Title: Blood's Calling

Author: Bradybunch4529

Disclaimers: Not mine in anyway. I'm simply borrowing the Yu Yu Hakusho gang

Rating: PG-13 to R in later chapters

Summary: AU OOC Future fic: A young vampire is pushed over the edge with a single act. The world has been paying for the mistake for almost 1000 years. Is there hope to be found in the rebirth of a girl?

Pairings: Keiko/Yusuke

Chapter 7: The Past Returns

Keiko had learned one thing from that situation with James. It is better to confront your problems head on. At least that was Keiko was trying to do. Except getting in to see the King was easier said than done. She sighed as she was once again turned away from the gate.

If you didn't have a case pending against you or had been arrested then you didn't get to see the King. Too much of a risk of assassination, Keiko guessed. But at the same time Keiko couldn't see how she was much of threat. Keiko sighed, her dark brown eyes pensive as she considered this latest development.

Keiko really didn't want to be arrested. She didn't have enough gumption to go through that. So how else could she get in? Break in to the castle? Or take one of the advisor's hostage? Keiko really didn't want to do that. So where did that leave her.

Standing outside the castle looking in.

Keiko turned away from the gate and moved back towards the city. She wasn't aware of the eyes that followed her.

Kurama watched Keiko walk away again. He was surprised that Keiko would actually think of confronting Yusuke directly. Then he remembered that Keiko was the one person in the world that was never frightened of Yusuke. So it wasn't that much of a surprise.

He had been digging into this girls' past. Kurama had discovered that she lived with a boy; many believed that he was her boyfriend. But he was seen out almost every night with another woman. Though he did always return to her and was always there to walk her home. But Kurama had found no evidence of them sharing a bed or a sexual relationship.

Then there was the mystery of her background. While he knew about her schoolwork, and her charity work, he couldn't find anything about where she went to school. No high school transcripts, she had claimed that she had been home schooled. She had passed all the tests and had the paperwork to prove what she said.

But Kurama and all of his spies had been unable to dig up anything else. It was as if her and Tohru had been born out of the darkness itself. Which made Kurama very nervous. His green eyes narrowed on Keiko's disappearing figure. He hated mysteries. It meant that something else was out of his control.

Kurama had been planning this for over 1,000 years. In all that time he had never given a thought to what Keiko would be like now. While the Keiko of old had been, not soft exactly, perhaps naïve was a better word. Kurama had counted on her being the same, sweet and easily malleable. Instead he had found a Keiko that was harder; obviously life had not been easy on her this time.

A frown crossed his face. But when had life ever been easy for her? 1,000 years ago Keiko had had to ride herd on Yusuke. And as Yusuke had always said, she hit harder than any demon he had ever known. So what had changed? Something had to have caused her to become like this. What other changes were hiding under the surface? Which left Kurama staring after her, wondering if his plans were going to go up into smoke.

Yusuke rolled his head around, eyes falling closed as he tried to relieve the tension. Each year it seemed harder to deal with the anniversary. Perhaps it was the fact that Keiko's memory seemed to fade a bit more with every day. Or was it the fact that every time he closed his eyes he saw her death. Her voice, laughter and touch had faded but the memory of her blood coating his hands was as vivid as the day it happened.

"Your highness?" A hesitant male voice sounded in front of him.

Yusuke opened his eyes to see a guard bowing deeply in front of him, fear radiating off of him. Yusuke was almost upset enough to strike out. Instead he took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice level. "Yes."

"There is a local vampire lord requesting a meeting," the guard told him.

"And?"

"It's concerning a escaped suspect."

"What type of suspect?" Yusuke asked warily.

"A murder suspect," the guard continued carefully.

Yusuke frowned slightly, considering that piece of information. He hadn't heard about anything a murder recently. Let alone an escaped suspect. But could you have an escaped suspect? "Is that even possible?" He murmured to himself.

"Your Highness?"

"Is it possible to have an escaped suspect?"

"What?" The guard asked cautiously.

"A suspect is someone who is a person of interest. But unless charges have been filed, or a person has been convicted then they can't be escaped. Right?" Yusuke looked around, searching for Genkai or Kurama. He frowned when he couldn't find them. "I mean, I know we changed some of the laws but I was pretty sure we left most of the court system intact."

"Your Highness?" The guard queried with a perplexed look.

"Never mind," Yusuke waved his hand. "Send the man in and find me Genkai or Kurama. I want to hear their opinion about this."

"Yes Your Highness."

Yusuke watched the guard hurry away, eyes narrowed on something that only he could see.

"Yusuke are you even listening to me?" Keiko demanded as Yusuke walked beside her, hands stuffed deeply into his green pants.

"It's boring," Yusuke whined to Keiko. "What do I care about the court system?"

"You should care because you are going to spend most of you time in it if you don't straighten up," Keiko told him huffily. Her brown eyes flamed at him, her hands clenching around her schoolbooks.

"Come on Keiko," Yusuke chided. "They would have to prove it first." He smiled at her, his hazel eyes twinkling with mischief. "Even I know that. Just because you are a suspect doesn't mean they can do anything to you. Trust me."

"Yusuke Urameshi!" Keiko's fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of his face. "I can not believe you! I don't know why I even bother to try. You obviously don't care." She spun on her heel and stalked away, muttering under her breath.

Yusuke pushed himself upright, jaw aching from Keiko's last punch. He winced slightly as he tried to open his mouth and the pain increased. His eyes locked on Keiko's swaying figure as she stomped away from him. A smile slowly crossing his face as his hazel eyes traced her gently swaying hips and her butt beneath the short skirt. He did so enjoy making her mad.

There was something so satisfying in knowing that he was the only boy could do it. Keiko would bitch and moan, he would play dumb but somehow their relationship always worked. He took another couple of seconds before he dragged himself up and took off after her. He could easily see spending the rest of his life following her.

"My lord?"

"My lord?"

The voice slowly penetrated Yusuke's consciousness. His hazel eyes focusing on the face of the vampire before him. Bright red hair fell over a wide forehead; cool gray eyes were focused on Yusuke, as the vampire waited for a response. "King Urameshi," the vampire began again. "My name is James. And I have tracked a murder suspect to your city."

"Really?" Yusuke questioned. Keiko's image firmly pushed to the back of his mind as he dealt with the vampire in front of him. "And what makes you believe that your suspect is here?"

"The woman…" James began.

"Woman? Your suspect is a woman?" Yusuke interrupted.

"Yes."

"Isn't it unusual for a woman to commit a murder?"

"We believe that this woman became enraged with jealousy when I refused her as my mate," James told the King carefully. His gray eyes remained fixed on Yusuke's watching carefully for any sign of disbelief. He had been planning this moment for too long to allow the King to get in his way. She would be his again, no escaping this time. "She killed her family and my best friend. Attempted to hide it all by burning down her house."

"That is highly unusual," Kurama suddenly spoke up. His green eyes carefully considering the vampire in front of him as he approached. "Women are not usually known for committing murder. Especially not violent murders unless they are sufficiently provoked."

"There are exceptions to every rule," James never looked away from the King's eyes. He completely ignored the approach of the other advisors. James knew that the King was the one that he had to convince. He couldn't allow any of them to get in his way.

"Perhaps," Genkai admitted. "But I do believe that we would like to see your evidence. And of course we will help you apprehend the suspect."

"That is not necessary your highness," James assured him. "I have already sent my agents after the woman. She should be in custody soon."

"Then we will just go and make sure," Yusuke told him easily. His hazel eyes daring the man to challenge him. "We don't want to hurt any innocents." Yusuke stood up and made his way down the stairs. "Have the cars brought around. And contact the royal guard to accompany us."

"Yes your majesty," a guard bowed and hurried out of the room.

"If you wouldn't mind waiting for a few moments," Yusuke spoke easily to James as he moved to his side. "We'll be right with you."

"Of course your highness," James bowed and swept out of the throne room.

"I don't trust him," Kuwabara spoke up as the door slammed shut behind the visiting vampire.

"Neither do I," Kurama agreed as he moved closer to Yusuke. "It feels like he's hiding something. While his words have a ring of truth there is also…"
"Something that seems off," Yusuke finished for him. "We'll just have to make sure that we get to this suspect before he does." Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "In fact, Kurama start looking into it. I want to know everything there is to know about this vampire and the woman."

"Of course Yusuke," Kurama nodded and left the room.

"The rest of you will come with me." Yusuke told him. "I don't want to give this guy a chance to con us."

Keiko couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She had already turned off the lights in the apartment, drawing shades and being as quiet as possible. Tohru hadn't come back from the store yet and Keiko was starting to get itchy. It was taking all of her willpower to not run, to remain within the apartment.

She ran a shaky had through her hair, fingers dislodging her hair tie, as she attempted to calm her nerves. In the past few weeks the Kings advisors had been making themselves scarce, and Keiko had heard rumors that two of them were getting married. But Keiko was still nervous. She took a deep breath and slowly headed for her bedroom. She was going to change out of her sweats into jeans.

It was time to run again.

A/N: Well there is another chapter. Though I am sure that you guys want to shoot. Honest answer is, life happened. My new computer ran into technical difficulties that could only be fixed by sending back to the manufacturer. And so on. I will try and do my best. In the next chapter Yusuke and Keiko should come face to face again. So oh boy. As always let me know what you think.