The next chapter is up and ready to go! I am slowing it down a bit because I'm trying to pull reviews out of ya! I love them and need them to fuel me! I love them!
Previous Chapter: "Well whatever it is, we're going to find out. We're going to the Makai and we're leaving tomorrow," he said firmly.
Hatorra's eyes widened.
"What?" she asked shocked.
Yusuke nodded.
"Yeah I'll go and pack some things tonight and we're all leaving tomorrow morning. We'll see what's going on with your recovery process and maybe look into Kat's healing problem. Also, Yukina can get looked over there as well. We'll be surrounded by two armies. We're making our move and we're making it now," he said and she stared at him.
"I want everyone to be safe again. Unfortunately, that may only be in the Makai. Please don't fight me on it," he said and Hatorra nodded.
"Hiei—" she started, but Yusuke already had that covered.
"—I'm already sending him a link. He knows and said he'll return sometime in the night," he said and Hatorra looked down.
"What is it?" Yusuke asked.
"It's good that he's replying to you. He's shut me out completely," she said and Yusuke scratched his head.
"He's just…" Yusuke tried, but failed in looking for the word.
Hatorra smiled slightly at him.
"Thank you for listening Yusuke. I'm going to pack some of Kas's things," she said and headed upstairs.
Yusuke watched her go and sighed.
I hope she's okay…
Hatorra walked into Kas's room and sat on the bed with her daughter. Kas wiped at her tired eyes.
"Took you long enough," she mumbled and Hatorra smiled at her kindly.
"Sorry, I was speaking with Yusuke. We are leaving to the Makai tomorrow. I have to pack some things for us," she said bluntly, beginning to pack.
Kasei took it in and nodded.
"We'll be safe there right?" she asked and Hatorra nodded.
"Safer than here," she said truthfully.
"Mommy, are you okay? You don't look very well," Kas said frowning.
Hatorra nodded some.
"I'm f-fine Kas," she said uneasily.
Kasei stared at her mother.
"Mommy, I—" but she stopped as Hatorra's knees buckled and hit the rugged floor.
"Mommy!" Kasei yelled nervously, but Hatorra silenced her.
"I'm fine, I just lost my balance," she lied and looked at her daughter.
Hatorra grinned.
"I'm fine," she repeated, but Kasei looked unconvinced.
Hatorra nodded to the bed.
"Get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow," she said firmly.
Kas lay down and pulled the covers to her neck. She watched her mom carefully for a moment before falling to sleep. Hatorra looked at her daughter's sleeping form and sat on the floor leaning against the bed when she was sure she was asleep. She held her chest in slight discomfort before taking in a shaky breath and continuing to pack.
When she was finished, she walked outside and leaned against the wall. She covered her face with her hands and tried to get a hold of her emotions. She was shaking terribly and had a horrible cold chill running throughout her body. She let her hand fall to her stomach and took in a shaky breath.
What's happening to me?
She had a thought then. She walked downstairs and focused her ki. She opened her hand and concentrated.
Nothing.
Her eyes widened.
I can't even form a simple attack. How is this possible? I had the ki before, I felt it! Where the hell is my ki?
She growled viciously. She looked in the mirror and focused. She stared long and hard. Her eyes remained green.
How could it be there one second and then just like that be gone the next?
The next thing she knew her hand slammed into the mirror breaking it.
"Hatorra!" Yusuke yelled worried.
Hatorra turned slightly to see Yusuke and Hiei standing by the door. Hiei also wore a look of concern on his face. What had he just walked into? Hatorra sighed quietly and headed into the kitchen. The two men followed.
"What the hell was that about?" Yusuke asked watching her place her bloody hand under cold water.
Hatorra shook her head.
"It was nothing. I saw a spider," she lied.
Yusuke was about to speak when Hatorra put the now bloody rag down and headed for the door.
"Since you're here now you can watch Kasei. I am going out," she said quickly.
Hiei was by her in a second and grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away and growled angrily at him. Yusuke's eyes widened and he slowly backed out of the kitchen to leave the two to themselves.
"What's wrong with you? Where are you going?" he asked frowning.
Hatorra stared at him.
"Out for a run," she answered vaguely.
Hiei shook his head.
"Not now, not when they're still out there," he said sternly.
"You went out and didn't tell anyone where you were going. You even had the nerve to block me when I tried to find out!" she seethed.
She didn't know why she was so angry, but she felt enraged. Hiei's eyes lowered.
"I had to clear my head onna. I didn't want you seeing what was going through it," he admitted.
"That's fine. Now I need to clear mine and I don't want you to see what's going through it as well," she shot back.
Hiei stared at her. She was so hostile with him. She would always get mad at him when he did things like this, but never like this. She looked like she was about to attack him.
"Hatorra…are you alright?" he asked quietly.
Hatorra went to respond, but stopped. Her anger faded suddenly. She leaned against the wall. Hiei moved up to her cautiously.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
Hatorra shook her head.
"It's nothing. I'm just tired. I feel like this is the longest night ever," she said softly.
Hiei carefully caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry that I took off and blocked you out. I just wanted to sort through my thoughts before I put it on you," he said and she nodded slowly.
"It's fine," she said leaning into his touch.
"Let's just go to bed, okay?" she asked and headed out of the kitchen.
Hiei followed her up the stairs. He watched her carefully. She seemed a little off. She reached the top of the stairs and stumbled. Her knees didn't hit the floor as Hiei held her up. He steadied her.
"Hatorra, what's going on?" he asked worriedly.
She shook her head, but he spoke first.
"Don't tell me everything's fine or that nothing is wrong. It's obvious that something is off. Tell me," he said firmly.
Hatorra stood silent.
"Why are you keeping this from me?" he asked upset.
She stared at him, thinking about what to say. She felt him open up a link and quickly shut it out. Hiei raised an eyebrow.
"You're blocking me out," he stated.
Hatorra went to move past him, but he blocked her way. She stopped and leaned against the wall.
What is happening to me? Why can't I tell him? I'm worrying him.
"I-I just need to collect myself…I'm just really tired," she tried weakly.
Hiei watched her and didn't move. Hatorra leaned against the wall and slumped. Hiei grabbed her again, keeping her up. She closed her eyes tightly.
"What's happening to you?" he asked her and she shook her head.
"I-I'm so tired," she mumbled and he scooped her up and brought her into their room.
He laid her down carefully and sat next to her. Hatorra shook slightly. He felt her head, but sensed no fever. He brushed some hair out of her face and she smiled at him weakly.
"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" he whispered distressed.
Hatorra felt sleep trying to consume her. She took in a deep breath.
"B-Because I don't k-know what's wrong with m-me," she said weakly and finally fell asleep.
Hiei stared at his mate wide eyed, running through his head the words she spoke.
The Next Day…
The group was packed and ready to go. Yukina rested comfortably on Kuwabara's back and Keiko stood close to Yusuke. The kids stood by their parents.
"When we get to the Makai, stay close and keep control of your youki until we reach my territory," Yusuke said firmly.
Everyone nodded.
"Be careful you idiots," Genkai said by her door waving them off.
The group reached the portal with no interference. They weren't sure whether to be happy or cautious about that.
In the Makai…
The group continued their trek through the Demon World without any problems. Hatorra trailed behind some after a while and Kasei was the first to notice. She stopped and waited for her mom to catch up.
"What's wrong mommy?" she asked softly.
Hatorra smiled at her daughter's concern and felt a slight discomfort in her chest again. She patted her head gently.
"I think I may have a cold. I'm fine though," she said quietly.
"A cold? I've had a cold before. This must be a pretty bad one," she said and Hatorra nodded somewhat.
Kasei reached out and touched her mother's hand and gasped.
"Mommy, your hand is so cold," she said shocked.
Hatorra shrugged.
"I told you I'm just not feeling too well. It'll pass," she tried to comfort her daughter.
Kasei frowned slightly and held onto her mother's hand tightly.
"I'll warm it up for you," she said smiling suddenly.
Hatorra chuckled lightly. Hiei looked back from the group to see his mate and child trailing behind. He stopped and waited for them to catch up.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Mommy has a bad cold," Kasei answered for her.
Hiei eyed his mate carefully. She was extremely pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Hatorra smiled lightly trying to ignore another pang in her chest.
"I'm fine," she tried.
"So you keep saying," he shot back unconvinced.
Hatorra sighed lowly as the group continued on.
"We're almost there. A few more miles," Yusuke said firmly.
Keiko held his hand tightly as they walked in the front. Yukina had slept for most of the journey on Kuwabara's back, while Yuki stood close to his father. Kat dropped back to Hatorra as Hiei caught up with Kurama and Daisuke to speak with them.
"You look like total shit, Torra," Kat said smirking.
Kasei glared at her aunt and Kat chuckled. Hatorra rolled her eyes.
"She has a cold aunt Kat! Be nice to her!" Kasei chided.
Kat raised her hands in a playful defense.
"So sorry Kasei! I didn't mean it!" she laughed.
Hatorra grinned down at her daughter, who smiled back at her happily. She actually felt a little better. The group continued the trek to the palace. Before long, the night had started to fall upon the Makai.
"It's getting dark. We should make camp. We still have somewhat of a walk and the Makai at night is more…active," Yusuke tried to put it kindly.
"We've been hiding our spiritual pressure for some time now. If we sleep, it could spike unintentionally and cause attention. We could be ambushed. We should keep moving," Kurama said quietly.
Keiko squeezed Yusuke's hand tightly and he looked at her. She looked so nervous and it killed him. He wished she'd make a snide remark or hit him, like she always did. But she was so quiet. He hated it.
"I'll carry you the rest of the way. You won't be able to see in the pitch black," he said and she nodded quickly.
He hoisted her up on his back and huffed.
"Jeeze Keiko, what have you been eating?" he joked and looked back at her.
She hugged his neck and Yusuke sighed in defeat. Then the grip around his neck tightened as Keiko moved up to his ear.
"When we get to the palace, I'm going to smack you so hard," she whispered and Yusuke grinned.
Success! She's back to normal.
They started walking again and soon the palace was in sight.
"Well, it's still far off, but at least we could see it now," Yusuke tried a bright side.
They were about to continue when Hatorra stopped suddenly. Her hand moved quickly to her stomach and her breath caught in her throat. No one had noticed yet that she had stopped following. She stood silent for a moment and then took in a deep, shaky breath. Her eyes widened as she felt her ki slightly rise and her eyes slowly changed to gold.
What the hell is happening?
The group turned quickly feeling her ki rise.
"Onna, lower your ki. Are you trying to get us killed?" Hiei asked sarcastically.
"Why are your eyes gold?" Kat asked quickly.
"Hatorra, what's going on? Is everything alright?" Kurama asked.
"Mommy, what happened?"
Hatorra closed her eyes and tried to focus.
Lower your ki damn it!
Hiei took a step forward, curious as to what the hell was going on, when Hatorra let out a gasp and dropped to her knees in pain. He was by her side in the next second kneeling down concerned.
"Mommy!" Kasei yelled, stepping forward, but Kat grabbed her and held her back.
Hiei took his wife's cheeks in his hands and lifted her head so that she would look at him. His eyes searched hers. Hatorra shook her head.
"I-I don't know what's happening…" she whispered, suddenly afraid.
"Daddy, help her!" Kas yelled worried.
Hiei took Hatorra's hand gently and placed it on his chest. She looked at him and he took in a deep breath.
"Just relax. It's alright. Feel my heart beat. Match yours with it," he linked soothingly.
Hatorra closed her eyes and focused on his heart beat. She counted the slow but strong, even beats of his heart. Soon her ki lowered and her heart beat matched his. She opened her eyes.
"W-What's happening to me?" she whispered and Hiei's eyes softened.
He touched her cheek tenderly.
"Let's get to the palace," he said and helped her to her feet.
Kasei went to run to her, but Hiei scooped her up and let her hang on his back.
"We need to get there now Yusuke," he said and Yusuke nodded as the group took off into a run.
No questions were asked, because no one had any answers.
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