I assume those who read my profile were expecting me to start a fanfic for YuYu Hakusho sooner or later :) Well here it is, it's barely at the start of the journey. For those who didn't read the update on my profile, I'm willing to include some of your ideas in the future chapters, if you'll leave them in a review or send them to me in a PM :D

But for now, enjoy ;)

P.S. All YuYu Hakusho characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi :)

1. Vacation

"Watch out, Yusuke... he's coming up behind you."

The dark haired Ma'zoku swiftly turned around, finding the tip of a katana right between his eyes.

"Tch..." Hiei scowled. "Why do you always have to warn him, Kurama?"

He withdrew his blade, sheathing it, while he glared at the silver haired youkai standing a few feet away from them.

"Because you don't fight fairly." Kurama chuckled.

"Thanks, Kurama." Yusuke grinned, waving a hand to him. "Don't look so down, Hiei... maybe next time."

With their mock battle at an end, the short fire-youkai let off a strong expletive under his breath, before moving to sit down.

"I wish Kurama would stop warning you at the last moment."

"And I wish you'd start fighting fairly, Hiei." Kurama smiled, seating himself next to his best friend.

"I do fight fairly! He's just too slow."

Plopping down in front of them, Yusuke grinned once more. He just loved how easy it was to anger Hiei. Though considering his race, Yusuke did understand his fiery temper. Taking a deep breath he glanced around at the grassy field stretching in front of them. Unlike the other two kingdoms, it seemed the one he had inherited from Raizen was quite livelier. There were no barren wastelands there, as he had seen in the kingdoms of his neighbors. And he quite enjoyed that... it reminded him of the Ningenkai to some extent.

"Man, it feels good to be back here." he smiled.

"Does Keiko know you're here?" Kurama chuckled.

"Are you kidding? It was her idea... she said I needed to relax..."

"...So long as you don't die, right?"

Scratching his cheek, Yusuke chuckled nervously.

"Well... more or less..."

He did enjoy being married, since Keiko was such a wonderful girl. But sometimes his heart yearned for the freedom that only the Makai could give him. Yes, that was the only place where he truly felt free... with that thought in mind he took another deep breath, enjoying the sharp air filling his lungs and clearing his mind. In order to help him with that, Keiko had agreed to let him take a vacation there once in a while. That particular time, however, Kuwabara had been too busy to come with him so his other natural option had been Kurama.

As soon as they had arrived in Raizen's city, he had sent word to Mukuro to let Hiei know they were there. And the fire-youkai had, of course, arrived within a day to see them. For the following moments Yusuke merely kept quiet, watching Hiei and Kurama talk... he had really missed that short bastard over those two years. And he had to admit, he had missed seeing Kurama's youkai form since in the Ningenkai he only ever used his human appearance. Even if he would rather die than say it out loud, Yusuke had always thought Kurama was a beautiful sight. It made him wonder if there were more youkai like him...

"Hello... are you listening, Yusuke?"

Kurama's clawed hand waved lightly in front of the boy's face, making him snap back to reality.

"Uh... sorry, what were you saying?"

"Are you alright? It's not like you to not pay attention when we're talking."

The youkai's golden eyes now betrayed a shade of concern, as he twitched his ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine... just got a bit lost in my thoughts."

"Anything you'd like to share with us?" Hiei asked.

As much as he hated to admit it, he did care about Yusuke and the others... quite a lot. He usually blamed Kurama for it, saying that the fox-youkai's demeanor had softened him as well, but the entire group knew just how much Hiei treasured the few friends he had.

"I was just... thinking..."

"That much we could tell." Kurama chuckled softly. "Care to share what you were thinking about?"

"Well... Kurama... you never told us much of your past. I mean... are there more youkai like you out there?"

Blinking in surprise, Kurama tilted his head somewhat. Indeed, he hadn't shared much information about himself even though he'd been friends with Yusuke and the others for some years now. But for Yusuke to ask that out of the blue... he had to admit he was rather taken aback. Glancing to him, Hiei closed his eyes for a moment before looking back to Yusuke.

"He'll tell us when he feels like it."

"It's okay, Hiei. I don't mind that Yusuke asked... it's only normal for him to do that. I never did tell you guys much about me." Kurama smiled in his usual soft manner.

Even though in his natural form his voice was somewhat deeper and more mature, it did now retain that softness and warmth he always used as a human. Still, his conscience poked at his mind... he did have to wonder why he had never told them of his past. Sure, they all knew he had been the most feared thief in the Makai, but he had never told them how he'd ended up being a thief in the first place.

"Well then... I'll tell you, Yusuke. I was born here in the Makai more than a thousand years ago. The village I was born in, was the last where the Yōko lived."

"The Yōko?" Yusuke asked with a puzzled expression.

Kurama smiled somewhat at that.

"You all use the term Yōko as if it's my second name, but it's not. Yōko is what I am; it's my race. As I said, that village where I was born was the last of its kind. My kin were not warriors, we were peaceful... we were healers. We used our power over plants to heal, but no one had taught my people how to fight. By the time I was three, rumor had spread in the Makai that my kin had achieved the elixir of everlasting life."

"I thought youkai already live forever." Yusuke pondered.

"We can be killed, idiot..." Hiei scowled. "You fought youkai in both tournaments and you killed a lot of them."

"This elixir is said to grant the one who drinks it everlasting life. Basically it makes him immune to death itself, in any form." Kurama smiled. "No one has ever found it, or its recipe. But, considering my kin performed true miracles through our plants, that rumor soon spread out as a fact. Many youkai set out in search of my village, but none ever found it... except for one. She came across our village during the night and by dawn half of my kin had been taken away by her servants, the other half slaughtered... including my parents."

"She? A woman destroyed your entire village?" Yusuke blinked.

"As I said, my people weren't warriors. They had no idea how to fight... and she was extremely powerful even for a woman. Lizard-youkai usually are very powerful foes. I still remember her blazing eyes when she showed up at my bedroom's window... I still have nightmares of that moment sometimes."

Lowering his gaze Yusuke now kept silent. He couldn't imagine how deep Kurama's wound went, if he still had nightmares after more than a thousand years. But learning of his past made him see the silver haired youkai in a completely different light. Kurama's voice, however, brought him back to reality.

"During the next morning a group of thieves came across the ruins. I later found out their leader, Nari, had been a good friend of my people. They found me lying on the ground near my collapsed house and at first they thought I was dead too. That's probably why she never turned her attention to me either. It was Nari who took me in and raised me as his own child. He taught me how to use my plants to fight as well, not just to heal. I soon took his place as leader of the bandits and you know the rest..."

"So... where is this lizard-youkai now?" Yusuke asked, trailing a hand through his raven hair.

"She could be anywhere in the Makai. You remember the sketch Koenma showed you, right? The one with the Makai's layers... she could be in any one of those. She could very well be beyond the boundaries of this part that's under the Reikai's control."

"Or she could have already died by now." Hiei answered. "There are things beyond what you know of the Makai, Yusuke... things that you wouldn't want to see even in your worst nightmares."

"You mean worse than Yomi or Toguro?"

"Far worse... right now you're one of the most powerful youkai in the Makai, Yusuke. You're an S class youkai. But beyond these boundaries there are youkai even stronger than you. They're the ones you only find in Hell and no one can match them in this world."

Blinking at that, Yusuke moved his gaze back to Kurama.

"So this lizard lady... was she...?"

"I don't know. I was too young back then to be able to measure her power. And I never saw her again after that night."

"I see... do you think she'll ever come back?"

"I hardly see any reason, unless she knows I survived. Lizard-youkai only feed on youkai with a certain type of youki. The Yōko had that certain type... but I'm the last of my kin. So unless she comes for me in particular, she has no reason to return here."

Yusuke couldn't hold back a somewhat relieved sigh, which made Hiei chuckle.

"Scared?"

"You'd wish!" he growled.

"Now, guys... don't fight." Kurama smiled. "Don't worry, Yusuke... I'm sure she's not coming back here. It's been more than a thousand years, after all."

Still, in spite of his reassuring smile, he did feel his heart cringe somewhat. What in the world was that feeling? He had never felt his heart twitch in such a way. Was it his intuition warning him of great danger in the nearby future? Or was it just his overactive imagination now that he had recalled his past memories? For now, however, he decided in favor of the latter option... the past two years had been too peaceful, for him to even want to think of dangers.

The following two weeks went by fast... a lot faster than the trio would have liked; soon it was time for Yusuke and Kurama to return to the Ningenkai. On the eve of their departure, however, Kurama left the city during the evening saying that he needed a run to waste his excess energy. Yusuke offered to go with him, but Hiei – who was usually more sensitive to Kurama's moods – bluntly stated that Kurama just needed some time alone.

Several hours later Kurama had stopped to rest on the grass, enjoying the starry sky and the full moon. Yet in spite of his calm expression, on the inside he was quite anxious. No matter what he did or what he thought about, he couldn't shake off that cringe of his heart. Even with his calm type of personality, after two weeks of it he had to admit it was starting to get on his nerves.

Shifting his golden gaze from the sky, he settled it upon the grove that stretched just ten feet away from him. Even though he knew there was no danger around – as he couldn't sense any – the mere shadows beneath the trees now seemed menacing. A slight frown furrowed his silvery brow... was he losing his mind? Ever since he had told Yusuke about his past, that nightmare had started haunting him every single night.

At some point, what looked like a part of the shades, moved in between two trees vanishing in the midst of the grove, a flash of gold vanishing along with it. Moving to his feet Kurama hesitated... his curiosity urged him to follow that silhouette and see what it was. But he had promised Yusuke to return soon, and he had no way of knowing how long it would take him to find the one who had been spying on him. Yet before he realized what he was doing, he had already stepped into the darkness beneath the trees.

Grateful to his keen senses, he moved amidst the greenery much like a shadow himself. Apparently, the one who had been spying on him was quite good at stealth as well. He had some trouble finding the trail, but he did discover it in the end... that youkai might have been good, but he was better. Once he had caught a whiff of the scent, he knew it wouldn't be long until he found the source. But something in that scent wasn't right... it was too familiar... like a distant memory from a long forgotten dream. It made his heart cringe again, not in fear but... in anticipation?

He had to admit he was becoming more and more curious about that mysterious youkai. But he knew he had to go back soon, lest Yusuke and Hiei came looking for him.

'Where are you?' he mused, while his golden eyes scanned his surroundings.

He had stopped in the middle of a trail where the scent was so strong, it made his head spin. Was that scent actually... enticing him? While he was pondering upon that, a slim figure rushed past him, having dived from the tree above. For once, Kurama was actually stunned. There was no denying it... he had felt the silky fur of a tail sliding past his arm. Swaying his own tail, he brushed it against his skin.

'It's the same...' he pondered. 'The same feeling.'

Finally he decided it was enough for one night. His mind was too troubled, and a troubled mind made him an easy prey. Turning around he left the grove, soon finding himself back in the stone city. On the way to his room, he ran into Yusuke who did seem rather concerned.

"You okay, Kurama?"

"Yes, Yusuke... I'm alright." he smiled softly.

Why worry Yusuke without a serious reason? What's more, if he told the boy what he had seen in the forest, Yusuke was sure to want to stay in order to investigate. Sometimes that boy just couldn't stop acting like a detective. But they had to leave... Keiko was waiting for her husband and she would surely be terribly worried if they were delayed in any way.

The next morning, after promising Hiei they would come back as soon as they could, Yusuke and Kurama made their way out into the field. Opening a tunnel toward the Ningenkai wasn't something they could do in the middle of the city, anyway. Once Yusuke had stepped inside, Kurama moved to follow but his gaze was drawn again toward the grove nearby.

For the briefest of moments he once again saw that pair of golden eyes watching him. But when he blinked they were gone... was he truly going mad?

"Oi, Kurama... come on, or I'll leave ya here!" Yusuke called out.

"I... I'm coming..."

Finally tearing his gaze away from the trees he stepped into the tunnel, unaware that those golden eyes were now watching from a different spot in the forest.

Wow, what in the world could that be? Is it a friend or a foe? And why has the presence of that youkai troubled Kurama so much? You'll see ;)

R&R please and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you enjoy my other story.