Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Pet Fox ❯ Plans ( Chapter 4 )

Eheh. The originator of this little challenge just told me that, and I quote, "Under no circumstances is Kurama to give in!" Well.. I loosely quoted, anyway. Soooo... be prepared for more torture a little later. Which reminds me... Anya, I may be a little naive, but what would they do with a mirror? o.O;;; Right. Well, this chapter is basically Yusuke and Hiei-centric. THANK YOU REVIEWERS! *faints from glee*

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Click. Click. Click.

Yusuke paced the floor, purposefully making as much noise as he could by coming down unnecessarily hard on his heels. He was failing, however, to drown out the voices in his head that were screaming at him to do something. Kurama had been kit-napped, and here he was, standing safe and sound in Spirit World and failing to make himself useful.

Koenma was seated at his desk, still in his teenaged form; it made it much easier for him to reach the high shelves that held the books that he would undoubtedly have to search for. He rested his cheek on his left hand while he rifled through the pages of a particularly large volume.

Click. Click. Click.

Hiei was out, 'persuading' the worker demons to pitch in on the search. Well, not so much 'persuading' as "Find something or die."

Click. Click. Click.

Koenma slammed his book shut and raised his head. "Yusuke!"

The teen looked up from his pacing. "Yeah? You found something?"

"Well, no. But it's very hard to concentrate with all of that noise!"

Yusuke tensed. "If you were looking harder, you probably wouldn't even notice!"

"Why aren't YOU looking?" Koenma stood, then crossed to the pile of books by the door, snatching up a particularly promising one.

Yusuke just blinked for a moment, then let out a small 'oof' as Koenma shoved the book into his stomach. "Don't criticize unless you can do better. I want to find Kurama just as much as you do!"

The detective lowered his eyes. "Doubt it." Despite his words, he sat cross-legged on the floor and flipped to the book's index. 'Incubus... incubus...'

He had barely begun to turn to the desired page when a demon with reddish-hued skin burst into the room, closely followed by Hiei.

"Lord Koenma! It appears that there was something about a demon named Yato in our files!" The demon held up a thick folder that was immediately snatched by Yusuke.

Koenma stood. "What have you found out?"

"Well, this Yato was involved in a series of suspected rapes a while back, but there was never enough evidence to convict him. It would appear that someone in a high position was tipping the balance in his favor."

"Kurai," Hiei muttered, clenching one hand into a fist.

The demon looked puzzled for a moment. "There is no mention of a 'Kurai' in Yato's background papers..."

Koenma sighed. Of course, there wouldn't be. Whoever this Prince Kurai was, he was someone that was too powerful to be apprehended. This was precisely the reason that they had set up the search for Yato; he was somewhat of a novice that couldn't cover his own tracks. "Forget it. Go on."

With a nod, the worker complied. "The account of what happened at the warehouse made no sense when we analyzed Yato's power readings. He is nowhere near capable of making the entire building as well as everyone inside disappear."

Yusuke glanced up at the demon, closed the file, and set it on Koenma's desk. "So how do you think he did it?"

"Well, we don't think he did. It's possible that the warehouse is still there, just on a different plane."

Yusuke opened his mouth as if to ask what the hell that meant, but Koenma stepped around the desk and ushered the worker out, muttering something intelligible that might have been "Good work". Once he was gone, Koenma turned back to Yusuke and Hiei. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" He returned to his desk, reached underneath it, and pressed a small button.

A thin screen rose from the top of his desk. The flickering image showed the location where the warehouse had been. "It's possible that, since Yato didn't have the power to move the building, he simply shifted it to another plane of existence."

Yusuke nodded, then stopped. "Huh?"

Hiei snorted. "It means, detective, that the warehouse is still there. You already know that there are layers to the world, but there are also sublayers... planes."

Koenma nodded his agreement. "If you can gain access to the plane that the warehouse has moved to, you should be able to get into the castle to rescue Kurama."

"Fine." Yusuke leaned over the screen. "So how do we find out which one it is?"

The ruler simply touched the screen. The image split into fragments; six pictures of the same location spread across the screen, and each was tinted a different color. Yusuke blinked at the third one. Through the green haze, the silhouette of a castle was quite clear.

"Now, Koenma, how do we get there?" Hiei queried.

"That part's simple, Hiei." Koenma rummaged for a second in one of his many drawers and drew out a greenish sphere. "Father's going to kill me for giving you this, but drastic times..." He sighed. "Since the rift that Yato went through is still fresh, you should be able to get right to the plane with this. Take it to the site, then supply it with a jolt of energy. Yusuke, your Spirit Gun should suffice."

Yusuke nodded, then took the sphere from Koenma's outstretched hand. The cool metal was smooth and cold. It almost seemed to move on its own accord. The teen turned to Hiei. "Well, that's all of the encouragement that I need. Let's go!"

The koorime nodded and the pair went for the door. Before they reached it, however, Koenma's voice rang out behind them, loud and juvenile. He had returned to his 'toddler' form. "Oh, and Yusuke!"

Yusuke turned. "Yeah?"

"Make sure that you don't, under any circumstances, break that sphere!"

"Heh. We'll be stuck on that plane forever then, huh?"

"Not just that..." Koenma pressed his index fingers together sheepishly. "Father'll have my hide..."

Yusuke groaned and waved over his shoulder. Hiei was already out of the door. A sense of urgency seemed to weigh down on him... and he wasn't sure he wanted to know why he felt so anxious.

***

A hand fisted itself in Kurama's hair and lifted his upper body from the ground. The kitsune groaned at the violent treatment, but was grateful to some degree. The combination of lying on the cold floor and the uncomfortable position had earned him some muscle cramps in his back and neck which were benefiting from this new position.

"Sorry ta wake ya from yer nap," a voice sneered.

Kurama opened his eyes, then realized that he was face-to-face with a certain violet-haired demon. "Kin," he growled, his voice coming as nothing more than a rasping whisper.

Kin chuckled. "Isn't that sweet, Hui? 'E remembers me!" Kurama's odd angle rendered him unable to see other demon, who was somewhere behind him and to his left.

The kitsune's mind was already working. Kin sat in front of him, holding him up by his hair, but Kurama was supporting himself a small bit as well. With an inward smirk, Kurama let his body go limp, trying to ignore the pain in his scalp.

His head dipped forward and his bangs obscured his closed eyes. Kin had the desired reaction: he leaned forward just a small bit. When Kurama felt that Kin was directly over him, he jerked his head up abruptly. Kin saw what was coming, but it was just a tad too slow. Kurama's blow caught him in the face; the demon released him abruptly, leaving Kurama to fall face-first to the stone floor with a pained grunt.

Kin was holding his nose, cursing. "'E hit me! Damn it, 'e really HIT me!" Hui stepped around Kurama, his shoulders shaking in laughter. Kin took his hands away from his face, revealing a thin trickle of blood coming from one nostril.

Kurama tried to move his head and look up, but he was seeing stars. His forehead had connected quite solidly with the ground. Though he couldn't see, he could clearly hear, "I'll kill 'im!" before pain erupted along his side.

Kin drew back his foot and kicked the helpless kitsune once more. Hui held out a hand as if to stop him. "Kin! Yato told us not ta kill 'im, remember?"

The other demon snarled and lifted a hand, brandishing his claws. "Forget about Yato! I don't serve that WIMP!"

"Quite right. You serve me."

Kin froze, then let his arm fall, whirling around to face the doorway.

Framed in the dim light of the room, a demon of obviously high breeding stood. His hair was a navy blue, so deep that it was almost black. It was worn loose, stopping about halfway down his back. His eyes were just a shade or two lighter than purple, and yet too dark to be called lavender. His features were sharp and refined, and his white robes seemed to make a mockery of every time that color was used to represent purity. He was nothing of the sort.

Zei stepped into the room behind the regal demon, but made no advances, as if waiting for orders.

Hui and Kin shuddered where they stood for a few more seconds, then fell to their knees and bowed low. "Prince Kurai," they murmured in turn.

Kurai ignored them. "How long has the kitsune been here?"

Hui raised his eyes. "My Prince, we brought him here last night."

"Why was he not brought to me? I dislike having visitors without the opportunity to... extend my hospitality."

Kin shivered, but didn't raise his eyes. "We merely... we..."

"You have taken him. No... not you two. It was Yato, was it not?"

Hui nodded fervently, then crept forward, falling to his face at the prince's feet. "Yes, My Prince. This was Yato's idea! He ma-"

Kurai's motion was unbelievably swift. He brought his hand down in a slicing motion, then halted about an inch from Hui's neck. "A coward. Cowards have no place here." He stepped over Hui, approaching Kin.

Kurama raised his head just in time to see Hui's head slide from his shoulders. Immediately, his muscles tensed and his stomach lurched. What sort of prince would do such a thing to his followers?

Kin lay prostrate, sobbing. The kitsune couldn't tell if the tears were for his own worthless life of Hui's. Kurai stopped a few feet from his blubbering minion.

Kin made an effort to speak through his tears. "Please, My Prince! I've always served you! The prisoner's yours! We were only-"

This time, there was no movement. A hole about eight inches wide appeared in the left side of Kin's chest. His heart splattered into the wall above Kurama, then fell beside the bound kitsune, still beating weakly and splattering blood over his body. Kurama moaned from low in his chest.

Kurai seemed unfazed by any of this. "The prisoner was already mine," he told Kin's lifeless body, then stepped toward Kurama, his robes still eerily immaculate. "Now, what have we here?"

Kurama tried to recoil from the prince's touch, but there was nowhere that he could move in his chains. The kitsune's eyes widened as Kurai pressed two fingers to his temple. "Sleep," the prince murmured.

Kurama was unconscious almost immediately. For a time, he remained unaware of the fact that Zei had lifted him in his arms, to carry the inert kitsune to his prince's chambers.

He also was unaware that his fetters had melted from his body.

All that remained was a single metal band that had materialized around his neck.

A collar...

***

Whew! Another chapter over and done with! *sighs* So many end with Kurama unconscious, huh? Well, please review, as always, and remember, if you wish to be on my update notification list, just say so (and leave your e-mail address)!