My earlier assumptions about this week turned out not to be true, as you've no doubt noticed by now. Tests, tests and more tests. Oh well, at least it's almost over now. I won't keep you from the impending fight scene any longer. Enjoy! ON WITH THE FIC!

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Kurama didn't even bother to disguise his ki as he approached the end of the trail. Even if he had wanted to, he was far too enraged for such a delicate action at the moment. Youko was fighting harder than ever to break through, and the Makai plants calling to him from every direction were not helping. They leaned towards him, brushing their leaves against his skin, calling to him without words, pleading with him for a moment of attention or a trickle of his intoxicating ki.

He forced it all back; the Youko, the plants, everything. He had to keep his head. It was imperative that he find out where Hiei was taken before he killed the one who had hurt his lover. It wasn't that Youko wouldn't get the job done, far from it, but the ancient fox had a bad habit of falling prey to more of a "shoot first and ask questions later" tactic, especially when under sever levels of stress.

A clearing opened in the trees ahead of him and his blood boiled when he noted the dark figure standing perfectly still in its center. He landed in a crouch on the ground, rising slowly to his full height, dark emeralds that flared gold in their depths burning. One hand rose to his hair and he produced a beautifully deadly red rose from the crimson tresses.

"So," the shadow drawled as though he was talking about something as harmless and pointless as the weather, "I suppose you're here to kill me then." His face was completely obscured in shadow but Kurama could clearly see the yellow eyes that gleamed from the shadows. It was not a yellow like the Youko's eyes, but rather were a sickly color completely devoid of life's usual light…the same way Hiei's eyes where when they had first met. They were the eyes of someone who lived to fight and truly saw no other reason for existing.

"Tell me what you did with Hiei," Kurama growled out, his voice dropping almost a full octave until it was no longer his at all but Youko's.

"The imiko is having a—how you say—family reunion. I believe that's the ningen term," the shadow said carelessly. Kurama's eyes widened slightly.

"You mean…he's on the Koorime's island?" he questioned, his voice having regained its usual alto. The shadow's hood rustled as it gave the slightest of affirmative nods. Kurama's anger was back almost as quickly as it had left.

"For what purpose? What do they want him for?"

The shadow shrugged. "I was only paid to catch him. Once that was accomplished I was promptly disposed of, which is how I came to be here with you. I know no more than you do."

"You're lying!" Kurama accused, but even he didn't believe the statement. The shadow had nothing to gain from lying. He wanted a fight from Kurama and was fully aware that he would get it whether he told the truth or not, therefore there was no reason for him to withhold anything. But at the moment, Kurama wanted answers and since it was the shadow that stood in front of him, it was the shadow he expected those answers from.

"I'm lying, am I? Come now, you don't really believe that," the shadow regarded him with steady eyes, waiting for an answer. Kurama's mind was racing. The Koorime had Hiei…why? What were they going to do to him? Kill him? What about the child Hiei carried, would they kill that as well? No! Kurama couldn't stand that thought…he couldn't loose either of them, his lover or his child. He would die himself first!

He turned his gaze on the shadow. Youko was screaming at him not to walk away from this fight, but the longer he spent here the more time he wasted. He had to get to Hiei soon, and he couldn't do it alone. The Koorime were passive, that much was true, but just because they chose not to fight didn't mean they weren't strong. He would be killed if he tried to fight his way through their territory alone. No, he would need Yusuke and Kuwabara's help at least. Taking a deep breath, he lowered the rose a little.

"If you leave now, I'm willing to let you live," he offered quietly. The shadow regarded him seriously for a moment, almost in bewilderment, before it threw its hooded head back and laughed. At least Kurama assumed it was a laugh. The sound itself was like sandpaper on a chalkboard.

"You need not worry so much about the imiko," the shadow stated when it had regained its self composure. "If the Koorime wanted to kill him right away, they would have just had me do it. The gods know it would have been easy enough." Kurama bristled at this insult to his lover's strength.

"Hiei is stronger even now then you will ever be," Kurama growled, his voice dipping dangerously into that lower octave once more. Though the shadow's face was still hidden from him, he could tell it was smiling…smiling at the fact that it had gotten a rise out of him. Kurama narrowed his eyes once more.

"Do you want to die, is that it?" he spat. The shadow had left an obvious trail for him to follow and now it was trying to agitate him as much as possible. What other motive was there then a death wish?

"All warriors acknowledge death and hope to meet it honorably," the shadow responded.

"Honorably?" Kurama cried sarcasm thick in his voice. "Explain to me what part of this is honorable!"

The shadow gave him a careless shrug. "At least I can die in battle. That's really all someone like me can ask for." Again Kurama was reminded of the more melancholy moods Hiei was known to take from time to time.

"Fine, if that's what you desire." Kurama closed his eyes as he flicked his wrist. Crimson petals swirled through the air, the green steam elongating. He opened his eyes as his whip reached its full length, eyes that were no longer emerald but amber. "It will be as you wish."

(xxx)

Hiei stared at the cold, white ceiling. He was still in shock after what Rui had told him. She had left some time ago, fled the room in tears actually. This couldn't really be happening. Any minute now he was going to wake up and be at home, in bed with the fox's arms wrapped around him. He would tell the redhead about the nightmare, and Kurama would kiss him and spoon him, maybe even sing a lullaby from his childhood softly in Hiei's ear until he fell back to sleep.

Tears rose to the half-Koorime's eyes as pain ripped through his abdomen again, but the salty water wasn't because of the pain. He was going to die no matter what happened. That was something he had accepted almost readily. But his child…

He had been so disbelieving at first of this life he held inside of him. He had even thought of aborting it, killing it. But that seemed like such a long time ago now. This child was everything to him now and he loved it fiercely. Even he might not have been aware of that until just moments ago, but he knew it now.

He was torn from his thoughts as the door at the far end of the chamber opened. His neck still caused him too much pain for him to look, but it sounded like whoever was there, there were four or maybe five of them. He blinked the tears away quickly. He wouldn't let them see him in this state…he would die before they saw him cry.

"Hello Hiei." The Koorime had come into view now. There were five of them, Rui among them. The Elders. It was the eldest who had addressed him and he fixed her with a hard glare. She was the one who had given the order for him to be thrown for their frigid world.

"Go to hell," Hiei greeted them. The eldest Elder's face didn't change, thought the others looked at him as though he was some sort of disgusting insect. Rui was staring at the floor, her eyes still red from crying.

"You'd better show some respect," one of the other Elders said reproachfully. "We decided to spare your child but that decision can easily be revoked. She will be, however Koorime-like, of tainted blood. You should count yourself lucky we are even considering taking such a child into our community."

"I'm sorry," Hiei retorted, glaring still more fiercely. "I didn't realize it was such a burden to you that my child may, and that's a very questionable may, live long enough to inconvenience you." The Elder opened her mouth to reply, but Rui interjected.

"Stop!" she cried, looking as if she might cry again. "Can't you see how horrible this is? He has done nothing, nothing to deserve this! Despite all your fears and accusations he has never done anything to hurt any of us."

"Enough Rui!" the eldest commanded. "We will discuss this later, privately." Rui looked as though she had been struck and obediently quieted. Some part of Hiei felt almost bad for her and a little worried at what kind of trouble she had gotten into over him. The rest of him honestly didn't care at the moment. Now the eldest turned back to him and began issuing orders like a ningen prison warden. Perhaps she wasn't so different from one.

"You will stay in this room at all times or you forfeit your child's life as well as your own," she stated, matching his glare with a frosty one of her own. "If you behave well we may unlock you from the table, but you will have some form of ki controlling shackles on at all times. Once again, if you break free of them both you and your child's lives are forfeit. You will be brought three meals a day, no more and perhaps less if you misbehave. And when the doctor comes to examine you, as will happen occasionally, you will sit quietly and patiently. You will obey everything you are told and if you lash out against the doctor—"

"You'll kill us both, I know," Hiei interrupted. If she said his child would die one more time… The Elder nodded at him.

"Good day, Hiei." And with that they left. Rui paused, looking up at him one last time before fallowing the others. The door closed and he heard the heavy lock shut.

"Damn it," Hiei swore under his breath, staring at the ceiling once more. "Kurama, if you're coming, get here soon. Please get here soon."