Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers.

Chapter 7

Two weeks had passed since Kitanoe, Kurama, and Hiei were ambushed in Demon World. Kitanoe had fully recovered and had spent her evenings training with Hiei, and sometimes Kurama. Kuwabara would try and help her since he was a self-proclaimed "Master" of the weapon conjuring arts, but he never made any sense to her. Yusuke had gone to Demon World on his own to assess the turmoil and had returned days later with news that nothing had changed other then the fact that there were more noticeable riots.

Koenma appeared that afternoon, transformed in his dashing older form, holding a folder. He approached Kitanoe who was sitting at the dining room table with the girls. Kitanoe noticed Botan's blush and turned to look at Koenma as he laid the folder in front of her. "I'm sorry this is coming on such short notice. An artifact has been found in Gandara. It's very powerful, and can cause Demons to act out and go crazy from power lust. We think this is why the riots are happening more so in some areas. "

Kitanoe stared at the folder and opened it, unaware that all eyes were on her. She munched away on her apple when she came across a picture of the artifact and almost choked.

"Yes, I see you recognize it." Koenma stated.

Kitanoe swallowed her apple and stared at Koenma as if he has grown 3 heads. "Lord Koenma, I sold this, YEARS ago, to a human named-"

"-Gonzo Tarukane. I know. Toguro killed him after Yusuke and Kuwabara saved Yukina from his compound." Koenma seemed more irritable today then usual. "He in turn sold it to a B class Demon who is taking advantage of the artifact's power now that he has a reason to create an army. This item-"

"-Is called the Scepter of 7 winds. I know." Kitanoe glared at Koenma. "It can drive Demons insane just by waving it. It has the power for temporary mind control. It can cause a Demon to feel what the controller feels and if the controller hates it's Demon Lords, then so will the controlled."

"You have 3 days to get this item back." Koenma added.

Kitanoe went wide eyed as the girls gasped. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei stood up and approached Koenma with malice. "After what she just went through, you expect her to go back and take care of a B class Demon and retrieve an artifact with tremendous power!?" Yusuke snapped. "I was just there, there is no way she is going alone!"

"Well I'm not sending you 3! That just makes her more of a target!" Koenma glared at the Demon Lords. "And I'm not sending Kuwabara because he isn't familiar with Demon World. If she does what I tell her too she can do this mission solo!"

"There must be another way. Please reconsider." Kurama's voice was thin and was losing his patience with the Spirit World ruler.

"She knew what she signed up for when she accepted the job!"

"I'll do it." Kitanoe cut into the conversation. "Under the condition you remove this stupid bracelet."

"This isn't up for negotiation!" Koenma was fuming.

"Then throw me in jail and find yourself a new treasure hunter." Kitanoe leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. She had Koenma by the balls, and he knew it. The room was beyond quiet. No one was breathing. Koenma sighed and slumped into the chair next to Botan.

"If you bring me the item in 3 days, I will remove the bracelet."

The smile on Kitanoe's face lit up the whole room. She stood up and nearly ran to her room with excitement and came back out wearing black cargo pants and a black tank top. She had the enchanted bag tied to her waist and had a small pack over her shoulder. She had her hair up as well which was unusual. "Open a portal, Oh Tyrant Ruler!"

You're a glutton for punishment. She heard Hiei say in her head. She winced and she felt a small pain in her heart. Hiei knew it, and Kitanoe refused to say it out loud, but she had developed feelings for Hiei over the past 2 weeks. However, she felt 3 days in Demon World was well worth her freedom, and Hiei above all others would understand. Koenma explained the area and gave her all the information of the Demon that he had. He gave her a map and sent her off into the woods, where she originally went with Hiei and Kurama, to the portal.

Truth be told, she was scared shitless when she saw the portal. The heat that radiated from it was immense as it swirled like a whirlpool in front of her. She took a step forward when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and was glad to see Hiei. The look in his crimson red eyes sent chills down her spine. "Hiei...I need to do this...Not only will this help settle things down in Demon World, but Koenma will give me my freedom. I need it..." She felt the need to explain herself out loud.

It all happened so fast.

Her hair was suddenly down. Hiei held her face with both of his hands and his lips were on hers. They were warmer and softer then she thought they would be. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders. She felt her back on the cool grass as Hiei laid her down. Kitanoe's heart was racing as Hiei broke away from the kiss and pinned her hands to the cool earth. There was a primal need in his eyes that caused Kitanoe to gasp, and her lips parted just enough for Hiei to kiss her again and slide his tongue inside her warm mouth. She moaned and tried to wrap her arms around him again, but was firmly pinned down. Passion started to turn to panic until Hiei broke the kiss and released her wrists. He nuzzled her neck and she could hear him breathe heavily. She threw her arms around him to reassure herself that she could move.

"I'm not him...I won't hurt you." Hiei spoke softly into her ear and nibbled on it. The amount of restraint he was using just to be gentle was astounding.

"I know...I know." She whispered back. Hiei kissed her again and just as her heart started racing, he pulled away.

"I'll see you in 3 days." He helped her to her feet before he disappeared.

Kitanoe stood alone, awestruck, and confused as to what just happened. He kissed me! Then said he would see me in 3 days. Glad to know he has some faith in me after all. She blushed as she remembered the passion filled kiss and brought her hand up to her lips. She rolled her eyes at herself. Oh how cliche'! Just jump in the portal, get the stupid Scepter and return. Piece of cake. She coached herself and jumped right into the portal.

Kitanoe landed on one knee when she exited the portal. Demon World was quiet where she was. She reached into her pocket for the map and instructions Koenma had given her, and he instructed her not to open it until she got through the portal. For whatever reason, she assumed, he didn't want Hiei to know what was going on. It was no secret that Hiei could read minds. She read the instructions several times and couldn't figure out what the big deal was.

1. You will land in Gandara, just outside the Demons strong hold.

2. This Demon is a B class water Demon named Marik.

3. If you can sneak in and out, great! Only, you need to kill Marik in order to break the mind control spell on the demons he already controls, otherwise they will never stop looking for Yusuke and the others.

4. Grab the Scepter of 7 winds. You need to do this in 3 days or else the mind control becomes permanent.

"Okay. No big deal. I'm a B class demon and so is this Marik. As far as I am concerned we are evenly matched." She shrugged and jumped high into the nearest tree. With stealth and silence she jumped from tree to tree until she was in front of a stone castle. Her heart dropped. "He said strong hold...not fortress...I was ready to face 1 demon, not an army!" Kitanoe sat in the tree for what seemed like hours. She would scan the area for any movement and keep track of the guards. At nightfall she finally caught her break and crept inside, undetected.

She slipped inside an empty room and laid low in case one of the guards walked passed the door. She looked at her map again. The fortress was made of 5 squares and right now she was in the large outer square. She needed to be in the first inner square. Kitanoe memorized the map after a few quick minutes before she slipped it back into her pocket. She dashed out of the room and followed the wall until she came to the entrance of the fourth square.

"Who the hell are you!?" A large burly demon stared down at Kitanoe.

"Oh, I'm just here to deliver a new treasure to Marik. No one was outside on guard so I let myself in. Lovely place you have here." Kitanoe lied through her teeth like a smart ass.

The demon just glared down at her. "Oh yeah? What is this treasure?"

Kitanoe just smiled. "Oh, it's for Marik's eyes only. I am under strict orders. Do you mind letting me pass or showing me the way?" Kitanoe took the time to notice that this was the only demon blocking her way, and the entrance to the third square was conveniently across the room.

"Just hold it right there Missy, I'm not falling for any tricks!" The demon placed his ugly blue hands on his hips like a diva. He had bright red hair and purple eyes. He was a colorful sight for sure. "Marik would have told me if he had a special delivery, I'm one of his head commanders!"

"Oh? Even if it was a surprise for his head commanders? Marik isn't the type of demon to just ruin a reward for his loyal crew, now is he?" Kitanoe taunted.

"A surprise, eh? Don't mind if I just steal it from you then, Missy!" He reached down for her enchanted bag but Kitanoe swiped his arm away with a glare.

"You're wasting my precious time. Either allow me to pass or I can kill you and walk around your ugly, stupid ass."

The demon just bellowed a laugh. Kitanoe summoned her ice sword and quickly removed the demons head. She stopped the rolling head with her foot and set the body ablaze while melting the sword off her arm. She had to cover her tracks or else she was going to get caught. Once the clean up job was done she headed straight for the third square. She found it odd that the square was empty entirely. At the second square, Kitanoe found herself face to face with over 20 demon guards. In her hurry to leave, she had completely forgotten to bring a material weapon from Human World, and her ice sword used too much energy to continue conjuring it.

Two of the demons charged at her at once and Kitanoe used very little energy to conjure a red demon sword, much like Kuwabara's spirit sword, in an act of desperation. "Ah ha! No one tell Kuwabara, but he just saved my ass!" Kitanoe smirked as she charged into the hoard of demons. They weren't very powerful, but the numbers were over whelming.

She panted heavily as she saw the final demon fall. Her arm had 3 long claw marks gashed down to the bone. Bodies were every where and the rotting stench of death filled her nose. She heard a clapping in the door way of square one and looked up to see who she assumed was Marik. He had pale blonde, almost white, hair. His eyes were such a pale blue that they were almost white. His skin was dark and he was covered with tribal tattoos.

"So, you're Koenma's little treasure hunter. How hilarious. He sent a female to do his bidding. Tell me, where are his other detectives? The males? Do they not have what it takes to face this war?"

Kitanoe glared at him. "They didn't have time to take out the trash. They have better things to do."

Marik laughed. "Trash? Well that's rude. Didn't anyone ever teach you the proper manners to use when you're a guest in someone's home?"

"Sorry. Lonely forgotten childhood." Kitanoe crossed her arms. "Hand over the scepter, Marik, and I will make your death quick."

"Such big talk for such a tiny female. I like the way you handle business. Why don't you join me and be my second?"

"Not interested."

"Very well." Marik used his left hand to reach for the scepter behind his back. Kitanoe was mesmerized by it's beauty. It was the most beautiful silver, and the orb was many shades of blue, purple, and green. She almost couldn't take her eyes off of it. She remembered holding it before she gave it to Tarukane. Had he not given her 5 million for it she probably would have killed him to get it back." Ah, I see you like my little treasure? Do you want to hold it?" He offered it to her.

It's a trap. Don't go near it. He'll use it against you. She noted to herself. "It is beautiful, but I have a job to do." Kitanoe conjured up her demon sword with some difficulty. Her energy was almost gone. If only they had trained me harder! I would be powerful enough to handle this ass hole! She went wide eyed. Marik was trying to control her mind. He was making her think negative about her team. She closed her eyes and refocused. Kurama trains you and heals you. Yusuke is like a brother to you. Kuwabara taught you how to use a freakin' energy sword for crying out loud. Hiei trains you. He pushes you and believes in you. Hiei even likes you. He kissed you. The thought made her blush. She opened her eyes and glared at Marik. "Your mind games don't work on me. Now fight me like a Demon and let's get this show on the road!"

"My, my, so rude." Marik started to twirl the scepter in his hand. It was moving faster and faster when finally Marik slammed it down on the ground. A wave of water came barreling towards Kitanoe. She jumped as high as she could and swung her demon sword at Marik. He caught it between 2 fingers. Kitanoe's eyes widened as he threw her across the room and destroyed her sword by dissipating the energy. The room had at least 6 inches of water in it from Marik's last attack, and now Kitanoe was soaked. "Tsk. As a water demon I can control the element regardless if there is water available or not. Now that you're wet from head to toe, I'm afraid this fight will be cut short."

Kitanoe frowned as she stood up. "What-AH!" Kitanoe screamed as she was now in mid air. She looked at Marik who was smirking. His hand was raised and she realized he was able to control her body. He brought his hand down as Kitanoe came crashing down to the floor. She couldn't move as he held her under water. She held her breath and tried not to panic. Marik laughed as he raised her above the water. She coughed and sputtered, gasping for air. Marik threw her back down and continued the onslaught for what seemed like hours. Kitanoe was positive her already mangled arm was broken.

She knew her time was running out. She had spent most of day 1 just looking at the damn fortress and day 2 was coming to an end. She needed to end this fast, or this will all have been for nothing. She was slammed back down into the water again when she was struck with an idea, but she would need to use her life energy to do it. She concentrated hard, feeling light headed from lack of oxygen. She emitted a strong heat until her body was consumed by fire. Marik stared in disbelief as his water started to evaporate. Kitanoe was able to dry herself and dodge Marik's next wave of water.

"Smart move, but you can't stay out of the water forever!" Marik laughed.

Kitanoe jumped again and dove straight for Marik. She conjured her ice sword and stabbed him straight through his neck. He dropped the scepter as they both fell to the ground. She laid there struggling to breathe, strategically landing on her back so that she wouldn't drown. She could hear Marik drowning in his own blood before the room was silent. She no longer felt his energy, but she didn't have the energy to move. Her arm was killing her and her lungs were begging for the air they'd been deprived. She barely had the life energy left to keep her heart beating. She had risked death when she killed Marik with her ice sword.

Kitanoe struggled to stand up as she grabbed the scepter and lazily placed it in her enchanted bag. She stumbled and fell back against the wall. Her vision was spotted as her body threatened lights-out. "If I come across any more demons while I escape here, I'm done for. I have 18 hours to get back to that fucking portal." She cursed. She stood on weak legs and limped along the walls. She fell several times and had to hide at one point for 3 hours because of the guard at the front gates.

After hours of pain and struggling she finally stared at the portal to Human World. She took a step inside and blacked out before she landed. The portal closed as she laid in the grassy comfort of the woods behind the ocean front temple. She was pale and close to death with the enchanted bag clutched tightly in her white knuckled hands, with 45 minutes to spare. Her last thought before she fell unconcious was that Koenma better be grateful, and she prayed that he kept his word.

She prayed she'd stay alive to see it through.