AN: Wow... It's been almost a year since I updated this fic. I'm so sorry, you guys! I'm a horrible authoress, just horrible! I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me! Just so you know, I am not giving up on this fic. I know it seems like it, after I abandoned it for almost a year, but I'm not. Really! There are only a few more chapters left, in fact. Next on my list will be to update Captive. I'm also fixing up all my fics. It's not anything big, I'm just fixing up some mechanical errors. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kurama bound the fallen youkai as tightly as he could with vines he had hastily summoned. Checking once more to make sure Karasu was completely secure; he left the unconscious demon on the floor of his bedroom. The red-head sighed heavily, pulling his light jacket tightly around him as he bound away from the apartment building.

His brow creased with worry as he moved swiftly toward the park several blocks away. He had to meet Ayame so she could take him to the inu-youkai lord's house in Makai. Which was currently being robbed.

Tonight was his chance! His chance to catch the one who had been usurping his title as the greatest thief ever. Tonight he could unmask her… Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could feel Youko smirking. The demon was excited.

But also worried.

Both aspects of Kurama – Shuichi and Youko, were concerned for a certain blue-haired young woman.

Botan, the kitsune whispered to Shuichi. We can't worry about her now, not while we're solving this case.

Shuichi knew this, but it didn't stop a frown from passing over the dominant personality's face.

I know, he told Youko. But as soon as we get back…

Yes, agreed the silver fox demon, as soon as we get back we will find her.

With increasing speed, Kurama dashed around a corner and ran headlong into another body. The two men fell gracelessly to the ground.

The red-head pushed himself up from the pavement with his elbows, looking across at the dark-haired man he'd bowled over. Violet eyes blinked back at him from under the brim of a strange buckled hat.

Youko shifted uneasily in the confines of Shuichi's mind.

"Sorry," Kurama managed, as he stood up and offered the man his hand. From below him, the stranger grinned, allowing himself to be helped up.

"It's okay. You seem to be in quite a hurry, though!"

That hat… Youko murmured.

"I'm on my way to the park." Kurama explained, dusting off his jeans.

"Oh? Well, before you go could you please tell me if you've seen a blue-haired girl around recently? About your height. And age."

A blue-haired… Kurama blinked.

"Botan?"

"Oh!" The man grinned widely, "You know Botan?"

"I… Yes." He eyed the stranger curiously. "You know Botan?"

"Of course! I'm her…" The dark-haired man coughed suddenly. "I'm her friend." He stuck out his hand politely. "Oliver."

"Shuichi."

They shook hands, Oliver beaming happily and Kurama forcing a smile. Who was this guy?

That aura… Youko pushed, but Kurama pushed back, forcing his demon side into the depths of his consciousness.

"Nice to meet you Shuichi! So, you know my Botan, do you? Have you seen her around here tonight?"

His Botan! Kurama thought indignantly. "No, I haven't," he replied.

"Ah… She was supposed to meet me before she went to see that Karasu fellow."

The guy knew Karasu, too? Was he… connected somehow?

"How do you know Botan?" Oliver asked suddenly, studying Kurama closely.

"We go to the same school." He answered, brushing a strand of tomato-red hair away from his face. "She's my girlfriend." He stressed. Hmph. His Botan indeed.

Oliver cocked an eyebrow and grinned.

"Really? Well. That would explain a few things."

Kurama blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Hey, will you do me a favor?" Oliver took a small, wrapped package from his coat pocket. "Will you give this to Botan? I think you'll see her before I do."

The kitsune eyed it suspiciously but took it anyway.

"Thanks!" Oliver pulled his hat down further, hiding his sparkling purple eyes. "Tell her I said hi, okay?" He turned on his heel and walked away. Kurama's green eyes followed him for a moment as he placed the package into his own pocket. There was something very familiar about Oliver that he couldn't quite place...

He shook his head, turning back toward the park.

Botan peeked out of the third story window, gripping the small book she had lifted from the office below.

"One… two… three… eight… twelve… Twelve. Damn."

Twelve guards stood outside, staring up at the house and fingering their weapons nervously. Botan could tell: they knew she was there. And they knew that she knew they knew. The blue-haired girl turned from the window, her back pressed against the wall as she slumped to the floor.

Someone had known. Someone had known she'd be there tonight. She raised a shaky hand to her forehead and took a deep breath.

It didn't matter. She'd been trained well, it didn't matter how many people there were out there! She could find away around this and still manage to complete this mission. She had half an hour before Karasu opened the portal. She could make it

Botan crept out of the room and toward a window at the end of the hall, if she could shimmy down the tree again she knew she could make her way around the guards. But it had to be quick, she could tell they were waiting for reinforcements. If she didn't get of the house soon they'd come in after her. She peeked over the window ledge, trying to spot any of the inu-youkai's lord's guards on the ground below. Nothing moved but the leaves on the tree.

Botan sighed happily and pushed the frame up, swinging one leg out before carefully tucking the book Karasu had wanted into the pouch at her side. Placing one foot carefully on the branch outside of the window, she reached out and firmly grasped the branch above, pulling herself out of the youkiai's mansion.

"What are you going to do?"

Ayame's soft voice drifted soothingly over Kurama as she clutched her oar closely to her chest. Her dark eyes narrowed uneasily at the sight of so many demons. The red-head smiled reassuringly, placing a seed into his hair.

"Are you going to go inside?"

"No. I'm going to check the perimeter of the house first."

One of the guards pushed brusquely forward, scowling. Their lord had asked that they allow this human to take over, as part of his agreement with Rekai was the tantei member Konema sent be in charge. This didn't make the demons very happy, having to listen to a human of all things – what was Makai coming to!

"The perimeter is secure. I looked to that personally."

He found the smile the red-haired human gave him to be almost mocking.

"I would like to check it myself, if you don't mind."

"Very well." With a silent snarl, the guard stepped back.

"Be careful, Kurama." Ayame placed a hand on the detective's shoulder, frowning lightly. "Koenma-sama thinks that this Artful Dodger could be dangerous."

"Don't worry," the fox told her, "I can also be dangerous." He chuckled lightly, his green eyes flashing amber for a split second. The ferry girl managed to give him a small smile before climbing onto her oar.

"Alright. I am going to return to Rekai and give Koenma my report. When you're finished here, please use your communicator to contact us."

"I will." Kurama watched Ayame zip upward into the clouds, dissapearing. With a sigh, he turned back toward the mansion.

"How many of us would you like to accompany you?" The guard was back.

"None, I will do this alone." The fox spirit walked briskly away, and the demon lost sight of him as he turned the corner.

"What a cocky little..." He bared his teeth after the boy.

Kuronue leaned against the railing of his balcony, looking down at the city street. It was getting late, and the normal traffic of people was thinning out. The thief ran a hand through his long, dark hair, frowning thoughtfully.

That red-head from earlier. He was Youko's incarnate. The kitsune had survived, after all. The bat youkai laughed ironically. Well, Botan had been right, Youko was alive and well. What his protege didn't know was that she was seeing the fox on a regular occasion.

"He said he was her boyfriend!" Snickered the youkai. So the kitsune was actually limiting himself to one woman as a human, how cute. In his days as Makai's greatest thief Youko had had a new woman every week.

But what had Kurama been doing back in the demon realm? In his youkai form, no less!

"Hmmmm."

Well, not much Kuronue could do at the moment. He had been tempted to follow Kurama's human form, but that would have been a bit intrusive. Still, he hadn't seen his best friend in a few hundred years, and the desire to make himself known was a bit overpowering.

"The time for that isn't right."

He'd wait until this whole business with Karasu was over. After all, the crow demon was becoming a distraction of his own. It was only a matter of time before the other demon's powers went haywire and he finally snapped. It was important that Kuronue get the crow out of the city before then. And there was this unsettling fixation the explosive youkai had on Botan...

Though, if Kuronue's suspicions were right, he may not have to worry about protecting Botan. Perhaps Youko...

"Heh. Sly fox. What have you gotten yourself into?"

Kurama prowled silently around the building, his keen green eyes observing every minute detail, looking for anything out of place. He could feel that the protective barrier around the complex had been tampered with. He looked into the windows of the first floor, but the house was dark and he couldn't see anything. As he rounded the next corner, a light rustling sound caught his attention. The fox-boy glanced at the tall oak, his eyes narrowing. The leaves waved lazily at him in the soft night breeze. He smiled serenely, calling forward one of the branches so could take one of the oak's leaves. Perhaps he could develop into a weapon later.

The limb stretched toward him, it's leaves reaching. Kurama stepped forward to pluck one from the branch, his hand gently pulling the leaf away.

Something shifted in the corner of his eye, and it wasn't a leaf. Immediately, he turned toward the disturbance, in time to catch the thief leaping from a higher branch to the ground.

It's her!

Almost before he could take a breath, Shuichi found himself being drawn back. He began to glow softly, his limbs lengthening and hair bleeding out into a soft, moonlit silver.

"Wait !" He tried to call, but now he was only a voice in the back of someone else's mind.

Youko smirked.

Botan landed softly in a crouch, taking a moment to regain her balance as she felt for the barrier around the compound. The flow was interrupted close by. She stood carefully, biting her lip.

"It must be a guard..." She whispered, looking carefully over her shoulder.

Ten paces away, his golden eyes trained sharply on her, stood Youko Kurama. Botan felt an icy rush of fear wash over her. Her breath hitched for only a moment before she sprang into action. She darted away from the youkai, quickly tracing a spell in the air that allowed her to pierce through the barrier undetected.

She could hear Youko behind her – his footsteps as soft as hers. He was laughing, and she felt something brush near her ankle. Botan didn't have to turn around to know it was the kitsune's famed rose whip. Swallowing her fear, she pushed herself harder, desperately trying to stay ahead of the fleet youkai. She snaked quickly to the left. He followed. She leaped upward into the trees, jumping from branch to branch. He followed. She tumbled swiftly to the ground, rolling to her feet and continuing her race toward Raven Tower.

Still he followed.

For miles she tried to shake him off, and for miles she failed. Always steadily behind her, the great thief followed.

She was near panicking when at last the tower loomed ahead. Almost sobbing in relief, Botan used her las bit of energy to push herself past the door. She took only a moment to turn and slam the heavy wood closed, turning the ancient lock. It wouldn't keep him out, but it'd slow him down. Panting heavily, Botan dashed up the stairwell, climbing the thirteen stories and bursting into the room, prepared to throw herself into the portal.

But... The portal wasn't there.

The door crashed open below, and she could hear the footsteps of the thief as he, too, ran up the stairs after her.

The girl turned and slowly backed against the wall, her heart racing. She had no escape. Karasu had abandoned her.

Youko rounded the last turn, stopping when he entered the room. The Artful Dodger stood against the opposite wall. The kitsune laughed, cracking his whip.

"No magical escape this time?" He took a step forward, his pale lips pulled back in an excited smile. He had her cornered, there was no escape now.

Botan's knees were shaking. Her whole body was shaking. This couldn't be happening, not to her. She never got caught.

Still, here was Youko, standing in front of her, blocking the only exit. His amber eyes were intense, she couldn't look at them. They burned her. Neither could she look at his mouth, that smile frightened her. She'd seen something like it before on Karasu's face. She tried to look at his hands instead but when he flexed his claws she whimpered.

"This is a glorious moment, Dodger." He whispered to her, his hands suddenly resting on her shoulders. When had those vines wrapped themselves around her legs? When had her hands been pinned to her sides with his thorny whip?

"Are you frightened?"

Those molten gold eyes of his were trying to search hers out but she refused to meet his gaze.

"You should be honored to be caught by me." He chuckled. Botan wanted to do something but she couldn't move. And she couldn't bring herself to look at him. But suddenly one hand was under her chin, tilting her face upward and she couldn't stop herself.

He was beautiful, really. All soft features except for those penetrating eyes and sharp canines. His furry fox ears were perked toward her and his silver hair fell all around her face.

His long fingers were sliding eagerly under her cowl, pulling it slowly back so he could observe her face. Her vision was becoming fuzzy, and she tried to keep her eyes open when she felt, at last, the hood being ripped away from her face. Suddenly her blue hair was getting in her face and twining with Youko's silver locks. She let her bubble-gum colored eyes drift up to the demon's face again and was mildly surprised to see that he was shocked. Recognition ran through his slanted eyes.

"Botan!"

The adrenaline that had been carrying the girl for the past half an hour finally ran out, and her head dropped forward against the tall youkai's chest. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Botan realized...

He knew her name...

AN: Well, it wasn't the longest chapter, but at least Youko's finally got Botan! Oh, my goodness, what's he going to do? Will he turn her in to Koenma! Oh my goodness! It's so exciting!

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, but there were were 97 of you! It would take me forever, so let me just say... :Sniffles: I love you guys! Please keep reviewing, it really does motivate me! I've just been busy trying to get used to going to college that it effected my fics. I promise you won't have to wait to long for another update.

I also want to thank the 175 people who have put me on their favorite author's list. I'm very flattered! Anyway, thanks again you guys!