The different shades of colors at the brilliantly lit park took Sahara completely by surprise as she stepped from the vehicle she had been traveling in. Being raised a princess, she had been to many a formal affair in her day, but never had she seen so many beautiful things gathered in one place at one time.

The people entertained her the most, all dressed in the finest kimonos they could afford and parading around looking at the different games and shops they would come to along the path. Even the children were playing in fine kimonos, many running up and down the streets, begging their parents to let them play just one more game.

"It's funny, isn't it Kagami?" Sahara whispered quietly to her long-time friend, who had been straggling behind the pack with her.

"What's that?" Kagami partially giggled as a small child ran full force into her, bowed apologetically, and took off in the direction again, never falling to far behind the older child he was chasing.

"How something so noisy, can be so peaceful at the same time," Sahara smiled at one of the vendors as the group made their way by. "I mean, look at these people. They aren't royalty, yet here they are in their finest clothes celebrating much like they were."

"It's true," Kagami dropped her voice a bit, hoping the group wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, "They remind me very much of the people back home, you know?" Kagami's voice suddenly became very sullen as she tore her face away from Sahara's.

"Back home…" Sahara repeated to herself softly, casting her eyes to the ground and hoping that no tears would come. It was the first time she had felt homesick since she had moved in with the boys, but just the mention of it brought all the pain back in full force. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she quickly wiped them away, hoping none of their group had seen.

However, Kurama had seen and heard everything. "Is everything alright, Sahara?" He asked, dropping back so that he could walk beside his date for the evening.

A faint blush crept across Sahara's cheeks when she noticed that the entire group was staring at her. "I'm fine Kurama, just a little dirt in my eyes." She replied with a bright smile, hoping that the gang would buy that awful excuse.

"Well, I guess we can split off now, if you guys don't mind." Botan cheered enthusiastically, and seeing as there were no objections began to drag Koenma off in the direction of the most expensive games on the street.

"Don't forget to meet at the entrance to the park when you guys are done Botan!" Keiko called out and after receiving a thumbs up from the reaper and the prince, the rest of the gang split off, leaving Sahara and Kurama alone.

"Well, Sahara," Kurama started, causing Sahara's thoughts to return to the situation on hand. "Is there anything that you would like to do?"

"I don't really know, Kurama," she replied, watching the way that Kurama was gazing at her, as if he were hanging on her every word, "I haven't been to one of these things in quite some time." A mental image of the last festival she attended in the Toki flashed before her eyes but she buried it for now, she knew she could relive the joy she had felt later.

"Well, how about a game?" Kurama asked as he pulled his change purse from the pocket of his dark green kimono and ushered Sahara towards the closest game booth where the vendor held up three darts.

After handing him the exact change, Kurama took the darts and squared up to the target, taking careful aim at the small object before him. "The object is to hit the center of the target, if you can do that, you win a prize." Kurama explained as he closed one eye, hoping that would improve his aim.

Sahara stared at him for the longest time, amazed by his amusement in this game. 'Couldn't he just use his demon powers to win the game?' she thought to herself as she watched him make the first shot and miss. She grinned when he made his second shot and missed again, knowing that he would never cheat at this small game, he was to good for that.

"Sorry sir," The vendor said as he quickly removed the darts from the board, after Kurama's final failed attempt to hit the target, "Better luck next time. Perhaps your date would like to try." He said quickly, turning his attentions to you and pushing the three darts into your face, "Surely a pretty lady like you would be an excellent dart thrower.

Sahara stared at the three darts for a moment, and then flashed a smile at the vendor. "Sure I will try." She turned to Kurama, who was already fishing out the change from his change purse.

"Excellent," the man said merrily as he counted the change and place it safely in his apron, "Here are your darts."

"May I make a request?" Sahara's question shocked the man a bit, but he eventually nodded after a moment, "May I use the dark green darts?"

The balding vendor smiled brightly at Sahara as he fished through his collection of darts and obtained three dark green ones. "Here you are, my lady, and best of luck to you!" He cheered as he stepped quickly out of the way, so that Sahara could have a clean shot.

"Why the dark green ones?" Kurama asked her as he watched her shuffle her feet apart so that they were just at shoulder's width.

"Think of them more as a lucky charm." Sahara grinned towards the confused kitsune and brushed a piece of her long hair away from her face.

Then she closed her eyes, suddenly becoming much more aware of the rhythm of her own heart beat, the pace of her breathing, and even the slight direction the wind was giving to the air around her. 'Ok Sahara, relax.' she mentally chanted to herself as she opened her eyes once more, focusing on the small paper target in front of her. 'Remember it's just like shooting a bow and arrow, only with a small arrow and a much smaller target.'

She grinned at the vendor, who's slightly yellow teeth were grinning back at her, intrigued by the lengths this costumer was going to so that she could win one of his dollar store prices. Before he could even look back to the target three light hits could be heard on the paper target. He jerked around to see all three of her dark green darts, lined almost perfectly right down the center of the target.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!!!" The vendor shouted excitedly as he leapt about around his stand, ringing his brassy bell.

"Well done, Sahara," Kurama said with a pat to her back as he looked over the prizes with her, "There is quite a selection at this booth."

"Kurama, which one do you think Kagami would like?" Sahara asked as she held up to options for him to review. In one hand, she held a furry pink dog, with magenta spots. In the other, a lavender teddy bear with violet eyes.

"The purple one of course," Kurama said quickly as he watched Sahara hand the dog back to the vendor who smiled brightly once more at them, "But Sahara, this prize was supposed to be for you."

"I know that, Kurama," Sahara said with a giggle as his green eyes became flooded with confusion at her statement, "But, Kagami has helped me more than she or anyone else will ever know. Therefore, when I can get something for her I usually do. Besides, stuffed animals are more her thing, not mine." They both shared a soft laugh as she link arms with him and began making their way down the path, admiring the beautifully adorned booths as they went.

"SAHARA! KURAMA!" A squealing voice called to them, as the turned around to see a tall mass of purple moving towards them at unimaginable speeds. "Can I walk with you guys?" A now breathless Kagami asked, her face tinged pink from the cool air that she had been running so hard in. "Hiei's disappeared and I don't want to look for him." Her usual cheerful voice at once became hard, a very definite scowl appearing on the features of her face.

"Oh really?" Sahara said in mock surprise, her amber eyes turning to Kurama, who was attempting to act shocked as well. "Please, Kagami, do tell."

"That impudent shrimp had the audacity to call me a baka. ME A BAKA!" she said making sure to enunciate every syllable of the last statement, her face now glowing a deep crimson, her anger very apparent not only in her face, but in her mannerisms as well.

"Well, maybe this will help you to feel better," Sahara said quickly as she pulled the bear from behind her back, pushing it towards Kagami.

"AWWW, IT'S SO CUTE!" She squealed as she grabbed the bear and held it tightly in her arms, "Thank you Sahara, I will always treasure it." She squeezed it so hard Sahara was shocked to see it's tiny eyes didn't pop out of it's head.

"Well you two, how about we try to win a goldfish? This is a very popular game here you know," Kurama said quickly as he escorted the two girls over to a booth were multicolored fish swam in the tanks in front of the vendor.

"I would like to try, please," Kagami said cheerily as she handed the young girl her money, and grasped the small paper net tightly in her hands. "Sahara, this is just like a game we used to have at home, remember?" Kagami asked cheerily as she successfully lifted a bright orange goldfish into the air, but sighed when the net broke and the fish swam back to the deepest part of the tank.

"Sorry ma'am, better luck next time!" The brunette behind the tank said timidly as she began to prepare another net for the next costumer.

"Wait, could you hand me another net please?" Kurama asked quickly as he put the correct change on the counter, "Here you go Kagami I'll show you."

Sahara watched in amazement as Kurama took the net and gently placed it in the water, giving Kagami specific directions every step of the way. Sahara smiled at the picture before her as she remembered a very similar situation that had happened to her a very long time ago.

Flashback

"Oh Daddy! Look at the fish!" A very excited little girl pressed her smiling face up against the tank, her amber eyes staring into the tank, watching the fish swim calmly back and forth. "May I try?" she asked the vendor of stand who stood over four feet taller than her.

"I tell you what, little Princess," the vendor said as he began to fish through his belongings for a net, "For you, the first play is free." The orange skinned demon placed the net into the child's small hands, "Careful now, that net is very fragile."

However, the child's enthusiasm could not be dampened as she quickly dipped her net into the tank, viciously swirling the net around chasing after a large bright green fish. To her surprise and amusement, the fish was easily caught and she lifted it high above the tank, seeking approval from her father.

"Look Daddy! I caught one!" she cheered excitedly as she moved to put the fish into her small bag. However, before she could even get the bag to her net, the fish flopped hard one time, causing the delicate paper net to break and the fish to fall back into the tank.

"Oh no," the young child's amber eyes filled with tears, "The fish go away," she sniffed, attempting to prevent herself from crying.

"Now now, Sahara," King Iniko's deep voice soothed his daughters tears, as he placed his large hand on her head, "Don't cry, you just tried to move the net to fast." He said quickly as he wiped a few tears from his daughter's eyes before handing the vendor the correct change for another game, "I would like one fishing net please."

"Yes, my lord," The man stuttered out as he began searching frantically for a net, as if he was worried about keeping the king waiting to long. When he returned with the net he bowed and handed it to the king, causing the king to beam down at him.

"Now, Sahara," King Iniko's soft blue eyes fell upon his daughter's face, who looked up at him in wonder, "Sit here on my lap and I'll explain how you should have done it."

He quickly took her tiny hands into his larger ones and very cautiously dipped the net into the water, so that he would not disturb the fish that were below his hands. Then, he slowly maneuvered the net over to the same green fish that Sahara had caught early. He slipped the net under it and gently hoist it out of the water and into the small bag, causing his daughter to begin bouncing in his lap with excitement.

"Congratulations little Princess on your wonderful new pet!" The vendor cheered as he placed a shimmering green ribbon around the top of the bag.

"Hey Kagami!" Sahara cheered as she dashed away from the towering figure of her father, "Look at what I just won!"

End Flashback

"Hello? Is anybody in there?" Was the first few words that broke into Sahara's mind as she saw her best friend waving her hand in front of her face, "Check out what Kurama helped me win!" she cheered, lifting the small plastic bag to Sahara's line of sight.

Sahara grinned when she saw five small fish teaming within the plastic bag. She flashed a bright smile in Kurama's direction when a small violet fish caught her eye, which caused the kitsune to blush about five different shades of red.

"They are lovely Kagami," Sahara's voice was cheerful, but she knew that she just needed to be alone for a while, "Would you guys mind if I went off for a little walk?"

"Not at all Sahara," Kurama said, giving her a quick hug, "Just make sure you are back at the meeting place after the fireworks, ok?" He said before Kagami forced him to another game booth.

She grinned as she watched the two of them leave, but as soon as they were out of sight, the smile quickly faded and tears filled her eyes once more. She never thought that coming to a festival would remind her of her father. Not only did the memories of the good times come back, but the memories of the last time she had seen him came back as well. She allowed a few tears to fall as she quickly made her way into a small alcove of trees, taking a seat on the edge of the hill that was overlooking the festival.

She dried the few tears that had fallen from her eyes as she had been running and looked up into the sky. She heaved an audible sigh and flopped down on the wet ground, allowing the dampness to soak through her clothes. Her eyes turned to the sky as she thought of the kind man she had known as father for so many years. She lifted her hand to the sky and parted the few small clouds that were there, allowing the moon and stars to show through in all their glory, which made her giggle a bit.

'Oh, if only he could see me now,' she thought to herself as the picture of her father holding her in his lap and teaching her how to play the game flooded her mind once more.

"You know, it's foolish to lay on such a damp ground." Hiei's voice came from the tree behind her. She cocked her head back in time to see him jump down from his makeshift sanctuary and begin coming towards her.

"Hello, Hiei, are you enjoying the festival?" She asked cheerily as she sat up so that she could get a better look at all the twinkling lights below her.

"Festivals aren't really my thing, in case you hadn't noticed," He retorted, taking a seat about ten feet away from her, as if he feared she might try to bite him if he sat to close.

"Come on Hiei," She said gesturing out to the scene before them, "Surely even you think this is beautiful."

"Well, if it was so wonderful, why did you leave?" Hiei asked, a bit annoyed that she had intruded on his solitude.

"I just needed to get away for a bit, you know clear my head and think. Don't you ever need to do that?" Hiei simply gave an audible grunt and Sahara turned her gaze back to the festival. She couldn't help but replay the memory of her father over and over again, it had, after all, been a very happy time in her life. Now she was here, sitting with the most anti-social of their entire group and she was loving every moment of silence he allowed her to have.

However, soon the silence was broken by a thunderous roll as a bright light burst into the sky, causing a sea of pink and red to shower through the sky. Sahara became so engrossed with the beauty of the firework show that she never noticed Hiei slip away from her. Once the last firework had been fired, a loud cheer erupted from the crowds below and Sahara trotted off to meet the rest of the gang at the meeting place.

"There you are!" Yusuke shouted to Sahara as she made her way quickly down the stairs from the cliff, "We were wondering were you had gotten to!" He said jokingly giving a slight nudge to her ribcage.

"So did you have fun Sahara?" Keiko asked as she took a bite of what appeared to Sahara to be colored cotton on a stick, "Was it nice to get out of the house?"

"Yes, I had a lovely time," Sahara turned her head to the side a bit, gazing at the pink mass of fluff that was before her, "What is this?"

"It's cotton candy silly, try some!" Keiko said as she pushed the candy towards her. Sahara tore off a small piece as Keiko had done earlier and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened when she felt the soft mass dissolve on her tongue, her taste buds enjoying every minute of the sweet flavor.

"Well, everyone, it's time to go." Sahara cut her eyes at Koenma, obviously still showing her distrust for him but walked quickly through the portal behind her friends so that he could not seal the two of them off somewhere in an attempt to talk to her.

Sahara arrived quietly behind Keiko and said goodnight to everyone on the team, hoping to get out of the office before Koenma arrived. She made her way briskly down the hallway toward her room, her mind drifting to Hiei as she passed his and how he had not been at the meeting place when they had left.

"He can take of himself," she muttered under her breath as she opened her door, "All I want is my nice, warm bed," she made her way over to the dresser to turn on the lamp, taking down her hair and kicking off her shoes as she went.

When she flipped on the lamp, the sight of a small glass bowl against it caught her eye. Inside it was one small fish, a green one swimming back and forth in it's small home. She started in utter shock for a few moments at the fist, almost thinking that her tired mind had dreamed him up. But there he was, and her mind traveled over the possibilities of who could have done this for her. She knew that Kagami and her father were the only ones who knew of that memory, and well, neither of them could have done it.

Then her mind drifted towards a certain fire demon who had disappeared from the group and never come back. She remembered how, no matter how hard she had tried to push the memory aside, it kept replaying in her head while he was around. She pushed her face closer to the small fish, as if hoping he would give her the answers to her questions.

"But, how could he have known?" she whispered to the fish, as she watched it's green body swimming quickly in the bowl.