A/N: Dear Goddess, I have a strange feeling that I'm about to be flamed for this...o.o;;; This one and the next one are a bit of a dozy. Please, let me know of your thoughts my lovely readers. It gives me fuel to write more.
Please don't be a silent reader!

11. To Save a Life

The day went by as Takeshi awaited for the arrival of the Spirit World team who he had heard so much about from other demons who came to him for the services he provided through his slave. A member of four males; a human, two demons and a Mazoku, that have not only claimed victory in the Dark Tournament almost three years ago but also established the Makai Tournament which was the way that the Demon King was chosen. The last winner, Enki, has kept peace with the rulers of Spirit World, making it so that there was no fighting between the worlds and demons were free to come and go as they please. He had to admit that the barrier being down helped his business thoroughly and he was surely miffed by the atrocious this team has made towards his business.

But now, as Takeshi watched the sun set through the warehouse window, he was going to make these boys regret taking from him what was his. Had they simply taken away the human females and his business he could manage, but to take his slave; his whore, well they were officially asking for a fight. Being a businessman, it has been a long time since he's had to fight anyone, let alone demons, but with this group coming, he knew all he had to do was distract them. An hour. That's all the time that he needed to hold them off for. A twinge in his stomach made him smirk as he sensed the immense energies coming towards him. Turning, he made a grab for the female who squealed, struggling against his grip. She whimpered and moved as he forced her along the catwalk, turning to stare down at the doorway that was the entrance to this hellhole of a place.

And that's when the door was kicked in.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Kuwabara asked, turning to look at his comrades, his black beady eyes looking at his Mazoku counterpart, "This looks pretty run down."

"Hn. His energy is coming from this building." Hiei retorted, crimson eyes glaring at the door.

"This is it." Kurama confirmed, "Shall we?"

Yusuke smirked, "Allow me."

He turned and with a swift movement, he kicked the door in. Metal slammed against metal as the four boys rush in and find an almost empty warehouse. Kurama was the first to locate their suspect and he alerts his friends to the whereabouts of Takeshi. Kuwabara growls, seeing the girl in Takeshi's hands who he now held in front of him like a shield.

"Ah, so you've come after me?" Takeshi said, feigning ignorance, "I am glad that I was prepared just in case."

"Freeze, ya' fucker!" Yusuke spits, "You are under arrest for breaking the laws for both the Makai and Spirit World. You're coming with us."

The magenta eyed demon scoffed at first, soon breaking into a full out laughter as she thought about their job here. It was ludicrous! They honestly believed that they were going to bring him in to face some sort of judgment for simply running a legitimate business? Sure, by human standards it's inhuman, but then Takeshi was not human to even care to follow their rules and law.

"What's so funny?!" Kuwabara screeches.

The dark haired demon quells his laughter, a malicious grin spreading across his lips as he looks down upon these children, his grip tightening on the female in his grasp and as she whimpered, he snickered. He retorted with a proposal. Should they actually injure him to the point where he could no longer fight, he'd go ahead without a fight or disappearance. He grinned and beckoned them to begin their assault, starting the timer in his head.

An hour. That's all he needed.

Just an hour.

The boys had left about eleven that morning, heading out to the industrial district that the demon who had held this demon woman captured for so long and Keiko sighed as she sat on the couch, smiling at the white haired maiden. She watched as the girl scribbled in the notebook, showing Keiko what she wrote every now and again, seeing if what she had written was correct. By this stage, Keiko noticed that the girl's handwriting was smooth and elaborate at times. She dared to think that the girl had the type of handwriting that could be calligraphy. She turned on the television, flipping through channels a bit bored as she waited for the laundry to finish in the washer. Time seemed to pass slowly, but Keiko kept herself busy with cleaning and talking to the young demon that she barely realized that it was growing dark. Setting the last load of laundry to dry, she heard a commercial come on the TV and she meandered into the kitchen to pull out pants to begin dinner.

As she deliberated on what to make, simply staring at the pots and pans on the table, the girl heard the slam of the door and she jumped. She grasped a frying pan in her hand and moved towards the door way, gulping as she saw a tall male in her living room, back to her as he looked onto the white haired female. Keiko was frozen for a moment as she watched; the girl scrambling in the seat she was in. At one point she actually tipped the recliner back and fell. Her legs still thrashed and she back pedaled from the intruder, her eyes wide as she looked up at him with fear. Something inside of Keiko snapped and she moved forward as silently as she could before she was behind him and she brought the frying pan against his head. The male shouted, falling to his knees as Keiko began to assail him, slamming the pan against any form of him that she could. At one point she stopped and the male groaned.

Turning, she made her way to the frightened demon and grabbed her hand, lifting her up from the ground and she looked about as to where to go. Glimpsing at the male for the first time, Keiko could assume that he was not a human. His eyes a blue that rivaled the brightness of a clear sky on a warm summer day and she gulped, pulling the female towards the corridor that lead to the room, sure that they could escape through the window. Unfortunately the demon had other plans and stood as the two were heading for the small corridor and Keiko turned, holding up the frying pan in her defense.

"Go." She said over her shoulder to the white haired demon, "Hide."

The girl hesitated but nodded, turning and fleeing down the hall to her room. She ducked into the washroom she shared with Hiei when she heard the clang of the pan hitting something a few more times. She shook as she stood in the middle of the bathroom as she attempted to find a spot to hide.

The four boys were having difficulties fighting this damned demon and Hiei was getting so damn sick of having to dodge a ball of electricity. He was fast, sure, but the rate at which Takeshi was throwing the balls of reddish-orange electricity at them, Hiei could barely keep up. His katana was still in its sheath, the metal only going to attract the electricity that was being hurled at them and his companions were not fairing off much better. He, Yusuke and Kurama were restricted by Spirit World laws to withhold their energies below a certain level and should they actually use their full potentials, they could very well be banished from the human world, making the peace that they had finally obtained between the three worlds for nothing. He gritted his teeth and continued to fight, attempting to get closer to the demon who was using the crying human female as a shield. He was pushed back by another attack, falling to his knees as he cringed from the burning sear that seemed to erupt from his shoulder which was hit.

Yusuke shot another Spirit Gun, grunting as he held the lock on his demon energy as much as he could. He watched Hiei hit the ground and growled, his vision heightening as his Mazoku blood pulsed, urging him to use the energy beneath his spiritual energy and he shouted as he propelled himself forward, ready to hit the bastard head on when he turned and all Yusuke could see was the girl who was crying. He backed off and yelled as he was hit by a flying Kuwabara who had been hit head on with the electrical ball of energy and they tumbled to the ground.

Despite being human, Keiko was really fending off this demon. She knew that the codes had changed since Yusuke had gone to demon world and she wondered if he was trying to abide by those codes. She could only assume that he was here to take the female who was hiding away. She gasped as she ran towards the television, ducking as he seemed to throw a ball of air at her. Crap. She really needed Yusuke to come home right about now. She ran from behind the couch, towards the TV and turned, flinging her weapon towards the turning demon. He howled in pain when it connected with the side of his face and she was about to dart into the kitchen for another item to defend herself with when he threw another ball of wind towards her.

The scream that exploded from her throat frightened even herself. It was pain filled and she collapsed on the floor for a moment in pain, blood pooling beneath her as she laid there. The slices made by his attack were apparent through her ripped clothing and she coughed, spitting up some blood as her vision began to blur. He growled darkly and turned from her. She felt the need to get herself together to protect the defenseless woman and she looked around for something, anything, that she could distract him with.

Something glinted in the corner of her vision and she blinked. A piece of what was left of the television was off to her side and she reached, cringing as the pain shot through her body. She bit her lip, her fingers brushing the cool metal piece and she gulped, pushing herself to reach it and as her hand gripped the metal piece, she forced herself onto her knees. Turning, she cleared her vision by blinking a few times, focusing on the male before her and she drew her arm back and threw it at him.

The metal hit him in the middle of his back and he whipped around, eyes glaring at her as he did so. He moved towards Keiko as she leaned against the wall to stand, the pain of her injuries screaming at her. The demon moved forward and as he drew closer, she ducked into the kitchen. Grasping some of the plates that were on the drying rack, she turned and chucked them in his direction. She heard the shattering, moving around the table the opposite side of which he was and she stumbled back into the living room, brown eyes wide as she looked over to the open door. For a moment, she wished that she had seen Yusuke there, who would have kicked the ass of the man who had hurt her and she stepped towards it, hoping to draw him out of the apartment into the streets below where he would be forced to chase her on foot. She stumbled forth when she was grabbed by the collar of her ripped shirt and she was thrown back.

A sickening crack could be heard as she hit the wall, whimpering and cringing as she began to slide down the wall. Her injuries were burning and for a moment she prayed for Yusuke to come barreling through the open door and kill the son of a bitch who seemed to stalk towards the weak and bleeding female. He seemed to eye her dazed form and deemed her useless because he went to turn away from her. In a moment of desperation she reached out and wrapped her arms around one of his legs, biting him as hard as she could. The yowl he released seemed to echo and he spun around, throwing her off his leg and she tumbled a few feet before he was on her, a swift kick to the stomach knocking the air out of her as tears clouded her vision.

Kurama grunted as he forced himself to stand. The last time he felt such a burning sensation through his injuries was when he faced Karasu in the Dark Tournament. The small explosives that he had forced energy into had burned the shit out of him but what this demon Takeshi was throwing at them and, although it did not explode, it still burned at his skin like a raging inferno. He cringed as he stood, watching Hiei and Yusuke attempt to get closer. Kuwabara jumped to his feet, resilient as ever as he ran forward, his spirit sword drawn as he tried to hit the electric spheres away with his spirit sword, matching energy with energy.

Kurama tossed his wilting rose off to the side before balling his hands into fists before he leapt into battle, wondering just how they were supposed to take down an enemy who held the female like a shield before him. He was sure that the girl was so scared and confused that they would have to call Spirit World to aid her and possibly erase her memories of Takeshi and them. He gasped as he narrowly dodged an attack, shaking him from his thoughts and he lunged forward, joining his comrades in battle as he ducked and weaved in and out of the firing range, debating on different strategies.

Yusuke hit the ground and jumped back up, used to getting knocked down before. He stood and growled, lurching forward as he tried to hit the male again when something in his chest constricted. He lost his momentum and cringed, stopping. He felt that something was wrong. Something was seriously wrong, but before he could try to figure out what it was, he was flung back. This time Takeshi had caught Hiei off guard and the fire demon had flown back into the stationary Mazoku, sending them both to the floor.

Daisuke was enraged. Out of all the humans in the living world he would be the one to come across the most stubborn female there was. She had nothing to protect and he found her attempts irksome and futile. How dare she get in his way as he tried to collect the woman who had been taken from Takeshi in the first place? He stalked from the woman, slamming open the door to the room the demon had fled to and he eyed the room. The window was closed, so he knew she was still around. He went to the closet first, knowing that it was a normal spot for frightened beings to hide, but found no trace of the female. His anger grew as he slammed open the bathroom door, finding the adjacent room empty as well.

Where the fuck had she gone?

His light blue eyes scanned the bathroom and he found small crevices and even closets that she could had hid in, finding that she was nowhere to be found. He gritted his teeth, his black mask falling from his head as the last piece of fabric holding it together ripped, finally giving way to the slashes created by the human female who laid in the main room. He ripped open the shower curtains, finding the basin empty as well before a clink, faint and almost non-existent, came from behind him. Whipping around, he saw the sink and he grinned wickedly.

Looks like he found his target.

The laugh that erupted from Takeshi was one of pure mockery.

Hiei was beginning to loathe his weapon choice. Usually he could use his katana and slice the throat of his enemy without a second thought, but between the demon's use of electrical energy and the human female he held to him like a buffer, he couldn't manage to land a single hit. This bastard was prepared for everything they had to throw at them and the enclosed space only gave them limited options.

Of course, Hiei had contemplated on releasing his dragon. He wanted to wipe the smug look off of the demon's face but the female would be killed in the process. He had yet killed a human being, finding the act foolish now that he was fighting for the damned species, and he was not going to start now. Should he kill the female, a war could be started upon the Makai and he would be forced, not only to choose a side, but fight Spirit World over a single female whose death would be on his hands and although his hands were used to being bloodied, Hiei was not about to risk the peace that Yusuke had worked so hard to obtain between the three worlds.

Using his speed to dodge another attack, he noticed that the Detective had stopped moments before he had been flung at him. They had both hit the ground and Yusuke barely reprimanded him about the collision, seeming lost in his own thoughts for a moment. The Detective was usually the one whose mind was engrossed in battle and Hiei did not have time to question the look in the Leader's eyes before they both had to dodge a flying Kuwabara. The damned oaf had the best of luck, it turns out, because he had a sword of spiritual energy. He was matching spiritual energy against demonic energy that was formed into electricity. He was the only one to get close enough to almost land a hit but he backed off, the writhing girl in Takeshi's arms holding him off. The fucking sad excuse for a demon was using a female as his protection and it was working.

"Although it has been fun, I think that your time is up. Tell Koenma I said hello for me, won't you?"

The stumbling group watched as he jumped up and back onto the catwalk he had originally began his assaults from.

"Why don't you come tell him yourself?!" Yusuke spat.

"Oh, I would love to but it seems that I have a prior engagement to attend."

Oh, this bastard was so fucking cocky.

"But, here. A gift!" he cried.

Without hesitation, the male reached a hand out, creating another sphere. The group tensed, waiting for the attack to fly towards them, but instead the demon cackled, half turning to position himself as he did something that made the boys scramble.

He threw the girl from the catwalk.

A muffled scream seemed to echo as the girl fell and time seemed to stand still. Their choices were limited. They could split up and try to get both or collectively try to get the demon, letting the girl fall to her death. Yusuke and Kuwabara lurched forward, both hoping to catch the girl. Using his demonic energy, the Detective pulled forward and jumped. He caught the girl midair and flipped, landing on the ground with her in his arms as smoke seemed to begin filling up the warehouse.

In Yusuke and Kuwabara's attempt Hiei and Kurama made a leap for the demon. He had smirked at them before using the sphere to create a smoke cloud, hiding him from their site. Hiei pulled out his katana and slashed, a last minute attempt to kill the bastard before he got away, but instead of hitting him, he fell through, collapsing onto the catwalk. Kurama landed besides him and the look upon the fox demon's face must have mirrored his own.

The fucking bastard got away.

Again!

As the group reconvened, Kurama assisted the woman who was bound and gagged, checking her for any injuries that may have been caused, even accidentally. Yusuke pulled out his communicator, the damned purple looking compact, and flipped it open, a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach, but before he could actually send the call through an image of Keiko flashed in his mind. He froze, wondering what it could mean when a feeling rocketed through him, sending him to his knees. The communicator slipped from his hand, skidding across the floor of the warehouse.

A ringing broke through his thoughts and he turned his head, looking for the device. Kurama answered it, picking it up off the ground. Yusuke could barely hear the chatter that was the conversation, his thoughts racing. He stood on shaky legs, chocolate brown eyes searching for the exit. He barely caught the word 'apartment' in Kurama's conversation as he stumbled to the door, bursting through it only to find Ayame, another one of Koenma's pilots for the river Styx and beside her was an emergency portal. He looked at her face, attempting to analyze it and see if he could find the answer to his question. She held no expression upon her face, the same emotionless expression she consistently carried, and he ducked through the portal, wanting answers.

He came out in the alleyway beside his apartment complex and was baffled by the sounds of sirens getting closer. He moved, turning the corner and taking the stairs up two or three at a time, wanting to find out what was going on. He came to his apartment where the neighbor stood, turning as he approached and wearing an expression he could not decipher upon his face. It was as if time slowed and he knew it before he saw it. Stepping into the apartment, his brown eyes widened.

"Kei…ko…"

The whisper seemed foreign, but he knew it was his own strangled cry that had escaped him. The sight in front of him was enough to make him sick and he turned, refusing to look at the broken shards of glass upon the floor or the frying pan discarded off to the side as if it was thrown. He had seen the door that was barely hanging on its own hinges, the bottom hinge broken from sheer force and he knew that a human did not do this. His mind whirled and he found it hard to breathe as he pictured the—

"Sir? Could you step away? We need to get a medic inside."

Yusuke looked up at the police officer, his mind numb as the older man spoke to him. He nodded, stepping away as a group of paramedics and officers ran in, hoping to save the life of Keiko Yukimura.