Escapade

Kohari: Okay, lame title, I know. But this IS NOT a sequel to "To Break the Chain"! It's a more detailed, more…dark, I guess, version of the original, possibly a tragedy, I haven't decided. That's why it's rated R. It starts off pretty tame, but things could get rougher. I won't need Mal in this one, BarOhki. Anyways, I don't plan on very much commentary in this one. Takes up time. Disclaimer IS in effect for the entirety of the story.

Chapter One

A cliff in the middle of nowhere, trees all around, an archaic city below, and a gorgeous waterfall in the distance. A black-haired fire apparition sat on the jutting rock, legs dangling over the side.

At first glance, he looks normal. Well, almost. Tattered blue jeans, a black tank ripped in several places, a somewhat dirty white bandana over his forehead, and a punk look in his eyes. But a second look would show you red eyes, fangs, a sword under one hand, a third eye under the cloth (if you looked hard enough), and a white starburst in his spiked, gravity-defying hair. He was a demon. The demon Hiei.

He gazed at the glorious sight before him. He, being one of those emotionless people, probably wouldn't say it aloud, but it was beautiful. It was nice to take a break once in a while.

A shout of "Come back here, ya li'l runt!" pierced the peaceful atmosphere of the scene, and Hiei's mind shook itself out of serenity and back to reality. He sighed. It figured as soon as he got away from the Spirit Detectives they'd find a way to catch up to him. He gripped his blade, shaking his head at Kuwabara's hopelessness, for it was he who had hollered out.

A hideous and disturbing giggle followed the scream, along with the small and ugly bare body of a sprite emerging from the forest. Closely pursuing the evil trickster were Kazuma Kuwabara and Yusuke Urameshi, running so fast they were raising dust clouds and knocking down trees.

"Get 'im, Hiei!" the star of Yu Yu Hakusho called out to the now on-his-feet pyro master.

The two idiots (K-n-Y) chased the nuisance around in circles, trying to explain between breaths and revolutions the situation Koenma had laid down for them, Hiei not making any move to help.

"The little rat's…been pranking…humans…dangerous…gotta stop 'im…Kurama's waiting…at entrance…and DO YOU MIND?"

The sprite ran off in another direction, throwing Yusuke and Kuwabara off, and running toward Hiei. The apparition gripped his sword tighter, aiming it at the mini devil, not bothering to get into a battle stance. The…thing…hadn't stopped laughing the entire time any of this was going on.

Then, before you could blink, and to the surprise of the sprite, Hiei disappeared into a blackish blur, displaying his amazing and noteworthy speed, reappearing directly in front of the troublemaker. Before it could stop or even let out a squeal, the steel of Hiei's famous blade met with the soft, unprotected flesh of the target, a shower of warm blood erupting from the wound and splattering all over the others. The cut ran all the way through its body, beginning with the dorsal area (stomach/chest) and exiting through its back.

A wail escaped the lips of the naked objective as he burst into flames, ashes falling where the annoyance had once been.

"Man, Hiei, we were supposed to bring it in ALIVE!" Yusuke complained.

"Yeah, Shorty! How're we gonna explain this!" Kuwabara demanded.

"Like I care," came the response. Before they could comment, the speaker pulled another Houdini, leaving them with their jaws hanging.

Kurama arrived into the cliffside clearing, taking in the sight of the plasmic fluid soaking the ashes and staining the vegetation. "I take it Hiei settled matters? And close your mouths. Some strange insect might wander into it." They did so.

"Yeah. He took care of it," Yusuke answered. "Shoot. Koenma's gonna kill me."

"Hopefully not as thoroughly as our little friend," Kurama joked, referring to the cause of their mission. Yusuke gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, man. Hiei downright MURDERED the damn thing."

"Uh, guys? Maybe we should go give the report now," Kuwabara interrupted.

"What about Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

"He'll be fine," Kurama told him with a smile. "You forget, he was once a loner, and a most feared one at that for his skills."

"Right," Yusuke agreed. "Well, we ain't getting any younger!" he said enthusiastically, stretching after his workout. "Let's go!" He pumped a fist into the air and led the way back through the forest.

Kurama gave one last look at the scene, then left as well. Would any of them ever understand their teammate, Hiei? The fox himself could hardly figure out the enigma that was the apparition, but he knew the tamer of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame better than the rest of the team. Maybe one day, Hiei would lighten up and accept their friendship. But for now, they'd just have to deal with his solitary attitude and fluctuating hatred.

Maybe one day, the worlds would be better than the ones he'd had to live through. Maybe one day…