Hello all! Here's chappy twelve!!
This is my longest fic. Wow. Oh, and I'm sorry about any mistakes in my last chapter, like I said, I was tired.
Disclaimer: I think we've heard it enough to repeat it in our sleep if asked, "I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho."
Kuronue: *asleep* I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. *snore*
Nagem: See?
Kuronue flung the hand he was holding away from him, startled by the change of eye color. Everything was getting all too weird. The figure stumbled away from him and hit its back against a tree. Kuronue swallowed hard.
"W-who are you?!" he demanded. "What have you done with Shuichi?"
"I am Shuichi," the figure replied, stepping out of the shadows closer to Kuronue. The chimera's eyes widened as he saw who it was. "As I am also Youko Kurama."
"K-Kurama?" Kuronue asked. (No,) he thought. (This can't be possible. . . . ) "All the stories said you were dead. Sure, I heard rumors, but . . . when have I ever trusted rumors?"
"True," Kurama said, his ears flicking back and forth with amusement. His tail began to wag, not threateningly, but happily. "Aren't you happy to see me again?"
"You . . . you hid from me," Kuronue accused, his mind still concentrating on the fact that Kurama was alive.
"Only because I had to," Kurama said. "Koenma would not let me tell my true name to Jeroun, much less to someone who broke out of jail." Kuronue snorted.
"You would have done the same," he said.
"Yes, I would have, before I came to the Ningenkai," Kurama said. "I've changed Kuronue. I'm no longer the heartless thief you used to know. I can care for people, I can even love people."
"You cared for me," Kuronue said. "You loved me." Kurama's ears drooped slightly. He frowned. This was getting complicated.
"Yes, but Kuronue, that was different from what I have now," Kurama said.
"How so?"
"You were the only thing I had to hold onto, then, Kuronue," Kurama said. "Now I have everything that I couldn't have in the Makai."
"And that's a reason to betray me?"
"I never said I was going to betray you, Kuronue," Kurama said. "I was just saying that if you came with me quietly, then I could possibly save you from the death sentence, maybe even get you out of jail permanently. You've certainly proved that you can live without it." Kuronue pulled out a scythe, but not the one with the poison on it. (A/N: Thank-you for the name, everyone!)
"Liar!!" he cried, flinging it at Kurama. Perhaps this was all a dream, it would all go away if he could just kill this specter from his past. But Kurama jumped out of the way. The scythe came back to Kuronue as clean as when he had thrown it.
"I am no longer a liar, Kuronue," Kurama said, landing next to his friend. "Please. . . . "
"Get away!!" Kuronue threw the blade again. Kurama managed to move, but because he was so close, his arm was caught.
"Ah!" he yelled.
"Kurama!" They turned to see Yusuke and Kuwabara, along with Jorge and the jailkeeper. Unfortunately, they had only seen the part where Kuronue had hit Kurama.
"You!" Kuronue growled.
"Yusuke! Kuwabara! What are you doing here?"
"Kuwabara felt you shift into your demon form, so we decided to check it out. Good thing, too," Yusuke added as Kuronue pulled his now-bloody scythe into a throwing position. "He looks rough. We'll take it from here, Kurama."
"What do you mean?"
"Get ready to die, punk!"
"Kuwabara, don't! Please, Yusuke, let me handle this," Kurama said, a hopeless tone entered his voice as he pleaded for his friend's life.
"You're wounded, Kurama."
"Urameshi!" All eyes went to Kuwabara. He was holding his arm, hand cupped over a deep wound that was spurting out blood.
"Kuwabara! Can you still fight?"
"I dunno, Urameshi," Kuwabara said. "He hit me pretty hard."
"Kuronue!"
"Stay out of this, Youko," Kuronue growled. "What happens to me is none of your concern anymore."
"Kuronue," Kurama said sadly. "Why do you choose to push me out of your life so suddenly?"
"Kurama, you should go get Botan and Koenma," Yusuke said. Kurama hung his head. "Leave the fight to us."
"All right," Kurama said sadly. A/N: Hah, fooled you. You all thought I would stop the chapter here. I'm not gonna!
When Kurama found Jeroun nearly ten minutes later, he was still in his Youko form and was still brooding over the fact that Kuronue, of all people, had pushed him out of their life upon learning his true form.
"Kurama?!?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's me. Gomen, Jeroun," Kurama said. He had not thought about Jeroun's reaction when the other demon found out his true form. "Let's go to the spirit world and tell Koenma and Botan that we've found and subdued the escapee."
"Kuronue?"
"Don't say that name!" Kurama said. "The escapee will be ready for his arrest shortly. Yusuke is fighting him as we speak."
"Why aren't you helping him?"
"He has chosen to not let me help him," Kurama said. "What happens to him is none of my concern anymore."
"Well, Kurama, the thing is that Koenma just told me he gave the order for Yusuke to kill the 'escapee'," Jeroun said.
"What happens to him is none of my concern anymore," Kurama said. Even though his voice remained calm and collected, Jeroun could see the pain and hurt in the Youko's usually emotionless golden eyes.
"Fine," Jeroun said. "If you can betray your old partner just like that, then fine." Through the pity, Jeroun felt a strong serge of hatred for someone who could just drop an old friend so easily.
"It was not my choice to abandon him," Kurama said, almost losing control of his voice. Jeroun glared at him.
"Then whose was it?"
"His," Kurama said. "He told me to stay out of this. He told me whatever happened to him was none of my concern anymore. Out of respect for him, I listened to his wish."
"You told me he'd be killed!" Jeroun nearly screamed.
"So be it then."
"You can't just leave him!" Jeroun said. "He'd risk his life for you- hell-he DID risk his life for you, and this is how you repay him? By leaving him when he needs you, denied or not?" Kurama stopped. Perhaps Jeroun was right. Just then, he heard something.
"Someone! Please, anyone! Help me!" The chimera's scream echoed in the wooded area around them. "Please! Anyone! Tell him I'm sorry! I was stupid! Gods, I'm so sorry! Please, someone's gotta tell him that!!" Two tears leaked out of Kurama's eyes. This was Kuronue, the one he had shared his plunders with, the one who stayed with him no matter what he did, who even did a lot of it with him. This was Kuronue, and he was Youko Kurama, changed or not, and old partners did not leave each other to die, even when it might cost them their life.
"Are you going to let the past haunt you?" This rang in Kurama's ears as he ran for the clearing he had just left, praying that he wasn't too late.
When Kurama arrived at the clearing, it was a sight to behold. Kuronue was bracing himself against a tree, his wings and face covered in blood, but that was no matter, the wounds would heal in less than an hour. Kuwabara watched from the base of the tree where he sat, sporting several wounds from Kuronue's scythes. The most important thing to Kurama was not Kuwabara, it wasn't even Kuronue. It was Yusuke. The Reikai Tantei held his hands in front of him, poised and ready to fire the Rei Gun, a shot that would end Kuronue's life if it made contact.
"Who do you want to tell sorry to?" Yusuke asked.
"No one," Kuronue said. "It's too late now."
"All right then."
"Shoot 'im, Urameshi! Show 'im he can't mess with us and not pay the price for it!!" Kurama froze. (It's not Kuronue's fault,) he thought. (It's mine. I could have prevented this if I hadn't been so blind and so stupid!)
"SPIRIT-" Yusuke began.
"NO!! YUSUKE, DON'T!! PLEASE, JUST GIVE HIM A CHANCE!!!" Kurama screamed as his friend walked to meet the shot.
"GUN!!!"
"Good-bye, Youko Kurama," Kuronue whispered, although Kurama heard every word as if Kuronue was screaming it in his ears. "You were a good friend, and this is all my fault. If there's one thing I could say to you, it's that I'm sorry." Kurama screamed again and flung himself into the clearing, pushing Kuronue out of the way. A split second later, he felt the Rei Gun tear into his skin. Kurama screamed as it tore through him.
"Shit!!" came Yusuke's immediate cry.
"No!" came Kuwabara's voice.
"Kurama!!!" Kuronue caught him as he fell and held the youko's face up to where he could see it. "Why, Kurama?"
"Partners . . . don't ever . . . let each other down. Much less friends," Kurama muttered. "And don't be sorry, it's my fault. G-good-bye." Kurama's head fell back and his hair went red as he turned back into Shuichi. Kuronue shook the kitsune.
"Kurama?" he said softly. "KURAMA!!!" He buried his head into his friend's chest and began to cry.
Sorry if this chapter is too short. I had to stop after this. I can't take it. This is hard for me to write, and I'm sorry if this isn't how you wanted it to end. Really, I am. And thank you for the 100 reviews that I've gotten. They make me happy, and it makes me sad that I had to do this. Please review once more and tell me how you liked this. You can yell at me for what happened to Kurama. Heck, I'm the author and I feel bad about it.
Good-bye, minna-san.
-Nagem.
This is my longest fic. Wow. Oh, and I'm sorry about any mistakes in my last chapter, like I said, I was tired.
Disclaimer: I think we've heard it enough to repeat it in our sleep if asked, "I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho."
Kuronue: *asleep* I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. *snore*
Nagem: See?
Kuronue flung the hand he was holding away from him, startled by the change of eye color. Everything was getting all too weird. The figure stumbled away from him and hit its back against a tree. Kuronue swallowed hard.
"W-who are you?!" he demanded. "What have you done with Shuichi?"
"I am Shuichi," the figure replied, stepping out of the shadows closer to Kuronue. The chimera's eyes widened as he saw who it was. "As I am also Youko Kurama."
"K-Kurama?" Kuronue asked. (No,) he thought. (This can't be possible. . . . ) "All the stories said you were dead. Sure, I heard rumors, but . . . when have I ever trusted rumors?"
"True," Kurama said, his ears flicking back and forth with amusement. His tail began to wag, not threateningly, but happily. "Aren't you happy to see me again?"
"You . . . you hid from me," Kuronue accused, his mind still concentrating on the fact that Kurama was alive.
"Only because I had to," Kurama said. "Koenma would not let me tell my true name to Jeroun, much less to someone who broke out of jail." Kuronue snorted.
"You would have done the same," he said.
"Yes, I would have, before I came to the Ningenkai," Kurama said. "I've changed Kuronue. I'm no longer the heartless thief you used to know. I can care for people, I can even love people."
"You cared for me," Kuronue said. "You loved me." Kurama's ears drooped slightly. He frowned. This was getting complicated.
"Yes, but Kuronue, that was different from what I have now," Kurama said.
"How so?"
"You were the only thing I had to hold onto, then, Kuronue," Kurama said. "Now I have everything that I couldn't have in the Makai."
"And that's a reason to betray me?"
"I never said I was going to betray you, Kuronue," Kurama said. "I was just saying that if you came with me quietly, then I could possibly save you from the death sentence, maybe even get you out of jail permanently. You've certainly proved that you can live without it." Kuronue pulled out a scythe, but not the one with the poison on it. (A/N: Thank-you for the name, everyone!)
"Liar!!" he cried, flinging it at Kurama. Perhaps this was all a dream, it would all go away if he could just kill this specter from his past. But Kurama jumped out of the way. The scythe came back to Kuronue as clean as when he had thrown it.
"I am no longer a liar, Kuronue," Kurama said, landing next to his friend. "Please. . . . "
"Get away!!" Kuronue threw the blade again. Kurama managed to move, but because he was so close, his arm was caught.
"Ah!" he yelled.
"Kurama!" They turned to see Yusuke and Kuwabara, along with Jorge and the jailkeeper. Unfortunately, they had only seen the part where Kuronue had hit Kurama.
"You!" Kuronue growled.
"Yusuke! Kuwabara! What are you doing here?"
"Kuwabara felt you shift into your demon form, so we decided to check it out. Good thing, too," Yusuke added as Kuronue pulled his now-bloody scythe into a throwing position. "He looks rough. We'll take it from here, Kurama."
"What do you mean?"
"Get ready to die, punk!"
"Kuwabara, don't! Please, Yusuke, let me handle this," Kurama said, a hopeless tone entered his voice as he pleaded for his friend's life.
"You're wounded, Kurama."
"Urameshi!" All eyes went to Kuwabara. He was holding his arm, hand cupped over a deep wound that was spurting out blood.
"Kuwabara! Can you still fight?"
"I dunno, Urameshi," Kuwabara said. "He hit me pretty hard."
"Kuronue!"
"Stay out of this, Youko," Kuronue growled. "What happens to me is none of your concern anymore."
"Kuronue," Kurama said sadly. "Why do you choose to push me out of your life so suddenly?"
"Kurama, you should go get Botan and Koenma," Yusuke said. Kurama hung his head. "Leave the fight to us."
"All right," Kurama said sadly. A/N: Hah, fooled you. You all thought I would stop the chapter here. I'm not gonna!
When Kurama found Jeroun nearly ten minutes later, he was still in his Youko form and was still brooding over the fact that Kuronue, of all people, had pushed him out of their life upon learning his true form.
"Kurama?!?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's me. Gomen, Jeroun," Kurama said. He had not thought about Jeroun's reaction when the other demon found out his true form. "Let's go to the spirit world and tell Koenma and Botan that we've found and subdued the escapee."
"Kuronue?"
"Don't say that name!" Kurama said. "The escapee will be ready for his arrest shortly. Yusuke is fighting him as we speak."
"Why aren't you helping him?"
"He has chosen to not let me help him," Kurama said. "What happens to him is none of my concern anymore."
"Well, Kurama, the thing is that Koenma just told me he gave the order for Yusuke to kill the 'escapee'," Jeroun said.
"What happens to him is none of my concern anymore," Kurama said. Even though his voice remained calm and collected, Jeroun could see the pain and hurt in the Youko's usually emotionless golden eyes.
"Fine," Jeroun said. "If you can betray your old partner just like that, then fine." Through the pity, Jeroun felt a strong serge of hatred for someone who could just drop an old friend so easily.
"It was not my choice to abandon him," Kurama said, almost losing control of his voice. Jeroun glared at him.
"Then whose was it?"
"His," Kurama said. "He told me to stay out of this. He told me whatever happened to him was none of my concern anymore. Out of respect for him, I listened to his wish."
"You told me he'd be killed!" Jeroun nearly screamed.
"So be it then."
"You can't just leave him!" Jeroun said. "He'd risk his life for you- hell-he DID risk his life for you, and this is how you repay him? By leaving him when he needs you, denied or not?" Kurama stopped. Perhaps Jeroun was right. Just then, he heard something.
"Someone! Please, anyone! Help me!" The chimera's scream echoed in the wooded area around them. "Please! Anyone! Tell him I'm sorry! I was stupid! Gods, I'm so sorry! Please, someone's gotta tell him that!!" Two tears leaked out of Kurama's eyes. This was Kuronue, the one he had shared his plunders with, the one who stayed with him no matter what he did, who even did a lot of it with him. This was Kuronue, and he was Youko Kurama, changed or not, and old partners did not leave each other to die, even when it might cost them their life.
"Are you going to let the past haunt you?" This rang in Kurama's ears as he ran for the clearing he had just left, praying that he wasn't too late.
When Kurama arrived at the clearing, it was a sight to behold. Kuronue was bracing himself against a tree, his wings and face covered in blood, but that was no matter, the wounds would heal in less than an hour. Kuwabara watched from the base of the tree where he sat, sporting several wounds from Kuronue's scythes. The most important thing to Kurama was not Kuwabara, it wasn't even Kuronue. It was Yusuke. The Reikai Tantei held his hands in front of him, poised and ready to fire the Rei Gun, a shot that would end Kuronue's life if it made contact.
"Who do you want to tell sorry to?" Yusuke asked.
"No one," Kuronue said. "It's too late now."
"All right then."
"Shoot 'im, Urameshi! Show 'im he can't mess with us and not pay the price for it!!" Kurama froze. (It's not Kuronue's fault,) he thought. (It's mine. I could have prevented this if I hadn't been so blind and so stupid!)
"SPIRIT-" Yusuke began.
"NO!! YUSUKE, DON'T!! PLEASE, JUST GIVE HIM A CHANCE!!!" Kurama screamed as his friend walked to meet the shot.
"GUN!!!"
"Good-bye, Youko Kurama," Kuronue whispered, although Kurama heard every word as if Kuronue was screaming it in his ears. "You were a good friend, and this is all my fault. If there's one thing I could say to you, it's that I'm sorry." Kurama screamed again and flung himself into the clearing, pushing Kuronue out of the way. A split second later, he felt the Rei Gun tear into his skin. Kurama screamed as it tore through him.
"Shit!!" came Yusuke's immediate cry.
"No!" came Kuwabara's voice.
"Kurama!!!" Kuronue caught him as he fell and held the youko's face up to where he could see it. "Why, Kurama?"
"Partners . . . don't ever . . . let each other down. Much less friends," Kurama muttered. "And don't be sorry, it's my fault. G-good-bye." Kurama's head fell back and his hair went red as he turned back into Shuichi. Kuronue shook the kitsune.
"Kurama?" he said softly. "KURAMA!!!" He buried his head into his friend's chest and began to cry.
Sorry if this chapter is too short. I had to stop after this. I can't take it. This is hard for me to write, and I'm sorry if this isn't how you wanted it to end. Really, I am. And thank you for the 100 reviews that I've gotten. They make me happy, and it makes me sad that I had to do this. Please review once more and tell me how you liked this. You can yell at me for what happened to Kurama. Heck, I'm the author and I feel bad about it.
Good-bye, minna-san.
-Nagem.