She shoved the heavy vegetation aside as she walked; irritated by the increase of it once they had reached this level.

She was in a foul mood brought on by what she had awoken to this morning.

It wasn't as if she had purposefully kept details about Masanori a secret, they had just never asked what she knew about him and she wasn't the type to just volunteer information.

In hindsight she probably should have warned them, given them a better idea of the demon's abilities before he had been given the additional power of the Chimera. Their entire reason for this little quest was specifically to stop Masanori, though it hadn't been her own.

Still upon waking to Kurama and Hiei so centered on her and the cross examination that had followed she had ended up feeling defensive and more than a little resentful.

When the questions had become focused on her chat with the construct she had been less than cooperative. There were too many aspects of that conversation that had delved into the deeply personal, and while she may not see these two demons in the same light as she had Shinya and Kanako they were walking a very thin line of intrusiveness that reminded her of them.

She had told them that Masanori was fully aware of them, that the demon was anticipating the eventual meeting but had stopped shy of the demon's plans involving her as well.

It hadn't just been Masanori's words on that subject, the statements of how little choice those around her had when it came to involvement with her.

It was the surety if these two knew of the direct threat to her Masanori's words would become more prophecy than belief.

While she was angry with them for the barrage of questioning she could not find it in herself to increase the chances of Kurama or Hiei sacrificing anything for her well being.

It wasn't even some natural inclination to aversion for others to care about her; it was something that vibrated through her when she had considered for a second the idea of telling them exactly what Masanori had said to her.

She was also annoyed they had obviously been keeping things from her as well, trading glances that all but screamed the fact that they were leaving out some specific thing.

They said they had found her unconscious but beyond asking if she had been attacked they had slid past any conversation that really centered on that event.

She had only shrugged, hesitant to mention the inundation she had suffered from her mind. She was still sorting through it herself, trying to examine the minute impressions that had been left behind. She couldn't explain it to them, how those lingering things made little sense. There was something not quite fitting, a strange duality to them she was trying to understand.

It did not help her mood that this level felt wrong, empty instead of full as the others had.

Granted Kurama had warned this was one of the levels that only one species of ancient demons lived on so there were fewer to begin with but that didn't account for the absolute stillness they were encountering when it came to energies.

The level felt almost abandoned, as if no demons were present and it set her on edge.

That was also the reason they had slowed, to avoid any territoriality of those much stronger than Kurama and Hiei.

She put a finger to her temple, since arriving on this level a slight hum had taken up residence in the back of her mind.

She paused to pull a twig from her side bag, noting with a new surge of annoyance she was running low. The plant was fairly common on most levels of the Demon World but so far she hadn't come across it on this level to replenish her supply.

Just another crap thing to add to this crap day.

She brought a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, surveying the area with some suspicion.

"There is an unnatural quiet to this level." Kurama commented, stopping beside her and glancing around as well, "Even the animals are still as if something stalks them at all times."

She glanced at the fox demon from the corner of her eye, "How close are we to the next passage to another level?"

"Not close enough I'm afraid." Kurama answered uneasily, "We may have to camp, though in all honesty I would prefer we do not. There is something…not quite right here and I would like to spend as little time as possible within its influence."

"I think we're coming up on another pulse point." She offered, lowering her hand, "I should go ahead by…"

"I think it best if we remain close to one another." Kurama interrupted his tone more severe, "There is threat in the air."

"Could you stop doing that?" She snapped angrily, turning to the red head, "When Fate takes over I can't stop it if it wants you dead."

"If Fate wishes my death then there is no stopping it through how separated we are," Kurama countered, lifting an eyebrow, "While I appreciate the concern, Shizuru, there is no reasonable argument when it comes to Fate."

"So you just volunteer?!" She asked exasperated, "You have a choice!"

"As do you," Kurama reminded her, "my choice is to be unwilling to leave you unguarded in this place. Fate or not I will not be swayed from my decision."

"You have no idea yet how very influential you are, how they will destroy themselves on the altar of your well being."

The question was why?

Why was she influential enough that they would consider that?

Was it just the normal inclusion of an ally and the want to protect each other or was it something much less of a choice and one imposed on them because of her, because of Fate?

The ally thing she could attribute to most of their actions so far but she despised the underlying concept that they were driven to doing it not out of care for her well being, because they could not help but follow the path that Fate had manipulated them into.

She could see Kurama's dedication to his choice of protecting her in his jade green eyes yet she could not help but doubt it now that Masanori had brought it to her attention.

She brushed it aside with a partial shrug, deliberately walking away from Kurama while those thoughts still plagued her.


He followed Shizuru slowly, giving her space considering how volatile she had become due to their pointed discussions this morning.

She had held back information, he was certain of that though she had been fully informative as to Masanori's abilities and apparent awareness of them. Yet there had come a point she became less so, during their discussion of what the puppet had talked to her about she became remote and defensive.

Convincing her of their need of general knowledge had not been all that difficult but it was apparent there had been something personal in that conversation that she wished to remain private for her own reasons.

He could not say he was surprised in the fact that she continued to keep her own council on certain matters; but her doing so had in the past been a detriment to her life in the end.

He glanced at Hiei, finding the fire demon engrossed in scanning the area.

No doubt Hiei found the level just as disturbing as he was though he was still hard pressed to define exactly what it was about this level that set him on edge.

They had agreed not to inform Shizuru of her narrow escape from the puppet, opting instead to the allusion they had only found her unconscious. Her reaction to that had been puzzling, she had not confirmed she had been attacked and had brushed it aside as meaningless.

He would have thought she would find it more disturbing, instead she accepted it though he had to admit by that time she had become already annoyed with their instance on speaking of Masanori more.

They were all dancing around the entire matter, dodging the realities with a deftness he did find to a certain extent amusing while also being a constant source of inviting dangerous outcomes for them all.

"I think it would be advantageous for us to consider this as a hostile environment." He said under his breath.

Hiei nodded imperceptibly, disappearing in the next moment even to his trained eye.

Ages of living as a notorious thief had given him an almost preternatural sense when it came to the sensations of an enclosing trap. This particular level gave off the sense of being one, as if the landscape itself were watching them for a second of inattentiveness.

There were advantages to having worked with Hiei for so long, even under the fire demon's current emotional state they coordinated well with another in these situations.

Hiei would remain at a certain distance, subverting his energies while he kept a constant circuit around them.

If he were correct having that hidden aspect of their group would either spring this trap early or allow them to have an advantage if attacked. While whoever watched may have accounted for Hiei, they would undoubtedly underestimate him as many did.

It was a strange twist to having the reputations they both had incurred within the Demon World. Though they entertained a certain legend that boasted of their prowess many who came up against them tended to disbelieve those legends in favor of their own egos.

This level may be the territory of the giant, ancient demons but that had never stopped those with enough ambition.

He picked up his pace to be closer to Shizuru; this would not be a good place to lose sight of her.


She paused a second before her hand touched the ground, a wave of caution stopping her from connecting fully to Fate.

She picked up her head scanning the area again, her brow furrowing.

"Is something wrong?" Kurama prompted from behind her.

Everything about this level was wrong, but she couldn't exactly tell him that and be expected to sound sane.

She had lost Masanori's trail, the absence of it claiming this to be a pulse point of the Chimera's. In order to track him with any degree of real success she needed to reconnect with his energies but there was something simply wrong about the situation.

She pulled her hand back, standing slowly while she contemplated the ground at her feet.

The hum in the back of her mind had altered for a second, instead of being a mindless white noise it had almost seemed as if the sound had somehow become words right before she would have fully committed herself over to Fate.

"Shizuru?" Kurama questioned, closer than before.

She tilted her head towards his voice, her eyes rising to search the area as her hand rose to the mark to rub it absently.

"I don't like this." She said quietly, unnerved by the sudden influx of caution.

"There is only one way to exit this level. If you feel it's unwise to attempt reconnection perhaps you should listen to yourself." Kurama reasoned, stepping up beside her.

"Do you know this level enough to get us there?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Hiei is familiar with this level. I rarely have had need to venture into the giant's territories." Kurama admitted, his voice hushed, "But I have found it is best to listen to one's intuition. There is something amiss on this level, perhaps it is Masanori's doing but it would be foolish to think he is the only danger to us."

"We'll lose time." She reminded the fox demon.

Kurama's expression relaxed, a smile playing on his lips, "You were the one to suggest Masanori was pacing our steps with his own. What time we might lose is not much to concern ourselves with if there is a chance it could prove fatal for you to reconnect here."

She sighed heavily, "I don't exactly think it would kill me…"

"Yet for some reason you are hesitant to try." Kurama finished for her, and then began walking.

She caught up to him easily, falling into step with the fox demon still unsettled.

The silence between them lengthened becoming more comfortable to exist in by the second.

"I apologize if we seemed difficult this morning." Kurama ventured after a few minutes, "It was unsettling to find you in that state."

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "If the two of you had bothered asking me anything I would've told you before now. But you don't, even when you should."

"You keep your own council regardless." Kurama replied, amusement lifting the corner of his mouth again, "I suppose there is some truth to that. I did not think your interactions were that involved with Masanori."

She stopped short, his words feeling like accusations, "I didn't have interactions with Masanori. I spent enough time at Twilight Keep to find out those things. If you had gone there for him you would've known that stuff. I was never involved with him. He has nothing to do with me."

Her voice had lowered to a husky whisper in her sudden rage though she could not exactly pin point why she had become lost in that red wave.

She still had not gotten over the intimate way Masanori had spoken to her about herself, the revulsion bubbling up once again to join itself to her anger.

To make matters worse it felt familiar, as if she had been invaded in that way before which compounded her anger. That sense of helpless mental invasion, being known through methods other than the free conscious giving of herself to another echoed strongly in her mind.

Kurama had stopped to look back at her, his eyes darkening with thought as he stared at her. She could almost hear his mind swirling with her words, dissecting them piece by piece.

She should've stayed silent; it was a mistake to let anything slip around the fox demon.

"My apologies, I did not mean to insinuate anything deeper than a passing knowledge between you." Kurama offered after an eternity.

She shook her head, forcing herself to begin walking again.

The silence settled once again only it was filled now with things strained to the point of snapping, a thick cloud of barely held in check rage that pounded through her with every step.

She was use to anger to a certain degree but this burned deeper than what she was accustomed to, it felt like well tended to coals waiting for the slightest encouragement as if her emotions rested on a thin blade between control and utter destruction.

Silence was the better option; she wrapped it around herself as she walked as if it were a cloak that would stave off that threat of loss of control. It was better to be silent, to give nothing more of herself to anyone.

That driving hum married itself to the emotions churning inside of her, a steady thrum that accompanied her steps.


He carefully studied the cave wall, the shadows that danced on the stone due to the fire Kurama had built once night had fallen.

He would have opted for being closer to the entrance, his aversion to the oppressive quality of enclosed spaces often dictating that even within a large cave such as this one he be closer to the least oppressive area but that particular site was occupied by a once again silent Shizuru.

Something had occurred between her and Kurama while he had been absent, something that had driven her to the sullen quiet and the fox demon to a more contemplative state than before.

"What we spoke of before may hold truer than we originally thought." Kurama commented, in a voice pitched for his ears only.

He shifted his attention to Kurama who was staring into the flames, a severe expression on his face.

His gaze wandered to the dark enshrouded figure reclining against the cave wall by the opening of the cave.

It had seemed more of a possibility when they had discussed the short exchange between himself and the puppet. That personal knowledge reflected in those minutes before its destruction taking on a more sinister quality.

He was use to those well worn paths when it came to events that surrounded Shizuru, this situation was suspiciously similar to others.

A mental invasion of Shizuru preceded each one whether it was through Fate or another.

There was still the possibility that knowledge had been gained by other means which was why he had discussed it with Kurama, trusting the fox demon to see the avenues he might not have thought of.

He stopped shy of informing his partner of the haphazard resurgence of her memories which included his own.

"How so?" He prompted, altering his voice as well for Kurama's ears only.

"Earlier she denied involvement with Masanori…vehemently denied it as if I had accused her." Kurama replied, the fire glinting off his eyes, "I think it is rather telling she seemed more concerned that I not think they were intimately involved."

His eyes snapped back to her lone figure.

It brought to mind that moment in the city, the surge of outrage that had filled his being as the puppet caressed her cheek. It had been hard to suppress that second of deadly reaction though his hand had clutched the hilt of his sword tightly.

Ultimately it had been her reaction, or lack thereof that had quieted the impulse.

He was becoming use to those surges of emotion in regards to her; it was apparently something he would have to endure as a constant result of being in her vicinity.

"Then what do I have to lose?"

It should have taken more to sink him into that frame of mind, to force him into the act of using the Darkness Technique so close to Shizuru.

While it was not the Dragon itself the flames he produced when using it were flavored by those energies.

It had been a dangerous gamble, one he would never have taken if he had not allowed himself to see only the end result if the puppet did as it threatened.

"I know you do not wish to think of this but we must consider the possibility that Masanori's endgame involves Shizuru much as Enma's did." Kurama ruminated, thoughtfully, "Whatever it is between them I cannot help but theorize runs deeper than a simple ability to track a Witness. Kanako's insistence aside she has an aversion to any confrontation with the Chimera that much is certain. She can hardly take your place in a fight she declines to become involved in."

His lip twitched, he had forgotten Kanako's declaration that Shizuru must replace his lack of ties to Fate within this conflict with Masanori.

Kurama's assertions only brought to mind further connections that he would have rather never thought about again, the most galling involved Sakyo and his twisted plans for the subversion of her true nature.

His eyes lowered to the ground as a thought occurred to him.

Sakyo had fully intended to take advantage of the nullification of who Shizuru truly was, had encouraged its slow overpowering drive by doing little more than removing the barrier between Shizuru's human soul and what the Dragon had replaced within using Tsuneo's demonic one through the warding in the arena.

He stood, drawing Kurama's curious attention to himself but ignored it as he walked to the entrance of the cave.

He stopped just shy of actually leaving, noting that it had begun to rain as he and Kurama had been speaking.

He was well aware that she had tensed on his approach, that she purposefully was ignoring his presence in favor of watching the faint glimmers of the falling water. That the space she existed in pressed against him in a manner that excluded any.

Shizuru was not the one with an aversion to enclosed spaces.

Shizuru was not the one whose presence rejected others in the aggressive manner of a demon's.

Shizuru was not the one who opted for complete solitude when confronted with confusion, her manner of "away" had layers to it that his own never included.

He studiously ignored the fact that she had even managed to adopt his manner of sitting, it was either that or become irritated by the familiar arrangement of her limbs.

How deeply would it run, this merging of their memories?

Her own should be the more dominant one, balancing itself against what should feel automatically alien to her but he could see that was not the case.

If he did not begin to draw her to the surface he would be no better than Sakyo, allowing that subversion to take place with no concern as to what would be the final outcome.

The question was how he was suppose to go about doing so, he was ill equipped to do as she had done with him. He had only initiated when she failed to and often found himself at a loss to do more than share his presence with her.

There was no welcome in the air that surrounded Shizuru; there was only blatant hostility to his presence in the way she held herself.

How she had managed to see anything past this absolute rejection of others that he admittedly often exuded he could only wonder at.

The sound of the rain grew stronger as it began to fall, lulling him as it had always done into a calmer frame of mind. The silence may be full of a hostile nature but it was dampened by that continuous drone.

Shizuru shifted, rubbing at her temple for a moment before returning to staring into the darkness.

"What do you want?"

He barely controlled his surprise showing, he had not expected her to initiate a conversation with him. The impatient way she had spoken in explained why she was willing, she wanted him gone and the quickest way to do so was to find out what he wanted.

"When you were unconscious, I found that thing about to take your life." He informed her, only looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

Even with the shadows of the night hiding her he easily saw the quirk of the side of her mouth. That was all of her reaction to what he had just revealed and it added to the disturbing mirroring of him through her.

"Are you waiting for me to thank you?" Shizuru finally asked tauntingly, "I wouldn't hold your breath."

He moved only to place his hands in the pockets of his cloak, closing them into fists once they were hidden from her view. Patience of this type had never been his strong suit.

"It wanted to kill you, and you're unconcerned?" He ventured, doing his best to keep his own impatience in check.

"Killing me would've put you at a disadvantage. It was a wasted opportunity." Shizuru responded, scowling, "The moron should've done it."

In all honesty he could not separate that particular reaction; it was something both of them would have considered given the situation. Both of them would have come to the same conclusion that it had been a wasted opportunity.

He could hear the growing hostility in her tones that he could identify as his own. Shizuru leaned towards more controlled reactions.

His fists tightened with frustration, he had no clue how to draw out something that was more her while she remained locked in her anger.

"What did it say to you?" He demanded, allowing his annoyance to show.

"Nothing important to you." Shizuru answered, tightly.

He turned his head towards her finally, "So far your judgment of importance has proven to be faulty at best."

She tensed, swinging her attention to him finally, "Your sense of self preservation is proving to be faulty at best."

It managed to make his skin crawl for her to be staring at him with intent of harm in exactly the same manner he would have with another.

Her methods would have included a deceptive calm, almost pleasant form that was not as limited as his were in reality.

He did not doubt she was full of intention of spilling his blood, or at least the attempt to do so. He would have to not react in order for her to fulfill that want; still this display was not her. Shizuru would have simply acted if that want had filled her.

"If you believe that then come for me." He suggested tauntingly, "We both know it isn't my blood you truly desire."

Shizuru stiffened, causing him to wonder if he had miscalculated.

Then her entire demeanor changed, loosening as if she were releasing some inner coil.

Shizuru turned her head away from him again, "Don't get use to being right."

Closer, she had always been a fiercer burn and quick to recover.

Internally he felt his own relaxation at the final give of his influence on her.

Shizuru sighed heavily, using a hand to rub at both her temples effectively shielding her face from him.

"If you're in pain Kurama is capable of easing it." He stated bothered by the motion.

"No…its not pain." Shizuru denied lowering her hand and returning to looking outward, "there's just something about this level that bugs me. I don't know if it's Fate being a nuisance or I'm just jumpy."

"Is it often one?" He asked before thinking, berating himself in the next moment silently.

Shizuru drew her legs closer to herself, thankfully not in a way that conveyed insecurity but perhaps cold.

"Around reapers," Shizuru answered, surprising him yet again, "if they get close enough. Strong enough Witnesses will catch its interest every once in awhile too. Not usually for this long though."

A strong gust of wind blew some of the rain inward, showering them both for a brief moment.

Shizuru shivered but did not move from the spot she sat in.

"The fire is warm, there's no reason to endure cold when you're ill suited for it." He commented, casually.

"Guess that true," Shizuru capitulated, rising to her feet and taking a few steps toward the fire, "you staying here?"

It was a strange question, almost an invitation to not do so.

It sent a shiver of a different kind through him, "Eventually, I'm better suited."

Shizuru made a sound of derision, "For the cold or being alone?"

He watched her walk away and settle by the fire with Kurama, then turned back to his own perusal of the night.

He was a fire demon; yes he was much better suited to deal with the cold.

He did not have an answer for the second part of her question, before he would have said yes to that as well. It had been an easy thing to exist in the absence of company.

Since meeting Kurama, Yusuke, and even Kuwabara he had grown more use to some want of at least passing interaction.

Since discovering her, he could not say that he was so much suited to be alone as it was imposed on him.

It was not lost on him that she had deftly avoided his question as to what the puppet had said to her, but at least that was identifiable as completely Shizuru. Only when information became useless as a private matter was she prone to sharing anything of that nature.

It was also not lost on him that he had resisted the impulse to join them at the fire purposefully. His bid to encourage her more natural tendencies had been successful; the downside to having done so was the desire to fall back into known interactions with her.

The more she acted like herself, like the Shizuru he had known the more difficult it was going to become for him to deny her influences.

He refused to be as craven as that bastard Sakyo had been, in so doing he was adding another layer to his own purgatory.


She watched Kurama bend down to scoop water from the stream, and then gasped as another wave of caution shot through her.

"Wait!" She snapped, putting out a hand.

Kurama froze, turning towards her as the water drained through his fingers.

She put a hand to her head as the hum intensified, the impression of words within the white noise grew stronger, it felt suppressed as if something were trying not to overwhelm her but the urgency in warning was necessary.

She blinked rapidly, "Don't drink it; there's something wrong with the land. He…killed it."

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked his voice soft.

She lowered her hand, scowling as she scanned the immediate area.

It had to be coming from somewhere, Fate didn't operate like this. It took her over instead of bothering to give warnings. What was in her mind wasn't the universal concept, it was immensely strong probably too strong to be direct with her.

"Just give me a second…" She insisted, trying to concentrate on the sound in her mind.

She normally despised mental intrusion, it was second nature for her to automatically push against it but there was too much underlying benign intent behind the forceful sound.

If you have something to say then say it.

She was abruptly flooded with images, carefully constructed ones that purposefully were made hazy in an obvious attempt to answer her demand as delicately as was possible.

Still she felt her breath catch in her chest, the impact of that mind causing a wave of weakness to fill her body enough that she lost balance and dropped to one knee in reaction to the falling sensation that caught hold of her.

"Stop! Not so fast!" She growled at the mind.

"What are you doing?!" Hiei snapped from beside her.

The hum retreated, giving her room for actual thoughts of her own. Released from the force of images she could sort through them better and found herself both disgusted and in awe of what had happened.

"It's dead…when Masanori pulsed here he killed this level." She whispered, horrified by the concept, "It's all dying, everything here is either dead or will be…"

"The level of power you are suggesting is one I would have only thought Koenma would possess." Kurama said from the other side of her, "How did you come to this knowledge?"

"There's one demon left here, a Witness." She answered, disturbed by the connection, "It's been trying to warn us since we got here."

"It opted for you because of your ties to Fate?" Kurama questioned.

Another image floated to the surface and she smirked slightly, "No, it wanted to talk to Hiei since it knew I wasn't the best choice but the last time it saw him he tried to kill it."

She couldn't help but look at the fire demon, noting the widening of his eyes before Hiei broke eye contact with her.

The smirk grew, "Of all the demons you could've gone after, you ended up with the only Witness on this entire level. Why the hell did you attack it?"

"It refused to move from my path." Hiei responded, tightly.

She could see herself finding endless amusement in the images of Hiei being swatted into a mountain, or of him being physically repulsed by the demon's intense aura of energies all while stubbornly refusing to abandon the fight that had been so one sided.

"Only one demon left alive here…" Kurama repeated, casting his eyes to the surroundings, "there could not have been more than a few hundred at best but to kill almost an entire species with a singular pulse…"

"It only lived because it was a Witness." She supplied, standing unsteadily managing not to flinch from Kurama's steadying hand on her shoulder "I guess it was the opposite of what happened with those kids. For some reason it protected this one from Masanori…"

"You should be more careful inviting demons into your mind." Hiei censured.

"You really going to lecture me on being careful when you went after a demon you couldn't handle?" She returned raising an eyebrow as Hiei tensed.

She could truly live for these moments she got under his skin; it was entertaining to make him twitch.

"Hiei's lack of restraint aside, if the land is poisoned enough to be cautious of the water it is imperative we find the exit sooner rather than later." Kurama insisted, though she could hear some amusement in his tone as well.

"It's not far from here." Hiei stated turning his back on them and then walking away.

She traded a glance with Kurama, whose eyes danced with his own mirth.

True to his word the exit was only an hour from where they had been but she slowed as she walked up to it.

The hum was still there in her mind, only the underlying quality of it had changed to one of somber acceptance.

It bothered her that bittersweet quality to this demon's presence as it sat in this level that would eventually be empty of everything but it.

It would sit here with death, longing for it but never take action to end its own life. It would wait for it with an eternal patience until it finally came for it.

What kind of existence was that?

"Can a demon that old starve?" She asked, looking at Kurama for the answer.

Kurama's brow furrowed, "The older a demon is the more difficult a passive death is to attain. This one here could possibly exist for hundreds of years even if this land becomes devoid of sustenance."

She turned back the way they had come concentrating.

Is he right?

The hum jumped and swayed somehow giving her the impression of both assertion and appreciation.

She scowled, staring at the ground.

This was a Witness, something Fate could if it wanted to use her to erase from living like this but she could feel nothing of Fate at the moment.

What was the point of being the embodiment of it when it refused to respond to the want of death she could feel pouring through that hum?

It was the same exact thing she would feel from the Witnesses that centered on her when Fate would take her over to end their lives.

What was so different with this one other than it had more reason to wish for it?

She raised her hands, staring down at them with a certain amount of frustration.

"Shizuru, why does this bother you?" Kurama asked, stepping closer to her, "There's nothing to be done, even if we combine our strength it is doubtful we could bring about its end."

Why did it bother her?

It never would have before and in actuality she hated Fate using her to kill Witnesses.

Somehow this was different, that profound sense of contemplating an eternity in solitude brought up unwillingness in her to just leave this demon to that fate as if it didn't matter.

Masanori had passed through and taken everything from it, the others of its kind and even the land itself. This demon had nothing to hold on to, no anchor for it to cling to just a never ending suffering that she should be able to end.

If she left then she would be abandoning it to living forever in that.

"You are alone, defenseless, and without hope."

Why was Fate ignoring this Witness?!

not complete enough…

"What?" She asked, shock making her speak out loud.

"Shizuru, it is dangerous to keep in contact with a demon that powerful." Kurama warned concern in his tone.

"I wasn't talking to you, Red, mind your own business." She stated deadpan, taking a step forward.

She missed Kurama's reaction to her words, the way he drew back with surprise on his face.

She also missed Hiei's reaction which was to ignore the glance from Kurama and focus solely on the ground.

What do you mean by that?

This time what washed through her was not the same, it had the feel of something enormous taking a hold of something delicate and giving it a gentle twist.

She jerked, her eyes widening as she was flooded with a memory.

She shoved the chair off of her, confused and disorientated.

She tried to think through the haze of pain that radiated from her shoulder as she rolled onto her hands and knees.

She could recall Masanori sitting between Shinya and Kanako as they prepared to lay the wards on him.

There had been a strange burst of energies that had thrown her across the room.

"What did you do to me?!"

Her head snapped up to find Masanori holding an unconscious Kanako up by a fistful of his shirt, his arm engulfed with that same strange energy readying to strike.

Rage filled her, causing her to launch herself at Masanori, reaching across his arm that held Kanako to clasp the one surrounded by energy with her own hand to keep it from finishing the final movement.

Masanori dropped Kanako, his grip tightening around her hand, "That was a mistake."

She grunted as the power in his hand raced down her arm, burning agony through skin, muscle and bone as it moved.

A small gasp of pain escaped through her clenched teeth as the energies invaded her upper body. She was sure that any moment Fate would react, that it would push back against the acidic energies eating their way deeper and deeper into her.

Instead of waiting she reached down with her still free hand, grabbed her knife and swung it at Masanori's neck.

Masanori's speed allowed him to grab her upper arm, halting her swing just shy of the blade plunging into his body and shoved her back until she slammed into the wall behind her

Another pained grunt was forced from her as the fiery energies delved farther.

She could feel the bastard's mind inside her own, effortlessly reaching past her and riffling through some hidden aspect as if she were merely window dressing within an open room. It was a shocking display of his abilities, not even Shinya could force his way past her mental defenses.

She was filled with revulsion by his utter disregard, inundated by a sense of violation and outrage that only compounded the ease in which his touch moved through her mind.

"Get out of my head!" She yelled at him, panting heavily through the pain coursing through her.

"What can you do against me?" Masanori hissed as he brought his face closer, "I see you finally Phoenix Soul. I see all that you are and now I'm going to take even that from you."

Fate was rushing forward inside of her, swallowing her as it sought to take over her body. She encouraged it, releasing her hold on herself willing to allow it full access.

"Yes give yourself over Phoenix Soul so I can destroy everything you created." Masanori gloated sending a new surge of power pulsating through her.

Somehow this new energy did not clash with Fate's, it trapped it instead yanking fiercely on it in a way that made her immediately realize Masanori intended to strip it from her.

Her eyes narrowed as she struggled against the pull, a defiant and furious flare of resistance emboldening her to latch onto a power she had wanted taken from her only a few minutes before.

She had no clue where the defiance was coming from, why she would refuse to allow Masanori to simply have something she detested with every fiber of her being. She just knew he couldn't have it, that it was her own and it was absolutely essential that she not lose it.

Her own demonic energies surged against the flare of Fate's, pouring out of her to clash with Masanori's with such little control not even the chains appeared.

There was a faint sensation of give within the energies of Fate, followed by a grin of dark satisfaction crossing Masanori's face.

That expression caused something to respond deep inside her, an incensed calm settled over her one she had never experienced before. It allowed her to concentrate enough to force her demonic energies into a more controlled push against Masanori's efforts.

She no longer needed to understand the why involved in her denial of releasing Fate. She simply knew it was tied to something she couldn't live without and she was never going to allow anyone, not Fate, not Koenma and certainly not this raging lunatic to take it from her.

Masanori's eyes widened in surprise as her efforts began to force his energies outward.

It was excruciating, pouring everything she had into the twisted tug of war, she needed more power. Something that would tip this struggle into her favor but she had nothing left to add and her demonic energies were draining too quickly to continue to just hold on to Fate.

"You cannot win!" Masanori roared at her.

Nothing left except something that held the potential of killing her, staring into those insanity filled eyes she felt the resolve inside her change.

Even if it killed her Masanori was not going to succeed.

A small smirk lifted her lips as she tapped into the well of life energies inside of her. She was aware of them only because Kanako had insisted she know every layer of energies available to her but he had cautioned her severely in ever utilizing the ones that she was now.

"I don't need to win," She snarled back, "I just need to break even!"

Instead of continuing to force him out she closed her eyes and concentrated on that give she had felt within the energies of Fate. She focused the demonic and life energies on exactly that point of weakness. That she knew without thinking that it was a weakness should have interested her more but she was too caught up in this last ditch effort.

It was easier than she thought it should be to sever the portion Masanori held from the one anchored within her body. As soon as her energies touched Fate's that give transformed into a tear that ripped through her as if she had just sliced herself in two.

She wasn't sure if the scream that echoed through her internally actually made its way outward.

She was certain she blacked out from the agony since the next thing she was aware of was once again being on the floor, every part of her body clenching against the thrumming acidic torture that held her in place.

The energies of Fate had collapsed back into its former place, leaving her drained and defenseless as she danced in and out of consciousness. If Masanori wanted to kill her, this would be the perfect opportunity. She couldn't even manage more than shifting her head to try and orient towards the sound of his movements.

Masanori was struggling weakly to his feet. That was good she found some satisfaction in the show of his pain.

"This will not stop what is coming." Masanori growled, glaring at her from across the room, "This is only another delay. Mark my words, Phoenix Soul; you will not have your way. I see your death and it will come from the exact reason you deny me."

Masanori gained his feet, but instead of coming towards her he stumbled away bracing himself against the walls.

It was stupid; she would have killed him given half the chance and the ability to move at all.

Masanori halted at the door, "When you follow me know that each step is borrowed time."

She blinked rapidly as the memory faded, noticing her hand had crept up to her mark on its own tracing a path back and forth in a slightly hypnotic way.

She was in a state of shock from the revelation; she needed time to understand what she had done to get over this incredulous numbing wave inside of her.

The odd thing was her mind refused to focus fully on the memory; she was still locked within the thoughts of not leaving this ancient demon to languish in this horrible nightmare reality.

She tilted her head down recalling what Kurama had informed her of after the reaper had left about the Spirit World artifact still in her possession.

It wasn't that hard to understand now why Fate wasn't reacting to the wearied call of this particular Witness.

In the end she just didn't have enough of it to kill this demon; it was too powerful for what she had retained in that struggle with Masanori. The fact that it was a Witness was exactly why it had lived through what Masanori had done to the others, that reality protected it from her too.

"You two should get going, it's going to get a little cramped on this level." She said out loud, reaching into her side bag and taking out the small black box.

"You intend to destroy the entire level?" Kurama asked his voice full of curiosity and maybe a little horror.

"I won't leave it here like this. He wants to die and since I can't do it myself…" She shrugged; her fingers finding the niche that would activate the artifact, "Could you two move already? I'll be right behind you."

"Go," Hiei said to Kurama, "If she isn't fast enough to escape it I am."

It was interesting that neither of them were arguing with her about what she was doing, maybe they just accepted that she would do it anyway.

She had entertained the idea she might have to physically fight them, after all they were supposed to be Spirit World representatives and this little world altering device was suppose to be returned to Koenma by them.

She glanced over as Hiei stepped up beside her, "You really aren't going to try and stop me huh?"

Hiei stared off into the distance, "I could leave this demon here without a second thought. You and Kurama both would insist on carrying guilt for doing it. So kill it and be done. My only interest is ensuring you don't share its fate."

Would she?

It was almost comforting for Hiei to be so certain of her emotions concerning this particular situation considering she was still discovering the ins and outs of her own emotions.

There was a good chance he was right, that she couldn't leave because of some sense of guilt.

Masanori had used what he had taken from her to do this, in a way she could be held accountable for him being as strong as he was now. If she had tried harder to hold onto all of what resided in her maybe he wouldn't be able to wreak so much havoc, she couldn't deny their connection now.

Masanori was not just another strong Witness; he was another embodiment of Fate.

Are you ready?

Relief flooded the hum, overwhelming in a way that made her eyes sting for a second as she pressed the release, stepped back and threw the box as far as she could from them.

The box rose for a moment from her toss then seemed to take on a life of its own as it rocketed away a dark swell of hazy energies spewing from it as it went.

The wind kicked up, tossing dirt and refuse around with steadily growing force.

She raised a hand, narrowing her eyes against the sheer as she tracked the progress of the artifact.

It was kind of fascinating in an end of everything type of way, so much so that she wasn't paying attention to the approach of the hazy energies towards where she was standing.

What she was aware of was the abrupt feeling of movement, and that she was suddenly on the other side of the exit from the level pushing herself up from the ground as arcs of power radiated around the point they had just traveled through.

"It is probably best that we not linger here." Kurama suggested offering her a hand.

She took it, allowing the fox demon to pull her to her feet.

"You're pretty fast, speedball." She commented as she brushed dirt from her pants.

"Hn. That was only half my speed. You're simply slow to react." Hiei returned, annoyed.

Regardless of Kurama's suggestion all three of them stood there watching the arcs of power as they increased then seemed to yank the space that surrounded it into a tight ball before imploding.

It kicked up another gust of wind that forced her to shield her face until it died away.

"Koenma is not going to be pleased." Kurama murmured, unapologetically.

"He'll survive the loss of one of his toys." Hiei dismissed, turning away from the now nonexistent portal.

"You know for guys that work for a god you two don't act like it." She said, grabbing one of her twigs and setting it in the corner of her mouth.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged a glance, one that included them looking back at her. Hiei made a sound of amusement while Kurama only smiled slightly.

"What?" She prompted, following them as they began to walk off.

"Koenma is normally focused more on individual responsibility in these cases." Kurama explained, "While yes we were tasked to retrieve the Darkened Gate…you were the one that just destroyed an entire level of the Demon World."

She blinked, "Oh…"

That was a new concept, have a god angry with her on top of everything else.

"I wouldn't worry too much." Kurama assured her over his shoulder, "He is rather volatile. It will most likely take him months to get over the first of his anger."

"And then he's more likely to enslave you to his service." Hiei added.

"I'm not going to work for him." She denied annoyed with the idea.

"We all say that at first," Kurama returned, still very amused, "in time we do so regardless. Koenma can be convincing in his own way. It is not such a terrible thing to be a representative of Spirit World. It does keep things interesting."

"Speak for yourself." Hiei snapped.

She had to admit it was nice to listen to them banter but the small smile that touched her lips fell away quickly.

Koenma wasn't her major concern at the moment.


He held his head in his hands staring at his desk in shock.

It was gone, an entire level of the Demon World wiped from existence in the blink of an eye. The loss of it had traveled through Spirit World though most of the denizens would not have immediately identified that particular wave of energy.

"I had my suspicions she had reason to insist the Gate stay in her keeping." Hiromi commented from where she reclined against his desk.

"You should have taken it from her!" He snapped angrily, "I told you to retrieve it!"

Hiromi's head bowed, "There are few things in the universe that can inspire fear in a reaper, Lord Koenma. One such thing is the touch from a strong enough enforcer of Fate. I have had the unfortunate experience once in my creation."

He lifted his head, the anger receding, "You've had Fate touch you?"

Hiromi nodded her head, "During the time I first met Shinya I was emboldened to stand between him and a Chimera. Like the Phoenix Soul they can undo our existence if they so wish. At the time my death did nothing to create the chaos it intended so I was allowed to live. I have no wish to experience that again."

"I had no idea…" He murmured, sighing heavily and sitting back, "I thought only the Phoenix Soul could affect reapers."

"That book is filled with only the most basic information on the forms Fate can take through its Witnesses. There are certain details that were never allowed due to the panic it might create within Spirit World." Hiromi informed him quietly "Reapers only know fear through mortals, the concept of us being so frail would leave many with an uncertainty that would interfere with their duties."

He could see the intelligence behind hiding this fact, reapers would be afraid to come across Witnesses if they were aware of their existence. It was one of the many reasons there was only one book in the Spirit World library pertaining to them in the first place.

Still an entire species of demon had just been wiped from the Demon World, while the absent level would eventually correct itself by joining the two adjacent levels together for a time there would be no way to travel to those lower levels until that occurred.

He could not hurry that process along either, for now those demons would have to deal with the separation.

"I just don't get how Kurama or Hiei could think this was a good idea." He gripped, frustrated with his inability to affect events.

"You'll have to ask them, if they survive." Hiromi replied, putting a finger to her chin, "But I would suspect Shizuru as the culprit in this case. She did seem adamant about the Gate."

"Do you think her spiritual awareness inspired her?" He asked, curiously.

"I saw none when I encountered her, only demonic energy but stranger things have happened." Hiromi answered, noncommittally, "Will you punish her?"

His eyes widened slightly, "I…have no idea actually. Shizuru is going to be a difficult case to weigh. She was human but since she's now also a demon technically the same rules can't apply. I'm tempted to judge her as a demon…"

He trailed off, lost in the intricacies of what it would mean to judge Shizuru along the rules established for demons.

Either way the destruction of an entire level of Demon World would weigh heavily against her.

"Is there any news of Botan?" He asked after a long moment.

"No sign of her as of yet," Hiromi offered, slowly, "but both Kuwabara and Yusuke appear to have left for the Demon World some time ago according to Keiko. I assume she is somewhere near them."

"I think that's safe to assume." He muttered wiping at his face in frustration, "Did you inform the ancient reapers not to interfere with her too?"

"Yes, they will report seeing her but will stand aside if they encounter her." Hiromi paused drawing his attention to her, "It seems you are gambling once again with their ability to see this through."

He looked away from her questioning eyes to stare at a far wall.

Hiromi had no true idea just how intricate this gamble was of his, and if she did most likely he would never hear the end of it.


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