Replies to the reviews!

Madame Arrow Foxfire: That's okay, I'm sure a lot of people forget that Kuronue didn't die in this fic. Maybe it's semi-AU or something

Dragon Scythe- I don't usually get writer's block (when I can't get ideas and can't write as well as I normally do) very often, so it was really hard on me. You should have seen me in my writing class . . . XP

Er, I've decided that A Chance Reunion and Discovering Family will be the first two stories in a series about YYH (mainly decided because I already have the next two stories of the series planned out, and I don't think you'd call them sequels, they just happen after everything else) The thing is, I don't know what to call the series quite yet. I've gone through names in my head, but nothing sounds quite right. So, here's where you guys and gals come in. Does anyone have any ideas for names for this series? Please? If you do, please include the name in your review.

Much Thanks!

Nagem


Red eyes opened slowly as their owner awakened from a deep sleep. Hiei groaned, sitting up on the cold dungeon floor, rubbing his eyes of the sleep that still threatened to overtake them. He blinked, any memory of his former captivity gone. Getting up, he stretched out the stiffness in his muscles, wondering why they refused to move for him, almost as if he hadn't used them in a while.

What's wrong with me? Hiei wondered. It's as if I was held captive or something. With a grunt, he sat down hard on the stone floor, his face dark with deep thought. He groaned, he paced, he bit his lip until it bled, but nothing seemed to remind what the problem was. He reviewed things in his head. He was in a dungeon, just having woken up from a deep sleep. There was also a sense of urgency racing through his blood. Why?

The last thing I can remember is . . . giving a hiruiseki to Yukina, Hiei thought. YUKINA!!! Memories flooded back. Shazagen . . . torturing Yukina, his sister. Shazagen with the "I'm-beating-you-without-you-knowing-it" smirk. What did he do to her?? Hiei bounded to his feet, racing out of the dungeon, toward the closest portal he knew of.

Yukina had better be alive, Hiei thought.


Shiori, Yukina, and Kuwabara tensed as they heard the sounds of the battle outside moving farther away. Yukina glanced quickly at Kuwabara who was pale and sweating. His thoughts were obvious-if Kurama, Kuronue, Karasu and Jeroun were far away, the less likely he was to get help from them. Shiori gritted her teeth, thinking the same thing.

"It's cold outside," Shiori said finally, breaking the tense silence. "I hope they're all right."

"Minamino-san, could we please not talk about these things?" Yukina whispered. "It gets me nervous." Kuwabara, who usually stood up for Yukina, remained silent, honestly too scared to say anything. "Kazuma? Is something wrong?"

"I hope Urameshi gets here soon," Kuwabara grunted. He was surprised he could open his mouth and not be sick. The last time he could ever remember being this nervous was when they had faced team Toguro in the finals of the Dark Tournament (A/N: I know this is pathetic, but could someone tell me what it's called in the Japanese version? I can't remember it.)

"Do you think we need help?" Shiori asked sharply, glancing at the orange-haired boy. Kuwabara immediately slapped on a fake grin and turned to Shiori.

"Of course not! You've got the Great Kazuma Kuwabara protecting you!!" Kuwabara said, getting up and thumping a hand to his chest, trying to be the image of strength. Shoiri bit her tongue to stop a snide remark at the boy's behavior. She felt he wouldn't like it. (A/N: Hm, that's not like her, is it? I could turn this little odd bit of behavior into something. . . . ) Yukina gasped suddenly.

"Kazuma! Get down! I think someone's coming!" She and Shiori each grabbed one of his arms, dragging him to the ground. Pouting, he stayed there, listening as they heard the door open, and youkai entered the house, searching for them.

"Shazagen-sama said to get the little one with the blue hair," one scratchy voice said.

"Didn't he say something about a ningen, too?" A deep voice asked.

"Well, yeah, he said an older-looking ningen woman," raspy-voice said. It suddenly giggled. "I bet ningen women don't look very pretty!!"

Well excuse me for being human, Shiori thought sarcastically.

"Look what we have here," deep-voice said. The three looked up, Yukina shrieking when they saw an ugly face looming over them. Kuwabara was on his feet, drawing the spirit sword, swinging it at the youkai. It easily dodged and went to attack with long, sharp claws.

"Yukina! Get outta here!" When the koorime hesitated, Shiori grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the battle between ningen and youkai. Unfortunately for them, another-the scratchy-voiced speaker-caught up to them as they raced for the backyard. When it went to grab for Yukina, Shiori grabbed a nearby vase, and-with a silent apology to her son for what was sure to ruin the flowers inside-rammed it into the top of the youkai's head, breaking it. He stood shocked for a second while Shiori reclaimed Yukina and continued leading her outside.

"Ningen BITCH!!" the youkai screeched, his raspy voice cracking over the high-pitched shriek of rage. He lunged, and a set of sharp claws raked down Shiori's back. The woman screamed, and went down hard. Yukina knelt over her friend, hands outstretched, but before the koorime could heal her, the youkai grabbed her hair, pulling her toward him, and slapped her across the face. Yukina screamed. There was some sort of yell from where Kuwabara and the deep-voiced youkai were, then a thump, and Kuwabara's grunt.

"Kazuma!" Yukina gasped, tears in her eyes from the rough hand pulling her hair. A moment later, the deep-voiced youkai appeared, carrying an unconscious Kuwabara. They grinned and made their way outside, pausing to grab Shiori.


"Kuronue! DUCK!!!"

"Thanks, Kara-AH! ARE THEY AIMING FOR ME OR SOMETHING??"

"Er, isn't that the point of fighting?"

Kuronue danced out of reach of an ogre as it swung at him. He heard loud booming sounds as Karasu blew up several of the ogres under Shazagen's command. Kuronue pulled out a scythe and threw it at the ogre that had swung at him moments before. Somehow, they had made the youkai-army they were fighting to a less populated area. It didn't change the fact that ice coated everything, and it was really cold.

"Got ya," he whispered, shivering, as he removed the scythe from the body. Two more scythes, and two more ogres fell dead on the ground. "These things are getting dirty," he mumbled as he glanced at his weapons as he threw them once more. He yelped as two hands wrapped about his neck from the behind as he pried a blade out of another ogre's body. Yet another ogre had him trapped. Kuronue gasped for air as he tried to kick the thing. No use, he was helpless.

"Kuro!" A voice yelled. A moment later Kuronue felt the hands loosen their grip as the ogre fell to the ground behind him. Gasping, he turned to look at it; there was a blood-red rose sticking out of its throat. Youko Kurama threw another rose at an offending attacker as he made his way over to where his partner was. "Are you all right? I've been looking for you ever since I got into this maze."

"I'm fine," Kuronue said. "What about you?" He surveyed the various wounds on his partner's arms and legs. Kurama shrugged.

"I'm all right," he said. "I've been better, but I'm all right." Kuronue nodded, and then stiffened as ogres closed in on them, having realized the two former-thieves were talking and had lowered their guard. "Damn it." They jumped as the ogres charged, Kurama calling on various plants to rip the attackers into shreds, Kuronue throwing scythes at the ones who tried to stop Kurama.

"AND YOU CAN HAVE THAT!! AND SOME O' THAT!!!" Kurama and Kuronue were momentarily startled when they heard Jeroun's bellowing as the youkai made his way through the ogres. "AND YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF MY WAY!!! MOVE IT!!"

"What happened to him?" Kurama asked, nearly forgetting that he was supposed to duck when his opponent swung a fist at him. The kitsune danced out of the way just in time, retaliating with a strong side-kick to the ogre's neck.

"I don't want to even guess," Kuronue said. A moment later Jeroun appeared in front of them, panting as he held two ogres under his arms, crushing their bones. He smiled at Kurama and Kuronue, who sweat dropped.

"All right," he said, dropping the obviously-dead ogres. "How's it going? Body count, anyone? I've killed about twenty-nine so far." Kurama and Kuronue's mouths hung open as they quickly glanced at each other before looking back at the third youkai.

"Lost count," they said together.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!" Karasu's voice screamed a moment before a large BOOM sounded, presumably one of Karasu's bombs. The ground shook and ogres shrieked in pain, being evaporated by the mere shockwaves of the explosion. Jeroun and Kuronue winced, Kurama fell to his knees with his hands over his sensitive ears, holding them flat to his skull, tears in his eyes caused by the impossibly high-pitched wailing of the ogres and the force of the explosion. There was an eerie silence after the calamity died down, not one ogre moved, even Kurama hardly dared to open his eyes and bring his head up. There was a displacement of air, and Karasu appeared in front of them, grinning widely while the other three youkai were astounded by the power he displayed. Kurama dully noted the crow's normally black hair had gone a bright blonde. "You all right Kurama? I forgot you have sensitive ears."

"I'm . . . all right," Kurama said, getting up. They looked about them, nearly every ogre where Karasu had detonated lay dead on the ground while the others scurried away, afraid to meet the same fate as their comrades.

"No! Don't go! I need you all here!" A large ogre in the middle of it all shouted. "You can't give up on me now, after everything we've been planning!" He caught sight of Karasu, Kurama, Kuronue, and Jeroun and backed away a few steps. Kurama, taking the lead, stepped forward and grabbed the youkai by the collar, snarling in his face as he tried to fight the kitsune's hold. He fell limp in Kurama's death-grip.

"So you're the one who ordered the attack on Yukina," Kurama growled, wondering where Hiei was and what the fire youkai would do once he found out. Little did Kurama know that Hiei already knew, but had been asleep deep in the Makai, unable to do anything, and was now racing back to the Ningenkai, exactly as Shazagen had planned.

"Yes, I am," the ogre said."My name is Shazagen. Hiei beat me once, so I came back."

"For revenge," Kuronue said behind Kurama. "Geez, this is really starting to make sense now." Karasu and Jeroun nodded. "Well, Kurama, I say we get him to tell us where Hiei is, then kill him."

"Yes, and if you kill him, the ice maiden and this pretty little ningen woman go bye-bye, too," announced a raspy voice from behind them.

Mwahahahahaha. Cliffie. Nagem is evil, yes?? Please review, and include any names in the review!! (Actually, feel free to e-mail me if you think of one after you review. Check my bio for my e-mail.)