Chapter 16

Thank you for reviewing...I really appreciate it. Now please enjoy this next chapter.

Oh and look out for my brothers fic...his name's ben...but I don't know his username.

Wonder what it is...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

"Because you love him..."

Keiko smiled at his response and sighed helplessly. "I guess I can't do anything about it anyway...I'll probably get in the way. Like always..."

Koenma shook his head letting out a chuckle. "You're never a problem Keiko...okay?"

"If you say so..." She whispered brushing her small hand through her hair.

"Botan!" Koenma shouted startling Keiko.

"Yes sir!"

"Get in here!"

Skittering could be heard out side in the hall as a blur rushed into the door. "Yes Koenma sir, what's...Keiko!" She gasped running to her friend. "Hi Botan..."

"Dear what's wrong? Why are you here? Did anything happen? Are you okay? Do you..."

"Ahem!"

Botan looked towards the interruption angrily and smiled childishly remembering why she had come in.

"Koenma, sir, I am so sorry..." She apologized.

"No worries...now I need you to file these papers..."

"Oh yes...how fun..." She sarcastically stated stepping towards the lord. "Um...Koenma?" Keiko whispered pushing into the conversation.

"Yes Keiko?" He asked.

"M-may I file those papers, I really need something to keep me busy..." She whispered walking towards them.

"If you want too, if it's okay with Botan..." He said looking over at the blue haired bubble.

"Of course Keiko! We could file them together, it'd be so much fun!" She cheered grasping the papers and running towards Keiko. Unfortunately the office hadn't had it's daily clean and litter was placed irresponsibly on the floor sending Botan to the ground, as papers showered the three.

"Whoopie! I wonder how the rest of this day will go..."

Hiei had no clue on what was wrong with his team members. Worry took over his mind wondering why they were passed out with no sign of wounds or fractures. "What the hell is going on..." He hissed feeling, for the third time, their pulses.

"Unfortunately the big oaf is alive with the rest...wait..."

Hiei paused his doings after seeing the expression on Kuwabara's face. A look of disgust took place of once was a smile. "What in the seven hells is this oaf dreaming about?"

"Now little girl tell us on why you have led us here?" Kurama asked walking to the girl. "Oh sir I thought that you would know the answer to that question. To kill you..."

The three stepped away from the young child.

"What the hell are you talking about, you can't hurt us!" Yusuke laughed.

"Yusuke don't mock her, she's a dangerous child..." Kurama warned sending a glare at his teammate.

"How dare you speak to me that way, you have no right!" Zi shouted snapping her jump rope from around her waist.

"What the hell are you going to do make us jump rope and humiliate us to death!" Yusuke continued, taunting the child in an immature manner.

"Urameshi! Shut up this girl looks like she means business, don't mess with her!" Kuwabara shouted pushing him to the ground.

"Hey!"

"You two are too simple, killing you both will be easy..." She laughed stepping into the shadow a tree gave away.

The room again turned black as the giggle of the little girl could still be heard echoing in their heads.

"Ring around the rosies..."

" Not that song again! Hey don't you know anything better! You know something up to date!" Yusuke shouted shaking a fist.

"Pockets full of posies..."

Figures of Zi appeared around them circling them faster and faster, their vision blurring as they tried to keep up.

"Ashes, ashes..."

It seemed as if many little girls surrounded them each giggling with laughter, each singing the song.

They repeated the same three verses over and over again, never rehearsing the last one.

"This is peculiar, why haven't they said the last words, you know we..."

"Do not speak those words Kuwabara..." Kurama snapped interrupting the orange haired teen.

"I-if you say so..."

"Now we're playing the game, remember you had three chances. But the red headed buffoon took a risk and lost your first chance. Now pick the real me or suffer the consequences..."

"You really should start finding new games to play. Get out more!" Yusuke shouted about to pummel one.

"Yusuke no, don't. We can't take any chances...we need to figure out which one is the real "

"What...how are we going to figure that out?" Kuwabara asked.

"Ring around the rosies, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes...ring around the rosies, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes, ri..."

"They keep singing that same shit!" Yusuke shouted covering his ears in frustration.

"The song is part of this game...but how..." Kurama whispered his eyes following the girls that circled him.

He stared at one intently following it's blurred figure. It seemed the same as the others but something was different. This one held a posy in her hand and smiled brightly.

"A posy...wait..." His ears perked as he listened to the song as it continued.

"Ashes...ashes...ring around the ros..."

"They're all missing the last verse where they die..." Kurama spoke aloud.

"You mean, we all fall down..." Kuwabara spoke.

"Kuwabara I told you not to say those final words!" Kurama shouted his eyes growing wide.

Kuwabara screamed in pain as he fell into an endless pit. His friends watching him fall, for it was all they could do.

Hiei watched as Kuwabara's body arched in pain. His lips throwing out a loud groan. "Hey wake up you carrot headed idiot!" Hiei shouted shaking him.

Kuwabara made no reply as he continued groaning, feeling pain that was unwanted.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Wake up!"

"What the hell? Kurama what's going on?" Yusuke shouted.

"You are not allowed to say that word here, it's the final piece...if we say it, it leads to our doom."

"Just like it did to those people with the disease back then..." Yusuke whispered to himself.

Angry he gathered energy in his index finger and shot a blast to one of the girls, or to whatever it would hit. "Spirit gun!"

The blast shot towards two of the girls as each of them fell to the ground floating in midair.

"Second chance and that was wrong..." Zi giggled.

"Dammit!"

Kurama gazed at the two girls as their hands floated down their sides. One with a clenched fist as blood leaked out. The blood dripped down turning into black ash falling into the endless pit.

"Ashes..." Kurama whispered.

His eyes turned to the other girl who held a rose in her hair, her gold bracelets circling her eyes.

"Ring around the rosies..."

"What are you whispering Kurama?" Yusuke asked floating over to the red head.

"Yusuke gather up spirit energy, I think I know which one is the real one." He explained

Yusuke nodded his head and prepared to gather as much energy as he can.

Kurama focused on the rest of the girls that were circling them and stared closely, making sure that he would catch every detail

"One..two...there's 11 girls in total." He whispered to Yusuke. "And...?"

"The first six all contain the same objects as the first three..."

"What are you talking about...?"

"But the last stanza is missing meaning that there should be a girl that looks like she has the black plague, one that is slowly falling to her death..."

Kurama's eyes widen as he found what he was looking for.

She stood there as if she wasn't moving around smiling sadly at him. Her eyes held a ring of black, darkening her pail skin. Dried blood could be seen on her white dress and on the side of her mouth.

She held a posy, clasping it tightly in her small little hands.

He looked on sadly at the suffering child as she mouthed the last words.

"We all fall down..."

"Yusuke it's the seventh one, shot that one and make it a clean one..."

Yusuke stared at him confused. "I won't be able to do that, they're moving too fast!"

Kurama pointed a finger to a certain direction. "When I say now, you shoot..."

"Ready..."

"NOW!"

And with that Yusuke shot taking Kurama's signal and placing faith in his hands.

The girls stopped as they all cried circling the sick girl as if pleading for her to not say the last words out loud.

She looked at Kurama sadly and smiled. Kurama nodded his head as the little girl looked at the others. The little shook her head as tears fell from her eyes,

"We all fall down..."

Screams were heard as they all fell into the pit. The darkness soon gave out revealing the sun that shined upon the bodies of the three boys, only now a little girls body appeared right next to them.

Hiei noticed the little girl and scowled. "It's you, you damn pathetic..."

A cry could be heard from the little girl as she curled up into a little ball. "I'm s-sorry...I-I'll tell you where your daughter is..." She cried never showing her face.

"What the hell! I should just kill you now!" He shouted rushing towards her only to be stopped by Kurama's gentle hand.

"No, don't punish her anymore than she has to be...she suffered enough..."

"You're awake, and what do you mean she's suffered enough!?"

Kurama walked over to the little girl and kneeled down next to her. "What's your name little girl?"

"Zi..."

"Please let me see your face..."

"NO! NO!" She cried covering her face with her small hand. She coughed uncontrollably after her reply and curled up even more than she possibly can.

"Did he promise to make you feel better...did he make you feel better? But you failed him so he gave you back your awful disease, didn't he Zi?"

She looked up at him her eyes full of tears black rings circling them. And nodded her head, wiping the dried blood away from her mouth.

"We'll help you..."

"Like hell we will! She almost choked my wife to death and she's working for that damn demon!"

"Only because he promised that he would make the pain go away, and he did. And for once I was happy...for once..." She cried.

Kurama hugged the little girl and glared at Hiei.

"We're only taking her so she can give us information and tell us where the hell my daughter is being kept."

"Show some sympathy man..." Yusuke shouted holding a sleeping Kuwabara up.

"There's no time for that anymore...my daughter is in danger...and I'm not ready to show sympathy yet..."

Kurama nodded at his decision and carried the girl. "Will you be able to lead us to the castle..."

"Of co..." Zi's eyes had grown wide as she screamed out in pain.

The scream echoed through the forest as birds flew from the terror and animals hid in the bushes and trees.

She closed her eyes as her hand went limp while the other clutched Kurama's shirt tightly.

" What a shame Zi...and you were doing so well...so well..." A voice whispered as the team glared at the skies.

"Where the hell are you!" Hiei shouted.

No voice returned a reply.

The team turned to the girl in Kurama's arms and smiled sadly.

"Our little hope is lost..." Yusuke whispered.

Kurama only grasped the girls hand and detached it from his shirt. He placed the girl on the ground softly and turned to the others.

"This disgusting demon has to die..."

"Koenma sir a young spirit is here, and she won't travel on..." an ogre stated running into the office.

"And you can't control her?"

"No sir she's a wild spirit, she won't go on until she has a chance to communicate with a certain human.

"And who may this human be?"

"One named Keiko..."

Koenma turned to the two girls who had been eavesdropping on the others.

"Who wants to speak to me?"

Okay I'll stop it there! I hope it was good enough...I really hope it didn't suck! Please review!