Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. There, happy?!

Thanks a bunch to all my reviewers:

sakurasango- Glad you like!! Here's the update!!

animefreak54- Wow! You really like it, don't you?! Thanks so much!! (blushes)

KayHiei- Yes, the others are in this chapter, though I think it's pretty sad...ANYway, I don't wanna give anything away here. Really glad you like it!!

Karuto-chan- You want longer chapters?! I'll give you longer chapters!! This chapter is exactly...(counts pages)... 8 whole pages!!! There ya go, happy now?! lol thanks a lot for reviewing!!

Midoriyugi-chan- I'm really glad you like it so far!! I have no intention of stopping, though I don't think the story will be done for a while. Thanks a lot for your support!!!

A Life of Rules is No Fun- I'm glad you like the story!! I try to be as descriptive as possible. Thanks a lot for the encouragement!! I'm really glad you think it's good. (blushes even more) I love your story, too, and your complement means a lot to me. (by the way, I totally agree with your username :-) )

Sorry I took so long in getting this chapter out...it was either make this one big chappie or split it up into smaller ones, and I chose to make it really long to please you all. :-) Like I said before, it's a whopping 8 pages!! The longest chapter I've ever written!! I hope you guys all enjoy it!!

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"Where are you taking me?" Hiei asked.

They had been flying for quite a while now, and had reached the outskirts of the kingdom. Here, the skies were deserted, and the few buildings that were there looked as if they hadn't been lived in for quite some time.

"You'll see soon enough," Kuronue replied, banking right. Hiei followed him, paying close attention to the wings that were steadily beating in front of him. The chimera oddly enough didn't have white feathery wings like Hiei had received just hours ago.

"Why are your wings different?" Hiei asked, eager for some sort of conversation in this gloomy place. He sped up slightly so that he was now flying next to Kuronue.

"These are the wings I was born with," Kuronue said. "So when I came here, I retained them. I was given the option to change them, but I refused. I had gone my whole life with black wings, and I wasn't about to brighten them. White is not a good color for me. Besides, these wings helped Kurama and I many a time..."

He fell into silence.

They remained quiet for the rest of their flight, the only sounds heard were the rustle of their wings in the air and the soft whistle of the wind in their ears.

Finally, Kuronue began to descend. Hiei followed him.

They touched down in front of a small building, unusual because of it's gloomy features. Plus, it must have been the only black building in the entire kingdom.

Etched on the doors were silver words of the same ancient demonic language that Hiei had observed on the gates leading into the kingdom.

"In here," Kuronue said, opening the right door and disappearing inside.

Hiei took one last glance around and cautiously followed. The door shut behind him.

Hiei was surprised when he entered the building. It consisted of one small room, bright, but gloomy all the same. To the left there was a staircase leading downward, which seemed impossible from where the building was situated atop the clouds. Where the stairs could possibly lead to, Hiei had no idea.

Kuronue glanced back over his shoulder. "Down here," he said, gesturing down the staircase. "Come on."

Hiei walked over to him. He glanced down the stairs, unsure of what was down there. Kuronue seemed to know, though, and began descending them. Hiei sighed and started after him. He guessed he was about to find out.

After what seemed like hours of descending stairs, first straight, then spiral, then those that appeared to be going up but really went down, they emerged into a tiny room, barely large enough to fit them both. Straight ahead there was a black door with writing on it, the same language of the front doors.

The chimera moved toward it and swept a hand over the fine letters. "The Pool of Sorrow," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"The pool of what?" Hiei questioned, but Kuronue had already opened the door and slipped inside. The fire demon gave the doorway a sharp, suspicious glance before following. The door again closed after he was through.

He entered a dark, spacious room, in the center of which was a pool of water. Kuronue stood near it.

"This is the Pool of Sorrow," he said. "Look into its depths, and you will see the ones who care for you most."

Hiei moved toward it, then hesitated. "What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously.

Kuronue shook his head. "There is none. Except...you must see your friends in their sorrow over your loss."

Hiei smirked. "Heh. They're probably all the happier now that I'm gone." Even so, he didn't believe what he said. He wanted to believe it, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to.

Kuronue just gave him a reproachful look and glanced at the pool.

Hiei gathered himself and stepped up the water's edge. He looked over it to see his own reflection.

"It's just my reflection," he said, straightening up and making as if to leave.

"Look harder," Kuronue said, pushing him back toward the water.

The fire youkai 'hn'ed, but looked again over the water's edge. This time, the water began to ripple, slowly at first, but then faster with each passing second. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. Hiei felt as if he were being pulled into another dimension. Then, everything just stopped.

There he was, in the same room of his death. The smell of blood polluted the air, but it was refreshing to Hiei's senses after hours of being in the clear, clean kingdom. He slowly looked around at the dead bodies of demons that littered the stone floor. Repulsive creatures, really.

Yes, there was one that he himself had killed, a rather powerful one, too, almost a match for him. And there...that was the one who had killed him.

Hiei walked over to her. Her name was Zephyr, Hiei knew. She was who they had been after.

She had dark turquoise hair, and jade green eyes that would have captivated anyone. She was beautiful. Even Hiei found himself slightly attracted to her.

But she was dead now. It seemed that shortly after she had killed him, Kurama had wrought his vengeance. Rose petals were scattered across the floor where she lay, a sign to all that he had respected her enough to let her die in battle.

Next to her lay her sword, the only one of its kind. The hilt was made of solid emerald, and the blade was adorned with diamonds sharp enough to cut through solid stone. Those diamonds were still stained with his own blood.

Now that Hiei averted his eyes from his murderer, he noticed that there was a trail of his blood leading away from the sword. His sharp eyes followed this crimson trail until a scream broke his concentration.

"No! Darn it!" There was the sound of a fist breaking through concrete.

"Please, Yusuke. Screaming and putting your fist through a wall won't bring him back," said another voice, calmer, but Hiei could hear the sadness threatening to unleash itself.

Obviously his words went ignored, for there was the sound of cracking stone once again.

Hiei eyed the trail of his blood and began to follow it. It led him into the next room, which was surprisingly devoid of any dead bodies. Well, any dead bodies of the enemy, that is.

To Hiei's right was Yusuke, repeatedly punching the concrete wall. To his left was Kuwabara, staring blankly into space. In the corner sat Kurama, his knees drawn to his chest. And there, lying in front of him, was a small, lifeless form.

His hair was raven black with a white starburst in the center, making him seem taller that he actually was. It was damp with both sweat and blood.

His right arm was wrapped in the remains of a tattered bandage, most of which looked like it had been lost during the fight. Twined around this arm also was a black spiral dragon tattoo.

On his forehead, beneath the damp, black bangs, was a slit where a third eye should have been, but had closed upon his death.

His muscular chest was bare, the only thing covering it a blanket of crimson blood. There was a large hole dead in the center, obviously where the weapon had been thrust through his body.

His ruby red eyes were glazed over and unseeing, but if alive they would have penetrated even the murkiest depths of a person's soul.

Hiei stared into those eyes for a long time until he could finally look no more. This was him, his own dead body. This was the reason for their pain.

Kurama, too, had been staring into his unseeing eyes, once so sharp and probing. Finally he could bear it no longer and reached over with his right hand to brush the lids down.

"Darn it!" Yusuke continued to scream, tears now openly flowing form his eyes. "Darn it! Darn...it..." His punches grew weaker, until he finally slid down against the halfway demolished wall and began to sob.

Suddenly Kuwabara came around, and jumped up. "Darn you!" he shouted, moving toward Hiei's dead body. "Darn you! You can't die like that! You're weak, that's all you ever were!"

Kuwabara leaned down and grabbed Hiei's body by the shoulders, shaking it violently. "Come on, shrimp-boy! Come on and fight me!"

Kurama looked up in surprise but made no effort to stop him.

"Come on! Get up and fight, or are you scared?!" Kuwabara yelled, his voice echoing through the room. He drew his right fist back and swung it at the fire demon's face. It stopped just short of hitting him.

His fist hovered there for a while, but then collapsed to the ground.

Kuwabara dropped Hiei's body. "Come on, Shorty," he muttered. "Get up. You've gotta be here. Who's gonna tell me that I'm pathetic 24/7? Who's gonna insult me now? Who's gonna just stand there and act like he doesn't care when his teammate's getting beat up? Who's gonna get on my nerves so much that I'll wanna kill 'im myself? Who?!"

Kuwabara shook with anger and sadness. He sat down next to Kurama and just started to cry.

Kurama's eyes were the only dry ones in the room. He had to be strong, for Yusuke, for Kuwabara. When they went back to Spirit World to break the news to everyone, he had to be strong for them, too. He had to be strong for Botan, and Keiko, and Yukina. He had to be strong for himself.

He had to be strong for Hiei.

The only time he would allow himself to cry would be in the dark, solitary silence of his own room. But even then, who would be strong for him?

Hiei couldn't believe his eyes. All this...over him? It was insane. This was pure insanity. How could they possibly care this much for him?

Him?

The ruthless fire demon, who didn't have a care in the world about anyone other than himself.

The three-eyed freak, who would do almost anything for power.

Wasn't this what they had always seen when they looked into his eyes? Wasn't this what they thought of whenever someone uttered the name Hiei?

Or did they see something else?

Did Kurama see the Hiei that cried his name when he thought Dr. Ichigaki's robot had killed him, and the Hiei that was ready to rip his way out of Ruka's force field so that he wouldn't get hurt by Bakken?

Did Yusuke see the Hiei that pretended to laugh at his dying friends as they struggled at the Gate of Betrayal, and then pulled the lever to save them all, and the Hiei that would have fought Toguro tooth and nail before he got to Kuwabara?

Did Kuwabara see the Hiei that trained with him for countless hours to prepare him for the horrors of the Dark Tournament, and the Hiei that he knew, deep down, was really a good guy?

"We'd best be getting back," Kurama said softly. He reached into his pocket and drew out and golden circlet. In the center was a glittering emerald, the purest ever found. "Koenma will be wanting this."

The fox slowly stood, walked over to Yusuke, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Yusuke. Let's go," he said.

Yusuke nodded, dried his eyes, stood, and walked out of the room. Kuwabara also stood, but his eyes were still wet with tears. He shakily walked outside after Yusuke.

Kurama pocketed the golden circlet and lifted Hiei's limp form. Hiei waited a few minutes, then hesitantly followed him outside.

When Hiei got there, he found Kuwabara holding Zephyr's body in his arms, along with her sword.

"Tell Koenma we're ready," Yusuke said into his communication mirror.

"Right. Just a second," came Botan's perky voice, totally unaware of what had happened on the other side of the mirror.

A glowing black and purple portal opened in the center of the room. Yusuke went through first, followed by Kuwabara, and then Kurama. The portal closed, and Hiei was left there, amidst the decaying corpses of their enemies.

Suddenly, there was another blinding flash of light, and again Hiei had the feeling that he was being pulled into another dimension. Again, everything stopped short.

He found himself greeted by the familiar pastel paint of Koenma's office. A black and purple portal suddenly opened in the center, and Yusuke stepped out of it.

"Congratulations Yusuke," Koenma said, jumping down from his chair.

"Yusuke!" Botan exclaimed, and ran over to the Detective, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, I'm so glad you got back safe and sound!"

At this point, Kuwabara had appeared, with the dead Zephyr in his arms. Botan's look of happiness soon faded. "Oh, poor girl," she said.

"I thought I told you to bring her back alive!" Koenma yelled.

"It was unavoidable," came Kurama's smooth voice, who had stepped out of the portal behind Kuwabara.

"How do you justify that?!" the child lord screamed, pointing at Zephyr.

Kurama's face hardened. "With this," he said bitterly, his voice as unpleasant as nails on a chalkboard, and he stepped out from behind Yusuke and Kuwabara.

Both Koenma and Botan gave a sharp gasp when they saw what was in Kurama's arms.

"Oh no, Hiei," Botan whispered, too shocked to do much else.

Koenma instantly began hurling questions at the tired trio, and once they had answered him as best he could, started in with Botan, asking why the heck he didn't know about Hiei's death when he was the ruler of Spirit World and as such, the lord of the dead. He also wanted to know why the heck she hadn't brought Hiei in already.

Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were shocked to find that Botan had no clue where Hiei's soul had gone. She guessed that because she hadn't picked him up in time, his soul had just disappeared into nothingness.

After all the commotion was over, the fact that Hiei was dead slowly sank into Botan's mind, and the fact that his soul could have been lost because of her made it even worse. She flung herself onto Yusuke and began to cry hysterically.

Koenma started screaming and flinging paperwork all over the place, trying to find some evidence that this was all a big misunderstanding. After all, Hiei was one of his best fighters.

Hiei grimaced. "I'm right here, you fools!" he growled, but no one responded.

"I should take him to Yukina," Kurama said heavily over Botan's sobs and Koenma's shouting. "She has a right to know."

Kuwabara didn't even get starry-eyed at the mention of his love's name, and nobody even flinched when Kurama summoned a portal and left without another word.

Hiei flinched, though. Yukina...his sister...the one person who he wanted to be happy. Now he had to see her in her sadness...

The fire demon shook himself. No, she would be different. They had hardly even known each other. How could she possibly be sad over him?

But what if she was? That would be the hardest thing for him to see.

As this thought crossed his mind, there was flash of light, and he was again being pulled through space.

He ended up in a brightly-lit hallway. The walls were as blue as the sky, and the carpet beneath his feet was the deep, royal blue tone of the ocean.

After a few moments, a portal opened next to him, and out stepped Kurama, still carrying his lifeless form. But around it there was wrapped a black cloth, probably so that Yukina wouldn't be forced to see his mangled body.

Kurama tapped lightly on the door in front of him. "Yukina?" he said softly. "It's Kurama."

There was the sound of a swishing kimono from inside, and the door opened. "Kurama! I'm so glad to-"

There was a crash as Yukina let the cup she was holding fall to the floor, drawing both hands to cover her mouth. "I-is that..." she stuttered.

Kurama nodded.

The ice apparition shook herself. She pulled Kurama inside and spoke with urgency in her voice. "What am I doing? Come in, let me heal him..."

"You can't. He's dead, Yukina."

Shock and sadness flashed in her ruby red eyes. "D-dead?"

Kurama sadly nodded. "I'm afraid so. He died in battle today."

Yukina made no sound, but tears began to leak from her eyes. Without an explanation, Kurama laid Hiei's body down on the sofa and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yukina fell to her knees beside the sofa. This was the quiet one of the group, the one with the gifted eyes, the solitary one. This was the man who had always been there to protect her. And now he was gone forever. They had hardly even spoken, but she felt a special connection to him. She always had.

Absentmindedly she ran her gentle fingers though his matted hair. They got stained with blood, but she didn't care. The red stain on her fingers reminded her of his eyes, so like her own, but then again so different, so hollow and mysterious.

As she stared blankly at his body, she saw a glimpse of a cord tangled around his neck. "What's this?" she asked herself as she reached to take it from beneath the blanket.

She let out a soft, sharp gasp as she pulled it out. On the end of the cord there hung a perfect blue tear gem, surprisingly not blood-stained.

"You're...my brother..." she whispered. "Hiei...no..."

She threw herself onto him. "No!" she sobbed, hiruseki stones littering the floor and the blanket which covered him. "Brother! NO!"

Hiei couldn't move. He was frozen in time, watching this all play out before him. He couldn't do a thing to ease her pain. He couldn't do a thing to ease their pain, the pain that his friends suffered on his account. All he could do was watch it, like sitting in a dark theater watching a movie, unable to cry out messages to the actors on the screen.

How he wished he could reach out to her, hold her in his arms, tell her it would be all right.

But it wouldn't be all right. He couldn't touch her, feel her cool skin on his own warm flesh. He couldn't speak to her, sooth her. He couldn't protect her anymore. It would never be all right. Not for her. Not for him. Not for Kurama, or Kuwabara, or Botan, or Yusuke.

And it was all his fault.

As he stood there, watching his dear sister's body shake, hearing her cry out in grief, mourning the death of her only brother, he realized that they all had cared for him more than he could have ever imagined.

He felt the familiar pull on his soul. "I must go now, sister," he said, reaching his hand toward her.

Then, he was gone, but the hushed words, "I love you," still hung heavily in the air where he had once stood.

He was back in the dark room, his sister's face slowly fading from the water before him.

"Finally," said a voice from behind him. Hiei's trance was broken and he jumped around, ready to attack if necessary.

"Hey, it's only me!" the figure exclaimed, putting up its hands to protect itself.

Hiei then realized that it was just Kuronue. He relaxed a little.

"You must have seen a lot of people. You've been gone for days," the chimera said.

Kuronue's words slowly sank in to Hiei's brain. "Days?" he questioned, looking up.

The chimera nodded. "Time passes differently here. A few hours in living world turns out to be days here in the Kingdom. Didn't you wonder why you could see them only minutes after your death?" Kuronue stretched his arms and wings. "Of course, I haven't moved from here, just sat in the corner and waited for you to come back. It gets tiring. I won't ask about what you saw, but..." He moved closer, his eyes gleaming slightly. "...was it worth it?"

Hiei blinked, and flashes of the horrible things he had seen and heard through the pool echoed in his mind, replayed themselves on his eyelids. Cracking stone. Screaming. Tears. Challenges. Blood. So much blood. So much pain. So much grief.

"No," he said curtly, pushing past Kuronue and toward the door, eager to be away from that place. "No, it wasn't."