A/N: This is set during the last season of the show and is AU.

Yusuke felt distinctly uncomfortable as he followed his demon guide into the large throne room. So far he'd been treated with a surprising amount of respect, but that did nothing to reassure him.

Yomi sat on his throne, looking nonchalant as Yusuke strode toward him. He had one leg casually crossed over the other. Around him stood his generals. But, among them, Yusuke couldn't see the person he'd come for.

"All right, you arrogant jerk," Yusuke began. "Where's Kurama?"

Several of the generals sneered at Yusuke but Yomi's face remained smooth and serene.

"Is that what you've come all this way for?" he asked, his tone languid. "The little half-human?"

"Yeah," Yusuke said, fixing him with a glare that he knew Yomi wouldn't see. The demon lord would have no trouble hearing the anger in his voice though. "Now, where is he? I know he's here so don't bother denying it."

Yomi smiled. Yusuke felt an icy shiver run up his spine. He resisted the urge to turn to see if someone was standing behind him with a knife to his back. He knew, reasonably, that there was no one that close to him, but a small, insecure part of his mind felt that there was.

Yomi raised one hand. Yusuke flinched but the ruler was merely signalling to his guards. Yusuke watched, an uncertain frown on his face, as two of them vanished through a doorway behind the throne.

A tense silence filled the room. Yusuke resisted the urge to fidget. The demons in the room stared unblinkingly at him, further increasing his discomfort.

"What is he to you?"

Yomi's voice broke the silence like a fist shattering a window. Yusuke's back straightened as he glowered at the ruler.

"What's it to you?" he demanded.

"Mere curiosity," Yomi responded. "Is he your friend? Lover? Mate? Why do you care about him?"

"He's my friend," Yusuke snapped belligerently. "You can't keep him here against his will."

"What makes you think he's here against his will?" Yomi's smile was filled with smug satisfaction.

Yusuke wanted to smack it off his face, but it wasn't the right time for that. He was surrounded by demons loyal to Yomi. He was an S-class, but so was Yomi. As for Yomi's subjects, Yusuke had no idea what class they were. It was possible, even likely, that most of his generals were A-class.

And the open disdain on their faces indicated that they wouldn't mind having a go at Yusuke, even if he did outclass them.

"There's no way he'd want to leave his family," Yusuke told Yomi. "He loves them. Not that you understand what that's like."

"Perhaps I do," Yomi said.

The door behind the throne opened. Three figures entered. Yusuke's eyes locked on the middle figure, relief flooding him.

It was Kurama. Yusuke was pleased that he wasn't restrained in any way. The half-human, half-kitsune teenager was walking under his own power. He stopped beside Yomi's throne and the guards retreated.

Kurama looked tired but unharmed. His jade eyes flicked to Yusuke, taking him in briefly before he looked down. He was wearing a beautiful red, green and yellow robe with long sleeves. His arms were crossed over his middle, the silk sleeves sweeping down almost to his knees. His long hair was loose and neatly brushed. He was even wearing light makeup.

It could have been worse, Yusuke acknowledged. It could have been a lot worse. He'd imagined that Kurama would be dragged out in chains. Covered in bruises and blood. Maybe not even conscious. At least Yomi didn't appear to be mistreating him in any way.

"As you can see," Yomi said, his tone stiff, "Kurama is quite well. And quite content here."

Yusuke scowled at him. He was beginning to get the impression that Yomi was toying with him. The ruler had the air of a poker player who knows they have the winning hand.

"Kurama, your mum's really worried about you," Yusuke told his friend, choosing to ignore Yomi for the moment. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Kurama's eyes remained lowered to his feet. His sleeves shifted slightly but he gave no response.

"Don't worry about Yomi," Yusuke said, taking a step forward. "He can't keep you here."

"I'm not keeping him here," Yomi pointed out. "Do you see any chains? Nothing is stopping him from leaving. He just doesn't want to. Not anymore."

Not anymore? What did that mean?

"Kurama." Yusuke's voice hardened as his patience began to fray like the hem of Hiei's black cloak.

"I can't."

Kurama's voice was soft. His head remained down.

"I can't go with you. I need to stay here."

"But why?" Yusuke demanded, both hurt and confused.

"Show him, Kurama."

Yomi's voice brimmed with laughter. Yusuke's eyes remained on Kurama, his trepidation growing.

Kurama's arms slid slowly from around himself. As the silk fabric of the sleeves parted, Yusuke's eyes widened.

The bulge beneath the fabric of the redhead's robe was unmistakable. Kurama's stomach was unnaturally bloated as if he were… pregnant?

"No way," Yusuke said, sure that this was some kind of joke or trick. "That's not even possible. He can't be… he's a guy!"

Kurama finally met his eyes, emerald green dark beneath long scarlet eyelashes. His lips had been painted with deep red lipstick and his cheeks dusted pink. Now Yusuke could see dark bruising on his throat. The discolouration indicated that not all of the bruises were fresh.

"He's a kitsune," Yomi informed Yusuke, his lips tilted upward as he rested one hand on the small of Kurama's back. "Don't you know that kitsune are shapeshifters? Gender is nothing more than a preference to them."

Kurama's arms returned to his middle, once again protecting the bump with an instinct that all mothers possessed. That, more than anything, convinced Yusuke that Kurama was actually pregnant.

"There's no way he agreed to that," Yusuke argued. "You forced him."

Yomi chuckled. "It hardly matters at this point in time," he said. "Kurama is days away from giving birth to my first child. The first of many, I am certain."

Yomi waved his hand once again and the two guards stepped forward. One of them took hold of Kurama's arm. Kurama made no effort to shake him off or resist as he was guided to the door he'd arrived through.

"Kurama!" Yusuke called, determined not to give up on him.

Kurama's footsteps paused briefly. For a moment, hope rose up inside Yusuke. Maybe he could still convince Kurama to leave with him.

But then Kurama started forward again, without even looking back at his friend. Yusuke watched him pass through the door and out of sight, his hope dying like a fire smothered by a blanket.

"I no longer have any need to restrain Kurama," Yomi said. "He will stay for his child's sake."

"You bastard!" Yusuke hissed viciously.

"So, you see, I understand familial ties very well," Yomi said, ignoring Yusuke's insult. That, in itself, was an insult to Yusuke. Yomi's disinterest in engaging Yusuke indicated that he thought that Yusuke was beneath him.

"I will be sure to invite you to the birth celebration," the lord finished. His thin lips remained tilted upward, his air that of a cat who'd just caught a bird.

Yusuke's anger boiled in his veins like lava inside a volcano, but he had to acknowledge that there was nothing he could do in this situation. Yomi was right. There was no way Kurama would leave now. As heavily pregnant as he was, he probably wasn't even capable of travelling.

Yusuke stormed out of the palace, fuming silently, his mood as dark and violent as the stormy sky above him. He had no clue what he was going to tell Kurama's human family.