--author's notes: Wow. I have over a hundred pages typed! I think that's pretty amazing. I don't think I've ever written that much on one story...in fact I know that I have never written that much on one story...yay...go me...

--Overview of last chapter: Eldred and Misaki catch up and Eldred agrees to try and 'see' anything he can for her. He goes into a trance and speaks of the center of the earth, in rhyme of course, and then collapses from the strain. The gang goes outside and beings to walk back to were the birds dropped them off. They stop for the night, learning that Misaki used to be an oracle herself, and in the morning they begin traveling again. The golden dragon comes back for revenge, and they make a run for it. They reach the spot, Misaki jabs Drake's dagger into the stone and the water's part to reveal a dark hole. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Yukina get shoved in, but the other three are outside when the dragon breaths flames at them. Misaki protects Hiei and Kurama by placing herself in between them and the dragon, her fire-proof kimono doing what it does best. The other two jump in the hole but the dragon slashes out, tearing through the back of the kimono and Misaki's flesh. She pulls the dagger from the ground and stabs the dragon at the right moment through the heart. While she let go of the dagger and the dragon staggers away through the air, the hole is grows smaller. A hand reaches out and pulls her inside before it closes completely behind her.

Her sight left for a moment as she went from the bright outside world to the darkness of the hole. She fell onto the ground and rolled once onto her stomach, groaning softly in pain. She realized that whoever it was had grabbed her new arm and she clenched her teeth together to stop from crying out.

She felt a hand on her back and she winced.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see those. Are you unhurt otherwise?" Kurama asked her.

"Yes, thank you." she managed to say.

'Don't mention it.' a dry voice brushed her mind.

Misaki looked around, able to see now that her eyes adjusted to the new darkness.

It wasn't completely dark. The walls glowed faintly, giving just enough light to make everything out.

She put her cheek down on the cool stony floor and tried not to think about the searing pain in her back.

Courtesy of the dragon blood, which counteracted part of her mortality, Misaki felt the tears in her flesh begin to close, the muscles meshing together.

Sorely, she stood and took in her surroundings. Kurama was next to her, a look of concern still on his face. The others were nearby. They were standing on a small piece of ground and a dark hallway was the only path available.

Still tender from her wounds, Misaki carefully took off the orange kimono's jacket-like top. Underneath, she wore a form-fitting tank top, and she kept the bottom of the kimono on.

Misaki examined the damage done to the kimono and then disgustingly tossed it to the side. Coahtu would be upset, but Misaki saw no point in letting her see what had happened to it. The large slices in the back from the dragon's claws ranged from the shoulder to the waist of the jacket and there were also good-sized holes in the top of the shoulders were the blood had dripped down. Luckily the kimono had protected Misaki from that acid and her tank top bore no holes itself.

"So where exactly are we now?" Yusuke craned his neck around, looking at the glowing walls.

"The beginning of our journey." Misaki replied.

"Could you be any vaguer?" Yusuke wanted to know, "Wait, don't answer that. I'm sure you could."

Misaki grinned, "Down that hall, down those stairs within the hall, and down many more stairs than you could ever count, lays the center of the earth."

"Great. Can I take back my question?"

"We'd better start moving. We wouldn't want you two to be held back a year in school because you missed too many days." Misaki started down the stairs.

"No way...would they really do that?" Kuwabara wanted to know.

"Considering how long it's going to take for us to travel...yes."

"Didn't the oracle mention that time passes differently here?" Kurama piped up.

Everyone was now following Misaki down the stairs. The passage was small so that one person was forced to follow behind the other in a descending line down the stairs.

Misaki stuck her tongue out at Kurama, "Do you always ruin all of the fun? I could have had them going on about it for at least an hour or two and now I have nothing to do."

"I somehow suspect that you'll live."

"Only barely." She turned back to concentrate on the stairs.

It seemed as though time passed slowly, though those who wondered about the time had no idea how much time had actually passed. Eventually the passage widened and the light got brighter. However, the walls were not glowing anymore; the light just seemed to shine from everywhere.

Yusuke could really stand the quiet but he could only think of one question to ask that would keep the deafening silence at bay for a while.

"Misaki?"

"Yeah?"

"What did all that stuff the oracle said mean?"

She sighed quietly and then stopped her downward pace.

At this point, it took longer to step down from one stair to the next as the space between the stairs was bigger.

"Sit down. Your legs will thank you." Misaki sat cross-legged on the floor.

They all complied, Hiei leaning his back against the wall behind him. Yusuke and Kuwabara spread themselves out, stretching their muscles which had just started to protest at the strain and Kurama sat down in a similar fashion to Misaki. Yukina sunk to her knees, sitting on her feet.

"Well, the first part of the 'stuff' talked about the ocean. 'The ocean I see, a mighty rage, descend you must, to find the sage.' We just did that."

Yusuke nodded.

"And 'deep within earth's mighty core, a specter waits, foul deeds in store.' That's what we're doing, traveling down to see the essence."

"The...essence?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yes. Eldred basically told us to go and see the essence, who will probably tell us to go and see someone else." Misaki sighed, urging herself to wait just a while longer to regain what she once had.

"Who is he?" Kurama wanted to know.

"The essence of human nature. 'Ears do not hear, a legion of voices, soiled clothes of blood, to many choices.'"

"Doesn't sound like a very happy person." Yusuke commented.

"He's not. He embodies the very essence of human nature. If you all thought that the Chapter Black Video was bad, be glad that Sensui didn't get to meet the essence."

Yusuke shuddered.

"I will warn you," Something in her voice made them all look up at her, "You have never seen anything like the essence and you never will. He isn't someone you seek out to ask about the weather. And he's a bit two-faced."

"Two-faced?" Kurama said.

"Do you remember Koenma saying that the Chapter Black Video is part of a series about the human race and is not meant to be seen alone?"

They nodded.

"The essence is sort of like that. He has two sides to him, the darker side embodying what the Black tape showed and more, and the lighter side, like another tape in the series. These two are two sides of the same coin, twins in one body, he is female and yet she is male, and then again, neither. He is not good or bad, he simply exists." Misaki shook her head, knowing full well that the essence was hard to explain, but harder to understand. She did not envy them for what they were going to see.

"And you might hope that the essence is in his lighter side when we visit him. He'll be much more helpful that way." 'And your eyes will be spared.' Misaki thought to herself.

Misaki saw Hiei frown for a moment and she realized that he heard what she was thinking. Instinctively, her hand went behind her ear and her eyes widened but she return to a passive expression quickly. The precious jewel that had protected her mind from outside entry was gone. Misaki thought back. She wasn't exactly surprised. After all, she had practically been human before but it must have fallen out at some point after she had consumed the dragon blood.

She erected the barriers she had previously used to keep Hiei out of her thoughts and noticed that without the strength she once had, the barriers were nothing compared to what had been in use before. She hoped Hiei would have no true desire to enter her mind as she assumed he would be able to do so easily.

Misaki stood, indicating that it was time to begin their descent once more.

They travel downward, always down. Time had no meaning for them and they did not know how long they traveled. Yusuke and Kuwabara occasionally bantered back and forth but it was half-hearted and they soon fell to silence again.

The width of the cavern never grew and the length of the stairs stayed the same. But it began to grow darker.

Misaki felt a small hand slip into hers and she felt Yukina walking closely next to her.

Eventually the little ice maiden grew weary and Misaki hoisted Yukina onto her back, not pausing her movement for even a moment. The girl was a light weight to carry and she relaxed, falling into a restless sleep.

Soon, though none of them knew if it really was 'soon' or not, the stair began spiraling down. The air slowly grew hotter and heavier and so they did not notice. Until Kuwabara passed out on the floor.

"Can you wake him?" Misaki asked Yusuke with a tired voice. Even having part of her former power restored to her, the trek was a trial even for the Ansatsusha. Misaki didn't move from where she stood in the front of the group. Walking back to them, up those few steps would mean going backwards. And moving up. She felt as though her legs would give out at any minute. Then she wondered how the others must feel.

Yusuke knelt over Kuwabara, "He's out. I don't think he'll be up for a while. The wimp." Yusuke said it, but he was almost breathless and a sweaty sheen covered his profile.

Moving one foot in front of the other, Misaki climbed up to them and sat Yukina down gently with her back against the wall, then sat down herself.

Gratefully, the others followed suit, dropping down to the ground.

Misaki surveyed their faces. Worn, tired, and sweaty. Misaki closed her eyes and felt the air around them, realizing that it was hotter than before but that the heat was growing at such a miniscule pace that they wouldn't know it if they weren't paying attention. Like a frog in a frying pan. The essence did not need petty riddles to protect him, the heat would cook whomever tried to reach him.

Misaki painfully got up and walked over to Kuwabara's face-down body, collapsing back down when she reached him. She rolled him over with the help of the others and put a hand on his forehead. He was flaming.

She glanced over at Yukina but the girl was still sleeping. Misaki did not want to wake her up.

Only she and Hiei seemed unaffected by the growing temperature. Misaki figured Hiei could withstand any amount of heat thrown at him and Yukina's body was naturally cold so it would merely increase the ice within. Which was why she was so tired. Her body was working overtime to keep her own temperature down at a reasonable level for an ice maiden.

Not even having enough strength to sigh, Misaki bent over Kuwabara from were she sat at his head and put a hand on either side of his face without touching him. She closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath of the humid air around them.

Despite his lack of strength, Kurama raised his eyes to watch what Misaki was doing. Very slowly Kuwabara's face lost the lines and the redness and he seemed relaxed. When Misaki was done, she held out a hand to Yusuke and he took it. The change was quicker this time and Yusuke nodded thanks. Misaki got up and walked over to Kurama. He looked up at her and she held out her hand. He took it, feeling the smooth but uncannily warm palm.

Something passed from her hand into him, and then he felt the air around him cool down. He felt his strength returning somewhat as the heat was washed away. He felt his tightened expression relaxing.

"Thank you." He said as she released him. He was still tired and hoped that she did not want to move on.

Misaki moved a bit away from the others and sat down, leaning heavily against the wall behind her.

--

Thanks for reading.

-Lotsm