Night time covered Makai as the four friends headed back home. They could just have camped out again but their instincts had told them to go back home. Sure it was going to be tiring but Kuwabara had a feeling that they should get away fast from that place if they didn't want trouble.

So they walked on, the glow of the moon shining on their young faces, ignoring exhaustion as they journeyed back to Ningenkai.

A few hours passed when suddenly, they saw about eighteen to twenty youkais waiting for them near the portal back to their world.

Kurama narrowed his eyes. The youkais were...his enemies...and Hiei's as well.

The youkais had been waiting for the tanteis here, coming here with speed just after the detectives have left the cave. They had used a shortcut no one knew of and had time to prepare for a battle. As they came eye to eye with their enemies, they then snickered as they began the attack.

Yusuke blinked as the youkais suddenly flickered out of sight and jumped when one of them almost hit him with a sword. He speedily evaded other attacks and started some of his own.

Kuwabara took out his rei-ken as he began to slash his enemies. Unfortunately, those youkais were too damn fast for his blows and he ended up in the way of their attacks instead.

Kurama tried to damage his opponents with his rose-whip as they came near him but they were at least his equal - each one of them. He winced as he was on the receiving end of a powerful ki blast.

"Kurama!" Hiei cried out as he saw his friend hurling away from the blow. He was in a sword war with Koji but his focus wasn't there.

Koji smiled, realizing this and plunged his sword on Hiei's side, making sure that the youkai didn't die yet.

Hiei stopped, his eyes wide as he listed forward and almost fell to the ground. It was so easy to give up now but his will wouldn't let him. He put one feet forward and refused to fall. He held on to his bleeding wound as his other hand held his katana, ready to kill, ready for revenge.

Koji just snickered as he saw that. Hiei was such a fool. The child should have given up as a child! Quickly and without warning, he threw mighty wards towards the koorime child, making him immobile and making him weak.

"B-bastard.." Hiei just muttered with disdain as his eyes closed and he succumbed to darkness.

Yusuke evaded another attack yet again but still, he couldn't seem to hit his opponents. It also didn't help that they were laughing at him. It was making him furious and he was fastly losing his patience.

There was a sudden huge explosion and smoke filled the place. A loud shriek and then silence. Everything was still.

Yusuke looked around with suspicion as he sensed his surroundings. There was something in that smoke - something that prevented him to see or feel anything. What could they be up to?

"Yusuke!" Kuwabara called out as he searched for his friends. "Kurama! Hiei!"

"I'm here, Kuwabara!" Yusuke called out.

Kuwabara walked on with caution and finally saw his friend. "Hey, Yusuke, where are Kurama and Hiei?"

Yusuke looked around. The smoke was slowly fading and as he focused his gaze, his eyes caught crimson locks nearby. Kurama... His eyes widened as he saw blood underneath the half-youkai's body. Kurama was still...

Both boys rushed by Kurama's side and were glad that their comrade was safe. But then, the kitsune was badly injured as blood still seeped out of his right shoulder.

Kurama looked up weakly as the other two fussed on him. "Hiei...where's Hiei?"

Yusuke looked around again but saw nothing else...no one else. They had taken Hiei and with the way that their enemies had talked, he was really sure that they would hurt the koorime boy.

"He's not here. I can't feel him." Kuwabara said as he looked around as well. "We must go back to the cave. I feel that they've brought him there."

At hearing that, Kurama tried to stand up but winced as pain shot up his body.

"Kurama, I think you better go on back to Ningenkai now." Yusuke said. "You're badly injured-"

"No!" Kurama protested. He had to protect Hiei. It was a promise to his itooshi...to Kajiko to keep Hiei safe...to watch over the little demon. "I'm coming with you, Yusuke!"

"But Kurama-" Yusuke began to explain.

"Yusuke, I need to be there for him." Kurama replied quickly, interrupting the half-toushin and not allowing anymore arguments.

Yusuke sighed in defeat. Kurama could be too stubborn sometimes.

So again, they went back to the direction of the cave, hoping that their friend would not be harmed in any way; would not be hurt again.
 

Darkness, chains, coldness...

Where was he? What was he doing here?

The small figure looked around weakly but saw nothing. He was lying on the ground, face-down as chains bound his hands and feet, restricting any other movement. He saw nothing but a deep, black familiar void. And...

Laughter.