Prisoner of War

Part Two: Escape


Sharp light hit Calai's eyes as the grill on her cell door opened.

"Get up," the guard demanded. "Now."

The grill slammed shut; Calai twitched, trying not to let the noise interfere with her already fitful and interrupted sleep.

A metallic creak signified the opening of her cell. Her guard's boots pounded against the floor as he crossed to room to her sleeping form.

"I said get up," the guard growled, kicking the girl in the ribs and causing her to roll across the floor of the cell.

Calai pulled herself into a sitting position, her haunting grey eyes narrowed in contempt. "Why does she bother?" Calai demanded softly. "She pulls me out of here once a week hoping that I'll talk, but I never do. Why is she still wasting her time?"

The guard crossed the room in a few quick steps; when he reached the girl, he wrapped a thick, leathery hand around her neck. "Mukuro thinks you know something," the guard hissed. "And you're going to see her as long as you have to until you tell her what she wants to know."

"Then I'll be seeing her for the rest of my life," Calai whispered.


The guard tossed Calai's petite form onto the marble floor in front of Mukuro and Hiei and then kicked her in the ribs again.

"Calai," Mukuro stated, her tone laced with loathing. "It's been a while since you've graced my presence."

"Not long enough," the girl muttered under her breath. The guard made to kick her again, but she dodged the blow, if only by inches.

"As friendly as ever, I see," the ruler frowned, dismissing the guard with a wave of her hand. "Stand up, girl."

Reluctantly, Calai stood, allowing Hiei his first true glimpse of her appearance. She was horribly thin—it was impossible to tell when she had last eaten properly—and diminutive. Dark brown tresses framed her pale face, trailing down to the small of her back. But most engaging about her was her large, glittering grey eyes. Like melted silver.

"Now," Mukuro smirked, "you already know what I'm going to ask you. So why don't you spare us both some time and tell me what I want to know, hm?"

The human girl remained silent.

"I warn you Calai," Mukuro said dangerously. "I am not known for my patience."

Calai still did not speak.

Mukuro released a stream of energy from her hand, tossing Calai across the room with it.

"What was that supposed to make me tell you?" the girl questioned quietly. "If I don't want you to know where my partners are hiding, you won't know."

"Like hell I won't," Mukuro hissed, stalking towards Calai.

It seems an appropriate time to mention that, while Calai was a great many things, stupid was not one of them. Perhaps that's why, when she saw Mukuro coming towards her, she ran.

Fast.

The guards came after her. She wasn't sure how she managed it, but she evaded them all, though several of the attacks they sent her way flew true and hit their target. By the time she reached the woods outside Mukuro's fortress, she was in blood and panting heavily.

She stopped for the briefest of moments to catch her breath and then began to run once again.

She wasn't going back there again.

At least, not as a prisoner.


"Unbelievable!" Mukuro exclaimed. "I can't believe that of seven sentinels, not one of them could find her!"

"The guards for the humans have always been pathetic," Hiei stated coolly.

"But she's only a human!"

"You said yourself that we shouldn't underestimate them," the fire yokai smirked.

Mukuro paused thoughtfully. "That's true."

A dark smile spread across her marred features.

"I know exactly who I'll send after her."

"Who?"

"You."

"What the hell? You're sending me after a human?"

"There's no way that she can elude you. You know better than any of my other men how humans think. With you after her, she'll be back in a day."

"But—"

"Hiei, you're my second in command. If I can't depend on you, who can I depend on?"


Amrie sat curled up in the corner of her cell. It was just her cell now. Calai was gone; probably dead by now. Tears were pouring out of the child's eyes, but she made no sound, knowing that doing so would only draw the less than kind attention of the guards to her.

"Amrie?" a voice whispered. "Amrie, can you hear me?"

The child could not believe her ears. "Calai?"

"Yep," Calai smiled. "You ready to get out of there?"

A smile spread across the child's delicate features. "Yeah."

"Okay. Stay put for a second; I'll be right back."

Calai snuck away from the cell window to retrieve the knife she had found in the woods. Knife in hand she began to crawl back to the cell to rescue the child, but before she could start carving at the bars on the window, she felt the touch of cold steel against her neck.

"Well," a cool and sardonic baritone voice from behind her stated, "who'd have thought that you'd come back here?"

Calai's eyes widened with an emotion that she seldom showed.

Fear.


End Part Two.