The tension in the room more than tripled the moment Kuwabara had spoken. Choko had drawn her sword, but her hands were shaking so badly, he knew she would do more harm than good. He was surprised when she glanced over at the table next to her and snatched up one of the bottles. She chugged a large amount before slamming the bottle back down and taking a deep breath. The shaking in her hands subsided and her eyes narrowed, becoming darker.

His attention to the woman was ripped away when Yusuke said, "What the hell are they here for?" Out on the plains below, a semi-large group of demons was rushing towards the compound. Using the jagan, he looked into their minds, trying to find an answer for the detective's question.

"They were sent by Zentaro," he muttered, hoping only Yusuke had heard his words. The woman was reduced to a weeping mess every time the demon's name was mentioned. "He wants to free Inari and Masaru. We can't let that happen."

"No problem," Yusuke responded with a smirk. He aimed his Spirit Gun and shot one massive burst of energy at the crowd of demons blow. They scattered to dodge the blow, but more than half were diminished. "These guys are a piece of cake!"

"They're annoying," Hiei censured. "The other demons didn't attempt such a direct approach." What had changed? If Zentaro, Inari, and Masaru were indeed working for this mysterious psychic, then why did these demons have their memories? The previous attackers of any real strength could have been compared to Shinobi with the degree of their stealth. These demons were closer in skill to the hired thugs who'd come after Choko so many days ago.

"Maybe they decided that tactic wasn't working out for them so well," Yusuke mentioned with a light shrug. He took aim with his Spirit Gun again.

"Wait," Hiei said, stopping the young man from blasting away the remaining demons. Hiei looked on, trying to discern why they were trying to "rescue" Inari and Masaru. He was focused solely on the demons below.

"Watch it!" Kuwabara's loud voice distracted him and he managed to dodge a blade aimed for his head without a moment to spare. He growled, ripping his katana from its sheath. In two quick moves, the demon lay in several pieces at his feet, his dark blood staining the balcony floor.

"What the hell is going on here?" Yusuke roared, now aiming his spirit gun in a new direction. Two quick shots dispatched the two demons just now breaching the balcony. "Kuwabara! Keep that lady safe!" Hiei looked back out at the horizon. There were masses of flying demons headed straight for them now. His eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. These flying demons were all mindless- no memories to speak of, only orders. Two attacks at once?

In a matter of seconds, demons swarmed the room, crawling, jumping, running, fighting, all aiming for Choko. He and Yusuke were killing them off as fast as they could manage, but there were far too many of them to eliminate all at once. The Dragon burned under his skin, the first time it had sensed any sort of real battle in a long while, aching to be released. He focused on the demons before him, removing their heads or limbs with ease. They weren't exceptionally powerful, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

"No! Watch out!" Kuwabara's scream ripped his attention away from the slaughterfest. He turned, finding the large man trying to run towards the far corner of the room. Choko was there- her sword held out in front of her, as one of the largest demons present charged. The sick, maniacal grin spread over her face, twisting her features into those of someone much darker and more depraved than he knew the human woman to be. He did not miss the connection of this look with her violent acts. The human boys on the street, the three attackers, the dealer of rumors, and now this… She'd become someone else entirely each time.

Reflex allowed him to dodge the next several blows from three surrounding demons, but his attention was so focused on Choko's movements that his kills were sloppy. She launched her small body forward, thrusting the blade forward into the demon's midsection. It's large hands encircled the blade, attempting to rip it back out. Choko held fast, driving the sword into its body to the hilt. She let go, stumbling back when one of the demon's hands swiped at her. The huge creature faltered, shuffling to the right before falling to the ground at her feet. One simple blow shouldn't have been enough to kill the demon, but Hiei had no more time to consider the situation. More demons were coming, replacing those whom had fallen only moments before.

Yusuke's spirit gun blasted a large hole in the wall, demolishing most of the balcony as well. Kuwabara was doing a poor job of defending the woman, but he was managing to prevent her death at the very least. The select guard had taken its precious time getting to them, but at last, ten more demons joined in the fight. It took another few minutes before the constant onslaught of demons ceased. As they picked off the remaining few, Hiei stopped at the sound of Choko's laughter. She had managed to rip her sword from the other demon she'd killed. She'd stabbed another demon in the same way, although this one was much smaller. She yanked on the blade, pulling it out of the side of the demon, effectively ripping it almost in half.

"What the hell is with this lady?" Yusuke muttered, watching in mild horrific confusion as her laughter subsided into strange giggles of delight. He looked over to Hiei, one eyebrow raised. Kuwabara was backing away from her.

"Choko?" Hiei asked. Of the times the woman had behaved in this way, he'd never been given the opportunity to question her about it. The Ogre Killer had brought out this side of her last time, but as a consequence, the woman hadn't remembered any of her actions. She looked over at him, those once bright eyes were now dark ochre.

"Oh no," she answered. Her voice was deeper, harsher than he was accustomed to. Her smirk was loaded with sinister intentions. "Little Cho is gone. It's just me now."

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Yusuke asked, facing the woman. Hiei tensed, unsure of her sudden changes in behavior.

"She's locked up tight for the night, boys," the woman mocked. She tapped her temple with one finger. Her lopsided grin faded as her eyes focused on some point beyond Hiei. "There are more coming." Her insane look of pleasure returned as she slashed the sword through the air a few times. "I've never had the pleasure of using a blade before. It's rather fun, don't you think?" This question was aimed at Hiei. He narrowed his eyes back at her. When her eyes met his, he felt himself frozen in place once more.

"What's going on here, guys?" Kuwabara asked, glancing from Choko to Hiei and Yusuke. The detective shrugged, scrutinizing Hiei's frozen form. "I've got the heebie jeebies again."

"What's wrong," Choko asked, teasing, "can't move? Don't worry, that's normal. Just relax." She sauntered over to him as he attempted to free himself from her powerful gaze. She lifted one hand and stroked the side of his face, from temple to chin. Her touch was electric, sending a deep chill through his entire core.

"What is it with the crazy chicks diggin' on Hiei all the time?" Yusuke cracked. "First Ruka, then Mukuro, and now this woman… Damn!" Choko's eyes tore away from Hiei, her gaze settling on Yusuke instead. He was smart, for once, and avoided her eyes, looking over at Hiei instead.

"Don't touch me again," Hiei snarled, grabbing Cho's wrist and forcing her hand away from him. He spied the demons coming ever closer and faced them. "Get ready."

"I'm always ready," Choko whispered, far too close to his ear for his comfort. He darted away from her, readying himself for the next wave of demons.

Body parts were flying all over, and Choko's disturbed laughter filled the room along with their screams. She was hacking away at whatever demon happened to come too close to her, swinging her sword with little finesse. This other side to the woman confused him beyond measure. He was not given the chance to delve into her mind, to find answers to his questions. Her homicidal mania was pronounced in the ways she moved, and had there not been more and more demons attacking, he imagined she would've rolled around in the blood on the floor.

"What is with these guys?" Kuwabara shouted, angrily slicing through yet another demon. Hiei agreed silently. There was no point to this madness. They were far too weak to provide a challenge, and their numbers were only annoying, not a burden. He continued to slice through them, dodging their poorly aimed blows.

One of Yusuke's Spirit Gun blasts barely missed him. He swore, jumping away from the now-crumbling balcony. Yusuke's shouted apology was missed, one of the demons having landed a lucky blow to Hiei's right arm, slicing the skin and ripping the sleeve of cloak, along with the bandages that sealed the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. He killed the demon quickly, then held his arm with his left hand. The blood pooled over his fingers, drenching the remaining bandages. He cursed again. The Dragon was fighting to get out, to claim lives for itself. He stomped it back down, shoving it as far away as he could. Unleashing the dragon now would only lead to disaster.

"You alright, Hiei?" Yusuke asked, noticing the blood as it dripped to the floor. He nodded, surveying the room. Kuwabara had just finished off the last of the demons. Yusuke stood close to the hole he'd blow through the wall. It was Choko that distracted him, drawing his attention away. Her eyes were focused on his arm, eyes narrowed. Her strange grin was gone, replaced with a scowl.

"Where did you get that mark?" she demanded, pointing to his right arm. More than half of the bandages had been ripped away, exposing the black dragon that wound its way around his arm. He noticed her hand as her fingers brushed over the ink on her right thigh.

"I mastered the Dragon of the Darkness Flame," he answered. Her eyes widened in shock, disbelief coloring her expression.

"Lies!" she hissed. Her anger was back. He flinched in response to it. He did his best to avoid her eyes, focusing instead on the hand that gripped the red hilt of the sword. "No one has ever been able to master the Dragon!"

"We watched it happen, lady," Yusuke interjected. Her harsh look cut into Yusuke, silencing him.

"How?" she demanded, pointing the blade at Hiei. "Tell me how you did it!"

"It ate him," Kuwabara offered up. "We all thought he was dead." Cho's eyes narrowed at Hiei once more. She lowered the katana.

"That's… that's not possible," she whispered. "The Dragon is mine." Hiei's eyes widened in shock. He wasn't the only one. Yusuke and Kuwabara were just as surprised as he was. There was no way a human could ever possess the dragon! How did she even know about it?

The cat made a sudden reappearance, darting over to Choko's side. It was the first time Hiei'd ever seen her eye the cat with anything other than loving admiration. She scowled at the beast, stepping away from it. He did not try to approach her again, but rather eyed her coldly and swished his tail.

"Hiei!" Mukuro's shout filtered through the hole in the wall, drifting from below. She was furious. He sighed and looked over to the remainder of the balcony.

"Oh," Choko whispered, "mommy's calling." Hiei rolled his eyes and bit back a retort, but Yusuke and Kuwabara snickered.

Seconds later, Mukuro stood on the edge of the crumbling stone, eyeing the situation in the room. "Masaru and Inari have been taken." He cursed to himself. The demons had been a distraction. Now they were back to square one, with no idea who was trying to kill Mukuro and without knowing any real motive.

"What now?" Hiei grunted.

"We wait," Mukuro answered. "I don't have the patience for another performance like this one. If we capture them again, they will be freed once more, and I don't care to repeat myself. I doubt they had any real information, anyway."

"All the demons up here were after Choko," Kuwabara spoke up. Mukuro's eyes narrowed at the tall young man before her stare found its way around the room. He glanced around as well.

"Where is she?" Mukuro hissed, rounding on Hiei. His eyes narrowed. The woman had been here seconds ago! How had she disappeared so quickly? No one should have been able to get through both he and Mukuro- not to mention Yusuke. Hell, even Kuwabara had greater strength than the weaklings that had been attacking them. His stomach churned with unease. The jagan in the center of his forehead opened wide as he searched for her presence.

She was gone.

A/N: So sorry for such a long delay... work and college really got in the way of my writing. I haven't abandoned this story! Promise. :) I know this one is super duper short, too, but I figured it was better than nothing at all.

Things are gonna get crazy! :D (If I can ever manage to get it written out correctly...)

Let me know what you think, okay?

Reviews are always much appreciated!