Learning to Live Again

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.

Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I do own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)

Thanks and enjoy...

Chapter Seventeen: Of Betrayal and Doubt

"Learning to live again," Yusuke whispered, a feeling of contentment sweeping over him as though he had just discovered the answer to an age-old question.

"What was that?"

Yusuke glanced at his friends again. "Nothing. Was just thinking." He was met with three smirking expressions in varying degrees. "Are we ready, my friends?"

"Always," came the answer from three different mouths.

:-:-:-:-:

There was death everywhere. Demons, on both sides, were lying everywhere in varying degrees of death. The devastation was immense. Not many were currently without injury. Most were moments from death, if not already there. Yusuke was one of the few who was mostly without injury, save many bruises and cuts. His energy was beginning to dwindle down, as he had been fighting for hours now. Kurama was also looking not too worse for wear. As he was fighting back-to-back with Hiei, they were both spared many wounds. It was an excellent strategy, so long as both parties involved were able to match each other's movements to perfection.

Yusuke had wound up staying near Aurora on the battlefield, though they didn't speak much to each other aside from questioning the other's wellbeing. Aurora had saved Yusuke twice from some rather nasty wounds; she, herself, taking one of the blows and deflecting the other. That injury to her abdomen had occurred several hours ago, so it was not difficult to believe that her strength was wearing thin. Her movements, while still quite effective, were slower and lacking their usual grace. There was no snow falling anymore, and Yusuke assumed this was because she had no energy to spare. She had yet to call forth her trademark technique she had shown to him days before, and he wondered offhandedly if she even had enough strength to call the being now.

Jin, Touya, Chu, Shishi, Mukuro, and a few others had made a group between them, protecting each other and preventing any really serious harm to any one of them. It was working well, and Yusuke was just thankful they were all still alive. He could just barely see them now, as they had moved back several yards to help better protect the fortress.

Their opponents' numbers were severely lowered now, which Yusuke was also thankful for. Many of the demons they hadn't killed had taken off, in hopes of their lives being spared. Aurora had told the toushin that many of the lower-class demons had absolutely no sense of honor or shame, so it wasn't a surprise that they had fled. The only real surprise, she'd said, was that many more of them hadn't attempted to escape before now. Yusuke looked over the vast field of blood, corpses and death. He had been doing this quite often to make sure his other two companions were still alright, not in need of aid and most importantly, still alive. This time, he was happy to know, was the same as all those before it. The only change was that they were no longer fighting back-to-back. Kurama had moved closer to where Yusuke was standing. Since the enemy forces were now more spread out, there was no need to have two of the best fighters in one place.

Kurama, feeling eyes upon him, glanced towards Yusuke. He flashed a wily, mischievous grin at his leader before turning back to the fight he was winning. It wasn't terribly hard to see that Kurama was enjoying himself. He was now only half his fox-self. His pale silver hair was streaked with that fiery read, his eyes were swirls of emerald and gold, he still had his fox ears atop his head but no tail protruded from behind him. Yusuke decided he liked Kurama best this way; it was the best of both halves that made up the half-demon.

Yusuke turned his eyes to Hiei now. He was enjoying himself even more than Kurama, though he was very good at not showing it. Yusuke could see it, though. His eyes danced, his smirk was wider, his breathing was fast and even. He didn't look towards Yusuke, instead he called, "Start pulling your own weight, Detective!" But his tone was laughing and light.

Yusuke grinned. "Yeah, yeah," he yelled back. "I've been too busy picking up your slack."

"Now, now, children," Kurama intervened without looking away from the two demons he was engaging in hand-to-hand with. "Wouldn't want our enemies to think we're getting cocky, now."

Hiei 'hn'-ed and Yusuke laughed, smashing in the face of a particularly ugly demon in front of him. "How are you fairing, sister?" Kurama called to Aurora, who glanced at him.

"Fine, brother, and yourself?" Though she was looking less and less 'fine' by the minute. Kurama didn't seem to take notice of this however because her tone was a mastery of calm neutrality.

"Excellent."

No one spoke again for maybe another hour before the silence was broken by someone crying out. Kurama jumped lightly away from the demon he was facing, towards his sister; he'd know her voice anywhere. "Aurora, what it is?" Yusuke looked up and saw exactly what was wrong. The wound she had acquired earlier had just been stabbed open again.

She was faltering; the three demons she had been fighting had nearly overpowered her now. "Move," Kurama commanded her before taking over her fight.

Aurora gripped the wound in her midsection with one arm, stepping away from the fray and allowing Kurama to handle them. A look of pain was etched across her face. "My... Lord," she panted, glancing over to Yusuke. "Please, come..." she didn't finish her sentence, motioning for him to come to her with her other hand instead.

Yusuke knocked away another foe and moved to stand in front of her. She looked as though she could barely stand. He quickly pulled her into an embrace to keep her upright. "What is it?" he asked softly into her ear. There seemed to be a momentary reprieve in enemies. Not many, besides those Kurama fought, were around anymore. He and his friends were winning this, Yusuke noted with some delight.

Her breathing was coming in shallow pants, body trembling. She leaned heavily into his arms. "I... I'm... so sorry, Yusuke..."

For one single moment, he was at somewhat of a loss; she had never called him by his name before... Then he felt it. He cried out as he felt something very sharp stabbed into his back. "Ah... You..." he voice was pained, and all he could do was stare at her in shock. It was a trap... Her wounds weren't paining her, at all... She justed needed him close to kill him... But... why now?

Kurama's head snapped up and over to Yusuke when he heard his friend cry out. He dropped one of his only remaining seeds, which quickly sprouted and finished off the demons he had been battling for Aurora. The scene before him shocked him to his core. For a long moment, he stood paralyzed. Yusuke had both arms wrapped around Aurora, seemingly to help her remain on her feet. Her face was more pale than it ever was before, blood stained the whole front of her gown, starting at her stomach, ending in a puddle on the ground. One of her arms was wrapped tightly around the wound, the other was encircling Yusuke. The hand of the arm around him was holding a sword of ice that was... stabbing through him. "No..." Kurama whispered, suddenly finding his feet.

As he sprinted to where the two stood, locked in an emotion-filled stare, he took in the rest of horrid situation at hand. The sword was protruding into Yusuke's back and out through his chest. His face was ghostly pale, the blood already beginning to flow from the harsh wound. Aurora whispered something Kurama couldn't hear in Yusuke's ear. Pulling him closer, she softly kissed him, just before letting go of him, allowing him to fall backwards away from her. There was a gentle, sad smile tilting up her mouth. There were tears in her eyes...

Kurama got to Yusuke just in time to catch him as he pitched backwards. The sword of ice embedded in him was already melting without her touch to keep it frozen. The wound remained, however. The fox looked up at her. "How could you?" he hissed. "I... I trusted you!"

She gave him another soft, remorseful smile, "I did what I had to do." She turned away from him. "I am sorry," she whispered without looking back at him. "I hope you'll understand someday. I love you dearly, brother." She walked forward a few more steps before a man appeared in a cloud of black smoke. Aurora raised her eyes to look into the man's. "Nikolai," she said softly. She moved to stand closer to him, "The brat will soon be dead."

"Good, very good," the man laughed. "You've done well, my love. I'd been worried you had betrayed me. I shouldn't have ever doubted you, my beautiful, clever fox." He kissed her cheek gently before turning cold silver eyes towards Kurama and Yusuke, "I suppose we can wait to kill them until after their leader, the boy, is dead... Let them have their last moments together," he added with another humorless laugh.

Yusuke tugged on a piece of Kurama's hair, gaining his attention. When the kitsune was looking down at him, he whispered, "K'rama... Am I... dy- dying?"

"No, Yusuke, not dying," he replied gently. "Hush now, save your energy."

"F- fox, it... it hurts." The blood was pooling beneath him.

"I know. Shhh..." Tears were forming in Kurama's eyes. "It'll be alright..." The boy was taking wet sounding gasps of air that were becoming slower, shallower and further apart. No... No, don't die, Yusuke. Not now. Not again! Not like this! Kurama's mind pleaded. Desperately, Kurama cried Hiei's name through their link. Hiei! Please come; hurry!

Hiei looked up from where he was on the battlefield. Quickly, he beheaded the demon he had been fighting and scanned with his sharp eyes for his red-headed friend. What is it? Finally, he found the fox kneeling on the ground beside a very still body. He couldn't quite see who it was from here, but his stomach clenched. From what he could see, it looked like... but no... It couldn't be... "Detective!" Without another pause, he flitted to Kurama's side, some fifty yards away.

Panting, he, too, knelt beside their leader. "What happened?" he hissed angrily to Kurama. "Who did this to him?"

The fox was crying silently now, the tears dropping down his slender face and falling into Yusuke's dark hair. "It was Aurora," he replied quietly.

Hiei's anger exploded within him. He could hardly see straight. "That fucking bitch!" he seethed. "I'll kill her."

"No... I will kill her, but first..." he looked down again to the bleeding form of their friend. "He would want us here at his side... for his last moments, Hiei..."

Hiei's eyes softened a bit as he gazed down at Yusuke. He laid a hand on the toushin's shoulder. Yusuke's eyes flickered open weakly at the touch, "Hiei... I..." Blood bubbled up from his mouth and trickled down.

"Don't speak, fool," he whispered. His voice was oddly thick and gentle, Yusuke noticed.

I really must be dying, then, he though idly. It hurt too much to think very hard. He was tired... So tired... He had to tell them something... He couldn't quite remember what it was, though... The darkness was closing in... The pain in his chest was blinding. It was harder to breathe, nearly impossible now... His throat was slick... Slick with blood, maybe...? Something he had to say before he couldn't anymore... But what was it? Oh. "K'rama... I... she..."

Yusuke could feel the fox shaking with tears. "Hush, Yusuke; we know... You are our greatest friend, never forget that."

"You... guys... too..." was all he could manage. Was that what he needed to tell them...? His blood was beginning to drown him.

"Turn his head, Kurama. He can't breathe with all the blood," Hiei breathed.

Kurama didn't look up. Shaking his head he whispered through his tears, "It won't matter now, Hiei... His time is... quite short."

"Yusuke... You are very dear to me," Yusuke could hardly hear Hiei, his voice was so quite. "Don't die, Detective... Don't die, Yusuke."

So very tired... The pain... The darkness... "I..." am sorry... is what he tried to say. He hoped by thinking it, Hiei would know. He needed to breath; his chest hurt... He found he no longer could draw the air he needed. This... is... it...

Aurora watched his life fade before her with a strange feeling of detachment. She had taken her place at Nikolai's side. Something inside her was churning. It was almost like when Kuronue died... Only... I killed him... Oh, Shiva, what have I done...?

Kurama squeezed his eyes shut after he felt Yusuke's last breath leave him. "Goodbye, Yusuke..." he whispered. The tears ran unhindered now as he sobbed in earnest... Yusuke... Slowly, the numbing agony and loss was being replaced by blinding anger and rage; there would be time later to succumb to the grief. Now was the time for revenge, and he was hell-bent and determined that he'd get it. "She will die for this," he promised quietly. And he meant it. He would kill his own flesh and blood; Yusuke meant that much to him. Gently, he closed Yusuke's blank brown eyes as he rested his dearest friend's body onto the dirt beside him, then he and Hiei got to their feet. "Ready?"

"Always."

I know you are all probably very upset and angry that everyone's favorite Spirit Detective has been killed. HOWEVER, please don't stop reading or lose faith yet. As the writer of this particular story, it is safe to believe when I say this: someone may just still have a trick or two left up their sleeve. I'll get the next update out asap!