Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything that falls under that category except for this fic. *SOB*. As for the standard ranting, you'll find it at the end of this chapter, as this is the last one. Enjoy. Please!

~Kurama's House (or room, if you wanna get specific)

What the hell was going on? Kurama stared, immobile, and neither did the one-eyed stranger before him.

//Heh, heh. Time to remove the mask.//

Kurama gasped when a slender pale hand reached out from the wall behind the samurai, and in one smooth move took off the eye patch.

All Kurama got was a glimpse of a white eye with a pale blue iris before everything turned black and he began to fall.

It was like before. Kurama fell a long way, but landed unharmed. With a groan he got up, a hand to his head. Somehow, he was only half-surprised that he was in that underground passageway again. He knew what lay round the curve ahead.

Yapping in short bursts, a large silver-white kitsune with nine, thick plumy tails came running around the corner. Still yapping excitedly and before Kurama could even register what had just appeared before him, the kitsune took Kurama's sleeve in his mouth and began half-dragging the redhead down the passageway, round the curve.

Nothing had changed in the cavern prison, except for that four swords surrounded the slumbering samurai like guards. All had their deadly blades half-embedded in the obsidian floor, each one loosely wrapped with a pale blue or red-gold strip of gauzy material, all possessing black hilts with words engraved onto them in silver.

Hikari. Light.

Kage. Shadow.

Fukashigi. Mystery.

Riyu. Reason.

"There's a fifth, you know."

At the sound of the voice Kurama jumped. Simultaneously the nine- tailed kitsune let go of Kurama and bounded over to the speaker, a fragile- looking youth with long white hair, a pale blue left eye, the other hidden by downy bangs, all dressed in white and pale blue with a bit of pale gold. Smiling, the youth repeated, "There's a fifth, you know, a fifth sword." " What's going on?" Kurama managed to breathe.

Circling the strange cell with deliberate slowness, the youth lifted a hand to touch each sword by the hilt. Kurama recognized that hand as the same one that had removed the eye patch. But when he looked down at the prisoner, the eye patch was still there.

"He's been a prisoner here for a very long time." Kurama lifted his head to the youth, who was speaking again. "He's very old, you know. He was born centuries before the Meiji Revolution, a period in history that could've been very different.

"The one you see before you is who you suspect he is: your little fire demon lover, Hiei. This is his original form, the body he was born in years ago. It is nothing more than a mere phantom now. I suppose you can say he is now but a...ghost, so to speak. Would you like to hear his history?"

Kurama said nothing. He was gazing at the samurai, who had not yet moved.

"He was born in a village that would one day be Kyoto. Like any other demon, he spent most of his life doing nothing but surviving. His name, as it is now, was Hiei, and he is among the first real samurai to come into existence. A amply suited name, for he always wore black, his hair was black, and his speed could match that of any shadow. In fact, he gave the word 'Hiei' its meaning. 'Flying shadow'. Even now it suits him.

"But I'm going off topic. You see, little is known about the real Hiei, what he was really like. By all appearances, he was like any other demon, seeing humans as fragile, stupid creatures. And yet, when the Japanese first caught sight of the American ships that would force open their doors, he defended these fragile, stupid creatures. For, you see, a group of demons decided to take advantage of the moment to invade first Japan, and then the world. They gathered a immeasurable army, countless in number.

"But before they were fully mobilized, who would begin to rapidly decrease their number and cause uproar amongst them but this one-eyed samurai? Hiei stopped the Meiji Revolution from becoming a demon invasion. He single-handedly do so. He had no help, no real advantage, and yet he won against armies of highly intelligent, powerful demons that were not easy to kill. His only wound: his right eye. It's not scarred, only white now, from a poison. At least, that was his only superficial wound.

"Hiei was exhausted by the time he had succeeded. He barely had enough energy to breathe on his own. And demons, those who feared that he would continue the slaughter once recovered, acted. They sealed him away down here, below the slopes of the mountain that took his name as the only monument, the only mark that revealed the most crucial time in history, the only living thing that took note of what Hiei did for the human world."

The white-haired youth came to a stop. Abruptly he turned to face Kurama and the air was suddenly filled thick with significance. The youth said quietly, "But he's been down here too long. His soul was reincarnated (although his body was still corporeal), but that is not enough. The fifth sword must be extracted. It must be used to free Hiei, otherwise he vanishes like a candle flame from existence. You know where it is. You know its name. You know what must be done."

"No...I don't..." Kurama stammered. He suddenly felt as if Hiei really was going to disappear, and the sands of Time were racing faster and faster, just to make his heartbeat do the same.

"There is a price, as you know. Extract the fifth sword, use it, and the little three-eyed Hiei will vanish. He will no longer exist. Hiei will only exist as he did over a thousand years ago, as the samurai who saved the human world, and remains without reward."

No...

"Reincarnation or not, Hiei still has his pride, the same pride from over a thousand years ago. You know that it hurts his pride to be free, but when it comes down to the very bottom line, he's nothing but a prisoner in this false starry nirvana. You love him. But is it a selfish love, or real love? That is the only obstacle you have."

No...he...he had answered that question years ago...hadn't he? Kurama wanted to run. He wanted to wake up from this confusing nightmare. Why wouldn't it end?

//Still here...//

A warm breath fell on Kurama's ear, but he didn't move.

//...With you...//

That voice. That deep voice Kurama needed to hear at that moment more than anything.

//Can't be seen...can't hear you...//

"Hiei!"

//Can't feel you...can't taste you...//

The real question was not whether or not Hiei was here now, but if he would be there then. As if he was a puppet controlled by invisible strings, Kurama made his way through the web of chains, and he then found himself kneeling before the sleeping samurai.

//Can't see you...can't smell you...//

Before Hiei...

//Can't know you...//

Kurama placed his hands on Hiei's chest. Silent tears fell as his mouth formed one word.

//Can't talk to you...//

"Kokoro."

//But I'm still here...//

There was no flash of blinding light, no sudden burst of august. A single katana, its blade of clear crystal, materialized from Hiei's chest, in between Kurama's hands. Once the sword had emerged completely, the chains withdrew, and Hiei vanished in a burst of flame.

//Still here with you...//

~Guess where (ain't the cavern)~

The nightmare was over.

Kurama stared up at his ceiling, refusing to move, and yet not refusing to believe what had just happened. Squeezing his eyes shut, he turned over onto his side.

"Oompf! Get off me!"

Kurama jumped. He had turned over onto a body, a small, familiar body. Slowly he opened his eyes, half-afraid.

Untangling himself from the sheets Hiei sat up, looking a bit disgruntled. Glaring at Kurama, Hiei snarled, "Did you HAVE to roll over on me?"

No reply. No response. At least, no verbal response. Kurama just tackled Hiei to the bed, holding the little fire demon like there was no tomorrow.

What happened? Who knows if it was really a dream, or if it was reality. Only two beings know, two immortal beings who only watches the loving pair, and only smiles at our questions.

Fugen: *Sob* A terrible fic! No wonder so few people reviewed it!

Hiei: I told you you're a bad writer. It's 'cause of your damn insanity.

Kurama: Hiei, be kind.

Fugen: But arigato gozaimas for the people who did, especially Saelbu and Katyfoxdemon2. I remember you two and your kind reviews from my earlier fics, and am glad that you liked them enough to review this one. I promise to write better fics in the future, but I have a huge end-of-year history exam coming up in May, and I have to start studying now in order to cover all the material. I hope you still keep an eye out for any new fics of mine, though!