Hiya, peeps! Get ready for a good one, this is where the tension starts building! It's kinda slow moving, but it's not TOO too bad…Lol, please r & r! Oh, and there are some funny parts in the first part…Funny is goooood ^______________________^

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"Hey Kuwabara, you seen Kurama?"
"Not since yesterday."
The two boys were sitting in the back of class F social studies, ignoring the teacher as usual. It was nearly noon, their lunch hour, and the whole class was bored to tears.
Yusuke sighed and leaned back in his chair. "11:45," he muttered. "This sucks. I shoulda cut."
Kuwabara was still on about Kurama. "It's not like him to miss class. I wonder if he's ok?"
"I think I'll skip gym today..."
"Hey Urameshi, are you listening to me?"
"And maybe math...most DEFINITELY science..."
"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara chucked his textbook at his friend just as the teacher turned around.
"KAZUMA KUWABARA AND YUSUKE URAMESHI! IN THE HALL, NOW!!"
Two minutes later they both were standing in the hall with buckets swinging from their hands. Yusuke rounded on Kuwabara. "Thanks a lot, carrots for brains, that teacher hates me so much it doesn't matter if I did anything or not, he'll have me in the hall before I can say kuso! Do you HAVE to get me in trouble ever chance you get?!"
"You get in trouble so much that one more time in the hall wouldn't hurt. That's probably where you got your muscles; from carrying these buckets 17 times a day."
Dropping his buckets, Yusuke grabbed Kuwabara by the collar. "I got these muscles from beating up bastards like you!"
"Well let's see what they can do!"
"YOU'RE ON!"
"YUSUKE! KUWABARA! Fighting AGAIN?!"
Both stopped and turned around.
"Botan..." Yusuke said irritably. "You bug me everywhere else, but now in school too? Don't I get harrassed enough by the TEACHERS?!"
Botan ignored him and continued on. "Hiei and Kurama are both missing, and there are rumors that a KITSUNE is wandering around at night. Now who does that sound like to you?"
Kuwabara considered. "A kitsune? Sounds like Youko's up to his old tricks. We should go find them and see what's up."
Yusuke finally snapped into reality. "If Youko and Hiei are running loose, who knows what kinda mayhem will come up. Let's go! HERO TIME!"
"YEAH!" Botan took off down the hall, surprised at Yusuke's sudden enthusiasm.
"Urameshi, you slob, you just want to get out of class."
"Is that a crime?"

A few minutes later, the gang was standing a few feet outside the forest where the sightings had occurred. Yusuke poked his head into the trees. "This place gives me the creeps. Do we HAVE to go in?"
"Don't be a sissy, Urameshi. Besides, this place doesn't even give off bad vibes. It's perfectly fine." Kuwabara trudged right into the woods without a second thought.
"Hmph. Showoff." Yusuke slicked back his hair and followed.
"Uh, guys?"
"What is it, Botan?"
She stood shaking nervously. "I'll stay here and make sure Youko doesn't come out of the forest...eheh..."
Yusuke stormed over and dragged her along by the arm. "Botan ya big baby you're the one who got us into this mess and yer comin' with us!"
"BUT YUUUUUUUUUSUKE!!!" But Yusuke had already herded her deftly into the woods, Botan shrieking the whole way.
"QUIET!" Kuwabara roared. "I can't even hear myself THINK!"
"Touchy touchy," Botan muttered, but she zipped her lips all the same. The little group poked around through the trees, then came to the little clearing where Hiei and Aura had talked just the night before.
"I smell fire demon." Kuwabara wrinkled his nose.
"Ladies and gents, we have a prospecting bloodhound on our hands!"
"Shut up Urameshi!"
"Oh, now his NOSE needs silence too? Next thing you know he'll need quiet to FART..."
Botan rolled her eyes and decided that if she was going to be dragged halfway across a forest she might as well get some work done, since the two boys were obviously not going to get past ripping each other's throats out. She knelt on the ground and ran her hands along the forest floor. Her slim fingers stopped when they came to a piece of cloth. "Hey guys, I think I've found something!" She gently removed it from it's resting place and held it up to the dim forest light. "This is...This is HIEI'S he-"
"Gimme that, woman!" A blur flew over her head and the headband was gone from her hand. The little fire demon landed precisely on top of Yusuke and Kuwabara, keeping them from fighting more.
Botan sighed. "Nice to see you too, Hiei. Where have you been?"
"Why do you want to know?" He sneered. "It's not as if it's any of your business."
She put her hands on her hips. "It's my BUSINESS because we're a TEAM, Hiei."
"Oh shove it someplace the sun don't shine," he said irritably. He looked amused at Botan's appalled countenence, then went back to squishing Yusuke and Kuwabara's faces into the rotting leaves.
"Wouldya quit usin' me as yer friggen doormat?!" Yusuke grabbed for the fire demon's ankles, but Hiei trotted safely out of reach. The spirit detective was about to start spewing obscenities again, but Kuwabara cut in to talk to Hiei.
"Have you seen Kurama? He wasn't in school today."
Hiei stared at him. "Not...in school? Kurama would never miss a day of that prison, however pointless it may be."
"That's what I said-"
"The point is," Yusuke cut in, "that we need to find him because Youko is rumored to be on the loose. We figured he would be with you-"
Kuwabara interrupted Yusuke again. "And you two would be causing trouble-"
Exasperated, Hiei said, "Why is that you always think Youko and I are causing trouble when we're together? Koenma said that if we committed one more crime-"
"Since when have you listened to Koenma?" Sayaka stepped out of the trees behind them. She caught sight of Hiei and wagged the file of papers she was holding at him. "Don't look so astounded, it's relatively simple to obtain criminal records, especially if you're as high up in the IAI as I am." Glancing around at the blank looks, she rolled her eyes and explained. "The Ice Apparition Investigators."
Hiei's eyes were fixed on the folder. "Let me see that." He grabbed for it, but Sayaka pulled it tauntingly away. "Goddammit, give it to me!"
The demon girl laughed and held it over to her left. "You're much too preoccupied, Hiei. Is something on your mind?"
"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP ABOUT WHAT'S ON MY MIND?!"
"Why talk about something that doesn't exist?" Yusuke looked around for a smile. "Tough crowd, tough crowd..."
Botan came over to Hiei and bent down to get right up in his face. "IS something bothering you, Hiei?"
He let his eyelids droop into an exasperated stare. "Gettoutta my face. Don't you have an oar to ride?"
She backed up. "Naw, I think he's fine."
Just then they heard a crunch sound behind them; the sound of careful footsteps being picked across the carpet of leaves. Everyone froze, waiting to see the owner of the quiet feet.
Kurama stepped out of the woods, coming face to face with the whole gang, various weapons drawn. "Hey now, what's this? Am I suddenly the enemy?"
"Oh Kurama, thank GOD it's you!" Botan threw her arms around his neck. "I thought it was going to be Youko or another version of Rando or-" She stopped as Kurama was staring over her shoulder at Hiei. The little fire demon stared back in bewilderment, then in suspicion.
"What? What are you looking at me like that for?"
Kurama broke out of Botan's embrace and strided over to his friend. "I need to speak with you," he whispered fervently. "It's about Aura."
Hiei reeled. "How...how did you KNOW...?"
"Nevermind that now. I'll tell you later. But I MUST speak with you in private!"
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll be forced to tell you here and now, in front of EVERYONE."
Hiei relented. "Alright, but make it quick. I don't want them thinking that this is an important matter."
"Yes yes of course." Kurama held up one finger to the others and ushered his best friend deeper into the woods.

"Ok. Now how the HELL did you find out about Aura?!"
The redhead started pacing. "It's a long story. But right now, you have to know that Youko is planning to KILL her."
Hiei stared in shocked silence for a while. Then, in an unsuppressably shaky voice - "W....what?"
"He sees her as a threat to all of us. And-" He stopped pacing - "I think he's right."
"RIGHT?!" Hiei exploded. "RIGHT?! HOW THE HELL IS THAT RIGHT?!"
"No need to get THAT excited."
"NO NEED?! NO NEED HE SAYS! OH TELL ME ANOTHER! YOU-"
"You care about her, don't you, Hiei?" Kurama looked at him, emotionless, waiting for a response.
"Don't tell me what I feel."
Kurama shook his head. "If I don't tell you, no one will; not even your OWN heart. But please, hear my reasons for wanting to cooperate with Youko." When Hiei didn't say anything, Kurama continued on. "Aura is nothing but an apparition. She-"
"She was always an apparition! An ICE apparition!"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it," the redhead said patiently. "She's a ghost, a mere shadow of her former self. You cannot fall in love with her, though she may bring you to the brink of madness trying to resist your feelings. And after she gains your affections, she'll tell you there IS a way. SHE'LL TALK YOU INTO GOING TO THE AFTERLIFE WITH HER, HIEI."
"Impossible," Hiei murmured. "Aura would NEVER do that..."
"LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" Raising his voice for the first time, Kurama shook his best friend hard. "You're falling under her spell, just like she wants you to! Don't you see?! You spited her in life, and now she's out to take what she wants - your affections-"
"But what's wrong with tha-"
"AND your life."
"...you lie."
Kurama looked at Hiei incredilously. The demon had his head bowed. "Hiei....I'm your BEST FRIEND. Why would I lie to you?"
"I don't know. You tell me." Cold red eyes bored into Kurama's own. "For all I know, all you've ever told me could be a lie. All ANYONE'S ever told me could be a lie. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan...all of them. Even Yukina. So if everything's a lie anyway, what's the matter with having one more? Especially one that I KNOW I'll be able to count on. No one has ever loved me like that before. I feel this gaping hole in my icy heart starting to fill..." He laid one hand over his chest. "Would you deprive me of even THAT small comfort?"
Kurama was speechless. "H...Hiei..."
"I don't want your pity. Pity those who need and relish in it. I'm strong enough." He stood up, relieved that he had finally been able to tell someone what was on his mind. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." He started to turn, but he stopped abruptly. An unfamiliar stinging was tickling the edges of his eyes.
Kurama just sat on the ground, still silent. He watched Hiei, standing motionless by a tree. Hiei shook himself violently and kept walking.

Later that day the gang sat in the clearing wondering what to do with themselves, since Youko was currently concealed. They consented to playing a few rounds of "dodgeball", which consisted of throwing a gigantic energy bomb at each other until it exploded on someone. This game brought smiles to every face except Sayaka and Botan's, who sat back and watched sullenly.
Suddenly Sayaka went rigid. "The sun's setting," she said in a low voice.
"So? The sunsets are always pretty." Botan stretched and yawned.
"Something weird always happenes at sundown..." The fire demon girl said quietly.
Botan regarded her worriedly. "What do you mean?"
Sayaka didn't answer, just got up and ran into the woods. Hiei, knowing what was happening blew up the energy bomb on Kuwabara's head and took off after her.
"What the hell?" Yusuke started to get up, but a clawed hand was at his throat.
"You're not going anywhere," Youko said contemptuously. "You or any of your little friends." He caught Botan and Kuwabara up by the arm and tied them all together. Once they were bound and gagged, he turned to the place where the rest of them had disappeared into the woods. An unseasonably icy wind blew his hair. "That's odd..."
CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE Ice froze the land completely, knocking the leaves to the ground and ice everywhere. Youko now stood in a sea of ice and snow. He looked around in stony silence for a while, then started to laugh maniacally. "And so the chase begins..." he murmured to himself. "Ready or not, HERE I COME!"