Much to Kuwabara's surprise, the girls, along with the unconscious Yusuke, were nowhere to be seen upon exiting the stadium. "W-WHAT?! Where did they-"
"Open up your senses numskull," Genkai chided him tersely, her arms folded behind her stiff back. "It's obvious that they have returned to the hotel, and it would seem that the Dimwit has some visitors."
Kuwabara stared down at her blankly for a moment. "... you can tell all that from here?" With a roll of her eyes Genkai walked away from him, heading for the hotel intent on finding her pupil and greet his supposed visitors. Kuwabara scratched the back of his neck, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Alright then..."
"Seriously?! He's still sleeping? What a bum-" Kuwabara rubbed the length of his face, letting out a frustrated groan. Genkai and himself had arrived back at the hotel only to find the girls had run off to the restaurant, leaving Yusuke under the watchful eye of what was left of Team's Rokuyukai and Masho. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement, but somehow he managed to become further confused when he found his Team's captain sleeping like a rock for the second time during their stay on the cursed island. "And he's torn to shreds- how the hell is he supposed to fight in the finals looking like that?!"
"Shouldn't you worry about yourself?" Rinku, who was practically bouncing of the balls of his feet at Kuwabara's side, chuckled tauntingly as the much larger male turned on him with furrowed brows.
"Shut up pip-squeak!"
"Leave him be." Genkai said from her spot across the room, stopping Rinku from taunting the carrot topped baboon further. She couldn't recall a time in her life when she had felt so drained of energy, both physically and now thanks to this rowdy group, she felt her mental health starting to wain as well. She barely managed to control the trembling of her limbs as they pleaded with her to sit down and rest, but she was stronger than that damn it! "He'll wake up well in time for the finals; there's something new in him that won't let him miss that fight."
"If you say so..." Kuwabara said, rubbing the back of his neck in uncertainty. Pu, Yusuke's spirit beast and the representation of his inner self, seemed to be in good enough spirits. So that meant that the leader of their team couldn't be that bad off...right? "I wonder what the other two are doing- they just kind of disappeared after the semi finals."
Genkai pushed herself off of the wall, coming to stand at Kuwabara's elbow, her flinty brown eyes staring down at her pupal. "I told them to watch the next round. We need to know as much as possible about Team Toguro if we are expected to take them out in the finals." She said before reaching into the top of her tunic, pulling out two odd and really out of place objects given who was holding them. A capped syringe filled with an unknown clear fluid and a relatively small handgun sat in the palm of Genkai's hand. Rinku, Chu and Jin all peeked around Kuwabara to inspect the objects curiously, with Rinku visibly flustered as he eyed the syringe.
Kuwabara blinked in a clueless fashion when Genkai offered said items up to him. "Ummm... can I help you with those or something?"
"Give them to Hiei." Genkai said as if she had just given the answer to life and the universe. Kuwabara took the syringe and gun from the old psychic, his brows raised to high that they were partially hidden by his pompadour hair. "If he asks for any details, tell him to go to Koenma; I'm only the delivery guy. As for the gun, Cora will know what to do with it."
Chu stepped out from behind Kuwabara, pointing a drunken finger at at his face making the teen go cross eyed in order to focus on the offending digit. "Oi, where is tha lil' shila?! Who'd 'ave e'r guessed tha' tha' lil' lady could pack such'a punch!"
"Sure would li'ta meet the lass, 'at's for sure!" Jin said, his ears wiggling giddily on either side of his head.
"She's also your teams healer; would it not be prudent to have to tend to Urameshi?" Toya, a petite young man with light blue slicked back hair and sea green bangs motioned towards Yusuke who continued to sleep away his troubles despite the enthusiastic demons that surrounded him.
Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck nervously"Uh, yeah, about the shrimp bait-" Kuwabara started, but Genkai grunted and turned away from them, a sour look on her face.
"I already know."
"W-what? How- you and Urameshi were beating the hell out of each other when it happened!"
Rinku scratch at his scalp, a confused frown falling onto his face. "Anyone else know what's going on?" He asked, earning a shrug from his three companions.
Genkai sighed, her eyes falling closed as she recalled all that had happened earlier that very day...
Yusuke flailed on the cave floor, his every bone breaking one after another and the his skin rupturing with blood much as a water balloon would when filled past it's limitation. It tugged at every withered heart string that Genkai had, seeing her favorite dim wit in such agony...I'm sorry Yusuke... but you have to endure if you wish to gain the power of the spirit wave...
A new, foreign blast of energy caught Genkai's attention. It was weak and seemed to be coming from the direction of the hotel. And it was oddly familiar. It belonged to her temporary disciple, the young woman who had come to her requesting to be taught along side Yusuke in preparation for the tournament...so, it's come to this... Genkai thought as the energy signature vanished into thin air only to be replaced with a raging inferno... They've made their move... Yusuke, the tables have turned once again... if you knew what cards the other players held, I wonder how well you would fare in this final stage...
... Genkai glanced over her shoulder at Kuwabara who was looking back at her intently. "I've known about the entire situation from the very beginning." Kuwabara went slack jawed, a nervous sweat breaking out over his brow. "Cora came to me at the same time Yusuke did, requesting that I train her in preparation for the Dark Tournament. I agreed to let her follow along, but I refused to train her; that is, until I forced her to spill her damn guts about what her true motives were."
... Genkai stared with bored eyes as Cora picked herself up off the ground, her body covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises. To put things lightly, Cora was absolutely pathetic in demon terms. Sure, she could take a beating, but she had little to no physical strength and her energy was useless against physical attacks. "What the hell are you doing here?" Genkai asked her as Cora spit blood from her mouth. "You're not cut out for fighting in a demon tournament; if you go, you'll only slow them down."
Cora grit her teeth and glared up at Genkai with pure determination and spite. "I need to be stronger; if I had only been stronger, I wouldn't have been caught by Tarukane's men! I wouldn't be in this situation at all! I don't want to be a useless thing anymore! I'm tired of being the damn princess in a tower, of being an object that is better suited for sitting on someone's shelf collecting dust-"
"-and the rest some pretty messed up history. She told me everything that happened in Tarukane's mansion, and the situation with Sakyo." Genkai scoffed. "They didn't feel that Yusuke and Spirit world were taking them seriously enough and because of that they now hold the life of one of our own in their hands."
Kuwabara scratched the side of his face, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "But... didn't they just do that because of some stupid bet...?"
"The depths of human and demon depravity knows no bounds, Kuwabara. Sentient beings such as ourselves are capable of unimaginable horrors, and many will go to any length to achieve their goals, no matter who is lost along the way." A hollow look came upon Genkai then, her normally crass expression melding into one of disturbed understanding. "I have very little doubt that even if Cora hadn't been used as collateral, that it would be Yukina's life at stake."
Kuwabara blanched at the information, the very thought of Yukina being held hostage by team Toguro almost enough to make him lose his lunch. As he had mentioned before when news of Cora's supposed (though obviously unfounded) debt to Sakyo came to light, Kuwabara wasn't sure he would have the self control that Hiei was forced to exhibit. To put it bluntly, Kuwabara would have already stormed the Hotel- no, the entire Island would be at his mercy...I'm honestly shocked that this whole world hasn't burst into flames yet... OH MAN! I need to find some wood to knock on and fast-
"Now 'old on one secon' there- are you tellin' us tha' Toguro an' 'is boy's kidnapped your 'ealer?!" Chu demanded, breaking Kuwabara from his distressing thoughts. "Now ain' tha' just a low blow! Goin' afta a lil' shila like tha'!"
"It takes the wiggle righ' out'o my ears it does, thinkin' 'bout a strong lass bein' 'eld again' 'er will!" Jin's normally cheerful face was pulled into a scowl, his hands balled up at his sides. Beside him Rinku and Toya nodded their agreement, the foul play of the other side not sitting right in their stomachs. "We can' jus' leave'er li'tha'-"
"Don't go sticking your nose into the business of this team!" Genkai snapped at them, making everyone in the room jump at the venom in her voice. Even Yusuke twitched, rolling over onto his side with a grumble of unrecognizable words before going slack against the mattress once again. "Not only would you be throwing your lives away by squaring up with Toguro and his team, you will have wasted every ounce of hard work everyone on Team Urameshi has put into this mission! There is much more at stake here then the life of one woman, and every one of us, even our healer, understands that far better then you ever could." A restless silence fell over the room then, with Chu, Jin and Rinku fidgeting like children. With a hard huff, Genkai pushed herself away from the wall. "I should get going, and you four should as well." Genkai said, making the four demons flinch minutely, ready for another scolding. The old psychic rearguard Kuwabara who looked back at her with a furrowed brow."Tell Yusuke not to follow me."
Kuwabara frowned as he watched Genkai make her way to the bedroom door. "Where are you going?" He asked curiously. Genkai paused as she opened the door, but didn't bother to spare him a glance. "Are you in trouble?" An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Kuwabara's stomach as Genkai turned at gave him a soft smile, the look seeming odd on the normally grouchy woman's face.
"Kuwabara- you have a gentle heart." She said making Kuwabara's eye brows raise into his hair line. "Use it." Genkai left then, shutting the door behind her with a soft click and leaving a rather confused Kuwabara staring after her. Chu, Rinku, Jin and Toya all gave Kuwabara a small wave or nod before they filed out of the room single file, with Rinku and Chu pouting like kicked puppies. After a moment of silence, Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck. He heard the sound of the hotel room door close before he let out a long, low whistle.
"Well that was strange..." He said, looking to at Pu who was curled up on the bed beside his master. "Why do I get the feeling that everyone around me is going to start acting weird..." Kuwabara sighed and looked down at the two items that still resided in his hand; the syringe and the hand gun. "Give them to Hiei, huh...?! OH MY GOD!" Kuwabara shouted before making a mad dash for the door, shoving the syringe and the gun into his front pockets. "I can't believe I forgot to tell the others that I saw the shrimp bait! Man, Hiei's going to kill me!" Kuwabara stopped at the door and shouted back over his shoulder into the now open bedroom door. "PU! Watch Urameshi for a bit, I'll be right back!"
Pu lifted his head to peek over Yusuke's arm, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Pu?"
Kuwabara ran out of the front of the hotel, his eyes darting every which way; the semifinal matches should be over by now if Team Toguro's previous victories were anything to go by, so that should mean that Hiei and Kurama are on their way back to the hotel, right? RIGHT?! A spike of horrifyingly familiar energy from the south made Kuwabara break out in a nervous sweat. "Is the shrimp fighting right now? Oh man, I don't want to get in the middle of one of his fights! He'd kill me for sure! Maybe I should just go find Kurama... " Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a string of curses and taking off toward the volatile energy of the shortest, and meanest person on his team. "Damn it, I hope he's not in to bad a mood!"
Given the size of the island and the steady release of Hiei's energy, it didn't take Kuwabara long to locate his short team mate. However, he was still very reluctant to announce himself. It was no secrete to Kuwabara that Hiei, well, hated him and he hated even more to be badgered in general, so if Kuwabara badgered him, it was safe to assume that Hiei would kill first and ask questions later. But, unknown to Kuwabara, Hiei already knew he was there, and his lack of sound or movement to just get what ever he had to say out of the way, was only fueling Hiei's temper. The column of flame that sat before Hiei started to pulsate wildly with his rising anger and slack of concentration, which only made it harder to Kuwabara to speak out to him. It was a horrible cycle that seemed unbreakable.
Kuwabara let out a strangled shriek when Hiei vanished from sight, only to reappear before him with a rough sneer on his face. "Speak, or leave! I do not have time to play any more games with you!" Hiei spat, making Kuwabara take a couple steps back, his hands waving in front of him as if trying to deter Hiei from punching him in the throat.
"Whoa there Hiei, sorry to interrupt!" Kuwabara reached into his pockets and held the syringe and gun out to him like some kind of peace offering. "Here!"
Hiei eyed the two items scornfully. "Didn't I just say that I don't have time to play games?" He asked making Kuwabara chuckle nervously. "Why on earth would you think I would be in need of human contraptions? If your goal was to mock me..."
"AH! NONONONO!" Kuwabara shrieked as he side stepped a rather slow punch from Hiei. "Don't go getting the wrong idea! Genkai told me to give them to you!" Hiei, who had been rearing up to throw another punch stopped, his brow furrowing in annoyed confusion. "I don't know what the meds are, but she said that the gun was for Cora."
"And how are we supposed to get it to her?" Hiei demanded making Kuwabara let out a relived sigh; he was safe... for now. "I've scanned this entire island from shore to shore and top to bottom, and I have yet to find a single lead on her whereabouts-"
Kuwabara smiled cheekily, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. "Well, about that... IIIIIIIIIIII might have a clue on where the shrimp bait is- YIKES!" Hiei grabbed the front of Kuwabara's tank top, pulling the large teen down to face level with a growl so terrifying, Kuwabara's sure that his heart stopped for half a second.
"I'll give you three seconds to tell me everything you know before I start erasing every basic function that allows you to live." Hiei's Jagan pulsed beneath his headband to prove just how serious he was about erasing Kuwabara's mind, making said teen stumble over his words in fright. "Spit. It. Out."
"WHENIWASFACINGSHISHIWAKAMARUIWASTRANSPORTEDINTOHERROOMONACCIDENTANDTHENAGAINAGAINSTONGI-PLEASE DON'T ERASE MY MIND!" Kuwabara spewed forth the information he had at such a fast pace that Hiei hardly caught what was said. How ever, he did catch every word, though Kuwabara had managed to leave out the one thing that could save him. The actual location.
"And? Where was your useless hide dumped?" Hiei demanded, shaking Kuwabara with enough force that his head flopped back and forth on his shoulders. "We're well past the three second mark-"
"Aaahhh- the north side!" Kuwabara shouted, making Hiei pause in his abuse. "O-on the third floor- probably the second or third window on the left!" Hiei scoffed and dropped his hold on Kuwabara, allowing him to fall comically onto the rocky ground face down and ass up. "M-man... now I'm all dizzy..."
"Hn, fool." Hiei said as he retrieved the gun from the ground, stuffing it into his pants pocket. "The only reason you aren't dead is because we need five fighters to participate in the finals, and our alternate is under lock and key." He said to Kuwabara who had managed to roll over so he was sitting on the ground, his left hand holding onto his head as he tried to slow the spinning. "Should you ever keep such information from me again," Hiei looked down upon Kuwabara with such dark, intimidating eyes that the teen practically melted into a shivering pile of goop. "I will make you a lifeless husk." And with that, Hiei flickered from sight leaving Kuwabara to let out a very long and relieved breath.
"Yep! Good talk, buddy! Ok, see ya around!" He cried out before falling onto his back, a nervous smile still etched onto his face. "I'll just leave talking to that guy to Kurama and Shrimp Bait from now on...huh?" Kuwabara stared up a the sky for a moment, until yet another thought hit him like a bolt of lightning. "OH DAMN! I left Urameshi back at the hotel!" He stood up, making a mad dash for the hotel that left a trail of dust behind him. "Man, I hope he's still sleeping! Genkai told me not to let him leave!"
As Kuwabara made his way to the hotel, a loan figure emerged from the brush, their blue eyes narrowing minutely at the back of Kuwabara's head. "Hmmm... so it was him." Clayton said, his arms crossing over his chest while he closed his eyes in thought. "Guess there's no harm in that." When he opened his eyes he spotted something glinting in the rapidly depleting sunlight. Bending down to pick it up he found it to be a capped syringe that held a clear fluid in it's reservoir. Had Hiei, the short tempered one, left it behind? "I'm sure Mr. Sakyo would like see this. It could prove useful." Clayton pocketed the syringe before taking the same path that Kuwabara had, though at a much calmer pace. "Maybe I should warn him of the fire demons arrival as well..."
It took Hiei less the three seconds to locate the window that Kuwabara claims to have crawled out of- or at least, it should have only taken him three seconds. From a distance, and using his Jagan, Hiei scanned the north side of the hotel expecting to see six stories with ten windows on each floor, signifying at least eight rooms on the north side of each floor. But there was a problem; according to Hiei's Jagan, the window that Kuwabara had specified didn't exist. Growling in frustration, Hiei moved in for a closer look, appearing on the ground just bellow the area where there should have been a window. Looking up, he saw that there was a window, and a small cast-iron railing that surrounded a rather narrow balcony. Scanning the window with his Jagan, Hiei was mildly shocked that despite being only yards away, his Jagan still couldn't pick up on the presence of the obvious window, or the room with in...so, that's why I wasn't able to find her sooner... it's just like at Tarukane's...
Hiei flitted up to the balcony with ease, standing on the railing and peering around the edges of the window. Sure enough, there were sutras that lined the windows frame, though they were so small in size it wasn't any surprise to him that he hadn't been able to see them from the ground. Peering past the window Hiei could see a rather large room with a queen sized bed, full dresser and what Kurama called a 'TV' with the screen showing images of... humans attempting to do kicks? In front of the TV stood the objective of his search, dressed in black shorts and a bright red tank top. She was copying the human's movements off the TV, though her own stances and reflexes were obviously superior as she didn't seem to be getting much from the "workout".
Noting her deep concentration, Hiei didn't want to risk knocking on the window, lest he acquire unwanted attention from deep inside the suit. So instead, he stepped down onto the balcony and tested the edges of the window, half expecting to be electrocuted by the sutras. When no such thing happened, he easily slid the window open and entered the room, his movements so fast and accurate that his boots hardly made a sound when they hit the carpeted floor. Taking a quick peak around to make sure nobody was watching from outside the room, Hiei let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding-
"It's kind of creepy to sneak into a girls room ya know." Hiei glanced over his shoulder, shooting Cora a look of indifference while she herself looked upon him with scolding blue eyes. "What if I had been changing?"
Hiei scoffed and briskly slid the window shut again, blocking out the sounds of the far off ocean and leaving nothing but the ridiculous background music on the TV in it's wake. "It wouldn't have been the first time I've seen you naked since we've been on this treacherous rock."
"Touché."
Hiei turned back around, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the room; it had been almost too easy for him to get in, and Hiei wasn't about to let himself be caught off guard. Sensing no abnormal energies, and seeing nowhere that anyone could really hide themselves, Hiei stepped further into the room. Cora watched him with a quirked brow, a small smirk falling onto her lips. "While I do appreciate seeing your adorable face, mind telling me what you are doing here?" Hiei's nose scrunched up a little, not liking his face being referred to as 'adorable'.
He reached into his pant's pocket, tossing the hand gun the resided there at Cora. "Here."
Cora caught the gun with one hand, smiling broadly when she realized what it was. "Sweeeeeet- did Genkai give this to you?" Hiei nodded making Cora chuckle excitedly, twirling the gun around her fingers. "Damn am I happy to see this thing- hopefully I wont be such a sitting duck during my match."
"Hn."
"So, was there anything else that you came here for?"She asked him before tossing her gun onto the bed. "I wasn't lying when I said I'm happy to see you and all, but if Sakyo ever found out..." Cora let her words hang in the air, the two of them knowing full well what would happen if anyone on Team Toguro ever discovered that Hiei or anyone else from their team had made contact. The risks were high; it was very probable that Sakyo could view their interaction as a breach of the so called "rules", prompting him to make a move on Yukina- Cora let out a low sigh, pulling her hair out of it's pony tail roughly. "Well, I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll heal you up a bit when I get out-"
"I haven't forgotten the way your healing works." Hiei crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I'm not about to just sit back and let you take on my wounds."
Cora waved him off before motioning towards the gun that lay on her bed spread, a triumphant smile on her face. "Please, with this baby there's nothing to worry about... probably." She said making Hiei quirk a brow at her curiously. "Shower first, then I'll show you."
Sakyo sat in a rather large leather recliner, a lit cigarette in one hand an a glass of brandy in the other. To his right stood the elder Toguro brother, and before Sakyo stood Clayton who held out for his bosses inspection the syringe he had found on the ground shortly after the members of Team Urameshi had parted ways. "And you say that Kuwabara had intended to give this to Hiei?"
Clayton nodded, lips pulled into a thin line. "Yes sir; he mentioned something about Genkai wanting the fire apparition to hold onto it, along with a hand gun intended for Miss Cora. I assume it is something she is expected to use during our match." The elder Toguro brother snickered sinisterly, making Clayton's blue eyes slide to the sickly looking man in suspicion.
"And what of it? They don't have any way of knowing where the girl is being held." He said smugly, a twisted grin stretching over his thin face. "That gun is only a threat if they can get it to her, and seeing as they are forbidden to contact her until after the match, I'd say the odds are in our favor."
Sakyo smirked around his cigarette, taking a long drag as he regarded Clayton with amused eyes. "But it would seem that they have paid her a visit." Clayton stiffened up, his eyes widening in shock at Sakyo's words. "Isn't that correct, Mr. Clayton."
Clayton sighed, bowing his head ever so slightly in regret. "Yes Mr. Sakyo, that is correct. It appears that her team mate, Kuwabara, was transported via portal into her room on two separate occasions today during his fights with Shishiwakamaru and Ongi."
"And yet you did nothing to stop him?!" The elder brother hissed between his teeth.
Clayton glared openly at the elder Toguro brother, his hands clutching into tight fists at his sides. "He did not over stay his welcome, nor did he attempt to remove her. Miss Cora was prompt to kick him out; I saw no reason to pursue him." Clayton turned his attention back to Sakyo who still looked rather amused with the situation, much to Clayton's relief. "I assure you, sir, if he had attempted to go against your word I would be presenting his head to you on a platter, along with Miss Cora's."
"I do not doubt your loyalty, Clayton." Sakyo said making Clayton bow his head in understanding. "But, you appear to have a weak spot for this woman, and while I understand your reasoning behind such a weakness, I can't help but wonder if you are up to the task at hand."
Clayton's face paled and his brow furrowed in worry. "No, please sir, I can handle it; I am fully aware of her tricks, and I can assure you that I have not fallen for them! Down to my core, I have every intention of repaying you for your kindness."
Sakyo's smug smirk turned into a small smile as smoke rolled from between his lips. "I'm glad to hear it, Clayton. Was there anything else we should know about?"
Clayton paused for a moment, his mind going back to the scene he had witnessed at the forests edge...that Kuwabara... he told the fire apparition where we were keeping her... no doubt he's on his way... taking a deep breath, Clayton summoned up all the courage he had before her looked up into Sakyo's cold blue eyes. "No sir; I have nothing further to report."
Sakyo regarded the man that stood before him carefully, as if trying to solve some unknown puzzle. After a moment of silence, Sakyo rose from his seat and motioned with his hand for Clayton to take his leave. "You are free to go then. Keep the syringe with you; though I am unsure of what lay inside, I have no doubt that it holds the key to your victory. Use it wisely."
"Yes sir." Clayton said, bowing at his waist before turning to make his exit. A heavy weight filled his heart as the door into Sakyo's private room clicked shut behind him...that is twice now that I have had to lie to you, Sakyo... I'm sorry...
"Owwwwww~~" Cora rubbed her forehead tenderly, her fingers feeling out a newly acquired bump. Tiny animated tears were gathered in the corners of her eyes, and if she tried to push her lower lip out any further it would probably fall off. "What the hell was that for?!" The two were situated on the bed, with Cora fresh from her shower and ready to heal her partner. How ever, before she could even begin the process Hiei had felt the need to flick her as hard as he could right between the eyes. With her due to fight in only three days, he couldn't quite bring himself to do any real physical damage. That would have to wait until after this mission.
Hiei glared down at her, his arm's crossed over his chest irritably. "You're an idiot." Cora's shoulders fell in mild defeat. "That, or crazy; I'm having trouble deciding which at the moment."
"What is sooooo stupid OR crazy about wanting to take care of my own problem for once?" She asked, huffing as she rearranged her self on the bed, her odd white energy gathering at her finger tips. "Shouldn't you be happy that I didn't come sniveling to you like some wounded animal?"
"This isn't something as mundane as a splinter or fleeing from a harmless spider." Hiei swatted her hand away from his shoulder, his nose scrunching up in displeasure. "I already told you that you're not allowed to heal me, idiot. Don't make me repeat myself."
"You just did!" Cora wined making Hiei frown grumpily. "And besides, didn't I already say that it wouldn't be like before? Don't you want to see what my new toy can do?"
"Hn." Hiei glanced down at the hand gun which lay in Cora's lap; it didn't look like much, and was in fact many times smaller then the one she had wielded before. But he new better then to let it's small size and plain appearance deceive him. He had seen many trinkets and items of less presence do some pretty amazing and at times ridiculous things. His overall lack of response seemed to satisfy Cora, who had once again gathered her oddly white/translucent energy into her finger tips. Looking at it produced an odd feeling in the pit of Hiei's stomach; he could see it, but he couldn't sense it at all, despite it being only a mere five inches away from him. It was a bit unsettling. "Since you seem oblivious of your short comings in this matter, allow me to enlighten you-"
"Did it ever cross your mind that your constant need to point out my flaws is exactly why I didn't say anything?" Her blunt question left Hiei, incredibly, speechless. Cora meanwhile didn't even spare him a glance, unwilling to face him despite her bold statement. "Even if I had mentioned something the moment I saw you after that first encounter with Sakyo, I'd still be an idiot in your eyes though I'm pretty sure you would have also added in how weak and pathetic I am. At least this way I saved myself from two more insults."
"...Hn." If Hiei were to be completely honest with himself, which he wasn't 75% of the time when it came to his partner, there was nothing he could say in his defense. Should she have come to him? Absolutely; or at least to Koenma or Kurama. Hell, even Kuwabara would have been better then telling nobody. But (and he will never admit this out loud to anybody) she was right. If she had come to him instead of facing this head on, he knows that he would have instantly called her out on her habit of relying on him and the Fox.
Cora pushed her finger tips into the flesh of his left shoulder, lacing her energy into the wound that resided there. Hiei felt the hair's on the back of his neck stand on end as he could physically feel the damaged flesh and bone sewing back together, almost as if done with a needle and thread. But as the pain (which he would never in a million years admit to have felt) began to wash away, he paid close attention to the facial expressions of his partner, checking her over for any sign of discomfort. At the slightest sign that she was in any way affected by absorbing any one of his injuries he would stop her; she was already weak, she didn't need his injuries slowing her down. But (much to his secret relief) she didn't appear to be affected at all; there was no grimace or flinch, and not so much as a bruise appeared on her own left shoulder. Instead, much to Hiei's mild shock, the hand gun that lay in Cora's lap began to glow with the same translucent energy that was slowly but surely making it's way through the rest of his body.
It was only as he felt it start to reach for his right shoulder and arm that he jerked away from her. "Don't even think about it." He said as she opened her mouth to tell him off for moving so suddenly. "That wound is comprised of far more than burnt flesh, or do you want to be devoured by the flames of hell?"
Cora blinked a couple times in shock as the energy on her finger tips started to die down. "Seriously? Is that why it's taking so long to heal on it's own?"
Hiei flexed his right hand a couple of times, his brow furrowing in frustration as he felt the tight, fresh skin pull beneath the bandages. "Using that whore Ruka's energy as a substitute for my own helped speed up the process, but it is far from being perfect. The dragon's residual energy is still active." It was hard for Hiei to pin point exactly how his right arm was fairing; the damage had been almost completely reversed by then, but it still felt as though his arm was submerged in flames up to his bicep, and while not unbearable, it was still very unpleasant. "If you try to heal it-?!" Cora rolled her eyes and grabbed his right hand, pulling the limb so suddenly across his body that it made Hiei fall over onto his left side. "What the hell are you doing?!" He hissed at her between his teeth, his eyes widening minutely in shock as he felt her odd energy seep into his right palm. "Cora-"
"Hiei." Cora, while keeping her grasp on his right arm, leaned over so she was face to face with her furious partner, a firm frown set on her lips. "Re-lax; it's going to be alright. Just trust me, okay?"
Hiei pushed himself up, simultaneously pushing Cora back onto the comforter with a startled yelp, grasping hold of her wrist with his left hand. "It's not you that I don't trust, it's the damn dragon- now, let me go, or I'll break your arm." Cora squealed in mild panic, releasing his arm and wiggling her fingers in front of her face, her energy slowly but surely vanishing from their tips. Did she really think he would break her arm... what day of the week was it? Was there a full moon?
"Ahahahaha, let's not do anything rash-?" Cora stopped mid rant when Hiei pulled her right hand towards his face, his eyes narrowing in a scrutinizing way as he examined the pink, inflamed flesh."...please don't break it... I'm kind of attached to it..." Hiei bit the inside of his cheek to keep from rolling his eyes at her punny business...dear kami, she's starting to rub off on me...
"When did this happen?" Hiei said instead, poking at the burn that marred her right palm. Cora winced in discomfort at the action, wriggling her arm a little in a half assed attempt to get him to let go. But Hiei held firm, leaning into her until their noses were only a few centimeters apart, his body hovering over top of hers preventing her from trying to slide out and escape his dominating stare. Cora sucked in a startled breath, her cheeks turning a feint shade of pink. "You weren't injured before you-" Hiei paused mid-sentence, his eyes widening a fraction of an inch before he let out a pensive sigh. "Stubborn woman."
"Huh? Come again?" Cora quirked a curious brow at him as Hiei pushed himself up enough to put a couple inches between them, bringing her hand up to his face for closer inspection. "Who's stubborn?" He poked the wound again, making Cora take sharp breath through her teeth. "Will you stop poking at it?!"
"If you would just listen." Hiei quipped, making Cora's brow furrow in frustration; what did that mean?...he wasn't even here when that- Cora's frustration quickly evolved to realization when she witnessed the cornor of Hiei's mouth twitch into the slightest frown and his brow furrow before smoothing out into his normal apathetic expression. It was minute, and she would have probably missed it had he not been so close, but there it was, escaping his iron clad facade for one thousandth of a second.
Cora's mouth twitched into a crooked smile, her left arm wiggling out from beneath her captor allowing her to reach up and wrap her hand around the back of Hiei's head, her dull nail digging gently against his scalp. The action was so sudden and unexpected that Hiei physically flinched above her, his garnet eyes snapping from her injury to lock onto her face. "Idiot." Hiei's brows shot up behind his head band, his mouth falling open in bewilderment. Cora couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her at the very uncharacteristic response, her fingers rubbing gently against the nape of his neck. "When I was brought here I tested the window and the door; the sutras gave me quite the shock treatment, and left that burn on my palm." Removing her injured hand from his grasp and grabbing her new hand gun, she waved it enthusiastically above her shoulder. "That pesky energy left over from your new pet-" Hiei scoffed, the mere thought of the Black Dragon being his pet almost laughable. "- it's in here." Leaning away from her, Hiei took the gun from her hand and examined it closely. The steel, which had been cool to the touch before, felt a great deal warmer but not warm enough to burn. He couldn't feel anything coming from it, making him question the sanity of his partner once again. "Stumped? Let me explain then. My healing absorbs the damage, along with any residual energy that is left behind, and wraps it in a cocoon before pulling it into my body. Normally, it would then deposit the damage onto my body, which really sucks. To be completely honest, I was probably close to dying when I took on Kurama's wounds to take down Bakken. This gun solves that problem; now instead of taking the damage onto myself, the suppressed energy is stored in that gun. When I shoot it, bullets of my own energy will hit the target and transmit the wounds onto them in the order that they were healed."
"So, seeing as you healed my shoulder first, the first shot you make will put that wound onto your opponent." Hiei was slightly impressed by the technology he held in his hand, though he was far more grateful than anything. Such a device would prove useful far into the future, and could possibly be built upon given the proper time and tools and time. "So, those fools in Spirit World are good for something after all."
Cora snickered and crossed her arms over her chest, a cocky smirk coming onto her face. "Actually, it was my idea. I brought it up to Genkai during our training, and she took my idea to an old acquaintance of hers that owed her a favor." She pushed herself up to sit on the bed, taking a moment to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table, the late hour making her frown. "It's getting pretty late..." Hiei, who had placed the hand gun back onto the bed spread, checked the time as well; it was nearing eleven O'clock. He'd been there for over an hour.
Standing from the bed, Hiei made his way towards the window through which he had entered the room. "I'm leaving. No doubt they will be coming to check up on you before long." He practically spat out the word "check", disgust rolling through him at the unwelcome reminder of their situation. As beautiful and artistic the room appeared, there was nothing that could change what it was; a prison cell. The anger he'd managed to push to the bottom of his subconscious suddenly came to a boil, simmering just bellow the surface, and like the night she had been taken, he was tempted to call upon the Black Dragon to burn the hell hole to the ground.
"Three days, right?"
Cora's voice cut through his rage, bringing him back to the here and now from his fantasies of torturing the disgusting business man and his demon thugs. He turned to look over his shoulder, finding her standing a mere foot away from him, her partially dried hair disheveled from laying on the bed. With little thought he reached out, wrapping his now healed right hand around the back of her head and pulling her towards him, his mouth brushing against her smooth forehead. He didn't kiss her, but simply rested there, allowing her scent to calm his blood lust. "Three days." He left then, using his speed to exit through the window in less then a second, leaving Cora standing in her appointed room feeling decidedly colder then before.
Crawling beneath the covers, Cora felt her stomach sink as the sent of sweat and woodland ash wafted up from the comforter. Wrapping herself up like a burrito, she buried herself in the scent and allowed it to lull her to sleep, just before a stream of blue spirit energy could be seen rising into the heavens from the far side of the island.
