Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Winter Murders ❯ Black Caped Figure ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Ifurita

Winter Murders

A slightly tall figure dressed in a black cape stood in the middle of a snow covered field. The hood was pulled up to conceal their eyes and a black scarf wound its way around their face to conceal it even better. This figure was surrounded by the white deadness of the field, looking strangely out of place. A passing wind blew the snow and cape, creating an ominous picture. The sky was gray and threatening. The overall effect was that of the grim reaper taking a short break to gaze at his handiwork in the winter season.

This is the perfect weather to commit murder in, the figure thought subconsciously. It started to move towards the edge of a tree line in the distance. It took slow, patient steps. The Ningenkai has been begging for a good homicidal maniac for quite some time now. I believe I'm just the demon to pull it off.

The caped figure passed into the gray of the dead forest. The only evidence of its passing was its foot prints.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~< /div>

Kurama woke up feeling slightly cold. He opened a hesitant eye and looked around his bedroom gingerly. His bed sheets were still on, so why was he feeling a draft? His eyes moved to his window, it was open. No wonder it was cold.

"Shimatta," he muttered under his breath. He looked around his room with both eyes to find his robe. He sighed slightly, not finding it. He quickly jumped out of bed, moved to his window and shut it, all within twenty seconds. He then crawled under the sheets, pulling them up to his chin. Man did he wish he had another body in this bed, one that would bring a fire to it. A certain fire demon. As if on cue a moan was heard from the foot of the bed. Kurama sat up and looked to the floor. There lay Hiei. He had made a puddle underneath himself from all the snow he had accumulated.

"Hiei!" Kurama shouted. He crawled over to the shivering demon. Hiei's black hair was soaking and plastered to his skull. He looked even more pallid then he normally did. Kurama bit back a gasp. Hiei shouldn't be this cold. He lifted the smaller demon and made for his bathroom. Hiei stirred and opened a languorous eye. He tried to shove the fox away.

"You're freezing Hiei," Kurama told him. "I'm giving you a scalding hot bath to revitalize you. By the way, how did you get so cold?"

Hiei ignored the question and tried unsuccessfully to get out of the kitsune's arms. Kurama opened the bathroom door and lightly laid Hiei on his back on the floor. Then he turned around to shut and lock the door. When he looked once again to Hiei he saw him clinging to the side of the tub trying to stand.

"You're to cold," Kurama told him. He plugged the tub and began to run the hot water, testing it with his hand to make sure it was hot. "I need to get you out of those soaking clothes."

Hiei backed away as Kurama approached him. He backed into a wall. Kurama gently got Hiei's cloak off. He placed it on the floor near the door. He checked the water level of the tub before advancing on Hiei and attacking his belts. Hiei struggled, but eventually was stripped and wrapped in a fluffy white towel. Kurama turned the water off and picked up the fire demon. Hiei shivered gently. Kurama unwrapped the towel from Hiei's body and eased Hiei into the hot water. The tub was filled with perfume and bubbles, easing Hiei into an uneasy sleep. Kurama found himself in a headlock and stuck sitting next to the tub as Hiei dozed off.

At least you got his clothes off; Kurama thought to himself He stole a look at his friend. He almost looked peaceful. He had been surprised to find Hiei so cold. Fire demons don't get cold. Yet here Hiei was, freezing. A squeeze of Hiei's arm and Kurama was brought back to reality, rather painfully.

"Hn, stupid fox," Hiei muttered. He brought his arm under the water. The rest of his body had warmed up quite quickly. He was feeling contented. He looked at Kurama, who had his back to him. Kurama was picking up his cold and soaking clothes. Hiei smiled as he looked at his friend's lithe form.

"I'll be right back," Kurama said. "I'm going to put your clothes in the dryer, and get you some dry ones."

Hiei nodded. Kurama unlocked the door and walked halfway through. He turned and gave Hiei a "If you get out I will personally beat you" look. Hiei sank back into the bubbly water. He sighed audibly as his friend walked out.

Kurama came back a few minutes later to find Hiei had submerged under water. He gasped, dropped what he was carrying and went to the side of the tub. He reached in gingerly and pulled his friends body out. Hiei opened his eyes in shock as he felt Kurama's lips press to his opened ones. When did I open them? He thought idly. Kurama pulled back to push out the air he had just forced into Hiei's prone body when he saw his friends wide, astonished eyes glaring back at him. He immediately dropped the poor koorime. Hiei spluttered and rose from under the water immediately. Kurama had an intense blush on his face. Hiei wondered why.

"Gomen Hiei," Kurama whispered. "I thought you had drowned and I tried to employ CPR."

Hiei growled inwardly. Damn, I thought he meant it.

"Hn," Hiei replied. "Could you hand me a towel?"

Kurama beamed and grabbed one from the wall holding it out for his friend, who had already stepped out of the tub. Kurama blushed again and quickly left the bathroom, gently shutting the door behind him. It was several degrees cooler in his bedroom then in his bathroom. He sat down and waited for Hiei to surface from the bathroom. He heard the door open. He looked up and barely suppressed a laugh as he saw his small friend in his overly large PJs. Hiei growled at him.

"I'm still cold fox," Hiei said. He sat down next to Kurama. Well, a discreet amount of space away from Kurama. Kurama looked at his friend and frowned.

"I can't turn up the heat in the apartment Hiei; I already have a high bill. But you can curl up under my pajina if you want," Kurama said. He turned and crawled over to pull down the blankets so his friend could get under them. Hiei followed suit and got under the still slightly warm blankets. He took a gulp of air and smelled the scent that was uniquely Kurama. He looked at the redhead. Kurama had moved to the edge of the bed.

"I'm still cold fox," Hiei whispered. He knew it would be asking a lot of his friend to climb under the sheets and share his body heat, but Hiei actually meant what he said. That and he wanted to cuddle with his fox.

When did he become mine? Hiei inwardly wondered.

Kurama gulped. He couldn't possibly have heard that. He turned around and confirmed that he had. Hiei was still shivering despite the bath and warm blankets. Kurama thanked Inari and climbed under the sheets next to his friend. He cautiously wrapped his arms around Hiei's slim but muscular frame. Hiei spooned right up to him. Kurama sighed. Then gulped. Hiei raised an eyebrow. His shivering continued, but had drastically calmed down. Hiei snuggled up against the warm body of his fox and casually fell asleep. Kurama followed suit.

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^< /div>

Across town, Yusuke was casually walking around the streets. It may be only eight in the morning, but he was restless. Besides, Keiko had gotten mad at him that morning and had kicked him out of the shop that was their home. Yusuke sighed heavily. What had he done to deserve this existence?

"Yusuke!" a female voice cheerfully called out behind him. Yusuke shuddered. Only one person was ever that cheerful. Botan smiled down at him from her oar. Yusuke glared up at her.

"What is it now Botan?" he growled. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with her or Koenma. He didn't want to take on another mission. He had other problems on his mind. One of which was why Keiko had kicked him out. "I'm not in the mood to hear about pacifier breaths problems right now."

"But," Botan started. Yusuke looked up at her. She blinked and shrugged. "Koenma wants you all to meet him tomorrow at ten to learn about this new case. You don't have to worry about it until then."

"Thank the gods," Yusuke muttered. Loudly he announced, "I'll call the guys after I sort things out with Keiko. Hopefully Kurama will know how to get a hold of Hiei."

Botan smiled enigmatically. "See you tomorrow Yusuke! And good luck with Keiko!"

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Kazuma Kuwabara sat in the snow next to his beloved Yukina, helping her build a small fortress of snow, for when Yusuke and Keiko came over later that day. This time they were going to be prepared and would have some protection from the evil Urameshi. Kuwabara looked over at Yukina who was happily making little snow bricks and placing them in a wall-like fashion. After the two of them had finished a row she would freeze them together. No snowball would get through this wall.

"Kazuma?" Yukina asked suddenly. Kuwa looked up at the love of his life who was staring out into the sky.

"Yes Yukina?" Kuwa replied.

"Do you think Kurama and Hiei will join us?" Yukina asked. Kuwa started making another brick. Yukina looked down at him and smiled.

"I don't think the shrimp's in the Ningenkai, and Kurama usually has something he has to do," Kuwa said. Yukina looked rather disappointed. "I'm sure if Hiei were here, and Kurama were free they'd be here."

Yukina smiled at Kuwa. Kuwa placed another brick on the wall, completing the row. He looked up at her and she froze the row to the other six they had completed.

"Yusuke won't be able to get us this time!" Kuwa said triumphantly. Yukina smiled. "Why don't you start building up our stock of ammunition Yukina?"

"Ok Kazuma," Yukina replied. She began to make perfect little snowballs and began stacking them on the inside of their wall.

"Um, Kazuma?" Yukina said after she froze another row onto the previous ones.

"Yes my love?" Kuwa answered.

"How do you know Yusuke will attack from that way?" Yukina asked while pointing in the direction the wall was facing. Kuwa smiled and tapped the side of his skull.

"I have it all planned out Yukina. Once we finish this side we're going to do three other ones, and that way we'll be prepared for him," Kuwa said proudly. Yukina smiled and gave Kuwa a big hug. Kuwa's face went beet red.

Genkai looked on at the pair from a distance. They were so innocent. They were so cute. They might actually beat Yusuke if they had a little help from Yusuke's number one enemy: her. She looked around the roof of her dojo. There was plenty of snow, she could build a wall for her to hide behind and have plenty snow left to make an entire arsenal. All she would have to do then would be to let them in on her plan to get Yusuke good. Genkai chuckled to herself. There was nothing like beating Yusuke at his own game. Plus, Kuwabara wouldn't mind the help.

Genkai looked about for a good place to place her wall. She found the best place over looking the "battle-field". She began making her wall.

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

A pink coat appears over a small hill. The child in the coat runs over the hill, laughing. A figure in a familiar black cape follows. The child trips and rolls in the snow. She still laughs. The caped figure glances around the area the child and it was in. No one is present.

"Come on!" the child yells as she lies back in the snow and starts to develop a snow angel. The caped figure turned its back to the child. It pulled out a large scythe out of the recesses of its robe. The handle was black, and the blade was a paper-thin blue. The figure tried out the blade on the tip of their finger; it lightly touched the tip and pulled the blade away. Blood bubbled onto the skin.

"What are you waiting for?" the child asked. The figure turned, hiding the scythe behind its back. Slowly it approached the child. The child laughed. Faster than the eye could see the figure moved to stand on the opposite side of the child. Blinking from one side to the next. Tinkling laughter filled the frigid afternoon air. The snow glistened, the sun shone. The figure came to rest by the amazed child's feet. It pulled the scythe out from behind its back.

The scream resonated in the uncaring air. The scythe arched down and buried itself in the child's stomach, bringing forth a most sickeningly wet thud. The child screamed louder. Blood spread into the cold, white snow. The wind blew. The scythe pulled lower through the child's body, sounding like ripping fabric and cold meat. Blood flew through the air, speckling the ground before the bulk soaked through it. The figure pulled the scythe out. The child screamed. The scythe was covered in blood; a piece of tissue was stuck on the tip. The figure wiped the blade carefully on the now red coat. The child's body writhed fast, but quickly slowed down in its death throes. The scythe came down once again to sever the head.

On top of a hill in the central park the body of a small child was found. The aerial view of it was breath taking. In the middle of a perfectly white hill was a large, odd shaped red blotch. In the center of the blotch was the body of a ten year old girl. The head was found several yards away, it had been given to a hungry dog for food.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~< /div>

Yusuke grumbled lowly as Genkai handed him a mug of hot chocolate. Keiko and him had just gotten their asses whooped in a snowball fight against Yukina and Kuwabara. It was degrading. Though Genkai had helped them, it was still degrading. He always beat that overgrown ox at everything. Now he had lost a snowball fight to him, and he knew he would never hear the end of it. Kuwa would never stop bragging, and as soon as Hiei found out, he would never hear the end of him losing to Kuwa. Kurama would probably congratulate Kuwa, consol Yusuke, and then tell Hiei that it was possible, though highly irregular for Kuwa to beat Yusuke. Then Hiei would grunt and say `Hn, stupid fox.' Yusuke could just see it now.

"Yusuke!" Keiko said before he got slapped out of his reverie. Yusuke glared at her. She actually smiled back at him. "We'll get them next time"

She winked. Yusuke winked right back. He he, next time they'd recruit Kurama. Though, if Kurama wanted to he could beat all five of them single-handedly. Wouldn't that be embarrassing. Though Hiei would probably snort and say `I thought as much would happen.' Wait a sec, why did he care what Hiei thought?

"Hey Yusuke!" Kuwa shouted. Yusuke flinched. He was going to have to work on this zoning out thing.

"What?" he growled at the carrot top. Kuwa smiled vacantly.

"What did you say about Koenma earlier?" Kuwa asked. Yusuke silently cursed himself. He had planed to call all of them before he went to Genkai's but had forgotten.

"Oh yeah," he said aloud. "The baby wants us to meet him at ten tomorrow in his office."

Kuwa nodded his head. "I'll be there."

"Genkai?" Yusuke asked. She looked at him. "Could I use your phone to call Kurama?"

Genkai nodded. Yusuke stood up and walked out of the room. He picked up the phone and dialed Kurama's number. After three rings the machine picked it up.

"Hello, you have reached Shuiichi Minamino. I'm not here at the moment, so please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as I can. *beep*"

"Hey Kurama, this is Yusuke. Koenma wants to meet us all tomorrow at ten. We'll meet at the park at five to. Bring Hiei. Bye."

Yusuke hung up the phone. Darn, I had hoped to talk to him, Yusuke thought to himself. He walked back to the others. Keiko pulled him down to sit next to him. She rested a head upon his shoulder.

"Well?" Kuwa asked.

"He's not home. I left him a message though. I'll call tomorrow to make sure he got the message. By the way, what time is it?"

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^< /div>

Kurama looked drearily at the clock. It was eight. He groaned softly. He had slept the day away. He turned his head back to the sleeping figure in his arms. A smile crossed his face as Hiei snuggled closer to Kurama's body. Hiei's hair tickled Kurama's nose. He chuckled lightly. He took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of Hiei. He supposed he should wake the sleeping koorime, but he really didn't want to release the small body snuggled tightly next to his own. Kurama sighed. His eyes closed and he fell back to sleep.

Hiei woke up some five minutes later. He shook his head to get his bearings. He looked around the room. He was laying in a king sized bed, covered in white sheets with delicate red roses printed on it. The pajina was a deep rose color and lay over the sheets. The walls of the room were a creamy white color. The door to the bathroom was open. The white carpet was still a bit wet. He shifted to face the person behind him. He looked at the peaceful face of Kurama, taking in the beauty of his friend. Kurama's hair was spread over the pillow wildly. Hiei smiled slightly. He moved again, to snuggle closer. He felt Kurama's arms tighten around his waist. He looked up at his friend's face. Hiei felt an irresistible urge to lean forward and kiss the lips of his friend that were at the moment torturing him so much.

One kiss couldn't hurt, could it? Hiei wondered. He looked at the peacefully sleeping face above his, and made up his mind. It's not like he's going to know, Hiei reassured himself. He leaned up and forward, placing his lips on top of his friend's. Hiei gently backed away. He was never going to wash his lips. He licked them lightly before deciding to go back to sleep.

Time passed and it seemed that nothing Hiei could do would let him get comfortable enough to sleep. His stomach growled loudly at him. Hiei sighed and faced the still sleeping Kurama.

"Hey baka, wake up," Hiei told the sleeping youko. Kurama muttered something and pulled Hiei closer. Hiei started a bit but then relaxed. He shook Kurama's shoulder, repeating the same phrase.

"Five more minutes Kasaan," Kurama muttered. He rolled onto his back, dragging a startled Hiei along with him.

"Let go of me, you baka!" Hiei let out in a startled protest. Kurama opened a sleepy eye. He looked at Hiei uncomprehendingly and rolled to his other side, once again taking Hiei with him. Hiei once again let out a protest, but this time in a growl. He felt his body slowly sliding off the edge of the bed. If he was going down he was taking that baka fox along with him. Hiei slid off the bed. Luckily he didn't hit anything other than the floor. Kurama fell on top of him. Hiei let out a strangled yelp. Kurama opened his eyes, wondering why he was suddenly cold. Hiei's red eyes met his in a glare of frustration. Kurama realized where he was: On the floor on top of Hiei. He made a mumbled apology and got off of his friend.

"Sorry Hiei," he spoke clearly. Hiei growled.

"Baka kitsune," Hiei said. Kurama smiled sheepishly. He looked at his friend. At least Hiei wasn't shaking, so he mustn't be cold anymore.

"I guess I was having a dream," Kurama muttered. "Must have thought you were my dream person and I was tackling you to the floor."

"Hn," Hiei replied. "I'm hungry."

"You should be," Kurama replied, he got up and held out a hand for Hiei who accepted and got to his feet. "We slept the day away."

"Hn," Hiei grunted. He followed the kitsune out into the living room and from there into the kitchenette.

"What do you want?" Kurama asked. He started to look through his cupboards.

"Whatever," Hiei replied. He watched as the PJ clad kitsune walked from cupboard to fridge, picking up various items.

"Well, in that case I'll make whatever I feel like eating," Kurama said. He laid out what he had gathered onto the counter. "Cinnamon-brown sugar rice. With dried apples."

Hiei licked his lips, that sounded good. He idly wondered where Kurama had picked up that recipe. Kurama started the stove and put a pot filled with water on top of it. He turned his back on it and sat down next to Hiei, who had planted himself on a bar stool overlooking the counter.

"Hiei," Kurama said. Hiei looked at him. He knew what was coming. "How did you get so cold? You're a fire demon; you don't get that cold unless you use a lot of ki."

Hiei sighed. "I ran into an ice demon somewhere around here. I had been on a mission from Mukuro and I was coming back when I bumped into him. He really wasn't that strong, but in his own element it made him harder to beat. I not only had to keep myself warm, I had to fight him. It used most of my ki. I was too tired to open a portal, and it would take to long to get there, so I headed to the nearest warm place. Here."

Kurama stared at his friend with his mouth open. He had never heard Hiei say so many words in a row before. It was quite a complicated explanation.

Hn, stupid fox believed it, Hiei thought smugly. He will never know that I just came here to see him and needed an excuse for coming, let alone being in his arms.

Kurama got up and moved to the water that was now boiling. He added a good portion of rice, some Cinnamon, brown sugar, and the dried apples. He began to stir gently. The aroma started to fill the air. He breathed in deeply. It was intoxicating. He pulled out two bowls and cups. Then he quickly went to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice. He poured some for both of them. He put the orange juice back and stirred again. Soon Hiei could smell the aroma of the rice. His mouth watered. He looked at his fox.

"Here we go," Kurama said as he handed Hiei a cup and a bowl filled with rice. Then he gave him a pair of chopsticks. He then sat down next to Hiei and began to eat his own food. Hiei followed suit.

"How long are you going to stay then?" Kurama asked suddenly. Hiei jumped at bit. He looked at his friend and saw the pleading in his eyes.

"I guess I'll leave tomorrow," Hiei said. He returned his attention to his food. He knew Kurama's face had lit up in a bright smile.

"Then you'll be staying here," Kurama said. "You can sleep in the bed with me or you can sleep on the couch, or you can have the bed to yourself and I'll sleep on the couch."

Hiei stared at his friend. He hadn't understood a word the fox had said he had spoken so quickly.

"What?" Hiei asked his mouth full. Kurama laughed.

"You can sleep in the bed with me, you can sleep on the couch, or you can sleep in the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," Kurama said slowly. Hiei looked at him.

"Why ruin what's worked so far?" Hiei said quietly. Kurama stared at his friend. He was so happy. He grabbed his smaller friend and pulled him into a tight hug. Hiei struggled in his vice-like grip.

"Let go of me you baka!" Hiei shouted. Kurama laughed at his friend's discomfort.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~< /div>

A clock struck nine. The caped figure turned slowly to confront its next victim. It slowly pulled out a small, paper thin, blue dagger. The man in front of it was drunk. Normally the caped figure wouldn't kill someone so oblivious, but this was an exception. The man collided into a wall, blissfully ignorant of the figure approaching his back. He hiccupped. The figure shook its head. This was degrading.

The dagger buried itself into the man's back up to the hilt. The drunken man cried out feeblely. The dagger twisted in his back, bringing forth more warm red blood. It slid down the man's back, traveled down his leg and started to pool on the snow covered ground. The man ran into a wall. The dagger slid out nearly effortlessly. The figure watched as the man flipped his front to the caped figure. His eyes went wide. He saw death. Death ran the daggers blade down both cheeks of its victim. The man whimpered. Bright red blood seeped through the seeming paper cuts on his face. The blade ran down the right side of the man's neck. More blood appeared. The dagger buried itself in the hollow of the man's neck. A sickening ripping sound echoed through the empty alley as the dagger traveled downward. Cracking sounded as the fist pair of ribs broke apart. More cracking and the continuous ripping sounded as the dagger split the man's chest. His screams were silenced due to the lack of oxygen. His breathing became slow and ragged. The figure put the dagger away in the recesses of its cape. Then it reached out with both hands and tore apart the man's rib cage. Bone cracked and skin and tissue ripped as the figure tore at the flesh. It reached in a hand and took out the man's heart. It still beat slightly. The figure uncovered its mouth and ate the still beating heart.

In an alleyway somewhere in the city, a man was found brutally murdered. In the blood soaked snow his body was found. His ribcage had been torn apart and his heart was missing, presumably taken by the killer.

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^< /div>

"Ohayo Hiei," Kurama gleefully chirped. A bright smile was on his face. Hiei backed up to the door of the bedroom; it was too early in the morning for someone to be that cheerful. Hiei glared at his friend. Kurama beamed back. Hiei shook his head and sat down on a bar stool. His head thudded against the counter as tiredness crept over his body.

"Why are we up so early?" Hiei groaned. He looked at his friend who was cheerfully making breakfast. Kurama faced him and set a place for his food.

"Yusuke called yesterday," Kurama began. Hiei groaned again. Kurama laughed. "we have to meet Koenma at ten today. We're meeting at the park at five to. I am supposed to bring you."

Hiei snorted. He looked at his fox. Kurama looked absolutely stunning when the morning light shone on his angelic face. His PJs were a peachy color that looked a bit odd with his red hair. Hiei sighed. Another day of that idiot Kuwabara, Urameshi and a day with his beloved Kurama. Joy.

"Eat up!" Kurama chirped. He placed a plate full of eggs in front of Hiei. He looked at his fox and then began eating. Kurama finished his quickly and wandered to the bedroom.

"I'll be back in a sec. I'm going to get ready, and then you can change," He said. He meandered into the room and shut the door. Hiei glared at it. Stupid door. Kurama came out seconds later dressed to kill. Both literally and figuratively. He tossed Hiei his clothes. Hiei looked at the white Chinese outfit the fox had chosen, impractical. He left his dishes where they were and quickly changed. When he came back out Kurama had cleared away the dishes and had donned a navy jacket. Hiei liked that color on him. He nodded his approval and followed his friend out.

"Hello Shuiichi," Kurama's neighbor greeted. He smiled at the redhead and winked at Hiei. Hiei stared back. "New `friend'?"

Kurama laughed and shook his head. "He's a friend, but not the kind you're thinking of."

"Can I borrow him for tonight then?" the neighbor asked. Hiei growled at him. Kurama drew a protective arm around Hiei's shoulders and pulled him away laughing. Hiei looked back at the neighbor, who winked at him again.

"Stupid Ningen," Hiei muttered as they entered the elevator. Kurama looked at his diminutive friend and smiled. It was always interesting having John as his neighbor. The elevator dinged as they reached the ground floor. Kurama and Hiei stepped out as the door opened, letting in a pair of gorgeous females. They smiled and waved at Kurama. He smiled and waved right back. They were chatting about him as the door closed.

"Stupid Ningens," Hiei repeated. Kurama waved to the doorman and they left the building, heading for the park. Hiei glared ahead as they walked down the street. Why didn't he just travel the way he normally did? Kurama nudged him and he looked to where his fox was pointing. A man had slipped on some ice and had fallen on his behind. He was currently trying to get back on his feet. It was rather pathetic, since his attempts were futile. Hiei cracked a small smile, well that had brightened his day. Kurama chuckled as they continued down the street, turning into the park. They headed for the park bench they normally met at.

"We're about a minute early," Kurama said. He cleared the bench of snow and casually sat down. He motioned for Hiei to do the same. Hiei did. Kurama shivered a bit as a cold wind blew. Hiei wrapped his arms around his taller friend and warmed him with his ki. Kurama nodded his thanks and wrapped his arms around the fire demon. Hiei smiled to himself.

"I think I see two lovers sitting in our normal meeting bench!" Yusuke shouted out to the pair. Hiei and Kurama sprang apart. Hiei sent a death glare at the incompetent human. Kurama blushed slightly. "Whassup?"

"Nothing," Hiei replied. Yusuke sat next to Hiei on the bench.

"That didn't look like nothing to me," Yusuke continued. Hiei growled.

"I was cold, so Hiei used some of his ki to warm me up," Kurama replied. Yusuke looked at the redhead.

"That's cool," Yusuke replied. Kurama smiled and shivered again. "Hey Hiei don't stop because of me."

Hiei growled again. The snow in the immediate area started to melt. Kurama nudged Hiei. He looked up. Then frowned at the ground.

"Stupid snow," Hiei muttered. Kurama chuckled and Yusuke laughed. Yusuke and Kurama both shivered. "Great, now there are two of you."

"Hey guys!" Kuwabara shouted as he reached the bench the other three members of his team were sitting on. Hiei glared at him. Yusuke shook his head and Kurama waved. At least one person on this team was nice to him.

"Now all we need is Botan," Yusuke said. He started to inch nearer to Hiei. Hiei glared at him. Kurama wrapped his arms around the fire demon and Hiei growled. Yusuke followed suit. Kuwa sat cluelessly on the end of the bench. Hiei growled at his fellow teammates. He didn't mind Kurama hanging on to him, but Yusuke was just pushing all his buttons today.

"Ohayo!" a sickeningly cheerful voice called out. Hiei winced. Yusuke let go of Hiei and stood up. Botan landed lightly on the ground. Kurama slowly unattached himself.

"Let's go Botan, we're freezing!" Yusuke shouted. Botan nodded and led them to Koenma.

"Yo," Koenma greeted the team as they walked into his office. They shook the snow off of themselves and growled at the baby sitting at the desk. Koenma flinched. They weren't happy today.

"What is it?" Yusuke growled. Koenma clicked a remote and an image appeared on his large screen TV appeared.

"This is Death," Koenma intoned, growing quite serious.

"I thought you were the son of the Lord of Death," Yusuke spoke out. Koenma sighed.

"Its name is Death. It is not Death itself, but something that goes by the name Death," Koenma said. He rubbed his temples. "It has had several other offenses. All of them murder. This creature kills indiscriminately, and randomly. Humans, demons, anything that crosses its path don't live to tell about it."

"Hang on a sec," Yusuke said. He looks rather confused. "'it'? `something'? `creature'?"

"Yes," Koenma said. "No one is really sure what it is. Demon definitely, but what kind and what sex no one knows. As I said before, anyone who has bumped into Death hasn't lived to tell the tale."

"Why didn't you just ask their spirits?" Kurama suggested. Koenma turned his attention to the kitsune.

"Death seems to take them. I would have if I had any of their souls," Koenma said. He turned his attention to the screen. "As you can see, it wears a long black cape. It covers its body, weapons, and eyes. A black scarf is tied around its mouth to cover it. It only kills in the winter when there is snow."

The team looked at one another. Yusuke sighed. Kurama looked at the ground and Hiei stared at the screen. Kuwa spoke up.

"What class is it?"

"We think it might be an s-class, or maybe even a low class god," Koenma replied. He turned off the screen. "All I know is that you have to stop it."

"Alright then," Yusuke said. He clapped his hands together.

"It has already committed two known deaths," Koenma intoned. The screen turned on again revealing the bodies of the girl and man in a split screen. The team gasped. Yusuke and Kuwa covered their mouths with their hands and turned away. Kurama stared at the screen, horror written all over his features. Hiei just stared.

"They have no connection," Koenma continued. "All seven hundred deaths accounted to Death have no known connection."

"Seven hundred?" Yusuke asked. The team stared at Koenma. He turned his back on the team.

"Yes, it has been killing noticeably for over two years now," he replied. The team stared at Koenma. "We never had to concern ourselves with it before since it was killing demons."

Koenma rubbed his face. He looked at the team. They just stared at him. It was an incredulous death total for one demon in two years. Plus there would most likely be more, since only two years of deaths had been totaled.

"Hiei, Kurama," Yusuke spoke up. They turned to look at him. "On average, how many demons would you kill in two years?"

Kurama replied first. "Maybe two hundred."

Hiei thought a bit more. "Three."

The team looked at Koenma. He just shook his head.

"Be careful. Most likely it will kill more. Beware that it doesn't just kill humans," Koenma replied.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~< /div>