dna- O-M-F-G-! I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY! i swear! you have to believe me! i seriously tried to get this out as soon as possible but i was completely overloaded with projects from my school! (6 if ur wondering...) and on top of that, i had hit writers unbreakable wall for both my fanfics! i am so sorry! for those of you who read my fruits basket fanfic, i should have that up in about two or three days! again, i'm so sorry!

Run Away Forever Chapter 19- Destruction of the Village

"What is it this time Koenma?" Yusuke asked. "Is it another stolen antique like you or is it something actually worth worrying about?"

"This is no time for joking Yusuke," Koenma replied seriously. "This mission is going to be a bit… difficult…"

"Hey, where's Akiya?" Kuwabara asked.

"There's no time to waste," he continued, ignoring Kuwabara. "You need to find a way back to that ninja village and check something out for me."

"Can't you just open a portal for us or something?" Yusuke asked.

"If I could, I wouldn't be telling to waste your time finding a way there," Koenma replied.

"If that's the case, then wouldn't it better for Akiya to come with us?" Kurama queried. "She should know the way to and from her village pretty well. And after all, she's from that village."

"No!" he ordered firmly, shocking the detectives. "She is not to know about this mission, understand!"

"What's going on?" Yusuke asked worriedly. "What's wrong Ko—"

"She is not to know about this mission," Koenma repeated more firmly. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yeah…" he replied unsurely.

"Kurama? Kuwabara? Hiei?"

"Y-yeah, no problem," Kuwabara answered quietly.

Kurama nodded in response.

"Hn," was Hiei's reply.

"Alright then, go," Koenma commanded.

"Wait," Kurama said. "Before we go, what are we supposed to do?"

"You'll know what to do when you get there Kurama…" he answered as he walked out of his office, Hiei eying him suspiciously.

George silently followed Koenma out of the office.

"Koenma-sama, hasn't Botan been out for an unusually long time now?" he asked.

The prince didn't reply.

"Koenma-sama?"

"I know…" he answered quietly. I never expected this much to happen when Akiya came to join us…

-----Spirit Detectives-----

"Man this friggin sucks," Yusuke said as he and the other detectives walked down a random path in a random forest. "We've gotta march out dumb way back to that village!"

"And what's up with Koenma anyway?" Kuwabara wondered. "I mean, why send us without Akiya?"

"He seemed quite serious when he told us not to tell Akiya…" Kurama said to himself.

"Maybe it's a guy thing!" Yusuke joked.

"Ha! Nice one Urameshi!" Kuwabara laughed.

Kurama dropped back to join Hiei.

"Something just doesn't seem right about this…" Kurama said to him.

"And I should care why?" Hiei spoke for the first time in a long while.

"And you don't seem like yourself lately either Hiei," Kurama replied. "Is there something wrong? You seem distracted."

"Mind your own business," he said, cold as always. Kurama is right… and I don't trust Koenma. I know there's something that he's not telling us. That much is obvious. And why is that blue haired cheery waste of space been away for so long?

I get the feeling that there's more to this than what even Koenma thinks, Kurama thought to himself. We have to be cautious…

-----At the Village-----

There were fires and bodies everywhere, both of the villagers and some of the ninjas.

"I-Imaru-sama… th-they've disappeared…" Jiruma informed Imaru as she went by his side to help him stand despite her injuries.

"Those guys… I never thought that they would…" he trailed off.

"Should I send word for Akiya-san and her friends?" Jiruma asked.

"I've already sent word to Koenma about this," Imaru replied. "His detectives will be arriving sometime…"

Jiruma kept quiet, still wondering about Akiya.

"Jiruma…"

"Yes sir?" she replied.

"I don't think that it's necessary for her to know about this…" he said.

Jiruma was confused, but didn't question him.

"Yes sir…"

-----Spirit Detectives-----

"My legs friggin hurt!" Kuwabara complained. "Can't shorty here use his freak eye to search for the place?"

"Stop complaining," Hiei replied agitated. "You're shattering my ear drums with that annoying voice of yours. And besides, you could use some exercise. Maybe that way, you won't just stumble around and get in our way."

"What'd you say, you little dried up shrimp!" he shouted.

"Now now you two," Kurama butted in. "Let's be nice."

"They're not kids Kurama," Yusuke said. "Well, at least one of them isn't."

"I hope you have your will written up Detective, because I don't have much tolerance today!" he warned.

"Why?" Kuwabara asked with a mischievous grin. "Because your beloved Akiya here with us today? Hahahahahaha!"

Hiei sheathed his sword as he walked by everyone.

"No, it's because you're mouth runs like a motor!"

Kuwabara stood nervously, teary eyed. The top of his hair was lopped off. Yusuke and Kurama looked at Kuwabara nervously.

-----Koenma's Office-----

Koenma stared at the note that he had received from Imaru, hoping that everything would be alright. He was pulled out of his thoughts when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he replied, looking up as the door opened. "Oh, Akiya… what is it?" Koenma asked as he slipped the note into his hand, crumpling it.

"Uh… I was just wondering if you knew where Hiei was…" she replied.

"He and the others are out doing something for me right now," Koenma answered.

"Oh, never mind then," Akiya said, turning around, about to exit the room.

"Was there something you needed?" he asked as she turned around again.

"Every once in a while, there's this place you can go to," she began explaining. "I guess you could call it a mystical lakeside. It separates your tainted energy from you so that you're only left with the purest energy. It's sort of hard to explain, but I used to go with Hayate, so I thought it would kinda be nice to take Hiei along… but it's okay. Please, don't worry about it."

She smiled and walked toward the exit of his office when he stopped her again.

"Akiya…" he called as she turned around once more. "If you don't mind too much… I could go instead…"

"Hm?"

"I-I'm not trying to hit on you or anything!" he exclaimed, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "I just thought that, well… you know… since you go with someone every time that you'd be lonely going alone this time! It's not like I—"

"Sure!" she answered with a smile. "I don't mind."

-----Spirit Detectives-----

"Is this it?" Yusuke asked no one in particular as he looked at the huge gate in front of him.

"I can't believe we made it here by turning in random directions…" Kuwabara said astonished.

"Well… as long as we're here, I suppose that doesn't matter much," Kurama replied.

Hiei easily pushed the gate opened as he went in, followed by the others. They looked around, noticing all of the dead bodies.

"Man… ninjas are brutal…" Kuwabara said in disgust.

"So you've arrived…" they heard a familiar voice say to them. "That's good…"

They looked up to see Jiruma half covered in blood.

"Are you alright?" Kurama asked in concern.

"I'm fine… Imaru-sama would like to see you four immediately," she informed quietly as she started walking.

The detectives followed her into the building. Jiruma led them through some halls and up the stairs and to Imaru's room. She stopped and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Come in…" he replied after a while.

Jiruma opened the door and went in, the others following her. Imaru, who was standing by the windows, turned around. He stared at his assistant who nodded and left the office.

"So uh… what's up? Looks like this village kinda got uh…" he trailed off.

"We have a major crisis on our hands," the old man began.

-----Koenma and Akiya-----

Akiya led Koenma through the woods. The two of them were silent. They hadn't said a word to each other, making Koenma feel uncomfortable. He had offered to go with Akiya to keep her company.

"You sure know your way around," Koenma said, trying to start a conversation.

"That comes from being a ninja," she replied with a smile.

"So does your loyalty," he complimented, having seen that himself.

"You think so?" she asked, her smiled fading.

Koenma didn't answer.

"I guess that's how it seems to everyone else," Akiya said. "Being a ninja myself, trust me, loyalty isn't one of our best traits."

"Why would you say that?" Koenma wondered.

"Well, I suppose that's another thing that comes from being a ninja," she replied.

"It's not for me to judge, but I think you're wrong," he said, going silent.

They grew quiet again, making their way through the woods. After a little while, Koenma stopped.

"Something wrong?" Akiya asked as she too, stopped and turned around.

"Akiya… I…" Koenma hesitated. "Yusuke and the others…" he sighed heavily. "This morning, I received a note from Imaru… it said that there had been some… disputes in the village. He asked me to send Yusuke and the others over there and… well…"

"Why didn't you tell me!" she asked, getting upset. "How could you keep something like this from me!"

"It wasn't just me! It was him too!" he argued.

"It doesn't matter!" Akiya shouted.

Koenma once more sighed and calmed down.

"L-look… I know I should've told you right away…" he replied guiltily. "I shouldn't have lied to you or anything… just… go after them Akiya."

"And what about you?" she asked.

"I can get a portal back from here! Don't worry about me!" he ordered. "Now get going!"

"Thanks…" Akiya said quietly. "I really appreciate this Koenma…"

With that, she disappeared. Koenma stared at where Akiya was standing.

After I kept something like that from her, she still worried about how I'd get back to the office… what a girl…

-----Akiya-----

She was only about a fourth of a mile from her village.

"It said that there had been some… disputes in the village."

Something isn't right… Akiya thought as she jumped down from the tree branch and in front of the village gate.

She opened the gate and walked inside, surprised at the condition of the village.

"Hey! What happened?" Akiya asked a nearby elderly woman.

"It was terrifying!" she exclaimed. "Out of nowhere, they just attacked us! My grandson is dead because of them! How could they do something like this to us!"

"Who's they?" she asked calmly.

-----Five Minutes Later-----In Imaru's Office-----

It had been silent for quite a while.

"To ask you to pursue the people who did this is something that would be impossible as long as Akiya is with you four," Imaru said. "I won't bother to burden you four with such a task. All I need from you four is—"

Imaru was interrupted when the door to his office slammed opened.

"Akiya-san! You can't go in there!" Jiruma shouted. "I'm sorry Imaru-sama! I tried to stop her!"

Everyone in the room stared at Akiya in shock, Imaru most of all.

"What's the meaning of this!" he asked, glaring at Akiya, but his gaze softened when he saw her face overwhelmed with disbelief.

Akiya tightened her fist. Her nails pierced through her skin though she barely had any, causing some blood to seep through.

"Where are they?" she asked quietly, not bothering to hide the trembling in her voice.

Imaru didn't reply.

"Where are who?" Kurama wondered.

"The kids! Hiro and the others!" Akiya shouted.

The detectives' faces, even Hiei's, were filled with shock.

"To ask you to pursue the people who did this is something that would be impossible as long as Akiya is with you four."

"Wait!" Kurama exclaimed. "You can't mean that they were the ones responsible for this!"

Akiya clenched her fist even more, making her blood drip down onto the floor. Hiei grabbed her wrist firmly as she looked up.

"Stop," Hiei simply said.

After a little while, she unclenched her fist. He let go of her and he himself, clenched his own fist. Hiei finally understood what Hayate was saying to him.

"Let's just say… I won't always be able to protect Akiya… and I need someone I can trust to protect her…"

"I need someone who can stop me… to bluntly put it… I'm trusting you with my life, and with hers."

"I told you that she's your responsibility!"

He finally understood why Hayate had told him to look after Akiya, Hayate had known that this was bound to happen all along.

"Hey… Hiei?" Kuwabara called. "You alright? You seem kinda stressed…"

"It's nothing for you to be concerned about," he replied cold and emotionlessly as always.

"I want to talk to Akiya alone…" Imaru said suddenly. "If you don't mind, would you all leave? Jiruma, you as well."

After a few seconds, everyone left the room except for Akiya.

"Things weren't supposed to turn out this way…" he said quietly, not knowing exactly what he wanted to say to her.

"If that's it… then I'm going…" she replied as she turned the door knob.

"They said that this wasn't your fault," the old man said, stopping her before she pulled the door opened. "They said that this was their own conscious decision that they each made individually..."

"But they made it because of me, didn't they?" Akiya asked as she opened the door. "Thanks a lot though…"

"Just let me remind you that these four are also your friends… you shouldn't make them worry about you so much…"

After she exited the room, Imaru called the detectives back in to have a word with them.

-----Few Hours Later-----

Everyone was back at Spirit World thanks to Akiya who led them there.

"So is that it?" Koenma asked his detectives.

"Yeah, he just wanted to talk," Yusuke replied.

"Alright then, that's all. You guys can go."

Koenma summoned a portal for them so that they could get back to the Human World and left his office. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama went through.

"Hiei, wait," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"I want to take you somewhere," Akiya said.

"Just let me remind you that these four are also your friends… you shouldn't make them worry about you so much…"

I won't…

She walked out of Spirit World and through the woods where she and Koenma were before. Hiei followed her silently.

"Where are we going?" Hiei asked.

"It's a secret," she smiled, keeping him in suspense. "You'll see."

After a few more minutes of walking, the two arrived at their destination.

"This is it!" Akiya said happily.

Hiei stepped through and was in shock. The lakeside they were at was absolutely incredible. There was a warm yet cool gentle breeze. The sky wasn't filled with stars, but the few that were there were beautiful and bright. And it seemed as if some of the stars were floating right around the two. Near the middle of the lake, the moon reflected off of the water creating gorgeous silver rays in the reflection.

Suddenly, while admiring the lakeside, Hiei felt all of his troubles and pain leave him. It were as if he had been set free from everything that was pulling him down. Happiness was the only thing that he could feel right now.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Akiya asked, the same thing happening to her.

Hiei turned to look at her.

"This place is completely pure," she said. "It takes away all of your negative energy… and it only leaves you with the untainted energy… it's like setting us free from everything…"

Akiya walked in front of Hiei and gazed at him.

"What?" Hiei asked annoyed, but really, he was nervous.

"Before these stars burn out… and before I have to live bound by my problems again…"

She wrapped her arms around Hiei and gently pulled him in, Hiei being too nervous to do anything as she kissed him. His heart skipped a beat, literally. She had caught him completely off guard…

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Run Away Forever Chapter 20- Old Friends, New Enemies

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama find out for sure this time that the girls are missing and go to Koenma for answers. Koenma, who had already known about it, is making his first priority to find out where Rejuko's hideout is. Meanwhile, Akiya and Hiei runs into Rejuko and his new subordinates on they're way back from the woods…