The sun shone upon the clear blue wintry sky. The clean white snow
blanketed the ground, which had gathered the night before. It seemed as
though the entire town took this day as an excuse to do nothing but play in
the park. Families and friends alike gathered to enjoy the frosty day.
Megumi's eyes seemed to sparkle, has she assisted her daddy build the most
perfect snowman. "Unca Kama...Unca Kama," she suddenly chimed, running
towards the redheaded man in the salted parking lot. "How are you, Young
Lady?" he asked, kneeling down towards her. "Ma-ding a noman," she giggled,
clapping her pink suede mittens. "All by yourself?" Kurama joked. "No..."
she giggled, shaking her whole body. She tugged at his brown leather
gloves, urging her uncle to see the snowman. He obliged to her request and
followed the little girl. "Oh I see him, Megumi. Yusuke, he looks just
like you." "You think?" "Actually, I am wrong. He is not as ugly as
you." "Hey!" snapped Yusuke, pretending to sound offended. "Where are
Shizuru and the boy?" "She and Saito are still in the truck. She is
bundling him up again." "What do you mean again?" "You know how it is, as
soon as you get the kid ready to go outside, put his coat and everything
on, and then arrive at your destination, he decides at that point to stink
up his undershorts." Yusuke rolled his eyes, trying hard not to laugh.
"Keiko and I have the same problem with her. She begs and begs to go
outside. As we are getting ready, I ask her every so often if she has to
go, she says no. It's not until after she's all dressed up when she says
'Potty'." "Speaking of Keiko, where is she?" "You mean Kristi Yamaguchi?
She's over on the ice, skating." "She's that good?" "I'd be surprised if
Keiko Urameshi wasn't the next female skater for Japan at the Olympics."
"Why aren't you out there?" "Are you kidding? I think the ice hates me.
I am a lummox when it comes to skating. I fall on my butt every time."
"Wow, unless I am mistaken, if it isn't Larry, Moe, and Curly," came a
sharp feminine voice. Kurama looked up the hill behind him at his wife,
who was carrying Saito on her back in a blue cotton papoose. As he did so,
the once cyan sky suddenly became grayed by an ominous storm cloud. Then
from the tree beside, where Shizuru stood, a shadowy demonic figure started
grabbing for the child. Shizuru began screaming at the figure. She became
too frightened for words. Then the face of the figure turned towards
Kurama in a flash. "Ani!" he snorted, his delight turning drastically to
anger. Then came Shizuru's voice once again, "Wake up." "Buddy are you
okay?" questioned Yusuke, shaking his friend's arm. "Sorry, it's just I
have been having these dreams lately. Every time it is about Ani
kidnapping Saito." "Ani Toguro? Oh no." "What do you mean oh no?"
Yusuke began rubbing his face with his green left mitten. "Every night, I
have had this dream where Ani comes into the house, into Megumi bedroom,
and the next thing I hear is her screaming for me. I rush in only to find
her lacerated and decapitated and to find that youkai standing over her bed
with her blood on his fingers. That is when I wake up." Shizuru sighed
deeply, shaking her head to the guys' stories. "I too have been having
these visions as of late, of some shape-shifting youkai coming after my
son. Kazuma has also been having them as well. He's scared, calls the
apartment in the middle of the night to see if we are all right. I don't
know if these are dreams at all. I have this feeling these are more
threats or warnings." "Warnings like what?" inquired Yusuke. "Like Ani is
coming for his revenge," responded Shizuru, wearily. "But how can he come
back? Kurama, after the Dark Martial Arts Tournament, didn't you grow a
tree around him, incasing him in the branches for him to remain there
indefinitely?" "I did, that's what worries me the most. He should not
have been able to escape." "If he is coming, what would be the best thing
to do right now?" worried Shizuru. "It is obvious Ani is going after our
kids. I think the reason I see Megumi murdered by him probably has to do
with avenging Otouto's death." "But that was a death match. He, as well
as you, was maxed out in strength and energy. He almost beat you, nearly
killed you. But because you thought my brother was dead, you then became
strong enough to finish him off." "I realize that much; Otouto was a true
blue fighter. He once told me he wanted to be beaten in competition by a
stronger man. However it is his brother," Yusuke continued, "Ani that
plays dirty. He likes to toy with people's minds, and I have a feeling he
is one to hold a grudge. I guess he figures the only way to get me to
fight him again is to go after the children, which means we need to get
them as far away from the city as possible. If we stay in our homes one
more day, I am sure Ani will find and kill them." "Do you think the temple
would be a good place to stay?" asked Shizuru, "Genkai did say we could use
it to seek refuge in." "That was going to be my suggestion. I think we
better get started now.
