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.

161. Episode 245

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.

---

Raion adjusted the braid in his hand, making it tighter so it wouldn't fall apart. "Well..." he mumbled, hesitating again. How did he put it again?

"Kurama was talking about it as a motivator for staying on the First Level on our way here, and it just didn't make sense to me that a demon like him would choose a place like the First to make his home." Surely he's bored? "Something about his 'human mother'." He frowned to himself as he ran his fingers through her hair again. "I just don't understand."

~!**!~

Akari let out a little laugh. "I could congratulate her, but then that, along with congratulating you, would inflate that ego some more, wouldn't it?" She reached over and plucked a couple of seeds from his hand, "I ran out," and dropped them into the last few holes she had made in the ground before. She covered the seeds, a gentle smile still on her face, and for a moment she let herself feel nothing but the joy of having his company again.

Even if it was just as a friend. It's more than enough, she thought, remembering his and Shikiyoku's interaction before.

She sat back once the last seed was covered and crossed her legs in front of herself. She dusted her hands over the freshly-moved dirt.

"I missed you." Her smile twitched, threatening to widen, "And I say it this time because you're here, and not because I'm being a butt." *

Kurama gave her a little smirk when she cheekily reached over and retrieved seeds from his grasp.

"I probably won't plant too many more this visit. I still haven't recovered enough from the spell that got us here to justify doing much more than this, but I do try and cultivate more with each visit. Just another row or two here?" He gently poked the holes. "I also strive to keep them in different stages." He nodded to his right where, down the edge of the treeline, the beginnings of growth were just visible closest to him, and how the sets of planting he'd done were obvious in how high up the greenery had become the farther away one looked.

"I am very glad to hear it." He replied, finishing covering the last of the holes they were working on together. "I so hated to see you go then, but I loved watching you leave."

~!**!~

Tarou grinned at his huffing superior who seemed apparently hell-bent on not showing just how worn out this was making him AND getting him back for the earlier conspiratory plan arranged with the wolves to release him into Tarou's reaching hand.

"Ah, c'mon boss, I know you're faster than that!"

~!**!~

Ah.

That explained it. She found it interesting even still that such a conversation with Kurama prompted the lion demon to inquire with her about what it all meant, his curiosity surely not just a testament to his feline nature.

"Love is..." Shikiyoku began, letting out a small puff of air, "Love is a choice, my dear. One that our kind is neither able to understand or make for themselves. It is, quite simply, not an option." 3

Raion tied the two braids together at the center of the back of Shikiyoku's head, and he adjusted the braids until they sat evenly in a crown shape. He widened the braids just a little, so the strands that were woven through stood out a bit more in their cascading look than the rest.

He only grunted at Shikiyoku, finding that her answer didn't really answer anything at all, and he had a feeling that if he asked why that choice would be made, her answer would be 'love', and it would forever go on in that cycle.

A confusing, frustrating cycle.

"So why do you stay on the First?" he asked instead.

~!**!~

"I'm going to kill you," Hiei fired back at Tarou even as he tried to run faster. He remembered the same feeling of breathlessness being present during his last fight, and for a brief moment he almost turned to smack Tarou.

Instead, Tarou caught up with him long enough to tap on the shoulder and take off the other direction with a declaration of "you're 'it'!"

Alright, fine. If it will get you off my case.

Hiei switched gears. "You better start thinking about running faster, or I might just catch you," he called to Tarou a she chased after the bigger demon. "I'm not even trying."

~!**!~

Akari looked past Kurama to view the area he mentioned, seeing the various greenery and flowers at their various stages of growth. She wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't pointed it out to her. "How fun," she commented with that same smile, imagining him working like this for days without pause. I can see how it would be more rewarding.

His comment on 'watching her leave' caught her off guard, and she couldn't stop the little pink that warmed her cheeks. "Well - I-" She blinked at him a few times. "I half hated to go myself," she said after a beat. "I'd never seen you with your hair up like that before."

She stood and dusted herself off, feigning nonchalance. *

"Oh?" Kurama looked up at her as she stood up, one of his silver eyebrows raising to regard her as if this were news to him, "I had no idea that did anything for you. I'll keep that in mind." He rose up himself, unfolding from the ground with the same sort of ease and grace as always until he was standing over her, his eyes suddenly flashing as he leaned forward while she was distracted brushing herself off to plant a kiss in the midst of her hair.

"By the way-" He murmured while still hovering over her, "You're it."

He quickly turned literal tail and went prancing off across the meadow as a silver streak of fur, disappearing from sight.

~!**!~

"Definitely not trying." Akihiko called in that same bored manner he usually had. "Just look at him."

Raiton, darting around two-legged now, sparks of electricity occasionally snapping off of his form, let out a bark of laughter even as he skirted past just out of Hiei's reach, taunting the hybrid.

~!**!~

"Because I have an empire here." Shikiyoku replied instantly, giving a little shrug.

"My movements in old Demon World were always met with such scrutiny, I had a hard time laying claim to any kind of territory while there. I've been a nomad my entire existence, even before I left the Ninth, but after that with the kitsune thief as well. We had bases of operation here and there, stashes hidden across the levels where we'd trod, but there was no way I could 'set up shop' in any one place without being overwhelmed after a time, constantly badgered.

"Human World, New Human World even, operates under different laws than the rest of the levels, and I can move through those quite satisfactorily. Demons don't settle here often because they don't find it enough of a challenge unless this was their home level before things changed, and anyway they're generally looking for someone of a strikingly different description than this.

"I can keep the humans who seek me occupied with stories of my true nature and whereabouts more readily than I ever could with demons, who take one sniff of me and know. These looks would not synergize well in the other levels, but they are exceptionally useful in New Human World, I have found."

She went silent for a moment, still thinking about his earlier question.

"Raion...what makes you choose to hate someone?" 3

After the braid was complete and the strands he had pulled through it were properly, neatly all the way through, he picked up the brush again and took to smoothing out the rest of her hair as he listened.

He nodded here and there, not surprised in the least by her reasons for remaining on the First. And it was a no-brainer about why Hiei stayed on the First.

He almost chuckled to himself.

What makes you choose to hate someone?

He tilted his head at Shikiyoku a little, not sure what her question had to do with the topic. "A lot of things," he answered after a moment. "Their personalities, usually." He made a face as he recalled some of the clients Hiei had turned away, much to his own relief. "Among other things."

He tapped on her shoulders with his hands, "You know you can relax, right? It's not like anything's going on, and if the Boss falls, Tarou's got 'im." He set the brush down. "Would you feel better after a massage?"

He didn't look up to see the source of the sudden harsh glare that made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up.

~!**!~

I'll kill every last one of you. Hiei threw glares around the general area. Starting with the biggest target.

As if to make his point, the fire demon ignored the fire in his muscles and the sweat running down his face long enough to give himself a burst of speed, then he launched from the ground and planted both of his feet on Tarou's shoulders, and he pushed off again.

"You should work on your balance," he told Tarou as the top-heavy demon stumbled, and Hiei managed to repeat the action one last time to land himself on Tarou's back, sitting cross-legged. "You're terribly top heavy."

Tarou guffawed. "That almost tickled, Boss! You're recovering quickly!"

Hiei smacked him on the head. "Say that while running, you dolt."

"You're breathing pretty hard there. Ya gettin' tired?"

"Shut up."

In the distance, Hiei heard a snippet of Raion and Shikiyoku's conversation. ...if the Boss falls, Tarou's got 'im. Would you feel better after a massage?"

Hiei sent a look Raion's way, and was satisfied to see the other tense for a fraction of a second in response, though he instantly relaxed.

~!**!~

Akari blinked at the feet that stepped into her view, then again when his hair fluttered by her and she realized he was leaning closer. She slowly lifted her head, her hand moving to rest on the place where Kurama had kissed her hair. Her blush deepened, and for a moment she remembered a time past when he'd surprised her with a different kiss.

At least this one didn't end with a scar, I guess, she thought to herself, still not really sure of his intentions behind the act.

She watched his form disappear into the grass, rooted to the spot.

She wasn't sure what to think. *

~!**!~

Shikiyoku turned to look at Raion over her shoulder, eyes gleaming.

"But it's always a choice...isn't it? You actively choose to hate them, put the effort into embracing the initial emotion that triggered the idea and then continuing actively to hang onto it instead of letting it go?"

She caught sight of Hiei among the others and blinked, suddenly distracted at the fatigue she felt mingling in the bond between them and tensing until Raion tapped her shoulders.

"It wouldn't be the worst idea for someone to retrieve him before things get out of hand."

Coming up next to them, himself likely the size of Raion in his normal bestial form, Kurama silently trotted into view, pausing just a moment to regard the guild members across the way.

"Also," He turned back to Raion, "Akari's it, by the way. I would advise avoiding her for the time being." 3

Raion nodded his head at Shikiyoku. "I guess so." He knew she was trying to connect the choice to hate with the choice to love, but he didn't know how he was supposed to make such a choice in his own life if he didn't even know what it meant to love.

Not that he was presented with that choice now, anyway, but his curiosity would simply remain that for now.

He lifted his head to look at the white fox as Kurama padded up, blinking and wondering where he had gone. He didn't know how he'd missed the giant fox's disappearance.

"Leave that to me," he told Kurama as he stood. He shifted from man to lion, careful not to step on any of the things on the blanket, and he bumped his head gently against Shikiyoku. "You should let us help you more often. You don't have to take it all on yourself, you know."

With that, he trotted off towards Hiei, who still sat arguing with Tarou about something he hadn't been listening to. "Hey, Boss! It's my turn!"

"You so much as touch me, cat, and I'll-"

Raion lifted Hiei by the collar of his shirt again, grinning as the demon seemed to simply accept his fate and let it happen. As he escorted the worn-out leader of the guild, Raion was left with the image of a mother lion carrying her young, and he chuckled.

"Keep laughing. I'll add it to the many reasons to-"

"Shut up and sit down, Boss," Raion rumbled as he lowered Hiei to sit next to Shikiyoku. "Recover. Take a nap. Quit being so bitchy."

Before Hiei could respond, Raion turned and launched himself into the still on-going game out in the field, running head-long into Raitoningu, who transformed mid-slam into the wolf that rolled with the lion.

"Alright, rematch, you cowardly lion!"

"I'll win this time, you overgrown pup!"

Tsundora, running past the wrestling match, doubled back to join in on the fun.

Akihiko paused to glance around the area, a brow raised. "I guess the game's over."

Chisai's surprised squeak made him turn to watch as Akari appeared from the shadow behind him, a grin on her face. "You're it, Chisai!"

"Oh yeah, Akari's it by the way!" *

Shikiyoku watched Raion leave her with a frown, feeling from him a strange desire she only could read as to 'help' her, though with what she had no clue.

She felt Kurama's soft, padded footfalls behind her, the fox's head, twice the size of her own, appearing over her shoulder to affectionately rub the side of his silky, pointed face against hers before he nudged her cheek with his nose and then settled down on the heather behind her as she moved about to stretch her legs out in front of her, kicking the blanket out of her way so she could feel the warm earth beneath her.

"I think they all forget you don't know what they're saying when they're like that. Or he didn't have the courage to say it to your face."

His side was warm against her back, and he settled his head into her lap as she leaned against him and absently took to stroking his fur even as the two of them watched Raion bound across the meadow to fetch Hiei.

Kurama's tongue lolled briefly out the side of his toothy mouth in amusement when he lifted his head as Raion approached again and dropped Hiei next to Shikiyoku.

He gestured with his muzzle to Shikiyoku's other side as one of his ears flicked at the rest of the conversation happening further out, "You certainly look like you could use a nap. I promise you they wouldn't dare touch you if you decide to take one with us."

Shikiyoku sat quietly looking up at Hiei, having completely forgotten Raion did anything with her hair, a small smile on her lips. 3

Hiei, once set down and left to get himself comfortable, stretched his legs out in front of him and his arms over his head. His tired muscles twitched, and when he let his arms fall, they simply came to rest in his lap at first, watching the others out in the field briefly.

Fondly.

What a bunch of idiots.

Finally, he turned to look at Shikiyoku, all of his earlier facade left with the game out in the meadow, and he gave her a tired smile. (I like that hairstyle.) Without thinking, he leaned back into the warmth that radiated behind him, not at first realizing it was Kurama, until his friend poked his head around Shikiyoku.

He blinked once. This time, it was harder for him to reopen his eyes. "I think I'll take you up on that offer," he mumbled. But before he got too comfortable, he reached out with the hand covered in Shiki's markings to take her hand and gently tug her closer. "But only if you rest too." (You've both spent so much time looking after me. You should rest too.) *

Shikiyoku blinked at Hiei's comment and reached up to touch her head to try and get a picture of what it looked like since she didn't know, hearing Kurama's head rustle about somewhere behind her.

When she looked over her shoulder at him, his gleaming golden eyes regarded both herself and Hiei calmly as she heard Hiei say something after which Kurama lowered his head so his form was curled around the two of them.

"I plan on it." He replied with an amused flick of one of his tails. "I am still...not recovered..." He let out a long breath behind them and seemed to quickly relax beneath them.

Shikiyoku gladly let Hiei pull her down, turning to face him as she sought to weave her fingers between Hiei's of the hand he grabbed, and though she said nothing, her gratefulness at the offer permeated the bond between them, knowing there would be no place safer for them than where they lay.

As her eyes started to blink and grow heavier, she felt at the last a foreign heaviness settle over her and glanced down to see Kurama had curled a tail over their bodies at the last, further hiding them away. 3

A sort of peace washed over Hiei as he and Shiki leaned back into Kurama, a single thought in the back of his mind stirring about what it would be like if Kurama were to be Shikiyoku's Mate. That thought was gone just as quickly as it had been formed, however, and he turned to lay on his right side so he could tuck his and Shiki's linked hands between them. He lifted that hand to his lips, and even after he kissed it, he found he didn't have the energy to move their hands from his lips again.

Hiei let out a long and slow breath as every bit of tension melted from him at once. His tired muscles relaxed and his eyelids drifted closed, and just before he fell into a restful sleep, the tiniest hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

It's a good day.

That was the last thought he had before he drifted away, unaware of the world around him. He existed in a peaceful sleep for a while, his body letting go of all of the tension from his exercise while the sweat dried across his skin. Only then did he realize he'd began to dream.

He sat in an all-too-familiar room, one leg crossed underneath himself and the other hanging over the edge of the desk chair he hadn't left for minutes, or maybe days, he wasn't sure. He leaned over the delicate gem, his tool carving the smallest lines imaginable into its center. He flexed his fingers, wondering if the tinier details would be easier to manage without his cloak on.

Without much thought to it, he set the jewel and tool down long enough to shuck his cloak, leaving it to hang over the back of his chair, and he leaned over his work again. He etched a few more lines into it, but still had trouble with the eye details on the little dragon. Frustrated, he turned his eyes to regard the bandages around his right hand, partially wondering why he wore them anymore.

Everyone around knew he had the dragon. He'd used it on the forest when his fire hadn't worked.

He threw that thought away and set his tools down again, this time working to remove the bandage around his dragon tattoo. He let the cloth fall to the floor next to his chair in a pile, dirty and in dire need of replacing anyway.

He turned to pick up the gem and tool again, and this time found himself distracted by the tattoos on both of his hands. He regarded the odd symmetry, realizing in that moment that they both held significant meaning to his life, and significant power behind that meaning - if not for different reasons.

The dragon reminded people of his strength and ferocity in battle, reminding them that if he decided, his opponents would cease to exist in a moment's notice. He traced a finger along its face, reminded of the time he'd released it for Shikiyoku to see.

His finger stilled over the dragon's nose, his eyes no longer seeing that tattoo. Instead, he stared at the little black swirls that stopped just above his left wrist, reminded once again that he was stranded on the Ninth with no way to get to or even communicate with Shiki. His core ached at the memory, and he squeezed that hand closed as if he could crush that pain into dust and let it drift off on a non-existent wind.

She's not coming, that ugly little voice told him. It taunted him, reminding him that he was powerless, unable to choose whether he stayed on this cursed level or leave, and unable to know if she truly was coming for him or if he'd be doomed to live here for the rest of his days. You're alone, and always will be.

Frustrated, he swiped the back of his fist against his face, ignoring the little gems that plunked onto the wooden desk. Dammit, I thought I was over this. He reigned in his emotions, corking them back into the bottle he'd closed up years ago, and let out a long, tired sigh.

Maybe he'd gone too long without sleep again. Or maybe he'd stayed locked away in this room for too long.

He opened his eyes again and carefully grabbed the two little tear gems from his work station. Time for a break, he told himself as he swiveled in his chair and deposited the gems in the proper drawer of jewels. The rattling of the little orbs rolling into one another grated on his ears as he shut the drawer again, and he forced himself to stand up and get moving.

Legs stiff and back sore, Hiei stepped from his jewelry making room and meandered not towards a room to sleep, but to the bar downstairs for a drink.

With any luck, Uryo would be there to distract him with a card game or betting match. *

Shikiyoku only stirred when she felt Hiei clutch at her tighter, her eyes blinking open a little to remind her that yes, they were still snuggled up together, the clean, crisp scent of Kurama's silky fur and the warmth radiating off his body beneath them confirming their location.

She did feel his tail over them twitch a fraction and then felt the puff of hot air curl over the side of her face and neck, seeing in the bit of light that peeked through their enclosed tent of fur the kitsune's muzzle had appeared near their faces out of the corner of her eye.

She gave Hiei a squeeze, but didn't want to draw him too far from his slumber.

"I think he's having a bad dream..." She mumbled sleepily at the hovering nose as she watched Hiei's eyes dart around behind his eyelids, his fingers at her back curling around her clothing to pull it into his fist.

Another gentle puff of air in understanding and then she watched through half-lidded eyes as Kurama softly pressed his nose into Hiei's cheek briefly to let out a calming breath over him before gently licking once at the same place while Shikiyoku buried her face against the hybrid.

You're safe here, little fire.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku felt the side of the large beast beneath her let out a huff and she sat up blearily as best she could with her and Hiei still mostly embraced to see Kurama at full attention, ears perched particularly forward in the direction he looked.

His gleaming golden eye barely gave her a quick glance, and when she knew he meant to get up, she rolled a bit, pulled Hiei over a little so he was resting against her even as a little mound of the meadow rolled up to meet them so they wouldn't fall at all.

"Uh, excuse me." Kurama said to the rest of them, towering over them in silver-haired form and barely noticing where several had gathered around.

He started moving for the edge of the meadow and the rest could just start to make out the sounds of some fierce battle occurring beyond the borders.

Just as Kurama's curious steps would have taken him within ten feet of the edge, he started back a little as an intense blast of fire tore through the treeline just to his right and seared a good one hundred feet of his beautiful meadow, leaving nothing but floating bits of ash and burnt ground in its wake, a blank spot now even a few yards into the forest where there had once been trees and grass.

Kurama gaped at the destruction, his whole body twitching violently once as his connection with the life he had so carefully cultivated severed completely in the instant of its demise.

But before his rage at the slight could build up through his body, he heard a voice call out, the source of the brief inferno shuffling forward into view out from the cloud of dust, dirt, and ash.

"Sh'orry 'bout that." The dark-haired figure had a hand self-consciously at the back of his neck, a bundle underneath his other arm. "The forest wasn't ending, hic, so I guessh I sh'orta losh't mah temper." 3

Hiei's dreams had subsided after a while, fading into a restful, peaceful sleep. He only moved once to bring himself closer to Shiki, her scent under his nose enough to keep him under and resting without worry of his surroundings.

He didn't so much as twitch when he was moved, his slumber going unbothered due to his trust in the one moving him. He didn't even protest in the form of a grumble like he might have any other time.

It started as a small sense of alarm at first, his awareness picking up on some sort of alertness outside of himself, but his sleeping brain chalked it up to Shikiyoku having her own dreams, which he brushed his nose against her knuckles to soothe.

It wasn't until the heat of a forceful fire burned at his awareness that he knew something else was going on. His core lurched and he flew to his feet, eyes open and following the already fading blaze back to its source, his eyes wild.

He'd reached for his sword, but it wasn't there. And, to his bewilderment, in that moment he realized he didn't have the energy to fight the source of the blaze.

It took him a few minutes to realize that he recognized not only the brief blip of energy he could read, but the face that emerged from the smoke and dirt too. He rocked a little in place.

"...It's that idiot," Akihiko grumbled from somewhere nearby, though Hiei didn't look to see where the demon stood. "Can't get a moment's peace."

Hiei blinked a few times, all of his fighting spirit leaving him at once. "Uryo?"

Akari, who'd surrounded herself with dark human-shaped masses, glanced around the meadow to see that, slowly, the members of the guild had begun to relax. The growls from the brothers had quieted, and the hair behind Raion's neck had begun to flatten again. Tarou tossed his weapon back into a golden portal in the air next to his head. "Well, shit. I was nappin' good too, ya bastard." *

When the wash of Hiei's adrenaline began to fade, Shikiyoku was scrambling to her feet to dart up next to him, pulling one of his arms from his side and ducking underneath it so it would be around her shoulders as she pulled him against her with her other arm around his waist, feeling him go slack in her grasp.

She glanced at Akihiko, and almost said something about him calling Hiei's father an 'idiot,' but then Hiei was saying the demon's name and she glanced up at him with concern.

An eyebrow twitching on one side of his face, Kurama stood back up, his tail swishing once in aggravation behind him as he crossed his arms.

"I hope you have a good reason for ruining over a century's worth of hard work, old man. There is now a giant hole in my defenses, thanks to your inability to control your temper." Kurama's tail swished again.

Uryo was looking around at the place as Kurama expressed his discontent and he reached up to scratch at his face, looking as scruffy as ever.

"It'sh a nice pla'sh, foxy."

Kurama reached up to rub at the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. 3

Realizing that there was no fight happening, Akari released her hold on the shadows and directed them back to their respective demons, watching even the lion-shaped one return to Raion and shift from animal-shaped to the form of a man. I didn't know I could hold so many at once… They looked pretty solid too.

She lowered herself back to sitting on the blanket, picking up the magazine she had thrown to the ground and thumbing through until she found the page she'd been reading before the disruption.

Hiei's knees gave way, and a wave of gratitude passed over the bond to Shikiyoku when he realized she had, at some point, stepped up to hold him up. He took a long look around his surroundings, getting his bearings. Oh right. Meadow. Picnic. He blinked a few times and rubbed his hand down the length of his face.

"Why didn't you announce your presence?" He grumbled in Uryo's direction. "It's not hard to wake up a telepath."

Akihiko huffed. "Like I said…" He lowered himself to sit against the mound of earth, reclining back with his ankles crossed.

"It took you a century to build this up?" Raion asked as he shifted from lion to man. "And it only took a single blast for this guy to tear it up."

"You're not helping, Raion," Chisai told him as he passed by. "Don't worsen the situation." *

Uryo scratched at his face against as he kept moving past Kurama's shoulder, leaving the fox staring at the hole and trying to decide what to do.

"It took a century to build up this particular area, yes." Kurama replied mildly. "And folding the forest up in an enchantment so that it continues to bend over the bit in the middle isn't something I can do in a single session." He glanced over at Uryo, one of his ears twitching.

"Well..." Uryo spotted Hiei after he spoke up and turned to head in his general direction, "I wasn't exactly paying attention to anything sh'pe'shific except her."

When he got within a few feet of her, much to the astonishment of Shikiyoku, Uryo dropped to his knees at her feet, placing the bundle he held between them and dipping his head all the way to the ground, hands planted onto the ground on the either side of him to lower down.

"Junai...sensei...please...hic. Please teach me the final technique of the Nitenwa."

Shikiyoku instinctively took a step back when he dropped, eyes wide and her face turning bright red when she heard what Uryo was saying to her. 3

"Of course not," Hiei mumbled to himself as he gathered his strength up under himself again and slowly, carefully, pulled himself away from Shikiyoku. (Thank you. I'm going to sit now.) He shuffled back to where he'd been laying, not realizing he had moved so far forward in his sudden need to 'protect Shiki', and he lowered himself to the ground with his back against the very mound of dirt and grass that Akihiko leaned against.

"He reminds me of someone I know," Akihiko said mildly, and Hiei gave him a look. The second in command only shrugged.

When Hiei looked up again, Uryo was on his knees with his head on the ground, bowing in front of Shikiyoku, who was redder in the face than he'd ever seen before. Having missed whatever had been said, he furrowed his brows a little and only watched, quietly, to see what was happening.

Akari lowered her magazine, her eyes flickering around until they landed on Kurama, who still stared at the hole in his forest. She frowned, thinking about the seeds he'd planted and cultivated with his own hands.

Her eyes cut to the demon responsible again, realizing that Shikiyoku and Hiei's association with the man is likely what stopped a gruesome, bloody fight between the intruder and Kurama. How scary that would be, she thought as she considered the damage done.

She wanted to offer her help in replanting, but didn't think now would be the time. And, as she thought about it, she realized she likely couldn't help with something that required such enchantments.*

"U-uh, please, Uryo, please get up, you don't need to-" She reached forward as if to help him to his feet.

He ducked further down, as if it were possible, pressing his forehead to the dirt, "You remember the last time I saw you dance."

She paused and swallowed, her hands coming up to encircle herself at her arms.

"The third time I had seen you do as such. The same one you did for the Elder when we were asked to demonstrate for others the fire-dance you had done the night before. I recognized the steps of the two-sword form at the time, and saw you repeat them later when you were alone and I came up to you. I had been trained in it myself: Nitenwa. The two heavens harmony. You had modified the steps to be done with fans, but I recognized them immediately."

Shikiyoku blinked down at him, but didn't say anything.

"One of the moves I did not recognize, however. I returned to my master, but he did not know of it, bidding me seek his master, who had retired to seclusion. His master also did not have what I sought, telling me the one who trained him passed before he learned it. But he spoke of another who had been trained by the of the Nitenwa, who was his elder in the practice.

"You." 3

Hiei watched Shikiyoku closely, frowning when she hugged her arms around herself. And the longer Uryo spoke, the more unease Hiei noticed gathering at her shoulders, tensing her back muscles, and keeping her rigid.

He wondered if this was something that traced back to her days with her first Champion, since she reacted as she did. And from the way Uryo explained his search for information, it easily could have been during that time.

He dropped mostly into the bond, settling his warmth and general presence there, quiet but supportive in a way he couldn't physically be in that moment. He closed his eyes to concentrate on his presence there, filling the bond with himself.

He realized he slipped too far in when he felt as if he no longer had his eyes closed, and was instead looking down at Uryo, bowed at the pair of feet that were not his own. He could sense the tension at his - no, Shiki's neck and shoulders, and could feel her arms wrapped around herself.

He could feel her discomfort with the ordeal as well, and its origins. Uryo prostrating as he was seemed to be the bulk of it, peppered with insecurities about teaching Uryo - whether she remembered it well enough to teach and whether she could teach him, specifically, due to his speed and other things.

So this is what it felt like when I showed her the ring I was making for Gai.

Akihiko, only half interested in the drunkard who'd stumbled into the clearing in a blaze just to fall at Shikiyoku's feet, blinked against what he thought to be the beginnings of some candle nearby being moved. He glanced to his right, knowing that there had been no candles around, and blinked again at the faint glow that had turned once-black markings to gold on Hiei's skin.

He blinked again and even rubbed his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing. When the yellow hue hadn't disappeared, Akihiko realized he wasn't imagining things. Interesting, he thought. Must be part of his ties to Shikiyoku.

Curious to see if there were any similar changes on her, he turned to look at the woman in question, but found himself slightly disappointed when there wasn't anything of note upon her person.

Interesting… *

Shikiyoku swallowed again, still bright red in the face at the sight of the powerful demon begging her for instruction from the ground.

The core of the teaching in the Nitenwa was that every battle could be won by achieving true inner peace, the fluidity of the steps encouraging the mind to settle, which would open it to the intentions of the enemy one faced, or, most often most recently in Shikiyoku's case, would calm down certain urges that might otherwise overtake someone.

Regardless, it took her a moment to recall what it was Uryo spoke of. It was one that helped... calm her down. She used it frequently since that last particular night when Uryo caught her in the act of moving through the steps. Ever since-

It took everything in her not to look over at Hiei in that moment, and her stare on Uryo intensified because of it. She had not needed to dance that particular dance since she had been reunited with Kurama, which itself had only actually happened after she discovered her demonic form had returned, too uncomfortable with the idea before then of joining with a demon who had known her to have exponentially more desirable long white hair and bronzed skin of her true form.

There had been certainly more than one moment before then where she would sneak off by herself to seek the stillness of the movements the Nitenwa provided.

She couldn't lie to Uryo. She knew exactly the last technique he spoke of, had suspicions as to why he had not been taught it, or why his master might not have been taught it either. The sōke was a wise man, and did not pass along the knowledge to just anyone under his care.

Her own training had taken place towards the beginning of her life, in a time with her First Champion where he wished to experiment with the dances they created for her and thought martial acts might suit his needs as well as any other, but it had been on her own merit that the sōke took her in for a time.

"Uryo...please get up..."

"Will you teach me, sensei?"

She let out a semi-frustrated breath and he spoke before she could reply.

"I will stay here until you agree."

~!**!~

Kurama let out another long sigh, hearing all of the conversation behind him, but filing it away at present to regard the mess Hiei's father had left him.

Not the slightest bit surprised, but still miffed.

He stepped over into the blackened dirt and knelt down to sift some of the ash through his fingers before letting it fall and looking out over the area, feeling the absolute desolation that was the complete lack of his energy in this section.

He was absolutely certain he wasn't up for this, but equally as determined not to leave such a hole unplugged where anyone could stumble over it.

Thankfully, the ash was as likely as not to assist him, and even if the patch wouldn't be entirely stable, he thought he could draw energy from the surrounding bits of the meadow to at least cover the empty spot.

Standing up against and flexing his fingers at his sides, Kurama closed his eyes and his arms began to glow as he gathered what energy he could spare into them.

The unsinged portions of the meadow beyond the dead black arc stirred in an invisible wind as Kurama reached out to their roots and pulled from them the rest of what he would need.

The swaying heather started to recede as if in reverse growth, the edge of the black arc beginning to rustle as new greenery started to poke up visibly.

The change happened slowly, a similar pulsing effect occurring across from the heather where the boughs of the trees that were untouched gave out groans and shifted about, their age similarly growing younger as the heather behind him.

Then all at once the heather spread his direction like a wildfire, filling in the black space with new life as trees sprouted up from various points in the ground, their expansion heading to meet the one of the heather until at the last a tree that had broke the soil just at the back of Kurama's feet erupted upwards to hide his form from view as the effect slowed and seemed to eventually come to a stop. 3

Hiei, not having meant to fall so far into the bond, slowly began to work himself out of it. Unsure of how he'd fallen so far and, and equally unsure how to pull himself out, the fire demon slowly, carefully became more aware of himself, of the grass against his back and the warmth in the markings on his skin. He concentrated on those things, and found that the bond almost seemed to urge him out, and it wasn't long before his eyes were open and he was watching Shikiyoku and Uryo through his own eyes.

He made a mental note to mention that to Shikiyoku later, and for the moment he contented himself with letting only his general presence be known between them while he watched the exchange.

His eyes flickered away from the pair long enough to see Kurama working to restore at least some of the plant life that had been destroyed, and he might have said something if he didn't notice Akari gathering a few things and glancing in that direction every so often.

"I assume you're going to check on him?"

He watched Akari turn and blink at him a few times, and after a beat, she nodded. "He's been busy."

Hiei frowned. "It hasn't been long since he tended to me for a great length of time."

"I get it, you're concerned. Go back to watching your little crush, hm?" He narrowed his gaze at her, not sure what she meant. She only smiled. "You help her, I'll see to it that Kurama is okay. No reason for you to look after them both with all of us here, mister I-just-got-over-the-Infection."

He turned back to Shikiyoku, ignoring Akari's last comment and instead focusing on Uryo's request and Shikiyoku's response.

~!**!~

Akari glanced from Kurama to the guildies standing about as he began to work on his plants, noticing the wolf brothers laying together in wolf form, eyes glued to Uryo and Shikiyoku with avid interest.

Raion, standing near Chisai with folded arms, seemed to be the only guild member who noticed Kurama's movements from the corner of his eyes, though he only watched long enough to see what the fox was doing before he turned back to what seemed to be more interesting to him.

Akari herself wondered how much energy Kurama was pouring into the field around them, and after remembering his multiple travels, she let her magazine fall to the grass again and began to gather a few fruits, a sandwich, and water bottles she found still tucked away into the basket.

Nabu's head lifted from where he'd been resting against Kiyoko. "Where are you going?" She only nodded in the direction of the silver-haired fox demon. "Oh. I thought you were leaving."

She shook her head, and Hiei's telepathic entrance to her thoughts startled her. She reassured him that he didn't need to worry, and when she was sure he was no longer listening in, she wondered if he even knew what it meant to have a 'crush'.

Probably not, since I only know from the humans.

She snickered to herself as she stood, her eyes on the tree that had sprouted where Kurama had once been standing, and she waited a while longer before she slowly made her way across the meadow, waiting until she was sure that he was done before she stepped around the tree to see him sitting against it, pale, sweating, and exhausted.

She withheld the frown that threatened to come over her lips as she lowered the water in front of his face, saying nothing. *

As soon as he knew he was hidden from view, Kurama collapsed onto the ground, leaning heavily into the trunk of the sturdy tree at his back with his long silver hair sticking to his bare skin in places where his sweat glistened over his body and only able to watch with the ghost of a smile over his lips as the area around him finally stilled with immediate growth, the creaking and rustling silencing at the last.

He barely noticed Akari come up beside him, hardly moving to acknowledge her presence, and when the water appeared in front of his face, the muscles in his arms quivered like he meant to reach up and take it, but he only shook his head and leaned his features away from the offer, no longer panting with an open mouth, but still breathing heavily.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku let out a sigh and her shoulders sagged a little.

"If you're really that eager, I-...I would at least be willing to test if you are truly capable of achieving the piece you are missing."

"Thank you, sensei," He dipped lower again, "I am sure I am ready to learn."

Shikiyoku reached out to try and help him stand and this time he let her.

She shook her head, though.

"It...it's not a matter of being ready to learn." Her eyes darted to the side as Uryo rose up to a stand. "I am sure there is a reason your master's master was not taught the last technique. The sōke was a very wise demon who did not waste time teaching those who could not be taught and...and true stillness does not come easily for speedsters. Or fire demons, for that matter."

Uryo had in the meantime bent down to pick up the bundle and exposed one end of it in her direction, revealing a pair of sword hilts that Shikiyoku blinked at before falling silent.

She reached up with both hands to take one, giving the hilt the initial click of motion it needed to release the blade before drawing it out into the air in one smooth, silent motion.

She shook her head after turning the hilt a little either direction in her hand, "I have not held a weapon for a long time. If these are suitable for you, then they will serve our needs."

He let a bit more of the fabric fall to the side and Shikiyoku's breath caught in her throat as the sword came down along with her arm to rest at her side.

She sheathed it, in the next moment, and reached out with her free hand to touch the now-revealed garments, the cloth of a master of the technique.

"He was a tall man." Uryo grinned at her, his breath still containing some bitter hints of the alcohol he seemed less affected by at the moment, "The grandmaster I found. He gifted me these for my trouble when I expressed my intentions to find you. An extra set I thought equal to the size I presume you will need for what I seek."

A small smile danced over Shikiyoku's lips as she took a bit of the fabric between two fingers and shook her head again, "I think you are mistaken. I cannot change to that form on a whim alone, and the only one here I know to be capable of truly intending me harm unto death you have exhausted with your frustrations." Her gaze flickered towards the newly grown, if still young-looking, swathe of greenery behind him. 3

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Akihiko leaned closer to Hiei, his eyes still on Uryo and Shikiyoku. Hiei nodded briefly, but when he didn't immediately answer, Aki gave him a look. "Am I meant to attempt to read your mind?"

Hiei blinked and turned to look at Akihiko. "I'm not too familiar with it, other than it is the most infuriating style to fight against."

"Not that you're known for patience in the first place."

Hiei conceded. "It's a style known for being passive. Two swords and an iron defense that even my speed can't get past."

Akihiko blinked. "Hm."

"I never bothered with it, since I prefer to end things sooner rather than later, so I can move on to better things."

"Imagine that," Aki mumbled.

Tarou shuffled closer and perched on top of the little mound. "There was a guy in the blacksmith district who was fascinated with it. Said it was the best double-sword technique known to fighters. Swore by it, but couldn't find a way to learn it." He glanced down at Hiei. "I didn't know it was a passive fighting style."

"I've only encountered it in two or three fights, back before I had this." Hiei gestured to the Jagan. "One of them I simply abandoned."

"You didn't always have it?" Tarou tilted his head. "For some reason, I thought you were born with it."

"No."

"This will be interesting, then." Akihiko shifted forward and planted his hands on his crossed ankles, anticipating seeing the fighting style that even had Hiei weary to fight.

~!**!~

Akari didn't miss the twitching muscles in Kurama's arms, eyeing them with a narrowed gaze as he turned away. Stubborn. She pulled the bottle away and tucked it under her arm, knowing that even if he did want or need it, he wouldn't ask for it, and she instead pulled a purple grape from the vine she'd grabbed and moved to crouch in front of him.

"Here. This will help." She pressed the grape to his mouth, making sure that even if he moved, the pressure of her finger would keep it there. "They were the best when I would stumble home after fighting all day." *

The look that Kurama gave Akari could have withered the very heather he had just grown if there had been any actual strength behind it.

He let out a heavy breath of air from his nose, sending it pressing all around her fingers as if he could get her to take it away before begrudgingly letting her offering slip past his lips and into his mouth, saying nothing and letting his gaze cast off to the side again.

~!**!~

Shikiyoku frowned and looked up at him.

"Uryo, it is odd for someone like you to even know this style in the first place. Nitenwa is entirely passive at its core teachings, requiring the discipline to be still, to wait until struck. Why did you seek it out to begin with?"

"Its defense is unmatched."

Shikiyoku's head tilted, "Yes, but-" Her brow still furrowed as she tried to quantify why in the nine levels someone like him would want it.

The bundle between them rustled a little as Uryo shifted his hands and he spoke more evenly.

"Did I...Did I ever tell you how I stumbled across the tear gem all that time ago? The state I was in?"

Shikiyoku blinked, and nodded slowly, "I...I think so. You...were running, trying to shred yourself to pieces when you ran into it."

"...do you remember why?" He was staring down at the sword in the midst of the fabrics.

Another nod, "When you sought out Hina once more, you learned she took her own life. You thought to chase after your own death as penance. And to see her again." She added quietly. "Because you loved her."

Uryo pulled his lips into his mouth for a moment, "I-" He sighed and lowered the bundle.

"I did not tell you the whole truth earlier, Junai. I did not think to seek my master immediately after I saw your dance. I ran into...a Koorime some years after our last parting, wandering the world on her own. Her name was Rui and she somehow knew me, recognized me." He smiled a little. "Said it was my eyes. She fell to my feet and begged my forgiveness and I did not at first understand. She told me a truth I could hardly believe, and yet I did believe it. She claimed she was the one who tossed my son into the depths of Demon World, because her best friend had died and could not do it herself as the elders would have ordered her to, and when I implored her to tell me everything, I learned Hina had not taken her own life, but had died giving birth to him and his sister. I-"

He clutched at the cloth wrappings tighter before releasing a breath.

"Then her death truly became my own fault." He met Shikiyoku's gaze, then, crimson eyes whirling with emotions and desires that had long since left Shikiyoku speechless and listening. "And in an effort to, to fight back these new realizations, I turned to that style for...for peace. And found myself wishing to complete my training, to learn the last step I saw you move through which eluded me." 3

"So, if you weren't born with it, how'd you get it?" Tarou asked. Hiei realized for the first time how little the guild truly knew of his and Shikiyoku's pasts, independently and jointly.

He tore his eyes from Shikiyoku's back to look up at Tarou. "I sacrificed most of my power at the time to have it surgically implanted."

"During the Tournament all those years ago - Yusuke's debut, you remember, Tarou?"

Tarou nodded. "Yeah, that shit spread like wildfire. Called 'im the Demon Hunter in my parts."

"Yeah. They talked briefly about the Jagan on the side. Said at least B level demon energy was required to receive it without dying, and even then, the chances of death were high enough to dissuade most."

"Oh, is that so, Boss?"

Hiei nodded.

"What for?"

Hiei raised a brow at Tarou, but before he could tell the demon it was none of his business, Shikiyoku's voice cut into the conversation and caught his attention. "...Hina once more, you learned she took her own life." The fire demon returned every ounce of his focus on the conversation, listening to Tarou admit to a lie about running into a demon whose name Hiei knew well enough.

"Boss?"

"Clearly, he doesn't want to tell you, Tarou. I'd just leave it."

"Party pooper."

Hiei shot a glare at the two.

He knew the tale well. He'd long reconciled himself with the fact that he would be dubbed as 'cursed' until he either died or Shikiyoku somehow managed to outlaw that nickname altogether. He no longer held any real emotions regarding his mother's demise, despite Rui's mention of it being his own strength that was suspected to have killed Hina.

Even now, at the discovery that Uryo was his father, the only real emotion he felt was a mild surprise. It didn't change anything, really. It didn't add to his life, didn't take away from it. It simply gave him another piece of a puzzle that he'd forgotten he had begun putting together many, many years ago.

Shikiyoku's mentioning of Uryo having his tear gem suddenly made much more sense, though.

He opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it and pressed his lips together.

Though, the memory of Uryo having the chance to be Shikiyoku's Consort was amusing.

~!**!~

Akari raised a brow at Kurama, not surprised at the look he gave her. So proud. So independent. Graceful in every area except in accepting help. She pulled a second grape from the vine and offered it to him too.

"I figured you didn't want Hiei or one of the guild members to eventually come over here." She balanced the other foods in her lap so she could take a grape from the vine herself. "Though, if these aren't preferable, I brought other stuff too. I couldn't remember what you liked." *

...

"...your concern is noted." Kurama finally remarked around the grape that he still hadn't taken a bite into. "But-" He crunched down on the fruit and still wouldn't look at her. "At this point, time will be the deciding factor as to the return of my strength."

"...thanks..."

~!**!~

Shikiyoku let out a small breath once Uryo finished, giving the demon a bit of a smile.

She reached out and put a hand against his arm, "I am glad you had the style to turn to, then. There is no worthier cause for it than to have saved your life. That is, at the core of it, the greatest service it provides.

"Come. Show me what you know."

They moved a little ways away from everyone so they would have room to maneuver, Uryo unwrapping the bundle further to pass Shikiyoku the set of clothing and the other sword before he took from it a second pair of swords for himself, laying the fabric down and drawing the swords to leave their sheaths on the ground.

For her part, Shikiyoku placed the swords and the clothing next to the fabric and gestured at first for Uryo to walk himself through the moves.

He took several steps away from her and faced to one side, arms at first hanging in a resting position from his shoulders with the swords gently in his grasp.

After several deep breaths, looking forward but appearing to see nothing, Uryo began, moving smoothly through the positions as he ought in zen-like fashion with Shikiyoku standing, arms crossed and watching closely. 3

Fascinated to see how this sword style truly worked, Hiei shifted a little so he could sit more upright against the mound behind him. His eyes tracked Uryo as the two moved away, waiting for the moment that he'd begin going through the steps and motions.

The other four guild members slowly made their way over, Raion on two legs and the brothers on four, Chisai trailing a little behind. The group got comfortable in various places nearby, all eyes following Uryo as he took the first stance.

Hiei analyzed the moves, his eyes transfixed on the fire demon across from Shikiyoku, taking in every minuscule muscle twitch his father's body dared to make.

"So fluid," Tsundora breathed, his head resting on his paws to Hiei's left.

"So calm," Chisai added in awe. "And Mommy knows this fighting style too?"

"It'll be cool to see them spar."

~!**!~

Akari resisted a smile and she pulled another grape from the group with her teeth, and she sucked it into her mouth with a little 'pop'. "Your gratitude is noted," she said around the little fruit.

When she offered the grape this time, she was less insistent on him taking it. She would simply hold it there until he either told her he didn't want it or he ate it. *

Kurama sighed this time, but his eyes lit up where before they did not seem capable of the energy it would take to do so.

He stared at her as he leaned forward just enough to take the offering, golden eyes gleaming.

"So tell me, pup. Why did you decide you wanted to tear down the cafe and start fresh?"

~!**!~

Shikiyoku nodded in satisfaction when Uryo finished what he knew, then turned to reach for the two swords next to her, but when she held them up in her hand, she huffed, amused at something, and did similarly as Uryo instead of her original intention, removing the swords from their sheaths and placing those and the belts aside to walk out to him.

"That wasn't the worst execution I've ever seen."

Uryo laughed, reaching up to wipe at a bead of sweat at his brow.

"But it could be better. Frankly, I'm impressed with your ability to slow it down as much as you did. Let's start again." She stopped before reaching him and positioned herself a few feet away so they would not clash. "At your tempo, when you're ready, but cycle through slowly until we're up to speed. You'll know when I'm ready for you to stop."

She took a stance that echoed his earlier one, arms hanging at her sides, but again Uryo took several deep breaths where Shikiyoku seemed to instantly grow still as stone once she faced the same direction.

Uryo's gaze became unfocused once more and then they began moving in sync according to some indiscernible signal, moving at the exact pace Uryo had taken before.

This time, however, after the last maneuver, they began again, just noticeably faster but still perfectly in time with one another, the pattern to their movements already intricate and difficult to follow unless one understood swordplay.

The steady increase continued for several minutes, the dance as mesmerizing as the zen-like qualities exuded by the two executors of the steps until they were almost a blur of fluid motion, moving from one position to the next without pause.

Amongst the final five or so steps were shifts in stance from facing front to facing back, swords whirling silently in a series of deflecting twirls punctuated by a flip backwards, body twisting in the air with a paired slash down to end up facing the front once more and a return after another, paired jab to the first position.

When the movements had reached the speed of fluidity that meant there were now no pauses between extensions, as she leapt into the air and arched her back to turn, a change in form coalesced over Shikiyoku's body and left her taller than the demon next to her as they finished that iteration and immediately kept going into another, incrementally faster iteration, her long, white hair flowing with her movements without pause even as visible tendrils of her energy started to snake out from that which condensed around her torso and limbs.

The last two times of it she did so in her true form and the motions seemed even more gracefully dancelike than before, long limbs extending and retracting as she and Uryo finally stopped.

After a beat, she turned and moved for the pile of clothing to sit and silently pull the Nitenwa's martial uniform over her skin, leaving Uryo staring after her and breathing heavily. 3

Hiei, like Akihiko, leaned forward to watch the movements of the pair. His eyes followed the blades, their feet, their bodies, and after a while, he realized that he'd accessed the Jagan just to keep up with it all without even thinking about it.

He let the Jagan feed him the information regarding the blades as he himself watched the footwork, fascinated with the layers of defense that he could clearly see built up were he to jump in and fight.

Even if he had his full strength and speed, he knew he wouldn't be able to get past this style. Its complexities left very few holes, and those holes, he realized, were meant to bait in the attacker.

As the pair moved faster, still in unison, he found himself leaning further forward as if to see it better, and when Shikiyoku transformed into her demon form, there was a sort of excitement at his core.

He hadn't ever seen her sword fight before, but he wondered what it would be like to spar with her while she utilized this particular style of fighting. He was torn between wanting to jump in and wanting to study the style from afar.

And then they stopped, and the Jagan closed and he released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"I thought he was going to pass out," Tsundora mumbled to Raiton.

"Nah. That would mean missing the pending spar."

~!**!~

Akari chewed on the grape as she considered his question. "Mmm…" She swallowed and turned her eyes to the fruits in her lap. "Lots of reasons. Convenience, pride, laziness…" She plucked another grape away and tossed it into the air, "But those are just excuses." She caught the grape in her mouth, then offered him one.

"Nabu and Kiyoko are a convenient excuse too. The apartment and bills." She finally looked up at him again. "Truthfully? I was tired." She gave a smile that was reminiscent of the days before the shop's changes. "Tired of running, tired of depending on others."

She looked at her lap again, eyeing the fruits and realizing she hadn't grabbed any cherries. "But, mostly, I was just tired of not really having something of my own. Something I had control over." She turned a sandwich over as if to read its clear, label-less wrapping. "Because the one thing that was 'mine' at the time was falling apart, and my only interaction with it was to break away its pieces until there was nothing left of it to own." *

Kurama leaned his head back against the comforting trunk behind him and listened.

"For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing."

He wasn't quite sure what made him say it, but he believed it all the same.

~!**!~

She looked up at Uryo as she put first one arm and then the other through soft material and stood up to fold the fabric over her chest and begin twisting it closed down her side, talking while she did so.

"Yes. That's good. I'm satisfied with it." She got a few twists down her thigh on the one side and let it be, switching over to the other so it would match before reaching down for the strips of what was some kind of leather that made up the sword belt to begin buckling it around her waist and setting all of the straps so the sheaths hung down properly towards the back of her hips.

When she went to put the swords in those sheaths, checking their positioning before taking the swords in-hand again, it was obvious as she stood back up that she had abandoned them earlier because they would have likely been hitting the ground at her previous height.

"Let's see it in practice." She moved a ways from him so she could stand facing him, her obvious dancing training apparent in the way she carried herself, on top of the lithe strength her her limbs, "I'll telegraph my actions at first, like the first trial would have, and we'll go from there."

Uryo nodded, seeming to have expected to have to prove himself, and faced her.

While at first her energy had been, in a way, muffled beneath the clothing except where it made her already visible skin continue to seem pearlescent, tendrils of it snaked its way out of the sleeves of the clothing and the slits at the outside of her thighs as she stilled across from Uryo, at times some of them curling around her while others undulated outwards from her in an overall sensual golden aura.

Without any actual queue to anyone watching, it was still obvious she was telegraphing her movements when she darted forward to close the distance and engage, the two going toe-to-toe for several tense moments before Shikiyoku broke away and left him, but the movements and actions all well within the realm of viewing speed and execution.

This sort of interaction continued to happen, Shikiyoku making it obvious her approach and the direction of her swings, slashes, stabs, appearing to wish to break through his defenses, but always being deflected, with Uryo appearing to almost never quite be looking at her, his expression blank.

Then she would break from him.

"The second." She called, and they began doing as much the same, but this time her attacks were less readable.

They kept going this way for a few call-outs until it was nearly impossible to tell what Shikiyoku's actions would be, and at the last with two quick swipes, she had one of Uryo's swords stuck in the dirt with one blade, the other skittering across the grass out of his reach and her second blade at his throat for a long enough beat for him to blink in surprise and give her a shaky smile as she backed off all at once and put her own weapons away to move to pick up his own.

"I..." He seemed out of breath again, "I did not know you could hide your intentions so masterfully."

"I have spent my whole life reading desires, Uryo." She replied as she picked up his blade and tossed it his direction for him to catch, her voice in this form lower and more velvety. "It stands to reason that I have become well-acquainted with suppressing my own so no one else can do the same to me. Or as I did with you, making you think I meant one thing when I intended another.

"It requires less thinking and more instinct to best this style, and unfortunately for you, I'm well-aware of that fact." She took a position across from him. "Again." 3

Tarou whistled a low-tone in approval of the fighting attire Shikiyoku had changed into, "I'd never win that fight even if she fought with her hands tied behind her back."

"You'd lose before it even began," Raion retorted with a wicked grin. "You'd surrender."

"Would you two knock it off?" Akihiko glanced at the pair. "One day you're going to say something she actually won't like."

"It would be the best death I could hope for."

Akihiko shook his head at Tarou.

The group went quiet again as Shikiyoku launched at Uryo, her intentions clear in the first couple of rounds. As the sparring continued, Hiei found himself relying on the Jagan to read her movements at their speed, suddenly less interested in the defensive maneuvers than the offensive.

He strained to read Shikiyoku's moves, finding that even with his experience in fighting, she was impossible to read. Her movements were too fluid, too quick, and her redirects were clever and well-placed.

He wouldn't have been able to beat her without his speed, and even then, with her ability to read desires, he stood very little chance.

He understood what Tarou meant at that moment.

Tsun's shuffling further ahead of him broke his focus, the wolf almost large enough to block Hiei's view of the spar. He reached forward to tap Tsundora, and waved with a hand for him to move. "You're in the way."

It was Tarou's alarm as he dropped from the mound of grass that made Hiei look up, the brute patting the fire with his large hand to put it out. "Boss, you should probably snuff it. Kurama might kill you if you burn more of his meadow."

Confused, Hiei rescinded his energy from the small blaze and it instantly disappeared.

~!**!~

Akari gave a noncommittal hum, realizing in that moment that she hadn't truly let herself have a moment to process things. She'd worked and worked, and when she didn't work she ran the levels, never giving herself time to think.

Even after the re-opening of the shop, she'd filled her time with work and taking the dogs wherever they wanted to go.

I should visit Manami soon.

She lowered the grapes to her lap and began to peel an orange instead. "I feel much better now that I've decided to commit to something," she admitted. "I spent far too much time letting myself just live as I always had." She pulled a wedge of the orange away and offered it to Kurama. "Did your mother get married? I don't think I ever heard if she did or not." *

Kurama nodded and actually smiled as his eyes unfocused a little and he thought of her, "She's very happy."

He chuckled a little and shook his head, "And her husband is apparently very happy with me, considering I took over as head of his corporation." He raised an eyebrow and gave Akari a wily grin.

~!**!~

When they reached the same number this time as they had the last-seven-once again Shikiyoku had put herself in an advantageous position that would have ended Uryo's life, this time from behind him where he had blocked her first swing but did not expect her to pivot to face his back and bring her other blade up to his throat, leaving him at her mercy.

He shook his head when she stepped back again, giving a little laugh.

"Perhaps I am not as ready as I thought."

"I mostly wished to see how far you could push it. As I am sure you're well aware, there are only seven stances, as you have been taught six of them and merely lack the last. The last is that which would serve you here on this final engagement where the others failed." While the sweat hadn't actually been accumulated enough to drip down her body, the glistening of her skin did mean where before there were only tendrils-and still those remained-now the energy from her exertions had begun leaking seemingly out of her pores, licking upwards off her like so many flames that were mostly invisible vapors to the naked eye, but would sparkle and gleam occasionally onto the visible spectrum like little flares of shimmery light.

She regarded him steadily, sizing him up and she shook her head.

"Uryo...I am still uncertain. You meet all the requirements as they stand, but it is entirely possible the final position will remain out of your reach, and such a result would not bring me any great surprise."

He nodded, finally catching his breath.

"...are you still willing to teach me it, then?"

She hesitated, but nodded once, "I...let us see what comes of the preparation." She indicated the pile of fabric they had left to the side, "Belt yourself. Sheath your weapons. And come sit." Her swords already put away she tipped the hilts so she could kneel, folding her legs beneath herself to sit back on them.

Resting her hands lightly on her thighs, she opened her eyes and gestured across from her when Uryo returned and he mirrored her position.

After a moment, she let out a breath, ran her palms up and down her thighs once, and reached out to hold her hands at either side of Uryo's face.

He closed his eyes as well, and little else visibly happened except for a furrow of concentration settling over Shikiyoku's face.

A minute or so passed and Shikiyoku lowered her hands back to her lap and tilted her head at him.

He opened his eyes to look steadily at her, waiting.

She shook her head, "I am still not sure. I can teach you the movements, but the strength of the seventh stance lies in knowing the core of your peace at a level I do not know if you can unlock."

"Can you show me?"

She blinked at him and he repeated the question.

"I heard you, but-" Her gaze darted to the side. "I am uncertain how helpful it would be. And it has been...too many years to quantify since I had any stances tested, much less the seventh." 3

Tarou griped something or another about 'unstable fire demons', and Hiei gave him a look. "What! It's true."

"Fire demons are known for their lack of control - power and impulse wise."

Hiei scowled at Aki.

"I'm sure regaining it back so slowly doesn't help either," Chisai said over the group, his attempts at soothing the tension not going unnoticed by Raion.

"We all know there's no such thing as control where Hiei is involved. Especially if it's in regard to Mother."

"Pretty sure he was just upset that I was ogling Shikiyoku." Tarou grumbled.

Hiei raised a brow. "If I were worried about you, you wouldn't be part of the guild."

"I don't think you could kick me out, small fry."

"Alright, enough, enough." Aki waved his hands between the two.

"Nah, I gotta teach 'im a lesson." Tarou lurched forward, mischievous grin on his face as he locked his arms around Hiei's head and planted his palm on the fire demon's head. "...teach you to light a fire near me, jerk." He rubbed, hard, and the friction was almost genuinely painful.

Hiei cursed. "I swear-" he pushed at Tarou's hand, "-if you don't let me go-" he struggled to pull away, "-I will light you on fire on purpose."

"So you admit it! Hah!"

"Tarou…" Chisai frowned, suddenly wishing Gai was around to break it up.

"You little shit," Tarou rubbed harder, and then all at once let go.

Hiei dropped back to the ground and glared up at the brute, his hair, for the first time, not immediately standing back up. He felt its weight pushed down and to the sides in wild directions, and his glare darkened when a few snickers filtered around the group.

"Sooo scary, Boss."

Hiei let Tarou get a few chuckles out before he simply sighed. "What a pain."

~!**!~

Akari's mouth opened in a little 'o'. "I'd forgotten about that! How's all that paperwork going?" She rescinded her offer of the orange and instead bit off half of the wedge. "Hopefully more exciting than it was before, what with the fame and all." She swallowed. "How on earth do you handle that, by the way? Being followed all the time, I mean." *

He chuckled, shifting one leg up so he could rest an elbow on his knee.

"Swimmingly, as paperwork always goes. The fame is simply par for the course for someone as narcissistic as myself, truly. Though I have to say, if you'd watch closely you'd realize that much of the time it isn't me they're following at all." His grin was practically cheshire.

~!**!~

"Would you be willing to try?" Uryo asked. "Have me test you on them?"

She hesitated again, "You would certainly be able to check my standings on the first six, I suppose."

He smiled at her as she regarded him thoughtfully.

There is also the matter of your inherent speed. Sustaining my peace will only get me so far if I am too slow in my reaction time.

She let out another sigh at the eagerness on his features.

"Alright, fine." She relented, feeling his desire to also have a chance at testing his skill against hers wash over her as she started to stand back up. "But only because I think you would never let me hear the end of it if I don't let you."

Uryo was immediately up on his feet, bouncing up and down a couple of times on the balls of his feet and tossing her another smile.

"Let me know when you're ready." He said as she turned away to put a little distance between them.

"I'm always ready, Uryo."

In the next instant, a resounding, intense clang of sword meeting sword rang out over the rather flat meadow, and the grass at their feet had settled, Uryo grinning wolfishly up at Shikiyoku's back with one of the blades at his side now in his hands. Shikiyoku had drawn one of her own katana and it was tilted across her back holding Uryo's strike at bay as she let out a longer sigh this time and didn't bother looking over her shoulder at him.

"You didn't ask to spar, Uryo. You're to be testing my stances."

He chuckled and stood back up, "You were asking for it."

"Was I?" She turned and raised an eyebrow at him as she put the sword away again, "Then I suppose you walked right into it, didn't you?"

Uryo laughed and took several steps back to leave them space. 3

The group fell into silence as metal clanged against metal, and all eyes turned to see Uryo's surprise attack blocked by Shikiyoku. Hiei leaned back against the grass again, his arms crossing over his chest.

He could feel Uryo's eagerness as if it were his own.

"This guy's pretty quick."

Hiei nodded.

"Even drunk, he's hard to keep up with," Chisai commented.

"Makes you wonder why he drinks at all," Raion mumbled.

"He likely drinks because he's so fast," Akihiko cut in, his eyes glued to the demon in question. "He's only gotten faster since he showed up, and I haven't seen him drink once."

Hiei, curious, turned to Akihiko. "As he gets faster, let me know when you can't track him anymore."

Aki snorted. "There's not been a single demon I haven't been able to track, Hiei."

"You haven't met a single demon able to move like this one." He turned back to the pair facing each other. "I'm more than willing to place a bet on it."

"Seriously?" Tarou leaned over. "You, betting with us, against Aki? Has your fever come back?"

~!**!~

"Ah, that makes sense." Akari lowered herself fully to the ground now, her legs crossed and the fruits and sandwich she'd brought along carefully balanced on her thighs. "Though, if I'm honest with you, I hardly catch you on the tv anymore. The times I'm home, I'm usually reading magazines that Ryouta's tossed me." She shook her head. "Of all places for him to stick around, I still don't understand why he chose to use his talents on a little cafe."

She halved the orange as she chewed on the wedge she had peeled earlier. *

"I have more than a few body doubles around," Kurama admitted to her. "The time it would take to attend to all the calls myself requires more than one of me to exist." He chuckled a little.

He raised his eyebrow, "I do find it strange that he-"

The sharp clang of metal against metal reverberated over Kurama's ears and he blinked, leaning forward a little, but unable to see exactly beyond the trees.

He slowly shifted and started to stand, "Care to watch a duel?"

~!**!~

Whereas Shikiyoku had been methodical in her testing, Uryo would dart forward without warning after bouncing on his feet a few times, sword at his side coming up as he made the grass at his feet flush to the ground in the silent wind of his wake. He would push into Shikiyoku's defenses with great urgency and for longer than she ever engaged with him earlier.

Her eyes were closed, feeling the intended movements of his body stirring the peace at her core and reacting to them seemingly without thought or purpose.

After the fourth time, the strength of one of her deflections had sent him blown back from her as if in a harsh push, the impact sending a reverberation of not only sound but fierce ripples of air from the intensity of the deflection, Uryo's feet skating backwards over the smooth ground as both their hair and any loose fabric around their bodies flapped along with the resulting wind. Finally Uryo dug his heels in to stop himself and he immediately dashed forward again too quickly to catch.

Like all the other times she disengaged him, Shikiyoku's swords had been returned to her sheaths to wait for his next approach, but this time she only just managed to pull the one up from her side across her body to catch his initial blow and his second strike knocked the blade aside as he pierced her stomach with the last jab.

There was hardly a breath that passed between Shikiyoku's last deflection and Uryo disappearing from sight before she stood partially bent over him at the waist as in an instant the breath was forced from her lungs with the suddenness of the striking blade, her eyes popping open a moment later as she seemed to come back to the present, her sword arm hanging at her side.

Immediately, Uryo had withdrawn the katana, which had pierced completely through her to stick out the other side in a breathless moment of pause and it clattered to the ground as he wordlessly reached up to press into her shoulders and hold her up from collapsing into him.

Blood coughed up in a spray over his head from her mouth when the withdraw jerked her body the other direction and she planted her free hand on his shoulder and shook her head as if amused at the predicament when she knew he meant to stammer some apology but was in too much shock to do so.

"That'll...be a nice scar." She managed, coughing a little as the blood bubbled up into her mouth.

He blinked at her, unable to fathom her making a joke right now.

She winced, "It's really the burn that gets you, you know? Not so much the act itself, but the intensity afterwards."

"I'm so sorry, I-"

She shook her head, "I've had worse, believe me. I knew you would be too fast before we started. You'd sweat out all your booze and were practically buzzing out of sight. Doesn't matter how peaceful you are if you're too damn slow to react to the stirrings."

He shook his head, "I-"

"Keep her up." Kurama's calm voice told him when it seemed like Uryo might shift away, stepping up to her from where he'd trotted across the grass and quickly twisting apart a couple of the ties on the one side of her clothing, something in one of his hands that he'd swiped up from the meadow along the way.

"Like old times, hm?"

"Shut up and save your strength, woman." Kurama replied mildly, slipping a hand around to her back and feeling the blood pouring from the wound down her skin as the plant in his grasp pulsed and then covered it. "Unless you want your body to take more than the hour it'll need to recover."

She hissed at him as it latched on and sought to cleanse the opening and he raised an eyebrow at her as her sword dropped from her hand to clutch at his shoulder.

"Like old times, hm?"

She gave a little growl and coughed again, lips fighting a smile as he did the same to the front of the wound before ducking under an arm so he and Uryo could lead her over to where the others were sitting. 3

If any conversation happened after the first steps Uryo took, Hiei didn't hear it. He leaned forward again, his eyes tracking Uryo's attacks while he simultaneously checked Shikiyoku's defenses. The faster Uryo moved, the less Hiei focused on Shikiyoku's defense and the more he paid attention to the fire demon's queues.

He didn't notice that he'd slipped into the bond, his wishing to be a part of the battle growing and marrying his desire to pick apart Uryo's every move. He found himself watching from Shikiyoku's eyes, the bond quiet, still, but warm in a way that told him it was indeed still active, unlike when she was in her other demonic form. Uryo's speed became almost too much to track even in this way, and instead of his eyes telling him where the attack would come from, he realized that the bond told him instead.

Or rather, Shikiyoku's power did, and the bond only allowed him to sense it along with her. He knew Uryo's moves when Shikiyoku did, and he knew when she'd react and how.

So the moment Shikiyoku knew what Uryo meant to do - and, subsequently, knew that she wouldn't be able to block it - Hiei's reaction reverberated soundly throughout the bond as nothing more than a curse of anticipation.

Much to his surprise, he felt the impact with her, though it seemed amplified to his own senses. The sensation made it harder for him to separate himself from her, as for that moment her pain was his, and he carefully worked his way away from it, separating himself from the pain long enough to pull from the bond and return to himself, to his own senses.

For a brief blip in time, he had double vision. He saw Shikiyoku leaned over Uryo from his own eyes while simultaneously he watched Kurama step closer to what almost felt to be himself.

He blinked one more time and the double vision left him to watch from his own eyes as Kurama began to tend to her, Akari standing to the side with a frown on her face.

"What the hell, man!" Tarou pushed off to stand.

"I thought this wasn't a spar!" Raion growled.

Akihiko let out a long sigh as the wolves moved to stand together, hackles raised.

"Enough," Hiei held a hand up to stop them. "It's inevitable when blades are involved for someone to get hurt."

"But, Boss-"

"You should know that better than the others." Hiei gave him a withering look. "Accidents happen. Fighters get carried away."

"It isn't as if it's life-threatening," Akihiko added. "And she wouldn't have agreed if she hadn't at least considered this to be a possible outcome."

Tarou deflated.

"She did hold her own for a long while. I couldn't keep up with either of them," Chisai lowered himself to sit near Hiei. "I didn't know she could fight, honestly. I'm impressed." *

"Uryo, stop trying to apologize." Shikiyoku said as the three of them came closer. "I could have told you to take another few drinks at any time and I didn't. I've witnessed your speed. I know just as well as you."

Shikiyoku nodded to a space to Kurama, close enough to be part of the gathered demons but a few steps away still and as he went to help lower her, part of the ground rose up to meet her in a soft mossy seat so she didn't have to go all the way down, her one hand leaving Uryo's shoulder to reach out and pull her onto it as they helped slide her into place and she let out a whoosh of air once settled, bending forward a little with her knees on her elbows as her energy started to gather more densely in the air around her now that she was still.

Uryo hovered near her shoulder, flickering in and out of view as he shifted side to side, Kurama bringing her some water which she promptly used to clear out her mouth and spit off to the side, wincing.

She pointed at the older fire demon, "If you're wanting to pick up where we left off, I'd suggest you start now." Her finger lowered to the part of his yukata where she knew he always stowed his flask away and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or frown. 3

Hiei's eyes followed Shikiyoku, unconcerned about her healing but curious about her continuing with Uryo, as he suspected she would. He watched her energy gather around her, golden and glimmering as always, and he couldn't keep from asking:

"Why didn't you use your energy?" She could have stopped him on a dime if she wanted to. In his experience, it didn't take much for her energy to affect someone once it was already hanging around her.

"I thought she was," Raion mumbled somewhere behind him. "The haze and all." *

Kurama had moved to sit back by the basket, reaching inside for a honeycake and lifting up another in offering to Akari, giving her a wink and a smile as he quietly listened to the conversation happening nearby.

Shikiyoku blinked at Hiei, looking up at him from where she was still bent over. She shook her head.

"First of all, it would take a lot more effort than you think to hold this one under sway for any length of time." She indicated Uryo, who had knelt down a couple of feet away and obediently had a flask in his hand, his image already starting to stay more visibly in place even as he reached up to fix his ponytail. "He would practically have to let me do it. Secondly..."

She took another drink before going on, "Secondly, he seeks training for Nitenwa, whose core principle requires no prior penchant for reading people, and I wasn't about to cheat." She shrugged, "The defense will only be so effective against an opponent who can act too quickly for you to react." 3

"Ah." Hiei nodded his head at her first point, deciding that it made sense that someone of Uryo's stature would be harder to enthrall with energy manipulation. He could probably run it off, too, he mused as he stared at the older fire demon. He hadn't ever considered the possibility of someone other than himself able to ignore the effects even for a moment, really.

And the only reason he could was likely because of the bond, though he'd never shared that thought with her before.

At the last, his eyes trailed to her again. "You fight too fair." Though he suspected she wouldn't if it had been a real fight, he knew that he himself wouldn't have been quite so 'fair' even in a sparring match. Others are rarely so kind as to fight fair.

Akari, who had yet to move once she'd come to a stop outside the little grouping of the guild, almost didn't notice Kurama's offer. She watched Hiei and Shikiyoku curiously, wondering if she'd ever seen him so excited to talk to anyone about anything before.

He hadn't leaned back into the grass behind him since Shikiyoku had sat down.

The movement out of the corner of her eye made her blink and she turned to look at the fox demon sitting nearby. She mouthed a quiet 'thank you' as she took his offer and lowered herself to sit, though her eyes went right back to Hiei and Shikiyoku. *

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be a fight at all." Shikiyoku nodded ruefully, sending a glance Uryo's way.

He chuckled self-consciously and rubbed his hand at the back of his neck, "Eheh, I mean, I did try and apologize for that." He looked a little more serious, though his cheeks were flush from drink, "To be frank, I've never actually tested anyone's stances before, so it's not like I knew what I was doing."

One of her eyebrows lifted, as she brought up her water to her face to drink, "Neither had I."

Shikiyoku tilted her head at Hiei thoughtfully.

"Do you not believe in honor in battle, Hiei?" 3

Hiei considered her for a moment, not immediately giving her an answer. He thought about his early life where he fought simply to spill blood, angry at the world he'd been thrown into and the one he'd been thrown from.

And even in his more recent fights, he felt his response still held true.

"For a Cursed Child, there is no honor. He receives none, and he gives none." He paused, remembering his most recent encounter with another guild, and the words that had been spat in his direction. And the fight that happened later, when said guild attacked. "The only thing I get in battle is blood." *

Kurama hid his smile behind a drink as the looked between the pair, but his glittering eyes gave away his amusement at the conversation.

"Sh'o you would do whatever it took to win?" Uryo wanted to know.

"Anything?" Shikiyoku added. 3

Akari raised a brow as a sort of silence settled over the area, Hiei quietly regarding Shikiyoku as he seemed to mull the question over. She'd expected him to answer immediately, and instead, she could hear the soft breathing of Nabu and Kiyoko laying next to her.

"Well, yeah." Tarou spoke up first, crossing his arms over himself. "The world ain't what it used to be. We have Infected and shit all over. There's no honor in those fights."

"But there's honor in fighting another guild," Chisai piped. "A merciless killing proves nothing except that we fight to survive. What about prestige?"

"Prestige? Why would that matter? We don't fight for fame, kiddo."

"No, but prestige means better clients in the future," Aki contributed.

Akari shook her head to herself and broke a piece of cake away from the portion Kurama had shared. I can't believe he didn't immediately tell her 'yes'.

"So Tarou, if we're all in a fight, and the only way you see us winning is to sacrifice Gai, you'd do it?"

"Well, of course not, but-"

"Why not? Wouldn't you do anything to win?"

"You only said his name because he's not here."

"You're avoiding the question," Raiton pointed out, now standing on two legs instead of four. *

Kurama had at some point patiently made more tea during the ongoing conversation, and he rose to take some to over to Uryo, bending down and whispering something in the fire demon's eyes that made them light up in a grin of thanks.

Shikiyoku just stared at Hiei fondly as she waited for him to speak, the others talking back and forth.

(You bring me plenty of honor, my Consort.)

"You realize that's not normal among our kind." Kurama spoke up where he had seated himself back near his tea-making things and was quietly using his mortar and pestle again. He glanced at Tarou, "Even loyalty among guild members only goes so far when it comes down to the wire." He looked between them all, "If any one of you stood between a successful job and certain failure, I assure you there are many out there who would see to your destruction without so much as batting an eye."3

Hiei took the conversation around him into account as he mulled over his answer, realizing that his response was not at all the same as if he had been asked the same question even a few years ago.

Shikiyoku's comment across the bond made his expression soften just a little.

"I wouldn't," Tarou said defensively, frowning at Kurama.

Raion raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd at least hesitate." Several of the guild members turned to stare at him. He shrugged. "It's true."

"If winning meant surviving," Hiei began, still studying her, "then yes."

Akari stared at Hiei's profile. "And if winning meant dying?"

Hiei turned to look at her then, his eyes darkening just a little at the thought. "In death, I lose everything I've gained."

Akari tilted her head a little, studying him as he turned away. *

"It isn't unheard of for The Pack to kill off members if they've become a threat to themselves or others of us." Tsundora piped up, seated now next to Raiton and joining in the conversation more fully.

Raiton nodded, "If their actions are too reckless without cause so as to put the group in greater danger, they are often given little quarter, killed with little remorse."

"Quite ruthles'sh." Was Uryo's response.

"I take it you don't often work in groups, Uryo." Kurama remarked, the other giving him a shrug.

(Why do you fight, Hiei? Do you enjoy it?) Shikiyoku meant to hold his gaze, but glanced at something out of the corner of her eye for a moment. 3

Hiei turned back to Shikiyoku. (I do enjoy it.) There was no denying the thrill of the fight, and even better still was the reward after some of those fights. But in others… (Sometimes, it isn't only for the fun.)

"Sometimes, we killed to rid the pack of even the smallest hint of disloyalty," Akari added, a small part of her still satisfied in Isamu's last moments when she'd been in Yomi's palace. Other times, it was out of mercy. *

"If there isn't some sort of cohesion within the ranks, a group will quickly fall." Kurama agreed with her, "Attempts at mutiny had best be well-thought out and done with the assurity of victory or the consequences can be swift and dire."

Shikiyoku glanced over at Kurama and he met her gaze, giving the slightest nod, and Shikiyoku reached out a hand to Hiei.

(If you can make it over here to sit in front of me, it would likely be best for your guild before one or more of them begin considering actions they wouldn't think they'd regret.) Her energy had only continued to condense the longer she stayed still and with her attention on healing, Shikiyoku wasn't sure she could keep the more vaporous portions from mingling with the others while she rested.

The seat beneath her lowered slowly to the ground, and she winced trying to shift about, still bent over a little. 3

Hiei eyed the hand outstretched to him, just out of his reach. Without hesitation, knowing Shikiyoku would not ask it of him if she did not think it important, the fire demon shifted around a little. He stretched his legs and tested their strength, then slowly, he began to push himself to stand.

(It's no trouble.)

Akihiko, who'd fallen quiet some time ago, noticed Hiei's attempts to stand and he pushed away from his own sitting position long enough to lean down and pull Hiei to his feet. He watched Hiei steady himself, and when the demon didn't move, Aki took the hint and moved away to let Hiei move on his own.

"It's a responsibility that I wanted no part of," Akari admitted. "It's probably the biggest factor to my not wanting to lead a pack." She shrugged. "Those kinds of decisions are not my favorite to make."

Hiei's hand met Shikiyoku's after a few steps, and he lowered himself to sit in front of her, as she'd asked him to. (How is the wound?) *

Shikiyoku pulled him down so his back was to her, letting go of his hand to drape one of her long arms over his shoulder, her hand reaching across for the marking over his core and fingertips shifting against the fabric of his shirt a little, the contact not exactly setting the markings aglow, but slowly shifting their color from black to gold.

She tried not to lean too heavily forward.

(Needs some time still.) The grimace that shifted over their bond was filled with light amusement. (Gonna be tender for a couple of days as well.)

She shifted a little until her left leg was bent up and she could lean her elbow against it and rest her face in her hand, keen amber eyes watching the conversation that had continued even during their silence.

"But you would have to make them, that's what I'm saying." Tarou argued.

"And you don't think that sort of power can corrupt people?" Uryo replied.

"What if one of us went crazy, Tarou? You just want Hiei to decide?" Chisai asked him.

"Well, at the end of it yeah, but don't yah think he might talk to the rest of us about it first?"

"You have an interesting idea of the meaning of leadership, Tarou." Tsundora raised an eyebrow at him. 3

Hiei relaxed into Shiki, not minding her leaning into him and knowing that she was trying to not lean too much into him. He glanced briefly down at the hand over his core, but he turned to watch the others again, only half listening.

(It will be a good excuse to rest, then.)

Expression neutral, Akari regarded Tarou. "There will be times when he won't have the luxury of time to make that decision." She thought about Manami, and how quickly she'd had to react in the moment where it had been her friends life, or her own. "There will be a time where he won't get to, or maybe even want to consult the group about a decision." *

Tarou pouted, crossing his arms over his chest and huffed, not having an answer at first.

"Being willing to work under a leader means being willing to give up your life for the greater good of the group." Raiton said, shrugging, "That's how it works with The Pack, at least."

Tsundora nodded, "We lost one to the infection this last stint we were gone. Leaders ordered us to turn on them, so we did. I don't think a single one of us hesitated about it."

(How am I supposed to rest when I'm busy taking care of you, mm?) The question was mingled with her affection and Shikiyoku shifted down just a little to nudge her nose against the side of his face, thankful his cinnamon and cloves scent was no longer mixed with the sourness of the infection. 3

Despite the general dislike of her answer, his expression shifted into a half-smile as Shikiyoku nudged his cheek. (You can rest with me, you know.) He turned his head and kissed whatever skin he could find. (You don't have to be busy all of the time.)

Akari nodded. "When you follow someone with the intent to let them make the decisions you don't want to, then you have to trust that they'll make the decision that's best for the whole, and not the one that you'd prefer."

"Otherwise, following that leader is meaningless," Chisai mumbled.

"Mm-hm. If you don't trust them to make the difficult decisions, then why do you follow them?" She took a bite from her almost-forgotten cake. "Like I shaid, there are many reasonsh," she swallowed, "to not be part of such a group." *

"But it's much easier than trying to make it on your own." Akihiko countered, "Being in a group, that is. There's a certain amount of stability it provides and where one might fall, many can hold fast."

"There are other benefits, too." Raion spoke up, "Mutual protection, someone to watch your back. Body warmth."

The wolves chuckled.

"You know I'm right."

"Out of everyone here, I'm sure we know it best." Tsun agreed.

Shikiyoku hadn't expected Hiei to kiss her, and on the lips no less, whether intentional or not.

It took everything she had to lift her head away from him and put her chin in her hand, her dark cheeks dusted with pink as she looked out over the rest of them but didn't really see them, part of her white hair falling and partially hiding her features from him.

(Being busy is all I know, Hiei. Keeps me out of trouble.) She glanced down at him briefly. 3

Hiei watched Shiki as she pulled away and turned her head, the bond tinged with his amusement and affection for her as he turned to watch the group too. (There's always the option of being busy and in trouble.) A hint of mischief dripped across their connection.

Akari nodded. "Of course. Safety in numbers is always appealing, and there will be times when the only way to win and/or survive is with a group." She pulled her hair over her shoulder and began to braid it, tired of the breeze blowing it across her face. "Not to mention the camaraderie and friendship that can come from it."

Kiyoko stirred as Nabu stretched, and she huffed at the Shiba Inu and pulled away. Akari watched the dog shuffle to sit next to Kurama, curious about what he was doing.

"There's also a certain balance in well-structured groups that alleviate stress that someone operating along would have to carry themselves." She nodded again, this time to herself. *

Tarou sighed, "I mean I guess. Sometimes it's just easier to join under the banner of someone who can take all the flak and keep moving."

"Agreed." Akihiko replied, his face giving away none of his feelings.

Kurama already had something in-hand for Nabu before he even sat down, extending palm-up the treat in the dog's direction before scratching at his ears with he munched at it.

(Why, Hiei...Whatever do you mean?) The one amber eye peering down at him from between long strands of her hair gleamed with an expression counter to the innocence of her tone. (Surely one would not wish to keep busy with trouble after all.) 3

Hiei gave a little scoff. (My favorite pastime is keeping busy with trouble.) He shifted around a little until he crossed his legs underneath himself and he leaned his elbows on his knees. (I look for trouble quite often.)

"Hm." Akari shrugged. "I've honestly not done that, but I can see its benefits." She pulled the hair band from around her wrist and tied it around the end of her braid. "Sounds convenient." *

"It is." Akihiko and Chisai piped up at the same time, looking at one another briefly.

Tarou just laughed.

"Junai..."

Shikiyoku turned her head to regard Uryo, his murmur of her name quiet and thick with the same glassiness she noticed in his eyes.

"If you...would rather not..."

She waved a hand at him, dismissing the concern, "We've already gotten this far. And if we didn't finish, I know more than one objection would be had. I-" Her eyes turned inward and then she mumbled more to herself, "I can probably take these off now, anyway."

Shifting around and sitting up a little, her knee on the one side dropping and shifting to encircle Hiei and revealing the grass stains on the bottom of her foot, Shikiyoku let out a huff of air as she grimaced, reaching into the gap Kurama left open on her right side and peeling off the plant that had latched itself to her stomach. 3

Hiei didn't move as Shikiyoku shifted around him, unsure if she wanted to lean on him or not, but ultimately content with the closeness that came from her movements. He listened to her moving around, wondering if the wound she'd sustained was alright enough for her to move around, but trusting her judgement about such things.

(Don't overdo it.) His concern mingled with the words, half wishing she'd just sit still and rest a little longer.

Though, part of his wanting that was for more selfish reasons, he admitted to himself.

"Already?" Tarou asked. "I thought it'd be a couple hours yet before we'd get to see that last step."

Akari, glancing around the group, gave a half-smile. They're a mess. All of them. *

Shikiyoku looked up at the rest of them who had turned to stare at her and she froze in the middle of peeling away the leaf as she glared at them from over the top of Hiei's hair.

"We'll start when I'm good and ready to start and the rest of you can sod off. Have Nabu teach you what freeze-tag is, that ought to keep you busy if you can't figure out how to entertain yourselves." 3

Shikiyoku's pause brought Hiei's full attention to the eyes staring in their direction, and his gaze quickly turned to a warning glare. The silence in the area seemed to grow heavier for a moment, and then Tarou frowned.

"The hell does 'sod off' mean?"

Akari raised her brow at the pair, finding their matching glares to be almost cat-like in nature. After a second too long of staring, she had to turn away and choke down a laugh, using a bottle of water as an excuse to smother the sound.

Nabu, who'd been sitting next to Kurama with the happiest little smile in thanks for his treat, whipped his head to look at Shikiyoku. "Freeze-tag?" *

"It means you can go find a deer in those woods and fuck it in the ass before you bother me about it again; mind your own business for once." Shikiyoku snapped back, glaring at him for a moment before turning back down to attend further to the wounds, curling her legs around either side of Hiei amidst the soft grass.

She grumbled something under her breath.

Nosy-ass. Uryo and I were having a private conversation, thank you very much.

"You were eavesdropping, Tarou." Chisai was pointing out. "That's not very nice."

Only Kurama didn't seem particularly surprised by her somewhat spicy response, remembering long days past where her cheekiness did her great service and unsurprised to find her falling back into the habit of such after being in the form for this long.

Elegant she could be when the occasion called for it, but she was equally as brazen when the need arose. And she was hot enough to get away with it with little repercussions she couldn't handle, batting her eyes to avoid giving an apology.

Personally he found her masterful proficiency in the dichotomy to be especially attractive.

Also, wounds tended to make her a little cranky, he recalled. She usually managed to avoid them. Insult to injury in this situation, as it were.

Heh. 3

Hiei blinked and fought the urge to turn and look at Shikiyoku, his expression settling into a neutral one as he took in the words she hurled at Tarou. His lips twitched, fighting a smile, and for a moment he wondered why he'd never heard her talk like that before.

As if it were possible, he felt himself fall a little further for her. Damn I love this woman.

"Well, shit ma, tell me off more often, won't ya," Tarou finally responded, a grin dominating his features.

"If I'd known that's all it took…"

Hiei glared at Tarou and Raion, the gleam in his eyes reminiscent of the fire he couldn't currently access.

And he was too comfortable to move away from where he was sitting with any other form of threat, so he simply glared from where he sat snugly in Shikiyoku's entire presence. *

Shikiyoku huffed out a scoff that sounded closer to a chuckle as she sent a jeweled glance in the pair's direction.

"Butt into places you don't belong more often and maybe I will."

She turned her attention away from them and grimaced as she felt the plant at her back release its stickers from where it latched onto her skin when she gave it a tug.

She hunched forward a little again, catching her breath and holding herself up with one hand on her knee.

Tossing Kurama a wily half-smile, she held up the bloodied plant-remains between a couple of fingers.

"I hope you didn't want these back."

"I so rarely want back anything I've ever given you." His eyes glittered dangerously. "Why would I start now?" 3

Raion had some comment or another at the ready, but Shikiyoku's dismissal of him and Tarou left it sitting on his tongue, a slight disappointment at being dismissed so quickly just touching his features. Tarou's pat on his back didn't help either.

Hiei leaned further back into Shikiyoku, his glare on the others softening to his usual neutral watchfulness as his eyes glanced from person to person. His hands slid from his knees to his ankles as if to keep his legs in place. Content washed over him and traveled over the bond.

He felt warm and comfortable, light and carefree in the midst of Shiki's energy. His eyes wandered from the guild to Akari, sitting quietly near Kurama, and then his eyes lifted to the hand Shikiyoku stretched in the fox's direction, and the sparkles that danced around her arm had his eyes moving past Kurama to see how far her energy had gone.

He didn't really hear the conversations around him as he gave a little yawn, reminded that his nap had been interrupted.

Akari's eyes darted from Hiei to Shikiyoku to Kurama, then back to Hiei in time to catch his hand covering a yawn. After a brief breath to contain a little laugh, she turned and busied herself with petting Kiyoko, who blinked up at her sleepily.

"You're having fun."

"This group is interesting," she told the ball of white fluff. "The change of pace is nice."

"I'm glad." *

Shikiyoku shrugged a shoulder like it didn't make a single bit of difference to her and she let the leaves fall paired to the ground next to her, leaning back again into the little bit of the mossy-chair that had been left behind her and shifting around until at the last she wrapped her arms about Hiei's shoulders and let her hand feather over his hidden marking again, hoping that the reminder to the others would be enough to continue to dissuade them as it turned from black to yellow a second time.

"Mommy, why don't you fight?" Chisai wanted to know.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you fight? You seem especially good at it to me."

"She doesn't like fighting." Kurama provided.

Shikiyoku gave the blue-haired demon a somewhat self-conscious smile, "I'd just as soon kiss you as fight you, Chisai."

The idea at first, from Kurama, made Chisai frown, where as her assertion of it tinged his cheeks pink at the prospect. 3

Hiei shifted just a touch, moving so that the bulk of his weight wouldn't be near Shikiyoku's wound when he did lean against her completely now. As he settled, he opened his eyes - when he'd closed them, he didn't know - and he gave one more look around the area before deciding that, yes, he was very comfortable.

Akihiko regarded the pair across from him with interest as Hiei stopped shuffling around, a brow raised ever so slightly. And she thinks he doesn't want her. He shook his head to himself.

"It's a shame such skills go unused," he told her, joining the conversation about her sword fighting abilities. "Though I'm not so sure Hiei could handle being upstaged." *

Shikiyoku blinked at Akihiko before letting out a huff of a laugh.

"I...don't know about that." She mumbled, eyes dropping to the side, "And besides, I never could bring myself to kill anyone." A shrug. "Seems to me as if that's the only reason anyone ever fights. I had other ways of surviving."

"Or she had someone else who could do the killing for her."

No one had to look around to know it was Kurama who spoke up again.

Shikiyoku didn't disagree, however, though the idea seemed to make her uncomfortable.

"Goddamn that little fucker has no idea how good he's got it, does he?" Tarou murmured to Raion next to him, taking the opportunity now that Hiei's eyes were closed to enviously eye where his boss' head had come to rest.

"He certainly seems comfortable." Raion also stared, imagining just what that would feel like, having his head pillowed against her chest.

"I wish she'd hold me like that."

"She probably would, if you asked her." Kurama spoke just as quietly, the pair not far to his right and not so conspiratory as to have their heads together and keep their conversation entirely between themselves turning to stare at him.

One of his ears twitched as if to bring attention to it before he turned and raised an eyebrow at them.

"You think I'm kidding."

"No, I think you're pretty serious and that's why I'm still staring at you." Tarou replied.

"Just make sure she's in that form when you do." Kurama turned back to the rest of the conversation at hand. 3

Akihiko nodded, conceding her point. He certainly fought to kill. "I'm sure he'd be too distracted to accomplish anything anyway." He tilted his head a little, catching the tail end of Tarou and Kurama's back-and-forth.

He listened to the silence that followed that little group, and after a beat, a smile almost twitched at his lips.

"You got his gears going. It's been a long time since they've moved at all." He turned away. "I'm amazed they still work."

Chisai, either not hearing or simply ignoring the side conversation, leaned around Akihiko. "What other fighting styles do you know?"

"As complicated as that sword technique looks," Akari rejoined, "surely you learned other styles before that one?" *

Shikiyoku shook her head, "I don't know anything else. And I only learned Nitenwa because I had to. I didn't even use real swords when I did." She glanced over at Uryo, "I've...never really held a sword, much less used one."

He blinked at her, eyes glassy, "...for the dan'shesh. Martial arts ish'nt really all that different, ish it?"

She gave him a little smile.

"Well," He continued, sitting up a little, "I would imagine your hic proficiency with fan Nitenwa is unmatched." He grinned.

Keen golden eyes, even through waves of fatigue, continued to return to the white-haired demon and her Consort seated several feet away from him, no matter whose attention caught his own.

Even in sleep, she barely touched him, her arms more to keep him in place, keep his marking lit, and doing nothing besides.

She did not nuzzle her nose against his face, her legs even encircling him were hardly in contact with him, and where if it had been Kurama in her arms she would have at least been tracing patterns with a finger over one of his shoulders, and likely more, instead she sat eerily still to Kurama's mind. 3

"So, you dance." It wasn't really a question, but Akari's eyes momentarily glazed over as she thought about the dance she'd witnessed what felt like ages ago. "Is your energy used as part of those dances?" She did a little hand-in-the-wind motion, as if that would clarify how she meant.

"She used it to run Infected off the level," Tarou piped. "It was pretty badass." *

Shikiyoku nodded to Akari, her eyes lighting up at least a little as she raised her arm in a little flourish and the visible tendrils of energy nearest to her curled and wound around her limb.

"Sometimes." She replied to the question, watching for a moment as she turned her arm a little and the energy kept motion with her before she lowered the arm back over Hiei.

She chuckled at Tarou, "That was different." She blinked, remembering how she'd reverted to dance steps in an effort to keep herself moving, using the core of peace in the teachings of the Nitenwa to sustain her and reverting to the stillness of the bacta tank from her time with Mukuro when in pain form. "I mean mostly different. Being able to trail my energy along is no great feat, but it does let me work exceptionally well as bait for those creatures."

Kurama's eyes flickered to watch her arm, then how it repositioned itself over Hiei carefully, only seeming hesitant to him because he knew her.

Shikiyoku did not hesitate. She knew exactly what she wanted, alongside with what everyone else wanted.

...so why would she hesitate now? 3

Akari's mouth opened into a little 'o' for a moment, amazed at the golden stream of energy that moved along with Shikiyoku's arm. Her eyes followed those trails for a moment, though when she realized she had been gaping, she closed her mouth and turned her gaze to the fruit sitting in front of her. She grabbed a cherry and glanced up again once Shikiyoku had stilled. "It's very pretty." She pulled the stem from the cherry. "And interesting."

"And useful," Akihiko added. "The bar is hardly too rowdy, and I'm pretty certain that's her doing."

"The stamina you have to have to trail your energy for that long though!" Tarou planted his hands on his knees. "I've never seen someone else do that before!"

"There are people trying to mimic it, actually," Tsundora frowned. "Though, as far as we can see, no one's come close."

"Ah, there was that one city where there was rumor of a fire demon who did it with his fire." Raiton added. "Said that he only stuck around long enough to kill the Infected before he took off again."

"Oh yeah. We heard about that on our way back. There was surprisingly very little fire damage, considering they described the guy as literally throwing flames every which way." *

While the warmth of her Consort against her satisfied her to an extent, there was no denying it here with several beings in the midst of her energy: Hiei was devoid of any desires whatsoever.

Certainly now he was asleep, some semblance of a blank slate would be expected, but even earlier when she first sat down, the desires of the others would wash over her in waves that over the years she had learned to disseminate from one another so that they would not overwhelm her all at once:

When Kurama meant to reach into the basket for a honeycake, before he offered part of it to Akari, the moment before she moved for him, when she had decided what to do, Tarou's desire to see her show Uryo the final technique, Chisai's intention to ask her a question, Raion's wish to lean against her.

Every. Single. One.

Live beings warm with desires in almost every moment, sending ripples of understanding to her through the energy they likely could not see curling around them like a scent on the air and moving like so much effervescence through her limbs.

And then there was the little demon in her arms.

Perhaps not cold. But absence, void, was so like the cold to her that it almost made her shiver here where the others nearby, exposed to her energy, all consistently, continuously, desired things.

Shikiyoku gave Akari a winning smile, "Thank you! I didn't always think so. It can be a lot more trouble than it's worth at times, believe me."

"I used to dance for thousands, Tarou, during feasts. For days on end. I earned this stamina quite literally with blood, sweat, and tears. And with it the intelligence in how to wield it with the sort of precision that lets me go for so long. Not a single bit can be wasted, not one movement unnecessary when you're expected to go that long. And with an enemy at your back eating it all away, such measures become more poignant. Life-threateningly so."

"Good luck to them, I say." Shikiyoku shook her head, "It would be foolhardy to try and bend them to your will in such a manner. You are likely to take on too many or feed them too much. All they know is hunger. They will consume until you drop and then they will continue until your death." 3

"Thousands?" Tarou repeated, incredulous. "What kind of dance brings an audience that big?"

Raion raised a brow. "I certainly can think of a few."

"I'm pretty sure her dances had a purpose," Akihiko gave Raion a look.

Chisai stood and made his way around the picnic area, moving from one side to the other so he could grab something from the basket. "You had to learn how to dance?" He sat back down again, withdrawing a wrapped sandwich from the basket. "Is it a family thing, like my family's business is?"

"You have a 'family business'?" Tarou frowned. "It's the first I've heard of it."

"It's the gem stuff he does," Raion explained.

"That you help him with?"

"I verify the legitimacy of documents, not jewels. Do you ever pay attention?"

"I assume your dances are a type of ritual," Akari said over the impending argument. "Like the one we talked about earlier - Sekaiju." *

"There were plenty of tribes who numbered in the thousands before the cities took root." Shikiyoku shrugged, tossing Raion a particular smile, "Those sorts of dances were much less expensive than the dances for one. That kind didn't come until later."

Kurama chuckled.

Shikiyoku blinked at Chisai, "Yes, I had to. But no, it, uh, had very very little to do with family in any sort of capacity whatsoever. I- I don't..." She gave them all a look, "I don't know why you find any of this interesting in the first place." 3

Akari's brows came together, but before she could respond, Tarou beat her to it. "You never tell us about you. We've been trying to figure you out since day one!"

Raion nodded. "You're very good at dodging questions."

"And redirecting the conversation without people noticing," Chisai added with a frown.

"It's a treat-" Tsun began.

"-for you let us in on your life a little." Raiton finished. "Especially outside of the bar." *

One of Shikiyoku's eyebrows lifted further up on her face as she looked around at all of them.

"None of you are making any sense. Why in the nine levels do you care?" 3

The guild stayed quiet, each person sharing a look with the person next to them. Akihiko sighed somewhere to Akari's left, and for a brief moment, she could hear the collective internally repeating the sound.

"Because," she began, her eyes immediately glued to the three cherries she'd picked up as she removed their stems, "they're your friends." She dropped the stems onto her lap next to the pit she'd previously pulled from a cherry.

Tarou stole one of her cherries. "Short and to the point. I like it." He ignored the look she gave him. *

Shikiyoku's nose lifted a little higher in the air as she sent a scrutinizing glance across all of them.

"Not possible." She decided, announcing loftily, "Demons like myself don't have whatever this 'friend' thing is that you speak of." 3

"She acts all high and mighty," Tarou grinned at Akari as she snatched the cherry back from him, "but she really cares."

"You don't have to tell me that. She wouldn't be here if she didn't at least like some of you."

"We're all very intolerable creatures," Akihiko shrugged. "I hardly like this rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells."

"And yet, he stays."

"Only for the food and drink."

"Are you sure he's not just a house cat?" Akari raised a brow at him. "Sounds like a house cat."

"I live like one. You should really try it. Life gets much easier when you're a stray." *

Shikiyoku shook her head, "There are only those who would use us and those who would not. Those who are useful and those who are not. Would you really be so naïve as to place yourself in the second category and not the first?" She paused, "This is the way things have always been. I do not see how anyone can think differently." 3

Akari shook her head at Akihiko. "I got tired of it."

Raion's eyes glittered. "Do I get to choose who uses me?"

Tarou sighed. "Ah, to be used by Shikiyoku."

Chisai frowned at the pair. "You're the worst."

Akari turned to Shikiyoku. "I didn't think you'd have such a black-and-white view of the world." She shrugged. "But then again, I've been with the humans long enough that I hardly consider myself demon anymore, so my opinion hardly matches that to what's the norm for most of you." *

"You do." Shikiyoku tilted her head at Raion, eyes shifting between him and Tarou. "Though, that was not how I meant it." A smile danced its way across her lips, "All you have to do is ask."

"She's right." Kurama agreed, clarifying, "Where her kind are concerned, there is only ever those who will use her and those who will not. On the other hand, she also knows that even those who think they are most insignificant can be of use."

Shikiyoku smiled at him mysteriously, but said nothing.

"You learned Nitenwa to adapt it into a dance?" Kurama inquired, ignoring her look.

Not you, too.

You distracted them again

I know.

"Yes." She replied flatly. "Is that so hard to conceive?"

"No, but you've so many years of court maneuvers under your belt so as to know how to steer the conversation where you please when faced with those of lesser skill, which frankly I find so petty of you to use such masterful tactics against such babies in the first place, and I thought it was time we returned to it." 3

Akihiko sighed, relieved that someone else had noticed it too. He'd stopped fighting her redirect tactic months ago, since the guild was so susceptible to it. They hardly ever truly noticed it as it was happening, only after she'd already left them to their conversations and returned to whatever she'd been doing.

"We are not babies!" Tarou grumbled.

Akari nodded. "Yes we are."

"I'm a full-grown man, thank you."

"With manly needs and thoughts?" she teased.

"Obviously."

She passed him a cherry. "Baby."

"We are significantly younger and inexperienced," Chisai agreed.

"And completely missing the point," Akihiko grumbled. He turned to Shikiyoku and spoke a little louder, "You've mentioned court before, Shikiyoku. How long have you been out of the courts?" *

"I apologize, I did not mean to offend. I merely meant that in the specific case as to the measure of her level of skill in manipulation and yours, you are, in fact, hardly more than an infant. She and my cousin ruled the High Court in all but name only, as I understand it."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Shikiyoku replied matter-of-factly, eyes gleaming at him.

"We don't do a lot of, uh, talking in The Pack, so...it's a fair assessment, really."

"Words mean less than actions." Tsundora added. "It's strength that matters in that world."

"Baby." Shikiyoku aimed at Tarou, winking at him when he looked up.

"Since I fell in with that smartmouth." Shikiyoku tipped her chin in Kurama's direction. 3

"Well, I definitely meant to offend," Akari told Tarou, who seemed to forget what he was going to say to Shikiyoku and instead turned to lean over Akari. She pulled a cherry pit from her mouth, still smiling.

"Watch it, or you might be calling me 'baby' for a different reason sooner rather than later."

"So scary." She pat his cheek a couple of times. "So easily distracted."

Akihiko nodded. "I'm not surprised." He shifted and crossed one leg under himself. "Your multitude of skills lines up with many years in court - what few of them I've seen, anyway." *

Shikiyoku shifted as discreetly as she was able, lifting the arm across Hiei's shoulders to run her fingers over her wound as she nodded absently at Hiko.

"My skillset mostly comes from that period of my life. They probably are what shaped me the most, if I'm being honest. I certainly have spent more time moving through them than any other thing I've done with my life so far."

"It does kind of sound a bit like how a business is run." Chisai was frowning, "From what little I've heard."

Kurama smiled, "It's quite like that." 3

"I did notice at one point that she works around the bar in this jewelry for a while," Tarou rejoined the conversation, leaving Akari with a look, "but that they'd eventually be gone."

"Oh yeah. I think Gai thought you were selling them?" Raion said.

"It was so discreet that almost none of us noticed," Chisai said. "It's an art in and of itself to sell something so extravagant without anyone really noticing." *

Shikiyoku glanced over at Uryo, who nodded, but she refrained from saying anything about how Hiei's jewelry had all been made for her in the first place.

"Like I've said before, I am quite proficient at making sure you notice only what I want you to notice, when I want you to notice it, if I'm so inclined."

Tsundora laughed a little, "You guys probably won't believe me, but I've seen more than one demon strutting around in that stuff she models later." He shook his head, "Never looks quite the same on them as it does you, Mom." 3

"He's right. It just doesn't have the same… charm," Tarou nodded. "I've seen one, but that one was enough."

"Gai never did tell us if he asked for the source of the jewelry." Raion scratched at his face thoughtfully. "I thought he said he was going to do that."

"He did. He just said he couldn't remember who it was."

"Some of those jewels are found all over the levels, too."

"You're a nerd, Chisai."

Akihiko studied Shikiyoku, wondering if she had let them all notice it for a specific reason. "It's too bad we don't have reason for things like that. They suit you." *

"They ought to." She replied mildly, starting to twist up the side of her outfit again. "They were made for me." 3

For a few beats, silence filled the air around the guild. They stared at her, blinking owlishly as they processed the information.

"WHAT!" Tarou boomed.

Chisai leaned over and smacked him. "Tarou! Hiei's sleeping!"

"I don't give a shit; what do you mean they were made for you?"

"As in, made with her in mind, obviously," Akari said.

"Alright, smartass-"

Raion butt in, "You asked the dumb question."

"Who made them for you?" Chisai's eyes gleamed at the idea of meeting the person who had their hands on so many different jewels. "Can I meet them?"

"If they're made for you, why are you selling them?" Raiton asked, his head tilted to one side. *

"Just what I said. The jewelry you're talking about was made for me. Is that so hard to fathom?"

Shikiyoku shrugged a shoulder at Raiton, "Because we don't have reasons for that."

Leaving them to the general dismay that continued darting back and forth between the guild members, Shikiyoku bent her head over Hiei's shoulder, her long white hair falling and obscuring most of her and Hiei's left side as well as the left half of Hiei's head from view.

Warming the bond with her presence as she shifted around him a little bit, knowing he might be upset with her if he slept through this last bout with Uryo, she sought to pull him from his sleep.

Her left hand dropped to his waist and found the skin beneath his shirt, running her fingers back and forth just over his hip firmly enough not to tickle and instead trying to coax him back awake pleasantly.

The hand eventually slid up the rest of his torso to cover the heart marking on his chest and she lightly set the marking aglow, sending the pulse of her energy running along it and feeling it curl across his limbs, but not giving it enough light that it might get anyone else's attention.

How about a kiss for good luck, my little fire? She breathed into his ear once she knew he was awake enough to hear, her voice low and huskier as the words slowly poured out of lips just barely brushing parts of his skin before, after a pause, gently pressing those lips to the space in front of his ear for several moments.

Grinning wickedly where no one could see her, Shikiyoku leaned forward enough so that she could see where the tip of one of Hiei's spikes of dark hair on the other side of him had lit up in a surge of his energy and she calmly reached over and put it out between the finger and thumb of her right hand with a small hiss as it died.

Just like a little candle, you are, hm? She murmured like before, nudging the place where she'd kissed him with the tip of her nose.

A second kiss, a slow and methodical bringing together of her lips over his skin, but farther back, right between the back of his jaw and his neck, and then, satisfied he was in fact awake, Shikiyoku started to unfold herself to stand up.

Blinking almost bleary-eyed at the she-demon he was facing and sensing she was ready to rise, Uryo cocked his head when he suddenly felt the silent, almost imperceptible flare of energy ignite the air near Hiei's head, and while he couldn't have said exactly what happened, something about the sensation the fire gave off made him pause and he opened his mouth before quickly closing it, frowning.

"Hiei..." He wasn't honestly sure the hybrid would be able to focus enough to hear him, but perhaps even if delayed the idea would be planted for later cultivation, "...once my time with Shikiyoku is complete, there is something I wish to speak with you about, if you are feeling up for it. It will not take long."

Distracted by Shikiyoku rising from her place, Uryo was much less steady on his feet when he got up this time, looking down at his teacup with wide eyes before he turned to try and spot the silver-haired fox demon seated a few feet away next to the picnic basket.

"Thish wash shome good shit!" He indicated the cup with approbation as only a drunk man can and Kurama unfolded himself to take the couple of steps and relieve Uryo of it.

"I'm so glad it met with your expectations."

"Met them, hell it exceeded them!" He made a nebulous gesture, "I mean what I carry around is potent stuff but that shit? That shit is good shit."

Kurama gave him a small smile and turned away, not noticing how Uryo paused in place to stare at Hiei for a moment and still musing over his own thoughts.

She can't feel his?

Hm.

Kurama had been trying to figure out what would make the seductress so hesitant with the one individual in the world he would imagine her to never be so with, and the notion that she was incapable of feeling her own Consort's desires suddenly filled in too many holes for Kurama to dismiss it entirely.

"Something catch your eye, pup?" Kurama finally glanced over at her, Akari having stared at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. 3

Tarou tossed his head back and laughed. "This woman!" he gestured vaguely in her direction before he turned to Raion. "Gets all those fancy pieces and discreetly sells them. You think the guy knows?"

Akihiko leaned closer. "I have no doubt that it's an agreement between the two. If the gifter were smart, he'd know he could make a decent profit off of it-"

"And they could share the rewards," Raion finished with a nod.

Chisai's eyes gleamed. "You think she can get just gems from the person who makes the pieces?"

"It might cost quite a bit," Akihiko warned. "Especially if they're sharing profits. The markup would be significant."

"Is that how you'd do it?" Tarou grinned.

Hiei complained half-heartedly to the bond as it called to him in his light sleep, beckoning him to the waking world with its gentle warmth. He shifted slightly, as if to come closer to Shiki in the hopes that that was what she wanted. When that didn't work and the bond continued to tug at his awareness, he let himself be pulled back into the meadow and away from the peaceful sleep.

He blinked blearily at Shikiyoku, at first not recognizing the face and eyes that took up his entire line of sight. The warmth of her hand sliding from his hip to his core, and the subsequent warmth of her energy thrilling through the marks on his body, gave him the briefest pause.

He could only stare at the side of her face as she whispered, her lips and breath just brushing his skin, and an unidentified emotion he hadn't felt in a long time rapidly overrode his bleariness.

He had no idea what she meant by him being a candle, but as she shifted and began to pull away from him, he almost reached out to her as if to stop her. In his mind, he could hear Raion's voice, mumbling that's hot, and he silently agreed.

Instead, he was left staring after her, his face warm and a sort of want bombarding his system.

What did he want? He didn't know. All he knew was that it pertained to her, and her leaving him somehow kept him from getting whatever it was he so wanted in that moment.

He didn't look at Uryo, though he was aware of the other speaking to him directly. He could only bring himself to nod, not even blinking for fear of losing sight of Shikiyoku.

"-Right Mommy?"

Akari listened idly to the conversation going on with the others, but her eyes stayed trained on the red-faced demon sitting next to her, his eyes following Shikiyoku. She glanced briefly at Chisai as he turned to ask Shikiyoku of the probability of her being able to get him some gems, and the look on his face when the blue-haired demon saw Hiei's red face was priceless.

The others turned to look too, and Akari imagined her own expression to be somewhat similar to Tarou's. "She broke him! What'd she do?"

"I've never seen him make that face before," Raion cackled.

Akari's eyes shifted from the guild to Hiei, then to Shikiyoku, and finally to Kurama, confused.

She hadn't meant to stare, but when he asked her what was interesting, she blinked at him. "Nothing really," she replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Just that this has been an interesting day." She turned down to her magazine again. Confusing, but interesting. She wondered how long Hiei had been so obviously smitten with Shikiyoku, and how that worked with Kurama's obvious interest in the very same woman.*

"Oh? Strange. I could have sworn it was something more than just that. Would you like some more tea, dear?" He followed the others' gaze to see Hiei's flushed face keen to keep Shikiyoku in his sights even as the tall she-demon flowed away with the sort of dancer's grace she'd worked millenia on, white hair shifting about her hips in a way Kurama knew too well to think unintentional as Uryo moved after her.

He let out a breath to disguise the chuckle he almost released, amused overall by the circumstances, and he shook his head as Uryo and Shikiyoku retrieved their weapons some ways away before coming to stand across from one another as Shikiyoku endeavoured to sheath hers once more.

"I doubt he's ever made that face before." Was the fox's commentary, speaking mostly aloud to himself and not particularly expecting anyone near him to be listening as he turned to make more tea while the two combatants went at it again. It seemed apparent they were starting all the way back at the beginning, though with Uryo being markedly more drunk this time, his testing came across as significantly more methodical than his last rather impassioned approach. "Not if she's spent all these years around him in human form as I suspect. The longer she stays like that, though, the more comfortable she seems to become with herself. I believe the botched ritual suppresses her overall, as, if I remember correctly she was especially afeared of what might happen to her if the Spirit Hunters managed to sniff her out and wished to hide as much of herself away as possible at the time." 3

Akari didn't deny the smile that twitched at her lips. "It was, but I'm sure the others have summed it up nicely," she told him as she flipped another page in her magazine, not really seeing the pages. She lifted her eyes to watch Hiei stare after Shikiyoku, and she almost snickered.

I understand.

He sat so still and was so unaware of his surroundings that she figured he didn't even know he was being watched, much less talked about. The others continued to joke about the look on his face and the rarity of it and any other expression outside of neutral.

She blinked and looked up at Kurama again, realizing he'd asked her about more tea, and she rested her magazine in her lap. "I'd love some, thank you." She listened to his musings as he worked.

"I imagine having that form at her disposal is very freeing," Akihiko said quietly as he passed by behind Kurama. "She hardly ever lets herself relax." He grabbed a water bottle from near her and moved past her to set it near Hiei, before he continued moving. *

You don't know how right you are. Kurama's gaze flicked up to Hiei's Second, recalling distinctly the difference in the set of Shikiyoku's shoulders both before and after she regained the form.

It was difficult enough to get 'Toriko,' to loosen up as it was-though it could not be said Kurama had not tried, remembering her earliest days as his personal assistant quite distinctly-but the ease to her he'd discovered after the initial encounter with the Shikiyoku he best remembered from their days as bandits was a marked difference from the Toriko who had first marched herself into his office several months ago.

Kurama handed Akari the tea, silently working on his own cup as the blades on the field met and flashed and met and flashed.

~!**!~

When Shikiyoku first turned away, feeling the eyes of more than one of the demons behind her glancing up and down her person, a particular sort of smile settled over her features as a creature who especially enjoyed being admired and who had not been in a place to be admired by so many in a very long time.

It did, however, make it more difficult to find that stillness within herself with the various desires trilling across her awareness those with her in their sights kept feeling.

Desires pertaining to her so rarely went unfelt that ignoring them seemed just as much a pity as it was a rather difficult thing to do.

She took longer, then, much longer, to slow her breathing down, to allow the shivering thrills of her energy skating through her veins become all but background noise, acknowledged, but not given into.

Uryo only started testing her when he felt the peace all but radiating off of her relaxed frame, arms hanging gently to her sides, stance soft and waiting the coming input.

...

Two.

The word floated across the still waters of Shikiyoku's mind as Uryo came at her again.

Three.

Another stance down, another time when she turned Uryo's advances aside.

Four.

Shikiyoku brow twitched as a flicker of something that had been for several minutes now vying for her attention interrupted the ripples on her radar, even as the blades at her sides flashed in the daylight and deflected Uryo's attempts to break past her defenses once more.

Five.

The stance itself did not have a single misstep, or inaccurate parry, but Shikiyoku knew without a doubt, a fleeting thought passing over her awareness, she only barely managed to complete the defense, having to wade through and discern between almost constant droplets of water across the mental lake of peace she strove to keep, barely able to distinguish at first which intentions were the father's and which ones the son's until at last the constant drone of the white noise of his pressing, nebulous 'want' of her stirred the waters too deeply to ignore at all.

Six.

Shikiyoku did manage in spite of herself to diverge Uryo's attack due to the nature of the sixth stance, but only so much that instead of making full contact he left two glancing blows on her arm and her cheek, the immediate sensation of the hair's width split open wounds starting to pool blood able to be filed away as pain for later consideration.

The instant Uryo dashed forward the seventh time, Shikiyoku's hands came up to the hilts at her side and flicked at the belt itself, releasing the sheaths entirely as she brought the both of them up.

By the time she and Uryo came to a brief standstill, Uryo was staring wide-eyed at the swords he still held, both of which had slammed into either side of Shikiyoku and knocked the wind out of her in an obvious grunt.

In the next second, both her katana, gleaming free now in either hand which she had crossed at the wrist above him, swiped across and down in rapid motion to strike the butt of each hilt into each of his shoulders and he reflexively dropped his now-sheathed swords to the ground as she hit the nerves before she shifted her feet and pulled back far enough to push forward with the blades crossed flat, impacting Uryo with such force that he slid backwards several feet away and doubled over, folding his arms over the place where she struck him and unable to breathe for what seemed like almost too long.

Shikiyoku blinked and opened her eyes, then, letting out a pained breath of her own as she glanced at his weapons on the ground to either side of her, sheathed in the very scabbards that had been her own swords' resting places up until he came close enough to her.

"That's..." She heaved to herself, "Gonna leave a mark." She clutched at her side as she dropped her own weapons to clatter atop his to stumble forward, intending to make sure she didn't need to release Uryo from the pressure point she'd manipulated to close his lungs on him. 3

Hiei's eyes were glued to Shikiyoku for the better part of the first few stances she and Uryo cycled through. He watched her graceful movements with a keen eye that took in every slight twitch in her muscles, slowly calming from his reaction to his awakening.

After the third set, his eyes focused not just on her movements and how he enjoyed them, but Uryo's attack and her defence, and the tiniest details in the fighting style itself.

This time, he kept himself out of the bond so that he could specifically watch both parties. He caught intentions in steps and turns of feet, and he caught Shikiyoku's focus slowly slipping even before Uryo broke through it enough to land a couple of minor cuts.

Shikiyoku's slamming down onto Uryo's shoulders, followed by her shoving him away, might have caught him by surprise if he hadn't already noticed her struggles. Instead, he simply watched as she dropped her swords and moved for the doubled over fire demon.

Tarou let out a breath, reminding Hiei that the guild too had been watching. "Man, I forgot to breathe."

Raiton nodded. "It is impressive."

Tsun mirrored his brother's nod. "Almost overwhelmingly so."

"Those pressure points are no joke," Akihiko mused.

"Is that what she did?" Akari piped, her cup of tea half-lifted to her face. "I honestly didn't know." *

Kurama watched towards the end of the fight, once they reached about the fifth bout or so, his nose twitching at the scent of Shikiyoku's blood on the air, eyes flickering to the others sitting around him as he, if no one else, knew her blood made her presence more potent. For the present it seemed they were all too enthralled at the footwork and he closed his eyes for a moment to settle his own rapidly beating core.

An ear flicked once Shikiyoku spoke and he watched her move over to Uryo trying to favor whichever side of her hurt the most in that moment.

"I..." Uryo took another huge breath, his hands on his knees as he held himself up, "I think I understand now what you mean."

"Mm?" Shikiyoku paused a few steps away, having heard him suck in a large portion of air and knowing he was fine.

After several deep breaths, Uryo stood back up and looked up at her standing with somewhat hunched shoulders just in front of him, trying to get more air more completely in his lungs.

He shot her a wide grin and threw an arm around her as he guided the two of them back towards the group, the pair of them looking almost as if they were holding one another up, "I would likely just as soon kill a man and have the satisfaction of feeling him perish on my blade than bother to disarm him and leave him for dead."

She shook her head, "Wouldn't kill him anyway unless it was a particularly weak one with little awareness of his own body. Most demons would be able to breathe within a minute or two. Long enough to make a hasty retreat if it came to it, though." She gave him a small smile. 3

Hiei stretched a little as he eyed Shikiyoku, his own muscles tight from his earlier run and yet just beginning to relax after his brief nap. His shoulder popped and he let out a little breath of relief.

He thought about getting up to help support Shikiyoku, though he wasn't sure his height would help him do that - or if she'd even let him, what with his own soreness and such.

After a beat of thought, though, he decided that he could at least walk with her and give her the option. So He pushed himself to stand and took a few steps in her direction, pausing only to see Tarou halfway to standing. Tarou raised a brow at him, and a grin stretched his features. "You think you can make it, stumbly?"

"Shut up and sit down, you idiot," Hiei grumbled. He turned and closed the distance between himself and Shiki, and he grabbed her wrist and tugged her arm over his shoulders in silent offering of support, though he doubted she'd take it.

"I knew he cared," Tarou laughed as he sat down. "Glad to hear the insults again, Boss! You were too nice there for a while." *

"Still haven't had a chance to stand up next to her yet, have you?" Raion murmured, more quietly this time and aware that apparently the fox had sharp hearing. He fought a grin as he watched the little guild leader make his way over the grass to the dark-skinned demon Uryo appeared to be trying to hold up.

"I have, thank you very much." Tarou replied just as softly, not even bothering to disguise the twitching of his lips, "If you'll recall, kitty-cat, we did help fend off an Infected when she rescued the Boss."

"Yeah," Raion said slyly, "But you haven't really gotten to stand up next to her. I doubt it's very often a big guy like you sees a woman taller than he is, much less interacts with one."

"...yeah." Tarou answered a little dumbly, sloppy grin plastered over his features as Raion nudged him in the side.

Uryo nodded at Shikiyoku, lips pursed for a moment as he considered it.

Shikiyoku had somewhere noticed Hiei making his way over to them, but blinked down as if surprised to see him when he ducked under her arm.

She rested it across his shoulders, eyes gleaming at him as her expression softened and her mouth darted briefly into an endearing smile.

(I love you.)

"I think you're right." Uryo let out a sigh on the other side of her, "I don't think I could learn that last stance, nor do I think you should waste your time trying to teach it to me." 3

Hiei gave a half smile up at Shikiyoku, his eyes glancing at all of the little sparkles and glimmers that hung around her. When he met her gaze, he saw the swirling golden energy there too, and after a moment he linked his fingers through hers.

(And I, you.)

He looked around her to Uryo, his brow raised at the other. "That technique isn't suitable for killing with. Did I hear that right earlier?" His lips twitched and a gleam lit his gaze. "As impenetrable as those stances can be, it's much more rewarding to know the outcome of the battle after leaving it."

He turned away to watch where he was going, and when his eyes swept the group, he realized almost every set of eyes were following them still. The guild was quiet, all but Akihiko watching them, and he realized in that moment just how long they'd been in the meadow and how much of Shikiyoku's energy he could see hanging in the air.

And how much of her he could smell.

His expression turned neutral after a beat and he let go of Shikiyoku's hand long enough to guide her palm to his core, all at once feeling rather wary.

Even Akari kept glancing up every so often, though her eyes inevitably fell to the magazine in her lap again after a moment. She turned to the next page and blinked once, then opened the magazine wider and tilted it in Kurama's direction.

"How many interviews do you and your copies do in a month? Because I've seen five in just this one magazine." *

Kurama leaned in Akari's direction with a raised eyebrow to glance over the page she meant to show him.

"Mm. They keep calling me. Keep asking the same questions. It's really quite monotonous at this point, frankly. What I wouldn't give for some interesting inquiries. Just about anyone can be trained how to answer a phone and feed them the lines they need." He examined the pages mildly, "I do remember that photoshoot though. A number of those turned out rather well."

Meanwhile, Uryo nodded, agreeing with Hiei.

"You know very well that I'm all but incapable of actually killing someone." Shikiyoku winked down at Hiei as she lovingly wriggled her fingers in his grasp before leaning over to plant a kiss against his temple, "So the methodology is well-suited to my tastes, if perhaps a little counterintuitive to my usual manner of doing things."

"After all repulsing others' advances isn't something I'm particularly well-versed in," she murmured, sensing the shift in Hiei's focus and the way he silently slid her arm until her elbow met with his neck and her hand might reach the marking over his core.

She let out a little sigh that spoke of reluctant acceptance of the current state of things as she stirred up the energy in his veins to surface in the swirls, unsure if the action actually did anything but unwilling to not do so just in case.

(...I should probably be getting back soon in any case.) 3

Hiei's hand rested over Shikiyoku's comfortingly, recognizing that her sigh was very indicative of her feelings on the prospect. His expression softened a little and he glanced up at her with the smallest hint of a smile.

He'd noticed her feeling much more free and relaxed in this form, and the thought of her feeling as if she couldn't walk around in it for fear of her energy causing trouble made him turn and kiss the inside of her arm.

(How can I help?) he asked as he glanced around at the others again, seeing the conversation picking up as they grew closer.

"I'm sure they wouldn't use pictures that were unflattering to the most well-known businessman in the country," Akari teased as she pulled the magazine closer. "Especially since your popularity brings them customers if they use the right ones." She flipped to the next page to see a story about Minamino and his Fiancee. She tilted it his direction again, the background picture a simple shot of the pair leaving the building together. "Like this one. Probably sold thousands of copies just for the gossip."

She blinked and turned to the cover.

"And this isn't even a celebrity gossip magazine." *

Kurama did see the photograph of himself and 'Toriko,' but he recognized the article pretty quickly and nodded.

"I don't know about that picture, but the article certainly did. It's probably one of my more popular ones." He skimmed it, seeing an error or two, and sighed, looking up as Hiei and Uryo and Shikiyoku approached and noticing a resignation in Shikiyoku's eyes as she caught his gaze.

He silently, slowly began putting away the things in his immediate vicinity, knowing in any case that the both of them had likely spent as long as they could away from the First.

(You're doing everything I could think to ask of you, my little fire.) Shikiyoku replied, squeezing him to her briefly with that arm and sending him another smile even as she flinched a little when she stepped wrong and sent a shooting pain up her side.

(Mmph. That's gonna sting for a while yet.) 3

Hiei frowned at her flinch, though it was fleeting and quickly replaced by a calm expression. He looked her up and down, assessing her, and turned up to her again.

(What a group we are,) he joked as he stole a look across her at Uryo, also seeming a little sore. If he had enough energy, he would have considered using some of it to add heat to her muscles to soothe the pain, but as it was, he could only walk with her for a while. He'd probably have to rest the next day or two to recover from his earlier bout against Tarou.

Kiyoko, having been awake for some time now, lifted her head from Nabu's side as she watched Kurama, her tail thumping against the grass a few times. "This place is fun," she told him.

Akari closed the magazine and set it atop the other one near her, quietly moving things closer to Kurama once she noticed his packing up.

"How ya feelin', Hiei?" Tarou asked as he and Shikiyoku came closer. "I didn't overdo it, did I?"

"Of course you did," Akihiko piped up. "You don't know how not to overdo it." *

"He's right, you know." Shikiyoku pointed over at Akihiko as she flashed Tarou a toothy smile.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really need to be getting back. I've tarried much longer than I originally intended as it is." She took her arms from around Uryo and Hiei and winced as she removed the sword belt from around her waist and handed it to Uryo, her form shimmering until the much smaller human form stood between the pair and the weight of the air around them lifted somewhat. 3

Hiei let go of his hold on Shikiyoku's hand and let her pull away, a part of him sad to see her shift forms despite the relief that just barely graced him when the air lightened a touch. She'd been so content in that form that he thought it a shame she had to revert to her 'human' one, though he knew that she worked among the humans and of the necessity to blend in with them.

He almost leaned over to kiss her, but instead he turned and shook his head at Tarou. "I'll be fine."

The other frowned a little. "That's not an answer."

Hiei raised a brow at him and almost smiled. "I'm standing, aren't I?"

"Alright, I get it."

"The fresh air probably helped a lot," Chisai noted as he looked Hiei over. "Even with all the exertion, you look better than when we got here."

Akihiko stood and the others slowly followed suit, reluctant to leave the meadow. "I think a stiff drink sounds good right about now."

"When does it not?"

Akari shook her head to herself and, after taking two last cherries from the bunch, helped Kurama pack the last of the things into the picnic basket before she reached over and nudged Nabu awake.

"I'll buy everyone a round," Raion grinned. *

"Did everyone else hear that?" Tarou pointed at several people in the group, "Because no one is allowed to argue with that." He pointed at Raion.

"I'll get the second." Akihiko shrugged.

Tarou clutched at his heart, "Somebody pinch me because I must be dreamin'."

Shikiyoku shook her head at the lot of them and moved to help put things away, her steps more measured than they likely were when they first arrived.

Uryo had come back up to where he'd been when Shikiyoku left him with a bundle in his arms perhaps a touch smaller than it had been when he arrived.

"Ish it just as difficult to get out as it is to get in?" He wanted to know spinning in place a bit to look out over the meadow at the treeline surrounding them.

"I suppose I could give you passage through if you have business further down that needs attending to." Kurama replied dryly.

"I'd be much obliged, fox." 3

Akari finally stood and stretched her arms high over her head, her hair falling from over her shoulder to wave down her back. "Well," she began, her voice strained from the stretch, "if rounds one and two are claimed," her arms swung back down to her side and she let out a satisfied huff, "then round three is on me. I still have a while before I'm needed at work."

Hiei turned to Shiki and gave her a kiss on the cheek. (Uryo wants to talk,) he told her. (Will you be okay going ahead?) He pulled away far enough to smile at her, seeing that her energy had calmed considerably despite the sparkles that had appeared with his affections. (I won't be long.) He cast a glance in the fire demon's direction. *

The wolf duo all but howled their excitement along with the rest of the guild, Tarou practically tackling Akari and swinging her around.

"Remind me to save the most expensive drink for your round." Raion winked at her as Tarou put her down, tugging at the blanket underneath their feet, "Now get off."

Hiei almost startled Shiki with his kiss and she felt her energy shimmer outwards across her face briefly, blinking owlishly at him.

She cast a glance Uryo's direction just as the fire demon nodded at Hiei and said, "Walk with me?"

(I'll be fine.) She almost reached out to take his hand and squeeze it. (Go on. I'm just heading back to the bar anyway.) She smiled a little. (Someone's going to have to keep these busybodies in line.) 3

Hiei nodded at Uryo before he turned back to Shikiyoku. (Of course.) He took her hand in his and held it over his core for a moment, and he kissed her one more time, this time on the lips, before he squeezed her hand in his and turned away. (I'll see you at the bar.)

He turned and came to stand next to Kurama. "Thank you for the outing." He almost said something about the other making sure to rest too, but he left that up to the fox and instead turned to catch up with Uryo.

Akari's hands instinctively gripped onto Tarou's shoulders as he swung her around, the briefest moment of unease coursing through her before a surprised laugh tumbled from her lips once she was on her feet.

"Well," she stepped away from the blanket at Raion's beckoning, "It'll even out. You'll just buy my most expensive drink." She watched as he packed the blanket up and she turned to watch her magazines fall into a shadow. *

Kurama gestured towards a direction of the treeline, "Take your pick, oh great flaming one." He said back to Uryo, "Just please try not to burn anything else on your way out, hm?"

"Sh'ure. I'll make special effort just for you."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

Uryo just laughed and moved for the closest treeline, beginning to pick his way through the trees.

"S'not far." He told the other that he knew to be following him. "I think. Probably." He shrugged, "Not far for me anyway." He glanced down at Hiei.

"You..." He let out a breath and reached up to scratch at the back of his head, "...you're close, you know that, right?" 3

Hiei kept pace with Uryo, acutely aware of the tightness in his legs as he walked. He stretched his stride longer just a hair, and when that seemed to help, he maintained that pace.

He let the other talk, filling the silence between them as they moved through the taller grasses, waiting for Uryo to come to whatever it was he truly meant to talk about.

Finally, when it seemed the actual reason for this walk came up, he turned a look up at the other. He contemplated what Uryo meant and scrutinized the fire demon closely.

After a beat, he turned forward again. "To my Trial, you mean." It wasn't really a question, since it was the only thing that made sense in the moment, but he hadn't genuinely given it any thought since he'd fallen ill. "How close would you deem 'close'?" *

Keeping a close eye on the state of the trees around them, keen on the tricks of the Endless Forest, Uryo shook his head a little at Hiei's question.

"I...can't say for sure. But your fire, it.." He searched for the words he meant and finally sighed, at a loss. "It is much more errant than last I felt it. It sings to me of...it is not so much the 'stress' of the trial, but...of becoming more volatile." He nodded, apparently satisfied with the description.

"Our kind never stops producing energy." He went on. "The top of our limits constantly being pushed. And, when our production exceeds that limit as it so often does, the excess can burst off of us without warning, making us especially prone to fits of rage, outsiders might say." Uryo eyed Hiei for a moment. 3

Hiei nodded slowly. "Control hadn't been an issue often," he admitted. Though, after a beat of hesitation, he let out a small breath. "But lately - before my energy was lost to the infection - I started finding my energy acting." He paused. "Or reacting, I suppose."

He grew quiet as he remembered a kiss in his jewelry room, and the little snowflakes that had fallen around him and Shikiyoku. And the fire that had only half been his intention to release while he chased Infected and the one manipulating them a few weeks ago, how he'd already left footprints of fire before deciding to use his energy to pull Infected from the city.

He frowned to himself as he thought of Shikiyoku and what could happen if that happened at a larger scale with her in the middle of it.

He almost visibly shuddered at the thought.

"How did you control it?" he finally asked, his eyes turning up to Uryo. "I…" He turned away again, stubbornly staring forward as he hesitated to speak the fear he'd kept pushed away for so very long. "I do not want Shikiyoku to be hurt because I could not control it." *

Something in the way the hybrid next to him said it sent a pang across Uryo's core as they stepped out from the Forest and the fire demon looked about to get their bearings before picking a direction and setting off at a jog.

His silence, he was certain, already spoke volumes, but he did finally concede and reply.

"You can't." He let out a breath. "At least, certainly not before your trial, where your energy will spike as it pleases. Or, I should say, I never could. We become swept up in our emotions and it is they that control us. We tend to feel things much more deeply than the other elementalists, quicker to give into them. You...your fire feels as much the same to me as any other fire might, but the fact of the matter is few fire demons live past two hundred years, taken hostage by the very fires that fuel them and reduced to cinders before they make it out the other side of puberty, so the fact that you are still here standing among us is likely a testament to your mixed heritage."

Uryo paused, shifted the bundle around in his arms and knelt down so Hiei might crawl onto his back before he kept going. 3

The lack of an immediate answer settled at Hiei's core, causing a bit of unrest that he'd been able to ignore until this very moment. It was the answer he'd feared most, and he let out a breath that encompassed all of that before he too set off at a pace to keep up with Uryo's jog.

He didn't look at the other even as he spoke up again, saying in words that which had already been said in silence.

Hiei listened to every word, taking it in little by little, and remaining quiet even as they both came to a stop and Uryo crouched down in front of him. Hiei blinked, his thoughts swirling around the information and distracting him long enough that he wasn't immediately sure what Uryo was doing.

He blinked again and slowly stepped forward to accept the offer. He wrapped his arms around Uryo's neck and his legs around the taller demon's waist, and he let out another almost defeated sigh.

He waited until Uryo had picked up pace again before he said, "I'll be going to Toriko's home, by the way." He wasn't sure if the other meant to carry him to the bar, but if so, he knew that the other would save time if he went the direction Hiei genuinely meant to go.

After a long silence, Hiei finally spoke again. "How did you survive it?" *

Uryo nodded and took off at a much faster pace, one arm under Hiei and the other holding the bundle to his side, his movements somehow fluid despite the speed.

Eventually he took to the trees, almost walking from branch to branch with each step as he covered distances exponentially.

Uryo blinked at the question.

"I-" He huffed, "I do not recall."

"You ask of control, it- ...The secret of control is that there is truly no such thing. It is only in freedom that there is any control to be had. Your trial will be the epitome of that, of freedom, of a complete loss of control. That is what I remember, all that I remember: the more I tried to fight against it, the more the fire overtook me until I all but drowned in the midst of my own power, trapped inside my own mind as my body erupted from the inside out."

Uryo finally stopped and gently set Hiei down on the branch he had paused atop before crouching down and pointing across the way, setting the bundle in his arms to lean against the tree trunk next to him.

Down among some bamboo reeds sticking out of the ground near a shallow river, a pair of chickens with green body feathers and bright red cockscomb were picking their way towards a nest just to the side of the water.

Their tails appeared to be made of fire, not feathers, but it gave off no sound or heat, only rippling the way feathers might as they moved.

"I used to watch them for hours." Uryo said, leaning his elbows on his knees. 3

As Uryo spoke of his own trial and what happened when he attempted to control the fire, the weight in Hiei's core became heavier with worry. He imagined himself encased in that fire, and maybe even ice, and Shikiyoku in the same room as it whirled out of his control.

He imagined his attempts at controlling it only bringing more destruction to himself, and yet letting go of that control bringing destruction to Shikiyoku. He thought about the possibility of it happening while he was with the guild, and the likelihood of them not leaving, and subsequently them being thrown into the dangers as well.

His frown deepened, creating lines between his brows and he closed his eyes.

He didn't know what he'd do.

The sudden stillness around him before he was lowered to his feet forced Hiei to open his eyes again, and he set his feet on the branch carefully before he took a single step to the side, giving Uryo room to crouch on the branch. Hiei remained standing, his eyes first on the other fire demon before turning to the creatures below.

He eyed the flames rustling along the animal's tail. He slowly slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, clenching his hands into fists, finding that his gaze lingered on the two birds below, and he found that he had nothing to say. So he simply watched. *

"Their fire is not like ours. I have heard it called 'ghost-fire,' and it seems apt. It is cold, it does not burn." Uryo spoke, but kept his voice low, "I half expected to never find another pair of them once Spirit World was no more." He chuckled, "I suppose that was silly of me."

Uryo let out a breath, "All of us speak of the same thing. Any of the few I have crossed paths with talk of...those who passed their trials talk of the one who was with them. The one who brought them through it. You...worry." He smiled a little, "But I cannot see her abandoning you. And I think she is more resilient than you might give her credit." 3

He turned to glance briefly at Uryo as the other spoke of 'ghost-fire'. He'd never heard of it himself before this moment, and a bit of fascination broke through his heaviness as he turned to watch the birds below again. They dug in the dirt, unaware of the pair watching and the demon talking, or perhaps not caring.

A wry smile twitched at Hiei's features. "We have already established that we are fixtures in each other's lives," he murmured. "I… no longer doubt that." He shifted his weight a little, quiet so as to not disturb the chickens below. "However, the idea of a power that has every capability of killing me erupting while she's around is… not pleasant." He almost sighed. "Though I'm not so sure she will give me the choice in the matter.

"She is resolved to be there, and has been for almost two decades. Even if it were to happen outside of her, I imagine she'll find me long before I've either met my end or made it through."

Hiei unclenched his fists and let the tension at his shoulders go, knowing it would do nothing to help his recovery from his illness.

"I suppose I'll just have to tend to her burns after the fact." *

Uryo actually chuckled at that last bit.

"Aye. Perhaps you'll get to. If she is in that dark-skinned form she took earlier, I would imagine your heat might singe her a little even still, but there is a quiet strength beneath all of that distracting haze she wears around. As if she were made of the very earth itself. And you might scorch a bit of the topsoil, but it is much more difficult to melt that sort of unerring foundation than you might think. Plus, a woman like that seems to me as if she is always prepared for anything. If she has already asserted to you she will stand by your side through it, I cannot imagine she has not considered all angles of possibility." 3

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This is all we've got so far. I'm basically posting every 100 pages since that's about how many we have per google doc; we're about 77 pages into the next doc, but we haven't had a chance to write again since Jan. 8th so I don't expect for us to finish up the next one for quite some time.