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But thank you all that read and leave me feedback!

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Memories of the Lost

Chapter 4

Memories Uncertain

-o-o-o-

Tokyo's suburban streets were beginning to thin of their earlier crowds as four inconspicuous boys made their way down the street.

Leading in front, a tall and lanky man was boasting loudly, long but muscular arms moving in over exaggerated motions. He was merrily retelling some tale that was highly dubbed with self-importance. His only audience, but for the odd looks he often received from passing pedestrians, was the beautiful redhead walking beside him.

Long red hair cascaded down to waist-length. Like a shimmering waterfall, it shone in the sun's bright rays. Piercing green eyes, sharp and alert, were laughing in their own at the companion's tale. A lithe, feminine form curved in just the right places, swung with just the right step, to catch everyone's attention.

One would, if one did not look close, presume this beautiful person to be female.

Lagging a few feet behind the two lighter-haired boys walked two raven-haired persons. The first, hands clasped behind his head, strode with an air of strength and confidence. Dark brown eyes, much the shade of chocolate, stared defiantly ahead, eyes locked on the redhead.

A flicker of concern was washing back and forth in those eyes.

Unruly, rebellious hair spiked around the crown of his head, defying the gel he had undoubtedly applied by the gallons. He glanced down at his companion, whose short stature seemed even shorter with his white-bandaged hands shoved in his cloak.

This last companion was dressed head to toe in black, contrasting like a dark stone among a white riverbed. His dark, piercing eyes stared ahead, ruby red orbs locked on ruby red hair.

"Hiei," the taller of the two boys hanging back spoke. Ruby eyes looked up in response. "Is it really a good idea to bring him to see his mother?"

The fire demon stared into those brown eyes before looking back to Kurama. "Would it be wise not to? Shiori expected Kurama to be back yesterday. Was it not only last night, before we split up, that he was worried about his mother panicking and calling the police?"

Yusuke's eyebrow rose. "You think she did?"

"Hn."

"Ahh! You do! You think she really called the cops! Why the hell are we going over there?" Yusuke shouted, pointing wildly at Hiei. "I don't exactly have the best reputation with them, you know! They're gonna think we kidnapped Kurama, or something!"

"Will you shut up?" Hiei hissed, eyes venomous. He glanced back at the two walking farther ahead before continuing, "What do you want us to do? Worry her more? Kurama may be different for the time being, but he would certainly not appreciate learning that we worried his mother.

"If she called the cops, which we still don't know if she did, we will simply tell them the truth-" Yusuke opened his mouth to retort in astonishment, but Hiei cut him off, "We will twist is around, of course, Detective. Kura-no… Shuichi injured himself playing some stupid ningen game, suffered a concussion, but is all right. We went to see a doctor and would have called her but Shuichi was not conscious to give us the number."

Hiei shrugged. "It's as simple as that."

Yusuke frowned, thinking it over. It mostly made sense…mostly. But if any more questions arose, Hiei could handle them and Kurama or Yusuke could always back him up.

"But…what about the memory problem?" Yusuke asked, still unsure about the idea. You know, most amnesia patients don't end up remembering everything but four years of their life!"

Hiei only shrugged, answering, ""Kurama can be a good actor if he has to be."

The fire demon said nothing more, so Yusuke did not argue. Their walk slowed as they approached the fox's house. Kurama, who had tuned out Kuwabara quite suddenly, was frowning in the direction of the pristine house.

The white paint was clean, and the trim well kept. The front yard was covered in willowing trees and swaying flowers. A small walkway led from the sidewalk to the front door.

"Kurama?" Yusuke asked as he and Hiei caught up to the two stopped boys.

"There's someone else in there," Kurama growled out, half his voice angry, the other half confused and worried.

Kuwabara blinked. "But…that's just your step-dad."

Kurama's head whipped around to stare somewhat fiercely at the orange-haired teen. Kuwabara shied away but Yusuke, with a grin, put his hand on Kurama's shoulder.

"Hey man, sorry. It totally slipped my mind," Yusuke began, undaunted by Kurama's strange behavior. "But don't worry, you approved of the guy. You made sure he was good enough for Shiori."

Kurama seemed to calm slightly at this. And even though he was still rather bothered by the sudden news, he couldn't help but smile at the raven-haired teen before him.

"You know…I think I realize why I teamed up with you." With that, and no further explanation, he turned and started across the street. Yusuke gave Kuwabara a brief glance before turning and following the fox.

The last tentai followed, Hiei flitting off to appear beside Kurama as the kitsune's hand landed on the handle of the door. The fox cast Hiei a questioning glance as the fire demon's hand landed on his outstretched forearm, pausing him from opening the door.

"Fox, you're memory," Hiei whispered. There was a moment of silence, in which Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped behind the two. Then, rather suddenly, a wide smile spread over the fox.

"Yeah, I know. But don't worry, Hiei, you told me how the new me acts. I think I can get it down." Kurama gave one more reassuring smile, which really didn't seem all that reassuring, and walked into the house.

Hiei did not move forward, following the fox, but rather glanced behind at Yusuke. "I definitely miss him, Detective."

Kuwabara sent Yusuke a questioning glance, which he waved off before following the two demons into the house. The orange-haired teen left behind gave a loud sigh before he followed.

"Mother?" Kurama called out as he walked into the foyer of the front hall. There was the sound of glass crashing and rushed footsteps before Shiori appeared, practically slamming into the hall wall as she rushed out of the kitchen.

"Shuichi?" she asked in shock before a smile spread from ear to ear and she rushed forward. Kurama wrapped his arms around her as she rushed to hug him.

"Where have you been?" she almost sobbed out. Kurama pulled away from the hug with a small smile.

Hiei was almost shocked. That smile was no real smile. It was small and fake, holding in all the joy, pain, and fear that wanted to be expressed but didn't know how.

It was the exact smile that Kurama had been giving everyone for the last four years.

"Sorry, Kaasan," he began, "but there was an accident last night, while we were playing soccer."

"An accident? What kind of accident?" Shiori asked panicky but Kurama gave her another smile, a softer smile for reassurance.

"Nothing, Kaasan, I tripped going for a shot to the goal. I just had the unfortunate luck to hit the only rock on the entire field," Kurama lied perfectly and Shiori's eyes widened.

"Are you all right? Where did you get hurt? Is everything okay? Did you see a doctor? Why didn't you call?" The questions just kept coming and Kurama finally silenced her with a small laugh.

"Please, Mother, allow me to answer, first!" he laughed out and Shiori gave a weak smile, nodding. "Well then. Yes, I am all right. I just got hit on the back of my head; it's nothing too bad. Yes, we saw an old friend of Yusuke's well taught in the ways of medicine. And forgive me for not letting you know, but I was unconscious and no one else knew the number."

"Well…alright, Shuichi, as long as you're okay now," Shiori answered, seemingly buying the lie. Kurama smiled and nodded at his friends, who followed the two into the living room of the house.

There, sitting with a young boy around the age of thirteen or so, was an older man, who's face was kind and gentle, but portrayed worry. As Shiori and Kurama entered the room, he stood up hurriedly.

"Are you all right, Shuichi?" the man asked in a rushed, worried voice. Kurama, after a brief pause of uncertainty that worried the three tentai behind him, smiled softly and nodded at his stepfather.

"Yes, thank you, Gifu," Kurama replied as he sat down on the couch as his mother did. The young boy beside Hatanaka was immediately asking questions similar to what his stepmother had asked.

Kurama replied to each an every one with a fake smile or small laugh and much in a similar manner to which he had replied to his mother. "Yes, otouto, I am all right now. Thank you for your concern."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei who were offered seats in the living room, watched in less than mild surprise as Kurama acted exactly as he had for the last four years, every little thing he said and did being almost perfect.

"So, tell me of this dramatic fall!" the younger Shuichi began happily and Kurama laughed, starting to spin yet another lie.

-o-o-o-

Three hours later, several hundred questions, and about ten rounds of tea, the tentai and Kurama finally left, convincing Shiori and the others that he was indeed fine, but intended to return to Kuwabara's house where he had left some of his clothes.

Eventually Shiori let him leave and they began the long walk back to the temple with Kurama and Hiei in front conversing lightly and Kuwabara and Yusuke watching them from behind.

"So watcha think?" Kuwabara asked as they walked, his small, black eyes on Kurama and Hiei. Beside him, walking with his hands tucked behind his head, Yusuke shrugged.

"Pretty nice performance, if you ask me," he answered almost nonchalantly. Then his face grew stern and serious, and his eyes darkened. "I'm worried about him, though."

"You mean Kurama?" Kuwabara asked, but the answer to that was obvious. "I am too."

"I was thinking over what Koenma told us," Yusuke began and continued after Kuwabara looked at him questioningly. "You know, about how he might feel things and remember things that he shouldn't?

"Well, he just…seemed to know exactly what to do in front of his mother…Nobody is that good of an actor," Yusuke continued. "And…I worry about him spending so much time with Hiei."

Kuwabara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Look," Yusuke began hesitantly. He stopped walking, grabbing Kuwabara's arm to stop him, also. "I'm going to tell you something, Kuwabara, that I promised Kurama I'd keep to myself."

The orange-haired teen frowned. "What? What is it?"

Yusuke took a deep breath. "Look, you're probably not going to like this, Kuwabara, but I'm worried about Kurama. The fox…the fox told me once about someone…someone that he really likes…someone that he loves, Kuwabara. And against what I told him…he decided to keep it a secret, even from the one he loves."

"Uh…" Kuwabara clearly did not see where his friend was going with this.

"Kuwabara, listen to me. Koenma told us that Kurama might remember things he shouldn't. If he remembers this and doesn't remember why he kept it so far buried in his mind…he may do something he'll regret."

"Urameshi…man, you're not making any sense!" Kuwabara growled. "Start from the beginning and tell it straight! Who the hell is this girl that Kurama loves so much? And what does that have to do with hanging around Hiei too much?"

Yusuke closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were fierce, serious, and left nothing to chance. "Kurama…doesn't love a girl, Kuwabara…the Fox…the Fox loves Hiei."

There was a long silence that followed up after that sentence. And several seconds later Kuwabara shrieked. Yusuke jumped forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Hiei and Kurama spun at the lanky teen's scream. Hiei snorted when he saw Yusuke holding Kuwabara in a headlock, shaking his head back and forth like a rag doll. The raven-haired Detective gave his two demon friends a silly smile, even as he hissed at Kuwabara.

"Man, will you shut up!" Yusuke growled, but Kuwabara was only answering him in strange wheezing noises.

"How can- No way- I mean…How can Kurama love Hiei?" The last bit had faded into a harsh whisper. Yusuke shrugged.

"I don't know, he just does! Just watch the two of them some time, and you might see it too," the detective answered. "But the problem is, the fox's memory was wiped, but Koenma told me specifically that it was only his memory."

"What'd he mean by that?"

"Kuwabara, love isn't formed through memories. It's like- like you and Yukina. You claim you're soul-bonded, meant for each othe-"

"We ar-" Yusuke clamped his hand back over Kuwabara's mouth before the teen could continue ranting.

"I know, but Koenma told me personally that Kurama and Hiei are soul mates. They were meant to be together in this life, have been together in their last life, and will be together in the next one. It's something that has to happen."

"So…what you're saying is…"

"Not only is Syunsuke's little memory-napping disrupting that, but deep down in the fox's subconscious, Kurama knows that he loves Hiei. He knows it, but the Kurama that we see now doesn't understand it.

"And if he goes and tries to figure out what that feeling is, I think he's going to get himself and Hiei seriously hurt." Yusuke slowly released Kuwabara's mouth.

"I…" In truth, Kuwabara was still rather squeamish just over the idea of Kurama and Hiei together. However, he nodded. "Then…what should we do?"

"I-I don't know."

-o-o-o-

"Hn." Hiei turned his back to the two teens and started walking again. Kurama stared at them before he turned and jogged ahead to catch up with Hiei.

"Do they always do that?" Kurama asked, glancing over his shoulder again. Yusuke had finally let go of Kuwabara.

Hiei only nodded, snorting in disgust and getting a laugh out of Kurama because of it. The fire demon glanced rather nervously at the fox as he shrugged his shoulders and started walking, looking at Hiei when the youkai hadn't followed.

The fire demon tried to think about what bothered him so much. It was Kurama's lack of care, his lack of…humility. That was what bothered him so much. Long ago, back when Kurama had first stolen the artifacts, Hiei had been so disgusted with the fox's sentimentality.

But now that Kurama no longer had that softness to him, Hiei realized just what he had been missing in the fox. Without humility, Kurama was just as every other demon, only more ruthless.

Kurama, the Kurama that Hiei would dare to call his best friend, was just that because he was different from every other youkai.

Because he cared.

Hiei sighed and opened his mouth. As words that he'd meant to ask Kurama for some time formed in his throat, a sudden feeling of dread hit him like a rock to the head.

"Hiei, watch out!"

-o-o-o-

Chapter 4

End

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I know, a mean place to end.

I also know that I promised action this chapter but…it was already ten pages! That's a lot for one night at 1 o'clock in the morning…and I gotta get up sorta early.

Anyways, I'm sorry, but the ending is leading up to action! See, I did that to make sure that the next chapter will have action, whether I planned it or not.

Please review.

Author's Notes:

…Yes, thank you, Gifu… Gifu means, as far as I can tell "Stepfather" However, I am trusting an English to Japanese translator on line, and those are not always correct. I would look in my normal dictionary…but I don't have it right now…I kinda left it at my friends house…T.T

End Author's Notes