A/N: Hello once again, Fanficdotnet Lovelies!
Your friendly, neighborhood Star here with another chapter!
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 Shikiyoku and Youko/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.
(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei becomes Shikiyoku's Consort. As soon as the 'thought' occurs, it can pass between them, and does not actually have to be formed into exact words-feelings and sensations can pass through as well-in order to be picked up and the meaning translated immediately by the other. For the sake of the coherence by the reader, words and sentences are used as normal. It cannot be picked up by telepathy.)
"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).
The Nabu Exception also applies to anyone when they are in an animal form, if the dialogue is in italics and quotations, unless stated otherwise.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
As Akari deals with the fast-talking Jin and the drunk Chu,
Kurama shares a debriefing moment with Yomi,
which includes a bit of information about Raizen,
who has not been actively recruiting as Yomi and Mukuro have,
having killed off Yusuke.
Being a far distant descendant of Raizen himself,
the death activated the blood of the Mazoku within him,
awakening Yusuke to his demonic heritage.
Jin manages to assist Akari in figuring out how to return to her body,
and a few days later, she and Kurama return to their usual training room,
but this time it is to a meeting of the minds.
Jin and Chu are there, as well as Rinku,
Sazuka, Touya, and Shishiwakamaru,
and it's quickly apparent that they are forming a sort of group,
an alliance within Yomi's walls,
one that decisively states that if it came down to it,
they would not turn on their friends.
As Chu attempts to convince Akari to take a drink with him,
Kurama turns out to be of no help, amused by the situation entirely.
~!**!~
Working in the labs with Iketeru and Rikei,
Shikiyoku reveals to them that she cannot switch forms on a whim.
This results in her being strapped to a table
as one of Mukuro's higher ranking officers
practically takes off her head without pause.
The intention does force her change,
and despite the fact that Ono does not follow through with the blow,
his energy ends up as food for the now pain form Shikiyoku,
who proceeds to 'kiss' him dry.
Meanwhile, Hiei has been stuck in the training room
without the capability to tell how long or how many he's killed,
consumed by a rage that momentarily drains away
when all of a sudden he cannot feel his bond with Shikiyoku.
He erupts out of the room in a flaming fury,
making his way to the lab in time to see
Iketeru and Rikei doing little as she drains the energy from Ono.
Being allowed to finish her 'meal' affords Shikiyoku a bit of clarity,
though when the pair of scientists imply she is to run more,
she refuses. She would need more to feed on,
and doubts Mukuro wishes to lose any other officers.
Rikei begins tests on Shikiyoku that will take days to get results from,
and Hiei is given time off as he destroyed the room getting out of it,
informed that he is finished with his 'training,'
and he will report to Mukuro at the end of three days.
When she is finally lowered from the table,
Hiei wastes no time in changing her back,
but in his joy of being with her again,
does not immediately pull away from their kiss,
and Shikiyoku's energy reflects back at herself
as the bond between them enhances her emotions regarding the gesture,
and the power of it goes so far as to blind her with its intensity...
Hiei paused as he felt something new and extremely bright surge through the connection, making him feel as if something had his head lighter and even tingling, his eyes blinking a few times from the brightness of the room and his core doing a funny little thing he didn't understand. As if that hadn't been enough, he felt an odd little shiver travel his spine from the new wave of whatever it was.
A moment later he realized it wasn't actually him feeling it, but only the slight illusion that it was his own emotion that filtered through the connection between himself and Shikiyoku. And he only realized after he'd heard the pair of scientists having a little fit over her surge of energy in the room.
The amount of amusement he suddenly felt filtering from himself to her was greater than any before, spreading his lips into a wide smirk very briefly before he gained control of his expression and turned around, watching her take the single step but move no further. He was also keenly aware of her grip on the nearest demon, and Hiei gave a small scoff.
He retraced his steps until he was standing over Shikiyoku again, looking down at her with amusement in his eyes but the rest of his expression neutral, unreadable.
And after a second he grew tired of waiting on the others to leave her, so he reached out with a swift hand and pulled her away from them by the wrist, close enough that when he turned, he could wrap his arm around her waist and heft her into the air, held against his waist and her feet dangling in front of him so she would be watching behind him as he continued to walk from the room.
(I'm impatient and tired.) He repeated, though his amusement did tinge the thought. (And I'm not leaving you here any longer.)
Because he'd noticed the separation made him feel even more temperamental. And without his tear gem, it was even worse than normal; he'd been struggling a little.
(They can wait.)
Or… rather…
(They will wait.)
~!**!~
Akari didn't miss Kurama's amusement and his lack of assistance, and she made sure to make a mental note for later. But the relief of Chu releasing her and turning his attention to Kurama had every muscle relaxing at once.
"When the blind bloke's got you all tied up in an office, Jin and meself will be helping Sheila here with her layers."
Akari gave a small sigh.
"We'll all be listening and watching, of course," came Touya's input as the demon sat back. "Most of us will be in the fighting rooms. I believe Yomi plans on using us as front lines against the other armies. And word gets around in those sanctions."
"Before long the lass'll be throwin' us all into the Ninth." Jin's ears gave a little twitch and he grinned over at her. "An' then we'll ge' to see our good ol' friend Urameshi again!"
It was hard for Akari not to give a little snort through her nose. These people can go there themselves it seems, so I won't have to send them through the layers.
...Because if I have to send demons in mass amounts, it's not going to be easy to divide who goes where. *
"And I will obviously continue my monitoring of the situation from my position as one of Yomi's closest advisors, but there will always be talk amongst the general ranks that I will never get wind of, no matter how close I may be to Yomi, so I would appreciate being kept abreast of any whisperings of note." Kurama finally leaned back again.
"In regards to a fight, should it ever come to a point where the war has erupted, there is of course always the off chance that we will not find ourselves near one another when the battle begins. In fact, I would likely encourage Yomi, as I am sure he has already considered, to place a layer-walker within each elite task force, so I am fairly certain we will not be near each other at all. We should plan for such a situation and what we will do about it when it occurs."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku had no sense of awareness besides the rebound of tingling being fed back at her, so she only vaguely felt the hand on her wrist that began to pull her forward.
The action happened so fast that Rikei and Iketeru were left staring after the pair, neither of them willing to stop them.
Once jostled, Shikiyoku felt one of the necklaces tucked into the sports bra get jerked free and she reached up to snatch at it as it swung out to hang in the air.
By the time he had walked them out of the room, the buzzing had settled on Shikiyoku's bare waist, the touch of Hiei's arm wrapped around her skin almost feeling as if it called the rest of the tingling throughout her body and concentrated it only where he held her.
This did clear her vision a little, though she was still only left with hazey blurriness, but did nothing for the blush across her nose.
Once the door shut behind them, Rikei and Iketeru stood up from where they had squatted to attend to Shikiyoku and then watched the pair leave.
"That is hers, then?" Iketeru commented mildly.
"Appears so." 3
Hiei moved along the halls in silence, his mind roving over the odd feeling of energy that touched his arm around her and the sensation of little pinpricks of energy around his own waist, her emotions and reactions filtering through their connection between them. Giving his mind something to work over had his previous mood lifting rather quickly, his steps quieter with the lack of impatience in each step.
He had the door of their assigned room open in a single, swift motion, and he set Shikiyoku on her feet once inside the threshold as the door swung shut of its own accord. He didn't pause for longer than a second before continuing on through the room.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes slid up to Kurama, watching him for a few moments as the demons around her all took to thinking to themselves, a few aloud and others silent. Don't do anything you wouldn't do, hm? She continued to study the redhead for a few moments longer, expression unreadable as she thought.
Well, you'd be doing it if the group liked it, yes?
Akari shifted her weight around, pulling her legs tighter underneath herself and looking over each demon in turn. "You know, Yomi's going to have us send the troops probably all at once, right?" She refused to look up at Kurama this time, though her head did twitch in his direction a little as if she had trouble not doing so. "What do you think would happen if Yomi suddenly found himself short a few groups of fighters?"
Several pairs of eyes stared at her, as if waiting for an elaboration.
Others seemed to be mulling over her words.
"I mean, we could, if we so desired, toss our groups into… say… the sixth layer instead. It would also give all of us time to reconvene in the… Tenth Layer before we continue to the Ninth. It would hinder Yomi, if a little, and give us a better advantage at finding Yusuke." *
Kurama considered Akari as she spoke, thinking through the short plan she appeared to have thrown together.
It wasn't...unsound.
He really did feel as if Yomi would put each of them in charge of a small battalion, each according to how many they ended up being able to transport.
He was not sure how proficient each of them were, and if for example there were only five fighters assigned to each of them, the numbers were so insignificant he doubted they would have very much of an impact.
In fact, he had other reservations about the 'battle' Akari mentioned, centering around the rulers of the palace the three 'Kings' would try to invade-controlling emotions were a factor he did not think anyone else really knew about save perhaps Hiei, and Kurama only knew because of Youko getting the information from Shikiyoku-as well as the idea that had already been stirring in his head that the deciding aspect of the war would be the Kings themselves, for they were the strongest, and perhaps their highest ranking generals, or at the least the second strongest demon under them.
Because in the end, no matter how many demons each King may have, it would always come down to those three.
"The plan is good." Kurama nodded at Akari encouragingly, giving her a smile. "It would reduce the number of fighters in Yomi's army while also allowing us a chance to regroup and likely find Hiei and Yusuke faster."
~!**!~
Set upright and back on her feet, Shikiyoku took a cautious step forward.
The floor felt familiar enough. After all, she had paced the main room for hours.
After getting a sense of her location, Shikiyoku moved more confidently after Hiei, heading towards the back wall and for the door in the right side of it she knew to be there, the one that lead back into the bedroom.
...because even once he put her down, she found she still could not see. 3
Hiei wasted no time in crossing the floor of the main room to the door that lead to the bedroom, pulling it open with ease and continuing through, eyes set on the bed. It looked so comfortable and inviting and he wanted nothing more than to simply lay down, close his eyes, and wake up only to lay around a little while.
So without even glancing back at Shikiyoku, though he was aware she was following, he climbed to the far side of mattress, which was as comfortable as he'd expected, and rolled onto his back, following the motion with an arm moving to cover his eyes.
He took a deep breath in, aware of Shikiyoku's scent above all else and the sound of her footsteps nearby.
~!**!~
Akari let out a little breath between her lips before she turned to look at Kurama, giving a small shrug. "That doesn't mean we won't be scattered on the fighting plane though." She turned back to the group, Jin's ear wriggling at her and his smile growing. She momentarily thought he looked like a kid, but she turned her eyes away to the others.
"We could even use the Tenth Layer for cover until we find Yusuke and Hiei," Touya added. "Unless we want to drop into the center of the fighting."
"What's all the effort for if we aren't going to have a bit of fun ourselves?" Chu countered, waving a hand.
Yomi's going to be too preoccupied with Mukuro or Raizen to notice our absence at first. And even if he notices, I don't think he'd do anything about it until he was on top and had control.
She had an odd feeling in her stomach, and for a moment Akari tuned out of the conversation, unsure of what she was forgetting. She had already thought of Yomi testing her about being able to move to the Ninth layer, and had been working on that when away from Kurama. She considered the fact that other layer-runners would be transporting, and notice right away who went astray from the normal plan and set their sights on those who didn't go the right direction. Yomi would be preoccupied.
Her eyes turned to Kurama again. "Who runs the palace on the Ninth Layer?" *
"Currently? Yomi has no knowledge of the usurper, only that centuries ago there was a ruling family and all but one of that family was wiped out by an invading force."
~!**!~
Funny how quickly her body remembered how to navigate without the use of her eyes-though she had this room well memorized-and for the first few steps in Hiei's direction her attention was tuned to the noise his feet made on the floor, as well as the sound of hers as she followed him, taking careful note of the echo and the vibrations.
Her thoughts briefly landed on Youko, on being blindfolded at all times when he came to her and figuring out how to sense her way along without the use of her eyes.
Once she felt herself pass through the door to the bedroom, she pause in place, trying to recall the layout as she heard Hiei's feet no long walking, the rustle of whatever covers lay over the bed becoming the primary noise.
She gave an amused huff as she took a step forward, thinking she did not remember any extraneous furniture in front of the door except the bed, which was several paces in.
The cloudiness of her vision coupled with the dim lighting in the room had her cringing a little and blinking as if that might help at first, but the impression she sent Hiei was seeing him burst into the lab earlier all bloodied and torn, his shirt ripped in places.
(Not even going to bother cleaning yourself up before laying down?)
Granted, Shikiyoku could still feel where she had been sweating from the run she took earlier, not to mention the fact that she had dried blood on part of her right side, from where she pierced Ono's leg and shoulder, the demon collapsing on top of her and bleeding over her skin.
Hiei was in worse shape than she, however. 3
Hiei got comfortable probably a little too quickly, his body sinking into the mattress and the heat from his natural body temperature radiating around the small area as if he didn't even notice. He didn't move his arm from his eyes to look at Shikiyoku, didn't even shift when he sensed the unspoken question.
To be quite honest, he hadn't cared.
(In a minute.)
He just wanted to relax, just for a moment.
~!**!~
Akari's head tilted to the side. "And what do you know?" she elaborated, brow raised in curiosity as she scrutinized Kurama a little. She wasn't sure if he was deliberately giving them information Yomi gave him or if he simply didn't know.
Though, she wasn't really betting on the second option. *
"Enough that if I thought Yomi would actually hear what I had to say I would advise him to give up on his so-called 'dream' of ruling this world." Here he turned to the others.
"It is a warning I would extend to each of you, however. Try as they might, I personally do not believe that the three Kings could successfully defeat the current ruler even if they teamed up together, so if the situation that Akari has provided a sound plan for us occurs, I myself will most definitely be seeking out Hiei and Yusuke first and foremost to at least share that same information with them and let them decide for themselves if they wanted to continue with this fool's errand."
Kurama shook his head a little.
It was possible their two friends will have had their own minds changed, to be advocates of their King of choice, but Kurama would not assume such until he spoke with them himself.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku knew very well the hybrid was likely to fall asleep where he lay, and likely spend his two days without so much as moving from his spot.
But that was his business.
Hers, at the moment, was to attempt to make it to the bedside, her own state of ickiness be damned.
It wasn't like she didn't understand why Hiei decided to rest first.
Picturing in her head the layout of the room, Shikiyoku slowly made her way forward, feeling eventually the curve of the end of the bed against her thigh and continuing to follow that towards the back wall for several more steps before leaning over to plant her hands on it and climb in, the tension at the back of her neck releasing.
Tripping and breaking her nose would have not put her in the best of moods.
She flopped down just shy of the edge and heaved a sigh, facing outwards so that she might better be able to tell when she regained her vision as the door she knew lay in the wall across from her would come into view. 3
If Hiei had any residual tension left, it melted away when he was fully aware of Shikiyoku laying on the bed. Her presence coupled with the quiet aura that he could sense rolling from the gems she wore around her neck made it that much easier to let out a long breath, but even harder to decide she was right and he needed to get up and do something about the mess he had become over the past few days.
If he weren't so relaxed he would've been irritated at the reminder of being locked in a room with endless fighting.
After another few moments he pushed himself up and was off the mattress in an instant, moving for a door that he assumed to be the bathroom.
~!**!~
Akari gave a small nod to Kurama, who confirmed what she'd already guessed. It also told her that she really, really didn't want to be on the fighting field when it went down either. The demons around them each gave their own gesture of understanding before turning to one another and picking up conversation on different topics, some about the fights and others about things she didn't care to listen in to.
So, merely because she'd been lacking in doing so for the past two days, Akari shifted her weight around until she was comfortable where she sat, let her eyes close in concentration, and let the layers fold over herself. *
"Jin, I know you've been out on scout patrol," Kurama caught the Wind Master's attention, "Have you still not come across any reports of energy-absorbing crazed demons?"
"Everybody be fit as a fiddle on this layer as far as I've been seein', Kurama. You know, and it be the strangest thing too. I've heard among others that do the rounds on the lowers? There be demons goin' out of their minds just about everywhere else. It doesn't be making no sense to my brain."
Kurama gave a little nod, "I think if either Raizen or Mukuro had any who were infected, the entire layer would know about it pretty quickly. And we haven't had any either."
"It could be something about this layer itself." Touya provided, giving a little shrug.
"Either that or there hasn't been anyone sick that's made it down here." Rinku added, putting his hands behind his head. "I know I avoided this particular one like the plague."
"That was a terrible joke." Chu frowned at the boy.
Rinku just grinned.
~!**!~
Hearing Hiei get up, the bed was so large she didn't so much as feel him rise, out of habit Shikiyoku lifted her head and looked behind her, realizing after a second that she couldn't see him anyway and that he had already moved towards the door, leaving her frowning in the wrong direction before quickly laying back down again.
She had drained all the energy from her eyes, and even shimmered power across them again. And had come up with nothing for either. She saw the same darkness with her eyes closed as she did when they were open. 3
Hiei shut the bathroom door behind himself and took a moment to look around, eyes roving over the layout of the room briefly before he made a small sound to himself and began peeling off the torn, tattered, stained outfit he wore, tossing it to the side unceremoniously and pulling the shower door open.
Internally, he felt a bit of irritation rise at the lack of knobs and levers inside the shower, only the showerhead itself.
He passed a hand over the wall, as if he might be missing them, and instead was met with an automated voice. "Turn on?"
Hiei paused, brow twitching a little. Obviously, or I wouldn't be standing here.
"Yes."
Just like that, the spray of water came to life, steam immediately rolling from the streams that fell to the shower floor as if it had been ready the entire time.
Hn.
And when he stepped under the spray, he found himself hating this water more so than usual.
Perhaps that was because the bath house hot spring hadn't been so terrible.
~!**!~
Akari could feel it, the Ninth Layer. She knew it existed, because she could feel its presence as if it were hidden behind a secret doorway that she had yet to find, yet to open. And she pulled on that layer, as if pulling on a blanket, only to find it refuse her for the thousandth time since she'd been thrown onto the Eighth layer. She tried pushing her way through, and like every other time, found herself sitting right back where she'd been before moving to the inbetween.
She worked her jaw around a little before trying again.
And again.
And again.
Over and over until she was fed up with it, at which point she simply sat in the room with the other demons, none seeming to notice her back and forth movements, and taking a deep breath to calm herself.
And she tried one last time.
The result was the same, and this time she turned her eyes to her own shadow, which moved only when she did, considering it. She'd never tried getting to that layer through the shadows- hadn't ever had a reason to- and she wondered if it was even possible.
She pursed her lips in consideration, watching the shadow as it stared back at her almost curiously. She wasn't sure if Yomi would know, and if he did what he'd do about it. He could assume she would be using it in defense against the fox during their 'training session'.
Her lips puckered a little. Dunno.
After another second's hesitation she let the shadow move over her, swallowing her.
And just like with the layers, she hit a boundary that wouldn't let her cross, and she sat in the shadow for a few minutes in irritation. This is stupid. *
If the 'Crusnik,' as Youko had heard Kitoushi call it, was in fact some sort of virus that demons passed to one another, the fact that Shikiyoku was now on the Eighth Layer could very well mean Mukuro's troops began tearing each other apart.
Us here. A plague there.
Kurama wondered if perhaps Yusuke was able to talk some sense into his ancestral father.
Perhaps that's what got the boy killed.
Kurama held back a laugh.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku let her right hand fiddle with the sheets, her left folded underneath the pillow under her head.
She kept blinking as if that was going to help, reached up to rub her eyes even.
Then she heaved out a sigh and went back to smoothing her hand absently along the soft material of whatever covers were on the giant bed.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted how nice they felt against her skin, given that a lot of it was still exposed.
She briefly wondered where the two scientists had hidden her clothing. Not that it mattered. She would just have to change the next time she went in there anyway. 3
Hiei was in and out of the shower as quick as possible, not even bothering to grab a towel as a short burst of heat took care of his problem within a moment. He looked around the room for a moment before grabbing his torn pair of pants and engulfing them in a short burst of flames. The stench from the process of ridding it of impurities had his nose crinkling briefly before the scent cleared, at which point the flames disappeared and he pulled them on again, the rips and tears here and there not bothering him.
He left the shirt on the edge of the tub and left the room, deciding he'd deal with that later, as it was a totally different challenge altogether. He wasted no time in moving across the room and crawling onto the enormous bed again, getting comfortable laying on his side to face Shikiyoku.
Now that he was clean, the covers on the bed were even more comfortable, cool even.
~!**!~
Akari made a sound that echoed through the empty darkness of this realm, her arms crossing over her chest and her eyes closing, a vein at her temple pulsing a little. Never before had she tried to get to the Ninth Layer, and never before had she been denied access to a place through her shadows.
She looked around herself as if there may be answers floating along the empty void.
One more try.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently asking the shadow to move her towards a shadow on the lowest layer, feeling it answer with a brief surge of energy and that energy beginning to encircle her like a breeze.
And again, nothing happened. No layer hopping, no new place to see. Nothing.
With a sigh, she resigned to asking the shadow to release her, to put her right back where she'd been. And within seconds, without even a surge of energy in her direction in response, she was sitting in the room with Kurama and the others again.
Briefly, she realized that from this room, she could likely move to the higher layers, even go to the first and find Nabu now that she had her energy. But just as quickly she recognized it as a not-so-wise decision, and she remained planted where she'd been set down.
Though, to say it didn't wear her out would be a lie. So much irritation on the matter and the absolute lack of advancements had her feeling discouraged, angry, and tired. Tired of being there. Stupid. But she took another deep breath and opened her eyes, meeting a blue gaze across from her briefly before giving a small smile at the wind master whose ears twitched at her. *
"Yomi wanted the Heir to challenge the throne, right? To save his own skin should something go wrong?" Touya asked Kurama.
Kurama gave him a nod, "It essentially guaranteed him a second chance."
"What if the Heir didn't give up the throne?"
Kurama took a breath, "Getting her to go anywhere near the throne, much less challenge it would have required some serious blackmailing on Yomi's part in the first place. She has no desire for the title. I can assure you if she got far enough into Yomi's plan to be on the throne, she would more than willingly abdicated it for Yomi's usage."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku heaved out another sigh as she felt Hiei climb onto the bed behind her, the tips of her fingers still fidgeting with the covers at the edge of the mattress beneath her.
She didn't see him come out of the bathroom, though the water turning off and the slight whoosh of flames gave her indication enough that he was planning on reentering the bedroom.
And she could hear him walking out of it besides.
However, she made no move to turn around to face him, slightly upset that she wouldn't be able to actually look in his eyes anyway. 3
Hiei shifted only a little more until he had one arm under his head and the other resting on the covers, eyes watching the back of Shikiyoku's head for a moment before his eyelids became too heavy to keep open. So instead, he concentrated on the new connection between them, investigating it and observing what it could do, curious of its capabilities.
It reminded him a little of the bond they'd shared when he was her Champion, except it was… stronger. It revealed more of one another's innermost thoughts, even created a new form of communication that required no actual words, only the understanding behind the feelings and impressions that passed through the connection. And, in a way, it was more… visceral.
And through that kinship he felt an odd emotion slowly seeping through. Finding that he himself couldn't muster up the energy to move, whether it be himself or her, he instead made a small huff. (You're too far away.)
~!**!~
Akari's ears tuned into the conversation, though her eyes turned down to the grass underneath her. Sure, she'd grown up hearing stories about why no one went to the Ninth and Eighth layers, and as such had avoided them on her own on most occasions. And if she'd ever visited the Eighth, she had never stayed very long, not even longer than half an hour.
And though she knew of the stories of a demon overtaking an entire family of royals on the Ninth, taking to ruling the layer as they pleased, she knew nothing else. And as Kurama spoke, she realized she didn't know who the heir to the throne was supposed to be.
Not that it mattered much to her- she was simply curious about the person who could've ended up here as well And she had no doubt Yomi would've pulled every trick in the book possible to get said demon here had Mukuro not beaten him.
"I've never heard of a demon not wanting a throne they were born to have." Chu commented with an amused air. "Most demons would jump at the opportunity to take back what's theirs in the first place."
Akari gave a shrug. "Family business sucks."
"Well, I wouldn't want all those people watching me every day, waiting for me to tell them what to do or to kill me when they don't like what I say." Rinku added as a yo-yo zipped to life, rolling along the string he toyed with. "Though I wouldn't mind the money." *
"It's...odd, to be sure, Chu. But we're not exactly talking about what most would consider your typical demon. In fact, she even went so far as to go to the very same man who massacred her family and stole her throne for help. Not revenge. Stranger still, he gave it to her. Though as I understand it his 'help' was a means to an end, which I think we can all agree is very demon-like behavior." Kurama smiled.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku shifted her eyes to the right, though it would have done her no good in any case even if she could see as her gaze pointed at the ceiling.
She could feel the salty grossness of her skin, the matted blood along her bare stomach and leg, and she stayed right where she was.
(For good reason.) 3
Hiei gave a grunt of annoyance. A quiet one, but a grunt nonetheless, because when she shifted just the little she did. her scent moved around him, stronger than before. It was a frustrating thing, really, to have her so close and yet so far, and being unable to move her himself.
He repeated the sound to emphasize his point. (You're too far away.)
~!**!~
Chu gave a sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a snort, sitting back and pressing the bottle of his drink to his lips, making no indication to continue that conversation. Akari turned her eyes to watch him as he leaned further back with each gulp, brows raising the further he went until his back touched the ground and he was out of drink. In that bottle, anyway.
She snorted and turned away from the bulky demon, rolling her eyes to the ceiling briefly before her gaze turned to look at each demon around her. An odd silence filled the room for a moment before several began speaking to one another at once all over again, as if they'd each been checking their internal clock for something before returning to what they'd been originally doing.
She turned her eyes to Kurama suddenly, blinking once at him before she began shifting a little, readying to stand. "If you've got that necklace on you, I think I'm going to go take a short nap," she said to him with a small smile. "I'm taking advantage of this room while I can." *
Kurama set his gaze on Akari as the others around them continued speaking, appearing not to notice either of them.
"Of course." He mirrored her smile with his own and a portion of the plant-chair he sat in extended over his shoulder, producing a necklace that had been even further modified than the last time she used it. "Jin helped explain a little more in detail what was going on," He said as he retrieved it and held it out for her, "So I took the liberty of continuing to refine it."
The necklace had only three flowers on it now, each the size of a half-dollar coin, and the vine that they were attached to was a much more mellow color of green, and thinner as well.
~!**!~
(I haven't showered. I'm all smelly. And gross.)
And she had no intentions of going in that bathroom while blind, considering she did not bother to examine it earlier and thus had no knowledge of what lay beyond the door. 3
A third grunt.
(You frustrate me.)
Of course, Hiei didn't move either, instead taking in a deep breath of her scent and relaxing further. He.. supposed it would do to just have her there.
~!**!~
Akari looked at the necklace for a few moments before she pushed herself to stand and slid her hand through it, gently wrapping her fingers around the vine and lowering it to her side, eyes moving to Kurama again. "Thank you." She turned and moved around the group, Chu's eyes following her briefly as she passed behind his head and disappeared from sight of the group.
She moved a good distance away, far enough that she couldn't hear or see the group any longer, the plants moving briefly out of her way before closing up behind her as they usually did for her and Kurama. But she branched off, moving to a different section of the room, following the faint scent of roses until she saw a few budding in a little patch.
She stared at them for a few moments with a gentle smile before lowering herself to the ground, hands slipping the necklace over her head before she took to laying on her stomach, eyes closing. *
"Why the penetrating stare, Ice Master?" Kurama only let his eyes watch Akari until she disappeared out of sight, taking note that Chu had watched her go and also keeping tabs on the blue-haired demon's location.
He may not have prevented Chu's flirting from earlier, but he wasn't about to let the demon follow her in this particular instance.
"You know the heir."
It wasn't a question.
A few of the others quieted down.
"I do."
"Is it Youko that knows or you?"
"Both. Actually."
"Who is she? What's her name?"
"Do we know her?" Rinku asked.
"I do not believe so. Jin took to chasing her for a while, but other than that I doubt anyone else here has even seen her except for Akari."
Jin frowned a little, knowing that he had chased many people, and many females, in his time.
Kurama's eyes glimmered with mirth, "You sent Hiei after her."
The Wind Master's mouth formed an 'O.'
"You're tellin' me that the demon who set me in circles tryin' tah catch up with her is the heir of the throne?" Jin rolled his eyes, "No wonder she was such a trouble to catch."
"I very seriously doubt those two things are related in any way at all." Kurama told him.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku made an amused sound, smiling.
Hiei received both a feeling of 'good,' as well as, 'alright, fine,' from her portion of their connection as she turned over to her other side and inched a little closer, nose scrunching up as even just that much movement sent more of her smelliness into the air, a portion of her ponytail sticking to the back of her neck. 3
Hiei's lips twitched into a small smirk for the briefest of moments when the sound of her rolling over rustled the sheets and tugged the comforter a little away from him briefly, her scent wafting in the air even more so now than before and filling his nostrils. And he found this closeness much more manageable than before.
(If it bothers you that much, go shower.) His lips again tugged up in amusement. (It's command activated and ridiculous.)
~!**!~
Chu had watched the girl go before he moved, sitting up again but crossing his legs loosely in front of him, listening to the conversation that brewed. He could sense the fox demon's wariness about his own eyes watching the girl, and made keen note of it even as he pulled another bottle from his belt and took a swig, setting it in the space between his legs before speaking up.
"So what you're tellin' me is the Sheila who's in line for the throne is the Sheila with Hiei?"
Rinku sighed. "We already covered that. They're both with Mukuro, Chu."
"No, with the little bugger.Together."
The kid huffed and spun his yo-yo along the string again. "How should I know? It's none of our business anyway!"
~!**!~
Akari stretched her body out along the ground and propped her head up off the grass with both arms underneath her cheek, her eyes closed but visualising the roses her nose was pointed to, that same smile still on her face. If she hadn't known any better, she could have convinced herself she was alone in this room, or even alone in a field all her own.
Another deep breath and her mind was wandering away from the room, the scents of the plants around her and towards the things she hadn't been able to accomplish as of late. Using the layers to go to the Ninth. Heck, even her shadows hadn't been able to dump her on the desired layer, which left her more frustrated than anything else in the world.
But those thoughts would do her no good at the moment, and she had no desire to figure out the problem at that exact minute. She just wanted to forget for a little while, take a nap and wake up rested to start all over again.
And since she hadn't been using her nights for actual rest, she had been using her time in this room to relax and catch up on what she was throwing away.
So when her eyes came open and she was sitting crosslegged on the grass, she gave a groan that never left her lips. *
~!**!~
Kurama felt thankful, not for the first time, that the fox was not privy to the conversation happening between Chu and Rinku, because there would be no hiding from Youko how amused the subject made him.
Masking anything that might give away what he actually knew, Kurama turned a quizzical look in Chu's direction.
"And what makes you think they're together?"
~!**!~
(But I-)
Shikiyoku shifted her gaze downwards as if unable to meet Hiei's stare, though she had no idea whether or not he was even looking at her currently.
(-I haven't been in there yet.) She grumbled. (And it's too far away.) 3
Hiei made a small sound of amusement at her retort, but otherwise didn't reply to her. If she didn't want to, that was fine with him. It wasn't like her scent bothered him anyway, and what did it matter if she had a little blood on her? He'd had more than that on him and not cared.
And it wasn't like he'd ever cared before.
(Suit yourself.)
~!**!~
Chu gave a look at Kurama. "Why else would the kid be runnin' around with a woman?" He gave a shrug of nonchalance and Shishiwakumaru spoke up.
"If he can find someone then you still have a chance, even with that stench around you."
"Hey! My drinkin' keeps me goin'! My strength thrives on my drinkin'!"
~!**!~
Akari gave another grumble to herself and closed her eyes, imagining the silver cord Jin had taught her about. And after a few moments her eyes came open to see that cord waving slowly on the air, linking her spiritual form to her physical form. At least it's easy now.
She moved to grab it.
Or, rather, she thought she moved to grab it.
A frown colored her features for a moment and she tried again, only now becoming aware of a weird sense of weight on her that prevented her from even twitching a muscle- aside from her expression, apparently.
…
So much for easy. *
~!**!~
Kurama still found it rather odd that Chu had placed Hiei with Shikiyoku, for as far as he could make out, the demon had no particular reason to group the two of them together.
For all they knew Mukuro could have offered Hiei an invitation in a manner completely unrelated to Shikiyoku herself.
Only Yomi had seen the letter that Kurama brought back from the failed retrieval mission.
His thoughts momentarily returned to Youko, and he gave a little mental tug to the place he could feel the fox existing, earning no response and letting out a sigh in his head.
"Funny how our friendly neighborhood fire demon has never shown any interest in that sort of thing before. I'm afraid I just can't picture it, Chu."
Youko would kill me if he could hear this.
~!**!~
Not to mention the fact that she couldn't see a bloody thing at the moment.
Shikiyoku could picture where the bathroom door was in the wall, but the thought of having to feel her way around that room had her giving out a sigh of discontent.
As if it would produce a different result this time, she closed her eyes and stirred her core, sending energy into them and waiting until she could feel it glaze over them, and then opened them again to see...
Absolutely nothing.
Wonderful. 3
Hiei felt this odd sense of discontent, and for a moment he wasn't sure if it was his own or Shikiyoku's. But it kept his mind awake, despite his initial desire earlier to simply sleep. He became aware of her energy moving just a little in the atmosphere, as if she were manipulating it herself, and curiosity won over.
(That makes your scent even stronger.)
~!**!~
"I think you've had too much to drink," Rinku commented, who earned nods from several people around him. Chu frowned and gave a lazy shrug, hands folding around the bottle in his lap but not lifting it from where he'd placed it.
"Maybe you should leave some of that for when the fighting actually begins." Touya added with a look.
This time, he turned to Kurama and gave a wide grin. "How strong do you think our pal Urameshi is by now, mate?" *
"You mean now that he's reawoken as a demon? And taking into account he's sired by Raizen?" Kurama raised an eyebrow. "I think even Youko would find it a struggle at this point. If the fox would even bother with it."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku blinked, feeling the shimmer that cascaded over her vision, but having no luck actually seeing.
Hiei's comment made her pause.
(...which scent?) 3
Hiei allowed his amusement to filter through the connection between them, his lips twitching a little at her pause, at her hesitant question. (You. Your scent.) He shifted a little, though no more than the way his shoulder was against the pillows before settling again. (Smells the same as always, simply more potent.)
~!**!~
"That would make for a mighty fine fight!"
"You couldn't even keep up with him when he was human! What makes you think you could keep up with him now that he's a demon?" Rinku pointed out, earning a glare from Chu, who quickly reached over and took the boy's neck in his arm, his other hand rubbing against his temple roughly.
"Say that again!"
"It isn't my fault you're not as strong as he is! OW!"
~!**!~
Akari gave a sigh as she sat there, unable to move, her mind wandering away as her irritation slowly ebbed, leaving her to think over things she had been avoiding earlier. It wasn't like she had much of a choice now anyway.
She didn't know why she couldn't use the shadows to go down the one layer she needed to be. In fact, she had assumed she could do so, and had fully planned on using it as a last resort should something happen with the layers. Now it seemed like she was out of options.
Her eyes came open to stare ahead, wheels turning.
And then she blinked.
Can I do it like this? She glanced out of the corners of her eyes at the cord leading her to her physical body. If she could do it like this..
I wouldn't be able to take anyone with me. It would be useless.
She considered trying it anyway, but Kurama's words about the inbetween being the Veil had her stopping, reconsidering. If she could meet Takeo like this, then what would happen if she moved to what she now knew to be the Veil between this world and that of the dead?
She could run into that creature and-
Nope. Not happening. I'm going to sit right here, and do absolutely nothing until I can figure out how to solve this new problem. *
~!**!~
As the mock-fight erupted, Kurama caught Jin's eye and signaled for the Wind Master to follow him, standing up from his seat and finally heading off in Akari's direction.
She was likely asleep at this point, and it would be a decent opportunity to check up on the status of both her and the necklace.
And considering Jin might be able to tell how far she had wandered, he thought it best for the red-haired demon to come along.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku wasn't sure she quite followed him.
She smelled terrible right now.
All...salty and...bloody.
And it wasn't even her blood, though she couldn't rightly decide if that would have made things better or worse.
(Well, I suppose if it isn't all that bad…)
She grinned, sending more energy into her eyes as she tested if perhaps more might help, but her grin faded a little when it did nothing. 3
Another flux of energy and Hiei was peeling his eyelids apart to look at her, finding a smile on Shikiyoku's face and her eyes staring ahead, as if she were looking through him or even not seeing the room at all, as if she might be thinking really hard about something important and carrying casual conversation at the same time.
Which didn't explain her energy flux.
(What are you doing?)
~!**!~
Jin's ears twitched a little as his smile grew at Kurama's little gesture, the wind around him picking up enough to carry him away from the group and follow after the fox demon- but not before causing a few disgruntled demons to straighten out their hair or clothing and turning to watch him go.
"What's going on?" one of the others asked as he passed.
Jin turned in the air and gave a wide grin, ears twitching even more as the air around him swirled lightly to keep him in place. "Just goin' to check on the lass an' see her spirit be doin' is all. Go about yer yammerin' and I'll be back before ya know it!" He didn't wait for a retort before following after Kurama again, moving through the air alongside the fox demon.
~!**!~
Akari took a deep, calming breath.
I guess the shadows could have kept me from going. That wouldn't be the first time they've done it. Though she knew if her shadow wouldn't let her pass, it would be for a good reason. They were her companions after all, and especially her personal shadow- it was the most important shadow of them all. It had gotten her out of some sticky spots here and there, especially when she'd been with Isamu.
Though she never really understood what caused the shadow to step in. If it were simply to keep her safe, it would've acted many more times than it had in her lifetime. If it only reacted to her emotions, then why hadn't it snatched her from the air when Kurama had her against the ceiling?
Maybe it's both?
There really was no way for her to know the motives.
And really, there was no way for her to know what kept her from the Ninth Layer from the inbetween either.
Rock and a hard place.
She gave a small snort to herself.
At least this provides good thinking space. *
With the plants under his feet guiding him, it didn't take particularly long to find Akari's body.
Which Kurama immediately noticed was missing a rather key component.
He resisted a sigh.
"Anything Jin? Is she still nearby?"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku quickly adopted a smirk, saying the first thing that crossed her sensibilities.
(Just testing something.)
(Smell any different?) 3
(Different?)
Hiei gave a scoff and let his eyes close again, too tired to press- if there even was anything to press about. (Just you.)
The fire demon took a breath in through his nostrils, and his mind was quickly void of all thoughts that were not filtering between the connection shared by he and Shiki. And, really, he was a little surprised he'd stayed awake so long, considering how exhausted he felt mentally and physically.
~!**!~
Akari blinked and turned her eyes to the side, watching the pair appear from the foliage, Jin floating on the air and Kurama looking down at her physical body. She gave a sigh, watching the wind master move to hover in the air a few feet over her head, the wind he produced moving through her.
"She hasn't moved a wee itty-bitty bit." Jin replied cheerfully to Kurama.
That's because I can't. Just like I can't go through the layers and I can't use my shadows and-
The wind gusted a little, and as if she thought it would affect her she gave a little flinch. "Right there!" The wind master finished, though he didn't move away from where he hovered. "How ya doin' lass?"
Akari grumbled something intangible, earning a joyful laugh. "It's too bad I can't hear what you're sayin', but I have a feelin' it wasn' very nice!"
Shut up. *
Well, at least she's still in the area.
"My apologies, Akari." Kurama knelt down next to her body, scrutinizing the necklace. "You are likely unable to return because of the very thing we are trying to use to keep you inside in the first place."
Kurama slipped his fingers around the flowers on the necklace and tested it with his energy to make for certain nothing would happen to her if he removed it, and then he gently pulled the vines back over her head.
~!**!~
A small breath of air escaped Shikiyoku's lips when it felt as though Hiei would not say anything more and she let her energy recede back into her core, deciding it likely that her meddling with attempts at restoring her vision could be keeping him from sleep, which he obviously needed.
She wanted to get up, to go back out into the other room where she might not disturb him while she tried other things, but...
She didn't think that would go over well at the moment, and decided she might wait until he fell asleep. 3
Hiei felt Shikiyoku's energy ebb away and her scent on the air lessened significantly, lighter than before but still prominently there. And with lack of any important thoughts going through his mind and the lack of anything he might have to say to the person next to him at this very moment, it was very easy for him to let the darkness of sleep- which had been held back just at the edges of his consciousness- slowly seep into his mind and consume him altogether.
Blessedly, he didn't fall into an immediate dream or memory.
~!**!~
"It isn't like it's your fault, fox." Akari grumbled, wishing that she could shift around a little as her irritation had her feeling a little antsy. "Not like you would've known." And even if you did I would've asked to try it anyway.
A little huff escaped her nostrils, and all at once she felt the weight around her lift, which actually had her almost pitching forward before she caught herself and took to standing- floating?- a few feet away, staring at Kurama and Jin. She took a deep breath, lips twitching downwards.
She wasn't sure when, but the cord had left her sight, which meant she needed to concentrate again. So she took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, eyes closing and nostrils flaring as she concentrated on the scents in the area.
She wanted to sleep. To sleep and not wake up to the mess she didn't know how to fix, because if she couldn't get to the Ninth layer, she didn't know what would happen. She didn't want to have Yomi's spotlight on her again, when Kurama had worked hard to keep her from his line of sight, so to speak. Heh.
Wait. Calm.
Another deep breath.
This time, her hand moved without her having to look for the cord, grabbing at it and just as quickly feeling as if she were sucked into a vortex, which was always the tell-tale sign that she was returning just before she came to awareness in the usual fashion. She didn't open her eyes this time, because really, she did want to sleep.
"It's not your fault," she grumbled to the fox demon. "I would've asked for another one anyway." *
Kurama stood back up as soon as she spoke, giving her a small smile and turning to Jin.
"My thanks."
He considered the necklace in his grasp.
Immovable. Closer this time too.
With a frown, he started manipulating the two outside flowers again as he stood there, almost as if he had forgotten where he was.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku let her breathing steady out as if she meant to fall asleep herself, but her mind raced as she deliberated distanced herself from their connection so that her thoughts would not disturb him, Hiei's end having gained a sort of smoothness she associated with his sleep.
Blinded by her own power?
Well, the reflection of it at least.
How irritating.
Though she couldn't readily admit she would have tried to stop Hiei even if she knew the result.
Her eyes opened, looking in the direction she could feel him laying.
What's gotten into you?
She remembered sitting there in pain form for a moment when he kissed her, which never happened, and then he kept the contact once she changed, which he had never done before now.
And don't forget about the sweet snow incident.
Or about the fact that she found herself caught up in more hugs lately.
Not that she minded any of these things, but coming from Hiei they seemed...strange. Foreign.
Wait, why was I thinking about this?
Right. The eyes.
Blinded.
Why hasn't it gone away yet? 3
~!**!~
Akari shifted her head around a bit, adjusting her hair so it wasn't trapped between her ear and her arm before settling again, only for that hair to smack her a little when Jin lowered himself to sit near her, wind dying away once he was seated. She didn't open her eyes, but she did raise a brow at the wind demon.
She could feel him staring, and that had her eyes opening after a minute. "What?" She mumbled out, the word coming out weird with the pressure of her cheek on her arms.
His ears twitched briefly before he shook his head at her.
"Wha-at?"
He looked up at Kurama after another moment. "I'll leave ya be to do what ya do!" And the gust of wind he sent at his quick exit had her sputtering air from her lips to scatter the hairs that had been blown into her face.
"He's an enthusiastic one." She didn't move, her eyes closing again. *
"He is many things." Kurama replied absently, reaching up to spin something off of a vine that lowered itself in his direction. "Enthusiastic just happens to be one of them."
There were now only two flowers in his hand, though the one that had previously been in the middle had petals stained the color of the other.
Kurama lowered his hand and scattered what he held over the plant, taking both flowers in his fingers and starting to shift them into one.
~!**!~
Once she felt Hiei slept deeply enough that her movements would not wake him, Shikiyoku slipped off the bed and padded silently into the other room, closing the bedroom door almost all the way.
Walking over to where she knew the coffee table sat, Shikiyoku lowered herself to the floor, sitting criss-cross with her legs underneath the piece of furniture and facing the couch, which she knew lay somewhere on the other side of the table.
She proceeded to take careful stock of her vision, her eyes closed and her head slightly bent forward with her arms resting over the table, almost looking as if she could be asleep herself if not for the small occasional ripple of power as she sent probes of energy across her eyes for analysis. 3
~!**!~
Akari let out a breath, a small smile forming briefly before disappearing and leaving her with a neutral expression that could have easily been associated with simple sleepiness. Her thoughts again circled to things she'd been thinking about almost all day, but she forced herself to think of other things instead, because she knew she didn't have the answers to those problems. No use in brooding over things she couldn't control, right?
But she could, in that moment, smell the flowers nearby and the grass beneath her. She could hear the little rustlings of Kurama's hands and.. whatever they were doing, and his breathing as he worked. Part of her wanted to tell him not to worry about it at that moment, that it could be seen to at another time, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it.
She could, however, use her energy to coax a nearby shadow into coming forth, her eyes coming open to see it move away from one of the roses. She unfolded one of her arms from under her head and held her hand out to the little dark mass, inviting it to slither along her skin, to twine between her fingers and coil around her wrist, her eyes following it as it played.
Why, do you think, this is such a calming thing?
The shadow paused briefly before giving a little tremor in place, answering with an I don't know, and returning to its calm movements around her hand and wrist, occasionally up to her elbow but never moving higher. And if one knew how to communicate with shadows, they would feel the slightest aura of cheer emanating from it.
I'm not sure what to do, little one.
It didn't answer her. *
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!