Embrace the Darkness

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters...

Three days later, the Goddess came again, bearing the only food and waKuraKurama had seen throughout his imprisonment. She threw it at his feet in two shallow dishes, and Youko attacked it ravenously, ripping into what little meat there was with his teeth and claws, quaffing the water with zeal. The Goddess watched him with a smile, and when he finished, she finally spoke.

"Have you reconsidered my proposition?" she asked. Youko's answer was a haughty sniff as he licked his fingers clean of the remnants of his meal. The Goddess' gaze hardened.

"Very well," she said, bending to pick up the dishes. "Then I have nothing more to say to you. Just remember that you are in control of your suffering here, not me. The longer you resist, the longer your punishment goes on." And with that, she left.

Several weeks of being brought to the brink of hunger, then just barely being appeased wore Youko down severely. He became more and more animalistic as his hunger grew, rarely ever speaking now, but communicating instead through growls and snarls. He paced the little cell constantly, not on his feet, but on all fours. Without realizing it, he began to associate the Goddess with comfort, and himself with suffering, all because of that simple phrase she had sp.
.

'...You are in control of your suffering...'

Shuuichi witnessed this with growing anxiety, and finally confronted his demonic side about it one day, just after the Goddess had delivered their food and left. Youko was snapping it up greedily, not even bothering to use his hands anymore.

'Youko?' he asked timidly. A harsh snarl from the other made him flinch, but he steeled himself to continue speaking words that could potentially end his life.

'Youko, look at yourself. You've sunk so low that you more resemble a common street dog than an A-class demon,' Shuuichi prompted.

Youko growled threateningly in response, abandoning his food dish, but Shuuichi pressed on.

'What happened to the Youko I know?" he asked pointedly. 'What happened to the Legendary Bandit of the Makai?'

'He's dying, Shuuichi.'

'Well, at least he hasn't completely lost the ability to form coherent thoughts.' Shuuichi carefully kept this thought on his side of the mind-link. To Youko, he posed another question. 'What do you mean?'

The demon's thoughts were soft, and Shuuichi thought he detected an undertone of sincere concern. 'I mean tI...I...that we...can't go on much longer like this. If we continue to resist, we will die. We need food, Shuuichi. Food and water.'

'Youko, we can't give in! If we agree to her deal, there's no telling what she could make us do!' Shuuichi thought hurriedly.

'What other option do we have?'

The human gave a resigned sigh. 'I don't know.'

'You will not last much longer under these conditions,' Youko pointed out suddenly. 'You will die soon.'

Shuuichi understood that this was one of Youko's reasons for wanting to do as the Goddess wished. 'But, what about everyone else? What of Yusuke and Kuwabara? Our mother? The Ningenkai? What will happen to them if we give in?'

'I do not know, Shuuichi, and, personally, I do not care.'

'What?' Shuuichi thought, horrified. This was a side of himself that Youko had never revealed. How could he be so cold-hearted? Youko sensed the human's emotions and quickly explained himself.

'Yusuke and Kuwabara have one another. They are happiest in each other's company. You are nothing like them, Shuuichi. They managed to survive before knowing you, they will manage without you now.'

'But, I-'

Youko cut him off. 'We are not of the Ningenkai, Shuuichi. We never have been. You know this as well as I do. As long as I inhabit your body, you will never belong. It is not our concern what happens there.'

'I know, but-'

The demon continued to ignore his human side. 'As for Shiori, she is your mother, not mine. My mother died long ago, here, in the Makai.'

'Youko!' Shuuichi burst out, hurt at the demon's seeming betrayal. 'You promised that we would stand together through this!'

'Shuuichi, I am not trying to hurt you,' Youko said gently. 'I love you. I always have, I always will. Never forget that. I am doing this only because I want what is best for you. We have nothing to lose from merely listening to what the Goddess has to say.'

Silence followed this statement, and Youko feared for a moment that he had pushed the little human too far. Then, another sigh drifted through their link.

'Very well, Youko. You win. We will listen to her deal, but no promises about whether we will agree or not.'

Youko grinned. 'Perfect.'

Yay! Another chapter!! Read and review, please!! A quick clear-up: This fic will probably not contain any more lemons...The rating remains for the first few chapters, and possibly for future torture/death scenes...Sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to more lemons.

Kogas Hentai Luver: As you requested, here is the newest update!! Thank you so very much for your inueinued support of my writing, and for your constant reviews. They really brighten up my days.

ko-krama: Your reviews are so fun to read!! They're so personalized, and I love to recieve them. Thank you so much!! As for Kurama, as you can plainly tell, Youko has managed to talk him into listening to the deal...Keep reading to see whether or not he will accept!!