Disclaimer – "Yu Yu Hakusho" and all known related characters do not belong to me. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"What Goes Around . . . "
by DragonDancer5150

Chapter 3 – After Hours

Koenma sat alone in his office, staring at the paperwork ever-present on his desk. Everyone else had left hours earlier. Even Jorju had turned in for the night. Botan had not been seen for several hours, having disappeared soon after hearing the news. Koenma hoped she was all right. She had been deeply upset. As late as it was, Koenma had not even considered bed, knowing that he would not be able to sleep. Besides, this paperwork was still waiting to be completed so it could be filed. It should have been filed yesterday. Koenma glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was after mid-night. OK, he thought wryly, make that the day before yesterday. Suddenly, he threw down his stamp and shoved the papers away with a grunt of frustration. This worrying was getting him nowhere - and the roof of his mouth was sore from sucking on the pacifier. Lot of good it's doing to pacify me!

He did not hear the door open, did not notice the shadow that slipped across the room until it stood right in front of his desk. "Where is Kurama?" a voice asked, at once soft and intense.

"HIEI!" Koenma jumped so hard the pacifier popped out of his mouth and bounced across the desk. He clutched at his chest as though suffering a heart attack. "What the - ? Where in the Nine Hells of the Abyss have you been?" Recovering himself, he shook his head. "Never mind that. What do you want?"

"Where is Kurama?" Hiei reiterated quietly, the undertone of wrath barely held in check.

Koenma glowered at him, the worries and frustrations of the day breaking to the fore. "Why? What do you care? You've abandoned him once already."

Hiei's fists balled up. "I did not abandon him - "

"Yeah. I wish I could believe that," Koenma shot back.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Hiei growled.

"Guilty conscience?" Had Koenma been any less angry, he would have had enough presence of mind to regret the jab. As it was, he sat back in alarm as a hand shot out at him. Hiei caught the front of his jacket and hauled him across the desk, the other arm cocked back, ready to strike. Then the youkai hesitated, as though only just realizing what he was doing. Koenma frowned at him. "Go on, Hiei. Hit me. Prove me wrong about you, after all. Prove Kurama wrong. Prove everyone else right. It's your choice."

After a moment, Hiei relented, pushing Koenma away as he let go. Koenma stood, retrieved his pacifier, straightened his jacket, and met the fire apparition's gaze. In a quiet voice, Hiei asserted, "Whatever happened, it was not me."

Koenma sighed. "I want to believe you, Hiei. I really do . . . but whether I believe you or not is really of no consequence at this point. Kurama is beyond my power to help."

Hiei reacted in alarm. "What do you mean? They didn't . . . "

Koenma nodded. "They did. Batsukuno sent him to the Pit. He's to serve out the remainder of his sentence there. Your parole has been revoked, Hiei. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Batsukuno's men are looking for you."

Hiei did not seem to hear the latter half of Koenma's comments. Koenma could see the thought in ruby eyes: Kurama . . . in the Pit. Hiei shook his head with a growl. "Then I'll just have to break him out."

"I did not just hear you say that."

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Hiei looked up at Koenma with a start. The comment had been soft but with a stern authority in his voice that Hiei had never heard before. Koenma was staring at him intensely, stubby arms crossed. "In fact, this conversation never happened . . . nor did I give you these." Koenma turned and dropped back into his chair, pulling open a drawer in the desk. He produced a rose and a small, corked jar. "I was wondering how I could get these to him. In here is a regenerative healing salve from Mother Medusa, an oni witch from the Sulfur Mountains in the Demon Realm. I'm sure you've heard of her - everyone does sooner or later." Hiei nodded mutely, accepting the items. "It will heal even the most serious of surface injuries within an hour, at least on full youkai. Internal injuries such as broken bones, of course, it can't help. We'll just have to pray there aren't any to worry about. And - " Koenma held up a thick, heavy key, " - if it is discovered that my copy of the key to the secret corridor into the prison is missing, you stole it. Understand? Considering your background, you probably already know the corridor I'm talking about."

"I've heard of it," Hiei conceded quietly, staring at the items in his hands. He looked up at Koenma. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can't do anything else - about you or Kurama . . . but you can. He still trusts you to straighten this mess out." Koenma leaned forward earnestly. "Free Kurama and clear your name. I'm counting on you, Hiei. Kurama's counting on you."

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There was no sound, no movement, to disturb her sleep. Still, Genkai found herself awakened. Something was near, inside the walls of her mountain retreat. She reached out with her senses. It was not a threat but there was strong emotion - a need, a cry for help. She rolled over on her futon, looking at the moon through the open window. The hour was late, past midnight at least. With a groan, she pulled herself up, slipping a robe about her shoulders. She prowled out of her private chamber into the temple's common room, silent as a cat. Pausing at the front door, she searched the grounds both visually and psionically. Under the moonlight, the structures of the compound cast long shadows across the ground. Along the wall, just inside the gate, there was a bump in the darkness and Genkai could hear soft sobbing. Her senses told her that a ferry girl was within her domain. A figure sat huddled against the wall, her head down on her knees, arms hugged around her slender legs. Genkai knew who it was even before she was halfway across the courtyard.

"A little far from home, aren't you, Botan?"

Botan looked up with a start. "Oh! M-master Genkai!" She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry if I woke you - "

The old woman gave her a kind smile. "Isn't that why you came here?"

"Well, I . . . yes. I-I didn't know where else to go! There's no one in the Spirit Realm I can talk to or even trust - except Lord Koenma but there's nothing he can do. I can't go to Yusuke and get him involved - "

"Whoa there, girl. Slow down," Genkai put in, interrupting her near-hysterical ramble. "What's happened? Has my dimwit apprentice gotten himself in some kind of trouble?"

"Oh, n-no, it's nothing like that. Or, well, it doesn't involve Yusuke anyway, at least not yet - but it might. He's bound to find out!"

Genkai sighed. Botan was just too upset to answer questions with any kind of sense. She pulled the girl to her feet. "Let's get you inside out of the cold. I'll heat us up some water for tea. Are you hungry?"

Once a fire was lit in the hearth and both were settled with cups of hot tea, Genkai listened patiently as Botan spilled her tale. " . . . Koenma tried to stop him but Lord Batsukuno refused to even consider the matter! I-I know that everything looks like Hiei did it but there has to be another explanation. I was there! I know Hiei wouldn't have . . . wouldn't have . . . " She shook her head, not even able to bring herself to utter the words. "He was angry, yes - furious, in fact - but he stopped. He did stop! He promised Yukina that he wouldn't kill Tarukane. Kurama heard him! Once Yukina was safe, there was no reason to go back. He wouldn't have. I just know it! B-but now, Hiei's missing a-and Kurama's - " Her voice failed her and she wept again into her tea. "It's just horrible!"

Genkai sat in silence for a moment, thinking. "Hiei . . . and Kurama. Those names sound familiar. You said that this Kurama is a hybrid of some sort, half human?" Botan nodded mutely. "How old is he? How old is his human body?"

"Um, well, he's a year ahead of Yusuke in school - and Yusuke is fifteen - so he must be about sixteen."

Genkai nodded, smirking to herself. "So the crafty old youko managed to escape after all, did he?" At Botan's questioning look, Genkai chuckled. "I don't believe in coincidence. I heard some years ago about one of the Spirit World Special Defense members, an arrogant bastard by the name of Shunjun, who had the distinction of having caught the notorious youkai thief, Youko Kurama. Kurama was believed to have slipped away only to die of his injuries . . . except that his soul never made it to the Spirit Realm. I always wondered what happened to him.

"And Hiei. I've heard of a youkai named Hiei - a mercenary fire apparition, a lone-wolf assassin and a bounty hunter of sorts . . . and a Jaganshi, if I'm not mistaken."

Botan nodded. "A Jagan master, yes. That's him. But he's not the same, not like what you're thinking." She explained the theft of the Artifacts of Darkness - the reason she and Yusuke knew them both to begin with - their trial and later transfer to Lord Koenma as Spirit Realm detectives, and how Hiei seemed to be coming around about a few things - or so Koenma had told her once.

Genkai set down her tea and crossed her arms, head bowed in thought. "So . . . now Kurama is in a place called 'the Pit,' hm?" A murmur escaped Botan at the comment. "What is that, exactly?"

Botan shuddered but forced herself to answer the question. "It's a series of rooms in the center of the prison. They're . . . t-torture chambers." Just saying the words was hard for the poor girl. She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat before continuing. "No one has ever left the Pit. No one has survived long enough to make it through their sentence." She gasped suddenly. "Wait! That's not true. Hiei escaped. Kurama saved him."

Genkai nodded. "Well, then, if for no other reason, I imagine he'll be honor-bound to return the favor."

Botan shook her head. "Oh, no, it's more than that! Hiei and Kurama are detective partners and close friends. Most people think Hiei just abandoned him but I don't believe it! Whatever the reason Hiei left, he'll be back and he'll rescue Kurama . . . or, at least, try."

"Hm. In that case, Hiei will need some supplies to help care for his partner."

Botan startled at that. "What do you mean?"

"Assuming he survives the experience - "

Botan's cry of dismay interrupted her. "No! Don't say that. Master Genkai, Kurama - "

Genkai gave her a disapproving glare. "Face the facts, girl! There's a chance your friend won't make it, no matter how desperately you want to believe otherwise. You have to be prepared for that possibility." Genkai could see that Botan wanted to argue the point but, to her credit, only nodded mutely. "Now, as I was saying - assuming your friend survives his ordeal, he will be badly injured and in need of medical attention. No doubt, Hiei will have the knowledge to know what to do but, if he's being hunted, he may not be able to get the supplies he'll need. Here - follow me."

Author's Notes: Please be sure to check my bio page for any updates, etc. Thanks!