Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Yu Hakusho, or anything. *Cry*
Kurama: That's it?!?! Just the disclaimer, no flying Kurama plushies or anything??
Nagem: Nope.
Kurama: YES!! I AM FREE!!
Nagem: Not quite yet, fox-boy.
Kurama: Hn.
Hiei: That's my line!!
Karasu smiled. Even as his prey slept, his plan was slowly falling into place. Within days, there would be rumors of why the Spirit Detective was in the Makai. Then the demons Karasu still had to pay would realize that they were being hunted, and then, then the real action would begin. His smile became an evil sneer as Kurama walked out into the open. He jumped to another, closer tree and listened to what the fox was saying to his friends, who were still inside the cave.
"Listen, I'm just going to go find a place where I can take a bath!" Kurama yelled.
"Kurama, just let one of us follow," came Yusuke's voice. "It's dangerous out there, with all of the demons, and if you drop your guard. . . ."
"Yusuke, who's the one who has lived in the Makai before?" Kurama's voice was sickly sweet. "Not you, not Kuwabara, me." He jabbed his finger at his chest as though it might make his point clearer. Karasu had to laugh at the fox's antics. Kurama heard him, and whirled around to where Karasu hid. "Is someone there?" His voice was dangerously quiet, and his hand was reaching for one of his plants.
"You know Makai plants make better weapons, fox," Karasu said, deeping his voice slightly. He didn't want Kurama to be aware of his revival just yet. That would come later in the plan. When Kurama's hand came into Karasu's sight, there was a single rose in it.
"Who are you? How do you know my true nature?" Kurama's voice was still quiet, as though he did not want to alert his friends to the problem outside.
"Let's just say we've met before," Karasu told him, and then decided that the fox already knew too much. He leapt out of the tree and off into the deepest parts of the Makai.
"Kurama?" Yusuke came out of the cave. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Kurama said. "Nothing at all." He looked around at the trees, and Yusuke wondered just how much of the truth his friend told him. "Why are you out here?"
"I told you, I'm following you," Yusuke said.
"Did it ever occur to you that I'm taking a BATH?" Kurama demanded to know.
"Yep," Yusuke said. "I'm just out here for your own safety."
"This is going to be a very long trip," Kurama moaned.
A few hours later, Kurama (who had been followed by a very persistant Yusuke) sat on the floor of the cave with Kuwabara, while Yusuke tried to rid himself of Kurama's plant trap just outside the cave. The two sat in silence, although Kuwabara kept glancing nervously at Kurama. Kurama glared when he caught one of Kuwabara's glances.
"Is there something you want to ask me?"
"Well, you're usually nicer than this," Kuwabara told Kurama. "Now, all of the sudden, you're like a strange version of Hiei or something." Kurama thought for a moment and nodded.
"It is true," he said. "I have been rather aggresive lately . . . I honestly don't know why." Kuwabara studied his friend's face. He'd never really disliked Kurama. It was just that, Kurama was the creepy fox thing, and Kuwabara was weary of that. He didn't want to get into a fight with him. But now, as he looked closely, he saw the marks of a human life on the fox. There were bags under his eyes, he had obviously not slept in a while. Stress lines snaked their ways across his face. His long red hair was unkempt and messy, and his clothes screamed for a washing. Kuwabara wondered what was up with Kurama.
"Is there something wrong?" Kuwabara asked Kurama.
"Hm?"
"Is there something wrong with you?"
"I don't know," Kurama said, but he was running a finger across the dirt uncertianly. "I guess. I've been having these nightmares about Karasu. Do you remember him?"
"Yeah," Kuwabara said. "You beat him . . . " Neither Kuwabara or Kurama wanted to hear the next words that came out of Kuwabara's mouth, but they both knew they were neccesary. "You killed him." Kurama didn't know what made it truth when it came out of a friend's mouth, but when he heard Kuwabara tell him that, he felt better, more sure, that Karasu would not return.
"KURAMA!!!" Yusuke stood in the mouth of the cave, looking quite disshelved. His clothes were ripped and torn in various places, and he was bleeding from several gashes, and, worst of all, his hair was down.
"Yusuke," Kurama said, a smile curving its way onto his lips. He couldn't help himself. Yusuke glared at him.
"Yo, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said. "So, you finally worked your way out of Kurama's plants, did you?"
"They must have liked you, Yusuke," Kurama said, smiling wider. "They usually don't cut people. They hold him until I feel like letting them go."
"When I shot your damned plants, they grew back with thorns!!" Yusuke yelled.
"I should have mentioned," Kurama said, "They grow off of Spirit Energy that is used against them. I find the fact quite useful in fights." Even though he was smiling so hard his face hurt, Kurama kept a cool front, as though he were talking about the weather or something humans would discuss every day.
"Four Spirit Guns, Kurama. Four," Yusuke said.
"Dang," Kuwabara breathed.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I told you not to follow me." Kurama was getting up off the ground and walking out toward Yusuke. "Please, I honestly am sorry. I have been grouchy lately." HIs narrowed, and he pulled something out of Yusuke's arm.
"Ow! I forgive you, but why'd you do that?" Yusuke asked, holding his arm. It had hurt much more than a mere thorn should. "It was only a thorn." But what Kurama held up was a wriggling, mini version of the plants that had attacked him outside. "Nevermind."
"Shall we look for information today?" Kurama asked.
"Yep!" Yusuke said.
"When will we get the payment you promised?" Makon, the leader of the theives, asked, slamming his fist into a tree. Karasu stood across the clearing from him, leaning on a tree, having no wish to get to close to the angry demon.
"You will get what you want when I get what I want," Karasu said.
"You've already said you don't care about the treasures," Makon said. "Tell us what you want, and we'll get it. Just give me my powers back before the others can rebel!" Karasu sighed, and held out a glowing sphere. Makon's eyes lit up.
"This is what you want?" Karasu said. Makon nodded, and began to move toward Karasu. "What I want you cannot give me willingly."
"Name it, and you shall have it," Makon said.
"You will give it to me without knowing what you have done," Karasu told him. Makon nodded, eyes still on the glowing sphere. "And then, you shall die."
"Just give it to me!" Makon lunged at Karasu, and missed horribly as Karasu whipped the sphere out of sight and jumped out of the way. Makon slammed into the tree Karasu had been leaning against. Makon was scrambling away from it for another attack on Karasu when it blew up. Makon turned fearfully.
"You see?" Karasu said.
"Y-y-you?" Makon stuttered, already once hearing of the other demon's fearful powers. Karasu nodded. Makon then pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked, wondering if Karasu would get the point he was trying to make.
"Yes, after a while," Karasu said. "But perhaps I can be convinced to spare you if I get what I want soon."
"How soon?"
"Very soon," Karasu told him, and leapt out of the clearing. Makon fell to his knees and cursed himself silently in every language he knew.
"Master!" Makon looked to see one of his lackeys running toward him.
"What is it?" Makon asked, all his patience for the day worn out from dealing with Karasu. The lackey had a fearful look in his eyes.
"The Spirit Detectives are here!" the lackey said. Makon cursed again.
"Just avoid them," he told the lackey.
"We can't," the other demon told him. "We were at the bar when they came in. The red-haired one saw one of the treasures, and then all three of them attacked!"
"Three?"
"Yes, only three of them were there," the lackey said.
"What about the other five treasures?" Makon asked.
"Right here," the lackey said, opening his coat and pouring them into his leader's hand. Makon smiled.
"This is all we need," Makon said. "Let the others go, and if they followed you, or found us, we'll fight." The eyes of his demon army gleamed in the dark bushes.
"Right, sir," the lackey said.
Kurama cursed mentally as he, Yusuke, and Kuwabara sat down at a local demon pub. He had no wish to be here, but it was the only place that they might get information about the theives. (We don't even know if they're going to be here,) he told himself.
"So, Yusuke, what are we looking for?" Kuwabara asked, drawing Kurama's attention from his thoughts.
"The treasure keys, remember?"
"Yeah, but what do they do?"
"There are six," Kurama said. "One in each corner of the Makai, representing the five elemental sites in the human world."
"What about the sixth?"
"Someone holds it to gain all of that power," Kurama said. Yusuke and Kuwabara shuddered. Kurama began to look around the bar. His eyes looked over demons and dirty floors and then . . . (A treasure key!) he thought, sitting straight up. It was in the pocket of one demon's overcoat, who was talking drunkenly to the bartender.
"What's the matter, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.
"There's a treasure key held by one of the demons over there," Kurama told them. He pointed, and Yusuke and Kuwabara looked. Unfortunately, so did the demon.
"What are you looking at?" he demanded to know.
"We couldn't help noticing that you have something that does not belong to you," Yusuke said, standing up. Kuwabara and Kurama stood up, too, just in case they needed to back Yusuke up. "Now, why don't you hand it over . . . GAAH!" His sentence stopped short as they were attacked by what seemed to be all of the demons in the bar. As Kuwabara brought out his Spirit Sword, and Yusuke let out a round of Spirit Guns, Kurama ducked under the attack and went for the demon with the treasure.
"You!" he said as Kurama grabbed his head and rammed it into his knee. (Not my style,) he thought. (But it got the job done.) The six keys went clinking to the floor. By the time Kurama had put the demon's body down andhad grabbed one of the keys, the other demon that had been with him had gathered up the keys and was out of sight.
"I have to follow his scent before it wears away," Kurama said. "Sorry, Yusuke, Kuwabara." He glanced back at the fight, and left.
Even as fast as Kurama was, it still took him a while to catch up with the demon using only his scent. When Kurama finally reached the clearing where the demon had stopped, a demon army was coming into the clearing from the bushes on one side. He lept into the clearing.
"You!" the one demon yelled. The second, Kurama remembered from his theiving days.
"Makon," he growled.
"Yes," Makon said. "Now, GET HIM!!" The demon army and the lackey (who looked reluctant,) charged at Kurama. Calmly, Kurama brought out a rose from his hair.
*Kurama, where are you?* came Yusuke's voice in his head.
*No time!* Kurama said, hoping Yusuke would get the point.
*Just tell me where!*
*In a clearing about half a mile from the town we were in,* Kurama told them as the demon army drew nearer. *Hurry!*
*Got it!* Yusuke said, and the demon army lunged at Kurama.
"Rose Whip!!" Kurama yelled. He swung it around, beheading several demons, including the lackey.
After that, it was chaos. The demons didn't seem to stay dead, or perhaps there were more than Kurama had first thought. He had been fighting for about half an hour before he heard Yusuke and Kuwabara come crashing into the clearing. As the demon army took their attention away from Kurama, he went for Makon. As soon as he had reached Makon, with the other demon cowering in fear, Kurama felt someone come up behind him. Something was pressed to his face, and he fell unconcious, only to be carried away. Makon could only watch as Karasu left the clearing with Kurama and threw a sphere in his direction. It exploded, ending the fight.
Cool! Cliffhanger! Woo-who! I am FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER!! I am happy. I'll post the next one as soon as I can. Please review!
Kurama: That's it?!?! Just the disclaimer, no flying Kurama plushies or anything??
Nagem: Nope.
Kurama: YES!! I AM FREE!!
Nagem: Not quite yet, fox-boy.
Kurama: Hn.
Hiei: That's my line!!
Karasu smiled. Even as his prey slept, his plan was slowly falling into place. Within days, there would be rumors of why the Spirit Detective was in the Makai. Then the demons Karasu still had to pay would realize that they were being hunted, and then, then the real action would begin. His smile became an evil sneer as Kurama walked out into the open. He jumped to another, closer tree and listened to what the fox was saying to his friends, who were still inside the cave.
"Listen, I'm just going to go find a place where I can take a bath!" Kurama yelled.
"Kurama, just let one of us follow," came Yusuke's voice. "It's dangerous out there, with all of the demons, and if you drop your guard. . . ."
"Yusuke, who's the one who has lived in the Makai before?" Kurama's voice was sickly sweet. "Not you, not Kuwabara, me." He jabbed his finger at his chest as though it might make his point clearer. Karasu had to laugh at the fox's antics. Kurama heard him, and whirled around to where Karasu hid. "Is someone there?" His voice was dangerously quiet, and his hand was reaching for one of his plants.
"You know Makai plants make better weapons, fox," Karasu said, deeping his voice slightly. He didn't want Kurama to be aware of his revival just yet. That would come later in the plan. When Kurama's hand came into Karasu's sight, there was a single rose in it.
"Who are you? How do you know my true nature?" Kurama's voice was still quiet, as though he did not want to alert his friends to the problem outside.
"Let's just say we've met before," Karasu told him, and then decided that the fox already knew too much. He leapt out of the tree and off into the deepest parts of the Makai.
"Kurama?" Yusuke came out of the cave. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Kurama said. "Nothing at all." He looked around at the trees, and Yusuke wondered just how much of the truth his friend told him. "Why are you out here?"
"I told you, I'm following you," Yusuke said.
"Did it ever occur to you that I'm taking a BATH?" Kurama demanded to know.
"Yep," Yusuke said. "I'm just out here for your own safety."
"This is going to be a very long trip," Kurama moaned.
A few hours later, Kurama (who had been followed by a very persistant Yusuke) sat on the floor of the cave with Kuwabara, while Yusuke tried to rid himself of Kurama's plant trap just outside the cave. The two sat in silence, although Kuwabara kept glancing nervously at Kurama. Kurama glared when he caught one of Kuwabara's glances.
"Is there something you want to ask me?"
"Well, you're usually nicer than this," Kuwabara told Kurama. "Now, all of the sudden, you're like a strange version of Hiei or something." Kurama thought for a moment and nodded.
"It is true," he said. "I have been rather aggresive lately . . . I honestly don't know why." Kuwabara studied his friend's face. He'd never really disliked Kurama. It was just that, Kurama was the creepy fox thing, and Kuwabara was weary of that. He didn't want to get into a fight with him. But now, as he looked closely, he saw the marks of a human life on the fox. There were bags under his eyes, he had obviously not slept in a while. Stress lines snaked their ways across his face. His long red hair was unkempt and messy, and his clothes screamed for a washing. Kuwabara wondered what was up with Kurama.
"Is there something wrong?" Kuwabara asked Kurama.
"Hm?"
"Is there something wrong with you?"
"I don't know," Kurama said, but he was running a finger across the dirt uncertianly. "I guess. I've been having these nightmares about Karasu. Do you remember him?"
"Yeah," Kuwabara said. "You beat him . . . " Neither Kuwabara or Kurama wanted to hear the next words that came out of Kuwabara's mouth, but they both knew they were neccesary. "You killed him." Kurama didn't know what made it truth when it came out of a friend's mouth, but when he heard Kuwabara tell him that, he felt better, more sure, that Karasu would not return.
"KURAMA!!!" Yusuke stood in the mouth of the cave, looking quite disshelved. His clothes were ripped and torn in various places, and he was bleeding from several gashes, and, worst of all, his hair was down.
"Yusuke," Kurama said, a smile curving its way onto his lips. He couldn't help himself. Yusuke glared at him.
"Yo, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said. "So, you finally worked your way out of Kurama's plants, did you?"
"They must have liked you, Yusuke," Kurama said, smiling wider. "They usually don't cut people. They hold him until I feel like letting them go."
"When I shot your damned plants, they grew back with thorns!!" Yusuke yelled.
"I should have mentioned," Kurama said, "They grow off of Spirit Energy that is used against them. I find the fact quite useful in fights." Even though he was smiling so hard his face hurt, Kurama kept a cool front, as though he were talking about the weather or something humans would discuss every day.
"Four Spirit Guns, Kurama. Four," Yusuke said.
"Dang," Kuwabara breathed.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I told you not to follow me." Kurama was getting up off the ground and walking out toward Yusuke. "Please, I honestly am sorry. I have been grouchy lately." HIs narrowed, and he pulled something out of Yusuke's arm.
"Ow! I forgive you, but why'd you do that?" Yusuke asked, holding his arm. It had hurt much more than a mere thorn should. "It was only a thorn." But what Kurama held up was a wriggling, mini version of the plants that had attacked him outside. "Nevermind."
"Shall we look for information today?" Kurama asked.
"Yep!" Yusuke said.
"When will we get the payment you promised?" Makon, the leader of the theives, asked, slamming his fist into a tree. Karasu stood across the clearing from him, leaning on a tree, having no wish to get to close to the angry demon.
"You will get what you want when I get what I want," Karasu said.
"You've already said you don't care about the treasures," Makon said. "Tell us what you want, and we'll get it. Just give me my powers back before the others can rebel!" Karasu sighed, and held out a glowing sphere. Makon's eyes lit up.
"This is what you want?" Karasu said. Makon nodded, and began to move toward Karasu. "What I want you cannot give me willingly."
"Name it, and you shall have it," Makon said.
"You will give it to me without knowing what you have done," Karasu told him. Makon nodded, eyes still on the glowing sphere. "And then, you shall die."
"Just give it to me!" Makon lunged at Karasu, and missed horribly as Karasu whipped the sphere out of sight and jumped out of the way. Makon slammed into the tree Karasu had been leaning against. Makon was scrambling away from it for another attack on Karasu when it blew up. Makon turned fearfully.
"You see?" Karasu said.
"Y-y-you?" Makon stuttered, already once hearing of the other demon's fearful powers. Karasu nodded. Makon then pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked, wondering if Karasu would get the point he was trying to make.
"Yes, after a while," Karasu said. "But perhaps I can be convinced to spare you if I get what I want soon."
"How soon?"
"Very soon," Karasu told him, and leapt out of the clearing. Makon fell to his knees and cursed himself silently in every language he knew.
"Master!" Makon looked to see one of his lackeys running toward him.
"What is it?" Makon asked, all his patience for the day worn out from dealing with Karasu. The lackey had a fearful look in his eyes.
"The Spirit Detectives are here!" the lackey said. Makon cursed again.
"Just avoid them," he told the lackey.
"We can't," the other demon told him. "We were at the bar when they came in. The red-haired one saw one of the treasures, and then all three of them attacked!"
"Three?"
"Yes, only three of them were there," the lackey said.
"What about the other five treasures?" Makon asked.
"Right here," the lackey said, opening his coat and pouring them into his leader's hand. Makon smiled.
"This is all we need," Makon said. "Let the others go, and if they followed you, or found us, we'll fight." The eyes of his demon army gleamed in the dark bushes.
"Right, sir," the lackey said.
Kurama cursed mentally as he, Yusuke, and Kuwabara sat down at a local demon pub. He had no wish to be here, but it was the only place that they might get information about the theives. (We don't even know if they're going to be here,) he told himself.
"So, Yusuke, what are we looking for?" Kuwabara asked, drawing Kurama's attention from his thoughts.
"The treasure keys, remember?"
"Yeah, but what do they do?"
"There are six," Kurama said. "One in each corner of the Makai, representing the five elemental sites in the human world."
"What about the sixth?"
"Someone holds it to gain all of that power," Kurama said. Yusuke and Kuwabara shuddered. Kurama began to look around the bar. His eyes looked over demons and dirty floors and then . . . (A treasure key!) he thought, sitting straight up. It was in the pocket of one demon's overcoat, who was talking drunkenly to the bartender.
"What's the matter, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.
"There's a treasure key held by one of the demons over there," Kurama told them. He pointed, and Yusuke and Kuwabara looked. Unfortunately, so did the demon.
"What are you looking at?" he demanded to know.
"We couldn't help noticing that you have something that does not belong to you," Yusuke said, standing up. Kuwabara and Kurama stood up, too, just in case they needed to back Yusuke up. "Now, why don't you hand it over . . . GAAH!" His sentence stopped short as they were attacked by what seemed to be all of the demons in the bar. As Kuwabara brought out his Spirit Sword, and Yusuke let out a round of Spirit Guns, Kurama ducked under the attack and went for the demon with the treasure.
"You!" he said as Kurama grabbed his head and rammed it into his knee. (Not my style,) he thought. (But it got the job done.) The six keys went clinking to the floor. By the time Kurama had put the demon's body down andhad grabbed one of the keys, the other demon that had been with him had gathered up the keys and was out of sight.
"I have to follow his scent before it wears away," Kurama said. "Sorry, Yusuke, Kuwabara." He glanced back at the fight, and left.
Even as fast as Kurama was, it still took him a while to catch up with the demon using only his scent. When Kurama finally reached the clearing where the demon had stopped, a demon army was coming into the clearing from the bushes on one side. He lept into the clearing.
"You!" the one demon yelled. The second, Kurama remembered from his theiving days.
"Makon," he growled.
"Yes," Makon said. "Now, GET HIM!!" The demon army and the lackey (who looked reluctant,) charged at Kurama. Calmly, Kurama brought out a rose from his hair.
*Kurama, where are you?* came Yusuke's voice in his head.
*No time!* Kurama said, hoping Yusuke would get the point.
*Just tell me where!*
*In a clearing about half a mile from the town we were in,* Kurama told them as the demon army drew nearer. *Hurry!*
*Got it!* Yusuke said, and the demon army lunged at Kurama.
"Rose Whip!!" Kurama yelled. He swung it around, beheading several demons, including the lackey.
After that, it was chaos. The demons didn't seem to stay dead, or perhaps there were more than Kurama had first thought. He had been fighting for about half an hour before he heard Yusuke and Kuwabara come crashing into the clearing. As the demon army took their attention away from Kurama, he went for Makon. As soon as he had reached Makon, with the other demon cowering in fear, Kurama felt someone come up behind him. Something was pressed to his face, and he fell unconcious, only to be carried away. Makon could only watch as Karasu left the clearing with Kurama and threw a sphere in his direction. It exploded, ending the fight.
Cool! Cliffhanger! Woo-who! I am FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER!! I am happy. I'll post the next one as soon as I can. Please review!
