Whoa, are we on Chapter 18 already? This is turning out to be my longest story (and to think, when I first started I thought it wouldn't make it past eight or so chapters)! Before we begin, I've gotta say thanks to those readers who consistently review. To those who review every single chapter and to those who have reviewed a majority of the chapters: thank you so much! It really means a lot to me because this is the only motivation I have for writing. So thanks for encouraging me and helping me to keep at it when the process gets difficult.
Although Kurama hadn't seen or heard from Hiei in the past week, he knew that the fire-demon was still around. Signs of his presence had been scattered around the house in his wake and alerted Kurama to the fact that Hiei had still been using his amenities when he saw it fit to. Kurama could only conclude that Hiei had been avoiding him, since he had undoubtedly visited during the times when Kurama was guaranteed to be at school and his mother was at work.
Kurama felt as though he had given Hiei ample time to himself and so, he left a note on his desk, requesting that Hiei make his visit at a certain time. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was a start, at least. He had expected his friend to completely ignore his summoning and was wholly surprised when the fire-demon appeared at his windowsill, looking as grumpy as ever.
"What do you want Kurama?" he asked, stepping into the room and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I simply wanted to talk."
Hiei stared back at him wordlessly and Kurama noted how guarded and tense he looked. He reminded him of the old Hiei, the one who hadn't completely trusted him yet; the one who shut everyone out and left no space or room for others to reach inside.
"I suppose there is no way to lead into this, so I will come out with it: I know that things are over between you and Botan."
"Of course," Hiei grunted. "And I assume the gossiping prince told the rest of them, too?"
"If you are referring to Yusuke and Kuwabara, then yes," Kurama revealed. "Koenma only told us what we needed to know. He was disappointed in all of us and I understand his sentiments. We should have handled the situation better."
"Is that all you came to say?"
Hiei's tone was biting and icy. There was hardness in his eyes that Kurama knew all too well. He was shielding himself, protecting his emotions the only way he knew how. They had all been so focused on Botan, and rightly so, but they had seemed to forget that there was one other person who was hurting as well.
"I'm sorry, Hiei," Kurama said. His statement was not laced with pity, but rather formed as an expression of regret to an old friend.
Hiei's eyes widened slightly – it was obvious that he was not expecting it and his reaction was somewhat delayed. Soon enough his lips drew into a frown and he cast a suspicious gaze at Kurama.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I apologized to Botan earlier and I felt that I needed to do the same with you. Perhaps Koenma was right. Perhaps I shouldn't have kept quiet this entire time. Perhaps I should have stopped you all from starting something that could only end in disaster. I knew better and yet, I allowed it to happen," he replied.
"I know this is a hard concept for you, fox, but it's one you should learn nonetheless: while meddling into the affairs of others is an impulse infused in your blood, it was not your place to interfere. You did the right thing by not involving yourself for once. Accept it and move on."
"And have you been able to do the same?" Kurama asked. "Move on, I mean."
Hiei nodded.
"I have no desire to return to the way that things once were with that woman."
"Is that why you refrained from telling her the truth?"
Hiei paused, looking away as he spoke.
"I have my reasons."
"I see," he replied with a small nod of his head. It would do no good to try to convince Hiei otherwise. His resolve was absolute and Kurama did not feel like pushing him any further. "If you need to talk or if you simply need a friend, I'll be here. You don't have to go through everything alone."
"I don't need anything, Kurama," Hiei said, rejecting the offer. "I'm fine."
Yusuke was in a crappy mood. The bet had gone too far and he accepted a majority of the blame for that one. But they way Hiei had treated Botan after he got busted - that was something that Yusuke blamed entirely on the fire-demon. From what he gathered from Koenma, Hiei said some pretty awful things to her in his anger, and that was unacceptable. Koenma did not say much, but it was more than obvious that Botan was taking this whole thing much harder than they had realized. There was no reason for Hiei's cold treatment towards the ferry-girl. If he had just told her the truth, if he had just pushed past that damn unemotional wall of his, then all of this could have been avoided. But of course things always had a way of exploding in the worst way possible and now it would take twice as much work to get things back to the way they should be.
Yusuke was a detective on a mission. He was going to find Hiei, kick his ass and get some well-deserved answers. Then he was going to apologize to Botan and make things right. Well, that was the plan before a no-named trio of wannabe thugs decided to get in his way. Yusuke eyed them darkly. They were a strange group; all dressed in opposing school uniforms and colors. Then again, people could say the same exact thing about himself, Kurama and Kuwabara as well, he realized. Nevertheless, the purple-haired guy's slouched posture and careless countenance made it easy for Yusuke to overlook him. The freckled, nerdy looking one wasn't even worth Yusuke's time. But the blond, who seemed to be the apparent ring leader, was wearing a smug grin that Yusuke was itching to wipe off of his face.
"In case you missed the news updates, this is a bad day to piss me off," Yusuke warned, eyeing each of them as they each fanned out, blocking his way entirely.
The blond one remained unperturbed. His narrow eyes hinted that he had some secret advantage over Yusuke, but the spirit detective was not worried in the slightest. These were just some bored kids looking to pick a fight and unfortunately for them, they had chosen the wrong target.
"Yusuke Urameshi," he started. "I heard you like to fight. Care to demonstrate your skills?"
"Normally I would decline, seeing as you guys aren't worth my time, but I guess I could use the light exercise," he taunted. "Don't say I didn't give you guys fair warning, though."
"I wouldn't be so cocky," the blond chastised with a berating wave of his finger. "That arrogant attitude could very well be your downfall."
"Trust me, I'm not. I've faced guys much tougher than you," he countered.
"That may be, but brute strength isn't everything."
"You're right," Yusuke agreed. "It isn't everything, but I think it'll be more than enough to take care of you three."
"By all means then, take your best shot," he invited, opening his arms out in mock invitation. The wind blew, rustling the leaves in the trees and the grass below. For an instant, Yusuke thought that he felt a foreign energy being carried in the faint breeze, but he dismissed it easily.
"Welcome to my territory," the blond said. "I won't even have to lift a finger to immobilize you."
When the enemy's lips quirked upwards, Yusuke's anger flared. He wasted no more time, running forward confidently. The guy looked as cool as a cucumber when Yusuke closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds and he didn't even bother to defend or brace himself as the spirit detective formed a fist and took aim. The blow was about a centimeter away from connecting when Yusuke's whole body froze.
The blond smirked sinisterly.
"Didn't I tell you?" his voice cut through the stifling silence. "I wouldn't even have to lift a finger."
Botan was currently sitting the break room with Kasumi and Ayame, having a warm cup of tea and some sweets that she had baked. She normally did not talk business during their breaks, but something was troubling her.
"Have either of you noticed the way the souls have been piling up lately?" Botan inquired, looking between the two women in curiously.
"The mortality rate is unpredictable," Ayame reasoned, pausing to take a sip of her black coffee. "It fluctuates occasionally and as such, we should not think too much of it."
"I suppose so, but it seems a little ominous," Botan noted, a frown tugging at her lips. "I've taken twenty souls just this month, all from Yusuke's home town."
"That is alarming," Kasumi agreed.
Botan's communication mirror sounded off, cutting through the usual sounds of the break room. Botan spared her friends an apologetic glance, before turning away and opening the device. She was surprised to see Kuwabara staring back at her with a worried expression.
"What's the matter Kuwabara?"
"Urameshi…" Kuwabara started. "He's gone."
"What do you mean he's gone?"
"Some guys were trying to pick a fight and he was already in a pretty foul mood. He told me he could handle it, so I let him go. But then, Puu led me to a field where I found this note," he said, waving it around in his hand frantically. "I think Urameshi was kidnapped."
"Yusuke was what?" she yelled loudly in disbelief. The room became silent as all the ferry-girls looked over to Botan, their expressions varying from startled to confused and concerned. Botan laughed nervously, waving a hand at them dismissively. "Uh, don't mind me, we're just rehearsing some lines for his school play. Sometimes I get way too into it."
She quickly excused herself from the room and scrambled into the hallway.
"How could this have happened? Yusuke couldn't possibly have been overpowered by a couple of humans," Botan said.
"That's what worries me," Kuwabara admitted. "He should have been able to beat them no sweat."
"Do you have any idea of where they might have taken him?"
"The note has directions to an old mansion in the Rokurokubi estates. It says that we can bring as many people as we want, but me, Kurama and Hiei all have to be there at eleven o'clock or else Urameshi will face the consequences."
"Alright, I'm going to report to Koenma and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
"Okay."
She closed the device shut and picked up the pace. It was forbidden to go flying around on her oar and although she was sorely tempted to break that rule, she kept up her speedy pace until she had made it to the familiar office doors. She entered the office without warning and breathlessly exclaimed, "Koenma sir, we've got trouble!"
Koenma's face was already set in a deep frown and he appeared to be very distressed.
"Yes, the situation is dire," he replied. "I didn't think that we would face another crisis so soon."
"Another crisis?" she echoed.
"Strange readings have been popping up all over the city. The enemy is strong and moving fast."
"That explains the high death toll recently," she noted with a frown. "Although it seems a bit strange. I thought that the apparitions would all be pacified since the Dark Tournament just ended."
"That's the problem, Botan. We aren't dealing with your run of the mill apparition," Koenma replied darkly. "The culprits are humans. Psychics to be more precise."
Koenma's statement seemed to re-jog Botan's memory and she suddenly remembered the pressing issue at hand.
"Oh, that's right, Yusuke's been captured!" she relayed. "And by humans no less! It must be the same psychics you've been noticing on the readings!"
"It looks like the trouble has already begun. I was hoping that we would have more time to gather information and prepare, but we will have to act now," Koenma ordered. "Why don't you take the spirit detective items and help the team track down our lost detective?"
"Alright," she said with a nod. "I can do that."
"Be careful," he added. "If these guys were strong enough to catch Yusuke off guard, there's no telling what sort of strength they might have. You'll have to round up the entire team and that includes Hiei."
"I understand," she replied with a firm nod.
"Good. I'll keep track of things with my logging system and if anything comes up, I'll call you."
"You can count on me sir. We'll have him back in no time!"
With that said, she grabbed the briefcase and headed out of the door. Seeing Hiei again would not be a pleasant encounter, but it was inevitable. Besides, Yusuke's safety trumped everything else. If they had to work together to find him, then so be it. This sort of thing would have happened eventually and there was no point in delaying the moment. She fought back the nerves that threatened to overtake her and focused on the mission.
Hiei unsheathed his sword with a frown. He had been sensing an influx of Makai insects lately, popping up around the bustling cities, in the dense forests and within the quaint towns. He slashed one in half and looked upwards to the dark sky. It was thick with energy and it drew all manner of beasts to the area. It was a sign of danger to come, but Hiei could not be bothered. He did not care about what happened to this world in the slightest.
He was about to turn back and call it a night, when a piercing sound reached his ears, causing him to wince and nearly lose his grip on his sword. The ringing was ear-splitting and debilitating. The animals seemed to be affected by it as well and he watched as the birds flocked in the opposite direction in an attempt to get farther away from the awful racket. Hiei's eyes narrowed and he sped through the trees, intent on finding the source of that vile noise and killing it. As he got closer to the disturbing ringing, its effects became more and more debilitating. He had made it all the way to the park, when the sound became unbearable. He found himself plummeting to the ground, crashing through branches and leaves as he landed unceremoniously on the grass and dirt below. The sound suddenly stopped and he opened his eyes to find the fox, the oaf and the woman staring back at him.
He had not expected to see her so soon and he was not expecting the slight ache in his chest that accompanied that first sight. He thought he had been hardening himself; he thought that he was getting over it, but apparently he was weaker than he thought if all it took was one quick view of the ferry-girl to undo his restraint. As he looked over at the woman, he saw that she was holding a whistle in her hand and he realized that he had been summoned by her.
"It really worked!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"Well of course it did. This thing's spirit world certified after all," she replied proudly.
Hiei's eyes narrowed in annoyance. She was smiling brightly at Kuwabara and had yet to look in his direction; it was as though she were avoiding him and for some reason, it irritated him. He looked directly at her as he spoke, commanding her attention.
"Why did you call me here?"
Her smile dropped instantly and she tensed up, as though his words were cold enough to freeze her. He felt his stomach drop as she stared back at him wordlessly, her expression was a mixture of emotions that he could not read clearly. As he waited for an answer, he found it harder and harder to appear unaffected when she was so openly and easily caught by his presence. It was pathetic; he should not have been so shaken up by a mere ferry-girl.
"Yusuke has been abducted," Kurama answered evenly, filling the silence that had stretched over between them and drawing the attention towards himself. "Take a look at this."
Hiei accepted the piece of paper, reading it over carefully. Apparently, Yusuke was being held captive and would only be released if he, along with the oaf and the fox, agreed to meet at some mansion before the delegated time limit. Now he understood why the had needed him.
"The detective must have been too cocky to realize his own weakness," Hiei scoffed. "Tell the kidnappers I turned it down. I'm finished babysitting."
"Surely your interest is peaked," Kurama began. "You must wonder what an opponent who was strong enough to take Yusuke down will fare in battle."
Perhaps at another time Kurama's persuasion might have reached him. He would have been intrigued and he would have jumped at the chance of facing and unpredictable and unknown foe that was strong enough to best the detective. But as it stood, he no longer wished to linger among the company of the woman and the others. Not after all that had happened. Hiei shook his head, resolving not to take the bait this time around.
"Nice try, but I no longer care."
He turned around and began walking away. He had only completed three full strides when the ferry-girl stopped him, having finally found her voice.
"How could you even think of walking away, Hiei!" she admonished fervently. "If you don't come, Yusuke could be killed!"
"It's not my responsibility," he said harshly, turning around and directing his gaze to hers without a shred of remorse. "You should have learned by now: this is a kill or be killed world. If you're too weak to help yourself, then you deserve to fall."
"What if helping Yusuke served your own interests?" Botan asked, her tone serious as she stared at him imperatively.
"It depends on what that interest is," he replied.
"If you help us reclaim Yusuke, then I can have Koenma revoke your probation. Your time will be served and you will be free."
"You sure you wanna do that?" Kuwabara interjected, looking over at her worriedly.
"I don't have any other choice and we're running out of time," Botan replied, her gaze still resting on Hiei. "Make your call, Hiei."
The fire-demon found it so utterly ironic that the woman was able to give him exactly what he wanted; exactly what he needed this entire time. He accepted it somewhat bitterly, forcing a smirk onto his face to hide the acidic nature of their situation. He nodded.
"I accept."
"Good, then let's get going," she urged. "This is one house party we can't afford to be late for."
Botan's heart was racing as they walked towards the aforementioned location. This was the first time that she had been in Hiei's presence after their fight. She snuck a glance over at him and realized that he appeared to be doing just fine. It wasn't like she was expecting him to be apologetic or guilt-ridden, but she had at least expected him to look more affected than he was. It seemed as though nothing had happened between them in the first place and he was picking up from where they left off after the Dark Tournament. Well, two could play at that game. She could pretend to be just as unaffected and twice as civil as he was.
In any case, she was thankful that Kuwabara and Kurama were here as buffers. It was easier to pretend to be alright, to have moved on completely when she had the others around. She could plaster on a fake smile and summon a cheery personality for the sake of keeping things semi-normal. They reached the black gates that surrounded an outlandishly modeled manor. It was oddly shaped, with arches and windows located in bizarre positions and some unkempt plants and shrubbery framing the exterior. Although the place looked strange, she could not sense any malicious presence inside at all.
When Botan moved to open the gate, Hiei's voice stopped her.
"You stay outside, we will handle this."
Perhaps if he had said it at another time or in another tone, she would have mistaken his words as him caring about her well-being, but now, all she heard was condescension and dismissal. He had done the same thing to her during the first round of the Dark Tournament, telling her to stay out of the ring in the same tone that indicated she was simply in the way. With a frown, she set her sights on Hiei determinedly.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. With Yusuke captured and Kuwabara's spirit energy gone, I'm the only one who can use the detective tools," she replied evenly, leaving no room for rebuttal in her tone.
But Hiei was persistent.
"We won't need them," he insisted.
"You have no way of knowing that for sure," she countered.
"She goes with us," Kurama decided, ignoring the angered look Hiei threw in his direction. "The enemy is unpredictable and we will need all the help we can get."
"Hn."
He pushed past all of them and stalked through the gate, stopping at the front door as he found a note.
"The house of four dimensions," Kuwabara read. "Sounds cryptic."
Botan's eyes locked onto the wording below and she recited its message aloud.
"Once inside this room do not ever utter the word hot."
"That's a strange way of welcoming guests," Kuwabara muttered.
"A warning we would be wise to heed nonetheless. It's best to be cautious in situations such as these," Kurama advised.
Kuwabara nodded in agreement.
Hiei grunted.
As they entered the compound, they walked through a small hallway which led to a large and quite disorienting room. The space inside had been designed to look as though everything was off kilter. Furniture was placed haphazardly and crookedly. Decorations were misshapen and misplaced. As if that weren't enough, the temperature inside of the bizarre room was uncomfortably torrid. Botan was glad that she had ditched her layered kimono for the loose and flowing school uniform. Fanning herself, she looked around the room and found no signs of an enemy. The deeper they traveled into the room, the higher the temperature rose. It was at the tail end of summer for goodness sakes, why was the heat turned all the way up?
"The room looks all twisted up," Kuwabara noted.
"And that steam," Botan complained. "It's like an oven, it's so h-"
Kurama's hand clamped over her mouth as Kuwabara and Hiei turned back to give her warning looks.
"What did Kurama just finish saying?" Hiei bit out, irritation encasing his tone.
Kurama released her and Botan frowned.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" she replied.
Hiei looked as though he was about to say something hurtful, but Kurama shook his head.
"It was an easy mistake to make," Kurama said. "The enemy will undoubtedly set more traps like this in the future, so we must be more conscientious from here on out."
Botan nodded in agreement and Hiei turned away. She felt foolish for falling so easily into the enemy's hands and determined to do better in the future. She was here to help rescue Yusuke and not be a liability to the team.
"I had hoped that my little trick would be enough to get rid of some of the more dull members of your group, but I should have known that it wouldn't work with you on the scene, Shuichi."
The unfamiliar voice drifted in from the far end of the room and they turned to see a figure step out of the shadows. He had dark, curly hair, tanned skin and wore glasses. He looked unassuming enough, but Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly when the boy came closer and stepped further into the light.
"Do you know him, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked.
"Yes, his name is Kaito," Kurama revealed. "He's a classmate of mine and remarkably bright for his age."
"Only second to you," Kaito replied, taking a seat near the table. "But today, you're in my territory and things are going to go my way."
"Your territory?"
"As a psychic, I have complete control over an area of my choosing and it becomes my domain. I set the rules and the participants play my game. It's simple, really: follow instructions carefully and you live. Fail to adhere to procedures and well," he paused, pushing his glasses higher up onto the bridge of his nose. "…you'll see."
Botan previously thought that Kaito was being extremely smug for an enemy who was outnumbered, but after hearing his explanation, she realized that he might just have all of the advantages he needed with his strange powers. However, she was confident that with Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei combined, they would all be fine. If all else failed, she still had the detective items and she was sure that she could put them to good use.
"I don't understand," Kurama said. "What could have possessed you to form this elaborate scheme?"
"Curiosity mostly," Kaito answered simply. "I've only just started to exercise my new abilities. What better way to test them out than on a spirit fox, a dried up psychic, a fire-demon and a ferry-girl from the spirit world?"
Hiei snarled, stepping forward.
"I do not intend to become some experimental test run for a human with too much time on his hands," Hiei declared. "Besides, we cannot afford to waste any more time on this weakling; I'll take care of things."
Before anyone could stop him, he unsheathed sword and lunged forward towards the psychic. He swung his blade down and Botan watched in complete confusion as it failed to reach its intended target, instead breaking off into two pieces as though it had hit an invisible wall.
"How the heck did he just do that? Energy appeared out of nowhere!" Kuwabara exclaimed, pointing over to the scene in disbelief.
"This is my territory and I do not approve of violence. If you want to overcome me, it has to be with your wits," Kaito said, tapping a finger against his head. "Only your words have power here. Just be sure to follow my rules."
"He keeps saying his rules, but he hasn't told us anything yet," Kuwabara muttered to Botan.
"He must be talking about the warning that was posted on the front door," she whispered back.
"Oh, right."
Kuwabara nodded in understanding, but Hiei was by no means satisfied with the sudden turn of events. His scowl visibly deepened, causing Kaito to smirk.
"I can see why this bother you so much, Hiei," Kaito said in mock pity. "In the world of fighting, your skills let you bully everyone you want. But in my territory, you're just a tiny, sword-less man."
Hiei's energy flared up and Botan watched on helplessly.
"Control your temper, Hiei," Kurama warned. "He only wants you to act out of anger."
"Kurama's right, you need to calm down, otherwise you'll be playing right into his hands!" Botan urged.
Despite their warnings, Hiei was far past the point of listening. His fists curled at his side and his energy continued spilling out in angry waves as he glared at the psychic before him.
"Any fool can make a shield. How do we know that your other claim isn't just a bluff?"
"There's only one way," Kaito taunted challengingly, his glasses glinting in an ominous way as he dared the fire-demon to test his claim.
"No three letter word can rule my fate," Hiei proclaimed, releasing the hilt of his sword and allowing it to drop to the ground before uttering the taboo word confidently. "Hot."
For a few moments the room was deathly silent and, despite the heat, Botan felt a cold chill run through her. Then, it happened: Hiei stiffened and his body became enshrouded in a dark haze. His extracted soul resembled a small orb, glowing brightly as it floated over towards Kaito. Botan let out a horrified gasp when the energy dissipated from Hiei and all that was left was his immobile body, frozen in time.
"I told him not to doubt me, but that's what happens when you say the taboo word," Kaito informed.
Hiei fell to floor with a sickening thud and Botan raced over to him immediately, Kuwabara hot on her heels. She reached out to touch him, pulling the top half of his body onto her lap hesitantly. He was ice cold and stiff; so different from the warmth that came with being a fire-demon. The look of shock on his face was captured and framed for the world to see. He looked younger and almost afraid. It was unnerving to see such a confident man caught in such a predicament. She might have been livid with him and she still had not forgiven him, but she never wanted something like this to happen to him. Her heart pounded and she felt herself getting teary eyed at the sight as the emotions that she had been suppressing for him resurfaced. It was becoming too much for her to handle and she looked away.
"Souls are such fragile things," Kaito mused with a sick sort of glee as his small black eyes focused on Hiei's soul. "Bruise it just a little bit and the damage inflicted could take an eternity to heal."
"Do not lay a single finger on his soul," Kurama ordered sternly, his emerald eyes staring Kaito down dangerously.
"That's an expression I never see you make in the classroom, Shuichi," Kaito replied. "It's almost frightening."
"You will find I can become much worse if you try to harm any of my friends. We will adhere to your stipulations, but you are forbidden from touching any souls until the trial is over and the victor is decided."
Kaito contemplated it for a moment before nodding.
"I can agree to those terms. If you manage to beat the odds and defeat me, Yanagisawa will provide the key that leads to the next room," Kaito explained.
They all looked over to find a tall, purple haired man standing in the corner with a lazy grin. He twirled a small, golden key between his fingers before bringing the key to the folds of his pants pocket.
"Understood," Kurama agreed.
"Well, might as well make yourselves comfortable," Kaito said, motioning over to the chairs. "It's not like you'll be leaving anytime soon."
Kuwabara crouched down and pulled Hiei's immobile form off of Botan's lap, standing him up and making sure that he was stable before stepping away. Kurama claimed the chair on the right, Kuwabara took a seat in the middle and that left Botan sitting in the chair to the left, which was, unfortunately for her, closest to that creep Kaito. The bespectacled psychic had not said much after that and they all sat there quietly. As the minutes ticked on, the heat became unbearable. Botan fanned herself and tried to think of a cold winter breeze, a snowy blizzard, an icy arctic, anything to take her mind off of the sweltering heat. The sight of Hiei, the burning heat and the steady ticking of the clock; it was driving her crazy.
Kuwabara was the first to break the silence by releasing a frustrated groan.
"I'm tired of this!" he huffed. "We're still allowed to talk right? We just can't say the 'h' word."
"That's correct," Kaito answered as he flipped a page on the book that he was reading.
"This is so stupid," Kuwabara grumbled. "You're just trying to make us wait it out in here until we can't take it and we say your taboo word. It's cowardly!"
"Actually, I keep this room at eighty degrees and eighty percent humidity for the sake of the plants," Kaito said. "But if the conditions are making you thirsty, you're more than welcome to help yourself to a drink."
Botan's eyes roamed over to the right side of the room, where the fridge stood against the wall.
"How do I know you aren't just trying to poison us? Maybe I should make you try the first sip," Kuwabara said.
"Trust me, I wouldn't waste my talents by poisoning you," Kaito replied.
Kuwabara glared over at him before stalking over to the fridge. Botan stood up and joined him, relishing in the sudden stream of cold air.
"Quite a selection," Botan mused. "How about some orange juice, it's good for health and much better than soda."
"Sure, just pour it over some ice and we can share it with each other as long as we have two straws," Kuwabara answered.
"Alright, I'll just…"
Kuwabara let out a pained grunt and he stiffened similarly to Hiei's a few minutes ago. When his body was engulfed in the same energy and a bright blue orb flew over to Kaito, Botan realized what had happened. She replayed Kuwabara's words in her hand and turned to point an accusing finger over at Kaito.
"You're cheating Kaito, he never came close to saying hot!" she yelled angrily.
"Botan!" Kurama berated.
The ferry-girl froze, realizing her mistake just a second too late.
"Oops, I goofed," she muttered sheepishly. A cold feeling coursed through her veins, taking all that she had with it as it rushed outwards. Then the world turned dark.
When Hiei awoke, the events from earlier came rushing back to him. He felt strange and out of place, but he supposed that would happen when your soul was forcefully removed and then pushed back into your body. The bookworm's claims had not been unfounded after all. These psychics really did have power over a certain space and certain rules applied. His eyes roamed over the rest of the team. Botan and Kuwabara were obviously victims of the same powers that had bested him; he could see it in their eyes. That meant that Kurama had pulled them out of yet another difficult situation. He turned to find Kaito sitting in his chair, in a rather strange position. His soul was out in the open and Hiei almost entertained the idea of crushing it entirely for putting them through such a pointless trial, however the human was defenseless and Hiei didn't make it a habit of attacking the weak. A popping sound averted his eyes ahead, where he found the annoying and lackadaisical one absentmindedly chewing some gum. These humans were all toying with them and it angered the fire-demon to his core. Hiei reached for his sword, but the tall human raised a hand in a lazy gesture.
"We're still in Kaito's territory. That means no violence."
"Your friend is out of commission and as such, his rules should no longer apply," Hiei challenged.
"That's not how it works, but you can try again and make a fool out of yourself if you don't believe me," Yanagisawa responded.
Hiei's hand curled tightly around his sword and he took a challenging step forward, but he was halted when Kurama put his hand out in front of him.
"We understand. There will be no violence on our part," Kurama promised, his cautious gaze directed towards the psychic. "What is our next trial?"
"It's simple enough," he started, breaking eye-contact to look towards the hallway ahead. "Just make it to the next room in one piece."
The hallway contained an area with six separate passages and Hiei scoffed. Of course they would make this more difficult than it had to be.
"And I'm assuming we must do this separately?" Kurama asked.
Yanagisawa nodded.
"How do we know that you won't ambush us once we split up?" Kuwabara questioned.
"Kuwabara's right! We could be walking right into one of your underhanded traps!" Botan supported.
"You'll just have to take my word for it," Yanagawisa replied.
"That's not very comforting at all," she said, crossing her arms and frowning.
"Sorry, but that's the only guarantee I can give you. But perhaps I can give you a little incentive," he said smirking. "These six routes all lead to the same destination and once you reach the end, Yusuke Urameshi will be waiting for you."
"You're not just saying that to get us to comply, are you?" Botan asked.
Yanagisawa shook his head.
"I'm telling you the truth. It's up to you to believe me."
"In that case, I've got the perfect detective item for the occasion!" the ferry-girl exclaimed.
Her smile brightened as she opened up the briefcase and pulled out a few blank, circular seals. It would have been nearly impossible to guess that she had lost her soul moments before with the way she was behaving now, but he supposed she was stronger than he had given her credit for. She had a habit of bouncing back easily.
"Tada! One of a kind, spirit world patented Meijiru seals!"
"What does it do?" Kuwabara asked.
"Glad you asked Kuwabara," she said. "These are a modified version of the inmate trackers used in the spirit world prisons. It can only be removed by the applier, but it will automatically detach itself if the applier has died. Oh, and it also keeps track of the applier's physical state: blue if all is well, yellow if slightly hurt and red if seriously injured. Pretty neat, huh?"
Kuwabara's eyes lit up.
"So we can just use them on each other to see if anyone's in trouble? This is awesome!"
"My thoughts exactly!"
"Good idea, Botan," Kurama commended, before looking over at Yanagisawa. "Are these allowed?"
Yanagisawa shrugged.
"Do what you want, I don't care either way."
"It's settled then," Kurama said. "We will each write our names on the seals and attach them to each other. While we are separated, we will keep track of each other's statuses and should anything go wrong, we can backtrack and find each other."
Kuwabara and Botan nodded in agreement. Hiei watched as they began writing their names on three seals and applying them on each other.
"There, everyone's just about finished," Botan said, her gaze drifting over to him. "Everyone except you, Hiei."
"I don't need them."
"Sure you do," she insisted, stepping closer to him. "You'll want to know we're alright, won't you?"
He caught her wrist before it could finish its trajectory.
"No, I won't."
Kurama made his way over to them, sticking a seal on Hiei's cloak before he could object.
"Could it be that Hiei has already forgotten that his was the first soul to be lost?"
Hiei released her immediately and looked in the other direction as they began taunting him.
"Hah, he told you, shorty!" Kuwabara mocked, following suit with his seal.
"So there, rebel," Botan said, placing her sticker right over his heart. As she patted it down, the organ just so happened to beat. She must have felt it, too, because her fingers twitched and froze over his chest. Her self-satisfied grin had vanished and was replaced by a mesmerized look. Her fingers lingered as though she were waiting for it to happen again, but she was only wasting her time. Demon hearts did not beat at the same frequency as human hearts. His would not beat just because she willed it to-
A beat pulsed.
It was stronger this time and they both looked at each other with varying levels of disorientation, Hiei's born from shock and Botan's out of some unexplainable gravitational pull. He wasn't sure how or why that had happened and he could only stare wordlessly back at the woman in a sort of entranced spell.
Yanagisawa cleared his throat, pulling them both out of the moment and they remembered where exactly they both were. They all turned to the purple-haired man and he regarded them through lazy eyes.
"All done?"
"Yes," Kurama replied.
"You're free to choose any path you like, as long as you're the only one traveling through it."
They stood in front of different entrances, sparing a glance in each other's directions for a moment. Hiei noticed that Botan's gaze lingered on his once she was finished regarding the others. She was clearly apprehensive about this next trial, but he was not. This mansion had all manner of strange things, but he could sense no evil or ill-will. This was all a game to these humans and they just had to play by their rules for the time being. It did not seem as though any of them were out for blood and he was certain that the ferry-girl and the others would be fine.
Still - he did not like the idea of her being worried. While he might have abhorred the woman after their last fight, a part of him did not want any harm to come to her despite all that had happened. Perhaps it was a residual remnant of weakness that he had yet to snuff out or perhaps it was due to an intricate clause of his honor code; either way, he accepted the fact that he would rather not have her hurt by the enemy. When he realized that she was still looking at him, he nodded at her in a gesture of reassurance. It was enough to soothe her and she visibly relaxed, before nodding back at him and refocusing her attention ahead.
"If you all are ready, you can proceed," Yanagisawa informed.
Hiei stared into the gloomy passageway, fighting back the overwhelming urge to stare at the ferry-girl one last time, before heading into the dark unknown.
Chapter Black is underway! I'm not planning on spending a ton of time with this arc. If I'm lucky, I will be able to wrap it up in the next chapter or so, since this is only supposed to be a transition of sorts that jumpstarts the final phase of this story. I hope you guys enjoyed the first encounter after the big blowout. Hiei and Botan are trying their best to put up fronts and pretend that they're perfectly fine and while they're able to fool each other, it's a little bit harder to fool themselves. Next chapter will deal with more of this turmoil. Hope you all enjoyed this one. Let me know your thoughts please!