Sorry I took so long to update! I had a really bad case of writer's block! Swim season just ended so I should be able to update every weekend from now one, I would try every day, but I have an AP course, so... I can't. Sorry again for the delay!

Ordering Shishiwakamaru and Rinku to find an assassin that could help, or at least tell them who this "Nike" was, or what antidote Yusuke had been talking about, Yukina knelt beside her patient. Evaluating the poison, she inwardly groaned.

The others arrived minutes later, to find Yukina pouring her energy into the fallen body of Raizen's heir. She gritted her teeth and looked at them imploringly, "I can't keep this up, and it's too late for an antidote..." Tears streamed down her cheeks. The crystal gems fell to the floor in droves. "I can't do anything else to help... It's all up to her now, and if she had been completely healthy, she would only have barely made it, but with these wounds..." She did not need to continue. They knew. She would not survive.

Genkai knelt beside Yusuke, gently brushing the white, sweat-soaked and blood stained hair off of her pale, clammy face. "An energy transfusion...?"

Yukina shook her head. "It would only make it worse. This poison was designed to aid Yusuke's system in small doses; any other energy used to heal her body would cause it to tear her body apart. I was only holding the poison away from her heart, but that is a delicate art and expended most of my energy..." She shook her head. "I was only using the ice to slow the blood flow, and Touya can't do that, at least not within a body this strained and devoid of energy... She barely has any life force left... It's a miracle that she is still breathing, much less that she is still alive."

They turned when they heard Jin slump to the floor, eyes staring straight ahead, in shock. "Nothing can be done...?" Touya asked, his face trying in vain to remain impassive.

"Nothing, besides what Yusuke can do herself..."

"Which is nothing." Remarked Karasu apathetically.

"Hn." Toguro glared at him before kneeling beside Genkai.

Rinku, who had arrived just in time to hear most of this, sat on Yusuke's other side, watching his sister's face contort in pain, the uneven rise and fall of her chest. She was gasping for breath, and was struggling to inhale and exhale, she was probably struggling just to keep conscious.

"Nee-san..."

A golden eye glanced at him. "I... am not dead... yet..." Yusuke barely managed to gasp. She half laughed, half coughed, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Yet." Karasu affirmed.

Yusuke glared at him as best as she could, which was rather hindered by the fact that she barely had the energy to rearrange her facial features. "Do... you need... to sound... so... optimistic...?"

Suzaku laughed, despite the severity of the situation.

Jin came out of his daze at the sound and looked at Yusuke. Her eyes met his. "I... need to get to... some place open..." He didn't argue. Lifting her, despite his own soreness, he carried her out into the garden before setting her back down on one of the many grassy spots.

"Thank you..." She managed to whisper.

His only reply was a brief, chaste kiss on her lips.

Rinku's POV

Rinku followed them out, while the others remained inside, obviously wishing to give the two some time alone. But... if his nee-san was going to die... He wanted to be there. When he found them, Jin was leaning against one of the trees, Yusuke leaning against them, her breathing labored, blood staining the grass around them.

Yusuke looked up as he approached and smiled weakly. Looking towards the setting sun, she then glanced up at the sky.

"Is there anything you can do to..." Save yourself... He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Yeah..."

His aquamarine eyes shot up, surprised.

She grinned, then grimaced. "I can't guarantee it'll work, but... he's almost here."

"'He's'...?"

A loud cry sounded from overhead, Rinku stared up in awe as a blue phoenix glided down towards them and landed. He froze, those wounds... How did he manage to fly...?

"Sorry about that..." Yusuke, surprising Jin and Rinku, stood. Her amber eyes met red ones. "Will you help...?"

Yusuke's POV

Puu knew what I was thinking, he (she? I still don't know what gender the blasted bird is, but I'm going with it's a he) is, after all, me. His vermilion eyes met mine for a moment, before spreading his wings, charging straight towards me. I closed my eyes and braced myself as Puu turned himself into pure, unfiltered energy. My energy. I bit back a scream as it surrounded me. I felt the energy seeping into my skin as I lost consciousness.

Boy's POV

They covered their eyes when the bright blue light surround Yusuke, pulsing like it had a heart beat. After what seemed to be an eternity, it pulsated one last time and faded, completely absorbed into Yusuke's levitated body. She was out cold, hovering a few feet above the ground. They couldn't help but stare in shock. She had reverted back to a half-demon form, but... Jin blinked. She had wings...?

Blue wings, not unlike those of the phoenix's, were gracefully arched behind her back. Her clothing had also changed. Instead of the assassin's garb she had worn to fight the Anima, she wore something similar to an ancient Chinese style. Loose dark blue silk pants were tucked into black, leather-ish looking boots that went all the way up to her knees. A lighter blue tunic was slack around her body, with two slits in the back for her wings. A black sash tied it around her waist. The only thing that remained of her assassin's uniform was her belt, hanging at an angle at her hip. All this was partially covered by a deep, dark velvet blue cloak.

Even her hair had changed, it was partially the same length she had it while human which was to her waist, but less tame, and half of the strands went as far as her ankles, as far as her ankles.

Slowly, she descended back to the ground; her eyes opening only after her feet touched the earth.

Yusuke's POV

I felt Puu's energy quickly absorbed into my failing body. The poison slowly dissipated as energy began to overflow my current reserves. I felt a sharp pain just behind my shoulder blades. But barely a second later, it was gone. The rough cloth of the assassin's armor suddenly faded and was replaced by a soft; silky feeling cloth, but it definitely was as strong as the armor that had just vanished. And indefinitely much more comfortable. Though one did get used to the coarseness of the material after wearing it for a few years...

I glanced up and smiled slightly. I guess it worked. "Like the new look?" I asked, letting my smile turn into a full-fledged grin.

"How...?" Rinku whispered.

I smiled and stretched, letting my wings extend. Funny, feels like I had always had them... "My Spirit Beast."

Rinku laughed. "That definitely would use you're own energy..."

Jin stepped forward and glared. "Wha' if tha' hadn't worked?"

I shrugged. "We had nothing to lose, had I died, so would've Puu." I really need to get him a better name... "Besides, I knew this way I would be able to get out of being in heat."

"True." Rinku remarked.

"Don' ya ever do tha' again!" Jin looked at me pleadingly. "I don' wanna lose ya, Yusuke!"

Did he mean use an attack that could easily rip me apart from the inside out, or poison myself...? "I won't if I can help it... But you didn't answer my question." I grinned. "So, really, what do you think?" I asked, spreading my arms out.

Rinku grinned. "Nice."

Jin cocked his head to the side and nodded thoughtfully.

"Well." I finished stretching. "We better head back in before the others think I've died."

"Shishi will be so heartbroken!" Rinku snickered.

Chuckling, I ruffled his hair fondly. "That he will be."

I don't know if this would really happen in the YYH universe, but Puu is constantly being emphasized as Yusuke's inner self, in essence, he is Yusuke. So I thought, "hey, this might work". What do you think?

And toushin loosely means sword blade. Thank you Baka Hanyou Rahvin for the correction!