All right, I'm back...

With a new penname!
And an all-new chapter for you guys.

Sorry about the four month hiatus.
-bows over and over again-

This chapter contains the f-word... a lot.
I have no idea why. I think I might've gone overboard a little.
And there is a bit of OOCness too, in my opinion.
I don't know what you guys think...
But then again, Kana's now gone, so things are all out of sorts with the Tantei.
Arghh.

This chapter was written while consuming large amounts of green tea and Mentos.
I don't know why I was eating Mentos, I really don't like them, but I'm sitting staring at an empty box right now.
So, I blame the Mentos... for everything.

Let's hope the next update comes up soon! -crosses fingers-

Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing!
And thanks for not forgetting about this little story here...
I know it's been long and all... Hehe.

Chapter 22

"Kana!"

The voice seemed to echo, as if she were standing in an empty room. That was impossible – there were so many people cramped into this place, their faces looking blurry to her; unable to recognize. They seemed to move like shadows all around her, swaying to the beat of the music, just barely audible to her ears. The voice that called her sounded familiar, yet so out of place. She clenched a cup into her hand, taking a sip of the punch someone had given her. It tasted… off. There was a strange tang to it, leaving an odd taste in her throat, but she drank it anyways. She moved through the crowd, amazed at how the blurry shadows seemed to move away to clear a path. There was someone there, standing, looking more into focus than the rest. The girl waved her arms around excitedly.

"See? I told you we should've come here," she said, nudging her with her elbow. "Aren't you glad I dragged you?"

"I don't know, Hotaru…" she looked around. "We stand out, don't we?"

An older male sidled past her, and for some reason Kana could not see his eyes. But he smiled at them both, and Hotaru shot her a look. "Are you kidding?" She grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's get some more punch."

She led her through the crowd, but suddenly she was gone. Kana stopped, stared at the people around her. Someone came close to her ear.

"Hi," he breathed, and Kana turned. There stood a male, no more than two years older than her, with dark brown eyes and hair that fell into his eyes a little. She backed away a little. "Want to dance?"

Kana shook her head, giving him a forced smile. "No thanks," she said, side-stepping away from him, craning her neck over the crowd, looking for Hotaru, who suddenly disappeared. Where'd she go?

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked, coming up behind her.

"I'm fine; I don't need your help," she said through gritted teeth, all though deep down inside she got this strange sinking feeling. Where was Hotaru? Why won't this guy leave? She blinked hard, everything falling out of focus. She looked down at the empty cup in her hand accusingly.

"Had a little too much punch?" he joked, holding her shoulder so she wouldn't fall over. Kana straightened herself, giving him a dirty look.

"No, I'm fine," she protested. Wait a second – was there a slur in her words? She couldn't be drunk. Naw. Definitely not.

The guy laughed. "Doesn't look like it. You're drunk, definitely." He took her hand. "Come on, babe, let's go look for your friend."

"Hotaru?" Kana blinked. The guy nodded.

"That's her name? Well, sure," he said, drawing her through the crowd. Kana stumbled after him, barely keeping up. Everything was echoing and spinning. This was too weird. It looked as if no one was here at all, as if it were just him and her…

"I'm Li, by the way," he said, looking over his shoulder and giving her a bright smile. Kana smiled back. He seemed nice enough. He could help her find Hotaru, and then they could leave. Crashing a high school party was pretty dumb anyways; she told Hotaru she didn't want to go.

He led her up the stairs, where the music faded away and the crowd of people disappeared. He opened up a room. Kana stopped.

"Hotaru's in there?" she asked. Li bobbed his head. She nodded. "Okay," she said, nearly falling into the darkened room. "Hotaru?" she called out, walking around, her hands outstretched like a blind man. "Hotaru, are you hiding?" she giggled, then stopped for a moment as everything spun again.

The door shut. Kana heard a click. She turned around. "Li?"

No answer.

Suddenly, someone thrust her to the floor. She could barely let out a yelp as rough hands covered her mouth. "Don't scream," Li said soothingly into her ear, "it's just me." His voice was deep, husky now. His breathing was fast and quick. She heard him fumbling with his jeans. Wait. What the hell was he doing?

"I don't feel so good," Kana said, trying to push him off. He was too strong.

"Shh, its okay, you're just a little sleepy," he said distractedly as his lips grazed her cheek, then her neck.

"No!" Kana yelled, trying to push him off again, this time with more force. She bit his hand and he cursed, off-guard for a moment. She scrambled to get away but he was there again, on top of her. Kana found herself crying. "No, no, please…"

The door opened. Li cursed, jumping up off of her. "I thought I had the door locked," he half-whispered. Kana blinked, looking at the shadow in the doorway. She couldn't make out any face; but she knew who it was.

Wait a minute; this isn't how it happened at all.

"Kurama," she said, smiling. He stepped into the room, reaching down for Kana's hand. She took it, wiping at the tears on her face.

And suddenly, Li was gone. The room was gone. There was no party at all. She stood in a bedroom, staring straight at Deimus, who smiled at her, his arms bleeding profusely. He held Kurama in his hands, limp and bloody. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out… He dropped Kurama to the ground and smiled sweetly, holding out bleeding arms to her…

That disappeared too. Suddenly she was outside, looking down at a grave, placing flowers. She could barely make out the name on the headstone – Hotaru Kuriyama. She was crying; the tears blurring her vision. What was going on? This happened a little over a year ago. Why was she watching it happen all over again?

A hand gently touched her shoulder. Aki. Her fourteen-year-old self turned and sobbed hysterically into his arms, mourning the death of her best friend. And now, she was watching this all over again, as if it was playing on a television and she couldn't change the channels.

-

A thumb gently wiped away a tear forming at the corner of her eye. Kana groaned, turning over in her sleep. Her eyes blinked open. The pillow was stained with her tears. Her cheeks felt stiff, tears having dried on them. She flipped over on her back, closing her eyes, ignoring everything. Wait a second. Her eyes opened, and stared at a ceiling that was definitely unfamiliar. She sat up quickly, throwing back the sheets and looking around the room. Where the hell was she? What was going on?

The room itself made her feel like she had stepped back in time. The walls were a rich deep red, everything about it giving off a Renaissance-style essence. She looked down at the bed she was in. The quilt was heavy and thick, very comfortable, with gold and white designs intricately weaving in and out. She looked up and noticed that gold silk fabric draped over the canopy to create a dream-like feel.

A sound brought her back to reality. She jerked her head towards the door and saw Deimus standing there, watching her. Her heart dropped as yesterday came back to her. Her uncle, Ayamu… they're dead now.

"I was wondering when you would awaken," he said, watching her with steady eyes. It unnerved her.

"What am I doing here?" she asked, all at once wanting to get off the bed, but at the same time not wanting to bring herself any closer to him.

He chuckled. "This is where you belong," he said, stepping into the room. "Does it not look familiar to you?" Kana paused, but it didn't matter. He kept talking. "Don't answer now, I suppose, it should come back to you later."

Deimus took off his long leather jacket and tossed it onto the floor, opening up a door that led to a closet. Kana saw his bare arms and leaned forward a little to get a better look. Sure enough, there were scars there, on both arms. They looked ragged and painful. Just like in her dream…

"How did you get those?" she asked suddenly. Deimus turned quickly, staring hard at her. A shadow passed across his face, his features darkened. The sudden change in emotion made her regret asking.

"An accident," he replied, his voice low and level, but there was something in his tone that made her wonder if she really should know what had happened – but that was ridiculous.

In an attempt to change the subject, Kana asked again, "Where am I?"

"Makai."

A chill ran down her spine as she heard that word. Yusuke and the others have mentioned it before – it was the Demon World. A sudden shot of panic coursed through her, making her feel as if her blood suddenly turned ice-cold. Despite herself, she shivered. Deimus saw this, and chuckled once more.

"So you know what the Makai is," he said, more to himself than to her. He smiled, and straightened himself, tossing on his black robe again, covering his scars. He turned to her, walking with a smooth cat-like grace to the bed. Kana stiffened, turning her head away as he reached out a hand for her. His eyes narrowed to slits.

"And still you refuse me," he said softly, but Kana could hear the underlying anger in his voice. A growl passed his lips and he stalked towards the door. He looked back at her, and Kana met his gaze. "It's because of him, isn't it? Your little redhead." Kana's eyes flew open wide; her heart skipping a beat as Kurama's face swam into her mind. He said he cared for her; but after what had happened in his room he probably hated her now. If only she had spoken up…but no. She was too afraid to actually say what she felt. And now, she may never get the chance.

"If you hurt him—" Kana started, barely more than a whisper. She managed a glare, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "If you hurt any of them—"

Deimus barked a laugh, so sudden she stopped short. "You think that the redhead loves you." He paused, letting the words sink in. She wouldn't let him get to her; Kurama had told her himself; he wouldn't have been lying. "He was using you," he continued, his voice velvety smooth, "did you really think that someone like you would be worthy of love from someone like him? Did you think that someone who comes from such a broken home, with a broken life such as you would ever be able to become truly happy?" His head cocked to one side, looking at her with an expression of pity. His eyes closed for a moment and he shook his head. "I am sorry to be the one telling you this, dear. All of them are happy to be rid of you. You were such a burden to them, always dragging them down." He must have seen the tortured expression on her face, for he walked forward again, taking her face in his hands. His eyes softened as he wiped away the tears – when had she started crying? - that were now running down her face silently as his words hit home.

"But not me, dear," he whispered. "You and I were meant for each other. I saved you from them, from any further pain. You should be thanking me." A hand ran through her hair, brushing it away from her face. She started to shake, and he murmured calming words into her ears. "I know it hurts. Forget them. They weren't good enough for you anyways." Kana looked into his eyes, searching for a sign, any sign at all that meant his words were lies. Her heart sank slowly as she felt herself sinking into those eyes of amethyst. "Don't forget what I've shown you." With that, he pulled away from her, heading towards the door to leave and Kana heard the sharp click of the lock as the door shut behind him.

The words he said to her were unable to stop repeating in her ears. She didn't want to believe them, but they all made sense somehow. Fear coursed through her as tears sprang into her eyes. She collapsed onto the bed again, crying hysterically as his words ripped her from the inside out. "No," she repeated over and over, burying her face into the pillow, until it sounded like a tortured mantra.

-

"We don't even know what we're looking for," Yusuke cried in desperation. "She could be anywhere."

"But where would he take her?" Kuwabara interjected impatiently. He hung his head low, sighing. "Who knows how long it'll be before we find her. This should never have happened."

Kurama stiffened, hearing those words. He clenched Kana's bracelet in his hands all the more tighter. Kuwabara looked at him.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," he said, trying to apologize. "I just meant—"

"He knows." Hiei's voice cut him off, colder than usual. Kurama looked away, out at the open window. "He knows better than all of us." He shifted his position in the corner of the room, closing his eyes. His headband was off, revealing his third eye, the Jagan. It flared with a greenish light.

"Hiei, you've tried that already. The Jagaan can't sense her," Yusuke said dejectedly.

"Who said I was looking for her?" Hiei snapped. "Now shut up."

For a few moments, everything went silent. Hiei growled impatiently suddenly, covering up the Jagaan again. His crimson eyes opened slowly. "I tried to search for a trace of his power. Nothing."

Kurama snapped. Suddenly sitting here, doing nothing, going nowhere, while Kana was out there somewhere in Deimus's grasp was too much. His fist slammed into the table, making everyone jump in surprise. He refused eye contact, the bracelet cutting into his palms.

"Kurama," Yusuke started softly, "we're doing the best we can."

All eyes were on him now. "It's not enough." His palm opened, and the bracelet fell onto the tabletop. There were red imprints on his hand.

"That's Kana's," Kuwabara realized, leaning forward in his seat to get a better look. Hiei made no movement, but he was suddenly very interested in what lay on the table.

"It must have fallen when…" Kurama trailed off there, pausing only for a moment. "It was given to her by the one we saw at the rink the other day."

"Do you think it could help us?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama nodded slowly. "I think it connected her to Deimus, so he could find out where she was at all times."

"Like a tracking device?" Kuwabara squinted at the bracelet; its silver chain sparkled with the light.

"So what we need to do now," Hiei spoke up suddenly, "is to find whoever it was who gave the bracelet to her."

"He must be in with Deimus too," Yusuke thought aloud. "I think his name was Kuga. Where do we start looking? There's a million places we could try, but I don't think any of them will work."

"We'll start locally, and then elsewhere. He can't hide for too long. We'll find him eventually." Kuwabara nodded.

"We'll split up. Hiei, go with Kurama. I'll go with you, Kuwabara." Yusuke nodded at each of them respectively. His gaze lingered on Kurama. "We'll find her," his voice dropped to a soft whisper. "We will, I promise you."

Kurama could only nod barely, meeting his gaze for the first time. Yusuke was unable to keep the shock off his face as he saw the raw emotions that spun behind his emerald eyes. He's taking this hard, he realized.

Kurama seemed not to notice. He got up. "Let's go," his voice lost all the warmth and normal emotion. It was empty, dull, and emotionless.

We need to find her, and soon, Yusuke thought as he watched Kurama, otherwise who knows what will happen.

-

Hiei followed Kurama out of the house, studying him. He walked quickly, heading for his car. The keys jangled in his hands, almost nervously. He's taking this way too personally. And he didn't blame him, but still... this behavior was unnerving him.

"Kurama." He called out, stopping and crossing his arms. Slowly he turned, looking at him but with a strange expression he has never seen on him before... impatience. This damn fox was getting impatient. With him.

"Damn it, just calm down." He said crossly, getting annoyed. "We're going to find her, but not if you keep acting like this." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Do you even have any idea where we can look for this kid?"

Kurama sighed, then turned around again to get to the car. He used the keys to unlock the driver's side. "I know, Hiei," he said softly, his back to the youkai. "I know this won't solve anything, but I feel so...guilty. I should've gone in with her; I shouldn't have waited in the car like that. It's my--"

"It's not your fault," he snapped. "Don't even say that. If you keep placing the blame on yourself, nothing will get done." He sighed, looking out into the distance. "We all are going to help look for her. We're going to find her, Kurama, we will."

"I'm sorry," he said, opening the door and sitting in the driver's seat. Hiei walked around the other side and sat in the passenger's seat behind him.

"Don't be," he said roughly, looking out the window of the car. Kurama placed his hands on the steering wheel, thinking.

"We'll start at those hang-spots. The movies, the arcade, even a restaurant or something. If he's still in the area, chances are he'll be at one of those places." He leaned over and put the car into ignition, checking the mirror as he pulled out and headed out onto the road.

-

Within minutes they were out of the car and walking up to the movie theater entrance. They walked inside, looking around for the eccentrically-dressed silver-haired teen they'd seen at the rink. At this time of day, it was packed up with kids from school and their friends. He exchanged glances with a few he recognized but kept walking, scanning the crowds. Hiei walked behind him, glaring at anyone who would give him weird stares.

They had just been here a few days ago, with Kana. It seemed so far away now. Kurama paused to reflect on that day, smiling a little. The smile was lost completely when he remembered that she wasn't here anymore. She was now in Deimus's hands, and it was his fault.

He kept looking, but there were no one in the lobby that even remotely looked like Kuga. He was about to tell Hiei to leave, when someone pushed him roughly to the side.

"Looking for me, huh?" an arrogant voice, male, shouted at him. Kurama turned slowly, almost calmly to face whoever it was that had shoved him.

Li.

"What the hell do you want?" Hiei asked, obviously getting pissed. Li started to answer him, but Kurama looked at him sharply.

"Hiei, stay out of this." In response, the demon crossed his arms, looking the other way in annoyance. Li turned his attention back to Kurama, and grinned.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? You think you can have my girl." It seems he forgot what had happened the last time they met - it ended with Li running off in fear, because he had nearly lost control and Youko almost took over. It wouldn't be good to face him now. He had more important things to do. He had to find Kana.

"I apologize; I have somewhere to go," he said, turning around and heading for the exit. Hiei followed suit, ignoring Li's angry yells. Without turning around Kurama knew he was following. He opened the door and let himself out, heading for his car, blatantly ignoring him.

"Running away? Funny. You thought you were so tough last time. I thought you were asking for a fight."

Kurama stopped for a fraction of a second before picking up the pace again. In a way, he had. He had challenged Li in an almost primal-way, asking him if he were tough enough to claim Kana from him. Only if it had really had happened, Li wouldn't be standing here right now, talking to him like he was better than him. He had won that battle – technically - but he should've known Li would have come back for more, to fix his bruised ego.

"So tell me, how is she?" he shouted. "She was a good fuck that night. You should've seen her; totally drunk out of her mind. So have you two done it yet? How--"

Within seconds Kurama had Li up against the wall, with a look so menacing it made him tremble. Li spluttered, trying to draw a breath, but his arm was held across his throat, making it impossible. He looked at Kurama desperately, clutching at his neck.

"One more word and you're done." One statement, filled with so much anger and rage that Li stopped squirming altogether and paled immediately. He gasped for breath, trying to get away, his eyes wide with fear.

"Hey, hey, I was only kidding, you know I—" he coughed, gripping Kurama's hands as if to try to pry them off of his neck, his face rapidly turning a shade of purple. Li stopped, finally looking Kurama in the eyes, fear etched all over his face. "What the fuck are you?" he whispered hoarsely. "Those eyes—those eyes—they're not fucking normal, they're not--!" he started to struggle wildly, his breath coming in short, wheezing gasps. Hiei ran towards them both.

"Kurama, let go! Let go, now!" Hiei shouted, grabbing Kurama's hands. The fox looked at him sharply, and for a moment, Hiei faltered. This was not Kurama. The look in his eyes were feral, his emerald eyes gone, replaced instead with golden ones. He was on the edge of transforming here and now, and that was not good. "Kurama, damn it! Listen to me! Not here, not now!" His crimson eyes met Kurama's with defiance, and watched as their color slowly melted away, back to their green flare. He let go of Li, letting him drop to the sidewalk, staring at him as if he hadn't ever noticed him before.

"Hiei…" he looked at his friend, eyes slightly widened, as if shocked by what he had just done.

Li coughed, getting up slowly. "You…" he wheezed, his voice sounding cracked and hoarse. He rubbed his neck. "What are you?" He looked frightened out of his mind, scrambling to his feet but finding it hard to. "Stay the fuck away from me; you're crazy, fucking crazy…" His breath came in and out slowly, as if learning to breathe all over again.

"Now you know not to fuck with him," Hiei glared at Li fiercely. "Get out of here before I let him go at you again."

Li let out a wordless cry, getting up and running from the two of them before any further words could be spoken. Kurama watched him go, and Hiei was surprised to see him paler than usual.

"Kuga's not here. Let's go," he said, calmly prodding him towards the car. He followed, but slowly. Hiei turned to look at him. "You were defending Kana. You almost let Youko take over. It's done now. We'll think about it later. Right now we have a job to do. Don't lose your head. You have to keep calm. You'll do no good this way."

Kurama paused, then nodded, taking the keys out of his pocket. "You're right, Hiei." He let out a sigh. "I don't know what's happening to me. Each time Youko comes closer and closer to taking over. One day I won't be able to hold him back, and then…" His eyes closed then, stopping his sentence short. For a moment there was a heavy silence before Kurama finally opened them again and let himself into the driver's seat.

-

No more than a few minutes had passed before Kurama parked in the parking lot of the arcade. He looked up at the place, lights from the games flashing through the open door. Inside he could hear the excited shrieks of younger children, and the occasional deep growl from an older teen who didn't reach the highest score. Hiei's lips curled when he saw where they were.

"We've got nothing to lose looking here," he said, scolding the youkai gently. "Come on, let's go look." He got out of the car and headed up to the entrance. He remembered the day they all gathered here… and this was the place where he first met Kana as well. Quite painfully, he remembered, feeling embarrassed as he recalled opening the door and hitting Kana to the floor.

They both walked into the building, already blown away by the lights and sounds. A pair of shrieking kids ran by, and Kurama had to stop short to keep himself from running into them. Beside him, Hiei was already sneering; he absolutely hated this place. But he didn't say any words of insult of anger. Instead, he kept quiet, looking for any signs of the strange boy that had given Kana that bracelet. Each loud noise they heard, each loud blast of gunshots from a game they passed by had started to play on their nerves.

After walking through the entire place, their search was seemingly unsuccessful. Kurama looked over to Hiei, who gave a small nod. Kuga wasn't here. Slowly they began making their way towards the exit. Once outside, the commotion found inside of the arcade had dissipated slowly. Kurama turned his head sharply to the left, hearing voices.

He suddenly stopped, holding an arm out to direct Hiei to do the same. He looked at the fox quizzically, but snapped into action, his senses on high alert. His crimson eyes scanned the lot quickly. Kurama tapped him and pointed with his eyes to two figures standing on the side of the arcade, huddled together and talking fast.

"What do they have to do with us?" Hiei asked, skeptical.

"I remember those two. They're friends of Kuga's. Remember?" Kurama whispered to Hiei, his eyes never leaving the two figures. He slowly nodded, his memory sinking in. Kurama reached into his pocket and dug out his cell phone, flipping it open and punching in a few numbers. He paused before handing it to Hiei. He looked down at the contraption with mild confusion. "I called Yusuke. Tell him to get here. I'm going to talk to them." He walked forward, leaving Hiei with his ear pressed awkwardly to the cell phone.

"Kuga isn't back yet… his mission is completed, however. He gave that damn girl that bracelet. Why does he need to go to the Makai?" The girl whispered fiercely.

The older male snorted at her remarks. "'Cause the master favors him. He sucks up to him and kisses his ass, and he listens. Damn him. Now we're stuck here to watch over this place… for what?" He kicked a rock on the sidewalk. "It's a waste of time, I'm telling you. We should just leave."

"No!" she shouted, and immediately lowered her voice, realizing she had spoken too loud. "Think of what he'll do to us. We can never abandon our duties." She suddenly looked up, straight at Kurama, and drew back. "You! What are you doing listening to us?" The male turned and looked at him, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Your master?" he said calmly, stepping closer to them, his hands in his pockets. "Do you mean Deimus?"

Both stopped cold when they heard the name. The female recovered first. "How do you know that name?" she asked harshly. "You have no business here."

Hiei stepped up beside Kurama, putting the phone into his pocket. He nodded once, to tell him that Yusuke was on his way. He knew that without speaking words.

"Where is Kuga?" Kurama asked, ignoring their response.

The male's eyes shifted nervously. He jammed his hands into his pockets. "Who?"

Hiei beside him rolled his eyes, obviously becoming impatient. Kurama had to admit, he was feeling the same. This pointless banter was getting them no closer to reaching Kana.

"We know about your 'mission'. Where is Kuga?" He asked, his voice ever-calm, never changing. "Where has Deimus taken Kana?"

There was a soft patter of footsteps on the pavement behind them. Yusuke and Kuwabara arrived; Kurama knew without even turning around. They stood silently behind him and Hiei, trying to process what was going on.

"I'm afraid we can't help you. We don't know what you're talking about." The male grinned cockily, and Kurama could tell that if they weren't careful, he was willing to fight them. There was no telling how strong he could be.

Kurama ignored him and took out Kana's bracelet, the one that Kuga had given to her. He dangled it in front of them, the silver link catching the sun and giving off a slight sparkle. Their eyes both widened, and inside Kurama smiled. He had them now.

"Hunter, they know," the female tugged on the male's arm.

The one called Hunter gave her a sharp look. "They don't know anything. They're a bunch of losers who don't know shit--,"

He didn't finish his sentence, for Hiei suddenly launched himself forward to Hunter, the cold steel of his katana pressed up against his throat. He froze wary eyes on the crimson-eyed demon. Hiei shoved him harshly up against the wall, eyes flashing with anger.

"Oh great, now you've pissed him off," Yusuke sighed, placing his hands on his head.

"Tell us where she is," Hiei said, his voice dripping with disdain, teeth bared. Kurama had seen him angry before, giving out threats, but never like this. He could almost say he was… emotionally involved, somehow. This thought registered surprise – he has never shown any interest in Kana whatsoever; if anything, he disliked her, or so he had originally thought. But watching him now, he knew that was untrue. Hiei never showed this much malice for someone he cared nothing about. Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances with each other; apparently they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Hunter!" the female cried, drawing knives from her wrists. Yusuke held out his arms and clasped his hands together, ready to use his Spirit Gun. The familiar blue glow radiated from his fingertips, and she stopped, surprised.

"Move another inch, and you're dead meat," Yusuke said, eyes narrowed.

"Damn it, we can't do this here," Kuwabara muttered, looking around the parking lot for any signs of people. For now, it was empty. "Someone could see us…" Kurama nodded in agreement, one hand poised near his head, ready to draw the seed that would create his Rose Whip. There wasn't much they could do about it, however.

The female hadn't moved an inch, her eyes giving away the fear she now felt. "Spirit Gun…" she whispered, recognizing his signature move. "You're Yusuke Urameshi," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked at the rest of them, paling. "The Reikai Tantei." She turned her head slightly to look at her companion, still pinned by Hiei. "Hunter, we can't fuck around with them. Deimus warned us about them."

"We're not telling them shit, Pip," he retorted from where he was, "we have orders."

Hiei pressed the katana's blade closer to his throat, nicking his skin just a little. A single drop of blood ran onto the steel, and Pip broke.

"Makai. They're in the motherfucking Makai; the master took her to the Threshold in the Demon City. Kuga's there too." She swallowed, talking rapidly. "I don't know what he wants with her; I don't even know why Kuga's there. We were sent here to watch this town, and now we know why – to keep you from leaving. I don't know any more, that's all I can tell you."

Kurama's eyes shut hard, his worst fears realized. He struggled to hold his calm façade, but it was difficult. Kana was taken into the Makai. The one place he had never, ever hoped she would see. This was all his fault. Who knows what Deimus was doing with her there. They had to act fast and get there as quickly as possible. Inside Youko was fighting for control, and it took all his strength and concentration at bay.

Not now, he said firmly to him. Youko's rage at losing his "mate" made him difficult to handle.

Hiei paused a moment, his blade still at Hunter's throat. With a growl, he let go, leaping backwards and sheathing his katana at the same time. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked pale, realizing the extent of the danger Kana was facing.

"Damn it," Yusuke shouted, his face tilted up towards the sky. He looked pissed as he dropped his arms to is side, Spirit Gun now forgotten. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!"

They turned and stalked away from Hunter and Pip swiftly, forgetting all about them as their new mission emerged: they needed to find Kana.

"You know what this means," Kuwabara started, as they opened Kurama's car door and got inside.

"We need to kick some wolf demon ass, and get Kana back," Yusuke finished as Kurama revved up the engine.

"But first," Kurama said, focusing on the road that stretched before them, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly, "we need to talk to Koenma. He will be our link to the Makai."