A/N: Told you! I started this RIGHT after I finished the last chapter. In fact, the first two lines of this one were originally part of the last one, but it was already six pages long and I had to get something out to you guys… so yeah. Here's chapter fifteen!

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"That man…" Kurama shivered. Hiei watched his out of the corner of his eye, waiting for other potential information to reveal itself. "That man… Hiei, what is the nature of your job as a boogeyman?"

"What?"

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"Is it possible that another demon was assigned to me at the same time as you were?"

"No, that wouldn't happen. Mukuro never does that, ever."

"Then… Who was that man? I can always take control of my dreams, except when he's in them."

'She wouldn't have sent another boogeyman out, would she? No, if that were the case, he wouldn't be attacking my dreams as well… So exactly who is he?' Hiei was silent for a while. "I don't know," he said after getting impatient looks from Kurama.

"Then how are we going to find out who he is?" Kurama mused. Hiei was silent, lost in thought. Through his pondering, Kurama let out a yawn. Hiei watched as he tiredly got to his feet and went to the bathroom. He could hear water running as the younger (or older, depending on how you looked at it) boy washed his tear-streaked face. It seemed that he was getting over his fright now that he was awake. "We'll be able to think more clearly if we're not tired," he yawned upon returning. He climbed into the bed and wiggled under the covers, drawing a deep breath to steady himself. Hiei was silent still as he watched Kurama fall asleep.

'You, maybe. I'm not going to sleep,' Hiei thought, getting up and pulling on his boots and cloak. He opened the window and leapt into the night.

Once again flinging open the door to Mukuro's office, Hiei was shocked to find the room empty. Wildly, madly wondering where the hell she was, Hiei looked around one more time before pulling the ward off of his Jagan. He scanned the entire Reikai castle, proving to be a difficult task. He sorted through the energy signals until he found Mukuro's, then raced off in her direction.

He flitted through clusters of busy ogres, who jumped out of his way, trying to keep their papers from flying away with his wind. Moving past rooms he knew were empty, he finally came to a very long flight of stairs. He started up them at a swift pace, wanting to find out what was really going on right away. After five minutes of running, he came to the top of the tower, and a doorway shut tight with visible energy shields. Growling slightly, he tried looking past them with his Jagan, but only got a splitting headache. He groaned, holding his head, then exerted more energy to disarm the barriers altogether. His head throbbed as he opened the door to the room at the pinnacle.

Mukuro was inside, along with a blue-haired demoness who looked like she was half butterfly. They were sitting across from each other around a pedestal topped by a spiky crystal with many tiers and flat planes about as big as a human head. The woman and the crystal were both emitting a dark purple glow as they utilized the crystal to look into other worlds. Blue lightning began to crackle around them as they drew nearer to what they were seeking. Hiei stayed back, in the doorway, knowing better than to try and interfere. There was a flash of indigo light, and then the two slowly came out of their trance. Gradually, the women noticed Hiei's presence. Mukuro rounded on him the moment she knew he was there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!" she yelled after getting over the fact that he was there. "You know damn well that this room is off-limits to kids like you!"

Hiei twitched in anger, not appreciating being called a kid. "Since when have I cared about damn boundaries?" he snapped back.

"Since when have you found yourself so important that you can just barge into wherever you feel like, whenever the hell you feel like it?! Last I knew, you were still wallowing in shame for being the Emiko!"

That cancelled Hiei's next words very effectively. His eyes smoldered, glaring the life out of her. She knew that he didn't want that fact getting around. "Now that's over," she said, still angry, "what the hell do you want?"

Hiei had to take a moment for his rage to subside before he could say a word. Unclenching his fists, he spoke, his voice quivering slightly. "There's something happening in Ningenkai. I need to know some things about the other boogeymen," he said, very deliberately, to control himself.

"You can wait until I get back to my office," she said snappishly, shoving him out of the door and slamming it in his face.

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When Mukuro stepped into her headquarters and found Hiei already sitting there, simmering, she was slightly more civil. "Now what was it that you wanted?" she asked.

It took a while for Hiei to answer, his pride having been bruised earlier. "I want to know if you've assigned any more boogeymen to the kid," he said flatly, safely not moving from his position.

Mukuro frowned, already trying to figure out what Hiei was up to. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Hiei turned his glance minutely away; he didn't exactly want to admit to Mukuro that he'd been having nightmares. He could hear the teasing in his head now: "You came here because of a bad dream? Baby!" He narrowed his eyes and thought of how to word his next statement.

"Things have changed. I've been attacked," he said, deciding this was the best route to follow.

Mukuro immediately tensed. "Attacked? By who? Who would dare?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you." One of Hiei's eyebrows rose.

"How were you attacked?" she drilled on.

"Through dreams," Hiei answered shortly.

Mukuro's eyes widened fractionally for a split-second then narrowed greatly. She seemed to be deep in thought. "Dreams…" she echoed quietly. Hiei watched her somewhat warily, expecting some kind of revelation to come violently. It did not, however, and Mukuro stayed silent. Finally, she looked up. "Has Kurama been attacked as well?" she asked suddenly.

Hiei was confused but answered anyway. "Yes, why?"

"Go back to him," she ordered briskly. "Bring him here. Right now," she said as Hiei opened his mouth to speak. "No questions. Go!"

'God damn I hate it when she does this,' Hiei thought bitterly, arriving at Kurama's house in late afternoon. Kurama looked at him, puzzled, when he hopped through the window.

"What happened?" Kurama asked, watching Hiei's silent form. It stayed silent, and Hiei plopped down in the corner of the room pensively. Kurama raised an eyebrow but did not press the matter, still trying to stay on good terms with his 'guest.' Hiei stood again, then turned to the redhead.

"Follow me," he said shortly. He jumped back out the window, not waiting for Kurama to respond. He didn't have to wait very long; Kurama caught up with him and matched Hiei's moderate pace.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" the kitsune asked, slightly curious and slightly annoyed.

"We're going to Makai."

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Well, I think that's it for this chapter. Sorry if it seems short—it seems short to me—but I thought that this was a good place to end the chapter. As always, reviews are always highly appreciated, and thanks again to those who are still reading even through that long wait. :3