~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 16 ~*~*~*~*~

Yusuke looked around him, the situation becoming more desperate each time he looked. As Kuwabara had so perceptibly stated, it was a maze. Yusuke had seen mazes before. In Science class. The little mouse would wind its way through the twisting corridors frantically searching for the cheese at the end. If he closed his eyes he could see the mouse, twisting around as it reached a dead end, turning down corridors.

He was like that mouse now.

Only instead of plywood, his walls were made of ice. And there was no delectable, tasty treat at the end of his maze, but his friends. And quite possibly his friends' fate.

Now he could truly sympathize with the poor rodent.

Kuwabara's thought weren't quite as deep. Though filled with the same concern. He stared as the path it slowly vanished into darkness. He didn't want to go there, who knows what lurked in the darkness. A trap, a demon, a pit filled with Siberian tigers. He shivered partly at the thought of being eaten alive by a tiger and partly because of the cold.

He didn't like mazes. His kindergarten teacher loved to give out those things. He'd often have to help Jimmy find his way through the maze to his home. He had them so often it made him sick to think about doing it again. Only it was worse this time. He didn't have a bird's-eye-view of the maze. He was Jimmy. Where was his house?

Hiei's expression was as stoic as ever. He stared impassively at the impending darkness before him. Waiting for a signal from the leader.

His awaited signal came as Yusuke advanced forwarded muttering, "Come on."

Kuwabara gulped, if he remembered right, in some of the old mazes, if you took a wrong turn there usually was something nasty waiting for you. A monster, or in Jimmy's case, the next door neighbor's ravenous pit bull.

"You know, if Kurama were here he'd use his smarts to get us through this easy."

"Smarts? Like the thing you have none of?" Hiei mocked with a smirk.

"Hey!" Kuwabara countered, "I'll have you know I'm plenty smart! I once got a 53%, you know!"

"That's quite an accomplishment," Hiei answered.

Kuwabara failed to catch the sarcasm and continued to look smug.

Suddenly, Yusuke stopped. Kuwabara, in his blind smugness, nearly bumped into Yusuke. At the last moment he managed to screech to a halt.

"Whoa! Why'd you stop?"

"We've reached a fork in the road."

"What? Where?"

"Right in front of us, you doofus!"

Yusuke gestured in front of him pointedly.

"So," Kuwabara said after assessing the fork, "Which way do we go?"

As though Hiei had an uncanny sense of direction, both teens turned to him. Hiei merely glared at them.

After a few minutes of the little staring contest Yusuke decided it was time to say something, "Er....Hiei can't you use your Jagan eye to see through the walls or something?"

Hiei's expression never changed, "Yes."

"Well, could you-"

"I already have."

Kuwabara didn't seem to like this, "What! Why didn't you say so?"

"It was interesting to see you two panic," Hiei answered before turning down the left path.

Kuwabara was visibly shaking with rage. It took every ounce of self control not to go and pound the little koorime into the ground. Well, that and the fact he didn't stand a chance of accomplishing such and act. Yusuke took off after Hiei and Kuwabara followed, still plotting the demon's demise.

~*~*~*~*~

Hakuma's grip on her arm was as strong as iron. He pulled her down the hall by her fore arm and no matter how much the deity struggled she could no wrench free. Botan squirmed and wriggled in his grip, but Hakuma continued to face forward in some sort of twisted determination.

Botan knew what ever was coming next wasn't good. She hoped and prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was. All she knew is that she was being shown to her room. What was to be done when she got there was what worried her so. Thoughts filled her head. Panicked seized her heart. It thumped against her chest at a mile a minute. Beads of sweat fueled by her anxiety presented themselves on her forehead.

Hakuma turned down a sharp corner, wrenching Botan after him. The hallway was long and expansive. Made completely of ice. Icicles hung from the roof and protruded from the walls. Though Botan had barely time to register any of this as the took off down a tributary hallway. The hallway had an end, however. At its end was a door. Hakuma easily lifted the heavy latch with on hand and revealed what was inside.

Botan had been expecting to see a room, but instead it was mere staircase, winding upward. He lead her up it.

There was no door at the end of the staircase. Instead it stopped at the last step and lead into a small compartment of sorts. In the compartment was only one thing. A single wooden ladder. The ladder lead up into a gap in the ceiling.

Here Hakuma pushed her in front of him. And forced her to the ladder. Botan could only assume she was meant to climb it. She scurried up the ladder rungs and climbed through the square gap.

Through the gap was her room. Apparently the uppermost room in a tower. She'd just entered it through a trap door, which had been conveniently left open. The small door that would be used to close it was lying on the floor next to the gap attached to it by two very old, iron hinges.

The room itself was none to impressive. A small, circular room with a single window facing west. The window was far to small to do anything with, except perhaps stick your head out of it. In the center of the room was a bed. It looked large and comfortable, adorned with a white quilt trimmed in lace and diamonds.

Botan gulped as she heard Hakuma slowly climb the ladder.

Hakuma didn't enter the room however, he stood on the ladder's last rung and spoke, "I hope you find your arrangements comfortable."

Botan didn't answer. She couldn't speak.

"I hope you do. As they will be yours for quite sometime."

Botan's terrified gaze was still fixedly ahead of her.

"Tomorrow we will wed. I wanted to do it tonight but unfortunately we have some pesky intruders in the castle. Once they are disposed of (which shouldn't take long) I will begin our wedding arrangements. And you, my dear, will be a queen."

Botan was in a state of shock. It didn't even realize it has Hakuma picked up her hand and kissed the palm tenderly.

"Until tomorrow, my love." And he closed the trapped door behind him as he left. It wasn't until she heard the door lock did Botan wake from her trance.

~*~*~*~*~

It hit him suddenly.

A sudden bout of pain.

It ripped through him like a knife through hot butter. Searing away at his skin. His nerve endings were screaming. It was like a doll, being torn apart. The stuffing angrily ripped out in a state of unbridled fury. It ripped though his mind. Tearing it apart. Every once of his thoughts, feelings, and aspirations torn out of him like the stuffing.

They were scattered. Ripped. Shredded. Torn pieces of paper. He brought his hands to ears and covered them with all his might. There was no sound. But he still heard. He heard the sound of screams. Screams he could not distinguish or hear. But he knew it was Botan.

Botan was screaming.

Botan! He mouthed the angelic name but it never got past his lips. No air. No sound

He'd fear being blind next but there was nothing to see. Nothing but inevitable, consuming darkness.

The screaming continued. Filling his covered ears. Pulling at them. Beckoning him.

Kurama, help me! She was screaming. But he couldn't. How could he help her when he himself was helpless? How?

Tears sprang to his eyes and trickled from them. Falling to the ground and echoing through a soundless world.

~*~*~*~*~

Hiei lead the expedition from then on. Yusuke resuming a steady post directly behind him and Kuwabara shivering in the back.

"I cannot wait to get out of here," Kuwabara reminded the troop for the umpteenth time.

"We know Kuwabara..." Yusuke muttered flatly.

"Sheesh. I was just trying to make conversation," the red-head teen said, genuinely hurt.

Yusuke finally snapped. He'd heard Kuwabara say the same thing over and over again for the past hour that he could mouth the words along with him.

"Would you just shut up! We know you cannot wait to get out of here! We know you're just trying to make conversation! You don't need to keep telling us! WE KNOW!"

Kuwabara was on the attack, "Hey! Now!"

Yusuke was so sick of the carrot-topped ningen that he pulled back is fist with preparation for one of his hardest punches ever. When he released the aforementioned fist he hoped to at least break is jaw. But breaking the nose would be just as well. Hiei chose to speak at that moment. And by some miracle the sound of his calm monotonous voice was enough for Yusuke to forget his anger. Everyone knew that if Hiei said something it was most likely important.

"If you're done with your childish antics, I suggest you lower your voice and move a little to the left."

"Why do you mean, 'move to the left?'" Yusuke asked but did it anyway. And despite of his vast hatred for the spiky-haired koorime, Kuwabara did so as well.

All at once a gigantic icicle broke off from the ceiling and came crashing down, piercing the floor they'd just been standing on moments before.

Yusuke and Kuwabara gave a startled yell and fell back. They looked from the icicle to Hiei, dumbfounded beyond belief.

"Hiei! You saved my life!" Yusuke gaped.

"Hn."

"Hey! Shorty! Wait up!" Kuwabara pleaded as he got up and ran to meet him. After he got there he slung his arm around Hiei's shoulders (Hiei gave him a menacing glare) and started singing his praises.

"Whoa! Who'd a thunk it? And I thought you hated me, you little three-eyed freak," The insults were spoken with affection. A very strange way Kuwabara had of expressing himself. And he proceeded to give the fire demon a noogie.

"Back away if you want to keep your arm."

"Huh?" said Kuwabara. But then a thought occurred to him and he merely back off.

Hiei regained his composure and continued on.

After Hiei was well out of earshot Kuwabara whispered to Yusuke, "I think he's starting to warm up to me."

"Sure..."

~*~*~*~*~

It's Thursday and as promised I updated! Wow! I'm so nice.

And a to reply to all those wonderful reviewers who asked questions:

Cheeto: Probably not, as I am not yet out of high school...

Lavender Gaia: I'm actually really fond of the anime. Though this may because I have never seen the subbed version or read the manga. Ah, ignorance is bliss. ^_^

And to all you other (fantastic) reviewers: Thank you! You guys are my sunshine on a cloudy day. Yes, that was straight out of "My Girl" but I think applies here.

'Til next time!