Author's Note:

Hey! Didn't think there'd be so many of you guys here. Huh, I must be doing something right, right? Or maybe something very wrong. Either way, glad to see y'all here! Thank you so much for the support.

Anyway, on with the show! ... Err... story!

Chapter 3

The four took up their battle stances. Hiei firmly gripped the hilt of his katana while widening his stance. Kurama drew out a rose which turned into a whip with a flick of his wrist. He snapped the whip to the ground a couple of times, testing its feel in his hand. Kuwabara conjured up his spirit sword, the reiki pulsing and humming throughout the length of the construct. Yusuke cracked his knuckles and took on a fighting stance. All four of them waited in anticipation for what will emerge from the trees.

They could feel the aura this being is giving off. It was quite strong, strong enough to be an S rank demon, possibly even in the upper S rank, at that. But other than this, they could not read this demon. He was someone unfamiliar to the four.

Finally, the demon stepped out into the clearing. At first glance, he looked quite strange. His eyes visibly widened as he saw the four ready to attack. He quickly threw up his hands as a sign of peace. He spoke, "Woah, woah, woah. Easy now, easy." He looked at each of the four, carefully studying them.

"Who are you and where is Mukuro?" Hiei growled at the demon.

"Mukuro… Does this Mukuro person happen to be a female demon, with one mechanical eye?" The strange demon asked, almost mockingly.

Yusuke lowered his fists a bit, cocked his head slightly to one side, yet he never dropped the glare he was giving the demon. He asked, "You know Mukuro?"

The demon shrugged, but kept his hands up. "Well, I don't know her, but I have seen her. I can take you to where she is."

The rest of the group eased up their tension a bit, but Hiei kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Take us to her then!" Kuwabara eagerly said with a huff, as he firmly placed both his hands on either hip as soon as his spirit sword dissipated.

"Wait!" Kurama placed a firm hand on Kuwabara's chest. "How do you know where she is?"

The demon started to lower his hands, chuckling slightly while shaking his head. "So untrusting, you people are." He sighed before continuing, "I found her in this clearing, wounded and near-death. I took her somewhere safe and tended to her wounds."

"WHERE?" Hiei growled, the hand that once rested lightly on the hilt of his sword now grasped it firmly.

"Calm yourself…" the demon almost sneered back at him, clearly annoyed by the interrogation. "I can show you. Follow me." With that he turned around and walked a small distance before turning his head to speak again, with a tiny smirk on his lips. "Unless, of course, you would rather not."

The four looked at each other, each acknowledging that they had no other choice than to follow the demon's retreating back.

They followed the demon some short distance before they reached a small cave. The cave had a stream flowing out from it.

The churning water will mask the scent of blood. Ingenious! Youko thoughtfully looked at the swift current underfoot.

The demon motioned to follow him inside. The four, although hesitant, reluctantly filed in through the narrow opening.

The cave is larger than what its opening would have them believe. Majestic stalactites hung down from the ceiling. The stream seemed to originate from somewhere deeper into the cave. Beside the stream, near the wall, was a ledge. On the ledge were some dried leaves, and on top lay a severely injured Mukuro.

"MUKURO!" All four men shouted in unison as they ran towards the lying figure. Their path, however, was blocked by the strange demon that led them in, his arms outstretched on either side in a protective stance.

"Keep it down! Can you not see she is asleep?" the unnamed demon growled softly. Behind him, Mukuro stirred with a low moan.

"You will let me see my mate, or so help me I will rip you to shreds!" Hiei hissed back, malice clearly dripping from his voice and his face twisted into a snarl.

Just then, Mukuro started thrashing in her sleep, muttering to herself barely audible for the rest to hear, let alone make out the words. As her thrashing became more and more violent, so did her cries of pain and anguish. The men looked at her with deep concern.

Suddenly, Mukuro bolted upright, her eyes flying wide open, and screamed to the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOO!"

Faster than the eye could see, Hiei flitted across the cave and was at Mukuro's side in an instant, both hands grasping either shoulder, trying to wake his mate from whatever nightmare was plaguing her. "Mate! Mukuro! Wake up!" Hiei shook his mate sharply.

Mukuro thrashed even harder, trying desperately to free herself from the hands that gripped her firmly. "No! Stop it! No, please, no…" Tears were flowing freely down her supple cheeks, blotched in shades of brown and yellow of healing bruises.

Hiei was at a loss. Never has he seen his strong, beautiful mate in such disarray, such… vulnerability. He raised a hand and gently cupped the other's cheek. "Please, Mukuro, come back to me, my love."

As if she was hearing him for the first time, Mikuro slowly blinked. "Hiei?"

Hiei ran a thumb under her eyes to wipe away her tears. "That's right, my love, it's me. It's me."

Mukuro blinked again. Though if she was blinking to push back her tears or if she was blinking to focus her vision, it was uncertain. Her face finally lit up with realization. "Hiei!" She threw her arms around the male in front of her and planted a needy kiss on his lips.

Hiei returned a gentle, but passionate kiss, while pulling the body closer to his. The kiss has short, but it spoke volumes for the two lovers.

Hiei was the first to break the kiss, though he only backed up enough that their foreheads were now resting on each other's. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of his mate, liking how their breaths would mingle between them.

He finally opened his eyes. A pair of crimson met a pair of wet, glistening indigo eyes. They held each other's gazes for a while. Hiei finally spoke, "I thought I had lost you."

"Well, I certainly am glad that you two are happy." The unnamed demon interrupted the lovers' moment, arms crossed over his chest, a smirk upon his lips.

Mukuro turned away, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. She was suddenly shy of how she had behaved in front of all these people, whose presence she hadn't noticed before.

Hiei glared at the rude man. The man just shrugged and smiled brighter at him.

"What happened to her?" Yusuke asked. His eyes darted back and forth from Hiei to the demon, the tension between them was palpable.

The demon shifted to face Yusuke. "I am unsure of what has really happened to her. I could only surmise that she has been attacked by a stronger being."

"There is very few who can match Mukuro in strength, and practically none who could overpower her," Youko stated in a matter-of-fact tone before his features changed into a more confused one. "Then again," he said while tapping his chin thoughtfully, his rose whip long transformed back into a rose, "Yomi, being one of the former Three Makai Kings, is arguably just as strong as Mukuro, and yet he's…" He bowed his head slightly, letting his bangs cover his eyes. The fox did not want to speak about how his friend is now dead, as if not admitting it would make it any less true.

"But then, that would mean that whoever did this is someone we don't know," Kuwabara concluded. His eyes suddenly grew wide as he raised an accusing finger at their mystery man. "For all we know it could have been him all along!"

"No!" Mukuro snapped, stumbling out of Hiei's embrace. She steadied herself before continuing. "No, no, he is not. I've seen my attacker. There is no way it could have been him." She grabbed Hiei's arm for support. It was getting harder to remain upright with all her injuries. She swallowed a groan of pain before continuing, yet she was now panting slightly at her effort. "The man... who attacked me… was clad in… in white and red… has… white hair and… and golden… eyesss…" Mukuro fainted, but Hiei caught her before she planted face first into the ground. Before losing consciousness, she uttered, "Blue moon…"

Hiei stared at the sleeping form of his mate. He placed her gently onto the makeshift bed. He then turned to face the mystery demon. His eyes were softer, but still he glared slightly at the demon. "That still does not explain who you are," he said pointedly.

The rest of the group stared inquiringly at him.

"Oh my, where are my manners?" He bowed regally and peered through his bangs. He smiled a mischievous smile and spoke, "I am Naraku."

Author's Note:

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL *BLEEEEEEPP*! The frik is going on? I tot he alredi ded? I donn get it! Why you do dis, Freehandarts? Whyyyy?

Keep reading, I'll tell you. Mwahahahahahaha!