A/N: Hi readers! Freshly home from Otakon in Baltimore I sat down to try and crank out the bits and pieces of this chapter that have been holding it up! I swear, sometimes it's the little details that derail consistent publishing. For example, the chapter after next is almost completely written, but I have very little started for the next chapter. So it may be a little while, sorry.

However, because I don't have anything written I'm giving you the opportunity to write in your review what you'd like to see in the next chapter, and if I incorporate it, I will credit you in the next chapter!

If that's not a great reason to review, nothing is!

Enjoy!

I slipped from my familiar bed in the wee hours of morning. It required a little bit of work, as warm arms had wrapped tightly around my waist. I rolled away slowly, and his grip started to loosen. He eventually released me, and I tried to move whisper-quiet around the room as I dressed and started to collect my belongings.

We were leaving for Gandara, and I wasn't excited. Don't ask me why I packed slowly that morning, I couldn't tell you. I had a lingering feeling of dread, with no reasonable explanation.

There wasn't much to pack.

I nicked my toothbrush from the bathroom, and glanced in the mirror, before stopping entirely. I caught a glimpse of my newest "skin art", and absolutely needed to stop and get a better look.

Lover's Mark. It sounded so romantic. I touched it gingerly, craning my head in one direction, trying to get a better view in the mirror. It looked like any old bite, but it was healing pretty well already.

"The physical part of the mark will fade within a day." I hadn't heard Hiei get out of bed, or move to the doorway. He was only half-dressed, and I felt a sense of déjà vu – it was the same as when he scared Kichirou almost to death a lifetime ago. It was the same image of a well-fucked man leaning in the doorway.

I turned my gaze back to the mirror. "That's a shame." I stroked it with a light finger. "I should get it tattooed." I knew that the Lover's Mark wasn't permanent. Hiei's little ball of energy within me would flicker out within a month or so.

I could feel the little ball of warmth surrounding my heart. I don't know if it was intentional, but it warded away the chill of the stone floor. It was a reflection of his silent affections.

He chuckled lightly. "It hardly matches the rest of your… aesthetic." An aesthetic of flowers and scientific drawings would hardly clash with teeth marks. But maybe he had a point.

I shrugged, turning away from the mirror and massaging the kink out of my neck. "Well, I could always have some symbolic art instead – what about a poppy? It wouldn't quite match your eyes, but close enough." He didn't comment, but I didn't read into it. I had been witness to his internal dialogue of just two minutes; it gave me quiet comfort. "I would have to wait until I got back to Japan, though. I don't want to think about all the possible reactions I might have to plant dyes here." I shuddered, and I saw Hiei smirk out of the corner of my eye.

I tossed my toiletries into my duffel, and did one more turn around the room just to make sure I hadn't missed anything. I think it was a side effect of the Mark, but I felt an urge to glance at Hiei. He was leaning next to the door, glowering sourly.

"You seem nervous." I said lightly. The muscles in his jaw flexed once, and I knew I was right. "You obviously know something I don't – care to share?"

I wasn't judging his concern, or badgering him for details; I was just touching him with a point of concern. It put me in a better position to speak to him as an equal, and for him to address his concerns with me as such.

He approached the bed where I was sitting, but didn't sit down. His arms were crossed, and muscles tense. "Half of demon world knows you're here, simply because you're a guest of the Lord of Tourin. However – there has been no sign of Taisho. From what I have seen, he hasn't taken a single step into Tourin."

"And?" I asked.

His jaw flexed again. "He has a plan. There are key factors we won't see until he strikes. Of that I'm certain." Tension hung in the air for a few long moments.

I stood from the bed, lifting the duffel with me. "Mm. Just let me know what you need from me, okay?" I thought the matter was settled, but as I went to lift my duffel, Hiei took the strap from me. "Yes?" I asked.

I could feel his concern. The little ball of energy in my chest was squeezing my heart with anxiety, and I knew in that moment that Hiei shared my dread of Gandara.

His eyes blazed brightly in the darkness. "Don't accept anything anyone tries to hand you – unless it is from Yomi himself." He fixed me with a serious gaze. "And whatever happens, if I tell you to run, you run."

I nodded dumbly. It was the sort of thing I had heard many times in movies – the muscular hero instructing his gentle damsel, who of course would never follow those instructions. The thought did not give me comfort, but I nodded.

Seemingly satisfied, Hiei gave me back my duffel. We walked out together, descending the tight-walled winding stairwells of Yusuke's castle.

The others were waiting for us just outside in the bright sunlight, Kuwabara and Kurama were appropriately prepared with backpacks, but Yusuke wasn't carrying any luggage. He looked quite unprepared to travel overall.

I interrupted their conversation with a surprised statement of "You're not coming with us?" It seemed like an inappropriate time to be making our group even smaller.

"Nah, I thought I'd just hold down the fort here." His smile was almost a grimace, but he hid it in a shrug. I felt a pit forming in my stomach.

Kurama tried to offer a better explanation, but it wasn't much reassuring to me. "While it would afford you more protection, it would make it more obvious that we are… excessively concerned about your safety. Yusuke will wait on the border between Gandara and Tourin."

"It just seems... worrisome." The statement didn't well express my concerns. Hiei shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another, and I wondered if he could sense my discomfort through the Mark. Kurama was speaking again, and I didn't have the opportunity to ask."Perception is everything. Without Yusuke, we are simply two demon guards for two humans."

I snorted. "I can't imagine that any demon would mistake the two of you for simply demon guards."

He chuckled. "True, but Lord Yusuke appearing in Gandara would draw too much attention from all eyes."

"I guess." I sighed. "How exactly are we getting to Gandara? I don't imagine public transportation comes out this far..."

"Puu is taking you straight to the City."

"...poo?" I tapped my earring, thinking the translation earrings must finally be giving out.

"Puuuuuuuuu!" A large cloud of blue above us had started to descend, and I realized a little too late that it wasn't a cloud, but a monstrous-sized feathered beast, calling out with an impressive voice. Kurama and Hiei had stepped far enough out of it's path, but I was dumbstruck.

I'm not certain of the exact string of epithets that rolled out of my mouth, but I would wager it was something like "SweetbabyJesusWHATTHEFUCK!"

In a gust of wind from expansive wings, a massive blue Phoenix touched down just feet from where I stood. A wingspan of at least twenty or thirty feet beat heavily, nearly knocking me over. They wrapped around me briefly, and as they brushed past me I could feel they were as soft as silk.

A large head on a long, long neck arched down to level with me, and warm brown eyes peered into mine. It nipped at my sleeve with a long yellow beak, and I could swear I saw it smile...

"Uhh... Yusuke?" Given the fact that no one had yet to drag me backwards and away from the towering specimen of blue, it couldn't be that dangerous. But I was still understandably hesitant.

"Puu's a Spirit Beast - mine, actually. Koenma said he was supposed to be a reflection of my soul or whatever, but I think it's a bunch of bullshit." He scoffed. "He'll stop pulling at your sleeves if you scratch behind his ears." Yusuke suggested. I reached out slowly, and scratched behind one large, floppy ear.

It was the best texture I had ever felt. It was soft and luxurious like chinchilla, but with a thick texture like reindeer hide. Puu purred like an overgrown house cat, nuzzling into my hand in search of a better scratch.

"Puu can only carry two people, so he'll take you and Kuwabara. Kurama and Hiei are fast enough to keep pace on the ground." I jumped a little - I was so engrossed with Puu's wonderful feathers that I completely missed Yusuke appearing next to me.

"Kurama - do you want me to take your duffel?" I offered. "It might be hard to keep pace with that heavy thing."

"If it isn't a burden, it would be appreciated." He sighed happily, letting it fall from his shoulder.

Kuwabara leapt to the ready. "No way, Aria; I can't let you carry a man's bag! That wouldn't be gentlemanly of me! I'll carry Kurama's stuff!" He was so enthusiastic, and genuinely concerned that he might lose his man card, I didn't have much room to argue.

"Uhh... sure? I'll be sure to let Yukina know what a gentleman you were." I offered in return. Kuwabara's eyes filled with hearts, and he pranced away, heavy bags heald high above his head.

Yusuke shot me his best beaming smile. "I'll see you soon." He pulled me in for a hug and whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear it. I'm sure that no one else heard it, either. My eyes widened a little, and he stepped back quickly from the hug.

"Yusuke-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Don't let Kuwabara get himself into any trouble, okay? The idiot doesn't know when to keep his damn mouth shut." He spoke loudly, and it elicited a "hey!" from a nearly-out-of-earshot Kuwabara. They instantly started to bicker, and Kurama sighed.

"Perhaps we should leave before they get too involved in their fight. In my experience, it can go on for quite some time."

"Right." I agreed. Hmm. So how am I supposed to get up there? I thought to myself, staring up and up and up at Puu's high stature.

"Onna." Hiei addressed me shortly.

"Mm?" I replied, turning. An arm quickly looped around my waist, and before I could recognize that I had been lifted from the ground, I was sitting on Puu's super-soft back.

"Oh! Thank you, darlin'." I thanked Hiei for the quick elevator ride.

"Hn." He grunted, jumping back down to the ground.

"That was very nice of you, Hiei." Kurama commented with a smile.

"Don't make me slit your throat." Hiei snarled in reply.

My gentle lover.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and hollered down to the fighting boys. "Hey Kuwabara, the bus is leaving!"

"Hey, wait for me!" He cried out, breaking off his fight with Yusuke to crawl up Puu's back, his and Kurama's bags dragging him back down to the ground at least twice.

Once Kuwabara was properly situated, Puu took off with another great gust of wind. I peered down at the rapidly receding ground, and a familiar spray of black hair grew smaller and smaller.

"Hey - don't lean out so far!" Kuwabara called. His arms were wrapped very tightly around Puu's neck, and it was a wonder he wasn't choking the poor bird.

"Don't worry," I said, leaning back. "I'm not afraid."

Botanically speaking, it was clear to me when we had crossed from Tourin into Gandara. Sparse deserts and thin forests transitioned into thick, lush greenery. Puu was setting a great pace (or is it speed?), and every so often I would lean out to the side and try to spot a flash of red or black in the thick forest.

I was often disappointed, but just when I would start to worry that they had fallen behind, Hiei would leap from the canopy in a swift flash of black.

"Did you bring a jacket or something? It's really cold up here." Kuwabara's teeth were chattering, and he was trying to rub heat back into his arms.

"Really? I didn't notice." Truthfully I couldn't feel the cold that he was describing. I would have described the air as spring-like; warm, but with a slightly cool breeze that keeps you from overheating. Great s'mores weather, actually. "I don't think my sweaters would fit you that well, Kuwabara."

"I hope we get there soon or I'm gonna be a popsicle." He shattered, his teeth clacking together.

"I think I see it, actually..." I mumbled, squinting into the distance. I could see the glittering of lights on the horizon. After a few more miles flew by, I was certain that it was Yomi's city. The clouds were thick and dark overhead the city, and I could feel the beginnings of that lingering chill that Kuwabara had described. The city towered high over darkened woods, bright pinpoints of light beating away the chill and the shadows.

Those lights should have given me comfort, but it just made me want to turn around and go back to bright, hot, dry Tourin. But the city approached even faster than I had been prepared for, and we descended through the wild air to the edge of the great spires.

Puu landed in a steel-plated courtyard. It seemed like the only green space in the entire city was in the small walls of a traditional Japanese structure I had spotted while we were flying overhead.

Kuwabara had to help me slide from Puu's back, as Hiei and Kurama had yet to make an appearance. He looked at me oddly while helping me down. "Hey I forgot to ask - what's up with your energy? It's all outta whack." Kuwabara poked at the air around me, squinting.

"Well, since you asked, Hiei... donated some energy." I could almost see the explanation fly right over poor Kuwabara's head.

"Huh? What does that mean? Are you sick?"

"No, no, I'm not sick." I waved my hands. "Uh, ask Kurama; he'll explain it." Sorry, Kurama, but tag- you're it.

The courtyard was filled somewhat rapidly by a set of guards in armor and wide steel helmets. They were headed by a small demon that reminded me of a cross between Yoda and a gnarly old stick. His smile made me want to kick him across the hall, but he seemed fairly non-threatening overall. It still felt odd to be greeted by guards.

"Greetings. I am Yuda." He didn't bother bowing, so neither did I. "Kurama and Hiei are already waiting in the guest suite. If you would follow me, you may join them." I wondered briefly how much reassuring it had taken from Kurama to keep him from running all over the city to meet me when I landed.

"Of course. Just give us a moment, please." I tried to show my best manners, all while keeping my senses on high alert.

Kuwabara ended up taking all three duffel bags (proclaiming all the while that it was the proper thing for a gentleman to do) while I bid Puu goodbye. I gave him another scratch behind his floppy ears, and he purred in my hands.

"Be safe, okay?" I wasn't sure what else to say, so I left it at that. I stopped scratching, and he took off in a maelstrom of wind and a flutter of feathers.

Yuda led us on a merry goose chase through winding halls and up stairs, and then down stairs, then down another hallway again. I was absolutely certain that he was trying to get us completely lost, and it was pissing us off.

"Excuse me, but how much further?" I asked, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"We are here."

It was the only true familiar door in the entire hallway, and I'm not sure how I missed it. Yuda presented me with an actual key, and instructions. "When you are prepared to start your surveys, please inform the guard at the door, and he will take you to the city limits." Such trusting people.

Yuda led almost all of the guards away and back down the hall, but one gray-clad soldier stayed; a silent pillar of distrust.

"Well," I sighed. "Shall we put Kurama and Hiei at ease?"

I fumbled with the oddly-shaped key for a moment - it head an oddly broad and heavy head, with a long, thin neck and narrow teeth. It was definitely going to stab a hole through my pocket at some point.

I finally managed to turn it properly in the lock, and swung the door open. I almost knocked Hiei over, as he was standing maybe an inch past the range of the door. "Where the hell have you been?" He barked.

"Hi honey, what's for dinner?" I chirped, knowing it would annoy him. "Don't be mad, but I stopped at the bar on the way home from work and had a few drinks with the guys."

Hiei's eye twitched with anger. Success!

"Would you get out of the doorway? This stuff is heavy." Kuwabara grunted from the hall, legs trembling from the strain of walking all over Gandara carrying the belongings of three people.

"Whoops! Sorry, Kuwabara." I tugged my bag from his arms, slinging it over my shoulder again.

The suite was quite nice. It seemed completely out of place in the cold steel city, as it had rich, soft carpeting, wood-paneled plaster walls, and comfortable-looking furniture in the common living room. There were four wood doors that I could see - three bedrooms and a bathroom door set down a sight hallway.

"Only three rooms?!" Kuwabara cried. "What a cheapskate! Well I'm not sharing a room with Hiei, no matter what kind of lots we draw."

"Yomi is more perceptive than I gave him credit for." Kurama observed.

"But... how would he know? Tourin is... quite far." I blushed a little, but my confusion was stronger than my embarrassment.

Kurama pondered for a moment. "I would presume that he sensed the change when Hiei arrived, and adjusted his plans from there. This is how he shows us that he is already one step ahead of our expectations."

"Know what?" Kuwabara bellowed.

"Volume does not equal intelligence." Hiei muttered.

Kuwabara jumped on the comment instantly."What did you say?! Do I need to punch your face in?!"

Hiei smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

"Children! Can we focus, please?" I yelled, sounding more like my mother than I would care to admit. "Kuwabara, you and Kurama will have your own rooms. Hiei and I will take the third room." I said soothingly.

Kuwabara jumped right on that. "Aria, you don't have to sacrifice yourself like that! Hiei might smother you just for breathing too loud!"

Hiei bristled sharply - accusing a demon of killing their own Marked lover was definitely a no-no. I stepped in to save the poor human's life before Hiei chopped his head off. "Kurama..." I sighed. "could you please...?"

Kurama was thankfully intelligent enough to fill in the blanks of my request, and was definitely aware of Hiei's mounting hostility. "Of course."

I turned a sour look on Hiei And you - you come with me." He begrudgingly, and surprisingly, followed me into our suite room. I hoisted my heavy duffel up onto our surprisingly luxe bed, and started unpacking into a shiny, solid wood dresser.

"Let me just say this first - you can't kill Kuwabara. And Kurama's taking care of bringing him up to speed a little more, and I'm not asking you to be best friends or anything, just... tone it down a little while everyone adjusts?" I shot him a quick smile, but he looked just as angry as when I first walked in the door.

"Where were you." He demanded again.

I kept unpacking, ignoring the hostility in his voice."Yuda led us on a merry go-around of the city to get us good and lost. Yomi's an asshole, I'm learning." My comment was only met with silence. I was vaguely aware that the room was quite hot, and the Mark on my shoulder was tingling slightly.

"Hey," I said softly, reaching for him. He glared at me hotly, but that didn't stop me. "Hey, were you worried?" I took his hand, kissing the knuckles briefly. "I imagine Kurama had to practically threaten to tie you up to keep you here."

"Hn." He sounded a little less angry.

"I'm sure Puu wouldn't have landed if it wasn't safe. And Kuwabara would have put his body between me and any danger, just because that's how he is."

"That oaf is almost useless." Hiei snapped, again a little less sharply than before.

I laughed llightly."Well, I'm actually useless in the Makai."

"WHAT?!" I heard finally Kuwabara scream through the thick wood paneling. Kurama had finally gotten the message through his thick head.

"I think -" I wasn't able to finish the thought, because Kuwabara burst into the room, followed by an apologetic Kurama.

"Kuwabara, really-" He tried, but Kuwabara was still yelling at the top of his lungs - my poor ears. His train of thought was hard to follow, but it was a long rambling train that properly expressed his utter confusion that the anti-social demon had managed to woo anybody.

"Ku-wa-ba-ra!" I shouted over him, waving my arms. "Please calm down! I agreed to this, and I'm quite happy, so please stop screaming before we all go deaf!" I clapped my hands together, fixing Kuwabara with my best 'mom look'. "Got it?"

He grumbled a little. "You let me know if I need to punch his face in."

Not one word. I shot the thought to Hiei as soon as I saw him open his mouth. It snapped shut.

"I appreciate your chivalry, Kuwabara." I thanked him generously, keeping my relieved sigh reserved for later. "Why don't we all have a seat in the living room and come up with a game plan?"

I ushered him out of the room, aided by Kurama.

I could feel Hiei's hot presence behind me, and I rolled my eyes preemptively. "I know, I know; I'm not the boss of you, mister big bad fire demon."

Instead of a snippy response, I got a warm hand wrapped around my waist, and a nip of sharp teeth on my shoulder. "Mm. I'll deal with you later." He purred. Talk about tingles, from head to toe.

I swatted him away before I turned into a puddle of goo, and retreated to the living room. "So how are we playing this?" I asked the room, sitting heavily on one of the - surprisingly comfortable - leather sofas.

Kurama was already lounging across from me. "Kuwabara and I will accompany you as you start your survey. Hiei will take care of reconnaissance. We have a few friends in Tourin that we could ask for assistance, but that would only draw more attention to you. It's a delicate balance - we want to get Taisho's attention, but not anyone else's."

I couldn't argue with the logic. "Makes sense. I need you to help me with identifying the plants, anyway."

"I'm not sure what help I'm gonna be; I'm not great at Biology." Kuwabara mumbled.

"Don't worry," I reassured him. "I'll show you how to find some of the more obvious plants, and recording them for me would be really helpful."

"Just as long I don't have to touch anything that explodes or sets my hair on fire." Kuwabara patted his pompadour lovingly, and I had to work very hard not to laugh.

"I'm sure we can keep you away from the dangerous stuff."

It was a cheerful evening, interrupted only occasionally by Hiei insulting Kuwabara, Kuwabara threatening something in reply, and either Kurama and I redirecting the conversation away from incendiary outcomes.

The day's travel finally caught up with us, and I excused myself to bed long before anyone else seemed even a little bit tired. They were kind enough to keep their voices hushed as I tried to sleep, but it eluded me.

I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in the alien space. The bed felt weird. The sheets were heavy, and the blanket was trying to suffocate me. I would get into what I thought would be a comfortable place in bed, and then I would somehow get uncomfortable again. It was one of those moments where you wonder how you've ever managed to get to sleep before. We spend half of our lives sleeping - shouldn't I have a preferred angle by now?

But that aside, I gave up. I called for aide.

I'm lonely. I whined.

A minute or so after, light spilled into the room from an opened door, then it was dark again. I could hear rustling of clothes, and my favorite person slid into bed.

"Hi." I whispered as I cuddled up close. He was warm and familiar, and I instantly relaxed.

"Go to sleep." He murmured back. His hand ran slowly through my hair in an incredibly soothing motion.

"Kay." I was already half-asleep, at peace at last.

It made almost no sense to me how Gandara could be impossibly cold inside the city and in the air above, but swelteringly hot on the forest floor. After an hour of surveying, however, it made complete sense.

The forests of Gandara were completely overwhelmed by these seemingly invasive highly combustible plants. They looked a lot like dandelions when in full bloom, but with leaves the texture of lamb's ear. But trust me, you really don't want to touch them. When you touch the leaves they excrete an awful, burning, sticky sap that catches fire in only a few seconds.

So don't touch it.

I made sure to point it out to Kuwabara several different times.

But, even when untouched, the plant heats the environment around it, and Gandara was overrun with the stuff. It was definitely going to be a feature of my management plan.

I had to crouch very awkwardly to avoid touching those plants in an attempt to categorize the others. It also meant that I was sitting in what I would approximate to be 95 degree heat, lying on the ground or with a leg twisted all the way around. I had to have Kuwabara drag me backwards out of a shrub once, because I couldn't find a safe place to put my hands.

Sure, I could have asked Kurama to make them grow somewhere else, but I didn't want to disturb the natural configuration of the forest.

But it took forever. I suffered in silence.

I was sketching the very interesting bark texture of a low-lying bush when I was unexpectedly poked in the ankle by Kuwabara.

"Yeah?" I called out.

"We've got company." he called back. I wriggled my way out of the underbrush, and sat up, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm.

Yuda and a host of soldiers emerged from the trees, carefully avoiding the dangerous plants themselves. Most of them did not look at all pleased to be anywhere near the hot, thick greenery. It made more sense now that there were almost no plants in the city.

"Can I help you?" Kurama asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. I felt a little like royalty – my vassals placing themselves between me and the common or dangerous people.

Yuda cleared his throat regally. "My Lady Aria, Lord Yomi extends an invitation for you and your companions to attend a reception this evening." He held out a glossy envelope for me to take. Before I could even ask, Kurama plucked it out of his hand.

Either Hiei had told Kurama that I wasn't to take anything handed to me, or Kurama was familiar enough with the many dangers of the Makai to know already.

"Um, thank you. Please tell my Lord Yomi that we will be pleased to attend." Even without knowing any of the details, I was certain that refusing under any circumstance other than sudden loss of limb would be quite rude.

Yuda bowed slightly, and walked off into the underbrush, soldiers in tow.

Kurama opened the mystery envelope, and slid out a relatively harmless-looking sheet of cardstock paper.

"It's a gala." He checked his watch briefly. "In four hours."

"How far are we from the city?" I asked.

"Hour and a half." Kurama estimated.

I did some quick numbers in my head. "Yup, we need to leave right now."

"Why do girls need so much time to get ready?" Kuwabara grumbled.

"It's an art, Kuwabara." I replied.

There is an art to getting ready for a gala. There are only a few skills I learned from my mother, and they usually stuck. My mother was a Texas rose. Not literally a flower, but she was brought up in Austin, and was sent to finishing school to learn to be a proper lady. She was also a spitfire. She was the kind of lady who shot the snapping turtle living on our backyard pond because it kept eating her expensive decorative fish.

But beyond her wild temperament, she could turn into an elegant piece of art for an evening event. I loved to watch her when I was a young girl, and she would smile and explain each step in great detail.

First is always a relaxing shower. Never use new products, as it will do unpredictable things to your hair. Hairspray is not optional, and bobby pins should never show, should you choose to use them.

On makeup, keep it simple; a touch of eyeshadow – brown, no flashy colors – mascara, powder, touch of blush, and a stunning lipstick. No one is going to believe your skin is as flawless as porcelain, or that your eyes are as big as a half-dollar.

Happy with my makeup, I slipped into the beautiful blue-green-gold gown that Keiko had bought half a lifetime ago. I didn't have any heels tucked into my duffel, but the gently pooling fabric hid my flats quite well.

I fiddled with my hands in the absence of a clutch to wring. I had no use for a phone, or a wallet, or other etcetera of the human world while in the Makai. But I still wished for the comforting familiarity of a clutch or a purse. The quiet whisper of luxurious fabric would have to do.

I took one last look in the mirror, and walked out of my room, double-checking that I didn't close the train of my dress in the door (it happens).

"Are we ready?" I asked, but did a double-take. Three well-dressed gentlemen were waiting for me, dressed in clean-cut, well-tailored, black tuxedos. Oh my. Hiei looked quite cross. I guessed that he didn't willingly put on the alien clothing. Kuwabara looked moderately uncomfortable, but Kurama seemed right at home.

"You're staring." Hiei growled.

I blinked rapidly, shaking my head. "Sorry, I'm just not used to men in tuxedos waiting for me. Where did you even get those?"

"They were waiting for us when we arrived." Kurama explained.

"Well that's just weird." I commented.

Kurama shrugged lightly. "Yomi is eccentric, to say the least."

I tried to shake away my jitters. "So, what's the plan?"

"The guard outside the door will take us to the gala space." Kurama began to explain, and the longer he talked the more my stomach sank."Kuwabara and I will enter first, and you will follow with Hiei. I doubt Taisho would be foolish enough to strike in the heart of Yomi's territory on a night like this, but one can never be too careful."

"Okay..." I said slowly when he paused for my affirmation.

"Hiei will escort you, but once inside you will be on your own." Great, just fantastic; that didn't make me anxious at all. And Kurama killed me with his final note."And one last recommendation; be mindful - Yomi has an odd temper, and I believe he still bears a grudge against Yusuke for proposing a tournament that he then lost."

I nodded slowly. "Got it."

Kurama opened our front door, and signaled the guard. "Shall we?"

Hiei offered me his arm.

Be calm. His voice whispered to me.

No promises. I replied. We left the safety of our little suite, and began the long walk to descend into the colorful, glittering menagerie that was Yomi's gala.

This chapter dragged on... FOREVER. Not that any of you are complaining that it's extra long.

I know you all must be wondering - what did Yusuke say to Aria before she left Tourin? Well, I'm not telling you yet, so deal with it.

Review, and tell me what you would like to see in the next chapter in your review! If it fits in well with the existing storyline I have, I'll use it and give you credit!