Reviewer Responses:

Crystal Koneko-I'm glad you like the plot and the pairings! Especially the pairings because not everyone agrees with them. With Botan dragging out Hiei's name, I just thought it was a cutesy thing to do that would go well with Botan's personality, and it would show how affectionate she was to him. It would show how close they were in Hiei's part because she's the only one who would get away with it without getting throttled .

Anime ace 12-Thanks for awaiting the next chapter! It gives me a great amount of satisfaction when writing!

Forgotten-Heart-Yeah, I like Tarukane's little nephew, my heart goes out to him. Makes me wonder how he can be related to Tarukane at all, but then again I created him, didn't I? Your guess is good, but the little one is too young for the life of a pirate…I have bigger plans for him…In this fic I plan to write Yukina as a strong character, but mostly by her will alone. Compared to Hiei she's not very strong (well anyone compared to Hiei's not very strong) but I admire her will and determination. She'll be a little colder in this but she'll be a sweetheart to the crew. Thanks for reviewing!

TearsofSadness17-Thanks for adding your favorite line, it still counts even though it's not technically a line. It just proves you put more effort into getting it written up and for that I am grateful! Between you and me, I think I'm getting better at updating because I know where the fic is going and what I want to include in each chapter. My fault would be underestimating the length of the things I want to include and the chapters end up dividing to make a few chapters. Darn my fondness for description…

LivingImpared-Thanks for reviewing and doing the favorite line thing! Sorry, finals kept me a little behind on updating! Matane!

Kuwabara99-Aren't you happy? I had Yukina in the chapter! Umm, Kuwabara's not going to save Yukina, but I'll give them their little moment in the chapter nevertheless. Well, maybe next chapter, I don't think I can get Yukina rescued all in one chapter; it would end up being too long!

Vindiya-Yeah I know, there wasn't really a line that stood out last chapter. I can tell because the favorite lines are spread all over the place. Thanks about the support on Yukina's character. I was really nervous on how people were going to act on her being colder as a person but this is an alternate universe fic. She's still nice, just a little distant and not as trusting. Expect her character to develop a lot!

Ballet Kitty-I'm glad you like the playful bantering Hiei and Botan engage in. I thought it would expand on their relationship together. Filipina! Cool!

Mel A. T-Yeah I can see that most people liked the conversation! I think all of the quotes came from that section but for the most part everyone likes a different line best! Thanks for reviewing!

MystiKoorime-Yeah it was fast! I'm so proud of myself! The Toguro's are very important characters! Without them the fic wouldn't be a quarter as great as I believe it will be! So I love them for that! Well…not the elder one. He scares me…Heehee that was my favorite line too!

Amata Mercy-Wow! You're review was so amazing; I'm flattered! I will happily admit, this fic is planned so much better than my other one! With this one things seem to connect and make sense! It's logical and flows. On the part with my mistakes, there are some I am sad to admit. I'm glad they are not obvious, but there's quite a few in each chapter. I'm too lazy to replace the chapter, if they had something where I could fix the chapter and just save it on then I'd do it, but is that possible? I think there used to be but it got removed or something. Or maybe I just don't know how to do it…Thank you! I think your review is one of the most inspiring I have ever received!

Youko's Kitsune Girl-Lol, it's hard to believe I can move anyone, but thank you very much for at least humoring me! Never fear, Yukina will be rescued from his ugliness…

Angel61991-Thank you very much! I will!

Bookworm0492-Hmm maybe by the end of the fic you'll be able to tolerate them. I promise to try my best to write their relationship in a way so that it's easy to see how compatible they are and how they connect! Personally, I think they go lovely in this fic, in my opinion anyway. No it doesn't annoy me at all, it encourages me to write them as well as I can! Kind of like a challenge, you know?

Keda Jaganshi-Yay! You started a new account! Did you have one before or did you just change it? Thanks for the support! It's encouraging!

Hiei's girl 06-I too am a victim of pirates and Yu Yu Hakusho. Both are simply amazing. Thanks, some of the fics posted on do need some work, but I find that great amounts of the fics are well written. I'm glad that you place my fic in that category! Thanks for checking it out.

Peneia Teke-Yukina is just prone to kidnapping. I'm forewarning you that I'm guilty of using many of the same events that Yu Yu Hakusho used as well as using a large number of the same characters. I find that people don't like OC's too much and if I'm truthful it's easier to write characters that you don't make up because you know their looks and personality already, as well as how they interact with other characters. I'm glad you approve . This chapter's a little late, but not overly late, and I blame that on finals. And yes, I actually DID study.

Jocelyneoverton-Sure! I'd love to be friends! If you have AIM then my sn is xxshikonxx!

H/B always-Hey, stop getting grounded ditz! When you get grounded I can never talk to you! Keep getting A's and keep talking to me! Here's a chapter for your reward! Extra motivation.

BlueGreenGrey- Yes it was Shizuru!

Tsume-Hiei luver-Yep, I will. Thank you!

Tales of the Jagan

Chapter 10

Rescue: Commenced

OOOOOYukinaOOOOO

The door opened once more, but softly, somehow managing to not seem intrusive. I looked through the corner of my eyes to see who had entered due to the unusual way the door was opened. Normally the business partners or their associates had a hurried, fast, loud, and very aggressive approach to handle entering my prison.

A small shadow peeked through timidly. I lost a great amount of my hostility when I became certain of my visitor, yet still kept my guard tight. I could sympathize with Tarukane's nephew to a degree, undoubtedly he wasn't accountable for any part of my abduction, but that didn't mean we were allies in this hellhole. The door slammed shut behind him and I knew that the guard at posted outside my room was still devotedly keeping watch.

I knew by now that no one could be trusted. Age and appearance mattered little; everyone was out to get everyone in this world. I was not easily fooled and highly suspicious of anyone and everyone.

"Umm…miss, I was sent to give you this food," the little boy said shyly, offering a tray of food to me.

I watched him cautiously; the child didn't seem to have an ulterior motive…but one could never be sure. Perhaps the food was drugged or poisoned. Tarukane could have decided to send him because he believed that I would think a child incapable of such an act. I knew differently.

People of any age, size, or race have the ability to be cruel. Ever since I was a little girl, I always suffered from insults, snide remarks, hatred, disgust, and hostility. Koorime is a very prejudiced land; 99 of the residents are ice demons, or lucky enough to be able to pass as one.

My mother was one of the Koorime, devastatingly beautiful and kind, but was foolish and unfortunate to fall in love with a fire demon. Despite the animosity most Koorime hold for other races, my mother's love was pure and true. She made the choice to live with him and decided to persevere through the loathing of our people, to accept life as an outcast.

The whole village abandoned her because of that choice. Suddenly the Koorime wanted nothing to do with her, even her own blood relatives. Only Rui, my mother's best friend and later my caretaker, remained a close friend and companion. From what I hear from Rui, even she did not like the fire demon, but at least she judged him by his personality, not his race.

Soon after mother became pregnant with Hiei and I and she was only too overjoyed. However, my bastard of a father had other ideas and loyalties; he took off even before my twin and I were born. Mom was crushed. She loved the man so much that she was willing to be shunned by the entire village and he had left her.

Even after we were born, Mom was never happy; I can count the amount of true smiles I've ever seen on her face on hand. She did her best to support us and love us, but her heart and soul were dead, all that was left was a shell of the person she once was. Later, when Hiei and I were eight, our own mother committed suicide.

I've grown up with a life of misery. The village shunned us and hated us for our bloodline was partly made up of fire demon heritage. Even after Mom's death, their grudge never wavered.

It was worse because Hiei had blatant fire demon traits, black hair, crimson eyes, and the dead give away was his fire abilities. Even from a young age, Hiei had excelled in controlling fire and bending the flames to his will. I believe that had Hiei not been born the village would have learned to accept me, I had no talent in fire abilities and I looked more like a Koorime, identical to my mother except for the crimson eyes that I shared with my twin. The citizens of Koorime despised him the most out of us all, more than my mother, more than me because he was a clear visual of my mother's 'foul up' and it was all to easy to place the blame on him.

I was hated as well because I would not abandon him. I loved my brother will all my heart; he was all I had. We had stuck together, formed a tight bond since the time we were born that only seemed to strengthen with time. Koorime detested us both with open abhorrence; we were subject to snide comments and revulsion. It's no wonder Hiei and I grew up to be distrustful and distant, all we could count on was each other and Rui.

The only thing I can thank the people of Koorime is for not taking Hiei away. And more to the truth, I should thank Hiei's strength for that. Koorime had made several attempts to force Hiei to leave or even kill him, but they were no match for Hiei, who was impossibly strong and uncommonly talented in fighting.

Hiei probably would have had no problem leaving Koorime, but he stayed for me. Rui took care of us, moved in with us after mother died, made sure we ate properly, were clothed, and the like. It's a wonder she wasn't shunned as well, but she had a lot of prestige in the village, daughter of some of the nobles and because she herself was not responsible for the 'crime', was tolerated, but barely.

When Hiei and I turned fourteen, Kurama managed to befriend Hiei-in turn befriending me. Really he's the only friend I trust, Rui's more of a second mother, and Hiei's my twin. Not long after they took off on an adventure to take advantage of the skills they were born with and put them to good use in the way of stealing.

I was left behind because my brother feared for my safety. Unlike him, I was weak. I had no aptitude to control fire whatsoever, and my ice capabilities were minimal at best. Even my physical strength was a joke. So Hiei left with Kurama because he said it would 'provide a better life' and it would enable him to support me. Despite everything, Hiei, Rui, and I have always been on the poor side, barely managing to get by. Rui was rich and the daughter of nobles, but they had disowned her after she made the choice to stay with us.

Hiei and Kurama were only too successful, not that I can say I was much surprised. Both were very uniquely talented and gifted with power and intelligence. Not that they needed it, but they were also bestowed with gorgeous faces that would have ladies anywhere fawning over them. My brother made it a point to visit frequently, noting my loneliness and sadness that came whenever he left me.

Soon I heard that he and his best friend had met two other boys by the names of Yusuke and Kuwabara who they had taking a liking too. The four had planned to become pirates and combine their powers to enhance their riches and make them unstoppable. They reached their dream not long after, achieving their wishes gloriously. Their occupation wasn't one I would consider honest, but all four have led hard lives and I knew only too well of the worlds' cruelty. In my opinion everyone deserved Hiei's wrath. He was blamed and hated for something he could not control and piracy was one way of exacting his revenge.

The name of their ship, the Jagan, along with all of their names became feared and admired everyone. Hiei's reputation grew and his name became a taboo in Koorime, all feared that he would come back one day to finish them off. He was incredibly dangerous and mirrored the hate that the people had for him. It would be all too easy for him to incinerate the entire village and no one was strong enough to stop him.

Fortunately for them, Hiei ignored them, which they blissfully accepted. Unless they somehow wronged me or slandered either of our names, Rui's, or our deceased mother's; then my overprotective twin would automatically kill person. If Hiei was provoked or pissed off he was unmerciful and unforgiving, that person was as good as dead. So against their wishes, the people treated me with respect but still maintained their standoffish behavior. I really could care less, as long as they didn't bother me.

No one knew when they would strike, but few were brave enough to actually oppose them, the Toguro's being the most prominent, and possibly the only ones who stood a chance. The two fierce ships began competing for something called the Treasure of Mortar, which I actually know little about.

The Toguro's took participation in my capture, no doubt as a stand against Hiei. I assume they probably assembled some tough opponents to act as Tarukane's bodyguards and even more when they predicted Hiei would come for me. I had faith in my brother; I knew that no matter the adversary Hiei would always end as the victor and save me in time. For now all I had to do was be patient until he arrived.

"Miss?"

And this little boy. My eyes narrowed; my mouth twitched into a scowl. If I accepted the food, he would have no reason to stay, therefore leave me alone but my instincts told me the food wasn't safe…

I stood up from the chair for the first time in days and deftly took the tray from the child. I decided to take the food but concluded not to eat even the smallest bit of it. As the kid was lowering his arm, I noticed him wince and rub his arm. On closer inspection I discovered that the cause of his discomfort was a large bruise located on his forearm, angry and purple.

"You…were beaten?" My eyes were wide in disbelief and confusion. Was Tarukane so vile a person that he would injure his own kin, his very nephew?

"My uncle…does not care much for me. All he sees me as is a bother and a nuisance. I hate him."

The little boy was shaking now, tiny fists clenched. His eyes were shut tightly but still tears leaked through. When they opened again I noted that they were full of sorrow and pain.

"My mother was never on good terms with my uncle. They were both rich but my mother was a good person, she was not consumed by greed or selfish. But when she became sick and died, I had no other relatives to take care of me. Tarukane only took me in because he would gain control of my vast inheritance until I turned of age to claim it. The other reason is it would be too suspicious with the authorities. Uncle's a bad man, but he lives on a good reputation and does unlawful things undercover. If he were to refuse the cops might snoop around for answers and he couldn't afford that."

"What is your name?"

"T-taro," he said between sniffles.

"Well, Taro, you and I are a lot a like." I knelt down next to the little one and stroked his hair comfortingly. Rui always used to do it when I came home crying after some of the girls were mean to me when I was younger.

"You see, my mother's dead too. The rest of my family had abandoned us, disowned us," I whispered soothingly and pulled Taro into a hug.

Taro and I did have a lot of similarities. I had gotten beat up as a kid too whenever Hiei wasn't around. I hated my 'family' that scorned us with the rest of Koorime. The only difference is that I had a twin by the name of Hiei and he did not. He didn't have anyone to protect him; he was alone. Gone were my suspicions of this little boy, as far as I'm concerned he wasn't capable of hurting a fly.

"Shhh," I cooed gently into his ear. His sobs worsened with the sympathy and I realized he had to get it all out.

I used my miniscule strength, thank heavens he was small and light, and sat in my over-used chair, placing Taro in my lap. The little on held on to me for dear life and buried his head in my bosom. Hugging him and rubbing his hair affectionately, I tried my best to console the sobbing child.

"I-I don't want to stay here anymore," He cried brokenly.

He really did remind me of myself, what I could have been like without Hiei.

"Don't worry. My brother's coming soon to rescue me. When he comes, I'll make sure you come with us. Would you like that?"

He nodded, tears still streaming down his young face, holding me as if I were a lifeline.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here now, I'll take care of you…" I took it upon myself to be the supportive figure that this unfortunate boy had longed for but never found.

OOOOOHieiOOOOO

I paced furiously on the Jagan. The waiting agitated me and the tense situation wore on like nails on a chalkboard.

"Fox, do you know the location yet or not?" I snapped testily. Kurama looked up serenely looking for the entire world in control. Damn him and his insufferable gift to remain levelheaded.

"Calm yourself, Hiei. Becoming irrational and enraged will only endanger Yukina even more. You have to be composed and think logically. We need a plan before we jump head first into everything." Every word was true, but I was pissed off and not in the mood to be ridiculed.

He saved himself by continuing, "I've pinpointed Tarukane's hideout on the map. It shouldn't take too long to reach but we need to choose a rescue team and develop a strategy."

"We don't have the time! I need to save my sister now!" I hissed angrily, slamming my fist on the table, almost breaking it in half with the sheer force.

"Pipe down, Kurama's right. We all get that you want to save your sister, but that's not going to happen unless you think things out! You won't be much of a savior if you can't even get past the guards," Shizuru chastised.

My lip curled angrily into a snarl. I knew she was right, and it infuriated me even more. I tensed to lunge for Shizuru in my irrational state of mind when Botan latched onto my arm, knowing what I intended to do. Kurama had also placed himself in front of Shizuru protectively.

"Stop, Hiei. We're going to help Yukina, we just need time to sort it out first," she said gently. It was enough to calm me down; Botan always had that effect. I relaxed in her hold but she didn't let go for fear that I'd impulsively almost hurt someone else.

"Geez Hiei, do you go crazy every time your sister is in danger? I bet she's ugly like you!" the oaf teased.

I clenched my body until my muscles quivered with the strain, a large vein appearing on my temple.

Botan glared at him, silencing him easily and astounding the idiot. She normally wasn't the person to glare or get angry, but apparently that last comment had ticked her off.

"Idiot! Do you want him to go ballistic?" Shizuru screeched, smacking him harshly on the head.

"Moving back to the situation, who's going?" Yusuke asked quickly, redirecting the conversation elsewhere.

"I'm going obviously," I growled.

"I'll go as well," Kurama voiced. I had no problem with that, Kurama had researched the base and knew more about the territory and opponents we would face. Plus, he genius mind was always a positive aspect.

"Me too." That was Botan. That I did have a problem with.

"No."

"Hiei, you promised you wouldn't leave me behind!"

"I said nothing of the sort. This is too dangerous for you."

The blue-haired girl glared determinedly and pouted.

"I'll come too," Shizuru said resolutely.

"What is it with you women? Don't you understand no? It's too dangerous!" I hissed, at the peak of my patience.

"It's unlikely that they'll be in serious danger. Between the both of us, no harm should be able to come to Botan, if that's what you're worried about," Kurama spoke in that well-informed tone that never failed.

I glared heatedly at the 'traitor'.

"I'm strong enough to take on decent sized men," Shiz spoke confidently, ever the street fighter, cracking her knuckles for effect.

I growled irritated, this was taking too much time!

"Fine! But if any of you die, I won't take the blame for it!"

That was my way of accepting I had lost. Kurama took over splendidly, like the well-trained fox he was.

"Then it's decided. Hiei, Shizuru, Botan, and I will perform the rescue. Yusuke, Kuwabara, you will take care of the ship in our absence. Be weary of surprise attacks, the situation became dangerous when the Toguro's involved themselves."

The two men nodded in understanding.

"Gotcha. Just call us if you need back up, ok?" Yusuke said.

"We won't need it," I said confidently, "I'm more than enough to take on the whole base. The rest are just for precautions."

OOOOOBotanOOOOO

The Jagan had sailed at its fastest pace and in hours we had pulled up to the closest shore to Yukina's imprisonment. The four of us made record time in hauling our backsides off the ship and journeying through the forest with Kurama, who had the map, in the lead. Hiei took the back for safety measures, though he frequently insisted we walk faster and that we were only slowing him down. His desperation to reach his sister must be great; I've never seen him this close to hysterics. Well as close to hysterics as someone like Hiei could get.

At the comments, Shizuru would snort, Kurama would ignore the fire demon, while I would just look in concern. I felt a little guilty that I was slowing him down, but Shizuru and I were only human, it wasn't our fault we couldn't travel at the speed of light. Shiz took the time to reassure me that it wasn't that we were doing anything wrong; Hiei was just taking his stress out on us.

Moving in the steady fast pace, I almost tripped over a root, but Hiei caught me when he noticed I lost my balance. I was in the original dress I had bought with Hiei, the one with orange flower patterns, and I really should have changed, but in the rush it was the last thing on my mind. As much as I adored that dress, it wasn't particularly good for dodging attacks or running, though I could make do.

"Come here," Hiei commanded, "You're going to injure yourself before we even begin."

I did as he wished, Hiei carrying me bridal style opposed to riding on his back. The dress would ride up in that position and cause quite a…predicament. The new ride was faster, smoother, and my aching legs were rejoicing after all the running we had done.

"Need a lift?" Kurama asked Shizuru. Shizuru reddened, from embarrassment, anger, or something else I could not tell.

She denied at first, arguing that she was perfecting capable of carrying on by herself, but gave it after it was brought up that we would make faster progress if she relented and allowed Kurama to carry her. It was sad what speeds Hiei and Kurama could travel even when burdened with our extra weight.

The fox and fire demons suddenly stopped, in front of us was a large, imposing mansion, hidden away in the dead of the forest. This was Tarukane's stronghold.

OOOOO

End! Evil cliffhanger I know! I already apologize profusely with the delay, but I had finals and as much as I hate it, school comes first. Also, I have been put in an honors math class and incase none of you know it, I HATE MATH. Somehow my parents decided that I wasn't being 'challenged' enough so they tacked on the honors math. Whoopee. I hate math, it's vile, disgusting, and it's going to take away a lot of time I could be writing this. It's probably get better once I get used to the work load over time, I'm just being so pessimistic because I'm new to all the homework we get that takes over an hour of my free time. Err, sorry to anyone who likes math, I personally just can't stand the subject.

Favorite Line: "Hey! At least I'm not some old geezer! Try not to get stressed, you may start growing white hair!"

The last chapter had a lot of different lines that you had selected, and was the most diverse yet. They were all over the place! The favorite line was actually won by two people agreeing on the same line! Interesting, huh? Keep it up with the favorite lines guys!

You guys have been awesome reviewers, I'm pleased to say, and I like the way this fic is turning out. I've got the next couple of chapters planned out in my head so you can count on updates, though how frequent they are only my math teacher knows. (Darn you Goldsman!)

Anyway, I'll start working on the next chapter once I get 195 reviews! Don't forget to add your favorite line!

-Freesia-