A/N: At last we have reached the last canon arc of the anime! And I'm gonna try to be shaking this shit up if I can make it happen! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

The dinner table was tense and awkward filled with both Dad and I avoiding each other's gaze. I could see the hurt hovering around his head, in his drooping shoulders and it only served to amplify my feelings of guilt. But this was getting dangerous and Dad almost died once already. For weeks we had been taking our meals separately but tonight he had insisted that we have a family dinner. Silently I took a bite of the tempura that he had prepared, my chewing sounding way too loud in my ears.

"So you leave in the morning…?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

Silence. It was so heavy and thick I was choking on it. And this was a tension I had to maintain. If I lightened the mood even a little, I could risk Dad having a spark of hope flare to life and he will want to dive in, head first, as a heroic father to protect me. But that action and thinking would get him killed. Already I could see the question bubbling on his lips, the last ember of hope faintly glimmering in his eyes.

"Let me come with you." He wanted to say.

"You can't come with me." I told him coldly before he got the chance to speak, "You're too weak."

It took a lot to hold my face into an expression of icy indifference but I made it happen. And the raw pain that flashed across my father's face was a painful stab to my heart. But still I held firm. It was better that he be hurting now than dead later. I embodied the same kind of emotionless façade that Kurama could hold in battle, not a crack appearing in my expression.

"What has happened to you?!" he finally demanded, the hurt ringing in his voice, "I know what you are doing and it's not going to work! You are my daughter and I'm supposed to protect you!"

"You cannot protect me from this, Dad!"

"I can learn!"

"Where? How?"

"I-I don't know but YOU did and so can I!"

I took a deep breath in, settled back in my chair and released all of the frustration building in me. Screaming back at him was not going to make me win this fight. Dad was just as stubborn as I was if not more so and that meant the only way that I could possibly make him back down was to hurt him and also make him see that his very presence was a risk to himself and to me. If my eyes were cold before, I could feel the building iciness rising, a growing snow storm within my gaze as I stared him down.

"And who is going to protect me from you when you are inevitably too weak to even look out for yourself?"

The words died in his mouth.

"What's coming is dangerous and I will have my hands full trying to look out for myself. I can't look out for myself and you too."

There was a glassy gleam to his eyes then and I realized that he was about to cry. I was sure he felt like he was losing his only daughter but I was not prepared to lose another father. My gaze became laced with poison and I honed right in on the weakness growing in his emotional armor.

"Dad…will you really put me at risk for your own selfish need and urge to do something to try to protect me? Will you really put me in danger because you feel a desperate need to be trying just to make yourself feel better? Because that is all your effort will be doing, you will not be helping anything else."

Every word I had spoken was delivered with clipped precision and a sharp edge intended to wound. I had never really thought that I would be put in a position where I would be deliberately trying to say something hurtful to my dad but here we were. His eyes widened for a moment before they hazed over in painful surrender. The fight died in him and I could feel that something else had fractured within him. A cracked piece of him that I would have to spend a long time mending after all of this was done.

"I…see…" He rose from his seat then, clenching his jaw as he tried to reign in his own emotions, "…what happened to my daughter…? This isn't you…"

A part of me dropped. He still had hope. With dread, I realized my work still wasn't done. I squared my shoulders, emptied my thoughts and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Maybe you just didn't know me like you thought you did."

"…I guess not…"

I could feel my eyes starting to burn and so I held on for dear life as we stared each other down, waiting for the other to crack. My motivation was stronger and Dad caved first. A few tears escaped his eyes and he grabbed his plate of unfinished food, taking it to the kitchen. Leaving me behind with a maelstrom of guilt, sadness and raw ache churning in my gut. I lost my appetite and rose myself after waiting a few minutes to bring my own plate to the kitchen. Unfortunately, Dad was still there, now pouring himself a glass of bourbon. The guilt within me only amplified then but I ignored him, dumping my food into a Tupperware and shoving it in the fridge.

"I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait up."

Just to be sure…

"I wasn't going to. Goodnight, Dad."

I disappeared before I could see the expression on his face. Or before he could see the expression on mine. When I was safely closed into my room, I let the silent tears come. I wanted to sob, to wail, the guilt gnawing at me for being so cruel to him. But I could not risk him hearing me, could not risk him really and truly seeing that this was really an act to try and protect him. So I clamped my hand over my mouth as I wrestled with my cries and waited what felt like an eternity to hear the front door close and lock.

That was my sign to break down and cry. Kurama was gone, Yusuke was gone, hell even Hiei was gone (not that he would care) and I was destroying the man who loved and raised me in this life. There was this impending threat of the mysterious demon Koi but I was no closer to answers about who he was or what he wanted and why I was so important to everything. And I still can't stop hearing those words from my dream:

'Anyone you've ever loved, anyone you've ever spoken to will be a target…'

His laughter filled my ears, echoed in my chest and scraped on the inside of my skull. Were those words he spoke one of the possible futures that Yumiko spoke of? Or was it something she was feeding me to "keep me on my toes"? How was I supposed to differentiate from it all?

'And I never said you would be my only target. Midori, I could do so much to you. Break your world apart but all I need is for you to still be breathing. Would you like to see just how much of a 'monster' I really am?'

I sank to the floor, my back against my closed door, tears streaming freely down my cheeks. I curled in on myself, the weight of this unknown but imposing future bearing down on me. Why me? Why me? It seemed like such a stale and overdramatic question to wonder but really, why? Out of everyone on this team, even the extended ones, why was I going to be the one so significant? And with Kurama in an entirely different world all together, the level of vulnerability I felt was damned disturbing.

For ten minutes I allowed myself to cry and sat in silence after for a few more. Then I finally gave myself the mental pep talk to get back up and finish packing. What happened tonight had to happen. It was better this than Dad dying because he was doing everything he could to try and protect me. Not to mention the potential danger he could put the team in. Despite me busying myself with the necessary tasks I had to complete, the silence that Dad left behind him was nearly oppressive. It was so heavy that it was impossible for me to totally free myself from the burden of guilt that was pressed on my shoulders.

That is until I felt something. A shift in the air. It was hard to explain but I just had this nagging feeling that something was wrong. I tried to expand my awareness to see if anyone was inside the apartment but I couldn't feel anything. I furrowed my brows and pressed my ear to the door of my room, trying to listen for anything. But I could hear nothing but silence. Of course, if I couldn't sense anyone's presence I wouldn't hear anything either. Either there wasn't anyone in the apartment or there was and they were powerful enough to mask their energy signature.

I considered my options. I could go out and investigate. Or I could assume the worse and climb out the window to get away. I debated for a moment before deciding that my luck and risk with Yumiko throwing an assortment of "tests" my way, getting out was the best choice. I moved as quickly and as quietly as I could, darting over to my bag so that I could take it with me and try to escape to Genkai's.

But suddenly the door opened.

I darted a look over my shoulder to see three demons there. They looked mostly human but their skin was a granite grey and their eyes were an odd gold that could almost be called luminous. To be honest, they almost looked like dark elves to me. They even had the long white hair, a stark contrast to their grey skin. I turned to dash towards the window, my bag long forgotten as I realized there was likely no way I could handle three of them. But I was suddenly grabbed by my arm and yanked back.

Ice settled into my blood as I realized these guys were fast. Very fast. I would have no hope on keeping up with them so while one of them had a hold of my left arm, I whirled around, my energy crackling around my hand and I propelled it into his diaphragm and straight into the warm embrace of his insides. With my Spirit energy carving through his cells, I was able to shoot straight for the heart in one fluid motion.

His eyes were wide in shock as my fingers closed around his still organ. And then it steadily began to soften in my hand as I used my energy to rip through the cardiac tissue and cells. And then he dropped dead to the floor, sliding off my arm with a squelch. The other two demons quickly recovered their shock and gave a cry of rage, rushing forward.

When a second one grabbed me, I latched my hand around his face, pumping my energy into him, his skin blackening until it decayed away and I sent it further into his brain. He slumped to the floor, dead. A trickled of blood rolled down the side of my face as I whirled to face the last one. I could suddenly feel aches and wounds all over me but I don't remember getting them. But it didn't matter, I had one last enemy to take down.

Only he was gone from the door way.

I spun around, wildly, searching for the last demon. There was no way he had ran because these creatures were powerful enough to mask their energy signature. He could take me easily if he knew what he was doing. I tried to sense him but it was all in vain. Suddenly I was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. It was a strange, hazy blue and it smelled oddly sweet with an under bite of bitterness. I realized that this smoke couldn't be anything good so I started forward to escape it.

And then the world rocked before my eyes. My legs gave out from underneath me, my body collapsing heavily to the floor. I tried to move my arms to crawl forward but my limbs would not quite do what I needed them to. My thoughts and mind became muddled, my vision blurred. The last thought I had was that I was going to pass out before the world fell away from me.

Xxxxx

The blackness that enveloped me was thick. I started hearing voices before I started opening my eyes. But it was garbled.

"Be careful…more dangerous…"

"Is..so?"

"….only I am…."

"It would…found a…human…"

"Why would…"

"Ah…heart rate is…"

My mind started to come back to me and all at once I was flooded with the memory that I was under attack. I shot my eyes open and sprang to my feet abruptly, swinging at the presence I could feel near me with my Necrosis technique in full effect. The Dark Elf (Listen, I know he's a demon but he looks like a damn dark elf so I'm calling him that) dodged swiftly backwards, narrowly avoiding a brush with my fingers across his face. But I was not going to stop. I followed persistently, using my Spirit Energy to boost my reflexes and speed like I had learned before.

I was so focused on my enemy; I did not even look at my surroundings. Dark Elf Jackass vanished in a blur and I could suddenly hear a rustle behind me. I dropped low into a crouch, just in time for his arm to swipe over my head in a grabbing motion. I wasn't within easy access of his skin so I delivered a powerful strike to his torso, sending him sliding back with a sharp shout.

"If I didn't have my orders, I would be killing you for killing my two friends."

"Come here then." I snarled, "I'll add your body to the count too!"

"Midori! Stop!"

I froze. That was Kurama's voice. Suddenly I became fully aware of my surroundings. I was in some sort of dark throne room, the walls crafted of paneled metal plates. There were oddly twisted pillars lining each side and there were demons lining them. And all of their eyes were on me, some with interest, some with disgust and some with disdain. But many, many of them were quite clearly hoping for my blood to be spilled. My eyes slowly trailed up the line to see Kurama standing next to a throne.

My eyes widened.

Yomi was sitting on that throne. It had been years since I had seen the anime, true, but Yomi's was a face that you don't forget when you are staring it down. For someone who had such a pleasant and interested smile on his face, there was something chilling about him. There was a heavy tension that my muscles clung to as if I were waiting for something awful to come from him. Why was I here? What did he plan to do with me? I carefully flicked my eyes to Kurama, searching for answers in his face. But there were no answers revealed as he kept his expression politically stoic.

I swallowed, "Why am I here?"

I was suddenly shoved harshly and hard enough to throw me off balance. I kept my footing but I turned to glare venomously at the Dark Elf ass who took me by surprise. Snickers echoed in the hall from the various other demons that lined the walls. My face flushed red in embarrassment and hardened my glare.

"Show some respect!" He snapped, glaring back, "You are speaking to Lord Yomi, the only fit king to rule Demon World!"

Obstinacy was a forte of mine so I pointedly ignored Yomi on the throne and gave this Dark Elf reject the most hateful and intimidating glare that I could manage. His lip curled in distaste at me for my blatant belligerence.

"It looks like someone needs a lesson in manners." Was his growled reply.

"Yeah, you're right though I doubt we are thinking of the same person."

The demon took a step towards me, fists clenched and pure hate boiling over in his gaze. I flared my energy in warning, sending the clear message to everyone in this elaborate hall that I would definitely not go down easily. Dungeons and Dragons wannabe continued to advance forward.

"That's enough now, Ryoto."

Yomi did not sound angry when he spoke his order. In fact he seemed amused with the unraveling of these events but there was still that air of authority behind his voice. It was honestly impressive that he could get both of those in the same sentence and carry enough authority that Ryoto stopped in his tracks and bowed towards Yomi.

"Apologies, My King."

I eyed the Dark Elf (what? I'm still going to call him that! He looked like an escaped Drow from a D and D session gone wrong), noticing how quickly he obeyed. It was the first time I even got a good look at him. He was tall, taller than Kurama and I was willing to bet that he was taller than Kuwabara. He was well built, lean with muscle and his hair was halfway down his back, glinting silver in the dim light. Braids were littered into that long waterfall of locks and they were decorated with metal cuffs and rings. And you thought I was kidding about the description of a Dark Elf Reject.

I was forced to look up at Yomi since Ryoto had fallen into silence at the order he had been given. Somehow staring up into that face with eyes that were completely blind was unnerving because I could tell that he could see me in other ways and probably saw more than anyone else in the room. It was like he was filtering through my muscles, my tissue, and my blood. It was like he knew every curvature of every bone in my body and that was damned disturbing.

"Why am I here?" I repeated, forcing my voice to stay even.

Yomi's smile widened in a way that could almost be called gentle, "You are my guest." I bit my tongue to keep my mouth under control, causing the blind demon to chuckle, "Go ahead and speak. I can feel the words burning behind your face and hear your teeth grind."

My eyes widened and I quickly looked to Kurama again. The fox revealed little but there was a subtle warning look that glimmered in their depths. But necessity kept him silent and since Yomi was able to HEAR and FEEL that much about me and that quickly, I understood completely. I looked back at the self proclaimed King.

"Guests aren't abducted from their own bedrooms by three strange demons."

"Demon World has its own unique customs."

I frowned, studying his unreadable smile. I couldn't tell if he was being sincere in that statement or if he was returning sass my way. How much could I even risk pushing him? It was evident that I was here as a sort of control piece to hold over Kurama's head. I furrowed my brows.

"You know in Human world, guests can also leave whenever they want."

A slight smirk appeared, "I'm afraid there are inevitable differences between my world and yours. Here guests leave when I say they can. I'm terribly sorry if this is an inconvenience for you."

"You know your 'guest' sounds awfully synonymous with 'captive'."

"You are welcome to interpret it to that. But that would also mean that you are rejecting my hospitality." There was a touch of malice that oozed into timbered voice at the end.

Kurama cast me a veiled warning look and I kept my own face even, "I would never dream of rejecting your hospitality."

Yomi gave a pleased smile that sat on the boundary of a smirk, "I'm glad to hear it. We get few humans around here, I would be concerned for your health if you were not here as my guest but a captive instead."

I took in a sharp, quiet breath. And then mentally cursed when I realized that Yomi heard that too. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. He could tell my heart rate was up. He could tell that my breathing was quicker as well, I'm sure. This was unnerving. Even with Kurama I had a CHANCE of keeping some things to myself. But with Yomi…there was no hiding. My eyes drifted around the room and I noticed the way some of the demons were hungrily eyeing me.

'The real question is…what appetite do they want me to sate?'

I narrowed my gaze at them and gave a warning flare of my energy to remind them to watch themselves. I could not avoid them seeing me as prey right away but I could make it clear that I would not be an easy target. But the energy that met mine was…colossal. Granted it was the collective whole but I realized, with dread, that I was in a room with demons who were far superior to me in terms of power levels.

"You have nothing to worry about, Midori." I jerked my eyes back to Yomi, who was smiling at me, "You will not be harmed or targeted during your time here. You are a guest as long as you are willing to accept my hospitality."

I could read between those lines. I could read the "shut up and behave and you won't get hurt" message that was hidden behind that indulgent smile he was giving me. If he decided that I was not worth the trouble anymore, it would become open season on the squishy human. I had just been dragged into a lot more trouble and what seemed to be a whole lot of politics. There was one demon in particular that was making my skin crawl. He looked like some sort of water based demon, covered in rusty colored scales and an erect fin on the top of his head along with oddly pointed ears. He was massive and seemed to be pushing seven feet in his height and he was impressively bulky.

'If he chooses to attack me, I'm fucked. He's covered in scales.' I thought grimly.

His yellow eyes were trained, unblinking on me, a hidden smirk in the corner of his mouth. I didn't like that look. He looked like a man (err demon) who had just won an award but was trying to keep his joy hidden. How long had it been since a human was in this place? I was willing to bet that they hadn't been here under Yomi's "hospitality" either.

"What reason have you brought her as your…guest, my lord?" Kurama inquired tactfully, his tone one of crafted curiousity.

But I knew him. He was furious. I couldn't read anything on him at all and if I didn't know him so well, I would have no clue that he was angry. But the fact that he went to such lengths to keep it masked was concerning. And I was sure that Kurama was probably more disturbed than I was because Yomi could probably read him like an open book too.

The smile that crossed the blind king's face was one that reminded me of a wolf that had finally cornered its prey, "I had thought you would be happy, Kurama. After all, you did have to leave everything behind to come and be my advisor. I thought I would bring you at least someone to make the transition a little easier. She has been…rather close to you, hasn't she?"

I felt my jaw tense and the blood drain from my face. The scaled demon at the head of what I deemed to be a throne room was practically salivating at that news. I could only assume that he had something against Kurama and now he had me to try and use against him. I was beginning to wish that Yumiko would just appear and sweep me away. I'd take some of her challenges over this because I was trapped in a den of wolves.

Kurama had gone eerily still at Yomi's words, his breathing now barely visible to me. But even still his face was kept in a neutral position. I tried to think of an answer to Yomi but with how carefully he had worded his ending question, it was clear he knew exactly our relationship. Had we been watched? I furrowed my brows and realized that he had probably had someone spy on Kurama for some time, how else would he be able to leverage the fox?

"My lord, if I may?" simpered the large fish demon.

"Speak Shachi."

"It is highly unusual to have a human here in the castle and especially one so young." He fixed a grin on me, "The poor thing will need some protection here and a guide. I'd be happy to take on that responsibility."

Oh no no no no no no! Fuck no!

"She is not as young as she appears." Yomi answered, "She is a woman of…special circumstances."

'What the fuck? How does he know that?!' I thought with shock, 'Just how much DOES he know?!'

"But your statement is true, otherwise. She will need a guide and someone to keep her safe. We wouldn't want any accidents to come to our guest."

A cheshire like grin spread across Shachi's face as he fixed his gaze on me. I glared venomously back, refusing to let him intimidate me. Ryoto, who was still a few feet to my left snorted at the sight, folding his arms over his chest.

"Keep that up, Shachi and you just might need protecting from her."

I stared at him in shock. Just what was he saying? Was he trying to get me killed? My green eyes met his red ones and there was a wicked glint in them. That was all I needed to see to realize that the answer was undoubtedly: yes. I looked back to Shachi and his eyes were brimming with loathing and a stinging pride that had been injured at the implication that a human girl could have been a threat to him. Shit. And there was nothing I could do to fix this. If I played the role of a weak little human, I would be at anyone's mercy here. I looked back at Ryoto who had the tiniest smirk quirked on his mouth as he stared into my eyes.

And he absolutely knew I was trapped.

I looked back to Shachi to see his anger simmering, nearly boiling. He looked like he wanted to prove his strength over me. And I knew that I was fucked if he tried. That one snake demon from back in the Dark Tournament had been difficult enough and her strength was much less than Shachi's. The only weak spot on him would be his eyes and I would not be able to easily reach them with his impressive height. And then with that cruel looking trident in his grip, he had the advantage of keeping me at a distance. Ryoto knew that I stood no chance and he clearly knew that Shachi would want to prove that I could not touch him.

"Shachi. Your offer is appreciated but I need you to tend to my armies. Ryoto." The silver-haired demon straightened, "You will take on this responsibility. You will have to watch over our human guest and make sure that nothing foul befalls her. Be sure she is never left without supervision. And should you fail to protect her, expect consequences."

Ryoto looked like he swallowed a lemon whole, "As you say, Lord Yomi."

How the fuck did I manage to get myself into these situations? I gave Kurama a look that just screamed that I was innocent, that I didn't do anything reckless. I didn't even risk a smug smirk at Ryoto because my safety and survival was hanging on a thin thread and that thread was Yomi's good graces. So, somehow I had managed to get myself kidnapped, dragged to demon world and then put in a position where I had to be babysat by a demon that hated my guts.

I swear I'm not doing this shit on purpose.