Dreams of the Damned

A/N: Centers around Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei. It will include angst, drama, adventure, fighting, romance, torture, graphic violence, blood, gore, etc. For now, the rating is 'T'; it may go up to 'M' at a later date. Also, this will be a KuramaxYusuke.

Disclaimer: I do not own YuYuHakusho, its universe or its characters. I do not make any money off this story. I only own my plot and ideas.

Chapter One: The Dreamers

Yusuke woke up again drenched in cold sweat. Panting, he dragged himself from the bed and reached for the bedroom light. He had lost count on how many nights in a row he had a dream like that. Each one was different but remarkably similar. Each had the same ending. Each had similar themes. If he thought the nightmares he used to have after the Dark Tournament and Sensui's Seven were bad, he had another thing coming.

He moved to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. Staring in the mirror, he was unable to stop the constant film reel of the dream running through his head.

Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei stood in a dark parking complex. They had just finished a particularly nasty mission and were exhausted. For some reason none of them understood, the Makai portal to Ningenkai had opened up here, in a dark, four-story parking structure in the shadier end of town.

Suddenly, like a scene from a hundred horror movies he had watched, Yusuke heard a soft rustle of clothing from one corner. Perhaps foolishly, he decided to investigate the noise. It could be a demon trying to hide from him. He strode toward the dank, shadowed corner. When he was nearly there, Kurama called to him.

"Yusuke," he spoke. "Something doesn't feel right. Wait-" As Yusuke turned back to Kurama, the being waiting in the shadows made its move. Before anyone could stop it, the man embedded a long knife into Yusuke back. The tip managed to protrude slightly from just above his stomach. The ex-detective opened his mouth to cry out, but the only sound he made was a choked gurgle.

"Yusuke!"

Yusuke brought a hand up to his wound as the knife was yanked free. He tried to speak, to tell them that this wasn't anything compared to what Toguro and Sensui did to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't even stay on his feet; they gave out beneath him.

He was vaguely aware that the man who had stabbed him had fled, and that Kurama and Hiei had rushed to his side. His hand rested on his shirt at the location of his wound.

The thing that scared him the most wasn't the blatant fear on Hiei's face or the tears in Kurama's eyes. It was the fact he could no longer feel any pain. In fact, he could no longer feel anything at all...

And that's where he woke up. The strangest part of it all, there was blood stains on his shirt where his wounds would have been. But upon inspection of himself, he found nothing, not even a scratch. He decided he'd had enough of this. He needed to talk to someone about it. Kurama was at the top of his list, followed closely by Hiei.

:-:

Hiei's Jagan flared. He could feel the Detective's turbulent energy. It didn't bode well. Especially when coupled with the damn nightmare he'd had the night before.

Kurama nearly smiled upon Hiei's approach, he was so relieved. "Help me," he whispered. "I can't calm him. You have to do so with the Jagan."

Yusuke thrashed on the floor in front of Kurama. The fox held him down as best he could. "What's wrong with him?" Hiei hissed.

Kurama shook his head, his red hair shifting from side to side. "He said he felt ill this morning. I thought it was simply a virus at first, but now..."

"How long has he been like this?"

"A few hours."

"K... Kur..." Yusuke moaned. "Ki... Kill me... Please."

Hiei's eyes flashed. "Do not, fox."

Kurama frowned deeper. "Obviously not." He held Yusuke tighter and tried to calm him with words. "Yusuke," he soothed, "everything will be alright. Just try to breathe... That's it, breathe."

"Hie...Hiei." Yusuke's eyes were squeezed harshly closed, and his teeth were firmly clenched. "He... He's taking... over." He gasped. "Taking over me."

Kurama's eyes widened. "Who?" Hiei snapped.

Yusuke cried out; he was losing this battle against whomever was inside him. "Kill... kill me... Before it's too... late..."

Kurama shook his head. "No. We won't kill you. Fight, Yusuke. Fight this."

"Kurama," Hiei hissed. "Get away from him." His Jagan was glowing fiercely. He knew Yusuke was on the brink of losing all control. Kami only knew what would happen then. Reluctantly, Kurama did as Hiei told him.

Yusuke took that single moment of opportunity between Kurama releasing hold on his body and the being taking over his mind. He powered up his spirit energy and pressed his pointer finger to his temple. In a broken voice, he whispered, "Spirit Gun."

Dream or not, Hiei would never in his life be able to forget the tragedy in Yusuke's eyes, the defeat in his voice, or the devastation in his expression. The only instance in which Yusuke Urameshi ever gave up would be forever burned in his mind for as long as he lived.

:-:

Kurama awoke with a shout. Breathing heavily, he lowered his head into his hands. He was thankful to note he hadn't woken his mother today with his nightmares, as he had several times before. As intelligent as he knew himself to be, these dreams were something that, he was ashamed to say, he did not understand. They seemed to have no base in reality at all. Except maybe his ingrained fear of losing Yusuke. But even that didn't add up, not completely. He scrubbed at his eyes, trying to abate the unsettling images.

Hiei slammed the door of Kurama's room open. "Where is he?" he asked sharply.

"You'll have to be more specific, Hiei. I'm not aware of whom you speak."

"Yusuke," he snapped impatiently.

The fox raised a prefect brow. "Yusuke?" He shook his head. "I haven't seen in a several days." He studied Hiei carefully. He looked... concerned. "What's going on?" he murmured.

"I believed he may be in danger... Grave danger."

Kurama followed Hiei in the direction he had sensed Yusuke's faint energy signature. They had been traveling through the Makai at a blistering pace for over three hours. They were nearly there now, though. In a short time, one of Demon World's old, abandoned, castle-like fortresses loomed before them. "This is it," Hiei hissed. Kurama nodded as they made their way inside...

"What I am about to show you, dear half-breed, is something I learned from your fox friend," the man murmured into Yusuke's ear.

Yusuke had a very bad feeling about what he was about to be shown. "You're a real nut-case, you know that?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say such things if I were you."

"If you were me?" Yusuke flashed his best shit-eating grin. "If you were me, you wouldn't be nearly so ugly," he whispered, showing off his sharp canines.

The man growled and raised his knife. "This was one of Yoko's favorites," he snarled as he thrust his knife into the half-demon chained mercilessly before him.

Yusuke bit down hard on his tongue to keep from screaming. Pain seared through him like acid. He was fairly sure that whatever this crazy bastard had just done to him was the most painful thing he'd ever felt.

"Did that hurt, detective?" the man spat, twisting his blade savagely to emphasize each word. Yusuke actually flinched at the use of Hiei's nickname for him. No one else called him that anymore.

"No," he replied defiantly, but even with all his years' experience with pain, he was unable to keep the tremors from his voice. "It didn't hurt."

"I was so hoping you would say that," the man chuckled. "Because now, I get to do this..." Lowering the blade to Yusuke's wrist, he flicked his hand. He laughed loudly over Yusuke's scream of agony.

Yusuke couldn't stop the tears from falling. It wasn't even the sheer pain that brought the tears. It was the devastating knowledge that he would never again be able to use his right hand. The tendons and nerves had been completely severed.

Suddenly, Hiei burst through the door with a livid, "Get away from him, you sick fuck."

Kurama legs failed him upon the sight of Yusuke. He couldn't move; all he do was stare at his comrade, covered in his own blood. As though separated from himself, his mind studied Yusuke's wounds. It noted, with detachment, that the half-demon would probably die. It noted, also, that those wounds inflicted upon the young demon were some of his favorite torture techniques from his days as Yoko.

As Hiei dealt with the man that had done this to Yusuke, Kurama finally forced his body into motion and came to kneel beside the toushin. "Hey, kit," he whispered.

"Fox-boy," he greeted in return. Despite the pained look on his face and the dimming in his eyes, Yusuke tried at some light humor. "That guy... an old friend of yours?" he chuckled weakly, causing blood to trickle from his lips. "I think... you're a little too late..."

Kurama could feel his throat tightening and his eyes burning. "Don't say such things," he admonished gently.

"I can't feel my... hand." The last word he choked out, the pain in uttering those words nearly unbearable. Kurama glanced down at it. Fighting a wince, he tried to focus on something else. Yusuke's dominate hand was... destroyed. That wasn't the worst of his injuries, however. The boy was dying. Bleeding out. His slack, sheet-white face and short, slick-sounding breaths were evidence enough of that.

Kurama looked back at his face and realized, with no small amount of horror, that Yusuke's encroaching death was much closer than he had though before. With his last breath, Yusuke whispered, "Love you, fox-boy."

Kurama nearly cried out again. He couldn't allow that to be anything more than a night terror. Though he realized how irrational he was currently behaving, he couldn't shake the crippling fear he felt. "Yusuke..."

:-:

Hiei ran until he could see the fox demon's house. Flitting effortlessly up to the window, he let himself in. He found Kurama sitting in his bed, tangled amidst the sheets. The fox was hugging his legs and resting his head on his knees. He looked exhausted, and there were marks that looked very much like tear stains trailing down his cheeks. "Fox," Hiei greeted softly.

Kurama seemed to be taken by surprise, an extremely seldom occurrence. He hid the shock behind his mask swiftly and forced his normal smile. "Hiei," he responded. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We need to discuss something. First, however, you're going to tell me why you've been crying."

The redhead closed his eyes with a weary sigh. "I... had a dream," he admitted finally. "A nightmare, really."

These words caused a rare sensation within Hiei; his blood ran cold. "What sort of nightmare?" he asked in a sharp hiss.

"It was primarily concerning Yusuke." Emerald eyes flickered open once again. "I realize the foolishness behind allowing them to consume me so, however, losing Yusuke is something I never wish to endure again." Hiei's eyes had widened slightly. Kurama noticed, and his gaze narrowed. "Tell me what you know."

"Disappointingly little. However, I have had a disturbingly similar experience."

Kurama frowned, "A dream?"

A slight nod, "You could call it that."

"A vision from the Jagan?" Kurama realized he could scarcely breathe as he waited for the answer.

Hiei gazed intently at the wall. "I don't believe so. It was just... vivid."

"Too real to be merely a nightmare?"

"Indeed."

"We need to speak to him." 'And keep him safe', Kurama added silently. 'Protect him.'

"Agreed."

"Hiei?"

"Yes, Fox?"

"I... I believe I... love him."

The Jagan glowed gently, "I know."

:-:

Just before Yusuke had left his apartment, his phone began to ring. Glancing at the caller id, he realized it was just the man he wanted to talk to. "Hey, fox-boy," he answered into the phone.

"Yusuke," even through the phone, Yusuke could hear the strain in Kurama's voice. "Hiei and I would like to speak with you."

The ex-detective frowned. "Alright. I want to talk to you guys, too, actually."

"Wait for us. We will meet you at your apartment." Kurama's voice was carefully devoid of emotion. "Do not leave until we arrive."

"You got it," Yusuke replied before they both hung up.

Stifling a yawn, he realized with no small amount of trepidation, that he was suddenly exhausted. He could hardly keep his eyes open. Stumbling to the couch, he fell into a turbulent, dream-filled sleep.

The forest all around was dark, damp and filled with the noises of fighting. Yusuke watched, somewhat detachedly, the scene before him. Kurama and Hiei were engaged in battle with a large demon, so tall he towered over several of the trees. Yusuke's energy was sorely depleted, and he was forced to watch from the sidelines.

Hiei was, for the most part, holding his own. That was primarily because of his speed, however. Kurama wasn't fairing nearly as well. 'I have to help him,' Yusuke thought to himself. Rising shakily to his feet, he gathered all the remaining spirit and demon energy he possibly could. "Move," he told Kurama firmly.

The fox glanced at Yusuke and shook his head. "You are much more injured than I."

Yusuke paid him no mind. Pushing past the fox, he called to the demon, "Come get me, ugly!"

The demon roared, turning toward his new target. Yusuke steeled his resolve. He knew he could not win, but at least he could buy enough time for his companions to escape with their lives. "Run, Kurama."

The demon took a swipe with his long claws. He was much faster than Yusuke anticipated. His sharp talons ripped a deep gash along Yusuke's side. Hissing in pain, he gripped the wound with his hand. "Run, I said!" He yelled, "Spirit Gun!"

The demon was wounded, but hardly slowed. It made several other attacks against the ex-detective, some hitting their mark. Yusuke knew he had already lost. He would not survive this battle. "I'm sorry, Kurama..."

:-:

When Hiei and Kurama arrived, their knocks went unanswered. Turning the knob, Kurama realized Yusuke must have left the door unlocked for them. Which was good, it turned out, because they found him asleep on the couch. "This is unlike him," Kurama murmured. "He was expecting our arrival."

"Hn," was the jaganshi's agreement. Further discussion was ceased, however, when Yusuke cried out softly, his hand moving to his side.

Kurama's eyes widened when he noticed a red stain spreading across the dark-haired man's shirt, beginning where he was clutching. "What's happening?" he asked Hiei hoarsely as he knelt beside the couch. Soon, several other spots of blood began appearing.

Hiei frowned as he knelt as well. Carefully, Hiei moved Yusuke's hand, while Kurama lifted his shirt to examine the bloody areas. Wiping away the slick red, he was shocked to discover there were no wounds at all. Hiei's eyes went wide. "I've heard of this," he hissed. "Only skilled psychics are capable of it. And this... is only the beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"The wounds will begin to manifest, as well."

"Meaning he will truly be injured."

"Precisely."

Kurama closed his eyes. "What are we going to do about this?"

"Nothing yet. Whoever is doing this is not projecting enough energy to trace. We can only wait until the wounds begin to become real; when the psychic must use much more energy."

"I do not like this."

"Neither do I," Hiei returned. "However, we have no choice."

Kurama nodded curtly and moved to wake Yusuke.

A/N: I know I'm currently writing another chapter story right now, but inspiritation called. You can't ignore an idea, can you? ;) Hope you enjoyed this beginning. Please, please leave your thoughts in the review section before you leave. Thank you!