Chapter 4

Yusuke heard the scream from the cell, and came running just in time to see Hiei collapse. Kohaku was kneeling by Kurama, who had a knife sticking out of him. "What happened? I don't see any of your uncle's men," the Spirit Detective said.

"Hiei," Kohaku whispered, her fingers gently stroking Kurama's face.

"What about him?"

"He did this. I saw him stab Kurama. But why?"

"We don't have time for that now. We need to get outta here!" Kuwabara shouted, racing in. A moment later two demons entered the small room, brandishing swords of pure fire. "They saw me heading down here."

"Kuwabara, take Kurama and run. Kohaku, you get Hiei. I'll deal with these guys."

"The hell you wi-"

"Look, we don't have time to argue. Just do it!" The cat-demon nodded and picked up her brother, but held her staff in the other hand. Kuwabara grabbed the unconscious fox and waited for Yusuke to clear a path.

"Spirit Gun!" the green-clad boy yelled, unleashing his attack. It knocked the two demons into the wall, and the group made a hasty retreat. Kohaku took point, eyes scanning the hallways as they ran. A few guards, alerted by the noises from the dungeon, were waiting at the door.

"Urameshi, we need another diversion," Kuwabara noted.

"I'm on it. Spirit-"

"Die!" Kohaku screamed, rushing the guards with her staff. Before either could blink, she'd ripped the diamond blades through their bodies, cutting them in two. "Run!"

"Damn," Yusuke said, leaping over the corpses. Making their way across the bridge as fast as was safe, Yusuke turned and aimed at the glass structure. "Spirit Gun!" It shattered at the blast and blew shards of glass in every direction. At the door to the castle, Hashi Akiwara held a few of the stronger demons back.

"Let them go," he advised.

"Are you crazy? They just took our prisoner."

"Patience, my fiery friends. Hiei will return to us, mark my words."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he'll come seeking my life in retribution for his friend."

Hiei's head was pounding as he slowly opened his eyes- And was greeted by sunlight! On top of that, he seemed to be lying on a bed, with a blanket pulled over him. "Good morning, Hiei," a soft voice said. Looking to his left, the fire-demon saw Yukina kneeling beside him, a smile on her face. "Welcome home."

"Home? Am I in Genkai's temple?"

"Yes. Yusuke and Kuwabara brought you here last night. Genkai and I put some salve on your back so it would heal. I'm just so glad you're all right." Tears brimmed in the ice maiden's eyes, and Hiei reached out a hand and took hers.

"Thank you, for everything," he said. She smiled, and Kuwabara chose that moment to enter the room.

"Hey Hiei, don't you be making any moves on Yukina," he warned. The black-haired demon sighed and sat up slowly.

"Making a move on her is that last thing on my mind, Kuwabara. What happened last night?" There was an image he couldn't get out of his head, but he wasn't sure if it was real or not. He wasn't even sure what had been going on the last few weeks, except torture. But Hashi Akiwara was dead… Wasn't he?"

"That's what I'd like to know. But Kurama's the only other one who can answer that." The way the human said that made Hiei frown a bit.

"Well, where is Kurama? Surely he isn't hard to find."

"I think you had better come with me," Genkai said from the door. Her gaze met Hiei's, and he sensed urgency and concern in her stance. What was going on?

"This had better be good, old woman." Hiei stood up, sucking in a quick breath as his back muscles cried out in agony. Yukina moved to help him, but he waved her off. "I'm fine." Squaring his shoulders and holding his head up, Hiei followed Yusuke's mentor through the rooms of her temple, until they came to a closed door.

"I must warn you, this may be a shock to you," she said. A wave of fear traveled up Hiei's spine, and his stomach felt knotted. What was wrong with him? Had his injuries affected him differently somehow?

"Open the door," he said. The woman nodded and opened the door, allowing the sweet smell of incense to drift over them. She walked in, and Yusuke came over from the windows on the far side of the room. Hiei's eyes traveled over the area quickly, seeing nothing different- until they got to the center of the room. For there, lying on a bed, was Kurama. He looked pale and feverish, shivering even underneath the blanket someone had gotten him. The small demon was by his friend's side in an instant, throwing back the blanket and seeing the extent of his injuries. There appeared to be only one, a stab wound to his midsection that was tightly wrapped with blood-soaked bandages. From this close, Hiei could feel the heat radiating from the ex-thief's body, and sweat beaded on his forehead and made his long hair cling to his face. "Who did this to him?" The anger in his voice forced the words to come out in a choked whisper, and his hands tightened into fists. "Who hurt Kurama?"

"You did," a strange voice accused. Hiei whirled to see a cat-demon enter the room, her eyes focused on him. His back gave out then, but the girl caught him and laid him down gently.

"Who are you?"

"This is Kohaku, Hiei. Your sister," Genkai told him.

"Sister? But-" A finger on his lips silenced him.

"No more talking, no more moving. You need rest. We'll all get answers later," Kohaku said softly. Hiei was still tired from his ordeal, but his mind was too full of questions to sleep. But Genkai told Yusuke to bring in another sleeping mat, and then Yukina was by his side, singing softly. Kohaku watched as her little brother's eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep. Yukina stood up, smiling at the cat-demon. "That was beautiful, Yukina. What was it?"

"A lullaby my mother used to sing when I was a child. It always put me to sleep, and I thought it would do the same for Hiei."

"He's lucky to have such good friends."

"Yes, and now that he's found his sister, maybe he'll be happier."

"He's been searching for a sister?"

"Yes, ever since I've known him. He always acts so gruff and uncaring around everyone. Except for myself and Kurama, no one ever sees his softer side."

"He must like you a great deal to trust you with something like his feelings."

"I suppose so. If you'll excuse me, Genkai might need my help elsewhere."

"Of course, I'll see you later." Kohaku watched the blue-haired girl go, and then Yusuke approached her. "She's a sweet girl."

"Yeah, too bad she can't know the truth."

"Truth? What, that Hiei likes her?"

"Kurama told me that they're twins. She's the sister Hiei's been searching for. He can't tell her because he's ashamed of his past." Kohaku's eyes widened as she stared at the sleeping form of her brother. She hadn't known there'd been twins, mostly because the ice maidens were a very secretive bunch.

"So she's my little half-sister? I wonder what other secrets I'll learn today."

"Knowing us, probably more than you want to know or share." With that, Yusuke left her to get some sleep. He had no doubt that Koenma would be calling for him soon, and he needed all therest he could get.

Kohaku was sitting between Kurama and Hiei, deep in thought. She had questioned Yusuke and Kuwabara about the human shell Kurama had taken as his current form, and both stated that they'd seen it take far more damage than a mere stab wound. So what was causing the ex-thief to be in so much pain? And why wasn't he healing properly? The sliding of the door panel interrupted her thoughts, and Kohaku opened her eyes to see the Temple keeper. Genkai was her name, and she was Yusuke's teacher, if what she'd heard from the human boy and Kurama had been true. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked.

"No," Kohaku replied. "I have a feeling you only seek out people when you have something important to say."

"How can you be sure I'm not just some old fool of a human?"

"You are Yusuke's mentor, and he mentioned you on our way here. He spoke of you as a great tutor, harsh as you may be. Kurama also spoke of your wisdom and skill."

"And you believe everything he says?"

"He's never lied to me before. I ran with his group for a while, before I left to seek out my father and the rest of my family. Kurama treated everyone with respect, and it didn't matter who you were or his relationship with you."

"You were his lover then?" Kohaku blushed and appeared surprised that Genkai could be so forward, especially to someone she had met only the previous night. "This old woman has seen and felt many things, young demon. I know lovesick when I see it."

"Kurama had many lovers over the years, and I was one of them. But he seemed different with me, like he truly cared. And I suppose that over time, I came to love him as more than just a lover. And when he disappeared, I never stopped believing that he would somehow come back for me. If you want to call that lovesick, then fine."

"Such a shock it must've been then, to see and hear him act so different than the Kurama you came to know."

"Why does that interest you? If he's happy here, I won't destroy that."

"Good to hear, or else you'd answer to me." Genkai smiled at her, but it wasn't a completely friendly smile. Kohaku felt like she'd been tested without her knowledge, but if this human could help her, she'd endure whatever questions or tests she had. "I have discovered why Kurama's normal demon abilities are not working. However, I do not have a cure for it yet."

"So you know what's wrong with him?" Kuwabara asked from the door as he and Yukina entered the room. Yusuke was right behind them, yawning and rubbing the sleep from eyes.

"This better be good, Genkai. Koenma might need me soon."

"All of you, sit down," the woman ordered. Yukina immediately did as she was told, and Kuwabara kneeled down beside her. Yusuke remained standing as Genkai explained the situation: "I was able to find traces of poison on the dagger used to injure Kurama. However, this poison only effects kitsune, and does not have a known antidote in the demon world. To make matters worse, the wound is grave enough that Kurama's human body is having trouble healing it. In short, both parts of him are dying, and we must find a solution soon."

"Both parts? So the human and fox aspects are being separated somehow?"

"Yes Kohaku, it seems that way."

"Well, couldn't we just separate them all the way?" Kuwabara wondered. "That way we can at least save the human part."

"Your plan is as horrible as your fighting skills," a gruff voice retorted. Hiei sat up and looked around the room at everyone, eyes coming to rest on Kohaku. "Someone mentioned something about you being my sister."

"Yes Hiei, I'm one of your sisters. I came to find you at our father's insistence."

"He can rot for all I care. He got me into this mess in the first place. That demon telepath said something about my uncle taking me prisoner."

"You met that Hashi Akiwara guy?" Yusuke asked

"I killed him. Stabbed him with a forgotten dagger."

"Are you sure, Hiei?" Genkai wondered, staring from the fire demon to Kurama. She had a feeling that there was more to this story.

"I know what I saw."

"Heh, I doubt that. Koenma told us that Hashi can make you see whatever he wants," Kuwabara stated. "Even that weird eye of yours couldn't help." Hiei frowned and removed the headband from around his Jagan. Odd, but he couldn't remember trying to use it against the telepath. He concentrated, calling up memories and using the Jagan's power to filter out what Hashi had wanted him to see. And then shock stabbed through him like a cold knife as he watched Kurama enter the cell where he'd been kept, and how he was stabbed by a dagger that was held by Hiei's own hands. Hashi had never been there, but had used the numerous time he'd visited Hiei as a cover-up for when his friends came. Hiei swayed on his feet, but before anyone could react, he shouted and vanished, leaping out the open window faster than any of them could track.

"Hiei!" Yukina called out, but he was too far away.

"What brought that on?"

"Hiei saw something he feared, Yusuke. He saw the truth of his actions."

"Then you knew, Genkai?"

"I knew when I saw the blood on Hiei's hands that he'd played some part in Kurama's injury. But for him to be so easily fooled, this Hashi must be powerful."

"He is. And he will pay for what he's done," Kohaku vowed.

"Help him," Yukina said as she took the cat-demon's hands. "Please, he needs his sister now. I'll watch Kurama until you get back."

"Kuwabara, we need to contact Botan and Koenma. That entire castle is full of trained assassins ready to wage war."

"Can't we ever get a day off?"

"The life of a Spirit Detective is a rough one," Genkai reminded them. "I will try and devise a remedy for our friend. Until then, each of you must remain on your guard. Especially you Kohaku, because I don't think your uncle will let this matter go. Hiei is still in danger, and you might be as well."

"Then I better go find him." With that she leapt out the window, swinging herself up into the trees and disappearing from view. Genkai took one last look at the rest of the group, sighing heavily.

"Tell Botan I might need her help here, Yusuke. Other than that-"

"Yeah, I know, be careful. Just take care of Kurama, okay?"

"Don't worry, we will," Yukina promised as the two boys left the Temple to speak to Koenma once more.

It was only thanks to her cat nose that Kohaku was able to track down Hiei. The speed with which he moved was incredible, and she smiled ruefully at the thought of her brother being an assassin. No doubt her uncle would've liked to have someone such as the half-fire demon on his side, especially with all of his special abilities. Finally, Kohaku leapt back to the ground, having located her quarry. He was standing at the edge of a pond, staring at the water, and it didn't seem like he'd noticed her. "Hiei?" she called out, not wanting to get too near. He didn't have a weapon that she could see, but there was no sense in taking any chances. "Hiei, I need to talk to you."

"Get away from me," he said, still not looking at her.

"I can't do that. Genkai said you're still in danger, and you're injured."

"I'm fine."

"Yukina is worried about you. She asked me to help you." That grabbed his attention, and he fixed a stony, red stare on her.

"You know nothing about me. I have no family except for Yukina."

"And how much of a family is she, when you can't even tell her the truth? Yusuke told me you're ashamed of your past. Well I'm your sister too, and I don't care what you've done before. Neither does our father."

"Don't speak to me about him. I want nothing to do with him, especially since he abandoned me, just like my mother."

"She left you?"

"I was a Forbidden Child, an outlaw since the moment I entered the world. I was cast off the Isle of the Ice Maidens, and torn from my sister. No one cared about me then, and I don't care about them now."

"You care for your friends, though. You care about Kurama."

"What does it matter?" he shouted suddenly, fists at his side. "The one person who understood me is dying, all because I couldn't see through a simple mind trick. That's one more name to add to the list of people I've killed over the years. I'm so tired of it!" Kohaku took a step back, surprised at the forcefulness of Hiei's yells. But this was not a time for him to wallow in self-pity. They needed to find a way to kill Hashi, stop their uncle, and help Kurama, and Hiei was in no condition to do anything.

"Snap out of it, Hiei," she told him. "Being mad at yourself won't solve anything. I need your help, and so do your friends. Hashi and our uncle need to be stopped-"

"They can't be stopped. You saw what they can do. How they tricked me into hurting- Into hurting one of the people I care about the most!" Hiei dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Kohaku was by his side in an instant, pulling him close. She had heard humans talking about how demons didn't have hearts, about how they couldn't or didn't feel pain. But at that moment, she knew her brother's heart was breaking, and hers ached to be able to help him. She also knew that Hiei was part of the "new life" that Kurama had mentioned when she'd met up with him months ago.

"If you care so much for Kurama, then help me avenge him," she whispered as she stroked his hair. Hiei stood there for a moment, eyes squeezed shut to block tears he thought he'd never shed.

"Why do I feel so sick inside?" he asked after a few moments.

"It's guilt, little brother. Everyone feels it at least once. It's because you regret doing something."

"The telepath needs to die."

"He will, I swear it."

"If we're going to work together then, I have one request."

"Name it."

"Call me Hiei. I can't get used to being a "little brother" right now."

"Of course. And you can call me Kohaku." They pulled apart and slowly stood up, and Kohaku realized that Hiei only came up to just past her waist. It hadn't been so obvious when he'd been unconscious. She smiled slightly, and he frowned.

"What?"

"You're so little."

"Many of my enemies said that before I killed them."

"Point taken." Kohaku turned to leave, when she heard a chuckle. Hiei came up beside her, smirking. "What?"

"How many men have you killed who thought you were a mere woman?"

"How do you know I'm not a mere woman?"

"You're my sister. I didn't inherit my fighting capabilities from my mother, that's for sure. So, how many men?"

"Enough." The siblings made eye contact for a brief moment, and then Hiei nodded, and Kohaku did the same.

"Good, because I have a feeling we've been severely underestimated."