Disclaimer- I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, wish I did, but I don't...

So enjoy my story!!

For the fifth time this week, Kurama opened the newspaper to find the headlines

reading something about stolen jewelry or gold. This time, gold was taken from an

ancient tomb in Egypt. Still, the theif was unknown; No living witnesses or clear video

camera shots. It seemed that before each theft, the cameras would shut down as if

electricity were sucked from them.

Kurama's curiosity made him continue reading the article.

"Strange," he muttered, "This all goes together...."

Kurama opened the day-old newspaper that he had set to the side. In there, it

reports of a stolen crystal in Spain. In that article, it told of how the electricity was shut

down just before the theft. Kurama pulled out a map of the world and looked it over. If

these strange thefts were from some kind of demon, which Kurama was almost entirely

sure of, then perhaps he could pinpoint the next place the theif would attack.

The TV next to Kurama was blaring. His consentration was ebbing because of the

noise. He turned toward the TV, remote in hand, ready to turn it off, but something

caught his eye.

[The Holy Roman Empire crown was handed down to yet another generation] the

news reporter said. On the TV, it showed a close-up of a golden crown, encrusted with

rubies and diamonds, sapphires and crystals. The crown was truely remarkable.

"Rome...." Kurama located Rome on the map. It was pretty close to spain, but

not too near Egypt. "Perhaps.... Rome...."

Kurama had a deep feeling that this would be the next place the theif would attack.

"I have to inform Yusuke!"

Kurama jumped off his bed and ran toward the door.

"Kurama?" Yusuke questioned the exhausted Kurama at his door. "What are you

doing here? I've got a lot of work to do."

"Like what? You're not in college like I am," Kurama walked into Yusuke's

apartment.

"Well, it's twelve midnight, what could you possibly be here for?" Yusuke asked.

"Have you heard about all the thefts around Europe?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah, a bunch of silver coins were taken from Germany," Yusuke yawned. "Is

that all you came here for? You could've just called me."

"No, Yusuke. I think this has to do with a demon" Kurama said.

"If it did, Botan would be here to let me know"

"Maybe Spirit World doesn't even know" Kurama said.

"And you think you are the only one who knows?" Yusuke asked.

"Well, what about how the cameras always run out of power just before the theft?"

Kurama asked.

"Like I said, Kurama, Botan would let me know if this related to a demon in any

way" Yusuke said. "Now could you leave me alone, I'm kind of busy with someone."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Yusuke, you player," he said. "Can't you commit

yourself to one woman?"

"Hey, I've got to test drive them," Yusuke grinned.

"I'm going to Rome to see if I can catch the theif in progress" Kurama said.

"How would you know if they're going to Rome?" Yusuke asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Holy Roman Empire crown?" Kurama asked.

"No."

"Open a geography book sometime." Kurama sat up and left the house.

Yusuke rolled his eyes and stood up, but an ache in his side made him stop. He

pulled off his shirt to reveal a large claw mark on his chest that was on the side of his

stomach. It had reopened, and new blood was seeping out. He hadn't told anybody about

it, for fear they might find out what he was doing a while ago in the makai.

Once at home again, Kurama couldn't sleep. He tried and tried but his mind kept

leading back to the theif. It was finally five o'clock in the morning, and Kurama got out of

bed, dressed, got into his car, and drove to the airport. There, he bought a ticket to Rome

that was leaving later that morning.

"Mister Minamino, your room is on the third floor, second on the right," an old

woman, the owner of a hotel, informed Kurama.

Kurama smiled politely. "Thank you," he said.

He took his key and left the hotel. It was already getting late and he had to hurry

and get to the Holy Roman Empire before the theif could, if the theif would go that night.

Kurama got to the empire and waited for what it seemed like two hours, but it was

probably longer. He had just barely fallen asleep when a dark shadow moved swiftly

toward the empire. It stopped before it reached the empire, then jumped fifty feet in the

air to the top! This was no human activity. As Kurama expected, it had to do with a

demon. He had to stop the burglary!

The empire was silent as silent is when every creature awaits the dawn of another

day. The theif quickly, yet quietly, ran to the precious place where the Holy crown rested

every night. Only faint padding could be heard, for the theif's shoes were merely pawed as

that of a cat's.

Now, this theif wasn't an ordinary theif. When Kurama approached her, with her

constantly alert black tail flicking back and forth, and black hair, layered and tipped red,

that swayed ever so gently in the air condition currents, as she was reaching a leather

glove covered hand toward the crown, he cleared his throat and made her jump and face

Kurama.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice was that of a dove, a beautiful

whisper that could make whatever heard it fly. Her eyes glowed, even in the darkness of

the empty empire, a heavenly blue that matched that of the ocean, tender, yet deadly all at

the same time.

Kurama could barely speak. She had stolen his voice, as she was stealing that

crown.

"Identify yourself," she said, drawing a sword at her side. The hilt of the sword

was made of gold, and was encrusted with jewels and pearls. The blade itself was made of

silver, with a giant aqua marine jewel near the hilt.

Kurama was surprised she could hold a sword that heavy, with the gold, silver, and

jewels, it had to weigh at least fourty pounds.

"Well?" the demon girl pressed. "Voice stolen by a cougar?"

The only thing Kurama could utter was, "Nice sword."

"You like it?" the theif asked, smiling broadly. "It's made of the best metals

around; gold, silver, and steel for strength. It's gotta be worth about twenty thousand

dollars, and it weighs fourty eight pounds."

"I thought it was fourty" Kurama muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Kurama quickly said.

"Well, unless you want your head cut off, I suggest you leave. I'm in the middle of

something here."

"I didn't come here to say hi," Kurama smiled and flipped his long, red hair. He

held up a rose and the theif raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do, pretty me to death?" she started to laugh.

"Rose Whip!" The rose stretched and grew in a green, thorny whip.

"You- you're not human, are you?" the theif asked. "No human could conjure a

whip from a rose."

"Well, I'm not fully human," Kurama said. "Now drop the crown."

"Or what?"

Kurama slashed the whip at her, but she jumped to the side. Instead, the whip hit

the glass covering the crown, and broke it. The theif leaned down and picked up the

crown just as alarms started to ring loudly.

"Good luck getting out of here!" The theif jumped toward a glass window, but

Kurama flailed his whip at her feet. The whip wrapped around her ankles and she fell to

the ground. He pulled the whip so that she was only three feet away from him.

"You're not leaving with that crown," Kurama took the crown from the demon's

grip and placed it back on the stand.

The theif slashed her sword at Kurama, cutting just below his knee. Only his

clothes ripped, no flesh was cut.

"And you're not leaving with your head," she stood up and pointed the end of her

sword at Kurama's neck.

Kurama gulped, but turned his head toward the noise of people running close.

When he turned back, the girl was gone, and so was the crown. Kurama quickly ran away

from the crime scene and out of the newly broken window where the theif went.

Now outside in the night air, Kurama squinted into the garden behind the empire.

There were trees and flowers that filled the night with fresh scents of greenery. Kurama

failed to find the thief, but wasn't going to give up so easily.

Placing a hand on the ground, Kurama sent waves of energy through the plants,

and commanded them to capture the thief somewhere where he could find her. Seconds

later, there was a yelp, and Kurama ran into the tangles of trees to see the theif suspended

upside-down by a grape vine.

"Let me go!" she yelled, pulling at the vines around her ankles. Her claws were

quickly breaking the vines, so Kurama had to act fast.

"Sleep tight," Kurama picked up a large tree branch and whacked the girl over the

head.