Authoress will be comin' round the mountain when she comes….

So yeah…here I am….typing again. And here goes a new chapter….yeah….

Yujo Chronicles: The Final Chapter
Chapter Ten: Ticking Time Bomb

Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba's office

"Not possible." Seto's voice was crisp, and firm.

"How so?" Emiko questioned. She and Katsu had taken the last half hour of the day to explain the concept of demons, other worlds, and ghostly powers to a stunned Kiamo and a immovable Seto.

"If there were such things as demons, why don't more people know about them? Frankly, the only stories of demons I've heard are hollow legends." Seto stated this with finality in his tone.

"Do you need a demonstration?" Emiko narrowed her eyes dangerously. She couldn't afford the time this was taking.

"It's blatant trickery." Seto snapped. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I don't appreciate the joke. I'm a busy man and I-"

"Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara are missing!" Katsu hissed. "They could be dead as the fricken' proverbial doornail if you don't tell us what you sold those demons!"

"There is no such thing-" Seto tried again, but Katsu cut him off.

"Fact: Kuwabara, Yusuke and Kurama exist. You know they're real people. Fact: all three are missing. Mrs. Minamino has the police looking for Kurama, Yusuke's mother is starting to worry, and Kuwabara's sister is ready to barge out of the house and search high and low for her brother." Katsu said, as calmly as her frazzled nerves would allow.

"Fact," Emiko picked up where her friend had left off, not allowing Seto to speak. "You had a business dealing with three people only two weeks ago. They bought something from you. And now all we ask is that you tell us."

"Seto, maybe they're telling the truth…?" Kiamo looked nervously over at the CEO. "I mean, why would they make up something like this?"

Seto looked at her strangely, and then shot another glance at Emiko and Katsu, who sat silently in their chairs on the opposite side of his desk.

"And, we have heard Shuichi being called "Kurama" before," Kiamo continued, emboldened by her own words. "And they're all kinda strange. And Katsu's eyes? I know they were hazel less than a year ago, and I've seen her contacts. They aren't colored. She and Ko..Emiko said that her eyes were bleached when that d-demon energy ran so much power through her body."

Seto didn't say anything. He studied Kiamo's face while she continued speaking.

"Plus that, how would they make the plant do what it did without using the energy K-Emiko says she has?"

This was a powerful point for the young businessman. The overgrown vines still lay coiled around the room, some of the feelers creeping up the walls and legs of his desk. He did not believe in magic, fate, or any force out of the control of money and strong leadership. But he also trusted his own sense of judgment, and he placed great faith in himself. And the eyes that he trusted so much were showing him an impossible amount of potted plant sprawled around his office and the display of power given by Komiko-or Emiko- was still sharp in Seto's mind.

"Seto, please." Katsu's voice and eyes were pleading.

He drew in a deep breath. After a long moment of silence, he blew out the air. "Follow me."

Ice World

"Now, Sekima," Ankara started to pacify her friend, but the Ice apparition would have nothing of it. She backed up, eyes wide with terrified curiosity.

"Ankara.." She whispered, unbelieving. "A man…? Why…?"

"Sekima-kun, snap out of it." Ankara hissed. She rose, covering herself with the furs. Seizing Sekima's wrist, she dragged the woman inside and closed the door shut with a snap. "Sekima-kun, you know I'm different. Right?" She waited; the terrified woman made no response. "Sekima-kun, answer me!"

The woman nodded slowly, eyes trained on Ankara's.

"Then you know I was never happy with the life I had here in Ice World, right?"

Sekima nodded again.

"And you realized I would never be happy as a normal Ice apparition?"

Sekima bit her lip, but nodded in agreement.

"So I'm not normal. You agree with me. And loving a man-" Here Ankara sent Hiei a quick glance, but his face was unreadable. "-Does not make me something to be either ashamed or frightened of."

"I was not taught such things." The woman whispered.

Ankara almost growled at the apparition's response, and exerted extreme self-restraint to stop from shaking her roughly. "Forget what you were taught! I am not included in your race! The Suronials made sure of that."

Now Sekima was sobbing quietly, only being held up by Ankara's firm grip on her wrists. "Ankara, you have been soiled by a man! You're unclean!"

"Damn it all to hell!" Ankara snarled. "Soiled? Is that what emotion is to you frozen bitches?"

"Ankara, we accepted you back-"

"Answer me! Is love so terrible to you fucking-"

"We gave you a home-"

"-I wish I ran away years ago!" Ankara screamed, cutting off Sekima's insistent tirade.

Hiei hadn't spoken or moved during this exchange. Now he moved, prying Ankara's hands off of Sekima's wrists. The woman whimpered as his skin touched hers, but he chose to ignore this. Hiei opened the door, and pushed Sekima none-too-gently outside. The apparition stumbled, nearly falling, before hurrying away, not daring to chance a backward glance.

"Hiei-"

"Ankara, get dressed." Hiei cut her off. "We're leaving before that bitch can make any means of delaying us."

Ankara obeyed hurriedly, dropping the furs and slipping into the haori and dark leggings. She started towards the door, but Hiei's hand on her shoulder made her pause.

"Your hair…" Ankara felt him gather her long, ebony locks back in his hands. She heard a ripping sound as he tore a strip of his haori, then wrapped it in a knot around her hair. She knew he would never really tell her how he felt in words; he had to convey it in actions. This simple gesture said more then he knew he could; he loved her. She flushed, embarrassed and pleased.

"Hurry up, wench." His voice was gruff.

"Hai." Ankara said softly.

"Hn."

Like wraiths, the pair left the hut and disappeared into the whirling snow.

Somewhere in Demon World

"Come now, my pets." A disgustingly syrupy voice brought the three captives awake immediately. Tei was smirking at them, her uncommonly long fingers encased in heavy gloved. Over those sinister, cat-like eyes she wore a pair of safety goggles, and a protective apron. "It's time to smother your minds."

Yusuke snarled, and Kuwabara sent her the dirtiest glare he could muster. Kurama sat quietly, staring at her with hooded eyes. He had been spending the last few hours collecting and ordering his thoughts; the fox demon was not going down without a fight.

Tei laughed sardonically at the trio, and then with a twitch of her hand the Energy bands mobilized. She sauntered from the containment room, and the bands pulled the captives along. Yusuke struggled a little, and then gave up resistance as the Energy tightened menacingly around his wrists.

"Now, so you feel informed," Tei turned the corner down the sterile white hallway. "I'll tell you all the steps we're utilizing to put you three under our strictest control."

The other two demons, Kahiru and Tsurukai, met them midway down the long corridor. They were also dressed in the same manner as Tei; protective wear suitable for lab work. They were smiling with utter satisfaction, expressions mirroring Tei's.

Finally, the three demons turned into a cavernous room. It was huge in size, but felt much smaller. Equipment and machines were packed around the walls, buttons and lights blinking steadily. The hum of the awesome generator in the corner mixed in with a gentle beeping of another contraption nearer to the door. All of this was huddled around four shallow pools of strange liquid in the center of the room.

The liquid was strange, and luminous. It was colored, as if yellow, pink and green lights were placed at the base of each pool. Many tubes ran in and out of the liquid, and the dark, hulking shape of some large machine rested at the bottom of pools. Each was about five feet deep, and seven feet long. Just big enough for the tallest of their group. Kuwabara noticed this and clenched his jaw, not wanting to show the fear that started to control his stomach. He felt distinctly sick.

Tei left them suspended motionless in their energy bands as she went to assist Kahiru and Tsurukai. They were busily hooking up tubes and pushing buttons, running calculations and flicking switches. The generator roared into a higher gear of production as more energy was being demanded of it, and the trio of captives were alarmed as substantial amounts of tangible demon energy flowed around it in a terrifying aura.

"Now, we'll get you boys comfortable." Tei announced. The three demons administered to their prisoners. First, an air mask was positioned securely over their mouths and noses. Then, a strange half-metal half-tubing headset was placed onto their heads, the tubes connecting to their air masks. Each captive struggled momentarily as the tube was fed down their throats.

"Stop struggling, it won't make things any better." Kahiru said silkily. "These tubes will assist your swallowing reflex when we feed you. We want you to be alive and well for the entire experience."

Yusuke glared daggers at the demon, who allowed himself a tiny self-satisfied smirk before continuing on with his business.

All three captives were stripped of their shirts. Tei busily placed sensors over their hearts while Tsurukai placed two more around their upper abdomen. Their purposes were not explained, but Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara guessed that they were extra security to inform their captors of their physical condition.

Tei motioned for the Energy bands again, and the trio of prisoners were pulled towards the four pools.

"Now, originally, there were supposed to be four of you." Tei gave them the unnecessary commentary as she had the Energy position Yusuke over the first pool. "But Hiei snuck away before we could grab him. Ah, well. He'll come in time."

Yusuke would have given a hot retort if not for the tube running down his mouth. He settled in sticking up his middle finger from where his wrists were bound at his sides.

Kurama felt himself being pulled over the second pool as Kuwabara was given likewise treatment over the third. Then, with agonizing slowness, they were lowered in.

Oxygen immediately started coming through their masks as they submerged. The feeding tube mechanically hooked itself up to a connecting machine at the head of each pool. Each captive secretly fought the panic that descended like a foreboding shadow over the sun.

"Now, gentlemen," Tei continued, a devilish tone to her voice. "We'll connect these new inventions to your ears in a moment. Transporters for some of the most advanced technology in the world; nanites, straight from the world famous KaibaCorp in Human World. Interesting, no?"

Kuwabara stiffened, as did the other two. KaibaCorp? Seto was in on this?

But their thoughts were distracted as a cold metal cylinder was rammed none-too-gently into their ears. The pain was head-splitting, but not enough to block out Tei's smug voice.

"In a moment Kahiru will switch our invention on, and billions of tiny computers will flood into your brains, not damaging a thing. Don't worry, my pets. You'll be fine….just trapped in your own personal worst nightmares. Don't worry," she repeated maliciously, "Hell is just a button push away."

Yusuke fought panic as terror clutched him. He forced his breathing to slow as he heard Tei speak again.

"The machine is on, my friends. Now, blackness before the nightmare. There always is, isn't there? Three, two, one-"

Before she reached zero, all three captives plunged into a terrifying world of darkness.

End Chapter

Authoress here.

This chapter better? Oh, I feel evil for what I did to the boys. Oh well. Another chapter, perhaps, I'll get nicer.

Did I mention the next one is entitled "The Torture of Yusuke?"

Maybe I won't get nicer. (grins evilly)

More reviews equal faster updates!

(zips away on the broom-o-doom)