Turin: Look what I rescued from my old computer! It's still alive! My very first, really very first fanfic! I don't know when I made this, but I know I still call myself by another name, "shadedblue" but that's not the point. All characters belong to YYH. The poems were written by Lord Byron.

This is shonen-ai. All fics I write have shonen ai themes or implications. Yay!

Part I,

So, We'll Go No More A Roving

I.

So we'll go no more a roving

So late into the night,

Though the heart be still as loving,

And the moon be still as bright

Another letter wrapped in a black cloth mysteriously appeared in front of Kurama's vanity table. He found it early that morning, but he still had to open it. He buried his fingers into his scarlet hair, willing himself to stay calm. But how could anyone stay calm when someone is stalking him? His lips thinned into a line. Who was doing this, and why?

Nov.5

His body felt like lead. He always felt this tired after their mission, ah, to have his old youko body, then he'd recover his strength much sooner.

The little apartment was dark and uninviting. As usual, his family was away, and he volunteered to stay and take care of the house.

"Kombanwa, Hiei," he whispered into the darkness as he opened the door.

He saw a shadow move and land gently in front of him. He turned on the lights and saw the little koorime smiling at him. Hiei must've arrived minutes before, as he was already dressed in clean clothes his own, really, so it was a little big on the koorime. The big t-shirt made Hiei look like a kid.

"Thought I might keep you company."

Kurama gave him a knowing smile.

"Really? Is that all?"

Hiei languidly closed the distance between them. He barely reached Kurama's chin, so he could easily wrap his arms around the youko's waist, which for him, was the most comfortable place of all. This, he did, teasingly running his fingers along Kurama's back at the same time.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, mock-seriously.

They quickly tumbled into the inviting sofa after that. Strange how Hiei could warm his blood like this. Their kisses made him forget his early tiredness, their caresses dismissed it completely…

"What's that?" Hiei suddenly broke off their kiss.

What now?

Kurama stubbornly pulled Hiei back to him. He didn't hear anything. The fire demon was reluctant at first, but as Kurama was really insistent…

"What's that!" again Hiei's attention wandered.

Damn it. Kurama sighed and began closing the buttons of his Chinese dress. Longingly, he watched Hiei run up his room. His mind was still in the clouds, taking note of the way Hiei ran, how his well-trained body gave him the most exquisite movement. It didn't help a bit that Hiei was totally unaware of his own beauty, and the way he was parading his very cute torso…

I need a cold shower, Kurama concluded.

But before he could go to the bathroom, he heard Hiei call him. It sounded urgent so he immediately ran up the stairs.

What he saw shocked him. His room was in shambles. It was as if a hurricane decided to trash his room.

Then his eyes shifted to his bed. A stake was driven through it.

"Inari-sama," he couldn't help but pray.

Wordlessly, Hiei gave him an unusual object, it was a letter wrapped in a black cloth and tied with twine. Hands shaking with confusion and dread, Kurama opened the bundle.

His eyes shrank to slits as he read the letter.

Koibito,

I want to be with you. I'll be coming for you.

"What does this mean?" Hiei asked as he saw Kurama's change of expression. The koorime couldn't read and he was concerned why his friend was so bothered. He sat beside Kurama, waiting for him to speak. He took the letter and stared at it, as if he could understand it just by staring. He heard Kurama laugh weakly.

"It's nothing, a prank…," Kurama said and took back the letter from him.

Hiei looked around the room, trying to digest the sight of destruction. He shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"It says so right here, 'Pay you back, care of Suaro Fraternity'," he lied as he folded the letter and slip it into a drawer beside him. In a few seconds, his face became impassive and blank. "They're just jealous because some of their girlfriends had their eyes on me."

A knowing 'hn' escaped Hiei's lips. He knew how girls chase after Kurama, disgustingly throwing themselves at him. He could also understand how some ningen males hate Kurama so much because of his intelligence and looks. But still, he stared at the stake, what if Kurama was sleeping on the bed? What if they tried to hurt him?

"Just give me word and I'd annihilate them."

"Daijobu, daijobu," Kurama assured him. "I can take care of myself, and I also have you to count on. What could a few ningen do to us?"

I'm such good a liar, I almost believe myself…, he noted. He began picking up the books on the floor and arranging the accessories strewn haphazardly on the desk. Hiei followed suit.

If they only looked outside, they would have seen a shadow vanishing into the night.

Nov. 7

They've just finished cleaning the mess yesterday and he's dead tired. He turned an internal look into his youki and didn't like what he found. The stress made his center unbalanced, and that wasn't good. His aura was also flickering. He yawned. He needed rest badly.

Hiei went back to Makai earlier that day, a little unwillingly.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he asked, not wanting to let go of his hands.

"Of course I will," Kurama gave him a light kiss on his closed jagan. "Now go to Mokuro like the nice little imp you are."

The portal flickered, a sign that it may go unstable at any moment. It means that a dimension storm may make travel between the planes unsafe for some time, it could last for some hours, or worse, days.

"Go, before I throw you there myself."

Hiei's eyes softened and he regained his usual stoic sweet self.

"Keep safe," he cautioned and jumped into the doorway.

How am I going to keep myself safe? He boarded the house and closed all the doors and windows. Sleep was already pulling down his eye lids. He unrolled his futon beside his ruined bed. His back had barely warmed the sheets when he fell asleep.

The window rattled.

Kurama sprung awake, but he fought the urge to get up, instead he called upon his heightened senses to tell him what was happening. He knew that whoever was out there knew where he was. If he pretended to be asleep, maybe he could find out who it was.

The lock slid. The window opened with a creak.

He heard footsteps, no it was more like he felt the movement.

"Open your eyes, koibito…"

He felt a shiver run up his spine when he heard that deep velvety voice. Even more as he felt long fingers entangle themselves into his hair.

Indeed, he opened his eyes, wide with horror.

"But I killed you!" he screamed, trying to push the man away. Useless, might as well match a baby with his older brother. He was still too tired. He felt so helpless. He pushed at the man now leaning so close to him, he could feel the other's breath on his face.

"Aren't you glad to see me? We've been apart so long. Don't be afraid."

Kurama couldn't fight the wave of revulsion as Karasu kissed him deeply. He struggled and kicked to no avail. How did Karasu live after his plans ate him? And now, he's back taking his eerie fixation with him.

When Karasu broke off, Kurama found the chance to finally escape his embrace. He kicked him at the most sensitive part. This made the youkai pause in pain, a short moment, but enough for Kurama to run away.

Almost flying down the length of stairs, Kurama tried to get out of the house. But the door won't open. He saw blood-red aura swirling around the knob, locking it. He tried to break the seal but his strength was useless. He ran towards the bathroom and locked himself there.

Panting for breath, he tried to regain his wits. Of all his enemies, he hated Karasu the most. Yes, he was beautiful, but he exuded an aura of evil and malice. Just being near him made Kurama sick to the soul. It was a service to the world when he killed him in the tournament. No, he didn't kill him as he thought earlier, just rendered him out of service for awhile.

But what could he do? He couldn't summon a plant even if his life depended on it. He wished he slept over with Yusuke. He wished he was with Hiei right now…

"Come on out, come on out beloved…"

Only the thin door separated him from Karasu.

"You're playing hard to get, I know you want me, too…"

The exhaust! Kurama stepped on the top of the toilet and punched the screen with all his might. He thought his knuckles would break before the steel exhaust fan is dislodged, but the fan fell outside with a loud clang. He breathed a sigh of relief. Not wasting any time, he jumped out of the bathroom. The night was dark, foreboding. But outside would offer him more places to hide. He decided it would be safer for him. He knew his aura was the same as the life flowing in the forest. He ran towards the park.

Hiei felt a calling in his heart, a tugging at his soul. Something was amiss in ningenkai.

To hell with Mokuro!

He ran back to the portal. When he got there, it was already filled with dark swirling energies. He tore off the strip of fabric on his forehead and opened his jagan.

Nothing could separate him from Kurama!

Kurama clutched at his chest. He never felt so afraid. He wanted to call for help, but who could help him? Karasu managed to follow his trail and was driving him deeper and deeper into the park.

"Are you playing a game with me?" called the voice again.

Kurama took a peek in between the foliage and saw Karasu, his jet-black cloak emitting an eerie sheen. He took out something from one of its numerous folds, a circular blinking device.

Fear made Kurama back away even more. He knew what it was. A bomb.

Without warning, something exploded beside him. The explosion threw him into the clearing, just in front of Karasu's feet. He tried to stand up but when he placed his weight on his left hand, pain shot through his body like a bolt of lightning. He didn't realize it at first, but there were bombs planted all over the place, invisible bombs which could only be seen with the third sight.

The forest was crawling with it, it looked like red orbs of light floating in the air. Some looked like the red slitted eyes…

Triumphant laughter echoed throughout the forest.

Hiei navigated through the storm, his sight concentrated on ningenkai. With a thud, he landed outside a temple torii. Everything was quiet, crickets sang their nightly songs, and the trees swayed peacefully.

Am I wrong? Was I just paranoid?

But he decided to check on Kurama's apartment, just to be sure. Flitting from tree to tree, he got into the house in just a short while. He didn't have to enter. He knew he was right in coming.

Kurama's room was neat, but he sensed another aura, something evil and strong. It was tainted with the dying strength of ningen and makai-jin killed. It was tainted scarlet.

Unconsciously, he dug his nails into his palms. A single name escaped his lips.

"Karasu."

Kurama didn't dare open his eyes. He lay sprawled on the forest floor, unable to move, unable to defend himself.

Karasu grabbed his injured shoulder and turned him around. Kurama fought the urge to scream, he wouldn't give him that added pleasure. He felt Karasu's weight on top of his legs as the youkai sat on him.

"Giving up so early on the fight? I knew I timed my return just right…"

Karasu inched upwards slowly. Kurama opened his eyes. If he could just…

Blades of grass suddenly attacked Karasu, but even these didn't ward him off. His youki flared and the plants disintegrated instantly.

"What tricks do you have still, lovely one? Should I give you my surprise now?"

Kurama's heart beat wildly in his chest. Never felt so helpless before.

But when he thought all hope was lost, he heard another familiar deep voice. This time, the person with that voice was welcome.

"You forget, fool. He still has me."

Karasu started and turned around. He saw a profile outlined by the moon standing on a dead tree branch. His lips curled into a deadly smile.

"I was wondering where you were Hiei."

Hiei didn't honor him with an answer. He pushed himself towards Karasu, using his extraordinary sense of momentum, his small frame hit the man with an outworldly force. He felt blood spill down his cheeks. He grinned with satisfaction. Karasu was thrown back ten meters and landed on gigantic rock.

Kurama almost wept with relief as he saw his koibito.

"Fraternity my foot, you wouldn't be this nervous if it was just a couple of ningen brats," his back was turned on Kurama, since he had to be on guard the fallen Karasu. he heard Kurama snicker and say something like, 'and here I was thinking you trust me'. He shrugged. "Never trust a fox, I say."

Karasu slowly got to his feet. As Hiei expected, it would take much more to keep him down. His jagan opened again as he readied himself for another fight. He scanned his enemy's youki. It was wavering and not as strong as before.

His discovery must've shown on his face. Karasu looked at him intently. For a while, their eyes met, exchanging a silent communication between them.

You're the one who stole him away from me.

Crazy bastard, crawl back to the hell-hole you came from.

Hiei attacked without warning. His right hand glowed with ominous black. A faint howl was heard in the night, the howl of the black dragon being set free.

"Then I guess I wouldn't be able to give this gift to my beloved, after all…"

Faster than Hiei could react, Karasu pulled out three black roses.

"Wo ai ni."

For Kurama, it was as if everything was happening so slowly. He leaned on his right hand and willed himself to stand up.

The first rose exploded with a blinding flash, together with the countless bombs encircling them.

But this didn't stop him. He kept on running towards Hiei.

He saw a trail of crimson, whose blood, he didn't know. He caught Hiei's body and he protected his koibito, even as they slammed together unto the ground.

When everything cleared, he saw the remaining bombs dim together with the vanishing aura of Karasu. For a moment, he thought that everything was fine now.

He felt something soft brush against his chest. He looked down.

If you ever felt something crawl inside you, the horror you feel would be the same as what Kurama felt.

A black rose was embedded on Hiei's chest, and another on his neck. Only now was the blood beginning to seep through.

"Inari…inari…,"he couldn't even form a coherent prayer! His hands shook as he tried to assess the wound. Carefully, he tried to turn Hiei around, but the stems pinned the koorime's body to the ground like deadly nails.

"Damn, got careless," Hiei coughed and opened his eyes. He saw Kurama looking down at him, crying. He couldn't understand, why was he looking at him like that? He tried to get up, but Kurama held him down. He felt his kitsune's hot tears fall down his cheeks. "Doishte?"

Kurama didn't answer. He couldn't. He wanted to hug Hiei but was afraid to hurt him further. This was his fault. Karasu was after him. It was supposed to be him! Not Hiei!

Hiei looked puzzlingly at his kitsune. As his hands trailed to his own chest, he felt something wet and sticky. Blood. But how could Karasu bleed this much on him? It was only a passing blow. Then everything came rushing back to him. The explosion, the rose exploding and blinding him for a moment, the numerous bombs exploding all over the forest confusing his senses. And now this. He felt the velvety texture of a rose on his chest, on his throat. And he realized finally what the coldness inside him meant.

Inspite of himself, he felt fear spread its invisible cloak around him. Would he die? He can't die! Not when everything's just beginning to run fine and his life was in order.

"Koibito?" his voice sounded weak, but he felt nothing different, only a sensation of weariness and heaviness falling upon him.

"Koibito, please, stay still…I'll heal you…" Kurama's movement was tinged with suppressed panic. He placed his palms atop Hiei's chest and throat, about a handspan away.

Hiei saw the futility of Kurama's actions. He was still weak and unrecovered from their previous mission.

Oh kitsune…stop it now, he wanted to say. He felt Kurama's determination to save him, felt the power emanating from his hands. He also knew that it was hopeless.

Concern flooded into him as he shared Kurama's anguish.

With his last strength, he pushed himself off the ground. No way he'd die like a weakling, worse, like an animal lying on the ground. He saw Kurama's eyes widen with concern, his lips moving as if to say something to stop him.

I'm going to die and it wouldn't matter what I do in my last minutes anyway. He wrapped his arms around Kurama's waist, taking what comfort he could. He had so much things left unsaid. So much time they would've spent together, a lifetime of memories…

But it wouldn't happen now.

A hiruiseki fell.

Only the night bear witness to a lover left behind.

To Be Continued