A/N: This was originally intended to be humor. Well, it didn't really end up that way. Hope it is still good, either way.

For this piece I wanted to work on some of the characters that aren't seen that often in this section. Specifically, I wanted to write them when they had only know each other for about a year. So their personalities might not be entirely what they are in the manga...but pretty close, in my opinion.

Hope you enjoy this. I will be updating Searching and Changing in the next few days, in case anyone was wondering.

Playing Catch

Yaone walked swiftly up and down the corridors of Houtou castle, her breath coming in short gasps. She had been running around for the last hour and as she rounded the corner she paused, leaning over slightly and breathing deeply. Then she straightened.

"Lirin! Lady Lirin!" she called, pressing one hand into her abdomen as she sought to rid herself of the stitch in her side. "Where are you, Lady Lirin?"

There was no answer; just the incredibly faint echo of her voice as it filtered down the halls. Then there was silence. Yaone leaned back against the wall and sighed. Looking after this child was proving to be more work than she had previously thought. Lirin, despite being over five hundred years old and looking to be in her teens, acted as though she were no more than nine years old, running, hiding, and leading Yaone in a merry chase around the castle.

Yaone was currently having no fun at all. Running around in high heels was not the way she had wanted to spend her day. And she had no wish to have to tell Lord Kougaiji that she had lost his sister. To do so would mean demeaning herself in his eyes and that was something that she did not want to do. It would make her feel worthless, not even being able to watch over a child.

"Yaone!"

She jumped at the deep male voice, startled. She became temporarily unbalanced and she stumbled as she tried to stand up straight, her ankle turning as she stepped down wrong. A small cry escaped her lips and then she felt a hand on her arm, helping her to steady herself.

"Th-thank you, Dokugakuji-san," she stuttered, standing straight, being careful to keep her weight off of the foot that was now hurting slightly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention—"

"It is all right, Yaone." The black-haired youkai removed his hand from her arm when he was sure that she was steady on her feet. "And please, just call me Dokugakuji. We work together and we have known each other for over a year; there is no need for such formalities."

Yaone's cheeks flushed and she looked downwards. "Al-all right, then. Dokugakuji. Is there something that you wanted?"

Dokugakuji nodded, crossing his arms as he stood there watching her. "Lord Kougaiji wants to talk to you. He's—well, I am sure that you can guess where he is."

Yaone nodded, still not meeting Dokugakuji's eyes. She had met him more than a year ago, but she was still uncomfortable when in his presence. Still felt inferior around both him and Lord Kougaiji. "Yes. I know. Th-thank you for telling me that he has requested my presence." She turned, starting to walk off down the hall, albeit at a much slower pace than she had been doing just several minutes earlier.

"Well, then," said Dokugakuji, falling into step beside her, "do you mind if I walk with you? Lord Kougaiji wanted to see me as well, so I might as well head back with you."

"Oh, I don't mind." Yaone winced slightly every time she put her weight on her injured ankle. Why she had to be so careless, she didn't know. And with that thought she remembered who she had been looking for…

She turned her head from this side to that as they walked, looking around for any sign of the auburn haired girl. She had to be here somewhere; she couldn't have just vanished into thin air.

"Yaone?" Dokugakuji's voice cut through her thoughts and she turned her head so that she could see him.

"Yes, Dokugakuji-sa—sorry. Yes?" Her legs were beginning to burn again; his strides were so much longer than hers that she had to walk twice as fast to keep up.

He seemed to notice that she was struggling, as he slowed his pace. "Lord Kougaiji asked you to watch over Lady Lirin, didn't he? Where is she?"

Yaone felt her cheeks heating and she put one hand to her face to try to hide it. "Um…that is…well…"

To her surprise and embarrassment, Dokugakuji began to laugh. Well, it was more like he began to chuckle, but it was still at her expense. She felt as though her cheeks were on fire.

"That's just wonderful! She ran away again, didn't she?" He stifled his laughter but she could still amusement in his voice. She nodded meekly. "Don't worry about it. She gets out all the time. She's probably just somewhere in the castle."

"Probably." Yaone began to chew on her bottom lip, growing more nervous as they neared the room where they would meet Kougaiji. "But still…it was my responsibility to keep an eye on her. Oh, what will I say to Kougaiji-sama?"

Dokugakuji saw the worry in her eyes and set a hand on her arm. "Yaone, it will be fine. Kougaiji will understand. Besides, we will find Lirin. So don't worry, okay?"

The dark haired woman nodded, though she was still not happy about having lost Lirin. Losing the girl mean that…meant that she was useless.

Not entirely useless, she reminded herself. You can still make poisons and explosives. And you rarely screw that up.

Then something that Dokugakuji had said finally hit her, almost making her stop dead in her tracks.

"Wait. Did you just…did you just say that we will find her? Are you—?" She cut her words off, looking almost hopefully at him.

"Yeah. I'll help you find her."

Yaone smiled up at the tall swordsman. "Thank you, Dokugakuji. It means a lot to me." Then she sighed, pushing a sweaty strand of hair out of her face. "You've been here longer than me; has she always been this way?"

Dokugakuji shrugged, steering Yaone around a corner as she almost walked the wrong way. "For as long as I have known her. She delights in making Lord Kougaiji worry, as well as scaring those who take care of her. And you've been warned about the pranks?"

She nodded, stifling a laugh. Yes, she knew about the pranks. Had seen a few of them performed on the maids, scaring them half out of their minds. Lirin was most certainly a handful.

They had finally come to where they would find Lord Kougaiji; Lady Rasetsunyo's chamber. The doors were open and so the two youkai walked in.

It was a large room, the ceiling vaulted and rising for fifty or so feet above their heads. Massive columns were positioned around the walls, supporting that ceiling, cables holding pieces of paper upon which characters and spells were written strung between them. Torches cast flickering light around the room, casting shadows in a play of light and dark that bewildered the eye. On the farthest end of the room was Rasetsunyo's pillar.

It was the tallest of all the columns, reaching the farthest into the air. It was smooth, as though someone had labored for many years with sandpaper, removing the smallest imperfections and capturing the beauty of the rock. That rock was—from a distance—merely of a sandy brown color. Nothing unique about it. Yet upon closer inspection it proved to have layers of color, one upon another, in lines that swirled up and around the pillar. Reds, greens, blues, browns, and blacks of muted tones all spun together as though some ancient river had left deposits of minerals in it. But the pillar was not made in any natural way…

Part way up the pillar was Rasetsunyo, entombed forever in stone, her features smoothed to perfection, every detail of her there, like a work of art by some long dead sculptor. But Rasetsunyo had once been free, had once been a living, breathing woman…

In the center of the room, staring up at the statue, was Kougaiji. They had found him here so often, gazing at what remained of his mother. Wishing and hoping and thinking of some way to free her.

"L-lord Kougaiji?" Yaone called out softly after they had stood there for a few minutes, unnoticed. The man turned his head, his wine-red hair whipping around him as he moved swiftly, coming to a point just before them.

"Yaone. Dokugaku. Thank you both for coming." Yaone searched his words for any evidence of what he had to tell them. Nothing.

"Yes, well…Dokugakuji just…" She really didn't have anything to say, so she shut her mouth. Sometimes she felt so…so useless.

Kougaiji just smiled at her and she felt her heart leap in her chest. "I am glad that you were able to find Yaone," he said to Dokugakuji. "What I have to tell you concerns both of you, to a certain extent."

"And what is it, exactly? You haven't really given us any specifics," drawled Dokugakuji. He was far less formal towards Kougaiji than Yaone was. Always speaking what was on his mind. Acting far more like Kougaiji's equal than his subordinate.

Kougaiji crossed his arms, glaring at his swordsman. "That is because I was waiting to tell both of you. At the same time." He stopped then, starting to pace. Yaone watched him for a moment, then spoke up tentatively.

"Ah…Lord Kougaiji?"

He stopped, as though suddenly remembering they were there. "Gyokumen Koushu has another 'mission' for us," he snarled and Yaone inwardly winced, hearing all the hate he had for the woman in those few words. "To put it simply, we are to go and negotiate with some human scientist and try to get him to accompany us back here."

Yaone frowned. "Why, my lord?"

Kougaiji had taken to pacing again. "She has some great plan that she wants to enact. She wants to revive Gyumaoh. Damn bitch. If it weren't for the fact that she said that she would find a way to release my mother…"

"You wouldn't do a thing?" finished Dokugakuji, looking completely at ease. "Look, Kou, we've got your back. Whatever it is we are supposed to do. But a human scientist?" He looked skeptical. "Why?"

"Do you think that woman tells me?"

Yaone fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the other. Her ankle still hurt, though only slightly. "My lord, what is it that you need us to do?"

Kougaiji sighed, Yaone having brought him out of his rant. "I am going to need you for your powders and potions. There may be a chance that he won't come easily; Gyokumen Koushu has told me to use any means possible to get him. And Dokugakuji will be there just in case things get ugly."

Dokugakuji grinned. "Yeah, 'cause we all know you can't take care of yourself."

"Dokugakuji!" hissed Yaone, wanting to kick him for his impertinence.

"Hey! He knows I'm joking!"

Kougaiji nodded. "Yes, I knew that was a joke. But Yaone…where is Lirin?"

Yaone froze. "Ah…um…" This was precisely what she had wanted to avoid. She hadn't wanted to fail him by losing Lirin. She hadn't—

Kougaiji put a hand to his head, as though thoroughly drained by everything. "She's disappeared again, hasn't she?"

"Y-yes," Yaone squeaked out, certain that her face was bright red. Even more certain that Kougaiji was incredibly disappointed in her. "I tried to find her, my lord, but I've only searched half the castle and you called me here before I could search the other half but I swear that I will find her and—"

"Yaone!" Kougaiji held up a hand, causing her to break off her words and fall silent. "Don't worry about it. We will find her. I highly doubt that she has left the castle; she will show up."

"Yes, my lord. I-I am sorry." She wanted to ground to open up and swallow her at that moment.

"Don't be sorry, Yaone. She's run away from everyone. It is one of the things that she enjoys."

"Told you," said Dokugakuji with a smirk. "Didn't I?"

Yaone sighed. "You did." She crossed her arms over her stomach, inclining her head slightly. "My lord, when are we to leave?" Changing the subject might work…

"As soon as possible."

"Then…then I had probably go prepare. My powders and such, I mean. After I find Lirin, that is…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

Dokugakuji set a hand to her shoulder. "Hey, I said I'd help you. Come on, Yaone. We've got half a castle to cover."

…

"She isn't anywhere! Dokugakuji, I don't know what to do! We can't find her!" Yaone clutched a lock of her hair in her hand, tugging on it in her worry. They had been searching for the past hour and they had still not found the missing Lirin.

"Yaone, calm down." Dokugakuji set his hand on Yaone's shoulder. "We just have to keep looking—"

Yaone brushed away his hand. "You've said that at least ten times, Dokugakuji. And we haven't found her. We still have to get ready for this mission and…" She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And Lirin's driving me crazy." She took several steps forward. "Shame we have to leave today. I could use some rest."

Dokugakuji raised his eyebrows as he watched her stumble forward. "Yaone, Kou never said anything about leaving today. He just said—"

"As soon as possible, Dokugakuji. And that means tonight." She released her grip on her hair, pushing it back so that it didn't hang in her face. "Which means that I need to get ready…"

Dokugakuji jumped forward and grabbed her by the arm as he saw her waver on her feet. "You are not going to do anything. Shit, Yaone. You look like you're going to collapse right here. I'll talk to Kou, see if we can wait until tomorrow to leave. And you…I'm taking you back to your chambers. Lirin will show up. Don't worry."

She tried to protest but he had already begun to steer her towards her room. She had to admit that he was right. She was exhausted. Chasing after Lirin had only been one of the events of the day and all the rest…she felt completely drained.

"Dokugakuji. Yaone." She looked up as she heard the familiar voice, seeing her master walking toward them. He paused before them, catching Yaone's chin and angling it upward so that he could see her face. "Yaone, are you feeling all right?"

So kind. He was always so kind to her, even when she didn't deserve it. The change in his voice just then…from purposeful to worry…it knocked her mind out of balance, whirling her emotions around so that she wasn't sure what was happening.

She really didn't deserve any kindness. But she received it, nonetheless.

"Y-yes. I am fine, my lord."

It was obvious from the look on his face that he didn't believe her. "Yaone…"

She locked her eyes with his. "Lord Kougaiji, I am fine. Do not worry about me."

"Kou," cut in Dokugakuji, releasing his hold on her arm. "When were you planning on us leaving?"

Kougaiji looked towards the black haired kappa. "Gyokumen Koushu wants us to leave tonight. But there is no way that I am doing that. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Yaone gave a sigh of relief. Good. Now she just had to find Lirin…

Her room was just down the corridor that they were currently stopped in. In a few moments she would be there, be able to lie down in her bed and fall asleep. She glanced down the hall and—

Wait.

She squinted, trying to see clearly in the dim light that the torches cast. What was that? Her door—

Her door was open.

She took several steps forward, shaking off her fatigue as she sped up. Who the hell—

"Yaone?"

She reached her room within moments, crossing the threshold and then stopping in her tracks. She was barely aware that Kougaiji and Dokugakuji had followed her.

"What the hell happened?" asked Dokugakuji, moving past her and letting his sword form in his hand. Kougaiji stepped past her as well.

"Be careful, Dokugakuji. Whoever did this may still be here."

The swordsman nodded and the two began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the room.

What had happened?

Her room was in shambles. She stood there in shock as she saw that herbs and chemicals and glass were smashed around the room. The cabinets were open, supplies scattered everywhere. Her eyes widened as she saw that several vials of various liquids and powders had shattered. This was not good. Not good at all. Some of the substances in here were not supposed to be mixed. Well, none of them were dead yet, so that must mean that nothing incredibly bad had occurred.

Then she noticed that the door to her sleeping chambers was slightly ajar as well. Reaching into the pouch that hung at her side, she withdrew several small explosives that would detonate when she threw them. They were of a type that she tended to carry around with her; spherical objects that—when the piece of metal that served as a fail safe in case she were to accidentally fall or otherwise drop them—would create a small scale explosion. Enough of one to potentially kill someone.

She pushed the door the rest of the way open, shoulder tensed and ready to throw the explosives. Ready to—

Then she saw who was in her room.

Lirin was sitting there—no, she was sprawled on Yaone's bed, her eyes closed. Asleep.

Lirin?

"Lirin!"

The girl shot straight up as Yaone's voice echoed around the room. Auburn hair flying everywhere, green eyes opened wide instantly, Lirin jumped off the bed and bounded up to Yaone.

"Yaone-san!"

Yaone bit down on her bottom lip, returning the explosives to their holder. "Lirin…" She tried to keep her anger under control. "Did you go through my room?"

Lirin looked down at the floor, dragging her foot back and forth across the ground. "Well…" She looked up, smiling. "Hiya, Oniichan!"

Yaone didn't even look back, knowing Kougaiji and Dokugakuji were both there. "Lirin, answer my question." Her voice dropped dangerously. Some of the things that had been broken…

Lirin shrank before Yaone, sensing her anger. "Um…yeah."

"Lirin! How many—I told you not to—how dare you go running off and destroying my room? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to touch some of the things in here? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? And haven't I told you not to touch my things?" Her voice had begun to rise to a very high pitch and then she cut off her words. Took a deep breath. Then sagged back against the wall, one hand to her head. "Damn it, Lirin…"

"Lirin. Go to your room. No detours. I will be talking with you later." Silence. "Go."

"Yes, Oniichan."

"Dokugakuji?"

"Yeah?"

"Go with her. Make sure that she doesn't run off again."

"Of course."

Yaone heard the door close and Dokugakuji's heavy footsteps fade away. Then she opened her eyes, coming face to face with Kougaiji.

"You all right?" he asked her again, just as he had done moments before. She took a deep, shaking breath.

"N-not really." She looked back to the room that had contained all of the chemicals and poisons. All of her work. "Some of that stuff in there…if Lirin had accidentally spill two of the wrong things and had them mix together…she'd be dead right now. An-and some of those things…they belonged to my father. They aren't replaceable. I'm just…"

Kougaiji set a hand to her shoulder, than pulled her into a tight embrace. She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed in his arms. When he finally pulled away she gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." And really, that gesture of kindness had made her feel much better. Not like she was instantly perfect again. But she was better.

Kougaiji returned the smile. "I'll talk to Lirin about this. And Yaone?"

"Yes?"

"Get some rest. We leave in the morning."

She nodded, watching him as he walked to the door. "Kougaiji!" He stopped, turning back around to face her. She felt her face redden as she realized that she had forgotten to call him Lord Kougaiji. She had just—

"Yes?"

She smiled brightly. For him.

"I'll be ready."

A/N2: Questions? Comments? Catch any errors in the text? Misspelled names? If anything was confusing, tell me and I will try to explain it.

Thanks for reading,

Raven