Hiei's eyes snapped open and he almost cried out at what he saw. Sewn into the walls were the only people he'd ever cared for, and that had cared for him.

Yusuke was missing most of his clothes and sewed into a living, flesh like wall. Blood smeared all over him, his body twisted in all the wrong ways. Hid hair fell over his black brown eyes.

Next to him was Kuwabara. He was completely covered in giant veins, that were growing out of the wall. Smaller vein's coming off the wall were deep in his skin. Blood dripping on the floor.

Kurama was halfway in the wall, his head slumped into his naked chest. His red hair had been shorn off, and only several clumps, of his once beautiful mane remained. Though he saw no injury, blood leaked off his body the worst.

"No..."

"Four Years ago you would have been smiling at my handiwork." Kira sighed sounding dejected.

"Now your test is that you must free your friends. See the black hole on the ceiling? " Hiei looked up and indeed, there was a black hole on the ceiling. The swirling vortex of Hell.

Kira smiled and continued, "It needs blood to release your friends. It needs a flesh sacrifice...Oh let me just say it. If you want to save them you must throw yourself into the hole. You'll die if you do this, but if you don't they'll die."

Hiei stood numbly.

For Hiei could do nothing. No brilliant plan, no calm angry smile, no flash of his gorgeous red orbs.

"You have 30 minutes before Kurama over there is sucked into the wall and gone forever. Then Kuwabara, and then Yusuke. Either way you lose." Kira flickered away, and Hiei collapsed on the ground.

He smiled ruefully, "That little bi*ch." He laughed angrily and slammed his fist down in the ground again and again, howling with frustration. When he stopped, two tear gems lay on the ground.

Hiei took in shuddering breaths and looked at the forms of his friends.

"They're not real!" He gasped remembering that these were just clever illusions.

He relaxed and went over to Kurama. "These things aren't really suffering, they aren't my friends!" He touched Kurama's head, and a slow dull moan came from out of it.

Hiei stepped away bumping into Kuwabara, who gave a cry of pain.

He jumped again, poking Yusuke, who made a whimpering sound. He stepped away from his friends, and he starred at them. "No." He whispered his breath ragged, his heart pounding inside his sturdy ribcage.

This was just a little *too* clever for an illusion.

He sat again, and found his sword under his hand. How'd that get there?

He laughed when he realized Kira must have given it too him so he could kill himself.

Yeah right.

Hiei...the forbidden child!?

Puh-lease.

"I did not just thing that word...that 14 year old, gum chewing, valley girl word!" Hiei banged his head in frustration. This place was *really* getting to him.

"A flesh sacrifice...."

Hiei's head shot up.

He smiled.

"I found a loophole..."

He rose, and unsheathed his sword.

He starred at the shining silky blade, and placed it on the shoulder of his bandaged arm.

He starred at the form of his best friend with his hair shaven off.

SWIPE!

Blood splattered his face, and his eyes widened with intense pain. He held his arm in his hand, and threw it into the vortex.

It closed and the scene disappeared.

Hiei looked at his shoulder, where a limb should be and fell to the ground. His skin pale, and blood soaking him too the bone. He felt sick.

But a true blissful smile appeared in his face.

He saved them.

He passed his test.

Kira appeared in front of him. He turned away from her and starred at his tear gems he'd shed minutes ago. He'd rather look at those, than have Kira be the last thing he saw.

He closed his eyes smiling with content.

"You passed your test."

"HIEI!"

Hiei's eyes opened at the sound of Kurama's voice. Soaking with blood he looked at his pale comrades. Kuwabara turned away looking sick. Yusuke starred at his bloody body. Only Kurama looked him in the eyes.

"Hie...Hiei...what happened?"

He used his arms to push himself-wait! ARMS!?

He looked down to see his arm was back.

"You'll need that arm Hiei, trust me. Consider it a present." Kira giggled. Hiei would have gladly cursed the child to Hell, but instead collapsed as his body moaned with pain.

He really had lost too much blood.

"Oh Hiei!" Kurama held him, blood staining his clothes. "I'll recover within the hour we are given to rest." Hiei said softly, a small smile on his face.

Yusuke came to sit by him, and smiled wearily. "We all passed..."

Kuwabara, who did not dare upset his feet, crawled over too him, though his burned feet bled anyway. "Hey...you look like hell."

"I look better than your face." Hiei snapped, but blinked in surprise to see Kuwabara smiling with relief. "Good...I'd be worried if you didn't snap at me."

He closed his eyes, a sloppy goofy grin on his face. While his eyes were closed Hiei smiled back, but when they opened a scowl was what Kuwabara saw.

"I have an announcement!" Kira said flying in circles over them.

"I want us to go ahead and pick who goes first and who goes last in our little game!"

Yusuke glared at her, and four screens popped up.

Fire was written in one, Wind in another, Earth in another, and Water in the last.

"Fire." Yusuke stated.

"Wind."Hiei grunted.

"Earth." Kurama mumbled.

"Water." Kuwabara sighed.

"How interesting." Kira giggled.

"What?" Yusuke snapped eyes a blaze.

"You chose the elements we'd predict you'd all choose."Kira laughed. "The elements you all are..."

Her eyes flashed, "Yusuke, your fire spreads at an instant, burning and causing much destruction, yet in the end...making it so more beautiful things can grow and live."

Yusuke hmphed and looked away.

"Hiei, quick and fast, spreading like a blur, You can't see him but you feel him! so you know he's there, you know hes real. Calm and cool at first, a tornado the next!"

Hiei had closed his eyes, but frowned angrily.

"Kurama, earth grows and changes. Can be a kind valley, or a cold merciless desert. Mood varies just like the seasons."

Kurama was paying no attention to her, but wiping blood from Hiei's face.

"And Last, *and* certainly least, (Everyone glared at her for that comment) Kuwabara." She smiled at him holding his gaze, "Strong yet weak, solid but unsolid. Water has many forms. Like you it changes. A foolish young teen, or a capable warrior."

Kira smiled, her dislike for him showing, "But like the water in the human world, your polluted by your human life, and will soon be so poisoned, you'll be useless, and impure. You'll die.

"And a raging fire can always be put out." A glance at Yusuke. "The wind is shuddered out of existence in space." A smirk at Hiei. "And too many wars, kill the Earth." A cruel laugh at Kurama.

"The last one...The very last test...will kill you all." She smiled and flickered away.

" The order is thus: Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama and then Yusuke. You have one hour to say your good-byes. Have fun."

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Bun bun bun! Our story is getting closer to the clima and the close. These next few chapters are the worst....Kuwabara's chapter is very bad. Read my warning. If I get a flame, cuz you skipped my warning, I'll humiliate you in my story. Here let me give you a big notice, KUWABARA'S CHAPTER IS SERIOUSLY MESSED UP! READ WITH CAUTION!