A Different Version

A.N.: Hi there! I’m new here, so please be gentle.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Really.
Warning: This is un-beta read.


Summary: What if things were different? What if Yusuke was raised by his ‘father’, Raizen, in the Makai, instead of his mother in the Ningenkai? What if the events that happened in the original series happened in a slightly different order, and at a different time? As in, none of this happened until he was twenty?…

Chapter 1


For almost five years, Yusuke had done Koenma small favors in regards to the human realm. And for almost five years, Koenma pretended that he had the power to control the half-breed, and allowed him to spend large amounts of time in the company of humans. Yusuke wasn’t like many other demons. He didn’t want to destroy the human world, or devour the near powerless humans, or cause any sort of chaos for King Enma’s favorite race. So he was allowed to wander through the streets, unhindered.

As of yesterday, a rather flustered and stressed Koenma paid a visit to Yusuke. He had informed the demon of a robbery in the royal vaults, and he was to retrieve the items and bring the thieves to the spirit world. The young man figured that this would be less complicated than finding Rando, and less annoying than thrashing the Saint Beasts. And now that the young (relatively) god had assigned his head ferry girl to help him in his quest, he wouldn’t have to go back to Spirit World to give his report. She could do that for him if he asked.

So now, the two of them were wandering through Uptown, trying not to look suspicious and out of place among the rich snobs doing their casual shopping. They succeeded, until a burst of energy from fifty yards ahead prompted them into running and pushing their way through the gathering crowd. In the middle was a woman, holding her young son and slipping into hysterics. The boy wasn’t responding to her cries, or to her shaking of his shoulders, and the murmuring of the crowd allowed them to know that this was the fourth child to faint in two days.

Botan, his temporary assistant, stepped away, staring at something just over the heads of the humans. Following her gaze, Yusuke sucked in a large lung-full of air. A small soul was drifting away from them, unnoticed by the humans on the street. The two of them took off at the same time, chasing the soul as it wound its way through several more streets and alleyways.

They almost lost it when a group of thugs decided that they needed to lose a few teeth, but when the rain started up again, they were able to resume the trail. The clearing was an interesting thing, especially as the two of them could see the lines of power keeping the water out. That was a big tip off, and right when they needed it, too.

Yusuke motioned to the ferry girl, telling her without words that she might be safer in the air where the others couldn’t reach her. She agreed, silently, and took to the sky after summoning her oar. Once he was sure that she was hovering at a safe distance, he returned his attention to the clearing he could just see through the trees. Their powers didn’t feel like anything special, but one was high enough to do damage to Botan. It also felt like a wildfire. He grinned, and walked toward the clearing, thinking he was prepared for anything.

SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACE

Hiei couldn’t stop smiling. The raid of Spirit World’s most prized possessions had gone as planned. He was now the proud owner of the Conjuring Blade; a sword that can turn anything it cuts into demons of the lowest class. Goki, the first of his companions, was gloating about the Orb of Baast, and how it could pull the souls out of his victims undamaged. Their silent friend, Kurama, simply stared pensively at the third treasure, the Forlorn Hope. He said nothing, and did not participate in the glee of the others.

Their triumph was stopped when a stranger stepping into the clearing, an amused grin on his face. The attention of all three was now fixed on the young man with slicked back black hair. “I’m sorry,” he said, still grinning widely. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Who the Hell are you?” asked Hiei, sneering. Nothing about this man was impressive, aside from his apparent physical strength. His shoulders were broad, and tapered down to a narrow waist and long legs. But his aura reeked of humanity, leaving the demon with the notion that he was no threat what so ever. He was startled out of his musing when the man answered his earlier question. “My name’s Yusuke, and you are under arrest for stealing from Spirit World. Are you going to come quietly, or do I have to drag you back every step of the way?”

Hiei burst out laughing. The very idea that a human was going to arrest him and haul him to the toddler god was more than his stoic mask could take. After a moment, Goki joined in with that horrible deep grating sound he called a laugh. Kurama, however, paled slightly, and tried to calm his pounding heart. The plants around them had conveyed their impression of hidden strength of the man to him, and he trusted them more than his own senses at the moment. He had also heard of Koenma’s bounty hunter, named Yusuke Urameshi, and had a sinking feeling in his gut that this was the same person. “Hiei…” he started, but the demon wasn’t listening to him. Instead, he pointed the sword at the detective, unable to wipe the grin off his face. “Do you know who you’re talking to, human? I am Hiei, and no detective from the Ningenkai could ever hope to best me! Do your worst!”

The man grinned, shifting his stance from relaxed to ready. “Alright. Here I go.” And he vanished. Hiei blinked, before something slammed into the back of his head, making his vision go white as he flew through the air. He must have blacked out, because the next thing he registered was Goki’s head landing on the grass some twelve feet from his body. Both the sword and the orb were in Yusuke’s possession, and from where he lay, the fire demon could see him slowly advance on Kurama, one hand held out for the mirror.

Hiei struggled with his body, trying to get it to get up and destroy that man, but nothing responded to his commands. Neither did his youki, and he realized that the detective must have planted a ward of some sort on him when he was struck. He could only watch as Kurama, shaking in fear, tried to run away with the dark item, only to have Yusuke use his speed and appear in front of him.

Finally, the fox was pinned against a tree, unable to run or hold the mirror out of the other’s reach. Yusuke pulled it from his fingers, and when Kurama tried to attack him for it, he was bundled up under the raven-haired man’s other arm like so much laundry. No amount of wriggling or struggling loosened his hold, and eventually the fox gave up. It took everything he had to hold back the tears of shame and guilt, but he managed it.

The last thing Hiei saw before he blacked out again was Yusuke turning back to face him, speaking to something over the fire demon’s shoulder in a satisfied tone of voice.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

Yusuke lay on his bed in his apartment, absently smoking a cigarette. One week had passed since he retrieved the dark items for Koenma, four days since he had given his testimony during their trial, and twenty minutes since he had stepped out of the shower and prepared for sleep. Something was bothering him, something in the back of his mind telling him that the day was not over yet, and that he had best be on his guard.

He didn’t have long to wait. Before he was halfway through his cigarette, there was a sharp knock on his front door. Here we go, thought the demon, and was downstairs in seconds. Koenma stood there, with several ogres and a bound Kurama, who refused to look at anything except the floor. Yusuke raised an eyebrow, and stepped aside, allowing the lot of them in. Surprisingly, they were silent, and they congregated in his living room. Kurama was shoved to his knees by the ogres leading him, and the god of the dead turned his gaze to his detective.

“Sorry for bothering you so late,” Koenma didn’t look or sound sorry, but the demon let it slide. “But I felt that you would like to know the results of the trial.”

“I was curious, yeah.”

“Well, the review committee has decided that while Kurama had no intention of endangering humans, he is still guilty of theft from my father’s personal vault.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” asked Yusuke. Koenma reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small object, glancing at it briefly before throwing it at the demon. Reflexively, he raised his left arm to protect his face, feeling whatever was thrown strike him. A bright flash of light, and something attached itself to his wrist. Something cold, hard, and metallic.

The light was gone, and irritated, Yusuke lowered his arm glancing at it before glowering at Koenma. “The hell is this?” around his wrist was a small cylinder of metal, possibly steel, with a strip of emerald green through the middle. His gaze was transferred to Kurama when the redhead cried out and staggered forward, both of his wrists attaching to the demons’ own one. The clinking of metal didn’t go unnoticed.

“Koenma…” growled Yusuke. Said godling took a short step back. “This is part of his punishment. Since you are the only one we can trust with him, he is now your responsibility.”

“Can’t you put him up with someone else?”

“Like I said, we can’t trust anyone else. If you don’t take him, then we’ll just put him in the prison until his sentence is up. You have no idea what that place does to the human mind.”

Growling, the demon’s reply was unintelligible, which was probably just as well. Koenma walked past his detective, his ogres following. “I’ll try to lessen your case load, seeing as you now have to care for someone. Try to be nice to him, won’t you?” his voice faded as his body did, and then they were gone. Yusuke was left standing in his living room with the beautiful Kurama kneeling at his feet, his wrists attached to the young demon lords’ left one. The redhead was avoiding his gaze, instead finding the floor very interesting.

Yusuke sighed, and reached up with his other hand to tilt his prisoner’s head up. The fox was obviously scared, and unsure of his future now that he belonged to a war god. “Kurama…” he began, but stopped, unsure of what he would say. Slowly, tears began to well up in his beautiful green eyes, and he lowered his lids, striking something long forgotten in the toushin’s chest. “Hey. Look at me.” intoned Yusuke softly. Kurama flinched, but opened his eyes nonetheless, steadily meeting a firm chocolate gaze. “I’m not going to hurt you. I swear it. But since we’re going to be living together, I going to have to ask you to trust me.”

Kurama didn’t know what to think. Here he was, helpless and on his knees before one of the strongest demons in existence, nay, one of the strongest beings in existence… and he was being reassured? Has the world gone mad? He tried to speak, but his voice refused to cooperate with the demands of his brain, and was left gaping like a fish out of water. A few tears escaped from his eyes, making Yusuke flinch this time. Franticly, his mind sought for something to say.

“Ah… you look tired. We should talk more tomorrow.” He moved to help the fox up, but remembered that they were still attached at the wrist when he was unable to grasp Kurama’s hand with his own left. “Oh, yeah. You wouldn’t know how to work these things, would you?” numbly, the fox nodded. “Th-think about the cuffs, and imagine them separating.”

It took Yusuke a moment, but sure enough, the shackles detached themselves from each other. Both of Kurama’s arms fell limp at his sides, an expression of pained relief crossing his face. Slowly, he reached up, stretching out the stiff sensation along his toned biceps. The demon lord simply rotated his left arm, then extended it to help the red head to his feet.

“Now what?”

A.N.: Please review. Pretty please?