Just so it is clear: there are some shows (like I Dream of Jeannie and The Fairly Oddparents- among others) that depict the grave aspects of granting a wish. This is not onw of these stories. Thinking of all the loop-holes would take time, and that is not the problem for me; the problem is that it would defeat the purpose of this particular fanfic. Thus, do not expect to see much ironic humor in this story.

Disclaimer: I am not sure if I own YYH. You could ask my attorney... if I had one.

HxK supported fanfiction. Horray!

Koenma awoke within his bedchamber as he heard the echoing sound of the guards from down the hallway. "King Enma!" They cried. "Someone has broken into the treasure room!" Blinking and lifting his hands to rub away the sleep from his eyes, Koenma yawned.

"The... treasure room?" he repeated quietly. "But the only demons ever to have broken that were Hiei, Kurama and Gouki." Curious, the toddler ruler of Spirit World left his bed and snuck out of his room before following the guards, now fully awake. He wanted to hear what had happened. Hurrying silently down the hall, Koenma encountered no resistance. It seemed all the guards who had not gone to report the theft were back at the treasure room and surrounding the castle walls. Tiptoing in, Koenma looked through the little break in the door to witness the events unfold.

"How could this happen?" Enma cried. "It is impossible that anyone could break into the treasury room!"

"Sir," one of the men spoke up. "We believed it to be impossible before the three bandits stole the three items."

"Yes," Enma grumbled. "But since those items were returned, we have made better ways of keeping thieves out. The valuables in that room are priceless; some even dangerous. We could not let a theft happen again; and yet it did. How?" It was not that no one was willing to step forward and admit they did not do their job; every one of them had. The five youkai that had been positioned at the gate to the room had been alert and stationary the entire night. No one had tried to get in, not a single soul had passed them thoughout the hours they had been guarding. It seemed inconceivable that anyone would have been able to get inside.

And yet they had.

Knowing he could not get an answer from his men, Enma sighed heavily. His stomach filled with dread and he almost dared not to ask the next question; but he had to. "Tell me. What exactly was taken? Was there more than one item?"

"We don't know yet, sir." The spokesperson of the group stated calmly. "There are several men in the room now taking a quick inventory." Just then, one of those designated men came rushing into the throne room. So intent was he on delivering the dreadful message to Enma that he did not see Koenma hiding behind the door and listening.

"Enma!" He cried, nearly in hysterics. "We found out what the missing item was! The Mirror of Forlorn Hope!" None of the guards seemed to think that was a problem. In fact, the only one in the castle who reacted badly to the news was King Enma. Gasping, he looked as if he had been seized by a sudden heart attack. All his men's eyes turned to gaze upon him quizzitivly.

"This is not good," Enma spoke gravely. "This is not good at all." Succumbed with gloom surrounding the unpredictable circumstance, Enma trailed slowly over to his desk.

"What's wrong with that?" One of the men inquired, speaking for his commrades as well as himself. "The mirror was broken. It has no use."

"That's where you're wrong." The King of the Other-world responded. "After the mirror was returned to this castle, in my posession, it was fixed. The spirit still resides in the object and the power to create mass destruction is still avalible. If the thief knew that, we are dealing with a more conniving youkai than an ordinary criminal."

"Youko..." some of the men breathed out. Enma shook his head.

"No. I do not believe it was him."

"But, sir!" One interjected. "It had to be! He comes to Spirit World and he knows the area of the castle! He knows where the treasure room is and that the mirror is stored in there. Plus, he stole it once before."

"But he is allied with us now." Enma's voice boomed, startling his minions as well as sending shivers down his son's spine. "I refuse to believe that Kurama had anything to do with this. You are all excused, but keep on the lookout for any signs of forced entry. Keep your ears open to the any rumors that might be floating around. We can not let this pass without serious punishment! We have to find that mirror! Dismissed!" With that, the men trudged out of the throne room and headed back to their positions. Some of them disagreed strongly about their boss' assumption of Kurama.

"Once a thief, always a thief. He is still a criminal at heart, even if Enma does not want to believe it."

"I agree. He was the most ruthless outlaw in all of Spirit World. Even if he is half-human, he cannot deny himself the pleasure of stealing."

"That street rat will probably sell it to the highest bidder on the Black Market. Let's check there first."

"We shall."

In the shadows, something tugged at Koenma's stomach. He knew Kurama. He would not steal anything. He only stole the mirror the first time to save his mother. And, yes, he was still a demon. And although he had been an infamous criminal in his past life, he was a changed man. Like his father, Koenma could not believe that Kurama would break into the room to steal the mirror again.

But, in this situation, the guards had been right. Back down on Earth, Kurama was running back to his mother's apartment, clutching something tightly to his chest to hide it from discovery. A few tears sliding down his face, the heart that had been filled with so much pain now glimpsed a small light of hope. He would get what he wanted. Even if it did cost him his life. After all, if this worked, he would be prepared to die.

Sneaking quietly through the building, Kurama headed for the roof. As he threw open the door, he found a spot where he could be alone before kneeling down, placing the mirror in front of him and taking a deep breath. Finally, he called upon the mirror to awaken. "Mirror of Forlorn Hope, I want to ask a favor of you. I wish you to grant me my wish." Awakening, the spirit within the mystical item spoke back,

"Are you willing to give up your soul to me in repentance for me granting your wish?"

"Yes." Kurama replied. "But I have a final request to make. Before you take my soul, give me a week after granting my wish."

"Why should I do that?" Although the item had been compassionate in light of the events before, it was not very patient when asking for more time.

"Because," Kurama replied simply. "The request I have requires time for me to attain it."

"I shall give you three days." The mirror bargained. "Three days is all, and then your soul is mine." Biting his lower lip, Kurama debated. If he had been given a week, he would enjoy his wish more. However, three days was extremely generous, considering the mirror usually did not bargain. Deciding it was all he could afford, Kurama nodded his head solemnly.

"Agreed. Three days and I will give you my soul."

"Good." The mirror sounded pleased. "Now, what would you wish of me?"

"I want you to make Hiei fall in love with me. I want him to love me as much as he is able. If you give me this, I will gladly die."