Yomi's friends gathered around his tomb. In front of the entrance, a brilliant golden urn had been placed in the arms of an eight-foot tall Buddha statue, with his ashes inside.

Kurama let out a loud cough to grab everyone's attention. From there he started his speech.

"Folks I have a story to tell you about this great demon, Yomi. Something from when I met him, in my younger days, when Ashanti and I were only cubs. One day 325 years ago:

My brother and I were cubs, barely a year old ourselves. We were playing in

the forest, as the light danced across the early autumn sky. Suddenly in a thicket, I stumbled across a pregnant goat demon about to give birth. At the time the Goats and the Foxes were sworn enemies. I watched the doe, as she was trying to push out her baby. 'Young fox, please help me. Please guard me before the rest of your tribe sees me. For they will surely kill my child.' I watched as she delivered the kid. When she realized she gave birth to a son, she cried out, 'Yomi.' From that day, I fell in love with him. Such a beautiful child he was.

He was such a good friend. During the times we were playing together, some stranger gave me a cooked pheasant. I ate it without thinking. After awhile I suddenly felt faint and very sick. He took me to his mother, and she gave me to drink a potion, which made me throw up that bird. It turned out to be poisoned, which she said would have surely killed me had I completely digested it. I owed my life to Yomi and his mother. From that day on I would protect Yomi.

Several years passed, and he, Ashanti, and I formed our own tribe, along with a few other animals from the area. Those in our pack were each adorn with white tunics and pants, to make us unique to other tribes throughout the entire Makai world. Our mission was simple, to go out and pillage from palaces and bring back the gold that belonged to the land in the first place, which the humans stole from us. The Youko Tribe was a well-known tribe for decades and centuries. One year about a hundred years after I met Yomi, the tribe was under attack by a rival tribe from the Ice World. That tribe wanted the treasures we worked so hard for to gather, for themselves. The leader of the Ice World tribe was that fire demon. In the beginning, Hiei was my bitter enemy. So bitter that I once heard he sought to kill Yomi. At the time he only had two eyes, but he was still very dangerous. I found this out one night, on a raid. Yomi's girlfriend, Shasta, a female goat demon, was slain by Hiei himself. A note attached to her body read, 'You're next, Goat Boy!'

The next night, he did come after our tribe. We were surrounded by the demons from the Ice World, each armed with knives and swords. The Youko Tribe always made it a habit to make weapons out of our environment. Every plant in the hands of an animal demon can become a weapon. Unfortunately, this battle was taking place in the dead of winter; the plants we desired were nowhere to be found. Time was running out and each animal was at the mercy of a sharp sword. Then it was Yomi who spotted it, a single red rose poking out from the frozen ground. He handed the rose over to me, preparing to sacrifice his own life for mine. I took the flower in my hands. At that moment I felt my energy envelop the rose and transform it into a huge vine. I learned by twirling it like a whip, the thorns could slice through solid matter, including metal swords. Soon the Ice World tribe was without weapons, after the whip had sliced through their offense. It then became our turn to fight back our foes. Once again it was really Yomi who saved us that day. Had he not found that one tiny rose, Hiei's tribe would have killed us all for sure.

Only one time he did betray me. Yomi always had a problem with reacting on instinct, rather than intelligence. We were on a raid in the mountains. Instead of following orders from me, he chose to disobey and go with his own agenda. As punishment I sent an assassin to kill him. The assassin instead blinded him and ended up dead instead. After that moment Yomi and I split up and went our separate ways. It wasn't until seven years ago that I met up with him again. We made our amends at that time after the first Makai Tournament ended. After that it became a joy for me to see him.

I don't know where I would be right now if I never met him. It was because of him, my life was spared. During our fight with Ani's group, I know it was him that got between the temple where Shizuru, Keiko, and the babies were and Dakota the wolf. He saved their lives at the cost of his own. He died to protect my wife and my son, when I could not. Yomi...I loved you. Thank you broth...broth...er."

Kurama collapsed to the ground in front of the statue, with tears flooding his eyes. His head bowed in homage before the urn in the Buddha's arms. "Why though, Yomi, why did you have to leave?" Mukuro knelt on the ground in front of him. She spoke no words, but wrapped her arms around him. She moved him away from the tomb, shielding his face from the rest of his friends. Once away she allowed him to weep profusely in her arms.

Saito asked his mother as he was sitting on her lap, "Wha won wih Da-ee? Why e cawy-ee?"

"His best friend went away, and he is sad."

"Wih e com bah?"

Shizuru shook her head, holding her son close. "No, baby, he can't come back, that's why Daddy's sad." Tears poured her cheeks, as she felt the pain of her husband's broken heart.