AnonymousHieiFan101: See? I told you I'd update sooner this time! Well, enjoy.

Chapter 7: The Danger Begins

"Grrr…arrogant bastard!" Ookami whispered harshly to herself. "I can't believe him! How the hell am I supposed to know where the fuck I'm goin'? AH!"

Ookami punched a tree as she attempted to make her way back through the forest. The going was more difficult than it had been getting there; that was for sure. For one thing, it wasn't just a leisure trip anymore. She really needed to get back before Kurama started to worry, however, she had a sneaking suspicion she hadn't been missed yet.

As she clamored over roots and fallen trees, and pushed aside low hanging branches, brush and vines, her forearms and face obtained quite a few scratches.

'Shit. How the hell am I gonna be able to explain all this to Kurama?' she thought to herself as she gained another scrape across her cheek, just under her eye.

The temple was finally in sight. Ookami heaved a sigh of relief and went over to the side of the building. She jumped up and went in through her window so she could heal up her minor wounds and not have anyone worry about her when she came in.

She creped into her bathroom and silently shut the door. She closed her eyes and a soft colorless glow surrounded her. The cuts on her face and arms were immediately healed, but the ones on her back were a little bit harder. It seemed like no matter how much she used the healing techniques she learned from Yukina, they just wouldn't heal.

She had taken off the top part of her outfit so that it hung down in the back, but she held it up in the front to cover her. As she looked at her back in the mirror, a rather hard thing to do, the three slices started to look like they were turning purple.

"What the-?" she questioned herself.

Dark purple vapors began to emit from the cuts and they were sudden searing with heat, like a very bad sunburn being slapped.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed. "It's…poison…" Ookami fell to the ground unconscious.

"Ookami," she heard Kurama's voice come faintly to her at first and then with growing strength. "Ookami! Wake up!"

"Huh…?" she questioned groggily.

"Ookami, what are you doing on the floor? And in only half your clothes no less?" Kurama asked, wrapping a towel around her torso.

Ookami stood up numbly, holding the towel up so it only covered her front, but not her back. She looked at her back in the mirror and was barely able to suppress her gasp. There was absolutely no trace of the cuts having been there.

'Weird…' she thought. "Guess it was nothing…" she mumbled.

"What was nothing?" Kurama asked.

"Huh? Oh, um, nothing," Ookami answered quickly, having forgotten her brother was there.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kurama, honest."

"Well, alright, I'll meet you downstairs." Kurama left his sister's room.

'I need to talk to Hiei,' Ookami thought, and hurried outside; after fixing her clothes of course.

Ookami ambled through the courtyard and to the very edge of the forest, where she had noticed Hiei usually was. She searched the treetops, but couldn't seem to find him.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder, making her jump and turn around quickly. It was Hiei.

"Hiei! Um, I was just looking for you," she said calmly.

"Hn," he said, and waited for her to continue.

"Um, I was just wondering, last night, a demon did attack me, right? And I did get three claw marks down my back, right?" she asked, feeling kind of stupid.

"Hn, why would you ask such a stupid question onna? Of course," he responded.

"Well, it's just, they kind of aren't there anymore."

"You used your healing powers didn't you?" he asked harshly.

"Well, yeah, but they wouldn't heal. They turned all purple and stuff and then this purple smoke or whatever started coming from them and they burned like hell. I passed out and they weren't there when I woke up," she explained in a rush. "Hiei, you alright?"

Hiei was looking at her with fairly wide eyes. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and turned her around pulling down the back of her top to see for himself.

"Hiei!" she exclaimed.

"I've heard of symptoms like this before. That demon was sent by someone, which someone knows about you and those other two and is undoubtedly out to kill you. You are beings of prophecy after all."

Hiei rubbed his hand over her back where the cuts should have been. Ookami immediately felt herself blushing a pale pink. Hiei noticed her tense up and smirked.

"Uncomfortable?" her questioned softly in her ear. Ookami couldn't get any tenser.

"Hey, what are you two doin' out here?" they heard Kuwabara ask. "Ha ha ha! Getting' a little frisky, eh?"

Hiei was instantly in front of Kuwabara with his katana at his throat. Ookami walked over calmly, however, her calmness only made Kuwabara jittery.

"Kuwabara, tell anyone what you saw, and rest assured you will pay. I know where you sleep," she threatened.

"Ha! My door and windows lock. You'd never get in without me hearing," he countered.

"I can pick lock with stealth you could never imagine."

"I…I don't have to sleep!"

"Neither do I." Ookami's voice was that of the devil's.

Kuwabara trembled. "Okay, I won't tell anyone! Just don't kill me!"

Ookami smirked with satisfaction, and Hiei sheathed his katana.

The others suddenly came outside.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Yusuke asked.

Ookami suddenly flinched and fell to her knees cringing. The group was almost instantly around her asking all kinds of different questions.

"Everybody, back up!" Genkai ordered. "Let the girl have some air."

The group did as told.

"HAHAHAHA! Now I shall have you my princesses!" a voice yelled.

Ookami's head snapped up. "Neko! Kitsune!" she called in a weakened voice.

Two rather disgusting demons grabbed the two girls and disappeared, leaving Kurama and Kuwabara to scream their beloveds' names.

"N-no…" Ookami gasp out and fell unconscious once more.

On her back, the three claw marks were reappearing, much worse and hazardous to her health than before. The purple vapors came from them in small, almost undetectable streams.

"Oh, god…" Kurama said under his breath as he looked at his younger sibling's wounds. "Rosewood. From the Makai."

Hiei looked up at Kurama with wide eyes. "Where the hell can anyone get demon rosewood these days?"

"I only know one person that could be in possession of this. I get all of my 'dangerous' plants from him. He should have an antidote. We should visit him as soon as possible," Kurama explained.

"What about Kitsune and Neko?" Keiko asked.

"We can't help then right now," he said in a pained voice. "Once Ookami is healed and we find out more about what we're dealing with, we can go to help them. We don't want to rush into something like this blind."

"We can…and will…if it will get them back unharmed…" Ookami stated weakly.

Kurama and Hiei stared at her in shock. The rest of the group was a little surprised that she was suddenly awake, even though she had a habit of doing that, but they didn't know anything about demon rosewood whereas Hiei and Kurama did.

"-the hell?" Yusuke demanded.

"You're able to resist the effects of the poison?" Kurama asked astounded.

"No…I just refuse to let it effect me," she answered. She began to stand up on shaky legs. "Koenma, take us to Rekai. I need to use one of the computers."

Koenma nodded and a portal appeared under their feat. They landed in his office and he motioned over to his computer. Ookami walked over to it more quickly and smoothly than they expected. She began typing on the keyboard with speed that only the genius Kurama could match.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Yusuke asked.

"Where they took Kitsune and Neko," she deadpanned.

"How do you plan to do that?" Kurama asked.

"I could have one of my ogres do that for you. Or I could do it," Koenma stated.

"I know how you work, Koenma. I'd be at least half a day before we heard anything back. If you want something done, do it yourself, as the saying goes. There."

The group gathered around as Ookami zoomed in on the most likely place for Kitsune and Neko to be based on the appearance of the demons that snatched them, and then any abandoned building in the Makai. There was one. Kurama, for one, knew it well.

"Shinjeru's headquarters?" Kurama asked.

"Who's Shinjeru?" inquired Ookami.

"The man that I was going to get your antidote from."

Kitsune and Neko were locked up in a grimy cell. Shackles around there wrists suspended them from the ceiling.

"You'll never get away with this!" Neko yelled.

"Yeah! Ookami will die trying to get us free if she has to!" Kitsune said. Neko nodded in agreement.

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for my little pets," Shinjeru said from the shadows, sending a chill up and down the girls' spines. Shinjeru left without them seeing his face, making them a little more uneasy.

"Do you think he really will kill Ookami?" Kitsune asked.

"I don't know," Neko answered truthfully. "I hope not."

"She will come for us though, right?"

"Of course she will! Not only is she the guardian, so it's her duty, but we've all been best friends for practically forever." 'I pray she does. We've been pretty hard on her lately. Onegai saa, mai fukushin.'(1)

(1) Please come, my (trusted, dear, close) friend.

AnonymousHieiFan101: That's all for now. Till next time. REVIEW!