Dedication: To all of you that have lost a loved one either in war, sickness, or others that have left through death. To all of you that have taken the time to read and review. To all of you that are having bad days, may your days be brightened a little by my stories. If it does, then my life's goal has been complete. Love to all of you and your loved ones, ROSEY

Chapter 6

She couldn't breathe. She had little oxygen in her body left. The water was pushing in. It wanted to reach her lungs and choke her. Her hands did nothing to save her from this watery prison. It was sneaking up her nose to reach its destination, while she tried to blow the air out through it. Blackness was ringing her gaze. It was consuming her. She was dying. No, she still had to find Ethan's murderer. She couldn't die yet. But she was.

She shut her eyes as the darkness clouded her vision. It would be best not to see that smirking face while she died. She wanted to think of her children. Oh they would be so lost now without their parents. She'd tell Koenma to have them brought to her parents in Demon World. At least then they'd have a proper growing up with parents that loved them.

Then it was gone. The pressure to breath normal was there. It demanded her attention now much like the drowning had. She felt the distress from Piper. She coughed as something pounded on her chest. Water that had managed to fill her lungs spewed forth. She was hauled to the side by a pair of unseen hands so that the water drained out of her as she coughed and spat the water out.

It took several minutes for the young woman to finally be able to look around and see what was happening. Shura held the demon's arms behind his demon as Yoko's whip wound itself around the water demons throat. Piper and Chime were the ones that were helping her get the water out of her lungs. They'd gotten there just in time.

When she pushed herself up with the support of her Bond and her sister, she looked at the demon, and smiled. That got everyone's attention. While Yoko figured it was from having found someone who had information, he was still worried about her mental stability. She had just lost her husband (Which should have been me a small part of himself said), had left her children right after the funeral. Maybe it was all happening too fast for her? He turned his attention back on the water demon, tightening the demonic whip around his throat just to be careful.

Rexi came into his view, supported by her brother who was watching her carefully, ready to pick her up at a moment's notice. Piper stood next to them looking much like a general looking at her troops. She'd even adopted the military way of standing though where she'd learned it, Yoko had no clue. Rexi watched the water demon and continued to smile.

"Who sent you?"

"I's got nothing to say to a lady like yous." The demon squeaked out before the whip choked him tighter and Shura brought his arms tighter up behind him. He yelped in pain but he didn't say another word. Rexi could feel the tiredness that was the effect of being attacked by water taking over. She wouldn't be able to stay conscious for much longer. It didn't help that her makeup was starting to fade on her face and her hands where she had been touched by water.

Her breathing was starting to become heavier as she struggled against the body's search for sleep. "Tell me or I'll let them torture you while I sleep. I could sleep for a very long time." Rexi threatened.

"You don't scare me. Not as much as my master does." The demon spat at her.

"Well, we'll see about that." Rexi said as she looked at Piper and nodded. Piper stepped forward and took out a dull looking knife. She neared the demon, ducking under the whip and took the demon's hand in hers. The demon looked at her as if she were nothing. Even with the knife he wasn't afraid of them. That changed once Piper began her work.

She bit his hand first, fangs sinking into his skin before she yanked away. A chunk of his hand came away in her mouth and she spat it out before proceeding slowly to the other side, asking him who it was that had sent him. He screamed and writhed, trying to get the others to let go of him. She took out a chunk of the other hand when he didn't answer. She asked him again and moved to kneel beside his left leg, cutting away the pants that covered his skin. Her intent was clear. She took a chunk out of his leg when he didn't answer. He answered.

"There is a village three miles west of here. He is there! I don't know his name; I just took the job since it seemed easy enough. Ysandi aren't known for their fighting skills!" he screamed. Piper looked at Rexi who was sagging against her brother who looked sick at the scene before him. Piper rose as Rexi nodded and moved to the other leg.

"You'll tell us everything about him and this village. Or Piper here will continue to make you a pipe that she can blow through." Rexi threatened as she finally fainted against her brother who picked her up quickly before she could hit the ground.

The three men looked at each other and then Rexi all wondering when the woman had changed from caring individual to willing torturer. Chime took her away after he was sure that the demon held no further threat to the Bond or the other two. He couldn't stand to listen to the screams as the man told her half-truths and lies, testing his luck time and again. Piper continued to take chunks out of the demon, wiping the blood away when it was coated on her mouth and teeth, or using water to rinse it out of her mouth.

This form of torture was only the beginning. Later she moved to cutting off fingers and toes with the dull knife which took agonizing minutes to complete each. Even Yoko was beginning to think it was excessive when Piper finally finished. She walked away a few feet and Shura released the demon that collapsed with the whip still around his neck. Turning suddenly, Piper threw the knife and it slide through the middle of the demon's head, right between the eyes. Shura stepped back as the knife buried itself to the hilt and then looked up to stare at the butterfly-turned human who had turned to walk away towards the camp where Rexi was being carried.

Yoko took his whip away and watched the three retreating forms. He didn't particularly like the way that Rexi was acting. Before she never would have killed a demon just for attacking her when it was obvious she had won and her life wasn't in danger any more. She wouldn't have allowed her Bond to do it either. Slowly he joined the procession back to their campground with Shura.

Later that evening, Yoko entered the young woman's tent. She sat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to think of what to do. When he entered, she tore her brown eyes from the ceiling to look at him. She was pale from the strain of the attack mostly. During her dreams she had seen all the things that Piper had done to get the information and she had gotten sick enough to wake up vomiting fifteen minutes before. She was grateful to see that he held a cup of water.

Yoko's gold eyes bore into her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, moving to sit so he didn't have to duck any more as he gave her the water.

She took it and gulped it down, savoring the water that was trying to save her and not drown her. "I'm doing fine. As well as I could really I think. Drowning is not especially easy on the throat or the nose." She joked before noticing that he wasn't even smiling and her own mood evaporated from her features and she looked down at the cup.

"You don't think that Piper killing the demon scum was a good idea." She said, not needing to question him to know what he thought about it. "He would have gone back and told whoever he works for that we are coming to take him down. It was best for everyone if we didn't get any more attacks. We leave tomorrow to go and take him out. If we have any luck we'll finish this quest tomorrow—"

"And then what?" Yoko asked, looking over at her, "You go back to your children and live out the rest of your days as a human moving from one place to another until your children are old enough to get their own Bond mates?"

Rexi opened her mouth to answer and realized she really didn't know what she was going to do after this quest was all over. She had no plans after killing the man that had killed her husband—the man she loved enough to marry. Would she? Would she really try and act as if nothing had happened and go on living in human world? Did she really have a reason to live there now? Ethan and her had decided it would be safer for the children to live in the world where there were no rabid demons to protect them. Obviously now there was no way that that ideal was true. If one demon with a mind for revenge against Ethan could get at him and kill him it would not be better to stay there with her children.

"I don't know. I suppose that I'll bring them back here and have them grow up among their own people. Maybe find them an illusion demon that is willing to teach them how to protect themselves while teaching them Ysandi traditions as well." Rexi said, uncertain she wanted that for her children too. It was all so confusing.

"Rexi, I will be remaining in human world until my human family doesn't need me anymore. Then, for their safety, I'll be returning to demon world to live out my life here. You are more than welcome to come with me, the children too. We can make a place here where no one will attack you again." Yoko said, for the first time expressing his plans for the future to anyone but himself.

She looked at him carefully. To stay with Kurama and have him watch her back while she protected her children seemed like such a good idea. She would be able to spend more attention on the twins than their protection. Then a picture of them sharing a bed so many years before flashed in her mind and she couldn't help but smile a bit. She turned and picked up a bottle that was next to her bed and took a drink, handing it to Yoko.

"Go ahead and take a drink. Amazing stuff. Numbs you against everything." She said with a gasp as it rolled down her throat. Much like the Russian vodka, the stuff burned down her throat and made her feel warm and fuzzy when it reached her belly. Yoko's smile that had started to form when she smiled fled the room and he shook his head, holding up his hand.

"No, I don't drink, and you know that. You shouldn't either. If we are going to fight tomorrow you need to be sober, not higher than a kite on alcohol." He said, standing. He had hoped that smile had meant she still was interested in being with him. He had used a tone that had offered her to interpret his request anyway she wanted. Obviously she didn't follow him in that respect. He could, he supposed, take advantage of the situation and force her to be his again by attacking the loneliness that was obvious making her drink. But he wouldn't.

"Just wanted to make sure you were all right, but obviously you aren't." He grabbed the bottle before she could take another sip. "Sleep Rexi. We have an important day ahead of us." With that he slipped from the tent before she could protest.

'Bastard' was screamed after him as he let the flap fall, closing her in. He steeled himself to it quickly and went to throw the drink into the fire which exploded as the alcohol as introduced. The other three looked at him as Piper turned away and entered the tent that sheltered Rexi from their gaze. "She's drunk." He growled and lay on his own pallet looking up at the sky for some sign that things would work out.