CHAPTER 10

Shadow Fire

Noda was having a harder time than he expected. He thought since Hiei and the girl had run into the forest and mostly likely stopped to rest for the night that they'd be easy to find. As it turned out. That wasn't the case.

It ended up being very complicated.

Where are they? he thought, slamming his fist into a tree. They have to be here! They can't just vanish like ghosts!

He breathed a moment. I have to calm down. I know they're here. I just have to find them.

He started moving again.

"Where should we look next?" Botan asked Kurama as the two walked out of a building development. "We looked in most of Hiei's favorite places and we haven't found a thing!"

"We'll just have to keep looking," he told her.

"Like where?" she asked. "It's not like-WAH!"

Botan's foot slipped on a lose stone and she found herself somersaulting in the air.

Kurama acted quickly. He ran to her and caught her before she fell. (I got this short little part's idea from the first episode of Tokyo Mew Mew)

"Are you okay?" he asked worried.

She looked up at him. "Uh... yes," she said blushing as she stared at his face, which was very close. Wow, I never noticed how beautiful his eyes are... "I'm fine."

"Good," he said putting her down gently. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"Me too," she said blushing more. He blushed too. Now they were both blushing.

Finally Botan spoke. "So um...," she began. "Shall we be going?"

He nodded. "After you," he said politely.

Minoy and Hiei hadn't talked since the girl had said she forgave him. She had just sat on the ground mending Hiei's black shirt, which had gotten ripped somehow during the fight he'd had. (Even though he hadn't been wearing it). Hiei just sat there thinking about stuff for a few minutes. Now it was time for them to get going.

Just as they were getting ready to go Hiei noticed something he should have noticed hours ago. "Where's my sword?" he asked his eyes searching the ground.

"Your sword?" she inquired.

"Yes, my sword," he confirmed looking around the area once more. "I must have lost it somehow."

"So?"

"So?" he snapped looking back at her. "So I can't get rid of Noda without it!" He punched a tree with his fist. "Don't you understand? If I don't have my sword I won't be able to fight him and he'll kill us."

"He... will..."

"Yes," he said resting his head on the tree and looking downward. He ground his teeth. "If he kills us I'll never be able to..." he stopped talking.

"To what?" she asked standing up and walking over to him.

"You wouldn't understand," he said. "You're not smart enough to understand!"

She stopped a few feet away from him. "Does this have something to do with your sister?" she wanted to know.

"LEAVE HER OUT OF IT!" he snarled. "If you had any brains in that pretty little head of yours you wouldn't say anything abou her!"

SMACK!

Hiei felt something hit his bare back. He looked over his shoulder. Minoly regarded him angrily, a hurt and furieated look on her pretty face.

"Listen," she said. "Just because you lost your sword doesn't mean you can take it out of me. It's not my fault this happened. You shouldn't blame me!"

"It's partly your fault," he cut her off. "If I haven't of had to save you from him I never would have lost my sword!"

"All you care about is that stupid sword!" she screamed. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Noda could have done anything horrible to me and I couldn't have done a thing about it," she told him. "But you chose to help me even after I annoyed you to death!" her eyes filled with tears. "Inside you're a good person. But... you don't want to admit it. You just don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?"

"You're the first person who had done anything nice for me," she replied. "All my life nobody was ever kind to me. I was ignored and never had any friends. None of the other kids in school ever spoke to me unless they wanted something from me. I never knew why... But now... you.. for a few hours... made me feel as if I belong..."

Hiei didn't comment. He just kept on staring over his shoulder at her. His red eyes locked on her face.

She picked up something off the ground. "But now," she said looking down at it, her tears starting to spill over. "I realize you're just like the rest of them. You just think I'm a brainless bitch just like everyone else does!"

"Minoly..."

She wasn't listening. She hugged the thing she held. She burst into tears and ran into the forest.

Hiei watched her go then looked down at the ground. He saw her book, The Rabbit's Dandelion, lying as his feet. She had thrown it at him.

He knelt down and picked it up. He stared at it a moment as he went over what she had said to him in his mind. He never realized it but... he felt horrible for her. I have to find her, he thought. I have to... apoligize...

Still holding her book he ran after her. "Minoly!" he called. "Come ba-"

Someone back handed him across the face. He fell to the ground.

Hiei grunted as his body stuck the rock hard ground. As he tried to get back up someone stomped on his left leg and pinned him to the ground. He looked around for his attacker.

All he saw was a shadow.

Suddenly laughter filled the forest. "Hiei," a mocking voice said. "Since when do you go running after pretty girls?"

The fire/ice demon recognized the voice. "Noda!" he exclaimed looking around. "Where are you? Show yourself, coward!"

The shadow pinning his leg down took on a form. Now Noda stood where the shadow had been.

"I'm right here," he said.

Hiei ground his teeth.

"Looks like I found you," the shadow demon said reaching down and grabbing the other demon by the throat. "And since I have you you're mine to do with as I please."

"Stuff it up your-"

Noda slammed Hiei hard against a tree. "Don't back talk me, punk!" he growled, his razer teeth showing. "You should learn to respect people who are older than you!"

"Like I would ever respect someone like you!" Hiei choked.

Noda's hand turned shadowy. "You should learn to," he said his whole body turning black and purple. "If you don't you're no better than the mortals you hang out with!"

The purple shadow fire caused Hiei to go mute. All he could do was glare at Noda, hatefully.

"But...," Noda went on. "I don't think it's hard for you at all. After all you grew up with no actual role model. That must be why you only see the world in two colors. Black and white. Good and Evil." the shadow demon's grip tightened. "But life really only has one color." His grin came on. "And that color can destroy all other colors. The color Black!"

The shadow fire spread to Hiei now. It began to smother him as it covered his body. The demon gasped as his mind filled with blackness. Noda wasn't killing him, not yet, he was just torturing him for now.

Noda saw Hiei go limp in his grip. He grinned. "This will do for now," he said thrusting the incapitated Hiei to the ground. His teeth showed even more as the fire left Hiei and went back into the shadow demon's hand. "But this is not the end."

Noda leaned over him and stared at his enemy's small pale face. "Not by a long shot."

A/N

Do not worry my readers Hiei is not dead he's just unconcious. The Shadow Fire doesn't kill, it incaps. Hiei will be fine. I'm satisfied with most of this chapter now. I don't think I'll change anything. I'll leave it be for now. Unless I decide to make a few future changes. Hope you liked the chapter. I realized I had some slight Kurama/Botan in this chapter too. Heh. I thought it would be funny. (I do support Kurama/Botan but I also support Hiei/Botan)

Sorry for any spelling, grammer or OOC characters. (Out Of Character)