Chapter Seven-

When Asa awoke, she first noticed that Kurama was no longer by her side, and turned her head to eye the empty area he had been in curiously, wondering where he'd gone. The second thing she noticed was that it was late in the day, probably about noon. The third thing she noticed was two girls standing on either side of her door, one dressed in blue, the other in green. They looked almost exactly alike.

"Oh, you're awake!" the one in blue said, happiness in her voice as her exclamation brought her sister's attention to Asa.

"Well, ohayo, sleepy-head!" the second one exclaimed, grinning.

"Um...ohayo," Asa replied as pleasantly as she could, confusion clearly written on her face. "Uh, no offense or anything...but who are you?"

"I'm Natsumi, and this is my sister, Kasumi," the one in a blue kimono said, gesturing at her sister. Asa nodded slowly, her eyebrow arching as she did.

"Okay, next question---where'd you come from?"

"...Um..." Natsumi glanced desperately at her sister, who smiled in amusement.

"We're old friends of Genkai," Kasumi lied easily. "We were supposed to watch over you so Shuuichi could get some sleep that wouldn't leave him with a crick in the neck."

"Oh, so that's where Shuuichi-kun went?" Asa asked, trying to sit up. Natsumi was instantly at her side to help her, and she offered a grateful smile to the girl, noticing with some surprise that she had different-colored eyes.

"Hai," they answered in unison, as Natsumi stood up and backed away from Asa again. Asa twitched at the sound of the unified response.

"Uh...and you're twins, obviously..." Asa muttered under her breath, weirded out by their ability to speak in the same tone of voice at the same time. She was even more weirded out a second later, when two big blue eyes ((ARE they blue? I've always wondered...)) were directly in her face from under a head of red hair.

"Oi, Asa, lass, we heard ye had a bit of a willy there," Jin said, when he pulled back to fall back on his butt at Asa's feet. Asa's eyes widened for a second, then she raised an eyebrow.

"Jin, where the hell did you come from?" she asked, glancing at Kasumi and Natsumi---and not surprised when their faces were both expressions of pure shock.

"I just dropped in from the window there, lassie. 'Tweren't much of a difficult task a'tall!" ((Can you tell how much I love Jin speaking?)) Asa had always been okay with Jin's oddness, and was in fact, rather fond of her friend. Whenever he was around her, he was in full human form, so his sharp teeth and horn were gone, but he still looked like the same messy, red-haired, short little demon that he always was, and she found him highly amusing.

"I apologize for him, Asa-chan..." a calmer voice said from behind Jin. Asa looked past her Irish friend to see the more quiet Touya smiling gently at her.

"No prob, Touya-kun," she said with a grin. She glanced again at the twins, finding Natsumi gaping at Touya, and Kasumi's eyes settling not uncomfortably on Jin. Her grin grew wider. "Touya, Jin, these lovely ladies watching over me are Natsumi and Kasumiii..." She trailed on the 'i' in Kasumi's name, looking at the girls pointedly.

"Mizuchi," they supplied in unison, making Asa twitch again, and blushing when the boys smiled at them and nodded in greeting.

"Aye, lovely indeed," Jin nodded in agreement, eyeing Kasumi with a twinkle in his lovely-to-behold orbs. He turned his gaze back to Asa, who was looking at him with a knowing smile, and said quickly, "Lassie, do ya happen to know where Urameshi is? I've been wantin' to have a word with 'im, but you can ne'er find the lad!"

"He's probably around here somewhere...at least, I'd suppose so, considering..." Asa said, her voice trailing off as her eyebrow arched.

"Mm, that's good, but I was wonderin' what happened to ye, lass---ye look like ye just took a round wit a fire-breathin' serpent, aye!" Jin exclaimed excitedly.

"Nope, didn't take on a dragon...or, at least, I don't think I did...I don't really remember what happened," she answered honestly. Jin and Touya both grew curious then.

"Well, we'd better find Yusuke and the others, Jin," Touya said gently, putting a hand on Jin's shoulder to pull him away from Asa, "Let's leave Asa to get some rest so she can heal properly, ne?"

"Aa, that sounds sensible, but do ya know yer way around here, Touya, lad?" When Touya grew quiet and pensive, Jin turned to the twins, "Fine, if ye don't know, I wonder if the twin lasses here'll be kind enough to show us to the detective?"

"Um...sure," Kasumi answered, blushing lightly as Jin jumped up to lean close to her face.

"Ooh, good, tha's very good, milass! Let's get goin' then, eh, Touya? Ye better rest up, Asa-lass, I'll be expectin' ye up and about before I go home, ya hear?"

"Aye, Jin-kun!" Asa saluted with her good arm, smirking at him playfully as the four of them filed out of her room. She waited until they'd closed the door to shake her head and sigh, "Love-dazed ninnies..." Looking around, she wondered, "...Now what am I gonna do? Gah! This place is so boring!" She sank back into her pillows again, sighing dramatically. "If I could get up and walk around, it wouldn't be so freaking bad..."

She looked around the room she was in. She lay on a futon, in a room with a hardwood floor, a dresser, a nightstand to her left, and a door on the opposite wall that she figured led to a bathroom or something---a rather classic Japanese room. And a very boring one. She settled her gaze on the tree outside her window. Two blue birds were there, sitting in the tree. They were mates, and sat close together, warbling together and snuggling. She couldn't help but smile at them.

Yawning, she closed her eyes again for what only seemed like a moment, wondering how she was so freaking tired, then, she was out like a light...

- ((This is sort of a song fic)) -

Youko and Kuronue were running around the forest, both wildly searching for something. "Youko, are you sure she was here?" Kuronue questioned the frantic fox beside of him. Youko paused, running a clawed hand through his silver locks ((God, I love his hair....um...moving on)) and sighing.

"I don't know where she could have gone...I told her to wait here, since those bastards from the Akumu Tribe attacked the wall around her temple..." he said, pausing to look up at Kuronue. "You do promise not to tell anyone about the temple, right? I wasn't even supposed to tell you, but you and your damn hypnotic powers..."

"Oh, hush. It was the only way I'd ever get anything about Ai out of you," Kuronue said, rolling his eyes, "Honestly, I can't believe you didn't at least let me meet her before I hypnotized you...but that aside, where do you think she is?!"

"I'm right here." Both demons turned to see Ai, leaning on the bow she'd been carrying with her, her kimono tattered and her body bruised. Youko rushed forward, gathering her up in his arms and rocking her to and fro.

"Ai, what happened to you?" he asked in a whisper. "Where did everyone go?"

She had known it was going to happen, he knew, when she pulled back, and her eyes were steeled. "The Akumu murdered them. All of my disciples. They're dead, Youko."

Kuronue gasped from behind them, and Ai continued, "There's one child...one child left out of them...Kane. Youko, I need you to find her."

"Where is she?" Youko asked, knowing the child of which she spoke. The little girl had dark blue hair and light turquoise eyes and only stood to his knee. He'd seen her with Ai many times.

"I'm not sure...but the Akumu will not stop until they find her and kill her, as well. Onegai, Youko..." He silenced her with a finger pressed to her lips, nodding.

"I'll find her, and I'm sure Kuronue will help me, right, ol' buddy, ol' pal?" he asked somewhat playfully, turning to the bat demon, who nodded his head with a small, reassuring smile at Ai. The fox turned back to his priestess with a sly smile, trying to comfort her, "I promise you, Ai-chan, I will be back shortly."

"I know...be careful," she whispered, not surprised when he pressed his lips to hers. Kuronue cleared his throat from behind them, mumbling for them to get a room, and Youko pulled away, turning to throw a glare at his friend before glancing back at her with an 'I love you' in his eyes. She smiled lightly, nodding at him, and muttered, "Aishiteru, Youko-kun." The words surprised him---she had never told him she loved him before. His grin was triumphant as he grabbed Kuronue by the back of the neck before the bat could comment on his kit-like expression and dragged him off to 'heroically' save the child Kane.

Ai waited until they were gone to turn back to the trees, "I am ready now, Goshi, bring to me your wrath." A huge Akumu demon appeared as if from thin air, easily towering over her and standing to the full height of a tree beside them. She narrowed her eyes at it, prepared for what she had to do.

Her spirit energy heightened, and she knew both Youko and Kuronue were aware of it, and were probably turning to come see what had happened, but her attack would be her last. This beast had taken everything from her. It was the same one that had killed her parents and family when she was young.

"Ah, so you remember me, Priestess?" Goshi asked, his voice booming and sounding like several mechanic ones intertwined. ((Remember that freaking rock guardian beast guy Kurama took on? Yeah, imagine HIS voice.)) "Good, I had thought you'd forgotten..."

"I have not," Ai answered ferociously, eyes lighting up with a bright golden glow that absorbed her irises and pupils and made a golden aura around her. She dropped her bow to her side, lifting her palms to the air, and muttered, "Goddesses of Light and Shadow, guide me...strike down the evil that threatens to consume."

"What are you doing, Priestess?" Goshi boomed, slightly alarmed, and started to reach out to grab her before she did anything stupid. He was stopped, however, by a rainbow of light surrounding his arm, coiling up into his flesh.

"Now we are bound to the same fate," Ai told him, furrowing her brow. "To save Youko, to save Kuronue and Kane, I lay down my life." She brought down one palm, and pressed it to her heart, Goshi's eyes widening as light exploded from her fingertips, into her body. It was surprisingly painless, she thought, as the light exploded from her and made a huge ball, that enveloped both demon and priestess.

Youko had felt the spirit energy emitted from his beloved Ai and had turned back, Kuronue on his heels, but both were glued in their places when they saw a huge ball of blinding radiance surrounding the entire area of forest they'd left Ai in. Youko's mouth opened to cry out her name as he stepped forth, prepared to step into the light, but Kuronue knew what had happened, and wrapped an arm over Youko's chest, holding him in place. The golden eyes were wide as they watched the light grow, then dim into nothingness, leaving a patch of charred earth in its wake. Kuronue glanced at his friend, and released him, only to have the fox demon crumble to his knees, curling up, and playing his forehead onto his fists that balled up against the ground.

"She knew!" he growled furiously, "She knew what would happen, and she did nothing to prevent it!"

"Youko..." Kuronue had no words of comfort for his friend. He was at a loss at seeing the usually apathetic fox in tears at his feet, and at a loss at what Ai had done. He kneeled to one knee, resting a hand on the fox's shoulder. "We must find Kane for her, Youko..." he said after a length. "It's the least we can do."

-

Many moons had passed, and Youko had changed dramatically in front of Kuronue's eyes. The fox was more ruthless, more hostile than he had ever been before, and grew even more angry when Ai's name was mentioned. Now, the fox was sitting outside the Megumi Clan's current hideout, staring up at the full moon. He had asked to be left alone.

He narrowed his golden eyes, angry with the moon for reminding him of Ai.

Give me a reason to believe that you're gone.
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong.
Moonlight on the soft brown earth
It leads me to where you lay.
They took you away but now I'm taking you home.


He'd returned to the place with the charred earth before. That attack had devastated the earth, leaving it black and scorched, a permanent mark upon a face of beauty. He swore he could still pick up her scent there, as if she were standing in front of him, gazing at him with her loving blue eyes and her long, waist-length raven wing tresses.

I will stay here forever with you, my love.
The softly spoken words you gave me.
Even in death our love goes on.

He couldn't let go of her memory. And it drove him crazy that he could still smell her and could still feel her next to him when he lay in bed, restless at night. He knew, he just knew that she couldn't be gone from him forever. With this knowledge came carelessness---the same carelessness that led him to allow his partner to be killed, and the same carelessness that allowed a hunter to trap him.

Some say I'm crazy for my love, oh my love.
But no bonds can keep me from your side, oh my love.
They don't know you can't leave me,
They don't hear you singing to me.


In desperation to find her again, he'd found a new body to inhabit, the unborn baby of Shiori Minamino.

I will stay here forever with you, my love.
The softly spoken words you gave me.
Even in death our love goes on.

And I cannot love you, anymore than I do.

((Even in Death, Evanescence...don't own it))

- - -

Kurama yawned as he awoke rather calmly, for the first time since he'd started having the dreams about Ai. He sat up lazily, still stiff from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position while he was watching over Asa, and looked around his room at Genkai's, still in a slight daze.

So, Youko, now I know.

- You know what? -

Why you did it...why you escaped the hunter to enter my body.

- Hai, now you know. And are you really that surprised? -

Actually, not really. I figured you loved Ai a long time ago...I just didn't know how much you loved her.

Youko grew quiet then. Kurama smiled, and dragged himself off the futon, reaching for the shirt he'd removed the night before to sleep more comfortably and pulling it on sluggishly. ((AAH - I'm gonna get slapped for not having him shirtless longer!))

He thought about what he was going to do that day, probably a lot of it would involve checking on Asa every two minutes, and looked out the window to see that it was early afternoon. "How long did I sleep...?" he wondered aloud, narrowing his eyes, then shaking his head at himself. For the first time in a month he felt at ease about Youko's memories, now that he knew that the ruthless fox demon was really a big softy who had his love taken away from him. It was almost sweet, if it weren't so sad.

He smirked at himself, running a hand through his hair, and decided to go find the others before he checked on Asa, who was probably still asleep.

He found Genkai, Yusuke, Keiko, the twins, and the twins' new buddies, Jin and Touya, in the old psychic's living room, and nodded at them as he bid them good morning. "Oh, hey, fox-boy! You're awake!" Yusuke exclaimed, grinning in a way that made Kurama think he might have been spying on Keiko while she was dressing that morning or something.

"Jin, Touya, I didn't know you two were coming," Kurama said in greeting, smiling at them.

"Aye, we 'ad to come see the lass when we found out what'd happened to 'er, she's one o' me good buddies!" Jin explained.

"I know, she's very fond of you," Kurama said, his smile becoming slightly forced. He knew that Asa didn't like like Jin, but for some reason, he was still slightly jealous of the wind demon. Then again, he was Asa's best friend---she'd said so herself. That thought brought a touch of a triumphant smirk to his lips, as he continued, "I see you two have become acquainted with Kasumi and Natsumi."

"Hai, they were kind enough to lead us through this Labyrinth," Touya said calmly. ((You know, I suppose I should explain the Labyrinth joke...but if you don't get it, it's simple---the first time my friends and I saw Genkai's temple, Rachel shouted out, "It's the JAPANESE LABYRINTH!" It was so funny, it became an inside joke...weird...okay, moving on!))

"Kurama, have you checked on Asa yet?" Genkai asked, as Kurama took a seat in an armchair to Yusuke and Keiko's right.

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "I figured she would still be asleep."

"Aa, grandma, you don't expect the squirt to be able to stay awake for long periods of time after what she went through," Yusuke threw a quick glare at Genkai, who merely rolled her eyes in reply.

"Actually, I was surprised that she was awake at all this morning," the psychic admitted. "That girl's tougher than nails. But, she is still in danger," she said, exchanging a glance with Kurama, "Which is why I'd asked Jin and Touya to come back to the human world. I would like you two, along with Kasumi and Natsumi, to keep an eye on Asa whenever you can."

"Aye, that sounds like fun, don't it, lassies...and Touya?" Jin added when his friend shot him a dark glare that clearly said, "Stop flirting."

"Hai," Kasumi answered for herself and her sister, blushing lightly as Jin grinned at her.

"I hope Asa gets better soon...she can't go missing school too often," Keiko said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, then it's a good thing it's a long weekend, isn't it?" Yusuke asked, narrowing his eyes at Keiko. "God, onna, you're so hooked on school sometimes I think you and Kurama should be a couple."

Keiko's palm promptly implanted a new red mark on Yusuke's face, as she exclaimed, "Yusuke, you're such a ja-ku!"

Kurama sighed and settled back, watching Keiko continue to pummel Yusuke in amusement. Well, Asa now had even more bodyguards than she knew. Hopefully, it would be enough to protect her.

- - -

Meka- YAAY! Another chapter! Go me! Okay, now...Jin and Touya are here, too, to help me with review responses, and Touya!!

Touya- ...Aa?

Meka- Sazuka-Chan (thanks much, Sazuka, for your review!) has laid claim to you! So you're all hers! Okay?

Touya- ((sweat drop)) I don't remember agreeing to this, but... ((shrugs)) Fine.

Meka- Yay! KUWABARA!

Kuwabara- WHAT?!

Meka- ((hands him disclaimer sign)) Get back to yer post, ya big doofus.

Kuwabara- ((whines))

Meka- Okay, now that Melanie has updated her story ((cheers)) I've vowed to try and put two chapters of both Ebil Kitsune and AOF up, so I need to get back to work! But first, aww, Mel, it isn't supposed to be all sad and happy...wait, maybe it is?? Now I'M confused. Crud. Lol. And Chrisoriented, I was aware that you're a girl. So we're cool. Okay, g2g. See ya's!