SIM: Chappie 7 here! Hope you like it!

Hiei: -Glares-

SIM: Oh, come on Hiei, you can't still be mad about Hikari leaving in the middle of the night without telling you.

Hiei: -Twitches-

SIM: So anyway, I don't own anything but my ocs. Enjoy the chapter!

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Kurama paced back and forth in his room like an animal in a cage. That's what he felt like at the moment. He'd always been good at waiting, but somehow when so much was on the line, he found it hard to stand still for more than three seconds at a time.

"Careful fox, you might wear a hole through the floor." Hideki jeered from the doorway. Kurama bit back a retort. Although he still joked around, all the humor was gone from his eyes. He was feeling it just as much as Hiei and Kurama were. Having their mates so far out of their grasp didn't sit well with any of them.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to feeling this anxious." Kurama replied.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Usually I'm laid back about everything, but it's hard when I know she's in danger and I can't do anything about it." Hideki spoke in a soft, distant voice. Kurama knew he wasn't in this room anymore, but rather miles away with his mate.

"Was there something you needed?" Kurama asked after a moment.

"Oh, right…" Hideki scratched the back of his head with a smile, snapping back into his jokester role. "Shihira's parents want to see us downstairs."

"Alright, I'll be down in a moment."

They had gone on just as they'd planned when they found out Aya, Ami and Hikari were gone. It was difficult because they originally planned for Hikari to create a portal to getthem there in less time. Without her, it took them three days of traveling through Makai to get to Shihira's village. Fortunately, Shihira was right when she said it was in the same part. They'd have to find a better way to travel, or else they'd never make it to Hideki's village. It was much farther away.

Upon getting to the village, Shihira led them to a manor in the heart of the town where they were received most graciously. They were each led to a room and told to rest up until dinner since they must have been exhausted. Kurama now descended the stairs into the dining room where most everyone else was seated. He took a seat on Hiei's right.

"So Shihira tells us you work for Koenma also." Shihira's mother, Satsuka, stated.

"Yes ma'am. We were sent here to participate in the tournament." Hideki answered.

"Ah, so you'd be able to tell us about this new ruler, right?" Shihira's father, Genma, asked.

"Right. Akira is her name and she used to run with Youko's band." Shihira supplied.

"She's holding a grudge against Kurama and our friend Aya and is currently out for our heads." Hideki added. Genma and Satsuka exchanged a worried look.

"What can we do?" Aki, Shihira's older brother, asked.

"We're trying to organize a rebellion, to be blunt." Datenshi replied.

"So we were hoping the village would be on our side." Shihira continued.

"Akira's forces are conquering villages as we speak." Datenshi added.

"If this continues, demon world will be destroyed." Shihira stated.

"We're going against her, but we need help." Datenshi supplied.

"Can you persuade the elders to stand against her?" Shihira finished.

Crickets chirped in the background as Shihira's family looked frantically back and forth between the two of them. Then Aki started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god, our little Shihira finally has a boyfriend!" he exclaimed.

"Shut it Aki!" Shihira yelled.

"Wait, you mean you've never had a boyfriend?" Yusuke asked.

"Well, er… um… ehehe…" Shihira stammered, thoroughly embarrassed.

Mental note, kill Aki. She thought to herself.

"Hikari must have had a thousand boyfriends. And you know Aya, she had guys all over her from what I hear." Hideki laughed. Hiei and Kurama both twitched.

"Yeah, and if I remember correctly, Ami had a new boyfriend every week before she met you." Shihira retorted, shutting Hideki up immediately.

"So back to the problem at hand…" Kurama began. Hiei's eyes narrowed and he muttered some profanity under his breath while clenching his fist.

"What's wrong Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

"They're all blocking me. I've been trying to contact Hikari for the last three days, but they must have some kind of ward or something because I can't even locate them." Hiei practically growled in response.

"Well, at least that means no one else can locate them either. If they stick to the back roads and thieves shortcuts, they should get there with no trouble." Datenshi replied.

"I suppose. Akira will be expecting us all to stay together in hiding. She'll be more surprised than we were when she finds out Aya's gone after her." Kurama supplied.

"I still don't like it. When we catch up with her, she is in so much trouble." Hiei grumbled, glaring at nothing and everything.

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"A-CHOO! A-CHOO A-CHOO!" Hikari sneezed loudly.

"Shhh! Jeez Hikari, are you trying to get us caught?" Aya reprimanded.

"Hmph, Hiei's probably talking about you." Ami teased with a giggle.

"I wouldn't be surprised. And he's probably pissed too." Hikari replied with a smirk.

"They probably all are. Shihira especially, since we left her behind." Aya added, chuckling.

"They probably would've come after us by now if it weren't for these amulets. Where'd you get these anyway, Aya?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, I've got a ton of stuff like this. Just something you have to pick up when you're a thief. It's a lot easier to sneak into guarded palaces when no one sees you coming." Aya laughed.

"You scared me sometimes, chica." Ami laughed.

"I try." Aya laughed back.

"You think they're at Shihira's village yet?" Hikari asked.

"Probably. It wasn't that far away and I doubt they slept much if at all. Speaking of, we'd best rest while we can. I stay up for first watch." Aya replied. With that, Hikari and Ami rolled up in their blankets and Aya sat back against a nearby tree to make sure nothing took them by surprise. Kuro-chan lay curled up in her lap, asleep.

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"So what I'm wondering is how the heck is your family so… normal Shihira?" Yusuke asked. They'd finished dinner and had gone back to a sitting room where they simply hung out. Shihira's parents had agreed to stand against Akira so their business here was finished. Tomorrow they would set out for Hideki's village. Luckily, Satsuka had the ability to create portals and she would send them there so they wouldn't have to trek across demon world and have to fight too many demons.

"Yes, well, I'm sort of the odd one in my family. That's part of the reason I left and part of the reason I'm not too upset we're leaving so soon." Shihira replied with distant eyes.

"So my village next, huh? Can't say I'm looking forward to it. Hikari probably had the right idea." Hideki stated.

"Why? What's so bad about your village?" Yusuke asked.

"It's not the village, but rather who's in the village." Hideki replied, looking uncomfortable.

"Who's in the village?" Yusuke asked.

"My dad and step-mom. Let's just say my sister didn't really get along with them…" Hideki replied, "If we're lucky we won't have to see them. We'll just go see my mom and hopefully we can get in and get out."

"We should probably get some sleep then. We leave first thing tomorrow." Datenshi said. With that they all went back to their rooms.

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Kurama sat down on the bed he'd been given and leaned back against the head board with a sigh. He couldn't sleep knowing that Aya was in danger. He knew she could handle herself. She'd been a thief for over a thousand years. She knew every way to slip under the enemy's radar. Ami and Hikari were with her, too. Between Aya's premonitions and Hikari's telepathy, no one was going to catch them off guard. And yet, Kurama had an uneasy feeling, like something wasn't right. Like there was something everyone was forgetting. A knock came on his door and he snapped back into reality.

"Come in." he called. The door opened and Hiei stepped in.

"You feel it too?" Hiei asked vaguely.

"Feel what?" Kurama asked.

"The feeling that there's something we're forgetting. That something just isn't right." Hiei replied.

"Yes." Kurama replied bluntly.

"What do you think it could be?" Hiei asked, faint signs of worry on his face.

"It's possible that we're just being pessimistic." Kurama answered. Hiei gave him a look that clearly said 'be serious' and he continued with a sigh, "Or it could be that something's going to happen to them…"

"That's what worries me. Mora will contact me if she sees anything happening to them, but it's still unnerving." Hiei replied.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kurama asked.

"There's nothing we can do, and that's what pisses me off. I can't find them as long as they have those wards and they could be anywhere by now. They're much too careful for us to find a trail…" Hiei stated.

"Maybe you should contact Mora and tell her about this feeling." Kurama suggested.

"I'll do that tomorrow. Night fox." Hiei stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Kurama alone with his thoughts. This certainly doesn't bode well.

---Meanwhile with the Girls---

Kuro-chan's ear twitched and she jumped up. She stared off into the trees with a low grumble that might have been a growl rumbling within her.

"What's wrong Kuro-chan? What do you hear?" Aya asked in a low voice.

"Somebody's coming." Hikari hissed.

Do they know we're here? Ami asked telepathically.

No, not yet. But they will in about seven seconds if we don't hide. Hikari replied. They each leapt into the trees just as a group of demons passed by beneath them. They obviously weren't very high class demons because they didn't even notice the three girls crouching on the branches just above their heads. They didn't get down until Aya could no longer feel the vibrations of their feet.

That was close. We should be careful from here on. Ami told them.

Yeah, we can't afford to be seen here. Hikari replied.

We should keep moving. Aya stated as she silently jumped into the trees. And we shouldn't take the path, just in case there're more of those demons. If they've found this shortcut, they're most likely working for Akira.

Should we change paths? Hikari asked. Aya didn't have time to respond, however, because an arrow imbedded itself in the tree where her head would have been, had she not jumped down. Hikari cursed under her breath. They were surrounded by demons. Most of them were C class or lower with the occasional B class here and there; easy enough to defeat if there weren't so many of them. One took a swing at Ami who grabbed its wrist, twisted it behind it's back and stabbed it through the back off the head with one of her crescent blades. She stepped back and drew the other. Hikari had already drawn her katana and Aya her sais. They each moved swiftly through the hoards of demons, cutting every one that got too close down. Soon, every demon lay dead on the ground at their feet.

"What is she thinking sending these idiots out?" Aya pondered out loud as she wiped her sais clean on her cloak.

"Aya, look out!" Ami called. Aya turned around just in time to see the demon that had snuck up on her fall forwards with an arrow in its back.

"You've gotten rusty Ayaka." An obviously female voice called from the trees.

"Lina? What are you doing here?" Aya exclaimed with a brilliant smile as she caught sight of the short water wolf standing in the brush, bow in hand.

"Well, we've been trying to secure the thieves back roads since that damned Akira won the tournament. She wants to use them to secure demon world, but we've been killing off everyone she sends." Lina answered. Three demons emerged from the brush behind her, two male, one female. Aya recognized them immediately.

"Yuji! Takeo! Moegi! It's good to see you all!" Aya exclaimed. The female, Moegi, rushed forward and hugged her while the other two hung back to report to their leader.

"There's more coming, Aya, we should get back. Come with us. We want to know what you're going to do about Akira." Lina stated. Aya looked back at Hikari and Ami for their opinions and they just shrugged. They followed Lina through the brush for hours until they finally got to a place that Aya never thought she'd see again.

"Strange, isn't it? Being back after all this time." Yuji, a tall, dark haired, fire demon said with a smile.

"It's good to be back. I never thought I'd see this place again." Aya replied.

"Who are your friends?" Takeo, a shadow demon with rust colored hair, asked with a smile that to anyone else might look innocent, but Aya knew it immediately.

"Don't get your hopes up, they're both mated. This is Ami and Hikari, some of the friends I've made since I left." Aya replied. Takeo just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"They're welcome here." Lina assured her.

So who are these guys? Hikari asked.

Yeah, where are we? Ami added.

We're at the theif's guild. The one Youko used to lead. Aya replied. They entered the fortress through a concealed passage that lead directly into the main area.

"Is that… Aya? It couldn't be?" they could hear people whispering all around them.

"It's gotta be. See, it's Kuro-chan." More whispered.

"You sure are famous, Aya." Hikari whispered. They sat down on one of the many couches in the room.

"So what are you planning to do about Akira?" Moegi, a blonde bat demon, asked.

"Kurama and some other friends we've made are rounding up reinforcements. They'll probably show up here soon to ask you to join." Aya replied.

"So Youko really is alive, huh? I doubt anything could kill that old bastard. We saw him at the Dark Tournament but we weren't sure if it was really him or not." Yuji stated.

"So I bet you two had a fun time when you met up, didn't you?" Takeo asked with a smirk. Aya looked away to hide the blush on her face. The rest of the demons in the room just laughed.

"Of course they did. Everyone knew about them, 'cept maybe Trixie and Tadashi. Neither of them were ever all that smart, were they?" Yuji laughed. Aya laughed at the memory.

"What happened to the two of them anyway?" Moegi pondered.

"They tried to kill us a while back so we killed them." Aya answered. Lina laughed at that.

"I can see that. That would explain why Akira wants you all dead." She said.

"So what are you guys doing?" Aya asked.

"We've been keeping the back roads clear and raiding enemy camps when we have the chance. What are the three of you doing, though, if everyone else is getting reinforcements?" Yuji asked.

"We were going to kill Akira." Aya stated bluntly. Yuji blinked.

"Just like that?" he asked, "How do you expect to get in?"

"Heh, remember who you're talking to. I may have been in human world, but I'm anything but rusty." Aya replied with a smirk.

"That incident back on the roads says otherwise." Lina retorted. Aya's eyes narrowed, remembering the demon that snuck up on her, and dipped her hand into her pocket, pulling out a necklace.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Aya asked, throwing the amulet to Lina.

"Holy shit! How'd she get her hands on something like this?" Lina exclaimed.

"I don't know, but that's why I couldn't sense it, smell it, or hear it. The fact that she has enough of these to spare them on goons says a lot." Aya replied. Lina deliberated for a moment before turning to Aya again.

"It's not a good idea to fight Akira before you know what she's up to. Your fight in the demon world tournament showed that you guys are evenly matched. If you had any desire to win the tournament you could have beaten her. But with this new information, you just know she has something up her sleeve. She always does. Wait until we know more to fight her. You should probably stick around, at least long enough for you to relearn your thieving techniques. You can't have used most of them in a long time. And we can teach your friends the basics too." Lina suggested.

"I couldn't agree more. After this, I don't want to fight her without knowing everything." Aya replied. "But we can't stay too long. Like I said, they'll be here soon."

"If these are your friends, why does it matter if they catch up with you or not?" Moegi asked.

"Uhhh, let's just say if they catch us before we get to Akira, we won't be fighting her…" Aya replied.

"You left without telling them, didn't you?" Takeo asked with barely contained laughter, "So if they find you here before you fight Akira, you won't be fighting anything because they're gonna be pissed and you won't be able to get passed them." He erupted into all out laughter as he finished.

"That's just like you Aya." Yuji laughed, "And if I know Youko, you are going to be in sooooo much trouble when he catches you. I can see it now."

"Ehehe…" Aya laughed nervously. He was right and she knew it. So did Ami and Hikari and there was no doubt in either of their minds that the same was true for them. The three of them shuddered at the thought.

"So yeah, we'll stay but we have to leave before our friends get here." Aya stated.

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SIM: Ok, so I'll leave off there. Heehee, they're gonna be in so much trouble.

Hideki: Dangit Hikari! You just had to leave me alone to go back to the village, didn't you?

Hikari: Haha! –Sticks out tongue-

Hiei: -glares-

Hikari: Oh crap! –runs away-

Hiei: -Chases-

SIM: So yeah, you guys have fun with that. Leave a review please!