She gazed down into the canyon, confused by the hesitation that had frozen her the instant she had reached the edge leading down into it.

The internal flashes of jumbled emotions that had been a constant during her trek had dulled to a simple presence in the back of her mind. That it did not blend with the subtle play of Fate she had become accustomed to was unnerving to say the least. Instead it had become a silent witness of its own and along with that came the certainty it was not doing so because it was forced to by her.

She should have been comforted by it's silence, taken it as a signal of it's limited power.

She should have and yet she could not shake the certainty that it held it's council only out of habit. It was almost amazing how easily she had become accustomed to it existing. Though if she had to guess that was mostly due to the steady dulling of the other emotions. Compartmentalizing it was similar to how she had functioned before meeting Kurama and Hiei.

We are what we are, nothing changes that.

Her eyes wandered to the ground at her feet, there was more emotion in that wistful declaration then she thought herself capable of producing. Before she had seen herself as a shattered vessel but now she wasn't so certain of even that. There was the oddest echo from the other, a similarity it viewed with as much amusement as it seemed to view everything else.

We never wanted this...it was just the only option available.

She scowled, "Just stop…"

I've been talking all this time, moron. You just hear me better now instead of confusing it for a feeling only you had. You really think Hiei would've been your choice if he wasn't my choice too?

A flash of resentment shifted through her, painful as it burned it's way through her thoughts.

That's not just you...I felt it too. He's a pain in the ass. Makes decisions on his own and forgets we have one too. He's broken in a wonderful way but yea we hate him sometimes...just like he hates us sometimes too.

She snorted, "He doesn't hate you…"

He does. Every time we mean more to him then his own wants. Every time we hide things. Every time we love him despite him being who he is. It's a type of hate he can't run from and he hates us for that too.

"You don't make any sense." She snapped, rubbing at her temple.

Love doesn't make sense. It's just there, makes us do stupid things. This doesn't have much to do with him anymore, you know that. Maybe that's why you hate him so much.

She blinked in surprise, "What?"

It would be easier for you if you could blame him. Easier to think this is his fault...it's easier for him too…

The aching fondness that drifted through her was strangely undeniable. Not too long ago she was adamant in her blame, certain there was no one else that could have brought her to where she stood. Her anger had been hyper-focused, blind to anything aside from Hiei being the center of everything that had occurred.

It was different now, blaming Hiei was possibly the equivalent of blaming Fate. In its own way it was just as useless as well.

You're getting there but not yet. You need to understand things the way I had to. All of it hurts but in the end this is about us, not them. We don't run from pain but we've always been cowards because we never had to be brave to do anything.

A short, breathless laugh escaped her on hearing those words. She could have wasted time denying it but there was too much self awareness in her to do so. The steps she had taken had never held any sense of having a noble cause behind them. There was a striking difference to her actions then anything that could have been associated with that word or the meaning behind it.

It took nothing for her to act in any situation. She ended up moving without thought. Very few moments had even had significant emotion behind them.

Even that night in the cave with Hiei…

All that fear that had consumed her once she understood why she had woken up. Leaving had been the only option but if she were honest it was not one she had decided on because she was braving anything. It was just what needed to be done, something she did for no other reason even with that storm of emotion that had accompanied it.

That's something we have in common. Something that binds us.

"I...should feel...something…" She murmured quietly.

Something...anything more then the nothing. And if I don't then…

"...then I'm a monster who doesn't care they are one." She finished, lifting a hand to look at it.

Something flashed in her mind's eye, a moment trapped in unfamiliar settings and a pair of blood red eyes narrowed in contemplation as they relentlessly reached into her darkest secrets. She braced internally expecting another surge of resentment. Instead what washed through her was closer to chagrin.

Why is everything funny to you?

A whisper of a laugh followed, Do you think it means otherwise I'd cry?

She lowered her hand, "No, I don't think either of us would. It's more you understand stuff before others do...so you laugh at everything like it's already a memory."

Damn, I'm deep without trying.

She could feel the other self shrugging off what she had said but in a way that only proved she had hit closer to the mark then was wanted. Another similarity was that they both were prone to be dismissive of their own emotions or motives out of habit.

You did say everything was habit to Hiei, didn't you?

When she had made the statement that she had been following habits it had been aimed towards causing that group pain but it still held true. Her fondness for Hiei had felt as if it were the known alternative and she had eventually given into the comfort of it. The same could be said of every interaction she had with them even her strange instant dislike of Mukuro had almost been instinctual.

Did that make her more the monster she thought herself to be?

Or more of a puppet then she wanted to be?

Mukuro is easy to hate. She salivates over Hiei like a piece of jewelry. They never got why I was jealous of her…

"It's the way she looks at him." She asserted without thought, "When she does...nothing else exists for her."

Remind you of anything?

Fate was the same when it focused on someone, while it might seem like that attention was detached and alert to every detail surrounding it that just was not true. It had a way of hyper-fixating on a single soul, immersing itself in every subtle nuance coursing through it. In many ways it gave the impression of ownership.

The thing was she had been angry with Mukuro but never jealous in the way her other meant the word.

That's because you gave up on it, on him. I...knew when I met her that she was his future.

She couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her, "I don't think he…"

I know what he thinks but he's wrong. Somewhere along the way he started thinking like a human and maybe that's my fault. Demons don't worry about tomorrow like we do. They can't afford to without making themselves targets.

It surprised her, the tumultuous guilt and softer emotions blending into that statement. The other truly believed she was at fault for Hiei becoming willing to sacrifice his life for her, that it was more akin to some type of infection then a shown of the loyalty and adoration she saw in the fire demon.

What strange creatures humans were to hold all those counter intuitive emotions at the same time.

Strange but at the same time interesting, more so then demons in her opinion. It almost made her want to rethink the path she was following, avoiding the pain it was bound to cause the other as she moved to destroy her past.

Sooner or later you'll get that it's not something you can avoid. Hurting people to make your own decisions is going to happen. Before we just hid who we were, pretended as long as they didn't know it wouldn't do anything to them. At this point you have to be selfish and let them decide to walk down the wrong alley.

The anguish that surfaced made her chest squeeze enough to make breathing difficult. Involuntarily she pressed a fist to her chest hoping to ease it.

This person inside of her seemed as if they felt too much while maintaining that odd indifference that she longed to be able to grasp. How did this being survive at all with such crushing realizations she would have been hard pressed to endure?

Part of being human...with enough time you realize things that are pretty awful and go from there.

Part of being human?

Was she?

Did humans have the senses she did?

Could they feel the shifting of energies around them as if they were a part of themselves?

Did humans feel the slow erosion of Fate?

Did they know the growing oppressiveness of creatures bent on collision courses with one another despite the desperation of wanting to do anything to avoid knowing?

Not usually but we're ever so special. You need to jump into it or walk away.

Her fist tightened, "You wouldn't let me."

Dumbass, this was your choice...you expect me to take over before you make more of an idiot out of yourself? I'm just here for the laughs and the after party.

She flinched slightly as Fate's energies jumped in response to something she had been studiously ignoring since she became aware of the jagged edged impressions from some place behind her.

Mentally she knew what caused those slicing sensations though they were muted by distance. How could she not when she had always been aware of them through the reactions of the other presence inside of her. She shied away from focusing on what it meant, caught between seething enjoyment and the cold ball of steel resolve inside of her.

It should be a delight, knowing the damage being caused to not just Hiei but those others who had been a part of everything. She should be ecstatic, overwhelmed with the possibilities that those she had seen as enemies finally glimpsing the hell of her existence.

We all have to do things only we can do.

What a joke that seemed.

Things only they could do?

What part of anything had ever seemed as if she alone was a driving force in any of this?

Ugh you're pathetic. Poor baby having to float along.

There was a fair amount of condensation involved in that ridicule and she despised the way it twisted within her.

You did this. Nobody made you. Every damn step of the way even if you want it all to be habit it was still your choice in the end to go along. That's the main difference between us. I make the choices. You blame the choices on everyone but yourself.

Oh how she hated this inner voice, the strength behind every single statement regardless of how scathing the self recriminations became. It was impossible for her not to feel as if it were a part of her, a force that immediately knew every loathsome detail about her.

Like wanting to die? I know that's what you're looking for and isn't it too bad I don't see that as an option.

"Shut up…" She whispered harshly as she shut her eyes tightly.

She needed the voice to stop it's relentless purpose in laying bare everything she held tightly in her heart. She did not want to face any of it, to know the driving purpose behind her flight towards Masanori.

She could visualize the other perfectly behind the darkness of her closing her eyes. She could see the honey colored eyes that held both grim resolve and understanding. She could see the slant of a smirk on those lips that somehow conveyed both sadness and dark amusement with her incapacity to acknowledge something that she absolutely knew defined a Witness.

She could almost feel that other's touch as if it had reached out and leaned it's forehead against her own. With that touch she felt the overwhelming gratification of everything the both of them had endured. It was dazzling and an endless void that she craved with terror.

You had to know...this was the only way. I need you to get it before it's too late. Not for him, for you and me. I need you to know it's the right way to go, just like I had to learn it. You have to be brave because there isn't anyone else who can do this damn it!

She gasped as the presence retreated, her eyes springing open as she realized she was shaking from the intensity of those last words. It almost made her laugh as she realized something about that other presence, that it had wrapped her in such a steel blanket of protectiveness even as it's words had lashed her to the bone.

It needed her to learn and yet it had automatically wanted to do nothing more than step between her and that knowledge it so desperately wanted her to have.

What a strange creature Shizuru Kuwabara was to her. A being of both steel and the softest of concerns. She could understand the loyalty of the others a bit more clearly now. In another life perhaps she too would have found herself drawn to the being she had once been like a moth to a flame.

"Is it all you expected?" a deep voice asked with amusement to her side.

She had sensed the coming of this creature, known the pull of Fate to it's other half becoming stronger as it neared. While the voice in her had been strangely hypnotic the pull of Fate had been undeniable. Her hesitation at first had slowly condolence to simply waiting.

There was no reason for her to rush to Masanori as if she were to come to him on his terms. This encounter was not of their making, it was a path they traveled together regardless of their ultimate goals.

She had no expectations, nothing but the knowledge their meeting was something they had both been pulled towards with ever growing imperative.

The darkness in Masanori's eyes was unappealing as if he still felt he walked a path he had forged.

She shifted to face him, "Depends...exactly what did you think was going to happen?"

Masanori grinned, the way his face twisted was just another sign of his own denial which stirred a fair amount of revulsion in her. This demon was not the solution to her dilemmas, in fact she was certain he would only complicate things to a degree that would enrage her.

"We will remake the worlds." Masanori answered with dark confidence.

She sighed heavily, "I doubt that."

"It makes no difference if you believe. Soon the ones who escaped Fate so long ago will come to know it's undeniable truth. You will be the vessel they seek out first." Masanori returned, tilting his head, "It is a pity the fire demon will not be a factor but as you well know the Dragon is as unforgiving as the one we serve."

She ignored the internal heavy sigh laced with dark amusement that echoed through her.

It felt strange to be just as amused by Masanori's assessments. The demon could not see beyond himself to anything left to chance and that would be his undoing. While she did not feel the burning tide of hatred for the ones she knew had to be racing towards them, she could not deny that the incursion of Fate's will was strong enough for her to move towards ending their lives.

It may matter to Shizuru Kuwabara but those lives meant next to nothing to her, stones that she had to traverse along the way. Their deaths by her hands felt more natural then leaving it to Masanori, there was something absent in him that caused her to need their blood to be spilled only by her.

The question was simple in her mind.

Which one she would cut down first.

Yusuke...then Kurama…

The corner of her lips twitched at the assertion, Kurama was more of a threat in her eyes.

Because you don't know the threat Yusuke is...like I said I don't intend to die even if you do.

"Do you wish to wait here for them?" Masanori offered as if it were his choice.

"Doesn't matter," She replied with a shrug, "you don't intend to fight them anyway."

"Then come with me, there is a more appropriate site farther within the canyon." Masanori said, turning away from her and striding off.

She followed without comment, slightly interested in where Masanori thought was more appropriate for death. She was mostly wary of the implications that Masanori assumed she was more bloodthirsty then him. She could easily perceive that he was far more engrossed in Fate's design then she was at the moment. That could be explained away as something typical of Witnesses as a whole. Still she would not have assumed it was to the same degree for every one she came across. Some did manage to perceive Fate before it was explained to them.

Kurama is the bigger threat.

Please, Kurama has to be pushed to be a threat. Yusuke likes to brawl and we are talking about the guy who Koenma put between the Human and Demon Worlds. By the way he won those fights. I know them better and Yusuke is going to ring your bell.

They see you before they see me.

Wanna bet?

She felt her brow furrow at the confidence displayed in that comment. She had seen the fight between Kurama and Hiei, the intensity of what the fox demon could offer. Yusuke Urameshi did remain an unknown regardless of the strength of the energies she had sensed in him. She was usually adept at knowing the greater threats but there was something ambiguous about the youth in particular that did set her on edge.

She mentally shrugged, there was no reason not to go after Urameshi first. She had promised him that place during their travels after all.

She was exhausted in a way that drained the colors from the landscape, meaning from her actions though a part of her seethed against the emotions in what felt like useless stubbornness.

It didn't matter if one stood on the edge of the ocean and screamed defiantly at it.

Sooner or later the ocean eroded everything, leaving nothing but the endless tides and sand beneath your feet.


His breathing came in broken gasps as he picked himself up from the ground. Every muscle screamed at him in protest, nerves singing with the agonies of twisting energies that coursed through him.

These qualities to his mind did not amuse him, it should have been far easier to dull the physical consequences within this sphere. He had to assume it was in direct proportion to the physical world, an assault that was not confined to just his inner being.

The first time he had subjugated these techniques it had been primarily through physical means, each step etched into his body as he moved along that path. This time the Dragon was infinitely more determined to match his efforts with its own brand of torture, proving to him yet again the type of creature he had chosen to align with.

Beside him the other spat blood to the side as it glared up at their mutual enemy, it's eyes narrowed in pain and thought.

"It will fall." the other asserted darkly.

He chuckled, "As if that is enough to bring it to heel. It requires more of us…"

"We have no time!" the other snapped, turning it's anger towards him, "We will die."

He nodded, less concerned with that outcome then with the entity mockingly drifting above them as if there was no such concern within it.

In truth it did not have that concern to begin with, it's decision to abandon Spirit World antics for those of the Mortal ones had been nothing more than a shared interest in strife. The Demonic World held many forms of exactly that. Combining that with his own desires to grow increasingly stronger was what had ultimately claimed the Dragon's attention. It was through his own will that connection could be forged for the Dragon to remain within him. In essence because he was of the Mortal worlds he was the deciding factor. Within the Spirit World the Dragon would hold sway to their agreement.

Not that it is inclined to agree at this moment…

Not as if it had been agreeing for some time if he were to admit the fault in his thoughts.

His eyes wandered to his duplicate.

In fact the Dragon had been a will unto itself since his return to the Demon World. The longer he had remained the more extravagant the seals he used became to simply bind it in place. Then he had been certain nothing had changed, the Dragon becoming troublesome more an aspect of his own darker desires.

There was more to it, more than just a basic lack of control on his part. He had done everything imaginable to contain it while it slipped out of his grasp time and again for no reason he could discern. Just another failing on his part, a show of his own weaknesses on display.

"She returned you to me." He muttered out loud.

"We've been over that." the other spat at him, "So here I am, useless as it is."

"She had to think it was for a reason." He snapped, impatiently.

The other's eyes narrowed, "What are you saying?"

That had to be it and he was the fool for not seeing the true purpose.

"Moron, you are me." He returned, "An essential part that I need to subdue the Dragon! Or do you not get you are a part of me, not all that I am!"

The familiar eyes narrowed to small slits, wave after wave of emotions pouring from the form beside them in dark waves.

"I won't entertain this foolishness anymore." He growled at his double, "To live I must be whole or the Dragon will engulf me. Shizuru knew this, used her moment of freedom to ensure it was returned to me. I refuse to waste her efforts!"

He could have attempted to force it, drag this part of himself kicking and screaming if need be to the solution that was obvious to him. Instead he waited, seething with impatient frustrations. He had to trust this emotional core to come to the same conclusion. Fighting without it was a meaningless effort, this three sided battle a futile exercise.

The fact that it had attained a semblance of self along the way was not lost on him, the idea of merging with that in tow less of a concern for someone who shared his mind with other entities. For a time he had even existed as Shizuru so it was not as if he were without experience.

He could not allow himself to think past this moment, the danger the others were in due to his inability to realize this crucial component. He could only imagine what may have occurred during the time they had become exposed to the wild nature of the Darkness techniques. The first time that had not been a concern, he had been alone during those trials and after his initial success ensured no other was exposed to those energies as he struggled to master them.

Imperfect precautions as that mastery had come about with full exposure to the others despite his best efforts in hindsight.

The duplicate sighed heavily tossing it's blade to the ground, "As much as I despise this idea I won't allow that to interfere. Regaining control is the only thing that might save her."

"She will see that more as the interference." He replied, amused.

The other smirked, "She will be right, not that we care how she sees it."

He snorted, "We care, it just won't stop me."

He was not certain what he was expecting to happen. From one moment to the next his equilibrium left him. His mind expanded painfully, flooding with bits of strange conversations and intangible emotions that flew beyond his ability to sort through before they seemed beyond his reach. A sensation of layered agonies engulfed what little he could perceive of himself, casting him farther from any sense of balance.

Endure…

A voice?

An emotion?

A physical imperative?

He was lost to the agonies, to the torn pieces of thought that glided past him and through him like razor blades. For an eternity he caught glimpses of the grayness that might give him even the briefest of respite from what engulfed him only to have it denied him.

Would you be less…

Less?

He felt an insatiable hunger rise at those words, defiant and consuming.

Less.

He held onto that spark of greed, felt it blossom into more coherent thoughts and with them images began to form. The greed itself changed, merging with other powerful emotions he would not deny.

No small soul could think to be of me…

He gasped, his eyes slowly opening as his nerves sang with overexposure to the Dragon's energies. Stars above him gave a slight indication that time had passed while he had been trapped in his own mind.

He shifted slowly, mindful of each motion as it set his muscles screaming in response. Even the ground beneath conspired to awaken needles of pain but he ignored it in favor of being in a more dignified position.

His mind felt muddled, overfull of things he should understand but lacked the concentration to grasp at the moment.

"Your survival is nothing short of impossible, Lord Hiei."

He lifted his head, trying but failing to respond in exactly the way he wanted to. That glitter of multifaceted eyes in the darkness that surrounded him could only herald events had gone from terrible to absurdly so. It was one of the many annoyances of his chosen companions.

"Why wait to kill me?" He growled, annoyed by the way speaking tore at his throat.

"Near death confuses even you." another annoyingly familiar voice stated, "Your death was never the intention."

He snorted, casting his gaze around only to find no sign of the others.

"How long?" He demanded, grunting as he forced his body into standing.

He was not particularly interested in trading barbed comments with the two within his sight. His mind was clearing slowly, giving reason to just why his body was in the shape it was in. Weakened was not the word for it, there was no shortage of demonic energies. Off balance was perhaps better, as if something intangible had been thrown onto him. It was not uncomfortable, more something he knew but set aside had been added once again.

"Less then a full day." Shinya answered slowly, "Hours of continued contact with that pure of energies should have destroyed you. Though I should not be surprised, you have grown accustomed to them over repeated exposures. Lord Yusuke and the others left to deal with Masanori once they realized they could do nothing to assist you."

A smirk lifted his lips, "I'm sure they wasted time and effort reaching that decision."

He knew it had taken too long, it always did with them. Wasted time and effort until Yusuke became too impatient with waiting. As if they could have influenced anything by standing around doing nothing.

He did not need to question why he had been left with these two. If there had been a real threat the others would never have left. Kurama perhaps would have eventually gone alone to search for Masanori but the other two were without much thought. He may have woken to their burnt corpses if Shinya and Hiromi had not arrived though that arrival was suspect considering it came after he had lost control.

"Where is…" He began heatedly.

"Shizuru left upon our arrival." Shinya interrupted, his brow furrowing, "Lord Hiei...there are some things you need to know about all that transpired. Things I could not confess until certain events had come about."

He gazed into Shinya's unreadable eyes. He despised this creature and all things connected to it. Standing there was an act of willpower, denial of the impulses rushing through him. He ached to close those eyes in much the same way he had once ached to search for that human soul.

Overriding that murderous impulse was the barest whisper that struggled to control him entirely.

"Say it and be done." He asserted, shortly.

"You cannot blindly run to her side. If you do you will risk everything she has set in motion." Shinya insisted, folding his arms, "For the others that is not so much a risk. It is certain their paths must follow a true one."

"A true one…" He repeated as his eyes tightened, "Unlike you I know what that entails. I won't sacrifice them for your precious Fate."

Why was he bothering to listen to the ancient demon?

"You should be more concerned you interfere with the one she seeks to ensure, Lord Hiei." Shinya admonished, his voice becoming more severe, "Though my actions were to align Fate's paths I did not operate as if there was only one conclusion. It is true I do not know all of her plans but I do know it is imperative you not allow your emotions to cloud your actions."

Her plans?


"You wanted to know and now you want to whine?!"

He glared at the stone he was focusing on, beneath his folded arms his fingers twitched in time with his thoughts.

"Things like this never follow the way we want them to. Wishing a thing to happen is different then knowing!"

Would it be enough?

The hag had known it would be different for him. She had known and as usual made it idiotically difficult for him to get the basics on a normal level.

"You pride yourself on doing things your own way then waste my time trying to copy me! Even a meathead like you should understand even the slightest difference in energies create numerous possibilities! Think what that means to someone like you!"

Someone like him?

The joke was on her in that case because someone like him wouldn't have bothered to ask in the first place. Someone like him would've been perfectly fine leaving it to her and walking away to do his own thing.

Someone like him wouldn't be working so hard to recall every damn detail of it or going over what it was going to take to pull off the impossible.

In all honesty he wished he were someone else who didn't have even the slightest clue of how to do what he intended to.

"Yusuke?" Kurama call out from behind him, "We should continue."

His mind was racing, doubts chasing each other as he turned to the other three and trotted towards them. Kurama eyed him for a moment too long which caused him to smirk at the fox demon. It wasn't necessary for Kurama to not be suspicious. Normally he did have something up his sleeve that he didn't discuss with anyone.

Probably would be weirder for him not to think I'm going to do something dumb…

"...a second of doubt undoes everything. This isn't as simple as believing in your muscles and turning the nearest guy into your new punching bag! You have to achieve an inner truth and hold firm to it regardless of the outcome. Nothing else can matter when you attempt this!"

So many warnings, layered ones that ended up shattering his confidence time and time again during those training sessions. It had been much harder then he had wanted it to be going into it. Even he hadn't been able to explain exactly why he had harassed the old bat so much about it. One day he had just woken up needing to know and nothing could get it out of his mind.

"...I doubt she perceives such things in those terms, Kuwabara." Kurama commented with amusement, "Leaving at the time meant survival. If she had acted on impulse the loss was assured by Shinya's presence alone."

"I'm not saying she wouldn't lose." Kuwabara huffed, "I'm saying it...didn't seem like she had a choice. She froze, Kurama. My sis doesn't do that."

"No, but we aren't discussing your sister." Botan chimed in from the other side of Kuwabara, "Currently Shizuru is…"

Current Shizuru, huh? Talking it out won't fix anything. Currently Shizuru is somebody else…

Kurama had to have seen it right?

When Shizuru had taken them all in as she stood over Hiei had frozen him in place too. Her eyes had been so dead, the gaze of someone who could be careless with the method you died in. He knew that look, it brought to mind Sensui and that second before he had died at the man's hands.

Purposeful or not he had never wanted to see it again. People who could look at you like that were skating the edge of being lost if not already gone. People like that he wasn't all that certain could be helped no matter how badly you wanted to do exactly that.

That being what circled in his head, feeding the doubts that his plans crossed over and over again.

It would be easier to just go in like he always did, fight the good fight and saving the day.

Except I never did fight the good fight, it was just the right one at the time…

He liked to fight, it wasn't something he was ashamed to admit. He was good at it and things kept circling towards the bigger and better kind. He didn't pass those chances up much, ability was the only thing that shook his confidence to any degree.

The idea of getting into a fight with Shizuru, to match his powers against her strong ones sent a shiver of excitement through him despite his doubts. That was what really drove his forward motion, seeing what he could do against her and knowing why so many had stood in the way of it happening.

He glanced at Kuwabara from the corner of his eye.

He had to know, right?

That the odds were they would end up fighting Shizuru along with Masanori should be obvious even to that blockhead.

That there was no way either him or Kurama would let Kuwabara even pretend he would face off with her.

Nah. That moron is going to try to take her on screaming stuff about family obligations. That'll be a pain to work around. He's still shaky. I might be able to K.O. him before he tries anything. Hiei just had to be out of the picture too. Kurama could stall him but damn it we don't know anything about Masanori!

Why was he stuck thinking so much anyway?!

It was rare, the worrying so much it actually effected his usual headlong rush into things. As much as he wanted to deny it, they were walking into this fight. He couldn't say it was nerves exactly that was slowing their trek.

Even Kurama is hanging back. We usually have a better idea of what to expect…

"You are far quieter than usual, Yusuke." Kurama said softly beside him.

He almost jumped at Kurama's abrupt nearness, "Just thinking."

"A dangerous thing when we're heading towards a fight." Kurama teased, the small lift of his lips falling away almost immediately, "Yusuke...if Masanori is capable of utilizing Fate's energies in the same way Shizuru used them we will be outmatched."

He nodded, only then noticing that Kuwabara and Botan had taken the lead. They were speaking to one another with somber expressions.

If that were the case then how could he concentrate on Shizuru?

Their fight would be a losing one, being hit on two fronts by that type of power was asking a little too much. He still had nightmares on occasion because of his brush with Fate's energies. It wasn't the soul tearing that occupied those moments. It was the absence of everything, the slow crush of physical death and the desperation it evoked.

He was good but just the Dragon's presence touched him, sent waves of irrational fear shooting past his confidence to darker places he usually ignored. Hiei controlling the Dragon allowed him to ignore it. He didn't have that type of backing with Fate.

"Kurama, I'm going to take on Shizuru." He stated firmly, tucking his hands in his pockets, "You good with Masanori?"

"You surprise me as usual. I assumed you would see Masanori as the larger threat." Kurama murmured thoughtfully, "Though I will warn you to be more cautious with her. Masanori will attempt to play with all our minds but Shizuru has access to our hearts."

He scowled, "I'm not stupid."

It was his heart that was messing his head up just thinking about going after Shizuru.

"You need to be clear in your goals." Kurama said firmly, "Are you?"

He glanced at Kurama, "Always, it's the how to get there getting in the way."

"This is much larger then we initially thought of it as in the beginning. Perhaps the largest threat we've faced. She will target either you or I to take out first."

He nodded again, "We're both assuming she's going to try to really kill us."

Kurama chuckled, "It is a given. We would be remiss in thinking of her as anything but an enemy. Masanori will take advantage of any hesitation on our part. I will endeavor to…"

"Look, I won't go making promises and neither will you." He interrupted grinning, "This all started with people talking too much about fate like it was making choices…"

He cut himself off as Kurama stopped walking. Concerned he stopped and turned back towards the fox demon who was intently studying the ground.

"Something wrong?" He prompted, taking the few steps back to his friend.

"Not wrong," Kurama denied, then shook his head, "perhaps only a glimpse into something I've been wondering about."

"Do I need to know?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Knowing you? No, this would only restrict you further. You operate best when you think the least." Kurama returned, smirking slightly.

"Pretty sure that's an insult." He half growled back.

"Or a show of my trust in you...or a bit of both." Kurama said with a shrug, then stepped past him.

He didn't bother trying to question Kurama further as he followed. There was a darkness in those jade green eyes he knew was better left alone for the moment.

What the hell had the fox demon figured out?!


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