TBD - Lunar/VC92 YYH RP

The corridor was dark, moonlight streaming through the skylights in the roof. Kuroi and Ryoko moved through the shadows with ease. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" Ryo asked softly, "We haven't tackled such a high-risk area before..."

"It's fine~" Kuroi promised, bat wings fluttering, "My dad's birthday's coming up, and he's been eyeing this place for ages but mom doesn't like him thieving."

Ryo snorted, "Of course she doesn't know he taught you the trade."

"Hell~ no," Kuroi grinned, then tilted her head, "Shh, someone's coming." She and Ryo cloaked themselves and moved quietly and quickly to the other side of the hall while a guard rounded the one they were just at. They made their way around them and down the next path.

It wasn't until they got to the vault where everything went wrong. They were ambushed with lights dispersing their shadows and Kuroi sent streams of fire at the guards after her, but she heard Ryoko cry out, "Let her go!" she snapped, trying to jump after her.

"Go! Just get out of here!" Ryo shouted at the bat girl.

Kuroi knew the story of what happened to her dad and Youko by heart, and felt like history was repeating itself. Only this time, there was no one to save Ryo from certain death like her mom saved Kuronue. The pleading look in Ryo's blue eyes made Kuroi's stomach drop to her feet, and she gritted her teeth before spreading her wings wide and zoomed up towards the ceiling, weaving to miss chains and spears trying to take her down. She broke through the skylight and let the wind take her to safety.

She'd save Ryo. She had to, or she'd never forgive herself just like Youko.

~*~

"Kurama has brought something to my attention fairly recently," Koenma hummed as he sat in his adult form, looking at paperwork beneath him. Yusuke stood with his arms crossed about five feet from his desk, and Kurama would appear later, "A smuggling ring has been uncovered and while not generally unusual, it is this time. They've captured humans as well as other demons to sell off for food or...entertainment," he made a disapproving face, hoping he would catch his meaning, "As eating humans is forbidden now unless they are older or about to die anyway, this is extremely important. On top of it all...a rare breed of demon was discovered there. A vampire. Kurama hasn't been able to get many details besides that since he's fairly recognized and Hiei's unavailable for stealth working for Mukuro on another issue right now."

Yusuke scrunched up his nose at the mention of humans being smuggled into the Demon World, and the mere thought of them being used for a good meal or for pleasure disgusted him. "You've got to be kidding me... Here I thought the demons have started to behave themselves. I guess old habits die hard, even for them." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but then his expression turned serious with a brow quirked upright. "A vampire? They actually exist? That's news to me. If these smugglers are capturing a rare demon like that, they must be desperate."

He was quiet for a moment before his index finger rubbed the underside of his nose, a confident smirk creasing his lips. "Sounds like a piece of cake to me! Let me at the bastards; they sound like they need a good ass kicking anyway."

"While you have a knack for doing well when you run in and start shooting things, Yusuke," The doors opened as Kurama stepped in, "We need at least a general plan of action in order to save the hostages. The demons themselves, including the boss leader, will be fairly easy for us to take care of, being lower level demons. However, this vampire...we don't know how long she has gone without food, and may be unstable. She could attack us, or others, without meaning to."

"Well, /that's/ reassuring." Yusuke groaned out a complaint. "If that happens, I'll be the one to stop her." He immediately noticed Kurama's expression, and his smirk returned. "Relax, I'm not going to kill her. Unless she gives me a reason to, I'm more then willing to help her out. Besides, it sounds to me like those smuggler freaks need to learn their lesson."

"It would be good if you don't kill her, considering she is a hanyou like yourself," Koenma drawled, "The vampire is actually the main attraction, the whole reason why Kurama even found out. She can be sold for quite a high price. A notch on someone's bedpost. Food since this is a human auction by demons. There are some theories about how vampire flesh or blood would affect one's powers, make you stronger or give you special abilities for example. Not to mention Vampire Venom would also fetch a fair price. It paralyzes a human victim. While the paralysis is useless on Demons, your blood burns it out too fast, it can slow you down and make you docile."

"The human's twist on vampires isn't completely wrong on some accounts, either," Kurama added, "They can't be in the sun for very long or they essentially sunburn. As this girl is a hanyou, who knows what really effects her. Though another ability they have that is true is seduction and while their bite might sting at first, the venom can be a sort of aphrodisiac. Another way to make your prey give you what you want. It kicks in after the paralysis if the victim hasn't passed out. It /is/ effective on us but not to the same extent." He paused and folded his arms, "I hope this isn't all in one ear out the other, Yusuke."

"No, he just heard sex and tuned you out." Koenma teased.

"Just like me, huh..." He mused to himself, pondering for a brief moment before paying attention to what the two men had to say. "Okay, danger noted. I'll keep that in mind." He stated towards the redhead before turning to the leader of Spirit World. "Now that leads me with one question: what's the plan?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Kurama smiled at him.

~*~

"Now remember. We have to stay out of sight until they bring out the vampire girl," Kurama whispered to Yusuke, looking at him under his cloak hood, "It'll anger you as they take humans away once they've been bid on, but unless they leave there's nothing Hiei can do about it. It was very lucky Mukuro allowed him to leave to assist us with this."

"Got it." Yusuke replied in a quiet whisper of his own, nodding once in understanding at Kurama's information before remaining silent. The night had come upon them just as soon as the two of them had arrived, and Yusuke considered himself and his friend lucky enough to have avoided the suspicious eyes of the demons attending the auction. The building itself reminded him of ancient Greek ruins that he had learned about back in school. The white stone pillars stood tall and proud despite the poor shape they were in, and the auction house itself had a dark and bloody history that was hidden deep within its halls.

While lurking in the shadows to avoid being seen, the half-demon took in his surroundings and took notice of the stage in front of him. To the right of the stage, there was a dimly lit pathway, in which he guessed that was where the prisoners would step out of. Yusuke wanted to vomit on the floor beneath his feet at the very sight of these creatures. Every single one of them in the spacious room were of lower class; some were not pleasant to look at, while others made him legitimately sick to his stomach. He despised this place already. Not only because of the grotesque monsters that waited for a decent meal, but also because of the humans that had to suffer.

In the back, Kuroi couldn't believe she hadn't been able to get Ryoko out of this situation before now. It had been three days. Three days! Her vampire friend must be starving...how long had it'd been since she had eaten? Five? Kami, she hoped the auction hadn't started! The cheering was getting louder, it had to be soon.

Where was she? Biting her lip, the bat-girl moved through the cages full of people, hating that she was so single-minded right now. But if she came and busted every human auction then she'd have a weekly job. Ryo would be at the front...damn it! She had to duck behind a pillar as they started unlocking gates for the people. There was her friend, curled up into a stiff ball in the corner of a cage. It took three people to life up her dead stone weight and Kuroi heard crunching as one demon punched her and broke his /own/ hand. Another scoffed at the man and told him to go handle the other gates, and formed a light-based whip in his hand, slashing it across Ryoko's back which caused the vampire to scream in agony and she stood slowly, reluctantly.

Kuroi hated how ripped and burned her friend's clothes and skin looked. She had to carefully move around to get a better vantage point. There were rows and rows of people on boxes, and she knew there was no way she was going to reach Ryo now, at least with her corporal body.

The building was overflooded with demons. There wasn't enough seats for everyone and a lot of them had to stand by the wall. The chatter was insane and loud. Yusuke frowned deeply, but he and Kurama kept in the back to try to keep a low-profile, which didn't seem to matter. All attention was on the excitement and the atmosphere that surrounded it.

"I think I see her," Kurama whispered to his friend, "The auction hasn't started quite yet, there's still five minutes. Their prize is up on that front box," he pointed at the girl with black hair in a high ponytail. She barely looked as old as Yusuke...maybe eighteen? Her eyes were partially hidden by her bangs, too, and he saw a sort of off purple...but his position didn't allow him to see much more than that.

Her clothes were torn to shreds here and there, her abdomen pretty much completely bare. Along with bruises and gashes, there were also...burns? She must've fought really hard before shutting herself off in her shell, as she could be mistaken for a statue she was so still. Not even the barest movement to show she was breathing. Kurama saw how she was stationed right in the direct sunlight coming through the windows of the building, and the skin exposed was slowly becoming red, like a sunburn on a human. Only a vampire could burn that quickly. Her skin looked grey and pale, like stone. She no doubt hadn't been fed to keep her docile.

The moment Yusuke saw her was when his heart tightened up in his chest. She looked so young, and almost...broken. He swallowed hard as he stared at the red burns that covered her body; this was definitely the vampire he and Kurama were searching for. His trembling hands clenched into tight fists, anger boiling in his blood as he could hear the cheers coming from every demon around him. It was disgusting... He could hear the thoughts in his own head screaming at him to charge up onto the stage and get that poor girl out of those shackles. However, he had to stick to the plan, otherwise he would never hear the end of it. After a while of staring at the female vampire, he turned his gaze to the ground, feeling the blood dripping down his fingers from his nails digging into his palms. The crude comments from a pair of demons caught his attention, causing Yusuke to look up once more.

"That must be the vampire we heard so much about." One spoke, its insect like eyes twitching about.

"I can't wait to see what kind of meal she'd make. My mouth is watering just thinking about sinking my teeth into her flesh." Said the other, rubbing its clawed hands together with saliva dripping from its gaping maw.

Kuroi was using her shadow form to flit between one person's shadow to the next, but she had a long way to go to get to Ryo and the auctioneer stepped out to start giving announcements and rules.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! Demons from all around, thank you for coming out this evening!" The emcee grinned around a microphone. His fangs were protruding down his lip though subtly. "Of course we have some lovely humans for you to chew upon, but we also have a /lovely/ gift that was given to us so graciously....we felt like we had to share with you all. Now! Let's not keep you waiting!" He grinned. "For those of who are new to this auction, here's how we throw it down. I will call out the Lot Number and they will appear on the stage. Mind you they aren't naked, they are dressed tastefully, so you have no right to drool young sir in front." There was a chitter of laughter and the demon that was reprimanded pretended to duck his head. "You raise your hand and call out your bid. I repeat it back and I up the number! I continue until no more hands are raised and no bids are made! I will call you out and you will claim your prize! Of course, please do take your dinner or your new pleasure toy to the back. We did refurnish this from the /last/ time. Those who were there will understand." There was a round of nodding. "Any questions before I begin the bid? No? THEN LET'S GET DOWN IT TO IT! Lot number 351!"

Kuroi froze, stomach getting sick. Oh Kami, so is THAT what this place was?! She thought this was just some slave market! Immediately regretting not releasing the other humans, she knew she couldn't go back. To make up for it, she used her shadows to secretly release the locks of the chains from the inside on the rest, but they wouldn't come off unless they moved, and the humans were too scared. She had to be faster!

Kurama knew that was what this was all about, but hearing it make him feel a bit ill and his eyes narrowed, "Do you want me to contact Koenma and Botan so they can send people here? I don't think Hiei is going to be enough. There's so many humans."

"That's probably a good idea... If we don't get back-up soon, these humans are as good as dead." Yusuke's hushed words were filled with anger and frustration, gnawing at his bottom lip as it took everything in his power to stay in place. It suddenly clicked in the man's mind that every human in this auction was female, and it made his stomach twist and churn uncomfortably. As he watched Kurama leave for a brief moment to call Botan and Koenma, his eyes clouded over, waiting for the fox demon to be out of sight until he slammed his fist into the wall next to him.

His lips curled into a snarl before it occurred to him what had happened, causing him to turn his head the wall which was now cracked and slightly crumbled from his punch. A look of panic crossed his features, swallowing hard. Shit! Learn to control yourself, Yusuke! A lower class demon gave the man a quick glance with narrowed eyes, causing him to quickly turn his head enough to keep the hood from revealing his face, a soft yet quiet whistle leaving his lips. Shrugging it off, the demon turned back to the stage, unaware of Yusuke's sigh of relief.

Kurama sighed and moved through the crowd to find a secluded area where he could contact Botan. To his relief she answered right away, "Special Forces are needed at my location, and quickly before Yusuke flips out. Hiei is in waiting like he promised, but I don't think he'll be able to ambuse any of them like we inicially planned on. They're all sitting in wait to hear more about the vampire."

Botan's face was contorted in displeasure, "We'll send a team down immediately. Koenma had a sneaking suspicion, so he had them ready up."

"How long do you give me?" Kurama sighed a bit in relief.

"Ten minutes at the least, maybe a little longer," Botan assured.

"That's plenty. Arigato," Kurama shut the communicator off and placed it back in his pocket before he went inside to return to Yusuke's side. That was when he noticed the black streaking between the humans. It...wasn't. It was impossible. Shaking his head vigorously he made it back to his leader.

"How long do we got?" Yusuke asked, tapping his finger against his elbow as he watched a human being sold to a demon in the second row. He had half of the mind to shoot them right then and there, but was patient. Instead of dragging the poor human out, the demon forced the girl to sit on his lap. It was evident he was going to wait till the vampire was out.

"Ten, fifteen minutes tops. I'm sure Botan's teleporting them as close to the location as possible," Kurama let out a long breath, "We're not going to be able to save everyone..." he hated saying that, especially as another human got sold right at that moment.

Yusuke hated hearing it as well. "No, but we'll try anyway."

It went on for quite some time, but when the sixth human was sold, the emcee stepped back into the middle of the stage. "Ladies! Gentlemen! I hope you're having a good time!" He laughed as Yusuke muttered something like 'good time bashing your face in'. "Now, I know how antsy you all are. Why we haven't even begin to show you our amazing piece yet?! All good things come to those who wait, and you've waited long enough! Here is...." there was a drum roll and the emecee shouted. "Lot 450!"

Ryo's head snapped up, and that was the first time she'd moved this whole time. Kuroi had just reached her when she was jerked forward out of her reach. Damn it! Kuroi faded back among the other humans. She couldn't save her this way. Perhaps a more dramatic, surprise attack would suffice, but not in such a crowded place. She'd have to ambush whoever bought her.

Ryo wasn't shaking, or showing any signs of emotion as the auctioneer listed the benefits the buyer would have if they got her - all the way from her being a vampire, to power from eating her, to even a unique notch on someone's bedpost. All of it made her want to throw up, but there was nothing in her stomach. She hadn't eaten either human food or blood, and also hadn't had any water. She was dehydrated, weak, and it was all she could do to stand here looking lifeless.

The listing made Yusuke sick, even sicker that her eyes looked deader than a corpse. She was lifeless. What good would she be to anyone? Even if they did know that she was a vampire, they'd just starve her anyway. The minute the bidding was going on, Yusuke finally snapped. "I don't care who you think you are." He said loudly, causing the auction house to go dead silent. "She's not up for sale. I claim her and none of you can do a single fucking thing about it!"

Kuroi had had every intention of killing whoever ended up getting Ryoko, even had her scythe out as she hid up in the rafters, but when she saw exactly who it was, she grinned widely. If anyone could protect Ryo it was the man who'd nearly won the Makai tournament! She also saw Kurama next to him, looking half exasperated, half amused.

"So much for stealth and ambush," Kurama drawled, getting a snort from Yusuke as he scratched his nose with a smirk. He knew this was going to happen. Nothing ever worked out the way it was supposed to.

Ryo's eyes zeroed in on Yusuke and she didn't know how to feel. She had seen this man around before, knew who he was, but to meet him here...how embarrassing. She probably appeared really weak to him, and stupid for getting caught in a situation like this. She looked down and away, but still kept her body still.

The emcee just stared blankly, his microphone hanging dangerously from his fingertips as he watched Yusuke approach the stage. The tension in the air was thick, so much so that even a knife probably wouldn't work. Yusuke didn't like what this entailed, but he continued his way up and grabbed Ryoko and dragged her out of the sunlight. Her poor skin looked as if it was starting to blister off and her eyes were starting to hold a spark but...still emotionless. However, just as he did that he could hear a sound of thunder and he looked to see that all of the demons who had been sitting previously were up and deadly. The emcee just started laughing, "Well! Now. I had my doubts that this would've worked, but it did and it did with a charm!"

Ambush. Yusuke knew that it was flight or die here and he hated fleeing. However, he was holding a half-dead vampire and that was kind of what they were here for. He hated that he was going to leave the humans trapped here behind...he had hoped to save at least a few before the whole thing crumbled. He would have to get off the stage and start running. "Damn it." He hissed as he moved Ryoko quickly to carry her. She felt like stone, she was a little on the heavy side, but he wasn't about to say anything. "Kurama can you handle these idiots while I take off?" He shouted over to the redhead who was behind the scenes. Oh. Good. Some of the crowd stilled at that name. Guess they didn't think he'd bring someone with.

Kuroi snapped her fingers, and the chains that were on all the humans fell off. They immediately started running and scrambling creating an uproar. The pack mentality took over, some going back to free the other humans in the cages, the rest bolting out the doors in droves. The demons were too concerned about their opponents than going after their food and prey.

Kurama pulled his whip from his hair and struck down a few who tried to grab their property, "Go, Yusuke! I got it covered. Don't let her bite you until your safe!" Now, what he really wanted to know was who the hell did that. It wasn't Hiei. His shadow powers didn't work that way, though the shorter man flitted into the area as Yusuke jumped from the stage, cutting a bloody path for their leader to bolt through.

Yusuke knew that there was a backdoor, there was always a back door, and ran off towards it and what do you know, humans were escaping. There was another black streak that went by him, but he was too busy trying to weave his way through the humans and out the door. He also had to be aware of whether or not Ryoko was anywhere near his neck. He was pretty certain that he smelled /good/ to her because she was so /thirsty/ and while he didn't mind giving her a bite...he'd rather not do it when his life was in danger.

"AaaaaHA!" Kuroi shouted as she dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the announcer dude and she used her shadows to quickly tie him up while she ripped off pieces of his clothes so se could /actually/ tie him. She knew this guy needed to be interrogated about the whole selling demons humans to eat. Once that was done she released him from the shadows and jumped into the fray, "Hello Kurama!" she called cheerfully, snapping her fingers and sending fire at a demon who attacked her, then shot her scythe out and cut up several demons across the throat.

Kurama's eyes widened considerably, his skin paling. "Who...are you?" she looked dreadfully familiar and he felt his world going topsy-turvy. The proof was right before his eyes, but he couldn't believe it.

"Kurama! Snap out of it and fight!" Hiei snapped at the redhead, taking down another demon flawlessly.

"Right, of course..." he flicked is wrist and spun his whip, "Rose Whip, Thorn Wheel!"

Kuroi ducked to avoid the slices so effortlessly, like she knew just what to do, and then kneed a demon's stomach, "Um...actually...funny story...eh-heh...you know how Youko and Kuronue went through that whole bamboo thing?"

Kurama arched a brow and Youko's ears were alert as he turned a demon at Kuroi's back into ribbons, "Go on?" he hated the memory, but it was important.

"Well, he survived. I'm his daughter. Nice to meet you! Anyway, that...kind of happened with Ryoko...the vampire Yusuke took. She's my friend, and I took her on a raid...and it went sour. She told me to run away," Kuroi bit her lip, cutting a demon Kurama kicked her way in half.

"History at it's finest...I understand. We'll talk more in detail when they're all dead," Kurama assured her.

~

Once Yusuke made sure that there were no demons chasing after him, he took the opportunity to stop running and lean against an alley wall in hopes of catching his breath. "Well, that was way too fucking close!" He breathed out a sigh of relief, realizing he and Ryoko were the only ones in the area. The vampire was still cradled in his arms, motionless and silent as he stared down at her with worry. "Hey, don't die on me, you hear?" He told her, his tone stern yet surprisingly gentle.

There was something about this woman that made him let his guard down, which was usually a difficult thing to do. Despite the poor condition Ryoko was in, he deemed her beautiful in his mind. Not that he would ever say it aloud, though. When he felt her stir, Yusuke tried to avert his gaze away from her face to avoid being caught staring, yet her eyes met his and he instantly froze. So much for that, he thought.

Her eyes were very red now instead of purple after being held close to his body for so long, listening to his blood rushing through his veins with adrenaline, his scent filling her nose. Her fangs were long, and she had her mouth open in a soft 'o' so they wouldn't pierce her bottom lip. Most vampires would be raging lunatics by now with the bloodlust, but all she could do was grip him tightly, expression tortured, sad and pleading.

Yusuke hated that look on her face. He knew that they weren't safe yet and she was clearly hungry and needy. He wanted to...and he didn't realize that he was bringing his wrist up to her when he heard someone call out to him. "Wait a minute, kid! Don't do it!"

Yusuke looked over to see a man who had to be as tall as Kuwabara running towards him. His black ponytail whipping side to side and his wings were fluttering a little bit as well. He came up close and smiled, his fangs showing. "Hey. If you're here that means Youko's off in that building right?" Before Yusuke could say anything he looked over at Ryo. "Poor girl, half-starved. Don't do anything yet. You're not out of the woods and this isn't a good place, as empty as it is. Where's my devil of a daughter anyway? In the building, too?" He shook his head from side to side. "Better go in before they finish without me."

"K-Kuro-san..." Ryo sniffed, the red of her eyes fading back to that off-purple as tears welled up. She waved and Kuronue smiled and waved back and then ran off. She swallowed thickly, then wiggled so Yusuke would put her down, turning to him. "C-Can we find...water at...least?" she needed...something to wet her scratchy throat, "I don't like...hurting people. I...I'll wait until...it's okay."

"Hold on," Yusuke said to her as he unattached a flask from his hip. Long time in the desert meant he knew how valuable water was and he never knew when he needed it. God her eyes were gorgeous, but her voice was breaking in places. He was sure that if she had a clearer voice, it'd sound beautiful. "Here." He murmured. "You do sound like you could use it."

Ryoko drank greedily, and when she pulled it away it was half empty. There was still an itch, but she felt a lot better and refreshed, "I haven't had...anything, in three days. I do need...both human food...and blood to survive. I feel hungry...and thirsty in so many ways." She handed it back to him, blushing softly, "Ryoko...that's my name."

"Ryoko..." Her name left his lips as if wanting to engrave the sound into his memory, taking back the flask once she handed it back to him. "I'm glad we got to you when we did. Don't worry; once we get out of this hell hole, you can have all the food and drink you want! It's on me." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before looking back towards the building. "That reminds me... Who was that guy with the long ponytail? You seemed to know him."

"His name is Kuronue. His daughter...is my friend. I've only...only known them for...about a year." Ryo shook her head, "He knows Kurama, too. That's...why he was so...rushed." She rubbed her throat, the hue of her eyes switching back and forth from red to purple like a pulse. With a groan, she leaned against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. He didn't have a heartbeat, but the rush of his blood through his veins filled her ears. "I hope...they get back...soon."

"That makes sense. They'll be here before we know it." Yusuke reassured with a small smile aimed at the vampire, soon noticing how her eyes seem to change color. He was starting to worry about her, if he wasn't already. If they didn't provide her with blood and fast, she would more than likely lose consciousness from starvation, or lose her sense of reason and attack someone. He didn't want either or to happen.

~

Kuronue got into the building only to see the last demon fall to a well placed rose-whip attack. Everyone was dead besides that one man that was on the stage and tied up. He pouted, visibly. "I get here and already not only do you people start the party without me, you /ended/ it too."

Hiei huffed and shook his sword clean of demon blood wit one swipe, sheathing it. "I don't know who you are so I don't care. They were weak and I don't even know why I bothered coming. I have more important things to be doing right now."

He stood at about 5ft 8 Kuronue noticed. Short demon running with the redheaded whip user who was staring at him like he'd seen a ghost. No doubt about it. "I take it you're Hiei Jaganshi. Nice to see your taste in friends hasn't changed all that much, Youko." He tilted his head a bit so the brim blocked the energy wind when Kurama transformed, then returned his gaze to meet yellow orbs instead of green, "I'm going to have to get used to your other form. Damn the change is a shocker."

"Kuronue...you're not fake this time, are you?" the white haired man narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Ugh, about that...stupid Netherworld fuckers ambushed me and took me hostage so their shapeshifter could steal my face and my memories. My /wife/ had to rescue my ass. That was embarrassing," Kuro rubbed his face.

"So...it's true...that's your daughter?" Youko nodded towards Kuroi who was rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Kuroi! I have a bone to pick with you!" Kuronue's attention completely shifted.

Kuroi held her hands up, wincing, before placing her scythe back on her hips. She explained the situation and then hung her head, "I didn't mean to get her into this mess. I'll feed her, too. It's my responsibility."

"Damn right it's your responsibility!" Kuronue reached out and grabbed his daughter cheek and pulled before letting go. "That was dangerous and reckless all at once. Did you even plan before you went in and checked all securities? Ryo could've died! This could've been much worse than what just happened here." He folded his arms at her and watched as she seemed to sink in the shadows.

"It's...surreal," Youko murmured, "You...a father. In the three thousand years I knew you I never would have expected you to have a mate, either."

"Yeah, you'll like her," Kuronue beamed, "Let's hurry up and get back to that Urameshi fellow. Ryoko is pretty starved. We are going to be going back to my mate's mansion."

Youko had a sinking feeling, but he nodded. What he wasn't expecting was for his friend to clasp him on the shoulder, and he looked at him with wide eyes.

"It's good to see you." Kuro smirked at him, his indigo eyes gentle.

Blinking and ten swallowing thickly, Youko nodded, returning the gesture and it was like he could suddenly breathe, "It's good to see you, too."

"I'll stay here and handle the situation with the ring leader." Hiei drawled, "Koenma's drones will be here soon."

"Right, of course." Kurama shifted back, nodding to Hiei, "Thank you for the extra help." Of course he didn't say anything else, and Kurama let Kuronue lead the way, Kuroi hopping to stand beside him. She really was the spitting image of him, and he even noticed the matching ribbons. Well, that made him sad that she had the same issue, but she was bright and cheerful so she handled herself well.

()

Everything was murky, and red-tinged, like she was in some sort of bloody lake. Where was she? All she could hear clearly was rushing...and turning her head she saw a figure, but couldn't make out the details. It moved, and she launched herself at it, remembering the pain over the several days she was imprisoned. There was crashing as a chair hit the wood floor and she bared her fangs at the figure. If it was speaking, she couldn't hear it. Rushing, rushing...her eyes found it's neck and saw the veins pulsing.

She was completely lost in the haze. Yusuke knew that he was supposed to call Kuroi...that she was the one that had to deal with this...but at the same time he couldn't bear to make her wait. She was starving, she was wild...and the red and purple mix in her eyes was gorgeously heartbreaking. Such a beautiful but terrible mix. He swallowed, watching her eyes watch the bob of his throat and closed his eyes, letting himself relax.

Watching the murky person tilt his head and allow her access tripped something in her brain and she struck, her painfully long fangs sinking into his veins like a hot knife through butter. The burst of blood across her tongue made her moan and she gripped the person's shoulders. Each swallow tasted so good...so very good, and her previously frozen body flushed with warmth. Pressing closer against him, her hands moved from the shoulders to his hair, holding his head in place. So good...so hot...she'd never tasted anything like it before. Purely male, purely dominant and it sparked across her senses, drawing another moan forth.

The feel of the woman's fangs sinking into his neck brought a stinging pain through Yusuke's body, yet it instantly faded away into an overwhelming sense of ecstasy. The man placed his hands onto Ryoko's shoulders once he felt her nails gently scrape against his scalp, fighting back a groan as he could feel the rush of his blood enter her mouth. The way she gripped his hair turned him on, and her moans... Good God, her moans. It was music to his ears. He had no idea that having a vampire drink his blood would be so...sexy.

However, no matter how hot and bothered Yusuke started feeling, he knew very well that he had to control himself. Not only that, but he was starting to feel lightheaded from the loss of blood. "Hey..." His voice was quiet and gentle, gripping her shoulders in hopes of snapping her out of her blood lust if only for a moment.

With the squeeze on her shoulders Ryo felt like she was coming back to herself. 'Person' turned into 'Yusuke' as her memory returned to her along with the flashes via his memory in his blood. It...embarrassed her, but at the same time her body responded to his sexual desire. With her caretaker growing up it'd never evolved into sexuality, and with Kuroi it was more...relief because she needed her blood drained every so often like her father. This was much, much different...and she'd never drank from the neck before, always too scared to hurt. Yusuke could take it, though...Yusuke was strong, and her body rocked against him as she tasted the sweet arousal. One last draw, and she removed her lips, licking the wound so her saliva would seal over it and heal it. It continued from there, her tongue tracing up until she met his ear and she nibbled on it, "You taste so yummy..." she cooed sweetly, voice like honey and without any of the rasp.

It was true that he could handle just about anything that came his way, but Yusuke was unsure if he could control the sudden urges that started to form within him. The moment he felt her tongue lick the wound on his neck, a shiver ran down his spine with a small groan leaving the back of his throat. The grip on her shoulders slid to her forearms in a slow yet sensual manner, feeling her nibble on his earlobe and he hissed through clenched teeth. He hadn't realized his arms were around her waist as she rocked her body against his own, the sound of her voice snapping his eyes open to meet her gaze.

God, she was just so beautiful... It didn't help that her words made him so warm, more so than usual. His left hand lifted up to move a strand of hair away from her face, a breathy chuckle escaping him. "I see that you're feeling better now..."

The red hue was completely gone, leaving just a vivid ocean blue in it's wake. She was full and satisfied and her breath was shaky as she stared into chocolate brown eyes. His voice rumbled through her ears in it's low turned-on tone, and she lessened the grip in his hair but didn't remove her hands. It was soft...a little weird, like he put hair products in it, but not completely unpleasant. His touch on her face and hair was so gentle and she tilted her face to nuzzle his palm. Calloused and rough, but it made her hum in content, "I never felt this way after drinking someone's blood before..." she admitted, "I am better now, yes."