--author's notes: Alright so it's short. Sue me. And Yukina talks a lot, which she never does. My bad. Sue me again. That's kind of like the question, if someone was scared half to death twice... Never mind. Moving right along...

--Overview of last chapter—Misaki battled with a fierce dragon who changed into the mysterious black-haired man she met at Amureo's pool. She passed out from the loss of blood and awoke in the healing pond. The man, who brought her there, disappeared as Hiei approached. Hiei took Misaki home as she can't run fast anymore. Once at home, Misaki snaps Kurama out of his Yoko-desire-for-the-shiny-stuff daze by taking him into the rose part of her garden and then she gives him a white rose. Kurama notices that Misaki is missing an arm and Misaki gets upset—the dragon absorbed her arm in order to change into the man. Zumi informs Misaki that Coahtu has shown up at Misaki's front door and Misaki goes outside to greet her.

"Misaki Jangi, I have a bone to pick with you..." Coahtu's voice trailed off.

Misaki walked out into view and stood in front of the open door at the top of the stairs. She looked down at Coahtu who had her arms crossed moments before she spotted Misaki and the condition she was in.

"N...no," Coahtu breathed, "Not now." Her fire-hair wavered in the receding sunlight. It was close to dusk.

Misaki met Coahtu's gaze defiantly. As she realized that the sun was setting, Misaki almost grimaced. She still had one more day. After tomorrow she would set in motion her revenge against Koenma, nothing could stop that. Not even her being,

"Mortal," Coahtu spat, "You disgust me Ansatsusha."

This time Misaki did grimace, the fact of the state of herself thrown up in her face before she could accept what it meant.

"Defiled humanoid," Coahtu went on, "Koenma needs you to be at your fullest and you fail once again."

"Shut up Coahtu."

"Oh I will. I have nothing else to say to you. You fail." Coahtu turned briskly and walked away.

Misaki's body trembled with both anger and distress. The events of the past couple of days flashed in her mind: the something that swallowed the Detective Agency, trapping everyone inside and sealing their fate unless she could do something about it. The man who stripped her of her...of her...

"Poor mortal Misaki."

That voice. Misaki's body now shook completely with anger as she slowly looked over her empty shoulder at him.

"I like mortals." his amethyst colored eyes were guarded but Misaki, even without telepathic powers, could see the suggestiveness in them. Years of honing her mind's ear and reading emotions told Misaki that she was in danger. That sixth sense tugged at her, telling her to run away. But where could she run? Nowhere fast. Her gaze flickered towards the house doors. In her current state, she could not out run him and shut the doors behind her. In her current state, she couldn't stop him from entering her house anyway. She was no match for him in strength, she already knew that. And why did he seem so familiar to her? Tall and sinewy with slick black hair. Yusuke flashed across her mind but she immediately pushed it away. Not him. Someone else. Someone she hadn't thought of in a long time...

"Misaki?" a tiny weak voice asked from the bottom of the steps.

Both Misaki and the man turned to see Yukina in horrible shape. Her clothes were tattered and she was generally a mess.

'Not good, not now!' Misaki scanned her surroundings. Nothing. She came up with nothing.

"Excuse me, can we help you with something?"

Relief washed over Misaki as she looked back to the front door.

Four guys were walking forward, dark shapes because of the lack of light within.

Kurama was the one who had spoken and all four of them looked dangerous in half-shadows as they stepped up.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara shouted breaking the cool and suave entrance they had made. He bounded down the steps to her and she smiled gratefully as she leaned on him for support.

"What did you do to her?" Misaki asked treacherously before anyone else could say it.

The man didn't answer but his eyes strayed to Yukina and uncertainty passed over his face.

"She asked you a question, idiot!" Yusuke put his hands in his pockets.

"I did nothing to her." The usual look of arrogance that Misaki recognized replaced the uncertainty that had been there moments before. "I can see that you are otherwise occupied at the moment. I'll come back later." He disappeared once again.

Misaki had an urge to punch something but she simply kept her fists at her sides.

Kuwabara helped Yukina up the stairs and all attention turned to her.

"Oh Misaki!" she stumbled forward and Misaki caught her, barely managing to not fall over herself. Yukina was in horrible condition. There were scratches on her face, her clothes were torn; she generally looked as if she'd been through a war zone.

"Let's get you inside," Misaki said kindly, though she had to concentrate to not let her body tremble again. The guys followed her back inside the house.

--

Later, once Misaki found another kimono almost identical to the one Yukina always wore and Yukina changed into it, everyone sat around the room the guys slept in to listen to Yukina's story. Misaki held a brush and drew it through Yukina's hair lovingly every so often, putting it down when she wasn't, as she weaved the blue-green locks down Yukina's back. The fingers of her single hand moved with dexterity but none of the humans noticed how pain-stakingly slow she was forced to go. Misaki concentrated on the task at hand, trying to not think about anything else but only half-listening to Yukina while she talked.

"I was at the agency early this morning. I don't actually remember why," she admitted, "But the whole building shook suddenly and I heard screams from a nearby room. I ran towards the screams, thinking that maybe I could help if someone was hurt but I must have blacked out. I woke up with Koenma and Botan looking over me. They seemed really worried so I told them that I was alright. Koenma said that he hated to ask me to do this favor for him. He said that the agency was under attack and within the hour, no one would be able to leave. He couldn't leave it behind because his father would get mad at him and he said that Botan and the others were too big to fit through the largest portal they could create at this point. Of course, he said, anyone besides me wouldn't be allowed through the portal since he would make it as close to Misaki's house as possible and then the whole building shook and it sounded like huge rocks were being thrown at it. Koenma was called off by another oni and Botan took me into another room and barely managed to make the portal. The room started shifting and the floor cracked open. The ceiling broke and fell, the sharp pieces hitting us. A big piece began breaking away right over us but as it came down, Botan shoved me into the portal." Yukina paused and everyone wondered if Botan was alright. "She must have made the portal too high accidentally because I ending up falling through a tree. One of the branches caught me and held me up from a few seconds but then it snapped and I fell down. I wasn't that far away from the house and I saw you all."

"That's an interesting story." Kurama had been looking thoughtfully at the wall since she started.

"Are you okay Yukina? Nothing's hurt, right?"

"No I'm fine, thank you Kazuma."

Kuwabara sat down in front of her and took her hands. "I'm here to protect you now. No need to worry."

Usually Misaki would've made a comment about their relationship but something held her back. Besides the fact that she couldn't think of anything to say. Her mind wasn't on the conversation really. She finished up the last of her weaving and she deftly tied off the end.

"Mistress, I need to speak with you." Zumi spoke out of the blue.

Misaki stood, still lost in thought and as she stepped to the side, Zumi shifted the house beneath her to a separate room.

"Lady Misaki I...Mistress?"

Misaki shook her head and looked up, "Hm?"

Zumi went on, "Mistress, you can't stay here much longer. Without..." he tried to quickly think of a way to put it delicately but he though of none, "With you being humanoid and all, the house is under no obligation to protect any of you. Now, if no one is in the house I can do fairly well to keep it safe but I can't say what will happen if someone comes who wants to do harm and everyone is still here."

Misaki considered it. Everything Zumi said was true. She sighed audibly. "So I guess we have to leave now. I won't put anyone else in danger for my stupid mistake." She considered her options. And then sighed again. "And I suppose Koenma will be mad if I leave them on their own. I suppose I should at least give them somewhere to crash. Somewhere they can find me. Not that I'll be of any help to anybody now." Deciding at last she looked up and asked a question, "Zumi, can you make one more portal? This one'll be a biggie."

--

"So something's attacked the Spirit Detective Agency? Hm." Yusuke looked up at the ceiling in thought.

Everyone in the room started to realize just how alone they were. They had no contact with the Spirit World. Their only hope was Misaki now. She reappeared in the room.

"Alright," she managed with as much confidence as she could muster though at the moment she felt like the world was falling apart around her. As soon as she stepped into the room, none of them would look at her. She had forgotten until that instant that she was still missing an arm. Was Zumi blanching at her non-existent limb too and she just couldn't see him? No one would meet her scanning eye and she shook her head in pity for them, and for herself. Remembering that she hated pity, a spark of fire flashed in her eyes, "We can't stay here any longer. Zumi is making us a portal to the human world just so you can go back to school tomorrow." She couldn't help but add.

Yusuke groaned.

"Yukina, I suggest you stay with the rest of us for the time being. I can't offer you protection here any more. I can't offer any of you protection. Not here at least." 'Not anywhere.' She said to herself. 'I can't even offer myself a shred of protection.'

"You have the capabilities to create a portal to the human world?" Kurama was the only one who looked her in the eyes.

"Against all logic, yes. But not I. The house," she indicated with one arm the room around her. A new thought struck her but she remembered Hiei's capabilities and glanced towards him. His face was as stoic as ever. She filed away the thought and hoped he hadn't caught any of what she was thinking. It was the portal that caused this new thought. And a second portal. And two other men who's ambition cost them their lives.

"Mistress, the portal is ready now."

"Thank you, Zumi."

Everyone stood and the room shifted effortlessly into a huge dome-shaped room. A portal crackled in the middle of the room before them, arcs of energy moving across its surface.

"Stay here for a moment. Don't follow until I say it's clear." The graveness in Misaki's voice prevented any objections. Misaki looked back at them and something was stirring deep within her eyes. None of them would meet her gaze except Yukina. She smiled sadly at the small youkai as she stepped through the portal.

The house around her was dark and Misaki stood still in the area between the kitchen and the living room. She appeared right behind the couch and thanked Zumi's careful calculations. A foot closer and she would've materialized with part of her torso in the back of the couch. The house was silent and for a moment Misaki didn't breath, hoping that if there was anyone in the house that they would just jump out and kill her. No such luck. To her left was the couch as she so obviously noted before and a ways beyond it was a TV with a coffee table in between. There was a window behind the TV that was partially covered by the curtains. In front of her about ten feet was the front door with long windows framing either side, each covered at the moment. The floor was carpeted to every side, but the kitchen, to her right, was tiled. Misaki took all of this in as she slowly turned in a circle, her defense up. Behind her was a staircase that she faced, and to the right of the staircase—not to the left, since Misaki was turned around at this point, the kitchen was now to her left, dark and foreboding, and she couldn't see all of it anyway because the wall next to the stairs was the wall the stairs were built next too. Hm, very confusing—a hallway was to the right of the staircase and she couldn't see down it either. She somehow knew that everything downstairs was in good order. She slowly made her way upstairs. Rooms lined either side of the hallway and as soon as she stepped upstairs she knew everything was well.

"Alright Zumi. Let them come." She stood relaxed.

One by one everyone appeared downstairs and on the other end Zumi cut the portal off. Misaki walked down to the lower level, but stood on the second stair so she could look at all of them.

"So you all now have a place to stay. There are plenty of rooms if you want to stay and I'll be here in case you need me. You're all welcome to crash here, there's always food in the refrigerator."

"Sleep-over!" Kuwabara yelled happily.

"I think that if we are going to stay here tonight that we should call our family to let them know," Kurama spoke up.

"Ah my mom won't care," Yusuke said.

"Yeah well if you were a gentleman you'd call her and tell her where you were going to be. I'm going to call my sister." Kuwabara announced proudly.

"That's only because she'll beat you up if you don't," Yusuke retorted.

"Shut up Urameshi!"

"Misaki do you have a phone that I could use? I'd like to let my mother know where I am." Kurama looked up at her.

"In the kitchen," Misaki stayed where she was, "On the counter next to the microwave."

Kurama left with Kuwabara and a still protesting Yusuke in his wake.

Misaki turned to walk back upstairs.

"And where do you think you're going, baka onna."

She turned and glared venomously at him but didn't say a word. "Yukina, be sure and let them know that they're welcome to sleep down here if they want, but there are rooms up here for them." Misaki didn't look away from Hiei. Then she broke the stare-down and continued her way to the second floor.

--

Like I said. It's short. Deal with it.

-Lotsm