Fatal Disease: Life or Death

01: Rescue

~I guess I can't blame him for hating me,~ he thought as he stared up at the midnight sky above him. ~He didn't really want me to go and leave him but I had no choice. It was not like I chose to die by the enemy's hands. I was just too slow to dodge his attack.~

The black and blue haired demon sat on the top of a building and watched up at the sky. He had no idea that the one who had died for him was also watching the same sky above him. Hiei sighed and moved his head to look down at the ground beneath him.

Kurama walked up to his house and entered. As he entered his room, he closed his door and found Hiei sitting on the window sill.

"Are you still brooding, Hiei?" The red-haired demon asked as he sat down his school books on his desk. "There was nothing you could've done to prevent his death."

"I don't want to hear it from you, fox," Hiei said, not looking at him.

"There were few things any of us could've done to prevent his death," the fox continued, sitting at his desk. "Both Kuwabara and I tried to get him but you know how those things go, Hiei. Sometimes life deals us a bad card and we have to put up with the decisions made. Yuusuke chose to stay and die to save us. At least that is what we think. He did not return to us so thinking he is dead is a safe assumption."

"How can you say that, Kurama?" Hiei asked, finally looking at the red-haired demon. "Thinking he is dead is not a 'safe assumption!' "

"What else are we to think, Hiei?" Kurama asked, turning to look at Hiei. "It would pain us to think that he is alive and not here with us. Even Spirit World is grieving the lose of one of their best detectives."

"Thinking he is dead is worse than thinking he is alive," the small youko replied, standing inside Kurama's room. "At least if he is alive, he has the ability to return to us and his friends."

"But what if he can't return? Even Puu is acting as if he is dead. Puu hasn't eaten or moved since we returned from Makai." Kurama stated, turning back to his books. "I do not think that everyone would be better off thinking that Yuusuke was alive and just didn't want to come back."

"That is what you think," the small demon said before leaving.

Kurama sighed and returned to his schoolwork. ~I will not be able to rid him of this thinking until he accepts Yuusuke's death.~

Kuwabara sat with Yukina and Keiko in Genkai's temple. All were quiet. Kuwabara had just relayed the news of Yuusuke's death. Both Keiko and Yukina cried for the death of one of their comrades. No one wanted to say anything about anything. Yuusuke's death was the only thing on everyone's mind.

"Do you really think he is dead, Kuwabara?" Keiko asked, hoping that he would tell her the opposite.

"He didn't come back before we had to leave, Keiko," he said, shaking his head. "I feared that he died against the one who had threatened Hiei, Kurama and I."

"Oh, Kazuma," Yukina said, "surely he must not be as you say."

"I fear that it is true as far as we know," Kuwabara said, turning to look at the ice demon. "Because he didn't return, we must assume that he is gone."

The door open at the other end of the room, admitting Hiei and Genkai into the room.

"Hiei, is it really true?" Yukina asked as Hiei approached them.

Hiei looked down at his sister. "Yes."

Yukina covered her face and cried a little bit more. Before anyone could say anything, Botan appeared in the room with a happy face.

"I have great news!" She said, waving a piece of paper in front of her. Before continuing, she looked around. "Where's Kurama?"

"Doing his work at home," Hiei said, leaning against the wall with his arms covering his chest.

"I'll give you the responsibility to relay what I am about to tell you to Kurama, Hiei," Botan said before continuing. "We have word that Yuusuke is alive but not in too good of a condition. The enemy has taken Yuusuke into the depths of the Makai. Yuusuke is still too weak to do anything to get himself out. Because he nearly killed himself when he destroyed Ende, he was left with only a tiny bit of energy. The enemy at that point took Yuusuke and trapped him in a cell that suppresses his energy to the point where he can barely move."

"That's the good news?!" Kuwabara asked, jumping up to his feet.

"No, Kuwabara, the whole thing isn't the good news. The fact that Yuusuke is alive is the good news," she replied, glancing at him. "All we have to do now is find out where they've taken him and get him back."

"This isn't going to be that easy," Hiei said, moving away from the wall to stand in front of the door. "If we have to go up against those who fought against Yuusuke, we are in for trouble. If Yuusuke couldn't beat them, how can we?"

"You must go and get him," both Keiko and Botan said in unison.

Keiko stood and said, "with the three of you fighting, I believe that you will be able to get Yuusuke back safely."

"Please, Hiei?" Yukina said, looking at him with her tear-stained face. "I know you can."

Hiei turned and looked back at Yukina and sighed. "I must talk with Kurama about this," he said before leaving.

Yuusuke stood, a bright blue aura pulsed around him. Raising his arms, he readied his spirit gun.

"Kurama, take Hiei and Kuwabara and leave!" He yelled, before hearing cries of protest from both Kuwabara and Kurama. "GO! NOW!"

Kurama picked Hiei up off the ground and ran from the sight with Kuwabara not too far behind him.

"You have no right to do the things you've done, Ende!" Yuusuke yelled releasing his store of spirit energy at the demon.

Ende laughed as the energy tore him apart. "You have not won yet, Yuusuke!"

When Ende was obliterated, Yuusuke stared at what was left. Only the ashes of Ende's body were scattered over the ground.

"That's what you think, Ende," the human whispered before he fell to the ground unconscious.

What only felt like moments later, Yuusuke woke and found himself in a dark cell. He pushed himself up so he could lean on the wall behind him. His eyelids were heavy but he didn't feel the need to sleep any longer. Looking around, he saw only darkness surrounding him.

~Where am I?~ He asked himself as he tried to raise himself to his feet but found that he could barely move. As he tried to move, blood seeped through the scars he had gotten when he fought Ende. Groaning, he tried even harder to move to his feet.

"I would give up if I were you, Urameshi." A man's voice from outside the cell said with a hint of amusement. "It won't do you any good if you try to move by yourself. Only I or any of my servants can move you."

"Where...am...I?" Yuusuke asked, only making out few of the man's features.

His hair was light even though the entire room was dark. He was tall, nearly as tall as Kurama was.

"You are in the deepest depth of the Makai. I doubt even your companions, who think you are dead, could come and find you," the man said as he laughed. "They all think you are dead!"

Yuusuke stared at the man. "Who...are...you?"

"My name is Sen." He replied, slightly bowing his head. "I already know you as the 'Great Yuusuke Urameshi!' "

"What...do...you...want...with...me?"

"I want you to suffer the way my brother did, but with you I am going to have a little," he grinned as he turned to leave. "Reiyna should be along any minute with your food."

Yuusuke watched him leave then turned to stare out the one window in his cell. Sighing, he thought about his friends. ~If they think I am dead then they must've moved on without me. I don't blame them,~ he thought, wanting to cry.

"Hello," a shy voice said, before the sound of metal against stone echoed through the halls. "I've brought you some food."

Yuusuke watched at the girl moved and sat in front of Yuusuke with the tray of food on her lap.

"I didn't know if you liked demon food, so I brought you some bread and meat," she said, looking at the food on the tray. "I do hope you like it."

Yuusuke looked at her face. Light purple hair framed her face as she looked up at Yuusuke with her blue eyes.

"I've eaten some demon food but there is some I don't," he replied, again trying to move with no luck.

She giggled. "I guess I will have to feed you," she said, smiling. She lifted a fork to Yuusuke's mouth.

For a while she fed him in silence without saying anything until she accidently spilled the water on his shirt.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Yuusuke," she said, wiping up the water off of him.

"That's okay," Yuusuke said, smiling slightly. "I always mess myself up at home."

Reiyna sat back and looked at him. "You know, what Sen said was wrong. Someone from here only has to touch you for you to move," she said, cleaning up the tray of food. She turned to look out the window. "It's getting late. I guess you want to go to sleep."

Yuusuke yawned with what little strength he had left.

Reiyna put the tray on the floor and grabbed Yuusuke's hand and helped him up to his feet. She giggled at his amusement. She led him over to his bed and let him lay down.

"I will see you in the morning, Yuusuke," she said, picking up the tray off the floor.

Yuusuke watched her go and sighed. Closing his eyes, he rested.

"Kurama," Hiei said, sliding into the red-head's window. "I've got news about Urameshi."

Kurama looked up from his school work. "What?!"

"Yuusuke's alive! Just like I told you," Hiei said, nearly yelling.

"Quiet, Hiei! My mom is still downstairs," Kurama said, not realizing what he had just been told. Then moments later Hiei's words hit him. "Yuusuke's alive?!"

"That's what I said," Hiei said, quieter this time.

"Shuuichi? Is everything is okay?" Shiori asked through the door.

"Everything's fine, mom," Kurama said, sighing when he heard her retreating footsteps. "Where is he then?" He asked, turning back to look at Hiei.

"In the Makai," the fire demon replied, frowning, "but he was taken by those same demons we had to run from to live. If Yuusuke couldn't beat them what chance do we have?"

"If Ende's gone who couldn't taken him?"

"Sen."

Kurama looked around and found Botan just outside his window behind Hiei.

"Who?" Hiei asked, stepping away from the window.

Botan stood just inside Kurama's window and sighed. "Sen is the older brother of Ende. He is very protective of his brother and if any harm came to Ende, he swore he would take revenge on that person. Meaning, since Yuusuke killed Ende, Sen will do whatever he can to torture poor Yuusuke."

"We've got to find Yuusuke before he can do too much harm to him," Kurama said, standing.

"There's one problem, Kurama," Botan complained, "we don't know where he is."

"Sen is an earth demon which means he'll be beneath the ground, somewhat at least," Hiei said, leaning against the wall beside the window. "We've got to find Urameshi!"

The next day, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama passed through the portal to the Makai. They made it safely into the Makai's jungle without so much of a cut or scratch.

"Which way do we go?" Kuwabara asked, looking around at the surrounding forest.

"Toward the setting sun," Hiei said, moving toward the west.

Yuusuke woke and found Reiyna standing by the door about to open it.

"Good morning, Yuusuke," she said, pushing the door open to bring the tray of food inside. She sat the tray of food on the table against the other wall and placed a bag on the floor beside it. "Come on, Yuusuke, time to wake up and eat breakfast." Reiyna placed a hand on Yuusuke's shoulder.

Yuusuke moved off the bed and over to the table. While he ate, Reiyna stood behind him and massaged his shoulders.

"It's been awhile since anyone has let me do this to anyone," Reiyna said with a smile. "The last person was here in this room before Sen found you."

"How long have you been here, Reiyna?"

"As long as I can remember but I don't ever remember having a conversation with one of Sen's prisoners before," she replied, sighing. "I do fear what he will do to you, though. Ende was very precious to Sen."

"I only did what I had to, to protect my friends," he said, placing the fork on the tray and sighing. "I didn't I'd live through this."

"The important thing is that you did live through this and you have the chance to leave this place with your life," she said, resting her hands stilly on his shoulders. "Anyway, I think we will have to find something other than this to talk about if we are to spend our free time alone. If you are the 'Great Yuusuke Urameshi' that I've heard about I'd like to hear about your previous battles."

"They aren't really that interesting," he stated but winced when she tightened her grip. He laughed, silently then began telling his story.

"Sensui? You really beat him?"

"Yup," Yuusuke grinned, "but not without my friends' help."

Reiyna pulled her shawl closer around her as she leaned against Yuusuke. He had his arm draped around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm.

After a period of silence, she said, "ever since I came here, both Sen and Ende never really cared about what I did. I was only another demon among the many they already employed. I didn't want to be here, I wanted to go and live on my own in the world, but my plans were sidetracked when I met Sen. He convinced me to serve him and his brother." She sighed. "I was young, so I agreed and came here. After I was here for a day, I felt as if I could never leave."

"Do you feel the same way now?"

"No, not really. Now that I met you I believe I will leave this place someday." She smiled up and him and moved a little closer to him.

"The sun's going down," he said, wrapping his other arm around her. Yawning, he added, "and I'm tired."

Reiyna sighed and pushed away from him. To her luck he was already asleep, she moved him so he laid on his back. After covering him up with thick blanket she took the tray and left.

"Is that where he really is?" Kuwabara asked, looking at the dark castle on the far mountain.

"He's in there," Hiei said, standing in a tree high above them. "I can sense what little energy he has left."

"Is he okay?" Kurama asked, watching the smaller youko.

Hiei removed the bandage from his forehead and stared off toward the castle. "I cannot tell, it is hidden from me."

After a few more moments, the three raced off toward the castle. Hoping to get there before anything could happen to their friend. Night hid all traces of them as they ran through the city. They reached the castle in little time although Kuwabara was a little ways behind the two youkos.

"Where is he?" Kuwabara asked, staring at the darkness surrounding the castle.

"In the dungeon," the little fire demon said, standing ahead of them.

"Excuse me," a small voice said from the castle's gate. "You are speaking of Yuusuke Urameshi, are you not?"

"Yes," Kurama answered as he watched he look back at the doorways to the castle. "Do you know him?"

"I do but my master will soon know that I am not at my post," she said, talking quickly. "I serve and care for Yuusuke. He is in good health but you must help him, for I have no strength to use against my master."

"Where is Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, looking at the young girl.

"He's in the dungeon, but he cannot move unless I or any other in Sen's care is touching him," she replied as a worried look began to cover her face. "I can feel that he is slowly dying. My master will take him just before the life leaves his body and pierce his heart with a knife." A tear ran down her face. "Please, you must hurry and save him before my master has the chance to --"

"REIYNA! WHERE ARE YOU?!" A loud voice yelled from behind her.

"I'm sorry. I must go." She turned around and left.

Kurama glanced down at Hiei, whose face had paled to the point of looking completely white.