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Alright. Here I go.

*deep breaths*


Okay, I don't see Kurama and Yusuke as a couple either, but that's only because I'm a strong believer of the series. I don't like it when people tamper with things, and I've never read Yaoi (in exception to subtleties in Changing Death by borderline_mary). So immediately, since its YYH I'm going to say no.

However, I can see people's view points and I'll help you out because at the same time, it happens, and there are just those people who have the talent to prove me wrong and get me hooked, of course they never manage to corrupt the way I see things as I watch the series. ('Friends...')

A love triangle...eh. For me, it'd be pushing it. I'd just sit there and be like "...they're fighting over Kurama..." and I think a reason this would really make me upset is because he already deals with this at school with girls. I would question whether Kurama would be happy in a love triangle. I don't think he'd want anything to do with one, especially not from his closest friends.

If I were writing the story, I would actually have it in Yusuke's view point, though all of us writers are different. However, as I was listening to the song, I thought only of Yusuke singing to Kurama (well not SINGING but you know what I mean...I hope.) However, ONCE AGAIN you are the writer and you have freedom with it. I could see Kurama to Yusuke to an extent, but if it were Kurama singing, I think it'd actually be to Hiei if anyone in the (shivers) triangle. (REALLY sorry, I just HATE that word.)

Ummmm....if you need some YusukexKurama motivation, I may not be the best source, but I guess I could try...

Um...because they get along well....

And um...

Crap. Yeah....THIS is one of the reasons I don't write canonxcanon relationships. *sigh*

^^;

Well, oh well, I hoped that helped you out a bit. I seriously think that's a GREAT song to do it to. : ) I've always wanted to base a story off of a song. ^^

Oh, you two, you can always be counted on to post RIGHT AFTER me. ^^ It's a good quality. This guild moves so slow sometimes, so it's awesome to get people who respond, like, pronto. (Changing Death is teh win.)

I would love to be able to write this and convince you and myself that Kurama and Yusuke would totally work. ^^' We need someone with expertise in the matter.

With the love triangle, because the song states "time can never mend/the careless whispers of a good friend," I meant that it would be more like Kurama couldn't make up his mind between them, or cheated on Yusuke with Hiei. I wasn't really thinking that they'd fight over Kurama or have any interaction at all, given that it's in Kurama's perspective.

I listened to the song again keeping Yusuke in mind as the perspective...I'm split on this one. On the one hand, Yusuke would probably be more insecure about dancing ("I feel so unsure/as I take your hand/and lead you to the dance floor") however, that implies that Yusuke's the more dominant of the relationship, or that Kurama's the "woman." I absolutely hate it when people assign man and woman roles to a homosexual relationship, and I'm afraid that's what would happen if I wrote it like that. What do you think?

Also, if it was in Yusuke's perspective, then it would be like him cheating on Kurama with Hiei. Which isn't any easier for me to write about than the other way around. ^^' (I have yet to conquer Hiei and Yusuke as a couple, either. It's finally dawning on me that my YYH fanfiction universe is so very, very small.)

With the way the rest of the song goes, talking about guilt and making mistakes, I think that goes with either Kurama or Yusuke's personality. What I loved about the second verse are the lines, "to the heart and mind/ignorance is kind/there's no comfort in the truth/pain is all you'll find," because it works perfectly with a blurb I wrote a few days ago about how knowledge is power, and with great power comes responsibility (meaning, basically, that Kurama's got a big burden being the most intelligent guy around.)

And, in the chorus it says, "though it's easy to pretend/I know you're not a fool," which is something I see Kurama saying more about Yusuke than the other way around. Also, I do think that Kurama would probably be more likely to say these things to Hiei, but then again, that would mean him dancing with Hiei. I could try to pass it off as metaphorical dancing, somehow...Bah. Too complicated! Thanks a TON for your input though. You're a big help.
biggrin

@ Hoshi: Yeah, I still can't see Yusuke dancing. I've even been struggling seeing Kurama dance, though I've found that it's nearly fanon for him to be a club-hopping DDR fanatic. XD

I would NOT bash Keiko. I hate it when people do that...probably it would either be a sort of closet relationship, where no one really knows but those three, or it would take place long after Keiko has died, if the reader would believe that Yusuke's atavism has decreased his aging significantly and that Kurama hasn't aged much, either. But the aging theories are in another thread, and as long as it fits with the story, I don't much care. ^^'

Are you kidding? That's like my most favorite song these days (right along with "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant.) I'll take any excuse possible to listen again. ^^' I did so, and I do see what you mean. But there are still so many parts that I can fit in with Kurama's character, so I'm starting to wonder whether it would even be worth trying to sort out all of the events that could have happened if the song was illustrating their relationship.



Well, I completely agree about equality. However, equality doesn't always translate to there not being a dominant person. Even in friendships and homosexual relationships, there is generally a dominant personality and a more submissive one. That isn't a bad thing, even though it can be stereotypical when it comes to hetero relationships. That's the issue.

I mean, it's one thing for them to be equals. I would consider them so, and I don't think that a submissive person is any less important than a dominant one in our society. But it's the stereotype of the woman being submissive coupled with the "Kurama is the 'woman' of the relationship" stereotype that I can't stand. If Kurama is submissive, then that coupled with his appearance and general manner makes him the "woman" when compared to Yusuke and Hiei. That's what I always try to avoid.

I still want to thank you so much for your input. ^^ I think it's better to have to mull over something like this before I jump in.

All right. Weighing in as well as I can.

I tend to think of the couple as a matter of perspective, goals, and depth of attachment. The "chemistry" I see isn't necessarily romantic, but the depth of feeling they display could easily turn that direction. Their bond is a very tight one, and it was created very early, during the Forlorn Hope incident. What Kurama was trying to do hit a chord in Yuusuke that made him feel like Kurama was the same as he was, even in just a little way, and that was enough that he was willing to give up his own life to save Kurama from the kind of pain he'd gone through at seeing his own mother so sad. Kurama, on the receiving end of the sacrifice, saw someone who believed in him and in the intrinsic fairness of the universe so strongly that he was willing to die for someone he'd only just met, and who had given him the chance to be happy, so that neither he nor his mother would need to be grieving. It was a pretty powerful bond from the start, because of those things.

Past that point, once their lives depend on each other, both feel like they owe the other. Yuusuke feels like he owes Kurama for saving him from Hiei (he wouldn't really see that as Kurama just mending his own debt; Yuusuke's not the kind to feel like there's any debt that needs to be mended), and if Kurama dies now, what Yuusuke tried to do for him will collapse also. Kurama owes Yuusuke his happiness and will go to great lengths to give back in kind. The two of them only grow closer throughout the series. Even in 3 Kings, Kurama is ready to betray Yomi and throw in on Yuusuke's side despite having known Yomi for such a long time (and possibly having been together with him). Both of them consider the other to be a good person who has had too much hardship already and who deserves to be happier than they are, and since both of them have inferiority complexes (although vastly different ones), they're both willing to sacrifice themselves to see that the other is all right. More than that, though, they both care for each other and enjoy each other's company; Yuusuke can be at ease with Kurama and even trade insults without brawling like he does with Kuwabara, and Kurama can be at ease around Yuusuke without having to play the intricate game of what to say and what not to say that he does with Hiei. They appreciate each other's senses of humor and respect each other's boundaries; their differences only make them more interesting to each other instead of repelling.

During the Tournament, they're the ones to hold each other up, both physically and emotionally; where Hiei doesn't need and won't accept help, and Kuwabara is the same to a lesser extent, Kurama and Yuusuke are able to lean on each other. The intensity of their fear for each other's lives is always one of the things that gets me about that arc -- Yuusuke's very raw despair when he thinks Kurama is lost and his fierce drive for vengeance against the demons that hurt him, and Kurama's quiet, unhesitating, and melancholy determination as he does everything in his power to ensure Yuusuke's safety as much as possible, even at great cost to himself.

At the end of the series, I always like to consider that they're also the only two characters with the same sort of duality. Both are demon and human at the same time, in their own ways, and both have to choose what world they want to live in or be divided forever. No other characters experience or would quite be able to understand the difficulty of that (except for maybe Hiei or Genkai, for different reasons). Neither have been entirely happy in either the human or the demon world. I can only see them growing closer in that shared loneliness.

Where I see it possibly becoming romantic is, again, in the sheer depth of their bond. It's not that I think it's obviously that way, it's that I think there's really the potential. At the very least, even if they're never with each other that way, what they have is significantly more than friendship, and I think they'd be able to relate to each other in ways that neither of them could find with any other characters. Consider how they balance each other out -- planning versus instinct, rationality versus passion, cruelty versus necessity, and all the other ways they contradict but also compliment. What they want and need also dovetail -- both are searching for meaning, and both seek understanding, and they'd be able to find that with each other. Yuusuke needs someone he can protect, as well, and while Kurama can be scary as hell, he also kind of needs looking after to keep him from doing stupid/suicidal things all the time. Yuusuke's foray into stupid/suicidal also needs a check, but since his is in the form of not really being able to plan ahead, Kurama could do that for him well enough. Yuusuke needs someone who won't push him to change, and Kurama needs someone who can recognize when he's emotionally floundering because he's constitutionally incapable of actually asking for help when he needs it. Yuusuke needs someone who can continually challenge him both mentally and physically and who will notice and intervene when he's walling himself off from his own feelings, and Kurama needs someone who's too honest to just tell him what he wants to hear and too instinctively perceptive to be manipulated. Their strengths and weaknesses really do fit together well. Granted, no couple's perfect, but it's hard to find this kind of synergy.

So. Long-winded post is long. But there you go. (Dude. Thank you both for fic mentions. >.>) I should probably also say here that I do still ship Hiei/Kurama, and sometimes even Hiei/Yuusuke . . . but Kurama/Yuusuke has slid solidly into the position of my favorite ship, and I don't see it abdicating at any point soon.


EDIT:

So, okay. Forgot to get specific with your fic idea instead of just waxing poetic about my ship. sweatdrop

I'm . . . not sure I can see Yuusuke dancing. He's just not that kind of person. He'd be the sort to dance only when he's drunk, and it wouldn't be pretty; dancing otherwise would embarrass the hell out of him and make him uncomfortable. You could always use dancing as a metaphor for something else if you wanted; that's the way I'd handle that, although it is entirely your prerogative. The roles between the two of them don't necessarily need to come up, though, if you have them dance; I think you're reading a little too much into which one of them leads. I'm a big fan of equality, so I agree with havishanta on that count. Try not to think about it -- just because one of them leads in the dance, or even in beginning the relationship as a whole, doesn't mean it's the way it has to stay.

And as for the song perspective . . . can't it be both? If there are aspects on both sides, play it both ways.

I am a huge Hiei X kurama lover but borederline mary you made me like the Yusuke Kurama thing more than i did.

I just can't get past how straight Yusuke is and Keiko too. ha.

yeah the whole you teach me to dance is that best thing i can think of.

(GAH! I FEEL SO ACCEPTED : DDDDDD)

Ahem...

Okay, so I always thought of Yusuke as at LEAST bi-curious! I mean, like borderline_mary said, I could DEFINITELY see him swinging both ways, and I LOVE the way she summarized it up. Awww! Yusuke and Kurama. (Pinches both their cheeks, then runs away and hides behind Hiei. Hiei: Well, look whose come back. Me: Shuddup Hiei. Q_Q)

Ahem...

Well, yeah. I think you're BEST bet is to have the dancing be metaphorical. Yusuke just isn't much of a dancer. ^^; Though I did like Miss Ayana's idea of having Kurama smooth Yusuke around the edges. And you could have a cute scene where Yusuke is all confiding in Kurama at some point and is just like "I don't wanna do this..."

Awww! Think of how conflicted Kurama will be! Aw! Q_Q

Ummm...still not QUITE sure how we'll deal with Keiko...training for the next Makaii Tournament? No...

Maybe Original Universe? No...Q_Q

Um...crap!!! This is confuuuusing!!! >_<; Man! I feel like one of those stupid fan girls that's about to use a lame excuse as to why a character is not in a fan fic, namely "she got hit by a car!"

HUFF! >3>;

*facepalm*

I feel stupid.

I think borderline_mary's idea of why they drift apart is best bet, and you can even add the whole marriage thing as well if they want. Scenario?

Yusuke kept his promise. He wanted to make it up to Keiko and wants to make it work, even though they're drifting. He's trying to pull himself back into the relationship because that's what he said he would do. So Keiko sets to work and asks Kurama the favor of smoothing him out around the edges. TADAH! : DDD



...


Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be contradicted and the idea is actually rather stupid? o--o;