~Chapter 8~
~The Tsutomegi Gang~

A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed this little story. I appreciate your support. Also to give you a little hint into the following chapter, Tsutomegi is Japanese for Mercenary Spirit. Enjoy the rest of the chapter! (

Corana waited anxiously for her brother to return to her in Ningenkai. She refused to leave Genkai's because that was the place he was most likely to come back to. A week passed and Corana became worried for her brother's safety. No word had come from him. After two, Corana had decided to go look for him.

Corana was packing her bag for her trip into Makai when a familiar raven dropped a letter into her open satchel. "What do you want?" Corana grunted.

"What a way to welcome an old friend." The raven changed into a tall demon with silky black hair and fully black eyes, no pupils, no whites.

"You were never a friend Kurokami. I see you are still running errands for Odei." (A/N: Odei means dirty mud. It's an insult to a mud demon.) Corana continued packing, tossing the letter to the floor.

"You may not want to throw that away so carelessly Chiisai Hikage." (little shadow) Kurokami sneered. "It pertains to your brother afterall. And if you want to be rid of me, you shall read it. I was ordered to wait for a response."

"You're such a lackey." Corana sighed, keeping up a façade of unconcern, though what they knew about Jin had her itching to read the letter. "Why did you stay?" She asked casually, still packing her bag.

"Corana, we were not all like you." Kurokami oozed. "You had no desire for torture and pain and death. We loved it. The relationship was not meant to last dear girl." He grinned a malicious grin, baring his fangs.

"You're probably right. Don't know why I got into the mercenary business in the first place." Corana shrugged with an easy grin.

"Just open the letter girl." Kurokami hissed.

Corana immediately had a dagger to his throat. "You watch the girl crap ok? I'm not above killing the messenger. You know that." She hissed softly and was rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing a glimmer of fear cross his face. She nicked his neck with the dagger; drawing blood and making him swallow convulsively. Corana finished packing and picked up the letter. She opened it and read it swiftly and anger surged through her. She threw the note at Kurokami. "You may tell your master that I am coming to kill you all." She hissed. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Deikazan was sitting comfortably in his throne, contemplating how his letter was being received by his former boss. He couldn't wait to see the look of pain and anger on her face right as she stormed in here and right before he killed her. He felt a breeze that had a familiar energy to it; similar to the stupid demon he had locked up downstairs. Jin had gotten cocky and that had been the error that allowed for his capture. An object flew through the window and landed in his lap. He recognized the silken black hair and the black eyes as those of his lover and servant Kurokami. It was his head with a dagger piercing right between his now vacant and lifeless eyes. Deikazan dropped it in disgust. She had taken irreversibly the one thing that mattered to him. He would make her suffer before he granted her death. He screamed an anguished sound that echoed across the Makai. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Corana was on her way to the Makai, when Hiei popped up. "Koenma needs to see you."

"Tell Koenma to kiss my ass. I'm on a rescue mission." Corana pushed her way past Hiei. Hiei hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out and carrying her to Koenma.

"What'd you do that for Hiei?" Yusuke demanded, when Hiei walked into Koenma's office with Corana slung over his shoulder. She'd obviously been dressed for fighting when Hiei had intercepted her. She wore black loose pants, bound from the knee down by white bandages that ended in her black fighting shoes. Her arms were wrapped in bandages from knuckle to elbow and she wore a black loose fitting top that right now was creeping further and further over her head, exposing more and more of what shouldn't be exposed, especially not in front of Yusuke.

Koenma rolled his eyes. "Hiei, put her down before Yusuke loses all concentration in hoping that her chest will be revealed."

Hiei blinked, just realizing what was happening to her shirt and dumped her rather unceremoniously on the ground. The jolt seemed to snap her too however because she groaned and a hand moved to her head. "Fuck Hiei. Was that absolutely necessary?"

"Hn."

"You really need to cut out the "hn" shit. It's getting annoying." Corana was obviously a little ticked in general. "Now why have you felt it necessary to delay me in my mission to get my brother back?" Corana turned to Koenma.

"We just wanted to let you know what happened to him and where to find him." Koenma shrugged. "and give you the opportunity to receive help from the Spirit Detectives."

"Thanks but I don't need it. You're a little slow on the up chuck Koenma." Corana tossed him the note she'd received.

"Oh dear. What can you tell me about this Deikazan?" Koenma asked her.

"He's a mutt demon a lot like me. Half water half earth and so I call him a mud demon. Years ago, we started a little group of cast aways who had been ostracized because of our mixed heritage. As our powers grew and we realized we were stronger than most, we started up a mercenary business. Mostly bodyguard shit, some use in wars, and just all in all random dirty work. Well after awhile, instead of asking strong mutt demons to join us, Odei decided he would kidnap and force them to work for him. When he refused to listen to me, I left. A few of the strongest demons that had followed me came with when I left and I think he was seriously insulted by the subversion. That and now he was missing some of the strongest demons in Makai. The ones that followed me chose to go it alone rather than follow that idiot. I'm not too current on his present situation and activities, however." Corana shrugged.

"And yet you're ready to go in there alone with no information?" Kurama asked, baffled.

"He's underestimated me. It's been 200 years since we worked together and he thinks I haven't gotten any stronger." Corana smirked.

"But he probably has as well." Yusuke scratched his head.

"Probably, but he was weaker than me to begin with. Even if he's trained twice as hard as I have, he's stupider and slower and it takes that much longer for him to learn things than it does for me. That and he's probably going to have every lackey on the way up attack me to at least weaken me. He's a coward and he's lazy. He'll keep out of the way until he has no choice but to face me." Corana's eyes had taken on a cold gleam of anticipation.

"How was this letter sent?" Koenma asked warily.

"Kurokami. His lover brought it to me. He was ordered to await a response." Corana grinned mirthlessly, and all those gathered shivered involuntarily.

"What was your response?" Kuwabara asked nervously.

"I returned Kurokami's head to him with a dagger plunged between his eyes." Corana had that same mirthless smile plastered on her face.

Yusuke made a disgusted noise.

"You forget you are dealing with demons Yusuke." Corana looked at him squarely. "We have a certain flare for the grotesque. I will accept help from those willing to give it, but I will not demand it and nor should you Koenma. This is a dangerous group and most of them are probably under some form of control. I won't have anyone else be put at risk for Jin and my sakes. The more people that go in, the more I have to watch over." Corana shrugged. "If anyone's coming, I'm leaving now. I've wasted enough time."