Meanwhile listening silently to Genkai's and Kurounue's conversation, an awakened Hiei trembled, eyes wide, standing right outside the shut kitchen door. He couldn't believe it, the bitch who cheated on Kurama was pregnant with a child that could be the fox's, but was selfishly trying to kill herself and her child, all because she didn't believe it was Kurama's—the very thought angered the fire-demon. How could she know the child wasn't Kurama's? She'd been his lover at that time, so that very slim chance should be enough for her—unless she knew something that she refused to tell.
Determined to find this Akiko, Hiei left Genkai's, feeling well rested after his nap—a dreamless nap that lasted barely an hour, but it was better than how he'd been sleeping. It annoyed him that Ku-chan hadn't been with him, but the fox cub was sleeping soundly in the living room and Hiei hadn't the heart to wake him—after all he knew how it felt to be sleep deprived, and he was certain Ku-chan hadn't been getting much sleep either.
So Hiei left Genkai's and headed toward the city, checking the urge to use his demon speed the best he could, however as he thought more about Akiko and the child, the more compelled he became to throw caution to the wind and use his demon powers regardless of the risk. Finally, forgetting all caution, Hiei ran to the city at top speed, ignoring how fast his heart raced, and how his lungs burned—all he wanted was to get to Akiko and make her save herself and the child.
While the fire-demon raced to the city, Karai, sitting against the outside wall of a building, shrouded in the darkness of an alleyway, winced in pain and fear as he stared at the now bandageless wound on his side. Inflamed red skin, pulsating with pain, surrounded the teeth marks, little trickles of blood dripping from each puncture. The strain of reviving Keiko must've slowed down his body's ability to heal, he'd expected that to happen, but Karai hadn't expected the fox cub's bite to be so severe—he felt what remained of his energy depleting after every throb. Something was definitely wrong.
Struggling to stand up, Karai barely got an inch off the ground before sensing a flash of familiar aura—paling in recognition of the aura. Freezing in his spot, Karai focused on finding out from where the energy signal originated—hoping that he had misread whose it was.
Gasping as another flash of the aura signal came to his attention and wincing as another painful throb filled his body at that same moment, Karai grew terrified, trembling where he sat.
"No…it can't be…it just can't…." Karai whimpered, gasping aloud again when he heard the voice call to him through his thoughts.
'Oh? Can't it? Hah! You were always so naïve, brother. Did you truly think I would be destroyed so easily? Hah!' The harsh, cruel voice spoke soundlessly in Karai's mind, laughing haughtily at the demon.
"But…how could…?" Karai whimpered feeling more intense pain throbbing from the wound on his side, his power fading with each throb.
Fear filled his eye as he remembered about what the bite mark on his side meant—the mark his brother had given him after overpowering him, degrading him to the level of a slave—vilely using Karai and destroying the trust the demon had for his brother. Karasu had forced himself upon Karai, taking advantage of everyone of the auburn eyed, red-haired demon's weaknesses—binding Karai's right arm in a tight shackle, taking advantage of how helpless that made him—Karai's right arm was his one and only physical weakness, even the slightest touch to his right arm sent throbs of immobilizing pain through his entire body.
Only Karai himself could touch his right arm without sending pain throughout his body—though a brace rich with spirit energy did allow him to use that arm and have it touched without any pain, it also hindered use of any of his powers, weakening him to a level near that of a human. His brother Karasu had taken advantage of this physical weakness, immobilizing Karai as he had his way with the helpless demon, ignoring Karai's disgusted pleads at being degraded to the position of a whore by his own brother.
Flashback:
"Brother…don't you…please stop…don't…." Karai whimpered, gasping and wincing from the constant waves of pain from his right arm, trying desperately to struggle against his brother's lust, but unable to due to his body's temporary paralysis.
"Heh, stop? Don't? Make up your mind, dear brother." Karasu smirked, his eyes glistening with lust and sadism—oh how he loved toying with Karai.
"You know what I mean, you twisted, sadistic bastard!" Karai shouted hating his brother, hating the fact that he had foolishly trusted Karasu not to hurt him, cursing himself that he'd been foolish enough to believe something like family mattered to the vile demon.
"Maybe I'll let you go, dear brother, but that means I get Hinansho…." Karasu whispered, enjoying watching the powerless demon struggle beneath him, loving how helpless Karai was in his hate and fear.
"AH! How do you know about Hinansho!" Karai gasped horrified that Karasu knew of his beloved lover, fear for the human boy's safety causing him to tremble.
"I have my ways—you've been his lover for over four years now, and I right?"
"I…you spied on us…!"
"Heh…I didn't have anything better to do after I died, but I knew before that that you had taken a human as a lover, heh." Karasu whispered, his eyes glaring hungrily at his brother, he'd been without a body for so long that it felt desirously wonderful to have someone so weak, yet so feisty to overpower—regardless that that person was his own brother. "I know your other secret as well…heh…the real Hinansho's been dead for over a year now—a suicide I do believe--am I right?"
"I…." Karai gulped, terrified that his brother had spied on him that long, horrified that the demon knew of what had happened, sickened that he was in Karasu's mercy.
"Reviving someone without Spirit World permission is a felony in Spirit World law—especially if one revives a human body but fills it with a demon spirit."
"You know of Kurounue?"
"Hah! Now I do." Karasu grinned slyly staring even more intensely at Karai. "I can't believe you fell for that one, I knew the soul wasn't Hinansho's, but to think you'd be idiotic enough to admit to me that it was a demon's spirit…hah!" Karasu laughed enjoying how pale his brother went as Karai realized his error—if he hadn't blurted out Kurounue's name, he could've denied that it was a demon spirit he had revived—accidentally—into Hinansho's body (Reviving someone without permission wasn't as severe as reviving a demon spirit in a human body.)
"How did you know it wasn't Hinansho's spirit?" Karai asked, hoping that Karasu hadn't been ignorant of that, and had merely tricked him into revealing that info as well—Karai couldn't stand anymore laughter from his brother for being so stupid.
"Because I'm the one who trapped him to prevent you from reviving him." Karasu confessed coolly, enjoying the anger in Karai's eyes as the demon took in his words.
"You! You prevented me from reviving him? How could you!"
"Same as I could torment him into killing himself."
"Ah…you bastard! You! I'll kill you! I swear I will!" Karai seethed forcing his body to overcome the pain and struggle against Karasu, hating the black haired demon with his whole demonic heart and soul, surprising his brother by being able to physically struggle against him.
"You…you wouldn't dare kill the only one who can tell you where Hinansho's soul is, would you?" Karasu asked, calmly, releasing his hold on Karai—knowing perfectly well that Karai's feelings for his lover would prevent the demon from killing Karasu—as though the innocent demon actually could, Karai hadn't killed anyone since they were born. "Nor would you kill someone who could so easily kill the fake Hinansho as well, would you?"
"If you're dead you can't harm anyone anymore."
"I beg to differ—if I'm dead I could easily torment him in his dreams like I did to the real Hinansho—steal his memories and remind him of everything horrible in his life, heh. Make him kill himself just to escape the torment."
"That's…you made Hinansho-chan relive his life in his dreams? Everything that happened to him?"
"Yes I did—every gruesome detail, the boy had so many repressed horrible memories—memories of his own guilt in his loved ones deaths."
"But…they died in a fire…it wasn't his fault!"
"That's where you're wrong, dear brother. Hinansho never told you of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his so called family? No…not sexual—physical and emotional only. But enough to get him to deliberately set fire to the house—he had hoped to die in the blaze as well, but I saved him, and he repressed every memory from that time, ignoring what he remembered until I unlocked those memories."
"But…you saved him? Why?"
"That, dear brother, is my secret." Karasu replied, holding Karai down again, studying the demon curiously. "You wouldn't want me to harm the fake Hinansho as well, would you?"
"No."
"Then teach me your spells, dear brother, teach me how to take any form I choose, like you can do."
End Flashback
Karai gasped as those memories pulsed through his thoughts—he had agreed to teach Karasu that spell which allowed him to take any form he chose—falling victim to idiocy again when Karai failed to realize that Karasu meant to take Karai's form and drain his power. Karasu gave Karai that bite on his side the first time he overpowered the auburn eyed demon—it was a demon's love bite, but instead of being on his shoulder as the sign of a mate, it was on his side as the sign of a slave, forced to do whatever his master wanted.
Now it burned as it did other times when Karasu summoned him, tormenting him always until he answered his brother's summons—but it couldn't be possible, Karasu was dead, there was no way he could actually summon him. The mark had finally begun healing slowly—it had almost been completely healed until that fox-cub bit him, not it was….
"No…it couldn't be…." Karai gasped at the thought in his head, not wanting to believe it but realizing it was the only logical explanation. But if what he thought was the case, then Hiei was in danger—terrible danger.