A/N: Hi, everyone...(is sheepish) I know, it took me forever, I'm sorry. I was kind of lost for a while as to where I wanted the story to go. Plus, this past month has not exactly been stress-free. -- But hopefully this new chapter will be OK. I hope you all like it. By the way, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

This part is review responses, so if you don't want to read them, go ahead and scroll down.

LinkCrew: I'm sorry, I'm sorry! (Laughs) That was mean of me to wait so long, I know. (This is why I usually finish stories before I post them.) But this month has been so hectic( chorus performances, AP exams, graduation, etc) that I didn't have much time for this. Hopefully now I will be able to update sooner.

RainyDayz: Thank you for the compliment. And no, this story is not intended to be yaoi. Sorry if you got that impression; I should have clarified that at the beginning. The reason I put that scene in the first chapter when they're in bed is that I wanted to show that they're very close friends--this is important to the story. Thanks for reviewing.

Cracks in the Mask

Ch. 2--Nature's first green

"Before we get started, we're going to take some time to familiarize ourselves with tragedy as a type of literature. I've handed you all a list of terms and phrases that have to do with tragedy, and I advise you to be familiar with them , because they're likely to show up on the exam."

Kurama was barely taking in a word of Professor Yonemoto's lecture. The midmorning sun that slid through the half-open windows of the classroom was much more inviting, and Kurama felt himself being hypnotized by the steady whoosh of the air conditioner and the rhythmic chirping of a bird perched on the sill. He did not normally allow his mind to wander in class, but in addition to the droning voice of the professor and his slight boredom with the subject being taught, he was suffering from last night's lack of sleep. He'd woken up several more times in the night, being jolted from a worse dream each time, and each time hearing the strange, distant voice that had woken him from his first nightmare. It seemed that whoever was causing him to have these memory-dreams( he had not had a nightmare in years, and was beginning to suspect that these new ones were not entirely natural) was deliberately choosing to view memories of the worst, most horrible acts that Youko had committed. Kurama had no delusions about his past, but having all these terrible, shameful crimes paraded across his mind one after another had made him slightly sick. He had considered not coming to school today, and he thought, as his eyelids began to close, that, the way things were going, it probably would have done him more good to stay home.

"--And since Shakespeare can be a little difficult to understand at times, we'll be reading most of the important scenes aloud in class. Keep in mind, as we're reading, that list of terms I gave you and be prepared to use them correctly in an essay over Macbeth as a tragedy."

Gods, he was tired. He hoped his behavior last night hadn't alarmed Hiei. Kurama had, at one point that morning, actually considered mentioning to him how troubled he was by the dreams. He felt that Hiei, who'd had to make peace with many of these same things in his life, might understand where he was coming from more than Yusuke or Kuwabara would. However, he had decided against this almost as soon as the idea had entered his mind. Hiei often got impatient and uncomfortable with discussions such as this, and he had, it seemed, just gotten to the point of trusting the members of the Reikai Tantei. Although Hiei had known and trusted Kurama for much longer than the others, Kurama did not want to do anything that might distance him or cause him to rebuild the walls that Yusuke and the others had worked so hard to bring down. More to the point, Kurama admitted to himself, it made him feel a little pathetic to think of running to Hiei, sniffling about having nightmares.

"Mr. Minamino?"

Kurama looked up, startled. Everyone in the class had turned to stare at him. Mr. Yonemoto was looking at him with raised eyebrows and was tapping his foot, a bad sign. Kurama gave him an apologetic smile and hoped his normally spotless record would be enough to keep him out of trouble. "Sorry, Mr. Yonemoto. I didn't hear you."

"Obviously," he replied with a minimal amount of sarcasm in his voice, which Kurama took to be a good sign.. "I asked you if you would mind reading the part of Macbeth in the scenes we do together in class."

"Oh--of course not," Kurama replied, his mind still elsewhere. Maybe he was making too big a deal out of this whole thing. Just because he'd had a nightmare didn't mean that someone was out to get him. His recent feeling of nervousness could easily be attributed to the fact that for the first time in a while, he did not have a crisis on his hands. It had been one thing after another, with the mess involving the Saint Beasts, rescuing Yukina, the Dark Tournament, and the situation with Sensui. He wasn't used to down time anymore. He told himself, as the bell rang and students began to file out into the hallways, not to go looking for trouble that wasn't there; the others didn't need that any more than he did. Nodding to Mr. Yonemoto, he gathered his books exited the classroom, making his way toward the double glass doors at the front of the school building.

==============================

Kurama stared at the sidewalk as he walked home, uneasy feelings still nagging at him. Maybe he should tell someone about this, just in case--

In case what? his mind broke in with a slight sneer. In case the scary monster from your bad dream comes to get you? They'll all love that.

Kurama flushed a little at his childishness, but he could not help feeling as though he was being hunted...and this was a feeling that he had experience with. He realized that he had been automatically looking to the right and left, eyes searching for a threat. He shook his head to clear it, telling himself that if it was bad news, he'd know soon enough; there was no point in worrying.

Several white petals entered his vision, blown gently along by the wind. Kurama shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up. He smiled; the trees were alive with color. Spring had always been his favorite time of year. He had been amazed when he'd seen his first spring in Ningenkai, seen the wonderful array of flowers and trees. They had made him long for home. Kurama found himself thinking of Makai meadows filled with blossoms of purple and blue and white...

Without realizing it, Kurama had passed the street he lived on, his feet unconsciously taking the path to the meadow a short walk away. Kurama stopped, the started walking again with a shrug. Seeing flowers might help to put him at ease. He breathed in the scent of warm grass, smiling with a quiet joy unknown to others, who saw plants as nothing more than lifeless clumps of colored cells, and allowed the trees to call to him and wrap him in their strong presence. Their patient strength did more to calm him than words ever could, and he laughed out loud with pleasure as the little ones, all the flowers near him, leaned in close, seeking his touch.

"The flowers are beautiful this year."

Kurama gasped, badly startled. The flowers seemed to leap back, too, as if they'd received an electric shock. Kurama jumped to his feet, eyes wide and alert. The voice that had spoken was the voice from his dream. He knew it. He looked wildly around until he caught sight of the boy standing a few feet away.

He looked to be about seventeen, the same age as Kurama's human body. He was quite attractive, with smooth pale skin and elegant cheekbones. His dark rust-colored hair had been allowed to grow out a little, and his narrow, piercing green eyes were fixed intently on Kurama. Kurama blinked. It seemed almost like the boy wasn't....constant. He kept expecting him to simply blink out or fade away. He swallowed, trying to get control of himself. The boy waited calmly, not taking his eyes from Kurama.

"You're the voice I've been hearing," Kurama said finally, keeping a wary distance between himself and the boy. "You've been sending me dreams."

The boy said nothing. His gaze traveled to the blossoms that covered the trees like blankets.

"You like flowers," he said finally. "I've watched you for a long time."

"You've been inside my dreams," Kurama repeated. "Why?"

"You touch them like they're alive."

The boy reached out to brush one of the delicate blooms with his fingers, and again Kurama felt as though he was looking at a fuzzy TV screen. He opened his mouth, paused, then said, hesitantly, "You're not...quite..." He had been about to say "real," but that was ridiculous; he was standing right there. The boy turned his blank green eyes back to Kurama's face.

"Is that why they come alive for you?"

Kurama's heart leaped into his throat. Whoever this boy was, he knew...what else did he know?

"Who are you?" he asked, his palms starting to sweat..

Again, it took a while for the boy to answer. When he did, he gazed calmly into Kurama's eyes and spoke in a soft, level voice.

"I'm going to hurt you."

An irrational panic had begun to well up inside Kurama. He was trembling slightly, and his ragged breaths caught in his throat. "Why?" was all he could choke out, his voice shaking.

The boy's eyes bore into him.

"Because you treat flowers better than people."

Kurama stood rooted to the spot as the boy turned to leave. He wanted to run after him, to catch him, or at least to call him back and try to find out who he was one more time, but he couldn't do it. He felt paralyzed, and though the flowers around him reached out to him with concern, he could not find the strength to answer.

========================

"That's all? He just walked up and said he was going to hurt you?"

Kurama nodded, his hands in his lap.

"And you have no idea who this guy is?"

Kurama shook his head wearily.

Yusuke scratched his head. "Gee, man, I dunno. You don't think he could've just been some weirdo?"

"Kurama's been having dreams about him," Botan reminded him. "And he knew about spirit energy."

"But Kurama told us he was sitting in the flowers when he saw the kid. He was half asleep; maybe he used some of his energy without meaning to and the kid saw the flowers move. I mean, he didn't say the words 'spirit energy.'"

"That's possible," Botan agreed cautiously. "But it still leaves the dreams...Kurama, are you sure it was the same voice?"

"I--" Kurama hesitated. It was hard to be sure of anything while he was being cross-examined like this. He thought hard about the voice in his dream; looking up, he saw that everyone was staring at him.

"I am almost positive it was the same voice," Kurama said finally.

They all looked at each other blankly. "And he didn't give any reason at all for what he said?" Kuwabara asked after a few beats of silence.

"...No," Kurama said after a slight pause. He didn't quite understand why, but he did not want to tell the others about the boy's accusation. Even though the words still didn't make much sense to him, a cold knot formed in his stomach when he thought of them.

"Do you think this guy is capable of hurting you?" Yusuke asked, tilting his head toward Kurama. "I mean, did you sense any spirit energy coming off him?"

"I...I don't..." Kurama searched the memory carefully. "No," he said with sudden certainty. He had felt no spirit energy coming from the boy, he was positive. Had the panic he'd felt been totally unfounded, then?

Yusuke gave a small shrug. "So...should we really even be worried about this? I mean, Kurama can kick butt. Guys who can blow up planets don't mess with him, let alone skinny teenagers with no spirit energy."

Kuwabara nodded. "Hate to say I agree with Urameshi, but..."

Kurama forced himself to smile. "You're right. We shouldn't worry. Most likely, nothing will come of this." The knot in his stomach intensified.

Yusuke clapped his hands together and stood up. "All right, then. Who's up for the arcade?" He and Kuwabara left, already laughing at a joke one of them had made.

Botan stood up, too, but she continued to study his face. "Are you sure you're all right, Kurama?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Kurama nodded. "Thank you, I'm fine. I've just...been a little jumpy lately."

Botan shrugged. "Maybe you should go to the arcade with the others. It might help you relax."

"Maybe I'll do that," Kurama said, smiling. Botan smiled back and walked out of Yusuke's house, closing the door behind her.

Kurama stood silently for a few moments, then lowered himself slowly into a chair. He closed his eyes, his exhaustion catching up with him.

"You're still worried." The voice came from the window sill.

Kurama didn't turn around. "You didn't talk the entire time. What do you think about this?"

Hiei turned to gaze out the window. "It only matters what you think. You're the one he's after."

Kurama hesitated. "I think..."

"That there is cause for worry," Hiei finished.

Kurama exhaled through gritted teeth, impatient with himself. "He can't hurt me. I am positive that he cannot physically hurt me."

"Maybe he doesn't want to hurt you physically."

Something about the slow way Hiei said this made Kurama turn to look at him. Hiei's eyes were fixed in the distance as if he'd just had an unpleasant thought. He turned to look at Kurama. "This has happened to you before...people wanting to hurt you..."

Kurama jumped to his feet, horror in his eyes.

"My mother."

=============================

A/N: So...what do you think? I'd still appreciate suggestions if anyone has them. Please review, and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to post.