Well, a random former love of anime makes an appearance. Its like three in the morning when I finally decided to update this and that is why they showed up. I hope you get a laugh out of it as much as I did. None the less it has inspired me to actually continue this story arc once this one finishes with a crossover. Whoo! If you figure who it is...that is the show I plan to do so. And one other...smirks For sheer fun.

Enjoy and thank you bows for your patience! College and marriage has dragged me away from my love. I sure hope I can continue again.

Chapter 8: Fragile Hope

"Who am I to you? I just want to know in your words," Saki continued to ask with an expression of determination.

It was unavoidable at this point to keep from her the truth. Her mind had already fabricated and found the lost memories of her previous life. They only had to reorganize and be recognized by her again. It was a truth as well that continued to plague him to the very core. It was unsettling to find himself moved and disturbed the raging emotions of despair and desperation. This was not like Hiei to give into the situations, but they both needed to hear their tales again. Slowly Hiei fell back against the window, his entire body falling down to the floor in a silent slide. His eyes gazing off into the shadows as his entire face held a hollow expression.

Saki followed with concern bathed across her face as she attempted to reach out to him. Hiei could feel her concern through his Jagan eye, a feeling he wanted all for himself yet throw away as some fickle human emotion. Even though his mind was in conflict his hands reached out for her. Quickly he made her his by holding her tightly in his arms in this desperate moment. Hiei was vulnerable like never before, and it was all for this woman that he refused to acknowledge.

So he began, "The truth. You once were a demon, a demon that carried a dark curse. Your true name was and is Saya, a daughter of Amatera and niece to Lord Yama. You sacrificed your life and soul to keep the very power that Shishio wants locked away."

A silence rang as his hold kept itself in perfection before she spoke softly again.

"Who am I to you?"

This time the question thoroughly tugged at his consciousness. Here before her torn between this unforeseen emotion for her and the fact that she was only human now. They were now of different realms yet so close to each other that it was painful misery. At the very least he could finally answer her truthfully.

"To me, you were the one woman I conceived to having an ounce of emotion of affection. The woman that carried my child and shared my burdens," he answered coldly.

As he sat there holding Saki, he could feel her hands reach around as she held him now to herself. Her body shook beneath him, a terrified feeling coursing through her veins.

The seconds became silent minutes within the room that continued to shrink to feeling. Hiei could not fathom words to the liking of the silence.

Finally he felt her speak with her body, as she nestled herself deeper into him as if to find warmth. Her smell reflecting the dying soul within, her scent, the fragrance of jasmine.

"Hiei, I want to know something," she began, her voice seeping with a new aura.

He kept his silence in acknowledgement, awaiting her question.

"Why did you let me go? Why didn't you save me?"

Once again this clenching hand took hold of him, squeezing him of his very life taking pressure again. The nightmare of letting her hand go from a year ago still plagued him today, and this question only surfaced the images to his consciousness now.

Finally he felt her loosen her grip as pushed him to face her. Saki's face was clearly reflecting the pain on the other side of her eyes. It was impossible for Hiei to save her from the pain of remembering him and the duty she had to bear as he let go a year ago.

Hiei knew he couldn't answer a question that had such a painful end.

Then it seemed she accepted his silence as answer, "You don't have to answer. I understand through your silence why and I accept it. I can hear through your heartbeat the sound of your convictions."

There silence prolonged further before a wind decided to take flight around them, seeping from the small windows up high near the ceiling of the adorning bedroom. This ever lasting wind danced around them in forgotten trance as Saki looked up into his dark red eyes for comfort. In those glowing orbs she found none, but she saw his content in the mere touching of their bodies in this cold embrace.

After their awkward silence she stepped back brushing her off with a small smile.

"I'll go to sleep now. I'll need my energy tomorrow for whatever shall come," simply put as she moved to the bed.

The night grew on as Hiei disappeared to the wilderness outside her window.

In the darkest night a lone form slowly moved in silence as to avoid being found by the shadows. They were the ones that continued to follow to catch his beaten body and soul to return to their maker. Kurama barely escaped after the long night of torture that Shishio has placed upon him. He could only hope that his cry could be heard to Hiei.

All he could do was walk on barely clothed in what was left of the luxurious outfit from hours before. Bruises and deep gashes bathed his body as his walk only grew slower into a limp. As he held his dislocated arm he fell to his knees from exhaustion finally in the cold dark forest. The world around him swirled with nothing but the trees and the hollow echoes of the night. Loneliness settled in as blackness took his mind not realizing what danger his body and spirit were in now.

Koenma sat alone in his high chamber awaiting any sort of change in the situation. Nothing, there had been nothing for days now. His father's defense force had no chance to seal any portal that could be opened in a matter of hours by Shishio. For the young toddler he could not fathom why his uncle was waiting.

"Are you gathering more forces or are you so bent on devastating the peace of the Demon realm to the point that it will never return?" he asked himself as if hoping for an answer.

The prince of the spirit realm had no noticed the presence now coming forth into his lonely room as he just stared at unmarked paperwork.

"Lord Koenma, someone from the Human realm has demanded your presence now. He will not refuse your denial," Botan noted in her melancholy tone.

As soon as she finished a stern yet elegant pair of steps only announced themselves as they silently walked past the retreating Botan. The very aura of the person could not have originated from Human realm; the scent of demon was all around the room now.

He had to have hope as he finally looked up, "Yusuke?"

Far from the former delinquent detective stood before him. The aura was that of high stature, mistaking how old the demon was before him. The figure was slender hidden behind ceremonial garbs of a forgotten time in Japanese history. Long silver strands of the velvet feel merely swayed slowly as they stood now before the toddler. The defining piece of course was those eyes and the mark upon the forehead of the more then well known demon.

"Guardian of the Inugami," was all he could muster in the brief moment he had.

He stood there silently for those moments leaving Koenma with the feeling that the crescent moon mark on his forehead would suddenly attack him.

"I assume my father requested your presence in helping me find a solution. Since Yusuke is no longer employed to us we can't technically rely on him. He is though our secret bullet that I'm sure Shishio hasn't taken into account."

Koenma's state of mind suddenly fell onto the table before the elder dog demon who remained stoic in his stance. For several minutes he just continued on as if he felt like an inferior being displaying his failure to handle the situation better. Once he finally settled back down it seemed the guardian would speak.

"As requested I've come with the aid to keep at bay this threat."

The toddler heard the stories from his father. This elder demon before him was allowed to remain in the Human realm under the condition being a folklore legend guardian for a Japanese warrior family. His own father was a conquering demon prior to the warring states and was constantly keeping those of Demon realm at bay for his own purposes. Even Raizen had challenged the great dog lord and faced a swell beating as legend had it.

Now the heir to what was left stood before him like a true son. At times Koenma wondered why his father had enough faith to allow him this job. Compared to someone like the fair haired demon before him he was nothing.

"What sort of aid have you brought?" he asked in defeat.

He turned away from Koenma as if offended in silence to the idiotic question. Then he heard it. The sound of a quick paced human whose teenager rebellion would never end even in his later years of his life.

As the elder demon left the room, his business finished the black haired former detective in his casual attire with an irritated expression walked in. As he approached the toddler his expression only grew more serious as he stopped at the edge of the table where Koenma leaned over to look closer.

In a swift motion Yusuke Urameshi had the toddler in a tight hold by the collar.

"Where the hell is Hiei and Kurama? I never remembered giving them permission to have all the fun."

To Continue…