CHAPTER 16 Anger and Darkness

A constricting pressure began crushing Raven's windpipe, making it harder for her to breathe. Raven could feel herself starting to float away.

"Give it up, Raven," Slade said, not losing his grip one fraction. "You know you shouldn't have come alone."

Raven realized that now but she also knew the others wouldn't have come anyway but now she couldn't do anything about it even if she wanted to. She was going to die. He was going to kill her. Hiei... the name passed through her mind as darkness began to creep into the corners of her vision.

Suddenly a voice cried out. "Slade!"

The darkness fled as Slade loosened his grip slightly, alloweing Raven to breath in gulps of air. Raven's blue eyes came back into focus. She recognized that voice. Hiei? she spotted him over Slade's shoulder and stared at him in disbelief. Hiei!

The demon was no longer strapped to the table. He stood a few feet behind Slade with an angry look on his face. His Jagan eye had opened and was back to its normal color. The fire demon had taken off his coat so now all he had on was a black sleevelss shirt and black pants. He pointed an angry finger at Slade. "First you torture me then you try to kill Raven right in front of me!" he demanded with rage building in his voice as the Jagan grew brighter. "I think it's time you realized just who you're dealing with!"

Then Hiei picked his sword up off the floor where he'd dropped it and charged. "YYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he yelled, coming at the man.

Slade dropped Raven and moved out of the way as Hiei swung his sword. The fire demon only cut air. Slade pulled out his metal staff and swung at Hiei. The staff hit him but he didn't even flinch. He just disappared in a flash of black.

Raven sat on the floor coughing as she tried to catch her breath. She watched the two fight. When Hiei disappeared she gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected that from him. She didn't know he could even do that. She'd thought she was the only one who could do something like that.

Where did he go? she wondered.

Just then he appeared again, only this time he was behind Slade. She gasped again. How is he doing that?

"Too slow, fool," Hiei addressed Slade.

The man turned swiftly around and swung blindly at Hiei. He missed. Hiei had disappeared again when he'd noticed something slightly more imortant.

He appeared in front of Raven. "Hiei!" the pale girl gasped in surprise.

Hiei didn't even look down at her as he faced Slade, making sure he wouldn't come near Raven. "Get up," he ordered.

She stared up at him. "What?"

"Get up and help me," he said again, gripping his sword with both hands. "You know I'm not just going to let you sit there and watch me deal with him."

"But..."

"You're a fighter," he told her, giving her a small glance over his shoulder. "Do you want him to think even less of you? You have to show him you're stronger than he thinks. Even half demons have great power." When he recieved no reply he went back to dealing with Salde. If Raven wasn't going to help he'd do this on his own. Slade was dead meat either way.

Raven just sat there a moment, letting what he had said sink in. Slade does think low of me, He got into my emotions and mind and messed up my thinking just like he tried to do to Hiei. He... the more she thought about it the more he usually controlable temper flared up. He...! She glared at Slade as her eyes burned a hateful red. It's his fault all these things happen to everyone! He doesn't deserve to live!

Slowly the half demon girl pushed herself to her feet as dark energy swirled around her. It as time she made him pay for everything he had done. She raised her hands and began reciting the spell. "Azaerath, Metrion, Zinthose..."

Slade was too busy focusing his attention on Hiei, who incidently was fighting Slade like the man was going to blow up the planet, and didn't know what hit him until he felt it. By then he was flying across the room, as if a black train had hit him. Quickly he put out his hand to stop himself and slid across the floor on his feet in a crouching position.

As he straightened up again he saw Hiei come at him again with murder in his blood red eyes. Raven was right behind him with anger on her face. Her eyes glowed blood red and dark energy swirled around her.

"I won't let you cause my friends anymore suffering," she snarled in that angry voice of hers that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

"Anger isn't going to stop me, Raven," Slade said then blocked a blow from Hiei's sword. "Not even your little boyfriend here."

"You underestimate me," Hiei growled as his Jagan glowed a bright green. "Maybe you should get rid of that big ego of yours and start looking at the big picture for a change!"

"And that would be?" the man challenged.

"Me kicking your ass!" (He's been spending too much time around Yusuke)

Hiei lifted his sword and swung it at Slade again. The man parried it with his staff but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the table Raven threw at him. It hit him in the side and sent him flying.

Hiei noticed the table had been the one he'd been held to. He figured she was making sure no one else would have to go through what he had been he'd been on it. How considerate. he thought.

Raven wasn't paying any attention to the fire demon. She had her full attention focused on Slade. "You can't avoid both of us is we fight at the same time!" she growled, picking up another table to chuck at him.

Hiei suddenly noticed black energy had wrapped around his sword. What? He stared at his weapon in fasination for a moment. Black energy pulsed around the blade like a black heart. He knew he wasn't responcible for that. He'd only used the darkness sword once and he wasn't using any of his spiritual energy now. Beisdes; this looked different. He glanced at Raven who seemed to have grown ten feet taller. It must be hers.

He smiled as he stared at his darknened sword. Interesting..

"Hiei!" Raven called to him, snapping him out of his concintration on the black sword. "I need you!"

He was more than ready to help. He smiled once more and ran toward Raven and the man he hated with all his soul. As he came forward Raven flew out of his way and hovered a few feet behind him with the black energy of her powers pulsing around her body. The fire demon raised his sword high and jumped into the air. This energy should sent him back where he belongs!

Raven closed her eyes and focused. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthose!"

Hiei let lose the energy in the blade the same time Raven opened her eyes and did the same with her powers.

The energy flew at Slade and hit him with a huge black explosion. Hiei and Raven landed on the floor and watched the cloud roll toward the ceiling then fall back to the floor. They hoped he was gone for good now.

No such luck. As the dust cleared and Slade pulled himself out of it (looking like he'd been run over by a bus) he discovered Hiei and Rave looming over him threateningly.

"It's over, Slade," Raven told him, glaring down at the man at her feet.

Slade stared up at them calmly. "Over?" he said. "On no, this is only the beginning." then he jumped back and disappeared.

The two watched him go. Hiei would have gone after him but Raven's hand on his arm held him back. When the man was gone he turned to her. "Let's go," he said.

"Okay," she agreed. Then she did something unexpected, and totally unlike her. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed, hugging him and resting her head on his chest as she felt tears of relief coming to her eyes. "If anything had happened to you I..." her voice trailed off.

Hiei stared at her without comment. He watched her slowly raise her head and stare at his face without a word. She was blushing slightly though. Before he could ask her what was wrong she brought her face in close. Then her lips met his in a kiss...

A/N

Okay, I did not rush that fight I just suck at fighting scenes so they end up short. No, the story isn't over yet I still have a few chapters to write. I just felt like ending the chapter this way. I know Raven's not exactly acting like herself but what can I say? I tried! Seriously.