A/N: Hello once again, Denizens of the FanFiction World!

Another warning is in order for the contents of this chapter as there is some vivid blood/gore imagery.

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 finds Nabu with Yusuke and Kuwabara and she joins them in playing some video games.

~!**!~

Meanwhile Hiei and Shikiyoku make another small expedition for ice cream,
which ends with Shikiyoku stumbling upstairs to go to bed
and Hiei retiring to a nearby tree outside of her window.

~!**!~

As a letter is sent off to Akari, Otento teleports directly into Shikiyoku's room
and Shikiyoku is kidnapped out from under Hiei's nose...

Hiei got comfortable, tub in hand, spoon hanging from his lips as his tongue rolled around the most recent scoop from the delicious substance. He was practically in heaven, as a human would say. "Cloud Nine", as another saying went. But, that reference he didn't understand, at all. Perhaps it has a secret meaning… he pondered, rolling the spoon over with the use of his tongue and lips. The single pop his jaw gave from the flexing of those muscles made him cringe, the sensation causing his eyes to shut for only a moment.

But that moment had been all it took. That single moment where his eyes were off of the woman he'd sworn to protect. For, in the next moment, his nose found the faintest of smell of others seeping through the atmosphere. Shikiyoku's energy flared to a great sea of power inside the house. And, by the time he opened his eyes, he caught sight of the demon he'd been weary of all day, and every inch of his body rang in alarm that also echoed Shikiyoku's. He dropped everything and moved towards the window, trying to force it open and growling when he found it locked.

But they were gone before the spoon hit the ground below, and the fire demon was left staring at the empty room, white knuckles on the edges of the window and flames dancing through his irises. He stood as still as everything else around him. The silence of the night was a deafening one as his mind tried to find the bond he shared with Shikiyoku, but grasped at emptiness. Everything was still, it seemed, even time.

And then, just like the nightlife, Hiei began to move again. His teeth were gritted, every muscle taut with the strain to not strike the window, his mind frantic despite his attempts at staying calm.

And as he turned and dropped to the ground, a single thought fled through his mind.

I'm going to slay them all.

~!**!~

Akari heaved a great sigh and glanced at Kuwabara. "Nabu. His name is Nabu," she informed, waving to the pup as she did so. "We'll see," she responded in regards to Yusuke's request of returning; she had no intentions of coming back without actual reason.

When she turned to leave, attempting to hide the small smile of satisfaction at the day she'd had, the human woman stepped into view, saying her name reluctantly. I don't remember informing you of my name, she thought curiously, head tilted slightly in curiosity.

But the moment her eyes saw the note, she felt urgency. Confusion. What should she do? Open it? Leave with it? Neither seemed like a good idea, so she simply did as she figured was expected of her. She accepted the letter and peeled it open, her thin fingers running over the scrawled letters inside as she read them, but kept the note pointed so that only she could read it.

And what was there made her feel sick in every possible way. Toriko…

With that, the address was burned into her brain and she tossed the note at Yusuke and Kuwabara, turning her face to the door in consideration. "Koenma is behind. Locate your friends…" Even as she spoke, Akari couldn't decide: leave now, alone, and head to the address, or wait? Team player, or attempt to clean up the mess she was now directly involved in?

Otento's words echoed in her mind from days before. "If you'll assist me in her capture, I can guarantee you a place in our little family... I extend the offer only because I know how wretched it can be having to slave underneath another human. Demons deal with things much differently than any human or inhabitant of the Spirit World."

Akari's gut twisted, her expression twisting with it into a look of uncertainty. She quickly turned on her heels and called to Nabu. "We're leaving."

"What's going on?"

"Yusuke…"

She paused, not looking at him, but keeping her back to the boys. "I'll meet you there. You find the others." She gave a small sneer at herself; what a sticky situation. "Don't be late." With that, she continued on her way out, Nabu easily keeping up as she took her leave silently. *

"I think we should stay together…" Kuwabara called out, he and Yusuke following her.

Yusuke made a glance at his friend. While Yusuke didn't want her going by herself for more nefarious reasons, like her possibly helping out the bad guys-though the expression on her face after reading the note was quickly dissuading him on the fact that she was the evil one here-Kuwabara on the other hand looked outright scared. Like he was getting one of his "feelings" again.

They got outside and Yusuke spoke up again, "We should get Kurama first." He and Kuwabara started off in the direction of their red-haired friend, going at a fast trot, "And maybe he'll know how to find Hiei." Yusuke turned and waved at Akari to join them, "Unless you want to try and find Hiei with me… You comin'?" 3

The demoness kept walking, her eyes forward as she stepped outside, completely and fully aware that the duo was following her out the door before either of them had even said anything. She had expected them too; it was something she'd noticed about the group: no one moves alone during dire situations. She didn't say anything at first. Only when Nabu spoke up again did she speak.

"What's wrong? Is it bad? Bad bad? Do I need to come with you for extra help?"

"No, Nabu. You're going home. And don't you dare argue. For once in your tiny life, please listen to what I tell you. Where I'm going right now, you will be in the way. go home, no matter what."

The pup gave a sound of sadness and indecisiveness, but the glare Akari shot at him ceased the sound and he began to slink in the direction of the house. "Thank you." Finally, she turned to Yusuke and Kuwabara, her expression blank as she spoke. "I understand that your ways of doing things are different than mine," she began, her gut twisting with each word she said, "but you're going to have to let me part ways here." For a minescule moment, a smile touched her lips as Otento's speech again echoed in her mind. Again, uncertainty hit her like a ton of bricks, and she shifted her weight uncomfortably. Toriko, her mind reminded her, along with the information Kurama had given her earlier that day. Her smile turned vicious. "You'll just have to trust my judgement, despite everything you know- or think you know- about me." *

"What I wouldn't give to have Botan come wheeling in right about now…" Kuwabara murmured, his eyes on the skies above them.

Yusuke for his part kept his gaze trained on Akari. His eyes flickered towards Nabu as the pup ran off. The knowledge that she had such an animal running around with her, and the loyalty that it showed in relation to her made his reluctance to have her go alone sway, but then he shook his head.

"I understand that you want to be all heroic and go in there by yourself, but there is a greater strength in numbers, not to mention the fact that as the more experienced Spirit Detective here I can tell you that going off by yourself never, ever ends well."

~!**!~

Kurama could feel the sweat drip down his back underneath his school uniform, a sheen of moisture covering his entire body. He released a breath of strained air, squeezing his eyelids together tightly.

Ever since the Dark Tournament and the momentary return to Youko Kurama being in control, he'd been having cyclical encounters with that side of him. His disposition would change to better resemble the personality of the other, and the body of Shuichi struggled to return to Youko's form.

Normally the midnight hour would not have had Kurama awake, but he'd spent the entire day in a foul mood, his thoughts seemingly not his own.

Another sweeping pass of almost foreign-feeling demonic energy within his veins sent a shiver down his spine, and then the struggle stopped.

Momentarily of course, Kurama knew, and the struggle would not stop until much later in the morning, but it seemed that perhaps for the moment he could relax.

He flopped back onto his bed, hair in disarray across the bedspread and breathing heavily from the exertion. 3

Hiei had stood in one place for what felt like an eternity, his darkened irises on the ground as his mind whirled around and around for a probable plan of action. But with each idea came the reminder of Maneshi's words, telling him that if he wasn't careful, it could end very badly for not only Toriko, but himself as well. The single thought made his body stiff with urgency. Every muscle told him to act as soon as possible, but his mind continued to whisper think, don't miss a single detail.

And suddenly, he was whirling around, his feet moving automatically, carrying him to the place where he knew it'd be best to get something done. After all, he'd seen at least two people, and while that wasn't normally a problem for him, his instincts screamed at him to gather the others. His anger told him to have no mercy, while his anxiety told him to get in and out, as quickly as possible.

So his feet made the decision, moving at his top speed towards Kurama's house, his Jagan having zoned in on the fox's energy. As soon as his feet were touching the green grass of his comrade's lawn, his mind reached out, touching Kurama's to confirm the fox was awake, as the lamp light in his window suggested.

~!**!~

Akari let out a dry, hoarse laugh into the night air, throwing her head back with the single burst. A second later, her sharp irises met Yusuke's, darkly amused. "Heroes? I'm sorry to tell you, boy, but there are no such thing. It's just something you humans came up with so you could cope with the corruptness of your short lives. If you want something done, no one is going to swoop in and volunteer help. People do things not because they are right and just, but because they feel towards them, whether it be vengeful or pity. You're no hero, and nor am I. I never will try to be."

Her teeth flashed in the moonlight suddenly, matching the glint that flashed in her eyes. "You may help people, but that makes you no hero. Why? Because everyone's view of justice is different. While you may be a hero to one person, to the other you are the villain. No one is ever a hero because there is no stable definition as such." she paused, her lips curling upwards. "I'll go along, but not because of you." *

"Did I say heroes?" Yusuke grinned at her decision, "I'm only in it for the fighting. Did I mention we're delinquents?"

"Of course we're heroes!" Kuwabara protested, though he couldn't help his smile, "We're all that's standing in the way of humans and total destruction!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke punched his arm, then turned to start running for Kurama's home, "Now hurry up!"

~!**!~

As soon as he felt Hiei's presence brush against his mind, Kurama was at a stand again, smoothing his hair down into place and leaving his room, quietly exiting his house and moving towards where Hiei waited for him.

"What is it?" He asked simply. 3

Hiei waited just as patiently as he could, his arms hanging at his sides with his hands balled into fists. As soon as his former partner-in-crime was in view, he noticed the light sheen of sweat on his face, momentarily distracted enough to comment, "You look like hell."

As soon as those words left him, he was back on track, arms crossing over his chest and eyes turning darker than ever before. "Toriko is gone." Those three words were so simple, but the impact they had on him just by saying it aloud was hard to keep under wraps. He hadn't struggled so hard to appear calm like this in a long time. "She was-"

Footsteps drew his attention and he glanced to the side, catching sight of three people heading their direction. He continued, changing what he was saying. "She's locatable, but only dimly."

Akari slowed her run to a stride, letting Yusuke and Kuwabara run ahead of her the last few steps it took for her to approach the other two. "Convenient," she commented as she stood near Kurama, but a bit back from the others. "We have a problem." *

"Toriko's been taken." Yusuke added.

"So I've heard." Kurama glanced over at Hiei briefly.

"But we know where she is." Yusuke pulled the slip of paper his mother handed Akari earlier out of his pocket and Kurama took it from him.

"When did you get this?" Kurama wanted to know, his eyes scanning the page.

"It flew in the window at his apartment," Kuwabara nodded at Yusuke, "We left right after that."

"So, around midnight." Kurama murmured. He looked up at the others, passing the piece of paper back to Akari, "I was hoping Koenma would have more information for us before it came to this. If our enemy has even the slightest inkling that Akari might show this information to us, then we can be certain we are walking into a trap and Toriko's life likely hangs in the balance."

"That creep using her for bait." Kuwabara ground his teeth together, having obviously gotten over his previous heebie-jeebies and ready for action. "Why doesn't he just come out and face us like a man?"

"We do not know what his true motives are here, Kuwabara. That means we need to exercise caution. I do not think charging into this battle through the front door is going to be our best choice."

~!**!~

"Well...it looks like charging into battle through the front door is our only choice." Yusuke commented, looking up at the large grey building that stretched up in front of them.

There were no other entrances save for two large metal doors that they stood in front of. No windows. No rooftop access. Just the doors.

Even Kurama had nothing to say about this, his breath beginning to come heavier than before and his mind distracted with keeping his outward appearance as calm and collected as usual.

"Front door it is!" Kuwabara pronounced, he and Yusuke each grabbing for a handle and pushing the doors inwards.

The group cautiously walked forward, but as soon as they were all inside, the doors boomed shut behind them.

The first thing everyone noticed was the smell, a scent so intoxicating that it stopped them dead in their tracks. The perfume was heavy, permeating every corner of what their eyes soon adjusted to see was a large, empty rectangular room. The entire atmosphere of the place seemed off, but their minds could not linger away from the smell for long and they could not see how far the room extended away from them for the lighting was limited.

"Oh, look at you," a voice purred, "A new recruit and you're already bringing us presents."

Their eyes realized that about twenty feet away from them, sitting in a chair as if awaiting their arrival was...Toriko.

Her hair fell freely around her face and in front of her shoulders, her eyes bright green and gleaming even in the near-darkness as she stood and began walking towards them. Her clothing was dark and she almost blended in with the room around them.

Kurama struggled as he met with those eyes, sensing that both Kuwabara and Yusuke to his right were instantly mesmerized and completely useless. The smell was not the only thing heavy in the room around them and Kurama began seeing in his peripheral vision bits of demonic energy laced throughout the air that he knew no normal human would be able to see. Toriko's energy. There was no mistaking that.

Kurama did not realize until this moment how hard it would be to resist her, but now he finally understood her hesitations in their session, how completely she could hold him in her grasp. He felt Youko tugging at his prison within Shuichi's body, and was certain he would be of little more help than the humans. It was as if now surrounded by her energy that Youko's desire to be free had grown exponentially.

Toriko came directly up to him and peered into his face, a solid smirk lining her lips as he looked down to meet her eyes.

Kurama blinked and she had moved on, over to Yusuke and Kuwabara on his right.

"That...is not Toriko." He managed to mumble to Akari, standing directly to his left. The eyes of the one who had just stared at him did not radiate the same kind of power that floated about in the room, but instead seemed more like an echo of the energy around them. And at the same time, what did it matter? His eyes began roving over Toriko as she walked, taking in the way her long hair followed the curve of her hips.

Toriko moved back past the two human boys and glanced at Akari as she went, stopping in front of Hiei and gazing deeply into his crimson eyes, reaching up with the back of her hand and lightly drawing it down a portion of his cheek.

After that pause, she turned away and began walking back to the chair she occupied when they entered the room.

"Be a good girl and bring me the invitation you received tonight. We'll consider your initiation complete." Toriko sat down and held out a hand, her eyes flashing as she looked at Akari. 3

Akari had been silent the entire trip here, her mind whirring with possibility after possibility. She'd considered going ahead, simply disappearing from the group and beating them there to get a good look at the situation, but with Kurama and Hiei's keen eyes, it was hard to do anything of the sort. So, she'd stuck with the group, even as they approached the building and looked all around for another entrance. It didn't surprise her that there was only one way in and out. Almost like a prison…

She hadn't let herself stop the two boys. Instead, she went along with whatever the group was doing, deciding to play along and do what was necessary, when it was necessary.

The moment her feet were in the room, pain engulfed her head. Yet, she didn't flinch. She simply stood, eyes searching the room through the shadows, realizing that the dim lighting was a rather invigorating thing for her; she hadn't used her energy since that day in the park with the demon side of Toriko…

As a voice echoed in the room, calling to her attention, she felt rather than heard that something was off. She turned and met the gaze of Toriko-or rather, a very convincing lookalike. Her mind snapped into the game, fighting through the haze of red-hot pain that continued to hit her from every angle. A sneer formed on her face, not looking at Kurama as he told her exactly what she already knew. She couldn't see the true form of the person beneath the façade, but the clash of energy trying to mimic another energy was so plainly obvious to her- thanks to vigorous training from her childhood.

Silently, Akari's eyes followed the motions of the imposter, watching each reaction of each person she approached, meeting the gaze squarely when she stopped in front of her for a moment. She stuffed her hands into her back pockets, her body twitching only slightly in protest to the motion due to the extreme amount of exposure to the energy she was experiencing. Again, she surveyed the rest of the group, taking in their blank stares and their stiff bodies. "You know, your power is interesting," she said casually to the demon, walking forward as demanded, more out of instinct from the demand than anything else. "It takes over even the strongest of demons, leaving them unable to do a thing." She pulled the note from her back pocket and extended it to Toriko, all clashing thoughts gone now that the moment had presented itself. "I was beginning to wonder when I'd meet someone other than that vague bastard," she commented with a sidelong grin. "I mean, the winning side is always the best side, right?"

~!**!~

Hiei hadn't been expecting it, since he couldn't feel the bond anymore. So, when the doors were pushed open and they all made their way inside, the energy that hit him stunned him still. Before he knew what was going on, he was standing rigid in place, mind completely blank and eyes glazed to the extreme. By the time Toriko came into view, he was completely mesmerized, taken completely by her appearance in the room.

She seemed to glow, radiate a kind of light that left his eyes trailing after her, thoughts that he'd never had before fermenting in his brain. What he wouldn't give…

A part of him stirred as she made her rounds, her words going almost completely over his head, as she paid special attention to the others. His body stiffened, his mind momentarily telling him that she shouldn't be anywhere near the others, only him.

But when she passed him by, brushing a hand over his cheek, he caught her gaze. Something within him twitched, then began to scream at him, but he ignored it, too happy to be touched by this woman who gave him silent promise. Even as she turned away, his eyes watched her every move, glinting slightly as she continued walk away from him. *

As Akari extended her hand towards Toriko, a single drop of blood fell silently from somewhere above her and landed on the knuckle of her thumb, resting there, quivering.

Should she look up, she would see the real Toriko, or rather Shikiyoku, suspended above her from the rafters not fifteen feet from her head. Ropes held her in place, tied around her torso and arms, keeping her ankles together. Her hair was matted down against her face, sweat and blood mingled together from a cut down her cheek. Her eyes were closed, but she could feel the others in the room. And make no sense of them.

The clothing she had chosen from Toriko's drawers were hardly recognizable, the shirt hanging in tatters, the jeans ripped to shreds, barely enough of either to maintain her dignity.

There were new bruises darkening the parts of the skin one could see, their purple and red color fierce and angry. Her legs had been cut, and the drop of blood now quivering on Akari's thumb originated from a gash that tore through her calf, the red river slowly wrapping around to her ankle where it pooled together to finally begin to drip below.

While the body of Shikiyoku did indeed hang from the ceiling, her mind was in tatters, her energy flowing freely without her control, leaving a sheen over her entire body that almost sparkled with beauty despite, or perhaps in spite of, the condition she was actually in. 3

Something was off. He could feel it, but that hunch was simply smothered, drowned out by the things he felt in that very moment from the girl in the room. Part of him registered that Akari and Toriko speaking like this was a sign he should take note of, but, again, it was smothered, and all he could do was stare at the woman who spoke very little, but had his complete undivided attention.

Except, something caught his eye. A small drop of.. something… fell from the sky, and naturally, his eyes broke away from the girl to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that had fallen. His crimson gaze landed on the falling drop, and he realized that it was a vivid color he would recognize anywhere.

At that same moment, his nose twitched, picking up the smallest scent of something rustic. Without thinking, he looked to the origin of the blood, and at first, he didn't register the scene. He stared for a moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity as his mind seemed to awaken, his body released from whatever had held him captive to the spot he stood. All of his earlier emotions and thoughts were overtaken, thrown to the side by the tide of anger, disgust, and even other emotions he hadn't felt very often in his life. His pupils visibly dilated, watching each motion of the girl suspended in the air, who really didn't move at all. She was, in a sense, lifeless.

His teeth crashed together, though he hadn't know that they'd parted just a bit in awe minutes before. They ground together with enough force to cause him pain, but that was all he allowed his face to show when he forced his gaze away from Toriko- the real Toriko. His glare landed on the imposter, each flaw suddenly crystal clear. His earlier thought suddenly echoed in his mind, over and over, until it flowed into one long, never-ending sentence. I'll slay them all, I'll slay them all, I'll-

It took everything in his power to keep himself still in his place, to not simply charge forward with his sword. He forced his jaw slack and his eyes to relax, so as to not be noticed, and he forced himself to think: What next?

~!**!~

Akari released the note to Toriko, keeping all eye contact established and a sneer on her face to show she approved of this person's abilities. But she felt something hit her thumb; she'd seen it fall from above her, but she didn't dare look. The smell of it wafted to her nose after just a second, and after that, it dominated her senses entirely. Blood. Ignore it. She placed her hand on her hip in expectation, waiting for the next order casually, not daring to open her mouth or even break the eye contact. *

"Oh, I'm sorry...is she a little worse for the wear?" A voice came from somewhere back in the darkest section of the room, away from the eyes that sought it, a sleek velvety voice whose owner had seen Hiei look up and break the spell held over him, sounding smug and self-assured.

"Some of the lower members of the gang got a hold of her before we could stop them. They managed to get rather far with her. Farther than we intended, of course." While there was no discounting the suggestiveness of what had been said, the last bit reverberated with an almost flippant tone.

She could feel the others in the room. With her eyes closed, they were there. They were many. Or was it few? They babbled on and on, voices echoing on the air. A hot air. Heavy. With her own energy, wafting, pushed downwards by the strange fan that hung behind her head. It made her power dance about the room. She could feel it dancing. Wrapping around the others, holding them. All but one. Or was it two?

"Get me down...please...I don't...want to be here anymore. Please..." 3

Hiei's eyes slid to the voice that was obviously directed to himself, but the words made the fire glow in his eyes. He'd been discovered too soon for himself to come up with anything, or even begin to attempt getting the other's attentions. He was stuck, in a way, between a rock and a hard place. But the voice continued talking, continued telling him things he hadn't wanted to imagine, confirming his own suspicions and making his anger skyrocket until, quite literally, it became a visible aura that quivered in the air just around him, mixing with the energy that continued to climb with his rising anger. His arms trembled, his frame shook with the effort it took to stand still, motionless. His teeth were clenched so hard together that all feeling was lost.

But what sent him raging mad was the tone the voice used, as if something such as what he implied was as simple as a daily routine. Comment after comment fled across the forefront of his mind, but really, he was speechless.

He'd let them get away with her. He'd broken the promise to protect her, and now… His eyes flit up for only a moment before he was again glaring at the figure he could just make out in the distance.

"I suggest that you sort out any fears you have of death. When this night is over, you will cease to even exist. Koenma won't have to deal with a soul to place." His voice, low and menacing, shook just before he paused. "If you're wise, you'll run- not that it will matter. By dawn, my blade will be embedded in your skull."

~!**!~

Akari wasn't surprised by the new voice in the room, so her facade didn't break. At first. She glanced over the look alike's shoulder and searched the room for the demon, finding only a silhouette in the darkness, even with her keen gaze. But his words answered all of her questions, all of her suspicions. Without much thought about the action, she too looked to the ceiling, her eyes finding the scene she had already imagined, but it was worse than she'd expected. Similar, yes, but just a fraction worse. She forced her expression to remain the same as she turned away, despite the enormous amount of emotion that swamped her, the memories conjoining with those emotions and temporarily leaving her breathless. But she recovered, crossed her arms, and spoke:

"I missed the fun."

How could people like this sleep at night? She forced her mind blank only for a moment, heaving a sigh. Hiei was free of the energy, but the others were not. That was a problem.

Her ears burned. Her head was on fire. Her body screamed. But all of this was nothing compared to the images that threatened to swallow her. "Too bad." she added to her own comment, suddenly remembering something she'd been taught as a child. Now, all she needed….. was a distraction…. *

"Oh?" The voice addressed Hiei once more. "Is that so? I do hope you realize that you should be more concerned about the woman up there than you think. Or would you prefer that she bleed to death? Or perhaps that we dry her of all demonic energy? Surely even you can tell that she hasn't got much left.

"Now, Akari. I want you to know that this sort of thing may happen from time to time. Mind you, it's rare. And this is a particularly exceptional case. However, I understand completely if you're too weak to handle it." 3

AKari raised a brow, her lips suddenly drawing together into a thin line. She took a second to take a deep breath before giving a shrug. "It's not something I can't handle," she finally answered, even letting her head tilt to the side just slightly in dismissal. "I've gotten over it," she finished, suddenly turning to look at Hiei with a sneer. "But I don't think someone like him will. After all, he is rather… close… with her."

The utter rage on the fire demon's face likely would have terrified her, if Akari hadn't achieved exactly what she'd hoped would happen. The male's mental voice suddenly echoed in her mind, as if out of his control, with angry threats and images of her's and Otento's very vivid deaths. She turned away, looking into the direction of Otento. "What do you think?"

"Hiei," her mind reached out, hoping to kami he didn't give her away and that her voice only was heard by him. This risk was larger than any she'd taken for a long time. "Distract them, please. I know you're angry, but if you fight right now, you'll lose. If there's Otento hiding in the background, then who else? Remember Kurama's words of caution, and please-"

"Begging for your life will do you-"

"Shut up and listen." Silence. "Toriko is keeping everyone occupied. By yourself, you'll die, and so will she. Distract them, and give me time."

She cut off there, the conversation only lasting a few moments before she cut the connection completely. Her eyes lifted to Toriko again. A sneer formed for a moment as she heard Hiei's voice speak up behind her, and that's when she looked towards Otento, closed her eyes as if amused by the fire demon, and imagined the only scene that had ever relaxed her: A snowy field in the middle of winter. She placed herself in this field, the cold wind nipping at her nose and completely blocking out reality, even for her, as she reached for Toriko mentally, hoping the girl's image would appear before her.

~!**!~

Pure rage, but what else could he do? He was stuck. He didn't like the situation, but what could he do other than go against his judgement and trust the outsider. Hiei's red eyes searched for the shadow of Otento in the background. "You'll be dead before that happens." *

"Will I? If you're so sure of yourself, then why haven't you bothered to move yet?"

The Toriko sitting in front of Akari looked harshly at the girl, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she felt something begin tickling at the back of her head.

"I'll have your hand now." Toriko said, holding out her palm face-upwards, "We have places to go."

Above them, Shikiyoku could feel the air around her grow cooler. Strange. If she could but open her eyes perhaps she could see snowflakes. She hadn't seen snowflakes in a very long time. And maybe there were trees, maybe she could smell them, and-

Her eyes opened, but the pain of doing so ripped across her face, jarring the image that had started to form in her head into one of darkness and blood, a downward spiral from which there was no return. She blinked, seeing nothing for a moment longer, then the room around her began to slowly take shape. She found that she did not have the strength to lift her head and so it hung towards the floor. But in doing so, she could make out a single beacon that set her energy humming once more.

"Hiei..." He was not looking at her, and her mind remained scattered and unfocused so that she did not consider attempting to reach to him through their bond, but the hum that started coursing through her found it almost instinctively and began reaching towards him. Her eyes shimmered with power and her entire body ached from hanging in the same place for so long, the ropes digging in everywhere they touched her and leaving wicked marks.

Something else called to her even as she reached towards him and she could almost feel a winter's breeze lifting her hair, but her fragmented mind could not concentrate on anything, her pain too great to consider much else. 3

Hiei snarled, and it was not a small sound either. His lip positively curled and his right canine became prominent. He was having trouble containing himself, as Maneshi had advised. Suddenly, though, he couldn't care less about what the damn cat had told him. The situation was not a normal one, and he had too many things to worry about at once now to even consider playing anything the way it should be. After all, it was now him against everyone else, and the only thing he could do was… well, fight.

So, without a second's hesitation, he drew his katana, still going against all normalities and trusting the one who'd been tossed to them after her help with the end of the world. "Sorry to inform you, but you're going nowhere." Flames burst to life, enveloping his body along with his weapon, and slowly, he stepped forward. "I've been holding back, but now you've made me tired of waiting." Now, he decided to play a card he hadn't ever considered playing. "It's obvious that her energy won't be spent before you all scatter. So, I'll have to do this my way."

With that, he charged at the false Toriko, hoping like hell that Akari was quick at her work.

And it took everything in his power to ignore the pull he suddenly felt.

~!**!~

Akari had seen the outline of Toriko, but only for a moment before she'd disappeared all over again. "No," she grumbled, realizing how difficult this was going to be, especially with the little grip she had on this power at the moment. She was surprised she'd even been able to do that. "Come back… C'mon…"

She tried harder, not caring at all that she was standing next to another illusionist in reality, who would soon feel the energy, just as she could. She could take anything, so long as she kept conscious. She pushed the energy harder, searching for Toriko with every ounce of energy she had. "Come here… It's important… C'mon…" *

The Toriko in front of Akari frowned, now sure that something else was going on. She reached out and grabbed for Akari's wrist, intending to wrench the girl's face towards her own, glaring into her eyes. She got sucked for a moment into a world of snow as soon as she touched the other demon and then she blinked, now knowing what Akari was meaning to do.

"You will not distract her." Toriko said between gritted teeth, eyes flashing with as much energy from the powers surrounding her as possible. 3

Akari stood, arms crossed, waiting, concentrating. But the Toriko that popped up was not the one she wanted, and it was immediately noticeable just by the slight change in the atmosphere and the increase of mental pain. Warfare in this kind of environment is difficult, as she'd been told, and sometimes dangerous if done properly. A smile formed on her lips, however. This was her domain, and her kind were not very nice when their territory was breached.

"Who said I wanted to distract her?" she said with a sickly sweet voice, as if she'd expected this. "You see, there's a plan to everything, and back up plans for those. Plans a-z, and then backup plans z-a. You're not quick enough to pick up on that, are you?" She paused, smile turning vicious as her energy swirled, illusion mixing with shadow, creating a very cold atmosphere. The white flakes turned to shards of darkened ice, the snow beneath her feet turning solid. "You see, I've made mistakes, and learned to adjust. Have you?" *

Toriko sucked in a harsh breath, realizing too late her mistake in attempting to go up against this demon in her own realm. But Otento had said the one on the ceiling must not be distracted. He did not say what kind of powers the one in front of her held. The way Toriko came by her abilities were through another, and she did not know what to do with them other than what she had been told.

It's the eyes. Use the eyes.

Caught now, it was all she could to do muster strength via the demonic energy around her, channeling them into her eyes and demanding of the other, "You will stop this at once." 3

Akari's smile shifted as she witnessed first the fear of the person standing opposite of her, and then the sudden light bulb that almost quite literally lit up over her head. In a moment's notice, the pain inside her intensified, now affecting more than just her head, but her chest, her fingers, her concentration.

And that made her very, very angry.

Her expression again shifted, this time to dark malice, so dark that she felt the energy around her change with it, the illusion turning even darker with the shadows that moved without her consent, making the ice turn from translucent to completely opaque, shrouded in darkness. Akari hadn't allowed anger this strong to be known in years, and finally, she had a reason to use it all. "You are in my domain, and you try to take over my illusion?" The next thing that she thought of was pain. While it hit her as well, the feeling of a white-hot rod being slowly shifted through the abdomen became a dominant thought, a dominant desire to have the other feel. "Learn your place, thief. Borrowing another's energy gets you nowhere but here."

And then Akari was frowning in disappointment as her eyes witnessed the slight shiver through the frame of the other woman. She knew what this meant. "What a shame."

~!**!~

Hiei had seen the Toriko doppelganger reach for Akari, even grab the girl. The fire demon thought quick, hoping she wouldn't be too interrupted to delay all plans of action any longer; he didn't know how much longer the other in the room would wait. So, he struck the woman in the torso, let his fire engulf her before he noticed the glassy gaze she held. Curiosity gripped him for a moment before satisfaction took over; one down, at least two others to go.

He turned from the burning corpse, letting his flame die away from his body.

But not before he caught sight of the others in the room.

He definitely was outnumbered, and he considered telling Akari to get her ass in gear, but he figured she understood that. So, he only stood there, even as the darkness enveloped the four individuals again. *

Toriko's eyes rolled into the back of her head and then her expression was no longer relevant. The body that flamed and fell to the ground, however, very quickly changed forms, and while that form was male, there was not much else to be said about the blackened remains.

At the initial igniting, the back of the room suddenly became clearer.

Something akin to a throne, made of demonic plants and with a large pink flower opened near the top, stood in the middle of three others. And none other than Youko Kurama himself sat on that throne. Around him stood Otento, and another male demon. A few feet to Youko's left another male demon sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed and hands held together.

The light that suddenly illuminated them, and the woosh of hot air that travelled outwards from Hiei's attack, appeared to make them waver and shimmer, but it lasted only a moment and could almost have been a trick of the fire's light.

Hot. The coldness from before was replaced with heat and that heat made her toes almost curl. Almost. They hurt too much to move. Everything hurt. That's all she could think about. Pain in her legs. Pain from the rope. Pain where she hung from the ceiling. Her mind tried to wander outside of its own walls, but she could not do much more than breathe. 3

Akari stood there, looking at the different things that had changed in the mere moments an intruder had been inside her mind. Spikes of ice were everywhere, colored black, and the sky had gone from a calm winter morning to dark and threatening, clouds rolling by menacingly. The flakes that fell looked more like ashes than shards of ice. And, the scary part was, Akari liked the scene. It fueled her, made her feel motivated to fight, to make up for the things she'd done wrong and seen in her life.

It made her want to atone.

But now wasn't the time. She took a deep breath and shifted the image again, this time waiting until everything was calm, even adding a calm little cabin behind her that billowed smoke from the chimney. But each attempt she made at Toriko, her image appeared, then disappeared. It never stayed, and she realized that she hadn't taken into account the amount of stress her body and mind were under.

She took a deep, calming breath before letting her energy recede away. The snow melted, the cabin disappeared, and then she was enveloped in darkness.

Her eyes slid open to view the darkened room, the only change being the burned remains on the floor next to her. She turned around, observing the room again to see the group of three still immobilized and glassy-eyed, and Hiei was simply… gone. Or at least, that's what she'd thought. But a second later, she heard the smallest sound, and she turned her face upwards to see the fire demon working at the ropes that held Toriko suspended above them. "Caution, Hiei." she called, suddenly not worried about appearances anymore, nor what the others in the room would do.

~!**!~

Hiei had taken that momentary look at the four demons and tried to memorize everything about them. But, he'd been too surprised by the appearance of Youko, and he'd even turned to look at Kurama, as if it were even a slim possibility that he too was in on the deal. Of course, he was proven wrong, and when he turned back to the group, they were darkened out again. He could hardly make out silhouettes, much less facial features.

So, he took this as a momentary reprieve. They weren't attacking, as far as he could tell, so he would take this chance. He turned and, using every ounce of muscle he had, quite literally jumped up and climbed the walls, using the beams of the ceiling's structure to move around to Shikiyoku, his katana in hand. He looked at her face for a minute, being extra cautious to keep his eyes only on her face, so the other wounds wouldn't distract him and cause his anger to flare. After all, his temper made his temperature rise as well at times, and he didn't want to do more harm to the female. So, he began slowly cutting away at the ropes. "Don't move," he said, his voice low.

Akari's voice from below caught his attention, but he didn't stop what he was doing. "Why did you stop?"

"Her discomfort, among other things, is making things difficult," she replied, tone solemn and thoughtful. "I can't do anything while her mind is stuck on her discomfort."

He grunted to let her know she'd been heard, his katana slicing through the last rope. He grabbed the woman before she could fall, holding her in both arms as he dropped to the floor. *

"I think we've seen all we need to here. Shikiyoku would not join us willingly, as you might have guessed, but there is another of her ilk who might decide fill her position instead. I'm disappointed in you, Akari. I would very much have liked to call you sister." Otento's voice rang out clearly in the room. The others did not see it, but he nodded as if in signal and the image of those standing in the back of the room fizzled quietly and then disappeared.

From somewhere far off, Shikiyoku could hear a voice speaking to her and she desperately tried to grasp at its sound.

"H-...Hiei?" She croaked quietly, one of her lips splitting, blood trickling from it to her chin and cutting off anything else she had to say.

She winced at every single jostle he made while cutting the ropes, but tried to remain as still as possible. When she felt the last one cut free she hissed in a sharp intake of breath, and actually let out a small cry of pain when he caught her in his arms, her muscles shaking with weakness. She let out another muffled cry when they hit the floor and the shock jarred her body.

At his touch though, she knew Hiei was the one who held her now and she opened her eyes, power seeping out almost unnaturally from them and coaxing him.

Everything would be fine now. Her breathing became more even, if still raggard from her pain. His warmth radiated over her with great comfort and she relaxed into his arms, his presence soothing her thoughts and preventing them from unraveling as they wanted to do at that moment. Nothing could harm her. She parted her lips again to speak, but knew she would not find her voice and so closed them again.

"Hiei...take me home...please...I want...to go home..." Images of him speeding off into the night while holding her, of her bedroom that they would arrive in, flickered in her mind's eye, of the soft bed that awaited her with a pillow under her head. And Hiei with her. Close by. Safe. 3

Hiei landed, trying his best to keep the wounded woman in his arms from feeling the shock too much. Despite his best efforts though, her cry sounded, making him wince internally; he'd tortured others before, but seeing this- someone he knew directly- made it seem worse than anything in the world. He didn't know what to do, except to be as gentle as he possibly could.

He looked around the room once, making sure the surroundings were safe, before her voice just touched his mind, which he'd been slowly opening to her without even realizing. His crimson irises slid down to her face, suddenly nonplussed by any of the blood, sweat or blood that was dried there. She suddenly looked more like a warrior princess than a victim, and the request she made was an easy one to follow. His very core wanted to take her back and let her rest, let her recover from the day.

He didn't even realize he was being addressed as he stood and turned to leave.

~!**!~

Akari hadn't looked towards Otento when he spoke, his words meaning next to nothing to her. But, at the same time, the sudden silence made her uneasy. Why had one of them tried keeping her from distracting Toriko, when the others don't seem to care about it at all? It made no sense whatsoever…

She gave a small breath of relief as Hiei landed, her eyes turning to the rest of the group who still stood as motionless as statues. If Otento wasn't going to attack at this very moment, then what would he gain from keeping the team like this? "Hiei, I need you to-" she turned to look at the fire demon again, but he wasn't in his original place. Alarm instinctively hit her, full force, and she turned around, finding that the fire demon was… leaving? "Where are you going?!" She called, appalled by the scene. That was when she realized that her thoughts had scattered even more, meaning the energy in the room had thickened, even if just a fraction. "Hiei," she said slowly as she approached, taking hold of the demon and stopping him- something she normally wouldn't dare to do. "If you leave, everyone could die." The look on his face told her he didn't hear her words, so she set her teeth. "Sorry," she mumbled before reaching forward.

"You'll meet an early death." His warning sounded, striking the smallest amount of amusement.

"I've been killed twice already. It won't make a difference," she said casually as her mind opened up, an image clear in her head, this time of the inside of a small cabin aglow with the fireplace. Before the fire demon could stop her, she placed her hand on Toriko's shoulder lightly, hoping like hell it worked.

But he jerked away, turning to walk with her intended target of the scene. A snarl. "You are killing her!" With that, she grabbed the back of his cloak roughly, pulling him back until he lost his footing, unable to do anything but fall since he held Toriko. "Look around, at your team." As soon as his eyes, narrowed, turned to Yusuke and the others, she reached down, grabbed Toriko, and used her other hand to push Hiei away, sliding Toriko to the floor in front of her, shadows appearing to make a wall to keep Hiei away. That was when she receded into her own illusion again, using her physical hold on the girl as a medium for the same illusion. *

The closeness to Hiei that she had felt up until that moment, the warmth and safety that he extended her, disappeared all at once and a vague panic settled over Shikiyoku's eyes which flew open and immediately began searching for him.

Instead of seeing his face, another peered down into hers, a slowly falling flurry of snowflakes beginning to slide around in the air behind this newcomer's head.

"It's...cold..." She managed to say, a shiver radiating down her spine and causing her to flinch in pain. She could feel the cuts on her body bleeding onto what felt like a pile of snow underneath her that she had just begun sinking into.

The face that was not Hiei's did not appear clearly to her eyes, even as she blinked again, and that feeling of panic from before had not dissipated.

Mustering what little strength she had left, Shikiyoku drew in a breath, a shake ravaging her ribcage as she did so, and spoke.

"Where...am I? Where have you taken me? Where is-" Her stomach tightened and cut off her last words, but her eyes, still flowing with a power that she knew would soon be all but gone, pleaded with whoever had captured her to place her back into her protector's arms where she might feel safe. 3

Akari felt immense relief when Toriko did indeed appear in the illusion, though she realized the cold may keep her mind aware, but it also caused more discomfort. The snow fell lightly, sticking to her face and hair. Personally, Akari enjoyed the snow, since she'd only seen it a few times in her life, but as she stared at Toriko, she realized two more things. One, her face was as white as the snow, almost. Two, this person wasn't Toriko, in a sense. Same power, but she realized it was the demon she'd met only once, in the park.

The pained expression made Akari's own soften, her eyes glint slightly with repressed memories and sympathy. "Im sorry for the discomfort, but it is the only way I am a hundred percent sure your mind will stay aware…" She paused, sitting back on her heels and, for once, she didn't know what to say to someone. "We haven't officially met. I'm… an ally… of your friend's." She paused, looking around their surroundings thoughtfully. She considered the idea of a log cabin and a fireplace, but again, the worry that the comfort of such warmth would lull this one to sleep kept her where she crouched, the scene remaining the soft snowfall. "I'm well aware of your condition, so I again apologize for the cold, but for now, just listen to me, okay?"

A deep sigh before she continued made the air in front of her face fog up. "Your energy is expelling itself at an enormous rate, even for one of your power stature. While we are in the clear now, you are still in danger, as are everyone in the room. I know it's hard, but I'm asking- no, pleading with you- to try and pull in your energy. It will probably hurt… but if you don't…" she paused, thinking quickly, hoping this worked as she hoped it would, "if you don't at least try, Hiei and the others will die trying to get you out… Hiei will try to escape, but since we know nothing about the enemy, the outcome is not good…" Slowly, she let the scene change so that the snow stopped falling, and even faded a little with just a bit more warmth in the air, but not enough to allow the girl to get comfortable enough to sleep. "I understand how you feel, but please try." *

Shikiyoku blinked once as a stray snowflake caught on her eyelash briefly before melting away.

Even simply listening, understanding, took a great deal of effort, and she remained silent for a long while as her brain sifted through the information this demon fed to her.

She came to realize as the demon spoke that the scene around her was of the newcomer's design. Not...newcomer...a memory stirred and Shikiyoku released a huff of air that in a better moment would have been a dry bark of laughter.

"...worm..." She breathed, the corners of her lips twitching in want of a smile as she remembered this demon interrupting her in the park what seemed like eons ago. She meant to say more, but she winced again and stayed quiet.

Out of everything the demon said, the only word Shikiyoku recognized was 'Hiei.' She knew of no friends, nor of who this demon before her truly was or why she would care. Shikiyoku did know however, that her powers were draining fast, feeling her energy out in the room around her expanding to limits she had not practiced in a long time, at a density that she knew was incredible.

"Help me...stand..." Shikiyoku finally replied. "And then release me from your world." Her chest quivered, a spike of pain that ended with a thousand needles down her foot making her teeth grit together. As best she could, she started to lift an arm, reaching for assistance. 3

Akari momentarily smiled at the name she suddenly breathed, remembering the night in the park. That had been…. a rather interesting encounter… But she waited in silence, watching Toriko's expression carefully despite the strain she felt from outside the illusion; Hiei was likely swinging his sword at her barrier, but the only thing it would do for now was tire both of them out.

When she became aware of the demon again, she heard the commands given to her. A frown settled on her face, and for a second, she contemplated. Would she pull her energy in once the image was gone? That was something she wasn't sure of. But, despite that, she gently, or as gentle as she could be, assisted the demoness into standing. And as she stood, something dawned on her that she should have noticed long before this moment. "Hiei is your…" she searched for the word, knowing there was likely a very specific term… but she only came up with "Consort?" It was close, she could feel it, but not the same. "He's panicking right now, and could accidentally do something he will regret later. Can you feel it?" she asked suddenly, the wear on her suddenly growing at an even faster rate. She paused, wondering if there was any way this demon could access such a feeling at this time. "He's not thinking. Your energy is attacking him, keeping him from being able to be logical. If I release you, and you don't attempt to pull your energy in, he will lose his life, and you will lose your protector." *

Shikiyoku rose slowly, every muscle screaming at her, but managed to stay on her feet, causing droplets of blood to shake off her skin and make tiny crimson holes in the snow.

"...another time..." Was all Shikiyoku managed to grunt out in response to any questions Akari had. Her lungs shivered as she took in a second breath to speak. "...let me go...your power...hinders me...and keeps us apart..." 3

Frustration seeped into her and Akari took a deep breath. She needed to reason with someone who wasn't able to do so at the moment, and it wasn't very easy. How had Sensui done it? The man's face became an image in her mind and she frowned pensively. "You do not understand what I'm saying." she said suddenly, trying one more time before she resorted to another tactic. "If you do not do it now, you won't have a...whatever...to return to. All you will achieve is killing the one closest to you." *

Shikiyoku coughed, tasting blood in her mouth and lacking the strength to reach up and wipe away the bit that pooled in the crease of her lips.

"Hiei...stop this at once." The energy around her flared, and she hoped it reached him. Within the illusion, she could feel her power throughout the room, permeating every corner, but without sight of those she affected, she had trouble concentrating it. "Your rage is misplaced and...unhelpful. I need your strength, not your distraction."

Shikiyoku felt her legs beginning to buckle underneath her, the image of snow wavering as she began being pulled into a dark spiral of unconsciousness. 3

Akari frowned at the coughing woman, finding herself growing with worry about her worsening condition. She waited only a bit longer, searching her own energy until the wear suddenly lessened. As soon as it did, she dropped the illusion, her eyes seeing the swaying of Toriko just before the illusion was gone. She blinked, and she was looking at a wall of darkness that rolled with shadows protectively in front of her. But she turned to look at Toriko, realizing she was standing along with the demon, whose knees threatened to buckle. She instinctively reached forward, passing her arm underneath Toriko's for support. "I apologize for that," she said slowly, frowning. Her eyes shot to her wall that disappeared, then to the boys on the other side of her, still standing in the place they'd been earlier. "I'm sorry, but one more try… For the others…" she whispered, frowning in sympathy and apology as her eyes pointedly turned to Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara.

There was no way she could express how awful she felt about pushing her like this. *

Shikiyoku felt as though she tore her eyes open at being caught so great did it hurt her to keep them from closing, fighting against the desire to let go of consciousness and drop to the ground. She struggled to stand upright once more, but at the sight of the rest of the room, began drawing her demonic energy back into her body.

The tendrils of it at the very edges of the room began weaving a slow path back to her, and she caught a glimpse of three others whose faces were trained on her movements, knowing they were mesmerized.

Strangely enough, the energy around them did not seem to want to leave and it felt almost foreign to Shikiyoku, as if it had been away from her for a very long time, almost unrecognizable to her tentative probings.

As her demonic energy began to return, Shikiyoku felt strength returning to her being, enough that she took a hesitant step forward towards the three figures standing twenty feet or so away, grimacing in pain as she shifted her weight to her other foot. Another wave of exhaustion swept over her.

"Hiei..." She lost the strength to even think words, images floating in her head that showed her reaching out and physically placing a hand in turn on the each of the three who were captivated, accompanied by an emotion of "need," otherwise she would not be able to rid them of their state. 3

The fire demon had halted every attempt to get through the darkened barrier between himself and the demoness he'd sworn to protect to the best of his ability. He hadn't walked away from it though, as most likely would have. Instead, he stepped as close to it as he could, staring at the substance that had let his sword pass through, but not his body.

Then, it began to move even more, and he swore the color was diminishing in it. Before he knew it, he could see through the barrier almost entirely, and his red eyes trained on Shikiyoku immediately, physical pain hitting him at the sight of the wounds that colored her skin. He had to look away, but each time he tried, he ended up watching her again, not because he was mesmerized but because he didn't want her to be taken from his sight again.

Her frame wavered and her knees scooped lower, her shoulders slumping forward even more than before, and the fire demon moved without thinking, suddenly finding that the barrier was generous, letting him pass without problem. In seconds, he was next to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling an arm over his shoulders for support until she was done with her duty. He was too afraid to move her too much.*

Youko Kurama - (youko:) mythological fox spirit
Yōko Kurama
Kurama the Yoko

There is a bit of discrepancy as to how our favorite silver haired kitsune's name is spelled, and I've given all three examples of what I know to be true. When CM and I started out the RP, we began using 'Yoko,' but somewhere along the way I changed over to 'Youko,' and have been going back and replacing the former with the latter as I have been posting the chapters to FF. I ended up switching because the word 'youko' actually translates as 'mythological fox spirit' and 'yoko' does not.

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