I remember when I posted this chapter originally, I only had a few weeks of school left... -sigh- I think I have about 10 or 11 left... Not too bad I guess. Thanks for my reviewers: silveryoukoshinamori, KyoHanna, Evldreamr, Hedi Dracona, and Fox-Forbidden-Child. Enjoy!

Slowly Changing

Eventually, day will break, casting away the darkness that is night, allowing hope to grow as the sun climbs into the sky. Although it was in fact light outside, you could hardly tell because only one tiny window high above let in the refreshing glow.

"So you're finally awake I see," Karasu commented, as he entered the room, glancing at the bed to see Kurama looking longingly at the small window. Ignoring his now glaring expression, he continued, "Do you feel any better, or did you get worse during the night?"

"How could I ever feel better when I'm being held prisoner by the likes of you?" Kurama replied haughtily, diverting his eyes from him. "I told you to stay away from me!" he yelled, jerking away from Karasu's hand as he attempted to check for a fever. Noticing his slight wince Karasu decided to back off.

"I suppose I had both of those lines coming, but now that you've said them, would you tell me how you're feeling, physically at least?" he asked with his back turned as he walked to the other side of the room.

"Fine, I guess, a little sore; nothing serious," Kurama muttered, much calmer now that there was some distance between himself and Karasu.

"And from the split second my hand was on your forehead, it felt like you lost your fever during the night."

"Probably not the only thing I lost…" Kurama said under his breath bitterly.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Karasu demanded, indignant at Kurama's comment.

"You know damn well what I mean. You can't tell me you didn't do something to me when I was completely helpless like that," Kurama shot back.

"You've made it painfully obvious that you don't trust me, but give me a break. I would never stoop so low as to do something like that when you aren't even conscious," he remarked hotly. "And anyways, it's not likely it would've been your first time…"

"Excuse me? Did I just hear you correctly? Because it sounded like you said I've slept with someone before as a human."

"Yes, that would be what I said."

"Then, whom, may I ask; do you suspect my 'supposed' lover is?" Kurama asked, anger building in his voice with every word.

"The himiko. You were always somewhere near him."

"You've got to be kidding me… Even if I liked him like that, which I don't, he would never allow himself to submit to that weakness!" Kurama yelled out in rage, clearly amusing Karasu by his sudden anger.

"Two things, one, you could make anyone submit to you, even if they thought it would make them weaker and two, if that were the truth, then why are you defensive about it?" Karasu mocked, only infuriating Kurama more.

"Because it's so annoying when people assume friends are more than what they are!"

"They only presume it that way because it's so obvious that's how it is between you two," Karasu replied evenly.

"Shut up!" he yelled, yanking on the chains in an attempt to attack Karasu for his remarks, but the only thing it got him was a powerful shock.

"Now don't get too worked up, it's not as if you can do anything, being chained like you are," he said wickedly as Kurama bit back a cry of anguish.

"How very clever…angering a prisoner so that you can see him in pain, that's very dignified of you," Kurama scorned calmly, his brief pain erasing his anger.

"Oh what's the matter, angry because I know the truth about you two? Poor thing," he remarked sarcastically, holding Kurama's chin up.

"You are aware that although my human teeth aren't nearly as sharp as my demon ones that they can still easily draw blood from an in range target, correct?" he asked, his eyes locked with Karasu's, making him a little uneasy from the determination they held.

"Indeed you could, not that I would care much, I have healing powers, remember?"

"Just let go of me and we'll save each other some trouble all right? I won't have to taste your rancid blood and you won't have to waste your energy to heal it, easy enough for your simple mind to grasp?" Kurama asked.

"Fair enough…well now that I've exhausted that fun, what was I going to do?" Karasu thought aloud.

"You were going to free me and never seek me out again so long as you live."

"I remember now," Karasu murmured, gazing over Kurama's body and ignoring his comment in the process. "The clothing you're wearing is torn and is blood stained. I have some new ones for you…"

"There's no way in hell I'll wear some skimpy fantasy-driven outfit that you have," Kurama said disgusted.

"I won't make you wear something like that unless you want to," he muttered rummaging through a small closet. "So your new clothes are almost exactly identical to the ones you wear now," he replied, tossing the darker hued clothes into Kurama's lap.

"For once, you aren't lying," Kurama muttered looking the clothes over. "Deeper colors than I'm used to wearing, but I guess you do deserve some say in what I wear. Prisons do give the convicts clothes after all. I'm just glad that it's not what I thought you'd hand me."

"Well obviously, what's the point in bringing you something you would refuse to wear?" Karasu asked to which Kurama had no answer.

"Would you let me out of these things? How do you expect me to change while I'm chained at the wrist and ankle?" Kurama said, finding his voice again.

"I suppose that would be rather difficult, wouldn't it? Not that it matters if you're chained or not anymore. You couldn't leave now even if you did somehow manage to break the chains; at least not while your body contains the same energy. If you tried running through the door as soon as I take the chains off, you'd only get a shock ten times worse than the first one you received from these," Karasu explained as he unlocked all of Kurama's bindings.

"Are you serious?" Kurama asked disbelieving.

"Did I stutter? Now hurry up and change, I'll be right outside, as I know you'd be uncomfortable if I remained," he stated, already leaving.

For some reason I feel that I should just check to make sure he wasn't lying about that barrier… Kurama thought, quickly changing from his old to new clothes. He did sound pretty sure of himself, so I won't run full head on into the doorway, but I can still test it… he decided. Walking towards the door he stabbed at it only to be thrown back from the force it had.

"Well it's a good thing curiosity only kills a cat or you probably would've died a long time ago," Karasu remarked from the doorway, struggling not to laugh as Kurama hastily got back to his feet.

"Oh shut up, you would've have tried the same thing if you were in my position."

"True, very true, so does that suit you well enough?" he asked.

"Yes, they could be a little looser, but I was kind of expecting that. They'll work until I leave."

"You really don't like it here do you? As I implied earlier, you won't be chained anymore, since they aren't needed."

"It'll be a little more tolerable that way…" Kurama considered.

"If something will make you feel more comfortable, I'm willing to do it, but evidently there are limits. Speaking of a more relaxed setting…perhaps you'd like to try that potion? I know you'd be more at ease as Yoko…" he asked expectantly.

"Don't push it, my trust isn't easily gained and you just barely have a shred of it as it is, so don't get ahead of yourself."

"Point taken, but I thought I'd try…"

"That reminds me. Why are you being so…well…nice to me? You don't exactly seem like yourself as of late…"

"To be honest, I have changed since that tournament, whether you want to believe it or not… I'm not as…violent I guess you could say. No longer will I ever derive joy from the death of a loved one…"

"Really? That's quite a change, but I doubt its true… And when it comes to changes, why didn't you when you took that mask off last night? I thought for sure you'd turn blonde again."

"Because I control that power, I would've thought that was obvious."

"So then why do you wear the mask if you don't have to?"

"Good question, I don't really know why, I guess it's just an old habit from when I was still Toguro's lapdog… They were the ones that forced me to wear it. They claimed that I could become stronger if I trained in my weaker form and since I can't transform with it on, there you go. Somehow though, I find that hard to believe…" he mused, taking it off.

"Habits are hard to break…I'll agree with you there."

"There's a first."

"So what are the chances of letting me go within the next 24 hours? I'm sure my friends can wait that long, if they're even still looking…"

"I thought we'd gone over this, I told you to forget them, they aren't coming for you, nor will you probably ever see each other again."

"What do you mean? You're keeping me here for the rest of my life?" Kurama asked, fear in his deep emerald eyes.

"I guess you could say that."

"You're full of it! I refuse to stay here that long!"

"Interesting for you to say that, because you don't have a say in it as far as I'm concerned."

"If I kill you I can do as I please. Your little barrier won't be in effect anymore if you're gone, now would it?"

"So you intend to fight me when you're still so weak? I wouldn't if I was you, you'll just prolong your helplessness."

"I don't care what you would do, I'm not you!" Kurama shouted, lashing his whip at Karasu, who dodged far too easily.

"This is pathetic; you're not even at 50 percent of your full strength, why do you do this to yourself?" Karasu asked, just before disappearing.

"This trick again? Can't you do anything new?" he demanded, trying to find his energy signature.

"It's over, just give up. You're not strong enough to be doing this; you and I both know that…" Karasu said. With one hand pressed firmly against the small of his back and the other against the kitsune's chest, they glowed ominously and Kurama felt the warning amount of warmth they gave off.

"I don't care… If I'm to spend the rest of my life as your prisoner, I'd like to cut my miserable life short before I go insane," he stated in a low voice.

"No, the only thing you're doing is forcing yourself to be in constant pain. Quite masochistic of you to say the least."

"I'll be in constant pain even if it's not physical because everyone I know and care about will think I'm dead when I'm not and the reason I can't be with them is you."

"So now it's my fault because you were betrayed? I didn't make your 'friends' leave you for dead, so stop saying things that make it sound as if I did," Karasu said defensively before dropping his hands and repositioning themto pinKurama up against the wall so that they were face to face. "Do you understand yet? You can't keep thinking this was my fault, they were the ones who didn't care. I was the one who saved you from certain death and the one that has been nursing you back to health, but if you keep this up, you'll never return to full power…"

"I'm not saying it's your fault or blaming you. I'm the one at fault; I couldn't get out of the way in time so I was badly injured for it. I would've slowed everyone down so they said they'd come back for me. Then those demons came after me and you showed up…"

"It's not your fault, it's theirs. They should have never left you, no matter what condition you were in, a real friend wouldn't have allowed it. For someone so smart, you sure can be dense at times, I just don't get why you can't accept the truth for what it is…"

"I-I want to, but wouldn't I betray them by forgetting them?" Kurama asked, unsure of himself from Karasu's words.

"No, you'd just be letting yourself move on and live with a lighter heart. I'm sure you've had to do something like that before in the past…"

"Yes, but I never trusted them in the first place, where as I trusted Yusuke and the others with my life…" he said weakly.

"Just let them go," he insisted softly.

"I don't think I can, I cared for them too much. There is one person I was just as close to…a thieving partner of mine that died and I still think about him to this day. With how many there is now, it would be impossible to forget them, considering I couldn't forget one person…"

"Perhaps forget isn't the right word. Just try to keep in mind what they did wrong to you and it'll probably be easier to not think of them. Does that help any?"

"Kind of…"

"Well 'kind of' is better than a flat out no, I suppose. This depressed and heartbroken look you have on your face makes you look like a forlorn beauty…I'll comfort you if you like…" Karasu suggested, leaning in slightly. Kurama blanched.

"Uh, I think I'll pass… Do you mind? This doesn't exactly make my wrists feel good," Kurama remarked, locking away his pain from view.

"That's what I thought; I was just waiting for you to complain. Normally it's very unbecoming, but for you…well, I'm sure you can figure that much out…" Karasu said. Using the second of confusion caused by his remark, he licked at Kurama's neck and probably would have bitten him if Kurama didn't yank out of his grasp just in the nick of time.

"What the hell, are you seriously like half vampire or something?" Kurama asked slightly unnerved.

"What gave you that idea? We're not fantasizing are we?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No! You're the one who would've bitten me if I didn't get away."

"I may not be vampiric…but I'm sure your blood would be delicious."

"That's just a little bit disturbing."

"Looks like the big bad thief doesn't like the thought of having his blood drank, does he?"

"Ahem, I prefer former thief, if you don't mind. As for the other part, no I don't."

"Are you sick again? You never make jokes, especially not with me."

"I do when I'm hungry," Kurama responded.

"Ah, I should've thought of that…"

"Why don't you use the energy you feed to your mouth to feed me instead?" Kurama suggested, sitting down on the bed.

"Is there anything you wouldn't want?"

"No, I'm so hungry I could eat anything."

"Is that so…?"

"You know what I meant," Kurama said exasperated.

"Right…I get sidetracked every time you talk or I look at you…such a shame…"

"You are so full of it…"

That was a pretty long one, don't you think? Just in case, when Karasu referred to "the himiko" he was talking about Hiei. lol. Hmm...well, I seem to be at a loss for words so...please review! Thanks again everyone!