Author's Note: Sorry I'm a bit later than usual with the update! I had GISHWHES last week and had no time whatsoever to update! Enjoy! Review! Blah! Oh, and what's with the lack of reviews, ne?! What happened to all my regulars from Praying for Closure?!

Skyla15699: =3 I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. It's terribly hard to make a war story, at least to me. T_T I'm used to fighting and all, but not on this scale! Yeah, Mukuro has kinda taken the role of the evil madman villain in this one, ne? I usually like her- the anime, for example- but needed a villain and she fit the part. Keep on readin' and reviewin', sweetheart! You're the only one doing so regularly. T_T

To All My Readers: Do you think Kotone will succeed in whatever she has planned or is she simply out of her mind? o.o

Song for Chapter:
Done For You - Black Veil Brides, Wretched & Divine

Chapter Three: Unforgiveable

Relentlessly, Kotone paced the set-up of rooms she shared with Hiei, her mate sitting not far off in the window and watching her as she moved. He knew she was troubled and the fire demon would be lying if he said he was not. Their children and his niece and nephew had been sent off to a secret location neither knew about. He was brimming with rage, but he hoped Mukuro's intentions were pure.

Something told him they were not.

Since the children had been sent off last night, his mate had not stopped moving. Her feet did not echo against the floor, despite how she stomped heatedly. On occasion she would stop, staring out of the window and avoiding Hiei's gaze altogether. He knew her better than most after their long years together, and her current actions were completely out of character for the woman.

She had not spoken to him, not a single word, though he stayed by her side. Mukuro had tried to call for him once, but he quickly informed her that he would not be leaving until Kotone had finally calmed down. To say the female king has been flustered would have been an understatement. She was furious for him choosing Kotone's company over hers, but what she did not realize is he actually cared for his mate.

When they had first mated and Kotone had been presented to the King of Alaric, Mukuro had seemingly been overjoyed. At the time, she believed he had mated the demoness because of her peculiar power and beauty, hips wide enough to birth as many children as they wanted. She had not realized it was because he loved Kotone.

Love; it was still a hard word for the fire demon to stomach. He rarely said it, and even now he fought his tongue to keep it from slithering past his lips, if only to calm the woman down. She knew he loved her and their offspring, despite the lack of it being said. The way he acted around Avaron, Yuji, and Kotone was enough for them. He had never been the affectionate type, something Kotone loved him for. She was not one to cling to her lover and she almost blatantly refused any open shows of affection.

Still, he watched her silently. Over the century she had not aged a day, but he noticed how her hips had grown wider and her bust had become fuller from childbirth. Her hair was still the same length, yet only because she cut it monthly, and her eyes seemed deeper with the knowledge and training she had undergone, some of which had been thanks to Mukuro. Regardless of these minor differences, she was nevertheless the fierce kaze dai youkai he had met all those years ago.

Kotone stopped once more and this time, her eyes glanced to Hiei. A sense of panic lie dormant in those pale orbs and he immediately stood from his seat. Her acute hearing had picked up something he had not.

"Hiei."

Before he could take the long strides to wrap his mate in his arms, the door burst open and Yukina came running in. She bypassed Hiei and threw her thin arms around Kotone, clinging to her and sobbing uncontrollably. Kuwabara followed soon after, the tears on his cheeks symbol that something horrible had happened.

"Yukina, what is going on?" Kotone whispered, holding the smaller girl tightly. Where Yukina had stayed the same height, both Hiei and Kotone had grown by a few inches. The fire demon was still taller than his mate, though.

"T-Tadao and K-Koume!"

Kotone cast a worried glance up to Hiei and he felt the anger from before unraveling into a maelstrom of fury. If something had happened to them, Yuji and Avaron had been involved. He was furious.

"Kuwabara," he called, his hard gaze set on the lumbering oaf, "explain."

"We just found out their group was attacked. Fourteen bodies were found, burned to a crisp and unrecognizable." Kuwabara wavered on his feet, swaying but refusing to fall to give his wife what little strength he could.

"My children!" Kotone screamed, releasing Yukina and breathing heavily. A wild, untamed look was in her eyes. Any other circumstance, Hiei might have escorted Kuwabara and his sister from the room to take advantage of such ferocity in his mate, but this was hardly the time. No, he felt just as she looked- frantic. "MUKURO!"

Kotone tore from the room and down the hall, Hiei close on her heels. He caught up to her just as she stormed into the tank room, restraining the thrashing demoness against himself from the female king.

Mukuro stood from her throne, a fake visage of sorrow raveled around her. "I'm sorry Kotone, Hiei. I thought I had sent the best with them."

"I DEMAND YOU EXPLAIN! NOW!" Kotone's voice echoed across the loud hall and it was certain any with ears could hear it within Tourin.

The female king frowned, eyes narrowed on the wind demoness. She did not like being ordered around, and certainly not by her third-in-command. Regardless, she owed the two an explanation.

"The human was not given all the details," she informed the raging woman. "More than fourteen bodies were found, some of which had traces of the uniform for Yomi's army embedded in their charred flesh. I have already prepped the troops for retaliation."

Kotone continued to try and maneuver her way out of Hiei's arm, snarling and howling as one did when their heart had broken. Hiei had little strength to restrain her, but did so if only to keep from losing one of the last people that made up his broken family. If she attacked Mukuro, she would surely die.

"You foul beast!" Kotone hollered, stopping long enough to set her deadliest gaze upon the female king. "You had this planned! I knew you would stop at nothing to get rid of me and the children! I know of your darkest intentions, Mukuro, and I hate you now more than ever!"

Mukuro's face turned up into a wicked smile, one that would usually have her opponent cringing away from the wrath that would surely follow. Kotone and Hiei were not her usual group of spectators, though.

"I order you banished from my fortress. I cannot trust you now that you've snapped. Hiei, get her out of here," the female king calmly said, waving her hand around and turning her back on the two. "And should you come back, Kotone, I will slaughter you without hesitation."

"When I return, it will be your head on a pike, mounted for the three worlds to see!" Kotone pushed away from her mate and made towards the door, storming as quickly as she could out of the structure.

Hiei glanced up at Mukuro to find her eyes on him. "I expect you to stay, Hiei, but see your mate off. I would hate for her to be injured in her fit of rage."

The fire demon ground his teeth together before taking off after Kotone. He did not get very far before Daiki, Hajime, their mates, Kuwabara and his sister confronted him. The koorime was still sobbing uncontrollably, held tenderly by her husband, while the others were obviously enraged.

"Where is Kotone?" Daiki demanded.

"She has been banished. I'm searching for her now, fool," Hiei hissed in return, trying to run past them. Hajime blocked his way.

"We know where she will be. We will meet you in the clearing as the sun begins to drop." The brute pushed all out of the way, hurrying them along down the corridor.

Hiei ignored the strange behavior and instead took flight outside. He followed Hajime's advice and went straight to the clearing not far from here that Kotone frequented. Before he broke the tree line, he heard voices, and familiar ones at that. Kotone was not alone and she sounded far less upset than before.

"Yusuke, calm yourself."

"How can I when all your kids are dead? How dare you not be upset! I mean, your children are dead!" Hiei felt pain begin in his thundering heart, but before he could enter the scene and slaughter the King of Tourin, Kotone reacted.

The winds picked up, spinning a wide circle where even Hiei was enclosed in it. Within, all was still, like the eye of a fierce storm, and he knew she had made sure no other could listen in on their conversation.

"Do you think I'm a fool, Urameshi?" Kotone had the audacity to laugh. Hiei could not hold back any longer and burst through and into the clearing.

His mouth opened, fire licking at his knuckles, and he felt himself ready to snap on her. She was laughing. How dare she when their children had just been slaughtered like worthless monsters!

"Hiei, calm down as well. All four of the kids are fine," Kotone whispered, never moving her gaze from Yusuke. "I made sure of that before they left last night. It was no accident I assure you."

"Explain, woman," Hiei huffed, crossing his arms. The tension in him began to wane, hoping for news that would lighten the burden altogether. Only once had he been so upset over someone's death, and that was ninety-eight years ago when his mate was encased in a coffin of ice.

Kotone gave him a small smile, secretive and calculating. "I will not go too far into detail, but I knew Mukuro planned on killing them. I made sure she could not have the privilege."

"She wants Hiei," Yusuke realized. "Trying to pick all of you off, eh? They're alive, right? That's all I care about."

"Yes, I promise all four are alive and probably angry with me. Now, I've been banished Yusuke. Have you heard?"

Yusuke narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth together. "She can't banish someone from my territory! Who the hell does that old bitch think she is? I'm going to tear her a new one-"

"I know she cannot," Kotone mumbled, sighing in agitation. "I'm going off and away from here, Yus. I have plans and agendas that might help us turn all of this around. For now, the children need someone to protect them. I'll go out of my way to assure their safety, and as such I need to find them."

"But you aren't going alone."

Yusuke and Hiei looked up, the first showing his surprise where the other hid it. The group that had stopped the fire demon in the hall of the moving fortress stood there, but it was not their presence that was astounding. No, instead it was how the women were raveled in cloaks with bags on their backs.

"Daiki and Hajime informed us of what you did, Ko," Kuwabara beamed. "Thank you. I really can't tell you how much this means to me."

"I'll be taking the women with me," Kotone explained for everyone that did not understand. "Mukuro is going to stop at nothing to assure that she wins this war. That means getting rid of problematic nuisances such as our friends."

"I'm sticking around," Kuwabara jumped in, "but Daiki and Hajime are going somewhere else."

"More plans," Hajime simply stated. "We won't tell anyone what is going on until necessary, just in case Mukuro catches wind. Yusuke, we're on your side."

"Thanks," added the King of Tourin. "I guess we can't stop you guys, huh?"

"No." The answer was quick and from more than one party.

"Say your goodbyes." Kotone moved up and shook Yusuke's hand. "In case we don't make it through this war, know I do care for you as a close friend, Yusuke Urameshi."

"You too, Ko. Will you check on Keiko, Izume, and Shoichi too? I know they're going crazy."

"Of course." She moved over to Kuwabara, giving him the same goodbye. It was Hajime and Daiki that enveloped her in thick hugs. "I'll be safe guys, don't worry."

"Oh, we know. Remember we love you and help take care of our girls, would you?" Hajime ruffled her hair and Daiki snorted.

"Akiye can kick enough ass without Kotone. Trust me, I know!" The laughter flowed freely, lightening hearts and causing some to forget, if only for a moment, that they were on the eve of battle. "Love you, Ko."

"Love you guys too," she beamed. Hiei was her last to see and without waiting for a warning, she clung to him. Never would she do this in public if she was not afraid that this might very well be the last time she saw the man she loved. "Hiei, please be careful. I love you more than anything but I have to do this. Play to Mukuro if you have to. Hell, tell her I want nothing to do with you or something. Just stay alive, alright?"

Hiei snorted, but his face buried itself in her hair without much thought. "You too, Kotone. If you do not return alive, woman, I will go to Reikai just to maim you."

She smiled against his shirt, nuzzling her nose into it and graphing the scent to memory. "God, I do love you."

'I love you as well,' he whispered in her mind and she sighed in content. 'Protect Yuji and Avaron.'

'With my life, spit-fire.'

She released him and stood tall, her hair blowing in the wind. Hiei gazed on, his chest swelling with pride for his mate. Here she stood, proud and determined. She never had been anything less in his eyes, but now she was something remarkable. Almost as alluring as the moment she brought two children into this world. She would be alright, but if not he would turn the three worlds upside down to avenge her. All for her...

"Goodbye for now, everyone. Akiye, Yukina, Mizue, let's go."

"Yeah," the agreed quickly.

Kotone turned and began to run through the forests, hearing the soft noise of two sets of footsteps on her heel. Yukina was being carried, probably by Mizue, and the wind demoness was thankful for this much.

She did not look back; if she did, she would have surely stopped and changed her mind altogether. No, she had to fight to survive and to do this, she would have to be away from all of them. She knew she would do a lot of things she was not proud of in the near future, but for now she was just thankful all she loved were alive.

For now.

REVIEW! BY DAMN, REVIEWWWWWWW!

To All My Readers: Do you think Kotone will succeed in whatever she has planned or is she simply out of her mind? o.o

Next in 'Revelation, Defamation':
Kotone's secret agendas are slowly brought into life as her promise is made true. The children were alive, but by what means? How had she gone around Mukuro without the female king ever realizing? It takes a lot to bring a demon down, especially one protecting her offspring. With her three feminine companions along for the ride, she will reveal just how much more she is ready to do to bring about the end to a war that could very well rock the three worlds.