Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

Chapter I

Broken Chains

"You're too late." He said, grinning insanely with his own blood dribbling down the sides of his swollen lips.

The mortal's eyes narrowed. "Shut up." He snarled under his breath, trying to contain his rage.

His face was covered in crimson. He was crushed and beaten. He looked nearly dead, but his eyes held a fire that declared a faceless victory. "She's gone."

"I said shut up!"

"You can't help her now."

"Rei gun!"

A dim light pulsed around her. It was faint, creeping over her skin, creating an eerie image that was captivating yet disturbing. Her blood-stained kimono draped loosely off her shoulders, revealing anything above her nearly exposed breasts. The majority of her was covered with horrible marks of violence. A pungent smell invaded his senses and it took a quick look around to find just why the whole room reeked of her blood— on every corner of the walls were unfamiliar symbols written in crimson. He briefly wondered what exactly had gone on here.

He slowly made his way towards her, his boots echoing with each step. He stopped and scarlet eyes looked down at her in dark scrutiny. She made no signs of noticing his presence, her eyes remained downcast. "Woman," he began his tone stern and impatient.

He was met with silence.

His ire only grew further when he'd called her name and still failed to get a reply. His eyes narrowed. He almost cursed his companions for putting him in this predicament. This was the last place he'd wanted to be in. He was a warrior, not a hero. He had better things to do, he should be back there where they were busy fighting the enemy. The least she could do was act like she wanted to be saved. Damnit! "Woman!" he called irritation now apparent in his voice.

His brows creased when he didn't get the response he'd wanted. He clenched a fist before he went down on one knee and gripped her shoulders. "What the hell's wrong with you?!" His hold tightened. "Do you want to die here?!" He shook the seemingly lifeless female, desperately trying to get a reaction. "Answer me, you ungrateful wen—" Blank eyes rose to his and he froze, unconsciously letting go.

He could not stand her gaze, and yet he could not seem to look away. Then she whispered, "They will find me…" And when she went on speaking more of these meaningless words, the severe expression on his face slightly softened in confusion. He knew not of what happened to her, but to deeply affect her this way, it gave him an idea of what nightmare she might have been through. He almost felt guilty. Almost. He cared not for her or her situation. He had come here looking for a fight. That was the only reason.

Seeking not to alarm the deity, he reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "Woman," he started, uncertain about what to say. "Yusuke and the others are here to save you," he said, intentionally leaving himself out. "Don't disappoint them." With that, her mumblings slowly faded back into silence. Then on its own volition, his hand went to her pale cheek, the back of his fingers lightly trailing down and settling just under her chin. He gently raised her face as dark-eyes studied the mild bruising of her lips. His mind tried to decipher the unknown pang that suddenly twisted in his gut at the sight. His thumb faintly brushed her bottom lip. She flinched and it did not go unnoticed. What made her recoil he did not know, but he knew the scar was more than skin deep. "What had he done to you, woman?"

She swept across his face with heavy fluttering eyes. Then something flickered—

Life…

Confusion…

Recognition…

—and she screamed—

Fear…

—a piercing, earth-shattering cry that could rouse even the dead.

Instantly, he pulled away as if he was burned. He had no clue what was happening but was acutely aware of the sudden chill that crept over him. He could bear her deafening screams, however he felt something more excruciating coursing through his veins and into his head. Then it struck him. It's her. He did not know how she did it, but it was her, he was sure of it. Her emotions poured mercilessly through him. "Stop it!" he snapped as he stood up and stepped back. Her cries continued and the pain kept flowing. His hand went to hold his throbbing head. It was all too much. He was feeling her pain, her anger, her desperation, her fear. The agony intensified. "Shut up!" His jaws clenched as it threatened to tear him apart—

SLAP!

"I said, shut up!" The impact was hard enough to make her head snap to the side. He had never intended to hurt her, but she was making it too hard for him to handle. Anxious moments passed in complete silence as he tried to regain his control.

She slowly lifted a trembling hand to the side of her face. She didn't know why he had slapped her. And it hurt. "H-Hiei?" she asked hesitantly while tears started gathering in her eyes.

As he'd watched her cradle her bruised face while looking utterly confused and vulnerable, a strange ripping sensation hammered in his chest. However, before he'd even had the time to identify the unfamiliar stir, his ego took over and pushed the feeling aside. No, he did not feel any remorse for his action, his aggression was meant to get some sense out of her clouded mind and it had worked. To him, that was all that mattered. "I—"

"Hiei!" someone interrupted from behind him. He turned and looked back to a pair of emerald orbs. No words were needed as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. And then the fire-demon gave a snort. He made his way towards the door, intending to leave the place as soon as possible. However, before he could walk past the frowning red-head, he gave him a parting statement, "Her screaming was hurting my ears."

And he was gone, just like that.

End of Chapter One