Ultimate Conquest

Disclaimer: All Yu Yu Hakusho characters belong to their respective copyright owners. Other characters are copyright of the author. Other characters and events in this fanfic bear no intentional resemblance to those living or unliving, dead or undead; in this life, past life or after-life. If they do, it's just coincidence, okay? (Can I help it if I'm psychic?) Don't sue me, please. No $$$.

Chapter Two: Promises

"Well! We're here," De'ine announced cheerfully to the two men in the observation deck.

The journey had taken slightly longer than they had expected as the female youko had insisted on stopping by one of the smaller villages that they had passed along the way. Hiei looked out through the quartz dome, surveying the kingdom that Mukuro had deemed so important so as to warrant his having to put up with the irritating specimen of youko womanhood that scampered and bounced with happiness behind him.

Why was she so damn happy?

"Can't you stand still?" he snapped at the delighted youko.

At the sharp sound of Hiei's voice, De'ine stilled, her face registering a look of surprise as she stared at the fire demon with wide, black eyes. Eyes that started to tear as her little pout quivered. Kurama looked at the girl in alarm. Was she going to do what he thinks she was going to do?

"Shuuichi!" De'ine bawled, throwing herself into Kurama's arms, much to the ningen's surprise. "He's so mean! Why is he so mean?" she cried, loud sobs breaking the silence in the observation deck.

"Hn!" The gruff exclamation was all Hiei volunteered by way of explanation. What did he ever do to deserve this? Having to babysit a sex-crazed, crybaby she-youko who's trying to steal his lover. Damn! Mukuro was definitely going to pay for this!

Kurama hesitantly ran his hand over De'ine's fine gold mane after throwing an asking glance toward the fire demon.

A glance which Hiei ignored.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean it, De'ine," he shushed the sobbing girl, quietly.

De'ine continued to cry loud, tearless sobs into Kurama's chest as a small smile crept to her lips. She had never dreamt that she would ever meet him again. Never in a million years. But now here he was, in her arms.

Inari was just too kind.

* * *

"Thank you, Hiei, for the wonderful company," De'ine said as she stuck her hand out at the grim-faced fire demon. Seeing that Hiei had no intention of shaking her hand, De'ine withdrew with a sly smile on her face. "Okay, maybe not this time. Later, maybe, ne?" she said as she turned toward Kurama.

"Ah, Shuuichi, my delicious redheaded ningen." She ignored the rising of dark youki from Hiei, knowing that no matter how angry he was, he would never harm her in the redhead's presence. The latter, however, was harder to ignore, especially now when a soft blush had crept over his fine features.

"You have been such a pleasant surprise, dear Shuuichi. Such a very pleasant surprise." She punctuated her sentence by planting a deep, sensuous kiss on the surprised boy's lips, enjoying the softness of his mouth and the taste of his tongue. Kurama resisted feebly but ultimately surrendered to the insistent probing of her tongue.

She had always been a good kisser, he thought. She still is...

Kurama banished the thought from his mind as he tore himself from De'ine's grasp.

"Wh..! Stop that!"

"Why? Why should I stop, 'Shuuichi'?" De'ine asked with a glint in her dark eyes and a sly smile in her lips as she pulled back. "You've never complained before. Have my skills deteriorated so much, *Kurama*?"

Kurama's mouth gaped at her use of his Makai name.

"You...you know?"

De'ine smiled, a smile that was both bittersweet and taunting.

"How could I not know, Kurama-kun? Did you think I'd ever forget?"

Kurama could only stare at the smiling youko in silence as he tried to process this startling turn of events.

"Did you think I could ever forget the one I was supposed to bind with? The one who would have been my mate?"

De'ine gave a small laugh at the flustered redhead before her, delighting in the confusion and torn loyalties that roiled within the green pools of his eyes.

"Sou!"

Hiei's soft exclamation cut through Kurama's muddled thoughts, reminding him of the fire demon's presence. Kurama whirled toward the fire demon but the smaller youkai was gone, gone to Inari knows where.

Damn!

He would have told Hiei. He would have explained, but not now! Not this way! De'ine...

Kurama turned to the smiling she-youko, a cold, raging fire in his cool, green eyes.

"Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?" he asked coldly, his gaze trained upon the smiling black eyes before him.

"Me? I've always been happy, Kurama. Being satisfied is a whole different matter, but happy? I'm happy. I'm always happy to see you, koibito," she answered, her words dropping to a whisper as she reached to caress the boy's soft cheek.

Kurama swatted her hand away before she could touch him, the anger in his heart barely under control.

"Don't call me that! Whatever we had before is over!" he hissed.

De'ine stepped back, slightly surprised at Kurama's action but strangely delighting in the effect she was causing.

"Touchy! Touchy!" She waved her finger before his face before giving it a little peck and touching it to the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, lover. I know it's over. I just wanted to be sure that you still remembered me," her voice turned from its playful tone to one of wistfulness.

"I've missed you," she sighed as she turned to pick up her pack at her feet. The fortress doors had opened and her retainers were coming out to greet her. De'ine looked toward the small oncoming group and let out a resigned groan.

"Duty calls," she sighed, turning back once more to look at Kurama. She could see that the anger in his eyes had subsided, replaced by worry. She had an idea of what the redhead was worried about and for the second time since she had met Hiei, she felt the touch of the green fingers of jealousy. To be able to elicit these feelings from the cold youko spirit before her was an achievement indeed. He had never shown those feelings for her when they were together so long ago. She would have loved to get to know the youko more, especially now that his earlier cold self had been mellowed and tempered by the melding of the human spirit of Minamino Shuuichi. Before, Kurama had been merely beautiful, but now he was simply irresistible to her.

"You're worried about Hiei? Don't worry, Kurama. He'll be back," she said. As she turned away to walk towards her oncoming retainers, she laughingly tossed a question back at the redhead.

"He wouldn't leave his beloved fox, would he?"

Kurama stood still, the warm Makai wind tossing at his red locks with a gleeful abandon that did not reach his heart. He watched the retreating figure of his former lover walk away, oblivious to the damage she had caused, her parting words ringing in his ears.

"You don't know him, De'ine," the soft whisper escaped his lips. "He just might."

* * *

His eyes crinkled at the sight, adding a few more fine creases to the multitude of crows' feet that already edged the sallow eyelids. A satisfied smile slowly crept across his features as he watched the three figures in the water.

A youko, a ningen and a fire youkai. What a lovely combination of souls, he thought. His insides rumbled at the thought of the power those souls would contain, the energy and life that would feed him and prolong his existence to the end of eternity.

And so near.

The Ancient One watched in silence as the three separated, noting the exact locations of each being. He harumphed in annoyance when the human started to walk toward the fire demon, wondering how the ningen had managed to pinpoint the smaller one's exact location.

Perhaps the young one had strong reiki, he thought. It did not matter. Strength was nothing compared to his skill, the skill honed by aeons of practice. And such strength would be wonderfully rejuvenating. He turned back toward the golden youko, watching with rapt attention at her retreating figure. Now, this one, he pondered. This one had potential...

A soft nudging of his arm brought his attention to the small feline figure beside him.

"Ah, my friend!" He rubbed the black fur, scratching behind the upturned ears until the feline's purr reverberated throughout the room. "I am getting old, ne? So easily sidetracked now, yes? I would have forgotten if it were not for you, eh, my Little One?" The old man picked up the black cat, nuzzling his nose into its lush fur, bringing a louder purr from the animal.

"Time to get to work, Little One." The Ancient One put the feline on the floor and busied himself at his work bench. The timing had to be *just* right.

Once in a while, the old man would glance back at the bowl of water on the floor, licking his thin lips at the sight of the glowing energy contained in the figures he saw therein.

* * *

"Hiei. Listen to me!" Kurama had been pleading for Hiei's attention for the last five minutes but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"It was a long time ago. We were barely grown!"he implored the silent youkai who sat in the crook of a tall Makai shade tree, dark amber eyes gazing into the distant forest.

Kurama stood at the foot of the tree, hands on his hips as he glared at the stubborn form of his lover. It had taken him a good part of the last thirty minutes to try and catch up to the swift koorime and right now he was simply too tired from all the chasing to spend more time trying to pound some sense into his lover's thick skull. Kurama gave an exasperated sigh as he jumped into the tree, bounding from branch to branch with the inborn agility of a jungle cat. He landed on Hiei's branch, crouching before the scowling figure.

"Hiei..." he said, tiredly.

Hiei stared straight into the forest, seemingly not noticing the striking redhead before him.

" Are you going to listen to what I have to say? Or are you just going to stay here and let what she said get to you?"

A small look of annoyance flickered past Hiei's eyes. Kurama smiled, knowing that he had struck a nerve.

"Would you rather listen to her instead of me?" Kurama continued, pushing at Hiei with his words and gentle tone.

Silence.

Kurama sighed in exasperation.

"Well, she tells me more than you do," the koorime's deep voice finally answered. Hiei looked at the redhead before him, his red eyes wide and demanding. Kurama sighed again, settling to sit in a more comfortable position.

"Alright, Hiei. What do you want to know?"

"What do you want to tell me?"

"What you want hear?" Kurama said as he peeked hopefully from behind his scarlet bangs.

"Hn!"

"It was over a long time ago, Hiei. We were just kits, really. She was my first ...friend, that way and we...well..." Kurama groaned. This was harder then he thought it would be. " We just...made this stupid promise, that we'd be together always. It was a child's promise, Hiei! Nothing more!"

Hiei stared into the green depths of his lover's eyes, seeing the truth and the urgency of his plea. But still he felt this heavy tugging of his heart, a dull aching that refused to go away.

"A promise is a promise, Kurama," he muttered, voice low but still audible to the half-youko's ears.

"But it means nothing! Hiei, you can go and ask her, if you want. She'll tell you the same thing."

"Are youkos so glib with their promises, then, kitsune?" Kurama looked at Hiei with dismay, finally realizing what it was that disturbed the koorime so.

" Are they so easy for you to make?" Hiei continued, not allowing Kurama a chance to interrupt.

"...and break?"

"Hiei..."

Kurama could find no words to answer the simple queries of the fire demon. How could he, when there *were* no answers. A youko's spoken promise was only binding for as long as it was convenient. It was the only way a youko could survive. A creature of strong urges, the youko tended to get 'attached' to particular individuals but these attachments were fleeting. A promise that would bind a youko for eternity was one that required a lot of consideration, a willingness to give up his freedom of choice, his freedom to leave, wherever and whenever . A promise like that would have made the youko a slave, in every sense of the word. And that was one thing a youko could never be. Not without a very good reason. And as far as Kurama could remember, he had only made these eternal promises three times in the many centuries of his life: once, to Kuronue; the second, to Shiori and finally, to the one being that was tormenting him at that very moment.

"The promises you made to me, kitsune. Will they be as lasting?"

"Hiei! No! You are my ..."

Hiei waved his hand at Kurama with a resigned air. "Ne, kitsune. Don't say anything anymore. I need to think..."

And with that, the dark demon vanished, leaving no trace to his presence save for a few displaced leaves that fluttered silently to the ground.

Kurama sat, stunned as he helplessly felt Hiei's youki swiftly vanish. He turned toward the direction where Hiei had gone, his heart crushed. How long would it take for Hiei to come back to him? He had been so near...

The Makai forest rang with the sounds of its denizens. Once in a while, a shrill call by one of the fiercer inhabitants would momentarily still the ever-present noise, but the raucous atmosphere would resume in mere seconds, at times, even louder than before, as though in defiance of the creature that had the gall to silence their communication. Amidst the cacophany of the Makai greenery, none noticed the sound of two hearts torn apart, separated by a callous word of a former lover.

* * *

"When, Old One?"

"Soon. Very soon." The Ancient One sat on a wooden stool, his fingers weaving through the air. Golden wisps of light traced the paths his fingers took, forming an intricate cats' cradle between his hands. "Even as we speak, the pawns are being set." The old eyes looked up from the child's game turned magical, boring deep into the violet ones of the formless figure before him. "Soon, you will be free."

The Ancient One could very well imagine a cruel smile forming on thin lips as the figure answered coldly.

"Then soon, you'll have the Third Sight."

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