I knew he was trouble the moment I laid eyes on him.

I scowl, rolling over in bed with an annoyed sigh. It’s going to be one of those nights, I can tell. Yet another night of fruitless tossing and turning, vainly attempting to lull myself to sleep while endlessly reflecting on the cause of my misery.

I’d met Hiei a month before the robbery. In spite of myself, I liked the little bastard; we shared a certain foul temperament as well as a severe dislike of those weaker than ourselves – especially ningen. Admittedly, his antipathy seemed to be on a more… personal level, but that didn’t really bother me – I figured I could use it later on.

I’m not sure where he’d heard about those three Reikai Treasures, but I was more than willing to go along with his plan to steal them. Possessing them would give us – well, me – the means to rule the Ningenkai if not the Makai as well. I found out later that he wanted to use that stolen power to liberate his sister, but I didn’t give a damn about that. I just knew that I couldn’t get those treasures on my own, and I figured that I could always get rid of him later, when he ceased to be useful.

I wasn’t overly concerned when he spoke of bringing in a third accomplice. After all, I’d never been a very good thief – I had brute strength and a thick hide, but stealth was never a talent of mine. Hiei assured me that our partner-to-be was an accomplished thief and lockpicker as well as a reasonably skilled warrior in his own right. My curiosity was piqued, however, when we arrived in the Ningenkai. Surely our new ally wasn’t a ningen? I laughed in disbelief. Hiei merely snorted.

Not a ningen – worse. A youko. A ningen youko!

I’d dealt with youko before. I had no use for the unpredictable creatures – they were good for a quick screw and little else. And this one was part human! Was Hiei out of his mind?

Hiei and I quarreled later that night. He insisted the youko was entirely trustworthy – he’d been suitably impressed when they’d fought Yatsude together – and wouldn’t even discuss any other possibilities. None of my arguments had any effect. I even accused him of sleeping with the damned creature; he replied that I was jealous and refused to discuss the matter any further. I was furious. Hiei was easily manipulated, but I couldn’t even read the youko. He was a wild card, completely unpredictable. I knew that if we didn’t get rid of him, all our planning would be for nothing.

As it turned out, I was right. Oh, the heist went off without a hitch – the youko served us well as far as that. But then Hiei made the mistake of giving him the Mirror of Utterdark for safekeeping. And the cur promptly betrayed us. Hiei was stunned; he’d really believed Kurama would stay loyal to us – to him. I was just enraged – if it hadn’t been for us, the arrogant bastard would never have gotten the Mirror in the first place! I should have killed him on the spot, and I would have, if that Reikai Investigator hadn’t shown up.

All of us together could have taken the Investigator – hells, Hiei and I could have taken them. But Kurama took that opportunity to walk away. And Hiei simply chased after the youko, still refusing to believe he’d been betrayed. Which left me to deal with the Investigator. I almost got him; I did defeat him in our first battle. But maybe I was as distracted by Kurama’s betrayal as Hiei – I got careless. The Investigator lived. I, obviously, did not.

Occasionally, I hear things from some of the newly-arrived inmates. Evidently Hiei and Kurama now work for the Reikai. It must be incredibly galling for Hiei – defeated by the ningen Investigator, forced to serve masters for whom he has nothing but disdain. Kurama – hells, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been working for the Reikai from the start. Maybe he’ll throw Enma’s brat over, too.

I wonder sometimes if Hiei ever found his sister.

As for Kurama… I hope to see him again one day. And then I will grind him into the dirt. I will make him wish I had killed him in the clearing that day.

I can still feel the smile tugging at my lips as I finally drift off to sleep.

* * *