A/N: So...yeah, I'm back. How've you all been? Sorry about the kind of slow update, but I was re-reading Michelle Sagara's "Cast" series, and fell in love all over again. Go check them out, they're great books!

I'm not so pleased with this chapter. Frankly, I'm just glad its over with. Now I get to start writing the fun stuff! (-grins wickedly-) You'll see what I'm talking about by the end of the chapter. I hope.

Oh, and there's no time break between the beginning of this chapter and the end of the other one, so you might want to go back and re-read the last couple paragraphs from chapter five. If you feel like it.

(Yeah, this is being reworked because fanfiction messed up my...paragraphs and lines. I dunno, there's a word for it, but I just chucked my dictionary/thesaurus against the wall, so I can't look it up.)

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Kurama closed his eyes and slowly slid down the wall until he was crouching, head in hands, beside the door. His heart was pounding wildly, and he didn't understand what was happening.

At least, that's what he told his mind. His subconscious had other ideas. So why was it becoming harder to remind himself that Hiei was only a tool in the grand scheme of things?

He waited until the sound of hurried footsteps faded into nothingness. Hiei was gone. It was safe to leave the room. He sighed, and it took an effort for him to rise to his feet. Why did he let himself get so damned tired? What use was he to Shiori when he didn't get enough sleep to even think clearly?

Kurama froze. Someone was breathing on the other side of the door. He didn't recognize the smell. In a heartbeat he had the door open and a sharp knife pressed against the throat of a young blue-haired man, who had been previously leaning against the wall.

The man stiffened, carefully turning his head to look Kurama in the eye. Kurama relaxed, sliding the dagger back into its sheath.

"Touya."

"You seem agitated," the young man pointed out. Kurama realized he was tapping his foot impatiently. He forced himself to stop.

"What sort of news do you have for me today?"

Touya let out a long breath, passing a hand over his eyes. Finally he said, quietly, "They're beginning to suspect. I was sent out of the room twice on unnecessary errands."

Kurama's gaze sharpened, "You're sure it wasn't coincidence?"

"I don't believe in coincidence," Touya said wryly, "And neither do you. If you need another reason, I have one: they had me followed tonight."

"You lost him somewhere else I'm sure, before coming here?" It was phrased as a question, but Touya saw right through to what it really was: a threat.

"Of course," he said mildly. Then he leaned in close to whisper in Kurama's ear before he turned and walked away with the air of a man who knew where he was going.

Kurama's lips curved up into a smile. So it was almost ready, then. He would have to adjust his plan accordingly, but that meant nothing in the long run. He was just beginning to be able to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. And perhaps they would all make it through. But he rather doubted it. Every action had a price attached. Kurama just had to be sure he controlled who was paying.

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Hiei had been running for about five minutes, and had made it through about ten hallways and down four staircases before he realized he had absolutely no clue where he was going. He slowed his pace to a walk, and looked around him.

There was no carpet here, and no gaudy artwork on the walls. The linoleum that covered the floor smelled strongly of detergent. Someone had scrubbed it recently. Lifting his nose to smell around for other clues, he caught a whiff of roasting meat.

So that was it. He followed the scent into a large, chaotic room full of women scrambling about, hauling trays full of drinks and dainty appetizers. One familiar woman stood at the head of it all, stirring a large pot and shouting out orders. He changed course and headed straight for her.

"…just get the damn placecards set Rinku," she snapped without turning around to look at him, "Kurama won't care who you seat together."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. She rounded on him, clutching the spoon and waving it menacingly, "Kid, I swear to…oh." She resumed stirring, "It's you."

Still he said nothing.

She made a frustrated sound and ran a hand through her sweaty brown hair, "Look, I don't know if anyone's told you, but Kurama's hosting a big party tonight. It was short notice, so as you can see, we're very unorganized right now. Any help you could offer might be useful."

Hiei kept his face carefully expressionless as he considered her request. It would be demeaning to lower himself to do kitchen work, but any information he might gain in the process would be worth it. Everyone knew underpaid workers were the best informants.

So he took the bowl she handed him and began to stir rather disinterestedly. She huffed in exasperation and grabbed it back, "Have you ever cooked a thing in your life? Stir like this!"

She showed him, ignoring the dangerous scowl spreading over his features. Oh yeah. She'd better be darn talkative.

"What party?"

Shizuru sent him a disbelieving glance, and opened her mouth to say something rude. Then caught sight of his expression and thought better of it. "I guess you wouldn't know. Kurama's throwing a surprise party for one of his old friends." She snorted, "In fact, it was such a well kept secret it surprised the rest of us too."

Hiei took this new piece of information and ran with it. "When did he decide to do this?"

She sighed, "Knowing him, he's been planning it for days. If you mean 'when did he tell us?' then the answer is half an hour ago."

"Who has been invited?"

She named several famous businessmen, the chief of police, and many more people Hiei hadn't ever heard of before. It didn't matter. There were enough, anyway, to keep the guards stationed around the mansion occupied. He would be out of this prison by midnight.

Shizuru glanced sideways at the dark haired man stirring her tomato sauce. As usual, his face was an empty mask, but his eyes were thoughtful. She could guess what was going on in his head.

"Someone had better take you up to see Kurama," she threatened, "To find out what he wants to do with you."

He didn't even spare her a look to show he was listening. Annoyed, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and wished for a cigarette. Instead, she opened the oven to check on the bread. When she looked up again, he was gone, leaving the bowl of simmering sauce behind.

She shook her head. Apparently he thought he had milked enough information out of her for one day. It would be interesting to see how things played out with him. As if Kurama's actions hadn't been enough of a giveaway.

Her expression turned contemplative. She had suspected Kurama of planning something for weeks now. It had to be something big if he was working so hard to keep it a secret. He didn't usually keep things from her, but now she was more out of the loop than even her brother.

Kurama had a thief in the house, living like a guest. An important guest, at that. But said thief didn't want to be in the house at all. It was a mystery. And she didn't have enough of the pieces yet to try and put them together.

"Shizuru!" someone shrieked, "Where's the flippin' pasta sauce?"

The puzzle would have to wait. At least, if she valued her life. Parties like these would be the death of...well, if not her, than certainly someone else. She sighed and got back to work.

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Hiei was, once again, lost. Only this time it didn't matter. If he didn't know where he was he had a logical excuse for not being in his room, and a good space of time to explore the mansion.

He was pretty sure the kitchens would be on the ground floor, which would put him on the first floor. He wandered, seemingly aimlessly to anyone who might have been watching on camera, but with a real purpose in mind. He was going to find his way out. It wouldn't do to get lost during the party and miss his chance.

Kurama would be angry, he thought, smirking slightly. Something in his chest, behind his ribcage, twisted. He ignored it. Whatever game the man was playing would end tonight.

He began counting doors and windows, noting which had locks and which did not. He was so busy with his counting that, as he turned a corner, he ran smack into another man. A frigid wind seemed to sweep the hall, and Hiei felt the need to burn something, to prove that he was the dominant one. But it was better for this man to assume he was powerless.

Hiei examined him, taking in the ice pale hair and eyes, and knew exactly what he was. Images of a certain woman drifted into his mind, but he shoved them back where they had come from. He wasn't meant to ever think of her again.

"Who are you?" The other man demanded crossly, narrowing his eyes. Hiei just looked at him and moved to keep walking.

"Hey!" The blue haired man reached out and grabbed Hiei's arm, but Hiei was prepared. He snatched his arm away and sent out a flare of heat, his eyes smoldering furiously. So much for feigning ignorance. But his pride would not allow him to let himself be handled in such a manner.

"Touch me again, and I'll kill you." He said flatly, whirling around and stalking away. He could hear the hurried footsteps of the other man as sped out in the opposite direction.

Once the better part of his anger had vanished, Hiei had lost track of where he was. He forced himself to breathe deeply, trying to ease the agitation he had felt as he remembered his sister. Growling, he lost control and slammed a fist into the wall, creating a sizeable hole. Kurama would not be pleased.

But damn it, he didn't care. After what happened to her, he'd promised himself he would never care again. It was a one way track to death and suffering, and Hiei only enjoyed those when he was inflicting them.

That was why he needed so desperately to get out of this place. He was losing his resolve, and quickly. It had been less than a week and he could already feel the place and its people preying on his mind; the owner himself was beginning to shatter Hiei's defenses.

Removing his hand from the wall, he placed it at his side and closed his eyes, sliding his face back into an impassive mask. Once he was certain he could maintain it, he opened his eyes. They were blank and hard; the eyes of someone who cared for nothing and no one.

Slowly, he began to walk back the way he had come. It was time to get out before he truly lost it. So focused on recalling the way back to the kitchens, he didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the wall to follow him. The shadow figure quirked his lips up into a smile, flashing a set of brilliant white fangs. He kept out of the light, pressing himself against the wall until all that could be seen was the shine of teeth and the pair of light blue eyes that gleamed in the semi-darkness.

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And so ends chapter 6. I know it was kind of disjointed--it was total hell to write--but it was necessary. The plot speeds up a lot after this point, and a few other characters will come back into play. Try and guess who...I gave a bit of a hint in this chapter.

Please review and tell me what you thought!