Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Just Outside the Light ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I think we all know by now that I hold no claim over the YYH universe.

Author: Letta

Rating: Probably R.

Warnings: Violence, slight OOC, possibly AU- it's up to you.

Pairings: none so far

"speaking"

/thoughts/

Title: Just Outside the Light

Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara shuffled inside the room, uncertainly. Their eyes saw a silver-haired kitsune staring at a plastic card of some sort. The fox didn't even bother to look up at the sounds of their entrance, completely ignoring their presence. It was when Leiko pushed her way past the three males to stand over the youko that he finally raised his head. He looked at her, still not bothering to bestow the favor of his attention on the other three.

"What?"

"I brought you some guests," she said.

For the first time since their arrival, Kurama looked at the three boys, then he looked back at the demoness.

"Who are they?"

The air was suddenly thick with shock around the three guests.

"They claim to know you," she said, then turned around and left the room, roughly pushing aside Kuwabara who was too late to notice he was in her way, causing Hiei and Yusuke to snicker.

"I don't like that lady," Kuwabara said, rubbing his newly tender arm as he looked after her.

"So there is something we agree on," Hiei commented, suddenly striding forward to Kurama's bed, who was watching them all warily. For a moment the two demons stared at each other, warily contemplating the other, both waiting for the first move.

Suddenly, Hiei snorted.

"You don't remember us at all, do you?"

Kurama's gaze turned sharp, and he hesitated. A quick glance over to Yusuke showed the barest trace of recognition in his golden eyes before his gaze flitted back to the fire demon.

"You look familiar," the youko ventured to say to Hiei, "and so does he," he said, pointing over to the spirit detective.

"That's a start," Yusuke said, flashing a grin.

"Do you remember anything else?" Hiei's harsh voice cut through.

"Not really."

"What happened?" the jaganshi pressed.

"I was attacked, that's all I know."

The kitsune narrowed his eyes, laying back down on the bed and waving his guests away. He closed his eyes. The three in the room shrugged to themselves and quietly left, deciding to let the youko rest.

It was when their footsteps could barely be heard that Kurama opened his eyes and went back to staring at the card still clutched in his hands. Those three seemed friendly enough, but for all he knew, they could have been the ones to attack him.

/For all I know, Leiko was the one to attack me./ He quickly shook his head as he remembered that his attacker had been male.

~`~`~`~`~`

"So what do you think?" Yusuke asked his friends, looking at them, open for ayn suggestions.

"I think he suffered some sort of head injury."

"Yeah, that's what I had figured," Yusuke admitted. They were seated in a small room, obviously reserved for company. From what they had seen of the rest of the hut, this was the most `civilized' room by far. It was outfitted with heavy curtains, pulled backed from the windows they guarded by ties on either side. The ground below them was covered with painted mats, depicting different scenes of Makai. They sat on fluffed pillows around a dark mahogany table ornately carved with pictures of various wild game. On the table, in front of where each sat was a cup of tea resting on a bamboo coaster and some sort of delicacy resting in a bamboo bowl that Yusuke couldn't begin to guess at what it was.

Hiei, on the other hand, had looked ravenously at them when his eyes first laid on them and had his hand on his before he had even finished sitting down. A platter also made of bamboo held more of them, which were quickly disappearing thanks to the fire jaganshi.

Leiko, who had led them into the room, bid them to relax, and gave Hiei a dark look, had since left, leaving her guests to discuss whatever they needed. Where she had gone was anyone's guess.

"Do you think Yukina could heal him?" Kuwabara asked as he timidly took a sip of the tea, not quite trusting their `gracious' hostess. Hiei looked up sharply, but the action was missed by the tall redhead.

Yusuke gave Hiei a considering look, then spoke. "It's worth a shot."

This caused the jaganshi to glare at him in turn.

"Well let's face it," Yusuke began, "if Yukina can help him get his memories back, it's worth it. Otherwise, we can ask Koenma about it, see what he can do."

"I say we ask Koenma first."

"Hiei, it's probably not only easier, but better if we try Yukina first. The more key, the better. Until we find out who tried to kill Kurama, we're not going to want to raise a fuss over in Reikei. You know how Koenma gets."

Hiei growled.

"Very well, but if anything goes wrong, I'm holding you personally responsible, detective," Hiei said, hand falling to the hilt of his katana to illustrate.

Yusuke sweatdropped.

"I'm sure everything will work out, really!"

"Hey guys, has anyone noticed that this tea tastes funny?" Kuwabara asked, nose wrinkled up in distaste.

"This is Makai tea, it tastes perfectly normal. It's your stupid ningen tea that tastes bad."

Sensing an argument, Yusuke quickly decided to intervene.

"So, Hiei, what did Leiko mean when she asked you about money?" Yusuke asked.

The spirit detective had never thought it possible before, but for a moment, Hiei actually looked sheepish. Luckily for the youkai, Kuwabara had missed this.

"Nothing," Hiei replied, voice sounding almost normal.

~`~`~`~`~`

Yusuke and Kuwabara reentered Kurama's room, Hiei having been pulled aside by Leiko to `talk.' What the two members of the Reikei Tantei heard were long strings of the Makai curses they had picked up. Beyond that, they couldn't understand much.

"Hey Kurama," Yusuke began, trying to keep in mind that he was talking to the youko and not the human version, and that the youko had no idea who the hell he was.

The kitsune didn't look at him immediately, having not bothered to feign sleep when he heard the footsteps coming. After a slight pause, he looked sharply at the boy.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get a verbal response, Yusuke continued.

"We, uh… we decided to take you to a healer that we know… you know. Her name's Yukina," Yusuke tried, seeing if the name rang a bell, but when the kitsune continued to stare at him coldly, he plowed on. "We think she might be able to help you get your memories back."

At this, Kurama lifted a silver brow, regarding them thoughtfully, but taking care to make sure his steady gaze did not soften in the least.

"What makes you think I'll go with you," Kurama said at last.

Yusuke's face fell and he looked at Kuwabara, who shrugged helplessly, at a loss for words or help.

"Well, uh, why wouldn't you?"

"I don't know you. I have no way of knowing if you won't lead me to my death."

"You know us!" Kuwabara yelled, fists clenching at his sides, "We went through Maze Castle together and fought in the Dark Tournament, and…"

Yusuke cut him off as Kurama's penetrating gaze shifted over to the redhead, eyes narrowing.

"We've been through a lot together, is what Kuwabara is trying to say, and whether you realize it or not, we just want to help you," Yusuke said, hoping that for once, his speech came out the way he had wanted it to. God knows it never did with Keiko, or Botan, or his mother.

Hiei chose that moment to storm into the room, Leiko close behind.

"We're leaving for Genkai's. Now," Hiei announced.

"I'll be escorting you," Leiko added, glaring at Hiei, who growled back.

Yusuke and Kuwabara blinked, both a little fearful to ask what was going on. Instead, the spirit detective turned to the kitsune.

"Well Kurama, four against one."

The youko sighed, expression still narrowed.

"I see that I have no choice."

"That's the spirit!" Yusuke cheered, earning weird looks from the others.

~`~`~`~`~`

Alika looked at Yukio, her expression an unhappy frown. Her hands were busy pulling loose pieces of hay from the pile she sat on. Her nose twitched in irritation.

"So… Youko Kurama is not dead, is what you're saying," she said slowly, looking critically at her personal assassin.

"It would seem so, according to my spies."

"Well," she began, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger as she tilted her head to the side, "you can go back and finish what you started."

"It's no longer that simple."

"Why not?"

Yukio shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the information he was about to pass on to his mistress.

"It seems that he is in the company of an S-class demon and the rest of the Reikei Tantei."

Alika furrowed her brow, chewing her lip thoughtfully before reaching a decision, her face brightening as she did so.

"I've got it! We'll follow them, wait for the right moment, and bam!" She clapped a fist into an open palm to demonstrate the effects of `bam!'

Yukio gave her a very unsure look. After a moment of slight hesitation and Alika looking at him expectantly with a pleased expression on her face.

"What, exactly, is `bam!'?" he asked. She blinked at him, eyes round before she elaborately.

"We, uh… we… wait until he's alone, or at least, not too heavily guarded, then we implant a little `present' in his head. He'll appear and act normal and then when the timing is right for him, he'll turn on his friends and kill them one by one. Then he won't be guarded, and we can kill him!"

"Why don't we just kill him and spare all the trouble of having him kill his friends. Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Probably!" she said, cheerfully before hopping onto her feet and fairly skipping away, leaving a rather dumbfounded and doubting assassin behind.

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A/N: Well, not nearly so long a wait as last time, and a longer chapter, too! Points for me!