I have returned from the depths of Honor Band…(can hear a hallelujah chorus in the background) Right….

Hiei: (snort)

(Has secret plans to dress Hiei up as a monkey for Halloween :D )


Chapter 9: "Prisoners"

There he was, in the forest, lost by the look of things. From his post at the fortress Hiei scowled and covered his third eye with his headband. Yusuke was late. The sun had risen almost an hour ago and they should have been on their way. He should have remembered that Yusuke never did anything according to plan. What still eluded the fire demon was how he could get lost in a forest where the trees were short enough that he could still see the horizon and, when he got close enough, the palace he was searching for. This was Yusuke though and Hiei was losing his patience rapidly.

"He's in the forest," Hiei said to Mukuro as he passed on his way to the entrance hall. "He claims to want to get a head start on this, then goes and gets himself lost in the forest before we even leave…" the fire demon's voice faded away as he vanished around the corner.

Seeing Hiei's bad mood Mukuro didn't comment. Hiei had been acting strangely since he'd woken up and it worried her. He would need his wits about him if he were to survive the mission. Atasu was stronger than any demon he'd ever fought in his days with Spirit World. Honestly Mukuro wasn't sure if Hiei could defeat him. Despite whatever pride and plans for revenge that he might have had he would have to accept all the help Yusuke would give him. Even if the Spirit Detective was air-headed he was powerful when it counted.

Following the fire at a distance down to the entrance hall, Mukuro could sense Yusuke drawing close to the palace and quickened her pace. She wanted to have a few choice words with the teenager before they left. She also planned to warn him about Atasu and the fact that he had taken Yukina before Yusuke said something that set off Hiei's temper. She had noticed that even though Hiei was angry he was also trying to cover up how worried he was about his sister. He would go to irrational lengths to save her if necessary and risks weren't something they could allow. He needed some sense talked into him and soon.

Coming into the large entrance hall Mukuro spotted Hiei immediately near the opposite wall shouting at Yusuke, who looked ruffled. The fire demon noticed her presence immediately but Yusuke continued with his side of the argument, shouting, "It's not my fault, it was hell in Spirit World! That Atasu guy went and killed one of his prisoners last night!"

Mukuro froze. It seemed for a moment Hiei had been caught speechless and they both stared at Yusuke, who noticed and didn't appreciate it. The scary possibilities made Hiei's head reel. Finding his voice at last, the fire demon stepped closer so he and Yusuke were barely a foot apart and asked in a dangerously controlled voice, "Who was it?" When the human didn't answer immediately he grabbed him by the collar and growled, "Who the hell was it?"

"Relax, it's not someone we know," Yusuke said calmly but Hiei glared at him. "It was an old demon named Kyata."

Mukuro gasped and Hiei's jaw dropped as he stepped away from Yusuke, who was truly perplexed now. Shaking his head as though he could deny it and make it untrue, Hiei suddenly realized all of what the Spirit Detective had said and glanced up sharply to catch Mukuro's eye. "You said a prisoner?" Hiei asked in confirmation, watching for a response from Mukuro when Yusuke nodded. "So he was working for Atasu the whole time? And you invited a demon like that to stay in the palace?" the fire demon shot angrily at Mukuro, who didn't meet his gaze. Yusuke blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean this guy could have been working for you?" the Spirit Detective asked Mukuro.

"Did it never occur to you why Kyata knew so much about a demon that hasn't been seen in over a thousand years Hiei?" Mukuro asked softly and the fire demon frowned, the thought never having occurred to him. "Atasu stationed him in that village in the last few years of Senya's reign to report about the progress of a new ruler. Eventually he was granted freedom but knew he could never truly reveal himself lest he be traced back to Atasu."

"That was how he knew you," Hiei supplied, trying to remember as much as he could of his meeting with the demon the day before. "He automatically associated my wanting to know about Atasu with you. So did you know him back then…?" He didn't want to reveal too much in front of Yusuke and the bewildered look on the human's face was proof it was working.

"Kyata wasn't lying when he said how old he was," Mukuro said gently. "He was long before me."

After sitting uncharacteristically quietly Yusuke spoke for the first time. "I don't really understand what's happening here, but if this demon was quiet for so long and never bothered, then why was he suddenly murdered?"

The room was still for a few moments, each pondering the turn of events. As an idea struck him Hiei shifted uneasily and muttered, "It was because of me." Immediately the others' eyes turned on him and he cursed under his breath. "What he told me yesterday…he had probably been forbidden from ever mentioning it to anyone. I think Atasu knew about your offer for Kyata to stay at the palace," he said to Mukuro, "and also knew it was only a matter of time before the story came out. Kyata probably guessed this as well and told me because he knew Atasu was going to kill him once he got the chance. He didn't want the story to die with him."

"But we would have heard if anything had happened in the village last night," Mukuro said. "I have demons there that report to me."

"I saw a demon," Yusuke added suddenly, surprising everyone. "On my way here I ran into this demon with a spear. I didn't bother with him but he looked really suspicious."

Suddenly the missing piece clicked into place in Hiei's mind and he swallowed forcefully. "I met that demon yesterday," he admitted, groaning to himself at the memory. "He tried to stop me from entering the village. He probably recognized me and reported to Atasu, who later had him spy on Kyata. That's how he did it," the fire demon growled.

Breathing heavily, Hiei sank down against the wall and tried to think clearly. Now that their cover was blown it was only a matter of time until Atasu found them. As long as she could be used as a bargaining chip Yukina would be kept alive but they would have to be extremely careful about how they progressed. The fortress defense measures would have to do and if nothing else Mukuro could hold her own long enough for reinforcements to arrive. If he weren't so concerned about being attacked on the road Hiei would have her come with them for her own safety. Naturally Yusuke wouldn't see it that way but frankly the fire demon didn't care about the Spirit Detective's opinion. Glancing wearily up at the pair of demons watching him Hiei stood up and shouldered his cloak.

"We need to leave before Atasu tries to come after us," the fire demon said to Yusuke. Turning to Mukuro, his eyes softened slightly as he said, "I'm guessing you can hold fort without us?"

She nodded, knowing what he really meant. Catching the fire demon's eye Mukuro told him without preamble, "He's stronger than you Hiei. Please don't do anything rash."

"Why would I throw away my life on some foolish chance?" he asked sharply. "You just keep yourself alive here." With that the fire demon turned his back and led Yusuke to the end of the hall, where he paused. Mukuro had called him back.

"Hiei?"

"Hm?" he asked without turning around.

"I love you."


Lurking just outside the fortress, reddish-brown ferret with shining aqua eyes lay motionless, as it had for hours, while it waited. Dawn had come and bathed light over the eastern wide of the palace, forcing the rodent to reposition itself in one of the few remaining shadows. Just as it was about to move again there was a flurry of motion on the fortress lawn and the animal froze, its eyes wide. Hiei had appeared on the grass and was soon joined by Yusuke, who landed dangerously close. After a moment both demons took off at a sprint across the grass toward the forest, and the ferret vanished in a small puff of smoke.

They raced north, the rodent observed, moving with great speed but remaining stealthy. From a safe distance the ferret followed them, watching their movements and predicting their course. For most of the morning they kept this extreme pace and didn't stop to rest. Both had quite amazing endurance it noted, and knew that would be a great determining factor in how long it took them to reach their destination. It was not an easy road to Atasu's palace.

Once the sun began to sink in the sky the ferret left following Hiei and curled up under a bush for the night. The fire demon and former Spirit Detective were starting to veer off-course and would soon become so far entangled in the forest they would have no choice but to turn around and approach from another angle. Such was the work of his master and it had never failed to confuse strangers.

The ferret closed its eyes and soon fell asleep, smirking mischievously.


The sun had nearly set and Hiei finally gave up for the day, too tired and frustrated to continue. They set up camp among the trees and even risked building a fire to keep passing demons away. Wearily the fire demon sank to the ground and sighed in defeat, hearing Yusuke drop his pack and sit down nearby. The Spirit Detective had kept good pace throughout the day and had been the one with enough sense to stop them for the night. If Hiei had it his way they would have continued until dawn. Yusuke could never understand his motive to keep going.

Something had been bothering the fire demon while they were traveling and it had taken him a while to place it. It put him on edge and once he had even been overt enough to glance behind him to make sure they weren't being followed. Briefly he had seen a flash of red fur in the bushes and just figured it was a fox that they had disturbed. His senses were starting to play tricks on him and by the time they made camp he was almost totally dependant on Yusuke to determine what was reality and what he was imagining. He'd given up on trying to explain it to the Spirit Detective; Yusuke just thought he was crazy.

"You still hallucinating over there?" Yusuke asked and Hiei jumped, his hand freezing mere centimeters from his sword.

Groaning under his breath the fire demon leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. He was stressing, he knew it; there was no other explanation for this. With the weight of Mukuro and Yukina's lives on his shoulders and having to defeat Atasu at the same time it was a wonder he didn't have a nervous breakdown. His lack of sleep was also catching up with him, along with the fact that he'd snapped at Mukuro before he left.

"Wow you need to like relax or something," Yusuke commented, looking up from where he had been testing the edge of his knife. "You look like Kuwabara when he's half-asleep."

"Shut up Yusuke," the fire demon snapped, glaring at him. Without knowing it the Spirit Detective had hit a sore spot and Hiei looked away, swallowing forcefully against the swell of emotion in his throat. Without realizing his hand had gone to the tear gem around his neck and he fingered it nervously. When his fingers brushed another, much smaller chair at his throat he paused and ran his thumb over its pendant, drawing Yusuke's attention.

"What's that?" he asked, leaning closer to try and look. Quickly Hiei tucked both necklaces inside his collar and moved away, but Yusuke was too quick for him and caught the fire demon in a choke. For a moment Hiei wrestled half-heartedly against him but gave up when the Spirit Detective's hand closed around the chain.

For a moment Yusuke gazed at the pendant in his hand before Hiei took advantage of his loosened hold and threw him off. Glaring at Yusuke the fire demon took his place at the base of the tree and shot dark looks at the Spirit Detective. Yusuke sat near the fire and brushed away the dirt his fall had smeared across his shirt, but there was a triumphant gleam in his eye that Hiei didn't like. Casually he tossed more sticks on the fire before making himself comfortable.

For a while they sat there, Hiei occasionally shooting warning glances over his shoulder at Yusuke, who decided it was time to speak his mind. "You're in love with her aren't you?"

"What?" the fire demon asked, though he was dangerously suspicious that Yusuke had caught on.

"That pendant is pure silver," Yusuke said, still casual despite how dangerous the situation could become. "The emblem on it is the symbol for Mukuro's territory. The fact that despite how much you insisted you hated it you stayed with her after the tournament; the way she looked at you before we left; they're all signals Hiei."

"You like to think you know what you're talking about Yusuke," Hiei snarled, but the realization of how obvious each of these things must have been scared him.


Ok, that's all I can force out at the moment…I know, it's frustrating, but I lost motivation halfway through and with my audition and stuff it's been hard…but I can do better from now on.