"Koray.... what's wrong?" Reuel asked as his friend's eyes became wide, and he stood as though he was paralyzed.

"Something's not right...." Koray muttered. Suddenly, he swung around and ran out of the room, ignoring his comrades who were calling after him.

"Goddammit! Reuel, follow him!" Katana quickly commanded.

"Yes, My Lady." Reuel said as he, too, ran out of the room.

**********

"Where are we....?" Hiei asked out loud to no one in particular, while looking around. Him and Kurama were surrounded by a huge black space. All they could see was each other.

"I have no idea," Kurama responded. "Someone must have created this space, and I'm willing to bet it was the owner of the voice we heard."

"If that's the case, then he must be very powerful...." Hiei stated grimly.

"Heh heh. Well, I guess you two aren't complete fools." Came the same cold voice they had heard earlier.

Suddenly, a small being appeared out of the darkness. He was fairly short - about as tall as Hiei - and wore an oversized cloak that covered every part of his body, except for his head. His hair extended to his shoulders, and was a dark gray. Through his long bangs one could see his cold red eyes, which almost glowed.

"Who the hell are you?!" Hiei demanded.

"My name is Athanasios. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Hiei."

"Wait.... that name...." Hiei muttered, trying to remember where he'd heard it.

"Yes, that man was quite a fool. He dared to speak my name in the pressence of a General, and revealed confidential information. Had he not been killed during the raid, I would have tortured him to death myself."

Then Hiei remembered. It was the crazy man from the checkpoint, who had provided him with information on Koray.

"So what do you want with us?" Kurama asked.

"Heh heh heh. Usually I don't tell my prey this kind of stuff, but for you two I will provide a hint; Koray did me a great inconvenience earlier today, and now I'm going to the favor." Athanasios said with great amusement.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Hiei yelled.

"You're going to use us to get to Koray...." Kurama said with displeasure.

"That's right."

"I see.... Then answer this: What exactly is your grudge against Koray?" Kurama asked firmly.

"Ah ha ha! It seems you don't know exactly who I am." Athanasios laughed. "In order to give you a clearer understanding of my relationship with Koray, I will tell you this: I am the leader, and founder of the Black Knights Organization."

Hiei and Kurama stared speechless. Of course, they weren't too surprised that the leader of the Black Knights decided to approach them, considering all that's happened. But Athanasios didn't look like the kind of person who would lead a well-know criminal organization.... But there was something about him that struck fear in the two demons.

"Well, in any case...." Athanasios began. "Hiei, you should know that I've been looking forward to meeting you. After all, when I first met your father he was completely obsessed with finding you and your mother. I imagine he would be devastated if he were to loose you too me."

"What are you talking about?" Hiei asked with curiosity.

"Many great opportunities await you, Hiei. That is, if you are able to become strong." Athanasios explained. "I have high expectations for you, and considering the improvement you've already made I trust you'll fulfill my hopes."

"Bastard! You can't just toy with me like that!" Hiei screamed.

"Ah, but I can. And I will." Athanasios said with a smile.

Then the leader of the Black Knights lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, he disappeared. Then suddenly, Hiei and Kurama felt as though they were falling. They saw a light up ahead and kept falling towards it, until suddenly it consumed them, and their faces crashed into the ground. After laying there for a moment to collect themselves, Hiei and Kurama stood up . They had fallen into a forest. Athanasios was nowhere to be found. All around them were were bushes and trees that were much larger than anything they had seen, even in Demon World. Grass and dirt covered the ground upon which they had fallen, and overall this place seemed to give off an eerie feeling.

"The air here is nice." Hiei said more to himself than to his companion.

"Speak for yourself.... To me it's almost suffocating." Kurama said, breathing harder than usual.

"Well, that aside, where are we now?" Hiei asked, but got no response.

Just then, a group of soldiers wearing unfamiliar armor approached them. All of them had light brown hair with a hint of red, and their eyes were the color of blood.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on our territory?!" One of them said, while the others seemed to be eying Hiei and Kurama with disgust.

"Well.... I'm Kurama, and this is Hiei. You see, we're lost.... would you please tell us where we are?"

"You're lost? What a load of crap! No one ever comes to the Island of Fire without an especially good reason. Now secure them! Lord Kyo can decide what to do with these trespassers."

Four soldiers came forward, and each took hold of one of Hiei or Kurama's arms firmly. The other guards drew their weapons and stayed on guard in case their captives tried to escape. However, one man seemed to be eying Hiei with great curiosity and familiarity. He spoke to his comrades:

"That black-haired boy.... He seems familiar...."

"Yeah, how so?"

"Think back to when we were in school.... And when we were training to be soldiers.... There used to be a runt boy with black hair...."

"You mean that guy who was jailed and killed for treason?"

"Yes, that's the one! Doesn't this boy look exactly like him?"

"Now that I think about it.... You're right! Heh heh. Lord Kyo will definitely be interested in this."

"W-what are you guys talking about....?" Hiei asked, getting a bad feeling about where this was going.

"You'll find out soon enough, boy."

Suddenly, a giant plant burst from the ground and consumed the two guards that were holding Kurama. Everyone gasped in surprise. The soldiers holding Hiei tightened their grip on him, and quickly moved away from Kurama's creation.

"Damn you, brat!" One of the soldiers said as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, the plant caught fire and began to burn. Kurama jumped back to avoid getting burned himself. He noticed more soldiers coming towards him with their weapons drawn, and decided to make a run for it.

"Forgive me, Hiei. I promise I'll send help as soon as I can!" Kurana yelled as he disappeared into the forest.

"Don't bother chasing him. The black-haired kid is all we want."

So the other soldiers rejoined the group and they all began to walk. Hiei ha no idea where he was being taken. He had no idea what they planned to do to him. Kurama said he would bring help.... Help from where? He didn't even know how to get back to the Island of Wind. Hiei's thoughts were interrupted when they reached a large stone wall with a massive gate, that was being patrolled by many soldiers.

Hiei got a really bad feeling.... He did not like where this was going.