Disclaimer: I won the lottery and bought a lot of gumballs. So I own all of them, but still no anime.

Notes: Again, I must apologize for the last chapter in all its drab and boringness. This chapter will be better I hope.

Plus, say farewell to the four-month long writer's block! Buh-bye, don't come back soon!

-o-o-o-

Memories of the Lost

Chapter 7

Memories Forgotten (pt II)

-o-o-o-

Yusuke was pacing about, to and fro, on the temple porch. Every third turn he would glance out over the grounds to the top of the stairs. Kurama and Hiei would appear at the top of the stairs any minute now...

...Any minute...

"It shouldn't be taking this long!" Kuwabara cursed out Yusuke's exact thoughts, and he turned to look at his orange-haired companion, leaning against the doorframe of one of the temple entrances.

"They're okay..." Yusuke muttered, attempting to comfort his friend. He tried to give a supporting smile, but it was rather weak. "I'm sure they are. Hiei would have given off the signal if they were really in troubl-"

Yusuke didn't finish his sentence as a low shout echoed across the grounds. Both teens, as well as Genkai and Koenma, both of who had been standing just within the confines of the temple walls, turned to the sound, the latter exiting the safety of the building.

Kurama had just topped the stairs and began running with everything he could (actually surprising himself with his own speed: he wasn't used to having such long legs!) He was hardly panting, a light increase in his breath the only thing to betray his recent run.

Yusuke cursed as he jumped off the porch, landing on the ground several feet below and already running towards the stairs. As he passed Kurama, with Kuwabara in tow, he gave a smile.

"You know what to do, kid!" he shouted out. Kurama nodded, not the least bit offended at the 'kid' comment. After all...he was, wasn't he?

Or...well...it was comforting to be treated the age he...thought he was?

Kurama mentally shook off his confusion. This was simply to confusing to logically sort out so he quickly gave out as he jumped, leaping onto the porch and skidding to a halt next to Koenma (and overshooting enough to skid several feet further.)

"Stupid, long, pointless, legs!" he growled under his breath as he managed to stop, still not used to his body of his, which was a good two feet taller than he was comfortable with.

"This way, Kurama," Koenma spoke gently, his voice still one who would assume an uncle's position. Kurama turned and hurriedly followed after the Junior God as he disappeared into the temple.

Waiting in the room just beyond the doorway was Botan and Yukina. The former smiled gently, her hair bouncing as she physically expressed her bubbly nature. Yukina smiled sweetly at Kurama and gently took his arm as Koenma joined their small group.

"Do not let go of me, Kurama-kun," she said softly as he gently took her hand in his under her instruction. He nodded, his breath evening out as Botan raised her oar in her arm.

"Ready?" she asked her three companions. Koenma gave a sharp nod even as the sounds of fighting exploded just outside the temple walls. Botan gave a smile and twirled her oar slightly.

Kurama's eyes widened as a jolt was sent through his lower chest, between his ribs. He gave a small gasp, his human body never before having traveled into another plane.

The world seemed to swirl around him in a blur of color and speed and he felt his feet gently lift from the floor. And yet, gravity remained with him and he could feel a form of solid energy beneath his feet, acting as a guiding floor.

Seconds later, but what seemed like several very long minutes, the four companions found themselves standing before the Reikai palace, their feet emerged in the soft sands of the natural bridge that spanned the River Styx, a hundred feet beneath them.

"Alright, let's go."

Kurama turned to look at Koenma, who was already striding towards the large doors to the Reikai Palace. The fox took several long moments of silence to stare at the palace, having never seen it before.

"So...this is where Hiei and I stole the..." he trailed off as he looked over to Koenma, who had paused when he saw that his charge was not following. Koenma gave a light, if not nervous smile.

"Yes. But don't get any ideas," he added in a warning tone, though he was smiling widely now. "This is for your protection."

Kurama, his childish mind warming up to this young god, smiled back. "No..." he looked back towards the large palace doors as he started following Koenma, who once more resumed his walk towards the entrance.

"No...of course not."

-o-o-o-

Syunsuke whipped around at the sudden feeling of energy that sparked at the center of the temple. Reikai energy suddenly filled the air and sparked against the negative demon energy that was being used in the battle against the tentai.

Growling, he tried to locate the source and reason for the energy. What were those Reikai brats up to now?

His eyes widened slightly as he caught the scent of fresh air and a slightly salty smell. The smell of a river, tinted with human souls and dusty shores.

"You bastards!" he suddenly screamed as he turned back to Hiei just in time to block a sword strike. As he stood, having dodged to the left, his eyes were gleaming angrily.

"What? You didn't honestly think we'd keep him near you, did you?" Yusuke asked tauntingly even as another burst of energy suddenly surrounded them.

Syunsuke spun to see Genkai, arms spread out in front of her and a large globe of energy forming within her hands as she muttered words unheard by the fighters. As she completed her chant, a shimmering began to surround the temple, raising from the ground to wrap around the forested trees and up over the temple grounds.

"A barrier!" the demon screamed, livid. Hiei smirked as his sword sunk into the ground after another failed attempt at removing his opponent's head.

"Did you think those wards we talked about were for his protection, Syunsuke?" Hiei asked as he stood, red eyes ablaze with anger. "Then you were mistaken." He leveled the sword at the demon's chest, though Syunsuke was far out of reach. "These wards are to keep you in and far away from him."

The blue robed demon sneered, showing how lightly he took their scheme. "Mere wards will not contain me, but...if it's a fight you want, then I would be glad to give you one!"

With that sentence trailing off into a scream, he charged towards Hiei and Yusuke, who now stood close to one another, the latter having joined the fire demon.

The two jumped apart as Syunsuke's fist slammed into the ground where they had stood, leaving a crater in their wake, six feet in diameter.

Genkai muttered as she sat back on the porch, lighting a cigarette to watch the show. "Damn kids destroying my temple."

-o-o-o-

Kurama was there for not more than a half day, a day that could find him sitting silently on the bed of his white room.

The room was nothing spectacular, as one might hope from the guest bedroom of the Reikai Palace. It was bland, with its sparkling white walls and sparse furnishings. A tall wardrobe stood at one end of the room, painted a white with shades of pinks and purples for trim. The bed he sat on was covered in a thick down comforter, white with a trim of purple around the very edges of it.

And that…was just about it.

Except, of course, for the window. Although, there isn't much to report on such an object. It was square, placed in the wall, and covered in thick glass, that slid in and out when one desired fresh air.

Your basic window.

However, the day found Kurama absorbed in said piece of glass, which was slid open. He had his elbows braced against the frames and he lay with his cheek on his hands. Fresh wind tickled his hair against his skin, brushing it back from his face. Green eyes were lidded halfway in content as he stared at the expanse of the Reikai, spread out thirty floors beneath him.

He gave a slight sigh as he shifted his eyes to look down at the river Styx, coming out of the gate of Reikai. His room, on the far side of the gate, had a window view of all of the Spirit World on the other side of the palace. This was the world where spirits came to rest before their rebirthing.

This was the paradise people believed to be heaven.

Kurama sighed once more and closed his eyes briefly when a sudden shout came from outside his room. To be more specific, the sound of footsteps coming down his hall brought the shout (which must have been some ways off) closer.

The fox turned towards his door, staying in the window frame, sitting with his legs tucked somewhat underneath him in an odd impression of Wendy from Peter Pan. Before he could express more than a raised eyebrow, the door all but burst open.

"Kurama?" Yusuke shouted as he stood in the doorway, concern furling his brow. His clothing was ripped in several small locations and covered in dirt, matching his skin which was scratched up and bruised but not severely. His two teammates behind him were in similar condition.

The fox, surprised at the outburst, fidgeted uncomfortably. He really didn't care for shouting, or any voice with such a volume level to it.

"Y-yes?" he asked as he lowered his eyes to the sheets of the bed, tracing a crease with his finger. He was still, despite Koenma's comforting words and the other's best efforts, timid around others.

"…Are you okay?" the sudden bluntness of Yusuke's question, as if the raven-haired detective had been told the fox was laying their bleeding, made Kurama blink.

"Um…yes?" Yusuke's brow furled at his and he strode forward, stopping before a rapidly nervous fox. Reaching out slowly, he took Kurama's arm and pulled it up slightly, exposing the fox's midsection, visible through the half-open, thin white shirt that he wore.

"He's not injured…" Yusuke declared, once more blunt. Kurama blinked as he tried to pull his arm back. The raven-haired detective gave it back, musing his hair once more as he did so.

"Why would I be?" the fox asked softly as he held his wrist in his hand. Yusuke hadn't hurt him, in fact he'd been as gentle as if he'd been handling a baby.

Kurama frowned mentally at that analogy. 'Before, being treated like a kid was comforting…now…I don't know…it's demeaning.'

"Sorry 'bout that," Yusuke apologized, as if reading Kurama's thoughts. "Not trying to treat you like a kid, or anything. But Botan said you got hurt." He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder and Kurama leaned around him to see Kuwabara, Botan, and Hiei standing in the doorway.

"What?" Botan shouted, blushing a light pink. "I did not, Yusuke, you liar!" she screamed out. "I said he was in his room and didn't want to see anyone!"

"Yeah, normally when that happens, he's injured," Yusuke replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Room + alone + not talking injury."

Hiei couldn't hold back the smirk at the face Kurama made. The fox had silently repeated everything the detective had just said in his equation and then screwed up his face as if what was said was a deep secret that he couldn't believe Yusuke knew.

This fox was still unused to having people close enough to him to know his weaknesses, secrets, and thoughts.

But when Yusuke turned back around, Kurama once more looked normal…or as normal as a ten year old stuck in a nine-teen-year old body can look.

"Aw, well sorry, Kurama," Kuwabara started up, a silly grin on his face. Yusuke joined him with the silly grin as he once more mused Kurama's hair before he started towards the door.

"Don't fall out the window!" Yusuke called back to him in a teasing voice as he and Kuwabara started back down the hall, laughing. Botan gave an annoyed sigh and bowed an apology towards Kurama. She then proceeded in finding Koenma to let him know of the arrival of the rest of the tentai.

Kurama's brow furled in the cute look of ignorance and confusion and Hiei walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. He crossed over to the room, staring at the fox's face with amusement as he stopped by the bed.

"Have I fallen out a window before, or something?" Kurama asked, looking up to Hiei with wide, green eyes. The fire demon didn't hear the second half of that question as his red eyes met Kurama's.

He stared into those emeralds for a long time, swimming in the beauty of Kurama's face, though he did not realize what he stared at, only that he seemed lost in it. The fox truly looked like a child, once more consumed with a mix of wisdom beyond his human years but ignorance just right for his ningen self.

After a moment, and when he realized that Kurama was expecting an answer, Hiei shook himself. Not quite sure what had just happened, he shrugged slightly, trying to remember the question the fox had asked.

"No…uh…not that I know of," Hiei replied, his thoughts slightly scattered (which bothered him greatly as it was a rare occurrence indeed.) Kurama only seemed to grow more confused at this and, before he could ask why Yusuke and Kuwabara had thought it was so funny, Hiei gave the answer, "Don't think much about what the two idiots say. Their brains don't often catch up with their mouths."

Kurama stared at Hiei with wide eyes, surprised for a minute before he suddenly giggled. The chuckle evolved to a laugh that soon resonated through the whole room as Kurama found himself unable to stop laughing. Clutching at his sides, he doubled over in childish glee.

Hiei, greatly confused by the sudden explosion of mirth, stared at Kurama in a mixture of confusion and worry. As the fox slowly calmed himself, head pushed into the covers so that he was curled into a ball on his knees, he finally gained control of his breathing.

He slowly lifted his tear-stained face to look at Hiei, who was greatly confused and even more so worried at the tears one the kitsune's cheeks. Certainly what he said had not been that funny, especially to the fox, who would normally lift a hand to his mouth and laugh quietly behind it in his stupid ningen manners.

"S-sorry," the fox replied in a soft voice, but it was still filled with hidden laughter. "I just…" Kurama gave a childish smile, squinting his eyes as he tilted his head like a puppy, "I just never thought of you as having much of a sense of humor…though I really haven't known you for very long."

Hiei, who had once more got caught in the fox's face (and angrily shook himself out of it, wondering just what was wrong with him,) blinked in slight surprise, having known Kurama for just about ten years, before he smirked. "Yeah, well, hang around with the Idiot and the Dimwit long enough and you'll get some negative results."

Kurama, who had still been smiling, frowned slightly. He stared at Hiei through his half-pout before he gave a small giggle. "I don't think it's negative, Hiei. I really like that part of you."

Hiei's body froze faster than his mind did as a strange feeling bubbled in his stomach and he slowly turned his head, having been starting to look away, back to the fox. "What did you say?"

The fox looked at the fire demon with a surprised look on his face. In confusion, he repeated. "I like your sense of humor, Hiei. It fits you."

The fire demon looked like he wanted to reply but didn't know the words he wanted to say as his mouth opened several times and he blinked rapidly for a minute.

What the hell was wrong with him? Kurama's words were bringing a tight feeling over his body, as if he were stretched thin over a thick surface. He shook his head slightly, he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling or was disturbed by it.

Well…he certainly was disturbed by it, but he wasn't really sure if he disliked the feeling. It made him feel…more whole, though stretched to accomplish it.

Hiei once more shook his head, quickly changing subjects on the fox. Kurama, who didn't fail to notice, simply went with it, a smile breaking out over his face once more.

"No, Hiei, we got here just fine," Kurama replied to the topic change. "And I am not hurt…th-thank you for asking."

Hiei's brow furled a bit at the light blush that spread over Kurama's features. It was…cute, and he wasn't even sure he knew the definition of such a word.

"Wh-er…what happened to Sy-Syunsuke?" Hiei was once more (and it was beginning to agitate him) pulled form his trance like state. Kurama was fidgeting, his fingers rubbing together in an uncomfortable gesture.

Hiei tried to give a reassuring look about himself, despite his agitation. It worked in reassuring Kurama until his words came out, which were rooted in annoyance. "He got away. Bastard spouted something about our fight boring him and he broke the barrier wards."

"H-how?" Kurama asked in a meek voice.

"We think he tapped one of our minds when he touched us in the fight. It would enable him to actually take control of our conscience and release the barrier." Kurama could immediately tell that Hiei was not happy at the thought of Syunsuke near any of their minds, or able to control them.

"Oh," Kurama whispered without much of anything in his voice. He was worried; he didn't even know what this Syunsuke person looked like, and he was putting Hiei and these other friends of his in danger.

But the fox let go of his doubt for the time being. He had found it hard the first time he had been with Hiei to bring himself to any kind of panic. The fire demon just had a calming effect on the fox that Kurama found himself greatly liking.

After all, Hiei brought about a feeling of safety that he had not had since long before Youko had left him.

-o-o-o-

Hedrick Ovebrock stood outside the large walls of the Reikai palace. As Lord Koenma had ordered, extra guards had been added to the security of the building. And, as a result, Hedrick the oni found himself standing, quite bored, outside the large doors that led to the Hall of Judgment.

The green skinned oni slumped against his spear-like weapon. It wasn't truly a weapon, as he wasn't even sure how to use it. It was more for show.

And rest, as he showed now, slouched against its frame.

It had been hours since he had been posted there, or at least it felt like hours (in actuality it had been forty-seven minutes) and Hedrick was bored out of his mind. Glancing up at the sky to see if he could find any interesting patterns in the clouds, he noticed with a frown that the fluffy objects of his attention were becoming dark.

That was odd; Reikai didn't normally change weather-wise like Ningenkai did unless something was wrong. The sky usually remained its light, cheerful self with little pink and white fluffy clouds hanging in the sky and wrapping around the floating islands.

Hedrick frowned as he stared towards the sky. A sudden drop of water made him flinch out of reflex. He raised a clawed hand and wiped away a raindrop.

And before another thought could be processed about the single water droplet, it began to pour. Water fell from the darkening clouds at an alarming rate, soaking the oni's blue uniform within seconds.

Well, at least he would get to go inside long enough to warn Koenma-sama.

A sudden splash brought Hedrick's attention away from the sky. Standing before him, unnoticed until his booted foot landed in a small puddle forming amidst the rain, was a tall, pale man.

He wore long, flowing robes that did not seem wet or constricted by the recent weather. Long black hair fell down among his brow, the bangs sticking to his forehead slightly in dampness. The rest of the locks fell down his back, once again flowing freely amid the odd weather.

In fact, except for his bangs and face, the man was not wet. None of the ominous falling raindrops touched him. And, for some reason, the oni doubted that his bangs were wet from the falling water.

"U-uh…" Hedrick stumbled on his thoughts before he stood attention, saluting the stranger. "What business do you have in the Reikai Pala- er…Sir?"

The man had drawn nearer to him, not halting with Hedrick's call to attention. The oni stumbled back slightly under the looming gaze of the man before him. Piercing ocean blue eyes stared at him, locking him in a gaze of superiority.

"S-si-" Hedrick never finished his sentence as a hand suddenly shot out at lightening speed. The soft tip of a finger brushed slowly against his brow before Hedrick the oni went stiff as a board and sunk into complete darkness.

-o-o-o-

Chapter 7

End

-o-o-o-

Wee-heee that chapter is done!

Okay, yeah yeah, not enough action. There is some though, without a lot of talk…kind of…I don't know, this chapter (surprisingly considering it's content) was a filler chapter (for me at least)

Also, forgive me for any mistakes in there; I have been reading too many stories and my eyes are about to blur. I'm so sorry.

Author's Notes

…After all… when he fought with the fire demon against however-many-arms-he-had… Kurama and Hiei teamed up against a demon called "Eight Arms" or something like it.

… Piercing ocean blue eyes stared at him… In all honesty, it's been long enough since I wrote this that I really couldn't tell you what his eye color is. And, of course, when I tried to look back through the other chapters, I couldn't find a thing on it.

So, if I already mentioned his eye color, will someone let me know? I don't think I have before (odd for me) but I simply can't find it.

End Author's Notes

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