Oh, today sucked. - Thirty animals boarding is waaaaaaay too many for me to take care of. I hurt all over.

Starling: And to think, you get to do it all over again every weekend until the summer-vacation craze is over.

You HAD to remind me, didn't you, you dratted furball.

Sasami Tombo: I wish I had more reviewers like you. You've got a sense of humor like mine. And thanks for the quick English lesson--I can never remember that rule. Yanno, come to think of it, I'd love more reviewers, period. Oh, well.

Chapter Twenty: The Beginning of the Spiral

================

"I still can't believe I'm part fox demon," Ryoga mutters, tugging at one of his inky black ears in resignation. He sits beside Rei in a small room connected to Koenma's office--his sister has decided to bend her rule enough to tell her brother about their shared heritage, including their very active ruler. Unlike Yusuke, Ryoga had actually shown respect to the baby-king--and got the perk of a nifty new weapon: a set of Dragon Knuckles, which are very powerful gauntlets made from dragon scale. Naturally, Ryoga is thrilled and Yusuke…is off sulking somewhere.

"Apparition, actually," Rei mumbles tiredly, "and part fire apparition too, which means if your ki starts breaking out in embers and fireballs and things, you come straight to our dojo. Or get Hiei to find you. He's fire apparition, as well, and if you're nice he might agree to train you." Rei sighs, sprawled on the thick rug and looking utterly exhausted.

It's been six weeks since Saffron made his untimely appearance at the Cat Café, and the Elemental Quartet has been working overtime to get the Tapestry ready for the upcoming clash of powers. Rei's been working the hardest, trying to make certain that everything is going to go according to plan, despite the additions of a Chaos Card and a smattering of Chaos' sub-cards. Her health and energy have been suffering as a consequence.

"You okay, imouto-chan?" Ryoga asks softly, hearing the weariness in her roughened voice; a muffled snore is her reply to him. Having gotten comfortable on the plushy carpeting, sleep has dragged her off into temporary oblivion, will she, nil she. About a breath later Kurama pokes his head into the room, and smiles in sympathy at the zonked-out female.

"I thought I scented you two here. What's our poor vixen been up to these days, anyway? She's worked herself to a wraith."

"Hey, Kurama," Ryoga replies. "If I knew what she'd been doing, I'd tell her to stop. Not that she'd listen though, right?" Kurama chuckles and nods, walking into the room and scooping up the red-haired martial artist. "Maybe we should sit on her and make her get more sleep than she has been. Her other selves aren't much better, really, they're all burning out on something."

Kurama turns serious as he leads Ryoga out into the bustling hall, still cradling a sleeping Rei. "I wish I knew what she was up to."

Two hours later…

"I wish I knew what she was up to," Kohaku mutters crankily at the two young men beside her, the three waiting for Rei at her family's Dojo. "She's late."

"Mrrph," a mumble at her elbow makes the silver-eyed girl jump in startlement and look down. A still-sleepy Rei is slumped against the Dojo's outer wall, eyelids half shut and the young woman showing every indication that she's probably sleepwalking. Or else very deep in zombie-mode. Kalerian frowns.

"Hey, Rei, you up to this? I mean, it's not that crucial if we put this off for one more day."

That wakes her up a bit more, enough for a spent glare. "We are not delaying this. The Tapestry's weave is delicate enough as it is."

"Okay," Kalerian sighs, "but it's really going to be bad if you get sick from working so hard." In response, a brightly glowing gem is thrust under his nose, cupped in an irritated Rei's palm.

"You want I should tap this, then?"

"Do what you want, let's just get this over with," Masaya groans. With a sharp nod Rei and the others change into their mature forms, but keep the clothes simple. As one, they raise their hands and snap their fingers, vanishing with a quiet rush of displaced air.

They reappear in a cavern lit by runes carved into the walls, the unknown symbols glowing as surely as any lightbulb, and with just as much light as a seventy watt. On the far wall is a design resembling a compass painted in purples and blues, limned in gold and highlighted here and there with cut gems. Near the floor, about chest-height for the group's average, are four impressions set on the cardinal points of the compass' center. Strangely, they resemble had-prints.

"North, south, east, west," Rei mumbles, dropping once more into a walking trance to conserve energy, "we must choose which path is best. Find your lock, everyone. I want to go home and crash for a couple days."

Wordlessly, the others pace up to the wall and place their left hands onto the impressions. Kohaku chooses North for Wind, Rei South for Fire, Masaya East for Earth, and Kalerian takes the last, West and Water.(!) Taking deep breaths, they send their kis drifting into their palms. The handprints begin glowing, and in unison the four chant the unlocking spell.

"Dawn sun, evening sun, noon sun, night; come to us into the light. You who are the bridge of form and face; come to us and resume your place." And with the sound of complaining stone and cracking seals, the wall slowly sinks into the floor. From the darkness behind steps a figure that is by no means human. Lion-maned and human-faced, canine bodied and scorpion tailed, eyes the color of ruddy gold blink against the sudden brightness.

"Chimera," Rei says quietly, swaying a bit on her feet, "the punishment set by our predecessors is ended. Are you ready to return to the world above, and no longer guard this rocky tomb?"

"By the gods above, you have no idea," the bizarre creature says in a surprisingly melodic voice. "Lay your hands upon me, sweet and gentle Fate, and let me get back on my own two legs!" With a weak chuckle the four adult-bodied teens reach out and rest light hands on the creature's shoulders. A brilliant blaze of rainbow light later, and a slender woman stands head and shoulders above them. Dark violet hair tumbles unchecked down her back, and ancient-styled Chinese clothes flutter in a current of air.

"Freedom is yours, Miss Pu Fu Mei. Just deliver this to the Guide on your way out." Masaya hands the woman a battered scroll, and with a reverent bow the woman sprints off back to the world of sunlight.

"Mind the traps!" Kohaku reminds her with a shout before the Amazonian disappears from view. As soon as the violet-haired woman is gone, all four slump to the ground in their real forms, drained. "I vote we take a nap."

"Seconded," Masaya mumbles. Kalerian nods, Rei already nodded off. "I want sunlight, though. Can we get up to the Guide's hut, at least?"

"Don't care, let's go." Kalerian wraps an arm around Rei's shoulders, and the three barely manage to snap out.

===

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, I can't find Rei anywhere!" Kurama tells his friends worriedly as he walks into their living room at Koenma's palace. The two are in front of a large television, playing a racing game and insulting each other while they're at it. Yusuke's eyes flick to the red-haired fox a moment and he shrugs.

"So? Won't be the first time she's gone poof on us. Why worry?"

"Normally I wouldn't, but she's been working herself down to nothing for almost a month now. She started tapping reserves two weeks ago, and if something tries to attack her now, she has nothing to defend herself with," the ningen-kitsune explains, getting a little more concerned just thinking about it. A snort from the doorway makes the human boys pause their game and turn with the emerald-eyed Kurama, to find Hiei walking into the room carrying Rei piggy-back, her so deep asleep she might as well be in a coma. Three other, slightly taller apparitions walk in after him, carrying the other three the same way and all of them down for the count.

Yusuke's eyebrow goes up. "What's with the nice-act, Hiei? And who're these guys?"

"I keep my allies protected, fool, and these are three of my agents from China. They sent for me when these four popped up under their noses far enough into comas that it would take a force greater than you and the idiot to wake them." The three apparitions, all three with feline aspects, are eyeing Yusuke with trepidation.

("He's not going to try and fight us, is he, cousin?") the one carrying Kalerian asks the small fire apparition in Mandarin, tufted ears swiveling nervously. ("I'd hate to drop the little water-spirit.")

("No, he's not stupid enough for that, thank Kami,") Hiei mutters back in the same language. ("Just follow me and I'll show you where you can put them.")

("Right, boss.") And the three 'pack-mules' troop after Hiei, doing their best not to disturb their passengers despite the knowledge that not even an atomic bomb would wake them at this point. Kurama follows after, still looking concerned, and the two human boys shrug and go back to their game. A few minutes later Hiei and his men file back out again, talking rapidly in unsettled Mandarin.

("You're sure?") The spiky-haired apparition questions sharply. All three bob their heads and bare their fangs in an expression of distress.

("Yes. The demon beneath our territory was unsealed about two hours ago, and then all traces of it disappeared. Guide-san says that the demon was a guardian for the Springs, but that the guardian's term of punishment was over and that the fortunate woman had returned home. When we tried to confirm his story, we ended up finding a very annoyed Amazon woman wearing clothes from five centuries ago laying some serious smackdown on the nearby village.")

("Keep an eye on her, then. No telling if it's just a clever ruse or not. Now get going before you compromise your positions.")

("Aye, sir!") the three chorus, and dart off for the Human World. Hiei turns around to find two very curious human boys staring at him, having decided that he is marginally more interesting than the paused video game. About two seconds later, one of the apparitions sticks his head back into the room and speaks in flawless Japanese.

"Sir, just in case, I'd keep an eye on the red-haired ningen onna, especially. It's my experience that when element/animal mixes wear themselves out that much, they're prone to every little illness." And with a crisp salute the tiger is gone again. Hiei stares flatly at Yusuke and Kuwabara, daring them silently to make a single wisecrack. Instead, Yusuke gets to his feet and heads towards the door leading out into the main hallway back towards the palace gates. One raven-black eyebrow rises a fraction.

"And where are you going, Detective?"

Yusuke looks casually over his shoulder and gives Hiei a lopsided shrug. "I'm gonna go get the ol' granny. She's got enough experience, she can prob'ly keep those guys from gettin' sick or somethin'." A grin. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel like dealing with an edgy Kurama."

Hiei snorts in amused disdain. "What a surprise. You're using your brain for once."

"You are so lucky I'm goin' somewhere right now!" is the annoyed retort from the hallway. Hiei allows himself a smirk before heading back for the cluster of guest rooms the four unconscious teens are in. Kuwabara just sighs in resignation before popping out the video game and picking up the remote control.

"Maybe I'll find a movie on or somethin'," he mutters to himself.

===

Mmph. Damn it, why can't I get myself untangled? All these dratted Threads are misbehaving, the rotten little beasts, won't listen to a word I say. And who turned up the thermostat? It's roasting in here, even for me. I'm tired. Leave me alone. I just wanna sleep for a week. I've got a week. I'll get more time if I zonk out in my workroom. Or I would, if I could get these Threads to behave themselves. Where's Mizu when you need him? This room is so hot. And I ache all over. Oog. Uh-oh. Shouldn't have eaten those garlic fries for lunch…

===

Rei surges out of the depths of sleep and automatically orients in less than a second, leaping out of bed and racing past a startled Kurama into the bathroom. He hears violent retching and a couple of groans, then a weak cough almost covered by the sound of the toilet getting flushed. Eyes brimming with anxiety, he cautiously approaches the open bathroom door and peeks in, bracing for anything that might comes flying at his head out of reflex.

Instead he finds Rei kneeling on the floor, forehead resting on the cool porcelain, the picture of utter misery. Fever-spots stain her pale cheeks crimson, most of her color gone and her hair lying limp down her back. "Shoot me now," she moans when she notices her cousin. "Put me out of my misery."

Kurama just sighs and crouches next to her, gently pushing her bangs out of her eyes and rubbing slow circles on her back. "This is what happens when you work yourself much too hard, Rei-chan," he scolds with gentle firmness. "Kohaku, Kalerian and Masaya aren't nearly as weak as you are right now, and they're still sleeping. What on earth have you been doing to burn yourself out like this?"

Instead of answering, Rei's eyes widen and she tenses. "I think I'm gonna be sick again."

===

"Where's Hiei?" she mumbles a short while later, propped against Kurama as he's sitting against the glass doors for the shower. "I smelled him a while ago, but his scent's fading."

"Hiei went to see what's taking Yusuke so long to find Genkai," her cousin soothes, using a damp cloth to wipe away sweat and to bring her temperature down a bit. But she flinches and bats the cloth away, shivering and pressing against him.

"Cold's bad," she tells him, teeth chattering. "Fire'n c-c-cold d-don't m-mix." With concern bordering on fear, Kurama wraps his arms around her and drops one of his aura shields. Summer heat pours across her skin and slowly she stops trembling so hard against him, although her body heat is nearly level with that of his aura. Hoping she won't need to throw up again, he gently scoops her up and carries her back to bed, tucking her in and grabbing an extra blanket and a handy waste-basket just in case.

"'M sleepy," Rei mumbles as she snuggles deeper into the blankets, eyes already drifting shut. "G'night."

"Good night, Rei-chan," Kurama murmurs, pulling his chair closer and settling in for a vigil. With what telepathy he has, he sends Hiei an urgent message to hurry.

===

"Stupid idiot!" Hiei hisses as he shoves Yusuke into the living-room ahead of him, anger radiating off the slender boy's body. "Playing at an arcade! You do not torture this fool enough, old woman!"

"You're right," Genkai agrees in her raspy voice, walking in behind the furious Hiei along with a tall human-seeming male with mahogany-colored shoulder-length hair and cat-green eyes. Crows'-feet at the corners of those startling eyes reveal a larger number of years than the man looks, but he carries himself as though he's barely twenty. "And when we've got all four into something resembling decent shape, you can help me teach this blockhead the meaning of the phrase 'no pain, no gain'." Yusuke winces, and Hiei stops shoving him, satisfied for the moment. He nods slightly to the new man and turns towards the small hallway leading to the guest bedrooms.

"This way, Ogawa-san." Silent as shadows, the two males walk quickly through the door. Yusuke rubs the back of his neck and looks over at Genkai, wanting a bit of reassurance.

"So, this Yuki Ogawa guy. He's good?"

"The best, moron," Genkai tells him, not unkindly, though still annoyed at the fact that while she went to get the man, her student was playing in her game-room on one of the mundane games. "The fact that he's those four's teacher doesn't hurt, either. She'll trust him much faster than she trusts me, and that's saying quite a bit."

"Hey, Urameshi, gimme a hand in here, wouldja?" Startled, the black-haired boy walks through the same hallway and takes a left into Masaya's room. Still asleep, the blond-haired boy stands in a defensive posture, fists up and ready to strike. Kuwabara stands several feet away, sporting a couple new bruises and a black eye.

"What's goin' on, Kuwabara?" his friend questions in curiosity. Kuwabara just scampers behind him and peers over his shoulder in an unabashed display of cowardice.

"I came in here to check on this guy, and he was shadow-boxin' while still sleepin'. I tried to get him to go back to bed, but he ain't listenin."

"Ahh, you dummy, ya just gotta know how to handle this," Yusuke grumbles at his friend before walking over to Masaya. "Ding-ding! Match goes to Masaya Ichigaki!" Wearing a silly grin--still asleep--Masaya slumps against Yusuke and starts snoring quietly. With a grunt of effort, the Spirit Detective picks the sleeping boy up and carries him back over to the rumpled bed and plops him down with relative care. When he turns around, he feints at Kuwabara and chuckles before strolling out.

He turns right and then left, walking into the first guestroom, where Yuki is leaning over a lump of blankets. Genkai is standing a foot or two away, and Kurama is practically hovering nearby. Yuki's hand is glowing a soft mossy green as he passes it back and forth over the lump--Rei, Yusuke supposes--before sighing and rubbing at his temples.

"I've never seen her this tapped out before. You say she started working this hard over a month ago?" he asks Kurama in concern.

Kurama nods. "Yes. And I could sense her using her reserves two weeks ago. But she refuses to tell me what she's been doing."

"Yes, well," the man sighs in resignation, "I've got a good idea what she's been up to. It's too bad I've been sworn to secrecy by people higher that Koenma on the food chain, or I'd ease your mind on the subject. Help me unbury her, would you please?" With gentle hands, the two males peel back the blankets, accompanied by a few complaints from the sleeper as she tries to pull them back. "Rei-chan, kindly let. Go."

"Yessir," is the mumbled reply, and Yusuke smiles as she lets go and sits up, blinking drowsily at the brown-haired man. "Wha're you doin' here, sensei?" she asks in a sleep-rough voice, pushing her hair out of her face with fingers that shake with exhaustion.

Yuki smiles in admonishment. "When one of my peers informs me that four of my students are passed out from overwork at Koenma-sama's palace, I am not going to just sit at home. Now take a deep breath and hold it." Obediently, Rei inhales while Yuki places his palm just under her collar bone and closes his eyes, listening intently. "Exhale, inhale again," he says a few moments later. This time he frowns as he listens before letting Rei lie back down.

"So what's up with her?" Yusuke finally asks in a low voice, making Kurama jump and whirl to look at his friend with wide leaf-green eyes. Yuki simply shakes his head and cups his hands, palms down, over the already-asleep Rei's torso.

"She's managed to catch pneumonia, is all, the silly chit," he replies calmly as that moss-colored ki pours from his hands to be absorbed by the girl's pale skin. "A bit of a power boost and her body will take care of the rest pretty quickly. She's just worn out and down to the dregs of her own power. See? She's doing better already."

Indeed, as Yusuke and a very relieved Kurama can see themselves, Rei's color has improved greatly while her teacher has been talking, her hair starting to shine again. A faint hint of ruby surrounds her, pulsing gently with her slow, even breaths. Yuki keeps charging her for a few moments longer before lowering his hands and tucking them into his jeans' pockets with another admonishing smile.

"Sit on her if you have to, but make sure she keeps resting for a couple more days, just to be on the safe side. Oh," and he chuckles, "you might want to get her something to eat while you wait for her to wake up. She's going to be starving when she does." He turns to Yusuke and gives the boy an easy-going grin. "So, can you lead me to my other students so I can recharge their batteries before they pull a Rei?"

"Yeah, sure." And the two saunter out. Kurama settles back into his chair and looks over at Genkai, who is watching the rise and fall of the replaced blankets with some apprehension.

"Genkai-san? Is everything all right?"

The eyes she turns to him are grim, and filled with every moment of her long life. "For now, yes. I'm just wondering how long things will stay that way."

"Ma'am?"

"There's only one thing that would make her work this hard, kitsune. Something big is coming that she can't stop, and she's trying to make sure it doesn't blow up in everyone's faces." An age-filled breath and the elderly psychic turns and starts walking out of the room. "She probably won't care what it is, but the cafeteria's still open. I'm going home before my blockheaded apprentice drags me somewhere else." And she's gone, leaving Kurama to decide whether or not he'll be able to stand leaving Rei alone long enough to get her something to eat. With an uneasy glance at the lump beneath the blankets, he rises and slips out.

===

Two days later…

"Geez, you'd think I was made of glass the way the guys have been acting," Rei grumbles half-heartedly in irritation as she walks up the stairs towards her room. She's getting quite tired of the solicitous attentions she and the other three Elementals--especially her--have been getting from Koenma's boys. The only one who hasn't been treating the four healers like they'd collapse at any moment is Hiei, and even he gives them uncertain looks once in a while. "I swear, if someone else offers to open the door for me one more time I'm gonna smack him so friggin'…" she trails off when she opens the door to her room and steps into her workroom, to find everything a shambles. "Hard…" she whispers in disbelief, staring at the carnage of her once-neat workroom. The lamps have been ripped from the walls and shattered, glass scattered over the soaking rugs; the spinning wheel lies ruined and in several pieces by the window; the loom is battered as though someone tried to destroy it as well, but had to settle for the anchor threads and the weaving upon them.

The Tapestries on the wall remain untouched. But the piece that lies on the loom…Rei swallows hard at the sight of the mangled weaving, praying that it's not too late to save the souls of those whose Threads have been cut. With a formless mental cry of anguish and rage heard only by the three who share a link with her, Rei rolls up her sleeves and gets to work digging her portable spinning wheel from its undiscovered trunk.

======================

Hah! Gotcha! I'm actually not leaving it there. I'm so nice to you people. [gulps at the sight of many people carrying lynching tools] Eh-heh, back to the story! Yipes!

======================

"Rei?" Akane can't believe how angry her friend looks as the red-head walks into class the next day. "What's--"

A hand is clapped over her mouth and she looks up to find a very frazzled-looking Kalerian shaking his head. "Don't…don't talk to Rei right now, okay, Akane? Someone trashed her room and she spent all of yesterday cleaning it up. She's so pissed right now I'm surprised she ain't shooting sparks, and it's not safe to even talk with her. So just…stay clear, okay? At least until she calms down." He waits for her nod of understanding before letting go and sliding into his desk chair. The timely warning is reinforced when Daisuke, one of Ranma's friends, starts hitting on her, oblivious to the look of rage. Rei hits on him back, literally, and practically embeds him into the wall.

Ignoring the whispers and the looks of fear aimed at her, Rei takes her seat and sits silently through class, vibrating with suppressed fury. A the end of the day, she still hasn't spoken to anyone, made two more stupid boy-imprints in walls, and she stalks off towards home with the air of an insulted feline. With a brief wave at Ranma and Akane, the other three Elementals run off after her, obviously intent on being damage control for the furious martial-artist.

"So what's up with Rei, Akane?" Ranma asks as the two walk home slowly, side by side. Around Ranma's wrist a sparkling silver wire is twisted into a surprisingly masculine bracelet. Looks like Rei's finished testing the curse-proofing spell.

"Somebody broke into her room and trashed it, apparently. Mizu says that she spent all of yesterday cleaning it up. I'd've asked Rei if she wanted any help looking for the vandal, but.." she gestures helplessly. Ranma nods in understanding, since he's sparred against Rei a time or two while she's been here.

"Ready for today's first Advanced class?" He changes the subject to something safer, and Akane nods in excitement.

====

"When I find the bastard," Rei mutters as she works in her pocket dimension's clearing, "I'm gonna slice him into chunks, pound those into dust, and burn what's left over. Nearly a hundred Threads broken or cut! Nearly a hundred souls that almost vanished forever! How in the nine circles of Hell did they get into my workroom, anyway??" The last replacement is being spun as she snarls to thin air, practically crackling as she rants to Kohaku, who has already finished her own final replacement Thread and is transferring the recorded data on the broken one to the whole. With a faint pop, the colors vanish and reappear on the moon-white length. Sighing, Kohaku coils it up and places it on the pile to be rewoven into the current Tapestry.

"Probably had some cat in the bloodline, somewhere," the white-haired girl replies laconically, picking up the basket holding the new Threads and starting to walk inside. "You want these set into the pattern?"

"Please," Rei calls back, making an effort to wrench her temper back under wraps. Letting her breath out explosively, she tilts her head back and says loudly, "I'm sorry for being so snappy, guys."

"You should be snappy," Kalerian calls back, busy putting water in the new lamps. "This is a lot of extra work for everyone, and we have very little time to make sure that the replaced pattern is correct. I'm pissed off, too."

"Yeah, well, your 'pissed off' ain't much different from anything else," Masaya teases his friend as the gold-haired young man walks past with a bucket full of glass shards. "Unless somebody really ticks you off, right?"

"Right." Kohaku smiles briefly at them as she walks past them to the newly-repaired loom, and begins placing Threads across the pattern according to Rei's directions on their shared link. Out in the grass, Rei closes her eyes and directs.

-Little to the left, Kaze. No, right--yeah, right there. Set it down. Great.-

-Where's this one go, Kasai?-

-Ehhhm, that one goes right next to Ryoga's Thread. He's the depressively blue-colored one.-

-I know what his looks like. Higher Ups only knows we've handled that Thread often enough these past weeks.-

-Heh, no kidding. You know, it's a good thing this is a soul link, or we'd have a hell of a time trying to keep Hiei from noticing.-

-Bite your tongue, Kasai,- Kalerian retorts playfully. -The name summons the attention, remember?-

-Heh, heh, gomen, Mizu.-

-Kasai, where do you want me to put this glass?-

-Over by the window. I can use the shards for an art project.- "Hey, Koudo, why didn't the wards go off when the bastard snuck in?" Rei calls, switching to her real voice.

"Dunno, Kasai. As far as I can tell, he disabled them all and then put them back up correctly. Damnedest thing."

Rei sighs and picks up the completed Thread, already glowing with all the lives this particular soul has lived, and walks inside to put it in place. "Four more days before all hell breaks loose, everyone. Let's make sure we're ready."

=======================

(!) These are the correct elements for the various cardinal points if I remember correctly. And if I haven't, well, they make more sense this way. [grin]

Okay, this is actually the end of this chapter. I'll try and get the next one up pretty quick, since we're entering the home stretch. Please read and review, everyone!

Next Chapter: Map to Anywhere. See you there!