Even now I can still hear my cries for Kurama ringing through the house. It was such a painful moment in my life, but yet knowing how the story ends brings comfort to my soul. Knowing that, I can continue my story with out batting an eye. A strength I never knew I had.

Evening fell over the city, with it came stars and a delicate breeze. A breeze that made it's way into Kurama's room through the shattered window. Silent tears roamed down my cheeks, no sobs escaped my throat, or childish sniffles. Just tears. I had moved myself into the corner of his room that was free of any glass. I had since tended to my knee, carefully removing the shard of glass and had bandaged it with a torn cloth from my school skirt. The strength to actually leave the room had yet to come though, I knew calling the police would do nothing. I hadn't forgotten that Kurama was a demon and without any explanation I knew, this was the work of demons. Cruel heartless demons, not like Kurama and Hiei, these were demons from fairytales. The ones that bared large fangs and ate people, demons that stole children in their sleep and made you a slave.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the creaking of the door being opened. I held my breath and prepared for the worse, let's face it, I couldn't stand and my back was killing me. Chances of winning a fight against an all-powerful monster were .000001 out of 100. Then I felt a gentle calmness wash over me, realization hit. Hiei! The demon had swiftly moved to the center of the room, his eyes roaming over the debris. "So, what exactly happened?" his crimson eyes turning to me with a questioning look that I hardly recognized as Hiei's. Yet almost immediately the words tumbled out of my mouth, the tea, the cold, the mess, the silence, everything. Throughout all of it he stared out the window into the starry night sky. Soon I finished, tears rolling down my face and a feeling of helplessness filling my entire being. My friend was gone! The only friend I'd ever had was gone without a trace and all I could do was sit and cry. And as I almost gave in to my urge to sob when I heard Hiei's voice drift through the air.

"They took him to the Makai and they left a trail. So stop your pathetic bawling over someone who isn't gone forever you stupid wench." I stopped sobbing and stared at him in complete awe. The one he loved was missing, and he was completely calm. He wasn't sobbing and panicking like me, he was keeping quiet and thinking it all through. Just like the hero's in all the romance novels (the smart ones at least). When they lost their lover they stood calmly and thought of all the possibilities, then miraculously narrowed it down and gave a dramatic rescue. Maybe that wasn't completely Hiei's style but it seemed close enough. "So who took him?" I asked cautiously as to not throw him off his train of thought. He looked at me over his shoulder and smirked, "I'm flattered you think I can identify a thief just by his scent but unfortunately most demons smell the same. I simply have to track them down and find Kurama." "It's that easy?" I questioned, shocked at how simple it seemed. "My fox has strong ki, I simply have to follow it and any scent familiar to the one coating this room." With that said he covered his nose and gave a look of disgust, "It's all over…the smell of Kurama's blood. It's everywhere." He then came over to me and offered his free hand and I gratefully took it. To stand on my own would've hurt too much.

I sat in the bathroom bandaging my wounds, having already removed the shards of glass that had found their way into my skin. Hiei had gone back into Kurama's room to see if he could find anything of use. Possibly a scrap of clothing from the kidnapper, or maybe something to give a hint to where they were heading. I quickly finished the last bandage and slowly stood and made my way down the hall to Kurama's room. Surprisingly it wasn't too painful, and I was able to walk with only a little assistance from the wall. As I reached the door I saw Hiei standing next to what was once a large window. "Did you find anything?" I asked quickly, crossing my fingers and closing my eyes in hope. He turned and held up a piece of cloth. "It seems our kidnappers our priests." I suddenly had an image of an elderly man with a large cross and robe swooping in and making off with Kurama. "Like at church?" He rolled his eyes and looked back out the window, "No like cult priests who I heard never left their temple." I only grew more puzzled and Hiei was quite aware of how immensely lost I was. "It's quite the legend so listen carefully, I hate to repeat myself." I moved to the bed and sat down quietly.

"There is a legend in demon world, actually it's heard just about everywhere but in human world." He gave me a look and I felt a bit of resentment towards him, he always made humans out to be some dimwitted creatures who couldn't tell up from down. "This legend referred to the force of life and the chosen group of priests who guarded it. Apparently each priest was forced to give up their lives in order to care for this force or core that was supposed to be life itself. In giving themselves up they became a certain evil, well more or less stood for it. Evils like hate, anger, despair, death, torture and so on. Each of these evils were made to watch over life in order to guard it from others and keep it alive." I had never felt more lost in my life. Evil guarding life? Priests that stood for hate? "But Hiei," I said puzzled, "why would evil guard life? Why turn priests evil?" He seemed annoyed at my questioning but decided to answer anyway. "Who better to guard something so pure and innocent then evil itself? And I said earlier it didn't turn the priest's evil it turned them each into a symbol or keeper. The priest's themselves aren't evil."

I can still remember my head spinning round and round. It made no sense what so ever! "How can they keep something like death or hate but not be it?" Hiei sighed and walked over to me. "I want you to hold this cloth, then maybe you'll understand what it means to be keeper of an evil." He held the cloth out to me and with shaking hands I clasped it tightly.

Immediately memories that weren't mine came rushing through my mind. Cries of agony and despair rushed through my thoughts and images flashed before my eyes. A young girl kneeled next to a mound of dirt at the bottom of a tree, crying over the grave of her cat. A woman fell to the ground in tears clasping the letter that said her husband died in combat. A husband sobbed outside a burning building, holding the body of his dead daughter. A young girl sat in the corner of a debris-covered room, crying into the night for her missing friend. A man stood still as his heart screamed at the sight of his lover's blood all over the floor. Then it stopped. I hadn't let go of the cloth; both hands still tightly gripped it, yet the despair and agony had disappeared. Then softly, I heard the gentle hum of a woman. It felt as if the sweet melody was wrapping its arms around me and keeping me safe from all evils. Suddenly it all vanished as the cloth was snapped from my hands. "Do you understand now?" Hiei questioned still keeping his passive face. "You mean they wear the feelings they stand for?" It sounded odd, even in the ears of someone who had just experienced it but the concept was rather hard to grasp. "Yes. You were holding a scrap of cloth from the priest of despair and agony. Every event in human life the somehow relates to that feeling will automatically being transferred to that priests robe. Making them the keeper of that painful emotion." It had begun to make sense when another question surfaced, "But why did I hear that woman singing? It wasn't despairing at all, it was happy and warm." Hiei looked at me puzzled then looked to the cloth in his hands. "Impossible. This is a cloth of true agony, no happiness at all." "But it was there Hiei! I felt it!" He looked at me again then shrugged it off. "That doesn't matter. All that matters now is finding Kurama."

And with that said he made his way over to the shattered window and it suddenly occurred to me that he was about to leave and he had no intention of taking me. I ran over and grabbed his arm, "Hiei I want to come!" "No." "But he's my friend to!" He glowered at me, "I refuse to be slowed down by some limping bitch who wouldn't last a day in demon world." "Please Hiei! If I don't help I'll never forgive myself! He needs my help just as much as he needs yours!" He gave a look of disdain then fell into silence. I looked at him and gave a soft sigh, "Please Hiei…he's the only friend I have. I need him around and if I don't help and neither of you come back I won't be able to live with myself. I'd rather die trying then live and never try." Hiei looked me over with a look that seemed to hold a smidge of respect. "Fine, come along if you must. But if you get yourself killed don't expect any sympathy." "Of course Hiei." And with that said the two of us set out into the night to recover the one we lost.