Ch. 16 – Hiei's in love?

Nobody makes a sound. Nobody moves.

"Well?" The darkness disappears to reveal Shita. "Are you going to answer me, or are you just going to stand there stunned? You're wasting time." She turns and starts walking down the hallway. After a few more stunned seconds the guys run to catch up with her.

"Hn. You're injured." Hiei glares at her.

"What's your point half pint?" Shita glares back.

"Take down your allusion baka anna."

"Make me shorty." Hiei moves to punch her but Shita blocks him. "Ha!" She falls over unconscious. Hiei catches her and picks her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Baka anna." He states as he reattaches his sword to his belt, having unclipped it and hit Shita in the back of the head with the hilt to knock her out. Her image shimmers and she appears beaten and bloody as opposed to what she looked like only moments ago which was completely unscratched.

"Wo! What hell just happened to her?!" Yusuke exclaims. "Is she even alive!?" Kuwabara goes to poke Shita in the arm but Hiei's blade is immediately next to his throat.

"Do not touch her." Youko pulls Hiei away from Kuwabara.

"Enough. Yusuke, Kuwabara, you two will walk up front. Now."

"But what if we're attacked!?!" Kuwabara panics.

"Then I'll never have to hear your annoying voice ever again." Kuwabara goes to snap at Hiei but Youko separates them.

"Get moving. We've got three more friends to find."

(In the Torture Room)

"I think you should let him out now." A voice comes from somewhere near the wall.

"Do you think he's dead yet?" A demon sitting at a table with a pint of beer asks, obviously not noticing that he's not talking to his buddy.

"I don't know. Why don't you open the spikes and find out."

"Ok." The demon goes over to press a button on the wall.

"What the hell are you doing!?" The other demon walks in with a pint of ale and playing chips.

"You told me to let him out!" The demon responds.

"I did not! Get away from there!"

"Make up your mind! Do you want me to let him out or not!? Which is it gonna be!?"

"No!"

"No what!?"

"Don't let him out you idiot!"

"Then why did you tell me to before!?!"

"I didn't!"

"You did!!!" The two demons start fighting. After several minutes of beating the pulp out of each other the demon who was in the room before punches out the one who just walked in a few minutes ago.

"Actually," Daihoushi appears out of the wall. "I'm the one who told you to open walls you tried to crush me with. I thought the two of you would notice that there was someone else in the room. Or that you would be able to realize the difference between my voice and your friend's. But you're just an idiot." Dai punches the demon in the face, knocking him out. Dai walks over to the table, takes the pint of beer, and walks to the door.

(An Hour Later)

"Put me…down…or I'll bite you." Shita growls at Hiei.

"Hn." He ignores her.

"I will bite you." She threatens.

"Go ahead. You only have access to my neck. So if you bite me you'll be stuck with me for life, as a mate."

"You have a real subtle way of asking a girl out."

"Who says I was asking for a date? It was a bigger question than that baka anna."

"Put me down. Now."

"Hn. Answer me first."

"Put me down and I'll think about it."

"Hn."

"I'll think about it." She repeats.

"Fine." Hiei sets Shita on her feet. "I expect an answer after we kill the leader of the castle."

"If we get out of here, you mean."

"Those two idiots might not." Hiei points to Yusuke and Kuwabara. "But we will."

"Aww…" A voice comes from somewhere in the hallway. "Shita has a lover! Shita has a lover!"

"Grr…I'll kill him. Where are you Dai?!"

"You have to find me! C'mon! It shouldn't be too hard! I got a drink for you!" Daihoushi taunts.

"…drink…" Shita starts sniffing the air. "I smells it." She starts shifting through the hallway. The rest of the team freezes and tries to stay out of her way. "I smells it…and I wants it." She suddenly attacks the wall. Small pieces of the wall and dust scatters everywhere creating smoke the color of dirt. When it clears Shita walks off humming to herself happily. "My precious." She holds onto a pint of beer. "I found you at last." She walks off down the hallway.

"Ow." Daihoushi sits up, as he was left completely flattened on the ground. "That hurt." He gets up and dusts himself off.

After a few minutes the group once again resumes walking, the humans up front and the demons walking towards the back. They start to near an intersection with another hallway when they hear the sound of a stampede coming from down the other hallway. They brace themselves and get ready for battle. A handful of demons rush by, running straight down the hall. "What?" They all state, shocked.

"They didn't even notice us!" Yusuke yells.

"Maybe they didn't see us?" Kuwabara questions.

"They obviously didn't see us as a threat." Hiei states. "Hn. Stupid demons don't know what to be scared of."

"They must've been running from something then." Youko muses. "But what?"

"So in other words it's either Kagome or Raihoushi. What do you think Dai?"

"Hold on Shita, out answer is coming down the hallway."

The team becomes quiet, tension slowly filling the air. The team can sense a strong energy coming towards them. As it gets closer and closer with each passing moment the eerie silence starts to strain Yusuke's and Kuwabara's patience as the two can't seem to stand still. Youko and Hiei become bored and lean against opposite walls, patiently waiting for the outcome, prepared for anything. Shita and Daihoushi look at each other, smiles spreading across their faces and laughter filling their eyes. Obviously knowing something the rest of the team does not. The energy get s stronger and finally reaches just around the corner, about to come into view…