DISCLAIMER: I think we all know what this is going to say so I'm not going
to put it up.
NOTE: I reread my first chapter and I realized that I had mentioned some things that might not have made perfect sense at he time. Kit: Example? Me: When I said Kurama sometimes slips back into his depression stages. Yeah, well you'll learn about what those were about in this chapter. And like who the guy who left Mukuro's palace and stuff. Anyways, if I got any info wrong or anything, just let me know in a review or an e-mail. Thanx!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
CHAPTER 2 - Reasons
The fire demon sat on a rock, shining his katana. He was on the edge of a lake that was miles outside of the city. It was in the hills of Tokyo and Hiei thanked for the silence. Around the rock were dozens of tear gems. Another slid off the rock and joined the building pile with a clink.
The fire demon wasn't sure what to do anymore. He had no place to go in the Makai and the only person he loved in the Ningenkai had forgotten him. He took one of the gems that rested atop the rock and threw it far into the lake. Pain and sadness whelmed inside of him and he looked at the sword in his hands.
It would be so easy to just end it all...right now. But he couldn't. He knew that he could live without anyone. He had done it before, before he met Kurama. He did it once and he could do it again.
Though, the thought of how lonely that life would be brought despair back to the fire demon. Unsure of what to do, he began cleaning the sword again.
"Hiei!" a familiar voice rang through the surrounding trees and Hiei stood up in a flash. He watched as Yusuke emerged from the trees with his ki completely hidden. Hiei turned to leave when the detective stopped walking towards him.
"Please don't run, Hiei," Yusuke's voice was soft and Hiei felt inclined to listen to him. "Please don't run off again. I think we need to talk."
"We need to talk of nothing," Hiei spat out but did not run.
"Yes we do," Yusuke argued. He slowly approached the rock Hiei was on. When the fire demon did not run, he jumped up onto it and sat down after clearing the gems off. Hiei slowly followed suit in sitting back down.
"Look, I think you misinterpreted [3] Kurama and I think we need to talk about it," Yusuke said softly but Hiei just snorted.
"How could I misinterpret what I saw? He forgot me, Yusuke...what else is there to talk about," Hiei stated sadly. "He closed his window...and forgot me." [4]
"Hiei, he had to close that window a long time ago [4 ½]," Yusuke said as he looked out over the lake. The sun was almost directly ahead and the reflection on the lake was amazing. "You never came back."
"That would never have stopped him from finding me," Hiei argued back as he also looked out over the lake.
"It didn't. After seven months of waiting, Kurama grew worried and went to the Makai. The first time, he only asked Mukuro's guards if you were still living. When they said that you were, he decided that you must have not been permitted to leave yet. He chose to wait back in the Ningenkai, not wanting to bother you. After a year and nine months, he went back. The guards told him the same thing but this time he demanded that he be allowed to see you. They didn't let him in and he had no choice but to leave," Yusuke told as he recalled everything that had happened. "At two years and three months, Kurama couldn't stand it. He went back and this time, the guards told him that you had left him a message."
"I never left him a message," Hiei retorted as he listened to Yusuke. "What did it tell them to say?"
"Well...the message said that you were over him, that it was over and that you never wanted to see him again...ever," Yusuke told Hiei cautiously as he watched the demon grow angry.
"I would never say something like that..." Hiei growled through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath and relaxed. "It wouldn't have mattered. Kurama would never believe that!"
"He didn't. He came back three months later and this time Mukuro came out and told him personally that it was over. You no longer cared about him and you would kill him if you ever saw him again."
Hiei eyes burned with hatred and anger as he heard Mukuro's name. No wonder Kurama had looked shocked to see him in his room. He clenched his fists. If Yusuke hadn't begun talking again, he would have run off to pay Mukuro a quick visit for payback.
"Well, he demanded that he see you, even if you would just kill him like she claimed. Mukuro denied him entrance and told the guards to kill him or Yoko if either entered her territory again," Yusuke continued as he watched Hiei burn with anger. "After that, Kurama couldn't go back. But he still believed that you loved him and he waited. He thought that if you still truly loved him, and this was just a jealous problem Mukuro was dealing with, that you would come back. Hiei, after two years of waiting for you, he started to believe that what Mukuro had said was true."
"But...What of Yoko?"
"He began to believe too. They both did. Hiei, after four years of never seeing you, of never hearing from you, of you never coming back, they had no other explanation. You never came back, and there was no other reason for it other than what the message had said. We tried to comfort him, but over the two years, he had sunk into a depressed state of mind."
"But...what of his ningen mother? He still had her. She would have kept him healthy and happy," Hiei tried to reason with his own feelings.
"Hiei," Yusuke said in a voice filled with so much sadness that the fire demon turned to the detective. He met chocolate brown eyes filled with sorrow and pity. "Shiori died two years ago. It was at that time that Kurama really began to believe that you would never come back. He believed he was alone...and he was, in a sense, right. God, I've never seen him like that. In one month, he tried to kill himself six times, Hiei. Six times."
The fire demon suddenly found breathing much more difficult. His fox had needed him and he hadn't been there. Kurama's mother had died and he had no one to comfort him. On top of that, Kurama thought that Hiei had abandoned him. If the fire demon had thought that he was the forgotten one, how must the fox have felt?
"We got lucky and caught him each time before he could succeed in killing himself. He got really close once...Kami-sama, he barely made it. It took all of us a year to get him out of it. He's never been quite the same, but he has learned to be happy again," Yusuke looked down at the rock and Hiei's saddened gaze of terrified shock drifted back to the lake. "I was with him when he locked his window, Hiei. I was there when he gave up all hope of you ever coming back..."
~~~~Flashback~~~~
"Kurama, you coming?" Yusuke called up the stairs. When he didn't hear a respond, he got nervous and raced up the stairs. Kurama hadn't been doing well lately. He had tried his second suicide attempt yesterday.
Yusuke ran into Kurama's bedroom of his apartment and saw the fox staring out the window. He took a step towards Kurama when he heard him whisper out into the air.
"Goodbye, Hiei. I'll never forget you...I promise," the fox whispered to the wind. Yusuke watched in shock as Kurama slowly pulled the window closed and hooked the latch. He turned around to face the detective.
His green eyes were full of depression, sadness, and despair. He looked tired and his red hair was not well kept. He no longer held himself with the pride and grace of the Yoko within. Both had been suffering. A single tear moved slowly down the fox's cheek and passed his lips. Lips that had not formed his stunning smile in months.
"I've said goodbye and he's not coming back. Let's go..."
~~~End Flashback~~~~
"No one can wait forever, Hiei. Especially not when they have no hope," Yusuke said as he finished his story. "But he never broke his promise. He never forgot you, Hiei."
"Wh...what about his child?" Hiei stumbled as he tried to keep himself from crying again.
"What child?"
"The little human girl. Amy...she had dark hair and blue eyes," Hiei said as he turned to Yusuke. The detective was staring at him.
"Hiei, that was his niece. His little brother's daughter," Yusuke informed the demon whose eyes opened wide. "I told you, he never forgot you. He never even looked for another to love. He never found someone to care for...and he never found someone to care for him..."
"Fox...I left you alone for so long..." it was a whisper. Suddenly Yusuke's words sunk in. "You mean..."
"Yeah, Hiei, he still loves you...but he doesn't think that you love him."
"I...I should have come back...I shouldn't have listened to Mukuro...she said he never came by...Mukuro," Hiei spat out the name in hatred and anger. "That bionic bitch! I'll kill her...she ruined my chance of being happy!"
"No Hiei, she damaged your chance, but it's still there. Come with me to Kurama's," Yusuke offered as he stood up and the fire demon turned to him.
"But...after everything I've done...he should hate me," Hiei sunk back into despair.
"I can't believe you Hiei! Are you going to leave him again?!" the detective yelled and Hiei looked up to him. "You left him alone once because you believed a lie that Mukuro had told you! Now you're going to do it again because you think he has good reason to hate you!"
Hiei growled and stood up. "I never left him and I'm not going to do it now so SHUT UP!" he yelled and Yusuke smirked.
"Much better, now come on," Yusuke said and jumped off the rock. Hiei stared at him for a moment before he shook his head and followed, knowing Yusuke had tricked him into going.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama pulled into the driveway of his house and shut off the engine. He leaned his head back against the seat as a tear made it's way down his cheek. Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped out of the car.
Quietly, he closed it and leaned against the car for a second. Trying to clear his misty eyes and confused mind, he took another deep breath. He made his way up to his house.
It was a two-story house of white paint with deep red linings on the garage and front door. Deep oak wood made up the door and a rose was engraved in the window three-fourths the way up the entrance. Plants and trees of all types surrounded the house.
For his love of nature, Kurama had bought a house near the hills where there was more space and the beauty was unlimited. His backyard extended into the forested hills and six months ago, his friends had helped him build a pond with willow trees and a small waterfall flowing off of the nearby river. It had soon built up into a small lake and teemed with wildlife. It was the perfect way off getting away when the world just seemed too much to handle.
Kurama was tempted to just go around to the back of the house but he did need to put his work things inside. Sighing, he opened the wooden door and stepped inside his neatly kept house. Kicking off his shoes, he walked into the office room and set what he was carrying on the corner desk.
He walked back out of the room and turned left to the kitchen. He paused at the door to the outside as he heard a small noise behind him. He extended his senses as his hand left the door.
Suddenly the fox ducked as a punch went through the air. He dropped to the ground and swung his leg out behind him, catching his attacker off guard. The figured fell to the floor hard. Kurama stood up and turned to his opponent when a large weight slammed into him and he fell to the ground, hitting his head in the process.
Quickly, he grabbed a seed and grew it into a long plant sword. He shoved his attacker off him with a punch to the face. Standing up, he held the plant in a defensive position as he looked around at his attackers.
They totaled five in all (including the demon now holding his bleeding nose) and they were dressed in guards' uniforms of oranges and dim grayish greens [5]. Kurama knew those uniforms. He'd seen them too many times to forget those.
'Mukuro!' Kurama thought in anger. 'I should have expected something like this.'
One of the demons chuckled. "Yes, you should have!"
"Telepathy!" Kurama said in shock as he built a mental wall around his thoughts. The demon laughed and took out a dagger from his boot.
"Well, Lord Mukuro would like a word with you," the same demon said. He had bright orange hair and a third eye that looked natural under his bangs. Suddenly he lunged at the fox who dodged and moved to attack when a purple haired demon swiped at him with a sword of pure ice. Kurama did a back handspring to avoid her attack.
A blue haired demon slammed into the kitsune and caught him off guard. The two fell to the ground as Kurama shoved his vine sword into the arm of the demon. He screamed as the sharp weapon pierced his skin. Kurama kicked him in the chest as blood began to splatter atop of the kitsune. The demon stumbled back, the sword still sticking through his arm.
Kurama moved to sit up but another demon came and slashed at him with a sword. He rolled and stood up only to stumble back, avoiding another swipe.
'They're attacking me one by one when they know I cannot take all five of them...' Kurama thought as his eyes took on a cold aspect of anger. 'They're just toying with me...a game for them...Well, two can play this game'
Kurama smiled as the demon approached him again. Mist began to surround him and he heard the orange haired demon shout a command: stop him. The Yoko's hair was just streaking silver and his fox accessories had just grown in when he felt the cold touch of metal to his throat.
"Don't even think about it, fox," a deep voice came from behind him. The owner of the voice grabbed the kitsune's wrist and twisted it up to his back. Kurama, still in shock that someone had made it through the mist that surrounded him, could only grimace at the sharp pain that lanced up his shoulder. Normally, it didn't take long to transform but the mist that surrounded the Yoko was dangerous and full of his ki in case any demon attempted to come through. [6]
Having no other choice, he stopped in mid transformation and the mist slowly disappeared. When he was visible to the other demons, they looked surprised at the stop when their eyes drifted to the dagger and then to the owner. Recognition and then amusement rushed through their eyes as they surrounded the fox and took out wards. Kurama growled at his unseen captive but that got him nowhere.
"Don't fuss fox and just relax, we're not here to hurt you," the deep voice came from beside his ear but the fox only growled again. Kurama struggled as the demon kept him immobile. "Relax, relax, fox. This won't take long...just relax."
The orange haired demon stepped forth, wards in one of his clawed hands. Kurama kicked out at the demon but he was held from behind. Long, silky black hair fell over Kurama's shoulder as his captive leaned in so that his mouth was hovering next to the kitsune's ear.
"Stop struggling fox," the voice grumbled softly but Kurama did not listen. He fought against the hand gripping his wrist as the other demons tried to slip the wards onto him.
"Stop, fox. I don't want to have to hurt you more," the voice warned as his arm was pulled lightly and his shoulder began to ache. Reluctantly, Kurama stopped his struggles as the ache turned into a throbbing. The hand holding his wrist loosened. "There, now relax, we're not going to hurt you."
"Like hell you aren't," the fox growled but he kept his rebellious thoughts down. The demon chuckled and the orange haired one neared.
"Now just stay still, fox," the deep voice whispered into his ear. "This won't hurt, but we can't have you using your energy."
The orange haired demon held out a ward and grabbed Kurama's wrist. The fox struggled but stopped as his aching shoulder was wrenched up even farther. The ward was tied tightly over his wrist.
His demon captive slowly loosed his grip and let the sore arm fall back down. There it was warded. One more ward was held up by the orange- headed demon and at the sight of it Kurama tried to back away as the demon neared.
"No, fox. Just relax, just one more ward," his captives annoyingly soothing voice calmed the fox.
"No...get that away from me..." Kurama tried to pull away again put the soothing voice echoed in his ears and he found his muscles in a sort of trance.
'His voice...what's it doing to me...I cant gather the strength to move...'
The orange demon leaned in and wrapped the ward around the fox's neck twice and Kurama immediately fell limp in the demon's hands, though he was not unconscious.
The ward was of a common kind, used when one does not wish his victim to fight. It renders one's defenses completely useless and takes away all ability to argue or defy a command. If brought to it's full power, it will render the victim completely immobile. But when first placed upon the body, it cannot handle the effect and the user passes out from pure exhaust of his or her natural fighting towards the ward.
"There, that's better," the demon said as he supported the kitsune. "We're just going to take a short trip into the Makai."
'No...' Kurama thought as he drifted in and out of consciousness, unable to move. 'Mukuro only wants me as bait...no...I can't let her. I'll kill myself before I allow her to use me to her liking...'
"Sleep, fox. Sleep," the deep voice came from behind him and Kurama felt his eyelids close and he knew no more.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
[3] I know, big words for him but you gotta remember that he is now 23 (14(his starting age) + 2(years of being detective) +7(years Hiei was gone) = 23 so that's how I got his age) (That would make Kurama 24 just in case you were curious!) [4] That sounded really Peter Pan-ish but that's where I got the idea. I just thought it really fit Hiei always coming in through the window, ne? [4 ½] This is kinda an add-on to Footnote 4. This sounded even more Peter Pan-ish but once again, if you would like the reason as to why it sounds that way, read footnote number four. Shadow: Repeat steps two and three, stir gently, and then bake at 365 degrees for ten minutes. [5] I have no clue if that's what her guards wear, I simply guessed so sue me. [6] I have no idea if that is true but it seemed stupid that he would transform if the demons could just catch him before he could finish...so I improvised.
Heh, would you believe I almost forgot to include the footnotes? What's the point in a footnote if you forget to write it in, ne? Anyways, I hoped you liked the new chapter and I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed. Hope you all like the new chapter! Review please!
NOTE: I reread my first chapter and I realized that I had mentioned some things that might not have made perfect sense at he time. Kit: Example? Me: When I said Kurama sometimes slips back into his depression stages. Yeah, well you'll learn about what those were about in this chapter. And like who the guy who left Mukuro's palace and stuff. Anyways, if I got any info wrong or anything, just let me know in a review or an e-mail. Thanx!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
CHAPTER 2 - Reasons
The fire demon sat on a rock, shining his katana. He was on the edge of a lake that was miles outside of the city. It was in the hills of Tokyo and Hiei thanked for the silence. Around the rock were dozens of tear gems. Another slid off the rock and joined the building pile with a clink.
The fire demon wasn't sure what to do anymore. He had no place to go in the Makai and the only person he loved in the Ningenkai had forgotten him. He took one of the gems that rested atop the rock and threw it far into the lake. Pain and sadness whelmed inside of him and he looked at the sword in his hands.
It would be so easy to just end it all...right now. But he couldn't. He knew that he could live without anyone. He had done it before, before he met Kurama. He did it once and he could do it again.
Though, the thought of how lonely that life would be brought despair back to the fire demon. Unsure of what to do, he began cleaning the sword again.
"Hiei!" a familiar voice rang through the surrounding trees and Hiei stood up in a flash. He watched as Yusuke emerged from the trees with his ki completely hidden. Hiei turned to leave when the detective stopped walking towards him.
"Please don't run, Hiei," Yusuke's voice was soft and Hiei felt inclined to listen to him. "Please don't run off again. I think we need to talk."
"We need to talk of nothing," Hiei spat out but did not run.
"Yes we do," Yusuke argued. He slowly approached the rock Hiei was on. When the fire demon did not run, he jumped up onto it and sat down after clearing the gems off. Hiei slowly followed suit in sitting back down.
"Look, I think you misinterpreted [3] Kurama and I think we need to talk about it," Yusuke said softly but Hiei just snorted.
"How could I misinterpret what I saw? He forgot me, Yusuke...what else is there to talk about," Hiei stated sadly. "He closed his window...and forgot me." [4]
"Hiei, he had to close that window a long time ago [4 ½]," Yusuke said as he looked out over the lake. The sun was almost directly ahead and the reflection on the lake was amazing. "You never came back."
"That would never have stopped him from finding me," Hiei argued back as he also looked out over the lake.
"It didn't. After seven months of waiting, Kurama grew worried and went to the Makai. The first time, he only asked Mukuro's guards if you were still living. When they said that you were, he decided that you must have not been permitted to leave yet. He chose to wait back in the Ningenkai, not wanting to bother you. After a year and nine months, he went back. The guards told him the same thing but this time he demanded that he be allowed to see you. They didn't let him in and he had no choice but to leave," Yusuke told as he recalled everything that had happened. "At two years and three months, Kurama couldn't stand it. He went back and this time, the guards told him that you had left him a message."
"I never left him a message," Hiei retorted as he listened to Yusuke. "What did it tell them to say?"
"Well...the message said that you were over him, that it was over and that you never wanted to see him again...ever," Yusuke told Hiei cautiously as he watched the demon grow angry.
"I would never say something like that..." Hiei growled through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath and relaxed. "It wouldn't have mattered. Kurama would never believe that!"
"He didn't. He came back three months later and this time Mukuro came out and told him personally that it was over. You no longer cared about him and you would kill him if you ever saw him again."
Hiei eyes burned with hatred and anger as he heard Mukuro's name. No wonder Kurama had looked shocked to see him in his room. He clenched his fists. If Yusuke hadn't begun talking again, he would have run off to pay Mukuro a quick visit for payback.
"Well, he demanded that he see you, even if you would just kill him like she claimed. Mukuro denied him entrance and told the guards to kill him or Yoko if either entered her territory again," Yusuke continued as he watched Hiei burn with anger. "After that, Kurama couldn't go back. But he still believed that you loved him and he waited. He thought that if you still truly loved him, and this was just a jealous problem Mukuro was dealing with, that you would come back. Hiei, after two years of waiting for you, he started to believe that what Mukuro had said was true."
"But...What of Yoko?"
"He began to believe too. They both did. Hiei, after four years of never seeing you, of never hearing from you, of you never coming back, they had no other explanation. You never came back, and there was no other reason for it other than what the message had said. We tried to comfort him, but over the two years, he had sunk into a depressed state of mind."
"But...what of his ningen mother? He still had her. She would have kept him healthy and happy," Hiei tried to reason with his own feelings.
"Hiei," Yusuke said in a voice filled with so much sadness that the fire demon turned to the detective. He met chocolate brown eyes filled with sorrow and pity. "Shiori died two years ago. It was at that time that Kurama really began to believe that you would never come back. He believed he was alone...and he was, in a sense, right. God, I've never seen him like that. In one month, he tried to kill himself six times, Hiei. Six times."
The fire demon suddenly found breathing much more difficult. His fox had needed him and he hadn't been there. Kurama's mother had died and he had no one to comfort him. On top of that, Kurama thought that Hiei had abandoned him. If the fire demon had thought that he was the forgotten one, how must the fox have felt?
"We got lucky and caught him each time before he could succeed in killing himself. He got really close once...Kami-sama, he barely made it. It took all of us a year to get him out of it. He's never been quite the same, but he has learned to be happy again," Yusuke looked down at the rock and Hiei's saddened gaze of terrified shock drifted back to the lake. "I was with him when he locked his window, Hiei. I was there when he gave up all hope of you ever coming back..."
~~~~Flashback~~~~
"Kurama, you coming?" Yusuke called up the stairs. When he didn't hear a respond, he got nervous and raced up the stairs. Kurama hadn't been doing well lately. He had tried his second suicide attempt yesterday.
Yusuke ran into Kurama's bedroom of his apartment and saw the fox staring out the window. He took a step towards Kurama when he heard him whisper out into the air.
"Goodbye, Hiei. I'll never forget you...I promise," the fox whispered to the wind. Yusuke watched in shock as Kurama slowly pulled the window closed and hooked the latch. He turned around to face the detective.
His green eyes were full of depression, sadness, and despair. He looked tired and his red hair was not well kept. He no longer held himself with the pride and grace of the Yoko within. Both had been suffering. A single tear moved slowly down the fox's cheek and passed his lips. Lips that had not formed his stunning smile in months.
"I've said goodbye and he's not coming back. Let's go..."
~~~End Flashback~~~~
"No one can wait forever, Hiei. Especially not when they have no hope," Yusuke said as he finished his story. "But he never broke his promise. He never forgot you, Hiei."
"Wh...what about his child?" Hiei stumbled as he tried to keep himself from crying again.
"What child?"
"The little human girl. Amy...she had dark hair and blue eyes," Hiei said as he turned to Yusuke. The detective was staring at him.
"Hiei, that was his niece. His little brother's daughter," Yusuke informed the demon whose eyes opened wide. "I told you, he never forgot you. He never even looked for another to love. He never found someone to care for...and he never found someone to care for him..."
"Fox...I left you alone for so long..." it was a whisper. Suddenly Yusuke's words sunk in. "You mean..."
"Yeah, Hiei, he still loves you...but he doesn't think that you love him."
"I...I should have come back...I shouldn't have listened to Mukuro...she said he never came by...Mukuro," Hiei spat out the name in hatred and anger. "That bionic bitch! I'll kill her...she ruined my chance of being happy!"
"No Hiei, she damaged your chance, but it's still there. Come with me to Kurama's," Yusuke offered as he stood up and the fire demon turned to him.
"But...after everything I've done...he should hate me," Hiei sunk back into despair.
"I can't believe you Hiei! Are you going to leave him again?!" the detective yelled and Hiei looked up to him. "You left him alone once because you believed a lie that Mukuro had told you! Now you're going to do it again because you think he has good reason to hate you!"
Hiei growled and stood up. "I never left him and I'm not going to do it now so SHUT UP!" he yelled and Yusuke smirked.
"Much better, now come on," Yusuke said and jumped off the rock. Hiei stared at him for a moment before he shook his head and followed, knowing Yusuke had tricked him into going.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama pulled into the driveway of his house and shut off the engine. He leaned his head back against the seat as a tear made it's way down his cheek. Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped out of the car.
Quietly, he closed it and leaned against the car for a second. Trying to clear his misty eyes and confused mind, he took another deep breath. He made his way up to his house.
It was a two-story house of white paint with deep red linings on the garage and front door. Deep oak wood made up the door and a rose was engraved in the window three-fourths the way up the entrance. Plants and trees of all types surrounded the house.
For his love of nature, Kurama had bought a house near the hills where there was more space and the beauty was unlimited. His backyard extended into the forested hills and six months ago, his friends had helped him build a pond with willow trees and a small waterfall flowing off of the nearby river. It had soon built up into a small lake and teemed with wildlife. It was the perfect way off getting away when the world just seemed too much to handle.
Kurama was tempted to just go around to the back of the house but he did need to put his work things inside. Sighing, he opened the wooden door and stepped inside his neatly kept house. Kicking off his shoes, he walked into the office room and set what he was carrying on the corner desk.
He walked back out of the room and turned left to the kitchen. He paused at the door to the outside as he heard a small noise behind him. He extended his senses as his hand left the door.
Suddenly the fox ducked as a punch went through the air. He dropped to the ground and swung his leg out behind him, catching his attacker off guard. The figured fell to the floor hard. Kurama stood up and turned to his opponent when a large weight slammed into him and he fell to the ground, hitting his head in the process.
Quickly, he grabbed a seed and grew it into a long plant sword. He shoved his attacker off him with a punch to the face. Standing up, he held the plant in a defensive position as he looked around at his attackers.
They totaled five in all (including the demon now holding his bleeding nose) and they were dressed in guards' uniforms of oranges and dim grayish greens [5]. Kurama knew those uniforms. He'd seen them too many times to forget those.
'Mukuro!' Kurama thought in anger. 'I should have expected something like this.'
One of the demons chuckled. "Yes, you should have!"
"Telepathy!" Kurama said in shock as he built a mental wall around his thoughts. The demon laughed and took out a dagger from his boot.
"Well, Lord Mukuro would like a word with you," the same demon said. He had bright orange hair and a third eye that looked natural under his bangs. Suddenly he lunged at the fox who dodged and moved to attack when a purple haired demon swiped at him with a sword of pure ice. Kurama did a back handspring to avoid her attack.
A blue haired demon slammed into the kitsune and caught him off guard. The two fell to the ground as Kurama shoved his vine sword into the arm of the demon. He screamed as the sharp weapon pierced his skin. Kurama kicked him in the chest as blood began to splatter atop of the kitsune. The demon stumbled back, the sword still sticking through his arm.
Kurama moved to sit up but another demon came and slashed at him with a sword. He rolled and stood up only to stumble back, avoiding another swipe.
'They're attacking me one by one when they know I cannot take all five of them...' Kurama thought as his eyes took on a cold aspect of anger. 'They're just toying with me...a game for them...Well, two can play this game'
Kurama smiled as the demon approached him again. Mist began to surround him and he heard the orange haired demon shout a command: stop him. The Yoko's hair was just streaking silver and his fox accessories had just grown in when he felt the cold touch of metal to his throat.
"Don't even think about it, fox," a deep voice came from behind him. The owner of the voice grabbed the kitsune's wrist and twisted it up to his back. Kurama, still in shock that someone had made it through the mist that surrounded him, could only grimace at the sharp pain that lanced up his shoulder. Normally, it didn't take long to transform but the mist that surrounded the Yoko was dangerous and full of his ki in case any demon attempted to come through. [6]
Having no other choice, he stopped in mid transformation and the mist slowly disappeared. When he was visible to the other demons, they looked surprised at the stop when their eyes drifted to the dagger and then to the owner. Recognition and then amusement rushed through their eyes as they surrounded the fox and took out wards. Kurama growled at his unseen captive but that got him nowhere.
"Don't fuss fox and just relax, we're not here to hurt you," the deep voice came from beside his ear but the fox only growled again. Kurama struggled as the demon kept him immobile. "Relax, relax, fox. This won't take long...just relax."
The orange haired demon stepped forth, wards in one of his clawed hands. Kurama kicked out at the demon but he was held from behind. Long, silky black hair fell over Kurama's shoulder as his captive leaned in so that his mouth was hovering next to the kitsune's ear.
"Stop struggling fox," the voice grumbled softly but Kurama did not listen. He fought against the hand gripping his wrist as the other demons tried to slip the wards onto him.
"Stop, fox. I don't want to have to hurt you more," the voice warned as his arm was pulled lightly and his shoulder began to ache. Reluctantly, Kurama stopped his struggles as the ache turned into a throbbing. The hand holding his wrist loosened. "There, now relax, we're not going to hurt you."
"Like hell you aren't," the fox growled but he kept his rebellious thoughts down. The demon chuckled and the orange haired one neared.
"Now just stay still, fox," the deep voice whispered into his ear. "This won't hurt, but we can't have you using your energy."
The orange haired demon held out a ward and grabbed Kurama's wrist. The fox struggled but stopped as his aching shoulder was wrenched up even farther. The ward was tied tightly over his wrist.
His demon captive slowly loosed his grip and let the sore arm fall back down. There it was warded. One more ward was held up by the orange- headed demon and at the sight of it Kurama tried to back away as the demon neared.
"No, fox. Just relax, just one more ward," his captives annoyingly soothing voice calmed the fox.
"No...get that away from me..." Kurama tried to pull away again put the soothing voice echoed in his ears and he found his muscles in a sort of trance.
'His voice...what's it doing to me...I cant gather the strength to move...'
The orange demon leaned in and wrapped the ward around the fox's neck twice and Kurama immediately fell limp in the demon's hands, though he was not unconscious.
The ward was of a common kind, used when one does not wish his victim to fight. It renders one's defenses completely useless and takes away all ability to argue or defy a command. If brought to it's full power, it will render the victim completely immobile. But when first placed upon the body, it cannot handle the effect and the user passes out from pure exhaust of his or her natural fighting towards the ward.
"There, that's better," the demon said as he supported the kitsune. "We're just going to take a short trip into the Makai."
'No...' Kurama thought as he drifted in and out of consciousness, unable to move. 'Mukuro only wants me as bait...no...I can't let her. I'll kill myself before I allow her to use me to her liking...'
"Sleep, fox. Sleep," the deep voice came from behind him and Kurama felt his eyelids close and he knew no more.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
[3] I know, big words for him but you gotta remember that he is now 23 (14(his starting age) + 2(years of being detective) +7(years Hiei was gone) = 23 so that's how I got his age) (That would make Kurama 24 just in case you were curious!) [4] That sounded really Peter Pan-ish but that's where I got the idea. I just thought it really fit Hiei always coming in through the window, ne? [4 ½] This is kinda an add-on to Footnote 4. This sounded even more Peter Pan-ish but once again, if you would like the reason as to why it sounds that way, read footnote number four. Shadow: Repeat steps two and three, stir gently, and then bake at 365 degrees for ten minutes. [5] I have no clue if that's what her guards wear, I simply guessed so sue me. [6] I have no idea if that is true but it seemed stupid that he would transform if the demons could just catch him before he could finish...so I improvised.
Heh, would you believe I almost forgot to include the footnotes? What's the point in a footnote if you forget to write it in, ne? Anyways, I hoped you liked the new chapter and I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed. Hope you all like the new chapter! Review please!