Conversations: Yuusuke and Keiko, Adventure in Babysitting
by Ren'ai chan

I hope you liked my Kurama/Hiei 'Conversations.'

Okay, fine, then. I'd appreciate any feedback. In the meantime, here's the next YYH one in the series, with Yuusuke and Keiko (BTW, WhiteCat-chan, gomen nasai for not sending it earlier. I'm a warped mind. @.@)

Conversations

Yuusuke and Keiko: Adventures in Babysitting

Ren'ai-chan

"Oi, Yukimura-san," Yuusuke returned casually.

He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when an energetic little boy in a striped tee that was riding up his bulging belly and white shorts ran out of the kitchen and grabbed him around the ankles.

"'Tousan!" he cried.

Yuusuke felt the blood rush to and drain from his face at the same time.

"NANII--!?"

Keiko's mother laughed softly, disappearing into the back of the restaurant. Her daughter, a petite brunette, came out and blatantly grimaced when she was confronted with the scene before her.

"Keiichi-kun," she began hesitantly, "is *he* the one you want to be Otousan?"

The little boy nodded fiercely. "He's the goodest one," he insisted.

Yuusuke bent down at the waist and peeled the kid from his legs. He straightened up, carrying the boy on his left shoulder, and stared at Keiko.

"Setsumei shite morau ka, Keiko."

Keiko rolled her eyes and went to the front of the shop to retrieve her little charge. "This is Keiichi," she began. "I'm looking after him and his sister for some friends of my parents for the day. I suggested we play house."

"And what a time for me to come in," Yuusuke remarked dryly. He callously ran a hand through his dark mat of hair that never seemed to calm down, no matter how often he combed and moussed it.

Keiko looked him up and down; he was dressed very nicely considering his usual attire. A smooth leather jacket barely covered his button-down cotton shirt; he wore his usual old, ripped jeans, but they were washed, and on his feet were lace-up black boots he probably swiped off of Kurama or some other classy dresser for the day.

"Got a date?" she inquired coolly, shifting her hold on Keiichi.

Yuusuke shrugged just as nonchalantly. "I thought you might have wanted to see that new anime playing in the theater, but since you're busy..."

"You mean that gross one where evil oni suck out peoples' brains and then blow up Tokyo? I'm glad I'm busy."

Yuusuke stuck his tongue out and smiled. "Worth a shot."

He turned to leave, but Keiko cleared her throat, making him turn back around. She had her head tilted expectantly, with a stern look on her face.

"Nandayo?"

"You have an obligation to Keiichi-kun, 'Otousan,'" she said flatly. Little Keiichi grinned eagerly.

Yuusuke opened his mouth, and for once had nothing to say.

Keiko noticed, and stifled a smirk. That was a first in her opinion, to see Yuusuke idiotically leaving his mouth hanging open.

"Ii kara, Yuusuke-chan," she cooed sarcastically. "You don't have to put any costume on. You're already dressed up nicely."

She turned on her heel, her white, pleated, ankle-length skirt swishing around her legs. She swayed her hips slightly, keeping the skirt in a constant swaying motion, and hummed a little song.

Yuusuke slowly, but not reluctantly, took off his new leather jacket (new to him--he'd swiped it out of Koenma's "Ningenkai teenage-form disguise" closet a few days ago) and tossed it over a chair. If someone stole it, it wasn't his.

He then hesitated for a bit, and decided that taking good care of the jacket--especially since it was stolen from the one who'd saved his life--wasn't that big a job, and hooked it on his fingers and over his shoulder.

When he entered the fairly large sitting room in the rear of the restaurant, Keiko was occupied with Keiichi while a small baby barely a year old entertained herself with a plush elephant. She had a pacifier in her mouth, but her bald head and big blue eyes made her a hell of a lot cuter than Koenma, in Yuusuke's opinion.

He squatted down in front of the girl, a little unsure of what to say to a one-year-old. He was suddenly painfully aware of the constant swearing that was interlaced throughout his and his friends' daily conversation. He shook the elephant a little with his fingers, which got the baby's attention. She turned her innocent blue-eyed stare to him; after a few short moments of studying his face, decided he was nice enough and gave him a toothless grin through her pacifier. Yuusuke chuckled.

Keiko looked up, as if just noticing that Yuusuke had joined her and the children. Yuusuke saw and flushed, looking away from the baby. However, the little girl was not finished with him. She lost all interest in her plush toy and grabbed his rough index finger, studying it while sucking noisily on her pacifier.

"Just pick her up," Keiko suggested slyly.

Yuusuke shot her a dark look, which ended up more panicked than angry, and focused on the baby. He shifted positions so he was kneeling, and gingerly placed his hands under her arms. It took him a few minutes to figure out a position he was comfortable with, and even then couldn't decide how to lift her up.

Keiko sighed and laughed at the same time, and temporarily left Keiichi to assist her incompetent companion. "Here we go, Ryoko-chan," she said soothingly, lifting her up with smooth and graceful ease. The baby gurgled and grinned again.

She stood up, and Yuusuke followed suit. She motioned for him to place his arms apart slightly, then placed Ryoko in them.

Sweat broke out on Yuusuke's brow. He tried desperately to stop the trembling of his arms, because he didn't want to drop the child on her head. He eyed her nervously, but she just clutched the white fabric of his shirt and stared up at him curiously.

"You're fine," Keiko assured genuinely, when she saw he was really afraid. She had never seen Yuusuke this terrified, not even when facing demons that would kill him twice just for amusement. "She's in no danger. Okay?"

Yuusuke wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. His wide-eyed stare moved over to Ryoko's chubby face. As if on cue, the toddler smiled her toothless smile and giggled.

He calmed down some and sat down on the couch. Keiko made sure Keiichi was okay--he was just watching an anime--and seated herself next to Yuusuke.

"See? She's not a bomb," she cracked, watching with sparkling eyes as Yuusuke propped his feet up on the coffee table so Ryoko could lean back against his thighs. She seemed to like the semi-reclining position and laughed through the pacifier as Yuusuke made funny faces and funnier sounds.

Keiko would never have expected Yuusuke to be so good with babies. He never really struck her as a fatherly figure, especially since he didn't even remember his own father. And he was always swearing and playing around like he didn't have a purpose in life. This couldn't be the same Urameshi Yuusuke amusing this little baby as the one that always skipped school or town at the whim of Koenma to risk his life time and time again.

"Why'd you agree to look after them?" Yuusuke inquired, letting Ryoko move over to Keiko's lap.

Keiko bounced the baby up and down gently and answered immediately, "I love children."

"And?"

Keiko shrugged. "That's it. I can't resist them. They're so cute and lovable."

Yuusuke grinned lopsidedly. "Kinda like me, ne?"

Keiko snorted and pushed him over.

"Oi!" he mutterered, getting up. Keiichi was too engrossed in his show to notice his babysitter and Yuusuke, apparently having forgotten his desire to play house.

Yuusuke was such a little boy. He had looked death in the face dozens of times--he'd even succumbed to it once--but he still retained that playful innocence only childhood could bring. Keiko admired the engrossed expression on his face, because it was so Yuusuke, so him, so...

"...Kawaii."

"That Rei," he replied, smiling crookedly, gesturing to the television screen. "She's so kawaii."

Keiko snorted, even louder this time. Ryoko laughed at the hilarious sound and rocked back and forth in her sitter's lap, sucking on her pacifier gleefully.

"She's passable."

Yuusuke's smile grew wider and crookeder. The knowing smile was still on his face when he stood up and stretched.

"I gotta go," he announced. He waggled his finger in Ryoko's face. "Koenma needs us."

Keiko felt the same fear that she always did whenever Yuusuke ran off on a case grip her heart and squeeze painfully. "N-now? Are you sure?"

Yuusuke nodded, then shrugged. "Shouldn't be too big a deal." He thrust his thumb at the leather jacket. "Take care of this while I'm gone, ne? Don't want Koenma to see me with it on.

"Ki o tsukete, Yuusuke," she whispered. "It's dangerous out there."

--end

Did you like it? Please send C&C!

--Ren'ai-chan

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