Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any of its original characters. My characters are my own, so leave them alone.

Chapter 2

Yusuke yawned and stretched, rolling over on the rooftop where he'd woken up from his nap. There was just something about school that made him sleepy. However, avoiding Keiko now that he'd snoozed the day away would be a bit of a challenge. "Yusuke!" The female voice that sent him crashing to the other rooftop wasn't Keiko's, but he wasn't in the mood for what its owner had in store for him.

"What does the baby want now, Botan?" he asked, yawning again. A quick smack from her oar made Yusuke realize that this was a rather serious summons.

"Quit goofing off, Yusuke. Koenma just received word of a kidnapping, and thought you should be the first to know about it."

"Kidnapping? Why should I care about some rich kid who got taken?" Another smack from her oar silenced him, and he rubbed his head and glared at the blue-haired messenger. He knew Botan wasn't trying to be annoying, but some of Koenma's missions just didn't make sense.

"It's not a human child that was taken, Yusuke. Hiei was abducted by a gang of high-level fire demons last night, and they sound very dangerous." That changed the stakes a little, though why Hiei had been taken was an interesting question.

"What do these demons want?"

"That's the problem. There's been no ransom, and no communication between the demons or anyone in Lord Enma's house. But we have spies who said that Hiei is still alive, but that the demons want him to join them."

"What?" Yusuke yelled, forgetting about the pain in his head. Maybe these demons had learned about Hiei's ability to control the Dragon of Darkness Flame. Anyone with that kind of power would be perfect for a group to recruit. It was just too bad that the fire-demon was on Yusuke's team. "So Koenma wants us to go in and get Hiei back? That sounds easy."

"Except that one of the demons is a powerful telepath," Botan warned. "Hashi Akiwara has been on the loose for years. His mind-control abilities are so great that he can make people see whatever he wants."

"So he can create illusions. Big deal."

"No Yusuke, he's much worse than that. Hashi can literally make you see your best friend as your worst enemy."

In a castle in Makai, Hiei was slumped in the corner of a small room. He still wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten there. One moment he'd been on his way to see Kurama, and the next he'd been hit by three fireballs that had seemed to come from nowhere. "But if they think one little cell can hold me, those idiots haven't been paying attention."

"Trust me, Hiei," a voice suddenly said from the darkness that surrounded him. "I know all about you and your little tricks."

"Who's there? Show yourself, coward!" Laughter was all that followed for a moment, and then the voice continued:

"You know, you're very lucky that your uncle wants you alive. Otherwise, I could rip you apart from here."

"Uncle? What nonsense are you talking? I have no family."

"Hmm? No family, you say? That's very interesting, Hiei, because you've been taken captive by your family." Now the fire-demon was starting to get annoyed. The only family he had was Yukina, and a mother who had let him be cast out of her island home. As for his father- And then it hit him. His father, of course! That must be the family the voice was referring to, though why they would care about him was a mystery.

"Then my father is behind this? A demon I never knew, and one I don't care to know. You can tell him that I want no part of his "family"."

"Oh but Hiei, you don't have a choice. You see, your father has a brother, an elder brother. And this brother is very worried because your father is gathering all his children to him, and probably plans to overthrow your uncle for control of the family. So you see, it's your father's brother who is to blame for your current situation."

"And how are you part of this? Are you some whimpering cousin, come to tell me a sad story about why I should choose your side? I don't play family games very well." But suddenly, the darkness gave way to light, and a man stepped into Hiei's vision. His neck-length hair was white, and his skin was equally as pale. Gray eyes seemed to hide a secret from the world, and he wore a smirk on his small mouth. The clothes he wore were all white, save for a black sash around his waist. All in all, he didn't look like family.

"No Hiei, I'm afraid you and I aren't related at all. Hashi Akiwara, famed telepath, at your service." He bowed, but kept his eyes on Hiei, which seemed to bore into the black-haired demon's skull.

"And why are you here?" Hashi smiled then, but it was an evil sort of grin.

"Why am I here? My dear Hiei, I'm here to break you." He pulled a whip from behind his back, and advanced on Hiei. A group of four other demons suddenly ran into the room and held their captive down. This was not going to be an easy fight.

"So let me get this straight," Yusuke was saying to Koenma. "Hiei was kidnapped by his uncle because he was afraid that Hiei's father was trying to take over the family business or something? This just doesn't make sense."

"Whether it makes sense or not, Hiei is still their prisoner," the Prince of Makai answered, sucking thoughtfully on his pacifier. He had to admit to himself that this turn of events was about as unlikely as Kuwabara telling Yukina he didn't like her anymore.

"But why would they take Hiei? He doesn't even know his dad," the aforementioned redhead argued. "I didn't even know he had one."

"Just because he was never mentioned doesn't mean he doesn't exist," Kurama replied calmly. "After all, where do you think little demons come from?"

"I don't know, I thought you guys were just, you know, created."

"Be that as it may, our friend is still in danger. Is there a way to get him out?"

"Unfortunately Kurama, not really. Not only is Hiei's uncle a rather powerful fire demon, he's pulled all his men back to his base of operations, deep in Makai. To make matters worse, as Botan has already told you, Hashi Akiwara seems to be on his payroll."

"Right, the telepath who can make you believe anything he wants," Yusuke mused. "So is he a demon, or just a powerful human?"

"Hashi is a demon, of a species who pride themselves on having mind-altering abilities. My father banished them to a small, sealed area of Makai, but every so often one of them finds a way to escape. Most of the time we can track down the escapee and either finish them off quickly or get them back to their area. Hashi has been able to elude us for quite some time, and he's gotten even more powerful." Koenma sighed as he thought about what Yusuke would probably do. An all-out assault to rescue Hiei could prove disastrous, but then again, did they have any other choice? If Hashi somehow convinced or forced Hiei to attack his friends, all of Makai could suffer under his power.

"All right, enough talk then," Yusuke said. "I say we go in there and get Hiei back." Kuwabara nodded, but Kurama looked hesitant.

"Yusuke, we have no way of knowing what we're up against. And this telepath might be expecting us. We are putting ourselves at great risk."

"Do you want Hiei back or not?" The simple question sent a small shockwave through the ex-thief's system. Of course he wanted to get Hiei back. He'd storm that fortress himself if it meant rescuing the little fire-demon. The thought of losing Hiei to anyone made his blood run cold, and Kurama was not about to let go of his closest friend so easily. With a sigh, he nodded his head. "Then tell us where this place is, Koenma."

"Yusuke, we don't know where it is," Botan informed him. "It might take a little while to track this guy down."

"You mean we can't do anything to help Hiei?" the boy shouted.

"Hey, maybe Genkai knows of these guys. We should ask her," Kuwabara suggested. That seemed to slightly diffuse his friend's anger.

"We'll contact you as soon as we know where Hiei is, I promise."

"All right, Koenma. But if I have to tear Makai apart to find my friend, I'll do it." With that, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan left the room. Kurama remained, though he seemed deep in thought about something.

"Was there something you wanted to add?" the Prince wondered. He knew Kurama and Hiei were the equivalent of "best friends", but sometimes he couldn't see why the youkai tolerated the egotistical fire-demon.

"Koenma, wouldn't the Jagan prevent Hiei from being manipulated by Hashi?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't any real way of knowing. While the Jagan gives Hiei some protection against telepathy and mind-control, Hashi doesn't resort to all-out power. He likes to find people's weak points and exploit them, often breaking their minds without touching their bodies. But he can also resort to physical violence if need be, and he is skilled with a whip."

"So, he is extremely dangerous?"

"That's like saying the Dark Tournament was a friendly fight. Hashi has a vendetta against those who imprisoned his people, and he's been able to kill Spirit Detectives before. He might just be using Hiei for his own advantage, as well as to keep his employer happy. This won't be a simple rescue mission."

"Nothing is ever simple when we're involved," the redhead said before leaving the room. Koenma sat back in his chair and looked over a few notes regarding Hashi Akiwara. This was one demon even he was terrified of.

"I just hope they know what they're getting into."

A week passed, and then another as the team waited for word on Hiei's whereabouts. Botan would leave messages saying that they were still looking, and to have patience, but Yusuke's was running thin. Even Kuwabara, so quick to antagonize Hiei, was starting to get worried. Kurama tried tostay busy to keep his mind off his friend, but every night he found himself staring at the window that Hiei sometimes used if he wanted to "check up" on the fox, as he called it. Finally, four days into the third week, a soft rapping came from the window, and Kurama leapt out of bed to open it. But instead of a small, black-haired demon entering the room, Kohaku jumped in and sat on the bed. She looked annoyed, and kept clenching her fists as her tail thumped noisily on the bed. "Is something wrong?"

"I just got word that my uncle has taken Hiei prisoner. On top of that, he issued a challenge to my father for a fight between his brood and ours. Apparently he thinks Father was gathering his children to depose my uncle."

"Kohaku, you wouldn't happen to know where your uncle's fortress is, would you?" She looked up and cocked her head to one side as if puzzled.

"Of course I do. But none of my siblings are willing to go with me to rescue our brother, the cowards. I was hoping you and your friends knew what I could do."

"Kohaku, you know that Hiei is my teammate, don't you?" It was more of a soft accusation than a question, and she nodded. "Why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"Because I haven't been able to get back here before now. I've been going all over Makai trying to find others to support my father. But even my mother's Pride is fearful of my uncle. And yes, I knew Hiei was your friend when I heard about the Dark Tournament. At first I was a little upset that you hadn't told me that you knew my brother, but then I realized I didn't really give you a chance to. But I need your help to get him back."

"And we need your guidance to find him. I'm going to find Yusuke and tell him that you'll take us there."

"Aren't you afraid of my uncle? He's got a telepath on his side, you know." Kurama faced her dead-on, and a smirk curled his lips for a brief moment. It reminded her of Youko Kurama and the looks he got before a big job.

"I'd fight all of Makai myself if it meant saving Hiei. But what about you? Doesn't the thought of fighting your uncle and his allies frighten you?" Kohaku smiled then, flashing fangs that looked sharp enough to cut through bone.

"I say, bring them on."