Hiei opened his eyes, the sheer effort was enough to make him howl with frustration. With a groan, he turned to his side, panting for breath as shards of pain stabbed throughout his body. What he needed was what those humans called a "vacation." Preferably someplace with a nice, soft bed. His eyes focused a few feet away from him. What he saw made him want to scream with pure, undiluted anger.

Kurama was kneeling in front of Yokosu, his head tipped back, mouth agape in a silent scream even as his eyes went blank. Yokosu was bent over the motionless figure, his tongue flicking out to lick slowly up Kurama's cheek, tasting the sheen of fear that made his face glisten. Yokosu held Kurama by the hair, his long fingers clenched tightly around a fistful of the blood red strands. Then his mouth opened wide, sharp fangs glittering as he bent closer to Kurama's face. His tongue lapped at the tears that trickled from Kurama's wide eyes.

"Get your filthy hands off him, you snake!" Hiei growled even as he charged towards the two.

Yokosu's head snapped around in surprise, his tongue still flicking out into the night air. But he wasn't able to dodge the quick blow that Hiei threw at him. Yokosu hissed as he stumbled back, hands clutching at his throat. He gagged, tasting the bitter bile that rose up in protest, his chest heaving as he tried to draw breath. Before he could retaliate, Hiei had already snatched Kurama from his grasp and was gone.

Yokosu howled, a thin scream that shattered the still air. Oh, they were going to pay. Then he dropped down to his knees, focusing his ki to heal the damage.

Hiei gave a ragged gasp as he dropped down from his tree, thankful for the numerous trees that provided an escape route. He hoped that Yokosu choked from that blow. With a quick look around, he gently laid Kurama against the tree trunk. Hiei peered around again to make sure Yokosu wasn't anywhere near, then took a good look at his friend's face.

Kurama stared at him with blank green eyes, unseeing and uncaring. Hiei touched the raw red tracks that Yokosu's tongue had left behind, and silently swore that he would make that monster suffer a long, slow death.

"Kurama? Kurama, wake up." He shook the red head's shoulders lightly. "Oi, Kurama, snap out of it."

This wasn't working at all, Hiei thought. He needed Kurama awake right now; they didn't have time for this. Yokosu was on a rampage and he needed to be stopped. Hiei spared a quick thought for Yuusuke, Botan and the idiot Kuwabara. Hopefully, they were coming up with some kind of plan to stop Yokosu. But, Hiei thought morosely, with Kuwabara, that wasn't entirely likely.

He gave Kurama another shake, then sat back on his heels. He focused his ki, gathering a small amount of energy in his palm, then slapped Kurama hard. The physical and psychic blow did the trick.

Kurama sat up with a gasp as a shock of pure fire thrummed from his cheek down to the tips of his toes. His eyes focused on Hiei's battered and bleeding face.

"Did you have to slap me so hard?" Kurama murmured with a tired smile, his hand cradling his reddening cheek.

"Hn." Hiei grunted. "Idiot."

"Thank you, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei stood up. He winced as pain lanced down his arm. Yes, he definitely needed a "vacation."

"Where are Yuusuke and Kuwabara? Where's Yokosu?" Fear strengthened Kurama's voice. "Gods, Hiei. He's strong. Stronger than anyone I've ever seen. And those eyes." He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "Those eyes can eat your soul." He looked up at the silent fire demon. "I thought I was going to die out there. I knew it, but I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was watch him come closer, and there was nothing I could have done to stop him."

"Stop that." Hiei ordered, not liking the hysteria that was creeping into Kurama's voice. He hid his own trepidation; he'd never seen Kurama so rattled. "We have to think of some way to kill that thing."

"His eyes." Kurama mumbled. "His eyes are the key. If you look into them, you're dead. That is his main defense, and his strongest weapon." Kurama's voice steadied as he began to think. "We have to-" He stopped when Hiei held up his hand for silence. Then he heard it, a small rustling from the bushes nearby.

"Kurama!" A voice hissed from the bushes. "Hiei! Where the hell are you guys??"

"Yuusuke!" Kurama exclaimed softly.

"Yow! Dammit, Urameshi, watch where you put your feet, will ya?"

"Hn. And the Idiot's here too. Too bad." Hiei grunted.

"HEY! I heard that!" Kuwabara blundered through the plants. "Why you little.."

"Kuwabara, for god's sake, will you stop that?" Yuusuke snarled as he followed through. "We've got more important things to do."

"Not as important as beating the shit out of that little-"

"Do not call me 'little' again, idiot." Hiei muttered.

"I've found a weakness." Kurama announced hastily even as he motioned for silence. "We have to get him under control NOW, before he catches anyone to feed on. Where's Botan?"

"Contacting Koenma. We need information on this Yokosu; how to beat him, and how he was caught in the first place." Yuusuke answered, as he moved towards the concealing bushes to peer out. "Hey, he's just sitting there. What's wrong with him? Let's get him!"

"I hit him. He's probably healing the damage." Hiei grumbled.

"We can't get near him," Kurama added. "It's his eyes. They're monstrous; he can paralyze you with a glance. And once you're paralyzed, you're finished. If it weren't for Hiei..."

"Hey, Hiei, you are good for something after all!" Kuwabara crowed.

Hiei ignored the insult. "Kurama says that if we can blind him somehow, maybe then we can take him out."

"How?" Yuusuke asked, "If we can't get near him..."

"How much power do you have left, Yuusuke? How big a shot can you give with your rei gun? " Kurama inquired as plans began to spin through his mind.

"I'll give it everything I've got. That bastard needs to pay." Yuusuke cracked his knuckles.

"Kuwabara, how about you?"

"I am Kuwabara, the all powerful wielder of the magical Rei- Ken! I am invincible!"

"How much, idiot?" Hiei snarled.

Kuwabara balled up his fist in reply, then muttered, "Enough to make that worm hurt."

"Good. Hiei. Can you summon the Kokuryuuha?"

"Yes." Hiei snapped out the reply, his eyes trained on the slowly moving figure in the clearing. "Make it quick, he's awake."

"Good. Here's the plan." Kurama stood up and quickly began to outline their desperate strategy.

"Sheesh. He's just full of it, isn't he?" Yuusuke muttered in exasperation.

"Well, it did get Yokosu's attention." Kurama answered with a grin.

Yokosu's frame unfolded from his kneeling position, head swinging around to find the conceited speaker. His eyes focused on the tall, orange haired human who stood at the edge of the clearing. A hiss echoed throughout the area as Yokosu began to stalk towards the insolently grinning Kuwabara.

"Get ready, Yuusuke," Kurama hissed as he focused his energy.

"A few more feet," Yuusuke muttered, "Just a couple more..."

"NOW!" Kurama screamed.

Yokosu halted in confusion as the human in front of him seemed to explode with hidden power. A huge sword of pure ki appeared in his hand, flooding the clearing with bright light. He threw his hands up to protect his sensitive eyes from the sudden brightness, his feet stumbling back in protest. He felt the grass underneath him writhe, then twist around his feet, twining around his ankles, legs and hips. He was trapped. With a snarl he dropped his hands to scrabble at the thick, ropy grass that ensnared him, but for each strand that he broke, new ones would shoot up to replace it. He looked up when the light began to dim; the giant sword had shrunk to the size of a normal blade. The human was close enough to trap. If he could just catch the human's eye...

"Kuwabara! Don't look into his eyes!" Kurama screamed in desperation as he shot out from his cover and began to run towards the pair.

But it was too late. Kuwabara was mindlessly stepping closer and closer towards the trapped youkai.

"Fuck. There goes the damned plan. Kurama! Drop down!" He heard Yuusuke yell.

Kurama dropped flat to the ground as a shot of golden energy whizzed over his head. But Yuusuke's angle was wrong. The streak of ki sped across Yokosu' face, missing it by mere inches. Yet it was enough that Yokosu was forced to drop Kuwabara's mesmerized eyes, the light blinding him momentarily.

"SHIT!" Yuusuke cursed. He'd used up the bulk of his leftover energy and it would take too long to recharge a shot strong enough to even scratch him.

"Kuwabara!" Kurama stood and dove for the confused human, tackling him to the ground.

"HIEI!!! NOW!!" Kurama screamed, focusing his ki so that the grass tightened around Yokosu's body, the grass ropes twining higher up his torso to hold him still.

A streak of shadow hissed across the night air, a gleam of dull silver flashed, and an ear-splitting scream of pure agony ripped at their ears.

Hiei materialized close to where Kurama and Kuwabara lay, and Kurama saw the dark ichor drip from Hiei's naked blade.

He looked back to see Yokosu convulsing within his cocoon of entrapping grass-rope, dark liquid spurting from his face. Kurama gagged and turned away at the sight of the gaping holes that had been Yokosu's eyes.

"Hiei. Finish it." Kurama said through a suddenly tight throat. He was so tired, he could barely hold the ropes together.

"Hn. My way?"

"Whatever you want." Kurama murmured with a sigh.

"You won't stop me this time?"

"No. But you'll explain to Koenma why his prisoner is going to get sent back in small sandwich bags." Kurama threatened weakly.

"Hn." A small smile touched Hiei's lips. "Fine."

Hiei turned towards the weakly struggling Yokosu. He flicked his blade to clean it of the dark liquid, then sheathed his sword. He'd sworn that Yokosu was going to suffer, and by god, he will.

"You still have to meet a friend of mine." Hiei smiled almost pleasantly. "Jaoh-Ensatsu-KokuryuuHA!"

The bandages began to burn and a dragon of black smoke, inky shadows and dark red eyes like it's owner, appeared with a roar, and began to feast.

"Isn't that..well... overkill?" Yuusuke asked as he draped Kuwabara's limp arm around his shoulders. He jerked his head over towards where Hiei's "little friend" was happily snapping and growling over the thinly screaming form of their enemy.

"He deserves a little fun, I think." Kurama shrugged, then winced as a particularly high pitched scream drilled into his head.

"Yeah. I guess so." Yuusuke said dubiously.

"..Mighty K'wabara.. defender of the universe.." Kuwabara muttered unintelligibly.

Yuusuke just rolled his eyes and walked away from the ongoing carnage. He hoped Botan was still in Kurama's apartment. He needed some of that healing right now, starting with the giant headache that was behind his eyes. He never realized that anyone or anything could scream as highly and as loudly as Yokosu.

They staggered away, holding the limp Kuwabara between them, and listened to the fading screams and the victorious roars of a dragon made of smoke and shadows.