Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ In Which a Lock is Picked ( Chapter 24 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I am not making any money from writing this. I do, however, own my plotline.

 

------

 

Chapter 24

 

In Which a Lock is Picked

 

------

 

“I don't see us getting out on our own,” Kurama said.

 

“Good thing you won't be alone then, fox.”

 

Kurama and Yusuke looked up at the new voice that came from the doorway. Kurama, in spite of himself, gasped. There stood Hiei, Kuwabara, Genkai, and Botan.

 

“You guys…” Kurama tailed off unbelievingly.

 

“Did you really think we would just let you rot?” Kuwabara asked with a grin as he entered the cell. The others followed suit, except Hiei, who remained in the doorway to stand guard.

 

“I…” Kurama paused. He had never thought the others would give up on him. He had just worried they would end up moving too late. But seeing them all here, having come to rescue him, boggled his mind. “No,” he said finally.

 

Kuwabara's grin seemed to grow wider as he stepped up to the fox's side. Genkai had moved over to Yusuke. Kurama blinked when he finally noticed Botan standing in front of him. It was like a dream; a dream that for so long had seemed impossible under the dark weight of his imprisonment.

 

No words needed to be spoken between them as they stared at each other. Everything was plain as day in her amethyst eyes, much like he knew his own emerald eyes hid nothing from her. A weight disappeared in his stomach just looking at her face.

 

The spell was suddenly broken as Kurama noticed Yusuke rubbing his wrists lightly as he walked over to the fox and Kuwabara, Genkai right on his heels. He was still collared but somehow free and unconcerned about the metal band around his neck. Kurama thought his eyes were playing tricks on him for a moment.

 

“Let's see,” Kuwabara was muttering at Kurama's side, “which one was it?”

 

Genkai shoved up to the orange-haired teen's side. “Let me do it. You get the dimwit's collar.”

 

Kuwabara nodded and made his way to Yusuke's side. Kurama opened his mouth but closed it in surprise when Kuwabara touched the back of Yusuke's collar in a specific pattern. A click echoed throughout the room as the vile object clattered to the floor. Yusuke grinned as he felt the access to his demon energy return.

 

“You know,” he said matter-of-factly, “these things don't block spirit energy, so I could have beaten Ichigaki's ass even with this thing on.”

 

Kuwabara smacked Yusuke upside his head. “Don't get cocky.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I was just sayin'…” he muttered.

 

Kurama, on the other hand, couldn't get past the fact Kuwabara had just taken off Yusuke's collar with ease. “How…?” he asked wearily, barely noticing Genkai fiddling around with his shackles. Yusuke and Kuwabara grinned back at him. It still seemed surreal to be seeing his friends standing in front of him, Kurama thought idly. He surprised himself at how quickly his thoughts were shifting.

 

“Should we let him in on it?” Yusuke asked mischievously.

 

“I dunno,” Kuwabara said in a horribly fake innocent voice. Kurama could tell they were both enjoying knowing something the fox didn't for once.

 

“Just tell him,” Genkai grumbled as the shackle holding Kurama's right wrist popped loose. Kurama's eyes widened as he looked at his wrist, not noticing Genkai move to his other side. The others inhaled a breath at the sight of the raw, chafed skin that had resulted from the fox's vain struggles against his bondage.

 

“Oh fine,” Yusuke grumbled, regaining his composure with obvious effort after the sight of his friend's suffering. “We raided the troll doc's old lab and found not only the location of the lab, but the blueprints to the collars and shackles he designed to hold in demon energy.”

 

“With the blueprints it was easy to find out how to disengage them,” Genkai added as Kurama's other wrist came free. The red-head dropped several inches to the ground with nothing holding him up anymore. He stumbled when his feet hit the floor and Yusuke rushed forward to catch the unstable red-head.

 

“Thanks,” he murmured gratefully. Yusuke nodded.

 

As Yusuke helped steady Kurama, the fox missed the concerned looks his friends shared. They had never seen anything other than grace and poise from the fox so his current condition was something of a shocker. They had seen him take some hard beatings in fights in the past, but only once had they seen Kurama look this vulnerable; only a comatose Kurama in the hospital when Karasu had returned three years prior could match what they were seeing now. And it was disconcerting.

 

“Kuwabara, take off his collar,” Genkai ordered and the orange-haired teen rushed to the task.

 

Yusuke pulled Kurama's arm over his shoulder for support and the fox was thankful. He heard the faint clink of the collar opening and the subsequent clatter as it fell to the ground. All at once, he could suddenly feel his demon energy. It had been so long since he had access to his power that its sudden return made him momentarily dizzy.

 

He blinked a few times and everything seemed to become sharper to his senses. The colors were brighter, the smells were more potent, and the sounds were clearer. Kurama opened his mouth but Yusuke cut him off with a grin.

 

“One more thing.”

 

Kurama blinked when Botan reached into her kimono sleeve and pulled out a rose. The delicate aroma of the rose touched the fox's nose and it was intoxicating. It had been so long since he had his most trusted weapon in hand.

 

Botan handed the rose to Kurama and he savored the feel of her soft skin on his in the exchange. Gods, he had missed her. “We have more seeds back at the base,” she said, speaking for the first time since the group's arrival. Her voice was shaking slightly but was still music to his ears. “But we figured this would do until we got back.”

 

Kurama nodded mutely, not trusting his voice. He twirled the rose between his fingers expertly a few times before transforming the plant into a seed and placing it into his hair. He sighed. Things were right once again. No words could express his feelings at the moment. The others seemed to understand this and did not press him to speak.

 

“We should get moving,” Hiei said from the doorway. “We still have to find the others.”

 

Yusuke nodded grimly, tightening his hold on Kurama as if to be sure the red-head was still there. And as much as Kurama hated to admit it, he was glad for the support considering the physical shape he was in at the moment. He was too proud to ask for assistance, but his friends knew well enough when he needed it, so no words had to be spoken. That was something the fox was grateful for indeed.

 

“Do we know where to look?” Kuwabara asked.

 

Yusuke shrugged—which was difficult with Kurama's arm across his shoulders. “I kept an eye out on all the cells that were in sight when they brought me in but I didn't see them.”

 

“I was unconscious when I was brought in, so I have no idea what the layout of the place even is,” Kurama added, voice gaining strength in the presence of his allies.

 

“That's not a problem,” Yusuke said with a smirk.

 

“What?” Kurama was caught off-guard by the simple statement.

 

“Just another goody we found in Ichigaki's lab. You'd really think he'd destroy stuff like this so his enemies couldn't use it against him,” Yusuke replied mischievously. “Botan?”

 

The ferry girl pulled out a large roll of paper from her other kimono sleeve and handed it to Genkai, who unrolled it on the floor. Kurama studied the layout of the compound intently, quickly memorizing it. The aged psychic pointed to a spot. “This is where we are now; the highest security cell Ichigaki has.”

 

She traced her finger down the hallway outside the cell. “There are no other cells on this level. But go up a floor and we hit the medium and medium-high security cells on this,” she indicated a block on the picture, “wing. The low-to-medium-low security cells are here and here.” She indicated another block and level respectively. “Considering the level of the majority of demons he's caught, most should be in low security areas.”

 

“But Chuu and Touya would be medium,” Botan said, “if not medium-high.”

 

“I would guess medium-high,” Kurama said. “Ichigaki wouldn't underestimate them”

 

“I agree,” Genkai said. “You must have come though the mediums, Yusuke. That would explain why you didn't see them.”

 

Yusuke nodded. “So, to the medium-high security cells?”

 

Kuwabara took one more look at the map before nodding resolutely. “Let's do this.”

 

-----

 

They made an odd procession moving down the hallways of the Organization's headquarters. Not only were they the demon hunting group's greatest enemies all gathered in one spot walking casually through enemy territory, they managed to make that look odd.

 

Hiei was in the lead, scouting ahead for the group in case they ran into some trouble. Kuwabara walked behind him, hands in his pockets. Yusuke, supporting Kurama, came next. Botan walked behind the pair, her oar in hand in case of an attack. Genkai came last as the rear guard. Though the hall was wide enough for them to all walk abreast of each other, they remained in single file except for Kurama and Yusuke.

 

The more they walked, the steadier Kurama felt, but Yusuke refused to let him go when he brought it up. “You may feel steadier, but that's not how you look,” he said shaking his head adamantly. “Botan may have healed some of the minor injuries, but you still look like shit.”

 

“Yusuke!” Botan exclaimed in protest.

 

“What?” he asked, turning to look at her questioningly. “He does!”

 

“That's not the point, Yusuke.”

 

“It's alright,” Kurama said gently and Botan fell silent. The group continued walking without speaking fore a few minutes before Kurama broke the quiet again, his curiosity no longer able to contain itself. “You actually raided Ichigaki's lab?”

 

Yusuke grinned. “We didn't just raid it.”

 

“We demolished it,” Kuwabara added, looking back. He had a strange look on his face.

 

“Impressive,” Kurama conceded to his friends. They beamed.

 

“Not only that, but they came up with the rough idea of the plan we're using now,” Genkai added with a touch of affection for the boys. “We smoothed it out with some group work, but the original idea was theirs.”

 

“Well, well, well. Who knew you two were a pair of strategists,” Kurama teased, suddenly getting the inspiration to pay them back for teasing him earlier. Obviously the drugs were starting to wear off. “I don't know what you need me for anymore.”

 

“Not funny,” Yusuke grumbled. “It's not as easy as you make it look.”

 

“Well, when your brain is the size of a peanut, that does tend to make things difficult,” Hiei called back from somewhere ahead.

 

“You wanna start something?” Kuwabara challenged. Hiei snorted in return and everyone laughed, but not too loud as not to give away their position to any guards that might not have heeded Ichigaki's summons. They had yet to run into any resistance and Kurama hoped it would remain that way.

 

“I see how we're avoiding guards—they were all summoned to the battle you set up with the city demons—but how are we getting Chuu and Touya out and then out of here?” Kurama asked. He was curious as to how elaborate the plan had been. He suspected it had to be pretty good for Hiei to go along with it, even if the fire demon would never admit it.

 

“Once we find their cell, well, you're a master thief, right?” Yusuke asked, looking over at the fox. Kurama instantly recognized what Yusuke wanted him to do.

 

“I can pick just about any lock, traditional or electronic,” he confirmed and Yusuke nodded. Kurama had the sinking suspicion that if he hadn't answered as he had, Yusuke would have resorted to brute force to get the door open. Like that wouldn't draw attention to them, the red-head thought with a mental roll of his eyes. He should have known better than to give Yusuke too much credit for subtlety.

 

“Once we get in, we'll set Chuu and Touya free,” Kuwabara said, continuing the narration of the plan. “And then we'll use the confusion of the battle above to retreat. Once we're out of range, we'll give the signal for those demons to retreat too. With some luck everyone will be back safely within minutes of each other.”

 

“But not all the demons will stop,” Kurama said slowly. “Who on our side is up there?”

 

“Jin, Rinku, Shishi, and Suzuka are leading the charge,” Yusuke replied.

 

Kurama frowned. “Couldn't they be caught?” he asked. “And wouldn't that make this whole operation pointless?”

 

“They know what they're doing,” Genkai said from the back. “They won't get caught.” She sighed. “As for your other point, there will inevitably be casualties on both sides. As much as we may not want to see it, there will be necessary sacrifices for the ultimate end, which is beating Ichigaki.”

 

The fox made no mention of the fact he was no stranger to making sacrifices for the greater good. But back then it hadn't bothered him like it did now. He shook his head lightly since the sedative's effects still lingered. These demons wanted this fight. If the ex-Tantei had their way, those demons would not be a part of the final battle and thus deserved at least this one chance for retribution for their suffering.

 

“I found them,” Hiei called from a short distance ahead of the group. They quickened their pace slightly.

 

Upon reaching the door, they saw a small slit that served as the window into the cell and inside were indeed the demons they had been looking for. Neither looked up or made any sign of recognition of the presence of their allies just outside their doors. The collars not only blocked one's own demon energy, but prevented him from noticing the auras of others, Kurama realized, not having thought about it before.

 

Yusuke, supporting Kurama, walked up to the door so the fox would get a good look at the lock. It was electronic. Kurama pulled himself away from Yusuke to further study the lock. The former leader helped him kneel in front of the obstacle. Aware that everyone's eyes were on him but not caring much at the moment since he had a task to perform, Kurama called forth his demon energy—and for a slight moment savored the feel of his power rushing through his veins—before sending it into the lock in the form of a diagnostic query.

 

A few moments passed before he came across what he had been looking for: the locking mechanism. Despite not having picked any type of lock in years, Kurama was too experienced to be rusty in one of his most talented arts. With an intimate probing of the electronic locking mechanism, he was able to discern the password. The wires were situated in a specific manner for the password unique to the device. While such a pattern would not be obvious to an untrained observer, it was inherently obvious to a master thief. He nodded to himself and grudgingly rescinded his energy from the device. He wanted to feel the flow of his power for a bit longer.

 

He started to rise to his feet but Yusuke helped as he started to stagger. He nodded his thanks to his friend before turning back to the lock. He typed in the six-digit combination of numbers on the keypad and the sound of the lock disengaging rang through the ears of the gathered group. There was a collective sigh of relief as Kurama smirked.

 

Still got it.

 

Hiei stepped up and pulled the door all the way open. Inside, Touya and Chuu looked up to see who was entering their cell. Shock registered on their eyes as they realized who was standing in the doorway.

 

The first thing Kurama noticed was that neither of the demons was shackled to the wall. Both demons were collared and were sitting against the wall, but there were no other restraints. He supposed Ichigaki didn't consider them to be threats on the level of the ex-Tantei so hadn't seen the need restrain them.

 

“What's going on?” Touya asked in shock as he pushed himself carefully to his feet. Kurama noticed how ginger his movements were; obviously that was a result of the beatings they had taken from Risho—Touya had to love that irony, the fox thought—or other guards.

 

“What does it look like?” Yusuke asked. “We're here to rescue you, of course.”

 

“Kurama!” Chuu exclaimed in surprise, noticing the red-head for the first time.

 

“So this is for real,” Touya said, his pale eyes wide.

 

“Of course,” Genkai said, pushing her way into the cell. “Kuwabara, get their collars.”

 

“Right.” The orange-haired teen made his way into the cell and within minutes had the two demons uncollared.

 

They grasped at their throats in surprise. “How?” Touya asked weakly.

 

“Later,” Genkai said. “We need to get out now. We can't waste time in case something goes wrong on the other end.”

 

“Other end?” Chuu asked blankly.

 

“Our diversion,” Hiei answered simply.

 

“Ah… right.”

 

“Let's move it,” the psychic snapped tensely. She obviously didn't want to risk all of them getting caught. If that happened, all three worlds could be in danger, after all.

 

No pressure, Kurama thought idly as they moved through the compound.

 

Hiei obviously knew exactly where the appropriate exit was and was moving quickly to get there. The others followed. Kuwabara was helping to support Touya. Chuu, on the other hand, refused any help. The ice master seemed to be the worse off of the pair, most likely having gotten a lot of his injuries out of Risho's spite for his behavior those years before in the Dark Tournament. Chuu was on a different team so had most likely avoided a fair amount of the beatings Touya had taken.

 

Kurama smiled. He was proud of the ice master for having come so far since then. The wounds he bore now were a testament to his inner strength and pride.

 

Soon the group came upon a door that was obvious exit. Genkai turned to the group. “Let's finish this right.”

 

------