Chapter Three:

Kurama wandered aimlessly through the gardens of his master. He was now let to wander free among the plants, but there was a price that came with that freedom. Around his slender neck was a collar, a horrible symbol of his enslavement, one which could not be removed. It bound his ki and he could no longer use his rose whip or escape from the barriers of the castle. It was horrible agony for him, for he just wanted to be anywhere, but here....anywhere but with that horrible demon he was forced to call his master.

His memories of the past where faded, till he could barely remember his real name, Kurama. This place was affecting him more than he realized it, his memories steadily slipping away. It was so hard to recall anything about his formal life...those he cared about. There's one thing that would not leave his mind though...one thing that was insistent on staying, the memory of a pair of gleaming red eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. He could not remember what name belonged with them, but as soon as he remembered them he would feel a sense of peace settle over him. Who did they belong to, who could bring such peace to his stricken mind?

'Whoever they are, I must find them again. Those eyes...they haunt me. Never before have I seen such aguish and sadness buried in a pair of beautiful crimson eyes, but yet at the same time they are at peace. Like whenever those eyes looked at me they were comforted...if only I remembered whose they were...' he thought aimlessly to himself.

"Rashii!" he heard a young girl's voice hiss softly to him from the nearby bushes. Instantly his eyes lowered and he backed away, but the call repeated. "Rashii, over here, quick!"

His eyes searched and pound a pair of eyes that he slightly recognized. A cat girl stepped forward from the bushes, her long violet hair covering most of her face. Her ears were limp and she had a haunted look on her face. He almost felt sorry for her, but there was something about her that didn't seem right.

"What do you want?!" he demanded with the air of old authority which he no longer possessed.

Her hands trembled as she reached out and dragged him into the bushes. "I want us to get out of here. I want to get out of this place, and I need your help." The girl pleaded her eyes brimming with tears.

Kurama stared deeply into her eyes. "Why do you want to leave? You are not a slave, you may simply walk away if you wish." He said bitterly, his hands brushing the material wrapped around his neck.

The girl began to tremble. "I'm a slave as much as you are, except I wear no collar. I can't leave this place no more than you can. I hate him...I didn't know what I was getting myself into until it was too late. Yuuyake...I don't want to be used by him anymore." She said, as she gripped onto his arm tightly.

Kurama's hands began to tremble and he gripped them to keep them steady. "Did he rape you?"

A tear dripped down her cheek and she nodded silently. Kurama looked at her, sympathy filling his eyes. He knew what that felt like. It was the vilest thing that he had ever had to experience. The thought of that made him shiver as the memories threatened to return no matter how hard he tried to erase them.

"How would I be able to help you? I'm powerless as long as this thing encircles my neck." He remarked, his voice embittered as he motioned to collar on his neck.

The demon girl shook her head. "I know a way to remove it. If you were to help me escape as well we could both make it out of here." She said.

Kurama's eyes glittered with distrust. "How can I be sure this is not just another trick? Why do you need someone like me to assist to you?"

The girl was about to answer, but just as she opened her mouth a voice called out for Kurama. "Rashii! Rashii, come here now!" a cold voice exclaimed.

The girl quickly grabbed onto his arm, and whispered hastily. "I'll talk to you later tonight, when everyone has gone to sleep." She turned to go, but he called out to her one last time.

"At least tell me what your name is?" He said sarcastically.

"Taeshi..." she whispered before she disappeared into the bushes once more. He turned around to face his master's call.

Hiei paced back and forth across his room, his hands gripping the sword at his side tightly. He had to find him. He had to get Kurama back, no matter the cost. His heart was hurting painfully for the kitsune and he was wondering if it was possible that this was more than just friendship, but then again...maybe it wasn't.

'But I know I can't live without him. I can't live like this, knowing that he is hurting and in pain. I need to get to him. I need to rescue him. Wherever he is...I will find him...and I will toture that bastard you did that to him...'

The only problem was that Hiei didn't know exactly where to look. He remembered scattered memories about something about a castle they were going to go to, but he wasn't sure. There was one way that he could search, but he didn't know if he could stand the strain. Finally he decided that it didn't matter. He would do anything to get Kurama back. Otherwise he was afraid that he would never really live again.

Hiei settled down on the bare floor of his room, his legs crossed in indian style and his hands resting limply on top of them. The first part of this process was to relax and find his 'inner core' of 'magic' that would allow him to 'see'. He tried to fall into a trance, but everything seemed to jolt him out of it. First it was stray moments of the wind that brushed lightly against his face and then to a painful itch in his right leg. He sighed annoyed, but managed to keep his cool.

Finally he managed to see it, the burning ember that was him. Slowly he took it in his 'hand' and grasped it firmly with his mind. Then he summoned all the memories of Kurama that he could, memories that started with happy moments of joy and a little sadness, but turned darker till they reached the most recent ones. Hiei tried not to lose his control, but he felt it slip away from him at those painful memories.

'I can do this...I can...remember...it's for him....for....him..."

He took a deep breath and concentrated as hard as he could. Finally, through the mists of his 'sight' he could see a dim figure appear. Then the surroundings came into focus, starting with trees...and flowers. This must be a garden. He could just barely see, but sure enough there was Kurama...and Hiei gasped at what he saw next.....