I watched as all of our attacks seemed to congeal into one as it hit the center, the center being Shuichi. There was no time for him to react as the attacks struck him sending him reeling up and come crashing back down with a sickening thud. He lay on the ground unconscious gasping for air. It was difficult to see him laying there injured and possibly dying so much so I began to walk over to him slowly. Hiei grabbed my wrist.
"I got him. Go and check the fox." He said and let go. I nodded and ran to the other side of the cave noting the plants were at bay since Shuichi was out cold. I knelt down next to Yoko and gasped at the paleness of his face.
"Yoko?" I whispered softly smoothing out his hair that was sticky and matted with blood. I gently kissed his cheek urging him to wake up make a noise or show some sign of life. There was nothing. I couldn't even detect a breath. I looked frantically over at the others unable to call out to them. Kazuma caught my distressed look and came running over.
"What's wrong? Is Yoko alright?" He asked.
"Is Shuichi still alive?" I asked. Kazuma nodded and placed his hands on Yoko's shoulders and shook him gently.
"Hey buddy time to wake up." Yusuke walked over concerned and knelt down in between Kazuma and I.
"Come on man. Don't do this to us." He said. Hiei stayed by Shuichi keeping his hand on the guy's throat in case he tried anything.
"We have to get out of here and back into our bodies." I called over to him. He shook his head.
"We can't until Yoko is awake and we make sure that he is in complete control." He stated. I turned my attention back to the fox. Yusuke and Kazuma had released his bonds and laid him on the ground. I gently placed his head on my lap and brushed his long silvery bangs to the side.
"Please kitsune just wake up. We didn't go through all this to save you and now…. Please Kurama just wake up." I said tears sliding down my cheeks. The cavern began to become transparent and dissipate. Kazuma and Yusuke said later it was the weirdest thing they had ever seen but at the time I was paying attention to more important things. A warm spring breeze began to flow around us flinging my hair every which way. I glanced around for a split second taking in our surroundings. Lush green grass sprawled in an endless carpet. Flowers popped up and bloomed before our eyes.
"Wow didn't know you had it in ya shorty." Kazuma said to Hiei.
"Again this is not my doing." Hiei said annoyed with him already. A hand stroked my cheek causing me to flinch a little. I whipped my head down to see Yoko staring up at me with a grin playing across his lips. I was so overwhelmed to the point that I couldn't speak.
"Hey have a nice nap?" Yusuke asked
"Yes I did actually." Yoko stated sitting up and clutching his head wincing in pain.
"Be careful. Don't over do it." I said standing to examine the wound again. He shook his head.
"I'm fine. Besides I have some business to take care of." He said standing up. He gracefully walked over to Shuichi picking him up by his collar. Shuichi blinked out of unconsciousness looking very confused. He stared at Yoko as green eyes met gold and he flinched as if afraid Yoko would harm him. I watched as the fox merely glared at him as if boring into his soul.
"Come on Shuichi. It's time to make things right." Yoko said. Shuichi began to struggle.
"Just you wait youkai! I'll break free again but next time you won't be so fortunate as to win. None of you will." He yelled. Yoko held him up higher.
"No you won't because you won't remember any of this." He said darkly. Even though Shuichi had done some pretty horrible things I was worried about exactly what would happen to him. As if picking up on my thoughts Yoko turned his attention back to me.
"Don't worry. His punishment won't be too harsh." He said.
I stand at my sink staring out the kitchen window blankly watching the twins, Kuronue and Kanna play with Kurama. I smile to myself and shake my head at the old memories, how long had it been now? Nearly ten years. Kurama and I were married three years after the Shuichi incident had occurred. We had decided perhaps it was for the best for him to return to his fox form and stay as Yoko. Shortly before the twins were born we left for the Makai being that we didn't think a ningen hospital would be capable of handling two newborn kits. I close my eyes smiling to myself hearing my family enter our home.
"Ama! Ama! Looky-look." Kanna explains proudly hold up a flower.
"Oh sweetie did you grow that yourself?" I ask in my motherly tone. She nods happily.
"It's beautiful." I say.
"Kuronue got all dirty again." She said pointing to her brother. I smile to see my son's smudgy little face poke around the corner.
"It's okay that's what water is for. Now both of you go wash up it's dinner time." They both look at me as if I've given them a death sentence. I point to well and they amble off, slow at first then running to try and beat each other. Kurama comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
"What were you thinking about?" He whispers heavily in ear.
"Just the past." I say turning to face him. I know that I have aged a bit not much since I'm still young but Yoko is still flawless in all his graceful beauty. He smirks at me leaning down for a kiss. Our lips are inches apart when…
"Ewwww! Their doing it again Kanna!" Kuronue yelled from the doorway.
"Ahhhh! Not again." She says from outside. Kurama and I laugh a little at our kits.
"Alright come on. Time to eat." He says getting intercepted to the table by the kits. I look at my family for a moment smiling to myself happily.
"This is the life."