Born of Blood: Chapter Three
by: Kawaii Kitsune

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho and all the characters in the wonderful show do not belong to me, blah, blah, blah. You get the point. No money, don't sue, blah, blah, blah. Moving on.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.


"God, I'm bored!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara were lying down in front of Genkai's temple, watching the occasional flickering of fireflies. They returned around 5 o'clock, after finding nothing out of the ordinary. They were waiting for Hiei and Kurama to return from their search, hopefully with something to relieve themselves from the boredom. However, it was already a quarter past 10 and the two demons were nowhere in sight.

"Maybe we should go look for them," Kuwabara suggested, "I would understand the shrimp being late, but never Kurama."

"I know," the leader of the team replied, "I'm starting to get worried. Maybe we should search for them."

Just as the two were standing up, Hiei burst from the surrounding trees and landed next to them, an angry look on his face.

"Yo shrimp, you're late. And where's Kurama?"

"Kurama was captured," Hiei simply replied.

"NANI?!?" the two humans shrieked.

Kuwabara grabbed Hiei by the front of his cloak and lifted him off the ground. Hiei, surprisingly, gave no resistance. "How could you allow that to happen, you jerk?" he yelled into Hiei's face, "Why didn't you fight or chase after the youkai?"

"I did fight, but none of my attacks landed. And she disappeared with Kurama before I could react. She was...too fast for me." Hiei's jaws were clenched with anger.

Yusuke listened to Hiei's words with a shocked expression. How could this demon be faster than Hiei? And how could she evade every one of his attacks? "Did you find out who she was?" Yusuke finally asked.

"Iie. All she said was that everything will be explained soon. And she'll be waiting for me along with Hikoku."

"Who's Hikoku?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked simultaneously.

"An old acquaintance. He ran a group of thieves in the Makai back when I used to do jobs for him. I don't know what he's doing now."

"Was the youkai you saw today a part of the group?"

"Why the fuck are you asking me so many useless questions right now?" shouted the fire demon, "We should be looking for Kurama."

" Look, if we don't know anything about who we're dealing with, the chances of rescuing Kurama are slim. Now, answer my question."

"Iie, she was not part of the group that I knew. She must've joined after I left. I didn't stay for very long."

"Do you know why Hikoku would attack you now?" asked Yusuke.

"Revenge," Hiei replied with a snort. "Hikoku did not like the idea of me leaving, so he tried to stop me. In a sword fight, I cut off his right arm, his sword arm. He was proudest of his swordsmanship, next to his looks, of course."

"A vain bastard, isn't he?" Kuwabara shouted, "And he used Kurama just to get to you. Well, I, Kazuma Kuwabara, will defeat this coward and rescue our comrade! HAHAHAHA!!!" The tall human's head was immediately smashed in by Yusuke. His head wobbled for a little and he feel most ungracefully.

"That should keep him for a while," said Yusuke. "Now, back to the problem at hand. From what you were saying, Hiei, this demon is more powerful from we recently thought, which makes the mission more difficult. Plus, they now have Kurama as a prisoner, giving us a great disadvantage."

"In situations like this, Yusuke, you can actually be somewhat intelligent."

"Hehe, I just pick up things from Kurama every now and then," said a smirking Yusuke.

"Hn."

* * * * *

Kurama was extremely uncomfortable. Not only was he bound, gagged, and blindfolded, but he was warded as well. He learned quickly not to test the wards, for they sent shots of burning pain through his nerves the first, last, and only time he tried to use his youki against the demon. He tried squirming at first, but now, he was too tired to stay awake.

"Alright, we're here," announced the mysterious female.

Kurama was unceremoniously dropped and he landed with an oomph. The vines binding him loosened and his blindfold and gag were removed. The kitsune stood up carefully and studied his surroundings.

Everything was...black! The soil he was standing on was pitch black. The trees, if they could be called that, were the same shade of ebony as everything around them. The most surprising thing, however, was not the trees and the soil, but the gigantic fortress standing in the middle of everything. It stood approximately four stories tall and spread out across one acre of land. It was completely and utterly black, void of any light or warmth. Kurama had never seen anything like it. Where in the three worlds am I?

"Iku zo," said the youkai, "Hikoku-sama is waiting for you."

The fortress had no visible doors or windows. The demon walked up to the black building and placed a hand on the cool stone. She closed her eyes and a dark red glow emitted from her body. A few seconds later, a large doorway appeared in front of her. The youkai turned back to face Kurama and smiled an evil smile.

"I see you've already realized that escape is impossible," noted the demon, "Now, if you'll kindly follow me, I'll lead you to Hikoku-sama."

"Where are we?" Kurama inquired as he followed the youkai into the fortress. He might be trapped, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to get some information out of the youkai.

"We are in the Ningenkai," answered the girl, "in a remote area that no one can find, unless Hikoku-sama wants them to. Plus, there is a kekkai all around this place, as you've already detected."

She's right, Kurama thought, There is a strong kekkai surrounding the entire area. That makes escaping slightly more difficult. Oh well, I didn't become the greatest thief in all of the Makai due to luck. I'll think of something to get out of here. "Sou desu ka. And who is this Hikoku-sama?"

The girl smirked and said, "Master told me that you wouldn't recognize his name, but don't worry, you'll know him when you see him. We're almost there."

The two of them walked up a long flight of stairs, lit with only torches. They stopped at the top of the stairs and stood before a set of huge iron doors. The doors were decorated with exquisite carvings of demons and gods. The youkai walked in front of the doors and placed her right hand on it. Again, her body began to glow dark red, and the doors seemed to open on its own.

"After you, Kurama-san," the youkai said while directing the kitsune through the open doors.

It was dark in the room and the other lights were from the strategically placed torches on the walls. The room was sparsely furnished and bare of decorations, except for the large tapestry on the right wall. There was a bed in the middle of the room, covered in expensive silks. On the bed sat a figure, its face lowered and hidden by the shadows.

"So," the figure said in a deep voice, "we finally meet again, lover." The man raised his head and looked at Kurama, his face no longer hidden.

Kurama's gasp of surprise was not heard as the iron doors shut loudly behind him, trapping him in the room.

* * * * *

Don't worry, Kurama, Yusuke thought as he fought to keep up with Hiei. We'll find you. I swear it.

"Yo shrimp," shouted Kuwabara, "why are you running so fast?"

"The faster we run, the faster we'll find Kurama, you baka ningen."

"It's not like we know where he is," replied the orange-haired human.

For once the idiot's right, thought Hiei, We don't know where he is, or even where to start looking. He could already be dead for all we know.

No! another part of Hiei shouted. Kurama can't be dead. You know it.

How would I know whether he's dead or not? I'm not a psychic.

Your heart will always know whether the one you love is alive or not.

Love?!? I don't love Kurama! I don't love anyone. I'm not capable of loving anyone.

Oh, but you do, Hiei. You love him, even though you don't realize it. Just give it time and it will come to you.

Enough! Get out of my head! Hiei stopped running and shook his head to clear it of the conflicting voices. Once the voices stopped, he closed his eyes and opened his Jagan to try searching for Kurama again. Unfortunately, just like the previous times, he could not find one trace of the fox.

"Still nothing, Hiei?" asked Yusuke after he caught up with the fire demon.

"Iie. Nothing."

"K'so. It's already been four hours," yelled a frustrated Kuwabara, "I'm getting more and more worried."

"Watashi mo," Yusuke agreed, "Let's hope that Koenma finds something useful. In any case, we should get some sleep and continue searching after we're refreshed. We need to be ready to do battle."

"But Yusuke," Kuwabara started, "what about Kurama? We have to find him before something happens to him."

"I hope I'm not wrong, but," the leader of the group replied, "I don't think they'll kill him yet. If they wanted him dead, the youkai would have finished him in the forest, not kidnap him. They need Kurama as bait and as a safety net."

"I suppose you're right, for once," sighed Kuwabara, "And, I am a little tired, so let's take your advice and get some rest." He yawned, proving his statement true, and started heading for his house.

"Hiei, I suggest you get some rest, too," Yusuke said, trying to hide a yawn of his own, "We'll start searching again soon. Meet us at Genkai's at 9:00 AM. Oyasumi." He ran for his house, looking forward to plopping down on his soft bed.

* * * * *

The night air was cool on Hiei's face as it blew across the sky. He was sitting comfortably on his usual branch outside of Kurama's window. The fire demon was exhausted from the excitements of the day, but he could not sleep. His thoughts, no matter how hard he tried to stop them, always wandered to Kurama. For the umpteenth time, Hiei's gaze traveled to Kurama's window, and for the umpteenth time, his gaze was met with a dark, empty room. He sighed and attempted to fall asleep again.

You know why you can't stop thinking about him, don't you? The voice was back and as annoying as before.

Leave me alone.

I won't leave you alone until you accept your feelings for Kurama.

I told you, I don't have any feeling for him, except as a partner.

Admit it, you love him.

No, I don't.

Yes, you do.

No, I don't.

Yes, you do.

No, I don't! Hiei sighed loudly and placed a hand over his forehead. I must be going insane. I'm arguing with myself. He almost laughed at the situation. And even if I did love him, he would never love me back. No one could ever love a Forbidden Child.

End of Chapter Three


A little bit longer this time and some conflict is added into the plotline. Hope you liked it.