ME: Welcome back! Thank you for your continued patience and I will do my best to deliver a better story.

Hiei: You should've been doing that already.

Ghost: Indeed

ME: Well, I've been stuck in a strange spot with this story and I was trying to figure out how to continue. I started this when I was either the end of my middle school years or beginning of my high school years. I've grown a lot since and this was my main source of writing, but its hard to reconcile some things. Rin is a teenager and still trying to grow. Morte was fleshed out back then but clearly has some major deficiencies as a villain. I have to figure some things out. Mentally I am not in the same place I was when I created the character so I am trying to build a bridge between the two. I am NOT trying to excuse myself or explain things away. If you're still reading, you deserve a good story and I am going to do my best to deliver.

Hiei: Interesting. If you can deliver, I will be interested to see where you go.

Ghost: Indeed.

ME: I know I know. Don't just talk about it. Show it. So here we go on to the next chapter. I only own my characters and a sincere appreciation for anyone still reading and sticking with me. On to the chapter.

Chapter Start—

Chapter 66: Left to My Own Devices

It had been three days. Three days since my encounter with Morte and when Kurama and I had returned to Yomi's office, he said he needed to speak with Kurama alone. He assured me that we would speak again and had Kya lead me to my room. It was clear as day whatever they needed to talk about dealt with me, and the foolish pride I had in my rash actions quickly faded. I was still the loose cannon I started out as all that time ago. Damn.

I hadn't seen or heard from Yomi or Kurama since. I knew that Kurama would be fine, after all he was Yomi's right hand man, but what did it mean for me? Not to mention, Kya explained that so long as she was with me, I could roam the compound and she would tell me if there was somewhere off limits. For the most part, I've stuck to three main areas. Ghost had still yet to report in, so I needed to keep my mind occupied so I didn't make any other stupid mistakes. So I either walked the gardens I had been shown before, trained by myself in the training rooms that were provided, or spent my time in the library trying to find anything I could about the Yin-Yang Eye. Surely there had to be something here, something that could tell me what it was and how I could get my hands on it before Morte. Now what I was going to do after that was still a mystery to me, but I was a quick on my feet.

Kya made sure that I took care of myself. She brought me food when I forgot to eat and would stop me before I could work myself past the point of exhaustion. She had become quite a friend in such a short amount of time and it was a comfort to have her there. We discussed the most recent encounter with Morte and I faced my embarrassment head on. Why had I been so galled by what she said? Simple, I was naïve, childish, and running from a nightmare that I had tried so very hard to forget. Up to this point, I had feelings for Hiei. That much was true -and extremely obvious, but I was afraid to go any further than a crush. The idea of being intimate with someone was a mature feeling that I shied away from even before coming into this world. I had my own inner demons to battle when it came to such intimacy and I shuddered at the thought. I wanted her mocking words to disappear, but instead they were bouncing around in my head reminding me over and over just how deficient I truly was. How much I had withdrawn from certain things since that… incident.

For the first time, I was able to come to grips with a dark shadow of my past. It was true I was still a virgin, but I had been assaulted by someone I trusted years ago and ever since I had shunned physical intimacy because it reminded me of it. I did what most victims do. I tried to burry it deep in my psyche. I avoided anything that would bring it to the surface and tried to act like it never happened, but that didn't repair the damage it had done. Now, if I was truly going to follow any chance I had at having something with Hiei, I would have to face it. As it was, I had nothing but time to do it. Luckily, Kya was more than just a friend. She worked rather well as a therapist too. It took some time, but we talked over it and I felt as though I had started to heal instead of hiding from it. Still, there was a lot of work I would have to go through to really come to grips with it all.

Which made me want to focus even more on finding anything I could about the Yin-Yang Eye in the meantime. I even opened up to Kya and see what she possibly knew. I didn't like the puzzled look on her face when I told her. She knew something, but it was either in the back of her head and difficult to recall, or she couldn't believe she was remembering right in the first place. Either way, she wouldn't tell me what she was thinking and instead began searching through books with me.

On the third day, she finally found what she was looking for. As I was putting down another book of ancient artifacts – most of which it seemed like Yomi's scientists had already disproved ninety percent of them – she stood in front of me and dropped a huge, ragged looked tome on the table in front of me. I flinched as dust puffed out from the pages and coughed as I looked it over. The cover was so worn that I couldn't even read the strange letters across the front of it and glance up at Kya to see a triumphant smirk on her face as she said, "It's in here."

"Oookaaaay…and what is this exactly?" I asked gingerly reaching out and flipping open the cover. I looked over what was written on the cover page to find that I couldn't understand those worn letters either. It was more than just the ink being worn off the pages. It was written in a language that I had never seen before. No doubt an ancient demonic language that had never reached the human world in all the years they had been connected, or was lost once they were separated.

"It's a book of legends written centuries ago. It's one of those that has already been disproved by Yomi's scientists as insane ramblings and ridiculous theories. I read through them for fun and this volume proved to be the most entertaining. Even the language is one that was one of the first ones to stop being used as demons began to evolve and gain technology. This is where your Yin-Yang Eye is talked about," Kya answered as she swept up the other books and returned them to their spots on the shelf. Then she came back to the table and sat down beside me as she pulled the book to rest in front of her.

"Wait…if its been disproved…does that mean Morte and Azra are just chasing a legend?" I asked as Kya flipped through the pages intently.

"That's what I thought initially, but I did some digging. Turns out, some of the things the scientists disproved was that they weren't actually in existence. That doesn't mean that they couldn't be brought into existence by some form or fashion and if that were to happen they would have record of it. Now most of these are on Lord Yomi's computers. Ah here we go, the Yin-Yang Eye," Kya looked at me and slid the book over so I could see the illustration. There were two sets of hands reaching for a glorious looking jewel. One hand was glowing and pure white, while the other was pitch black and seemed to be covered in shadows. They were each trying to hold the jewel. It was large, beautiful, and in the shape and color of the symbol Yin and Yang. Beneath it was writing, but to me it was as good as scribbles… or Greek…or Greek scribbles. All I knew was that I couldn't understand it.

"Ok, so how could this be done and the jewel brought into being?" I asked curiously. I was aware of the fact that Yomi likely heard everything we were talking about and had already talked about, but frankly after the meeting with Morte, I couldn't care less. If he wanted to use stuff against me he already had more than enough to do it. It seemed that Kya felt the same.

"Well, according to this, there are very specific sacrifices that have to be offered on certain times to match up with varying alignments of elements. These sacrifices are of course ritual sacrifices and must total two hundred lives altogether. There are to be ninety nine sacrifices of lives of dark and ninety nine sacrifices of light. The final two must be done in unison. One considered true dark and the other considered true light. If all of these guidelines are strictly followed, it will produce a power that can either be used for great calamity, or great benefit." Kya explained as she carefully looked over the writings beneath the picture.

"Well, as long as its so easy," I snorted sarcastically. A smirk curled at Kya's mouth, but she continued reading instead of responding immediately.

"Oh just wait, there's more. Apparently, there will be a sentient consciousness inside the jewel. In order to make sure that it is more disposed to the will of whoever is trying to bring it into being the last two sacrifices must be related by blood to the intended owner."

"Wait a minute…" I said as a small giggle sounded in the back of my head. While the presence of Ryuu was now explained, a new question arose. She seemed to be on good terms with me. That couldn't mean what I thought it did…could it? I turned to Kya and asked, "Ok, wait a minute. Morte has said that I am connected to the Yin-Yang Eye. I'm positive that she and her brother are responsible for creating the jewel, and surely they wouldn't have a problem killing someone they're related to, but…does that mean that they're related…to me?"

Kya stopped and thought about it as she looked over the book once again. She seemed lost in her thoughts for a few minutes before she pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at me shrugging, "I can't say anything for sure, but in all honesty its more likely than not. With everything you've told me about those two, it would only make sense for them to try and give themselves the best chance for control over a power like this. I don't know how you became involved in all this, but with everything I'm reading you have to be connected to them somehow."

I frowned, "That's sickening."

Kya laughed, "Well, you cant choose who you're related to."

I laughed, "Yeah true enough. You can just choose who you keep close."

Kya just smiled and in silence we began to clean up the various books we had pulled out. When we had finished it was late in the evening and I could feel fatigue clouding my mind as well as dulling my senses. Once she made sure that I made it to my room safely, Kya took her leave, no doubt going to get some good rest of her own. I leaned against the door for a minute and thought over what I had discovered. I subconsciously walked over to the balcony and walked out to lean on the railing and look over the garden below. There was only one thing that kept going through my mind.

Now that I found out everything I had, what was I going to do about it?

I wasn't sure I had the answer. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the next time I saw Morte, it would be our final battle. As many times as we had said it back and forth to each other before, I could feel it. The end was near and only one of us would make it out alive. Surprisingly enough I wasn't afraid. My time with my friends had more than prepared me, and I was stronger because of them. If I had any chance of winning, which I was pretty confident that I did, it would be because of everything I had learned from them. Just what would happen then? If I lost, I'd be dead. That was simple enough to figure out. The more difficult to answer was, what would happen if I won? Would I somehow end up going home because the one who brought me here would be dead? Or would I have to search for a way back to my old life? What if there was no way back at all?

These thoughts found me often, but before I knew there was still so much more that Yusuke and the gang had to go through. I don't know why I was so sure of it, but I knew I would be following their storyline. As it was, we were nearing the end. The Demon World Tournament was just around the corner. Where did that leave me in the grand scheme of things?

I leaned against the railing and felt myself drifting off. I was so tired and it wouldn't be a good idea for me to fall off the balcony, so I went back inside and flopped down on the bed. It wasn't long before I drifted away.

-The Next Morning-

I awoke to a knock at the door. I lifted my head up and was horrified that I had been drooling and apparently according to the decent size wet spot beneath my head, had been doing so for quite some time. I quickly wiped the saliva from my face and stumbled off the bed, still half asleep as I fumbled for the door. After slamming my hand into the doorframe hard enough to send a numbing shock up to my shoulder, I threw open the door and blinked wearily at Kya who was looking pristine and beautiful as ever. A part of me wondered if she woke up like that?

"It looks like I came at a bad time," she giggled, not even bothering to keep her amusement hidden.

"That depends. Is there a reason I should be awake?" I asked looking around hesitantly. Up to this point, Kya had waited for me to wake up on my own and seek her out and be with me until it was finally late enough that she had no choice but to usher me to bed. Was there a sudden last minute meeting that my presence was being demanded for? Had something happened? Was Kurama in trouble or worse was he hurt?!

"I think it's a great day for us to go for a walk in the gardens," Kya answered simply, but while her tone was controlled and innocent, the look in her eyes told me there was more to it. The haze from sleep was slowly clearing and I rubbed my eyes to help it along.

"O-K then. Why don't you come in and wait while I get ready?" I said stepping aside and gesturing her in. She slid into the room in her elegant way and I closed the door. As I walked over to grab myself some clothes I linked her telepathically, "Is everything ok? What's going on?"

"Calm down or Yomi may think something is up. I got word from Ghost last night. He's back after tracking down Morte," Kya said with a smirk in her voice. I sighed inwardly and looked back to her once I found something to wear.

"Oh thank god. For a minute I thought something bad had happened. You know I haven't heard from Kurama since that meeting with Morte."

"I know. While you were talking to her, Yomi received some kind of report from one of his advisors and as soon as you and Kurama got back, they went into a meeting of some kind. They've been in and out of secret meetings since. Even I've only caught glances of them from time to time," Kya said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh…why didn't you tell me that before?" I asked almost accusingly as I slunk into the bathroom to get dressed and clean myself up a bit.

"You were far too focused in your search for information about the Yin-Yang Eye I didn't think it was a good time, and on top of that, you never asked," Kya replied smugly and I could see her devious smirk in my mind's eye. I wrinkled my nose in annoyance, but knew better than to say anything. Plus she was right. I had been so absorbed in my own thoughts that I hadn't really thought to ask about Kurama or actively seek information about him. So, I couldn't be mad at her for not telling me about it.

"Ok, you have a point," was the only reply I could think of as I dressed and made myself presentable. When I left the bathroom she smiled and and we left to visit the garden. We chatted about things that weren't really important and back home would've just been consider girl chit chat. There was a nice breeze wafting through the various plants and there was a warmth in my chest that I hadn't felt for a while. It was nice just to spend time with a friend, especially a girl friend. I missed the girls; Keiko, Botan, Shizuru, Yukina, even Atsuko. But, as I thought about it, there were some great girl friends I missed back at home too…why did it take me being dropped in a completely different world to appreciate that? And why did it take so long to think of it? The sheer self centered nature I had been absorbed in made me shudder.

Finally, we reached the point where we could sit down, and I sensed Ghost's presence nudging at the edge of my mind. I let him in and said, "I'm glad to hear you're back! Nothing happened right? You're ok?"

"Woah, calm down. I'm fine. Like I said, no one even knew I was there. Have some faith," Ghost answered teasingly. I could hear the smile in his voice and no doubt, he was happy that I was so concerned for his well being. Ugh, men.

"Oh, ha ha. Fine, I'm sorry I doubted you. What did you find out?"

"I tracked her down to some little hole in the ground. She has some hired muscle guarding her and she's plotting something. As far as I could tell though, Azra is no where to be seen. I even stayed a while. He hasn't been there once, but I couldn't tell what she was up to."

I wrinkled my nose in thought. Just what could she be doing? Before her and Azra were connected at the hip, so why were they being so careful to stay away from each other now? Just what were they playing at? Aside from that, I wasn't surprised that Morte had hired muscle to guard her while she was busy healing and doing whatever else she was up to. I relayed everything to Kya, who was just as puzzled and couldn't offer any ideas as to what could be going on. I sighed and focused on Ghost again, "Thank you for following her Ghost. If I can get away from Yomi any time soon, I'll try to take a look myself. Will you tell me how you got there?"

"Haha! You'd like that wouldn't you? Just so you can run off recklessly and find god knows what kind of trouble? No, I think I will keep the location to myself, that way if you do get the chance you won't be able to go without me."

I sighed. I couldn't exactly blame him for not trusting me, but seriously? I didn't need an escort everywhere, but this was a fight I knew I wouldn't win.

"Oh fine, be that way. Just know if I drag you out in the middle of the night and you were asleep, you asked for it."

"Small price to pay to keep you out of trouble," Ghost responded. I rolled my eyes and he continued, "Besides, how else…shit. Mukuro's scouting team is close. Gotta run. Try to stay out of trouble alright?"

Then he was gone.

I blinked in surprise and turned to Kya, "What is Mukuro's scouting team for?"

"Looking for potential demons to join the army. Mukuro is always scanning for strong, cunning demons to recruit. Ghost has been on the radar for a while now, but they haven't ever found him. It's strange though…they've never been so close to Yomi's territory before," Kya answered as colored drained from her face at the thought.

"What will they do to him?" I asked alarmed.

"Nothing if he agrees to join. He'll be brought in like a hero and taken to training. If he doesn't agree…he'll be disposed of if they can manage it."

I sat in silence for a moment. Surely Ghost could get away right? Then again, if he's been on Mukuro's radar, surely she's already aware of his specialties and planned for them. My stomach was starting to twist into knots when Kya's posture stiffened and her attention seemed to be elsewhere. Despite wanting to know what was going on, I patiently waited for her to come back to the present with me and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

She glanced to me and I saw concern in her eyes. She cleared her through and spoke with a calm, even tone despite the worry still reflecting in her eyes, "Yes, Lord Yomi was just letting me know that he wishes to have a conversation with you. He is heading this way now and let me know that I can be dismissed for the rest of the day. Please stay here and wait for him."

"Dismissed?"

"I'm not sure, but be careful. He made it seem like it was something serious. If things go south and you need an out, run or call for me. I'll do everything I can, even if that means crossing him. I've actually grown to like you."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but don't be so willing to throw everything away just for me!" I said in alarm. I shook my head and squeezed her shoulder, "Jus trust me, ok? Don't jump in unless I ask for help ok?"

She sighed and looked at me carefully before saying, "Very well. Just don't get yourself killed alright?"

"Hey, I'm still alive now. That's not gonna change anytime soon." I smiled and then said, "Alright then. Thank you for bringing me to the garden with you; I enjoyed it. Go relax if you can."

"I think I will. See you later," Kya said and took her leave. She disappeared from sight and a strange feeling came over me. I was completely alone. I couldn't sense anyone in the immediate area and if I wanted to turn tail and run, this was the perfect opportunity to do so. I furrowed my brow and slowly stood. This was perfect, too perfect. There had to be something going on and I wasn't going to just walk into a trap and risk having Yomi being the first one to find me. I could probably take on some of his underlings, but the Demon King himself was utterly out of the question. So after looking around warily for a few minutes I sat back down and waited.

I wasn't waiting long. Actually, almost the exact second my ass touched the seat, Yomi appeared behind me a chuckled. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but managed to play it cool. I even kept my heart from racing and turned my head to look at him with a respectful nod as I said, "Good day, Lord Yomi. I hope you are well. To what do I owe such an honor as a private meeting with your lordship?"

Yomi smiled, "I have to say I'm rather impressed. You had the perfect chance to make your escape, and yet you stayed, waiting for me just as you had been told. I wonder, just what is going on in that clever mind of yours."

Ha. I knew it was a set up.

"My lord, I am not so foolish as to think I could outsmart you, nor get one over on you. If you did not have someone waiting to catch me the second I reached a certain point, you could easily stop me on your own. Besides, as it is, I do have a debt to repay here. You had your people put me back in perfect health when I was in a bad way. The least I can do is stay and repay you in whatever way I can," I replied with a smile. A strange look flashed across his face, but he swiftly replaced it with his trademark calm demeanor.

"You are very clever. Perhaps too much for your own good, but enough of that. Come, walk with me a bit," Yomi said and without waiting for a reply, turned on his heel to walk. I scrambled to my feet and clumsily fell into step behind him. We were taking a path in the gardens that Kya had steered me away from before and a part of me wondered if Yomi had his own spot in the gardens that were off limits to everyone except a select few. Minutes passed in silence and a part of me wondered if he really just intended on us walking and had nothing to say. I wouldn't put it past him. He was crafty enough to pull a stunt like that for the soul purpose of keeping me on my toes, but refused to let him shake me up. Instead I just enjoyed the various plants around us. The further we went, the more obvious it became that these were different than what I had seen so far. Some even looked more dangerous than what I had seen before. This was definitely a different part altogether and I couldn't help but wonder, just what was his plan bringing me deep into this part of the garden. Would Kurama be nearby? Or was there another game afoot. Tension began to ache at my shoulders and I could feel anxiety slowly building to flood my system with adrenaline the second it was needed.

After some time, Yomi stopped and broke the silence, "I'm sure by now, you're wondering just what it is that I am up to and why I brought you into this part of the gardens. I'm sure you noticed that this is different than the rest of the gardens. These plants are far more viscous than the common flower or bush, and amuse me greatly when people wander into them uninvited. They only remain dormant if I am near, or if an envoy of mine has a certain token allowing them to be here. To date, every demon that has stepped foot here uninvited has met a painful, and messy end, but you need not worry about them. That is not why I have brought you here."

"Well, that's a relief at least," I said in a choked relief. I had come to have a healthy respect for the ability of plant life from Kurama, but the idea that he had a whole area dedicated to murderous fauna was even more terrifying. He had learned quite a bit from Kurama indeed.

Yomi laughed, "Yes, I'm sure it is. No doubt Kurama has taught you to respect the ability of such unsuspecting plants. Forgive me, at times I forget that you have become close to him." Yomi paused and turned his head slightly to the side, as though he were listening for something. It was such a subtle movement that if one wasn't paying attention, they wouldn't have noticed him moving at all, but my senses were on overdrive and my preservation instincts were screaming at me to watch everything, no matter how insignificant it seemed. Soon he turned his attention back to me and continued, "No, I brought you here for something else entirely."

"And just what would that be my lord?" I asked trying to keep my tone neutral, but couldn't help the untrusting edge that had crept into my voice.

"You are an interesting demoness, there is no arguing about that. Despite being wrapped up in my own matters, I did hear your search for information regarding the Yin-Yang Eye with Kya. It has been such a long time since I heard mention of that legend and it intrigued me to know that the female you spoke with was connected to it. Not many even know about that and would be hard pressed to believe such an item existed in our modern day. However, that isn't my main concern. No, my main concern is the attention you have gained from my trusted ally Kurama and my best spy Kya," Yomi explained as he turned to fully face me. His expression was guarded, but nonetheless serious.

It felt like my entire spine turned to ice, and the chills were setting in. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and stammered out, "W-what do you mean?"

"Despite not even having any sort of contact with you for the past three days, I have noticed him watching you from afar. Checking on you while you were training, going to and from the gardens, and even your time spent in the library. He's been subtle about it. No doubt even my best would have noticed it, but he could not deceive me. I know him all to well. Not only has his attention been diverted, but Kya volunteered to keep you under watch while we attended to our own matters. Not only that, but she took it upon herself to not only help you, but even go so far as to watch after your well-being. Again, these are small gestures, nothing that would raise any flags to anyone other than myself, but it spoke loud enough. You have become a distraction to them."

His expression didn't change. Even his tone remained the same, but by now I was close to breaking out in a cold sweat. This was no threat. This was fact and he had enough evidence now to see me as a hindrance rather than an asset. That was dangerous.

"M-my lord. I would never try to interfere with your plans and your goal. I will speak with them myself if I must and tell them to focus elsewhere. I would not dare to interfere with you," I whispered knowing I sounded like a frightened animal looking for a way out. Normally, I would've been frustrated that I showed such weakness, but in this case, I hoped I could use it to my advantage. To show him that I was not so bold as to think he would not put me down if he felt the need. However, Yomi smiled as I spoked and by the time the last syllable had left my mouth, I knew that whatever decision he had made in his head was final. There was no going back now.

"That won't be necessary. While I don't see you as a threat to my plans and my ultimate goal, I do see potential for you to be of use to me. There's so much more chaos you could cause somewhere else and that could be an advantage to me. So as amusing as it has been to have you here, it is time you were turned loose on someone else."

I didn't see him move. There was a stunning blow to my stomach that made my crumple onto the arm that delivered it, and then my collar was swiftly grabbed as I was lifted clean off my feet. Before I could blink away the tears of pain that glossed over my eyes, I felt an energy wave of pressure break over my my body and the wind whistled in my ears as I was thrown through the air. I was faintly aware of the sound of water rushing beneath me for a time, but was abruptly jarred out of that as my back connected with the solid trunk of a tree. For half of a second, it seemed like that would be the end of it, but I had no such luck. A strange cracking sound snapped around me and I felt the truck splinter around me as I continued on. The tree did slow my momentum enough to cause me to hit the ground and bounce along in the dirt a few yards before skidding to a halt. My entire body was tingling, it was between a ringing and stinging of having fallen asleep and being in pain. It took a minute for me to orient myself and when I did I pushed myself up, coughing as I went.

"Well, well, well, look what we got here."

I looked up and felt my stomach plummet as I found myself surrounded by a group of eight demons, who all looked like they were loaded up for a fight. Almost immediately, I now knew why Mukuro's scouting team were so close to Yomi's territory. He set me up.

Chapter End—

Me: Well, I hope this is a little better than last time. I will do my best to update more often, and give better quality of story and writing.

Hiei: This is beginning to get interesting.

Ghost: I agree.

Me: Yes, yes, more chances for me to get my butt handed to me. Any way it goes though, I am happy to be back to writing this. After all this is the story that got me through a lot of trouble and helped build my confidence to become a published author! So HERE WE GO! I hope you all enjoyed and I will see you next time!