Disclaimer: Don't own YYH and all invented characters are pure fiction.

Chapter 43: The Hunt Is On

Ow. How can anyone, demon or not, sleep here for one full night? I've just awoken, and I must say I'm really sore. Is the ground here really just steel covered in a showering of dirt? Or maybe just some nice comfy granite...

I groan and stretch, my muscles screaming. I'm all dirty too, and this bloody robe is not helping. No one else has appeared to have awoken yet. Soft snores issue from their bodies, the loudest from Jin. It figures. Hiei is the only one who's somewhat quiet.

I guess I'll just go for a walk around this dump then. They shouldn't worry. They of all people should know I can take care of myself. Didn't I hold my own against one of the very Shin Obi yesterday?

I glare at Touya's sleeping form. Hiei annoyed me because he was a macho punk. Jin annoyed me because he'd never shut up. But I hate Touya. And I really don't know why, but it's probably just because of the fact that I hold deep grudges that I usually do nothing about.

I make sure my disguise is firmly in place, and then I walk out into the dirty commonplace. I guess it's so early that only a few demons are outside. I see one tentacled thing leaning on what I suppose must be a porch, and he's deep in conversation with a similar creature. Only that one is oozing drool all over the ground around it. If I live to get home, I'm never setting foot outside again as long as I live.

Hey! Why didn't I think of it before? I could search for the others! No one else will care, because they know I'm responsible in terms of fighting. I might as well; otherwise we're going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives waiting for everyone else to return. I don't think they're just going to pop in one day and say Hello. Either they're captured, injured, or dead. If Yusuke is dead, that will severely hinder us. He;s a very strong fighter, second to only Genkai and me. Kuwabara, I haven't really seen fight yet, but it appears that he's useless. And Botan...well, useless, but she always kept us smiling. That is, when she wasn't pissing the hell out of us with her constant perkiness. I hate to admit it, but without them, our chances are severely slimmed. Even Botan...I mean, not a god fighter, but very fast and can quickly deliver a message. I've heard that she has the best sense of navigation in all Spirit World.

As I reach the edge of town, I come again to the crossroads, and I take the right fork. That's the only route out of 3 I haven't been on yet. Jin and I came from the left fork, and found Kurama and Hiei on the middle fork. Chances are, some of my (ahem) friends are stranded somewhere on that road.

But are they my friends? I mean, several days after I first flew to Japan, I planned on getting out of here with as few memories as possible. I didn't want to make friends. I didn't want any ties to this teeny little island. I wanted to get there, pretend to learn something, and go. Nothing else.

Man, I miss my mother.

Now, I have really mixed feelings about that initial reaction. I mean, sure, I definitely have met some friends, not to mention my long-lost brother. But how will I show them to Mom? Hey Mom, how are you? This is my friend Hiei the fire demon, Yusuke and Kuwabara the Spirit Detectives, and Kurama, my long lost brother! We'll be one big happy family from now on!

Her various reactions form in my head, each more hilarious than the last. Fainting, screaming, dying, shock, bright red face, disbelief…but damn it, if I do find my father, it won't be a welcome pat he's got coming to him...

Wait a sec. Was that movement?

I coulda sworn I saw something black move through the space of fog right ahead. How strange.

I walk quicker, and inspect the area cautiously. Either that was a long lost person, or an enemy. I have every right to be careful. I hate not knowing what I'm up against. It makes me feel very vulnerable in a situation like this. I search through again, and again, and again…still nothing. Am I just imagining things?

No. That was movement. I'm not going crazy. Ever since Genkai helped my old cat-eyes disappear with my training, I have had great vision. My eyes do not lie.

There it is again! Out of the corner of my left eye, I saw something small dart somewhere behind me. What is this thing?

I'm now a little apprehensive. Now I know whatever-it-is has good speed as well as the advantage of surprise. Not nearly as fast as Hiei, but definitely quick. Just like…

"Genkai?" I whisper. "Is that you?"

Nothing but an eerie silence.

"Genkai, please let that be you."

"Eer."

"What?"

"Eer," Whispers the voice more urgently.

"Who are you?"

"Gakking is ard enuff. Hewp be."

Okay. Why does it sound like Yusuke now? "Yusuke?"

"Dust cum eer!"

What do I have to lose? I follow the direction of the anguished voice. There I see someone I recognize. I know that black hair and small, flat form...

"Mie?" I whisper incredulously.

"Yesh!" She whispers indignantly. She is bound and gagged, nursing a wound on her leg. I guess that why she sounded so weird. I bend down to untie her, still processing this information.

"Mie, why are you here?"

"I escaped, all right?"

"In binds? That's a little strange, Mie."

"No, no! I blew myself out! You know, wind power? 'Member?"

"Oh."

"What is wrong?"

"Nothing." I can't tell her my suspicions! "Let's just go back, okay? You wouldn't have seen anyone, would you? Like, Botan, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara…any of them?"

She shakes her head. I roll my eyes. "I'm starting to think they were buried alive in cement in your backyard."

She gasps. I roll my eyes again. I'm tired, so I'm easily irritated. "Just get up! Can you stand, or will I carry you?"

She tries to stand, but collapses again. So, I end up carrying her in a piggyback back to the alley. I guess it's good that she's so small.

It's a slow trip back. When I finally do get there, I am angered to see that everyone else except Ol' Hiei is asleep. Darn them all!

When Hiei sees me, the look on his face is priceless. He watches me bring her down, and as I stand up again, his face has returned to its usual expressionless state. He asks coolly, "You found Mie?" He doesn't seem happy, and I realize happily that she was flirting with him last time he was with her.

"Yes. I went out for an early walk to see if I could find any of the others. Mie spoke to me, so I could figure out where she is. Isn't that right, Mie?"

She's dead asleep.

"Good. Hiei, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"I suppose. Leave Mie there."

I drop her down. I then lead Hiei into an adjacent alley. "Hiei, I don't think it was coincidence that I found Mie. Because, I saw something darting around very fast around the area where she was, and she didn't answer me right away. I think the darting thing placed her there as soon as it sensed me. It's just, I dunno, I can't trust her like I used to. I don't know why, but I wish I did. She used to be my best friend."

"Proof?"

"None."

We are both silent.

"I guess that's it then," I begin. "We'd better go."

He nods, and leads the way. He's still being slightly stiff with me. Can't he just get over it? I mean, it was just one incident. I don't even mind anymore. He's still a good friend, just not anything more or less. I hope he sees it the same way.

I return to find Mie awake. She's looking curiously at everyone, at all the new faces. I noticed they have all woken up. Maybe Mie did that. They jump as soon as I come in.

"Katrina, you found Mie?"

"Yes."

"That's great! Now there's one down!"

They start talking animatedly to each other again. I don't join in. I sit in a corner to think.

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I've been sitting in this corner for what seems like forever. And I still haven't solved anything. It's so frustrating. I really don't have any proof. And there's nothing I can do about it.

On the one hand, Mie has been very weird and unpredictable ever since she went into the fog with Keiko and Botan.

On the other hand, why couldn't she have blown herself out of danger? Mie's pretty smart, it wouldn't have been hard.

Then again, that wouldn't explain the darting demon. Mie couldn't dart like that even if she wasn't under wraps.

And finally, could this suspicion be nothing more than anger at all those insults she threw at me randomly?

I don't get it. I need more information. Is this how CIA agents feel? Utterly useless?

I don't know. I don't know I don't know I don't know.

"Yes, so far everything is fine."

I hear the whisper right next to me. It's a low-pitched voice. In the darkness, and I can see huge, skinny hulking beast. It looks kind of like the feral imp in Yu-Gi-Oh, with large, tasseled batlike ears. I can only see it's dark sillouhette.

I watch her/him/it. trying not to breathe. I am sort of paralyzed. I don't want to know what it is.

"Yes, Yusuke is gone. We will come."

Oh my god what the hell oh my god what the hell is up here?

"They're noticing. No time."

I angle myself to see them in the light, but they are gone. I can see dust clouds showing its path.

What was that?

Did I just have a brush with one of Sensu's minions?

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A/N Review! I apologize for typos, but I am not proofreading this again or I will become a piece ofindistinguishable glutinous sludge. Happy days!