Keaka opened her eyes and blinked a few times trying to get the haze out of them.
"Wha?..." She wondered trying to focus on something, anything to get her bearings.
"Move!" She heard someone shout as she was picked up and nearly tossed somewhere.
"Snap out of it unless you want your life ended." She heard Hiei say. She looked at him for a moment and shook her head.
"What?" She asked again.
"I got your back Urameshi!" She heard her brother yell.
"Kuwabara behind you!" Kurama shouted. "Rose whip!"
"Both of you get out of my damned way! SHOT GUN!"
"Hiei, what's going on?" She asked confused. Hiei looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.
"You must have hit your head harder than I thought." He said. "Just stay low and out of sight if you can not fight." He ordered and took off katana in hand. Unsteadily Keaka stood up trying desperately to grasp what was going on. She shook her head again clearing her mind. Slowly the events that had transpired before began to fade as if they had all just been a dream.
"How do I know though." She said. "What if this is just a memory of our mission." She said clutching her head.
"Keaka!" Kurama yelled deflecting their opponents attack away from her. Kurama grabbed her by the shoulders roughly and shook her gently.
"Keaka, snap out it! You have a bad concussion I fear but you must remain attentive to the matter at hand if only for your own survival." He said picking her up and bringing her to what she hoped was a safe place. He stroked her cheek gently as she blankly stared at him.
"Is this…now?" She asked weakly grabbing a hold of his wrist. Kurama looked from her hand back into her eyes. He nodded once.
"Yes Keaka. This is all happening now. Why do you ask?" He wondered intrigued momentarily forgetting the battle.
"I…left…then I came back and…you…you put me in a place….and I found Yusuke…but then I left again…and now I'm here…." She trailed disjointedly. Kurama cocked an eyebrow at her.
"We'll talk about this later just try and stay hidden." He said before taking off. Keaka sat on the ground with her knee's to her chest confused. Was it all just a dream? Had she just been unconscious. She hadn't even noticed the fight was over and the other four tantai's surrounded her.
"What's wrong with her?" Kuwabara asked kneeling next to her concerned.
"She has a concussion as a result from the blow to her head." Kurama said examining the deep gash on her forehead.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Yusuke asked worried.
"As long as we get her medical attention quickly she should recover fine." Kurama said picking her up in his arms.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Hiei asked.
((- - - - -))
Her surroundings came back into view as the pounding in her head fell to a dull roar. She opened one eye and then the other to be surrounded by none other than hospital walls.
"Okay this is getting REALLY OLD!" She screamed sitting bolt upright in bed only to be met by dizziness.
"Keaka, take it easy. You have a severe concussion. Please just rest." She looked next to her bed side and saw the Kurama impersonator.
"Shut up and leave me alone." She spat crossing her arms. Kurama's eye's widened at the out burst.
"Whoa. Didn't think she'd ever talk to you that way."
"You too trader! T.J. you bastard." She quipped.
"Ummmm…huh?" Kuwabara asked dumbly.
"She's just confused is all. It must be the concussion. Keaka, listen to me. Everything is alright. You're safe." Kurama said.
"Yeah in a padded room."
"What the hell are you talking about girl?" Yusuke asked. Keaka looked his way and blinked a few times.
"Yusuke? You're supposed to be missing or dead…." She said slowly.
"Oh well geez thanks."
"No…I didn't mean it like that! I woke up in a hospital bound and told by everyone around me that I was someone else and that I hadn't ever even lived in Japan. I would go back and forth between here and there until one time I woke up in some sort of cell with you there Yusuke but we were attacked by our captors. They knocked us out and I went back to that other place …" She said looking at her hands.
"Go on." Kurama said softly intrigued.
"There's not really much more to tell. Now I'm here but I don't know if this is real or not. Maybe it's just another fantasy." She said.
"You got hurt pretty early on into the mission Keaka. Your brother, Hiei and Kurama went to scout the area and I kept an eye on you in cave…that's when you gained consciousness. You were mumbling about being captured and as hard as I tried to tell you you were safe you kept on about it. Then you just passed out again." Yusuke said walking closer to her bed.
"Don't you remember anything sis?" Kuwabara asked. Keaka shook her head.
"Well I'm sure it will come to you soon enough." Kurama said cheerfully. Keaka looked at him uneasily. Something wasn't right with this.
"Would you excuse us for a moment. Yusuke, Kuwbara." Kurama said shortly and motioned for the door. Keaka stood up unsteadily after they had left and walked over to the door placing her ear against it.
"She still doesn't remember anything. Lord Kamowe will not be pleased." Yusuke said.
"Do not fear Tetsuo. I will simply feed her something else to jog her memory. The sooner she remembers the sooner the sacrifice can proceed." She heard her brother assure this Tetsuo.
"That's all well and good however I don't believe I can keep up this elaborate ruse for long. The incident at the temple as well as this is leaving me exasperated." Kurama said.
"Yes I am aware Shura. I must commend you for doing an excellent job as of late. I beg of you friend just hang on and we will have what we so desire." Kuwabara said. Keaka practically jumped away from the door and backed against the window trembling.
"Sacrifice?" She whispered putting a hand to her mouth. The window swung open as two hands grabbed her roughly and spun her around.
"Don't make a sound or else they will hear you." Hiei said trying to force her out the window.
"No I won't go with you! Let me go!" She screamed.
"Keaka it's me Hiei. Listen I know your confused but you have to trust me!" Hiei spat at her forcefully.
"Noooooo!" She screamed swinging her arms wildly.
"What other choice do you have?" He yelled. The door to the room opened as the illusion began to crumble away before their eyes.
"The girl. How did he get here?" Tetsuo shouted.
"He is not really here. It's an illusion but he has found her!" Kurama yelled clutching his head tightly.
"COME ON!" Hiei yelled grasping her tightly.
"NO!" Keaka screamed at him tears streaming down her face. "Just leave me alone! All of you…just leave me alone!" She yelled as Hiei let go unintentionally and fled. Keaka flew back into the arms of one of her captors.
"We have to move our position. The tantai's will arrive shortly for her." Kuwabara said blowing some sort of powder in her face making her black out again.
"DAMNIT!" Hiei cursed loudly reopening his eyes and closing his jagan.
"Still no luck?" Kurama asked sadly. Hiei looked over at his friend and acknowledged his lost pathetic look. With out Keaka he was lost.
"Oh no I found her. I found her surrounded by a very vast illusion causing her to become delusional. She can't decipher reality from fantasy. I was trying to get her to a safe point so we could just go and grab her but she wouldn't go with me." Hiei said noting Kurama's watery shocked eyes.
"But you found her." He said at a loss for words. Hiei nodded his head once.
"Yes but they saw me trying to take her. No doubt they'll move their position." Hiei said placing a hand to his pounding head.
"At least that gives us an idea of where she is. If we act quickly then perhaps we can catch up fairly quickly." Kurama said going to his closet to reach for one of his fighting tunics.
"Kurama I haven't wanted to say anything but you do know there is the possibility we won't get to her on time." Hiei said eyeing the kitsune youkai carefully. Kurama ignored his comment and proceeded to dress himself with shaking hands.
"You should inform Kuwabara and Yusuke of the situation. We can meet up in the park." Kurama said his voice small and choked. Hiei nodded once and leapt out the window. Kurama sighed closing his eyes. He sat on his bed and rubbed his temples looking at the ground watching tears fall onto the carpet.
"We will get you back no matter what it takes. I will get you back safely no matter what. I swear it to you Kesaki."
