By My Mistress\'s Side

\"Get up, fool.\" The voice did not sound like Naraku\'s. When his vision cleared Yusuke realized that he was not looking at Nakago and Naraku but Seto Kaiba and one of the blonde twins. His eyes settled on the flute tucked in the blonde\'s belt. In the blink of an eye Yusuke was on his feet, fists balled in the material of Amiboshi\'s shirt, slamming the blonde into the wall.

\"You little bastard, you\'re gonna be eating that flute in a minute.\"

\"Enough!\" Seto\'s voice rang out.

Yusuke turned his head to see Seto standing in the hallway, Akari cradled in his arms, once again asleep. He let go of Amiboshi. \"Get your goddamned hands off of her,\" he snarled.

Seto\'s expression of cool disdain did not change as he pointedly ifnored Yusuke\'s demand. The ceo of Kaiba Corps merely pivoted and began to make his way down the hallway, tails of his coat ruffling out behind him. Amiboshi brushed passed the shocked Yusuke. \"If you\'re coming you better hurry.\"

Yusuke shook his head. There was no way he was letting that pompous ass walk away from him like that. He broke into a run, passing Amiboshi and Seto, stopping in front of Seto. \"What the hell do you think you\'re doing?\"

Seto glared at him. \"Out of the way moron.\"

\"Hell no, not until you hand her over,\" he reached out to take Akari from Seto.

Amiboshi glanced over his shoulder, nervously. \"I suggest we be quick about this.\"

\"Shut up you flute playing jack ass. I\'ll settle with you later,\" Yusuke growled, then returned his attention to Seto, who was starting to step around him. \"Where do you think you\'re going? I said give her to me.\"

\"Oh, damn,\" Amiboshi murmured, calling Yusuke\'s attention to him once again.

\"I told you I\'d take care of you later,\" Yusuke said, then paused, seeing the blonde, take a few steps back, staring down the hall in the direction they had come. Amiboshi pulled the flute from his belt, clutching it in his hand.

\"They\'re here.\"

Yusuke was certain but he had a feeling he knew who \"they\" were. He turned to take Akari from Seto and make a run for it but all he saw was Seto\'s coat tails dissappearing around the corner. \"Shit!\"

******

Mokuba sat in the back of the limo, staring out the tinted windows, watching the door for any sign of Seto. The boy had only been waiting for five minutes when he decided that he had waited long enough and he needed to go back to see what was keeping his big brother. He opened the car door, and with a quick word to the driver to keep the car running, sprinted back into the building. He made his way to the main security room in record time. His gaze passed over the banks of monitors, finally finding the one focused on the corridor outside the room Akari was being held in. His elder brother and Amiboshi were just entering the camera\'s view. A flicker of motion in one of the monitors attracted his attention. Security was attempting to apprehend Nakago and his hanyou partner with no success. One flick of the blonde\'s wrist and the armed guards were flying down the hallway or slamming into the walls. The two were moving steadily toward Seto and the others.

He shifted from foot to foot nervously, wondering what he should do. Mokuba began to cast his gaze around the room, as if the solution might present itself. His eyes settled on the telephone. He drew a deep breath as he picked up the reciever and began to dial.

*****

Chichiri and Miroku sat cross legged on the floor, facing each other, eyes closed. Sango moved about the room lighting candles and incense to aid their seeking magic. \"There is a barrier around the estate,\" Miroku murmured, \"Naraku\'s doing...\"

Chichiri nodded, concentrating on breaking through the wall. Finall the two of them were able to shatter the shield. Chichiri immediatly began searching for the bright star that was his employer. He searched Kaiba Corps first, passing on when he did not find her there. oku oku called his attention back to it and on closer inspection her found Akari. A cry passed his lips as he centered on her weak life force. He opened his eyes looking into Miroku\'s sympathetic azure gaze. \"Naraku is too confident in his ability to use more than one barrier. Call the others, you must get her out of there before he realizes we have broken his shield.\"

Chichiri was already on his feet, hand on the phone when it rang, suprising him. He picked it up, intendon ton telling whoever was on the line to hang up immediatly but a child\'s voice spoke first. \"Akari is at Kaiba Corps. Hurry!\"

\"Who is this?\" Chichiri asked. All that came over the line was the child\'s gasp and the loud crack of the phone being dropped. Chichiri could barely make out a man\'s voice in the background.

\"Who are you calling Mokuba?\"

He clearly heard the child\'s call for help, then the phone went dead, seconds later dissolving into a busy signal. Miroku had rise and come to stand beside him. \"What is it?\"

Chichiri shook his head, reseting the phone so he could use it. \"There is not much time.\" He dialed the number quickly. When it was picked up he gave the person on the other end the information. \"Time is of the essence and you\'ll need the ice princess. Keep it small. You need to get in and out quickly.\"

\"You got it.\"

Chichiri hung up the phone, seeing Miroku\'s questioning gaze he smiled, \"Now we wait.\"

\"Did you call Touya?\"

Chichiri shook his head. \"Discreetion and speed are what we need now.\"

\"A team of women huh?\" Sango asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Chichiri just smiled and settled back into a meditative stance on the carpet.

*****

Botan hurried up the front walk to the door of the house she would share with the others. She mentally scolded herself as she went for ebing the last to arrive. She was supposed to be the team leader after all. She inserted her key into the lock and pushed the door open, setting her suitcase down as she removed her jacket. \"Hello? I\'m here!\" she called and was almost knocked off her feet by a petite red head with a long braid flying out behind her.

\"Botan! You\'re here!\"

Botan chuckled, returning the girl\'s embrace. \"Hi, Hikaru. Where is everyone?\"

\"Oh, they\'re in the living room,\" Hikaru replied, taking her hand and leading her down the hallway. Botan could now hear the voices coming from the living room. Above the low level conversation rose a haughty voice. \"And just what\'s wrong with my cooking?\"

\"Nothing,\" countered a young girl\'s voice, \"If you like eating charcoal.\"

\"Why you little--\"

Botan watched paused in the doorway, watching the brunette chase the blonde around the room. She blew a sigh, which also served to remove her perwinkle bangs from her eyes as she marveled at their ability to bicker, in spite of the situation. Another girl, her mouse brown hair pulled into twin chinese buns came to stand on Botan\'s other side. \"They started the instant they arrived.\"

Botan laughed, \"Kaoru wouldnt be happy if someone weren\'t antagonizing her. Hi Aya,\" she called as the blonde zipped by.

\"Hi Botan!\" Aya replied, hopping over the couch. Kaoru paused in front of her.

\"Botan, you tell her that there is nothing wrong with my cooking!\"

\"There is so!\" Aya cried, sticking her tounge out.

\"There is not!\"

\"There is.\"

\"Not! Botan, tell her.\"

She was saved from answering by a loud slam. A black haired girl with stormy grey eyes was gathering a pile of books and papers. \"I\'m never going to get this done with you two running around.\"

\"You can use my room Kagome,\" offered the blue haired girl sitting by the window, \"It\'s quiet there.\"

\"Thanks Yukina.\"

Botan cleared her throat, \"Actually Kagome, it\'s time to get down to business, studies will have to . W. What do we kn" s" she asked, seating herself on the couch.

\"Other than that the boys have screwed up royally?\" Aya offered, flopping into a chair, eyeing Kaoru suspiciously.

\"You should be used to cleaning up their messes by now Aya,\" Kaoru complained, sitting on the couch next to Botan.

\"Seriously,\" Miaka interjected before the two could start again, \"All we know is that Chichiri suspects that she\'s being held at Kaiba Corps, by the ones she was going to meet with.\"

\"And they are?\"

\"Seto Kaiba and two mystery partners by the names of Nakago and Naraku,\" Aya continued, \"And before you ask, they are mysterious because they own no stock in any Japanese company, Kaiba Corps include so we don\'t know why they allied with Kaiba.\"

\"What do we know about them?\" Botan continued her questioning, still wishing she had been able to arrive sooner.

\"The one called Nakago is very feared in this area. Any time we tired to bring up his name, people clamed up. All we could get was that he\'s very good with magic and he has a group of equally gifted people loyal to him,\" Hikaru replied, grimly. \"All we know about the Naraku guy is that he is hanyou.\"

\"Han-what?\"

\"Hanyou,\" Kagome spoke up, \"Half demon. Like Inu Yasha.

\"So that puts him in your arena Kag,\" Botan stated, to which Kagome nodded.

Botan clapped her hands together, \"Alright. I\'m assuming you\'ve had a hard time infiltrating Kaiba Corps or we\'d either have her back by now or know more than we do,\" at the nods she continued, \"Chichiri and his friend are working on breaking through the barrier that is keeping them from pinpointing Akari\'s location so when he calls, I want Kagome, Yukina--\"

\"Me?\" Yukina interjected.

Botan smiled at the shy girl, \"Yes you. Your healing ability may be needed. Aya, I know you won\'t like this but Ceres may be helpful in dealing with Nakago and his goons.\"

\"It\'s alright. Ceres will be alot more helpful than me and she wants to help,\" Aya replied with a solemn smile. She closed her eyes and they watched the change come over the girl. The blonde hair darkened to a deep blue-black, her face became more mature. When she opened her eyes again it was the celestial maiden\'s violet eyes that gazed at them.

Botan nodded, acknowledging Ceres\'s presence. Botan looked at the three she had chose, taping her finger on her chin. Three would not be enough. Yukina was not a fighter, they needed one more. Miaka? No, her powers were not reliable enough. Hikaru? She looked at the spunky teen. No, she would be needed to guard the escape. Only Kaoru and...\"Riho! Is the sundown yet?\"

As the question left her lips the door opened and the young vampire stepped into the room. \"What did I miss?\"

Kagome moved toward her, grabbing her arm, \"We\'ll tell you on the way there.\"