I own neither Harry Potter nor Yu Yu Hakusho.

Christmas Presents

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Kurama had been having weird dreams since he got stuck in England. Probably dreams influenced by his general mental state, which wasn't great when you took into account that his human life was in shambles and that his mother got kidnapped. Often they were about another human family of which he was part of, with some magical elements mixed in.

So when he went to sleep after the ball, he fully expected to have yet another one of those dreams. With perhaps something romantic thrown in considering the mood everyone had been in before and during the Yule Ball.

He didn't. In fact, this particular dream was much more relaxing, and something he wouldn't have to analyse the next day, wondering what it could have meant.

He and Kuronue were playing a dice game. They were only two, which made the Kitsune Bakuchi perhaps a bit less entertaining than if they had been more, but they had plenty of wealth to bet. The one with the biggest losses would have to be the bait for their next theft. To say that neither wanted to do it, considering it entailed wearing a dress would be an understatement.

It was stupid, but Kuronue still cackled each time he won and Kurama couldn't help smirking each time he managed to throw the dice exactly like he wanted. When two thieves play a dice game without a dealer you know there is probably a lot of cheating going on. The one who won the game would be the one who cheated best. Had it been a game of Go or Mahjong, Kurama would have won. Had it been a game of luck, Kuronue would have won. Ironically between the two of them, cheating made things fair.

They didn't play together like that very often. Usually, they did it before a challenging theft, to relax beforehand. When they came back with their loot, having come close to dying a few times during the theft, they preferred celebrating by taking out a few bottles of alcohol and trying to drink the other under the table.

Kurama had many good memories with Kuronue, and this dream of him and his friend playing calmly was most likely one of them.

"You know, for a fox you are pretty obvious when you cheat."

Kurama kept a straight face.

"Why hide the fact that I cheat when we both do it, all the time even? I am very sorry friend, but I fail to see the point. I will be as obvious as I wish as long as it allows me to be more efficient."

"More efficient huh?" Snorted Kuronue.

Yes, Kurama was losing.

Kuronue threw the dices, and Kurama gave a hard kick in the table the moment they touched the wood. He smirked when Kuronue lost this round. Kurama as well, mind you. He may have been a bit of a sore loser.

"That's it! Next time we play on the floor!"

"Why? So you can win more easily? No way. I will not sit on the hard cold floor so that you can ridicule me in a game."

"You win half the time, your pride just can't take the other half! Grow up and learn to lose graciously Fox."

Kurama wrinkled his nose in disgust. Kuronue shook his head in a clear "I give up" gesture.

Kurama readied the dice again and announced his bet. Kuronue moodily gave him his. And as the bat yōkai did, he seemed to disappear for a moment. Startled Kurama looked for his friend, only to see him reappear, apparently frozen in time.

He let the dices fall, but they simply stayed afloat in the air.

Kurama could feel the intrusion, like a tickle of sort at the back of his head. With it came the dawning realisation that he was in a dream, the crushing knowledge that Kuronue was long dead. He was waking up he knew, and yet he was still stuck in his dream. He frowned, closed his eyes, and it figured that even with his eyes closed he could still see the dream… Closing your eyes or even dying in a dream never made any difference, you could still see yourself from the outside. It didn't wake you up.

Don't panic Fox.

Hiei?

He received no answer, but instantly he relaxed somewhat. Only somewhat, because what was Hiei doing in his head when he was sleeping?

Helping you out you idiot. What else. Seriously how dumb can you get?

He was sleeping, what did the fire yōkai expect?

And helping him with what exactly?

Kurama opened his eyes and saw that the dream was, as expected, still frozen around him. He frowned. Was Hiei keeping him in this dreaming state voluntarily? Was it the reason he couldn't wake up? Hiei had never done something so intrusive before, and Kurama didn't like it one bit.

You'll thank me later.

As if. He could have asked.

You'd have wanted to know my reasons you fool.

Kurama instantly understood what that probably meant, and he could feel the spell put on him kick-starting his mental defences, and an unexplained fear took control of his mind, as he tried to throw Hiei out with all his strength.

It didn't matter, Hiei had made sure he was stuck in a dream for the very purpose of upsetting his usually strong mental discipline. He batted away his attempts like they were nothing.

Kurama couldn't tell what was happening outside his dream, and no matter how much he willed Hiei to get out of his mind, the tickle he could feel didn't abate. If anything it got worse. The fight against the spell was going on inside Kurama's own mind, and he couldn't even tell what was happening! The flood of panic wasn't only caused by the spell trying to influence his thoughts, the very idea that Hiei and something else were probably messing with his thoughts was terrifying! But like in a nightmare, he couldn't wake up, no matter how much he tried...

By all the kami, he hoped he would still be sane after that!

Then the tickle calmed down.

I'll see you tomorrow. Ten in the morning. In the Forest. Don't be late Fox.

Kurama woke up gasping. In a second he saw everything there was to see in the dormitory. It was the middle of the night. He had woken Harry up, and the boy looked like he was worried about him. His sheets were damp with cold sweat, his breath was unsteady, the adrenaline was starting to ebb away, leaving him drained. He had apparently thrashed around in his bed for some time. His sheets were tangled all around him.

It was absolutely silent in his mind, and though he tried to find his link with Hiei, he drew up blank.

"Kurama?"

The fox ignored Harry and stumbled out of the bed and down the stairs of the dormitory. He let himself fall into an armchair next to the fire to warm himself up.

His hair must have been a mess, and he knew he must have looked pale. He put his head in his hands and tried to figure out what Hiei had done.

He tried to find all his memories in order, knowing it would take a very long time to sift through millennia of accumulated memories. No matter, he needed to do it.

He could hear Harry go down the stairs and he turned and snarled at the boy to leave him alone. He couldn't be interrupted now, not with his mind a mess. And his fear made him more aggressive than usual. He couldn't find it in himself to care.

Harry's steps stopped, and got back up the stairs again, leaving Kurama alone. The fox sighed in relief and began doing a mental inventory of his memories and knowledge. He only hoped he would notice if something was missing…

It took him hours. When he finally opened his eyes, daylight was coming through the window of the common room, and he was much calmer.

He hadn't noticed anything wrong, but now that he wasn't irrational with fear, he expected Hiei would tell him if there was. He couldn't contact him mentally like he usually did, which would explain why Hiei had told him to meet him in the forest.

And he had tried actively thinking about going back to Japan. Nothing had tried to stop this train of thoughts, and for that alone he could have jumped in joy.

The students would surely wake up soon, and he probably looked sick. He got up and left to the common bathroom to take a shower and prepare for the day.

When he was finished, he left for the Great Hall, planning to eat something and then go in the forest directly. Hiei wouldn't be there yet, but he should be able to train with his magic while waiting for him. He had finally gotten the hang of Accio, but he now intended to try a few healing spells Poppy had shown him. They were only useful to heal small cuts and burns for now, but once you managed to understand how that spell worked you were ready to learn more complicated ones, since they worked in a similar fashion.

He ate fast, unwilling to be slowed down by the twins or Fleur and her friends showing up for breakfast.

He wasn't in the mood.

It was strange in fact. He was both incredibly glad to be free of the wards and angry at everything and everyone. His situation hadn't really changed in the end, he was still stuck in England. He would not return to Japan alone, leaving his mother behind, only to face the mess back home. He wasn't even sure he would still be welcome after all that.

It was a swirl of emotions. Anxiety, anger (mostly at Voldemort, a bit less at Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione), joy as well now that his mind was free of outside influences, indecision as to what his next step should be, impatience too… It made him itch for some action. Which he wouldn't get until he found where his mother was held.

When he finally reached the place he had been sparing with Hiei recently, he settled against an overgrown root (his own work). He spent the time waiting for Hiei cutting his palm with a knife made from a grass leaf, and trying to heal it with his wand.

It was harder than it looked. His magic refusing to obey him well, it tended to fluctuate precariously. But for this spell to work the flow of magic needed to be extremely regular. To maintain the flow of reiki Kurama needed a considerable amount of concentration and effort. Technically he could do it, but if something attracted his attention his spell failed instantly. He had seen Poppy using this spell while talking with him about what herbal ointments were more efficient against rashes, all the while checking the hour of the pendulum of the infirmary. It wasn't supposed to be as hard as it was for him.

And if this was hard, then how hard would the animagus transformation be?

He barely managed to close his fifth wound when Hiei arrived.

"I always knew you enjoyed hurting yourself, but I had no idea it went that far."

"I am free to hurt myself however I wish. Be glad I am learning these spells. The whole team comes to me for healing after a fight. If I can heal the smaller cuts that way, then I won't have to spend my yōki on papercuts only to have none left for the usual mortal ones."

Hiei snorted.

"I tried contacting you mentally by the way. Did you faint after your little trek in my mind Hiei? I could not reach you at all."

This time the fire yōkai seemed insulted.

"I did not faint!" He snapped. "That's what I'm here to explain, so shut up and listen. I won't repeat myself."

Kurama mimed zipping his mouth shut and stared at the smaller yōkai, awaiting the explanation he wanted from him.

"I couldn't destroy the wards, not if we couldn't get our hands on the objects they're tied to. You'd have been stuck for a few more months if we waited, and you only had one month before you lost your god-damn mind to that spell and attacked us for trying to get you out of your mess. So I had to find another way. Basically, I blocked your mind from the outside."

"You put a firewall on my mind?" Said Kurama in disbelief. "Is that why I couldn't contact you? You actually closed the door and threw away the key, and now even you can't enter my mind, is that it?"

"Firewall, now that's pretty accurate isn't it?" Hiei actually looked smug. "Forget people getting in your head, or spells trying to influence it. You're a closed book. You won't be able to use these spells either unless they activate with a voice command. This goes both ways, your mind is sealed."

So should he try reading in somebody's mind like Voldemort had tried on him, he would fail. But maybe if he used the Imperius Curse and gave orders orally then he would still be able to influence someone else. Not that this spell would be of much use against his usual enemies, but it was still good to know.

"But now I can leave the country?"

"You are still under the influence of the spell. Only it doesn't affect your mind anymore, which means that nothing can stop you from leaving. To undo what I did to you, we'd need to first destroy the objects the wards are tied to. But if you want to keep your mind closed for the rest of your life, that's your own damn choice."

"I… see."

So on the one hand, forget talking with Hiei over large distances. On the other he could relax now, knowing that he wouldn't fall under the spell's thrall in a month.

"And this didn't damage my memories or my knowledge in any way?"

"What do you take me for, you fool? I'm a Jaganshi, and I know how to use it. There's no way I'd make such a stupid mistake!"

"Good." Kurama couldn't stop the relieved sigh that escaped him. "Good. So are you staying a bit?"

"Are you an idiot? I've been stuck here for a month with that narcissist Suzuki, with that shitty weather you have here, working with a fucking human, and you want me to stay longer?"

Kurama laughed.

"No. Way. I'm leaving right after this. Don't stop me."

"I won't. I wouldn't dare. Will you visit?"

"Hmph."

Which wasn't a "no".

He guessed it was the best he would get and decided not to push.

"Then thank you Hiei. Have a safe trip back to the Makai. I hope I'll see you soon?"

Hiei turned around, and Kurama pretended not to have seen the ghost of a smirk on his lips.

"Sentimental fool."

Guilty as charged. The fire yōkai flitted away too fast for even Kurama to see.

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Kazuma looked around in wonder. From the outside this had been a large shed or a small rundown house, left unused for decades at least. But the inside was a different story entirely.

First of, he was pretty much convinced it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. How that worked, he had no idea, but it was the coolest application of magic he had seen since that morning. That and teleportation. The "shed" was also in a perfect state inside, even though it looked so decrepit when you were outside. As he understood it this was a new development. This had been a shack until Hiei and Suzuki had needed somewhere outside the school to work and hide, with only a few wards to keep people out and make the walls a bit more solid and stable.

A warm fire burned in the chimney and had been burning before they even got there. Except he was almost certain he hadn't seen smoke rising from the chimney cap outside. The walls were covered in warm purple wallpaper. All the windows could be covered with thick patterned cream-coloured curtains. Motley furniture was arranged with taste, and on a large wooden table stood an assortment of cakes that looked delicious. They probably were too, considering how Yusuke was stuffing himself with them.

But the best part of this place? Without a doubt it was how Kurama stood right next to them, looking at Yusuke in amusement.

Their fox friend had already been in the house when the Headmaster had shown them in, telling them that this would be their house for the next few days. He had been sitting in front of the fire, a warm drink in one hand, a small cake in the other, a pleased smile on his face when he had seen them, and all of the worry Kazuma had accumulated these past months had melted away like it was nothing. His friend was okay. He was okay. Kami-sama it was good to see him in one piece! Of all of them, he had the shittiest luck, and Kazuma had almost expected him to hide some injuries he would have gotten when he had been in that wizard's hands. But no, once Kurama had vocally allowed them to touch his yōki, Kazuma had been able to feel it thrumming peacefully beneath his skin and around him, he stood straight, no signs of discomfort whatsoever.

Although his yōki seemed a bit weird. Maybe it was the ring he wore, maybe it was how reiki seemed to flow though him more freely than it ever had, Kazuma couldn't tell.

"So the kids were the reason she left Japan? Man, you must have been pissed."

"I was."

You usually heard more in what Kurama didn't say than in what he did. And behind that short answer, Kazuma could hear many things. Like how he had almost killed them right there for putting their noses where it didn't belong in the first place. Or how he had been so enraged that he had been very careful to avoid them, or he would have given away the fact that he wasn't a harmless sixteen years old. Or also how annoyed he was that he had made a promise to keep the Potter kid safe, with no way to back out of it without breaking his word and have all the teachers distrustful of him afterwards. And maybe there was a bit of disappointment in here as well. Kazuma could tell, Kurama had liked the kids before then. And Kazuma also knew something else; you could be feeling betrayed and enraged, but when something bad was done out of worry for you, you couldn't suddenly dislike someone you had liked until then. Kurama still appreciated the kids, which is why he was so furious actually. Someone you don't like does something you don't like? You expected it, you're annoyed, angry even, but that's it. Someone you like does something that hurts you? Now that's another can of worm, one you can't gloss over that easily.

"How do you plan to deal with that?"

"I don't plan on dealing with it at all. I'll let them stew in their own guilt until Voldemort is finally taken care of and I can go home."

Which was all well and good, except if that hurts you too in the process. And the Fox was lonely here in England, for Kazuma that was plain to see. But if Kurama was being resentful there was little Kazuma could do to change his mind. A spiteful fox is difficult to talk sense into. Especially one that was used to skewering his problems away, like he had done with that guy who had threatened his mother in the Black Tournament.

Yusuke snorted, and Kazuma almost rolled his eyes. Because of course, Urameshi would be the type to ignore someone's stubbornness and make his point anyway, rolling over any arguments the other could make. Forget Kurama being headstrong, Urameshi was worse.

"Yeah, you know fox, you told me a whole load of good things about these kids when we last saw each other. So don't pretend you aren't ignoring your own feelings by ignoring them. You're like that, people hurt you once, and then you are suddenly too fucking scared of being hurt again, so you leave them and pretend you never cared in the first place. 'Once bitten, twice shy' and all that jazz, that's you."

That's what Kurama had wanted to do before his mother got sick, leave her, return to the Makai and pretend he didn't care about her love at all because he'd been afraid of getting hurt. Kazuma could see Urameshi's point, and from Kurama's suddenly frightening stillness, he must have seen it too.

"Okay, the brats deserve the cold shoulder for a while. They were being nosy and it's super rude. But I was being nosy when I intervened in your attempt to save your mom's life right? I'm rude like that too. And hell, you forgave me!"

"It didn't end in a disaster..."

"But the point is, it could have! I had no idea what I was doing, and it could have gone wrong big time! You'd have killed me back then. I know you would. But this was all luck! Admit it, the kids had no way to know how it'd end up beforehand. They didn't have the full picture and they were reckless, like me. For all they knew she would have stayed in Japan and answered the letter to ask where you were and if you were all right!"

And the thing was, she could have done that instead of blindly rushing to save him. They had underestimated how worried Shiori had been about Kurama, all of them, mostly because they didn't feel nearly as worried as her. Kurama was a S-Class kitsune yōkai, they knew he could take care of himself. She hadn't known that.

It was a rare thing to see Kurama speechless. Kazuma hadn't seen it often. And right now? He was. Not the normal kind of speechless though, Kurama didn't do normal. This silence was more along the line of 'your strategy surprised me and destroyed my army's morale, but just you wait, I'm thinking of a counter attack that'll destroy you in one fell swoop'. But Urameshi wasn't a strategist at all, he hardly thought out a plan before flinging your whole truth in your face. He fought dirty and was unpredictable (at best). He was a strategist's worst nightmare.

"It's just as you said Yusuke, they rudely involved themselves in my life and put my mother in danger in the process. If you expect me to forget and forgive Yusuke, you are putting a bit too much faith in my good will. I am not that kind. Nor have they proven themselves able to deal with the consequences of their actions like you have on multiple occasions. Forgiving them will only result in them not measuring the real extent of the damage they caused."

"Like you knew I was the type to deal with the consequences of my actions when we first met... Don't try to make me seem like a better person than them Fox."

They were simply more naïve Kazuma thought. Hard not to be… Urameshi had had a shitty childhood all things considered. He'd pretty much had to take care of himself and his drunk of a mom, all the while not attracting the attention of the Yakuza she'd associated with. Still, Urameshi was a good guy, even if he didn't believe it himself. Dodging pimps and skipping class didn't make you that dangerous a delinquent. Nope. And now he was like super dangerous and no longer a delinquent. Sometimes Kazuma strongly suspected that Fate had a sense of humour. It'd have to for someone like Urameshi to even exist.

"And forget and forgive?" Urameshi obviously wasn't finished monologuing. "Forgetting would be dumb. That's what would allow them to do it again. Forgiving isn't about leaving the door open for more nosiness. Like always you're thinking too much, just tell them that you aren't about to forget what they did, but that you're giving them a chance! You don't even have to do it right now, you can do it in a week! Hell, even in a month if that's what you need!"

"I'll think about it..." Kazuma sighed hearing the scepticism.

"Of course you will!" Snarked Urameshi, throwing his arms in the air in annoyance at the 'think' bit, a cake in each hand.

Kazuma, deciding that this was enough on the subject, let out a cough to attract his friends' attention.

"Okay, okay… And let a guy think Urameshi! If that's how a fox works then fine, at least it compensates for your own stupidity." He received a hit on the head for that one, but at least it made Kurama snicker. Which was a definite win. "Hey, the Headmaster told us on the way that the school had a ball for Christmas? So, did you get to dance with a girl?"

Urameshi's suddenly interested look was very understandable. Kurama literally never looked at girls (or guys, and they'd kept their eyes open to the possibility). He may not technically have been a virgin, but Kazuma was pretty sure his human body was. They'd tried to get him laid at a few parties, but the red-head was as slippery as an eel that definitely didn't want to get caught. Throw a girl at him? She could cling as much as she wanted, you could be damn well certain the fox would vanish in the blink of an eye.

He'd have found that funny, Urameshi certainly did, if he didn't find it worrisome. Because Kurama wasn't mentally fine by any stretch of the imagination. Hadn't been before they first met him even. Too much guilt, reasonable and unreasonable. His self-confidence shaken despite the great act he put on for the sake of the team. Always overestimating his new, fragile human body, and always afraid of rejection, either showing a mask of bland kindness or one of ruthlessness to keep people at arm's length.

Kazuma wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure the fox wouldn't enter a relationship with anyone until he dealt with these issues. And as far as he knew, Kurama didn't want to deal with them at all.

With some luck, he would soon have to deal with his fear of rejection, because Kazuma couldn't see how he could avoid telling his family the truth after his mom got kidnapped by wizards and a four months disappearance.

"I did. But before you begin whooping in joy," his tone was as dry as the Sahara desert in the middle of summer, "she is merely a friend. How much of a friend remains to be seen."

"Same for all the people here I bet." Nodded Kazuma knowingly.

"Until I know how… open-minded they are, I cannot afford to tell them what I really am. And considering how big of a secret I am keeping from them all, I don't know if this can truly be considered friendship."

"Sure it can." Grinned Urameshi. "Doesn't matter how long you're going to be friends or how much they know right? Your mom is still your mom, and she knows nothing about you being a yōkai." He took a large bite of yet another cake. "It'ch je feelingsh jat countch!"

"Gah! Don't talk with your stupid mouth full Urameshi! It's disgusting!"

Kurama's mouth stretched in controlled amusement.

"But if this makes you both feel better, should I tell them the truth and they accept the existence of yōkai I will be sure to let you meet them. I'm sure you'll like the twins and Lee at least."

Wow, now that was surprisingly optimistic coming from the fox. Kazuma had to get his jaw back from where it had fallen on the ground. If those twins had gotten their friend to open up that much, then he liked them already.

"Sure thing, if they can deal with our usual craziness that is."

"You probably won't believe me Kuwabara-kun, but I think that they have us beaten in terms of craziness."

"Okay, now I really want to meet them."

"Well, this is yet another thing I'll have to work on won't it?"

"You sound overworked already." Snorted Urameshi. "Get your shit together first, get your mom back, kick Voldomert's..."

"Voldemort."

"… Ass, and then we'll see about meeting these guys."

"Does that mean you don't intend to participate in the ass-kicking session once Voldemort finally shows himself?"

Asked Kurama honestly surprised.

"Uhu… Nope. The guy pissed off a S-Class yōkai and pretty much signed himself up for a Darwin Award. He doesn't know it yet, but he's boned. And I'm not getting in the middle of that. No way. I've seen you go ROAR on a few bad guys before. So, you know, he's all yours. I'll watch from the sidelines, far, far away. Maybe."

"Need I remind you that a prophecy says I won't be able to kill him?"

"Yeah. And immortality sure stopped you from ending the elder Toguro." Mentioned Kazuma, trying very hard to stay cool when he said that. He even pulled off a convincing smile.

But shit… He still had cold chills running down his spine each time he remembered that scene. Caught in an eternal nightmare while you're continuously sucked dry by a carnivorous plant… Your body regenerating indefinitely so that you will never be free of the torture...

Not that Kazuma had any room to talk. He'd destroyed the barrier between the Makai and Ningenkai, potentially dooming a city and maybe even the world, just to avenge Urameshi.

It had been a shitty day. Good thing they hadn't encountered any world-ending situations since, because obviously if the protection of the world was left to them then the future was already doomed.

"True." Admitted Kurama with an unholy, joyous gleam in his eyes that predicted nothing good in Voldemort's future. "By the way, how long will you two be staying?"

"We leave on the second of January. Winter break at the university ends on the third." Answered Kazuma. "You have no idea how much work I'll be doing while we're here. We'll still explore the village. We can't tell anyone we're staying in this house, since it's supposed to be abandoned but that aside we're free to do what we want. That Headmaster even gave us some money so that we can visit the shops."

"Nice guy." Nodded Urameshi. "A bit of a busy-body, but cool."

"That he is." Agreed Kurama. "I guess that means I will be able to really unwind during the holiday. This is indeed a great Christmas present he has given me."

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o

Draco looked at the small box his father had sent him and regretted that it had arrived so late. He would have preferred to set it up during the Yule Ball when there would have been reporters to see it all. He had sent the request to his father rather late, he could only blame himself for not having thought of it sooner.

Although he knew of one person who seemingly managed to enter the school without Dumbledore being none the wiser. Rita Skeeter could apparently make herself invisible, or see things at a distance because she hadn't stopped publishing articles, even after the old imbecile had forbidden her to enter school grounds.

Maybe if Draco contacted her she would be interested?

But then again, maybe she would realise that Draco was the one who set up the trap for Minamino and she would turn it against him. The woman answered to no one but her chief at the Daily Prophet and she was generally nasty to anyone who had the bad luck to register on her radar for scandalous stories.

No, Draco didn't want to get noticed by her of all people.

He would have to hope that the story would make it out the school somehow without intervening himself. And if it didn't, well, he'd have to settle for a bit less humiliation for Minamino. He could do that. Especially since that little box would be sure to show a weakness of his that Draco could use later on.

Between his hands, the box shook strongly, but the leather belts keeping it closed kept the creature inside prisoner.

Now, how to best set up this trap?

o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o.*.o