TCA- Here is the next chapter of For the Adulation of an Advisor. As you all know I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of it's characters. I just own the idea of this story.

Also, I've started up a C2 Community thing, and if you have a Kurama/Kuronue or a Kurama/Yomi or a Kuronue/Yomi that you've written and want on it just tell me!

+~a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z~+

Yomi does not really know much of anything anymore. He does not know how long he has lain on the lounger in his private quarters. He does not know if he has slept, or if the feeling of numbness that saturates his body and mind is the reason that his thoughts feel so hazy. He knows that he hurts, though he is not sure if it is a physical pain or an emotional one. He does not know where he went wrong.

Someone is knocking at the door.

Yomi ignores it. It no longer matters.

The blind lord knows that he is in love with his old friend. He knows that he has been brushed aside, rejected. He knows that he is a king, and he knows that he just shouldn't give up so easily…but just because he is a king does not mean that he cannot be broke. Yomi knows that his heart feels heavy and that he is in fact broken-he has been that way for a long time. An effort in futility…trying to pick up the pieces the way that he has.

Yomi falls asleep under his blankets, curled up in the safety of his own mind. The knocking continues.

+~a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z~+

"Yomi..." Youko inclines his head towards his second-in-command. The kitsune is lying leisurely on a giant flower, a rose in brilliant hues of pink and red. It matches Yomi's eyes and the youkai notes this with happiness, taking it to be a small token of friendship.

Yomi's eyes widen in shock as the realization hits him like a fist to the face-- he can see!

It has been so long since Yomi could actually see…even in his dreams there was only darkness and voices. Briefly he wonders why his sight has been returned to him, even if it is for a short time span alone.

He comes to the conclusion that in this moment it does not matter-he can see and there is his light, splayed before him on a floral throne.

Youko looks so…wonderful.

"Sit with me?" Though it is phrased as a question there is no doubt in Yomi's mind that it is a command…as Kurama's questions should always be. Yomi smiles at the deep tenor within Youko Kurama's voice. They weren't in the present then…Yomi continues to contemplate, wondering what he has gotten himself into. He has no time for such foolish dreams and yet… 'If this is what awaits me then let me sleep forever.'

"Of course Youko-sama." Yomi's body gives a slight bow and walks forward, though Yomi himself has not told it to do so.

'It must be a memory then.' The no longer blind lord thinks to himself. He ascends the leaf stairs and curls against the kitsune's side. The petals, each as soft as silk and as delicate as a butterflies wings, brush against his body and cradle him like a child. All in all, Yomi finds himself more comfortable and more content than he has felt in quite a long time. He feels as if he is finally home.

Youko smiles widely and wags his tail. It is obvious that Youko is teasing Yomi when he purposely rubs the soft appendage against his second-in-command's thigh. Yomi's body shivers and lets out a soft sigh. He remembers this day now. He and Youko had spent the whole day teasing one another. So many times they had come close to actually coupling, but they had always stopped shy of completion...the kitsune had made sure of that. Yomi was not going to be a bed partner. Youko had been in rut…and Yomi still felt as if the kitsune would fall for his subtle wooing.

The two of them curl up snugly within the flower bed, their legs entwining in a friendly embrace. Youko's face is buried in the crook of Yomi's shoulder and his breath comes out in heavy pants. This is paradise, as far as Yomi is concerned. He watches the scene unfold and remembers how close they had been as friends, and wishes that the same sort of closeness could still exist between them. The scent of his friend's rut is thick and flowery, though not overpowering. The scent is that of roses and sweat and Yomi finds himself wishing that he had given in to this opportunity-though Youko would have been furious. How many times has he heeded Youko's desires, while at the same time ignoring his own?

"I hate this…" The kitsune mumbles his discomfort against Yomi's neck. "Being so weak…everyone smells soooo good right now." The tail twitches again and Yomi squeals in delight within the confines of his mind. Youko is exquisite.

Yomi's hand creeps into Youko's tunic and massages the soft skin on the kitsune's back. The muscles are all overly tense and stretched taunt, as if Youko was planning to pounce at any moment.

"You'll be fine. I won't let anyone hurt you." Yomi's vice holds a comforting tone that he normally doesn't use. The two cling to one another, though they had argued and fought viciously the day before. Yomi's cheek still smarts from the slap that Youko had aimed at him, but in this moment that is of little importance.

As Yomi watches the scene, with no way to control the events occurring, he muses about how comfortable he had been that day. Kitsune's were notorious in many ways and all demons knew not to strike up a 'long term' relationship when a kitsune was in rut. The fox wouldn't remember any loving words or actions once the rut was over. A kitsune remembered the feelings of passion in bed, not the love and courtesy shared outside of it. Yomi mentally shakes his head in disappointment.

"Youko…Ai shiture." Yomi sighs and looks out at their little band of thieves. The group is celebrating the heist that had occurred the day before, the same heists that lead to Yomi getting slapped. It's a regular roaring fiesta, and Yomi finds himself comparing it to the human 'marde gras' parties that he has heard tell of…complete with people flashing for trinkets.

"That's nice Yomi." Youko smiles vaguely and then pats Yomi on the cheek gently, as if mocking him silently. "Where's all the rum? I want a pint!" Yomi shakes his head no and pulls the fox demon closer to him. The tail flicks a bit closer, moving up Yomi's thigh.

The landscape goes black. The scene continues. The only difference is that Yomi can no longer truly enjoy it.

+~a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z~+

Yomi wakes up quiet suddenly, the knocking on the door still insisting. Knowing that it would persist, due to the fact that he normally sleeps for long periods of time and it hadn't stopped yet, he walks over to the door and opens it. He does not plan to talk to whoever it is on the other side; he merely wishes to scream at them a bit…even if it is not lordly behavior. He just wants to be left alone.

The blind lord is quite surprised when Kurama of all people grabs his hand, yanks him to the futon, and makes him sit down. The fox's eyes are sparkling with real concern, and his fingers dart out to wipe the tears from Yomi's face. Yomi does not know what to do or what to think of the situation. Soon the kitsune's lips are kissing his tears away and he is being held in a firm embrace. There is nothing sexual about the kitsune's motions, nor does his aura contain any trace of love.

"You may be bound to me but I shall not be bound to you...or at least not just yet." Kurama's voice is detached. Yomi reaches forward, his emotions swirling within his aura. He does not know what to think of the situation. His friends words are manipulations, his actions the same. Even though Yomi knows this he cannot help but take hope from the promises that they speak. Kurama sighs and forces Yomi's head upward. The blind lord can feel the kitsune's eyes meeting the area where his used to be. "Friends. That is all we are going to be until I decide that I want our relationship to change."

Yomi merely nods his head, content in the fact that he has been recognized as a potential partner. Though it is not as good as him being recognized as a mate, it is a step in the right direction.

His toes curl tightly in his shoes and his fingers bite lightly into his palms. He tries to steady himself out, tries not to show the delight that is permeating throughout his form. Kurama snorts slightly and Yomi can tell that all his efforts are going to waste as he stands in front of his old friend. His aura is wild-saturated with the thick air of emotions that he has felt for so long. He thinks that everything is going to work out, even if it takes a long time.

He is glad that he at least has their friendship back again, as frail as it is, for it is something that he has missed for so long. There shall be more drunken nights, Yomi musses to himself, trying not to think about what he will feel if his dearest fox never returns his feelings. He now needs to buy a chess-board, maybe even a custom designed one, for the games that they used to play.

"Wrap up those trivial thoughts in your head, Yomi." Kurama removes his hand from Yomi's chin slowly, allowing the demon lord to feel the light pressure of each of his fingertips. "Wipe away the tears and make yourself presentable. I don't intend to even consider you if you continue to act so pathetic. I did say that we might be together, did I not?" Kurama's voice holds several chords of amusement and an almost incredulous tint.

"Yes. I suppose you did." Yomi brushes the few stray tears on his face away and then leans forward to take his blanket off of the floor where he had dropped it when he answered the door. His delicate hands move quickly, folding the blanket and then sitting in its proper place on his lounger. He stands up, a small smirk on his face. He makes sure that all of the pillows are in place and then turns to face Kurama. The kitsune's aura is a rainbow of emotions, and his scent has saturated the air of Yomi's sanctuary.

"As for those 'trivial thoughts' I was just thinking about how I am going to buy us some game boards. Chess, Go…that type of pleasurable thing."

"Ah…not so trivial after all I suppose." The kitsune smiles at the blind lord and then gestures outward, towards the door. "Do you feel inclined to leave this place? It is dinner time now and I did volunteer to alert you to that fact and bring you to the table."

Yomi scans the room with his youki, making sure that he had indeed put everything away properly. Once he is satisfied with the cleanly state of the room-he always keeps it nice and tidy- he walks to the door and leaves, Kurama walking casually beside him. Yomi cannot help but notice that the Youko turned human now keeps pace with him, instead of falling behind like a beaten or terrified puppy. It is a change for the better.

Kurama falls behind, ever so slightly, when they reach the dinning hall's doors. Even if they are slowly coming to some sort of negotiation on Kurama's role it would still look improper for the kitsune to walk in directly beside the blind lord. Smiling lightly, Yomi nods his head towards Kurama and places his palms on the doors. He can hear people talking on the other side, light murmurs and laughs. The large cherry doors swing wide open with his slightest touch, and the two of them walk in.

The room is completely silent.

This is something that Yomi has never experienced in his entire existence. He has never heard complete silence, and with his hearing he should be hearing something. He hardens his face and turns to 'look' at the various youkai in the room.

"Is there something that I am not aware of?" His voice is icy as he can make it. Frustration fills him as the members of his court begin to talk to one another again. Youda makes a low bow in his direction and he acknowledges it with a nod. For a moment he was reminded of when he first took the throne of this territory…the uncertainty had been almost tangible.

Occasionally he is so mucked up and haunted by the past that the present and the future seem nonexistent. Today seems to be one of those days for him. Yomi takes his seat at the head of the table and begins to pile various bits of food onto his plate with as much grace as possible. He stays clear of the more…human…tidbits. After all, he musses to himself, Kurama is almost human himself now.

The thought brings the shadowy image of him eating the beautiful man to mind. He feels sick momentarily, until he catches himself and continues eating. In this instant he can acutely understand why Raizen stopped partaking of such things. When one is in love with a human, or a youkai in human form, the though of human flesh filleted is enough to make one ill.

"My lord, might I inquire what took you so long?" Shachi asks while glaring venomously at Kurama. Yomi can't help but laugh heartily at the sheer display of hatred. Such displays are considered to be weak and yet Shachi…

"I was merely clearing up a few things with my…advisor. Not that it concerns you in any way, Shachi." Yomi smirks lightly and turns his attention away from the fuming general. Kurama is sitting on his right, and he begins to make light conversation with him. Occasionally Youda will pipe in some tidbit of information, but otherwise all of his attention is focused on the spirit fox.

Shachi continues to glare at Kurama throughout the dinner, not even bothering to veil his hatred. It is obvious by his every movement that he wants nothing more than to kill Kurama, but he cannot do so without incurring Yomi's wrath.

Yomi is not sure what he is doing-he hasn't been sure since Kurama came back into his life-but he secretly enjoys it, probably more than he should.