Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. You do? Ha, yeah right.

You people make this hard for me. Seven reviews means seven pages of story to write... Man. I know that there's not much action so far, but I can't really write action/adventure that well and I'm saving my limited experience in writing it until after the next chapter! I'm profusely sorry if this gets too terribly boring, I try to keep the mood some-what light to keep you entertained. I hope that it's working! And, I hope I can keep this, I promise that when the action/adventure parts do come along, it certainly won't be too boring! I can at least try to give you quality, like a reviewer says I have since these kind of stories are 'rare', so to speak! Well, to find out why Kuronue made-like-bird and dropped out of the sky, read on! But, of course, I must thank my reviewers:

IwuvMyKenshyPoo
Hoshiko Megami
Ilikeyaoi
Bluespark
Kuranga108
Agent Dark Moose
YokoYoukai

WARNING:

1. This story will contain Shonen-Ai in later chapters (will be mild), if you don't like it, don't read it.

2. Rated for reasons: Language and future scenes (blood, etc.)!

You have been warned!

Note: The story rating has been risen up! Sorry if this inconviences you, but it had to be done! Thank you for reading!

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CAPTURED

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The fox stood at least a kilometer from the crowd of people he could see clearly with his enhanced vision. Kuronue was coming up behind him, curiously glancing around the kitsune's back to peer at the people before them. He took a step sideways then forward, falling into place beside the still unmoving youko.

"Why did ya stop?" The bat asked, giving Youko a sideways glance. "Them people got somethin' of importance to steal or sum'in like that?"

"Not that I can tell." Youko replied, returning Kuronue's gaze. "But who says you need ta' steal something to run through a crowd of people, eh?"

Kuronue smiled widely, "No one that I know of."

"Exactly." Youko matched Kuronue's wide smile with a smirk, "Sound like fun to you?"

"What?"

"You know, baka. Runnin' though and tormenting the poor people... Occasionally stealing something if it's of value..."

"I guess we are up to our old tricks, once again." The chimera noted.

Youko glared at his companion, "I already told you, Kuro. I'm perfectly fine!" He fluttered his eye lashes at the bat teasingly, "And, Inari, I never knew you cared soooooo much! Kuro, you should have told me sooner, really!"

"What!" Yelped Kuronue, indignant, "I'd never go for a mangy fox like you, 'Rama!"

"Mou. Ouch." The fox play-pouted, "That stings Kuro, it really stings. While your advances are plainly obvious, I've chosen to ignore them till now. I do believe you're the mangy one, Kuronue. You're going to start ruining my reputation if you don't start to shape up."

"Knock it off, fox. Your reputation is too big for anyone to ruin it. Besides, I thought we were gonna to run through that crowd over there and create some chaos, weren't we?"

"Oh... yes. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Yes! I'm tired of sittin' 'round waiting for you to heal up! Let's GO already!"

"I could take that as an insult; as being slow. Which I'm not. You're just too fast." The fox said, patting Kuronue on the back harshly, "But, whatever! Let's go."

And so they did. Off into the crowd to have some fun. Little did they know, however, that danger was looming right within the crowd's confines.

Karasu was watching their every move intently.

( Chapter Thirteen - Bloody )

Yuusuke marched into the first aid room, dumping a box on the ground, glaring at the person whom had trained him. "Is this all, old hag? My arms are gonna fall off it I have to carry one more box into this room."

Genkai looked over to her apprentice, her expression showed boredom.

"Yes, dimwit. Count the bandages in the box. You kept interrupting me earlier, so I want to see you do it now."

"What!" Yuusuke groaned, "I've gotta go... practice for the fight, grandma! I can't sit 'round here all day and count stupid pieces of cloth!"

"You can and you will, idiot." Genkai said calmly, eyeing the box steadily. "That's a big box. You might want to start counting now."

"What? What's the point in doing this?" Yuusuke muttered, opening the box and grabbing a bandage.

"We've been through this already, idiot. You don't want to die. Because of this, you count the bandages. Understood?"

"Whatever, Grandma."

Genkai's eye twitched slightly at the name calling, but she refused to say anything about it. Starting a fight with Yuusuke wouldn't help preparing for Karasu's arrival.

"Genkai...?" Yukina said, poking her head into the room, "Kuronue...-san is waking up."

Genkai nodded. They had moved Kuronue to a different room, so they could continue their work. She had left Yukina to watch over the bat, telling her to come to alert Genkai when the chimera started to awaken.

"Good, Yukina. Go back to him. I'll be there in a minute."

Yukina nodded her head then vanished from the room, going back to Kuronue. Genkai turned to Yuusuke, "Hurry up, dimwit. We don't have all day. Counting doesn't take that long."

"Damn it! I was up to twenty-five, old hag! Why'd you interrupt me?"

"Now you know how it feels, idiot. Get back to work." Yuusuke's mentor said as she walked from the room into the stone hallways, going the same way Yukina had to try to pry some answers out of the chimera bat demon.

-

Youko was, once again, by the river. This time, however, he wasn't thinking or lost in thought. This time he was scrubbing furiously at his shirt. He'd already cleaned, dried, and put his pants back on. His shoes were still bloody, but he could care less. He had thrown them away somewhere in between the house and the river. Besides, Youko would much rather be barefooted then have his feet confined to some kind of shoe.

"Come out, damn it." He muttered under his breath to the shirt.

Each time his scrubbed, blood would wash away like mist in the water, but it never came completely out. Youko was almost beginning to loose hope... He was, after all, a vain kitsune. But I doubt you would want to be dressed in a shirt carrying your best friends blood on it. Right?

After scrubbing tirelessly, the shirt seemed to be completely free of Kuronue blood. The fox nodded in satisfaction and put it back on. The soaked fabric stuck to his skin, but he didn't care. That water had washed away the majority of the smell of blood on his clothing, that was good. His skin began to prickle, not because of the cool sensation of wet clothing on his back, but because he was being watched.

Now that he stood there and concentrated on the ki he felt, the fox knew who was watching him. It was the Jaganshi. Hiei...

"Ohayo," The fox said, wading out of the water to stand on the bank of the river. Not staying turned to face the hi-youkai, he turned his front to the river, "What do you want now, my fiery stalker?"

Hiei wasn't surprised when the fox acknowledged his presence, he wasn't, I'll tell you now, he was just... slightly startled. Now that he thought about it, it did seem that he was 'stalking' the fox, which he really wasn't! The youko would have to have known what his ki signature was like by now. Since Hiei knew the kitsune's the kitsune would know his. It was now inevitable, after all the 'quality time' they had spent in the acquaintanceship of one another.

Stepping out from his place in the bushes, he now stood in the sunlight. "Who said I wanted anything at all?" He practically growled at the fox, but tried to remain civil.

"...Well," Started Youko after a moments consideration, "It's seems to me, now that I think about it, even when we first met you wanted something. Don't you remember that, Jaganshi?"

Hiei grit his teeth. It would seem that the fox was right. The jewel, the youko's cooperation to be led back to Karasu, answers for why Karasu wanted Youko Kurama... So, Hiei practically asked himself, why was he here if he didn't want anything? Or did he want something? He suddenly remembered. He wasn't aloud to let the fox out of his sight. For Karasu.

But...

Hiei wasn't so sure he would so willingly hand the fox over. He was quite a prize... He just wanted to set the damn forest on fire. He didn't know what to do. He decided upon staring at the foxes back. Maybe he was glaring, but all the same. It was then that Hiei noticed the scar. It was long, foot and a half in length, maybe, diagonally. Hiei's interest was sparked. What had happened to the fox that he had merited such a wound and it hadn't healed completely?

"I don't want anything." The Jaganshi repeated himself, "But I do have a question."

"Oh? I'd then say you'd be wanting the answer, ne?" Youko said, turning his head so he could look at Hiei from the corner of his eye.

"Call it what you want, it doesn't matter. I'm above childish arguments with someone with the likes of you," Hiei spat, "But I want an answer, yes. What's with the scar on your back?"

"'Likes of me', eh? Who says you now even deserve an answer?" Youko said, thoughtfully, "But I'll answer. It's, obviously, from a wound. Before you ask, I'll tell you, yes, it's from Karasu."

"Hn..." Hiei said, inviting more to be said.

"It was the worse wound I got, even among all the damage those bombs did. I guess Karasu must have used some kind of plant poison or so to make sure there would be a scar. I called it nuisance. Kuronue called it a permanent reminder. Karasu didn't say. I suppose Kuronue was right this time."

"What... happened?" Hiei ventured further.

"You know Karasu got me... obsessed over me. We all know now that Karasu likes to kill what he obsesses over-"

"He tried to kill you and failed." Hiei said, ever blunt.

"Hai... but it was more complex than that. We won't go into those details, however."

"What do you mean 'damage those bombs did'. What'd the crow do? Set a cannon's aim at you or something?" Hiei said. He would never have admitted it to the kitsune, but he was getting intrigued by his story. Besides, this would give him an idea of Karasu's attacks and fighting style.

"You really want to know? Well, obviously you do. Okay, then. I'll tell you." Youko said, turning his head back to face the glistening water flowing through the river, "One of Karasu's most famed, and favored, attacks is his bombs. They're like... flying eyeballs. Ugly, too. Don't be fooled by their pathetic look, however. They're actually very powerful.

"Karasu was in a destructive mood on this particular day, so he was using these 'bombs'. He had tied me to some kind of pole, I guess. I can't remember that, my memory's foggy on those type of details. He'd summon them, scattering them around my body. It was already battered, he'd already fought me. I have to say I got him good, too. Almost cut his arm off... should have torn his throat out with my teeth...

"Anyway. He was shooting them off, all over. The pain, well, I remember this the most. It was horrible. It was like burning flesh, as the things exploded onto your skin, cutting through creating small crater-like wounds that stung like hell, and the skin was singed too. The tissue burned, an awful smell. You saw Kuronue... by then Yukina had already healed him up, some... but just imagine that healed Kuronue times three for the one before Yukina got to him by... oh, say, five, ten times and you've got me.

"He set the bombs off every part of my body except for my face. Said it was 'too precious to ruin'. Bastard, like he cared any at all. Blood was everywhere. I don't know why I didn't pass out before Kuronue got there and freed me. But when Kuronue arrived, that's the last I remember. That's not in great detail, I'll tell you now. I've left out many parts." ( 1 )

"Hn." Was all Hiei said.

Fucking bastard. Was all Hiei thought.

For some strange reason... Hiei felt a flame of anger grow slightly inside of him. Why should he care about what the crow did to the fox? Why did it matter so damn much to him? He was angry. Sure, torturing demons was common in Makai. But, none of these cases had ever bothered him so much before. In fact, they didn't even dent his emotional mask... Yet, for some reason, this case did.

All Hiei wanted to know was; Why?

By now Youko had turned back around to face the Jaganshi.

"What?" He asked, seeing Hiei looking at him, an odd expression on his face.

"Hey! Yo! Guys!" Hiei silently thanked the spirit detective for breaking the uncomfortable moment. "Guess what?" Yuusuke said, walking up to the two demons.

"What, Yuusuke." Hiei said, without even saying it as a question. He'd managed to keep his anger from seeping into his voice.

"Kuronue's wakin' up!"

Youko's ears perked up at this news.

"Really?" He asked Yuusuke, managing to sound calm though inside he was raging with unasked questions."

"Yeah. Genkai and Yukina are in there askin' him questions and whatnot. The old hag told me to fetch you... I guess Mr. Anti-Social over there can come too. But I'm not supposed to let Botan, Keiko, or Kuwabara in. Koenma's comin' too. I've still gotta find him."

"If the onna, the human girl, and the Oaf aren't coming, then why is Yukina in there?" Hiei growled at Yuusuke, now glaring at him unmercifully.

"Well... I don't know. Genkai muttered something about changing bandages and checkin' wounds... I don't know. She back to perfect health, energy wise, Hiei. Don't go blowin' the place up."

"Why not? Karasu's going to by tomorrow." Hiei retorted.

"Yeah... but we'll wait till then. We still need it for now." Yuusuke said, using some common sense, creating a sensible answer.

"Yes, Hiei. Don't blow anything up, yet. Save your energy. Let's go to Kuronue, Detective." Youko said, butting in before and argument could fully start.

"...But..." Yuusuke was slightly less willing to give up the opportunity for a fight. He was itching for some action.

"You need to save your energy too. Let's go. I hear this... Genkai woman can be very... impatient." Youko said, proceeding to steer away from a fight.

"You have no idea." Yuusuke said, turning around and walking back to the hideout, "So let's go. I don't want her yelling at me either." The Tentai said, walking past Hiei, pointedly glaring at him.

Hiei snorted, no one could achieve the ultimate glare like he had.

Yuusuke's attempt was pathetic.

Hiei owned the ultimate glare.

No doubt about it.

-

( 1 ) - Because I didn't get into much detail here, just image the Dark Tournament; Kurama as Youko, tied to a pole, unable to avoid any of the bomb things. Heh... That's just what came to my mind. Oh, and minus all the fans and stadium. Okay? Cool!

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There's that! Man, I'm sorry it's so late! I had another story occupying my mind, a stupid little idea. It's called "Just Kurama". Hint-hint, shameless advertising here. Seriously, you should read it! Anyway, yeah. Um... one chapter left to Karasu! Woo! Action is coming, promise!