Standard disclaimers apply. AU, OOC, Angst, and Yaoi all play a part in this fic.

The Fox's Rose

By Mistress Tsunami AKA shinchansgirl

CHAPTER TWO REVISED2

DATE: 08/09/05

You thought I was just a spark.

Something that you could control,

To light the dark.

I am the flame,

That lights the inferno.

-T-shirt from NeonDragonArt "Fire"

Yuusuke followed the fox-demon up the stairs and into the red-head's bedroom with little complaint – he didn't want to wake Kurama's mother. The clock above the bed was flashing 4:27, and the black-haired boy nearly groaned. It was far, far too early to be up.

"Go ahead and take the bed, Yuusuke," Kurama said, as if reading his thoughts. "I won't be sleeping any more this morning anyways, and I can make up the spare for you for tonight while you sleep."

"Wait, for tonight?" the spirit detective protested. "I ain't stayin' that long, Kurama, what're you talkin' about?"

Kurama smiled. "You said that you spend the night tonight, did you not?" Yuusuke nodded. "Well, since it's already morning, tonight would imply that you are staying from Sunday afternoon – which is today – to Monday morning, would it not?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Yuusuke hissed, attempting to keep his voice low.

"Be that as it may, it is what you said. You aren't going to go back on your word now, are you?"

Yuusuke sniffed, leaning back and pouting slightly. "Nah, I'll stay. This ain't no long term deal, though! I'm not gonna bum offa anyone when I got a perfectly fine place ta stay at night."

"Just go to sleep, detective. We'll talk it over later."

"There's nothing ta talk about; I ain't stayin'."

Kurama didn't answer, instead sitting at his desk and fishing around a drawer for a book to read. While the light from the hallway wasn't exactly bright – Yuusuke did need to sleep – it was enough for Kurama's more-than-human eyes to read by.

The other boy shrugged, and with a quiet 'whatever' collapsed on his friend's western-styled bed. It gave a slight bounce as he hit it, something his bed never did, and the unmade covers twisted awkwardly beneath him. Kicking them away with his sock-clad feet, the black-haired boy turned to face the wall, his back to Kurama, and drifted off to sleep.

The hours passed slowly for Kurama, who hadn't read as much as a paragraph since his reluctant guest had slipped into a deep sleep. Instead he was thinking of ways to keep Yuusuke coming back, either here or to another place, and not sleeping outside in the cold. Yes, last night had been warm, but those nights were becoming fewer and fewer as winter set in.

When nine-o-clock rolled by, Kurama stood and took some clothes with him for a shower. He could hear his mother downstairs already, cooking breakfast, and thought about informing her of their guest. He shrugged it off until after his shower – Yuusuke wouldn't be up before then anyways. Just to be certain the other wouldn't attempt escape, he placed a small rose vine in the space between the door and the wall to keep it shut – hopefully, his mother wouldn't notice the small green leaves that stuck out from the doorframe.

He hadn't done anything to prevent the other from leaving through the window, but that was unnecessary; if Yuusuke did wake up and leave, Kurama would simply have to bring him back.

After his shower the red-head went downstairs to greet his mother and get some breakfast.

"Good morning Shuuichi-kun," she smiled as he sat down at the table. The older human woman placed a meal of rice and miso down before him and then continued on with cleaning the morning's dishes; apparently, she had already eaten.

"Good morning, Kaasan," Kurama greeted, responding instantly to his human name. "Did you sleep well?"

"Of course, dear. Last night was rather peaceful, was it not?"

Kurama smiled around a mouthful of rice, swallowing before answering. "It was pleasant," he agreed. "But I'm afraid I also have something else to ask."

Shiori turned to face him, leaving the dishes for later, and sat down at the table, not once appearing suspicious or angry. "What is it, Shu-kun?"

"Would you mind if I brought a guest home for a while? He's a friend of mine from that trip I took, and I'm not certain how long he'd be staying."

The woman smiled. "Of course you can, Shu-kun," she said. "It isn't a problem. What's his name?"

"Yuusuke."

"Yuusuke…is he anything like that nice Hiei boy?"

Kurama chuckled. "One might say that…but don't tell them that. They know each other, and don't like to think of themselves as similar."

Shiori shared a laugh with her son. "I see. That would be fine then. I need to go to the store this afternoon anyway, and I'll be sure to pick up some extra ice cream for the both of them. Hiei will be stopping by sometime soon, won't he?"

Kurama shrugged. "It's hard to say. Kaasan…I was wondering if I might propose one last idea to you this morning, before you leave."

"Go ahead, dear," the human said when Kurama paused.

"Well, Hiei has been coming over rather frequently lately and I have a feeling that Yuusuke may be staying for a while as well – I'd like him to, if nothing else, because I don't like where he stays otherwise. I don't want to disturb you by bringing in guests all the time, and we only have one spare bedroom. I was thinking about – possibly – the three of us getting an apartment somewhere near school. Nothing fancy, just a place where we could sleep and eat."

Shiori was silent for a few moments. "I understand what you're trying to say, Shu-kun. You're ready to move out on your own, aren't you?" The human woman gave a bright smile as she looked up at her son. "You don't have to use your friends as an excuse – you probably enjoyed those trips, without your mother there – go ahead and find yourself an apartment, and be with your friends. Just don't forget your schoolwork, and do come and visit me on occasion."

"As often as possible, I promise," Kurama said, reaching over to grab one of his mother's hands across the table. "And don't even worry about the expenses; between the three of us, we'll manage somehow on our own." Actually, Kurama was planning on seeing Jr. and forcing the mini-god to pay for all they needed – it was the least he could do after all that they had been through on his behalf – but Kurama's mother didn't need to know that.

Hiei perched silently on the open windowsill. Kurama would be upset that he had broken the locks once again, but it really wasn't his problem. They were cheap, and easily replaced. It was really the fox's fault anyway, for not being there to open them.

He could hear the demon downstairs, talking to the mother of his human body about something called an 'apartment', and so he was left alone to wonder why the spirit detective was sleeping in Kurama's bed, and why the demon had taken such care with the door.

Not one to sit and think on a problem when the answer could be gotten out of someone else, Hiei settled down to wait until the fox came up and he could ask the plant master. Waking up Yuusuke seemed to be too dangerous a task, especially since his snoring was already enough of an assault to the ears.

Almost five minutes later, Hiei heard Kurama put his dishes away and climb the stairs on nearly-silent feet. The rose bush in the doorframe shrunk back in on itself, twisting its way back inside the protective shell of its seed. Task completed, the door opened.

"Good morning, Hiei," Kurama greeted.

"Hn."

"I'm afraid my bed is occupied at the moment, if you were looking for someplace to sleep, but I was just about to go and set up the bed in the guest room, if you'd like to sleep there once I'm finished."

"I wasn't looking for a place to sleep."

"I see," Kurama smiled. "Perhaps you'd like some sweet snow, then, once I finish the arrangements with Yuusuke?"

"What's he doing here anyway?" Hiei asked, dodging the question.

"Ah…" Kurama sat down in the chair at his desk, watching the spirit detective as he spoke. "I found him sleeping in one of the parks last night," Kurama explained. "I know that seems normal to you, but for a human it's very odd. Apparently his mother isn't the best person to live with, and so I brought him here. He's only agreed to stay tonight, however – he doesn't see it as a problem."

"Ch," was all Hiei gave as an answer.

"I was hoping to somehow get him to stay with us; it would help to get him out of the environment he's in, perhaps help to curb his rash and sometimes destructive behavior. The human world has something called an apartment, where several people can live together in a small area, with more people living in the same building. Ah…I'm afraid my explanation isn't that good; do you understand what I mean?"

"Room-Homes."

"Yes, something like that. Koenma, of course, would pay. He owes us that much. Would you care to join us there, Hiei?"

The small demon shrugged, which was as close to a 'yes' as Kurama would ever get. The fox demon knew this, and knew that he would have to convince Hiei of his plan as well, but at the moment his main concern was Yuusuke.

"I need to go prepare the guest room, would you watch over him for me until I return?"

Hiei nodded, understanding what the other demon meant. Yuusuke didn't really need watching over – he needed someone to make certain he didn't leave.

"Thank you, Hiei. Once I'm finished, the three of us will get some sweet snow, and then we'll see just what kind of living conditions he's been forced to endure."

Waking Yuusuke up had been a task in and of itself – when the spirit detective felt safe, he slept like the dead, no pun intended – and so the stop at the small ice cream store was well deserved for the two demons. Their black-haired companion had complained loudly, but nothing could keep Hiei from his 'sweet snow' treat, and Kurama wasn't about to try.

Because of these stops, it was nearly noon when they made it to Yuusuke's home – probably made longer by the occasion detour he was prone to taking, more to deter the others from actually coming into his home than because they needed to. "Well," Yuusuke said as they stopped outside a building. "Here it is, home sweet home. It's kinda messy inside, so why don't the two of ya wait out here while I go get somethin' ta change into?"

The hint was clear – 'I don't want you in my home' – but the red-haired demon ignored it. "We don't mind a little mess, Yuusuke. At least, I don't. I'm going in with you; I'd like to see this home of yours."

"Fine, but it's your funeral," Yuusuke warned, walking up the path to the doorway.

The spirit detective lived in an apartment with his mother. They were on the first floor, in one of the more spacious, more expensive sets of rooms. This, however, didn't change the fact that it was a disaster. It was clear from the moment one stepped into the main room that the housing hadn't been cleaned in a very long time. The kitchen was just to the left of the door, and standing on the counter tops were old beer bottles and take-out boxes, some from companies long out of business. Laundry – all dirty – littered the hallway from the doorway to the living room, where a woman lay watching television as she smoked. There was a bra hanging from a ceiling fan, and an old pair of tattered jeans over the trash. Shirts, underwear, and unidentifiable pieces of clothing were thrown over everything, burying or being buried by heaps of trash.

"Yuusuke?" the woman asked, the question ending with a slight hic.

"Yeah, mom. It's me," the spirit detective answered. Kurama did his best not to throw up, while Hiei merely glared at a piece of trash that he could have sworn he saw move.

"Ya goin' out -hic- again?"

"Yeah, not for as long, though. I hope," Yuusuke said, adding a glare at Kurama. It was, after all, the red-head's fault that he was, once again, leaving.

"Brin' me ba'k sa –hic- beer, woul'ya?"

"Get your own," Yuusuke replied, upset. With his hands in his pockets and his posture nearly screaming 'uncomfortable,' the black-haired human boy made his way to his room on the other side of the kitchen, ignoring the shouts of "ugra-f'l br't!" that followed him.

Kurama watched helplessly as Yuusuke grabbed a bag from the floor and began throwing clothes in it. He avoided the heaps of cloth buried by trash – thankfully, there wasn't any beer in here – and only paused to smell it to make certain it was – relatively – clean. "I can't believe you can live in this…shit," Kurama finally said.

"It may be shit, but it's my shit, fox-boy. This is home."

"Yuusuke, I cannot allow you to live in this. Should you continue to live here, I must insist that this place be cleaned…and it couldn't hurt to call the exterminators as well."

"Bugs aren't the only thing causing a problem here," Hiei mentioned.

"Yes, your mother's behavior is also quite disturbing. I can't say that I approve; in fact, I highly disapprove."

"Well it's not your problem now, is it?" Yuusuke snapped. "It's mine, and I deal with it. I've lived with this my whole life, Kurama, and there's not much you can do ta change it."

"I was thinking about that, as well. If you'd agree to moving in with myself and Hiei, I was considering having an apartment rented for the three of us. Uptown, of course, complements of spirit world."

"Jr.'d do that?" Yuusuke asked.

"With a bit of persuasion, I'm sure he'd see it my way."

Yuusuke frowned. "Don't know about that. You talk ta the squirt first, and maybe I'll consider it. Right now, this is only a one-night deal, and no tryin' ta sneak another night out of it, either!"

"Of course," the fox-spirit smiled. "And don't forget to pack your uniform; I'll walk you to school in the morning."

"Now you're starting to sound like Keiko," Yuusuke muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Kurama asked, steel in his voice.

"Nothing."

Dinner had been a short get-together of the make-shift family, minus Hiei, of course. The small fire demon had left sometime after seeing the Urameshi home, and neither Yuusuke nor Kurama had seen him since.

Shiori had been pleased to meet her son's new friend, however, and had treated them all to a delicious western-styled meal of mashed potatoes alongside something called a 'meat-loaf.' Yuusuke had loved it, and told her so as Kurama disappeared with his bag.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Urameshi-san," she replied, a polite smile on her face. "It was a pleasure to have you over. Perhaps you could stay over again some other time? Or at least stay for a meal; I know Shuu-kun enjoys it, even if he doesn't show it."

Yuusuke smiled back. "Maybe I will stay over again some time, I dun know," he said, mentally wincing at his slip into slight slang once again – it was so hard to kill old habits when faced with a situation that required polite language. And Shiori demanded polite language. She may not have said anything, but she was one woman who could make nearly anyone feel bad about lying to her.

"Well, I'm sure Suuichi has already said this, but you're welcome here anytime – no need to ask, or wait to be invited. His little friend Hiei is the same. I rarely see him without my son, but on occasion he does stop by for some ice cream. Which reminds me, would you like some?"

"No thanks, ma'am," Yuusuke replied. "Your dinner already filled me up! I don't think I could handle dessert as well."

"Maybe later then."

"Kaasan?" Kurama called from the doorway to the basement. The spirit detective blinked, what had he been doing down there?

"Oh, Shuu-kun, you're back. I was just telling Urameshi-san here that he was welcome to stop by anytime, and that there's no need to ask."

Kurama smiled softly, but it was easy to tell that he was very pleased. "Thank you, kaasan, but I believe that it's time for us to finish our homework if we wish to be prepared for our studies tomorrow. Would you mind if I borrowed Yuusuke-san for a while?"

The smile never left Shiori's face, and Yuusuke began to feel like he was in the family of smiles, except that he knew one of the family members could kill without a second thought. "Of course, dear. He is your guest."

Kurama nodded, and motioned for Yuusuke to follow him upstairs, a school bag thrown over one shoulder. "I hope you don't mind," the red-head began, "but while you were talking with mother I took the liberty of calling Keiko-san and Kuwabara-san to retrieve the information for your assignments. Luckily, I have most of the books with me from where I studied the same last year – you should be thankful that I took the advanced classes, or I would not have had these. What I did not have I was able to copy down as she read it to me, so you will be able to complete all your work for tomorrow."

"Ah…what's this? I didn't sign up for no homework shit! I said I'd stay the night, that's it!" the other boy protested.

"Yes, you did, but staying the night also indicates that you will follow house rules, and house rules state that all school work will be completed on time. Keiko-san also indicated that you were very behind on your school work, and asked me to help you catch up."

Yuusuke froze. "Look Kurama, I don't know who got you on your high horse but I don't need nobody tellin' me what to do and when. If you're gonna be so high an' mighty 'bout all this I'll head back downstairs an' out that door right now."

The red-head turned to face him, but the danger was evident in the gold tint to his normally green eyes. "Listen, pup, and listen well. You are part of a pack, and while you may be the one who leads in battle it is obvious that you are unable to properly care for yourself. This is unacceptable, and if I have to take you by the hand and lead you through life until you can stand on your own than so be it. Remember, small kit, that I am over 500 years old, and am your elder in more ways than one. If I wished it to be, you would be dead, but I have accepted you as part of this pack instead. Don't disappoint me."

When Kurama turned and walked silently into his room, Yuusuke followed.

Kurama had come and gone several times while Yuusuke Urameshi, spirit detective, sat on the bed and struggled through the last of his algebra homework. When the fox-demon returned for the final time with Yuusuke's bag of clothes slung over one shoulder, the human boy had just finished, and collapsed against the pillows. "Ah, man…I'm so tired! This is why I never do homework – it's too much work!"

Kurama smirked. "One last thing, Yuusuke," he said, throwing a book down on the bed. "We're going to be going through this book as well, to help you with your English studies."

"But this isn't part of the assignments! This is extra! Come on man, lay off."

"It's a book of poems, Yuusuke. I only expect one to be read a night."

"Can't it at least be in Japanese?"

"Be grateful it's not a novel," Hiei's voice came from a window. "I've seen him when he tutors at that place with all the children. He can be cruel when it comes to studies."

"Would you like some lessons as well, Hiei?" Kurama asked politely.

"No thanks, fox. Keep your books to yourself."

"Ah…maybe some other time, then. Well then, Yuusuke, the first poem."

Yuusuke grumbled, cursing the red-haired demon-boy, but opening up the book and flipping through the introduction. "And did those feet in an-c-ent time."

"Ancient, Yuusuke. It means very, very old. Ancient time," Kurama explained, replicating the word in Japanese so that the other could understand.

"Right. Ancient time walk up-on Eng-land's mount-a-ins green? And was the ho-ly Lamb of God on Eng-land's past-u-res seen?"

Kurama very nearly sighed. "This is going to take a lot of work," he commented. Thank goodness it wasn't yet eight – there was plenty of time to work on pronunciation and meaning.

"…in England's green and pleasant land," Yuusuke finished, throwing the book into the pile of homework he had finished early. "Now I'm finished. I dun care what you say, I ain't crackin' another book."

Kurama smiled. "I agree that it is time for bed. I've washed your clothes – "

"Why? They were clean?"

Hiei scoffed while Kurama merely glared at the black-haired human. "Yuusuke, I saw where those clothes came from and they were far from 'clean' by anyone's standards except yours. Now, I've washed all the clothes you brought with you, and I expect them to stay that way. I also expect that tomorrow you will leave these clothes here, and after school you will stop by your house on your way here, get anything else that you are possibly going to wear, and bring it here. I did not say you had to stay again," Kurama spoke up before the other boy could protest, "but I will make certain that you have clean clothes. Tomorrow, after we work our way through your studies, we will go to your home and attempt to clean your room, at the very least, should you wish to stay the night there. Any article of clothing not washed will be brought with me, and I will wash it – even if it leaves you with only the things you brought tonight."

Yuusuke, too tired to protest any longer, simply waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, can I sleep now?"

"Of course," Kurama smiled. "Go ahead to the guest room; I'll wake you in time for classes tomorrow."

"I really wish you wouldn't," the human murmured, but Kurama pretended not to notice.

"Is this really necessary, fox?" Hiei asked once the other was out of hearing range.

Kurama sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. I hate to admit it, but he was not raised to be the spirit detective we need him to be."

"Don't you mean pack-leader?"

"This is my pack," Kurama said, lips tilting in a crooked smile. "I will always be pack leader, whether you recognize it or not."

"Manipulating from the shadows, are we?"

"That's for me to know, and you not to," was the answer. "Come now, let's go to sleep. I'm afraid we'll have to share the bed until I have a chance to talk to Koenma, but I was fairly certain that you'd rather share with myself than with Yuusuke."

Hiei nodded, already climbing into the bed even as Kurama was clearing it of Yuusuke's forgotten homework.

It was the first night of undisturbed sleep the fox had received in weeks.

Kurama slowly buttoned up his school shirt, his body tired from more than just his PE class, which had – thankfully - been the last class of the day. His hair caught in the color of his shirt, and he pulled it out gently, lightly shaking it out to get rid of any debris or sweat that may have clung to it. He let out a sigh as he grabbed his books and shut his locker, preparing to go home for the day. There was still a lot that he had to do, even though school was out – his homework, helping Yuusuke with his homework, laundry for Yuusuke (and now that he thought about it, Hiei as well), and possibly cleaning out the apartment Yuusuke lived in with his mother. It was already nearing three o'clock – he hadn't been able to leave early, as he did when classes were cancelled or he simply didn't have any – and while he had gotten a good sleep the night before, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for weeks of nightmarish cat-naps. Getting Yuusuke to school hadn't been easy either, and the demon-turned-human had almost been late.

He felt cold fingers play along the sides of his neck as he thought over his plans, temporarily paralyzing him as his mind flashed back to that darkened hallway haunted by cold, possessive violet eyes. His mind knew not to be afraid of that hallway, but his body remembered the dangerous situation it had been. The need to remain calm and think logically surfaced, and his mantra began in the back of his mind. 'He's gone,' Kurama thought to himself, reminding the fears that gripped him that the one who chased after him had died. 'This is someone else.' Fingers continued to play with the hair at the nape of his neck as Kurama stood before his locker in the empty hallway, perfectly still. Giving himself another moment to calm down, the kitsune asked, "Who are you?"

"Surely you remember this touch, my fox?" a voice whispered, his cold breath ghosting over the flesh of Kurama's ear. The touch of the air was slightly dulled, as if through a mask, and Kurama could almost feel the metal, but he would not fall for some false trickery.

"The one I remember with this voice and this touch was a man that I have killed. I ask again: who are you?" Kurama was determined not to give into his nightmares; there were many demons that could supposedly change shape, this could be a trick of some sort. Of course, it had never been confirmed that such a being existed… 'Karasu is dead,' he reminded himself once again.

"The fight you gave me was indeed challenging, kitsune; I'm not surprised that you are so tired from it even after all this time. Disappointed that you have not retained more of the youko within you, yes, but not surprised. Had you not caught me off guard during those last few moments of the battle, you may have survived without the illusion of my death, but it was not to be so. I wonder, was it your own fears that convinced you of my demise, or that weak demon with the sword?" The demon behind him snarled with contempt for the black-haired demon that spent so much time with Kurama. "What was his name? Ah yes, Hiei. I believe both him and that Urameshi kid are both responsible for your good rest last night, so I suppose I should be grateful. You look less like death today."

"Leave them out of this," Kurama growled, boldly defying the man behind him, and yet still not having the courage to turn around and face him. "And, better yet, leave me out of it as well." The red-head turned on his heel and walked away, his head held high despite all the energy it took. He hid well that it took every ounce of his courage just to walk away and not collapse at the man's feet. He knew that he would be receiving a visit Hiei soon, and Yuusuke was due to drop by that afternoon; he would need the attention.

A hand fell down on his shoulder, preventing him from leaving and almost causing his knees to give out. "I'll be visiting you soon, my kitsune," that eerie voice sounded, once again very close to his ear. "You'd do best to remember that you are mine."

Kurama spun, his anger conquering his fear better than any bravery or courage he could find. But the hallway was already empty when he faced it, and his assailant was already gone.

-TBC-