Kurama had no idea how he'd gotten into bed that night. He presumed that Karasu must have put him there. When he opened his eyes he was annoyed to find that he was entirely naked. When he crawled out from under the covers he went immediately to the bathroom, where he threw up.

After cleaning himself up and getting dressed in his uniform he stumbled into the kitchen, finding Karasu's stash of medicine.

"You're going to work today?" Karasu asked from behind him.

"Mmm-hmm," Kurama said incoherently. He downed two pills with a gulp of water and turned to face the other man. Karasu sat at the table, his laptop in front of him, looking entirely too composed for Kurama's liking. He was jealous.

"Did you take your vitamin?" he asked Kurama.

Kurama glared at him. "I don't need it," he said.

"Yes, you do," Karasu snapped. "Take it or I'll shove it down your throat."

Kurama growled but obeyed. It wasn't worth starting a fight over. Karasu smiled sweetly at him after he watched Kurama take the tablet.

"Why not take the day off?" he asked. "Surely Jaganshi would understand. After all, you're already late."

Kurama checked his watch and squeaked. "Crap!" he exclaimed. He bolted back into the bedroom searching for his bag.

Karasu was laughing as Kurama returned from the bedroom. "Come and give me a kiss, dear," he said to Kurama.

Kurama scowled but obeyed. He leaned down, intending to kiss the man on the cheek but Karasu reached up and grabbed the back of his head, forcing Kurama's lips to meet his.

"Have a nice day, sweetheart," he told Kurama when he pulled back.

Kurama glared at him. He wanted badly to tell Karasu where he could shove his endearments but he was late and didn't have the time.

Kurama slammed the door of the apartment behind him as he left. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath as he stalked down the hall to the elevator. It would take him three quarters of an hour to reach the mansion and that was if the train was on time. But his boss had told him to be at work so he had no choice. He hoped Hiei wouldn't be too angry with him for being late.

-0-

Hiei watched Yukina anxiously pace his office from wall to wall.

"You're going to wear a hole in my carpet," he complained.

She frowned at him. "What if something happened to her?" she asked worriedly.

"She's late," Hiei said. "After last night, it's not a surprise. I'm sure she's fine."

"Can't we get Yusuke to check on her?" Yukina asked.

Hiei found himself regretting that he'd chosen to confide in his friends and family about his concerns regarding Kurama. He didn't like to see his sister upset and he felt that she was overreacting.

"Get Yusuke to check on what?" The man in question strode in, grinning at them. Yukina let out a relieved gasp when she saw who followed him in.

"Kurama! Is everything alright?" she asked, approaching the redheaded woman.

Kurama gave her a puzzled look. "Everything is fine," she assured Yukina.

"Then why are you late?" Hiei snapped at her.

Her head shot up to meet his eyes and she paled. Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked down at the ground. Hiei frowned in displeasure. He wondered how much she remembered of their conversation from the previous night. She clearly remembered something, given how she wouldn't look at him.

Yukina patted her arm sympathetically. "I bet you're still a little sick from last night, aren't you?" she said kindly. "Why don't you take it easy this morning?"

"Hey, can I have the morning off, too?" Yusuke asked. "I drank a lot last night as well."

Hiei scowled and strode towards Yusuke. "Let's go," he said. Yusuke pouted.

"You're such a dragon," he muttered, bringing a smile to Yukina's lips.

Hiei glanced at Kurama as he left. "I want my office cleaned," he said. "And the papers put in order."

"Yes, sir," she said quietly.

Hiei continued to stare at her for a moment longer before exiting. Yusuke shot her a confused look over his shoulder as he followed his boss.

-0-

Yukina kept Kurama with her for the entire morning. She chattered on about Kuwabara and how much they had enjoyed the outing. She also talked about Keiko and Yusuke. She didn't ask about Karasu, much to Kurama's relief. The girls had so far been respectful of his wish not to share details of his relationship.

Kurama became uncomfortable, however, when she asked him about his family. He had been as honest as he could, saying that his mother was ill, but recovering. Yukina accepted his sparse explanation, obviously realising that the topic was an emotional one for Kurama.

After lunch, Kurama insisted on cleaning Hiei's office and Yukina finally left him alone. Kurama took longer than was necessary to straighten things up. He liked the solitude and didn't really want to talk to anyone today. He knew they meant well, but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep lying to them.

When his day was done he left in a hurry, making some excuse to Yukina about needing to get home in order to avoid a conversation with the small girl. When he saw the look of disappointment on her face he felt bad but he left anyway.

Karasu was there when Kurama arrived back at the apartment. Kurama wasn't surprised since Sunday seemed to be the man's day off. What did surprise him was Ani's presence. He knew this didn't bode well for him.

Both men sat in the living room, sipping glasses of wine. They looked very relaxed.

"Did you have a nice day, honey?" Karasu asked, his voice sickly sweet.

"Fine," Kurama said shortly, heading for the bedroom. He didn't want to be around Ani if he didn't have to be. The man was evil.

Ani's laughter rang out behind him. "You need to train it better," he told Karasu. "That was quite rude."

It? Kurama bristled angrily. Ani had never referred to him as 'it' before. The sound of footsteps behind him made him tense. A hand fisted in his hair, pulling harshly. Kurama cried out, hands coming up and clawing at the hand in an attempt to try to free his hair. He was practically forced onto his tiptoes.

"I'll teach you to show respect, you little bitch," Ani's cruel voice hissed in Kurama's ear.

Karasu's voice came from the doorway behind them. "Don't leave marks where they'll show, Ani," he warned.

"I know," Ani snapped as he pushed Kurama face-down onto the bed maintaining his grip on Kurama's hair. As he struggled, Kurama heard the door shut. He knew he would get no help from Karasu.

-0-

Kurama woke to the sound of water running. Soon after he was lifted into someone's arms. He whimpered in pain. His arms hurt from his wrists being held above his head for an extended period of time and his backside was very sore. His back ached as well.

He was placed in a warm bath. Hands scrubbed him clean of the blood and fluids that coated his body. When the bathwater began to cool he was lifted out and wrapped in soft towels. Someone dried him off and then he was carried into the living room and settled under a blanket on the couch. He drifted in and out of consciousness during the entire process.

He woke briefly when he was lifted again, his body protesting the motion. He was placed back into bed. The smell of fresh, clean sheets met his nose and he slipped completely into darkness again as someone's calloused hand stroked through his hair.