A/N: Hello once again, Fellow Ningen!

This chapter is a little shorter than the previous ones, but that's because I have a penchant for ending on a cliffhanger and there was a really good one, plus if I didn't stop there the thing went on for quite a bit longer than I really wanted. The posting for this chapter is also up earlier than usual because I will be gone this evening and unsure when I will return.

Symbols Guide:

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

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

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

Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!

Akari and Kurama finish up their Recon work for Koenma,
and find nothing of interest to tell the toddler-prince.

~!**!~

A week later and Koenma asks Botan to bring him Hiei.

For Toriko, many changes are occurring,
including her ditching the glasses and bobby pins
because it appears that Shikiyoku has disappeared entirely.

~!**!~

The week passes uneventfully for Akari,
and she is at the park with Nabu when Youko appears...

Akari eyed Youko warily, only nodding when he silently asked about tossing the ball. He hadn't asked before now, and while the sarcasm was something she'd become accustomed to in Kurama, she simply couldn't get over the fact that he was in Youko form, and yet there was not a sign of a fight anywhere. A suspicion rose in her mind, but Nabu's constant rambling to "Flowers" was a confusing factor.

"You're telling me." She went quiet again, watching keenly. *

Youko gave the ball a toss with the flick of his wrist, sending both it and the pup flying off away from them.

He maneuvered to sit the rest of the way down on the grass, leaning his back up against the trunk of the tree behind him and extending his long legs in his front.

"I would have given it to you." Youko explained, his deep voice still remaining quiet, "If you did not wish me to interrupt." He reclined his head against the bark, both hands going up into the midst of his straight, silver hair to prop himself up.

~!**!~

So she has talked to him. Koenma remained silent as Hiei posed his questions.

"She's waltzed in here before." Koenma pointed out. "And nothing happened then." He sighed, "She has a certain advantage given that she yet remains in a human form. She will be kept safe, Hiei. I can promise you that." Koenma said strongly.

"My father is the one who wanted to..." He paused as his mind wandered to the exact wording of the warrant and he cleared his throat, "My father is the one who put the warrant out for her arrest. I had nothing to do with it. Me simply talking to you about it like this puts us all at risk anyway. If he knew that I knew, and had not brought her in...let's just say I'm on your side." Koenma left it at that.

"And don't you think that if I had any intention of harming her that I would have brought Toriko in as soon as I knew of her secret?" Koenma gauged Hiei carefully. "I can promise I will make it well worth her while." 3

Hiei's hands moved to the pockets of his cloak in thought. He recalled the last time the entire group had been in the office, after the Sensui incident. Since then, the only time any of them had been in here was when there was something to report. That meant Koenma had known even before Toriko had become a small addition to the group. Yet, just as the prince had said, nothing had happened. He hadn't made any indication of his knowledge over the matter until now, when it was convenient for him.

Curiosity snaked its way through him. "And what makes you desperate enough to call on her?" For now, he didn't bring up the fact that Shikiyoku only came forth when something required her energy to survive.

~!**!~

Narrowed eyes watched carefully, suddenly not trusting Youko. He didn't act like Kurama, or what she knew of him, but she hadn't ever seen him sit as if to recline. It didn't strike her as something he'd do, either. "Not necessary," she replied curtly in regards to the ball. "Just a toy."

She paused, lips pursing and brows furrowing. Why wasn't he attacking? "You're awfully cordial, for an enemy." *

A single silver eyebrow lifted, but his expression changed not otherwise as he regarded her with an unblinking golden gaze.

"We are enemies, are we?" He paused for a moment, then blinked slowly and looked away. "Strange. I don't feel as if we should be enemies. Why would we be enemies?"

~!**!~

Koenma chewed on his pacifier before answering.

"I know nothing. Nothing of this Otento fellow, nothing of this fake-Youko. No motive, no origins." He shrugged, "Nothing. I do know, however, the demon that the others encountered when rescuing Akari and Kurama. His name is Gashiru and Otento has recruited him. Gashiru has a twin sister that hasn't been recruited. Not yet. I need to send Shikiyoku to speak with her, in Demon World, to try and find out anything she can. This is a brief chance for us to finally get ahead of Otento, but I must act quickly. And Shikiyoku must be the one to go." 3

Hiei eyed Koenma with a neutral expression, not exactly impressed nor surprised with the information he was given. So Spirit World was behind. He knew that. So Spirit World knew nothing. That wasn't new either. But a new demon that could provide information… that grabbed his interest with a vice-like grip and he hung on that fact for a moment. Otento was on Hiei's special hit list, and the fact that the demon could get around without being sensed was even more irritating, making this even more difficult.

"Toriko acts as a wall, hiding Shikiyoku." He finally admitted, hands moving out of his pockets and his arms crossing over his chest. "The only times she's allowed herself to be known is after her energy is necessary for her life."

~!**!~

Akari's head tilted to the side slightly, her eyes flickering behind her as Nabu's little feet could be heard tearing back to her and Youko. He dropped the ball at her feet, but when she didn't reach for it, he kicked it over to the silver haired demon and spun around and around in enthusiastic circles, barking like mad but not really saying anything tangible.

"Not enemies?" She repeated incredulously, frown deepening. "You expect me to believe that? After the attacks launched?" *

Youko's eyebrows quirked downward slightly, giving his face a puzzled air even as he moved forward to lift the ball in his slender fingers and give it another precise toss away from them before leaning back again.

"Attacks?" He repeated. "Why would I attack you? Kurama does not hold any ill-will against you, so neither do I." He still appeared confused, his eyes thinking back to recent memories. "I don't even know if we've officially met." His gaze moved back to her. "I seem to remember being overly preoccupied with Toriko's health the first time we saw one another."

~!**!~

Koenma sighed and mumbled under his breath, "I was afraid of that." He reached up and rubbed a hand against his forehead. "I'm not willing to risk her life just to get to talk with her, but I don't know what to do otherwise."

Koenma let out another sigh that held too much age in it for his stature.

"I suppose all I can ask for is that if she rears her head, bring her to me. While it's imperative that I speak with her, it's also not imperative that her life be in danger." 3

Hiei found himself sneering. But the expression was gone in a flash, replaced with his former expression of neutrality. He considered this thought, eyeing the prince. Quite frankly, he didn't want to oblige, but the fact that this could mean another shot at Otento… well, he couldn't exactly turn down the idea. After all, the problem of the demon was long withstanding, and his continuous trouble making was grating on his nerves.

Aside from that, they could go to the Demon World again…

That thought had him stalling mid-turn in his leave, watching the wall opposite of himself as the thought made his very core move. He recovered shortly thereafter, turning his back on the prince entirely now. "No guarantees."

~!**!~

Agitation conflicted with confusion for a moment, making a single strawberry brow twitch. She thought for a moment, reassessing what she'd already deduced, this time wondering if she were wrong. Her eyes studied the fox demon, her senses searching for energy, finding the lack in such a normal thing since Kurama had indeed been missing energy as well. But, how had he shifted, if this were the redhead?

He can't…. can he? …...Only one way to find out.

"Sure, we haven't met officially, but your friend and I have. Several times, actually. He's caused a lot of trouble. You don't seem able to keep your… group… under control, sir." She paused, head tilting to the side again. "I like your effort, though. But Kurama was otherwise occupied today. Try again?" *

The steady golden gaze regarded Akari as coldly as it had been, only blinking once while she spoke.

"I must confess: I'm afraid I don't follow your meaning, inu." Youko admitted plainly. "Though, if I had to guess, I suppose you know who I am if you know Kurama at all, 'meeting officially' aside. And you did see me emerge from him once already within the warehouse after all." He regarded her thoughtfully. "You seem puzzled by my presence. What's troubling you?"

~!**!~

"Maneshi, you're not helping. Please go somewhere else." Toriko requested primly.

Kurama had left after dinner, and the cat seemed to have taken it upon himself to not let Toriko out of his sight. But he currently sat on the countertop, despite Toriko's complaints that he park himself elsewhere, and occasionally decided to 'help' her clean the dishes.

Toriko put the plate down she had in her hands and stared at the cat intensely.

"Get. Down."

Maneshi meowed.

Toriko huffed a bit of air out between her teeth and put the towel down she held, grabbing the cat around his middle and plopping him on the tile floor of the kitchen.

"You're getting hair everywhere and I can't get anything clean." She picked up her things again and pushed Maneshi away with a foot, "Go on. Shoo. Go bother someone else."

Maneshi growled at her.

"I don't care how you feel about it. You're more trouble than you're worth right now."

Maneshi stuck his nose high in the air and sashayed out of the kitchen, disappearing from her sight, much to Toriko's relief. 3

Without another glance behind himself, Hiei had left Koenma, and Botan had carted him back to where he had been before being interrupted. He didn't return to the tops of the trees now, though. Instead, he decided that the trees outside Toriko's home would have to do, since he assumed Kurama would have gone home by now. After all, the fox did have a human mother he looked after.

So even as Botan waved cheerfully goodbye, the fire demon turned and made his trek to Toriko's, slowly at first and then steadily picking up the pace until he was nothing more than a blur to the eyes that couldn't keep up. It only took him about five minutes at this pace to reach his destination, and he stood outside the house, curious. Should he go inside, or stay out?

If he went inside, there was a possibility of sweet treats and small talk.

If he stayed outside, he could return to his nap.

For the moment, he let himself think over the possibilities and, every so often, Koenma's request slid across his mind. The fire demon didn't like it, the fact that Toriko had to be in danger for Shikiyoku to become the more prominent one.

Without another thought, his feet were moving to the door, deciding he'd simply stay inside for a bit and observe the changes he'd noted in the girl.

~!**!~

Akari fought back the urge to make a sound of frustration and confusion. Her mind kept telling her that this Youko was not the Youko that was Kurama, but everything else, even Nabu, told her otherwise. She didn't respond at first, blinking slowly at him with arms crossed loosely over her stomach. She wasn't sure how else to prove or disprove her theory, so she considered him for a moment.

In truth, she knew nothing about Kurama's demon half, other than the fact that he was a fox demon. And a very powerful one at that. So, trying to deduce whether this was actually him or not was a game she wasn't very amused with.

"I'm simply trying to figure out what caused your presence," she finally admitted, calm eyes blinking slowly again. "No prompting?" *

Youko frowned at himself, his gaze appearing to turn inward, "The answer is inexact. Given the lack of access to demonic energy, many things are being tried to break through. I happen to be a product of one such an attempt." His eyes returned to Akari. "And how are you?"

~!**!~

As Toriko turned away from the counter, bowl of sweet snow in hand, spoon in her mouth and tub of the stuff carried in the other hand, she shook her head slightly, unable to shake the feeling from the back of her mind that someone was approaching the house.

She slid the tub back into the freezer and turned towards the front door, getting another bite of sweet snow and again letting the spoon hang from her lips as she reached with her now-free hand for the doorknob, turning it and opening the door inward.

As she moved to step outside, her eyes widened as Hiei stood directly in her path, finding herself staring into his crimson gaze.

After a half-second of Toriko feeling slightly awkward, she silently held out the bowl of sweet snow towards him as an offering with no further hesitation, spoon completely forgotten in her mouth. 3

Hiei had reached for the handle, only for it to turn and the door to be pulled open, revealing Toriko on the other side of the threshold. He stared at her evenly for a moment, acknowledging that she must have, on some level, known he was there. Perhaps it was something she had earned from her demon half, he supposed.

After a beat of simple, awkward staring, he reached out and accepted the bowl, eyeing the spoon between her lips before he simply passed by her, sauntering his way into the living room. The house still smelled of whatever she had made for herself and Kurama, and for a moment he almost thought it smelled appetizing. But he glanced down at the sweet snow and decided he was much more interested in it than anything else, and made his way to the kitchen for another spoon.

"Enjoy yourselves?"

~!**!~

Akari shifted her weight, eyes turning to the stars overhead for a few moments as Youko answered her, her entire being deflating to accept defeat. If this wasn't the real Youko, she wouldn't know the difference today. Her eyes turned down to him again, her expression forming into one of light amusement at her own predicament. "Nothing new, I suppose. Otento is rather efficient in everything…"

She turned away, her head turning in the direction Nabu had disappeared. She couldn't hear him returning, and she could only guess that he was keeping the ball all to himself. "Since you seem to be enjoying yourself, I think I'm going to continue on my way." With that, she gave a small sigh, deciding it was best to get out while she could, before anything happened. *

"Does my presence displease you so?" There was no hint of a smile on Youko's face, but his eyes did appear to dance momentarily with amusement at the thought.

He let his head rest back against the tree, though he didn't remember when he'd leaned forward as he spoke with her.

"Surely you don't have any place to be that demands you leave such a lovely evening." He closed his eyes and took a breath of the fresh air, opening them after a moment and tilting his head slightly towards the grass near him.

"You're welcome to sit. I don't bite." Now a smile did ghost over his lips, "Hard. Most of the time."

~!**!~

Hiei left Toriko at the door bowl-less and still in mid-step as she blinked where he stood moments earlier.

Since her intention had been to go outside, his immediate entrance into her home put her off-balance and she didn't know how to react other than to stand there for a beat before turning back and closing the door behind her. She grabbed the spoon out of her mouth as she followed after him.

"I guess." Toriko shrugged and let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding at the door, going to the freezer since Hiei appeared to have commandeered the bowl of sweet snow she prepared for herself.

The task of dishing herself out more in another bowl was a simple one. 3

Hiei stood in the middle of the line that marked the change in rooms from the living area to the kitchen, where carpet met wood, with eyes on Toriko now, his hand robotically scooping the spoon into his mouth with a large amount of the sweet snow. The cold made his teeth hurt, and for a moment, he fought the urge to cringe, but it passed and was replaced with sugary sweet goodness that melted rapidly on his tongue.

For the moment, he found himself watching her every movement, even the way her hair moved with her shoulders as she scooped herself more sweet snow into a bowl. It looked so smooth and so… soft… He almost found himself wanting to-

Hiei's hand curled tighter around the spoon he had held between his lips, staunching the urge to reach out and touch it, which would also require moving his feet. He glanced down, realizing he'd actually moved a single step forward. His eyes pointedly turned to the window of the outside world, and still, he said nothing.

~!**!~

Akari, half turned away from Youko, gave a shrug without looking at him. Her eyes searched the darkness for Nabu, ears open to any sound that would indicate her little friend coming back for another throw or another game of some sort, but still no hint of him was seen nor heard. She considered her options, her head slowly turning back so she could meet the golden gaze of the fox demon, who, surprisingly, seemed at least a little amused.

She eyed him curiously, then released a small sigh, completely disregarding his comment of biting altogether. "I suppose not." Going against all instincts, she decided to stay, play by this demon's game and see what happened. She was curious, admittedly, about why he simply didn't attack, if this wasn't the real Youko as she for some reason found herself believing. If his goal wasn't to eliminate one by one, then what was it?

She moved to Youko's left, sitting against the tree so that she was looking East, making it so that in order for her to look at him, she would have to turn her head. "You're not as…" she paused, searching inward for the right word. After a moment, she gave up and used the first word that came to mind, restating her sentence. "Stories about you make you seem like a killer of anyone you see. But I'm still standing- uh, sitting. You're not as ruthless as they say, are you?" *

A single silver eyebrow lifted as he watched her while she spoke, "Oh? Well, you're not carrying anything shiny that's of value on you at the moment, are you? I might have to kill you if that's the case." He turned his head back to the front. "Plus, I tend to prefer to enjoy beauty as it presents itself rather than have it marred by blood."

~!**!~

Toriko said nothing, leaving the room as silent as Hiei wished it to be. She again dished out her serving of sweet snow, though this time when she scooped the last dollop, she put it directly in her mouth as she closed the lid up, holding the spoon firmly in her lips as she turned and slipped the tub in the freezer.

She turned back around to grab for her bowl and once again found her feet moving towards the front door, eager to get out into the air after spending the day cooped up inside the school. 3

As soon as she was moving again, Hiei's eyes were on Toriko, his expression blank as he slipped the spoon between his lips again, the same sensation as before shocking him into running his tongue over his frozen teeth carefully. When he realized she was going for the door, he himself turned to follow, eyes again taking in each motion her body made, again finding himself locked on the ends of her hair.

He watched the neat ends of her hair wave just lightly back and forth against her waist, catching here and there but always freeing itself with each step she took. Again, the urge to reach out and just lightly touch the ends plagued his mind, but when he realized he'd stopped walking, he immediately tore his eyes away and pointed them to his own bowl of ice cream, swirling around and around in the bowl with ease in an attempt to smooth it out.

~!**!~

Akari huffed and glanced momentarily at Youko, his first comment about shiny objects making her feel as if he liked playing on the irony that her abilities were playing with darkness and shadows. "While that certainly would be tempting, I haven't found anything worth my time."

She paused when he spoke up again, her own eyes sliding away and up to the stars above again, watching as they seemed to pulsate with light slowly, twinkling and winking down at the people who were curious enough to watch.

But the moment Youko stopped -even a beat before he was done talking- she gave a snort of a laugh. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, since there was a part of her that cringed, but when she felt no ill-will on the comment, she gave another short laugh. "That's too bad, because I look good dirty," she joked, a lopsided sneer touching her lips for a fraction of a moment. *

As if he felt her uncomfortableness at first, Youko glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye, that same light smile approaching his lips but never arriving.

"I'm surprised you don't know how to take a compliment, inu. Your coloring is quite exquisite."

He continued eyeing her for a moment before his gaze moved from her form to look back towards the heavens above them.

"Mm. I seem to have hit a bit of a nerve as well. I apologize. I'm sure you would look just as lovely bathed in blood, but it is certainly something I would never wish upon you." His eyes grew hardened at the thought, his voice grave and serious as he spoke before the cloud passed and he went on, almost light-heartedly, "Excepting, of course, that it were the blood of your enemies." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

~!**!~

As Toriko stepped out of the house, she felt rather than saw that Hiei was following her. She made an abrupt right towards the side of her home where her bedroom window would be, continuing to eat even as she approached the trunk of the tree whose leaves would often scrape her window.

Her eyes lifted to the lowest branch and she put the spoon in her mouth again, making the small hop so that her free hand could grasp the bark above her head. It took little effort for her to pull herself up by that one arm enough that she could get footing and stand, reaching over again for a second branch and repeating the action with little pause for consideration as if she'd done this many times before.

After the third time, she sat back against the trunk with her legs crossed at the ankles out over the branch on which she parked and gave further attention to her sweet snow, a breeze picking up making the leaves around her dance and laugh in its wake.

She closed her eyes to hear it better, but a feeling of discontent settled across her expression, as if the tree and breeze and leaves were not quite what she wanted at that moment. That if only they were a little different...if only this place was somewhere else...she could truly find herself happy. 3

Once he'd realized he'd paused, Hiei had continued on his way outside, casually closing the door behind him before continuing on, moving almost robotically to the tree he'd deemed as his favorite months ago. He did find himself rather curious at the fact that Toriko seemed to approach the very same tree he'd silently staked claim to.

He waited until she was comfortable before deciding he would still go into the same tree as always, but a branch below Toriko. He got comfortable in moments with his back against the branch, head tilted back just a little to look up at Toriko, spoon still stuck between his teeth. He watched her for a moment, eyeing the way she sat, which was remarkably similar to how he too sat, making sure the tree didn't sway with the wind.

And the look on her face was one he knew all too well.

~!**!~

She found herself again rendered without words to reply to Youko, almost stunned. The first thought that came to mind was of Kurama, saying words almost completely identical to the one's she'd just heard, though at that time, she and the redhead had been on rather… bad terms.

The next thought was a more amusing one. To her, at least.

The mental image he had made come forth in her mind was one she'd reveled in for years, and the thought made her lips curl into a rather dark smile at recollection. If she could share the memory, at that moment, she likely would have done so without intentionally meaning to, and the demon next to her would have witnessed the exact scene he'd described.

After a few more moments in silence, her smile disappeared and she was again turning to look at Youko, no longer caring whether this was the real deal or not. "Quite frankly, your coloring is rather… remarkable as well. I can only imagine how many people you've had swoon over you simply because you're a rather rare sight." The smile that just touched her lips was a sarcastic one, a sneer that held amusement and interest all at once. *

"There have certainly been many who have shown interest." Youko confessed. "I am simply the best color of kitsune after all." He shrugged lightly, passing off the statement as something everyone knew. "Any others are noticeably inferior." His tone held no small amount of ego in it, though he appeared as if he stated just the facts as they were.

At that he did reach up and flip a portion of his hair back over his shoulder where it shimmered during the movement before it fell straight down his back with the rest of its long silver brethren.

"I do so hope that you skinned alive whoever took your extremities." A corner of his lip raised and he nearly snarled at the thought. "I imagine they were just as lovely as the rest of you." His expression remained dark at the thought of the one or ones responsible for it.

~!**!~

When Toriko opened her eyes, they swiveled down to catch Hiei gazing up at her and without saying a word she found in his gaze an understanding for the feelings she had washing over her psyche at that moment.

Strangely enough, she realized she took comfort in his crimson stare and the moment that passed between them, a moment she could not fully grasp as she did not understand it all herself, but one she felt he knew completely without further question. There was comfort for her in that realization, too. If he knew, then perhaps the questions she feared answering were not all that bad...

The stare grew just a second too long and her core lurched as she realized how intensely she had been searching his face for answers she did not even know the questions to, and she turn back to look at the remainder of the sweet snow in her bowl as if maybe it would give her whatever it was she sought.

She slowly reached her spoon in and retrieved another bite when it did not appear as if the sweet snow was going to be a willing divulguer of her heart's incomprehensible desires. 3

Hiei didn't react when Toriko's gaze met his other than to hold that stare that slowly turned softer than before, fond almost, and held other emotions he couldn't quite name. He saw the softness, but behind it was a shine he didn't understand, so as he continued to stare, he tried to decode those eyes that sparkled down at him.

But no matter how long he searched, the moment was too brief for him to decode anything of use, anything that would help him to understand the parts of her that he couldn't seem to grasp. And with the breaking eye contact came a breeze that made his hair move, catching with the leaves that a branch just dipped down to him. He made a small sound and pulled it from his locks, tearing the leaf from the branch and letting it fall away from himself before the cold of the bowl in his hand reminded him of the sweet snow he'd forgotten.

Because of the heat that radiated from his palm, which supported the underneath of the bowl, most of the substance was a thick, creamy liquid with small bits of red floating about. Despite his dislike of the warmth of the normally cold substance, he decided to eat at it anyway, more to keep his eyes busy than anything else.

~!**!~

"Too bad that with the best color comes more attention, and more attention means more trouble." Akari pointed out this fact, remembering the story of the SDF member who had been sent to hunt down the fox, supposedly killing him, but in reality, only sending him to the human realm. "Must suck to not blend in, eh?" Her tone was one of mocking amusement, indirectly pointing out the only good that had come of her own predicament.

As he continued, she felt the air around not only Youko shift, but the air around herself shift, turning dark. Her teeth glinted briefly against the moonlight in a small motion that, had there been sound accompanying the gesture, would have been a snarl. "Of course."

She didn't elaborate on the thought, since there was no need to tell the dirty details of the fifth and last human she'd ever killed. After all, taking down that very human had made it so she'd been stuck much longer than she'd wanted to be, and only by Sensui's hands had she been freed.

She took a deep breath, her lips now pressing together and her body leaning forward, crossing her legs beneath her before she resettled against the bark of the tree, now calm again. "But, it doesn't matter much anymore. The world moves on, and so do the people in it." *

Youko's silence was a gesture of agreement at her words, his mind straying back to the female next to him.

"There are things in the three worlds that no one should have to see." He began quietly, his words almost a whisper into the breeze that wafted through. "And especially not while still young."

He said no more than that, mentally leaving the park as his thoughts replayed for him memories he'd accumulated over time, some wicked, some satisfying, some almost happy, if not pleased. And others that he would just as soon have forgotten.

He dismissed the last thought as foolish. All things were made by memory, because that's all they were. Without memory, one was...not.

A single silver ear twitched once as Youko picked up a sound many leagues away, but he remained wrapped up in his thoughts and musings.

~!**!~

Toriko let out a single sigh, a small one, almost inaudible, but still a sigh as she removed the spoon from between her lips.

I want to go home.

Toriko frowned at the thought, unsure what prompted it and immediately taking to examining it.

Home was here. Well, over there. In that building.

Something inside her told her this wasn't home at all, but if this was not home, then where exactly was it?

Just behind her eye she felt a twinge that indicated her current line of thought would lead to places she dreaded.

If Hiei knew, then perhaps the questions she feared answering weren't all that bad…

Her previous moment of silent exchange with Hiei returned to her and she glanced at him briefly.

Hiei didn't seem to have any problems with...anything. Her mind provided the word in replacement for the direction her thoughts threatened to go.

But why didn't he? Why didn't Kurama, for that matter? Weren't they all the same? Why weren't they tortured about existence?

Toriko snorted, a silent puff of air escaping her nose with more force than usual. Ridiculous. That's what she was being right now. Utterly ridiculous.

Except that she couldn't help but wonder where home should be. 3

Hiei heard the huff from above, but kept his eyes down on his bowl. His spoon held the thick liquid in which he took to slowly moving, making small ripples in the substance before he tilted the utensil, letting it drip back into the bowl lazily.

The substance splashed only slightly, getting on his index finger, which he promptly licked away. He kept his mind carefully blank, though he wasn't sure why he took such a precaution.

Perhaps it was because he was again reminded of Demon World, and his desire to return.

All of which was almost given to him, if only a simple task were taken care of…

The thought made his eyes move upwards again in consideration. He could go home.

~!**!~

Akari didn't reply to Youko. She didn't want to, because doing so would mean she would be looking back into memories she didn't know she'd be able to push away again. Even the thought of responding made an image flicker for an instant across her mind's eye, but it was quickly replaced with the memory of suddenly coming to with Kurama in front of her, both of them in utter darkness and accompanied by Otento.

That wasn't going to happen a second time. She wasn't going to put herself in such a position again.

Her eyes slid over to the demon next to her again, curious this time about his silence. She didn't interrupt his thoughts though, since the expression on his face was a rather interesting one in her opinion. His eyes were unfocused, that much she could see for the moonlight. She could almost make out similarities between this demon and the redheaded Kurama, in the eyes and small curvature of his face.

The thought made her give a small snort and turn away. They were the same person, right? So why would they be different in any way? *

Youko felt pulled out of his reverie by her gaze and again that same semblance of a smile that he found himself unable to help when reminded of her presence fled past his mouth.

"Something interest you, inu?" He did not look over at her as she had by this time snorted and turned away, but the idea that she would stare amused him for some reason.

~!**!~

Toriko rubbed at her face as she felt Hiei looking at her again, wondering if she had gotten some of the sticky remains of sweet snow on her skin that cause him to stare.

Her hand came away with nothing, but it still felt as if she had something there.

"What?" She asked flatly, finally unable to keep the silence between them any longer. If she had something on her face, she'd rather he just told her instead of laughing at her about it in his head. 3

Hiei hadn't meant to stare so long. His thoughts had gotten carried away for the umpteenth time as of late, leading him to end up staring, this time at Toriko, and causing an air of irritation. Though, the sight of her rubbing at her face almost self-consciously had been worth it.

But her question over what made him think of home again, made another pang hit him and completely shrouded out the amusement. His eyes turned away, towards the house nearby thoughtfully.

"This world is similar to home, in a way. It's rather suffocating."

~!**!~

Akari shrugged, then realized he wasn't watching and a corner of her lips lifted upwards. showing her right canine tooth. "My interest was not in you," she began, tone forced flat despite the small waver that slipped by, "but in the mere possibility that my friend would be returning and I could leave your presence. It's too much work to hunt him down." *

"Of course." Youko responded flippantly. "He's taking longer than usual, then? Should we call for him?"

~!**!~

At Hiei's mention of home, Toriko's expression grew wistful and she looked off into the distance longingly.

"I miss home." She finally replied, her voice a near-whisper, almost feeling as if she must sound stupid for saying something she felt was so very obvious. "But I don't even remember what that word means anymore." Her timbre carried an equal amount of wistfulness that her face held in that moment. And she wanted to remember what the word meant. Desperately. 3

Hiei didn't look at her as she replied this time, his eyes staying trained on the building in front of himself, but not really seeing it. Instead, he was seeing trees with leaves as large as his person, plants that were odd shades of purple that should never be touched. He could hear the sounds of fighting creatures that were impossible to describe in words, could smell the toxins that permeated the air from plants and demons who used herbs for fighting and medicinal use.

That was home, and right now, he wanted nothing more than to be there, laying in a tree and using the leaves as a true cover from sight, where no one dared bother him because he didn't have to hide his Jagan when sleeping, and it would always keep watch for him.

But here, in this world that smells of metal and chemicals, humans destroyed everything they created. They played coy only to destroy the things one took pride in most. There were games here, whereas in Demon World, there wasn't much room for such a thing. Everyone knew the other's tells that told of lies and deception.

In reality, he himself couldn't define home. Not in a short sentence that would suffice for the girl in longing above him. Perhaps he didn't have to. He could show her, if only…

"We have a brief opportunity."

~!**!~

"No, he's just hogging his toy," Akari replied naturally, though she quickly reverted to her taunting, "likely because you're here. I assume he gets tired of smelling flowers."

She gave a brief pause, in which she stretched her arms over her head, making a brief sound of satisfaction at the popping her back made. "Or maybe it's the claws," she finished, eyes flickering to the demon's fingers briefly with a small smile of amusement. *

Youko briefly lifted his hand in the air to stare at the tips of his fingers and their definite lack of claw-like nails.

A remembrance from somewhere in his mind about large claws making it all the better to tear someone with, coupled with the distinct possibility of such a thing as a fairy tale made him blink at the back of his hand.

"He must not stay around you much either, then." Youko lowered the hand back down, his rejoin coming a tad slow. "You smell terribly of a particular flower yourself."

~!**!~

Toriko's world snapped back into place around her eyes and she found that her breath came faster once, twice, as if a surge of adrenaline got dumped out from her brain.

She said nothing at first, instead looking down at Hiei, speechless, her lips slightly apart as if the thought of returning completely rocked her world so hard that it fried any further usage of her brain capacity. The only coherent thought she had in that moment managed to spill over her tongue out from the garbled sense of her feelings.

"Home?" 3

Hiei nodded once at the reaction he received, glancing up at Toriko briefly before looking away again, mildly surprised by her reaction. Perhaps she and Shikiyoku were closer than he'd first imagined them to be.

Images swarmed his mind again, images of demons passing by, looking on with fear if they were smart enough to sense the amount of power around them. He could see large cities that, while similar to the ones here, were much more grand and well-kept by the demons who owned their lands. There were also images of small villages in the middle of dense forestry, the type of place he enjoyed most.

The image faded as he realized how long he'd been silent. "Koenma made an offer."

~!**!~

"I do not." Akari's eyebrows drew together at the prospect of smelling anything like a flower, but just as soon as they furrowed did one raise again in curiosity. "Why would I? I have little to no contact with them." She thought about the moldy, run-down house she resided in and all the dirt that must cling to her at times, and the lack of care the lawn had which was sure to be infested with insects of all degrees.

There was no way she smelled floral, was there? *

"Oh, it's not just you." No reason for her to feel any more special than anyone else, right? "Everyone smells like some sort of flower." Youko pointed out, this time having to bite his tongue to keep from smiling.

~!**!~

Toriko just sat there staring at Hiei, images flickering across her mind's eye, almost as if she were getting impressions of the images Hiei saw at that moment, but knowing that they originated from within her own memories. For once, she let herself sink into them: palace steps and hanging gardens, a dark abyss from where no light escaped, vague imprints of people...demons, forests that grew taller than the eye could see from their floor.

She blinked again and the impressions faded, too many of them having flickered past for her to account for them all.

In one second, her eagerness faded. Surely Koenma's offer was meant for Hiei alone. But in the next, her thoughts soared again for Hiei had said we.

We.

Home.

All the reservations and fears Toriko harbored in thinking of that place were swept away with the knowledge that she was not returning alone. She could not even imagine Hiei leaving her by herself once there, the thought did not even occur.

She repeated those two words to herself. If Hiei did not fear. Then neither should she...right?

As jumbled as her mind felt, Toriko tried to remain practical, tried to see what exactly an "offer" meant, but she could not remain on the subject for long.

With her thoughts still harried, she questioned Hiei solemnly.

"What must we do?" 3

Hiei didn't slip into images of Demon World again. Instead, he sat there, listening to Toriko's reaction, her breathing, to judge her thoughts without resorting to telepathy. The amount of pressure in the air was immense, but the pressure was of the most anxious kind: the will to do something one had wished to do for a very long time.

He could feel it. He could identify it. He could even add to it.

As soon as she asked of the offer, a frown settled on the curvature of his lips, turning them downward. "He needs Shikiyoku to perform a task that, it seems, only she can do." He wasn't sure about elaborating, but he did just a little more. "It's to gain more information on the current… dilemma."

Now, he decided, he would only elaborate depending on her reaction, and if she wished to know more.

~!**!~

A brow raised higher than before, practically disappearing into the bangs that almost covered her eyes. Akari swiped them to the side and turned to the fox demon again. "Is that because of your prowess?" she inquired curiously, watching him now with unveiled curiosity that would, on some level, resemble a pup. "Because quite frankly, you're the only one who smells of plants in any way, shape, or form to me."

She gave a pause, head tilting just a bit to the side. "Or maybe it's an obsession, to identify each person with a flower?"

That thought made her snort a small laugh. What an amusing prospect that would be. *

Youko held out his hands in front of himself, palms up as if in a gesture of defeat, his face perfectly serious.

"You've guessed it. Obsessed with flowers. Guilty." He shrugged, his hands returning to his lap. "You, however, would smell like a flower regardless, I think. Ask anyone."

~!**!~

Toriko's head tilted a little. Something only her other side could do? She was not in Spirit World's employ.

Regardless, Toriko's expression fell, crestfallen as she finally turned from Hiei to look at the sweet snow she had forgotten about in her bowl. She had not left much, but it sat there now like so much soup and she stared at its liquidey form.

"She...she is not there." Toriko responded sadly, her hesitation born only from the knowledge that any hopes of returning to this "home" Hiei knew she belonged in were draining completely away and leaving behind a strange emptiness that she somehow felt had always been there. 3

A frown graced Hiei's features at Toriko, finding her words troubled him. Shikiyoku was gone? How? Was that even possible? He eyed her from under for a few moments, contemplating the way she deflated. Why would a human want to see demon world?

A human wouldn't call such a place home, would they?

"Why would you consider Demon World home if she were gone?" he voiced his thoughts, watching her carefully for a reaction. He wouldn't believe she was gone just yet, not until there was a definitive reason to believe as such.

~!**!~

Akari stared at Youko, smiling only slightly at his dry sarcasm. She considered responding to it with matching sarcasm, but quite frankly, she couldn't think of anything to say back to him. So she decided not to, until he continued about her smelling like a flower to anyone. She raised a brow, now actually curious.

"What flower?" she asked almost coyly, deciding she'd just go along with it for now. *

"For some reason, I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." Youko replied loftily. "So, I'd just as soon leave you wondering." Here he stretched out a hand again and examined his nails with his head tilted slightly.

Now that he had mentioned it, of course he continued to be struck with her particular smell with each intake of breath, able to pick it out clearly from amongst the park around them.

~!**!~

Toriko could not stop the slight flinch at Hiei's familiarity and ease of bringing up that place, but her gaze turned inward.

"...well, this is not my home." She shrugged at a loss for words, unable to convey how she knew. "I know that I don't belong here, but I don't know if I belong anywhere, really." Her shoulders drooped a little. "I am just a prison that happens to have a mouth with which to speak."

It was a bleak word, but it fully portrayed how she'd come to think of herself over the past few days. As she searched inside, though-as she had done many times in that same time frame-she found nothing of the other one. No hidden bundle of...something, that she realized now had always been there just as she had always been the shell containing it. 3

Hiei eyed Toriko probably a little longer than he should have, her expression easily hinting at the thoughts she soon voiced to him. Again, he found himself unsure how to respond. He didn't know how to deal with a situation such as two souls, like she and Kurama did. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like, other than he assumed there was never any privacy of thought.

He sat in silence, leaning back against the tree when he realized he'd been leaning forward just a bit. His head rested against the bark and his eyelids slid closed in an almost lazy manner. He didn't feel like continuing the conversation on this particular topic was necessary, since Toriko believed Shikiyoku to be gone. It put him in a stalemate of sorts, and all he could do was simply brush it away for later assessment. If something else came to mind, he would voice it when the time was appropriate, but not now.

He took in a deep breath, again reminded of home, but this time not making any indication of such thoughts.

~!**!~

Akari shrugged as if she hadn't expected him to tell her anyway, turning away and leaning against the tree so she could stretch her legs out in front of herself again. She gave a small yawn, remembering that she hadn't napped today, but still made no indication that she wished to leave.

"How long do you plan on staying out here?" she inquired softly, feeling almost as if his presence was a calm, pleasant one. "I assume you can't just go home, anyway." *

Youko's eyes had closed, enjoying the peacefulness that had not thus far been interrupted by any passerbys. He therefore took a moment before he answered, breaking the stillness between them.

"Since I have no hidden agendas to fulfill, I imagine I'll be out here as long as it takes. Perhaps by morning..." He let his words drift away unfinished before continuing in a different direction. "How long do you usually stay here?"

~!**!~

"I think...I'll go to bed." Toriko managed to not sigh in the middle of her words.

She felt no tiredness, but a sudden wave of weariness enveloped her at the brief excitement "home" had been, and subsequently at the loss therein.

She turned the opposite direction from Hiei, spoon and bowl held firmly in one hand as she traversed downwards with ease, ending up hanging from the lowest branch she could find by her free fingers just for a moment before dropping the slight distance to the rest of the ground.

Her steps almost wandered as she wove her way back to the front of the house, intending to go inside and place the bowl somewhere before heading upstairs. She imagined herself simply collapsing on the comforter, wanting to cry for some strange reason that she didn't understand, but feeling too exhausted even for that. 3

Hiei didn't move from his spot when she spoke up and promptly began shifting around the tree to go inside. For the moment, he had no intention to go inside. He planned on staying here, in the tree, where the breeze could just brush his face, his hair from his eyes, and leave a slightly cooler sensation than his normal body temperature.

But he soon remembered the bowl in his hand, his red eyes turning down to survey the substance that sloshed around. He realized that he shouldn't keep it outside, for if he fell asleep, he would likely drop it and cause it to break. The fire demon released a small sound of acknowledgement over his small predicament, his reluctance to leave the tree conflicting with the knowledge that the bowl should not be outside.

After another beat's hesitation, he decided that waiting would only make him even more reluctant than he already was, so he made a single motion to swing his legs over the side of the branch and dropped to the ground unceremoniously. He followed after Toriko silently, silently debating with himself over whether he could sleep or not.

~!**!~

Akari nodded briefly to herself to show she acknowledged Youko's words of staying until morning. "I normally stay for about as long as I see fit. It depends, really." She went quiet again, looking around for Nabu. He hadn't returned, meaning he either went home, or found another person who would enthusiastically play by his game. "I do occasionally stay until morning, when I have no other plans."

The breeze that blew by was a slightly cooler one than earlier today, lifting the ends of her bangs just slightly as she slowly adjusted the way she sat so that she was almost entirely laying on the ground now, her shoulders leaning the majority of her weight against the bark and her ankles crossed in front of her, her fingers linked over her stomach, eyelids sliding closed as her head bent down just slightly. She certainly wouldn't mind staying here for the night. It wasn't uncomfortable here, where there as someone who could watch over the area if something were to go wrong.

And eventually, Nabu would come back anyway. She saw no need to hunt him down. *

For his part, Youko opened his eyes and looked over at the reclining Akari, feeling the same wind that feathered against her hair lifting his own and ruffling the short fur along his ears ever-so-slightly.

His ears twitched and he moved his gaze across the grass, a feeling of uneasiness settling over his body, a feeling he could not manage to shake.

As slowly as he could, with an equal amount of silence, Youko started to stand up, his eyes never leaving the trees on the other side of the path.

~!**!~

When Toriko got inside, stepping over the shoes and socks she removed and left by the door when arriving home from school, she didn't even feel able to put the effort out in admonishing Maneshi, who awaited her return sitting tall next to the sink, tail wrapped about his feet with the end twitching slightly up and down. She merely put her bowl, spoon still inside, down in the sink for cleaning later, and reached up to brush her fingers over his dark, sinewy shoulder.

Her retreat to her bedroom was as measured as the rest of her steps since climbing out of the tree and when she got upstairs, she did little more than crawl on top of the covers and curl up on the far side with her back to her door, staring listlessly at the wall. 3

Hiei was inside the house in time to see Toriko disappear up the stairs, though he didn't pause to consider following. He'd already made up his mind, and before acting on it, he waltzed into the kitchen and placed his bowl and spoon in the sink, ran water through it to at least rid the objects of the thick liquid, and then shut it off. He lingered for a moment in front of the sink, eyeing Maneshi for a moment before deciding to ignore the cat altogether and continued on.

He followed Toriko's steps up to her room, silently letting the door shut until it was only ajar by about an inch. His eyes locked on the window he'd taken a liking to, and in seconds he was comfortable with his back against the wooden frame, his left shoulder leaning carefully on the glass and one leg dangling over the edge in the laziest of ways.

~!**!~

The silence was relaxing, and Akari couldn't help but let her body sink into the tree, her mind going just as quiet as her surroundings. As comfortable as she was, it was very tempting to let herself fall into the darkness of sleep, but for the moment, she struggled to stay awake, to enjoy the silence of the park, intending to at least stay awake until Nabu came back.

But even as the breeze came to a standstill, she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer, if the silence stayed as comfortable as it was. *

Youko spoke, his voice lower even than usual, "Inu. I do not suggest falling asleep." He took the two steps over so that he stood just in front of her. "We are not alone."

Youko could still not see anything, but his other senses told him his statement was accurate.

~!**!~

Maneshi stared after the pair that had disappeared disapprovingly, immediately hopping down and chasing after them, galloping up the stairs and launching himself onto the bed to land as disruptively as possible next to where Toriko lay.

"Mrow!" He demanded of her, insisting that she pay more attention to him than she had.

When she did not move, he tromped across the blankets and planted his front paws defiantly on her hip, meowing loudly again towards her face.

"Go away, cat." Toriko mumbled, closing her eyes as if that would help.

Maneshi did no such thing, lowering himself back onto the bed and proceeding to rub the side of his body against her, moving up and down, his tail curling and twisting around in the air. 3

Hiei didn't have to look to know what was going on, the cat being the only sound shattering the quiet for the moment. A slight sneer formed on his lips in amusement at the cat, but it was gone as he sunk lower into the frame than before, his mind telling him it was time to sleep, his body already relaxed enough to make him feel as if he had been asleep for a while.

When the cat meowed again, and Toriko replied with a grumble, he opened a single eye to glance over at the pair, but was uninterested after the single moment and closed it again. Sleep was a blissful thing once achieved.

~!**!~

Akari had felt sleep beginning to take over the edges of her mind when Youko spoke up, his words at first going almost unheard to her. But his last four words jolted her mind awake with a start and her eyes slid open almost lazily, immediately seeing the backside of the demon standing in front of her. Without hesitation, she placed her hand in the dirt behind her and pushed herself up into a small crouch, her other hand rubbing at her eyes to make them focus on their surroundings.

"Just once," she grumbled to herself, "would a day in the park go uninterrupted?" As she spoke, she pushed herself to stand, but didn't exactly move out from behind the fox demon. She merely peered around him in the direction he was so keenly tuned to, eyes searching for what alarmed him but finding nothing. *

inu - dog

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