Adult-FanFiction.org : YuYu Hakusho

Selfish Desire	By : choukitsune Category: Yuyu Hakusho > General Views: 3898 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Summary:Yukina takes up a great and important self-appointed
mission: Reunite the Reikai Tantei at all costs! Can one determined ice
princess do it all alone or is there someone out there willing to help...?
Warnings: If you're one of those stupid people who like to ignore warnings and complain AFTER reading the chapter, I have nooooo apologies for you!
Adult language will be used (Mostly from Yusuke)
I placed this in the drama category, so obviously, expect MUCH drama to
follow. I'm kinda thinking YYH the soap opera as I write. I'm so glad that
many of you think I've accomplished my goal of writing angst. It's very
difficult for me after writing fluff and happy fics for so long.

Yukina would have asked her brother what occurred between he and Kurama,
but her desire to give him privacy came first. The silence between them
during the walk home was unnerv and and Hiei showed no sign of wanting to
talk.
Why don't they realize that they care about each other and cease this
foolishness? the Koorime wondered. Yukina sighed, and stole another
glance at the silent figure of Hiei as he walked beside her.
"Sighing every time you look at me isn't the way to find out what
happened, Imouto." Yukina blinked, then turned angelic scarlet eyes to
Hiei, although her gaze wasn't quite innocent enough to fool the hiyoukai.
"It was a bad idea to send Kurama to speak to me, Yukina. If he still feels
that he wasn't at fault for what happened..."
"But he does, Hiei!" the Koorime cried, turning completely towards him.
She took her brothers hands, identical red eyes staring deeply into his own.
"I understand now. I understand a little of what Kazuma always meant
about this 'love.' It was what you two felt for each other. But why can't
you move on and forgive? Allowing bitterness and anger to exist in your
heart won't take away the pain he caused you."
"He blamed me."
"It was partially your fault, Oniisan...it was neither entirely his nor
yours. What broke apart everyone's friendship was a combined effort. You
should have come to the Ningenkai...Kurama-san begged you."
"He knows I hate Ningenkai. He was more than able to travel to Alaric."
For the first time ever, Yukina scowled. It was an expression completely
out of place on such a kind and cherubic face. She resembled her brother so
much that Hiei took an involuntary step backwards and stared at her through
widened eyes. "Hiei, do you not understand the meaning of 'give and take?'
Throughout your relationship with Kurama-san, he gave while you otooktook.
He would have done anything for you but give up his mother and human life."
It was a sobering realization, and it hurt even more coming from his own
little sister. "If the oaf had never heard Yusuke and Kurama speaking..."
"Then he would have never known you were my brother to tell me the truth,
nor would he have known what they were doing to break it to you," she
whispered softly. The ice mn frn frowned, then gently embraced her twin.
"I'm not trying to say that Kurama-san was right for the things he did,
Oniisan. You deserved to know what was happening, but I also feel that it
was not luck that caused your imp to be here delivering gifts when Kazuma
came to the shrine. It was fate that you received Kazuma's message and came
to Ningenkai."

***Flashback in Hiei's Point of View***
Four months had passed since the last time I was blessed with the time to
spend with Kurama. I found it strange that the kitsune's visits had ground
to a sudden and unexplainable halt. His letters continued like clockwork,
yet he had not stepped foot within Mukuro's realms again. He had turned a
cold shoulder to me, and I was unable to understand what had happened to
bring such a change in my lover.
When the Makai Demon Unification Tournament ended, it had been my
decision to remain in Mukuro's service indefinitely as her heir. At the
time, he had said nothing but that he believed in me, and that he was sure I
would make him proud. I was disappointed when he revealed he would return
to Ningenkai, and even more so when he gently refused my request to deliver
my sibling's tear gem.
I could never give it to her myself. If I did, she might realize who I
am. She might notice I'm not just the 'friend' I originally led her to
believe. It was only a matter of time before the jokes of the Detective,
that silly blue-haired girl, and Kurama would begin to make sense. I could
not let her find out that I was her brother.
I was training on the rooftops and ledges of the palace when a nearby
shout caught my attention. Perched at the edge of a window was the small,
squat shape of my lead servant. "Guzhtal..." I addressed my loyal imp. "I
trust that the delivery to Yukina was without trouble."
"Afraid not, my Lord. There is trouble brewing...your sister and the
orange-haired clown request your immediate arrival to the human world."
"Trouble?" I quickly thrust my katana into its sheath. "What's
happened?" I demanded. The imp scuttled onto my shoulder, clutching into
the fabric of my cloak with its talons.
"They would not tell me, my Lord. The oaf only insisted that I return
with you, quickly, because he has news of great importance to you."
"Return to them, servant. Tell Yukina thatm onm on my way." I leapt
from the ledge of the palace and to the ground below, needing no more
encouragement to speed off towards the human world. I required no
permission or clearance to cross realms, and all who patrollee boe borders
knew better than to question me. Once in the human realm, I pushed myself to
the limits until I was an unrecognizable blur, even to the spiritually
trained eye.
When I arrived to Genkai's shrine, the Clown and my sister stood outside
on the steps waiting for me. I could tell immediately that something had
changed. The look in her eyes and the expression on her angelic face was
not the same as the one that usually greeted me. Her usually calm and
collected, yet hopeful countenance was replaced by a teary-eyed and saddened
expression.
"Yukina? What's happened?" I asked immediately as I climbed past the top
stair.
Worried crimson eyes met with mine, and I knew it was my fox. "What's
happened to Kurama? Tell me."
"Nothing's happened to Kurama, Oniisan."
She knew!? My blood ran cold. I swallowed the dry lump that
formed in my throat, barely able to contain my anger. "How...?"
"Kazuma-san found out and told me, Brother. Please, don't be upset with
him...we have bad news that you must know. He...he told me because he
wasn't sure what he should do."
I could tell that this was something big. The oaf could barely meet my
eyes, in fact, he was doing whatever he could to avoid looking at me. "One
of you just tell me what's happened."
"I...went over to Yusuke's house earlier 'cause Koenma had a message for
him, and Botan was busy--"
"Get to the point, Clown."
"Damnit, shrimp, I'm tryin'! Well it's like this...Kurama was there. I
guess Atsuko must've left the door cracked when she left for her party, or
Yusuke forgot to close it, 'cause it was half open when I got to the hall. I heard them talking about you and how Yusuke thought you'd kill him if you ever found out they'd been sleeping together. Then they both agreed that you would never find out since you don't even visit Yukina anymore."
Never find out? There was no word to describe what I felt at that
moment. My entire world turned upside down, and there was nothing that
could put it right again. What shocked me more... finding out that the
person I trusted more than anyone else was behind my back with our
'faithful' team mate, or the absurd idea of the fool being able to sneak
anywhere without being heard?
"You lie."
"On my honor as a man, I don't lie to you, Hiei. I swear on the very
love I have for Yukina. I...I probably shouldn't have stayed to listen but
then Yusuke said something about how he doubted you could ever love anyone
but Yukina, and that was probably just cause she was related to you."
I couldn't stay to listen to anymore of it. I fled deep into the forest.

***Back to Present***
The twins stood silent within the forest miles from Genkai's home. The
brief memory that surfaced had paled Hiei considerably, and Yukina was sure
that she saw his hands trembling for the brief moments they had been visible
before he hid them within the sleeves of his kimono and out of her view.
She sighed, and for once, felt as if she were the older of them.
Kazuma was right; they were acting like fools.
"How could I ever love him again, Yukina?"
"I'm not asking that you love him again, Oniisan...I'm asking that you
take the first step towards forgiveness and tell him you understand what
you wronwrong." The pleading expression of her rose-colored eyes was
too much for him to bear. It was so difficult to deny her anything, after
going for so long without her in his life.
"Only that?"
"Only that," she echoed softly, lifting her hand to gently cup Hiei's
cheek. "I know how difficult it is for you to trust, because of how you
were raised..."
He growled softly, gaze hardening as the color returned to his cheeks in
a rush. It always embarrassed him to know that Yukina knew of his murderous
past as a bandit, and the many years of his childhood spent in the company
of thieves. 'Embarrassed' wasn't even the word to describe it. It
hurt him and wounded his soul more than anything else to know that
she was stuck with him, the Forbidden Child, a cold-blooded killer and thief
as a sibling, and that there was no way to make himself better. For her, he
tried, and for her he would do anything if he thought there was even one
chance that it would make him a better person. There was no one more deserving of a pure-hearted soul than her. "You and Mukuro are the only ones I trust.
Neither of you have ever deceived me," Hiei whispered.
"Then trust me now, please Oniisan? Your heart cannot heal until you
learn forgiveness."

***
Keiko knelt at the coffin, staring up at the picture frame that held a
recent photo of the man once known as Kuwabara Kazuma. His homeliness had
decreased over the years as he progressed into adulthood. The sharp,
angular shape of his face had softened, and the beady appearance of his eyes
lessened. He could almost be called handsome now, even if his hair was
still greased back into its usual style.
"When I heard that you were gone, I couldn't believe it, Kuwabara. You
were always such a good man, one of the best men I ever met. You were a
true friend, a loyal friend, someone that I could count on even when Yusuke
was away." Keiko sniffed, raising her hand to wipe away a tear that began
to trail down her cheek. "I remember when Yusuke was gone, when those guys
tried to hurt me, you and your friends chased them away and you walked me
home. You were noble then, and over the years you still changed for the
better. You dropped the street thug act and worked so hard to get into
school. It's not fair that you're gone, when others are allowed to continue
walking," she whispered, staring at the picture, almost in awe of Kuwabara's
physical change over the many years since her departure. In some ways, she
could hardly recognize him, but in others, he was still the same muscular
young man that she and Yusuke had known for as long as she could remember.
"You had a heart of gold, Kuwabara-kun. Rest in peace wherever Koenma sends
you."
Keiko stood, then walked over to kneel beside Shizuru and pray. She
gently touched the other woman's hand before standing and walking towards
the door. To her surprise, she encountered Yusuke at the steps just outside
of the house. She had expected her ex to be there, but she never thought he
would have the nerve to approach her as boldly as he did. At least Kurama
had the decency to keep clear of her. "Please move out of of my way,
Yusuke."
"Not until we talk."
"We have nothing to talk about." She brushed past him, and stalked down
the path towards her car. No sooner had she gotten into the driver's seat,
did she glance to the side to see Yusuke climbing through the open passenger
door and into the seat beside her; that'll teach her not to lock her car
doors.
"We have to talk, Keiko. It's been eight years, damnit! How can you still
be angry at me!?"
"Easily, Yusuke. I want you out of my car now. I have a long drive
ahead of me, and it's not like my job is giving me time off to stay for
the funeral
<
"Then we'll talk as you drive, and I'll walk back from wherever we are
when we finish," he insisted, refusing to budge. Keiko sighed, knowing the
young man's determination. Even though he was only weeks from turning
twenty-five, Yusuke hadn't changed a bit since adolescence. To her, he was
still the same bratty kid on the inside that skipped school and responsibilities. p>"p>"Fine," she replied as she pulled out onto the street. There was awkward
silence between the two as she slowly drove from the residential streets.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted everything to be cool between us again, damnit. I know
what I did was wrong, but you weren't any better!"
"Don't compare what we did, Yusuke!"
"Why not?" he demanded, angry enough to punch a hole through the
dashboard in front of him. "'What's good for the goose is goor tor the
gander.' Remember when Kurama said that?" he asked, his voice taking on a
frighteningly serious tone. "That fox slept with you first."
Keiko quieted, and stared ahead at the road in front of her while
driving. White-knuckled fingers clutched at the steering wheel while she
struggled to ignore the torrent of memories that came flooding back. "It
wasn't like that, Yusuke..."
"Oh yeah? Then tell me what it was like, Keiko! I know what happened,
fucking Kurama told me everything after Yukina healed me."
"I couldn't help having a crush on him. He was perfect! Everything I--"
"Everything you wanted me to be, huh? Guess what, Keiko? You weren't
perfect either. You couldn't help having a fucking crush, but you could have
kept your legs closed. I'm done. You can let me out right here."
Even as the car was pulling over towards the side of the road, Yusuke
could feel the last remnants of whatever love he felt for Keiko slipping
away. Her inability to recognize her own poor judgment made her a hypocrite. She had never been able to admit to wrongs, and even if both of them had committed the crime of infidelity with the same person, in Keiko's eyes Yusuke was still the wrong one.
While she pretended to be perfect for her friends and family, Yusuke knew otherwise. Finally, he was free of her, and it was all over.
"Yusuke..."
"For Kuwabara's sake, I thought we could put everything aside. I was stupid to think that could ever happen." Yusuke slammed the door behind him, and stormed down the street without looking back.
Keiko was finally out of his thoughts, and he could only hope she would
forever remain part of his past and out of his dreams.

***Kurama's Point of View***
As expected, Mother insisted that I retake my old room so that I could
spend more time with the family. Fortunately, little had been changed and
my former bedroom had only been converted into a comfortable guest room with
much of the interior remaining just how I had left it the day I moved away.
"Kazuya must be putting in a late night at the office," she murmured, as
only silence greeted us after entering the house. A message on the
answering machine confirmed Mother's words, and a second message from my
younger step brother explained that he was at a friend's house studying. "I
suppose it's only us two for now," my mother stated with strained cheer in
her tired voice. "Sit down, Shu-kun, you can unpack your suitcase later and
enjoy a cup of tea with me."
"Yes, Mother...actually, I insist that you take a seat instead. You
can't hide your exhaustion from me." I gently guided her into the kitchen
and slid a chair out from the table for her to sit in. "Thank you for going
to the wake with me."
"It was a shame that such a horrible thing happened to your friend, son.
I remember him from the wedding. He was such a funny boy." I smiled back
at her, the resumed my walk around the kitchen, pausing at the sink to fill
the kettle with water. Much to my mother's surprise, I recalled every
detail about the kitchen and easily made my way around it until I found the
tea and sugar, and had retrieved two cups. "Shuichi, I've always tried not
to pry into your personal life, but I couldn't help but notice how tense you
were after Yukina-chan and her brother left the wake..."
My grip on the sugar bowl nearly slipped. I avoided my mother's gaze, and
stared straight ahead at the wall behind the stove, fearful that my eyes
would betray the emotion I had struggled to hide for the entire evening. I
had hoped Mother didn't observe the argument between Hiei and I, and was
more than thankful that she hadn't overheard our exchange at least. "It's a
long story, Mother."
I glance back at her to see the wistful smile on her face. "Your mother
has plenty of time to hear it. You two were so close...I remember when you
visited him every weekend when he moved out of town. You struggled so hard
to make things work between the two of you despite the long distance in your
relationship."
"Friends have fall-outs all of the time, Mother. It was nothing that
could be fixed," I whispered, experiencing difficulty lifting the kettle with my
trembling hand which then required me to use my other hand as well to steady my
grip.
"But you were more than friends, Shu-kun. I've never condemned you for
your choices concerning your relationship, don't push me out of your life.
Tell your mother what happened...talk to me. I only want to help you."
"I can't..." I then reply in a sorrow voice. Guilt, shame, and so many
other emotions prevented me from telling my mother of the horrible things I
had done to alienate myself from my friends and my own lover.
"Shu-kun, my love for you is unconditional. There is nothing you can
never tell your mother." Shiori rose from her seat, and crossed the small
kitchen to me. "And no secret you should ever hide from your mother," she
finished, with a glint in her eye that told she knew more than I could have
ever realized she did. "There is nothing you could ever do that could make
me stop loving you, and nothing you could ever tell me that would make me
feel differently about you."
Moments later, I was in her warm and loving embrace, bearing my soul and
the painful events of twenty-five years to her completely.

***Genkai's Shrine***
Evenings at the shrine were always beautiful and nothing short of
peaceful. It had made looking after Yukina pleasant and even more tolerable
the many nights Hiei had perched in a tree outside of the temple watching
over her. Unfortunately, Yukina would hear nothing of him sleeping in a
tree now.
"There are plenty of beds and futons here now, Oniisan." The ice
apparition smiled with cherubic innocence, angelic features too hopeful and
sweet to resist. "Ever since the temple began to receive youkai refugees,
Kazuma-san had helped me spend some of the money Genkai-shihan left behind
to keep the sleeping quarters fully furnished." Her smile faltered, the
Koorime saddened at the reminder of Kuwabara's passing. "Please sleep
inside in a bed," she requested again.
"Alright," he gave in at last, unable to refuse such an honest request
from his own little sister. "For a little while at least."
Yukina was ecstatic that her brother had promised to remain in Ningenkai
a few days with her. During the walk back, she had told the most foolish
story she could whip up on the spot that would prevent Hiei from immediately
returning to Mukuro's realms. Of course, she felt guilty for her lie, but
it was a necessary evil. By the time Hiei discovered there were no evil
tree demons patrolling the property at night, she hoped her plan would be
well underway.
"Goodnight, Oniisan." The door gently closed behind her, leaving Hiei
alone in the bedroom to stare out at the cloudless night sky, listening to
the chirp of crickets and the droning of nocturnal insects.
The fire youkai removed his kimono, admiring the fine craftsmanship and
his sister's ability as a seamstress. Yukina was a rare gift, one he could
never be more thankful for. "What did I ever do to deserve her?" he mused
aloud, laying the kimono aside and removing his sword belt to lay it and
his katana on the narrow space at the edge of the bed, beside where he
intended to sleep. All of his life Hiei had never been able to sleep
without a weapon close by. He sure as hell didn't intend to now after
Yukina said she feared savage tree demons threatened the safety of the
shrine, and that several of Genkai's wards had been breeched. He promised
to remain overnight and venture out into the woods the next day to look for
the source of the problem. He was careful not to mention that he would
viciously cut down every tree with a suspicious ki.
Hiei had never been much of a romantic, but he found himself gazing up at
the silver Ningenkai moon. He could remember a time in the past when he and
Kurama would lay beneath the stars and discuss plans for the future. A
future they always thought would include each other.
"I hope I find those damned demons tomorrow," he muttered, crawling into
bed for a sleep that was troubled by dreams.

***
Half an hour after Yusuke had stormed away from Keiko's car, the woman
was wishing that her old childhood friend was still a passenger. Somehow,
her tire had rolled over a nail, or some other foreign object, because it
was now flat and completely void of air. The spare in her trunk was
completely useless when the only person present didn't know how to change a
tire.
What really troubled her was that she couldn't even find the object that
had caused the tear in her tire. It was just a hole, a hole that her tire's
air had escaped from and left her stranded on the side of the road!
Keiko kicked the useless tire and sulked against her car door as fully
functional automobiles and their drivers carelessly passed her by. "So
much for helping a stranded woman," she muttered an hour later when no one
had stopped to assist her.
Fifteen minutes later, Keiko had lost her patience with the lack of
chivalrous drivers, and marched towards the nearest payphone to call her
father. "Dad? I was wondering if you could give me a ride..."

***
For at least an hour, Shiori had stared in almost complete silence at her
son. At the beginning of his story, he had taken a seat across the table
from her, fidgeting, nervous and frightened as he waited to discover whether
or not she would accept what had been kept secret from her for twenty-five
years. Shiori hadn't interrupted him, nor had she cried out and yelled her
hatred of him. She hadn't even shown fear when he revealed he was a demon
in human's skin.
He retold the events of the Dark Tournament, even going back so far as to
tell her the complete story of her miraculous return to full health.
Despite her silence, and his uncertainty of whether or not she even believed
the truth at all about his identity, Kurama continued to tell the story of
both lives until at last he was breathless and near tears. It was simply a
tale too far fetched and too intricate, detailed and unbelievable to be made
up. It had to be true.
"I will understand if you want me to leave, Mother," the fox whispered,
voice choked with emotion.
Shiori blinked at him, her own eyes brimming with tears. Before he could
react, she had moved from the chair and edged around the table to draw him
into a tight motherly embrace. "Why didn't you ever tell me? How could you
go through all of that suffering and pain alone, Shu-kun? I don't care
where you were before you came to me. I'm your mother. I gave birth
to you, you were the child I prayed for and wanted more than anything."
Kurama still trembled even as he slowly brought up his arms to return the
caring and affectionate hug. "That's it? You believe everything about me?
The good and the bad?"
His mother slipped her arms from around him and gently took his face
between her hands, staring deeply into his eyes of emerald green. "How
could I not believe such a story, Shuichi? I always felt there was
something about your conception that wasn't right. For years, your father
and I waited to have a baby, going from doctor to doctor hoping one could
tell us what was wrong. Two months later, I found out about you. You were
my miracle baby. I don't care what you were then. I only know what you are
now." She smiled, leaning forward to press her lips gently against her
son's forehead, her hand gently smoothing back a wisp of auburn. "My son."
And like that, she held him, rocking him in the soothing way that he had
always taken comfort in as a young boy.
Once he trusted himself to speak again, he found himself questioning his
mother, rather amazed at how well his confession had gone. He'd expected
anything but for her to accept him with welcome arms. Even a little
disbelief at first, but not total acceptance and unconditional love. "Are
you upset at me at all, Mother?"
"A little. For not telling me what you were going through. When I think
about all of the danger you were in, and the risks you were forced to take
for your friends, it frightens me. I could have lost you, at any time, and
I never would have known the real you." Suddenly, Shiori never wanted to
let him go. How could she release him when she knew he had suffered such
pain? He had almost died not once, but numerous times and she had been none
the wiser. Every time he returned home from one of his trips, she had
always assumed he had been safely away at some camp, or visiting a friend
out of town, not knowing she could have lost the one person who meant the
most to her out of all in the world. "No matter what you were before you
came to me, you're still your mother's son. And your mother is going to do
what she can to help you... Let's just not tell your stepfather about this
when he gets home."
At last, Kurama could no longer hold back the control that tightly
reigned in his emotions. Tears once more began to flow, spilling over
delicate and long lashes until wet trails shined at his cheeks. "Thank you,
Mother. For understanding, and not hating me. I feel horrible for ever
thinking you could renounce your own son."
"I could never hate you." Her own vision was still blurred with tears,
and had been ever since he went into detail about each of the 'cases' he
went on with his fellow detectives during his teen years. "Now, tell me
more about your talk with Hiei."
Kurama's face fell. The thought of telling his mother of his promiscuous
deeds was even more unnerving than revealing his true identity.

***
Only those with increased spiritual sensitivity could feel the presence
of a ghost or spirit nearby. As a living human, Kuwabara had been one of
those people who always knew when even the smallest specter or spirit was in
the proximity. At times he even felt he could see them, and the ghosts
taunted him by haunting his dreams from childhood to early adulthood.
When he reached the peak of his power, he found he could block them out
and learned to sleep soundly through the night without interruption or
bother. Right now, Kuwabara only hoped his friends didn't have the same
ability, and that their perception was at least developed enough to hear his
words through their dreams.
Naturally, the first person he visited was his angel. At the wake
(Koenma had allowed him to attend after all as a favor for the great deeds
he had done for Reikai as an assistant to Yusuke), he had seen Yukina at the
verge of tears many times. Helplessly, Kuwabara had floated by in spiritual
form unable to console her as she suffered and blamed herself for his death.
Nothing Urameshi had told him ten years ago could have prepared him for
how powerless he now felt. Floating from house to house, watching his
friends grieve and suffer while only offering one another cold shoulders was
heart-wrenching.
Damnit, eight years ago they had all been happy and in love, now they
were bickering at one another only a day after his death...something had to be done. During the wake, he had hovered from person to person,
eavesdropping on the occasional piece of conversation that interested him.
What amazed Kuwabara in death was that his powers of empathy with Yukina
still existed. Not only could he feel her sadness and disappointment in
seeing her brother argue with Kurama, but he felt her will and determination
as well. He watched as his sweet ice princess stalked towards Keiko's car
while Kurama and Hiei argued, and projected one small burst of ice into the
tire. It had barely been enough to penetrate the tough rubber, but it had
done its job and slowly but surely that tire deflated as Keiko and Urameshi
drove away.
At first, he had no idea why his baby had just vandalized Keiko's car,
until much later when he put two and two together, and realized her talk
with Yusuke, and conversation with Kurama had more purpose to it than he'd
originally believed. Yukina was trying to put them all together, again, she
wanted to repair their shattered friendship, and she was doing it in
his name.
He loved her more than he ever thought he could. And now, he too would
do whatever he could in death to make sure that by the end of this week all
of his old friends were smiling happily once more.
Deciding who to visit first had been no easy task. After Botan had given
him several words of advice about how to be dead, he had mostly wandered
around watching them perform their daily activities until the wake. On one
hand, he wanted to visit his ice princess and sooth her worries and guilt,
on the other, he thought he should immediately visit Hiei to talk the fire
demon out of any murderous thoughts he might have concerning Yusuke and
Kurama, and especially Keiko now that she had arrived. The only thing that
had prevented Hiei from striking down his fox's other lovers was the threat
of a Reikai jail term hanging ominously over his head.
As moody as the shrimp was, he couldn't stand the thought of Yukina
losing her brother all over again. It would break his princess's heart, and that was simply something that he could not allow. It was time to get to work.

***The Dreams***
Soft rose-hued eyes fluttered open to take in the beautiful snow covered
land surrounding her. It was a winter wonderland, complete with icicles
hanging from tree branches, and delicate snowflakes falling gracefully to
the ground.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The ice apparition whirled around, clutching both hands to her chest in
surprise as she took in the sight of her deceased friend. Her crimson eyes
widened, small mouth forming a wide O. "Kazuma-san? How? Is this real?"
she asked, almost reaching up to touch him but fearful that a simple touch
would confirm it was a false image before her. She didn't dare risk
destroying the beautiful image before her.
"I'm in your dream, Yukina-chan. Koenma said I could have some time to try and help
you guys. He said they were all stubborn and that they needed it." He
grinned sheepishly and gazed around, appreciating his memory of the Ice
World from the brief moments he had been there after Yukina's rescue from
Tarukane. "I don't have much time, barely a week, but I want to help you."
Her eyes watered, but before she could blink to release a tear, he raised
his hand to gently brush it away. "Oh, Kazuma-san, how could you even look
at me when it's my fault you're dead? If I had just continued to play
along, or tried to understand your concept of love, you might still be here.
It's all my fault and now everyone is suffering."
He was taken back by her admittance. Silently, Kuwabara dropped to one
knee in front of the love of his life, taking her small hands in his much
stronger and larger grip. "I don't blame you for what happened,
Yukina-chan. I don't blame anyone. If taking the bullet that I did, saved
that woman from getting shot, then my sacrifice was worth it. I died for
what I believed in. Hearing the words I heard today from all of our friends
means they believed in me too."
"Then I won't cry anymore, Kazuma-san. I don't want to dishonor you
after you did such a noble thing. I'm sorry that we couldn't be happy
together." At last, her red eyes cleared and were free of all traces of
tears. "You'll really help me make things right between my brother, Yusuke,
and Kurama-san?"
"I promise. Now, about what you did to Keiko's car..."
The apparition blushed, pale cheeks lighting with a pale pink hue. "I
didn't want her to leave town, I was worried she would leave right after
your wake."
"I understand, angel. I was thinking I should pay her and Urameshi a
visit soon."

***
The golden red skies of Makai stretched as far as Hiei's eyes could see.
If there was one thing he loved about his home realm, it was the blood red
sunsets, and permanent tint of scarlet that lingered behind every fluffy
white cloud. During Kurama's visits, he and his fox had enjoyed many a
sunset (and sunrise) tangled in a passionate embrace appreciating the very
same enchanting scene.
The weather was perfect, warm with a hint of a breeze rustling through
the leaves of the thick-branched Makai oak that currently housed our
favorite fire demon. The spot he had chosen to occupy gave view of the
majestic mountains that sprawled across the borders of Toranin and Alaric.
It felt good to be home, and Hiei thought he could sleep here forever.

There was just one thing wrong with this image. The last thing Hiei
remembered was laying down in a bed at Genkai's temple, so why the hell was
snugly settled on a tree branch in his home world. "What the...?"
"Sorry...I wasn't tryin to romance you or nothin', shrimp, but this was the
only way I could remember Makai. The colors are kinda girly though."
Hiei looked down at the ground below and and saw the ridiculously
grinning face of the recently deceased Kuwabara. "What the hell are
you doing here? Didn't you die, Clown? If this is Koenma's sick idea of a
joke then--"
"Oh can't you shut up for once, runt-boy?! I came here to give ya a
message!" So much for using his intellect during this talk with Hiei. The
shrimp always was able to bring out the worst in him, and he was now ashamed
to discover that even in death, he and Hiei couldn't stop poking at one
another.
Kuwabara didn't need a superior intellect or more than a moment's worth
of thought to realize that Hiei didn't trust his sudden arrival. Dream or
not, the jaganshi wasn't leaving anything up to chance. Kuwabara could be
an enemy in disguise, or it was possible it wasn't even a dream at all.
"Fine. What did you come for?"
"Came to tell you that I heard every word you said today at the wake.
Thought I'd visit you personally and say 'your welcome', shrimp!"
Hiei scowled. "You're lucky this is a dream. I never thought Reikai's
*Mighty* Ruler would have released such a fool, even if it was for his own
wake," he spat, voice tinged with sarcasm. "Now, kindly remove yourself
from my subconscious."
"Can't do that yet, shrimp. Gotta talk to you about something else."
Kuwabara looked thoughtfully at him (an expression that brought surprise to
Hiei). "You guys are acting like idiots. It's hurting Yukina to see you
all treat each other like this. I know forgiveness doesn't come easy in the
demon world and stuff, but you guys should try a little harder. Come on,
I'll make you a deal! I won't bother you anymore, if you go to Kurama and
talk to him!"
"Of course you won't. You're dead." He leapt from the tree branch and
landed on his feet in front of the taller male. "I take back everything I
said at that damned wake."
"Too late. Come on, Hiei. You and Kurama were best friends. Yeah, he
hurt you and all, but you were being an asshole too. Hell, Urameshi's been
feeling guilty about it for years. You could go punch him in the gut right
now and he'd probably let you hit him some more."
"Those two don't deserve my forgiveness."
"What about Keiko?"
"A mere human who fell under the spell of a deceiving youko. Granting
her death would be a kindness that isn't worth the consequence of jail. If
this is what you came to ask me, then I'm afraid you wasted your time,
Fool."
The stupid look that Kuwabara gave brought much pleasure to Hiei, who
simply smirked up at him. "What? But...you promised Yukina earlier..." If
ghosts could faint, Kuwabara would have right then.
"I'm aware of that, idiot. You should shut up now before you make
yourself appear even more ignorant. It was a waste of your time because
I've no intention of breaking a promise to Yukina." Hiei succeeded in
angering the tall carrot-top, and Kuwabara did as expected, lunging forward
and putting all of his weight behind one punch...that breezed right past
Hiei who simply stepped to the side, never loosing his smug smile. "You're
clumsier as a ghost than you were alive."
"Bite my ankles, shrimp!" Spirit Kuwabara grumpily faded out of Hiei's
dreams, however, he left the Makai landscape intact for Hiei to enjoy.

***
Startled emerald eyes opened to see the swaying branches of the sakura
tree above. The peaceful and serene sight of the blue skies, interrupted
with patterns of vanilla clouds brought a content smile to the redhead's
face. When Kurama thought back far enough to his childhood as a human, he
could recall faint memories of afternoons like this spent playing games with
his father out in the yard. As he grew older, his fondness of the yard
doubled once he was allowed the freedom of starting his own garden,
especially once his mother saw his skill for coaxing even the most sickly of
plants into blossoming, and began to take him seriously.
As a teenager, it wasn't unusual to find Kurama sitting beneath the
sakura tree with a good book propped against his lap, and Hiei tucked into
the branches above him, a silent guardian over his beloved fox.
"How kind of you to choose such a familiar setting, Kuwabara. To what do
I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" the redhead spoke, leaning to the side
to gaze around the thick tree trunk. As expected, his tall carrot-topped
friend stood at the other side, with a perplexed expression on his face.
"Hey! How'd you know it was me?"
The corners of Kurama's lips raised, although the smile didn't quite
touch his eyes. "While similar to the reality we know, your scene lacks one
thing of importance," he replied, gesturing towards the branches, void of a
form clad in black. "Besides, my dreams tonight have been of a different
variety and I'm certain that's not why you're here."
Kuwabara scratched his head. "Ewwww, Kurama!" he exclaimed when he
finally caught onto the redhead's suggestive meaning. "I came to speak to
you about the others."
Kurama laughed, and the other redhead received a genuine smile this time
from his half kitsune friend. "Unfortunately, it wasn't that type of dream,
Kuwabara-kun. I meant a nightmare." The youko chuckled a moment at
Kuwabara's expense, amused at the bright flush of the tall man's cheeks.
"Quit laughin' or I won't tell you what Yukina sent me to say!"
"I've already spoken with Yukina, Kuwabara-kun. Considering what you
currently are, I would be correct to assume you know how my conversation
with Hiei ended earlier because you were there at your own wake. Even
Koenma isn't coldhearted enough to deny you that."
Kuwabara beamed. "See? That's the beauty of it. Hey?! You mean you
knew all along that I was around? How come you didn't say nicer things to
me at the coffin then?"
"You didn't deserve it. What makes you think I've forgiven you for what
you did?" the fox inquired, lifting one crimson red brow.
"Cause you woulda said meaner things to me at the casket, and 'cause you
aren't that type of guy anymore. Maybe before you were reborn but not now."
Were Kurama truly angry at the carrot-top, the silence that fell between
the two men at that moment would have been uncomfortable and awkward enough
for the ghost to probably fade out of the dream. However, his life as
Shiori's son had more than changed the once ruthless and cold-hearted Youko.
Forgiveness was now part of his soul, and something he had given Kuwabara
years ago. "I'll advise this: whatever you and Yukina are planning, give it
up. It will never work. Hiei's hatred of Yusuke rivals that of what he
felt for Tarukane."
"Well...I know what the shrimp said to you. But I just
wanted to tell you to hang on! We're working on it. I'm gonna speak to
Urameshi and Keiko too. Just wait, soon everyone will be smiling happily
again."

"Kuwabara-kun, I'm not certain that it's a good idea to meddle--"
"It's not meddling, its gettin the team back together! You all don't
have to love each other. See ya around!"
"Wait!" The ghost of his former team mate vanished. Whatever influence
the spirit of Kuwabara had on Kurama's dreams faded, and the remorseful
redhead was left to face the dreadful dreams of his guilt-stricken
conscience alone.

***
The wind rustled the curtains beside the window. It was a noise that
definitely wouldn't have disturbed the redhead had he been asleep, but too
many painful memories weighed heavily upon his heart for rest to come easily
that night. Ever since the spirit of Kuwabara departed his subconscious, he
had been in and out of a fitfully nightmarish sleep from which he was always
glad to awaken.
There was a time that he was certain Hiei would never cause him harm.
Now he knew exactly how far from the truth that was. If he didn't know any
better, he would assume the jaganshi himself was behind the recent assault
of bad dreams depicting the many ways Kurama could die at Hiei's hand.
However, he did know better, as those (and many other similar and equally
painful dreams) troubled him even when he was in America, and had ever since
his betrayal became known and the fire youkai had left him.
The light sound of falling rain outside captured Kurama's attention. As
he turned to face the window, with intent of sliding out of bed to close it
before the curtains could be soaked, he saw a figure in black blending with
the shadows at the room's corner, menacing, and evil with scarlet red eyes.
"I suppose this means you've come to kill me after all, Hiei?" he
questioned as he stood to face the demon that had intruded his bedroom in
the middle of the night.
"Hn. You only wish that you could be so lucky."
"Then why are you here?"
Rather than answering, Hiei returned Kurama's inquiry with another
question. "Did you receive a visit from the Fool tonight?"
"Why yes I did. It was a rather...interesting meeting to say the least."
"That's exactly why I'm here." He scowled, a hint of fang showing
threateningly. "I'd rather not put to the test the extent of how far Koenma
is willing to go to annoy me by allowing that idiot to bother my dreams
every time I so much as close my eyes. He should be in Reikai right now,
not frolicking around--"
"Trying to rebuild our friendship. It's quite the noble gesture. You
must admit that his heart is at least in the right place."
"I'd rather not." The jaganshi grimaced and folded his arms. "I'm only
here to avoid the unnecessary interruption of my sleep again by that ugly
clown. The idea of him haunting my dreams every night if I refused didn't
appeal to me."
"Fair is fair." Kurama sighed and crossed the room to his window,
shutting it against the fall of rain as its shower increased in intensity.
"You're soaked, Hiei. At least allow me to get a towel for you. You might
as well stay long enough to talk, I have no doubt that our carrot-topped
friend is floating around keeping an eye on us."
From the way Hiei was glaring at him, Kurama was certain that somewhere,
Kuwabara was getting a good laugh at their expense.

A/N: Well, hope this answered any remaining questions about what the
incident was! Had to end it there though before it got too long! I promise
the Reikai perspective, plus the remaining two confrontations will come next
chapter :) Coming up soon (when I get to it) Kuwabara speaks to the rest
of his friends. Yukina moves to plan B. An unexpected visitor meets with
Hiei, and Kurama is confronted by Yusuke (hmm what happens there). And
Keiko has a secret that Yusuke was never told...
You can feel free to post any unanswered questions now, if you're still truly confused, and I'll squeeze in an explanation from the characters themselves to make up for the delay of my updates in stories lately. I should be back on track again soon, I had a weird week.
I'm not used to writing Keiko btw, she's not one of my favorite
characters. I guess I'll watch a few more episodes with her in it since some
more scenes with her are coming up and I want to hit it as close as I can.
Sorry for not answering reviews individually, but there were soooo many of
you guys this chapter. Next chap, I'll take time to try to get you one at a
time again. So, how many of you are amazed to see you were right?
To Reviewers at mm.org:

Condensing this a lil cause the list is getting long:
Kazuma didn't have to die...okay yes he did. Without him dying, a
whole new reason would have to exist to draw them all together again.
Yukina wouldn't be as determined to rekindle their friendship, and I would
have had to use a whole different tragedy. Plus, its kind of hard to tell a
dead guy to go screw himself if he comes asking you something (unless you're
Hiei).
The talk between Kurama and his mother is partially taken from a talk I
had with mine a few years ago. I have read so many stories where Shiori
turns into a real *bitch* when she finds out her son is gay or what his
identity is, and I wanted one where instead, she accepts him fully because
he still IS her son. She did give birth to him, raised him, and loved him
for too long.
No worries about it being solved in one chapter. Its going to be drawn
out. Folk are going to suffer. Noses are going to be bruised, eyes
blackened etc. Think General Hospital meets YYH, except this poor author
hasn't decided if she's going angsty story with bitter sweet ending, or
angst with sad ending yet.
To Reviewers at ff.net:

Well I did promise you guys the secret would be out soon. Now you know what
Kurama did. I apologize for dangling it in hints in front of your noses for
so long, but its so fun to see everyone ask "okay what happened!?"
To reviewers at Aff.net:

Kurama might be a little out of character, but the point was to write a
story that was more drama than romance. I promise, no instant making up and
kissing will occur. Hiei's not that forgiving. And it would be a
relatively short story if everyone just said "let's be friends". Like I
said, Keiko's harr mer me, but I'm going to try VERY hard to get her next
chapter. And sorry SPS, but that's not me
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Selfish Desire