A/N Thanks for letting me know that my spaces and bars were being dropped when I posted. I will work in the next week to go back and change both my stories.

Out of Despair

Chapter 4

Genkai was waiting in front of her dojo, with an irritated look on her face. Assessing her ward's brother, her look only darkened. "What the hell have you brought for me this time? You know I'm not running a home for lost girls." Genkai turned leaving it to the Jaganshi to follow or leave which ever he desired.

"Look here, you old hag, this girl is not something I want to be bothered with, either." Hiei continued to follow with his own irritated looking face.

She scoffed loudly never bothering to turn back around. "Cut the crap! If I wanted to hear crap, I would just call up that slacker. If you didn't want to, you wouldn't. It's as simple as that."

Hiei glared daggers into the old woman. He loathed her words of insight, and didn't feel that he needed to justify himself to her or any one else.

Leading him into an empty room, she watched as the fire apparition lowered her onto the bed.

"She has growing abilities that will need to be hidden."

"What do you think I am, a moron? I erected a barrier before you were even five feet on the property. I don't have time to mess with all the garbage that she would draw. Why not take her to Koenma?"

"Koenma has forbidden anyone from touching her."

"Looks like someone didn't get his memo. I take it you saved her from the ones that did this to her."

"She was in the Makai. She is nothing but a problem."

"So you bring her to me?"

"Yusuke has become obsessed with her for the past three days. I have to wonder if it is this energy that has manifested itself. What do you make of it?"

Genkai stood over the girl rubbing her hands together firmly and in a loud thunderous clap held them over her. Quietly she studied the intense energies pouring off the girl, feeling the bond of the two and their battle to dominate the other. She had to wonder how this could be. Miko and demonic energies coexisting? The demonic seemed to be almost entirely different, being locked away inside of her, while the holy powers were clearly her own. She flinched as a realization came to light. This was no mere demonic power locked away inside of her, it was an ancient energy only rumored about, one that she and Toguro had heard of in their youth. She had watched from a distance as Toguro searched years for the ancient artifact years after their separation. The Shikon no Tama was the only thing that could radiate this energy. She laughed out loud for a second at the irony of the situation. She had never wanted it, and would have never searched for it, yet here it was.

"Something funny, old woman? Excuse me if I don't find your humor." Hiei leaned back against the wall and folded his arms, scrutinizing the old woman. He knew that she had figured out something, and he trusted that he had brought the girl to the right place. Genkai had never failed the group before and this time would be no different.

Letting her grumpy grandma mask slip back into place, she assessed the girl's physical injuries. "Yukina can …"

"No," Hiei snapped out anticipating her sentence. "I don't want her anywhere near this girl."

Knowing there was more to the story, she settled a raise brow warning him to fill in the details.

"This energy feeds on youkai energy. I've already tried to alter her memories and nearly got sucked up in it."

Genkai gave an understanding nod. "I'll keep her here until we figure out what to do with her. She'll be waking up soon. Go now before she does. I don't want to have to explain that you're not one of the demons who attacked her. I have enough to do."

Hiei glowered at her. She was deliberately sending him away. This was not an action he was accustomed to. He never stayed that long usually, but he knew he did not like it. He had been the one to save her and for the strangest reason he was the one that was now curious of what or who this girl was. She wielded strong powers, ones that had tried to take his own and almost succeeded. But she also, allowed those men to do to her as they wished. He thought that she could have been suicidal before but not enough to allow the torture that she had endured. She couldn't possibly be able to control it.

He controlled the dragon and the Jagan. He could learn to control this as well, if the power was his. She was merely a human girl. She could never harness something as malicious as this. It was probably why her soul was in such torment. His mind had definitely worked up an interesting proposal, but did he want it?

"What the hell was that for?" Yusuke looked up at a very irate Keiko. Her hand slightly red from the blow that she had just walloped on the back of his head. She was stunned at both the force his head could take and the pain she was feeling from her hand meeting his hard head.

"Yusuke Uramashi, you haven't heard one word I've said." Keiko pointedly turned her finger in his face as her voice began to get shrill.

"Yeah, sure I have. How could I miss it? You've been yapping all day. You drug me out of bed this morning just to tell me how all your family's coming in for the wedding."

"I guess there's something better that you could be doing? I haven't even gotten to see you in days. Every time I try to call you say you're working on a case, and the one day we do spend together you don't even respond when I talk to you. Do you just not want to get married?" Tears started to spring from her eyes as she found herself getting worked into a frantic state.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You know I do. Just tone it down a notch." Yusuke looked around anxiously at all the attention that they were getting not to mention the dirty looks that he was getting for making her cry. Everyone seemed to be out roaming around the city today. People from all over the sidewalk were starting to stop and stare. Smiling nervously, he rubbed his hands through his hair and turned back to his fiancée. "Keiko, I didn't mean to make you cry, but you know I'm a guy. I'm not into all this wedding stuff, but you know if you want to talk about the honeymoon…"

Keiko dried her eyes and began to smile as her cheeks reddened. "Oh Yusuke, you don't ever change."

Feeling relieved that he had defused the situation, he pulled her close. "You know you like me this way. Plus, this new case I'm working on has me all stressed out. I can't make heads or tales of it."

"Is it something I can help you with? You know maybe Koenma would let me help you," she said eagerly.

"Um… No. That's ok. Let's just focus on finding you the perfect wedding dress for now. I promise I will leave work for a little later."

"Promise?" Keiko looked up dreamily into Yusuke's eyes.

"Yeah, I promise." Surely it couldn't take that much longer they had been to every dressmaker in the city. He knew he loved Keiko. He had ever since they were little, but she exhausted him from time to time, and with the thoughts of this new girl pouring into his head he thought that his friends were right. He would surely go nuts.

"Koenma, here." Koenma answered his communicator nearly choking to death when he saw Genkai's face staring back at him. Dropping it to the floor, he shuffled his hands trying to pick it back up. She could be scary, rivaling his father from time to time. If she needed to get in touch with him it had to be big, and he had enough paper work to get through tonight. A sweat droplet formed on his head. His favorite episode of teletubbies would be coming on soon, and with the look on her face, he knew he should go ahead and TIVO it so he could watch it later. How did he ever get caught in so many crises? "Oh, Um, Genkai, what can I do for you?"

She gave an exhausted sigh. 'More crap,' she thought. "Koenma, I think you should see this."

The toddler gave a nervous laugh. "Well, Genkai, I have a lot going on here at the moment…"

"Does this face look like someone that gives a crap? I have a feeling that you are somehow at the root of this problem, and I suggest you get your butt down here now."

Koenma sat staring at the blank communicator for a moment longer. "Oh my, oh my." Pushing his call button for George, he took two hard sucks on his pacifier, dreading what he was about to hear. "George, TIVO my important shows for the night, and don't tell my father that I've gone to the Ningenkai."

George scratched his head. "You mean that show you watch with the red, green, blue…"

"Yes, yes… George, just do it." Koenma told him dismissively, trying to get ready for his time with Genkai.

"What should I tell your father if he asks?" George just stood there leering aimlessly hoping that he wouldn't have to lie to King Enma. He was no good at lying, and to do it to King Enma could only be thought of as suicide.

"Tell him whatever. JUST DO NOT LET HIM KNOW WHERE I AM. You got that?" Koenma had begun to yell as he opened up the portal. He did not want to go by any means, but he had no other choice.

Genkai was meditating in the lotus position when he stepped through. She opened her eyes to meet his. "Look there. This is what your attempts of hiding the truth have brought about."

Koenma eyes widened in disbelief. "What is she doing here?"

"I should ask you. Hiei rescued her out of the Makai. Demons obviously found her and took her there."

"I just don't understand. We covered everything. She had no memories of the jewel and we hid its energy. How could anyone find her?"

"When you took her memories did you also take those that she cared about in the Feudal Era?"

"Everything was looked at and evaluated. There was no reason for her to keep such gruesome memories. And besides they were all tied into the jewel." Clasping his hands one his back, he began pacing and chewing frantically on his pacifier again.

"So you and that group of Einsteins up their in the Reikai decided to strip her of everything that made her who she was. Now I'm left to clean up the mess. Whose bright idea was it to take her memories and leave her defenseless?"

"Orders are orders, Genkai. My father doesn't even have the final say on this one. I will take her back to the Reikai and let them know of what has happened."

"You want me to let you walk out of here to make another mess? I don't think so. She will stay with me and Yukina. You've done enough bumbling about. If you would have left the girl alone to begin with, this would have never happened."

"They won't allow that. I have to take her back with me."

"You just go and tell your father and whoever this other person is that she is in my care now."

"What will you do when this power grows and can't be shielded from your spirit barriers? Genkai you have to be reasonable."

She folded her arms across her giving a foreboding look. "Her memories and the jewel are a part of her, and she will find them both eventually. She's already begun. All you have accomplished is to get her raped and start to unleash a darkness that she would have never had if you would let her be. She needs training, not your half-assed job of mind erasing."

"I see your point, but they will not agree to her remaining here. I may be able to buy you sometime, though. I'll see what you can do. Maybe by then I'll have an argument to take to them." He turned to look at the sight the girl made. "Will you recover her memories?"

"Now? Of course not, half-wit. She is so consumed by darkness. It would be like setting off a bomb, but in time she will find them on her own."

"Very well. Report to me as often as you can."

Genkai restrained herself from saying anything more, but she really had a bitter taste in her mouth from being told to report to him. She had done it before, but taking orders from a toddler no matter his true age never sat well with her. Too many years of doing things her own way had hardened her.

Hiei sat within ear range of a nearby tree. He was not happy to say the least with the old woman's decision to call the toddler, but he was glad to hear that she would be staying with Genkai. They had had their differences over the years, but as much as Hiei would refuse to say that he trusted anyone, he knew that he did trust Genkai. He would never let Yukina stay with anyone he didn't. Now this girl would be staying as well. He leaned back in the tree closing his eyes to let the conversation that he had over heard sink in. There were still too many things left unsaid to make any sense of the matter.

Yusuke thought that his feet would fall off. He had trained with youkai in the Makai that kept him running at top speed, that didn't tire him out this much. When it came to shopping though, Keiko had her own inner youkai that could out run any marathon. But he didn't have time for that he had to see what Kagome was up to. He only hoped that it wasn't another day at the mall for her, too. He would have to turn his own spirit gun on himself for a quick death.

'The shrine steps. Why are all shrines up so damn high? It's not like you can climb your way to Kami.' He started climbing slowly noticing that her scent had been gone for almost a day. That would have to mean that she left after he left her last night. He couldn't understand what would make her leave again so late and not have her back home. If he had to, he would ask her mother. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he would find out where she was. He was just too damn tired to run all over the city looking for her. He found himself climbing the steps faster as he wondered where she was. He was starting to worry by the time he made it to the top and completely frenzied when he reached the door. Trying not to think how angry that the woman would be when she answered the door and saw him standing there, he rang the bell.

'One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi…' As he heard the footsteps approaching he told himself to think of something fast. "Mrs. Higurashi, I'm sorry to bother you again, but…"

"Yusuke, isn't it? Won't you come in?" Mrs. Higurashi found herself not as angry as she wanted to be, in fact, she was relieved. Kagome hadn't disappeared since the well had closed to her, and her fit of rage had left her desperate to have any clue of where she could have gone. Even if this boy was a demon, he could have taken her at anytime, but he didn't, which left her to believe that he could care for her daughter. If he was anything like Inuyasha, she knew that he wouldn't rest until he found her.

Of course, that was asking for a lot, but she didn't know what else to do. The police were never an option in their bizarre life. She questioned herself over and over in the last 24 hours if she had deserved this. She left her own daughter with a whole four years that had been wiped out of her memories. She honestly had believed it to be for the best after she had found her coming from the well house covered in blood. She wasn't even sure if there was any saving her daughter, but she had healed and quicker than she could have ever expected. If there had been any doubt in her mind that that chapter in her daughter's life was closed it came the following night when she followed her to the well house only to see that the portal refused to open for her again. Her daughter had sat crying and crying at the bottom for what seemed to be forever begging for it to open. It felt like her own heart would rip from her chest to watch Kagome suffer so. Only after she had cried herself to sleep at the bottom of the well had she been able to call a friend to carry her back to her own bed. She sat for hours with her wiping the tears from her cheeks. Even though she slept they still kept coming. She woke the next morning to find herself asleep with her head on her daughter's bed. Two more days followed before Kagome even moved. When she awoke, there was nothing said about the Feudal Era. It was true that her whole demeanor was permeated with a sadness, but she didn't know at first, that she couldn't remember. She didn't want to approach the subject first, and then when she did realized Kagome had blocked away the pain of whatever happened, she was afraid. For that fear, she would now be punished.

Yusuke looked around warily. There was something going on. She was way too eager to see him. "Mrs. Higurashi, is something wrong?"

"My daughter, Kagome, ran away last night. I was hoping that you had seen her."

"Ran away? What happened?"

"She has been so unhappy lately, and then last night, she just gathered her stuff and left. I know that it's asking a lot, but I know that you can find her. I've made some terrible mistakes, and I'm afraid of what could happen to her on her own."

"Calm down. Why do you think I can find her?"

"It's a long story, one that I can't go into. My father knows that you and your friends are youkai. His ofudas may not work, but he can spot youkai. I know the abilities they possess. You can find her. Please, find her. I'm her mother. I know that she is in danger."

Her fear had never been as intense as it had been all day long. Even when she was in the Feudal Era, she had never been terrified. Maybe it was because she had always had Inuyasha to protect her, she wasn't sure. Now she knew Kagome had no one watching over her. She didn't even possess the fighting skills that she once had. Or perhaps her motherly bond didn't work 500 years in the past, but she did know that he and his friends could save her and bring her back home.

Yusuke saw the fear that the woman had in her eyes, but he had nothing to go on. Which direction would she go? It was all a mystery. He hadn't seen a real connection with her friends so he doubted she would be with any of them, and in the city, it wasn't easy to follow scents if you weren't a full youkai. An idea popped into his head, although it wasn't the easiest to use, it was a way. "Ok, I will find her, but I can't say that I can bring her home. But as soon as I know that she is safe I will let you know."

Mrs. Higurashi quickly scratched her number on a piece of paper. "I don't care when she comes back, as long as she is safe. I know she left for a reason, so just make sure that she knows I didn't mean to hurt her. I love her very much. When she is ready, I'll be here. Please find her." Mrs. Higurashi virtually pushed the tantei from the house in the hopes that he could find her that much sooner.

Yusuke walked out the door, his head swirling trying to figure out what just happened. For the second time with this woman, he basically admitted to being a demon, but it didn't seem like the right time to deny anything. It was very dark out already, and the scent of rain was in the air. Whatever scent that any full youkai would be able to track would be washed away when the rain came. Yusuke picked up his communicator to reach Kurama. He only hoped he wasn't occupied. He sometimes missed the days when Youko was no more than a thought. He was almost sure that Youko had tried to seduce himself a time or two. After a couple of minutes, it was apparent that Kurama wasn't going to answer, but another thing that Youko was known for was keeping with old habits. He would be home and like it or not he was going to have more company.

Making his way hurriedly back across town, Yusuke finally arrived. He had been cursing himself and Keiko the entire time for monopolizing his afternoon when he should have been on his case. Now it had gotten entirely out of hand, and he had let Kagome fall into danger. After knocking loudly a few times, he realized that Youko was not going to answer the door, but he knew he was there. His aura wasn't even hidden. 'What was the expression that his good buddy, Hiei, used? If you don't want to have to buy knew windows leave your doors unlocked.' And the door was definitely locked, so the window would have to go. Whoever thought of putting breakable glass right beside the deadbolt door glass was a moron, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth for the moment.

Giving him a moment to respond, Yusuke opened the door slowly calling out to him before entering. Yusuke poked his head in listening for any sound. A soft peaceful breath rang out in the apartment. Finding the source, Yusuke ran over to the fallen kitsune. "Kurama, wake up." Yusuke slapped his face harder and harder each time. "Kurama!" He only stopped when his eyes sprang open looking not too happy with the detective.

"Yusuke?" Kurama asked. He was a little disoriented, trying to cut through the haze in his mind until the full recollection of what had happened earlier came into light. "What are you doing here?"

Yusuke looked around for a moment, searching for any signs of a fight. He finally took in a deep breath of the air around him. Kagome. She was here. But why would she be here? Breathing in again to find just what was wrong with her scent he smelled the musky aroma that was laced with her scent.

As the Fox observed his friend's breathing he knew this was not a good sign. He would have no time to explain. Bracing for the hit again, he was slammed back into the wall from which he had just recovered. He was only glad that it didn't have the punch that Kagome's miko energy did. Not giving Yusuke a chance to draw back again, Kurama yelled for him to wait. "You know my scent!"

Yusuke held his position leaving his arm drawn back as he sniffed again. It wasn't his scent. It was a mixture of scents. None of them were Kurama's. He dropped his fist offering him a hand to help him up. "What was she doing here in your apartment?"

Kurama knew that Hiei was not going to like the fact that Yusuke had found out so quickly, but he had to tell the truth. Yusuke had already found out the majority of it. "Hiei rescued her in the Makai and brought her here. You were right. She has intense energies which are calling out to every demon in a 10 mile radius. We were trying to stop them when things went wrong. I can only surmise that Hiei took her to Genkai's for protection."

"What the hell is Hiei running around with her for? Don't you think it would have been better to call me and let me handle it?"

"Yusuke, you are not known for keeping a level head when someone has been hurt. And there really hasn't been anytime at all."

Yusuke punched the wall leaving a huge hole in its place.

Kurama wrinkled his nose at the damage that had been put on his apartment in the last ten minutes. 'First the window, and then the wall keeps taking a beating. I am going to have to work just to pay for repairs.' Turning his attention back to Yusuke, he thought he had better find out what was going on. "Look, Yusuke, why don't I call Genkai and see how she is doing? If everything is okay we can drive up in the morning after you've had a chance to think about things, all right?"

Yusuke collapsed defeated on the couch and nodded. If she was with Genkai, she was safe. He was far too tired tonight to do anything more, and he had a feeling that he would have to rely on his friends the coming day. He would see her and then he would seek out retribution for those who had done this. But it had been his fault. If he had stayed close to the shrine he would have known when she left and could have followed her. He would have never let anyone else touch her. He should be feeling gratitude to Hiei at the moment, he kept reminding himself, but he didn't. Hiei took her to Kurama's instead of to him. He had to suspect what Kagome meant to him. It was a traitorous act. Yusuke was so deep in thought that he hardly heard the last words of Kurama's call with Genkai.

"Genkai says that she is still unconscious, but physically she would be fine. But she did ask me to relay to you to give her some time with the girl before you come barging up there."

"How much time?"

"Another day or two at least. She said that after an attack like this, she'll need some time to come to terms with it, but she knew you would be determined to come long before that."

Yusuke jumped up ready to yell his case as loud as he had to. "Hell, no. We are going up there tomorrow."

His friend as too hot headed to be dealt with. "Yusuke, we have to be sympathetic to the girl's needs. She doesn't even know you."

"I don't care. I'm going tomorrow with or without you."

Kurama gave a defeated sigh. He expected no less and doubted Genkai did either. Both did hope that he could be reasoned with, but since it had never happen in the past, it was little hope. "Okay, I will drive you." At least with him he could keep somewhat of an eye on him and possibly detain him little by little.