Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for Rumiko and Rika. Any names for parks or places that happen to belong to actual locations are accidental. So I apologize if I used someone's name or whatever. Yoshihiro Togashi owns all characters, places, and attacks familiar with Yu Yu Hakusho.

"So what should we do?" Yusuke asks once he realizes that Rika has joined them.

"How should I know?" she retorts, "You're supposed to be helping me, remember?"

Yusuke rubs the back of his head, "Oh yeah. So should we just stay here then?"

"It seems unwise to advertise where Rika is staying. She should keep her profile as low as possible. For now at least."

Rika glances at Shuichi, "I suppose it's a good thing that you guys always stay over here then. Otherwise someone might suspect something."

She can feel the air around her tense as they realize what she means.

"You know, I'm gonna go out for a little while. To the arcade or something, you know, so it doesn't look suspicious," Yusuke sounds as though he's trying to take command of a situation he's lost control of.

"I'm going too! I'll kick your butt Urameshi!" Kuwabara yells.

Rika shakes her head and smiles, "Then Shuichi and Hiei will have to leave as well. Hopefully no one will notice that I stayed behind. But certainly they would notice if you two do."

Hiei stands from the window sill and moves to stand in front of her, "If you really think we would just leave you here alone, then you're dumber than the baka over there. Shuichi may have to leave, but I don't."

Rika glares at Hiei before turning her attention back to Shuichi, "Well, you have to figure out somewhere to go, even if it's just for a little while. I'm going to take this opportunity to read."

Rika stands and walks back to Shizuru's room to get one of Rumi's books. They had both brought a couple of them, but she had seen one earlier that she wanted to look at. Rika closes the door behind her and starts looking for the book. She can hear the boy's muffled voices as they leave the house.

"Hmmm, here it is. 'Oracles and Seers: The truth behind the myth.'" (I made this title up, but just incase it's an actual book out there somewhere, I don't own it.) Rika turns to walk over to the bed and nearly screams when she sees Hiei standing just a few feet from her. His arms are crossed over his chest in an almost sulky way, and he's glaring daggers at the woman.

"Do you people have to do that!" Rika gasps as she places a hand over her heart.

"Hn. It is not my fault that you didn't hear me come in." A hint of a smirk lingers on his lips as he watches Rika move over to the bed.

She tries to focus on the open book, but it proves impossible when she has a pissed looking demon standing there just staring at her. Rika sighs and closes the book, looking over at Hiei, "Alright. I'm going to wash some of these clothes. You want to watch me? You might learn something."

Hiei just glares and follows Rika as she collects the cologne drenched clothes and looks for the washer. She finds it after just a moment or two of looking, hidden in a closet type room at the back of the hallway. She loads the clothes and sets the temperature to cold. After a quick look at the detergents that are available she decides to use the ones she brought with her.

"This way I at least know what I'm using. Damn it, why didn't Rumi give me more time to learn how to read?"

Despite the fact that Rika is thinking this, Hiei sends her a strange look. "You actually can't read?"

Rika narrows her eyes, but refuses to look at him as she pours the detergent into the washer and starts it, "I can read English, Spanish, and German. I can speak those three, Czech, French, and Japanese. But I can't read the things you call writing."

He moves in front of her, "You have to be the dumbest smart person I know."

Rika blinks for a moment, surprised at his choice of words. That phrase had been used in some movie she'd seen once, and her friends back in the States accused her of that quite often. Her mind flooded with memories and for a moment Rika is lost to the world around her.

Rika's friend Dodie was sitting next to her in a movie theater, laughing at the movie they were watching.

"That's perfect for you Rika! The dumbest smart person!" She couldn't finish whatever she was thinking as she clutched her chair to keep from falling to the floor. Rika smiled at her and shook her head.

On the walk home, Rika got a strange feeling that someone was behind her. She stopped at the crosswalk, allowing Dodie to walk into the street. Halfway across, she stopped and looked back at Rika.

"Come on Rika! Move it!"

"I'm coming!" Rika called back. Just as she was about to step off the curb, a car came speeding around the corner and plowed Dodie into the ground. "Dodie!" she screamed as she ran out to her. There wasn't anyone else around, the guy that had hit her never even slowed down, and Rika felt panic take over as she called for an ambulance on her cell phone.

At Dodie's funeral Rika tried to console Sarah, another of her friends. Sarah and Dodie had been inseparable since they started Jr. High. They had attended the same college, and even worked at the same office after they graduated. Sarah ran from the burial site and disappeared into the crowded streets of the city.

Later that night Rika decided to check on Sarah and walked down the street to her apartment. Halfway there she stopped at Dodie's old apartment building and went inside. Using the key that her friend had given her, Rika opened the door and saw Sarah with a gun to her temple.

"Sarah NO!"

But Sarah didn't listen. She pulled the trigger as Rika started to run to her and blood splattered all over the wall. Rika noticed a picture Sarah had been holding. Dodie stands with her arm around both you and Sarah; written in gold gel pen on the bottom, "Friends for life!" Rika collapsed to the floor and spent the next hour crying her heart out until one of the neighbors found her.

Rika looks past Hiei walks to the room where her belongings are. Without a word, she takes her camera pack off and sets it on the floor. Rika takes her camera out, the rolls of film she had used, the new rolls still in their plastic canisters, and the neck strap that Rumiko had bought her before they left the U.S. Rika removes the plastic bottom of the bag itself to reveal a bracelet her father had given her. She looks at it, remembering the day he had given it to her.

Rumiko was in his room and their mother was in the kitchen fixing dinner. Rika sat with her father on the couch in silence. The television wasn't on, and the only sounds were those coming from the kitchen. The family had just found out that Father has cancer. The doctor's had given him a short life-expectancy, and everyone was dealing with it in their own ways. Rika looked at her father as she felt him shift on the cushions.

"Rika," he sounded so quiet, no laughter was hidden in his voice now, "I was going to wait to give you this. But now seems to be the best time. I don't want you to wear it, but always keep it with you. No matter what, don't show it to anyone. Not even your brother. This was my mother's bracelet. She gave it to me, and told me to give it to my daughter. It's special, Rika, and very old. Don't ever let anyone take it from you."

"Yes Father," she whispered. He placed the bracelet in her hand and closed her fist around it. Without another word, he stood and walked into the kitchen. Rika opened her hand and looked down at the bracelet.

Rika studies the silver bracelet with its little charms. They were so strange, a crescent moon with a blue stone in its cup where the rest of the moon should have been, a silver infinity sign, a circle cut in two; each half a tear shape, one white and the other black, and a purple a crystal that was perfectly round. Rika clasps the bracelet around her wrist. She doesn't know why, but she feels as though she should. The blue stone and purple crystal glow slightly. The clasp disappears and a tingling, like millions of needles piercing her skin, runs up her arm and spreads over her whole body. She closes her eyes against the discomfort, and when she opens them she feels different, though she doesn't know why. The world around her is in sharper focus, as though her senses had been asleep, and only now woke up. Rika's eyesight, which had always been ever so slightly blurred is suddenly sharp. She can read the titles on the spines of cd covers that are across the room, the sunlight is brighter, but doesn't hurt her eyes any more. The shadows don't seem as dark, and Hiei, who she just now take notice of, has a glowing aura; red and black swirl violently in the air around him as he steps toward her.

"What did you do, ningen?"

Rika looks up at him from her seat on the floor, "I've started something that must run its course. There will be no stopping the end this time. It will fulfill its own prophecy through that of my bloodline. What my ancestors started centuries ago will be finished through me, as I am truly the last of my kind."

Rika stands, and turns toward the door as Shuichi runs in. He seems alarmed, and beside him she sees a tall man with long white hair. His golden eyes pierce her blue ones, and his tails swish about behind him. His white fox ears are at attention, and a strange smirk curves his mouth. He steps into Shuichi's body and seems to mold himself into it. Rika catches herself on a nearby dresser as her legs try to give out.

The same man you had just seen is walking toward her. He holds out his hand and she takes it. He then runs, dragging her behind him until they are standing in a clearing. Rika feels power resonate within him, and suddenly white flowers are in bloom all around.

"This is a dream. I know it is. I fell asleep in my apartment. How is this so real?" she whispers as she looks around her.

"This is your fate. This is what will become of you, if you come with me."

Rika looks into the bright golden eyes of the man standing before her and sees her reflection in them. Her hair is black as night, and her eyes crystal blue. She looks down and sees that she is wearing a traditional kimono, white with blue embroidered flowers. Rika looks back up at him and gasps as he roughly pulls her to him.

"You are worthy, given the chance. And you will be mine, kitten."

Rika feels all the blood drain from her face as she loses all strength and collapses. Shuichi runs to her, asking if she feels alright. He turns toward Hiei, demanding to know what happened, but receiving no answer from him, Shuichi turns back to Rika. She recoils from his touch, and sees a strange hurt look flit across his eyes.

"Kurama?" she whispers.

The red head barely manages to hide the surprise he feels as he asks Rika, "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you; in my dream, months ago. But it was your past life I saw, the fox that resides within you."

Shuichi stands and looks down at Rika, seeming to remember something. She hears a faint growl and glances at Hiei. He's glaring at her murderously, easing his katana from its scabbard. Shuichi, apparently oblivious to the angry demon behind him, reaches down to help her up.

Hesitantly, Rika takes his hand and stands. He looks at her for a long time, his eyes traveling over her body. Rika shudders inwardly as she refrains from running.

"You and she are the same, aren't you?"

You could barely hear his whispered question, but nod in response anyway. Shuichi brings his gaze back to Rika's eyes, and she fights to keep from backing away. A loud buzz makes her jump out of her skin as the washer informs them it has finished its cycle. Rika blushes and steps around Shuichi; the young man that might very well be her last hope for survival. The young man that harbors the soul of the creature that promised her, so long ago, that she would be his.

AN: Ah, we're all caught up now, aren't we? Splendid. Now, I'll post the new chapter right after this one. And it's back to weekly updates. So I hope you didn't get used to this 'update-every-day' thing. Cause it's over and done with. Of course, I didn't really update everyday anyway. ((shrugs))