Sorry about the long wait you guys. I've been really busy trying to get my license for my new job. Working my other job, and struggling with school and what not so yeah I'm really really sorry. After this week things should be easier. Also, new words: Gesshoku means "moonlight" and Ashi means "evil". Lol I just found out Haru means "sunlight" or "spring" lol. / Ok so its 5 am Friday morning, and I am finally putting this chapter out. If it's a lil spacey towards the end I apologize I really wanted to get this up before I went to sleep. It sounds fine to me right now but I would like to know what you guys think. Enjoy!

Drowning in Flames Ch 10

Mirage, Gesshoku, and Ashi

Hiei and Yusuke had not stopped running since leaving Harus castle. Shadow had stirred slightly but had not woken up. They reached the main gates of Mukuros castle quickly, rushing past the guards who dared not slow their master down.

Mukuro sat at her desk looking through her morning reports when she heard the guards call out. She looked up and identified the energy signature of her heir and Yusuke. She could not identify the unconscious demon they had with them. She sighed, stood and made her way out of her office towards the main hallway.

She barely made it before the two demons burst through the doors, sending servants running.

"Welcome back, Hiei. I must admit I didn't expect you back so soon. Koenma made this sound like a very long assignment."

"Hn, I'm still on assignment for that fool. Just a slight change in plans."

Mukuro smiled when she notice the female demon in his arms.

"Did you take my words to heart and go catch yourself a mate? I'm afraid knocking her unconscious won't win her heart, Hiei."

Hieis eyes narrowed in an attempt to cover his blush. "Shut up, Mukuro. She is our assignment and she is injured. She was kidnapped and we just got her back. Our territory was closest so we brought her here to be looked at."

"Right, get her to the medical wing. I'll be down in a moment to hear about this little assignment of yours."

"Hn." Hiei turned and walked away leaving Mukuro with Yusuke.

Mukuro watched her heir walk away with the demoness in his arms. She turned to Yusuke. It had been nearly 5 years since Raizen had passed away and Yusuke had set in motion the changes to the Makai. Back then Yusuke was competition, now she looked to him as an ally, as friend of her heir. His eyes caught hers and she smiled.

"The new assignment has gotten Hiei worked up, hasn't she?"

"You should've been there when we were in Ningenkai. They smelled like sex constantly. Was enough to drive a demon mad."

"Oh? I had not noticed."

"Probably because he just got done killing a low life demon who thought he was mister bad ass." Yusuke grinned, "I'll bet the healers barely get done with her before Hiei starts smelling like sex again."

Mukuro laughed, "Well now, she must be something special."

Yusuke shrugged, "He acted like he hated her like he does to everybody else but we all noticed something was a little different about his attitude. Don't know what made him change but he is diffidently into her."

"Indeed."

They chatted for a moment as Yusuke told her about how Shadow had been kidnapped and how they had gotten her back. Mukuro thought to herself how much she was now interested in who Shadow was.

"Well, binky breath is probably waiting for my part of the report. Tell Hiei we'll be waiting for them at her house in Ningenkai. Later." With that he ran out of the castle out of sight.

Mukuro turned and walked towards the medical wing. She found Hiei death glaring at all of the healers when they got, what he saw as, too close to Shadow. She smirked, caught his attention and motioned for him to come to her. He growled but reluctantly joined her. She motioned for him to follow her to her office.

Once inside she closed the door and sat down at her desk. She looked across at her heir and smiled, "So who is she, Hiei?"

"Her name is Shadow. She's the demoness Koenma asked us to watch for a while. Remember? You loaned me to him for this assignment."

"I gathered that, Hiei. I mean who is she to you?"

"Hn."

"Hiei, don't give me that. You smell like you want to mate her and the growls you gave my healers help that conclusion."

Hieis glare softened slightly, "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"I want to know, Hiei, because it's about time you took a mate and if she is the one you have chosen I have a right to know about it." She rested her chin on her hands and sighed, "Hiei, if she is your intended then I will be happy for you. I'll be happy that you've finally found someone to love again."

Hiei was torn between being angry and smirking. Mukuro was the only person beside Kurama he had told about his past love with Jasmine. Both had been surprised but both had been understanding. He sighed and decided it was best to tell her the truth.

"Shadow is not just some onna I picked to be my mate, Mukuro. She is the one onna I fell in love with once before."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Jasmine was special to me but more special than I could have ever imagined. Mukuro, she was an old soul, one who had been reincarnated hundreds of times before. Shadow is her in a way, the same soul reincarnated."

Mukuros eyes widened at her heirs revelation. "Oh my, well that certainly would explain your possessiveness. Tell me Hiei, does she know?"

"Know that she was Jasmine? Yes, she does. She remembers everything from most of her lifetimes. She said to me just before Haru came and took her, that she remembered loving me as Jasmine and she didn't know if it was real or just memories." Hiei looked up at Mukuro with a genuine smile on his face, "Mukuro, she still loves me. It's not just a memory for her, its real."

Mukuro watched in awe as Hiei lowered his gaze and black tears rimmed his eyelids. She found she could say nothing. She had never seen Hiei like this, not once. He had always held his emotions deep inside. Shadow, it seemed, had drug them out for all to see. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a light clink. On the floor was Hieis black tear gem.

"I lost her once, Mukuro, because I wasn't strong. Since then I have grown so much stronger, I am even feared by many demons as the future ruler of Alaric. I have the powers of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and the Jagan Eye at my disposal having mastered both. I am allied with two of the strongest demons in the Makai. All this and yet…"

She flinched as he suddenly thrust his fist through a nearby wall, purple fire threatening to leak from his body.

"I've become so strong and I still allowed her to be taken from me!" He growled.

Mukuro shook her head, "You were ambushed and outnumbered; distracted by the other demons Haru had brought with him. It's not your fault, Hiei."

"He touched her, Mukuro! He had his vile hands on her, did things to her! She didn't tell me and I didn't press but his scent was all over her and when she escaped into the front courtyard she was barely dressed!" Hiei breathed in deep, "She said he didn't rape her. I could never forgive myself had he done that."

"Hiei you must remember that you were the one who killed Haru, you saved her. You are strong, your friends are strong, and Shadow is strong. You pulled through and everything will be ok now. Shadow will be healed and you can take her home."

"But…"

Mukuro slammed her fist down on the desk, "Damn it, Hiei! Stop this self loathing already! Shadow is alive! She wasn't raped and she loves you and wants to be with you! Move past this pity party and see the good things that are in front of you!"

Hiei stared at Mukuro as he slowly allowed his features to relax and return to their normal calm. He smirked and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, "Wow, Mukuro. It's not easy for you to lose your temper."

"Hmph, and you lose yours too quickly. Besides, you're the only one who knows how to piss me off, Hiei." She smirked at him. "Go, get out of here. They should be done with Shadow now. Take her back to Ningenkai. You have indefinite leave as of now. I'll send word if I need you."

Hiei nodded and blurred away. Mukuro smiled and leaned back in her chair, thinking about how her predictions of the future had changed drastically over the past 5 years and most diffidently in the past 10 minutes with her heir.

Hiei entered the healers chamber and made his way to Shadows bedside. The healers were gone and she was asleep. He liked it better this way; he could be with her without interruptions.

Carefully he eased into the bed next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. He breathed her in deep, her scent holding no more traces of Haru. He lay there thinking about the things that the bastard could've done; getting angrier by the second.

He sighed, trying to shove the thoughts away. No matter how hard he tried they were there and would be there until Shadow could talk to him about it.

He nuzzled her shoulder, thinking to himself. He was so comfortable and deep in thought he didn't notice Shadows eyes had opened and were now staring at him. She smiled and sighed.

"The only time I've known you to be so deep that you don't notice the movement of someone else in the room, let alone in your arms, is when something is really really eating at you. What's wrong, koi?"

Hieis body seized up, his mind automatically shielding his thoughts. Shadow sensed this and anger and hurt crossed her face.

"Hiei, I'm not going to pry into your thoughts. If you don't want to talk about whatever is bothering you, I understand."

Hiei turned his eyes to hers and his heart hurt. In hers he saw pain, so much it killed him inside. He lifted his hand to her cheek and she nuzzled it, closing her eyes.

"Shadow… I don't wanna ask because I told you I wouldn't pry. Mukuro said it wasn't my fault and that everything was fine now. But I don't know what he did and it makes me angry. I know he hurt you, that he touched you somehow, his scent was all over you. I didn't want to push you, onna, but I need to know."

He felt her body tense up as her eyes eased open. Their irises held no color save for the freckles of blue still lingering. She smiled sadly at him.

"He didn't…"

"I know you told me he didn't rape you, Onna. I wanna know what he did do. Please. Take your time but please tell me."

"I can't repeat it, when the words come to my mouth I feel as if I'm going to be sick…"

Hiei silenced her by pressing his thumb against her lips. He reached up to his forehead and removed the ward on his Jagan. He looked at her, silently asking permission.

Shadow nodded and lay back down on the bed; facing away from Hiei. He lay back down beside her and rested one arm on her waist. He closed his eyes and his Jagan glowed.

The events of earlier that day flooded his mind. He screamed, pulled out of her mind and jumped from the bed, holding his head tight in his hands.

"THAT BASTARD! HOW DARE HE DO THOSE THINGS TO YOU! IF HE WEREN'T DEAD I WOULD FUCKING TORTURE HIM AND MAKE HIM BEG FOR DEATH!!" His voice roared through the halls, shaking the walls and making servants throughout the palace tremble in fear.

"Hiei!"

Hiei turned to see Shadow sitting on the beg hugging her knees to her chest, crying uncontrollably into them. His anger faded fast as he ran back to her side, his arms around her, his lips on her hair, kissing in apology.

"I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm so sorry." He whispered as he ran his hands through her hair. She sobbed into his shoulder quietly, trying to hold the tears back.

"I felt so helpless, Hiei. My power was so low and I couldn't do anything to stop him. If he had wanted to mate me then I couldn't have stopped him." She whispered, her voice cracking.

"Shh, onna. I'm here, I'm here."

"I was so afraid you wouldn't want me. His scent was so strong on me and I felt so dirty when he was finished."

Hiei pushed her away and looked into her puffy eyes, "Onna, I've spent centuries mourning you. I've spent every minute of every day missing you. I wouldn't toss you aside so easily now that I have you back." He wiped away the new tears that made their way down her cheeks. "I love you, Shadow."

A tired but grateful smile came to her lips, "I love you too, Hiei." She fell forward against his chest and sighed heavily. He smirked and leaned back against the bed frame, pulling her with him. They lay their together in each other's arms and slept, no one who saw them dared disturb them for fear of their master's wrath but all felt extreme happiness for their master.

Kurama and Kuwabara sat on the couch in Koenmas office waiting for Yusuke to get back. They had already given their report to Koenma and were now talking about old missions with him.

They had just gotten done talking about their meeting Rinku and Chu for the first time in the Dark Tournament when a portal appeared and Yusuke walked through.

"Hey, what did I miss?" He asked as he jumped to lie down on the couch, his foot barely missing Kuwabaras head.

"Damn it, Urimeshi! Watch where you kick your feet!"

"Sorry big guy. Anyways, Koenma, about my report…"

Koenma, in his teenage form, stood up from his desk and raised his hand, "Yusuke, after years of working with you I do not expect you to give me a report as you never really have other than telling me the missions I send you on are stupid and pointless."

Yusuke laughed, "Well its about time you realized that."

Koenma sighed and sat back down, "We have a problem, guys."

Yusukes face turned serious. "Let me guess. Haru wasn't the big bad guy?"

Confusion crossed the Reikai princes face. "How did you know that?"

Yusuke swung his legs over the side of the couch and sat up, "Hiei was too busy to notice but after we split up and we were on our way to Alaric, I felt like I was being watched. I reached out my energy a little and immediately I felt psychic energy following us. Shadow was unconscious and Hieis Jagan wasn't active. Someone saw him kill Haru and was watching us afterward. When it sensed my energy it vanished."

Kurama and Kuwabara closed their eyes in thought as Yusuke stood up and walked over to Koenmas desk. Kurama called for Hiei telepathically. Moments later he appeared through a portal, looking none too happy.

"What is it, Kurama? I said we would meet here later. Shadow is almost recovered, this couldn't wait?"

"I apologize, Hiei, but I thought you should be here for this. It seems that Haru was not alone in his efforts to kidnap Shadow."

Hiei growled and made his way to Koenmas desk beside Yusuke. He glared down at the prince, "Who else is involved? Who the fuck is it, Koenma?"

Koenma sighed as he reached into his desk and pulled out a file. He opened the file and set out some photos of a demon who, looked like an older Haru. Then he pulled out another photo of a demon with bright blue eyes, black hair, sharp features and a deadly smile with the markings of a wolf demon. Lastly, a photo of a huge question mark.

"Harus older brother, Mirage. He's an S class fox demon. Our spies lost track of him years ago. He was presumed dead until recently when he was sighted in the human world crossing the barrier. The second picture is Gesshoku. He is an S class wolf demon who's been known in the Makai for his brutality and skill. He has carried out many assassinations and is highly dangerous."

Koenma picked up the picture of the question mark and held it up, "This demons face no one has seen."

"Is the question mark your attempt at humor Koenma? Cuz I aint laughing." Yusuke said.

"Just shut up and listen, Yusuke. This demons name is Ashi."

"What? That can't be!" Kurama yelled as he jumped to his feet.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked from the shocked face of Kurama to the angered face of Hiei and to the solemn face of Koenma.

"Um, guys? Who's this Ashi guy? Just another demon we have to put in its place right?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama turned to the duo, "I wouldn't expect you two to know much about him, Kuwabara being a human and Yusuke not living all the time in the Makai. Ashi is said to be a demon of great power and skill. What he wants he will get, regardless of any obstacle placed in his way. No one knows what he looks like because if you are unfortunate enough to see him you are killed."

"Kurama is right. According to our records, Ashi is a very old demon, no one really knows how old. He is a strong fire demon with psychic tendencies and we have reports of him living as a human but other than that we couldn't tell you what he looked like. We do know a lot of major disasters and horrific events that have occurred in the Makai and Ningenkai have been caused by him. This demon lives for nothing but chaos and destruction. We don't know why he wants Shadow but he's using lower leveled demons to get her."

"Wait wait, lower level demons? Haru was almost an S class demon and the other two are. How can they be lower class demons?" Kuwabara asked.

Koenma almost growled, "The bastard was so strong we gave him his own classification as he is almost ten times more powerful than the highest S class demon. His classification is X. We've only seen one other demon with the potential to get to that level and she died long ago."

"Who was she?"

Koenma looked at Yusuke, "You all know her now as Miyagi Shadow, and we knew her as the Koorime Shadow. In this body we estimate that she wouldn't gain that kind of power; at most a lower S classification. But as for her next incarnation? We don't know."

"Is that why the bastard wants her? Because she has the potential to get that strong?" Hiei asked through clenched teeth.

"No, Hiei, I don't think so. Like I said in this body she couldn't."

"Do you forget? I've spoken with her incarnated soul. She would know better than any of your estimates whether or not she could get that strong."

"Yes but…"

"But nothing, Koenma. Shadow knows her potential and apparently so does the enemy. Haru wanted her for her power, who's to say this Ashi doesn't want her for it as well?"

The room was silent as everyone thought over the new information. Finally Kurama stood up and spoke.

"We can't be sure of anything at this point. We can't sit here and guess about the enemy's intentions and Shadows possible power levels but we can focus on preventing another kidnapping and helping her develop her powers."

"Kurama is right. We gotta protect her and train her like we originally planned. It's the best way until we know for sure about anything." Kuwabara added.

"You four can debate all you want; I'm heading back to be with Shadow. I'll meet you at her house in Ningenkai and we can discuss this further then."

Koenma nodded, "Right, go on, Hiei."

"As if I need your permission." A portal opened and he was gone.

Another portal opened and the other three stepped through to make their way to Shadows house. Koenma sat alone in his office, staring down at the pictures on his desk. Mirage and Gesshoku didn't bother him as much as Ashi. He knew his team and if the need arose he knew they would protect Shadow from the two S class demons, but Ashi was another tale all together.

He reached into the drawer and pulled out another picture. It was a picture of him and a demon with eyes that seemed to dance with fire, black and red hair with a soft smile. This was before he had taken position as the Reikai prince, when he was mischievous and was able to roam the tamer parts of the Makai.

It was here where he met Ashi.

He had been walking back towards a portal to return to the Reikai when a group of bandits tried to ambush him. He had been able to hold them off but, being the Reikai prince, he had not had as much training or experience as these demons.

When he began to feel the exhaustion, he looked to his side and his eyes caught red ones. Ashi had been walking along the same path and had noticed the scuffle.

"Hey buddy, need a hand?" He had called out. Koenma had only smiled and nodded before Ashi had jumped in and together they had defeated all of the demons. From then on they had been close friends despite King Enmas protests.

Even after Koenma had taken position as the Reikai prince, he had stayed friends with the charming fire demon.

One day Ashi showed up in Koenmas office, frantic.

"Koenma! Those old hags killed her!"

"What?"

"It's Shadow! They killed her!"

"The Koorime? I thought things were under control there!"

"Not fucking anymore! That bitch took control and had Shadow killed! I have half a mind to go and murder the whole fucking clan!"

"Ashi, no, you can't do that…"

"They killed her Koenma!" He slammed his fists down on the desk, "My flesh and blood! She never did anything to them! Just because she was a half breed they killed her!" Ashi slumped to the floor and began to cry.

Koenma walked around the desk and consoled his friend. "I can't give you justice while at the same time I cannot tell you not to take revenge for your daughter, but Ashi think. Do you really want that kind of bounty on your head? A whole clan will get attention. Not to mention you wouldn't be able to roam freely in the Reikai anymore."

"This isn't fucking fair."

"I know, Ashi, but I can offer you one thing that might make you feel better."

Ashi turned angry and sad eyes to his friend, "And what is that?"

"As soon as her file gets in I can send it to be reincarnated. No waiting period for her. Call it a favor for an old friend." Koenma tried a small smile.

Ashi looked at him and smiled, "I'll see her again?"

Koenma nodded, "Yes, you'll see her again."

The memory faded as Koenma sat at his desk staring at the picture. He sighed and let the picture fall back into the drawer. That Ashi was not the same Ashi he was today.

He remembered the day he knew Ashi had changed. It was the day Shadow was first reborn. He remembered holding the tiny baby and bringing her to Ashi but he had wanted nothing to do with her.

"But Ashi, I thought you wanted this? I thought you wanted to see Shadow again?"

"I wanted my Shadow, not someone else's child."

"Ashi, to be reincarnated, one has to be reborn. You never took another mate so naturally her parents would be different. The soul is the same; she is still your child."

"No, she isn't, Koenma! I don't want anything to do with that child, you, or any of the Reikai ever again!" Ashi turned and sent a powerful blast of fire at the baby in Koenmas arms. Koenma was barely able to dodge, quickly opening a portal back to the Reikai, catching a glimpse of his old friends sinister smile.

Back in his office he tried to calm to crying baby. The encounter with Ashi had begun the awakening of her powers right away and the body was not adjusting to the souls power level; the baby didn't have long to live.

Koenma held the baby, rocking it gentle until its cries ceased and the soul departed. The paperwork was easy; to spare her more pain he judged that her soul should pass on. It was a few of Shadows lifetimes later that he discovered Shadows soul needed no help reincarnating.

He kept an eye on her from time to time, checking in on her lifetimes as she lived them. Nothing ever signaled the craziness that had happened within the last few days.

"Ashi, why do you want her now? After all this time?" He closed the drawer and left his office, his mind deep in confusion.