A/N: Important information here read or risk a migraine. Okay I really don't want this to get confusing so I'm explaining this here. Yoko Kurama and Shuichi Kurama are two different people, and for the duration of the story they will be known as Yoko and Kurama respectively. For the sake of saving everyone a massive headache Shuichi Kurama's mother doesn't exist in this story.

This story is strictly AU, meaning it has nothing to do with the actual Yu Yu Hakusho plot.

Disclaimer: Dreaming doesn't help me much.

Summery: Kurama, the desirable and oh so single nobleman has caught the eye of many a nation, as a powerful ally as well as the perfect trophy to hang off the arm of a ruler. When love runs head on into business his family is stuck in a tight spot: allow Kurama the freedom of true love, or seal the kingdom's prosperity.

Pairings: Yoko/Kurama, Hiei/Kurama, VERY slight mentions of Yoko/Botan, perhaps Yoko/Kuronue?

Prologue

A rustle in the bushes caught the young redhead's attention. He paused in his play, hand limp, his small ball still curled lightly in his tiny fingers. Curiously he allowed the toy to drop in favor of moving closer to the bushes of the courtyard. The huge stone home loomed over him dangerously, leaving an ominous shadow over the entirety of the little courtyard. His caretaker had stepped out for a moment to clean a cut she had received from a thorn on a rose bush, which left him all alone.

When he was close enough to feel the brush of the twigs on the bushes he pushed one pale hand into the prickly mess, figuring that it must have been a hurt bird or some other unfortunate animal. He couldn't have known how wrong he was.

Something grabbed hold of his wrist and hauled him into the embrace of the sticking twigs and wood. A long elegant hand was wrapped around his. The person holding onto him was tanner than he was, and by the size and texture of his hands, older and of lower class. He was unable to make out a face, since his own was pressed into the man's chest, which was clothed in rough white linen. One hand was still holding onto his wrist, the other was wrapped around him, pressing him close to his body. He was breathing slowly and seemed reluctant to move for almost a whole minute. And then he slowly eased his grip on the young man.

As Kurama looked up he was met by one of the most exotic men he had ever seen. He was slightly tanned with long wispy silver hair and glowing yellow eyes that weren't even looking at him. For a long moment the bright child stared up at him until the golden glow of his eyes turned down into the warm green ones that were staring up at him so innocently. "You can't tell anyone I was here," he said. His voice was rough, though it flowed through his ears like liquid velvet.

"Why not?" Kurama asked, unknown of the power that lurked under those compacted muscles, and in the hand that was still around his wrist, he wasn't aware that one little flick could break his delicate bones.

"I'm a bad man," he replied, looking close on the boy, golden eyes hazed over with something that Kurama, as young as he was, couldn't quite place. "Don't tell your parents that I was here, got it?" He moved closer, his silky lips caressing his ear tenderly. "Or else I'll kill you."

Kurama's tiny body was shaking now, quivering madly. Even at his tender age of eight he had amazing composure in normal circumstances and was hard to frighten, but there was just something so… sincere about those words. He had no choice but to nod absently and then the tension became slightly less thick.

There was a call of his name and he saw a young blunette probably about eleven or twelve wondered into the courtyard. She looked around nervously, having lost sight of her ward. Knowing that he had little desire to play games and wouldn't hide from her she didn't check in the bushes or behind the trees as she probably should have.

Ever so slowly a hand snaked upwards of Kurama's mouth and clamped around it. The boy wasn't actually stupid enough to call for her, and he felt that the man holding him knew that. The frantic girl immediately ran back inside, crying into the heels of her palms.

"Who is she?" the man asked quietly, removing the hand, absently brushing it across Kurama's cheek, admiring the soft skin before his appendage fell away from him completely.

"Her name is Botan. Her father sold her as a servant so that she wouldn't have to deal with being poor," he explained. "At least that's what she told me." Yoko looked rather amused by the explanation; it wasn't everyday that you saw a girl like that, especially with that hair colour. She would be considered a very exotic slave. In fact he was considering the possibilities at that very moment, though he was jolted out of his thoughts by the undeniably more enticing young man.

"You don't want to hurt her do you?" he asked weakly.

"No, she's just a girl." The explanation seemed to put the redhead's mind at ease, at least for the moment. "Remember your promise," he warned, placing a hand on the redhead's cheek. He looked into that warm pale face and felt something about him begin to melt.

"You will come and play with me won't you?" Kurama asked. He made a face upon taking some of the spiky leaves into his mouth, a quiet sputter followed and he suddenly realized that they were still very close and the bushes were itchy and uncomfortable.

"Of course not," Yoko replied. The boy didn't look disappointed or anything, he seemed to understand that Yoko wasn't much for children at all. It was simply the knowledge of his understanding that made him feel almost guilty for saying no.

"Okay." Kurama was about to get up when Yoko instinctively wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. He had a hoarding nature. It was an inner instinct that made him act accordingly to keep something precious, or hang onto something that would prove to be valuable. He felt that kidnapping the young man was a bad way to go, and it wasn't what his instincts were telling him to do.

"Listen, I'm going to leave now," he began, gaining the redhead's attention. "You will keep your promise. When I hear of your coming of age I will return here. Do you understand?" he asked, bowing his head to look him in the eye.

The head of ruffled red hair bobbed in a nod. The arms around him began to fall loose, and it felt bad. He felt that letting him go would out him a big profit somehow, and to be truthful, he liked the way he felt. But he let him go. He watched him walk back into the clear sight of the courtyard, shading his eyes from the sun, since being in the bushes had shaded him.

He made sure to watch him until Botan and his angry looking mother came and got him. He didn't look back at him, chances are he had already forgotten, or else he was full of surprises. These were surprises that he was determined to explore in the future.

He slinked out of the bushes and bounded over the high wall, onto the roof of a green room, where he crouched, now holding onto a half empty linen bag, filled with coins and jewelry. He stood against the wind, allowing it to blow leaves and grass off of him. He stayed still, knowing it was dangerous to hang around too much longer. After another glance back he jumped from the roof of the building and bounded into the thick forest, slinking unnoticed by the guards, lazy and tired from the heat.

A/N: Do I have to put one of these at the end too? Well anyway, I hope that was a good read for what it was. I hope that readers will be willing to review as I'd like the insight, criticism is not required, though I would appreciate it.