So this isn't really meant to be a serious story, as the genre suggests, it is more of a family/humor story. The updates may be sporadic at best, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

As always, I do not own anything, Yu Yu Hakusho belongs completely to its creators and animators.

Enjoy!

"We…" Kurama spoke slowly, his pearly white teeth worrying at his bottom lip as he did so "may have a problem."

Yusuke sighed as a rope of dread curled up in his stomach and began to tie itself into sailor knots, because if Kurama was admitting that they were in trouble, then the possibility of death certainly hung in their future. They were wandering around Genkai forest looking for what they had assumed was a malevolent energy arcing from a distant corner of her property. The older woman had not recognized it, and the demons of their group confirmed that it was neither human nor demon energy, but whatever it was Kuwabara had made his demand that they deal with it quickly pretty clear due to the headaches he was getting from the amount of malicious intent that the energy was exerting. Hiei had merely smirked, claiming that anything that caused the oaf discomfort was welcome in his book, but before too long the Jaganshi found himself an unwilling helper as they tracked down the mysterious force.

This now left them where they were currently; walking through the forest in the dead of night, and slowly realizing that the energy they had been hunting had shifted and gave the eerie feeling that it was instead hunting them. Kurama shivered as he felt a burst of nostalgia ring through his mind, he had been in this position before, multiple hunters had tried to claim his pelt as a prize, but there was something about this atmosphere that set his teeth on edge and made him struggle against the unwelcome urge to find the nearest den and hunker down in fear until the danger had passed. The fox demon let out a slow breath as he gave a heavy gulp of apprehension, only thing could make him this uneasy…an exorcist.

"Ok," Yusuke finally whispered his breath misting in the darkness of the dimly moonlit forest "so what exactly are we dealing with?"

"An exorcist," the fox hissed.

Hiei cursed to one side, his body unconsciously shifting from confident and strong to slightly hunched in fear, his limbs twitching as preparation to run. Kuwabara watched this transformation with petrified eyes, shock enveloping his gaze at the usually stoic fire demon now looking much like a scared animal.

"Um," the lumbering teen began "how bad is that?"

"Nothing for you," Hiei spat "exorcists never hurt humans, its part of their code of honor. Unless a human has stained their hands with the blood of innocents and 'sold their soul' per say, an exorcist would pass right by you without even acknowledging your existence."

"Well, fine," Kuwabara shrugged feeling irritation burn in his stomach "great for me, but what does that mean for you?"

Hiei's eyes widened in shock at the oaf's concern, but he shook it away, and returned a wary gaze to the forest around them "Trouble."

"How much trouble?" This time it was Yusuke, who was also perturbed by the sudden paranoid looks the fire and fox demon were giving the trees standing around them.

"Honestly?" Kurama asked with a humorless chuckle "More than we can handle."

Yusuke sighed, a habit that had formed the day he first had become a spirit detective "Oh joy."

"Trust me detective," Hiei snarled as his body tensed and jumped at the sound of a cracking twig in the distance "joy has nothing to do with it."

"I was being sarcastic," Yusuke deadpanned "other people can be sarcastic other than you, ya know."

"Yes," Kurama nodded giving a small chuckle "but few people can be as charming."

"You call that," Yusuke scoffed pointing a finger at the pouting fire demon who was listening to their conversation "charming?!"

Kurama snickered and patted Yusuke on the shoulder "Charm comes in many forms."

Kuwabara snorted from where he was ducking behind a clump of bushes "I'll believe it when I see it," the carrot top muttered.

"Will you shut up?!" Hiei finally snapped bringing the group to a quick, albeit amused, silence.

Hiei shook his head, unwilling to admit even to himself that their conversation filled him with warmth. It was strange having a group of people he could trust talking about him, and making jokes without being cruel. The insults were all in fun, and even the fire demon had to acknowledge that he deserved them with his behavior, but the thing that got him so wired was the fact that there was an exorcist, an experienced one by the feel of it, currently shielding himself in the trees and was even able to hide his location from the Jagan. Hiei didn't get rattled easily, but if he was fighting an enemy that he couldn't see, and had no way of knowing where they were or what kind of power they held, that was when he got nervous. Adding in the fact that it was an exorcist, and now anyone within a ten foot radius could visibly see that he was stressed out, and more than a little jumpy.

Exorcists were not fun, they were people trained from birth to exterminate demons, a special clan of beings that had power above even sacred energy. Hiei had not dealt with any in his short lifespan, and he had hoped to keep it that way, but as usual his hopes were dashed to pieces. Now they were facing one, and curse of all curses, this particular hunter knew how to negate his Jagan and keep himself hidden from them completely. Looking to his side, the fire demon gulped apprehensively when he saw how Kurama was casting his senses helplessly around their environment, even going so far as to go halfway to youko in order to claim the extra sensory abilities but to no avail, Kurama still could not sense, or smell their enemy, and Hiei felt his stomach sink as he suddenly fought the irrational urge to run back to the temple and hide under a blanket in front of the fire.

The fire demon hated weakness, especially fear, but he was not so much of an idiot that he would stomp into a field of battle that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was more than just a little dangerous, it was suicidal. This train of thought was strange for the small jaganshi, especially since it was his reckless abandon that had helped him in taming the black dragon, but ever since the tournament, and realizing that he was living not for himself, but for the ones who had begun to see him as friend and family, Hiei had slowly started embracing the idea of staying alive, for them if nothing else. Dying would let them down, would hurt them, and Hiei was extremely protective of those he allied himself with, if he were the one causing them pain, then the fire demon considered that an act of betrayal and he refused to take part in that.

Closing his eyes, Hiei opened his Jagan as far as it would go, his entire focus being on protecting this group of people that had wiggled their way unbidden into his heart, then cast his senses out. He searched for that one thing, anything that would betray the exorcist's position, and for a few moments he saw all he had been seeing, nothing but trees, however that quickly changed.

Like a flash of lightning, Hiei felt the exorcist pull the trigger on his crossbow, and as the bolt left the bow the fire demon could hear a small surge of the hunter's emotions leak through his shield "The Mazoku is mine…"

Hiei's eyes widened as he realized that Yusuke was the man's target and leapt from his spot in the trees to tackle Yusuke and roughly shove him out of the way, but he was not quick enough to completely evade the arrow altogether. An explosion of excruciating pain burst through his side along his ribs, causing the small demon to let out a heart wrenching scream of unbridled agony. The jaganshi crumpled to the ground, his hands clutching his side as he writhed in the dirt, his white teeth bared at the moon as he struggled to contain any more shrieks that were clawing their way up his throat.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled scrambling over to his friend.

"N-No!" Hiei gasped, his face twisted in pain as he weakly pushed Yusuke away "he's a-after you…r-run!"

"What?!" Yusuke burst his brown eyes wide with panic at his friend's current state.

"I said, RUN!" Hiei screamed in his face.

Yusuke went still, sensing the urgency in Hiei's voice, but refused to move and leave his friends in the forest with a maniac "Kurama," he ordered "take care of Hiei!"

"It would be best of Kuwabara were to carry him to the temple," the fox countered as he gave Yusuke a shove to get him started on running "there is less of a chance of the hunter trying to finish the job if there is the possibility that he has to hurt a human to do so."

"Fine, whatever," Yusuke snapped "but I'm not running away like some scared little girl while my friend is hurt!"

"I-Idiot," Hiei wheezed, his eyes fluttering as he fought to stay conscious "just r-run already so I c-can get this arrow out."

Angry brown eyes softened when Yusuke once again looked at the injury sustained by the small demon, and finally nodded "Let's go," he growled.

Kuwabara stooped down, and gathered Hiei into his arms, careful not to jostle the arrow sticking out of the demon's side. Hiei was trembling violently as his body went into shock, and the teen shuddered at the feel of warm blood dripping from the wound. The Jaganshi's skin had begun to pale to a deathly gray pallor, and his breath was becoming increasingly shallower as he fought for air. Finally after what felt like an eternity of fighting, Hiei gave one last shudder, and fell limp against Kuwabara's chest, his eyes slipping closed as he fell into oblivion. Gritting his teeth in anger, the carrot top clutched the small demon protectively and immediately began sprinting in the direction of the temple, though his warrior spirit raged at him to turn around and avenge Hiei the large teen turned his face towards home and safety.

So, how was that?

Let me know!