Hiei stared dazedly up at the ceiling of Kurama's bedroom, panting as he tried to regain his equilibrium. He felt Kurama over to his right, in front of the window, those green eyes staring at him concernedly. When he felt he could speak without choking, Hiei asked, "I don't suppose Koenma's heard of places of unrest, where an army might be gathering, has he?"

Kurama tilted his head and watched him. "And if he has?" Hiei just glared at him pointedly, refusing to dignify the fox with a response, and Kurama sighed. "That's what I was afraid of." He padded over to Hiei and sat beside him on the bed, the mattress dipping and sending Hiei rolling slightly towards him. The fire demon didn't protest this, nor the fingers that combed gently through his hair, soothing him. He and Kurama had never been lovers, but they had grown close over the years since their initial alliance to steal the Artifacts from under Koenma's nose.

"I wonder if there are any hidden tunnels or safe houses?" Kurama murmured, as Hiei watched him absentmindedly map out the area in his head. "There's nothing in the open, and no hidden entrances that I'm aware of." This worried Hiei slightly; Youko Kurama was a fox and a thief, and always knew where to find hidden tunnels and dens and the like. He needed them, both as hiding places and as places to avoid, places from where an ambush might originate.

The important part, though, was that if there was nothing there, then where was Yusuke? Surely, he had to be nearby, so that Uragiri could rally the troops or whatever it was he was doing with them. "Are there even any troops?" Hiei asked suddenly as a new thought occurred to him. "Or is he just trying to spread unrest among the people? Because he could do that from almost anywhere," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

Kurama frowned at him, but answered. "Right now, there is no such thing as a formal army. The toushin on Yusuke's side are still hunting for him, and Yusuke's gathered a significant number of allies over the past several years. But there have been rumors that the civilians are being armed, and more importantly, that there have been several attacks like the one we came upon, where the youkai are left dead or dying. At least two villages have been all but wiped out. I believe that they are being told that Yusuke has ordered it to be done."

Hiei scowled; anybody who knew Urameshi knew he would never order such a thing done. If he had a problem with you, he'd take it up with you personally. He wouldn't involve innocents in his battles. But Yusuke traveled to the Makai only occasionally, often leaving it in the hands of his advisors and a trusted regent. His subjects had only seen him maybe a handful of times. And since he was at least half human, it wasn't that far of a stretch to believe that maybe he was tired of dealing with the youkai and would rather they were all dead. Prejudice wasn't uncommon between the two worlds, and to a nation being terrorized, all it would take was a little push. Especially if the one doing the talking was a certain toushin who had been one of Lord Urameshi's trusted advisers.

"How is he holding up?" Kurama asked suddenly. Hiei blinked and stared up at him, debating whether or not to answer. Still, he had questions of his own, and if he wanted them answered, he supposed he'd better tell Kurama what he wanted to know.

Slipping off the bed and moving over to the window where he could stare out at the night sky, Hiei answered honestly. "That bastard's been torturing him, and threating to hurt us to gain his cooperation. So far, the Detective is holding his own, but he's hurt. Badly," he admitted frankly, not holding anything back. It was urgent that they rescue Yusuke as quickly as possible, and if that meant that he had to exaggerate a tiny bit, then so be it. Yusuke's healing powers were allowing him to recover at a decent pace, but that was only because Uragiri was allowing him short periods of time in which to recuperate.

Hiei was under no illusions. If he didn't get what he wanted, then he would kill Yusuke, and not even the Spirit World would be allowed to revive him again. He had cheated death twice now. Hiei didn't trust that a miracle would happen a third time.

Spirit pressure below the window, and Hiei gazed down at the human who was staring back up at him. Kuwabara raised a single hand and beckoned to him, then turned and strode away. Hiei glanced back at Kurama, who nodded, then opened the window and leapt to the ground, following Kuwabara, Kurama coming behind them.

Kuwabara didn't stop until he was well within a small forested area of the park. Nobody was around this time of night, and Hiei and Kurama met him under a tall pine tree. "What is it, oaf?" Hiei demanded immediately, scowling. This had better be good, for the human to drag him out here. If it was something idiotic, he was going to beat the shit out of the taller boy.

Brown eyes glanced down at him in annoyance, but Kuwabara let it slide, which worried Hiei; the tall human never let a chance pass to tease Hiei. That he had mostly ignored the fire demon in favor of whatever it was he had to say left a terrible feeling in Hiei's stomach, and he grimaced, but fell silent. It had to be about Yusuke, because anything else just wasn't important enough.

"Botan is at Genkai's place right now," he said quietly. "She said that Koenma's people are still out hunting for Yusuke, but they've been pushed out of toushin lands. Apparently, there's something going down, and the advisors don't want any outsiders involved." Hiei and Kurama glanced at each other; it looked like the rebellion was finally getting started, and those fools had just more or less trapped themselves into a war they couldn't win. It wouldn't take long for word to reach Yomi and Mukuro, and when that happened, all hell would break loose. They had to get in there, now!

Kurama gazed steadily up at Kuwabara. "Yes, we had heard that there have been several…incidents in Yusuke's lands, recently. But why call us out here if Koenma is negotiating with the toushin advisors?" he asked quietly. Kuwabara frowned, his eyes growing hard and angry, and a fleeting look of understanding crossed Kurama's face. "They've locked down all diplomatic relations with the Spirit World, haven't they?" he asked quietly. The human nodded, still angry.

Hiei snorted, his mind working quickly. He was nothing if not strategic. "Then the toddler can't do anything because he's bogged down in red tape. But if word was to get to a small group, such as the rest of Urameshi's team, and that team was to slip into toushin lands, then negotiations could continue, as long as the godling could deny any knowledge of our movements." A flicker of approval in Kuwabara's eyes told him that he was on the right track, and he grinned viciously, baring sharp fangs. "Well, then, shall we go?"

"Even knowing that it might be a trap?" Kurama asked quietly. Hiei turned to look at him, frowning. It was unlikely to be a trap this time, because Uragiri would be so certain that the toushins currently stopping negotiations would prevent them from entering as well, but it was certainly a possibility that he had made preparations for such an undertaking, just as a precaution. Still, they didn't have time to wait around, and Hiei wasn't about to waste any more time arguing with them.

Reaching up, he removed the seal over his Jagan, and before Kurama could react, he flooded both of them with images of Yusuke, chained to the wall in that cell, bruised and cut and damn near hopeless. He flashed an image of Uragiri touching him, sending jolts of debilitating agony through his body, raking claws across his face and down his chest. In short, he showed them what Yusuke was suffering through, right now, while they stood there and debated the wisdom of going in, yet again, to rescue the Mazoku.

Hiei snarled, pulling back and resealing his Jagan. Kurama's green eyes were troubled, but his expression was passive. The fox was holding in his emotions while he sorted through what he had just seen, but Hiei knew him better than that. There was no way that Kurama was going to leave the Spirit Detective there, not if he could help him. Kuwabara, on his other side, was pale and shaking, his eyes wide and worried, and Hiei almost – almost – regretted having shown him the images as well.

Kuwabara shook his head. "That's it. I don't care if it is a trap. We'll get Botan to open a portal from Genkai's place, and then we'll go save Yusuke. And I'm coming along this time," he growled, as if daring the two youkai to oppose him. Hiei had no intention of doing so; if the human wanted to come, then so be it. He'd make a good shield, if nothing else.

Kurama nodded, though. "That would probably be a good idea. You're more aware than the rest of us, even when we're being cautious." Hiei scowled, hating that it was true. Kuwabara always seemed to choose the safest route, or knew the enemy was approaching before the rest of the team. Yusuke relied on him a lot more than he let on, and Kuwabara was more than willing to do whatever he could for the smaller boy. Their relationship was one of trust, despite the fact that they regularly tried to beat the crap out of each other.

Hiei could say he didn't understand, but that would be a lie. After all, hadn't he attacked Yusuke before as well, trusting that the boy was strong enough to dodge and fight back? Yusuke learned fast, and continued to grow in power, which was an admirable trait, as far as Hiei was concerned. With a sigh, he grouched, "If we must. I'm going ahead."

And with that, he took off, heading for Genkai's. He had no worries that the others wouldn't make it in time; it would take Botan a while to open an unauthorized gate into the Makai anyhow, and Hiei wanted to make sure that they ended up behind enemy lines. As much as he'd love to shed a great deal of his enemies' blood, retrieving Yusuke and eliminating the cause of the unrest was prioritized. There would be time enough later to hunt down the instigators. For now, he'd be content to take Uragiri's head.

A small tingle in the back of his mind, and Hiei realized that a part of him was still tracking Yusuke. Trusting his instincts to get him safely to Genkai's, the fire demon opened up a little bit, just enough to have a more solid sense of the Spirit Detective. He couldn't see where he was right now, or what was happening, but he could feel the other male's presence, strong and steady.

"Oh, good," Yusuke muttered through the bond. "It is you. I was afraid that son of a bitch had done something to me and screwed with my mind." Hiei snorted; the toushin were not known for having telepathic abilities, which Yusuke would know if he ever bothered to pay attention to his lessons. The Detective must've heard at least part of that, because he sniped, "It's not like I could help it. My so-called advisors are more boring than my teachers were, and that's just sad."

Hiei was well-acquainted with Yusuke's low opinion of the human school system. Since he had never felt the need to even get near a school building, he couldn't really say. Kurama didn't seem to have a problem, but then again, he was several centuries old. It's not like the humans could teach him anything he didn't already know.

Instead, he chose to simply ignore the complaint, and said, "Don't worry about it, Detective. He won't have much longer to live, anyhow." He felt Yusuke's interest stir at that, but the boy didn't ask him what was going on, which was just as well. He wanted only to give the Detective warning, but he didn't want Uragiri to catch on. So the less Yusuke knew, the better for all of them.

"You could call me by my first name, ya know," Yusuke mumbled. Hiei resisted the urge to roll his eyes; of all the things for him to bring up, the way Hiei addressed him was his chosen topic? Granted, it was a safe topic, for the most part, but insignificant. It hardly mattered what Hiei chose to call him, did it?

A flicker of anger, but Yusuke appeared to be swallowing his words, which aroused Hiei's own curiosity. Apparently, this was a sore point for the younger male, but Hiei didn't understand why. It was just a title. It's not like Hiei was insulting him, either. The fact that a human-youkai hybrid was Koenma's prized Spirit Detective in Ningenkai was nothing to be ashamed of.

Yusuke had withdrawn, though, shutting down. Hiei scowled; if the Detective wanted to behave so childishly, then so be it. He didn't have time to baby him anymore. "See you soon, Detective," he growled, before closing the link completely, severing himself from Yusuke. He staggered briefly at the lost contact, only now realizing that he had never truly closed it since he had found the Mazoku after Uragiri had gotten hold of him. Damn.

Hiei slowed as he reached Genkai's place, scanning the area warily. Most youkai weren't stupid enough to try and attack this place, but he wouldn't put it past Uragiri to know about the old lady and have an ambush waiting. Movement to the left caught his attention, and Hiei remained in his tree as Master Genkai herself came out and stood just outside the gates. "There were others here, but I sent them away," she stated calmly, not looking in Hiei's direction. "Come in if you want. Or don't," she added, then turned and walked away.

Hiei just scowled and flitted down to the ground, then slipped inside the holy grounds of the shrine, feeling the tingle of the barriers the old lady maintained. Genkai might be getting old, but she was still as sharp and ready as ever. Hiei found himself grateful that of all the things Yusuke could have demanded for winning the Dark Tournament, his only request had been that Genkai be revived and allowed to live out her natural lifespan. The loss of his teacher had been a heavy blow to the boy, and he had nearly lost it when he realized that she had died because she had given what power she had to him. The Mazoku absolutely hated it when people made sacrifices for him, and it tore him more deeply than any beating or torture the enemy could put him through.

In which case, he was going to go ballistic when the rest of his team appeared in the Makai without authorization or backup, their only goal retrieving him. He'd probably yell at them long and loud, until he had no more breath to yell with. Hiei almost smiled imagining it; he had no intentions of sticking around the whole time, but it might be fun to stay for a little while, completely indifferent to whatever Yusuke had to say, if only to see him get frustrated. Hiei wondered if Yusuke would be pissed off enough for his demon markings to show.

"Hiei!" The annoying voice calling his name made the fire demon flinch, his hand touching his katana for a moment before he forced it down and away, scowling as he turned to face the blue-haired ferry girl. Botan came hurrying towards him, her eyes wide and worried, and Hiei relaxed; it wasn't her fault that her voice vibrated like a banshee's wail in his ears. She was just concerned about Yusuke, and Hiei was the first one of his team to arrive.

Still, he had no intention of listening to her blather, so he held up a hand to forestall her. "Open a portal. Behind enemy lines," he ordered curtly. Botan stopped, stared, and then opened her mouth to protest, but Hiei cut her off. "Do you want to save the Detective or not?" he snapped. Botan nodded mutely, biting her lower lip. "Then do as I say. The others will be here by the time you're done, no doubt."

With that, Hiei turned and walked away, certain that the ferry girl would do as he had ordered. She might be hesitant to break the rules, but she wanted to save Yusuke as much as anybody, so she'd do her part and open the portal. Kurama could open one as well, but since he wasn't authorized to do so, there was always the chance that he'd set off alarms in the Spirit World and they'd find themselves under arrest.

The next person Hiei saw was his sister, Yukina. He slowed down, but she just smiled gently at him, nodding in greeting as he passed by. She knew that he was her brother – that loudmouthed Kuwabara had blurted it out – but she respected the distance that he kept between them. A male fire demon had no place in the life of an ice maiden, and while Yukina didn't agree, she at least permitted him to pretend that nothing had changed. It was a small blessing, and one that Hiei was grateful for. As long as he never admitted it out loud, his promise to Shigure to keep his relation to Yukina a secret remained intact.

Walking into a spacious room with doors on three of the four sides, Hiei found Genkai sitting cross-legged on the floor, smoking while she stared at a large painting of a forest. Yusuke had once asked the old lady if the picture was of a place she had been. Genkai had just knocked him flat on his ass and distracted him with training. Whatever this place meant to Genkai, it wasn't something that the rest of them were permitted to intrude upon.

Hiei settled himself in a corner of the room, standing while he continued to gaze around the room. He didn't like that there were so many entrances, but he had faith in Genkai's barriers, and in his own ability to defend himself should there be an attack, however improbable. He waited patiently for the old woman to speak; he could do nothing until the portal was open and the others had arrived, regardless.

Finally, nearly twenty minutes later, Genkai stirred, glancing back at him once before turning to gaze once more at the painting. "That punk got himself into trouble again, did he?" she asked at least, her gravelly voice steady. Hiei suspected that she cared about her student a lot more than she let on, but he would never directly accuse her of it. Instead he just gave an affirmative 'Hn'. The flicker of a smile flitted across her face, and her eyes crinkled at the corners.

"I see," she murmured. Suddenly, her entire focus was on him, and Hiei stood his ground, returning her steady stare. "You take good care of him, hear me?" she demanded. Hiei blinked, nonplussed, and Genkai just snorted. "Just because I'm old, it doesn't mean I'm senile. I notice more than any of you who pride yourselves on your knowledge and prowess." She stated this so matter-of-factly that Hiei wasn't about to contradict her, but he wondered. When she said take care of, did she mean rescuing the Detective? Or was she talking about something longer-term?

It hardly mattered, and Hiei turned away, heading for the door. Kuwabara and Kurama were heading up the stairs. He paused a moment before leaving, feeling Genkai's watchful eyes on his back. "I won't hurt him," he promised, the only concession he was willing to give. Genkai shifted behind him, and he felt her turn back towards the painting before she replied.

"I know."