InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Ally ❯ The Unknown Ally ( Chapter 17 )

Unexpected Ally

 

By: ladygizarme

 

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Tagashi Yoshihiro-sensei; IY belongs to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them, and make no money from this. Pity me!

 

Thanks: To chiisu1 for giving this fic a freaking title! And for being my original beta. Also, thanks to Houseki, for being my second beta/plot hole checker. You guys rock! *huggles*

 

Chapter Seventeen:The Unknown Ally

 

Two youkai ran a well-worn path through a dense, yet very dead, Makai woods. Their captives, slung unceremoniously over their shoulders, were blissfully still and silent, having been drugged almost immediately when they were kidnapped. Limbs dangled and swayed haphazardly from the dead weight that was Keiko and Shizuru's bodies, as their kidnappers quickly wound their way through yet another dead path, unconcerned with how much they were jostling their unconscious cargo. The main concern right now was the chase.

 

“How much further?” The shorter, dark green one asked his tall, pale green companion in a whine.

 

“You know what the Master said. We have to keep them occupied for awhile. Just keep going until we get there!”

 

“Can't we at least kill these onna and dump them? I'm not made for carrying heavy burdens.”

 

“Bakayarou,” the pale one hissed. “You have the lighter one! Besides, we can't kill them until we get them back to the Master. You know what she said, we have to lead those Reikai bastards in first!”

 

“But I don't see why we should have to wait to kill these onna! They're of no importance. Even if we kill them, those Reikai chumps will still follow us!”

 

The taller one thumped his companion on the head with his fist. “Aho! You don't need to understand the Master's orders, just follow them!”

 

Glaring at the other, the short one rubbed his head, but obediently continued running.

 

Coming to the end of the dead wood, they ran in the open, dry, cracked, barren plains, headed for a nearby canyon to continue the next leg of their journey. From there they would cross a bridge over a river of sulphur, take a path from there leading down another canyon, to a ravine at the bottom. Then they would cross the shallow water and finally enter one of the three dense forests that connected to the Forest of the Void.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Is that them?” a voice called down from the top of one of many large trees along the cliff of the canyon.

 

The black-haired youkai he spoke to walked to the edge of the cliff, crossed his arms, and looked down on the thin ledge that wound its way up the canyon. Two nondescript youkai were running, or at least trying to, along the narrow path. They may have gone faster, but the loads in their arms, what appeared to be two unconscious human females, surely were not helping the process. Especially for the shorter one, who kept pausing to hitch the darker haired girl up when her feet kept insisting on dragging in front of him.

 

A long, black ponytail whipped around him as the spying youkai turned back to his treetop companion, smirking. “That's them, alright. Rather disappointing, though. They won't be any trouble at all.”

 

An auburn head peaked out of the canopy of leaves, green eyes squinting down on the path to get a better look. “Awww, and I thought I could try out something new.”

 

“Heh, whatever aniki. You know this is all yours, anyway. Quit being such a showoff and just get ready.”

 

The auburn-haired one jumped down from the tree, pulling a double somersault in midair before landing expertly on his pawed feet. His white fangs gleamed as he gave his black-haired companion a cheesy grin and puffed himself up in pride. “It is all mine, isn't it?”

 

Blue eyes rolled at him before closing, their owner moving to lean against the tree, relaxing in the shade once more. “I just wish they'd hurry up. The stench of this place is gonna make me sick!” he complained gruffly, casting a nasty look in the direction of the nearby bridge as his nose tried to snort away the smell of sulphur.

 

“I told you to use some of my ointment before we left,” the other said, not taking his eyes off his prey as he slowly followed their progress along the trail, inching his own way along the edge of the canyon in mimicry. “A dab under the nose and it renders the scents of Makai practically odorless. But nooooo, you have to be a tough guy. No `sissy tricks' for you, you have to go au naturel into this place.”

 

The taller, tan, black-haired youkai gave another snort, trying to cover up a sneeze. “Give me a break, aniki. I don't need that stuff for this little job.” Under his breath he said, “Besides, that stuff makes me sneeze.”

 

The shorter, auburn-haired one labeled `aniki', turned back to him rolling his eyes, “Then don't complain. And don't take this job lightly, either. It may seem small and easy, but getting those human girls before they cross the bridge is very important. The fate of the—”

 

The other interrupted, droning boredly, “—past and the fate of the future and the fate of the three worlds is at stake. I know, I know. I've heard it a million times before from tou-san and the others. I swear, aniki, you guys need to get a new routine.”

 

“Better watch it, runt. Don't think I won't hesitate to kick your ass when we get back to the North. And you better think twice before you say that `short' comment that I know is on the tip of your tongue. You remember what happened the last time you underestimated me.”

 

“Alright, alright,” the tan one conceded, rubbing his head at the memory of the pain. “Can we just get this over with? I want to get back before sunset.”

 

“Shh,” aniki ordered. “They're close now. Get in position.”

 

They both moved to a break in the trees, where a path cut through. The two kidnapping youkai would soon be visible as they reached the peak of the canyon and walked this path. The auburn haired youkai pulled two small dolls out of a pocket in his vest, nodded to his companion, and waited in the shadows of the trees. As soon as he saw the enemies gain their footing on the path, the auburn haired youkai called out softly, “Ikiningyou!” as he pulled his paper seals off the backs of the dolls and, as the dolls began enlarging, gave a nod to his friend. The black haired youkai nodded back as he started running, his legs becoming like a small cyclone as he headed straight for the enemy youkai. The auburn haired youkai took off after him, carrying the dolls.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

The two green youkai hadn't taken more than twenty steps when they were suddenly crashed into by what looked to be a small dust tornado. Suddenly they were on their backs, dirt and rocks swirling around them. The cyclone that turned out to be a youkai barely paused to flash a toothy grin at them as he called out, “Sorry!” and continued on, kicking up more dust along the way. Just as they were sitting up, about to help each other up and retrieve their dropped captives, another youkai came in a cloud of dust, though this one was at least normal and not tornado-like.

 

He stopped short in front of them, kicking up an even bigger cloud of dust that surrounded them. They coughed a little and tried waving their hands to clear the dust in their vision, but to no avail. Nevertheless, they soon found themselves being pulled to their feet by the stranger.

 

“Sorry about my friend, there,” the youkai apologized. “We're in a bit of a hurry and he tends to not watch where he's going. Oh, here, I think you dropped these.” Their abandoned hostages were placed back in their arms, and before they could make any reply, or see through the lingering cloud of dust, the apologetic stranger was off again, kicking up more dust in his wake.

 

They stood there a few more minutes, feeling utterly bewildered at the occurrence, but just happy they hadn't lost the girls, though they'd dropped them. Finally, the dust cleared, and they saw that everything was in order. The short, dark green youkai once again had the smaller, darker haired girl, and the tall, pale green youkai had the taller, sandy haired girl. Needing to make up for lost time, as surely the interlude had given the tantei chasing them a chance to catch up, they both picked up speed and hurried across the bridge, towards their intended destination.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

The black and auburn haired companions raced down the ledge of the canyon, doing at least quadruple the speed the enemy had been going on the way up, though their arms were filled with the very same burden that had slowed the other two down. Aniki had given one of the girls to his friend when he'd caught up to him, so they could share the load.

 

“Well, we have them, now what?” the black haired youkai questioned as he gained a better grip on Shizuru.

 

“Now, this,” the redhead steadied Keiko over his shoulder with a hand on her lower back, and dug in a pocket with his other hand. Pulling out two small leather pouches, he tossed one to his friend and kept the other for himself.

 

“What's this for?” the other questioned, eyeing the pouch scrutinizingly.

 

“You'll see. First, we need to find a place to stop for a minute.”

 

When they came to the bottom of the canyon, they veered off in a different directions from where the other two had come, knowing the Reikai Tantei were on their way and not wanting to cross paths with them. Instead, they found their way through a somewhat dense thicket of vines and bushes, which they maneuvered through without too much difficulty, and finally arrived at a pool of crystal clear water. It was a rare find in Makai, and one much needed.

 

Stopping by the edge of the small pond, they set the girls down momentarily by the bank. The redhead took his pouch and opened it, dumping its contents out into his hand carefully. A handful of herbs and small flower buds spilled out and he cupped his hands together, sifting the ingredients back and forth. Then he tilted it all back into one palm and carefully poured it back into the pouch.

 

Crouching down by the water, he dipped a hand into the water and brought it up to his nose, sniffing it. Then he snorted out, pulling his face away.

 

“What's the matter? Not to your liking?” his companion inquired.

 

“It's an illusion,” he answered, dropping the handful of water to the ground, where it sizzled and turned red. He immediately wiped his hand off in the dirt, then wiped the dirt off on his pants. “Most likely a water demon's trap to lure prey. Once someone drinks that shit, they'll be paralyzed for half a day, if not worse.”

 

Just as he said this, there was movement beneath the surface, and a suckered tentacle suddenly shot out towards them. They immediately grabbed the girls, jumping out of the tentacle's reach. Finding nothing once it reached as far as it could, the tentacle once again slipped below the surface to wait for the next victim that would drink from its pool. Out of immediate danger, they set the girls down again.

 

“Great, so what do we do now? You need water for whatever's in this pouch, right?”

 

The redhead nodded, “Luckily, I brought some from the falls. I had hoped we wouldn't need to use it, since the drug those two gave these girls will probably make them wake up thirsty, but necessity is necessity…” He reached to his hip for the flask he'd brought with him, and unscrewed the cap. He poured some into the leather pouch, just enough to mix the contents of the pouch into a paste, then repeated the process to his friend's pouch after sifting the ingredients around a bit.

 

“Okay, now what?” the other asked after the pouch was returned to him. He looked inside at its contents, taking a whiff and holding it out to arm's length, eyes watering. “What is this stuff?!!”

 

“A collection of native Makai plants that, on their own, can smell pleasant, but have a strong odor when mixed with a complementary herb and water.” He knelt beside Keiko and, opening the pouch, began to spread it on her neck and temples. “It's to cover up their scent. They'll smell like the vegetation of Makai and the Reikai Tantei won't be able to track us. Go on, put it on her pulse points.” With that instruction, he started to spread it on Keiko's wrists, upper arms, and behind her knees. There were a few pulse points he would avoid, for the sake of the girl's privacy, but these would be good enough for their purpose anyway.

 

After that task was complete, he returned the now empty satchels to his waist pocket. Then they picked up the girls and continued on the path they'd chosen.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Hiei unsheathed his katana and held it horizontally in front of him, one hand on the hilt, one against the broad side of the blade. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the flow of his youki, consciously forcing more youki to flow through the dragon flame's mark on his right arm, but making sure not to awaken the dragon. The aura of the flame's youki started becoming visible, purple and black, and stretching down his arm, winding around his flesh and the blade of the sword.

 

When the flame was complete, and his katana was glowing with the purple and black energy, Hiei opened his eyes and, with a fierce look, slashed broadly vertically with the sword. Suddenly, a gaping hole was cut into the atmosphere, sparking with energy and bleeding out what seemed to be the visible odors of Makai; red, black, and a sickly yellow.

 

“It will be open for one minute,” Hiei said plainly as he resheathed his sword. “It may be rather unpleasant, but you need to hurry.” With that, he stepped through the portal to Makai.

 

“Unpleasant? What's he mean?” Kuwabara wondered.

 

“It is an unapproved hole in the barrier,” Kurama said, as if that explained it, and stepped through as well.

 

Yuusuke turned to see Kuwabara's confused frown and shrugged as he followed his teammates. Being the only one left, and time running out, Kuwabara hurried after them.

 

As soon as his body crossed the bleeding barrier, Kuwabara sorely wished he hadn't chosen to follow. It felt like his whole body was on fire and being pulled in different directions. There was nothing under his feet, nor anything to grab hold of to pull himself through to the other side. He could hear a high keening sound start, and wasn't sure if someone was screaming, or if it was the sound of his own pain in his head. Almost as soon as he thought of regret, however, he remembered why they were doing this in the first place.

 

Images of Shizuru and Keiko, frightened and helpless, flashed in his mind. Immediately he felt adrenaline fill him and he roared as he let out a burst of reiki and formed a sword of it in his hand. He slashed madly back and forth, determined to free himself from whatever was pulling at him in this strange, heavy atmosphere around him. Suddenly, his sword was met with no resistance and Kuwabara's roar turned into a surprised sort of yelp as he toppled over sideways with his last slash, coming to rest his weight on the sword and his knees on the solid ground of Makai.

 

“You finally made it,” Yuusuke said in a cocky tone, and Kuwabara glared up at the smirking black haired boy in front of him.

 

“Why didn't anybody tell me that was gonna happen?!” he exclaimed, jumping up with a threatening fist held up in front of him.

 

Hiei shrugged and said boredly, “I told you it would be unpleasant.”

 

Kuwabara turned his pissed off face to the short, smug youkai, and opened his mouth to sling a barrage of insults at him, but before he could, Kurama cut him off.

 

Placing a hand on Kuwabara's shoulder, Kurama said, “This is not the time, Kuwabara-kun. Let's not forget why we are here.”

 

Kuwabara looked at him and dropped his stance in resignation. Then, glaring and pointing at Hiei, he said, “Fine, but you're in for it when we get outta here, Shorty.”

 

Hiei gave him no acknowledgement other than an eye roll as he turned his back on the redhead. “Well, Kurama, I believe this job would be best suited to you.”

 

The redhead fox was already in the process of picking up the lost trail, and soon pointed his comrades in the direction he determined the kidnappers had gone. The four took off as fast as they could, chasing the trail once again.

 

It led them through dead woods, cramped with sickly pale, leafless trees, through the barren plains, towards a canyon. At the trail up the canyon, however, Kurama paused. It seemed the scent of the girls went in two directions.

 

“What's the matter, kitsune?” Hiei inquired of his friend's hesitation.

 

“I'm not sure… perhaps they had to change directions… the scents overlap here,” he answered, almost as if he were talking to himself. He wandered away from the canyon, following his nose toward one direction of the scent trail. The others followed until Kurama stopped at the edge of a clear blue pool of fresh water.

 

“I thought there wasn't any clean water like this in Makai,” Yuusuke remarked.

 

Kurama turned to him, “There is, though it is very rare. This, however, is not one of those rarities.” He leaned down and dipped a large leaf in the water, letting the liquid drip from the leaf onto the ground when he removed it.

 

“Whoa,” Kuwabara commented when the “water” started to hiss and turn red. “Glad I'm not thirsty.”

 

“Indeed,” Kurama replied. “You would be quite dead if you were to drink this, though to a youkai it would probably merely be paralyzing.”

 

Suddenly Kurama's face snapped toward the surface in the middle of the pool of water and yelled, “Get back!” as he and his companions jumped just out of reach of what seemed to be a large octopus arm.

 

“What the hell was that?!” Yuusuke exclaimed after the arm retreated, once again unable to catch its prey.

 

“Miniature Makai squid,” Hiei answered in a tone that said, `Isn't it obvious?'

 

“You call that thing miniature?!” Yuusuke retorted, pointing his finger toward where the arm had disappeared under the water.

 

“Technically, it's a shallow water squid. They're all smaller than the squid in the Makai ocean, though this one does seem to be a little smaller than normal,” Kurama explained.

 

Yuusuke declared, “That thing was as big as a telephone pole!!”

 

Hiei turned bored crimson eyes to the human boy, “Like he said, it's a little smaller than normal. Probably underfed. This place is rather hidden, and it doesn't seem to have as much determination to catch its prey as one would normally expect.”

 

“Nevertheless,” Kurama interjected, “It seems the scent of the girls stops here. They probably doubled back because of this squid, and that's why the scent overlaps at the foot of the canyon. We've lost a lot of time following this dead end. Let's hurry and go back.”

 

They followed Kurama back, allowing the kitsune boy to once again open a path for them through the thick brush that hid the squid's water trap. Once free of the vines and bushes that seemed inclined to cling to them, they rushed up the trail of the canyon, determined to make up for further lost time.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

An eerily peaceful world of sunset colors opened up to two youkai with auburn and black hair, allowing them entrance onto the long and narrow path towards Enma Daioh's castle.

 

“You sure this is okay, going up to the front door like this? What if someone sees us?” the black haired `younger brother' asked in a concerned tone.

 

“There's only one path to walk to the castle, you know,” his `aniki' answered.

 

“Yeah, but I thought this was supposed to be a stealthy operation. If anyone working under Koenma-sama—”

 

“Yeah, yeah, calm down. I said there was only one path to walk. I didn't say that's what we were doing.” He took a communicator out of another one of his several pockets, and flipped it open with his thumb. Pressing a button on the inside, the screen flashed from black to blue, before it was answered and the face of a magenta haired girl appeared on the screen.

 

“Hai, moshi mo~sh!” she greeted cheerfully, her eyes crinkled closed in a wide, welcoming smile.

 

“Yo, Haruko-san. We're here, and we have the girls. We need transportation to Enma Daioh-sama's office, please.”

 

“Hai! I'll be there in twenty seconds!” As soon as she said this, the screen returned to blue, and then black as the auburn haired youkai closed it.

 

Exactly 19.4 seconds later, the bubbly, pink-pigtailed, childlike girl appeared before them, riding a polished wooden oar.

 

“Grab on!” she called to the two below her. As soon as they each had hold of the length of oar behind her, she took off towards a tower of the castle, the red sakura petals on her white kimono seeming to dance in the wind created by her high speed.

 

When she finally set them down, they were inside the tower. Haruko quickly led them to the office of King Enma. She left them in the hallway as she scurried inside, then peeked her head back out a few moments later.

 

“Enma Daioh-sama will see you now, Shippou-san.”

 

The two in the hallway nodded, and stepped through the now open doors, still carrying the two rescued girls.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

When the tantei arrived at the top of the canyon trail, they continued down a path lined with shady trees. About a third of the way through, however, Kurama stopped again, sniffing the air curiously.

 

Sighing in exasperation, Yuusuke asked, “What now?”

 

“Their scent gets very faint here,” Kurama answered. “And not only that. It seems two other youkai were up here at the same time.” Then his green eyes flashed gold a moment and, with a slightly darker voice, he added, “One of them was a kitsune, the other was—”

 

“I don't care what they are, I'll blast all of them to the seventh layer of hell!!” Yuusuke growled heatedly. “Why the fuck does it take that many youkai to kidnap two human girls?! And what the fuck do they want them for?”

 

“Only one way to find that out,” Hiei responded darkly, crimson eyes taking on a maniacal gleam. “We'll find them and force it out of them until they're begging to die.”

 

Not for the first, or second, or even twentieth time, Kuwabara felt an icy chill go up his spine at the thought of Hiei's powers and sadistic nature, and was once again glad the fire youkai was on their side. For now, at least.

 

The four continued on, following the increasingly fainter scent of the girls and the constant scent of the two youkai that had kidnapped them. They were descending a trail of the second canyon when Kurama noted that the youkai was getting stronger. A few minutes later, they could see the two they were chasing, still carrying the girls. The other two youkai Kurama had detected on the other canyon were nowhere to be seen.

 

(We have not smelled them since we crossed the bridge, either.) Youko brought to Kurama's attention.

 

Kurama gave a mental pause before realizing, `You're right.'

 

Youko sniffed at him, (Of course I am.)

 

Interrupting the kitsune's internal conversation, Yuusuke voiced the obvious, “Oi, it's still only the two of `em!”

 

At his exclamation, the two youkai noticed their presence and suddenly doubled their speed. It wasn't enough, though, and the tantei were soon on their tails. Yuusuke brought his arm up, aiming his Rei Gun, but Kurama warned him, “That wouldn't be wise. They are still carrying the girls.”

 

Just then, Yuusuke's communicator went off, startling him slightly. He tried to ignore it, but it kept ringing shrilly, Botan never one to give up so easily; especially when it came to interrupting whatever Yuusuke would rather be doing. Still running full speed, he tried to reach into his pocket for the device, and, fumbling to keep ahold of it, pulled it out and flipped it open.

 

“What is it, Botan?!” he yelled irritably.

 

Botan pouted on the screen, “Yuusuke! What kind of greeting is that?” She frowned at him and, though he couldn't see below her shoulders, he could just picture her putting her hands on her hips as she chastised him.

 

Yuusuke growled at her, “I don't have time for this right now, Botan, we're chasing a couple of youkai in Makai!!”

 

“Oh! Gomen, but I was told to tell you, and I thought you would want to know…”

 

“Tell me what?”

 

“A Reikai employee found Shizuru-san and Keiko-chan unconscious and brought them to our offices. I thought you would want to know right away, but I'll let you go now!”

 

“Wait, Botan!” Yuusuke called to her, catching the girl right before she hung up.

 

“Nani?”

 

“What do you mean, Shizuru and Keiko are in Reikai?! They're being kidnapped right now! The youkai we're chasing have them!”

 

She frowned at him, “That's impossible! They're right here!” She moved the communicator to show Shizuru and Keiko's sleeping faces.

 

Peeking over, Kuwabara saw his sister's face and exclaimed, “What the—”

 

Yuusuke's face contorted, trying to grasp the situation. “Botan, look!” He turned his own communicator to show her the two youkai, who had made it to the end of the trail and were now running to cross the ravine into a forest. Even as he went to show her, though, he noticed something odd about the girls the two youkai were carrying. Their faces weren't quite right, and they seemed to be… shrinking…?

 

He heard Botan's voice coming through the communicator again, breaking into his thoughts. “Yuusuke! That's not Keiko-chan and Shizuru-san! They're—”

 

“I know,” Yuusuke interrupted, “They're dummies or somethin'. Botan, I'll call you back.” Then he hung up on her.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Botan-san?” A sweet voice called out from behind the blue haired girl as she closed the communicator.

 

“Hai,” she answered distractedly, still wondering what exactly was going on, and why anyone would have dummies that looked like Keiko or Shizuru in the first place.

 

“Botan-san,” the voice said again, putting a small hand on the girl's pink kimono to get her attention.

 

Botan blinked and looked down at the girl that came no higher than her chest. “Hai, Haruko-san?”

 

“Was that an extension of the Forest of the Void I saw in the background of your communicator screen?”

 

Botan gasped, turning to run from the room. “Sumimasen, Haruko-san, please keep an eye on the girls for me! I have to catch those boys before they go in there!!”

 

“Hai, Botan-san,” Haruko said with a smile, waving. “Ganbatte.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Hold it right there!” Yuusuke called out as the youkai made their way across the ravine. They didn't stop, of course, but that no longer mattered. Knowing the girls were mere dolls, Yuusuke could now use his Rei Gun. Aiming at the shorter youkai, he shot through the arm around the doll, blowing it off in a blast of light. The youkai shrieked in agony as he lost his arm, and the Keiko doll fell to the ground, where it finished its task of shrinking.

 

Soon it was not much more than five inches tall and, seeing this transformation of his comrade's burden, the taller youkai stopped to look at the one in his arms. Sure enough, `Shizuru' was shrinking as well, and he dropped `her' as if `she' had burned him, eyes widening and bulging as `she' repeated the other's action of reverting to normal doll size.

 

Both demons stopped dead in their tracks as they realized they had been carrying fakes, and soon they were face to face with the Reikai Tantei as the team of four came to a stop on the other side of the barely flowing water.

 

Leveling his poised finger with the short one's head, Yuusuke demanded, “You better tell us right now what this is all about.”

 

“I don't know what you're talking about!” the short one insisted. He got his other arm shot, this time at the elbow instead of the shoulder, but the limb was spared—Yuusuke just barely leaving it attached.

 

Yuusuke put his aim back on the short one's head. “Try again, asshole.”

 

Suddenly he started babbling, tongue apparently loosened, though the team still couldn't make sense of what he was saying. As he did so, his tall companion slowly started edging towards the forest mere meters away.

 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Kurama stated coolly, indicating the leaf-covered branches his youki was manipulating toward the would-be escapee.

 

The youkai merely smirked as he got within five feet of the forest, Kurama's branches closing in on him with razor edges. Just before the kitsune's plants reached their destination, thick, black, snakelike vines suddenly shot out of the forest and wrapped their tendrils around the two youkai. Then, having secured their hold, they suddenly shot back into the trees, pulling its captives into the dense woods.

 

The tantei looked at each other for a split second, wearing different shades of bewilderment on their faces, before taking off to chase after their prey. Before they could get within twenty feet of the trees, however, Botan suddenly swooped in front of them on her oar. Her ample kimono sleeve was pressed firmly to her face and her eyes watered as she squinted through them at the boys.

 

“Stop right there!” her muffled voice ordered before she had a light fit of coughing, having accidentally breathed in some of Makai's natural miasma.

 

“Botan! What're you doing?! They're getting away!!” Yuusuke made to dash around her, but she spun in midair, hitting him soundly upside the head with the paddle of her oar. Hiei had also made to give chase, and was given a whack of his own, earning Botan a Glare of Death which she promptly ignored.

 

“Do you know what that is you were about to run headfirst into?!” the blue haired girl asked exasperatedly. Not waiting for an answer, she said, “The Forest of the Void! You have no idea what could be waiting in there for you, and this is clearly a trap! As I told you, Shizuru-san and Keiko-chan are safe in Reikai, so what logical reason can you give me for following those two that were obviously trying to bait you into the forest?!”

 

“We need to go in there anyway,” Yuusuke protested. “That forest could hold answers to all the attacks lately. We have Kurama with us now, we'll be fine!”

 

Botan gave a feminine growl of exasperation through her kimono sleeve, “Just having Kurama with you isn't enough if you don't at least have some idea of what you'll be facing! The order to stay out of the Forest of the Void came all the way from Enma Daioh-sama himself, so you better think twice about disregarding it!”

 

“Enma Daioh-sama gave the order?” Kurama questioned. When Botan nodded he continued, “Why is he involved in this? He usually leaves these tasks to be doled out to us by Koenma.”

 

Botan shrugged. “I can't answer that question, because I have no idea. All I know is that, after speaking with Koenma-sama yesterday, Enma Daioh-sama sent down the order that under no circumstances were any Reikai employees or entities to enter the Forest of the Void until further notice. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to Reikai before I get sick and go blind.”

 

Seeing her red, tear-streaming eyes and increasingly paling complexion, the team conceded, albeit Hiei rather grudgingly, and returned with her to Reikai.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Leaves swished loudly, branches cracked and broke, and a path was cleared through the dark and mostly deserted forest as the heavy black vines dragged their captives toward the heart of the Forest of the Void. They came to a small clearing in the trees, though the canopy of the millennium old trees above them continued to cast everything in shadow. Nestled in the clearing that was encircled by trees was a large cave with a gaping, grinning mouth-like entrance.

 

There was no pause in the dragging of the two youkai as they entered the clearing; jagged rocks at the mouth of the cave scraped into their flesh as they were whipped past into the depths of it. Wind rushed past their ears, echoing through the tunnels and making eerie howling noises. Light started seeping into the darkness enshrouding them, and soon they found themselves in the belly of the cavern, the ceiling cathedral height or more, flooded with light from numerous torches on the walls. More tendrils of the black vines wrapped around them were waving and writhing all over. Taking in their surroundings, they paled, feeling sick as they realized it was not vines or branches wrapped around them, but the tentacle-like appendages of their Master's eerie child.

 

“K-Kanna-sama!” the taller youkai croaked out, trying to gulp down his nervousness and fear.

 

Their pale master stood in front of her stone-carved throne, face masked in blank and seemingly indifferent expression. Beside her was her `son', holding a round mirror as he stood perfectly still staring into it. His eyes were dull and vacant, though the black, sucker-less tentacles writhed around him from under his kimono.

 

“You failed in your mission,” Kanna's soft, monotone voice stated simply. “You lost the girls and allowed the Reikai Tantei to gain the advantage again.”

 

“We distracted the tantei just as you commanded, Master!” the short one cried out through his pain, blood from his lost and injured arms soaking his clothing and running over the tentacles wrapped around his waist.

 

“I did not say to distract them,” Kanna continued calmly. “I said kidnap the two girls and lead the tantei on a chase to lure them here. I said, bring me the girls and trap the tantei.”

 

“You also said you didn't want them fuckin' things up with the Young Master's plan, so we needed to create a distraction!” the short one argued.

 

Kanna's eyes narrowed at him suddenly, and she spoke to the boy beside her, though her gaze never left the erring youkai. “Na-kun, have you ever heard me speak in such a way?” she said in her soft, emotionless voice, barely a question in her tone.

 

Na-kun's dilated red eyes were also fixed on the youkai as he answered in an equally emotionless voice, “No, okaa-sama, of course not.”

 

“That's what I thought,” she sounded almost thoughtful. Then, suddenly, her eyes turned red and her soft voice became a growl. “How dare you try to deceive me with such disrespect?! Na-kun, dispose of this trash!”

 

“Yes, okaa-sama,” he replied obediently, before tightening his tentacle's grip on the demon, squeezing until it looked like one of those squishy stress relief animal toys that'd been squeezed past its limit. As his guts were streaming out of his orifices, his high-pitched screaming muffled to a gurgle and finally stopped, leaving only the echo traveling through the tunnels of the cave.

 

The remaining taller demon in the grips of the other tentacle was sweating profusely and stinking of fear. “K-Kanna-sama, gomen nasai. We screwed up, big time. It won't happen again! I will follow whatever instructions you give!!”

 

The red gradually fading from her black eyes, Kanna's voice returned to its soft monotone as she beckoned a finger to the remaining youkai. Na-kun brought his appendage down and towards her as his mother took out a second mirror hidden in her obi. “No, you won't,” Kanna's childlike voice said simply, as the mirror drew the wide-eyed demon's soul out of his body. After the glowing form disappeared beneath the reflective surface, Kanna turned it towards herself, centering it closely over her heart. Touching the surface, it wavered as if the glass were water, and slowly the stolen soul flowed back out and into her chest, filling the empty space there again. “You may dispose of this one as well, Na-kun.”

 

“You do not wish to keep this one, okaa-sama?”

 

“Iie, he is of no more use to me.”

 

“Hai, okaa-sama,” the boy replied, bowing even as he crushed the shell of the remaining demon.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Where's Keiko?!”

 

“Where's my sister?!”

 

The two shouts echoed through the many halls of King Enma's castle as Botan led the boys to the room the girls were recovering in. Coming to a closed door in one of the higher towers, Botan stopped the boys and knocked on the door.

 

A cheery, “Hai!” was heard from within, before the door creaked open to reveal a short girl with magenta colored hair in pigtails. She wore a welcoming smile as she pulled the door open wider and allowed them to enter, greeting, “Okaeri nasai, Botan-san. Oh, you must be Yuusuke-san-tachi! Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite.” She bowed low to the group, waiting expectantly until they returned her introduction. Hiei gritted his teeth, but followed his companions' example, with a little mental prodding from Kurama. Once the `proper' introduction was done, Haruko stood and, with a sweeping motion of her arm, directed them further into the room, “Keiko-san and Shizuru-san are resting over here.”

 

“What is this place, Haruko?” Yuusuke asked, looking around the room containing a couple couches, cabinets stocked with what looked like medical supplies, and many empty beds behind open curtains. A pretty blue demon, with two small horns protruding from her forehead, wearing what looked to be a nurse's uniform, stood by a desk writing on a clipboard of papers. Haruko paused a moment at Yuusuke's question, but said nothing and continued to walk. Yuusuke's brow furrowed, then one cocked up as he looked questioningly to Botan beside him.

 

Sweatdropping, Botan spoke, “Haruko-san, Yuusuke and the boys have never been up here. Would you like to tell them where we are, or shall I?”

 

Haruko turned back to them with a blushy smile and said pleasantly, “This is the hospital clinic tower. Keiko-san and Shizuru-san were brought here because it is the best-equipped to take care of any problems that may arise when they wake.”

 

“So they are still unconscious, Haruko-san?” Kurama questioned as they finally reached a closed curtain.

 

“Actually, we just received the results back from the drug tests we did, and I was about to give them an injection to wake them up when you arrived.” The demon nurse they'd seen before spoke, pulling back the curtain. She pulled out a syringe from her uniform and pulled a cap off the needle, then tapped it with a finger and pressed the plunger a little to make sure all the air bubbles were gone. She gave Shizuru the injection first, and the sandy haired girl sat bolt upright, eyes shooting open wide.

 

“Whe—” she had to pause her question for a small coughing fit, during which her brother rushed to her side to pat her back.

 

“Are you okay, nee-san?!” Kuwabara asked concernedly.

 

Finishing up her coughing and pushing him away, though gently and with a thankful smile, she said, “I'm fine, I think… Where am I? What happened?”

 

“You're in Reikai!” Haruko spoke in her cheerful tone. “And you're right, you are fine now, Shizuru-san, though it is advisable to stay here at least one more day for observation. We've never seen the effect the drug those demons used on you has on humans.”

 

She narrowed her eyes, partially in confusion and partially in anger. “I was drugged?”

 

“Rather, it was a concoction of Makai plant venom, normally used as a defense mechanism,” the nurse answered after she'd given the injection to Keiko and watched the girl's subsequent bug-eyed waking. “It shouldn't be anything to worry about, luckily, and usually leaves your system within 24 hours. The injection we've given you two is a counteractive and shortens the effects dramatically. However, as Haruko-san stated, we've never seen it used on humans before, so we will need to keep you both here in Reikai for at least the next 24 to 48 hours.”

 

Keiko's brows knitted together, “We're in Reikai? Why are we in Reikai?” She looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces, finally coming back to the one most comforting, the one who'd rushed to her side as soon as she'd sat up and held her tightly. She gave him a confused and pleading look.

 

“You were kidnapped, remember?” Yuusuke started slowly. “Someone from Reikai found you two unconscious somewhere, and brought you here.”

 

“And now I have to stay here for the next two days?” Keiko asked, tensing up.

 

Haruko spoke up, “Just for observation, nothing to worry about.”

 

Keiko didn't relax at her words.

 

Rubbing her back and shoulders comfortingly in his embrace, Yuusuke promised, “Don't worry, Keiko, I'll stay with you the whole time. You'll be fine.”

 

“But, Yuusuke… what about my parents? They'll worry when I don't come home.”

 

“We shall take care of that, Keiko-san, don't you worry,” Haruko reassured.

 

Keiko gave her a skeptical look and asked, “Sumimasen… ano… who are you?”

 

Haruko smiled brightly, cheeks fluorescently blushy, though not in embarrassment but merely in apparent mirth. “Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite.” She bowed to the other girl, and Keiko immediately returned the greeting.

 

“Yukimura Keiko, hajimemashite.” Being in a position that didn't really allow for a bow, she inclined her head to the bright pink haired girl.

 

“I'm sorry to bring this up now,” Botan broke into the introductions. “But we need to go brief Koenma-sama on what happened. In fact, you still haven't told me why you were chasing those youkai in Makai, so we all need to go to Koenma-sama's office and discuss this.”

 

Keiko tightened her hold again on Yuusuke, and he insisted, “You guys go with Botan to do that. I'm stayin' here with Keiko.”

 

“Me too,” Kuwabara spoke. “I'm not leavin' my sister.”

 

“I'm fine, really, Kazuma,” Shizuru reassured her brother. She gave him a stern look as he tried to argue, and he immediately shut his mouth. She said, “Yuusuke will be here, anyway, so you should go with your friends and do your job.”

 

Botan was about to protest, but Kurama spoke calmly, “It's okay, Botan-san. We were all there, we can tell you what happened without Yuusuke.”

 

Botan looked skeptical for a moment, but then Haruko said, “Go on, Botan-san. Surely it will be okay if Yuusuke-san stays with Keiko-san. It could help in her recovery. Besides, we also need to find out from these girls what happened.”

 

“I… really don't remember,” Keiko replied to this.

 

“I remember being picked up and carried away after Kazuma was hit,” Shizuru spoke. “After that, I guess we were knocked out.”

 

“Do you remember going through the barrier?” Botan asked.

 

“It would've hurt like hell,” Kuwabara chimed in.

 

“I remember… voices in my head… but I don't know what they were saying. Maybe they were screaming? I don't remember any pain, but I felt like I was caught in a weird dream, and everything around me felt heavy.”

 

“That sort of sounds like you went through the barrier. Perhaps the drug they gave you also eased the pain of breaking through the barrier unauthorized,” Kurama suggested.

 

“This particular venom isn't known to ease pain,” the nurse spoke up. “Of course, perhaps it does in humans.”

 

“You remember nothing else?” Kurama asked the girls. They both shook their heads `no'.

 

“Okay, then,” spoke Botan. “We will be back after an audience with Koenma-sama. Haruko-san, Jeni-san, I'll leave them to you.”

 

At that, the blue haired girl escorted the other three Spirit Detectives back down to Koenma's office.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

The sun had long since set in Makai as a pale, black haired boy made his way easily through the thick Forest of the Void. None of the strange and dangerous inhabitants bothered him, in fact they looked on him with a sort of terrified reverence. The very vegetation seemed to part, making a path for him. He came to a clearing, though the moonlight would not break through the high canopy of leaves, and entered the mouth of the cave.

 

In the belly of the cave, Kanna sat on her stone throne staring into her mirror, her son standing to the left of her. His gaze was distant and empty, though his tentacles still twitched and writhed in a sort of slow dance from beneath his elaborate kimono. When the boy entered the throne room, she lifted her gaze from the mirror to regard him, a spark of warm recognition going through her fathomless black eyes.

 

Going to kneel in front of Kanna and the boy that was almost his exact copy, not counting the tentacles, the boy we know as Yukio bowed and said, “I have returned.”

 

“Welcome back,” Kanna spoke softly, “my son.”

 

End Chapter 17~TBC

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Japanese:

 

Aniki: older brother

 

Tou-san/otou-san: father

 

Ikiningyou: lifelike doll

 

Moshi mo~sh: same as moshi moshi (“hello” on the phone), only written how she's actually saying it rather than proper spelling (hold the “o” on the “~” )

 

Ganbatte: go for it; do your best; work hard; good luck; etc.

 

Okaeri nasai: You have returned (normally said in reply to “Tadaima”)

 

Hajimemashite: how do you do; I am glad to meet you; pleased to meet you (said during polite/formal greetings when first meeting someone; “Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite.” = “I am Haruko-san, pleased to meet you.”)

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A/N: I've decided I'm no longer going to be holding chapters in reserve (I used to keep at least one in the bank and not post it until I'd written the next one), so you guys are getting this one as soon as it's done and beta'd! Yay! Last chapter hardly got any love *sigh*, but maybe another update this soon will bring back the readers. Thanks to the readers that did review. This one's dedicated to you! `Til next time…

 

~ LG

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Thank you for reading. Please review!