He stood in the middle of the forest as Youko Kurama approached him slowly.

"Forbidden child." Kurama greeted with a smile. The youko had a mysterious expression on his face. His features was almost soft, loving. His eyes shone with happiness and contentment.

Suddenly, hope burned within the little demon. Could Kurama possibly want him too? Possibly love him back as well?

It was a morning of beauty as the sun was up, giving off warmth. It was neither cold nor hot - merely warm; just perfect. White doves were everywhere as feathers and red and white petals were around them, flying amidst a soft breeze. A small enchanting waterfall was nearby, giving off the peaceful sound of nature. The sky was blue with only a few fluffy clouds passing by.

"Kurama." the fire demon whispered as a slight smile touched his lips - his love for the old fox reflected within those red, ruby lips.

Kurama smiled back and it seemed that everything was so perfect - the surroundings reflecting the love of the two youkais.

Then Kurama gave the koorime a mocking laughter, his cold golden eyes menacing, as the small forest creatures all fled in fear, the skies suddenly becoming dark and stormy. Trees began to burn, leaving nothing in their place but ashes. "Me want you? Why would I ever want a small reject like you? You are nothing but a worthless child, dirty and undeserving. Who would ever want you?"

Hiei closed his eyes as those harsh words hit him. All those were true yet why did it still hurt? Why did the truth hurt?

Kurama laughed some more then suddenly called out a name.

When Hiei opened his eyes, he saw Kajiko standing by the youko. He couldn't believe it. Kajiko was actually real. He had hoped that all that was just a nightmare - that he really didn't have a brother, that he had never really gone to that evil realm and met a father and a brother...and lost a potential lover.

Kurama smirked evily at the young youkai. "He is who I want - clean, accepted and deserving of love. Not you! I will never want you! I will never love you! Stay there in the pits of pain where only beings too blinded with lust would take pity and rape you! That's what you deserve!" Then he walked away, Kajiko by his side.
 

Hiei woke up, his eyes suddenly opening. He saw nothing but darkness, so familiar but also a little frightening as it brought so many unpleasant memories. He moved to sit up but found that he couldn't. What was happening? He tried again but still failed. Slowly, he moved his head to the sides, hoping to find an answer. All he saw were wards and thick metal chains bounding him to a bed. A bed? What the hell? He remembered that he should be in another place right now but why was he here? How did he get here?

A deep, dark laughter echoed within the darkness of the room of his captivity.

Hiei focused his eyes but still couldn't see anything. The laughter...it was so familiar yet he couldn't place it. He knew he had heard it before - many times before but it was probably deep in his memories...the memories he had chosen to forget and bury with the use of his jagan. Realization hit him. Then that means the owner of the laughter was probably a being who had given him too much pain before - pain that had been too much, pain that he couldn't take, and pain that he, a being of pain, couldn't stand and thus had forced himself to forget.

A shadowed figure stepped by his side. "Nameless forbidden child, you're home."
 

A muffled whimper. That was what he had heard. He was certain. He stood up and headed to the source of the sound. It had woken him up. Who could it be? Who would be whimpering in the middle of the night? He walked slowly, suddenly wary as it could be a trap and came face to face with a small koorime boy trapped helplessly in a nightmare. He shook him softly but the koorime wouldn't budge. He shook him again.

Hiei woke up with a start, fear in his eyes and came face to face with Kurama. Suddenly his features hardened. It had been a nightmare - a painful nightmare from his past...and from his present. Kurama rejecting him. It had hurt even in the dream and it still hurt now in reality.

"Hiei, are you okay?" Kurama asked in a concerned tone.

Hiei rolled his eyes. How could Kurama act like this? It was so ironic that the half-youkai could at times be so good and at other times, be so cruel. Why did the kitsune have to care? It was making it more difficult for him...more painful as the fox could be so close yet so far.

"Hiei, what's wrong?" Kurama saw the expression of the koorime's face as he woke up. He couldn't be mistaken. It had been fear and a slight twinge of anger. Why was Hiei angry at him as well when he had always been neutral? "Are you mad at me or something?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kurama." Hiei told his friend without emotion. "I'm going back to sleep again so you could leave me now."

"Hiei..." Kurama began but saw that nothing else would be heard as the koorime had already closed his eyes and had already chose to ignore him.
 

Morning came quickly as Kurama rose up. Hiei and Yusuke were already up, sitting by the campfire but as usual, not really having a conversation.

"Good morning, Yusuke." Kurama greeted with a warm smile. "Hiei." he continued, turning to the fire demon.

"Ohayo, Kurama." Yusuke said, smiling as well.

Hiei chose to ignore him - again.

Yusuke eyed the little koorime in curiousity. There was a problem. There had to be when Hiei even chose to ignore his bestfriend - Kurama. "Hiei, daijobu?"

"Daijobu yo." Hiei answered quietly, anger in his eyes, a dark expression on his face.

Yusuke saw that. Hiei was lying. "Hiei..."

"Daijobu yo!" Hiei snarled as he stood up and left his two friends.

Kuwabara rose up suddenly. He felt something. Deep, cold and freezing pain mingled with anger. Was it Hiei? Somehow he couldn't believe it. The koorime didn't have feelings. Hiei just didn't have emotions. Could he have made them believe that he was actually cold? Suddenly, he understood. It had been a mask. Just a mask. How come he suddenly felt this?
 

The four tanteis walked towards their point of destination in silence.

Hiei was at the end, eyeing his three teammates with a glare. They knew. They somehow knew that he was in pain. He didn't like it. They knew he was weak. He didn't like that at all. He stared at the red hair of his bestfriend as it flew against a soft wind. Kurama was so beautiful. Kurama...

As they strode on amidst the forest, a black-clothed youko suddenly appeared in front of them. The youko had black hair and cold silver eyes.

Kurama froze as a whisper escaped his lips. "Taka..."

"Human boy?" the youko asked with a glare. "How did you know me?" He focused on the reiki of the red-haired ningen. He felt it - youki mingled with reiki. Youki with the signature of an old aquaintance. "Kurama..."

The three other tanteis watched the exchange in silence. It seemed that both youkos knew each other.

"Kurama." the youko began with a smirk. "It's been centuries. So, it is true that you have died and have reincarnated into a human boy. Funny. A powerful youko hiding in that pretty ningen msak."

"Taka, I still haven't forgotten everything. Even if Kuronue isn't fighting with me anymore, I'm still here. The fight can still continue on somehow."

"Weak." Taka said, suddenly laughing in madness. "You know you can never defeat me. Not even when you were with Kuronue."

He eyed the other three boys and snorted in amusement. "Interesting. You've surrounded yourself with three interesting boys."

He eyed Kuwabara. "A human? Ugly human? How typical. You've always surrounded yourself with weaklings. Weaklings like yourself."

He looked at Yusuke. "Hn. A half-ningen. Half-youkai. How interesting. Handsome too. Kurama..."

He chuckled then finally looked at Hiei. "And a pretty little youkai. Hn. Half fire demon. Half ice demon. Outcast, I presume? I sense his power. Boy, why do you hang out with these fools?"

He then looked at Kurama again, laughing at his expression. "Those two black-haired boys? Your toys?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared in confusion as Hiei scowled darkly. He hated being reffered to as that.

"Weaklings." the youko muttered in annoyance. "All of you." As soon as the words escaped his lips, he attacked, his hand outstretched as powerful youki escaped his fingers.

The sky grew dark as a thunder storm began. Lightning flashed as the fight began.

Yusuke raised his hand up and pointed his finger at the youko. "Rei-gun!"

The youko smiled but became nothing but air. An illusion.

Hiei unsheathed out his sword as his senses searched around for any signs of the youko.

Kuwabara tried to find their enemy as he took out his rei-ken.

Kurama took out a seed and turned it to a rose as he eyed the forest in anger. Taka - his enemy...his' and Kuronue's. It had been long ago - so long ago. It had first been a misunderstanding which had fastly escalated to deep and passionate anger, heat steaming out of that, each side destroying each other through words and finally through fists. He had been young then.

They all heard a mad laughter. Then darkness as lightning hit them all.

The youko laughed as he saw the four young bodies sprawled on the ground. "For all the powers of the four of you, you are still no match for me. For I am Taka, the black youko. Feared in Southern Makai. Only second to Yomi but will be first not long after. We will meet again, boys."

The tanteis lay in blood and bruises, unconsious all of them as a black youko walked away, laughing hysterically in the air.