A/N: Hello! I've been a busy bee lately; I even managed to update Atlas! That story seems to get most of the attention even though I think it's pretty bad, but it's my fuck around story (as in I'm gunna do whatever the fuck I want in it and I don't care what anyone thinks). Some reviews for this one would be awesome though, but I'm not one to beg. Hope everyone likes this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, which is very depressing. I'm not making any money by writing this.

Warnings: Foul language, violence, badly written fight scenes, sexual themes, adult situations, general fuckery, etc.

. . .

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you're falling? It could be anywhere – down stairs, a chasm, a ledge, or off a building. It always ends the same though, doesn't it? You wake up with your heart in your throat and on the floor, or at least on the verge of falling out of bed.

I have had those kinds of dreams on multiple occasions, mostly when I was younger and had a tendency to sleep violently. This time though…it was different.

I was fighting, I had a katana in my hand made of a gorgeous ruby colored metal – it glowed like fire in the setting sun. I cut through many an enemy, all some kind of creature with black eyes, misshapen features and skin a sickly green. Even as I kill off several more, a great surge of them burst forth, coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

I back away, the ruddy dust covered stone beneath my feet kicking up dirt with every step. I cut through as many as I can, but still they come forward and still I am forced to retreat. My feet stop, one of them hitting empty space behind me and my dream-self knows I have reached some kind of edge. Sounds of shouting come to my ears – my comrades, my friends.

It's hopeless; I know I am going to fall, that I will be forced off the precipice I'm currently standing before. I stab another creature through the chest, wrenching my sword up and out, essentially cutting it in half. The body falls forward and over the ledge but I never look back, if I did it would be the end of me.

The shouting is coming closer, I can hear his voice calling my name – it sounds desperate and very unlike the strong man I know. I am causing him fear and for a moment I feel guilty but purge it a second later as the battle rages on. I kick back an advancing monster, being careful that the force of the blow won't send me flying backwards. My red sword slices through another's flesh, rending the thing asunder.

Thunder booms above in that oddly colored red and purple sky and seconds later the heavens start to cry. The rain soaks me through and makes the ground muddy and slick. The downpour is so heavy I am unable to see and I start swinging my sword wildly, hoping to hit those hideous creatures who are still refusing to stop.

Unexpectedly the sword hits something solid, but when I go to wrench it back out and swing again it is stuck. It is pulled from my grasp instead, knocking me off balance and I am unable to regain my footing thanks to the sopping ground beneath my feet. I slide and slip over the edge.

My fingers manage to dig into the damp earth but water is rushing over the ledge with me and soon enough my hold is loosened. My heart is racing and I'm trying to breath but my face is in the mud and its choking me and blinding me at the same time. I slip again and I know this time I won't have anything to hold onto.

I'm falling and I know that the chasm is so deep that my body will be nothing but a pancake once I hit bottom. I close my eyes and embrace what is to come, the rush of the wind and the feel of the rain pelting me.

But that rush never comes. A tan hand shoots out and grasps my own in the nick of time; I swing, my body slamming into the rocky side of the giant maw I had previously been falling into. The hand tightens but thanks to the rain and the slippery mud I have coating every inch of me he is unable to gain a better grip.

My hand starts to slide out of his grasp.

A head and shoulders appears over the ledge. He's lying down in the mud and trying to reach me with his other arm but I see it has been badly cut and blood is dripping down it and mingling with the rain pelting my face.

I can't help the whimsical smile that appears a moment later when I see his hair. Normally it defies logic, standing on end and so spikey it looks like it is trying to touch the sky. Now his hair lays in wet waves, almost long enough to touch the tops of his shoulders, but not quite.

Kami, he's so gorgeous, is all I can think as I stare up at him in awe.

He opens his mouth to speak, the thunder and rain make it almost impossible to hear and I am also momentarily distracted as droplets of water run over his lips tantalizingly, but I catch the tail end of what he's saying. "Don't die on me, Kasumi."

My hand slips again and he finally manages to get his other hand around my arm, but it doesn't have enough strength left in it to pull me up. If this keeps going on I may very well bring him down with me. The thought was enough to cause a shock of pain to travel through my heart and so I tug my hand.

His blood colored eyes tell me he knows what I'm doing, he sees the reason and yet is unwilling to accept it. He grips harder, but it's no use. I tug again and fall free of the wounded arm. He's barely hanging onto the fingers of my other hand and I can see anger laced panic in those eyes now, but I keep pulling.

As my hand falls free and my body starts to plummet, I look up at him one last time and mouth the words – I love you. He's shocked and sad, I can see it, but I close my eyes so I won't have to feel guilty as I lay dying at the bottom of the basin. It was for his own good, I could never live with myself if I had killed him too.

Right before I wake up I feel a pair of arms envelope me – holding me close and the wind rushing by us making it impossible to speak.

I don't open my eyes, there's no need to. I know who it is…and my heart breaks.

. . .

The way I awoke from my dream was all at once instantaneous and disorienting. I was on the very edge of my bed and my eyes had shot open wide. My heart beat fiercely in my chest, fueled by fear. My sudden awakening caused me to only remember bits and pieces of the dream I had been having, but I could easily recall the feeling of falling. I took a moment to just breathe and listen to Kazuma's obnoxious snores beside me. During that time I tried to recall the dream I had been having, something in the back of my mind telling me it was important, but no matter how much I dug through my memory I could only pull up that unmistakable feel of plummeting to my death.

I chalked it up to being just that, a dream of falling, and then rolled out of bed as quietly as I could. Kazuma was a fairly heavy sleeper, so he never even noticed as I gathered together some clothing and snuck out to go take a shower. I was covered in a cold sweat and the need to wash it away was undeniable.

As I crept down the stairs passed Keiko's room, I could see Yusuke passed out on our couch. He had no blanket or pillow to speak of and the fire from last night had burned to nothing but ash. Keiko must have kicked him out of her room at some point, probably fed up with his shit.

I retreated back to my room, gently tugged the throw off the end of my bed so as not to disturb my friend, and then headed back for the living room. I reached the side of the couch and threw the blanket over Yusuke, making sure it fluttered over his body silently and trying my utmost best not to wake him up. If he caught me who knows what he would do.

Mission successful, as he didn't even stir when the blanket fell over him like a cloud, I turned to continue my previous venture to the bathroom. As I reached the door I paused because a voice behind me had shocked me into stillness.

"Thanks, Kasumi…" Apparently I hadn't been as quiet as I thought.

I also realized that would be the closest I would ever receive for an apology concerning last night. I didn't reply to him, I just softly shut the bathroom door and leaned against it. I had no reason to hold a grudge against Yusuke, it had been my own fault after all and I was woman enough to admit that.

Honestly, I kind of liked him. He was crass and pigheaded, but he had good inside him and I could see it. There was something off about him though – something I just couldn't let go. That eerie light in Yusuke's eyes came to mind and I knew I would have to have a long talk with Keiko very soon. Perhaps even Kazuma, if I could get him to sit still long enough. They were hiding things from me and I couldn't just let that slide. Pretending not to notice something was never a strong suit of mine.

I forgot about Yusuke for now in favor of getting ready for the day. I spent minimal time in the mirror so I could avoid seeing the state of my face – just by how it felt I could tell it was a hideous mess. After wailing to Kazuma about my date on Saturday and trying to think of ways to explain the numerous bruises as well as my broken nose to Ren, I settled on not caring. Maybe if he saw me like this he would think twice about asking me out again.

I already knew tomorrow would be spread around the precinct by Sunday morning and I was positive I would get an infinite amount of jokes at my expense. Precinct 101 was male dominated, with me and one other woman being the only females there. Detective Miyasaki Makoto would never have a joke made at her expense, she had all the men in the precinct scared of her. I couldn't blame them – she scared me too.

She was a beast of a woman, standing at an unusual (for a woman of Japanese descent) five foot and ten inches, and she wore combat boots with knives imbedded inside them. All she had to do was click her heels together to get them to deploy from the tips of her boots and from the rumors I've heard, she made the damn shoes herself.

Along with her police issued Glock, Makoto also carried an insane amount of throwing knives on her person and one large buck knife she kept out in the open and sheathed on her belt. During my training at the academy she came once as a guest instructor to show us how to use different types of weapons. Her specialty is sniping, her longest recorded shot being over fifteen hundred meters, and so she had brought sniper rifles, crossbows, and throwing knives.

Being beginners, many of my classmates failed miserably. I mastered throwing knives when I was young, so it was child's play for me, but the rifle and crossbow was a whole different story. I didn't even really understand when I would ever use this as a cop but Miyasaki Makoto's presence was demanding and unrelenting, she pushed us all to our limits that day. I also believe it was when my hatred of Ren really first started.

He had done better in Makoto's single class than any of us, mastering the crossbow and sniper rifle with ease. The reason he had so much sway in the precinct was because of this one stupid day. Makoto had praised him…and now, she got him whatever he wanted. Her star pupil, you could say.

I sneered as jealousy reared its ugly head. I tried not to be, but I would never get anywhere with Hitomi's case until I could start investigating things on my own. Ren could do all that and more, but he never let me benefit from any of his special privileges. Thoughts of that bastard fueled my vigorous scrubbing as I practically chaffed my skin off during my shower and the stinging pain of the hot water afterwards had me throwing my loofa across the room.

I sunk into my bath, slopping water over the side, and tried to forget about Ren. It was particularly hard considering I had a date with him the very next day. I contemplated calling him and telling him I had suddenly become ill and wouldn't be able to make it, but I knew I would never hear the end of it later if I did that. It was best to just keep my word and show up like I had promised. It also helped that I was slightly interested in what his end game was. Why had he asked me out in the first place?

As far as I could tell he had never shown any romantic interest in me…than again…there was that one time.

The thought of last Christmas had my face heating up. I was still in the academy at the time but they had thrown a raucous party for us all a few days before the actual holiday and our Captain had decided to strategically place mistletoe in various places around the compound. I was unfortunate enough to get cornered under one with Ren and there had been too many witnesses to try and form an escape. We'd kissed, if only briefly, to appease the crowd of classmates who had stood by and egged us on.

It had been the fastest and least passionate kiss of my life but the memory of Ren's flushed face is what took the cake. Like some little embarrassed school boy he had blushed and then gone running off (not really running, more like brisk walking) so he wouldn't have to face me in the aftermath, while I stood there wiping my mouth and spitting as if he had left behind something vile.

We had jabs thrown at us for months after that little display, but Ren and I never spoke of it to each other, choosing to just ignore it instead. In retrospect that hadn't been very mature of us, so now I was left with a feeling of regret for not doing so. I don't know where tomorrow will lead and the unknown aspect of it had me feeling anxious.

Maybe I should call it off…

No sooner had the thought entered my mind and I pushed it away. My stubborn side, as well as my curiosity, was too strong to run away like some coward. I wanted to find out what Ren wanted from me and the only way I would get that information is by going on this supposed date.

…As unappealing as that sounded.

I climbed out of the tub, retrieved a towel from the closet and dried myself off. Before dressing, I brushed my teeth, put in my contacts (thanks to my glasses being out of commission), and ran a wide toothed comb through my wet hair. I pulled it all to one side, so it hung over my shoulder and out of the way, allowing it to air dry.

I applied no make-up, there was no point. I took one look at myself and knew that my face would look hideous, with or without the beauty products' help. I poked and prodded at my face, wincing every time I jabbed a bruise. All I could do was put some ice on it and maybe a little ointment for the cuts. The stiffness in my muscles was at least better after my bath, which I was thankful for. I still had a lot of work ahead of me today.

I dressed silently, pulling on jeans and a tight black tank top. Over that was a customary hoodie, also black and fitted. The final piece to my attire was a pair of white socks, which I slipped over my feet one after the other, by hopping on one leg.

I slipped out the door, allowing the steam that had built up in the tiny room to be released into open air and then shuffling off to go put on a pot of coffee. I discovered a rather harassed looking Keiko sitting sleepily at the table outside the kitchen door and raised an eyebrow at her in question, but she motioned to her mug of coffee and said I should go get some first.

I agreed, thankful she had already made it, and grabbed a mug from the cupboard Keiko had stored them away in just yesterday and poured a generous helping of the dark beverage into it. Instinctually, I had picked up my favorite mug. It was handmade ceramic, with a pretty pure white glaze on the outside, sporting a dainty handle only big enough to fit a few fingers through. On the inside of the mug, it was glazed a wonderful robin's egg blue and had a swirled design starting from the bottom of the cup and spiraling upward towards the brim. If you looked closely enough, on the very top of the handle, flattened for thumb placement, there was a little heart etched there and stained red.

The simplicity of the cup is what had drawn me in, but its inner beauty is what made me buy it. It had been a tiny Christmas gift that I had given to myself. In fear it would be broken, I never let anyone else use it. It was one of a kind, bought in a little shop in downtown Tokyo that had gone out of business more than two years ago. I don't really understand why I treasure it so, but it is the small comforts in life that keep me going.

I take my perfectly black cup of coffee out to the table and sit with Keiko. Yusuke is still across the room on the couch, either back to sleep or pretending to be, I couldn't really tell. It was still within the wee hours of the morning, if the pinks in the sky were anything to go by. The sun was just starting to wake up for the day itself.

I took a long sip of my coffee, savoring the warmth it provided before swallowing it. Keiko cleared he throat across the table, so I brought my knees up into the chair so I could rest my arms upon them, the mug clasped tightly in both my hands. I gave her my full attention, hoping she would spill something about the strangeness of her friends. Instead I noticed she looked to be on the verge of tears and I was suddenly uncomfortable. I didn't handle crying too well, even if it was one of my best friends.

To my immense relief they never spilled over and Keiko wiped at her face angrily, smearing the liquid around and then taking an awkward sip of her drink. She cleared her throat once more and finally managed to choke out a few words. "I'm sorry about Yusuke."

I didn't smile; I just shrugged nonchalantly, trying to convey that it no longer mattered. After all, the fight wasn't what I was worried about anymore.

"My face will heal," I reply.

"That is not the point, Kasumi."

"Keiko, it doesn't matter what you think of last night. It was between me and Yusuke. I'm already over it, you should be too."

Anger flashed in her eyes, taking my lack of concern the wrong way and misunderstanding why I couldn't care less about what had happened. I had been in plenty of fights before – this one wouldn't be my last. No point in dwelling on a loss. All you can do is learn from it and that is what I planned to do.

"This is something we should talk about." She hissed, trying to keep her voice down but still letting me know how serious she thought the situation was.

"No, Keiko, what we need to talk about is the strangeness of your friends."

She faltered, shock blossoming over her face before carefully controlling it and morphing it into a look of confusion. But I had seen and would no longer be fooled.

"I do not understand what you mean." She tried to sound truthful, allowing that fake confusion to leak into her words, but I wasn't stupid.

"My vision might not be perfect but I'm not that blind!" I snap and before she can speak I continue, "Hiei-san's red irises, Shuichi-san's odd almost animalistic aura, that blue light that bloomed in Yusuke's eyes, and the stench of death surrounding Botan-san. I'm not a fool Keiko; I can see many things others overlook."

I watched her jaw set, tightly snapping her lips closed and refusing to speak. Her eyes had sunk into a shrewd stare, almost hostile in nature and this frightened me a little. That look wasn't one the Keiko I knew would wear.

I barreled on, not caring that she was obviously uncomfortable. "Not to mention I can tell that both you and Kazuma are hiding something, it's clear as day. Next time you want to lie to me, try not to be so obvious about it." I say cruelly, my lips curling up into a sneer.

I hated being played with. I would have the truth out of her by the end of today, by any means necessary. Luckily for her, she was saved by Kazuma's untimely arrival as we heard him come stumbling out of my bedroom, dragging his heavy feet across the floor and stomping his way down the stairs. The noise he managed to generate had Yusuke sitting up on the couch and rubbing the sleep form his eyes.

I silently curse to myself, because I knew with Yusuke awake I wasn't going to be able to get a word out of either one of my friends. Kazuma yawned loudly as he reached the base of the stairs and waved at us from across the room, but didn't join us at the table. He made his way over to Yusuke instead, plopping down on the couch (only giving the other boy the barest of seconds to move his legs) and then struck up a conversation with his best friend.

I tuned them out, directing my attention back to Keiko but she had a faraway look in her eyes now and I sighed in disbelief. It was just my luck that Kazuma would interrupt us.

"Keiko?" I questioned, trying to get her to look at me.

She jumped, as if I had startled her, and then her gaze landed on me. That gloomy look didn't leave her eyes though – it was as if she was staring straight through me. Her gaze lasted only briefly, before shifting to Kazuma.

"You know, he got into a huge fight with Yusuke last night over you. I can't believe you're just going to drop it."

I rolled my eyes and through gritted teeth said, "He seems to be over it too, if you haven't noticed."

And it was true, Yusuke and Kazuma were both talking rather animatedly about the plans they had made for the day, while Keiko and I had planned to set the rest of the apartment to rights. If I hadn't heard Kazuma's yelling through the bathroom door the night previously it would have been impossible to tell they had fought at all.

She sniffed, sticking her nose into the air and pursing her lips. I could tell we were in for an argument at this rate and I would have none of that bullshit.

"Don't even start, Keiko." I say, warningly.

We may be best friends, but that didn't mean we didn't have our differences. We had fought before, but perhaps none of those fights would be as important as this one felt to me. I needed to know what she was hiding or I would never be able to look at her the same again.

Suddenly serious and solemn, Keiko released a breath before speaking, "It isn't for me to say."

"Excuse me?" I don't understand what she is trying to tell me.

"It isn't for me to say, Kasumi. You think they're strange and maybe they are, but it is their business why they are the way they are. Ask them, if you are truly that curious."

For some reason I felt as if she knew I wouldn't ask them directly. Not that I was afraid or didn't have the courage to do so, but because I had no real proof to back up my claims. Those things I had seen and felt could be explained away by tricks of the light or my mood. At this point I realized I wouldn't be getting anywhere by questioning anyone, at least not at this stage. I wanted to be a detective and it was time to put my training to the test. What did any good officer do at the scene of a crime? Investigate it.

I would have to watch their every move, listen to everything they had to say no matter how inconsequential it seemed to be. I would sneak around if I had to – eavesdrop and spy. It might not get me into their good graces, but at least I will know who I am dealing with.

The unknown has always been something abhorrent to me – something I needed to eradicate. I had already decided some time ago that even if becoming a cop did nothing in my advancement in finding Hitomi I would find something else that would. Not knowing what happened to her was one of the worst feelings in the world. Even if I discovered her to be dead, at least I could move on with my life.

No…this constant need to know things probably wouldn't change even after I found out what occurred the night my sister disappeared, but it would be a start.

My reverie was broken when Keiko got up to get another cup of coffee, bringing two cups out of the kitchen with her and meandering over to give the other to Yusuke. He smiled at his girlfriend gratefully as she sunk down into the empty spot on his other side. I heard Kazuma ask if I would like to join them but I just shook my head distractedly before draining my mug and wandering off to get started on putting my room straight.

At some point Yusuke and Kazuma left, leaving me and Keiko alone, but she was giving me the cold shoulder so I followed suit…it was going to be a long day.

. . .

Hours later, after night had already fallen, Keiko finally decided to speak to me, which she hadn't done since this morning. It was only to ask if I wanted to order take out or brave the grocery store for food supplies, but both of us were in agreement that we didn't want to go shopping this late in the evening and instead Keiko suggested going out to eat.

I figured we were just going to order some food and take it home with us, but after walking the city's sidewalks for a while and passing several different take-out places and not stopping I got fed up and broke our silence again.

"Where are we going?"

"A ramen stand, it isn't too far now."

I felt my eyebrows draw down over my forehead in bewilderment, because it was unusual for Keiko to want ramen, but she didn't elaborate and I didn't ask. We continued to walk, the night air was cool and it sent shivers down my spine forcing me to huddle further into my jacket for warmth.

Eventually we came upon a little wooden cart on wheels. The sign above it was simple, only stating Ramen in big letters, but the soft glow coming from inside the cart was welcoming. I could hear men's voices and one of them sounded very familiar, as we rounded the corner and came to the front of the stand I discovered it was Kazuma sitting at one of the stools in front of the establishment (if you could even call it that). Behind the counter, to my utter astonishment, was Yusuke. He wore an apron and a little paper hat over his slicked back hair. He had a spatula in hand and was currently trying to slap Kazuma over the head with it.

As we slipped into two of the few remaining seats (leaving the one next to me empty, because Keiko had decided to sit on Kazuma's opposite side), they had yet to notice us. I used this to my advantage so I could send a jab at Yusuke (who I had easily surmised was the owner of the stand), "It's not very good business to ignore paying customers when they come to the counter." I pointed out.

"I knew you were there the whole time pig, keep your snout on!"

I rolled my eyes at his reply before placing an order for a basic miso ramen and listening as Keiko ordered something a little more complicated and had Yusuke groaning at having to exert the effort to make it. "Every time Keiko…" He mumbled sullenly, as he cooked away.

I was truly surprised by this little revelation; I would never have guessed Yusuke was a cook let alone a "business" owner. I voiced this opinion rather loudly to Kazuma, making sure Yusuke could hear the disbelief in my voice (I was rewarded with a threatening stare for my efforts), and had my friend laughing easily.

As bowls of steaming soup were placed in front of us, I wafted the scent up to my nose, and was also surprised at how good it looked and smelled. Of course, that didn't prevent me from continuing to torture Yusuke. "So, do I need to worry about being poisoned or is this actually safe to eat?"

I had picked up a noodle with a chopstick, looking at it with suspicion just to add to the show. The withering look Yusuke shot me was enough to make me grin and then start slurping up the noodles. Once he had finished cooking for Keiko, he joined us while we at, leaning against the counter and laughing about something Kazuma was saying through giant mouthfuls of food.

After I had finished my first bowl, I asked for a second and Yusuke was quick to make it for me. I broke apart a fresh pair of chopsticks and happily ate the second, equally delicious dish. "Ya know, I would never have guessed this is what you do for a living." I pointed a chopstick at him, a rude gesture to be sure, but Yusuke (considering who he was) didn't even notice.

He was drying a bowl with a white towel but answered me, "Why's that? Don't I just have chef written all over me?" He said sarcastically.

I snorted into my bowl, "No, more like leader of a gang."

Kazuma chuckled next to me, "Urameshi, leader of a gang? Yeah right, no one would want to be in a gang with him. He's beaten them all up too many times to count."

I raised an eyebrow at that and Yusuke just shrugged, "I get into a lot of fights, it's been happening for years and even though I've scared the wits out of most of the locals there are still some stupid enough to challenge me."

I hummed into my soup, storing away that little tidbit of information for later, and then picked up my bowl so I could drain the remaining liquid from it. Of course, a moment later that same bit of miso was spat back out when I happened to let my eyes slide over to what I had thought was the empty seat beside me.

Yusuke, who had been in front of me at the time, was wiping away the soup I had spit all over him in irritation but still managed to greet his newest customer. "Oh hey man, want the usual?"

Hiei at some point had materialized out of nowhere to take up the last remaining seat at the stand. He didn't speak a word, only nodded at Yusuke who busied himself with making whatever it was that Hiei normally ordered. The ball cap and teenager's clothing were long gone, in their place was a black cloak and white scarf but what really took the cake was his hair.

Oh my fucking god…

I think my breath might have caught in my throat at the sight of it. Who the hell had hair like that? If I had thought Shuichi's and Botan's hair was weird, they didn't even hold a candle to Hiei's. It was spiked so high it looked as if it were reaching for the stars twinkling brightly above them and as the light breeze traveling through the air ruffled the strands (that should have been stiff with gel) and made the light refract off it, I could see a hint of bright sapphire blue shining in the black along with sporadically placed streaks of white in his fringe.

I knew he felt me staring but I was not at all prepared when those crimson eyes darted over to glare at me. I shrunk back in my seat, practically crawling into Kazuma's lap to get away from him. His hair was the most inhuman I had ever seen, I could not recall a single person in history who had hair like that. With his red eyes the effect was complete and in that moment I knew…I fucking knew, there was something wrong with all of them. The aura surrounding him turned suddenly violent and he was on his feet faster than I could see, grabbing me around the wrist and pulling me up from my seat with him.

I heard Kazuma yelp and Yusuke yell some kind of obscenity, but none of it mattered because I was lost to his eyes. My alien theory didn't seem so farfetched now.

I found my courage and my voice a fraction of second later, "What the fuck are you?" I snarled.

He dropped my wrist as if it had burned him and backed away, but the glare never left his face. Kazuma had gotten to his feet at this point and out of the corner of my eye I could see Yusuke had also vaulted over the counter. Keiko was still sitting, turned towards us with a look of horror on her face and a hand clapped over her mouth.

I mimicked his face, forming a vicious glare of my own and barked once more, "Answer me! What the fuck are you?"

Kazuma was at my side now, trying to place a calming hand on my shoulder but I turned and swung at him, my fist only narrowly missing his chin as he dodged.

"Kasumi, I think you're overreacting. Why are you asking Hiei what he is? He's a person, obviously." Kazuma said nervously, but the lie was so apparent that all I could do was stare at him like he was stupid.

"I would like to remind you," I said in a deadly whisper, "That I became a cop for a reason. I'm observant and I'm certainly not a fool, I can tell that you have been hiding something and I'm sorry, but no one in their right mind would think he's a normal "person" with hair and eyes like that."

I pointed at Hiei angrily, ready to snap the head off the first person who tried to deny it again. I wasn't crazy, I wasn't.

I saw Kazuma and Yusuke share a nervous glance, both of them gulping audibly before turning accusing stares on the man in question.

"Hiei, why did you show up dressed like that, you goddamn idiot?!" Yusuke snapped.

"Yeah, you must have known Kasumi was here too! Did you do it on purpose?" Kazuma added.

I felt only the slightest relief as Hiei's glare directed itself towards the other two men but instead of retaliating like I had figured he would, he just stuffed his hands into the pockets of his cloak, turned and walked away. I laid chase, hoping to question him further but by the time I rounded the stand he was already gone. My eyes roamed the entire stretch of street, down every alleyway, but I didn't see even the barest of movements.

How the hell did he do that?

I was beside myself and before my friends could try and explain away what I had just seen, I returned to Yusuke's shop, slammed a handful of yen down on the counter and fled. I ran at break neck speed, not paying attention to where I was going and only slowing when the sounds of Kazuma's shouts were long gone.

I continued to jog, discovering I was in a rather rotten part of the city, and hadn't thought to bring my gun with me. That didn't matter though; my bare hands were weapons in and of themselves. I had nothing to fear as long as I was careful.

I slowed to a stop, a tingling in the back of my mind telling me there was something sinister here…something bad. It was desolate, a few homeless people roaming the streets along with other shady characters that were skirting around looking guilty of something, but I paid them no mind. A screaming had filled my ears, the horrified voice of a woman far off in the distance so I picked up my feet again and ran just as fast as before.

Her screams were full of terror, reminding me of things in my past I had tried valiantly to forget – I ran faster. Eventually the ungodly noise brought me to a darkened dead end street, deserted save for two shadows at the end of it, near a high wall covered in graffiti. It was easy to tell who the assailant was and who the victim was.

Curled up in a prone position was a thin, haggard looking woman and standing over her menacingly was the hulking form of a man. I squinted in the dark to try and get a better view, because the man seemed to be too big. The size of a large sumo wrestler and twice as tall, his arms were like clubs and as my eyes roved over the scene I came to realize he was no ordinary man.

I approached cautiously and as quietly as I could but his head still jerked in my direction and I was stopped dead at what I saw. His teeth were like those of a saber tooth tiger, protruding from his mouth and dripping with saliva. His skin was covered in knotty looking warts, greyish in color and his clothing was ripped to shreds, as if his body had suddenly grown much too large for them. His eyes glowed in the dark, an odd colored orange shining in the night like traffic lights and I could see when the lids narrowed and his eyes zeroed in on me.

I had distracted the brute enough to allow the woman to scamper to her feet, "Run!" I screamed and she did, as fast as her bare feet could carry her.

She passed me and I thought for a moment she would stop, but she only spared me a glance before barreling by. I was left alone, in the dark, with this monster. That is the only thing I could think of as I looked at him.

He isn't human; he's a beast, a monster…a demon.

He ran for me then, giant feet slapping against the pavement and moving faster than I expected for something of his size. I stood my ground even as fear dug its claws deep into my belly and when he reached me there was no preamble. I attacked him head on, a fist smashing into his stomach. He was hulking, a giant compared to me, but he doubled over from the force all the same. I knocked his massive legs out from underneath him, falling down with him and hitting every inch of his body I could reach.

He was snarling at me, spittle hitting me in the face and before I knew what was happening he had thrown me off him with enough strength to move a small vehicle. I went flying, hitting hard against the rough brick of one of the buildings surrounding us. Stunned, it was easy for him to grab me around the throat and haul me off my feet. I was thankful for the layers I was wearing, because the brick would have left great scratches without them as he dragged me up against the wall.

My hands grasped desperately at his, trying to dislodge them but his grip was like steel. It was becoming hard to breath, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. I lashed out with one arm, hitting him hard in the side of the head, but it didn't seem to do much damage. His ugly face only became angrier, more sinister as his hand tightened around my throat.

I kicked him as hard as I could with the boots I was wearing and he grimaced, so I kicked again and again until my legs got tired and even though it seemed to affect him, it wasn't enough to get him to loosen his grip. At this rate I was going to black out, I could already see the edges of my vision getting fuzzy.

The monster was laughing at me now, his inhumanly large mouth open as he released great guffaws, a horrible stench coming off him and before I could pass out he tossed me to the side like a rag doll. I skidded across the ground several feet, hearing my jacket and jeans tearing thanks to the rough pavement, and then rolled. He was coming for me again and I wouldn't have a chance to get back to my feet, not when I was still trying to breathe.

I performed a kip-up, handless and fast, trying to stave him off for a moment but I never had to fight again. As soon as his hulking form had reached me I watched in terror as a sword, unmistakably a katana, shot out from his chest. Blood spurted across my front, soaking me and the monster's face had frozen into a look of shock. The sword withdrew just as quick as it had entered and the body of the beast was tossed aside so it wouldn't crush me as it descended to the ground, dead.

I seriously couldn't believe my eyes and for what felt like the hundredth time that night I lost my breath, my heart lodged in my throat. Standing where the creature had just been moments ago was Hiei, a katana dripping with blood in hand and a look so cold plastered on his face I didn't know if I should fear him too or thank him.

I released a shaky breath when he didn't advance toward me and swept my sweat soaked hair out of my face, my hands were shaking and it would be impossible to regain any sort of composure at this point. I backed away slowly, shaking my head; this was the fucking craziest shit I had ever seen. I was sorely tempted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I backed away from the red eyed man until my back hit cold stone and in an instant he was upon me, pinning me to the wall, all menace and anger.

His sword was gone, seethed at his side, but he had placed both palms against the wall beside my head, caging me in. I didn't stop him, made no move to get him away from. I just stood there dumbstruck.

If things couldn't get any weirder or scarier I watched in disgust as a third eye, larger than the crimson ones staring straight into my soul, opened on his forehead. The iris glowed a bright purple and of its own accord it moved to stare at me too. I tried to press myself further into the wall, perhaps sink into it if it were possible, if only to get away from that thing picking my soul apart as it looked at me.

It seemed to glow brighter, the purple becoming more intense until I felt a sort of tingling sensation in the back of my mind; similar to what I felt when I knew something was wrong, like my "spider senses" but slightly different. It was more invasive, more personal almost. I felt more than saw what happened next.

A purple light lit up brightly in my head, instinctually I knew this to be a part of Hiei, and it was so warm, so comforting for just a moment. I felt like I might like to feel it for an eternity but then everything went blank…and then black.

. . .

I shot up from my bed with a start, breath ragged and I started to pant like I had just run for several miles without stopping. I was covered in sweat but that was the least of my worries. I picked my brain for what had made me so scared but discovered rather quickly that I couldn't even recall what had happened that day, let alone what I had been dreaming about. The last thing I remembered was getting up this morning and showering, after that it was completely blank – but why?

I was naked, stripped of all my clothing other than the bra and panties I had put on after my shower and as I shifted in bed to look myself over more thoroughly a painful twinge shot up my spine. My lower back and my left leg were covered in scrapes, little pieces of asphalt sticking to them and I brushed them away quickly before standing from my bed.

This wasn't right…why was my memory missing? I hadn't the foggiest idea what had happened to me and I feared the unknown so much that that thought alone had me running from my room. I didn't care that I was only in my underwear as I dashed through the door and down the stairs. My living room was full of people, people who had turned to stare at me as I entered but I didn't take the time to feel ashamed. I spotted Kazuma, looking horribly guilty; Keiko who looked like someone had just killed her dog, and Yusuke who was just as solemn as the rest of them, sitting on the couch. In the arm chair to the left sat Hiei, who was studiously ignoring me and in the right one sat Shuichi, his hands folded in his lap and looking more serious than a heart attack.

Anger hit me hard and fast, they knew something about my predicament and I could already tell they were planning to lie to me. I stopped them short before they could say a single word.

"Do not even fucking think about spinning some story. I won't be stupid enough to believe it." I pointed an accusing finger at them all, my face scrunching up in fury.

But spun they did. All at once Kazuma, Keiko, and Yusuke started to explain what had happened. All three of them told me something completely different. Kazuma said I had fallen down a flight of stairs and knocked myself out. I refuted that theory by telling him I had found bits of pavement in my wounds and that I was a highly trained martial artist, so falling down stairs was highly unlikely. It shut him up pretty quick.

Keiko's story was that a criminal had attacked me in the street on our way back from dinner and had hit me over the head with a blunt object, before trying to drag me off. Kazuma had supposedly come to my rescue but I disproved her lie by telling her there was no wound on my head that would lead anyone to think I had suffered from blunt force trauma. Her story would have been almost believable otherwise.

Yusuke was the only one who told me the truth, but of course, at the time I hadn't believed a single word of it. He spun a tale about a demon attacking a woman in the street, I had come to her rescue and been beaten up in the process. I wouldn't learn until much later that he had left out Hiei's role in the whole ordeal. Kazuma and Keiko had eyed him with wide eyes during the entire tale, making me think they thought he was just as insane as I did. Demons? I mean, come one.

Shuichi quieted them all down, hushing his friends and informing them they were only confusing me further. "Morimoto-san, the truth is you were attacked and we must leave it at that. You were the only person there and without your memories all we have are theories. Do you truly not remember anything?"

His eyes were shrewd, calculating, as if he were trying to figure out if I was lying to him or not. I shook my head, telling him I couldn't remember a thing after this morning and I saw his emerald eyes flick to Hiei briefly before they came back to rest on me.

"I think it best that you go back to bed and rest, you have been through much the past two days." He rose from his seat and took my arm, leading me away from the group and back up the stairs. His grip was tight, but not painful, and for some reason I had a feeling arguing or fighting against him would be very foolish indeed. I allowed him to take me to my room, pretending to be cooperative for now.

After he had shut me away in my room again and I had flopped down on my bed, my brain traveling a mile a minute to try and figure out what the hell was going on, was when another thought occurred to me.

When the hell had Shuichi and Hiei gotten here anyway?

. . .

A/N: Ah, here's another for you. Kasumi almost found out about demons and she is going to be even more suspicious from this point on, the boys have their work cut out for them. I hope this chapter was okay, some feedback would be really awesome! I need to update Atlas again but I really just want to continue with this, I haven't even gotten to the interesting bits yet! Alas, I wish I had more time! Thanks for reading!