“Urameshi said that the elevator over there should take us to Makoto’s suite.” Kuwabara said as he guided the mask fighter down the hallway towards the elevators.

When they were half way through the hallway, the masked fighter noticed something laying on the floor by the elevators. It didn’t take long before he noticed that it wasn’t something laying on the floor, but someone. It didn’t take long for him to notice that the person laying on the floor was Yusuke.

“It’s Yusuke!” The masked fighter exclaimed running to his side.

“What?!” Kuwabara exclaimed in surprise as he followed behind the masked fighter. As he drew near, he saw that the masked fighter was right.

“Urameshi!” Kuwabara yelled as he ran faster to his side.

When they reached his side, Kuwabara grabbed him by the arms and shook him lightly. It took a few hard shakes before Yusuke finally came to.

“Yusuke, what happened to you?” The masked fighter asked when he saw that Yusuke was waking up.

“Mmmm… What?” Yusuke rubbed his head as he tried to remember what happened before he was knocked unconscious.

“You okay, Man? Who did this to you?” Kuwabara asked while he helped him stand up.

“Kimika… We need to get the others right away!” Yusuke yelled pushing past them and heading to the elevator.

“But why? What happened?” The masked fighter asked as he followed behind Yusuke.

“And what does Kimika have to do about this?” Kuwabara asked as he followed him into the elevator.

Yusuke waited until the doors closed before answering.

“I was on my way back from the restaurant heading to Makoto’s suite with Kimika. On our way to the elevators, we were stopped by some soldiers who were searching for the girl we found earlier. They attacked us when we refused to tell them where she was. They also kidnapped Kimika as leverage until we give them Horuna.”

“Damn. Kurama is not going to be happy with this.” Said Kuwabara as he watched the floor numbers slowly increase as they rose higher.

Yusuke knew very well that the news of Kimika’s kidnaping wouldn’t be taken well by any of his friends. He couldn’t help but blame himself since he still couldn’t use his spirit gun and in close combat that soldier was much stronger. If only he was stronger, maybe he could have saved Kimika.

Regardless of his guilt, Yusuke knew that he wasn’t going to stop until the people, who took her, paid for what they did and she was returned safe.

 

Kimika woke up to a pounding migraine and to find that she was strapped to a strange chair. She was unable to move her body. Her arms were tightly strapped to the arms of the chairs.

She was surrounded by darkness and shadows. She was unable to make sense of her surroundings. She tried to break free, but her restraints were too strong. Also for some strange reason, she couldn’t use her powers to break her restraints.

“You can struggle all you want, but your restraints won’t give. Also you won’t be able to use your spirit energy no matter how hard you try.” Kimika heard the voice of her attacker from before.

“What have you done to me?” Kimika asked as she tried to break free once again.

“There are ancient symbols carved into the leather of your restraints. Those symbols restrict the use of your spirit energy.”

“What do you want from me?” Kimika asked softly.

“We want to know where you are keeping the girl. If you tell us, we’ll release you.”

“No! Never!” Kimika refused sharply.

“We’ll see if you will feel that way after some rough persuasion.” The woman said.

Her words put fear in Kimika at the uncertainty of what she meant. Before she could demand any answers, a sharp surge rushed through her body putting Kimika in excruciating pain.

Her screams were deafening as the surges continued for a few more minutes. The pain made Kimika’s skin feel as if it was burning from the inside-out. Even after they turned the power off and the current ceased, Kimika could still feel the intense pain.

“The pain could go away if you just tell us where the girl is.” The woman said once more trying to sound sympathetic to Kimika’s pain.

“I won’t tell you anything.” Her words were soft as she struggled through her pain to answer.

“I don’t get it. Why are you willing to sacrifice yourself for someone you don’t even know?”

“I don’t need to know someone to want to protect them. She is only a child and you want to put her through this torture. For what? Greed? I can’t let you harm an innocent child.” Kimika’s voice slowly trailed off as the pain took over her.

“So be it. Then you’ll suffer in her place unless you change your mind.”

The power went back on and the excruciating pain surged through her body once more. Tears threatened to fall, but the pain prevented them from doing so. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take, but she had to be strong. She couldn’t give them Horuna. She had to protect her no matter what.

 

A series of rapid powerful knocks sounded on Makoto’s bedroom door while she was changing her shirt. She hurried because the urgency of the pounding. She threw off her top and replaced it with a new one before responding.

“Ok… Ok! Calm down! I’m coming!” Makoto yelled to whoever was on the other side of the door as she ran over to it and unlocked it with haste.

Right as she opened the door, Hiei pushed past her and entered the room.

“I told you five minutes. You are too slow. The information that Horuna divulged to me is of too much importance to wait.” Hiei turned back to look at her with an intense look of annoyance.

“You were able to get her to trust you? So does that mean that you told her that you know the truth about her identity?” Makoto asked wide eyed in surprise.

“No. I haven’t. But that isn’t important right now.” Hiei answered shortly as he leaned against the wall and looked away from Makoto.

“But why, Hiei? She deserves to know the truth. She has been sear…” Makoto started before being abruptly cut off by Hiei.

“Enough. I have my reasons. That’s all you need to know.” Hiei said indifferently.

“Hiei…” Makoto’s voice trailed off as she realized that he wasn’t going to speak anymore on the subject.

“Fine. We respect your decision, so please tell us what Horuna told you.” Kurama said softly as he walked into the room and over to Hiei’s side.

“She told me a lot. The man, who paid for her capture, is called Jiro Kurokawa. He is a business partner of the committee that runs this tournament. He hired an elite group of bounty hunters called the Tsuki soldiers to capture her. He also brought her here with the intentions of selling her to the highest bidder while using them as a transportation .”

“The Tsuki soldiers?” Kurama said softly as he recalled where he heard of that name.

“You know of them, Kurama?” Hiei asked when he heard Kurama’s response.

“I heard of their reputation. They are feared as bounty hunters for they are highly skilled and always claim their prey. They are rumored to be incredibly strong and unbeatable.” Answered Kurama.

“There is no such thing as being unbeatable. Anything, no matter how great, has a weakness regardless how small it might be. It just needs to be found.” Makoto smirked indifferently as she heard Kurama’s words.

“My thoughts exactly. If we take out the head members of their group, we should stop their pursuit of Horuna. She told me where she believes they are located.”

“Where she believes they are located? So we have no definite location?” Makoto asked with an eyebrow raised.

“No. We don’t. But at least it is something to go on.” Hiei answered shortly.

“That is true. Hiei and I could scout ahead. We can get there quickly and confirm if that is actually where they are located. If we are careful, we won’t be detected.” Kurama placed his finger on his chin as he contemplated about what they should do. “We could come up with a plan of attack once we know what we are up against.”

 

Hiei told Kurama and Makoto more about what Horuna informed him of Jiro Kurokawa and his partners. As he was informing them, they heard Kuwabara shouting.

“Hey guys, where are you?!”

“We are in here.” Kurama answered Kuwabara’s call.

Within moments, Yusuke, the masked fighter, and Kuwabara came running into her bedroom.

“We have a major problem. Two strong jerks dressed like G.I. Joe attacked me and Kimika. They kidnapped her as leverage for Horuna.” Yusuke yelled as he struggled to stand in his weakened state.

Hiei ran up to Yusuke and grabbed him by the collar. His rage building by every second.

“What the hell are you talking about?! Why didn’t you protect her, detective?!”

Yusuke closed his eyes and looked away as his guilt began to take over him.

“They were too strong. I’m sorry.”

“He must have ran into two members of those Tsuki warriors that you were talking about, Hiei. If so, then there was no way that he could have saved her. As much as I hate to say it, the spirit detective isn’t at fault.” Makoto placed her hand on his shoulders as an attempt to stop him from escalating his anger.

“Makoto is right. Your anger is understandable, but misplaced. You should be angry at the people who kidnapped her.” Kurama’s voice faded softly as his fear slowly began to take over him.

“How can you be so calm, Kurama?! Your sister was taken! You should be angrier than I am!” Hiei yelled as he looked back at Kurama with his grip tightening on Yusuke’s collar.

“I’m far from calm. I’m just as angry as you are, but I won’t let my anger consume me. If I am going to save my sister, then I need to have a clear head.” Kurama answered plainly while trying to hide his true feelings to the current situation.

Anger wasn’t the only emotion that he possessed. He was going crazy with worry. He had heard many things about the Tsuki soldiers and one thing was that they were masters of torture.

‘Oh, Kimika. Please stay strong. I’m coming to rescue you no matter what.’

“There is a simple solution to this problem. Why don’t we give them the girl? We don’t know her. We have no obligation to her, so why risk Kurama’s sister’s life for hers?” The masked fighter stated indifferently.

“We can’t do that!” Hiei snapped angrily as he released Yusuke from his grip.

“But why? What is the importance of keeping her around?” The masked fighter pressed when he noticed Hiei’s anger towards his suggestion.

“She is an asset to me.” Makoto answered quickly.

Hiei looked at her wide eyed in shock. Makoto looked at him for a second, smiling softly, before turning towards the masked fighter. She could see the wonder in his eyes at her words, but she ignored it.

She didn’t understand why he never told Horuna the truth; but she believed that whatever the reason, it must be a really good one. She could tell by his reaction that he was already becoming attached to his new little sister.

She hated the idea of putting her best friend in danger, but she also knew that she couldn’t risk Horuna’s life either. She couldn’t risk Horuna’s life not only for Hiei, but for Kimika as well. She knew that Kimika would never forgive her if she agreed to the switch.

 

No. How could this happen? The girl from before, the one who safeguarded her life, was captured because of her. She knew that something bad would happen if they helped her. She should have avoided them earlier and never gotten them involved. Maybe if she did, this would have never happened.

Hiding in the shadows of the corridor outside Makoto’s bedroom, Horuna overheard everything that was being said. She looked down at the floor as her guilt slowly took over her. The small masked person was right. They had no reason to risk Kimika’s life for her own.

It was obvious that Hiei and the goddess weren’t going to allow the switch. But if it was the only way to save her, then she had to do it. It was obvious that Hiei and his friends were no match for the Tsuki soldiers. She couldn’t let them sacrifice themselves for her.

She had to save her. She had to make sure that no one else was harmed because of her. She had to protect them. She had to protect all of them especially him.

 

It didn’t take long for them to come up with a plan of rescue. Once they were all in agreement, Hiei left the others to inform Horuna of their plans. However when he went into the spare room, she was nowhere to be found.

Fear filled him as he searched every inch of the room, but there was no sign of her. He ran out of the room and checked the bathroom. She wasn’t there either.

His blood began to race as panic took hold of his entire being. It didn’t take long for him to realize what happened. She went to turn herself in to save Kimika.

That stubborn little girl. Why did she have to do that? Why couldn’t she just trust him? Doesn’t she realize what will happen to her when she returns there?

He ran back into Makoto’s room and informed them of Horuna’s actions.

“She is gone! She went to the Tsuki soldiers’ base to turn herself in!”

“Are you sure?” asked Makoto.

“Of course I am!” Hiei yelled in aggravation as he turned away to leave after Horuna. “I’m going after both of them.”

“I don’t understand why you are so concerned about Horuna, but I have an kicking that I need to repay and a friend to save.” Yusuke said as he ran after Hiei as he left.

Regardless the reasons driving them, they all ran after Hiei and Yusuke to put an end to all the madness no matter the cost.

 

To avoid being caught by Hiei and his companions, Horuna used the rest of her energy to teleport to the outskirts of the Tsuki soldier base. She took a deep breath before she walked up to its gates. Guards swarmed her immediately after she reached the gate.

“Who goes there?” said one of the guards as they drew close to her.

“It is the Ruby Ice Maiden! Detain her!” Another guard yelled as he circled her.

Horuna didn’t put up a fight as they put her in chains and restraints. She closed her eyes as they guided her to her cell. There they tied her hands onto a pole above her head.

She waited there among the shadows of her prison unaware of what waited for her in the near future. She didn’t open her eyes even when the lights to her cell came on. The lights were so bright that she could see it through her eyelids.

Not even a moment later, she could hear the sound of footsteps growing near. Their steady stride stopped in front of her within seconds. A rough hand gripped forcing her to look at its owner.

Horuna opened her eyes to see that the owner was no other than her captor, Jiro Kurokawa.

“You have returned. I don’t understand. You ran away to be free, but then you return of your own free will? Why would you sacrifice your own freedom to return?” Her captor questioned as his grip around her neck tightened.

“I came so you would release the girl you captured. Please. Let her go. She is of no use to you.” Horuna’s voice was gentle as she begged for Kimika’s release.

“I’m sorry. But I can no longer do that. I didn’t know how valuable the girl was until recently. She is almost as valuable as you.”

“What!! But you promised…” Horuna spoke weakly as she could feel her power slowly draining from her body.

“You should know by now that I hate keeping my promises. Though you shouldn’t be so concerned about her. You should be more concerned about yourself. Or did you think if you offered yourself up that you wouldn’t be punished for escaping in the first place? If so, then you were sadly mistaken.”

With those words, Kurokawa let go of her and backed away. He waved his hand and signaled the soldier standing behind her.

As soon as his hand fell, Horuna could feel the piercing sting of a whip against her back. The pain surged through her as the leather of the whip pierced her skin over and over again. The pain was so agonizing that Horuna could barely hold in her screams.

She bit down hard on her lip to prevent herself from screaming. Blood poured down as she restrained herself from screaming. Regardless the intensity of her pain, Horuna refused to let him hear her scream. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of that. But with her body growing weaker and the pain of her lashing increasing, how much longer could she resist?

 

With both Kimika and Horuna captured, there was only one plan of attack, to destroy every and any person who got in their way. When they reached the gates of the Tsuki soldiers’ base, Rika Makoto blasted them open with a huge lightning bolt. She incinerated all the lesser soldiers who were standing guard.

With the gate and its guards destroyed, they ran inside as fast as they could. They were surrounded by a small village of dark green military tents. There were too many of them to search each one by one. They would need to separate.

But before anyone could suggest their next move, they were surrounded by a swarm of demon guards. Yusuke and the others readied themselves to fight the increasing number of demon guards.

“I don’t want to take pleasure in this, but these weak little demons will be a great warm up until we fight the bastards who kidnapped Kimika.” Rika said smirking sadistically as she readied herself to attack.

“Let’s get this over with so we can save Horuna and Kimika. Who knows what they are doing to them?” Hiei growled in anger as he drew his sword.

“I agree.” Kurama summoned his rose whip preparing to attack the guards who were slowly moving closer to him.

It didn’t take long for them to cut down the attacking demon guards. In mere minutes, every one of the demon guards were defeated.

“Now that that is taken care of, we need to find where they are keeping the girls.” Yusuke said looking around the camp.

“We will need to split up. We can cover more ground that way and have a higher chance of finding where the girls are.” The masked fighter stated as she observed their surroundings.

“But isn’t that dangerous? These guys might be weak, but the guys running this show aren’t a joke. You saw what they did to Urameshi.” Kuwabara stated in slight nervousness.

“It doesn’t matter how dangerous it is. We have to do it. Here take these.” Rika said softly while she tossed crystal pendants at each of the others.

“What is this?” Hiei asked while he looked over the strange pendant in his hand.

“Those are location crystals. They are used to pin point the location of the holder. They are activated by using your spirit energy to guide the other crystals to you. Use them if you find where the girls are and we will come to your position. Understand?” Rika explained as she began to float in the air.

“Fine. Let’s go.” Hiei said as he left to go find the girls. ‘Stay Strong, Horuna… Kimika. I’m coming to save you. I refuse to lose either of you again.’

 

Horuna was too weak from her wounds to tell why they had stopped torturing her. She was just relieved that it ceased. The loss of blood caused Horuna to slowly slip in and out of consciousness as she weakly hung from the pole.

“Why did you come here, Horuna?” Horuna heard the weak voice of a woman coming from the cell across from hers.

“Kimi…Kimika? Is that you?” Horuna stammered weakly as she forced her tired eyes to open.

“Yes. It is. Please tell me why, Horuna. Why would you give up your freedom to come here?” The fragility in her voice was eminent.

“I couldn’t let you suffer because of me. I thought that they would release you if I handed myself in. I’m sorry.” Horuna answered gently as she looked at Kimika who was chained up in her cell.

“What are you sorry about?”

“I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry that you were mixed up in this. It is my fault that you are. I’m sorry that you had to suffer because of me. I really believed that they would let you go if they had me.” Horuna apologized softly as she tried to hold back her tears that were caused by her growing guilty conscious.

“It is alright, Horuna. You can’t blame yourself for the actions of others. They chose to go back on their word just like I chose not to tell them your whereabouts.” A small smirk crossed her face as she spoke.

“But I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell them where I was?” Horuna asked in confusion.

“Because I had to protect you.” Kimika answered simply.

“I might not know you or have a reason why I should protect you, but I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

“Why couldn’t you?”

“Because I couldn’t let you give up until you have found whoever it is that you long for. I couldn’t let you give up on what your heart has been fighting for all this time. I couldn’t let you give up on what you have been fighting for all these years.”

Kimika’s words shocked Horuna. They were complete strangers with no common bond, yet she risked everything for her. Her heart began to swell at her kindness. She never met anyone as selfless as Kimika.

The hopeful demeanor that she displayed was so infectious. For the first time in a long time, Horuna’s desire was restored. She once again had the desire to survive so she could be reunited with her siblings.

She was reunited with her brother once. She wasn’t going to lose him again. She couldn’t especially when she still had to find her sister. She wouldn’t give up until she found what her heart always longed for, her family.