Standard disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Yes, yes, I know this has been done to death, but I needed a break from my
GW and Trigun fics. Just enjoy the sap.
Kurama looked down at the mirror in his hands. The Forlorn Hope, it's glass repaired, spells reset, glimmered back at him. He had thought about it over and over, but the only solution to his desire now lay in his hands. It had meant betraying Koenma, Yusuke and the others. It meant his death. It was worth the price. He glanced up at the sky.
Only 2 more days until the full moon. Only 2 more days left of his life. He smiled faintly and tucked himself deeper into the shadows.
"Kurama wouldn't steal it! I don't believe it!" Yusuke glowered at Koenma. The older version of his boss glowered back at him.
"I don't want to believe it either, Yusuke, but it's true. He took it."
"Then- he must've had a good reason!" Yusuke tried.
"But why would he take it again?" Kuwabara shook his head. "If he uses it, he'll die, right?"
"Maybe that's what he wants. He was willing to do it last time," Yusuke frowned.
"The question is: what could he want so badly that he's willing to die for it?" Hiei spoke as he paced restlessly back and forth. His sister watched him with anxious eyes. It wasn't like Hiei to waste energy.
"How's his mother?" Yusuke asked.
"She's fine," Botan was leaning over Koenma's chair holding several sheets of paper. "According to our reports, she's happy in her new marriage. She's even pregnant again."
"Is that it?" Yusuke frowned. "Is he trying to..."
"Don't be an idiot." Hiei snapped.
"Whatever it is, we have to find him. Before he uses it." Yusuke slammed a fist into his hand. "But where do we start looking?"
"He could be anywhere. Anywhere in the human, spirit or demon worlds." Kuwabara shook his head. "Kurama's trickier and smarter than any of us. We won't find him."
"We HAVE to!" Yusuke ground out. "Something bad is going on. He needs our help."
"If he needed our help, he would've asked for it." Koenma retorted.
"Unless Kurama-kun doesn't know that he needs our help," Yukina pointed out. She put her hands over her heart. "When I think of him, it hurts here. He's in pain, I know it."
"He is," Kuwabara's sister agreed, from her place in the shadows. "Despair is eating at him. He wants to die."
"Suzumi!" Kuwabara turned to her.
"You could feel it too, brother. If you focused yourself."
"Instead of all this touchy-feely crap, maybe one of you psychics could tell us something important, like say- where he is?" Hiei growled.
"Someplace dark," Yukina said softly.
"A place with trees- a forest..." her husband added.
"A lot of broken trees. Knocked down by his whip a while ago. He's sorry he destroyed them in a stupid show of strength." Suzumi shook her head. "That's all I know."
"That's not helpful!" Yusuke frowned and looked at Hiei. The fire demon had stopped pacing, his eyes gone dark with thought. "Hiei... do you recognize it?"
"I think so, detective." Hiei looked back at him. "I'll go look. The rest of you should check other places, just in case I'm wrong." He vanished.
"Is that a good idea? Should we have sent him alone? I mean- he and Kurama were once thieves...uh..." Kuwabara stopped as Yusuke glared at him.
"Or, what if Kurama attacks him?' Suzumi added, undaunted by Yusuke's glare.
"Hiei has a communicator. He'll call if he finds Kurama." Botan looked at the others. "The rest of us should go looking too."
Kurama sat on the tree branch, the Forlorn Hope balanced on his knee. One more night. Then it would be all over. No more pain.
"Here you are," a voice spoke out of the shadows above him.
"Hiei," Kurama replied, not surprised in the slightest. "What are you doing here?" Hiei took an exasperated breath.
"You're in trouble, idiot. What were you thinking? Koenma won't forgive this! You'll be locked up forever."
"No, I'll be dead." Kurama replied calmly.
"He controls Spirit World idiot! You'll go there when you die!" Hiei argued.
"I won't. I'm an animal spirit. I go- elsewhere." Kurama's calm pose was beginning to grate on Hiei's nerves. He growled.
"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you use the mirror?"
"So, you'll fight me?"
"If I have to."
"And kill me, if need be?" Hiei paused.
"No. We're allies." Hiei spoke grudgingly. "I'd make you wish you were dead, though." Kurama laughed and tilted the mirror.
"That's kind of the point, ne?" He jumped lightly out of the tree, Hiei following.
"Kurama- what is it that you want so badly that you're willing to die for it? Your mother..."
"Is happy and well. She'll miss me, I know, but she has other things to occupy her."
"Then what is it?" Hiei stepped closer. "Tell me, Kurama. Help me understand."
"There's something that I want. Something that I can't reach on my own. The Forlorn Hope will let me have it- only for a moment I know- but that will be plenty of time for me."
"So, you're ending your life so that you can have something just for a moment?" Hiei snapped sarcastically. He flinched. He wasn't good at this talking stuff. He reached into his pocket for the communicator. One of the others would be better at this.
"Yes," Kurama turned and smiled at him. "I'm sorry about this, Hiei." Hiei didn't have a chance to move before the plants on the forest floor sprang to life around him. He was bound up against the trunk of a tree an instant later. A sweet-smelling flower brushed his nose and he inhaled involuntarily. A wave of dizziness swept over him.
"Kurama! You bastard!"
"Sleep Hiei. I'll wake you tomorrow." Kurama watched the fire demon slump over in his bonds, out cold. He reached out and brushed his fingers over Hiei's cheek.
Hiei shook his head. It hurt. His senses were still filled with the too-sweet scent of the flower. He blinked his eyes. Kurama stood in front of him, looking apologetic.
"I am sorry for your headache, but I had to keep you out of my way for the day." Hiei looked up at the sky. The full moon hung in the sky directly overhead.
"Damn it!" He'd been out for a day!
"Once it's finished make sure to take the mirror back to Koenma." Kurama turned away and walked to where the mirror lay in the grass.
"NO! KURAMA! DON"T!" Hiei pulled against the limbs and vines that held him fast. "DAMN YOU FOX! LET ME GO!"
"The bindings will release you when I'm gone." Kurama knelt next to the mirror and placed his fingertips on it's edge. He lowered his voice and spoke softly, way too softly for Hiei to hear. Hiei pulled tighter on the bonds, feeling them give way a bit. The communicator, freed from his struggles, fell onto the ground, opening as it did so.
"Are you sure this is your request?" The voice of the mirror asked. "It seems like such a small thing to give your life for...."
"I am sure," Kurama replied as Hiei finally snapped his bonds. "It's not a small thing to me."
"NO!" Hiei launched himself at Kurama, knocking the taller youkai off his feet. He pinned Kurama against the ground. "Idiot!" He was nose to nose with the fox youkai, his angry red eyes glaring into Kurama's amused green ones. "Whatever the hell it is, I'll help you get it! You don't need the mirror!"
"Don't I?" Kurama tilted his head and leaned up slightly. His mouth touched Hiei's in a gentle kiss, the fire demon freezing in surprise. Kurama started to pull back a little, but Hiei held him fast, returning the kiss with interest.
When they broke apart, Kurama smiled up into Hiei's eyes. "Your wish has been granted," the mirror intoned.
"WHAT?!?" Hiei exploded.
"I wished for a kiss- from you." Kurama's smile vanished. "Suki da, Hiei." His eyes closed.
"NO! DAMN IT! You didn't need the mirror for that, you idiot!" Hiei snapped, panic flooding him. "Tell me you didn't waste your life for that!"
"That was his wish. To be able to tell you of his feelings and have one kiss. To him, that was worth my price." The mirror answered.
"But he didn't need you! Idiot! Bastard! How dare you do this to me!" Hiei slammed his fist next to the mirror. "I should destroy you! You didn't do anything! Why make him pay?"
"You have a point. Which is why I haven't made him pay yet. "
"What?!?" Kurama opened his eyes and gave Hiei a fox-grin.
"I was just preparing myself," he said. Hiei closed his eyes and counted to ten. Strangling the fox youkai was NOT an option, tempting though it was.
"May I assume my services aren't needed? I'd like to go back to sleep."
"Sleep then. Thank you," Kurama replied, wondering if Hiei was going to kill him anyway. Hiei's eyes opened again, they were glowing faintly. He leaned down so that he could look directly into Kurama's eyes again.
"If you ever make me think you're dead again, I'll kill you myself."
"You mean you aren't going to now?" Hiei snorted.
"No. But you are going to make this up to me. Right now."
"Well, well, well," Koenma - teenager version- chuckled as he watched the scene in his view screen. "It's about time."
"Uh, Koenma sir," Botan managed, a bit flushed, "Can we turn it off now?" Koenma grinned and waved the screen off. He turned to the flustered ferry girl.
"I wonder how they're going to explain themselves tomorrow when they bring the mirror back."
"Are you going to punish Kurama?"
"And make Hiei angry with me? No way." Koenma shook his head. "No, I think I'll just let it slide. Especially if I'm in a good mood."
"And are you going to be in a good mood, Koenma-sama?" Botan asked, confused by his expression. Koenma reached up and tugged her down onto his lap.
"I will be, with your help." Botan flushed again.
Kurama looked down at the mirror in his hands. The Forlorn Hope, it's glass repaired, spells reset, glimmered back at him. He had thought about it over and over, but the only solution to his desire now lay in his hands. It had meant betraying Koenma, Yusuke and the others. It meant his death. It was worth the price. He glanced up at the sky.
Only 2 more days until the full moon. Only 2 more days left of his life. He smiled faintly and tucked himself deeper into the shadows.
"Kurama wouldn't steal it! I don't believe it!" Yusuke glowered at Koenma. The older version of his boss glowered back at him.
"I don't want to believe it either, Yusuke, but it's true. He took it."
"Then- he must've had a good reason!" Yusuke tried.
"But why would he take it again?" Kuwabara shook his head. "If he uses it, he'll die, right?"
"Maybe that's what he wants. He was willing to do it last time," Yusuke frowned.
"The question is: what could he want so badly that he's willing to die for it?" Hiei spoke as he paced restlessly back and forth. His sister watched him with anxious eyes. It wasn't like Hiei to waste energy.
"How's his mother?" Yusuke asked.
"She's fine," Botan was leaning over Koenma's chair holding several sheets of paper. "According to our reports, she's happy in her new marriage. She's even pregnant again."
"Is that it?" Yusuke frowned. "Is he trying to..."
"Don't be an idiot." Hiei snapped.
"Whatever it is, we have to find him. Before he uses it." Yusuke slammed a fist into his hand. "But where do we start looking?"
"He could be anywhere. Anywhere in the human, spirit or demon worlds." Kuwabara shook his head. "Kurama's trickier and smarter than any of us. We won't find him."
"We HAVE to!" Yusuke ground out. "Something bad is going on. He needs our help."
"If he needed our help, he would've asked for it." Koenma retorted.
"Unless Kurama-kun doesn't know that he needs our help," Yukina pointed out. She put her hands over her heart. "When I think of him, it hurts here. He's in pain, I know it."
"He is," Kuwabara's sister agreed, from her place in the shadows. "Despair is eating at him. He wants to die."
"Suzumi!" Kuwabara turned to her.
"You could feel it too, brother. If you focused yourself."
"Instead of all this touchy-feely crap, maybe one of you psychics could tell us something important, like say- where he is?" Hiei growled.
"Someplace dark," Yukina said softly.
"A place with trees- a forest..." her husband added.
"A lot of broken trees. Knocked down by his whip a while ago. He's sorry he destroyed them in a stupid show of strength." Suzumi shook her head. "That's all I know."
"That's not helpful!" Yusuke frowned and looked at Hiei. The fire demon had stopped pacing, his eyes gone dark with thought. "Hiei... do you recognize it?"
"I think so, detective." Hiei looked back at him. "I'll go look. The rest of you should check other places, just in case I'm wrong." He vanished.
"Is that a good idea? Should we have sent him alone? I mean- he and Kurama were once thieves...uh..." Kuwabara stopped as Yusuke glared at him.
"Or, what if Kurama attacks him?' Suzumi added, undaunted by Yusuke's glare.
"Hiei has a communicator. He'll call if he finds Kurama." Botan looked at the others. "The rest of us should go looking too."
Kurama sat on the tree branch, the Forlorn Hope balanced on his knee. One more night. Then it would be all over. No more pain.
"Here you are," a voice spoke out of the shadows above him.
"Hiei," Kurama replied, not surprised in the slightest. "What are you doing here?" Hiei took an exasperated breath.
"You're in trouble, idiot. What were you thinking? Koenma won't forgive this! You'll be locked up forever."
"No, I'll be dead." Kurama replied calmly.
"He controls Spirit World idiot! You'll go there when you die!" Hiei argued.
"I won't. I'm an animal spirit. I go- elsewhere." Kurama's calm pose was beginning to grate on Hiei's nerves. He growled.
"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you use the mirror?"
"So, you'll fight me?"
"If I have to."
"And kill me, if need be?" Hiei paused.
"No. We're allies." Hiei spoke grudgingly. "I'd make you wish you were dead, though." Kurama laughed and tilted the mirror.
"That's kind of the point, ne?" He jumped lightly out of the tree, Hiei following.
"Kurama- what is it that you want so badly that you're willing to die for it? Your mother..."
"Is happy and well. She'll miss me, I know, but she has other things to occupy her."
"Then what is it?" Hiei stepped closer. "Tell me, Kurama. Help me understand."
"There's something that I want. Something that I can't reach on my own. The Forlorn Hope will let me have it- only for a moment I know- but that will be plenty of time for me."
"So, you're ending your life so that you can have something just for a moment?" Hiei snapped sarcastically. He flinched. He wasn't good at this talking stuff. He reached into his pocket for the communicator. One of the others would be better at this.
"Yes," Kurama turned and smiled at him. "I'm sorry about this, Hiei." Hiei didn't have a chance to move before the plants on the forest floor sprang to life around him. He was bound up against the trunk of a tree an instant later. A sweet-smelling flower brushed his nose and he inhaled involuntarily. A wave of dizziness swept over him.
"Kurama! You bastard!"
"Sleep Hiei. I'll wake you tomorrow." Kurama watched the fire demon slump over in his bonds, out cold. He reached out and brushed his fingers over Hiei's cheek.
Hiei shook his head. It hurt. His senses were still filled with the too-sweet scent of the flower. He blinked his eyes. Kurama stood in front of him, looking apologetic.
"I am sorry for your headache, but I had to keep you out of my way for the day." Hiei looked up at the sky. The full moon hung in the sky directly overhead.
"Damn it!" He'd been out for a day!
"Once it's finished make sure to take the mirror back to Koenma." Kurama turned away and walked to where the mirror lay in the grass.
"NO! KURAMA! DON"T!" Hiei pulled against the limbs and vines that held him fast. "DAMN YOU FOX! LET ME GO!"
"The bindings will release you when I'm gone." Kurama knelt next to the mirror and placed his fingertips on it's edge. He lowered his voice and spoke softly, way too softly for Hiei to hear. Hiei pulled tighter on the bonds, feeling them give way a bit. The communicator, freed from his struggles, fell onto the ground, opening as it did so.
"Are you sure this is your request?" The voice of the mirror asked. "It seems like such a small thing to give your life for...."
"I am sure," Kurama replied as Hiei finally snapped his bonds. "It's not a small thing to me."
"NO!" Hiei launched himself at Kurama, knocking the taller youkai off his feet. He pinned Kurama against the ground. "Idiot!" He was nose to nose with the fox youkai, his angry red eyes glaring into Kurama's amused green ones. "Whatever the hell it is, I'll help you get it! You don't need the mirror!"
"Don't I?" Kurama tilted his head and leaned up slightly. His mouth touched Hiei's in a gentle kiss, the fire demon freezing in surprise. Kurama started to pull back a little, but Hiei held him fast, returning the kiss with interest.
When they broke apart, Kurama smiled up into Hiei's eyes. "Your wish has been granted," the mirror intoned.
"WHAT?!?" Hiei exploded.
"I wished for a kiss- from you." Kurama's smile vanished. "Suki da, Hiei." His eyes closed.
"NO! DAMN IT! You didn't need the mirror for that, you idiot!" Hiei snapped, panic flooding him. "Tell me you didn't waste your life for that!"
"That was his wish. To be able to tell you of his feelings and have one kiss. To him, that was worth my price." The mirror answered.
"But he didn't need you! Idiot! Bastard! How dare you do this to me!" Hiei slammed his fist next to the mirror. "I should destroy you! You didn't do anything! Why make him pay?"
"You have a point. Which is why I haven't made him pay yet. "
"What?!?" Kurama opened his eyes and gave Hiei a fox-grin.
"I was just preparing myself," he said. Hiei closed his eyes and counted to ten. Strangling the fox youkai was NOT an option, tempting though it was.
"May I assume my services aren't needed? I'd like to go back to sleep."
"Sleep then. Thank you," Kurama replied, wondering if Hiei was going to kill him anyway. Hiei's eyes opened again, they were glowing faintly. He leaned down so that he could look directly into Kurama's eyes again.
"If you ever make me think you're dead again, I'll kill you myself."
"You mean you aren't going to now?" Hiei snorted.
"No. But you are going to make this up to me. Right now."
"Well, well, well," Koenma - teenager version- chuckled as he watched the scene in his view screen. "It's about time."
"Uh, Koenma sir," Botan managed, a bit flushed, "Can we turn it off now?" Koenma grinned and waved the screen off. He turned to the flustered ferry girl.
"I wonder how they're going to explain themselves tomorrow when they bring the mirror back."
"Are you going to punish Kurama?"
"And make Hiei angry with me? No way." Koenma shook his head. "No, I think I'll just let it slide. Especially if I'm in a good mood."
"And are you going to be in a good mood, Koenma-sama?" Botan asked, confused by his expression. Koenma reached up and tugged her down onto his lap.
"I will be, with your help." Botan flushed again.