Archive of Our Own

Yusuke eyed the fading sun with an ever growing pit in his stomach and a wish to be just about anywhere, but where he was right now. To think, it would come to this. He eyed his bound hands and tried not to scream to the heavens about his cursed luck, but truly, everything looked hopeless. He had been born in a small, poor town under the control of the yokai lord, Yoko Kurama. In order to keep the lord happy and keep the town safe, every year, three items from the town were offered up to him to appease him until next year. The yokai would come from the forest, claim his prize and leave, allowing them another year under his protection.

If you asked Yusuke, it was a load of horseshit. The yokai didn’t actually do anything that he could find. The town still had to handle any low level yokai or creatures that happened upon them. Kurama’s protection supposedly only covered big, high class yokai. Even still, the town was too small and too fragile to give up the peace offering, but this year had been rough and the sacrifices for grabs, well, Yusuke eyed the two items beside him and knew they weren’t going to be enough.

The first was a single rose bush looked more dead than alive, only a single rose on the entire damn thing. The next was a gold pot that was already starting to rust and then there was him. He stood there, staring into the forest and sighed. To be fair, it was his own fault. The original person to be sacrificed was his childhood friend, Keiko, but he had offered in her place and the town was more than happy to say yes. He leaned his head back and stared at the sky.

“Serves me right, I guess. For being a punk all these years. They are finally getting rid of my ass.” Yusuke muttered.

“Is that so? I can’t tell if I am offended or amused they are trying to pawn off damaged goods on me.” someone replied.

Yusuke’s head snapped forward and he stared in awe at the silver haired man standing by a few feet from him. He was not of this world, that was clear. His twitching ears and bushy tail gave it away, but there was something else. Yusuke squinted a bit and he could swear that there was some sort of yellowish barrier around the man. He had seen power like it before, with other low class yokai that he had taken care of when they attacked the town. He had learned the hard way what it was and how to read it, but since most people couldn’t even see it, he ended up keeping that information to himself, figuring it was just another sign of his cursed blood.

“Like what you see?” the man asked and Yusuke jerked back.

“As if, asshole! Look, are you Yoko Kurama or what?” Yusuke demanded.

His palms started to sweat as the yokai eyed him, arms crossed and lip tilted in amusement.

“I am. Are you my sacrifice this year? You have quite the mouth on you.” Kurama said as he came closer.

“Shut up! Make your pick!” Yusuke snapped.

Kurama raised an eyebrow as he stopped. He turned his attention to the rose bush first. He reached out and plucked the only rose off with some boredom. 

“Poor thing. They starved you, huh? How sad.” Kurama said to the flower before turning his attention to the pot next.

“Already rusted. It’s mostly useless.” Kurama said after a moment before finally turning to Yusuke.

He eyed Yusuke up and down and Yusuke shifted uneasy. He felt like a piece of steak on display. Kurama held up the rose before lightly tucking it behind Yusuke’s ear. Yusuke glared at him.

“Stop fucking around! Make your choice already!” Yusuke demanded.

Kurama chuckled and tapped his chin.

“You know, I don’t have to pick any of the sacrifices before me, don’t you? I mean I could reject all three of you and remove my protection from the town, leaving it… defenseless.” Kurama stated.

Yusuke’s eyes widened in horror.

“You wouldn’t! You can’t!” Yusuke said.

“I could. I mean, it was for my own amusement that I agreed to this little trade, but this year, they got a little sloppy, haven’t they? Maybe a little too used to my generosity. If I drop it, it must just teach them a lesson.” Kurama explained calmly.

Yusuke’s heart rate jumped. He had heard about other towns around them being destroyed left and right. The only reason they hadn’t been wiped out yet was because of the protection of the yokai before him. A flash of Keiko and the townspeople’s faces went through his mind. Yusuke swallowed sharply before dropping to his knees.

“Please, forgive me. I stepped out of line.” Yusuke said through gritted teeth.

The yokai chuckled above him and Yusuke felt the burn of embarrassment in his stomach.

“That’s better. Now then, tell me your name, little human.” Kurama said.

Yusuke paused. His name. If he gave the yokai his name, Kurama could do anything he wanted with it. Even if he wasn’t picked, the yokai could still use his name to his advantage. He had heard stories of people giving their names to yokai and then being cursed for life. He eyed Kurama from under his bangs before sighing.

“It’s Yusuke… my lord.” Yusuke choked out the last words with disgust.

“Oh? Yusuke. What a nice name.” Kurama chuckled.

Yusuke glanced up at him again, unsure of what to think, but the yokai’s energy… it had changed? The color was now green, like grass and Yusuke stared in wonder.

“Your energy changed.” Yusuke muttered softly.

Kurama paused, staring down at the little human with confusion and a bit of interest.

“You can see it?” Kurama asked.

“Um, yes? I mean, I know no one else in my town can.” Yusuke said, startled.

He hadn’t expected Kurama to even hear him with how low he had spoken. Kurama took a step back and knelt down to stare Yusuke in the eye. His energy changed again, turning blue.

“What color is it now?” Kurama asked.

“Blue.” Yusuke replied.

Kurama stared at the strange human before smiling.

“I have made my pick.” Kurama said standing up.

“Eh? You have?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama smirked and plucked Yusuke from the ground with sparkling eyes.

“Oh, yes. I believe you will do wonderfully. Yusuke.” Kurama said.

Yusuke stared at him and then nodded. With a snap of his fingers, they disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

When Yusuke opened his eyes next, he stared in awe at the house before him. It was large and grand, a beautiful Japanese style home like one he had only ever seen in picture books.

“Wow.” Yusuke muttered.

He then realized he was being carried bridal style by Kurama and yelped, struggling to get free.

“Let go, pervert!” Yusuke yelled.

Kurama eyed him amused before turning his attention to a tree nearby.

“Very well.” Kurama said, dropping Yusuke.

Yusuke yelped as he hit the ground, just as something darted out of the tree and Kurama grabbed the attacker with his hand, turned him and threw him. Yusuke watched this all with shock and amazement as the attacker flipped around and landed on his feet. Yusuke stared at the short, covered in black man with spiky hair.

“Really, Hiei. You almost nicked my new treasure.” Kurama chuckled.

The man, now named Hiei, raised an eyebrow as he turned to Yusuke.

“You picked the human this time? Why?” Hiei asked.

“The other two items weren’t even worth it.” Kurama replied.

Yusuke stared at Hiei, noting that his energy was blue and red, mixing and churning together, but never meshing. As if there were two parts of this man that refused to combine together.

“So you picked a human? Does that mean we are having human for dinner?” Hiei asked, eying Yusuke.

“What! Hey!” Yusuke yelped.

“Relax, Yusuke. Hiei is joking. He doesn’t even like the taste of humans.” Kurama said as he walked towards the house. 

Yusuke’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair and he got up.

“Hey! That still means he tried it once!” Yusuke yelled.

“You are a loud human.” Hiei stated as he walked by, following Kurama into the house.

“My name is Yusuke, shortstuff!” Yusuke snapped as he followed them inside.

There was a flash and Yusuke jerked back, just barely dodging Hiei’s sword. There was a pause where Yusuke had a sword to his throat and Hiei stared at him, a little startled.

“You dodged it.” Hiei said.

Kurama turned to them and frowned.

“I’m sorry? What did you just say, Hiei?” Kurama demanded.

“He dodged my attack.” Hiei replied.

“Of course I dodged it! You could have taken my head off!” Yusuke said angrily.

“Perhaps you’re slowing down in your old age, Hiei.” Kurama said, hands on his hips.

Hiei tched and put his sword away. Yusuke idly reached out and rubbed his neck, just to be sure there was no bloody wound. His hand came back clean.

“Anyway, I suppose I should give you some sort of tour. Since you will be living here and all. But first, I suppose I should figure out what to do with you.” Kurama said.

“Wait, you picked a human without even deciding what he is useful for?” Hiei demanded.

“He caught my interest.” Kurama shrugged.

“Tch, of course he did. And this is why you are such a nuisance.” Hiei grumbled.

Yusuke had the oddest feeling he was missing something here. Like there was something being said here that he wasn’t a part of. He wondered if he would ever understand.

“Alright, well, I’m not that good at cleaning, but I can do some heavy lifting.” Yusuke said.

Hiei snorted.

“Human, we are yokai. We can carry four times what you can.” Hiei replied.

Yusuke huffed and crossed his arms.

“Well, excuse me, asshole. I’m just saying.” Yusuke growled.

Hiei’s eyes narrowed and Kurama sighed.

“What about cooking? Can you cook?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke blinked.

“I mean, yeah? Can’t make a lot of fancy stuff, but I know enough.” Yusuke stated.

“Good, then you can cook for us. Not like either of us can.” Kurama said cheerfully.

Hiei stared at Kurama with a frown.

“So that’s it? He just cooks for us? He’s about as useless as they come.” Hiei stated.

“Hey, I didn’t ask to be picked over here! Don’t get mad at me!” Yusuke yelled.

“Why were you picked for the sacrifice exactly, Yusuke? Your town often offers up beautiful maidens and the like, but never a man.” Kurama asked curiously.

Yusuke stopped and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I wasn’t. They picked my friend, Keiko, originally, but she has a family who loves her and friends who would miss her, so I offered to take her place instead.” Yusuke admitted with a flush.

“My, how noble. Are you an orphan then?” Kurama asked.

“Pretty much? Ma’s never home anyway. Probably didn’t even realize I was gone yet.” Yusuke huffed.

“And your father?” Kurama pushed.

“Who knows. No one in the village anyway and Ma sure as hell never told me.” Yusuke shrugged.

“And can she see energy?” Kurama asked.

“Energy? He can see energy?” Hiei demanded suddenly.

“Yes, quite well, in fact.” Kurama replied.

Yusuke puffed out his chest a little with pride.

“I’ve been able to see it all my life. That’s why no human looking yokai have ever managed to sneak in!” Yusuke said proudly.

Kurama hummed and rubbed his chin. A human with the ability to see energy was quite the find. It was a little startling no one had noticed the young man. Kurama had to wonder if there were any other treasures in the town he should know about.

“Hmph, maybe he’s useful after all.” Hiei admitted after some time.

“I told you!” Yusuke said with a grin.

Kurama eyed Hiei, his interest skyrocketing. Hiei very rarely admitted to being wrong, but if he was impressed by Yusuke, then Kurama had made a good choice. A little bit of excitement curled in Kurama’s stomach. This was going to be interesting.

Eventually, they did manage a tour of the house, though just Yusuke and Kurama. Hiei went off to train somewhere and Kurama mentioned Yusuke would see little of the other yokai.

“Why’s that?” Yusuke asked.

“He has his own territory. He just likes to come bother me.” Kurama winked.

Yusuke got the oddest impression Kurama’s definition of bothering and his were different. Yusuke noted he saw no one else while walking around.

“Anyone else live here besides you?” Yusuke asked.

“No, just I. You will find I am a yokai who likes his solitude.” Kurama stated.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

“So, what happened to all the sacrifices you took from my town?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama flashed him a grin and Yusuke’s eyes got wide.

“Oh.” he whispered.

“Let this be listen number one: don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to. You will learn the others as time goes on.” Kurama stated, as if they had all the time in the world.

Yusuke nodded along as their tour continued. Eventually, they did end up in the kitchen, where Kurama took a seat and smiled.

“Your first test. Make some breakfast. I’m starved.” Kurama ordered.

Yusuke paused before nodding. He looked around a bit, finding where he could get vegetables and other things to cook with.

“I guess I should ask. Is there like a yokai food stand I’ll have to go to so I can get stuff?” Yusuke asked as he started to cut things up.

Kurama chuckled and it was warm. Yusuke turned his attention to his cutting, not wanting to think too deeply about it.

“No, everything here is magical. You wish for it and it will be there. After all, yokai don’t have food stands. They eat whoever they can find.” Kurama replied amused.

Yusuke made a face.

“That makes more sense.” Yusuke muttered.

Kurama watched Yusuke cook and noted that he did have some skill. Someone had clearly taught him, but Kurama filed that away to think about more later. He was actually very hungry. Eventually, Yusuke came over and placed a dish before him. Kurama eyed it, the bright colors mixed with the meat before taking a taste. His eyebrows shot up.

“Oh my. You are quite skilled in this after all.” Kurama said as he dug in.

Yusuke relaxed a bit and smiled.

“Yeah well, someone thought it was a great idea that I learned something more than how to fight.” Yusuke rubbed his nose.

A fighter? That made sense. Kurama could see the callouses on Yusuke’s hands and they were clearly not from holding a knife. He finished his meal and Yusuke seemed quite pleased as he cleaned it up. Kurama eyed the young man, wondering if he had found a treasure among the dirt and dust.

After Kurama was done, Yusuke was shown to a room and left there.

“When you are not cooking, you are welcome to walk the halls, but for today, please stay in your room.” Kurama said before he snapped the door shut.

Yusuke eyed the door and then looked around. The room was beautiful, if not empty. Clearly it was a room not used regularly. He wandered around, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now?

Kurama sighed as he entered his own room. As he walked to his bed, his form started to shift. Silver hair turned fiery red, gold eyes turned green and his body shrunk a few inches. When he hit the bed of blankets and pillows, he flopped down and sighed before yawning loudly.

“How tiring.” Kurama muttered.

Holding the illusion like he had most of the day was tiring and he was happy to let it down, not even including transporting both himself and Yusuke from town and back home. Opening his eyes just a bit, he sighed and wondered what he was supposed to do now. Really, for the first time in his long life, he had done something without first considering the actual consequences of it. He had never taken one of the human sacrifices to his home before. Never even considered it, but Yusuke… there was something about him that drew Kurama in like a moth to a flame.

“Careful.” Kurama muttered to himself.

He would have to be careful. Something about this human was dangerous.

Yusuke ended up falling asleep, his night previously had been sleepless and so, with all his fear and worry gone, he slept peacefully. He woke up when the sun’s fading rays hit him and groaned before getting up. As he looked around, he noted that the clothes he had taken off before going to sleep were gone. In their place, a simple work kimono that he put on and got ready for the day in. He headed to the kitchen where he started on some dinner, considering it was late by then.

“Do I go get him?” Yusuke muttered.

Then again, he really didn’t know his way around and there was no one to ask. Wait, if there was no one else here, where did these clothes come from? Yusuke looked down and frowned before shrugging.

“Magical house maybe.” Yusuke said.

“Magical house is correct.” Kurama said as he walked inside.

“Good evening. Um…” Yusuke trailed off with a pause.

“Yes?” Kurama asked as he settled down.

“What do I call you?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama smirked.

“Master has a nice ring to it.” Kurama teased.

Yusuke made a face, but really, he couldn’t fight it if that’s what the kitsune wanted. The creature would probably devour him for his disrespect. Then again, Yusuke had yelled at him quite a bit yesterday.

“If that’s what you want… Master.” Yusuke’s lips twitched, as if the very word left a bad taste.

“Ah, as nice as that is to hear, let’s stick to Kurama. Anyway, Yusuke, a human who doesn’t believe in listening to authority?” Kurama asked as he sat down.

“Nah, it’s just… I dunno. People back home tried to control me, tried to put me in my place, but it never quite worked in their favor.” Yusuke said as he focused on the food.

“A rebel without a cause then?” Kurama asked.

“I guess? I mean I had a cause, at least in my opinion.” Yusuke replied.

“And what was that?” Kurama pushed.

Yusuke paused and bit his lip.

“This whole reading energy thing, does it kind of work like mind reading?” Yusuke asked.

Thrown a bit for a loop, Kurama tapped his chin.

“It can, yes. Energy can change with the host’s mood. That’s what I tested on you yesterday, changing my mood to change my energy. Why?” Kurama explained.

“Well, the people who wanted to control me, who wanted me to just bow my head and do as I was told… their energy always rubbed me the wrong way. Like I knew they were going to use that power over me for bad things and I reacted to that, deciding that I didn’t want to be used like that. Of course, no one understood that, so I got labelled a punk.” Yusuke shook his head and went back to his work.

Kurama stared at Yusuke as he worked. The young man was smarter than he appeared, or at least very observate.

“You are quite wise for one so young. Yes, reading energy is a bit like reading someone’s mind. When they are having bad thoughts, it will appear in their energy. Only very skilled people can hide such things.” Kurama stated.

Yusuke nodded as he brought the food over. Again, it was another simple dish, but the flavors worked beautifully together. Kurama ate with pleasure, leaning back when done.

“My, I haven’t had food this good in some years. Truly worth bringing you here.” Kurama said.

There was a flash of pride in Yusuke’s eyes, but he quickly turned away to hide it.

“So, what else do you want me to do, exactly? Let’s be honest here, I can’t cook all day long.” Yusuke asked as he cleaned up.

“Hm, that is a good question. Tell me, you said you were a fighter?” Kurama asked.

“Well, yeah. I was a young guy and the town was getting attacked all the time. They needed all the fighters they could get. I’m pretty strong, if I do say so myself.” Yusuke replied.

“Is that so? I suppose you would have to be in order to dodge Hiei’s attack. Did you have a teacher?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke paused and his face fell.

“I did… once. She died a few years ago.” Yusuke admitted sadly.

“I see. I’m sorry.” Kurama replied.

For a moment, he shared Yusuke’s pain before he roughly pushed it down.

“It’s ok. She was a nasty old hag really. A real bitch. Kept telling me I was getting stronger every day, but then would kick my ass when we fought. Man, she could land a punch that would make your ma weep!” Yusuke said.

There was fondness in his voice when he spoke, however. Yusuke clearly thought highly of this woman. Female warriors were rare among humans, so he had to wonder who she was.

“And she couldn’t help you with your energy reading?” Kurama asked.

“Eh? No, she didn’t have it at the time. She still worked with me on studying it, helped me see patterns in it or whatever, but the only other person I could talk to about it was Kuwabara and...” Yusuke made a disgusted face.

“Oh? There was someone else in your village who could read energy?” Kurama asked, amazed. 

Two in one village? He had never heard of such a thing. He would have to double check for himself.

“Yeah, but he was a real pain in my ass! Ugh, just the thought of that guy makes me want to puke!” Yusuke scowled angrily.

Kurama chuckled.

“Is that so?” Kurama asked, leaning on his hand.

“Yes! God, if you could have met him, you would understand! He acted like such a big shot, but he has never beaten me in a fight! So, suck it, Kuwabara!” Yusuke yelled at the ceiling.

Kurama snorted and then started to laugh. What a strange, silly, little human he had found. Yusuke watched him laugh and smiled a tiny bit. What a nice sound.

“Well, this has been quite informative. I do believe I have some ideas on what else you can do around here. But first, a test.” Kurama said.

Yusuke walked over when Kurama waved him to sit down and as he sat down, Kurama held out his hand. A purple ball appeared and Yusuke stared at it.

“What’s that?” Yusuke asked.

“It’s a will o'wisp or foxfire. It is a condensed ball of my power. Your test is simple, you must catch this before tomorrow afternoon. If you do that, I will help you train your energy reading and make you into a warrior. If you can’t, you accept your role as my cook. Deal?” Kurama asked, smirking.

Yusuke’s eyes got wide before he grinned.

“Bring it! I’ll catch that ball, no problem!” Yusuke stated boldly.

“You best get to it then.” Kurama said as the ball took off.

Yusuke yelped and dodged out of the way before looking at Kurama. Kurama made a shooing motion and Yusuke took off. Kurama grinned.

“This should at least be entertaining.” Kurama whispered.

The little ball of fire or whatever Kurama called it, was fucking fast. Yusuke learned, the hard way, that it could turn corners faster than he could and could duck under doors without needing them opened. Yusuke found himself working up a sweat as he chased the damn thing all over the house, much to the amusement of Kurama, who was laying on a futon, watching him the whole time.

“Come now, Yusuke. You have to be quicker than that!” Kurama chuckled.

Yusuke slammed face first into a tree Kurama had in the yard and yelped. Covering his nose, he tried to see if it was bleeding, but thank god, it wasn’t.

“This is bullshit, fox!” Yusuke roared.

Kurama chuckled.

“You only have an hour left. Would you like to give up now? I am rather starved.” Kurama stated.

“As if! I said I’ll catch it and I will!” Yusuke yelled.

Yet, Yusuke sat there for a moment, watching as the ball raced around, trying to figure out some sort of plan when he paused. He sat there, watching and waiting, noting that the ball would come closer, only to dart away a moment later. He stared at the ball, tensed and ready to move, when it flashed by him again and he grabbed it with both hands. Kurama’s eyebrows shot up when Yusuke held it up with both hands.

“I got it!” Yusuke yelled as he danced in a circle.

Kurama smirked.

“That you have.” Kurama muttered.

Yusuke walked over to him and held it out with a smirk.

“So, what now?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama snapped his fingers and stood up.

“Now… it’s time for lunch! I’m starved!” Kurama said cheerfully as Yusuke fell right over.

“To start with, you are very fast and agile.” Kurama said as he pat his stomach, pleased by the lunch Yusuke had prepared.

“Well, yeah. I wasn’t as big as some of the blockheads, so I had to make due.” Yusuke replied.

“Actually, it works out in your favor. Most yokai, like humans, believe muscles and physical strength are everything. Only the most cunning realize that muscles like that slow you down.” Kurama stated.

“Oh… so what do we work on first?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama held up two fingers and Yusuke tilted his head to the side, curiously.

“First, we do need to work on your physical strength some. Not that I am saying you aren’t strong, but you are going to need more than you needed before.” Kurama said.

“Ok, I can do that.” Yusuke muttered.

“The second thing is mental strength. You are somewhat cunning, but if you can think on your feet, that would greatly improve your chances at winning.” Kurama listed off.

“Oh… I don’t know how that’s gonna work. I mean, I’m just not smart.” Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck.

“Is that so?” Kurama asked.

“Yeah. Ba-san used to say I had rocks instead of brains in my head.” Yusuke replied.

“Even still, two rocks banged together can make a spark. Let’s find that spark and set something on fire.” Kurama said.

Yusuke stared at him, startled, before he grinned.

“I like the sound of that!” Yusuke said.

“I TAKE IT BACK!” Yusuke yelled.

Kurama turned from his book to see Yusuke’s arm straining under the weight.

“Really, Yusuke. It’s only been a day.” Kurama sighed.

Yusuke glared at him from under his bangs. He was struggling to continue with the push-ups Kurama demanded, the heavy weights on his back made it almost impossible to push back up. 

“You do realize I’m human, right!” Yusuke snapped.

Kurama sighed and snapped his book closed. He snapped his fingers and the weights disappeared. Yusuke flopped onto the ground with a groan.

“I can’t feel my arms.” Yusuke whined.

“I suppose that is enough for today, but understand this, Yusuke.” Kurama said as he knelt down.

Yusuke pushed himself up just enough for Kurama to cup his chin and grin at him.

“You can curse me all you like, but I will not hold back on you because you are human. So get used to my tender love and care now.” Kurama said seductively.

Yusuke stared at him, wide eyed before swallowing hard. There was a glint of determination in his eyes.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told the old hag: bring it on and don’t stop. I can take it. I might bitch and complain, but I can take anything you throw at me.” Yusuke stated.

Kurama hummed and pet his cheek.

“I hope so.” Kurama replied.

The next month continued like this. Yusuke would make breakfast, then Kurama would set him up with some heavy training, Yusuke would stop to make lunch and then Kurama would focus on his mental ability before dinner and then bed. Kurama did figure out that, while Yusuke was a bit slow when it came to mental training, physical training is where he excelled. The weights were being increased rather steadily and while Yusuke still complained, he also gave it his all every single day.

It was one fine day like this that Hiei stopped by. He eyed the human doing sit ups hanging upside down in a tree with boulders attached to his back with straps before turning to Kurama.

“What brought this insanity on?” Hiei asked sitting down.

“Yusuke wanted to get stronger. I’m just helping him out.” Kurama replied from his reclining position.

Hiei raised an eyebrow as he looked at the shirtless Yusuke again and then back at his fox friend, clearly enjoying the view.

“Of course you are.” Hiei said blandly.

“So, what brought you around, Hiei? Usually I go months without seeing you.” Kurama turned to him.

“I was bored, so I came here. Wanted to see if you had eaten him yet.” Hiei stated.

Kurama snorted.

“How bold of you. I told you I wasn’t going to eat him.” Kurama shrugged.

“Even still, I didn’t think you would train him.” Hiei said.

Kurama turned his attention back to Yusuke and paused.

“I believe he could be a good warrior and heaven knows I deserve one. So why not?” Kurama said.

“Because he could turn on you. Humans aren’t to be trusted.” Hiei growled.

“Oi, Kurama! What next!” Yusuke yelled as he dropped out of the tree.

“Hundred laps!” Kurama yelled back.

Yusuke groaned loudly.

“Slavedriver!” Yusuke yelled, but still started running away, the weights still on him.

Kurama chuckled, amused. Hiei rolled his eyes.

“This is a waste of time.” Hiei said getting up.

“Oh, so you are not going to stay for dinner? Yusuke told me he has a delicious meal in mind~” Kurama sang sweetly.

Hiei paused and then turned back to him.

“What kind of meal?” Hiei finally asked.

Kurama leaned back with a sigh, patting his full belly as Hiei sat there, unmoving, but Kurama could see he was rather content as well. Yusuke cleaned up and Hiei opened one eye.

“I’m shocked you survived his training so far. The fox is rather sadistic.” Hiei stated.

Yusuke blinked.

“Well, I guess that makes me a masochist, huh? Ba-san’s training was just as brutal.” Yusuke replied.

“Really?” Kurama asked.

“Ba-san?” Hiei parroted.

“My human teacher. Some old hag who lived just outside the village called Genkai.” Yusuke said.

Kurama, who had taken a sip of tea, promptly spit it out all over the table while Hiei’s eyes got really wide.

“Genkai! You mean, THE Genkai?” Kurama demanded.

“Eh? What do you mean, The Genkai? She’s the only Genkai that I know.” Yusuke said, confused.

“Yusuke, you told me she passed away a few years ago, correct? Were you her only pupil when she died?” Kurama demanded.

“Well, yeah. She called me her… fuck what was the word? Predecessor? I think that was it.” Yusuke grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.

Kurama’s breath was released in a sharp exhale. He reached up to rub his mouth. Yusuke was Genkai’s predecessor? Was that even possible? The legendary human with powers that rivaled even the toughest yokai?

“Yusuke, please sit down and tell me everything that Genkai put you through.” Kurama said calmly.

“Eh? Why? I don’t understand. What’s so important about that old bat?” Yusuke asked, sitting down.

“Human, she wasn’t some old bat, as you so carelessly say. She was a warrior that most yokai feared and for a good reason. Her powers rivalled that of even the highest yokai.” Hiei stated, coldly.

Yusuke’s eyes got wide.

“Wait, really? She didn’t tell me anything about that!” Yusuke said in shock.

“That’s quite surprising. Tell me, how did you meet?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke crossed his arms and frowned.

“Well, it all started one day…”

Flash back.

Yusuke sighed and threw the corpse of the yokai onto the wheelbarrow along with the five others. He wiped his forehead before grabbing the handles and starting to roll it away. He had come out here to get wood for his home, but he had seen these yokai, dressed as humans, walking towards town and had to stop them.

“Another day, another fight. Lame.” Yusuke muttered.

“Lame, you say?” a female voice called.

Yusuke jumped a bit and turned, staring at the old woman behind him. She certainly wasn’t from around here. He had never seen her before and she carried a sack with her. He eyed her energy, but she wasn’t a yokai as far as he could tell.

“Yeah, lame. These yokai didn’t have a brain cell between them. It was like fighting a hoard of dumb animals.” Yusuke replied as he grabbed the handles again and started to wheel them away.

He thought she had stayed behind, but when he checked, she was walking right next to him. Her shoes made no sound when she walked. He frowned.

“Can I help you with something, old lady?” he asked rudely.

She turned to him and gave him a smirk before pounding him in the head. Yusuke yelled and dropped the handles again to hold his now throbbing head.

“Have some respect for the elderly, boy. I’ve lived twice your lifetime.” she said calmly.

“Fuck off, you old hag! I could give a shit!” Yusuke yelled back.

When she made no move to hit him again, he scowled, hoping to scare her off, but no luck. Yusuke started walking again and she followed. He huffed, not really sure why she was bothering with him. He eyed her again, trying to read her energy, but it was calm blue and gave nothing away.

“Why are you staring at me, boy?” she asked.

“Just trying to get a good read on you, old bat. Trying to see if you were a yokai or not.” Yusuke replied honestly.

She paused, head tilted to the side as she stopped.

“And how would you be able to tell?” she asked.

Yusuke made a face.

“It’s just something I can tell. Like these guys. They tried to pretend to be humans, but I could sense they were yokai.” Yusuke said vaguely.

“You can read energy?” she asked and he paused.

She… knew about that? Yusuke frowned and narrowed his eyes.

“Maybe. Anyway, who are you?” Yusuke demanded.

“Genkai, a traveller. And yourself?” Genkai asked.

“Just call me Yusuke. I live in the town nearby. If you are heading there, just keep going straight.” Yusuke replied, nodding towards the path. 

He kept walking, heading towards the huge pit they had for yokai to be buried in. She followed him.

“You fought all six of them by yourself? And won?” Genkai asked after some time.

Yusuke grit his teeth.

“Yes, all by myself. Listen, I’m doing my part and keeping the town safe. Isn’t that what I am supposed to do?” Yusuke grumbled.

Genkai said nothing and they walked to the pit in silence. There, Yusuke dumped the bodies and made sure nothing moved before nodding.

“Tell me, how many of these yokai have you defeated?” Genkai asked.

“Huh? Well, umm probably at least the whole top layer? Why?” Yusuke asked.

Genkai nodded and turned to him.

“If you are interested in pushing past your boundaries, in becoming a better fighter, find me on the edge of your town two days from now. If not, we will forget this whole thing ever happened.” Genkai stated before she turned and disappeared into the forest.

Yusuke stared at her before shaking his head.

“Crazy ole bat.” Yusuke muttered.

Yet, something in his chest told him that he would be going to see her two days from now.

End Flashback

“Amazing.” Kurama whispered when Yusuke was done.

Yusuke looked between them, looking a bit helpless and confused.

“Genkai taught me a lot before she died, but she never said anything about being some crazy yokai slaughter.” Yusuke said.

“That’s because she wasn’t. Genkai appeared around fifty years ago. She was a martial arts master that managed to take down a dangerous former human turned yokai named Toguro. After that, she was quite famous in the yokai world. Many went to test their strength against her.” Hiei replied.

Yusuke whistled, looking impressed. He crossed his arms and frowned.

“Then, what’s the deal? I mean, why waste her time on me if she was some big hotshot?” Yusuke asked.

“I believe she saw in you the same thing I see in you now.” Kurama replied.

Yusuke frowned.

“And that is?” Yusuke prompted.

“Untapped potential.” Kurama replied with a delighted grin.

Yusuke frowned and looked at the table.

“I gave her a lot of trouble. I know there were others who came to see her, probably people who knew who she actually was, but she never talked about it and I never asked. When she passed away, she told me that one day, someone would “see my potential”.” Yusuke looked up at Kurama and frowned.

“Yusuke, you said Genkai couldn’t see energy, correct?” Kurama asked.

“How is that possible?” Hiei demanded.

“Well, she said she could at one time, but as her health failed, it went away. That’s how she helped me figure it out.” Yusuke replied.

“I see.” Kurama rubbed his chin.

There was something he was missing here, something important. Genkai had obviously seen the same thing in Yusuke that Kurama was seeing now, but why hadn’t she reached out to another master to finish Yusuke’s training? Yusuke had such raw, untapped potential that it was almost maddening. Genkai would have known that, yet she did nothing? Something didn’t add up.

“Yusuke, did Genkai tell you anything important before she died? Anything she wanted you to do or someone you needed to go meet?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke paused and then slowly looked away. He scratched his cheek nervously.

“Well, yes, technically.” Yusuke muttered.

“And what was that?” Hiei demanded.

“She told me… to never interact with any yokai stronger than the ones I was already fighting… because they might decide to kill me or kidnap me.” Yusuke said slowly.

Kurama snorted and covered his mouth as Hiei sighed.

“Oh, she must be rolling in her grave.” Kurama chuckled.

“It’s not funny! I had to take Keiko’s place!” Yusuke demanded, slamming his fist on the table.

Kurama sighed and leaned back.

“Yusuke, if this Keiko girl was like any of the other sacrifices left for me, I probably would have taken the rose bush to be honest with you.” Kurama said.

Yusuke stared at him, wide eyed.

“Huh?” Yusuke replied.

“The rosebush? The one with the single flower on it? It was actually from a very ancient, long since extinct lineage that I haven’t seen in this area before. I would have taken it and been perfectly happy.” Kurama explained.

Yusuke stared at him, mouth hanging open before he groaned and slammed his head on the table.

“You mean I broke her only rule when you would have been happy with a stupid plant! God, she is going to skin me alive when I see her in the afterlife!” Yusuke whined loudly.

Hiei shook his head.

“You are clearly not a smart human.” Hiei agreed.

Yusuke turned to him with a glare.

“I do not need commentary from the peanut gallery!” Yusuke hissed.

Hiei had no idea what that meant, but still glared back, recognizing an insult when he heard it. As those two bickered, Kurama focused on what he had learned. Yusuke was Genkai’s successor, but she hadn’t told him anything about who she was or what she had done, even going so far as to make him swear not to interact with any high class yokai, but why? His eyes narrowed. What had Genkai known and taken to her grave?

Yusuke ended up returning to physical training while Kurama and Hiei watched. As Yusuke focused on fighting remote controlled dummies, Kurama turned to his long-time ally. Hiei and he were a lot alike, both preferred solitude and did not care to mingle with other yokai or humans. Hiei also knew about Kurama’s little problem.

“I still do not see the point of this. Why train a human? He will be killed by the first yokai higher than a D that shows up here.” Hiei asked.

“Perhaps, but it’s always good to have someone in the wings. I have a feeling, even if someone of that caliber came here, Yusuke would not go down without at least taking a limb or two.” Kurama said, idly rubbing his side.

Hiei watched this and glared at the fox.

“Does he know?” Hiei asked.

Kurama paused and then sighed.

“No. I haven’t told him. And he hasn’t tried to wander around by himself. Too tired after training to try.” Kurama said with a slight smile.

“That’s why you are going so hard on him. To keep him from snooping?” Hiei asked boredly.

“Among other things. Really, Hiei, aren’t you bored?” Kurama asked.

“Bored?” Hiei muttered before looking forward, frowning.

“All these years, all the blood, sweat and tears. We finally got what we wanted. Our own territories, but now it all seems…” Kurama trailed off.

“Bland. Dull.” Hiei supplied.

“Agreed and with my little… condition, I can’t go very far.” Kurama said delicately.

“You mean your curse. Just call it what it is.” Hiei stated.

Kurama huffed and crossed his arms. It stung to have it be referred to as that, but he was right in a way. It was a curse. Not damaging or nasty or even deadly, just annoying more than anything else.

“It’s been years, fox. You should have broken it by now.” Hiei hissed angrily.

“It’s not that simple.” Kurama replied angrily.

“You’ve been saying that line for over ten years alone! When are you going to get off your ass and actually do something?” Hiei snapped.

“Um, is everything ok over here?” They looked up to see Yusuke standing before them, the dummies in pieces on the ground.

“Oh. You made quick work of them this time.” Kurama said in awe.

“I told you! Anything you throw at me, I’ll take down!” Yusuke said proudly.

“They were just training dummies, human. Don’t get too excited. Against a real yokai, you would be dead.” Hiei stated coldly, still angry.

Yusuke scowled.

“Well, then, small fry, why don’t we test that out!” Yusuke snapped.

Hiei got to his feet and Kurama frowned.

“Don’t kill him, Hiei. I like this one and his food.” Kurama stated.

“I won’t kill him, just maim him a bit.” Hiei replied as he walked onto the training grounds.

“I like his face where it is.” Kurama mumbled angrily.

Yusuke took his stance and Hiei scuffed, eying several places where he could end the human in a heartbeat. This would be quick. Hiei charged in and Yusuke seemed startled, but Hiei’s first attack missed? Hiei blinked when he saw Yusuke was dodging all of his attacks with time to spare. How was this possible? The human had just barely dodged his attack a few weeks ago, but now, he was almost predicting Hiei’s every move?

Hiei’s sword went flying and landed in a bush, much to Kurama’s displeasure, but Hiei didn’t have time to retrieve it. It seemed that in that moment, Yusuke had switched from defense to offense and Hiei realized something critical off the bat; Yusuke was using his energy in his punches. The first one he landed shouldn’t have even hurt coming from a human, but Hiei felt the wind get knocked out of him and he went sailing. He hit the ground with a thud, dazed before he was back on his feet.

Kurama watched this all with awe. He saw the moment Yusuke wrapped his energy around his fists and felt the air woosh out of his lungs. Yusuke could shift his energy at a moment’s notice, something that took even yokai years to learn how to do. This Yusuke, the one currently fighting Hiei, was different from the young man they had spoken to not even an hour before. All his focus was on Hiei, reading Hiei, attacking and defending against Hiei.

“I made a mistake.” Kurama whispered.

He had believed, foolishly, that Yusuke was just some human. He had never truly tested Yusuke’s fighting style or strength, pitting him against dummies and other inanimate objects with no brain power of their own. He had watched Yusuke fight them and nothing Yusuke was doing now happened in those previous fights. Yusuke had fought them with no care or desire to test his power. Yet, he could also see a spark in Yusuke’s eyes, a grin of delight on his face and Kurama couldn’t stop staring.

“Was this what Genkai saw?” he wondered out loud as Hiei landed a good punch on Yusuke and Yusuke finally went down.

The two stopped, heavily panting as they waited for the fight to continue or for someone to give up. Realizing neither Hiei or Yusuke would give up since both were incredibly stubborn, Kurama coughed loudly and they turned to him.

“That’s enough for now. I still need him to be able to make dinner after all.” Kurama stated, arms crossed.

Yusuke scowled, only to blink when there was a hand held out to him. Kurama was also startled to see Hiei holding out his hand. There was a tense moment before Yusuke took it and Hiei helped him up.

“Thank you, Hiei! Geez, I haven’t had a fight like that since before Ba-san died! You really had me on the ropes!” Yusuke said stretching.

Hiei was staring at Yusuke calmly before he turned back to Kurama.

“You’ve been going too easy on him.” Hiei stated as he walked over and sat down.

“Eh! Hey, he has not! I could die if he worked me even harder!” Yusuke growled.

“I’m not so sure about that.” Hiei replied.

Yusuke tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Yusuke asked.

“Yusuke, Hiei here isn’t some yokai. He’s a low B-ranked yokai. He is stronger than the yokai you have been fighting up until now by a long shot. When you came here a month ago, you barely dodged his attack when he was coming at you with full intent to kill. Now, you’ve not only managed to dodge his attacks, but disarm him and land quite a few good blows. You’ve grown exponentially and, I hate to say this, but I am doing you a disservice by not training you harder.” Kurama explained.

Yusuke frowned and crossed his arms.

“I don’t understand. Ba-san used to say that too, but I really don’t get it! I learn quickly, so what?” Yusuke demanded.

“Yusuke, you don’t just ‘learn quickly’ as you put it. You adapt.” Kurama replied.

“Huh? Adapt?” Yusuke asked.

“Yes. When Hiei was using his sword, he had the long range advantage, so you kept moving and dodging, yet the second his sword was gone, you switched to a completely offensive strategy in seconds. You knew he would attempt to get his sword back, but you kept him from doing so. You adapted in the middle of a fight, Yusuke.” Kurama stated.

Yusuke blinked.

“I thought that was what I was supposed to do?” Yusuke asked.

“You are, but most people couldn’t do it as quickly as you could. Especially in the heat of battle. You might have noticed this, but many fighters have one specific style they use and very rarely, if ever, change from it. A smart fighter knows, not only how to change, but the exact moment when.” Hiei cut in.

Yusuke scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t really get it, but that’s a good thing, right? That I can adapt?” Yusuke asked.

“Yes, a very good thing. Yusuke, did Genkai teach you how to shift your energy?” Kurama asked.

“Huh? Shift my energy? What are you talking about?” Yusuke said, confused.

Kurama’s eyes got wide.

“Wait, are you telling me you didn’t notice?” Hiei demanded, shocked.

“Hold on, I think I know what you mean, but like I’m not shifting my energy. Ba-san used to call it amplifying. That I would focus on one very specific section of my energy and make it stronger.” Yusuke stated.

He held out his hand and they could see his energy focused on the palm of his hand. Yusuke grabbed Hiei’s sword and sliced his hand, but there was no blood.

“Amazing.” Kurama whispered.

“You are not training him right.” Hiei repeated.

“It seems not. I will have to rethink your training schedule.” Kurama said.

Yusuke whined loudly.

“I don’t know why, but I got a chill when you said that. I think you might actually kill me.” Yusuke muttered.

“Did Genkai teach you anything else?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke paused and then looked at his pointer finger.

“I mean, she taught me one last thing, but she told me to never, ever use it. Unless it was life or death.” Yusuke said slowly.

Yusuke eyed them again before turning his attention to a target nearby. He pointed his finger while curling the other hand around it and concentrated. The two yokai watched as the energy gathered at the tip of his finger before he let it go. It shot out and took the target out completely, leaving only splinters. Kurama stared blankly, almost completely in shock. Hiei stared and then turned to Kurama.

“I told you. He could have killed you at any time.” Hiei hissed.

Kurama had no words. Yusuke suddenly looked very uncertain.

“I’m starting to get the feeling I did something wrong.” Yusuke muttered.

“No, you are fine, Yusuke. Genkai told you to never show this to yokai?” Kurama asked.

“She didn’t want me to show it to anyone, ever.” Yusuke admitted.

He looked at his finger and seemed almost thoughtful.

“I wonder how she would feel. If she was still alive.” Yusuke muttered.

“You admired her greatly.” Hiei stated.

“Yeah, she was the only one who didn’t treat me like I was some stupid, fight hungry kid. Sure, I like a good fight, but I was originally doing it to protect my town, you know? I guess, over the years, that got lost.” Yusuke said.

Kurama nodded and then had a thought.

“Yusuke, come here.” Kurama waved him over.

Yusuke came over and sat down when instructed to. Kurama stared the young human down before reaching for the sides of his shirt.

“Fox?” Hiei whispered.

“To be honest with you, Yusuke, I lied to you. When you asked me why there was no one here, I lied and said I liked to be alone, but that was only partially right. At one time, this castle would have been filled with other yokai like myself. I had quite a group of followers when I gained control over this territory all those years ago.” Kurama started.

Yusuke frowned, but kept listening as Kurama pulled his shirt to the side.

“One day, I woke up and realized I had been betrayed by one of my own.” Kurama revealed his curse mark and Yusuke gasped in awe.

He stared at the black swirl that took up a good portion of Kurama’s left side.

“Now, I am not going to pretend that I didn’t deserve it. I was a legendary thief at one point. I stole anything I could get my hands on and my followers were made up of the same type of yokai, but after I was cursed, I sent them all away. There are still many who are angry with me and no doubt, are attacking my territory, and your town, because of it.” Kurama explained.

“What does it do?” Yusuke asked.

“It weakens my power, among other things. I was an A-ranked yokai once. I am now a low B-ranked one.” Kurama said.

Yusuke frowned and crossed his arms.

“It weakens you that much? That’s crazy.” Yusuke muttered.

“There’s also another, more serious affect.” Hiei cut in.

Kurama sighed, closing his eyes, and Yusuke was shocked when Kurama changed before his very eyes. Gone was the silver haired man, all that was left was a red haired boy about his age!

“EH!” Yusuke yelped.

Kurama opened his eyes and sighed, looking at his red hair with a frown.

“Yes, yes, shocking I know.” Kurama said.

“It’s still amazing every time.” Hiei stated.

“You’re… human.” Yusuke said, staring at Kurama.

“Somewhat yes. When I use too much power, I change into this form, which is much weaker than my original form, but I am still a yokai.” Kurama said.

Yusuke sat there, stumped before his eyes narrowed.

“So, why haven’t you broken it yet?” Yusuke asked.

“The question we all want answers to.” Hiei mumbled.

Kurama leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

“At the time, there was a human woman living here, working as a maid, named Shiori. My curse is directly connected to her. If I remove the curse, she will die.” Kurama explained.

“I still do not understand your connection with this human, Kurama! So she dies, what does it matter!” Hiei snapped angrily.

Kurama turned to Hiei and smiled.

“Do you remember how she treated us? We were years, decades older than her, but she still treated us as if we were her own. She healed our wounds, cared for us when we were weak or sickly. I cannot just ignore such kindness. Even to this day, when I go see her, she is nothing, but kind to me.” Kurama whispered.

Hiei grit his teeth when Yusuke shifted slightly.

“Where is she now?” Yusuke asked.

“A town not far from here. I keep a close eye on her.” Kurama said.

“And she’s still alive?” Yusuke asked.

“My curse is keeping her alive, yes. She is the exact same age as when the curse was put on me. That was over 75 years ago.” Kurama explained.

Yusuke frowned.

“Did you ask her if she wanted to die?” Yusuke asked.

“Ask her?” Kurama parroted, confused.

“I thought you humans were scared to die.” Hiei stated.

“We are, but living a really long time sucks too. I bet you guys have seen a lot of your friends die over the years, but for us humans, we are always told that children should bury their parents. If she’s been alive all this time and watched her family and friends die before her eyes, I can only imagine how sad she must be.” Yusuke said.

Kurama found himself looking away. Was this true? Was he hurting Shiori, the only person in their world who had ever shown him kindness, by keeping her alive? The thought was hard to consider. Yes, she always seemed a bit sad and she often talked about the family she lost, but he had never heard her say she wanted to join them. He stood up suddenly and the other two looked at him.

“Kurama?” Yusuke called.

“Fox?” Hiei questioned.

“I… need a moment. Excuse me.” Kurama said before walking away.

Even as he walked away, he heard Hiei speak to Yusuke.

“You insulted him.” Hiei stated.

“Eh! I was just saying the truth!” Yusuke cried.

Kurama shook his head as he continued deeper into his home. The halls, once full of laughter and light, seemed so dark now. He truly missed the yokai who once inhabited his home, the allies who had helped him become the yokai he was today. He missed them deeply, but he had felt so hurt, so angry when he woke up with his curse. He remembered the pain of jerking awake, shocked and scared when he saw who stood over him. He had never expected it, not from him.

Kurama paused outside his door and leaned against the wall, feeling drained and tired. Many yokai thought he had lost his mind when he sent his followers away, they couldn’t understand what had changed, but he just couldn’t tell them. Not when his own emotions were so raw. He slipped inside his room and flopped onto his bed, not quite asleep, but not quite awake either.

He must have laid there for a while because he jolted violently when a plate of food was placed on the ground before him. His head snapped up to see Yusuke standing there.

“You said you were excited for dinner. So here it is.” Yusuke whispered.

Kurama stared at the young man before sitting up.

“Thank you. Is Hiei gone?” Kurama asked as he grabbed the plate.

“No, he said he wanted to stick around. I think he’s worried about you.” Yusuke said.

Kurama chuckled.

“Hiei? Worried? Doubtful.” Kurama replied.

“Why not? He’s your friend, right? It’s not like you yokai are all heartless bastards, right?” Yusuke asked.

“Hiei is… a special exception.” Kurama said vaguely.

Yusuke frowned and sat down, something that should have annoyed Kurama, but didn’t, for some reason. Kurama frowned. Was he getting too comfortable having Yusuke here? Letting Yusuke get too close? He had only been here a month and yet… Kurama felt something. Like a connection to this young man, something he had felt twice before; once with Hiei and once with Shiori. A connection that felt like Yusuke belonged here, in his life. Like, that is exactly where Yusuke was meant to be, by his side. 

He paused. He had started having dreams lately, dreams of another place, another time. They were so vivid, so clear that Kurama could almost swear they were memories, not dreams. And in those dreams, Yusuke was always there. By his side, fighting, eating, laughing, living.  

“How so?” Yusuke cut in.

Kurama blinked, realizing he had been lost in thought.

“Hiei… let’s just say he had it rough growing up. He doesn’t exactly give into emotions like concern or worry.” Kurama stated.

“But he came back.” Yusuke replied.

Kurama paused, chopsticks hanging from his mouth.

“I’m sorry?” Kurama said.

“He came back. He was worried because I was still here, right? He told you to get rid of me and when he came back, he told you again. He was worried because he thinks I would hurt you.” Yusuke stated.

Kurama found himself speechless. Was that true? Had Hiei come back so soon because he was concerned? That really didn’t make any sense to Kurama.

“You seem quite sure of this.” Kurama said.

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head.

“He seems like the type of guy who is all action. His actions speak louder than his words.” Yusuke muttered.

Kurama paused. That was true. Hiei had proven himself on more than one occasion that way. Maybe, it was possible? Kurama turned to Yusuke as he finished the last of his meal.

“Thank you, Yusuke.” Kurama said.

“No problem!” Yusuke got up and went to grab the plate, but Kurama grabbed his wrist instead and Yusuke blinked.

“Something wrong?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama turned Yusuke’s wrist and stared, frowning. When did that mark appear?

“Yusuke, what is this?” Kurama demanded.

“Huh? What’s what?” Yusuke asked, looking down.

“Oh! That. Not sure actually. Showed up this morning. Meant to ask you about it.” Yusuke said, pulling away.

When he did so, he pushed up his sleeve and Kurama could see the mark wrapped around his wrist, up his arm and stopped at his elbow.

“It’s weird because like it doesn’t come off and it’s definitely a part of my skin.” Yusuke muttered as he rubbed at it with his palm, but sure enough, it didn’t move.

Was it Kurama’s imagination or did that look like a yokai mark?

The next few days, Hiei actually did stick around. He claimed it was to make sure Kurama was training Yusuke correctly, but after their little talk, Kurama thought that maybe, just maybe, Hiei was staying close by because he was worried. However, Kurama found himself preoccupied a bit. He struggled internally with the idea of his own curse and that maybe Shiori wouldn’t mind dying. Finally, one day, he made his choice.

“I’ll be out for a bit. Keep training and I will see you when I get back.” Kurama stated at breakfast.

Hiei eyed him, but Yusuke just agreed and then, Kurama was off. He made it to Shiori’s front door before lunchtime and found himself standing there, wondering what he should do when she happened to walk outside. She looked at him and he looked at her and she smiled before bowing.

“It’s nice to see you again, Kurama-sama. It’s been a while. Please, come in.” she whispered.

She didn’t look a day older than the day she was cursed. He smiled at her as she invited him inside. As they sat there, talking, he noted how sad she looked. She spoke of her family, her late husband, her deceased son, her now dead grandchildren and the great grandchildren who didn’t come to see her. He could see the loneliness in her.

“Shiori.” he called.

She looked at him and he held out his hand, which she placed her’s in with confusion.

“This curse that was put upon me and by extension, you, hasn’t been the thing keeping you alive all these years. It was me and my selfishness.” Kurama stated.

“Kurama-sama?” she called, confused.

“I could break this curse, but I was scared to. I thought you didn’t want to die and I didn’t want you to die so I could be free. But you seem so sad.” Kurama said.

Shiori sat there before looking down.

“I am sad and lonely. My family and friends are all gone. I wish I could join them.” Shiori admitted.

Kurama smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“Say no more.” Kurama said.

An hour later, he walked out of her house and looked back one last time before setting it aflame. Shiori had already left this world. He turned back to the road and before long, he was home. Hiei and Yusuke were sparring in the yard, so Kurama sat down and watched them. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he breathed deeply.

“What is with this shit?” Yusuke muttered as he stared at the new mark on his other arm.

He had just gotten used to the first one after two months of having it, but now there was a second one? It was the same design on his other arm and he huffed with annoyance.

“Is something wrong?” Kurama asked.

“I got another mark.” Yusuke muttered, holding up his arms.

Kurama frowned. He had been keeping a very close eye on them and they were definitely yokai marks, but how? Yusuke was a human, well as far as he knew anyway. Kurama looked at the marks again and he could have sworn he had seen something like them before. But where?

“Do you feel different?” Hiei asked from his seat at the table.

“Not exactly? Like I feel stronger, but I don’t feel any different.” Yusuke said.

“Well, do they bother you?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke paused and stared at them.

“No, not really. In fact, I kind of like them. Like they seem familiar somehow.” Yusuke whispered, tracing one line with his finger.

“I see. You said once that you didn’t know who your father was, correct?” Kurama asked.

“Ma never told me.” Yusuke admitted.

“Well then, we are going to go ask her about him.” Kurama stated.

“Eh! You want to go see my Ma?” Yusuke yelled.

“Of course. It’s the only way to find out what is going on. Hiei, will you go with us?” Kurama turned to Hiei.

Hiei scuffed, but stood up anyway. Yusuke crossed his arms.

“This should be interesting.” Yusuke muttered.

Kurama stood outside the gate to the town and looked around. Humans stopped and turned to look at them as they entered the town. Many stared in shocked awe, not at Kurama or Hiei, but at Yusuke. Kurama paused in the town square.

“I wish to speak to Atsuko!” he yelled.

There were whispers and then someone came running out of the crowd.

“URAMESHI!” an orange haired man roared.

Yusuke blinked in shock.

“Kuwabara?” Yusuke replied.

The man charged at Yusuke, fist raised and Yusuke smirked. He grabbed the fist, twisted it behind Kuwabara’s back and held him down. Kuwabara yelped as he was swiftly defeated.

“You bastard Urameshi! You’ve been alive this whole time!” Kuwabara yelled angrily.

“Well, yeah, duh. You didn’t find my bones at the sacrifice site right? Honestly.” Yusuke said, letting him go.

“You bastard! I mourned for you! Pay me back for all my tears!” Kuwabara yelled loudly.

Yusuke just shook his head with a smile, amused.

“Yusuke?” a female voice called.

Yusuke looked up and then paused.

“Yo, Keiko.” Yusuke said with a wave.

A young girl with brown hair let out a wail and threw herself at him. Staring at her, Kurama could admit, she was pretty looking, but he probably still would have gone for the rose bush. She cried loudly and then Kuwabara got up, started crying and latched onto the hug with Yusuke too.

“Oi, you big lug! Get off!” Yusuke snapped.

A third person entered the scene and immediately Kurama knew she was who they were looking for.

“I heard someone was yelling for me?” Atsuko called boredly.

“Oi, Ma!” Yusuke yelled, pushing Kuwabara away with force, but let Keiko hold onto his arm.

Atsuko’s eyes got wide and then she was crying too, hugging Yusuke and wailing how her boy was ok. Yusuke turned to Kurama and Hiei with a sigh.

“Can we take this somewhere private?” he asked.

Atsuko stared at the demon marks on Yusuke’s arms and sighed, scratching the back of her head.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t even remember his name.” Atsuko admitted.

“Really, Ma! You slut.” Yusuke grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Look, I was a wild child, ok? I hooked up with anything with a pulse. Who the hell knows which one got me pregnant.” Atsuko stated boredly.

Yusuke frowned and crossed his arms, looking away. He felt uncomfortable now. 

“But, there was a chance you might have hooked up with a yokai?” Kurama asked.

“If they were hot, yeah totally.” Atsuko replied.

Hiei rolled his eyes.

“Why is this so important?” Keiko asked.

“Yusuke might have yokai blood in him.” Kurama explained.

“Eh! Yokai blood!” Kuwabara exclaimed.

“Did you have to repeat what he just said? Are you that slow?” Hiei asked boredly.

“Why you!” Kuwabara jumped to his feet and shook a fist at Hiei.

Kurama was struck by how… familiar that seemed. In fact, he was pretty sure he had seen both Kuwabara and Keiko before, but he couldn’t remember where. Yet, as they sat there, Kurama got an overwhelming sense of deja vu. He shook it off and drank his tea, but he noticed Keiko seemed just as unnerved.

“If I do have yokai blood in me, what does that mean?” Yusuke asked.

“A lot of things. If your yokai father is still out there, he might want to know about you.” Kurama stated.

“Ok?” Yusuke stressed, still not understanding.

“Yokai politics can be a bit… messy.” Kurama stated.

“How so?” Yusuke asked.

“If your father is a yokai, which I am assuming he is, if he finds out you are under my control, as my cook, there is a very good chance he might try to take you back by force.” Kurama stated.

“But I don’t understand! Why would he care now!” Yusuke slammed a hand on the table.

“That’s how yokai work. They only care if it means they get more power.” Hiei replied.

Yusuke frowned and looked away.

“So I would just be his what? Soldier? Pawn?” Yusuke demanded.

“Pretty much. Yokai don’t share the same sentimental feelings you humans do about offspring.” Hiei exclaimed.

“But that’s only if he learns about Yusuke, right? There’s no guarantee that you can even find Yusuke’s father.” Keiko pointed out.

“That’s correct and that’s why we are going to play this close to the chest. No one outside of us will know about this.” Kurama demanded.

“As if I was going to tell anyone.” Hiei stated.

“I think that’s best.” Keiko agreed.

Atsuko and Yusuke nodded while Kuwabara scowled.

“What if he comes here? I mean, everyone in town saw you!” Kuwabara demanded.

“That does not matter. As long as no one tells him about the marks.” Kurama replied.

Even still, he could admit there was a good chance that, if Yusuke was awakening his yokai blood, his father would be able to find him no matter where he was. Kurama’s eyes narrowed.

They stayed for a few hours, catching up on town gossip and the like with Yusuke’s family and friends, but soon enough, Kurama was starting to feel tired. While the curse was gone, he was still suffering the effects and so, Yusuke said goodbye to them once more, promising to come back before they left for home. When they hit the front gate, all three stopped, the hair on the back of their necks standing on end. A single man sat on the porch and smiled at them.

“Been a long time, Kurama, Hiei.” the man, clearly a yokai said.

“It has been, Raizen-sama.” Kurama said politely.

“Why are you here?” Hiei demanded.

Raizen stood up and Kurama’s spine stiffened. The S ranked yokai smiled at them as he crossed his arms across his broad chest.

“Why, I came to pick up my son, of course.” Raizen said with a grin.

Kurama and Hiei’s eyes widened as they slowly turned to look at Yusuke, who caught their eyes out of the corner of his and paled.

“EH!”

Raizen sipped his tea and sighed with delight. The Mazoku didn’t seem at all bothered by where he was or who he was having tea with. Kurama wished he could say he felt just as carefree.

“Ah, that’s some good stuff. You always did make the best tea, Kurama.” Raizen commented.

“Thank you, Raizen-sama. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Kurama said stiffly.

Yusuke sat behind Kurama, eying the three yokai with nervousness. He shifted slightly and Raizen’s attention turned to him.

“You don’t have to be so nervous, boy. I’m not going to do anything bad.” Raizen said with a chuckle.

Yusuke scowled at him, clearly not amused.

“Raizen-sama, if you don’t mind me asking, how…?” Kurama trailed off.

“How did I have a kid with a human woman? Honestly, beats the hell out of me.” Raizen replied with a shrug.

“Well to make a baby, it takes two.” Yusuke cut in.

“That it does.” Raizen said, rubbing his chin.

“Why lay with a human at all?” Hiei asked boredly.

Raizen paused and leaned back.

“Well, why not? You’ve met Atsuko, you’ve seen what kind of person she is. Now imagine her a few years younger. I stumbled across her while travelling across the land. She was about as drunk as a human can be without being dead, but man if she didn’t pitch a bitch when I tried to eat her!” Raizen barked out a laugh.

“Ma’s a fighter alright.” Yusuke smirked.

“She smacked me too. Right here.” Raizen said, pointing to his cheek.

“She hit you?” Kurama asked, confused.

“That she did! I was carrying her back to her town and she straight up smacked me in the face! What a wild woman! I couldn’t get her out of my head, so I went back a few days later and found her still kicking! After that, well, one thing led to another as they say.” Raizen stated.

Yusuke frowned and looked at the ground. He wanted to ask, he really did, but…

“You’re angry.” Raizen said and Yusuke’s head snapped up.

“I’m not angry. I get it. You yokai don’t have the same ideas us humans do. You didn’t feel like playing house.” Yusuke replied hotly.

“Watch yourself, kid. While yes, it is true that yokai don’t do the warm and fuzzies, if I had known about you, I would have taken you by now.” Raizen stated.

“What?” Kurama demanded.

“Oh please, Kurama. Don’t act surprised. My yokai clan is pretty much gone. Any Mazoku offspring I can bring into the world needs to be protected and cared for.” Raizen explained.

Kurama frowned and looked at Yusuke before turning back to Raizen.

“What does that mean now?” Hiei asked.

Raizen rubbed his chin.

“Well, my original plan was to come here and take my son home, but that plan has changed. Kurama, I hold you don’t mind keeping him a while longer.” Raizen said.

“Your plan changed?” Kurama asked.

“There is another yokai lord plotting my downfall. If I bring Yusuke back the way he is now and how my terrority currently is, I have no doubt my enemy will try and take him from me to use against me.” Raizen replied.

“Your enemy?” Hiei asked.

“That’s right. You two should know him really well. It’s Yomi.” Raizen stated.

Kurama felt the color drain from his face. Yomi? The yokai who cursed him? The man who had once been his deputy? He was now a yokai lord?

“When did he gain power!” Hiei demanded.

“While you two were not paying attention. But that’s not the big problem right now. Right now, I need you two to keep my son here until I can send for him.” Raizen replied.

“Hey! Don’t act like you can come in here and make decisions about my life!” Yusuke yelled, jumping to his feet.

“Yusuke!” Kurama hissed.

“Idiot!” Hiei snarled.

“No! He can’t just walk in here after fucking fifteen years and act like he calls the shots!” Yusuke snapped.

Yusuke stomped over and stood before Raizen, arms crossed.

“Quite honestly, if Yomi wants to kill you, he can go the hell ahead! Don’t expect me to help you!” Yusuke yelled.

Raizen stared him down, eyes narrowed.

“Is that so?” Riazen demanded.

“Why the fuck would I help you! Why the fuck should I even care what happens to you! If he wants you dead, I’ll be happy to sit back and watch it happen!” Yusuke hissed.

“You’re lying.” Raizen stated. 

Yusuke jerked, eyes wide before he turned on his heel and walked towards the door, his body shaking. He stopped at the doorway.

“Until today, I didn’t even know who you were. I didn’t care either. I don’t care that I have your genes or blood or whatever. You mean nothing to me. Go fucking die.” Yusuke said before he ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind him.

They sat in silence for a while before Kurama sighed.

“I apologize for him, Raizen-sama.” Kurama said, but Raizen waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it. I expected this to happen. The moment I felt his blood awaken… well I was a little more than shocked. I never expected to have a son, much less one I had with a human woman, but I understand his anger.” Raizane replied.

“Why is he so pissed off?” Hiei asked.

“He’s angry and hurt. He feels abandoned by me.” Raizen said.

“But, that’s what yokai do.” Hiei pushed.

Raizen shook his head.

“Not my clan. In fact, children are often kept close since we can have so few. Besides that, you will find our emotions, unlike other yokai, make us stronger. I hope he’ll turn his rage into power.” Raizen said before bowing his head and sighing deeply, rubbing his eyes.

“Raizen-sama?” Kurama called, confused.

“It must be my old age, I swear. Since when do yokai have regrets?” Raizen said dully.

Hiei and Kurama glanced at each other, uncertain. Raizen lifted his head and looked at them.

“Yusuke feels familiar to me. Like I’ve met him somewhere before. Ever since his blood awakened, I’ve been having the oddest dreams.” Raizen stated.

Kurama swallowed. Dreams? Hiei seemed just as unnerved.

“Dreams?” Kurama asked.

“Of another place, another time. Much different than our world now. A place where I am on the verge of death when I meet Yusuke for the first time. A world where I actually have a relationship with him, if only for a few short years. Despite having never met Yusuke before, I knew he would be with you two. I knew he would be upset about being abandoned. I knew all of this before I even woke up this morning. You two know what I am talking about.” Raizen said and Kurama could only nod.

“I have those same feelings and dreams. We went to see Yusuke’s mother and friends, yet they didn’t seem like strangers at all.” Kurama admitted.

“This is ridiculous.” Hiei muttered.

“But you're not disagreeing with us.” Kurama said.

Hiei glared at him.

“So what does this mean?” Hiei asked.

“For now? Nothing. We need to focus on the here and now.” Kurama replied.

Yusuke sat in his room and stared at the sky. He had felt Raizen leave an hour ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his room. He felt...angry and disappointed. He had wondered where his father was all his life, had asked about him regularly, but to find out the man was some yokai who got his rocks off and only came around now when Yusuke had awakened his yokai blood.

He looked down at the marks and felt rage overcome him. Before, he had liked them, they were cool and he liked to show them off, but now? His rage boiled over and he looked around for something, anything to cover them up with. Instead, he saw a knife. There was a moment where his mind told him it was a bad idea, but it was his only idea. He grabbed it.

Kurama sighed and rubbed his shoulder. The day had been long and while it had been informative, he still felt like his brain might explode with all the new information. Yusuke was a yokai, but he was also a yokai from a very strong clan and he was still growing. Raizen had told them that he wouldn’t be shocked if Yusuke hit S-ranking with proper training.

“When Yusuke’s marks finish appearing, he will be able to release power like nothing you two have seen from him before. ” Raizen had told them before leaving.

Kurama shook his head. He had sat talking with Hiei for a while before Hiei decided to take a run and Kurama decided to head to bed. He considered stopping by Yusuke’s room, but maybe Yusuke needed some time. A sudden smell caught his attention and he stopped.

“Blood?” Kurama muttered.

He stopped and then his heart started to beat faster. He turned and raced through the halls. He stopped by Yusuke’s door and ripped it open.

“Yusuke! Yusuke, what have you done!” Kurama yelled.

He darted inside and stared at the pool on the floor. Yusuke was still kneeling, knife in hand and a long strip of flesh missing from his right arm. Yusuke turned to him and he had sweat rolling down his face, but his eyes were determined.

“I’m fine.” Yusuke hissed.

He lifted the knife again and moved it to another section, fully intent on removing another layer of skin when Kurama grabbed his hand.

“Stop! Yusuke!” Kurama demanded.

“No! I want them gone! Get them off me! Get his blood out of me!” Yusuke shoved him away and Kurama cursed before grabbing his hand again and ripping the knife from him.

“No! Give it back!” Yusuke demanded, trying to grab the knife again, but Kurama held him back.

“YUSUKE! ENOUGH!” Kurama roared.

Yusuke stopped and stared at him with wide eyes before he pulled again. Yusuke turned from him, pulling his injured arm close to his chest.

“Yusuke?” Kurama called.

Yusuke said nothing and Kurama sighed. The madness was clearly gone, so Kurama tossed the knife near the door and moved closer to him. Yusuke was shaking, but Kurama couldn’t tell if it was from blood loss or something else.

“I need to see your arm, Yusuke. You are badly injured.” Kurama said.

He waved his hand and an herb appeared. It would help stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound. Yusuke didn’t move and Kurama sighed as he settled down next to Yusuke.

“Today was a long, rough day for you. I’m not shocked you reacted badly. But you’re injured and you need help. Let me help you.” Kurama said softly.

Yusuke turned to him and he seemed so young before Yusuke held out his arm. Much to Kurama’s amazement, the bleeding had already stopped and the skin was already starting to grow back. Even still, Kurama covered the wound with the herb and waited.

“I’m sorry. I got blood everywhere.” Yusuke muttered ashamed.

“I’m not that concerned about it. Are you alright?” Kurama asked.

Yusuke was staring at the floor.

“I was just… angry. I don’t know. He came in here like he had a right. He made demands of you and Hiei like you were lesser than he was and then he had to nerve to call me ‘son’ as if he had the fucking right.” Yusuke replied.

“I see.” Kurama muttered.

Yusuke shook his head.

“I know yokai and humans are different. I know we see the world in different ways, but dammit!” Yusuke slammed his other hand into the floor in anger.

“My mom and I suffered for years! I went to bed hungry, cold and angry for years because I didn’t have a father like everyone else! I was an outcast because he got his rocks off with my ma and left without a care in the world!” Yusuke snarled.

Kurama sat back and stared Yusuke down. Yusuke’s shoulders slumped and he rubbed his face.

“I knew… who he was the second I saw his face. I saw his face before… in a dream I had. That’s why I never asked who he was. Because I already knew.” Yusuke admitted.

Kurama sighed and looked at him.

“It seems we are all having odd dreams then. Because Raizen said the same thing. He said that he had seen you before, in his dreams.” Kurama stated.

Yusuke turned to him and frowned.

“Then… do you have dreams too? About us? About a different world?” Yusuke asked.

Kurama stared at him and then placed his hand on top of Yusuke’s.

“Yes, more than once.” Kurama admitted.

Yusuke nodded and they were quiet.

The focus from there on out was Yusuke’s training and making him stronger. The marks proved to be some sort of process bar. Each mark told them that Yusuke was getting stronger and Kurama had to admit, Yusuke was growing amazingly. Kurama only hoped it was enough.

“Yomi is on the move.” Hiei said.

He had been stopping by on and off for the past year. He would stay for up to a week before heading out again, his full focus on tracking Yomi.

“Is that so? Any clear path?” Kurama asked.

“He is heading towards your territory. He’s raring for a fight.” Hiei stated.

“And Mukuro? Has she picked a side?” Kurama asked.

“I’ve spoken to her about the whole situation and she told me something interesting.” Hiei admitted.

“And that was?” Kurama turned to him for the first time.

Hiei stood there, staring out as Yusuke trained before he turned to Kurama.

“She said she would pick whatever side I picked.” Hiei said with a faint flush.

Kurama chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“She cares about you. That’s not a bad thing.” Kurama teased lightly.

Hiei shrugged his hand off and scowled.

“We aren’t like that.” Hiei stated angrily.

“I know, I know. More like brother and sister, as you’ve said.” Kurama nodded.

Hiei hmphed and turned back to Yusuke.

“He got a new mark.” Hiei muttered.

“He’s at least an A-rank now. Soon enough, I won’t have anything left to teach him.” Kurama whispered.

“Do you think Genkai saw this? That she had these dreams too?” Hiei asked.

“I would assume so, but why tell Yusuke to stay away from yokai? Surely she didn’t think he would listen.” Kurama muttered.

“I don’t know, but we can only hope.” Hiei replied.

Kurama didn’t believe in hope. But that’s all he had right now.

“Eh? Yomi is on his way here?” Yusuke asked, wiping his face.

“Yes, apparently. I have no doubt he will be here soon, so we need to be ready.” Kurama explained.

“Should we call for Raizen?” Yusuke asked.

“He would never make it here in time. We have to do this ourselves.” Hiei stated.

Yusuke swallowed and looked down at his hand before clenching his fist.

“Then he’ll get a goddamn fight.” Yusuke replied.

Yomi appeared on their doorstep the next day and Kurama was there to greet him.

“Kurama, how nice it is to see you again. I see you got rid of my curse?” Yomi said simply.

“I finally got around to it, yes. I did. It’s nice to see you made a name for yourself as well.” Kurama stated.

“Let’s cut the pleasantries. What do you want?” Hiei demanded.

Yomi turned to him and nodded.

“I am sure you two know about that already, but if you would be so kind as to hand over Raizen’s son, I would appreciate it greatly.” Yomi replied.

“They don’t have to give you anything, I am right here, asshole.” Yusuke said as he stepped forward.

His marks were on full display and Yomi’s smile died.

“I see. You have done well to train him in such a short amount of time, but he is not strong enough to stop me.” Yomi said.

“Who said he would be fighting you alone?” Kurama asked, whip in hand. 

Hiei was there too, sword at the ready and Yusuke smirked.

“Come at us, asshole.” Yusuke said.

Yomi charged in and the fight was on. Despite being on Kurama’s territory, Kurama found that Yomi had no trouble batting them around. Yusuke and Hiei focused on directly attacking while Kurama attempted to slow him down, but just as quickly, Yomi turned the tables on them. Hiei and Kurama ended up on the ground while Yomi had Yusuke by the throat.

“Please understand, this has to be done. I cannot fail again.” Yomi stated, staring Yusuke in the eye.

“W-What? Fail?” Yusuke muttered.

Yomi chuckled.

“Tell me, Yusuke. Do you remember it? The previous world?” Yomi asked.

Previous world? Kurama pushed himself up.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Hiei demanded.

“The other world. The one where I lost everything. The world that you, you Yusuke, ruined for me. The world I had to scrap and start over with.” Yomi muttered.

“Yomi, what did you do?” Kurama hissed.

Yomi turned to him and he seemed so empty. Kurama remembered seeing that look on his face before.

“In the other world, the world before this one, I had lost everything. My sight, my kingdom… my son. I lost it all and it was all your fault.” Yomi whispered as his eyes turned to rage.

He slammed his fist into Yusuke’s stomach and he coughed up blood.

“You! You were the reason I lost everything! My Shura! He died because of you!” Yomi howled.

Yusuke jerked away and the fight was on again. Kurama struggled to help and as one of Yomi’s pouches ripped off, he found a strange scroll inside. Kurama grabbed it and his eyes widened when he looked inside.

“Yomi! What did you do, Yomi! What is this!” Kurama demanded, holding up the scroll.

Yomi stared at it with anger.

“It was the only way. I had to fix it. I had to! My son, my boy! I had to bring him back! It was the only way!” Yomi yelled.

“What does it do?” Hiei asked.

“According to this, he reset the world! He wiped them out!” Kurama replied.

“Then put it right! Fix his mistake, Kurama!” Yusuke yelled.

Kurama stared at him and then looked at the scroll. Could he do that? Just set it back to the way it was? He had to, right? But if he did that… would he lose everything? He closed his eyes and pulled up the dreams from his memories. The world he had seen in his dreams, the people he had met, the ones he loved. A flash of Yusuke’s smile in his mind’s eye and his eyes snapped open when Hiei yelled.

“YUSUKE!” Hiei screamed.

Yusuke was impaled on Yomi’s arm and bleeding heavily. Kurama let out a scream of his own.

“YUSUKE!” Kurama jerked right up in bed and was trembling.

“Kurama?” Yusuke muttered from next to him.

Kurama turned his head and found Yusuke sitting up from his place next to Kurama and Kurama grabbed his face, kissing him quickly. He pulled back when Yusuke didn’t move. Yusuke stared at him in shock before smiling and pecking him back.

“You ok now, fox boy?” Yusuke asked, gently pressing their foreheads together and Kurama let out a sigh.

“I am now.”