Sorry I took so long everyone! Anyway, back again with the next chapter! Everyone, thanks for reviewing!

"What the hell!" yelled Rin. Beside her Kohaku was squirming, trying to free himself.

"Don't do that too much," Oukami advised cheerfully, "it starts to rub in and burn your skin after a while."

"What are you doing?" Kohaku asked, outraged.

Oukami flung himself back on the hard bed in the room and stared up at the ceiling, hands cupped behind his head. "Sorry. It was Yubaba's idea. She wanted you, Haku." He directed his next words to Rin, "After I'm done with him, you're free to go."

"You're not going anywhere with Haku! I'll stop you first!" She tried to bite off her bonds, but they suddenly flared up with heat as they neared her mouth. Letting out a cry of frustration, she forced her wrists apart as if sheer force would break them.

"So if you wanted to capture us, why did you sit down and play cards for a while?" Kohaku growled, his temperament matching Rin's for once.

He shrugged. "To learn more about you."

"Is that it?" he asked incredulously.

"It was useful to know, don't you think?"

Kohaku frowned, the wheels in his brain clicking furiously. Suddenly it all came together.

"Rin, wait."

She stopped trying to free herself and turned in amazement to Kohaku. They were in the middle of a dilemma and he was still acting calm?

"Yubaba asked you to get me? What made you do that? You can easily overpower her."

"True, but since I managed to get twenty-three thousand gold off her in advance, I did the job."

"But you don't like gold," Kohaku objected.

Oukami didn't seem to hear him as he continued dreamily, "And when I get back, I'll bankrupt her and then blow her quarters up."

Rin's eyebrows rose at his odd pronouncement. If their position wasn't so serious she would have laughed.

"But what's the point of keeping us?" Kohaku was trying his best to talk their way out of this. "You've got your payment, so you don't have to keep your side of the deal. And you don't know if you're able to get more money from her."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realised he had said the wrong thing. Oukami sat up and said coldly, "I'm well aware of what I'm capable of, boy." His gaze silenced anything more Kohaku had to say. "I'm going to take a nap, so I suggest you rest as well." He leaned back on the bed and added, "I'll take you to that big-nosed-midget hag in the morning."

"Wait a minute!" Rin shouted. "I'm not finished yet. What if our deal is better than Yubaba's?"

"Like what?" Oukami murmured sleepily. "I open a portal to the human world, and in return…" he shut his eyes, thinking. Suddenly he jerked awake and sat up, "And it return, I get…you?"

Whatever it was that Rin was expecting it certainly wasn't that. All she could do was stare at him with her mouth hanging open, dumbfounded.

Kohaku was the first to get over the shock. "You can't do that! She isn't an object to be bartered with!"

"Object or not, you have to admit she's very pretty." He grinned unabashedly at her. "Besides, she's the best I've seen at Cheat for a long time. Now that's saying something."

Rin mouth was working like a goldfish, something that people rarely saw. Finally she stuttered out, "You…you moron!"

"Maybe," he replied. "But think about this – there's no one, no one at all in the spirit world except for me and those Great spirits who can open portals between worlds. And knowing those stick-to-the-rule losers, you won't be getting help from them anytime soon. Besides," he added offhandedly, "if you don't play along with me, then I send the dragon back to Yubaba. End of story, and I'll be back to blowing up places and tormenting Big-nose in every way."

He grinned and reached out with his hand, as if into an invisible hole in the air. After a moment of groping around, he pulled out a fresh, steaming dumpling. He held it out to Kohaku and Rin and asked, "Want some?"

Both of them stared at the dumpling like it was an alien from outer space. Oukami chuckled and said, "No? Oh well then." He sank his teeth into it and began to systematically tear chunks off, chewing loudly and altogether enjoying himself, acting somewhat like an animal.

Kohaku shook his head slightly. This boy's moods were as changeable as the weather.

"So," he said between mouthfuls, "what do you say?"

Rin and Kohaku exchanged glances.

"Hey, how about I give you some privacy?" It wasn't really a question, as he walked over and let himself out the door without another word.

Once they were sure he was out of earshot, Rin decided, "All right, we've got to get out of here. Let's try get rid of these things around our wrists first." She began pulling and tugging again, while Kohaku began a spell to melt it off. But when he released it, it didn't feel right. It felt like there was a blockage of some sort. He tried again, getting the same feeling as before. Then he realised, "These bonds stop you from doing spells."

"Perfect," she replied sarcastically.

After hours of trying to free themselves, exhaustion forced them to give up. Kohaku stared at the red energies circling his wrists and ankles. Like Oukami had said, they had burned into their skin.

He couldn't help himself, he just had to doze off, at least for a little while. The last thing he noticed was Rin already sound asleep.

- - -

"Come on, there's got to be a way out of this! Come on…"

Kohaku cracked open one eye sleepily. Light was beginning to peep through the window and the birds twittered calmly. Remembering where he was, his eyes landed on Rin, who was once again trying to get free. Then he noticed blood flowing in little rivulets down her wrists.

"Rin!" He stared at her, realising that she must have been doing that for hours while he was asleep. "Stop it, you're hurting yourself."

She ignored him.

"Look, soon you'll be free."

"And then what?" she retorted. "You get sent back to Yubaba, and never see Sen again? You're such an idiot." She resumed working on the bonds.

Kohaku was quiet. Of course he wanted to see Chihiro again, but if Rin was going to continue hurting herself…

"All right." Rin stopped and looked at Kohaku. There were dark circles under her eyes which were made even more pronounced because of the golden light entering the window behind her.

"We'll agree to Oukami's plan," she announced.

"No! You can't!" objected Kohaku. "You can't give yourself to him."

"At least Yubaba won't get you."

He shook his head vehemently. "If you go with Oukami, who knows what he'll do to you? He's a scoundrel, a rogue. He's got no morals. If I go to Yubaba, maybe I can get out later."

"Do you want to see Sen or not?" Rin snapped. "Sometimes I hate you because you're so damn selfless."

The silence that followed was so thick it was almost tangible.

"Hey," Rin said cautiously after a while, "do you think Oukami really likes me?"

"What?" Kohaku wondered what was on her mind, with that question being so strange and all.

"I think he does," she answered for herself, determination clearly showing on her face. "He seems to want me no matter what, right?"

Kohaku nodded slowly.

"So in that case, if I tell him that he has to help us until we don't need him anymore, and only then he can get me…do you think he'll buy that?"

But Kohaku had no time to reply as unexpectedly the door opened and Oukami bounced in and slammed it behind him. He had an extremely happy grin on his face as he continued his bounce onto the bed. Rolling over onto his stomach, he leaned over the edge and stared at the two with his glinting purple eyes.

"I had a fun night, what about you? I played a lot of tricks; like one little girl who had to go to the bathroom, so I had my shadow follow her everywhere. Good trick, huh?" His face lit up boyishly as he said this.

"You mean harassment," Rin said flatly.

"No and yes. Harassment and tricks are the same things. Anyway, you young spirits decided yet?"

"Yes," Rin said quickly before Kohaku could get a word in. "We agree with your deal, but," she paused for emphasis,"you have to help us until we don't need you anymore –"

"Hey, thanks for throwing me off like some trash." His voice sounded half amused, half bitter.

"And," Rin said loudly, miffed at being interrupted, "you also have to give me back my real name." It was a request that she suddenly remembered on the spot.

Oukami gave her an inquisitive look. "Your real name?"

"Yes," she said unflinchingly.

Oukami stared off into space for a while before he agreed, "All right."

Rin was taken aback. She had expected him to bargain to try and adjust things to his liking. "Right," she nodded after a second. Though he was now on their side, she knew it wasn't wise to trust him yet.

"So I guess I have to untie you." Suddenly the red bonds disappeared, as well as the charged atmosphere in the room that had been with them all night.

"Here." Oukami was reaching into the same invisible hole as yesterday, this time drawing out a roll of bandages. He tossed it to Rin who accepted it without question.

The Trickster leapt off the bed to stare out the window while he waited for the two. After some thinking, he asked, "So where are we headed?"

So, how was that? I hope it's all right, and I hope what Oukami did makes sense and everything. And the invisible 'hole' will be explained later, but in the meantime, you can take a wild guess at what it is.

Give me feedback a.k.a. REVIEW! Criticism allowed! Heh heh heh.

Next chapter: Chihiro!

Reposted 22/11/05 to remove review responses