Author's Note: Hey everyone! So this story's been picking at my brain for a while now, and I decided to finally write it. I have no idea how long this will be, but I'm really excited to see where it goes! This chapter may be a tad confusing, but it's supposed to be. Everything will be explained in due time.

Just one note on the story:

-Yes, this IS Hiei/Yusuke. There will be immense amounts of flirting and fooling around between two men in this story later on, so if BL offends you or doesn't appeal to you, back out now.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy Chances and Choices!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or any of the characters. If I did, it would follow it's promotional photos and turn everyone into a 90s boy-band.

Chapter One

"Sir, they've begun to move."

"Is there any sign of him?"

"Not yet. Are we sure he's the target? What if we're wrong?"

"You're the one who found the file. Besides, George confirmed it with our resident smarty-pants. He's definitely the target."

"Alright. I'll stay on them."

"Remember, stop them at all costs. We can't afford to lose him."

"Roger that."

X X X

"Oh come on!" Yusuke cried out as yet another shop owner stood protectively in front of her door when Yusuke passed. "I don't even like your store!" He thrust his balled up fists in his pockets and continued walking, his shoes sounding a satisfying "thud" with the force he put into every step.

"Today just fucking sucks. Could it get any worse?!" As if to taunt him, thunder rumbled overhead, and there was a sharp crack mere seconds later when lightening split the sky. "Ri~ght…stupid question." The wind picked up, and Yusuke pulled his denim jacket closer to his body. He also turned up the collar, hoping for a little more protection from the chill. Spring was here, but Father Winter wanted to remind them he wasn't done just yet.

At least the weather matched Yusuke's foul mood. The day had started off bad, and only got worse as it went on. Between his mom, Kuwabara, and…Keiko, he desperately needed a fight. Unfortunately, all the punks in town were now so scared of him they ran away instead of confronting him. And while he was an idiot, he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with the more experienced gangs. They wouldn't hesitate to give him a literal stab in the back, and he wanted to avoid that world at all costs.

After his mom had come stumbling in at seven in the morning reeking of alcohol and yelling at him to get a job now that his "punk ass can't hide behind school," Yusuke had gone out to give his mom time to sleep off the drink. Her words had stung, but Yusuke could normally brush them off. Normally.

But that was before he managed to graduate from high school with no plans for the future. Before he had made it to Kuwabara's house and seen him packing for college, and was asked "What are you going to do without me?" for the umpteenth time. Before he had seen Keiko smiling and blushing in the arms of someone that was completely Yusuke's opposite.

The day had gone from bad to worse, and with no real way to vent his frustrations he had taken to roaming the streets in the hopes that the exercise would lessen the pressure he felt building up inside himself. Instead it had only caused more pressure to build and had become more unbearable.

The first drop of rain made him flinch, and he wiped it away from where it fell on his cheek. The next drops fell in rapid succession, and it became clear that this wasn't a spring drizzle. Cursing under his breath, Yusuke ran for the nearest shelter: a nearby bus stop that was quickly becoming crowded with people. He kept his head down, sure that if anyone recognized him they would try to force him out. He managed to get a space on the edge, where the occasional drop hit him but he was still able to be relatively dry.

Yusuke was just trying to shake some rain from his hair when he looked across the street and saw a young boy running, a ball in his hands. The kid was obviously trying to get out of the rain just like everyone else. Yusuke didn't see any adults running after him, so he didn't know where the parents were.

Typical, he thought, frowning. Parents are never around when they need to be. There was more than a tinge of bitterness to his thoughts, but he had grown used to ignoring them. He continued brushing what rain he could off, resigning himself to either waiting for the rain to stop (which would take god knows how long), or accepting fate and getting soaked on the walk home. He was weighing his options, staring across the street, unconsciously following the young boy with his eyes.

And then all hell broke loose.

The boy fell with a cry, and the ball rolled into the street, as yellow headlights appeared on the horizon. He stood up and ran into the road, grabbing the ball as the bright red body of the car came into view. Yusuke's body moved without his conscious thought, and both the boy and car came closer and closer. There was impact as he tackled the boy out of the way, screams and shouts echoing through the air and mingling with screeching tires. Pain seared his side and legs, and he and the boy rolled across the rough pavement until, finally, they stopped moving.

For a moment, there was silence. Then someone cried "Are they okay?!" and people swarmed the road. The young boy was pulled, shrieking, from Yusuke's arms, and more people repeated the original question. All Yusuke could do was nod his head, his ears ringing and his body one giant ache. He waved the people off and stumbled to his feet. He shook his head to try and get rid of the ringing. Then he saw the driver, blurred but still visible, leaning on his car with his girl hanging off his arm, both of them blubbering about how they hadn't seen the kid. Anger filled Yusuke, and he took unsteady steps towards them, his body shaking and he didn't know whether it was from the anger, the cold, or the knowledge that he almost died.

He didn't see the car that slammed into him. All he saw was a kaleidoscope of color as he was thrown into the air, and then everything went black.

X X X

"Dammit! I should have-"

"Oh my god someone call an ambulance!"

"I did, it's-"

"There's so much blood…is he…"

"No, he's-"

"Someone call an ambulance, these people are-"

"I told you I already-"

"Who would do such a thing?"

"When I get my hands on George…he was supposed to be helping…Don't worry Yusuke, you'll be…"

X X X

Beep.

What happened?

Beep.

Where am I?

Beep.

Why can't I move?

Beep.

It hurts. My body hurts.

Beep.

Why is everything so dark?

Beep.

Someone help.

Beep.

Please…help me…

Beep.

Help me!

Beep.

HELP ME!

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Stop shouting, dammit!

X X X

"Is it done?"

"No, sir. It was a failure. The boy survived."

"So he's still alive."

"Yes. He's on his way to the hospital now."

"Can you finish the job?"

"Negative. He's too heavily guarded."

"Very well. Keep an eye on them. Inform me of any changes."

"Yes sir."

"We will deal with your incompetence later."

X X X

"You're telling me that this punk tried to save the boy?"

"He didn't just try; he did save him."

"He willingly put his own life at risk?"

"Without a thought, from the looks of it."

"Where is he now?"

"The hospital. I managed to call it in before anyone else. Our people are with him."

"And the results?"

"He's awakened."

"I see. Then we'll have to change our plans a bit."

"What should I do?"

X X X

Pain. So much pain in his head, and aches all over his body. That's the first thing Yusuke noticed when he pulled himself from the darkness that had surrounded him. The second was a blinding whiteness, occasionally broken by a machine or blue curtain. He'd have recognized a hospital by the cold, sterile smell alone. Yusuke couldn't count the number of times he'd had to get Kuwabara or himself patched up after a fight. More often than not it was Kuwabara, and Yusuke was just there to make sure the idiot didn't try to run away and beat up whoever had put him there in the first place.

It took a few moments for Yusuke's eyes to adjust. They had been in the dark for so long that the lights on the ceiling were painful. He turned his head to the side, and winced at the searing pain that went through his head.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, not in the condition you're in."

Painful light or not, Yusuke tensed and opened his eyes, and all he saw was blue. Well, at first. He didn't recognize the woman who sat beside his bed, a kind smile on her lips. She was slim and petite, wearing black capris and a pink sweater. It contrasted nicely with her light blue hair, which was pulled high in a ponytail. The warmth from her smile reached her eyes, and something in Yusuke told him he could trust her.

"Who…"

"Oh where are my manners? My name is Botan. I'm the one who called the ambulance after that horrible accident."

Accident? What? He watched as Botan tilted her head, and her smile faded a bit.

"Oh dear. I guess I'll have to explain from the beginning. Well, a few days ago you rushed into the road to save a young boy. Do you remember that?"

A boy. A ball. Rain. At first, there were only bits and pieces as Yusuke thought back to before the darkness. But eventually the pieces connected. He remembered hiding in the bus stop, and watching the boy play with his ball. He remembered jumping out without even thinking, and seeing the driver of the car. And then…pain. And voices. So many voices. Cautiously, he nodded his head.

"Well that's good. You managed to save that boy you know; he only has a few scrapes on him, and he was released after only a few hours. The driver of the car was questioned and fined, which serves him right." Her lips turned down, and Yusuke got the distinct impression she was annoyed. "Honestly, I don't know what that man was thinking! Wasn't he looking? I mean of all the stupid, irresponsible –"

Eyes narrowing, Yusuke tried to clear his throat. His head hurt, and he could feel himself getting exhausted just by being awake. He wanted to hear this before he passed back out. He also wanted to know why she hadn't called the nurse yet to let her know he was awake. Luckily, the he could make a noise, and it got Botan to stop rambling.

"Ah, right. Well, you see, this is where it gets…difficult. But I'm not sure now's a good time, not since you just woke up and all, and besides, the nurse should be-"

"You're finally awake I see!" Yusuke looked to the door, and saw a nurse in a white uniform (pants, not a dress) standing there. Her smile was detached and professional, even if it had a bit of humor in it. "Isn't it Mr. Kuwabara who's usually in the bed, Mr. Urameshi?" She teased as she walked in, and then she turned the smile on Botan. "You've got quite a friend here; she's come by every day to see you!"

"I wanted to make sure he was alright; after all, the way he looked after it happened…"

Friend? The way he looked? Huh?

"I understand. But I'm afraid you'll have to leave for the time being. I've called for the doctor, and I'm sure Mr. Urameshi is going to be wanting more sleep after we check on him."

"Of course! I'm just so happy he's awake!" Botan smiled brightly and stood up, bowing to the nurse. "Thank you so much for allowing me to visit so often. I'm sure I'll be back soon." She looked at Yusuke, and her smile grew a little wider. "We have a lot to talk about, Yusuke. I'll be back when you are feeling better. Bye now!" Botan gave a small wave, and all but skipped out of the room, her ponytail bouncing behind her.

"Such a strange girl…" Umi, the nurse (who had patched him and Kuwabara up countless times), murmured. "Now Mr. Urameshi, lets see how you're doing while we wait on Dr. Ishihara."

The nurse began checking his vitals and throughout it all, Yusuke could only think of the strange woman who had come and gone like the wind and what in the hell she had wanted to tell him. He had no idea who she was; he'd never met her in his life. He'd remember someone with hair that color. When he saw her again, he was going to get his answers. And he knew she'd be back. His instinct told him she would. Maybe then he could ask her why there had been a flicker of fear in her eyes when he woke up, and why it had been replaced by pity when she left.

X X X

"How did it go, Botan?"

"He's conscious, sir. He remembers the boy, but not much else. I'm sure the doctor will fill him in."

"And his body?"

"As expected. I reached our contacts at the hospital, and they have everything under control."

"You've done a great job. Do you know what to do next?"

"Yes, Koenma sir. I have everything ready."

"Excellent. You may proceed with your own judgement. I'm sending a guard to the hospital just in case."

"Surely they wouldn't try anything there?"

"They are desperate, Botan. I wouldn't put it past them. They want him dead, remember?"

"Yes…Then I will go when he has rested some more."

"I hope this works, for all our sakes."

If you liked this chapter, please leave review! They do inspire me to work faster.