Chapter 4: The Loss of Yasuo
Kurama, Yusuke, and Hiei stood before Sagara, prepared to fight.
Sagara watched them, amusement clear in his eyes, before turning his eyes on Yasuo and Botan. He grinned
evilly at them, pearly fangs bared.
Yasuo cowered against Botan, terrified of the fire demon before him.
Botan held him close, squeezing slightly to calm him, and stroked his long, soft red hair. She smiled as he hugged
back and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Oh Yasuo, you could've been mine, she thought, looking
longingly at Kurama. If I hadn't been so afraid you would have been, and you wouldn't be in this terrible danger
right now.
"You leave him alone!" Kurama yelled, angrily, noticing the look Sagara was giving his son.
Sagara's attention was instantly drawn to the spirit fox, and he glared at him in retaliation. "And just what are you
going to do to stop me?" he asked, arrogantly.
"Well, since you asked," Yusuke started, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna kick your butt!" He charged Sagara,
fist raised. He threw his punch and nailed the demon right in the face. "Ha! Guess maybe he's not as big and bad
as we first thought."
"I wouldn't get too excited just yet, Yusuke," Hiei said, nodding to Sagara when Yusuke looked at him over his
shoulder.
Yusuke looked back at the fire demon, and his eyes widened in shock when he noticed Sagara smirking at him.
"What?" he wondered. "But that was a perfect blow."
"Apparently it wasn't as perfect as you thought, Spirit Detective," Sagara stated, wiping the trail of blood from his
lip. He smirked and punched Yusuke square in the jaw.
Yusuke went flying into the picnic table, shattering it into a million pieces of woodchips. He struggled to sit up
but failed miserably.
"Ha. So, I see that pathetic human was no match for you," Hiei said, smirking. "However, I won't be such a
pushover." He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Sagara.
"Hey, I'm not pathetic or a pushover, Three-Eyes!" Yusuke countered, furious.
Hiei ignored him and charged the other fire demon. He took a few swings which Sagara dodged with ease before
landing lightly on the roof. He's much faster than I thought, he thought. He leapt at his opponent again and
swung at him a few more times, missing each time.
"Is that the best you can do?" Sagara wondered, a hint of irritation in his voice.
Hiei smirked and put his sword away. He took off his cloak and dropped to a fighting stance. "Well, hand-to-hand
combat is more my style," he admitted, arrogantly. He ran at Sagara and began throwing punches and kicks like a
wildman, which Sagara easily dodged.
Sagara rolled his eyes and socked Hiei in the gut before slamming him in the back, hurling him into the ground.
Hiei hit hard and didn't get back up.
"Well Kurama, it's just you and me now," Sagara said, facing the furious spirit fox. "Care to try your hand as a
human or will you be transforming?"
Kurama smirked and stood up straight. He pulled a rose from his red hair and jerked it down, turning it into a
whip.
"Human form it is," Sagara sighed, readying himself for the Rose Whip.
Kurama attacked the fire demon with his whip, getting annoyed at not being able to hit him.
Suddenly, Sagara disappeared and reappeared behind Kurama. He kicked him in the back, throwing him into the
tree.
Kurama hit the trunk face-first and fell to the ground, dropping his whip. He didn't make any attempt to move his
aching body, although he could hear his companions struggling to their feet.
Sagara smirked at his fallen opponents and turned to Yasuo and Botan.
Botan gasped and brought out her oar. Gathering Yasuo in her arms, she mounted it and flew away from the
battlefield. She looked back to make sure Sagara wasn't following, only to see a ball of flame speeding toward her.
Her eyes widened, and she sped away, trying desperately to avoid the blast. I have to protect Yasuo, she thought.
Yasuo peered over Botan's shoulder from the security of her arms to see the ball of flame coming right at them.
Before he could do anything, the blast hit them and exploded in a ball of fire. He and Botan screamed and fell off
the oar and out of the sky.
Kurama heard their screams and, ignoring his body's protests, got up and took off to where they were falling as
fast as he could go. He reached the clearing they had landed in just in time to see Sagara take off with Yasuo in
his arms. His anger and fear for his son's life turned him into Youko. Without thinking, he chased after Sagara.
"Kurama," Botan called, weakly.
Kurama stopped just as he entered the cover of the trees and turned to look at her. He took one glance in the
direction that Sagara had disappeared in before turning back to her and rushing to her side, kneeling down beside
her. He lifted her to a half-sitting position and took her hand in his.
"Kurama, I'm sorry," she rasped.
"Sorry for what?" he asked, gently.
"Sorry I couldn't protect Yasuo from that monster," she answered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Kurama gave her a gentle smile, his blazing golden eyes softening. "I never expected you to," he told her, running
the backs of their joined hands on her cheek. "I more expected him to protect you than you him. I'm surprised he
didn't do anything to stop the blast."
"Don't be mad at him," she pleaded, weakly. "It wasn't his fault."
"I'm not mad at him for not doing as I asked," he assured her, giving her another gentle smile. "He's still very
young and was just scared, that's all."
Botan smiled back and squeezed his hand, a few tears spilling over her eyelids.
"Hey, he's over here!" Yusuke called from the woods.
A few seconds later, he and Hiei appeared at Botan's side, staring down at them.
"Where's Sagara!" Hiei demanded.
"Gone," Kurama answered, hanging his head.
"And Yasuo?" Yusuke pressed.
Kurama sighed uneasily and closed his eyes. "He's gone," he replied, looking up at his friends.
Yusuke and Hiei's eyes widened in shock.
