Escapade
Oops...Again

Kohari: It was brought to my attention Lakota-sensei had disappeared…Yeah. He disappeared alright. And we have Hiei to thank for that. I had left y'all to assume that, but…oh, well. Thought I'd go ahead and clear any confusion. Okay. Reading time.

Note: Yes, I know that this story is dedicated to lonewolf, but I wanna take the time to dedicate this chapter to Sinor, who has been really supportive of my fanfics (Kohari and GGF) and has helped my confidence greatly. Thank you, Sinor!!! (By the way, SlightlyBroken13, you've reviewed just about every chapter of this fic, so whenever you catch up, the next one's yours.)

It was automatic. She hadn't even realized it until she started recognizing places her team had gone, only this time in reverse order. She was heading home, even though there was nothing to return home to.

Toy was amazed at how much things had changed. Although she never entered any of the cities or towns, she could tell from a distance that things were really shaping up for the better.

What was even more amazing what that she wasn't tired. She had been on the move since Hiei had thrown her out. She had just kept walking. Occasionally, she would break into a run, but she still kept on, not even knowing where she was going until now. She didn't even know why she was headed there. But at this point, she didn't really care.

Day turned to night, the sky slowly transitioning from the pale blue of the afternoon, to the watercolor combination of pink, orange, and purple, finally deepening to a sapphire color almost dark enough to be black (A/N: Being born in September, I know what a sapphire looks like. Trust me. They're darker than most people, and Crayola, which I do not own, think.). Glittering stars littered the sky in various shapes and patterns.

After a time, Toy finally became exhausted enough to decide to lie down and rest. She stared up into the heavens. She tried to summon up a few memories from a few years ago, when she and Dmitri would sneak out at night and hang out on the riverbank just outside the village. He would point up and show her all the different constellations until she fell asleep in his arms. Toy smiled now and tried to identify all of the different formations. She didn't name many, however, before her eyes closed from fatigue...

Toy awoke to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She rolled over on the cold, wet grass and covered her face with her elbow. Unfortunately, her tiny arm was no match for the blinding rays of the noontime sun. She groaned in annoyance and gathered the strength to get up. Then she started on her way again. Her eyes hurt from the sun's glare, even though it didn't seem to her as bright as it had when she had first woken up.

Hours passed, but time was warped in Toy's mind. She was lost in thought, consumed with recollections of her apparition. Yes, she thought of him as her apparition. He had claimed her as his and sworn himself to her, verbally and physically. But just like that…he had let her go. Did that mean that he loathed her for harboring self-hatred because of him? Or did it mean that he loved her enough to set her free?

While she was pondering on this, she found herself beneath the main gate of Kantori. It was here that she broke from her current thoughts and memories of her adventures with Dmitri and the gang flooded back to her. She walked through the stone walls, into the village that had once been as lively as any city. Now, it resembled a ghost town. It was just like when she had left it…

Her feet traced the familiar roads as she examined everything, trying to recall every detail, every face that had resided or worked in certain buildings. She stopped at Lakota-sensei's old shop, where she had served as an apprentice. She stood still, hesitant for a moment, then walked inside. Everything had been completely destroyed, just as she had expected. Broken bottles covered the floor, and various herbs were scattered everywhere, dry and decaying. The dead leaves had created a strange stench of rot. There were stains on the walls and what little furniture that there was from where potions had been spilled on them. She left, not caring to stay long.

Toy went on to her own home. Even though it was a total wreck, everything was still there. Her room was messy, but there were still a few necessities that she could use. Unopened toothpaste and toothbrushes were still there, as well as a hairbrush. Digging through the ruin, she found some clothes that she had forgotten to take along with her. She took them down to the river and washed them.

She sighed. She had gotten so used to life with Hiei, she had forgotten how to live as she had when everything had first fallen apart…when she had traveled around with Todd and Sawyer. As much as she hated to admit it, she really missed the koorime right now…(Here, she noticed that she had been crying. Her face was blotchy and her eyes swollen. Her eyes had hurt because of a nighttime cry, not because of the bright sunlight, she realized.)

One thing was for sure: she couldn't stay here. She packed up her things in a backpack she had found and left her village. This time, it was for good.

Toy began to panic…Although she had practically lived in these woods a few years back, she now found herself lost. She reached to her back pocket for her compass out of habit before remembering that she didn't have it.

"What's wrong, girl?" a taunting voice came from behind her. Toy turned to see a rather large, orange-skinned demon grinning at her.

"Not lost are you, cutie?" his green lizard-like partner asked nearby.

"I, uh…" Toy didn't know what to say, glancing around quickly.

"Aww," a third demon cooed. "The poor bird's scared." All three demons laughed maniacally at this.

Toy backed away, officially frightened beyond belief now. A fourth bulky demon prevented her retreat. "Where ya goin', baby?" he sneered down at her. "Don'tcha want help findin' your way home, Doll?"

"No, thank you!" Toy shouted at him before rushing past him, trying to ignore their hideous laughter. She looked over her shoulder to check if they were following her, but in that moment, a final demon appeared in her path. She bumped into him. In the collision, she was thrown backward onto the ground.

She rose, brushing the dirt off. "I'm really sorry," she apologized. Then she saw what he looked like. He was big and burly, with really dark, tan skin, glaring eyes, and teeth sharp enough to make a tiger jealous.

"Where ya goin', Babecakes?" he demanded in a jeering tone.

Toy began gesticulating in different directions, muttering, "I...was just going...uh..." She stared at her fingers, now pointing to her left and right. "That way," she decided, and tried to run to her left.

Before she could go far, however, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Hey, hey, slow down, Babecakes," he told her. "I don't bite. Hard." He then snickered at his own joke. His sneer quickly turned into a frown, however.

"What the..." he wondered aloud. He pulled her closer to him and moved her shirt collar, exposing Hiei's mark. "Hey, guys, check this out!" he called to the four other demons, who gathered at his call. "This chick's Hiei's bitch."

"No way. What's she doin' here?" the bulky one asked.

"How would we know, stupid?" the orange one snapped at him.

"She must not be very good," the lizard concluded.

"Oh, she's good," their boss assured them.

"How do you know?"

"Why would Hiei mark an onna if she wasn't any good?"

"Let's find out," the one who had called her a bird suggested.

"I'll find out," their boss roared at them, clutching Toy close to him protectively. The others, Toy included, shuddered at his authority. "Come on, Babecakes." He picked her up before she could struggle out of his grip and threw her over his shoulder, walking off. "Name's Daemon. And I dunno why Hiei let you out of his sight, but I'm gonna erase any claim that bastard has on you."

'Oh, God,' Toy thought as she was carried to an unknown place, wishing now more than ever that the apparition was here with her now.

Kohari: Mad about the cliffhanger? Well, just remember, if you kill me, ya won't get to see what happens next! (lol)