Yu Yu Hakusho: The After Years

Episode 39: Familiar

In the penthouse, Scarlett had begun to come to her senses. Daylight streamed through one of the bay windows as she blinked her eyes into focus. Her wrists and ankles still felt as if they were tied, but she felt less hazy than she had before. And a lot more comfortable. She looked around and realized she was in a plush king-size bed. That felt safe enough, though when she tried to pull her arms toward her, she noted that her wrists were indeed bound—by vines this time. To her left, Kurama day in a chair reading a book, which he promptly closed upon seeing she was awake.

He leaned over her, and smoothed her hair, then looked deep into her eyes. He was so close, she felt her heart jump into her throat.

"What are you doing, Kurama?" Scarlett snapped.

He smiled his usual placid smile, "I was checking your pupils, though I can tell you're back to normal at long last." With a flick of his wrist, the vines which bound her wrists and ankles loosened and fell to the floor.

Scarlett sat up and rubbed her sore wrists, "What happened?"

"I found you drugged in a secret room below the arena. You were still quite active even with the drugs they gave you. Apologies, but I had to tie you down in order to administer the antidote." He poured something from a teapot into a small cup and presented it to her, "Here, drink this."

Scarlett accepted the cup, but eyed him suspiciously.

"Oh come now," said Kurama, "If I had wanted to poison you, it would have been much easier to do while you were still drugged."

Scarlett shrugged, "I'm still not used to this new, nice Kurama. I'm still waiting for the grand trick to be revealed as soon as I let my guard down." She drank the tea and made a face, as it was very bitter, "But I suppose I should thank you, I didn't know how I was going to get out of that one." She looked at him and smiled in a way that lit up her grey eyes and made Kurama's chest swell.

He had trouble meeting her gaze after that, "By the way...you kept calling me this other name."

"Oh?" said Scarlett, lifting the cup to her lips a second time.

"Yes, you kept calling me 'Kwahn.'"

Scarlett nearly choked on her tea, and pounded on her chest as she coughed and sputtered.

"Was he someone dear to you?"

Kurama didn't get a chance to hear Scarlett's answer, as an enormous crash sounded outside the door, followed by someone shouting, "Mike, no!"

Scarlett moved to get up, but Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'll check it, you should rest still."

Scarlett's eyes flashed with recognition and she grabbed Kurama's hand. The sudden action made Kurama spin to look at her, wide-eyed.

"I just remembered something very important, Kurama. Ayame—"

"Yes," Kurama said, giving her hand a squeeze, "Hiei found out, and she's in our custody now. Only Gadget didn't take too well to that, and Rieka's new spirit beast has a rather protective personality...in short it's a circus out there."

"Well, there's no way I'm going to miss out on that," Scarlett said, moving to get up out of the bed again, but Kurama shoved her back down with the weight of his hand.

This time, his eyes were level with hers.

"Oh, c'mon, Kurama, it sounds like a lot has happened since I've been out and I wanna see."

"It's not that," said Kurama, mysteriously.

"Well then what is it?"

"It occurred to me that this may be my last moment alone with you for some time. And while you may have dodged the question earlier, there's something I would like you to know."