Chapter 9
Hiei groaned as she woke. Her head was pounding and her body felt heavy.
"Our guest is awake," said an unfamiliar voice accompanied by a very familiar giggle. Realizing that she wasn't with Kurama or Yukina, Hiei's eye snapped open, wincing a bit from the bright light, but kept her eyes open.
She was in small room, a rice paper sliding door on one side, a padded futon in the other. There were no windows and a toilet and sink attached to the far wall separated by a partition. Just beyond the open door stood two youko. One was Ran in an elegant kimono and robe. The second Hiei never met.
He was a gold youko with golden eyes and greatly resembled Kurama. He wore and elegant gold kimono and a mist colored robe. The kimono was held shut by a blue obi and around his forehead was an elaborate made crown encrusted with jewels from every color spectrum. Hiei didn't need and introduction to know who it was.
Azumamaro.
"You bitch!" yelled Hiei, directing her anger at Ran. Finding nothing holding her down she shot up and ran toward the open door, but just as she was about to reach the threshold, and electric shot ran through her and she screamed. When it was over she fell to the floor. "Wha…What the hells…."
"You think we would let you walk out," asked Ran with a smirk. "Look around your neck."
Ignoring the spasms running through her body, Hiei reached up and felt a cool metal band around her neck.
"It's a Confinement Collar," continued Ran. "It allows us to keep prisoners without them escaping and it suppresses your ki. We're not barbarians. We didn't kill all those standing in our way."
"You betrayed us," growled Hiei as she attempted to stand. "You betrayed Kurama."
Ran's eyes flashed as she walked into the room and slapped Hiei across the face. Hiei fell to the floor. Ran picked Hiei up by her neck and held her mid-air.
"I betrayed no one!" yelled Ran. "I am keeping Kurama-sama alive!"
"How is joining with him keeping Kurama alive," gasped Hiei in too much pain to fight back.
"I am ready to follow Kurama-sama anywhere! Even death! Even exile!"
That had gotten Hiei's attention. "Exile?"
Ran smirked. "Yes. In return for Kurama-sama's life, Azumamaro-sama swore he'd exile us both from Kitsune Valley. He'll be alive, and we'll be together." Ran's eyes flashed again as she looked at Hiei. "Until you came along. Everything was going along fine until you came! You ruined everything!"
"Peace, Ran," said Azumamaro.
Ran stopped yelling but her eyes still held the death glare on Hiei. She dropped Hiei on the floor and walked back to the gold's side. Azumamaro walked over and inspected Hiei.
"You are right, Ran, she is stubborn," he said. "Not very powerful, but still pretty."
He reached down to touch Hiei, but the fire demon had another plan. Through weakened by the electric shock, she lunged forward and bit down on the gold's hand. Azumamaro hissed in surprise and pain, but still held an intrigued face.
"Spirited little thing," he said standing up. Hiei hung onto his arm, limp but jaw locked. "I might have a use for her, after I break her."
"She is my gift to you, Azumamaro-sama," said Ran sweetly. Azumamaro glanced at her before throwing Hiei off. Hiei flew across the room and hit the far wall with a bone shattering crack. Hiei gasped before she fell to the floor, landing on her hands and knees. She watched as the two youko walked out of the room.
"Why?" she asked before they closed the door. "Why me?"
Azumamaro smiled. "Because it will anger my brother, and an angry fox will fight to the death to free his mate." His face turned crazed as he spoke the next words. "And the bloodlust in his eyes is a sight to see!"
He laughed, closing the door behind him. When she was sure they were gone, Hiei collapsed on the floor. Finally succeeding to the pain.
Hiei put herself in a light trance like sleep, so light that the slightest noise could wake her. Her muscles still spasm from the shock she received from the Confinement Collar, but the pain was slowly dissipating.
'Why is it always me,' she thought as she mentally scratched her head. 'Why am I always the one to get captured?'
'Because you're a reckless idiot who loves angst and drama.'
Hiei gave the Jagan a mental kick.
'Shut up, you Cyclops.'
Hiei felt the Jagan smile.
'Was that supposed to be an insult?' it asked before appearing before her. She always hated the mental image the Jagan sent her when they talked. It was of her male form, except his spiked hair was split in half to looked like a pair of horns, his skin was green and he had eyes everywhere along his body. Plus there was that constant smile.
'Shut up,' she yelled. 'And put some clothes on!'
The Jagan smiled broadened, for indeed he was completely and shamelessly naked, but then again, so was she.
'I will as soon as you put a kimono on,'he shot back.
Hiei crossed her arms, almost feeling like she was hiding her nudity from the Jagan, but the glare told him otherwise. '
Weren't you the one who told me that you can' hide anything in the mind,' she said.
'You just had to remember that now,'asked the Jagan in a mock tone while he pretended to clean his claws.
'You know what I'm thinking before I think it.'
'Exactly! Which is why I know what you're thinking is dangerous!'
'we've done it before….'
'Telepathic vision isn't the same as thought-speak! We could serious damage his brain!'
'Do you have a better idea?' The Jagan was silent. 'That's what I thought get into his head and send Kurama the vision.
The Jagan growled. 'All right, but if he goes veggie don't blame me! I'm just the messenger.'
'All right.' And she felt his energy flow around her. 'Kurama….'
XXXXXXXXXX
"With Ran as the spy, Azumamaro will know out plan," growled Kimiko. "We'll have to make a whole knew plan."
"But the plan we had was supposed to counter ever contingency," said Koaru.
"Including spy work," said Koichi.
Yusuke growled. "Look, I don't know much about strategy, but friend is in danger and I want to help her! Do you know where they keep the prisoners?"
The three shook their heads.
"Otou-sama never saw a need for dudgeons in the castle," said Kimiko. "He did have them stationed in the villages and capital, but never in the castle."
"So we check the capital's prisons," yelled Kuwabara.
"It would be a likely choice, but I doubt Azumamaro would keep them there," said Kurama coldly, not toward his friends, but toward his friends, but to his half brother who kidnapped his mate. "From what we heard form Sayuri, Azumamaro likes to keep the female prisoners in a secret place as his own special harem."
All four youko growled as the gaijin had looks of disgust.
"I thought youko mated for life," said Yukina.
"Azumamaro despises attachment," said Kimiko. "Even among family. He'd kill his litter siblings if he thought it would benefit him."
"So what do we do," asked Keiko.
Kurama….
Kurama's ears twitch and he looked around.
"Did you hear that," he asked. Everyone looked at him.
"Hear what," asked Shizuru.
"I thought I heard…."
Kurama didn't finishes when he suddenly froze and collapse, his eyes glowing a soft green.
XXXXXXXX
Kurama watched as Azumamaro walked into the War Room. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was Hiei's voice in his head.
"What have we got here," asked Azumamaro.
"Over two hundred prisoners," said one general. Kurama remembered him as Aoshi, once a large supporter of his father. "From what Ran-ojo…"
"I would very much appreciate it if you called me by my proper title," snapped Ran. Aoshi nodded.
"Please excuse me, Ran-sama. If what Ran-sama says is true, there are more then thirty more of them."
Azumamaro waved the statement off.
"Thirty is nothing. We'll wipe them out in now time. "
"Kurama-sama is with them," said Aoshi.
"Kurama will be dealt with" said Yuuhi, another general.
"Yes, he will be," said Azumamaro. "By me. I want him alive." Azumamaro nodded to Ran. "Ran told me their plans. If I know my brother, he'd change them."
"Can you be sure of that," asked Yuuhi.
"I know my brother. He'll try to save his mate. That I know. I'll more guards around the room."
"Do you trust these guards?" asked Aoshi.
"No," said Azumamaro.
The image faded and became distorted.
'But where are you,' asked Kurama. 'Where do I find you?'
Suddenly a tunnel a shown to him, It was small, just the size for a small animal could get through. He was crawling through the tunnel and came upon a Japanese garden. All around him was a square complex. He walked slightly to the left to a sliding door. The door opened and he saw Hiei lying on the floor, the Jagan glowing a soft green light under the headband.
'Kurama…'
'I'll find you, Hiei. I promise.'
XXXXXXXX
"Kurama!" yelled Kimiko. "Kurama, wake up!"
"Again, Yusuke," yelled Keiko, looking over at her boyfriend.
"Clear!" ordered Yusuke and everyone moved back as Yusuke sent a charge through Kurama's body. Kurama body jerked, but no response.
When Kurama collapsed everyone went into a panic, but quickly went into order. Koaru and Koichi carried Kurama to the Healing Hut where Yukina and Keiko immediately went to work. Aside from unconsciousness, Kurama had also been running a fever so high Yukina had to cool him before his brain fried. What scared them most was when Kurama's heart stopped.
"He's not responding," cried Yukina, her eyes filled with tears. Keiko leaned down and breathed twice in Kurama's mouth and his chest rose.
"Yusuke!"
"Clear!" Another electric shock when through Kurama. Still no response. "Damn it! What do we do?!"
"Damn it, Kurama' yelled Kuwabara. "Wake up!"
Kuwabara raised his fist and let it fall, hard, onto chest before anyone could stop him. The unexpected happened when Kurama gasped for air and his eyes shot open.
"Okay," he coughed. "When Hiei gets back, I'm going to tell him to never to do that again."
"Easy, Kurama," said Kimiko when he attempted to get up. She pushed him back down onto the bed. "Don't rush yourself."
"What happened?" he asked.
"Kurama-nii, you're an idiot!" yelled Koaru.
"You nearly died is what happened," yelled Koichi.
"Oh, is that all," said Kurama before Kimiko hit him upside the head.
"Geez, Kurama!" she yelled and continued to hit him. "You nearly gave us a heart attack and that all you have to say?! Are you crazy?!"
"I'm sorry," sad Kurama, fending her attacks. "It's just living in Makai for three hundred years, almost dying is an every day occurrence."
"Almost everyday," said Yusuke.
"So what happened," asked Shizuru.
"Did you see Hiei-neesan?" asked Yukina hopefully.
"Vision quest in a way," said Kurama. "And I did see Hiei. She was in a trance, sending me the vision."
"So what do we do?" asked Kuwabara.
Kurama sighed and held his forehead. He didn't know what to do. Azumamaro was right. Kurama had to change his plan, but it was planned down to the last detail, including infiltration from a turncoat. He couldn't change it.
But he had to. Ran knew the plan. She helped making it, right down to the capture of Azumamaro.
"Koaru, Koichi," he said. The twins looked at their older brother. "Bring me Setsuna."
TBC
