AN: It's been far too long since I've written anything, so here's something I've been sort of messing with for a while. Hopefully I can keep these guys in character, and not mess up anything important since I have yet to finish the series (I'm trying!). Thanks for reading, and I'll try to update this as soon as I can! (It's almost finals at college, so I sadly can't promise anything).

Edit as of 11/5/2015: Since this has come up a couple times: I'm going to be writing this in a way that might annoy some of you. I'm aware that Kurama and Youko Kurama are the same being and that the only name he adopted from becoming humanized was Shuichi. I need to refer to our lovely silver-haired fox as Youko and the cunning redhead as Kurama because of the way I planned this story out. I tried to think of a way to do it without the use of Youko as a name, since I had the feeling that it was a hated name for him from some of the things I had seen in the past, but I couldn't come up with a way for the life of me. I was confusing myself and well, that's no fun for anyone. So I apologize in advance if the use of Youko offends you or makes me look ignorant.


He hated that sad little smile that twisted pale lips. He hated the pain, the sadness, the hopelessness that glittered from the depths of those emerald eyes, the flickers of gold sparkling like embers. He hated the way those eyes slid closed and the slow way the legs buckled, the soft thud of a body hitting the ground. He hated the sight of the long, red hair; which had been silver minutes ago; splayed upon the grass, the stark green making the red all the brighter, but not outdone by the crimson lines sliding along the temple of the downed yokai; the demon that he had looked up to for years, partnered to avoid fighting on his own, the demon he had come to trust. That trust was shaken to the floor with the same rapidity as the quieting breathing- he had always considered the other infallible. And now… he didn't know if the other was dying or merely unconscious – that blow to the head could have done either.

Furious red eyes focused on the yokai standing across from him, a few feet away. The sword at his hip seemed to scream inside the sheath, raging at confinement, and he was tempted to let the rage rear its head; to allow common sense and tactics to fall to the wayside. The key was almost. He wasn't going to throw his life away, no matter how badly shaken he was. He would never admit it to anyone, least of all himself, but he was terrified. Terrified, not that he would die, but that his friend- yes he would call him that, was going to or already had. A quick moment of listening detected the gentle, almost unheard breaths – far too soft to be sleep and certainly not awake, the cadence was wrong. The little demon growled low in his throat, eyes screaming blood and murder, fangs bared. His fangs were like a gun in the human world - you didn't pull it unless you were going to use it.

The laughter that burbled from the throat of the opponent came out like a dirge and a curse garbled together in a blender, but it had the pattern of one so amused that he was choking. Normally wide eyes narrowed, and the sword was loosened. Someone was going to get hurt, and it wasn't going to be the little fire demon. He was too angry for that, he would end this faster than the laughing fool could swallow. A quick movement of the hand, a white cloth fluttered to the ground, and a violet eye slowly opened to join the garnet ones in promising death. And then he moved. Yellow eyes widened, the laughter died, and there wasn't time for an intake of breath before the blood flew. The arms were the first to fall, hitting the ground with loud thuds. The demon screamed as the blade bit through his knees and he toppled. His head was removed before his torso hit the grass, landing some ten feet away; the eyes still open in horror. His laughter hadn't yet faded to the inaudible. Only seconds had passed, and the little yokai decided it was fair enough, though the other had deserved hours of pain, not the easy way out.

"A quick end is not what you deserve, but you are not worth wasting time for." The swordsman snarled, wiping his blade of black blood with the grass before sheathing it. He straightened, turning shadowed eyes upon his downed companion. He had told the fox not to come human. He had told him to watch his back. He had only left for a few minutes, looking for a reasonable place for them to talk. He would never lead the fox into that fortress. He feared letting Mukuro get her claws into the infamous Youko, Hiei knew better. She was far too interested in the reputation to see the reality. Kurama had ties in the human world, ones that Hiei couldn't understand, but ones that he respected. Hiei was willing to wait it out, wait until the inevitable day when Kurama's, or rather Shuichi's, mother died. It was an ugly truth, but the one that all humans lived ignoring. Kurama had said that he would come back to the Makai then, if only so he didn't have to be reminded of the past everywhere he looked. He had also not given any absolutes that he would stay in the Makai for good, but Hiei was fine with that. He would never admit it, but the human world had its charms. No annoying low class demons, no aggravating insects, and best of all – no Murkuro.

But looking at the fragile body crumpled to the grass in front of him, Hiei felt the first stirrings of fear. Not the fear of death, he was above it, had conquered it. No, this was different. This was a fear of losing someone he hadn't realized that the cherished almost as much as his sister. A gentle thump brought his eyes to the ground, a sharp gasp being sucked through his teeth at the glittering red jewel in the grass. He raised a shocked hand to his face, finding it wet. He was crying. He didn't know if the realization made him enraged or shocked that he was actually crying. Hiei shoved the gem into his pocket, anger soaking into the fear, the despair, as he gathered the surprisingly heavy body of Kurama into his arms. Hiei sighed in relief, the fox was still breathing – he had to put his ear close to the fox's mouth to tell, but he was breathing. There was a barely imperceptible rise and fall to his chest. Hiei idly wondered if Kurama had a heartbeat like humans or one like demons – that didn't beat normally (and was therefore no help). He growled- he didn't have time for curiosity! Hiei berated himself, cradling Kurama against his chest as he started running. He wasn't far from the portal Kurama had come through, it wouldn't take him more than five minutes to run for it. Within fifteen, they would be back in the human world. Hiei would seek out one of their other friends, he knew too little of how humanity functioned to know what to do.