Shi: Okay! Took me about a week, but I did it! Here's the next chapter!

Aki: I wasn't even online when you finished it! You have THE worst timing!
Shi: -sweatdrops- Sorry.

Kit: -whacks Aki on the head- Lighten up.

Aki: Well, why don't you try and make me? -glares at Kit-

Kit: Oh, you're in for it now.. Me and you gonna fight... -glares back at Aki-

Shi: -sighs- There they go... Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!

-Aki and Kit get into a fight, and a dust cloud appears around them, their legs or arms poking out to be visible for quick moments-

X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.

The Slyest Thieves
Chapter 24
by
Shi

"Oh, just wait until I find you, Yusuke," the brunette, Keiko, grumbled and made her way up the many stairs to reach Genkai's temple, a scowl spreading out over her face. "Gr, Yusuke! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" she screamed angrily, and somewhere in the temple Yusuke winced and excused himself to go hide from Hurricane Keiko.

"Hmph," Keiko huffed and continued to pull herself up the numerous stairs. She was angry at Yusuke, and boy was he going to be sorry for ditching school that day... but, she never reached the temple. About halfway up, a rustling in the bushes to her right caught the girl's attention. "Hm?" she wandered over to the bushes to check the noise out.

Her eyes widened when a figure stepped out from the shadows, a smirk on the face of the mysterious figure. She tried to scream but suddenly found a hand clamped over her mouth, her yell coming out as a muffled sound. The figure chuckled darkly, and with that, he and Keiko vanished from the stairs, leaving not a trace that anyone had been standing there.

Mizuki's head snapped to the door, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What's up?" Aki asked, noting her friend's sudden change in demeanor. Something about the look on the wolf's face told her all was not as it should be.

"I can't feel Keiko's energy signal any more... It just.. vanished," Mizuki muttered confused. Her and Aki were sat at the table alone, seeing as Sesshoumaru and Hiei had needed sometime to themselves, though the girls didn't really mind too much.

"Are you sure she didn't just decide to go home?" Aki asked to make sure, but Mizuki shook her head then turned to meet Aki's confused gaze.

"I felt his energy there... It was only for about a second, but... he was there," Mizuki stated and sensed around the forest for any out-of-the-ordinary energy, finding nothing as she did so. "Tekatoki," she murmured under her breath.

"Tekatoki!" Aki exclaimed hopping from her seat at the table, "That bastard's here! I'm going to slaughter him," she snarled and headed for the door, but Mizuki stopped her by standing in the doorway.

"Just wait," Mizuki said, "maybe I was wrong..." Though somehow, she knew deep down that she wasn't, and if Tekatoki was here, there was going to be trouble, but the wolf mentally pondered why he would take Keiko...

"How often are you wrong about something like this?" Aki snapped rhetorically.

Mizuki faked a smile and said, "There's a first time for everything..!"

Aki sighed, "Whatever... I'm going to go find Sesshy." And with that, she pushed past Mizuki to get to the door.

"Why? So you and him can have some alone time?" Mizuki asked with a cheeky grin. She laughed and evaded the sudden punch that had been heading for her. Making kissie noises to make Aki mad, Mizuki bolted out of the room and down the hall.

"You're SO dead!" Aki shouted after the wolf and took off after her.

Hiei and Sesshoumaru had been discussing and swapping training tips and were now coming up the same hall that Aki was chasing Mizuki down.

Mizuki saw them and ran up to them. Without stopping, she pushed her way between them and grabbed Hiei's arm saying, "Let's go, Shrimp! If Aki catches me, I'm doomed! Come on!" Hiei didn't have a choice in the manner, since he was already being drug by Mizuki.

Sesshoumaru blinked twice in confusion then turned to Aki as she came to a stop beside him. She grunted and glared down the hall as Mizuki and Hiei rounded the corner and were out of sight. Letting out a heavy sigh, "Come on, Fluffy. I need to vent some of my anger." She headed off in the direction she had just come from, her arms crossed moodily over her chest.

"These wenches are crazy," the white-haired dog demon muttered as he followed after his trainee who was bent on sparring all the time.

Meanwhile, Mizuki and Hiei came to a halt just outside the dojo, and the wolf panted slightly, a huge grin on her face.

"What did you do to make her mad this time?" Hiei inquired with a raised brow.

"Why... nothing, of course," Mizuki giggled in a fake innocent tone. "Come on, we--," she stopped dead all of a sudden, and both her and Hiei snapped their gazes to the temple, suddenly on the alert. "Yukina's energy signal..." Mizuki uttered, "It's.. gone..."

Hiei's eyes widened, and he took off back into the temple, looking everywhere, but Yukina was no where to be found... Hiei wound up in the ice maiden's bedroom, where he sat down and glared at the floor, and that's where Mizuki found him a few minutes later. His gaze didn't shift as the wolf sat beside him.

"It'll be okay," Mizuki set a hand on the fire demon's shoulder.

"But, what could've happened to her?" Hiei muttered to himself then let out a frustrated sigh, dropping his head into his right hand. He then ran that hand through his hair. His glare hardened even more as he pondered over everything.

Mizuki chewed on her lower lip, a bad habit she had gotten into since for as long as she could remember. She hated to admit it to herself, but she had felt Tekatoki's energy signal flicker in and out again, along with Yukina this time.

Hiei turned his icy glare to Mizuki, who looked away from the accussing glower. "You know something about all this," he hissed, and the wolf shifted guiltily in her seat. Hiei growled then added to his previous statement, "I felt another prescense appear and suddenly disappear just as Yukina did."

"Really, you did?" Mizuki asked, trying to play clueless.

Mizuki, Takara said telepathically, did you sense Yukina and Keiko's energy signal's vanish?

Yeah... and... I think I sensed... Tekatoki... Mizuki replied, still avoiding Hiei's harsh gaze. She was suddenly pinned against the wall.

"Tell me what you know," Hiei demanded, eyes flashing angrily. He tightened his grip until she flinched from his claws digging into her arms. "Now," he added.

"It's really nothing. I just felt another energy, so that tells you that she was kidnapped," Mizuki responded, "but don't worry, I'll help you find her."

Hiei examined her face intently then grunted and pushed himself away, plopping back down on the bed while Mizuki scowled and massaged her arms where his grip had been tight enough to give her light bruises. He fell back onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "You really need to take anger management classes," the wolf grumbled at the fire demon, who suddenly stood up.

"Come on. We're doubling our training then talking to the others about this," Hiei said yanking his trainee out of the room. She yelped and growled at him to let her go, and he did. She followed him outside where they sparred while Aki and Sesshoumaru ran laps, though not 50 like Mizuki and Hiei had done.

Takara had froze when Mizuki had said Tekatoki's name. Her eyes widened a little then she let out a growl, glaring at the wall as memories of what was, more than likely, their most difficult heist ever. They had been to Tekatoki's palace to steal Abilities: Past to Future, a book that lists the names of each person and what their abilities are and updates itself when one is born. It listed everyone, even those long dead, and inside the spellbook, there was a spell to bring the dead back to life and to control people who are alive, along with many other terrible spells that did not belong in the hands of someone so evil.

Genkai thwacked Takara on her injured abdomen to get her attention. The hanyou winced and broke away from her memories. She looked around to see Genkai and Kurama staring at her. "You just started growling," Kurama said, "is something wrong?"

Takara took a deep breath to calm herself then faked a smile, "No, sensei." She then began doing sit ups again, ignoring the looks Genkai and Kurama gave her. Kurama sighed. He could never get anything out of Takara anymore. Now that she was on this sensei thing...

X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.x.x.X.X.

Shi: Well, there it is... Hope you like it!

Kit: -sporting a bruised cheek- REVIEW!

Aki: -sporting a black eye- Yeah, OR ELSE!

Shi: -sweatdrops again- Bye!