Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just OCs.

"It's been a long time, Kurama."

It was the first words spoken since Kurama had been escorted to his old partner's quarters. He had come alone, Hiei being the only one to have knowledge of his whereabouts. Entering Yomi's domain had been easy, but convincing his underlings to bring him forward had been a challenge. Never before had it been that way. This was another factor that had Kurama convinced that Yomi was up to no good.

"It has, indeed," the former fox responded coolly. "I believe the last time had been the previous Demon World Tournament."

"Yes, the one your human friend had entered, the second tournament," Yomi remarked. "It's hard to believe that Enki won another year."

"The laws from the previous tournament remained intact, and will last for another three years unless someone else can find it in themselves to best Enki," Kurama agreed, and he saw Yomi flinch. "However, most are content with this new life."

Yomi turned to face him, looking away from his window. "I take it you've benefitted from this change."

Kurama would not admit that to the demon. He would not tell him how well his human life was going or anything regarding his world. "A bit. There are always some drawbacks. How about you? Have you adapted?"

Yomi laughed and walked over towards a wooden desk he had in this room. "There is no reason to adapt," he stated. "Not yet, old friend. These laws have only been in effect for four years. Soon enough, someone with conflicting views will have their way. No law is permanent."

"Fair enough," Kurama concurred. "I do know that there are some holding animosity to the current laws. To be honest, they've been causing trouble in Human World."

"Have they?" Yomi questioned, his voice tempered. There was no curiosity, no amusement, no surprise, and yet it didn't sound like he had knowledge. In any case, one of those emotions should be heard in the tone of the one speaking. This only increased Kurama's suspicion. "Hopefully, you've not been caught in the crossfire. I believe you no longer work for Spirit World."

"Of course not," Kurama lied. Sure, he was not an employee of Koenma's, but he would always do his part to protect the balance of the three worlds. His involvement was vital for the safety of his family. "There are some, though, who were quite overconfident who believed they could attack my home and leave with their lives intact."

Yomi's expression did not change. "I see." There was a heavy silence between them. "So, what is the reason for your impromptu visit?"

Kurama smirked. Yomi knew him well enough to know that he was not the type to do anything without purpose. "To be honest, friend, I wanted to see how well you've adapted to this new life. I have my answer now, so I will be taking my leave."

Turning his back on Yomi, Kurama started to leave his office, but the demon's voice stopped him. "Kurama." The redhead froze in place and waited to hear what the former king had to say. "Watch yourself out there. I wouldn't want you to get involved with something in which you're unprepared."

The fox demon smirked before chuckle. "Yomi, you should know me better than that." He turned around to regard Yomi with a look, his eyes flashing gold and his voice darkening. "I never go into anything unprepared."

With that cryptic answer left lingering between them, Kurama took his leave and planned to return to Genkai's to inform the others of what he had learned.

The girls were lounging inside of the temple mainly because Hiei was outside waiting for them. Kuwabara had actually been the one to give them a warning that morning, though he did admit that he approved of how Tsukiko took the fire demon down a few pegs. Apparently, Hiei had taken it to heart the previous night and had been sulking and silent during the discussion that was held.

Of course, no one knew that Hiei's silence was not only a cause of alarm for obvious violent reasons, but that he was infuriated with himself for underestimating the human. He was always the one to say underestimating the enemy was a foolish mistake that would get one killed. He had been struck by his own prejudice more than once. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara were humans, and they had proven time and time again that they weren't to be trifled with. It seemed like underestimating humans was going to be Hiei's curse for the remainder of his life.

There had to be a reason for all of this. Yes, Tsukiko's power didn't seem like much. In the hands of a human like her, it was practically a toy, as per the incident the day before had shown. It seemed harmless, but in actuality this girl really could bring about the fall of the peace. Her power in the wrong hands, in demon hands, in Yomi's hands, would doom them all. They had to keep her away from the old goat. If not, all demons and humans would be at Yomi's mercy. The demons would surrender to his rule, and the humans would be lining up to be the next meal. It was horrifying to imagine, even for the fire demon who had once desired the destruction of the human race.

"What has you thinking so hard?" Hiei's crimson eyes landed on the ground below, Yusuke standing there smirking with his arms crossed. "You aren't still mad at her, are you?"

"You're an idiot," he growled. "What do you want?"

"Any idea where Kurama is?" Hiei was silent, but that seemed to give the answer Yusuke wanted. "So, he figured it out, huh?"

"Did you?" Hiei grunted in disbelief.

"Not exactly, but if it were Mukuro, you would be the one missing," Yusuke pointed out. "And I know it's no one from my territory because they know I'd just pound them into the pavement. There's only one other guy who has enough influence and attitude to pull this off."

Hiei smirked for a moment. "Watch it. Keep talking like that, and someone may think you're actually intelligent."

"Hey, I resent that," Yusuke laughed. "But seriously, I had to pick something up from you guys and Raizen's men over the years. Raizen was even the one to tell me to trust Mukuro and screw Yomi. That has to count for something, right?"

Hiei hummed and affirmative before looking towards the stairs. "Kurama should be back soon. We'll find out soon enough if our suspicions are true."

"They are."

Kurama's voice reached them, and both were surprised that he had not come from the stairs but from behind them through a portal with Koenma. "We should get inside. We have a lot to discuss."

"So…I'm being targeted by a blind goat?"

Hiei glared at the human and shook his head. This Tsukiko girl may have been intelligent about speech patterns, but she had a quirkiness and ability to make light of a situation with just one remark. "An evil, powerful demon who wants to destroy your world as you know it wants to use you as an emissary of darkness to strip every being—demon, human, and spirit—of their free will."

"But, he can't, right?" Eiko interjected. "Tsuki has to be willing to use her power on another. Just because she can control others by her voice doesn't mean she'll speak on this demon's behalf."

"Who said she has to?" Kurama iterated, shocking the human. "We don't know what Yomi's underlying plan is. He may have the capabilities of removing her spirit energy and transferring it to another entity. He could also torture Tsukiko into using her power. Pain can be very persuasive."

"This sounds bad," Tsukiko sighed, her demeanor serious. "So, what do we do to stop him?"

"Simple," Genkai stated. "Don't get caught."

"Seeing as she got caught once…" Kuwabara pointed out. He saw the girl's expression falter. "Look, it's not your fault, and we get that."

"There has to be more that we can do than just that," Tsukiko argued. "I'm not just going to sit around here and wait to get caught."

"You and your friend have said it before," Yusuke softly remarked. "You're not a fighter. Do you honestly think all of these demons will let you command them? They're just as stubborn as you are, and they're aware of what you can do."

"Koenma, you're being unusually quiet," the old psychic declared.

"I'm just trying to wrap my mind around this," he admitted, looking to Tsukiko. "The power you have is very rare, and the family who originally had it isn't even in your bloodline."

"Perhaps there were other lineages that those in Spirit World were not aware," Kurama offered. "After all, there have been leaders in all worlds who were able to pull in hordes of followers, or even performers who have increased popularity."

Koenma sighed. "I guess there could be varying degrees of this ability."

"None of this is helping," Eiko huffed. "You guys can discuss all day how crazy it is she has this power, but that won't stop others from trying to get it."

"The girl has a point," Yusuke stated, standing up. "I saw we get back to train—"

Another disturbance filtered in past the protective barrier, and then there was an explosion outside. "What in that…?" Kuwabara started to say.

Kurama looked to the girls, alarmed. "Stay inside," he ordered before the four boys, Genkai, and Koenma went to assess the situation.

Left alone in the temple, Eiko looked towards the rooms. "Tsuki, we should go and hi—hey!"

Eiko couldn't even get her full statement out before Tsukiko took off in a sprint, racing towards the courtyard. She knew it was dangerous, but she wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing while there were others trying to take her. She needed to fight, somehow, because she couldn't let the guys fight her battles for her.

They had already done enough.