Authoress here.

Would you believe me if I said I wrote the second part of this chapter before I started the story? Well, I did. This is the crux of my idea, although hopefully not the pivotal point of the story.

And I might add that I'm listening to the awesomely wicked organ in the Phantom of The Opera soundtrack…let the evil idea commence!

"Down once more to the dungeons of my black despair
Down we plunge to the prison of my mind
Down that path into darkness,
deep as hell!"

To the chapter, I say!

Yujo Chronicles: Final Chapter
Chapter Six: Master Plot

"Ah, they're waking up."

The harsh voice of a demon jerked the three prone figures awake. A harsh light snapped on, illuminating a cold-looking room, plain except for a door and a lighting panel next to it. Kurama, Kuwabara and Yusuke glared at the three demons sauntering inside the room, but didn't move. This was in part to the glowing, hissing bands on Energy keeping them kneeling. Two of the bands held their wrists above their heads, and another pair forced them to keep their knees bent.

"Well, gentleman, it's a pleasure to be meeting you all." The first demon spoke languidly, a gleeful malice hidden within his lusterless black eyes.

"What the hell are you doing!" Kuwabara snapped.

"Obviously, we've taken you hostage, and now we're going to stand here and gloat. We'll contemplate our own cleverness for managing to make the catch of a century." The shortest of the three spoke, his teeth catching the light. "Dear friends, why would we do anything else?"

The first demon bowed mockingly. "I am Tsurukai. These are my associates Tei and Kahiru. Unfortunately, Master Tokuiwa won't be joining us for awhile."

As he spoke their names, Tei and Kahiru dipped their heads in acknowledgement. Tei was the tall, dispassionate demon woman, and Kahiru was the short, intelligent-looking demon between Tei and Tsurukai.

"Today you three are lucky." Tsurukai announced. "Instead of letting you fester and wait here in this room until Tokuiwa returns, we've decided to start our project early."

"Okay, you bastards," Yusuke snarled. "I don't give a fucking damn on what you're planning to do with us, but if you hurt Katsu I'll blow your fucking brains out."

"Rest assured, young Urameshi," Kahiru said softly. "Tei made sure to not harm her overmuch. She is alive but most likely, if Tei did her job correctly, doesn't remember ever seeing a demon."

"What the hell do you mean!" Yusuke yelled. "What do you mean, if fucking Tei did her job correctly?"

"What I mean, is, that Tei can use her demon energy to extend and elongate her body. Young Miss Katsu should have gotten a blow to the head, and Tei would of used her stretching force to make the impact precisely hard enough to knock out any remainder of memory for the last hour, but not hard enough to kill."

"That doesn't tally with other demons I've tangled with," Yusuke spat. "How do I know you're not lying!"

"Because, Mr. Urameshi," Kahiru answered. "If we killed a human girl, there would be a larger investigation. If we only took you, then there would be less of a chance of getting caught. We've been planning this for a very long time; we aren't about to jeopardize it."

"Planning, hmm?" Kuwabara scoffed. "Y'kiddin' me."

"Not at all, Master Kuwabara." Tei said calmly. "One can only know the extent of our labors if they are properly told. We have researched everything we could find for all four of you."

"Four?"

"Yes, four. But Hiei left at the last moment, so we had to let Tokuiwa track and trail him. Once Hiei is captured, then he will join the three of you." Tsurukai said.

"To continue my story," said Tei, "we watched and studied you for many months. We learned every aspect of your lives, when you were most vulnerable, your weak spots." Here she laughed, her oddly dispassionate face breaking into a small grin. "You practically handed us those."

"What?"

"Your weak spots were easy to find. And might I say, what beautiful weak spots you have," Tsurukai grinned widely, and reached casually into the white linen shirt he wore. He drew out three square pieces of paper, looked at them, and then turned them around.

There were three strangled yells of fury as the prisoners viewed the three photos. Tsurukai showed them. One was of Katsuko, clad in a light blue bathrobe that went to about her knees. She was kneeling to get the paper rolled up on her front doorstep. She was still wet from her shower, and her long brunette hair was tightly wound back into a bun at the base of her neck. A second photo saw Yukina sleeping softly in Genkai's temple. The rice paper door was drawn back slightly to allow the early morning light to fill the small room, and Yukina's face was turned to the sun. And the third was of Emiko, at her window on the second story. Clad in an undershirt-type tank top, she was leaning into the breeze, hair blown back, a happy smile on her face. The camera had caught her at an angle where most of her cleavage was visible.

"Nice candid shots, hm?" Tsurukai grinned, a slightly perverse smirk on his face. "I thought it was quite a nice compensation for having to be in the Human world and hiding in bushes and other various fauna."

"You scum." Kurama's voice cracked like a whip. "You scum."

"Really, Kurama." Tsurukai snickered. "Or should I say Shuichi? I wouldn't expect petty name calling from an honor student of your caliber. Your poor mother would be ever so disappointed."

"Okay, that was below the belt, you monster," Kuwabara spat, seeing Kurama's face tighten in anger. "Leave the guy's mom out of it."

"Oh, that was tactless of me, wasn't it?" Tsurukai said in mock distress. "Sometimes I just don't sensor what comes out of my mouth. That was nearly as impolite as insulting your kitty-cat, wouldn't it, Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara scowled heavily. Yusuke glared daggers, visibly restraining himself from another tirade of swearing. Kurama seemed to have regained his control, and he turned his head away from his captors. "Don't speak, Kuwabara, Yusuke. They're just trying to show us just how much research they've gone through, and they'll try to bait us with that knowledge."

"Yes, here is another fine example of Master Kurama's wit and skill at the game of cunning." Tei scoffed. "It is true that the information we have is copious in nature, but baiting you is the least of what we can do with it."

But despite her wicked words and malicious expression, the three prisoners stayed silent. Tei scowled, and Kahiru smiled a little. "I understand that you have seen the wisdom in your friend's words. So be it. We will return to start our experiment in a few hours, when perhaps the solitude and darkness have mellowed you out."

With that, the three demons strode out of the room, the lights snapping off in finality after their exit.

Four hours later

The darkness vanished as a clawed hand pushed a button on the wall. Electricity crackled to life, sending light flooding around the small enclosure. Blinking and squinting in the harsh brightness, the three prisoners looked up as Tsurukai, Tei and Kahiru sauntered into the room. Yusuke and Kuwabara strained against the energy bands that held them in place, but with the temporary seal on their Spirit powers they were useless.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Tsurukai smirked broadly at them. "I hope you all are well."

"Fuck you."

"Alive and kicking, I see." Tei said calmly, ignoring Yusuke's comment.

"Are you really just fools, or do you have a motive?" Kurama asked suddenly. The three captors turned to look at the fox demon in surprise.

"What?" Tsurukai frowned.

"I don't understand your reasons for kidnapping us." Kurama said calmly.

"It's elementary, really," Tsurukai said breezily. "We're collectors of information, and you're to be our guinea pigs."

"What information could we give you?" Kurama persisted.

"Something we're just dying to know." Tsurukai said. "Just how much agony can the famous Spirit Detective team handle before surrendering their lives, minds, and even their very souls to the enemy?"

"One shitload, I promise you that!" Yusuke spat.

"Undoubtedly." Tsurukai assured. "But we just couldn't get the question from our minds."

"You don't strike me as the kind of demons that would go through such trouble just to gain relief from a pressing question. Aside from your story of overwhelming curiosity, what do you have to gain from our capture?" Kurama pressed, eyes steely. He already knew the answer, but hoped against hope that their motives weren't so cruel. He was disappointed.

"Well, I must admit, there is an ulterior motive," Tei spoke up now, an evil glint in her lusterless eyes. "Once we have you helpless, there will be lines upon lines of demons just waiting to get their claws into you. We'll auction the honor of causing your death off to the highest bidder."

"And the truth reveals itself." Kurama said, with grim satisfaction on his face. "I believe I've uncovered your true drive. You three are like every other bottom-feeding demon I've ever known."

"Simple-minded as you may think us, Kurama," Tsurukai sneered, "we've done our homework. Our little invention will most likely harm you the most."

"And why do you say that!" Yusuke challenged, his speech hampered by his swollen lip.

"Because," Tei responded smoothly, "he's too calculating for his own good. For once, Urameshi, your simple "let my fists do the thinking" approach will help you."

"I still don't get it." Yusuke spat.

"How am I not surprised?" Tei laughed a little, disdain written over her dispassionate features. "If we explain it to you, Urameshi, you won't understand, so why waste breath?"

"Tei, Tei, where are your manners?" Kahiru said softly, shaking his head. "Urameshi and his friends are akin to dying men. Will you not even grant them their last wishes?"

Tei made a grandeur bow to the prisoners. "My apologies," she said pityingly. "However, Kahiru was the mastermind behind all this, so he'd be the best to tell you."

"How am I not surprised?" Yusuke mocked her. "I shoulda guessed you wouldn't be smart enough to think this up."

Tei hissed menacingly, but Kahiru put up a hand, turning to the three. "Peace, Tei."

"Stop stalling and tell us." Kuwabara snarled.

"As you wish." Kahiru's voice was curt. "After incorporating Hiei, Kuwabara and Kurama into our plans as well as you, Spirit Detective, we decided torture might not be the most effective of tests of your real strength. Doubtless, you four have suffered much bodily harm over your lifetimes; what we could do to you was becoming limited.

"I started reading human newspapers, human science and medical books, and human technology guides. I learned of hypnosis in depth, and it indeed sparked an interesting idea. If I could get inside your minds, then your muscles be damned! You'd be in no condition to even consider using them."

"But," Tsurukai interjected. "I figured you'd be either impervious or little effected by regular human hypnosis. So I thought that by incorporating technology with hypnosis we'd be able to sink you into a deeper hypnosis than possible to break free from."

"Tsurukai and I did the research. We discovered nanites and their pliability when it comes to function. They can be successfully passed through the human brain without damaging it, but they can still completely possess it at the same time." Kahiru continued. "With that information secure, there were only a few minor details we had to smooth over."

"With all your mumbo-jumbo 'bout these computer things you still haven't told us nuthin' 'bout how it'll affect us." Kuwabara said.

"Oh? My apologies." Kahiru said levelly, bordering on jovial. "We added new data to the nanites, and also new, microscopic machines to every one that positively feed off of what they do. Among these are an electrocardiogram to record heartbeat, a skin sensor that can detect tiny changes in sweat production, an electromyography sensor that detects minute muscle activity in the jaw and brow, a blood-volume pressure sensor that measures the constriction on the arteries and a temperature sensor."

"Brilliant," Kurama murmured. Yusuke and Kuwabara turned to him.

"What?"

"All of those machines they added to the nanites will be able to pinpoint our emotions and also our thoughts. While mind-reading isn't their function, the machines will take the energy emotion and brainpower creates and they will use it to sustain themselves." Kurama glanced at his captors. "Am I correct?"

"As usual." Tsurukai bowed shortly.

"Huh?" Yusuke cocked an eyebrow at the fox demon. "Explain it to me."

"The hypnosis they will put us in will only become stronger if we try to fight it." Kurama explained, his voice slowly becoming dull. "And the more we let the hypnosis take over, the deeper we'll go, making it harder to draw us out of it."

"Simple. Effective. Clean." Kahiru gestured with his hands, a smile on his face. "No muss, no fuss, only three helpless nuisances at our mercy."

"You sons of bitches!" Yusuke yelled, the full impact of Kurama's verdict hitting him. "You sons of bitches!"

"Hm. He's using profane language. He must understand his fate."
Tsurukai smirked. "He's smarter than you gave him credit for, Tei."

Tei laughed cruelly. "I stand corrected, Tsuru. Who would have guessed the boy had any grasp on knowledge?"

Kuwabara let the Energy bands holding his arms take his full weight as he sagged down, defeated. They were facing an enemy impossible to fight. Where was Hiei!

End Chapter

Worth the wait, ne?

Well, I gotta go do homework….hums Phantom