Because I Care

A Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction

Chapter 10: The Flying Shadow

*NOTE(S) FOR CHAPTER: if written as following it means it is as stated…

Normal text is normal; whatever is happening type of thing

Underlined text is/are flashbacks

Italics, unless stated, means thoughts

Bold and Underlined as well as Italic and Underlined means mind to mind conversations

Bold, Italic, and Underlined means that this is a little bit from the end of the last chapter*

Sonja pulled her choker back into place. "Koenma is the only one who can remove it, that is why it is a collar. I feel like I'm a mutt, forced to obey a master that I don't want. Dragons obey no one and yet… I must."

"You could always leave. If you could live with the inhibitor, you could live at least more freely if you chose to not associate with him. Right?"

"I wish I could leave, but…" Sonja looked around them slowly, eyes narrowed. "I've more enemies now than I ever did. And… Hikaru, I could never leave him and yet never force, ask, him to come with me into hiding. He is happy in this world."

Lopt nodded in understanding and began to play with a spoon, "It is fairly easy to get around in this world."

"…Let us go, Koenma may be able to tell us something." Sonja said as she rose and went to pay for their meals.

Lopt followed, "Hey, don't let the teether get to ya! Maybe he's angry the tooth fairy never visits?" She grinned, hoping to lighten the mood.

Sonja chuckled, a dark grin gracing her lips. "That baby is in for a world of hurt."

"Good, although what he aims for is good, I'm beginning to not like his methods…"

Sonja snorted, "He is a fool and he will one day find that he needs someone to save him. Life is a game; it's all about how you play your cards."

"I couldn't agree more!" The two quickly found an alleyway and slipped inside; Sonja pulled her communicator from her purse, opening it, she pushed a series of buttons and a portal opened before them. "So it is true! There is a magical portal in women's purses."

Sonja laughed, "Nope, sorry Lopt. This portal is from Spirit World. I could've just kept walking and faded away, but I wouldn't have been able to pull you along." Sonja tapped her choker as if it explained everything.

"I figured, I just couldn't pass that one up," Lopt chuckled and stepped towards the portal, "Umm… There isn't some sort of 'portal etiquette' I must be mindful of?"

"Just know that you'll probably be dizzy after arriving at our destination."

"Alright," she said before stepping through the portal, Sonja not far behind. On the other side of the portal they found themselves inside an office. Mountains of paperwork had been stacked up behind the desk and chair, where a child sat stamping papers and muttering under his breath.

"Koenma, Koenma, KOENMA!" Sonja tried to get his attention, but he didn't react. Her eyebrow began to twitch and she cracked her knuckles with a simple flex of her hands. The toddler jumped two feet straight up into the air at the sound with a scream of surprise.

"He's a spry little one!"

"Koenma," Sonja said in a sing-song voice. He flinched and swallowed nervously.

"S-sonja, what are you doing here?"

"We've come for some information. You know more than you've told."

"N-now, why would you say that?"

"Oh, maybe because Yusuke knew the names of the targets while I didn't?" Sonja asked with a fake smile. "Spill binky breath."

"Oh, I sense deceit here…"

"Um…well…." Koenma looked around the room, searching for anything or anyone who could save him from the dragoness.

"Oh, Koenma… Tsk, tsk, you should know by now that I don't care for liars." Sonja said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about this… Hiei character…"

"We don't know a lot about him; as you know his name is Hiei." Koenma nodded towards the screen that had appeared behind the two girls, who turned to look. On the screen was the boy that Sonja had seen in the clearing with Kurama and Gōki. "We can't find any files on him though." Sonja hummed softly, her head tilted slightly to the side as a bell chimed in the back of her mind.

~Flashback~

"You should be careful; a sword is not a toy, little man." She stood on a tree branch, her back against the trunk of the tree. Her ebony hair fluttered in the breeze and blue highlights shone brightly when the rays of the sun hit it just right. Gold eyes watched his every move as he practiced with a sword. He turned to her with a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" He asked and her lips turned up at the corners, her eyes shining with amusement.

"I go where I please, I do as I please, and I answer what I please." She studied him a moment before continuing. "You swing that blade as if it is a separate thing; try treating as if it is a part of you, an extension of your arm."

"Hn. I don't need an onna telling me what to do." He said as he turned away from her.

"Don't turn your back to an opponent; it'll be the death of you." She said, standing behind him with one clawed hand at his throat.

~End Flashback~

"…I know him…" Sonja whispered.

"That's really all…?" Lopt gazed at Koenma, a little disappointed.

"Unless Sonja has something to add."

"He is Hiei Jaganshi, a swordsman…" Sonja said before walking out of the room.

"Hm? …It's been nice visiting you, kinda…" Lopt waved goodbye before rushing after the disappearing dragoness. Sonja had her communicator in hand and began punching buttons as Lopt drew near. A portal opened before them and Sonja just walked on through. Lopt quickly followed her and found herself outside a warehouse with Sonja standing next to an angry Yusuke and a worried Botan.

"What's going on here?" Lopt asked.

Botan turned to her, "Keiko's been kidnapped by Hiei-"

"Who's Keiko?" Sonja asked, not knowing anything about the girl.

"Yusuke's girlfriend," Botan started.

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"So do you know where Hiei took you're girlfriend?" Lopt asked.

"I said SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Yusuke shouted as he glared at the three girls.

"She's in this warehouse, right?" Sonja asked and Botan nodded.

Lopt gave Yusuke an annoyed look, "Then let's go get her before he throws more of a fit."

Sonja laughed as Yusuke muttered under his breath and moved to open the doors of the warehouse. "Now, now, Yusu, if you keeping making that face, it'll get stuck like that."

"Don't act like that when you're saving someone either. Gives a bad impression," Lopt chimed in.

"They're right, Yusuke." Botan giggled before looking worried again.

"And, there goes the mood." Sonja sighed before moving to stand next to Yusuke. Lopt shrugged slightly before moving to stand with Sonja. Yusuke stood before the doors, Botan to his right with Sonja and Lopt to his left. Yusuke was really angry, Botan was worried, Sonja had a neutral expression on her face, and Lopt looked like a curious Cheshire cat. Briefly, Sonja wondered if Lopt was a Cheshire cat before storing the question for a later point in time. Yusuke opened the doors to the warehouse just enough for them to enter. The warehouse was filled with many boxes and Sonja looked around, eyes narrowed and her lips pulled down at the corners.

They entered the warehouse and Yusuke began yelling, "Get out here Hiei! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Sonja turned her head and watched as the doors slid shut. Sonja turned to look back in front of her and caught sight of the navy blue girl sailor suit uniform with a yellow ribbon that Botan was wearing and made a face. I don't know why people think those things are cute… Sonja thought before looking around, floor level wise she could feel human energies, and somewhere above them she could feel a demon's energy. She tilted her head slightly to the side and looked at the top of the boxes.

Lopt was also scanning the area, "He'll come out soon enough."

Sonja nodded her head slightly. "He's feeling confident. He doesn't think that we can beat him."

"This is more Yusuke's fight, right? Are we going to get very involved?" Lopt asked.

Sonja looked at Lopt, "I'd like you to stay with Botan and keep her safe. Well, as safe as you can. I think we will need her healing powers."

The human energies started to move towards them, and normal people came into view. Sonja and Lopt continued to scan the area, looking for the Jagan user. "Botan, Yusuke, Hiei has a Jagan eye." Sonja said.

Yusuke ignored Sonja and focused on the humans, "Who the hell are they?"

"Physically, they're normal humans, but it looks like Hiei's controlling their minds."

"What?" Yusuke asked.

"The records department doesn't know about this, in order for him to control so many humans at once he must have-"

"A Jagan eye, like I said before." Sonja interrupted Botan.

"So his plan is to show it off…? He is confident…"

"Jagan?" Yusuke asked.

"Well done," Hiei said before letting out a chuckle. The humans had moved to reveal Hiei with the Shadow Sword. His white bandana was missing from his forehead, showing the open purple eye that it usually hid. "I used my power to round them up this morning. They won't do much good against you, but they do make excellent scenery."

"That's some pimple." Yusuke said.

"It's the Jagan, a third eye for the spirit." Botan said as Sonja snorted and tried not to laugh. Botan shot her a look and Sonja shrugged and smiled innocently after coughing.

"So what is your ingenious plan then?" Lopt asked sarcastically.

Hiei ignored her and continued to talk to Yusuke. "A normal human would've succumb to its power by now, but I see that the geniuses of the Spirit World found a nice pick; that's why I brought insurance." Two of the humans came forward, holding a girl in a school uniform just like Botan's up by her arms.

"Keiko," Yusuke said. "Hey what are you planning to do with her?"

"Nothing more, if you've brought me the weapons." Hiei replied. Yusuke held up the Orb of Baast and the Forlorn Hope. "Oh, good boy," Hiei nodded as his smirk widened slightly. Lopt watched Hiei suspiciously but remained silent. Sonja looked at Yusuke from the corner of her eye before glancing at Hiei again. "Both the Orb of Baast and that precious Forlorn Hope, you may have her." The two humans tossed Keiko towards Yusuke.