Disclaimer: Don't own YYH!

Chapter 57: We're getting there, all right?

I don't have even one second to lose. Not that I am able to. With nothing holding me up, I drop right onto the floor. The hard, cold, stony floor.

I massage my butt angrily, wondering why it is always me. Why oh WHY is it always me? Me, of all the people in the world, had to find out I had a fox demon brother, that I had to save my dad, and that I also had to save the world right on top of it. Does that seem fair?

And to think, I got here just because of a "phenomenal" story I wrote about an elf named Chimerae. Stupid Chimerae! I wrote you just because I wanted to get an award, not to be some stupid fairy-tale heroine! Why did I do that? I could have stopped writing it, right? RIGHT?

Urgh, I so hate myself right now. Well, maybe not myself, but definitely Chimerae.

True, this will be the most interesting school year of my life, combining all of my future children and grandchildren's lives. Unless some brother I thought got kidnapped starts to stalk them as well.

That would be very amusing. I'd laugh at my kids so hard every day. ' "A-ha, you're gonna hafta go through what I did! A-ha! Good luck saving the kids, you little midgets! A-ha!"

Of course, they'd probably move out, to get away from their insane mom and live with their long-lost brother.

I shake myself, physically and mentally. These daydreams are getting very annoying. I guess I'm more homesick than I thought. Oh well. I have more pressing matters to deal with, if you know what I mean. Like, WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GO? I'm stuck in this stupid chamber now, cuz the door is locked, of course. I was stupid to think it wouldn't be.

It's true. I forget where and how Maurice got out of here. Why does this guy need so many booby traps and secret passageways?

I would dress up as a servant, come to think of it, but I would know neither how to get out or how to get to the servants wing or how to get to Sensu anyway. So, what's the darn point? The whole room is stone. My claws or glass shards wouldn't do nothing but break, and I doubt I could bounce my way to the top in my bubble without breaking my neck, and what would camouflage do?

Oh well. Last option. I summon my power, and glow with blue light. After several minutes, I hurl some at the wall. It leaves a scorch mark on the wall. I notice a slight indent where the smoking mark is. I might actually be getting somewhere!

I try again, and a third, and a fourth, all leaving slightly bigger indents.

Ok. Now I'm starting to weaken, but at least I'm almost through. I check it by knocking on it every once in a while, and it gets thinner and hollower each time. It's good to know that I'm not working for nothing. If this doesn't work, I might as well bake myself on a silver platter for Sensu. He'll undoubtedly eat me when he's absorbed my dad's and my energy.

Ah, there, it came through. I can see a tiny sliver of light seeping into the darkness around me. Perfect.

I feel the whole, and stick my head through. That's a long way from me getting through it. My face can fit through, but that's it. If I was a little house-cat, then I'd be able to twist myself in some bizarre way, and somehow fit, because my whiskers could fit through.

Well, it's worth a shot. Aren't I a type of cat, after all?

I morph quickly, and lower my muzzle. There's no way my whiskers are getting through this one. It's quite a long shot.

I step back and grit my teeth. I conjure all of my remaining energy, and direct it into my front paws. I draw the power up my arm, let its heat fill me, and create two massive fireballs, even better than those I hurled at Yusuke. One after another, they strike their mark, dead-on.

The racket caused is really quite marvelous, but I fit through better than perfectly. Maybe because my whiskers had A LOT of extra room to move. Who made up that stupid philosophical rule, anyway?

I'm out. I demorph slowly because I'm tired. Then I sneak along the shadows right next to the wall, even the though the cold makes my nerves scream. Why am I so tired?

Finally, my legs can take no longer. Now I know the secret of my sudden weakness. I accidentally tapped into some of my life energy when I hurled those fireballs, so that's why the blast was so intense and the reason that I feel so tired now. I just hurt. I probably shortened my life by at least 5 years. DAMN! NO way will I get to 80 this way!

But at least, I can think in peace. I think Maurice has forgotten about me, or any case has not reported my MIA status, so I have nothing to worry about as of now.

So now I have two options. I can either save Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, and Genkai and fight Sensu after, but I can also fight Sensu and rescue my dad first, and then come back for them.

It would be easier to have allies. But, getting them out of the dungeons (and even finding the dungeons to begin with) would probably be a waste of time, because they couldn't have guards any stupider than Maurice. I'd have to fight them first. I don't have the time for that.

But if I fight Sensu, I'll probably have to fight minions upon minions before him, all of which could easily kill me first.

Either way, I'll have to fight a lot of enemies to rescue friends.

To give myself thinking time, I start walking again, against my legs' wishes. I should focus on finding whatever is closest.

After an hour, I come to several signs. One points to the KITCHEN, one points to the LOBBY, one points to the DUNGEON, and one points to the POWER.

The power? What the hell's that supposed to mean?

Oh wait. There's some writing underneath it. I squint. I need to get new glasses.

…This room is for all who seek the throne. There will be 1-2 challenges before fighting the great, terrible Sensu. Challenge if you dare…

Gee. That is so Sensu. Two challenges first? He'd rather sacrifice his best fighters to test your strength, to see if he needs to run or not. The punk.

I hold up a finger. THE DUNGEON IT IS!

I turn left, and run fast, switching to a black cat of the night.

A horrible smell hits me. I turn back to a girl, and cover my nose. Damn it, what is that smell? I've just come down into a dark hallway with many cages lining it.

Ugh. So that's what it is. People are rotting down here. The air is abuzz with flies, all monsters at my height. And demons are pressing their bodies against their cages, eyes alight with pure insanity, like that Batman joker-induced madness.

I look right and left, trying to find any trace of my friends. For once, I'm glad I'm so small. None of them can see me in this nearly totally dark basement.

Finally, I catch a flash of blue hair. Botan?

"Botan?"

She peeks a dull, crazy, violet eye out. "Katrina?"

"Yeah. I'm here to get you out."

"Okay, good. The key is at the top of the cage, up there." She points at it angrily. "It's what makes us go insane. The key to freedom, just out of reach."

I won't answer that. Botan reaches her hand through the cage, and lifts me up. Her grip is shaking with hunger. I reach up and grab the key. Oddly, Botan snatches it and unlocks herself, not caring that she just dropped me.

"OW! Botan…"

"Shut up."

Yo, what kind of attitude is that?

I untie the ropes on her hands, and she steps out, holding me in one of her fists.

"Botan, what---"

"Shut up. You'll make it hear us."

"It?"

"SHUT UP!" She whisper-screams.

I heed her. I don't want to fight her or "it."

She breaks into a run, jostling me.

WE finally get into the light. She instantly dives into the shadow of the wall, and places me down.

"What was that all about?"

I finally see her eyes. They are unusually bright. "It." She whispers.

"What is it?"

"Didn't you see it?"

"See what?" Now I'm worried.

"You didn't see the great purple monster patrolling the hall?"

"No, Botan." Am I crazy, or is she?

She looks at me nervously. "You're mad."

I take a deep breath. "Botan, did you eat something funny? Did you eat anything at all?"

One eye rolls. "Some old bread with some parsley."

Parsley…why does that sound familiar?

"Botan, are you sure it was parsley?"

"That's what they said. Now, I have to kill you."

"Wha---what?"

"You didn't see it. You are insane."

"Botan, don't make me do this." I know she's been corrupted. There's no other explanation.

"You…must die…"

SLAM.

Botan falls to the floor.

I withdraw my fist. What the hell was wrong with her? What did that piece of bread and parsley do to her?

I astro-project and enter her mind.

Instead of black, now her mazes are violet. Something is wrong.

I fly to her memory chamber. I entered into her mind very close to her memory, so it doesn't take long. I am getting to know her mind as if it were my own.

I view the memory screens. Instead of all those violent screens I first saw, there are assorted memories now. Her most recent ones all indeed show a great purple monster, which really looks scary. But it can't…it isn't real. I can't explain how I know, but it just is not real.

But Botan really believed she was seeing it. That was the scary part. Maybe it was the parsley that made it act funny.

But it probably wasn't parsley. That was so strange. I can't figure out where I've heard parsley before.

There's nothing I can do for her. I can erase those memories, though. Reaching into my power, I let it burn into all of her memories of the huge monster.

Once I am satisfied, I reawaken her with a minor brain jolt and get the hell outta her mind for good. That's it of me going in there. I feel too much like an unwanted virus.

Once I am in my body again, I wake up to see Botan standing over me.

"You had better not be trying to kill me again, Botan."

She looks confused. "What?"

"You just tried to kill me," I say, sitting up.

"I did?"

"Yes."

"Okay then."

I look at her. "Is it just me, or are you…"

"I'm back, yes."

"Don't tell me you whitewashed your mind again," I groan and stand.

"NO, no, but I've been a jerk to you. I'm going to try to be nicer. That way, I'll be able to hold my memories and learn from them, but still be annoyingly perky!" She grins.

"Botan, I'm actually glad to have you back."

She breaks the hug. "Actually?"

"Well, you annoyed me before, so when you turned all punk, I liked it better. But I must say, now I like this side of you better."

"Oh, don't go mushy. And are we going to fight Sensu yet?"

I groan. "Even now, you don't give up."

"Yup. But without me, you wouldn't have even gotten this far."

"That's true. But I have some questions first."

"Shoot."

"Why were there no guards in the prison?"

"Oh, that? They didn't figure we were that much of a threat. And---ahhh…"

"Botan? BOTAN?" She's just slumped to the floor.

She grabs me and whispers, "Spirit Drain Attack. Use Spirit Drain Attack when fighting Sensu, it will prevent his soul's escape…and on me…reach into your magic and say the Words of Command. Genkai asked…" She goes out again.

I'm very stunned. I reach into her with my magic with my very tiny hands. She's knocked out. But why? Could someone have beaten her up? Or was it that stupid parsley?

She is breathing kind of funny. Genkai taught me that usually signals a stomach virus.

And what was with the Spirit Drain Attack she mentioned? Why did she say to use it on her and Sensu?

Oh, damn it. I understand. She's dying. She wants me to prevent her soul's escape.

Here's goes nothing…and everything.

"Son RAO li Te noi FAM yyawk. KAN!"

All of a sudden, I am Botan. Not inside her, just…her. I feel her escaping me…

I grab her…

I hold…

I tug her back…holding the madness behind me…

…it's over powering me…

…have to run…

I come out of my trance, as though someone slapped me in the face. I chance a glance at Botan. If I failed, Botan's dead. Botan is breathing better, but by no means cured. I only delayed the madness. She was doing a pretty good job on her own, but I guess she couldn't hold it off forever. I need Kurama or Yukina for this sort of thing. I was not trained for healing like this.

I would go insane, but hear a lot of people coming. I can't lug Botan's body over to the wall in time. I'm dead. So close, and I'm already dead. Off to the specimen for Sensu's twisted experiments with my father and I.

The creatures, only three of them, come by, talking in low voices to each other. Each has an ax with a bloodstain on its robe.

Oh my god. How can it be them?

My brother, Jin, and Touya.

A/N This was a sucky chapter, I admit. I gave up on editing it from when I wrote it like a year and a half ago. Oh well.