A/N: Hello once again, Denizens of this FanFiction Realm!

I am personally of the school that says nothing is put into a story without reason. If something is mentioned or pointed out, it should be important later, otherwise what was the point of mentioning it? That's the idea I've tried to keep in mind while working on this RP. If there are any questions about what's going on or why something happened, please feel free to ask (in a PM would probably be best) because we certainly want things to not be confusing. At the same time, it might be the very thing you want to ask about has a place later on and the response you'll get from me will likely insinuate that, tee hee.

Symbols Guide:

* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko/Shikiyoku and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.

As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."

The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).

Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!

Akari and Nabu journey to the park to play,
and Kurama gets mixed up in their game of fetch by accident
when Akari sends a long toss through the park that he catches.

The two of them talk about Otento and what Toriko's role is in whatever his gang is planning.

~!**!~

Hiei and Shikiyoku steal "sweet snow" from a grocery store,
and just as soon as they get a ways from the door,
Shikiyoku stopped and hunched over their bag,
too hungry to wait any longer...

Hiei had waited just about as patiently as he could for the humans to chatter and arrange the food he had demanded in the way they saw fit, while they also seemed to dawdle and drawl about something he didn't care enough to listen in to. With his arms crossed and eyes searching the glass before him, he briefly considered something else that looked… decently appetizing… but he decided against it, figuring that the less they took, the more inconspicuous they would be. By the time the first human had the bag with their nicely-smelling grub was ready to go, Hiei was shifting his weight, eyes scouring the moving people behind him, searching for the source of watching eyes. He found them quickly enough, but easily determined it was not of a threat, and dismissed their entire existence altogether, turning to Shikiyoku with impatient irises. "I'm sick of being in the company of these beings," he commented, nose slightly wrinkled to highlight his distaste. Other than that, he said no more and simply followed after her, creating a train-like line of three. Briefly, he pondered the human reference to such a thing, trying to remember what a train actually was, but gave up and simply brushed it away. The thought was banished in a moment's noticed, and with it ll feelings of curiosity. Now, the only thing he could feel was irritation and impatience, accompanied by the constant feel of eyes on his back. In the demon world, that feeling meant danger, and eventually the death of one party or another. Here, he couldn't make a decision like that so quickly.

As the doors labeled with the word "Automatic" slid open to let them outside the small store, Hiei continued past the human and Shikiyoku, continuing just a little ways down the sidewalk, all thoughts on food now. Behind him, he could hear Shikiyoku dismissing the human and, shortly after his departure, the rustling of the bag in her hands. He spared a glance back at her and offered a sneer of amusement.

All of this, just for sweet snow. Or, Ice Cream, as the humans deemed it named. Such an odd name for the substance.

"All too easy." His red eyes turned forward again, hands in his pockets as he considered how Kurama would react if he knew of such a tirade here. Better keep it to myself, he thought in amusement.

~!**!~

Akari thought for a moment, her mind roving over every single encounter she'd had with Otento. The only thing that ever stood out to her was his ability to get away so easily, to disappear from view, after his message had been given. With eyes still trained on the very spot Nabu had disappeared from her sight, she gave a sigh and repeated her thoughts, this time aloud so Kurama would know of them.

"None, really. As you have very obviously seen, he does well in keeping things under wraps. I haven't seen enough of the world to be able to deduce much from a character like him, who's always three steps ahead of me." She felt physical pain by admitting such a weakness, but she figured he would have already deduced this much about her.

"He's blatantly said that Toriko is a target," She clicked her tongue in thought, eyes hardening as Kurama's previous words echoed in her mind. Again, she felt disgust and many other emotions, but this time the anger was stronger than them all. "I asked what he meant, but never got an answer. Whatever he wants, he won't say it outright. The only way to find out is either a middle-man or actually waiting until he makes his last move." She paused, sliding her eyes to look at the redhead from the corners, "I'm not of much help in such situations, but I plan to do as I am able…" *

"As are we all." Kurama added to the end of her sentence. He sat for a moment in silence, in thought, then sighed and started to rise from his seat on the bench, "I suppose the only thing to do now is wait. Either Koenma will get us the information we need to take further steps, or the stranger will make another move and we will be forced into action." He took a step forward, making as if to leave, "Either way, watch your back. This man is obviously interested in you as well, and it would not do well for you to be off your guard."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku plopped unceremoniously onto the concrete of the sidewalk, taking no notice-and for that matter not caring-of her surroundings.

She sat criss-cross on the ground, her legs encircling the paper bag with the items they'd pilfered, and huffed a bit of impatient air, feeling that the ravenousness of her stomach drove her mad. Did her other side never eat?

She didn't have the brain capacity to consider the answer, instead reaching down into the bag. Luckily, the container of chicken was on top, otherwise it might have been the sushi Hiei ordered for himself that she now tore into with gusto, ripping the lid off with one fatal tug and discarding it over a shoulder without a second thought. She reached in with one hand to first snatch a single piece from within the opened container, simultaneously putting the whole piece in her mouth while reaching once more into the bag to pull the entire container out and closer to her face. 3

Hiei sauntered at a leisurely pace away from the store, taking his time and, without consciously having made the decision to do so, listened for the footsteps of Shikiyoku to catch up with his own. Occasionally, a human would pass him by and nod hello, as he assumed what they did, or brush into him and continue walking with an air of impatience. At one point, he'd even had to step aside for a man on the run, huffing as he raced by, an officer on his tail.

This pause is what made Hiei realize Shikiyoku wasn't behind him. His red eyes turned back and searched for her, not expecting the sight he was met with. With her legs crossed on the ground and food stuffed between her teeth, he had the vague sense of a child given a treat and eating it before being scolded. He likely would have sneered, were it not for the fact that there were humans with eyes on her, bringing attention to the demoness.

"Shikiyoku," he called, his tone light, as if they were good friends from many years past. He didn't wait for her to look up. In fact, he didn't think she would, so he simply made his way back to her, stopping and standing over her. "You're drawing attention," he said, voice only low enough for someone with demonic senses to hear. It was a warning, because quite frankly he didn't like the fact that a demon was running around, attacking her repeatedly, and being able to go unnoticed the way he could. Hiei used to be the only one able to do such a thing, and now he was having to face someone else who, even without a Jagan, could do the same. Quite frankly, he didn't want to face that demon at the moment, and being unable to tell of his whereabouts made the fire demon a bit antsy, though he wouldn't show it. "Eat and walk simultaneously. The sweet snow is melting, and will continue to melt if you sit here. And, as I'm sure you can guess, melted sweet snow is likely not a very appetizing treat."

~!**!~

On a normal day, Kurama would have made her sneer or perhaps laugh, but she didn't feel like today was the normal day. After all, this demon who had disliked her from the very beginning was suddenly being cordial, even acting as if she were an actual part of the group, and it set her a bit on edge. Most demons who acted this way had other intentions, and she had learned to be weary. "Of course," she finally said to his back, pushing to stand as well.

As if on cue, Nabu came running back, neon yellow ball in his mouth and drool dripping over its coarse surface. He halted in front of Akari and sat on his haunches, a curious gleam in his eyes. "Are we leaving already?"

Akari glanced down at him briefly before turning to Kurama again, thinking. "If I see him again, you'll know. He finds amusement in sticking me in funny situations." She gave a lopsided sneer, as if she found Otento's antics amusing. The sneer left in a second though. Curiosity hit her like a ton of bricks, and suddenly she had the odd desire to inquire about his cordiality. She opened her mouth, but closed it again and turned to Nabu, retrieving the ball from his maw. "Maybe your boss will find something before we end up too far behind."

"Who's boss?" *

"He's your boss too, now!" Kurama remarked as he walked off, waving a hand in the air briefly to bid Akari goodbye. He did not wait to see if she had a quip to fire back at him, thoughts of making his way to Spirit World and seeing for himself whether or not Koenma made a breakthrough running through his mind. He had an option or two to present the toddler-prince with should there be no further progress, and he felt eager to speak about them.

~!**!~

It was in fact the absolutely alien tone in which Hiei first called out her name that pulled Shikiyoku almost immediately from her reverie, her eyes widened with astonishment and uncertainty when she looked up at him after he came to her side.

This tone he used had not given her enough of a fright that she stopped stuffing her face however, and she downed two more pieces of chicken in the time it took him to reach her.

She felt somewhere in the back of her mind an itch as he continued to murmur at her once in close proximity, and the itching conveyed to her a deep-set concern about...something, but she didn't know what. Nor did she know exactly from where the warning originated, but for some reason she found herself standing abruptly, half a piece of chicken still being chewed in her mouth and a frown across her brow.

Her expression flickered once with that itch again as she met Hiei's eyes after getting up.

"Yes. The sweet snow." She said absently, the paper bag with their pilfered goods inside being disregarded, remaining on the ground by her feet as her eyes stared beyond Hiei now, her words obviously conveying that the 'sweet snow' was no more than an excuse, even if she did not understand what she was excusing.

She did not move, hesitating and unsure as to what to do. Her gaze came back to the present, returning to Hiei, her facial expression blank, but looking to him for the next move and wishing the unsettled feeling in her stomach would go away. 3

Hiei hadn't expected such an abrupt response from Shikiyoku, so when she stood up as quickly as she did, he gave a small step back to give her her own space. But as she remained standing there, he realized she wasn't sure what to do. He gave a small sound of impatience and stepped closer, picking up the paper bag from the ground with a single hand, the crinkling sound seeming to break the silence of the afternoon. By the time he was standing upright again, her gaze was on him. He assessed her for a moment. Her expression conveyed nothing of her thoughts, but the air around her made him decide he was to take the lead, again.

So, without any further ado, he turned and wordlessly motioned with his head for her to follow, his Jagan automatically taking in his surrounds, along with the rest of his senses. His free hand swayed by his side with his lazy gait while his other hand that held the bag stayed motionless, almost, as if it would pain him to move that arm. In reality, his body was simply readying for anything that might happen, even though there was no real logical reason for his sudden distress. As far as he could tell, there were no eyes on him nor his company, and thus there was no threat. So, by the time they reached the house, he had his jaw set and eyes watching behind Shikiyoku as he stepped aside to allow her in first, as he'd learned was a human tradition here.

~!**!~

Akari ignored Kurama's words, turning her eyes pointedly the other direction. "You have a boss?" Nabu asked, tail wagging slower than before in curiosity. She rolled her eyes at him, but nodded at the pup before her eyes turned to watch the retreating back of Kurama. "See, if you're nice, so are they!"

"Nabu, are you-"

"No, I'm not hungry. Can we play something else?" Akari gave a small sigh, but a smile formed on her lips despite her gesture. "Maybe Flowers can play some more too!"

Akari raised a brow. "Flowers?"

"The one with the tail." When Akari gave no response aside from her brow raising higher, he snorted at her impatiently and sat on his rump after shifting some more. "The guy who just left!"

Akari gave a laugh that, on a quiet day, might have echoed through the air. "No, Flowers won't be here. Just us and this park is fine." With that, she tossed the ball in the air again and watched as Nabu instead began kicking it around in the mud.

"But I like Flowers…" *

~!**!~

The closer they got to the house, the more the sudden feelings of trepidation lessened and Shikiyoku stepped beyond Hiei when the fire demon stopped next to her and let her pass, fishing the keys out of her pocket and unlocking the door, pushing it inwards and going inside, moving out of the way to let Hiei into the room, but keeping her hand on the knob.

Once he passed through the portal, she shut the door behind him, and then turned to face him, eyes training themselves on his person to see what they should do next. 3

Hiei passed Shikiyoku, listening for the closing of the door until even the click was gone from the air. By that time, his Jagan had told him that the domain was safe, no intruder detectable anywhere in the house. Everything was just as they had left it, and that made his frame relax a bit more. He sauntered slowly into the kitchen, listening to the quiet house just in case.

When he set the paper bag on the table, the small form of Maneshi slinked into the room, gaining Hiei's attention only for a moment before the fire demon began rummaging through the bag for his sushi. Unlike humans, he didn't mind using his hands, so when he turned to Shikiyoku to eye her curiously, he already had a sushi roll stuck against the inside of his cheek, the taste a peculiar one.

~!**!~

Nabu had played and played and played until Akari had simply called it quits, waving for him to follow after her and back to the house. He'd done as she asked happily, obliging since she'd given in to his request for a generous amount of playtime. "How come you like to move around so much?" he suddenly asked her, curious. After all, the first day he'd met her, she'd done nothing but lay around and sleep, and that week had been a slow one of trying to wriggle his way into her domain for shelter. He'd been accepted rather quickly, and he found his best friend a curious creature.

"Nabu, shush."

Of course, she still acted like this from time to time, as if he were nothing more than a burden, but he didn't mind. He figured it must be tiring to only walk around on two feet all day. By the time they'd gotten back to the house, he was curling up on the dirt-covered couch, watching her move around in one spot, the air around her trembling with emotions she always held around him. "What's wrong?"

"Nabu, I'll be back. You stay, okay?"

The pup cocked his head to the side, tongue lolling out as she disappeared again. He liked this game in particular, because it didn't require too much running around after he'd done so much running already. He began counting, and then when his mind reached twenty, he bounded from the cushion and followed after her scent, nose to the ground as he ventured into town. *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku did nothing up until the moment Hiei put the paper bag in his hand down on the table, his body visibly relaxing to her eyes-which followed his every move-and the itch in the back of her mind simmering away into nothingness.

When it was gone, she blinked, suddenly realizing she had somehow gotten back into her other side's home, but the process of doing so being fuzzy in her head. She didn't realize her body had been so tense until she blinked and all the tension melted away.

She turned back and locked the front door, putting a hand up to a temple briefly and shaking her head once as if to free her tumbled thoughts. Her stomach gave a large roil in her torso, loud enough to reach her ears, and she briskly pivoted on a heel to get the paper bag Hiei hovered over.

Without removing the chicken container this time, she grabbed a piece from the bag and put the whole thing in her mouth, staring down at the counter and refusing to meet Hiei's curious stare.

For his part, Maneshi murled and jumped up onto the counter, unabashedly sticking his head over the edge of the paper bag, his eyes brightly exploring the contents that his nose told him he would enjoying snagging a bit of. 3

Hiei chewed at the sticky, seaweed-wrapped rice roll for a few moments as he watched Shikiyoku join him in the room, grabbing her own meal from the brown paper sack as well. He pulled another bite from the bag, this time some sort of raw fish, and stuffed it in his mouth too, eyeing the cat that suddenly hopped onto the table and stuck the entirety of his head into the bag. The fire demon sneered in amusement at Maneshi before batting at the air beside his head, telling the cat to remove himself from the food. "Careful, feline," he said, his tone lazy despite his words.

He reached in and pulled out the rest of his sushi, placing the plastic container on the table and retrieving the first piece of fish he saw, tearing it in two, and for once, reaching out and offering the smallest piece to the cat. "Now, leave it be," he commented as he stuffed another bite into his own mouth, turning to put the sweet snow's tub in the top door of the cooling mechanism, as he'd seen Toriko do before.

~!**!~

Nabu followed the trail of Akari's scent rather easily, her scent being so dominantly canine that it was almost impossible to miss. His feet moved at a decent pace, ears flopping a bit at the slow trot he moved at. But when his paws met the asphalt of the street, he stopped and backtracked, staring at the busy road in front of him in disdain, ears laid back. "This isn't funny!" He barked into the wind, thinking Akari would be close by, laughing at his reluctance. When no answer came, he circled the spot where he didn't dare leave the sidewalk, gave a whine, and plopped his rear down on the hot concrete.

He sat in that spot for a few moments, tail wagging curiously as he tried to think how he could get across the road. Becoming slightly disheartened at the sight of the zooming machines, he resorted to laying down, chin on the top of his paws and eyes on the path he could smell stretching ahead for miles.

Akari always made moves like this that put him in a stalemate. She was so mean, always winning at this game. *

"Urameshi! Watch where you're going, you idiot!" Kuwabara reached out as if to pull back at Yusuke's shirt sleeve, his classmate stomping angrily down the sidewalk.

Their activities had most recently consisted of the games at the arcade in town, but it had been a particularly bad session for Yusuke and the boy left in a quite literally "stomping mad" attitude.

Yusuke check himself before lowering his foot, having completely missed the small shape of the pup laying forlornly with the tips of his paws and nose at the very edge of the sidewalk.

In the next instant, Yusuke swept the dog up into his arms and began cooing at it.

"Hey there little buddy! Where did you come from?"

"Is he hurt?" Kuwabara came up beside him and peered over Yusuke's shoulder at the small pup.

Yusuke jealously held the dog closer to his chest, "I dunno, but I found him, so don't even think of stealing him away."

Kuwabara scoffed, "Yeah, right. Like Eichiki needs more stress in his life. You aren't seriously considering taking home are you?"

"Well, yeah! Sure! Why not!" Yusuke began marching down the sidewalk towards home.

"Uh, because your mom's gonna throw a fit? And do you even know if your new apartment allows pets?"

"Doesn't matter." Yusuke answered both questions at the same time, continuing his trek without pause. "He's mine now. Just look at this face." He held the dog up to his nose as he walked, cooing at it once more.

~!**!~

Maneshi started back at the woosh of air that passed his head when Hiei swatted near him, but his eyes grew wide with pleased astonishment when, after having removed the best smelling thing in the bag, Hiei turned and offered him some of what he'd wanted to most. He delicately took the small feast and in no time at all chewed it apart until he had the middle of it, the fishy part, in his mouth and swallowed it down.

He jumped off the counter at that point and wove himself around and between Hiei's ankles in a sleek figure eight pattern as the fire demon moved off, meowing happily the whole time, his face the peak of kitty happiness.

After completing the winding pattern three times, on the last circling, he gathered his body together and easily made the jump to Hiei's shoulders, stretching himself across them and settling down, a mighty purr vibrating his chest as he rubbed the top of his head onto Hiei's left ear in thanks.

Shikiyoku watched the parade of the cat absently, following Hiei with the second tub of iced cream after he grabbed for the first from the bag and placing it inside the freezer as he did, the containers stacking nicely on top of one another.

She returned to the paper bag in which the opened pile of chicken still rested, reaching in and grabbing for more without hesitation, but remaining quiet and staring down at the counter next to the sack from the grocery store. 3

Hiei waited until Shikiyoku's hand was out of the freezer before letting it slowly shut on its own, not really even glancing at the cat that had began rubbing at his ear. Quietly, he wondered when he had become so soft, as he often accused Kurama of being. After all, in previous years, if a feline had done as Maneshi was doing now, he would've killed it without hesitation. Also, he wouldn't have stuck around someone like Shikiyoku, since his temper would have been much shorter. Again, he wondered when, and why, he'd become so soft. But, at the same time, he didn't mind it, since it kept him out of useless trouble most of the time.

Yet, as he stuck another piece of fish in his mouth, he eyed the female beside him, thinking of the trouble that came with the demon that was after her. Many years ago, he would've wrote the situation off as her problem and gone about his business. So why had he gotten so involved? Perhaps it was because she was a friend of Kurama's, which had initially made him curious of her.

He brushed those thoughts away, and with it all thoughts of why he was where he was. "You're taking to the food much better than I did," he suddenly commented, realizing that her first experience with human grub was vastly different than his. He'd spat it out just as quickly as he'd plopped it in his mouth, and only because Kurama had goaded him to try it again did he end up eating a bit of it. Now, he ate it merely out of habit. The thought of that day made him sneer as he chewed on another rice roll, giving the crab from inside to the cat on his shoulders; he didn't care for the smell of the crab at all, much less the rubbery taste.

~!**!~

Nabu gave a small whine at suddenly being swept up from the ground and suspended in the air, surprise making him wiggle in fear. "I don't like heights!" he barked out at the boy holding him up, his equally brown eyes flickering to the ground below before resettling on the boy's face. At first, he was confused by the markings, but then he realized that the air around this… creature… was not a dangerous one. Instead, this person seemed to be rather joyous about Nabu's presence, making funny noises at him and sticking his face into Nabu's.

The pup immediately responded with the lolling of his tongue and a wag of his tail. "Hi to you too!" His eyes turned to the other boy, seeing the odd way his fur curled on his head. The pup turned his head in curiosity at the boy, smelling cat on him. But otherwise, he ignored the brute and turned his eyes back to the boy who held him, listening to the words "..keep him."

"Have you seen Akari? She went that way!" He barked, nose turning to sniff the air in the direction of the road, even as he was taken away from the path. *

"And how exactly are you planning on getting him in your apartment without anyone seeing, Urameshi?"

"Oh, I could just hide him under my jacket or something. It won't be that hard."

"And your mom?"

"What's not to love about this face?" He promptly turned, walking backwards down the sidewalk, and stuck the dog's nose up until its wetness was nearly touching Kuwabara's own nose. He pulled the dog back into the crook of his arm and held it at his stomach, making sure all four of its paws rested on his forearm and then holding him steady with the other hand. "If she doesn't like him, she can just deal with it."

~!**!~

For the second time in such a short while, Hiei's words pulled Shikiyoku from her thoughts and made her stare down at the next piece of chicken she had been prepared to stuff into her mouth. She considered it for a moment, turning it this way and that.

Truth be told, she hadn't thought much about the flavor, so intense was her desire to dull the ravenous hunger that swept over her. She never looked over at Hiei, but her eyes flashed dangerously as she considered the item in her hand, another pang hitting her stomach. She quickly stuffed the chicken in her mouth and the next turn of her stomach was not nearly as hard, though her eyes lost none of their intensity. She finally decided to speak once her mouth was cleared.

"I figured it would be better for me to try to mute the hunger and eat this than consuming the souls of those in the store. Because it seemed you did not think such an action to be wise." She clarified, "And for that reason only, I assure you." She reached for another piece and held it up to her face again, turning it like she had the last one. She shrugged after she ran her tongue over her teeth, truly tasting the flavor for the first time, and popped it into her mouth as well. This time she spoke around the piece instead of waiting, immediately picking up another piece. "I assume that my other side has been eating their food for fifteen years. Ask her how the first taste-test went. I do not know if our powers being suppressed would have made it a pleasant experience or not." 3

Hiei raised a brow at Shikiyoku, slightly amused that she'd been so considerate of his opinion. He rolled the rice ball around on his tongue for a moment, deciding he wouldn't say the comment he had initially thought up, and gave himself a second longer to find a more suitable answer than the one he first generated. He swallowed his bite before settling for the next-best reply he'd have for her comment.

"I assumed you wouldn't want Koenma on your tail," he casually remarked with a small shrug, not much caring if he disturbed the cat on his shoulders or not. His lips formed a toothy sneer, red eyes glimmering with his burst of amusement that, really, wasn't rationally necessary. "I suppose if you really wanted to, I'd allow you to eat human souls, but only if you enjoy all of Spirit World suddenly finding out of your existence. You've done well to stay under their radar for this long." He turned his eyes to the car on his shoulder, as if the thought was even more amusing than it actually was to him. The cat responded with a curious gaze, a single ear twitching against the air the fire demon blew from his nose.

~!**!~

Nabu let his body relax in the boy's arms, his nose running against the smooth fabric of the jacket that ruffled his fur with static. A small sneeze left him at the odd smell that lingered, but otherwise he didn't mind this person… creature… that held him. His curious gaze turned up to the boy, then down to the arm that held him in curiosity. He decided to show his fondness in the normal fashion he used to display with children, running his tongue over the person's hand and then nuzzling his nose against it.

"Do you have food?" He asked, not having yet realized this person couldn't hear him like Akari could. At the thought of any type of grub, his tail began moving, thumping against the jacket loudly as he yipped again. "I'm Nabu!" *

"What do dogs eat?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"I dunno." Kuwabara shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Dog food?"

"Hm. Well, I doubt we have any of that stuff at the apartment. ...but I do know that mom bought a couple of steaks home the other night! I'll feed him that."

Out from the alley next to them, a gang of seven or eight boys stepped into Yusuke's path.

"Whaddya doin' on our territory, Urameshi?" The boy in the front asked gruffly. "Haven't you learned your place yet?"

"I don't think this is a good idea, boss." One of the other boys in the back said, his voice wavering.

"It's a great idea, stupid! We've got them outnumbered!" The leader barked.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku coughed, not expecting Hiei to give her what she thought might be a sincere compliment. She covered her uncomfortableness by stuffing another piece of chicken in her mouth before she finished with the one she chewed.

Her eyes took on a more mischievous gleam, though she still did not look up from the food, "In truth, running might be more entertaining at this point. This world is boring. Is there nothing of interest to do here? I only see eating and sleeping in my immediate future."

Her rhetorical question was followed by a long-suffering sigh of despondency. She swallowed and hesitated briefly, reaching for another piece and hold it up to her eyes before speaking again, her voice quieter, "How do you manage it? I would manipulate and control the worthless humans for fun, and in truth it is only by your word of caution that I find myself able to hold back, but you...you have such self-restraint. I envy you." Her last sentence faded almost to silence as her voice grew softer as she spoke and she breathed it out with a true air of the envy mentioned. 3

Hiei's sneer became more of a toothy grin at the fact that no immediate reply was given. He settled for chewing on the last piece of fish he had while the silence enveloped the room, though his eyes never left her. Again he found himself wondering why he had bothered with this person, but again he found himself brushing the thought away; why muse over it? It was only a waste of time.

Hiei glanced at the cat that stretched further on his shoulders, paws flexing and claws digging into his skin a bit as the purrs quieted. A small sound escaped Hiei that would normally be a warning, but it was really just a sound pulled out of instinct. It was cut short though at Shikiyoku's sudden comment, which brought his curious fiery gaze to her again. He gave a scoff, her words reminding him of his own thoughts about this plane when he'd arrived. But, as she continued speaking, he found that her comment made him feel a bit taken aback. In truth, he hadn't ever really thought about the exact reason behind his own restraint. At least, not enough to be able to explain his own thoughts to another.

He gave a small scoff. "It comes with the territory," he finally responded, leaning back so that his weight was almost entirely on his heels, alost not catching her last words.

He raised a brow at her, his expression shifting from a sneer to a blank expression altogether. Never before had he actually had someone say something like that to him, much less about him. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond, so he settled for a loud release of air through his teeth. With that, he turned and grabbed the strawberry sweet snow from the freezer, hunted down a spoon, and simply pried the lid off and stuck a spoonful of it in his mouth.

~!**!~

Nabu's ears perked up at the conversation at hand, glad that his question seemed to have been heard and understood by the boy. Of course, at the sound of the words "Dog Food" together, his mind flashed an image of those small, dry bits of flavored grains that he saw other dogs eating from time to time, and he wondered if it did taste good, unlike the smell. However, at the word "steak", he was immediately wagging his tail just as fast as it could go, tongue lolling and his breathing much quicker than before out of sheer excitement. "Steak is good!"

However, the air became tense, and his ears immediately laid down on the top of his head, his eyes shooting the the source of the tense atmosphere. Almost immediately he realized that this was likely not a good situation he found himself in, a small pup unable to get away. But what worried him most was the dark air around the group of people in front of him, speaking to the person who held him. Instinct left him curling his lip upwards, showing his teeth, but his growl not audible, staying stuck in his chest.

Yet, simultaneously, he shrunk into the jacket, as if he could go unnoticed. "Your air is bad," he whined out, eyes looking up to the boy. "What now?" *

"Well, lookie here, Kuwabara." Yusuke shuffled his grip on the dog a bit so that just the one arm underneath it would keep it from falling, "They're still letting all the stupid walk around on the streets." Yusuke shifted his stance enough to brandish one fist.

"You're going soft, Urameshi!" The leader yelled, "And I intend to take over once I wipe the floor with you!"

"They never learn, do they?" Kuwabara grinned, "I think we're the ones assigned to clean-up duty this week."

"That doesn't seem like it'll be too much of a problem. Good thing they don't seem like much. I was afraid I might have to put the dog down."

The leader's anger continued to be more and more obvious, his muscles flexing and he finally pointed at the pair and yelled to his gang members, "Get 'em!"

The two boys only had to throw as many punches total as there were gang members, Yusuke having an easy time blocking and punching with just the one arm, able to safely hold the dog next to his body without so much as a hitch.

"I don't know why they ever think its going to work." Yusuke commented as he and Kuwabara kept walking down the sidewalk.

"Beats me. Maybe they're just getting stupider or something."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku watched out of the corner of her eye when she heard the freezer opening, seeing Hiei pull out a tub of a color she recognized as the "strawberry" one. Polishing off the last of her chicken and felt more adventurous than he, she walked to the freezer herself and grabbed the other tub with the nondisclosed flavor, plopping it down on the counter and stepping around the mess of the kitchen floor that she left from earlier without so much as a second thought to get to the drawers.

She knew she needed a spoon, or whatever, but didn't recall which drawer Hiei retrieved his from. She walked down the length of the counter to the farthest end and began opening drawers, slowly pulling them towards her, scanning the contents carefully, and closing them once she did not see what she sought. 3

Hiei had easily scooped several spoonfuls of the sweet snow into his mouth, enjoyed each bite, and then even gone in for another before he realized Shikiyoku was searching for something. His eyes turned to her, tearing from the ice cream that had dominated his attention so easily, eyeing her for a moment as she searched the drawer she held open. He raised a brow in amusement, suddenly realizing that Toriko was the one who actually knew where everything was, and Shikiyoku didn't. The only reason Hiei had known is because he had watched, observing where she kept her things in reference to the things he used occasionally.

He stuck another spoonful in his mouth, watching Shikiyoku's back for a moment longer, suddenly deciding he wanted to find a way to amuse himself.

"Next one over," he said casually, knowing full well that there was no silverware in the drawer he had instructed her to look in. He wondered how long she would allow him to make her go on a scavenger hunt.

~!**!~

Nabu had adjusted his own weight as the boy adjusted his hold on him, making it significantly easier for Nabu to hide himself after the comment over, what he assumed, to be himself. He hadn't made any audible noise against what the person had said, since the only times he had done so had ended with him running in fear.

Still, the air around him changed. Not his own emotions, but the feelings he could practically smell rolling off of the creature holding him became slightly different. He glanced up at the boy's face, only to see the markings on his face were darker, more filled out, bolder. Nabu's ears immediately laid back, flattening out completely on his head in confusion and wariness. It even looked as if the dark hair atop his head had grown a bit, his eyes changing, widening, but the moment was over, and with it left the changes.

Nabu gave a small whine, trying to gain the attention of this "Urameshi" and try and get a better look at him and his odd markings. "You're similar to Flowers." he said slowly, eyes narrowing a bit. "But you're different." *

The boys made it to Yusuke's apartment without further incident, managing to smuggle the dog inside with no trouble.

"Mom!" Yusuke called, slipping his shoes off at the door as Kuwabara did the same, "I'm home! Kuwabara's here too!"

"Sure! Fine!" She responded from in front of the television, waving a hand dismissively at the pair, "But if he wants to eat dinner here, you're cooking."

"Yeah, yeah. Like I don't cook most of the meals around here anyway." Yusuke grumbled, getting over into the kitchen and opening the refridgerator, leaning over with the dog still in arm to peer into and look for the steaks he mentioned earlier.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku did not make as if she heard Hiei's helpfulness, going ahead and opening the drawer as she already intended doing, but speaking up once she saw not what she looked for, "Wrong." She moved down the row again. 3

Hiei raised a brow, not really amused with the initial outcome of his sudden attempt at his own game. He raised a brow. "Was it?" he responded, his tone low as if he'd actually thought it would be right. "Try the one on the other side of it," he commented, eyes staring at the drawer he had mentioned as if trying to imagine the contents inside, which he knew was also not said drawer she was looking for.

Would she actually go along with him? It wouldn't be any fun if she didn't.

~!**!~

Nabu had sunk back into silence, quietly watching the boy the entire walk to wherever they were going. Once they were inside, his nose crinkled at the smell in the house, a smell he often found in wafts on the street as smoke from a person's mouth. He'd found the origin of the smoke before, a stick with odd things in it, and had chewed it up for fun. He hadn't enjoyed it at all.

Suddenly, cool air hit his face, and he slowly stretched his neck, sniffing the interior of the refrigerator. At first, he wasn't as interested, so he sat back and wiggled a bit, hoping he'd be let down to wander curiously around the house, like Akari had let him do numerous times. *

"Does steak sound okay, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked off-hand, eyes searching for the paper-wrapped package he knew was in there somewhere.

"Sure." His friend shrugged noncommittally.

"Hold still," Yusuke gave the dog the tiniest of squeezes closer to his body, speaking a low tone, "I don't know how mom'll react about you yet."

"How I'll react about what?" She asked from behind him at the entryway to the kitchen, arms crossed over her chest.

"Uh, n-nothing!" Yusuke responded, frozen in place.

"You aren't looking for those steaks, are you?" Her voice held no small amount of warning.

"Uh, y-yeah! I was going to cook them up for dinner."

"As long as you leave me some, then I guess I'll allow it." She responded flippantly, taking another drag from the cigarette between two fingers of one hand and turning to leave, the noises from the television catching her attention.

~!**!~

As with the last time, Shikiyoku assumed he did not mean the drawer on the side she had opened moments before, but she frowned down at the handle she placed her hand on, the next one in the line, opening it and still not seeing a single utensil useful to her situation. She chewed at one lip in slight irritation, moving to another drawer she hadn't opened. 3

Suddenly, Hiei found himself completely and utterly amused with the fact that she gave no reply. He gave a smile that to others would look demeaning, but the sparkle in his eyes told a different story. He settled himself to watch Shikiyoku as she continued to the next drawer, and it took a significant amount of effort not to snort in amusement.

"Oh, right." he spoke, tone thoughtful. "Last one on the end," he said, this time giving her the actual drawer, wondering if she'd believe him this time or ignore him completely. Either way, it would be fine with him.

~!**!~

Nabu immediately stopped moving when he was squeezed just a bit more, a gesture he knew well. He settled his chin to rest on the boy's arm, only twisting an ear to show he heard what he had been told. When he heard another voice, one he hadn't expected, he almost swiveled his head to look at the woman, but decided against in and instead only listened to the uneasy conversation. Again, the word "steak" popped into the air, and his ears perked up, tail moving just a bit, though he tried to wait patiently to be let down.

"I really wanna go look!" he whined softly, looking up from under his eyebrows at the boy in a way that had often earned him some attention. *

"Yusuke..."

The tone his mom gave him made the boy tense up again. She hadn't actually left the room yet, but he remained facing forward.

"...what are you holding in your arms?"

"N-nothing." Yusuke responded, sounding oh-so-suspicious.

He suddenly felt the clamp of a hand on his shoulder and he gave out a noise of protest as his mom spun him around suddenly.

She snatched the dog out of his arms and made sounds of glee as she lifted him around in the air, "I thought I heard a doggy-noise! Just look at this cutie! Aren't you adorable!" She stuck the dog's nose in her face and rubbed her nose against his.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku's ears twitched in irritation, reaching stubbornly for the next drawer with no intention of changing her current path down the side of the counter. This one proved no more fruitful than the last and her eyes flickered briefly to the one on the end, at least five drawers away.

Refusing to believe he actually intended to be helpful, she continued in the order she started, finally making a noise of success and reaching down to rummage in the drawer she opened. 3

Hiei raised a brow, silently struggling with himself at the fact that Shikiyoku had completely ignored him and continued on her own path. This time, he shoved a large spoonful of ice cream to stifle any noise he might even consider making, settling for watching her continue through the line of drawers. He considered prodding her a little further, but settled for simply observing as she reached the end, pulling open a drawer and making a small gesture of success.

Hiei merely turned to his tub of ice cream and continued eating in silence, no longer using Shikiyoku as a form of entertainment.

~!**!~

Nabu himself reacted to the voice he heard, his own ears laying back as if he'd been scolded. When he was suddenly suspended in the air, in a much quicker motion than earlier today, he gave an actual cry and kicked his feet, panicking until his nose met the woman's. Only then did his entire body relax and he tentatively licked at her nose, testing her to see if she was as friendly as she made herself out to be. *

"How cyUUUTE!" She gave another squeal as the pup licked her nose.

"Mooooom!" Yusuke whined, walking over to where his mother had danced into the living room, "I'm the one that found him!" He reached up to try and get the dog back.

"Too bad!" She spun away from him, holding the dog higher where Yusuke couldn't reach, "He's too cute for you!" She turned back to the pup and started speaking at a higher-pitch, rubbing their noses together again, "Aren't you? Aren't you just the cutest thing ever!"

~!**!~

"Ha! You were wrong!" Shikiyoku spun around on the tile and triumphantly held out a spoon that likely would have been placed into a dish and used to scoop servings onto a dinner plate. As such, it was at least twice, if not three times the size of the spoon Hiei was using.

She practically skipped forward, away the from the row of drawers behind her, the last three she hadn't bothered to close, but the "spoon" she retrieved very obviously coming from the second-to-last drawer. The one right next to the drawer Hiei suggested.

Happy with her prize, Shikiyoku went to pry apart the lid from the tub, but frowned after two unsuccessful attempts. Opening her mouth and then closing it again just as quickly, she reached down to try again.

Her face wrought with conflicting emotions, Shikiyoku ground her teeth together and picked up the tub with her free hand, shoving it towards Hiei's face but refusing to look at him, obviously displeased with what she was about to have to do.

"Can you...open it...please..." She muttered, glaring down at the table. 3

Hiei looked up in time to see Shikiyoku spin around, a large… spoon-like object in her hand. He stared at it in confusion; he hadn't known spoons like that existed. He frowned, realizing that she'd gotten it from the next to last drawer. His brows furrowed and, quite honestly, he wondered if perhaps he might find one similar. His eyes flickered to the drawer before he looked back to her, a brow raised in consideration. "Are you sure you can handle that?" he suddenly harped, finding sudden amusement in the mental image of her being unable to eat from it, picturing her trying to stick the entire spoon into her mouth. The mental image made his eyes flash in amusement.

When he realized she was also struggling with the tub, his amusement level increased tenfold. At first, he merely looked at it, as if her request were absurd. But after a moment, he took it from her grasp and began slowly pulling at the lid, taking his sweet time in hopes that he'd frustrate her enough to try again herself.

~!**!~

Nabu wasn't sure what he'd expected, but the amount of pleased dialogue from this woman was not it. So when she continued, his tail began to whip back and forth wildly, his tongue lolling. "You're really nice! Wanna play?" he asked as he reached out a paw, just touching her face and then letting it fall away again. "Actually, can I sit with you?" he suddenly asked, head turning to the side and letting his nose touch hers back. "I've run a lot today… I'm kinda tired, but I'm hungry…. so I don't wanna sleep yet…" He kicked his front paws lightly again, rubbing his face on hers.

"I like you people." *

"Yusuke, the steaks are on the bottom left. Why don't you grab a plate and put one on it and bring it here. Just cook the other one up."

"Sure thing!" Yusuke grinned as she sat down and put the pup on the floor, Kuwabara going to join them. He turned and went back into the kitchen to do as she suggested, going ahead and turning on the oven and coming back out with the other raw piece of meat and plopping down on the floor with the rest, putting the plate in the middle of the triangle shape the three human bodies formed.

~!**!~

The low sound coming from Shikiyoku was almost a growl and she flexed her jaw impatiently, but refused at first to turn and watch Hiei as he began pulling apart the lid from the tub. After a moment, she couldn't stand his slowness and whipped back towards him, reaching for the tub he seemed to be taunting her with.

"You're slow!" Came her protest, intending to snatch the ice cream away. 3

Hiei found himself sneering more and more as the seconds ticked by, until she finally whipped around to face him. Immediately, he leaned back in his chair, keeping the tub from her reach. However, instead of taking his sweet time this time, he actually pulled the lid off and glanced inside at its contents, only to meet disgust at the mere appearance of the substance. He continued to eye the green substance, his nose lightly sniffing at it, but only meeting cold air and the smell of something sweet. he scrunched his nose and held it out to her with a good luck nod in her direction. "All yours," he said casually as he offered it to her, no longer amused, but disgusted with it.

After all, every green substance in the demon realm was poisonous, so this was nowhere near appetizing to him. It actually sent alarms in the back of his head, but he ignored them completely, knowing his lack of knowledge about the human realm could affect him in numerous ways, and overreacting being one of them.

~!**!~

Nabu felt an immense amount of relief at being placed on his own feet, suddenly glad to not be in the air anymore, despite the attention he'd been getting. Akari never acted like this around him, so he was basking in the joy that filled the atmosphere of the house, even adding his own to it. He sniffed the hardwood floor and looked back up in time to see a plate set on the floor. He quickly made his way to the pink substance on the plate, and immediately found that the smell was unlike anything he'd ever witnessed.

Without any hesitation, he tore into it, using a paw to hold it still so he could break off bite-sized pieces one by one, all the while mentally thanking these people for the meal. *

"Aw, look at him." Kuwabara finally spoke up, "He's pretty adorable. I mean, he's no Eichiki," He quickly retracted, "But cute."

"What's his name, Yusuke?" Atsuko asked as they watched the little one tear into the food.

Yusuke shrugged. "I just found him on the sidewalk. No collar or anything, so he must be a stray. Hadn't really thought of a name."

Atsuko put a hand up to her chin as if in thought, "You know, I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to have animals in the apartment."

Yusuke frowned, "Yeah, I thought about that."

"But what they don't know won't hurt 'em, right?" She laughed.

Yusuke grinned, thankful his mom took to the dog as much as he had, "I'm gonna go check on the oven!" He got up and left the room.

Shikiyoku took it from him without so much as a 'thanks,' turning away and coveting the tub close to her body, and without hesitation digging her spoon and rolling a large portion into the awkward utensil for consumption.

She managed to get the bite past her lips with no issue, squinting one eye as she'd forgotten even in the short time it'd been since first having the stuff of how cold it stung.

As the flavor took hold on her tongue, her grip on the tub itself slipped and it clattered to the floor. Her eyes shone brightly as the strange flavor prickled up and out her nose, releasing the most heavenly taste she had ever been introduced to. Her demonic energy hummed underneath her skin, briefly weaving around her body visibly on the air as an aura of power before it disappeared again and she collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint, the spoon still clutched tightly in her other hand. 3

Hiei had looked away for a second, but a second was all it took. In the time it took for him to scoop some more ice cream in his own spoon, something had hit the floor, and then the air had become charged. By the time he had looked up, Shikiyoku was gone from his sight, the sound of her body hitting the floor echoing through not only the air, but his very core. He was shocked still for a moment, staring down at her feet, the only part of her body he could see from around the corner of the table.

Energy hummed through him slowly at first, and then fully exploded through his veins just as he exploded from his seat, taking only a millisecond to reach her side, crouching over her body where she lay on the hardwood floor. His hands moved, two fingers automatically touching the skin at her jugular in an automatic check for a pulse, his mind calming only a bit when the normal hum of energy, that to a human feigned as a heartbeat, thrummed there. He sat back on his heels, rolling her over and using his Jagan to immediately search for any sign of something attacking the girl he'd sworn to protect. No ridiculous poison will best me.

~!**!~

Nabu continued to eat at the wonderful meat, its juicy tenderness making him rip at it in a consistent speed. He only glanced up for a moment when Yusuke moved from the room, but in another second he was tearing at the meat again. He hadn't known he was this hungry until now.

Then again, it could have been all the other foods he'd been eating lately, none of which were meat in any shape nor form.

When he finished, he proceeded to lick the plate clean of the flavor of the meat. Even long after the taste was gone, his tongue continued to rove over the glass surface. That was amazing, he thought to himself. I wonder if Akari has ever had this?

The thought was gone, and with it all curiosity and energy he'd had before. Now that he was full, he found himself sitting down in front of the plate, watching each person in turn, wondering which person would let him lay on them for a nap. *

Atsuko stood up and tousled the pup's ears, returning to her cushion to watch more of the television as Yusuke came back into the room and scooped the dog up into his arms.

"Feel better now?" He asked, giving the dog a good scratch on the back as he jerked his head at Kuwabara, "We can go into my room. The steak won't be done for a while and I've got my video games set up." Yusuke walked off for the room with Kuwabara trailing behind him.

Yusuke put the dog back down on the ground after getting into his room, he and Kuwabara sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a television with a game system hooked up. The pair busied themselves with grabbing controllers and setting up the game, though Yusuke did pat the floor and turn to the dog once he got settled.

"C'mon over here, doggie! Just don't chew on the cables..."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku floated somewhere very far away on clouds of minty-green and happiness with bits of chocolate in the air beside her. Of course, she did not have names for "mint" and "chocolate," but that didn't stop her from frolicking about in la-la-land with the pair of flavors still sitting on her tongue. 3

Hiei let his Jagan search for any immediate danger, though he knew it wouldn't do him much good since he wasn't an expert at things like this, unlike Kurama. Suddenly, it occurred to him that maybe she hadn't completely swallowed it yet, and his hands immediately went to her face, one moving her head so he could see her face and the other forcing her jaw open to take a look. To his dismay, there was only a few traces of the substance, those traces being little dark chunks stuck in her teeth.

He thought for a moment before sitting back, an odd feeling sweeping through him. He considered going out and searching for Kurama, who would be much better at this, but if his Jagan couldn't reach him, as it was attempting to right now, it wouldn't matter by the time they got back.

Frustration hit Hiei like a ton of bricks in his gut, making his body thrum with energy and his mind whir with many different scenarios. He could… but no, that wouldn't work…

He could…

That would do more harm than good…

He gave a frustrated sound and looked around the room in desperation, his eyes suddenly falling on the spoon in her hand. He growled as if it had offended him personally and ripped it from her grasp, a hand staying around her wrist as he chunked it across the room, not noticing how his emotions made the heat in his body rise enough to make the spoon conform to his grasp. He began shaking Shikiyoku, frantically trying to think of something else.

Water.

What if the poison is accelerated by hydration?

Damn it all.

~!**!~

Nabu wasn't too bothered when he was lifted from the floor again, this time completely trusting that he wouldn't be dropped by the boy who had fed him. When he was set down again, he looked around the room, easily finding a bed with comfortable looking blankets and a pillow. There were clothes on the floor too, and almost automatically he recalled laying in old shirts when he was even younger, before he'd been taken in.

Almost immediately, he sauntered to the nearest t-shirt, ducking his head and making his way underneath it. He shimmied his way around the cloth until he was completely covered, only pausing when Yusuke called out to him. His head popped out from under the cloth, beady brown eyes looking at Yusuke in curiosity. "You want me nearby?" He asked, as if it were the most absurd thing ever. Sure, he always slept near Akari and sometimes even on her stomach, but other than that, he hadn't been allowed much close proximity to people when napping.

So, when prompted, he giddily made his way to the boy, dragging the shirt with him and simply curling into the boy's lap, using the shirt as a blanket, hoping the mud had dried enough to keep him from dirtying the cloth too much and potentially angering the person. Finally, he rested in a tight ball in Yusuke's lap, his chin resting on the boy's knee and eyes pointed to the screen that flashed pictures. *

Yusuke laughed and pointed for Kuwabara to look as the dog dragged the dirty old t-shirt across the floor and promptly dropped into Yusuke's lap with it. Yusuke gave the dog's back several good strokes with one hand as he went through the menu options on the video game with the other, and he and Kuwabara settled into a rhythm, though the dark-haired boy was never too long in dropping a hand from the controller to give the dog another pat.

~!**!~

Through the entire escapade, Maneshi had maintained his position on Hiei's shoulder, and even as the fire demon bent over the woman on the floor, he showed no concern.

The black cat slipped down onto the tile floor and stuck his nose in the tub on the ground, giving the contents of the bucket a good three or four licks before turning to Shikiyoku's still form, the end of his little pink tongue sticking out of his mouth. He moved another step or two out of the way, opposite the direction that Hiei hovered, and sat down on his haunches, regarding Hiei with the same tongue-out-of-mouth expression, his gaze steady, awaiting what the fire demon would do next. 3

Hiei reacted completely out of the norm at the movement on his shoulders; he actually jumped in surprise, a hand flitting to his Katana out of sheer instinct. His eyes laid sight on the cat and he immediately dismissed the momentary panic, turning back to the actual problem at hand. His eyes roved over Shikiyoku, searching for evidence of anything lethal, but again found nothing. He looked around the room, searching for something of use, but just as before, he came up with nothing.

A scowl etched into his face much further than before, seeming as if etched in stone. He grit his teeth and stood up, a hand rubbing his temple as he forced himself to stop and think.

Water won't do. If it's powered by hydration, then it would kill her in a moment. Perhaps… His eyes turned to the window, looking to the outside world and at the greenery he could see. None of it appeared to be any type of medical herb that he knew of. Think.

Again, he bent over Shikiyoku, this time his eyes meeting those of the feline across from him for guidance. No response, and his frustration flared into full-on anger. Explosive anger, at that. His energy broiled and his mind reeled, going into irrational mode. "How about instead of sitting on your lazy ass, you do something," he growled at the cat.

He turned his angry irises to the culprit of the situation, and his anger became lethal. He approached it and took a sniff at it, as he had earlier. Again, he only had the experience of cold and sweet. But, feeling as if he couldn't do anything at all, he simply set it aflame in his hand, finding an intense emotion in watching it burn, in smelling the burning container. Die.

~!**!~

Nabu got comfortable very quickly, his full stomach making it hard for him to stay awake. He stretched only slightly before resettling back into his most comfortable position and letting his eyes slide closed. A puff of air left him in a puppy sigh, and before too long, his head began to slip down little by little, and he was off in little puppy dreams.

~!**!~

Akari walked through the front door for the first time ever, not caring if any of the nearby humans saw her enter the closed-off territory. "Nabu," she called, holding up a bag that rustled in her grasp, "I'm back, and I have food." She shut the door behind her, locking it easily despite the very obvious hole in the side of the building. She gave a sigh and turned to the couch, expecting the pup to be laying on it, but unable to see him for the back of the couch. "Nabu, nap time is over," she said casually, walking to a desk that was actually cleaned off and setting down the plastic bag. "Come on, Nabu, I-" she turned to look at the couch, and was met with empty furniture.

"Nabu!" She called, looking to the stairs that were blocked off with fallen debris from the upper floor. She knew of the small hole he could fit through, but didn't think he'd have gone through there and ignore her warning of the danger. "If you don't get down here, I'll eat all of it myself!"

Silence.

Worry suddenly hit her. Hard. "Nabu, this isn't funny! Get down here, NOW!"

Nothing.

She felt sick. Physically sick. Without another call to the house she knew was empty, she turned and left the house through the gaping hole in the building, easily finding the faint scent of the pup. She didn't know why, but the thought of the pup being by himself in the crowded city made her feel ill in almost every aspect. *

~!**!~

"How about instead of flying off the handle, you take a moment and think?" Maneshi finally replied, his voice dry against the inferno of Hiei's mind. The very tip of his tail twitched once in a while and the mismatched color of his gaze stayed steady on Hiei.

"You have been afforded several certain...advantages in regards to her now. The most prominent is your bond with her that will confirm or deny if she is truly in any danger here, but you cannot access its presence between you if you are already enraged. Calm yourself." 3

Hiei whirled around to meet the gaze of the cat, not caring that the container was still melting in his very hand at that moment. But he listened to Maneshi all the same. Advantages? he thought, confused. The confusion made his anger level deplete almost entirely, his mind clearing despite the hidden emotions underneath. "What do you mean, use the bond?" he repeated, his tone completely different than the moment before.

There was another way?

Plus, the cat was calm, meaning… he should be too, right? If the cat wasn't worried, barking orders, then Hiei shouldn't be worried, right? Right? He hoped that was indeed the case. "How?"

~!**!~

Akari moved, finding herself retracing her own steps. Dammit Nabu, I said not to follow me. The demoness made her way briskly through the thickening crowd, this being the middle of the dinner rush hour. But, as she continued to walk, she suddenly realized that his scent was stronger in certain places, as if…

As if he'd backtracked.

Akari's eyes turned in the direction she assumed the pup had gone, her nose flaring as she sniffed. Then, with the realization came utter anger. If you touched him, I swear to Enma that you will die by my hands, she thought, her stomach rolling with protective worry over the pup. After all, the two boys didn't like her. It was understandable, but at the same time, disdain could drive one to do stupid things.

She followed the scents until, eventually, she was standing at an apartment door, fist hitting it loudly. If he's hurt… *

Atsuko stood bent over the oven when the pounding came at the front door, attempting to stick a fork through the steak that was now finished cooking.

"Somebody at the door, Yusuke!" She yelled, trying for another stab.

"Get it yourself, mom! I'm busy!" Came her son's voice from the back room.

Atsuko grumbled to herself, but did manage to get the steak on her fork and stood up from the oven, closing it and turning it off before heading for the door.

Upon opening it, her eyebrows raised slightly over the steak that she had moved over to her mouth to take a bite from, "You lookin' for something, sweetie?" She asked, her mouth full.

~!**!~

Maneshi's tailed curled around the tops of his front paws.

"If you're calm, you should simply be able to feel within yourself whether or not she is injured at this moment. Overreacting for nothing could someday put the both of you in more trouble than staying calm and assessing the situation first. If she is hurt, or in pain, you will know. If her life is threatened, you will sense it. The bond is of course stronger the closer your proximity, but even at a distance you can reach through it to check on her. Furthermore, if you believe she is in danger, she will look to you for guidance and insight in the situation. You could not protect someone if you were not apt at sensing the approach of those with ill intent, and wouldn't have been able to accept the task if it were the case. But your fury will be your undoing." 3

Hiei raised a brow at the cat, his chest deflating completely now that his anger left him, replaced with this new information. As the cat continued speaking, his voice brushing Hiei's mind and wiping out the flames of fury with cool confidence, Hiei began trying to do as Maneshi said he should be able to- feel the bond. After a few moments, Hiei's entire mind was a dull hum, not even taking in the words of wisdom from the cat as he felt an odd sensation take over.

It was… calm? No, but something very similar, in his opinion. He assessed it further, eyes drooping shut as even his own body relaxed. Is this what it feels like? It was so bizarre, this odd feeling. All was well and good, but even so he let his mind linger on that feeling. It was almost like a string in his mind that continuously reverberated with the energy that hummed in the air, giving feedback depending on the atmosphere.

Finally, he withdrew from it and opened his eyes to meet a silent cat, all trace of anger gone, along with the flame he'd been previously holding in his hand. "Then… why..?" He suddenly inquired, glancing at Shikiyoku curiously.*

Eikichi - no meaning

Atsuko - Female given name or forename

Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star