FW: Well, in response to my little "challenge" for someone to figure out the Kuronue thing, sorry, but no dice! Which means I don't have to be creative and think up of some prize.

Kuwabara: Just an excuse for being lazy.

FW: I won't deny it. Look how far apart my updates are spaced! Thanks for sticking with me anyway though. (sales-pitch smile)

Botan: So… I'm pretty much out of this?

FW: Dunno. If it's convenient. But anyway, reader response time! couchpotatomaster-sama, the band left you behind? Wow, that's bad luck. Sorry… but at least you're a band geek! Band geeks are cool!

Kurama: Did she just say, "Geeks are cool"?

Hiei: Yes. Ignore it for your intellect's sake.

FW: (ignores them) Bara-Minamino-sama, maybe Genkai was a little… evil, but I get the impression she doesn't really like Hiei. Plus, he was lying to her, a big no-no. Just how I interpret things, but so you see what's going on in my humble head-

Yusuke: That's so "humble" she can barely squeeze it through the door.

FW: And another note regarding a review, sorry if this disappoints anyone, but I won't put in a reader to my story just because they ask. Not to sound cocky, but if I did, then I'd have to take anyone who asked, which would swamp my works with Mary-Sues. I MIGHT put a brief cameo of a reader, if they win one of my contests though. (wink wink) Don't you just love loopholes?

Keiko: No!

FW: Um….

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho

START

(Before the Spirit World meeting)

Hiei was not stupid. He knew Botan was looking for him, and he was clever enough to deduce that meant a meeting was to be held. Which meant the world might be in danger.

He also knew he didn't care.

The demon easily avoided the ferry girl's search attempts, having decided his own unofficial case was more important. Kurama was missing, and Hiei was determined to find him, and singe him a bit for forcing the effort out of him.

He'd already searched the entire house for any sign of a struggle. Not a drop of blood, nor anything out of place, the doors and windows were all locked, not that a resourceful midget couldn't find his way in. Resourceful really just meaning his sword. He'd have to lay low for a while once Kurama noticed the new window.

Point of all this: it didn't look like Kurama was injured, or even forced to leave.

"Stupid fox, where would you go?" He thought,covering his previously searching jagan. There was only one source better for gathering information Hiei could think of. He smirked, flitting off to Spirit World, counting all the ways he could threaten Koenma into giving him the necessary information.

It was only half an hour after Yusuke and Kuwabara left that Hiei now took their place, standing coolly in front of the ruler's desk.

Koenma didn't usually have to deal with Hiei without the backup of another detective, and finding himself alone in the room with a homicidal demon didn't make him very clearheaded. "Whatever you want!" He yelled after only a minute of uncomfortable silence.

Hiei smirked. "That was fast."

&&&&&&

(Makai)

"Hey, I'm looking for a demon…" Yusuke tried to interrogate an unamused shopkeeper.

"That's not going to help me much, Boy," the unpleasant lump of a demon wheezed behind the black fur covering every inch of his face. As well as the rest of its body. "The only human in this part of the world is your little friend," he added, staring a little too long at Kuwabara.

"Don't get any ideas," Yusuke glared, before lightly adding, "besides, he'd probably taste like cat food."

"I'm not Eikichi!"

The shop owner, clearly annoyed coughed loudly to return the now bickering boys' attention back to him.

"Right, so, um, he's got the Eye of Tepurt-"

"Did you say… the Eye of Tepurt?" His greedy eyes bugged from behind the thick tangles of hair, and Yusuke immediately regretted his word choice.

"Um, actually, no-"

"Yeah, you heard of it?" Kuwabara asked anxiously. To which the other, frustrated, detective stomped on his foot. "OW!"

"Heard of it… of course, m'boy…" the hairy… thing, said a little to fondly. "How about we strike a deal…."

Yusuke shook his head, turning and steering his dumbfounded partner out of the shop with him. "I don't think so," he called back.

"I do," the unnerving voice floated ahead to them, followed by a sharp pain in their necks. Yusuke reached up reflexively, "Blow dart," he muttered numbly, the poison moving impossibly fast through his system.

He was vaguely aware of Kuwabara falling to the ground beside him, never having noticed he himself fell.

"What?" The orange haired teen managed to ask thickly, struggling over the single word.

"Trick of the trade, boy," they both heard as they fell into the beckoning blackness.

&&&&&&&

Hiei growled in frustration. Having watched every security camera station last night to this morning had done nothing. The elusive fox, plain and simply, wasn't on any of them.

Which proved a theory Hiei didn't consciously develop, having not wanted to believe it. Kurama had left by his own will, only the master thief's skill could have evaded every camera so perfectly.

The demon turned to Koenma, whom he'd purposely kept in the dark about the reason for his viewings, prepared to vent his anger on the hapless prince. Koenma, however, spoke first. "I could have told you he's not on the camera."

"You knew?" Hiei asked dangerously. Had this been their mission, to find Kurama?

"Of course I knew!" The toddler said defensively. "How could I not notice one of my treasures missing!"

Quickly realizing they weren't talking about the same thing, Hiei kept his expression blank, and waited for the prince to keep divulging secrets.

"Not on a single camera, I don't know how he managed…" said child continued sadly, "Yusuke and Kuwabara are already on his trail, and I guess Kurama must have started ahead of them."

Hiei nodded, deciding that could make sense. "I've kept track of all the up and coming thieves, ever since… well, you know," Koenma trailed off, letting Hiei fill the space himself with Youko. "And not one of them is skilled enough to steal the Eye of Tepurt!"

The darker of the two stopped listening. Stealing that particular jewel had been Youko's greatest ambition, not even a month ago. Kuronue's burning pendant must have struck a cord in the dormant thief. And Hiei could easily figure out what had happened next. Koenma was right, no other thief could have, and ironically, it wasn't any other thief.

Which led to one question.

"Where's Kuronue?" Hiei interrupted.

"-And then he said, - what?" Koenma forgot his elaborate story about his father, wondering why Hiei would ask.

"Where's Kuronue," he repeated.

Koenma frowned. "Yes, I heard, but why would you ask?"

Dark flames began engulfing Hiei's arms.

Clearly panicked, Koenma yelled, "Fine, fine! He's here; he has been for 16 years!"

The fire abided as quickly as it had been summoned. "Here… you've been keeping him prisoner," the demon accused, noticing the number matched his fox friend's age.

"No," The ruler shook his head, obviously wishing for nothing more than Hiei to just go away. "He's dead."

END CHAPTER 4

FW: So there you go, he's dead!

Kurama and Youko: (gone)

FW: Hm, I guess I could have been more sensitive….

Kuwabara: What kind of girl are you?

FW: You do realize that's being racist….

Botan: That's right! (hits Kuwabara repeatedly with her oar) Just because Ferris is a girl doesn't take away her right to be crude, and impolite, and insensitive! (finishes beating him and beams, giving the peace sign) To all girls out there!

FW: (joins her) Yeah! We had a Constitution Convention at school, and some idiot said, "Women shouldn't have the same rights as men because they belong in the home." That kid was so lucky I wasn't there….

Girls: (grab pitchforks and torches)

FW: (evil smirk) Story info now though, I meant to actually have Kuronue in this chapter, but it was running so long, I had to bump it back! So um, yeah. My challenge from last chapter no long stands because the answer's too obvious now. I'll come up with a new one though later. So, review, or don't. All good. Or even flame. I'll take it in stride!