Name: A Rose By Any Other Name
Author: Eblis the Violet
Rating: PG
Note: Yes! Finally, a new chapterI know it's been a long wait, and I took way too much time, but please excuse my laziness. It took a long time for me to write this chapter, because I needed to really sit down and think about where this is heading. Well, I have a pretty clear idea of the plot now, so to make up for my laziness, I wrote an extra long chapter! Well...it's not that long it you compare it to other (better) fics...but it's longer than the previous two chapters, together. Anyway, if you want a summary of what happened earlier in the story, here it is: Yukina is hurt by an unknown demon; the detectives set out to find him; Yusuke and Kuwabara are kidnapped; Hiei deals with some issues. What's going on! XDDD When I started this, it was actually going on a whole different direction, but I'm happy with what I'm going to do. Happy reading!
To those who reviewed: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know I don't have many reviews (I never do...XD), you are what keeps me going and inspires me to write more. I could not have done it without you!

And now, on with the fic!

Kurama panted heavily and kneeled over, fighting for breath. He tried to sense Yusuke or Kuwabara's energy, and was relieved to find that they were not a long way off. Just hold on, you guys.

Meanwhile, the two detectives' situation had only gotten worse, if that were even possible. Yusuke, as exhausted as he was, had finally passed out, and Kuwabara was left to fend for both of them. Swearing under his breath, he knew instinctively that he would not be able to take the demon down alone; even if he'd managed to, in his haggard state by the time the demon would have fallen, Kuwabara would likely be in a similar state of health.

The demon smirked from the shadowy corner in which he was standing. "A little preoccupied there, aren't you, Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara started; How does he know my name?

"I can see your little friend there is not exactly…conscious," he continued silkily, eyeing Yusuke with obvious distaste, "but I wonder…" he trailed off, moving forward, "why aren't you unconscious, as well?"

Kuwabara stared at him in disbelief. Here he was thinking the guy was about to say something important. What the hell is this guy thinking? He almost seems as if he wants me to survive…or something.

He heard a soft 'ahem' coming from the general direction of the demon.Glancing up, he realized with a start that he still hadn't answered the youkai's question, too caught up in his thoughts.

"Why would you care?" he retorted, his tone harsher than he'd intended.

The youkai had the nerve to actually look surprised; he appeared to choose his next words carefully, seeming almost tentative when he finally spoke.

"Wasn't that…girl, the ice maiden, your mate or something?" he uttered softly, his eyes not containing any scorn or disdain, as Kuwabara would have thought. Instead, they were simply filled with an almost innocent curiosity.

"Well...yes," Kuwabara finally admitted, wondering why in the heck he was saying this, and to that demon, "but she doesn't exactly see me as that. The Koorime don't really know anything about love or relationships," and at this his voice took on a flat tone, "she merely sees me as a companion, albeit a very strange one." So lost was he in his thoughts that he failed to notice who he was talking to; after an uncomfortable silence he looked up and realized that he'd said too much. This demon was his captor, for Enma's sake; inwardly Kuwabara cursed his stupidity. He was fully prepared to see in the demon's eyes a sinister realization of some sort, or maybe a malicious glee, but in the demon's green eyes all he saw were sympathy and a vague…understanding? Blinking, he looked again, and this time all he saw was the color green, before he felt a blunt pain in the back of his head and his mind giving in to the dark…

Hiei stood in silent horror at the mouth of the cave, as he saw the alleged demon hit Kuwabara in the back of his head. Watching, he could see that it had been a blunt object of some sort, clearly intended to cause unconsciousness, not death. Privately Hiei breathed a sigh of relief; he may have disliked the oaf, but he didn't deserve what Hiei'd thought was going to happen to him.

Inching closer, Hiei took a more detailed look at the cave. At the far right was a small pot held above a fire, obviously the source of their food; close to that was a pile of cloth, assumed to be the demon's sleeping area; and finally, in the middle of the right of the cave were two chains, of which Kuwabara and Yusuke were attached, fastened to the stone wall. It was crude, he supposed, but the location was hard to find and the forest camouflage made it almost impossible to make out a cave entrance, if any. That the demon had even been able to find a place like this was quite unbelievable, as Makai forest were notorious for their eerily placed hideouts, the cause for many a lost demon.

Inching toward the cave's entrance, Hiei flattened himself against the wall and slowly lost himself to the shadows. Grimly he watched the demon, his dislike for him (or was it her?—it was a bit hard to tell) growing with each second. "Kuso," he muttered, wincing painfully when he stepped on a particularly sharp stone. Finding a small corner in which he could be sufficiently hidden, he waited. For some strange reason, he didn't think that he would be able to defeat this demon alone. He'd have to wait for Yusuke and the oaf to wake up—either that, or wait for Kurama to come to the rescue. Neither option appealed to him much.

Settling down on the floor, Hiei prepared himself for a long night. What did I get myself into? He thought, sighing. Kurama had better get here soon. He's better at this sneaking around business than I am.

Wordlessly, he decided to observe as much of the guilty demon as he could—he could not be sure that a fight was in store or not. After a couple of minutes, Hiei yawned widely—he'd forgotten that he'd barely gotten more than 2 hours' sleep last night. Too busy worrying about Yukina and his teammates, he had not bothered to get more rest, a decision he regretted immediately. He wanted to be fully capable of a long, drawn out fight, if the occasion warranted it, and it was possible that it would. Fighting the sudden heaviness on his eyelids, his eyes opened and shut, until finally, his body gave way to sleep.

Outside, there was a slight rustling, and muffled curses. Luckily, the demon had not been paying attention, for if he had, he would've known that barely 20 feet from the cave's entrance was none other than Kurama himself, out of breath but more than ready for a fight. Peering carefully into the cave, he saw the unconscious forms of Kuwabara and Yusuke first, and, after making sure that they were alive, he observed the demon that had caused them so much trouble.

Lithe and pale, the picture they'd seen in Koenma's office had not done him justice; his long, ebony hair was so black that it seemed to absorb colors rather than reflect them; his eyes were sparkling and more intense than any shade of green; his skin was paler than marble and completely flawless. And yet, despite his beauty, he would not have been considered attractive, at least, not on human standards. His eyes were surprisingly cold despite their wholesome color, and he moved with the precision and sureness of one who thought himself above others. The malice that was carefully hidden beneath his calm features did not escape Kurama; and for a second, their eyes met, in one breathtakingly tense moment, and then it was gone. Kurama gasped inhaled sharply, wondering if it had been his imagination. If the demon had indeed seen him, he thought, than he surely would have done something by then.

Briefly considering the situation, Kurama thought it best to alert Yusuke and Kuwabara of his presence, but he could not think of a way to wake them without catching the demon's attention. How can I be expected to control this situation, Kurama thought, frustrated, when two of my teammates are unconscious, and one is avoiding me? Shaking his head, he knew that there was another reason he was so hesitant: The demon not only looked dangerous, but he smelled of it, too. In addition, Kurama had the strangest feeling that he'd known this demon before, and he had a feeling that if they were to meet again, it would not be for idle chat. More than likely, the demon was out for one thing: revenge. Kurama settled farther into the shadows, too confused to make another move. He was so preoccupied, in fact, that he failed to notice the pair of blood red eyes sleepily staring at him from the corner of the cave.

After a few hours' sleep, Hiei had finally woken up. Startled by a vague rustling, he had opened one bleary eye open, and he'd immediately remembered his surroundings. Silently cursing his carelessness, he looked around curiously to see if the detectives had woken. When he saw that they were still sleeping, he sighed disappointedly. He wondered vaguely if he would have to wait the whole night for Kurama to arrive, when he caught a flash of red—blinking, he wondered if his lack of sleep had caused him to get hallucinations. He could've sworn he'd seen Kurama—

There! He could see him—the stupid fox was biting his lip, apparently worrying about what he had to do. Shaking his head disgustedly, he let Kurama continue thinking, opting to watch what the fox would do.

After a few minutes' time, Hiei was practically snarling. After moments of contemplation, Kurama, supposedly the smart one of their little team had retreated to the darkness, choosing to do absolutely nothing. Hiei was going out of his mind. Deciding that watching Kurama was a waste of his time, Hiei went back to sleep—if anything were to happen to Yusuke or Kuwabara, he would hear it. Within seconds, Hiei's breathing had slowed; a sure sign that he was asleep.

Kurama stayed where he was several moments, feeling extremely foolish. He was sure that it would have been smarter to try and attempt a rescue, but his mind simply wouldn't let him; he was too afraid of what would happen if the demon recognized him. Perhaps this kind of thinking is proof that Kurama wasn't himself—if that demon had known him in his life as a youko, then it would be unlikely that he would be recognized in Shuichi's body.

Imagine his surprise when he saw none other than Hiei himself, picking himself up from a small corner of the cave and yawning widely. Kurama was furious with himself. Had I been so preoccupied, he wondered, that I didn't even notice Hiei's ki? And when he was sleeping, unguarded, too! Kurama shook his head in disgust.

But then, he realized that Hiei being there meant he was no longer obligated to do any rescuing, and would therefore not have to show himself to the demon.

Thank Inari for small miracles, he thought with a sigh.

"It's about time you got here," the demon greeted Hiei without turning around, causing Hiei to freeze in mid-action. "I was wondering if you were ever going to get up. Nice nap?" the demon continued further in a light voice, turning to face Hiei with a slight smirk.

Hiei growled in response. "Let them go," he said in a low voice, his eyes smoldering.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the demon replied cheerfully. "You see, I need to keep them as hostages," and this he said in a mock pleading voice, "just a little bit longer?"

"And why do you think I would let you do that?" Hiei snarled in response, fists clenching.

The demon in question looked delighted. "You mean your little fox friend didn't tell you?" he asked gleefully.

Hiei looked confused. "Kurama told me what?"

"Aha!" the demon cried. "So you do know Kurama! That's great—for a minute there I thought I'd found the wrong human."

Hiei had had enough. Starting to uncover his Jagan, he hissed, "Listen, you worthless bag of bones, if you don't tell me what you want with Kurama, you are going to be a very sorry pile of ash."

"Tsk, tsk, temper, Hiei." He admonished with a smile. "Don't you want to know a bit more about your old friend? Surely you didn't think he was always as sweet as he is now. He was Youko Kurama, you know."

Hiei looked affronted. "Whatever he was then, it's none of my business anyway. Besides, I could care less. I just wanna finish this case and take a nap." With that, Hiei busily prepared to unlock the chains that held Yusuke and Kuwabara to the wall. He was so absorbed in his task, in fact, that he was startled to hear the demon's low voice right behind him.

"Are you quite sure about that, Hiei? What if I told you that…if Kurama hadn't done something he did, you would still have your precious sister," and at this Hiei tensed in anger, "by your side, healthy and happy?"

"And what if," he continued on, moving to Hiei's side, "I told you that if certain events, caused by Kurama himself had not happened, you would not be ashamed of telling her that her brother is right in front of her? What would you say to that?" he mocked, his eyes hard as steel.

Hiei turned slowly around, his words carefully contained. "I would say," he started, his voice trembling slightly with anger, "that what you're saying is a load of bull." But the last three words had faltered, and the demon knew that the first seeds of doubt had been planted. His lips curled into a smile.

Perfect.

"Whatever you say." He replied easily, a perfect picture of indifference. Behind him, he could hear Hiei grit his teeth.

It's so easy to manipulate demons, as long as you know how. The demon smirked.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, in which Hiei seemed to be considering his words. He sighed dully, waiting for Hiei to speak. When he finally did, it was in a low, measured tone.

"What if—I'm willing to listen to your story?" he said slowly. "Not that," he added quickly, "I would believe you, or anything."
"But of course," the demon said, idly examining his nails. "Would you like me to tell you now?"

Hiei nodded. He hesitated for a moment, than said, "First, I want to know your name. You already know mine—it's only fair you tell me yours."

"Since when has the real world been fair?" the demon replied lightly. Seeing Hiei's glare, he sighed. "All right, all right, I'll tell you my name. My name—," he hesitated slightly, before continuing, "My name is Rin."

Hiei's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't Rin a female name?" he inquired, face still screwed up in a puzzled expression.

"Yes," Rin said, rather stiffly, "most of the demons in my tribe were female. They didn't really know what kind of name to give a male, so…" he shrugged in a kind of hopeless embarrassment.

Hiei chuckled in a low voice, but immediately quelled it when he realized how he'd been behaving toward the demon—this Rin—why, he'd even been acting friendly. Hiei shook his head slightly, deciding that he spent way too much time with that dratted fox—he was starting to slip and act almost human. The thought alone made him shudder.

Rin's insulted look brought him back to reality. "Is my name so repulsive that it makes you shudder?" he demanded, flushing.

Hiei looked at him in astonishment. Examining him thoughtfully, he spoke in a voice much softer than his usual growl, saying, "I wasn't shuddering because of your name. I would never do that. I was just remembering some…unpleasant memories."

Rin nodded slowly, still looking a bit suspicious, but said no more, instead gesturing for Hiei to follow him to a corner of the cave. Walking behind Rin, Hiei resigned himself to act less frivolously; he had known this demon's name five minutes, and already he was practically spilling his secrets! Hiei knew he was overreacting, but that was how he felt, as he didn't trust people—demons especially—and acting in such a casual manner around Rin made him nervous. I'm not going to let this one demon turn me into some emotional human lover like Kurama.

He didn't believe in his own words, but for now, it was easier to lie to himself, easier to hide than to admit that he wanted to know, more than anything, how the demon knew Kurama.

Are Kurama's ningen emotions really starting to affect me like this? He wondered. Shrugging it aside, he continued following Rin, stopping in front of what looked suspiciously like a smoking cauldron.

"You're not really some kind of spell-caster, are you?" he asked in disbelief. Rin chuckled at Hiei's expression.

"You don't expect me to answer that, do you?" he said in an airy tone, examining the contents of several jars.

Hiei didn't respond; he was too busy eyeing the various jars if ingredients around the 'cauldron' with an expression resembling revulsion. "What is that?" he asked, pointing to a particularly vile-looking jar, its ingredients looking disturbingly like demon organs.

Rin didn't appear to hear him, for he was too busy searching among the various jars. Hiei watched him apprehensively for several minutes until he emerged, holding not some kind of bizarre magical ingredient, as Hiei would have expected, but a large, dusty looking leather book. "Yes!" Rin said happily. "I've found it, finally!"

"Found what?" Hiei said eagerly—he'd forgotten that he was supposed to act like a cold, emotionless jerk—staring at the book curiously, he read the letters: Makai Tales and Legends.

"You were looking for a fairy tale book?" he said in a harsh tone.

"Of course not!" Rin said, smiling as if he knew something Hiei didn't, something that infuriated Hiei to no end—after all, Rin did know something he didn't; else he wouldn't even be having the conversation.

"What is it, then?"

"You wanted to tell you my story—so I'm going to. It's all in here," Rin said, patting the book fondly.

Hiei opened his mouth to say something nasty, but apparently thought better of it. Defeated, he crossed his arms. "Get on with it, then," he said, sounding like a five year old who was being forced to eat his vegetables.

Rin hid his smile and opened the book slowly, eyes scouring the pages hungrily, even though he'd been through it a hundred times. To think, a simple ningen book—for children, of all things—would contain so many demons' tales and woes. And mine, as well…

He finally reached the page he'd been looking for; the edges were frayed and tattered, as if they'd been turned countless times—the writing was faint, and the pages yellow. It was a story—his story—a story of all the pain he'd had to go through. And it was all that wretched youko's fault.

His eyes burned with anger for a moment, but at the sound of Hiei's sigh, he relaxed. This is all for a good cause, he reminded himself. You'll finally find him again, and you can finish what you started.

With that satisfying thought, he ran his hands over the page once more, and began to read.

Kurama sat up with a start. Where am I? He thought vaguely. Screwing his face up in concentration, he remembered faintly seeing Hiei's eyes across the cave—wait…cave…demons…and in a rush, all of it came back to him: the demon taking Yusuke and Kuwabara hostage, him hiding from the demon that reminded him of his painful past…and Hiei. Did I really fall asleep again? He asked himself, feeling slightly put out. I wonder what's happened since I fell asleep, he thought, yawning as he stretched. He froze mid-stretch when he heard the demon's voice. Concentrating hard, he could only make out a few words, and he could make no sense of them—the demon's tone, however, sounded as if he were telling a story to someone…Is that demon actually talking to Hiei? He wondered. Oh, Inari…I can only imagine what kinds of things that demon might know about me. I do hope Hiei has enough sense not to take it too seriously…That was a long time ago, after all…

Suddenly finding his eyelids drooping, he stifled a yawn, realizing that he was more tired than he'd thought. Oh well, he thought sleepily, all foreboding thoughts cast aside. I guess I'll just explain later yawn I'll just take…a little…nap…

Back in the cave, unbeknownst to Kurama or Hiei, the demon Rin smiled a little, a look of triumph flashing briefly through his eyes. It's working, he thought giddily. It's actually working! I'm going to get that stupid fox—once and for all. His eyes gleamed, and he laughed silently. Who would've known that the potion he'd worked on for so long, that had taken so much work to create, would work so perfectly? He shook his head ruefully. These people really are idiots, trusting me like this, and not doing anything.

Hiei grunted to his right, reminding him that he had paused in between his reading. "Sorry," he muttered to Hiei, who nodded.

Clearing his throat, he started from the beginning…

In the Makai, there were demons of all sorts; some primitive, others weak, and a few…deadly. Youkai are often animal-like in appearance, but those who rose and grew in power also grew in appearance. They would gain the appearance of being human, with some select exceptions—a fox tail, a cat ear, fangs…And, even among these elite few, there would be those with even more power—and beauty. Youko was one of these. Cunning and devious, he was a thief, specializing in breaking locks and codes. Infamous in the demon world for his skills, even more renowned was his beauty—flowing silver hair, piercing golden eyes, pale, luminescent skin, and a long, lithe body. Many sought after him. But, like a fox, he was elusive—always barely escaping a demon's grasp. One demon in particular almost succeeded—his name was Rin. The story begins on a cold, cloudy day…

All of this was said slowly, carefully, as if the words were precious to him; his face was lowered, making his expression impossible to read. Briefly, Hiei wondered what this could possibly have to do with Rin kidnapping his friends.

Rin had paused after uttering the last sentence, and he had a faraway look in his eyes; when, after a considerable silence, he'd resumed reading, his voice had taken on a low, dreamy quality, quite unlike his usual voice.

Youko was beautiful, cunning, and extremely vain; he could have any demon he chose, and he knew it.

Hiei blinked in an astonished manner, for when Rin had said the last word, his voice had become steely and tinged with bitterness. I'd never have guessed that they used to be involved…romantically. But, he thought offhandedly, I haven't really given much thought to Kurama's love life, have I?

It's strange, he mused further, how I can forget what a heartbreaker Kurama once was, but never once did I forget about his past misdeeds. I cared more about his thieving skills than anything else.

Rin is probably just another lover, hungry for revenge after Kurama had done with him. Hiei wondered why he felt sorry for Rin and not any of the other lovers Kurama had left with their hearts broken.

Rin paused in his reading and looked at Hiei thoughtfully. "What are you thinking about?" he said, his voice retaining its usual carefree quality.

Hiei didn't move. "Nothing," he replied in a tone that clearly indicated he was thinking anything but that. Rin surprised himself by not prying further; normally he would have thought nothing of delving into someone else's deepest fears or regrets. It was, in fact, something that normally gave him much pleasure. What the heck is wrong with me?

"Are you ready to hear more, then?" he asked cheerfully, thumbing through the book in a gesture of carelessness.

"Hm…?" Hiei said, looking distracted. "Sure."

Nodding solemnly in a mocking gesture, Rin turned the pages once more and began to read, not before spotting a waking Kurama in the corner of the cave. Ah, he thought amusedly, the great Youko Kurama fell asleep. He snickered silently. It's just as well—we're just now getting to the important part, anyway. "Ready?" he asked Hiei, who nodded.

Taking a deep breath, he began to read. Hiei closed his eyes and drank in the words.

It all started with a mistake, Rin recited, his voice once again taking on a dreamy quality. The Youko, on a thieving 'expedition', had forgotten to check the wards on the door—before he knew what was happening, he was caught by another demon. The demon was Rin, who had long, sleek black hair, deep green eyes, and the same flawless skin and figure that made Youko famous. The connection was immediate. Looking at the two, they were perfect opposites of each other; Youko with his icy demeanor and poise and Rin with his warm, sensuous aura. They were the sun and moon; yin and yang; black and white.

They were destined to be together.

At this, Rin's voice became slightly choked with barely suppressed tears; Hiei, out of courtesy, pretended not to notice, and waited patiently for Rin to continue. Taking deep, controlled, breaths, Rin resumed his reading, his voice clear but slightly less sure.

The air between them was crackling; their energy bounced off of each other, and their gazes never strayed from one another's faces. And then, slowly, as if time had stopped, Rin smiled. And Youko smiled back.

Neither knew that they would both leave, their wills tattered and their soul weary, not only each other, but their hearts.

Rin took a deep, shaky breath, and said, in a trembling voice, "I'm…not sure if I c-can…read…this…"

Hiei nodded, understanding. "You can lie down, if you want. I can read the rest."

Rin smiled weakly, grateful, and lay down, his breathing deep and slightly labored. Hiei glanced at him wearily, one last time, before he turned to the book. Taking a deep breath, he wondered why he was so afraid of finding out the contents of that particular story.

Maybe you want to keep believing that Kurama's some kind of angel sent by God—you don't want to admit that he's a demon, just like you, his conscience said, rising, unbidden, in the back of his mind. Hiei shook his head, and resolved to open the book.

Taking a final, shuddering breath, flicked through the pages, and began to read.

.To be continued