A/N: Um… new chapter? Please R + R!

9. Suspicions Confirmed – Blinded by the Light of Lost Souls

Hiei sat on the bed, his three eyes glaring down at his knees. I know that was Kurama… I know I could feel his Spirit Energy… But I can't go jumping to conclusions, Hiei thought. I need someone who can sense Spirit Energy better than me… Hiei groaned aloud as he continued thinking, I need Kuwabara…

No, he told himself resolutely, his normal eyes narrowing. I will not ask that buffon for help. Never.

But you want to be sure that what you were feeling was Kurama's energy, don't you? the evil, tormenting voice in Hiei's head said.

… Hn… was Hiei's reply.

After a few more minutes of contemplating, however, Hiei's curiosity got the best of him, and he walked out of the room grumpily, carrying Killer behind his back. Kuwabara was sitting in the living room of his house, flipping through the fuzzy channels on the broken TV, trying to find a station that worked.

Kuwabara didn't even notice Hiei as he stood right behind him, completely silent. After a few minutes of waiting, Hiei brought Kuwabara from his stupor by smacking him hard across the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Kuwabara shouted, rounding on the fire demon.

"Shut up, baka," Hiei growled, his eyes narrowing again.

"Well, what is it, shrimp-face?"

Hiei glowered, almost choking over his words. "I need your… help."

"What?"

"You heard me, idiot. Or are you deaf?"

"You need… my help?" Kuwabara seemed surprised that anybody - least of all, Hiei - would ever need his help. Then something in his brain clicked, and his shocked expression turned into a rather ugly smirk. "Well, Hiei, if you want my help, it's gonna cost ya…"

Hiei closed his eyes in frustration and said, "I don't have time for your games, baka, just shut up and do me this one favor." When Hiei's eyes reopened, Kuwabara saw a rather unfamiliar emotion conveyed within them. Sure, there was his standard, "piss off!" glare, but there was also a tiny hint of anxiety and worry – something almost nobody had ever seen in his eyes before.

Kuwabara didn't really like Hiei's strange expression, so he decided to be quiet and do what Hiei asked. But if it turns out he's telling me to stand on my head and lick jelly from the ceiling, he's gonna get it!

"Here," Hiei held out Killer, the pufferfish-like bird, to Kuwabara, who backed away from it. "Look into it and tell me if you see anything."

"Oh, no! Now way am I getting close to that thing!" Kuwabara said, waving his hands out in front of him. "No way!"

"Just do it!" Hiei snarled, thrusting the bird into Kuwabara's hands. Killer nipped at Kuwabara's fingers, but he didn't bite his hand off. "Your sixth sense is… above average… and I need you to tell me if you can sense anything odd in there." Hiei continued to frown at himself for stooping so low.

"Okay…" Kuwabara grabbed Killer and squinted into the green light coming from his neck. He could see the green neon and the blinding white specks within the body of Killer. The pain from the ultraviolet light hit Kuwabara fast and hard, but he tried to hold it off, staring deeper into the bird's enigmatic depths. I… can… feel something… Kuwabara thought, but he wasn't able to say anything before he passed out from the excruciating headache.

A few moments later, Kuwabara came to, and Hiei immediately asked him, "Did you feel anything?"

"Yeah…" Kuwabara said, his head still pounding from the piercing headache the light had caused. "Yeah… the little dots in there… they're… they're souls, Hiei…"

Hiei's eyes widened a bit. "Souls?"

"Yeah… every person on Earth has their soul trapped inside the little furball…"

"That's where everybody went!" Hiei gasped.

"Yeah… and… Hiei…" A little angry vein popped out in Kuwabara's forehead…

"What?"

"YOUR DAMNED BIRD MADE ME BLIND!"

NEXT TIME – THE SEARCH BEGINS – A STROKE OF LUCK FOR THE ANTAGONISTS!

--crazykitsune17--