Sahara grinned broadly as she stood before the four restrained boys in front of her, eyes nearly filling with tears as she thought of a way to break the chains. 'I never thought I would see them again,' she thought to herself in her mind as she summoned a bit of the ground beneath her, using a bit of it to lift her up to their height. 'Damn, how am I going to do this with just one arm?' she questioned in her mind as she lifted her left arm, hoping that she would be able to destroy the locks, just as Kagami had shown her.

Kuwabara rushed towards her as soon as she had finished with Hiei's chains, scooping her up in his strong embrace and swinging her around in circles for a moment. "Sahara! I'm so glad to see you are ok! I've been so worried!." He practically screamed out, holding her closer to him, his strong grip threatening to break her in half.

"Kuwabara!" She sobbed, allowing a few tears to escape her exposed eye as she clung tightly to the detectives neck, "I never thought I would miss that overly loud voice of yours!" She said quickly as she placed a soft kiss on both of his cheeks, before he put her back on the ground.

"Check out who just a kiss from the Princess," Kuwabara bragged to his other teammates puffing his chest out, his face turning a bright shade of red from the thought of Sahara kissing him.

As soon as Sahara was back on the ground, however, she immediately ran for Yusuke, who, much like his taller companion, scooped her up in a bone crushing hug. She laughed as he whirled her around also, clutching tightly around his neck before planting two kisses on his cheeks as well.

Kurama however, wasn't so sure of her presence as he embraced her cautiously, unsure if she was even the real Sahara. "So tell me, Sahara," he questioned as he pulled her arm from around his neck, "I can smell some foreign blood on you, what have you been up to?"

"Well, that's a pretty easy one to answer," She chuckled at the kitsune's cautious nature, as she leaned her head against his shoulder, thankful to finally be back with the group, "Nero and Mukuro have been torturing me since they brought me here." She sighed, seeing the concerned looks that overtook the boys faces, "Long story short, let's just say that Nero won't be hurting anyone ever again."

"And what of Mukuro?" Hiei spoke for the first time since Sahara had bee reunited with the team, not wishing to take part in the disgusting display that had played out in front of him. "Where you able to take care of her, or did she really go to the Makai?"

"I don't really know, Hiei," Sahara said quickly, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember if Mukuro had made any mention of the situation before. "But it doesn't seem like Mukuro to just leave in the middle of a battle she's worked so hard to plan out."

Kuwabara instantly went of the defensive at this realization, his body becoming tense, preparing to summon his Spirit Sword. "Are you saying that she is still here?" He asked nervously, his beady black eyes darting from one side of the room to the other, as if he expected Mukuro to leap from the shadows at any moment.

"Kuwabara, calm down," Sahara chuckled as she placed her small hand in the middle of his back, running her fingernails down his spine in an attempt to soothe him, "Let's just think about this for a moment."

"I'm not sure Kuwabara knows how to do that, Sahara?" Yusuke muttered from behind the group, sending the largest team member into an instant fury.

"WHY DON'T YOU COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE URAMESHI?" A very red faced and angry Kuwabara called to his best friend, preparing to fight his friend for his honor.

"I've been waiting for this." Yusuke chuckled under his breath as he trudged towards the other detective, pushing up his sleeves past his elbows as he went.

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP IT, NOW?" Sahara asked as she immediately jumped between the two feuding detectives, using her able hand to push Yusuke back while digging her right shoulder into Kuwbara's abdomen. "This is foolish!" She roared again, forcing the two of them back with a surge of her golden aura, "Yusuke, this is no time for your immature jokes." She growled at the detective leader, cutting her amber gaze at him for a brief moment.

"She got you, man!" Kuwbara howled with laughter, clutching his stomach and pointing at his red faced friend.

"And you," She hissed, turning her amber gaze to the tallest member of their group, "You are more worried about killing him over a stupid comment than finding a crazed woman who is trying to kill us all!" She cried out, her world instantly becoming fuzzy as she sank to one knee, her breath coming in short, erratic pulses.

"Sahara," Kurama whispered down to her, his jade eyes focused on her shaking hands as he reached down for her," Let me help you up." He commanded gently as he rested a hand on her shoulder, preparing to pull her up.

"I'm fine, Kurama," She said softly as she brushed away his hand before forcing herself off the floor with her one good hand. She sighed heavily once she finally got herself stabilized on her own two feet, before flashing a smile in the direction of the worried kitsune. "I'm alright Kurama, really, I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Kuwabara questioned, his eyes narrowed in as he focused on detecting her spirit energy, "From what I can tell, your spirit energy is almost completely drained. It's like it's hardly there…" He trailed off for a moment watching her move quickly, without faltering.

"Really Kuwabara, I'm fine." She giggled as she made her way over to the detective, wrapping her left arm around his waist, "I believe I know better than anyone what my body is going through. She smiled up at the detective, "Now if you would be so kind as to use your energy to help locate Mukuro and stop worrying about me."

While Kuwabara and Hiei used their individual powers trying to locate Mukuro as well as Sahara's double, Kurama and Yusuke examined the girl. To the untrained eye, Sahara would have looked as if she had only obtained minor injuries, a few cuts on her mouth and face, and scrapes along her legs. However, their was a sinking feeling within both of the boys that Kuwabara was right about her injuries, so they had to question her.

"So, Sahara," Yusuke started, making sure to phrase the question in a way that she couldn't turn around, "What's up with the new wardrobe?" He asked, eyeing her cautiously as she instantly pulled the cloak tighter around her body.

Her breath caught in her chest for a moment as she gazed back at the two detectives before her. She smiled as she glanced down at the tattered black cloak that nearly engulfed her entire figure. Sure, it got the job done and with it being a wrap around cloak with long sleeves, it was nearly impossible for them to get a clear view of her most gruesome injury. However, she knew she would have to be very cautious around the boys from now on, they were very suspicious of what she was hiding from them, especially after she had mentioned her abuse.

'Curse my honest streak,' she cursed herself mentally as she turned her face back to the detective, a bright smile plastered on her face. "Well, Yusuke, I hate them myself, but like they always say, 'Beggars can't be Choosers!'" Her smile grew as she did a little twirl in front of them as if she were a runway model, "Besides, I think they show off my gorgeous figure oh, so well!"

The two detectives were laughing so hard that they missed the instant where Sahara's image faltered as she cringed, feeling another sharp wave of pain tear through her body. She gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep her mouth shut, hoping to draw away Kurama's and Yusuke's suspicions of her injury.

Kurama smiled down at her, knowing that she was putting them on, but deciding to play along with it for a moment more. "What about that covering on your face?" He questioned as he reached for it, making Sahara instantly take a step back, "Won't you let me see what's under it?"

"NO!" She roared, smacking his hand away from her face, "It is there to cover a minor injury and nothing more."

"If you are injured you should let me see it," Kurama said quietly, moving back over to the princess, "I may be able to treat it." He smiled at her, his jade eyes pleading with her to come closer and let him take a look.

"No, Kurama," She said quietly, running her hands instinctively over the bandage as if to make sure it stayed secure, "It's a minor injury, nothing more. I will be fine until we get out here."

Before Yusuke or Kurama could interject any disapproving comments of the situation, Hiei bolted off down the dark hallway to the left, leaving the stunned team standing for a brief moment. "I'm guessing that he's found something." Yusuke stated as he took off after his fastest teammate, "Come on KURAMA!" He called back to the kitsune who ran after him.

Sahara grinned at the two boys who had left her standing behind. She couldn't help but be thankful Hiei had found whatever it was so quickly, else her injuries may have been discovered. She darted off down the hallway, not running nearly as fast as usual but making a desperate attempt to catch up with the boys. Before she reached the middle of the long hallway, she was stopped by a large hand grabbing on the end of her cloak.

"Kuwabara!" She cried out as she began to struggle desperately against his strong grip, "Let me go!" She commanded, her body flailing about in his strong grasp. However, in a few short moments, she slowed down shadows once again overtaking her vision, "Please?" She whispered in an almost inaudible tone.

"No," He spoke firmly as he flipped her around so that he was carrying her bridal style, staring down into her face, "You are more hurt than you are letting on, and I'm not going to let you just waste your energy running down this hallway." He chuckled at her surprised expression as he held her close to him, dashing down the hallway, catching up to the boys much faster than she would have.

"It's about time you arrive," a voice called through the shadows as Kuwabara and Sahara entered the throne room of Mukuro's fortress. "I was beginning to wonder if I really had killed you off with that weakling attack earlier."

Sahara watched as a mirror image of herself leapt from the railing along the ceiling landing in front of she and Kuwabara. "And what do we have here?" The copy asked, putting her face down in Sahara's "It appears that you have found my much weaker counterpart."

"Why you!" Kuwabara roared as he dropped Sahara, who landed roughly on her feet, instantly summoning his spirit sword, "Sahara could take you any day!" He shouted as he swung his mighty sword at the double multiple times.

"Pitiful," the double hissed as she easily dodged all of Kuwabara's attacks before landing a hard kick to the side of his face, sending him spiraling across the room into a great, stone pillar.

"Thank you, Kuwabara," Sahara said quietly as she moved to help him sit up, knocking a few of the shattered rocks from his hair, "However, we all know that this is a battle I'm going to have to face on my own."

"Oh, how kind," The double stated sarcastically, rolling her amber eyes at the sight of her mangled counterpart, "Tell me something, deary," She smirked as she heaved a great stone from beside her towards Sahara, "Are you going to use some form of that outdated Toki magic next?"

"You forget," Sahara hissed as she lifted her hands in front of her, stopping the hurtling stone in midair, "Toki magic is the same form of magic that you use!" She cried as she pushed her energy out, sending the stone flying back to it's original place.

"And what should that mean to me?" Her double's amber eyes narrowed as she stepped to the side, allowing the stone to fly into the wall behind her, causing a great cloud of dust to invoke the room. "Do you honestly think you have the advantage because you can use all of the same attacks to counter mine?"

"No," She smirked at her counterparts now very confused expression, "I know every flaw to your attacks, every weak point and how to exploit them." She grinned broadly before charging at her double at full speed.

Sahara attacked with such brutality and speed which each of her punches that the entire gang, including Hiei, felt a bit of pride growing within them as they saw how far her power had come. The four boys watched as the two carbon copies bounded around the room, almost unable to keep up with. Sahara continued on the offensive, attacking like a madwoman while her double easily blocked everything she threw at her.

Suddenly, the double caught Sahara's fist mid-swing, instantly halting the two in the middle of the large room. Sahara chuckled and drew back her let leg, preparing to slam it into her opponent. However, her leg was caught this time, allowing her double to sling her around over her head as if she were some sort of rag doll. She grinned towards the four boys before releasing Sahara, allowing her to skid along the rough floor, causing more scrapes to form along her legs.

"Are you finished, yet?" The double asked, using her index finger to clean out one of her ears as she watched her predecessor struggle to get off the ground, "I'm beginning to grow a little bored with you."

Sahara charged again, this time using even more energy to cause the ground beneath her double to move, causing her to lose her footing. Sahara took the opportunity to assault her disoriented double with a barrage of punches and kicks that went by so fast they couldn't be blocked. After one final punch, Sahara used a bit more of her energy to manipulate a stone from earlier and brought it crashing into her opponent, effectively pinning her against the wall.

Sahara watched as he double wriggled free of the stone and leapt back into the air once more, disappearing with a flash of speed. It was then that Sahara's energy loss caught up with for the first time during the battle and caused her to sink to one knee, panting at an abnormal pace as she waited for her double to resurface. 'Where the hell are you?' she thought in her mind as she frantically searched every part of the room for her attacker.

"Looking for me?" The double's voice rang out through the room as her knee connected with the side of Sahara's head, causing her to sail across the room once again. She grinned as she made her way over, driving her foot into her twin's stomach, causing a bit of blood to erupt from Sahara's mouth. It was then that she wrapped her hands within Sahara's violet mane and began to pound her head against the floor, the stone beneath it cracking violently with every attack. When she grew tired of this, she placed Sahara flat on her back and began an assault on her ribs, causing Sahara to gasp in pain with every strike.

Seeing all of the carnage unfolding in front of them, caused Yusuke to charge into the battle, ready to kill the double for doing those things to Sahara. However, before he could reach the double, she hoisted Sahara up by her hair, holding a dagger to her exposed throat.

"You better back off, detective," She hissed, pressing the dagger into Sahara's neck slightly, causing a small line of blood to appear on her white flesh. "I would hate to see her life end this way, especially when she has so much to live for." The double hissed towards the team, pulling the dagger away and licking it clean.

Yusuke paused for a moment, unable to concoct a plan in his head of how to deal with the situation he found himself in. He turned his gaze to Kurama, hoping to find some sort of answer from the smartest member of their team. It was then that both pairs of eyes landed on the shortest, and fastest member of the team. As if he instantly understood what they were thinking, Hiei took his stance, his hand poised at the hilt of his katana ready to attack at the speed of light to free the girl.

"Hiei, are you sure you are ready to risk this?" The double cooed in the direction of the detectives, her dagger placed at the ready once more at Sahara's throat. "Did you forget that I too can use 'Zeitfrost'?"

This made the entire team stop for a brief moment and contemplate exactly what they were doing. Yusuke made a move forward and placed his hand on his teammates shoulder, "We can't do it, Hiei," Hiei sneered at the thought of giving up to the copy but nevertheless dropped his stance, his ruby eyes cut into narrow slits as he glared at the imposter.

"I knew that you would see it my way," She hissed as she released the princess, allowing her skull to crack against the stone floor. She smirked as she watched more blood pour from Sahara's forehead onto the grey stone floor.

Suddenly, a loud groan emitted from Sahara's throat as she tried to force herself up, successfully getting to her knees. "Goodness, you really can't be killed, can you?" Her double question as she landed a sharp kick to her face sending her flying into the nearest wall.

Sahara heaved in a deep breath as she collided with the wall, the sounds of the stone crumbling around being just enough to keep her in the conscious world. It was then that the double proceeded to attack her once more, Sahara being unable to fight back, could do nothing but watch as she was pummeled.

The double summoned forth her dagger once more, placing its tip at the edge of Sahara's neck, "I will make sure you are dead this time." She hissed at her twin as she added pressure to the dagger.

Suddenly, a blood curdling cry erupted from that corner of the room, making the detectives fear the worse as they all turned their eyes back to the battle scene. There stood Sahara, with Hiei's katana clenched tightly in her hand, the sharp end driven through the head of her look-a-like. She smiled in the direction of the cheering Kuwabara and Yusuke and threw up a victory sign, before using Hiei's katana to effectively disassemble the cyborg.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were the first to make their way over to her, charging at her at full speed. They were followed closely by an anxious Kurama and lastly by Hiei. Yusuke scooped her up in a giant hug once more, "Sahara, that was amazing!" He cheered ruffling her hair.

"But I'm confused," Kuwabara said quietly as he looked down at the pieces of remaining metal that once made up the cyborg, "Just how did you get Hiei's katana without any of us seeing it?"

She laughed long and hard at Kuwabara's expense. Had she really made that move so fast that they hadn't seen it? Was it possible that being able to control Scylla had helped to improve her skills that much? "I simply used my energy to control the katana and bring it towards me. To be honest, I don't think Hiei realized what was going on until he saw his katana flying across the room." She grinned at the fire demon before tossing the katana back to it's rightful owner.

"So, what now?" Yusuke asked as he put Sahara down, watching her go and lean up against the wall, in a feeble attempt to steady her breathing. "Neither of you sensed Mukuro, did you?"

"Even if they didn't," Sahara panted, sliding down against the wall, sitting on the floor, "It doesn't mean that she isn't here."

"Maybe we should all split off and search the rooms," Kurama thought out loud, turning to his teammates to gauge their responses, "If you find anything just send out a signal on the communicators."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yusuke said cheerily as he lifted the now sleeping Sahara and placed her on his back, making sure that she was secure. "Kuwabara and I will take this one with us!"

"Very well, Yusuke, you three take the north hall," Kurama said as he pointed towards a small door just passed the large metal throne, "We will take the one on the south side."

"Good luck you guys!" Kuwabara shouted to his friends as he and Yusuke dashed down the hallway, apparently racing to see which of them could make their way down the hallway first.

"Kurama," Hiei spoke softly, his eyes never leaving the spot that his teammates had just exited from.

"Yes, Hiei?" Kurama asked, a little shocked to hear his teammate speak as he began making his way towards the southbound hallway.

"Do you think it's wise to leave the girl with them?" He asked, still unmoving, staring at the darkened exit, "Surely you noticed how she was favoring that arm."

"It is rather peculiar that she didn't use her dominant hand in any of her attacks," Kurama said softly as he used his left hand to push his bangs from his face. "And she wouldn't let me look at the damage she sustained to her eye.

"She is more hurt than she is letting on." Hiei spoke softly as he finally began to move, walking in the direction of the north bound hallway, "Even the fool sensed that something wasn't right about her."

"So what are you suggesting we do?" Kurama asked, turning back to follow his partner, "I'm guessing that you are wanting to follow them."

"Yes," Hiei said dashing off in the direction of the door, "You know how ruthless Mukuro is, if she gets her hands on the girl, she will not see another day dawn."

"You're right." Kurama panted from beside Hiei as the two demons disappeared into the same dark hallway, following the detectives from a safe distance.

"You were plotting this the whole time weren't you?" Hiei turned to see Kurama smirk slightly, "You didn't want Yusuke and the fool to know we were following them."

"You know me too well," Kurama chuckled as he gazed down the hallway, seeing Yusuke, who was still carrying the unconscious Sahara, and Kuwabara emerge from one room and move to the next. "However it was not to fool them."

"What was it for then?" The fire demon questioned as they slowly made their way toward the trio of detectives.

"It was to lull Mukuro into a false sense of security." Kurama chuckled at his smirking friend as they continued to spy on their friends, who made their way cautiously into every room.