A/N: Sorry I am so bad at updating, y'all! I'm trying, I promise! This is a bit of a short chappie but some little plot details needed a little chapter all to themselves. Next one up when I get back from the beach week after next  Promise! If I don't, well, may I be smited by the Dragon of Darkness Flame. As always, leave me one!

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Darkness and decay moved slow and sullen in the ruined throne room. In a lower level of the decrepit castle, no windows had been built in the room to allow even the sickly yellow light of the outdoors to enter. He sat in the huge gilded throne at the back of the room, the light entering through the wide open doors lightly illuminating the scars covering his face and giving his blood red eyes a preternatural glow. He was silent, hands resting gently on the wide arms of the throne. Dimly, footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway, moving closer. A torch held by a small bent slave demon appeared at the door. The red-eyed demon gestured and the slave stood aside allowing the larger, dangerous looking demon behind him to enter. As the other approached the throne, the scarred one spoke.

"They fight. Frollo has brought me word." He patted the head of the ragged-winged flying beast who had been perched unnoticed on one of the protuberances of the throne.

"It will be over soon," he continued in his low, monotone voice, "and they will be late in starting back. They will not reach the exit portal without resting for the night."

The other demon grinned as he began to catch on, "You want us to ambush them, sir?"

"Exactly, Gargan. There is an excellent spot for an overnight stay in the forest about halfway down the hidden trail they arrived on. Set up your trap there first and move as may be needed."

"How many men should I take with me, sir?" Gargan asked.

The head demon closed his eyes, thought for a moment and then said, "You will need at least six men but you may take more if Golianth and Titank can carry them and they can be hidden effectively."
"Only six? Sir, with respect, you are telling me I only need six men to deliver the Spirit Detective and his men?"

The other demon grinned his scarred half-smirk. He reached to the ground beside him, retrieving a brown wooden box with a golden clasp, saying as he did so, "With the help of this, six men are all you'll need."

Gargan's eyes gleamed as he reached for the box. "Use it carefully!" continued the other, "Make certain you do not open it even a crack unless you are sure that all your men are positioned upwind of the target. Otherwise, I shall have to put out an add for a nanny." He smirked again.

The gleam in Gargan's eyes was now tempered by wariness as he clutched the bo tightly. "I will do as you command, sir," he whispered as he left.

Half and hour later, two enormous pterodactyl-like flying demons leapt into the air from the castle's parade grounds bearing fifteen demons, all armed to the teeth, and Gargen, still holding the closed box tightly under his arm.

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Nox had dodged the Spirit Detective's first shot – barely. Leaping to the side with her fox-like reflexes, the blast of spirit energy had obliterated the tree behind her. That was the explosion that caught Solan's attention.

Before her long hair even had time to stop waving from the speed of her movement, Yusuke was on the attack again. Quickly Nox yelled, "Wall of Shadows!" and raised her arms. What resembles black flames erupted from the ground and surrounded the fox demon. The ball of spirit energy hit the flame-like shadows, vibrated for a moment as it attempted to blast them apart and then disappeared into them, as if it had sunk into a pool of mud. The forest was silent as the shadows continued to ripple and Yusuke stared wide-eyed, waiting to see the result of his attack.

A low whine came from the shadows and they began to glow from the inside. Yusuke relaxed his stance and grinned. Obviously his attack was beating up the fox demon who was trapped inside her own shield. "Koenma will chew me out for not bring her back alive, but oh well! This was worth it," he thought. Then the glow changed. It disappeared completely and a small pinpoint of light appeared in the shadows then exploded towards Yusuke. The shadows had turned his own attack against him! He had no time to appreciate the irony of his situation, scarely having enough time to throw up his arms to block the beam of spirit energy coming straight at his face.

When the blast stopped, his arms fell and he staggered forward a step. His eyes opened to see Nox opposite him, dropped into a crouching position, panting.

"Damn it!" she thought furiously, "I thought that would at least slow him up a bit. After converting his attack, I can't even raise the shadows again!"

"Let's try this again, fox!" Yusuke called over, raising his arm, his finger glowing once again.

Nox's mind raced, calling on all her craftiness as a fox demon and as a thief. Assassination was her specialty, not head to head confrontation. But that called for stealth and secrecy – not to mention surprise. Not exactly three things she had at her disposal at the moment. "I have to find Solan!" she concluded, "Back to the cave! That's where he'll come. He has to have heard what's happening!"

Yusuke was stretching out his arm, aiming his blast. Nox leapt away again as he shot. Another tree fell casualty to Yusuke's aim and Nox's agility. Shot by shot and dodge by dodge, the fox lead the detective back to the clearing.

The three other team members perked their ears as the explosions of the Spirit Gun got louder and louder.

"She's leading him back this way," Kurama stated.

"Why would she do that?" Hiei shot back, "Does she want to fight all four of us?"

Kurama shrugged his shoulders. The ground shook slightly from a particularly close explosion. The top of a nearby tree disappeared, incinerated by the detective's powerful weapon. As bits of bark and leaves rained down on them, they heard another explosion and Nox shot into the clearing, skidding on her side along the ground.

The dark-furred fox, slowed by expenditure of her power and her energy, hadn't managed to completely dodge the last bullet. As she had leap back and sideways, the blast had clipped the side of her leg, knocking her off balance and sending her crashing through branches and into the clearing.

As Yusuke walked out of the trees, Nox struggled to push herself upright but fell back. Before she could hit the ground, Kurama appeared by her side, slipping an arm under one of hers and helping her to stand up. Just then, Solan burst out of the underbrush and sprang towards where Kurama and Nox were standing, but was stopped short by the needle sharp point of Hiei's katana. Hands held out to his sides, away from the many folds and hidden pockets of his robes, he slowly took a step back, looking not at Hiei, but at Kurama and Nox. He spoke.

"Don't hurt her. I'll give myself up. You can take us in. Just don't hurt her."

Nox tried to protest but she only managed to give breath to a murmured "no."

Solan continued, now looking directly at Kurama, "And as for you, you thrice damned blood traitor, you had best keep one eye over your shoulder for the rest of your days, because when I free myself from that miserable excuse for a Rekai prison, I'm going to hunt you down and you'll beg for death, Kurama!"

Nox's eyes widened at the name. This red-headed human was Kurama? "That's why his spirit energy felt so familiar. It was his, just altered by a new form!" she thought, as her eyes then closed and she fell into unconsciousness, whispering, "…didn't kill him," before slumping into Kurama's arms.

A/N: Not to look like I'm begging of anything, but please please, please, please, review! I think that might be the problem behind my lack of updates, heh heh! So if your feeling charitable, leave me one – any and all comments, praise and criticism welcomed and loved!