Yu Yu Hakusho: The After Years

Episode 3: Close Spaces

At this point, Rieka had dropped her chopsticks into her lap. Humans eating yokai? The thought was too disgusting for her to fathom. She'd heard of it the other way around. After all, yokai ate humans in the myths and legends she'd read in school. But this was like hearing that a horse had turned around and eaten a wolf. She didn't like hearing of humans getting eaten, of course, but this was positively perverse.

She looked to Hiro, whose eyes were still concentrated on the vent, a bite of rice trapped in limbo between his bowl and his mouth. He seemed just as shocked as she was. She had lost track of the rest of Hiei and Yusuke's conversation when she heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Seeing Hiro was still stunned, she gave him a quick smack aside his head to return him to his senses. She lunged for her textbook and threw a notebook in Hiro's general direction. By the time the door opened, she had hoped she looked like she was attentively studying.

"Hey," Yusuke said, casually taking the book out of Rieka's hand, and flipping it around so it was right-side up, "Hiei is going to stay with us and ride the train with us when we go to Ba-san's on Sunday. I want you to pull out the extra futon and set it up in Hiro's room."

Rieka smiled sheepishly and set her book down, but her father was good enough not to call her out on her false studying. She grabbed her and Hiro's half-empty bowls, "I'll just, um, wash up and do that then."

Hiro glanced at Hiei, who was leaning with his arms crossed against the wall. His eyes appeared to be closed. The feeling of dislike he had sensed from him earlier seemed to have faded, for the time, but it had been replaced with a cold, stony demeanor that was somehow less inviting. Hiro also wondered at the fact that this man had been one of Yusuke's companions in his youth when he hardly looked any older than himself or Rieka.

"A futon really isn't necessary," Hiei said, "I'm fine here."

Hiro got the sense he wasn't keen to share a room with him either.

"Well I can't just have you brooding in the shadows here and scaring the life out of Kieko when she gets home," said Yusuke, "Hey, Rieka."

Rieka turned the corner, futon balanced over her head, "Hmm?"

"Put the futon in your room instead, you and Hiro can have a sleepover, like when you were little."

Rieka blushed, "Aren't we a little old for that now?"

This was too much for Hiro, "And he gets my bed? That's not fair. Besides, no one wants to room with Rieka, she talks and kicks in her sleep and makes all kinds of weird noises."

Rieka scoffed, "You're no sleeping beauty either, pal. Breathing with your mouth open all night and waking yourself up when you choke on your own spit."

"At least that sort of thing is normal. The creepy things you say are the stuff of nightmares, one time--"

Yusuke cuffed Hiro on the outside of his ear. Light enough not to really hurt him, but hard enough for him to check himself.

"I didn't want to be the source of any familial discord, I'll find something out of the way." With a flash, Hiei disappeared faster than their eyes could trace him.

Hiro rubbed his ear, "What was that for?"

"You know better," said Yusuke, "and you know, Hiei's not great at first impressions, but he's not a bad guy. You two might have more in common than you realize."

"He obviously hates me, even though I just met him. Forcing us into a close space with each other for two days is not going to make anyone comfortable."

"Well you could have tried. And--huh? Where'd Rieka go?"

Climbing up to the roof in the past had been an easy thing. The futon only made things slightly more awkward. She folded it and stuffed it through the window with some force, then used one hand to balance while the other flung it up there. She clamored up after it.