Sakura: Well, this is the start of the four Saint Beasts! I really have to get off now though... :(

Hiei: Agh... Your Dad's yellin' at us again... OO

Sakura: Agh...

Hiei: Ciao.

Chapter 6

"Hey, hey Sakura! Wake up a minute will you?"

Sakura rolled over, away from the hushed voice attempting to rouse her.

"SAKURA!" the voice whispered/shouted at her.

She turned back to the voice of which belonged to Kurama and sat up.

"What? What's wrong?" Sakura became worried, it was early in the morning.

"Nothing too much, I have to go to Spirit World with Hiei," Kurama said, sitting beside her on her bed, "just some community service you could say."

He smiled softly at her and patted her head.

"Where's Hiei?" Sakura asked, a plan formulating in her mind.

"He'll be coming around later so we can share a portal, rather than making two and wasting energy," Kurama replied, "I'll tell him to come up and say good bye."

"Why can't I come?" Sakura pleaded.

"It's too dangerous! Are you kidding me? It's in Demon City! On the other side of Spirit World! No way are you going with us!" Kurama looked shocked at his sister.

'No way? That's what you think!'

"Okay brother," Sakura's face entertained an innocent smile.

Kurama pat his sister on the head once more, smiling unsurely.

Sakura smiled and watched as her brother left the room. She jumped out of bed as soon as he closed the door and started to strip off her pajama's.

It had been a few days since she had last seen Hiei, the night he first came to her window since that whole shadow sword incident.

Sakura put on her loose jean pants and a black top with the kanji for energy on it. She combed out her hair and put it once more into a loose ponytail, she looked at herself quick and sprinted back to bed, bouncing on it a minute and laying down upon it.

Her plan couldn't fail! It was perfect now that she thought of it! Kurama would never guess!

Someone knocked at the door and Sakura scrambled under the covers, mumbling a sleepy, "Come in," to the visitor.

The door opened and Hiei stepped inside. Sakura sat straight up in bed and quickly hopped out. She ran over to Hiei and covered his mouth.

"Hiei! Will you do me a huge favor?" Sakura begged, her eyes large.

"Say goodbye?" Kurama asked his friend as Hiei walked down the stairs, slowly.

Hiei nodded and followed as Kurama led him out the back door. Greeting the two of them was a large, shimmering portal glowing every hue of blue possibly imagined.

Hiei watched as Kurama stepped through the portal, following the fox demon slowly and trying to ignore the protest in the back of his mind.

Hiei walked through to the other side of the portal, closing his eyes as he went through the sensation of falling through water.

When he opened his eyes again, Hiei found himself in the same room he had gone to before his trial. Hiei stepped forward towards Kurama, sensing the portal close up quickly behind him.

'Woah, where are we?'

Hiei ignored the questioner and tried to tune in to what the person behind the desk was saying.

The room was large, roman columns upholding the ceiling in four corners of the room, the checkered, tiled floor was decorative and plain at the same time while the desk and a few potted plants were the only actual objects in the room.

"Will you do it?" the chair turned around to reveal an infant, a large hat decorating his head and a binky inhabiting his mouth.

Hiei tried to ignore the snickering in the back of his mind, but couldn't hold in a spiteful smirk.

"Of course, it will count as community service towards the terms set for your trial," the child spoke.

Kurama nodded as did Hiei after a second. The less community service he had left, the faster he could get back to the Makai.

"Good, a portal will be awaiting you outside." the toddler spoke, motioning towards the large mahogany doors behind the two demons.

Hiei was shocked a minute, it had gone a lot faster than expected. He walked out the doors with Kurama, looking around for the portal. He spotted it upon instant, it looking the same as the last one.

"That was quite fast, wasn't it?" Kurama noted, turning to his friend before stepping in the portal, "You were paying attention, weren't you?" Kurama added at Hiei's confused and suspicious look.

'Hiei! You're blowing it!'

'Oh, shut up! It's not like I hide little kitsunes in my scarf everyday, besides, I'm doing you a favor, aren't I?'

'Hmph, oh fine! If you want to put it that way.'

The fox in his white scarf twitched slightly. She was aggravated. Hiei smirked once more as he stepped through the portal after Kurama.

They appeared in front of a large stone castle in Demon City. Kurama and Hiei ducked behind a large tree as a group of dirty Gutter Demons stalked by.

Kurama looked at Hiei and they both nodded, resolute of a plan. They snuck in behind the large group and stood behind two slackers and bonked their heads together, knocking them out. The two took the demons outer cloaks and draped them around themselves.

They caught up with the rest of the group, taking the two slackers spots and followed as they all headed over towards… well… wherever they were going.

Sakura poked her head out from underneath Hiei's scarf, safe since she was hidden by the Gutter Demon's cloak.

"A feast! A feast!"

"Scum-balls!"

"They keep comin'!"

Sakura curled back up in Hiei's scarf, knowing they would soon go into action and join Yusuke and Kuwabara as they fought the Four Saint Beasts.

"They're like ants, too many of 'em! They'll overwhelm us!"

'Wow, they're giving up easily,' Sakura thought to herself.

"Hey! If you're having trouble with these lowlifes, how do expect to tackle the castle?" Hiei shouted, voicing Sakura's thoughts in his own way.

Hiei and Kurama trampled and sliced through the demons and got right up front to where, guess who! Yusuke and Kuwabara were.

"The two of you alone wouldn't get very far," Kurama started while both he and Hiei threw off their cloaks, "Care for some help?"

"Where'd you come from?" Yusuke shouted in shock, pointing at the two, or rather three, demons in front of him, "What are you two doing here?"

"Community service in lieu of jail time, you might say," Kurama said, stepping forward slightly.

'Jail time! Kurama never mentioned that! Why didn't he tell me,' Sakura thought in shock, her brother had never been one to lie.

'He didn't want to worry you, isn't it obvious?' Hiei thought back to the fox curled up in his scarf.

Sakura remained silent as she pondered it all. It was so like him to do that, despite that he hated lying.

"Kuwabara, allow me to introduce Hiei and Kurama!" Yusuke said, a smiled on his face.

"Yo,"

"Hi,"

'Hey! I know him! He was in Genkai's contest for her little disciple thing!' Sakura thought, quite loudly in fact.

Hiei shook his head to get her voice to stop echoing in his head.

"You've got Kurama's angle, but here's mine. I'm out to snatch the treasures and weapons the Four Beasts beat me to, so don't expect any help from me, got it?" Hiei told the two humans.

Sakura snickered to herself. It was so like Hiei.

"What's with the shrimp, he's coppin' a pretty high and mighty attitude!" Kuwabara said, obviously not knowing exactly to whom he was speaking to.

"Does a death wish cause you to speak that way to me?" Hiei retorted, a calm look on his face.

"You don't like it? Tough toenails!" Kuwabara answered back.

'Nice way to make friends Hiei,' Sakura couldn't help but think to him.

"Stop it Hiei, we can squabble after this is finished." Kurama's words were like his sisters in that they voiced the same opinion.

"Yusuke, I still have a score to settle with you, I'll warn you once, watch your back." Hiei had to get that last sentence in.

The four of them began to walk, one towing a fifth, towards the castle, ignoring the lower class demons as they parted, fearing Hiei and Kurama.

They finally came to an entrance, the top decorated with human skulls, and some colossal demon skulls as well.

"Woah! That's some entrance!" Yusuke said, voicing Sakura's thoughts, unknowingly.

"A long, dark tunnel. Brr." Kuwabara added to Yusuke's opinion.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained! Let's go guys!" Yusuke stepped ahead of the others and started walking.

As they reached the end, nearing a light at the end of the dark tunnel, a fluttering in the wind was heard. A strange, one eyed, winged creature flew towards the odd group.

"Welcome to Labyrinth Castle, those who dare enter will be tried at the gate of betrayal." the creature spoke, it's voice high pitched but soft, like a pained whisper.

'Tried?'

The creature flew over to the other side of the room and pulled a lever, causing the ceiling to fall. The group gasped as they stuck up their hands instinctively.

"The gate is keenly sensitive, quite smart and extremely wicked. It analyzes the strength of each person and applies the exact amount of pressure that he can tolerate. If even one of you relaxes the slightest bit- SPLAT!" the creatures squealed.

The creature continued on, "You see, only craven traitors are allowed to enter this castle."

Sakura nearly popped out of Hiei's scarf in her worry, but remembered that Kurama would kill her and lose his concentration. Keeping her head, she quivered for a second in Hiei's scarf.

"Hiei!" Yusuke shouted over to his left, "You're a lot faster than the rest of us, run and try to raise the lever by the eye guy!"

"You outta your mind Urameshi? You go! You can't trust that little dude!" Kuwabara cried vociferously.

"So Mr. Flat Face is not a complete fool after all. Are you sure you want to trust me?" Hiei asked, a smirk dancing across his face.

"I can support your share for a second or two if I give it all I got. GO Hiei!" Yusuke smiled assuredly at his friend, "Just don't take too long, 'kay?"

Hiei looked shocked a minute then dashed out from under the fallen ceiling. He reached the lever easily, and the winged creature looked shocked.

"What're you waitin' for? Raise the lever!" Someone shouted to Hiei when he hesitated.

"Think it over, lord Hiei. Leave them to their fate and I will escort you directly to Master Suzaku!" the creature's eye was half closed in merriment.

'Hiei….?' Sakura thought, extremely worried all of a sudden.

"Heh, what a bunch of morons." Hiei smiled, "You have no idea!"

With intense speed, Hiei unsheathed his sword and sliced vertically at the demon, slicing it nearly in half but letting it live for his message, "Tell your 'masters' that I will spare their lives if they submit to my will! They get one chance to beg for their lives- that's it!"

Yusuke ran over to Hiei whilst the creature flew on its way to speak with it's masters.

"You sure made us sweat with that imperious act of yours! You are one supremely twisted guy. Man!" Yusuke draped an arm around Hiei's shoulder.

Hiei shrugged it off and pointed at Yusuke, "I didn't do it for your sake! This will go a lot faster with backup!"

Hiei turned and stalked off, not bothering to listen as Kurama interpreted 'Hiei Speak'.

Hiei was a bit ahead of everyone else, for the others were listening in as Yusuke contacted Botan in the human world.

'You… really had me worried, Hiei.' Sakura sounded like she had just gotten out of a horror movie with the saddest plot in the world, frightened and sad, as though still not over the shock of it all.

'You didn't trust me?' Hiei sounded teasing a mite, but tried his hardest to hide the emotion behind his words, Sakura sounded serious.

'Wha? No! I trust you! It's just that…well…you hesitated and… it sort of frightened me, that's all…' Sakura stopped as Hiei came to a halt in front of a pair of bronze doors.

"…they're very dangerous. And they don't look human at all, so brace yourselves for that," Kurama must have been explaining about the Four Saint Beasts that lay ahead.

Sakura inferred this since she had only heard part of the conversation.

"Such high praise! I blush!"

The voice resonated through the doors, gravelly and hard.

"This is one of them?" Yusuke asked aloud as he and Kuwabara shoved through the doors.

"Heh, indeed it is. Welcome. I, Genbu, will take gooood care of you!" the creature standing before the odd group was horrific.

His skin was made of rocks, sharp and hard as stone, spiked decorating the large head and tail. He was extremely large and his arms draped across the floor like a monkey's, legs crouched towards the ground.

"Behind me," Genbu spoke, "is the one staircase that leads up. Defeat me and pass. If not, you die. Come at me all at once, it will save me the time."

"I'll give it a whirl,"

Kurama stepped out from behind Yusuke and Kuwabara, his voice steadfast and courageous, but soft.

"Let's see how he handles one of us before we commit to a joint attack. Anyway, I can't let Hiei have all the fun and take all the bows!" Kurama smiled at his demon friend before walking towards Genbu.

"Feh! Whatever." Hiei replied, ignoring the sharp prod he received from Sakura.

'Be nice! He was just making a joke! Yeesh!' Sakura placed her orangey-red and brown paw back where it first was as she admonished the imiko.

"Look, maybe we could sneak around him-" Yusuke started.

"Relax. Kurama may surprise you. Fact is, I teamed up with him because that's a lot smarter than going up against him. Threaten him, or the people he cares for and he gets vicious in ways I rather not think about," Hiei smiled slightly at Yusuke's moronic attempt to avoid the first of the saint beasts.

"Whenever you're ready," Kurama spoke softly.

Genbu remained passive so Kurama spoke once more, "I'll make the first move, then."

"His tail's… melting into the rock floor!" Yusuke watched as the tail sunk into the floor like a hot knife stabbing into butter.

"And it's coming up behind Kurama!"

"Rock is my element! It allows me to do things like… this!" Genbu laughed as his tail leapt from the floor behind Kurama.

Kurama jumped out of the way, a shocked look on his face, and the tail sliced through his stomach despite desperate attempts to escape.

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Sakura shouted.

Hiei would have hit his scarf, but she was just worried about her brother, and Yusuke covered up her small voice.

"He slid his tail right through the rock and nailed Kurama!" Yusuke shouted in shock.

"As you now realize, the room is an entire extension of myself!" Genbu cackled, watching as Kurama put an arm to his stomach.

"It's ok, I've had worse. Genbu just caught me off guard, that's all." Kurama explained to his worried crew, face entertaining a pained smile.

'Kurama…' Sakura whispered mentally, worry caressing every word.

"Eh heh, put on the tough act if you like, but I'm just getting started!" Genbu laughed and began to sink into the floor.

The rock creature cackled once more as his whole body slid into the rock floor, enabling him to be absolutely anywhere in the room.

Kurama looked around the room, his eyes shifting everywhere at once it seemed.

"BOO!" Genbu shouted and attacked Kurama from behind.

As Genbu jumped at Kurama from one side, his tail leaked through and shot at Kurama's other side. Kurama quickly side-flipped, landing on a knee and a foot, just barely having missed the attacks.

"There he goes again!" Yusuke shouted as Genbu once more became one with the stone room.

"No fair! Creep!" Kuwabara yelled.

Genbu shot out of nowhere and tried to grab at Kurama, "You won't win by just dodging, demon thief!"

Kurama got up from where he had landed, having jumped away from another narrowly missed attack from Genbu.

Kurama flipped a hand through his thick, red hair and drew out a rose. "You have a point. It's time I gave as well as got!"

"A rose? Kurama are you crazy?" Yusuke shouted at his supposed senile friend.

"This isn't just any rose, it's my rose whip!" Kurama lashed out with the rose, a spark of light surrounding it as it morphed into a green whip, covered in long, fatal spikes.

"The room smells nice… what's going on?" Yusuke asked, a dazed looked crossing his face.

"Dare I say it… flower power?" Kuwabara grimaced at his own lousy joke.

Kurama spoke once aloud, speaking to an unknown source which became clear as Genbu attacked from above.

Kurama was ready though, "Thorn whip lash!" Kurama sliced through Genbu's rocky outer surface like a hot knife through butter.

Genbu's body parts fell to the ground with a loud thud as Kurama walked towards the group.

"STELLAR! You dismembered him in one slice!" Yusuke shouted, running over to greet his wounded friend.

"Psh, the guy wasn't as tough as I though." Kuwabara sniffed as he too walked towards Kurama.

"You dolt, Kurama made it look easy. But you'd been dead at Genbu's first strike!" Hiei smirked at Kuwabara's deduction of Genbu.

"Why do you keep insultin' me every time you open yer yap?" Kuwabara stopped to squabble with Hiei.

"Knock it off you two!" Yusuke told the two.

"Yes, we still need to…" Kurama stopped, his eyes dulling as he turned towards Genbu, "We're not finished."

Genbu stood, his head in his hands and with a quick movement, he placed it back on his stony neck, "As you see, being sliced to bits is no more than a moments inconvenience for me."

"Exploding rock! Take that, thief!" Genbu shouted, attacking without warning.

His body parts exploded, each flying with outrageous speed towards Kurama. Kurama lashed out with his whip, slicing and dicing until Genbu was hardly a pile of oversized stones. But that didn't stop him.

His body flew back to him, rocks forming an unscathed body. "You bore me twerp, die! Exploding rock!"

"Again!" Kurama seemed unprepared as he tiredly dodged the body parts flung at him.

Genbu's body began to hover back over to him once more, Kurama was on his knees, breathing hard.

Sakura was trembling inside Hiei's scarf, her head popped out of the top and watching the battle with worried eyes.

Hiei reached back and pet her head with a smile, a 'don't worry!' sort of look that made her trembling slow.

"Heh! Still breathing- but clearly no fight left!" Genbu snapped at Kurama as the demon boy began to laugh, "What's this? Has fear snapped your mind?" Genbu looked startled as the others too began to snicker.

Genbu's body parts were there all right, but not in the right places! Sakura too began to stop her shaking and laugh worriedly along with them all.

Kurama held up a large red stone, "Looking for this? I figure this is your control core, the part that keeps all of the pieces of your body organized. You tried to keep it hidden as a part of your body but I caught a glint as it emitted energy. You see, part of my success at being a thief is that I'm good at finding what's hidden." Kurama concluded as he tossed it into the air and sliced it in half, despite Genbu's attempts for him to not damage the core.

Genbu's scream was unearthly as he exploded into a million pieces. Kurama walked slowly over to his comrades and Sakura tried to squirm out of Hiei's scarf.

Hiei reached back and squished her head back in, 'What are you trying to do? If he sees you, he'll have a heart attack!'

Sakura stopped trying to escaped but couldn't stop her excited squirming as Hiei neared Kurama.

"You did it! And just what he deserved!" Yusuke was complimenting Kurama as Hiei walked over.

Kurama fell to the floor in pain, a small gasp escaping him.

Sakura tried once more to escaped from Hiei's scarf but Hiei began to speak and she stopped to listen.

"Genbu was a formidable opponent, Kurama won't be able to fight another." Hiei spoke, glimpsing behind him quickly to make sure Sakura's head wasn't showing as she tried to make sure of Kurama's well being.

"No problem!" Yusuke said, a smile on his face, "Leave the rest to us!"

"Yeah! I call the next monster! The others can't be this freaky." Kuwabara volunteered, muttering the last part to himself.

Sakura ducked back in Hiei's scarf as Kurama looked up at Hiei a minute to see his reaction, which there wasn't, but slight worry showed in his eyes.

Kurama sighed as he sat back a moment to rest, 'Sakura's going to kill me when I get back home with this wound.'

Kurama spoke not knowing that he would to the same thing when he found out what she had been up to while he had been acquiring the wound.

Sakura: The next chapter will be up as soon as I am done killing my brother:)