Arigatou, everyone! Your comments mean a lot to me...hopefully, I won't have to decide who Kia ends up with...yet. ^.~ When we left off, Kia was asking Suzuki about a mirror he had mentioned...

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"Oh, that. Apparently, you hold half of an ancient mirror inside of you." Suzuki said this as casually as if he were just commenting on the weather.

Kelsey winced. "Sounds painful."

"It's not. Unless others tried to rip it out of your body. Only youkai can achieve this, as the mirror is made of pure light."

"Lovely," Kia murmured. "Tell me, Suzuki, how did I get this...mirror in the first place?"

The man smiled ruefully. "I really have no idea. The only one who could tell you would be Ashita, the creator of the Mirror...or Densetsu no Kagami."

"Mirror of Legend..." Kia clarified. "So...you said I have HALF of the mirror?"

Suzuki nodded approvingly. "You're a fast learner. There are two halves of the Mirror...Giyuu, or Courage...and Jihi, or Compassion, the Warrior and Healer aspects, respectfully." He pointed to Kelsey. "And the other half, if I'm not mistaken, resides in her."

"HUH?" Kelsey's eyes widened. "Now, wait-!"

"Can you please speak in Japanese?" Shishiwakamaru interrupted.

Kia grinned. "Lo siento."



The blue-haired youkai stared at her. "Nani?"

The girl returned to speaking Japanese. "Gomen nasai. I was practicing my Spanish." She looked at Kelsey. "Bet you have the Courage half, O Warrior of Schoolbags."

"And you must have Compassion, O Healer of Blue-haired Idiots," Kelsey countered.

"He can heal himself." Kia snorted derisively. "Oh!" A realization struck her. "I wonder if we can use these mirrors...and I still don't understand what they do."

Shishiwakamaru stood. "You can ask THEM," he said tersely. "After all, it's you they're after."

Kia blinked. She looked-and gasped. There was a group of ugly, misshapen brown horned creatures ambling towards them. "What ARE those?"

Suzuki frowned. "Zankoku. Miserable little youkai who feast on maidens and live for power and destruction."

"Cute little things," Kelsey remarked dryly.

"Be that as it may, you two are in danger."

"How can you be so sure? Maybe they're just selling insurance."

"Girrrl..." One youkai rasped, latching onto Kia's skirt. "Giiive mirroooor...Giiiive...yeeesss?"



Kia's eyes widened in horror. "Iie! No, no, no!!" She beat at the fingers, but they were surprisingly strong." "Let GO of me!" With a jerk, she broke free, but the fingers still clutched some of her skirt. Shaken, Kia stumbled backwards.

"Go," Shishiwakamaru told them, drawing his sword. "We'll hold them off. Go to Urameshi's house."

"But-"

"Kia, come ON!" Kelsey grabbed her hand and started running. They evaded the grabbing Zankoku and kept going, Kia giving directions to the house.

"Okay, turn left, then straight for two blocks..."

Suddenly, Kelsey stopped.

"Kelsey?" Kia peered over the girl's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I...SENSE something..." the girl replied. "Can't you?"

Kia paused. There was a sort of pulsing brown color in her awareness. "Um...Kelsey?"

"Yeah?"

Kia swallowed. "They're right behind us."

"And in front of us, too," Kelsey said calmly. "I guess we'll have to run through 'em."

"Run THROUGH-In case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly beefy linebackers!"

"I'm a good actress." Kelsey smirked. "And so are you. Just pretend we're about 200 pounds heavier."

Kia shook her head. "I can't believe we're having this conversation."

Kelsey released her hand. "Get ready."

The girl sighed. "Here we go." She shifted. "Tally-ho!"

The two charged forward. Taken aback, the youkai hesitated. With two well-placed whacks, Kelsey had dispatched three. Kia, using her schoolbag as a shield, leapt lightly from the ground and planted her foot on a demon's chest, knocking him and the other positioned behind him over. She landed, stumbled slightly, then kept running.

They had taken out eleven youkai, when Kia tripped and fell. Instantly, the Zankoku swarmed over her.

"Kia!" Kelsey shouted, but more of the evil creatures grabbed her arms and pulled her down.

"Ourrrs..." the demons hissed gleefully. "Allll ourrrrs..."

Something in Kelsey snapped. "Get OFF!" She felt a warm glow inside and then the earth started to shake violently. The youkai were thrown away from her, bursting into green fire.

"Whew..." Kelsey stood up...but the earth was still moving. There were screams and doors slammed as people panicked.

"Kelsey, make it stop!" Kia cried, still struggling with the Zankoku.

"I...I can't! I didn't do it!!" Kelsey protested.

A stack of large concrete pipes used for construction began to rattle...then broke free and fell off the construction building towards Kia.

Kelsey started forward, but Kia was too far...she'd be crushed before she could get there.

The zankoku released Kia, gibbering wildly in panic, then disappeared. The girl heard a clank and looked up to see several pipes coming at her head...fast. She (involuntarily) let out a scream. *Idiot! Move!* Her mind ordered her, but her body refused to listen. It was if she'd been frozen to the spot. *What... Shimatta! I can't move...and I'm going to die!*

Someone grabbed her and lifted her up and away from the pipes. They hit the ground where she'd been only seconds ago with a crash.

Kia stared down at the mess, and suddenly became aware that she was shaking like mad-and floating in the air.

"It's okay...you're fine..." Her rescuer whispered.

That voice... "JIN?"

"Aye! That was a close call, lass. Those pipes almost got you."

"You...noticed..." Kia replied. She couldn't seem to stop trembling.

"Kia?" Concerned, Jin peered at her. "You've gone white...and you're shaking like a leaf!"

"Leaves don't shake of their own free will..." Kia whispered. "And I didn't freeze of my own will, either." Her eyes closed, and she sagged in the Wind Master's grip.

Now becoming alarmed, Jin shook her gently. No response, but she was breathing.

"KIA?" Kelsey stood on the ground, looking up at the redhead holding her friend. "What'd you do to her?!"

"He didn't do anything," Suzuki said tiredly behind her. "Your friend just had a sort of shock...but you seem to be all right."

"Actually," Kelsey admitted, "My head hurts and I can't feel my legs."

Shishiwakamaru regarded her oddly. "And yet you still stand. Warrior's spirit, indeed." He sighed. "I suppose I shall have to carry you."

"Oh, NO you don't!" she growled. "Don't even think-"

The samurai ignored her, picked her up, and slung her over his right shoulder. Kelsey wasn't happy.

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU OVERBEARING BLUE-HAIRED BASTARD!!"

Suzuki watched the spectacle, chuckling. He glanced up at Jin. "She'll be all right, Wind Master?"

"Aye, with a little bit of rest!" he called down. "I'll be takin' her back t'Urameshi's now." With the wind to buoy him, he flew off.

Suzuki sighed. "Well, Botan DID say that this would certainly not be dull." He sighed again and followed Shishiwakamaru, who was busy defending against Kelsey's furious punches at his head.

*OOC*

Whew! Poor Kia's had a bit of a shock, and she'll need some rest. Kelsey isn't too happy about her predicament, either. I think the only ones who might be happy is Shishiwakamaru (who gets to touch his beloved Kelsey), Suzuki (hey, he was bored!), and maybe Jin. But why Jin? Hmmm... Stay tuned and review! Ja ne!