To Peeka-chan: Thank you.

To Asilin Kheldarson: Wow, you are extremely sharp. Yes, there is that possibility, but you'll have to wait and see. Hope you like this chapter.

Well, what to say? Welcome to the first chapter of Act Three, the final act. Sorry for the long wait, hope you don't hate this one too badly.

Chapter Twenty: Under the Wandering Star

Fluffing its feathers against the oncoming of night breeze, the rook shook out one wing and began to preen the elegant pinions. Nudging one particular feather into place, the bird's silent labor was broken as someone or something was thrown out from the thin air and tossed straight at the rook's tree. With a startled squawk it flew, sable head turning down and glaring at the one who disrupted its daily routine.

It was one of those, those two legged creatures who could control the powers of this world like leviathans. They were intelligent enough, though the bird never liked them; the young of their species tend to use the likes of it as target practice for honing their abilities. The only reason the rook had been able to survive for so long was its sharp hearing and far eyesight that, coupled with the advantage of height, allowed the bird to see anyone that's coming its way.

But this time it was caught off-guard, surprised to its feathers when that creature had appeared out of no-where. As it flew now, the rook glared down at the intruder and squawked harshly at the body. No response. The bird gave a final warning cry and flapped away, not wanting to waste any more time with the intruder…

-

What in the name of…? The blind gaze stared up at the silver sky. Where was he? A wavering scent touched his nose, one much like fresh-cut grass and yet different. The eyes turned from the sky down to the earth. Golden flowers greeted his gaze, delicate petals of pale honey drinking in the pale grey light of the heavens. All around, these sunlit flowers graced the grounds. Scattered were frosted leaf trees shooting randomly out of the earth, crystal mint leaves bright in against the gold of the flowers. Silence was all that he could, no presence of either human or machinery midst the woodland voices.

His head hurt, badly. What was the last thing that he could remember? A groan escaped his life; fighting for his life, that's it. But what happened then? Something sucking him all, alack of Time, Space and Matter that made up Makai. A distant sound of water reached his ears. Yes, that should do, some water to clear his head. Although he didn't feel as near death as before the blank-out, not much energy was in him. Stumbling over to the shallow creek he gasped for breath, fighting off another tide of unconsciousness. Finally, the water. Falling to his knees, the sparkling cold hit his face as the whole head plunged into the water. Coming up with a spray of shimmering droplets, the unsteady gaze glanced at the rippling water…

And froze.

Seconds past by, hours even to his numb mind. The eyes stared at the reflection in the stilling waters, unable to tear away from the swimming image. The mind screamed silently at this. No, it can't be! It can't! The water, that's it. It's because of the waves and the strange sunlight, that must be the reason. The trembling vision stumbled away from the water and back onto himself.

No wounds showed; the open flesh leaking blood only a few moments ago were all gone, healed. The only evidence that they ever existed was the blood-soaked clothing and large rips in the fabric. His movements, they too have returned. Bones which were broken beyond repair became whole and solid again. But he didn't notice that. No, he didn't notice any of those thing. Instead the mind was somewhere completely different, screaming at what it had just comprehended. And at that moment, over-run with fatigue, loss of blood and now struck with this new realization, Hiei Jagenshi toppled back in a dead faint.

Above him, a bird passed by, squawking. Perhaps it's just the author's imagination, but it was almost as if the bird was laughing…

-

Voices surrounded his awakening senses, alien voices blabbering in some language that he couldn't quite grasp. The voices were too loud to his head, all hammering away. Squeezing his eyes tighter, Youko groaned and pulled his arms to cover his head. Wrong move. The voices stopped for one split second, as if hanging motionless in thin air, before crashing down onto the floor with a very loud bang. Whimper at the amplified level of noise the thief buried his head further into the soft sheets. The mind was all a blur; all he knew now was to get away from the noise and try to back to sleep. Someone pulled back the blanket, this resulting Youko yelping as bright light greeted his eyes. Looked like the thief's not going to be resting anytime soon…

One golden eye peeked open, followed quickly by the other when Youko realized that he needed both eyes to see properly. At first it was all large lumps of moving color, but as he squinted and peered, the shapes slowly took form. Soon it became clear where the source of noise had been coming from.

The first thing that came into his mind when Youko saw the women was how beautiful they were. There were three of them, a tiny number to what the thief had in his head, considering all the noise that the three had made. They sat on the right side of his bed, each with an expression of something between awe and pure joy. This, as the thief's mind noticed, made them all the more attractive.

The blond one, the one who had pulled back the sheets, reminded his of a lithe feline. The thick golden strands fell down her back and before her face, partly covering hooded eyes of claret red filled with lazing danger. She smiled at him now, a slight upturn of the full lips, the gesture suggesting much more than what it showed. Her face suddenly disappeared from his view as someone pushed before the blond and pushed her grinning face up to Youko's. There was this openness about the girl, whether it was her tomboyish hair-style, the wide copper eyes filled with childish curiosity, or simply how she widely she smiled. Or at least that's what he would have noticed about her, if not for the girl's rather… extravagant chest pushed up at his as well. Youko scrambled back on the large bed, if not out of politeness then at least to be prevented from suffocation by those things. Luckily he was saved by the third member, one with her inky green hair done up in intricate patterns and held herself with a very regal air. The woman sighed and pulled the girl back in her seat before giving Youko an apologetic smile. He grinned back, a rather weak gesture, but a nice one nonetheless. This seemed to have pleased the noble lady, for she let out a sigh of relief before turning her undivided attention onto the thief.

"Neso arkira dylem?"

The thief opened and closed his mouth, the jaws moving without any sound coming out from it. Try as he might, Youko could not understand one single syllable from that sentence. In the end the thief gave up and went for the universal sound of confusion.

"…Eh?"

The third lady frowned slightly at this while the other two bit back laughter. Stifling her giggled, the energetic girl cleared her throat and spoke very slowly.

"Nes kelinin Kimaries vos?"

The thief finally found his voice and shook his head at the girl.

"Sorry. I do not understand what you are saying."

The girl squealed in joyful surprise at his response, the sudden action scaring the daylights out of Youko. The blond turned a curious eye onto Youko while the regal one saw the frown leave as realization dawned on her face.

"Nes kelinin Palien. Jos cal Inoseki lai."

The energetic girl nodded at this and bolted out of the door, slamming it behind her. Wincing at the loud bang, Youko took a deep breath and tried to remember how he got here. He remembered the fight, remembered that blast coming towards them, remembered Kuwabara cutting the space before them and a large hole appearing. He remembered seeing blood curving through the air as Koruku pulled his blade from Yuki's body. Yes, he remembered now…

"Um… My… name is… Galdrinal."

Youko's head snapped up, the broken but understandable words breaking him out of the dark memories. The thief stared at the green-haired woman, the one who had sent the girl away for something. Was that…, was that Japanese he had heard just then? The youkai could not believe his ears. She understood Japanese? Oh by the heavens, Lady Luck had not deserted him after all. Kicking himself out of the sheets Youko scooted over to the edge of the bed, eyes bright as they focused on the woman.

"You speak Japanese?"

The woman… Galdrinal, frowned.

"Sorry. I know little Palien."

Palien? What in Inari's name is Palien? …Wait. When he spoke Japanese just then, Galdrinal replied that she speaks little Palien… Palien… is it the equivalent of Japanese? The thief's mind was recovering quite fast; already it had regained nearly all of its usual wit and brain.

The door burst opened as two figures entered the room. One was the girl, the other he did not know. The newcomer walked briskly over to his bed and offered a hand to him.

"Welcome. You speak Palien, right? So, my name is Inoseki and may I just say that it's an honor to meet you."

Youko took the offered hand, smiling and nodding politely as the eyes captured this Inoseki. The dark red hair was pulled into a long plait which swung as she marched over. Short and a little on the chubby side, Inoseki was like a weed when standing to the other three ladies. That is, until he saw her eyes. Strange thing they were, twin seas of ever-shifting mercury adorned by a scattering of bright sapphires. They held a motherly warmth in those metallic pools, and Youko knew on instinct that he could trust this woman.

"So? How do you feel? Are you alright? We found you unconscious by the road and there's blood on your clothing, but we couldn't find any wounds or possessions on you. Do you need anything? Is there something that we could possibly help in?"

The burst of questions saw Youko slowly edging away from Inoseki. She was nice enough, but a little on the scary side of things. But she was the host, or that's what he had concluded from casual way she leaned against the bedpost. The thief blinked at her questions. Something that they could help in? Literally thousands of answers swarmed into his mind, answers of food, money, pain-killers for his head. But for now, there was only one single thing that he needed, and that was…

"Inoseki? Could you possibly tell me this; just where am I?"

-

Ow that hurts. The arm moved slowly. It felt so heavy… Actually, the whole body felt heavy, even the eyelids.

What was she lying on? The thing's digging into her back so badly. Urg… Rolling off the slab of stone that was the cause of her back pain, the skylit eyes squinted down at the ground. Nice; all rocks and dried dust. Her clothing must be in terrible shape… She wanted to get up, but everything about her felt as if the world's gravity had concentrated on her alone. She can twitch her fingers, and her eyes were open, but there was not one ounce of energy left for her to move anywhere else.

Ok, fine. Calm down. First thing's first; what the hell happened? Her short-termed memory was, at best, bits and pieces floating around. Groaning at the injustice of the world, the wandering eyes suddenly saw something in the distance. Buildings. Or at least she guessed they were buildings. To her befuddled mind, buildings meant people, which mean a proper bed to drop her sorry self into. So, with the incentive of sleep on her mind, she somehow managed to pull her body up from the ground and start to walk towards civilization.

It was some time after, when she was dragging herself into the town or, by the looks of things, city, that Yuki suddenly realized something. What it was should be very obvious to the reader, for how can a ghost be walking into a city? Or to be more precise, how can a ghost have a solid body? Her first reaction was that she was in Reikai, just not in King Enma's palace. Then as she passed by a shop window, in came the second realization, and with it, hyperventilation and shaking the life out of some poor guy that just so happened to pass her.

The police came; someone noted them that there's a maniac woman out on the streets dressed in blood-soaked rags and yelling strange things. Someone tried to communicate with her, but it's apparent that the woman doesn't know any Kimaries. This, in all forms, made this even more confusing. But first thing's first; securing the woman and bring in her for questioning…

"TELL ME WHY THE HELL DO I LOOK DIFFERENT? WHERE IS THIS RETARDED PLACE? SOMEONE ANSWER ME!"

Now a normal person, after a minute or so of talking to someone who doesn't speak you language, would most likely come to the realization that what they are saying is not understood by the other people. In most cases, one would cease trying to make the others understand by screaming each word out and try using hand gestures, or find someone who does know their language. Now, especially in another foreign country where one does not know the rules or ways of the place, they would not generally try to make a scene or otherwise be dealt with because of their behavior. But that's for someone who knows how to keep a cool and logical mind when all arrows points to the direction that they are insane. Yuki, as the author is sad to announce, lacks the cool and logical mind. Instead she grabbed strangers by the collar and demanded to be told where she was. The author does not know, whether by Luck or a cruel joke of Fate, but the new body that Yuki had came with a very loud voice…

"Daiko! Seth neso, darc."

Her head whipped around to the commanding voice. To her utter surprise (she was too busy screaming at her victim to notice) a group of people in uniforms have surrounded her. They looked professional, very much stern and police-looking in attire very similar to that of the police uniforms they have back in Japan. But instead of black, the color was a dark but bright blue. Each had a rapier to their side, and each also held a weird looking device at her, something which reminded the girl of some old-fashioned pistol. She let go of her victim, who ran for his life. Seeing that she was surrounded with gun-looking things, Yuki groaned.

"Just my luck, isn't it? Being surrounded by weirdos with guns."

At this, the man who spoke before frowned at her. She glared back.

"What?"

"So, you speak Palien? Rather crude, but still understandable."

Now it's Yuki's turn to frown, or in her case, stare.

"You speak Japanese?"

The "police" who had surrounded her lowered the guns as the man waved a hand at them. His frown did not fade when Yuki answered, rather it deepened. Japanese? What was that? He didn't know. She looked suspicious, this woman, what with her torn clothing full of blood. She didn't know one single word of Kimaries, so how was she able to reach here, alone and without any help of translation? A quick glance showed that this girl didn't carry anything in the way of personal belongings. Was she a fugitive? But then why would she be making such a big scene? Someone who was using an illegal Road? Then why is she surprised by being here? Other theories surfaced in his head, but firstly…

"You look lost. Would you mind coming back with us and explain things in detail there?"

-

"…And then I was sucked into this big hole that Kuwabara, the guy with the sword, made. Then I ended up here."

Sitting in a very comfortable chair, Yuki sipped on some cold water as she recounted her story to Tainuki. It was by pure luck that the head of his squad knew Palien; otherwise Yuki would have been in a lot more trouble. For the past hour he had sat there in his office, listening intently to the girl's story. Now, as Yuki sat there fidgeting from boredom, the officer were given a very hard choice.

What to do with this girl? The fact that she obviously came through an unknown Road from a yet to be discovered world meant that, by regulations, he ought to send her to those in charge of Roads in the capital and let them handle it. There, the specialists would take no time in seeing if what Yuki told of was the truth or for some reason this was all a lie. It didn't sound like a lie though; the man have survived for over two centuries trusting in his instincts, and this time his instincts told him that what she said was real. But something in the girl's story intrigued him, puzzled the man greatly…

"…So, could it be possible that your other friends have also come through the hole?"

Yuki nodded, oblivious to the troubled turmoil of his mind.

"Most likely. I mean, I was a ghost and I got dragged in. Imagine how someone who actually weights something would react to that much wind?"

He nodded, while the mind continued to think. If what the girl said was true, then that means… Was it possible? It's been nearly one hundred and seventy years… If he's going to hand her over, then that means he would never know. Yes, it's selfish, but if it's true, then… Tainuki sighed. The less people who know about Yuki the better. So for now…

"Hayate Yuki. I am sorry to inform you that you are under arrest for illegally passing from one dimension to another. But since this is an accident, no charges will be put forward. I will, however, have to keep you in jail for a few weeks before we can figure out what to do with you. So for now… Candidates."

At his call, the two candidates who had been guarding his door came in. With a slight nod from Tainuki, the two took a hold of the protesting Yuki and shuffled her towards the cell. Letting out a heavy sigh, Tainuki leaned back and let his mind wander…

"Sir! We have another report, this one of some man who witnesses claim to have surfaced alive in a river."

Tainuki sighed. Why did he even take this job?

-

Chocking on the water, Kuwabara heaved himself out of the water with the help of a few strangers. Collapsing on the gravel, the man took in great gasps of air. Ah glorious air, how I love thee. There he stayed for a moment, thinking.

Was it the water? He didn't know. What Kuwabara did know, though, was that he had changed. The dark claws which had riddled his soul for so many years were gone, cleansed from his mind. He felt like the old him, the him which terrorized the streets and beat Yusuke up and defeated elder Toguro brother. Yusuke's death, the destruction of Nigenkai, the knowledge that humans are dying and it's because of his weakness; these things which had plagued him for so long were gone, as if they belong in a completely different world from this. Speaking of which… where was he?

Golden light flared to his right. Rolling over, Kuwabara scrambled up as what looked like a squadron of police suddenly appeared where only a moment before, there was nothing but thin air.

"Yea, what do you want?"

One of them stepped forward, an older man who looked as if he was in charge. The man eyed Kuwabara with a critical eye.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

Kuwabara halted. What the hell did they want his name for? The man shook his head.

"Kazuma Kuwabara. Why do you wanna know?"

The police looked none too pleased with his manners.

"Could you please come with us? We have a few questions to ask you."

Kuwabara grinned at this. It's been so long since he felt any emotion except for rage and anger. Planting his feet solidly apart, the man smiled at the police.

"Yea? And what if I don't want to come? What ya going to do?"

Tainuki sighed inwards. This was Kuwabara, no doubt. The same one who Yuki said created the Road to this world. If so…

"Then I'm sorry, but we have to take you by force."

"Oh yea? Well bring it on! Spirit Sw…"

Tainuki sighed, the index and ring finger of his right hand tracing twin crescent lines in the air. The symbol flared gold before disappearing. Kuwabara collapsed dead, as if someone's hit his head with a sack of lead. Turning to his men, Tainuki issued out the orders as he prepared to return back to his office.

"Take him to the same room as that crazed woman from before; I'll get to those two later, they seem to be along the same lines. See to it that both he and the woman receive proper care and be on the lookout for any other suspicious figures."

He must organize everything, and soon. It appears that what Yuki said was true, and if so, then… Yes, he must organize everything now; get all the messages sent out to the right people… The man sighed again; this was going to be one long night…

-

Strolling along the aisles of the busy grocery shop, Kurama allowed his hands to do the work. He's been in this town for only a few hours, but in those few hours the red-head had learned not a few things. The fox, being his usual cool calm self, was able to mingle pretty well with the native folks. He had tried looking for the others, but the kitsune had no idea where to begin, let alone if they landed around the same place as he had. If not, or if they are in some other world, then…

The fox's stomach growled. Kurama grinned to himself and lingered down the fruit section, deft fingers running lightly over the food. Yet another surprise; all his wound were healed when Kurama had waked up, including his hands. Did someone heal them for him, or did coming to another world have something to do with it? Either way, the kitsune was sincerely grateful for this change. Now if only the others faired half as well as he had…

Oh, this one looked nice. He wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like a pear of some sort. From long practice, one hand whisked up and before anyone had seen it, the food was gone. Smiling happily to himself Kurama walked leisurely out of the doorway and into freedom…

"Thara daiko!"

Kurama whirled around at the yell and was startled to find the shop owner glaring at him in a very hostile manner. Kurama gave a hesitant smile to the owner whose bulk swelled up in anger before stalking towards him. Oh no, how did he find out? The fox was sure no one saw his actions… Which leaves one choice; run.

Sadly, that was not the case. It was a very narrow street and people were already crowded around when the owner yelled. Which means… Wincing at his own hesitant decision, Kurama gave a silent apology to the owner before taking in a deep breath and…

"Rose Whip!"

Nothing came. No flower, no rose, and definitely no whip. Kurama was staring at his hand, not believing that such a simple attack could not appear. What was going on? The owner, on the other hand, was looking more than happy as one meaty arm came down and took hold of the kitsune's clothing. Very soon Kurama found himself dragged and dumped in what he could only guess is the police station, where one very angry store owner was, most likely, judging by the redness of his face, demanding some horrid punishment for this thief. The police in charge looked bored, and after calming the owner down, took a hold of Kurama and marched him down through a corridor and deposited the thief (now without his food) in a small but comfortable room. It was a cell, one with modest furnishing, a small but clean bathroom (and a very strange toilet, as the fox noted), and a nice large window on one side. Kurama frowned. A window; won't that be easy to break out off? And, as he realized later, the door to the cell didn't have any locks. But try as he might, the kitsune could not break the glass on the window or shove the door open. Soon he gave up altogether, and sitting on the chair provided, mused over a much more important thing.

Where was his Youki? Try as he might, Kurama could not summon up even a tiny hint of red in his hands. Not only that, but he can't feel anything either. The fox knew that he had spent much energy to fight against Koruku, but that was no reason that he couldn't feel anything. So why? As the strange sky turned from misty white to silver to black, the fox pondered on what will happen to, not only him, but everybody else…

-

"Sir, someone else came in just then."

Shuffling through the stack of paperwork, Tainuki didn't bother to raise his head as he listened to the candidate's report.

"Hm? What's it about?"

"Oh nothing much sir. A thief trying to steal food. He was a docile one though, didn't say a word when I put him in."

"Mm, really?"

"Yes. He was also dressed strangely. Although the clothing looked very rich and well cared for, there were lots of small rips and cuts on it. Not only that, but it seems that he's a deaf; didn't react to a single thing the shop owner or I said."

Tainuki halted in his writing, a frown on the man's face. Could it be?

"Naris."

"Yes sir."

"Take me down to meet this thief."

"…Yes sir."

-

The sky. She frowned. Was it that late already? There was silver streaked in the faded blue heaven. The eyes gazed up, malachite green swirling currents against pebbles of gold. Was it that late already? She better get home then…

Memories came to her, images and words long lost in the depth of her mind. They came, and with their awakening, she remembered. The inky orbs closed, laughter, pure and unbound came bubbling to her lips. This was who she really was; this was who Roviel Windred really was. Shaking locks of russet red from her eyes, Roviel opened her arms as if to embrace the heaven and earth at once.

"I'm home…"

Yep, it's finally here, after such a long time. How will Kuwabara, Kurama and Yuki survive? What's Tainuki worried about? It would be my pleasure if you could tell me what you think about this chapter, so thank you, once again, for actually taking the time to read all of it. Till next update then, byez!