AN: My deepest apologies go to all of my readers for the long wait. I was having a bit of trouble getting this chapter to my liking. But as I believe I warned in the last chapter, the plot begins to thicken in this chapter and the angst starts. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Oh yes, and I realized that I made an error in my note last chapter. Last chapter was chapter 4, not 5. My bad.
To my beloved beta reader goes my gratitude, as always.
PREVIOUSLY:
"Come on now, it's time to go home." Yukina spoke softly to it. Hiei had tolerated it so far but it was painfully obvious to Yukina that the little bird had overstayed its welcome.
The bird cocked its head at her before hopping into her hand. It only stayed there for a few moments before taking off for the woods. The bird on Yukina's shoulder chirped and followed suit.
Hiei gave a silent sigh of relief. It was about time that cursed thing left him alone. He leaned down quickly to grab the bag that Genkai had prepared for Yukina, all the while studiously avoiding Kurama's eyes, before walking in the direction of the portal.
"Let's get going already. We've wasted enough time."
Yukina scrambled to catch up to him, leaving Kurama to trail after them, still chuckling softly.
Soon after, there was a pulse of energy as the portal was activated, and then another as it was temporarily sealed.
-_-_-_-
"Excellent, excellent." The voice lowered confidentially. "Now tell me, what about the two subjects I want in particular? Where are they right now?"
"Oh don't you worry about them. It seems they are doing exactly as you predicted. They avoided the two traitors and are currently proceeding through a portal into the Makai." The smarmy voice became even smugger. "It seems they've also decided to bring along a female elemental as well. She could make an interesting test subject, don't you agree sir?"
"A female? Yes, I have not yet seen the effects on a female. This could get even more interesting."
More laughter filled the air as the servants outside scrambled away so as not to get caught eavesdropping.
-_-_-_-
THIS TIME:
Upon their arrival in Makai, the first thing Hiei and Kurama did was locate one of Kurama's old dens from his days as a thief. Despite Yukina's protests, they planned to leave her where she'd be safe, unless they had to travel a longer distance, in which case they'd bring her along.
With Kurama guiding them it didn't take long to find one that was easy to defend, located about halfway up a rather steep mountain. After doing a quick scan of the area, Hiei left the other two in order to contact Mukuro. With her resources, searching for both a cure and the mastermind would be far easier.
Running along the course he'd last known it to be taking, it wasn't long before he managed to catch up to the scouting mobile. The only snag Hiei ran into was the fact that he dare not enter to speak to Mukuro in person. There was no way to tell if anyone on the staff was either carrying the virus or already infected.
Fortunately, Hiei's Jagan more than sufficed to solve that problem.
Coming to a stop upon a high branch near the route, he was satisfied to see the fortress already slowing down. Apparently, someone had seen him and thought he was returning, so they'd slowed the mobile to allow him easier access. Hiei removed his warding bandana and opened his Jagan.
/Mukuro?/
There was a brief flicker of surprise before a sense of contention washed over him when Mukuro's mind infiltrated his own through their telepathic connection. He raised an eyebrow before shaking his head slightly. He didn't even want to think about what it could mean.
/It's been awhile, Hiei. I trust you are doing well in these times?/
A small smirk appeared on Hiei's lips. She was subtly attempting to learn if he knew about the virus and if he'd contracted it. Under any other circumstances, he'd have a bit of fun and tease his commander a little, but time was of the essence here.
/Hn. Well enough./ The sense of relief he felt coming from Mukuro told him that she'd realized that he meant he hadn't fallen prey to the virus. It was time to get down to business.
/I have a need of your information network./
/Oh?/ Hiei could just picture Mukuro's face; her raised eyebrow, the curiosity raging in her eye, even the tilt of her head. His left eyebrow twitched slightly. Apparently he'd been spending too much time with her if he knew exactly which expression she was making at that moment. /Would I be correct in assuming your question has something to do with this strange epidemic?/
Hiei scowled. /Do you really need to ask? Obviously it does, or I wouldn't bother. I need two things: a cure and the mastermind behind this./
/The mastermind? You mean this was all planned?/ The rage was building in her "voice."
/Hn. If this virus is only affecting demons of elemental natures, there must be someone pulling the strings. I intend to find out who so I can destroy them./ He didn't have to add that he wanted to make sure nothing like this ever happened again.
There was a brief moment of silence on Mukuro's end. /Hiei, perhaps it would be best if you let me take care of this whole mess. It would seem that I am immune to this virus, given that I am not aligned with any element, so I'll likely be able to-/
Hiei cut her off. /No. It has become a personal issue for Kurama./ Before she could even think to ask what he meant by that he elaborated. /Two of his pupils have been affected and are now hanging onto life by a slim thread. If they end up dead, I have no doubts that Kurama will begin tearing apart the Makai for vengeance./ He paused thoughtfully. /Yusuke will no doubt join him. One of the demons has become like a brother to the Toushin./ He gave a wry smirk, despite the fact that Mukuro couldn't see him. /I'm not exactly eager to see what kind of damage the two could do together./
Mukuro chuckled. /No, I don't think I am either. Alright, Hiei, you win. I'll put my intelligence officers on it. We'll try and get you something by tomorrow./
/Hn. Good. I'll -/ He cut himself off and whipped around to face the direction he'd come from. 'Yukina!'
/Hiei? What's wrong?/
Hiei shook his head to clear it. /I have to go. I'll contact you as soon as I can for the information./ With that said, he took off for Kurama's den. Something deep inside him, the sibling bond between himself and Yukina was telling him that something was wrong, that Yukina was in danger.
It didn't take him long to backtrack but when he arrived, it was not to a scene he'd expected.
Kurama and Yukina were currently under attack by a horde of low-class demons. Kurama was putting up a good fight, not letting any opponent near the entrance to the den by using the plants placed strategically along the path leading up the mountainside to impale or entrap them. Any demon that managed to get past the primary defenses met their demise, courtesy of Kurama's trademark rose whip.
Yukina was doing what she could to help by freezing parts of the ground so that the attackers would slide either off the mountain altogether or into one of Kurama's defenses. She also put her energy into creating a shield of ice around the mouth of the den, protecting its inhabitants from being ambushed.
Hiei leapt into the fray, launching a massive fire blast at a cluster of demons, instantly incinerating them. Unfortunately, this also gained him the attention of every other demon that Kurama had missed. They were on him in an instant, leaving him no room to draw his katana or prepare one of his fire attacks.
Hiei dimly heard his sister scream his name before he was surrounded by thorny vines. The vines whipped around him as if he were the eye of a storm, knocking all the demons away. The moment he was released, Hiei leapt to the mouth of the den, landing directly in front of Yukina.
"Where the hell did all this come from?" He didn't need to bother with any formalities given how long he'd worked with Kurama.
Kurama kept a close watch on the now slowly approaching enemies, but still gave his friend a wry smile. "It seems that somebody has been expecting us."
It was easy to see that Kurama was trying to imply that the mastermind had sent this horde, having known exactly where Kurama's old den had been located. Not only that, but they had apparently known that the trio would choose this den as their base. This meant that their enemies information network was at least as formidable as Mukuro's, if not more so.
Hiei snorted disdainfully. "Hn. In that case, we might as well get some information for our trouble." He shot a darkly amused glance at his partner. "Wouldn't you agree, Kurama?"
Kurama smirked. "Of course." He dropped a seed into the ground just behind him. "Yukina, please stay right here."
Yukina barely had time to nod before Hiei and Kurama launched themselves into the center of the demons. A moment later, blood was spraying everywhere, followed by the anguished screams of the dying. Closing her eyes briefly, Yukina forced herself to ignore the call of her healing ability, knowing that these demons were more than likely working for the person… no, rather the monster behind the horrible virus attacking her homeland. If she was going to step into the battle, it would be to assist her friends.
Opening her eyes, Yukina was fortunate enough to spot a demon lurking in the shadows of a tree on the edge of the battle taking place. By the looks of Kurama and Hiei, neither had noticed the loner's presence yet. She watched in silent horror as the demon raised a long, hollow stick to its mouth and took a deep breath.
'Darts!' She realized just before also noticing that the demon's target appeared to be Hiei. The fire demon was currently involved in a swordfight with one of the enemies, so there was no way he could stop and defend himself in time. If the dart hit him, there was no telling what might happen, given how they didn't even know what was contained it.
Yukina didn't stop to think about the consequences, she simply launched herself forward as the demon let loose his dart. For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. She briefly saw Hiei disarm his opponent and turn his head to see her before she was in front of him and the dart was embedded in her chest.
Instantly, a numbing sensation began spreading throughout her body. Yukina collapsed where she stood, unable to break her fall. The last thing she heard before her world turned dark was Hiei's anguished voice crying out.
"YUKINA!"
AN: Um... please don't kill me! (ducks and hides) It's kinda vital for the plot to have this happen to Yukina, so please don't hurt me!
Ano, I'll just run and write the next chapter, yes? Bye! (runs off)