shinra_lackey

Why no, this fandom themed journal entry is not being written for the sole purpose of telling everyone that

aishuu has updated Brightly Burning. That's preposterous.

On another note, Yu Yu Hakusho was one of my first series that I ever read fanfic for, and also it was my introduction into yaoi and consequently slash. There are dozens of good authors out there who wrote in the fandom, but since it's been a good six or seven years since I first scoured the internet looking for fanfics, my recommendations won't be able to highlight all of the great gems that deserve recognition.

What is Yu Yu Hakusho, you ask? It's the story of Urameshi Yuusuke, a fourteen year old delinquent, who is always getting into trouble for fighting, but essentially a good guy. One day, Yuusuke sees a boy running into the street after his ball about to be hit by a car. Yuusuke rushes out to save the boy, but dies in the process. When Yuusuke is next aware, he finds out from Botan, the resident ferry girl, that he has died for the boy who would have never gotten hit in the first place, essentially dying before his time. Since Yuusuke wasn't meant to die then, he is given the chance to come back to life after certain trials. Yuusuke finishes his tasks and is further obligated to become a Spirit World Detective and help Koenma, the god in charge of all the Underworld (Reikai) paperwork. He is soon joined by three other companions, Kuwabara (another delinquent), Kurama (a reincarnated fox demon), and Hiei (a fire demon).

First serialized as a manga by Yoshihiro Togashi and later produced as a TV series, the manga is being translated into English by Viz in their Shonen Jump serial, and the animation has been produced by Funimation and is now available on DVD.

When it Rains by Amis Lee (oneshot, Kurama, Shiori, Hiei, gen)
Yakusoku by

fyredancer (oneshot, shounen-ai, Kurama/Hiei)
PRETTY WO, er, man?... PRETTY YOUKO! by

fyredancer (oneshot, Kurama/Hiei, humor)
Togetachi no Bara (Thorns of a Rose) by

ukefied (oneshot, shounen-ai, Kurama/Hiei, angst)
Silvaren's YYH fanfics by

silvaren (complete, yaoi, Kurama/Hiei)
The Beginning by

tallihensia (series, complete, yaoi, Kurama/Hiei)

Crossover:
Tomodachi by White Cat (YYH/FY, series, incomplete, shounen-ai)

When it Rains by Amis Lee (oneshot, Kurama, Shiori, Hiei, gen) Told form Kurama's point of view, how he copes with Shiori's death. I really liked this piece, in between scenes of the fic, the author interweaves lines from a fairy tale that I think really capture the essence of Kurama. Nicely done, and the author doesn't overwrite Shiori's death and make Kurama weepy and out of character. His interactions with other people, while conveying his sadness, still show his strength.

Yakusoku by

fyredancer (oneshot, shounen-ai, Kurama/Hiei) A companion piece to White Cat's "Betrayals" which I can't for the life of me find a link to. However, Yakusoku can stand on its own and is an extrapolation on Kurama and Hiei's confrontation after Kurama defects from the group in stealing the Three Treasures. A nice fanfic that could fit into canon and a nice take on the Kurama and Hiei dynamic. No overly mushy pairing here.

**Hiei...I'll make it up to you...it's my promise to you.**

I ran, pushing against the limits of the night. Those were the words I had whispered, to myself as I sat by Shiori's bedside, after finding out she was okay. The Mirror of Utter Dark had done its job, and I was. . .alive.

They were words I had whispered shortly after leaving that clearing, on a rain-soaked night that still burned itself in my mind. Most especially with the memory of Hiei's hurt, stunned, *betrayed* eyes. After the anger had cleared from my head, I'd reviewed those words spoken in the heat of the moment. And realized how much I must have *hurt* Hiei, especially after what we'd shared so recently between us...

So now, given a second chance, I ran. I stopped for an instant, eyes scanning alertly around the night-draped shapes of buildings, pushing my senses outward...

PRETTY WO, er, man?... PRETTY YOUKO! by

fyredancer (oneshot, Kurama/Hiei, humor) A YYH/Pretty Woman fusion with Kurama cast as Julia Roberts and Hiei as Richard Gere. Funny in the way that only a fanfic author can make it when she knows that her premise is on crack to begin with. Tayla Firedancerwrites Pretty Youko as a gut busting spoof of Pretty Woman while still making you root for Kurama to get his man. You just got to read it to believe it.

[Act II. Wherein we meet a certain silver-haired, golden-eyed youko.]
[The scene opens up on the underbelly of the city, with flashy, off-color lights, hookers walking up and down the street, and drug dealers eying passersby furtively. The camera pans on a boy with a very long, brown braid, dressed all in black, grinning widely.]

Duo: Welcome to Hollywood, everybody! Where you can find a dream and hold it up to the light, or get drunk off your ass, trip, fall in the gutter and watch it run down the drain...

[A brown-braided young woman wearing a Miaka(tm) school uniform pops out of nowhere, looking outraged.]

Talya Firedancer: Duo, what the hell are you doing in this fic!?

Togetachi no Bara (Thorns of a Rose) by

ukefied (oneshot, shounen-ai, Kurama/Hiei, angst) Scene between Hiei and Kurama. Very beautifully written, Mina's fanfic has a light, bittersweet feeling that I really liked.

Silvaren's YYH fanfics by

silvaren (complete, yaoi, Kurama/Hiei) Specifically Fire&Ice, Seven Days in a Week, and Ashes A nice long set of fanfic with a terrific plot that have the Urameshi team going on a case to stop a female ice demon from kidnapping and killing all the fire demons she can round up. Her next target? Hiei. I really like how these fanfic deal with Kurama and Hiei's relationship, they have to work to get where they're at and she weaves her realaionship building deftly with plot, so it makes for a fun, interesting read. Silvaren also has unique series that focuses on Kurama's step-brother, Shuuichi in the Mirror Images Arc.

Excerpt from Fire&Ice:

By the time they had arrived at Yuusuke's apartment, Hiei's temper had not improved. Icy water had seeped into his clothes and boots and every step he took was accompanied by sloshing sounds. The fool Kuwabara had laughed, of course. Even now, as he pulled his boots off, he silently wished the vilest curse he knew down on the human's head.

"I hate snow," he muttered.

"Of course," Kurama replied easily, "you're a fire demon. I guess this means you don't want to come with us to ice sculpture exhibition tonight."

"Hn." Leave his young, pretty twin alone with Kuwabara...NEVER!

The Beginning by

tallihensia (series, complete, yaoi, Kurama/Hiei) OMG! My quintessential Kurama/Hiei fanfic. While, Larissa takes liberties with her Kurama and especially her Hiei, I still see the buildup between the two as the definitive answer on how Kurama and Hiei become lovers. Set in between when Yuusuke defeats Hiei and when the two show up to join the Urameshi team, Kurama convince Hiei to go on a search and destroy mission for Koenma and the two become lovers in meanwhile.

Kurama regarded the small ruler thoughtfully. He hated being manipulated. But Yusuke... It was definitely an interesting proposition. Now if only... Kurama grinned to himself: It was time to manipulate the manipulator. He picked up the folder, "I'll do it..." he lingered on the final word and watched Koenma's eyes narrow as the small ruler tried to think of what Kurama might want as a stipulation. Kurama let him hang for a moment longer before he brought out his demand, "If I can have Hiei." Have him... Kurama hurriedly added, "As a partner." He wanted more from the fire demon, but he wouldn't let Koenma know that. As it was, Koenma's face wrinkled in thought and there was a faint hint of an aura around him. Kurama blinked as he noticed it; normally, the ruler of the Spirit World showed no rei scent at all - to keep from overwhelming the lesser powers said those that were in awe, to keep others from knowing how weak they were said those that grumbled in their rule. Kurama was of neither camp and simply waited for his answer.

Crossover:
Tomodachi by White Cat (YYH/FY, series, incomplete, shounen-ai, Link defunct) A crossover between Yu Yu Hakusho and Fushigi Yuugi, the Uramshi a dumped by a portal into the FY universe and must figure out a way back. While it is advised to have a good understanding of both series to get the full effect, it's not strictly necessary beyond a few character description web pages. If you don't know all the FY characters, you might get a bit lost. Unfortunately this series is incomplete and doesn't seem to ever be completed, however what is up is delightful to read. There's plot, intrigue, and interesting character development between both series. When I was first reading it, I was a dedicated follower.

WIP Updates:
Brightly Burning chapter 5 by

aishuu (HnG)
Something Wicked This Way Comes 2/30 by

aishuu (Death Note)
Pretty When You're Mine 17/? by

seperis (Smallville)

(Why no, this is not a fake lj-cut to my fanfic, "A Hundred, Thousand" over at igo_yaoi. Whatever gave you that idea?)