Yes I'm well aware that Kurama and Shuuichi are the same person, but with the contrast in their personalities you have to wonder how they would interact. Here's my version of the story taking place after the tournament.

CH1- Lifeline

It was a memory. But it was there. A single thought, a thread to the living world. Unfinished business. A manifested rumination that irked the spirit to the point of obsession. Youko Kurama. Shuuichi Minamino.

Silver hair. Green eyes. Pointed fangs. Delicate stature. Paradox.

Shuuichi Minamino.

17, 5'7, green eyes, pale skin, red hair.

An undying fighting spirit. Delicate. Breakable, but perfect. One could gaze into those large green eyes for hours and feed on the pain they could inflict there. And listen to the desperation in that innocent soft spoken voice. The kindness that resided in those eyes….It was nothing like….

Youko Kurama.

At least five hundred years of wisdom, a demonic height of near seven feet, nearly unreachable for humans, golden eyes, even paler skin, silver hair.

The one he might have accepted defeating him. Near untouchable in his arrogance. Perfect in his flawed nature, the nature that came with all demons. Those arrogant golden eyes would never betray anything no matter what pain you inflicted on him. And that voice would never denote anything but amusement, pensiveness, or rage.

The fact that both personalities and bodies were forced to reside in one form was enough to fascinate anyone.

For one had to wonder, was Shuuichi a shadow of Youko Kurama? Or did Youko Kurama reside in Shuuichi's shadow, waiting for a time to escape?

It was something to ponder. Enough to drive old demons from the earth and back to life. A memory. A single thought, a thread to the living world. Unfinished business. A manifested rumination that irked the spirit to the point of obsession.

As a group of men walked across the charred earth of the abandoned island they had no idea what might await them there. The had no idea that the soils were rich with demonic soil left from a tournament, how could they? Nor could they know that between the energy stealing plants and a malicious spark of light, they would bring back to life a demon powerful beyond their comprehension.

XxXxX

Shuuichi Minamino sighed as yet another posse of giggling high school girls slipped love letters into his locker. The letters would have to be dealt with appropriately. That meant between the mission tonight, his AP English final, and writing polite responses and or soft rejections to several letters, he would get no sleep tonight.

He sighed as he walked around the corner that he'd been hiding behind and went to his locker. He opened it with a deft movement almost invisible to the human eye. He put his book bag below before opening it. There was an outpour of letters.

Some of them were scented with perfume sweet as the scent of Shuuichi's roses. Others held a whiff of something quite akin to Yusuke and Kuwabara's colognes.

Fools, humans don't see that beauty is fleeting and often deceiving.

Shuuichi shook his head after the twinge. It had been the voice of Youko Kurama that the thought had occurred in. Not his own. He didn't know precisely how to explain the phenomenon, but considering the oddity of his human/demon situation in general, he knew it was best not to ask.

He pulled out his English book and closed the locker fastening the clasp on his book back. When he walked off campus his senses were assaulted with the feeling of a familiar koorime half breed.

He stopped beneath a tree before looking up with his cat-like eyes. "Hiei, why don't you join me? I could use some company on the walk home,"

Hiei simply narrowed his red eyes looking much like a defiant kitten caught in a tree being summoned down by a fox. "Hn."

Translation: I'm bored, these stupid Ningens don't have anything fun to do, can I goad you into a short fight?

"We can get ice-cream,"

"…Yuki…" murmured Hiei. Sweet snow, that was all it took to have Hiei walking by his side.

Kurama smiled, though his companion was ever silent the company of a friend was comforting. It also kept his fan club from following him around.

They set their course for Keiko's ramen shop which happened to serve ice-cream as well as ramen ever since Keiko's father had decided to expand the business. There was also a chance that they'd meet up with their other friends to discuss the upcoming mission. Hiei sniffed a bit before glaring at Kurama. "Your book bag stinks. There's too many scents."

Kurama sighed. Trust Hiei to make a comment like that. "They're ningen love letters, the girls tend to spray them with perfume and boys sweat off their cologne when they write them. I have to write responses to them all tonight and slip them in their respective lockers in the morning,"

Or you could just burn them and scatter the ashes about campus.

Kurama shook his head. "Look, it looks like the gang's already there," he said pointing to the ramen shop.

XxXxX

Keiko smiled as she handed Hiei a large bowl of ice-cream and listened to the boys talk.

"Man!" said Yusuke. "That fox demon last night was so easy I don't know why Koenma even sent us after him! I mean, Kuwabara could have defeated him on his own!"

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean!" shouted Kuwabara.

"It means you're an incompetent baka," said Hiei calmly.

"What shrimp?! Do you want to get pounded!" growled Kuwabara.

It was then that the little bell above the door rang signaling the entrance of a new person. Botan walked in donning her trademark pink kimono and a kittenish smile. "Hello!" she chirped cheerily. "I see you're all here! Well that makes things quite a bit easier. There's a mission for you today-"

"When isn't there a mission for us?" cut in Yusuke rudely. Keiko slapped the back of his head lightly causing him to glare but Hiei and Kurama politely listened even as Kuwabara snickered.

"What is it Botan?" asked Kurama courteously.

"Thank you Kurama," she said glaring at the others. "Now. As I was saying. You have another mission tonight. A serious one…" by now, everyone was listening. She paused for effect. "A very dangerous artifact has been stolen from Koenma's vault. The Shinkuu Majo, a witch of the most dangerous caliber."

"Wait!" said Yusuke. "I thought you said it was an artifact, not a person! Which is it?"

Botan sighed sadly. "…Both I'm afraid. The Shinkuu Majo was a woman, both beautiful and powerful. Her body is eternal, but her soul and will were destroyed long ago by demons who wanted to harness her power. So in essence. She is now only an inanimate object which follows all orders using her magic to fulfill the will of her master. She doesn't eat, sleep, or dream, nor is there anyone we know of powerful enough to destroy her physical manifestation. So she became an artifact locked in the deepest of the vaults, to be heavily guarded until the end of eternity. And last night, it was stolen."

Hiei frowned. "…If she was so powerful that even today no one can destroy her body when it has no will to continue it's existence, how could anyone destroy her soul and will?"

Botan sighed. "…She was…heartbroken by the loss of her one true love…She was attempting to commit suicide, and due to her immortality, failed miserably. And her soul now floats around in limbo."

It was silent in the room. Hiei was the first to stand. "If only for the respect of the dead, we have to retrieve it."

Kurama immediately gave a sharp nod and they set off to complete their mission with haste. Who knew what horrible deeds could be committed with such a atrocity?

XxXxX

Karasu stared at the slender elegant pale hand, pleased. He flexed his new limb and ran a hand back through his long silky ebony hair. It had been simple enough to steal the spirit energy of four foolish mortals and stealing the body of a fifth had also been a relatively simple task.

What had been difficult was using that somewhat weak form to steal the Shinkuu Majo, but he had succeeded. The first course of business had been to order it to free them from the vault, she'd done so putting them somewhere in the Ningenkai. The second matter had been to turn to the entity with a chilling smile and request his old body back.

She'd chanted a spell and pain ran through his body. His eyes widened in terror as he wondered if he was being destroyed. But soon, he exited the realm of pain in his new body. The perfect replica of the demon he'd once been, garments and all. Including his silver mask. He smiled, pleased.

He patted the Shinkuu Majo's hair pleased with the softness of it. For the first time he turned to look at the thing he'd stolen.

The nude form was five foot six with a pleasingly well curved body, perfect hips and breasts, along with an innocent heart shaped face. It's long curly black hair went down to it's tiny nipped waist framing a golden body. Pouty lips, pert nose…chilling eyes of ice blue. Any one with the slightest spirit sensing ability would see it as it was. A pretty vase holding a very powerful flower.

He had to quench his curiosity. "Speak." he commanded.

"Hai."

The single word could have broken any other man's heart. But he was no man. He was a demon. And he took pleasure in it. For the voice was strong. But there was no will. "Come to me." It walked up to him in a flowing gait that spoke volumes of the meaning of pure sensuality. He ran his hand through her hair and she stared straight forward as always staring straight into his chest. "You will help me retrieve my fox. Speak."

"Hai."

He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. Turning the vessel around he pulled the supple form against his own pulling his coat around her as they both disappeared into darkness.

XxXxX

Kurama shivered as they neared the energy. He knew exactly where the small speed boat was heading. The very same dead island where it had all happened.

"You've done well to put me to this much trouble. I wish I could place you at my side forever…As your reward, I will let your beautiful face remain just as pretty as it is."

He shuddered, this had been where he had changed into Youko Kurama, where Karasu had nearly beaten him to death, where he'd nearly forfeited his life in order to complete one final victory.

The others were silent. Even Kuwabara. All sensed the relevance of the location. And it had a different meaning for everyone. Clearly this had been the thief's intent.

"…So," said Yusuke breaking the silence. "If this Shinkuu Majo takes all orders, then how does the person who has her keep her from following their enemies orders?"

"Well," murmured Botan. "They have to be the last one to have ingested some of her blood."

Yusuke winced almost wishing he hadn't asked. "So…To get her away from the thief's control we either have to kill them…Or drink her blood?"

"I'm afraid so." said Botan.

Kurama frowned, though as demons it didn't bother him and Hiei half as much as the other humans. It was when they got within a mile of the island that they saw it. On the shore impervious to the waves was a lone figure standing staring out perfectly still.

"That's her." said Hiei breathlessly.

It was obvious to the Rekai Tantei that this was no human, and no demon. It might as well have been a statue. In some mockery of it's humanoid form the thief had dressed it up in overalls and a white tank top and set it out by the shore as if watching. But no matter what came over the horizon it wouldn't react until ordered.

"But where's our thief?" asked Yusuke peering about the shore.

When they got within one hundred feet of the shore the Shinkuu Majo raised it's head and began to chant and the waves grew choppy. Yusuke had to hold Botan to the chair to keep her steering the boat and Kuwabara was hanging off the side. Hiei had gotten a hold on the side as well and didn't appear to be about to let go. But Kurama wasn't so lucky.

The moment the Shinkuu Majo had moved he had felt the briefest spark of a concealed energy. That was all it took for the kitsune to find himself washed off the boat and struggling to break to the surface of an endless world of waves.

But the waves rolled with purpose and he soon found himself face down in the sand of the beach at the feet of the witch. She looked down at him with soulless eyes impartial. It was then that he realized she was no true danger. He jumped up prepared to attempt to take some of her blood when her arms shot out and she spun him around before crushing her to him in an unbreakable hold. Her breasts pushed against his back and he was chilled to immediately realize there was no breath coming from the small form.

But not so chilled as when she turned around and all his nightmares came true.

"Karasu."

XxXxX