Chapter Twenty- Disappearing Act

~*~

The experimenter glanced over the many names registered on the Orientation website, then clicked on one of the links that popped up as recent. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as basic statistics about the trainer she'd chosen popped up. Then she smiled when the list of her Bishonen appeared. "Perfect. Hotohori's always get quite attached to their trainers, and vice-versa." She hesitated, then her smile became a dangerous smirk. "But before I get down to business, why don't I have a little fun? Hiei!"

The demon Bishonen appeared in the doorway, a soda in hand. "What's up?"

"We're going to get ourselves another pair."

"Found someone already? You're getting good at that," he commented. He took a swig from the can. "Will they be willing?"

"They should be willing to do anything, after a couple days. Just capture this trainer's Hotohori first and put him by himself for a while. Say, maybe in that deserted wood we used last time, for a day or two."

Hiei couldn't help but shudder at that thought, lowering the empty can. "That'll come dangerously close to driving him mad, you know."

"Exactly. At that point, he and his trainer will be quite willing to do whatever we tell them. Prepare to make the arrangements, Hiei. You know how to run the device, I assume?"

"After so many times? Don't be insulting, trainer mine." Hiei gave a little smile.

"And it doesn't bother you?" she questioned.

"A little, but you know I'll keep on for you. Got nothing better to do anyway, and it gives me a boost whenever my fellow Bishonen are in pain." Hiei shrugged, then crushed the can in his hand with ease. "I'll get it going." With that, he walked away.

The experimenter nodded at him. "What would I do without you, Hiei-kun?" she murmured. "Now, let's save this link. I'll have to remember this trainer's name, this..." She rolled the name off of her tongue. "Miya-chan."

~*~

"...So you're saying if I go to this Orientation thing, I can catch all the Bishoujo and Bishonen I want?" Paul asked slowly.

Anya sighed and rubbed her temples. "YES," she said.

"And they'll go with me, and be my friends?"

"YES," she repeated.

"And I can fight with them, and take them everywhere I go, and-"

"YES, YES, YES," she said. "For the eleventh time, it's all true!"

"Great!" Paul grinned. Then he flexed his muscles. "But was it really necessary to duct tape me to a chair like this?"

"I'm gonna duct tape Tomo to a chair once I catch one!" Abby announced.

Everyone paused and sweat-dropped at this statement. "Okay, whatever you like, Abby," Jacky said.

"And yes, it was necessary to prevent you from scaring all the Bishoujo in the city," Anya told Paul.

"Aw... alright. So there's this Orientation thing? Can we go right now?"

"I don't see why not." Anya checked the clock; they were back in one of the hotel rooms they had rented. "Since we finished eating an hour ago, we should be good. Besides, I wanna get my Bish-Dex back and see if it's up and working again. We can stop by there after we drop you off."

"Annie-dono, I wanna train sometime, that I do," Kenshin said quietly. He was sitting on a nearby bed, his wooden sword in his small hands.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Kenshin. I've completely forgotten, haven't I?" Anya asked.

"I can train him here while you all are out," Sano volunteered. "Since my trainer ain't going very far, and I don't feel like walking..."

"Okay, that sounds good," Anya said. "If you both promise not to destroy the place while we're gone, of course."

"Relax, missie. We'll move everything out of the way so nothing will be damaged," Sano said. He waved a hand as though in dismissal of her statement.

"All right. Just... as much as you don't like modern technology, do NOT use any of it as target practice for either yourself or Kenshin, mmkay?" Anya gave Sano a stern look.

"I wasn't gonna! Women," he muttered.

"Trainers," Inuyasha added helpfully.

"Yeah, them too."

"Da..." Chichiri sweat-dropped, his only contribution to the conversation.

"Well, while we're at it... Heero, you wanna come or go?" Anya asked.

Her Bishonen looked up; for once, he'd been staring at the floor and not a computer screen. "I'll go with you."

"And I, no da," Chichiri said.

"Of course," Sano said with a glare.

"And what's THAT for, no da?" Chichiri gave his fellow Bishonen a somewhat confused look.

"Nothing. Forget it." Sano glanced away. "Are you all leaving, or not?"

"We're leaving... So how to do this... Ne, Chichiri?"

"Hai, Anya-dono no da?"

"Just Anya, please." The trainer glanced at Paul. "Can you use a freezing spell?"

"Uh... hai. What for, may I ask no da?"

"We'll untie our new friend here, but just in case, we ought to keep close tabs on him until he's an official trainer. No offense, of course, Paul."

"It's fine... I'm used to it." Paul sighed.

The group sweat-dropped. "You're used to being tied up... never mind. Not gonna ask," Jacky said. She ran a hand through her hair. "Um... so are we heading out or not?"

"Let's get going. Chiri?"

"Hai no da!"

With a pop, Paul was no longer duct taped to the chair, but hovering in mid-air. He looked around himself with wide eyes. Then he grinned. "Hey, I'm flying! Look at me!" He proceeded to flap his arms like wings.

Anya sweat-dropped and turned to Chichiri. "I thought we were going to use a freezing spell?"

"I figured he couldn't do much if he was in the air, no da," Chichiri said. He waved his staff towards the young man, who was still frantically flapping his arms. "Besides, he doesn't seem to mind much."

"True. Well, shall we?"

"Yep!"

~*~

"Okay, and Paul, just remember do NOT glomp any Bishoujo at least until you've gotten your stuff, okay?" Anya said.

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks an' all that. Maybe I'll see ya around town later. As soon as I get my stuff, though, I'm off to catch my Bishies." Paul punched a fist into the air for emphasis.

"Well, good luck on that!" Jacky said.

"May the duct tape be with you," Abby said solemnly.

Paul nodded, just as solemn as she was. "And may you have enough of said duct tape to capture all the Bishies you desire."

With that, Paul went into the Orientation building.

"Eh?" Anya scratched her head. "Abby, what was that?"

"Huh? Oh, I just said good luck." Abby shrugged.

"The hyper one's greeting," Jacky stated.

"Yup!"

"Okay... let's go check out that store from earlier. I wanna check out my Dex."

With that, the group made their way down the street again.

It only took a short while for them to reach said shop, which was still quite open and ready to serve. The moment Anya stepped in, a man she recognized from earlier appeared and gave her a little bow.

"Anya-dono, wasn't it? Your Bish-dex is all ready for you. It had just a little glitch, too much sunlight we believe. It's all in working order now."

"Great, thanks. What do I owe you?" Anya reached into her pocket.

The man smiled and produced her Bish-dex before holding out a hand. "Just a little..." He named his price.

Anya blanched, but paid it. /A little my left foot.../ "Arigatou. Now let's see..." She turned it on.

The Dex immediately beeped. "New Bishonen captured. Name, Chichiri. Stage, Sama. Type, magical. Nickname?"

Anya glanced at Chichiri, who immediately shook his head and waved one hand in a 'no thanks' gesture. "None." He sighed in relief. "What? I'll only give my Bishies nicknames if they want it. 'Cept for Sano, of course. He's Fluffy."

Abby's eyes went wide and starry. "Fluffy? Sesshy-chan's here?"

Inuyasha's eyes, however, narrowed. "That bastard! Where is he?!"

"Ah, ano... I was talking about Sano, minna," Anya said as Inuyasha pulled out his sword.

The Bishonen snorted at her. Then he put his sword back. "Fine then. Stupid trainer..."

Jacky hit him on the head.

"Now four Bishonen captured," the Dex beeped.

"Yes, I noticed that," Anya replied.

"Message for Anya from Miya-chan, trainer status, novice-"

"A message?"

"From who no da?" Chichiri asked.

"Miya-chan! Right! She was the trainer I met at that gym with the Hotohori and Duo!" Anya exclaimed. She immediately accepted the message. "Heya, Miya-chan! It's been..."

She faltered when the other trainer's voice reached her ears, and a panicked face showed up on the little screen.

"Anya? That you? I've been trying to reach you for two hours!"

"Gomen, my Dex was out of commission. I just got it back. What's wrong?"

"Hotohori's gone! I can't find him anywhere, and it's been a day!" Miya-chan cried.

A Bishonen Anya didn't recognize, one with spiked black hair, appeared on the screen. "Our trainer's not sleeping at all," he said with exasperation. "I'm worried too, but can't you talk some sense into the woman?"

Anya shook her head. "Hotohori? Gone? For a day?" A sudden memory of her Orientation came back to her...

FLASH!

"Never leave your Bishonen more than three miles away from you. If you must, only do so in emergencies and for VERY short periods of time. As you will see shortly, you are bonded to your Bishonen by your blood. If they cannot reach you and you cannot reach them, they will go mad, possibly die after forty-eight hours. Is that CLEAR? Forty-eight hours, three miles."

FLASH!

Anya shook her head once more, and said, "How far have you searched from where you started off?"

"Uh... at least four or five miles..." the Bishonen replied.

"Oh, god. Miya-chan, you'd better start looking faster. You've only got another twenty-four hours, tops, before you lose your Bishonen!"

Miya-chan paled. "I know! And I can't stand the idea of him going mad and dying like that! My poor Hotohori..." A tear went down her face.

Then she wiped the tear away. "I... I hated it. When he died in the show, I mean. It's so cool knowing him for real. And I couldn't replace him with another Bishonen!" she said. "I have no idea where he is! My Hotohori..."

Chichiri took Anya's Dex away from her. "You mean to tell me Hotohori-sama is gone completely?" he asked, taking off his mask.

Miya-chan blinked at him. "You're one of Anya's? Ne, Anya, he's hot. Then again, I always thought Chichiris were..."

Chichiri turned a beet red. "Ano, can you answer my question please?" he asked, rubbing his neck.

"Oh, hai, hai. Yes, Hotohori's gone. One moment he was there helping me put stuff up so we could get going to the gym- you know, like usual. Then I turned around and he was gone! Duo said he had no idea where he'd gone, and my other Bishonen were asleep, so..." Miya-chan shrugged helplessly. "Anyway, I just really needed to talk to someone. I know you're probably nowhere near my city, but... If you by any chance see a Hotohori-"

"We'll ask him," Anya finished. "You get some rest and keep looking. We'll keep an eye out for you, all we can."

Miya-chan nodded. "Arigatou. Oh, Hotohori... I can't stand this... Bye, Anya. Thanks again." With that, the screen went blank.

"I don't like that one bit," Heero stated.

The group turned to him, surprised at his words. Then Inuyasha nodded. "It's too much like at home," he said.

"Home?" Jacky asked.

"Yes," Miroku said. "Too much like it."

"Back at my home, too no da," Chichiri added in. "When I was young, it started to happen a lot. My folks always kept me inside... that's why it took so long for me to evolve..." As an afterthought he said, "No da."

"I probably shouldn't be asking this, but what?" Jacky asked.

"It happened back at our city too," Valgaav said. "Though only once in a while."

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Abby screamed.

Everyone covered their ears, wincing. A couple passer-by stared, then moved on.

"Jeez, woman," Valgaav muttered.

"It's sort of a Bishonen thing," Heero said. He looked reluctant and... was it... scared?

"Then don't say a thing," Anya said. "We won't force-"

"I will! If it's been happening a lot, and my Vallie-poo's in trouble, then I demand to know what's going on!" Abby's eyes became teary.

Valgaav turned away, crossing his arms and sweat-dropping. "I do not know these people, I do not know these people," he chanted to himself.

Abby sniffed. "You don't love me, Val-chan?" she asked, clasping her hands under her chin.

The Bishonen hung his head. "Kami-sama, don't-" he began. "OOF!"

Abby had thrown herself on top of her one and only Bishonen, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and holding on for all she was worth. "But you're my Val-chan!" she declared.

The rest of the group stepped back and pretended they didn't know the trainer or her Bishonen.

"We'll tell you what's going on," Heero said, glancing around. "There is a certain... obligation, as you are our trainer. No matter what you say about it. If it is happening to trainers, too, then..." He straightened and turned around. "But first, we must get your friend and go back to the hotel."

"Alright," Anya said, frowning at his sudden speech. She couldn't remember a time when he'd spoken so much at once, not even on the show. "Let's get going."

~*~

Hotohori couldn't see very well anymore. Everything was sort of blurry, as though he'd been drinking too much sake. Almost like that time when Tasuki had spiked his drink back home...

Except he knew what was happening to him. He just didn't know why.

/Suzaku, why me?/ he thought as he blinked his eyes. The blurred vision refused to clear. /Why can't.../ He couldn't finish his somewhat coherent question as he lost his footing and stumbled.

For a long moment, he couldn't even think straight, much less think about getting up. Then the Bishonen thought despairingly, /It'll take forever to get my hair fixed.../

After what seemed like forever, he managed to get up into a sitting position and leaned against a nearby tree; or was it a rock? He supposed it didn't really matter. It could have been someone's house for all he cared. /Gotta rest a bit. If I stay in one place, Miya-chan'll find me easier... How long has it been? At least a day.../

He closed his eyes. /Keep it together. You're an emperor. You have to be strong. Even when no one's watching./

"Having a nice hike, Hotohori-san?" asked a somewhat amused voice.

His eyes snapped open, but all that greeted his eyes was the blurred vision. That, and a newly acquired headache, was all he gained for his efforts to see clearly. "Who's there?"

"A friend. I can lead you back to your trainer, if you wish. I know where she is." The voice sounded fairly polite, if a bit cold.

"Miya-chan? You know where she is?" Already he could imagine himself getting better, getting his hair fixed and dressing in some clean clothes...

"I do. However, I'd like to ask a favor of you..."

The saviour then became questionable to the Bishonen. "What sort of... favor?" Hotohori croaked.

"Just to help my trainer with a little... experiment she's working on. You and your trainer must agree together, that is. What do you say?"

"...What experiment?"

"That's for my trainer to tell you. Now do you accept... or would you prefer wandering around in circles until you die from madness?"

Considering how badly he was doing right then, Hotohori decided he'd rather return to his trainer sooner and deal with whatever was in store for him instead of dying like this. After all, madmen rarely looked beautiful when they died... "We accept," he said, using the royal We.

"Good." The voice sounded pleased. "Now then, to get you back to your trainer. My trainer has been most interested in meeting you and Miya-chan, Hotohori-san. This shall be very... hmm, educational."

Hotohori wanted to ask who exactly this experiment would be interesting or educational for, but a wave of dizziness hit him then, and he had to close his eyes. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and opened his blurry eyes to see a figure leaning over him.

Then everything went black.