Disclaimer: I think I'm up to sixty two disclaimers!

Man, I must be bored to calculate that number. Don't I have better things to be doing?

Oh yeah…like writing the other disclaimers I have to update (plus the stories that go with them 8D)

Notes: Wow…we're really getting there people. If I had to guess, I'd say…four or five more chapters at the most. Unless one of those unplanned updates to my outline occurs.

Those actually happen a lot when I only like the planned ending for my story, instead of loving the ending.

So we'll see how it goes, but I still say about five chapters left (including this one)

-o-o-o-

Memories of the Lost

Chapter 13

Memories Unwanted (pt II)

-o-o-o-

Yusuke wandered through the halls of the temple, unsure what to do but restless with the need to do something. Koenma has just left, taking with him the only distraction he had left.

Albeit it had been a very good distraction.

The detective coughed lightly at his thoughts, a smirk flitting over his lips but a light blush crossing his cheeks.

Speaking of boyfriends, Yusuke turned changed his direction, heading for the youko's room. He was restless because there was nothing he could do to help the fox get his memories back. And as much as he wanted his friend back, he felt for the youko that held his body now.

It was obvious that Youko Kurama was lost in this world. He did not belong, and so he not only felt like an outsider but an intruder as well. It was unfair to want Kurama back fully when the youko was suffering so much.

It was like telling him to his face that his problem was too troublesome, so just go away and give them back Kurama.

But, what Yusuke could see and Hiei obviously couldn't, the detective thought, was that Youko was Kurama. He was a part of him that meant everything to the fox they all knew and loved. Without Youko, the man they knew was only half a man.

And how could you tell half of who you loved that he wasn't the half you loved the most.

That was not only cruel to the Youko, but it was unfair to Kurama as well. Yusuke frowned as he walked, fisting his hands to release his anger. How could Hiei do that? How could the fire demon look Kurama in the face and blatantly say he only loved half of him.

Yusuke shook his head. He had no idea how Kurama was going to recover from this, if they even managed to get his memories back.

No! The detective hissed to himself, shaking his head roughly. He couldn't think like that. For Kurama's sake, he couldn't say things like that. They would get his memories back. He would do everything to get Kurama back together in one piece, fire demon be damned.

Now caught between the guilt of not being able to do anything at the moment and the anger at what he knew the fire demon was putting Kurama through, Yusuke gently knocked on the room that the Youko was staying in, the room that Kurama always stayed in at the temple.

"Kurama?" Yusuke called softly. He didn't like the way some of the others addressed the fox as 'Youko.' Either way you looked at it, the fox was still Kurama. He would always be Kurama.

They had no right to treat him like he was anyone or anything else.

When there was no answer, the detective gave a little frown, but hoped that the youko had finally gotten some sleep. He slid the temple door to the side, the sound of the wood sliding against the frame filled the air as he stepped in.

What he found was not a youko, but a fire demon. Quick observations led to the conclusion that Youko was not in the room and hadn't been for some time. The bed was devoid of the fox, the sheets unused. However, a fire demon sat atop them, staring at his own hand.

Yusuke frowned slightly just at the picture of Hiei contemplating the depths of his palm. It seemed a little…out of character for the fierce fire demon.

"Hiei, what are yo-" His words were paused as something dripped off of Hiei's fingers and fell to the floor with a soft, wet plop.

It was red.

Yusuke had crossed the room in seconds, grabbing a somewhat surprised fire demon's hand and pulling at it to look for a wound.

The appendage was soaked in blood, not a centimeter free of the red substance. His wrist was splattered with small imprints of it, as if little bubbles of the life source had popped near his skin. There were small clumps in the blood that Yusuke didn't recognize at first but he dropped the fire demon's hand when he finally saw one well enough to realize what it was.

Small globs formed from melted flesh.

"H-Hiei?" Yusuke asked, taking a step back. Empty red eyes looked up at the calling, and the detective was suddenly scared at how haunted they seemed. Something within the fire demon was beginning to churn. Anger building up; anger that came from the unconscious part of the fire demon that loved Kurama, and was now pissed at the injury he had inflicted.

"Hiei…where is Kuram-" Yusuke didn't finish his sentence for at that moment a scream broke through the air.

Every living thing within hearing range of that agonized call froze, and those at the temple that recognized it were suddenly filled with a dread that sent their hearts into their throats in fear.

"Kurama!" Yusuke screamed out, turning and sprinting out the door without a second throught to the fire demon on the bed.

Hiei didn't remain their long. The anguish in the cry that echoed from the woods shocked him out of his miserly staring and he tore out of the room, jumping through the open window.

Kuwabara pulled the door to Yukina's room aside as the young ice maiden stumbled to get up. Both had recognized that cry, both woken from their sleep to hear its horrified pain.

Genkai met Yusuke at the temple entrance, and joined him in sprinting down the steps and across the temple grounds, heading for the forest. They had not taken two steps into it when they froze.

Kurama's spirit energy had disappeared.

"N-No!" Yusuke cried out and tried to take off through the woods when a hand on his arm paused him. He glanced down to the wise, but serious eyes of his master.

"Stop. He may not be dead yet," the old woman spoke, her voice gruff and her grip tight. "He may have traveled to another plane."

Yusuke opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to argue, perhaps to ask her to let go, but it would never be known by Genkai, for a cold, but desperate voice broke through the now silent air.

"This way." Both spiritual fighters turned to look at Hiei, who had paused briefly on the edge of the forest not far from them. "I can smell his blood."

With that he vanished, taking off into the forests at speeds that even blurred Yusuke's excellently trained vision. The detective and his master did not give anytime in following, the former shouting at Kuwabara as he and Yukina emerged from the temple.

The orange-haired man gently took Yukina's hand and began into the forest, running no faster that Yukina could in her kimono, and not once releasing her hand from his.

Yusuke skidded to a halt in time to avoid crashing into Hiei, who had suddenly come into sight, a black figure standing, unmoving. They were deep into the forest, a section that Yusuke had never been to.

There was no path here, nor was their a clearing or any sort of landmark that would make this a likely place for the fox to come.

"He was running from someone." Again, both detective and master turned to the stationary Hiei. The fire demon was looking at the ground, where a pair of footprints widely spread out indicated a large step, and the lack of heal on the print indicated he was running. "He didn't get away."

Yusuke went to say more but stopped, noticing why Hiei had raised his head to a tree that was perhaps five or so feet away from them and Yusuke wondered why he had not noticed it first.

Some of the bark was chipped away, indicating that something had slammed into it, but that was not what drew the intention of those standing there.

In the darkness of the night, with naught but the moon to filter green light through the trees, a single white piece of parchment was visible, nailed to the tree with a rose and splattered in none other than the youko's blood.

Kuwabara and Yukina stumbled to a halt beside them just as Genkai strode forward and pulled the rose out, ignoring the thorns that dug into her hand as she did so. She handed the parchment automatically to Yusuke, examining the rose for herself.

Yusuke swallowed heavily, working to pull his eyes away from the blood that was splattered on the ground at the base of the tree, as well as on the bark of the tree itself. It took him a moment to gather the strength, or more so the anger, it took to look down at what was written on the paper.

Written in the fox's blood.

Reikai Tentai,

I found your kitsune pet with a few broken bones. Seeing as you clearly can not take proper care of him, I have taken him to my home where he will be better cared for. If you choose to stop by, would you mind bringing my amulet with you?

Sincerely Yours,

Syunsuke

Yusuke's hand was shaking by the time Kuwabara took the paper from his hand and read it aloud to the rest of them. Genkai, however, was fingering the end of the rose, and drew everyone's attention as she spoke.

"The end of the rose is soaked in his blood," she said as she held it up. The end of the stem was angled, the tip sharp as a knife and obviously how he had nailed the letter up. But more importantly, it was indeed soaked with a dark red liquid. "He used it to write the note."

Yusuke fisted his hands, his nails digging into his palms sharply enough to draw blood. Kuwabara moved towards him, thinking he might punch one of the trees to relieve his anger, but he moved before his friend could reach him.

Yukina gasped as a large thud sounded through the forest and found Hiei slammed into a tree, two hands fisted in his black cloak. Crimson eyes looked up, orbs that showed no surprise at this movement against him. They locked with the chestnut-chocolate eyes of the detective.

"What did you do, Hiei?" he screamed, scaring the birds that had finally settled back down after the scream that had shaken them from their nests. Those hands pushed the fire demon further against the tree, pressing him into the sharp bark.

"I did nothing!" the fire demon growled out, but he no longer sounded as angry as he had for the last two days. "The fucking youko and his lovesick mourning couldn't keep his dick in his pants!"

Yusuke looked away, loosening his grip on the fire demon's cloak. He had known when he found a shocked and hurt youko in the woods last night that it was entirely likely that everything Koenma had warned him to try and stop had already come to pass. But now, it was obvious that Youko had told the fire demon.

"You had blood on your hand, Hiei," he whispered softly. The fire demon did not reply, glancing away at the reference to what he had done to Kurama's wrists. He chose not to answer, instead of facing his guilt like the Youko had hoped he would.

Yusuke finally pulled fully away, releasing the black cloth and backing away. As he did so, he spared one more look to the fire demon, but it was not the angered, accusing glare it had been moments before. This time, it was just regretful and pained.

"Kurama truly loved you," he began as he grabbed the parchment from Kuwabara and the rose from Genkai and started back towards the temple. "Congratulations, cuz' now you may have sent him to his death."

-o-o-o-

Dull green eyes stared at the ceiling above that which he lay on, the orbs half-lidded and unresponsive to the lack of movements around him.

Syunsuke silently walked up to the barren, cold slab of a table the kitsune found himself lying upon, not that he was truly all that aware. Long leather straps hung limply off the sides – their purpose being to hold the kitsune down and yet they were not in service. The blue-haired demon ignored the unused straps and instead looked down on his prize in slight worry, though it certainly came off as more disdain than concern.

The fox had yet to move since his screams died out, and he had remained conscious, unlike most of those that receive memories back into their mindsets.

The blue-robed demon slowly raised his hand to grace fingers over a bare thigh of the kitsune, moving up slowly and watching the fox's expression carefully for a reaction.

He got none.

"You have truly retreated from your mind, Kitsune," Syunsuke whispered softly, staring down at Kurama. There was a slight regret in his eyes, but most of it was hidden by the simple pleasure brought on through his little prize.

His eyes slowly moved over the naked fox, taking in the full beauty of the soft skinned specimen. Those fingers trailed further up the thigh, but without any physical reaction whatsoever, his toy wasn't so enjoyable. Instead, that blue gaze shifted to the wounded, bandaged wrist that lay limp beside the fox's thin, jutting hip.

The blood flow had thinned, only sparsely dotting the clean bandages now. The wound had not been deep, only enough to draw the desired blood to write his ransom note. It had healed quickly for a demon, and this information pleased Syunsuke. At least his toy would last a long time.

Well…physically at least. Mentally and emotionally…his toy was already spent.

Those dull green eyes closed slightly, the only movement of the entire body in the last several minutes. They were only closed for a moment before green orbs were once more visible, but only half so, as had been normalcy since the man's induced memory trauma.

"My dear fox…" the mind demon whispered softly as he ran those same deft fingers down the not-truly-conscious kitsune's cheek.

No response.

Kurama could feel nothing.

Kurama was no longer anything.

Kurama had no memory, no mind, no soul, and no heart. Nothing could be felt, nothing could be touched, nothing could be known.

Kurama was nothing.

Syunsuke sighed and pulled away, taking a step back to observe the larger picture of his latest toy lying limp upon the slab of table. None of his other playthings had had that reaction to his provocative forms of torture and care, though none had quite encouraged said response.

He had never had a lover like Kurama before. The fox awoke every inch of desire that was contained within his body. Youko truly were the best lovers in Makai. Legends told of their amazing ability to arouse one into undeniable lust.

Though Syunsuke had only claimed him for a single night, it was enough to make him want Kurama for all eternity – to rob him of his virtues over and over again until there was nothing left but a broken doll that begged him to begin all over again.

He trailed his fingers along the kitsune's skin, begging for some sort of reaction and for the first time in many many years of mind manipulation, he regretted his actions. But he did not show remorse for the fox, nor feel it in any manner. What he felt was the purely selfish sorrow of having spent a toy long before his years of use should have been up.

Kurama was nothing more than a dead corpse lying upon the ground and Syunsuke was not into necrophilia. His pleasure came in the response he got from the fox.

No response – no fun.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden noise of walls being torn and ripped from the earth in which they stood. The explosion ripped through the halls of the mansion, shaking the foundations and a light layer of dust fell from the aging ceiling above the two figures in the room.

Kurama remained unresponsive to the motion of the floor or the dust that fell lightly upon him, other than to blink the particles away from his eyes.

Syunsuke glanced to the door- the only entrance into the room. A small smile began to creep up onto his face as the very distant sound of shouts and smaller explosions rippled in following. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards until a look of pure insanity had spread across his features.

Perhaps his toy was spent, but he still had three new friends to play with, and one of which he knew he could toy with beyond the boundaries of insanity.

-o-o-o-

Chapter 13

End

-o-o-o-

Alright, I know this chapter is much shorter than the others, but I needed a reasonable place to stop.

Sorry for the shortness, I hope you can live with it until the next update!

Thanks guys, and I hope you review!