Summery: When Yomi disapproves of his son's friendship with Rinku, he tries to make Shura grow up faster, but something goes wrong. Now a deranged Shura is on the rampage and Rinku just might be the only one to stop him.

A/N: terminology at end of chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing say for the pathetic time and lack of sleep put into this… and the sadistic mind of putting the following characters through all this [hee-hee-hee!]

Warnings: disturbing imagery, forced drug usage and psychotic murders? nothing major... yet

"Hey... Rinku?"

"Hmm?" the yo-yo child hummed from his spot along the grassy riverbank. Clad only in their trousers, the summer afternoon sun was high in the sky as it dried the boys of leftover drops of water from their swim, leaving the him drowsy with content.

"We're friends... right?"

"Of course we are. Have been for three years now," Rinku shrugged before casting the young goat a confused look. "Why would you ask a dumb question like that?"

Shura bit his lip as he considered his words carefully and Rinku could not help but smirk at the nervous habit. According to Kurama, the boy's father, Yomi, had the exact same nervous tick in his youth.

"It's just that... I really like spending time with you," he explained with eyes focused on the sparkling river water. "To be honest, I never even knew what fun really was until I met you. I had always thought that it just training to get stronger and making your opponents suffer the most horrible types of pain imaginable. Looking back I guess that's all I ever did. Train and fight... that's all I ever knew... but then I met you. Then I met you and everything changed. At first... I thought you were just another idiot like that Urameshi-"

"Oh wow, thanks! I can tell you really value our friendship."

"Heh... well, I'm sorry, but when someone comes up to a complete stranger and offers to heal them of their injuries, I tend to think they're a bit loopy in the head."

"Alright, alright," Rinku laughed as the other boy threw a fistful of grass at him. "Point taken! I just hope you still don't think I'm weird or anything!"

"Only sometimes," Shura smiled. "Mostly when you've had a bit too much sugar. Overall, though, you're really fun to be around and I like it. I've never had someone who willingly wanted to hang around me before. Everyone is usually either too afraid of me and my father to dare come near us, or they simply despise my father too much to give me a second glance. But you... You actually came up to me of your own accord and offered to help me. Even after I treated you like crap, you still wanted to help. You still wanted to be my friend. I don't know. I suppose I value our friendship so much, that I'm just dreading the day it'll come to an end."

"When what ends?"

"Our friendship," Shura responded matter-of-factly, tossing a pebble and watching as the still water became riddled with ripples. It took a moment of empty silence before he realized that Rinku was staring at him increduously. "Huh? What?"

"Are you on glue?" the child shouted, causing the young goat to jump back. "What the hell do you mean by that? Why in all the worlds would we stop being friends if you value it so much? You just said that you liked being friends!"

"I do," Shura blinked up in confusion. "But Father said that friendships are childish and unprofitable."

"Is that right?" The child spat out bitterly, trying to keep his composure for his friend's sake.

"Yes! Father said that friends are nothing more then a phase that I'll eventually grow out of once I get older. He said that when I get older I'll learn that people are merely tools to be used in the grand scheme of things. That if you grow too attached then they'll only be able to turn on you even quicker."

"Turn on you?"

"Uh-huh," Shura confirmed with a sad nod. "Father said that all demons are petty and dishonest, so you can never really trust them."

"Oh... do you think I'm petty and dishonest?" The Gandara heir raised an eyebrow at the question, causing Rinku to scratch his head in embarressment. "Oh right. Heh-hee... Of course I am."

"Actually, Father says that it's different with children... most of the time, anyways." Shura shrugged at the confused look his friend was giving him and looked to the sky as he explained. "Father said that children aren't as knowledgable of the world as adults. He said that they usually form friendships because they don't have the parental figures to teach them of the importance of blood."

"Blood?"

"Yeah, blood. Father says that one's blood kin are the only ones that matter in this world. He said that to turn on one's blood kin is to turn on yourself. That's why Kurama is so dedicated to his human family and why Urameshi is felt obligated to help Raizen."

"Oh, brother," Rinku groaned, rolling his eyes. "You actually believe that?"

"But Father said-"

"'Father said this'! 'Father said that'! You know what? I say that your dad's full of crap," the brunette waved his arms in the air as he released his frustration. Turning to his friend, jade eyes looked straight into violet ones with determination. "Look, I realize that thus is your father I'm talking about, and I know he was a great leader, but there are somethings that he doesn't know jack squat about! I'll have you know that there are lots of apparitions out there that have been friends for years without so much as a drop of blood relations!

Take King Enki's wife, Lady Koko, for example. She and Miss Natsume have been friends since they were both little girls. They first met when they were about our age and are still really good friends to this day. They're always visiting and training with each other. Koko says that they're 'BFFs'..."

"'BFFs'?"

"Best Friends Forever, duh...."

"But if what you say is true, then why did Father-"

"You know what I think?" Rinku asked, scratching his nose in a carefree manner. Not waiting for an answer, he continued with his confident aura. "I think your dad's just a jealous, skeptical old goat who doesn't like the idea of his son having what he can't."

"Why you..." The Gandara heir growled at the insults aimed toward his father. His power level began to rise as his fists crackled with chartreuse energy. "How dare you!"

"I dare because I'm not an idiot," the demon's anger was dismissed with a simple wave of the hand. "Kurama told me all about your dad and Yoko. How they were the best of friends for centuries until Yoko tried to have him assasinated. I honestly can't blame the dude for not trusting people. I mean, he trusted Yoko with his life, only to have the creep pay someone to try and take it away. Talk about dirty. It takes a real creep to throw that kind of friendship back into someone's face! But not all apparitions are like that. Not all demons are just out to benefit themselves. Some just want to live their lives with those they care about."

"Pfthh... yeah right."

"Shura? Shura look at me." Reaching over, the brunette gently took ahold of the goat's horn, a gesture that was reserved only him and only him. Violet eyes shined with confusion, and Rinku clasped the bare shoulder. "Look... we're friends, alright? And no matter what people say, no matter what people think, we will always be friends. I promise you, Shura, that I value our friendship way too much to let something as stupid as age or public viewpoint ruin it. Do you understand?"

"I think so... but isn't that exactly what Yoko said to my father?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Then how do I know that you won't turn on me like he did? How can you be so sure?"

"Hmm..." Rinku frowned as he pondered this riddle over. He knew that he did not ever want to hurt his friend, and that a simple promise would not be good enough for him. Still, he not about to be outsmarted by the young goat's father, who never really took a liking to him in the first place. There has to be an answer to this, he mused, wishing that his grandmother were still alive. She was always full of good advice and solutions to troubling problems like this. Zeru had always said that humans would flock from all around just to gain her guidance. Sometimes she would use magic to help solve their problems, but most times it was simple parlor tricks and implications. Nonna always said that symbolism is more often then not more powerful then the physical... That's it! The boy smiled as an idea began to form in his head. Casting his friend a genuine grin, he responded with utter confidence. "We could always become blood brothers!"

"Huh?" Shura's face faulted as he tried to take in the suggestion.

"Yeah! You said yourself that blood kin was the most important thing to a demon, and Nonna - er, I mean my grandmother use to do it all the time when I was little. See, whenever two people wanted to swear their loyalty as equeals to each other, they would have her perform the Blood Oath for them!"

"What's a... Blood Oath?"

"It's a ceremony where two or more people mingle their blood together. It was used as a sign of loyalty and fellowship between really close friends. Friends that viewed each other as brothers. So what do you say? You wanna be brothers? We can't really betray each other so easily if we have the same blood in our veins, now can we?"

"Well... I suppose not..."

"Then let's do it!"

"What?" Shura stuttered at the smaller demon's enthusiasm. "You mean right here? Right now? Don't we need some kind of physician to perform the procedure?"

"Procedure?" The brunette laughed as he scrambled for his shoulder bag of tricks. "What procedure? All we need is a nice sharp knife and the right words."

"Right words?" Shura repeated, his voice laced with skepticism. "You mean as in magic words? Don't tell me that you actually believe in that nonsense?"

"Well, yeah," Rinku scoffed. "I mean, most of my family are Fattucchieri!"

"Japanese, Rinku, if you don't mind," Shura rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Look, Grandmother was a witch! She learned all about this stuff from her mama, who learned it from her mama, who learned it from- well, you get the idea. Anyways, this stuff has always been in my family."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yep, and she taught me everything she knew! Now I know it's in here somewhere," he continued to rumage through his pouch before pulling out his folding knife. "Ah-hah! Here it is!"

Chuu had given him the weapon a few years back in honor of his two-hundreth birthday, claiming that every young man deserved a good knife to call his own. According to the others, the drunken oaf had given up a good whole year's worth of alcohol money to have the gift specially crafted.

Constructed of high quality, heat treated prism-titanium from the Makai, the spear-point blade glimmered in a rainbow of colors as he released it with a quick flick of the wrist. The four inch handle was carved out from the wood of a Onyx Elder tree and was inlaid with mother-of-peal with rare Ruramari stones embedded down along the center.

"I know what I'm doing," Rinku insisted, offering the young goat a smile of reassurance. "If your up to it, this could solve our problem. Trust me, it really works! I've seen lots of people do this growing up, and I garentee that it really works."

"Well... I suppose there would be no harm in doing it."

"Great!" The youthful apparition grinned as though Christmas had come early. "Now just follow my lead."

Shura watched in fasination as the prismatic blade sunk into the calloused skin of the smaller boy's palm. Ruby droplets began to immediately well up to the surface in a thin line. The metallic scent was nearly intoxicating as it wafted passed his nose.

"My blood..." Rinku spoke to himself with a slight hiss as the blade sliced through his skin before offering the knife over to his friend. Seeing that the goat was hesitant in self-mutilating his flesh, the child rolled his eyes and reached over to grasp the pale arm. "Do you want to do this or not?"

"Of course I do, but-"

"Then hold still."

"Ow! How about a little warning next time?"

"Oh, quit whining you big baby," the brunette scolded as the Gandara heir's flawless palm was stained red. Offering yet another reassuring smile, he clasped the injured hand with that of his own. "Now repeat after me: My blood. Your Blood. Our Blood..."

"My Blood. Your Blood. Our Blood..."

"Blood kin forever."

"Blood kin... forever," Shura waited for more and frowned when he noticed that his friend was merely smiling back. "Is that it?"

"Yep! That's about it!"

"Idiot!" Jade eyes widened as the clone wretched his hand away with a scowl. "Nothing happened! All you did was mutilate our hands and quite possibly exposed us to some type of blood-borne disease! What the hell is the matter with you? I can't believe I actually listened to you! There's no such thing as magic!"

"Yes there is! Magic is real and something did happen! You just can't tell yet!"

"Whatever..." Shura got up to fetch his shirt, only to realize that his hand was still bleeding. "Oh, this is just great! Now I'm going to have blood all over my clothes! Father is going to be furious!"

"Here... if you let me, I could..."

Violet eyes narrowed dangerously as the brunette offered to help heal the wound. A moment passed before Shura rolled his eyes and plopped to the ground cross-legged, holding his bloody hand out as he propped his elbow on his knee. Resting his head against his fist, he watched emotionlessly as Rinku hovered his left hand over the cut, allowing translucent baby blue energy to wash over it. The boy's face was lit up with a soft glow that made him almost angelic-looking, which only intensified as the blue-green eyes became alight with concentration. The young goat's ears began to twitch as a small but pleasant tingle ran throughout his hand, sending a shiver up his spine.

"Better?"

"Uh..." It took awhile for coherent thought to kick back in and only then did Shura realize he had been staring at the other boy. Red-faced, he immediately inspected his hand so he need not look into those jade green eyes. The blood had clotted and the flesh had knitted itself back together almost flawlessly, but a thin line of raised skin could still be seen. He did not mind, however, and flexed his hand experimentally. "It'll do, I suppose."

"I'm really sorry about the scar." Rinku refused to meet Shura's gaze as he began to heal his own wound. "I had forgotten about that part."

"It's fine," he shrugged. Taking another look at the line, he noticed that it was not as ugly as he first thought. Rather, it was almost like another palm line more then anything else. It felt so natural, as if it had always been there. Bringing up to his face for a closer inspection, he ran a slender finger over the mark. "Will it ever go away?"

"No... Grandmother said that it's suppose to serve as a reminder of the oath. It should fade and be less noticable over time, but the scar will always be there. I'm sorry, Shura. I should have remembered."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Shura grinned. "Father has a lot more scars then this little nick, so it's no big deal. Besides, it's kind of cool looking."

"You really don't care?"

"Of course not! It's just a scar, and now I'll always have a reminder of my new little brother!"

"What the hell do you mean 'little'? I'm a good two-hundred years older then you! If anyones the baby brother, it's you!"

"Ah! But I've been biologically enhanced, so I have all the knowledge of a two-hundred and fifty year old! Plus, I'm taller by three whole inches. Beat that, shortie!"

"Who are you calling shortie, you unicorn reject!"

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me! What are you gonna do about it... Alicorno?"

"That's it! Prepare to to face my wrath!"

Shura laughed as he tackled the shorter boy playfully, toppling them back onto the grass in a heap. Both found themselves rolling around as they both fought for dominence. Lost in their laughter and drunk on the sun's overbearing rays, the boys didn't even realize where they were headed until it was too late.

SPLASH!!!

A cold jolt coursed through Rinku's petite form as the two of them rolled straight into the river. Brain rattled with confusion, he could only watch in awe at the small bubbles that escaped from his mouth. A trail of various sized air-pockets floated haphazardly upward. Lazily he poked one, causing the it to pop as the air collapsed on itself.

Air... For some reason, the single word made him giggle like a lunatic as more air pocket emitted forth. Racking his mind, the boy tried to remember what it was about the word that held such importance. Air... air... air- Oh shit! AIR!

A frenzy of bubbles filled the water as he screamed in panic, his need for air having never been more obvious. His limbs kicked and clawed in a futile attempt to find his to the surface. Black spots began to appear before his eyes from the lack of oxygen until finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt the mucky river floor squish between his toes. With a determined grimace, he kicked up from the ground with all that he had left in him, shooting up like a rocket and breaking the water's surface with a strangled gasp.

"*kophf**kophf*...?" Rinku's throat was raw as he choked on much needed air. Splashing in circles, he attempted to gain his bearings as he noticed that his friend was nowhere to be found. "Shura? Shura! Where are you?"

Everything had changed. The sky, which had been bright and sunny only moments before, was now filled with dark clouds, casting the area in a gloom that suggested a horrid storm on it's way. The luscious green grass had turned to dry dirt and was littered with shriveled black leaves that had fallen from the decrepit trees that were withered and broken apart. A branch fell to the hardened ground with a sickening thud, startling a flock of ravens into full flight.

Startled at the sudden cackling and rustling of feathers, Rinku leaped around with a splash. The sky grew even darker against the black ink blot of plumage, causing the water's temperature to drastically drop several degrees. A sense of dread filled him as the water's began to grow chaotic, swashing him around like a rubber duck in the bath. The rapid currents struck out like one demon possessed as he ought to stay afloat and make it to shore. The frigid waves bit at his skin, clawing at him with strong fingers.

After a moment of untamed fury, the waters become deathly still just as fast as they had raged forth. The young demon was took this sudden change in scenery to think. A part of his mind screamed at him to get to get his sorry ass back to the shore where he had less chance of drowning, but the other half was too frightened to comprehend just what a shore was. Unfortunately, it was the latter that was currently controlling his body, so Rinku could do nothing but wave his arms gently to keep him buoyed up.

What the hell was that about? he asked, his mind slowly sensitizing as he gathered his wits. Confusion was evident as he slowly swam a bit with no particular destination in mind. It was then that he realized there was something in the water with him.

It was almost unnoticeable at first, just a warm sensation by his foot, but slowly it became much more apparent. A heated spot in the water rested against his bare foot before turning into tendrils that wove its way up his pant leg and around his thigh. In a disturbing way, it reminded him greatly of the time Chuu had peed in Master Genkai's onsen tub. Before he could contemplate the unsettling notion, however, the tendrils grow more solid. Rinku could barely utter a scream before the tightened their hold on his legs, pulling him down into the murky depths.

He tried to fight, he truly did. But as the tendrils continued to wrap themselves around his small body, he felt himself growing weak. Closing his eyes, his mind was becoming muddled from the lack of oxygen and fear as his arms sloshed through the heavy, sticky water...

Wait a damn minute, Rinku eyes wet wide open in realization. This isn't water! Where-

Everything around him was a translucent green. Reaching out to inspect the liquid, he blinked as his fingers met against smooth glass. With a pressed hand, he felt along the flawless surface, only to discover that he was no longer in the river waters that ran through the Dark Forest behind Genkai's temple, but in a cylinder tank of some sort.

"I truly am sorry, my son, but you left me no choice." a voice spoke, and Rinku thought it sounded somewhat familier. It was hard to place it, seeing as it sounded resonated, much like the time Jin had a plastic trash bin stuck on his head. "I would have loved to let you age at your own pace. For four years now I have put up with your so-called 'phase', but your current actions have proved that I cannot just stand aside any longer.

Perhaps I was not clear enough on the subject," the voice continued. Even with the distorted sound, the child could sense an aura of disappointment and frustration laced into the words. "You cannot allow yourself to show weakness in anyone's eyes. That's what friends want. They want you bare your soul to them. They want you to trust them enough to place your own life in their hands. And once you do they will take advantage of you! I have told you this time and time again, and yet you constintly refuse to achknowledge that fact! Damnit, Shura!"

By now the voice was dripping with resentment and hatred, something that made him flinch in instinctual fear.

Hold on... Shura? Why would they think I was Shura? Unless... Rinku had a hunch as he attempted to make out the tall, distorted image that appeared ion the opposite side of his glass prison. A blur of long, inky black hair was recognizable, as was the long horns that jutted out from underneath. Judging by the long, purplish-grey blotch that covered most of the body, he could only guess that it was a trench coat of some kind. Rinku let out a growl as he realized just who the speaker was. Lord Yomi... But why-

"Now don't be that way," the former demon lord scolded in a mocking manner. "I'm only looking out for your well-being. That is what fathers do you know. We protect our children from their own self-destruction and from those who would intend them harm... like that little hellion, Rinku.

Do not worry. You will realize just how better off you are once the serum takes effect. As a child you are blind to the dangers he places you in, but once you are grown, you will realize just how much he was polluting your mind with false notions and desires. Your mind will be clear once more."

"I will never give up my friendship with Rinku," the brunette screamed out as he tried to break through the glass, surprised when his best friend's voice emitted from his mouth. He had absolutely no control over his body's action. It was as though he was someone else entirely. "No matter what you do to me, I'll never let you or anyone else tell me who to trust!"

"I was afraid of this," Yomi sighed. "Your mind has already been tainted too much. The aging serum may not be able to take it's full effect. But never you worry, my son. I had anticipated this, so I will make sure that you are never used by that lesser being ever again."

Warning bells went off throughout the boy's head as his friend recognized the meaning behind the words. For reasons he was unable to understand, he began to thrash about in a vain attempt to free himself from the tank.

"You... you can't! I won't let you!"

"Oh, I think you'll find that I can," the older goat gloated in amusement. "And I will, should your stubbornness prove it to be necessary."

"Stay the hell away from Rinku! He has nothing to do with this! You- you're crazy! How can you do this?"

"..."

"Answer me!"

"It is my duty as your sire," Yomi seemed to grow tired of his son's emotional outbursts, for his image became more distorted as he moved away from the glass. "As horrible as it may be, I hope you can forgive me."

"FATHER!"

"There, there, Shura. I know that the thought of losing your playmate will be painful, but the time has now come to make you mature past such trivial loses."

A sharp prick was felt in Rinku's neck, much like a bee sting, before -

"AHHGRRAHH - !"

Pain consumed all of Rinku's senses as his vision was filled with flashes of green and white. All he could do was scream as all his nerves were set aflame by some unknown force. His blood seemed to boil within his veins as an unknown substance was felt coursing through it. He tried to fight back the pain, tried to be strong for his friends sake and his own, but he lost all control as the warm tendrils were replaced with ice and clawed at his brain.

Within the flashes of pain, he could just barely make out scenes burning themselves into his mind.

The shattering of glass was heard, followed by the screams of various others. For a brief moment, Rinku could have sworn that he heard Yomi screaming for Shura to stop, but it was over powered by the distinct smell of fresh blood and death. Soon the ground was littered with forms that were clothed in red soaked lab coats.

Another flash of blinding pain and Rinku found himself somewhere in the underbelly of what he could only guess was Gandara. The metal buildings stood tall like menacing giants as the lightening reflected off of them. Garbage littered the ground, forming a revolting mulch as it was mixed with the acid rain that was constantly falling from the capital's skies. Rotting decay and chemical fumes filled his nostrils. Pushing the urge to vomit down, he watched on as his body moved of it's own accord throughout the labrynth of alleys and dead ends.

Another flash and three corpses were lying before him, dead. Although the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition, Rinku was able to identify the purple tunics they wore to be that of Yomi's palace guard. The area was silent say for the heavy breathing that was soon followed by shouts and running.

As the blackouts continued, he found himself faced with more and more carcasses. The smell of death and blood overpowering his senses to the point of a potential intoxicated high.

A sense of rage filled his entire being as his vision was once again claimed by the pain, only this time he found himself hidden within bushes. Despite his lack of scenery, he was able to tell from where he was positioned that it was just at the close of day. The brunette felt his hand rise to push aside the branches and was greeted by an unexpected sight. Only about twenty or so feet away was a traditional Minka home. The sun's setting light could be seen clearly as it bathed the green grass in a golden apple shade and was sucked into the thatched roof, all while setting the windows aflame with molten gold as the light reflected off. Just off to the side, he could make out a small garden that was alive with vegetation, but what really drew his attention was the small boy that was occupying it.

The scent of human was strong in the air as the child, no older then five years, watered the plants for the night. He was dressed in simple denim overalls and a white tee as he proceeded to pull a garden net over the garden in hopes to protect it from nighttime predators. At least, he tried to. The wire netting proved to be a stronger opponent as it weighed the boy down. His brown, bowl cut hair stuck up in odd angles as he attempted to toss the net, his skin glistening in a fine sweat that made his scent all the more powerful.

Rinku could not understand why the human's smell was making him fidget. He knew that some demons would get this way when hunting a human down, but the brunette had never been one to favor the flesh of humans. He supposed it came with spending so much time around humans that he just never saw them as food so much as a source of income. Growing up in a traveling caravan, he had learned that humans were more useful alive then dead. Before he could ponder this more, a noise drew his attention to the back shoji.

A young woman, about twenty years old, stood at the doorway. Her long hair was pulled back with a pink hair scarf and, like the child, was a shiny brown that seemed almost auburn in the setting sunlight. She was dressed in a pink, mid-calf length sundress with a long-sleeved, white gauze sweater on top to protect her from the chill of the summer night.

As she leaned against the porch's support beam with crossed arms, Rinku tried to make out the words as she called out to the child, but all he could make out was gibberish. Strangely, he found his heart rate increasing as she laughed at the child's response and tossed her hair over her shoulder, revealing flawlessly tanned skin. The mere sight of her delicious neck made his mouth water. He could smell the mixture of human, sweat and herbs that perfumed her skin from a day of hard work. He could practicaly taste the precious blood that pumped through her veins, and envisioned ripping her throat out.

Fear went through his entire being as he felt his body tense up as the woman moved down to the garden.

Kill... feed... kill...

The thoughts filled his head like a mantra as he began to follow her along the brush, stalking her like an animal.

What am I doing?

Kill... feed... kill...

No! he screamed as his body crouched down low to the ground, watching the woman help untangle the child from the net. He knew what was about to happen, and he could not just stand by and allow it to happen. Don't hurt them! Please! They didn't do anything! Just leave them alone! Please!

Kill... feed... kill... strangle...

No!

Kill... slay... kill... maul...

Run away! Please! Get the hell away from here! Oh spirits! Please!

ATTACK! KILL! FEAST!

"NOO...!"

A/N: Terms:

Japanese:

--- Minka home - a traditional japanese home made out of cheap and easy-to-find materials

--- onsen tub - a hot springs tub/hot tub

--- shoji - Japanese sliding door

Italian:

--- Alicorno - Italian for unicorn

--- Fattucchieri - Italian for "hag/witch/wizard" (plural)

--- Nonna - Italian for grandmother