Author's Note: Sorry. I've been working on Harry Potter stories. I've got some good stuff going I think. dances It's not easy rewriting an entire series of books, you know that?

Inuness, you still need to review chapter 13 I think. wink

Enjoy, all.

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Kigeko had expected Kurama to have a great deal of speed, but she had not expected the same results from these human boys that accompanied him. Yusuke was equally as fast as Kurama, if not faster, and Kuwabara did a fine job on his own of keeping up. It was impressive.

She herself had very little trouble keeping up with them. Kigeko was a demon after all, even if she was not a fully formed one. Strength and speed were hers, and she had a goal to accomplish, a rescue to follow through with, to keep her motivated.

Trees flew by swiftly as the quartet rushed toward Imashirou's castle. Soon, everything was a blur until they too came to the stone wall that guarded the castle.

"We must take caution." Kurama warned them. The others nodded in understanding. Each peered eagerly down the long strip of grassland that separated them from their castle. "Not all is as it seems,"

"Exploding dirt and evil grass....sounds like fun." Kuwabara commented. Kigeko could not help but smile at the simplified version of the young boy's idea of what they were about to face. She cast a glance east and west of her position.

"Ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"On your marks..." Yusuke whispered. They tensed. "Get set..." They eyed their first landing spot. "GO!"

Like race horses released from their stalls, they erupted from the wall and danced across the grassy area. Immediately, the ground beneath them exploded and the world erupted in flames. All arrived unscathed through the billowing smoke, panting and sweating.

That was when the tentacles erupted from the grounds, once again reaching out to grab survivors or charred remains and inflict a death grip unlike anything else. Those were easily avoided, and at one point both Yusuke and Kigeko were laughing in mockery at the elementary defense system that they were so easily evading.

"I've seen cemeteries more active then this place!" Yusuke laughed, leaping into the air as the ground he had previously occupied erupted into a miniature mushroom cloud.

Kurama frowned. "That's a disturbing thought to consider."

"Agreed." Kuwabara yelled.

"Quit playing with 'em boys, we've got work to do!" Kigeko responded ahead of them, leaping meters at a time toward the castle.

Yusuke caught up with her and flashed a mock frown in her direction. "You're ruining all our fun."

For the first time any of them could remember, Kigeko smiled warmly at the young boy and winked. "I'm so sorry."

The statement dripped with sarcasm, but it was still offsetting for the trio. Within minutes they reached the castle doors and stood still, all eyes resting upon Kurama.

"I have their scent," he commented, checking around suspiciously.

Kigeko frowned. "Well gee, I hope so." she retorted with more sarcasm. Yusuke cast a warning glare in her direction. She rolled her eyes and jammed her hands into her pockets.

"Don't take the front door." she stated. "This is the way Hiei and Inuyasha went."

The others considered her with a deal of amazement. "What do you mean?" Asked Kuwabara.

Her glare upon the castle doors deepened, as well as her frown. Her brow furrowed intensely as she considered their surroundings.

"They walked through that same door and Imashirou was waiting for them."

"Are they all right?"

Kigeko shrugged. "Hard to say. I know their scent is joined by another. I know that, if Hiei and Inuyasha were inside right now running around freely, the place would not be so quiet. I know that walking right through the front door isn't exactly the wisest of ideas. I know also that we're being watched."

Frowning, Kurama glanced upward. "She's right."

"What? What do you mean?" Kuwabara shaded his eyes and started peering every which way, as though he were in some sort of idiotic stupor. "I don't see anyone!"

"That's because you're not mean to." Kurama stated calmly. "You're human, you can't see it."

"Well, that's rich." Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest and frowned bitterly. "So what are we supposed to do?"

Kigeko grinned. "Take the back door."

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea! As if there's some sort of--hey! Where's she going?" Kigeko hadn't been listening. She leapt over the side of the stone stair railing and inched beneath the shadows of the castle. Her feet were touching the grass, but nothing was happening. The others watched in amazement. At one point, she reached what seemed to a crack in the walls. "How does she know this?" Yusuke asked a gaping Kurama. The kitsune only shook his head. Kigeko tapped on an arrangement of bricks before a door opened. She smiled innocently at the others and beckoned them to follow.

"I don't like this." Kuwabara frowned.

A sigh escaped Kurama's lips. "She's either not what she seems, or knows more than she's ever revealed."

"I don't like either probability."

The other's nodded.

"However," Kurama continued. "We don't have much of a choice if we want to rescue our friends. Come, lets follow before the door closes."

They did just that, and soon found themselves trapped in a deep darkness.

"Where are we?" Yusuke asked, his voice echoing angrily between unseen walls.

"In the dungeon." Kigeko answered. There were no replies. She sighed. "I knew about this because I'd seen someone use it once before when I was spying on this place. I'm not a traitor." More silence. "Oh for the love of God, let's get going."

Yusuke sighed and looked in the direction he expected Kurama to be standing. "Here we go," he sighed.

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Wow, I SO BSed this. LOL!!!