Karasu's Pleasure, Kurama's Ruin

Kuronue dropped Karasu and stared at him, his senses still numb with rage. What just happened!? He’s dead, but how did—was it me? I don’t even remember… With a cry, the bat jumped up and pulled the cruelly weighted clamps from Kurama’s body. Kuronue pulled the limp form to him, checking for a heartbeat. He’s alive, but just barely… thank God. Kuronue stood, relief flooding his entire being, and looked around the room. He went into the living room and yanked down a curtain. Gently wrapping the fox in the crimson cloth, he picked him up and opened the front door.

“Kurama!!” Yusuke pounded up the path, looking furious, guilty, and worried at the same time. He pulled up short as Kuronue exited the house, Kurama’s shrouded body curled against his chest. “Kurama…”

“He’s alive,” Kuronue answered Yusuke’s unasked question. “Although, I can’t say the same for Karasu…”

Hiei and Kuwabara caught up and stared at their friend’s unconscious body in dismay. Hiei raised his eyes and glared suspiciously at the bat, Jagan beginning to glow.

“Don’t bother,” Kuronue sighed. “I know what you’re thinking and I assure you: this time, I’m innocent.”

“Hn…” Hiei’s frown deepened. “At least you’ve saved us the arduous task of slaughtering Karasu,” he growled.

“I don’t even remember doing it…I sort of whited out, and when I woke up, he was dead…” Kuronue looked back at the open door. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Yusuke returned from the house, where he had gone in to confirm Karasu’s death. He looked pale. The detective looked at Kurama’s ironically peaceful face and shuddered.

“Let’s just get the hell outta here…” he muttered.





Warmth…softness…someone tenderly petting my-- Kurama’s eyes snapped open and he stared blearily up at Kuronue. The bat smiled in relief, cradling Kurama’s head in his lap.

“I was beginning to fear you’d never wake…” he whispered, keeping his hand on the fox’s head.

“Kuronue…what happened? Wh-Where are we?” Kurama’s voice was raspy and tired.

“You’re safe at home, Kurama. You’re safe, and Karasu is dead. He won’t ever touch you again.”

Kurama turned his head and laid his cheek on Kuronue’s thigh. “Even if he is dead, please don’t leave me…stay here with me…please…”

Kuronue draped his arms over the fox’s shoulders. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”

---

Kuwabara scowled and toyed with his Coke can. “I don’t care; I still think he’s a creep…”

Hiei snorted. “I hate to say it, but for once, I agree,” he growled. “How do we know we can trust him?”

Yusuke sighed in frustration. “Because Kurama trusts him, damnit, and he’s the only one of us who actually has a reason to be suspicious. So why don’t both of you just shut up and leave the guy alone? I don’t like him either, but I’ll deal with him because he’s Kurama’s rescuer and that’s all that matters!”

Hiei scowled. “You’d be after his head if you knew the reason I don’t trust him,” he muttered.

Yusuke closed his eyes. “I think I can figure it out, Hiei. I may be stupid, but I’m not clueless. And even though I wouldn’t exactly trust the guy with my life, he did save Kurama twice. And like I said, Kurama trusts him, so we’ve got no reason to doubt.”

Kuwabara crushed his soda can and glared at his friend. “You know, it really pisses me off when people talk in riddles,” he said. “Urameshi, what the hell are you talking about? What’s this jerk done?”

Both of them stared at the oblivious human. Yusuke grinned. “Speaking of clueless!” he cackled.

---

“Kuronue w-why are you…?” Kurama’s flight instincts screamed at him as he felt Kuronue’s arms embrace him.

“Because I think I’ve fallen in love…” Kuronue whispered.

Slowly the fox turned his solemn green eyes up to Kuronue’s face. “W-With me?”

“No, with Kuwabara,” Kuronue said sarcastically.

Kurama’s mouth twitched in the closest thing to a smile he could manage. He was blushing a little as he laid his cheek on the bat’s arm. “Kuronue, I—“

“I know, Kurama. You still can’t trust me enough, right?” His voice was steady, but the hurt and frustration was clear on his face.

Kurama closed his eyes and sighed, unable to deny that that was exactly what he had been about to say. “I’m sorry, Kuronue…” he whispered, tears leaking from under his closed eyelids.

Kuronue was silent for a moment. When he did speak, his voice had dropped. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as furious as I did back there in my entire life,” he murmured. “I don’t even know what happened… I remember meeting your eyes for a moment, and I remember mourning over the hopelessness, the pain, the—the lifelessness in them, and I remember feeling this unbelievable fury…and then everything just sort of went white. When my senses cleared, I was free and Karasu was dead.”

Kurama started in his arms as someone knocked on the door. They both looked up.

“I thought I heard voices,” Yusuke said. “Morning, Kurama. Did you have a good three-day nap?”

Kurama wasn’t offended by the tease. He knew the boy well enough to realize Yusuke’s concern. He laid his hand on Kuronue’s arm as the bat opened his mouth to sneer back. “It’s just Yusuke being Yusuke,” he explained. Kuronue scowled, but held his tongue.

“And you can drop the act, Kurama. It’s really not that hard to see through,” Hiei said, leaning in the doorframe.

The redhead lowered his eyes, knowing the fire apparition was right. “I—I just feel so pathetically weak that I keep hoping I really wouldn’t care if I pretended not to,” he whispered, shoulders trembling.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hiei snapped, cold as always. “You’re not weak, Kurama, and you most certainly are not pathetic. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and start being proud that you survived.”

“You insensitive little…ass, Hiei!” Yusuke snapped back. “He’s got every right to be upset and he’s got every right to—“

“But he’s has no right to feel ashamed of himself!” Hiei interjected. “It’s not his fault that Karasu wanted revenge, and it’s not his fault that the bastard got stronger! What is the product of his own will is the fact that he’s still alive!” Hiei glared at Kurama. “How many people do you think could escape his claws alive twice!?”

“But I haven’t escaped,” Kurama responded, trying to fight back his tears. “His talons still maintain their death grip over me. There’s no such thing as escape from him…”

Kuronue’s heart burned as the fox curled into a ball, trembling violently. “Give it time, Kurama,” he whispered. “His grip will ease with time, I promise,” he looked at Hiei. “And what the hell is your problem, anyway?”

“He’s being comforting, in his own backwards way,” Kurama said, pulling himself back into a sitting position. “He’s right, though.”

Hiei smirked. “Of course I am.”


Kurama lay back with a sigh of relief as the front door shut. “Finally…” he whispered.

Kuronue came to lean in the door frame. “You okay, fox?”

Kurama nodded. “I am a little hungry, though.”

The bat smiled. “Understandable. You’ve been sleeping for three days, after all,” he waved Kurama back down as the fox tried to rise. “Stay there. I’ll getcha something.”

The redhead nodded and curled back up under his blanket, glad to be home. I never realized just how much I depend on Kuronue… who knows, maybe I do love him and my head just doesn’t want me to know it. He stared out at the moon, thoughts in turmoil, until he heard Kuronue returning. Kurama smiled his thanks and nibbled at a piece of toast, waiting for the soup to cool a bit. He hadn’t realized how ravenous he was.

When he was through he set the empty dishes on the floor, too lazy and sore to put them in the sink. Kurama winced and lay back down on his side, pulling the blanket over him.

“I don’t hurt nearly as much as I should…” he mumbled.

Kuronue smirked. “You’ve got that little ice maiden—whatsherface…Yukina to thank for that,” he whispered back.

Kurama began to shake as tears welled up in his eyes. “I thought I was going to die…I would have if you hadn’t stopped him… my God, the pain...You wouldn't believe the pain, Kuronue!”

Gingerly, the bat draped his arm over Kurama’s shoulders, feeling them tense a little. “And it hurt me seeing you in so much pain,” he murmured. “That’s when I realized how much I love you: when you looked at me, my heart broke…”

“Kuronue…” the fox whispered, snuggling closer against the bat’s chest. He felt warm and safe in Kuronue’s arms, even though his head screamed warnings at him. “I want to be able to say I love you, but…”

Kuronue let his voice trail away before answering. “I know, Kurama. But I can wait. You and I are both young; I’ve got all the time in the world to get you to trust me.”

---

From a nearby rooftop, a black figure watched as Kurama smiled through his tears of relief and timidly wrapped his arm around the older demon’s waist. He scowled and turned away, a hint of sadness glittering in his ruby eyes.