"Well, she's certainly bold."
"She tells the truth. She doesn't care who we are, or what our backgrounds are." Artemis frowned.
"You two have been sneaking off to see these two, haven't you?" Kurama asked.
"Actually, 5 of us have." Artemis frowned. "And I'm going to join her."
Kurama walked over to Kiri. "Hello, Kiri."
Kiri jumped slightly. "Hey, dad."
"I'm guessing this is where you've been for the past two three days." Kurama frowned.
Chetara frowned. Kiri blushed. "Uh, well..."
"So, you're the thief girl from the square." Kurama frowned. "And now you're at our dance. With my son. Hm..."
Kiri fell silent, shocked.
Chetara gasped. "Excuse me?" She growled. She bit her lip. "I'll be nice to you, because you're Kiri's father, but that would be the only reason. It doesn't matter what you did, or how famous you are. I'll be nice for Kiri, but that's it."
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Kiri stepped in, his shock over. "Dad, leave her alone! You don't understand!"
"What don't I-" Kurama started. Koenma, Ayla, Kazuka, Ari, and Artemis walked over.
"Chetara." Ari said, softly. "Let's go home."
Chetara sighed. Ari was trying hard not to start crying. She hadn't cried in years, so whatever had happened to her must've been as bad as what was happening now. Chetara took her arm.
"Alright."
"Wait!" Kiri cried. "I'll walk you home."
"Me too, Ari." Artemis tried to smile. "No matter what father says."
"Me too." Kazuka announced.
"I'm coming." Ayla announced. Everyone was surprised. Ayla was making a decision on her own.
"I will too." Koenma smiled.
Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara walked up.
"Where all you all going?" Kuwabara grinned, trying to be cheerful.
"We're going to walk Ari and Chetara home." Kazuka announced.
Hiei shook his head, growling. "Artemis, you're not."
"Oh, yes I am." Artemis announced, grabbing her hand. "Come on."
"Kiri." Kurama frowned. "You aren't walking them home either."
"...!" Kiri snarled. "We are not chess pieces, or mind slaves. We're kids. We are prodigies. We are making our way in the world, we need space, we need to make our own decisions!"
Kurama took a step back, surprised.
"Make a break for it!" Artemis yelled. The seven kids ran for the exit and made it into the forest. They dropped their energy levels so low, they wouldn't be noticed and hid. To their surprise, they weren't found.
So, they walked Ari and Chetara to their treehouse.
"..." There was a deep silence.
Ari mustered her breath. "I'm sorry about all that. It's all my fault."
"For what? It would have happened eventually. Maybe they'll realize we're people, not puppets to be controlled at their every whim." Kiri shrugged.
"Or that we're alive." Artemis said, bitterly. "And it's not your fault."
"Yes it is, I shot off my big mouth. To Kurama, and then to Artemis' father." Ari sighed, dully.
Artemis put his arm around her. "It needed to happen."
"Anyway, speaking of happenings, how did you all get those dresses, anyway?" Kiri asked.
"They used the sum of money Chetara's parents left them. And the small amount Ari's parents left." Artemis muttered.
"How'd you know?" Chetara asked.
"She had to tell my father that." Artemis said, bitterly. "He wanted to know how you two could get them. Not quite that nice, but still."
There was a group sigh.
"Do you all want to come up?" Ari asked. "Chetara can start a fire..."
They looked at her like she was crazy. "Start a fire in a treehouse?"
"Oh, Ari found some stuff that is all burnproof, some stuff from some tree, and we made a huge circle of it on the bottom and we put wood there and burn it." Chetara shrugged.
"That's an...interesting idea." Koenma commented.
"Why are you here?" Kazuka asked. "You didn't rise against your father!"
"Perhaps I did, just in a less flashy way." Koenma smiled. "And...I have been wanting to..." Koenma shook his head.
"What?" Kiri asked.
"Well, I asked my father if I could date Ayla, but he refused. Appearently quasi-deities can't date demons, so I have two reasons to rebel." Koenma smiled.
Ayla gasped slightly. "Really?"
Koenma blushed. "Yeah..."
Ayla hugged him. Koenma blushed, and hugged her back. Ari giggled.
"Cute." Ari grinned.
"Don't laugh." Chetara frowned. "You're an even bigger idiot when it comes to Artemis, so..."
Ari laughed. "Yeah, yeah." She climbed up the tree and everyone followed her.
Kiri grinned. "Need help?"
"Not anymore." Chetara said, cheerfully. "We made a ladder."
"I'm so proud." Kiri grinned.
"Ooh, sarcasm." Chetara said, climbing the tree. The treehouse was very awesome. It was literally, a house in a tree. There was a pile of wood in the middle of the room on a shiny surface, and the ceiling in that area was also shiny. Chetara lit it up and they all sat around, thinking, until one by one, the fire lulled them to sleep.
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Kurama held Kiri's mother. "Why?" She cried. "You had to run him off! He was barely ever here to begin with, but now he's not even coming home!"
Kurama held her silently. "We'll find them. We'll find Kiri."
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Yukina cried her jeweled tears when she heard the news.
"Don't cry, Yukina, sweetheart, we'll find 'em." Kuwabara cooed.
"I hope they're alright!" Yukina cried.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Kuwabara sighed.
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Mukuro and Hiei were sitting there, quietly. Neither of them said a word. There was nothing to say. Hiei had explained the situation and then neither of them said anything.
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Kayko was sobbing and Yusuke was holding her in quiet anger. He was determined to get his daughter back.
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The next morning, Ari woke up to yelling. At her, it seemed. She looked around, and found she did not recognize the landscape. Then she realized that she and Chetara were tied to chairs.
"Hey, Chetara, I don't remember this. What'd we do last night?" A sleepy and groggy Ari asked her.
"Ari-no-baka! We got kidnapped!" Chetara yelled.
"Oh, alright." Ari yawned. She closed her eyes.
"Ari! Wake up!" Chetara yelled. Ari's head snapped up.
"I'm awake!" Ari yelled. "Ok. Better?"
"Yes." Chetara growled. "Now, any ideas?"
"Can I wake up first?" Ari asked.
"I thought you were awake!" Chetara yelled.
"Hold on!" Ari growled back. "First, why were we kidnapped, and where is everyone else?"
"We were kidnapped because we were with them, and they're in another room." Chetara shrugged.
"Oh, alright. Is there anyway to communicate with them at all?" Ari asked.
"I don't know. I don't think there is." Chetara sighed.
"Well, we're not doomed yet." Ari grinned. "I'll try to think of something to save all our hides, and you try to think of something also."
Chetara nodded. "And you try to think of something other than Artemis."
"Well, I'll try..." Ari shrugged.
