A few minutes earlier…

"Minas takhis plascetis murashtaka fior men, sumara funari ilok sha," Wake from thy slumber and do my bidding, seek thy prey. "Latvia surani selmat pas inasa," I grant thee safe passages through these halls. "Sunni sal sufi, masa lams sionara fior murashtaka," Linger not, for thy slumber is not far.

The monster rushed out of its hiding place, knowing that no one would be able to see it now. It lived only to kidnap the one it had seen, the one who was to be the sacrifice. The Malignant Dragon had released it, as taught by his father, the Delicious Malice. It was to take a girl-child from her safety, and bring her to the Dark Lord.

As it turned into a corridor, it saw a Black Dragon. This one was no ordinary fighter… This one could sense him if he so chose. It waited for the dragon to move away, but it did not. Instead, the Dragon sniffed the air, and then drew his katana. But this monster did not fear any steel. It was the Black Flame it feared.

Before the Black Dragon could find him though, the monster attacked. It jumped and threw the net of darkness over the jagan. The Dragon would sleep as though dead. It was not in the monster's powers to kill such a one. As it ascended the stairs to the tower, wraithlike, several of its old enemies appeared. But these were insubstantial shadows, unable to hurt it.

Instead, they watched it climb the stairs. They felt the dimming of consciousness above them, and then they felt the mass of the monster change. There was a signal from the one who had power over them. She allowed them to delay, and if possible, destroy the monster. They could not let it fulfil its mission.

They slid into the shadows of the staircase to await the coming of the monster.

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"They're here," Kurama stated as they ran through the corridors.

"No," Naoko said, throwing out her chi in the signal of intruders, "It's something else, and its' here for one of the students. This is not one of the Forbidden Ones," she said, both of them turning a corner.

And stopped dead in their tracks.

Remember not, the dragon slain.

"Hiei!" Naoko shouted, going to him. Kurama followed her woodenly, unable to believe that anything could have brought his friend low.

Mistress…He comes down. Thy friend but slumbers, but if we do not move now, thy student will slumber forever, the voices said.

"He's asleep… Like the dead," Naoko said, "but the monster has a student," she told him.

"Who?" Kurama asked, but his mind was already racing ahead.

"Don't know," Naoko said, uncurling her whip and holding the dagger in her other hand, before racing to where the Fat Lady hung.

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"Ron! Help me!" Ginny screamed for her brother as the monster came nearer.

Ron tried to blast the monster with his wand, but failed. The darkness was rapidly coming over him, but he fought it, knowing that to give in would mean defeat.

"Lumos!" Hermione said, pointing it at the monster. The band of light shot through the creature… And went right through it.

"Crucio!" Harry said, from where he was pinned under the table. Unfortunately, that one went through the monster as well.

"Avada… Kedavra…" Ron summoned all his energy for one final pass, but the spell did not work. None of the Forbidden Spells worked.

Suddenly the monster snarled and dropped Ginny, who fell like a heavy sack. She was knocked unconscious almost immediately, while the others turned to look at the ones who were there.

Sukina and Shuura both stood there at the entrance, a faint aura enveloping them. Hermione's mind was still working though she was in pain; she realised that this was what Professor Hiei meant when he said, "You've been sensitised when you can see the colour of another's chi." Sukina's was a bright white, while Shuura's was a warm, quiet blue. Both of them were staring at the monster.

"Leave us," Sukina said. The monster retrieved its booty, ran and crashed through a window and left. Sukina looked up, and shimmered into nothingness.

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"Sukina followed the monster!" Shuura said when Naoko and Kurama burst in a few moments later.

"Chotto!" Kurama said when he saw Naoko was about to take off. "We need to make sure the students are safe first. Didn't you say that Sukina was a good tracker? She can fight as well," he continued, letting the unspoken words do his work.

Naoko ignored him, but she went to work. She used what little talent she had in healing to help Hermione, Harry and Ron. Before she could go downstairs though, Kurama stopped her. "We must go to Sukina now," he said, knowing fully well that Harry, Hermione and Ron would follow them. Naoko nodded.

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Draco Malfoy watched as Kurama, Naoko, Shuura, Hermione, Harry and Ron left the school grounds in pursuit of the monster he'd release. The teachers would never know that they had gone till it was too late; their messenger, Seamus, had been waylaid by Slytherine students. Unity? Draco laughed inside.

It's the law of Nature at work. The strong survive, but the weak perish.

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Okay! More's coming up. Hiei fans, rejoice… Cause I won't let him die. : )

(I value my life too much.)