WARNING: YAOI content.  I warned you....

(Please note: Yu Yu Hakusho and characters are the property of Yoshihiro 
Togashi, Shonen Jump Weekly, Fuji Television, and Studio Pierrot, etc., 
etc., etc.  All song lyrics (c) 1990 Bon Jovi Publishing/PRI Music, Inc.  
There.  That's my disclaimer.  Don't bother suing me, I don't even own my 
own computer.)

Bishonen no Miko presents:
Mirrors of Truth, Chapter One

***   ***   ***

He winced in pain and gasped as he tried to tear his eyes open.  God, he 
never thought that consciousness could hurt so much!  But his eyes wouldn't 
open, and he did not know why.  He was still lying on his back; that much 
he knew.  By sheer reflex, he tested the restraints on his wrists and regretted 
it immediately as the sharp barbs dug into his arms and legs.  His entire 
body began shaking, making it worse.  He felt so strange, tied down by 
barbed wire which encircled his entire body.  His arms and legs were 
spread apart, his wrists and ankles tied together to two poles.  It made his 
back ache.  But he didn't really notice, for his entire body hurt all over.  He 
was badly bruised and cut open, blood seeping from his wounds, matting 
the once brilliant silver hair.  He flicked his ears foward, grateful that they 
didn't hurt, straining to catch some sound, but he could hear nothing.  

*Good, he's not here.*    

He sighed again, now thinking about his friends - Yusuke, Kuwabara, 
Hiei... especially Hiei.

 *Hiei, where are you?*  Then the quick footsteps jolted him back to reality.
Kurama strained to turn his head, but stopped as more barbs cut into his 
delicate face.

 "Awake, hmm?  You have come back to me, my wonderful, beautiful 
youko."  That voice.  It seemed so familiar.  Why couldn't he place it?  

"Shall we try that again?"   Kurama struggled against the wire, but the 
barbs cut into him more and more.  "Why do you fight me?  Do you like 
pain?"  The youkai held out his glowing hands and held them over the bed.  
Kurama couldn't help but cry out as the jolt of energy hit him, knocking 
him to the edge of consciousness.

"There now, that's better," he heard the youkai saying, then he felt the 
heavier man's weight above him, pressing into him.

*Oh god, no, not that!  Stop it, stop!*  Kurama cried out in confusion as 
the youkai forced himself into him.  He wished he could pass out.  

*Hiei, help me!*

***   ***   ***

Chapter 1: Kurama

You're looking for salvation
You thought that it'd be shining 
Like an angel's light
Well, the angels left this nation
And salvation caught the last train
Out tonight
		-"Miracle" Jon Bon Jovi

The two young men padded through the halls of the hospital.  The shorter 
one wore a scowl on his face.  He had short black hair, greased back 
except for a few rebellious strands which insistently poked foward.  It 
suited him though, his uncontrolled hair as did his rumpled shirt and worn 
jeans.  Yusuke turned to his companion as if he wanted to say something, 
but he changed his mind and turned his head away.  The other man was 
easily taller by at least a head.  He had a trimmed pompadour of reddish 
hair and was sweating heavily under a heavy trench coat.  He reached out 
his hand now and ran it along the walls as they walked.  The walls reminded 
Kuwabara of puke, being that they were painted a sickly shade of muddy 
green.  They turned down another corridor, then turned left to face a door.  
Kuwabura's hand slid down the wall and across the door, and then he 
turned the knob and went in.  Yusuke paused for a moment, then 
followed him in. 

There was a young man sitting next to the bed, but he was asleep, curled 
up on his chair, his head tucked into his arms.  He looked strangely 
vulnerable for once, asleep in the chair like that, tucked away as if he could 
hide himself from the truth.  Kuwabara found it stranger still that of all 
people, Hiei would be here.  His spiky black hair stuck out everywhere 
chaotically, waving slightly in the breeze that blew through the window.  
The cool breeze ruffled something up on the bed as well - a long strand of 
scarlet red hair.  Yusuke and Kuwabura looked down at Kurama, his face 
pale in contrast against his flaming red hair.  His eyes were half open, but 
glazed over and unseeing, a dull green.  He was in a coma, as he had been 
for several days.  The sleeping figure next to the bed suddenly jerked his 
head up.

"No change?" asked Kuwabara, but he already knew the answer.

Hiei merely shook his head.  He looked down at Kurama's still form.  

"Problem is, they think it's a human illness... and it's not," Yusuke said 
flatly, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, well..."  Kuwabara cleared his throat as he heard voices and 
footsteps in the hallway.  Hiei promptly disappeared.  A moment later, 
Kurama's mother and brother walked in.  

"Urameshi-san, Kuwabara-san?" said Shiori softly.  She turned to her son.  
"I'm sure it means a lot Shuuichi that you're here," she began to say, but 
then she started crying.  Shuu-chan comforted his mother.  She sank down 
into a chair, Shuu-chan next to her, holding her hand in his, but then 
younger boy suddenly turned to Kurama's body.  His eyes widened and he 
breathed out, "What the...?"

Shiori turned to see what Shuu-chan was looking at, and passed out.

***   ***   ***

"Minamino-san, Minamino-san, wake up."  Shiori opened her eyes to see 
Yusuke and Kuwabara leaning over her.  Shuu-chan knelt on the floor, 
holding her hand.  "Are you alright?"

"Shuu... Shuuichi?" she asked faintly, not really wanting to hear the 
answer.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other, then Yusuke said, "Uh, yeah.  
We know.  There's a lot that needs to be explained."

They helped Shiori up, but once she saw Kurama, she refused to move 
from where she stood.  The young man in the bed had silver hair, not red, 
and his eyes were gold.  Cat-like ears poked out of the top of his head.  
But he hadn't moved at all.  Hiei suddenly blipped back into the room and 
quickly assessed the situation.

Shiori sank back into the chair again and looked at Yusuke, agitated.  

"Ah, where do I begin?  Well, you know what a youko is, right?"  Shiori 
gave the faintest of nods.  "Your son Shuuichi... is really a youko named 
Kurama.  When he was in the Makai, he was killed and came to the 
Ningenkai to find a place to be reincarnated.  He found it in the body of the 
child which you bore and later named Shuichi."  Yusuke shifted 
uncomfortably, not sure if Kurama's mother believed him or not.

"So that's why you called him Kurama sometimes; I always wondered," 
she murmured.  "But that's his real form then?"

"Yes and no.  His body is human now, but his soul is youko.  He only 
reverts back into his youko form..."

"...in life-threatening situations," finished Hiei.  Shiori turned and looked 
at him.

"I've seen you before but Shuichi never said anything about you."

Hiei shrugged.  "Hn.  I'm only here now because Kurama's life is in 
danger."  He ran his fingers down a long strand of silver hair, then turned to 
Yusuke and Kuwabara and said, "It's only getting worse.  We have to find 
the source of his sickness."

"We are in a hospital, you know," said Kuwabara.

"Baka!  His human body is fine.  It's his mind, his soul, that is being attacked."  

Kuwabara opened his mouth to reply in kind, but Shiori suddenly said, 
"Please help him.  Even though he... If the doctors cannot do anything, then 
you must.  You seem to understand this better than anyone."

Yusuke smiled reassuringly.  "Of course - we'll do our best.  We won't let 
Kurama down.  But I'm hesitant to leave him... whoever or whatever has 
done this to him may be waiting for us to leave just so he can attack.  Hiei, 
Kuwabara; you two go to the Makai.  I will stay here and watch him."

Hiei and Kuwabara looked at each other disapprovingly.  Hiei spoke up 
first.  "What good will this idiot do?  He'll just slow me down."

"ME?  Why you little runt..."

Gritting his teeth, Yusuke barked out, "Enough!  Get going!"

"Hn." Hiei gave him a look and then blipped out.  Kuwabara shrugged 
and walked out the door.

"Will they be enough?" Shiori asked Yusuke as he watched his friends 
through the window.

*I hope so...*   

***   ***   ***

End chapter 1
	
 Author's notes:  Ok, if anyone really knows the YYH series, they will see 
that I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm still having fun.  This is 
my first fanfic and yes, I was inspired to do it because I saw everyone 
else's fanfics.  I'm kinda using the soundtrack to "Blaze of Glory: Young 
Guns II" as my theme.  Why?  I dunno... it's pretty much irrelevant.  
There's going to be a lot of Yaoi in the future, does any one care?  Guess 
not....

If anyone wants to reach me, come to my Shrine of Bishonen at:
http://www.aestheticism.com/visitors/Miko/
or you can e-mail me at:
bishonennomiko@rocketmail.com

Bishonen no Miko, April 9, 1997