• 1-Selfish Desire
• 2-Chapter 2
• 3-Chapter 3
• 4-Chapter 4
• 5-Chapter 5
• 6-Chapter 6
• 7-Chapter 7
• 8-Chapter 8
• 9-Chapter 9
• 10-Chapter 10
• 11-Note
• 12-Last Chapter
• 13-Epilogue
• 14-Yukina and Kuwabara, a Romantic Night

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!

Chapters will be a little shorter, so that updates can be faster. Not by
an incredible lot though so don't worry about super short chaps.

For several moments, Hiei was overwhelmed by the rush and torrent of
images and thoughts that were drawn in by his psychic third eye. A thousand
years of emotions, memories, sorrows and joys, thoughts and actions were
too much to merely sift through and pluck out what he needed.

This was especially true since he didn't know what he needed. Damn
the fox, damn him to an eternity for forcing him to this. As agreed, he did
begin from the beginning, and like the fast forward button on a VCR, he was careful to
rapidly skim through those memories of the past that were inconsequential
and unimportant to this matter. Like flashes of color and accompanied by
occasional narrations by Kurama's subconscious thoughts, he saw them.

A kit of an unlucky power and color born to illusionist parents of red
fur left abandoned in the woods to fend for itself. A growing youko child
learning to hunt on his own. An adolescent showing the first signs of a
handsome future as he learned to sneak silently into the homes of
unsuspecting and rich youkai. His first conquest of the female variety, as
the kitsune learned to skillfully spread a network of lies and half-truths
to gain whatever he desired whether it was money, fame, or women. It was
usually women. Sometimes men.

Was this what Kurama meant him to see? Doubtful, the entire Demon World
knew plenty stories of Youko Kurama's exploits. For whatever reason would
he foolishly show Hiei the very reason the fire apparition distrusted him?
Every fiber of his being told him to sever the connection, but he remained,
and continued the scan until something of interest was revealed. Time
slowed, the images that moved with unnatural speed moved at an
understandable pace, voices no longer merged and dialogue was carefully
listened to. He had always wondered, but now he would know about Kurama's
first time meeting Kuronue.

He was hardly an adult, still growing out of the gangly and tall teenage
body that, unfortunately, still lacked the muscular definition of a grown Youko.
The target of his current heist was not the manor that he had expected, but
a huge and sprawling castle. I should have known better than to listen to
a snake youkai. I'll never make this mistake again, the Youko teen thought
while gnashing his teeth. Of course, once he had arrived to the location of the
night's plunder, his curiosity and greed had overcame him, won the battle
over common sense and intelligence, and demanded he go inside and relieve
the rich youkai of whatever valuables he left unprotected.

As a thief, he rarely played it safe. At times, he openly mocked his
victims by leaving behind the smallest clue that he had been there. By the
time they took notice of their missing valuables, or realized WHO had been
present, he would be long gone! It was all a game, a game that he played
fairly well. With his white garments, he was a beacon just calling out for
patrolling guards to spy him. Of course, no one ever caught the slick,
silver youko.

He was so excited about the potential of the night's treasure, that he
took no notice of the missing guards. Not a single one occupying the halls.
Hm. They would have seized me, or tried to seize me by now if they
were aware of my presence. Where are they? Turning the next corner, he
found the answer to his question. In a neat stack, slumped in the corner,
were a half dozen youkai. Beyond them, quite visible through the open
treasure room door was a winged chimera making away with all of HIS goods.

The nerve! He strode forward, and stood there in the doorway, hands on
his hips. "This was mine," he spoke quietly. The bat-winged youkai
continued his rummaging.

"Now it's ours. Let me guess...Hissthul told you there was a nice-sized
manor with a sizeable, fairly unguarded treasure-room. And it cost you fifty
gold for the info?"

Kurama looked at him with uncertainty, but answered nonetheless. "Yes."

A groan from behind Kurama made the youko jump. A pair of elven, and a
pair of fox ears twitched. "Those guards will be awakening at any moment.
I suggest you take what you desire and that we flee together; quickly."

Good sounding advice couldn't be ignored. Pockets and pouches were hastily
filled and both high-tailed it away from the scene of their crime. The
seeds of friendship were planted. Intrigued with the bat youkai, Kurama had
formed a temporary alliance which rapidly grew into a close friendship.

Hiei's scan increased in speed once more, and he watched with a sort of
voyeuristic awe as friendship bloomed into love, only for the relationship
to be shattered by Kuronue's death after a failed heist in Makai.

Years passed, and the grieving kitsune soon got over the loss of his
love, though he was never the same again and his heartless demeanor and cold
ways made him feared by all. He soon constructed his own thief's guild,
and was well-respected. Up close and personal as if through Kurama's eyes,
the fire apparition witnessed a tentative relationship with Yomi, one that
only ended in betrayal when a cold-hearted Youko Kurama ordered an assassin
to destroy Yomi for a fatal mistake made during a heist that resulted in
many thieves being slain.

He witnessed many things Kurama had never told him about his past life.
The murder, the slaughter, the betrayal, as the youko held alliances that lasted for only
brief amounts of time for he was too frightened on the inside of developing another
close friendship or relationship that would leave him heartbroken again.
Centuries passed, one theft after another.

Youko Kurama was a strong and powerful kitsune. He had gained his
ninth and final tail, and would ascend to a higher plane to join many of his
kitsune brethren now. There was just one problem...

The fox was having too much damned fun! Leaving the physical plane
sounded like a sin. Why should he leave when there were so many
delectable males and females willingly throwing themselves at the Great
Youko? Would the other kitsune's even miss his presence if he chose not to
leave with them? Unlikely.

"It is time, my son, for you to ascend and join those of your own kind as
a higher being. You shall shed your living body and become a creature of
pure spirit," the firm, yet gentle and loving voice of the patrol kitsune-god, Inari,
spoke to him.

"I apologize, my Lord, but I cannot leave just yet. I love it here, I
enjoy this realm too much to leave it behind now. I beg of you, please, I
must have more time. Allow me this one desire. In all of my time here,
I've never asked for anything."

It was not a large request, and so, Inari removed four of Youko Kurama's
tails, reducing his power so that he may remain behind in the world he loved
so much.

The fox was weakened, although he never realized how much. As a result,
enemies who he had once been able to best easily in combat were now at the
advantage. Fear consumed him along with the worry that he would not adjust to his loss
in time, and that he would be captured.

Capture was not the aim of the hunters who discovered their target was
without four tails and weakened. After a botched heist, and whilst Youko Kurama
fled through the countryside, he was shot and mortally wounded. Outside of
the memory, Hiei could feel the fox's panic and worry, as he once again
sacrificed two more of his tails to send his spiritual body across the
barrier and into the Ningenkai, searching frantically for a safe body to
reside in. There was great relief when he found the human known as Minamino
Shiori, and eight months later, Minamino Shuichi was born.

Disgust and anger were there as he was a helpless toddler unable to fend
for himself. His memories were a jumble, at times he could hardly remember
who he was, what he was, or why he was. Where was he? As the child aged,
the answers to these soon became clear, and he was able to once again plan
his escape from the Living World, positive his powers would return fully at
the age of ten.

His father had died. That kind brown-haired man would no longer be
around to play with him in the yard anymore. His mother was suffering, he
almost wished he could comfort her.

He needed a jar. He felt the first threads of his power remaining. If
he had a jar with some dirt, he could hide his seeds within it. As he was
reaching for the jar on the tall shelf, the stool beneath him wobbled, his
clumsy child's body was falling, and the jar was smacked off of the shelf by
his flailing arm. The jar shattered upon the ground first, although he
never felt it. Shiori had caught him, and as a result, most of the glass
shards were painfully cutting into her arms. The scars would forever be
there, a reminder of a mother's sacrifice and love for her son.

His power returned fully. He could fully communicate with his plants,
although he found he could not control any of the Makai variety, it simply
consumed too much ki. It was time to leave behind the Living World and
retake his place; where he belonged.

His human body was thirteen when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
The doctors said she had two years left, because the disease had gone
unnoticed and untreated for so long. He couldn't leave her now; not when
she had protected him and loved him for so long. He would use his returned
strength to protect her and find a way to cure her one day.

He was being attacked by an apparition he didn't recognize. One that
didn't seem any older than him by the looks of the demon's size. He was
determined to keep his girlfriend Maya safe and bravely led the demon away
from the public. Already injured, his opponent helplessly collapsed during
the battle, and he took the demon to his home to bandage and nurse him back
to full health.

Four hours later, the young youkai awakened. A brief conversation
revealed that he had mistaken his identity. As he left, Kurama found out
his girlfriend never returned home. Could she have been taken? Half an
hour passed, the two were fighting side by side, working in a team to defeat
an eight-limbed monster that Hiei believed hurt Yukina. Once it was dead,
Maya was discovered to be safe and sound. Both demons parted ways, but
first...the antisocial young demon showed the first sign of friendliness.

"Tell me your name. I promise I'll remember it..."

"Kurama. And yours?"

"Hiei."

Time passed, and he grew older. No cure for his mother's illness was in
sight, nor had he discovered any magical means of helping her. He was
surprised when the same demon he met years ago showed up with a proposition.
"The three artifacts of darkness. You see, I have figured out who you
are, and I require your assistance as a thief."

Hiei's throat clenched as he saw his former self, the cold and aloof fire
demon that cared about nothing but his quest for power and ensuring his
sister was safe. The powerful Jagan blurred through memories and images,
many of them containing himself. For the first time, he read the fox's
thoughts as he fought during the dark tournament. He worried...about me?
Even then? Why?

Then he witnessed the last day at the Kubukukuri Hotel. It was morning,
and as usual, Hiei and Kurama were the earliest to awaken. The fire demon
had taken a liking to Kurama's window, and lay curled within it, eyes closed and Jagan
covered.

Kurama assumed him to be asleep still, although the lightest movement of
his foot touching the floor sent Hiei to his own feet, with katana drawn.

"Anxious?" the redhead teased, grinning as Hiei slowly returned the sword
to its sheath.

"No one can be too careful here, Kurama. We might have won the
tournament, but that doesn't mean those fools won't still try us. This only
gives them even more reason to."

"Yes, I know. Who wouldn't want to brag about taking out the winner of
the Dark Tournament." He chuckled as he collected the usual hair-care
products and went to visit the shower. When he returned, he was surprised
to find the demon was still there. "No training this morning?"

"This tournament was enough training," he remarked shortly.

"Well in that case...join me for a walk, Hiei? We've nothing else to do
and this is our last day to enjoy the island. I'd like at least a few fond
memories to take home with me."

Hiei arched a brow, which earned Kurama's amusement at his surprise.
However, he did agree, and soon they were traveling towards the jungle, and
clear of the area where Ichigaki's machine had attacked them days before.
"I certainly won't have fond memories of this place," he murmured.

"Why not? We won."

"You were almost killed," he pointed out.

Hiei's almond-shaped eyes widened, revealing surprise before returning to
normal. "Why does that matter? I've been almost killed plenty of times."

Kurama's own anxiety spiked up. Butterflies were in his stomach, and he
found it difficult to keep his usually cool and indifferent demeanor.
Damnit, he would just spill it, and if the demon hated him afterward then so
be it! "Because I care. I care about you. It's not because you are one of the strongest fighters that I care, nor is it because you mastered the kokuryuuha. I care about you for the good things you've done, because of your love for your sister, because I know somewhere in there, these humans have changed you too and that you are a good person deep inside. I care because I believe that... I love you." There it was, all out in one long rush of words. Hiei's eyes were
growing larger, and rounder with each sentence that tumbled out of Kurama's
mouth.

"Kurama...How long have you felt his way?"

"Ever since Zeru's fire attack struck you." His shoulders sagged. It
was either hatred or acceptancet wot would come next. He closed his eyes,
unable to meet his fighting partner's gaze. "I had to say it. I--"

Surprisingly, the apology he meant to utter was muffled by the soft
pressure of lips touching his. A fire demon, slightly standing on tiptoe,
was leaning up to kiss him. Soft lips caressed gently over his own.
Kurama opened his eyes to stare down into intense crimson eyes. Hiei's
smoldering red gaze stared up at him, full of raw emotion. "Do you know how
I suffered watching each one of your fights? Wondering when your
foolishness and joy of showing off would get you killed? Your need to fully
know every detail of your enemy's strategy before attacking. Observing your
fight against Uraurashima was a torture I never wish to withstand again."
Then, savagely, Hiei claimed his lips once more with his own mouth. Kurama
was forced to his knees, Hiei's sword-calloused hands clutched handfuls of
silken red strands. The emotional pressure was gone, his confession was
over, and his acceptance had been gained.

The petite fire demon, whose form he had always admired, was now his. He
didn't ever wish to let him go. Kurama's thoughts were a jumble as Hiei
forced him to the ground next, savagely kissing him, claiming his mouth and
his neck, releasing the buttons of his tunic and revealing slightly tanned
flesh. His thoughts were hazy, distorted by passion and desire. Together,
the two were stripping away clothing, flinging away undergarments, until no
barrier was between them. Only flesh against flesh, Hiei's impressively
muscular and compact body nude against his own lithe frame. I never
would have expected him to be so large, Kurama thought dreamily. They
had chosen a bad place to make love, and Hiei was lingering above him,
staring down at him with passion-filled yet hesitant eyes.

"Well fox?"

"Get on with it," he growled impatiently. "Your flowers or a plant of
some kind. I'm not going in dry."

Apparently, Hiei was a multi-tasker, and had read his hazy surface
thoughts while covering him with hot little kisses. "Oh, yes of course."
He removed a dewdream seed from his hair, willing it to grow.
While young, the buds were filled with viscous and thick gel, and it served
their purpose. He smashed it between his fingers, and took it upon himself
to lubricate and smooth the cool liquid against the rigid proof of Hiei's
arousal. The fire apparition's cock was rather impressive, thick and full of veins,
bulging with unconcealed desire.

As Kurama finished moistening his lover's shaft, Hiei positioned his
cockhead, and gave a testing thrust. The ring of the muscle was tight, and
resisted against the apparition's force at first. Both lover's groaned as
it gave in, allowing access to the redhead's passage. Kurama marveled at
the tender and loving care Hiei showed while taking him, and soon, all of that was
out the door, replaced by a frantic and excited fervor. The pounding, quick
and fast like the demon on top of Kurama, stimulated his prostrate,
thrusting him even closer to the edge.

Hiei's stamina was amazing, and Kurama was thankful the oil of the
dewdream plant was just as long-lasting. He came twice before his lover was
sated and also reached his release. Together, they laid in the grass still
as one. "Kurama?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I feel the same way too." In his own wHieiHiei returned his declaration
of lover.

Hiei's mind almost spun out of control from the intensity of the memory.
Kurama's own subconscious was practically thrusting it at him. The fox's
mind glowed with pride at the accomplishment of earning Hiei's love. It
sparked Hiei's own memories, and emotions ones he had long ago hoped to
bury; he had to keep going.

Kuwabara, Hiei, Botan, and Kurama were in the mansion of the three
psychics that kidnapped Yusuke. Secretly they were sent to test them by
Genkai. All but Kurama had already lost their soul due to a little
trickery, foolishness, and even arrogance.

Hiei had been the first capture. "No three letter word could ever rule
my fate...HOT!" And then, seized by the powerful force of the room, the
jaganshi's soul was stolen, his body paled, stiffened like rock, and fell to
the ground. Kuwabara was no better. The room was incredibly humid, as
several tropical plants were grown by the psychic who was nothing more than
a schoolboy who attended Kurama's school. A jealous one. A dangerous one
who resented Kurama's superior grades and popularity.

But it was hot. Kurama's thoughts kept shifting back to that one fact.
Why was it so hot? The boy pointed out there was a fridge with
refreshments. Kurama and Botan were wary of drinking, but finally, Kuwabara
told Botan to simply get one g and and two straws so they could share with
each other. Suddenly, the tall human gulped and doubled over, and he too
lost his soul.

"HEY, you cheated, he didn't get anywhere close to saying the word hot!
Oops..." Botan lost the game as well, and Kurama was left to face off with
the Master of Taboo. He would have agreed with Botan's statement if not for
one thing. Each other... EacH OTher! Damnit, he refused to lose! Not when
the souls of the ones he cared about were at stake. Damn Hiei and his
egotistical nonsense for purposefully saying that word.

Yuu Kaitou, his opponent in the deadly game, delighted in taunting Kurama.
"Souls are fascinating, aren't they, Shuichi? While the body can become
powl, al, a soul is the only thing that a person cannot make stronger. They
can only make them darker. Shall I darken mine by crushing these three
souls? Perhaps just a little scratch."

No! If he so much as knicked Hiei's soul, or that of the others, he
would destroy that puny human with his bare hands regardless of what charms
and taboos were in place in the psychic's territory. "Harm what lies in
your hand and I'll show you pain. The hue of your soul will no longer
matter, because you will not be judged when you die. You'll no longer
exist," the redhead replied venomously.

Hiei's jaw clenched, and he forced the memories to move along at a faster
pace. Me. He thought of me first. He was most worried of my soul being
harmed. He couldn't afford to linger on that unimportant fact if he needed to
find whatever it was Kurama wished for him to see. Everything sped up again,
colors melting and fading as he searched rapidly through the store of recent
memories. At last, he found a memory with the most emotion around it.

Kurama sitting on the floor of the viewer's box at the Makai
tournament. The others were telling the redhead he needed medical care, but
he insisted on remaining to see the outcome of Hiei's fight versus Mukuro.
When the fight came to its end, and a defeated Hiei was held within Mukuro's
embrace, one thought echoed loudly and painfully throughout Kurama's mind
with deafening clarity. He won't need me anymore. He has her now. I've
lost him for good this time.

It wasn't the day that he, Yusuke, and Hiei separated that was the most
profound, because then he had carried with him a hope that one day they
would be reunited. Even if he was to Yomi's territory, and Hiei to anotherfatefate would bring them together if they truly were meant to be. Memories of
countless visits flooded Hiei's vision, the fox returning to Makai several
times to see his lover. Then, a day after Kurama's last visit, it happened.

Keiko was at his doorstep in tears. "Kurama, I'm, I'm sorry for
showing up like this, but please, you have to help me," the sobbing gi whi whispered.

Who was he to send her away in such a condition? She was invited inside,
given a handkerchief for her tears, offered tea, and a friendly ear.

"Now, Keiko dear, tell me what's wrong," he asked once her face was dry
and all was under control.

"It's Yusuke...he's changed. I was hoping you knew what was wrong. Has
he told you anything?" she asked, hope filling her brown eyes.

"I'm afraid not. He's not mentioned anything to me lately." He tried to
recall seeing Yusuke doing anything out of the ordinary. "What changes are
you referring to, Keiko?"

"It's...the way he's acting lately. He's pushing me away and I don't
know why. I've tried to spend time with him, talk to him, and he only wants
to ignore me."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help. Perhaps you would fare better with
Kuwabara?"

Keiko sighed in disappointment, then tilted her head as she saw the
saddened, regretful expression on Kurama's face. "What's wrong, Kurama?
Have I stayed too long?"

"No, no, not at all. I was merely thinking of how similar Yusuke and Hiei
are behaving. Except, I know what troubles my mate. I'm just not ready to
move to Makai yet, I have so much more to do here. I think he resents me
for my choice, and won't visit because of it."

Shyly, tho beo began to talk, confiding in one another. The redhead was
embarrassed, but he felt he could trust Keiko enough to share his feelings
as well. They became friends. She told him that maybe if he neglected a
few visits, Hiei would take the initiative.

Hiei didn't. A month later, Kurama and Keiko became lovers. Guilt ate
away at Kurama's core, and he found he couldn't visit Hiei again. He had
betrayed the trust the demon had in him, and he felt that Hiei would
know immediately if he showed up. So the letters continued, without
a single visit in sight.

Keiko was distraught, and Kurama found himself visiting Yusuke's
residence to speak to him on Keiko's behalf.

The memories that followed, were like a punch in the gut to the jaganshi
that viewed them.