Serve and Protect
By Terra Tenshi and Chrissy Sky
Yuusuke/Koenma Yaoi.
Summary: Sequel to A Mourning Interlude. Something happens that wasn't supposed to and it changes the course of Yuusuke's life forever. AU of series events.

Notes: The chapters are now being revamped in preparation for posting new ones, which will begin soon-ish. If anyone was still waiting for updates, thanks for your patience. If you're a new reader, we hope you give it a chance. Thanks.

Chapter One

They did not have time to celebrate Yuusuke defeating Toguro. The man's body fell forward, landing right on the unsuspecting Yuusuke, who did not move out of the way. The teen gave a grunt as he went down.

Koenma tensed; Yuusuke was definitely pinned down by Toguro's literally dead weight. He was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen. Toguro could have fallen either way, it was true, but Yuusuke hadn't anticipated him not falling backward.

The current announcer, Juri, began the count while Hiei growled at Yuusuke to get up, but the teen could only squirm tiredly. None of them could help him or their team would immediately forfeit.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing here?!" The teen struggled, trying to push more strength into his arms, but Koenma could see he just had nothing left to give. "I'm too fucking tired!"

"Four," Juri continued. "Five… Six…"

Koenma met Sakyo's smug gaze, golden eyes narrowing. It wasn't usual for a human to make him feel impotent, yet it kept happening. He wanted to rush forward and help Yuusuke but that would have voided the fight anyway. All he and Yuusuke's friends could do was watch helplessly.

Yuusuke continued to squirm tiredly, freeing himself up to his waist just as Juri finished the ten count. "What?! Nooo!"

Sakyo went from smug to smirking. "Well, well. It seems like we have a tie."

Koenma nodded minutely. So this was how things would be.

Very well. He had accepted harder outcomes.

Once, he had accepted the cross.

No! Fuck no, this wasn't supposed to be happening. He won, damn it!

He'd finally beat Toguro. He'd saved everyone. It wasn't fucking fair! What was the point of all their sacrifices, of losing Genkai and Kuwabara, if they still lost?! Had there ever been a point to any of it? If this is all that became of his second chance at life, Yuusuke would have preferred to stay dead.

Just turn back the clock and have the damn car kill him, he thought angrily.

Yuusuke continued to struggle even after the fish girl finished counting, but he froze when he heard a familiar outraged screeching.

"WHAAAT?" Kuwabara, who didn't look like a vengeful and starving zombie, rushed at him angrily. "I faked my death for you and you still lost?! Urameshi!"

The other teen blinked at him quizzically from where he was pinned. "Ku-Kuwabara?"

"Idiot! Loser! Koenma even bet his life on you, dumbass!"

Yuusuke finally heaved himself free, his anger and frustration invigorating him. He knew now what had happened and his friend was going to pay. "You asshole! I thought you were dead!" He'd freaking mourned the bastard. He'd cried.

"Er…" Kuwabara hesitated, angry expression bleeding away to fear, before he ran for it.

Yuusuke chased after him. "Come back here so I can kill you!"

"Eeep!"

As he chased Kuwabara around the stage, Yuusuke's anger simmered, and he realized he was smiling. It was likely an insane smile to anyone who looked at it, because he felt a little crazy for being happy right now. He's lost the match—well, tied, which amounted to the same thing. Right?

But Kuwabara was alive. The big idiot was running away from him like the gigantic girl he was and Yuusuke was happy.

"Would you care to forfeit now and save us all some time?" he heard that jerk in the business suit ask, and stopped just short of catching Kuwabara to see what was going on. Sakyo was speaking to Koenma, who was glaring at the smug bastard. In his teen form, with that serious expression, the junior god looked quite unlike himself.

Kuwabara, noticing that he wasn't being chased, stopped and came back. "What's going on?"

Yuusuke shrugged. "Beats me." He hit Kuwabara in the shoulder, hard, just to get the last of it out of his system.

"Ow!"

"Shh. Fox girl's saying something."

"Jerk."

"Uh, uh…" Koto glanced around the suddenly quiet stadium, up toward where the box that supposedly held the officials. They were silent. "As Toguro was dead before he fell, and his body pinned Yuusuke down for the complete ten count, the match is being ruled as a tie. Which means that the bet between Sakyo-san and Koenma-san is voided and they must now continue on for their teams! But will the reportedly spoiled brat of the Reikai really fight?" she wondered aloud.

The spectators jeered, shouting insults at Koenma, and Yuusuke sneered at them. He wondered if they realized they were cheering for a human to win. Sakyo was an asshole of the highest caliber, but he was still just human.

Right? Yuusuke exchanged another doubtful glance with Kuwabara. He knew the same thoughts were running through his friend's mind—their boss was a tiny little paper pusher, and his opponent was a jerk who would likely cheat.

Yuusuke was about to encourage Koenma to cheat too, fly away with the stupid jetpack or use it as a weapon, when the godling surprised him. He handed the jetpack to Kurama without one word of explanation and stepped into the fighting area—the arena was pretty smashed after his fight with Toguro.

He looked very determined. "I don't run from my responsibilities," he said to Sakyo.

No no no! Yuusuke ran over and grabbed Koenma's arm. "Hold up! What the hell are you doing? Let me fight!"

He fought, Koenma gave the orders. That was how it worked. He couldn't allow Koenma to do this just because of his immense fuck up, no matter how annoying the junior god was most of the time. Sakyo wasn't some rich man's pampered son – Koenma couldn't possibly be ready for this!

"You can't," Koenma pointed out. "You've already fought this round. Besides, you're exhausted."

Yuusuke was about to protest more when he noticed a subtle change in Koenma's stance and eyes. There was a hard, steely look to those gold-brown eyes he'd never seen before. The god's limbs were straight and ready. An unmistakable battle aura began to rise from his teenage frame.

Hesitantly, Yuusuke let him go and stepped back. "Alright," he said slowly. "I'll bet on you this time. Don't let me down." That everything was depending on Koenma now went without saying.

His boss nodded and moved forward to meet Sakyo in the center of the ruined ring.

Sakyo was smirking. "Well, this is just getting more exciting."

"Only someone like you would think so," the godling shot back.

Yuusuke hadn't heard him sound so pissed before. He shifted back to watch with his friends, noting their concerned expressions too.

"Uh, guys?" Kuwabara spoke up as Juri ran around, drawing a circle in the dirt for an impromptu ring. "Are we sure about this?"

Yuusuke glares and folded his arms. "No, but we don't really have a choice."

"Can he even fight?" Hiei demanded.

"I guess we're about to find out," Kurama murmured.

The fish girl completed making a circle and, panting, announced the commencement of the match.

That was all the warning they got. Sakyo suddenly pulled out a small gun, quickly and efficiently emptying the clip in the god's direction.

Yuusuke tried to rush forward, a wild panic rising up his throat. "Koenma!"

Kurama grabbed him by his waist and held on tight before he could get too far. He could have dislodged the redhead, but Kurama was hurt and Yuusuke didn't want to cause more damage. They still had to get the fuck out of here somehow.

The concern was unneeded, however, as the bullets had no effect on Koenma. The godling did not bleed, nor did the bullets seem to hit anything or anyone else. Sakyo tossed his gun aside.

"Hm. Ah well…"

"My turn?" Koenma asked politely, quickly forming a series of complicated symbols with his hands that Yuusuke only half caught. "Heavenly Seal, binding!"

Sakyo smirked as absolutely nothing happened. "It seems there are few things one can't buy with money," he said as he lifted the sleeve on one of his arms, showing a seal tattooed into his skin.

Yuusuke couldn't read it, but he guessed that it couldn't be good. Whatever it was, it had blocked Koenma's binding thing.

"And not only can it protect, it can attack as well." Muttering something, Sakyo shot a magical attack—not at Koenma, but at Yuusuke and the others.

Yuusuke cursed and got ready to dodge, but it proved unnecessary. Koenma's hands were moving quickly through another set of seals.

"Golden Halo, shield!"

Golden reiki wrapped around Yuusuke and his friends, protecting them from the weird energy attack in Sakyo's tattoo. It felt warm; not stifling, but more like a blanket on a cold night.

Koenma turned and Yuusuke locked eyes with him, seeing the concern and then relief the godling felt. But he took his eyes off his damn opponent!

"Koenma, watch out!" Yuusuke warned as Sakyo snuck up on the god, his arm ready to swing a punch.

Barely flinching, Koenma used his forearm to push Sakyo's arm wide and driving his other hand hard into the millionaire's solar plexus.

Yuusuke gaped. That was some sound hand to hand there. A little basic and formal, but it'd get him through a street brawl.

Sakyo coughed, staggering before he continued shooting those freaky energy tattoo attacks. This time, it was at the girls in the stands. Yuusuke watched Koenma form protective shields around them as well.

"The more he tries to protect us, the further his concentration will be stretched," Kurama said. "They can't do this forever."

Koenma, after taking a few hits that he shook off easily with the glowy shields, tried another binding spell. Unfortunately, it once again bounced of Sakyo's crazy protection.

Hiei snorted as the blows continued. "Tch. Why doesn't Koenma simply kill him? He's obviously got the skills."

Yuusuke raised an eyebrow. From Hiei, that grumpy tone was almost a compliment. "Yeah, but… maybe he doesn't want to?" He just couldn't see Koenma as the killing type. He worked with the dead every day – if there was anybody who valued life, it'd be the godling.

Still, this couldn't go on.

"Koenma, stop worrying about us and just finish him!" he yelled. "Hiei and Kurama can put up a shield and the girls have Puu!"

"It doesn't matter," Kurama countered. "Whatever that thing is it's unlike anything I've seen before. I doubt we'd be able to stop it. Not the way we are now."

Weakened. Exhausted. Yuusuke clenched his fists tightly, uselessly.

"Not in our current conditions," Hiei backed the fox up. "And the old lady isn't possessing your rodent right now, so the girls have no protection either."

Yuusuke cursed with feeling.

He heard Sakyo chuckle. "Urameshi seems oddly concerned about you. Is he your kept boy?"

The teen felt his cheeks flaming at the insinuation. What the ever loving fuck was the asshole talking about?!

The attempt to rile Koenma up seemed to fall short. "Perhaps we have a similar relationship as you and Shizuru."

"Shizuru? Oh, the pretty young lady. Yes, I'm certain to have a good time with her after I defeat you."

Ew. Yuusuke listened as Kuwabara, who also overheard, started yelling at the fucker, feeling vaguely dirty himself.

Still, it was weird. As freaky as the dude was, Yuusuke had the weirdest feeling that Sakyo was lying. That he wouldn't really hurt Shizuru.

"Ifyou defeat me," Koenma muttered. He'd been using a lot of energy up to this point, but he wasn't even breaking a sweat. Yuusuke was pretty impressed.

"So confident?" the millionaire wondered.

"Yes."

"How interesting."

"Koenma…" Yuusuke was still ready to run into the fight if he felt he needed to, though he hardly had the strength to stand. If Koenma was hurt or worse, it'd be his fault for not winning his match in the first place.

He didn't want anymore losses on his conscious.

Hiei must've sensed it. "Stay back, idiot. It's hard enough to hold multiple shields; if you go running off you're just opening yourself to attack. Him too."

The teen sighed, knowing the cranky little fire demon was right. "Yeah… But this can just keep going unless he finishes it."

"I wonder why he doesn't want to kill him?" Kurama wondered aloud.

Yuusuke frowned. He had to try again, even if Koenma just continued ignoring him. "Koenma! I don't know what your reasons are, and you can explain them to me in detail later with pictures and sock puppets, but if you keep going like this he'll find an opening and hurt the girls! There's no other choice!"

"He's right you know," he heard Sakyo taunt Koenma.

"Don't listen to that freak!" the teen went on. "Just listen to me! Remember, I bet on youthis time!"

Koenma watched Sakyo blankly, seemingly ignoring Yuusuke's perfectly good advice.

"I believe in you!" Yuusuke shouted, studiously ignoring the weird look that earned him from Kuwabara. If he was delegated to a cheerleader, then fine, as long as it got Koenma to win.

"It's so sad that you'll have to disappoint him when he seems so earnest." Sakyo reached into his jacket. "I think it's time we finished this little dance, once and for all," he admitted, pulling out a small detonator switch.

"Cheater! I knew he'd try something!" Yuusuke made another try for the arena, but Kurama continued to hold onto him.

Sakyo caressed the switch with his thumb mockingly. "Are you going to do something to stop me?"

"I won't let you do this," Koenma said, his voice hard and stony. "No matter the cost."

"Then I guess you'll have to—" Sakyo was abruptly cut off.

Yuusuke stopped struggling because Koenma was suddenly right in front of Sakyo, and his hand was in Sakyo's chest. There was blood everywhere and all Yuusuke could do was gape uncomprehendingly. He'd never, ever thought that his little boss could be capable of such utter brutality.

"Oh ew," Kuwabara complained softly.

"And so ends the reign of a madman." Koenma pulled his hand free, which glowed a little around the bits of dripping organ that came free in his fingers.

Strangely, Sakyo managed a twisted smile as he fell. His lighter fell out of his pocket and something shiny fell out of his pocket. Yuusuke stooped to pick it up and saw that it was an engraved lighter.

When he looked up again, he saw that Koenma was once again spotless. The only blood left was on Sakyo and the ground. He also noticed that the crowd was eerily silent, even more so than in the aftermath of his fight with Toguro. He almost wanted to drop a pin on the ground to see if the old adage was true.

"I think you'd better call the match," Yuusuke told Juri to nudge the fish girl along.

"Uh, right!" Juri began to count, though there were no signs of life remaining in the human on the ground.

Yuusuke laughed softly, relieved, and rushed over to Koenma's side. "Hey, you did it! Sorry for the nagging, but you could've defended my honor a little better... What the hell was that kept boy thing about, huh? Come on..."

But Koenma continued to stare blankly down at Sakyo. "Yuusuke…"

"Yeah?" He gripped Koenma's arm, trying to tug him away from the bloodied corpse. Koenma would budge. "Hey, don't blame yourself. It had to be done, yanno? And you just…" He trailed off as Koenma turned startlingly bleak eyes on him.

It made his heart beat faster.

"Run."

Yuusuke blinked. "What?"

Koenma's voice was soft but firm. "Take the others and anyone you think is worth saving and run. Get as far from this place as you can."

Yuusuke stared at him, not understanding at all, nor why he suddenly felt dread coiling in his stomach.

Since their talk the night before, he felt a strange sort of bond with the godling. If Koenma told him to run, looking that serious, then something was definitely wrong. Nodding, he ran back to the others. "Let's go, guys. Now!"

Looking up into the stands, he saw that Botan also seemed to know something was wrong—she ushered Shizuru, who was carrying Keiko for some reason, and Yukina to the exit quickly.

"What?" Kuwabara asked. "Why?"

"Just trust me!" The feeling that something bad was coming was getting worse. He felt like he was standing at the beach, and a tide was coming in. A fucking huge tsunami wave. Yuusuke grabbed his arm and tugged the taller teen toward the exit. "Jin, Chu! All you guys, get outta here now! Run now!"

He was relieved when he saw his new demon friends following close behind the girls. The rest of the audience looked confused, likely wondering if anyone was going to stop Team Urameshi and their allies, but nobody tried. After a few minutes, however, they seemed to realize that something was very wrong and panic broke out in the stadium.

Yuusuke gritted his teeth as they had to shove and beat their way through the crowd. He worried about the girls, Chu, and the others, but after breaking through a barricade, they were all reunited outside. Even George, the big and blue oni, had followed them out. They found a place to rest away from the stampeding demons and stared at the arena.

Yuusuke sat back in the grass, panting. "Is Keiko awake yet?" His oldest friend seemed to have gone catatonic for some reason.

"Not yet," Shizuru informed him, still holding the younger girl. "What the hell was that all about anyway?"

"Koenma told me to run," the Tantei explained, shrugging. "To get us all out. I could tell it was serious…" His eyes fell on Botan, who was watching the stadium worriedly, her hands clasped together, knuckles gone white. "Oi, Botan. What do you know? You were already running when I yelled at you."

She looked away, fidgeting nervously with one of her shirt sleeves. "It's forbidden for a god to interfere with human affairs. Not without permission, anyway."

Yuusuke tensed at her words, his bad feeling getting worse because Koenma killing Sakyo was definitely interfering . And he could guess that Koenma definitely had not gotten permission. "So, what happens to a god when they do?"

"They are… punished."

The teen quickly got back to his feet. "Then we gotta go back for him!"

The sudden explosion of enormous power cut off Botan's reply, knocking Yuusuke off his feet before he could even begin running back. Light enveloped the stadium – which had been deserted by all but one person. It was that knowledge that had Yuusuke scrambling to his feet as the shock wore off.

The air was thick with that stifling power, like the air around a gas station, but he was not afraid for his own sake and he broke into a run, back toward the explosion. He might have shouted Koenma's name, but he could not hear it over the rushing in his ears.

All he could think was 'Not again, not again, I can't lose another one…'

Because it as his fault. He'd gotten Genkai killed, and now Koenma was going to be punished for saving their lives!

He tripped on something and fell again.

"Don't bother, detective," Hiei advised, pulling back his outstretched foot as Yuusuke glared. "He knew the risks before he stepped into the ring – if you go now you might just interrupt his plan."

"But –!" You have no idea that he even has a plan!is what Yuusuke wanted to say, but was interrupted by another of those earth shattering shock waves. Hiei braced himself and somehow stayed on his feet.

Whatever was left of the stadium exploded. The powerful energy left just as quickly as it appeared, taking Koenma's ki signature with it.

Yuusuke slammed his fists into the ground. "GODDAMNIT!"

All his fault, all his fault. If only he had been better or stronger somehow, or just gotten out of the fucking way when Toguro fell—this wouldn't have happened. Yuusuke couldn't stop cursing and remained hunched over until he felt a large, familiar hand land on his shoulder.

"Come on, man." Kuwabara's grip was warm and firm, drawing him to his feet. "You don't know that he's dead."

"Yeah, I guess," the other teen muttered. He looked at Botan helplessly. "Isn't there something we can do?"

Botan shook her head. "No, nothing. Just… wait. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything, Yuusuke." With that, her oar materialized and she was soaring into the air.

Kuwabara tugged Yuusuke away from the ruined stadium as their group headed back to the hotel. They got their things and prepared to go home. Not sure what they would do now, Chu and Jin both promised to check in with Yuusuke at some later point, once the dust had settled.

Yuusuke had never felt so hollow about a victory before, and all he could feel was worry for his little, annoying boss.

"So, guess you guys don't get your wishes," Keiko noted as they were leaving. She looked better now, having gotten over her stupor.

Yuusuke shrugged. The empty pit of loss for Genkai, his furious worry for Koenma-there was nothing those bastards could have given him. Nothing that he really wanted.

TBC