking as he watched Yusuke’s every move in terror.
A quick glance to Kuwabara’s round eyes showed his shock and dismay, and Yusuke felt pure, slimy, disgusting guilt wash over him.
He released Kurama’s hair, throwing both hands in the air as he took a handful of steps backward.
“I never hurt you!” Yusuke tried to reason, realizing as he said it how bad it sounded. “I mean, I…I’m…sorry I threatened you. I’m sorry I blamed you for what happened to Kuwabara. I’m sorry…I’m sorry I almost hurt you,” he finished morosely. “I never should have taken my anger out on you. It was wrong of me.”
Kurama slowly pulled himself back upright, pressing harder against Kuwbara, but not taking his wide eyes off Yusuke. He stayed quiet for a moment, and Yusuke could see him thinking over what he’d said.
Yusuke took a deep breath and took a moment to gather his thoughts.
“I’m truly sorry, Kurama. I never should have treated you the way I did. Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” He made sure to keep his voice soft. “I’m sorry.”
Kurama turned to Kuwabara then, leaning onto his toes to whisper to the taller man.
“Let’s just go out to the garden.”
Kuwabara nodded his head, turning with his eyes fixed hard on Yusuke and his arm wrapped firmly around Kurama’s waist. Kurama kept his face tucked into Kuwabara’s shoulder, his bright green eye peering between them distrustfully at Yusuke.
Yusuke felt his chest tighten with sadness as he watched them hurry to get away, realizing that they were only reacting to the way that he’d acted.
It was his own fault.
Kuwabara still didn’t trust him to tell him what happened.
Kurama hadn’t accepted his apology.
He was alone again.
Much sooner than he’d expected.
He crossed his hands over his chest, rubbing his cold arms as he gazed off at nothing, trying to hold back the burgeoning tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
Sniffing hard, he took a deep breath and set to work cleaning up their breakfast mess. They’d hardly eaten anything, and Hiei’s remained untouched.
“Breakfast?” he heard from the hallway to his left. Turning, he saw Hiei drowsily yawning and rubbing his ruby red eyes.
“Yeah, if you still want it. I’ve already chased Kuwa and Kurama away,” he responded mournfully.
Hiei slowly made his way to the table and sat, sniffing his bowl curiously.
“It smells good,” he remarked, picking up his spoon. Yusuke smiled, finishing scraping the other three bowls into the trash.
“I’m glad you think so.”
Hiei took a bite and hummed approvingly, swallowing and going back for more.
Yusuke washed the bowls and spoons that he’d scraped slowly as he thought over his interaction from that morning.
“Have you apologized?” Hiei suddenly asked, breaking Yusuke’s train of thought.
Yusuke sighed, turning to face Hiei. He grabbed a dish towel to dry his hands and leaned back against the counter, crossing his legs.
“I did, but neither of them wants to hear it.”
“Perhaps not yet, but they’ve both been through a lot, and we have no idea what-”
“I know, but how can I help if they won’t trust me to know?”
Hiei didn’t answer, slowly eating his now cold porridge.
“Has he told you what happened yet?”
Hiei shook his head and continued to eat.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” Yusuke pressed.
“Not really. He’ll come to me when he’s ready. Perhaps you should just stop trying so hard.”
“Yeah, maybe I should,” Yusuke conceded.
He didn’t feel any better once they’d finished their talk, knowing that he couldn’t just let it go. It wasn’t who he was as a person.
He spent the day picking up, sweeping and dusting in the house, hoping his lovers would notice the effort he was putting forth to make them comfortable.
Every now and then, he’d see Kurama or Kuwabara walking around the yard, tending to different plants here and there. They seemed to smile at each other so freely, sending soft, unguarded grins at each other in a way that Yusuke himself hadn’t seen in so long.
Kurama directed Kuwabara, and Kuwa would practically fall over himself to do as he was asked.
Yusuke missed that about him, so willing to please his lover in any way he was asked.
Secretly, he wondered if his captors had liked that about him too, and he felt guilty as soon as he thought it.
He wished he knew something about the time Kuwa had spent captive, or even what Kurama had gone through that had led to it all. He still didn’t understand just why everything had happened.
A few soft giggles caught his attention as the front door opened once more, and he paused his dusting, the rag in his hands greasy with cleaner.
His heart leaped into his throat and he swallowed hard, unsure if he should stand and greet them or just stay put where he was on his knees, leaving them be.
Neither of them seemed to notice him, giggling and floating around each other like butterflies. He watched them, gazing softly as they circled each other, hands reaching out to gently touch chests and elbows, holding each other delicately.
“Thank you for your help in the garden,” Kurama’s soft, sweet voice murmured, his hand snaking up to thread into the curls at the back of Kuwabara’s neck.
“Any time,” Kuwabara smiled softly back, his eyes focused on Kurama’s full lips.
Yusuke found himself ducking down farther, feeling like he was intruding, but knowing that it would be worse to be discovered watching. It was too late to announce his presence now.
“My poor little babies needed that weeding, and I appreciate your help with the new soil,” Kurama practically panted, but Yusuke could tell that his thoughts weren’t on his garden or any dirt.
After a charged moment, they finally leaned toward each other, tasting each other’s lips experimentally. Yusuke heard both of their breaths grow deep, their hands growing more frantic as they held each other and pulled each other close.
Kurama’s hips began to wiggle, pressing gently against Kuwabara’s, and Yusuke felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. When little moans began to fall from Kurama, he felt his neck grow sweaty.
Kuwabara’s hands grew more confident, wrapping around Kurama’s little waist and lifting the bottom of his shirt to feel the soft warm skin at the small of his back. They roamed up his back, and Yusuke watched a shiver climb Kurama’s spine.
His hip pulses were soon met with Kuwabara’s firm tugging hands, pulling him harder against himself, until he held Kurama straddled over one thigh.
Kurama moaned again, long and low as his head fell back in pleasure, letting Kuwabara’s big hands guide his hips to grind against his thigh.
“Oh, Kuwa,” Kurama whined under his breath. “Will you take me to your bedroom?” He asked, his voice heavy with lust.
“Yeah, baby,” Kuwabara whispered back, already wrapping an arm under Kurama’s ass to lift him from his feet.
Kurama gasped but swiftly lifted his legs, wrapping them around Kuwabara’s waist.
They took a few more steps into the house, kissing deep and noisy as they did, and Kurama was practically crying with need as his hips continued to grind against Kuwabara’s belly.
“What are you doing?”
Yusuke blinked a few times, realizing that he’d gotten completely caught up in what was in front of him.
“W-what?” he asked, his eyes locking onto Kuwabara’s angry grey ones.
“Are you spying on us?” Kuwabara demanded harshly, still holding Kurama effortlessly.
Kurama gasped and jumped, spinning his head to see Yusuke hiding behind an end table.
“Jesus, Yusuke!” he exclaimed, anger evident in his voice as well.
Yusuke felt his heart drop into his stomach, quickly getting himself back to his feet.
“N-no! I was-”
“Yusuke, this is pretty low,” Kuwabara growled, cutting off his defense.
“I was cleaning!” he yelped, holding up his rag and the spray he’d been using to dust. “I wasn’t spying on you, I swear!”
Kurama straightened his legs, forcing Kuwabara to let him back down to his feet.
“You swear?” he asked, taking a few steps forward.
Yusuke’s eyes glanced down before he could stop himself and he blushed harder at the evidence of Kurama’s arousal in his pants.
“I swear! I didn’t mean to see anything, I was just here! Please don’t be mad at me?” he asked softly, his eyes going from Kuwabara’s to Kurama’s pleadingly.
He heard Kurama sigh and he felt the little bit of hope he had rising in his chest.
“I swear!” he said again, taking a small step forward.
Kurama and Kuwabara glanced at each other, deciding silently together, and Kurama nodded, turning back to Yusuke.
“Alright, Yusuke. I don’t want to fight, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. We’re going to adjourn to Kuwabara’s bedroom for a while. Will this be a problem for you?” Kurama asked, sounding a little too professional for Yusuke’s liking.
“W-well…can I join you?” he asked sanguinely, his heart beating fast.
Kuwabara scoffed softly, but it was loud enough to shatter Yusuke’s heart in his chest. The accompanying eye roll practically destroyed him.
“Yusuke, I keep trying to tell you…” Kuwabara trailed off softly. “I’m not interested in that anymore. I was trying to let you down nicely but you just don’t seem to get it.”
Yusuke felt his jaw drop, his heart shattering into a million pieces.
“But-! But-!” he stammered, eyes pooling with fat hot tears.
“No! I can, I c-can be good for you!” He cried desperately, his chin wavering hard. “I can do anything you need me too! Anything you ask!”
It was subtle, but Yusuke saw it anyway when Kurama physically cringed away.
“Please! I’ll bottom. For both of you!” He offered, eyebrows raised high, looking from man to man nearly manically. Kuwabara’s nose wrinkled with distaste.
“I will, and I’ll suck you both until-”
“Yusuke!” Kuwabara uttered, sounding almost shocked.
Dropping to his knees, Yusuke crawled forward toward the two men quickly, clasping his hands together before him when he reached them.
“Please, just give me a chance! I can be a really good boy!” Yusuke continued to beg and plead despairingly.
He sat up tall on his knees, lifting his chin into the air and crossing his arms behind his back, clasping his own wrists. He spread his knees just wider than his hips, a perfect offering of full submission, and searched for any glimmer of sympathy or solace.
“See? I’ll listen,” he added softly, trailing off, waiting anxiously for a response.
Kuwabara’s eyes changed.
It was just a small, fleeting moment, but again Yusuke caught it.
They softened, his eyebrows curling upward in something that resembled…sadness? Guilt? Maybe it was doubt.
Quickly, his eyes flicked to the ground, his eyebrows falling flat and hiding his emotions once again.
“Yusuke, you’re embarrassing yourself. Get off your knees, please,” Kuwabara nearly whispered, his eyebrows dropping into a scowl once more.
“I-I’m just t-trying to-”
“To what?” Kuwabara challenged softly, turning stony grey eyes on him.
“To…make you love me again,” Yusuke finally admitted in a small voice. Tears steadily flowed down his face. “I just miss you so much. I just wanted to find you. And then…when I did, you’d…changed. Please, just…will you tell me what I did wrong? What did I do?”
“You just don’t understand, Yusuke. It’s not about you,” Kuwabara choked out, his voice soft to keep from breaking.
“But, I’m trying to understand!” Yusuke yelped, heaving deep breaths as he stood to his feet. “You won’t let me! And I deserve to know what made you stop loving me.”
“Oh, Yusuke,” Kuwabara signed frustratedly. “I never stopped loving you!”
Yusuke felt himself laugh, feeling helpless in the situation.
“You have a seriously funny way of showing that,” Yusuke smiled, sad and crooked.
Kuwabara’s expression changed again, a crack in the mask he was wearing.
His eyes held lament.
“You know what? Fine. Just remember that you asked for this.”
Yusuke felt a rush of emotions flow through him. A jolt of joy struck his heart, at the same time his stomach dropped heavily at the thought of knowing about Kuwabara's torture. It was all quickly replaced by a cold bolt of fear as Kuwabara advanced toward him, his hands reaching for his head, fingers wide.
Yusuke forced himself to stay still, waiting to see what Kuwabara would do.
When Kuwabara's fingers slid into his hair, his hands holding him firmly by the temples, he felt his spine stiffen.
Kuwabara sighed and shook his head a little.
“I hope you're ready for this,” he said softly.
Yusuke swallowed hard, unsure what would happen next.
Kuwabara's hands began to get warmer, slowly heating as he closed his eyes and focused.
Sucking in a huge breath, Yusuke opened his eyes wide as his vision began to fade away to black.
He waited for moment, thinking that soon an image or a thought may appear to him, but it was just black.
He could feel fear inside him, desperately shouting for help, though his voice made no sound. He could feel the sore, raw way his fingertips throbbed and he knew he’d tried to escape with no avail.
At least, he knew Kazuma had hopelessly tried to claw his way out.
He suddenly realized what was happening…sort of.
He could feel the forlorn heart, crushingly constricted within Kuwabara’s chest. He felt a thirst like he never had before, his throat sharp and sticky.
He was experiencing what Kuwabara had been through, through him.
But-
“Why is it so dark? Why can’t I see?” he whispered, afraid to break the vision in his sight.
He could smell the pungent scent of urine. It filled the air and coated his mouth and nostrils and he gagged, feeling the terror stretching from seconds into minutes, into hours and what began to feel like days.
“Please!” Yusuke gasped out, his hands reaching up to clasp Kuwabara’s wrists.
He didn’t know what he was asking for.
There was no sound, no light, nothing. He was sure that perhaps he’d lost his senses, or perhaps his sanity.
A sudden, sharp, loud noise made his body flinch hard, knowing the sound was only in his head.
Light blinded him and he felt Kazuma’s heart leap with joy.
He’d been saved!
But, who saved him?
Yusuke hadn’t found him for weeks after he’d been taken, and though the darkness had seemed to last forever, he knew he hadn’t been trapped there the whole time.
He felt a warm arm around him.
It was in the memory, the reliving, but in the physical world, he felt a second set of cool hands join the first. He felt the hands slide over Kuwabara’s fingers, resting cold between Kuwabara’s knuckles against his temple.
Kurama was sharing their vision.
He heard the tiny gasp from his lips, but he didn’t have time to focus on it.
He was being led up loud metal stairs, but he was so tired, and his stomach felt so empty that it made his spine ache and, oh, what he would do for some water.
He could feel that he was winded by the time they reached the top.
His stomach turned a bit when he realized that they were in Karasu’s apartment. He could feel that Kuwabara was still blind at this point, but he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was pretty gleeful.
He kept sighing, “Yusuke,” but Yusuke knew it wasn’t him that had come to the rescue.
He felt the relief that washed over Kuwabara. He felt saved.
Cool water rehydrated his throat and he felt warm love and joy bubbling in his chest. He still seemed to not be able to see, but Kuwabara felt glad for it. Within seconds, fatigue washed over him and he felt rest being restored within Kuwabara.
Seconds after feeling rested, Yusuke could feel Kuwabara’s confusion, his vision blurry and unclear, but finally back.
He could see the figure that had saved Kuwabara, just barely through blurry, ammonia-stung eyes.
The figure wasn't nearly tall enough to be Karasu, and he could feel the relief in Kuwabara as he gazed at the figure.
The closer he got, the more Yusuke felt his own nervousness. The figure approached and Kuwabara was docile for him, welcoming his presence.
Yusuke could feel Kuwabara's stomach go from empty to full, and he knew in his subconscious that Kuwabara had eaten with the stranger, though he was slowly growing suspicious of him.
When the figure was directly in front of Kuwabara, Yusuke could finally make out his face.
His breath froze in his chest.
“It's….” He whispered, his lips afraid to finish his sentence. “me?!”
“Yusuke!” he heard Kurama gasp.
“It wasn't me!” He sighed, his eyes still blind to anything but the visions in his head.
The imposter Yusuke was sitting beside Kuwabara on a bed, presumably the same one Kuwabara had been in on the morning they'd rescued him.
“I want to try you out,” they all heard Yusuke's voice, making them all uncomfortable at the same moment.
The images in Yusuke's mind began to swirl, shuffling and showing Yusuke, and Kurama as well, what had happened without dwelling on the moment.
Kuwabara found himself naked on the bed, feeling insecure as the faux Yusuke slipped two fingers deep inside him.
The three men in the living room all let out a sound of surprise and fear at the feeling, and Yusuke knew that he and Kurama were going to feel everything Kuwabara had.
His heart was racing as he tried not to pull away from Kuwabara's hands on his temples.
Kuwabara's past heart was pounding, fear creeping into his veins slow and cold and slimy.
They felt as Kuwabara attempted to fight back, feeling his despair as the attacker pinned him and forced his way inside, the burning fullness leaving no questions of what happened.
“You know I don't like that!” They heard Kuwabara yelp, feeling the way he was being strangled by his attacker.
“God that little red pussy is tight,” they heard Yusuke groan, feeling the way he was pounding Kuwabara right into the mattress with no mercy.
They felt Kuwabara's fear of stopping the fake Yusuke, the pain of his usage. They all felt the hot, wet fullness when he left his load inside. The frantic way Kuwabara shoved himself back to upright, pulling his knees back together tightly.
Kurama and Yusuke both witnessed as Kuwabara attempted to stand up for himself, both jumping when they felt the sharp pain at his temples before he blacked out.
Yusuke felt cold sweat dripping down his neck, but Kuwabara didn't let go, knowing there was more to show him.
“Kuwabara, it wasn't me!” He cried, his voice nearly all air. Kazuma didn't respond.
They witnessed Kuwabara regain consciousness, struggling with the pain and nausea of a head injury as he searched to slake his thirst.
They felt the fear spike in his chest and belly when Yusuke made himself known once more, and his presence made Kuwabara feel small, like a mouse hiding from a snake.
He attempted to stand up for himself, but the fear won out as he began screaming that he wanted to go home.
Yusuke's gut churned as he watched and felt Kuwabara begging to leave, begging Yusuke to take him home, but the imposter was cold, his eyes uncaring as Kuwabara pleaded.
Yusuke felt a small sense of pride when Kazuma attempted to put himself in charge, attempting to dress himself and leave.
His heart dropped when he felt the brutal kick against Kuwabara's jaw that laid him flat once more. The struggle that followed was a blur, but they could feel Kuwabara's desperation grow as he attempted to break free.
The imposter belittled him, made him feel small and weak as he pinned him down, and then Yusuke learned the truth.
He saw through Kuwabara the way his own eyes and face shifted and changed, turning different colors and proportions, until he was no longer Yusuke, but a demented, smiling Karasu.
Yusuke finally understood.
“That's why-” he began, but was cut off when the vision intensified.
“You are home,” he heard from Karasu’s lips. “Submit to me.”
Suddenly, all of Kuwabara was filled with terror and resignation. He recognized dimly, in the back of his mind that he stood absolutely no chance. To Yusuke's dismay, he felt Kuwabara give up.
Right then, Kuwabara had given up. He knew he wasn't strong enough to fight, nor fast enough to run. He had no hope left.
“You humans are all so soft. Be my slave, do as I say.”
They heard Karasu's voice, floating around them as Kuwabara's vision shifted again, like thick fog being disturbed by the wind.
“There is something I'd like you to wear,” they heard a millisecond before the burning intrusion of something slick and cold inside him. Deep, deep inside him.
Once again, Yusuke felt Kuwabara's deep fatigue, aching to his bones. His stomach was empty once more and Kuwabara was naked and covered in sweat and dirt. Every move ignited pleasure sensors that felt more like burned nerve endings inside him.
He was tired and forlorn. His heart ached and he was so thirsty and dejected.
Yusuke knew everything would get worse from this particular moment on.
He felt unwelcomed hands all over his most sensitive parts, knowing that Kuwabara had no choice as Karasu molested him. He was stretched so wide and Karasu kept touching his rim and his testes, making crude comments just to dishearten him.
Yusuke squirmed as the feeling of phantom hands gripped and pulled and slid inside him, making him nauseous. He could feel the way Kuwabara's prostate was being brutalized, and the sick, sad hope that Karasu would let him get off before the night was over.
He felt Kuwabara's shame at the thought just as strongly as he felt his need.
He also felt how tired Kuwabara was from the work he'd been forced to do, his muscles burning as he hoped and prayed for an end. He cleaned and washed everything in the apartment, though the work itself was seemingly fast-forwarded in the vision Kuwabara shared.
The work wasn't the point of the show.
The torture was.
Mentally and physically, Kuwabara was exhausted, kneeling on the floor cleaning the mess from his own leaking cock as he prayed for release.
Yusuke felt the little slaps to his face, the shoving, hair pulling, the pressing against the toy inside him. He felt his balls sting as Karasu slapped against them and he jumped, letting out a little whine of his own, ignoring that he'd done it out loud.
He felt as Karasu gripped and squeezed, hoping to force Kuwabara to do his bidding through pain, and Yusuke could see the small mound of purple-bruised flesh in Karasu's fingers between Kazuma’s legs, urging him to cooperate.
Kazuma presumably agreed to clean for the rest of the evening, and Yusuke could feel his shaking, sweating exhaustion. Kazuma was so afraid of what might happen next, he had no thoughts other than to obey.
Karasu ordered him to do one last task, and Yusuke saw a huge puddle of dried blood on the bed before him.
He gleaned that it was Kurama's and the way it made Kazuma feel through the feeling of the vision, but it skimmed past quickly. Yusuke wondered if that was for Kurama's benefit, his cold fingers still clutched tightly to his temples.
A strange, green sense of shame crept into the vision Kuwabara shared, and Yusuke recognized that it was fresh. It was new and happening right now.
“I'm…so sorry,” Kurama whispered, his voice watery. Yusuke had felt and heard the conversation Kazuma and Karasu had, pointing to Kurama as the reason for Kazuma's capture, but it had happened in a millisecond, or less.
Kazuma was already moving on.
He was hungry. Starving, and Yusuke could feel the tiny seed of appreciation growing in his chest, though Yusuke wasn’t sure what Kuwabara was thankful for.
Kuwabara showed them his first dinner with Karasu, and how it began with servicing him. They felt the way Kuwabara attempted to keep his mind completely blank, as he fully opened his throat to invite him in.
Yusuke shivered in disgust as he tasted the bitter, pungent musk of Karasu’s sex, feeling his stomach threatening to empty.
Kuwabara serviced him well, earning the reward of being hand fed a delicious meal, filling his belly with warmth and hope.
“You’ve earned this, my ugly little boy. You deserve every bite.”
His full stomach made him exhausted, and the next thing he knew, Kuwabara was face down with his ass in the air on the mattress. The long, intrusive toy was removed slowly, and then Karasu’s big hand was wrapped around him, forcing him to completion, whether he was prepared or not.
Yusuke felt Kuwabara’s relief at being allowed to spend the night on the bed. Dimly, he realized that Kuwabara was slowly being turned into something more animal than man, and he felt thankfulness in his own chest that Kazuma had been able to recover from that.
Kazuma played a moment for Yusuke, and subsequently Kurama, that had clearly filled him with fear and apprehension.
He saw Karasu’s light eyes, trained on him like a predator that had just caught the most delicious meal. He crawled across the bed Kazuma still lay in, pinning him and trapping him where he lay. There was nowhere he could go, and nowhere to hide.
“Are you scared, sweet ugly thing?” Karasu had asked through a sick grin. Yusuke could tell the way the words were beginning to hurt Kuwabara, pebbling painfully in his chest and growing like a weed, tall and overgrown as they were hurled at him again and again.
Yusuke could feel the anger slowly simmering in Kazuma’s chest, knowing how badly he wanted to fight back, but also understanding that it would be his death sentence if he did.
Yusuke jumped as Kuwabara relived a sharp slap across the face, the vision blurring a bit as there was a struggle. Karasu began to rain blows down on him, smiling maniacally as he inflicted pain and terror.
Ripping, yanking, twisting, pulling and even biting, Karasu attacked him where he lay, laughing at the cries that fell from Kazuma’s chest. He gripped him by the hair and yanked him back and forth, gleefully testing how much Kuwabara would comply with his whims.
Yusuke could hear Kuwabara’s cries from the past reverberating in his skull, bouncing around louder and louder, and his chest seized with empathy. He could feel the pain himself, just a tiny taste of what Kuwabara had suffered alone.
“Now, why don’t you give me a little sugar, Sugar, and then I’ll think about what you can do to earn breakfast.”
Yusuke could hear the cruelty in Karasu’s voice. He felt Kazuma’s stomach churn heavily with disgust and dread, and he knew what was coming next.
The images and feelings began to swirl together, showing fast flashes of a single, drawn-out moment that had severely affected Kuwabara.
The pain of intrusion was clear, sharp, sudden and unexpected. Yusuke was sure that Kuwabara had bled.
He felt trapped under the massively tall demon, being shoved, folded, squeezed and pressed into positions so humiliating they made Yusuke sick to his stomach. He could feel the pain of his spine being pulled hard, forced to curve unnaturally, his face wrapped tightly in long boney fingers to keep his screams contained.
His legs burned as his hamstrings were stretched to the max, his knees pressed against his own shoulders. Karasu plowed so heavily into him that he could barely breathe, all the while tears streamed across Kuwabara’s face.
“Please!” Kazuma screamed shrilly, begging for an end to what must have been hours of rape and torture.
Yusuke’s own eyes filled and pooled with tears he couldn’t stop, as he had no choice but to watch what Kazuma had been through.
Blows rained down against his face, busting his lips and swelling his eyes, but he continued to sob for Karasu’s mercy.
Fingers pressed into his mouth, shoving hard into his throat to keep him from screaming, and he was pressed into a new position. Karasu continued to slap and punch Kuwabara as he fucked him, drinking up every last drop Kazuma had to give.
Yusuke wasn’t sure how long that torture went on, as Kazuma quickly shifted his memories, moving on to the exhausted tears he’d shed when Karasu was finally done. He just lay there, in the bed that was wet beneath him, tears pouring silently as he gazed up at nothing, lax and supine.
Gripping him by the hair, Karasu yanked Kazuma upright suddenly, jerking hard enough to hurt Kazuma’s neck and the cry that he let out sounded completely devoid of hope, replete with suffering.
Suddenly, Yusuke saw the bathroom. Kazuma knelt on the hard floor, completely spent but still being obedient. He’d scrubbed the whole bathroom from top to bottom. Yusuke recognized the empty burning in his stomach and found himself angry that, after torturing Kazuma, Karasu hadn’t had the decency to feed him. Kazuma’s fingers throbbed from overuse, his knees screaming the same soreness.
It was clear from the visions he was being shown, as well as the phantom aches Yusuke could feel through Kuwabara, that he was spending most of his time on his hands and knees.
Watching through Kazuma’s eyes, he witnessed the stolen shower that had led to a string of strange events. The threat of punishment, the peculiar groping session, the forced-feeding fiasco…
Yusuke watched Kuwabara shake through his own eyes. Kazuma hadn’t even realized that the tremors had begun at that time, but Yusuke recognized it and knew it had begun with that horrible day.
He also recognized the lascivious look in Karasu’s eyes as he fed Kuwabara by hand, enjoying the sight of it in a way that Kazuma hadn’t understood.
“What a freak,” Yusuke growled under his breath, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought about the ways Karasu had objectified Kuwabara.
Suddenly, his stomach so full he thought he might burst, Yusuke could feel the drowsiness that covered Kazuma like a thick, heavy blanket and he realized Karasu must have drugged the food he’d forced on Kuwabara.
He tried his best to wipe the floor clean, and in his head he thought only of Yusuke.
Yusuke had never felt so guilty in his life.
A thought of Kurama flicked into his tired head and ignited a spark of anger inside Kuwabara’s chest, but it died quickly when Kazuma began to lose his fight for consciousness.
“You’ll have to go back in the cage again until I come back.”
“The cage?” Yusuke repeated, confused. “What’s the cage?” His voice was weak as dread began to slowly fill his chest.
Kazuma’s sight went black then, and Yusuke saw nothing but black.
There was nothing but him and darkness.
He didn’t try to scream. He knew no one would hear him because Kazuma knew no one would hear him.
He didn’t stand up, because he knew he wouldn’t find a way out. He didn’t cry or yell.
He did nothing, because…
There was nothing.
“Kuwabara!” Yusuke cried out.
He could feel the hunger weakening him. He could smell the urine and the feces he was trapped with. He was so tired it was making his brain sizzle like a frog on a hot sidewalk. He was so alone, and disheartened.
Kazuma had given up completely.
He lay on the floor of his dark prison, waiting to die.
He was so thirsty.
So thirsty.
Yusuke sobbed, no longer able to hold back his sorrow at what he was witnessing.
“Help him!” he whispered, his sight still pitch black. He knew it had already happened. He knew that Kazuma would make it home safe, but it crushed him to see his lover so completely empty. His fingers twitched and squeezed tighter around Kazuma’s wrists, as if assuring himself that he hadn’t been taken again.
The ear-splitting shriek that tore through the small prison jarred him, his body jolting at the unexpected noise after so much silence.
He felt Karasu guide his tired body up the stairs, patiently waiting as Kuwabara’s body was completely left without energy of any kind. He stumbled and struggled, sweating with the effort of bending his knees and propelling himself upward.
Yusuke’s guts churned when Karasu swept him off his feet, cradling Kazuma’s poor broken body against his chest as if he cared anything for the human. Yusuke’s anger bubbled inside him as he recognized the small bits of Kazuma that were growing some sort of sick attachment to the demon that had stolen him from his life.
Karasu gently placed Kazuma in a warm bath, soaking his poor bruised skin after so many days of neglect. Moments later, Kuwabara had a glass of cool water, making him feel eternally grateful for the demon’s return.
Through Kazuma’s eyes, he saw nothing. He had a soft cloth covering them to protect him from the light, but Karasu assured him that he’d turned the lights off.
Yusuke watched Karasu through Kuwabara’s soft gaze, feeling how at peace he’d been to have him at his side again. He looked soft and warm, and Yusuke recognized the moment Kazuma began to see Karasu for something he wasn’t.
Caring.
He tingled all over when Karasu carded his fingers through his hair, his skin pebbling with pleasure at the gentle touch. His heart pounded slowly and softly as he peered at his pretty violet eyes.
”I didn’t mean to abandon you, pet.”
Kuwabara leaned his head over the edge of the tub to lay his head against Karasu’s arm over his thin black shirt sleeve and practically purred when Karasu’s other hand began caressing his temples and cheeks.
He could feel Kuwabara’s willingness to please by any means and it made him not only sick, but sad as well.
“You’re a good boy, kitty cat.” Yusuke scowled quietly but continued to watch.
He realized that the memories Kazuma was playing for him were beginning to slow down, not flashing as quickly from moment to moment, and he could feel the fondness that Kuwabara had felt, as well as the way his desire to go home had all but disappeared.
He was dwelling on those little moments, when Karasu had treated him with even the slightest semblance of personhood or kindness.
Yusuke watched as Karasu had scooped Kuwabara into his arms, cradling him against his chest as he carried him to the bed and set him down.
He'd fed him something warm and delicious, and knelt on the floor, caressing Kazuma's legs as he ate. The ghost touch on his skin made Yusuke shiver, recognizing how much Kazuma had relished it.
“Please don't put me in there again. Okay? I promise to be a good boy.”
Yusuke's stomach churned at the words, but he continued to watch what Kuwabara showed him.
He lingered on their sleep together, tangled in Karasu's embrace, and Yusuke knew he was reliving it because a part of him missed it. Yusuke could feel it.
Replaying the moment in his mind, Kuwabara showed them how he'd woken up to Karasu's soft smile and his gentle touches. His long fingers roamed his bare skin, and Kazuma had wrapped his arms around his waist and offered him everything.
“I want…whatever you want.”
“What a good boy you are,” Karasu had whispered, and Kazuma's chest had lit up with pride and affection at the words.
Kazuma showed them the way Karasu had kissed him then, long and tender and far too invading, but Kuwabara had welcomed it after spending so long alone.
“Should we put this inside?” Karasu had asked, brandishing his hard manhood for Kazuma to see his desire.
“Whatever you want,” Kuwabara had replied, but Yusuke could feel the way his stomach swirled in misery and apprehension at the thought. “As long as you won’t put me in the cage…anything you want.”
He played the moment out for Yusuke and Kurama, both of them experiencing the fear of being left alone, as well as the pain of forcible intrusion that he was willing to accept in place of said seclusion.
Yusuke heard the soft pained sounds that dropped from Kazuma’s lips as he struggled his hardest to be as good as possible for the demon he was beneath.
Kazuma had risked his safety for the kiss he’d stolen from Karasu, needing to feel the closeness of another warm body, and affection he’d lost when he’d been taken.
Kazuma lingered on the kiss for an uncomfortable moment, relishing the way Karasu’s warm lips slid softly against his, or the way his tongue fully invaded his throat, making him feel completely consumed in a way he’d been craving.
“Too big?” Karasu’s breathy voice echoed into the quiet and the shallow breaths that filled the room. “Would you like me to be Yusuke?” Karasu asked into Kuwabara’s mouth.
Yusuke felt his heart catch in his chest once more, sick to his stomach at knowing what he was about to witness.
“Please,” he found himself whispering out loud. “No.”
Kuwabara slowly opened his eyes, his heart fluttering hard when he saw big round brown eyes and a crooked smile looking back at him.
He knew it wasn’t real, and Yusuke could feel that deep inside him, but he buried that part of himself. That little piece of him that held onto his logical mind, he knew that Yusuke wasn’t truly there. Still, he desperately needed to forget that part of himself.
He shoved it down, deep inside and shut off the rational part of his brain.
“Oh, Yusuke!” he sobbed, and Yusuke felt something deep in his chest break.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Kazuma had cried, opening himself completely to Karasu’s insistence.
Yusuke felt himself take a big breath when they felt the imposter with his face breach and enter Kuwabara, pressing deep, deep inside him.
Kazuma had rode Yusuke vigorously, grinding, twisting, bouncing and taking everything the fake had to give him.
“Fuck me, fuck me,” Kazuma had whined, nearing a finish he’d needed for days within moments. “Please fill me up, Come inside me, daddy, come for me!” he pleaded, and Yusuke couldn’t help the shudder that ran up and down his spine.
Those words were meant for him, and instead they’d been gifted to Karasu.
Yusuke clenched his jaw tightly, witnessing as Karasu had lost control, changing back to his own appearance and letting loose on Kazuma. He’d fucked him fast and hard, taking what he wanted in the end with no regards to how it felt for Kazuma.
When Karasu finally came, Yusuke could feel the relief in Kazuma’s chest, thankful that it was over, but fear quickly replaced that feeling when Karasu began to suddenly lash out. A short struggle ended in Karasu pinning Kazuma to the mattress by his throat, choking off any complaints the poor human may have had before he could speak them.
“Ple-ease,” he choked out. “I was…ugh, good b-boy!” He gasped and choked, trying to catch a breath.
“I-!” Kuwabara coughed hard. “I did everything right! I did everything right!”
“You’re not supposed to be so good at this!” Karasu had roared angrily. “I destroy pretty things, but you’re already ugly!”
Kazuma had been surprised, but Karasu had begun to stroke his cock then, slowly stroking him back to hardness. He let himself explore Kuwabara’s hard length, pulling it toward his stomach and reaching with his other hand to fondle his testes.
Yusuke hated to admit it, but he could feel the way Kazuma viewed this moment, both with fear, but also with appreciation.
He liked the way it felt to be in Karasu’s big hands; helpless.
Leaning closer, Karasu used both thumbs to gently pull at his slit, opening the delicate skin to see the precome leaking from inside. His thumbs slid and petted at the soft head, running his fingertips along the ridge where the head met the shaft.
Through Kazuma’s eyes, the moment was tinted golden, slanted as soft and loving. Kazuma looked back on this moment with fondness, ignoring the stinging of his cheek where he’d been slapped or the horrible sick to his stomach feeling of having no choice.
To him, this was Karasu showing real, true fondness.
Yusuke was positive he’d be sick to his stomach.
Karasu began to fist Kuwabara’s length in his big hand, slowly making Kazuma’s blood boil as he pumped his hand up and down. He’d tried what Kazuma had assumed to be dirty talk, asking questions about his sexual life with Yusuke that he felt were too invasive.
“You were a little dream for me when I was him. The way you moved your body was just astounding.”
Yusuke felt slimy at Karasu’s words, but Kuwabara’s response made him feel a little better.
“Well, I-I love him,” Kuwabara had responded bravely.
Yusuke felt his chest warm at the admission.
“Come for me, pet,” Karasu coaxed, his voice soft and low like he were speaking to a frightened animal. “Come on.”
Kazuma’s thoughts seemed to speed up then, likely trying to skip over the shame he felt and the humiliation of pleasuring himself for Karasu’s benefit. When they slowed again, he’d finished, making a mess of himself, and Karasu had whispered, “I understand now why they all want you.”
“They don’t all want me,” he’d blushed in response, but that moment had made him feel good, and Yusuke knew it.
Kuwabara glossed over a moment of sensual intimacy, trying to dim the golden glow he harboured around it, but still Yusuke could feel the affection and tenderness the moment was packed with. His heart skipped and stuttered, suddenly worried if, perhaps he somehow had competition with a dead demon?
Perhaps the skewed way Kuwabara was remembering his time in captivity was affecting the relationship he had with Yusuke.
Maybe this was part of why he’d been pushing Yusuke away lately.
The tender scene came to a pause that felt ominous, or maybe even turbulent to Yusuke. Whatever came next, Kuwabara didn’t like to even think about it, let alone showing it to someone else.
Yusuke could sense the apprehension and the bitterness…something almost like betrayal, and it boiled and frothed inside him.
“You’ll be needing your rest. You have a big day tomorrow.”
Kuwabara’s stomach bubbled and groaned as he thought about what happened next. Yusuke wondered how he could have been holding these turbulent emotions to himself all this time.
“It seems my team has found out about you,” Karasu had whispered into Kuwabara’s throat, softly like a lover. “They’re very interested in trying you out for themselves.”
“A-and…you told them no, right?”
“I can’t tell them no. I work for them.”
“Oh.”
“They’ll be here tomorrow morning.”
Everything in Kazuma’s memory had faded away to silent white nothingness, except him, Karasu and the dirty mattress where they lay together.
Karasu’s words echoed in the hollowness, and Yusuke understood that Kazuma’s mental well-being had been severely harmed in this moment.
He felt Kazuma’s entire being empty, only to be filled completely by pure, forsaken grief and anguish.
He had nothing left in him to keep fighting. He had nothing left to fight for.
“They…they’ll kill me.”
Kazuma’s terrified whisper echoed out to the whiteness the way a voice floats over a body of water at night. Soft and sad.
“You’ll be okay. You’re a special human.”
For a few agonizing moments, Kazuma only showed them the white of blindness and anguish. He thought of nothing but his own sorrow, and his dread and regret. He thought of fear and pain and torment, and Yusuke began to feel unease and apprehension of his own.
“This is about to get so much worse…isn't it?”
