Asura: Man, it's been a while. I've been kinda busy with everything, so it took me a while to get around to typing up this chapter. School, plus senior stuff, plus family stuff, plus all that other crap that comes in between called homework, has really put me behind. D: Not a happy thought. So, I apologize for the late update. It's been hell… literally.

Now that that's out of the way, please welcome the seventh chapter of SAE! OMFG! Chapter seven!? We've gotten that far?! The hell man! When did we get to chapter seven...?! Never mind... I just don't remember writing seven chapters... jeez...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho in any way... at least, I don't think I do. Hehe.

Chapter Seven: Parting of Rivals

By: Asura Mori

Skaa worked quietly as he pondered Kuronue's confession. While the bat's infatuation with Youko hadn't surprised him, he really hadn't expected the other demon to have the balls to follow the kitsune. Very rarely did such actions lead to a fruitful ending, though he wasn't really worried about the bat when it came to Youko.

No, what worried him was the fact that Yomi had followed after the two. While he knew Yomi wasn't stupid enough to attack Kuronue out right, Skaa also knew that the demon was very temperamental and had a huge crush on Youko. So, if Kuronue's plan to take the fox as a lover proceeded smoothly, then Kuronue and Yomi would butt heads sooner or later.

And the snake demon wasn't too sure that Kuronue would come out on top. He was concerned for the bat, not only as a comrade in arms, but also as a friend and confidant. Although, as a demon, he also wanted to know who would win: Kuronue, Youko's new right hand man? Or Yomi, the former second-in-command? Both men were strong and nearly equal in power, regardless of what others thought. Yomi hadn't lost his position due to weakness, but because of his tendency to defy Youko's authority.

In terms of power, the bat and the horned-demon were very close to equal in strength. But Yomi was more experienced in stealth than the bat, making him dangerous. If Kuronue wasn't careful, he would die.

And that would be most regrettable, Skaa believed. Most regrettable indeed. With a small sigh, the demon flicked his tail, which composed his whole lower half, and continued about his work of cooking that night's dinner. Grilled rabbit demon was a favorite among the band and he wasn't about to burn it because he was lost in thought.

Even he wasn't that stupid.

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Kuronue could happily say that he could die without regrets. His fox was finally in his arms, and would stay there if the bat had anything to say about it. He looked down at the dozing fox, a half-smile on his lips as he watched the demon's chest rise and fall. Was there anything more beautiful than a sleeping, untamable kitsune? The bat really doubted it.

The bat shifted a bit, feeling his leg go numb where Youko sat. The fox demon frowned in his sleep and Kuronue had to stifle a laugh. His fox, pouting. Bet the guys at camp hadn't seen that before. He chuckled lightly, running a hand through Youko's silver hair as he did. The fox settled, a sigh passing through slightly kiss-bruised lips. After going at it for almost two days, the bat wasn't surprised that the kitsune's lips looked so.

He sighed happily. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship…

Kuronue sighed, his mood souring as he caught another demon's scent. Why the hell was he here? Then again, the bat demon couldn't really blame him. Youko was hot when he was naked… and it was pretty obvious that the other demon had a crush on him…

Miffed, Kuronue gently pulled Youko off of him and laid the fox down softly, careful not to disturb the sleeping demon. He pulled his pants on, not caring enough to put on everything else, as he didn't see the need.

Besides, this confrontation didn't really require him to get dressed… especially seeing as how those clothes that he did put on would probably be lost in the upcoming fight. He placed his right hand on his opposite shoulder, massaging his arm in a circular motion. He then let out a low sigh, his dark eyes fixating on a place adjacent from where he stood.

"Come on out. I know you're there… Yomi."

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Yomi said nothing as he exited his hiding place, coming to stand before the bat demon. He glared at the demon, showing his disgust at the other man's lack of clothing. Kuronue only smirked at this, amused, which annoyed the short-haired demon even further. Yomi's eyes flickered over to where Youko slept, also naked.

"You bastard…" He hissed, drawing a medium-sized, flat blade, "How dare you defile him with your dirty hands." Kuronue looked at him lazily and stifled a yawn. "Me? Defile him? How so? I asked him to be my lover and he agreed to it. There was no 'defiling' as you so eloquently put it."

Yomi snarled, not deeming the comment good enough to answer. He swung his blade, but the bat demon was already moving. "Temper, temper Yomi. You really should show some restraint." Kuronue laughed as the other demon missed him.

The short-haired demon swung again, his eyes blazing with hate. "I'll make you regret chasing after him, you damn bat. The Youko is no prize for you to claim. He is absolute power personified. You think of him only as an object. You are not worthy of being his mate." Kuronue stopped dodging, his own eyes growing cold. "How dare you?" He asked, his voice little more than a whisper, "Me? Think of him as an object? No, I think, and regard, him as an equal. It is you who are mistaken."

"Then why sound so sore?" Yomi goaded the bat, knowing that he had hit a sore point. "Did you not think that we all knew the real reason you joined this merry little band? You wanted Youko; it was apparent from the day you came here. Even he knew. He probably only let you sleep with him as a joke."

Kuronue laughed then, hearing the jealousy in the other man's voice. "And yet, he never let you have a go. His trusted right-hand man. He knew of your crush on him, yet he never let you have so much as a taste. What does that say about you, my dear?" The bat stopped, his dark eyes narrowing as he beheld Yomi, who was shaking with suppressed fury. "I'll tell you what it means, Yomi. It means that you weren't worthy enough to be Youko's mate, that you are not his equal. You're pathetic."

"You know nothing." Yomi answered, his voice dripping venom. "Obviously." Kuronue smarted back, smirking. Yomi suddenly threw his blade at the bat, catching the other demon off-guard. Kuronue dodged to the side, his eyes widening as Yomi came in fast with a round-house kick. Grimacing, the bat tried to raise his arms to block his chest, but was only half-successful. He warded off most of the damage, but was sent flying into the nearby cliff-wall.

Rock splintered around him as he impacted, driving the wind from the bat's body. He let out a small groan of pain and started to sit up, when another blow connected with his gut. He had underestimated Yomi; he was much stronger than the bat had first thought.

Blood dripped down the side of Kuronue's mouth, but he quickly wiped it away. He caught Yomi's next punch, using his weight to lift Yomi over his shoulder. He then slammed the other demon into the cliff wall, his fist arching back and then slamming into Yomi's face. Growling, the short-haired demon head-butted Kuronue, forcing the bat back.

Both stopped to evaluate the other, glaring daggers. Neither had weapons, but that didn't seem to matter. The two men stood, somewhat hunched, as they squared off.

What neither caught on to was the fact that Youko was watching the two of them, his elegant face a mask of calm. However, underneath the mask, the fox was quite angry. Then he sighed and sat back, calm again, both inside and outside. Let the two demons fight it out.

After all, if the two were going to be so idiotic as to fight over him, then they deserved to get bloodied up.

And so the fight continued, undisturbed, as Youko just sat back and watched. While Yomi was the more experienced of the two fighters, Kuronue was quicker. His attacks, though lighter than Yomi's, were more frequent. Thus, two or three of the bat's hits added up to one of the short-haired demon's attacks. In that respect, they were equal.

But in the way they thought things out, there was a huge difference. Yomi was more of a "hit 'em now, ask questions later" type, while Kuronue planned his moves out before acting on them.

Yomi was a warrior to his core; always rushing into battle and never thinking of the consequences. Kuronue was a thinker; always planning one or two steps ahead, but even he sometimes got distracted with all of the possibilities that lay before him. That was the problem with the thinking type of fighter; there was always the possibility that there wouldn't be a solution.

Youko blinked as he heard the pleasant sound of bones breaking and looked up. During the time that he had been lost in thought, the two demons had neared the end of the fight. And here was the outcome: Yomi was slumped on the ground, his right hand pressed up against the shoulder of his left arm, a look of utter hate on his face as he gazed up at Kuronue. Both men were panting, blood dripping from various cuts and scratches on their bodies.

"You've lost, Yomi. Take your defeat to heart and leave my sight. This matter is settled." Kuronue growled, glaring down at the short-haired demon slumped before him. Yomi laughed, blood flecking his lips as he did so. "Settled? On the contrary, my hated companion, this matter is far from settled. I will leave, but know that this is not the end, but the beginning. I will have my victory over you, bat."

And then he was gone, with nothing but an imprint in the soil to tell of his presence there. Kuronue stared at the spot, his brow furrowed in thought. "So tell me, fox." He finally said, turning to face Youko, who cocked his head to the side, "Did you enjoy watching your second and ex-second fight?"

"Indeed I did. You are quite erotic when fighting butt-naked." Youko quipped, smirking. Kuronue shook his head, dark eyes fixed in a glower. "You know what I mean, Youko. Did you plan for this to happen? For the two of us to fight it out like that?"

"Not at all. In fact, I thought this fight wouldn't take place for at least another week or so." Youko answered, quite seriously, "I didn't think Yomi would act this quickly, though I have been wrong about him on more than one occasion."

"So you knew it would come down to this? Yomi coming here to fight me?" Kuronue asked, verifying. "Yes, I knew it would happen." Youko asked, suddenly cross, "What? Did you expect me to warn you about him? You knew very well what would happen once you became my lover. You already knew that you would have to fight him, just to prove that you were an excellent choice on my part.

"Choice?" Kuronue asked, frowning, "What does that mean?" "You know very well what it means, bat." Youko snapped, reaching for his clothes, "Very rarely will I take a lover among my band of thieves, and when I do, that person must be equal to me in all things."

He turned to look at the bat, his golden eyes glittering, "You meet all the necessary requirements for being a lover of the King of Thieves, but don't think that just because you do so means that I will accept you. I took you as a lover to test you. Don't make me regret doing so, Kuronue."

The fox backed up when Kuronue suddenly smiled, confused. "What in Hell's name are you grinning about?" He demanded as the bat came over and wrapped him in a tight hug, "And get your dirty paws off me, you bleeding idiot!" "So, according to you, I would make an excellent lover?" Kuronue asked, nuzzling the kitsune's neck.

Youko frowned, waiting for the bat to get to the point. "And if you are?" He inquired, still trying to push the man off of him. "Then that means Yomi didn't meet your requirements." Kuronue purred, content, "And that makes me extremely happy."

"… You're pleased easily." Youko pointed out, but Kuronue ignored him, instead choosing to kiss and nip at the fox's neck.

And then the bat was flying through the air and into the spring. He sputtered up back to the surface, staring at Youko with wide eyes. "Did you really believe that I would allow you to fuck me in THAT state?" Youko asked, grinning maliciously. "I don't think so."

And with that, Youko proceeded to get dressed and then walked away, leaving Kuronue to bathe by himself.

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Yomi fled the spring area, his thoughts in turmoil as he did so. His arm throbbed, sending waves of pain straight to his brain, letting the demon know exactly how it felt about being left untreated. But he ignored the broken limb, instead plotting his revenge against the bat demon.

The pain faded a bit as his thoughts centered on the perfect revenge. It probably wouldn't get him Youko, but Kuronue wouldn't have him either.

After all, if everything went according to plan, Kuronue would be dead.

To be continued…

Asura: THAT'S A BAD YOMI! (smacks Yomi with… another Yomi)

Yomi: What the hell woman?! You wrote the damn thing! How is this my fault?!

Asura: … Truuuuueee… BUT! You missed one thing!

Yomi: And what thing would that be, you merciless child?

Asura: First of all, I'm not a child. I'm about to turn 18. Second… I can blame whoever I like, even if that person is nonexistent. :D

Yomi: … You are quite evil, you know that?

Asura: Yeah, I know. But so is this… (summons up Kuronue and Youko, who are in the midst of having sex)

Kuronue: (looks up) What the hell, Asura? We were just getting to the good part…

Youko: (glares at Yomi) I'm blaming you for this.

Yomi: It's not my fucking fault!

Kuronue: Mmmm… fucking. Now THAT sounds good.

Youko: I agree.

Yomi: Listen to me, dammit!