A/N: Hello once again, Audience!

There is a ton of me doing what CM and I came to call "rambling" in this chapter. It's where one of us goes off on describing the scene and it takes forever and we feel bad about it but the other person always goes YAY ME LIKE. Tee hee.

Symbols Guide:

* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko 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!

Foko continues distracting Akari from sleep,
at first with a game of tag,
then by tickling her until she concedes.
Her head in his lap, Akari asks for Foko's real name,
to which he admits to enjoying her christening him 'Foko.'

~!**!~

The water of the healing pond fully cleansed and repaired both Shikiyoku and Hiei,
and after a moment of playfulness between the two of them,
they head back to Shubou's camp...

The encampment opened up before them with a fierce savagery, sounds of a fight on the air.

As they drew closer, the giant bonfire was tossing sparks up into the sky, and the entire tribe was spread out around and slightly off to the right of it, forming an elongated circle in which two demons were crouched, facing one another, one hand behind their backs and blindfolds over their eyes.

The tribe was watching the exchange almost reverently at this point, only starting to shout or cheer when one demon or the other made a move at their opponent.

Shikiyoku stayed on the outskirts the loose circle had formed, silent, but watching with avid interest.

Upon closer inspection, each demon had three slim blades held between the four fingers of the bare hand not held behind their backs, and it was easy to see that by this point the blades had sunk somewhat into their skin as there would occasionally be drops of blood dripping down their wrists and to the ground.

Dipping and dodging around each other, the point of the skirmish seemed vague as hits on the skin did not appear to make a difference, until one demon broke through the other's defenses and made a quick upward slash that wrended the blindfold of his opponent into two portions, which fell apart and gently floated off the face of the losing demon and to the ground.

Cheers erupted from the onlookers and the demon who could see started to grin as the winner lifted his blindfold and mirrored the expression, leaving his bit of cloth half on and half off his face and closing the distance between them.

They both reached forward and clasped one another's arm, the winner leaning forward to say something into the loser's ear what with the noise about them, and the loser nodded, grin growing wider.

"Iro!" Shubou's glad cry cut through the crowd as the leader had spotted her standing with her Champion off to the side. One could almost not see the short, brown-haired demon as the bonfire nearly blocked the small form almost directly across it from where Hiei and Shikiyoku stood.

The demons seated in front of Shikiyoku and HIei immediately stood up, eyes bright with the celebration, saying words of welcome and expressing gratitude at both parties for deciding to come.

Greetings dying down as Shubou started to speak again, and most of the tribe looked over at their leader.

"Iro, I have a favor to ask!" Shubou's orange eyes were sparkling in the firelight, as if knowing the favor would not be denied.

"If it involves feeding us, I already agree!" Shikiyoku grinned, stepping forward through the demons towards the bonfire.

That earned her a laugh from the group, and almost immediately two or three demons with trays of what the tribe feasted on appeared next to her.

She chose something frugally and waved them back to Hiei, turning to Shubou as she stuffed the slice of meat into her mouth.

The three demons moved next to Hiei, offering him food as well.

"Then, perhaps two favors." Shubou allowed with a toothy smile, the red markings on its face curving with the grin. "You do us great favor by gracing us with your presence on this of all nights. Would you deem us worthy of your entertainment?"

"And by what do you mean?"

"A story!" A demon from somewhere piped up, earning several agreements from those around him.

"A dance!" That one got a few more cheers of approval that died down as the tribe looked back and forth from Shikiyoku to Shubou.

"Both!" Someone finally said, earning a good bit of laughter and general murmurs of accord.

"What story might you tell us, Iro?" Shubou wanted to know.

"What story would you wish to hear?"

"It is the Feast of Darkness. What do you weave about that?"

Shikiyoku grew a thoughtful expression as she stepped over in front of the bonfire, the light making her features glow, and started to speak, the group quickly growing still around her.

The tale she spun talked of the original demon, the one that fell from the heavens, and how he had been too powerful for the Ninth Level to contain, and had to separate a portion of himself away so that he did not destroy the home he had created. He separated from within himself the darkness flame, and from it formed his mate, a beautiful and powerful she-demon with long, flowing purple hair and skin as black as the element from which she came. And it was from her forming that the first Darkness, the first Night, descended upon the Ninth Level, for her power was so great that it blackened the sky. And so came to be the cycles of day and night; when the original demon's power was at its peak, there was day, and when his mate's power was at its peak, there was night. And as their power cycled together, the days and nights grew shorter or longer according to who was in what portion of their cycle.

The feast they celebrated welcomed the longest night within the cycle, the night when the first mate's power would have been at its peak.

As Shikiyoku's voice faded off, the faces of the demons around her took a moment to shake off the mystic tale, and even when they started to murmur appreciatively to one another, their noises stayed low and reverent.

"The tales of your word-weaving do not do you justice, woman." Shubou finally said, having had to take a moment to withdraw from the visions Shikiyoku had caused to form within his mind's eye.

Shikiyoku inclined her head slightly with a mischievous air, but took the compliment in stride and said nothing.

The shake of an instrument pulled everyone completely from the previous moment, and those who had them started to pull such things out from nearby, music starting to slowly carry into the air as first a drum began a beat and other drums from all around them joined in.

Shubou said nothing, but gestured with a hand that Shikiyoku could take to dancing should she wish.

The look she gave him wanted to know if she had any choice in the matter, but Shubou would only send her a grin in response.

By this time, having stood with her back to the fire, most of Shikiyoku's hair had dried, and it was after a quick run of her hand through the strands that she began.

This dance and its music was much different from that of the courts of Rae's household. It did not appear that Shikiyoku needed a partner as she began to move about in the rhythm the drums provided.

The celebration picked up around her with talking and laughing and drinking, but each demon had one eye on the dancer and her steps as she made them in the free space of their circle that had not long before been the battleground between two fighters.

As Shikiyoku danced, she slowly let her energy free as if it were the most natural thing in the worlds for her to do. She started to interweave the strands around herself, dancing with the tendrils in a fashion that most other demons would not have dared.

On another level, the energy began sweeping out into the crowd, her scent floating under the noses of those in celebration, and any that had not been watching her while conversing or eating found their eyes drawn to her even as they all kept their feasting going. But their gazes were not hostile, or even any with truly any motive at all except to enjoy the aesthetic form she cut as her arms and legs moved elegantly.

One of the females in the circle broke free and joined her, moving up with a bit of cloth that Shikiyoku paused just long enough to let her tie about her waist. It was a skirt of sorts that matched what most of the females wore in the tribe, strips of fabric extending to her ankles that would flow about her as she kept moving.

It didn't take long for others of the group to get up and join the two once the brief spell had been broken, weaving patterns in and out of one another, though unintentionally leaving the middle of their dancing to Shikiyoku alone, whose tendrils of energy swerved and looped sensuously about her as she continued, only occasionally having another two or three dancing demons briefly intertwine about her as the circle moved as if alive. 3

Hiei had accepted a type of kabob when it was offered to him, turned and watched Shikiyoku as she told her tale. As the first time he'd heard the story, he listened keenly, core moving slightly here and there when a particular part stood out to him. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but Shikiyoku seemed able to grab his attention and keep it, even though he'd already heard this story. His eyes had been locked on her the entire time she spoke.

And when she had wrapped up her story, he was still watching her, standing a little behind the others still as he'd been too entranced to move away before she'd begun. Now, he took another bite of the tangy, chewy meat as another being approached, taking to standing beside him and leaning down just a little.

"When you stand alone, you appear as if you'd rather kill us all than be present. At least join us in sitting while you enjoy your meal, Champion."

Hiei looked up at Hideki, only just noticing the demon who stood behind him as if he'd come along to add to the conversation, but now was too focused on Shikiyoku. He considered the pair for a moment, eyes moving to the strip of meat Hideki suddenly produced and offered to him.

"From your beast."

Hiei accepted it out of reflex before looking back up at Hideki, who stood at least three feet taller than he, and nodded once.

"That's the spirit! Come on, you're in for a show now!"

Hiei followed wordlessly, moving through the motionless crowd easily until he was pausing by a log that had been placed specifically for sitting. He didn't sit, but he did stay within the crowd that was randomized about. By the time he was standing comfortably and was chewing on the much stringier meat of the creature he himself had killed - likely much more satisfied by the taste than normal - Shikiyoku was moving about, her energy snaking through the air and carrying her scent even to his own nostrils.

He paused mid-chew to watch the dance ensue, only continuing when she paused for another tribeswoman.

By the time other dancers were weaving around one another in a dance he didn't recognize, he was completely and utterly interested, particularly to the center of the dancers.

"I see you've never witnessed something like this." Hideki suddenly whispered from nearby, "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Hiei didn't answer. He only took in the movement of Shikiyoku, and after a moment, realized that she was dancing alone, and that those who joined in were not moving to join her, per se. She was simply doing whatever she desired, and it just so happened to be something that came natural to her. At least, that's how it looked to him.

"Is this your first Feast, Champion?"

"Indeed." Hiei responded finally before taking another bite from the meat he'd completely forgotten about.

"Well, if you stick around, you'll be in for a treat."

"I'll consider it."

A laugh from Hideki, and then he was joining the dancing crowd.

~!**!~

Akari couldn't help the small laugh that left her lips at Foko's response, which was nothing less than what she'd expected. She wasn't surprised in any way that he'd confirmed her suspicions. Though, she was surprised at his admission. "You like being referred to as a fake Youko?" she asked, suppressing a small laugh again. "Of all things, the goofy slip-up is what you enjoy?"

She turned over onto her side, facing her back to him so he wouldn't see her biting her lip to stifle the giggles. The slip-up, of all things!

A small sound of a twig breaking caught her attention, and she opened her eyes to see a dog calmly walking into the park, ears at attention and nose in the air. She rolled onto her back again and sat up, looking at Foko with a smile.

"Your lucky day, Nabu's decided to hunt be down after all." *

"It reminds me that I am not truly Youko. It is hard sometimes to remember." Foko replied, voice a bit more reserved.

His mood lifted at the feeling of her laughter, at seeing her smile in his direction, and as she sat up to speak, he glanced around quickly until his eyes landed on the tiny dog still a good distance away.

"Will he come to us?" Foko wanted to know, eyes bright with excitement.

~!**!~

None of those out in the circle so much as dared to dance with her, and even those that wove steps nearby obviously kept their distance from the tendrils of energy that snaked and wound about her lusciously.

And so it was that when the ribbons of power began to move outward to intertwine around the bodies moving to the rhythm that the energy would encircle the demons, and that the demon getting circled would stop, turning slowly to watch her with admiring eyes, sinking to sit on the ground where they had stopped.

Once a strip of energy brought a demon down, it would loop about them lazily a single time before moving on.

Each demon who only got that one loop appeared slightly crestfallen, having eagerly watched the energy come towards them up to that moment, and as Shikiyoku danced on, soon she was the only one left standing, innumerous threads of power both curving around her body as she moved, and also extending outward to those now seated, not one of them with more than a single loop about them.

The threads kept going past those on the ground, getting to the musicians scattered about the circle. The players did not stop, but neither did any of them get more than one coil of her energy.

From there, the strands branched out, Shikiyoku still the lone dancer in the midst of demon faces, in the middle of those formerly moving around her, and while the other revelers did not appear to notice the power flowing among them as they talked and laughed and drank, the tiny slips of energy also only left each demon with a single wreathe, some about their waists, others at their necks or one wrist, and with each passing fiber of power, a celebrating demon would look almost sadly, with one brief flicker of their eyes, out to the isolated she-demon who did not stop moving, her eyes glowing lustrously when they were open, both with an inner gleam of power and lit by the bonfire that roared alongside her, and with a mysterious smile on her face.

Shubou carefully watched the dance occurring, eyeing each strand that moved among the tribe, knowing the significance of what was happening even though no other demon there truly understood. And so it was only this pair of eyes that saw the tiny strip of power get to the fire demon in their midst and circle around his ankle once...before doing it again, and then instead of moving on like all the other threads had done, slowly wafting back to its mistress.

A gentle smile touched Shubou's face, but the discovery remained unseen by any others, no one paying attention to much except if not food or drink, to the demon herself.

The energy she produced eventually got around to every demon in the celebration and as soon as it happened, a pulse of power, like a soft breeze, radiated out from Shikiyoku to envelop the encampment before fading away. For just that second, with everything in its balloon of power, everything froze. The music paused, all other noise stopped, as if the entire clearing was holding its breath.

The moment passed, the pulse faded, and everything continued on, but Shikiyoku's expression had shifted in that brief pause, as if the realization that she was dancing alone finally hit her, the image she made companionless and forlorn, her eyes suddenly very far away.

The rhythm of the song finally faded off into an ending that shimmered across the air in a final burst of magic and the demons all cheered appreciatively as Shikiyoku also slowed to a halt with a final flourish.

While the eyes trained on her clapped or hooted or howled with thanks, her own gaze scanned around those that her energy had, like so many gossamer threads, connected to her in a tapestry of power, and the smile Shikiyoku gave them all did not reach her eyes when it appeared that she did not find what she searched for among them.

Another soft pulse of power radiated out from her as the performer still gave them a bow in spite of herself while the other dancers started to rise about her, and with that silky pulse, the threads of energy looping about all those present dissipated into the air, breaking the second spell she had woven that evening.

As the noise picked back up, Shikiyoku untied the skirt from around her waist and handed it back to the female who approached her with a word of thanks, the two exchanging brief words while the musicians started with a new rhythm for a new dance.

Moving through the dancers who started up again, Shikiyoku went in the opposite direction from where she had come in, cutting a lone path through the feast towards the forest beyond.

Before she got past the final bits of the crowd, a male demon approached her breathlessly and starting talking, taking her hand and leaning down close to her ear so that his words might be heard over the noise, cupping his free hand to her ear.

When he leaned back again to hear her answer, Shikiyoku's lips moved and she shook her head, causing the other demon's face to fall even as she said something more, patted his cheek, and turned to keep going, leaving him behind to watch her back.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku kept walking beyond the treeline, wandering listlessly through the trees for at least a mile or two before she stumbled upon a small puddle of water, about six feet across but only a foot deep, at which she paused to look at her reflection.

What's wrong with me? She asked the very human-looking demon who stared back at her, feeling as if perhaps that was the reason.

Getting no answer, Shikiyoku stood back up straight and lifted her hands, letting her energy waft outwards once more in little fibers of power and starting to dance again, this time circling gracefully around the outside edge of the tiny pond as if stepping alongside the doppelganger in the water. 3

Hiei's Jagan had slid open sometime during the dance, as if curious, and had honed in on the female in the center, allowing his mind to fully comprehend the tendrils of energy that moved gracefully about in the air around the dancer. But, his eyes didn't stay on the ribbons for long. Instead they moved again to the she-demon, and they stayed there.

And then, she and the music were stopping. A slight frown touched his features before his expression became neutral again, the Jagan no longer interested and sliding closed again. He hadn't realized to the extent at which he'd been enjoying the scene, so when she moved away from him, back to him as she left the scene entirely, he stared after her.

"See what I mean, Champion!" Hideki yelled over the loud crowd now, coming forth from said moving crowd and towards Hiei, who paid him little mind aside from his commentary. "You're lucky, she's made the evening much more meaningful!"

Hiei continued to stare after the place where he'd seen Shikiyoku disappear, and after a moment he passed the leftover strip of meat he'd originally been intending to eat, to which Hideki accepted almost joyously. He didn't even seem to notice that the fire demon was moving away, following the path that his counterpart had taken.

After a bit of walking, the glow of the fire was nothing more than a light in the sky behind him and the sounds of the celebration were distant, almost unable to be heard. By the time the sound died away, Hiei was standing behind Shikiyoku, on the edges of the small clearing, watching her but ensuring his presence was known, though a little more on the discreet side. He wouldn't allow his energy to disturb her if she did not wish to be disturbed.

~!**!~

Akari had almost missed Foko's response due to Nabu's appearance nearest the street, his nose turning from the sky to the ground as he seemed to contemplate whatever trail he was following.

"Of course," Akari answered almost gleefully, a small laugh at the fact that her company seemed almost afraid of scaring the pup away. "He's like a child to his mother, always nearby once in sight."

As if to make her point, Nabu's ears twitched and his head swiveled in her direction, eyes honing in on her before he turned and moved at a trot in her direction, pace only slowing when he was within a few feet of her. "I was worried, you weren't at the normal place! And I can smell blood!" Akari smiled and reached over to ruffle the dog's ears, who turned his eyes to Foko. "Flowers!"

"Nabu, this is Foko. Foko, Nabu," she introduced, a hand moving to gesture between the two.

"Not Flowers?"

Akari shook her head, "Mm-m"

"You're acting weird. Have you slept yet?" Akari responded with another negatory hum and an impish smile as the dog huffed at her and moved on, stepping to Foko and sniffing at his arm curiously. "You do smell different than Flowers…" *

Foko took the exchange between inu and pup in stride, but his eyes never left the small dog who had trotted up to meet them.

When the dog began sniffing at his arm, Foko slowly lifted his hand for the animal's inspection, staying quiet while moving as if he did not wish to scare the dog away.

His eyes flickered briefly towards Akari, and his words were quiet, "What does he say?"

~!**!~

It isn't as if this hasn't happened before, Shikiyoku was thinking to herself as she, with closed eyes, made her way around the pond for the third or fourth time, her energy extending outwards with each movement, reflected in the waters below her.

Yes, but it's been a very long time.

Ages, in fact. Since she went around with her first Champion and made their living together as a pair of demonic bards of a sort. He had been the singer, the instrument player. She had been the storyteller, the dancer. Dancing had been part of her earning her keep, something that bound together all members of a clan or tribe as one and made them closer because of it.

That just makes it sting more I suppose. She answered herself ruefully.

The dance had another purpose as well, one few, if any, actually knew.

Her first Champion had not been cruel, exactly, but after a certain point in her life had consistently remained distant and cold and rather uncaring. As long as she did what was expected of her, and did not get into trouble, he otherwise left her alone. Which, for her kind, was cruelty enough, as they truly needed more than just simple protection.

The dance was her way of seeking out companionship, as most Feasts in those days lasted longer than just the one performance. While her energy would in fact bind together those present, it served another purpose: to find her someone that she could be with who held no hostility or ulterior motives towards her; would not use her.

Her power would draw them into approaching her once the dance was over, and she would then know the individual was safe and the two would spend the feasting days in one another's company, her seeking comfort in the other's presence. It made for the cold days with her Champion turn into warm nights with a companion.

It did happen, however, where there would be camps in which no such demon existed, and Shikiyoku was forced to spend her time there alone.

Like tonight.

Her dance beginning to bring her back around the edge of the pond, Shikiyoku let a sigh escape her nose.

It always stung just a little. As if it was her fault. That she wasn't good enough or hadn't danced well enough. Her Champion always had a good laugh at her expense for it, he had very quickly picked up on what he called her little 'game,' and certainly made it seem so.

The demon who had approached her earlier had done so for reasons other than her dance, though she had known as soon as the ritual was over that there were no such companions to be found amongst those Shubou had gathered into a tribe.

Shikiyoku froze in place and opened her slightly glowing eyes, blinking, to see Hiei in front of her.

She had ended up back where she started, but as she approached the fire demon whose presence she had only been vaguely aware of, her energy had started to reach out towards him, and that she had taken notice of.

Lowering her hands, the threads were pulled back towards her body with the motion and her energy licked about her skin here and there, a fine sheen of sweat still making her glisten with more than just her power. The fibers that were in the air still waving about began moving back towards Hiei without her direct notice.

"Champion." She smiled, thankful to see him, but with an expression that did not otherwise reach her shimmering irises. 3

Hiei had bared witness to Shikiyoku's movements and the troubled expression on her face, and still did not interrupt her. He left her to her thoughts, allowing her to sort through whatever had just fell together inside her mind to create the mood that filled the area. He had considered stepping up, yes, but what good would that do for her troubles?

He had a feeling it was something he would not be capable of helping her solve. At least, not to the full extent in which it likely should be. After all, he knew nothing of her world, of what was the norm for someone in his position. How could someone as clueless as he in the matter help solve a problem for someone whose entire world was different than his own?

When she came to a halt before him, he merely looked down at her, searching her face for a moment before pulling his curiosity away and simply staring. Not his normal cruel stare that left demons either challenging him or backing away, but a calm, even stare that held no meaning behind it other than to simply see.

And he easily saw that her smile didn't reach the otherworldly glimmer in her eyes.

Still, he wasn't here to solve problems. He was merely a bodyguard.

Wasn't he?

Or was that something he knew nothing of as well?

~!**!~

Nabu stretched his body out in caution as he sniffed at the person who'd extended his hand for him to assess, making his body appear longer than it should have been for his small stature. After a moment, he made a connection in his mind and pulled his nose away, promptly sitting on his rump to look up at Foko, as Akari had introduced, head tilted to the side.

"You're the one who made the bed and helped Akari when she was hurt. Not Flowers."

Akari raised a brow and looked over at Foko, his question reminding her that not everyone could speak to Nabu as she could. She repeated Nabu's words with a small smile, and the dog turned to look at her with a curious stare.

"I'm confused. He looks like Flowers, smells like him almost completely, but after a minute I can tell a slight difference. Is he playing a game where he's supposed to do that?"

Akari shrugged, earning an impatient sound from the small pup's nostrils. "You're no help."

"Am I supposed to be?"

He again turned to Foko and took to laying in the grass beside him, nose pointed to and almost touching the fabric of the demon's pants near his thigh as he looked up at him in consideration. "You're confusing." *

Akari's informing Foko of Nabu's words had the psuedo-fox demon smiling gently first at Akari, then down at the dog, nodding slightly.

He could tell that the two were still exchanging words, obvious by how the pup continued to turn and look back at her, and while he caught the small nuances from the animal that were likely the source of his speech, Foko had no idea how to decode such flicks and sniffs, one of his own ears ticking back once at the realization.

Leaving his head still hanging in the air, Foko appeared to hesitate.

"Does he...can I touch him?"

~!**!~

Shikiyoku met Hiei's gaze evenly a bit longer, her smile dropping away as she lifted her hand and solemnly watched the threads of energy that danced out seemingly from her skin, slowly weaving around her arm, between her fingers, interlooping with one another as she rotated the limb to look at the other side of her hand.

"We should...go. I guess." Shikiyoku let her eyes glance briefly over Hiei's shoulder in the direction that the celebration still continued before coming back to the fire demon before her, hand coming back to her side.

At a lack of specific direction from her, the bits of energy that had been dancing with her were slowly beginning to snake their way through the air towards Hiei. 3

Hiei's eyes briefly strayed to the limb that Shikiyoku moved to peer at, watching her hand momentarily before his eyes moved up to her face again, as if uninterested in whatever she was assessing. Again, he realized he knew little of this woman and her power, and all that came with it, but for the moment he pushed the thought away.

He could ask, he supposed, but what question would he form? There wasn't a specific thing he wished to know. He was simply curious.

When she spoke, his expression remained unchanged and he considered her for a moment longer. Hadn't she been having fun a few moments ago? Wasn't that what a feast was for, to enjoy oneself with the company of others?

Granted, Hiei didn't mind leaving.

"Traveling at night is more dangerous, no matter the location." he rebutted almost instinctually, looking up and over her head towards the trees behind her and considering the creatures, as deadly as they could be, that were hiding within its depths. As he'd learned earlier, there were even creatures who could simply disappear and mimic one's tone of voice, read one's emotions to disarm the prey.

While Shikiyoku was smart and not very likely to fall for such a trick, he didn't want to chance anything worse than such a creature. "And no, your energy won't solve that problem. No use in expending it for such a useless task."

~!**!~

Nabu stared up at Foko, both curious and cautious. His calm composure kept the fur from rising on his back in alarm, though from what, he wasn't exactly sure. Maybe it was just the fact that this person looked, sounded and almost smelled exactly like another. It was a jarring discovery that had him wary of approaching.

"No, he doesn't bite. Not that I've seen. He's just a ball of joy!"

Nabu didn't look at Akari this time when she spoke, choosing not to add to her words as he eyed the hand of the other, fingers twitching discreetly with the obvious desire to touch the pup.

All of which Nabu wasn't sure of just yet.

But…

He's a friend of Akari's.

Nabu moved closer just a bit, scooting along the grass on his belly, front paws making a soft thump on the ground as his body weight shifted, back legs dragging and laying out with his tail. One chance. If he saw anything out of place, he wouldn't allow the person near.

He moved and rested his chin on Foko's knee, ears flat against his head to create what most humans called "the puppy dog face", which had, at times, earned him a treat from a stranger and a loving scratch behind the ear. *

At the dog's touch and subsequent expression, Foko finally gave in and started to gently run his hand from head to back down Nabu's body, intermittently scratching behind the dog's ears.

"I am sorry if I seem confusing, little one." Foko said to Nabu, smiling, "Maybe one day we can truly meet face to face and you can make your assessment of me then."

Assuming I haven't forgotten who I am at that point...

~!**!~

"If I can't use it for that useless task, what good is it anyway?" Shikiyoku hadn't actually meant to say the words out loud, realizing she sounded almost angry about it.

She sighed, but didn't apologize for how she felt, "There is the tent back at the camp. Will that be best do you think?" 3

Hiei felt his lips twitch downward at her words, feeling as if her words were either an aimed attempt at irritating himself, or for making herself sound useless, as she'd stated about herself more than once. His brows drew together to create a slightly irritated expression at the thought, but he felt it slide away from his mind altogether when she continued on, actually asking what he thought of her idea rather than stating what they should do, as they had both done the day before.

His expression turned thoughtful.

If they stayed overnight and didn't rise before the tribe, it was likely they'd be caught by someone within the clan and stopped from leaving for one thing or another. However, if they left, they were chancing another encounter within the forestry that would lead to the same results as before: Shikiyoku bleeding out and Hiei left to decide how to deal with it.

He realized that he may not be as apt at doing such a thing where she was concerned, as each step he took with her was a risky one, whether she was directly involved or not. Anything he said or did could put her into danger.

"If we manage to leave before the waking of the others," he began, and then remembered that it could be considered an insult to run out like that. His eyebrow twitched.

"We'll leave in the morning, as I'm sure simply leaving now or before showing respect for the tribe and their… consideration would lead to problems." he finally said, his thoughts clicking together to form a decent plan that would lead to the least amount of harm.

~!**!~

Akari watched the moment between Nabu and Foko, keeping her observations of Nabu's hesitations to herself and concealed with a gentle smile as Foko spoke softly to her closest companion. After Foko's hand passed over Nabu's ears, passing over his head and running down the length of his body, the dog's ears perked to attention, seemingly deciding that maybe Foko wasn't so bad.

His tail moved slightly at Foko's words, indicating a bit of relief. "Or you could show me now." Akari huffed out a breath of air through her nostrils, much like a larger dog would do to a smaller dog who had crossed a line. He immediately retracted his statement, instead saying, "I guess you're not too bad."

Akari smiled. "He doesn't see a problem with you, other than the fact that now he'll be confused about you and Kurama."

"I thought he was pretending to be Flowers?"

"That's his real name, Nabu." *

Foko could take a guess about what Akari was talking to Nabu about, but as he continued to pet the dog, he glanced down to his waist.

"I suppose I could wear a red sash next time." He turned back to the dog with a toothy grin, scratching Nabu behind his ear. "Would that help?"

~!**!~

"Shubou is not the type to take our absence as a slight." Shikiyoku told him, "And I doubt we'll be up before everyone." She added.

"But if that is what you think is best, we could slip into, and out of, the camp from the West, next to the tent, and avoid running into anyone entirely." 3

Hiei considered Shikiyoku again for another few silent moments. He considered her words, mind turning back to the last time they'd gone along with his idea. His frown reappeared on his face and he blinked once at her slowly, as if only just realizing she was giving him the choice.

Was it because of their conversation earlier?

"You know the area best. Which would you prefer?"

He settled with going her way, since it seemed his own judgements were skewed in this place.

~!**!~

Nabu sat up, though didn't move away as he was actually enjoying the gentle stroke down his spine. For the moment, weariness was gone from his mind. Yet, he didn't move closer either, instincts keeping him right where he sat as Foko spoke.

"I can't see colors, but it could work!"

Akari gave a small laugh at Nabu's words, not having thought of that herself. She'd always assumed the dog could see the world as she did. Then again, she too had once been colorblind. Perhaps it was a canine thing. "He said even though the color would mean nothing to him, the idea of a sash is an agreeable one." She almost continued to point out how it would differentiate the demon from the real Youko to everyone else as well, but she figured he'd already thought of that and simply decided it was something for when he specifically wanted to see Nabu.

Meaning he'd be specifically seeking her out.

The thought had her blinking, and then smiling knowingly at Foko, as if she'd just been let in on a joke she hadn't understood at first. *

Foko had lifted his gaze to Akari, and noticed as she caught on to his not-so-subtle queue.

He took on a more pious expression and turned back down to the dog.

"That is, of course, as long as your pack-mate doesn't mind my visit. It's entirely up to her, I think."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku considered the question.

"I think your instincts are right." She replied assuredly of his desire to not move further that night, nodding once at him. "And our plan is sound." She gave a grin, "No need to bother Shubou or the tribe any more than necessary." 3

Hiei nodded once in affirmative of Shikiyoku's agreement, her smile making any doubt he'd had become scarce even before he was turning about-face and slowly beginning to moving the direction of the camp, though altering the course just a little so that they would be heading to the tent and not simply back to the bonfire.

His steps were slow, leisurely, as if he were in no rush to be out of sight and out of mind of the tribe. He only glanced back once to ensure Shikiyoku was following before turning again to watch the path ahead.

~!**!~

Akari shrugged once at Foko, though Nabu hadn't turned to ask her opinion over the matter. "So long as you knock before you enter, I don't mind. The door might be locked."

This time, Nabu did turn to look at her, an ear swiveled with an unamused expression. "The door doesn't lock. You're forgetting the small things."

A laugh left her lips again at Nabu's obvious miss of her joke before the sound clipped short with a sigh, followed quickly by a yawn. "Of course, I see no reason to tell you that discretion is advised."

"Why is that?" Of course, Akari didn't answer Nabu's question. *

"I can't possibly see why anyone could object to us meeting together." Foko said in good-humor. "Nabu," he turned back to the animal, "Do you know how to play tag?"

~!**!~

Shikiyoku trotted to catch up to Hiei, sliding an arm between his and his side at the elbow, much like she had done before they entered the Grand Hall, but less formal, so that she ended up resting her head against his shoulder as they walked together, at first thinking nothing of the contact until she abruptly raised her head and loosened her hold, suddenly thinking Hiei would not appreciate her absent-minded touch. 3

Hiei had heard her approach, but he hadn't been exactly expecting her to reach out and lean on him, much less touch him. His body instinctively tense, his feet faltering in their steps for a moment as his eyes shot down to her, pupils slightly larger than normal and brows raised. He…

What was he supposed to do?

How did he react in this situation? She wasn't a threat, but at the same time, he held no knowledge of the meaning behind this contact. He assumed it was a type of… affection? Maybe?

After a moment he turned his face away from her and continued walking, deciding she could do as she pleased for the time being. After all, while her injuries were now no longer a threat, he still felt as if she deserved to do as she wanted for a bit, rather than doing as he wanted her to do.

~!**!~

Nabu's ears perked at Foko's question. "Tag?" He gave a pause, head tilted to the side. "The kids in the parks play it! It's fun if you join in every once in a while! Just don't let the smaller ones catch you." Here, his ears suddenly lay flat on his head. "They pull on your ears."

Akari reached over and rubbed Nabu's head, holding back her laughter at his sudden enlightenment. She hadn't seen him play with the children before. Each time he'd done so, she'd been readying for a nap or resting her eyes.

"He knows tag." she simplified for Foko with a laugh at the mental image, earning a huff from the dog who wasn't happy at her amusement. "He's rather fond of it, if you couldn't tell."

"Just no small kids."

"There won't be any kids, Nabu."

"Are we going to play together? Now? Like, now now?" *

Foko watched the exchange between demon and dog passively until the dog appeared to get a little excited.

Reaching over with a single digit, Foko gently booped the small animal on the nose.

"You're it."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku may have released her grip, but she didn't completely disengage herself from Hiei, taking to walking next to him with her arm encircling his and looking thoughtfully around at the forest as they meandered through it, the noise of the encampment growing louder as they came closer.

"This smells so much nicer than Human World." Shikiyoku crinkled her nose at the memory. 3

Hiei tried to ignore it. Really, he did. But the close contact was something his body simply did not allow him to enjoy, his mind not able to move away from the odd feeling of having someone attached to his limb and leaning into him, even as slightly as she was.

He hadn't realized his expression had shifted from calm with slight confusing lighting his gaze to one of impatience, accompanied by even more confusion and the feeling of uncomfortableness making his brow twitch.

How was one supposed to deal with this sort of contact?

Better yet, how did anyone deal with a hug?

Hiei hadn't even heard Shikiyoku's comment.

"What is the meaning behind this?"

Perhaps his tone was a little harsher than meant to be, but…

He needed to know.

~!**!~

Nabu blinked in surprise at the contact, body still and eyes watching Foko carefully, as if anticipating something else entirely. So, when the male spoke, the dog's ears relaxed, along with the rest of his body, and his tongue was lolling at the prospect of playing a game with someone who wouldn't pull at his fur or ears.

He quickly dropped into a playful crouch, tail in the air wagging side to side and chin on his front paws, his throat releasing a small bark of excitement as he waited for Foko to get up and move.

And then he thought, why wait?

He pounced, jumping first into the other's lap with a brief pause as if to say you're it before leaping off of his lap and making a mad dash in the other direction.

All the while Akari simply sat and watched, a fond smile following her small furry friend. She wasn't sure exactly how this game would work, what with the size differences between Nabu and the other two, but…

She clamoured to her feet and was scattering away from Foko too, moving in the opposite direction than Nabu had taken.

Might as well play too. *

Foko laughed aloud at the tiny animal's reaction, sure now that the dog could understand all speech and not just Akari's, and waited half a second, seeing Akari dash off out of the corner of his eyes, before pulling his legs up and bouncing onto his feet, squatting down with his hands between his knees and touching the grass.

He took off after Nabu in this manner, running along on all fours in a way that seemed as if he had done so before in some manner or another, his stride similar enough to a fox for the connection to be made, his tail and hair streaming behind him, ears at attention as he pursued the dog.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku looked over at Hiei, seeing the expression on his face and having already been puzzled by his question, furrowed her brow further.

She'd only meant that she was glad to be in Demon World for once, since Human World smelled so terribly of...humans. His question...confused her, and he almost sounded upset. He felt upset next to her as well, his body tense.

"What is the meaning behind what?" 3

Hiei looked down at Shikiyoku with an expression that said he was waiting on her answer. Waiting for her explanation. So, when she asked what he meant, confusion written all over her features, he felt more impatience swell up. Now he felt as if she were toying with him.

He lifted his arm and shook his elbow a little, not even noticing they were actually within the campgrounds now as they hadn't stopped walking. "This," he enunciated with another shake of his elbow, "what does it mean, woman?"

~!**!~

Nabu had been running at an almost lazy pace, strides long but not to their full extent. His fur moved in the wind that moved behind him even at this speed, his ears swiveling behind him when he could hear the sound of the other chasing him.

He turned to look, tongue lolling and breaths coming out as happy pants, which quickly turned into a very loud sound of surprise at the sight of the creature that ran at him, hands on the ground and feet propelling him forward, butt sticking into the air and tail streaming out behind him as if to control his balance.

It would have almost seemed normal if it weren't for the humanoid face, the elongated limbs and the smile on the face that looked just so determined to catch him.

He tucked his tail in further and began actually running, little heart pounding as his ears lay flat on his head and eyes turned ahead. He'd never seen such a scary, such a fast advance in his life.

Akari came to a brief stop when she felt that there was no Foko running after her, nor no sign of him appearing in front of her. Though, at the sound of Nabu's frantic bark into the wind, one that screamed "Help!" she turned with wide eyes to see what had happened.

And for the second time that day, her hand was covering her mouth at the sight of Foko, who looked rather ridiculous chasing the small pup as he was.

The small pup who was completely terrified, his rear tucking his tail down and almost hitting the ground with the start he'd given.

Her laughs were louder, uncontrollable almost. She pressed a hand firmly to her ribs, which, with the force of this sudden burst of laughter, protested and stung. She hunched over, eyes closed as she tried not to look at the scene that would ultimately render her unable to even stand.

He is the most childish demon I've ever met! *

Foko elongated his strides and reached for the dog with his hands once he had caught up, snatching Nabu out of the air and tucking him close to his body as they rolled together on the ground for two turns, then three, ending up on his side where he rough-housed with the dog briefly, running his hands vigorously along either side of Nabu's body, and in a flash Foko ended up rolling over onto his back, holding the dog above his face and then lowering the animal so that their noses touched, which he promptly began moving his own back and forth over the dog's affectionately.

"I did not intend to frighten you, little one. I am sorry for that."

~!**!~

"Oh!" Shikiyoku exclaimed in sudden understanding, actually letting go of Hiei as she seemed startled into realization that he appeared uncomfortable with the contact, her arms falling awkwardly to her own sides, lifting one hand to hold the other at the elbow as she walked along.

It had never honestly occurred to her to consider his background as an aspect of how he interacted with her, since she had never actually taken to considering him as the 'Cursed Child,' merely another hybrid. But if the myths were true, and male children of Koorime literally cast off the island, it dawned on Shikiyoku once more the kind of childhood Hiei likely had: one without a mother's touch.

Which greatly changed one's outlook on life.

"I-I'm sorry." She said just as quickly as she had exclaimed, lowering her head, and her gaze. "I...it's..." She struggled for a second with her explanation before giving a little sigh.

"It is many things for me. My touch is...an expression of my fondness for you. A physical manifestation...representation of my affection. And is also..."

Here her eyes shifted to the side as she searched for the right wording, "Your closeness is of great consolation. Especially when I am troubled. Physical contact..." She shrugged and her words died away, having trouble providing an answer so suddenly to a question she herself never had to consider. "It will not...cannot be anything other than these things for me. Perhaps it is because I am incapable of killing another which makes this so.

"But I do not wish to be a source of discomfort for you." She added in a rush, glancing up once, "So, for that, I am sorry. I-It is hard for me not to do so as I think it often happens without my direct notice." 3

As soon as Shikiyoku's hands had left his body, his muscles had relaxed, though merely because he still did not understand the gesture, and the motives such a gesture might hold behind it. He'd pulled to a stop, even going so far as to step in front of her to keep her from going any further until his question was directly answered.

All to which he wasn't sure he understood.

Okay, so it was, overall, a form of affection. He'd considered that thought earlier, but hadn't been sure. But her stammering continued to make his brows raise higher and higher with impatience, wondering if there was a shortcut to the point.

However, his brows drew down over his eyes when she'd said that physical contact was also a form of consolation. How? It was just skin. But the mental image of a crying child held by its mother crossed his mind, and he realized that it must have been something he'd missed out on, something his lifestyle had not allowed him the chance to experience. He supposed consolation by close contact was a thing, as proven by the times he'd seen a child cradled to its mother's neck calming after a fit of tears.

It made a bit more sense now.

He'd known she'd been upset over something, but had let her work it out on her own. It was obvious that whatever was troubling her still troubled her now, if he went by what he knew of crying children and their mothers.

Then again, why would his skin hold any consolation to her? It could be part of my job.

The thought made his eyes slide closed. That had not been explained to him. Then again, neither had anything else aside from protecting her life. He wasn't sure that he could handle physical contact each time something upset her. Not that it was something that happened often, but simply because he wasn't one for such a thing.

And she was apologizing again, making his thoughts drift away and his eyelids slide open so he could look at her. Well, at least it was something just as simple as consolation. It could have been something completely different, for all he knew.

"You still haven't figured it out?" he voiced into the silence that had fallen, referring to whatever it was that required consolation.

Quite frankly, he wasn't sure what to say about her apology, because he wasn't sure if it was okay. He wasn't sure if physical contact by simple means of affection was something his being could withstand.

Of all things, of all the beasts in the three worlds and of all the challenges he'd ever face, he wasn't sure if physical contact would be something he could bare.

How piteous.*

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