He swept the plain with his narrowed gaze, taking in the deceptively barren landscape with his eyes while his senses probed slightly deeper, revealing a blanketing layer of repulsive sensations that left a sour taste in his mouth.

"So this is the demon world."

"One part of it, anyway,"  Yuusuke acknowledged.  "This is pretty much on the edge of the inhabited areas, though.  Not much out here."

Not much  at all.  A few piles of rocks here and there, some sheltering plants... <At least I think they're plants - they don't feel quite right.>  Goten snorted to himself at that thought.  <Nothing here feels quite right!  The only normal thing around here seems to be Kuwabara!>

The giant red-head was currently picking himself up from the ground, where he had fallen after stepping through the gate.  "Kisama!"  He lunged at the diminutive fire demon who flitted out of the way without changing his expression.

"Oi!"  Yuusuke yelled at him.  "Knock it off!  We don't have time for this!"

"The little shrimp tripped me!"  Kuwabara declared furiously, grabbing at the elusive youkai once more.

"I said knock it off!"  Yuusuke grabbed Kuwabara by the wrist as he almost overbalanced, hauling him upright.  "We have to find Kurama - and we won't be able to if you two keep messing around!"

There was a metallic ring as Hiei slid his katana from it's sheath, pressing it close enough to Kuwabara's throat to draw a thin line of red.  The human froze, eyes wide.

"I could kill him now and save us all a lot of bother,"  Hiei's eyes glinted dangerously, the same colour of crimson as the drop of blood sliding down the blade of the katana...

"Hiei,"  Yuusuke's tone was serious for once.  "We all want to find Kurama - "

"And you're the only one holding us up."

Red eyes widened as Hiei found his hand to be lacking a sword, for the second time that day.  He clutched convulsively at thin air, before spinning around to glare at Goten, growling his intense displeasure.

"How about I keep this for a little bit,"  Goten suggested to Yuusuke, flipping the katana in his hands, his eyes never leaving those of the fire demon, which threatened to burn a hole right through his head.

"Aa,"  Yuusuke nodded slowly, also watching Hiei carefully, frowning slightly.  "That's probably not such a bad idea..."

Hiei's entire expression screamed his outrage at this turn of events.  He hissed in fury, then blinked out of sight, leaving his three companions alone.

"That- " Kuwabara began, indignantly.

"Kuwabara!"  Yuusuke snapped.  "Enough!"

"But he -"

Kuwabara deflated beneath glares from both Yuusuke and Goten.  He shoved his hands in his pockets, sulking.

"Is he always that bad?"  Goten queried, indicating the rapidly moving shadow in the distance that was all that could be seen of the little youkai.

"Actually, he's not,"  Yuusuke informed him.  "I think he's just edgy because Kurama's his best friend."

Goten snorted, unimpressed.  <Trunks is my best friend, but I haven't been -> He blinked, suddenly considering his own behaviour in a new light.  <Have I?>

"Aw, forget the shrimp; we have to rescue Kurama!"  Kuwabara declared grandly.

"We have to find him first," Goten reminded him.  <And Trunks, too...>  "I can't sense Trunks anywhere around here. What does Kurama look like?"

"Long red hair, green eyes, about this high..."

Goten stared.  "Does he have a little brother named Shuuichi?"

"Yeah - "  Yuusuke's head snapped around to look at him.  "How did you know?"  he demanded.

"I met him a little earlier today,"  Goten explained.  "The demon you're looking for must have seen me with him..."

"Heh, well I guess that explains that,"  Yuusuke commented.

Goten shrugged.  "We should probably get going if we want to catch up with Hiei."

"So who says we want to?"  Kuwabara wanted to know.

"Personally, I don't particularly care for Hiei, but rather for where he's heading..."

The two Reikai Tantei peered towards the horizon in the direction that Goten had indicated.

"Eh?  It's just another pile of rocks!"  Kuwabara complained.

"Try 'ruins',"  Yuusuke told him, staring intently.  "Come on!"

"It's gong to take us forever!"

Goten smirked.  "Not quite."  He wrapped an arm around each of their waists, and took to the sky, literally flying after Hiei.

"NANI?!!!"  Kuwabara shrieked, almost deafening him.

"Hey,  be careful where you poke that thing, okay?"  Yuusuke eyed Hiei's katana, which Goten still held in one hand, where it ended up quite near a place Yuusuke rather wished it wasn't.

Goten laughed, increasing his speed slightly, focusing on the fire demon.  <Not that there's much else to look at; even those ruins seem pretty bare...>

The ruins in question at first glance appeared to be little more than an unusually high outcropping of rocks. The original structures might have been more imposing over the bleak landscape, but now they had mostly crumbled away, with only a few fragments of wall remaining.  It was these broken pieces that had given away the artificial origin of the place, with their straight lines and corners so seldom found naturally - and completely out of place in this wasteland.

<Almost as much as Hiei himself, or I guess any live thing out here.  This is a place for the dead.>

Hiei was standing atop several stone blocks that had been dislodged from the walls by the time Goten reached the ruins.  He landed lightly beside him, making sure that both Yuusuke and Kuwabara had their feet firmly on the ground before letting go of them.

"What do you think?"  Goten asked the fire demon, who was staring resolutely at an archway a little distance off.  It had obviously been a major entrance in its day, but now the path was littered with debris.

Hiei ignored his question.  <Why am I not surprised?  He has an attitude that's just as bad as Vegeta's ever was, and just as much of an ego - it's almost like there are two souls in that little body of his to fit all of it!>  His eyes narrowed in thought.  <He does seem to have a double presence at times, but if so he's masking it well...>

"Hey shrimp!"  Kuwabara grasped the youkai by one arm.  "You shouldn't have -"  he broke off, the colour draining from his face.  "ITE!!!"   He jumped around like a crazed frog, holding the wrist of the hand that had held Hiei with the other, waving it about and blowing on it frantically.  "HOT!  HOT!"

"Eh?"  Goten and Yuusuke blinked in astonishment at the strange vision before them.  Oblivious, Hiei opened his jagan, his purple eyes seeing what normal eyes could not...

"Uh, Yuusuke?"  Goten asked quietly.  "Is it just my imagination or is Hiei on fire?"

Yuusuke gave him a lopsided half-smile.  "If it was any colour other that black, I'd say you were imagining things.  As it is, we could be in big trouble."  His brown eyes were deadly serious.  "I should have thought of that before..."  he trailed off softly.

"Thought of what?"  Goten looked at him sharply.

"Hiei's strongest attack is the Kokuryuuha," he explained.  "He has a tattoo of a black dragon on his right arm, which he has to keep wrapped up with wards.  He can release it, sending it to attack anyone he chooses, and it will return to his arm afterwards."

"So that's why it seems like there are two people in his body," Goten frowned slightly.  "The other presence I can feel must be the dragon..."

"There's a little more to it,"  Yuusuke warned him.  "He released Kokuryuuha at the park when he was trying to take out your friend.  That should have exhausted him - controlling Kokuryuuha is pretty hard, and he normally has to sleep it off.  But look at his arm now - no bindings, and no tattoo!"

"But Kokuryuuha is still with him..."  Goten nodded, understanding.  He smiled wryly.  "Let me guess - it's not a very nice dragon?"

Yuusuke chuckled darkly.  "You got it.  It likes to eat anything alive - up to, and including, souls.   We'd better keep an eye on Hiei until we know for sure what's up with  Kokuryuuha..."

"You think it's going to be a problem?  Goten questioned him closely.

"Only if we get in the way!"  Yuusuke grinned at him as Kuwabara finally straightened up and stopped his bouncing, although his face was still crinkled up in pain.  "You finished fooling around now?"  Yuusuke asked him innocently.

"Who's fooling around!"

"He's in there."  Hiei's words cut through the bickering as nothing else could.  He turned to face the others, jagan once again closed.

"So let's get going,"  Yuusuke stalked towards the archway, and the darkness beyond it, the others falling in at his side.

Goten stretched his senses to the limit as he stepped through the archway and into the passageway it opened up on.  A small patch of light had pooled just within the passage, but further than that the shadows reigned supreme.

<Well, not for long!>  He clenched the fist that wasn't holding the katana, then opened it to reveal a small sphere of ki.  He held it up, supplying it with more and more power until it was bright enough to light the long corridor for several metres in either direction.

Empty.

He moved forward, taking the lead, ignoring Kuwabara's slight sigh of relief as they continued on walking, concentrating instead on the darkness up ahead.

<I know that there's something there - I can feel it - and it's coming closer!>

Laughter - and light.

<Nanda-?!>  He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, as the others saw what he was seeing -

He was staring at himself.

<Not again!>

"Give me my sword!"  Hiei snarled at Goten.  "I'm going to kill him!"

"Nice body you have here,"  his double smirked at him, ignoring the fuming fire demon.  "Hope you don't mind me borrowing it for a little while - I know your friend enjoyed it!"

"Kisama!"  He hurled himself at the impostor, slicing at him with Hiei's katana, losing the blade almost instantly to a kick in the wrist.  <Kuso!  He's got my reflexes, too!>  He gritted his teeth as he continued to attack.  <Why don't the others - ?>  A brief glance at Yuusuke who stood with his aim wavering between him and his double made him realize his mistake.  <Oh shit.  They don't know which one I am!  If I could just let them know...>

Of course, judging by the way the black flames were dancing around Hiei's body it was obvious he didn't particularly care.  The air around him had started to writhe, coils of black scales winding their way around the confining passageway.

Red eyes opened, locked onto their target.

<Oh shit.>

Just two.  With his senses stretched to the limit, Trunks could only sense two other presences in this strange, empty prison.  Those two did not seem to be at all bothered by the complete lack of what he would consider to be essential to a normal environment.

<No end to the emptiness but us.  It's just like the Room of Spirit and Time...>  He shuddered uncontrollably at the memory, before smiling grimly.  <If so, I could probably get out of this place the same way - just power up until I blow the place sky-high...  But that would kill these two, and perhaps others out there in the real world...>

He frowned, considering the couple before him.  Neither one had noticed his presence yet, the two of them apparently having a picnic - only the picnic didn't seem to be there...  Yet they were lifting their hands to their mouths, miming eating and drinking with great relish.

He observed them in silence for several moments, fascinated by how completely they were involved in their game of make-believe.

<But if it isn't a game...?>  He pondered the possibilities, recalling the kitsune's words: I want you to return the favour.  Were these two trapped as he had been?  They didn't seem to be at all distressed...

Everyone here is far more than what they seem to be - even if they don't know it!

Had they forgotten who they were supposed to be, outside of the confines of this place?  <If so, just how am I supposed to remind them?!  If only I knew more about them!>

He glared at the boy, as though willing the knowledge out of his red head and into his own -

He reeled as his mind was assaulted by a multitude of sensations, all desperately trying to impose themselves on him, making him see hear taste touch -

Making him remember a life not his own.
 

He started in darkness, darkness that was warm and comforting.  This was too soon lost as he was dragged kicking and screaming into the light that was so cold and uninviting...

He sniffed at the still fox-form in front of him: no warmth, no life, he was cold again, and alone...

He slipped dirty hands into the basket of freshly baked bread, taking what he needed to fill the emptiness within him; but it's warmth was so soon lost, and his need was growing...

He tossed the pouch lightly as he ran, laughing; the weight of the coins easing his mind as they clinked coolly together...

He lay flat on his back, reveling in the embrace of the grasses that grew so thickly here, feeling his heart leap as the blades twisted and dance to the tune of his will...

He ran through the shoots, smiling, careless of his pursuers - until his friend's treasure was lost, and then his own...

He fell to the ground, fighting the weakness that spread through his limbs from the pain in his side, fighting away the cold darkness that tried to swallow him, because he wasn't ready to die...

The darkness was warm once more, but this time he wasn't afraid to leave it...

The human woman cradled him in her arms, cooing a human name; it was no longer dark, but he was still warm...

He stared in shock as the blood ran down her arms while she asked him if he was alright...

The little youkai with the spiky black hair scowled angrily at him from the windowsill, but told him his name before leaving...
 

<That youkai that attacked Goten!>  Trunks broke out of his semi-trance, startled.  <Was he fooled, as I was?  But as for 'Shuuichi'...>

:Are you going to help, or what?!:  The silver-haired kitsune snapped at him impatiently.  Trunks blinked at the youkai, his senses informing him of the fluctuating ki-levels of the red headed Shuuichi that were linked directly to the spirit of the fox.

:Exactly.  But he's not paying any attention to me at the moment, which is why I need you.:

<But what about the girl?>  Trunks deliberately did not think about wanting to know more about her, unwilling to submit to another session of memories quite so soon.

Kurama tilted his head, considering.  :She could be helpful if she could get rid of him entirely, but we need Shuuichi back first!  I'm sick of not having a proper body!:

Trunks' eyes narrowed in puzzlement, but nevertheless he stepped forward to where Shuuichi was sitting, smiling at his blue-haired companion, their emerald gazes locked in a somewhat more than friendly glance.

Kurama growled in Trunks' mind, golden eyes flashing dangerously at the pair.

<Oh well.>  Trunks shrugged, then reached out to haul Shuuichi to his feet by his shirt-collar, slapping him lightly across the face.  The green eyes widened in astonishment, then narrowed in anger, muscles tensing, ki building up...

"Hello,"  Trunks said calmly.  "My name is Trunks, and believe it or not, yours is Kurama."

:NANI?!  What the hell do you think you're doing?!:  Trunks could feel the kitsune bristling at him for his choice of method.  He ignored him, continuing on as he gazed deep into emerald eyes.

 "You're actually a fox-demon who is currently living as a human in the human world..."

Shuuichi stared at the stranger with the long, lavender hair incredulously.

"Don't be ridiculous!  You're trying to tell me I'm a mythological demon?  And you seriously expect me to believe this?"  He pulled out of the boy's grip, trying desperately to avoid his burning blue gaze - and to ignore the cold lump that had somehow formed in his stomach.

"Yes, I do."  The boy didn't back down an inch.  "Does the name Urameshi Yuusuke ring a bell?  How about Kuwabara?  Genkai?  Yukina?  Hiei?"

<Hiei?>  A face flashed before his eyes, but was gone almost before he could register what he was seeing.  Red eyes, red roses filled his mind briefly, before he shook his head.

"Urameshi and Kuwabara are two of the local delinquents," he said, lifting one hand to his head.  "I don't know the others."

"Yes, you do,"  Trunks informed him, then snorted derisively.  "You just don't want to believe it.  You're too happy in this little fantasy world you've made in this prison."  He turned his head, glancing off to the side.  "Forget it, kitsune.  He doesn't have an ounce of willpower without you.  He's not worth the effort."

<Nani?!>  Green eyes narrowed, focusing intently on -

He blinked in confusion.  <I didn't just see a silver youko, did I?>

:Oh, yes you did!:

He blinked again, glancing around him in suspicion.

"Hearing things?  Or just seeing them?"  Trunks smirked at him, causing him to grit his teeth.

"And just what am I supposed to believe?"  he snarled, then gasped as he caught sight of Kalei, seemingly frozen in shock, still kneeling on the ground, her green eyes wide and unseeing.  <Wait a minute - didn't she have golden eyes before?  And what happened to the picnic basket, and the blanket, and...?>  He lifted his eyes to meet Trunks' steady gaze.

"Believe what you know to be truth," the boy answered him softly, then disappeared from sight.

Shuuichi started back, eyes darting around him.  Was that a flash of silver...?

He barely had time to dodge the punch, Trunks' knuckles brushing past his cheek, the resulting air currents caressing his skin lightly.

"I didn't have to miss, you know."  Blue eyes regarded him calmly, one eyebrow arching up.

"Kisama!"  Shuuichi hissed.  "Stop playing around!"

Trunks was gone again, and Shuuichi remained motionless, waiting -

<There!>  He could sense his presence, where he would attack next; now, to stop him...  He ran his fingers swiftly through his hair, picking out what he wanted with practiced ease.

"Rose Whip!"  The stem lengthened, thickening, the thorns sharpening - and Kurama flicked the whip out, looping it around Trunks' wrist and pulling it tight.  It should have pulled him off balance, at least; at most it could have taken his hand off...

He looked up in surprise at the sound of Trunks' laughter.  Blood was dripping down his forearm, but the blue eyes were dancing.

"Nice toy you've got there," he commented, a smile touching his lips.  "Quite unusual for a human."

Kurama blinked at him for a moment, not comprehending; then he stared at the whip he had made, that bound Trunks - and began to smile.

"True,"  he answered softly.  "Very true."  He snapped his wrist, releasing Trunks from its thorny grasp.  "Are you alright?"  He motioned at the deep scratches left in Trunks' skin by the thorns.

"I'll be fine,"  Trunks shrugged.  "We have other problems to worry about."

"Like how to get out of here?"  Kurama suggested wryly.  <I don't know how long I've been in here - it seems like years! - but I know it's been too long!>

"And what's up with her."  Kurama followed Trunks' gaze back to where Kalei was still kneeling on what counted as the floor.  Her green eyes were frozen wide, hair cascading down over her shoulders and onto her forearms, crossed defensively over her chest.

<I can't believe she's a girl!>  Kurama fought furiously to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks in a frenzy.  A sudden realization made him pause, then narrow green eyes flashing gold for an instant.

"Not so much her, as him."

He'd been watching them, watching with eyes not his own, waiting for the right moment.  The moment when he could strike, strike and kill, kill and feast.

He'd been patient.  All the gods knew he'd been patient.  He'd been tempted, so very tempted, to just take what was there and be done with it - but he would have had to answer for his hasty actions.

The best prey did not just fall into one's lap.  He would hunt it, stalk it, savour every moment of anticipation.

He'd bided his time, learning what he could of the small group who had entered the tunnel in search of their lost companions.  He learned weaknesses, he learned strengths, he learned them.

Now it was time to strike - past time! - for he could act when they could not.  He knew them better than they knew themselves.

He opened his eyes, red, like those of the one he served, and freed himself from his embrace with the little one's soul.

Without hesitation, he shot forward, filling the stuffy tunnel with his aura, heading for one who would shortly exist no more.

He grinned.  This was one job that he was planning to truly enjoy.

<Which one?>  Yuusuke's eyes darted between the two identical Gotens.  <Which one is real?>

A rush of hot air swirled past him, ringed with shadows, causing him to stare as Kokuryuu sped by him heading for the Goten on the left...

<I sure hope it knows what it's doing!>

"Shimatta!"  The 'Goten' in question waved a hand desperately, opening up a portal.  He was through it in an instant, pulling it closed behind himself, while the Black Dragon screamed his fury at being denied a second time in less than a day.

<Heh.  Kokuryuu really is a lot like Hiei...>

"Trunks!"

Yuusuke blinked as the remaining Goten surged towards the gate, a glowing ball of ki forming between his hands.  He threw it just in time for it to lodge within the bounds of the portal, forcing it to stay open.

"Widen it!"  Hiei commanded, katana in his hands once more, eyes burning as Kokuryuu writhed around him.  "Kurama's in there too!"

"I'm trying!"  Goten grunted in response.

Yuusuke stared in amazement as the ball slowly expanded into a ring, forcing the portal to open up once more.  <He's doing that just with pure power...>

Kokuryuu flashed through at bewildering speed, Hiei hot on its tail.

"Hey!  Wait for me!  I, the Great Kuwabara Kazuma will be the one to save the day!"  The red head barged his way through, having to stoop to fit.

Yuusuke turned to where Goten was standing, head bowed, hands trembling with power.  "In case we can't open a gate from the other side - how long can you hold this?"

"Long enough,"  Goten  answered, the majority of his attention focused on the portal.  "Just don't plan on spending the entire day there, okay?"

"Hai,"  Yuusuke grinned.  "We'll get Trunks back for you, as well as Kurama!"

"Ganbatte.  I'll be waiting."

Yuusuke inhaled deeply, then stepped through the gateway into the unknown.

She sobbed aloud, gasping as the last comforting layer of warmth was stripped from around her soul, leaving it bare and exposed.  She hunched over, clutching her arms to her chest in an attempt to retain some of the lost protection.

<What happened to me?>  She wondered silently, fearfully, as she shivered in the cold.

"I think that's done it."

She snapped her head up at the sound of the gentle voice, to meet a pair of leaf-green eyes.  <So familiar...>

"I should know you..."  she told the person before her.  "But I can't remember how - "

"I'm sorry," a new voice interrupted.  She glanced to one side to see a blue-eyed boy gazing at her, the intensity of his stare softened a little by the concern and compassion in his eyes.  "We don't have the time to make this easy for you."

She opened her mouth to question them both -
 
 

"Damn it! He's getting away!"

"Kalei!  Let him go - or he'll take you with him!"

"Not this time!  This time he is going to pay, no matter what the cost!"

"Kalei!"

"Durlah, you bastard...  You're mine!
 
 

"Looks like we've got her back,"  Kurama smiled as he watched Kalei's eyes dance as they followed sights she had seen so long ago.  Her expression had slowly transformed from one of confusion to that of fierce determination as he and Trunks had looked on.

They had made swift use of the memory-transfer mechanism to update themselves on Kalei and Durlah, in the process gaining a healthy respect for the old Reikai Tantei who had sacrificed not only her life but her freedom for the sake of those she loved - and a thorough disgust for the self-styled master of deceit who had left a trail of madness, death, and worse across both the Makai and the Ningenkai.

<She's strong to have survived for so long in here without going insane; and to be able to free herself from his influence entirely, so quickly...>

"Not completely,"  Trunks informed him, as Kalei's eyes still flickered between gold, green and blue.

"She'll win,"  Kurama replied confidently.  The blue was increasingly winning out over the other colours.  "It'll just take a little more time."

Trunks shrugged.  "Unfortunately, time is something we've apparently run out of."  Kurama raised his head to see what Trunks was looking at: a portal which had just opened up a short distance away, and a figure that slipped through it, seeming to vanish into thin air.  Hiei's black dragon soon followed, along with Hiei himself, Kuwabara and Yuusuke;  all four showed signs of frustration at being cheated of their prey.

Kurama sighed as he saw his teammates, his smile dampened by his awareness of the danger that they were in.

"That is them, isn't it?"  he asked suspiciously.

Trunks nodded in assurance.  "I can feel Goten through that gateway.  They're real."

"Then we should probably get out of here before Durlah starts confusing them."  Kurama lifted  Kalei into his arms, eager to leave their prison.  "We can fight him on a ground of our own choosing."

"Kalei was right before.  If we let him get away now we could loose our only chance with him,"  Trunks' eyes narrowed.  "I have an idea."

Kurama arched one eyebrow delicately as Trunks made convenient use of the prison's facilitation of telepathy to brief him on the plan.

"I'll be over with Kokuryuu if you need me."  Trunks finished aloud.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Only one way to find out."

Hiei growled in frustration as he searched the area around him for the false Goten.  <Nothing.  Kuso!>  Even the impression of Kuama's ki that he had sensed through the gate had faded away into obscurity, leaving not a trace for him to go on.  <Damn it!  It must have been a trap!  I'll bet that that Goten was in on it - >  He hastily spun around, but the gate was still intact, still open.

He relaxed slightly, only to stiffen once more as Kokuryuu darted off into the distance.  <Where - ?>  He blinked, astounded, as he realized that the Black Dragon's ki was gone, too...

<Maybe it's just this place...  Then Kurama must be here somewhere...  But where to look?>

"Oneechan?  What are you doing here?"  Kuwabara's voice contained a tone of genuine bewilderment.

<That idiot!  It's just an ill->

"Yukina-san!"

Hiei's katana froze in mid-strike, the blade halfway between himself and his sister.

"Oniisan?"  She questioned sweetly.  "Is something wrong?"

<'Oniisan?'  She knows!>  Huge red eyes widened even further in shock; his fingers loosened from their grip on the katana's hilt.

"Rei-Gun!"

He turned his shocked gaze to where Yuusuke was standing over his mother's body.

"Urameshi!"  Kuwabara burst out.  "What have you done?!"

Yuusuke leveled an incredulous look in their direction.  "Oi!  Get a grip, you two!  They're not real.  Remember where we are?"

"What are you talking about?"  Kuwabara demanded

Hiei glanced back at the portal, then back to Yuusuke.  Without a second glance he slashed the false-Yukina across her stomach.

<No-one  impersonates my sister and gets away with it!>

"HIEI!!!   SHINE!!!"

He prepared to dodge the ningen's spirit-sword - but found such a move to be unnecessary.  The false Shizuru had already taken hold of her 'little brother', pulling him back against her.  The glow of his Rei-Ken faded noticeably as Hiei and Yuusuke looked on.

"Rei-Gun!"

'Shizuru' simply smiled, and caught the blast, wrapping it around her wrist where it glowed like a golden bracelet.  Kuwabara collapsed in a heap on the floor.

<Kisama!>  Hiei flew towards her, katana glinting in anticipation - only to be knocked back by the energy from Yuusuke's spirit-gun.

<Nani?>  He lay panting on the ground, unable to gather even the strength to raise himself up on one elbow.  <I feel so weak...  Did she drain me too?  She didn't touch me...>  He clenched his eyes and fists in frustration, then opened them in realization.  <Kokuryuu!>

He turned his head towards the direction the dragon had flown in, only to see the false-Shizuru about to overpower Yuusuke with his own Rei-Gun.

<Damn it all!  We can't loose like this!>

:We won't!:

<Kokuryuu?>

He frowned as a ki-blast hit 'Shizuru' away from Yuusuke, a blast too powerful for the shape-shifting youkai to absorb fully.  <Not Kokuryuu.  Trunks?>  He looked up towards the origin of the blast, the sight of the pale-haired boy confirming his guess.

'Shizuru' also looked up - but it was Goten's eyes that locked onto his friends'.  Trunks stared in shock.

<No, don't be fooled - >

"You look just like Kalei!"  Trunks declared, blue eyes wide.

'Goten' blinked, surprised.  "What are you talking about?  I'm Goten - "

Trunks laughed.  "Don't be silly.  You're Kalei.  Right, Kurama?"

Hiei managed to push himself into a sitting position in time to see the kitsune nod, smiling sweetly at the shape-shifter. He moved his arms, as though settling a heavy burden in them - but Hiei could see nothing there. "That's right," Kurama confirmed.  "You are Kalei."

'Goten' began to fade away, to be replaced by a slender figure with long ice-blue hair, and bright sky-blue eyes.  'Kalei' lifted  one hand before her face in astonishment.

"No!  I'm not Kalei!  I'm Durlah!  Durlah!"

"Durlah's the name of this prison, isn't it?"  Kurama turned to Trunks with a malicious smile on his face.  Trunks smirked in reply.

"Why I believe you're right!  You agree, don't you Hiei, Yuusuke?"

Hiei gazed up at them, uncomprehending.

:Believe!:  Kokuryuu urged in the back of his mind, and Hiei nodded compliance.

<The girl's Kalei, the prison's Durlah.  So where exactly does that get us?>

:Quite a long way, actually!:  Not the dragon this time, but the fox.  Kurama gazed at him steadily, with something of regret in those emerald-green eyes.  Before Hiei could question him, however, the youko winked, dropping whatever remained of his unseen burden and scooping Hiei up in his arms like a child.  He would have protested, but it just seemed like too much effort...

"Time to go!"

"Kuwabara - "  Yuusuke started, only to be cut off by Trunks.

"I'll get him - you take Kalei through the portal!"

From within Kurama's arms Hiei could see that Yuusuke didn't like that particular idea very much; but one look at the dazed Kalei who was having trouble just standing apparently changed his mind.  <Hn.  Another idiot.>

The six of them crossed back through the portal even faster than the four of them  had the first time, Goten collapsing his ki-ring as soon as they were all through.  All?  <Wait a minute - >  "Kokuryuu!"

It was barely more than a whisper, really, but Kurama heard him, assuring him that everything would be alright.

<It had better be, Fox!>  He tried to tell the kitsune that, but in the process lost his battle with fatigue...

"Let me get this straight,"  said Goten, rubbing at his forehead.  "You're an investigator for the spiritual world, like they are?"  He waved one hand at the Urameshi Team, who along with Trunks, Kalei, Botan  and Genkai were seated around the low table.  Yukina was serving them tea, while Hiei sat off to one side sharpening his katana, the fresh wards Kurama had bound around his arm gleaming brightly against the stark black of his attire.

"Not quite,"  Kalei answered with a grimace, sipping at her tea before continuing.  "My brother worked for the Reikai - but his last job ended up getting not only him, but most of my family killed as well."

"That was Durlah, ne?"  Kurama prompted her.  Sighing, she nodded, brushing long strands of her hair out of her eyes.

"Durlah wanted power, and he loved seeing people suffer.  That's where he got a lot of his power from - the pain and anguish he caused his victims through his ability to change shape, and to trick people's minds into seeing what he wanted them to see."

"And he got sentenced to an eternity in Hell for that?"  Yuusuke questioned.

"No."  Yuusuke jumped, yelping in surprise as Koenma appeared beside him once more.  "Durlah was given that sentence for what he did to the souls of his victims."

"Destroying them,"  Trunks stated.

Koenma nodded seriously.  "But only when he'd caused so much damage that annihilating them was almost a mercy."

"That could have happened to us?!"  Kuwabara squeaked.

"You're lucky that he was so weak from being imprisoned for two thousand years,"  Koenma informed him.  He turned to Kalei, who was staring at his toddler-form curiously, and introduced himself.  "Would it be possible for you to come back to the Reikai with me?  A lot of the paperwork for Durlah is still missing..."

Kalei shrugged.  "He probably took it with him when he escaped.  I'll come.  It's not like I have anywhere else to go...  I was supposed to be dead, anyway, until Trunks and Kurama figured out how to get me a new body!"  She laughed at how they had stolen her adversary's body to replace her own.

"You're quite welcome to stay here, at least until you sort yourself out,"  Genkai informed her, receiving a smile of thanks in return.  "I think that the two of you should also stay the night, Goten, Trunks."

"Hey, we still haven't heard their story!"  Yuusuke complained.

"Um, it's kind of long..."  Goten trailed off.

"You can tell it in the morning, then!"

"Uh -"  Koenma's expression was quite adequate in displaying his discomfort with the idea.  "They should probably get going...  Otousama was looking for them..."

"Your father doesn't have to know right now,"  Genkai told him.  "All of you look too exhausted to move.  Phone your families and tell them you're staying here tonight!"

Yuusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara complied willingly, while Koenma resigned himself to the situation with a glum face.

"Mind staying here for the night?"  Goten asked Trunks quietly.  Trunks laughed in reply.

"I don't think we'll be getting too many offers like this - we'd best not miss the chance while it's there!  What's bothering you?"  Trunks inquired as Goten continued to stare at him with a puzzled look on his face.

"You've changed,"  Goten told him.  "What happened in there?"

Trunks gazed back at him steadily for a moment before answering.  "I guess I gained a new perspective on life."

Goten blinked.  "Is that all you're going to say?"

"It's a bit hard to explain.  I'll tell you someday, when we have more time."

Goten gave him a lopsided grin.  "We have all the time in the world - in all the worlds!"

"Then I don't have to hurry to tell you, do I?"  Trunks smiled back at him.

"What about Durlah?  I still don't understand what happened to him."

Trunks' smile turned positively vicious.  "Remember what happened to Kalei?  How she ended up trapped in that mind-prison he created for all the years he was in Hell?  What goes around, comes around!"

The emptiness was starting to annoy him.

It was boring without his toys to play with.  If only he had just one...

He stiffened as the gust of hot air hit his back.  Someone, or something...?

He turned, smiling, to start a new game.

Red eyes burned brightly before him, wide mouth gaping in a grin.

He fled, knowing that this game was one he could not escape.

There was no place left for him to go.
 

End Kaleidoscope.