Cora awoke with a gasp, her body bolting into a seated position; or at least she would have if her head hadn't slammed into some strange wooden object. She groaned, her brows furrowing in confusion when the sound came out muffled; was her mouth gagged? Cora tongued through her lips, or tried too, panicking slightly when she felt them struggle to open. Duct tape. She wouldn't be able to alert anyone to her whereabouts. She went to remove the tape from her mouth, only to find that her arms and legs were restrained by what felt like bailing twine. It dug into her skin as she pulled against the strong string; she was sure to have rope burn. Great.

Cora sighed in aggravation; this was just her luck! Of course she would get abducted just when Hiei decided to play tag with the spirit prince. Coincidence? Not likely... I wonder what him and Kurama are doing... do they know I'm gone yet?... she was sure that they did. Kurama, the mother hen that he's prone to morph into at random, was probably just about pulling his hair out in worry, and Hiei, well... she didn't quite know how Hiei would react... but how do I get out of here? It's so dark...

Cora looked around herself, allowing her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. Wood floor. Wood walls that gave her some six inches of space on either side. A rounded wooden top that had a seam. A lid? Was she in a box?! THEY WERE GOING TO BURY HER ALIVE?! She felt her breathing becoming more and more rapid; was she already under ground? She hand't heard anything from the outside world. She scrambled around, putting pressure against all the surfaces of her small prison. Nothing. Not a single side budged. She started screaming through her duck taped lips, struggling against her bindings...this is it, I'm gonna die in here- they'll find my body in a couple hundred years and put a plaque up in remembrance that reads "here lies the body of Cora, the idiot who always forgets to arm her self"...


Yusuke lounged lazily on his bed, waiting for Botan to come back from Koenma. He could hear their captive squirming around inside the small wooden chest they had placed her in, inside the closet. He felt really bad; he never imagined that he would ever kidnap someone, let alone hog tie them and hide them in a trunk. But Koenma had said that they needed to keep her close, and out of sight. She had to be kept somewhere were she wouldn't be seen or heard by someone outside of the apartment, or more specifically, the two demons Yusuke was currently trying to lure out of hiding.

Yusuke grit his teeth in aggravation as the young woman started to scream in terror. This wasn't right, he knew that much; Hell, they didn't even know if this 'Cora' chick had anything to do with the three artifacts. For all they knew, she just knew of Hiei and Kurama. The screaming continued.

"Grrrrr, shut up in there!" He shouted at the closet. The room suddenly went eerily quiet; she must have heard him. Yusuke sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. Botan better get back here soon; the sooner they could let her out the better.


Cora breathed a sigh of relief; she wasn't under ground. Thank god. But she was still trapped...think Cora, think! There has to be some way to make them let me go... but with my mouth tapped shut, I couldn't even start to sweet talk him into letting me out let alone letting me go... how long are they planning on leaving me in here?... light talking from the other room caught her attention. The same voice from before, though not shouting as loudly this time, demanded answers from someone named Botan... must be the same people who took me last night...

"Come on Botan, this isn't even close to humane! We can at least let her out of the trunk!" The boy shouted making Cora sweat drop; they were keeping her in an old wooden trunk?

"I don't like it either Yusuke; maybe the trunk was a bit of an over kill." Cora rolled her eyes... no, you think?! Who puts someone in a trunk?!... "We can let her out, but she has to stay in the closet; we cant risk Hiei or Kurama finding her right now." Cora's eyes narrowed in contempt. While she was sure he wouldn't care much that she had been taken, Hiei would not be happy to hear that they were trying to use her to get to him; they were lucky he hadn't already murdered them for being so stupid.

Cora slouched over, trying hard to think of a way she could escape with out causing Kurama and Hiei any headaches. But what could she do now? She could always-no! I don't have a word keeper, and even if I did, what good would it do... i could always make them think I replaced myself with another person... chances are, they have no idea about what I can actually do... A memory from the other day at the hospital crossed her mind. Cora hand't paid any attention at the time, her mind to wrapped up in what Hiei and Kurama were trying to stir up. But now she remembered; she had passed by a woman in the waiting room.

This woman was tall, and beautiful, and clearly reaching the end of her pregnancy. Cora smirked; this would do nicely. These spirit world wretches would be less likely to keep Cora in the closet due to her 'condition', and they might even release her if she plays her cards right. Cora sighed; she would have to find a temporary word keeper after this. She concentrated on the woman's figure, her face, the tone of her skin, even the sound of her voice as she spoke to one of the other expectant mothers in the room. The way she smiled, the exact shade of her brown eyes, the length of her black hair. She took in every detail, and as the memory was etched into her subconscious...

Cora felt her joints crack as her bones grew to match the woman's unusual height, felt her hair shrink back into her skull and her finger nails, which she normally kept pretty short, lengthen into a beautiful well kept manicure. Cora next felt her organs shift, and braced herself. Her abdomen, which normally sat flat and taunt above her hips, expanded, replicating the woman's very pregnant belly. She groaned as her small trunk suddenly became unbearably tight, and the bailing twine cut further into her skin as her wrists grew to almost twice their normal size. As she groaned in discomfort, her voice changed, dropping a few octaves until it matched her chosen host's sultry voice perfectly. Her eyes tingled, signaling that the final transformation was coming to a close; with out looking, she knew that her aquamarine eyes had shifted to the soft golden brown that her host owned. A name filtered through her mind, letting her know the name of her stolen shell.

She was ready. All she could do now, was sit, wait, and pray that there was someone there to catch her host.


Elsewhere in the city...

A woman with black, shoulder length hair and golden brown eyes paused in her tracks, her hand still raised to grab the cereal box from the top cabinet. A man with brown hair and brown eyes looked up from his morning paper, his brow furrowing in confusion and worry as the woman stood there, unmoving.

"Kya?"

At the sound of her name, the woman's eyes rolled to the back of her head and her legs buckled. Just as it seemed she was going to fall to the ground, the man caught her unconscious form, his eyes wide in panic as he stared down at his new, very pregnant and unresponsive wife.

"KYA!"


Hiei froze in his tracks as a barely recognizable energy rippled like a wave across his senses. Growling low in his throat he turned on his heel, rushing towards the epicenter as another, weaker wave of energy washed over him; he could not let this rare chance of discovering that idiots whereabouts go to waste.

Kurama appeared at Hiei's side, having sensed a change in the demon's behavior in response to the odd energy that continued to roll through the city. "Hiei, did you sense that?"

"Hn. If it's what I think it is, I'm going to strangle that stupid woman." Kurama furrowed his brow in confusion. What had Hiei meant by that? He would have to ask him later, as Hiei sped up his pace just as the energy started to dissipate, giving the fire demon a limited window of time to locate it's source.


"Woah!" Yusuke jumped up from his bed as a huge blast of strange, white energy shot out from below his closet door, taking over the entire room before it spread out from the building. Botan stared worriedly at the closet door. "What was that?!"

Botan shook her head, pulling a strange looking book from her book bag on the floor. "I don't know Yusuke; my notes don't say anything about this Cora having any abilities! It doesn't even mention her species!"

Yusuke scratched the back of his neck before jumping as another, smaller wave of energy rolled from bellow the door. "Well what ever it is, she has to stop; who know's what that energy might attract!" He rushed over to the door, sliding it open roughly. But once he set eyes on the trembling trunk he paused, unsure of what else to do; who knew what was waiting for him beneath the lid? Yusuke frowned, pulling the key that would unlock the trunk from his pocket. Botan looked over his shoulder cautiously. "Well, heres going for broke."

Botan gulped, grasping the back of Yusuke's shirt. "Be careful Yusuke; we have no idea what she is capable of..."

Yusuke nodded, gulping audibly as he inserted the key. The trunk unlocked easily. Yusuke jumped back, expecting the lid to fly open and reveal the vial creature that was sure to attack him and try to eat his soul. But nothing happened. He hesitantly reached out and flipped the lid open. "Shit."


Hiei stood on a roof top directly across from a set of human apartment buildings. He could see the detective standing in the door way of what looked to be a closet, his eyes wide with disbelief. The detective urgently called for his assistant to help him lift something inside the closet. Hiei felt Kurama land beside him just as the boy detective and his assistant helped what looked to be a very pregnant human female out of the closet, hurriedly removing the tight ropes and duct tape that had secured her. The woman looked frightened, her hands and legs shaking with fear as the two tried to sooth her worries while also asking her questions on how she had gotten in there.

"It's Kya!" Hiei looked up at his companion in question. "You wouldn't know her; she started coming to the hospital some months ago when she fist found out she was with child. Humans go to many appointments when they are pregnant. But why is she here?" Kurama said as he placed his thumb against his chin in thought. " And why was she being held in the closet."

Hiei grunted in disinterest. "Hn, that is not who you think it is, which means that somewhere in this city that woman is actually laying in an ally somewhere."

Kurama's eyes widened in panic. "You don't mean she-"

"No. Just unconscious; and she wont wake up until that stupid woman gets turned back into herself."

"What?"

"That "human" in there, is no human."

Kurama inspected the woman from head to toe, and even allowed himself to read her energy signal. What he found only helped to deepen his confusion. "Are you sure Hiei? Her energy is even the same."

Hiei crossed his arm's over his chest, watching "Kya's" every move with narrowed eyes. "Hn, I am more the sure. Cora's abilities are strange in that she can mimic a person down to their very DNA. The only rules that we are aware of, are that she is stuck in that form unless a specific word is spoken by a specific person, or if her "host" or herself dies. Unless any of these stipulations are fulfilled, she will be stuck in this form."

Kurama's eyes widened. Why hadn't Cora ever told him about all of this? "So that energy we felt before, that was Cora's?"

Hiei nodded. "You did not recognize it because she doesn't give off any energy until the end of a transformation, and even then as you saw, it is fleeting." Hiei frowned pensively. "It's just one of the many annoying qualities that idiot carries."

Kurama nodded; it helped to make sense of a few things concerning Cora. It explained why he could never feel her when she entered a room... a Meimu demon... all this time and she never told me... "What do we do? Seeing as how you know all of this I am assuming you are the one who can change her back."

Hiei scoffed, his eyes shooting a stern glare towards Kurama. "Don't be absurd; why would she trust me with such a responsibility? After all I'm the one who abandoned her."

Kurama nodded, smirking a little at the irritation the marred Hiei's voice. "You would not have left her with me if you had the Key to her power. So then what do we do?"

Shrugging, Hiei turned to look out over the city."We kill the human-"

"No. It is not right to kill Kya and her child just to turn Cora back to herself."

"Or, we find someone to be a temporary word keeper." Hiei said, rolling his eyes at Kurama's dismissal of the easy way out. "Either way, someone is going to die. The only way to relinquish the responsibility is by death."

Kurama sighed; it was true. "To a keeper, their Meimu demon is more precious then anything else in the world; they often become mates with their Meimu in order to better protect them from harm. Though it is strange that a female Meimu is in need of a word keeper; if I remember correctly, they normally are only able to mimic a persons voice, drawing their prey to them by faking familiarity."

Hiei shrugged. "I do not question what is, I only follow what she has told me; there was only one other time I have seen her transform, and she hadn't even noticed that she had done anything. I nearly killed her believing her to be an intruder." Hiei turned back to Kurama. "Of course it didn't take long to find information we needed, but I nearly died in the process of killing off the demon she had forced her contract onto; again, she did so out of instinct, and she had made the mistake of making a contract with him before I had returned. Lucky for her, I arrived not to long after and was able to dispose of the heathen before he could take her."

Kurama frowned. "And I assume Cora was against it."

"Hn, she didn't know of his intentions." Hiei spat, his eyes suddenly falling to the roof top, glaring with such intensity Kurama was shocked that the building didn't catch fire. "It took me a couple days to find answers. Acting on instinct she forced her contract onto some lowly wolf demon and after changing back she fell into hibernation. The scum was only moments away from taking her when I arrived." Kurama's brows nearly touched his hair line. Hiei sighed, pushing his furry at the long dead demon to the back of his mind. "She was, and still is only a pup though it seems that under your care she's only accelerated in her maturity. I give her another year or so before she comes of age."

Kurama nodded in understanding; though he couldn't sense Cora, he could smell that she was not yet physically mature by demon standards. " While I am glad you were there to take care of things, it seems unlike you, Hiei, to care about other males with their eye on a female, even if they are only pups."

Hiei grunted, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned his attention back to the apartment. He could see "Cora" sitting on the bed, her hand resting gently atop her "pregnant" belly. Did this woman not have a brain? This complicated things; how, he wasn't sure, but he knew that it did. He would have to find a weak demon for her to name her word keeper, and then kill them off, taking away time needed to escape to the demon world.

Kurama could tell that the conversation was over... for now. " Should I go and retrieve her then?"

Hiei shot Kurama a scathing look. "No. Leave her to me; if your going to rip yourself from this life, you should remove yourself now. And besides, I feel as though I might be able to use this situation to my advantage." Kurama frowned making Hiei scoff and turn from him to look upon the apartment once again. "Do not act as if you had any intentions of telling her your plan. I wont tell her, but I wont let you torture her either."

"Of course; I would expect nothing less of you when it comes to Cora." Hiei turned to give a sharp retort but was surprised to see that he was now alone on the roof top. With an annoyed grunt Hiei turned back to the apartment once again, a plan starting to formulate in his mind.


Cora sighed as she rolled over onto her other side, the discomfort from her engorged belly grating harshly on her nerves; why do most women want to go through this? And for so long! She had learned in school that a human woman's gestation period lasted nine months; NINE MONTHS! Most demon females were only pregnant for upward of three to four months at the most. But she couldn't do anything about it right now; and besides, this was better then being stuck in the trunk. She was sure that she would never feel the same about small, tight places again.

The sound of something tapping lightly on the window pulled Cora from her discomforting thoughts...what the hell is that? We're in the middle of the city...so it can't be a tree, right?... She (with great difficulty) sat up with a groan, and gazed at the window. Her face split into a truly happy smile as she stood and waddled over to the window, opening it quickly. Movement from the other room made her stiffen, her ears straining in the silence for any other movement. Nothing came up; Yusuke must have moved in his sleep. She sighed, and stepped back from the window just as a black shadow stepped onto the sill.

"Took you long enough to find me." Cora teased as Hiei climbed through the window.

Hiei glared at her before taking in the rather large bed room; the detectives stench was everywhere, making his nose turn up in disgust. His eyes zeroed in on the closet and he felt his anger towards the detective swell up again. Deciding that it would be best to direct his attention away from his infuriating surroundings, Hiei turned towards the second source of his current foul mood. "You transformed." He stated it harshly, making Cora smile sheepishly and rub the back of her neck. Hiei brought his eyes up to her face and barley held back a grimace; he hated it when she transformed. It was weird to think that she was still herself, even if she didn't look it.

"Yeah; I thought that they would let me go if they thought they had the wrong person." Hiei scowled at the strange voice that answered him. It irked him to no end; he wanted to talk to her not her 'host'. "Personally, I don't know why women want to put themselves through something like this; I'm not even carrying a baby in here and I feel like I'm peeing every five minutes!"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Then you shouldn't have chosen such a horrible host; what were you thinking? I'm just curious." His tone was sarcastic near the end, losing it's sharp bite.

Cora sighed and awkwardly plopped onto the bed. "I was thinking that it was no fun being locked in a small trunk and shoved into a closet." Hiei glanced at the closet again before walking over to open the door. Indeed, there was a small trunk sitting on the floor, it's lid open and it's wood cloaked gently in Cora's scent. He didn't think he could be as angry at the detective as he was right now; he wanted to kill him in his sleep, the plan be damned. "Plus, now at least I get the bedroom to myself even though my plan had been for them to let me go. Even in this body, they think I could be of use to them."

Hiei sighed; he would have to take care of the detective later. He had to help her first. Again. "While I don't plan to change you back right this moment, we have to get you turned back into yourself before we leave for the Mikai. Your slow enough on your own, let alone carrying someone else's spawn. I will find a demon to-"

"No. I don't want to have to do that every time I use my one ability." Cora said, twirling a strand of short black hair around her fingers. "It'll be to bothersome while on the run."

Hiei growled. "The fox has already banned me from killing the woman you took as your 'host'."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and nibbling on her lower lip in thought. "Well maybe I should just get a permanent keeper." Hiei froze; she wasn't thinking about giving her word to Kurama was she? Not that he cared, right? No; he was simply against it for Cora's sake. She was to young to mate, and Kurama was scheduled to die in little over a week. But Hiei couldn't tell her that; he had somewhat given Kurama his word that he wouldn't let her know. Not that he would let Kurama even entertain the idea of mating her; he would not hesitate to kill the fox if it came down to that. "But, as stupid as this is going to sound, the person I wish to give it to has this nasty habit of disappearing for years at a time." She glared at him, but it had little effect on him as the shock registered through him. She wanted to give it to him?

"Hn; your right. That does sound stupid."

Cora rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can we stay on task here?" Hiei grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't have to say yes ya know."

"Sorry to inform you but I'm not for mating, let alone mating a pup."

She sweat dropped, face palming herself in exasperation. "No, you idiot!" Hiei glared at her. "God, is that all anyone ever thinks about? I never said we had to mate; I'm not even sure what that means. Think of it as more like a business contract; I can trick people into giving me any information we might need to stay out of Spirit World radar, and you can reap the rewards for the information I gather. Not to mention control when I turn back, since I know how much you love being in control." Hiei huffed, his gaze falling to his left side as he contemplated her offer. She was right, he didn't have to mate her; but did that mean he wouldn't want to? The one and only demon they had given her word too had been a male, and he had instantly wanted her as his (though she didn't know it). Was it worth the risk? "Come on; worst comes to worst, you can off yourself to be rid of me. I just figured, what with you taking me to demon world in three days, it only makes sense that you be the one to hold my contract." She smiled teasingly making him grunt. "Unless you think you can't handle it."

Hiei narrowed his eyes at her in contempt. "This is nothing but a business contract."

Cora nodded. "Yep." She extended her hand towards him.

Hiei eyed it before he sighed; he had nothing to lose... aside from his sanity. "Hn. Deal." Hiei reached out and grasped her hand in his, frowning a little when he came into contact with her host's hand. He really hated when she transformed.


Cora thought she was going to lose her mind! She has been stuck in Yusuke's apartment for nearly a week with no one but Botan to keep her company. Hiei hadn't returned since the night they made their contract, and Cora was starting to second guess her choice of making Hiei her keeper. She was about ready to throw herself from the window and put an end to her bloated, and Botan filled misery. It's not that she didn't care for the bluenet, but you can only handle so much Botan at one time. Cora was currently sitting on Yusuke's bed, waiting for him to return from sleeping on the school's roof top. Botan sat beside her, blabbing about something or another about Yusuke not doing his job and blah, blah, blah.

"By the way, speaking of deadlines, when are you due? I'm sorry that we have been keeping you here, but you see it is really important to that we keep you safe." Cora sighed; that was another issue. It was becoming hard to live with her 'condition'. She was begrudgingly starting to think that Hiei had a point; she really should have thought this through a little more. Maybe she should have chosen a child to turn into instead?

"It wont be long before I will have to either go to the hospital, or give birth on Yusuke's bed." Botan blanched, glancing down at Cora's 'pregnant' belly. "Weather or not Yusuke ever plans to sleep comfortably in his own bed again is up to him."

Botan grimaced."Uh, y-yes, I guess baby comes when baby comes!"

"What do you mean your going to give birth on my bed?!" Yusuke came barging into the room, his face pale and scrunched up in disgust. "You can't be serious." Cora glared at him while internally laughing at his discomfort.

"Well you cant expect me to have my baby in a pile of dirty socks and underwear." Yusuke scratched the back of his head. He really hadn't thought about this to much; he just knew that this woman, despite being just a human, was somehow connected to Kurama and possibly Hiei as well. Or at least she was now; their original captive had done the old switcharo on them, but they couldn't trust that this Kya woman wasn't still involved in some way...

"Alright, fine! I have a play date tonight at the hospital. I'll take you with me-"

"No."

Yusuke quirked a brow. "What?"

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but I want to help you; you may keep me here until your assignment is done. I only ask to be taken to the hospital if I should go into labor."

Yusuke scratched the back of his neck. "What if you go into labor tonight? Botan has to go back to-"

"Then your bed will be ruined." Cora gave him a wide smile as Yusuke blanched and shuddered. "But I don't think you will have to worry about that; I have shown no signs of actual labor as of yet."

Yusuke sighed and gave Botan a questioning look who merely shrugged in uncertainty. "Fine; I won't put you in the closet tonight. Just stay away from the windows and don't make any sound." Cora sighed, but nodded. "Come one Botan; I have to go meet Kurama at the hospital." Cora furrowed her brow in confusion; what kind of business could Yusuke have at the hospital? Was he going to confront Kurama? What about Shiori? Yusuke quirked a brow. "You ok over there?"

Cora nodded, a small false smile spreading over her face. "I was just lost in thought; there is a young man that often spoke to me at the hospital. I was simply wondering weather his mother was doing better; poor dear has been sick for quite some time. Suichi is such a sweet boy; it is unfair that someone as innocent and wonderful as him should have to endure such hardship."

Botan sweat dropped. "Y-yes, I'm sure he is a perfect angel..." Cora held back a snort of amusement.

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well,I'll check in on them for you if you want."

Cora smiled. "That would be lovely Yusuke."

He sighed, and nodded his head. "We'll be back." He said before pointing a finger at Cora in warning. "Don't get to close to the windows."

Cora nodded as the two left the bedroom, sliding the door closed behind them. After listening for the front door to close, Cora sighed and walked over to the window, throwing it open and allowing the warm summer night to invade the room. "You can come in Hiei; they are gone now." No sooner had she spoken then had said demon appeared in the window.

"Hn. I can see that you stupid girl. Are you ready to stop playing 'mother', or are you starting to like the thought of having a disgusting human pet of your own?" Cora rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed, leaning against the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

"Don't make me laugh Hiei; you might send me into labor." Cora was kidding of course; there was no baby in her belly, it just looked as if there was. But it was funny to see Hiei's face scrunch up is disgust.

Hiei scoffed, lifting her legs up so he could sit beneath them. He inwardly scolded himself; ever sense he had been named her keeper, he felt the need to be around her. Constantly. He's forced himself to stay away for her own safety, but he knew that the detective would be preoccupied with the fox tonight. But if this was the worst of the side effects of being named her keeper, he could handle it. So long as he didn't try to mate her, he was content. "And what do you plan to do if that happens and I'm not around, stupid girl?"

Cora placed her finger against her chin in thought. What would she do? Anything that her 'host' went through she went through; if this woman's baby decided it was time to show it's self to the world, then Cora herself would feel the pains of the labor. The thought didn't sound to pleasant. "Then I guess you better make sure that you are around." Hiei grunted, relaxing against the bed room wall.

"I've come up with a plan to force that bastard of a detective bring the artifacts and you to me." Cora quirked a brow, prompting Hiei to continue. "He has an intended, a girl by the name of Keiko Ukimaura."

"And you plan on kidnapping her to force Yusuke into following your orders."

Hiei grunted, his eyes glaring at the fare wall irritably. "Hn. If the detective thinks he is the only one willing to stoop to abduction, he is in for an even ruder awakening then I thought."


Yusuke slammed the apartment door open, ignoring his drunken mother who was sprawled on the kitchen table as he rushed to his bed room. He threw the door open, scowling down at the woman who was sitting on the floor, her legs folded under her and a jigsaw puzzled partially assembled.

"You!" Yusuke pointed an incriminating finger at her, making her quirk her brow.

"Me. What about me?"

Yusuke growled, kneeling down to be eye level with her just as Botan hurried into the room. She looked worried and couldn't seem to keep her hands still. "Your 'friend' kidnapped my friend!" Yusuke yelled in Cora's face making her scowl.

Botan tried to intervene, waving her arms wildly."Yusuke! She isn't involved wi-"

Cora rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. "I know he did; in fact, he stood in this very room and told me all about your little girl friend while you went and had your chat with Kurama." Botan's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, her eyes bugging out while Yusuke fumed. He grasped the front of her shirt, pulling her up off the floor.

Botan gasped, grasping his arm. "Don't hurt he-"

"What do you know?! The only thing we know is that he demands that you come along for the trade-"

Cora grasped Yusuke's wrists, digging her hosts nails into the tender skin. "I don't know what his plan is. He only told me about taking Keiko; consider this payback for kidnapping me in the first place." Cora hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, but she did feel a little better knowing that Yusuke was now suffering for keeping her locked up like an animal. Yusuke growled in anger, pulling his free hand back into a fist. Cora glared at him. "I dare you."

Botan panicked, grasping his fist in her hands to stop his attack. "YUSUKE! You can't hit a pregnant woman! Just think of what Hiei would do to Keiko!" Yusuke paused, his face becoming skewed with anger as he imagined the pain Hiei would cause his childhood friend should he hit Hiei's pregnant girl friend. It wasn't a promising picture. Instead Yusuke released his hold on Cora's top, letting her land back on her knees. She hissed as the sudden fall pulled uncomfortably at her large stomach, shooting a deadly glare up at Yusuke and shrugging off Botans fretting hands.

Yusuke pointed at her intimidatingly. "Keiko better be ok," he said before walking away, heading for the front door. "Get her up Botan; we have to find this freak tonight." Botan reached over and gently pulled Cora up to her feet, looking at her with a mixture of anger and worry before she lead Cora from the apartment.


"This is it; Hiei's energy is radiating off that warehouse like a beacon. He must be trying to lead us to him." Botan said as the three of them entered an old, partially abandoned sea port. Cora winced as a small pain shot through her hips; she must have hit the ground a little harder then she thought when Yusuke dropped her. Her back and hips were killing her.

"Well then lets not keep his highness waiting." Yusuke bit out as he stormed over to the warehouse in question and kicked the door in. The wood splintered around his foot, exploding into the warehouse which was mostly empty aside from a few empty crates that were stacked here and there. He walked in with no hesitation, leaving Cora and Botan to wonder in behind him. "Come out Hiei! Hand Keiko over, or I'll start taking swings at your bitch of a girlfriend!"

Cora glanced around the room; she could feel Hiei's energy, but it seemed to be taking over the whole area making it difficult for her to pin point his location. Movement in the shadows caught her eyes making her head snap to the side in time to see a group of six or seven humans come stumbling from the darkness.

"What the hell..." Yusuke mumbled out as he took a defensive stance towards the dull eyed humans. Cora took a step back, a small frown pulling at her lips. The humans suddenly launched themselves at Yusuke who merely snorted in irritation before taking them all out with quick punches to their guts. "GET LOST! DAMN IT HIEI!" Yusuke shouted as the humans fell to the ground unconscious. "Why don't you show yourself?!"

Botan inspected the fallen humans, checking them over for serious injury. "They're just humans! The way they were acting, they must have been under Hiei's control..." she said, casting a glance at Cora who had maneuvered herself onto the floor to try and alleviate the pressuring pain she was feeling in her lower back. "Kya, does Hiei have a Jagan?!"

"Hn. You're assistant is right." Cora let out a sigh as Hiei finely decided to emerge from the shadows followed closely by two more brain melted humans who were supporting an unconscious Keiko by her forearms. Yusuke growled a little, his hands balling into fists as his shoulder shook with barely contained furry.

"It's about damn time you showed up; thought you had made me walk all the way here for nothing Hiei." Cora said sarcastically though her whimsical mood changed when a strong pain from her lower back and into her abdomen. Warm, dark yellow liquid soaked through her clothing and pooled on the ground making Botan gasp in surprise.

"Oh my goodness! Yusuke, I think she's going into labor!" Yusuke blanched, taking a small step back before his attention was brought back to Hiei and the still unconscious Keiko.

"I wouldn't dawdle if I were you Detective; the life of your woman is inching ever closer to the edge of no return as we speak." Yusuke gave him an incredulous glare, motioning to Cora who was now being supported by Botan as the spirit guide moved her so that Cora could lean against some crates.

"While I will agree that I'm pissed off about you taking Keiko, don't you think you should be worried too?! Your girlfriend's in labor over here!" Hiei scoffed, turning a bored 'I-told-you-so' look to Cora who stuck her tongue out at him in return.

"It would do her well to learn a lesson about choosing her host's a little more carefully." Cora growled at him though it was cut off as another contraction spread through her; the damn doctors must have induced her host. There's no way her labor would be going this quickly otherwise. Hiei turned glowing eyes back to Yusuke who looked horrified by Hiei's lack of concern. "I hope you haven't forgotten the other demand I made detective; while you were wise to bring the stupid girl, it wont do you any good to have left the artifacts behind."

Yusuke snarled, reaching into his pocket to reveal a strange, green ball that looked like it was covered in large scales and a mirror on a chain, though the mirror surface looked more like a black void then a looking glass. "Here you sick freak!" Yusuke shouted, tossing the artifacts into Cora's arms. Yusuke hoisted her up despite Botans protests. "Take them all; just give Keiko back!"

"Hn. Good boy." Hiei said as he motioned towards the brain washed humans. They tossed Keiko forward just as Yusuke shoved Cora towards Hiei. Hiei caught Cora by the shoulders and held her at arms length looking her over quickly before smirking down at her. "See? I told you you were pushing your luck choosing such a host."

"Fuck off and change me back-gah!" She clutched at her abdomen earning a chuckle from the sadistic fire demon. "I'm never having children! Who would put themselves through this on purpose?!"

"An idiot." Hiei said making her shoulders slump in defeat. "Sit to the side and don't get in my way Cora. I'm not quite finished with the detective." He growled out the last bit as a soft white light enveloped the tall woman that stood before him. Cora sighed as she felt the pain from her host's labor leave her body, taking with it her enlarged belly and the woman's obnoxious height. When the light dissipated, Cora's true form stood before him, her bright aqua eyes shinning in delight as she stretched her sore muscles.

"Dear god, I'm so happy to be back to my normal size!" She said making Hiei roll his eyes in irritation. Cora tucked the two artifacts into the now lose fitting top she was wearing, glancing over her shoulder at the detective and his assistant. Yusuke sputtered from behind her making her turn towards him fully, her eyes full of mischief as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I-it's Cora!" Botan shouted, pointing an incriminating finger at the overly excited girl. "B-but, the baby- the LABOR! How is that possible- she didn't show any signs of energy at all! Even the DNA sample I sent to Koenma came back negative for belonging to Cora!" Hiei scoffed, a confident smirk making its way onto his face. Cora leaned her elbow on his shoulder, snickering as she watched Botan's brain practically melt.

"As if I would let something a mundane as a DNA test give me away; I had hopped that by convincing the two of you that you had the wrong person you would have let me go," she said with a bored shrug. "But you two were so intent to capture Hiei and the others that you didn't even take into account that your hostage was with child; thank god there wasn't an actual parasite in there." Yusuke's face grew tight in a glare, one which Cora returned with a smug smile. "Now that I'm back to normal I find it only fitting to let you in on a little secret. Anything that happens to me while in the form of another happens to my unconscious host's body. So while your little tantrum at the apartment did nothing to me personally, the pain and premature labor it caused is real to the body of some poor, unsuspecting woman." Cora bit back a laugh when panic flew through Yusuke's eyes; a little white lie could go a long way.

Botan gasped while Yusuke's eyes widened in shock. "Botan!"

Botan nodded, pulling out what looked to be a communication mirror and pressing a series of buttons. "I have Koenma looking into it."

Cora chuckled darkly as she straightened herself up, taking her weight off of Hiei's shoulder and shooting said demon a small smile. "We can take off after this right? If so can you make it quick?" Hiei scoffed, his brow ticking in mild annoyance.

"Don't order me around stupid girl."

"It wasn't an order; more like a request. I am in desperate need of a bath now that I have amniotic fluid all over my cloths." Hiei scrunched up his nose making her snicker as she walked away from him to stand quite a ways away near the back of the warehouse. She had all the confidence in the world that Hiei would be successful.

"If you two are done flirting, perhaps we can get back to business here!" Yusuke shouted, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He snickered, pulling his hands out to crack his knuckles. "Now that Keiko's safe, I'll be taking those artifacts back." Yusuke shot off, his fist raised to hit Hiei. Cora bit back a laugh as Hiei seemingly vanished, though her eyes could see that he had done nothing more then step to the side. "What the- he vanished!"

"Hn. Like I would turn to such childish tactics." Hiei drawled out making Yusuke jump in surprise before turning to see him. "Did you really think after the horrid conditions you kept that idiot in that I would return the wench to you unharmed?" His tone was deadly and cocky making Yusuke gulp in mild distress as he glanced over at Keiko who still lay unconscious in Botan's arms. Botan suddenly gasped as a small slit appeared on Keiko's forehead. Even Cora grimaced as the skin began to pull apart, revealing the first glimpses of a crude third eye. "You see I may have returned the body, but her life is still very much in my hands."

"What?!" Yusuke asked as the eye opened a few centimeters more, staring up at him with dull interest. "The eye's opening!"

"You should be happy she's still alive," Hiei said, his tone laced with dark humor. "When the eye is completely open, she'll become a demon. Not a very smart one, but she'll make a perfect slave."

Botan gasped, placing Keiko onto the ground and holding her hands above the young woman's head. Yellow energy enveloped her hands, seeping into Keiko's forehead. "I might be able to hold it!" Botan said to Yusuke who looked uncertain. "Find a way to beat him Yusuke!"

Hiei glanced over his shoulder at Cora who was quick to answer his unspoken question. "She's a Guide to the Spirit World and has the ability to heal most superficial wounds with little to no effort, and if given the time and herbs, she can heal even the most life threatening of wounds. It is no surprise to me that she can neutralize demonization." Hiei scoffed, turning his attention back to Yusuke and Botan.

"So, she is capable of high-class spirit healing." Hiei said with a somewhat bored tone. "It's to bad she doesn't have any of the herbs needed to make it permanent." Yusuke glanced over to Hiei who gave him a sinister smirk in return. "If thing's go wrong your assistants life might be taken away along with the mind of your intended!"

Yusuke growled, indecision clear on his face. "He's right Yusuke," Botan said, her voice sounding strained as the energy from the eye tried to fight back against her healing aura. "I can't keep this up forever!" Yusuke looked like he was going to speak, but Hiei didn't give him the chance to think on his decision.

"Lets play a game, shall we?" His words were teasing but Hiei's tone was full of dark humor as he viewed the young mans internal struggle. Hiei reached into his cloak, unsheathing the ugliest sword Yusuke had ever seen and holding it out towards the detective. "The antidote is hidden in the guard of this blade. With out it, your assistant and your intended don't stand a chance of surviving. If you can get this sword away from me, you can have the antidote and I'll surrender myself and my partner to you. Not that I think you have the slightest chance in he-!"

Cora gasped as Yusuke disappeared, his fist slamming into the side of Hiei's head and knocking him some ten feet to the side; when had he moved?! Why was he suddenly so fast?! Hiei sped up, putting a bit more distance between himself and Yusuke, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth. His eyes were narrowed dangerously at the youth.

"Your beyond redemption." Yusuke said, his voice and face suddenly a little to relaxed. "I'll tear you, and your partner to shreds."

Hiei scoffed, his tongue flicking out to lick away the small trail of blood that seeped from his split lip. "Now I see the real you; your a team player, a save the day super hero; I hate people like you. But while you may have been able to catch me off guard, you still failed to grab the sword. A fatal mistake; I won't be careless again."

"Are you done talking yet?" Yusuke asked snidely, his face still as calm as it had been before. Hiei glowered at him before vanishing from sight, flitting around Yusuke's still form in an attempt to confuse the youth.

"Can you find me detective?" Hiei's tone was teasing and deadly as he flashed around the room, moving so fast that many after images appeared to be levitating around Yusuke. In a flash of movement Yusuke struck out, his fist landing strong and true on its target and sending Hiei flying for the second time. Cora winced as Hiei landed harshly on the stone floor, the demonic sword sliding away from him. The orb and mirror clattered from his pocket, landing against the far wall some twenty feet from Cora's resting spot.

"Hiei!" Cora shouted, the first pangs of worry hitting her; Yusuke, a weak, worthless lackey, has managed to land two solid hits on Hiei. Hiei grunted as he pulled himself to his feet, wiping blood from his chin once again.

"Do you only know how to jump around jerk?" Yusuke asked, his brows pulled down into a glower as Hiei growled low in his chest; he was not about to allow this human to get the better of him.

Hiei glared at him, spitting more blood from his mouth. "Shit..." he growled out under his breath making Cora's eyes widen; was Hiei starting to get worried? Maybe they should make a break for it with the artifacts now- "You should feel honored detective; I've never reverted for a human before." Hiei removed his cloak and scarf, tossing them to the side carelessly. Cora's brow furrowed in confusion; what did Hiei mean by 'revert'?

"Wha-?!" Yusuke blanched, taking a step back as a swirl of demonic energy erupted around Hiei who's skin began to turn a sickly shade of green. His fangs and claws elongated, his ears shifted to accommodate a pointed tip, and the muscles in his upper body became a little bigger, making him look much to bulky for his height. The whites of his eyes turned yellow, making his red iris' pop. His Jagan, which was normally a brilliant shade of violet, glowed blue as Hiei's energy clawed higher and higher. The final change showed its self in the form of multiple eyes opening across his body.

Cora gasped, her stomach churning in what she thought was mild disgust; that's what she wanted to to believe that it was. Looking back she was sure she had heard Hiei mention something about a second physical form, but she had never actually seen it before. It was a little... intense? Intimidating?

Botan shouted in pain as her energy was suddenly thrown harshly back at her, moving at such a velocity that it cut into her skin. She pulled her hands away, cuddling them against her chest with a whimper. Botan looked down at Keiko and gasped as the demonic eye started to open at an alarming rate. "No..." She reached over, pushing more of her energy out to subdue the eye, though she only managed to slow down its progress. She winced every few seconds as her energy was thrown back at her, but she refused to pull away.

"Botan!" Yusuke shouted in alarm. Hiei chuckled darkly making Cora shudder; even his voice was different. It was deeper and a little raspy, adding to his new, sinister form.

"It wont be long now; I can feel your assistants energy depleting rapidly. The eye is reacting to my increased demonic energy. Soon, you'll have a mate who's a zombie and an assistant who's dead." Yusuke gulped, uncertainty swimming through his eyes as he watched Botan struggle with her energy levels. Hiei growled, thrusting his right hand out and sending a shock wave of red energy at the youth which wrapped around him in ropy, red tendrils. "You shouldn't turn your back to your opposition!"

Yusuke struggled against the bindings. Hiei snickered, flickering into Yusuke's line of sight and throwing a barrage of punches at him, each one knocking the wind from his lungs and the blood from his head. Hiei stopped his barrage, his eyes set in a menacing glare as he grasped Yusuke's hair in his clawed hand. " As if I would allow you to escape; after everything you've done. Try as you might," Hiei threw a heavy punch at Yusuke's gut, sending the boy into the air. "There will be no escape for you!"

Hiei shot into the air, his leg coming down on Yusuke's shoulder sending the boy into the stone floor. Moments later, Hiei appeared above him, the demonic blade clutched tightly in his right hand. "Your power, while truly minuscule compared to my own and even that of my partner, is impressive for a human. As such, to show my respect, I'll give you a clean death." Hiei growled out, a sinister smirk playing over his lips as he moved to impale Yusuke on the end of his blade.

Cora gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as the blade embedded its self into the soft flesh of... Kurama?! "Kurama! Have you lost your mind?!" She shouted, dashing over to the three men's sides and grasping Kurama's shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing fox-!" Hiei shied away as Kurama flung some of his own blood into Hiei's Jagan making the smaller demon shout out in pain and anger, the demonic sword clattering to the ground. The energy that was wrapped around Yusuke broke apart as Hiei attempted to wipe the blood from his forehead.

"Kurama, wha-?" Kurama gave her a reassuring smile as he leaned against her, his hand grasping at his abdomen. Yusuke gave Kurama a curious glance making him chuckle.

"The Jagan's on his body are for decoration; the real source of his power is on his forehead." Kurama explained to Yusuke. Cora frowned; why was Kurama helping him?! "I came to repay the debt I owe you from out last meeting. Leave the girl to me." Cora huffed; what did that mean? Yusuke's eyes slid down to her making her glower before she hurried to move Kurama away, unwilling to let him get in the middle of Hiei's fight again.

"That was stupid Kurama; you could have died!" Cora scolded as she set him against the wall a mere foot away from Botan and Keiko. Botan gave her a suspicious glance but didn't stop trying to close the eye.

"If it wasn't for Yusuke, I would have died the other day..." Cora glanced between Yusuke and Kurama, unsure of weather or not she could trust that Kurama wasn't just being overly dramatic. "He also helped me in saving mothers life."

"Your lying!" Cora hissed, tearing her eyes away from the continuing fight to glare heatedly at Kurama. "That's a cruel trick to play Kurama-"

"I'm telling the truth; I had planned to use the Forlorn Hope, the mirror Hiei was after, to cure mother myself. To do so, my life would have been forfeit, but mother would have healed. Yusuke stepped in and offered himself up in my place, unwilling to let mother live with the heart ache of losing her child." Cora's eyes widened as she turned to watch the fight ensue, each fighter giving it their all although it appeared that Hiei once again had the upper hand. "In the end, the mirror decided that our intentions were pure as we had wished for the happiness of a mortal and granted our wish with out taking either of our lives."

Cora sat there in silence, absorbing everything Kurama had told her; Yusuke, the boy who at this moment was trying to defeat and arrest her closest friend, had also played a part in saving the life of her guardians. What was a girl to do... she growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Damn it; it seems that I owe Yusuke for keeping an eye on you and Shiori." She gave him an icy glare making Kurama smile a little. "But I wont hesitate to kill him if he some how manages to hurt Hiei to bad-!" She choked on her words as a brilliant blue light erupted from across the room, sailing like a bullet towards Hiei's turned back. "How the hell...Hiei!" She shouted just as the energy bullet slams into Hiei's back, knocking the wind from his lungs and forcing him onto his knees."No-!" She shifted forward, intent on going to Hiei's side as he fell unconscious to the warehouse floor, but was stopped when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder, pinching a pressure point that made her head spin and her the edges of her vision go black. She fought against the darkness that threatened to consume her, Kurama's apologetic tone shifting through her brain just seconds before she fell into the dark abyss.