Now, wouldn't it be grand if they had time to explore that statement? Wouldn't it be wonderful if life gave Yusuke and Hiei a chance to respond? Do you remember what I said when we started this journey? I hope so.

The van lurched to a stop before Hiei or Yusuke could fully absorb the statement Kurama had just made. The door was wrenched open and Sakyo pointed his gun at the trio, "Out!"

Why don't we take the time the boys are stumbling from the van to the building that resembles a cross between a stable and Fort Knox and introduce a few more people? Sakyo's driver is a blonde haired man with red tips on his bangs. He was a bit arrogant and had deliberately lurched the van before. His name? Suzaku. He'd had it legally changed so that was his full name.

Next, at the door, we have a guy who makes Kuwabara look absolutely gorgeous by comparison. I mean, seriously, this guy looks like a gargoyle. His name? Genbu Rock. His job? Security. Let me tell you, he was good at it. He almost had a supernatural understanding of where someone's weaknesses were.

Standing next to Genbu, another freak of nature. Grey and black streaked hair stood out from his head like a mane. Was it natural or dyed? I'm not sure…but, that's the way it was. He also had fangs and his face was a bit flattened from a lot of fights…I mean a lot of fights. He'd fought all his life. He also had four dogs sitting by him that looked as bad as he did. His name? Byakko West.

Inside, waiting for Sakyo, we have a very elegant man in oriental garb. He carried himself with the dignity and aplomb of a royal butler. But, don't let that fool you. He could kill a person in 30 seconds flat with his bare hands. His name? Seiriyu North.

There's one more person to meet, but our boys are going to meet him just now, so why don't we meet him together?

Byakko and Genbu chained Yusuke's and Hiei's hands into cuffs while Sakyo kept his gun trained on Kurama. Then, Byakko led Hiei into a room while Genbu cuffed Kurama. Yusuke and Kurama couldn't miss the gasp from Hiei's lips as he entered the room and they exchanged a glance, wondering what would cause such a reaction, Yusuke more surprised than Kurama. When they heard the whispered, "Itsuki?" Yusuke knew what had caused his friend to react. Kurama was clueless, and this showed when he glanced at Yusuke. Unfortunately, Yusuke couldn't answer just then as he was being dragged into the room, where he, too let out a gasp. Kurama was getting very worried now. When he was finally led into the room and chained to the wall by his wrists over his head, he saw a man across the room who looked like he'd seen much better days.

Remember how I said three people knew that Yusuke was Koenma's son? Meet the third, Itsuki Gatekeeper. Why did he know? He was, after a way, Yusuke's godfather. Why did Hiei know him? He was, after a way, Sensui's lover. Why do I say "after a way"? Well, Itsuki was oddly religious. There were times he'd take off for weeks, if not months, on end. Sensui seemed almost not to care, but they would celebrate his returns long into the next day or two. They also never actually said they loved each other. Itsuki happened also to be Koenma's best friend in high school, which is why he's sort of Yusuke's godfather. He was also a sort of father-figure to Hiei, since, when he was around, he lived with him and Sensui. He'd been gone for about a week this time, and it looked as if he'd spent most of that time being beaten. His hair, long and light, looking almost blue in the odd light of the holding cell, was matted and tangled. His face, aristocratic and pale, was colored by bruises, some newer, some fading. His clothing was ripped and dirty, showing bruises on his body. He was no longer chained to the wall, though his hands were bound. Kurama could see that one of his legs lay at an odd angle, probably broken and giving the man a lot of pain. He growled low in his throat as anger began to build in him.

Byakko, who was leading Kurama in, taunted him, "What you plan on doing, foxy? You're gonna be looking worse if their fathers don't cooperate with Sakyo."

Yusuke and Hiei yelled out, "Don't touch him!" But they couldn't do much because they were already chained to the wall and the cuffs were so tight they almost cut off circulation to their hands. That didn't stop them from trying, though.

"I plan on making you look like he does," Kurama answered coldly. Now, you have to know this about Kurama. He is very compassionate, true, but he also can be vicious. He started taking martial arts so that he could defend those who he saw being unfairly picked on by bullies. He was slightly built, so he had to find some other advantage than simple brute strength. Martial arts was that advantage. He'd progressed through yondan, the fourth degree black belt, of aikido before track had started this year, before he'd moved. Yes, he kept up practice while his mother was sick. She'd insisted that he did, just as she insisted he run track, too. He also was a little forgetful as a kid, often locking himself out of his house, so he'd developed a habit of keeping a lock picking kit in his shoe. Yes, that's important. Also, remember, he's flexible. Okay, shall I move on now?

Byakko slammed Kurama against the wall, pinning his arms over his head and pressing his body against the redhead. "Not likely, sweetheart."

Kurama smiled, though, it was totally unlike the smile that prompted Yusuke and Hiei to kiss him. This smile would have had them stepping back, especially after what they'd seen him do to Karasu. "Just wait, you'll see."

Byakko laughed as he connected Kurama's handcuffs to the wall, "I'm sure I will, foxy."

Hard green eyes tracked the freak's movements out of the cell until the door closed with a slam behind him. His face then softened slightly into a look of concern and concentration. "Are you okay?" he asked Itsuki.

"Yeah," the man breathed out. He turned to Yusuke, "I'm sorry…"

Now, you'll remember that Yusuke doesn't know who his father is, and he knows Kurama's father is dead, so he's confused as to why the freak had said "their fathers." He knew that Hiei's father was in a place of authority, but…why plural? "Why are you sorry, Itsuki? It's not like you planned on getting nabbed," Yusuke murmured, vaguely aware of motion from Kurama's direction.

"I told them who your father is, Yusuke. I'm sorry." Itsuki looked close to tears.

"My…father?"

"Koenma…" Itsuki answered.

"Fuck," Yusuke breathed. Now it made sense. A lot of things made sense just then. Remember those sound effects that should exist. This time, a crash of things suddenly falling into place. He let his head drop forward, the information overload a bit overwhelming. "Fuck," he repeated, letting the word ghost from his lips. When he felt hands touch his wrists, his head flew up and he repeated, "Fuck!" this time surprised.

Now, to explain the motion, which Yusuke would have liked to watch, but he was a little too distracted. Kurama's hands were cuffed just above his head, so he bent his legs so his arms were straight and brought his leg up to his hand, breathing slowly and concentrating on getting his leg up while his back pressed against the wall. He'd done this type of thing with his back on the floor and both legs going up, but one leg and against he wall was more difficult. He made it, however, and managed to grab his lock picking kit out of his shoe before his leg fell back to the ground. He then opened his hand cuffs quickly, moving to undo Yusuke's next. With a small grin, he asked the brown-eyed boy, "Is that all you can think of?" before he moved on to unlock Hiei.

Yusuke rubbed his wrists, Itsuki's revelation momentarily set aside the way the mind does when it gets too much to cope with. "You are full of surprises, aren't you? Is there more we should know?"

Kurama smiled enigmatically as he moved over to Itsuki, "Maybe, but let's go over that later. For now, we need to figure out how to get out of here and get him help." After unlocking the older man, he put the lock kit back in his shoe. "Okay, now, we need to think of something."

Now, I know it seems a bit obvious, but being locked in a room with uglies guarding the door is a bit of a disadvantage. And, they hadn't eaten anything since brunch, which didn't hang around for Kurama, so, they were a bit hungry, too.

And, to be further annoying, let's check on the gunfight we abandoned. It was over. The Toguros and Bui had run out of bullets. But, unlike Karasu, who had needed to go to the hospital, they were still alive and in custody. Aniki was with Reikai men, who were…persuading him to reveal the location of Sakyo's hide out. It should be noted that the Reikai had an expert in this type of persuasion. Her name? Yes, her, not him. Her name was Botan. She dyed her hair blue and to most of the world appeared bubbly and absent minded, but she was an expert at convincing people to spill the deepest darkest secrets of their souls…without making them look like Itsuki. She would have been disgusted at the way Itsuki looked…and proceeded to call it a hack job done by rank amateurs. She took pride in not leaving physical marks and getting all the information she needed. And Aniki was about to break. How long had she been working on him? Half an hour. Yes, it took that long to run out of bullets, and…convince the Toguros and Bui they wanted to come along. Anyways, point is, about nine o'clock, eight hours after this horrid daymare began, Aniki is about to tell Botan where to find our boys. And with that information, the Reikai moved out.

I'm sure you want me to get back to our boys, don't you? Okay, I'll quit stalling.

Hiei asked, "Where did you learn that?" gesturing at the redhead's shoe.

"I used to lock myself out a lot," Kurama blushed. He cleared his throat, "That's beside the point. We need to figure something out, a way out of here." He began looking around the room, trying to find anyway out. Aside from the chains on the wall, there were no other furnishings and the air vent was in the center of the room, set in the middle of a 10 foot ceiling. Nothing looked promising, and Kurama was getting frustrated. Trying to think of something, he looked over Itsuki's wounds. Quietly, more to himself, he murmured, "How are we going to get you out of here?"

"Just get yourselves out of here," Itsuki ordered, knowing that if the three were to have a chance, he'd have to stay behind. He'd be a burden to them.

All three boys said, "No!"

It was then a loud noise outside the room caught their attention. More gunfire. Yusuke dove and shoved Kurama down, Hiei moving to push Itsuki down as carefully as he could. All four sets of eyes locked on the door, uneasy as the noise continued. Now, remember, though our boys are good at fighting, none of them is stupid and they know that fists and feet don't stand a chance against guns…at least not until the guns are out of ammo. Kurama reached a hand out and grabbed Hiei's hand. The red-eyed boy squeezed his hand appreciatively while his eyes remained locked on the door. Yusuke's hand covered the other two and Itsuki tore his eyes away from the door long enough to glace at the tangle of fingers, smiling even in the midst of the chaos. After a long time, the noise stopped.

A really quick time check, since I actually did skip a chunk. The action, though it seems like it, was not simultaneous. Our boys were actually locked into the room about ten…I really should have clarified that earlier, shouldn't I have? And why did it take so long? Well, Suzaku was driving to shake off a tail that might have been on them. The Reikai guys, however, drove straight to their destination, so it took them a lot less time to get there. Anyways, back to the action.

The four in the room held their breaths as they waited for the next sound. There was a banging on the doorknob and they could see it shudder. The boy's shoved themselves to their feet and took up their various defensive stances as they ranged themselves between the door and Itsuki. There was a clang of metal hitting the floor and the door burst open, revealing Koenma and Sensui. Kurama, not knowing who these men were, remained on the defensive, but Hiei and Yusuke called out to them. Well, not so much called as acknowledged.

"Bout time you got here," Yusuke groused.

"Couldn't you be on the ball?" Hiei added.

Sensui normally would have said something to his recalcitrant son, but his eyes fell on his lover and he felt the world drop from under his feet. "Itsuki!" he cried as he moved quickly across the room. This surprised Hiei. He knew the two were lovers, but he'd never seen Sensui express such concern over the other man. Sensui actually had tears in his eyes. Even Itsuki was surprised.

"I'm okay, Shinobu." Yeah, it's a bit weird for lovers to use last names, but Itsuki preferred Sensui's last name…he thought it was more sensual.

Sensui brushed his fingers over Itsuki's cheek, pushing the tangled hair out of his face, "You're not going on another walk about," he said, his voice brooking no argument. Then, he did something that would have elicited the jaw dropping noise, if it existed, from Hiei. He kissed Itsuki. I mean, seriously kissed, as in the type of kiss that says "Oh, my god, I've missed you, never leave me again, if you do I'll kill you" type kiss. Get the idea.

Koenma cleared his throat after a moment. "We need to get out of here. Sakyo's still on the run."

Sensui broke his kiss with Itsuki reluctantly and picked up the injured man with more care than the most precious of treasures. Koenma pushed open the door and the two made their way out of the hallway littered with spent cartridges and a couple of bodies. Yusuke and Hiei flanked Kurama, holding him while they made their way down the hall, following Sensui and Koenma followed them. Outside, more evidence of a fire fight, but our boys weren't aware enough of their surroundings to notice it and it's not important, so we'll skip it. What does matter is there was a large van waiting for our group. With delicate care, Sensui set Itsuki in it and sat next to him. Our trio climbed in and took one bench to themselves, sometime during the walk, their hands had joined and they remained that way while they sat. Before he closed the door, Koenma said, "We're going to the hospital. You can see your mother while we're there, Shuichi, and then we're taking you to some place safe."

Kurama's eyes were grateful as he nodded. Koenma slammed the door shut and clambered into the driver's seat, leaving every available man to search for Sakyo. He knew the boys were at risk as long as the other man was free and he also knew the police couldn't do much about him. Kurama felt the hands around his fingers squeeze and he returned the movement, more glad than he realized he would be for the presence of the two punks, one he'd labeled the one he'd least wanted to see and the other he barely met. It's amazing what a day will do, isn't it? With a sigh, he let his head fall forward, the long day taking its toll on him. He smiled as Hiei and Yusuke simultaneously switched the hand that was holding his to wrap their arms around him. Again he squeezed their hands and quietly asked, "You two okay?" Though, he needn't have bothered being quiet. The two in front of them had resumed their interrupted lip-locked conversation with a vengeance.

Yusuke's head nuzzled Kurama's shoulder, "Yeah, you?"

"I'm never drinking again," Kurama murmured.

"Funny guy," Hiei returned. "Seriously, Kurama," his red eyes sought out the green ones, "are you okay?"

Kurama held Hiei's gaze, letting his head rest against Yusuke's. "Yeah, I am" he answered at length.

Hiei brought the hand that was wrapped around Kurama up and brushed his hair back, an intense expression on his face, "Good, I'm glad." Yusuke glanced over at Hiei and felt that tightening again, the kicking in the chest tightening he'd felt before. It got stronger as Hiei leaned in and brought his lips in contact with Kurama's. Yusuke watched as red and green eyes disappeared under heavy lids as the two silently expressed how relieved they were. He was torn. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to kiss more. Finally, he brushed Kurama's hair away from his neck and lightly brushed his lips just under the redhead's ear. Kurama released his hand and brought the now free appendage up to hold his head. Yusuke's now free hand worked its way around Hiei's body as his lips continued to explore what of the redhead's neck he could reach. Kurama moaned slightly, and Hiei made use of the lesson last night to bring his tongue out to sample the redhead's lips. Hesitantly, feeling a bit shy, Kurama opened his mouth and Hiei took the invitation. While the feel was very very nice, the taste wasn't so much. Remember, our dear redhead has been sick today and hasn't had a chance to do anything about getting the taste out of his mouth. But, at that moment, Hiei didn't really care.

Do I really need to say our boys were a little annoyed when the van stopped at the hospital? Actually, Sensui and Itsuki were annoyed too. They'd been enjoying their individual conversations, but there were things to attend to.

"Shuichi, you have half an hour. I'll pick you boys up at your mother's room. Go straight there." Yes, Koenma had noticed what was going on in the back of the van. He's not blind, you know. And the radio was off. And Kurama was moaning. But, then, so were Itsuki and Sensui. So, again life interrupts our boy's attempts at happiness. Don't you just hate life at times?

A/N Well, my darling readers...I'm starting chapter 13 when I'm finished here...well, typing up the end of chapter 12, and then starting chapter 13. I'm working on this story on my way to and from work as well as on my lunch...aren't you glad I ride the bus? But, I'm going to need to get a new keyboard soon, my space bar is sticky...blah...anyways...I love the reviews, they are what feeds the muse (and that rhymed...ugh). I think, but I'm not totally sure, but 13 may be the last chapter, I'll let you know.