The gang walked through the hallway in silence. It was filled with arrows that pointed in every direction.
"Oh great, and to think we're going to get a break!" complained the ravened hair boy.
"Shut up, at least there's no traps Yusuke!" said Keiko.
Yusuke mutter a low insult as they continued there walk.
"So Kurama, you escaped from some sick hospital or something?" he asked the red head.
"So, why? He asked curiously.
"Just curious." he said noticing that the clothes Kurama was wearing was a cut short ripped up straight-jacket. "you just well... never mind."
Kurama suddenly turned his head as he herd a peculiar sound, it came across the corner. Kuwabara also felt a strong sensation in that same direction and decided that it would be safer to head that way.
"Hey dufus your going the wrong way." said Yusuke.
"No way, this way feels a whole lot safer than that way, besides don't you guys hear something?" the carrot top asked as he put a hand over ear.
The group began to listen.
"It sounds like some kind of dog." said Kurama.
The group were about to follow after him when Keiko stopped in her tracks catching view of a terrible image.
"oh my gosh, Keith!" she cried as she ran the opposite way.
"Keiko no, the walls says do not pass!" cried Shizuru as she tried to stop the girl.
Keiko didn't heed her warning, instead she not only passed the bright red line but she even went to grab the guy when the walls read "can you bare not to touch?". A line pulled and it triggered the trap.
"Keiko no!" screamed out Yusuke as he realized that Keiko has just walked into a death trap.
A gun automatically slid down causing the girl to scream as it shot point blank at her. Yusuke eyes widened in horror as he herd the gun shot, saw a flash, then a strange figure over his friend on the floor.
The figure looked no older than a middle school kid, he had spiky jet black hair with a white star burst the center, and he was wearing a ripped up white hospital scrubs. The top shirt collar was teared towards the left revealing his left shoulder while the right sleeve was shredded. His pants on the other hand was missing a full leg from the thigh down while his other leg was only shredded around the bottom revealing his ankle. Keiko stared in shock as the boy had her protectively pinned down to the floor.
"stupid human." he said shrewdly.
"It's that boy again!" cried Kurama.
"you know him?" asked Yusuke still in shock at how fast the kid moved to save Keiko.
"not really, we just met a couple of hours ago." he said seriously.
Hiei stood up and off Keiko while a wolf pranced ran over and sat next to him. Yusuke ran over towards Keiko whom hugged him in tears.
"Don't worry, it's okay." he said comforting the girl.
"how could you say that, Keith is dead!" she cried out.
"You know that jerk?" asked Kurama very concerned.
"excuse me, Keith is not a jerk!" she said defending her dead friend.
"that man brought me here!" argued Kurama "he deserved what he got."
"take that back, Keith would never do that!" she screamed.
"whoa, whoa." said Yusuke trying to calm the two. "that's enough, the dude is dead. It's over, now somehow some way we got to get the hell out of here."
"there is only one way." said Hiei getting the groups attention "we must beet the game to survive or lose our lives."
Kuwabara made a face as the fire demon spoke about death so freely.
"you know punk, you talk about death as if it was an everyday thing." he said angrily.
"aren't you naive." he said shrewdly, Kuwabara gave an angry face.
"who are you calling naive?" he asked.
"we should hurry if we want to survive." Hiei continued ignoring the carrot top.
"wait, how do we know to trust you?" asked Kurama.
Hiei looked at Kurama for a while.
"did I not save you?" he asked the fox.
Kurama thought back at the events that took place earlier before he answered.
"yes, but that still doesn't explain why you owed me." he explained causing Yusuke to question.
"what do you mean?" Yusuke asked Kurama.
"I played two games before I met you." explained the fox "my first game was with him."
Kurama was seated in a reclined chair, restrained and wearing a straight-jacket. His chin was angled towards the ceiling due to head gear holding it in place. Four metal rods were attached to a metal apparatus surrounding him, pointing directly towards his exposed neck. He had a visible long string hanging out of his mouth. He tried to struggle but it was useless, feeling helpless he finally stopped, and decided to take a look to what he could see. Eying the place he knew there was no way to get out, feeling like a trapped animal he closed his eyes to calm his nerves. The door opened revealing a strange looking boy. Kurama sadly looked at the male, he wasn't sure if he was friend or foe. The figure quickly went over and grabbed the tape recorder that hanged from the ceiling.
"Hello Hiei, there has been a change of plans. Before you is one of your trusted ally that you owed. he has been your friend for years, knowing your lies and past, but choosing to speak no evil." it said darkly as Hiei just listened carefully.
Kurama listened and looked at the boy, he seemed slightly familiar yet he couldn't remember.
"he has been richly rewarded for her words, but today, he will be rewarded for his silence. In the x-ray you will see a key, the key to Kurama's survival, which will shut off his device."
Kurama looked a bit confusedly, it seemed like his kidnapper had made a mistake and had tooken the wrong person.
"But there's a catch, you have one minute to pull the fish-hook from the stomach which you have wounded once yourself for you selfishness and unlock the device or else the four spikes will penetrate his throat, silencing Kurama forever."
this made Kurama very nervous, his life was depending on a murderer.
"Remember, the spikes will also advance each time the decibel level in this room rises above a whisper, killing him even sooner. Hiei, do you have what it takes to save Kurama? Make your choice."
The timer clicked and Hiei quickly went to over to Kurama's aid.
"Kurama!" he said quickly.
"my name is Shuuichi." he corrected the fire demon.
"sh!" he said quickly covering his mouth with his hand. "only whisper." he said then turned his attention to the string. "look, we got to do this fast or your dead fox."
Kurama closed his eyes knowing what he had to do. Hiei took the string between his fingers, he didn't want to hurt the fox but if he pulled too quickly he was sure the fox will scream. Kurama's pulse began to quicken as he felt the stranger take hold of the string. Hiei pulled and Kurama felt as if his insides were being tared out. Kurama muffled a startled cry and Hiei immediately covered his mouth as the spikes moved a bit closer.
"Kurama, it'll only take a moment." he said then pulled again a little faster as time was running out.
Kurama moaned and his breath began to quicken as he felt the pain tearing through his body. Tears wielded in the boys eyes as he couldn't bare it anymore and he cried out again. Hiei covered his mouth as the spikes advanced even more.
"damn it." he said angrily.
Tears dripped down the red heads flushed face, making Hiei feel really uncomfortable.
"humans have to be so weak, don't they?" he said then with strong tug, he pulled it directly out of his mouth.
Kurama almost shrieked but Hiei was quick in reacting. Kurama muffled a horrible cry in Hiei's palm making the demon shutter a bit.
"it's soon to be over." he said gently and turned his attention back to releasing the fox.
He unlocked Kurama with twenty seconds left to spare. Falling to his knees blood dripped down the kitsune's mouth. Hiei watched as Kurama struggled to get the straight-jacket off, turning his face away he approached the fox and helped him get unbuckled. Kurama brute fully pulled off of the fire demons grip.
"who are you." he choked out as his throat was sore from the fish hook.
Hiei just looked at him then put up an index finger to his lips, indicating the fox to keep it down. Hiei than backed away and took off.
"wait-" Kurama cried out hoarsely and was about to follow him when he felt the pain in his stomach penetrate his body. Falling back on his knees, felt a strange feeling like he should leave this place. Getting up, he slowly left the room through the exit the fire demon took. Kurama's body suddenly tensed up, he felt agitated somehow. Looking back and forth he saw that there were arrows that pointed to a tape recorder. He walked over and observed it before he pressed the button.
"Hello Shuuichi, or should I say Kurama. You see, not too many people are drawn back to my game. I gave you a chance long ago and you disappointed me. You did not appreciate the life you were given and there for you have lost that life. You were now given another opportunity which you seemed to have improved yourself, yet now you are a part of the pieces for a certain detectives game, but to get to him, you must give up something important. Follow the rules Kurama, you hold the key to their knowledge, will you fight for survival or sit here and vegetate, the choice is yours, live or die..." and with that it paused.
Kurama just stood there stuck in his own world, he didn't understand what was going on, but that doesn't mean he was about to go without a fight.
"so that's how you met us right?" asked Yusuke
The red head shook his head.
"no, that was just the beginning. I had yet another game where I had save the man whom brought me here, Keith by putting that choker device around my neck. Little did I know that Keith had a game of his own and he tried to kill me." he said showing Yusuke the bruise on his arms. "luckily I escaped and found you guys, though that doesn't explain why Keith is dead."
Yusuke frowned.
"yeah, your right." he agreed then turned his attention to Hiei. "so why did you leave?" he asked him.
"it's part of my game." he explained "we may all be part of the same game, but we all have are own trials."
The Wolf then began to growl catching Hiei's attention.
"what is it Domino?" he asked as she growled at the door. He then looked up at it "looks like we found our next game." he said as he opened the door...