Hi ya! Sorry I haven't updated for so long! We've been having internet troubles. Newayz. To my reviewers!

Kage Kitsune 27: Thanx. Sorry, this story takes place a few months after the Dark Tournament. I didn't do the whole Sensui thing.

Karakurama: Thanx for the idea, but I don't have a place right now. I'll keep you in mind for another story.

Silverwolf: Thanx;D

What2callmyself: It looks good. I don't know what I'd do without you.

All right. Nuff with the formalities; after the disclaimer:

I sent in a request to buy Yu Yu Hakusho, but all I got back was a cassette tape with maniacal laughter and a note that said "Yeah right". I cried for the rest of the night. (takes deep breath) Okay, I'm good now. On with the chappie!

XxX

Kurama's vision came back slowly, until he found himself lying in a cage inside a pitch black room. He tried to sit up, but clutched his stomach in pain, and he recognized the sticky feeling of blood. "How did he punch me that hard?" he asked himself.

A door opened suddenly, causing light to flood the room, and also caused Kurama to shut his eyes tightly in order to keep from being blinded. Before he could recover from the sudden intrusion, Kurama felt someone pick him up by the neck and hold him off the ground. He opened his eyes only to be met with a pair of deep violet ones.

Karasu laughed maniacally at the look of fear that filled Kurama's emerald orbs. "Now, don't be afraid my sweet kitsune, you knew this day was coming ever since the Dark Tournament ended."

Kurama's eyes grew wide as he realized, "You were the one who started those dreams."

Karasu gave a twisted smile, "Oh, those weren't dreams my sweet, those are mere visions of the fun you will have with me."

Kurama's eyes grew even wider as Karasu's grip tightened around his neck. "And now, you just rest my precious. I will be back for you soon and then the fun will begin." Darkness threatened to take over Kurama's vision as he looked into the face before him. The darkness won and he fainted.

Karasu laughed as he let the limp and unresisting body drop to the ground and walked out of the room; leaving the defenseless fox in the darkness.

XxX

"This is taking too long!" Yusuke yelled as he paced back and forth in Koenma's office.

Botan had gone to Records and discovered a large file labeled, 'Karasu' and she and Koenma were now searching through it.

"Slow down Yusuke," Botan said as she shuffled around some papers, "This file should tell us if Karasu ever had a hideout and where it would be."

Hiei sat on the windowsill. He had fallen into memories from Kurama's nightmares again, and they were starting to get worse.

XxX

"Hiei, please help me."

A deep and amused laugh filled the room. "He isn't going to help you Kurama. I'm your only friend now."

Hiei watched as his closest friend's mangled and bleeding body was thrown to the ground. "I don't remember seeing this dream!" he thought.

"Yusuke. Hiei, please. Help me."

"I'm here fox," Hiei found himself saying, but Kurama couldn't hear him. He could see that Kurama's body was deeply gashed and bleeding profusely while both of his legs seemed to be broken.

"Please, let this nightmare end," he heard Kurama whimper, causing Hiei to worry even more, as Kurama would never let his emotions show in front of an enemy.

Karasu laughed loudly as he knelt by the poor fox's head. "Oh, this isn't a dream my precious kitsune, this is a reality, and no one can help you."

Hiei's blood was already boiling as he ran at the crow, but he passed right through him and landed next to Kurama. He almost burst into tears when he heard his best friend's pain-filled cries.

"Hiei, Yukina, I'm sorry. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan. I tried." With that, Kurama collapsed and Hiei was thrown from the dream.

XxX

Hiei almost fell off the windowsill as he jerked awake. "Those aren't memories. Those are real and happening to him right now!" he thought. He flung himself around and looked at the other occupants in the room.

"Yusuke, Kurama is being tortured right now. We have to go."

"How do you know that Shorty?"

Hiei glared at Kuwabara, "Because you oaf, I just saw it happen, altough I still can't trace where it's coming from."

"But I can!"

Everyone turned around to face Koenma as he held up one of the many papers. "He has a lair in the Makai! I'm sure that's where he would have taken Kurama!"

"Give me that." Yuskue roughly grabbed the paper and he, Kuwabara, and Botan flew out the door, but not before Hiei, who had seen the paper through his Jagan had already left.

XxX

Karasu sneered slightly as he walked toward the room at the end of the hall. "I'm having so much fun. Let's see what we can do today." He opened the door and walked in. The body of his precious fox lay in the cage, unmoving and absolutely still. "Time to wake up Kurama. We're going to have some fun now."

Kurama's eyes snapped open as the door to the cage opened. A dark figure kneeled over his head and gently caressed his shirtless back and neck. "It took so long for you to cry and beg these past few times Kurama. How long will you last this time?" Cooed the figure. Kurama channeled all of the energy he had left and jumped away from the icy hands and onto his unsteady legs.

Karasu had an amused look on his face. "Now, now Kurama. Don't struggle like that, you'll only hurt yourself." He stood to come closer, but froze as Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair and created a whip.

Karasu's eyes lit up, "Well, this is different; I didn't think you had the energy to create a rose whip. You seem to have grown a bit stronger since we last met; I'm impressed, but it won't help you. I think I found something entertaining to do today." He suddenly disappeared. Kurama felt the whip jerked out of his hands before the crow reappeared. "You can have the pleasure of feeling your own weapon used against you."

Kurama had no time to react before the whip wrapped around his ankle and catapulted him across the room, landing on his stomach. He yelped in pain from the raw, bloody gash on his stomach, but quickly forgot about it as the long thorns of the whip dug into his back.

The minutes past like centuries for the poor kitsune as the whip tore through the delicate skin of his back. He bit his lip until it started to bleed; he wouldn't give Karasu the pleasure of hearing him yell in agony. The whipping continued and while Kurama continued to fight him, but after ten minutes, Kurama couldn't hold it in anymore and screamed in pain.

Karasu laughed loudly, "That's better Kurama. I missed the sounds of your fear from the Dark Tournament. Let's hear it again." Karasu continued for another five minutes, but Kurama didn't yell again. "Come on dear fox, I said I wanted to hear it again." He brought his hand high over his head and was about to strike, when the room burst with the energy of another demon. When the whip was only inches from Kurama's back, something suddenly flew across the room and tackled Karasu to the floor.

The light from the opened door was blinding, forcing Kurama to keep his eyes shut tightly. He was starting to shake uncontrollably from shock and the cold of the stone floor beneath his bare stomach. His body jumped and protested in pain as a pair of hands touched his shoulders. However, these hands were warm and caring. "It's alright now fox," the voice said quietly and soothingly. Kurama relaxed under the touch of the familiar voice.

"Hi-ei," Kurama whispered in relief, barely able to get the word out.

"Yes Kurama, it's me. Now rest." Kurama felt a soft fabric laid carefully over his back. He lost consciousness knowing he would be safe.

XxX

Hiei ran across the Makai until he found the crow's lair; the entrance being a door in the side of a huge mountain. He unsheathed his sword and in two strokes, the door crashed to the and he walked in. Hiei was surprised to see that this was no cave, but what looked like the inside of an office building; filled with winding halls and millions of doors. 1

Now inside, Hiei could feel both of Karasu and Kurama's energy. Hiei's eyes widened as he felt what little energy the fox spirit was emitting. He followed the energy to a hall where he heard a terrible scream that could only come from his friend. A maniacal laughter followed soon after. "That's better Kurama. Now, lets hear it again." The voices were still very quiet, and Hiei ran as fast as he could toward them.

Hiei started to think he had gone the wrong way, until he heard the voice again. "Come on dear fox, I said I wanted to hear it again."

Hiei found the door and burst through it. The room filled with light and he saw Karasu standing over Kurama's prone form, holding the whip that Hiei had come to know so well. His blood boiled over as ran forward and launched himself at Karasu, knocking the crow to the ground. Hiei jumped off the stunned Karasu and ran to the motionless form across the room. He hesitated when he saw how badly Kurama's shirtless back was slashed and the other wounds that covered his arms, neck and face. Kurama's hair was a dull shadow of itself, matted to the fox's face with blood and dirt. Hiei knelt down and carefully touched his friend's shoulders to try and wake him. Kurama's freezing cold body jumped under his touch. Hiei let a small smile of relief show before it quickly disappeared. "It's alright now fox," he said quietly. He felt the tense and sore muscles under his fingers relax as Kurama recognized him before passing out.

XxX

1- I think corporations do that on purpose. You wander along until you are lost and then you forget what you're there for and then wind up getting roped into something (Whatcallmyself's comment, but I totally agree.)

Yeah! 5 whole pages! You are all still sticking with me! You love me, you really love me! (Takes another deep breath) Okay, I've had too much sugar, wait a sec, I don't eat sugar. ? Oh well! I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can! Bye!

Kittyluv