A/N: If 'Real Life' was a person, its hobbies would include punching people in the face.

The next chapter is the last one!


"What kind of demon even are you?" Masaru asked from where he sat in the front corner of his cell. From what he could see of his only other known companion, the man was young, dirty, and wore a very large collar around his neck that had etchings along the rim he would bet were similar to the cell bars.

He had waited in silence for a long time, but once he realized that he wasn't going to be killed straight away, he had slowly settled into boredom. He never thought he would suffer from it when being held prisoner by a demon, but it looked as if humans weren't the only ones. His companion lolled about restlessly.

"What kind of human are you?" The demon shot back.

"There's only one kind of human," Masaru rolled his eyes. "There's a bunch of different kinds of demons, isn't there?"

"So there is. I am nothing special."

"Must be, if you're still here and still alive," He insisted. "You've gotta be kept for a reason."

"Oh, yes, there's a reason," Hibiki snorted. "For a demon so weak, I have a lot of energy. I regenerate it quickly. I'm the perfect thing for a greedy demon who wants to steal all that I have."

"That's something special, I think," Masaru leaned his head back against the stone.

"No," Hibiki shook his head harshly. "I worked hard for that. The only true gift I was given was the ability to hide well. Few can sense me. Also perfect for someone who cannot fight head on. Little good it does me here, in this cell."

Ah, Masaru nodded. That was why Hiei hadn't known there was someone else nearby. He tried to imagine being stuck here for a long time – years, maybe! - and shuddered. It had only been... a day, at most, and already he was feeling stir crazy. He had yet to see a single guard or patrol, but when he couldn't even touch the bars, he supposed he could understand the confidence.

He could sympathize with Hibiki. As much as he wanted, he couldn't fight a demon head on either. He'd never thought there would be demons who suffered from a similar weakness, who was at the mercy of stronger demons just like humans.

"What would you do if you were free?" He wondered.

"Free? I suppose I would eat all I could, until I could eat no more, and then sleep for days in a real bed," Hibiki said wistfully. "It's the simple things I miss the most. The sun. The fresh air. I hear that the human world has been opened to the demon world. I would like to see it."

"What for?" Masaru frowned, slightly uncomfortable with the idea. He still couldn't believe someone had the bright idea to do that. "There's nothing great about my world."

"I want to see it with my own eyes," The other said. "It's the only true way to judge."

He had nothing to say to that. Demons who wanted to come to the Human World for sightseeing, or for things other than killing the humans who lived there? It was a strange thought. Why would they want to leave? This was their home.

Their home where the stronger demons threatened their lives and put them in danger. Still, he couldn't imagine wanting to escape to Demon World even when he had been at his lowest.

"Not all of us have had the chance to live in it despite out heritage," Hibiki said, and Masaru frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. There was a time when, with the barrier between the worlds, strong demons could never get through. Yet Urameshi and his friends somehow managed anyway."

"Yusuke and Kurama are humans," Masaru said. "So is Kuwabara. Maybe not Hiei, but the others-"

"You obviously don't know them as well as you think. Kuwabara is the only human of them, and known as an oaf at that, even with his sword. Urameshi is as demon as I am, and Kurama is a very old demon. How he ever got through the barrier, I don't know."

He was filled with silence. He remembered Shuichi's suspicion of Kurama, of expressing jealousy and admiration, of Kurama's strange coloration compared to his family. That... that could make sense. But Yusuke?

He knew the exact moment that his friends arrived. He felt a brush, gentle as a shadow, against his mind and knew it immediately to be Hiei, checking on him. He tried to grab his attention, ask where they were, what he should do, but the little man was gone too fast.

He stood up, leaning against the wall, looking either way. He expected someone to appear, for Yusuke to sneak in to find him. He had questions he had to ask, things that he would demand to know, but when there was the groaning of a heavy door and footsteps, it wasn't Yusuke who appeared.

"..." An Ogre, big and stupid looking, with a huge set of keys, unlocked his door. He backed up but the demon didn't have to take more than one step into his cell to be able to reach him with his long arms.

"Let me go!" He shouted.

"Quiet," The ogre said, voice rumbling. "Human boy be still. Ogre has orders."

"I don't care about your stupid orders," Masaru argued, struggling as he was thrown over a huge shoulder. The ogre withdrew and started shuffling through his keys agonizingly slowly, as if he couldn't be bothered.

Masaru twitched. He might be a little human kid compared to the guy, but he hated being ignored. He cocked his finger, and the little blue light that formed barely caught the demons attention.

Until it slammed into the inside of his ear.

The demon jerked and then went still. When he fell, it made the ground shudder and sent Masaru sprawling across the floor, blinking for a moment up at the ceiling. The ogre didn't move.

"Quickly," Hibiki hissed. "The keys."

Masaru scrambled up, grabbing the huge key ring and dragging it bodily over.

"It's that one," Hibiki pointed at one key that looked to Masaru like all the others, but when he tried it, the cell door clicked and swung open.

"Don't make me regret this," He warned. Hibiki laughed, and it sounded light, airy, joyful at being free.

"Come, let's find the way out together!"

Masaru followed because he had little choice. His eyes could barely see in the dark, and he had no confidence that he could sneak out on his own. He didn't understand a demons abilities entirely, but he knew their senses were much better than his. Having one on his side would be so much better than being on his own.

Besides, he could at least trust that Hibiki wanted freedom as much as he did.

They snuck to the door the ogre had entered from, and found no one waiting outside. There was a spiral staircase, leading up and up, doors every so often lining the walls. Betting they were underground, upwards was a good start.

He felt as if at any moment someone might emerge from one of the doors or hear thir footsteps. Hibiki could run much fast than he could, and kept needing to stop for him to catch up, always tilting his head up to the air and looking around with twitching ears. The only part of him that look demonic was his pointed ears, but even then, there were enough fantasy in Human lore that he resembled something far more benevolent than a demon.

At one, they stopped. Hibiki slowly lowered his hand and reached for a doorknob.

"We're not at the top," Masaru whispered urgently. "Why are we going through here?"

"There's many more demons up further," Hibiki said. "I might make it out alone, but they will hear you easily. It is better to go through here."

Just as they went through, there was an explosion somewhere than almost knocked him from his feet.

"It sounds as if your friends are here," Hibiki said with a small smirk. "I wish I could have seen that entrance."

"We should hurry," Masaru pressed.

"Are you worried? I doubt that's necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"You must be joking? Humans are funny," Hibiki made a strange face that he mirrored. "There are few demons that can stand up to Yusuke Urameshi or his friends. Fewer now, actually."

Masaru frowned. Were they really that strong?

Through another winding hall they came to a grate in the ceiling. Hibiki was able to dismantled it and lifted Masaru up and though it. Just as he pulled himself through, something grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him up. Struggled, he struck out and his fists were slapped aside.

"Stop it," A cool voice demanded just before he was dropped. He stared up at Hiei blankly.

Hibiki jumped through the hole at the sound of a new voice, eyes narrowed tense. The two of them stared at each other.

"I couldn't sense you," Hibiki eventually said.

"Hnn," Hiei turned, and walked away.

"Wait!" Masaru scrambled to follow, motioning for Hibiki to do the same. "Where is Yusuke?"

Hiei didn't answer.

"Is Kurama here too?" Masaru added. "Shouldn't we go faster?"

"Hnn."

Frustrated, he looked back, but Hibiki followed a few paces behind and only shrugged.

Hiei seemed to know where to go. When eventually they came to a hallway that steadily climbed up, it was littered with dead bodies. Most were face down, and the blood was surprisingly minimal, but Masaru still felt a little faint. The smell was something he didn't think he'd ever forget. He almost didn't want to go down it, and instead find a different way, but Hiei plowed on without a glance back and Hibiki silently nudged him on. He held his nose closed the entire way.

When eventually they came to a large pair of doors, they entered with not a care for who might be inside. Nervously, they followed, but inside was not what he expected.

Yusuke was there. He sat on the steps to a large, gaudy throne, hands behind his head, while a tall, silver haired demon with a canine's ears and tail lounged in the throne itself. At his feet was another demon, sprawled out and either unconscious or dead, his great hulking body smoking.

"Finally!" Yusuke stood, and Masaru didn't care that everyone could see him moving a little too quickly to the other boys side. "You okay, kid? Hurt?"

"I'm fine," Masaru answered.

"Hnn. They were escaping on their own, detective," Hiei said.

"Really? How'd you manage that?"

"Shot an ogre in the ear," Masaru said, and pretended he wasn't preening with Yusuke ruffled his hair proudly.

"Now that's the proper use of a Spirit Gun!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Though, there wouldn't have been any need for it, if someone had been doing what he'd promised."

The look he shot at Hiei was one of frustration, but Hiei was nonplussed.

"The child is unharmed. You couldn't track the demon by traditional means," He said.

"That doesn't mean, 'let's use the kid as bait'!" Yusuke took a breath, released it. "Never mind. It worked out. Thanks, Hiei."

"Hnn."

"What's going on?" Masaru asked, looking hesitantly at the figure in the throne and the one who almost looking to be kissing the others boots.

"Big shot wasn't so big," Yusuke shrugged. "Could be because he wasn't the real puppeteer, huh?"

The way he looked up had Masaru following his gaze to Hibiki, who stared back impassively.

"That can't be right..." Masaru frowned. "... I don't get it."

"Tell me," The voice behind them made them jump, and the silver demon came sauntering up beside them. "Was it your idea or this trashes to come after the boy a second and third time?"

"His own, of course," Hibiki said.

"One doesn't earn a nick name like 'puppeteer' without a good reason."

"You set this all up?" Masaru asked, aghast. "Even being in the dungeon?"

"I never lied," Hibiki said. "And I was not in the dungeon because I wanted to be."

"A plot that unfolded disadvantagously?" The silver one said.

"A little bit of that. A little bit of desperation."

"You were playing with me!" Masaru exclaimed. In truth, there was a part of him that wasn't surprised. Hiei's suspicion of him had started it, but still, to know that this was the demon who had threatened his mother, his own life...

"A necessary evil," Hibiki said. "Though I didn't expect the demon hunter that had helped you to be Yusuke Urameshi, there's no one I could have hoped for more."

"Har har," Yusuke rose a finger, and it began to glow. "I don't like being played with either, pal. Tell me why I shouldn't blast you to bits?"

"Now, now, Yusuke," The silver demon tsked. "You promised."

He flicked his wrist and the whip seemed to appear out of nowhere, snapping against the stone and creaking spider cracks.

"I was a prisoner myself. I cannot control what trash does in the face of a perceived insult," Hibiki said. "We, as demons, do what we must. And I have no desire to die today. I made sure the child got back to you safely once it was in my power to do so. Remember that."

One minute he was there, the next he wasn't. It wasn't even in the space of a blink. It was as if he were never there at all.

"Where'd he go?!" Masaru looked around wildly, to find the silver demon gone as well.

"Idiots," Yusuke sighed. "Come on. Let's get you home, yeah?"

He lowered his hand and the glow disappeared. Masaru watched it, and slowly looked back up, recalling Hibiki's words. I never lied.

"Yusuke," He said slowly. "Are you... human?"

The way the other boy froze made his insides quiver.

"Why're you askin' me that?" Yusuke frowned. "Do I seem particularly demonic to you?"

"That's why I always just thought you were normal..." Masaru said. "But you're not, are you? You belong here, in Demon World. Is that why you never died when you saved me when I was little? Why did you even save me in the first place?"

Yusuke sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"I was born human just like you, okay?" He said lowly.

"But you never told me the truth," Masaru said, heart squeezing. "You just let me think you were human. You and Kurama both."

"I never lied-"

"That's not the same as telling the truth!" He yelled. He pointed at the demon still motionless – probably dead – on the floor. "If demons are so great, if they can be 'good', why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because you were all 'I hate demons' this and 'demons are all bad' that!" Yusuke's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. "I just thought it would be easier that way."

"Because you would be rid of me and wouldn't have to deal with it anymore," Masaru finished for him. He felt ripped open – He'd known that his mother would heal, had certainly hoped she would, and when that happened he would go back to her. But there had been a large part of him that hadn't wanted to just cut off all ties with Yusuke.

Yusuke had saved him several times, and did it for free. He was strong, extremely strong if Hibiki had been honest, and had hung out with him. Had been there for him.

"That's not-"

"I want to go home," He interrupted. "Take me home."

And Yusuke did.