Adult-FanFiction.org : YuYu Hakusho

Second Try
By : kle10
Category: Yuyu Hakusho > Yaoi - Male/Male
Views: 5939 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH.
Chapter List
- 1-Love is Love
- 2-Missing
- 3-Past
- 4-Gift
- 5-Obsession
- 6-Journey
- 7-Night
- 8-Destiny
- 9-Memory
- 10-Intrusion
- 11-Omen
- 12-Threat
- 13-Concession
- 14-Heedless
- 15-Damaged
- 16-Artifice
- 17-Encounter
- 18-Consideration
- 19-Revelation
- 20-Boundaries
- 21-Schism
- 22-Visitant
- 23-Fraught
- 24-Epilogue: Third Try
- 18
- 19
- 20
Disclaimer: I don’t own Yuu Yuu Hakusho, or any of its characters. Those belong to Yoshihiro Togashi-sama, who made a lot more out of them than I ever could have. ^^;; I just do fanfiction for fun, and earn no monetary rewards for writing it. Reviews are, of course, worth as much as silver.
Title: Second Try

Chapter Nineteen: Revelation

Word Count: 7,796
[Total Word Count: 132.495]
Anime: Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Pairing: HieixKurama, KanisawaxKurama

Warning: Suspense, violence, language, BL
Author: Kita Kitsune

Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Miscellaneous Notes: Oops, a new chapter. My mistake… Anyway! Style might be a little odd (as I haven’t written anything for this fic in three years), and I’m sorry if it feels a bit rushed, but I really want to get to the good stuff, and if I drag it on for too much longer my energy for this fic might wane, again. Here’s hoping I can keep it up, you guys! Wish me luck, and please forgive any typos, as I wrote this pretty quick (in about a week, so – yes, pretty quick, indeed!).
: : : : : : :
            The conversation didn’t last long. Kanisawa wasn’t about to let his current freedom be traded for old enslavement – and he told Ani such, although perhaps not in such polite language. Predictably, it wasn’t the smartest thing to say. Still, looking back, Kanisawa found he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
            Ani didn’t give Kanisawa any time to react. Spindly fingers slammed out, stretched to gruesome proportions and he rolled to the side, curling his hands into fists at his sides. He thought quickly. He was no match for Ani like this, unable to use his youki and essentially human. His stamina was not what it had been. Frustrated and angry, he turned to run, sprinting. An unexpected explosion shot out from behind him and Kanisawa felt a wave of pleasure – the same he’d felt, every time he’d detonated his own bombs. He turned slightly, greatcoat flapping in the wind as he stared in shock at the smoking crater where Ani had been. For a moment he hoped vainly he had succeeded, but the laughter told him all as the dust cleared, revealing Ani’s stolen form.
            “The winds of Makai helping your youki return to your new body, are they? Well, not fast enough!” Ani shrieked and lunged for him and Kanisawa leapt to the side, Ani’s sharp extended fingertips scratching along his arm and he cursed inwardly. He didn’t know how much this body could stand, so using it as a bomb was out of the question. Besides which, he hadn’t used a mask in months, so the explosive material in his lungs would be minimal. This was risky, too – Kurama was nearby, and at the very least would sense Ani’s youki. If Kanisawa showed too much of what he truly was, his farce would be ruined.
            Kanisawa grit his teeth. He didn’t know why the thought bothered him that much, but it did. He rolled deftly behind a tree, hearing the bark crack as Ani’s fingers impaled it, and cursed his luck. Fingertips rolled together and youki sparked against them – a small grenade, in his hand. Kanisawa didn’t spare his minimal energy in making it visible, just pushed himself to the side and threw the bomb at Ani’s arm. It hit (of course it did, centuries of experience weren’t for naught) and Ani shrieked. Kanisawa took the bare moment of advantage to run away.
            It may not have been noble, but he hadn’t been able to beat Ani even before he’d died. In a human body, with his powers limited and all-but-gone, he didn’t stand a chance.
: : :
            Kurama and Yuusuke sensed it at the same time, tensing and jerking their gazes back to the forest. Their eyes slid towards each other, faces tense, and they acted as one. Yuusuke pulled Mitarai onto his shoulders as Kurama sprinted into the underbrush, plants parting to make a path for him (and one for Yuusuke, trailing behind at a slower pace due to their hostage-guide). They both knew that ki signature, even if it was muddled. Someone with that level of sadistic killing glee in their youki could only be Toguro Ani. As much as he might want to deny it, Kurama trusted his senses. They had never lied to him. And Toguro Ani being this gleeful couldn’t mean anything good for anyone in the nearby vicinity.
: : :
            Hiei tensed at the explosion, senses zeroing in on it immediately. Kurama’s ki was speeding towards it, as was Yuusuke’s, albeit at a curiously slower pace. He moved to go join them, but upon feeling resistance, was reminded of Yukina still holding fast to his elbow.
            “Hiei-san.” She said quietly, her tone as ice, allowing no room for argument. Reluctantly, he looked back at her, and the hard set of her good left eye reminded him how much they were really alike. The chastising look softened minutely, and Hiei tensed at the unfamiliarly kind expression aimed at him. “’Niisan.” Her other hand moved to clasp her own hand atop his elbow. “Why did you run away? Why did you not tell me?” Her voice was soft but accusing, and deeply hurt. Against his will, Hiei felt the bitter taste of guilt. He swallowed the fear and spoke bluntly.
            “I do not want a sister. You are a burden to protect.” His expression was flat and unreadable as he said this; no different than normal. But outrage sparked in Yukina’s good eye and before he could realize it, he had grabbed her hand out of reflex as it made to slap him. His eyes wide with shock – his sweet sister, trying to hit someone? – it took Hiei a moment to realize her good eye was brimming with tears. He watched as they fell and crystallized, bouncing lightly off the frozen ground.
            “Do not lie to me! You think I do not see your heart, after all you have done for me? If I was a burden, you would have let Tarukane keep me captive! If I was a burden, you would have allowed that wall in the Ankoku Bujuutsukai to fall on me!” Hiei saw an opening and took it.
            “I was only – ”
            “You were not following orders, so do not lie to me again, ‘Niisan!” The unfamiliar title made him uneasy, long enough for Yukina to press her advantage in his silence. “You follow no one’s orders but your own – if you did not agree with them, you would not act! I know this because that is what Hina-okaasan did with our father, what she tried to do for you despite Koorime Law dictating you must be banished by your own mother’s hand – she refused, and Rui-okaasan was forced to act in her stead! Hina-okaasan had to be restrained when you were exiled, otherwise she would have kept you, even despite the Law! I know this about you because it is also what I would do, and we are family whether you are willing to accept that or not!” Her hands were clutching to him; like icicles, but not uncomfortable, and Hiei found himself unable to move as Yukina embraced him to her. Her sobs were silent, muffled in his scarf, and for once in his life, Hiei couldn’t bring himself to run away.
            His promise to the Jagan-implanter Shigure was vague and hazy, but it didn’t matter now, anyway. She had figured it out on her own, and Yukina was apparently just as stubborn as he himself. Despite the battle-ki raging, and Kurama’s apparent concern by rushing towards it, Hiei allowed Yukina this moment, still inwardly undecided over what to do with her, from now on. He had spent so long skirting around the shadows of her affection, to bear the full force of it was something he was not sure he was prepared for.
            Notwithstanding his utter mess of a failure when it had come to sharing affection with Kurama, the effects of which were still detonating in his face even half a year later.
: : :
            Kanisawa bit the inside of his cheek as Toguro successfully impaled him through the torso, purposefully avoiding internal organs to draw out the agony. Kanisawa still grunted in pain as he was held aloft like a butterfly on display, those black eyes below him glittering maliciously. That irritating cackle echoed in the newly-created clearing surrounding them – mostly Ani’s doing. Kanisawa had felt Kurama’s ki coming closer, and so he had resolved to buy time, since he couldn’t run away. But buying time without giving himself away meant only running from Ani’s relentless attacks, and his human body was ill-trained and fragile. Not quite as fragile as a normal human’s, of course, but still a far cry from Kurama’s stamina, now that Youko’s power had nearly returned to his human form. He was lucky that he had only gotten a bomb or two off before noticing Kurama approaching, so there were no smoking remains to give tell-tale signs of his identity. His bombs hadn’t even done much good, as it seemed Ani had added regeneration to his list of disgusting abilities. Kanisawa felt himself sway, Ani clearly relishing having the upper hand far too much.
            “Tired of a human life, already?” Ani taunted up at his dangling prey in that nasally deranged voice of his. “Giving up? Well, let me be the one to end your suffering!” The ground was suddenly coming up at a dizzying speed and Kanisawa squinted his eyes against the wind with an inward curse. Kurama or no, he couldn’t die like this – he started to gather his youki, balling it in his fist, fingers uncurling around it as the bomb gained substance against his palm. Kanisawa released it, flinging the bomb at his opponent as Ani shrieked in infuriated surprise. Kanisawa brought his forearms up to shield his face from the brunt of the blast, feeling it sear along the edges of his greatcoat as the shockwave buoyed him away from the ground and into the air, smashing back-first into the upper canopy of a tree and down until he was abruptly stopped, limbs canted at awkward angles and the trunk digging into his spine. He undoubtedly had a concussion, and Kanisawa swore he could feel each and every cut and bruise on his sensitive human flesh. He was even bleeding in a few places, if the shallow burn of the pain of many little cuts meant anything. His greatcoat was ruined from numerous holes, and the sleeves were now in tatters, burned away by the blast and leaving the skin of his forearms red and raw. His pants were likely in the same state. Kanisawa ached everywhere, and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gain his bearings. He knew Ani would be on him as soon as he regenerated, but it would do no good to move the wrong way and find himself tumbling out of the tree. Human bodies were so fragile – he had said that to Kurama, once, during their fight. How ironic, to be experiencing it, himself, so excruciatingly.
            Kanisawa heard a garbled roar of rage from Ani’s newly-forming vocal cords, and winced. First, he had to get out of this tree… Ani could no doubt sense his minimal youki, as well as reiki, otherwise he would have never found him in the first place. In the back of his muddled mind he didn’t quite register what he should have, although the voice cut that cut through the clearing was as cold as ice.
            “Toguro Ani. I thought I detected your stench.” There was a demented cackle in response to that comment, and Kanisawa closed his eyes in equal parts relief and fear.
            “Your nose has grown more sensitive, fox. But I’m not the same as I was!”
            Kurama remained still as Ani charged him, only dodging when he came too close, trying to quickly understand the situation. He’d caught a glimpse of the aftermath of some explosion, and realized Ani now possessed the ability to regenerate. Kurama knew his best chance would be to slow Ani’s reflexes. But it was possible Ani could force whatever plant Kurama used on him out of his system, since he had such a molecular control over himself, and so this was only a temporary option. It was far better than nothing, and gave him a few precious moments to think of a more permanent solution.
            Janenju? But would he have the time to let the hallucinations of the Wicked Desire Tree take effect? It would definitely work against Ani’s regenerative abilities, and a fog might give him time, but it seemed an extreme solution. Kurama shelved it in his mind as a last resort, even as he brought out his Rose Whip to parry Ani’s deadly, ever-changing finger spears. Abruptly, Ani laughed, spindly-sharp limbs stabbing out at him.
            “I know all your tricks, Kurama! There’s no winning this battle!” Kurama jerked back in surprise, eyes narrowing as he landed in a crouch, some feet away. Instead of pressing the advantage, Ani cocked his head, looking thoughtful for a moment before a broad, deranged grin stretched across his face. He gazed towards Kurama, far too gleeful.
            “Oh, you have been a naughty fox, haven’t you? Let’s see what’s behind Door Number One!” He cackled, and Kurama braced himself, but that arm lunged out at a random tree, cutting through the branches like a hot knife through milk. He stared at Ani in palpable confusion, but the other demon just grinned toothily at him. “Oh, looks like that was a dud. Let’s try Door Number Two!” Ani attacked another tree, his strident laugh like nails against the blackboard of Kurama’s sensitive hearing. “Still nothing? Well, I’m sure there’s something behind Door. Number. Three!”
Ani had clearly been driven further into insanity by his newfound abilities, if he was attacking plant life in an effort to raise Kurama’s ire. Kurama refocused on finding a way to beat him – that is, until he saw someone drop clumsily from that final tree just before those needle-sharp fingers cut through the branches. The person landed on his feet momentarily before collapsing to his knees, and then falling forward onto his front, at the edge of the clearing.
Green eyes widened in alarmed recognition as Kanisawa pushed himself up from the ground on shaking arms. Brown eyes peering wearily out from beneath the tangled mess of his fine, black hair met Kurama’s from across the distance. Kanisawa’s long dark coat was torn, the sleeves dangling as shreds from his shoulders. Whatever had hit him to cause such injury had also burned through the shirt he’d been wearing beneath that coat, his forearms looking painfully red even from this distance. His cheek had blood smeared on it, from a scabbing cut.
            What is he –
            Kurama didn’t know what Kanisawa was doing, here, of all places, at the edge of a battle with Toguro Ani. But the short-lived moment of panic was quashed, forced under a calm façade as his mind reworked the situation, furiously, to find a solution. He had to protect Kanisawa and beat Toguro Ani. By all of the indicators, Ani wasn’t just bluffing about knowing what Kurama was thinking, either. How else would he have known what Kanisawa was, to him? Certainly the human boy wasn’t stupid enough to say anything that would make him such ideal bait…
            “Yes, very good, Kurama.” Ani crooned, spreading his arms out, wide and disfigured. “But you’ve no way to beat me! I’ll take great relish in killing this little human in front of you, but maybe I should play with you, first, and tell you – ” A rock bounced off Ani’s forehead, mid-sentence, and he looked shocked for a moment, before it degraded into fury. Not directed at Kurama, but at Kanisawa, who had thrown the rock and was now standing on shaking legs.
            “Kurama!” Kanisawa’s voice, always so softly refined, was louder in shouting than he could have imagined. “Can you beat this guy?” Ani roared in rage, and extended his fingers to kill the boy. Kurama wouldn’t get there fast enough, but he still tried to move in time, and was surprised as he watched Kanisawa fall into a roll to the side which allowed him to dodge, even though it looked painful for his injuries as he righted himself. Brown eyes swung back to Kurama, pleading for help even as a flicker of a plan showed through them. I’ll distract him – Ani shrieked, slicing his stretched-out hands towards the defenseless human.
            “You’ll do no such thing! I’ll cut you to ribbons in front of him before you ever have a chance!”
Kurama didn’t let his thoughts form into a plan that Ani would know the moment he conceived it, instead just acted on instinct. Starting at a dead run towards the middle of the clearing behind Ani, not taking his eyes off his opponent, Kurama shoved the hand not holding his Rose Whip into his hair, grabbing a random seed without taking the time to identify it. He gave it a burst of ki to make it germinate and closed his eyes so he wouldn’t know what it was and give Ani an edge involuntarily, putting all his trust in the seed itself.
            There was a screech like a wounded vulture, and Kurama opened his eyes to see the limbs Ani had extended to catch Kanisawa entangled in a mess of Chainsaw Ivy – a favorite disguise for the doorways to his dens. The leaves were edged in saw-like teeth, and the plant used them to make numerous small cuts, providing the perfect vehicle for the paralyzing agent seeping naturally from the flat of the leaves. It was not strong enough to take effect by skin contact alone, but rather required the plasma in blood to complete the cycle of paralysis. It had sprouted from Kurama’s hand and wound quickly around Toguro’s torso and limbs, cutting him in innumerable places. Already his movements were slowing, anger burning in his eyes as Ani turned to screech at Kurama inhumanly in frustration. He tore some of the ivy away, already concentrating on healing himself and Kurama didn’t know how much time he had until his regenerative abilities nullified the paralysis. Hopefully the agent would slow his neural passages, as well.
            Sparing a glance towards Kanisawa, his eyes hardened. Stay there. It was obvious even though the boy couldn’t hear him in his head – as most more-evolved demons could – that he understood, Kanisawa’s eyes widening as he nodded hurriedly, scrambling back into the cover of the trees to at least attempt being hidden. Kurama turned his attention back to Ani, green eyes narrowing. The sooner he finished this, the better.
            Kurama strode towards Ani, Rose Whip held ready at his side, in his right hand. Ani was still struggling with his vines, glaring at him, but Kurama was already lifting his left hand. He whispered the incantation as though to a lover – “Fuuka Enbujin.” – palm facing upward in front of his chest, a whirlwind of razor-sharp rose petals slicing out at the other demon, not failing to make contact as Ani screeched, trying to swipe out at them, but his movements were slowed by the ivy. Once the petals fluttered away, the attack ending, Ani was rendered utterly unable to move. The small, numerous additional cuts from the petals had finally allowed the Chainsaw Ivy’s paralyzing agent to completely freeze him in place. It had done its job well, and Kurama quietly sent a pulse of grateful ki out to the ivy.
Leaping up into the air, Kurama called in a firm voice – “Kagon Rets’tansh’!” – and literally cut Ani to ribbons, his Rose Whip a frenzied blur of deadly green slashes much like it had been against Genbu. It was too much to hope that that would be the end of it, however, and Kurama landed neatly, spinning around and tossing a seed into the midst of the chunks of flesh once the last hit the ground. The seed sprouted with another burst of ki, fronds opening towards the sun and numerous small blooms atop them squelching together with sucking sideways mouths – his Piranha Fern. They vaguely resembled ferns visually, but the mouth-like flowers dotted over them were carnivorous. Greedily, the ferns bent over the chunks of youki-infused flesh, tiny deadly mouths sucking the ground clean. Tendrils waved out from its roots, searching for more; Piranha Ferns were always hungry. Kurama turned his back on the scene, striding towards where he had last seen Kanisawa, eyes closed and face angled down as he came to grips with what end must come.
            Yuusuke chose that moment to burst into the clearing, still dragging Mitarai. He looked first at the feasting plant, then at Kurama, and belatedly noticed the other person climbing out of the brush on the other side of the clearing, looking ragged. Yuusuke’s brows furrowed, a question on his mind already, but Kurama’s quiet voice gave him pause.
            “Shoot it, Yuusuke.” Yuusuke stared at him.
            “What? But Ani – ”
            “I said shoot it!” The raw anguish in that tone was unexpected, and the pained look in those green eyes from over Kurama’s shoulder made Yuusuke gape for a moment.
            “What happened?” Kurama gestured towards the mass of (rather disturbing, really, but that was Makai plant life for you) undulating green ferns and what looked like tiny pink flowers dotted over them, uncharacteristically impatient.
            “Toguro Ani has been dealt with, but he will regenerate. The only solution is to completely destroy any evidence of his molecules. The Piranha Fern has ingested every bit of him, but in its numerous stomachs Ani may again be able to combine enough molecules to regenerate.” The tall, lanky youth behind Kurama paled.
            “No…”
            “Yes.” Kurama confirmed, tightly, eyes never leaving Yuusuke’s face. “Please, Yuusuke. Shoot it.” Shaking his head in bemusement at the odd situation, Yuusuke nonetheless shouldered the still-unconscious Mitarai from his back, leaning him against a tree. Walking forward a few steps, Yuusuke spread his feet on the ground in a stabilizing position as he raised his arms into the Spirit Gun stance. It was Kurama’s plant, and furthermore the fox was right. Even though Yuusuke knew it pained Kurama to ask someone to destroy one of his beloved plants like that, he was right.
Kurama looked away as Yuusuke let the hum of his reiki collect, and Yuusuke noticed the black-haired person in front of him reach out for him. Questions about that could come later. Kurama actually had made it easier to destroy Ani by using his plant to gather him all together – a well-aimed Reigun should do the trick. Yuusuke pictured the result in his mind; to incinerate every part of the plant, not blow it apart, because that wouldn’t help them at all if Ani could still put himself together, afterwards. Yuusuke needed to destroy the very molecules to ensure victory.
He adjusted the power needed to meet this careful balance, took aim, and shot.
: : :
            Jin was eying the pair of siblings from the corner of his vision while he floated, cross-legged, in the air. The only thing mildly hilarious about this was that he was trying to be discreet. Touya eyes were closed, but he knew this even without watching Jin; having known him so long, the slightest change in Jin’s ki was obvious.
            “Stop staring. If you keep this up, Hiei’s going to notice.” Jin made an unhappy sound, spinning so he was upside-down, complaining in Touya’s still-composed-and-purposefully-unseeing face.
            “I can’t help it! Who would’ve thought Yuki-chan and Hiei were related?”
            “Their eyes, for one.” Touya stated dryly. Jin waved his arms in energetic protest to this; Touya knew because he felt the slightest currents of wind from the movement against his face.
            “But lotsa demons have red eyes! Y’r’member that one guy, Karasu? And Yuki-chan doesn’t have a Jagan, either – ”
            “To be honest – ” Touya stated, calmly interrupting what was sure to become a rant if he didn’t stop it now. “I don’t think Hiei wanted her to know. He seems the type to have many enemies. Surely you can understand this.”
“Doesn’t mean I have t’ like ‘t.” Now Jin was pouting, and at this Touya finally opened his eyes to look at his friend. Jin’s cheeks were puffed out, and his expression was sulky. Touya sighed.
“Are you jealous?” It was a blunt comment, and Jin squawked, jettisoning awkwardly backwards in the air at his shock, his entire face turning red.
“W-W-What! No!” Touya allowed himself a very small smirk, and glanced briefly over to where Yukina and Hiei were talking quietly. Well… Yukina was talking, at any rate. Hiei, to his credit, hadn’t disappeared yet, so perhaps that could count as ‘listening’ – at least, in his book. But Touya let Jin off the hook, for now, changing the subject as he looked back at his friend.
“Did you recognize that ki?” Jin stopped in his protests, blinking at Touya for a moment as he digested this. His face grew serious, and he nodded.
“Toguro Ani. Feels like Kurama got him, though. Yuusuke’s there, too.” Touya nodded.
“We should head over there.” He glanced towards Yukina, again, features tightening minutely as he remembered the first glimpse he’d caught of her injury. “Maybe Kurama has something to help her eye heal correctly.” Jin was strangely quiet, at this, and Touya glanced over to find that the Wind Master’s hands had curled into fists.
“Whoever hurt Yuki-chan isn’t going to get away.” Jin said quietly, unnaturally vehement about this idea of revenge. Touya smiled, a little.
“Are you beginning to understand why Yuusuke wanted to use his anger to fight you, after Bakken beat Kurama?” Jin started, blinking up at him, then grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with one hand, back to his old self.
“Heh, yeah. Anger makes you feel strong; undefeatable.” Jin’s blue eyes drifted towards the pair of siblings off to the side, again. “But revenge is different, when you have someone you want to protect.”
“Sounds like you’ve found that someone.” Touya observed quietly, and Jin’s ears went a little pink, again, as he grinned faintly.
“Maybe. If she wants me to protect her.” Touya smirked.
“I think you’d be wise to ask Hiei about that one.” Jin laughed; a great, belly-laugh, that had him rolling around in the air.
“Hahaha! Maybe he’s willing to share?” Yukina had turned at the sound of his laughter, and Jin gave a wider grin, waving cheekily at her despite Hiei’s irate glare. Yukina’s face softened from curiosity into a smile, and she inclined her head, politely.
“I don’t think he has a choice in who she wants to protect her.” Touya looked on, stoically amused. The fire demon was so obviously uncomfortable at Yukina’s reaction, it was just too funny. Jin floated cheerfully over to them, arms bent at the elbows and palms pressed into his knees as he sat, cross-legged, still grinning like a loon.
“You guys ready to go?”
: : :
            Kanisawa sat at the edge of the clearing that’d once been a battleground, allowing Kurama to tend to his wounds. Yuusuke was sitting across from him, watching him, as the blond boy – ostensibly one of Ani’s comrades – laid, passed out, against a tree trunk. They made a slightly-lopsided rectangle, as Kurama was directly at Kanisawa’s side. Yuusuke’s brown eyes were hard and thoughtful, and Kanisawa resisted the urge to squirm under them. This… boy had been Toguro Otouto’s match. There was a grudging level of respect for him; under all that brash attitude was the power to back it up. Kanisawa looked away. He didn’t know if Yuusuke could sense him, and it’d been incredibly lucky Ani hadn’t let his secret slip, but still…
            “Where did these burns come from?” Kurama’s voice was quiet, at his side, and Kanisawa jerked. He felt careful green eyes on him; questioning without asking. He made an attempt at a shrug, head ducking down bashfully. “Was it the explosion?” Kanisawa nodded, and Kurama sighed.
            “Where the hell did Ani get an explosive from?” Yuusuke burst into the conversation, and Kanisawa risked a glance up at him. The boy was frowning. Kanisawa’s eyes slid away.
            “I don’t know… I was searching for Kurama, and that…” Kanisawa was careful not to use a name no ordinary human boy should be familiar with. “ – that thing came out of the woods and attacked me. I didn’t say anything, but he still knew about Kurama.” He added, quietly. “I think he could read my mind.” It was an uncomfortable thing to admit, and Kanisawa felt Kurama’s hands pause in their healing work. Then, one reached out for Kanisawa’s own hand, covering it atop his own thigh.
            “You’re taking this remarkably well.” Kurama murmured. Kanisawa felt a pained smile pull at his expression, but he tried to smooth it out into a rueful one, glancing sideways at the fox.
            “Well, with fox spirits in human bodies, trees coming to life, rose petals as sharp as a razor’s edge and other plants that can do seriously creepy things – ” Kanisawa glanced towards the smoldering spot that had been Kurama’s carnivorous plant, before back at the fox. “I guess I’ve adjusted?” Kurama smiled at him, a little, and Yuusuke huffed, breaking the moment. Kanisawa quashed the urge to sigh, glancing at the boy. Yuusuke was pointing at them; back-and-forth between them, to be precise.
            “Right. So… ‘This’.” He eyeballed Kanisawa suspiciously, before turning to Kurama. “Kurama, what’s ‘this’? You started seeing other people already?” Beside him, Kanisawa felt Kurama tense, and laid his hand over the fox’s arm.
            “Yuusuke…” Yuusuke waved a hand, dismissing him.
            “Not that I’m complaining. I mean, what Hiei did to you was pretty bastardly, and it’s healthy you’re moving on, but… What gives?” Kurama blinked, and his confusion was palpable.
            “Yuusuke?” And then Yuusuke scowled at Kurama.
            “You didn’t even tell your friends you’d gotten yourself a new boyfriend?” Unwillingly, Kanisawa felt his face burn. He felt slightly vindicated – due to a furtive side-glance – that Kurama was doing the same, even as the fox sighed in what seemed to be patient acceptance.
            “Yuusuke. There wasn’t really a moment – ”
            “Bullshit.” And now the boy sounded sulky. Kanisawa couldn’t quite help an amused smile, at that. And then Yuusuke pointed right at him, still frowning. “You. What’s your name?” Kanisawa blinked, and then allowed his expression to soften with indulgent humor, extending his hand.
            “Kanisawa Takashi. At your service.” Yuusuke snorted at the politeness, but shook his hand, anyway.
            “Urameshi Yuusuke.” Then, Yuusuke’s brown eyes gained a spark of mischief. “So how’s he in bed?” Kurama’s hackles rose, and he snapped at his friend.
            “Yuusuke!”
            “What? I’m just askin’! A guy’s gotta wonder who tops, with you – ”
            “That is hardly appropriate conversation, considering the state of affairs right now – ”
            “Oho, so it’s a ‘state of affairs’, now, is it? Those’re pretty fancy words for someone who just had one of his plants ingest a guy.” Kurama sighed irritably, and Kanisawa looked on in amusement.
            “Regardless, none of this is any of Kanisawa-san’s concern – ” Yuusuke huffed, disbelievingly.
            “Really, Kurama? Really? You’ve been dating how long and you’re still calling him by his last name? Oh, wait.” A thought seemed to strike him, and Yuusuke blinked at Kanisawa. “How long have you guys been dating?” Kanisawa felt Kurama’s ire beginning to fester, and couldn’t help a small smirk.
            “A few months.” He answered, cryptically, and was rewarded with a grin from Yuusuke, that turned into an outright teasing leer at Kurama.
            “You sneaky old fox!” Yuusuke cackled, and Kanisawa felt Kurama’s grumpiness increase; perhaps even due to the pun. He patted the fox’s hand, smiling at him gently. Kurama caught the look and actually blushed a little more, causing Yuusuke to break into full-out laughter.
            “Oh, this is great! Mighty Youko Kurama, the scourge of Makai, blushing like – hey hey hey!” The grass Yuusuke was sitting on had suddenly become very prickly indeed, Kanisawa could see, and he chuckled softly as the boy rolled off it, glaring playfully at Kurama. “Hey, I was just kiddin’! Geez, can’t take a joke?” Kanisawa glanced out of the corner of his eye at the fox, and at Kurama’s perfectly innocent expression he had to smirk, again.
            “Hey, Yuusuke!” All of their heads turned, at the voice, and Kanisawa blinked. Was that –
            “Jin!” Yuusuke bounded over, grinning widely. “And Touya, too! What’re you guys doing here?” Kurama was starting to stand, and so Kanisawa made to do the same, feeling the relief swell in Kurama’s ki. Yes, it looked to be two of the surviving members of the Mashoutsukai Team – Jin, and Touya. Kanisawa had known of them well before the Ankoku Bujutsukai, while he was still working as an assassin. They were of the shinobi of that secret order, who passed their secret techniques to the next generation. He had never had occasion to fight any of them, however. Kanisawa had only heard of them, in the darkness of his trade, and then seen them in their matches against Team Urameshi. Two steps behind and to the left of Kurama, he walked over. But there was someone else emerging from the forest, and Kanisawa let his gaze trail harmlessly over the petite teal-haired Koorime – wrapped in what looked to be a dress fashioned out of a sheet. He gave his greetings to the newcomers, and looked up as he saw someone else appear in the middle of the crater where Ani had met his end. Kanisawa had only stared, for a moment, when a pair of livid red eyes abruptly locked on him. He froze.
            The Jagan was glowing beneath the headband, and Kanisawa’s eyes widened in abrupt alarm.
            Hiei knew.
: : :
            Due to Yukina’s injuries, they made a slow path through the forest. Jin had offered to carry her, but she had politely refused, saying she was not so helpless a youkai as to require that sort of treatment. Jin and Touya went ahead a few paces, probably to give them privacy. Hiei couldn’t have hated them more if he’d tried. As Jin and Touya stepped into the clearing, Hiei stoically took in the battleground. Clearly, Toguro Ani had been dealt with. Yuusuke’s laugh was loud and annoying, and Hiei ignored it as he narrowed his eyes towards a few destroyed trees. Flitting away from Yukina’s side without a word, just as she began to emerge from the forest, he went to investigate.
            It took Hiei only a moment to recognize the traces of ki that were lingering around the branches of one tree. It was familiar. It was the same ki he had recognized on the invisible wards dotting Kurama’s neck and elbow. It was the same ki… it was here! Turning abruptly, Hiei’s senses caught on something as his eyes passed the smoldering crater. There was a wash of ki’s, here – Yuusuke’s, Kurama’s, Toguro Ani’s, and another’s. But this last one was muddled. It wasn’t the harmless human reiki Hiei had sensed in the trees. No, this was closer to his own. More… incendiary. He flit to the center of the crater, and concentrated, using the Jagan to sort through the layers of this ki, peeling them away to reveal the base power signature underneath it all.
            When he was able to match the familiar ki with one in his memory, his gaze snapped up to the source of it. His eyes locked with those of the seeming-human standing calmly at Kurama’s side, unaccosted and unrecognized by any of those around him, and Hiei’s face grew furious. Drawing his sword in an instant, he rushed at the imposter, silent as death. The liar’s face was covered in flat shock, but he still flipped away from Hiei’s blade with barely an inch of space. Kurama called out something, sounding startled and disapproving, but Hiei ignored it. If the fox couldn’t recognize the threat for what it was, Hiei’d just have to take care of it himself.
: : :
            Kanisawa dodged in time, hastily leaving Kurama’s side as Hiei’s eyes and bristling ki screamed an imminent second death at him. Like this, he was no match for –
            “Hiei!” Kurama’s sharply admonishing tone echoed in the air, but Hiei growled at it, continuing to swipe.
            “You don’t recognize him, Kurama?” Hiei snarled, not taking his eyes off Kanisawa as he continued to dodge. “You don’t feel it? Then allow me to enlighten you!” Hiei ripped the ward off the Jagan and tore into Kanisawa’s mind. Kanisawa screamed without having a choice, eyes clenching abruptly shut, hands coming up to hold the sides of his head as it felt as though it would split in two. The meager barriers he had managed to erect over the past few months were swept away in a tidal wave of raging power.
            “ –p it, Hiei! You’ll kill him!” It was Yuusuke, rushing to his rescue, jumping between them to block Hiei’s merciless sword, and a beat after that Kanisawa felt a gust of wind and Hiei was propelled away from him. He could yet hear the Jaganshi clamoring for his blood, Jagan still wide open but with Hiei’s distraction it granted him reprieve. A calm, deep voice – was that Touya? – threatened to encase Hiei in ice if he didn’t calm down; it wouldn’t stop the fire demon, but it would slow him down and force him to ‘cool off’ a bit. Soft hands guided him to lie down; two pairs, and Kanisawa felt Yuusuke and Touya as the first lines of defense against Hiei. Jin, he supposed, had been that gust of wind, and was hovering protectively above him. A kind hand on his forehead soothed the burn in his mind; it was cool, and her ki was calming. The Koorime from before, it must be. Kurama was close at hand, as well. Kanisawa felt he had to stay awake, defend himself from Hiei’s accusations, but –
            He just couldn’t prevent the darkness from swallowing him up, entirely.
: : :
            Hiei glared at Touya, who gazed back at him evenly, arms crossed over his front. Then, Hiei glared at Yuusuke, who was standing with his hands on his hips, eying him distrustfully.
            “What’re you tryin’ to prove, Hiei?” Yuusuke asked, at length, still tensed should Hiei try to dart around them and get to the poor kid – Kurama’s boyfriend – who’d just gotten a mindful of unrestrained Jagan. “Look, I figured you’d be jealous and all, but to start wailing on a human like that – ”
            “Jealous?” Hiei hissed incredulously, eyes widening a fraction. “Human?” The realization hit with tangible force, and his ki flared, reducing Touya’s restraining ice around his legs to naught but steam. Hiei saw red as he lunged again for the laid-out teen, but Yuusuke grabbed his brandished sword in one hand and his shoulder with the other, even despite the black flames licking hungrily at his fingers, speaking low.
            “You’ve gotta calm down, man. All you’re doing is convincing us you’ve lost your mind. Take it back a notch, Hiei. You want Yukina to see you like this?” At the name, Hiei hesitated, glancing towards his sister. She was watching him with obvious worry, but… Yuusuke saw Hiei’s eyes drop to the hand she had rested on Kanisawa’s forehead. Hiei trembled with rage – Yuusuke could feel it – but made a visible effort to control himself, voice a nearly incomprehensible growl.
            “Get Kurama and Yukina away from him.” Yuusuke frowned at the odd request, and Hiei glared up at him, trying to convey the direness of the situation.
            “Are you gonna try and finish him off, once they’re out of the way?” Hiei grit his teeth, grinding the back ones. Had everyone become fools in the short time he’d been away?!
            “Jin can stay there.” He ground out. “But get Kurama and Yukina away from him.” Yuusuke eyed him, and Hiei intensified his glare.
            “You gonna tell us why you went berserk, if we do that?” Hiei managed a curt nod. Yuusuke sighed, and nodded to Touya, who watched the two teammates for a moment before striding off to deliver Hiei’s conditions.
: : :
            Jin floated protectively in the air, cross-legged, over the unconscious Kanisawa, watching the group a good ways away, in case Hiei tried anything. Kurama was leaned up against a tree at the edge of the clearing, his arms folded over his stomach. Yukina was standing beside him. Yuusuke and Touya stood on Kurama’s other side, completing the semicircle. All of them stared at Hiei, expectantly.
            “Why did you attack Kanisawa-san, Hiei?” Kurama’s voice was severe, his green eyes hard and cool with anger. Hiei felt a stir of his own rage. That they had all been fooled so completely… Hiei shook his head. He needed proof.
            “First, let me remove the wards on you.” Kurama blinked at him, and Hiei smirked mirthlessly. He walked forward, and lifted a hand to push Kurama’s shirt sleeve past the elbow. The Jagan glowed as the fingers of Hiei’s other hand pressed at the bend in the limb, and Yukina gasped softly as the writing of the ward – long since settled into Kurama’s skin – glowed brightly into existence before burning slowly away. Hiei lifted his gaze to Kurama’s disbelieving stare, green eyes focused on his arm where the ward had been.
            “I hadn’t even felt it.” Kurama murmured softly, appearing greatly disturbed at this information. Hiei gestured for him to turn around, and then brushed Kurama’s hair away from the back of his neck. Hiei didn’t allow himself to think of the past, only burned away this ward, as well. When he was finished, he stepped back to his spot on the other side of the semicircle. Once there, Hiei turned to look back at them, visibly annoyed, again.
            “Now do you believe me?” Kurama stared back at him, unsure.
“That still doesn’t explain why you attacked him.” In answer, Hiei impatiently jerked his head in Kanisawa’s direction, not taking his eyes off the fox.
            “Feel out his ki, and tell me you don’t recognize it.” Those red eyes were challenging, and Kurama hesitated. It was true, there was a ki signature there that he had never sensed, before, but…
            “Kanisawa was hiding his ki from me?” The corner of Hiei’s mouth curved into a smirk.
            “More than that. I knew what the wards were for, due to the Jagan picking up the power radiating from them, but you’re the one who can read ancient Makaian. What did they say, fox?” Hiei was very nearly taunting him, but he seemed serious enough. Kurama sighed, closing his eyes briefly to the curious stares of Yukina and Yuusuke, and Touya’s unreadable one.
            “The one on my arm was for leeching youki.” It explained why Kurama had felt only two-thirds of his maximum youki output, earlier, at least. “The one on my neck – ” Hiei flashed him a painless mental image of it, and Kurama frowned at the revelation. “ – was to hide a presence from me.” He glanced back at Kanisawa, and Jin hovering over him. “Are you implying – ?”
            “Yes, it was he who put them on you.” Hiei snapped irately. “The activating ki signature matches his perfectly. Don’t you feel it?” Hiei pressed. “There’s more than reiki in that body.”
            True, Kurama could sense the smallest niggling of youki, and it was not wholly unfamiliar, but –
            “Yuusuke mentioned I should be jealous. Is that true, Kurama?” Startled at the change in subject, Kurama blinked back at Hiei, and frowned at him, gently, trying to figure out his goal in saying that.
            “It is up to you whether you are jealous or not, Hiei.” Kurama stated unflinchingly. He would not back down about this, would not feel guilty. Hiei had been the one to leave – had been the one to be bored with him. Kurama’s eyes flared with buried hurt at the memory of all those painful months, and Hiei stared impassively up at him. It was at odds with how vengeful Hiei had been, earlier.
            “You made a poor choice, fox.” Now that was a surprise – there was no anger in that comment, at all, just (what sounded like) simple truth.
            “Wait, whaddaya mean, Hiei? What choice was that?” Yuusuke finally interjected, reminding both Kurama and Hiei that this conversation was not going unobserved. Hiei again turned his back on the group, voice indifferent.
            “Check his youki, Kurama.” Hiei stated, oddly calm for him. “Surely it has not been long enough that you’ve already forgotten it.” Frowning at the small youkai’s back, Kurama nonetheless allowed his vision to drift back towards Kanisawa. Closing his eyes, he sent out his own youki, feeling for what Hiei’s Jagan had sensed so clearly. A threat, then? Surely it could only be that, otherwise Hiei would not have reacted in such a protectively violent manner.
            Sifting through the reiki and youki – a mix, much like his own, how strange – Kurama felt bits of his own youki in Kanisawa’s body respond to his reach. That was curious. Why would Kanisawa have used that ward to siphon youki from him? It wasn’t as though the boy could use it, not being a demon. And yet, the youki in Kanisawa’s body – that was not Kurama’s, but Kanisawa’s own – was twisted and dark and familiar. Kurama probed deeper, purple aura sparking deep within Kanisawa’s native aura, which was a sickly green. The color provoked a sudden flash of memory, and Kurama frowned to himself.
            If we had met differently, I would have gladly placed you at my side, forever.
            Kurama jerked, eyes widening in shocked fear. Hiei felt the shift, and glanced back towards the fox.
            “Kurama? Hey, you OK?” That was Yuusuke, reaching out to steady the fox, who, Hiei saw, had gone sheet-white.
            “Kurama-san?” Yukina lifted a hand towards the fox’s arm, but Kurama’s wild eyes locked on Hiei’s. They wanted to deny it.
            “It can’t be…” Kurama whispered, and Hiei stared back at him, unflinching.
            “Yes.” Kurama’s hands curled into fists.
            “I killed him, myself. He died.” Kurama spat, eyes growing furious. Hiei lilted a condescending smirk at the fox, for that one.
            “So did you.” Hiei stated, patronizingly. “Or did you think Youko was the only youkai capable of cheating death? If the desire is strong enough – ”
            “ – the way will be found.” Kurama finished the Makai proverb shortly, straightening and trying not to think of all the times he’d – they’d – with Kanisawa, he’d –
            “Kurama? Hey, what is it?” At last, Kurama met Yuusuke’s concerned gaze. His green eyes were flat and emotionless.
            “Karasu is alive.” Yuusuke stared at him.
            “What? … Wait, that guy? From the tournament? The one you made into plant food?” Kurama nodded, stiffly. Yuusuke just continued to stare at him, but Yukina brought a shocked hand to her mouth.
            “Is that – oh, Kurama-san – ”
Kurama stared blankly at the passed-out body of Kanisawa, feeling fully the fool. At any time. At any moment, since the first time they met, Kanisawa – no, Karasu – could have killed him. Kurama felt cold, as he realized he had left Shiori alone with him. Kanisawa – Karasu could have killed Shiori, only a few hours ago, when Kurama had left his home on the back of Botan’s oar. But still, beyond all this shock, beyond this betrayal, beyond the fury welling up from the very core of his being –
            “But why hasn’t he tried to kill me?” Kurama murmured aloud, green eyes gone sharp in thought.
~*~To Be Continued~*~
- 18
- 19
- 20
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Second Try	By : kle10 Category: Yuyu Hakusho > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 5939 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH.

Second Try