DISCLAIMER: These characters don't belong to me… but then you all knew that, right?

A/N: Oh... I suppose I should have put this in the last chapter, but I forgot. Youki means demon spirit energy, and reiki is human spirit energy. Just in case anyone was confused, because that plays a big part in this chapter.

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To Look Upon a Rose: Chapter 9

-Hiei's pov-

"Kurama?" I repeated warily. Wind stirred around me, trembling with power, as restless and anxious as I was. The moon had disappeared behind a knot of clouds, throwing shadows over the already dismal night and deepening the darkness that had seeped into the world.

Something was wrong; here Kurama stood before me, yet I still could not clearly sense his youki. And what was he doing here, alone, so late at night when I knew he could sense the energy crackling in the air around us?

He turned toward me slowly, lowering his hands to his sides. "Hiei," he murmured, then smiled, his eyes narrowing coldly. "How convenient." He sauntered toward me then, mouth twisted in an eerie grin, fingers splayed at his sides, eyes glowing an icy green. An image flitted through my mind, a memory of someone, of sometime, but it was gone before I could catch it.

I stepped back as Kurama reached out for me, leaving his hand hanging in the air. There was something... wrong here, something I knew I should recognize but for some reason couldn't. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was not Kurama I was facing, yet I knew it was impossible. I could see him, smell him, sense his reiki – but still not his youki. It was as if Kurama's body, bearing its ningen reiki, was here, but not his youkai soul.

Before Kurama could reach for me again, I ripped off the ward covering the Jagan and threw its power out toward him like a web, searching, probing. Some part of me felt guilty; how could I doubt Kurama so? But another part of me – the rational part – said that Kurama wasn't here to see my lack of trust. Harnessing the Jagan's potentially fatal power, I let it wash through Kurama like a wave. I was afraid of what I might find, but more afraid of what I wouldn't.

Energy burned around me, neither living nor dead, but instead a strange mixture of the two. The Jagan sliced through it like a shark through water, hunting the source of the energy. It found it instantly; as I suspected, it was coming from Kurama. But it wasn't Kurama himself, for his youki was still missing. Another source of energy inhabited his body, a source I knew very well.

Karasu.

I darted forward, grabbing his bare arm and pulling him down so we were face to face. The Jagan was open and hungry for blood, but I held it back, unwilling to risk harming Kurama no matter who was looking out through his eyes. "Where's Kurama?" I growled, glaring into swirls of violet and emerald as they danced laughingly before me.

"You'll never have him again, half-breed," Karasu murmured, smiling. "The kitsune is mine."

Energy eddied around me, and with the Jagan I saw one of Karasu's invisible bombs form by my arm. I let go of Kurama but was too slow to avoid the detonation. Pain lanced down my arm as the air exploded and I staggered back, clutching at the tattered wards covering the Kokuryuha. I would never release it on Kurama, no matter who inhabited his body.

"Where is Kurama?" I repeated, placing my hand on my katana. "Where is–" Another explosion silenced me, sending me to my knees as blood ran down my leg.

"Hiei."

I looked up, startled, to meet a set of wide green eyes. "Kurama." I struggled to stand as he reached one hand out to me, features hard with determination. Emerald warred with violet, two sets of energies clashing, vying for dominance, for life. I could sense the battle within him as he fought Karasu for control – a battle I wasn't sure he was going to win.

"Run, Hiei," he whispered, straining against the youkai's power. "Please."

And then his green eyes disappeared behind a cloud of icy blue, and the hand he had extended to me balled into a fist of crackling youki. I was ready this time, a shield erected around myself, but the bomb never came. Instead, a blast of visible light sped past us, just narrowly missing Kurama's shoulder.

"That was a warning," Yusuke said. "Next time, I won't miss."

Botan gasped beside him. "That's Karasu!"

Kurama's eyes flashed angrily as he glanced toward the ningen. "Another lover, Kurama?" He sneered in Yusuke's direction and lifted his hand, palm up. "This one shouldn't be too hard to kill!" Youki exploded from his palm, shooting toward Yusuke and Botan.

"Move!" I shouted, drawing my katana, though I couldn't find the strength to wield it against Kurama. Unable to see the youki bombs heading toward them, Yusuke and Botan dove to the ground, just narrowly escaping the barrage of energy.

Yusuke lurched to his feet, gathering his reiki for another attack. Karasu laughed as the ningen lunged at him, releasing his reiki in a volley of punches. Dodging them easily, Karasu grabbed Yusuke's arm, forcing his youki in through the touch. The ningen winced as the bomb detonated, tearing a hole in his forearm. Unfazed, Yusuke darted forward for another series of punches and kicks, all of which Karasu evaded. "Dammit, Hiei," he growled. "Don't just stand there, help me fight!"

Fight? Fight… Kurama?

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. They were stuck, trapped behind I lump of tangy emotion. I couldn't fight Kurama. No matter who else was in that body, Kurama was, also. I'd caused him enough pain already. I couldn't fight him again.

"Hiei! Snap out of it!"

I blinked as Yusuke called my name again; the ningen was still dodging and punching, though he sported several more wounds. Lithe and graceful in Kurama's ningen body, Karasu easily avoided every attack, his hands weaving through the air as he plaited his energy into explosive spheres that showered blood into the darkness. Yusuke was purposely holding back – and losing the fight because of it. But then, I wasn't sure if that was such a terrible thing.

"Hiei," Yusuke growled through strikes and dodges. "I know you care about Kurama, but that's why you have to fight!" The ningen winced as he took another blow, but recovered quickly and returned a punch of his own. "You're the only one who can kill Karasu. You-"

"Kill me?" Karasu laughed, shoving another wave of Trace Eyes toward Yusuke. "You can't kill me. Not unless you plan to kill your precious fox also!"

Bringing his arms up to shield himself, Yusuke growled and glared over his shoulder at me. "You want to free Kurama, don't you? Then help me fight!"

The words echoed in my mind, stabbing at my heart. Was that it, then? Fight Kurama, or watch him die by Karasu's hands? By his own hands?

Dammit, Kurama, what am I supposed to do?

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-Shiori's pov-

Tires screeched under the strain of the brakes, but I didn't wait for them to stop before turning the key and stumbling out of the car. Hands trembling and heart racing, I dashed into the darkness of the park where somewhere – I prayed – my son and Hiei were. I didn't take the time to think further than that, for my strength lay in my ignorance, my unknowingness. The world I knew was crumbling around me, and if I stopped to watch it collapse, I would never make it to my son.

The night was silent around me; no crickets chirped, no animals stirred, and the cool breeze had disappeared. A heaviness hung in the air, pressing around me like a damp cloak until I thought I would suffocate. I stood frozen for a moment, teetering precariously on the verge of despair, unable to move forward and unwilling to step backward lest I fall over the edge into the abyss.

And then the silence shattered.

I gasped as the night exploded before me, illuminating four silhouettes that had been hidden beneath the darkness. "Shuuichi," I murmured, shaking myself from my stupor. "Shuuichi!"

Moonlight came flooding down as the clouds that had damned it parted, throwing the world into sharp relief. I entered the sheltered clearing, and the silhouettes became actual forms. Hiei stood to the side, his face turned away from me, as a girl – one I'd seen several times with Shuuichi – looked on in fear. Another boy – Yusuke – stood facing Shuuichi, arms crossed in front of him as if to ward off an attack.

"Shuuichi!" I cried, stepping forward uncertainly. What was going on?

All eyes turned toward me. I froze, feeling myself tip ever closer to the edge. I'd left the world behind and entered a new one, a world of three-eyed boys and hands that glowed an eerie blue. A world where I was the outsider and my son was someone I knew nothing about.

I repeated my son's name hesitantly, desperate for something to anchor me to the here and now, the reality that was no reality at all. He grinned, a cold imitation of his usual warm smile, then sent Yusuke flying backwards with a flick of his fingers before gliding over to me. His hand came up to my face, and he lifted my head until I met his eyes. His hands were cold, his nails digging into my skin like icicles. Amethyst swam through emerald, dancing in hypnotizing spirals as he trailed his fingers down my neck. "You're the one he gave up his life for, the ningen who stole his heart." I stood, captivated and unheeding, as he leaned closer, brushing his lips against my throat. "Should I kill her, Kurama? This ningen who holds such power over you?"

Fingers closed around my neck, tightening. I gasped, breaking free of the spell that had held me motionless. "Shuuichi," I wheezed, covering his hands with my own. I struggled, panicked, but my son's grip was like iron. "What-?"

He laughed as he released me, his cold eyes glittering. Air stirred around us, gathering in his outstretched hand. A ball of light glittered there, then solidified into a winged, gray sphere. "How do you like my Trace Eye? It's a bomb." He smirked. "You know what they do, don't you?"

Fear welled up in me then, heavy and cold. I felt the chill of death around me, summoned by my son, and I was afraid. What was happening? This couldn't be my son, who watched the sunlight with sad eyes, who danced in the rain and smiled when the roses were in bloom. This couldn't be my Shuuichi. "Shuuichi–"

I watched as if in a trance as the bat-like object flew toward me, fire sparkling at the end of its fuse. I couldn't move, couldn't run, couldn't scream…

Shuuichi!

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A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I can't believe I've gotten over thirty already. I never expected so many people to read this.

Kuwabaralover (and everyone else) if you like the somewhat twisted relationship between Karasu and Kurama, you might like my fic Koori no Naifu wo Daite. It's Kurama's thoughts during his fight with Karasu, done in stream of conscious style. It's still KxH, but there's a healthy dash of KxK in it, too. Also, keep an eye out for my next fic. It's a Karasu-centered story that explains his past and his fascination with Kurama.