The distant drop of water awoke Amaya out of her dark sleep. She slowly stood up from the gritty floor she lay on, aware now of the painful throbbing at the back of her head. Dizziness washed over her like ocean waves as she got to her feet. Amaya put her hand on one of the stone walls that enclosed her to keep from toppling over. Her dark brown eyes closely inspected her surroundings, and she found that she was in a dungeon cell. Through the black bars at least ten feet in front of her, she could see more cells though empty.

Amaya walked over to the heavy door and raised her hand to the lock. She tried to form a fireball, but nothing happened. She concentrated harder but still nothing. With a few more attempts, Amaya felt herself grow slowly weaker, like she was being drained of her spirit energy. Her eyes wandered down her hand to her naked wrists, for she did not have her cloak on, and widened in fury. Energy restraint cuffs, she thought forlornly. Thin metal handcuffs encircled her wrists, and they omitted a faint red and black glow, telling the demoness that they were sucking up her powers. They were very lightweight, so that had been the reason why she didn't notice them before.

I'll massacre that bastard, Amaya swore. Many nightmare-worthy thoughts passed through her mind, almost distracting her from hearing the heavy fall of footsteps coming towards her cell. Amaya's head snapped towards the sound, and she silently moved into a shadowed corner. From the shadows, Amaya could see Paulo appear from the right side of the bars. She had to admit that she was slightly in awe at how much his spirit energy had increased because of the amulet. The jewel, tear drop shaped and the deepest of black, hung around his thin neck amidst his long greasy hair. The single torch illuminated Paulo's eyes. They were no longer empty and filled with fear. Instead, they had a thirst for revenge with the fear gone, replaced with superiority. Amaya glared murderously at her ex-informant as he slid open the bars and stepped inside.

Paulo's yellow jagged teeth showed as he stepped further into the cell and smiled menacingly. "Hello Nightfire," he almost seemed to purr to the air, like a cat about to eat a delicious canary. "It's so ah, pleasant of you to drop by. How do you like those bracelets I gave you?" His black eyes roamed around the enclosure until they finally rested on the figure standing in the darkest corner of the room. "Trying to hide?" he taunted.

A low, cat-like hiss spilled out of Amaya's lips at the insult. She stepped out from the shadow and tossed her head in a proud gesture.

Paulo's eyes widened with a little of the old fear as the short female demon stomped over to him. Her cuffs glowed brighter in the colors of her spirit energy at her anger.

Amaya thrust her face as far as she could up at Paulo's and bared her teeth. Her hands gripped the metal bars that separated them now that Paulo had escaped.

The demon on the other side calmed down. He then remembered who it is at his mercy and his haughty demeanor returned. Paulo threw his head back and laughed, the raucous sound bouncing off every surface.

"You are weak," he snarled as the last of his laughter vibrated throughout the whole dungeon. A cruel smile stretched across his gaunt face.

Amaya growled. "Baka yaro. You call me weak, when we both know that without the 'Amulet', you'd be nothing!" she retorted. "You see, Paulo, the difference between us is that you will always be a coward. Even in this weak state I'm in, I'll never be a coward. I'll never stoop down to your filthy level." This time it was Amayas turn to laugh. She was not aware that as she stood there laughing at him that Paulo slammed open the cell bars and rushed at her. Amaya's dark brown eyes widened in both shock and perhaps amusement as Paulo took her by the wrists and slammed her into the wall behind, making a deep impression on it. Amaya coughed the breath out of her lungs and with it blood. It was as if a bull had plowed her from behind. Paulo had a tight hold of her wrists at the metal cuffs.

If only I could get them off somehow, Amaya thought. She couldn't move and would not want to: her body hurt from the aftermath of the impact. She tensed as Paulo leaned down and recoiled as his disgusting hot breath touched her skin. Oddly at a time like this, she thought how much better it was when it was Hiei who was this close to her. Paulos lips moved close to her ear and whispered, "Join me Nightfire. Together, we shall take over all three worlds! You have no one left! No one cares for you . . . but me."

Amaya could feel her left eyelid twitch in disgust. "You are wrong baka," she said coldly as she saw flashes of people in her mind: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Keiko . . . and Hiei. "I h-have people who . . care for me! I will NEVER join you!!" she yelled up at him. Amaya tried to struggle away from the foul demon in vain; he was too strong.

Paulo lifted a thin hand and whipped it across Amaya's fair complexion, leaving a red mark. "Fine, have it your way! You will die like the rest of them!" Paulo cried. He threw her forcefully to the ground.

Amaya extended her right hand out and front-flipped onto her feet. Facing her surprised enemy, she got into a defensive stance. Across from her, Paulo stood there with a bemused expression on his face. Amaya narrowed her eyes and rushed at him without warning. Although a great deal of her spirit energy was being restrained, she still had her lightning speed. She jumped and kicked him hard across the face. Amaya landed in front of him with wide eyes. Paulo had not reacted to the attack; it was as if he had not felt it at all.

The taller demon chuckled. "Tsk. Tsk. This is the great Nightfire that has been feared in both Makai and Spirit World? I'm not impressed in the least. Or are you losing your touch with being around those humans and human lovers so much?" he said cockily.

"Hn." Amaya hated his arrogance, and hated him demeaning the Spirit Detectives. Only I have the right to say that about them. He shall pay, Amaya thought. Then, she was struck with sudden inspiration and smirked evilly.

Paulo's eyes widened in extreme pain and he cried out loud. He was now down on his knees, hunched over, and trembling. His face was a mask of rage and torment as he clutched at the region between his legs.

Amaya looked down at him with an emotionless face, though her eyes flickered satisfyingly. "Have I lost my touch now?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Y-You bitch!" Paulo gasped. Beads of sweat formed around his brow and his breathing was labored as he tried his hardest to withstand the pain.

"I hope you never reproduce anymore scum of the likes of you," Amaya whispered venomously. She suddenly jumped back, narrowly missing a roundhouse punch.

Paulo was furious, his black eyes filled with revenge. He slowly stood back on his feet and swaggered. "You will suffer!!" he yelled and charged at her. He was very fast with the "Cursed Amulet", as fast as Amaya. Without her powers to help her out, Amaya was very much defenseless, especially in the small cell they were in. She was easily overpowered by Paulo, try as she might to defend against him with hidden weapons she still had. She tried not to show that all the blows and new forming wounds hurt her and gave her pain, keeping her face as blank as could be, but her eyes told the truth. Paulo produced her own katana from the shadows and slashed at her. The bright red blood slowly ran down her arms and torso and landed on the floor, pooling right under her. Amaya dodged the worse of the attacks but she was getting weaker. She cried out as he gave her a deep gash across her stomach, and Amaya coughed out more blood and felt it trickle down her chin. Her vision was blurry, fatigue was calling her to rest, but she wouldn't until she took care of Paulo.

Across from her, Paulo was panting hard. His hair fell on his face like dark curtains. He was in a pretty bad condition from recklessness when he attacked Nightfire. Yet Nightfire was in a worse condition, and he knew it well.

Amaya took an unsteady step towards him. A hidden kunai, a throwing dagger, slipped into her left hand from her sleeve. After two steps, she suddenly stopped and collapsed on all fours in a coughing fit. She heaved blood onto the dirty floor, its metallic taste filling her mouth.

Paulo threw his head back once more and laughed. With his powers, tentacle-like shadows leaped out from around the two and bound Amaya's wrists and ankles. One wrapped itself around her neck and another around her middle. She tried to struggle but the binds tightened around her, and she was close from choking to death. Paulo watched with pleasure, and with a flick of his wrist he sent Amaya slamming into the wall.

Blood trickled down from her head down her aching back. Amaya suspected, as she fought to stay conscious, that a few of her ribs had broken. One may had even punctured one of her lungs, for she coughed up more blood and it hurt immensely to breathe. She was very low on blood, and dark spots were appearing in her vision.

The powerful shadow demon in front of her suspected her real condition than she let on in her cold emotionless exterior. He smiled cruelly, his eyes flashing in triumph. "How does it feel Nightfire?" he asked her softly. "How does it feel to be filled with fear like I have many a times felt because of you?"

"I have no fear for a coward and weakling like you," Amaya gasped; it hurt too much to talk.

Paulo angrily glared at her. Amaya's katana in hand in front of him, he yelled, "Then you shall die a fool! I shall kill you and then be the one Makai and Spirit World fears!" Paulo ran towards Amaya with the blade aimed for her heart.

Nearly too close for comfort, a familiar voice up above screamed, "Spirit Gun!!" The ceiling outside the cell the two were in collapsed into rubble. Distracted by the sudden blast, Paulo faltered and so missed Amaya's heart. Yet, Amaya screamed out as the blade dug deep into her lower abdomen. Her blood-curdling scream was heard throughout the cell.

Through her half-closed eyelids, Amaya could see that Paulo was looking at the source of his distraction with a mixture of rage, annoyance, and fear. She tilted her head to look at where the blast came from. Relief filled her like cold water on a hot summer day. "Those bakas, they are so slow," she whispered. The smallest of a true smile touched her lips. And then an odd thing happened. She felt something wet fall down her cheeks. Was she actually crying? Why? Amaya was distracted herself when a pulse of pain washed over her. Her katana was still inside of her, the blade slowly cutting more muscle and tissue as she breathed in shallowly. Her dark brown eyes looked at the four boys that faced Paulo, each looking at him with anger. It was at this time, at her lowest, that she now finally appreciated them, truly trusted them.

"Amaya!"

Kurama drew attention to her pitiful form behind Paulo. A pool of her bright red blood was growing larger and larger as the liquid slid from all the wounds her body harbored. She was being held by what looked like the same attack shed used on Kuwabara many times before. A katana which the four recognized as her own was deep in her gut. Collective gasps ran through the dungeon.

The pit of Hiei's stomach dropped and his mind reeled at the sight of Amaya so broken. Yet her eyes told him that she wasn't as pitiful as she appeared to be. Her eyes, usually so cold and forbidding like the rest of her, regarded him and the others with both amusement and warmth.

--Hiei, you baka. You all are too slow-- Her voice inside his head was so feeble that the sound almost made Hiei wince. She was so pale, like a sheet. Hiei could feel no spirit energy radiating off of her, and her life energy was also as feeble as her mental voice. It pained Hiei to see her like this, but he admired the fact that she still had her fighting spirit, even in this situation she was in.

Hiei's fiery eyes locked onto those of the disgusting demon wearing the artifact.

Paulo saw the blood thirst in the famous Hiei Jaganshi's crimson red eyes and fear began within him began to rise. He could feel the Jagan wielder's rising energy pulsate throughout the dungeon.

Hiei unsheathed his katana in less than a second and pointed it at the demon. "Now it is your turn to suffer before I annihilate you," Hiei growled viciously. Kurama wisely pulled Yusuke and Kuwabara off closer towards Amaya. This was about to get ugly in Hiei's present state of mind.
"You best cherish your last breath in this vile place. Prepare to die!" In a flash, Hiei disappeared from Paulo's vision. The other three Spirit Detectives heard distinct slashes around the demon before Hiei appeared with them directly behind the gaping Paulo. As soon as Hiei sheathed his katana with a click, chunks of what used to be Paulo, Amaya's ex-informant, fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Kuwabara's beetle black eyes widened and he turned away, green around the gills.

Amaya, who had been battling to stay awake, took a long look at the carnage. She was very glad that the bastard was dead. She felt the shadow binds release her, and she slid down the wall into her pool of blood, her katana still embedded in her abdomen.

"Hold on Amaya!" Yusuke yelled. He, Kurama, and Kuwabara ran over to her, but were all beaten by Hiei.

"We must get the sword out of her now," Kurama instructed, his voice heavy with worry. "It may cause her to bleed more, but it's better than damaging anymore organs." He turned to Yusuke. "Call Koenma immediately for a portal!" Yusuke nodded and took out his communicator. Kuwabara unwillingly volunteered to retrieve the artifact from Paulo's remains.

Hiei kneeled to the right of Amaya who watched him emotionlessly. "I'm sorry if this hurts more onna," he whispered softly so as not to be heard by the others. With his left hand he placed it just below her breasts, above region where the katana was at. With his right hand, he gingerly gripped the hilt of the katana and swiftly pulled out the weapon. Amaya's eyes widened and her pupils dilated with pain, but she bit hard at her lower lip to keep from crying out, breaking the skin and tasting blood.

"Hang on for me onna," Hiei told her in a gentle commanding tone.

An unbidden tear slipped down Amaya's cheek. "Hiei," she whispered softly as she finally relented to the calling slumber. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.

"Amaya!" Hiei cried out. Don't you dare give up on me! he thought as he handed over her katana to Kurama and shook her slightly.

"Hiei, the portal's here! Let's get her to the hospital wing quick!" Yusuke shouted and jumped into the black void with Kuwabara after him.

Kurama watched a moment as his short friend very gently, as if she were a porcelain doll, pick up Amaya bridal style. Kurama smiled at the two sadly, made a quick decision, and stepped into the portal behind the two humans.

"Don't leave me Amaya," Hiei whispered to her as he sped off into the portal.