Chapter 5

Botan sat staring at the pale, shivering form of Kurama, trying to understand what was happening. Yusuke and Kuwabara had both seemed worried and disturbed by their friend's injury, and she had never seen the ex-thief like this before. "Genkai, I'm not sure what you want me to do. I'm certainly no nurse."

"Yukina tried to heal him with her powers, but there was nothing she could do. And even my own healing techniques had no effect. I now know what's causing the problem, but I don't know of a way to reverse the damage."

"Well, if I knew the problem, I could look in Lord Enma's library, or ask Koenma." Genkai sighed and looked up as Yukina came in with a bowl of water and a clean cloth. The ice maiden knelt by the redhead and began wiping his face and neck with the cloth, using some of her power to keep the water cool.

"Have you ever heard of foxglove?" the old woman asked after a minute or so of silence. Botan thought for a moment, then nodded.

"It's a plant that grows here in Ningenkai, and it's poisonous to humans."

"It's also poisonous to kitsune. There are other human plants that can be fatal to certain demon species. But someone knew what Kurama was, and coated the dagger used to stab him with the oil of a foxglove plant."

"You suspect Hashi Akiwara then?"

"I suspect everyone in that entire fortress. Someone has done research on this team, and they used that information to capture Hiei and injure Kurama. There's no telling what else they know or what they might do next."

"Is there a cure for foxglove poisoning, Genkai?" Yukina asked, turning towards the other women.

"I don't know. Instances of demon poisoning are not well documented. But if there is such a book, I'm sure Lord Enma will have it." Botan nodded and stood up, calling forth her oar from the empty air. She and Genkai walked towards the entrance to the Temple, where the sun was beginning to set.

"I'll get back here as soon as I know something. In the meantime, tell Yusuke not to do anything stupid."

"You already know he's planning something. With his determination, there's little we can do to stop him."

"I know, but this enemy is a lot more dangerous than any they faced in the Dark Tournament. Hashi doesn't use brute force or flashy powers to defeat his opponents. And if Hiei couldn't see through his mind tricks, I'm not sure Yusuke or Kuwabara could."

"Just hurry back before those boys get themselves into trouble. I'll hold them off as long as I can," Genkai promised. The ferry-girl hopped onto her oar and flew out the door, racing towards Makai as fast as she could. Genkai watched her go, when she heard Yukina scream. Turning on her heels, she ran through the halls until she stood in the room she'd set aside for the injured. Yukina was standing by Kurama's sleep mat, hands over her mouth. She moved out of the way long enough for Genkai to see that the redhead had somehow reverted to his demon fox form. His eyes were open as she walked forward, gently pushing the ice maiden out of the way. "You're awake."

"So it would seem. Where am I?" he asked, looking around in puzzlement. His eyes were dilated though, and he couldn't seem to focus on anything very long.

"You're in my Temple, Youko Kurama. Do you remember me?"

"Yusuke's mentor, Genkai. I'm injured, not an idiot." He attempted to sit up, but a searing pain stole the breath from his lungs and he collapsed back down. Yukina went to assist him, but Genkai waved her away. "What's happening to me?"

"You've been poisoned with foxglove." At the mention of the plant's name, the kitsune's eyes widened, and he brought a trembling hand up to brush his white hair from his face. "So you know what that implies?"

"It implies a death sentence. How is my human form holding up?"

"Not well. It appears that with the poison attacking your demon soul, your human shell is suffering for the wound it received. And since the body is trying to repair itself, all spirit energy is being diverted away from the soul."

"No wonder the body has allowed me to revert back. It's trying to save itself, futile though it is."

"Do you know of a cure?" Yukina asked softly. "After all, you are the master of plants." Kurama grimaced and closed his eyes, breathing deeply to calm his racing heart.

"There is one cure, but it will kill my human body."

"How do you know?"

"The cure is Black Dragon's Blood, found only in Makai. No human can survive its ingestion."

"Is there no other way?"

"You said yourself Genkai, that my human body is dying. Once it does, this body will be left, and by that time I will have succumbed to the poison. Either way, you'll lose at least one of us."

"Aren't you the same entity?" A smirk drifted across Youko Kurama's face for a moment, and he fixed the human with a yellow-eyed stare.

"The soul of Suichi Minamoto was not destroyed, like I had originally thought. It has merged itself with my soul, but sleeps when I am in this form. So there are two souls in this body."

"Two souls? Then maybe what Kuwabara said about separating them might work," Yukina offered.

"Separate us? That's impossible." Genkai closed her eyes and thought back to the Temple's ancient texts. There was nothing so blunt as dividing a demon and a human soul into two whole beings, but perhaps there was something similar. And then she snapped her fingers, opening her eyes to find the ice maiden and kitsune staring at her.

"An exorcism. We need to rid the human body of the demon soul, and give the soul a physical form. Normally a fight involving the demon's death would follow, but that ritual would suit our purposes."

"Who would do it? You?" Youko Kurama wondered, repressing a fevered shiver.

"I could, with Botan and Yusuke's help. But we would need to have the Black Dragon's Blood here to cure your newly-formed body of the poison. And Yukina would then heal the human body of its wound."

"Yes, I can do that," the blue-haired girl said, eyes shining.

"Then let's-" Genkai turned to the door, feeling strong energy walking through the hall. A moment later Kohaku and Hiei entered the room, and both demons' eyes widened at the sight of the fox.

"Kurama!" Kohaku said, crossing the room in two steps. Hiei hung back, a little surprised to see the white-haired kitsune. He still wasn't used to Kurama's full demon form, as he tended to like the calmer, less-violent red-head. His sister, he noticed, seemed to have a familiarity with the thief Youko Kurama. "You're awake."

"That seems to be astonishing everyone," he replied as she ran a hand down his warm face. "I felt your presence a while ago, but in my human state, my feelings were convoluted. Why are you here?"

"To look for you, and to find my brother. So far I'm doing okay on both fronts."

"Genkai thinks we can heal them," Yukina said.

"Them?" Hiei asked.

"She says we can do an exorcism and separate Kurama from the human body. All we need to do is find the cure for the foxglove poison."

"What poison?"

"There was poison on that dagger you used, Hiei," Genkai explained. "Whoever left it for you knew you would use it, and that Kurama was a kitsune. Someone in that fortress knows this team, and how to weaken it."

"It must be Hashi, or my uncle," Kohaku said. "They have enough informants to get whatever information they need. Where is this cure?"

"The Black Dragon's Blood grows wild near one shrine in Makai. Hiei should know where it is," Kurama replied. The fire demon was puzzled for a moment, and then realized the meaning of the words.

"You can't be serious. That place is one step above hell."

"Hiei, do you know the place?" Kohaku asked, a bit intrigued by her brother's reaction. She had never heard of Black Dragon's Blood, but if Kurama said it was the cure, then that was the cure.

"The shrine is where demons go to learn the power of the Dragon of Darkness. It's a place of great power, but also of great danger. Not many who travel there return alive." He absent-mindedly glanced down at his right arm. Beneath the layers of protective bandages dwelled the mark that could call on the power of the Dark Dragon. He used the power sparingly, because it left him too weak to fight further, but it was a power unlike any had ever seen. Even Koenma had been fearful of the power Hiei could command, and that realization brought a smirk to the young demon's mouth.

"I'll go with you," Kohaku told him, meeting his eyes. Her hands closed around Kurama's, and the fox demon smiled slightly.

"You had better wait for Yusuke and Kuwabara to return. They will want to accompany you as well," Genkai predicted.

"I won't go anywhere with that buffoon. Kuwabara would never be able to withstand the shrine's power."

"Please Hiei," Yukina begged, walking over to him. "You shouldn't go by yourselves, and Kuwabara knows how to fight. After all, he survived the Dark Tournament." Hiei swallowed and looked away from her red stare. He could never say anything to upset his sister, and he wasn't about to start.

"All right, but only because you asked, Yukina."

Yusuke and Kuwabara returned from Koenma's office a few hours later, and neither looked happy. The Prince of Makai had informed them that there was nothing he could do at the present time. Only until the demons attacked could he even order defensive measures. "Besides," he'd said, "what do you think Spirit Detectives are for?"

"This bites," Yusuke said as they entered the Temple, loud enough for everyone to hear them.

"Tell me about it," Kuwabara added. Yukina entered the hall and put a finger to her lips, and he immediately clapped both hands over his mouth. "Sorry."

"Any change with Kurama?"

"He's reverted to his demon form, Yusuke," Genkai explained as she joined them. "And we have found a way to heal both Kurama and the human body."

"Well at least something's going right. Can we see him?"

"Kohaku's in there," Hiei said as he detached himself from a shadow at the far end of the hall. "I wouldn't disturb her right now."

"Well, I see you're back to your uncaring self," Kuwabara noted, shaking his head. Hiei's eyes narrowed, but Yusuke intervened.

"You okay with what happened?" the human asked.

"As okay as I'll ever be. Once Kohaku is ready to go, we need to leave to gather the cure." He turned to leave, and then looked back at the group. "But Yusuke, I should warn you: I don't expect you or Kuwabara to survive this place."

"How bad could it be?"

"It's the Black Dragon Shrine, Yusuke. No human has ever seen it, and few demons can survive the perils there."

"Wait, Black Dragon? Like the one Hiei can make?"

"I don't make the Dragon, you idiot. I summon its power and fuse it with my own. But someone as weak as you wouldn't understand that." The tall redhead made a grab for the small demon, but Hiei was much faster. However, the second grab caught a piece of his cloak, and he was hoisted off his feet, glaring at the human.

"You wanna see how weak I am, shorty? I am not in a good mood right now."

"What a coincidence. Neither am I." Yukina moved to stop them, but the door to the sick room opened, and Kohaku walked out, her eyes immediately surveying the scene.

"Put him down," she ordered. The human's eyes moved to meet her own.

"No. He's done nothing but insult me since we met, and I'm tired of it. Now I'm gonna show him how strong I am."

"Uh Kuwabara-" Yusuke began, but stopped when Genkai placed a hand on his arm and shook her head. Kohaku cocked her head to one side, tail slowly swishing behind her. She flexed her hands, and claws grew from her nails.

"Put him down," she repeated, hands at her sides.

"Look, you can do the whole "big sister protection" thing, but I have a score to settle with Hiei. And nothing you say is gonna make me change my mind."

"So when you catch me next time, I'll be sure to worry," Hiei said as he appeared next to his sister. Kuwabara's eyes widened, and he turned his head to see that he was holding only Hiei's cloak. The fire demon had slipped out of it and now stood bare-chested beside Kohaku.

"How did… But I just… I thought…"

"You're too easily distracted. When you shifted your attention to Kohaku, you never noticed me move. And you call yourself a fighter."

"Why you-"

"Children, that's enough. We have a cure to find, remember?" Yusuke interrupted.

"But Urameshi-"

"I don't want to hear it, Kuwabara. Now Hiei, you said you know where this place is, right?" He received a nod in reply. "Good, then let's get going. The faster we get this cure, the faster we get back here and plan a counterattack on your kidnappers."

"Trust me, Detective, that's already been planned out."

The Black Dragon Shrine's entrance looked no different than a normal cave entrance, except for the bones lying around and just inside the opening. "Warnings?" Yusuke wondered. Hiei kicked at a skull, turning it over to see three horns protruding from the forehead before it cracked in two.

"Failures." Without another word, he walked into the cave, Kohaku close at his heels with her staff out. Yusuke looked at Kuwabara, who was standing with his arms across his chest.

"You sure you want to come? I know Hiei can be a pain, but he wouldn't warn us for no reason."

"I'll be fine. I'm just trying to get used to all the energy I sense in there. Besides, this is for Kurama, and it'll be a team effort, no matter what that arrogant demon says." Nodding, the two humans entered the cave, which was lit by torches that changed color from orange to red to green. "What's with the colors?"

"The souls of those who failed light the way. You'll see other colors the closer we get to the Shrine itself."

"The souls of failures? You mean we can be trapped here forever?"

"He did warn you, Yusuke," Kohaku reminded the boys. "You can still go back."

"I didn't run from Toguro in the tournament, so I don't think I'll be running from some creepy shrine."

"See Hiei, Urameshi isn't scared."

"Hn." The group kept walking, and the torches did change color, now with blues, yellows, and whites mixed in. Hiei suddenly stopped, and a pair of torches that had been dark lit up with black flames, illuminating a wooden shrine gate that seemed to lead into darkness. "Make sure you shield yourself through here. Otherwise you'll be instantly consumed by the darkness."

"Kuwabara, stay near me," Yusuke warned his friend.

"You sure you can handle protecting both of us? I can try and do it myself."

"Don't be a fool. You wouldn't last a second beyond this gate." So saying, Hiei walked into the darkness and vanished from their view. Yusuke took a deep breath, and then dragged Kuwabara through. Kohaku stood staring at the darkness, her tail twitching madly. This was the ultimate test of her powers, but could she risk it?

"For Kurama," she whispered, stepping into the void.