A/N; So, this chapter was supposed to be up on FF at like 3 pm Central time for the united States and due to the inability to access the 'Manage Stories' tab, I was unable to so this is coming out much, MUCH later than I had intended. Chapter 22 is in the works!

Don't be a silent reader!

21. Mirajah

Yukina

"So, what are you looking for?"

Yukina smiled at her new friend, grateful for her assistance weeks ago when she had come across them in Alaric. The group had welcomed her with open arms and she thanked them consistently, but she had not grown close to many except the woman who was lying beside her under the stars this lovely crisp evening.

"My twin brother." Yukina replied, looking back up at the stars, grateful for the caravan that made lapses around the three territories, "A close friend said he was dead, but I don't believe that."

"Why not?"

Yukina smiled, "Because I know he is alive. I believe my brother is still out there."

"Any ideas?"

"One. But he's the same one who said my brother as dead."

A scoff in the soft glow of the fire and the woman moved, sitting up and violet eyes stared down at Yukina. The owner of the eyes had her head slightly tilted to the side, some of her raven locks brushing Yukina's face. The ice maiden smiled, sliding out from under the woman's gaze and sitting up.

"What are you looking at me like that for Mirajah?"

The woman gave a soft laugh, "Well, you think that the one who told you that your brother was dead is actually your brother…Have you actually gone to him and asked?"

A somber expression fell across her face, "If I believed that he would answer me honestly, then I would have already asked."

The violet eyed woman frowned, "Do you think he's been purposely keeping you in the dark?"

"Yes, and I believe that Kazuma was the only one who didn't know."

"That human of yours? The one that you say is the sweetest man you've ever met?"

Yukina smiled, "Yes."

Mirajah leaned back, lying against the grass once more as she stared up at the stars. A sight like this was natural for her and her caravan, but she wondered how many other demons actually enjoyed being out at night and just stare at the stars.

"Do humans like performers?" she finally asked.

"They have singers and dancers." Yukina answered, "But all that they care about is the money and you will never be allowed to think for yourself."

"Tch. Never mind then."

"Hmm?"

"The others and I live for comfort and we do what we do because we love it. If it ever became just a job, I would have to stop." Mirajah said, reaching a hand up at the stars, "My duties as second in command of the caravan and its route is what I live for. I can't imagine doing anything else."

The ice maiden smiled, a word upon her lips when a blood curdling scream echoed from the group of preforming travelers. Mirajah rolled over, stumbling to her feet before Yukina stood and they looked at one another for a second before another scream echoed. The two took off, Yukina trailing behind Mirajah as they raced through the undergrowth. The two emerged to the main camp and Mirajah stopped, words escaping her. The carts they used to travel in were all ablaze and Yukina covered her mouth in horror. Mirajah grabbed the ice maiden and ducked into the undergrowth, peeking from the gaps in the bushes.

"Hahaha! Bring the women over here!"

The voice belonged to a thin and lanky looking demon who had his face covered by some cloth. Mirajah immediately knew that this was a bandit's method to kill off all the men and keep the women until they were bored of them. A smirk played across the demon woman's face. These boys were about to be in for a disturbing time with these women.

"Yukina..." the woman said, "Stay here. If you can, run."

The ice maiden shook her head, "I can't just leave you."

"Shh." Mirajah said, "Its okay. It wouldn't be the first time that we had to fend off bandits."

The violet eyed demon turned to watch as one of the women turned, a knife in her hands and slit the throat of her captor. Around her, the women and men began to unsheathe their own weapons and they attacked. Before their eyes, the caravan had transformed from a peaceful camp to a full on battle to survive. Mirajah slid a knife from her boot, handing it to Yukina.

"I don't think you're a fighter," she admitted, "But just in case you have to defend yourself, here."

The crimson eyed maiden nodded, "What are you going to do?"

"Fight." Mirajah replied simply, before getting up and charging into the fray.

From her position, Yukina could tell that the caravan might actually win. She clutched the handle of the knife, silently watching as blood was shed, cringing when a caravan member was injured or hurt. Even the children were fighting back. Everything seemed to be going smooth when a bandit got the upper hand of the caravan leader. Mirajah had mowed down three bandits in her way as she made it into the toil, throwing some off of her friends and family but by the time she saw the bandit creeping on Benji, the caravan leader, it was too late. She darted that way, a glint of hope propelling her forward but before she could even make it half way, another bandit collided with her and she hit the ground. Rolling across the dirt, she stopped herself and looked up at their leader just in time to watch the bandit's blade come down upon him.

"FATHER!"

The shout claimed the attention of all of the camp's members and with a renewed vigor, their rage fueling their actions, they fought back twice as hard. Mirajah, with tears swamping her vision, came at the asshole who had done the dirty deed, slicing his head off in a single fluid movement. She turned, kneeling beside Benji, a hiccup of a sob in her throat. She lifted his head up into her lap and he struggled to breathe.

"Mira…" came his dying whisper.

"F-father." The woman sobbed, "I'm here."

"Get everyone out of here." He pleaded, a cough racking his bleeding form, "Save yourselves. Do not die at my expense…"

The girl shook her head, leaning down to whisper something to him, unaware of another bandit who had escaped the fight, coming up behind her, mimicking the fashion his brethren had done to take down the large demon male. He grinned wickedly, dagger poised when he felt a fire in his back, pushing up to his chest and he screamed. Mirajah turned, looking over her shoulder with wide violet eyes as the bandit collapsed, revealing a bloodied, familiar face.

"Y-Yukina?" she asked.

"Mira!" The ice maiden shouted, "We have to get out of here!"

Benji had gone still in her arms, but Mirajah could not let him go. Instead, she held onto him tighter.

"Mira, please!" Yukina pleaded, "He wouldn't want you to die like this!"

Something in the girl snapped and she growled, a dark sound which emanated from her throat, and she laid her beloved father down, standing with the intent to kill every bandit that was still alive. She hissed darkly, leaping into the fold and swiping at every bandit she could see. Within an hour's time she had killed nearly thirty of the bandits, but still she fought. The caravan had the upper hand and she wanted to make sure these bastards could not come back to attack them ever again. Yukina was right, Benji would not want her to sob uncontrollably in the heat of battle. He wanted her to get the caravan out of here safely, but all she wanted to do was eliminate the group of bandits. She shouted for some of the caravan members to retreat, taking on multiple bandits at once until one caught her with a katana in the side. She crumpled, gripping at the open would just as a fist came in contact with her face. The demon slid back, kneeling to the ground to catch her breath. She dodged one attack to be hit by another and it looked like she might actually lose. Flipping out of the way of another attack, a caravan male punched the bandit that was swiping at her away and she stood. Her vision was blurring, be it from tears or blood loss, she could not tell but she held her side with one hand, dipping into a defensive position when a scream came from behind her. Turning, Mirajah caught sight of some of the children being slaughtered. Becoming further enraged, she barreled towards them, only to be knocked away by one of the bigger bandits. She hit the ground and skidded on her side. She could hear Yukina's shout and tried to force herself up again. Her anger was bubbling inside of her and she was determined to not be defeated. The screams of the dying echoed as they fought, and eventually through the death of various bandits and numbers dwindling on both sides, Mirajah came face to face with the apparent leader of the bandits.

He was fending off one of the bigger males in their group and Mirajah pushed herself forward, flanking the bastard and swiping. He barely managed to dodge the man's attack and she got him clean in the side. He howled in pain, grabbing her by the scruff of her shirt, choking her slightly, before chucking her to the side and into the trunk of a tree. She tried to get up, a whimper escaping her as she forced her eyes open, watching as the bastard cut down another companion of hers and she felt the tears welling up again. She tried to stand only to fall back against the tree and she felt her energy fading. She thought of Benji, closing her violet eyes and tilting her head back to lay it against the bark. She could sense someone over her and opened her eyes. The bandit leader stood over her, staring down at her. He laughed as he raised his weapon and she closed her eyes, accepting her death, only to hear the gurgling sound of a dying man. She snapped her eyes open and watched as the blood spurted from his mouth, his body falling over and collapsing, the blade barely missing her. Again, she saw the ice maiden she had befriended and felt a sense of relief. Yukina came to her, blood staining her precious kimono and Mirajah felt ashamed that this innocent maiden had to kill two bandits in order to save her.

"Yuki…"

She stopped. The pitiful sound of her voice made Mirajah want to simply die in a hole. Never in her life had she been so injured before and she never imagined the caravan being attacked at such a magnitude. She closed her eyes, fighting off the tears when cool hands touched her face.

"Mira, I can't heal all of your wounds, but I am going to try to stop some of the bleeding."

Healing. The girl could heal?

A sea of calm washed over her as Yukina began to glow a faint blue. She could feel energy being pushed into her and her pain seemed to vanish. For a moment, she was lost to the world and the next, the soothing cold vanished like a jerk of a knife and the pain was back. Yukina whimpered from the ground to the side and Mirajah kicked her foot out. The bandit hit the ground and she struggled to stand. With her momentum, she reached down and grabbed Yukina's hand. She took count of those who were still alive and it was only a few. She gulped and made her decision, sending a silent prayer of forgiveness up to Benji and the others who lost their lives.

"Scatter!"

The command she shouted was all that she left behind as she turned, pulling Yukina behind her. She ran, her side hurting immensely from the pain and as she ducked under tree limbs, she knew that her surviving caravan members would have fled in various directions, hopefully able to get away. She made it to the edge of the forests to pure plains of green and she darted across them, pulling the ice maiden with her. Her labored breathing carried her across the field to a hill and before she could stop herself, her footing slipped. The two tumbled down the hillside, landing in a heap on the ground and Mirajah felt dizzy. She could barely move and was unable to get to a sitting position before she blacked out.

Yukina groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head as she tried to shake away the dizziness she had gained from the drop. Her bag was still on her back, something that she had managed to do before leaving the clearing and jumping into a fight against the bandits, and she looked around for Mirajah. She found her friend lying on her side, unresponsive to her name and she began to panic. She grabbed at her friend, pulling her arm up around her shoulders and standing, bearing the performer's weight as she stumbled into town, calling for help.

"Thank you for your assistance."

Kurama smiled at the shop keep, "My pleasure, Ma'am. Should the problem arise again, please send word to me at the palace."

The woman bid him farewell, handing him a bag of various fruits as thanks for saving her small business from the thief that had pushed past him. He smiled and waved to her as he made his way back towards the Gandara palace. He ambled through the towns lining Yomi's residence and a flash of light teal caught his attention. He saw a familiar red bow and he moved faster, approaching the young apparition as she spoke with a medicinal merchant.

"—I can drop it a few more bits." The merchant agreed, smiling at the girl, "This friend of yours must mean a lot to you."

"Yes, she saved my life."

"Yukina!" Kurama called, smiling as she turned, "What are you doing in Gandara?"

Yukina smiled at him, paying the merchant before grabbing the supplies she had purchased. She turned back to him and took note of the bag of fruits he held before smiling up at her redheaded friend.

"Actually, we just got here last night, it seems."

"We?"

"Oh, yes." She said, making her way through a small pocket of demons and pushing forward, "My new friend and I."

"I'm happy to see that you are making friends even here in the Makai. I overheard you saying that she saved your life?"

Yukina nodded, "Yes. Last night we were attacked."

Kurama's blood ran cold. She seemed to be alright, but he noticed the discoloration of her jaw on the right side of her face and he gave a suspicious glare. As he analyzed her, he noticed that her kimono, which she wore regularly, was missing and it was replaced with an outfit of gypsy pants of a deep sapphire blue satin material and a white top with gathered, off the shoulder neckline and fell to her belly button, leaving some of her stomach exposed.

"Luckily," the ice maiden continued, "we were able to get away, but the others seem to have scattered elsewhere."

"Where is this friend of yours?" Kurama asked

"We're almost to the inn." She said, "The owner has been letting us stay there for free since he came running out to help us last night."

The fox demon nodded and he followed her to the inn. They walked in and she greeted the innkeeper with a smile. He returned her greeting, asking about her friend and she gave him a generic update. He gave her his best wishes and she continued on, Kurama following the entire way. Up the stairs and down the corridor, she entered a room and he looked around. It was a suite, he realized, and spacious for a demon world inn and a groan caught his attention.

"Yuki?" came a woman's voice as a figure came around the corner, "There you are. Where have you been? And who is this?"

"Mira!" Yukina gasped, rushing up to the woman, "You should stay in bed."

"Nah, I'm feeling okay Yuki. Really."

Kurama took inventory of the girl's wounds and clothing. Although she seemed to stand a few inches shorter than him, her tanned skin was bruised nearly everywhere. Her face carried multiple bruises, some which looked as though she were hit repeatedly, and her hands seemed scratched from some kind of fall. Her shirt was tattered, barely covering her breasts, but they showed various small cuts and scrapes along her chest and stomach, which had some bandages bunches and strapped to her side, covered in dried blood. As she tried to calm Yukina's worries, he caught a glimpse of her back and cringed. Her back had one long thick bruise, tainting her tanned skin with an almost black and green splotch of bruised skin, and her pants were like that of a gypsy, belling out at the bottom with a flimsy fabric that was decorated in ornate designs made for a dancer of some kind. Her long raven locks tumbled in knotty waves to her lower back and were decorated in hair accessories that fit that of a traveling artist and he knew that the circlet which had links drooping around her head meant that she was an entertainer of some kind. Her violet eyes softened as she spoke to Yukina.

"I am Kurama."

"Kurama, eh? Well, any friend of Yuki's is a friend of mine." The girl said, holding a hand out, "I'm Mirajah."

He shook her hand, taking notice of her cringe of pain. It seemed that there might have been an injury to her shoulder as well.

"May I ask what happened? Yukina mentioned an attack."

Yukina was the one to cringe this time, he noticed as Mirajah turned her face slightly from him.

"My caravan was attacked last night. We lost a lot of people, but we took a lot of the bastards with us." She said, forcing a smile as she looked to him again, "But I have to say, if it weren't for Yuki, here, I probably wouldn't have made it out of that fight alive!"

Kurama turned to Yukina, barely missing the glassiness of Mirajah's eyes, "Is that so?"

Yukina seemed to blush, "I couldn't let them kill you, Mira…Not after Benji…"

The name seemed to make Mirajah cringe. It seemed that someone really close to her had perished in the attack and Yukina had ended up fighting back in order to help her escape. He knew that this type of information was a necessity to call Hiei to Gandara, if not to simply check in on his beloved sister.

"So, Yuki." Mira said, motioning towards him, "Is this the guy you were talking about?"

Shaking her head, Yukina smiled, "No. He is friends with him, though."

Kurama was a bit confused, but shook it from his thoughts. An attack which came into Gandara's territory, even on a caravan, was something Yomi needed to know about. It seemed that the violence which they seemed to have eradicated years ago was finally returning, but in pockets.

"Yukina, Mirajah," Kurama said, "How about you both accompany me to Yomi's palace."

"Yomi?" Mirajah breathed, "As in the demon lord of Gandara?"

"Yes," Yukina said with a smile, "Kurama is one of Yomi's advisors."

She nodded at the ice maiden's explanation and smiled. Kurama could tell that these two were definitely friends.

"Sure," she said, "Can a doctor help with some injuries? Yuki's been taking care of me but I didn't want her to use all of her energy."

"Of course," Kurama replied, motioning towards the door, "And if it's okay, Yukina, I'd like them to take a look at the bruise on your jaw."

The maiden smiled at him and nodded, "Sure."