Yay!! Another chapter done!! And it's one doozy of a chapter, believe me! I know it was an obscenely long wait between updates, but my medical problems acted up again and I have been attempting to recover from another surgery and catch up on my schoolwork all at the same time. Thanks a million to all of my lovely reviewers! You guys keep me going! Um, about this chapter... It's really freaking long and has a lot of breaks where it switches characters and such. I hope it's not too confusing for you. I think it flows pretty well, but I can also see myself taking it down and revamping it eventually to make it better. Right, so I think I've rambled enough for the time being... ENJOY!!

Warnings: profanity, graphic violence (though it's very brief)

Disclaimer: As always, credit goes where credit is due: Yoshihiro Togashi and FUNimation Productions.

"Hello, Kazuma, dear. Shuuichi is up in his room, working on his homework. You can go on up." Kuwabara smiled at Kurama's mother as she stepped aside to let him through the front door, a motherly smile on her face. "Would you boys like some tea and cakes like usual?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kuwabara's stomach rumbled with anticipation; Shiori's cakes were to die for! And he would know; he was over at Kurama's house nearly every day.

It had been well over six months since Hiei had disappeared without a word to anyone but Kurama, and no one had heard from him since. Kurama claimed that Makian rumors had him working for Mukuro, one of the three Demon Lords, but that meant nothing to Kuwabara. All he knew was that Hiei had abandoned them again, and it was seriously beginning to look like he wasn't coming back this time. Kuwabara still had the charred remains of the plant Hiei had left burning on his windowsill at Genkai's, but he wasn't so sure of its meaning anymore. Perhaps the plant had been a goodbye. Or maybe it meant nothing. Hiei had no attachment to him, no reason to leave anything for him!

"Hello, Kuwabara." Kurama's mellow greeting pulled the younger boy from his thoughts, which had taken a decidedly gloomy direction. It was astounding how Kuwabara's relationship with Kurama had not evolved. They had not grown closer; the connection between them was no deeper than it had ever been. The ex-thief was just as mellow and pleasant as he had always been. And for that, Kuwabara was both grateful and angry. Grateful that he was not forced to put up with pitying stares, open concern, and annoying, repetitive questioning of his well-being. Angry that the demon would not let him in, allow a deeper friendship to develop.

"Hey Kur-er Shuuichi." A flash in Kurama's green eyes was all the reminder Kuwabara needed that he had been dangerously close to saying something he was forbidden to say… again. Kurama did not like Kuwabara's little slip-ups. The first few times, Kuwabara had been given friendly, if rather stern, warnings to remember Kurama's human identity. After that, the fox had allowed his annoyance to become more obvious with pointed looks of reproval and minute gestures of displeasure. It was nothing major, but Kuwabara still felt brief thrills of fear every time he landed himself in the line of one of those chilling looks. Still, for the most part, Kurama was easy to be around, and helpful in all the most appropriate ways. He listened if Kuwabara wanted to rant, he offered advice if the human sought it, and he helped the boy with all of his schoolwork (Shizuru was happiest about the schoolwork, though Yusuke seemed to consider him a traitor for somehow earning respectable grades on his exams). And, most importantly, Kurama provided a safe haven for Kuwabara to run to when avoiding his best friend.

Kuwabara had tried to go back to the way things had been before the incident. Upon returning to school, he'd sat with Yusuke during lunch and accompanied him to the arcade after school, but the dynamic was all wrong. The street fight Yusuke had gotten into at the arcade had been too much for Kuwabara's still-frazzled mind to handle, and Yusuke had found him in a comic shop down the street, staring blankly at the glossy pages he didn't even realize were upside down. That was the last time they'd "hung out," and the first day Kuwabara had shown up at Kurama's house.

The worst part of it all was that Yusuke wasn't angry that Kuwabara was reacting so inexplicably. No, he was uncharacteristically understanding and sympathetic, albeit a bit confused. Kuwabara hated it. He wanted Yusuke to yell at him, threaten him, attack him like he had that night. He wouldn't-couldn't see Yusuke as a kind person; because he couldn't hate a kind person. He couldn't hate his best friend. But he wanted to… He wanted monster-Yusuke back to rage against and blame and loathe. But he couldn't do that to his best friend.

So he sought solace at Kurama's house, drinking in the calm that seemed to permeate the air around the ex-thief. And while he was with the fox, Kuwabara felt fine. But as soon as he left, guilt crashed over him like a tidal wave. Yusuke had stopped calling him at home and inviting him to hang out after school. They still ate together at lunchtime, but they ate in silence and parted ways the moment the lunch bell rang. If Yusuke had any assignments from Koenma, he didn't tell Kuwabara about them. Keiko noticed, of course, but she seemed to be at a loss about what to do to fix the friendship.

"Here you are, boys, fresh from the oven!" Shiori's cheerful voice cut through Kuwabara's thoughts as the delicious smell of fresh tea-cakes began to saturate the room. "Kazuma, dear, what's wrong?" Shiori's suddenly urgent tone made Kuwabara jump and focus on her worried face.

"Huh-wha?" He saw Kurama giving him a guarded look from the corner of his eye. "Nothing, ma'am, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the play we're reading for literature class; it's real sad." He smiled, flashing her a thumbs-up. "These cakes smell delicious, thank you!" He snatched one and popped it into his mouth before he realized that it was still very hot from the oven. Letting out a pained yelp, he spat the offensive tea-cake into his hands, bobbled it for a moment, then dropped it onto the carpet at his feet. Kurama and Shiori stared, apparently at a loss for words, and an awkward silence fell for a moment. Then Shiori and Kurama both began to laugh and Shiori turned to go find the vacuum, still chuckling. Sheepishly, Kuwabara turned to Kurama, fully expecting to be reprimanded. The older boy merely smiled at him, also still chuckling.

"I suppose I should have warned you, but I figured you would not grab something fresh from the oven. My apologies, Kuwabara, are you hurt?"

"No, 'm fine," muttered Kuwabara, blushing bright red. "Sorry about your carpet. Let me clean it up."

"No, no, dear, I'll take care of it. You boys get back to your homework." Shiori was back, brandishing a small hand-vac. She tossed the good majority of the tea-cake back onto the tray with the others, but made sure to keep it separate from them so that Kurama and Kuwabara didn't try to eat it.

"But-"

"No buts! Go on, now!" Shiori used her hand-vac to shoo the boys back to their books, then bent to suck up the crumbs that had become embedded in the carpet fibers. She finished in short order and left with a cheerful "study hard!" as she closed the door behind her.

Kurama turned immediately to a thick volume titled Advanced Biochemistry and began scanning its pages intently, but Kuwabara could not make himself focus. Instead, he poured tea for himself, then for Kurama, and sat staring into the cup. It was very good tea; Kurama had a special blend of leaves that he grew, which combined to create a very sweet, refreshing taste.

"Something on your mind, Kuwabara?" The psychic looked up, somehow unsurprised that Kurama had picked up on his mood.

"Have you ever been… I dunno… afraid of someone?" Kurama nodded, his face serious.

"Yes. There have been many that I feared. But fear is a healthy emotion, because fear leads to caution."

"Yes, but have you ever been too afraid of someone? Like, can't be around them afraid?" Kurama frowned.

"Is this about Yusuke?" Kuwabara scowled, damning the fox for being so quick to pick up on things. He decided to lie.

"No, it's just a question. Has it happened to you?" Kurama studied his face for a long moment before responding.

"Yes, actually, it has. I'm sure you remember Karasu?" Remember him? How could Kuwabara forget the masked psycho who had blown Kurama to bits with his demonic bombs? Kuwabara nodded. "I was more frightened of him than I have been in a very long time. His very aura nearly sent me into panic every time he came near me."

"No way! You were so calm, bantering with him like that." Kurama smiled without amusement.

"I may have appeared calm to an outside observer, but had you been inside my head, you would have found me jumping from plan to plan, floating in an odd state of adrenaline-induced hyper-sensitivity. I was a wreck."

"Then why didn't you let Hiei fight him if he scared you so much? I bet he would have." Kurama shook his head.

"We must face our fears, Kuwabara. Karasu made himself into my own personal problem, so I had to answer his challenge. If I had not fought him, that fear would still be hanging over my head, affecting my performance. That was a battle of necessity, not so much choice. Do you understand?" Kuwabara frowned.

"Yeah, but if Hiei had killed him…"

"I would have had to live with the knowledge that I could not. I would know that something had overpowered me." As Kurama's words sank in, Kuwabara realized what he had to do. Kurama was right; he couldn't allow his fear of monster-Yusuke to affect his relationship with his best friend.

Kuwabara stood suddenly, nearly spilling his tea as he did. Kurama watched him impassively, his face a blank mask. He took the teacup from Kuwabara wordlessly when the psychic held it out to him and watched as the younger boy pulled on his jacket and turned for the door.

"I gotta go. Thanks for the tea." And then he was gone, leaving the door wide open behind him as he strode purposefully down the hall and out of sight. Kurama heard him exchange goodbyes with Shiori, then heard the front door open and close.

"Good luck…" he murmured, setting Kuwabara's teacup back on the tray. He looked back down at the book in his lap, but his mind was elsewhere, pondering the situation at hand.

When Kuwabara had first showed up at his house, some six months ago, Kurama had gotten the sense that his visit had less to do with seeing Kurama than with avoiding Yusuke. Obviously something had happened between the two to severely affect their friendship. Perhaps Yusuke had done something that made Kuwabara's still-recovering mind flashback to his abuse. He had thought that Kuwabara's fear of his best friend would be temporary; resolve on its own.

But as the weeks stretched into months, it had become apparent that Kuwabara was seeking to replace what he had lost from Yusuke in a new type of friendship with Kurama. The problem was that Kurama simply wasn't compatible with the type of friendship Kuwabara sought. Obviously he felt a certain affection for his human teammate, but he was not the type of person to form close, intimate friendships with most people. Hiei was, of course, the exception to that rule, but even he did not know a good deal about Kurama. The fox was rather tight-lipped about his personal life, especially where it concerned his past. Kuwabara wanted a full-disclosure relationship, like he'd had with Yusuke. And it was not even so much that Yusuke and Kuwabara talked about their pasts with each other, but more that they had lived them together. Kurama had grown up centuries prior in a world Yusuke and Kuwabara could not hope to understand.

So Kurama had waited, allowing Kuwabara the time he needed to realize that his relationship with Yusuke was a necessary thing; irreplaceable. And, though it had taken longer than Kurama had expected, Kuwabara had finally come to that conclusion. It was the part about fear that had thrown Kurama off… He wasn't sure exactly what had happened between Yusuke and Kuwabara anymore to make Kuwabara "too afraid" to be around Yusuke, but he was fairly certain the humans would work it out by themselves. Either that, or Kuwabara would return and Kurama would be given another clue.

Satisfied, Kurama began once again reading the fine print of his biochemistry textbook…

-

Yusuke's mouth fell open in a small 'o' of surprise as he opened his front door and found Kuwabara on the other side. The two friends stared at one another for a moment, the silence thick with the words they did not say. Then Kuwabara forced a grin.

"I figured you needed someone to kick your ass at Goblin City. Wouldn't want you to get too full of yourself, Urameshi." And just like that, the months of silence and awkwardness were repaired, forgotten, forgiven. Yusuke grabbed a jacket and followed Kuwabara down to the street, where they met Keiko. She took one look at Yusuke and Kuwabara and smiled.

"Hey, Yusuke. Hey, Kuwabara. I was just on my way up to visit Atsuko. Where are you guys headed?"

"We're going to the arcade," replied Yusuke, a smile firmly in place on his face. "Dumbass here thinks he can beat me at Goblin City." Keiko rolled her eyes, still beaming.

"Yes, well, have fun. And don't pout when you lose, Yusuke, it makes you look like a poor sport."

"Hey!" But there was no trace of anger on Yusuke's face. He was far too delighted to have his best friend back. Keiko turned for the stairs, then paused and looked back over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Yusuke, I don't think I'm going to be able to make our dinner plans tonight. I'm really sorry, but I have a lot of studying to do."

"Yeah, yeah with the studying. Go on and study, then, bookworm." Still, Yusuke was smiling. Kuwabara smiled at her as well, knowing she had done that on purpose to give Yusuke more time to spend with him. Good old Keiko…

"Hey, enough stalling, Urameshi, let's go!"

"So eager to get your ass beat, huh?"

"Ha! Maybe in your dreams…" The friendly banter continued as the two teens headed off to make up for lost time.

-

Kurama's head snapped up as he felt Hiei's familiar energy nearing his house. The fire demon was back? How odd… he hadn't been lying when he'd told Kuwabara that Makian rumors had Hiei working with Mukuro. Setting aside his chemistry book, Kurama shut his door, then went and unlocked the window, staring outside curiously. Hiei loomed up suddenly, shoved the window open, and climbed inside.

Kurama blinked. Hiei looked exhausted. His clothes were battle-worn, he had minor injuries all over him, and his right arm was once again wrapped in bandages.

"What happened to you?" Hiei shrugged.

"Someone mouthed off to me. I'm hungry." He moved past Kurama to the remains of the tea cakes and shoved one into his mouth. Kurama stared for a moment longer, then composed himself.

"Where have you been? I heard you were working for Mukuro." Again, Hiei shrugged, shoving another tea cake into his mouth before he even swallowed the first. To anyone who didn't know him, it appeared that Hiei was simply hungry. To his partner, it was obvious that Hiei was using food as a stall tactic to avoid answering Kurama's questions. No matter; Kurama could be patient. He moved back to his desk and sat down, folding his hands patiently in his lap. Hiei shot him a suspicious look as he reached for his third tea cake, but Kurama waved a hand dismissively.

"No, please, keep eating. I can wait." Hiei scowled, refusing to be goaded by the fox's passive-aggressive jab, and continued chewing deliberately. Another tea cake was shoved in to join the first two; Hiei's cheeks were beginning to bulge. Kurama raised an eyebrow, his expression mild. "Mind you don't choke, Hiei." There was amusement in his tone.

Finally, with a great gulp, Hiei swallowed his mouthful of food and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Kurama opened his mouth to ask his question again, but Hiei immediately reached for another tea cake, a challenging smirk on his face. Kurama sighed, rolling his eyes. Hiei paused suddenly, the tea cake halfway to his mouth, and sniffed suspiciously.

"Why was he here?" Kurama frowned, wondering who Hiei was referring to, then remembered Kuwabara's tea cake incident.

"Who, Kuwabara? He was just visiting. Why do you ask?"

"Kuwabara doesn't 'visit' with you." It was a statement, not a question. Kurama's frown deepened, unsure why Hiei was so angry.

"Actually, he's been here nearly every day since you left. I'm not sure what happened between them, but I'm fairly certain he was avoiding Yusuke."

"He's been avoiding Yusuke for six months?!" Hiei had gone from angry to furious, though Kurama could not see how Yusuke and Kuwabara's relationship had any bearing on him.

"He was, but I think he got over whatever was bothering him today. He was going to find Yusuke when he left my house."

"When was that?"

"A few hours ago… Why does this bother you so much, Hiei?"

"It doesn't!" he snapped, dropping the tea cake. "And what the hell did you put in these cakes? I feel sick!" Rising swiftly, Hiei bolted to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Kurama stared at the door, perplexed, as his mind went to work decoding every last bit of Hiei's nonverbal communication.

-

Safely hidden behind the solid oak door, Hiei doubled over as the unidentified emotion swept through his body, accompanied by a surge of guilt. Why had he trusted that fool human to take care of his own problems?! For six months he had avoided confronting Yusuke about raping him?! And he had run to Kurama of all people?!

'I should have stayed,' Hiei thought viciously, his anger directed only at himself. 'I should have made the fool confront Yusuke and been done with it. Hell, I should have confronted the boy myself! Never trust an idiot to do the right thing!'

For six months, Hiei had avoided acknowledging the truth by immersing himself in nearly suicidal training with Mukuro's troops. Upon arriving at her headquarters, he had offered to train her troops under one condition: he was allowed to kill as many as he liked. She had countered with an offer as her advisor and training access with her elites. Her one stipulation had been that Hiei not kill her elites unless given sufficient reason to do so. He had agreed reluctantly because no better offer was available, and the arrangement had turned out to be beneficial for both sides. Hiei got his distraction; Mukuro got an advisor and some much-needed training for her elites.

Unfortunately, thoughts of Kuwabara had merely been repressed, not forgotten, and they had returned with a vengeance about a month prior to Hiei's return to the human world. He had tried unsuccessfully to push the thoughts from his mind again, but memories of Kuwabara's agonized face haunted his dreams on a nightly basis. Slowly, his reluctant mind had come to a startling conclusion: Kuwabara was important to him. No, not just important, vital to his own peace of mind. Though he was still unsure exactly why his own happiness was so contingent upon someone who had, for the longest time, been nothing more than an annoyance, the fact remained that it was true.

Following this revelation, Hiei had informed Mukuro of his intentions to return to the human world only to be met with hostility from her. She had demanded a reason, and when Hiei had refused to give one, she had accused him of treason and had him run off of her base. Word had spread quickly of Hiei's treachery, and his journey home had been far from peaceful. Everyone within the kingdom had apparently been out for his blood; which is not to say, of course, that any of them had had the pleasure of sampling it. Still, Hiei loathed being falsely accused. He fully intended to have his revenge upon Mukuro once the situation with Kuwabara was resolved.

But what was the situation with Kuwabara? For some unknown reason, Hiei needed to Kuwabara to be happy in order for himself to be happy. So what was he supposed to do, follow the human around and shower him with kittens and sweet snow and other foolish human things? He did not have the time or patience for that. Nor did he have the resources to get those things. Hiei swore inwardly as his mind drew a blank. This was exactly the sort of thing he needed Kurama's help with, and yet this was the last thing he wanted the fox to know about! If only this entire situation had never happened to awaken that damned emotion, he would be living his life in Makai; free of humans and their complications!

Whatever was going to happen, Hiei knew that it would involve him seeing Kuwabara. Kurama had said that he was hanging out with Yusuke at the moment, so Hiei resolved to visit him that night and figure out what he was going to do from there. One thing was positive in his mind: whatever happened, he was going to settle this situation tonight and get on with his life. Firm in his decision at last, Hiei steeled himself against Kurama's inevitable queries and stepped back out into the red-head's room…

-

"Kazuma Kuwabara, you are officially the worst player Goblin City has ever had. Congratulations, the prize is a big fat pile of YOU SUCK!!" Yusuke and Kuwabara were strolling amiably down the street after a successful night spent frustrating themselves at their favorite game: Goblin City. Despite his loud-mouthed mockery, Yusuke had done only marginally better than his friend, but Kuwabara was content to let him have his fun. His and Yusuke's dynamic still hadn't returned to its previous state, and Kuwabara didn't want to do anything to upset the mending of their friendship. Besides, the night was almost over; he would be away from Yusuke soon enough.

"Yeah, well, winner gets to buy dinner." He smirked at his friend as they turned towards their favorite diner. Yusuke opened his mouth to shoot back some snarky reply when they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Kazuma! Yusuke! Hold up a sec, guys!" The boys turned to see Shizuru running down the sidewalk towards them with two duffle bags over her shoulders. Kuwabara frowned, wondering what had Shizuru so upset; she never ran like that unless there was trouble.

"Hey, sis, what's up?" Shizuru brushed her hair back as she caught her breath, then immediately pulled out a cigarette.

"Wow, I'm glad I found you. Keiko said she thought you guys were going to go eat after you went to the arcade. Listen, baby bro, there's been a gas leak on our block, so you can't come home tonight. I'm going to go stay with Kaia. It's up to you whether you come and stay there with me or go somewhere else. She said you're welcome if you want to come." Kuwabara sighed, weighing his options. He could go to Kaia's and become her human hairstyle tester (she was in cosmetology school, still striving to pass the exam for licensure; Kuwabara was quite certain she would never pass), or he could go to Kurama's and see if he could beg a night or two under his roof. He was pretty sure the ex-thief would agree, but that would most likely lead to more awkward conversations Kuwabara didn't want to have. Still, it might be better than-

"Hey man, don't stress. You can come crash with me until your house gets de-gas-ified." Yusuke clapped Kuwabara on the shoulder with a grin. Kuwabara froze, his muscles clenched almost painfully as memories of his last "sleep-over" with Yusuke flooded his mind.

"Hey, sounds great," said Shizuru brightly, draping the smaller duffle bag around her brother's neck. She turned in the direction she had come from. "I'm off to Kaia's, call me if you need anything. And don't forget to thank Atsuko!" The last part was shouted over her shoulder; almost an afterthought as she disappeared into the distance. Yusuke turned to his friend with a grin.

"My mom just bought a new case of beer and a couple bottles of sake for a party that she didn't even end up going to. I'm sure she won't mind if we take a few off her hands." He elbowed his friend playfully, trying to get a response out of his suddenly frozen form. Kuwabara could not make his body respond to his friend's light-hearted antics.

No no NO! This was all wrong! This was exactly how the incident had begun! A few beers, some good-natured joking, a disturbing drunken confession… and then rape. Kuwabara shuddered, his frozen muscles unlocking as they spasmed harshly. Yusuke stared at him, unsure.

"You know, I don't wanna burden you. I can go stay at Kaia's, it's no big deal." Kuwabara hoped his face was as casual as he thought it was. Yusuke frowned at him.

"Seriously, it's fine. You know my mom won't care. She probably won't even be conscious long enough to know you're there."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm sure my sis would rather I was with her." Yusuke's eyes narrowed as he studied his friend. He could tell when he was being rejected…

"You don't want to stay at my house?" There was a poorly-hidden note of resentful disappointment in Yusuke's voice. The rejection was strong in his eyes, and even his aura seemed to dim a little. Kuwabara softened in spite of himself. If he was going to give Yusuke a second chance, he deserved a full second chance.

"Naw, man, I just didn't want to bug you. If you're sure it's cool, I'm there." The effect was instantaneous. Yusuke brightened visibly; even his aura.

"You know you've got a standing invitation. C'mon, let's go set up the couch for you." Kuwabara nodded, shouldering his duffle bag, and followed his friend along the familiar path to his apartment with a gnawing fear growing in the pit of his stomach.

-

Hiei looked up as he heard someone approaching, then scowled to see that it was the wrong member of the Kuwabara family. He stayed still, allowing himself to melt back into the shadows outside Kuwabara's house, and hoped she wouldn't notice him.

"Hey, Hiei…" Shizuru's voice sounded uncertain. "Kazuma said you were in the Makai…" Hiei stopped himself from muttering a few choice swear words; he had forgotten that psychic sensitivity ran in the family.

"I was and I'm back. Where is your brother?" Shizuru looked confused.

"Um, I'm pretty sure he's staying at Yusuke's tonight. There was a gas leak, so we can't go home- Hey! Where are you going?" But Hiei was gone before she even finished her sentence. He wasn't sure why, but the unknown emotion compelled him to see Kuwabara… tonight. A strange feeling of trepidation was growing in him as he raced towards Yusuke's house.

-

"No, seriously, Yusuke, I'm fine. I don't want another beer."

"Aw c'mon, man, you've only had, like, two!" Yusuke's outstretched hand clutched a can of the premium beer Atsuko had left in the fridge, offering it to his friend with a drunken smile on his face. Exactly how Yusuke had managed to get so drunk so fast was something Kuwabara was still trying to puzzle out, but the fact remained that the spirit detective was absolutely hammered.

"Don' go light-weight on me now, Kuwabara! Or are you admittin' that' I c'n out-drink you?" Yusuke's taunting edge was lost among his drunken slurring. Kuwabara took a step back, trying not to panic. Yusuke was just drunk; he hadn't tried anything. Kuwabara wouldn't run away. He was a man, he could handle it!

"Dude, you're smashed. Let's just go watch TV or something, ok?" Why, why had Atsuko decided to go to some dumb party tonight? Not that she would be able to do anything against Yusuke's beast-like strength- No! Everything was fine; Yusuke was just a little drunk. This happened all the time; there was no need for Kuwabara to panic.

"Yeah, ok." Yusuke's compliant tone eased some of Kuwabara's fears. They would probably end up watching TV until Yusuke passed out. Kuwabara would be fine.

Yusuke stumbled into the living room and plopped down on the couch with a grunt. Kuwabara sank down on the floor, resting his back against the couch as he forced himself to remain calm. Yusuke deserved a full second chance. The incident before had been a freak accident. Everything was fine now.

After a few minutes, Yusuke became very quiet behind him. Assuming that the Spirit Detective had passed out, Kuwabara began to relax. Then he felt Yusuke's hot breath on the back of his neck.

"Wanna know a secret?" Kuwabara froze. He could smell the alcohol that saturated Yusuke's system and clouded his mind. Slowly, he turned back to look into the eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past six months; the eyes of a monster.

Kuwabara yelled and threw himself away from the drunken monster on the couch. Yusuke's eyes followed him; the warm brown seeming to harden and take on a reddish tint. Kuwabara's Spirit Sword materialized in his hand; his heart thumped unevenly as his nightmare began to unfold the same way it had so many times in his dreams… except this time he wasn't dreaming.

"Yusuke, I'm not shitting you! I swear to God, if you come any closer I'll-"

"We both know that I'm stronger, Kazuma…" That voice! It wasn't Yusuke's friendly voice that issued from his mouth, but something infinitely more sinister; the sly tone reminded him of Kurama's alter-ego, Youko. Kuwabara took another step back as Yusuke sat up, his eyes far more focused than any drunkard's should have been. "Just like we both know that you enjoyed what I did to you last time. Don't think I didn't notice that not all of your moans were pained. And your body's reactions… marvelous!"

"Y-Yusuke, stop it!" Kuwabara had taken another step back, panic over-taking him. He was about to take another step back when something rushed by him and Hiei materialized on top of Yusuke, his sword pressed to the Detective's throat.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but believe me when I say that I have no qualms about killing this human if it means killing you as well." Hiei's voice was like cold steel; Kuwabara had never seen him quite like this before.

"You won't kill him," purred the sly voice. Kuwabara gaped at his words; what was going on?! "He's your friend, your teammate. And besides, it would get you arrested again…"

"I'll do whatever I have to do to destroy you." Hiei's voice was flat, cold. The blade pressed a little harder to Yusuke's neck; blood began to bead around the blade. Yusuke's eyes widened slightly, but his voice remained steady.

"I don't believe you."

"Very well." Hiei drew back his sword, then swung it forward; death in his movements.

"NO!" Yusuke's body shuddered once as some greenish substance poured from his mouth, materializing into a snake-like demon. Hiei dropped Yusuke's body, his sword millimeters from the boy's neck, and swung around to plunge the blade into the snake's body instead. It let out a piercing scream and a thick black liquid fountained around Hiei's sword. Kuwabara could do nothing but stare, his Spirit Sword hanging limply by his side. As of yet, Hiei had not even acknowledged his presence…

Finally, Hiei turned back to him, and his face was kinder, softer than Kuwabara had ever seen it. His eyes held concern and… something else Kuwabara had never seen in them before.

"Are you alright?" There was an odd tone to Hiei's voice that contrasted so sharply with the cold steel Kuwabara had heard before that he almost thought it was a different person speaking.

"What just happened?!" Kuwabara wanted to go check Yusuke, to examine the slain monster, to do anything but stand there like an idiot, but his muscles were still locked in place. "What the fucking hell just happened?!" Cautiously, it seemed, Hiei took a step closer to Kuwabara, his eyes intent on the human's panicked face.

"Calm down, Kuwabara. Release your sword; there's no need for it." Hiei was still speaking in that odd tone, but his voice took on an edge of command.

"No! Tell me what the fucking hell just climbed out of my best friend's body!" Kuwabara's sword-hand twitched, his eyes flicking swiftly between Hiei, Yusuke, and the bleeding corpse on the floor.

"It was a demon, obviously. One that excelled at possession and host manipulation. Yusuke was trapped within his own body." Hiei took another cautious step forward, his red eyes locked with Kuwabara's panicked black eyes. "Put the sword away, Kuwabara; you're panicking."

"And is Yusuke ok?" prompted Kuwabara, his voice wavering as his body tried desperately to cope with the surplus of stress.

"He's fine, I barely nicked his neck. Now put that God-damned sword away!" Kuwabara twitched again, then finally let his Spirit Sword dissipate. He fell forward at once as his over-stressed mind shut itself down. Hiei sighed; he had expected as much.

Snatching Yusuke's unconscious body from the couch, Hiei deposited him in his bed, then returned to the living room, scooped Kuwabara into his arms, and gently laid him on the couch. The red-head was certainly down for the count, but he would wake up eventually; he just needed time for his frazzled mind to process everything it had just endured. As for Yusuke… Hiei wasn't sure what to do to help someone recover from demonic possession. Perhaps Genkai would be of use in this situation. But Kuwabara… Hiei glanced at the psychic's sleeping form and decided that he had more than enough time to fetch Genkai and return before he woke up.

A moment later, Hiei leapt lightly from the window and sprinted off in the direction of Genkai's complex.

Wow, that was one hell of a long chapter! Yeah, I know, it was a lil boring sometimes, but I did the best I could! I hope no one is TOO disappointed by this chapter. In any case, this should keep you all from going rabid on me as I try to juggle work, school, being annoyingly sickly, and writing. Please review!! MUCH LOVE!!

~Princess Seki