Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the plot concepts of "Yu Yu Hakusho," nor do I claim ownership over the characters as both were created by Yoshihiro Togashi and published by Shueisha. "Yu Yu Hakusho," the television series, was directed by Akiyuki Arafusa and Noriyuki Abe and written by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi. The television series of "Yu Yu Hakusho" was licensed by Madman Entertainment, MVM Films, and Funimation. Due to the fact that I have clearly accredited both genres of "Yu Yu Hakusho" I expect to remain free of all plagiaristic directed allegations. I will not be making money through this work; therefore, there is no copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 8

Escape

A battle scared hand lazily smoothed along the golden armrest of a deserted throne. Beautiful designs that matched Kishou's horns etched into the metal. The fallen lord closed his eyes and thought back to his childhood. He remembered sitting at his father's feet while he conducted his day to day duties as the fearful king. His lips spread into a menacing smile. "Soon enough father I will make you proud." His crimson hair fell away from his shoulders as he leaned his head back. The damp smell of the forgotten castle filled him, as made up visions of ruling again clouded his mind. He eyed the throne one more time before making a mental note that there should be a second. His little oracle would be beside him at all times, and when the time was right he would kill her with his blade. "You will be mine for all eternity."

It was hard to keep his eyes open. After hours of torture from Ruko, Koenma couldn't keep his exhaustion at bay. The pain eventually numbed and the Spirit ruler questioned at one point if he was actually dying. He had one more day until Kishou had had enough. Koenma would make his father proud, and keep the lives of others safe by any means necessary. He silently prayed his detectives wouldn't try to find him. The smell of death put him to sleep.

"When will they be here?" Yusuke asked impatiently. "We don't have a lot of time." His teammate continued to gaze out into the open field. "Any moment Yusuke. We cannot show any signs that we are anything other then what we have them to believe. Am I clear?" He turned meeting Yusuke eyes. The seriousness of this situation was difficult. Any wrong move could cause a riot amongst the demons and ultimately Koenma's death. "Yeah." Yusuke answered. "Just want to get Koenma out of there." Over the horizon a figure appeared. Weapons decorated his form amongst the shadows. "Looks like our tour guide finally arrived." "Keep in mind there could be others." Kurama warned. "These are thieves we are dealing with. They trust no one."

When the demon came closer Yusuke bowed in respect and Kurama was grateful he was taking this matter seriously. "What do you have for me?" The demon questioned. "The oracle is in a secret location." Kurama began. "As soon as we speak with Lord Kishou I will let him know we have her." "You mean to involve me as we agreed." Kurama nodded. "Yes. I plan on propositioning her for higher power amongst his new kingdom." The demons eyes lit up in delight. "I seem to have forgotten how glorious you were with trade Youko." A mangled right hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a small horn. "If I may." The demon asked politely. He blew into the piece, sending out a low howl against the Makai wind. Another was returned moments later and Yusuke's eyes widened. It seemed Kurama was correct on his suspicion. "We will arrive before nightfall." The thief said with a smile. "Now, tell me. Is she as beautiful as they say?"

A blow to Whitney's side forced her back on her knees. Another cry escaped her as Hiei's leg connected with her ribs for the second time. She instantly hunched over clutching at her side. "At this point they would be playing with your corpse." Whitney ignored him. The pain was overbearing. "Get up!" He roared. "We're not finished." The anger in his voice was prominent. Something was bothering him all morning and Whitney had a good idea what the reason was. "I'm not like you." She whispered. "I don't know what I'm doing." Hiei scoffed. "Of course you don't. You humans are weak." He walked around her, eyeing her crouched body. "I'm amazed how you even got this far in life. Waste of air-" "Shut up!" Her head snapped in his direction, brown eyes turning black. "I didn't ask for your opinion you piece of shit!" She slowly got up on her feet, her hand still holding her side. "If you were strong enough you wouldn't feel the need to train me." A devious smile graced her lips. "Or are you the weak one?" Whitney knew she hit a nerve as soon as the words left her. Her protector's face slowly morphed into something otherworldly, and when their eyes met Whitney felt a sense of fear rush through her.

He came at her suddenly, her back hitting the ground once again as his hand wrapped around her throat. "If my life wasn't on the line I would have killed you from the beginning!" Mists of saliva splattered along her cheek as she turned her face from him. "You stupid human filth!" He screamed leaning in closer. "When the day finally comes I will watch happily while you wither away." "Do it." Whitney said hoarsely. "Kill me." She could feel the tears slowly make their way forth and she closed her eyes to stop it. The feel of his grip fell away and Whitney opened her eyes to see he was still there. "Doing that would end my life along with others in the process, and I have more important things to worry about." They were quiet for a bit, as she watched him curiously. "Can I ask you something?" Whitney whispered. "Hn, you're going to do it anyway." The woman took in a shaky breath to calm her nerves. "When I kissed you last night why didn't you stop me?" Whitney watched him as his eyes closed either in regret or thought, she didn't know. "You call me weak, filthy, yet in that moment you couldn't stop yourself." Hiei moved away this time and stood gazing at the open field. "My dragon wants claim over you." He began. "It's hard to control."

Whitney sat up cautious of her side. "So it wasn't really you then." She answered for him. His explanation hurt more than she realized. From an outside point of view, their relationship would be considered strange, but Whitney never thought of it that way. Different, yes, because who else in the normal world go through events such as hers? Slowly Whitney stood and started to play with a few fallen strands. "I'm sorry if I made it worse." She said suddenly feeling sorry. "We should probably just forget this training thing. I won't be very good at it anyway." He turned eyeing her as she continued to clutch at her side. "We continue tomorrow." Instantly Whitney let out a whine. "You can't be serious!" A small smirk befell on his lips. "Then when the time comes I'll just throw you to the wolves. No point in teaching someone who doesn't want to learn." Whitney let out a frustrated growl. "Whatever, just try not to kill me next time."

Kishou sat lazily upon the throne. Koenma still remained silent about the woman's whereabouts, and there was nothing else Kishou could do to get the information he needed. Another torture for the Spirit king and he would die. Kishou scowled at the thought. Something needed to be done quickly or his promise of killing his prisoner would fall through. A servant walked quickly into the middle of the room. "My lord." He said breathlessly. "There are men here that wish to speak with you. They say it is important." Kishou's gaze traveled over him. "And did they identify themselves?" The servant fiddled with his torn shirt. "One calls himself Youko my lord." Amber eyes widened in delight. It was as if the gods had smiled upon him that very moment. "Let them enter." He ordered. Though as wonderful was it was, the fallen lord hard to be cautious. Youko Kurama was known for his sly antics and if Kishou needed assistance in ruling the worlds he would have to provide Youko with something of greater or equal value. Three figures entered the throne room and it took Kishou a moment to realize the fox thief no longer resembled his former self. The incident back in the human world ran through his thoughts. He was the very reason Kishou was in this predicament. "I wondered when I would meet you again Youko." Kishou greeted. "But I must confess I'm curious as to why you wish to see me now."

Kurama stepped forward, Youko's spirit was still present. "I have information on the oracle's location if you wish to have it." Yusuke stood in the back with their guide, eyes watching every angle. He could tell Kurama was on edge the moment they entered the castle, but he never faltered in his guise. It had been years since Yusuke saw him this way, and the last time wasn't under pleasant circumstances. "Why now?" Kishou questioned. "You and your men took her from me and destroyed my second in command. Explain to me why I should trust you." Kurama took in a deep breath to steady his heart. If Kishou realized they were lying there was no returning.

His emerald eyes met Kishou. "We need a place in your higher ranks of ruling. We do not wish to be cast away with the lower demons. The oracle is a bargaining chip for our place amongst your kingdom." Kishou leaned back against the chair. "You stole her from me." "Yes." A fang glistened from Kishous' mouth. "You are quite the thief Youko, tell me where the woman's hideout is and I will grant you and your members the titles you so deserve." The redhead nodded. "I require one more thing." Amber eyes burned. "And what would that be?" Yusuke could tell Kishou was rapidly losing his patience. 'Come on Kurama.' "There is rumor you have the Spirit Ruler. I wish to have him." "For what purpose?" The lower demon turned to Yusuke shock evident on his face. "What is he trying to do?" Yusuke met his gaze, unsure how to answer. "I don't know."

Kurama cracked his knuckles as a menacing smile graced his features. "For my own personal use." Kishou immediately returned the grin. "I had heard you were working with him at some point in time. Are you still loyal to the pestering filth?" A devious chuckle greeted Kishous ears. "I am as loyal to that scum as I was to King Enma. I wish to see him in the state you left him last." Yusuke's hand twitched at the foxes comments, he almost believed him. Almost. Kishou eyes moved to the back of the room.

"Ruko."

A figure appeared from the shadows and Yusuke jumped at the presence. Confusion ran through him as to how he didn't feel his spirit energy before. It only took one look to understand why. 'He's dead.' "Please escort him to the dungeons. I will entertain these two." Again Ruko bowed before walking out of the room, Kurama followed suit sending Yusuke a final look. The spirit detective knew he had to keep Kishou busy for the time being as his teammate tried to free Koenma. The demon before him stood from his throne, energy levels rising with great power. "So you must be the infamous Yusuke." He said teasingly. "I enjoyed your battles immensely, even if they were a bit cliché." Immediately the thief next to Yusuke kneeled, a hand upon his chest as he bowed his head. "It is an honor to serve you my lord. May I-" "Who gave you permission to speak?" His voice was low but stern, it made the both of them shiver. Kishou was suddenly before the thief. "M-my lord?" "You lower class inbreeds make me detest the fact we share the same heritage." Yusuke could feel the tension rise in the room, and he took a step away. A feeling in his lower gut warned him to move, and disassociate himself with the troubled demon. Kishou lowered himself to the follower's level and rested a hand onto their cheek. "When you first entered, I wondered why these two would associate themselves with you." His eyes glanced at Yusuke who continued to openly stare at them. Their eyes met for a moment, Yusuke realizing something drastic was about to happen. He knew from recent stories that Kishou was an identical twin to his merciless father, and warnings from Koenma never left.

"Yusuke." He called. "Do you know why I have such a large following?" The spirit detective felt his body freeze. Koenma had assured him that Kishou was intelligent and reserved. A dangerous mix to a sociopath. He swallowed unsure how to answer. This could be a trick to see if he was actually a follower or a spy. "You are most powerful-" "Enough!" His hand slid to the column of the thief's throat and squeezed. The demonic energy falling off Kishou in waves. "Do you see how merciful your king is?" He questioned the quivering man as he squeezed tighter. "Do you feel how powerful I can be?" Kishou turned his attention back to Yusuke, eyes gleaming with pleasure. "The reason these demons do my bidding is because I promised them our worlds back." A sickening crack echoed throughout the room and Yusuke watched as the man fell to the ground dead. "It is why I am suspicious of your following." He stood tall now, an angry look upon his face. "Humans took our home and made my ancestors flee to this hell. I am fighting to get it back as my father tried before me." Yusuke took another step back. "If I am not mistaken." He said with a knowing smile. "You are human."

Yusuke's hand shot out instantly, hitting Kishou in his temple. This time he turned to kick Kishou away, but the demons hand blocked the blow. His claws dug into the skin. "My father may have been tricked once, but know I will not go down the same path." Kishou spun flinging the spirit detective into the closest stone column. Debris and dust began to cloud the room as Yusuke fell to the ground. He groaned moving away from the larger pieces of falling rock. His hands moved into position as a determined look overcame him. "I can promise you it will happen." Yusuke said breathlessly. "Spirit Gun!"

Koenma pleaded with his fighter. "Please Kurama, forget me!" "I am not leaving without you." The fox demon replied seriously. Koenma's head fell, his left over energy spent on the excitement of seeing a familiar face. Immediately Kurama saw his movements and tried harder to break the chains. Ruko continued to make gurgling sounds from the corner of the room. His legs detached on the other side. Kurama grimaced at the sight. Whatever black magic Kishou was using on his followers was something he didn't want any part of. The sound of metal hitting the stone floor had Kurama look at the lock. Koenma was free.

Authors note: I know there wasn't a lot of Hiei and Whitney in this one, but this chapter was needed. I promise there will be more of them next chapter. Thanks again to my readers! And please, please let me know if there is anything that needs to be changed. Xoxo Chrissystixx