Hello, my loves! I'm back again; are you surprised?

I'm just so sorry this chapter took two months to put up.
There was so many things going on since we last talked -
Finals, drama (not the acting kind, mind you), and tests and just one thing on top of another.
I couldn't get time to type! And then, once school let out (thank God) and finals were over,
The thought of updating seemed to far away. I had pushed it into the back of my mind for the longest time.
And when I got to the computer, sat in the chair, and began to, my hands just wouldn't listen. For lousy couple of weeks I couldn't type a single word. A really bad case of writer's block? Maybe. All I know is that it was really frustrating. I felt so bad for all of you. When I made myself type, however, all I could get out were a few pathetic sentences. It was terrible.

But, here we are! Aren't you all happy? I know I am, to finally have this chapter up.
Although I do think a few things fell a little flat - namely, the arguement between Kana & Kurama. I think I could've done it a littleb

I hope to get the next chapter up before Aug. 14th, when I leave for two weeks. (I'm going away to a sleepaway camp! Whoo!)
If I don't though, please don't kill me.

Thanks to those amazing kids who reviewed Chapter 20:
Foxlover, Celedeen Tachibana, Katana Blade, Ayumi, crimson moonlight and bloody rain, Runalesca, Hiruke, Rose Kitsuna, xxDream Theaterxx (Manda!), ravenfeather42, Mizuki-chan, Golden Vixen, Gure, xXxTDAxXx, Madhatterness, Meibou, MikoHatome, RyokoOfTheDarknessRising,Mary, keia mizuki, AND Koji Shikage!

THAT'S OVER 20 PEOPLE!
And there were so many newface who never reviewed before!
You all made me so happy! You haveabsolutely no idea. I can't thank you all enough.
Keep it up:)

I hope to see you guys soon!

Chapter 21

Kurama opened the door and headed into the house. He went up the stairs to his bedroom, his mind unable to stop spinning, playing back the kiss over and over in his mind. What he had just done… was it wise? Was it a smart decision? He thought of the silence in the car after their lips met, the look in her eyes. She didn't fight it – but there was something there, something in her face, her expression, that made him think she was frightened. But why? Youko, strangely, was quiet. He never interfered at all in his mind thus far, which to him was odd. He shut the door softly with a click and sat on his bed, looking out the window. Outside night had just settled in, the sunset they had seen in the car had slipped away probably minutes ago.

He sighed, his fingers tracing his bottom lip, remembering the kiss. It was foolish, even dangerous. It was not a smart choice. How will things go now? How can he ever look at her the same way? One thing he was definitely sure of –

Things will never be the same.

No, not now.

Not ever.

-

Kana sat in the car, her heart racing, her mind unable to comprehend what had just taken place. She sat in the car seat, still not able to move even after Kurama had left to go inside. Briefly her fingers grazed her lips, remembering all at once the warmth she had felt a few minutes ago. When they pulled apart, all she could see was him the way Deimus had shown her, bloody and battered because of her. She thought she would be able to push him away before it was too late. Now, everything seemed shot to hell. She couldn't deny her feelings as much as she could try. Neither could he, apparently. This had complicated things, though for better or worse, she couldn't tell right now.

She looked out at the distance, at the spot where the sun was seen setting not long ago. Her vision blurred for a moment before she rubbed any traces of tears from her eyes. Why would she cry? This moment was something she had been waiting forever for. And yet…

It will be your fault.

Her hands were shaking as she reached for the car door, letting herself out. She stumbled blindly up the sidewalk to the front door, allowing herself in. She felt as if her blood has turned to ice in her veins. Why did she feel this way? Why did she feel that what had just happened was completely, utterly, wrong?

She headed up the stairs, noting sadly that Kurama's door was shut. He probably wants nothing to do with me, she thought absently. Well, that makes sense. She had let her desires give in, and she probably endangered them both. What if Deimus was somehow watching? What if he knew that... that...

Oh God. He knew, didn't he? He knew that she liked, no, maybe even loved - Kurama. He was playing games with her, again. That's why he knew the vision he gave her would work so effectively. She ran her hands through her black hair, biting her bottom lip as she reached for the doorknob to Kurama's room. She could explain herself. Tell him it was a mistake. Don't let him get his hopes up. Its better that she let him down now - keep him safe. Right?

She stared at the door, willing herself to move, to open the door. Everything could be solved, right here, right now. It could. So why was she hesitating? With haste, she turned away, heading for her own room. She cursed herself silently, knowing the reason and hating herself for it. She was scared. She didn't want to know that perhaps Kurama thought it was a mistake. What if she opened that door and he turned away? What if he told her to leave? She couldn't bear that.

She shut the door behind her, a little more forcefully than she had meant to. Once inside, she slumped down, bringing her knees to her chest, hugging herself tightly. What if she destroyed everything? How could she face him now?

She shut her eyes hard, not wanting to believe such thoughts, when suddenly her wrist heated up. She blinked, astonished, as the bracelet Kuga had given her grew scorching hot. She shook her wrist, flinching at the sudden heat. She tried to take it off, but there was no clasp. How had he put it on her? There wasn't a clasp or anything, and it fit her tightly. She couldn't pull it off if she tried.

It stopped. Kana blinked, staring at the bracelet. What had just happened? She poked the bracelet, but it was cool to the touch all over again. A shadow suddenly shot out from the corner of her eye, and she swiveled her head to see what it was. Silence. There was nothing here, nothing at all. Had she just imagined everything? No. A look down at the red mark the bracelet left on her wrist was proof of that. Maybe she should just get out of here. She stood up, turning to face the door, one hand on the doorknob, when she heard a rustling sound. Her eyes shut hard, willing herself to open the door and leave. This was too much; she was losing it. But still, she turned, and her eyes instantly went to the shadowed corner of the quickly darkening room. Someone was there. Her heart instantly felt with dread even before she saw the glitter of those amethyst eyes. She gasped inadvertently, not breaking eye contact, while her hands frantically grasped at the door behind her, looking for the doorknob.

That was when she noticed something was different.

The darkness offered little to help her see him well. But she did see that his wolf ears were flattened backwards against his head, his hair looking matted and dirty. He was hurt, that much she could tell. Where the injuries were and how serious they were, she didn't know. His robe covered most of his body, but his pale arms were visible in the moonlight and she saw the dark rivulets of blood running down them. But that wasn't what seemed to bother him. He was watching her, with no sign that his wounds bothered him at all. His face betrayed his emotions – sadness? Regret? No.

Longing.

Her brow furrowed, hands resting on the doorknob. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. When she opened them again, he was gone.

-

"Ice skating?"

Yusuke bobbed his head. "I think it's weird. But we got tickets – enough for everyone."

Kana blinked, thinking. She stood in the front door, probably a little past lunchtime. Still no sign of Kurama yet – his door was still shut, which made her a little unsettled. His mother said not to worry, although she can tell she's a little confused herself. She hasn't mentioned anything about Deimus's visit the other night, and she didn't see the need to bring it up. There's enough strange things going on; there's no need to add unnecessary elements to the pot to make it worse. And anyways, he seemed to be the helpless one this time; she didn't think he really came there to hurt her. But then, if not… then what did he come for? And what was with her bracelet? She looked down at her wrist, the red ring still visible, the bracelet refusing to come off, no matter how hard she tugged and pulled.

"…Kana?" Yusuke was waving a hand in her face, and she realized that he had been talking the entire time. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry; I'm zoning. What did you say again?" she said, averting his gaze for a moment. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I said we should go today. Do something different."

A grin played across her face. "Your mom said that, didn't she?"

His face fell. "How'd you know?"

"I can tell," she shrugged, "parents usually say things like that anyways." However, she did nod her head. "I'm up for it, though."

"And Kurama?" He must have seen her wince or make a face, for his voice dropped to a lower tone as he looked at her. "Is everything okay with you guys?"

Kana nodded, trying to reassure him. "Everything's fine." Judging by the lengthy stare he gave her, he wasn't entirely convinced. "He's in his room. Been there all day so far, actually."

"Huh." Yusuke cocked his head to one side, as if thinking. "Weird. That's not like him at all." He straightened. "Well, pass him the message, will ya? If everyone's ready, we can leave as soon as--," he stopped, raising his eyebrows. There was a pause. "Or, I can go up and tell him."

Kana sighed. "Thanks, Yusuke." She stepped aside to let him enter the house. Shiori was in the kitchen, cooking. Seeing Yusuke coming in, she waved and called out a greeting. He returned it as politely as he could, heading up the stairs to Kurama's room. Kana stayed where she was, watching Yusuke head down the hallway and out of sight. She headed into the kitchen to Shiori, who smiled at her brightly. God, she had no idea.

A few minutes must have passed before she saw Yusuke head down the stairs, Kurama following closely behind. She tried not to look at him, but it was a useless effort. She flicked her gaze up to the stairs, and for a brief second she and Kurama's eyes locked. His face remained blank. Kana quickly dropped her eyes to the floor, feeling breathless. It was her first time seeing him after... last night. She blushed furiously and looked around the house, pretending to be distracted. Yusuke, however, seemed oblivious of everything. He smiled and clapped Kana's shoulder before turning around to face Kurama, who gave a small nod. What were they talking about? Kana wondered.

"I'll drive," he said, in the same old voice he always used. There was nothing different about him as he headed into the kitchen to talk to his mother about the day's plans. There were soft murmurs, earnest and kind, before Kurama emerged from the kitchen. He held up the keys in his hand, flashing briefly before he tucked them into the pocket of his jeans.

Yusuke seemed pleased with himself as he stepped into stride with Kurama. Kana followed behind slowly, feeling extremely self-conscious. He unlocked the car doors and allowed himself in. Kana and Yusuke sat in the backseat. Yusuke shot her a look, as if wondering why she wasn't up in the front with Kurama, like she usually was. She shook her head, not wanting to get into it. As Kurama started the engine, Yusuke piped up, "We got to get Kuwabara. Keiko and Yukina will be meeting us there." Kana's head turned at the mention of Yukina's name. "Oh, you've never met her yet, have you, Kana? I'll have to introduce you. Kuwabara's got this thing for her; just watch. It's hilarious to see the things he does to get her attention."

-

The rink was cold. But that seemed pretty obvious. Kana laced up her skates tightly, listening to the others talk. Keiko and Yukina weren't here, as far as she could tell. Kuwabara fell into the spot on the bench beside her.

"What's up with you, Kana?" he asked, keeping his voice low. She turned slightly to look at him, and there must have been a strange look on her face, for he continued, "I have no idea. You just seem quiet today. So does Kurama. I mean, he always keeps things to himself, but now it's pretty weird. Did something happen between you two or something?"

"No." Kana said, her voice sounding louder than she expected. Kuwabara drew back slightly, and she sighed. "Sorry, Kuwabara." He shrugged at her apology, getting up, his legs wobbling a little from the skates. They haven't even made it to the rink yet, and somehow she already knew that Kuwabara was going to have a hard time.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I guess I shouldn't have asked--whoa!" he cried out, his arms flapping around in all directions as he tried not to fall over. He fell against the wall, breathing hard. "Okay. Skating is not fun. I don't think I should do this. I'm probably going to kill myself."

"You're not going to skate, Kazuma-chan?"

A pretty voice made Kana pause tying her other skate and looked up. A girl stood before Kuwabara, smiling. Her skin was pale, her red eyes standing out against her complexion. Her hair, a strange combination of either a light green or blue, was plaited neatly in one long braid. Kuwabara suddenly turned a bright red.

"Uh, well, I--," he started, stumbling over his words. "Did I say that? I didn't mean to. I love to skate. Do you like to skate, Yukina?" he babbled on endlessly, and Kana felt bad for him. So this was Yukina, she thought. Yusuke was right about him acting strange around her. She got up and headed over to them, walking awkwardly because of her skates.

"Kuwabara skates," she nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kuwabara stared at her, obviously glad to save him from his growing humiliation. Yukina's eyes widened.

"Oh, you must be Kana!" she exclaimed, her voice light and airy. "Keiko and Botan told me about you. It's so nice to meet you finally." She gave a small bow, and Kana felt embarrassed. She saw Keiko talking with Yusuke, who was with Kurama. As if he knew she was watching his eyes lifted to meet hers. She managed a small smile; as if to prove to him (and herself) that she was fine and wasn't bothered at all by the night's previous events. A total lie, obviously. She turned her attention back to Yukina before she could see Kurama's reaction.

"You too," she answered warmly, feeling strangely calm around this girl. Kuwabara's mouth hung open between the two of them, no idea what to do or say. The sight was extremely comical, and Kana found herself cracking up. Yukina did as well, seeing just what Kana was laughing about.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Kuwabara cried, but suddenly losing his balance and flailing his arms around to keep from falling over. This, however, didn't stop the laughter. They burst out laughing once more, causing Yusuke and Keiko to look at them strangely.

"Come on," Keiko said cheerfully, heading over to them, "let's head out to the rink now."

"No fair, Kana! How come you're so good at it?" Yusuke complained, watching Kana try skating. He himself was clinging to the wall, Keiko skating alongside Kana, giggling at his attempts.

Kana just shrugged, smiling. "I've never done this before," she confided.

"Liar," Kuwabara responded, in worse shape than Yusuke, if that was even possible. He tried to look like he knew what he was doing, for the sake of Yukina mostly, but it didn't work at all. He cried out and fell backwards on the ice. Yukina skated over to him, reaching out a hand. Blushing furiously, he shook his head and tried to get up on his own. He failed miserably. Kana giggled with Keiko, watching the scene with amusement. After a few more moments, they turned and skated around the rink, enjoying themselves profusely. For the moment Kana forgot about her troubles with Kurama, about the threat from Deimus. Everything seemed to melt away the more her breath left her in small puffs. It was chilly. She was grateful the sweatshirt she chose to wear.

By now Yusuke seemed to have gotten the hang of it; he skated over to the two of them with little problem. He grinned, proud of himself. Keiko smiled back at him, and took his arm. With a backwards glance and laugh to Kana, she skated away with him. She didn't feel left out at all. Instead, she watched them almost jealously. She continued to skate, lost in her thoughts again, still grinning a little. She swept her gaze across the rink and spotted Kurama leaning against the wall, talking to... Hiei? Kana had to admit, she was surprised. But he was there, a scowl plastered onto his face as he kept his eye on Kuwabara and Yukina. He wore no skates, but he positioned himself up on the wall. Someone who worked there came up to tap him on the shoulder, probably to tell him that what he was doing wasn't allowed, but a glare shot at the woman had her skittering away. At that, she shook her head.

"Fair maiden? Is that you?"

Kana turned on the ice, coming face-to-face with Kuga. He was just as strangely decked out as ever, looking more like a j-rocker than anything. A bright yellow and green striped scarf dangled around his neck, a thick leather jacket shielding him from the cold of the ice. His pants were covered with chains and studs, but none of this fazed her. By now, she was pretty used to it. How odd to see him here, she thought. "I thought I told you not to call me that," she said amusedly. Kuga shook his head, holding up his hands as it to say, 'not my fault'. He laughed, until he saw her wrist. His face quickly sobered. He gently took her hand, inspecting the bracelet.

"You're still wearing it," he said, his voice laced with awe and confusion.

Kana looked at her hand in his, suddenly aware that Kurama was now watching them. She pulled away. "Yeah," she said, "I can't get it off, though." She decided against telling him about how it heated up, causing that red ring. It may just make her sound crazy. Well, maybe not. "Hey--," she started, but Kuga had taken her hand and started skating, and to save herself from embarrassment by falling, she skated to keep up with him.

"Kana!" Yusuke called out, looking at her and Kuga with a questioning look on her face.

"Yusuke," she started, skating to a halt. Kuga followed, looking at Yusuke. "This is Kuga, a friend of mine." If he noticed how she put the extra emphasis on the word 'friend', he didn't seem to notice. Kuga appeared to be lost in thought, still staring at Yusuke. He looked oddly serious. Kana looked at him and elbowed him in the ribs. He blinked, coming back to reality.

He took Yusuke's hand, shaking it emphatically. "Nice to meet you!" he said cheerfully. Keiko was looking at him with her mouth agape. She must be in shock at his appearance, Kana realized. Yusuke held a similar expression, but it vanished when he managed to smile back at him and nod. "You must be the friends fair maiden--I mean, Kana," he said, looking at her with a sheepish gaze, "was talking about." Kana stopped at these words, wondering if she had ever mentioned them to him before. Well, she must have, she figured, discarding the thought.

She could feel Kurama's eyes on her, making her uncomfortable about everything all of a sudden. He was nearby now; no more than a few feet away. Hiei wasn't looking at her, though. He was still watching Kuwabara, glaring, his arms crossed. Kurama blinked, and Kana met his eyes. For a moment, it was as if she couldn't move. Her heart beat fast. He smiled at her, and it felt as if she had been punched in the gut. She stared at him incredulously. The smile... it... was different. Normally it was warm and full of emotion, kind as his soul. But... that one was fake. Forced. No emotion. Just... flat. She quickly looked away, willing the feeling to go away.

Suddenly two people skated up beside her and Kuga, one girl and one guy, just as intricately dressed as he was. The girl had a lip ring, her black-and-red-streaked hair matching the rest of her outfit - plaid skirt, netted stockings, and a red tank top with a black hoodie thrown over it. The guy was a bit more normal, with black short spiked hair and jeans. Kuga looked at them, smiling.

"Come on, Kuga, let's go," the girl said, her voice sounding almost monotonous, "this place is crawling with little kids." She looked out at the rink, and Kana saw that a bunch of kids had begun skating, one of them wearing a birthday hat. All of them were screaming and shouting, an adult trying to calm them down. It must be a birthday party, Kana figured. The girl shivered.

"Oh, all right," he said glumly. The girl and the guy headed for the exit, and Kuga turned back to them. "Bye! It was nice to see you!" he turned to Kana, adding, "See you when break's over, yeah?" Kana could barely manage a nod. When he left, both Keiko and Yusuke turned their shocked stare onto her. She could do nothing but shrug.

"I have no idea," she said helplessly, holding up her hands in exasperation.

The next two days passed before she knew it. But things have been different - way different. And Kana wasn't sure that she was used to this change. Namely, the change in Kurama. Ever since that day at the ice rink, when he gave her that weird smile, he's been drifting further and further way from her. It's weird to see him act this way, and it's been bothering her. She couldn't help but feel that it was her fault for his behavior; ever since they kissed he hasn't been himself. But it seems that ever since they all went ice skating it's gotten bad. What's worse, no one else seems to notice this. Sure, he acts nice and talks to her (barely more than a few sentences when he really needs to), but it's not the same – the warmth and familiarity is gone, replaced with something fake and forced just like his smiles now.

To make everything worse, the bracelet has been acting up again – more and more often. She'd never tell anyone, but she'd wake up in the middle of the night to the intense, searing pain the bracelet's heat gave. Her wrist was becoming more and more damaged by it.

After another day of enduring Kurama's behavior, Kana decided she'd had enough. After heading upstairs to her room after (yet another) awkward dinner, she saw Kurama's closed door. She sighed, feeling her spirits sink. Instead of heading into her room, though, she marched right over to his. She inhaled deeply, calming her nerves, which at this point where going crazy. Her knees felt like jelly all of a sudden, and right then she had her second thoughts. Maybe she should just forget it…

No.

Kana turned back to his door, and knocked. Her heart beat faster and faster. She could hear him walking closer and closer…

The door opened, and Kana hadn't expected it to. It took a moment for her to get her bearings again. Kurama said nothing, standing still looking calm as ever.

"What's with you?" she asked, unable to stand it anymore. Kurama blinked, as if what she was saying was not what he expected in the least.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his voice soft and calm… just like always… It took Kana a moment to register his exact words in her head. She stepped into his room, watching as Kurama shut the door silently behind her. He turned to face her.

"Ever since that night, you've been avoiding me." It wasn't an accusation, it was a statement. She paused, but he said nothing. Flustered with so much to say, she continued: "I know… maybe that you think it was a mistake. Wrong. Maybe you didn't even enjoy it that much. But you can't just act like it didn't happen! And then… you're distancing yourself from me, and I just don't know what to do," she said, taking a deep breath to keep the tears from falling. She never felt so silly in her entire life. But she wouldn't let that stop her now. "It may not have meant anything to you, but it did to me. I can't stand this anymore, Kurama! It isn't fair." She was pacing now, walking back and forth quickly in circles. Kurama stood watching her, his face impassive and strangely blank. "I mean, I don't know if there's anything I can do to fix this, but you can't just—"

"Kana."

"—what if something else like this happens? Are you going to just keep avoiding me forever?" She wrung her hands. "I can't live like this, this is just completely insane. I think I'm insane, now, I have no idea what I'm saying—"

"Kana."

"I don't want you to leave me alone, Kurama. I don't want you to keep going on hating me like this…"

"Kana."

Finally, she stopped and looked into his eyes, still hesitant.

"You think I'm doing this because I hate you?" he asked, his voice sounding hurt. Kana looked away from him as he stepped closer.

She stepped further away from him, not willing to give in. He treated her like crap for the past few days, there's no way a few sentences will make up for that. Kurama dropped his hands loosely to his sides, as if defeated. "I don't know what to think anymore," Kana responded quietly, feeling tired and weak all of a sudden. Tears filled her eyes. This was not the way it was supposed to end up.

As she closed her eyes slowly, arms encircled her, wrapped protectively around her body. She should push away, she shouldn't let him… but she just couldn't. No more. This has gone on long enough. She exhaled slowly, tears burning the back of her eyes, but never falling.

"It's the opposite," he whispered, his chin resting on the top of her head. "The truth, Kana, is far different."

There was a pause, and Kana could swear she had forgotten to breathe.

"I care for you. I care for you so deeply in such a way that I've never felt before," he said, his voice just loud enough for her to hear. The words struck her, and she drew in a sharp breath, disbelieving. "I don't want to lose you," he said earnestly, "not now, not ever."

Kana didn't know how to respond. Her heart couldn't stop its frenzied beating. There was a moment of a silence between them that seemed to last forever. Finally, Kurama released her, turning away and heading towards his window slowly. Kana could only stand there staring at him.

"I understand if you don't feel the same," he said slowly, "but this is something I've had on my mind for a while. I thought it would be best if I let it out now." He still didn't turn to face her. Why couldn't she say anything? Why was she just standing there? "I'm sorry, Kana."

Why was he apologizing? Her mind was screaming at her, at him, for everything. Her heart was telling her everything she needed to say, but she couldn't just open her mouth and say them. For a moment she stood there, a single tear escaping her eye and falling down her cheek. She barely noticed. The only thing she knew at the moment was how deeply, utterly, foolish she is being right now. And she hated herself for it.

The next thing they both heard was a knock at the door. The noise itself scared her; she jumped, startled by the noise breaking through the endless silence.

"Shuichi? Kana?" It was Shiori.

Kana opened the door slowly. Shiori stood there, looking worried. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly, completely unused to seeing her look like this.

"Your aunt's on the phone, and she needs to talk to you," she said, "she says it's an emergency."

Kana nodded and left the room, taking the steps two at a time, instantly fearing the worst. She picked up the phone on the counter. "Hello?" she said cautiously.

"Kana!" her aunt's relieved voice filled her ear. "Kana, I'm so sorry to call you like this, I mean I know you're away and everything but--,"

"What's wrong?" Kana interrupted sharply, her mind trying to comprehend everything that's happening.

"Something terrible has happened; you need to come back."

"What happened?" she asked, gripping the phone tightly.

There were frantic whispers and mumbles from the other end before her aunt spoke again. "I can't talk now; he can hear me," she whispered.

"Who? What's going on?"

"Kana, just get over here, please," she said, her voice desperate and pleading. Suddenly there was a shout, a scream, and the line went dead.

"Aunt Suoh! What's going on? Hello? Hello?" she shouted, feeling as if an ice ball just dropped into the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

She hung up the phone with shaking hands, looking around as if trying to figure out what to do. Kurama appeared at the doorway, and it was as if everything that happened between them moments ago disappeared. He saw the look on her face and instantly snapped into action. "What happened?"

Kana could barely answer. The blood drained out of her face. She headed to the door, grabbing her jacket and slipping on her shoes as if in a trance. "Back. I need to go back," she repeated, over and over. "Something's wrong. I need to get back."

"Okay," he replied calmly, "we'll go." He grabbed his keys and yanked on a jacket, throwing open the door and stepping outside. Without hesitating, she followed him, her mind running through all the horrible possibilities of what could have happened. She sat in the front seat of the car as Kurama drove, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. Kana could only stare blank ahead, her nerves screaming that something wasn't right.

-

After what seemed like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop in front of the house. Kana stared at it anxiously, but everything seemed fine. It looked the same as ever. But she couldn't shake off this weird feeling. She unclipped her seatbelt and scrambled to open the car door. She headed around the other side to Kurama's window. He gently rolled it down.

"Wait here. I won't be long," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest. Damn, it was cold. Why was it cold? It was spring for crying out loud.

Kurama had unclipped his seatbelt as well, and after a moment, he nodded slowly. "Any more than five minutes and I'm coming in after you," he warned. In spite of herself, Kana smiled.

"You've got it," she said, giving him a thumbs-up, trying to prove to him that she was fine and not the wreck she was right now. She turned and headed up the sidewalk, walking a little faster than necessary. As she reached the door, she paused for a moment as her hand rested on the doorknob. She turned it quietly, hearing it click and open slowly. It was unlocked; how odd. Normally her aunt locked it all the time at this hour.

The house seemed empty. Kana stepped in cautiously, feeling immediately that she really shouldn't be here at all. Her bracelet heated up again, but not as bad as it had been before. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She gritted her teeth, walking forward.

"Hello?" she called out softly. How strange. It was as if no one was here.

Suddenly she heard noises – jumbled, indistinct words and sounds that she couldn't make out. It was coming from the den, she realized. As she walked further, her senses were suddenly on high-alert. The TV was on. She stopped in the doorway. Ayamu was sitting there on the couch, facing the TV. She let out a sigh of relief. The channels changed constantly, as if she were having trouble deciding on a show to watch. They never stopped changing. They kept switching, on and on. In the sudden eerie silence of the house, it unnerved her. All she could see was the back of Ayamu's head.

"Ayamu," she said, unable to keep the relief out of her voice as she headed closer. "Ayamu, you'll never believe—," she reached out and touched her cousin's shoulder, and her head lolled to one side.

That's when she saw it.

Her throat was brutally gouged out and ripped open, the blood seeping everywhere – down her shirt, the couch, her arms, everywhere. Her eyes stared blank ahead, glassy. She was dead. Kana clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream as she backed away from her, seeing nothing but the blood. It was everywhere… blood was everywhere… She couldn't stop herself from screaming. The blood was everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere. No… no… This was a dream.

The TV stopped changing. It turned off. Kana jerked her head back, staring at the black of the screen, seeing Ayamu's reflection, as well as her own. But… wait a minute… there was someone else. She looked up to the sound of chuckling.

Her mouth dropped open. Her uncle stood in the corner, holding the remote in his hands. As he smiled, it dropped to the floor with nothing more than a dull thud. Her heart leapt into her throat, looking for a way to get out of here.

"How perfect," her uncle said, a grin spreading across his face, "just the one I'm looking for." In his hands, Kana could see the glint of a knife – already bloodied with Ayamu's blood. She felt a surge of anger.

"How could you kill her like that?" she shouted. Haru ignored her, moving closer, slinking forward like a big cat stalking its prey.

"Be still, and make this easy," he growled, his voice threatening and cold. She stopped in her tracks at his words, but recovered herself quickly. She ran.

Behind her, she could hear her Haru's angry shouts and curses as he took off after her. She skidded into the kitchen, throwing open the utensil drawer that it fell onto the floor, scattering the silverware everywhere. She knelt on the floor, frantically scrabbling for something to use. Her hands wrapped around a steak knife, and she started to get up. A foot crushed the fingers holding the knife, and she cried out in pain, instantly letting go. Haru leered down on her, the knife in his hands poised and ready to strike. He shook his head at her.

"Tsk, tsk," he chided, "you know better than that," his tone sounding as if he were an adult scolding their child for doing something wrong. The look in his eyes, the rage and anger, told her that he meant nothing of the sort. She scrambled to get away, tearing her eyes away from his at the last moment so she could get up and run.

He laughed. "You should know better than that," he called out after her, his footsteps sounding impossibly close.

Kana found it hard to breathe all of a sudden. She was terrified. Where could she go? Her eyes desperately sought out somewhere to go. Suddenly he was standing before her, and Kana screamed and ran the other way, back into the den where Ayamu's body was. She tripped and fell near the couch. All of a sudden she knew – that was what he needed. He held the knife to her throat, grinning.

"Be a good girl and sit still," he said softly, his eyes holding a strange insane glare that had never been there before. Her bracelet was now on fire, she bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain.

"Enough of that," a voice commanded from somewhere behind them. Haru turned and giggled with delight. For some reason, he looked even more excited now. Kana craned her neck to see who it was, but the voice had sent chills down her spine. She knew who it was.

Haru dropped the knife to one side, the blood leaving a few stains on the carpet. Kana sat in fear, unable to do anything. He grabbed the wrist that wasn't burning and yanked her to her feet. "I got her, see?" he said, his voice holding an almost childlike delight. Kana found herself face to face with Deimus.

He smiled at her, moving to her. A hand gently cupped under her chin, lifting her face to meet his. She closed her eyes and turned away. Deimus, however, seemed not to notice this. He dropped his hand and looked at Haru. "If I hadn't interfered, however, you would have killed her."

"Well—I—" Haru searched for an excuse, anything. Deimus held up a palm and he instantly quieted. Kana, however, could not move. She tried, oh, how she tried, but her limbs refused to respond.

Deimus smiled wickedly at her. Kana felt a sinking despair. She sagged. There was no hope for her now. Kurama…

There was pain in her cheek as he slapped her suddenly, snarling. "No more of that bastard, do you hear me?" he said, no more than a hair's breadth away from her own face. She refused to meet his gaze. "Answer me!" he roared.

"Um…" Haru's voice interrupted. Deimus whirled on him, angry.

"What is it now?" he demanded.

"Well… the payment…" he said, shrinking away. Deimus paused, then chuckled. "Remember… you promised…"

"I did, didn't I?" he said, obviously playing with Haru now. "If I remember correctly, you failed. She made it to her god-forsaken friends anyhow." He spat the last words with disgust. Haru nodded quickly.

"Well, yes, but… I found her. Without me, you wouldn't have gotten her."

Deimus revealed his fangs to Haru, and he balked. "Don't talk back to me!" he growled, now getting impatient. "Your wife is alive; I think that's payment enough." He looked over at Ayamu and nodded. "Good job at that," he praised off-handedly.

"But—" Haru started forward. "You said you'd make me just like you, eternal life! You gave me your word."

Deimus's hand lashed out and grabbed Haru by the throat. "You should know better than to trust a wolf's words," he whispered into his ear. Haru was shaking now. Kana watched it all with wide eyes, frightened out of her mind. If only she could move…

He dropped Haru to the floor. As he scrambled to his feet, Deimus looked back at Kana and grinned. Her stomach twisted into a huge knot as he unsheathed his sword. Without further hesitation, he took that sword and plunged it straight through Haru's heart.

Kana would have screamed, but her throat wouldn't let her. No sound escaped her throat as the blood poured from the wound. Haru stared blankly ahead, slumping forward. Deimus yanked the sword gracefully from his body, the blood now spilling onto the carpet. He wiped the blade clean with a cloth, smiling. The body dropped to the floor beside his feet. In disgust, he kicked it away.

"Tch. He spoiled my robe," he said, looking down at the blood that had spilled onto the bottom of his cape-like clothing.

He turned to Kana, his eyes suddenly hungry...

-

Kurama couldn't take it anymore. Where was she? It had to be past five minutes now. He opened the door to the car and headed up the walkway, his heart suddenly racing.

Shuichi, get in there now, something's not right.

I know.

Let me take over.

No!

He opened the door to the house, ignoring Youko. He heard a scream. That was definitely Kana's, he knew that. He raced towards the source of the sound.

"How nice to see you," Deimus grinned at him. The body of Kana's uncle lay a few inches away from his feet. He could see that a young girl's body was on the couch – dead, he knew – the smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. Kurama's heart seemed to stop then – Kana was held in his arms, struggling now. She reached out a hand.

"Kurama!" she screamed frantically at the top of her lungs. A pale hand closed over her mouth.

"We'll be going now," he said, still grinning. Kurama lunged toward them, anger rising up within him, but it was too late.

They were gone.