Disclamer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, and to my great disappointment i don't own Hiei or kurama either, whaaa....

AN: ok this is my first story so, be gentle. please R&R for me, k?

One Life to Live

Chapter one: Black Hearts

"Spell Lymphocytic Chroiomeningitis" said a tall, skinny man from behind the large wooden podium.

The crowed went quiet, and soon a boy with short red hair became the center of everyone's attention. The boy couldn't have been more than seven but yet here he was at a competition against the smartest high scholars the city had to offer. Then after a second the boy opened his mouth to speak and the crowed held their breath in anticipation.

"Lymphocytic Chroiomeningitis," repeated the boy "l-y-m-p-h-o-c-y-t-i-c c- h-r-o-r-i-m-e-n-i-g-i-t-i-s," he stopped then let his eyes fall over the front row.

There sat the two people who had entered him in the ridicules thing. The first was his mother, who he would have gladly entered this for, but then there sat his father. Minamino Kuroi. His heart as black as the million dollar suit he sat there in. he gave his son a look that told him not to lose or he would understand the consequences.

"Lymphocytic Chroiomeningitis," he said and the crowed clapped loudly.

Shuichi opened his eyes fast as the rush of memories came flying back to him. That day, that spelling bee, it had started it all. The pain her went through, or more importantly the pain his mother went through. She was the only reason he endured these stupid contest in the first place. Nut now, now it wasn't a matter of making her smile, or pleasing her. It was a matter of her life, a life he wanted her to have. But she wouldn't if he ran, all because of that disgusting thing he called a father. He thought about it, and maybe he had liked them man once, as a father, but he felt nothing for him anymore. All that was there was hate, hate for showing him as a circus freak, hate for the things he put him through, hate for the way he tore this family apart, and hate for how he held his mothers life in his hand.

But the most intense hate was for himself, hate he spared for no other. He hated himself for being weak, for not being able to protect those important to hi. He knew he had the ability but not the courage, and that's what he hated the most. Once he had tried to harness those abilities, to be able to control something like that had been unthinkable, but it had happened, and in the most unusual way. He had been sitting in outside their rose garden after one of his fathers stupid meetings. As he had been walking along side the pavement the sight of a fallen rose caught his attention. Its silky petals dragging across the hard, rough pavement because of the weak stem it rested upon.

'Just like mom, reduced to the torture of my father because I'm to weak to help her...'

Then for some reason he felt sympathy for the rose, such a beautiful thing destined to just sit there on the ground as though it were a piece of trash. Then a strong emotion stirred in him, he wanted to help it, bring it up. But then a faint glowing light had appeared at the tip of his finger. He brought it up to his face, and then a voice in his head told him to hold it out in front of him, and that's what he did. As though the rose was being lifted by invisible string it rose from the ground and stopped right in front of his nose before going farther upwards. Several emotions had arisen in him, but the two that were dominant were that of confusion and happiness. But they were gone, and in an instant replaced by that of fear as a hand collided with his face. The impact that had hit him sent him to the ground, his large green eyes gazing upwards into those of his father. He stood there a look of terrified furry on his face, and what he had just seen. He had picked him up and held him close to his face and told him never to do that again. Told him that to have these powers were abnormal and would be looked down upon by others. But now he knew the real reason for his father's taunts, he knew what he really was.

A Yoko, an enchanted fox. He would be able to overpower his father, but then his father had beaten him to it again, when he had taken his mother as a hostage. So now he lay here, laying in the memories of his fathers black heart. All that awaited him now was a search for opportunity, because when that moment arises he'll be able to leave this house once and for all, and with that he closed his eyes once more.

"Get out! Get out!" screamed a women as she released the metal pot from her hand.

The pot flew past as its target became closer. There stood a boy of about six, his long, black bangs hanging in his face. His eyes widened as the pot came closer. He picked up his foot to move to the side, then all of a sudden the pot was gone, or at least he thought it was. A loud bang a moment later told him that that pot had now collided with the wall. He was stunned. How had he been able to move that fast? This power, how cold he control it? But then all of a sudden an airborne dish made contact with his head. He looked up and now saw the woman who had throne the dish. She had taken him when he had been orphaned. As he stood there watching her, he knew it hadn't been out of love or compassion, and if by some small chance it had been it would have vanished when she fully recognized what he was.

He wasn't like other people. He was a fire demon, and to top it off, in the middle of his forehead was a jagan, or evil eye. Most people didn't give it a second glance, for it was hidden behind the white piece of cloth tied around his forehead. But one day she had noticed and everyday since then had nothing but disgust and fear of him. Hiei stood there watching this woman, and felt anger at what she had done. She had put him through hell and back, beating him when he had been young and unable to defend himself. It had been from when she would come home drunk, and found him huddled in the corner, asleep or awake. Then she would strike, she'd strike him for her own problems, own insecurities, until she'd see him bleed and hear him cry out to stop. She would go to bed then, and when she woke up in the morning, she'd feel nothing, no remorse.

As he stood there he decided he wasn't going to take it anymore, and then he felt a sudden burst of energy coming from his body, and he looked down and saw his boy surrounded by a blue light. He raised his head to look at the woman who had caused him pain, and was ready to act, ready to take his revenge, but someone had beat him to it. Now all he saw was the dead body of the woman laying on the floor in front of him. He turned around and saw him. He was huge in every sense of the word, probably six feet tall, he had huge muscles that expanded the small shirt he wore. His massive hand was still stretched outright, smoke pouring out of the pistol that was still in his hand. As Hiei looked at this massive form in front of him, he thought he looked small. Then all of a sudden he noticed as the man's attention turned from the dead woman on the floor to him. He still stood there, the strange light slowly dissolving from his body.

The man was smiling now he noticed, his small brown eyes focused on his large, red ones. Then in a flash the man had appeared in front of him, and he watched as the man broke into a grin, his small eyes becoming smaller. Then the stranger raised his hand to his face and cupped his chin. He pulled Hiei's face up to stare directly into his. The look those eyes gave off, of power and control, but beneath those he could see amusement in this mans face. It made him angry and he looked back into the mans eyes with a look of disgust and hatred on his face.

"Nice eyes boy," his smile grew wider as he spoke. "You are going to come with me, after all who else would want you?" he laughed as he stared back into Hiei's face.

The stranger dropped his hand from the boy's face and turned his back as he started to walk back. Expecting the boy to follow...

'And I did' Hiei thought as he sat there, back against the cold wall, his mind replaying the memories he so wanted to forget. ' And now I'm a pawn in his game, a tool to be used to do his killings. What a fool I was...'

"Hiei! Hiei where are you?!" shouted a voice on the other side of the wall. It belonged to a man, or rather a boy. He could be no older than nineteen or so, and he too was one of Aku's pawns. Another tool used to scare and terrify people into giving Aku what he wanted.

Then he saw the doors being pushed open, and saw the boy walk in. he squinted his eyes as a ray of light fell across the floor. "What do you want Kenji?" he said from his spot on the floor.

"Aku wants you, says something about having a new job for you," Kenji spat out, the sound of anger clearly present in his tone.

"Tell him no." Came the even tone from Hiei as he stayed his ground on the floor.

"You can't do that." Kenji narrowed his eyes to get a better look at him. "You know what happened last time someone said no to him, not even you could handle it." The look of anger that had been evident now disappeared and had been replaced with a grin at the look on Hiei's face.

"Fine. Tell him I'll be there in a minute." His eyes narrowed as he watched Kenji close the door behind him, leaving him in the darkness again.

"Shuichi!" Came the loud shout from the dining hall. "Boy, get in here!"

Kurama, who had been watching from the floor above, straightened up and started for the staircase. As he walked down he watched his father scramble with papers in his hands, then calmly as though he hadn't heard the mans wild shouts he walked right up to him and stopped, waiting for whatever it was that his father wanted to tell him.

"I've just finished it," he stated as watched his son stop right in front of him. "The arrangements to have you entered in the TAC. You'll be the youngest competitor yet."

"The TAC?" Kurama asked. "And what would that be?" His mind strayed as he saw a paper with a long list of names on it. With a closer look he could bet any money that those number next to the names had dollar signs.

"The TAC boy! Don't act stupid, because that's not what you're here for." He said as he snatched up the paper Kurama had been staring at. "You know the biggest academic competition of the year, and your going to it."

"And how much is it worth?" he asked as his eyes narrowed and moved from the paper in his father's hand to his face.

"That is none of your business, so never you mind. That is if you want her to live." He stopped as he saw the look of anger that had spread across his son's face. "You just make sure you win."

"Yes, father." Kurama said as he walked back up the staircase, ignoring the glares from his father. 'The TAC, huh?' He thought as he remembered what his father used to say about it. The look in his father's eyes, he knew. This competition must be run by what people called the black society, a group of people who cared for nothing except for money. They would use the easiest way to get it too. This city was known for its top school and rich society, and as a result it held academic competitions. As a reward for winning these competitions you would be rewarded with large sums of money. He sighed as the thought of what he was up against. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just end it. Maybe was just to afraid to, who knew, but in the end he knew he'd end up going to this stupid competition, and that made him all the more angrier.

"Hiei, as you may," started a low voice as he look down at the boy in front of him, "Or may not know the TAC is coming up, and I have noticed a slight, problem." The voice paused and the room went quiet once more.

"What do you want Aku?" came Hiei's voice, "Want me to kill one of these pretty boys? I..." but he was cut off as someone started to talk again.

"SILENCE!" it shouted from the front of the room. "The only reason I keep you around is because of your ability, but don't think for one second I'll let you get away with smart talking me! Do you forget who saved you from your poverty?" Aku's voice calmed and proceeded, as there were no more out burst from anyone.

"Now as I was saying, the TAC is coming and I had placed my trust in what seemed to be the top finalist. But to my dismay, a new candidate has been entered and he is most likely to win." Aku's eyes narrowed as he focused on Hiei. "Make sure that he doesn't."

"So you want me to kill him?" Hiei said, amused. "And may I ask what his name is?"

"Minamino Shuichi."