Standard Disclaimer applied. See my profile for further details

AN: OK, I`ve spent two months of my life on one scene of this chapter - only to leave it out in the end. Seriously…But hell, what`s the matter. Have a beautiful year 2010! Love you all&enjoy! XD

11 Gimmick

Kurama groaned. It was fourth day of Hiei`s deep sleep and eighteenth attempt of Mukuro to snoop in his memories. Four days ago, he had told Hiei he wanted him to hibernate; they both needed regain their strength. But inside of Hiei`s head, Mukuro was recklessly stirring up what should have been left alone if he was to get better; leaving Kurama with not that many choices. She was an intruder, so he had to become a watchdog. And he had been playing the role. He was constantly on a guard, barking and biting back, without any chance to rest.

Putting Hiei to sleep proved difficult enough as it was; he could keep his eyelids closed only after Kurama redirected the stream of horror images that Hiei`s mind had been producing. Into his own mind, since he hadn't found any other place they could go to and melt away without causing serious damage. They were Hiei`s nightmares not his, so Youko correctly assumed he could preserve his detachedness. He hadn't expected being thrown into a chasm because of them - and he wasn't. Those images didn't mean anything.

Nevertheless, the flow was quite relentless - and it was all blood. Blood, death… and sex.

Blood sex death blood sex death blood sex death blood…

It seemed that Hiei`s dreams couldn't come with anything else but distorted variants of the same twisted illusion which the Maru had presented them as the main dish on their menu for the day. They met. They betrayed each other. The weapon they mostly but not solely used was sex. They killed each other. Over and over again hundreds of times in hundreds of versions during those four days. Kurama could foresee the course of events in every single dream at the very start, but boredom of their unoriginality was not exactly the thing that was bothering him.

Disregarding the fact whether Hiei was alive or dying, those dreams meant that his mind was being caught in a never-ending nauseous loop without a strand to hint on a way out.

Kurama was having his hands full even now, after those endless four days.

And Hiei was coming to.

He was claiming all of his nightmares back, yet Kurama`s enervated system was not anymore in the state to heal and protect the equilibrium of their connection. Within their joined consciousness, Hiei`s awakening resembled an explosion. Kurama was instantly stifled into unawareness of dormancy.

Their roles swapped.

"I`d have never noticed the fascinating irregularity of this room`s ceiling; I`m obliged to gratitude for showing me," Nika smirked. He and Tebiko were going through the list of techniques of mental manipulation which they had managed to gather. At first, they were searching for any similarities to the procedure which the Maru had used to attack Hiei, but gradually, they redirected their efforts into looking for a clue that would provide at least a partial explanation to Youko Kurama`s way of action. More precisely Nika ended up doing that; Tebiko kept staring alternately at the wall and the ceiling for the past two hours, completely lost in thought.

She apparently didn't feel the need to tear her gaze away from the grayness above when Nika spoke to her. But she did, much to his delight, start to theorize aloud which was, given her chosen topic, far more entertaining.

"Concerning the evidence we have about Hiei and Youko Kurama being intimate…what do you think of it? You`ve seen the record orbs too. The way Youko Kurama was looking at Hiei…the commonplace with which Hiei accepted being touched by him...it is how you act if you happen to be intimate with somebody. They seemed to be in accord. Yet still--"

"-- the Maru`s caste system or their inventive ways of mind manipulation don`t stand a chance against the mystery of Lord Hiei`s chastity." Youko Nika broke in, smirking.

"Deride me as much as you want. I just cannot get rid of the feeling that the true nature of their relation is the key to understanding what`s going on. What`s really going on."

"…What is really going on?" Nika stopped skimming the notes and scrolls scattered throughout the table and leant back into the chair, genuinely amused.

"Gestures, touches, smiles…those are not signals Hiei would prefer to use. It`s very unlike him; the basis of his communication means is in his actions. He would never let you know that he cares; but if he cares, you can get a clue because he does something in a certain way. In best case, you would guess that the stab into the stomach of the demon that blackmailed you was his doing. Or you suddenly find a renowned healer sitting on the chair in your house after your mate had suffered an injury that no one was able to heal; claiming that a dark nightmare threatened to cut his throat open hadn't he changed his schedule and hurried to pay you a visit."

"What an honorable spirit, this Jaganshi;" the ginger youko laughed.

"He is, if you reclassify the meaning of the word a bit. But if we put one and one together... they behaved as if it was something they`d been doing since the world`s creation."

"I think that was exactly the reason why everybody else started to fuss about it. After all, they were so strikingly natural!" Nika laughed. "But there's still the possibility that Hiei and Kurama didn't make a big deal of it because there is nothing to make a big deal of. Sure, they are very clearly showing off how close they are; they even left an impression that Kurama`s bond to Jaganshi is genuine. Yet leaving an impression and displaying the things as they are are two diverse things. In the end, the only impression Youko Kurama left is that he uses Mukuro`s dear ex-heir to lure away the attention from his own business. Hiei is quite suited for being the bait. With everybody`s hands full with this Maru mess and from it arising power intrigues-- do you think they would give a damn about some measly plans of one thief?"

"Hmm." Tebiko`s eyebrow arched as she contemplated the words for what did appear longer then her partner had expected her to.

"Nika, I`m almost afraid to ask you this, but are you jealous or something? Why do you think that all of their gestures towards each other have been a part of an act? What makes you so sure that Youko Kurama simply diminished Hiei into bait?"

"Just a gut feeling. Youko Kurama and Hiei met and despite both of their natures, they set off to promenade all across the territory hand-in-hand, emitting a clear message of becoming an item. When it`s all out and spread, Hiei comes back alone though set to reading and working with the energy of youkos to a level which`s scary. Yet not mated; that would leave a very specific imprint in his youki which I haven`t sensed. Well...I would lie if I said I don`t suspect them of engaging in activities that are usually not a part of military operations. But I don`t believe Youko Kurama a word when he claims he cares for Jaganshi. Tagging along and showing off the one you love to everybody including all your enemies so they could identify and assess him - that`s definitely not something you do to somebody you care for. But why would Hiei pretend to have done something that goes evidently against his nature so Mukuro would find it immediately conspicuous and deconstruct it...that`s something I don`t know the answer for."

Tebiko tiredly rubbed her forehead. "So that`s your viewpoint. You think that Kurama needed a bait to lure away his adversaries. When Hiei appeared, he suggested a contract with successful completion of his mission`s objective as price for the service."

"Something along the line."

"Then...how would you explain the way how Youko Kurama fought for and in place of Hiei during the Maru attack? Resolve of steel is born out of deep suffering; and that is the least you need if you are to allow being sucked into a matter like this one. The Maru are not some lowly pack of thugs; they`re too much of a headache if you attempt to protect somebody whom you`re using temporarily as a mere bait."

"The ones you love are always your weaknesses. There isn't anything you can do about it besides protecting them. Don`t you fathom that? If I found somebody to care about enough to stand against the Maru, it would be impossible to conceal. Disregarding their status or relation to me. I would never let them struggle alone, especially in a situation like this. I would not leave their sides."

"But what if they decided to leave yours? I can pretty well imagine Hiei doing that. You said you would stand by him no matter what. But what would you do? Would you start imposing yourself on Hiei, yelling that he has to bear your mark because it`s for his own good? Would you stalk him, showing him your affection with sticking your nose into his matters by every opportunity like an overprotective mother? Sorry to be the one to crush your ideals, but if you intended to include this among your strategies how to get him, I`m telling you in advance that this won`t sit well with him."

"Have you ever tried? It feels darn good when somebody`s interested in you enough to not let go. To not get scared away even if you yell at them to leave you alone; that is a sign of desire and readiness to become a part of the other`s world. Having one`s defenses mercilessly crushed by somebody who just can`t ignore you; I`d wager Hiei has never experienced that. As far as I know he has always been disdained or used. And Mukuro and Kurama are doing just the same."

"You got something wrong;" Tebiko frowned. "Youko Kurama may not be by Hiei`s side physically, but my gut feeling is telling me that he has never left him to struggle alone. He is with him; the method he chose is effective. Being here in person – what more could he have done than he did? Hiei collapsed; he would just end up sitting at his bedpost."

"Well then. I`ve been thinking up one more alternative."

Tebiko obviously didn't desire to cultivate this topic any longer, her expression turned dangerously near a sulking one. But when he carried on she listened; knowing that his judgment was working perfectly…the same way as her own.

"Jaganshi and Kurama might have found out that they share a common objective; a personal aim that can be achieved only if their powers and techniques are combined. Thus letting everyone believe they are lovers would be a rather believable smokescreen behind which their experiments with energy blending could go on without making their motives questionable. Such cooperation does require a certain degree of intimacy leastways on the mental level - and unreserved trust that the other won`t do any harm to you while you are opened to him."

"...it`s also truth that the body always follows mind like a trained pet its owner. They might have slid to the physical contact even without giving it a thought as their minds had been already exposed to each other. Is that what you meant?"

The youko nodded. "The only thing we know now for certain is that Youko Kurama cannot afford having Hiei dead. The same goes for Hiei. As for their objective…we`ll probably get the answer if we figure out what can be achieved with both of their unique abilities combined."

Tebiko gave a curt nod that signaled her partner that this was one of the inferences she had made as well.

"It`s not only matter of succession," Nika continued. "The Maru maybe got a glimpse on what`s going on as well and concluded that the new alliance poses a threat to them. In order to stop the progress of Hiei`s and Kurama`s plans, they might have chosen to attack the supposedly weaker segment of the connection while they were still forging it."

"...Yet failed because they focused on a wrong thing. It is an alliance, a link. Attacking a single segment while it`s connected to another is a waste of efforts."

"Inflict a schism. That`s what needs to be done first."

Their looks met.

Tebiko telepathically informed Mukuro that she had a couple of things to report. However, as she found out a moment after stepping out of their 'study' room, choosing the conventional way - walking - to get to her ruler`s current location was one cardinal mistake. She hardly crossed the doorsill when a platoon of guards with their head Gern in the lead literally steamrollered her.

"Whoaaa, hold your horses Gern; what`s happening? An apocalypse knocking at your door?"

"You tell me; you`re the spy here!" She heard him yell back – and they were all gone.

"Knocked out by guards again...this is definitely not the best of your weeks." Nika, hearing the noise from the corridor, peeped out of the room.

Tebiko sighed. "I guess I should get used to it."

"That`s a rather tragic statement," Nika smiled a kind-hearted smile.

"Nika…" the chief of spies let her eyes wander in the direction of the corridor in which Gern`s unit went running.

"Understood." The ginger-haired youko closed the door behind him, activated a barrier around their assigned chamber and vanished.

Tebiko arched her brow and resumed walking to Mukuro`s office, knowing that the ruler must have gotten there by now.

"What do you mean with 'they disappeared'?! Nobody disappears like this!!!" A click of Nika`s fingers right in front of her nose startled the fair-haired female servant more than he had expected.

"I don`t know what guards won`t tell," she inveighed. "I only know what I`ve heard."

"That two members of Lord Hiei`s squad were assigned a guarding shift which they haven`t attend to. I already heard that."

"Me too. But…" In order to whisper the rest straight into his ear, the attendant placed her palms on the youko`s chest, stood on her tip-toes and leant closer. So what if she was a flirt paining for a chest-to-chest confrontation with one of Inari`s furry creations?

"…But I don`t know if you`ve heard that General Gawik threw a tantrum because three another ones from Lord Jaganshi`s unit never showed up for the defense-practice lesson. All know how long he had been pleading and bribing and blackmailing them to teach his platoon some of their secret techniques. Those three from General Jaganshi`s squad have finally humored him as I heard. It has been planned for today…but they never showed up. General Gawik was very upset."

"I can imagine. So the two that should stand the guard and those three that didn't show up on Gawik`s soldiers` training…that`s five heads missing from a fourteen-head-squad. That`s weird."

"Make it six, fox."

The female attendant made an alarmed sound of surprise when two fleshy hands gripped her and Nika`s shoulder and tore them good five feet apart.

"Not you again!" Nika groaned when a pair of massive - and what was worse - possessive arms locked around his chest.

"Hey midget! Go get yourself a more matching lover; a broomstick or something!"

"Even a broomstick has a sound chance of being a better choice than you will ever be, ugly Sarla!"The servant turned on her heel and left in a huff. Though not forgetting to wink at the obviously disheartened Nika: "…see you later in my room, MY-lord. It`s in the servants` wing; you know which one!" She ran off snickering.

"Stupid bitch!" Sarla snarled. "Just wait whom I`ll send you there you slut!!!"

Nika rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore the exchange.

And the arms around him.

And Sarla`s smell which inevitably attacked and most likely permanently damaged his olfactory sense.

"You smell nice…" the good two-and-half-meters tall assistant of General Kii set on a gentle dreamy smile which scared Nika almost to death.

"You don`t know how much I wish to say the same thing to you…" he tried holding his breath.

From behind, she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. This was just a tiny little speck too much for the youko to stand; he turned and twisted until he freed himself from the hand which had already found his backside and started on feeling it up.

"Aah, this! Please don`t mind the sweat;" Sarla smiled, definitely delighted by the findings of her palms. "The meeting was called off so general and I were having a little training session."

"Sorry but I do mind." He gave up and took a breath, immediately regretting that he did so. The corners of his eyes filled immediately with droplets of tears. "By the way…" he squeezed them shut; "…why did Lord Mukuro call off the meeting? "

"Dunno. It`s not like that commander of Jaganshi`s squad was so important that she would cancel it just because he didn`t appear…"

"So that`s why you said it was six missing heads...thanks Sarla, I`ll send you a bouquet of beautiful flowers with the most gorgeous scent that you`ll hopefully pick up!!!"

Nika did what any youko in his situation would: he ran away. Just away, randomly, but positively away from that ogre Sarla and her giant two-bladed axe.

He was after few moments ready to congratulate himself for another successful 'escape-Sarla' mission when he realized how wrong he had been – and how swift this assistant of one of Mukuro`s generals could be if she had the right motivation. The youko heard her closing in. In respond to that, he, still in full speed, opened his cloak and took out two seeds that were sitting on the bottom of a small pouch which was fixed to the one of the cloak`s inner pockets.

Armored with full confidence in his plants, he stopped and turned to face her – this time to attack - when another pair of hands grabbed him from behind.

"This way." He felt a breath on the back of his neck, and then only pain when the hands shoved him against the wall. His cheek literally crashed against the cold stone, but that cheek was nothing against the fact that he himself was suddenly crashed in between the wall and that mysterious somebody. However; that somebody definitely knew one or two translocation techniques and he didn't hesitate to use them since a moment later, Nika found himself occupying the only chair in a poorly furnished tight room. Seated at a table which was right next to - in his opinion an utterly suspicious bunk, he sniffed a boiling-hot liquid that served to him slightly familiar guard Qewze - who was by the way performing cross-legged sitting on that suspicious bunk.

"Sarla`s biggest weakness is sight. She`s not blind or anything; but due to the natural habitat of her species she has sometimes in specific environments problems to discern entities which don`t move. She would rather find you by smell."

"--By smell." Nika stated wryly, wondering why Sarla`s nose had to be the only thing immune against her own body odor. "My smell is my traitor...so that`s why you pressed your groin against my ass and abducted me?"

"It sounds horrible if you put it this way."

"And which way should I put it? Within last five minutes, one of Lord Mukuro`s servants tried to get glued to me like a Siamese twin; a scary giant-like female assaulted me using her smell, and then you show up, push me against the wall and kidnap me into your dwelling to…" he squinted at the steaming goblet in his hands, then at the guard suspiciously smirking on that suspicious bunk: "…practice tea-sipping…?"

"If that`s what you want," Quewze`s smile turned into a laughing one. "But it still sounds like an awfully eventful day to me. Though not as eventful as Lord Jaganshi`s squad`s, I guess."

"Now I get the reason behind my being here," Nika frowned. "You heard me talking to that maid and followed me."

Quewze nodded. "I am a chameleonid. Pressing you against the wall and covering you was the only thing I could do to avoid Sarla. I have to admit - when it comes down to translocation, I`m not the best one. If I hadn't blended with the wall, we would have never managed to get out of there sooner than she would greet my head with her axe."

Nika tiredly massaged his temples. "Apology accepted."

"Apology…?" Quewze opened his mouth in surprise, revealing his long, thin, forked tongue. "It was not meant as one."

"How good for you that it was taken as one," the youko gave him a wry look. "Now spill it. What do you want in return for the information?"

"I see you know your way around," the guard laughed. "Well…it`s nothing difficult. At least not for you," he amended. "I heard that full load of notes about numerous techniques is kept under lock and key in Lord Mukuro`s library. But I`d prefer if we called it a favor; you don`t have to steal any of it if you decide so."

"Then don`t waste my time and get to the point."

"I had to give it a try…" the guard sighed. "Well…it`s not like I would know that much. I only know that Lord Jaganshi`s squad went missing. All fourteen of them. At once. And it was not due to Mukuro`s orders as you already figured out. After she found out that it was not only Tainuk who went missing, she probably commanded Gern to take two platoons of warriors and go after them. Though I don`t have a slightest idea how Gern will figure out which direction to go. It`s not like they have disappeared a minute ago. Who knows how long it has been?"

"If that is what they were ordered to do." Nika glued his gaze on the tea.

"Maybe some of chief Tebiko`s spies went along with Gern."

"Maybe." Nika kept staring into the mixture of herbs.

"You won`t drink it?" the guard asked.

"I never drink mixtures that somebody else serves me."

"A wise decision."Quewze admitted. Then he reached forward and pulled the goblet away from his guest and towards himself, taking a nice big gulp.

Nika glared at him.

"You know…I kinda can`t stop asking myself where they might have gone and whose command sent them there. Except for Lord Mukuro, they are bound to take orders only from Lord Hiei. But it was not Mukuro. And Lord Hiei is currently not in the condition to give orders. Or so they say." The round eyes of the chameleonid remarkably narrowed as he looked at his guest from behind his tea. "Or is he…?"

Nika locked their stares. "For a guard, you sure pose intriguing questions."

"I can present more if you`d kindly agree to listen."

"I`ll kindly borrow you a minute if you are able to present one or two answers along them as well."

"Answers…" Quewze finished his tea. "They say Lord Jaganshi`s bad condition was caused by the series of mental assaults."

Nika pondered what harm it might bring if he confirmed the guard`s speculation. Even if Quewze himself wouldn`t do anything with the information, the youko was sure the sparrows and the nightingales of Alaric would spread it all across the territory within a day or even less. Also, he had to be careful with his choice of words since he was supposed to act as a mere healer. A mere healer shouldn't know that much about the matter - but he would know more than a mere guard.

"Yes. It is proved that Hiei Jaganshi was attacked by the most aggressive technique of mental assault I`ve ever heard of."

Quewze sighed. "We thought so."

"We?"

"It`s not like the guards and servants are blind you know; we all have our own theories about what`s going on. There were only a few who thought that Youko Kurama is the one behind Lord Jaganshi`s condition."

Nika bit his tongue to prevent it from talking. This guard didn`t need to know that Youko Kurama had indeed more than a marginal say in the development of Hiei`s condition.

"So what do we have here;" Quewze put the tea down on the table. "Lord Jaganshi closed in a solitary with only Lord Mukuro pacing back and forth in and out of the chamber every ten minutes -even if she intends to dismiss him. Then is here Lord Jaganshi`s vanished elite squad and two platoons of A-class-or-higher warriors under chief Gern`s command sent on a mysterious, not specified away-mission."

Plus the fact that the Maru found out that instead of weakness, Youko Kurama became Hiei`s shield and biggest source of strength.

Plus the fact that if Nika had been the enemy`s strategist, he would have started out the whole thing with separating Hiei from Youko Kurama. And had the physical separation remained as non-effective as it had proved to be, he would simply go for any other form of separation; killing perhaps. And since Hiei was for the moment inaccessible - and wanted by the Maru alive…

With a start, Nika suddenly realized why Hiei`s squad was gone. He grasped why Mukuro sent them no less than two platoons of soldiers - as backup.

"I have to see it." He breathed out. Quewze`s inquiring gaze was lancing his face; clearly, he couldn't make the inference which Nika did. "Can you track down your chief and send me somewhere near him?"

"Every guard knows how to find their chief if necessary." The chameleonid cast his stare down on his lap. "Though if he is too far, it would take many more jumps. And there`s still that…that it`s far beyond my skills to use translocation for other person than me."

"And how the hell have I got here you idiot?! We escaped Sarla that way!"

"But…it was only because I had you kind of…very tightly pressed against me. You passed as a…part of my own body."

"Wonderful." Nika barked. "So if I asked you to send me to Gern`s location you would have to go with me."

"I`m sorry but yes."

The beaming smile on the guard`s face told Nika exactly how sorry the chameleonic apparition felt.

"All right. I give up. Do you have something planned for this afternoon? If you do, I`d like you to cancel it."

"A youko asking me out for a date…this must be a day of miracles!" The guard grinned.

"Whatever, just move your ass!" Nika rolled his eyes.

"…And keep your groin away from mine," he quickly added when he figured how the comment was taken.

"I`ll even turn into a perfect gentleman if it is for you, Master Nika." Smirking, Quewze stood up from his bunk; but his eyes actually did ask the youko`s permission to cross the line and step inside into his most private space. When the guard closed Nika in his arms, he took a deep breath and their translocation started.

"I don`t wonder Sarla couldn't leave you alone. Your scent is really something," he whispered, drawing another deep breath.

But Nika didn't listen.

--- Inflict a schism.

Their first attempt to get Hiei under their control failed because his supposed weakness developed into his greatest source of strength. Thus the next logical step was to separate him from his strength. To dissolve the shield that was Kurama; to prevent him from pouring more energy into the weakened dark flame wielder. And wait for the next opportunity to seize him. By then, the leash which Youko Kurama had put on the fire demon to guide him out of his darkness would be left without a leading hand.

The question was: had the Maru`s puppeteer been able to suck out the information about Kurama`s whereabouts from Hiei`s, or maybe even directly out of Kurama`s own mind while they battled? Or would he rather sent out scouts and wait until Hiei`s squad, sent to backup and protect their lord`s exhausted ally, would lead them right in front of the thief`s hiding place?

Another question was how many of Kurama`s other enemies were watching. And of course, there was Mukuro and her well-nigh hundred soldiers lead by Gern.

The eleven jumps which they had to make to at least notice the quickly receding spots of the guards left Quewze completely dried.

The 'Pass of Judgment'; Nika recognized the land. It was good two days of running from the fortress. It was a barren place with rocky soil where almost nothing grew… Nika would have believed it hadn`t he known better. This stony dusty narrow plain, crowned by the circle of hills, was actually too broad to be called a pass. Nothing lived inside of it except for few suicidal snakes and masochistic wizened plants. But outside of it…even the other sides of these very hills…the species which were never seen to grow together flourished there like a pair of dancers enthralled in their own triumphant wild dance of creation.

Nika concentrated on reading the youki currents.

The chief of guards lead his platoons upside of a mound to their left side, not noticing or maybe just not caring for two new appearances. Quewze, after resting for a while, set out in the same direction.

"The advance they made is unbelievable given the time they have had…" the chameleonic demon smiled when he saw Nika following him silently few paces behind.

At their right, he spotted a formation of six huge stones. The smallest could have had some three meters of height; all together they created a perfect place if somebody desired to hide. Or to die, as he found out after he jogged after the youko who was suddenly standing at them and staring down at a corpse that must have had just an hour ago hands full of living.

"It is not one of ours. But this section…I`d wager they killed him under Gern`s orders. It`s been barely an hour." The guard looked up at the petrified youko, changing his expression into grave.

"An acquaintance of yours?"

Nika didn`t respond. He closed his eyes as if in a prayer, yet the calm sound of his regular breathing mixed with the sound of wind flummoxed the guard; they didn't match. And the longer he kept looking at Nika, the more he frowned. Somehow, for some reason, nothing here matched. The smell didn`t match his body. His body didn't match his youki. And his youki…

"This is not your real form."

Slowly, Nika opened his eyes and looked at Quewze, face unconcerned. The guard stood up.

"Who…what are you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Quewze bit his lip. Even if Nika did not abandon the form of a youko, the ambiance around them changed at the mere presence of his will that was by now stronger than anything the guard had ever felt. Stronger; and intimidating. Paralyzing; for no matter how much he forced them his muscles simply refused to move.

"…I guess seeing your true form is the last thing I`d ever get to see."

"Not necessarily. You spared me much trouble today for which I`m grateful. If you don`t want to see, I won`t compel you to."

"Then stay like this. This way, I can pass it for a really disastrous end of our date. But I will die pleased if you gave me at least a kiss. You kno…….whhaa…" The rest of the sentence turned into inarticulate wheeze. Quewze`s disbelieving eyes filled with pain and dropped to the plant blade sticking out from his bloody chest.

"You have to do without. I`m not the right type for fooling around with corpses. Besides;" he stepped closer to Quewze, pushing the blade further into -- through him. "I am taken."

"…you are not a youko…so…h…how…"

"You don`t have to be a youko to learn how to manipulate plants."

Quewze hit the ground. Along with the corpse that had already been lying there, his body created a strange bloody clump sharply contrasting with the grayish hue of the ground of Pass of Judgment.

End of Chapter 11

AN: Next chapter will be definitely centered on Hiei. I miss him.