AN: I'm updating! Wow…. This is the last part for this chapter!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 3: Nothing is as it Seems (part 4)

The room was empty and the detective's footsteps echoed loudly. The Crystals in the room loomed over them in an imitating manner, though the air felt as if that wasn't the intended impression.

"We're done looking in here, let's leave." Yusuke said quickly, his discomfort obvious in his tone. Kurama looked around, straining his senses for any sign of life.

"Yes, let's leave." Kurama agreed with the uneasiness in his voice just as apparent as it was in Yusuke's. The two turned to leave when they realized Kuwabara was not coming with them. Kuwabara was walking over to the base of one of the Crystal's.

"Kuwabara, let's get out of here!" Yusuke quietly yelled. Kuwabara put his hand on the Crystal and appeared to be starring at something.

"Guys!" Was all Kuwabara had to say, his voice filled with shock. Yusuke and Kurama ran over.

"What is it?" Kurama asked trying to catch a glimpse of what Kuwabara was looking at and failing.

"It's…Hiei…." He whispered. "I can feel his Yoki coming from inside this Crystal…."

Kurama and Yusuke strained their Spiritual Sensing abilities to confirm Kuwabara's observation. The answer: yes, Hiei is inside that Crystal.

Kurama had brought a flashlight with them only to discover you could see perfectly well by the crystal light. Though these crystals in front of him were clear, they were not inner-lit like the others. They only glowed when sound was made. In theory if one was quiet, you could see into the crystal, but it was too dark in the room to make anything out. The Galen must have assumed that you would be making noise if you were in this room because it had no other forms of illumination, making it very dark if there was no noise.

Kurama took out the flashlight and turned to the others.

"I want you guys to be silent. I'm going to try to see inside the crystal." Kurama announced.

"How- it's too dark!" Yusuke pointed out. Kurama turned on his flashlight and held it up.

"Oh."

Everyone took in a deep breath and quieted down. Kurama pointed the flashlight into the crystal. It landed on Hiei, who was curled up in a little ball, sleeping. His Jagan was open for a moment and shut in reaction to the light being beamed at it. Other than that Hiei was undisturbed. He appeared to be having a nice dream, because he was smiling.

"How the hell are we supposed to get him out?" Kuwabara said, making the crystal light up and their view of Hiei disappear. "And more importantly, how can he sleep through that?"

"I don't know, I really don't…." Kurama confessed when his two companions looked at him expectantly. His mind cooked up a plan. It was not discrete and it involved risking Hiei's life. The plan: have Yusuke blow the crystal up with his Rei-gun and hope Hiei wasn't killed. 'Not going to work.' was all Kurama had thought on that matter.

But the sound of voices sent the detectives out of the room and down the hall, faster than the eye could trace.

"Well Botan, I think we found their prison…." Yusuke told her between breaths.

"Yeah, its really weird…. He's inside a crystal…." Kuwabara added.

"That's great, now why do you suppose that that is the case?" Genkai asked the boys.

"Huh?" Kurama spoke for them all.

"Well, why do you think Hiei was inside that crystal? Could it be that the crystal is leeching Hiei's Yoki to keep it alive for another few years? That would explain the 'desperate' factor." Genkai puzzled.

"No, there was no leeching or agony involved. Hiei was sleeping and smiling!" Kuwabara corrected.

"I don't know…." Yusuke said plainly.

"They have him captive, that's certain." Kurama concluded. Everyone agreed to that.

--- Hiei's Dream Sequence ---

I was sitting in a field of yellow grass. To my left there was a large hill. To my right was a nasty cliff with sharp stones and other nasty things at the bottom, which extended indefinitely. Behind me was a lake with a playful stream that came into the lake from a small forest. In front of me was a little fort that had been constructed from branches and other things that had been laying around. A little girl came out of the fort.

She had normal skin with a slight greenish tint. Her hair was green with white tips and was dull, she had tied it back into a braid. She wore a forest green jumper with a long-sleeve, light blue undershirt. Somehow I knew she was a Galen from the moment I first saw her, and that was before I had my Knowledge.

She saw me and ran over. I took a moment and examined what I was wearing. I had on dark orange pants and a light green short-sleeve shirt. I didn't have a cloth covering my Jagan, but she knew I had one. She smiled cheerfully as she began to yell.

"Liei!" Like every other Galen I met, she could not pronounce 'L's. I chuckled. She leaped into the air and I caught her, twirling her about in a small circle. She laughed jubilantly.

"You haven't changed a bit, Leda." Leda giggled at me.

"I don't change Liei! But you do…. Why haven't you visited lately?" She looked a bit worried. I sighed, unsure of what to say.

"I've been busy lately and I haven't had the time. But I'm here now." I calmed her. It was as if she was my own child. Of course when the Mother Crystal turned me into a Galen I began to feel like she was my own mother. Its weird, she's my child and my mother and there's something inside me that says that's okay, this is how it should be. I held her warm body against mine. My lips made a smile that I couldn't hide away, and, frankly, I didn't want to.

"You'll be staying a while, right Liei?" She asked me.

"Yeah, until I'm needed again. You'll let me Know, right?" She nodded. Good, I was covered.

-b-e-e-p- Suddenly, the author is attacked by a raging hoard of rabid badgers, thus abruptly cutting off Hiei's Dream Sequence and ending the part and chapter. -f-z-z-t-

AN: Well, that dream is certainly better than a nightmare, but what in the world is it? Mwha! If you review, I'll post another chapter and then you can find out! I hope to get 7 reviews before I make my next update, which is going to be Sunday. R&R!!

Review Responses:

KayHiei- Thank you! I hope to get the next one up Sunday, maybe Saturday if I'm lucky.

Donamarine- Thanks! As for the plot, my muse got off her lazy butt and sent a bunch of hungry plot bunnies at me. I'm afraid I got bit and this story was the result. He's a mommy's boy for both his wife and his 'mother'. He's also a workaholic….

baka-onna2003- blushes You people really praise me with such complements that I feel unworthy of. This update's to you! I hope you liked it.

SamiKismet- Little do you know…. bursts into a fit of maniacal laughter What is currently going on is just the beginning of something much larger. I like to make my reader's think, it keeps the story much more dynamic. About the Tarra part, Tarra is a very confusing person. Hiei won't look into her mind on the premise that he might come out without his sanity. And those six years come into serious play later, keep an eye out!

Bishounenlvr - I will, will. mumbles If my life doesn't kill me first….

slave2anime- Why nightmares? Hmm…high stress job, workaholic outlook, and two very mischievous children. Why I'm surprised he can get to sleep! Anyway it's said that if you start remembering someone/thing it will be shortly coming back into your life. Of course for Hiei it's taken the form of nightmares. But those are key, be on the watch!

Thanks to those wonderful people!