I hurt like hell. It was my left arm mostly, but the rest of me felt like it'd been used as a punching bag- I wouldn't have put it past anyone. I was dizzy as well, most likely from the chloroform. I slowly opened my eyes and for some reason the first place I looked was down. I then discovered that my attire had changed vastly. It had gone from my blue jeans, t-shirt and sneakers to a low-necked, no sleeved, seam a little to far above my knees black dress and bare feet. And my feet were at least a foot or two off the ground- I was chained to the wall. That was why my recently broken arm hurt so much- it was bent above my head and that was what I was hanging by. I shook it off for the moment, then scanned my surroundings. I was in a dark room surrounded by ghostly white faces- vampires, all of them looking like they wanted to take a bite out of my neck.
"Welcome to the Span of Bereavement, Kaira," said a voice- Batosei. I couldn't see him, but I could tell he was close. "In case you aren't familiar with the fancy expressions, it means the Room of Death."
"What a lucky break for me," I muttered. "You said I had two days, Batosei- it's barely been one." Hitukeri began to laugh.
"I realize what I said, Kaira," he replied. "But, needless to say, I am not that patient- why should I bother with a middle man when it's so much easier to grab you?" I tried not to show him the relief I had inside- he had me know, which meant he would leave Yusuke, Aunt Atsuko... and Kurama alone. "But I still have another day until I can be reunited with Tsuki," he continued. "So until then, I plan on letting my comrades here have a little snack." He snapped his fingers and in walked a man with a tray in his hands, covered with a blood red cloth. I gasped when I saw who it was: Tim Gentry.
"Tim?!" I yelled. "Tim, what has he done to you?" Batosei looked over to Tim, then back at me.
"It got around that you had a friend in the police department, Kaira, one that would know where you were staying. I must admit, it took a little bit of persuasion to bring him in on my side, but once I had done that..." He licked his lips. "It was easy to get you into the palm of my hands." I looked away as the tears began to stream down my face. Tim was pretty much dead because of me- it was all my fault.
"Damn you," I whispered. "Damn you straight to hell." I heard his evil chuckle fill the room as he walked over to me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at Tim. Batosei removed the cloth and I was horrified to see what was on the tray: knives, syringes, blood bags- everything a vampire would need on their dinner table. My bottom lip began to quiver as I looked away from the tray and up at Batosei. He had changed from his human form to his demon form- his black hair went to golden blonde, violet eyes turned red, just as they had done the night he had come to my room and black marks, ones that looked like claw marks were streaked across his face. He flashed me a menacing grin as he watched me look at him- it was as if he was feeding off of my fear.
"And now, Kaira," he said, picking up a knife and placing it next to my cheek. "Let the feast begin." Seconds later, I felt the knife slice through my flesh and I was trying my hardest to hold in a scream- that was one bit of satisfaction I refused to let him have.
"Yusuke," called a voice. "Yusuke, help me." After being dragged home under extreme protest, his team saying there was nothing more they could do tonight, Yusuke had fallen asleep on the couch and now was being haunted by his dreams. "Yusuke, please..."
"Who are you?" he yelled. "How can I help you?" Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around- Kurama was standing behind him. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Kurama shook his head.
"I am just as puzzled as you are," he replied. "A voice was calling to me, but I don't know who it is, or what they want."
"Kurama, Yusuke- help me, please." Suddenly, the owner of the voice appeared- me. Yusuke and Kurama we're frightened by what I looked like: I was still wearing the black dress, which revealed the blood that was dripping from various cuts I had all over my body- mostly along my arms and legs, but there was a large gash across my right cheek. There were also puncture wounds on my fingers and my neck. I was pale from the blood I had lost and it took everything I had left to keep my eyes open.
"Kay," Yusuke said, a horrified look on his face and sadness in his eyes. "Kay-girl, what have they done to you?"
"Please," I said again. "Yusuke, Kurama- you have to help me. He's using me... taking my blood and giving it to his cronies. I can't last much longer- I'm at the space between life and death, that's the only reason I'm here now." That's when Yusuke understood. Spirit's had the ability to enter dreams, either to tell the dreamer something or to torment them- I was so close to death, I had that ability as well.
Before Yusuke or I could say any more, Kurama walked over to me and placed his hand on my mutilated cheek. I brushed it away and looked down at the ground.
"I look terrible, don't I?" He placed his fingers under my chin and lifted it up so he could look me in the eye. His beautiful green eyes were glazed over with tears.
"You've never looked more beautiful, Kaira." I took what was left of my strength to give him a soft smile as he leaned in and gave me a kiss. A second later, he and I just stood there as he held me in his arms. "And I promise you," he whispered. "We'll find you before the full moon." I let out a sigh.
"I know you will." Suddenly, I let out a pain stricken cry as I doubled over in pain.
"Kay!" yelled Yusuke, running to my side. The bond he shared with me allowed him to sense the feelings I had for Kurama, even if I hadn't become aware of them yet, and allowed us to have our space, but was right there when I needed him. I looked up at he and Kurama, tears in my eyes.
"They're at it again," I whispered as I started to disappear. "You've only got one day left... please, Yusuke- I'm not as strong as you. I can't hold out much longer." With that, I was gone. Yusuke looked over at Kurama, angry as hell.
"We've got to find her," he said, finally. "And further more, if you break her heart, I'll break your neck."
"You little bitch!" yelled Batosei, as he punched me in the stomach waking me from my sleep. "You just had to contact your little friends, didn't you?"
"You're damn right I did," I said softly, the only tone of voice I could manage. "And you better have your tombstone polished for when my cousin gets his hands on you."
"Shut up! You'll be dead by the time he finds you and then I'll kill him too! Him and that fox demon I saw hanging around with you." I looked up at him. "Oh you didn't know?" he asked. "We was watching you that night as you bawled your eyes out in your cousins arms- I was watching him do it! I knew then and there that if I couldn't use your cousin to get to you, I could always use him... but I didn't need to do that, now did I?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing- Kurama had seen me break down and with his demon abilities, he had most likely heard everything that I had said... yet he still loved me? He still promised that he would rescue me? For the first time since this case started, I relaxed. Then, I looked Batosei in the eyes and smiled.
"Go ahead, Hitukeri Batosei," I said. "Do your worst to me. It doesn't matter anymore- he won't let me die." Enraged, Batosei picked up a knife of the ground and slashed it across my arm. I still refused to scream.
**Hey everyone- Kaira here... what's left of me anyway. Less than 24 hours until Hitukeri Batosei can turn me vampire and revive Tsuki but I have the utmost faith in Yusuke and Kurama... but what happens when they become captured as well? Will this be the end for us all? We'll find out next time on Yu-Yu Hakusho!**