"Who was that?" Kuwabara asked as he stared at the flitting form of the little demon. "That Koji guy, I mean."

Yusuke and Kurama stared at the direction where Hiei had gone to as well. They both saw it - fear and anger. They had never seen him like that - and they thought they never will.

"I guess he was someone from Hiei's past..." Kurama stated, concern in his features. "His painful past."
 

About half an hour passed and the three remaining tanteis had decided to walk again, hoping against hope that Hiei would come back. They had already searched for him but couldn't find him. It had always been like that - if Hiei didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

Time was passing fastly as they continued on. Then suddenly they stopped, feeling a strong youki nearby. They couldn't almost identify it as it had been so high and so intense. They concentrated and finally saw its owner...Hiei.

Hiei's form suddenly materialized beside them as they stared on. His face was with a hard and cold expression and they knew that all the demon wanted was to fight and defeat that Koji youkai...later on. His aura was burning intensely and it seemed like with just a small amount of his youki, he could defeat the three of them combined.

They all kept quiet at sensing this.

They continued on in another round of silence as they were almost near. And then finally, darkness began to swallow the day.

They arrived and saw a huge cave. There was nothing extraordinary about it but they knew that something great had to be inside.

Slowly, they walked inside, caution in their steps. It was dark inside, lit only by the faint light from outside.

At the end of the tunnel, they saw a house-like interior, about ten to twelve youkais sitting down by a table and drinking a green makai liquid.

Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara stopped, sensing danger but much to their confusion, the youkais did nothing but stare at them. They then slowly moved again, towards one of the youkais.

A youkai with forest green hair, a green face and body with glowing neon green eyes looked up as he saw them. "You want anything?" There was a glint in one of his eyes.

Yusuke nodded, uncertain of the youkai surronding them. This could be a trap. They could be in danger.

Hiei looked at them all with disdain. He knew them all but didn't want to make the situation big. He just had to keep quiet.

"Forbidden one." a gray-faced, bald youkai then muttered before snickering. "You've come back."

"You know you were missed." another said as he eyed the small youkai through his ten eyes.

"We were so lonely without you, half-koorime." a blond-haired, black onyx-eyed then said, an evil smile on his face.

Hiei glared at them all. "Shut up!"

"I know what you want, Hiei-chan." Koji then told the fire demon, a glint in his eye. There was surely something evil and psychotic behind his pretty face.

Hiei's youki flared dangerously as he faced Koji, who was sitting on a comfortable chair.

"This." Koji then said as he took out the sacred dragon of Reikai.

Hiei moved to grab it but Koji had speedily hid it again.

"Hiei-chan." Koji then said as an evil idea came to his mind. He eyed Hiei up and down and smiled. He softly spoke, slowly as if talking to a child. "You want it? Pleasure me first. You could never beat me in real combat anyway."

A figure then stepped out of the shadows. "Kurama."

Kurama started as he heard that voice again...and saw...Taka. Had Taka and these bandits actually merged as one group? Then that meant that they were up against a really strong faction.

"Kurama, hello." Taka then said with a smirk. "Surprised?"

"Give it to me." Hiei snarled at Koji then.

"Fine."

The three other tanteis then stared at Koji in shock. Did he just say that he would return the artifact just like that?

"Hn." Koji said in amusement, his black onyx eyes gleaming. "Don't believe me?"

"But Koji!" one of the other youkais there protested.

Koji shot that youkai a glance, earning no more protests. "I'll give it back to my Hiei-chan. I just wanted to see him anyway."

Hiei glared at the blond-haired man in front of him with hatred and anger. This was suspicious. He was sure Koji was in his old games again. There had to be something wrong with this.

"Came all the way here so that Hiei would see..." Kuwabara muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes.

Yusuke had a grin on his face. "Good then. Hand over the atifact then." he said as he came by Koji's side and put his hand out.

Kurama just glared at the youkais suspiciously. No way could this be so easy.

Koji smiled then took out the artifact, waving it in the air before handing it to Yusuke.

Yusuke reached out and grabbed the stolen dragon but then got nothing but air. "Hey!"

Koji just smiled as he came eye to eye with Hiei. He could see it there - Hiei was still mad at him after all these years. Yeah, but then Hiei had every right to be. He could still remember damaging the small koorime to bits just for fun.

Hiei glared at the youkai in front of him. He wanted to do nothing more than slash his throat...then his face... then that tongue... then those arms .....those hands... his legs.

"Hiei?" Koji asked as he handed the dragon to the little koorime. "You will come and visit me again, ne? It can get lonely here sometimes especially since I'm without my pet fire demon any longer."

Hiei grabbed the dragon, holding it to one side as he unsheathed his katana.

"You know the consequences." Koji warned, eyeing the other youkais there. "The odds are against your team."

"Hiei." Yusuke then said. "Let's just get out of here. We have what we want."

Hiei ignored Yusuke as he pointed the end of his katana against the throat of his former mentor.

"Hiei." Yusuke said again.

Hiei began to move it against the skin of Koji's neck.

"Hiei!" Kurama then told his friend. He knew the danger. He realized it as he felt the other youkai's ki. They were too powerful - combined - against them.

Hearing Kurama's voice, Hiei stopped. He would finish Koji... another time. He slowly backed away, his wary eyes still at Koji and headed toward his friends. They backed away slowly.

Koji and Taka then laughed hysterically.

"Hiei-chan!" the green-haired youkai then screamed. "Come back! This is your home, remember?"

They all laughed at that.

"Hiei-chan." another cried out. "My pretty little youkai, come back, okay?"

They all howled in hysteria.
 

Hiei handed the dragon artifact to Kurama as they walked on. He was silent as the other boys laughed on about how easy it had took to finish this mission. Hiei snorted, looking back at the cave. No one was there to watch them leave. Somehow, it shouldn't have been this easy. No way could it be this easy when they were dealing with the bandits who had raised him and an enemy of Kurama who the youko could never beat. There had to be more to this.