A few more minutes. Just a few more minutes before Hiei would arrive here.

The gray-clothed, brown-haired and brown-eyed being smiled with delight as he stroked the crystal orb where he was watching the dark fire youkai intently.

The smile was almost mocking but suddenly it went from menacing to bitter. Why? Why did he want to punish Hiei so bad? He stroked the orb carefully as if stroking the half-koorime's face instead.

He looked at the ceiling of his room. Oh yes. He wanted someone to suffer. He needed someone to suffer. Why again? Perhaps, to bring justice to his own life. Perhaps, to make others understand.

It had just been mere weeks since he found Hiei and since the day he saw him, he had sworn that he would face cruelty as well. Hiei had friends. Hiei had teammates - none of which he had. He only had this world, the prisoners of this land, the damn master of the lands...and his father.

He couldn't understand it. He wanted Hiei to feel pain - something that that particular youkai probably had never felt before; had probably had no idea about.

But then, after those first few days of watching the fire demon, he had grown obssesed...no, more like infatuated. He wanted something from the youkai but he couldn't understand what it was. A need to inflict pain perhaps or something else? Something he still had no idea about.

A light knock was heard on his door.

"Honshu-sama?" one of the servants of the castle said.

"WHAT?" Honshu snarled. He hated being disturbed especially when in deep thought.

"Honshu-sama, Master Ryu is asking what your plans are for the child of the prisoner."

Honshu smirked, got up and headed out of his room, totally ignoring the servant and padding to the throne room.

"Hon-" the master of the lands began as he saw Honshu strutting toward the room.

Honshu cut him off quickly, raising a hand. "Leave that to me. I'll make sure to make them suffer."
 

Mikagami and Hiei were eyeing the guard suspiciously as they walked towards the sea but the being chose not to mind them as he smiled and tried to enjoy the sunshine.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" the guard said with a smile, his face turned to the sky.

Hiei snorted. "Where the hell are we anyway? What dimension is this?"

The guard looked at Hiei suddenly but said nothing. He looked ahead and just continued to walk in silence.

"Hey, I asked you a question!" Hiei snarled in anger.

"This dimension was never named. I heard that a god created this plane. That's all I know."

"What do your masters want from us?" Mikagami asked with a glare.

The guard just shrugged. "I just work here. I don't know anything else."

"Do you know any way out of here?" Mikagami asked seriously. He really wanted to get out of here.

"As far as I know, only two beings from this land could open the gates. And of course, the only others who could are the gods."

They walked toward the pink shore but just as they were about to get wet with their next step, a gate opened and swallowed them.

They arrived in front of a gloomy-looking castle. The structure was old and gray and it seemed as if nothing lived inside but ghosts and goblins.

Mikagami swallowed. He had never seen a place looking so haunted and threatening as this one. He had encountered a lot of fearsome things in his life but never this. It looked like they were in purgatory. A very cold purgatory.

Mikagami put on the jacket of his uniform which he had been holding earlier on due to the heat of the other place they had just recently been on. It was really cold out here. He really hated it.

Suddenly, the huge metal door opened and the guard lead them in. They entered and headed to the throne room.

Inside, they saw a tall dark-haired man with purple eyes wearing a forest green tunic. His expression was serious as every other being there except...

Hiei's eyes widened as he saw Honshu smirking at him. "YOU!"

Honshu merely shrugged without concern. "I was only playing with your mind, boy."

"Mind games?" Hiei spat. "Prove how tough you really are. Fight me now!"

"You?" Honshu laughed with mockery. "You want to fight me?"

Hiei unsheathed his katana and made his stance as he glared at Honshu with full-blown anger.

"No." Honshu said as he settled down. "That's not what I want and I'm pretty sure you'll thank me later on if ever you'd find out what I'm truly capable of. If. But then-"

"Shut up!" Hiei demanded, his tone very icy.

"Honshu, take Hiei and his friend to their rooms." the purple-eyed man commanded but suddenly shook his head. "Oh yeah, we haven't been properly introduced. I am Ryu, the master of this lands and this is Honshu, the second in command. Hiei, I'm sure you've met him."

"Hn!" Hiei snarled in disgust, eyeing the brown-haired being, who was as tall as him, with distaste. He was thoroughly annoyed that his now most hated enemy was right here in front of him yet he couldn't do anything about it - not if he still wanted to go back to Ningenkai anyway.

"Wait a minute!" Mikagami butted in. There was only one thing on his mind. "We've only come here to get out of this damned place. We-"

"Damned place?" Honshu asked as he lifted an eyebrow. Damned place? What the hell? What a rude ningen!

Ryu interrupted before his bad-tempered comrade lost it again. "It takes time to open a gate going back to Ningenkai so you have to stay here for a while. It's the easiest way."

Mikagami and Hiei looked at the beings around them in suspision and suddenly looked at each other.

"I don't trust them." Hiei said in a low voice.

"Neither do I." Mikagami said. "What do you think?"

"If it's true that only they have the key to get out of here, then we should stay close to this castle-"

"You're telling me that we stay outside in the freezing weather?"

Honshu rolled his eyes as he watched the two have a little convesation. "You're worrying about trusting us? We would never hurt you." There was a glint in one of his eyes.

Both Mikagami and Hiei did not believe that for one second.

"Forgive Honshu." Ryu told them. "The portal will open tommorow morning so I suggest you rest for a while."

"Let's go." a guard then said as he lead them towards a room on the third floor, not waiting for their decision.

Mikagami and Hiei looked at each other once more and finally decided to follow. They didn't trust them but it was the only option available if they wanted to leave so soon.

When the two were far enough from Ryu and Honshu, Honshu snickered.

"Fools!" he said. How easily could they be fooled! How easily could they be tricked!

"Don't underestimate them." Ryu reminded the younger being. "But then-"

"But then they will suffer soon!" Honshu declared in excitement. "...but I hate the rules of this dimension and I hate him! I hate-"

"Honshu." Ryu interrupted with a knowing grin. "I think you need a break. Entertain the visitors."

Honshu snickered as he walked towards the visitors' room.
 

"Here." the guard said as he opened a door in the third floor of the castle. "This is where you'll both be staying for the night."
 

Mikagami looked outside the window, studying the place, his eyes wary while Hiei checked the place for any traps or anything that could threaten them.

"Hn." a voice said in amusement.

Both turned their heads quickly and saw the form of Honshu leaning against the frame of the door.

"What do you want?" Hiei demanded. He had enough of Honshu.

"When I first met you, I told you about your father. You still want to see him?"

Hiei stared for a while. He hadn't expected this. Was his father really here or was this a trap? He was curious about his so-called father but no, he really shouldn't give a damn. His father was a bastard. He couldn't care less about him but something within him nagged. It was as if this was a once in a lifetime thing. But then it really wouldn't matter if he met that man or not.

"Well?" Honshu asked, almost sounding like a good person.

Hiei shook his head. "I don't want to see him."

"This isn't a trap, I promise." Honshu stated with a smile - the smile that Hiei had never trusted.

Hn. Amusing. Who was Honshu trying to fool?

"He's always said that he's missed his son."