Chapter 17

Yusuke didn't know where he was going, only that he needed to get away from the crushing pain in his chest. But walking away didn't help; neither did carelessly running. Tears streamed down his cheeks, blinding his view. 'Oh, Kurama. I'm sorry…I didn't mean to act like that, I really didn't! But I just can't, no… I won't accept the fact that you love us both!' Sobs wracked his body, forcing the boy to dodge into a deserted alleyway, away from the staring eyes of the public. No, he won't let anyone see him cry.

Narako stood in front of the giant screen, a frown plastered on his elegant face. Bad news rarely made him smile. "Are you certain?" he asked in a cold and demanding tone.

"Master, I wish I wasn't, but you know we have spies lurking around, and Elvon was one of our suspects. It's not that surprising that who we suspected turned out to be correct." An arrogant voice, trying to speak meekly sounded through the communications screen.

"I am well aware of that," Narako took a sip of his wine; he did not like the way things were going. "Elvon has done so much in the past for us not to doubt him, but if the evidence you've shown me is indeed correct, then I have every reason to distrust him. Anyhow, run a full investigation on him and report it back to me immediately."

"Yes, Master. Oh, and this is the information Elvon sent out. We do not know who received it yet, but the file was named K. It's a picture file, your picture…"

Narako narrowed his eyes. 'K for Koenma. It was too easy.' Taking another sip from the wine, Narako sat down on a cushioned chair. "Hmm… this is interesting. Investigate Elvon, but keep him unaware of it. Let him think that we do not know what he is doing."

"Master? You are telling me to let him continue spying on us?"

"Yes. That is precisely what I'm telling you to do." A not so friendly smile spread across his face as a thought popped into his head.

"But that means the enemy will know each and every one of our moves."

"Not exactly. If we play our cards right, it will be to our advantage." Narako gulped down the rest of the wine. 'And Yusuke will be mine.'

He couldn't believe he forgot such an important thing. Yusuke mentally kicked himself for not visiting his mother once he got back. 'Your mind was too full of Kurama…' A dull pain emanated through his chest. He had promised himself that he would not cry for the fox anymore. He was not going to be that weak, he would be strong and accept whatever answer Kurama gave him.

The looming building of the hospital made Yusuke concentrate on his mother instead. Taking a deep breath, the dark haired boy walked briskly up to the front desk, demanding to know the condition of his beloved mother. 'She better be OK.'

A slight woman, in her late twenties, gave the boy a startled look. "That patient? Well, I'm quite surprised. You're the third person to visit her in the last hour. She must be an important person." The nurse smiled gently. "She's in room 307, on the third floor to your left."

"The third person? Who else has been here?" Yusuke was quite shocked at this fact. He hasn't told anyone about his mom.

"Well…let's see if I can remember. I think there was someone with red hair. He had a nice smile, a very nice boy. And the other one… that's weird, I can't remember. Sorry." The nurse scrunched up her nose, seeming a bit bothered that she was unable to recall that last person to visit.

Yusuke didn't mention to Kurama that his mom was in the hospital, so how did he know she was in here? Thanking the nurse, he quickly made his way up to the room that held his mother.

A dreadful feeling filled the pit of his stomach. There was something amiss, something that just didn't add up. It didn't help that a trail of dark energy practically leaked from the third floor of the hospital. Yusuke felt the air, slick with the energy, like oil lingering on water. Quickening his pace to a swift jog, Yusuke knew at that moment his mother was in danger.

Yusuke placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door. A single red rose sat on the table next to the bed. Wind blew in from an opened window, causing a soft whistle to sweep through the small room. "Mom?" Yusuke knew before he even asked that his mother was not in there. He looked over to the bed. Flat white sheets stared back at the wide-eyed boy. His mother was nowhere to be seen. 'Shit.'

Grabbing the arm of a passing nurse, Yusuke tried to calm his voice. "Excuse me, but has anyone move the patient in room 307?" He pointed inside his mother's room.

The nurse walked into the room and took the notepad on the foot of the bed. "No, she had not been moved. In fact, I don't know how she disappeared. She was not in the condition to walk yet, let alone get out of here unnoticed. I'll send for help, she shouldn't have gotten very far." The nurse gave Yusuke a warm smile.

But Yusuke already knew his mother couldn't have gotten out of her room by herself. The remainder of the dark energy was strongest in this room, and it led out the window. He walked gradually to the gaping window, breathing heavily. Yusuke pushed it completely open, and stared out towards the dark night. Nothing gave any clues to where his mother had gone; all that greeted him was the harsh blow of the cold wind.