Nanashi felt exhausted by the time they made it out of the cave and to the others at the entrance. Even if they did use the hole Sensui blasted to the surface as a short cut. She landed on the ground in a slump on her feet, dog tired and craving a cup of coffee. She half envied Hiei passed out on the back of Bu still. She shook her head to summon away the wind dragon and looked around the area. The others were there, including a thankfully living Amanuma, but so were the remaining Spirit Defense Force members who were not back in the cave repairing the rift in the tunnel to the Demon World. Nanashi looked over at them curiously. The blue haired one at the far right side of the group looked familiar to both the wind dragon and herself. She drew her ears back, casting a side glance at Youko, wondering if he noticed him as well. He had been standing next to her. He drew a few inches closer to her, eyes dancing around at the SDF members. The blue haired one cocked his head curiously over at them.
'Shunjun,' the wind dragon thought to her, hissing slightly internally. Even with Kaze, it disliked him.
"You're back!" Botan cheered. "Uh... who's that?" She looked at Yusuke, not quite recognizing him at first.
Yanagisawa asked, "wh... what the heck happened to your head?!"
Kaito asked, "are you supposed to be the beast spear?"
Yusuke shrugged. "It's a long story. You got to pay up first," he teased.
"Prince Koenma," a stern voice cut in. Nanashi looked over, seeing the SDF captain speak. "The Spirit World will not forgive your actions."
Prince Koenma looked solemn and a little bit nervous. "I know," he answered. "I accept full responsibility."
Yusuke stepped up, bolding saying, "listen up."
"What?" the SDF captain said, looking more nervous.
Yusuke growled out, "I don't usually pick fights with people I know I can beat. But if someone brings it to me, I have no problem beating the shit out of them. Koenma did the right thing, and you douche bags have no right to hassle him about it. As for me... I dare you try messing with me again. I'll fucking obliterate you."
The SDF captain drew back, terrified at that. "Right," he eked out, "team, let's g-"
"No, sir," Shunjun interrupted, making the captain looked over at him, annoyed with the intrusion. "Our orders were to kill the mazoku. Not to mention now the prince's other two demons have reached A class status, meaning they could be dangerous to humans." While he spoke, his hand was moving behind into his deep, right hand pocket.
The captain shook his head. "We were ordered to kill him before the demon atavism took place, not after," he seethed.
"Just try me, I'll kick your ass first," Yusuke threatened Shunjun. He cracked his knuckles, emphasizing his point.
The next chain of events happened so fast. Shunjun pulled a silver, electrically pulsing whip from his pocket, cracking it threatening. Nanashi thought it was in challenge to Yusuke. Yet Youko grabbed her by the right wrist, attempting to pull her behind him. "Mine," he swore.
The second his hand closed on her wrist, Shunjun's whip had her by upper left arm, yanking her over towards him. The whip sizzled. A tug of war contest began with her as the rope, but when her left shoulder made a loud, audible crack, Youko gave in, letting her wrist go. Shunjun drew her over to him, left arm holding the whip pinning her against her chest so her back was pressed into his own chest. He produced a crooked dagger sheathed at his hip, pressing the tip of it against the underside of her rib case.
"Keep your pet at bay, or the second I see it is the second I drive this blade into your heart," Shunjun threatened her. He squeezed his arm around her tighter, making her wince as her dislocated shoulder was jarred. His arm rubbed against Youko's bite on her chest. He looked over at the others. "Same goes for any other attacks someone might try..."
"What the hell?" Yusuke swore. "Let her go!"
Prince Koenma was aghast as well. "Captain, order your man to stand down and return my detective to me at once," he demanded.
"Shunjun," the captain stated, too weakly in Nanashi's opinion. His eyes did dance around at the other members in the area.
Shunjun shook his head, raising his voice, "captain, you are about to make us make a grievous mistake, leaving three upper level demons unchecked in the Human World. We cannot allow that to happen without at least some collateral on our side. We take her hostage, they won't dare do anything to risk her safety."
Prince Koenma shook his head. "These demons are of no danger to any human, nor have they harmed one while my service."
"Oh, really?" Shunjun asked, shaking his head in amusement. He angled his head part way to look at her. "Care to tell us which demon bit you?" He looked straight at Youko when he asked that. That got gasps, confusion, and murmurs going from the others.
Nanashi shook her head, trying to gauge how she could slip away from him with both the dagger at her rib cage and a dislocated shoulder that sent jolts of pain down her arm when he so much as shifted against her. She kept herself still, trying to stay calm instead of struggling uselessly. Panicking or freezing up right now could kill her. She looked over at the captain and the SDF members, trying to see if any of them would stop this madness. They all seemed unsure of themselves, which was not at reassuring. One had his eye on Shunjun's dagger. She saw the captain bend his wrist up ever so slightly, and another member shifted his feet.
"Take her," Youko said loudly and clearly. Nanashi and the others in the area looked over at him. His hands hung loosely down at his sides. She looked down at his right hand, thinking she was be able to see a bit of green in it. "You want her so badly to keep Yusuke, Hiei, and I in check? Take her. If you think such a plan will work of course." He shrugged his shoulders. "She is more clever than she looks though, more formidable. She will either slip from your grasp or convince one of your comrades to let her go." Shunjun seemed to loosen his hold on her ever so slightly.
"No, they're not taking her," Kuwabara growled. "Look, take me instead. I'm stronger than she is."
"No, no one is taking anyone," Prince Koenma cut in. "Order your man to stand down."
"Our orders are not to take hostages," the captain said as he looked over at Shunjun, shaking his head. Shunjun met his gaze with a challenging look. While Shunjun was looking at the captain, Nanashi noticed one of the shorter members side stepping cautiously behind another member.
"There is no need for that," Youko said flatly. "Take her, keep your hostage, if you can manage it." His rose whip snapped and flick suddenly over to the SDF members standing nearby. It wrapped the neck and under arm of the blonde woman. Youko flicked his wrist, dragging her over to kneel down in front of him. Too fast for anyone to stop him. "We will take our own to ensure Nanashi's safety until then," he added challengingly.
"Kurama, stand down," Prince Koenma ordered, sounding exasperated.
The area and everyone in it went tense, except for Youko, or at least that was what it looked like to Nanashi. The blonde member was on her knees before him, but he seemed to hardly care at all that she was struggling to get free from him. Nanashi looked down at her, noticing the thorns were digging into her skin, cutting into her neck, upper chest, and shoulder. She was yanking on the whip, even as its thorns sliced her fingers. She was trying to get free; all while struggling to breathe. Nanashi felt a flash of fear that he might kill her.
Nanashi cranked her head over to look at Shunjun. "Do not stab me," she preempted. "Please." She saw the shorter member behind him now, but trained her gaze away from him.
Shunjun gave her a confused sneer. She turned away from him, looking down at the blonde member. She conjured up the wind dragon, convincing it to be a compact size, as small and nonthreatening as it could be right now. It stayed still on her neck, even as she felt Shunjun tense up. She kept her eyes down at the blonde member nervously, allowing her at least the chance at least to get some air. Thankfully Shunjun kept his weapon at bay during it.
"Kit," Youko slipped out, growling at her. "You really think they will give you back if you are merciful? They are hunters. I know the sting of that blade pressed against you."
She looked up at him, shaking her head, silently pleading for him to let the blonde member in front of him go. She still struggled to get away from him. His whip tightened around her. "Stop," Nanashi pleaded thickly. She turned her head to look back at Shunjun, "let me go," she begged softly.
The member who had been looking at the dagger was inching closer. She did not blink, hoping that would force him to hold her gaze. She saw the captain his nod curtly only once in her peripheral vision. Shunjun sneered down at her, tightening his grip on her, intentionally jarring her injured shoulder. He stared down at her, eyes burning, but not intimidating. He grumbled at her, "you stupid, pathetic, little human. You think you can- ugh-"
He stopped talking abruptly. The three members were on him now, sneaking up behind him when his attention was drawn down on her. One knocked him out on the side of the neck, one held his wrist fast to keep the dagger from going anywhere harmful, and the third tore her out of his grip. The first one then caught his unconscious form. The one who had separated the two of them shoved her over towards Youko like her very presence was offensive. She stumbled, nearly falling. She moved not towards Youko, but to the blonde member, reaching down to pull his whip off of her.
Youko let the blonde member go before Nanashi could reach her, cracking the whip with a loud, threatening crack. Nanashi jumped in front of her defensively. The blonde member was quick to get on her feet and rush back to the other SDF members. The captain stepped in front of her protectively.
"We're leaving," the captain stated. "But don't think this is over. We will await King Enma's orders."
Nanashi turned and watched them, seeing them fly away in a flurry of energy into the sky before anything else could happen amongst them all. She felt herself start to shake, relieved to still be on the ground at the sight of it. She sensed someone moving behind her. She turned to see Youko had come up to her, one hand seizing her shoulder, the other her upper arm. He twisted both so quickly, making another loud pop echo from them. It took her a delayed second to feel the pain of popping her shoulder back into place. She loosed a whimpered, cringing at the sudden and unexpectedly move on his part. Her hand came up to her shoulder, rubbing as it ached. His gaze met hers, half livid, half mournful. She turned away from him, stalking over to the others instead.