A/N: Hello once again, Audience!

Another chapter awaits!

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!

Hiei and Shikiyoku return to Toriko's home after gathering food and sweet snow.
Upon consuming "mint chocolate" ice cream, Shikiyoku faints and Hiei learns,
via Maneshi, that he can check on her health by accessing a bond within himself,
one that allows him to assess her well-being.

~!**!~

Akari leaves Nabu at home, but the curious pup follows her after a while,
ending up with Kuwabara and Yusuke. Akari tracks him to Yusuke and Atsuko's apartment...

Akari's fist lowered to her side as she listened to the shouts from behind the door, realizing she hadn't taken into account the possibility of another human nearby. I'll just have to work around it. By the time the door was open, Akari's expression was neutral, but on the verge of rushed. She opened her mouth to speak, but the wafting smell of the steak hit her hard, causing her stomach to roll; she'd been avoiding meats like the plague, and this certainly wasn't helping. Her nose crinkled up, her brows furrowing.

Then she realized the woman had spoke to her. "Yes, is Yusuke home? I'm… a friend of his…" she said slowly, her tone carefully even despite the fact that Nabu's scent was very strong inside the home. "I need to speak to him about… school work…" she said carefully, eyes roaming past her head and to the apartment beyond. *

"Oh my! Well, please come on in! He's just back here!" Atsuko turned away and started walking for the back of the apartment, "Yusuke! There's a cute girl here to see you! You'd better not be cheating on Keiko!" The last sentence came out much more harsh than the others and she stomped the last two feet into Yusuke's room.

"Mom, you know I wouldn't-" Yusuke did a double take, his jaw dropping open, "MOM! YOU'RE EATING MY STEAK!" If he didn't have the sleeping dog under the t-shirt in his lap he would have jumped up and tried to snatch it from her.

"You're too slow!" Atsuko waved the steak around on the fork for a bit tauntingly, then left the room after Akari walked in.

"What do you want?" Yusuke grumbled at her, both he and Kuwabara turning back to their game.

~!**!~

Maneshi's eyes sparkled, "Well, it's quite possible that she is having some sort of reaction to either the 'mint' or the 'chocolate' contained within the ice cream. Or perhaps she's only being overly dramatic." He stood before Hiei could say anything else and calmly walked out of earshot, disappearing up the stairs. 3

Hiei felt his brow disappear in his bangs just as the cat disappeared from his immediate eyesight, making the fire demon turn to the girl in confusion and curiosity. Now that he was calm, he could easily see there was no immediate danger, without even having to refer to the bond, as Maneshi so pointedly called it. Physically she was fine, aside from a few marks here and there, which he realized was only by his own doing. If it were in his nature, he would have uttered the single word, oops. Instead, he settled for a sigh and resigned himself into lightly tapping Shikiyoku's face repeatedly, wondering if this would wake her from whatever had made her come to such a condition.

You're a pain.

~!**!~

Akari gave a small smile to the human who stepped aside, and then lead her straight to the back of the apartment, yelling the entire way. Cute? she thought to herself, a brow raised. I'm not cute, dammit. She followed the woman into the back room, arms crossing over her chest as she waited for the two humans to stop chattering and for the older woman to leave.

And at Yusuke's question, her temper flared. "Where is he?" she demanded, fingers tapping on her arm as if it was a great struggle to keep them from around his neck. "Nabu's scent is all over this room." Her tone was mild, but her gaze was smoldering. She suppressed the urge to give a verbal warning, only because the human woman in the next room would be able to hear her, since her own voice carried easily. *

"What are you going on about?" Yusuke asked off-handedly, "Can't you see we're in the middle of something important here?"

"Who's Nabu?" Kuwabara wanted to know, neither boy looking up from their game.

~!**!~

Floating amongst minty-chocolate, Shikiyoku wondered at the ridiculousness of the situation. How in the three worlds could a bite of this strangely flavored sweet snow make her faint? She wondered if Toriko knew anything about this.

The middle of her wonderings were suddenly interrupted by an incessant tapping that originated somewhere outside of the green-cloud fantasy land and she felt her eyelids shudder, then slowly blink open and she sat up abruptly. 3

Hiei watched her fluttering eyelids patiently, his tapping ceasing as soon as there was signs of consciousness in Shikiyoku. By now, he'd completely forgotten the melted green and brown mess on the floor that he'd made.

When she sat up, Hiei rocked to his heels to give space, then slowly stood up, standing over her with an air of calm amusement. "Moron," he commented, turning his eyes to the side for a bit before they flickered down to her again, and he held a hand out to help her up.

~!**!~

Akari immediately felt her eyebrow twitch. Who else would she be asking about? Frustrated that they wouldn't look at her properly, or even consider a proper answer, she reached a hand out to the person closest to her, Yusuke, intending to grab him by the head. However, a small huff caught her attention, causing her hand to still just inches from his gelled back head of hair. Her eyes slid down the Yusuke's lap, finding a t-shirt rolled into a ball that moved periodically, light snores vaguely heard if she listened hard enough. Nabu's snores.

She stared down at the lump of what she now knew to be her sleeping companion, and relief flooded her. It hit her hard enough that she took two steps away, to Yusuke's right, and simply plopped down on his bed unceremoniously, as if she'd done so hundreds of times before.

He wasn't hurt. He's just sleeping… She didn't want to wake him. After all, she'd run his little heart out today in hopes he would sleep, and now that he was, she couldn't bring herself to wake him up by picking him up and leaving.

"Nabu is the dog." she finally answered Kuwabara, eyes shut. She said nothing more about it, only gave a sigh of relief. *

"Aw, so he's yours?" Yusuke moaned, "That just figures. I get the thing home and even mom likes the little guy and somebody else owns him. I guess you want him back now, huh?" Yusuke shifted around a little and started to place his controller on the floor with the intention of extricating the tiny body from his lap.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku took the hand extended to her, saying nothing, and let Hiei pull her to her feet. She ran a hand over her forehead where it hit the floor, but got distracted by tiny pricks of pain up and down her forearms, turning the both of them face up and seeing what looked like burn marks. Her eyes trailed over to the puddle on the floor and it didn't take much to put two and two together.

Her eyes grew large and glassy, but just as quickly narrowed again and in an instant stood next to the front door, reaching up to unlock it. 3

Hiei's eyes widened at the sudden burst from the woman he'd helped up, his eyes following her every move. "And where are you going?" He asked calmly, his crimson orbs flashing with curiosity and amusement as he could already just guess. It didn't take too much for him to realize, after having followed the trail he gaze had made. He raised a brow, as if disappointed, wondering how she'd react to this gesture.

~!**!~

Akari's brows furrowed together. "Answer me this, Urameshi. If you have a child, do you, say, own that child?" she asked suddenly, tone hard as her eyelids slid open so she could assess his reaction. "Or, say, if you lived with Kuwabara, would you own him?" A sneer touched her lips, but disappeared. "No use in waking him now, detective. He's comfortable, and won't be going anywhere." *

Yusuke stopped fidgeting around and returned Akari's gaze.

"So, can I keep him?" He piped up eyes slightly more eager than they had been moments ago.

Kuwabara laughed, "I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant, Urameshi."

"Shuddup." Yusuke reached over and punched Kuwabara in the shoulder, grumbling and picking his controller back up.

Kuwabara scooted over as if to make room on the floor in front of the television, then turned to Akari and held out his own controller.

"Urameshi's really easy to beat, so you should practice on him first before you take me on!"

Yusuke bonked Kuwabara again.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku only took the briefest of seconds after unlocking the door to turn and stick her tongue out impetuously at Hiei before throwing the thing wide and stepping out again, turning and bending her knees to jump up onto the roof. 3

Hiei's eyebrows shot up, surprised by Shikiyoku's reply. "Childish," he scoffed out, watching her swing up onto the roof with ease. "You do realize going to the same place twice will raise suspicion, right?" he called casually, slowly making his way out the door and shutting it behind himself, taking to walking down the street instead of using the rooftops as she did. "Find another place to get it. It shouldn't be that difficult."

~!**!~

Akari's entire expression twitched into irritation, her fist clenching as she considered hitting the boy. But, he was saved by Kuwabara, who spoke up on her behalf. Suddenly, she realized that the atmosphere was.. a cordial one. Unlike last time she'd been in the same room as the detective, her presence seemed… accepted. First the fox, and now the humans? She ran a hand through her hair; why were they all being so nice all of the sudden?

Sure;y it's not because Koenma told them to be, she thought to herself some more, eyeing the duo warily. But, the sound of sleeping Nabu made her doubt her initial instincts about the sudden shift in the group, and she wondered if perhaps this time, she were being paranoid.

Then again, that's what had happened last time.

"No," she suddenly replied, realizing Kuwabara had been offering the controller to her. "Demons and video games do not mix well." She waved her hand dismissively before crossing her legs underneath herself, resigning herself to wait until Nabu awoke. *

"What? Why not?" Kuwabara retracted his offer out of instinct, worried that she might go feral or something if she got a hold of the controller.

"It's not true." Yusuke piped up, his eyes never leaving the screen. "I've played with Kurama plenty of times and he's never had a problem with it."

Kuwabara offered the controller again, "You might as well. No sense in being bored."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku paused on top of one of the roofs, her bare feet landing silently, and looked down at Hiei walking along the sidewalk below. She had a sudden desire to lose him, to run off and leave him behind, to be by herself. Why had he followed her anyway? She was surprised he'd even stayed around her for this long. Her eyes followed the lowering sunbeams of the evening.

She missed Demon World. Her most vivid memories beyond her escape into the Human World were from over fifteen years ago and were all ones within her home realm. She missed the smells, the sounds… even if walking around for someone like her was more of a liability than it was for most demon-types, she craved even that promise of hardship. What was there here to live for?

Perhaps that's the reason why she bolted out the door when she realize Hiei had melted the ice cream after she fainted. If she could leave this blasted world even for just a few moments, then it was worth it to retrieve more of the stuff.

Maybe she was much weaker than Toriko after all…

Shikiyoku took off again, still heading in the direction of the store they left earlier. 3

Hiei eyed the form of Shikiyoku as she stood on the building, as if considering his words. He didn't say anything more, since it was to be assumed that she didn't care at all about what he'd had to say. So he kept his lips sealed, hands in his pockets as he walked, his mind curiously roving to the bond. He assessed the calmness through it, the small hum of energy completely taking over his mind, his feet automatically following the path that the energy made for him. It was a curious thing, the bond.

He wondered if, perhaps, he could manipulate it to give his own feedback, if ever necessary.

~!**!~

Akari rolled her eyes at Kuwabara's reaction, his expression becoming one of an odd form of fear. She could only imagine what he was thinking. She would have said something smart about it, but she didn't see any reason to do so. As Yusuke spoke up, her eyes flashed to him, who hadn't turned to face her as he spoke.

"Well, your friend Kurama has a temper that is under easy control," she remarked casually, shrugging a single shoulder as she slid from the bed anyways and plopped herself down on the floor between the two boys. As the saying went, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. "What game?" she inquired, taking the controller from Kuwabara's hand gingerly. Might as well play nice like everyone else. *

"It's a racing game. But we're actually in the same car." Yusuke began explaining.

"The controls are pretty easy." Kuwabara leaned over to point them out. "That one to accelerate, that one to steer. The other guy sits on the back of the car and throws stuff at the other players. If you wanna switch and sit on the back and throw stuff, you hit that button at the same time as your partner."

~!**!~

Going at a non-human speed, it didn't take long at all to arrive back at the store, though Shikiyoku ended up on the roof this time.

She leaned over the edge of the front of the building to look down at the people below, none of whom could be bothered to raise their eyes her direction.

"I know I shouldn't come back here...but it's the only place I know to go!" She pouted as she squatted down and leaned her arms on the edge of the roof, resting her chin on her wrists. The more she thought, the bigger and glassier her eyes became, "Plus, I have no idea what that sweet snow is called since Hiei destroyed the container." Her gaze flickered to the burn marks on her arms that were slowly healing themselves away, "So I have to go inside and ask the man from before...He's the only one who knows which container was grabbed! ...even though I'd just as soon never see him again." She huffed out a breath, and didn't move, a despondent expression on her face. 3

Hiei continued on his same path, at the same casual pace as he'd taken since leaving the house. He was in no hurry, though after a moment his mind broke away from the bond and his eyes refocused on the people moving around him. He finally found himself focusing on something ahead of him that quietly piqued his curiosity.

"Give it to me, I said," a gruff voice whispered, Hiei only being able to see the broad shoulder of the man around the corner of the alleyway ahead. A sneer formed on his face; he'd done this only once before now, and it always made things easier.

The fire demon rounded the corner and stepped into the alleyway in time to see the smaller human run away at the word "scram" from the larger one. In the man's hand was a small leather object that he recognized as a wallet. Without an inkling of hesitation, Hiei stood in front of the 6'3" man, looking at him without much difficulty. "I do believe that belongs to another," the fire demon said, red eyes glinting.

"Oh, another one? How fun! My luck is great!" The older man boomed out a chuckle, then met Hiei's gaze squarely. "You have money you want to offer too, small fry?"

A pause. Hiei's eyes darkened as his energy thrummed through him, his Jagan opening behind the white cloth that hid it from view. "No, but you will be giving me yours."

"Tch. Like that will happ-" the man's words halted as his eyes widened. The sharpened features drained of color, and that was the moment Hiei realized he was dealing with a human who had a decent amount of the sixth sense. A sneer formed. "W-what?"

"As I said, you will be handing that over to me."

A couple minutes later, Hiei was walking down the street with a pocket full of currency, arriving to the store and immediately looking up at Shikiyoku. "Follow my lead," his mind whispered to hers, and he turned to continue down the road to the next store- information he had gotten from the human before leaving.

~!**!~

Akari's eye twitched. Racing? What was racing? She didn't ask though, soon enough getting her answer when Kuwabara continued explaining the game to her and its controls. With each button he announced, she touched in turn, memorizing all she could from his informative speech.

"Okay," she said slowly, going over each button in her mind again. "I'm the one that throws things to destroy other players?" she asked, surmising that this was her basic duty. Easy enough, right? *

"If you're sitting on the back." Yusuke added. "The way it is right now, you'll be driving. If you want to switch, we can, but we'll have to do it after the course has started."

"Urameshi is terrible at driving though-"

"I am not yah blockhead!"

"Then how come I'm always doing it?"

"Because you never let me drive!"

"Because you're terrible at it!"

"How am I supposed to get better without practice, huh?"

"Psh. Yah right." Kuwabara leaned back onto his hands, but whispered over to Akari, "Don't let him drive! You'll totally lose."

"I heard that." Yusuke glared over at him.

"The game's starting." Kuwabara nodded at the TV screen and Yusuke whipped his head back as the countdown timer began.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku's eyes watched Hiei's approach, catching his glance up in her direction just before his presence brushed against her mind, startling her.

"Follow your lead, huh?" She muttered under her breath, not moving for another moment as he turned and kept going. She bit her lip and regarded the sidewalk below just in front of the store. What exactly was Hiei planning?

A handful of seconds passed before she stood up, deciding her curiosity as to Hiei's request outweighed her own indecisiveness about entering or not entering the store beneath her feet. She could always come back later.

With only one last forlorn glance at the store containing her heart's desire below, she moved to follow in Hiei's direction, her bare feet padding silently on the rooftop, too fast for human eyes to see, until she got close enough to the next building to make the leap between them. 3

Hiei didn't wait for Shikiyoku for even a second. He didn't even glance back to see if she was following. He had full confidence that she'd trust his judgement and simply go with him on this. His hands fingered at the money in his pocket casually, knowing it was more than enough to get what he needed. Or, rather, what Shikiyoku thought she needed. He gave a slight sound to himself that was somewhere between irritation and amusement.

The lengths I go to for this impetuous woman…

His thoughts suddenly stopped when he realized that he had just passed the sign he'd been searching for, reading the words "FOOD ON THE GO" that was brandished in giant, all capitalized red letters. The sign above that was even larger, with the words "GRAND OPENING" written in black against a yellow fabric that should have caught his eye earlier.

He lingered outside the store for a moment, glancing at the door as a human walked out, waving goodbye to someone over her shoulder. She met his gaze, gave a nod, then continued on as if he were part of her everyday life. With a casual look up for Shikiyoku, he took a few steps inside the store, his eyes looking around curiously, searching for the nearest uniform-clad worker.

~!**!~

Akari gave a loud, obnoxious sigh at the two boys who continued to bicker around her. "Enough," she grumbled, her hands holding the controller in the most uncomfortable of ways. She adjusted her grasp until it finally felt right, her thumbs hovering over the swivel-sticks and the buttons that were lit up at her. To her, this looked like such a high-tech thing. "Wait, I'm driving?" she suddenly asked, realizing she'd completely ignored their bickering until it became relevant to her. "why?"

But the weirdest sound buzzed from the speakers of the screen: horn, and then the word "GO!" flashed across the screen. Almost instinctively, she pushed the first button she thought of, which miraculously led to their vehicle shooting forward, albeit at the oddest angle and, eventually, into the wall. *

"Because you have the first player controller." Kuwabara explained.

"Let's switch, let's switch!" Yusuke chanted excitedly, mashing on the button that would allow the pair to switch places should Akari decide to hit it.

"Don't listen to him." Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "If you want to drive, go for it. Use that one to steer the car around. You press and hold the one that accelerates you and then you steer around with that one." He reached over and pointed at the stick on the controller that she needed to use.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku wasn't sure whether to jump down and join the fire demon or not. To be honest, she still wasn't really sure what he was doing. Did he remember another yummy treat they didn't get at the other place? She licked her lips in anticipation, momentarily forgetting her desire for the sweet snow.

"Hey! What are you doing up here?"

Shikiyoku spun around to see a man beginning to walk towards her, a rooftop door open widely behind him. 3

Hiei, completely unaware of what was going on up on the roof, continued to search the inside of the store until a small, dainty human woman bounced up to him, smiling and batting her lashes. "Hello and welcome to our new store! Is there anything I can help you find?"

The fire demon raised a brow and shrugged his shoulders, suddenly deciding to act just as human as he possibly could. "Ice cream," he said casually, eyes searching the area behind her.

"Right this way!" the girl cheered, swinging her arms violently as she turned and began her bouncing, merry way through the crowded store, Hiei following silently the whole way.

~!**!~

.Akari practically jumped when the game suddenly stopped, a big box enveloping the screen with numerous options to choose from. She raised a brow and turned expectantly to Yusuke, waiting. But as Kuwabara grabbed her attention, she was again looking down at the plastic object in her hands and watching Kuwabara's fingers gesture to the buttons he spoke of.

"I think I got it," she said slowly, her tone only slightly hesitant as she turned to Yusuke, determination making her irises gleam. "Make that box-thing disappear. I wanna try." *

"Dang it, Kuwabara…" Yusuke muttered, hitting the start button again so the game would continue.

Kuwabara looked smugly pleased with himself and crossed his arms over his chest to watch the result.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku tried to gather her thoughts together, but her stomach lurched at the presence of the lone human and she struggled against her first instinct, which was to mesmerize the being.

"I'm..." What was she doing up here?

"You aren't supposed to be here." The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he got closer, seeing the short female with dark clothing and no shoes. "How did you get up here?"

"I, uhm..." Shikiyoku glanced over her shoulder at the street below, cautiously taking a step away from the edge of the building. 3

Hiei sauntered behind the cheery girl for a bit until he was left facing an aisle that radiated cold energy, and for a moment he basked in the difference there was between it and his skin, which always seemed to be smoldering, though he knew how to ignore it. "Here you are! We have a lot of the top-name brands and-"

"That'll do," Hiei cut her off, briskly marching by her and turning to face the glass doors. In his mind, he pictured the very container he had seethed at earlier, focusing until each detail came into clear view before he found the one he needed.

WIthout another second's hesitation, he pulled on the dark handle and grabbed the very tub he needed, then immediately turned away, not even noticing the door stayed wide open behind him.

By the time he was at the front of the store again, the lines to each register were filled with at least ten people each. His face twitched, but he stayed calm, knowing there wasn't anything he could do about it.

~!**!~

Akari Sneered at Yusuke and turned to the screen in time to see the black box disappear and the game begin again. As before, the car continued to crash into the wall repeatedly, until Akari realized her movements were too jerky. Her mind told her to calm herself, breathe, and to remain calm.

Treat it like a strategy being executed.

Turn left.

With each thought, her grin grew wider as the control became smoother, the screen becoming much more stable than before. But when something suddenly slammed into their vehicle, she let out a low growl and straightened the game back up. "Who calls this fun?" *

"It's more fun to throoow thiiiings!" Yusuke crowed in a sing-songy voice. "You know you want to!"

Kuwabara just scoffed and rolled his eyes, "You just want to get to drive."

"So what?!"

~!**!~

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me, miss." The man began to walk towards her.

"And I'm afraid you're going to leave me alone now." Safe from the edge, Shikiyoku crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing.

"Unlikely." The man continued his stride forwards, his steps determined and his expression the same. He only got close enough to grab Shikiyoku's arm because of her surprise at his ignoring her order. "Come along."

They got several steps closer to the door through which the man first came before Shikiyoku planted her feet in the ground and the man found himself unable to drag her along.

Irritated at her, he gripped tighter and turned, his eyes growing wide when he found her expression had completely changed.

Shikiyoku batted her eyelashes at him, her expression more devious and flirty than before, reaching up with her free hand to stroke his cheek before grabbing his tie and pulling his head closer.

"You're going to let me go now."

It took another moment of their locked gazes before his hand loosened and finally fell to his side.

Shikiyoku licked her lips, their close proximity to one another making her head pound with desire. She had not activated any energy yet, but she could feel the need beginning to boil just below the surface.

You have such self-restraint. I envy you.

Her own words echoing back into her thoughts gave Shikiyoku pause. Did she really want Spirit World coming after her again? As much entertainment as she might get from the chase, she was not whole and would definitely be fighting a losing battle. Perhaps...perhaps that is what stayed Hiei's hand.

Shikiyoku pushed the man away with the hand that held his tie, releasing it as he was forced to take a step back to regain his balance.

"Go away." Shikiyoku broke eye-contact and the man stumbled towards the door and out of sight, closing it behind him. She sighed into the empty air and suddenly felt very oppressed by the sights of a city built by human hands. Her core ached for Demon World, longed to return to some of its lowest depths with its wild undergrowth and wide open skies.

Without another thought, knowing if he wished to find her Hiei would have no problem doing so, Shikiyoku took off over the rooftops again. It did not take her long to get out of town and into the woodsy area that surrounded the city. She scaled one of the largest trees without pause and sat in its branches, watching the sun go down beneath the horizon. 3

As Hiei stood, he began shifting his weight impatiently. He'd been in line for five minutes, and that was already wearing on his nerves. His general dislike of being in such a crowded area left his eyes narrowing and flashing at the people around him. His uneasiness was growing the longer he stood, the smaller the steps became between people.

Finally, his mind registered that his unease was unorthodox compared to his earlier emotions. His crimson eyes looked around his surroundings, searching for the source. He found it in a single human that wandered by, eyes unfocused and tie ruffled compared to his neat hair and suit. He eyed the man further, wondering what about this human drew his attention.

Then the smell hit him. It was faint from the distance of the human that disappeared into an office, but it told him all he needed to know. His mind began searching for the bond he'd been toying with for the past few minutes, easily establishing the contact as he approached the counter and plopped the tub of Ice cream down on it. He waited for the beep of the scanner, then when the cashier informed him of his total, Hiei merely placed the entirety of the currency onto the counter, listening to coins bounce around on the metallic surface. "Keep the remaining amount," he said casually, turning and leaving with the tub.

Complete silence followed after him, until he was almost gone.

"...did that man just give you two-hundred and…"

The rest of the question was unheard by the fire demon. He stepped outside, his mind probing the bond until his feet automatically turned and moved in a direction all of their own, until he was nearing a spot where Shikiyoku's scent was strongest.

"I have the sweet snow," he said casually, not bothering to raise his voice above a calm banter.

~!**!~

Akari made a small sound that even she couldn't identify. Was it a laugh? A scoff? She didn't know. But what she did know was that… she actually enjoyed this game. "Stop it, that- that green thing!" She all but yelled at Yusuke, referring to the fast-moving shell that veered across the screen, missing their vehicle by an inch.

But when an odd sound came whirring through the speakers f the television loudly, she instinctively glanced around the room, distracted by the sound that she hadn't known was a strike in the game until the sound of the thunder met her ears, her eyes seeing the spinning cart of her's and Yusuke's characters in the middle of the screen.

"What the hell was that?"*

"That, my good demon, would be what is called a blue shell." Yusuke put a hand behind his head and scratched at his hairline. "Can't do a thing about that stuff. Comes after you when you're in first place."

At least two, if not three or four, cars zoomed past them while their car remained out of their control, and by the time they managed to pass the finish line the song that played out of the speakers was a depressed version of the usual theme and their characters were crying at the loss.

~!**!~

It wasn't that Shikiyoku did not hear Hiei's words from below, but that her mind had wandered into a different place entirely and it took a bit of a pause for her to register that the voice from somewhere outside her body was actually speaking to her specifically.

After the line played back in her head, Shikiyoku brought her legs underneath her and leapt down from the tree, starting to walk towards Hiei with her head down and both hands stuffed in her pockets.

A slight wind picked up and blew her hair in her face and she finally looked up, off to the side, into the distance, her gaze far away as she reached up to weave some of the hair behind an ear.

"Hiei...do you know how to get back to Demon World?" Her voice was quiet, wistful. 3

Hiei waited patiently for a reply, not looking up at Shikiyoku since he knew where she was specifically. He didn't have to see her with his eyes to know she had heard him. He simply… assumed, and waited patiently.

However, when she approached him, he refrained from holding out the tub of ice cream to her at the look on her face. He didn't like it. It automatically set his mind on an edge, as if he knew what was coming next, even though he didn't.

At her question, he eyed her calmly, expression very carefully blank. He'd been searching for this kind of secret for years, and at the time he'd finally thought he might be able to go back, it had fallen through. Completely. A scowl pulled the corners of his lips downward.

"No," he answered simply, hoping that by extending the ice cream to her, the subject would be dropped.

~!**!~

Akari raised a brow and glanced over at Yusuke. "My good demon"? Who says things like that? She considered him for a moment before blowing out a large puff of air from her nose. Why so nice? She pushed the thought away and shifted the way she sat, adjusting so that her right ankle was still under her, but her left leg was outstretched, the odd feeling of it being asleep momentarily distracting her.

"I hate those," she finally commented, scratching at her face as she waited for the game to let her move again. And, after a moment, she was watching the game go about the track on its own, without her help, a large 5 displayed on the screen. "This is ridiculous…"

She let the pause linger in the air, glancing at Kuwabara for a minute before sighing and turning her head to Yusuke, holding out her controller. "You drive. I want to attack now." *

"YES! WINNING!" Yusuke happily tossed the controller in a lovely arc aiming for Akari's lap as he took the controlled her held out for him in exchange.

"You're gonna lose." Kuwabara warned.

"Watch me, punk!" Yusuke stuck his tongue out at the other boy and then prepared himself for the next race.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku let out the sigh of a thousand lifetimes.

"Good." She said before turning to take the sweet snow from him. "I am not yet strong enough to go back there yet. And if you knew how to return, I would likely be unable to stop myself from going, getting killed much too quickly once I passed over."

Shikiyoku refused to look at Hiei even as she swept past him in the direction of her home. She felt her features were much too solemn at the moment for anyone to see, deep lines of loneliness etched across her expression. Her core still ached for Demon World. Being lonely there would surely be infinitely better than being lonely on this soil. 3

Hiei hadn't expected her retort, but hadn't responded to it either. In a sense, he wasn't very surprised by her words. Perhaps it was because they rang true for most demons, maybe even himself included. After all, it wasn't uncommon knowledge that Hiei would do anything to get back, and that amount of effort could likely lead to his demise in the long run.

Especially with his abrasiveness, as Maneshi had so pointed out earlier. Indirectly, of course.

Perhaps it was a good thing he himself didn't know of a way back.

With that thought, he turned and followed after Shikiyoku, his own hands stuffing into the pockets of his cloak. As he walked, his head moved, his chin raising so that his eyes could get a look at the skies of this plane. From here, away from most of the city lights, he could see what humans called stars. They reminded him of Yukina, and the ice kingdom she'd left in search for him. What was his sister doing now?

His eyes softened at the thought, his brows relaxing and his lips forming a small, pensive frown. A gentle breeze blew by, rustling his hair, and suddenly he sneered.

"Once you find your own challenges, you won't be bored," he finally remarked to Shikiyoku.

~!**!~

Akari sneered and glanced at Kuwabara, offering a shrug. "Might as well play it his way, so he will stop whining."

With that, she flashed a toothy grin, making sure her pointed canines were shown before she turned back to the screen, patiently waiting on Yusuke to start the game. "Maybe I won't suck like you did." *

"Not you too! I'll show both of you! I'll be amazing!"

Kuwabara pointed at the screen, "If by amazing you mean missing the start of the race, then I'd say you're already on the right track."

"What the sh-" Yusuke whipped his head back to the screen, "AAAH!"

They had already fallen way behind by the time Yusuke pressed the gas.

~!**!~

"Challenges, eh?" And with his words, Shikiyoku felt her mood passing. She threw the plastic bag of sweet snow over her shoulder and stuck her nose in the air as she continued to prance towards home, "For someone who can get whatever they want with the bat of an eyelash? Ha! No. Such. Thing." 3

Hiei was suddenly sneering with such intensity that he wondered if Shikiyoku could feel it, the gaze on the back of her head. His eyes sparkled with mischief, despite his own thoughts and emotions over this topic. This was, however, how he dealt with it.

"Challenges." he repeated, tone filled with the amusement he felt. "Believe it or not, there will be some, even for the brats of the world."

~!**!~

AKari's eyes widened as the screen read "GO!", and their cart didn't , she tried to push the button that had made it move before, but she remembered that she wasn't the driver this time, and she whacked Yusuke on the arm. "Pay attention!" She immediately was ready for gameplay when he realized he had waited too long, putting them in last place with an immense gap. "Moron!" *

"And why don't you pay attention, miss smarty-pants!" Yusuke fired right back, "I just picked up a lightning strike for you and you haven't even bothered to use it yet!"

Kuwabara sat snickering at the two as the banter began.

~!**!~

"Then I suppose you've gotten more than your fair share of them, kid." Shikiyoku retorted smartly. "Gotta keep the young things busy and let us adults do the real work." If it was possible, her nose stuck itself higher up in the air. 3

Hiei snorted, his amusement turning to dignity. "I may be a child to you, but I assume that would make you nothing more than old dirt to the rest of the world," he remarked, his eyes flashing with the challenge. He wasn't sure, but a small part of him might… actually… enjoy this banter.

At that thought, a snort came from his nose, shortly followed by a scoff, for good measure. "And as I'm sure you're aware, us young are able to do more." he added, referring to the amount of athletic energy, as related to the humans.

~!**!~

Akari made an odd sound from the back of her throat at Yusuke that was almost a strangled sound of frustration as she pressed all of the buttons at once, until finally, the blue shell was gone. How had she forgotten the different buttons already? "Don't patronize me, you moron!" *

"Well, it worked, didn't it?!" Yusuke shot back, beginning to laugh as they shot past their incapacitated opponents.

"He...he might actually win one." Kuwabara watched in amazement as they climbed up in the rankings.

~!**!~

"Age equals power, youngling. The longer we're alive, the stronger we get in every way. You're a complete weakling compared to me!" Shikiyoku let a grin slip over her lips, "We're also smarter too. Get you to wear yourselves out doing all the mundane work so you can't even consider revolting. It's the best way to get things done." 3

"Assuming all younger than you are weaker is the best way to find death." he suddenly remarked, thinking very specifically of someone he knew in the area. He'd made that mistake once. And he wouldn't make it twice. But, a smile suddenly stretched his lips, twisting the edges into an ironic sneer at the thought of weakened Shikiyoku and completely energy-filled Yusuke in battle. That was one he wouldn't mind seeing…

If it weren't for the ease in which the detective's mind would be taken over.

His good mood fled entirely now at the thought. Imbecile.

~!**!~

Akari was grinning now as Yusuke drove himself and her through the track, around car after car. She'd figured out the buttons now, and was throwing attacks left and right, each time Yusuke hit a mystery box that allowed her to use it. Before long, they were fighting for first, Akari's eyes sparkling with mirth at the aspect of winning such a simple game.

"Faster!" *

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Yusuke gritted his teeth together, his thumb practically white at the knuckle from pressing the button so hard.

"Uh, Urameshi..."

"WHAT?" Yusuke growled.

The screen exploded in a ball of blue energy and light, careening their car off the track and allowing a handful of competitors to zoom past.

"BULLSHIT!" Yusuke yelled, smashing his thumb on the gas and causing them to spin out again as their car righted itself.

~!**!~

"They can't kill you if they only want to touch you." Shikiyoku purred, a finger tracing the side of Hiei's jaw. Her appearance in front of him hadn't taken a second, and in another second she had turned away, continuing to walk down the block, the sweet snow banging softly against her shoulder, her other hand down in her pocket once more. 3

Hiei hadn't reacted as he assumed she wanted him to. He'd tried to minimize his reactions to her rambunctious actions, and it took a great amount of restraint not to jerk his chin from her out of surprise. "You're a pain," he commented for what felt like the tenth time just today. His steps widened, allowing him to catch up with and even surpass Shikiyoku.

Akari's eyes were narrowed in concentration at the screen, her fingers making quick work at the controller in her hand. She'd been so preoccupied with timing the next attack- banana peels- that she hadn't noticed anything wrong until the screen erupted with light, making her jump back and growl in surprise. She herself considered yelling a word or two, but Yusuke had covered it nicely himself.

"Don't kill us!" She yelled at him, sticking her foot out and lightly kicking his knee to emphasize her point. *

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose!" He shouted, getting their car running smoothly down the track again as he tried desperately to catch up. The next few items they snagged quickly took down the competition and they easily sped into first place once more.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku's eyes softened once Hiei passed her and she was looking at the back of his head, but that didn't mean her next words sounded any nicer than his. He was good company, truth be told.

"And you're a nuisance." She stopped in her tracks, her free hand on her hip as he kept walking. She shook her head and turned to go up the walkway to her front door. 3

Hiei scoffed, but otherwise ignored Shikiyoku's comment, since it didn't really counter his own statement. It merely equalled his, though reversed onto him, and he saw no reason to refute it with anything clever. So he continued walking in silence, right up to the door and twisting the knob, pushing the wooden door open and continuing into the house. He waited not even for a moment to saunter into the kitchen, ready for some of his own sweet snow….

Except it had been left out, on the table, where he'd left it after Shikiyoku's scene. He stared at the melted, creamy substance within the tub that leaked very little here and there. A scowl formed on his face as he dipped a finger into the lukewarm substance and raised his finger to his nose, sniffing it once. The smell hadn't changed… too much. so he took a chance and flicked his tongue out at it.

Immediately, his expression shifted to disgust and he looked around for a paper towel, finding one easily and cleaning his index finger of the vile liquid, making a point to put it in the trash before turning to face Shikiyoku with a curious gaze. Perhaps the green one wouldn't be so bad…?

~!**!~

Akari huffed at Yusuke, again concentrating on the attacks Yusuke managed to obtain for her. She'd thrown them all as soon as she'd gotten them, and before long she was cheering at being back in first. "That's how you do it!" She yelled with a small laugh, tossing her head back for a moment before a sound made her ears twitch.

"NO!" She countered with a growl as the television again burst into sound and light from the blue shell. "That's BULL! TWO IN A ROW?!" *

Yusuke said nothing this time, gritting his teeth together harder and waiting until their car righted, pressing the gas at just the right time to give them a boost, shooting them past the car that put them in second and managing to gain first again in a matter of seconds.

The two cars sped nearly neck-and-neck towards the finish line, on the last lap of the race, the players' car managing to squeak out a few feet of a lead.

The tell-tale beeping of a third incoming blue shell made even Kuwabara raise his voice in protest, and as the shell homed in on their position and hit them square on, it knocked the second place car a good distance behind them, but smacked their car forward and sent it spinning across the finish line, ending the race with a bounce.

"YES!" Yusuke shot up off the ground and pumped a fist in the air in victory.

~!**!~

Coming inside after him, Shikiyoku practically hummed to herself as she stepped around the mess of the kitchen and accidentally opened the correct drawer for the normal-sized spoons, grabbing one without much thought and prancing back over to the messy table. She plopped the tub down and wrestled for a moment with the bag, clearing the way to the lid and, for once, pulling it off on the first try. 3

Hiei eyed Shikiyoku as she got situated at the table, his crimson orbs considering the green ice cream for a moment. It looked utterly vile, as if it had been sitting somewhere in the heat for weeks, despite the glint that the light gave off from the cold. But if she was eating it, wouldn't that mean that it was actually worth trying? He scowled in frustration.

He'd just go without, he told himself. After all, making another trip to the store was useless and a waste of time. So he settled for simply sitting across from Shikiyoku, watching her eat in comfortable silence.

At least, to him it was comfortable.

~!**!~

Nabu had been so happy within his dream. He'd played with a family, children who had a frisbee, and they'd fed him steak at every meal. In his dream, the sun was out and the ground was dry, and people were always loving on him. He'd just been getting a scratch behind the ear when he was jolted awake, practically thrown to the floor in a heap of puppy body and cloth. Instinctively, not recognizing the smell of his surroundings, his lip curled upwards at the loud noises in the room and he snarled as loudly as his little lungs would let him, his head finally finding its way out from under the mess of the t-shirt.

But the sight before him was an odd one that made even his shock from the rude awakening fade.

His best friend was here, smiling, laughing even. She tossed some odd object in the air at the boy next to her, yelling "See Kuwabara, THAT'S how you do it!" And for a moment, the pup didn't move.

Never had his best friend smiled like that before. *

Almost immediately, Yusuke realized his mistake in rising as the feeling started to return to his legs and he crumpled back down to the floor.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry little guy!" Yusuke whipped the t-shirt off the rest of the little pup still hiding underneath and lifted the dog to coddle him close to his chest, giving him a good scratch around the ears. "I didn't mean to! You were so quiet I forgot you were there!" He buried his face in the dog's fur and nuzzled it in his apology.

"You jerk, Urameshi!"

"Hey! I got excited okay!" Yusuke jerked his head back to glare at Kuwabara for a moment. "And anyway, I think he's alright. The tumble wasn't too far."

Kuwabara leaned closer to give the dog a scratch as well.

~!**!~

It took absolutely no time at all for Shikiyoku to burn through half the container of sweet snow, shoveling and consuming constantly in a rapid pattern.

It was at that point, when half the container was gone, that Shikiyoku slumped forward over the table, her hand shoving the tub across to Hiei until it stopped just short of falling into his lap as her other hand stretched out as well and her face plopped down between them, nose squashed against the table itself. She had left the spoon in the tub.

"You eat...the rest of that for me...okay?" She mumbled into the table's surface, staggering to her feet after a moment and roughly pushing the chair under the table. "And...thank you..." She pointed at him, "You...act like a bastard...sometimes...but you're not all that bad for a brat...so it's okay..." Her words almost sounded slurred and she smacked her lips together, frowning as she realized she couldn't feel her tongue and remaining completely oblivious of anything else going on in the room at that moment.

Her head lolled around unsteadily on her neck a little and she spied the container of strawberry sweet snow that Hiei hadn't touched. With a dexterity that seemed out of place, she swiftly snatched the lid and clicked it into place before picking it up, walking over to the freezer, opening it, and shoving the melted mess inside. She nodded affirmatively at the tub as the freezer door started to close, nearly skinning her nose in the process.

"I'm gonna...go tah bed now..." She gestured vaguely in the direction of her bedroom upstairs and started to walk that way.

Getting to the top, she turned right and went into the room, realized she went the wrong way, and walked over to the window, pulling it shut and locking it before stumbling back across the hall. She scowled at the open window here as well, closing and locking it when a thought hit her and she managed to get back out to the top of the stairs.

She yelled down at Hiei, "Hey!...You take that key," Here she pointed to the key next to the front door, "And you lock that door behind you when you leave, okay? Okay." She didn't wait for an answer, getting back into her bedroom and closing the door behind her. She collapsed onto the bed face-first and took no time at all in getting lost among mint-chocolatey clouds. 3

Hiei had gotten comfortable without much trouble, one foot propped up on the foot rest of the chair. He sat forward, elbows on the table casually, eyes shining with amusement at the scene in front of him. Spoonful after spoonful was shoved into Shikiyoku's mouth one after another, without even a pause between them. The sound of her smacking lips against the ice cream made the scene even more comical to him.

He didn't know how long he sat and watched her shovel the sweet treat into her mouth, but suddenly he had the tub and spoon in front of himself, his crimson eyes glinting curiously at first the leftover sweet snow, and then at Shikiyoku as she stood.

Her clumsy footsteps made his brow raise and his lips twitch upward at the left corner, creating a lopsided sneer as a small chuckle left his throat. She acted as if she were intoxicated to the extreme. Her cheeks were even a bit red, making him have the mental image of a drunken fighter he'd met in the demon world.

In compliance with Shikiyoku's demand, Hiei decided to try the ice cream, slowly sticking a spoonful of the grotesquely colored treat. The fire demon, at first, disliked the taste. But, after a moment, he grew accustomed to it. Before Shikiyoku disappeared up the stairs, Hiei was eating big spoonfuls at a time, as she had, but not at such a quick rate.

His eyes never left her as she stumbled up the stairs and shuffled out of sight, then back to the top of the stairs. He listened with great effort, actually having trouble differentiating between certain words.

"Fool," he grumbled when she disappeared out of sight again, and he continued eating.

~!**!~

Akari had immediately reacted to the sound out of pure instinct, her eyes narrowing and all cheers halting as she turned to glare at Yusuke as he held Nabu in the air. "Maybe you should be careful next time," she said casually, her tone completely contradicting her expression. But her look of irritation was gone when Nabu stuck his nose to Yusuke's face, licking at his cheek several times before retracting and letting his tongue loll out.

"I like you." the dog said quietly, paws twitching in cheer. "You and Flowers both!"

Akari gave a snort. "He says it's okay."

"Yeah, that too." *

Yusuke eyed Akari as he set the pup gently down on the carpet, raising an eyebrow at her, "He says it's okay, huh?"

The pair of boys let the question hang in the air, Yusuke turning back to give the dog another set of scratches while Kuwabara regarded Akari curiously.

~!**!~

"I...don't think the mint agrees with her system." Maneshi appeared seemingly out of nowhere next to Hiei's chair, eyes trained up the stairs in the direction of Shikiyoku's disappearance with his tail slowly swaying back and forth in the air. He calmly turned his head to regard Hiei, "I might suggest you either finish that or get rid of it. For your sake. And hers." He added as an afterthought. His gaze flickered towards the tub of ice cream, tiny pink nose and long whiskers twitching thoughtfully.

"Please do make sure you lock the door behind you when you leave. The key is next to it hanging on the wall." Maneshi hopped up onto Hiei's lap, rubbing his body against Hiei's middle, taking extra care to let the top of his head smooth against the arm opposite of his gentle leap as he ducked underneath and landed back down on the floor, raising his feet regally as he marched off towards the stairs. "I can't reach the mechanism."

He took the stairs two at a time, getting to the top and pressing his nose between the door and the frame, turning his face to the side and running it either direction as he attempted to get it open. He pulled back after fruitless efforts and huffed a small breath as he stared at the corner of the two. She must have locked it, he surmised.

Locks meant nothing to a cat, of course, and without another pause, Maneshi slinked into the room as only a feline could do, not disturbing the position or locked state of the door in the slightest, but appearing in a beam of moonlight shining in from the window seconds later, his own eyes glowing as they reflected the beam.

Shikiyoku's bare feet hung off the edge of the bed, looking very much like she had fell onto the bed without much thought, and her breathing was deep and steady.

Maneshi slipped underneath the bed-skirt and moved to the farthest corner away from the edge, curling up into a tight ball in the utter darkness and closing his eyes, quickly falling asleep himself. 3

Hiei wasn't surprised by the appearance of Maneshi, even though he wasn't able to sense the cat's arrival in the room. The fire demon merely regarded the cat with a single look as he ate slowly, raising a brow curiously, but not replying. This substance was delicious, and he wasn't about to chance giving it time to melt, as his own had.

But, when the cat mentioned the door, Hiei took that as a sign that he had stayed past his welcome- not that he cared. He'd only sit outside anyways. So, as Maneshi had advised, Hiei took the ice cream with him to rid Shikiyoku of any access to it, and went out the door, locking it with the key before sliding it back inside through the mail opening- something only the older houses featured on their front doors.

With that, he turned and took his snack to the trees nearest Toriko's/Shikiyoku's window, finding the tree he preferred and perching high enough that, if the female were to look out, she'd have to look up considerably in able to see him.

~!**!~

Akari eyed Nabu, at first not realizing that the two boys weren't as quick as Kurama, who'd figured it out almost as soon as Nabu's presence had become known. Perhaps even before then, the redhead had figured out her breed of demon, and all that came with it. So, when a question hung in the air, Akari took a moment before it registered that, perhaps she could enlighten them.

But what would be the fun in that?

"Just a guess," she said with a shrug, her eyes never leaving Nabu, who looked at her and made a small sound that held absolutely no meaning whatsoever. She rolled her eyes at the pup before finally pushing herself to stand. "While this was fun…" she began, glancing at the television and considering the gaming console for a moment longer. But she didn't finish her sentence.

"Can we stay just a little longer? They have steak!"

Akari sighed. "I have things to do, to catch up on for… school… among other things," she finally said, waving her hand dismissively. "Next time, don't pick up a random dog from the street." *

"Suit yourself." Yusuke shrugged, dropping the subject, but continuing to pet the dog. "You're welcome to come over any time you like, though. I had fun."

Kuwabara nodded in agreement, "And the pup is really cute. Bring him over too!"

"Uh, Akari?" A voice came from outside the room, Atsuko, who said the name with the hesitation of one you hadn't seen or spoken the name before, "I'm guessing you're Akari?" She appeared at the door and walked over to the girl, handing her a folded slip of paper with her name on it. "You know, it's the weirdest thing. I'm sitting there watching TV and suddenly this thing comes dropping in the window, glowing this weird purple color and stuff and lands next to my feet."

Kuwabara and Yusuke exchange dark glances and slowly stood up.

"You think this is their next move?" Yusuke asked of Kuwabara.

"I dunno, man, but I've suddenly got this really bad vibe that's something's gone wrong. You'd better open it, Akari." Kuwabara looked as if he'd been spooked, his eyes wide and staring at the paper in Atsuko's hand.

~!**!~

"Is everything ready?" Otento's eyes flashed dangerously, knowing that tonight all the planning came together.

"Yes. We are only missing the final piece of the puzzle." A second voice answered from somewhere in the gloom.

"Then let us set this into motion, shall we? Terepo? Are you prepared?"

Terepo nodded, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes as he began to chant, his demonic energy flaring out from his body in purple waves as Otento moved closer.

"I will not be able to mask her energy signal while we travel as it would disrupt your work as well." Otento reminded him, "So this needs to be done as quickly as possible. I fear she has acquired a new protector in this short time, and until I can suppress her pattern we are vulnerable to the bond they share as well as any seeking her through other means."

Terepo heard the concerns that Otento held and was prepared to make the quick return needed.

"Have you found her yet?" Otento asked anxiously.

"It will be but a- yes. There she is." Terepo opened an eye and regarded Otento, "Your poison appears to have done its work."

Otento looked pleased with himself, "The Toriko has no energy to speak of, but by forcing out her true form, she is easily trackable. It was an old virus, but it did what it was meant to do."

Terepo closed his eyes and began to finish the chant.

"And you...you are ready to play your part?" Otento turned to the other presence in the room.

"I am."

Otento could pick out the black hair and bright green eyes even in the low-light. "Good. Let's be off."

In a brilliant flash, both Terepo and Otento were gone.

They reappeared moments later and immediately Terepo shifted the position of his hands.

Otento's eyes immediately recognized "Toriko's" room, seeing that he and Terepo stood next to her bed.

"We need but a word to return." Terepo murmured.

Otento could not help letting himself gaze at the demoness' sleeping form for a moment, but he roughly grabbed for her arm after, jerking her into a stand next to him.

Shikiyoku's eyes drowsily lifted at the handling, but at the smell of strangers they flew open the rest of the way, regarding both Otento and Terepo with an expression of confusion.

"What's going on?" She demanded, "Unhand me!"

"No can do, my pet." Otento purred.

Shikiyoku's demonic energy flared up in an attempt at defensiveness like it always did without her asking, becoming very aware that these men meant her harm, but the blond man holding onto her arm only closed his eyes as if in ecstasy at her attempt, his head lifting slightly and his nose twitching.

"Go!" Otento demanded of Terepo, his eyes flying open and turning to look at the other man in the room, "Now!"

Terepo spoke a single word and his demonic energy flashed around the three of them, leaving the room empty after another half-second.

The three reappeared in the same dark room they left.

"Step back!" Otento ordered, throwing a hand in front of Terepo, "You have one last thing to do so we cannot have you debilitated!"

Terepo took the step back as he was told.

Before Shikiyoku could make sense of her surroundings, Otento grabbed her shoulders with both hands and stared into her eyes.

Demonic energy erupted from around him, a heavy black color that enveloped them both in a circle of pulsating light.

Immediately, Shikiyoku's own energy was forced back into her body, her legs giving out underneath her as her power disappeared instantly, locked away inside her behind a cage of Otento's devising. Her head fell forward as Otento's energy retracted back inside himself, masking his own power once more.

"Is it finished?" A voice called.

"It is." Otento smiled wickedly.

"Then I shall take her." The dark haired figure from before stepped forward as Otento pulled away and Shikiyoku's eyes struggled to stay open, her knees beginning to buckle under her. Something seemed very familiar about the face that stuck itself in front of hers, but the figure laughed an evil laugh and directed a punch towards her temple that knocked her out in one blow.

Otento pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Terepo. Terepo opened it as Otento gave his instructions.

"Make sure that gets to Akari."

"We have her now. All you must do is come to..." The rest of the text was the address of the building they stood in.

Terepo nodded and folded the paper so that the word Akari on the backside was plainly written on the top. He held the paper out in his hand and closed her eyes, murmuring another chant. The paper began to glow a purple color and then blinked out of existence.

"It is done."

Otento's grin had not disappeared, "Then let us prepare for our guests." 3

Terepo - (as terepoーto:) teleport

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