Karasu's Pleasure, Kurama's Ruin

"We have the rest of today and all of tomorrow before Karasu returns to find you gone," Kuronue reasoned. "In that time I want to get you as far away from him as possible. I don't know where we're going to go from here, but we need somewhere you can hide while I go find a way back into the human world." They were resting in the diminutive shade of a bush, staring glumly out over the seemingly endless plains. Kuronue sighed. "First, however, we need to get off this god-cursed prairie and somewhere with a little cover!" Yoko huffed his agreement from where he lay on his stomach, tired and hot and sore. Kuronue passed him one of the bottles of water and an apple he'd helped himself to from Karasu's fridge. Their stolen supplies would not last long, however. They needed the forest. Kuronue sighed again, loathe to get up again, but said, "C'mon, fox. Let's keep going. There's gotta be cover somewhere..."

Yoko flinched as the bat pulled him onto his feet for a moment before crouching so the fox could climb back on Kuronue's back. It was not comfortable with Kuronue's wings digging into Yoko's throbbing body, but it beat walking and the fox was too tired to complain. They ate a meager dinner of bread and cheese while still staggering on, and they both welcomed the relative cool of the night as it fell. Yoko dozed fitfully, jerking awake every time Kuronue stumbled, his back never ceasing to ache. Kuronue was trembling in exhaustion, his shoulders aching and his wings cramped and sore. It must have been around two in the morning when they finally spotted a dark smudge that could have been trees.

----

Yusuke hung up the phone with a curse. "It's like he vanished of the face of the flippin' Earth!"

Kuwabara looked up. "I take it his mom still doesn't know where he is, then?"

The ex-detective swore again and kicked the wall. "It figures. The one time we actually need him for something he's gone. Stupid fox-boy..."

Hiei landed on the balcony railing and opened the door. He came in without asking and said, "Either of you have any idea where Kurama ran off to?"

Yusuke scowled. "Great. Here I was thinking, 'Oh, Hiei. Hiei will know where Kurama is.'"

Hiei glared. "Hn. So you don't." He turned away. "Worthless, as always..."

Kuwabara got up with a clatter. "You could help us find him instead of taking it out on us, shorty!" he snapped.

Hiei did not turn. "That's where I'm going, genius." He vanished the way he had come.

Yusuke stared after him, and then looked at Kuwabara again. "Well, his mom did tell me that she saw Kurama Wednesday night, and that he was gone in the morning, but the doors and windows were still locked."

Kuwabara scratched his head. "That's weird. Wonder how he got out then?"

"...Or how someone else got in," Hiei said, returning. He did not look happy. "There are traces of demon energy in his room that are old enough to be from Wednesday night."

Yusuke got up. "Any idea whose it was?"

Hiei snorted. "It seems vaguely familiar..." he trailed off, clearly frustrated with his faulty memory.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Thanks. That's real helpful, Hiei."

"Right, Kuwabara, because you're giving us a truckload of information yourself," Yusuke snapped. He looked at Hiei. "If you think of who it is don't hesitate to tell us, Hiei."

----

Kuronue reached the shade of the forest just as dawn crept over the horizon. He staggered a few feet under the tree cover and stopped. It was all he could do to lower Yoko gently to the ground before he collapsed, more exhausted than he could ever remember being in his life. Yoko watched him, still wary, but grateful. He's trying so hard to get me out of harm's way... I just wish I felt secure enough to trust him as he so clearly wants me to...

After a long moment Kuronue struggled up and handed the water to Yoko, who took it with a grateful nod. He sighed. I suppose his trust is too much to ask for right now, but I'd wish he'd at least acknowledge me... He watched as Yoko yawned. "Sleep, Yoko. I'll keep watch and wake you when it's time to move out again."

Yoko shook his head. "You're the one doing all the work, Kuronue. You sleep; I'll keep watch."

Kuronue glared at him. "Fox, you need to regain your strength. And besides, you're too weak right now to be of any use if something tries to attack, so putting you on sentry duty makes no sense," the bat said. "Get some sleep, Yoko."

Yoko heard the logic in his words and fell asleep almost immediately. Kuronue sat and watched him for a while, but the weariness in his bones and the ache in his arms were catching up with him fast, and, despite his best efforts, he was soon drifting to sleep as well.


Kuronue awoke with a start, peering up at the bright sunlight. It was past noon. He swore, and got up to nudge Yoko awake. The fox sat up, wincing, but waved Kuronue away as the bat tried to get him to climb on. Doggedly the fox stood up, swaying on his feet and with pain lancing up his spine, and took a few quavering steps before stopping to lean on a tree.

Kuronue was impressed, but now was not the time. "Yoko, it's past noon! As wonderful as it would be to not have to carry you, right now we need to get as far as possible, which means we need speed. It'll be faster for me to carry you; please, Yoko!" Yoko sighed and nodded. He hated being so dependant on Kuronue, but once again the bat was right. He let Kuronue pull him onto his back and, with a whimper of pain, the bat started his staggering run through the trees again.

An hour later, the bat's knees gave out and he collapsed, his entire body shaking with exhaustion. "I'm s-sorry, Yoko..." he panted. "I can't carry you any farther..." The leaves were soft beneath his weary body, and he felt his eyelids drifting shut. Besides him, the fox hauled himself to his feet again, wobbling dangeriously.

"Please get up, Kuronue," he whispered. "We can't stop here; we have to get away and I can't go fast enough by myself!"

Kuronue hauled himself from the brink of sleep and mumbled, "I can't carry you any more, Yoko..."

"Then pull me," Yoko said simply. He was trembling, not only with the effort of holding himself up, but with a sudden, urgent fear that he couldn't explain.

"What...?" Kuronue sat up and stared at the fox.

"If you pull me, I'll have to go at whatever pace you set, whether it hurts or not," Yoko said, his heart fluttering. "Please, Kuronue...I just think we should move... If you can't carry me than pull me; please!"

Kuronue got up, and the fox held out his hand. Only now did Kuronue notice the fear in Yoko's red-rimmed eyes. He took the fox's hand and said, "Tell me if you want to slow down."

"N-No," Yoko said. "Whatever happens, don't stop. Don't slow down no matter what!" He met Kuronue's eyes. "I'm inevitably going to tell you to stop but don't. Promise me..." Kuronue could not fathom why the fox was suddenly so terrified, but he was, and Kuronue didn't have the heart to do anything other than promise not to stop. He turned and stumbled back into a run, ignoring Yoko's yelp of pain.

They went for hours, Kuronue's lungs burning and his arm aching against the Yoko's weight. Yoko was whimpering, tears marring his vision, but stubbornly stumbling after Kuronue despite his discomfort. At dusk, Kuronue felt his entire body suddenly shudder to a stop and collapse in on itself and he fell limply to the forest floor once again. Yoko, carried by his own momentum, could not stop in time and he tripped on Kuronue's foot and fell on top of the bat, knocking the last of the breath from Kuronue's lungs. Yoko's back had started hurting full force again and he was almost too exhausted to roll off of Kuronue, who had fallen into a semi-conscious state of sleep face down in the loam. Yoko curled up in a ball around himself and closed his eyes, dimly aware that he should try and keep watch.

A steady, icy rain started to fall during the night, and it woke Yoko, who shivered despite the warm air. Kuronue was out like a light and Yoko was too weak to move him. The rain prevented the fox from falling back asleep, so he was awake to feel the panic returning as a drizzly gray dawn arrived. In a few hours, Karasu would be back to discover Yoko gone.

---

As Kurama shivered in the early light, Hiei was sitting upright in a tree he had repossessed for the night, a face and a name finally attaching itself to the faint energy in Kurama's room. "K-Karasu..." he hissed. He leapt down off the branch and was at Yusuke's apartment within a minute. He banged on the window until the detective pulled it open.

"Whaaat?" Yusuke growled.

"Karasu." Hiei said. Yusuke stared at him sleepily. Hiei growled. "Karasu, you fool. It was Karasu who broke into Kurama's house and knowing him, kidnapped him!"

Yusuke blinked. "But...he's dead..."

Hiei resisted the urge to shake the boy. "Obviously, he's not. I've searched the entire city already so somehow he must have gotten into Demon World..."

"Crap," Yusuke mumbled, awake enough to realize what that meant. "Can you find Botan for me, Hiei? She might know how to get there. I need to call Kuwabara and tell him to get over here."


An hour later, Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Botan had assembled in various stages of wakefulness in Yusuke's apartment. Yusuke met Botan's gaze. "How do we get to Demon World?"

Botan stiffled a yawn. "Well, the Spirit Defense Force could always--"

Yusuke shook his head. "Other than them."

She thought for a moment. "The barrier net is down, but a portal still needs to be opened. There is a code that opens it, sort of like a password, but that's supposedly only known to the higher-ups."

Yusuke stared at her. She didn't move, and the ex-detective snapped, "Well? Then go ask Koenma what that stupid code is!"

"I'm afraid he couldn't tell me," she said. "It's confidential..." No one noticed Hiei shifting uncomfortably on the window ledge.

Yusuke sat back with a moan. "So he's stuck there. Great." He glared at Botan. "If you don't have any other ideas than go back to bed."

Once she was gone, Hiei sat up. "I know it," he said. "So does Kurama, for that matter. That's how we kept coming back and forth from Demon World."

Kuwabara banged his hand on the table. "Why dintja say so!?"

Hiei glared at him. "If you were listening, you would have heard her say that its confidential. I'm not supposed to know it and it would get me and many other people into trouble I'd rather avoid if she found out I knew."

"Oh."

"Besides, even if we do open a way, Demon World is huge. The likelyhood that we'll find Karasu is slim to none," Hiei said, returning to his usual direly realistic self.

Yusuke got up. "If you've got a better idea I'd love to hear it, Hiei. But right now it's all we've got. That twisted freak nearly killed Kurama when they fought fare and square and there's no doubt he's gotten stronger. Besides, I'd bet my life that he found some way to control Kurama and I don't wanna think about why." He exchanged a dark look with Hiei.

Hiei nodded. "Kurama's smart, but if Karasu did his homework he'd know that all he'd have to do is threaten the fox's human mother and Kurama would do whatever he said."

Kuwabara got up. "Then what're we waiting for!? Let's go kick some demon butt!"

----

Kuronue awoke slowly, but as he realized that Yoko was violently shaking him, he roused himself and sat up. The fox was trembling, his eyes wide and afraid, and in a surge of fear Kuronue knew why. The sun was right overhead; on the edge of his hearing the bat could hear an intense cawing. Karasu! Shit! The birds were getting louder by the second. Kuronue looked around wildly for a place to hide, and his eyes landed on an indent underneath a large rock. He got up and stumbled over to it. With a mighty effort he lifted the boulder and gestured for Yoko to get into the little cave the rock concealed. Kuronue dropped down after the fox.

The gap was big enough that they could see the forest and even some sky. Yoko's fingers worked their way into Kuronue's vest and he clung to the bat as the chorus of corvids grew louder. Kuronue pulled the fox to him as the first of the birds darkened the sky above their hiding place. Yoko buried his face in the bat's chest, his fear of discovery far surpassing his fear of Kuronue. The shrieking, cawing flock passed overhead and Yoko pressed closer to Kuronue, his muffled whimpers tickling Kuronue's chest. They stayed that way for a long time, even after the last of the cawing had faded away, until Kuronue nudged Yoko and whispered, "Come on, fox. Let's get moving."

To their dismay, the forest ended abruptly on the edge of another vast plain. But going along the edge of it to the north or south would run the risk of running into another of Karasu's search parties, so they reluctantly set out over the damp grass. Yoko's fear lent hims strength, and he ran without Kuronue's help, soon outpacing the exhausted bat. But the fox was even more tired than Kuronue, and he quickly got worn out.

Kuronue caught Yoko as he fell and did not stop to try and carry him on his back. He swept the fox into his arms and kept going, Yoko curled against his chest. The fox was too tired to doubt Kuronue's intentions and fell into a light doze until Kuronue too, had to stop.

They sat in silence as the sun fell lower in the sky. Neither of them could run anymore. Karasu would find them soon, of that they were certain. When he did, neither would be able to fight him off. Yoko raised his eyes to Kuronue's.

"Thank you, Kuronue," he whispered.

Kuronue had the horrible feeling that he'd failed Yoko miserably and shook his head. "He'll be angry when he finds us and it'll be my fault. Don't thank me; I got us into this mess and I can't get us out."

Yoko leaned against him. "But you tried so hard to bring me home..." He didn't try and stop the tears from spilling down his cheeks. "You tried so hard to rescue me despite the fact that I hated and feared you..."

Kuronue's answer was forgotten as a sudden blast of blue light lit up the dusk. They both stared hazily in that direction, waiting for Karasu to come storming out of the woods. Instead, a jarringly familiar voice echoed across the prairie.

"Take that, you stupid birds!"

Yoko sat up, hope prickling in his breast. "It couldn't be..." Three figures burst from the treeline and made straight for them. "I don't believe it!" Yoko cried, finding the strength to stand as Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara's outlines became clear against the setting sun.

Kuronue turned. "Who're they?" he mumbled.

"Friends," Yoko whispered, "and they can take me home!"

Then here's where we part, I guess... Kuronue got up, his knees shaking with the horrible effort. He watched warily as the three approaching figures sped up.

"Kurama!"

Hiei reached the pair first. He stopped and raised his eyes to glare up at Yoko, but his gaze softened a little. "You stupid fox," he growled. "Letting yourself get kidnapped... Just be glad we were here to save your ass."

Yusuke caught up, panting. "Damn, you had us worried, Kurama!" he said, punching Yoko's arm lightly. Hiei was eying Kuronue suspiciously, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Kuwabara staggered up, heaving, and joined in berating Kurama with gusto.

Yoko smiled weakly and said, "Please, I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible..." he caught the glimmer in Kuronue's eye before it vanished and made hasty introductions before turning to the bat. "Kuronue...come back with me," he said.

It took a moment for Kuronue to register what Yoko had said. "What? Why?"

"Because Karasu will want his revenge on you for running away with me," Yoko said, pulling the startled bat back towards the portal Hiei had left open. "And I would hate to leave you here for him to find..." he let his voice trail off.

Kuronue managed a smile and nodded. His heart rejoiced that Yoko wanted him with him, but he didn't let the fox see that as he went through to the human world. Safe.