Pt 2 – loss

"You sure?" Miya crossed her arms and glared.

"No Hiei, I just came to you because I'm one hundred percent sure it was a nightmare…like HELL I'm sure! He's telepathic! He's not even born yet and has already figured out how to access parts of my mind!" Hiei eyed her seriously for a moment.

He knew something was up when she burst into the armory and practically demanded that he talk to her in private. When she had told him what happened in the garden he was more than slightly dubious. It was only five months after conception: babies haven't even developed a decent sized brain yet, much less be able to communicate telepathically or tap into someone else's speech patterns. She was probably under stress or something. But when he saw her face he knew that, whether or not it had actually happened, it felt very real to her.

"Sit. Close your eyes and try to calm down. I want to see if I can reach who-ever this person is. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this." Uncharacteristically obedient, Miya sank down onto the bed.

Hiei could see it in her eyes: she was scared for her baby. Who knew the full extent of Banshi's power? Hiei hoped, for her sake, that it was just trick of her mind.

Gently he grasped her shoulders and all three eyes closed. Miya bit down her anxiety and dispelled the excess energy her emotions were building up. Slowly she drifted off into a half-point between asleep and awake. They had done this many times before: using their minds to pull themselves out of reality and hover between it and dreams. The transition went smoothly and a moment later they both floated in a silver mist.

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"Miya…" she looked over at Hiei. "See? There's no one here." He was right. The place was empty save for them.

"But that can't be right! He was there; I heard him!"

"I have no doubt you heard something Kirai but I honestly doubt it was the baby. You're just nervous with all that has been going on with Banshi. Come on, let's go back." Miya took his offered hand.

"Wait…"

"What the…?"

"Wait! Don't leave me!"

Both heads swirled, looking for the origin of the new voice.

"I can't reach you! Please don't leave!" He sounded desperate. Hiei stepped in front of Miya.

"Who's there?"

"I don't know. But I'm lonely." Hiei glanced back and the kitsune nodded. This was the same voice she had heard.

"Hold on. I'm going to pull you in." Hiei concentrated, fists clenched, as his mind grasped the smaller one and pulled him in. When he opened his eyes…there was still no one there.

"He doesn't have a body yet." Miya smiled, happy that she had not been losing her mind. "You can't see him because he's still a part of me."

The koorime felt a brush at the edge of his mind and he instantly remembered why this was so familiar. This was the same response he had gotten when he tried to help Shinbi. This was the same way Miya's mind had felt when she was a baby!

The presence 'floated' around them, echoing back their thoughts. It hadn't built a vocabulary of its own so it had to rely on others.

"Do you know who I am?" Despite himself Hiei recoiled, disturbed and questioning.

What the heck was this thing? It didn't seem to notice his discomfort and kept coming closer. It didn't hurt…just felt strange. It was an unfamiliar, an unusual concept and Hiei immediately disliked it, not for anything that it had done, but simply because it was a foreign factor that he was neither aware of nor able to control. He hated not being in control.

Maybe it was bored or something because it eventually moved on to Miya. Warily Hiei moved closer but she absently waved him off, attention focused solely on the swirling entity. A moment later he couldn't see her anymore.

"Miya!"

"It's alright Hiei. Really."

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Miya's eyes closed as the being surrounded her. Hiei was being unreasonable. She felt no malice from it, just plain curiosity. Slowly she reached out and it swirled around her hand. A small smile tugged at her mouth.

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It took a moment or two before Hiei realized that Miya was no longer there. She had crossed over to sleep and her mind returned to her body. Hiei followed, pulling himself out of the limbo.

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His eyes opened and Miya lay beside him, asleep with a small smile on her face. He wondered what she was dreaming about. It wouldn't be so hard to figure out, but he decided to leave it. Gently her placed her all the way on the bed and covered her before silently slipping out of the room.

He didn't like it. He knew he couldn't tell Miya, not until he had proof, but he didn't like what was going on. He wasn't sure just what it all meant but he was sure it wasn't good.

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"So it felt exactly like Miya's mind did before she had a fully developed consciousness?"

"Right."

"And it pretty much focused its attention her?"

"Yes. I don't know what to make of it. It's nothing I can actually pinpoint but there's this…feeling. Like something's not right and I just can't figure out what it is. I'm no expert on babies but…" Hiei leaned against the counter, slightly uncomfortable. It was bad enough that he never figured he would ever be asking a human for advice; the…privacy of this situation made telling it to the ningen even harder but the fact of the matter was he needed help. And she was probably one of the best people to talk to.

Keiko drummed thoughtfully on the counter, quite enjoying the koorime's discomfort. He had originally come to see Yusuke but he wasn't here. He was about to leave when he decided that the matter was way too pressing to keep to himself.

Besides, the information was probably better off with Keiko anyway.

"It's one of the strangest things I've ever heard. Not even Genkai had telepathic ability at birth. But then again, you and Miya are both extremely powerful telepaths. It only makes sense the baby would be a telepath as well. I'm guessing that hybrid or mixed yokai races sometimes result in a child more powerful than either parent. It's possible that the koorime and kitsune blood in him are just showing their true colors."

"And if Banshi's behind this?" Keiko's face fell.

"Then Miya is in for a world of pain. I know what it's like." Hiei nodded, understanding completely. She probably hadn't meant to think about it just then but he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of her memories.

She had miscarried three times before she had the twins. They happened very early in the pregnancy; not even Yusuke knew about them, she had hidden them that well. Each time was like someone twisting a knife in her heart and for a while she almost gave up hope of ever being a mother. Then the twins…

It took her a moment before she realized that she had been a little too open with her thoughts.

When she looked up Hiei refused to meet her eyes; so he knew.

"I…forgive me, I should have been more careful…" She waved dismissively.

"It would have come out some time or other. I guess that's the downside to having telepathic friends."

He started at the word friend but regained his composure before she realized.

They talked…well mostly she talked and he listened…for over an hour. Then, without warning, a terrified mental scream ripped through his mind. Violently he shuddered uncontrollably. He barely heard Keiko ask if he was alright.

No! Damn it! What the hell is happening! Miya! Can you hear me? Mi…

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"It's a kitsune!"

"You sure? Pure breeds are pretty rare these days."

"I'm sure. This one's the genuine article. What do I do with her?"

"Just keep her bound for a while. Scans show a lot of mental stress; who knows what she'll do to herself? Looks like she had a miscarriage recently too. I'll tell the lord. I'm sure he'll be interested.