Disclaimer: I do not own anything of importance in this story.

Chapter 4

Hiei walked through the forest, his Jagan Eye glowing as he scanned the area for any wayward demons that might have the misfortune of crossing his path. The rising sun was beginning to lighten the sky, although it had yet to penetrate the dark canopy covering the forest. He had slept little the night before, instead opting to travel towards his next destination. He looked around continually, searching for something. Noticing several small wisps of smoke seeming to come from the ground, the fire apparition cast his eyes upwards, knowing he was close. He paused, staring up at a tree to his left. Barely visible in the dim light, were two branches crossed together just below three holes in the tree where branches might have once been, but had broken off. The bottom hole, which was larger than the other two, had several shards of wood sticking out of it. In the lighting, it vaguely resembled a screaming skull, sitting atop a pair of crossbones.

Smiling, Hiei made his way over to the tree. Standing directly under the natural sign, the fire demon reached out and pushed against the bark of the tree. It took a bit of effort to move, but it swung open to reveal a set of stairs leading down. Hiei entered the tree, closing the door behind him, and walked down the stairs.

Light at the base of the staircase became visible as the koorime got closer. Reaching the bottom, he stopped in front of a door with a small window, light shining out through the hole and illuminating the bottom stairs. Raising his hand, Hiei knocked on the door. There was the sound of someone walking across the floor and a head looked through the window, blocking most of the light. The figure moved back and opened the door.

A large demon stood there, towering over the small fire apparition. He had dark blue fur covering his well-muscled body and a single horn protruding from his forehead. "Hiei, I almost didn't recognize you. I haven't seen you around here for a few years now. Where have you been?" he asked, amiably, stepping back and allowing the koorime to pass.

"Where I've been is my own business, Fujio," Hiei replied, sharply, as he walked through the doorway. Across the room, there was a door next to a fireplace, in front of which sat a table with four chairs. A desk was located a little to the left of that. The walls were lined with shelves and there were several rows of bookcases with a walkway down the middle of the room. They were filled with vials of all different sizes. It seemed to be divided, with liquids on one side of the room and various bits and pieces of plants, animals, demons and even a few human parts in containers on the other side. Torches burned along the walls, lighting the room. Faint pinpricks of light dotted the ceiling, caused by small holes through the forest floor, allowing the smoke to escape without drawing unwanted attention.

Fujio shrugged, not affected in the least by the fire apparition's tone. "Alright then, we'll skip the chit-chat. As I recall, you never were very social anyway." He walked past Hiei, pulling out a chair and seating himself at the table. "I assume you have sufficient payment for what ye'll be needing?" he asked, leaning back.

Reaching into a pouch hanging on his belt, Hiei withdrew one small black stone with light blue swirled in its center and set it on the table. "This should be more than enough," he remarked, coolly.

Fujio leaned forward, picking up the stone and inspecting it. "One hirazuki stone, eh? And a black one, too. Quite a rare find, but you seem to have no difficultly with that. Where do you get them?" he asked, curiously.

"I have my own, ah, personal supplier," Hiei replied, smiling cruelly.

"You're luckier than most, then. Well, it seems you're going to be wanting quite a few things. I'll get you a sack," he said, setting the hirazuki stone back on the table and disappearing through the door next to the fireplace. He came back into the room after a minute or two, bag in hand. "What can I getcha?"

"First off, I want you to re-label everything you put in that bag, so I know what everything is. Your current labels are useless-- the last time I came here, the labels fell off. I didn't have time to come back, so I had to experiment," Hiei said, his face darkening. Obviously, the experiments had not gone well.

The demon laughed. He walked over to the desk, pulling out a roll of masking tape and a pen. "All right, new labels. Now, what would you like?"

Hiei pulled out a piece of paper from another pocket. "Here's the list of what I need."

Fujio took it, looking over the long list. The koorime took a seat, watching while the blue-furred demon walked between the shelves, muttering to himself as he looked through his inventory. He picked up various vials, re-labeling them and putting them in the bag before marking it off the list.

"Black cohosh roots, lets see... Ah, there it is! Mark that one off. Next we have Nikashira eki venom-- that will be on this side, right... here. There we go. Now, let's see, poisonous sap from the Rupert's vine. Rupert's vine, Rupert's vine... oh? It should be right here. I'm sure I have some... Oh, there it is behind the crushed Rowan bark. All right, cross that one off..." Fujio muttered, walking around the shelves. Hiei resisted the urge to tap his foot on the floor, impatiently.

After a few minutes, Fujio approached Hiei, setting the bag on the table gently. "Well, I think that about covers it. I don't need to tell you to be careful with this-- glass shatters easily. I crossed off all the things I had, but there were a few items that I don't carry, so you're on your own," he said, handing Hiei the list.

The fire apparition looked it over, noting that there were about five items that hadn't been crossed off. If Fujio didn't carry them, they must be rare items, indeed. "Do you have any information on where I can find these things?" Hiei asked.

"Well, the hydra live in the Kinmotsu Marshes, but you'll need a lot of help to take one of them down. As luck would have it, the ea-sakusei and doku koke are rumored to be located in the swampland, too. The ea-sakusei is said to be a large skeletal bird, which only comes out at night. I think the doku koke is a stringy type of poisonous lichen that emits a faint glow. It shouldn't be too hard to find. The hiryuu is supposed to be found in the Sekiryou Mountains. I believe it's a two-headed snake of some sort, with wings-- just a small little critter. As for the fairy drop, I can't help ya on that one. I would guess it's some sort of fairy medicine, so you'll need to find one of their kind and ask about it. I think I once heard that fairy colonies can be found in groves made up of Kashima, Kaijin and Sanzashi trees," Fujio explained, sitting down while Hiei rifled through the bag, double-checking what had been marked off. Finding all the ingredients, plus a few empty vials for the last few items on the list, he re-packed the bag and stood, carefully shouldering the pack.

"Oh, one more thing," the blue demon said as the koorime started towards the door. "If you find any of those items, and you have any left over after you're through with it, why don'tcha come back an' see me? We can talk."

"Hn." Hiei didn't even bother to look back. Once outside, the koorime left the forest, walking back the way he came. Alright, three items will be found in the Kinmotsu Marshes. I believe that is located to the east of here. It won't take that long to get there if I run, but... He paused, wondering what to do with the delicate vials contained inside his backpack. I could call Botan to come and pick them up. She could take them back to Genkai's... Hiei's thought trailed off as he pictured the bouncy ferry girl taking the backpack. Even if it miraculously managed to survive the trip, he doubted the temple was the safest place for it, what with the plants attacking and Yuusuke and Kuwabara fighting all the time. He shook his head. No, I'll need to keep them here until I return. But where? He looked around, getting his bearings. Actually, if memory serves me correctly, Kurama showed me one of his lairs not too far from here. The plants should recognize me and let me in, while keeping everyone else out. Perfect, he thought, heading off towards the lair. He ran slowly, being careful with the deadly bag held securely in his arms.

After stowing the bag and transferring the empty vials to his pockets, the fire demon took off, running towards the marshes. He only had five items left to find and he was going to get them as quickly as possible.

. . .

Hiei was not happy. He had been trudging through the swamp for hours, sinking into the bog up to his knees, and he had nothing to show for it. Although he had stayed relatively close to the edge of the swamp, the stench of decaying flora and fauna permeated the air and did nothing to raise the fire koorime's spirits. Not having gotten much sleep the past two nights, he had decided to leave the hydra alone for now and look for the doku koke, since the ea-sakusei came out only at night.

Hiei cursed as he pulled his foot out of his shoe, again, while trying to step forward. Bending over, he dug through the quagmire until he found the boot, shaking it out, trying to get the gunk out of it before putting it back on his foot. Hiei did not even want to think about what was squishing between his toes as he continued onward, focusing instead on what Fujio had said about the doku koke. Faintly glowing stringy lichen. Easy to find. I'm going to skin Fujio alive the next time I see him, Hiei thought, sourly, staring at the swamp around him.

Liberally covering every surface as far as the eye could see, was moss. It hid the tree trunks in a fuzzy coat, floated in patches on the water, clung to the rocks jutting out of the ground, and hung down like a slimy, furry net from every branch and vine in sight. The problem was, none of it glowed. Moss was everywhere around him, clinging to his pants as he trudged through the marsh and sticking to his face and hair from walking underneath the slimy substance. He had even replaced the bandage over his Jagan to keep it from blinding his eye. But none of it glowed.

There was a slight ripple in the water behind Hiei and two eyes surfaced, appearing to be bubbles in the water at first glance. The creature watched the unsuspecting fire demon wrestle his way through the bayou, glaring at the copious amounts of moss all around him. The eyes disappeared below the surface of the murky water, another ripple the only sign they had ever been there.

Hiei continued forward, unaware or unconcerned of the danger he was in. He had made it a few more steps before something wrapped around his legs, trying to trip him and bring him down under the surface of the water. Immediately, Hiei drew his sword, cutting off whatever part of the creature was attacking him before jumping to a small patch of relatively dry ground-- covered, of course, in the ever-abundant moss. He slipped as he landed, almost falling back into the murky water, but caught himself at the last moment. He watched as the creature rose up out of the swamp. It looked like an overgrown cross between a snake and a lizard. It had a flat, triangular head, and its mouth opened wide, showing two fangs, glistening in the light. A long, scaly neck about as thick as Hiei's thigh connected the head to what passed for shoulders, with two small legs sprouting off. The 'body' of the creature was a little wider than the neck, and disappeared beneath the murky surface.

A water drak, Hiei noted. The koorime guessed the tail was what he had cut off. Hiei watched it, waiting for it to strike. The snake-like creature's head whipped forward, its jaws closing around air as Hiei stepped to the side and swung his sword down, cleanly decapitating it. The drak twitched a few times, splashing Hiei as its body thrashed in the water, before lying still.

Hiei looked at the filth covering his sword disgustedly, casting about for something to clean it off with. Not finding anything, he settled for flicking as much blood and moss off of it as he could. The lichen seemed to be opposed to this idea, clinging to the metal tenaciously. Giving it up as a lost cause, Hiei sheathed it, making a mental note to clean both sword and scabbard very thoroughly later.

Pushing slimy, wet bangs out of his face, the koorime continued, eager to put some distance between himself and the malodorous carcass. It wasn't until he was a good distance away and the smell did not lessen that Hiei understood the odor was not coming from the drak, but instead from him. Only just now realizing that he was thoroughly drenched and splattered liberally with mud, as well as smelling just as bad as the quagmire around him, Hiei swore colorfully. He continued onward, promising to burn his clothes and get new garments as soon as he found everything he needed from the swamp.

. . .

Hiei stopped, glaring at the trees behind him. "I'm tired of being followed. Either go away or show yourself," he said, his tone annoyed.

A creature peeked its head out from behind a tree before stepping out into view. It was yellow with green spots, and its head resembled that of a toad, although it stood upright. Squat arms and legs sprouted out from its bulbous stomach and it clutched what appeared to be a holey red metal umbrella that was taller than the creature itself.

"This beeba no place for fire demons! Go away! Beeba off!" it yelled, pointing the umbrella accusingly at Hiei.

"Hn."

Hiei stepped to the side as the umbrella crashed to the ground in the space he had previously occupied. Unsheathing his sword, he sliced the weapon in two, jumping out of reach.

Not to be deterred, the creature ran at Hiei, intent on skewering the smaller demon with the metal shaft. Almost as if he was bored, the fire apparition again stepped to the side, this time cutting off the arm that held the sharp pole.

Having lost not only his weapon, but his arm as well, the creature fell to the ground, clutching the bleeding stump as he bowed to Hiei. "I beeba sorry! Please forgive beeba!"

Hiei rolled his eyes at the pathetic creature before him. I don't have time for this, he thought, raising his sword to decapitate it. A piercing whistle stopped him.

"Ha! I use Beeba Flute to call Wingapede! You beeba-ry sorry, now!" the creature yelled, running in the opposite direction.

Hiei moved to follow the annoying creature when he heard wings flapping and felt a strong gust of wind. He looked up. Hovering above him was a giant insect. It was yellow and green with dots of red along its body and legs, and had four clear wings sprouting out of its back. It didn't appear to have a stinger, but the large, sharp tooth-filled mouth more than made up for that. It looked hungry and it seemed to Hiei that he was about bite-size.

The koorime jumped out of the way as the wingapede dove for him. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of room for such a large creature to maneuver, giving Hiei ample time to jump on its back. He quickly sliced off two of the wings, making sure the wingapede stayed on the ground. The creature thrashed around, trying to dislodge the fire demon that was causing it so much pain. Unable to keep his footing, Hiei jumped, landing to the side of the mammoth bug. The wingapede snapped at the koorime, trying to grab him, but the fire apparition was too quick. Jumping up, Hiei plunged his sword up to the hilt in the insect's eye. He lost his grip as the wingapede thrashed in pain, but it was only the death throes. Hiei waited, somewhat patiently, until the body had stopped moving enough for him to retrieve his weapon. He pulled out the katana, flicking his wrist to remove the excess blood and gore, before continuing on, as if nothing had happened.

. . .

That night, Hiei returned to Kurama's lair in a foul mood. He was tired, which made him cranky, and the day had been wasted. Aside from killing a few dangerous creatures and ruining his wardrobe, as well as offending his olfactory senses, he had accomplished nothing. He had stayed there past sunset, hoping to be able to find the glowing moss, but there was none. After almost being led into a trap by a willo'wisp, twice, he decided it was time to get some rest and try again in the morning.

Hiei silently thanked Kurama for having felt the need to keep clean as a demon and building this den within running distance of a waterfall. Making use of such a convenience, Hiei jumped into the water, not even bothering to remove his clothing. Swimming over the base of the waterfall, Hiei made himself comfortable on a rock, scrubbing all the moss and brine out of his hair. Once he was satisfied, he removed his scarf and proceeded to clean it as best he could before setting it aside and doing the same to his shirt. After he was done washing all his clothing, he put the wet garments back on, raising his body temperature to dry them as he ran back to the den. Feeling a little cleaner, Hiei laid down on the bed and fell asleep.

. . .

The next morning, Hiei was back in the swamps, feeling somewhat refreshed, if not happy to be back in the bayou. Seeing how the ea-sakusei didn't come out during the day, the koorime had decided to try to retrieve the hydra venom and then continue searching for the moss afterward.

Since he had not come across any hydra the day before, Hiei decided to delve deeper into the marshes-- walking, not sinking. Although, it's easier to make progress moving downward than it is moving forward in this infernal swamp. It's like trying to move through quicksand! he thought, fighting his way through the bog that continually tried to pull him under. Shaking off such negative thoughts, the fire apparition continued toward what he hoped was the hydra's lair.

It was several hours before he came across a hydra. It looked like a giant centipede with brown scales covering its back. There were bits of green on the scales, although whether it was part of the scales or bits of moss, Hiei couldn't tell. The tail split into two, each side tipped with a stinger on the end. The hydra reared up, six legs rising out of the water, as it hissed at Hiei, showing its fangs. The creature was a little bigger than the koorime.

Hiei snorted. This shouldn't be that tough, he thought, racing to attack. The hydra backed up, its tail flying towards Hiei. The fire demon dodged the first tail and ducked out of the way of the second. He jumped back as the hydra tried to bite him, before charging again. The koorime jumped, trying to land on the creature's back, but the hydra knocked him aside with its head, causing Hiei to slam into a tree. He fell to the ground, momentarily stunned, while the hydra spun around, using its tail to send him flying through the air once again. He landed on his back in the murky water, coughing and sputtering as his head broke through the surface. The hydra was running towards him, surprisingly quick given the terrain, while the marsh seemed to be killing Hiei's speed. Barely managing to dodge the hydra's fangs, Hiei rethought his strategy.

Alright, so perhaps this isn't as easy as I thought. Forget that, I can't take that thing down without destroying its body, and that would defeat the entire purpose of fighting it in the first place. I need that venom! Hold on, Hiei thought, jumping over the tails. If I can just-- The hydra's head darted forward, but Hiei did not move. At the last instant, the koorime stepped to the right, grabbing the fang and slicing it off with his sword. The hydra reared back, roaring in pain and anger, but Hiei ignored it. Sheathing his sword, he pulled out a vial and drained the venom from the hollow tooth into the glass jar. Replacing the lid, Hiei decided he had enough, dropping the fang and redirecting his attention back to the hydra.

It was then Hiei realized he could feel the ground shudder and the ripples in the water weren't only from his fight. He looked up as two more hydra appeared, both several times larger than the one he was fighting. Hiei stared. Given their size I would guess that those are the adults. But-- that means, the one I was fighting is only a baby?! he thought, incredulously. Hiei blanched as all three hydra turned towards him, hissing angrily. Uh oh.

Hiei was running as fast as he could in the other direction before he had made a conscious decision to do so. Cursing the quagmire that slowed his escape, the koorime took to the trees as often as possible, opting to take his chances with the slimy branches. The moss, covering every visible thing, proved to be just as vexing as the marsh. Hiei slid off of every branch he tried to land on, being instead forced to grab the branches and swing himself to the next tree. This was not any faster than moving on the ground, but it did cause him to be completely covered in light green moss in relatively short order.

Spitting the foul-tasting lichen from his mouth, Hiei dropped back to the ground. He dared not look back, although he could hear the hydra rapidly gaining on him and fancied he could feel its hot breath on the back of his neck. Zigzagging through the swamp, he ran, trying to remain on dry ground as much as possible. For some reason, the trees seemed to be blurring together a little bit, but Hiei didn't have time to dwell on why and just avoided the clumps of green as much as possible.

After he was sure he had run almost the entire length of the swamp, he realized he could no longer hear the hydra behind him. He slowed his pace, glancing over his shoulder. The hydra were still in sight, but pacing back and forth, as if along an imaginary line. The two adults roared, angry that their prey had escaped, before turning and venturing back the way they had come. Hiei watched, relief coursing through him, as he pondered the reason they had broken off the attack. It must be the edge of their territory. They will not pass another hydra's boundaries. As Kurama would say, it would seem that luck is on my side today.

The koorime leaned against a tree, wearily, and slid down until he was sitting against its base. His breathing was harsh, seeming to echo in the still marsh around him. What's wrong with me?! I may have indeed run all the way across the swamp, but I shouldn't be this tired! he thought, wiping sweat off his forehead. He didn't remember it being this hot earlier. It's probably because I'm covered in moss, he thought, trying to brush the greenery off his clothes. The lichen clung to his garments, stubbornly refusing to let go. Hiei gave up, deciding he could wash it off later. Looking up, he checked the position of the sun. It will be dark in a few more hours. Let's hope that I am able to find both the ea-sakusei and the doku koke tonight, he thought, wearily rising to his feet.

. . .

Genkai turned off the faucet after the water had risen high enough, looking behind her as someone entered the bathroom. "You wanted to see me, grandma?" Yuusuke asked.

"Yes, I would like you to help Kurama take a bath," she replied, standing from her perch on the side of the tub.

"What?"

"His convulsions are getting worse, Yuusuke. Kuwabara and I were barely able to hold him down while Yukina-chan healed him this morning. We can't do anything about the seizures; our constant healing is part of what's causing them. Instead, I believe it would be better to try and relax Kurama's muscles by allowing him to soak in a hot bath. For Kurama's sake, I think it would be better if Yukina-chan and I weren't the ones to help him and, frankly, I don't trust Kuwabara to not let him drown," Genkai explained.

"So I get to help him," Yuusuke finished.

"Yes. I'll set out some clean clothes while you fetch Kurama," she said, walking past her student.

Yuusuke returned to Kurama's room and walked inside.

The teenager was sprawled out across the futon in a position that looked very uncomfortable, but apparently he did not care enough to move. Silver hair was matted to his face and green eyes opened to greet Yuusuke as he entered.

"Hey, Kurama. Feel up for a bath? It'll make you feel more human," Yuusuke said, kneeling down next to his friend.

Kurama resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the detective's feeble attempt at a joke. "No, Yuusuke," he whispered. It took too much effort to make his voice any louder.

"Aw, come on. You'll feel much better when you're through," Yuusuke insisted, lifting Kurama to a sitting position. The silver-haired ningen gasped, his face scrunching up in pain. Yuusuke supported him, not sure what he had done to hurt his friend.

After a few seconds Kurama relaxed slightly. "It hurts to move," he whispered, not moving any more than he absolutely had to.

Yuusuke's eyes widened a little bit, realizing why Kurama had been in such an uncomfortable position when he came into the room. He would rather be uncomfortable than endure the pain caused by moving. Yuusuke bit his lip. "Your seizures are getting worse, Kurama. They could barely hold you down long enough to heal you earlier. Genkai thinks a bath might help to loosen your muscles so the convulsions won't be as bad," he explained, leaving the decision up to Kurama.

The silver-haired teen thought about it, considering his options. The pain is only getting worse, whether I move or not, and the seizures are becoming that much more painful, as well. As much as I would rather not, Genkai will insist, so I don't have much of a choice either way. He sighed, still not looking at Yuusuke. "Very well," he whispered.

As gently as he could, Yuusuke lifted Kurama's arm over his shoulder and stood up. Kurama managed to keep from making any noise, but Yuusuke could tell how much it was hurting him. Slowly, they began making their way to the bathroom.

Kurama chuckled, bitterly. "It would appear I need your help to go to the bathroom after all," he whispered, breathlessly. "Ah, well. At least I made it four days on my own energy."

"Actually, Kurama, we've been giving you energy every morning. It's not like we're trying to hide it from you; it's just, well, you were asleep every time we did it," Yuusuke explained. He mentally kicked himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Kurama needed to feel as though he was doing it on his own right now, not being held on crutches by those around him.

"I see," came the whispered reply.

Nothing else was said as they reached their destination. Yuusuke closed the door and, looking apologetic, removed Kurama's clothes before helping him into the bath. Gently, the detective washed his friend's body, trying to cause as little pain as possible. After he was done, he moved on to the hair.

Kurama leaned against the side of the tub, sighing softly. The hot water was very relaxing and soothed his body. Yuusuke's fingers worked the shampoo into his hair, inadvertently massaging his scalp. After the past four days, Kurama had almost forgotten such pleasant feelings existed. His eyes started to drift shut when a loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

"For crying out loud, Kurama! How can you stand having hair this long? You use an entire bottle of shampoo every time you wash it!" Yuusuke complained, throwing the now empty bottle across the room.

Kurama chuckled, in spite of himself. "If you think the shampoo is bad, just wait until you put the conditioner into it," he said, softly.

"No, thank you, once is enough. Besides, this is a two-in-one," he explained, noticing Kurama's voice sounded a little stronger than before. He rinsed the silver hair, starting at the tips and working his way up. He started looking for a cup to pour the water over Kurama's head, but the kitsune scooted forward in the tub and leaned back, submerging the remaining hair underwater while keeping his face above the surface. Yuusuke, a little surprised by Kurama's willingness to move, hastened to scrub the remaining soap out of the silver strands.

The kitsune stretched, relishing the feeling of being able to move freely without causing a lot of pain. While it still hurt a bit, the pain was nothing compared to what it had been "Well, that was a lovely bath," Kurama remarked, starting to stand.

"Hang on, let me get a towel first," Yuusuke said, grabbing one from the cabinet behind the door. He helped Kurama step out of the tub, steadying the sick ningen as he used the towel to dry himself off. Securing the towel around his waist, Kurama leaned slightly over the tub, wincing slightly as he brought his hands up and began to wring the excess water out of his hair.

Yuusuke watched as water continued to fall back into the tub every time Kurama squeezed his hair. How can his hair hold that much water? he wondered, noticing the level of water left in the tub was had risen significantly. "Now that you've squeezed half the tub out of your hair," he said, after Kurama had finished. Amazingly, his hair was still dripping water on the floor. "Sheesh! How much water can your hair hold?! For that matter, how can you stand having hair that long? It'd drive me crazy if my hair was anywhere near that length!" He shook his head. "Would you like to get dressed?"

Kurama chuckled, lightly. "Yes, I would. Unfortunately, I don't think I can do it by myself," he said.

After helping Kurama put on a clean pair of underwear and sweat pants, Yuusuke tried to towel-dry the silver hair. Under Kurama's supervision, he was able to dry it enough to where it wasn't dripping anymore and they headed back to the room. The futon had been replaced with a clean one and Kurama sank onto it gratefully. The bath had worked wonders as far as relaxing his muscles and reducing the pain movement caused, but it had also sapped his remaining strength.

Yukina kneeled next to him with a brush and he shifted so she could pull the wet hair out from underneath him. Starting at the tips, she worked her way up, gently brushing out the knots before moving on. Kurama stared out the window, enjoying the tingling sensation that covered his scalp whenever someone played with his hair. His eyes drifted shut as he fell asleep, a contented smile gracing his features.

Smiling softly herself, Yukina continued to brush Kurama's hair, happy to be able to give him a brief reprieve.

. . .

Tetsuyuki ran, sticking to the forests to avoid any unwanted ningen eyes. Having green skin with a long whip-like tail was bound to attract some attention and he didn't need any setbacks. He had left the group to search for the kitsune by himself because he did not need the others slowing him down. He had been looking since the night the fox was poisoned, but had yet to find any sign of the red-haired vixen. He had one last place to search before giving the fox up for dead.

He slowed his pace as he felt a nearby aura spike in preparation for battle. He stealthily made his way through the brush, his skin blending in with the plant life around him as he suppressed his energy. There was a large explosion, which was followed by multiple smaller blasts. Oddly enough, he could only sense the one aura.

Deciding to investigate further, Tetsuyuki moved closer to the battle. He was surprised to see the person fighting was not the psychic Genkai, but a ningen teenager. Even more shocking was the fact that the boy was not facing an opponent, per se, but rather a mountainside of vicious plants. He watched the battle, perplexed by the oddities, until he felt a spike of familiar energy from within the complex beyond the boy. His mouth widened into a feral smile. Kurata, your energy burns so brightly! Just like a candle right before the flame is snuffed out. You're not dead yet, but you will be shortly. I have found you.

"Shotgun!"

Tetsuyuki's attention was drawn back to the fight in front of him as an enormous blast of energy wiped out most of the plant life on this side of the mountain, the path of destruction a mere ten feet from the demon's hiding place. Looking back up to the top, he saw the human bent over, hands supporting the weight of his upper body on his knees. Even from Tetsuyuki's spot, he could see that the teen was breathing hard, tired from exerting so much energy. With a visible effort, the ningen stood up straight and walked toward the temple.

After the human had disappeared, Tetsuyuki chanced getting closer to the building. He skirted the edge of the path of destruction, walking up to, but not entering, the courtyard. He was pleased to see the burnt remains of a ward that had previously kept ones such as himself out.

The gears in his mind were turning, coming up with a plan. Kurata should have been dead by now, but obviously she is somehow being healed. I didn't know she was a plant master, though, he thought, looking at the destruction behind him. He shook his head, coming back to the matter at hand. In any case, should she have survived this last attack, there should be another one sometime tonight. I'll wait until the boy has exhausted himself again and strike when they are vulnerable. She dies tonight.

. . .

Hiei landed, sheathing his sword, as the pentapus behind him fell over, dead. It resembled a giant squid with five tentacles covered in small suction cups. A large mouth filled with sharp teeth sat atop the legs and two bulbous eyes protruded from either side of the head. This one also had a slash through the top of its head where Hiei had sliced through its brain.

The fire demon stood, panting as he leaned against the tree behind him. It was several hours after dark and there had been no sign of any skeletal birds or glowing moss. To top it all off, Hiei was sure something in the swamp was poisoning him, slowly draining away his energy. He knew he could last a few hours more before it became more than an annoyance, so he ignored it for now. Still, he had been searching for the past few hours; so, deciding it was time for a break, he rested against the tree while trying to bring his breathing back under control. It was then that the powers that be chose to aid him.

Sitting with his back against a moss-covered trunk, Hiei became aware of an odd noise that seemed to be coming closer. It reminded Hiei of old bones creaking in protest as they were moved, combined with what sounded similar to bat wings moving through the air. He was on his feet in an instant, searching for the source of the noise. His mouth curled into a triumphant smile when he saw it.

A little ways away from Hiei, hovering above the dead pentapus, was what could be best described as a skeletal bird. The skull had a sharp beak and dark, empty sockets where the eyes would sit. Vertebrae connected the skull to a rib cage and continued down to form a long tail, ending in a sharp tip. It didn't appear to have any legs, although several long lines of bones sprouting from the back of the rib cage moved through the air as though they were wings. Hiei did not see how these were able to keep the creature afloat.

The ea-sakusei seemed to be fighting with something in the air, although there was nothing there. Hiei watched, curiously, as it struggled against an invisible foe, finally emerging victorious. With a start, Hiei realized what had happened. The ea-sakusei was a scavenger; only it didn't eat the carcass of the dead animal. It ate the soul.

Well, that makes things easier, Hiei thought, sarcastically. The creature was completely made up of bones and the only way to kill it was to destroy it completely. Of course, I'm not even sure if that would work. It seems my best option is to take it alive-- or, at least, as alive as it can be considered. I hate dealing with trans-dimensional creatures. Hiei moved swiftly, cutting down several strong-looking vines from the tree behind him.

The ea-sakusei ignored him, finishing its meal. After all, the bird didn't have any meat on its bones, so why would predators go after it?

Hiei waited until it started to fly away. Jumping up, he swiftly grabbed its wings, pinning them to the rib cage and wrapping the vines around it. The bird flailed, trying to escape and attacking Hiei with its beak, leaving several long gashes on Hiei's arms. Ignoring his injuries, the koorime finished tying the wings to the body and wrapped the vine around the ea-sakusei's beak, securing that to the rib cage, as well. He ignored the tail, which had wrapped around his legs, trying to trip him. Once the bird was securely bound, Hiei pulled the communication mirror out of his pocket.

. . .

To Be Continued