Chapter 4: The Crow Is Alive! CURSES!

Kurama was lying on his bed, covered in blood soaked bandages.

"It's just been three days and I feel dead as a log" he muttered to himself.

With great effort, he pulled himself out of the bed, changed his bandages, took out a notebook and started his work.

"I hate it. Training and school"

His homework was piled up due to him not being able to complete it. He almost completed half of it when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. Kurama turned his head at the direction of his bed and saw a familiar figure sitting on it. His body suddenly became very stiff as he realized who it was.

'Curses, It's Karasu. Wait, didn't he die?' Questions flooded Kurama's mind

"Why Kurama, You don't look very happy. And as for me, I didn't die in the tournament. I'm not that weak" Karasu spoke but Kurama just stared at Karasu in pure terror and shock. Karasu continued when Kurama didn't speak "I heard that you have become a very pretty female due to a curse and I thought that what better time would it be to blast your neck from your body than now"

Karasu smirked. Kurama swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

'Great, I'm not even in the position to deal with this jerk' Kurama mentally cursed.

"But I see that you are not quite in a good condition to be tortured to death so I'll just leave you with some little gifts" Karasu's lips curled into an evil, cruel smirk. Suddenly some small deadly explosives appeared out of nowhere (A/N: Please don't hate me if this was not how it worked) and till the time Kurama realized what was happening, they exploded. Kurama screamed in pain. Karasu, on the other hand, had disappeared.

'Thank goodness mother's not home. She would have freaked out' Kurama gave himself some mental satisfaction as he applied some ointment on the burns and changed his bandages. 'I should inform Yusuke and the others about Karasu'

He took out a communicating device which was the size and shape of a circular blusher and called Yusuke who appeared on the screen after a few minutes.

"Yo Kurama! What is it?" Yusuke asked

"Well Yusuke–"

"Whoa wait, what's with those bandages?That old hag isn't being too harsh on you now, is she?" Yusuke asked looking concerned. Kurama smiled

"Well Yusuke, she is a bit harsh but most of these bandages are not from training"

"Then? You didn't encounter any demon or something now did you?"

"Yes, I did. I encountered one with whom we are quite familiar with"

"Who?"

"Shuichi, I'm home!" he heard his mother enter and close the main door

"I'll talk to you later, Yusuke" said Kurama eyeing the bloodied mess in his room

"Hey, at least tell me who it" Kurama hung up

"Shuichi? Where are you? Shiori called for her son

"Coming mother" Kurama replied while cleaning the mess as fast as he could. He then changed into a pair of jeans and a full sleeved shirt to keep his bandages hidden. Finally after cleaning up all the traces of a fight, he hurried towards the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" his mother asked

"Oh, I was studying" he replied

"Okay. Anyways, I have brought some ramen for dinner. I couldn't understand what to make today."

"Oh It's great mom"

"Can you help me set the table?"

"Sure"

After setting the table, Kurama and his mother sat on the opposite ends of the table and began eating.

"Is something the matter, mom?" Kurama asked as he noticed his mother staring at him.

"Umm...Shuichi, there's something I want to talk to you about" Shiori spoke with hesitation

"Sure mother"

"Well you see...I have been thinking about remarrying ONLY and only if you are okay with it" She spoke with a little doubt in her eyes. Kurama looked at her for a moment

"Does that man have any child of his own?"

"Yes, he has a son"

"Oh...if it makes you happy mother" Kurama smiled but he couldn't suppress the jealousy in his heart. All the affection of his mother that was for him would be divided now.

"Shuichi, my love for you will never decrease" Shiori spoke, realising what was going through Kurama's head.

"I know mother" Kurama said and the burning feeling in his heart eased.

"Wouldn't you like to meet your father before the wedding?" she asked hopefully

"Sure mother..But maybe after a few days? I have a very busy schedule right now"

"Of course, whenever you both get time"

Kurama retired to his room after helping his mother clean up the dishes. Every fibre of his body was hoping all this; Karasu returning, Sumire avoiding him and him being a girl; was a dream and when he wakes up tomorrow, everything would be fine. He would get the same affectionate treatment from his mother, walk to school with no worries of being attacked by that creep, spend the school hours with the cheerful Sumire who didn't avoid him and if this was a dream, he told himself, he would confess to her because even he gets rejected

'We would still be friends' he assured himself. He didn't realize when sleep took over him as he was thinking of every possible reaction of the red headed girl when he would her how he felt.

Unfortunately, Kurama woke up as a girl, covered in bandages, his mother was getting married and Sumire was not avoiding him but still not talking much to him. She was spending her time reading books rather than talking. He also hadn't got the opportunity to warn others about Karasu. Training was getting horrible, his grades were falling and he was getting frustrated.

A week later, Kurama entered his home after training, heavily wounded. His mother was waiting for him at the door.

"Shuichi, why are you always coming late to home for the past two weeks? And I also won't hear any excuses for those wounds" Kurama realized excuses won't work. He tried looking innocently confused.

"Mother, didn't I tell you I was learning martial arts?"

"No, you didn't"

"How can that be possible? I clearly remember I asked for your permission, you know, when you were reading a book in your room"

"If you say so. By the way, Urameshi-san is a real gentleman"

"Why?"

"He always takes time off his schedule to visit you"

"Mother, is Yusuke upstairs?"

"Yes"

"Mom, I'm going to my room" he said and rushed upstairs.

Kurama entered his room and found Yusuke sitting on a chair, this time, without any diaries.

'Thank goodness' Kurama sighed in relief

"Yusuke, what happened?" asked Kurama, taking a chair

"You're finally here Kurama. I was starting to wonder if you were coming back at all"

"Well, here I am"

"You okay, Kurama?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're badly injured"

"This is nothing. We've had―"

The door opened and his mother entered the room with some cookies and juice.

"There you go, eat up Urameshi-san and would you like to join us for dinner?"

"I would have loved to but I'm in a hurry. Maybe some other time"

"Oh ok" she said and left.

"So Yusuke, any special reasons for your visit or is it another regular one?"

"Well no, this is not a regular one. Koenma sent me here"

"Why?"

"He wants you to be careful"

"From?"

"He says that some members of Team Taguro are not dead yet"

"Yeah, I know that"

"How?" Yusuke asked looking surprised and concerned.

"I've had an encounter with the crow recently"

"WHAT? WHEN? He didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

"Well you remember that day when I had called you and hung up without telling you how I got those injuries?"

Yusuke nodded

"That's when I had encountered him"

"Why didn't you tell us anything?"

"I tried but something or the other happened that stopped me from telling you all"

"Oh"

"Don't worry, I'm fine"

"Okay, and Koenma said that he had given you some artifact for safekeeping"

"Yes, he wants it back?" Kurama asked. Yusuke nodded

"Well, what kind of artifact is it?" Yusuke asked

"Hmm..I really don't―"

"Kurama, your face is red" Yusuke pointed out

"What do you mean?"

"You're okay, right?"

"I am. I'll go and bring the object"

"KURAMA!"

Yusuke caught Kurama just in time so that he didn't fall down. Kurama's body temperature was very high. He was unconscious and his breathing was shallow

"He has a very bad fever"

Yusuke placed Kurama on the bed and ran downstairs to call his mother. Within minutes his mother came to the room and checked his temperature

"We've got to call the doctor"

Author's Note: Hey guys, I know I'm updating after a long time. I had my tests and now that they are over, hopefully I would be able to update more frequently. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.