Chapter siebzehn

Botan paced back and forth nibbling lightly on her thumbnail worry glazed her features. "Oh…"

"Would you Stop that, woman! You'll cut a hole in the floor." Hiei growled out from the darkness.

"But don't you think they have been gone too long? I mean its not like Kurama to not give us an update." She asked him and started pacing faster.

"If you don't stop that pacing I'll…" He was cut off when she hiccupped and choked out her sobs. "Onna?"

"Lemme alone, you don't care about anything. I used to think that deep down you were like the rest of us, that you wanted to give and have love. You know, Yusuke and Kurama could need our help, but do you care? No." She blinked back her tears and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Hiei asked seemingly unfazed by her previous comment.

"To see if Kurama and Yusuke are okay, where else?"

"You cant!" it came out more like a plea than an order.

Kurama's deep emerald pools opened slowly, he couldn't see anything, and it was as if his senses had stopped. The sting of what had happened earlier still pricked at his skin and he tried to sit up.

"Shh, don't move any more." Came a soft motherly voice that made him smile. Despite all of his pain and confusion he felt at home, the voice then stroked her fingers through his hair soothingly.

"M-Mother?" Kurama whispered as his eyes closed, he knew he should try and fight this person, he knew his mother was dead so whoever this was… His mind blanked and all he wanted to do was enjoy the moment.

"Yes, my dear Shuichi, everything is okay, I'm here now." She whispered. "Now this is only going to hurt for a moment. Alright?"

All Kurama could do was nod in his lost smiling daze but that soon ended, The needle struck him and his pain returned. "N-No stop!" He whimpered and struggled against his metal binds causing whatever cuts he had on his wrists to open and bleed freely once more. "S-stop." For the first time Kurama felt like begging, felt weak and pitiful then he blacked out as one word slipped from his soft lips, "Please."

"Why? You can't control me. I am not afraid of you! Not anymore. You do what you like, but I am going to help them." Botan argued and walked out the door.

Hiei didn't know whether to be angry at her tone or to be sad that she thought so lowly of him. "Botan, stop!" Hiei called after her causing her to stop in her tracks. "I'm coming with you."

"Very well. I told you, you could do what you want." She walked on but was pulled to a stop when Hiei tugged on her wrist. "What is it now?"

"I-It's nothing." He let her go and they headed for the park together.

As they walked all that could be heard was the rain and the sound of their shoes on the pavement. Botan shuffled along hurriedly and when she saw the park she felt a moment of hope that they would be there.

Hiei yanked her to a stop, he could smell the blood in the air and feel the cold that lingered there.

"What is it Hiei?" she asked generally scared and worried now. "Do you know what happened?"

"No, but Kurama and Yusuke are not here. "They" got them." Hiei then motioned for her to follow him. "There." He pointed at a few petals that were strewn about on the soggy grass.

"What do we do now?" Botan asked, "I think we really lost this time." She shivered.

"Calm down. First we go back to the temple." He said taking her hand and dragging her off quickly.

"So you are the spirit detective." The dark lord loomed over Yusuke with cold eyes. "I have a job for you."

"And what might that be?" Yusuke asked and smirked darkly at what his lord was getting at.

"Well it's simple I need you to find that deity, she has what I am looking for, the only thing that can stop me from our glorious rise to power."

"I know were she is hiding."

"As do I, but I cant get in. You will have to lure her out and take her." The lord said.

"I will, master."

"Good. Now be off." The dark lord waved him off and smirked as he turned around looking out a window at his growing army. "Everything is working out so perfectly."

"Master?" Keiko asked shyly "That boy, he seemed so familiar." She looked up at him sadly.

"Well I don't see why he would. The only one you should be concerned with is me." He yanked her by her hair and kissed her roughly.