Jaki reached Sensui's doorstep within the same day. Casually, he sauntered up to the doorstep, knocking heavily with a knuckle.

On cue, the two guards materialized from the wood. Jaki gave the two a half-smile.

"I'm here to see Sensui." He declared.

The "help" nodded in unison, swinging the door open for Jaki's entrance.

"An escort will be with you shortly." The guard on the right intoned as Jaki strolled through to the main entrance.

The doors banged shut.

Jaki hummed, frowning at the tapestries draping from the walls. He walked over to the nearest, picking up the green tassel and fingering it with slight disgust.

"Jaki I presume?" A cool voice interrupted Jaki's negative thoughts on the décor.

Jaki dropped the picture gently, and then turned to see a turban wrapped demon, blue eyes settled coolly on him.

"I am Touya." The demon told Jaki, bowing.

Jaki nodded curtly in response. "Jaki." He replied curtly. "I have a need great need to speak to the lord of this house Sensui. It is an emergency."

Touya closed his eyes briefly in understanding before walking down a branched off hallway, motioning Jaki to follow.

Several hallways, staircases, and trapdoors later Touya finally stopped at an intricately done door, gold lettering spelling out "Sensui" encased in a rose colored box.

"Master." Touya called respectfully. "I have a brought a guest to you."

Some shuffles were heard inside and Sensui cracked open the door. He didn't speak for a moment, instead choosing to rake his eyes over Jaki's thin seven foot tall body, eyes lingering on his long golden hair and stopping to rest on violet eyes. Sensui's mouth twisted upwards into a toothless smile.

"What can I do for you?" He all but purred, leaning on the handle of his a jar door, making it groan from the sudden pressure.

Jaki preened subconsciously at the attention but quickly righted his attentions back to his original goal as memories of a small bleeding fire demon flashed past his eyes.

"Yes actually," Jaki smiled back. "I was wondering if a small demon had come by recently. Small, wears black, spiky hair, red eyes. Pretty."

Sensui hmmed, buying time as he plotted.

Definitely a toy to keep. The woman within Sensui chuckled.

I wonder who would last longer under torture? Him or Hiei? Kazuya, the harsher side of him murmured cruelly.

Sensui nodded, coming to a decision. Turning his awareness outwards he smiled again at his guest.

"You're in luck! A demon of your description came through here not but a day ago, requesting a place to sleep. Touya, if you would show our dear friend here to the room our spiky haired friend is?"

"Of course master." Touya intoned monotonously, under standing perfectly what was going through Sensui's mind and the precise steps to carry the plan out. "Is there anything else before we go?"

Sensui frowned. "Yes actually. You and your red haired sidekick can take the day off. You've done well. Touya."

Touya bowed, letting out the first smile in all the time he'd been under Sensui's service.

"Of course master."

He bowed to Jaki.

"Follow me sir."

Kurama lay on the floor where Jaki had left him hours ago, convulsing every few minutes. Intense coughing fits overtook him at random and eyes widen and glazed in interchanging intervals.

Another seizure hit and Kurama screamed in pain, choking up blood. Weakly he shoved two long fingers down his throat, squeezing eyes tightly.

More blood poured out of his mouth, staining the front of his pristinely white shirt, but this time the small vial that Jaki had shoved down Youko's throat came up with the red liquid, slightly cracked, but corked and holding.

Coughing hoarsely, Kurama sat up weakly, a weak, but pleased smile dancing across his lips.

"Thought he had me for a second there." Kurama tried to laugh but had to stop as he spit out some bile.

Wiping his mouth in disgust, Kurama took the hem of his ruined tunic; washing off his body fluids from the vial Kurama placed the vile in one pants pocket.

"I'll just keep this..." He mused aloud. "Maybe I'll get a chance to return the favor."

Youko smiled wider as the vision of Jaki writhing in the throes of death from his of toxin flashed across his eyes.

"Later." He told himself firmly. Revenge would come after he had Kohona firmly back in his clutches.

Speaking of Kohona…he pulled a seek-seed out his hair. Inserting some of his chi into it gently, he set it on the ground.

It shook, and then burst, blooming into a small black dog, tinted green with leaves in place of ears and a daisy coming out of one eye.

Kurama fondly looked down upon his creation.

"Fire demon, about five feet even, red eyes, spiky hair, cold temper, probably within a three hundred mile radius of where we're standing at most."

The plant dog swiveled his good eye up at his master, panting hard. He stayed like that for a moment, before barking twice in understanding and took off north, Youko hot on his heels.

"Can't hide from me!" He laughed manically and the dog barked along happily.

"It's only a matter of time!"

Back with Kuronue Hiei sneezed.

"Someone must be talking about you!" Kuronue exclaimed, munching on his last fried cricket.

Hiei frowned as his brain conjured up with a picture of a manically laughing Youko.

He had no clue how accurate he really was.

"I hope not." Hiei muttered, returning his attention back to the slowly widening crack.

Since he still had the ki-draining collar on he had to do everything manually. Thus, it was taking much longer to break open. Hiei sighed as another finger started to bleed from being scraped against raw energy for so long.

When I get out, I swear I'm never putting even a toe in lord's houses again. They're all insane or violent.

He nodded to himself, then added a quick after thought his mental memo. Or both.

Hiei growled in frustration at how a relatively simple retrieval task had gotten so out of hand and in his anger ripped his hand through.

He gritted his teeth angrily, shaking the bleeding hand once than returning to his task.

"Damn collar." He snarled.

"If you'd like, I could take the collar off?" Kuronue offered brightly, leaning back in the chair.

Hiei paused. Slowly, he put his hands down until they hung at his sides. He turned around gradually until he finally faced the still beaming Kuronue.

"You can…take the collar…off?" Hiei asked almost lethargically. Kuronue nodded rapidly, making his tattered hat bob.

"If you like."

Hiei felt his lips twitch upwards into what could be called a smile.

"But only if I'd like?" He asked, the annoying twinge to grin widely becoming stronger.

"Yup!" Kuronue beamed harder.

Hiei felt a vein in his forehead throb. "Yes." He uttered. "I would like the collar off very much."

Kuronue nodded again, even faster than last time. He got up, knocking the chair to the floor. Sauntering over happily, he reached behind Hiei. Biting the side of his lip, he fumbled for a moment, than grinned as a small click was heard and the collar fell off Hiei easily.

"There!" Kuronue proclaimed. "All done!"

Hiei nodded, feeling his power surge back through him, considerably weaker than usual but there.

"Say…" Hiei started, still trying to keep his mouth from having its way. "You like that hat?"

Kuronue frowned, subconsciously patting the tattered thing. "It's probably the most precious thing to me. It was given to me by a very dear friend, one whose memory I hold dear."

Hiei nodded, then snatched the hat off Kuronue's head, incinerating it.

"YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN THE DAMN COLLAR OFF THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME AND YOU CHOSE NOT TO TELL ME ABOUT THIS?" Here Hiei took one of his bloodied hands, pointing at the slightly widened crack.

"WE COULD HAVE BEEN OUT AND FREE BY NOW GOD DAMN IT!"

Hiei huffed and silence over took the two.

Then Kuronue let out a shriek.

"MY HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" He rushed to his makeshift kitchen and grabbed a little container off the counter.

"My hat…" He sniffled, scooping the remains into the pot and topping it carefully. "My hat…" He sniffed again, clutching it to his chest.

Hiei grunted. "Suck it up. The thing had no intrinsic value anyway."

Kuronue wiped at his face, angrily glaring at Hiei. "It was valuable to me!"

Hiei gulped as the chimera began to cry. "Fine." He muttered softly. "I know a certain person that owes me a favor anyway. He'll be able to fix your hat."

Kuronue glanced up, face tear stained.

"Really?"

"Hn."

"Really!"

"Hn."

"REALLY?"

Hiei felt his vein begin to pulse and was severely beginning his impulse to do something kind to the demon who had fed him, when a loud yell distinctly Sensui was heard.

"WHAT THE FUCK? HE'S GONE!"

Hiei looked up. "That's our cue." In a flash he had punched through the shield, shattering it.

"Let's go! The sooner we leave, the sooner I can fix your hat!"

This was obviously all the motivation the Kuronue needed as he leapt up, container still clutched tightly against his chest, and followed the flitting Hiei up the rat hole into the main body of the castle.

They dodged the security silently and efficiently and within no more than a few minutes the castle door was in sight.

Hiei allowed heat to run through his veins, racing to gather as flames in his hand.

With a particularly fierce yell, Hiei let the red flames loose, reeking havoc on the door.

The two demons jumped out of the smoking ruins of Sensui's door.

And straight into a thin, but solid body.

Hiei blinked as his brain tried to comprehend what just happened to put him on top of a currently stunned Kuronue.

As a niggling sense of fear coursed through him, Hiei looked up slowly to meet the golden eyes of one silver fox, a strange looking dog (dog?) by his side.

"Did you miss me?"

Hiei groaned, standing up.

"Why me?"