Haven't written in a long time, but I got ideas a spewing. A bit of practice to keep my brain from getting a good rest. It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm too tired to really read over what I just wrote, so I hope it's not too 'Jesus Christ, this girl has definitely gone into that sleep deprived nonsense realm. She's making not a lick of God Damn sense.'

"I'm going to kick your fucking ass after this is over, Urameshi," the red head growled in a low voice. Yusuke had heard a great many variation of that sentence thrown at him over the course of his of life, but hearing come from Kurama's mouth was an entirely new experience for him. Dear God, was he afraid.

Yusuke had to suppress the urge to scoot down the bench from Kurama; animals could smell fear. The same could also be said for demons. Luckily for Yusuke, Kurama was so pissed at the moment, that he had basically retreated into himself. Only the deathly glare of his eyes, flickering between golden and green, gave way of Kurama's level of anger.

"I'm feeding your cock to my plants. After I've personally ripped it off with my bare hands," he hissed.

"Okay, first of all, my cock is a 'she' not an 'it'. Second, you gotta real dirty fucking mouth on you. And last, I said I was sorry! I don't know why you still a bitchin about it!" Yusuke said, muttering that last part.

Kurama broke from his adamant gazing at the far wall to stare at the man beside him. Yusuke flinched back at the full force of Kurama's glare. Straighting himself back, Yusuke berated himself for letting his fears show thought and giving Kurama an opening for attack.

For once, Kurama did not pause to think out the words that sprung from his mouth. "You've got to be shitting me. Sorry? You hunted me down after all these years, when I was just trying to find a little bit of peace and quiet to sort out the total clusterfuck my head has become, and get us both shackled to the walls, and each other, of the only operating jail house in the makai built to hold demons of our status. What the Hell were you think?'

During his rant, Yusuke had bent over as far as the chains binding him would allow, choosing to sulk rather than the truth. His hands clutched at the hair at his scalp. From his hunched over form his reason drifted up, soft and broken.

"Twenty-eight."

Kurama collapsed against the wall as his anger fled him, the sound of shackles shuttered throughout the dank cell. In all the years of hiding, of trying to forget everything human so as to better forget the death of his mother, Kurama had remembered one thing. Just one number. And every year that number grew bigger.

"Hiei is trying to find us," Kurama questioned, looking at Yusuke with a pain feeling in his heart, "Isn't he?"

Yusuke gave a great huff through his nose, ruffling his hair a bit, before looking up to stare at the wall, a dead look to his eyes dulling them. "Sure is."

"That's why you totaled the King's castle. So we'd be thrown in here and Hiei wouldn't be able to use his jagan to find us."

"I just…I wasn't ready. Thought you might feel the same way."

From the bared door come a harsh snap. "You've had the better part of 14 years to get ready. Now get up so I can bring you to Kuwabara!"

The shackled pair jumped at the voice of their old friend and could only stare at his figure in the doorway. Yusuke weakly half mumbled, "Glad to see you gained a few inches, Hiei," while Kurama appeared dazed out. After years of complete isolation, this was getting to be too much social contact for him.

Hiei strode forward, letting the height comment pass by, and released the chains of the two. "The both of you are fools for staying away. In your absence I have had to watch over him myself." He gripped Yusuke by the arm and yanked him to his feet. "I thought you would have kept your promise. I guess your words are not a thing of value."

Yusuke bristled at the comment and shook off Hiei's hold. "That promise was for Keiko, not Kuwabara!" he shouted before following up with a softer tone. "I couldn't go back for her. She needed to find someone she could grow old with. Someone who wouldn't be running off to fight with demons all the time. Someone who was smart and could provide for her and love her right. I can't do that. And I don't want to have to see another man doing for her what I never could."

Hiei snorted. "Now noble," he said with sarcasm. Kurama spoke up for the first time since Hiei had entered.

"He's twenty-eight you know." Said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And for the three demons, it was blaringly obvious.

Hiei closed his eyes and leaned against the cold stone of the wall. "He is dying."

And like that the mourning Yusuke and Kurama had felt for the last decade sputtered to a stop. In its place was the screaming, urgent need to be exactly where they had been avoiding.

Home.