Title: Growth of a Spirit Detective
Author: Azalea J.
Beta: Amymcclair
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Hiei/Kurama, Hints at Hiei/Yusuke/Kurama
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho was created by Yoshihiro Togashi and adapted by Funimation Studios. I claim no rights to characters or settings or dialogue. I am making no money off this work.
Warning(s): Angst, Language, SemiRape, BloodPlay, Fingering, Oral, Violence, Mentions of Necrophilia, Vivid Descriptions, Drugs

Word Count: Approx. 10 500

Growth of a Spirit Detective

Chapter Five

He licked his lips in anticipation. He couldn’t see the ningen female. But he could smell her. Her sweat, her skin, her fear – the dandruff in her hair, he could smell it all.

And it only heightened his arousal more.

Leaping after her from branch to branch, he slowly closed the distance between, until he could see the edge of her summer dress as it whipped after her frantically churning legs.

He swallowed excess saliva and smirked. Leaping from his last perch, he crashed through the tree to her left, causing splinters to fly and the girl to scream. She fled in the opposite direction, her tiny flat shoes slipping in the moist soil.

In a blur, he’d caught up, snagged her hair, and hurled her to the ground. He shook off hairs that had become tangled in his claws and been ripped from her skull, and advanced.

Her eyes focused on him through the mist of pain in her eyes; she shrieked, and scuttled backward frantically. Her hands clawed at the earth, her feet scrabbling for purchase. One of her shoes slipped off, and her bare toes dug into the dirt.

He was on her in an instant. Ripping out more of her hairs, shredding her dress, her arms, with his razor sharp claws.

Not again...

She was babbling and screaming and drooling, her eyes unfocused and wet with the pain, her arms limp, dead, their nerves severed. When he bit into her heart with, the blood soaking over his chin and neck and chest, he tasted the sweetness of her life, and he laughed.

Her eyes stared sightlessly. Her mouth agape.

Kei... NO, Dammit. KEIKO!!

“Stop it you FUCKER!!! Stop it! ... Stop it...” He sobbed, his face in his hands. He drew away in disgust – his hands were covered in blood. His nails were human – blunt – but red and dripping. He blanched.

“Aren’t you going to finish, Yusuke?”

Yusuke looked up and saw Keiko’s wrecked body standing before him. He choked.

Her arms hung limply to her sides. Her left breast was torn from her body to reveal a shattered ribcage and missing heart. Her dress was shredded and blood soaked what was left.

“Keiko – I didn’t. I never – FUCK Keiko!” He reached for her.

She held out her hand, and he went to take it, to pull her to him and hold her and make it alright. Make it end.

In her hand was a heart. Her heart. Still beating. Blood dribbled down her wrist and onto the floor.

“It’s what you wanted. Right?” She offered it to him. “For you, Yusuke.” She smiled lovingly, tears in her eyes.

He turned away and vomited. He wasn’t really vomiting. He knew it. He knew this was a dream; knew it. But it felt so real! He could taste the bile. And he could see her. See... her...

And it was real. So real.

He wretched.

“Yusuke.”

He looked up, blood and vomit flecking his chin.

“Aren’t you going to finish, Yusuke?”

He gasped, twitched; and his claws dug deeply into soft, creamy thighs. Blood welled and flowed.

He tried to pull back but his body didn’t move.

His dick stayed buried deep within Kurama. There was blood everywhere.

The body was cold.

Kurama was dead.

“Well?”

His head spun, and he saw Hiei.

The bile rose.

“Aren’t you going to finish?” Hiei asked, stepping around him to where Kurama’s head lolled on the wet concrete; his once vibrant hair matted with blood and grime. “After all,” Hiei knelt, stroking a pale, blood-flecked cheek. “You’ve come this far. You wanted him so bad you took him from me, for yourself.”

“No, Hiei, I’d never-“

“I’m next, right? So hurry up and finish.” Hiei reached across Kurama’s cold body and took Yusuke’s hand from where it had dug into Kurama’s heatless thigh. Drew it across to his bare chest and pressed it to the hard flesh there. “You’re stronger than either of us now, anyway. It won’t matter if I fight.”

Hiei wouldn’t say that...

Yusuke whimpered; he couldn’t control himself. Couldn’t control his own body! He watched helplessly as his claws sank into the firm skin, as the blood welled and ran. He began to cry.

Hiei... Kurama...

“No, Hiei...” He moaned, sobbing uncontrollably. He could feel Hiei’s tendons tear beneath his claws. He could feel the wet heat as blood flowed over his hand and wrist and arm, then the softness of the bone as his fingertips caressed Hiei’s ribcage.

He wanted to pull back – fought to pull back. But he couldn’t. Something inside him was laughing and egging him on. Whispering instructions on just where to rip and tear and where to pull violently to get the most spectacular entertainment.

I need you, ‘Rama. Need you so bad...

As he cried, his vision slowly went red. At first, he thought it was the blood finally drowning him in its volume, but then everything went black, and all he could do was sob.

---

Hiei bared his teeth and drew his blade. He turned and met darkened hallway. But he knew someone was there.

He snorted, he didn’t have time for this! Yusuke needed him. Kurama needed him.

Yusuke...

Before he could react, a soft cloth was tossed firmly around his face, and he was pulled backward into a firm body. Before his struggles got too violent, a voice hissed into his ear, “Enki sent me.”

Hiei relaxed marginally and pushed himself away. The fabric came with him, and he tore it angrily from his face and eyes to see a male youkai pulling a similar cloth from his own face.

He was vaguely familiar.

Vaguely.

“My name is Kuju.” The demon allowed Hiei a moment to register his face then covered it again with the cloth. “My sister and I were sent by Enki to ensure Lords Youmi, Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei returned to Gandara. My sister is currently assisting Lord Youmi.” Kuju skillfully retied the cloth behind his head as he spoke; it was red silk and had been treated with something. He gestured to the cloth in Hiei’s hand of the same make.

Hiei’s eyes narrowed, but he tied the fabric firmly over his nose and mouth all the same; and without any form of warning or lag, his sense of smell left him. Just... left. His brow furrowed further, and he glared at Kuju.

“Better no smell than what awaits.” Kuju explained. “The demons Kaname and Hakane use a rare drug developed and procured by their own means to confuse the mind in various ways.”

“Explain.”

“We’re not entirely sure, but from what we’ve been able to gather, depending on how the drug is administered – orally, injection, or inhalation – it can cause one of three possible reactions, all of which seem to immobilize the body or confuse it in some way.”

Hiei nodded.

“Lords Kurama and Yusuke are being held in a room up one floor, and are heavily guarded. I’m not sure what exactly has been done to them, as I felt it was better to reach you first, but they are with the demon Hakane, and from what I’ve seen,” he gestured to the room beyond, the holding room where Yusuke had first fainted, and Hiei had landed, “-It cannot be good.”

Hiei scowled. “Fine. Show me where they are.”

Kuju led the way.

---

Black soon gave way to blue, and Yusuke blinked. His nose was wet and his cheeks itchy from dried tears. He blinked again. The blue came into focus, and he found himself looking at a plush, blue carpet. Looking around, he saw dark blue walls, a door, a bed and – his breath hitched and died. “FUCK!”

He struggled to stop this – to wake up. Something wrenched him back. He pulled at his arms, and his muscles strained – looking up he found them bound powerfully with thick leather straps.

“Yusuke, hush.”

He looked up and found Kurama gazing at him steadily. He breathed in sharply, and suddenly he knew - this was definitely not a dream.

He was hit in the face, hard. His skull knocked back with a violent crack into the wall. “GraaAak!?” He bit his tongue.

“You will be silent, Mr. Urameshi, or you will die – painfully. And at my leisure.”

Yusuke glared at the cheetah youkai; he’d never moved from his perch astride Kurama.

Kurama...

Yusuke’s gaze shifted to the fox, and found desperate eyes pleading with him to be silent.

“Kura-” Before he could finish, he was sucking in air, and his eyes were huge. His head dropped forward, and he stared at a wide gash, an inch deep and foot long in his chest. Blood welled and flooded across his torso. Warm. The pain was so immense, he couldn’t even whimper.

“I shall not repeat myself, Mr. Urameshi.” Hakane, having never once moved, returned to clawing delicate and shallow patterns on the insides of his prize’s thighs. He’d wait until the blood had dribbled almost to Kurama’s hip, before lethargically licking the trail away.

Kurama closed his eyes firmly to avoid looking at Yusuke. The activity of carefully cutting then licking had commanded Hakane’s attention for the past twenty minutes – he would be growing bored with it soon... Why couldn’t Yusuke have stayed comatose for a while longer? Twenty, thirty minutes at most? That would have been time enough.

Why... Kurama? Yusuke shut his eyes and ignored the flood of water down his cheeks – he couldn’t stop it if he tried. Why can’t I fucking do anything? Why doesn’t he want me to do anything? He fought the bile, fought the fear. He knew this wasn’t a dream, and he knew wishing it were would only invite more horror. That didn’t stop him from trying.

What if Kurama didn’t want him to help because he wanted Yusuke to see that they were only friends; wanted him to understand that... He shook his head and stopped that train of thought where it was. That didn’t make sense -and even if part of it was true, that’s not how Kurama would tell him. Kurama would tell him in his own words, in a no-nonsense way that Yusuke would understand perfectly. He wouldn’t go and get himself... get himself...

Hiei.

Dammit, Hiei, where are you?

Calming himself, Yusuke fought against the pain and burning in his abdomen. It was a deep wound, but not life threatening – all vitals and arteries had been spared, whether intentionally or not. He shoved every unnecessary and burdening thing to the back of his mind, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate on that wave of spirit energy always ebbing and flowing and living within him; the wave that connected him to his mentor. So that no matter how confused or lost he got, all he had to do was focus on that, and he’d hear her scratchy old voice reprimanding him sharply for being a dimwit, to get over himself and do whatever it was that was necessary. And right now, what was necessary was to wait, heal himself, and trust in Kurama and Hiei. Trust in his teammates.

---

Youmi sat calmly. He’d long ago tuned out the incessant droning and monologuing of Kaname and focused instead on that which froze his limbs and forced him to sit there, still and immobile.

I was drugged... She loosed the drug into the air – but she wasn’t effected. Therefore, either she has built up a resistance to this drug, or she loosed such a small amount that she herself was not effected... Or her species automatically had a genetic resistance to said drug... Youmi carefully went over everything he knew in his mind. The drug addled my senses, but since it was such a small amount, I didn’t notice the danger in time... But if it WAS such a small amount – why am I now frozen? He pondered this; it didn’t make sense. An inhaled drug would eventually wear off, especially one inhaled by an S-Class demon of Youmi’s stature.

But what of his other theory? That Kaname was somehow uneffected by her own drug?

No, that didn’t hold credence. The drug had a very obvious odor, he realized. Even had she a natural or built-up resistance to it, he would have smelled it early and taken precautions to ward against it. So if she used a small amount... she must have used the initial drug to disguise the administration of another, more potent narcotic...

Kaname reemerged into his line of sight from behind him. She’d been pacing in a circle for a while now; if he’d been paying any attention to her at all, he may have grown quite dizzy. She was absently picking at the dried blood beneath her claws. His blood.

His neck! When she sunk her claws into my neck, she seemed to do it out of vice- she was in fact secretly injecting the second drug! Crafty... He would have growled, if he could.

His mind churned harder. Two drugs... the first was inhaled – that is definite. It muddled my senses and caused me to relax in her presence. It deadened my sense of smell, so I wouldn’t notice the second drug until it had been safely administered.


Subtly, continuing to ignore Kaname as she rattled on about insufferable fools, morons and demons who had lost their sense of pride in being demons and feasting on humans. Youmi tensed his left arm. Nothing happened. Carefully, he tried to turn his neck. Nothing. He blinked. Common reflex. He tried to swallow. Nothing. He breathed in. Common reflex. He tried to take a deeper breath by forcing his diaphragm to contract. Nothing.

So this second drug... completely severs any motor function from the rest of my body. I can still feel, but I cannot react, cannot move... Fine. Now how do I counter this? The first drug had long since worn off, he realized now, and when he next breathed in, a new smell soared into his nasal cavity and sparked sensors there that alerted him to the presence of a second demon in the room. If he could have, he would have snapped his head up right then to confront the presence. It was perhaps a blessing that he could not.

Kaname went on blabbering, “-and once Makai is overrun by humans they will then finally realize their own folly, but it will be too late! Reikai may be weak and inefficient, but they’re not stupid. They will use the lull and confusion to take over, and Makai will never be the same again...”

A Guard? If Kaname’s not concerned, then it must be... Youmi resumed his efforts against the drug. But no matter how hard he flexed, or how hard he searched his mind and TOLD his body to move, nothing he did so much as lessened the drugs affects.

A flit of movement caught his attention. Kaname stopped her monologue, her eyes widening in surprise. Suddenly Youmi was stabbed, hard, in his thigh. He would have groaned, but his throat wouldn’t work. He knew he was bleeding. He could feel where he’d been pierced.

A clear needle clattered to the floor.

There was a flurry of movement before him, and suddenly Kaname was being forced back by a wave of youki, the one wielding it tall and slender and masked by a crimson cloth. The demon spared no glance for him, only pressed her attack and countered brilliantly as Kaname finally overcame her own surprise and retaliated viciously. “Who are you, wretch!? Name yourself!!”

The attacker didn’t answer, just attacked.

Kaname drew a dagger from some hidden place and began to slash wildly yet in calculated arches that had the unknown assailant retreating hastily.

It was then that Youmi was distracted by a horrible, sickly sensation moving rapidly throughout his body. When it reached his throat and moved swiftly into his chin, cheeks and skull, he snapped his head to the side, fell from the chair, and vomited violently onto the plush carpet. That was extremely unpleasant. Ignoring weak nerves, he was up and moving before he could think too much about it, he’d dissect the whys and hows later; right now, he had a demon to subdue - and another demon to question.

---

It was when Hakane first inserted a claw into his delicate passage that Kurama realized the drug still held more sway than he’d previously thought.

The blood on his face was drying and cracking, so it itched and provided an annoying distraction. When he realized he was focusing far too much on this sensation than anything else around him, and was far more annoyed by it than he should have been, he realized there was still something in him that was muddling his senses and causing him to behave and think irrationally. His cognitive functions had slowed, and become easily distracted and confused, lending to his fear and inability to properly analyze his situation.

Once he realized this, Kurama slowed his heartbeat down within seconds and relaxed his entire body, focusing all his efforts internally as he fought the drug. Ingenious, it must have been administered by inhalation; I do not recall being scraped or hit with anything that might have passed the drug into my bloodstream... Of course! The room! I did not smell anything – not the rotting flesh or blood or fecal matter – because the drug was already in the air! ... Why then was Yusuke not affected? He pondered this for long moments, before finally realizing that Yusuke HAD been affected- Yusuke was far stronger in the mind than Kurama had been giving him fair credit for, he realized with chagrin. His dreams and fears of late, as well as his recent heat, had confused Yusuke and indeed caused him to grow more withdrawn, but his complete and utter breakdown at the sight of those mangled human and demon bodies had been aided by something – by a drug.

He hadn’t given the detective anywhere near his due faith. Hadn’t given Yusuke nearly enough credit for the troubles and hardships they’d faced in the past. Even if Hakane turned on Yusuke when Kurama retaliated – even bound as he was – Yusuke could protect himself.

Oh Yusuke... Kurama closed his eyes tightly and silently apologized to his friend and - hopefully - mate; promising silently to rectify everything just as soon as the crazed demonic twins were put in their place. That place being – best case scenario – the furthest reaches of limbo.

He set his mind back to the problem at hand. Fine, so assuming my theory is correct, Hakane must have a natural resistance to this drug, therefore enabling him to release the drug in great quantities without fear of being affected himself. Then this drug... it has obviously muddled my senses – I still cannot smell much besides the blood, and even that is faint... It caused me to grow irrationally afraid; it would not let me assess my situation... so then... it must have gone straight to my brain... He paused. The more he thought about it, the more the identity of the drug leaned toward an extreme, demon version of morphine.

Kurama sniffed. No, not morphine, but derived from a like plant. Kurama smiled internally. If it was a plant...

Breathing carefully, he ignored the hands and claws and the stinging lacerations and focused instead on everything else. The chicken wire tangling his hair and arms and throat was daunting, but there were always other ways out of a given predicament. He closed his eyes.

The air was laced with the faint traces of the drug. It must have been more potent before, but had since diluted. Once it is within its victim, it much must circulate and remain... perhaps even regenerate. The smell was definitely composed of natural herbs laced with manufactured additives; he focused on the natural, root smells, and followed their trail to a vial at Hakane’s hip. There the smell was much more concentrated, even though the vial was now probably corked, and carefully concealed beneath the robe. A pocket?

He opened his eyes, and stifled a snarl as Hakane began slicing up the soles of his feet. He couldn’t see the designs Hakane was inscribing in his flesh, but it could be the exact chemical composition of demon world, right down to the lowest dungeon, for all he cared. Now was perfect. He unopened his eyes and focused.

---

“HAAA!!!” The demon opened both palms in Kaname’s direction and blasted the cheetah with a powerful wave of red youki. Kaname turned and took the hit to her side with a grunt, then turned back to face her adversary as if nothing had happened.

Before Kaname could do much else, Youmi came from the side, and slammed her brutally into the wall, stunning her and very nearly flattening her.

The masked demon then appeared behind her and slid Kaname’s dropped dagger through the cheetah’s chest. Kaname gurgled. Youmi let go, and the demon slid to the plush carpet, leaving a thick smear of blood along the wall in her wake.

Youmi stepped aside in mute disgust and focused on the masked demon.

Dropping the blade to the floor with a dull clatter, the demon faced Youmi, and bowed. “Natsumi, your lord. My brother and I, Kuju, were sent by Enki as backup after Yuta unearthed a document suggesting you and Lords Urameshi, Kurama, and Hiei might experience some difficulty in subduing the demon Kaname.” She lifted a red, silken cloth from her pocket, and gave it to him. Youmi took the mask and donned it without comment, tacitly noting the loss of his sense of smell.

Without a word more, Natsumi turned, and headed for the exit. “Follow me; I’ll explain once we’re outside. Kuju is to meet us with the others as soon as he can. Once there, we will decide what needs to be done next.”

Youmi followed her without question, absorbing everything she said and going over and over it again in his mind.

He wasn’t sure how they left the house without detection, but Natsumi seemed to know where she was headed. It wasn’t long before she had them comfortably concealed in the boughs of a tree just beyond the main grounds. She began to explain.

“Yuta was unavailable for consultation by Enki when he sent the letters to you and Lords Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke. He was, at the time, in the dungeons doing research. When he finally emerged with what he had discovered, it was too late to send an envoy to stop you all, so Enki sent for me and my brother instead, hoping we might get to you before the situation got too dire. I must say; however, Enki did not seem too terribly concerned; he seems to have great faith in all of you and your powers.”

Youmi hid a smile and asked professionally, “What was it that Yuta discovered?”

“The demon, Kaname, is in fact one of two. Kaname and Hakane are twin cheetah demons who have lived in seclusion for years. Apparently, Koku and Kaname go way back-“

“Yes, so I’ve gathered.”

“They were sparing partners once – Koku apparently had no idea Kaname had a twin brother. But more importantly, Kaname used to tell Koku that she thought Lords Youmi or Mukuro ought to rule demon world; she was not much of a fan of Raizen’s ‘weak’ outlook on feeding off of humans. She used to get quite vehement in her speeches, apparently. This is where our intelligence ends – Kaname and Koku had a fight, and Kaname disappeared, taking her brother with her in secret.

“Based on rumors, in their seclusion, Kaname and Hakane fostered a growing hatred for demon kind. They both felt it had grown weak and submissive to Spirit World. When Enki took reign, it was the final thrust to send them both over the edge of madness. We don’t know what they’re aiming for, but we know what they can do: In their seclusion, Kaname revised old drugs and discovered new ones – she was particularly taken with those drugs that caused involuntary reactions in her victims and the ones that completely incapacitated them.

“If we are to believe rumor, which is becoming more and more feasible, Kaname developed one particular drug that soon became her favorite. It could be administered one of three ways, each one causing a different reaction in the victim: If the victim was injected with the drug, the victim would lose all motor function – though sensation would remain. Inhaled, the drug would manifest in the brain, cutting off all sensible reactions, and in some demons, cutting off their sense of smell.”

Youmi nodded. It matched his earlier theory perfectly.

Natsumi continued, straight-faced. “If the drug were inhaled, it could also cause irrational manifestation of fear, usually as a result of incapacitated senses. The victim could not focus on his surroundings clearly or rationally enough – resulting in said irrational fear. Lastly, the drug could be administered orally...”

Youmi prodded her when she seemed to pause. “What does this cause?”

“We’re actually not sure... From the records Yuta discovered, there were no notes on the effects of oral administration – only that it was apparently Hakane’s favorite.”

“... The victims that Kaname experimented on... I’m assuming most of them were still alive once she was finished with them – what happened to them?”

“Some escaped, which is how the rumors circulated. The rest were given to Hakane, who gleaned great pleasure from carving them up and discovering new ways to mutilate them, before taking his pleasure in them, both the ones still alive, and those already dead. Male or female.”

Youmi frowned.

---

The room was quiet, so quiet; one might believe it had been vacant for eons.

Kaname waited on the carpet in her own blood until she could no longer sense Youmi or the other demon’s energy print. She then effortlessly and noiselessly lifted herself to her feet. She glowered down at the wound in her chest, her upper lip drawing back in revulsion, and touched the fresh blood to her lips with her claws.

Playing dead was always one her favorites. Youmi was too strong right now for her to take herself – she wasn’t an idiot. Perhaps if she weakened him first... Yes. Then she could take her time playing with him.

---

Bolted to the wall, Yusuke slowly began to breathe more easily. He rode wave after wave of pulsing, steadily growing, healing energy and nursed a healthy, growing desire to kill. He was so deep within himself, he had forgotten almost completely about Kurama’s presence – almost, until a grunt drove through his heart and caused him to look up sharply at the bed, and the two figures twined upon it.

---

Kurama hummed internally, urging that little seed to grow and roll and fall until it landed between two dangerous strands of wire that tangled his hair and held him still. Opening his eyes, he watched Hakane carefully when the demon moved from his feet and began to claw his way back up his legs. The cuts were small now – not half as deep but twice as painful. And those sneering, white canines caused him to recoil internally.

He focused on the seed, poured his energy into it, and carefully forced it to grow through and around the wires tangling his hair, until he could feel it curling delicately around the back of his neck, stroking his skin. Comforting him.

Hakane had reached his middle, completely overlooking his crotch for the moment, and began to slice his tunic up more thoroughly than before: shredding and slicing so thinly, so artfully, that eventually, Hakane lay flat across Kurama’s bare expanse of chest, the remains of his tunic littered around him in tiny shreds and colorful strips.

It was when Hakane finally looked up into his face, into his eyes, that Kurama looked directly back. Kurama’s gaze told all; except, Hakane had already lost.

A split second before he met the Kitsune’s eyes, Hakane felt the fox subtly shifting his weight.

As split second before he saw his own death in those eyes, he saw the vine curled like a lover around the pale, smooth throat, just above his devoted wire.

A split second after the vine had pierced through his heart, Hakane saw the satisfaction in Kurama’s eyes, and he grew angrier, more unstable, than he’d ever been.

He grunted as the pain finally reached his brain.

When Kurama spoke, he felt his blood explode with rage.

“It is far less than you deserve, but by far more than enough to satisfy me for the moment. You complete, sadistic, degenerate.”

Kurama saw the rage in Hakane’s eyes, saw his own death in those glassy surfaces -but it was already too late for the cheetah.

He’d conquered the drug, had full and complete control and access to his senses.

It didn’t matter that he still could not move for the chicken wire strangling his throat and hair and arms. It didn’t matter that given a few seconds more, Hakane would have pulled those wires and ended Kurama’s life. It didn’t matter, because it never happened.

Barely pausing in the doorway, Hiei felt a rage, outmatching Hakane’s by bounds, boil up within his chest. The rage spilled into his arms and legs and face, and he was across the room, dragging Hakane from his mate and pinning him to the wall with his blade and bare hands before Yusuke could gather the presence of mind to blink.

Hakane choked, and blood splattered onto Hiei and the floor.

Understanding reaching his brain, Yusuke gave an almighty heave and pulled the bolt securing his arms right from the wall and pitched forward to awkwardly ram his nose into the carpet. He groaned.

Someone was behind him then, slicing at his bonds and freeing his arms with no preamble. He never turned to see who; as soon as he was free, he stumbled to his feet and to the bed, and began to carefully remove and unwind the wire from Kurama. “Fuck, ‘Rama...”

Kurama just smiled.

Once his hair and neck were free, Kurama sat up with a wince and turned his back to Yusuke to offer his arms for the same treatment. Carefully, Yusuke unwound the wire, doing his best not to let it drag through the open wounds and lacerations as he pulled it free – and wincing in sympathy when it got away from him and drew small, muted, hisses of pain from Kurama.

Hiei, meanwhile, was slowly choking the life from the cheetah demon. His nails squeezed tighter and tighter on the demon’s neck as he twisted his sword still sheathed in Hakane’s chest, driving forth a choking squeal. “When I’m through with you,” Hiei promised through bared teeth, “You’ll be in so much pain you won’t even be able to wish you were dead. You won’t be able to think at all about anything other than the pain. And I promise I won’t make it quick!” He hissed the last and punctuated his point by removing his sword and shoving it back in on the other side of Hakane’s chest, twisting viscously, satisfied with the ensuing squelch and crunch of the cheetah’s innards, and Hakane screamed pathetically.

Music to his ears.

“We should go, Lord Hiei.” Kuju muttered from his shoulder. “Kill him and be done with it – these demons are crafty; we shouldn’t give them any time to-“

Hiei grunted, and twisted his sword once more, eliciting further delightful sounds from his prey. He wasn’t finished yet...

“Hiei... I think you should listen to him.” Hiei turned and saw Kurama sitting with his legs drawn up to cover his nakedness. He was more blood than skin, his clothes in tatters all around him. His face was a mask of dried and flaking blood. His eyes, however, we just grateful to see him. Hiei softened. In his lover’s eyes, he saw the unspoken: I, personally, would be put more at ease if he were dead, Hiei. Please.

Hiei loosened his hold on the demon’s neck and turned back to withdraw his sword and slice Hakane’s head off.

In that one instant, Hakane yanked Hiei back to him by his shoulder, pushed aside the red mask that covered his nose and mouth, and crammed three large, blue pills* into his mouth. Then he lifted his leg and kneed Hiei hard in the gut, causing the koorime to swallow painfully -just before Kuju decapitated Hakane furiously with a scalpel of dense youki.

“HIEI!” Yusuke was already back at Kurama’s side, laying Hiei down on the bed, as Kuju went over to the door, looked out into the empty hall beyond, and closed and locked it firmly. Hakane’s head landed with a wet thud, and his body followed.

Kurama crawled over to his lover, shaking him roughly as Hiei convulsed spasmodically and began to choke.

Yusuke, forgetting everything for the moment, moved on top of Hiei and pinned him down forcefully. “What’s wrong with him?”

Hiei’s eyes bulged and his hands clutched at the spread. Beneath Yusuke, his feet kicked, and his hips bucked.

Kurama turned toward Kuju, trying to keep Hiei from smacking either himself or Yusuke with his wildly flailing hands. “What did Hakane give to him!?”

Kuju came up to the side of the bed, and warily examined Hiei from a distance. “... I saw a couple pills in Hakane’s hand a split second before he kicked Hiei... I think he may have made him swallow them...”

“SWALLOW!? What were they! How many did he make Hiei swallow!!?”

“I’m not sure.” Kuju looked pained, as if Kurama were accusing him of poisoning Hiei. “I think they may have been the same drug-“

Hiei suddenly bucked again, and Yusuke uncharacteristically squawked and nearly flew from Hiei’s waist onto the floor. His eyes were saucers; his cheeks inflamed.

Kurama and Kuju both looked to where Yusuke had been sitting, and Kuju looked away just as fast. He stepped away from the bed and over to Hakane’s headless form, searching the folds of his bloodied tunic for an antidote or notes or anything. All he found was a vial containing the liquid form of the drug. Damn... now we know what administering the drug orally will do, and we’ve nothing to fight it!

Kurama’s eyes were riveted to the tent in Hiei’s belted pants. His sensitive hearing had picked up on Hiei’s panting, now shallow, breath. Whatever Hiei had been given, it was a powerfully fast-acting aphrodisiac. It was driving Hiei mad.

Without pause, Kurama climbed onto his lover’s legs and methodically pulled Hiei’s many belts from their clasps and laid his pelvis bare. He swallowed Hiei to the hilt without a sound, and besides a squeak from where Yusuke was sitting on the floor, went to work with little distraction.

Yusuke couldn’t look away. Kurama swallowed and bobbed over Hiei so professionally... it enthralled Yusuke to distraction, and he was aroused before the conscious thought that Kurama must have had a lot of practice had even crossed his mind.

Kurama bobbed, swirling his tongue around the shaft on every upward stroke and paid little mind to Hiei’s mindless groans and babbles. Before he went down again, he squeezed the head of Hiei’s engorged dick between his lips and licked sensuously around it before plunging back down again, just barely grazing the hot, throbbing vein with his bottom teeth before repeating the entire process again.

Hiei was nearly out of his mind with pleasure. The drug had entered his system quickly, inflaming him and dilating his blood vessels. He’d grown erect and lost his sense of place or time or even who was with him. He thrust madly into the pleasure trap above him, half held down by the hands that pushed down on his hips and half overpowering them with mindless need and strength.

His climax pounded through him without mercy. Wringing him dry as wave after wave of cum was forced from his piss-slit and into Kurama’s waiting mouth. He grunted and came back to himself slowly to find his hands tangled in Kurama’s flaming, matted hair, his chest heaving, and the detective’s aroused scent reaching his nostrils.

Yusuke watched Kurama’s throat work as Hiei came. He could not get all of it, and some dribbled down past his lips and chin, and Yusuke stifled a groan. He couldn’t look away.

Slowly, Kurama drew back and looked up at Hiei, licking his lips; lips that were swollen on a face that was flushed. Eyes sparkled with love and lust and a giant relief to see Hiei just fine.

With a grunt, Hiei dragged Kurama up and thrust his tongue down the fox’s throat to lick up every last remaining drop of his own jizz.

If Kuju hadn’t coughed just then, he didn’t doubt Kurama would have been unable to run back home with them when this was over. As it was, Hiei withdrew, his tongue snaking from between Kurama’s lips, and they both shared a lustful, promising look before Hiei helped Kurama to his feet, and Kuju tossed Hakane’s unneeded robe to the fox to help with his returning modesty.

Most of what he’d done and in whose company coming back to him, Kurama carefully avoided everyone’s eyes as he wiped what blood and cum he could from his face and shoulders with the hem of the robe, before donning it and tying it firmly. He stood and observed himself. The robe was made of a soft, satiny blue material that caressed his chest and thighs and aggrieved his many cuts. It had a high collar but no sleeves, and tapered down the front and back of his legs, leaving his sides bared. The front was bloodied, and the two holes from Hiei’s sword remained. That was the only reason he donned it at all. He did not think of its pervious master.

Without pants, he’d best not do anything too acrobatic; though he doubted Hiei or Yusuke would mind the free show. This thought allowed him a modicum of mirth, and he smiled faintly.

Hiei merely Hn’ed and belted up his pants.

Yusuke readjusted himself in his.

Hiei retied his scarf about his mouth and nose from where Hakane had yanked it away, effectively covering his slightly flushed cheeks. He looked to Kuju, but the demon shook his head. He didn’t have any more. Hiei was fairly certain that, now that they’d been exposed to the drug once, Kurama and Yusuke would be better prepared should a second round be forthcoming. Still, he would have preferred more protection for them both.

Kuju, satisfied Kurama could walk, unlocked the door, and looked out. He closed it. “The drug was fast acting, but didn’t last long. I’ll take that as something in our favor.”

“Yes... Please, who-“ Kurama started.

“Kuju. I fought in the Demon Tournament. Uh...” Kuju tilted his head, as though the words he sought were somewhere on the top of his skull. “I fought a friend of yours... Toya. The ice demon?”

“Oh! Yes, I remember.” Kurama held out his hand, and Kuju shook it ceremoniously, in human-like fashion.

The red-haired kitsune, in the stolen blue, silk robe; looked far too feminine to Kuju’s eyes. And after what this demon had just been though... Kurama’s reputation held firm if he could act so nonchalant and greet this stranger with such open friendliness now. Kuju was floored. Though only the slightly taut chords in his neck showed it.

In fact, Kurama, even as a demon, looked as though he should probably be lying down. His shoulders were covered in tiny cuts, the same with his feet and lower legs. And though he couldn’t see it now, Kuju had observed earlier how Kurama’s entire body - save his face - now resembled a white wall the toddler had decorated with a red crayon. It was horrifying, though he didn’t doubt they’d heal.

He did the fox the honor of pretending not to have noticed, like everyone else.

“Explain to me about this drug.” Kurama asked, silently thanking him with his eyes.

Hiei grunted a silent approval.

Kuju explained; elaborating greatly on the three different ways to administer it, and his theory that Kurama had inhaled it. He passed over the effects now known of oral ingestion, as all four of them now were authorities on the subject, having seen the symptoms first hand.

“Natsumi, my sister, went to assist Lord Youmi. They should be waiting for us just beyond the keep grounds. Once we’ve regrouped, we can decide on a plan. Hakane is clearly dead,” Kuju spared a glance for the headless corpse, “but I have no idea as to the status of Kaname. Natsumi and I have no way to communicate – Enki thought it might be safer, should one of us be captured.”

Kurama nodded. “Lead the way.”

Kuju turned and re-opened the door. He had a moment to be surprised and took that moment instead to dodge hastily to the side.

A flash of white youki shot straight through the door and was met by steel and a steel-like creeper. For a time the energies fought against one-another, pushing and flexing in abject determination. But eventually, the youki dissipated, and the fight began in earnest.

Kaname didn’t waste time on loud proclamations of youkai folly or her enemy’s idiocy for joining Enki. She knew the truth, and that was all that mattered to her.

She’d had every intention of taking Youmi out first – the fool. But in light of her brother’s misfortune, she set her sights on these four instead, leaving the Gandaran Lord to her demon followers. However, if she cut down these idiots fast, she could perhaps reach Youmi before her minions could finish him – and thus sate both her needs. She licked her lips in anticipation.

Hiei attacked her first, determined to keep her away from Kurama and Yusuke. She parried effortlessly, and tore after him down the dimly lit halls, hardly caring as great chasms were carved into the walls and carpet.

Kurama followed silently, swiftly. He flicked his wrist, and a red line appeared on Kaname’s shoulder. She turned to him with a snarl and threw another wave of white youki into his face. He dodged, and the blast took out the wall behind him. She is far more powerful than any of us thought... And I should be more careful; my wounds are still too fresh. He stopped and held onto the wall, his breathing shallow. His limbs stung, his chest stung. His inner thighs hurt where he’d been breached, and he winced.

Hiei parried Kaname’s blows with his sword as he retreated. She was damn fast! Every time he thought he saw an opening, she’d attack faster and more viciously than before, so he was forced to defend and retreat again. It was annoying.

Kaname used a series of short-wave youki attacks focused from the claw of each hand. If all five claws were used, the attack was slower but more powerful. If only one claw was used, the attack was weak- but almost too fast to dodge. It was simple and effective.

Hiei dodged back again, hit the wall and pushed himself away from her next attack, reflecting further attacks with the blade of his sword, and slicing at her whenever he saw an opening.

Kurama watched the battle warily, determined to jump in and help but not seeing how he could. Either he’d get in Hiei’s way or get himself killed. Neither was desirable.

What used to be a series of narrow, dimly lit blue hallways was now a long underground hole with various blasted remains of blue plastered walls and gashes everywhere. It wouldn’t be long before the entire house fell in on them. Kurama looked up. The ceiling was starting to crack beneath the force even now. He looked back to the fight.

Yusuke, having mostly stayed back, watching, now felt a curious sort of eager anticipation start to swell up in his chest, and before he knew it, he was grinning, his Mazoku markings as vivid as ever. If his hair hadn’t been tied back, it would have been standing on end from the sheer amount of raw energy he was exuding in his excitement.

In the back of his mind, somewhere, was his concern for Kurama and a small amount of worry for Hiei- but not much. There was also a small, black corner filled with all his recent dreams and fears; but for the moment, Yusuke could forget all that.

Just for the moment, he had before him... A fight!

A REAL fight!

He knew this was Hiei’s fight, even Kurama had backed off – though, he’d probably also done that because he was wounded.

But even so...

His index finger began to heat up and glow.

Kaname shot at Hiei again, and Hiei dodged – barely. A flying chunk of plaster and hardwood thumped to the floor behind him, but he took no notice. Springing forward – a black blur amidst more black and blue – he sliced.

Kaname cackled and vanished, reappearing behind him.

“WHAT!?” He spun to face her.

She swung around, almost in slow motion, and her heel slammed into his back. It wasn’t painful, but it was hard, and he flew into another wall with a grunt. He reemerged with his jagan glowing a furious purple. His right arm flexed and began to emit his youki; youki gleaned from the mastering of the black dragon.

Kaname landed in front of him, raised all ten of her claws, and let loose a barrage of youki aimed straight for his face, arm, and heart. With a howl, Hiei loosed the dragon.

KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

---

Splinters filled the air as Natsumi crashed through a tree. She cringed.

One moment, she and Youmi had been calmly waiting beneath the tree she and Kuju had marked as their rendezvous point. They quietly tried to interpret the separate youki signals coming from the keep while they waited patiently for Kuju and the others to reach them. And the next, they’d been surrounded.

Without warning, both demons had been set upon like the lone scrap of meat in the center of a pack of starving, wild dogs. The demons had hidden their collective energies and come at them from all sides; it had only been Youmi’s keen sense of smell that had saved them from the first attack. And since then they’d been fighting furiously and with little reprieve as the demon masses continued to charge, their numbers maintained even as one after the other was cut down.

It wasn’t really the numbers that were so daunting; it was the demons themselves. Most were average C-Class with little direction, little strength, and little intelligence to back them up. But some of them were B-Class, and four or five were A-Class. And those hid themselves within the ranks of the lower levels and consistently caught both Natsumi and Youmi off-guard, keeping them on their toes and almost killing them countless times over the last couple minutes.

“Uwah!!!” Natsumi groaned as a demon stomped on her chest mid-air, and shoved her into the ground. She blinked the spots from her eyes and rolled to avoid another stomp. Summoning her strength back to her after it had been flattened in the impact, Natsumi pushed herself onto her hands, rolled to her side, and swept her legs in a powerful arch, slicing the demons legs off with the sheer strength and angle of her swing. The demon howled.

She finished it with an energy blast through the heart, and countered the next five attacks aimed her way with a thin barrier.

One of the five was more powerful than she’d expected, and it crashed through her barrier and struck her shoulder. She cursed. Focusing on the B-Class asshole, she aimed. “HAAA!!!” The demon was vaporized.

For a moment, the other four demons exchanged glances of concern within their ranks, giving Natsumi a small, greatly needed second to breathe. Then more joined them, and the battle began anew.

Youmi, for the moment, was relatively secure within his Demon Energy Absorption Wall, [rest assured, he’d not been the one to think up the name] and observed his adversaries with critically attuned senses. Three in their ranks were A-Class, and these were hiding their energy remarkably well; though not well enough to shield them from Youmi. The other thirty or so were C-Class with a fair few B-Class scattered within their ranks. He ignored these, and focused on the As.

Five demons attacked his wall with their own bodies and were vaporized. More cautious demons tried long-range attacks of youki- and were thwarted pathetically. After these last failed attacks, Youmi suddenly shot forward, allowing his wall to dissolve.

For the last few minutes, the demon Lord had done nothing but stand at the top of the tree within his sphere and let his enemies attacks either fail or breeze by him with no effect. His sudden advance caught all of them by surprise, they - to a demon - having all expected him to stay put. Three demons were killed before they even saw the lord move. Others had time to raise crude weapons and begin counter attacks of their own but were similarly cut-down.

By the time Youmi reached the first A-Class, he was ready, and caught Youmi’s first attack barehanded and tossed it away with some effort. Breathing hard, he engaged in combat.

Youmi countered calmly, blocking and dodging almost as if his movements had been choreographed ahead of time. When an opening appeared, he took it, and the demon gurgled as it fell to the ground with a meaty thud. Its chest severed nastily.

Youmi faced the next.

Natsumi had just caught her brother’s signature, when a lower class demon took advantage of her unguarded side, and attempted to cut her in two. She deflected him easily enough and turned his own attack back on him just as Kuju dropped down to protect her left flank.

Wordlessly they fell into a twin-fighting stance, each guarding the others back.

“The other three are fighting Kaname.”

“I figured she wasn’t dead.” Natsumi grumbled..

“Hn.”

And they fought.

---

The dragon swallowed Kaname’s attack and proceeded to damage control. Kaname darted away from it, down corridors and up stairs until she disappeared from its sight completely. Confused and enraged, the dragon screamed, and smashed up through the ceiling, breaking apart half the house before its master directed it back to its prey. With a screech it dove, and Kaname was crushed into the floor and back down into the lower dungeons.

She yelled and fought, pushing the dragon away and being pushed back by it.

Hiei followed, watching critically, directing the dragon yet allowing it free rein. He was bleeding from his arm, but it was a shallow wound.

When Kaname finally threw off the dragon, Hiei was there to take advantage of her exhaustion, and pressed her back. Slashing and cutting and finally ripping up half her arm.

The pain lit something within her, something she’d not felt since she’d last sparred with Koku. Her eyes flared, she hissed, and she shoved Hiei away from her with a wave of rage induced youki.

Hiei flew through several walls before landing in a painful slide. He groaned and jumped to his feet.

Kaname made to advance but suddenly stopped just a moment before a dense stream of red youki shot past bare inches from her painted nose. She snarled. The blast hit the ceiling and kept going, and suddenly the basement was filled with the luminous light of the sun. And the blast just kept going up and up, with a sound like a jet.

“Dammit.”

Kaname looked over to find Urameshi twenty feet away, staring at his finger almost as if he could make it behave with his eyes. Then those eyes met hers, followed by a cocky grin promising fun and pain. “This is my fight now.” He said. And slammed a fist into her chest so hard, she felt her ribs crack. She choked in surprise, and flew into a corpse suspended from the lower ceiling by a large hook. Both hit the wall with a crunch.

Kaname slid to the floor, dragging in air, clutching her ruined chest. She looked down. It was whole, but a deep angry purple told of the ruptured arteries. She breathed out, and blood flooded her mouth. She spat in disgust.

“Now you, and me, are gonna have a little talk.” Yusuke told her as he advanced through the rubble; his fists clenched at his sides, cocky grin still plastered to that tattooed face. “And we’re gonna do it with our fists.” Fangs peeked out from behind excited lips. “And then, when you’re choking up more than just blood, you’re gonna apologize for all the demons and humans you and your brother tortured.”

“I sincerely doubt that.” She spat more blood at him.

Stepping out of the blood’s trajectory, Yusuke stepped into Kaname’s next attack, and took it right in the chest. He grunted, his eyes wide, then grinned. His arm flew towards her face.

She caught the first in her palm, turned it down, and kicked him solidly in the chest. Before she kicked him, Yusuke grabbed her other wrist and used her weight to keep himself grounded, taking the kick but staying where he was.

Using her wrist as leverage, he swung her up, down, and cracked an elbow into her back, hearing her spine protest as she hit the ground.

Twisting, she kicked his legs from beneath him and set on him, attempting to claw his face and arms. He wouldn’t let her, warding her claws and powering up he fired his combined spirit / demon gun right into her gut.

Her eyes widened, and her body stiffened at the contact – all she could feel was the sensation of immense heat in her chest before a pain ran from the impact point and throughout her entire body, causing her to stiffen and open her mouth wide in a scream so high pitched, Yusuke covered his ears.

It was wonderful!

Licking her lips after her scream died down, enjoying the pain-induced orgasm throbbing through her body, she looked up at Urameshi with a heady sense of battle-lust. She fairly flew at him this time, vaulting him off her and following after throwing youki and more kicks like she would spit. And Yusuke countered and attacked in stride.

Hiei and Kurama watched, bemused, from the rubble-strewn basement.

“Do you think he realizes he’s fighting in the midst of the very demons and humans he swore so vehemently to avenge?”

“No. He only sees his opponent. He’s a fool. He always will be a fool.”

“It was your fight.”

“He can have it. He looks like he’s having fun.”

“Yes... Truly, if I knew before that an all-out fight might bring him – if for only a moment – from his despair, I might have sparred with him more fervently and with greater frequency.”

“Hn.”

The only sounds for moment were the cries and shouts of the two battling and the crumbling of the keep and all within it.

“... Kaname is enjoying this as well.”

“The bitch is a freak.”

“She’s far more powerful... even Yusuke might begin to have trouble if this drags on much longer.” Kurama watched critically, holding himself back with effort, as Kaname hit Yusuke in the neck with her leg.

“You want us to intervene, fox?”

“I won’t let him be taken from me, Hiei, again. And I certainly won’t stand for him to be hurt.”

“Hn.”

Yusuke punched the cheetah in the face and never stopped grinning.

“... Maybe we’ll let him have his fun for a while longer.”

---

Yusuke was nearly singing inside. Kaname gave twice as well as she got, something he hadn’t experienced in nearly a year. Too, he realized that if he let his guard down for a moment, she’d have his head, but he didn’t let that worry him too much, and continued to pound on her unrelenting body with fervor.

Hissing, cat-like, Kaname spun from his reach and sidestepped his next attack. When he turned to follow, she lashed out with her foot, but he caught it, and pushed. Off-balance, Kaname back-flipped away from him, and propelled herself forward when she landed to punch him in the jaw in return for his earlier discourtesy.

When he reeled this time, she swung with her left leg and caught him in the neck, lifting him from the floor and into her line of fire. A blast of youki sent him flying from the new skylight, and she followed with a graceful leap.

She suddenly found her way blocked by Hiei, who had a new glint in his eyes that had her slowing for a moment. Then a Woo-psh! sounded from below, followed by a stinging pain, and she turned to find her leg caught in a vine, the thorns ripping at her ankle. She snarled. “You have no honor.”

Kurama pulled the vine tight from his place below, his stance wide and firm.

“No.” Hiei grinned, unsheathing his sword. The blade flashed in the sunlight. “We have fun.” And he attacked.

Kurama could only think that Yusuke had been nothing but good for Hiei, and, mindful of his wounds and his lover, set into the fray.

---

Yusuke grunted and clutched his chest as he flew. He couldn’t stop his flight, the force of Kaname’s last attack had left him completely stunned and winded.

Looking up, Yusuke saw a flit of black and red converge on the black-striped white he recognized as Kaname, and was delighted for a moment that they’d decided to join in. Even though it had been his fight, it had been Hiei’s fight first, and really, he could share – just this once. The pain ebbing finally, Yusuke landed on the upper ridge of what remained of the keep roof and went to rejoin the fight - when something hit him from behind.

It was the surprise more than the power of the attack that sent Yusuke crashing down the slope of the roof and into a thorn bush below, and he groaned as a loud THUMP announced the presence of his attacker.

“Hello, Ugly.” Yusuke groaned, rubbing his head where he’d hit the bush and hard ground beneath it. “My dance was already taken, but I suppose I can take you as well.” He got to his feet and assumed a fighting stance. Hiei and Kurama could take care of themselves for the moment. He grinned cockily.

There was a rustling of leaves, and Yusuke glanced to his right and left as more demons emerged from the forest. “Well, it’s a real party; ain’t it?.” His eyes darkened. “Bring it.”

The demons attacked.

All of them were lower level demons that Yusuke knew he’d have no trouble beating, but that purple one, the one with the stupidly striped horns, was A-Class; Yusuke could tell. He may have been a stupid cocky teen-turned-demon, but the rule of the streets still ran firm and true in his mind. Take out the strongest first.

He was a blur. Laying half the gaggle of demons flat, he shot straight for the strong one, catching it by surprise and punched it right in the gut. It hit the nearest tree, which groaned and slowly began to topple before hitting the ground with an almighty THUD.

“Daaaaaamn.” Yusuke scratched his head. “Didn’t mean to hurt the tree.” He smirked. “Who’s next?”

The remaining demons shouted and rushed him, spewing mostly incoherent insults, and were lying on the ground in various stages of death and agony before Yusuke could properly get into the fight.

Then he tromped off toward Mr. Badass, who thought he could pretend to be dead.

What he didn’t expect was for Mr. Badass to have a friend.

The demon had hidden its energy, but Yusuke was so bad at picking out demon energy signatures, it needn’t have bothered. It jumped from a bush and pinned Yusuke to a tree by his neck, holding him there with his feet dangling uselessly.

“GRA-AAH!!!” Yusuke choked, clutching at the scaly hand, glowering.

His buddy appeared to Yusuke’s left, and they both cackled.

“You think yur so tuff, but Kaname said we could eat whatever we found - and look what we found!”

Yusuke tugged at the claws holding his neck, catching his breath and regaining his prowess after his initial surprise. “Oh yeah? And here I thought A-Class demons were supposed to be intelligent? From the way you talk, you sound no different from your C-Class buddies over there.” He nodded toward the mass of dead demons.

The claws surrounding his throat tightened, and Yusuke made a strangled sound.

“You’re in no position to talk, demon traitor.”

Well that’s new. Never been called a traitor to THIS crowd before! Now he knew what Kurama and Hiei had felt like during the Dark Tournament. He really couldn’t give a crap.

But then the other demon did something completely unexpected. He came up on Yusuke’s side and stroked a viciously curved claw down along Yusuke’s neck, more precisely, along two parallel marks he’d completely forgotten about until this moment. “Marked by two, Youngling?” The demon cackled. “I wonder what yur mates would do, if a third were to take you?”

Yusuke stiffened.

Memories came flooding back. Words and conversations – everything that had happened to him and everything he had dreamed. His elation from the fights drained out of him, and his eyes glowed red. The demons were dead before they could properly begin to back off, and Yusuke slid down the trunk of the tree with his head in his hands.

He kicked the nearest body out of spite, and it flopped wetly over on its side.

One of his fingers stroked along the marks, parallel one above the other, situated in the juncture where shoulder met neck. They still hadn’t healed.

Tears stung his eyes.

He’d forgotten all about them – about those nights, when he’d been in such need, and he’d been so... heady with lust.

In heat.

He cringed at the memories.

He was no longer sore down there... That soreness had worn off ages ago. -The wounds on his neck should have healed by now too!

He remembered the exact moment when Hiei had bitten him, the intense pleasure he’d felt as his skin was pierced. He remembered when Kurama had held him and lovingly licked his own bite until it had stopped bleeding.

It had stopped bleeding.

Yusuke sat up, and brought his fingers to his face. They were wet with blood. Shiny. His blood.

What the hell?

What had Kurama and Hiei done to him!?


-TBC


* I didn’t notice this until my beta pointed it out. To answer any forthcoming questions: No, I hadn’t thought about the color when I wrote it, blue just seemed to go with the whole theme... :D

A/N: This chapter overreached all my expectations: 10 500 words! I was aiming for 7 000 but WOW!!! I was extremely happy with it, too – except the end. I had to write that about... five times before I was completely satisfied!

Just a reminder that I post continuous status updates of this fic at my Live Journal account. So if you’re wondering when I’m going to update- that’s where you should go.

-Azalea J.