Sorry it took so long for this update to be put out but I've been so busy. They doubled my work load for the holidays and I've been working all the time. But here's the next chapter!!
So enjoy the chapter and please review!!!
Black Tears
CHAPTER THREE: CHANGE IN PLANS
His world came floating back to him slowly, like a leaf caught in the waves of chopping water. A pain sparked in his head causing a nausea to roll around like a weighted ball in the pit of is stomach. What was going on? Why did he feel as though he had been hit by a truck?
Kurama groaned when he realized that that was what had figuratively happened. Something had slammed into him from behind, something's spirit energy. And they had been strong, strong enough to put him out with one blow. The last thing he remembered was messing around in the woods with Hiei and then a tremendous force knocking him out.
His green eyes snapped open and jerked around him. The first thing he noticed was that he appeared to be in a jail cell of sorts. Three walls were made of a grimy stone, the forth of cold steel bars. Beneath him was a lumpy cot that was stained with dirt and blood. Whoever had taken them didn't bother to place a new sheet over the carnage of its earlier victim.
Summoning his last bit of strength, he rolled onto his side. Across from him was another cot screwed into the stone wall. Hiei's small figure was sprawled out on the gruesome mat, his face pinched in a mask of fury and terror. Kurama uttered a low groan which was meant to be a call to his lover, but it was so quiet that not even his own ears picked up the sound. He was about to attempt to get over to Hiei's bed when he heard the creaking and then scrapping of a door being opened. Quickly rolling so that his back was towards the bars, he squeezed his eyes shut and feigned sleep.
"So there were only two demons there?" A deep voice rumbled as two pairs of footsteps grew closer and closer to the door.
"Yes Lord Sadatake." This voice was lighter but dripped with evil. "I captured them both."
Sadatake chuckled as he reached the bars of their cage. Kurama held a deep breath without even realizing he was doing so. What were these demon's talking about? They had purposely come after them, so what was their plan?
"I can sense two different youkai in this cage." Sadatake said in voice that was strained with concentration. "One is of a kitsune, the other a fire demon. The fire demon is the one we want."
Kurama was thankful that he was facing the wall because as soon as those words passed Sadatake's lips his eyes snapped open. Hiei. They were after Hiei. But for what? He had to force his breathing to remain normal. There had to be a way to get out of this. And if there was, he'd find it. He was still Youko Kurama, just in a different body. He just had to figure out a way to keep those demons away from his Hiei long enough to do so.
"Can you tell which is which master?" The other demon questioned in a timid voice.
"No." Sadatake sounded angry at the fact that this information still eluded him. "But I believe the pride of the Forbidden Child will not allow him to keep this information from us."
Kurama's mind was now whirling. So they didn't know he was the kitsune or Hiei was the fire demon yet. But they were right, Hiei would tell them as soon as he woke. He was a very prideful creature and would not allow himself to hide behind anybody. Even if it was someone he loved very deeply.
That's when the idea hit him like a ton of bricks. Pretend to be Hiei! If he could get these demons to believe he was the Forbidden Child long enough to find a way out Hiei would be safe. He could pull it off. He had done things that were harder back in his past life, why shouldn't he be able to do such things again?
He groaned lightly, pretending to be slowly waking. Rolling onto his back, he blinked at the light that flooded in from the bars. He rubbed at his sleep hazed eyes and squinted, trying to get them to focus on what stood in front of him. Both demons were peering back at him with eyes full of confusion and excitement. They both were trying to figure out which demon had woken up, and were now waiting for him to speak.
"Where the hell am I?" He spoke in a raw voice, hoping to match his vocabulary to the kind that Hiei would use. Which meant it would have to be empty threats, bravado, and words of elation and high self esteem. Kurama gave a mental smile. He was sure he could pull that off.
"You are in my castle…" Sadatake paused and cocked his head to the side. His yellow eyes narrowed in question. "What is your name demon?"
"Hiei." Kurama snarled without missing a beat. He jumped up on the bed, crouching in position that showed he was ready to strike if the need, or chance, should arise. "And what the hell do you mean we're in your castle? What do you want with us!?"
Sadatake and his minion took an instinctive step backwards. The fury that Kurama had let slip into his words was real. He was angered that anybody dare threaten his mate. Taking deep breaths he attempted to calm himself or he would slowly start to change into his demon form. He did that when he felt the need to protect something close to him.
"Dear Hiei," Sadatake cooed in a mocking tone, "We want nothing with your friend. What is his name? We can send out for a party to come and get him."
Kurama was taken aback. Would they truly allow someone to come and remove Hiei from this hell hole and away from that which endangered him? His green eyes shifted to look at his lover and he allowed his features to soften slightly.
"You love him, no?" Sadatake leaned towards the bars. Kurama noticed that he took extra precautions not to touch them. He filed that in the far corner of his mind, allowing it to rest there until he need that little bit of information. He snarled and felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
"What is it to you?" He snapped, feeling confident that he was imitating the image all demons had of the forbidden child. "Is he truly the one you want? Kurama has taken a lot from other demons in his past life. It seems everyone wants him to die for real."
Both Sadatake and his slave's eyes opened wide. He didn't know if revealing that the kitsune energy they felt was that of Youko Kurama. He was almost positive that he had never stolen anything from these demons, but then again there was a lot he forgot about his past life. He may just have put Hiei in more danger then if they knew who he actually was.
"So that runt is the famous kitsune thief?" The minion looked Hiei up and down, his eyes showing disgust. "I always figured that Youko would have chosen a more elegant body to live in for a ningen life span. But I guess beggars can't be choosers."
Kurama had to clench his teeth against the anger that roared to life at the minions insults at his true self. A deep part of him wanted to reach down and scream out that the body of the soul he had bonded with was elegant. Elegant enough in fact to have caught the attention of the so called 'unfeeling' Forbidden Child.
"You leave my fox out of this." He hissed, mimicking the pet name that Hiei had given him after their first night together so long ago. "He has done nothing to you nor does he have anything that you can claim rights to. And neither do I, for that matter."
Sadatake chuckled and flicked a soft gaze over at the sleeping fire demon. Although Kurama didn't quite understand it, he had just revealed his one deadly weakness to their enemies.
"So the Forbidden Child has learned to love." The shadow demon laughed. "And does the thief return these feelings? Or is Youko still the heartless using bastard he used to be."
At this point the blood was pounding in Kurama's ears. He may have been a thief, and he may have been on the cold side in his past life, but he was not heartless. If he had been heartless he would have never had his strong bond with Kurnoue, or mourned his death as long as he had. Cold, yes. Heartless, no.
"I'm getting bored of your boring chat." He snapped at Sadatake. "Tell me what you have trapped us for so I can then kill you and get out of this miserable excuse for a castle."
Kurama knew that being that open about his escape plan was something that Hiei would defiantly do. No because he wasn't thinking but because he was overly cocky about his own strengths and abilities. He knew that as soon as the demon tried to fight back he could raise his right arm and the battle would be over in a matter of seconds.
The jab also seemed to do its work and draw an angered scowl from Sadatake and his minion. The shadow demon leaned in closer to the bars but still didn't touch them. His yellow eyes narrowed as he glared at the fox demon in front of him. Kurama matched his gaze with fiery green eyes.
"You are the one I am truly after Hiei!" He snapped not noticing the fear that flickered in the fox's eyes. "The Koorime blood that flows through you veins may be a curse on you but it is a blessing for me. You see, when you cry you shed tears that resemble black pearls. And these gems are more valuable then any currency and Makai. Including the normal tears cried by the ice maidens. I plan to harvest these lovely jewels and make myself wealthy enough to own anything I desire. With that I will soon have an army behind me large enough to take on Ningenkai and Rekai! All I have to do is get you to cry."
"Hn." Kurama crossed his arms and gave Sadatake a smug grin. "I don't cry."
"I am well aware of the cold heart that beats in your chest." The shadow demon gave a somewhat sadistic glare at the fox. "But I also know that that heart is scared by betrayals and abandonment. After Kakuzo is done having his fun with you, we'll see who cries and who will be laughing."
Kurama's eyes went wide as the two demons threw their heads back in evil laughter. Sadatake headed towards the door with Kakuzo, his minion, right behind him. Fear flashed through Kurama and he felt a gasp bubble its way out of his throat. Would these sick minds do something to the real Hiei in order to see him hurt? He jumped off the bed and lunged at the bars of the cage.
"You leave my-," Just as he got he wrapped his fingers around the bars something flashed through him. He jolted back, a scream ripping its way out of his throat. Wards. There were some kinds of wards on the bars. Kurama was vaguely aware of his captors chuckling before he heard the loud slam of a door being closed.
He gritted his teeth and tried desperately to pull his hands free from the bars. But instead they tightened until the knuckles went white. Sweat broke out on his brow and a whimper escaped him. The blood was draining from his face, the skin turning a ghostly white. Pain was now roaring behind his eyes, drumming on his brain like a manic drummer. Another tiny sound escaped him and his eyes began to roll back in his head. His whole body began trembling as the power of the wards held him, an agonized prisoner.
Kurama vaguely heard his real name being called and suddenly he was pulled free of his grip on the bars. Air finally flooded into his lungs as he lay gasping. He was aware of a small pair of arms wrapped tightly around his chest, pulling him close. With a quiet whimper, he buried his sweat streaked face into Hiei's chest.
"What happened fox?" The anger fire demon snapped.
At hearing his nick name, Kurama's eyes snapped open and his heart skipped a beat. He jolted, pushing back away from Hiei. The short demon's red eyes widened in surprise and then flashed with faint hurt. Kurama felt something tighten around his heart. Rising to his knees he wrapped his arms tightly around Hiei and pulled him close.
"I'm fine." He whispered. "There were just some powerful wards on the bars." He suddenly released Hiei and held him out at arms length. "But no names or nicknames."
Hiei pulled back and titled his head slightly. His brows creased and his lips pursed. The look caused him to look surprisingly cute. If the conversation wasn't so urgent Kurama would have pushed him to the ground and ravished him at that very moment. Instead he opted for a light grin.
"The demons who have us here don't know who we are yet and they aren't going to find out." He said in a quiet voice. "We are both in danger if they figure out who we truly are. We're just going to have to hang tight until I can think of a way to break us out of here."
Hiei grinned and shook his head with a faint chuckle. Of course, he should have known that the great Youko Kurama would find a way to break them out of any bad situation. He had even avoided death once before. He reached out with a tentative hand and brought Kurama's lips down to meet his own. His fox moaned lightly and allowed his lips to part so that Hiei could have access to ravage the inside of his mouth. They pressed their bodies close together. Hiei's hands rose to play with buttons on Kurama's shirt. Kurama growled lightly in his throat as Hiei leaned forward, pushing against him until was tilting backwards. The fox didn't like being controlled. Dominance was something that had to be forced on the great Youko when his mind was weighed down. Like it was at the moment.
Said fox bit lightly on Hiei's lower lip and pulled gently. The fire demon moaned in pleasure and pulled away from Kurama. His red eyes were soft as he regarded his lover's request.
"Please." Kurama whispered again. "No names or nick names. At least not when you can sense them near."
Hiei looked deep into Kurama's green eyes and gave a smile that he reserved for only his fox. Leaning down he kissed the tip of Kurama's nose.
"If it means so much to you," He whispered. "Consider it done, love."
Kurama heaved a sigh and relaxed into Hiei's grip. He hated lying to his little fire demon but it needed to be done. If he had told the truth Hiei would have given himself in to save his fox, much like Kurama had done.
But he couldn't allow that because if they succeeded in causing Hiei to cry they would have what he wanted. At least if they were torturing him he could still find a way to get Hiei out in time to save his lover's life. And then Hiei could get the others and come back for him.
Kurama just hoped he could hold out that long.
Next Chapter: What will Sadatake and Kakuzo do to Kurama (who they think is Hiei) and will Hiei figure out what is really going on? And what about Yusuke? Will he and Kuwabara get help or information from Koenma? Find out next chapter!!
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