"So this is it eh? Doesn't look like that tough a field to break." Katai murmured, staring at the force feild as Haku walked around healing the wounds of his team.

"Surely it doesn't…but take a closer look." Kurama replied, touching the barrier just barely so as to give a demonstration. A purple fire leapt out and scorched his hands, forcing him to pull back before he lost them.

"Wow! That is quite a barrier." Seika acknowledged, picking up a rock and tossing it in his hand. "I wonder if nonliving objects can enter?"

He tossed the rock, but to his surprise, it desintigrated. "That doesn't make me feel anybetter…."

"So we've got to intrude into the base, destroy whatever demons get in our way, find Lord Rioko, kill him, get the children and we're done right?" Suki replied, poking at the barrier.

The land around them was rough and cracked, almost stricken with drought to the point of not even a plant surviving there.

A huge portal, almost invisible to the naked eye, stood as a dome over a small mansion in the side of a mountain up ahead.

"Pretty much. Although it won't be that easy." Koenma answered. "Lord Rioko has many demons in his service, some even A class. He, to his own power, is an S-class from what we know, and he has thousands of children in the mansion over there. It is even possible that he has them under mind control, so they might attack you themselves."

"That's not good." Seika replied, glaring at the barrier. "What kind of creep goes around kidnapping children so as to make them fight for him."

"A man that doesn't like fighting for himself." Hiei whispered, stepping closer to the barrier. "A man that would rather kill off the world's infants then have to deal with a matter directed at him."

"So how do we kill him?" Katai replied.

Koenma sighed. "We're not sure. At this point in time, the most we want you to do is find a way to demolish this barrier so we can enter and lend a hand. Yusuke and the others are far more prepared for an enemy of this sort than you are. If you can break down this barrier, then your mission is complete and they will take care of the rest."

"Alright. I think we have everything." Kenya replied, looking around. "Weapons?"

Everyone presented them before them, Seika his staff, Katai her gloves, Haku his rose, Yoru her whip, and Suki, from her back pocket brought out two hatchets as hers.

Kenya lifted his and nodded. "Allies." Niko bowed his head and Arune curtsied for them in an elegant fashion. "We're all healed?"

All nodded.

"Well…I gather there is nothing else. When we're inside we'll most likely come up with a plan on how to deal with this area as we endure it. We won't let you down." Kenya bowed his head to Koenma in a respectable fashion, much more than Hiei would have ever done, and he and his group walked towards the barrier.

"I will enter first." Arune offered, stepping up to the barrier. With her hand over the front, she pressed through, the purple fire suddenly becoming like a liquid gelatin that enveloped her body during passage.

"Cool…" Seika whispered, stepping through next, Niko pawing at the barrier like it was a scratch post.

Then Haku, Yoru, Suki, and Katai were next, followed lastly by Kenya.

With their children gone, the parents were left with nothing, but hope for their success.

Inside, the group managed to notice that all plants and such were inside, grown into sort of a demon forest if you will. It was thick with several vines and different sorts of flowers, a little larger than normal.

"Follow me." Arune commanded, walking ahead, her double edged staff before her should anything attack.

"Fine by me…You know the place better." Seika chuckled, staring at plants.

"Vampiric vines…and Cherry Tulips with venom thorns. And I believe those are Flame trees, for their bark is perfect fire wood but the smoke is poisonous." Haku rambled, looking from plant to plant, naming them straight from the Encyclopedia in his mind.

"Enough…you're making me nautious…" Seika mumbled as he held his stomach, looking like he wanted to puke.

Haku grew silent, but his eyes did not stop from roaming the area, looking at his surroundings.

"So…Arune…where are we heading?" Kenya inquired, as they came into a clearing.

"We're on our way towards the mansion, only I'm afraid there's an ambush waiting for us here."

"An ambush?"

They looked around, but there was nothing to be seen.

"I don't know about you kid, but I don't see anything here that can possibly harm us!" Suki announced, looking around.

"There." Came Haku.

All stared at him and what he was pointing at.

Before them was a line of what looked like rose bushes, each almost exact to the other.

"What? Flowers! Flowers are going to attack us! I don't believe that!" Seika announced, laughing.

Everyone narrowed their eyes at him. "If you saw Kurama fight, you wouldn't be laughing so much."

Seika turned his attention to the speaker, Suki.

"What do you mean?"

Suki smiled. "Kurama was a master of plant magic. He could produce any living plant in the world from a mere few seeds and some of his energy. That's why, when he was an actual demon, he was known as one of the most dangerous of his time."

"What!? Kurama's a demon! Then that means…" Seika turned to Haku, whom by this time was glaring at the lot of them for talking about his father. "You're half a demon!"

Haku smiled. "Believe what you like. But I will guarantee you that every bit of knowledge my father had, he passed onto me. Had you of listened to me earlier, I would have explained the environment a little more."

"What do you mean?" Katai announced, as Yoru leaned on a tree, growling in disgust.

Haku smiled and walked to the front of the group.

"Those are what are commonly known as Mirror roses. They never leave their spot in the ground, but they can kill you as easily as you can kill a bug. They're truly dangerous, and I would warn, not to agitate them."

"Why? What can they do?"

Haku turned to Katai, and his smile turned into a frown. "Pick up a rock and throw it at them. You'll see what they can do."

Katai looked in an argumental mood, so Kenya did the honors with the stone instead of her.

He tossed it at one of the flowers, and was astonished to find that one of the roses had snatched out and eaten it.

Then, to their dislike, each of the roses backed themselves up, and spit a multitude of rocks back at them.

"He only threw one!" Seika shouted as the rocks piled on them.

"Yes. But that is why it is called the Mirror rose. Mirrors can create copies of an original, so can the roses. Anything you throw or do to them, they will repeat and send back. So far off attacks don't work. And close up, they can peirce you with poisonous needles that will leave you dead in a matter of seconds."

"And this is there first defense?" Suki snarled, kicking the ground. "Geez! Talk about a welcoming party!"

"Haku." Kenya commanded, standing in front of the group.

"Yes."

"Do you know of anyway we can possibly destroy these roses? If not, then a way to get around them without getting ourselves hurt?"

Haku thought for a moment, staring at them.

Finally, when everyone thought he would remain quiet forever, he spoke. "There is one way."

Seika grinned. "What is it?!"

"We have to overpower the roses to the extent that they can no longer reproduce copies. Then, we will be able to destory them easily."

"How do we do that?"

Haku sighed. "I'm not exactly sure. I've never been met with a plant like this before. Otherwise, I would take care of it."

"Enough of the chitchat." Everyone stopped to stare at Yoru, her green eyes looking over them with a sort of brilliant destructive glare in them that made one think if there were really beings worse than her. "I'll take care of it so you brats will stop whining like the babies you are."

"Go ahead." Suki offered, putting out her arms like a butler. "Have fun."
Yoru glared at the other girl, and, stepping up to the front, pulled out her whip.

"I'll finish these things off faster than any of you can. I don't even see why father sent me with such young buffoons. You can't even decipher an enemy from the wind."

"Now who's producing the chit-chat." Suki grumbled, knowing Yoru would hear it. She didn't really expect Yoru to turn on her and snatch her by the neck.

"What was that?"

Suki snatched at Yoru's hands, peircing them with her fingernails. "You talk to much." She answered.

"Really…well…we'll see how well those roses can reproduce you." Yoru snickered, lifting Suki up in a position to throw her.

"Put her down Yoru!" Katai growled, gloves at the ready.

"Put her down or else!" Seika followed his staff ready before them.

Arune stepped out of the way, so as to not get hurt, but Kenya didn't.

He just kept staring at the roses, thinking.

'Yeah…that could work…'

"You puny things think your bad-asses, don't yah? You can't mess with a chick that's had thirteen years of training in almost every area of destruction, and has mastered her spirit energy to the extent of being able to steal yours. You can't beat me!"

"Oh yeah…well we can try!" Seika shouted, running to attack Yoru.

Katai was going to follow, but a sudden change in the atmosphere stopped her from the maneuver. Seika stopped as well, as Yoru spun, dropping Suki at her feet as she glared at her brother. "Kenya. What the hell are you doing?"

The area began to heat up to unbareable degrees, but strangely, Seika, Katai, Arune, and Haku all felt as if it were cool.

"I'm taking care of a mess you decided on cleaning but never did. Like I always do." He snarled back, glaring at the roses.

They shriveled up and died, leaving only a dark trace of ash where they had once been standing. In fact, they almost popped they were so hot.

Yoru snatched Kenya at the back of the neck and lifted him up, turning him to where he was eye level with her.

"That was my mess."

"Leave Kenya alone!" Katai shouted, coming up to Yoru's back. She began to punch the other girl, but the most it got her was a firm slap across the face that sent her flying into a tree.

"She's right Yoru. Put Kenya down." Suki followed, pulling out her hatchets once again. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Screw you." Yoru answered, creating a black fire sword from thin air. "I've wanted to do this for a while and I'm gonna. And no one's gonna stop me."

She raised her sword up to the air, and glared at Kenya, prepared to strike him at any given moment.

Seika, Katai, and Suki all began to shout.

Arune merely watched, knowing something would happen to deter Kenya's destruction.

"Put him down Yoru." Haku snarled.

Suddenly, with out anyone's notice, Haku was standing behind Yoru, his hand reaching up to touch the middle of her back, along the spine.

"What are you doing kid?" She growled, but other than that, she couldn't move.

Suddenly she dropped Kenya, and began to howl in pain, arcing similar to the way a cat does when grabbed at the scruff of the neck.

Kenya rubbed the back of his neck where she had squeezed him, and pulled away finding a slight trace of blood on his fingers.

"You alright Kenya!" Suki shouted, immediately searching the back of his neck like a worried parent.

Kenya brushed her off. "Yeah. Fine. Yoru's done worse to me before."

"So you're fine, yes?" Haku inquired, his hand still at it's spot in Yoru's back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Yoru snarled, pain in her voice.

"I'm making sure you don't go wild on us. You're powerful, I'll give you that. But you abuse it." Haku murmured, as Yoru's cries became worse. Then, in an instant, he stepped away, leaving her to collapse on the ground.

She huffed a little bit from the experience, but in an instant was up on her feet, her whip extended and ready to attack.

Haku stared at her, almost dumbfounded in appearance as she raised her whip to strike.

"Haku!" Everyone shouted simultaneoulsy, wondering if perhaps he was frozen with fear where he was standing.

Haku didn't pay any attention to them. In fact, he remained glaring face to face with Yoru.

"Die bastard!" She shouted, throwing her whip at him.

Everyone closed their eyes, hoping that Haku had some plan up his sleeve to stop it.

Kenya however, didn't. He watched everything happen, ready at any moment to jump in and defend Haku should the eight year old need it.

He figured Haku had a plan, and he almost snickered when he noticed how Yoru froze up, in attack position, her whip limp in her hand.

"What the…what the hell…?"

Haku had his hand up towards her face, palm flat toward her in a hand signal that meant stop.

"What the hell did you do…" She snarled, fighting with herself to continue the attack.

"Parasite vines." He replied simply, smirking.

"Parasite vines?" Seika and Katai announced simultaneously, glaring at each other for their exact copy of each other's speech.

"Yes. Parasite vines. They are vines that can live inside of a living body for years, and control them almost like a puppet at given will. They basically surround the main joints of the body, wrapping around the bone so as to take complete control. They're painful, but most effective if one wants to have complete control of another."

"So Yoru's infested with Parasite vines? Awesome!" Seika announced happily. "I think that is the best plant I have ever heard about!"

Katai nodded her agreement.

Haku dropped his hand and Yoru snarled at him, glaring with everything she had.

"When I've gotten rid of these vines in my body, I will kill you in the slowest and most painful of ways."

"And like Suki, I will take you with me in anything you do." Haku replied, stepping away. "You alright Kenya?"

Kenya nodded. "Yeah…a few puncture wounds is it. Nothing too serious. I thank you for saving me there."

"Don't mention it. It is the team's responsibility to protect the leader as it is the leader's responsibility to protect the team and command them to the best way fitting a win in battle. I was merely doing my job as a part of the "team"."

Kenya smiled as Haku stepped away and towards Arune. "I believe you were going to lead us to the castle."

'Funny.' Kenya thought, as the group began walking again. 'Haku's more like my father than any of his children.'

But as they were walking, they began to notice vibrations coming from the field itself.

"Kenya!" A voice shouted in his head. "Kenya!!!!!"

"Father? What's wrong?" He inquired of the voice, but when it didn't reply, he raced back towards where their parents were held.

Hiei had his hands on the barrier, not even caring if his fingers were burned.

"Father! What's wrong?" Kenya repeated to him, as he noticed that the entire group of adults was franctically trying to figure out a way in.

"It's Satou…" His father growled. "She entered the barrier with out our notice and now she's inside! You have to find her!"