Sorry that it's taken me so long to update. My teachers decided to pull one of those "we'll give you no homework this week and burry you again next week" kinda things. Oh well, that's passed now and though I have a whole crap load of tests to look forward to on Friday, this week should be relatively light. As I have said before, I've already planned out a sequel to this story and I may even turn it into a series depending on what ideas I get and how many people like them. Just thought I'd let you all know that. Also, I got the new D.H.T. CD on Saturday and it rocks! They're from Belgium if you didn't know. I love foreign bands. :P Alright, enough of that, time to continue. ON WITH THE FIC!

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He jumped from branch to branch, sprinting along the more supportive limbs, trying desperately to catch up with his lover. He gave no thought to the fact that his shirt was only half buttoned, his coat a rumpled mess, and a half knotted tie hung loosely and crookedly from his neck. His once shined and spotless shoes had become scuffed and the bottoms caked with mud and needles.

He paused on a branch, taking a moment to regain his ragged breath. Here Hiei's scent ceased to move forward and dove down sharply. Surveying the area, he did not miss the splintered branches. If he had fallen from this height…

He refused to let himself complete the hideous thought. Eyes narrowing, he determinedly began to descend, jumping twenty or thirty feet at a time from branch to branch unit he was finally low enough to jump down without shattering his shins on the landing.

His heart stopped as he hit the ground and took in his surroundings. The area showed obvious signs of a recent fight, the needles of the forest floor swept into piles in places and completely absent in others. What made him nearly faint, however, was the splash of crimson in the center of the small clearing.

His whole body beginning to tremble, he knelt down and touched the pool of redness with one finger. It was cold…this fight had taken place an hour or maybe more ago. Slowly, he brought his garnet stained finger level with his face and forced himself to sniff tentatively; praying all the while that it wasn't Hiei's.

It was.

(xxx)

Consciousness returned to him slowly. The first thing he was aware of was pain. His whole body ached. The side of his head throbbed, as did the back of his head and his spine. As nerve endings came alive once more, he was aware of the stiff feeling of dried blood on the side of his face. Above all else, however, was the pain in his stomach.

One part of demon pregnancy that he was very familiar with, and equally not fond of, was hunger pains. A demon could sustain itself for days on end without food, but the same was not true of a growing fetus and evolution had devised a way to prevent the child from starving in its mother's stomach. The answer was perhaps the only thing demons responded to. Pain.

Hiei, however, did not need anymore pain at the moment. As other senses began to return, he was aware that he was lying face up on something very cold, his hands and feet secured in shackles that blocked the use of his energy.

Forcing his eyes opened, he had to squint at his surroundings. Everything was shades of white or blue and deathly cold. For a moment he couldn't think through the haze of confusion and pain to put together where he was, then it was horrifyingly clear. He was in his birth realm; the cursed place he had sought to destroy in his younger days; the home of the Koorime.

"You're awake," a soft, feminine voice stated from his right. He turned his head to see who had spoken and cried out as his neck burst into searing pain.

"Don't move!" she warned, alarmed. "You're badly injured." He growled at the obvious statement, but said nothing. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before attempting to speak. The air he breathed felt as thought it was made of a thousand freezing needles ripping into his lungs.

"Who are you?" he questioned hoarsely, his head throbbing with every syllable. "Why have you brought me here?"

"You know who I am, Hiei. Although I wish you did not," she replied softly. He listened to her soft footfalls as she drew closer. She leaned over him, staring at him sadly and he recognized that look immediately.

"Rui," he stated softly. The one who had thrown him from the very world he appeared to be imprisoned in now nodded, looking as though she might start to cry at any moment.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, here eyes shimmering. "I can't stop them. I couldn't then, and I can't now…I…"

"Stop," he silenced her. He had heard her apologize before, heard her give him permission to kill her in revenge before. She wasn't like the others…she was gentle and kind hearted…she reminded him deeply of his sister.

"Now that they have me, what are they going to do to me?" he questioned. A teargem fell from her eyes before she could stop it, clicking on the frozen floor.

"It…it depends…" she choked softly, unable to meet his eyes.

"Depends on what?" he asked, a look of almost-fear stealing onto his façade before he could stop it. He couldn't let them hurt his child…he wouldn't! Rui didn't answer but continued to look away, more teargems falling.

"Rui," he said her name with more urgency then he had meant to. She looked up, startled at his tone of voice and became even more surprised by the look of anxiety on his face.

"What are they going to do?" The question was stated calmly, but a torrent of apprehension swam in his wine colored eyes as he spoke. She swallowed, meeting his eyes in determination.

"T-they plan to…to keep you alive until…until the child you carry…has matured enough…f-for them to determine its gender," she forced out. A constant clatter of teargems was echoing throughout the room now, but she never took her eyes from his.

"And then what?" he whispered. It was hard to talk…hard to think…this wasn't happening! Why had he been so foolish? Why had he come back to the Makai in his condition? Why was this happening to him? Why always to him? Why? WHY!

"If it is a boy…they'll kill you both," she said shakily. "And if it's…if it is a girl…they'll…they…" she trailed off. She couldn't stand the thought of this, it was too cruel! To do to him what they had done to Hina…

"They'll what? Rui!" his voice had grown louder now and he looked…scared. That was the only word for it…scared.

"If it's a girl…they'll t-take her…as soon as s-she's born…and kill you."

"And…and what…what will they do…with her?" he found himself asking, his voice now just as shaky with emotion as Rui's.

"If…if she has…Koorime traits…they'll raise her as such…and tell her nothing of you."

"And…if she…doesn't have Koorime traits?"

"They'll kill her."

(xxx)

Crimson fanned out behind him as he blurred through the forest, pure fury allowing him to nearly match Hiei's speeds. Hiei's scent was nowhere to be found…it had been disguised or wiped away somehow. The attacker was good…but not good enough. He had taken care of Hiei's scent, but had done nothing about his own. And it was this scent now that Kurama was fallowing. He would find the one who had dared to injure his lover and make them pay…DEARLY. Emerald depths flashed golden as the scent grew stronger and he envisioned everything he would do to the attacker when he caught him. He was almost there now.

(xxx)

The shadow waited patiently for his foxy company to arrive. He had purposefully left a trail, hoping the former Youko might come after him. The Koorime had what they wanted and had released him from their service, but he was not at all satisfied. He still wanted a fight and if he couldn't have it with the imiko, he would have it with the imiko's would-be mate. Perhaps, if he had been wiser, he would have thought twice about trying to trap a fox. More often then not a sly creature such as the cunning fox can twist the web of trickery back on its weaver. But the shadow did not know this, or else underestimated his opponent. Another very bad move, as he was about to find out.