A/N Genius me forgot to add this when I first posted it, so here I go!

Disclaimer: I in no way own any of the original material that Yoshihiro Togashi produced, and I am not making any money off of this fanfic! It's purely for you, the reader.

Reunion

1st Day

When I entered the cramped, confining office, my eyes immediately flickered to Toguro, ; his aura ever present in my senses. I felt others too: two humans and two other demons—one was vaguely familiar. Behind the sunglasses, I knew that he was studying me… And they call me a murderer? "Karasu?" A soft, feminine voice called to me.

The aura that was somewhat familiar was moving now, straight for me. I glanced down, seeing the top of the girl's head. She had long dark hair with streaks the color of snow—traits I had seen in a girl I had met long ago. Her eyes met mine, and I instantly recognized the fiery garnet of the fire demon hybrid that stood in front of me. "Saiyuki?" I responded, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

Indeed, what was she doing here? As far as I knew, she didn't fight, so what was her role in this team during the tournament? The girl offered the gentle smile that I was so accustomed to. "I'm here to fight." 'And to find my brother,' she added as the comforting presence of her mind linked with mine.

Back at the hotel, Saiyuki settled herself in the room set aside for her. I waited in the living room and on the couch for her to come out. The door to the room adjacent to the one I sat in opened and the girl's head popped out from the doorway. Spotting me, she made her way in my direction. I patted the cushion next to me in invitation, and she sat down.

I was sprawled with my back against the arm of the couch, my legs crossed and both of my arms stretched out from my body—one was draped over the back of the couch while the other hung from the couch's edge. She remained silent as she sat, her legs neatly crossed and her fingers interlaced, clasped around her knee. "It's been a long time," I murmured, sitting up and leaning forward to study the face that I had nearly forgotten. She turned her head, her gaze meeting mine. She nodded, her well formed lips shaping the words, "I know."

Her skin was just as pale as I had remembered it, and her eyes were the same color but… Something was different. In a way, they seemed darker, more closed off. Saiyuki was just as beautiful as my memory recalled, but she was more mature and haunted as well. "What has this life done to you?" Her eyes remained trained on me. Something seemed to be hiding behind her eyes, something unsettling. She stayed silent, her eyes locked on mine.

"Do you really want to know?" her voice abruptly sliced through the silence. I focused on her, allowing my mind to link with hers. In her mind, I could see vague, half formed thoughts followed by images… Were they memories? I was in her body, fighting to suppress fear— her fear—as some human backed her into a wall. Another appeared to the right, grabbing her ashen wrists, holding them above her head. Her voice screamed, even though no one would hear. Saiyuki blocked these images and her aura forcibly broke the connection between us. I frowned, the expression unnoticeable, as she turned away. "I didn't want you to see that," she muttered, her eyes avoiding mine.

"Those men hurt you," I murmured solemnly. Saiyuki got up from the couch.

"I'm going to bed," she responded flatly. "Good night." I watched as she headed for her room and heard the lock turn as she sealed herself in.

That night, I woke up from an uneasy sleep to screaming. I sat up bolt right from the couch and dashed for the door to Saiyuki's room. "Saiyuki!" I yelled. I was about to pound on the door when I discovered that it had been forced open. "Calm down," Toguro's baritone whispered as I walked in.

"Are you all right?" I questioned. She gave a nod.

"It's nothing," her soft voice answered defensively.

"I see," I kept my eyes on her as I left, hoping that she would be just fine. 'Will you talk to me in the morning?' I asked, breaching her tired and worn mental defenses. 'Maybe,' she responded wearily.

'I hope you sleep well the rest of the night,' I told her as I closed the door and headed for the couch. 'Thank you,' she replied as I lay down. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to come, but I am not so fortunate. Even when Toguro finally left her room after over an hour, sleep still had not laid claim to my mind. I'm worried about my childhood friend…

During the year that she and I spent together, never had I seen her hide anything from me. I remember that we met when she was eight, I was fifteen, and she was searching for her twin Hiei. I had offered to travel with her—to be sure she would be safe; a lone girl traveling alone could easily fall prey to bandits or far worse. I stayed with her until she and I were separated. In the time I was with her, I learned of why she was searching for him—how she and her brother had been literally dropped from the floating island of the Ice Maidens, and left for dead. Later on, they had been abandoned by the very thieves who had taken them in.

Then, I began to debate which was worse: not knowing your parents, or having a mother who locked you away because of something you could not control, only to try to kill you for it later on. When I had told Saiyuki of this, she had said that what I had been through was far worse. She told me that yes, she was angry with having been cast out of her birthplace, and yes, she was upset that she couldn't have lived with her mother—who committed suicide much later—but to her, that seemed to pale in comparison to what I had been through.

From my position on my back, I rolled over onto my side, facing the back of the couch. The mask I wore was becoming unbearably uncomfortable, so I reached behind my head, feeling through the waterfall of my dark hair for the ties that bound the mask to my face, and untied them. I removed the mask and set it on the table beside my head so that I could sleep.

A/N: Review please? Feedback of any sort would be appreciated. Just no flames please. ^.^ For those of you who may not have caught it, Saiyuki's name was a reference to the series itself.