Trapped

Trapped

hato-chiisai

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, no matter how much I wish I did.

YAOI WARNING Kurama/Hiei, Kurama/Karasu (rape)

Okay, this is my first YuYu Hakusho fic. Normally I write Yugioh. So be nice to me, okay?

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A silvery white blur shot through the dark forests of the Makai, in search of his prey. Steely golden eyes were narrowed and the ears were erect and alert. The Kitsune's tail streamed behind him like a banner as he darted between the monstrous trees, tracking the spirit energy of his quarry. Only one thing was on his mind.

'Karasu...' Youko Kurama snarled in his mind as his feet flew across the moss covered ground. His lip curled in a snarl as he pictured his arch nemesis and replayed those horrid words in his head.

"Foolish kit. As you wish. But perhaps you will change your mind after I have ripped out the heart of your precious little fire demon."

Karasu had vanished after that, leaving Kurama with his heart in his throat. He had immediately given chase. He feared what Karasu may do to him, but he would not allow Hiei to be harmed by the sadistic bastard that seemed to live to force the fox to live in fear of him. Kurama increased his pace as he felt that he was gaining on Karasu. He smirked. The energy was close.

As he entered a clearing, he skidded to a stop, eyes darting around. Karasu was yards away. But where? Kurama could not find him. He circled the edge of the clearing, cautiously. But nothing was found. Slowly, he edged into the clearing further. His ears quivered and turned in every direction, trying to pick up a sound. Suddenly, his foot nudged something cold and metallic, and he heard the clink of a chain. Startled, the kitsune leapt back, only to experience a flash of agony in his left leg.

A few miles away three figures froze and whirled. Crimson eyes widened at the sudden pained shriek that echoed through the forest.

"W-w-what was that?!" Kuwabara howled, leaping back and trembling with a look of terror on his face.

"I, I don't know....." Yusuke gasped. "But whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. Sounded creepy." Hiei snorted.

"Fools!" He spat. He knew that voice. He'd know it anywhere, but he felt a shiver move down his spine. He may have known the voice, but he had never heard it do that before. "Come on!" He began moving towards the direction the painful howl had come from.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Yusuke snapped.

"Shrimp! Are you crazy?!" Kuwabara bellowed like an injured hippo.

"I don't we should go near what ever that was." Yusuke said. Hiei whirled and glared.

"It was Kurama." Hiei spat, eyes glowing. "He's hurt." And he turned and raced towards his friend.

*******************

Kurama raised his head from the ground and slowly turned to look and see where the throbbing pain in his leg was coming from. His eyes widened and he gasped. The chain he had stumbled across had been attached to what looked to be a large bear trap, and his leg was caught in it, the razor sharp teeth clamped down all the way to the bone. He grit his teeth and sat up, twisting around. He gripped the trap in his hands to pry it off of his leg when it flashed. He cried out again as it began to drain his spirit energy. Kurama's body shook as he fell back onto his elbows, gritting his teeth and sweating. The sudden drain left his body throbbing. He whimpered and lay back as he felt the metal vice on his leg continue to drain his ki, slowly. (AN: I was spell/grammar checking this last sentence and my computer freaked said it should be ‘laid’ instead of ‘lay’. When I changed it, it said it should be ‘lay’ instead of ‘laid’. And it kept doing that. I’m confused!!!!!) He lay there, staring up at the black sky through the trees as he gathered his strength. His ears twitched and he sat up at a ruffling noise. He began to shiver, then whimpered and thrashed at the trap, trying to rip his leg from the deadly grip. Little vulpine whimpers escaped his throat as he fought against the metal teeth holding him prisoner. The source of the rustling was revealed when a small rodent scampered across the clearing, and Kurama calmed slightly.

It was obvious what had happened. The trap reeked of Karasu's ki. The threat against Hiei had obviously been empty. It had only been to get Kurama to chase him. He had set the trap, and Kurama had been drawn to the energy Karasu had left around the trap. So Karasu must know by now that had captured his prey, especially after that scream. Kurama pounded the ground, furious with himself. Now he was trapped and helpless. He grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and tried not to cry. Then, he realized what he was doing and stared at the sky, smirking.

"Huh... Those humans have gotten to me...." He'd never had the need to cry like this before. It seemed that his life as Suiichi Minamino was starting to affect him. He smiled as he thought of his human mother, and he felt himself relax. And then, he came to another shock. "I want my mother...." He whimpered, and rolled onto his side, curling up and hugging himself, wincing at the pain in his leg. The kitsune felt a tear trickle down his face. The pain in his leg was spreading, and the ground under his leg was wet with blood; he was bleeding too much.

"Hiei, where are you?" He wanted nothing more at this moment than to feel the familiar ki drawing nearer, to hear his friend land in a tree nearby and give his trademark smirk and snort. Kurama smiled. He could hear Hiei taunting him.

"I can't leave you alone for a few measly hours without you getting into some kind of trouble you need me to bail you out of. Stupid kit. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Fox?" But then Hiei would realize that Kurama really was in trouble and he would drop the attitude and focus on helping the injured kitsune, trying to keep him calm, speaking gently instead of taunting. Kurama suddenly felt claustrophobic and began to thrash against the trap again; little yelps and barks escaping his lips as he fought desperately for his freedom. He was a kitsune. He HAD to get free. He fought against the trap until he collapsed, exhausted and lay on the ground, whimpering. After resting a moment, he jerked and began to fight again, throwing his whole weight forward in an attempt to rip his leg free, only to slump forward, whining in agony.

Slowly, he got to one knee and pulled, but whimpered at the tearing pain. He balled his fists and slammed them into the ground, giving a pained and frustrated scream that echoed through the forest.

"Oh man!" Kuwabara moaned. "Was that Kurama again?" Hiei swallowed and nodded. "Is he being tortured?!"

"How am I supposed to know?" Hiei snapped. "Let's just find him."

"Should I shoot off of Spirit Gun to let him know we're coming?"

"Of course not." Hiei grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You want to alert every other demon in the Makai to our position? Let's just hurry!"

A distance away, a tall dark figure narrowed his eyes as the cry reached his ears. The figure chuckled.

"I believe that our fair kitsune has fallen victim to my trap." Karasu commented to the lesser demons behind him. "Shall we go collect my prize?" He began moving towards the trapped fox, and the demons shuffled after him, carrying a long flat box-like object.

"M-master?"

"What?!"

"Is this really Youko Kurama?"

"It is indeed. Now keep up, you foolish creatures."

***********

Kurama lay on his chest, his cheek in the dirt, staring at nothing in particular. He was sweating badly, and shaking as a side effect of the energy drain he was being subjected to. The pain from the trap had filled his entire leg. He didn't even want to look at it. It felt as though it had swollen dramatically. He closed his eyes and hissed through his teeth at the pain. He had never felt anything like this. He sighed and opened his eyes again. Everything was taking on a misty glow, and he knew it wasn't good; he had lost too much blood and too much ki. He moaned and slowly lifted his head, pulling feebly at the trap on his leg. But he soon flopped to the ground in exhaustion and gave a gasping sob in helpless frustration. All he could think was that Karasu would come for him at any moment. He was so afraid, that at first, he didn't recognize the powerful ki coming closer. But suddenly, his sagging ears twitched at a soft sound from up in a tree above him.

"Well, well... So much for the great thief Youko Kurama." Kurama felt his heart rise in his throat at the voice and slowly raised his head, his dull eyes searching the trees. "What happened this time, Fox?"

"H-hiei?" Kurama gasped, and spotted the little fire demon staring at him from up in a tree, with a smirk on his face. Kurama's head shook with the effort of keeping it up, but the weakened youko couldn't even do that, and his head fell to the dirt with a thump, his ears flopping down limply. Hiei blinked.

"Fox?" Hiei called, and Kurama's tail wagged weakly. Hiei swallowed. "K-Kurama?" Kurama whimpered.

"Help me... please....." He pleaded. Hiei's eyes widened and he leapt down from the tree and rushed to his friend's side.

"Kurama! Are you all right?!" Hiei gasped, and then mentally berated himself. 'Ass.... If he was alright, would he have screamed like that earlier?' He moved down and looked over the trap on Kurama's leg, cringing at the injury. Kurama needed help, soon. He reached up and stroked Kurama's head, and scratched him behind the ears, smiling slightly at the happy noise Kurama made.

"Shh.... Yuusuke and the bungling oaf are right behind me. They'll help." No sooner than the words left his mouth than Yuusuke and Kuwabara rushed into view.

"Oh my God!" Kuwabara gasped, and Yuusuke dropped to one knee by Kurama.

"Kurama! What happened?!" He cried, touching Kurama's calf above the trap. He jerked his hand back as Kurama cried out.

"K-Karasu...." He gasped.

"Hunh... I thought I sensed his spirit energy...." Kuwabara snorted, and nodded his head. Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Get down here. Let's get this off of him." The fire demon snarled. They all gathered around the trap, and began to pry it open. They managed to lessen the pressure slightly, before they all yelped and leapt back, and Kurama screamed a high shrill note as the trap clamped down on him again, sucking his ki away at an even greater rate. Hiei stared at his hands; they were red.

"The damn thing shocked us!" Yusuke yelled.

"Oh, man! Urameshi! I think Kurama's having a seizure!" Kuwabara blurted out, pointing at Kurama. Hiei moved to his side. Kurama was hyperventilating, shaking uncontrollably, and sweating heavily. Hiei placed a hand on the kitsune's wet forehead.

"He's fading." Hiei said.

"Oh, man...." Kuwabara moaned. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm feeling Karasu again, and it's not coming from the trap!" Kurama let out a frightened yip and struggled weakly.

"We have to get Kurama out of here!" Yusuke said, and shoved Hiei and Kuwabara back. "If we can't get the trap off, we'll take it with us!" He stood over the chain and grabbed his right wrist in his left hand and pointed his index finger at the chain. "SPIRIT GUN!!" He shouted, and the spirit energy struck the chain. Yusuke's eyes widened. "It absorbed it..."

"The trap... absorbs... spirit energy...." Kurama panted. "Please... get out of here... hide..."

"No way, Kurama!" Kuwabara roared.

"He'll hurt you!" Kurama cried. "He'll hurt you to hurt me....." Hiei stared at Kurama, and then turned.

"We'll hide... but we won't leave..." He said, and leapt into a tree. Kuwabara and Yusuke scrambled out of sight, and masked their ki. Kurama swallowed, and waited as the frighteningly familiar ki drew nearer. His ears twitched, picking up the sounds of footsteps, and he began to whimper as Karasu stepped into view and strode over to him.

"The proud kitsune has finally been snared...." He sneered at the pale creature lying at his feet. Grunting, the lesser demons dragged their bulky load into the clearing, dumping it onto the ground. It seemed to be a cage, eight feet long, five feet wide, and a foot and a half tall.

Karasu simply looked at the trap, and it released Kurama's leg. Kurama tossed his head back with a gasp, and squirmed. Hiei winced as he watched Kurama trying to move away from Karasu, but he was too weak to do so. Karasu simply nodded to the lesser demons, which swarmed around the pale kitsune. Water was brought and the wound on his leg from the trap was cleaned and bandaged. Then, they dragged him to the box. The flung open the top, like a door, and dragged Kurama inside of it. The fox did nothing to resist them as they dragged his wrists and ankles to each corner of the cage and bound them there with wards, to prevent him from building up the spirit energy he had lost.

Karasu watched all of this without batting an eye, and smirked when the demons hoisted the imprisoned kitsune to their shoulders. Karasu motioned them onwards and Kurama was carried away. Karasu turned and looked up.

"You can come out. I know you three are here." Hiei frowned, and revealed himself, as did Kuwabara and Yusuke.

"I'm going to say this in simple terms that even you can understand." Karasu said. "I have unfinished business with the kitsune, Youko Kurama, and I will finish it. And you will not interfere." Karasu narrowed his eyes. "Should you try, you will only make it harder for your friend." And he whirled and was devoured by the blackness of the woods.

"To hell with that..." Hiei grunted, and began to follow.

"Hey! Wait a minnit, shrimp!" Kuwabara bellowed.

"I am not leaving Kurama in the hands of that sadistic psycho."

"We won't." Yusuke, grimly. "But we can't just follow them. We need gather information to devise a plan to rescue him."

"Or we could just ambush those lesser demons and take him and run." Hiei said, smirking. Yusuke frowned.

"Karasu is too fast. He couldn't catch you, Hiei, but he would have no trouble if you were weighed down with Kurama. And me and Kuwabara don't stand a chance at our best. No. We can't. We'll have to wait. He's crazy enough to let Kurama heal his physical injuries before he hurts him again."

"And he WILL hurt him again." Hiei said, turning his back and closing his eyes. "And I cannot allow that." And the fire demon began walking in the direction Karasu took. Yusuke looked at Kuwabara and sighed, before they both followed.

**************

Kurama watched the stars through the bars of his confining prison through hooded eyes. He felt the very tip of his tail dragging across the ground and listened to the grunts of the creatures him carrying him through the woods. He closed his eyes as he felt Karasu come up next to him.

"I hope that your friends have the sense to stay away, for your sake as well as theirs." Karasu said after a while. Kurama's eyes snapped open and flashed, dangerously.

"Leave them out of this." Kurama demanded, forcefully. Karasu chuckled.

"I cannot help it if they choose to bring themselves into our fight, kitsune." The dark creature said to the fair one, and ran his fingers through the long silken locks that fell through the bars. "We can only hope that they leave us to do what we must."

"There is nothing I must do." Kurama snarled.

"You must finish what you started with me." Karasu said, and Kurama snorted.

"I started nothing with you. You started with me."

"And I always finish what I started." Karasu said, reaching through the bars and tearing away the pale fabric of the tunic on Kurama's chest and leaving it on the ground behind them. "And now, I will finish you." Kurama snarled.

"You can try." He growled, eyeing the village they had entered. Ahead towered and jagged castle; Karasu's home. Kurama snorted. Apparently, Karasu thought of himself as a demon lord. They got closer to the castle, but did not enter. They walked along the wall, and Kurama stared grimly. There were many cages set into the wall, like his own, and they each held the remains of their prisoners. Kurama swallowed, finding the grisly display to be quite disturbing. Karasu smirked, obviously finding amusement in Kurama's horror.

"As it was with these souls, this wall will be your final resting place, Kurama. But I assure you, you will not spend the rest of your life in the wall. I have plans for you." Kurama glared at nothing in particular as his prison was set upright into an empty slot in the wall, and he glared daggers at the demons who began to cement the cage into it's place. He flattened his ears and bared his teeth, displaying his anger to the lesser demons, using it to mask his fear. But Karasu could see through him, and he knew it. When the lesser demons had finished their job, they were dismissed, and Karasu approached Kurama, looking up at him in his prison.

"This will not be the last time I will see you like this. One moment soon, I will stand here and watch you take your last agonizing breath. Sleep well..." And Karasu turned and vanished into the darkness. Kurama watched him go, then let his head fall to his chest. The wind blew and his hair and tail fluttered gently as his ears drooped. He fought to keep his eyes open, to stay awake and think, but his fatigue caught up with him and he slipped into unconsciousness.

*********************

Kurama woke to a buzz of voices and opened his eyes to find numerous demons staring up at him from where they had gathered, curious about the new addition to the wall of horrors. Kurama blinked, then looked up at the cloudy sky, grimly. He listened to the chatter of the crowd that surrounded him, some voicing their pity, others wondering who he was. But all conversation stopped when Karasu appeared. Kurama's eyes burned into Karasu, and his lip curled in a snarl.

"Youko Kurama....." Karasu said, and the crowd began chattering away in amazement. "This is Yanashi. He will see to your leg." The rather human-like demon approached Kurama's prison and reached through the bars, removing the bandages.

"As if you cared about my leg." Kurama snapped at Karasu, who quirked an eyebrow. "If you want me to die, then go away and leave me to it. I'll try not to take too long." Karasu chuckled at that.

"You know what I want, kitsune. And I will have it." The bandage came off and Karasu looked upon the wound himself. Kurama refused to; he didn't want to see it. He simply fixed his eyes on Karasu, giving him the most intense glare he could. Karasu grinned under his mask when Kurama's tail bristled, betraying his anxiety and nervousness. Yanashi slathered a strange cream on Kurama's leg, and bandaged him up again, then left at a nod from Karasu. Karasu drew closer and lifted a key. He unlocked the cage and swung it open. Kurama felt his heart leap at the clear path to freedom, but his wrists and ankles were still bound, and with his leg in the condition it was in he doubted if he could walk much less run and escape the swift Karasu. So he simply let out a snarl when Karasu drew closer and thrashed his tail, flattening his ears to his skull.

"Don't you snarl at me." Karasu chuckled and outright laughed when Kurama snapped at his hand when he reached up to touch his face. He signaled the group of lesser demons to approach, and then released Kurama's ankles, followed by his wrists. Kurama used his good leg to launch himself past Karasu and land on a pair of the lesser demons, snapping one's neck, and sinking his teeth into the other's neck, crushing his windpipe with a powerful bite. He whirled and lashed out with his claws gutting another demon before the others could finally react, tossing a large net over the kitsune and fighting to get him tangled. With the way Kurama fought, the tangled part was no trouble for the demons, and within seconds, Kurama was snarling and snapping at the net, trying to get free.

"Take him up to my chamber and see to it that he is properly restrained. I will be there soon." And Karasu vanished quickly. This left Kurama to snarl and scream furious threats at the demons that now dragged him across the ground and through the gates to the castle that Karasu made his home in. He was quite pissed to discover that the net was another ward that continued to prevent him from gaining back the spirit energy that the trap has stolen from him. He was able to find comfort in the satisfaction that the demons jumped every time he snarled or glared at them.

He felt the dread overtake him as they entered Karasu's chambers, but had to smirk when the demons began arguing over who would be the one to get Kurama out of the net.

"Get close enough, and I'll be eating you for lunch." Kurama hissed, giving them an evil grin, and flashing sharp canines. They continued to argue. Finally, they slowly surrounded Kurama, then all tackled him. He roared, not expecting this, and was furious to find a demon gripping his ears to keep his head still, and when he tried to snap at the demon, another one lent his help, putting one hand firmly on Kurama's forehead and the other gripped his jaw. Kurama fought against the hands pinning him down as the net was stripped off.

The rattle of chains brought a ferocious snarl from his throat that made the demon gripping his jaw jump back, and Kurama threw his head back, sinking his teeth into the hand of the demon who had been grabbing his ears. The demon screamed as Kurama ripped a chunk of flesh from his hand, and the other demon's swarmed around him, holding his head still, and a piece of cloth was forced into his mouth. Kurama snarled as a metal collar was fixed around his throat, and his hands were shackled together. The demons all leapt off, and ran. Kurama leapt to his feet, spat out the cloth and charged them in fury, when pain lanced up his leg. He yelped and crashed to the floor, cringing at the pain in his leg. The demons stopped and looked at him, whining on the floor, once they figured out that he couldn't stand. They muttered among themselves, then slowly got closer.

"Back off..." Kurama snarled. "Just because I can't chase you, it doesn't mean I can't do damage." And he lunged at them, making them scream and run. Kurama yelped again when the chain grew taught, and choked him. He growled and slunk back into the corner, dragging his damaged leg behind him, to wait for the arrival of his captor.

"Fuck!" Kurama spat.

"Exactly." A chilly voice said from the shadows, making Kurama jump back. "The fox has been snared." Karasu sneered, slowly gliding over to the cornered kitsune, who backed away as far as he could. He knelt and leaned in until his face was inches from Kurama's and he watched the golden eyes widen in fright. "And now, you're mine." He reached up and removed his mask. Kurama's eyes widened when Karasu smirked, then darted forwards, pressing his lips to Kurama's. Kurama recoiled but there was nowhere to go, and he only managed to slam his head against the wall, knocking himself senseless. Karasu snickered at this, and moved the chain from the wall to the bedpost, and moved Kurama from the floor, to the bed. He raked the tips of his fingernails over Kurama's bare chest and stomach, smiling in mild amusement as the muscles twitched under the tickling sensation. Kurama moaned and opened his eyes, gasping and jerking when he noticed Karasu looming over him. He fixed his eyes on Karasu, burning in his fury.

"Get away from me...." He snarled. Karasu smirked.

"Remember the tournament? And I told you that when I like something, I like to take it away?" Kurama glared at Karasu, remembering it clearly. "I saw your new human innocence.... And I like it..... So I'm going to take it away." Kurama thrashed, showing his rebellion.

"Too late!" He snapped. Karasu raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I already gave my human virginity to someone." Karasu snorted in amusement.

"The fire demon." He said, and watched Kurama twitch. "But you see, you GAVE yourself to him. But tell me, have you ever been TAKEN? Against your will? That is the loss of innocence, kit. And that is what you will know when I am through with you..." Kurama's body began to tremble as the fear rose in him. He could feel the collar sucking away any spirit energy he tried to gather; he could not defend himself. Karasu ripped the clothing from the kitsune's body, and wrenched his thighs apart. He blinked at a silver flash, and laughed when Kurama curled his tail up between his legs, trying to protect his most intimate parts as much as he could.

"You are quite entertaining, Kurama...." Karasu sneered, grasping the bushy tail and jerking hard, bringing a little whimper from the body beneath him. He pinned the tail under Kurama's leg and looked the kitsune over. "This should be quite enjoyable. And I will be nice and warn you now... I don't like preparing my bed mates..." Kurama struggled as Karasu stripped himself down, then mounted the terrified fox.

"GET OFF OF ME!!!" Kurama screamed, thrashing as much as he could. Karasu smirked, and crushed his mouth to Kurama's briefly.

"I told you... I always finish what I started..." And with that, he thrust himself into the wounded kitsune.

********************

"Wake up!" Hiei snapped, kicking Yuusuke and Kuwabara. Yuusuke jumped awake and looked around. "We have to find Kurama." Yuusuke nodded and stood, yawning and stretching. Hiei snorted and slammed his foot into Kuwabara's ribs. "Get up you idiot!!!" Kuwabara jumped and roared looking around for his attacker.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!"

"We have to get to Kurama." Yuusuke said. Kuwabara blinked, then leapt up.

"Right! Kuwabara to the rescue!!" Hiei rolled his eyes and headed in the direction of the castle. He glared at the village around it that they had camped near.

"We need to disguise ourselves. No doubt guards will be posted. Karasu has never seen me in my demon form, so I should be able to get us some clothes." Hiei said, and closed his eyes. Kuwabara yelped when Hiei's skin took on a green color. Hiei then stalked into the village, while Yuusuke and Kuwabara hid. He was back soon with long cloaks that Yuusuke and Kuwabara put on, and then entered the village.

"From what I've figured out, Kurama will be locked in the cage they carried him off in, and it will be cemented into the castle walls. He will have been left there to die." Yuusuke made a face as Hiei fearlessly made his way to the wall.

"Whoa! I'm seeing things!" Kuwabara yelped, when the first remains were visible in the wall. "Please say I'm seeing things!"

"Hmm... Karasu's little wall of horrors, I presume?" Yuusuke said in a monotone voice. Hiei nodded and began to walk along the wall, inspecting the contents of each cage.

"Heh!" He snorted at one. "I always wondered what happened to Rishii." He chuckled, then moved along. Yuusuke and Kuwabara looked into the cage, seeing the remains of what may have been a fire demon like Hiei’s father at one point, but decided not to dwell on it, and followed Hiei. They reached the final space, and found it empty.

"Kurama was in here." Hiei said. "I can feel his ki."

"And look at this." Yuusuke said and reached in, taking out a few silver hairs. "From his tail, most likely." Hiei nodded.

"So, if fox boy isn't in here, then where is he?" Kuwabara asked.

"With Karasu...." Hiei snarled, grimly. "We're too late."

"What?!?" Kuwabara yelped. "I thought you said he'd let Kurama's leg get better before he killed him!"

"Kill him, yes. But not to do what he wants with Kurama. And now I'm too late to spare him from that." Yuusuke stared at Hiei, seeing a look upon the fire demon's face that he had never seen before. Hiei looked genuinely upset.

"W-what's he gonna do to him?" The Spirit Detective asked, drawing the cloak closer around him as the chilly wind whipped past them. He glanced at the threatening clouds overhead. Suddenly, a familiar shriek reached their ears, sending shivers down their spines. Hiei whirled and glared up at a window in one of the towers.

"Too late..." He gasped. "Kurama..."

"Oh man! He's being tortured!" Kuwabara moaned, as the screams continued, making the entire village uneasy. The demons went about their business quickly, rushing home to try and escape the agonized screams. Hiei whirled and stormed along the wall, not watching where he was going, just trying to concentrate on anything but the screams of his lover. He knew what was happening, and knew that going in to help Kurama now would just get them all killed. As much as he hated it, he had to wait for Karasu to... finish.

Yuusuke followed Hiei, gritting his teeth. Kurama's screams made his flesh crawl and his hair stand on end. It was all he could do to keep himself in check, and not let Karasu know he was here. He fought to keep his ki masked, though he wanted to let his presence be known, if only to lend comfort to Kurama, letting his friend know that he was here. He ground his teeth and scowled beneath his hood as he followed the fire demon.

Kuwabara increased his strides, thinking that for a guy with such short legs, Hiei could walk fast. Though he really didn't like Hiei, he felt sympathy for the little demon. After all, he was listening to the pained and frightened screams of his lover, and could do nothing to help him for the time being. Kuwabara wrapped his arms around himself and shivered as the wind picked up. He winced slightly as an especially hideous shriek reached him, and he gasped as he felt a sudden echo of Kurama's pain. He stumbled a bit, then blocked it off, and ran to catch up with his fellow Spirit Detectives.

They had almost made a complete lap around Karasu's castle when, with a final anguished scream, Kurama grew silent. This made Hiei stop in his tracks and wait. After a few moments, he continued walking, Yuusuke and Kuwabara on either side of him.

"Is he... dead?" Yuusuke gasped.

"No." Kuwabara and Hiei said at the same time.

"Karasu is merely finished for now." Hiei continued. "Hopefully, he'll have Kurama put back into the wall until he wants to continue with him. We should head back." They ran through the streets, taking a loop around so as not to arouse suspicion, and gathered on the edges of a small crowd that had come together near Kurama's prison. They all grew silent as the gates of the castle opened, and a pair of demons stumbled out, carrying Kurama between them, his tail dragging in the dirt. Hiei frowned, and felt his eyes stinging at the sight of the limp body, carried with his arms slung over the shoulders of the two demons on either side. They flung open the cage and bound Kurama's wrists and ankles again, then left, leaving the naked kitsune shivering in the frigid air, all but unconscious. The three disguised Spirit Detectives stared grimly at their fourth, their hearts aching at the mere sight of him.

His body was limp, and far more pale than usual. Blood coated his thighs and dripped down his legs, soaking his tail and the already blood-stained bandage on his left calf. There were deep scratches left by fingernails on his chest, and bruises on his hips and thighs. His face was streaked with tears, and his ears drooped limply. Every now and then, a weak whimper would be heard, and his dull blood shot eyes would flicker open, only to fall closed again. His tears were already beginning to freeze on his face, as was the blood on his legs. His body shivered violently.

"I doubt he'll make it to nightfall...." Yuusuke whispered to Hiei, still in his demon form.

"Let's get him and go." Kuwabara hissed. Hiei nodded.

"Once we start, we don't stop." The fire demon said. "We need to get him out and go, as quickly as we possibly can. You idiots take him and run. If need be, I will delay Karasu as long as I possibly can."

"Are you sure?" Yuusuke whispered back. "Maybe I should."

"No. I'm the fastest. I'll be able to outrun Karasu and catch up with you if I must fall behind to stop him." The two humans nodded.

"All right. Let's do this...." Yuusuke said, and the three began pushing their way through the crowd to get closer to Kurama. Hiei let the slightest bit of his ki be felt; just enough so that Kurama would know he was there. He watched as Kurama's right ear twitched and lifted slightly and his eyes flickered open, looking around, finally falling on the green skinned fire demon. Kurama's eyes sparkled in recognition as Kuwabara and Yuusuke stood by Hiei. Yusuke balled his fist, holding out his thumb and index finger, then threw off the cloak and lifting his hand.

"SPIRIT GUN!!" He shouted, and the bluish white energy beam incinerated the lock on the kitsune's cage. Startled, Kurama jerked and lifted his head, his eyes looking around wildly as the door swung open. Hiei drew his sword to fast for eyes to see and he raised it, slicing through the bonds on Kurama's wrists and ankles. Kurama yelped and fell forwards, landing on Kuwabara's shoulder. Kuwabara shifted him, making sure he had the weakened youko and turned. A burst of fire from Hiei cleared a path through the stunned crowd, and the three ran.

"Don't stop!" Hiei snarled. "Whatever you do, Kuwabara, don't stop!" The fire demon glanced at his pale lover, limp over the red head's shoulder. They heard the panic behind them as the demons all fought to get away from the cage, so they wouldn't be blamed for the disappearance of Kurama. The three spirit detectives gasped, and Kurama whimpered as they felt Karasu's ki explode in his rage.

"Faster! He's coming!" Yuusuke yelped, and ran as fast as he could, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh shit!" He whirled and pointed his finger back at Karasu, gaining on them quickly, his eyes glowing in cold fury. "SPIRIT GUN!" The shot flew past Hiei, and grazed Karasu's shoulder. The demon disappeared, and Yuusuke blinked. A yelp from Kuwabara and a gasp from Hiei made Yuusuke look up ahead, and they all skidded to a stop as Karasu stood before them.

The tall slender figure reached out an elegant hand and held it palm up, glaring at Kuwabara.

"I believe you have something of mine." He said, in an icy tone. "I suggest that you return it." Kuwabara stepped back, and Hiei and Yuusuke took on a fighting stance. Yuusuke felt a slight bit of satisfaction seeing the tear on the shoulder of Karasu's coat, and the blood beneath where he had been unable to completely dodge the Spirit Gun.

Kurama let out a feeble moan and his tail swished slightly as he weakly clenched his fists, claws digging into his palms. Hiei glanced at Kurama's ears when they twitched and lay back against his head, betraying his fear and anger. Kurama tried to lift his head, but couldn't find the strength to do so, so he simply let himself go limp again. Again, he found the unexpected thought fly through his head. 'I want my mother.....' And another tear fell from his eye.

"Hand him over." Karasu snapped.

"N-no way!" Kuwabara stammered, backing away again.

"Not a chance!" Hiei snapped, taking a step forwards, and placing himself between Kuwabara and Kurama, and Karasu. Yuusuke moved behind Hiei, adding himself as a second barrier between Karasu and his prey.

"I will not tell you again..." Karasu hissed, still holding his hand out. "Return what you have stolen from me, or you will die in this place." Hiei's eyes flashed, and he tore the ward from his brow, the Jagan Eye flaring open and gleaming.

"Then prepare my grave!" The fire demon spat, dark flames raging around him. Karasu blinked, startled at Hiei's unexpected action, and was unprepared when Hiei launched himself at the taller demon and slammed his fist into his jaw. Kuwabara and Yuusuke didn't hesitate; they ran like hell.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...." Kuwabara panted as he ran, clutching Kurama tightly.

"Save your breath, asshole!" Yuusuke snapped. Kurama whined slightly in protest of the jerky ride, but curled his body slightly around Kuwabara's shoulder, so that Kuwabara could concentrate more on running than keeping the kitsune on his shoulder.

"Oh, thanks Kurama." Kuwabara gasped when Kurama did this. They ran for what felt like hours, until Yuusuke noticed Kuwabara falling behind.

"Here, let me take him for a while!" Yuusuke demanded, and Kurama was transferred to Yuusuke's shoulder, and they kept running. "I hope Hiei's alright."

"Oh, gimme a break, Urameshi!" Kuwabara panted. "I know I'm more sensitive than you, but don't tell me you can't feel him?! He's really duking it out with Karasu!"

"That's what I'm afraid of. If he uses the Dragon of the Black Flame thing," Kuwabara chuckled at Yuusuke referring to Hiei's attack as a 'thing,' "I doubt if he'll have the strength to escape Karasu. And Kurama would kill us were something to happen to Hiei, and I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is a homicidal Youko Kurama after my ass!" Kuwabara definitely agreed.

"We should get Kurama out of the demon world and get him to Genkai and Yukina! They can take care of him, and we can go back for the shrimp!" Yuusuke blinked.

'Is Kuwabara actually having intelligent thoughts?' He thought to himself, then nodded.

"Good idea. Let's just keep going.”

*****************

When Karasu stumbled back under Hiei's first punch, the fire demon quickly did as much damage as he could and his one good hit turned to four before Karasu hurled him back. The two circled each other, glaring in hatred.

"Must we dance this dance, half-breed?" Karasu sneered. "We are the same. We both want the kitsune." Hiei glared with all three eyes.

"No. We are completely different. Especially in how we feel for Kurama. I am in love. You are in lust. And I may have been too late to stop you the first time, but you will not get your filthy talons on him again!"

"Don't be too sure. The humans are slow. Once I have disposed of you, I will track them down and kill them, then take back what is mine."

"He is not your property."

"He is now."

"Never." Hiei spat, and drew his sword. The opponents attacked. They fought back and forth, Hiei weaving in and out of Karasu's blows, but barely managed to land any of his own. Karasu was more quick than he expected, but he was still faster. He ducked under Karasu's punch and leapt forwards, slashing to the side with his sword, and heard Karasu curse as the blade sliced into his side. The fighters backed off and glared at each other. Hiei's third eye glowed, and a black flame enveloped the blade of his sword. He attacked again, slashing at Karasu when ever he saw an opening. But there weren't many...

Karasu lashed out with his foot and caught Hiei in the ribs, forcing him to stumble aside. He leapt at the fire demon, who vanished an inch under Karasu's claws, only to appear in the air, hurtling down at the taller demon. Hiei barely dodged Karasu's next blow, but wasn't able to dodge the second, and he flew back into a tree. Hiei cringed and slid to the ground, while Karasu caught his breath. Hiei stood, and the pair faced off again. Hiei smirked and Karasu frowned at the energy he was building. Hiei charged.

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" He threw a punch, which Karasu easily dodged; but the blow had been a feint, and Karasu caught the actual strike full in the chest. He fell back to the ground, dazed. When he came to his senses, he looked around; Hiei was gone.

*******************

As soon as Karasu hit the ground, Hiei fled; he didn't need to kill Karasu, just buy enough time to make a clean getaway. He flashed through the trees, faster than the eye could see, gaining on Yuusuke and Kuwabara. They had made it allot farther than he had expected. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to catch up. He leapt from the trees and landed in front of them.

"Holy Shit!" Yuusuke yelped, startled by Hiei's sudden appearance, and Kuwabara screamed like a girl. Hiei held out his arms.

"Let me have him! I can move faster than either of you!" Yuusuke nodded and handed Kurama over to Hiei, who flung him over his shoulder and vanished, moving as fast as he could. He frowned at the violent tremors than made their way through Kurama's nude form, but he didn't stop to check; he just moved as quick as he could with the tall being over his shoulder.

"Hi-hiei?" Kurama whimpered, weakly. Hiei frowned slightly.

"Hush, Kurama. We have to keep going." He growled, in a far gentler voice than normal. Kurama curled his body around Hiei and continued concentrating on recovering the Spirit Energy he had lost. He may have enough to form himself a Rose Whip, but that was of no use to him in his current condition; he'd never be able to stand, much less wield his famous weapon.

Hiei kept moving for more than an hour, until, finally, he fell to his knees, exhausted, and unable to go any further. Kurama yelped as he slid off of Hiei's shoulder and to the ground.

"Hiei?" He asked, trying to fix his bleary gaze onto the fire demon, who was on his hands and knees. He watched as Hiei transformed into his more human appearance and wrapped the ward over the Jagan Eye. Then, he looked at Kurama, sweat pouring down his face. He staggered to his feet and looked around.

"We have to find a place to hide...." He said. "So we can rest." Kurama nodded slowly.

"If m-my memory serves me, there should b-be a stream n-not far from here, and then, upstream a b-b-bit, there's a small c-cave." Kurama offered, and Hiei nodded.

"You know the Makai like the back of your hand, don't you? Which way?" He asked, kneeling by Kurama, and pulling his arm around his neck. After a struggle, they got Kurama onto his feet, or foot, as he avoided putting weight on his injured leg.

"That way." He gasped, indicating to the left. The pair slowly made their way through the trees, breathing relieved sighs when they heard the sound of water in a river bed. They reached the stream, and hobbled along next the bank, until Kurama stopped.

"Here." He said, and pointed to a large willow, growing on a steep embankment covered in tendrils of ivy. Kurama sent a small amount of his ki to them, and the demon pair watched as the ivy parted like a curtain, revealing the mouth of a small cave. Kurama and Hiei made their way over to it, through a curtain of the willow leaves, and Kurama dropped to the ground and crawled into the cave, Hiei behind him. The cave was quite spacious after the first ten feet or so, and was musty and obviously hadn't been used in a long time. Kurama dragged himself into the far corner and collapsed. Hiei, followed, slumping over next to the shivering kitsune, snuggling up against him, trying to lend what warmth he could. Kurama murmured his appreciation, and Hiei began to drift to sleep. Just before he had made it, he was jerked awake by a sniffle, and a whimper. He blinked his eyes open, and looked up at Kurama.

The kitsune's face was hidden, but it was obvious that he was crying. This startled Hiei; he didn't know that Kurama could cry in his kitsune body, but then he remember the tears on the fox's face as he was placed back into his prison after Karasu had raped him. Hiei placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder.

"Fox?" He asked, softly. Kurama sobbed and scooted away, curling up into fetal position, curling his tail up between his legs to rest on his stomach and chest between his elbows. Hiei stroked Kurama's hair, worried.

"Fox? Kurama? Talk to me." Hiei said, gently, scratching Kurama behind the ears. Hiei became alarmed, when for the first time ever, Kurama made no response to the ear scratching. He moved next to Kurama and lifted the kitsune's head into his lap and stroked his hair again, as Kurama's body shook with sobs.

"Shhhh..... It's all right, Fox. I'm here." He crooned to his lover gently, something he had never done before. But Kurama was seriously worrying him. He had never seen his lover like this before. Hiei continued to comfort Kurama, and slowly began to drift to sleep, listening to Kurama's soft sobs.

*********************

Hiei jerked awake when he felt a familiar ki drawing near. Kurama was still quietly crying, so Hiei slowly slipped out from under him, biting his lip when Kurama didn't seem to notice. He crawled on his hands and knees out of the cave and peered through the ivy, sword in his hand. He heard something getting near, and he narrowed his eyes. At least until he heard the bellow that followed.

"I'm serious Urameshi! They came this way!"

"I can't feel them, how can you?!" Hiei grunted at Yuusuke's idiocy and stepped into view.

"Because I left just enough energy for the bonehead to pick up, but only him, since he's so sensitive. There isn't enough for you to follow, but neither can Karasu." Yuusuke and Kuwabara stared at Hiei. "The big oaf actually has his uses every once in a while."

"Hey!" Kuwabara howled, while Yuusuke chuckled.

"That was good thinking." The Spirit Detective said to the fire demon. "Where's Kurama?"

"In the cave. We need to get him cleaned up, and warmed up. Do either of you have any healing knowledge?"

"I have a bit. Genkai taught me a little." Yuusuke said, nodding. Hiei looked at Kuwabara.

"Think you can handle getting some wood for a fire and something to eat?" Kuwabara opened his mouth to yell at Hiei as he retreated back into the cave, but Yuusuke slapped a hand over the taller boy's mouth.

"Not now. Kurama needs us." He said, and Kuwabara sighed and nodded, scurrying off to get what Hiei asked for. Yuusuke turned as Hiei reappeared, dragging Kurama behind him, still crying. Yuusuke slowly approached them as Hiei began to strip off his clothes, then waded into the stream, crying out.

"It's cold!" Hiei yelped, shivering. Yuusuke stifled a snicker, as Hiei turned towards him. "Help me get Kurama into the water."

"What?! He's half frozen as it is!"

"We need to get the blood off and see how much damage was done to him." Hiei said, and Yuusuke sighed, nodding. He lifted Kurama up, and slowly lowered him into the water with Hiei. Kurama gave a high pitched yelp and struggled slightly until he felt Hiei's hands stroking his skin. Yuusuke held Kurama under the arms to keep him steady and from slipping under the water. Yuusuke felt his face heat up when Hiei reached his hands between Kurama's legs, and began to wash the blood from his tail and after that, from his thighs and all the way down his legs, and anywhere else he saw the crimson clinging to his lover.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?!" Kuwabara asked as he reappeared with wood.

"Cleaning Kurama up." Yuusuke said. "Done?"

"Yes." Hiei said, stepping out of the water, making Kuwabara yelp at the sight of the nude fire demon. Hiei glared at him, and got dressed again.

"Do we have any clothes for Kurama?" Yuusuke asked, and Hiei blinked.

"No..." He said.

"Umm, I got some." Kuwabara said, dropping the wood. "The cape that the shrimp gave me!" He whipped the cloak off of himself and offered it to Hiei, who blinked, surprised.

"Thank you." He said, taking the fabric from Kuwabara. Yuusuke lifted Kurama from the frigid water, and they wrapped him tightly in the cloak, dragging him back into the cave. Kuwabara made two piles of wood, one to start a fire with, and one to keep it alive with. Hiei snorted when Kuwabara began to rub two sticks together. With a flick of his fingers, and a yelp from Kuwabara, a fire leapt to life, eating away at the wood. Hiei pulled Kurama closer to the fire, and began stroking his hair again.

Kurama stared into the fire with dead eyes, a tear trickling down his face every now and then. The group sat in silence for nearly an hour.

"Kurama?" Yuusuke said, at last. Kurama blinked, and slowly looked at him. "Are you alright?" Kurama blinked again, and looked back at the fire.

"What kind of a fool question is that?!" Hiei hissed.

"Thanks." Kurama said, suddenly, in a soft voice. "Thank you for helping me..."

"No way we'd leave you to that freak!" Kuwabara affirmed with a sharp nod. "You're our friend!" Kurama smiled slightly at that.

"Thanks." The fox said again. "That means allot to me." Kurama closed his eye and nestled his head into Hiei's lap, purring under the gentle fingers moving through his long hair and stroking his ears.

"I'm sorry, Kurama." Hiei said, suddenly. "I never should have let him take you. I should have stopped him as soon as he came to get you from the trap." Kurama smiled, tiredly.

"No... You only would have gotten yourself hurt." He said, and yawned.

"You're still shivering." Hiei said, bluntly.

"I'm cold...." Kurama said, curling up into a ball. Hiei sighed and lay down, curling his body against Kurama's as much as he could, trying to keep his lover warm.

"Better?" He whispered in the kitsune's ear. Kurama smiled and rolled over to face Hiei, turning his back to the fire.

"Infinitely..." He breathed, and kissed Hiei gently, before relaxing, and drifting into sleep.

***********************

Kuwabara sighed, and stared at the fire, then tossed a log onto it. He looked at Yuusuke and Hiei, curling their bodies around Kurama's, to keep him warm. The fox had obviously caught a bad chill. Yuusuke had originally freaked at the thought of sleeping so close to another guy, but after the death glare from Hiei, and seeing how sick Kurama was, he agreed. Kuwabara was assigned watch duty. But so far, all he had been watching was his friends sleep. Every now and then, Kurama would whimper, but other than that, there was nothing going on. He had dozed off several times. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

"Hey! Urameshi!" He hissed, and poked Yuusuke. "Wake up!" Yuusuke grumbled, and sat up.

"What do you want?!"

"It's getting near sunset. We should be ready to move. And I'm hungry!" Kuwabara moaned. Yuusuke rolled his eyes.

"You were almost starting to sound intelligent, but you had to go and say that last comment." The Spirit Detective snorted, and stretched. "Your stomach can wait. We need to get Kurama to Genkai." He said, feeling Kurama's forehead. "He's getting worse." Kuwabara nodded.

"Sure, but I'm not waking them up." Yuusuke shook his head in annoyance at Kuwabara, then shook Hiei's shoulder.

"Hiei. Hey, Hiei. Wake up, man!" Hiei frowned and mumbled in his sleep. Yuusuke poked him. "Hiei!" In a flash of motion, Yuusuke suddenly found a sword at his throat, and Hiei's eyes glowing at him.

"Oh. It's you." Hiei said, lowering his sword. He ignored Yuusuke's howls of protest, and checked on Kurama. He shook his shoulder. "Fox?" Kurama's eyes opened slightly.

"Hiei....?" Kurama moaned, and his eyes looked around. Hiei got right in front of him, and became alarmed when Kurama seemed to look right through him, before letting his golden eyes fall closed. Hiei shook Kurama again, but the fox merely gave a feeble whine of protest. Hiei swallowed, and looked up at the two humans, who were watching him.

"We have to get him to Genkai and Yukina. Now." He said, and extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand. Then, he dragged Kurama out of the cave. "Snow." He spat, glaring around at the white stuff. "Of all things, it had to be snow. I hate snow." Kuwabara and Yuusuke emerged from the mouth of the cave and looked around.

"I got him." Kuwabara said, lifting Kurama into his arms, and the three began running through the woods, Hiei up ahead. Every now and then, Yuusuke and Kuwabara would pass by a fresh corpse that Hiei had obviously slaughtered up ahead, as lesser demons patrolled the woods, searching for the four spirit detectives under the orders of Karasu. After a while, they came upon Hiei himself.

"Guards. He's posted a pair of guards at the gate." The fire demon said. "I can take them, but it will be quicker with help."

"Got it." Yuusuke said. "You distract them, and I'll get them with a Spirit Gun from behind." Hiei agreed with this, too worried about Kurama to argue. He darted out and leapt over the demons, stepping on their heads on the way. The demons roared in fury, and chased Hiei. Allot farther than was expected.

"Kuwabara, take Kurama through, now!" Yuusuke ordered, and chased after Hiei and his pursuers. Kuwabara nodded, and dashed for the gate. Suddenly, a familiar ki intruded upon his senses and he skidded to a stop as a tall dark figure appeared between him, and the gate.

"Drop the kitsune, if you want to live." Karasu growled, his eyes radiating his fury. Kuwabara stepped back, slightly. In a flash, Karasu was mere feet away, and the human shouted, startled. "NOW!!" Karasu demanded.

"SPIRIT GUN!!!" Yuusuke shouted, off in the trees, and the demons fell, dead.

"About time." Hiei snorted, coming up next to the Spirit Detective. "Let's go." The dark haired pair walked back towards the gate, when suddenly, there was a yelp, and Kuwabara came flying at them. He landed in the snow, and plowed along a few feet before laying still. Hiei's eyes widened as he stared at Karasu, standing over Kurama's body.

"No...." the fire demon gasped, as the crow glared down at the silver creature at his feet. His mind raced. How could he get Kurama away from Karasu and into the care of Genkai and his sister, Yukina? He looked around, and suddenly it came to him.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on him!" He snarled at the tall demon.

"Too late for that." Karasu snapped. "The last thing he will see before I kill him, will be your heart in my hand."

"Try it!" Hiei snapped. "I challenge you, right here, right now!" He muttered to Yuusuke out of the corner of his mouth. "You and the idiot get out of here. Before you go through the barrier, fire a Spirit Gun at him." Yuusuke blinked, but nodded.

"Hey, you leave me outta this!" The Spirit Detective declared loudly, trying to put on a show to fool Karasu. "You said that this was a mission from Koenma. You lied. I only work with you two on the toddler's orders. If this isn't an official mission, I'm gone!" And Yuusuke stormed over to Kuwabara. "Come on. Let's go. Koenma will hear about this." And he dragged Kuwabara to the gate. Karasu smirked.

"Ah, cowardly humans. Yes, return to your world before I kill you as well." And Karasu turned his back on them. Yuusuke tossed Kuwabara through the barrier, then whirled.

"SPIRIT GUN!!" He called, and shot a beam at Karasu. Karasu whirled, startled. Hiei moved. He dashed to Kurama as fast as he could, and gathered him up in his arms streaking towards the gate. Karasu dodged the blast from Yuusuke. Once he had regained his footing, he looked around.

"NO!!" He screamed, as Yuusuke disappeared through the barrier, Hiei and Kurama right behind him. Karasu's breathing deepened as he was overcome by a wave of cold fury. Then, he laughed a low and cold chuckle. "You have merely bought yourself time. In mere days, I will have the opportunity to pass through to your world. And when I do, you will all die..."

***********************

Yuusuke jumped up into the air with a joyful yelp when Hiei dashed through the gate with Kurama in his arms.

"Let's not celebrate yet, Detective." Hiei snarled. "Wait until Kurama recovers." Yuusuke nodded his agreement, and the group began running to Genkai's temple, Hiei soon outrunning the two humans. He burst into the temple.

"Where are you, Old Woman?!" He roared. "Get out here, NOW!!!"

"Hiei?" The fire demon whirled and gazed at his sister, Yukina. The Ice Maiden had obviously been woken by Hiei's shouts. "Is something wrong?"

"K-Kurama...." Hiei managed to get out. Yukina rushed over and placed a hand on the kitsune's forehead.

"Oh my...." She gasped, as Genkai walked in, also roused from her sleep.

"Bring him back here." Genkai said, and Hiei followed her into a spare room, laying the fox down on the bed. "Get a fire going, Hiei." Genkai ordered, pointing to the fire place. Hiei moved over to the grate and soon had a blaze going. He returned to the bedside as Genkai stripped the cloak from Kurama's body. Hiei glanced nervously at his sister, wondering how she'd take seeing a naked male fox demon, but she didn't seem to care.

"He needs a hot bath." She said to Genkai, who nodded.

"Yes." The woman said, and looked at Hiei. "And YOU just plain need bath. You smell." Hiei's eyes widened, surprised. "Take Kurama with you. I'll send Yuusuke and Kuwabara in when they get here." Hiei nodded, and lifted Kurama into his arms, and carried him to the bathroom, his lover's tail dragging on the floor. He entered the bathroom, finding the tub already filled. He slowly lowered Kurama in, and watched the fox's eyes flicker briefly, before falling closed again. Hiei propped him up on a ledge in the corner, then stripped himself before slipping into the water. He bathed himself quickly, allowing Kurama to warm up, before the "bungling humans" came in. And in they came. Hiei glared at them as they stripped off their clothes, talking loudly, then leapt into the water, splashing the two demons.

"Knock it off!" Hiei snapped, and Yuusuke looked up from where he had Kuwabara in a headlock.

"Oh, hey, Hiei! How's Kurama?"

"He would be better if you two would act civilized." Hiei snarled, and began to gently bathe the kitsune. He ran a wet cloth over Kurama's face and ears, this time drawing a soft purr from the fox's throat. Hiei smiled slightly, taking that as a good sign. Yuusuke and Kuwabara helped him lift Kurama from the water, and the fox gave a feeble whine of protest as he shivered. Hiei smiled at this and smoothed Kurama's wet bangs from his forehead before rubbing him down with a towel and wrapping him up in a clean blanket and carrying him back to the bedroom. Yukina and Genkai were waiting.

"What happened?" Genkai asked as Hiei lay Kurama down on the bed. Yukina fidgeted with the blanket so all but Kurama's head and left leg was covered. She began to gently unwind the bandages on Kurama's leg.

"Karasu. He lured Kurama into a trap; as in a bear trap. It drained him of his spirit energy, and he bled enough so that when Karasu showed up, he was too weak to do a damn thing." Hiei said, sitting up at the head of the bed and lifting Kurama's head into his lap. Kurama mumbled something and his right ear twitched. Hiei smiled softly, and stroked the soft fur on the kitsune's ears. Kurama sighed and a soft smile touched his lips.

"Continue, Hiei." Genkai said, as Yukina gasped. Genkai and Hiei looked down to see what had brought a reaction from the Ice Maiden. Kurama's leg was swollen and the wound mangled. Genkai frowned and moved to inspect the leg. "Yukina, please go get the blue powder; that will help the infection." Yukina nodded, and rushed from the room. Genkai picked up a cloth and soaked it in the bowl of water on the floor, and began to bathe the wound. "Hiei?"

"Oh. He put Kurama in a cage, bound him with wards and cemented the cage into the wall of that damn castle of his. By the time I got there with the humans, he had taken Kurama into the castle. Karasu... raped Kurama..." Hiei let his head fall, in shame. "I couldn't do anything."

"Don't worry." Genkai said, comfortingly. "Continue."

"He had Kurama put back in the cage, naked. It was freezing outside. We got him out and ran. Karasu chased us. I fought him, and bought us some time, and we got Kurama as far from him as we could, and hid in a cave all day. When we tried to get through the gate Karasu was waiting. We were able to get by him, and brought Kurama here." Yukina came back in and gave the powder to Genkai, who sprinkled it over Kurama's wound, then bandaged it up again.

"Yukina, get some hot soup. Kurama needs something to eat." She said, and Yukina nodded and ran out again. Once she was gone, Genkai closed the door, and whipped the blanket off of Kurama. "I need to see how much damage Karasu did. He may not like this, so do what you can to keep him calm." Hiei blinked, not quite understanding, until Genkai moved to the foot of the bed and gently spread Kurama's legs. Kurama frowned slightly, and cracked his eyes open. Hiei stroked his forehead.

Genkai tilted Kurama's hips, and moved his tail aside. Kurama whimpered and squirmed slightly. Hiei kissed his forehead, crooning gently in his throat, trying to give what comfort he could. But as Genkai continued the examination, Kurama only got more upset.

"Easy, Kurama." Hiei said, softly. "No one will hurt you. It's only Genkai. Calm down."

"N-noooo....." Kurama whimpered. "Stop... L-leave me alone!" He began to struggle, weakly. Genkai frowned and gripped Kurama's legs to hold them still.

"Kurama. Hush...." Hiei murmured, kissing Kurama's forehead. "It's only Genkai..." Kurama blinked at Hiei.

"G-genkai..?"

"She's helping you, Kurama. She's making sure you're not hurt too badly." Kurama lifted his head, and looked down at Genkai, who looked up at him, giving his thigh a pat.

"Don't be afraid, Kurama. You're safe. I won't hurt you." The woman said, and Kurama closed his eyes, and relaxed. Hiei smiled slightly, running his fingers through Kurama's silky mane as Genkai continued.

"Well, Karasu didn't show Kurama any courtesy, that's for sure." Genkai grunted, then stood and tossed the blanket over Kurama again. "He should heal fine as long as he takes it easy for a few days. He's lucky; he could be allot worse off." Hiei nodded mutely as Genkai turned and headed for the door. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'll leave you in the care of your sister." Hiei gave Genkai's back a sharp glare at that last comment, but chose not to make a scene.

He simply sat with Kurama for the next few minutes until Yukina came back in with a bowl of soup and a jar. She handed the jar to Hiei.

"Genkai told me to give you this. She said to put it on Kurama's other injuries, and that he probably would only let you put it on." Hiei blinked, realizing what injuries Genkai meant, and silently thanked the old woman for sparing his sister of the knowledge of Kurama's rape. He nodded and put the jar down, then pulled Kurama up a bit while Yukina sat on the edge of the bed.

"Kurama, wake up." Hiei called, glancing up as Kuwabara and Yuusuke entered, with silent consideration. Kurama moaned and opened his eyes. Hiei stroked his cheek. "Open your mouth, you need to eat." When Kurama didn't, Hiei gently squeezed his jaw, forcing his mouth open. Yukina stuck the spoon into the kitsune's mouth and tipped the soup out. Kurama jerked and winced, and made a noise that sounded like an annoyed house cat. Hiei smiled and kissed Kurama's hair.

"Shhh... Just eat. Then you can sleep, okay?" Hiei said, softly. Kurama relaxed, and allowed Yukina to feed him the soup. Yuusuke opened his mouth to say something, but closed it at a sharp glance from Hiei, as he continued reinforcing Kurama. When the soup was gone, Kurama relaxed and his body began to shrink. The silver fox ears on his head disappeared into the silver hair that then melted into bright red locks. Kurama’s eyes cracked open and Hiei smiled at the deep green that looked around the room.

“Hiei….?” Kurama murmured.

“Yes?”

“My leg hurts….”

“I know. Just try to sleep.” He said, and the now human Kurama curled up under the blankets and drifted off into a quiet sleep. Hiei sighed, and let his head fall forwards as he too began to drift off. He heard Yukina return to bed, and heard Yuusuke and Kuwabara set up their own beds across the room. Normally he’d protest, but the little half-breed was too tired. He lay down beside Kurama and closed his eyes, listening to the quiet breathing of his mate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei was woken at dusk by Yuusuke and Kuwabara whispering.

“Will you be quiet?” He snapped.
(
“Hiei, I’m trying to. He says he feels Karasu’s energy. He was dreaming, that’s all, weren’t you, Kuwabara?” Yuusuke hissed. Hiei leapt to his feet and flung his cloak around his shoulders, then picked up his sword.

“As much as I despise the overgrown and ridiculously loud and stupid oaf…” Hiei said, ignoring Kuwabara’s yelp of protest. “I have learned that if he feels something, then he feels something. I’m checking it out. You two stupid humans stay with Kurama.” And Hiei flickered out of sight. Yuusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other. Suddenly, there was an explosion from not far away, and both Kuwabara and Yuusuke felt two familiar spirit energy signals flare; Hiei and Karasu had clashed.

“Oh, shit, he’s really here!” Yuusuke yelped, getting to his feet. The door was flung open and Genkai and Yukina burst into the room, looking grim. Yukina ran to Kurama’s side while Genkai looked at the two other boys.

“He’s come for Kurama. If he gets him again, we won’t be able to save him. Let’s go before he gets closer or….” She trailed off and ran, Yuusuke and Kuwabara at her heals.

“Or what?” Kuwabara asked.

“Hiei could be killed.” Genkai said, shortly, as they raced to the scene.

“Man! I’m going into battle in my pajamas!” Kuwabara moaned.

“Nobody cares, Kuwabara!” Yuusuke snarled. The three leapt aside as one of Karasu’s stray spirit bombs hit the ground among them. (AN: Heehee… spirit bomb. I guess Karasu has been training with Goku and King Kai, ne?)

“Out of the way, fools!” Hiei snapped as he darted past, dodging more of the spirit bombs. Karasu suddenly flashed into view, chasing the half breed.

“SHOTGUN!!!” Yuusuke shouted, and blasted hundreds of tiny shots at Karasu; too many for the crow to dodge. Karasu snarled as he stumbled back after being hit by several of the little energy blasts. Kuwabara materialized his Spirit Sword and Hiei leapt behind the two boys and Genkai to catch his breath.

“Where is Kurama?” He asked.

“With Yukina.” Genkai muttered back, and Hiei frowned.

“I’m going back. I have to get them both out of here. Hold him off as long as you can.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Kurama!” Yukina gasped as the fox suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes wide.

“He’s here.” Kurama gasped, his voice hoarse.

“Rest, Kurama. The others will take care of things.”

“No. He won’t waste time on them. He’s coming for me. And if he comes here…..” Kurama trailed off and shook his head, flinging the blankets off of himself. Yukina blushed and turned away from Kurama’s nudity.

“Please, stay in bed….” She gasped, as Kurama stood. He yelped and stumbled a bit on his wounded leg. He went over the wardrobe he kept his clothes in. He pulled out a dark red tunic and pulled it on. It covered his chest and back, but left his shoulders, arms, sides and legs bare, while falling down to his ankles in the front and back, covering the necessities. Normally, he'd wear a long sleeve shirt and pants under it, but there was no time. HE wound a sash around his waist, then limped towards the door.

“Kurama, you must stay here!” Yukina cried, running over and grabbing his wrist. Kurama looked at her. He smiled and pulled a seed from his hair. He held it in his palm and it blossomed into a soft lavender bud. It opened and a fine powder shot into the air. Kurama blew it towards Yukina. She gasped, then slowly slumped to the ground, fast asleep. Kurama smiled and reverted the flower back to seed form.

“Sorry Yukina. But if Karasu comes here for me, he’ll kill you.” And he turned and limped out the door.

.................................................

Hiei turned and dashed towards the temple. With a yelp, he skidded to a stop as Karasu leapt in his way.

“Oh no… You are not taking him away.” Karasu snarled. A hand shot forwards, faster than Hiei had ever seen Karasu move, and then his air was cut off as the hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off of the ground. “I will kill you, before you can interfere.” Karasu snapped, and smacked Hiei’s sword from his hands. The other three ran to help, but Karasu snarled and hurled a spirit bomb to fast for them to dodge, and all three went flying and were left dazed and unconscious.

Hiei began to thrash, violently, but was unable to break the iron grip of the crow. Karasu’s eyes narrowed and tightened his grip. Hiei made a choking noise and his eyes widened. He couldn’t breathe and his struggles grew desperate. Karasu gave Hiei’s throat another squeeze, making the half breed arch his back and thrash. But slowly, his lips began to turn blue and his struggles weakened. Karasu smirked beneath his mask.

“As I told you before, the last thing your fox will see before I kill him, will be your heart in my hand.” Karasu snarled, and Hiei shot him a look that was between loathing and horror, before his eyes rolled back into his head and his struggles stopped, leaving him hanging limp in Karasu’s grip.

Yuusuke stumbled to his feet as did Genkai and Kuwabara, determined not to let Karasu kill Hiei. But they froze when they saw the figure behind Karasu, green eyes glowing in fury,.

“KARASU!” Kurama shouted, his voice still hoarse. Karasu turned and grinned at Kurama, leaning on a tree to stay standing on his wounded leg. Hiei opened his eyes and fixed his bleary gaze on his mate. “Drop him. Your fight is with me.” Kurama snarled and a glint of gold rippled through his green orbs. Karasu snorted and released Hiei, who fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Yuusuke and the others ran to the fire demon, who was watching Kurama and Karasu.

“Are you surrendering?” Karasu asked Kurama as he approached him. With a flick of his wrist, Kurama formed himself a Rose Whip.

“I’ll die first.” He snapped, shoving himself off of the tree to stand and face Karasu.

“You can hardly stand, and you expect to fight me?”

“Fighting wounded is nothing new to me.” Kurama snarled, and ran at Karasu, pain obvious on his face. Karasu laughed as he easily dodged and struck Kurama in the back of the head, sending the fox crashing to the ground. Kurama flipped onto his back, then gasped as he found himself pinned by Karasu. The crow grinned under his mask.

“I may have to come back for seconds before I kill you.” He hissed, sliding a hand up Kurama’s bare thigh. Kurama’s eyes widened in alarm, and he tried to hurl Karasu off, but was unable to.

“You are weak, and in no condition to fight me.” Karasu snarled. “So I’ll simply take what I want,” He forced Kurama’s thighs apart. “Then dispose of you. And once that is done, I’ll do the same to your beloved little mate, and then your two friends, as well as the girl you are protecting in the temple. How many times must I say this? I always finish what I' ve started.” Kurama’s eyes widened and fire flared behind them.

“Fine. Kill me. But if I go, I’m taking you with me.” Kurama snapped, and he jerked Karasu down on top of him and clamped his arms and legs around Karasu’s body, trapping him. At the same time, he poured all of his spirit energy into the seed he had dropped and ended up falling on top of. Tendrils exploded from under him as the plant began to grow at an alarming speed.

“KURAMA!!” Hiei and the others screamed, and ran as the plant grew faster and faster. They heard Karasu’s furious screaming as he was unable to escape Kurama’s grip.

“What’s wrong, Karasu?” Kurama snarled, as the vines began to ensnare them. “I thought you wanted a challenge from me. Well, you’ve got it. And you won’t survive it.”

“DAMN YOU KITSUNE!!!” Karasu screamed. Kurama smiled grimly and tore the mask from Karasu’s face.

“If it makes you feel better…” He snarled. “I’m going with you.” And he grabbed Karasu’s jaw. “So take what you wanted, then die. I’ll see you in Hell.” And Kurama crushed his mouth to Karasu’s, forcing his tongue in. Karasu’s eyes were wide in shock and fright. Then, the kiss was broken as the vines tore them apart. Kurama, Hiei, Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai watched as one of the pods opened, revealing the plant to be an enormous Venus Fly Trap, and the vines dragged Karasu screaming into the waiting pod. It snapped shut, and Karasu was silent.

“Kurama!!!” Hiei screamed, as a second pod opened and Kurama was dragged in. Kurama simply looked at Hiei before closing his eyes, and the pod closed. “KURAMA!!!” Hiei screamed, and ran at the plant, but was tackled by Yusuke and Kuwabara.

“Don’t!” Yuusuke cried. “It’ll eat you too!!” The group of four stared as the plant grew still and silent.

“They’re alive. Both of them.” Kuwabara gasped.

“The plant will fill the pod with a powerful acid!” Hiei gasped. “It will melt their bodies!” As he said this, a yellowish smoke rose from the pods, and a yellowish liquid dripped from the corners of the pods mouth. The liquid hissed and burned the ground it fell on.

“You mean… like that?” Yuusuke gulped.

“….. Exactly like that….” Hiei whispered, and lowered his head. “Fox… Kurama………” The others too lowered their heads.

“Karasu’s energy is gone.” Kuwabara said. “But… Kurama’s is…… growing!”

“What?”

“Umm…. So is the pod.” Yuusuke said, and they stared. Kurama’s pod was expanding, stretching. The acid began to pour from the mouth that was no longer able to stay closed, and numerous vines exploded from all sides of the pod, decimating Kurama’s death trap, and in the center was a large red bud. The acid coated it, but was doing it no harm. The three spirit detective charged towards it, while Genkai stood back with a smile. The flower began to open it’s petals, until Kurama spilled out, catching himself and landing on his knees with a pained yelp. He turned and stared up at the pod Karasu had been in. The boys reached him and Hiei flung himself on the fox. But Kurama turned to Kuwabara.

“Is he…?”

“Gone.” Kuwabara nodded, and Kurama slumped back against the stalk of the plant with a sob, and clung to Hiei.

“Kit…. Why did you do that?” Hiei whispered, clinging to his mate. “Did you want to die?”

“I planned on it. But… I saw you and I knew that I couldn’t leave you.” Kurama whimpered, clinging to the fire demon. “Are you alright, Hiei?” Hiei stared at Kurama, then crushed his lips to Kurama’s.

“Fox… I love you.” He said, then sat straight up. “What are you doing here, anyway? You’re supposed to be in bed!” Kurama blinked at the sudden scolding, then laughed.

“And I will gladly return to it, but I’m afraid I can’t get up!”

“Why did Yukina let you come?” Genkai asked, and Kurama blushed and looked away from Hiei.

“Ummm… about that…….” He muttered.

“What did you do to my sister, kit?” Hiei snarled.

“She wouldn’t let me go so I gave her a face full of a sleeping powder. She should wake up in a few hours.” Hiei’s eyes widened and he vanished to check on his sister. Kurama chuckled as Yuusuke and Kuwabara helped him up and supported him between them. “Think he’ll be sore at me?” The red head asked, and Yuusuke snickered.

“Annoyed, probably.” He said, as they headed back towards the temple. “Um, what about that plant. You can’t leave it here.” Kurama nodded and looked at the thing. Slowly, it began to shrink, until it was only a seed. Genkai picked it up and followed the Spirit Detectives back to the temple. Hiei had put Yukina to bed, and now fussed over Kurama, giving him a bath, re-bandaging his leg, and smearing the cream over his more personal injuries, then getting him back in bed and forcing him to choke down more soup. Yuusuke and Kuwabara came in then, the latter holding Kurama’s Rose Whip, and the former Hiei’s cloak and sword. The pair accepted their returned belongings and put them away; Hiei’s under the bed, and Kurama’s behind his ear. Then, Genkai held out the seed. Kurama took it, and stared at it.

“Please tell me he’s gone. That he is really and truly gone.” He pleaded.

“All we know is that his spirit energy vanished, and he didn’t leave that pod.” Yuusuke said. Kurama nodded, still staring at the seed. "Karasu.... This time, I finish what I've started...."He sat up and hurled it across the room where it landed in the fire. A small pop signaled that the seed had exploded. Kurama sighed and relaxed against Hiei.

“Your fever is back.” Hiei commented.

“Ummmm…….” They all looked at Kuwabara, nervously shuffling his feet. Finally, he held out his hand, and the group looked at what was in it. Kurama blinked at the black tear gems that filled Kuwabara’s palm.

“Hiei….?” He gasped, and looked at his lover, who was staring at his tear gems.

“I thought it had killed you…” Hiei murmured, and held Kurama close. “I thought that you were lost to me… forever.”

“I’ll never leave you, Hiei.” Kurama assured his mate. “Never. I swear it.”

................................................................

Kurama sighed as he entered the classroom and sat down. His leg was stiff, and a bit sore, but it was manageable. He was able to hold his own sparring with Hiei yesterday. Sure, the fire demon went easy on him, but it was a sweet gesture that Kurama appreciated. The teacher came in and everyone sat down.

“Suuichi-san, nice of you to make an appearance. And where have you been?” The teacher demanded.

“Gomen, sensei. I was hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“My leg was injured and they wouldn’t let me return until today.”

“Can you prove this?”

“Hai.”

“Do you have a note?”

“No.”

“Then you have no proof.”

“Notes can be forged, so what kind of proof are they?” Kurama asked, and the teacher frowned.

“What kind of injury?” Kurama stood and pulled up the leg of his pants. He teacher gasped and the class craned their necks to see the ugly scars.

“I was hiking in the woods with some friends and got caught in a bear trap.”

“A bear trap?! What was a bear trap doing out in the woods? There are no bears.”

“Apparently some idiot was using it to try and catch a fox. He caught me instead.” Kurama said, and the youko inside of him laughed heartily at his little joke.

............................................

At lunch, Kurama made himself a salad and headed to the cafeteria when he felt a familiar ki. He saw a black flash and looked up at the window and briefly saw Hiei in a tree. The fire demon pointed up, then disappeared. Smiling to himself, Kurama took his lunch and headed up to the roof of the school. Hiei was waiting above the door, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge.

“Hello Hiei.” Kurama said, cheerfully, and sat down to eat his salad.

“Hnh.” Hiei said, and leapt down to the ground to sit by Kurama, wrinkling his nose at the boy’s lunch.

“How are you?”

“How are you?” Hiei said forcefully. Kurama smiled.

“Fine. My leg is a bit sore, but I’m fine.” Hiei grunted and nodded at Kurama’s answer.

“I heard from Botan.”

“Oh?”

“Karasu’s soul is missing.”

“What?!”

“She went to pick him up, but he fought her. Then someone, we don’t know who, appeared and hit Botan. It disappeared, Karasu with it. That incompetent woman has let Karasu loose.”

“So I guess we have our next case.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Koenma wants us to leave this alone. There have been no problems, and he wants you to heal completely. Yukina told me to tell you to come see her soon. She can take away that scar on your leg.”

“That would be nice.” Kurama said.

“You sound distracted.”

“How can I possibly rest easy, knowing that Karasu is out there somewhere. He’ll know I’m alive. And he’ll come for me.”

“Ghosts have limits. He cannot hurt you, Kurama. And as a ghost, he is weak. Should he show himself, there’s nothing to defend him from any of us. Koenma has given his word.”

“Well, if Koenma has given his word…” Kurama said, and smiled as he ate.

“And besides. I’m here to protect you.”

“You aren’t always here.” Kurama pointed out.

“Well, I’ve thought of that.” Hiei said, and Kurama blinked, noting his small lover blush.

“Hiei?”

“I’m staying with you, Kurama. I’m not leaving. You said you’re thinking of getting an apartment. If you do, I’ like to live with you. Maybe even…. Go to…… school…” Kurama’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Hiei?!”

“Well, it’s just that, Yukina wants to, and wants me to try it and…..” Hiei stammered, bright red.

“Why Hiei, you’re embarrassed!” Kurama teased, and Hiei glared at him.

“One word to those two humans, and I’ll—“ He was cut off by Kurama kissing him.

“I won’t tell. I promise. I love you, Hiei. And I’d love it if you would live with me, and come to school. It would be good for you. If you’re going to live among us stupid humans, you’re going to have to learn to act like a stupid human. And what better way than at school.” Kurama said, and Hiei snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Once those two humans find out, I’m never going to hear the end of it.” Hiei grumbled. Kurama finished his lunch and stood, taking Hiei’s hand. He dragged him down the stairs.

“Where are you taking me, kit?”

“To the front office.”

“What?! Why?!?”

“To get you registered for school.”

“WHAT?!? NO! FOX, STOP!! KIT! I don’t want to... KURAMAAAA!!!!!!”

Kurama laughed as he pulled Hiei down the halls. This would be the beginning of a whole lot of fun.