"Where is she...?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Hn,"

"What are we doing here anyways?"

She had heard this entire conversation, and knew they were obviously chasing her. The crisp wind combed through her long black hair, and the light shined on her tanned skin. In human years, she looked around fourteen or fifteen, although her height didn't quite match her age- or her courage and pride. Her honey colored eyes watched the four boys as they searched the small town she had dwelled in for the past few years. Then they all stopped.

'Stopping? But- why?' she thought. Then, slowly but surely, the small one looked up directly at her. The other three boys looked up at her as well. Her long black hair spread out like an Eagle's wings in the wind on that brisk, autumn day, and her golden eyes looked directly at them. She didn't look scared at all, she did look like she was contemplating something, and then it looked like she had figured it out. On top of the tall, brick building, she felt she was free, and when she saw these boys, her curiosity overcame her- and she watched as the walked around in circles- looking for someone or something. In the human form, she currently inhabited she had looked harmless enough, but once back into her demon form, she was unstoppable. She blinked- and the small one was gone. With her acute sense of hearing, she could hear the unsheathing of his sword, and the light footsteps drawing nearer. She got up, and stepped out of the way of the attack. Her attacker almost fell off the building, but stopped short of the edge before he could do so. You looked at him, your passive face giving no signs of what you truly were. Finally, a few minutes later, the other three boys had climbed up the many flights of stars to the roof of the building. By the time they go to the top, the girl they had seen was staring at their friend.

The red-haired one tried to settle things calmly by saying, "Now, can we settle this without violence?"

He seemed to be directing it to his friend, the one who had attacked her.

"Yeah Hiei, I'll bet you're scaring her!" shouted an ugly, orange haired human boy.

'Untrue,' she thought, 'nothing scares me anymore...'

The boy in front of her smirked at her thoughts, and a hint of triumph glimmered in her eyes, for she had just proved that the boy could read minds. The boy put away his sword, and in that slight moment, she jumped off the edge of the building. Instantaneously, the telepath leaped after her, sword drawn. The other three boys sighed, and started down the steps again.

She had landed on both feet, softly, lightly, as if she had just jumped a few inches- rather than off a tall building. She took off, with the telepath; Hiei as his friends had called him, on her heals. Hiei ran as fast as he could, but couldn't catch up with the girls light run. Suddenly, the girl stopped- and Hiei ran headfirst into her. Both went tumbling, and Hiei heard the crack of the girl's skull hitting full force against another brick building. Hiei stood up and grabbed her arm, but it was quickly wrenched away. Anger had washed over her beautiful features, and she stood up quickly. Ignoring the blood trickling in a large river down her head and back, she stood as tall as she could, and came up only and inch or two shorter than Hiei.

Then softly, ever so softly, the girl spoke, "This one does not appreciate this game of cat and mouse, but if this one must continue to play, then she will."

Hiei looked at her confused, but then righted himself and readied his katana. A crowd had gathered around where Hiei and the girl stood. "Catch this one if you can, Mr. Cat," she said softly, and then disappeared. Hiei looked around for her, but couldn't find any traces of her, none.

"That's just how she is," muttered a human.

Hiei turned and looked at the human who had spoken: it was an old woman, hunched over, and nearing her death- Hiei could sense it. Hiei's other three friends pushed through the crowd.

"What do you mean, old woman?" Hiei asked, coldly.

(FlashBack-ish)

"A long time ago, when the world was new, that girl was brought into the world by a caring mother and father. But as time went on, the father lost interest in his wife, and went on with other affairs. This was not unusual back then, but the wife had loved her husband very much- and couldn't bear to see him ignore her, to put her away like an old toy." The old woman began the story, and already the four boys knew it would be a sad tale, "The mother of the girl you were chasing was so deeply in love with her husband, that the nameless child was beaten senselessly, day and night, or until her father would return, whereas the mother would think of an explanation for her child's bruised condition. When it all began, the child was four, and as the tradition of her family, a child could not be named until ten, and so her mother called her 'it' and 'that thing'. Despite all of this, the child loved her mother dearly-"

"That makes no sense," said the black haired boy, "How could she still love her mother, if her mother hated her?"

The old lady looked at the boy, and then around her- the crowd had disappeared with mutters of 'Crazy Hag' and 'Demon Witch' and other such nonsense.

"You are Yusuke Urameshi- famous spirit detective- yes?" she said, and then went on once she saw Yusuke's face, "And you happen to be Kurama, and Kazuma Kuwabara, and Hiei...am I incorrect?"

They all nodded, and the old lady continued, "It may be hard for you to understand, but to that girl it was the simplest thing in the world."

"Does she have a name now?" asked Kurama.

The old woman sighed, "It seems I'll never finish the child's story. Yes and no, the villagers here have called the child Achiko. In the ancient tongue of the wolves, Achiko is said to mean, lost soul, or tormented soul."

The boys, excluding Hiei, looked very sad, and ignoring all these distractions, the old lady continued, "Achiko was beaten until she was ten, and at that time, she was to be granted a name." The old woman sighed, "But a mysterious force killed Achiko's entire clan that same day. She was the only one left."

"Why did she talk in third-person or whatever you want to call it?" Hiei asked.

"It is how the fallen warrior speaks, Achiko has spoken like that since the day she tumbled into the rundown town. She is not ready with herself, and she never knows what tomorrows for." Replied the woman.

"Is she a demon?" Kurama asked slyly.

The lady stared at him a moment, and then decided if he was trustworthy or not, "Yes, she is- or at least to a point she is."

"What do you mean? Is she demon, or is she not?" demanded Yusuke.

"She is a wolf, she is a demon, but most of all, she is the orient of magic...the beholder of death." Said the woman sadly. They all nodded solemnly.

"We understand," said Kurama softly, then he turned to the others, "We should return to Koenma,"

They all nodded, and walked away from the building. They turned a corner to enter the forest where they had mysteriously come from, and the woman lazily watched them leave.

"Senile old hag, what nonsense did you fill their heads with?" yelled a man dressed in a tux.

"Nothing, Lord...Nothing..." she replied and walked into the shadows.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------