Hey! Two chapters in one day! Why? Because I like this story a lot and I want to share it with all of you! I hope you liked the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one.

Warning: shonen-ai, mentions of blood, violence, pretty much the same as last chapter. Oh, except no one dies.

Note: I believe I said somewhere that the only pairing I write is HieiKurama, but if anyone wants me to, I'll give KoenmaYusuke a shot. Votes please!

Chapter 2: Stealing the mirror

Kurama's eyes snapped open, only to squeeze shut again in pain as the blinding sun hit them. He took a calming breath to get rid of the affects of the nightmare.

I haven't had one that vivid in long time. Why can't my powerful dreams be pleasant?

The memories of the past couple days resurfaced in his mind. Their mission had been to steal and bring to Reiki (That's how it's spelled right?) a dangerous mirror that some power-hungry demon had gotten hold of and figured out how to use.

It should have been simple, but somehow they all managed to end up injured. They had fled until they reached this small clearing in the Makai. Kurama remembered Hiei going to check the area, and then he had, well, collapsed against one of the trees and passed out.

Out of all of them, he had the worst injuries, numerous deep gashes covering his arms and torso. He had fallen asleep before he could tend his wounds…. So, why didn't they hurt so much now?

Kurama opened his eyes again, slowly this time, blinking to get them used to the light. His shirt was missing and his wounds wrapped in bandages. It was too professional to be Yusuke's work, and Kuwabara hadn't come on this mission; So that left Hiei.

Kurama smiled. His demon lover wasn't the best at showing affection in public, but he cared, and it was revealed in his (often disguised) concern for the fox. Said fox finished checking his wounds and started looking around the clearing.

Yusuke was sitting on the ground a few feet to his left, inspecting the artifact they had stolen yesterday.

Hiei was in the lower branches of a tree to his right, honing his katana in slow, rhythmic motions.

Neither seemed to realize Kurama was awake yet. He smiled mischievously and said softly,

"I'd be careful with that mirror, Yusuke. We still aren't sure what it does."

The boy jumped about a foot in the air. Luckily, he had set the mirror on the ground moments before Kurama spoke, or else he would probably have broken it. Hiei looked up from his sword, smirking at Yusuke's antics.

"Jeez, Kurama! Why didn't you tell us you were awake," Yusuke cried, sitting back down.

"I believe he just did, baka," Hiei spoke harshly; looking at his fox with a very different expression from the one he's given Yusuke.

"Shut it, Hiei," Yusuke snapped, picking up the artifact, "Anyway, now that you're awake, Kurama, we should start heading back. Koenma's gonna have a fit if he doesn't get his damn mirror."

"Are you ready to travel yet?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"Okay then, let's get going," Yusuke said, reaching down to pull Kurama up.

Hiei jumped out of the tree, tossing Kurama's shirt, which hit Yusuke in the face.

"Here you go, fox."

Kurama laughed lightly and pulled on his shirt, wincing as the smell of dried blood reached him. He looked Hiei over, noting the way he kept his left arm as still and close to his body as possible.

flashback

Kurama stumbled forward with a cry of pain as an arrow sliced through his arm. Hiei appeared at his side, saving the fox from falling and helping him to keep running. Another arrow flew out of the darkness, and Hiei, being preoccupied with Kurama, didn't see it. The shaft plunged straight through his left shoulder. He let out a half-strangled scream, clutching the wound, blood trickling between his fingers.

Kurama gasped, going to check the hole in his lover's shoulder. Hiei gritted his teeth, batting Kurama's hands away and shoving him forward. Yusuke had gotten ahead of them, and was waiting by the entrance.

Everything had been going well until now; Kurama had gotten them into the fortress without much trouble, and stealing the mirror appeared easy at first glance. But there was a well concealed trap that Koenma hadn't warned them about.

Spikes sprouted from the platform the mirror was on. Kurama, being right in the middle of the dais, was forced to jump to avoid being skewered. He might have escaped unscathed too, if not for the shower of arrows that was fired from hidden places in the ceiling.

The fox screamed as the missiles tore through his flesh. He managed to avoid anything that would have been fatal; but he couldn't avoid all the shafts and received multiple gashes on his upper body.

Kurama landed on his feet just beyond the spike-covered platform, holding tightly to the mirror. Yusuke and Hiei ran to him as fast as they could. Yusuke took the artifact while Hiei carefully helped Kurama to his feet.

By now the guards had been alerted and were pouring into the room. The only way out was the way they had come, and they needed to get moving fast, before bloodthirsty demon soldiers blocked it.

They started sprinting for the door causing the guards to howl with rage. Several had bows or crossbows, which they employed in sending a small hail of darts towards the team.

When Hiei was hit, the demons gave a screech of delight that turned quickly into a roar of anger when it didn't stop him. He and Kurama reached the door where Yusuke was waiting and dashed through it while the boy slammed it behind them.

The team continued their flight into the woods surrounding the building. One demon, faster than the others, caught up to Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei as they reached the tree line. It lunged for Kurama, who was obviously in the worst condition, waving a knife in its fist.

Yusuke happened to be the closest to Kurama and the other demon, so he was the one who pushed the fox out of the way and got the blade slashed across his ribs. Yusuke nailed the creature in the head with a well-aimed kick and the three resumed running.

Kurama was stumbling from blood loss, but managed to keep going for a couple of miles before he actually fell. They seemed to have lost their pursuers, so when Hiei (who was traveling through the trees) reported seeing a clearing ahead, they quickly made their way toward it; Yusuke making sure Kurama wouldn't fall again.

When they got to the cleared area, Hiei flitted off to check the perimeter. Yusuke led his friend over to one of the trees edging the clearing, and then began trying to make a fire.

Trying being the keyword apparently.

Ten minutes later, all he had was a pile of beat-up sticks. (Beat-up because he was jumping on them in frustration.) He looked over at Kurama to find him sitting with his back against the tree, unconscious.

At that point, Hiei reappeared, snorting at Yusuke's pathetic attempt at fire building. He sent a small ball of flame at the twigs under the detective's feet, causing the kindling to ignite and Yusuke to leap away, cursing at him.

Hiei rolled his eyes, then turned to Kurama. His face softened slightly as he made his way over to his fox.

Hiei knelt down next to Kurama, gently smoothing his dark red hair out of his face. Yusuke, sensing that his presence wasn't necessary, commenced finding more wood to keep the fire going through the night. Hiei removed his lover's shirt slowly, being careful not to aggravate his injuries. His face darkened, anger taking hold for a moment as he observed the damage that had been done.

He shook his head quickly and began bandaging the gashes. When he was finished, Hiei leaned the fox back against the tree in, at least what appeared to be, a comfortable position. He went over to Yusuke, watching him finish wrapping up his own wound.

When he was done, Hiei grudgingly asked him for help bandaging his shoulder wound. The demon hated asking for help with anything, but he knew Kurama would go nuts if he didn't take care of himself.

Yusuke finished tying the ends of the bandages together, and Hiei checked his work and grunted in a semblance of gratitude. Yusuke offered to stay awake as guard for the first half of the night and told Hiei he should get some sleep.

The fire demon snorted dismissively, but walked the couple of feet back to Kurama. He lifted the fox gently and sat down behind him, positioning them so that Kurama was lying in his lap, Hiei holding him tightly against his chest.

I love you so much. Hiei thought, nuzzling Kurama's neck. Kurama sighed, snuggling closer to the demon. Hiei smiled almost imperceptibly and closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep.

end flashback

Kurama frowned slightly, reaching for Hiei, "Are you alright? How's your shoulder?"

Hiei soothingly halted the fox's hand, "It's fine, I had Yusuke fix it up for me."

Kurama smiled, relieved.

"Yeah, with him glaring death at me the whole time," Yusuke said, stretching and touching his ribs lightly.

Kurama's smile grew, "Figures. And you? Are you okay?"

"Hey, no worries! I'm in better shape than you, that's for sure. But I'm serious, Koenma's gonna flip if this thing isn't returned to him today. Do either of you have any idea what it's supposed to do?" Yusuke tapped the face of the mirror irritably.

The artifact flashed in an almost angry way, and then went back to its usual state. Yusuke jumped in surprise, nearly dropping it. They all stared at it for a moment, but the mirror didn't do anything else strange.

"Perhaps the issue of this mirror is more urgent than we thought," Kurama murmured, staring at the object with narrowed eyes.

Hiei nodded sharply, "Let's get moving then."

Yay! partys I'm so happy! Let me know what you thought onegai. And tell me what you think about the KoenmaYusuke pairing, I refuse to update until I get at least three reviews!

three hours go by must…resist…urge…to update…