Prisoner of War
Part Twelve: Death
"You realize how foolish this is," Mukuro said, approaching Hiei slowly. "There'll be no second chance. I'll kill you."
Hot rage rose in Mukuro when Hiei didn't respond.
"What I don't understand is why," she said. "Why are you doing this? All you had to do was kill a human. It's nothing you haven't done before. What stopped you this time?"
Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.
"War means death," Mukuro continued. "You know that better than anyone. What is one human life?"
"This was different," Hiei said, drawing his katana.
"There is no such thing as a human whose 'different.' They're all the same."
"Think that if you want. It doesn't change the fact that she's alive."
"Or that you're going to die."
Mukuro, intent to make good on her threat began gathering energy in the palms of her hands, eyes focused on the fire yokai. "This is your fault."
The tyrant released the beam of energy at her former second in command.
Hiei felt the heat from the blast grazing his shoulder. A quick glance told him that he had been scorched by the passing blast. There was a crimson patch growing on his upper arm.
A smirk pulled at the fire yokai's lips.
"Which of us will be able to make themselves kill the other first, I wonder?" he mused to himself, flinging a fistful of fire at Mukuro.
As Mukuro sent a retaliating attack at her opponent, the trees surrounding the clearing burst into bright flames.
Fire and smoke could be seen all the way at the safe house—many of the occupants were watching the destruction from the windows, whispering about the wounded yokai that had appeared at the safe house the day before.
Clearly, someone had to die.
Calai had gotten back to the safe house just as the clearing started burning. She stood at the door for a moment, mentally debating whether or not to go back. She almost began to race back to the clearing when the door opened.
"What the hell are you doing out there?" Yusuke asked, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her back inside. "There are yokai crawling all over the place."
"I have to go back," she said, trying to pull away from Yusuke.
"What're you talking about? Back where?"
"Yusuke? Calai? What's going on?" Kurama's voice asked as the kitsune approached. He freed Calai from Yusuke's grasp, but kept a firm hold on her wrist, waiting for her to answer his question.
"She found him—she's gonna kill him! We've got to go—"
"Calai, please, slow down," Kurama said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Now, what are you trying to say?"
"I followed Hiei," the girl cried. "And Mukuro's found him! She's gonna kill him if he doesn't get some help!"
Kurama and Yusuke exchanged shocked looks.
"I'll get Kuwabara and some of the others," Yusuke said. "We'll go find him."
"I'll go with you," Kurama told Yusuke. Then he turned to Calai being sure that he kept eye contact with her. "Calai, I know you'll want to come with us, but I have to ask you to stay here. Mukuro wants you dead, and going to her would be a foolish thing to do. You'll be safer here. Do you promise not to follow us?"
Calai bit her lip before giving the kitsune a hesitant nod.
"Good," Kurama said. Yusuke, Kuwabara and a few of the house's occupants had come into the main room. "We'll be back soon."
"God, the whole place is an ash tray," Yusuke muttered as the party reached the clearing. "They burnt the place down good, didn't they?"
Various murmurs of assent met Yusuke's comment.
"It's no good," Kuwabara said. "This fight's over."
Kurama frowned. "One of them is dead. I'm not sure which one, but—"
"But it looks like Hiei got fried," Yusuke said. "We were too late. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be the one to have to tell Calai that."
Mukuro's sentinels were relentless in their attacks.
And no one even knew how they had found the safe house.
Despite the fact that the humans at the house out numbered the yokai, the house was quickly falling, as were the humans. By the time the guards set fire to what was left of the house, the humans that were still there had been killed, their bodies scattered on the ground in and around the house.
By the time the yokai left, there was nothing but ashes.
Kurama was the first one to notice something. "I smell fire," he said quietly.
"Well, duh," Yusuke replied. "We are in the middle of a burnt down clearing, you know."
"That's not what I mean." Kurama shook his head. "Somewhere else."
The kitsune took off in the direction of the safe house, followed by Yusuke and Kuwabara.
Yusuke swore when he saw the flames. "What the hell's happening?"
"Someone's attacked the house!" Kuwabara yelled, running towards the flames.
The rest came after him, worrying about relatives, friends and loved ones.
The fire was out and the guards were gone by the time they got back. The humans that had been with Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara began combing the ruins for bodies, belongings, anything they could find.
"Damn," Yusuke hissed.
Kuwabara took a deep breath. "The whole thing… it's gone."
"I guess no one has to tell Calai about what happened," Yusuke said bitterly.
End Part Twelve
