Hey everyone! The sixth chapter is here! And it's the longest one yet...This chapter alone is longer than the version of this story that I originally posted. The original version was 6000 words...I'm over 20 000. That's just ridiculous lol! I hope you guys appreciate the effort I put into this chapter. This is the one I had to rewatch several episodes of YYH for...And take notes! I had to write down everything that happened in the relevant scenes and everything they said, just in case I ended up using it. Anyway I hope you all enjoy!

I'd like to thank...Natsume-chan...Just you. That's a sad list... Ah well, onwards to the story!

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Disclaimer: No...Just no.

Warnings: Some coarse language and scenes containing small amounts of violence.

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Chapter 6: It's Always Been You

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Yusuke sprinted out of the hospital. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care. He couldn't get the image out of his head. Every time he so much as blinked Hiei was there, staring at him with shocked and hurt ruby eyes. His ears could still hear every word of their confrontation. Yusuke tried to block it out but it kept breaking down his walls like they were nothing. So he ran and ran, trying his hardest to escape the source of his internal conflict. Trying to get away from Hiei.

Eventually Yusuke slowed. He was panting lightly as he arrived at a strangely familiar park. For a moment he managed to stop thinking about the fire demon and instead focused on the scenery around him attempting to place the location. The hanyou leisurely strolled down the gravel path that twisted its way around the rolling hills and leaf covered trees. It was half way through Spring, the weather cool but comfortable. The sun shone down on the fields, bathing the vanilla coloured flowers that littered the ground in its revitalizing rays. Yusuke frowned as the uniquely shaped flowers stirred a memory in his mind. A memory that he would have preferred to forget…

'Hiei…' The name echoed almost mockingly through his mind. Indeed, there among the sea of cream petal flowers was the mysterious fire demon. The shorter man looked hauntingly beautiful. His pale skin and ruby eyes seemed to glow under the ethereal rays that shone down and his face, relaxed and peaceful, was so very different to the harsh expressions he usually wore.

"How could I forget?" Yusuke muttered, staring at the park he had found himself at in a new light. The picturesque fields seemed somewhat less soothing when he knew what had occurred here just the night before. Though the dark haired man could see why his friend had chosen this particular location. The park was incredibly beautiful and surprisingly empty. Yusuke continued to wander the grounds, taking in the charming lands. But peace in the hanyou's mind could only last so long and soon thoughts of Hiei began to once again plague his mind, bringing with them feelings that both scared and confused him. He tried to place the emotions within him, tried to name them, but he couldn't remember a time when he'd ever felt this way before… The way his heart seemed to race whenever he was around the fiery little demon, so fast that he was sure it could have rivaled Hiei's own super speed. When he was with the fire youkai he felt happy no matter what they were doing, causing his stomach to flutter. It was a strange feeling that could almost be called…No!

"Don't be ridiculous Yusuke!" The hanyou reprimanded himself. There was no way that was the case. But at the same time… Yusuke plunked himself down under a tree and turned his attention inwards. Slowly he worked his way through the tangle of memories and disjointed thoughts that begged for his attention…

Suddenly Yusuke was back at the Gate of Betrayal in Maze Castle…

Surrounded on all sides by stone, his arms raised in a desperate attempt to hold up the heavy ceiling that threatened to crush them all. He could hear his friend's grunting in exertion from their positions behind him.

"Heavy isn't it?" A large floating amber eyeball, with purple skin and bat wings mocked in a high-pitched voice. He scowled wanting nothing more than to spirit gun that ugly creature right in its obscenely large eye. He could hear it laughing as it explained how the Gate worked, analyzing them as they walked its hall and adjusting the ceiling's weight to their strength and leaving them all to eventually be crushed by the overwhelming force.

"But just enough leeway remains for one person to escape; leaving their friend's to die. That's why it's called the Gate of Betrayal you see." The giant eye cackled.

"Damn…" Yusuke growled. Behind him he could hear Kuwabara and Hiei arguing. Now is not the time to be fucking arguing, the dark haired youth couldn't help but think. He whipped his head around to tell them to 'fucking quit it' but when his eyes fell on the shortest member of their ragtag group he stopped, the cogs in his brain turning slowly. He turned his chocolate eyes back towards the exit where the amber eyeball fluttered. Just behind the ugly demon he could see the lever it had pulled to bring the roof down. An idea sparked in his mind.

"Hiei!" He yelled suddenly, looking back over his shoulder at the demon. "You're a lot faster than any of us! We'll hold this up while you go and flip the switch!" Kuwabara swore loudly at his plan, accusing Hiei of being untrustworthy and shockingly Hiei himself agreed.

"You're ugly friend is right. Are you sure you want to trust me? I've already vowed my revenge, maybe I'll handle that now…" The little demon said. Yusuke found it strange that the other man would think so lowly of himself. If Hiei was going to leave the rest of them to die he would have done so minutes ago. But he didn't say that.

"Yeah, but I don't think quick deaths are your style." He joked. "I'll use my spirit energy and hold it up while you go for the switch…Just don't trip…" The look in Hiei's crimson eyes caused Yusuke's heart to constrict a little. It was almost like he'd never had a friend, never had someone trust him before. Actually considering Hiei's past profession that was probably true.

"I trust you." The words escaped his lips before he even realized they'd crossed his mind. It seemed absurd after everything Hiei had done to him and Keiko and yet… in his heart he knew he meant them.

"Now GO!" He shouted, powering up to take the demon's share of the weight. Without warning he felt the roof press down harder on his already screaming muscles. He struggled to catch the ceiling finally managing to bring it to a halt once more. Something black caught his attention and he watched as Hiei reached towards the lever…But the pale hand stopped inches short. Fear engulfed him as the floating eyeball creature promised Hiei fame, power, an army…The spiky haired man stepped away from the switch altogether. Yusuke's heart sank. The two mumbled something and the eye turned away from the short demon. Suddenly Hiei was flying through the air, his sword slicing straight through the creature's pupil. The spirit detective smiled as Hiei pulled the switch and a giant weight was lifted from his body. He let out a breath he didn't remember holding and chuckled. The three of them moved out from under the stone and ran over to where Hiei stood. They smiled at him, which Yusuke amusedly noticed caused the shorter man to fidget in discomfort.

"I knew you'd save us…You punk." The raven haired youth smirked reaching across to give Hiei a friendly slap on the back. Despite Hiei's insistence that he only did it for his own benefit Yusuke noticed a slight blush spreading across his pale cheeks. It was then that Yusuke realized that Hiei was a man made up of many layers and that his uncaring act wasn't what it seemed. As the group moved further into the treacherous castle the fourteen-year-old vowed to find out exactly who his teammate was under the mask…

Maze Castle faded and was quickly replaced by Yusuke and Kuwabara's first fight with the Toguro brothers.

Kuwabara was kneeling on the floor but a few feet from the "corpses" of the Toguros'. Yusuke himself was being helped up by a concerned Botan. The fight had been harder than he'd thought it'd be and even now they still had to get to and rescue the ice maiden Yukina. Still leaning on Botan for support he felt it when the blue haired woman tensed and gasped.

"Oh no!" She cried shrilly in his ear. "Hiei's here!"

"Hiei's here?" He'd asked probably a little quicker than was normal. Yusuke's chocolate eyes had immediately followed the ferry girl's pointing finger. The short demon wasn't hard to spot. Hiei was up in the observation room, pounding his bare fists again and again into the face of the corrupted asshole that had kidnapped his sister. The blind rage in the man's ruby eyes was obvious and as the glass broke against Tarukane's ugly bald head so was the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

"Regardless of what that man has done Hiei is forbidden from taking human life!" Botan's voice cut through the raven haired youth's thoughts. Realization of what was happening hit him. He pushed Botan away and moved closer to the observation room.

"Stop it Hiei! Don't kill him!" He shouted. Crimson eyes, dark and frenzied, turned to him briefly letting the spirit detective know he'd been heard. It didn't stop the demon. Yusuke could do nothing but watch helplessly as Hiei pulled back his fist and prepared for the final blow…But it didn't come. Chocolate eyes watched in awe as the girl he could only assume was Yukina grabbed the demon's arm. Hiei halted his actions immediately. Through the broken glass Yusuke could hear Yukina beg the man she didn't know was her brother to spare the monster's life. Her pleas were so tearful and heartfelt. Yusuke saw Hiei's expression soften, a smile ghosted across his lips.

"Understood. I won't make you cry…He's too worthless for that." Such words, said in such a warm and caring tone…It was unbelievable that the man who had spoken was Hiei himself. Yusuke had always suspected that the fire demon was quite the softie on the inside but even so he'd never seen such blatant compassion from him. It was strangely…comforting.

"Looks like things have turned out okay." Botan said, coming up beside the dark haired teen with a smile.

"Yeah…"

After all had been said and done Hiei still hadn't revealed the truth of his identity to his aqua haired twin. When Yusuke asked him why the demon had simply replied that, "Things are better this way."

The brash detective somehow doubted that it was better for Hiei, but he didn't push it. It was obvious that the shorter man thought that he was protecting Yukina by doing this. Yusuke couldn't help but believe that despite what he had been Hiei could no more corrupt his sister than a newborn puppy could. Wisely he left the thought unvoiced…

Yusuke's next mental destination was the Dark Tournament.

He clearly remembered being annoyed that he had slept through Hiei's apparently heated battle against Zeru, especially when Kurama and Kuwabara told him about the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Even if he hadn't witnessed the incredible match he wasn't blind and could clearly see the repercussions of using such a strong and unstable attack as the Darkness technique. Yusuke couldn't help but be concerned about the injured fire demon. He had caught the shorter man struggling with the pain in his right arm numerous times when he'd thought they weren't looking. And once, just once, he'd caught a glimpse of the grotesque damage done to Hiei's appendage. While he worried about the raven haired demon he was also awed by how determined and strong Hiei was, even in the face of something like that.

Of course he was even stronger after his arm was healed by the 'enchantress' which was proven during their match with Team Toguro…

Yusuke and the team watched as the man mountain known as Bui stepped into the ring. Yusuke didn't notice the small fire demon step up beside him until his rich voice reached his ears.

"Yusuke…" The sprit detective turned his attention to the smirking man. "I planned on taking the thug with the sunglasses for myself, but after what he did to Genkai I believe vengeance belongs to you." Yusuke was surprised by the thoughtful sentiment. He smiled down at the demon.

"Thank you." He replied. Suddenly the air beside him was empty. From the corner of his eye he saw Hiei standing in the ring.

"Hiei?" Kuwabara's coarse voice asked from the behind the dark haired man. Hiei ignored the ginger haired man.

"But this thug will do just as well." He said, more to himself than anyone else. The two men in the ring moved forwards, Bui's armor clanking loudly with every stride, they came to a stop a mere couple feet away from each other.

"Measuring in at four foot ten without his hair…Hiei!" The announcer called gesturing towards the raven haired demon. Boos echoed around the stadium as the majority of the audience called for Hiei's blood to be spilled. Yusuke growled at some of the things the demons were saying. If he got half the chance he'd use some of those suggestions on them!

"At nine feet…Bui!" Juri continued. Cheers rang out and Yusuke blanched. The difference in size between the two combatants was immense. The scene only worsened as the heavily armored Bui held up his hand summoning his humungous axe out of thin air. The weapon was twice as huge its wielder! Yusuke couldn't help the small bubble of fear that rose up within him as he sized up the gap between the fighters' statures. However Hiei just sneered at Bui's display of power, reminding the brash teen that his friend was no pushover and that he didn't need, nor did he likely want Yusuke's concern. The fire demon threw off his black cloak to reveal an equally black tank top. His right arm was bound tightly by bandages. The aqua haired referee stepped back and raised her gloved hand.

"And now the second match of the final round of the Dark Tournament…Ready, set, GO!" The fight begun.

Hiei and Bui danced around the ring, locked in deadly combat. For a long while neither seemed to be able to gain an advantage, but when Bui removed his armor the tables turned. Hard as Hiei tried it was obvious that he was getting nowhere, not with the other man's "battle aura" in the equation. Hiei stepped back and started to remove the bandages from his arm. Teasingly slow the cloth was unwound, coiling on the ground. The arena instantly began to crackle with the Darkness Flame's energy. Parts of the stadium crumbled free before flying towards Bui but the large boulders did naught more than explode when they came into contact with the pale haired man's aura. Hiei pulled back his arm before thrusting it out with a cry.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" What happened next burned itself in Yusuke's mind. A giant black dragon formed, seemingly made up of little more than flames and the darkest energy the spirit detective had ever seen. The energy appeared to fuse with the fire and become thick, tangible even. It spring forth from Hiei's tattooed arm, so beautiful and deadly. The dragon locked on to the floating Bui, charging the man with a powerful roar that shook the arena. The lethal attack hit home bringing forth an agonized cry from the other combatant. Yet despite the strength of the technique Bui brought the behemoth to a grinding halt.

Yusuke's chocolate eyes were dragged back to the wielder of the monstrous dragon when his ears picked up his friend's angry growl. The small fire demon glared up at his opponent.

"I hope you don't think that dragon is completed!" Hiei shouted, releasing another burst of energy into his attack. The dragon seemed to grow even bigger if it was at all possible and blue flames sprang up, licking its long snake-like body. The dragon bulldozed Bui around and around the stadium but still the other demon didn't die.

All around Yusuke and his team the arena continued to rumble, the weaker demons in the crowd immediately obliterated by the Darkness Flame's energy. The small part of the raven haired teen's brain not focusing on the battle couldn't help but hope the assholes that had been dissing Hiei were among those incinerated.

A loud crash sounded from somewhere just outside the battlegrounds. Through the hole in the stadium wall Yusuke could see that the dragon had slammed its target into a large stone pillar. Bui let out a loud yell and with herculean effort swung the dragon around, sending it flying back at Hiei.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as the fire demon's own attack raced towards him. Terror like nothing he had ever felt before spilled into the spirit detective's veins. He wanted so badly to look away but found he couldn't pull his horrified gaze from the shock-still demon standing in the ring. The dragon's mouth opened and just like that Hiei was gone. Yusuke remained frozen in place, his wide chocolate eyes glued to the place where his friend had stood but seconds ago. The dragon gave a thundering cry of triumph that shook the very earth beneath his feet but the youth felt no fear. He couldn't even feel his heart in his chest. It was almost as if the dragon had swallowed that as well, leaving a gaping hole where the organ used to be. It wasn't possible…Hiei just couldn't be…dead…

Bui landed back in the ring amidst earsplitting cheers from what was left of the crowd. Juri brought her microphone up to her lips and was just about to call the battle when a sudden burst of dark energy materialized in the ring, sending the pretty referee girl scrambling once more. The ball of dark energy mutated and spiked, crackling like fire. A shadow formed in its center. The dark fire ball dripped to earth, the liquid energy soaking away leaving behind a very familiar dark figure.

Yusuke was hard pressed to hold back the strangled sob of relief that threatened to escape him. For there, standing in the middle of the crumbling ring, stood Hiei.

"This brings up my next attack." The fire demon said as though he'd never left. "It's a little different…"

The demon looked and sounded like a character from an action film and it made Yusuke smile.

"Now that's cool." He couldn't help but blurt out. A few seconds later the weight of what his definitely alive teammate had said hit him. "Wait…A new attack? Does that mean what I think it means?"

"It's true." Kurama replied from behind him. "Hiei has consumed the Darkness technique…Apparently Hiei has learned what no one before him has…The only way to gain real control of the Darkness Flame is to trap it within." The scarlet haired man explained. "Now the dragon is inside him and at his full disposal." The spirit detective stared at the master of the dragon in awe.

Hiei smirked at the now terrified Bui. His opponent let loose a desperate battle cry before running to attack the small fire demon; a reckless move. The man's punch slammed into Hiei's pale face and for a moment Yusuke's concern came rushing back. Of course his worry was unnecessary as Hiei looked back up, his face unmarked.

"Nice." He said plainly. Hiei's remark seemed to both scare and enrage Bui and he attacked with a flurry of blows. Throughout the assault Hiei's body remained rigid, the shorter demon making no move to dodge the blows or retaliate. As Bui went to throw another punch Hiei finally moved, catching the much larger fist with incredible ease. The pale haired man cried out, falling to his knees as his battle aura faded away completely. The weakened man pulled away and made an attempt to escape by jumping into the air but Hiei was ready. The fire demon rose into the air gracefully, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame's image forming around him. It was almost poetic in its beauty as it flew up after the frightened man. The dragon dissipated as Hiei threw his fist into Bui's jaw, sending him crashing into the stands. Hiei landed safely in the ring and Bui…Bui did not. Much to the crowd's disappointment Hiei was announced the winner and the fire demon jumped out the ring to a chorus of angry boos.

A ridiculously large smile made itself home on Yusuke's lips as Hiei rejoined the team on the sidelines.

"Really awesome Hiei!" He said cheerfully.

"Yeah…Awesome Hiei…" Kuwabara said with a nervous tremble in his voice, slowly inching away from the demon. "Now why don't you go twenty yards that way and fight the rest of them?" The ginger haired man suggested. Yusuke laughed as Hiei glowered at the human.

"That's against the rules now, you cretin!" Hiei's voice sounded weaker than normal to the spirit detective's ears and when he examined the fire demon closer he clearly saw the shorter man's body trembling with exhaustion. "Besides," Hiei continued, "my attack expired."

"Expired?" The two humans echoed in confusion, blank looks on their faces. Hiei tried to glare at them but all three of his eyes were too drowsy to really pull it off.

"I don't know if your brains can imagine it but this attack drained a great deal of my energy." The haggard looking demon explained wearily before letting loose a large yawn. Yusuke couldn't help but think how cute it was, but ignored the thought.

"I'll require some hibernation to get it back." The spikey haired man was barely standing now, swaying precariously as he tried his hardest to stay awake. "Think you can manage to find a safe place for my body where it won't get stepped on?" Yusuke was about to confirm that yes, yes he could when Kuwabara cut in.

"Hibernate?" The tall red head asked stupidly. Hiei glared once more.

"Listen to me as closely as you can you two! I'm trusting you against my better instincts only because I have no other choice… If I wake up and we've lost…I swear I'll…kill you…all…" Hiei's threat trailed off as his ruby eyes closed and he fell forwards. Yusuke scrambled momentarily before catching the unconscious fire demon in his arms. A light blush spread across his tan cheeks as he stared at the man held tight in his embrace. Hiei looked so peaceful, so innocent. Without his strong aura and lethal glare he seemed so much smaller. A warm feeling blossomed in his chest as he lifted the shorter man up and walked into their team's locker room…

Then Yusuke was running for his life through a forest in nothing but his skinny jeans and sneakers, four black targets tattooed on his chest and arms. Behind him a big oil tanker crashed through the undergrowth, felling trees and anything else that got in its way. Sadly Yusuke was on the top of that list as the driverless truck, being used as ammunition by Sniper, chased him down. The spirit detective's sneakers pounded on the grass covered ground and he struggled to keep out of reach of the large vehicle. Suddenly something shined in the sun up ahead drawing his attention. There on top of a cliff in the forest stood Sniper, the pistol in his hand aimed right at Yusuke. This is it, the dark haired man couldn't help but think. There was nowhere for him to run, especially not when he had a huge truck speeding after him, a few inches from his ass. The loud crack of a gunshot echoed around the woodlands but Yusuke felt no pain. However he clearly heard the even more disturbing sound of the bullet piercing the truck's oil tank seconds before the tanker exploded behind him. Flames licked at his shirtless back and Yusuke was blown away…

Yusuke's world faded in and out. Darkness and light, flames and ruby red eyes. He could no longer tell what was real and what wasn't. Was he dead? Was he dreaming? Was he simply imaging safe, hard rock pressing into his hands and knees? And those voices, those incredibly familiar voices. Was he imagining them too? Yusuke opened his chocolate eyes and looked around blearily. He was on a cliff. The same cliff that Sniper was on. And there was a hand. A warm calloused hand resting lightly against the back of his neck. He looked up and found himself staring at a very familiar dark haired demon.

"Hiei…?" He whispered, still not quite sure if what he was seeing was real. The demon's hand removed itself from the taller male's neck.

"Don't get sentimental detective." Hiei said, his rich voice washing over Yusuke like a warm waterfall. The small fire demon walked forward towards Sniper and the other man instantly pulled up his gun, training the weapon on Hiei's approaching form.

"I have no quarrel with you stranger but I also don't mind killing anyone who gets in our way!" Sniper threatened. The shorter man ignored him.

"Last warning!" The human snarled. Hiei didn't stop. Yusuke heard the cocking of the gun and fear for his friend wormed its way into his pounding heart. But there was nothing the spirit detective could do as Sniper pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight at Hiei's chest. However instead of hitting the demon's heart and effectively killing him the bullet passed the worried man on the ground and sunk into a tree trunk a few meters back. Gunshots echoed continuously through the forest below as Sniper fired furiously around the clearing but he stopped with a gasp as Hiei suddenly reappeared, his sword imbedded in the trigger happy man's chest.

"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled from his place on the ground, knowing that Hiei technically wasn't supposed to kill humans as it would most likely get him in trouble with Spirit World.

"What? Now I'm not even allowed to kill the bad humans?" The shorter man scoffed. "It's a few inches from his heart if that's what you're worried about." The raven haired teen stared, eyes wide as Sniper's hand came around, wrapping his arm around Hiei's neck. Slowly the gun was raised once more, tremblingly being pointed at Yusuke.

"What's the point?" He muttered. Sniper glared at his words.

"No one can stop out justified cause!" He shouted, cocking the pistol. Hiei growled and with his incredible speed he pulled out his sword before spinning out of Sniper's grip and stabbing him again. Blood gathered in Sniper's mouth, spilling down his chin. He fell to the ground motionless.

"You…You saved me…" Yusuke whispered, his chocolate eyes looking at the fire demon in shock.

"I was worried about the trees." Hiei replied. The spirit detective almost laughed at that one. The spikey haired demon walked over and stood, looking off in the distance with a faraway look on his face. "The wind coming in feels like home…" He said quietly, shocking Yusuke. "It's comforting and it soothes me." The youth smiled. It was rare that his generally stoic friend felt like sharing anything and he treasured the fact that Hiei was revealing such a peaceful side of himself. "It tastes of freshly spilled blood and the rotting smell of decayed corpses." Then again, Yusuke thought, some things he'd rather not know. After a moment he realized the other man was waiting for some sort of response. He grunted noncommittally. Satisfied, Hiei continued.

"Look at it. The door to Demon World will be open soon…Maybe I'll return home." Home. The demon said it so softly, reverently. Yusuke's heart sank. If Sensui succeeded in opening a portal to Demon World then Hiei would leave…and it seemed unlikely he'd return. The knowledge hurt Yusuke more than he thought it would.

"Damnit!" He screamed, punching a small hole in the rocky ground. "After everything we survived in that stupid Dark Tournament I assumed everything else would…would be a big old piece of cake. Then some rogue spirit detective has to go and open up the freaking gates of hell!" Yusuke growled as he rose to his feet, his body ached after the torturous activity it had been put through. "Then to top it off Kuwabara has to go and get himself kidnapped!" The detective ignored the voice in his head that said none of that made him feel worse than the idea of Hiei leaving did. The dark haired teen turned and slowly began to limp away. Hiei's voice floated after him.

"You're in no shape to be playing the hero."

"Well if I don't who will? Not you!" Yusuke yelled, spinning around to glare into the other man's dark red eyes. "Remember, this is our world not yours?" Silence was all that answered him. Yusuke growled and turned away once more. "See ya', I have to save the world…again!" Behind him Hiei's energy flared dangerously.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" The fire demon moved quickly and before Yusuke even had time to twist back to face him the demon's sword was at his neck. The taller man glared at the katana's wielder. "For the second time today I hold your life in my hands. Somehow I doubt this Sensui will be as merciful as I." Hiei said with a mocking chuckle.

"Kuwabara needs me." Yusuke said, his voice low.

"Kuwabara was ill prepared and look at what happened to him!" The teen's chocolate eyes flashed furiously. He snarled and pushed the blade from his throat, standing to tower over the shorter male.

"Shut up!" He shouted. Hiei glared in response, his crimson eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Do I have to kill you to keep you from being foolish?" He threatened.

"You just might, Hiei." The fire demon's energy flared sending his cloak flying off his muscular shoulders. Yusuke's gaze stayed a little too long on the perfectly chiseled abs that had been made viewable.

"It's been too long since our last fight." Hiei said. The spirit detective rose to the challenge, summoning his spirit power.

"You ready?" The demon opposite him yelled.

"Bring it on bitch!" Yusuke shouted in reply. Simultaneously the two charged each other. They met with a clashing of power and fists, sending energy crackling through the air. Human and demon exchanged devastating blows for quite a while, neither gaining an advantage. The two shot back momentarily before leaping at the other once more, their arms drawn back and their fists tightly clenched. Right as Hiei's fist came towards him Yusuke pulled up his arm, blocking the punch. The action was mirrored by the other man and the two stayed there, stuck in a stalemate. Finally the two separated. They jumped away from each other panting and covered in sweat.

Hiei chuckled as he straightened, abandoning his stance. Slowly he held out his bandaged arm and Yusuke stiffened. But instead of obliterating him with the Darkness Technique the fire demon pulled his arm up to his face and began to lap at the wound blocking Yusuke's fist had left. Chocolate eyes stared as if mesmerized as the small pink tongue flicked out to slide along the bloodied skin. The detective's mouth grew dry but he shook it off.

"Well that's mildly disgusting…" Yusuke muttered, though the feelings the sight aroused in him were far from revolted. Hiei ignored him.

"You rose to the challenge." He said finally, his ruby eyes glancing up at the taller male. "It seems you haven't lost your spirit power, you just needed a kick in the ass." The dark haired teen's jaw hit the ground. Anger bubbled up in him once again.

"You mean you stalled me here just to see how strong I am?" He yelled. Hiei gave him a bored look.

"You really are still a simple child aren't you? You just don't get it." The spikey haired demon paused and spat the blood from his mouth. "Do you remember when you fought Toguro in the tournament and we let you think that Kuwabara was dead?" Yusuke winced at the memory. "Back then you lacked the motivation to reach your potential and Toguro went out of his way to bring it out of you. Sensui…Sensui just wants you dead." Realization hit the youth like a ton of bricks…Or more accurately an oil tanker. Hiei picked up his cloak and slipped it around his shoulders before turning away. "Harness your own power if you hope to beat him. If you take anything from our scrimmage, take that." For a second the demon seemed to hesitate. "So go…Save the human world…Or don't. I don't really care. Either way I'm fine with the outcome."

Yusuke tried to hold it in, he really did. But once that first bubble of laughter escaped his lips he was a goner. The spirit detective burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What are you laughing about?" Hiei's voice cut through the teen's merriment. Yusuke wiped a tear from his eye.

"You're so full of crap!" He giggled. "I don't care." He mocked, echoing the words the demon had spoken just a moment before. "You've been rooting for me! You did all this to help me survive." Yusuke jabbed his finger at Hiei as he continued. "I told everyone you'd come back to rescue us when we needed you, you big old softie." The raven haired youth snickering returned as an amusing thought ran through his head. "Or should I say 'little softie'?" Hiei's eye twitched and Yusuke forced himself back under control. He cleared his throat and smiled softly at his friend. "Really…Thank you Hiei…I was needing that kick in the ass."

"Hn." Hiei grunted. The shorter man quickly turned his face from the human and started walking back into the forest. Panic momentarily gripped Yusuke.

"H-Hey!" He yelled at the back of the retreating demon, causing him to pause midstride. He would never admit that his voice sounded desperate even to his own ears. "Where do you think you're going? Now that you're little secret's out…well…there's no reason…Look what I'm trying to say is that I could really use your help on this one…" Yusuke bit his lip. Wow that sounds gay…As an added afterthought; "Kuwabara could use your help." Hiei gave him a familiar look that clearly said he believed Yusuke was an idiot…Not that he ever hesitated to say it aloud as well.

"But I hate Kuwabara." He said plainly before twisting on his heel and stalking off once more. "You do them one favor and they think you're their best friend, this is why I could care less if their whole species was destroyed." The casual comment stung more than the detective cared to admit. Though he was pretty sure that Hiei didn't dislike humans as much as he said, it didn't mean the constant slanders didn't hurt. An idea sparked in his mind and pushed his previous thoughts away.

"If you hate our kind so much I know of a video tape that might interest you." Yusuke lay down the bait. Hiei hesitated, looking back over his shoulder with a suspicious glare.

"What tape would that be?" The demon asked, twisting his body around to properly face the taller man. Yusuke resisted the urge to smirk. Too easy.

"Oh, just a little snuff film you might have heard of called Chapter Black." Crimson eyes widened and gleamed, closely resembling freshly polished rubies. "It's out of print but Sensui's got a copy…I could get it for you…"

"The most forbidden contraband in all of Spirit World? You think they're going to let you walk out with it?"

"Think about it." Yusuke tempted. "In all the rush of the aborted apocalypse that tape is going to be the last thing Spirit World Intelligent is worrying about." A smirk spread across Hiei's full lips as the dark haired teen spoke.

"Hn. You're quite clever when you put your mind to mischief." The demon commented, his eyes sparkling. Suddenly he tensed, his gaze moving to look past Yusuke. "Hey…" He muttered. Yusuke followed his friend's guarded stare and he too stiffened. Flying towards them through the late afternoon air were two large demons.

"Friends of yours?" Hiei asked him, voice thick with sarcasm.

"I assumed they were yours." Yusuke shot back. Less than a minute later the intruding demons landed heavily on the cliff edge before them. The two were even bigger up close and incredibly ugly; their hair straggly, their faces lumpy and their skin the most putrid shades of blue and green. They roared loudly and their breath washed over the spirit detective like a river of sewerage.

"Woah!" Yusuke gagged. "Someone could really use a breath mint!"

"We're new to town." The taller one with puke green skin said his voice comparable to a bullfrog. The grey-blue one jumped in impatiently.

"We've come to plunder your puny world! Show us your women and human flesh depository!" Greeny laughed at his friend's comment.

"As you can see we're hungry in more ways than one!" Yusuke felt bile rise up in his throat at the demon's vulgar comment. The imagery was too much for the poor detective.

"Then this means that Mushiyori city has advanced to stage 3." Hiei said from beside him, effectively driving the disturbing pictures from Yusuke's mind. Yusuke could hear the smirk in the other man's voice. "I believe these demons' are technically classified as weak and ugly." The demons' in question roared furiously.

"Who're you calling ugly?" The green one thundered.

"Look at this one; he doesn't even have a single beauty wart on his face." The squat blue one said contemptuously, pointing at Hiei. Yusuke's chocolate eyes immediately fell on the small fire demon's face. Hiei's skin was smooth and flawless. His eyes, if unique in colour, were like two perfect almonds positioned side by side. The demon's lips were full and his nose could almost be described as cute. All in all he was easily identifiable as attractive by any human female or male. Nope, no "beauty warts" there. The shorter man spoke, his deep voice derailing Yusuke's train of thought.

"Hey Yusuke," The crimson eyes that glanced up at him burned like hellfire. "I think we finally stumbled across a very good reason for me to help." The raven haired man's expression changed to that of confusion. "If we don't defeat Sensui we'll be overrun by these vermin disgraces to the demon race…And I would not enjoy that." Hiei's use of the word 'we' didn't go unnoticed by the spirit detective who grinned in response.

"Yeah, me neither." The two large and definitely ugly demons, who had for a minute been forgotten, leaped at the two dark haired males with cries of fury. Turned out they were ridiculously weak and within second they were taken care of.

"As much as I can't stand humans, I think I hate tourists even more." Hiei said wryly as he and Yusuke started back down into the forest. Yusuke just smiled.

Finally his mind returned him to the night before. He watched the scene play out as he and Kuwabara found their fiery little friend amidst a sea of cream coloured flowers. Once again he saw Hiei kneeling on the ground bathed in the ethereal glow of the moon's rays. It had been the most beautiful and haunting sight Yusuke had ever witnessed. And when he saw that sword enter the fire demon's small body it felt as if he himself had been stabbed. When he held Hiei's dying form in his arms Yusuke felt like was the one who was dead…Like he couldn't live without the beauty in his arms…

And maybe he couldn't. Looking back on those times, it was like all the pieces had magically been put into place. Yusuke saw it now. What had always been there but he'd never realized, never acknowledged it…

Chocolate eyes slowly fluttered open as Yusuke returned to the present. His heart felt light, giddy, and his mind was no longer a restless cyclone of disregarded emotion. Understanding, acceptance…They had freed him. It seemed silly and cliché but the world around the man was suddenly brighter and more beautiful. The grass smelled sweeter, the sun felt warmer and colours appeared more vibrant. Because he now knew the truth. When he had looked back at his memories he realized that the thing that had seemed most clear in his mind was Hiei. He recognized the emotions and thoughts during those times for what they really were. What had always been there yet he had never cared to, – never wanted to, – see. It was so obvious now. His never ending faith in the fire demon, his constant worry for him, and the way his eyes had always lingered a little too long…He was in love. He, Yusuke Urameshi, was in love with Hiei. Hiei, the short little fire demon; Hiei, the master of the evil eye; Hiei the only person to ever have mastered the Dragon of the Darkness Flame; Hiei. And he didn't care one itty bit.

A large goofy smile threatened to split the dark haired youth's face in two as stood up and wiped dirt and grass stains from his jeans. He knew what he was going to do now. The detective was going to run into that hospital room and pull his fire demon into a scorching kiss that will leave no doubt in the other man's mind as to Yusuke's feelings.

As Yusuke jogged back out of the park he purposefully ignored the coppery scent that wafted into his nose. He was on a mission and nothing was going to deter him. Nothing…

'They tell you where you need to go
They tell you when you'll need to leave
They tell you what you need to know
They tell you who you need to be…

But everything inside you knows
There's more than what you've heard
There's so much more than empty conversations
Filled with empty words.

And you're on fire when He's near you
You're on fire when He speaks
You're on fire burning at these mysteries…

Give me one more time around
Give me one more chance to see
Give me everything You are
Give me one more chance to be... (Near You)

Cause everything inside me looks like
Everything I hate
You are the hope I have for change
You are the only chance I'll take.

Well I'm on fire when You're near me
I'm on fire when You speak
And I'm on fire burning at these mysteries
These mysteries...

I'm standing on the edge of me
I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been before.
And I've been standing on the edge of me
Standing on the edge.

And I'm on fire when You're near me
I'm on fire when You speak
(Yea) I'm on fire…
Burning at these mysteries... these mysteries... these mysteries
Ah you're the mystery…
You're the mystery...'

On Fire by Shinedown.

Phew, all done! And just two more chappies to go! I hope you all enjoyed that. Feel free to tell me what worked and what didn't or just anything like that. I appreciate all feedback (except flames for the pairings and stuff like that).

Anyway please continue to read and review!