The Past You Leave Behind

The Past You Leave Behind

Chapter 29

"Why won't it work?" Kuwabara asked. "We get Koenma to let Yukina stay with him so she's safe. Then the four of us go in and take Saiyana back." "We can't storm Mukuro's castle alone. We are outnumbered at the very least." Hiei said. Kuwabara was not giving up on the idea easily. "We beat the saint beasts and we've all gotten more powerful since then."

"The saint beasts were in a sealed tower. Mukuro's castle is a different story altogether. She has an army, and a seventy-seven member elite guard that are all A class or above." He laid out a crudely drawn diagram of the castle. "This is what we're up against. Saiyana is probably being held in this tower. It is the most heavily guarded area of the castle, and the hardest to get to undetected."

"Then we'll need a serious diversion." Yusuke said. "I can get Hokushin to put together a group to distract them while we get in." They all looked at him curiously. "Hey, I didn't break all my ties to the Makai. I'm still Raizen's heir. And I am the only one who actually got to become a ruler before the tournament changed everything. All that power has to count for something, right?"

Kurama was thoughtful. "It just might work. All those extra energy signatures around will make it hard to pinpoint us. We gain the main hall in the confusion. Hiei confronts Mukuro while we rescue Saiyana." "Can't we just take Saiyana and go?" asked Kuwabara. Hiei shook his head. "Whatever plan we decide on, they will all end the same. If I don't finish this now, Saiyana will never be safe."

Saiyana's head was beginning to clear. The drugs were wearing off. She remembered entering the warehouse. She had spotted Hiei and what she thought was a woman. There were enough metal parts attached to her that she couldn't be sure.

Before she could alert Hiei that she had come to help him; she had felt a sharp jab in her neck. She had not felt a presence so close to her and her senses were on high alert. That meant her attacker was human. She tried to warn Hiei, but her mind wouldn't put together a coherent thought, much less tap their psychic link. She remembered hoping Hiei wouldn't be too mad at her before she passed out.

When her head had cleared enough to sit up without feeling ill, she examined her surroundings. She was in a small room. It appeared to be round and the walls were made of stone. A castle? The furnishings were sparse, but not shabby. At least the room was clean. The bed she was on had no foul odors.

She stretched out her feelings. She sensed a lot of demon energy, some of it very powerful. She did not sense any human energy at all. That must mean she was somewhere in the Makai. She wondered if Hiei and the others knew where she was. She needed to tell them, but she was hesitant. Hiei was going to be very angry with her for going against his wishes. Perhaps she should escape on her own.

She sensed a guard directly outside her door. She closed her eyes and gave him a psychic 'tap'. She heard the 'thump', as his body hit the floor. She slowly opened the door. The guard was the only one in the corridor. Of course there wasn't much corridor before stone steps descended to God knows where.

The guard had an orange cast to it's skin and a horn above it's right… Was that mangled looking thing an ear? She should remember to ask Hiei about his demon form. It had to look better than this ugly creature. She stepped over it and cautiously approached the stairs.

Kuwabara looked at his watch for at least the third time in the last five minutes. "Where is Yusuke and his army? They should have been here by now." Kurama shook his head. "It takes time to mobilize a force so large, even here." "Hn." Hiei agreed. "I'm glad that Yusuke had the idea to leave Yukina in their care. I did not want to ask Koenma for any favors."

Yusuke joined them moments later. "Hi, guys. Miss me?" "You're late, Urameshi." Kuwabara stated the obvious. "Sorry, everybody wanted to be Yukina's bodyguard, so we had to wait for them to draw straws." "Urameshi…" Hiei cut them off before they got a good start. "We do not have the time for your jokes. Where are your forces, Yusuke?" "Just beyond the forest; awaiting the order to attack."

"Have you contacted Saiyana?" Yusuke asked. "No." "Won't she need to know we are coming?" "If she did, she would put herself in danger to help. I think I would prefer her to wait to be rescued." "Ok, then. Let's get this show on the road."

Saiyana had made it almost halfway down the stairs without being detected, when all hell broke loose. She could hear the sounds of a full scale assault coming from just outside the castle. If she'd had any doubts, the screams of, "The castle is under attack!" pretty much confirmed it. She really hoped Hiei had something to do with this. Being caught up in the middle of a demon war was not her idea of a good time.

She abandoned caution, as everyone she saw was way to busy to worry about her escaping. She reached the bottom of the stairs and what looked like a medieval Scottish hall. Corridors spider webbed in all directions and she had no clue which ones led to the outside. She was about to take a guess and try her luck, when she felt a familiar energy.

She turned toward one of the corridors and saw four cloaked figures. One of them was shorter than the other three, and one was much taller…and human! Ok, now all she had to do was figure out whether she was more relieved that they were here, or more afraid of Hiei's anger. She called out to him. "I'm over here, Hiei. Directly across from your position." The short, cloaked figure looked in her direction. He said something to the others and they began walking her way.

Before they could reach her, someone stepped between them. It looked like the woman from the warehouse. "Welcome back, Hiei." She said. "I'm glad you decided to accept my offer. But, you really should inform me before you invite guests. I'm afraid I didn't have enough notice to prepare proper accommodations." "I'm not staying." He said. "I am here to reclaim what is mine."

To be continued….