DISCLAIMER: I'm not repeating it.

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To Look Upon a Rose: Chapter 11

-Hiei's pov-

Energy pulsed through me, hot and heady, heightening my senses until the smell of sweat and blood nearly overwhelmed me. I could see the flecks of green in Karasu's indigo eyes, growing fainter each second as Kurama's strength and resolve waned. I could see every mote of youki spiraling around Karasu's fingers, could hear the raindrops landing on his skin, could feel the air shifting around him as he breathed. And somewhere within the maelstrom of Karasu's youki, I could sense Kurama, weak but alive, powerless against the youkai who'd transcended death to destroy him.

Black flames engulfed my right arm, licking at the air and lunging toward Karasu. I reigned them in, but could not subdue them completely. Fear settled in my stomach – what had I unleashed on Kurama? Even I, who'd mastered the Kokuryuha, could not completely control it. For the dragon was inside me, was me, and every living being knows it's easier to control others than yourself.

"The Black Dragon?" Karasu smirked. "You must be attached to the kitsune, if you're willing to unleash that on him rather than see him in my hands. Or are you just jealous, little half-breed?"

I snarled, nearly loosing the Dragon, but somehow managed to hold it back. It raged inside of me, screaming for blood to sate its hunger, unable to understand why I held it back. I could feel its fire burning within me; its bloodlust ran through my veins, nearly driving me mad with it. I fought it with all my might, for this was the only way I could kill Karasu without harming Kurama. But the Kokuryuha wanted blood, not a youkai's soul. And Kurama's blood was sweet, charged with both human and demon energy. I shuddered, clamping down on the craving screaming through me.

"Come, Hiei," Karasu murmured seductively. "The Dragon is hungry. I can smell your lust. Let it feed." He raised his head, baring his neck. Blood still lingered on Kurama's throat from the wound my sword had inflicted, glistening darkly in the flames. "Come."

"Dammit, Hiei, don't listen to him!" Yusuke screamed behind me. I felt him approach and threw up a barrier around us, effectively sealing him out. The Dragon was gaining ground within me, drawing off my doubt, and I feared the consequences of anyone else coming nearer.

"Come, half-breed, fight me!" Karasu shrieked as his energy exploded around me, hundreds of bombs detonating only inches from my body. I couldn't concentrate on shielding myself and controlling the Dragon at the same time, and my anger took over, bathing the world in red. My shield collapsed as the Kokuryuha surged forward, jaws open, eyes set on Kurama.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled, Botan chorusing him. "Hiei, stop!"

Their cries were lost in the roar of the storm around me; they never reached me, too slow to keep up with my speed. I was beside Karasu in an instant, my katana arching upward to slice at his chest. I could see the shine of the blade under the raindrops, smell the blood about to be spilled. The Dragon howled its triumph as the blade swept up, lightning quick, too quick to dodge.

"Hiei!"

I stopped. The blade fell from my hands, bare centimeters from Kurama's skin. Rain pelted down, pouring now, as I stared at the cold metal glistening in the grass. The Dragon was silent within me, silenced by the echo of Shiori's desperate cry and my own horror. I'd lost control of the power inside me, and it had almost cost Kurama his life. But the Kokuryuha was cowed now, lurking just beneath the surface but no longer fighting me.

"Damn you, Karasu," I seethed, looking up to meet his gaze. "Damn you to hell."

"I've already been to Hell," he whispered dangerously. "You'll have to find a better place to damn me to, for even Hell couldn't hold me for long!"

"Then damn you to oblivion!" And with that the Jagan flared, drawing on the power of the Dragon to break past Karasu's barriers, hooking Karasu's soul through his eyes and ensnaring it in ribbons of its power. Karasu hissed, trying to tear his eyes away but unable to break free of the Jagan's clutch. The Jagan could not be unseated so easily, and Karasu knew it. He thrust his youki into me in a last desperate attack, breaking through the shield I could no longer sustain, until my entire body hummed with explosive power.

I had less than seconds until his youki detonated, but that was all I needed. Time slowed, stretching each moment into a century, each heartbeat into a lifetime. I could see Karasu's soul, writhing and twisting like a snake around Kurama's. The Jagan reached through the emptiness between us, crossing light-years in a single stride. The Dragon lent it dexterity; alone the Jagan was too raw a power to be able to navigate Kurama's mind without ravaging it as well as Karasu. It tugged the shadow from Kurama's body so that it hung suspended in the void between life and death, then flooded the cold fire of Karasu's soul with its power.

One last silent scream split the darkness, and then Karasu's soul shattered into a thousand shards of nothing.

The explosive youki within me disappeared, melting away as the barriers around Kurama's soul collapsed. Warmth flooded over me, Kurama's youki enveloping me like a cloak as his soul melted back into its proper place. Memories flew past me, memories of me, of Shiori, of his ningen life; memories of pain and death; memories of Kuronue, of freedom. The Jagan touched each one lightly, returning strength that had been stolen, repairing the damage its presence had caused. Then it withdrew, falling slowly shut.

The moment of struggle passed in the blink of an eye, and Kurama collapsed to the ground. Unable to completely shake off the trance the Jagan had pulled me into, I stood frozen for a moment, then knelt by the kitsune's side. Kurama's chest rose and fell slowly, and his youki burned faintly within him. He was alive, if weak. I hadn't sensed any damage to his soul, but Karasu's youki worked in eccentric ways. "Kurama," I murmured. Dammit Kurama, open your eyes!

I held my breath, waiting, hoping, as the others looked on anxiously. The rain began to abate, lightening to a slight drizzle. The moon broke through the clouds, briefly, showering the world with its soft light as it began creeping down toward the horizon. The night was already over.

A breath of air brushed my arm, and the warm body in my arms shifted slightly. "Hiei?"

I exhaled sharply, all the tension that had built up within me draining out with my breath. My arms shook; my entire body was weary with stress and relief. The nightmare had ended, and Kurama was alive.

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-Kurama's pov-

Karasu's scream echoed within me, searing my soul and sending pain shrieking through my body. The barrier crumbled around me as his power dissipated, but still I was trapped, bound in place by the resounding of his heart-wrenching cry. Filled with rage and hatred, it blazed through the night like a comet, rending the very sky as it streaked toward the horizon toward nonexistence.

But within the layers of anger and malice and spite glimmered something more, something not so sinister. Karasu's scream was tinged with regret, the regret of one who's held onto something precious, all the while knowing they could never possess it, and finally lost it to fate. I wondered at that, at the other side of Karasu I'd been afraid to explore, and some part of my heart shared that regret. What could have happened to him to make killing the one you loved seem easier than losing them to death?

Kurama…

Hiei's voice drifted in through the fog of pain and confusion surrounding me, calling, beckoning, drawing me back to life and the world. I hesitated only a moment, then swam toward it, never certain of my path, but feeling Hiei's love burning inside me and knowing that as long as I followed it I'd find my way.

Sensations returned slowly: the feel of the cool rain on my skin, washing away the blood and tears; the taste of grit in my mouth; the sounds of the night rustling softly around me; the smell of sweat and the metallic stench of blood. The feel of warm arms around me, cradling me gently. Hot energy coursing through me as Hiei poured his energy into me, lending me his strength.

"Hiei?" I whispered.

The flow of youki faltered as Hiei slumped against me, sighing in relief. His arms tightened around me, trembling, and his heart raced so loudly I knew the sky would tremble with it. "Kurama," he breathed. "Damn you, you stupid fox."

I opened my eyes, blinking until the world came into focus, and smiled up at him. "Thank you, koi."

And as Hiei gathered me in his arms, as my mother and Yusuke rushed over, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow, of remorse, for the soul that was destroyed and the tangled love that never had the chance to blossom.

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A/N: Last chapter! And since I only got one person to even comment on the epilogue (thank you kuwabaralover!) I will post it, but it might take me a while. Unless I get more reviews on this chapter. I need some kind of motivation, after all. One comment just won't cut it. So you can expect the epilogue out in maybe a week or so.