PART FOURTEEN
THE LION'S BLOOD RUNS RED

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Kurama called, matching Hiei's pace as they tore up the stairs. "Should we have left them outside after all? Or brought them with us?"

"That might have caused problems," Hiei replied. "Leaving them outside might have had them seeking shelter inside, anyway. All of this rock had to come from somewhere... and it looked rather like Morvec provided it."

"I can see your point there," Kurama lamented, "and I can definitely understand the reasons behind not bringing Katachi into the fight with Jumon." He frowned. "I suppose I'm wondering if it was unwise to ask Kuwabara to stay behind with her."

Hiei shrugged. "I was leery about leaving her alone. Besides... if something happens and we don't make it, or have trouble... we have back-up. Kuwabara will try to finish the job. Or at least, he could go for help. Or something."

Kurama understood completely. It wasn't as though he doubted Kuwabara's skills, but if two powerful demons couldn't win against Jumon, what luck would one powerful human have? They had to press every advantage they could.

Speaking of...

"Hiei, stop." As he spoke the order, Kurama did just that, halting in the middle of the staircase they were climbing.

Hiei did the same, stopping almost immediately when Kurama had. He ended up three steps ahead, and turned around to see what was the matter. "What?"

"Hand me one of your daggers, would you?" Hiei, Kurama knew, always kept two dirks with him - one in each boot. They were rarely used, as he rarely needed them, but were always there for emergencies.

Hiei looked slightly puzzled, but bent to pull out one of them and then handed it to Kurama. "Why?"

Kurama accepted the knife, taking the opportunity to squeeze Hiei's hand with his free one. "Thanks." He studied the blade, noting that it was sharp and well cared for, and then added, "How do you feel about going on ahead?"

If Hiei was surprised or concerned, he didn't show it. "Care to elaborate?"

Kurama shrugged. "I think it would be a good idea. If Jumon only sees one of us, maybe he won't be expecting another to show up. We could have the advantage of surprise, I'd say. And you're faster than me."

Hiei considered it, quickly, and nodded. "If you promise to be careful," he declared.

"I should be telling you that," Kurama chided, and then nodded. "Only if you promise, too."

"Then I promise."

"Then so do I."

Hiei gave him a brief smile and drew his sword. "We'll make it, Greeneyes. One way or another, we'll make it."

Kurama nodded. "And you be especially careful, until I get there. We don't know what Shiryoku will do when you try to take Jumon out. He is her son, after all."

"I know it, and I'll watch for her. I'll see you there," he added, already turning as he spoke the words. He resumed his dash up the stairs, only now he was going much faster, because he didn't have to wait for anyone.

Kurama watched him go until he was out of sight, and then turned his attention to the dagger in his hand. He filled himself with his youki, bending Earth to his will. He fabricated a long pole of bamboo, making it as sturdy as he was able. The pole extended until it was nearly as long as he was tall, and then he deemed it sufficient.

His lack of rope was not a problem. Kurama just used his magic again to create a foot or so of tough vine. With his two natural tools, he set to work, holding the pole between his feet as he adjusted it. The tip of the pole had been fashioned into a flat tip - sharp, but not quite enough. Kurama added to the weapon by tying the dagger he'd borrowed from Hiei to the tip of the pole, turning it into a fairly effective spear.

Kurama was not as skilled with a lance as he was with a whip, but he could certainly hold his own in a fight. He didn't think his primary weapon would be effective against Jumon, and he felt better having something that could be used to both attack and defend in his hands.

He tested the sturdiness of the vine by executing a few practice moves, thrusts, and spins. He wanted to make sure that the dagger would hold. When he was satisfied, he turned back around to start back up the stairs... and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening once they fell on the figure at the top of the flight of stairs. He cursed himself inwardly for not foreseeing something like this happening, and cursed the Orb for hiding everything so well, if unintentionally.

"Fancy meeting you here," Itsuwari said.

The power of the White Sphere grew, if possible, even more intense the closer Hiei came to the top of the tower. His thighs were burning, aching from the effort of so much up-hill running without a pause. It was only due to the years of practice and handling that his sword-arm wasn't begging for rest, having had his weapon at-the-ready for as long as he'd been sprinting up the stairs.

He resisted the urge to reach out with his rei and Feel for Kurama and the others, or even Jumon. Very likely the Orb would smother his attempts to see where they were. And if he used his youki to aid his rei, he might attract unwanted attention, Orb or no. Instead, he fervently hoped that Kuwabara and Katachi were still safely hidden from any danger, and that Kurama had done whatever it was he'd wanted to do with the dagger and was also out of trouble.

At long last, he reached the top of what had to be the final staircase. He paused for a moment, breathing deeply, loosening his muscles a little to ready for the inevitable battle. Contrary to the other "chambers" of the tower, the one before him had a door.

He took slow, cautious steps toward the huge barrier, and then tried to push it open. It wouldn't budge. He tried pulling on it next, and that didn't work either. He tried pushing with both hands, cursing the damn thing that still wouldn't move an inch.

Then he realized something... Whether I make noise rattling it or blow it to pieces... I still announce my presence.

So he took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and the door so he wouldn't be in any danger from his own magic. He gathered his youki, filling himself with Fire, and focused on the door. He stretched one hand out, flattening his palm against the still air, as the ball of flame began to form. It grew larger and larger, and Hiei beckoned it to become larger still. He wanted to either blast the door into orbit, or disintegrate it. He wanted the explosion to surprise Jumon out of his wits.

When the fireball was the size of a medicine ball, Hiei let it fly, launching the great sphere of flame into the door standing between himself and Jumon. Overkill, for certain, but Hiei didn't care.

The ball of fire crashed into the door, exploding on contact. The blast caused the entire area to become white with intense light, and Hiei closed his eyes against it, covering his head with his arms just in case. When he inhaled, he could taste the smoke that was now in the air. But he was certain that the door was no more.

He straightened once again, tightening the grip he had on his sword. He blinked his eyes several times to clear the white light from his vision.

It didn't go away.

Hiei's heart skipped a beat. The light shouldn't have harmed his eyes that severely. He brought his free arm up and rubbed them. He opened them again, hoping to see at least the black dots that signified that his eyes would soon adjust to the darker lighting of the tower again.

Nothing. Just white. Milky, thick white. And he realized what that meant a moment later.

"Fuck."

"So where's your little buddy?" Itsuwari wondered, taking a step down toward him.

Kurama took a step back to keep distance between them, and didn't answer.

"Is he gone to see the Sphere? That's really not fair, considering I haven't gotten to see it, yet."

"Did your brother ditch you?" Kurama asked.

Itsuwari wrinkled his nose. "The very thought is ludicrous. Jumon wouldn't be where he is today if it hadn't been for me."

"You must be proud of yourself," Kurama spat, trying to buy time. He didn't think he'd be able to get past Itsuwari to rejoin Hiei. But could he afford to play with the other Tasuno demon while Hiei went to challenge the more dangerous one by himself? Granted, Shiryoku was probably up there, but who knew how much help she would be? More than likely, the battle would come down to Kill or Be Killed, and he wasn't sure if Shiryoku would want Hiei to slay her son.

But would he have a choice to play with Itsuwari or not?

"You would be, too, if you'd been in my position."

"I doubt it. Taking advantage of innocent people and hurting them really isn't something I find pleasure in." He glanced around them without moving his head. Itsuwari was blocking the only way to the next floor, and there was no other route that he could see, or had seen as they'd ran up.

"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it." Itsuwari folded his arms and cocked his head. "Thinking of going somewhere?"

Kurama bit the inside of his cheek. The other demon must have seen his eyes glancing around. Most likely, there wouldn't be a way out of the confrontation, after all. "Well, to be honest, I don't want to fight with you."

"You're a wise one, my friend," Itsuwari said with a grin. "Pick your battles, and pick only the ones you can win."

Kurama thought fast. He was alone against this demon, and this demon was an accomplished Illusionist. "Oh, that's not it at all. I don't doubt myself."

"Oh?"

"You're a coward, Itsuwari."

The silver-haired demon raised an eyebrow. He didn't look upset, exactly, but his temperament had clearly changed. "Is that so?"

Kurama shrugged on shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant, but tightening the grip he had on his spear just in case. "Well, how can a demon be considered honorable or brave when he retreats into the shadows as soon as a fight starts? How much merit can a demon earn when he doesn't even fight his own battles, and creates hapless illusions to do so for him, instead?"

Itsuwari cocked his head, his right hand already spinning his blade of air. "So, by your definition... I am a coward because I refuse to 'fight my own battles', as you put it?"

Kurama tensed, preparing for the attack that would more than likely come. "That's exactly what I'm saying. If you want to fight me, you fight me. Don't rely on your Doppelgangers or galians."

The playful, snide look in Itsuwari's eyes had changed over the course of their short exchange. Now the other demon just looked cynical. Before he spoke, he licked his magic-borne sword.

"I accept."

And suddenly, Itsuwari had closed the distance between them.

Hiei stayed his ground for a few moments, listening for any sort of sound that would indicate an attack was coming his way. He heard nothing, not even a shout of confusion from within the chamber.

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He debated between going back to Kurama, feeling his way along the walls so he wouldn't fall down the stairs. How was he supposed to fight if he couldn't see? He wouldn't be any good to Kurama like this.

He shifted from one foot to the other, biting his lip. If Jumon was in there - and he very likely was - Hiei had just announced his presence, and was now leaving himself open for an attack. Should he stand his ground until Kurama arrived, or turn around and try to go back?

The choice was made for him.

The air beside him exploded, and Hiei cried out despite himself. The blast did not injure him personally, but it was powerful enough to make him drop his sword and send him flying forward into the room. He grunted when he hit the floor and rolled, and tried to rise as soon as he stopped moving.

What the hell?! he sputtered, even though his brain was leagues ahead of his thoughts and had already determined exactly what the hell it was.

But he didn't have enough time to prepare for the second blow. Thankfully, the second didn't harm him physically, either. His attacker's aim had been a little off, and the small blend of Fire and Air exploded about six feet to his left. The force hindered his attempt to rise to his hands and knees, and caused him to fall over and roll once again. Another small explosion, this one a little further away from where he'd landed, rocked the ground and made him recoil despite himself.

He didn't know where he'd landed, but when no further attack came, he gathered he was at least hidden from his opponent's view - for now. But he knew that wouldn't last very long. He had to figure out a way to get back to Kurama, if he could even get back out of the room at all. How was he supposed to fight if he couldn't see his enemy--?

And all at once he cursed his stupidity. When he realized what a fool he'd been for the first few moments of the confrontation, he deemed himself an idiot and decided that he had deserved the hits he'd gotten.

Jaganshi were not so easily blinded.

Hiei pulled the band off of his Jagan, praying to any god who would listen that the White Blindness hadn't affected his Third Eye. He was awash with relief when the Eye opened and revealed to him what his normal eyes would not. It would be a trifle difficult to concentrate on using the Jagan at all times, but considering that the alternative was fighting blind...

With the Jagan open and using its power, Hiei could now see his surroundings once again. He was, as he'd suspected, sheltered from his enemy's view - but not because of any shelter. The attack hadn't persisted because his opponent, most likely Jumon, was no longer paying attention to him.

Remaining pressed to the ground on his stomach, feigning unconsciousness, Hiei looked around the chamber as best he could. There was nowhere to hide, and the only way out was backwards, he gathered. The glowing white sphere coming from the upper-most center of the room caught his attention. Luckily, he didn't have to turn his head a great deal in order to see it.

That's it. It had to be the Orb. The power that hung in the air was coming from that ball of light - Hiei was positive. But if he has it... what is he doing with it? If anything, Hiei would have figured that Jumon would be drawn to the thing like a moth to light.

But there was no one hovering over the White Sphere like a power-hungry guardian. So Hiei turned his head toward the left, slowly so as not to attract attention he didn't want at the moment. When his "eyes" fell on Tasuno Jumon, who was settled by the far wall, Hiei had to blink at what he saw.

Jumon was holding Shiryoku in his arms, cradling her close to him and stroking her hair. Hiei couldn't tell what was wrong with her, and he didn't dare Feel for her with Jumon so close. He'd already had a taste of what Jumon thought of strangers coming near "his" Shiryoku.

But Shiryoku looked so... limp, pale, lifeless... Jumon was talking to her, in what looked to be frantic, hushed whispers, and she wouldn't respond. The wall that they were huddled near - the thick, solid, magically-wrought wall - was actually dented. When Hiei put two and two together, he pieced together what must have happened. Demons were more resilient than humans, yes, but they were far from invincible. Judging from the indentation on the wall, Shiryoku's apparent condition, and Jumon's fretting... Hiei was willing to bet that Shiryoku had, one way or another, hit the wall at break-neck speed.

He was also willing to bet that she was dead.

Try as he could, he was unable to dredge up any sorrow for her, if dead she was. All he could come up with was pity. He supposed he'd never know why she acted the way she did, and figured he'd never understand why she continued to plead for Jumon's safe capture.

Perhaps that was why she was a mother: unconditional love.

He looked back at the Sphere, and judged the distance between it and himself. The top-most chamber of the white tower was large, but not overly large. At the moment, the Orb was about the chamber's length away from him. If he sprinted, he might be able to get to it before Jumon noticed. He didn't know what he'd do with it, but at least Jumon wouldn't have it.

He tensed, readying himself for a quick dash from one end of the room to the other. He took one last, quick glance at Jumon, assuring that the other demon was still completely focused on Shiryoku, and then he pushed himself from the floor and ran.

He got halfway across the room before he hit the wall - and hit it he did. It hadn't even occurred to him that Jumon might have shielded the area around it, even though Hiei had blown the door open.

He knew it was a shield of solid air, as opposed to a shield made of Spirit, even without probing to see if Jumon had left traces of the spell. He hit it at full speed, and it knocked flat on his bottom, leaving him with a very sore head. It took him a few moments to gather his bearings, and to make certain that his Jagan was all right, but Jumon spoke to him before he raised his head.

"You're alive?"

Hiei realized that Jumon had, indeed, thought he'd killed Hiei with the set of explosions only minutes before. Briefly, Hiei entertained the thought of playing dead, but decided it probably wouldn't work in his favor.

So he looked up, regarding the taller demon with what he hoped was a level - if dizzy - expression. Jumon had abandoned Shiryoku and was now standing all of ten feet away. Hiei looked past his enemy and stared at his "Sister", who was lying limp on ground, utterly without life. Hiei decided to be daring, and felt around with his rei. Even with the Sphere's power interfering, with Shiryoku so close, he should be able to feel something.

He could feel Jumon, but not her.

He settled his gaze back on the other demon. "...What did you do to her?"

The look in Jumon's eyes shifted from mildly bewildered to... well, crazed. "Me?"

Hiei didn't move a muscle, hoping he wouldn't be perceived as a threat just yet. "...She's dead."

"No, she's not."

The quick, hopeful phrase almost made Hiei feel sorry for the madman. "Can you Feel her, then? Because I can't."

"I didn't kill her."

Jumon's responses were clipped and frightened, and Hiei had a feeling that he'd known his mother was dead, but just hadn't wanted to admit it. "Then what did?"

"I didn't kill her."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. Who knew what was going inside that head? Hiei certainly didn't. He didn't know how much of Jumon's mind was mad, and how much was sensible. He wasn't sure if Jumon's denial was, in fact, denial - or if he honestly believed that he hadn't killed Shiryoku. "How did she die?" Maybe if he pressed the issue, he would lose concentration on the air shield simply because of the emotional stress.

"I didn't kill her," Jumon repeated. His body was beginning to tremble, just a little bit.

Hiei took a deep breath. The air around him felt stuffy. "Then who killed her? There was no one else here... was there?"

"You," Jumon stated, his gaze focusing on Hiei's Jagan, his fingers beginning to shake.

Hiei had to breathe deeper this time. The air was getting stuffier. "I never touched her."

"She wouldn't have come if you'd..." Jumon bared his teeth, suddenly looking like a rabid animal. "None of this ever would have happened if you'd left us in peace!"

Hiei didn't know if Jumon meant "you" as in "the Hand", or as Hiei himself. He was willing to bet on both, and he realized that the stuffy air was Jumon's doing - a reaction to his rage. "She--"

Jumon rode over him, taking a step closer. "She didn't need you; I could have taken care of her myself. But your greed... You and your High Lady just wanted another able-bodied innocent to corrupt. You bewitched her, made her yours, and stole her from the people who really loved her. And now look," he spat, gesturing vaguely behind him. "Look what you've done..."

Hiei couldn't breathe, and he'd scrambled for his youki unconsciously to defend himself. Despite the air solidifying around him, he held on, waiting. Spirit had not accompanied Air, meaning Jumon had not shielded him.

"You couldn't keep me from her," Jumon went on. "You hated what we had... You wanted to separate us... So... so you took her to the only place I couldn't follow. She's dead because of you."

It was a preposterous argument, and Hiei couldn't see where Jumon had managed to convince himself of the tale... But Jumon was undoubtedly insane, so who knew how his mind worked?

"You killed her," Jumon snarled, his feet bringing him closer and closer to Hiei, his body quivering with rage. "You killed her."

And Hiei took that as his signal to act. He turned his gathered youki toward Spirit and Fire, using the former to help shatter the air barrier and the latter to follow-up the breaking with an attack of his own. Under the Spirit, Hiei's Fire spread out like a dome, driving away Jumon's barrier and forcing Jumon himself to move away. When Jumon stumbled backwards from the force, Hiei turned back toward his initial objective - to get the White Sphere before Jumon did.

He hit the wall again. He cursed, scratching at the invisible wall with his short nails, and turned back around in time to see Jumon rise. He had to duck and sidestep to avoid the fireball Jumon immediately sent his way. As the ball of flame crashed against the barrier, and Hiei hoped that the two spells would negate each other.

No such luck. The air shield remained as fortified as it had when Hiei had ran into it. Hiei didn't have any time to worry a great deal about it, though, as Jumon didn't waste any moment unleashing a flurry of fire his way.

Fortunately, Jumon was using Fire, the element Hiei specialized in. So Hiei was able to deflect the fireballs that came closest to him, and even repel some of them. As he defended himself against the onslaught, Hiei attempted using some of his limited Spirit to wedge a shield between Jumon and his youki. It was harder to shield someone when they had already grasped their magic, but he could try, anyway. Jumon outranked him, as far as he could tell, and Hiei wasn't sure if he'd be able to win against Jumon with pure youki alone.

But Hiei was, at the moment, juggling three spells at once, so to speak. He couldn't very well tie of the fire spell he was using, and his using his Jagan required some youki as well. Considering he wasn't overly skilled in Spirit as it was, his attempt to shield Jumon didn't work out very well.

To be precise, Jumon blew his shield to bits, very much like he had the first time they had confronted each other. The force shattered Hiei's concentration for a moment, and he barely managed to gather the presence of mind to reflect one of Jumon's fireballs. In effect, Hiei's deflected sphere went wild. The ball of flame sailed upwards, crashing into the ceiling of the tower and causing some of the rock to chip away. At the same time, Hiei felt the air around him hardening, trying to enclose him. He had to quickly shift his output from Fire to Spirit to halt that before it got too far, all the while marveling at just how much youki Jumon could use at once, for different things.

Madman or no, Hiei wasn't dealing with an amateur. And that meant things would be exceedingly difficult for Hiei. He had strong youki, but wasn't as adept at juggling as Jumon was. Hiei sorely wished he hadn't dropped his sword, and regretted the fact that the battle he was fighting at the moment wasn't centered on physical combat. Physical combat was easier than a battle focused solely on magic. To any stranger walking by, it would look like Hiei and Jumon were simply glaring at each other, and just happening to cause utter chaos in the process. For them, the staring contest was a battle of the minds, to wield their magic to the best of their ability, to try and outwit and outcast the other... and most importantly, to be faster than the other.

Hiei pushed back Jumon's would-be Air barrier and countered with a basic stream of fire, and then he felt the telltale poking of Spirit - but only because a part of him had been expecting it. He took in as much youki as he could and forced the approaching Spirit shield away. If Jumon managed to block his youki... Hiei didn't know what he would do. Quite possibly he'd just sit down - because there would be no way he'd win without his youki. Gods, he didn't know how he was going to win with his youki.

Where was Kurama, anyway?

The sudden, alarming thought that something might have happened to the youko made Hiei pause for a brief second, but only for a second. Unfortunately, that was enough for Jumon to try another attempt as shielding him. This time, Hiei barely managed to repel the other demon's Spirit. And this time, the Dragon stirred.

The tug on the link between himself and the Black Dragon came as a surprise to him, though he should have expected it - given how open his rei and youki was at the moment, and just how tight a situation he was in. The bond between himself and the Black Dragon had nothing if not strengthened over the last few years, and whenever it thought Hiei was in great danger, it would stir, wanting to be free. It wanted the blood of enemies, particularly enemies of its master.

Hiei mentally commanded it to be silent, sending a regret along with the message. He couldn't release the Dragon in such an enclosed area. Not only would it be disastrous for Hiei, who was at the top of the building, it would be dangerous for Hiei's allies who were still in it.

But the more worn down he became, trying to outdo a demon with more power and skill than himself, the more vocal the Dragon became. It didn't like to lose, and if Hiei lost, the Dragon would lose, because the Dragon was bound to Hiei.

Hiei tried to quiet it, told it that it couldn't have its way, but the wearier Hiei became, the Dragon's incoherent thoughts became strings of releasemenowplease in the back of Hiei's mind.

I cannot, Hiei sent back, trying to juggle Fire, Spirit, telepathy and Jagan all at the same time. He could not for reasons aside from the possible destruction of the tower. If, for some reason, the Dragon didn't work, Hiei didn't know how long he would be able to last before giving into the exhaustion that befell fools who weren't Callers and Calling, anyway. He couldn't afford to depend only on the Dragon.

But Hiei wasn't expecting the blow that came from behind. The wall of Air that he was still behind him moved forward, ramming him quite roughly in the back. Being caught completely by surprise, Hiei pitched forward, falling to his hands and knees, feeling his spells falter just as he had.

And then he felt the shield wedge itself between him and his youki.

And then he was blind again.

Kurama brought his handmade spear up in time to block the downward slash Itsuwari tried on him - but only just. The magic blade of air clanged against his Earthen weapon, and Kurama tightened his grip, keeping the other demon at bay. For a moment, he was afraid that the spear might not be able to stand against Itsuwari's sword of Air. While both weapons were wrought with magic, Itsuwari was more powerful than Kurama was.

Itsuwari pushed harder against his spear, and Kurama grunted as he tried to stay his ground. They were fighting on a flight of stairs, and that was far from easy. Itsuwari had the advantage in that he was higher up than Kurama was, and pushing down. Kurama had to reaffirm his footing so he wouldn't tumble to the landing below.

Taking advantage of the sudden standstill, Kurama swung the blunt end of his spear up and to the side, hoping to either knock Itsuwari's weapon out of his hand, or knock Itsuwari himself.

The other demon threw his head back to avoid getting the full force of the blow, but to Kurama's delight, the butt of his spear caught his enemy across the chin. Kurama continued the follow-through, hoping to unbalance the other demon and force him to drop his weapon.

Itsuwari wouldn't have it. The demon recovered quickly and ducked, sidestepping under Kurama's spear and hopping up another step. Kurama followed, and the two exchanged blows, taking care to keep on separate steps. Kurama dealt as many blows as Itsuwari did, even if his aim wasn't as proficient as the other demon's was.

The duel went on for an indeterminate amount of time. Kurama wasn't one to time his battles. He wasn't sure if anyone did; it was far too hard to tell. Two minutes could seem like two hours, especially if one was exhausted.

So, Kurama didn't bother to try and keep track. He tried his hardest to both attack Itsuwari's body, while keeping his youki in check at the same time. He didn't want the other demon to take an opportunity to shield him. Along the same lines, he didn't want to give the silver-haired demon a chance to attack him with magic.

So he thrust and parried, dodging and guarding on stairs, which was no small feat. And as he did so, he kept a watch on both his and Itsuwari's youki. Close as they were now, Kurama figured he would have no trouble noticing when the other demon was going to try something.

"You seem a little out of practice," Itsuwari commented, giving Kurama a smirk as he deflected Kurama's latest attempt at an uppercut.

Kurama didn't reply, putting his full force on his fight. He hadn't honed his skills with edged weapons in a long time, but he knew how to fight - he'd had centuries of practice. He wouldn't let Itsuwari's taunts affect him in any way.

"I haven't seen your mother in awhile," the silver-haired demon remarked some time later. "How is the darling thing?"

Kurama permitted himself a sneer. "She'll be better when I put your head on a pike."

"Cold as ice," Itsuwari declared, managing to look and sound faintly hurt. "You don't have to be so rude."

"Don't get me started on rudeness, you--Ow!" Kurama yelped at the unexpected pain, and realized that the other demon had kicked his shin. That had been a rather low tactic, but Kurama should have expected as much. He bent down, pretending to be heading to nurse his throbbing leg, and then shot back straight up, trying to catch Itsuwari by surprise with the sharp dagger on the end of his spear.

He almost succeeded. The end of his spear very nearly hit its mark, but Itsuwari, with widened eyes, moved his head aside just in time to avoid having it, as Kurama had said, on a pike. As it was, the dagger managed to slice Itsuwari's cheek.

They paused for a moment, both a little stunned that one of them had actually landed a blow. Kurama found himself staring at the thin line of blood running down Itsuwari's face. The silver-haired demon raised a hand to touch his skin, wiping some of the crimson liquid away, and looked at it for a long moment. When he raised his eyes again, he glared at Kurama with a bitter sort of hatred. Kurama tensed, waiting for the other demon to attack...

And then an alarming amount of churning youki caught his attention, and Itsuwari blinked, looking shocked. Kurama's eyes widened, realizing that there was more than one ki signature at the root of the magic. From the way it felt, there was an intense battle of youki carrying on further up.

Hiei! he cried, hoping fervently that his lover was all right.

He saw the next attack coming only because he'd been staring blankly at his opponent. Still, the sudden movement came as a surprise, since he'd allowed himself to become distracted.

Kurama hurled himself backwards, hoping to eventually sidestep and evade the quick, direct stab Itsuwari had dealt him. It didn't turn out exactly the way he'd planned; he'd reacted on reflex alone, and his reflexes hadn't taken into account that he was fighting on a flight of stairs.

He lost his footing and tumbled backwards. As he rolled blindly to the landing at the bottom of the flight, he remembered the one thing he sometimes regretted about becoming so emotionally attached to Hiei. When Hiei was in danger, Kurama would worry about him obsessively until he forced his attention elsewhere. He supposed it couldn't be helped; he loved Hiei and feared for his safety. But at the same time, Hiei was just as powerful a warrior as Kurama was, and could very well take care of himself.

Most of the time, anyway.

He hoped.

He landed hard, in an uncomfortable heap on the landing at the foot of the stairs. He'd managed to keep a good grip on his spear, but it was stuck underneath him, and he'd twisted his wrist painfully on impact. When he heard the pair of boots hit the stone floor in front of him, he didn't even have to look to see who it was.

"That looked like it hurt."

Kurama remained still, not wanting to give the other demon a reason to cut him down. Until he could figure out a way to untangle himself and move quickly, he wasn't going to try anything.

"You're gonna' feel that tomorrow, you know."

"Thanks for your concern," Kurama replied dryly.

"Oh, I'll do you one better. I'll fix it so you don't have to feel it tomorrow."

Kurama blinked, trying to think fast. Would he have enough time to get up and counter before that sword came down? He raised his head and craned his neck to look up at Itsuwari.

The silver-haired demon was smiling at him. "I think I'll start by... poking out those pretty green eyes."

Kurama widened his eyes, gathering his youki to possibly deliver a counterattack even as Itsuwari raised his Air blade--

"No!"

The new voice startled them both, so suddenly had it interrupted them. Itsuwari spun around to see the newcomer just as Kurama struggled to get to his hands and knees. And as soon as Kurama was balanced on his knees, he had to cover his eyes as Itsuwari burst into flame before him. The startled scream that came from the silver-haired demon hurt Kurama's ears, and when Itsuwari began to topple backwards, Kurama barely had the presence of mind to bring his spear up.

He didn't stab Itsuwari's heart - that was for certain. But Kurama didn't care. He rammed the spear through the other demon's spine, driving the spearhead through his torso with so much force that he knocked Itsuwari back over to fall on his stomach. When Itsuwari was facedown on the cold, stone floor, Kurama pulled the spear out, and stabbed the silver-haired demon again, this time through the back of the neck, and a third time, through the heart, as deep as the spear would go.

A little sore from his fall, and rather proud that he had fought the entire battle without magic, Kurama released his spear and stepped off of Itsuwari. He couldn't say he was sorry to see the cruel bastard fall.

He backed away from the body, with taking his eyes from it for a second, until he was closer to his unexpected ally. "So... when did you get here?"

"Did I miss anything?" Fukuro asked, sounding as though she was only half-joking.

Hiei panicked, and the Dragon's response to that panic was to demand release. Hiei didn't want to - gods, he didn't want to - but he couldn't see and he had no youki and he was being shoved backward, pressed against the wall of air behind him, and he could barely breathe and Jumon was laughing at him and Kurama was possibly in danger and Jumon was going to kill him and Hiei didn't want to die--

He was scratching at the wards on his arms before he realized it, frantically trying to tear them off before Jumon thought to immobilize him instead of simply keeping him pressed between two walls of air. The Dragon's mutterings escalated in volume; it was eager to be free and needed only Hiei's rei to come through. Piece by piece, he tore off the wards and revealed the mark of the Dragon etched onto his skin. He could feel the power emanating from it, already; the Dragon was ready - it was looking forward to freedom. Hiei welcomed the Dragon from the Plane into Makai, keeping the link open with his rei rather than his youki. It would have been better - and safer - to have gradually built up his youki to release it, but that was an option he didn't have. So, hoping he would be spared any after-effects, just this once, Hiei Called the Dragon, and it came.

Command me.

Protect me!

Hiei was thankful that he was immune to the Dragon's fiery body, because the Summoned materialized right before him. He could feel the heat from its body, could hear the telltale roar that it used to announce its arrival. It hurt his ears, being so close, but Hiei felt the Air around him dissipate, and he fell over onto his back once the wall behind him was gone. The shield keeping his youki from him was shattered, and Hiei seized his magic the way a child would his favorite blanket, swathing himself in it so no one else could take it. His Jagan granted him sight once again, in time to see what had become of Jumon and the Dragon.

Hiei was not sure how well Jumon would do against the Black Dragon, but the Dragon itself seemed to be avoiding Jumon. It was circling him, snapping at him, but Jumon didn't look overly frightened. When Jumon began counterattacking, Hiei was thankful for the Dragon's insistence to interfere. With Jumon occupied, Hiei pushed himself up and started heading for the Sphere, walking backward so he could keep an eye on the other demon, should Jumon realize what he was up to.

What Hiei didn't expect was for Jumon to score a hit - a bolt of lightning into the Dragon's midsection. The attack didn't injure the Dragon, but it did make the Summoned angry. Before Hiei could protest, the Dragon soared upwards, bursting through the ceiling, heading into the sky, and then diving through what remained of the ceiling.

The large, showering rocks were hard to dodge, but somehow Hiei managed it. More than once, he very nearly became part of the floor. He glanced over where Shiryoku's body had been, only to see the area become a home for more than one fair-sized boulder. If she hadn't been dead before, she most certainly was now.

White! White!

Hiei started, the Dragon's Voice compelling him to look back at the White Sphere. When he saw Jumon making his way to it, Hiei started after him. Jumon had had a head start, with all the confusion, but Hiei was faster. They reached the Sphere at the same time, each getting in the other's way. They elbowed and shoved each other like children, trying to take the glowing Orb from its altar.

Hiei's hands closed on it first, and he had to inhale a sharp intake of breath at the way it burned into his hands. His surprised pause gave time for Jumon to also get a hold of it, and at that point, their magical duel turned into a tug-of-war.

And together, each pulling for all he was worth, Hiei and Jumon fell to the hard ground, each gripping the searing White Sphere like a lifeline.

PART FIFTEEN - SIGHT
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