Hey everyone! Just wanted to take a moment and tell you all to be safe! I know that the world is pretty crazy right now with the whole COVID-19 virus, but make sure that you all are taking care of yourselves! Keep safe and I hope that this chapter finds each and every single one of you in great health. And if not, you have my prayers and hope for a swift recovery!

Chapter Two: Electric Flame

The sound of rain surrounded them as it fell from the sky in the living world. The kekkai barrier was down after the tournament three years ago, the next one a few months out. Being back in the living world was not as new as it was irksome for him, but as two friendly faces met him on the other side, Hiei could forgive it. It had been a while since he had seen both the Detective and the Oaf, and despite how he felt about the latter, he had immense respect for both of them. Beside him, Kurama stepped out, his crimson hair drifting in the breeze that accompanied the border between worlds, his lips curving upwards into a smile as he nodded to greet their friends.

"Yusuke," he said as they shook hands. "Good to see you. And Kuwabara, it has been a while."

"Yeah, been busy in Gandara?" Yusuke asked.

"Quite. Hokushin has kept us up to date on the tournament preparations, too. Are you going to return to the Makai for it?"

Yusuke gave a grin. "You know it."

"When would he turn down a fight?" Kuwabara finally asked, holding out a closed umbrella. "What's up, Shorty. Have you gotten taller?"

Crimson hues rolled. "At least I can grow. Your stupidity is eternal."

"HMPH! At least I'm not in the newspapers as a freakish alien," he grumbled.

"Now, now," Kurama said with a smile. "We have come as part of the treaty with Spirit World. There's an unauthorized demon here according to the latest Gandaran and Alaric reports from the Spirit world Ambassadors. There was an energy spike about a month ago that they've tried to track, but so far there have been no leads."

"Until now," Kuwabara added.

"Yes," Kurama continued, taking the umbrella and opening it. "Apparently there was another spike the other evening that they have tracked to the industrial district out in Mushiyori. We were hoping you'd accompany us there."

Yusuke, with his chocolate brown eyes smirked. "A chance to go back to Sensui's old stomping grounds? Sure. We might as well see how the city's doin'. Keiko won't be back for a while since she's got exams, and the stand is closed for the day since you said you were coming."

"Then shall we?" Kurama asked. "The faster we find the demon, the better."

The grey sky boomed and lit with streaks of lightning as they made their way to the train. "Yo, Kurama. Do you have an idea of what this demon is supposed to be or…?"

Emerald eyes turned to look at his human friend. "Not at all. We were told the location. Hiei will look for any demons in the area and we can check from there."

"Hn," he said, taking a seat. "Wake me when we get there, Fox."

"Will do."

He closed his eyes and let himself slumber. He had been working on the border for long hours recently, with the influx of demons traveling to the human world causing some humans to accidentally stumble into the Makai, and it was boring, but necessary work. He thought about his sister who was staying at Tourin and how the peace made it easier for him to keep track of her. He considered Mukuro and Yomi's positions to help Enki bring such a time of peace to fruition, but he had grown stagnant. He was bored of his position, and so he threw himself into more work. To say he was exhausted was less of an exaggeration and more of a worrisome fact.

"Wow, he just fell asleep." Kuwabara balked.

A nod from Kurama was his response. "Hiei's been all over the Makai the past few years attending to the rift between the worlds and sending humans back to the living world. Crossing such distances uses a lot of his energy, I'm sure. Plus, he's determined to enter the tournament with everyone, so he's also been training. We've sparred a few times already."

"Good," Yusuke said with a grin. "Then the tournament should be a lot of fun."

Kurama returned the grin with a confident smile. "Yes, it shall."

They rode the train to Mushiyori, the very same city that they had saved from immediate destruction over three years ago. It would be strange to walk the streets again for a few of them, finding the place a lot less suffocating without the impending doom of demons trying to rush through a small portal. Instead, the train roared with its departure, pulling into the Mushiyori station only a few hours later. Umbrellas tucked away, the group of boys snuck around, following the shorter fire demon until they had located, and circled, the area multiple times.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Kuwabara finally asked, his beady black eyes blinking at his comrades. "We've been out here forever."

Kurama leaned against the concrete wall of the parking garage they were seeking shelter in as he rubbed at his chin in thought. "I am not sure," he admitted. "Hiei? Anything new?"

Off to the side, the dark haired male shrugged as he closed his eyes. The white bandana upon his forehead shimmered a deep violet as his third eye opened up, seeking for any signs of demonic energy. Seconds ticked by as he searched until he found an oddity. It was a demonic presence, two to be precise, but the anomaly was the amount of humans that were with them. Hiei could make out men and women, each paired up, until he heard the first set of screams. Then, the eye closed.

"Hn," came his growled response as he turned, stalking forward. "Found it."

"Wonderful!" Kurama praised him as he fell in step with him. "What sort of demon are we facing?"

"I don't know," Hiei replied. "Just heard human females screaming. There are a lot of humans around them."

The group paused to look at one another before briskly picking up their pace to match his. Hiei could sense their speed change, keeping ahead of them to lead the way. "How many?" Kurama asked. "You believe them to be captives?"

"Yes," he said. If the screams he heard had been any indication, those women were being hurt. "About a dozen males, eleven females. Last woman was a demon." He grunted as he picked up the pace, his acute hearing locating the sounds of crying women. "East."

He turned sharply as he followed his senses until he came across a rather empty part of the industrial district. It seemed run down and hardly used, but as they slowed, Hiei could see a group of men step out of one of the buildings. They were chortling and pushing each other, chatting it up, yet Hiei scowled. He lifted an arm, pointing out the group. "They were with them," he grunted.

As the four watched, there was money passed around until it landed into the hands of the twelfth male in the group. He was about the same height as Yusuke, with short dark hair, and was well dressed by human standards. He had a white button up shirt with a pair of dark slacks, a brown belt, and even a tie on. "A businessman, perhaps?" Kurama whispered as they watched him chuckle and nod to one man in particular. "Dressed like one," Kuwabara agreed. The man stayed under the awning of the building as he waved off his guests, counting through the money. His jovial smile melted as he paused, turning to look back into the building before scowling.

He disappeared from sight.

"Inside," Hiei muttered. Kurama and Yusuke nodded as they swiftly approached the building, catching the door before it closed. The male had vanished, but the clicking of a lock could be heard farther into the building. Yusuke slid in first, chocolate brown eyes scanning the darkened room. The place reeked of sweat and sex, and it clicked.

"Bastard," the Mazoku growled.

He stalked forward, his friends on his heels until he found the man. He was fiddling with a lock, a curse under his breath. His left pocket was full of cash, the payment that he had received, when another set of footprints echoed. Another demon appeared, this one also a male and Hiei's eyes widened. How had he not sensed him?

"Sir, someone has been watching you," the hushed whisper came. "We must move the cargo. I believe they might come here!"

Yusuke scowled, "I don't think so." He raised his left index finger, a pinprick of brilliant cyan energy pulsing from the tip, as he watched the two demons turn towards him, eyes wide.

"Spirit Gun!"

The blast rushed from his finger towards the two as they jumped away. Smoke billowed through the room as shrieks could be heard from beyond the door he had just blown open and the two men scattered. "Get back here!" The former spirit detective hissed leaping after the one who had alerted the other about their presence. Kurama followed as Hiei turned to look for the other demon. Kuwabara, the gentleman that he was, rushed through the opened doors to see what was happening with the cries and shouts of the women he could hear.

Yusuke gave chase to the demon he could only assume was the security around the place. The bastard darted in and out of various rooms, until he was cornered. Before he could even turn to look at Yusuke, the Mazoku landed a hard fist against the back of the demon's skull, effectively knocking him unconscious. "Feh," he scoffed. "That was easy." He checked the guy over to find nothing else when a rush of footsteps hurried in behind him. Kurama found him picking the guy up by the back of his shirt and sighed in relief.

"What about the other guy?" Yusuke asked.

"Hiei gave chase. I can take him if you want to help—" Kurama was unable to finish his sentence as the unconscious demon was tossed at him and Yusuke ran past him. Summoning his rose whip, the fox demon easily tied up their quarry and began to drag him back to Kuwabara.

Hiei dodged.

The moment he had begun to pursue the well dressed demon, they had engaged in a fight. They were darting around the darkened streets of the industrial area, but what Hiei found more fascinating was that the demon was only chucking a few orbs of his demon energy at him. He seemed distracted as he scaled a building, reaching the roof. Hiei followed, but as he landed on the edge, his crimson eyes widened and he brought his arms up to block.

A strangled cry of pain left him as the attack hit him. Electricity coursed through him as a strange, alien form of heat slammed into him, the impact knocking him back and off the roof. He was stunned for a moment before reaching out and catching the metal railings of the fire escape. He gasped and pulled himself up in an attempt to shake off the feeling before he reached out to sense. The asshole had circled back and was heading for the others. Good. Hiei began to dart back. If he caught the bastard, then he would return the favor. He followed the blurred figure until he finally closed the gap and reached out.

His hand only caught the jacket of the demon, which he threw off and into Hiei's face. Momentarily blinded, Hiei stumbled to land on the edge of the roof as a growl left his quarry. "You won't… steal what is mine!" The demon lunged at him as he tore the fabric from his face, and the two spiralled down from the roof. Hiei gripped at the male's arm, his own fire igniting the fabric… but his eluder seemed unfazed as he snarled at him.

It was then that Hiei got a good look at him.

Dark red-violet hues that seemed to glimmer with a magenta undertone glared at him. Sanguine red hair, as dark as blood, framed the demon's face. He was a full foot taller than Hiei, but physically felt weaker than the fire demon. Yet, as Hiei pushed back, he saw a few different things in the demon's face: anger, uncertainty, and panic. He kicked his leg out, forcing the sanguine haired man to not catch his footing as they landed in the alleyway. Hiei raised a fist and sent it soaring through the rain, only to collide with stone. Then, he flew back as a hard kick landed right in his stomach.

Rain made it harder to track the demon as he pushed himself up, the man gone from his sight. He grunted as he dashed upwards towards the roof, only to run right into another ball of electric fire. Hiei shouted as he caught himself on the ledge of the roof, panting. "What are you?" Hiei grunted, eyeing the demon. He was panting as hard as Hiei, but there was a determination there he could not place. If the man just wanted to leave, he would have already left. Instead, he was fighting for something…

Behind him, Hiei could see the warehouse.

It was there. The money that he had received was not what mattered to the demon, but something else that was in the warehouse. As if realizing that Hiei had figured it out, the demon growled before recognition crossed his face, his magenta rimmed eyes widening. "Hiei… of the Jagan…" The face he stared at contorted from the panic to consideration… then panic again. "You… You're supposed to be Mukuro's right hand man." Panic bled to excitement as the demon stumbled back, smiling at first, then manic laughing.

"Perfect! This is perfect!"

Hiei tensed as another crackle of electric fire formed in the demon's hand and shot forward at him. He jumped back and down, catching himself on the fire escape, before propelling himself back up… but the demon was gone without a single trace left behind on the roof. Hiei tore the white bandana from his forehead and reached out with his Jagan, trying to find any sign of him, to no avail. He growled as he turned for the warehouse, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until he landed in front of the door and walked in, replacing the white fabric back over his Jagan eye. His crimson hues widened at the sight before him as he entered. Women of varying features and types were coming out of the hole in the wall, and he pushed through them to find the others at the end of it with the oaf shouting in pain.

She awoke to the sounds of an explosion.

The lulling calmness of the rain water was gone and smoke was beginning to fill up her cell as debris landed in front of the door. Her still wet and freezing body shivered as she buried herself into the thick blanket, gaze traveling around the cell as screams began to fill the air. Her comfort was gone and instead her nerves were beginning to spike as she pressed herself against the corner of the room. If she could stay hidden, she would be okay.

Good girl, she heard again.

Survive.

The other women screamed as a shadow rushed in, but it gave way to a man. She could hear his voice as he tried to talk and calm them down. The clanging of a cell door was accompanied by a cheer as another man's voice joined in. The sounds were deafening as she covered her ears. Another door opened, another few shouts, as they went down the line. Shadows fell over her before she finally looked up to find three men. The first was the tallest in a white tee shirt, blue set of pants on, with orange hair. His eyes were beady and black, and he held a look of anger about him as he unlocked the door. His companion beside him was about half a foot shorter than him with long red hair and deep emerald eyes. Off to the side of them was another male, shorter than the first two, with black hair that was slicked back with muddy brown eyes. All three men looked angry, and she shrunk back against the corner. Who were they?

Why wasn't he with them?

Fear. It raced through her veins as she held the blanket around her. Her long hair was wet from the water of her makeshift bath, and as the first guy—the orange haired one— approached her, the girl tried to hide her face in the thick duvet. He began his approach carefully as he watched her. "Hey. We're not gonna hurt you," he said. "We wanna get you outta here. Can you get up?"

She watched him through her messy, ivory white bangs, hesitation clear in her features. Her silver eyes narrowed in suspicion as she turned her head a little to the side, as he reached out to her. She glanced past him to his companions and shook her head. She was not allowed out. It would be bad for her to do. "Its okay," he told her. "Let's try to find some clothes for all of you girls." He reached out further, his fingers brushing against the duvet as she recoiled.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm not gonna hurt you," he repeated, but only reached for her again. Her heart hammered in her chest as she found herself backed into a corner and she lunged. "AH! SHIT!" The male shrieked as he wrenched his hand away.

The coppery taste of blood gushed into her mouth as he pulled himself away, the other two rushing into the cell as he scrambled away from her. She tried to tighten the blanket around her, hiding herself deeper into the blanket. "She… she fucking bit me!"

"She… bit you?" The dark haired boy snickered, "Man, didn't think you had that ugly of a mug, Kuwabara."

"Hn, what's the hold up?"

A fourth male appeared at the door and she grimaced. "She fuckin' bit me!" The orange haired boy yelled once more, this time pivoting around to show his bloodied hand.

"You all had him get a woman from here?" He scoffed. "You'd have better luck sending an ogre."

"You wanna say that to my face, Shortstack?!"

As the orange boy's voice rose in volume, the crimson eyed boy turned to look into the room. "Hn, she's not human."

Emerald eyes widened. "What? You said two demons."

"Hn. One male, one female," Hiei reminded. "That's the female."

Silver hues widened as the four turned to look in her direction. "Well, what do we do?" Kurama asked. Yusuke shrugged, "I'm not ending up like him." He jerked his thumb at Kuwabara.

The two dissolved into a bicker as the short one rolled his eyes. He turned from his three companions and made his way towards her. "Unauthorized to be in Human World," he grunted. He reached out for her. "Hiei, wai—"

The moment he got too close, she lunged at him. Instead of her teeth catching flesh, though, he stopped her by pressing his palm against her forehead, stopping her. She tried to struggle away, but he grabbed at her arm. "Hn, stop," he demanded. She shook her head as she pulled back, lunging at him for another bite. Her teeth found air as he pulled back, before he snarled. A hard crack reverberated around them as she was lifted and slammed into the stone wall.

"HIEI!"

Spots danced before her vision as the world spun. Everything blurred together, and her head drooped as she blinked to try and clear her vision. Hiei took notice of how weak she was as he examined her.

A thin, petite frame that was now revealed, a bit too thin, if he was honest. Her ribs were practically visible as she tried to struggle, the blanket falling from her. Her attempt was weaker than the first, and she was obviously disoriented from her head hitting the wall. He was going to pull her from the cell when he noticed her shift, ready to bring her knee up. He twisted, catching her knee with his side.

He growled. "Quit fighting me, weakling."

He knew that she could not stop him, so he lifted her and threw her over his shoulder. Small fists hit his back as he turned and began to leave the cell she was locked in. He had no idea what they wanted to do with her, but the human women had to be released. Once they dealt with the human world officials, they could figure out what this weakling knew. Until then, they would have to take her with him, much to his disdain.