Yu Yu Hakusho: An Alternate Reality

by Last of the Star Makers

What if Shinobu Sensui had one more bad guy? And what if Kurama's classmate got caught up in the whole saving the world mess? Starting in the midst of the Chapter Black Saga, Episode 73 of the anime, join CrisicMelody and Star's on-going roleplay full of action, adventure, and a little romance along the way. There's probably gonna be fun too. We think so. AU. OC/Kurama, OC/Hiei.

155. Episode 239

A/N: 'nother "chapter," as it were. Continues right where the last one left off.

Symbols Guide:

* : Written by CM; She writes primarily 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 primarily for Shikiyoku and Kurama

~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.

As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.

Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.

(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei became 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.

---

Hiei's mood quickly turned serious as he eyed the other, his train of thought finding the same rail that Nikolai's was on. "Before you go anywhere, don't be a fool and try to make that trip yourself." He looked up and down the bar as if looking for orders, and then when he was satisfied that he was caught up, he took to wiping off a few glasses that were still drying under the countertop. "You'd die on the Eighth trying to get there."

He thought about the vehicle he was trying to have made, and the blueprints that have yet to be completed. If that was ready and Shiki was willing to go with him, he'd consider helping Nikolai out in that capacity.

As it stands, there was no telling how long it'd take before those blueprints were done. And he sure as hell wasn't going to send anyone running through the horde to look for a demon who may not even be on the Ninth.

The fire demon let out a breath. "As for why Shiki would leave the Ninth… That's something you should ask her yourself," he gave an amused smile this time to lighten the mood. "She's quite the storyteller." *

Nikolai nodded. He remembered now that Infected were being thrown on the Eighth, since after the explosion a sort of corruption had started to take hold and make it unlivable anyway.

And that had been a thing since just about as long as he'd been searching for his brother.

He squared his shoulders.

Initially, he'd thought to come here and speak to the Kuraku about...something else entirely. Something he was certain she had picked up on back in the Fortress, but that he hadn't broached in the midst of the wartime air.

Now...now he knew for certain he didn't hold a candle to the Consort before him, despite the rumors he'd caught wind of that eventually led him here in the first place: a Kuraku in the market for a mate.

"Storyteller?" Nikolai huffed, a smile moving across his lips. "As far as I knew all she could do was dance." 3

A commotion erupted in the center of the room, and Hiei glanced up to see cards being tossed to the center of a table and money being exchanged among his guild before he turned to Nikolai again. "Yes, well," he began as a smile graced his features. He shook his head briefly, and his smile grew perhaps more fond in nature than anything else. "She has many talents. Dancing just happens to be the one she's more widely known for right now."

He mixed a handful of drinks and passed them to the appropriate denizens down the way.

"WHAT!" Tarou's voice boomed over the room. "Alright punk, I've got my eye on you!"

Hiei shook his head to himself again as his guildies began to bicker amongst themselves over whatever was happening. "If you're ever bored, Nikolai, we're always open. And you might get to see some of Shiki's other talents while you're around." *

Nikolai chuckled, "The rumors most certainly give her talents a great deal of credit. I myself have only witnessed her dance and it's all I can speak to."

"She's pretty amazing." Misaki said with a smile, the drink in her hand nearly gone as she took another sip. She laughed, "Us humans are apparently convinced she can grant wishes. Or in any case there is a rumor I've heard of a witch matching her description hidden away in a shop of pleasures that you can only find when you need it." She appropriately wiggled her fingers a little as if intending to make the moment seem more mystical, but her grin revealed her thoughts on the subject. 3

Hiei's smile widened to a more secretive grin as Misaki talked of the human's view of Shikiyoku. He didn't have much contact with humans outside of the band, if he were honest, but he also didn't make much effort for them since they didn't seem entirely human. Or, the ones that said they were certainly didn't feel it to him.

He brushed the thought away and turned to see to a denizen down the bar that waved him down, leaving Misaki and Nikolai to their conversation for the moment.

~!**!~

Tarou threw a card across the table at Raion, who caught it with ease and gave a very catlike grin. "Oh so temperamental when you're losing. Not very becoming of you in front of your company, Tarou."

The cards in his hand suddenly disappeared in a black cloud, and he blinked at his empty hands. Akari waved those cards in his direction before passing them to Tarou with a mischievous grin. "IT's too bad you don't play fair, kitty cat. I probably wouldn't have caught that little trick if you'd waited until I was distracted."

He frowned at her, ignoring the raucous laughter from Tarou. "Alright pup, listen up-"

Akari waved her cards in front of her face as if they were a fan and batted her lashes. "What a shame to be out of the game so early."

Tarou's arm rested across her shoulders long enough to pluck a card from her hand before he retreated, and she turned a frown at him. "I needed that, sweetheart. Thank you for keeping it warm for me."

She stuck her tongue out at him as she reached for her drink. "I can't wait to figure out how you're cheating."

"Let me know when you figure it out, and I'll give ya a prize." *

Across the table from Tarou, Raion grumbled something that wasn't repeatable as the next hand continued, but all at once his mood abruptly shifted and the ears that might in some form be perched atop his head almost visibly flattened backwards against his skull as he actually leaned back from the table a tick and suddenly ducked, burying his face in his cards with widened eyes that refused to look up.

While on one side of the room, low rhythms of pulsing beats continued steadily, those on the outside of the muting spell all slowly grew quiet as eyes were drawn over to the entrance of the bar to take in the sight of the man who had just come through the double doors.

His complete lack of presence in the room despite his obvious appearance in the door sent a chill down the spines of those that were strong enough to know what it meant.

The massive beast of the obviously foreign man wrapped in his unassuming robes that could not hide beneath them the thick muscles of his form had little finery upon his person save for the exquisite, fur-lined, royal purple cape cinched over one shoulder, and exuded nothing if not a regal air as his bronze gaze very steadily moved over those in the room out from beneath wild, bright red eyebrows that matched the color of his even wilder beard and head of hair.

While he did not seem to notice the stares on him, his expression was not unkind as he appeared not to find what he sought and only after another breath moved forward on his sandaled feet which made no noise despite his immense size.

As if that breath of a moment released the rest of the room from its spell, murmurs began to build again, though most eyes continued to every so often find their way back to him.

He made no delay in immediately moving for the bar behind which Hiei stood, sights set upon the hybrid without so much as a blink.

Suddenly there standing between Misaki, who leaned against the edge of Hiei's station with her drink forgotten in her hand, and Nikolai, who was seated but by no means a short man, this individual towered over them, Nikolai's head barely reaching the man's broad chest as he looked up and over at the figure so close he could have touched the other, but only visibly swallowed the gulp in his mouth and could not take his eyes away.

When he spoke, his deep bass made the very air around him rumble in its tones as it filled several feet around him.

"I seek Junai." He said simply, quietly, and though those beyond him could not make out the words, they could feel them as they moved through the air. "And her power makes the very wood here sing." His accent was light, but peppered with something that spoke clearly of how he most certainly did not belong here. "As do your markings. Where is she?" 3

~!**!~

Akari leaned away from Tarou and stretched her hand of cards even further from him, though she rounded on Akihiko when he instead took the opportunity to relieve her of one of her cards. His quiet smirk and glance in her direction made her feel welcomed in the group and she settled next to her company with a smile on her face.

She reached for her glass to down the last of her drink and gave pause as a silence registered with her entire being. She blinked and turned in tandem with the rest of the group, their eyes alighting on a figure silhouetted by the evening sun. It took her a moment to register the silence in the room was both from lack of socializing and energy, and by the time the demon stepped foot into the bar and the door closed behind him, recognition had already dawned on her.

She was taken back to a different time and place, to a world that wasn't as balanced as this one was and to a little ceremony that had righted that imbalance. Her breath caught in her throat as he moved by; this demon was not the All-Father, but he was definitely close enough in resemblance to be a direct descendent. And he had the same energy, or lack thereof.

Tarou's eyes flickered from the hulking demon and his…. Whatever energy that was, and to the hand that had found his forearm. He would have grinned at the lady next to him if it weren't for the fact that her reaction was one of recognition-fueled surprise.

He leaned towards her as the demon stopped at the bar. "You know this guy, Akari?" Just what kind of person had he asked to accompany him this night?

She glanced briefly at Tarou from the corners of her eyes but otherwise said nothing, trying to listen in to the conversation at the bar.

~!**!~

Hiei was, as usual, aware of the very milisecond the door had begun to swing open and he was already doing his usual mental sweep of the room to gauge the newcomer and the reaction of those around them.

He paused mid-pass when his telepathy bounced off of what he could only describe as a solid brick wall. His eyes calmly turned up from the drinks in his hand to the demon paused just inside the door, and he took a moment to look the man up and down.

The very second that the calming sense fell over the room and Hiei felt absolutely no malice, he continued in his work. He set the four drinks on the waitress's tray and waved a hand at her to go and gave her a calm look.

She nodded and continued about her business, taking the look in stride and settling back into her routine. Hiei did much the same, and slowly, the rest of the staff mirrored his demeanor and continued their work even as the demon came to a stop at his station.

The word Junai reminded him of Uryo, and a conversation he and Shikiyoku had once had with the fire demon. Or, rather, a conversation Shiki and Uryo had had while Hiei had listened.

Hiei took only a beat to glance down at his exposed forearms and the tattoos there, eyeing the swirls that decorated his left arm briefly. He covered his pause by reaching for a glass just under that part of the bar and filling an order.

"She's currently out for business," Hiei answered in his usual manner, his eyes meeting those of the newcomer. "She'll likely be gone for a few more days." The fire demon gestured to the wall of bottles behind him. "Would you like a drink?" *

The giant man took in a steady breath that made his ribs expand even farther as he inhaled slowly and released it at the news of which he was already aware as his eyebrows rose over his bronze eyes.

A small smile darted over the edges of his lips and his gaze lifted to the shelves behind the attending demon of which he was nearly at eye level with the highest contents as if he considered Hiei's question.

"You did not answer my question, little one." The supposed diminutive seemed almost endearing when it passed through this one's lips.

"What's Junai?" Nikolai squeaked, almost surprised at himself for having found his voice. He hadn't made much sense of anything the other man said, but had latched onto the word and felt the question slip past his throat.

Patient eyes turned down to regard the startled demon to his left and a frown passed over his royal features.

"You call her..." His eyes darted to the side in thought. "Kuraku now." He spoke when he landed on the word. "She has been known by many names."

"You mean Shikiyoku?" Misaki, similarly to Nikolai, stood stunned after her blurted commentary. How did this guy know Shiki? 3

Hiei waited in content silence as the other contemplated the bottles behind him, though Hiei's own hands stayed plenty busy. He passed drinks down the bar and handed a few off to a passing waitress before the other even spoke again.

He pointedly ignored the 'small one' comment, though more out of unsurety than anything else.

Hiei watched the hulking demon for a moment as he considered his options; truth be told, he hadn't rightfully asked where Shikiyoku would be specifically when she'd been called out a few days ago. He'd known on some level it was likely for Kurama's company, but as for specifics, he had none.

He turned inward for a moment to assess the Bond, though he already knew she was still on the First Level. If he wanted to, he could definitely lead the way to Shikiyoku, who was most certainly somewhere in the heart of the city.

He returned to the bar around him in time to hear Misaki's question, and he gave her a nod. "Shikiyoku is Junai and Kuraku." Though he didn't understand the meaning of either if he were to be honest.

When he turned to the other demon again, it was with a sort of diplomacy and consideration of the other's obvious power and status. "In any other normal circumstance, I would lead you to her, or even call her here. However, she's currently in the middle of working with Humans." He gave the other a once over to appraise the fine cloth that he wore. That, with the man's obvious size and demeanor, would very easily blow her work away and reveal her as associated with demons.

He did not want to see her reaction to such a fallout.

He blinked to himself once and raised a brow at the man. "I don't believe I've caught your name?"

~!**!~

Akari watched the people at the bar with racing thoughts, trying to come up with a name for the demon she perhaps only knew as Father in the time she'd seen him. A part of her wanted to approach and ask if they were related, but she also had no reason to know aside from her own curiosity.

She was turning back to her cards when Tarou dusted his hands on his pants and slid from his chair. "Alrighty then," he began as he stretched. "Time to welcome the new guy."

"Tarou." Akihiko gave the other a look that very plainly told the other not to cause trouble.

"Nonsense." Tarou waved a hand in front of his face. "Besides, this young lady has a question for the guy!"

"What? No, I-" Tarou all but lifted Akari from her chair and planted her on her feet. He tossed an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the demon at the bar, not seeming to notice her little sputters of argument that died the moment they got too close.

"Hey, chief!" Tarou gave a sort of salute to the obvious member of court. "Welcome to the bar."

Akari gave a look to Tarou, who winked and leaned towards Hiei to order a drink. "I'm sorry to bother you," she began, looking up at the demon who even dwarfed Tarou. "But, I'm… curious. Are you…" She rolled her eyes to the ceiling in thought. "Are you a descendent of Father?" She gave a smile that was much calmer than she felt, hoping that her emphasis on the title was enough to distinguish it from any other miscommunications. "Of course, I don't mind if it's not something you care to reveal."*

At the mention of humans, a strange expression coloured the man's features and he let out a small huff of air accompanied by an almost inaudible 'of course she is' and maybe a hint of a wry smile as if the knowledge, now that he had it, did not surprise him.

In the next moment, the mood had passed and he looked back down at Hiei.

"You cannot catch something that was not thrown." The twinkle deep within his eyes was interrupted by the approach of Hiei's guild member and his current accomplice, whom the man turned his head slowly to regard as he was certain there was no one else they could be speaking to in that moment.

His grounded gaze shifted further down to Akari as she spoke and he gave her a look that nearly spoke of some kind of curiosity.

"What makes you ask, daughter of the pack?" 3

"Two of those fancy swirly mixes, boss. Though, add Ogre's Blood to one. The lady may need it."

Hiei raised a brow at Tarou but did as asked, amusement playing across his irises at the newcomer's response to Hiei's vague attempt to get a name. He was starting to think he was growing soft; he'd found two people in one day that he didn't quite mind conversing with.

Shiki would be proud. He thought in amusement as he swirled the alcohols together and then passed the finished products to Tarou. His guildie gave a short thanks before turning to hand one to Akari, and Hiei took the opportunity to listen, not sure at first what Akari was asking.

"Well," she began, giving pause to take the drink from Tarou and survey it for a second. When she curiously glanced up at him and he shook his head no at her unasked question, she turned to the taller demon again, not seeming to notice his arm falling around her shoulders again. "You look… very similar to how he did." Deciding to stay with honesty and definitely feeling the eyes that had fallen on her, she fought not to fidget in place.

She was well aware of how much of a tall tale this seemed to be, and she partly blamed Tarou for tossing her into this mess.

She took a deep breath. "He went by a few names...I think. The pack I visited with called him the Father, or the Father of us All, if I remember right." They're not going to believe you! She took a quick drink from the alcohol she'd been passed. "But uh, I think some called him… the All-Father?"

Hiei blinked and turned keen eyes onto the demon Akari spoke to, giving him another look over. All-Father? He remembered the little fire on the Ninth, and the stories that Shikiyoku told of the demon that birthed that flame and the rest of the demon race.

He turned and gave a glance to Akihiko across the way, whose brow shot up almost immediately. "Am I going for her?"

The fire demon's crimson irises turned to the other again. "That depends on his answer." Despite that thought, he did indeed turn inward to tug on the Bond a little, sending along it a sense of curiosity, a question of how busy Shikiyoku was. He wasn't sure she'd answer, since he'd never tried such a thing over long distances, but he also didn't want to alarm her by having Aki show up at the company. *

His gaze on her never faltered even as she began shrinking up into Tarou's side under the sudden, intense scrutiny of any demon within earshot.

However, his eyebrows shot up when she indicated he appeared similar to the demon about whom she first questioned him.

After a beat, he took another breath and knew that by normal standards this demon was much too young to directly know anything about which she spoke. But she spoke which such directness on the subject as to give him pause.

"Are we not all descendants of the First Father, little one?"

Hiei's attention to the bond between himself and his Consort did not go unnoticed, though the only sensations that seemed to pass through it were even less like words than usual and the translation that returned to him came like broken bits of emotional speech. Eventually, a sense of 'questionness' at his inquiry returned to him, warmed with a distant, curious amusement in that he'd never asked before. 3

The response from the older demon definitely had Hiei pausing and taking note that it was not really an answer at all. Much like his own response to the other's request to Shikiyoku's whereabouts, he realized.

The silence around them was stiffening, and it gave Hiei time to think back to the beginnings of this bar, and the beginning of Shikiyoku's supposed time with Kurama, though he hadn't known it at the time.

"(Long story short, they ended up back when there was only one world, Sekaiju, and apparently were present for the Sundering, which is how they got back here.)"

He remembered that conversation briefly after he'd asked about Yusuke and Kuwabara, and had been met with the news soon after that Kuwabara was to ask Yukina to marry him.

He zeroed in on Akari and effortlessly lifted those memories from her mind, and what he found was definitely not memories of this world in its current time and appearance.

"You're talking of the time after the explosion on the Eighth," he finally said to the female, a raised brow aimed at her as she glanced around Tarou to nod at him quietly. He didn't miss the flicker of her gaze up to the glow just barely hidden beneath the bandana around his forehead. "Sekaiju."

Akari gave a shrug. "Honestly, I'm not sure if that's what it's called. But," she fidgeted and turned her eyes to the floor again, "One minute I was…" she remembered chasing her own body across the battlefield and decided to omit that, "in the middle of the War, and the next I'm laying in the dirt in a different world."

She'd never talked about it, and she definitely didn't like talking about it in front of so many judgemental stares. "A few of us were there when the All-Father and a few others got together to throw those of us in the wrong time back to this time, and IknowthissoundslikeI'mmakingitupbutI'mprettysureitsplittheworldintothreestoo."

She finished her hastened sentence by gluing her lips to the side of her glass and attempting to slink away. Tarou's arm around her shoulders kept her in place and he set to playing with the curls he could reach with that hand.

Hiei turned inward at the vague response from the Bond and he returned her curiosity and amusement with a calm sort of request for her presence should she be able to step away. He also made sure to convey the sense that she'd be met along the way by Aki, who was quite capable in his own ways of finding people.

His eyes roved the little group around him as he thought about the memories he'd lifted from Akari's currently memory-addled mind, and he couldn't help but to agree that the demon she referred to did indeed look similar to the one standing in front of his bar station.

"Aki."

"Boss?"

"...I'm asking Shikiyoku to come to the bar. Meet her." He met his second in command's steady stare even as the cloth that had been around his head burned down the center from the Jagan's energy and fell in front of his face and to the bartop. "Let her know what's going on."

Akihiko nodded and stood from his spot, ignoring the questionable looks from the rest of the guild as he stepped quietly out the door. "Which direction?"

"The City. I'm sure you'll run into her on your way." *

The imposing figure among them remain a silent presence as words passed around him, appearing content to merely listen until a quiet voice at his elbow spoke softly so as not to interrupt the moment happening around them.

"...how do you know Shiki?" Misaki found herself asking, burning with curiosity and uninterested in the conversation at hand, as it mostly passed over her head.

When he turned down to look at her, his face softened considerably more than it had with any of the others, though he understood her much less than he did they.

After another contemplative moment where he appeared as always to gather his thoughts before replying, the rumble of his voice lessened as he attempted to keep their words somewhat between themselves, though mostly to not let their conversation interrupt the other happening, "I met her once, long ago." He grew wistful at the recollection as it began to seize him, "When she danced for my tribe. We spent every secret moment we could together." His gaze darkened, "Until her keeper found out. And she was punished for the time we coveted." He let out a breath and it released the building storm behind his eyebrows, "I was too weak to stop it. And I never saw her again." 3

Hiei watched and listened to the various conversations going around, his Jagan doing a similar sweep and feeding him information from here and there even as he sorted through the memories he'd lifted from Akari and ordered them.

"You gotta tell your stories with confidence, sweetheart." Tarou smiled at Akari as she took long drinks from the glass he'd handed her. He cast a glance at Hiei and noticed his boss was preoccupied, and decided to place his order with the bartender down the way. "It was good, though. You could stand to learn a few things."

Akari shook her head and ducked out from under his arm, taking the chance to slink away from the demon she no longer wanted an answer from. She took her losses and ignored the stares following after her until she was seated at the very table Tarou had plucked her from.

"I dunno where he went. One second he's fine and the next he leaves."

"The boss probably sent him out on a job."

"Or to get Shiki."

"That's true. This guy seems pretty big," Ikigai murmured. "Right, Raion?"

Akari glanced around the table until her eyes landed on the blond who was doing his best to stay low and out of sight. Akari raised her half-empty glass in his direction. "Don't blame ya." She downed the rest of her beverage and welcomed the buzz that began to hum through her. Just as she was about to grab a waitress's attention, Tarou dropped into a seat next to her and held out a tray of various drinks. "Did you take these from a waitress?"

"Me? Never. She gave them to me."

"...uh huh." She took the first two shots she could find and threw those back too before she slammed the empty glasses on the table and turned a glare at the man. "Don't drag me into that again."

He shrugged with his hand up and his palms towards the ceiling, a sorry-not-sorry kind of smile on his lips. "Hey, cat," he called across the table as he leaned forward for a drink. "What's got you so twisted up?"

The one named Ikigai was suddenly in the chair next to Akari, a big grin on his face. "So, you know that guy?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the newcomer.

"Nope."

"Well, I liked your story."

"...thanks," she grumbled just before she threw another shot back.

~!**!~

Akihiko set out at a quick and steady pace towards the city, following an intuition he'd honed over the span of his lifetime to find his 'target'. When he reached the city sidewalks, he slowed to a casual walk, knowing that the less attention he brought to himself, the easier this whole thing would be.

He wasn't sure what the hell he was supposed to tell Shikiyoku. Listen, some big guy is in the bar asking for you, and Hiei didn't seem interested until Tarou's date for the night asked if he was related to the All-Father. So, here I am.

Sure, maybe that'd mean something to her, but he didn't particularly believe the girl's tale about having seen the All-Father, as she'd called it. Sure, it had been what had most definitely gotten Hiei's attention, and his boss definitely had used the Jagan to get the information he wanted but…

People made stuff up all the time. She could be crazy for all he knew, or a compulsive liar with a tendency to throw in falsified thoughts to confuse telepaths.

Whatever the case, by the time he found himself passing by a tall building that definitely had Shikiyoku's energy inside, he could only give a sigh.

If Hiei believes, then I should too, I suppose.

He eyed the building as he walked the block, taking in the darkened interior and the security patrolling the parking lot out front. One look around the street told him there were perhaps too many cameras to attempt a Hiei-style run along the side of the building, so he glanced down at himself briefly.

His outfit wasn't quite right for any sort of office type building.

But he knew where to get one that was.

Akihiko walked a few blocks south and stepped into a store lined with suits and the like, his hands in his pockets as he contemplated his options. A salesperson stepped to his side, and in a matter of minutes, the demon was changed into a more business appropriate look. He paid with a card and walked out, a briefcase in hand holding his earlier outfit.

This time when he approached the building, he had keys in his hand, suddenly thankful for the apartment he'd decided to rent. He took purposeful strides right past the first guard and was a bit amused that the human didn't even give him a second glance.

He fiddled with the keys at the door long enough to pick the lock and let himself inside, knowing that with someone inside, the likelihood of the alarm being on was slim to none.

The door clicked closed behind him and he locked it again, and as he made his way to the elevator, he tugged the tie loose from around his neck.

He paused inside long enough to calculate the number of floors up he'd seen the light on before he pressed the appropriate button. The elevator doors closed, and a short ride later he was stepping out into a darkened hallway. He let his intuition guide him to the right office until he was standing in the doorway, watching the woman he hardly recognized in such attire as she shuffled papers and talked on the phone.

He knocked lightly on her open door to announce his presence and leaned against its frame. *

While on some level, Toriko had sensed the approach of the demon now standing at her doorway, when the knock drew her attention upwards, for just a moment whatever words she had been speaking started to fade from her lips, green eyes beneath no-frame glasses zeroing in on his face in shock.

Suddenly, Hiei's unspoken request for her to return to the bar actually sunk into her awareness, and after that blip of hesitation, her eyes returned to the papers at hand and her conversation continued, though her other hand waved Akihiko into the room if he wished before her pen returned to scratch elegantly at the pages below.

For someone who had not slept in days, or left this room unless necessary for just as long, Shikiyoku appeared more put together even than when she first arrived still somewhat hung over earlier that week. At this time of night, however, bits of hair were falling around her face from general activity, and the black blazer that would have gone over her white blouse to match the pencil skirt and black heels was hanging off the back of her chair haphazardly.

After a few sentences more, the cellphone was taken from her ear and placed nearby on the desk as she continued to write with the one hand and moved her gaze and the other to the computer screen and keyboard at her left, beginning to deftly key in the information required.

"It's not an emergency." Where there likely should have been a question to the end of the sentence, while still in a more business-oriented mindset, one dark eyebrow on Toriko's face simply rose over her glasses as she barely glanced in Akihiko's direction. 3

~!**!~

Ikigai watched with no small amount of amusement as Akari set that empty glass with the others neatly on the tray. "You mentioned a war?"

Akari nodded as she reached for one of the taller glasses, definitely hell bent on drinking enough to forget the encounter entirely. She was drained emotionally.

"Which war were you in? The more recent one? With the Three Kings?"

Akari turned to stare at Ikigai, at first wondering why he was so nosey. Instead she found a genuinely curious and chipper stare aimed right back at her, and a smile to match. She blinked at him, ignoring Tarou's pestering of the non-responsive Raion across the table. "Yeah, the Three Kings War."

"...Which King did you fight for?" He reached across her to grab a drink from the tray.

Her smile ghosted across her features. "Yomi." Sadly.

Tarou was suddenly draping his arm around her shoulders again, that hand trailing a finger along the scar that stretched from her ear to the underside of her chin. "Is that where you got this beauty mark?" He breathed the question into her ear, and for the first time that night, Akari nearly jumped from her skin at his proximity. "Ah, Sorry fer crossin' a line there, Akari," he mumbled as he retreated, not having missed her immediate stillness.

She let out a breath of relief and turned to look at him. "Thank you. But yes, that's where this one came from."

His eyes lit up in curiosity. "That one?"

"You've been in a lot of fights, huh?" Gai asked. "I'm jealous. I don't fight much. I work more in the logistics of things than the actual battle."

~!**!~

Hiei passed a carefully balanced tray off to a passing waitress, taking her empty one and stacking more orders onto it for the next one to pass by. "I've sent for Shikiyoku," he called to the taller demon without looking up. "I can make a drink for you while you wait."

He passed that tray to the next waitress that all but ran by, finally taking a moment to look up at the demon now that things had gone back to their normal pace. "What's your name?" *

~!**!~

Akihiko moved to sit on the edge of the armrest of the chair closest to the door, his briefcase plopping onto the floor without even a thought towards the expensive leather. He watched Shikiyoku as she wrapped up her phone call and ducked her head over the piles of paperwork around her desk, and he realized that this was the first time he'd ever seen her in a sort of disheveled state.

When she spoke, he blinked and came back to the reason he was there. "Perhaps not an emergency, but certainly extenuating circumstances," he replied almost mildly. "The details are all a bit over my head, if I'm honest with you."

He wondered mildly what she'd been working on these past few days, and he chanced a glance at the papers strewn about haphazardly and yet somehow still in a sort of order. A cafe and various other buildings, huh?

"Or, really, way over my head." *

Toriko stopped and finally looked over at him, eyes sweeping up and down his frame. Her demeanor had yet to change since he entered the room and her eyebrows lifted up over her glasses.

"What on earth could possibly go over your head, handsome?"

~!**!~

Both Misaki and Nikolai were still enamored with the proximity of the newest guest that it was all they could do to not stare at him for too long, though he either did not notice or did not appear bothered by it.

Misaki was left mouth agape at what the man had told her. Dancing. Tribe. Keeper. She could hardly make sense of it except that it overwhelmed her just as much as the conversation about the war did.

If Nikolai's head had been on straight, he might have questioned Akari further about her part in the war, but the giant next to him was, quite simply, a lot.

As for the stranger's part, he appeared grateful to Hiei, even if he said nothing in reply at first.

"I do not think you have anything here that would do more than wet my lips."

There was no glass he had seen so far that would have been more than delightfully comic in his large hands. The second question gave him a pause before he rumbled, "You may call me Kainegisu." 3

Hiei nodded. "Fair enough," was his reply about the drinks, though his eyes did gleam in amusement as he thought about the sizes of the glasses in comparison to the man he'd offered a drink to. It was a rare occasion that they had someone larger than Tarou in the bar, and even then, the chances of those demons being unable to hold the glasses without breaking them were slim to none.

Hiei would have offered a hand to shake if it weren't for the orders rolling in from the waitresses and other telepathic requests. "Kainegisu. I'm Hiei." He looked up from his work to give a sort of smile. "Welcome to the bar."

~!**!~

Akihiko raised a brow at Shikiyoku's compliment, though as he always did, he rolled over it completely. "While that's usually the case, this is all before my time," he said mildly as he took to looking around the room.

He wondered if she'd even so much as napped since she left the bar. He didn't recall her coming back anytime during the week to sleep, and Hiei definitely hadn't left his station behind the bar either.

Hopeless.

"Truth be told, I'm not so sure I believe it." His gaze fell onto Shikiyoku again. "A gentleman came into the bar asking after you. Of course, Hiei's done the usual dismissal that he's been doing since you're busy, but this one has… hm." He wasn't quite so sure what he was trying to say.

"Anyway, Tarou's date for the night likens him to the All-Father, or one of his direct descendents I suppose, which I think is a load of crock, but Hiei seems to believe she's telling the truth." He looked down at the watch on his wrist as if the time truly mattered. "She mentioned having been in the Three Kings War, and then taking a trip to the past."

What was the word Hiei used?

He frowned a bit to himself. "Hiei used a specific word that I can't recall at present." *

Shikiyoku removed her glasses and rubbed at the bridge of her nose where a frown had started to form.

She hadn't the faintest idea what Akihiko was talking about, except, "Akari. She's not lying. She fought with Yomi's side." She replaced the glasses and stood up to lean over her desk, appearing to shuffle a few papers around and finding out the dog demon had ended up at her bar an amusing thought. "The same divine temporal blast that forced Hiei and I apart at the end of the Battle of the Four Armies jerked a handful of individuals back into the past, and their return was heralded by the Sundering of Sekaiju into what eventually would be called Human, Demon, and Spirit World. First Father was the catalyst to which users of magic were bound, as they all from him had come, and so their souls were drawn onto a different plane were they could live in peace free of those who knew love, who came to be known as humans. Or rather so we could all live separately from each other. Humanity had cried out injustice to the Kami as our kind ruled over them and they lived in fear." She shrugged, implying it was anyone's guess as to how true any of that last part was and how there was likely blame to be had on all sides.

Her glasses were up on the top of her head now and she seemed a little more like herself in any case as she appeared satisfied with the state of the papers before her and stood up to look at Akihiko again, arms crossed.

"But I haven't the faintest idea what all of that has to do with me."

~!**!~

Kainegisu let his eyes move over the crowd as Hiei welcomed him.

"You would have me call you by name and not title?" It seemed a true question of curiosity. 3

Hiei bounced from order to order at a speed that was fast enough to keep him on the up and up, but not so fast that he overwhelmed the servers. For a few seconds he went quiet on concentration, though only to check the bond out of curiosity.

He resurfaced from his own mind in time to catch Kainegisu's question, though he gave no pause in his work and did not even break his gaze from the liquid he was pouring. "And you? I'd assume you have a title as well."

~!**!~

Akihiko watched Shikiyoku as she stood from her chair and began organizing her area, and he felt a bit of surprise when the other immediately came up with the name of Tarou's date, though he hadn't remembered the girl's name before. His brows rose as the other recounted the story in much more detail than the other had even attempted at the bar, and he sat back a bit against the chair.

A small sound left his lips, but it died not too long after.

"Well, I've been wrong before." he mumbled to himself. He'd have to remember to buy the girl a drink later for the stare he'd given her on his way out.

"Ah. Well." Aki met Shikiyoku's gaze. "There's a rather large demon in the bar asking to see you. Akari and Hiei seem to think he looks close enough to… you called him the First Father?... To think that you might be interested in seeing what he's after." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to take you away from your work, but really, he almost wanted to come to the city looking for you. Hiei's done quite a decent job of keeping him occupied, though."

This time his smile almost reached his eyes. "You've been popular today. This is the only one he hasn't been able to dismiss." *

Shikiyoku looked confused as if she couldn't quantify why in the nine levels anyone would be looking for her.

Ugh. I really don't have time for this.

What with Kurama's request that she move the grand re-opening of the store moved up a day, she was scrambling to make sure everything would fall perfectly into place by then.

Construction on the new building started in a few hours, or it was supposed to, and they had less than 48 to finish, which was not impossible, but the amount of strings Shikiyoku was pulling together at the same time had just as much danger of knotting up as it did creating a tapestry.

At the last, Shikiyoku released her arms and sighed, gave Akihiko a kind smile and shook her head, "You don't need to apologize, Hiko. I'm sure you're aware if it was anyone else, I wouldn't have let them in the office building doors to begin with."

She made a mock-noise of distaste as she turned and pulled her blazer over her shoulders, "I suppose that would have pleased me a thousand years ago. Frankly, the whole lot of them could go burn in a fire for all I care."

She probably didn't mean it.

She swiftly led the way out of the office in sharp, clicking movements of her almost too-high heels, not even bothering to shut the door or turn off the light, but appearing to be all business once more as she made her way to the elevator Akihiko came up in.

"I am not going to even bother trying to make that run. And I don't expect you to do it again either."

As the elevator doors started to close, she slipped a keycard from a pocket into a receptor which opened after she pressed a series of floors, and then she led him out on an unmarked, well-lit floor where several extremely nice cars were lined up neatly on either side of this underground garage.

Without ceremony, she moved for the nearest one, bright yellow and something that seemed more advanced than anything currently on the buyable market, placed her hand around the door handle, waited a beat and at the sound of unlocking nodded Akihiko could get in on the other side as she climbed in on the driver's side.

The car's lights blinked on as she settled and as soon as Akihiko was in and the doors were shut, the car started, Shikiyoku pressed at the pedals, and with an uncanny dexterity for someone in heels, proceeded to shift gears and shoot them out a ramp that led them into the night.

~!**!~

"And if I did..." Kainegisu eventually replied, "Would you understand it any better than you do Junai or Kuraku?" 3

Hiei shook his head without a beat of hesitation. "Likely not. And I'd much rather not disrespect you by calling you by a title I do not fully understand or appreciate."

A tug at his consciousness brought his eyes up to stare briefly at a table far across the room, and the waitress moving away gave him a grateful nod when the rowdy group noticed his attention and dropped their rambunctious, unnecessary acts.

"And I'd much rather be called by my own name, in any case. It's what I respond to quickest," he admitted with a sort of wry grin as he turned his head down to the line of glasses in front of him again.

He didn't miss the brief sensation of the Bond warming with Shikiyoku's vague indication of coming, and he briefly sent a sort of warmth back at her, as if to say he'd attempt to make up for it later.

~!**!~

Akihiko slung the briefcase over his shoulder and followed Shikiyoku out of the office and to the elevator, getting the sense that she might not have been joking about her 'burn in a fire' comment.

"Well, I'm sure if Hiei could manage it, he'd oblige." He shook his head to himself and pulled the tie even looser from his neck, not caring for the constraint. It came loose completely and draped lazily over his shoulders and down his shirt front, and he didn't quite care when it threatened to slip from his body altogether as he stepped into the vehicle Shikiyoku had indicated.

He looked around the interior with interest. "This definitely beats running," he commented mildly. Especially when in a suit. *

"I did it once when dressed like this and I can assure you I'd just as soon not repeat it."

The vehicle hummed almost silently with power as Shikiyoku pulled into the nighttime traffic and continued shifting gears smoothly, the mechanized beast beneath her zooming in and out and through the cars around them with a speed that certainly should have gotten them into trouble, but that she seemed quite capable of handling.

~!**!~

"I consider myself nothing beyond Kainegisu. Perhaps were my thoughts different, I would feel otherwise."

A pause.

"You say you have sent for her?" His eyes shifted to the door he had entered from. "I ought to meet her elsewhere, I think." 3

Hiei swapped trays with two different waitresses in a smooth, fluid motion.

"If that's what you decide, I can let her know where you'll be," he gave an even look to Kainegisu. He thought about the conversation the larger demon had had with Misaki, and the amount of time he could guess at having been between then and now. That was quite a long time to go without seeing someone.

If he guessed right, he'd have to say that the 'keeper' Kainegisu had mentioned was Shikiyoku's first Champion, which would have put her as a very young demon indeed.

"If you've a place of meeting in mind, I can ensure she meets you there."

~!**!~

Akihiko nodded, a wry smile on his face. "I remember." Hiei hadn't come from that situation very quickly, and he'd taken quite a bit of time to recover.

"...You haven't slept." Aki propped his elbow on the edge of the window's frame and rested his cheek on the top of his knuckles. His eyes watched the city go by. "Are you at least eating while being so busy, Shikiyoku?" *

Shikiyoku spared the barest of glances over to Akihiko as he shifted around, suddenly glad this ride was not going to be a particularly long one if he decided he wanted to talk about her.

"...I don't need much." She finally replied somewhat dismissively, vaguely recalling she had slept a little with Hiei after their drunken stupor at the bar, but unable to honestly recall the last time she had anything to eat.

Oh right. Hiei feed me a sandwich on the Eighth.

She smirked. 3

So… no.

His smile was filled with familiarity and somewhat sadness as a couple of memories rifled through his mind.

Without his knowing, the quietest of chuckles snuck past his lips. "Don't worry, I'm not going to pester you about it." You remind me of her. "It's good to see you out of the bar doing other things. I had a feeling for a while that you had several roles to upkeep."

He scratched his nose before settling into that same comfortable position again. "What project has your attention, if I may ask?" *

She wasn't lying. When she got in the mode, she just didn't find herself in need of food or drink or sleep.

Or she forgot.

Or she purposefully avoided it because she wasn't about to face her nightmares alone.

You have no idea. Shikiyoku thought to herself how one thing had led to another thing had led to a third thing and so on until she could happily immerse herself in quite frankly whatever her heart desired in the moment.

Human World had much more to dabble in than the Ninth Level ever did.

"Uh-" Shikiyoku blinked, somewhat taken aback by the fact that he would even ask in the first place, and unsure exactly how interesting he would find it anyway. "Well, currently it's an old building with faulty wiring on a piece of property owned by the company." 3

"Ah," Aki turned his eyes to Shikiyoku finally, his hand previously propping up his chin now resting against the space behind his ear in lazy support. "So it's being renovated, then?" He hadn't seen paperwork for ridding themselves of the property on her desk, though he easily could have missed it in her organized chaos. "I see now why you're so buried."

"Is this company you work in the same company that had that major merger recently? The humans have been abuzz with it." His smile was a knowing one. *

No, Akari's the owner and she wanted it torn down and we're re-opening on Friday and-

I'm not sure which company you mean. The one with Akari's land or the one you came to visit me in?

Instead of either of the things she almost replied with, Shikiyoku gave Akihiko an extremely suspicious look that lasted almost long enough to give him time to question her on it before she asked while fighting back a grin, "Who are you and what have you done with my Hiko?" 3

For a very split moment, Akihiko could see the thoughts as they happened. The confusion and the stress and the frustration about the project she was likely trying to orchestrate by a very close date. Just as quickly as those things crossed her expression did suspicion replace them.

His grin was innocent enough. "Easy, tiger. I'm not so easy to body snatch as you'd think." He turned to glance out the window again, his smile unwavering. "Just making conversation." *

Between glances at the road zipping past them, Shikiyoku probably playfully narrowed her gaze at him even as he looked away from her.

"My Hiko doesn't 'just make conversation.' My Hiko has to have every little detail pulled out of his mouth as if it was the last tooth in there and he wasn't about to let it go without a fight." Her psuedo-suspicion had not lifted, though her smile was finally darting through her expression on occasion. 3

A chuckle rumbled in his chest but didn't quite make it past his smile. "What a shame. I'm sure he'd be quite the conversationalist."

Akihiko crossed one ankle over the other and lounged back just a touch, realizing that he felt more at ease than he had in quite a long time. It definitely felt good despite his reservations about opening up and dropping his guards.

"But then again, who in the guild would take me so seriously if I wasn't their fatherly figure, hm?" He rolled his eyes to look over at her from the corners. "It'd be a shame if they lost their dear old dad." *

"You would certainly take yourself quite seriously, I am sure." Shikiyoku replied, shooting him a look as she pulled up into a parking space just around the corner from the bar and moved to get out of the car.

She stopped when they were a few paces from the main entrance and she suddenly turned on him, hands on her hips.

"Look, if you want to talk..." She seemed as if she was going to say something else before she grinned and kept moving, "Just buy me a drink some time."

~!**!~

"I believe there was a wooded area not far from here." Kainegisu told Hiei. "She will be able to find me there."

And before Hiei had a chance to tell him she was just down the street, Shikiyoku ducked into the door, pushing her glasses farther up her face as her eyes landed first on the band playing to her left and then swept across the room as for several steps she gave a rather Inyoku, Toriko strut forward as if she couldn't wait to get whatever this was over with.

Until she saw him.

Until he turned to see who had come in the room and he stopped breathing as their eyes locked. Her last couple of steps stripped away any pretense from before until she nearly stumbled at the last and came to a halt, just staring at him, arms at her sides.

Every little piece of her suddenly peeled away all at once and left her standing in the middle of the tables of the room looking so very young and vulnerable.

He shifted as if he might move to meet her, but for that same breath neither one of them so much as blinked.

"...Negi?" Her lips finally moved around the syllables as if she hardly dared to say them and she blinked rapidly now, a series of unreadable emotions dancing over her features.

"Iro." He murmured back and looked like he might smile.

Padding silently forward at last on those large, sandaled feet to close the distance between them, he seemed almost comical in size compared to her once they were closer. His hand twitched as if he wanted to shift the hairs that hung down the side of her face behind her ear.

"You've changed." He rumbled quietly.

She actually smiled back as she looked all the way up at his face.

"As have you."

He seemed almost self-conscious.

"Let's talk." He gestured back to the door she had just entered with a hand tipped with claws that were likely larger than most of her fingers.

Misaki let go of a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, struck with a sort of wonder as she realized suddenly, "...he never even saw me."

Across the room, the tension at Raion's shoulders immediately lifted as if his entire body had been compressed by the other's presence, a giant breath seeping out of his lungs as he stared in the direction they had gone.

"That's got to be the strongest Lion I've never felt."

The rest of his tankard disappeared in a single gulp past his lips. 3

Akihiko paused as Shikiyoku turned and headed inside, his smile ever the same as before as she disappeared inside the bar. He tilted his head back to look up at the clouds and took a deep breath of the evening air.

He appreciated the colors of the setting sun for the first time in what felt like an eternity. His eyelids closed for the briefest of moments and he remembered his lost mate with fondness, and perhaps a little less sadness than usual.

When he opened his eyes again it was to look down at the briefcase in his hand, and then the car he'd slid out of.

Amusement trickled through his being and he turned to make his way toward town again, in no hurry this time since he was sure Shikiyoku would be busy just long enough to give him the time he'd need.

~!**!~

Akari slammed her cards onto the table and turned a triumphant smile onto Tarou. "Pay up, buttercup!" She gestured with an open hand in a 'give it here' motion, and he obliged with a few bills and a cheeky grin.

"I let you win that one, sweetheart."

"Mmmhm, and I'll believe that when Spirit World makes a comeback. Now drink up." She slid a drink his direction and he downed it like it was water.

"Alright, I deal!"

Hiei shook his head at the bar and returned to his work, not missing the exchange between Shikiyoku and Kainegisu. He listened, interested in the familiarity, but unsurprised that the male had recognized Shikiyoku even in her more human form.

He turned his attention completely away as if to give them some privacy, and he traded places with one of the bartenders for a few moments to get to a certain bottle.

"Hello again," a sultry voice called to him, but he ignored the woman and returned to his own station, knowing that if he acknowledged her interest in any way, she'd be reaching across the bar for him again. *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku took a shaky breath into her mouth as her eyes darted back and forth, blinking back the tears that this whole time had been threatening to fall.

"I-I don't know, I-" She was saying, one hand clasped to her other elbow. "It's a lot."

"I know." He gently reached up and wiped at the tears threatening to fall below her eyelid. "It is not something I expected you to have an answer for me right away."

"I need time to think about it."

He nodded, then was hesitant.

"The other levels need you, Junai. I come here and I see great things, great progress. Meanwhile the rest of this plane is left to rot. And eventually what happens to the roots will affect the rest of the tree, no matter what great fruit it may bear."

She took a deep breath and let it out, but still said nothing.

"I think this is the best way."

It was her turn to nod, but the thought still made her core palpitate uncomfortably and she drew her lips into her mouth to move her tongue over them briefly.

"Just...think about it. Please."

Another nod.

He smiled a little, wishing desperately to pull her into his arms, "There are other things I need to attend to, but I will be back. Thank you...Iro. For listening."

She swallowed, a third nod as if she didn't trust herself to speak at first, "See you soon."

And then he left.

...

(Hiei...I-)

I love you.

(-need to return to work.) She told him, indicating she would not be coming back inside the bar as she turned and made her eventual way back towards the car. 3

The fire demon kept himself occupied even as he assessed the bond, its usual ebb and flow changed just enough to alert him to some sort of emotional disturbance, though he wasn't quite sure immediately what it was.

And when he registered it was tears, he glanced up at the door long enough that the drink he'd been pouring spilled over onto the bar. He shook his head and cleaned up his mess.

He worked silently until Shikiyoku's words of returning to work filtered through, and he wiped his hands on the cloth over his shoulder. "Excuse me," he mumbled to the people in front of him just before he disappeared out the door.

He was in front of Shikiyoku in less than a second, and while he wanted to ask her about the bond's disturbance and perhaps even if she'd stay, he understood she had been pulled from her work abruptly and instead he opted to gently plant a kiss to her lips.

For the first time, he didn't react to the height difference, as he'd been too distracted by her emotional state.

When he pulled away, a smile graced his features, calm and serene as he filled the bond with his own warmth. "I'll see you when you're done."

~!**!~

Akihiko let himself into Shikiyoku's office again, this time with a paper bag and a cup of coffee that he set carefully in the center of her paperwork so she would have no excuse to not eat and drink it first.

He scrawled a quick note.

Instead of a drink, here's dinner.

Don't overwork yourself.

He didn't sign it. He didn't have to.

He left just as quickly as he had come, going down the elevator and bidding adieu to the guard out front.

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of the dress shirt as he made his way to the bar again, a soft smile on his lips. *

~!**!~

Thoughts were roiling around so fiercely in her own mind that it wasn't until Hiei was already kissing her that Shikiyoku realized he was there.

She blinked down at him in surprise, eyes behind her glasses rimmed in a way that spoke of tears that had never quite fallen still shimmering in place at the edges of her lids.

Finally, she nodded a little, but hadn't looked away from him. 3

The fire demon didn't miss the unshed tears that threatened to fall from Shikiyoku's eyes. He carefully reached up to remove her glasses so that he could help clear her eyes of those tears.

He looked her up and down before he offered her his arm; he'd noticed the car not far from the bar, and had easily surmised that Shikiyoku had driven. (I'll walk you.) *

Shikiyoku closed her eyes as Hiei attended to her, only opening them a little when he had replaced her glasses, though now her gaze had fallen.

You're too good for me.

Silently, she took his arm and let him lead her back down the sidewalk, only letting go of him once they reached the bright yellow sporty number to half-sit half-lean her back against the driver's side door and face him, staring down at her feet.

"Hiei..." She began quietly, absently digging the toe of her shoe into the concrete. "H-...How would you feel about going back down to the Ninth?" 3

Hiei walked slowly with Shikiyoku's arm in his, hoping that she would have enough time to gather herself and giving her the option to talk with him about whatever was bothering her, if she so desired.

In the silence, he let the bond be filled with a wam calm and, he hoped, a feeling of safety.

He stopped just by the car and had been intending to open the door for her when she instead leaned against it. He gave her another once over as she seemed to gather the courage to speak.

His expression never changed. "For how long?" *

Her lips parted and then shut again just as quickly, still not looking at him.

"...for good." 3

"Hm."

Hiei took a moment to look around them, as if considering the question. After a few beats, he turned to face her again and reached for her hands, taking them in his own in the hopes that it might help her feel comfortable enough to look at him.

"Is that what you want?" *

She couldn't help staring at his hands as he held hers in them, his grasp warm and gentle and strong.

After a long moment, she finally looked up at him with the barest of smiles.

"...that's not what I asked, flameboy." 3

Hiei didn't mind that she took to staring at their intertwined hands instead of the concrete or her feet. He much preferred that to the latter.

His lips tilted up in a small smile when she looked up to him finally, though his was perhaps a more patient one.

"No, but your answer directly affects my own." He moved to lean against the car next to her, releasing one of her hands but keeping hold of her right in his left. "In honesty, I'd go wherever you wanted to go, so long as you'd be happy there." He turned a serious stare on her. "I would rather you be where you're happy than be somewhere where you're not." *

Shikiyoku let out a chuckle and shook her head, though she did feel at least a little better.

She sighed and leaned her head against the car to stare up at the sky, still smiling a little. "You're no help, flameboy."

After another moment, she started to rise to get ready to leave. 3

Hiei didn't respond at first, instead thinking about all the options that might had been a topic that would have Shiki so unsure and upset at the prospect of being on the Ninth.

Sure, he'd thought that Kainegisu would be asking her to be his Mate, and who was he to stop someone from asking her? Ultimately, he knew that was her decision, no matter how he felt about it.

But he didn't think that would have warranted tears.

So when Shikiyoku began to move away, he tightened his grip on her hand ever so slightly.

"You're not asking to go down there just to live there." It wasn't a question. And as he studied her face, he figured that if she wanted him to help her make a decision that would affect them both, he could likely do better with the details. "What exactly did he ask of you, my Beloved?" *

Shikiyoku didn't quite make it off of the car before he spoke up again, but she also didn't lean back completely up against it once he asked.

She swallowed, unsure if she could manage to say it.

"He wants..."

"He thinks..."

The breath she meant to take to steady herself was a little shaky.

"He believes that together he and I can fix whatever's wrong with the world. And...part of that is he and I leading the tribes back to their former glory."

Another scream darted across her mind and this time she flinched, lips pulled tightly into her mouth between her teeth as she tried to forget the faces of the ones she'd been meant to dance together who instead tore themselves apart. 3

Hiei listened patiently, half with his ears and half with the Bond. He knew that whatever it was the other had asked of her was more than a little troubling to her, and that her talking about it would be even more so.

He didn't miss the wording of 'he and I', indicating the pair becoming Mates. But in the moment, that was perhaps his least concerning detail as she spoke of reuniting the tribes.

He didn't forget the faces of Douji and his tribe as the Infection had swept through and the Lur'Mogs had done as they could to prevent its spread. And he didn't forget the look on Shikiyoku's face either as it happened.

"(Hey.)" He called to her in every way he could even as he pushed away from the car and stood in front of her. His hands found her cheeks again and he gently tipped her face down so that when she opened her eyes, she could meet his gaze. "(I'm right here.)"

His energy slowly began to ebb and flow in gentle, controlled waves of warmth around them, surrounding her in his energy and his presence. "(Right now, you're here, with me. And we'll get through it. Whatever the decision is, you will be fine.)"

He stretched onto the tips of his toes, finally noticing that she was in heels and that it was probably a hindrance in this moment, and he placed a kiss first on her cheek, then her nose, and then the corner of her mouth before he pulled away again.

"(The decision does not have to be made right now, Shikiyoku.)" *

She took in a breath and started speaking all at once, "Hiei, he wants me to dance for them." The tears from before started pouring down the sides of her face. "He wants me to dance for them and bind all the tribes together under our banner. And-"

Her words failed, but then memory took its place.

It did not sting nearly as much as it did before the first time the Consort bond had divided her grief between them, but the bond shivered as she recalled it: the last time she had danced for over a thousand of years. Her Champion unable to stop the ritual, her unable to stop her dancing, both of them broken for different reasons as all around them the bodies that had been brought together by her energy, turned on one another and she felt every single one as they tore each other apart.

She sniffed, "...but he thinks it would fix everything." 3

The very moment tears started rolling down her face, Hiei was wiping them away with his thumbs. He listened patiently with a nod of his head as she began to let it all out, and even as the memory took over the bond, he found he was able to multitask enough to both witness the memory and tend to Shikiyoku without neglecting one or the other.

He could feel her pain, her fear, her panic, and her devastation even at its halved state.

He took the towel from his shoulder, thankfully a clean and fresh one that had replaced the one he'd cleaned his spill up with earlier, and he used that to help with the tears that flowed freely.

"Here." He tugged her a little further forward and pulled the door open behind her so that he could guide her to sit half in and half out of the car. He crouched in front of her and held one of her hands in his while his other continued to tend to the tears.

He didn't say anything for a long while, instead contemplating the future that had been presented to her and the past she would have to face in order to achieve said future. And, were he to be honest, he was almost quite sure that Shikiyoku's strength added to that of Kainegisu's….

While he didn't know much of anything about what it meant to truly be mates, he did know that they shared power. And Shiki alone had what felt to him an endless supply of power.

Add that to Kainegisu's obvious strength and… level head, and Hiei…

Almost…

Maybe….

Could have admitted that he was not enough to help Shikiyoku in such endeavors. If she chose to pursue that life, he…. Could only see it able to happen with the more down-to-earth demon who had been bantering with him in the bar.

Of course, from their conversation, Hiei could infer that even when Shikiyoku took a Mate, he would still be her Consort. Otherwise she likely wouldn't even ask him what he thought of going to the Ninth 'for good'.

His expression suddenly broke into an odd smile as his hands came to rest on her legs, and this time it was his turn to turn his eyes to the ground. "I mean.." He took a deep breath. "I wouldn't like it." He sat back on his feet and let out that same breath. *

Shikiyoku choked on a laugh, her tears having just about come up dry as she wiped the back of a finger underneath her eye.

"What wouldn't you like, fire prince? My terrible dancing?" She almost sounded teasing at this rate. 3

Amidst his attempt to organize her thoughts, knowing fully well that she would ask what it was he wouldn't like, he found himself staring up at Shikiyoku. He watched as she wiped at her face and made a sound he almost thought was a laugh.

And when she spoke, it was with the very question he'd been trying to prepare for.

And instead of him having an answer, he blinked at her self-deprecation, and then a sudden laugh forced its way from his lungs in surprise.

He shook his head as if to shake away the laugh and leaned forward until his forehead rested on her knees, obviously mindful of the exposed, half-open Jagan.

He took a breath.

"I suppose…." he began in a grumble, all traces of his sudden laugh gone, "that if it had to be anyone, it wouldn't be the absolute worst to have himbe your Mate."

Though he definitely wished it would not end up the case. *

Shikiyoku leaned her side against the frame of the car and watched as Hiei's face became hidden against her.

She sighed and little bits of her energy sparked up into the air around her, though she opened one eye when Hiei started to speak again and the second eye quickly followed when she realized what he was saying.

For some reason...her core felt lighter than it had in a long while, as if his admission lifted from her this great weight she'd been carrying around without realizing it.

Absently, one of her hands had come up near his ear and started stroking through his hair and she smiled at him as they sat there before hiding her gleaming eyes behind her eyelids.

(Thank you.)3

As Shikiyoku's hand found his head and began to move through his hair, Hiei felt his tense shoulders immediately go lax. He let out a long, slow breath and let his eyelids close.

A part of him felt tired all of a sudden, but the rest of him felt supercharged. He was aware on some level that he hadn't done much but work at the bar since Shikiyoku's departure, but now that he was in her company, he knew he could go just as long as she needed him to.

When she decided she was ready to go back to work, he'd do the same.

But in the meantime, he let his energy warm the air around them and his head rest on her knees. And when she thanked him, his smile tugged the edges of his lips upwards and warmed the bond just a little more.

(Whatever you decide, I'm here.) *

She grew a little more somber as he said as much, reminded of the initial point of their conversation.

(That's good...because I certainly couldn't do it without you in any case.)

She really needed to go at this point, but not for the first time she couldn't bring herself to tear away from the contact he'd initiated, though she watched wryly as a spark or two flitted down her legs and gave her enjoyment away. 3

Hiei gave a small smile to himself, thinking that Shikiyoku was much more capable than she would ever know or admit to herself, and yet knowing she'd likely argue with him on the matter.

So he simply let himself rest there, enjoying Shikiyoku's presence while he had her there, and letting his energy hopefully help her remain in the current state she was in.

A sort of content came to rest over him, and for the first time he recognized the odd little energy change happening within himself that would have indicated a few little snowflakes, if not for the heat he was already exuding.

I missed you. I'm glad you came to the bar, even if for a few minutes. *

"Mm. I could sit here forever, Hiei-" She chuckled a little, her hand still moving through his hair, fingers gently running over his scalp, where sparks of energy had started dancing between her digits, "But I should really get back to work." 3

Hiei gave a little hum of affirmation and a smile at her chuckle. He definitely didn't miss the energy in his hair, or the aroma that began to perfume the air as Shikiyoku's energy mingled with his own.

"You really should…." he mumbled, though he definitely made no motion to move away. It was simply too comfortable where he was. And she didn't seem in any hurry at the moment either. *

She finally laughed and sat up, though she leaned over and started massaging both sets of her fingertips against his scalp, a definite gleam in her eyes.

"How am I supposed to kiss you goodbye when you won't even look up at me, flameboy?" She murmured at a lower, velvety pitch probably much like the one his patron had been trying to use on him earlier without much success. 3

Despite his better judgement and the little voice that said this might, maybe backfire on him, Hiei's response came quickly and in a low, teasing tone.

"Well, you see, I'm quite enjoying what's happening now, and I'll still get a goodbye kiss when you decide you're done massaging my scalp, woman."

She's going to dazzle me so I don't get my goodbye kiss. *

Shikiyoku's eyebrows rose up above the rims of her glasses in surprise at him admitting to his enjoyment, though the tiny part of her who never quite believed him whispered to her in the back of her mind.

Shikiyoku's fingers stopped moving. Then she pulled her hands from his hair.

One arm rested across her thighs as that hand cradled the other elbow and she placed her face against her knuckles and sat there waiting, staring at him, more energy beginning to buzz along her skin as her lips settled into a patient smirk. 3

Yeah. I knew it.

Shikiyoku's fingers retreating from his hair was both amusing and sad all at once, and he let out a small sigh for his loss.

After a brief moment he lifted his head from her knees and sat back on his feet, his arms resting on his legs as he balanced in front of her. He looked her up and down, a slow smile finding his lips. Even after the tears she'd shed, he saw nothing but beauty in her.

"(Ah. The Picture of Perfection.)" *

By the time Hiei sat back, Shikiyoku's head had tilted just slightly to the side, watching him, same patient little smile waiting on her lips.

She shook her head at his comment, the smile widening a little in response, before she finally reached out to him, resting her hands on either side of his neck just under his jaw and shifting her body forward so she could meet him halfway as she pulled him in to kiss her. 3

Hiei took a moment to appreciate Shikiyoku and all of her glittering glory, a sort of affection and warmth settling over his entire being. He noticed that the sparks seemed more prominent than he remembered them to be, but by the time he thought about it, her hands were on his skin and he was tugged closer.

He braced himself with his hands on her thighs so that he could meet her for the kiss she'd initiated, and he definitely leaned a little further into it than he remembered doing recently. *

For some reason, this time she set about kissing him with the distinct intention of leaving him breathless, as if his earlier thought where she might dazzle and run was heard and she meant to prove him just about as wrong as she possibly could.

And quite frankly...he hadn't turned her down yet...3

Hiei welcomed this kiss and its intensity with every fiber of his being, some part of him realizing that he'd been hoping for this for a while now. And so he didn't want to be the first to pull away, and he fought against that until he was literally unable to fight against it any longer.

When he pulled away, it was to take a gulp of air and give a lopsided grin at the woman who'd left him all but gasping.

He took her hands in his before she could move very far. "Before you decide to be Mates with Kainegisu, I want you to know that I still want you as my Mate." *

Shikiyoku sat smiling at him as his hands reached up to cover her own where they still rested again his neck, as if he feared she would move away sooner than he wanted her to.

Her thumbs gently stroked back and forth over his jaw as he spoke and this time at his question, for the first time, her eyes softened with such tenderness, even as they glittered behind her glasses with fragments of yellow energy, her fragrance still lazily maneuvering through the air around them.

She didn't think she'd ever told him how this whole Infected business was her fault. How she had been, essentially, Patient Zero, as it was. Sure, she'd had her Crusnik unlocked somehow by that demon who had the mansion on the Seventh, but she's the one who ran off and started the entire mess.

And now Kainegisu was offering her a way to fix it, offering to share the burden with her in the same way he had done millennia before when her dance had revealed his true nature to her and he approached without ulterior motive to share in her company.

He was powerful now, there was no doubt. His aura was polar opposite from Mukuro, so unlike the latter, he didn't give her the willys because of it. But for the first time in a long time, she found someone besides Hiei being whom she had difficulty reading, which did make her uncomfortable around him in spite of their past.

In the next moment, Shikiyoku was grinning at Hiei and such mischievousness glimmered in her eyes as she teased, her nose not even an inch from his own, "Ask me in a week." 3

The softness of her thumbs stroking his skin coupled with the look he'd never seen her give him before had Hiei breathless all over again. The gulp of air he'd taken suddenly dissipated from his lungs as if he'd never gulped it down, and he felt his own expression soften.

Her grin took him by surprise for only a moment, but his own expression didn't change even as mischief danced in her irises. He met her gaze steadily even as the distance between their noses coaxed a bit more of his energy into activity.

And then she spoke, and a million emotions flew threw him.

She wasn't turning him down this time! Or brushing him off!

The bond positively hummed with his excitement, and before he could stop himself, he closed the distance between them and kissed her soundly on the lips.

(I will.)

When he pulled away this time, he stood and placed one last kiss, this time on her forehead, and pulled away. "I'll see you soon, my Beloved." When she was turned in her seat facing the steering wheel, Hiei shut the door and stood back to watch Shikiyoku drive back to the city and out of his sight, his smile unwavering.

Hiei returned to his station at the bar as if he'd never left. He picked up orders and had them ready in the blink of an eye, and even before he'd taken a second breath he had traded trays with one of the passing waitresses who welcomed him back from his 'break' with perhaps a knowing smile.

He couldn't quite help the little smile he returned to her with his thanks before she disappeared behind the denizens at his station.

He filled a few more orders before someone specifically called out to him, and he raised his head to look at Ikigai as he managed to squeeze himself between two barstools and lean against the counter.

"Hey, Hiei! I wanna try something different. Something new. Is that ok?"

The fire demon studied his guildie for a moment before he gave a nod. "I think I can do that." He considered the drinks that he knew Gai liked as he began to pull bottles from the bar. "Do you have any special requests?"

"Nah, do whatever you think will taste good!"

Hiei nodded and plucked a couple more bottles from the wall before he turned to face Gai again, "Tall?"

"Yeah. We're starting a new game and I'll be over there a while."

He procured a glass from the shelf under the bar and set to mixing, amused at the sounds of curiosity Gai made when this color mixed with that color. And when it was done, Hiei slid the blue-purple-black mix to the other, who oohed and awed.

"It looks like a galaxy, Boss!"

Easily amused as always, I see. "If you admire it for too long, it won't be as good."

"Oh! Right!"

Hiei set to work on another larger order as Gai took a sip from the tall, curved glass. And when he heard a quite pleased sound from the younger demon, a satisfied little smile played across his expression, though he said nothing.

A few minutes went by as he worked in silence, and he only realized Gai was still hovering when he passed a tray over the other's shoulder. Hiei paused in his work and leaned forward against the bartop.

"Something bothering you, Gai?"

Ikigai's head snapped up and he gave a sheepish smile; Hiei was not one of the ones who usually called Ikigai by his shorter nickname. "Ah… well…." He turned down to his drink again, suddenly very self conscious when pinned under his boss's unwavering stare. "You see…"

Hiei gave a little hm behind his smile as he leaned away. "No rush." I'm here all night.

A few more minutes went by and several trays were swapped before Ikigai cleared his throat and looked up again. "Hiei." Of course, with the use of his name instead of the title of 'boss', the fire demon gave the other his full attention. "You make jewelry, right?"

"I do."

"Like, rings and stuff?"

"All sorts, but rings are indeed one of the many things I can make."

"...How much would you charge if I asked you to make a couple of rings?"

"That depends on a lot of things, Gai." Hiei watched the other's face fall for a split second before he turned down to a line of drinks to make. "It depends on the size and style, the stones and jewels you'd want to incorporate, and the metal itself." He slid several glasses down the bar. "Do you have an idea of what you want?"

"Well, actually…. They're for this girl - you know the human I had with me at the dance?" Hiei nodded. "Well, I've been seeing her for a while, and I really like her. A lot." Hiei watched the other fidget with his glass, a redness finding the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears. "And, I mean, in her time, we've been together for a long time. Like, three years. And humans don't live very long, but I really really want to be her Mate…. Husband…. And I…. kind of need…. A ring to do that with…."

Hiei reached across the bar and set a hand on Ikigai's shoulder. "I can make a ring."

"Really?"

Hiei nodded and retreated, his hands returning to work. "If you want, I can make it personalized to her specifically."

"Seriously?! How?"

A smirk turned one of the corners of his lips up. "It's how I've always made jewelry. All of my pieces are inspired by someone." He glanced up to meet the gaze of a passing waitress and give a nod, then a shake of his head, and another nod.

"I've been looking into the human traditions, and I think they usually use two rings? One to propose with and one for the actual… Marriage! That's the word."

"I can make a set, if you want. A pair of rings that go together, so when you propose she has the one, and the second can sit on her finger next to the first when it comes time to give it to her." He didn't know anything at all about marriage ceremonies, but he did know jewelry. "Do you have a date you want them by?"

"Next week, if you can?"

Hiei nodded. "I could have it done by Wednesday."

"How much do I owe you?"

Hiei took a moment to think about the human he'd met at the dance he'd orchestrated, and he found it was easier to make a design based on what he knew of her than he had originally thought. And it was quite a simple design, though he had no doubt it would turn out beautiful.

He gave the price telepathically and gave a small smile at the shock that dawned across Gai's face. "You sure? You're not giving me a discount, are you?"

Hiei shook his head. "The design I have in mind will be using materials primarily found here on the First Level, so there's no extra cost for getting the materials elsewhere."

"If you say so…" He began to dig into his pockets and Hiei held a hand up to stop him.

"Pay me when you see the finished project. If you don't like it, I'll remake it for a discount."

The other nodded and gave a sheepish smile. "It's a deal."

~!**!~

Akari finished the last of her drink and tossed her cards to Chisai, who raised a brow at her and snatched them from the table. He opened his mouth to say something, but turned instead to look at Ikigai as he took his seat next to the blue-haired demon again. "Finally decide on a drink?"

Akari stared at the colorful contents. "What's that one called? It looks pretty."

"I dunno. Hiei made it when I asked to try something new." He held it up in her direction. "I don't mind if you try it, though."

Akari shook her head quickly. "No, no, that's fine. Thank you."

Akihiko, who had slipped back into the game unnoticed some time before then, leaned closer to her to murmur, "I think your phone is ringing."

Akari listened for a moment before she turned in her chair, ignoring the extra spinning of the room at her abrupt movement, and dug through her purse for the phone that most definitely was ringing.

By the time she fished it from the depths, the call went to voicemail and a text had come through. She listened first to the voicemail, plugging her other ear with her finger to drown out Tarou's excited yelling next to her, and then read the text to confirm that the new schedule for her shop had indeed been sent.

She blinked and held the phone screen closer to her face, squinting at the numbers as if they'd change. "Well, shit." I'm gonna be hungover tomorrow, and I'll be going shopping for the interior stuff! She typed up a quick reply to the texts, keeping it short since she was well aware of her own drunken state, and she shoved her phone back into her purse and stood, throwing its strap over one shoulder.

"Leaving so soon, sweetheart? The sun's only just gone down, and the party's just starting!"

Akari turned to smile at Tarou, whose face was about as red as she imagined her own to be. "Thank you for your company, Tarou. Sadly, I have a meeting in the morning, and-"

"Well how're you gettin' home, then?"

She pat his shoulder kindly. "I'll manage."

And with that, she approached Hiei at the bar, paid her tab, and was out the door. She walked a bit unsteadily towards home before she reached down to pull off her heels, and continued the rest of the way home barefoot.

Tomorrow will be fun! *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku almost laughed at the amount of response she got from the bond from her little tease. Part of her didn't think he'd take her quite so seriously.

The other part of her knew how upset with her he'd be if he knew that.

In either case, she said nothing about it, a stream of sparkles radiating outward from her lips across her face as he kissed her again and if she thought for a second he truly wanted to be her mate, she might not have let him go so easily.

It was so very easy to kiss him.

But thankfully for her schedule, they let one another go freely and she sped back across town much more recklessly alone than she had with Akihiko in the car, pulling onto the ramp that opened up in the concrete as she approached and driving down into the unseen parking garage below Minamino Corp.

When she walked back into her office and saw all the piles of paperwork on her desk, she sighed as she slipped her blazer from her shoulders and tossed it onto a vacant chair, went to stand in front of her progress, and began to reorient herself from where she left off.

The first time she reached down near her waist to the set of papers right in the front, she blinked suddenly and lifted her glasses up to the top of her head.

Instead of a drink, here's dinner.

Don't overwork yourself.

She picked up the note and found a fond expression fighting its way across her face.

He hadn't actually come in the bar behind her, had he? She didn't think much of it at the time. She was a little...uh...distracted to say the least.

She really didn't want to bother with eating. It would take time she already didn't have, not to mention the fact that if she ate while working, she would probably just drop part of it on one of her papers and-

As she made mental protests for all the reasons why she did not want to mess with this right now, her hands were opening the nondescript bag and she leaned her face over it when the scent hit her and her mouth immediately started salivating.

A long strip of what looked like blank receipt paper sat half-curled on top of the box inside and Shikiyoku could just make out the kanji of another note written along the length of it.

Now curious, she pulled it out.

Hey, dummy!

My man here says you think you're too busy to eat.

Food's important, even for a demon who thinks they're hot stuff and don't need it.

Made yah some hirata buns so there's no excuse! Eat and work.

-Urameshi

Shikiyoku scoffed out a laughed. He'd even drawn ugly little faces alongside his chicken scratch, and she could just hear his voice echoing inside her head as he stuck his tongue out at her and made the juvenile, inappropriate gestures he'd drawn them making to her face.

She huffed out a curse at him as she took the bag and coffee off her desk and left them to the side.

It wasn't five minutes later before she was munching on one as she frantically typed one-handed on the glowing screen before her.

She sighed when the next time she looked up it was almost midnight.

Coffee and buns were long gone, their trash in her trash can. And she grabbed for her phone, fully expecting to be sent to voicemail as she was.

"Sorry to bother you so late, Ms. Hanase. I am texting you the updated schedule for the construction process. They will begin in a few hours as you will see. If you are available in the morning and do not wish to be present for the construction at that time, I have suggested an hour at which your assigned interior designer can begin to take you through the process of the decorating of the café as you requested."

The text was sent and Shikiyoku turned back down to her paperwork, surprised that her phone received a returning buzz just a few minutes after the other.

Especially if Tarou and alcohol had been involved, even with Akari's quite visceral reaction to Kurama just a few hours earlier. Tarou was many things, including a rough sort of charming when he wished.

Shikiyoku knew on some level Shuichi had been courting Akari even as Youko Kurama pursued herself. While she had not cared to pry for graphic details about Kurama's very obvious downturn, fearing a regression initially, Shikiyoku had no doubts it was associated with his time spent with Yomi. She knew that part of his past quite intimately and could only imagine the glee with which Yomi sought to manipulate his former guild mate, and the resulting defenses Shuichi employed to protect the women he loved or even possibly loved, his mother being of course in the first category of those.

In any case, the Shuichi Akari met now-truly "Kurama" as to Shikiyoku's knowledge the human and demon souls were now fully one being-was likely a perfect representation of what Akari had once lost: the fully grown, matured man of the teenaged Shuichi she first met, instead of the twisted, hollow figure Shikiyoku stumbled across after his selfish dabbling with her neko waitress.

I apologize for missing your call, and yes, that time looks great for meeting with the interior designer. Thank you for the update, and I look forward to seeing the progress all around!

...it made Shikiyoku wonder exactly what state she would find Akari in once morning came.

~!**!~

At one time, Toriko likely would have been standing in front of Akari's apartment door holding a sleek, professional black bag of some kind. It would have had a clipboard in it, upon which Shikiyoku would write just about everything that could possibly be of use to her later.

Now, however, Toriko no longer did so, and stood empty-handed at the threshold. The effect of her clients being more impressed she could remember it all off the top of her head was just a convenient by-product of the fact she had done away with such pretense shortly after realizing she no longer looked at the clipboard for any prompts.

At precisely the appointed time, Toriko rang the doorbell, a brief moment of amusement scattering across her features as all at once a torrent of barking began from just on the other side of the door. 3

Nabu had woken sometime in the early morning, as was routine for him these days. And usually, Akari would be up too, getting ready for her day and making sure to give him and Kiyoko their breakfast. But he also knew that on the days she slept in, she didn't have work and usually needed the rest.

He figured that was the case this morning as he quietly hopped from the bed and to the floor, careful not to rouse his friend who had come home quite drunk the night before. He made his way to the water bowl, his claws making click-clacking sounds on the hardwood floors.

"I've never seen her come home like that before. Is that usual?"

Nabu took a few drinks from their shared water bowl before he looked up at Kiyoko, who stepped up to the water bowl next. "Not usually. I think something happened. I don't think she's ever done that since I met her."

Nabu moved towards the couch in the living area, only pausing for a brief moment to look back and let Kiyoko catch up. "Well, I hope that-"

Kiyoko paused as Nabu's head whipped to the door, his ears at attention and his nose twitching. He listened to the footsteps moving closer to the door, and after a beat he scurried to the frame and stuck his nose to the cracks. He sniffed at what he could of the air outside, quietly at first, and the female turned her head curiously at him. Then the doorbell rang.

Nabu's first bark startled Kiyoko, his excitement keeping him from making any actual words with the sound.

In the next moment he tore from the room, barking at the top of his little lungs. "AKARI! AKA! AKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!"

Kiyoko rounded the corner to the bedroom and watched in mild amusement as a pillow smacked into Nabu's body. "Nabu, shhhhh." Akari's voice was hoarse and barely more than a whisper.

"AKARI SPARKLESISOUTSIDE AND I THINK YOU NEED TO GET UP AND AKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!" He was positively spinning in circles on the bed, forcing Akari to sit up and grab him to make him stop.

Kiyoko, understanding that the person outside was likely a friend and someone who might help Akari through whatever it was that had brought her home drunk the night before, turned and padded her way to the door. "I'll get it."

As she worked on getting her paws up to the door, she made a point to ignore the excitement in the other room so she could concentrate, and finally, after what felt like an hour, the door came open just enough that she could drop to the floor and nudge it open with her nose.

Kiyoko looked up at the smartly dressed woman and gave a little head turn, assessing the other's general state of being and aura.

The white dog gave a little sigh and a slow wag of her tail. "Well, am I glad you're here." With that, she turned and began to lead the way to the bedroom, pausing only briefly to look back at the other and make sure she was following.

~!**!~

Akari sat up all at once and grabbed the spinning dog with both hands. She plucked him up from the comforter and held him elevated over the bed, relieved when he immediately stilled and went silent.

Her muscles definitely protested, though not quite so much as her head did from all the noise he'd been making. "Nabu. Stop screaming."

"AKA-"

She gave a little shake, gentle and only meant to get his attention. "Stop that. It hurts."

"Sorry. But you gotta get up, because-"

Akari lowered him to the bed again and pat him on the head patiently, "Wake me up when my alarm goes off. Otherwise, ssshhhh." She felt the exhaustion and the headache increase what felt like a hundred times what it was, and she lowered herself to her pillow again.

Shed just gotten comfortable when her alarm began to scream at her too, and she gave a groan that drowned out the sound of Nabu jumping from the bed and running from the room.

Dammit. I should've asked for a later time.

She rolled over to turn off the alarm, her hand simply dropping onto the button. When it instead snoozed, she sat up and was fiddling with how to cancel the alarm altogether when she noticed the time.

When Nabu tore into the room this time, she knew it was to announce someone was at the door. Well…. shit. *

Certainly, Toriko found herself surprised with the fluffy white dog who nosed the door open and backed up as if inviting her inside.

If she knew any better, she would have sworn she'd heard-

BARK. BARKBARKBARK.

-Nabu.

Toriko smiled out in the direction of the frantic noises, watching this second dog who definitely appeared to look at her to follow.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her as she moved further into the apartment, only to be nearly bowled over by the canine she had initially expected who immediately circled her once and in the midst of his over-enthusiastic sprint dashed back the way he came before she even had a chance to say his name.

Almost laughing, Toriko kept going until she stood in the open doorway and saw Akari squinting at her phone with Nabu on the bed in a play-bow pointed Akari's direction, tongue lolling as he yipped again.

Absently, by way of silent introduction, Toriko leaned over just far enough for the hand at her side to be in front of the nose of the other, fluffier dog that had come to stop and sit alongside her as she stood in the doorway.

Giving the dog a subsequent pat, without a word Toriko moved into the room and over to the closet, beginning to rifle her way through the clothes. 3

Whatever it was Nabu said, it fell on deaf ears as Akari looked up from her phone to spy possibly the very last person she would have wanted to see in her apartment at that moment. Horror overtook her dread as she realized that the interior decorator was the very same person who had been getting her entire shop rebuilt for her, and that that same person was now in her home and completely aware of… well, everything that Akari was this morning. A mess.

"I like her," Kiyoko piped in a quiet little huff as she followed Inyoku to the closet, her tail moving almost lazily from side to side. "It's too bad I hadn't met her earlier."

"I told you you'd like her!"

Akari dropped her face into her hands for the briefest of moments, massaging her temples against the awful headache that had only worsened with her sudden stress. "I am so sorry," she grumbled against her palms before she dropped them to the covers and slid out of bed. I'm an idiot and I drank too much and- "I'll be ready in, like, ten minutes." Everything hurts.

She began to move from the room, intending on disappearing to the bathroom to straighten herself out and fix her hair and makeup. *

"No, you won't." Toriko asserted as she met Akari at the door to the bathroom, holding a set of clothes and passing them to her before ushering her beyond the door. "Here's these. Take a warm shower, not hot. After you turn the water on, take your makeup off before you climb in. The mirror will steam up and you won't be able to see properly to do it after."

She turned and left, promptly shutting the door behind her.

Toriko turned to the dogs in the room.

"Have you two been let out yet? Does she usually walk you in the mornings?" 3

A sort of resignation settled over Akari as the other met her at the door and passed her a change of clothes. When she glanced at the outfit picked out for her, she noticed with added horror that she was in the same outfit she had been in the night before, and she couldn't stop the little sigh that escaped her.

She nodded at the other to say she heard and understood her instructions before she stepped further into the bathroom.

"What a state I'm in," she grumbled to herself as Toriko shut the door to the bathroom. She stood in the middle of the room and let her emotions run their course for a few moments, a hand wiping at her face self consciously.

After she gave herself a moment to recompose herself a little, she did as was told and turned the shower to hot, washed her face clean of the previous night's makeup, and then stepped into the shower.

The sigh that left her this time was one of relief as the warm water cascaded over her messy hair and tired muscles. She forgot briefly that someone else was in her apartment and simply let herself enjoy the water before she finally did set to getting herself clean.

In the next room, Nabu jumped from the bed and ran circles in front of Shikiyoku's feet. Kiyoko pawed at him briefly when he gave even a short hint that he might jump up onto the woman, and he satisfied himself with sitting at Shikiyoku's feet, tail wagging furiously. "It's good to see you again! You're looking good, I like the outfit! How's Grumpy? The Grouchy one, yknow? Do you still work at the bar? I haven't visited in a while and-"

"Nabu."

He whipped his head to Kiyoko, tongue lolling as he panted for breath. "Yeah?"

If she could have smiled, Kiyoko would have had quite the fond one for the male sitting next to her. Instead, she turned to look up at Shikiyoku briefly, and then the door, and back to her. "He hasn't been out yet."

"You haven't either!"

"...I can wait." *

Toriko's interactions with animals were rare enough that she found herself surprised when, while she could not understand what they said directly, she gleaned bits and pieces of their desires, read their body language, though it was a bit like being introduced to a foreign language she did not speak, where only occasionally could she pick out words she associated with others she already knew.

Initially, she dropped down to her knees when she noticed Nabu wanting to jump up to meet her and sat back on her heels while she gave his fluffy cheeks a good roughing and murmured with a smile about how handsome he was and how glad she was to see him too.

After a moment, she pulled her hands back to her lap and looked at both of them.

"Is it a walk, then? Are there leashes somewhere or do you take care of yourselves until you come back and scratch at the door?" 3

Nabu made sounds of happiness as Shikiyoku scratched at his cheeks, his eyes closing and his tail going as fast as it could manage. He reveled in the much appreciated attention for as long as he was able.

When she asked if they went for a walk, he was quickly at the door, spinning and wishing he did actually have a leash so that she would go with them.

Kiyoko, however, calmly scratched twice on the door and turned to Nabu. "I know you're excited, but she's taking care of Akari. She should probably stay here."

Nabu whined at her. "That's no fair! I haven't seen her in forever!"

"Well, if you're fast enough, she'll still be here when we get back." Kiyoko turned to look up at Shikiyoku again, "I'm pretty sure she's what Akari needs right now."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." *

Toriko unfolded herself from the floor to stand up, smiling at the pair as if she could just imagine what they were saying to one another.

I want her to come!

She needs to stay here.

Toriko opened the door and grinned, "Bark three times for me when you need back in, yeah?"

She shut the door after them and turned to move towards the kitchen, laying her blazer over the back of a chair and rolling up her sleeves, beginning not only breakfast for Akari but rummaging through the cabinets until she figured out what the dogs were usually given. 3

Kiyoko, aware that the other likely couldn't understand what she and Nabu were saying, gave a short yip in confirmation before she raced Nabu out the door and down the steps of the apartment building.

Akari turned the water off and reached for a towel in the nearby cabinet, and she pat her face dry first before wrapping that towel around herself and reaching for a second one. She wrapped her hair in that towel and squeezed as much water from her hair as possible.

She dried herself off and began to slowly dress, thankful that Toriko had chosen one of her more comfortable and light outfits and more than a little appreciative of the other's patience.

On the other side of the door, she was aware of a rummaging that paused when three crisp, wordless barks sounded from outside, and the softest of smiles found Akari's lips as she realized Toriko was also caring for Nabu and Kiyoko.

It put to ease her earlier embarrassment just a little.

Once dressed she pulled the mirror cabinet door open grabbed at the lone bottle of pain meds. She tipped a few pills from its bottle and turned to pad, barefoot, from the bathroom to the kitchen. *

Toriko paused mid-breakfast prep and opened the door for the dogs, knowing they'd find their meals nearby on their own as she quickly darted back to the kitchen.

Not quite finished, she was surprised when she caught Akari shuffling into the room half-ready, but smiled and nodded to the large glass of water waiting for the other.

She gave the woman a once-over, pushing her glasses back father up her nose, before turning her attention back to the rice she had started to pile into a bowl from the rice cooker she'd found sitting out on the counter.

"If you find your bones ache too much to finish your hair, come back out and eat and we'll take care of it once you've had food." 3

Akari hadn't immediately noticed the aroma in the apartment, but it was unmistakable once she entered the kitchen and set eyes on the woman making breakfast. For a brief moment her embarrassment returned, half ashamed that this person she'd been looking up to felt as if she needed to care for her.

But she pushed that away and settled for gratefulness instead as she reached for the glass of water on the counter, glad to see that it was the largest one she owned. I could so hug you right now if it didn't hurt and wasn't inappropriate.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully at Toriko instead of saying her thoughts, and she tossed the pills in her mouth, swallowed, and washed those down with three large gulps of water.

She was turning to leave the room when Toriko spoke again, and her smile grew ever so slightly. "I… really appreciate you." With that she turned to head back to the bathroom, but not before catching a glimpse of Nabu and Kiyoko finishing their own breakfast and moving towards Toriko.

Akari didn't bother to shut the door behind herself this time. She set her glass of water on the edge of the sink and pulled the towel from her hair, wincing at the protest in her arms and shoulders, but determined to be ready in a suitable fashion.

It took a great effort to comb through her hair, and even as gentle as she was, it definitely did not help the headache that teetered on the edge of migraine territory. She paused halfway through her hair, leaving the tool where it had gotten stuck and letting her arms fall to her sides.

She wasn't frustrated yet, but she definitely could be.

She gave her arms a brief break before she tried to untangle it from her hair again, and instead it seemed to insist on being exactly where it was. ….Today's gonna be a difficult hair day too, huh?

Resignation fell over her again and she glanced out the door and to the hallway, gave one more attempt at removing the comb, and then her stubbornness died with the very last of her pride and she shuffled back towards the kitchen.

"...I need help…" *

Toriko bustled around and finished up plating all of the food, just placing down the last little bowl with the miso in it on the coffee table in the other room-the only surface where Akari would be able to sit and eat since there were no bar stools for the counter in the kitchen nor even a table with chairs.

She imagined Akari did not entertain much company on a regular basis.

At the sound of Akari coming back into the room, Toriko made a noise of consternation and swept over to her, "Akari Hanase." She admonished, "Do you always brush your hair when it's wet?" Circling the girl, Toriko began carefully extracting the wide-toothed comb and once she had it in hand, bustling her over to the couch to have her sit, standing over her with her hands on her hips and staring at her until she began eating. 3

"Ooooh, she used Aka's full name!"

"Hush, Nabu."

Akari's eyes widened at the use of her full name, and she blinked and turned her eyes to the floor sheepishly. "...maybe…." She stood as still as she could while the other worked on fixing her tenth problem of the morning, and she clasped her hands in front of herself to keep from fidgeting with her shirt. "Sorry."

She wasn't sure why she apologized, except maybe for her whole state of being this morning. And for the amount of trouble Toriko was going through.

She jumped a little when she was suddenly being herded to the couch, though she most definitely did as directed and sat. She stared at the bowl tamago kake gohan, the miso soup, and the tsukemono in confusion. "I didn't even know I had this in the apartment," she mumbled to herself before she could stop.

I usually just have toast. Or a sandwich.

She looked up at Toriko again, "Thank you…. For all of this."

And then she reached for the tamako first, and savored the first bite for quite a bit before she continued eating. Thank you for your kindness. *

Toriko let out a little huff when Akari answered her question, and waited until the other began eating to reply, sternly.

"I don't suppose you rough-dry your hair too? Instead of gently patting or pressing it? Water makes your hair weaker and more fragile. Very breakable. Pulling a brush through it before you've let it dry enough it is a death sentence for countless poor strands."

She glanced down at the brush in her hand and let out a small breath through her nose, "I am glad to see you use a wide-tooth comb at least."

Turning heel and marching back into the kitchen, Toriko rummaged around until she found baking soda and poured a bit into some lukewarm water from the tap she filled a bowl with, placing the brush inside to soak and explaining what she was doing in the meantime.

"It should be done at least once a month. It keeps all of that hair and oil and product on it and is a breeding ground for bacteria, dear."

Toriko knowingly ducked into the bathroom and grabbed for the large glass Akari took with her earlier, refilled it, and plopped it down next to the meal, giving her a good long stare that indicated she had best drink it, before moving back to take the bowl with the brush into the bathroom to clean it.

Coming back out with a towel, Toriko patiently sat next to Akari on the couch, and while she ate gently pulled her hair over her shoulder and began patting it dry herself, intermittently squeezing or scrunching with care, but never tugging at it, to get as much of the water out as she was able. 3

Akari watched Toriko as she ate, doing her best not to let an awkward smile find her features as the other went on a lecture. She listened, swallowed, and piped, "If I give myself time, I usually blow dry my hair." ….After drying it as much as I can in a towel, anyway.

She quickly stuffed food in her mouth again, nodding a little here and there. Her eyes followed the other as Toriko moved to the kitchen sink, and she watched with keen interest as the brush lowered to the water. She nodded again when she thought it necessary.

And then the other was gone from the room, and Nabu nudged her elbow with his nose before resting his chin on her thigh. "I always liked her."

Before Akari could ask what he meant, Toriko was in the room again, Kiyoko trailing not far behind and settling on the floor next to her feet when Toriko took the other spot on the couch.

Akari immediately plucked the water from the coffee table's surface and took a few sips, only to find that she was much more thirsty than she thought and she finished the whole of the drink.

She settled back into the couch with miso soup this time, observing Toriko's drying of her hair so she'd mirror the action later.

"Where'd you learn so much about hair care?" she asked between sips of the soup. *

"On the highest setting, no doubt." Toriko said in reply to Akari's hair drying, though this time a small smile played over her lips, "Because you're in too much of a hurry to do otherwise." An eyebrow raised over the frameless glasses on her face, but her eyes themselves remained on the task at hand.

When Akari finished her glass of water, Toriko draped the partially-wet towel over her shoulder and plucked the glass from the coffee table, refilled it, and returned to her previous position.

A particular sort of smile settled over her face as she considered Akari's question before replying with, "I had a partner at one time who was exceptionally vain about his long, precious locks. Anything I learned about it, I learned from him."

After a moment, she said more softly, "You're welcome, by the way." This time her smile was a fond one for the memories to which her thoughts turned. "I was extremely hung over myself much more recently than I care to admit, so I have a relatively poignant appreciation for assistance such as this that someone cared enough to provide for me." 3

How did she know?

Akari looked Toriko up and down for a moment, almost surprised at this one's ability to read people and understand them in such a short time. Demon. She couldn't feel the other's energy, and she hadn't cared to think about it before, but it seemed so obvious now that she considered it.

At the mention of vanity about hair, a couple of memories fought for the forefront of her mind, but both were most certainly about the same person. First she remembered a little ice cream shop somewhere on what had been then the First Layer, and a particular fox demon sitting across from her with a cherry hanging from his lips. The second was of his redheaded counterpart who, when asked how he kept his hair so perfect, had replied with something about 'aquanet', which she'd only just recently seen at a store.

The memories stung and she couldn't help the way her eyes moved to the red stone on Toriko's finger. And as the woman went on to talk about someone taking care of her in the way Toriko was taking care of Akari, she had to turn her head forward and close her eyes.

She saw his face there too, though older and more defined.

He'd looked so much like the redhead she'd stolen hours with in Yomi's palace. The severity that had been his entirety when she'd last seen him in the war had been what had kept her from thinking about it, from all of that.

I definitely did not help him then.

Maybe I didn't get drunk enough last night.

She opened her eyes suddenly and leaned forward to switch her now empty bowl of miso for the tsukemono. "I'll have to remember to take better care of my hair, then," she finally murmured. *

"It will thank you if you do." Came Toriko's instructive response, though her tone softened again shortly after, "You're not alone. The top three ways people typically mishandle their hair is by not being gentle when drying it, not cleaning their combs regularly, and using too high of a setting on their hair dryer." She smiled at the last before standing.

"Come along. Bring the bowl with you if you must, but grab your water."

Toriko led her back into the bathroom, which had aired out sufficiently by now, and once she had Akari standing in front of her, grabbed for the clean brush, gently taking her hair in hand now that it was almost completely dry and, starting from the ends began to work the brush delicately through it.

"Starting from the ends is important. You won't break your hairs off that way and it has the added benefit of not getting your brush tangled and stuck."

The hair dryer she had rummaged out of a cabinet earlier and plugged in came into her hand once the brush made its way all the way through it all, and the lowest setting was in fact all it needed to encourage her hair to finish drying the rest of the way. 3

Akari shoved the last of the tsukemono into her mouth and grabbed her water as Toriko came to stand, providing a welcome distraction from the rabbit hole of thoughts Akari had been about to fall down.

Nabu shifted far enough away so Akari could stand and follow the other through the apartment, sipping at her drink as she did. She let Toriko guide her to where she wanted her before she settled into a listening silence, her eyelids slowly closing.

No one had brushed her hair for her before, and it was just calming enough to keep any other thoughts at bay so she could enjoy it. It helped release some of the tension she hadn't known she'd been holding onto, and her shoulders relaxed considerably.

She sipped on occasion, but otherwise remained still as she could be so she wouldn't make it harder for Toriko to do the styling she was doing.

This is the one who is engaged to Kurama.

The thought had come past her bliss and almost warranted a frown.

...It'll be a great pairing. She opened her mouth to congratulate the woman, but the words got stuck in her throat and she felt a pang that almost made it hard to breathe.

She reached up to rub her eye clear of an itch.

"So, if not the highest setting, you're using the lowest, right?" She took another sip of her water before continuing. "Also, since I've got curly hair, I've been noticing these adverts about a hair dryer attachment? I think it's called a diffuser. Do you think that would help define the curls?" She took another breath. "And do you recommend any hair styling products?" *

"Mm." Toriko pursued her lips, "If you have naturally curlier hair-" Toriko could not remember its natural state and the drying she was doing was in fact straightening it out. "-you might have to go online to find what you're looking for, but yes. The, ah, people native to this region do not come by curls naturally and the style is not typically in favor in any case. Shops are less likely to have what you're looking for, or anything I might suggest."

She ticked off a few products that might help with frizz or larger or softer curls and set about putting away the brush and the hair dryer when she was finished.

"You should drink more of that." She glanced over at the glass as she snagged a tube of mascara she found. "And if this is more than six months old, you should see about replacing it." She gave Akari a look, but passed it off anyway. Humans recommended 2-4 months, but it was unlikely the bacteria would affect a demon quite so quickly. The stuff didn't have a particularly long shelf life though, so it would work better when newer. "It'll have to do for today. You're of course free to put on anything else you like in this regard, if you're feeling frisky." For the first time, Toriko gave her a genuine grin and a wink at the last word before starting to turn away with a wave, "You don't particularly need any of it, in my opinion, but today of all days, it'll probably make you feel better in any case."

She left the bathroom and moved to discreetly dart around the room and clean up any mess she was ultimately the source of before Akari was finished. 3

Akari made a mental list of the things Toriko recommended, making sure to remind herself later to write them down before she left the apartment. Especially since she hadn't shopped online for herself before, only for the coffee shop.

Maybe I should get a computer for the apartment too.

"There's ads for straightening treatments," she began, "but I would like to see how my hair looks when it's taken care of properly, since apparently I've never done so. So, thank you for the lesson."

At the reminder of her water, Akari took another drink. She lowered the glass to her navel when the other passed the tube of mascara, and she took it from the other with a grateful smile at yet another tip. It made her consider finding a beauty tip magazine to add to her current collection of subscriptions.

The smile and wink that was aimed at her had the dog demon giving a smile that was even more genuine than her thankful ones before, and perhaps filled with amusement as Toriko disappeared around the corner.

Is this how you make friends?

She wasn't sure, but she wouldn't mind if it was the case with this one.

She turned to the mirror and, after finishing this second glass of water, began to apply a thin layer of makeup to hide what she saw as a lack of color in her face from her night out. She applied a layer of mascara, a thin line of eyeliner, and a bit of blush to her cheeks that she smoothed the edges out on before she stood back to assess her reflection.

She noticed her hair was a little straighter than normal, and even a little shinier too. Satisfied that she didn't look quite as tired and headachy as she felt, she turned and shuffled from the bathroom and to her bedroom. She turned to the desk on her left and wrote the products Toriko had recommended on a small notepad in a neat list.

When that was done, she returned to the living area in time to see Nabu come skidding to a halt at her feet. "Can we have steak for dinner?"

Kiyoko, sitting in the very center of the room as Toriko moved about, gave a little sigh. "He saw an ad for a restaurant nearby on the tv."

Akari glanced at the nearly muted television to see some drama show on and she crouched to Nabu's level with a fond smile. "It's been a while since we've had it, hm?"

"Like, a long time, Aka."

"...not quite so long as he thinks, though."

Akari rested her hand on his head. "Yeah. I'll bring it home and make it fresh for you." She scratched behind his ears affectionately for a few moments before standing and turning to Toriko. "I'm ready when you are." *

Toriko slowed her movements the instant she heard Akari heading back in the direction of the kitchen, where she stood setting the dishes she had used out to dry.

Her expression grew guarded as the other quite obviously began to hold an entire conversation with the two dogs in the room, and she carefully finished what she was doing, dried her hands, and began rolling her sleeves back down and rebuttoning them at her wrists in silence.

She took a breath before beginning to slowly speak as she moved over to her blazer.

"A word of...caution, Ms. Hanase. It might be in your best interest to choose not to wish for your store to be dog-friendly if you are in the habit of speaking with them so directly, so... freely." She settled her blazer over her shoulders, and it was obvious she was choosing her words with care, though something about her expression made her seem so very sad. Maybe it was in the way she spoke much more quietly in those moments, or in the way was looking at the floor, but her gaze seemed much farther away.

"This world is not a safe one, as much as we might desire for it to be so. And there are still many people native to this region who would just as soon seek to cause trouble for a foreigner as not. ...there is blame on both sides for that." 3

Akari watched the demeanor of the other change, and after a very brief moment of the woman talking, a small, understanding smile made its way across her features.

She let the woman talk, knowing exactly why she would be saying such things. And at the last, when there was obvious reference to a certain tape that Akari had seen many times during her time with Sensui, it only solidified a suspicion she'd had since the day previous.

She could tell, somehow, that the other spoke of things she hadn't actually experienced, but rather heard of or seen. And that was just as valid as Akari's view, Akari's personal experiences from both ends. She stayed quiet for a moment as she moved towards the door and the little coat hanger standing next to it. She pulled her purse from one of the hooks and finally turned to face the woman who'd shown such kindness and care to Akari this morning.

"Please, don't worry yourself over it. This is the only place where I allow myself to be completely unguarded, where I communicate so freely with my companions. I would never dream of putting anyone - human or demon - in a situation that could devolve into anything like what you're obviously thinking of now. I've seen and experienced my fair share, and want no one else to see or experience such cruelties."

Her smile softened just a touch. "Thank you for your concern, Shikiyoku. I will be mindful, always, of my surroundings." *

Shikiyoku only nodded to her at first, for a moment the atrocities of the darkest desires of mankind, which she had in person felt tear across her body so strongly they seemed to be her own still reflected for just a moment in her gaze.

It was but a small portion of the price she paid for her heritage.

Humans and demons were not all that different from one another, she had found. No matter what they said.

At the sound of her name, a single dark eyebrow rose higher on her face.

"See that you are, cupcake." And she turned to lead the way out the door. 3

Cupcake?

Akari's smile grew wider at the nickname, though she didn't respond. She followed Shikiyoku out the door, making sure to let Nabu and Kiyoko have a chance to come out if they wanted before she locked the door behind herself.

The pair spent several hours browsing furniture stores and choosing the products that would go inside the new shop, both ladies in business mode. Akari asked questions and was delighted to learn from Toriko about interior design, and she was more than a little grateful to have the other there to help her stay consistent in styles; she found her likes were rather wide in variety.

Much to her relief, the symptoms of Akari's hangover had began to subside quite early on, until she realized at some point in their shopping that even her headache had left.

By the time lunch had rolled around and the ladies had finished eating, Akari made a point to pay, her response to the look from the other was a sheepish smile and telling that it was her was of saying thank you, though she didn't specify exactly what for. And she was well aware on some level that the other had definitely let her pay, which was fine by her, really.

After lunch she asked to see the construction site, and was definitely impressed with the speed at which the building phase was going. She suspected that there was demonic strength or speed involved, but she didn't ask since she didn't think she'd get a real answer.

And, as promised, when it came time to go home, Akari made a trip to the store to buy steaks. She browsed magazines as well, and picked up one that had quite a bit in the way of beauty tips and products.

She made sure to call her coffee bean supplier and let him know of the change in opening date, and after a few words exchanged, he assured her that she would have a large supply by the end of the next day.

Dinner with Nabu and Kiyoko was filled with more chatter than was usual, especially for the fluffy white canine who asked questions about Shikiyoku. When Akari pointed out the other's obvious adoration of the woman, she was met with a single wag of her tail and a comment about Akari being lucky Kiyoko hadn't found the other one first.

And finally, when she felt her day catching up to her, she drank another glass of water and climbed into bed, though this time in her proper bedclothes and without the makeup on her face. *

~!**!~

The rest of their day went quite smoothly, and while Toriko maintained the professional demeanor she always exuded upon first interaction with Akari, there was in fact an invisible barrier between them prior to their interactions at the apartment which from that moment forward was only recognizable because it was suddenly gone.

She could feel the desire of the other one to pay for lunch long before the end of lunch arrived, but she let her do it, only giving her a look to indicate she knew exactly what the other had intended.

Meanwhile at the construction site, the briefest of suspicious faces Akari tossed in her direction was met with the most innocent of ignorances, Toriko not even so much as looking at the other or appearing to notice the progress was suspect in the slightest.

Somewhere in the middle of it, Toriko discreetly glanced at her phone and found a familiar number having sent her a text. She never kept names in her phone, much to the chagrin of anyone else who might glance at it.

Hey, I meant to say it before, but if you need a hand with anything, the guild is always looking for something to do.

They parted soon after, Toriko having her driver take her from Akari's apartment back to the offices so she could dart upstairs, spending the rest of her evening bouncing between monitoring the progress of the construction and spending a bit of time in online markets seeing about purchasing and expedient-shipping a few of the items Akari had liked and wanted to use, but had not been in stock in places they visited.

She also ordered various bits of paraphernalia to decorate the shop with for its grand opening.

A rap at her door at the very end of the afternoon had her looking up to see a runner she had in her employ sticking his head into the room.

"Yes?"

"I've delivered all the flyers you requested."

"Excellent. Your payment is in the usual place."

He nodded and left.

Toriko glanced at her watch and cringed, standing and rolling her blazer onto her shoulders before ducking out her office door and making her way to her usual bright yellow vehicle when she needed to be somewhere in a hurry.

She had not meant to wait quite so long before making a jaunt over to the bar, but even at this hour they were likely to be slow still and with her penchant for driving much faster than she should, darting through traffic shouldn't keep her from getting there quickly.

Part of her hoped that it would just be the guild, Hiei, and maybe a couple of workers, but regardless, she zipped up into a parking place on the street unannounced.

The main entrance to the bar swung abruptly open as Toriko walked in just short of a strut, moving for the bar in front of her, and called out somewhat brusquely across the room as she stared right at him, "Hey Gouka! Your guild around?"

They were quite possibly the most obvious things in the world at that moment, and definitely around.

"I got a job for 'em." 3

Hiei had been grateful when things slowed down. He'd even taken a break away from the bar for the first time in days, though only so he could work on the rings he'd agreed to make for Ikigai.

He'd spent a few hours up in the jewelry room, though he'd kept the Jagan open and trained on the bar. The second it got busy enough to have need for another bartender, he seemingly appeared at his station and was filling orders.

It didn't start to slow down again until long after the sun had set, and the only reason Hiei didn't disappear up into his jewelry crafting room again was because of the guild's constant need for refills.

He figured it'd be easier on the one other bartender if they didn't have to worry about the guild's needy tendencies.

"Hey Boss!" Tarou waved an empty glass in the air, "I need a refill!"

Hiei gave him a long look.

"...When you get a chance, of course."

"Better," Hiei commented as he snatched the glass that had been thrown his direction from the air. He pointed at Tarou with the forefinger of the hand holding that glass and gave him another look. "Do that again and I'll kick you out."

"You're no fun." Tarou leaned over his hand of cards and grumbled something to himself that Hiei chose to ignore.

"Hiei, can I get one too?" Gai piped. "Please?"

"Anyone else?"

The whole table raised a hand, finger, or look in his direction and the fire demon shook his head and lined the bar with glasses identical to the one Tarou had thrown at him.

He began to pour down the line in measured, equal motions when the door opened, though Hiei did not so much as look up since he was seeing specifically to his guild. He felt the eyes of the potential customer though, and was just raising his head when a familiar voice yelled across the room at him in a very unfamiliar way.

His eyes alighted on Shikiyoku, who he hadn't noticed approaching due to Tarou's behaviour, and he felt the wind leave his lungs as she crossed the room with purpose and confidence, asking after the very guild who had begun to whisper amongst themselves.

"-until he kisses her?"

"-seconds."

"-minute."

"Money on the table, boys."

Hiei shot them a look that garnered a round of chuckles that he promptly ignored.

The hand holding the bottle tipped at a very particular angle suddenly jerked when he realized he'd missed the last glass and had poured a good portion of the bottle onto the hand he'd had resting on the bar. Shit.

He scrambled, looking between Shikiyoku and the mess he hastily attempted to clean up. "They're here," he finally answered Shikiyoku. How'd I spill so much? His hands quickly rearranged the glasses so he could wipe between them too, and he tossed that soaked rag into the nearby bin before he straightened up and looked at Shikiyoku again, though he found himself quite speechless with her looking at him like that.

"-breaks a glass."

There was more whispers going on at the guild's table, and Hiei fought hard not to telepathically tell them all to shut up. *

"Oh, yeah?" She shot a single glance over to the only possible table that could be full of Hiei's guild as if she hadn't the faintest idea it were them as she kept moving across the room. "I hear they aren't complete morons." She slid into one of the seats in front of him, legs crossed as she rested one arm on the bar and leaned into it, her elbow of the other arm coming up to do the same so she could place her chin on her hand as she kept looking at him.

"At least, not all of the time, anyway." She said more quietly now that she was closer, one eyebrow quirking upwards for a moment. "How much for me to borrow 'em for a day?" 3

"YOU'RE NOT WRONG!" Tarou boomed in response to Shikiyoku's comment about the guild not being complete morons.

Akihiko smacked the larger demon's chest with the back of his hand. "Sh. Let him flounder." He reached for his drink and raised it just shy of his lips. "It's more fun when you're quiet."

"It's more fun when you're quiet," Tarou grumbled.

"Untrue," Chisai piped with a gleam in his eye. "He gets results. You just get annoying."

"Alright pipsqueak, listen here-"

"Gentlemen." Raion held a hand between the line of sight of the two. "Shut up and watch. At least pretend you're civil."

"...I'll show you civil, pussycat."

Hiei tuned out the mess that was his guild and filled the last glass back up to its normal level. He turned his eyes down to watch his work this time, even as he set them in an orderly fashion onto a tray sitting on a stack nearby. "That depends on the job itself." He finally seemed to gain some semblance of composure, though it was shaky at best when he could still feel her eyes on him. "What does this job entail?" *

Toriko leaned off of her hand so she could look at it as if there would even be a single speck of dirt under one of her nails, her head tilted a little as she considered her fingers.

"Oh, not much." She replied airly. "I just need a few warm bodies to satisfy my needs. Which shouldn't take more than a day. As long as they've got strong arms and good backs, I can make use of them." She shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye, "Think any of them might be interested?"

~!**!~

"Bets on whether or not Tarou knows how to be civil?" Raitoningu asked somewhat rhetorically, not even bothering to waste a moment glancing around at the others. "No? I suppose the odds were a little too stacked against him."

Tarou only growled at the assaults.

"As long as you do it after Mother leaves, I couldn't care less what you do." Tsundora added coldly, his icy gaze affixed to the scene unfolding halfway across the room.

"Damn she's hot." Raion breathed, resting his elbow on the table and hiding his mouth behind his fist as he stared at her, his ears picking up every single innuendo she was laying down. 3

There was a quiet moment at the table where almost every head bobbed up and down in agreement with Raion's observation.

Each guildie in turn waited for Hiei to break the silence that had fallen after Shikiyoku's question of interest, and after a few beats, Tarou leaned further into the table.

"I think he's gone stupid. Poor idiot's clueless."

Aki smacked Tarou again and gave him a look.

"Just statin' the facts, Dad."

"Shut up and drink your drink."

"He's got it bad," Ikigai whispered, earning a few nods from the others.

~!**!~

Hiei set the last glass on the tray that was just as quickly swept away and hauled off to the table of staring guildies. Having nothing left to keep his hands busy or his gaze away, Hiei found himself only able to look up and stare at Shikiyoku.

Which, of course, caused any and all thoughts to immediately fly away.

"Just take the damn job, Boss!" Chisai's voice filtered into Hiei's telepathy. "You look like a fool." When Hiei didn't immediately open his mouth, a sigh was heard from across the room. "You're disappointing not only Mommy, but all of us."

"Boss! I'm losin' a bet here 'cause o' you! Hurry it up!"

Hiei cleared his throat and gave Shikiyoku the barest of smiles. "I think they can handle it just fine." He tipped his head to one side as if he were considering her and the request she was making, and he rattled off a number he would have given anyone else asking for such a 'vague' job.

Hiei ignored the sound of Tarou's head meeting the table across the room followed by a groan. *

She hadn't smiled since she first burst into the room, and she still didn't even as both arms rested across the bar and she leaned even closer to him over it.

Toriko tilted her head just a little, "I'm sure they can handle it, but I'd take you if I thought you'd come." She immediately dismissed the notion with the brief raise of a hand, "No matter. I'm sure your asking price is too high for my blood anyway."

Before she shifted away from him, her eyes darted over to his hands, which had absently taken to wiping down the same spotless glass over and over again.

Her chin lifted a little as if she was pointing out his arms. "Those tattoos are pretty nice. Maybe you'll let me see more of them sometime." Then she was gone and moving across the room.

~!**!~

"Dammit!" Tarou hissed out from between his teeth as he head met the table, "He was supposed to kiss her right THEN. UGH."

Most of the others were too enthralled at the interaction to pay Tarou much mind as he lamented losing the bet.

"You always pick the moments when you would kiss her." Chisai noted. "Not when he should."

"Yeah, okay, maybe, but when I would kiss her is totally when he should kiss her!" He still hadn't lifted his face from the table.

At the moment, Akihiko was too drawn to the events unfolding before him. It was a rom-com, as the humans called it, but this one was real life. No rom-com ever set his core beating in anticipation of the moment like this one did.

When his moment passed and Shikiyoku was sliding gracefully from her stool to come their direction, he finally took a breath.

He had, however, learned a long time ago not to bet on his moment, but the one after. Hiei's moment.

"Damn he's clueless." Raion cursed again from behind his fist as he crossed his legs under the table.

"Alright, look, punks. You're going to be at this place at this time tomorrow morning. Prompt. And Akari is going to be there, so I better not so much as sniff a drop of alcohol on any of you that want to make a pass at her-so she can take it seriously-or I'm docking it from your pay." She pointed a finger directly at Tarou who had looked up the instant she started speaking. 3

Hiei reorganized his station while he watched Shikiyoku and listened to her interactions with the guild, his brain slowly waking up from his little moment of stupor.

"Mine? Why just mine?" Tarou complained, though it definitely contradicted the grin and mischievous glint in his eyes. "Why, I'd never show up to a job after having even a single sip of alcohol. I'm the poster child of sobriety." He threw back the shot he'd had refilled sometime during Hiei and Shikiyoku's scene.

Ikigai leaned onto the table, his own drink forgotten in front of him. "So we're moving stuff, huh?"

"This is probably the easiest, most enjoyable job we've had in a while," Chisai commented, though his eyes were definitely darting between Shikiyoku and Hiei.

"Reminds me of when the guild first started." Akihiko piped up, and the entire group turned to look at him as one. His smile was a fond one that enveloped them all, Shikiyoku and Hiei included. He set his now-empty glass down and pushed his refilled shot to the side, aware of movement on the other side of the bar. His moment.

Hiei appeared at Shikiyoku's side, hands drying on a towel that he tossed over his shoulder after a second. "You." He pointed at Tarou, who paused with Aki's shot halfway to his lips. "No stunts like today. Got it?"

He looked to Akihiko. "He's taking your role, Dad." When he turned to make a comment to Hiei that was definitely more snarky in nature, Hiei was pulling Shiki down to his level and giving her a kiss.

Groans sounded around the table and a few pairs of hands were thrown in the air.

Aki took the pile of cash from the center of the table. "Pleasure doing business, boys."

Hiei smiled into the kiss. (Sorry for the delay. I was a bit distracted.) *

"We GOTTA work on your delivery!" Tarou's usual comment fell on deaf ears as he watched the kiss for a moment longer, then threw back the shot while he had the chance.

A burst of little sparkles of energy shimmered up over Shikiyoku's face and left her blinking down at Hiei in surprise, any semblance of 'Toriko' lost to the gleam that swirled around in her eyes and from somewhere nearby came Gai's quiet sigh as he leaned his elbow on the table and put his cheek in his hand.

Shikiyoku pulled away from Hiei wordlessly, though one of her hands found his to hold as she turned back to the rest of them, little glimmers going off around her hair.

"I'm docking it from your pay, Tarou, because I am fully expecting you to be the one to slap her on the ass." She held up two fingers of her free hand, "At least twice, if she likes it." 3

Hiei didn't mind standing next to Shikiyoku silently, but the thoughts he accidentally picked up from the guild were just as entertaining as the finger Tarou pointed up at Shikiyoku. "You got me there."

"I dunno. I think Raion will be the first to cross a line," Chisai piped. "It's his favorite pastime."

Raion's tail flicked up and curled at the end. "I've no idea what you're talking about."

"I hope she doesn't fall for me. I'm already taken," Gai joked, earning a pat on the shoulder from Aki.

"I think she digs me," Tarou grinned at the demons around the table. "You all are behind in the game, ya jerks."

"Says the one who couldn't even convince her to walk her home," Akihiko murmured with a smile that was all-knowing.

"That's a big oof," Gai laughed to himself. He didn't seem to notice the one or two looks of confusion from the demons who didn't understand the joke he'd picked up somewhere from the humans. *

"You know," Shikiyoku said thoughtfully, her expression full-on mischievousness to the point of seeming extraordinarily sincere as she stared directly at Tarou, "I'd bet you couldn't even get her to let you walk her home tomorrow, either, big guy."

The entire table got really quiet. 3

Akihiko sat back in his chair and draped an arm over the back of it, staring at Shikiyoku for a few moments as the challenge sank into Tarou's head. This was probably the first time Shikiyoku had decided to partake in one of the guild's bets, he realized.

He also knew that, even as Tarou leaned closer with a 'challenge accepted' type of grin, she was likely right.

So, to get in on the fun, Akihiko spoke just before Tarou could. "I'm willing to wager a month's worth of our pay that Shikiyoku's right." The smile he gave Tarou as the other rounded on him was innocent enough.

"Alright then, jackass, I'll make that bet." Tarou was oblivious to the looks passing around the others at the table. "And what's your wager, Mother?"

There was no mistaking the shaking of several heads behind the man who'd turned his full attention on Shikiyoku. *

Shikiyoku's eyes shifted over to Akihiko, and she was surprised he piped up, but less so when he agreed with her.

Anyone at the table with half a brain probably knew she was dead right, not to mention the fact that to Shikiyoku's knowledge, Hiko had yet to lose a bet in a long time as far as she could tell whenever money was shuffled around their table.

Her eyes narrowed at him briefly though, when no one else was looking.

You almost ruined my fun.

And now she almost felt bad for making Akari the butt of this bet.

"Well, there hasn't been a woman yet you couldn't get to take you home, now has there, Tarou?" Shikiyoku replied mildly, appearing to consider it before leveling her gaze on him and giving a shrug. "What about a favor? I'll grant you a boon if you can do it." 3

Akihiko shrugged at Shikiyoku's look. This is how he learns. He could learn to be less cocky.

Ikigai opened his mouth to speak the moment Shikiyoku was done talking, but he quickly bit down on it when someone kicked him under the table. Hard. He met Raion's narrowed gaze with a frown. "That hurt," he whispered.

"It was supposed to."

"Deal," Tarou said quickly, all too confident that he wouldn't lose. He stuck his hand out to shake with Shikiyoku's.

Aki suddenly wished he hadn't given Tarou his drink. Idiot. *

Shikiyoku shook on it, not even allowing herself the wicked grin she wanted to flash him.

"I have to go." She bent over Hiei and kissed him back briefly.

"YESSS!" Tsundora pumped a fist into the air and held out a hand to Akihiko, wagging his fingers in a silent 'gimme' fashion as the other sighed and rolled his eyes, but reached for his pockets where he'd stashed his winnings.

All at once the pair of them froze as Shikiyoku, who had turned to leave, whipped her head in their direction with a dangerous sort of glint in her eyes.

"You all would never make me a part of your foolish games, now would you, boys?"

"No, ma'am." Almost all of them intoned as if in reflex.

"Then I'd best not catch you doing it again. Right, boys?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She glared daggers at them all for a second longer, Akihiko with his hand still halfway reaching into his coat, but not looking at her, and then stalked out of the bar.

Once she was gone, they all unfroze with a giant whoosh of air from their collective lungs and Akihiko completed his gesture and passed Tsundora what he was owed.

"Y-You don't think she really meant it, do you?" Gai seemed extra concerned at her somewhat fuming exit, afraid they'd made her upset.

"Looks like she meant it to me." Raion lifted his glass to his face to down the last of its contents.

"She didn't mean it, right, Boss?" He looked to Hiei for confirmation. 3

Hiei watched Shikiyoku go with no small amount of amusement and affection, suddenly taking a moment to look her up and down as her heels clicked against the hardwood floors.

He didn't turn away from the door until he was spoken to, and the fire demon made a point to clear his expression before he turned a blank stare and raised eyebrow at Ikigai.

"The only way to know is to find out for yourself, don't you think?"

Akihiko gave him a look as Gai made a sound of consternation. "Maybe we should stop," he said as Hiei moved back to the bar, taking empty glasses with him.

"Or move the bets where she can't see 'em," Tarou responded just as quickly. "She said just don't let her catch us." He shrugged. "Easy enough."

"You're even dumber than I thought," Akihiko slid from his chair and gathered a few more of the empty glasses, shaking his head at the waitress who had stopped by and offered to take them from him. "And that's saying something," he added over his shoulder as he moved to the bar, setting the dirty dishes on the bartop where Hiei had begun to stack the ones he gathered as well.

"I can't believe you bet against Mum," Chisai commented mildly. "Very audatious of you."

"Well, I'm heading home," Akihiko announced as he made for the door, giving a wave to the chorus of farewells. "Later, Boss." *

"I mean, what I heard her say was don't get caught." Raitoningu pointed out.

"Makes it more exciting, really." Tsundora's eyes flashed, even as Gai shook his head.

"I dunno..."

~!**!~

While Shikiyoku had asked the guild to be there promptly at ten, she was on site only a few hours after she left their party.

And it wasn't twenty minutes later she was in the midst of the other workers, blazer laying somewhere nearby, sleeves rolled up to her elbows again as she lay on her back glaring up at some pipe work as she finished setting it in place.

Boxes began arriving just about the time the last bit of wiring and the last screw was in place. When Shikiyoku had learned the day prior that some things Akari had already purchased, she made arrangements with her for those to be delivered to the site as well and some of them had arrived that same day.

While a couple of other extraneous workers began unpacking the first bits things and bringing them inside, it was Shikiyoku herself who was tending to the last bit of necessary work on the interior of the building before she swept through every corner making sure any inspection to be made before the opening would be passed with flying colors, making sure things like the major appliances were plugged in and already working so that as soon as food stuffs began to arrive it could be put away properly.

There were already signs and balloons waving around outside that indicated the re-opening would be the very next morning, and it was with an inhuman speed all of the workers on site were dashing around to get things done. 3

Akari did not miss her alarm this morning, or even the three that followed. She woke hours before she was supposed to be at the site, and was dressed and ready long before she should even be thinking about leaving the apartment.

She dressed in a more casual outfit for the day, knowing that she wouldn't be willing to sit back and let other workers carry the fun stuff into her shop for her. She dressed in her nicest, newest pair of jeans and a flowy blouse., and she had fully planned to don a pair of flats. She somehow managed to get all of her hair onto her head and into a neat bun, and she was playing with the strands that fell loose around her face when there was a knock on her door.

She twisted a strand into a more defined curl as she crossed the apartment, and her bangs fell exactly where she wanted them just before she pulled the door open to greet the man who'd come by to pick up most of her boxes yesterday. She gave him a warm smile and stepped to the side to let him in.

"In the same place as yesterday, Miss?" he asked as he took three steps towards the bedroom.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for coming by so early for the rest." She lead him to the last pile of boxes that had been left behind yesterday, though only due to the fact that Akari had not had enough shipping labels at the time. It was a point of frustration with her that she'd miscounted how many she'd need, and that a few had even been misprinted somewhere in the middle of her stack.

"Well, so far, you're my only customer for the day." The man gave a polite smile as he stepped around Nabu and into the bedroom. "Hello, doggy," he greeted Kiyoko as she raised her head to look at him.

"Do you have pets, Mr. Kobayashi?"

"No miss, but I did grow up with one. My place isn't quite large enough for even a small dog to live happily." He reached and grabbed three boxes at a time, careful with the one marked fragile. On his way out the door, he looked at her over his shoulder. "I'll have these loaded before you know it."

"Thank you." She reached down and picked Nabu up off the floor and carried him to the couch, knowing he would follow the worker if she let him. "Come now, let the gentleman work," she all but cooed at him as she set him onto the couch cushion. Nabu yipped at her and she smiled fondly, but gave absolutely no reply and instead turned to the kitchen to fill her cup with coffee.

"What about these unmarked boxes, miss?" He called from the next room after a few trips to his vehicle.

"Don't worry about those. They're riding with me to their destination." After a short yes ma'am from the next room, she found a second paper cup and filled it too, and when Kobayashi was in her doorway to say he was done packing the last box away onto his truck, she passed him the second cup of coffee, "Thank you again."

He bowed and, after Akari's insistence, took the cup of coffee with him when he left.

~!**!~

Despite his late night and the drinks he'd had, Akihiko was up before the sun and tending to what little of a hangover he'd managed to have. He made himself a larger breakfast than normal, drank what was likely half a gallon of water, and then sat on the couch and revelled in the near-silence of the morning.

He listened to the birds chirping outside his apartment door, his eyelids closing in content.

He rather liked the morning sounds of this Level. It was such a contrast to his home that it was easy to forget why he'd left in the first place. And it somehow felt wore serene and welcoming, though he suspected that was because he had expected it to be as such.

When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see that he'd napped for a few more hours. He stood and stretched his arms high above his head, aware that he still had a slight headache, but grateful that he didn't feel anything else that even so much as hinted at his drinking the night before.

He glanced at the time, considered the empty, yet still dirty coffee pot in his sink, and then dressed for the day and slipped out the door.

His walk from the apartment to his more frequented food place was a short one, and when he waved one of the flags back, his smile was a tired one when the cook lifted his head.

"Yo! Aki!" Yusuke Urameshi stepped up to his grill and leaned over it, closer to Akihiko, so the other wouldn't miss the welcoming grin. "The usual?"

"Actually, just coffee for me today, Urameshi." Akihiko crossed his arms over the counter and leaned forward a little. "I ate earlier."

"No doubt to cure one of those hangovers, huh?"

Aki chuckled and gave a short nod. "You know me too well." Yusuke set a to go cup in front of him, and he wasted no time in taking a sip. He didn't care that it burned his tongue; he was hardly the patient one where this beverage was concerned.

Aki started to rise from his seat and he slipped a hand into his coat pocket in search for money. Yusuke, who'd had his back turned, looked over his shoulder. "Hey, you got an extra minute?"

Akihiko pulled cash from his pocket and set it on the glass that separated the food from the customers while it was being prepared. "I do."

"I just got an urgent job this morning, but the guys I'd usually ask are already out." Yusuke turned to face Aki again, all business. "I bet you and Hiei could square it away in a day or two, if you're not already going out."

Noticing papers in the other's hand, Akihiko extended his own hand to take them, and he browsed the letter with a quick eye. "You got this this morning?"

"Yeah. Came by runner, though I'm not sure why they sent it to me. I think I've become the central command center for the guilds around here," he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "My job title keeps getting bigger."

Aki nodded. "It would seem so." He shifted from the first page to the second, gave a shake of his head, and turned to look at Yusuke again. "We'll handle it."

The relief from Yusuke was palpable. "I owe you one."

"Think nothing of it." He folded the letter and slid it into his pocket. "Hiei could stand to step from the bar for a couple of days, anyway."

The grin Yusuke had was one he saw often when the fire demon was brought up, but nothing more was said on the matter. "Visit me when you're back. I'll have a meal waiting for yah."

"Like I said," Akihiko turned and waved a banner to the side, "think nothing of it, Urameshi." With that, he stepped away from the stand and began moving to the north, towards the bar. He sipped once more at his coffee as he dialed a number on his phone, only pressing it to his ear after it began to ring. *

Especially since this was a project Shikiyoku was seeing to personally, she couldn't stop herself checking on absolutely everything, which meant when her mobile phone buzzed just at the small of her back where she'd tucked it into the band of her black pencil skirt, she was actually up on her hands and knees in the rafters of the ceiling being finicky with the wiring of one of the lights, one of the tiles nearby having been shifted to the side so she had enough light to work.

The phone slid between her ear and shoulder so she could keep at it with her same concentrated frown even as after a brief glance at the series of numbers which lit up the screen she asked, "Cold feet already, handsome?" Her voice echoed strangely in the space of the rafters. 3

Akihiko couldn't help the quiet chuckle that escaped his lips. "You know me too well, Shikiyoku." He sipped from his coffee to stifle the sigh of disappointment he'd almost aired. "Actually, a job has come in. Seems urgent."

Too bad no one else could take care of it. Dammit.

"It looks like Hiei and I will be out of town for a few days." He nodded at the human he passed by. "Much to my own disappointment," he admitted. *

"Mm," was the only response at first, before she smiled, "And to the disappointment of your pocketbook, I'm sure." 3

Aki rounded a corner, glad that this conversation was over the phone and not in person. The grin he had would have given him away perhaps a little too early. "Yes, well, he'll still learn his lesson, I'm sure." He sipped at his coffee some more, listening to the background noise on her end of the line. "He'll be able to continue to pay his tab at the bar since I won't be there to take his earnings." *

"If you have any suggestions as to what favor he should owe me, I am as in all things at your disposal."

"Mum?"

A voice from somewhere below her drifted up her direction as she finished what she'd come up to do and she carefully picked her way back over to the open tile.

"You take care of yourself." She told the demon on the phone with her as she dropped down to the floor below, reaching behind her to pull the tile into place along the way and landing lightly on her toes, no worse for wear, in what no one would notice was the same five-inch heels, skirt, and long-sleeve white blouse she'd been wearing all week, bits of hair misplaced along her face.

The guild's eyes were wide as she landed only a few feet away from them. 3

Akihiko nodded, "I'll let you know if I think of anything worthwhile." And the moment he heard another voice calling for Shiki on the other end of the line, he wrapped up the call. "Have all the fun for me."

He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket, finished his coffee, and broke into a run towards the bar.

~!**!~

The silence among the guild was almost uncharacteristic for such an early hour, and after a few moments of them staring at Shikiyoku, a few began to exchange silent conversation in the form of stolen glances.

"That's hot," Tsundora breathed.

"She's hot," Raitoningu corrected.

Gai nodded, "Very capable!"

The door made sound as Tarou bumped into it with his shoulder, drawing all eyes from Shikiyoku to the racket of him cursing at the glass door and steadying it. After it was stilled and most definitely still in one piece, he strolled into the building with a triumphant smile. "Still not late."

"But cutting it very close," Chisai commented.

"Break it, and you replace it," came a new voice as the doors to the back room swung open. A demon just as tall as Tarou stepped into the room, his black wings tucked very closely to his back.

"It's still there, ain't it?"

Ryouta gave the other a look, but said nothing and instead turned to the clipboard in his hand, writing down something that none of them could see.

Out front, a van pulled to a stop and turned its hazards on, the logo for Nakamura Enterprises in neat letters across its side. The passenger side door opened and Akari stepped onto the sidewalk, a box in her hands and an awe-filled smile on her face. *

"If it ever isn't there, Tarou, the replacement is coming out of your pay." Toriko noted as she hung up the phone and slipped it back to where she had tucked it behind her before.

Chisai had moved forward and she looked down to regard him, waiting for him to speak.

"Mommy, I just want you to know that you are exceptionally attractive according to the usual social standards."

"Thank you, dear." She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

When Tarou's mouth opened, Toriko immediately shot him a look, "Because he is exceptionally adorable according to the usual social standards and you're not, big guy." Her gaze between them all found the owner of the shop moving for the door and she clapped her hands twice to get their attention back to her.

"You have five hours, boys. Get done faster and I'll increase your pay in increments of the amount by which it is completed early. Get it done sloppier and every single one of you will be banned from the bar for the rest of the month."

She shooed them back outside with two quick flicks of her hands and a meaningful look towards Akari and the van as it pulled up.

Turning to move out the back door, she raised her eyebrows at Ryouta as she passed and teased, "Still insisting on using a clipboard, bird boy? I suppose it's a decent scare tactic if you can't come up with anything else." 3

Ryouta listened to the conversation at hand without ever looking up from his clipboard, circling this number and that one even as he tracked the proximity of Akari's approach with his peripherals.

He did however glance briefly to Shikiyoku, his eyes having the faintest of shines for the briefest of moments. "Normally I'd agree, but it's for Akari's sake," he said after a beat of hesitation. He could appreciate her quip for a brief moment, and the fact that he truly had no retort for her. "You've got your work cut out for you." He dropped the clipboard to his side and stepped away, fully aware that her time crunch was for the inspections happening later in the afternoon.

Akari hadn't taken more than three steps towards the building when a pair of hands plucked her box from her own. Having been too busy looking at the storefront to notice anyone approaching, she blinked down at Ikigai, who was turning away from Tarou's passing form. "Good morning, Akari. I'll help you with that."

Her smile was a fond one, "Good morning, Ikigai. Good to see you again." She turned to watch the rest of the guild she'd met a few nights before as they grabbed boxes from the back of the van. "Good to see you all again," she called. There was a chorus of hellos, and a few winks she raised her brow at.

"Akari."

Ryouta stepped to her side and passed a clipboard her direction, and she turned her eyes down to the paper to spy a list of deliveries for the day. "Good to see you, Ryouta." She took the pen from his hand and checked a few off, but the ones with circled numbers she struck an x through. "Cancel those; if they can't get here by this afternoon then we'll find someone who can."

"Of course." He took the clipboard from her and looked it over, then her. She smiled, and for a moment he didn't quite recognize the demon he'd last seen well over a month ago.

"Also," she held her hand out for the clipboard again and he passed it to her. "Order extra of this," she starred a few items. "And let me know when that goes through."

"I see you've decided to go dog friendly." His look was one she read as an unspoken question.

"I've already ordered what we need for that, so don't worry about it." She passed the clipboard back and continued up the sidewalk. The moment she was done conversing with Ryouta, Raion stepped to her side, a box on his shoulder and his tail curling at the end. She gave him a welcoming smile.

"Good to see you're able to withstand a night with Tarou," he commented lightly, but his irises gleamed. "He usually runs off his prey."

She eyed him for a moment. "And here I thought you to be the hunter."

His grin was slow as he broke away to set his box somewhere inside the building, leaving Akari to say her hello to Toriko. "Before I set to work, is there anything specific you need from me first?" *

Toriko looked up for only a moment from the foodstuffs she had begun to unpack and put away that had been just delivered, "How much do you trust any former employees that you had? Is it your intention for them to work here again or did you let them go free?" 3

"Me previous set of employees were definitely the best I've had. I intend to give them a call about starting work again here shortly," she responded with a smile. She hoped they hadn't found other jobs yet, but she would understand if they had. *

Toriko gave her a smile, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're scheduled for a grand re-opening tomorrow and if I'm not wrong, these employees are native to the region and as such will take time to be trained with this new equipment. As will you."

"If you want them here tomorrow morning, re-hired, to do some smaller tasks, assuming they are available, that can happen. I can run you briefly through things like ringing people up on your new system once I have it up and running so you can be the face of the store, but I have on standby individuals prepared to step in, short-term, for the more specialized work you'll require to be at full service in the morning. They will be the ones responsible for your's, and possibly the others', complete training." 3

Akari gave a nod at the mention of training, her barely-contained excitement bringing her smile just that much wider. As the other went on about there being people who would also help train her, the dog demon thought of a specific barista she'd had before. He'd been quick to pick up training, and was more familiar with coffee shops and their equipment than anyone else she'd hired before him.

He'd be the first she called.

"If anything, there's one specific employee I'd love to have before the others; he's familiar with coffee shops and quick to pick up and retain information. He was a valuable employee before, and I'm sure he'd be even more so now."

She turned her head to catch Ryouta walking to the back room, showing her the label of the bag of coffee beans in his arms. She nodded and he continued through the door.

"And I'd very much appreciate any training you're able to offer me today, and of course the help tomorrow." *

Toriko gave a nod as she continued the conversation, but was flitting back and forth between various points behind the counter to set things away, almost a blur of motion, also handing things off to Akari and pointing to her where they should go.

"If you want to be more formal about it, then I would call him, but tell him he'll be in for an 'interview' next week. That way the two of you can draw up his hiring paperwork together."

"As for the help, I'll make sure they're on their way." A secretive sort of smile played across her mouth. 3

Akari nodded even as she unpacked a box and bounced between that and Toriko's item passing. She went quiet for a bit, listening to the general sounds in the room. She collapsed an empty box and was turning away when Tsundora caught her eye, a second bag of coffee beans in his arms and his eyes searching for similar packages.

She tucked the box under her arm, grabbed a few things from the top of the counter, and called for the other's attention. "That goes this way." When he looked up to her and nodded, she turned to lead him to the back. "If you find another bag like that one, let me know. I'll have to store it elsewhere."

"Yes ma'am." He followed her through the door to the back room, and despite his hands being occupied with the bag, he held the door open for her before she could even reach it.

Ryouta passed by her on his way out, clipboard gone and a phone to his ear. She smiled at him, having figured the clipboard was only for show. She turned a sharp left to the rack of storage bins and pulled one from the top shelf, larger than most others and with a specialized seal around its lid. "Put the bag in here," she instructed, and Tsundora shifted the bag to one shoulder, took the container from her, tossed the bag inside, and placed the sealed tub onto the bottom shelf next to its twin.

He turned and waved a hand towards the door they'd just come through. "After you, beautiful."

She smiled and made her way to the door, only to be redirected when Tarou came through, carrying a box she knew the contents of. "The cabinets with those, please. Around the corner, top left as soon as you enter the kitchens." *

At this point, with as many of those in her employ now around them, Shikiyoku no longer bothered to hide the fact that her speed shouldn't have been possible for any normal human.

Anyone she expected to be dropping by today knew her in some form or another.

Half the time she had a phone up to her ear, and half of that time she was not speaking any language most of those around her would recognize.

At one point in the midst of one such conversation, when she noticed a pause in Raion's work and how he put his hands up to either side of his mouth as if to shout something at her across the room, she made an inquiring face before she watched him mouth—

That's hot!

—his lips grinning at her with a wide and stupid smile that knew she could easily be across the room to smack him and back, even as she narrowed her eyes at him, continuing to speak while glaring right at him and turning back to whatever she was doing.

She'd frankly forgotten somewhere along the way how much of that had gone on when she'd first hired them to work on building the bar with her.

A little later, she caught sight of a large truck she was not expecting pull up into the parking lot and she pulled her glasses back down over her eyes as she straightened and made her way out the front door to meet the driver who was climbing out of the vehicle with something in his hand.

He tipped his hat a little as he came closer and spied her curious expression, starting to hand her the small electronic device he held.

"If you'll sign off on these for me."

She knew the drill, so she automatically reached somewhat half-heartedly for the writing tool. She hadn't the faintest idea what was going on.

"I'll take that."

Materializing out of what felt like literally nowhere, a pair of arms were reaching out from either side of Toriko's body as she was suddenly in the midst of someone else, feeling her back brushing against the movement from behind her.

The man didn't appear phased by it, nodding, bowing once the device was returned, and moving off towards the back of the truck where his partner had already opened it up, revealing a few bits of topiary inside.

Toriko stared first at one of the hands, which had a navy suit coat entwined in its fingers so he could also hold the device in it, and then at the truck when the hands came to rest on her shoulders after signing the device.

When she started to turn to look up at the tall, clean-cut man behind her, his arms dropped to encircle her and before she could completely get her body around to face him, he had dipped his head down and openly found her lips to draw her into a kiss.

"What are you doing here?" She said, accusatory tone unmistakable, completely facing him now, which he responded to by dropping his hands down to rest at her elbows.

His eyebrows rose higher on his face.

"Not even a hello, Yoku?" He teased, lowering his face closer to hers as if he might kiss her again.

Her eyes widened slightly at the prospect and she frowned up at him, which had him staying there instead of moving closer.

He opted to kiss her forehead instead, and switching his suit jacket to his other hand, reached beyond her with a nod of thanks to the partner who brought up to them the details of the delivery.

In one smooth motion, he had his arm laying over her shoulders, suit jacket dangling down her side, and guided them a few steps forward as the man who initially approached passed in front of them to bring the plants that had been ordered in the door.

The two of them were scanning the delivery details as he held her to his side as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and they each glanced at different moments at the items being brought in one-by-one and those still being retrieved with the same sort of purpose in mind. 3

Tsundora held the door open even as Akari turned to direct Tarou, and he held it open a moment longer for the raven demon who passed through, talking in a stern tone on his cell.

When no one else seemed to be coming through, Tsundora grabbed a nearby door stopper he noticed on the counter and propped it open, then turned to continue through the shop.

"Hey, isn't Akihiko late?" Gai asked as he passed by, a box in his hands.

"Mother said he'd be gone; he and the Boss got an urgent job."

"Lucky for Tarou's wallet," Chisai commented as he too crossed paths with the others, but his comment fell on deaf ears as Tsundora watched a redhaired, clean cut, suit-wearing demon approach Shikiyoku outside and stand much too close for it to be an accident.

His brows raised and, as if he'd sensed it, Raitoningu stepped to his side to see what had his brother on alert.

The pair shared a look as the newcomer boldly and plainly kissed Shikiyoku, the suspicion on their faces just enough to grab the attention of Raion as he passed. "What's got you guys so stiff?"

The brothers approached the door, Tsundora pushing it open and holding it there for the delivery man heading his way, and Raitoningu made a point to meet the guy and take the plant from his hands. It was a great excuse to stare not so discreetly at the man who pulled Shikiyoku to the side.

Raion frowned as he caught sight of what the brothers were not so happy about.*