Akari listened to the only thing from Kurama she could hear: his breathing. His movement toward the door actually brought her eyes open again, her vision this time clear enough to actually make out his features.

"Mmkay, thank you," she managed in reply to his offer of more tea, not quite awake enough yet to say much more than that about it. Though at his mention of 'cleaning up after him', she gave a little shake of her head - her hair rubbing against the pillow and creating some static - and she finally uncurled herself and shifted to sit up.

The blanket fell around her waist and she rubbed at her eyes again briefly before running that hand through her unkempt hair. "It's the leas' I can do since you made it, bu' if you'd prefer I leave it, I will." Minus the bedding, she thought. She'd gotten it out, she could put it away.

~!**!~

Hiei's eyes lifted up and away from Shikiyoku to glance around them again, once more taking stock of the damage he'd done to the forest. After a few moments, he nodded in agreement with her consensus, "It truly could have been worse."

In truth, he'd half been afraid that a good portion of this side of the forest would be gone, acting as a sort of look into what the ever-burning forest he'd created on the Ninth might have looked like if it could turn to ash.

When she leaned closer and her voice lowered, his eyes found hers and his lips stretched into a smile that welcomed her closeness and the mischief he found in her gaze. "Mmm," he hummed, "In that case…" He closed the distance between them and kissed her, his left hand cupping her cheek and his right coming to rest on her hip.

(Before I forget to tell you: we're expected in the Dojo, 'promptly after lunch', for the will reading.) *

Shikiyoku's energy pulsed around them as she found his response agreeable and began kissing him back, her other hand wrapping back around his head to bury into his hair.

(After lunch? Am I to take this to mean you'd like to get a few more lessons in before then?)

~!**!~

Kurama paused at the door and looked back over his shoulder, resting his gaze on Akari steadily for a breath before turning away to step out.

"I'd 'prefer' if you didn't trouble yourself." 3

She raised a brow, knowing he wasn't saying he'd prefer her to 'leave them alone' like she had initially thought he might have meant. She considered saying something to the effect of it being no trouble at all, but she wasn't quite awake enough mentally yet to 'argue' about all of it.

...Though she didn't like leaving a 'mess' in his room when she was the one who had decided to stay.

She shifted and pushed herself to stand, then made her way toward the tea-making supplies. "Compromise: I'll put the bedding away since I pulled it out and leave the tea stuff for you."

~!**!~

In response to Shikiyoku's question, two things happened:

The tiniest little fire sparked to life nearby - though was quickly extinguished when the wind picked up around them - and he leaned further into their kiss, deepening it.

The bond warmed with his 'yes', accompanied by excitement and anticipation. (Just don't forget about the reading of the will, because I might.) *

Settling into his lap, Shiki absolutely met his leaning with a welcoming pull of him closer by the hand at the back of his neck, (I'll do my best. Now, just so we're clear, did you want more of the woods burned or less?)

~!**!~

"Addendum: you choose to put the bedding away and I'll choose not to be upset at my guest troubling herself." He gave her a small smile as he shut the door behind him. 3

Akari glanced at the door as it rattled closed, only just catching his smile before it shut between them. ...She couldn't really deny his argument of her being his 'guest', and as she poured herself a cup of tea, she at least considered leaving the room as it was, per his request.

She sat next to the bedding with her cup in one hand and her phone in the other, and as she sipped at the tea, she skimmed through a virtual book on her phone's library that she'd already read twice before, knowing it well enough that she didn't have to be awake mentally to fully comprehend the scenes.

By the time she'd finished the cup of tea, she'd also managed to read two chapters of the light novel, and her brain felt much more awake and aware. She set her phone on the floor and took a look around the room, again considering putting the bedding away and weighing Kurama's supposed 'preference' to do it himself.

On one hand, it would be less for him to do later if she just took a moment to do it herself.

On the other hand, he had a point about her being his guest and, if she were in his shoes, she'd have likely said the same thing.

Okay, fine. You win.

She scooped her phone from the floor again and pushed herself to stand, sliding it into her back pocket as she moved to set her tea cup next to his on the tray. Then, with one final glance back at the room and a shake of her head - a small smile briefly dancing across her features - she turned and left, leaving it as it was.

She stopped by her room to grab her bag and then carved a path the long way around the compound and headed toward the lake to bathe, knowing it was early enough that the likelihood of anyone else being there was very slim.

Once clean, she headed back to the compound and dropped her bag off in her room again, only to turn around and just as quickly leave it once more, this time heading toward the main buildings.

She twisted her wet hair up into a loose bun on top of her head as she walked, looking from room to room until she found Kita just leaving the dojo, his hands empty and the room beyond the door just as unoccupied.

She slowed her pace as she approached. "Hey, Kita. Are you busy?" *

"Good morning, Akari." He gave her a smile as he moved his shoulders back and forth as if to say, 'a little,' accompanying it with a small 'ehhh,' before his grin widened, "But I'm not on lunch duty, so...walk with me?" 3

His smile was its own sort of infectious and Akari couldn't help but match it as she fell in step next to him. Her smile wavered briefly though as she remembered how she'd 'left' him the last time they'd spoken.

"Sorry I didn't come find you until today; I didn't want to interrupt your work with the kids or the ceremony preparation." She glanced at him briefly. "Are you doing ok?" *

"Oh, hey, don't even worry about it," his eyes grew a little wider as he looked off to the side with an expression that spoke of how much he was caught up in, and he let a breath out from his lips, "It's been a little crazy around here."

"But yeah!" He made the answer as if it were a trained reaction, but reached up and smoothed his hand down the back of his hair for a second like in the next breath he actually considered himself for the first time in a while before repeating a, if softer but more confident, "Yeah. I'm okay. Better than okay, I think."

He smiled, "I guess I won't really know until everything settles back down. There's some buzz going around about change, though, so I'm not sure when that'll be."

He suddenly looked extremely self-conscious, but kept going, "Sorry! I had way too much coffee this morning. Or...I had the same amount? But I think it was really strong. I'll shut up now. How are you?" 3

If Akari couldn't tell by Kita's faster-than-usual walk or his enthusiastic responses, she would have been able to guess he'd had too much caffeine by the dilation of his pupils and the very slight shake to his hand when he reached up to rub at the back of his head.

Her smile returned, this time matching the amusement that filled her eyes as she watched him. She had no trouble keeping pace with him, noticing he didn't really seem to have anywhere specific he 'needed' to be despite the expediency of his stride.

She shook her head just lightly at his mentioning of 'shutting up', though she went on to answer, "Better now that I've gotten a full night's rest. I accidentally stayed up all night reading a book the night before last. Totally finished it in time to watch the sunrise..." She chuckled a little to herself. "It's a habit that's developed only recently, and I'm just lucky it takes more than missing a couple of night's worth of sleep before it really catches up with me."

As she followed his lead, she mused over the topic she meant to bring up with him, considering the many sensitive ears that could very well overhear their conversation without intending to do so.

She slowed her pace just a little. "Mind if we take a detour?" *

Kita frowned, concerned, but absolutely following her on the mentioned 'detour,' with an indication for her to lead the way.

"I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble sleeping. That can be really rough. Have you tried physical activity before you lay down? Or, I guess sometimes that's worse. I mean, more like, do you have any centering exercises you do or meditation before you lay down?"

He leaned a little closer and glanced around for the person he named as he spoke her name, "Don't tell Master Shizuru, but sometimes when she leads us through them, I fall asleep in the middle of it."

"The sunrises here are beautiful though. I'm glad you got to see one! Had you seen one before? If I'd thought of it, I would have brought you a coffee too when I got up this morning. I just figured you'd be sleeping." 3

She didn't think he'd taken more than a single breath in those handful of seconds when he talked, and for a brief moment, Akari became a bit concerned about the amount of caffeine he'd had.

...He only had his usual amount of coffee?

She blinked at his mention of mediation, though, and whatever thought she'd been about to have about his supposed coffee intake flew out the window. "I...hadn't considered mediation, honestly. I go for a run with Nabu and Kiyoko sometimes - my two canine companions absolutely love the evening runs. That helps sometimes; I'll have to remember to try meditating instead."

She led him to the quieter parts of the compound, away from the heart of the temple and away from the areas where most people would be gathering.

"I don't think I'd seen a sunrise from the front of the compound before yesterday. It was a wonderful surprise."

Once she was confident they would be out of earshot for anyone who might listen in - intentionally or not - Akari glanced at Kita from the corner of her eye, her smile fading ever so slightly. "Kita, do you mind if I ask you a bit of a personal question?" She took a breath, "it's about something you said the last time we talked, and I don't want to make any assumptions." *

"It's super easy," He told her about the meditation, giving a short laugh, "I'd offer to teach you, but since I usually fall asleep in the middle of it, I don't know that I could lead it all that well. Never tried. Shizuru, though, she's good. You should ask her about it!"

At the mention of Nabu, his eyes grew even wider along with his smile, "Nabu's still alive and kicking? He's gotta be, like, what, ten years old now? Oh man! I remember him! I bet he looks so grown up now.

"Uh-" Kita made a face where he looked off into the distance as if trying to quantify if there was any personal question off the top of his head he didn't want to answer, but he came back to her with another grin and a shrug, "I mean, sure?" 3

Akari nodded, making a mental note to approach Shizuru at some point regarding mediation, but saying nothing more about the topic. At his reaction to Nabu, her lips stretched into a grin matching Kita's, having forgotten Nabu would go with her on those adventures and was even a bit surprised Kita remembered the shiba inu. "He's still as energetic as ever. I'll have to bring him by sometime; I'm sure he'd love to see you again too."

She gave him time to consider her question, waiting patiently as he seemed to weigh the question in his mind.

When he did give his answer, she felt the slightest hesitation in her own resolve bloom, and she took a breath to steady herself. "I'm not very good at beating around the bush, so I'll just be straight forward." She finally turned to look at him then, her expression kind and patient, only showing quiet curiosity as she asked, "Do you… have romantic feelings for me?" *

There wasn't really any mistaking his answer. It was written all over his face.

"Uh-"

This had obviously not been among the questions he came up with and he blushed furiously, staring at her.

"I mean..."

Kita took a giant breath that filled up his cheeks before he let it puff from his lips and it had a bit of self-conscious laughter in it as he looked away before actually answering, almost to himself.

"Honestly?" His eyes flickered her direction before shifting back away again, still blushing, "Two years ago, I would have immediately said 'yes.' And I probably wouldn't even have noticed how the answer made you feel and, like, said I had a whole date planned or something really stupid like that." He got a little redder just admitting it.

"Akari, I want to care about you. A lot." He finally looked back up at her after swallowing. "And not just the you that I idolized as some superhero I worshipped that maybe I'd be able to join up with when I got older...but you. I don't...I don't know you. Just this..." He made a circular gesture with a hand near his head, "version of you I made up in my head, but-"

He let out another breath, still facing her, but his eyes flickering off over his shoulder, "Master Shizuru's really good, you know? A-and I definitely don't have any feelings for her, I don't mean that." The face he made was definitely one that clearly spoke of his lack of interest, thinking of how many times she'd slapped him upside the head. "But I respect her a lot. She talked me through it. I was so," He shook his head, "It was bad. And I see that now. And I'm really sorry if any of that came across while you've been here," he quickly added, admitting as he reached up to scratch at a sideburn and his eyes came back to hers: "I'm still...working on it."

"But you're a person. A really cool one," A shadow of his grin returned from before, though his tone was sincere, "But a person. One who did really great work, and some really great things, for a lot of people who needed it. Including myself. And-"

Breath.

"And I respect you too." 3

The blush that rose to his cheeks answered her question well enough, and a part of her felt a little sad that the conversation had gone this way. Akari had hoped she had been wrong, on some level, and would be left to just say, 'oh sorry for misunderstanding' and then move on.

But as he spoke, she found herself taken aback by his honesty, his full transparency on his feelings for her and his journey with the - how he'd come to know that he didn't genuinely know her well at all, and that he'd idolized her for a long time.

As he continued on with his story, his explanation, her earlier plan to simply tell him she wasn't interested in or looking for any sort of relationship with anyone absolutely crumbled, leaving behind the acknowledgement that his honesty deserved to be matched.

She felt he deserved an open and honest response like the one he'd given her.

As he finished speaking, her expression continued to hold the same patient smile from before, her full attention on him. When he finally fell quiet, her smile grew ever so slightly.

"Truth be told, I wasn't sure if you did or not. I'm not the best at picking up on things like this, but when you mentioned wanting to be a 'superhero like me', I couldn't… not ask, you know?" She swung her arms behind her back and clasped her hands together. "And I didn't want to misunderstand your intentions." She cast her eyes down to the wooden walkway beneath her feet, her smile wavering just briefly.

"I'm flattered that you looked up to me, and that you want to know me as I am and not as the 'hero'." She let out a small laugh. "And I appreciate your honesty in its entirety. ...Truthfully, Kita…"

She hesitated, searching for the right way to word her response.

"If, after you came to know me and I came to know you, I would not be able to… commit... no matter my own feelings for or about you." She glanced up at him then, her features briefly shadowed by sadness. "I wouldn't be able to live each day watching you grow older, even as I remained the same."

She let out a brief sigh.

"If I were a human, I would be more open to having the chance to see what may bloom with you." She turned her eyes down again. "I'm not so strong that I would survive losing you if I decided to commit myself to you." *

"Yeaaah...I'll be honest," His hand had come up to the back of his neck as he looked off to the side again, trying to fight a smile, "Shizuru mentioned something like that a while back and my first dumbass thought at the time was something about getting jealous of you staying so pretty while I got older, and unfortunately, knowing that is what it took to start me on the right track, so, uh, I would totally understand if you don't even want to be friends with someone like that."

His easy-going demeanor had absolutely returned now that the moment was passed, and his hand lowered to his side as his eyes came back to her, his shoulders loosening again as he slipped into that comfortable confidence of being more man than boy, his eyes gleaming with the mischievousness of someone who knew they had snuck in a compliment, but with no hint of baggage accompanying it. 3

Akari absolutely could not help the laugh that bubbled past her lips at Kita's compliment, and her hands dropped to her sides as she straightened up to look him over. "I can't say that I don't see where you're coming from in that regard; There's a reason vampire/human romance stories are so popular among the human populace."

Her smile softened, "As for being friends, I'd love to. I see no reason why that can't be a thing." She turned and let him lead the way back to the compound. "Your shadow will be able to give your message to me at any time," her smile widened, "or I can give you my phone number and we can plan a day for me to bring Nabu and Kiyoko to help entertain the little ones; I think they'd have a blast." *

"Oh, what, really?" Kita scrambled for his pockets, and pulled out a phone, "That'd be super cool!"

He went to unlock it and seemed to hear the rest of what she said and gave a little smile, "Yeah. Yeah, I think so too."

~!**!~

Eventually, Kurama moved down the main steps on the outer walkway of the main building on the grounds towards the red gate at the top of the stairs and the sharply dressed Japanese man with his dark hair and suit, carrying a briefcase to one side and looking no worse for the wear after the climb.

Once they were closer, Kurama bowed several inches at the waist and welcomed him.

"Good morning, Mr. Tanaka."

"Good morning, Mr. Minamino." Kurama's bow was returned.

"Thank you for coming all this way." As they both stood upright, Kurama made a gesture for Tanaka to indicate their intended direction and they both began walking for the inner entrance.

"Of course. Thank you for inviting me to lunch." He was looking around at the scenery, "The grounds really are quite beautiful."

"Thank you. I know Master Genkai would have been quite pleased to hear you say that."

"I wouldn't go quite that far, sir."

Kurama chuckled a little and led the man further inside. 3

~!**!~

As the morning hours rolled on, Hiei had well and truly forgotten everything in the world that was not his Queen. He'd gotten himself so lost in her that, in his mind, time hadn't moved at all.

So at one point, during a lull between 'lessons', it had been Shikiyoku who noticed the sun moving higher in the sky and, finally, turned to remind him of the will reading. And, at the time, he really and truly had agreed with her about getting dressed and arriving early, if only so they had plenty of time to make their way in that direction.

But, well…

Somehow, they hadn't even managed to get to their discarded articles of clothing before they'd ended up tangled together - admittedly due to Hiei's own lack of restraint when she'd made some comment or another that he hadn't been able to ignore.

The second time, they'd at least gotten to their clothing before getting distracted again - though Hiei wasn't sure whose fault it was that particular time.

This time, Hiei managed to at least find himself into his pants and Shikiyoku into her undergarments before he'd turned to pass her her shirt and make some comment or another. One minute he was talking, and the next he was leaning over her, his lips trailing away from hers so that they both might catch their breath, his kisses roaming along her jaw and to her neck.

His left hand, still clutching her shirt, rested at the small of her back while his right hand tossed her hair over her shoulder to give him better access to her skin there. With his eyes half-open as they were, it was the sight of her hair tie on his right wrist that reminded him:

Oh yeah. Clothes. Things to do.

"Shiki-" kiss, "-yoku." Kiss. "If I don't stop here," kiss, "we'll either miss the will reading, or-" he forced himself to stop before the next kiss, just at the edge of her shoulder, though it took lots of restraint and willpower for him to do so, "be dragged there by Kurama."

His hand holding her shirt clenched tighter around the material as he willed himself to slowly stand upright and pull his hands away. He purposely turned his eyes to the shirt in his hand and he unfolded it, his energy briefly rushing through his veins as the air warmed around them, and he watched as the wrinkles he'd caused in the material faded, the material smoothing out.

Then, once he was satisfied enough with that, he rolled it in his two hands until he held the bottom of it. He glanced briefly up at Shikiyoku, then swiftly lifted the shirt over her head and lowered it over her, covering her from shoulders to waist, though he hadn't given her warning enough to let her raise her arms in time for them to go through the proper holes.

He let go of the shirt, stepped back, and gave a brief nod at her. "...That helps." *

When he stepped away from her, she had her fists clenched and eyes closed, eyebrow twitching.

The only thing keeping her in place was the idea of the look on Kurama's face when he had to come and get them.

She let out a breath and without looking at Hiei, turned to grab the pants she had been wearing after shifting her arms through the proper holes in the shirt, genuinely surprised when she thought about it-after knowing what she knew now-that their clothing had actually gone unscathed.

Having silently stalked through the treeline, following his nose for the last little while, when the little wolf demon reached Hiei's pant leg, he continued sniffing at it, looking upwards and his eyes going wide when he realized this wasn't who he thought it was.

His shaggy mop of grey hair shifted around and a darker place among it took better shape as it came uncovered and revealed, veiled by the shadows of the strands, the dark eyes of the naga boy peeking out up at Hiei, tongue sticking slightly out and also scenting the air.

Bustling through the newly made clearing behind him came the black-haired oni, eyes gleaming, with the somewhat sleepy-eyed tanuki clinging to his back, both of whom froze in place to see what Hiei would do. 3

When Shikiyoku moved for her pants, Hiei seemed to finally gain better control of his muscles and he turned to grab his shirt from the ground next to him, though he didn't bother to de-wrinkle it like he had with Shikiyoku's, since his own natural body temperature often did that for him.

When he had it settled over his shoulders, he lowered his head just a little and lifted his left hand to begin to 'fix' his hair, sending the slightest bit of dirt and the occasional pebble falling to the ground.

It wasn't until he watched one particularly sizable rock tumble down his arm and to the ground that he noticed the children at his feet, catching sight of the little wolf boy just as the little fist curled around his pant leg.

His eyes slowly moved up from the two at his feet to spy the two who had frozen a few steps away from him, and he couldn't help but be aware of the four sets of eyes on him, watching his every move.

"Men...make him nervous."

He remembered what Shikiyoku had said about the one child the day before, and only in this moment did he realize it was likely true for all of the demon children she had rescued.

...These included.

So when he moved, it was very slowly and deliberately, and only to stand back up and turn his eyes to Shikiyoku, his stare on her this time meant solely to get her attention to turn to him.

(You have guests, though I think your scent on me has them… confused.) *

The oni and tanuki chittered something to one another, appearing to hold a quick conversation before the oni lumbered forward, hands almost dragging the ground from the awkward length of his limbs.

Running over to Hiei's side, the tanuki reached up from the oni's back and tugged at his pantleg, saying something before holding his furry arms up. The oni had taken a bit of a stance over the wolf cub, slightly bigger than him and able to rest an arm over him easily, letting his body shield the other in a way that seemed natural, a bird under a wing.

Shikiyoku only smiled a little, standing and watching for a moment and falling in love with her Consort all over again. 3

Hiei's eyes dropped from Shikiyoku to the children that ran to his side, genuinely surprised that all four had gathered at his feet. After a beat, he realized he recognized the two that had approached him last as the very same children that had burst into their room a few mornings ago.

He raised a brow at the babbling tanuki, eyeing its extended arms for a brief moment before he cast a brief look of confusion in Shikiyoku's direction, his side of the bond ruminating over the fact that they'd come to him and not her.

After a beat, he finally caved and slowly leaned over to extend his hands in the direction of the boy asking to be lifted, though before he stood upright, he waited to watch the reaction of the other three, not wanting to scare the young ones if he could avoid it. *

The tanuki boy all but hopped into Hiei's arms, chittering and, when Hiei stood back up, tucking his face below Hiei's jaw and taking several sniffs before leaning back and looking him in the face.

At his leg, the oni had taken a handful of his pants and had leaned over, nose flaring as he also took a few sniffs himself.

In the next moment, Shikiyoku was next to Hiei as well, her hand resting on his chest and this time her face up against his neck beneath his jaw as she took a deep breath.

"You do smell good." She murmured, eyes opening just enough to consider kissing him.

(I was feeling left out.) 3

Other than standing upright with the tanuki in his arms, Hiei hadn't dared to move. He simply stood and watched the various reactions from the kids, finding it peculiar that they sniffed at him, though he could only assume it to be because he smelled of Shikiyoku.

It wasn't until Shiki herself had appeared at his side and taken in a long whiff of the air around him that he moved, his head turning in her direction and his eyes narrowing at the edges ever so slightly as a thrill ran down his spine.

"You stop that," he warned her even as a little ember came to life just over her head.

(It was hard enough to pull away.) *

She would have told him sorry, but they both knew she wasn't.

And, of course, now that she was closer, she didn't want to pull away either.

The oni lifted his arm just enough that the wolf could lean forward and give another sniff, the hackles that had risen at the back of his neck starting to settle even as the naga stuck his face out a little further, tongue flickering out again and scenting the air.

Shikiyoku pulled back far enough to be within easy reach of his lips, (Just one more kiss? They're all here anyway. And I sure as hell wouldn't allow Kurama the pleasure of fetching us.) 3

At her request, Hiei turned to look at Shikiyoku again, his eyes roaming her face as if looking for something specific in her expression, though in reality he was only admiring her.

Because damn did he enjoy it when she asked him for something.

His shoulders moved with a nearly-silent chuckle at her response about Kurama, and he definitely agreed in the bond that it would be rather unpleasant. As he finally leaned over to give her the kiss she had asked him for, his hand not holding the tanuki reached out to brush against her cheek. *

Her energy was all but gone from the clearing by now, and appearing to have taken very little effort. There wasn't even any hanging around her anymore, but neither was the constant tension at the back of her neck present from a subconscious awareness of holding it back.

Her appreciation for the kiss, the touch, if the little shimmers of energy he sent across her features didn't tell him of it, the bond expressed it in so many emotions.

(I love you.)

A little scaled hand reached out and gently smoothed its fingertips down a bit of Hiei's pants and the oni had by now left the cub to circle around between Shiki and her Consort, standing where he could easily sniff first his leg and then hers before making a pleased sort of sound and affectionately rubbing his cheek against Hiei's knee.

His presence certainly distracted Shiki enough so that she didn't cave and ask for more of anything she thought Hiei might give her, and she watched the others slowly decide that yes, this was okay and he was okay, though given the oni and the tanuki's quick acceptance of him the other morning-Shikiyoku had suspicions of that expediency being due to her marking on Hiei, and as she recalled, incidentally she had been rather worked up that morning if all it took was her energy hanging around the air to make them more relaxed-Shikiyoku wasn't particularly surprised to find that this now much greater quantity of her scent on him made him 'safe.'

"I don't know why they're so interested in your pants, though." Shikiyoku said mildly as she watched the wolf cub shift around behind him still sniffing at his pants with a certain fervor, the scales disappearing back into his hair as the naga's arm retracted when the cub moved. "As I recall, they should have just about as much of my scent on them as your shirt. Which is to say none, since I removed them almost as quickly." 3

Shikiyoku's enjoyment of his affections accompanied by her declaration of love brought the smallest of smiles to his lips, stretching against hers just before she pulled away, his eyes again falling to the little ones now circling him.

"Maybe your energy being around the area left your scent on them too," he offered, choosing to ignore her comment about the speed with which his clothes had left him the night before.

He glanced around the area again, this time taking a moment to survey the damage done to the forestry around them. His eyes landed on the areas where there once had been stumps left, and now even those were gone. The 'clearing' had been burned into a wider area, grass and brush alike consumed at some point or another and leaving a slightly larger area free of its usual foliage.

He quite liked the idea of leaving it as it was, and the mischief-fueled amusement briefly filtered through the bond when he'd remembered his decision to burn more instead of less.

I have no regrets. *

(I find I am especially fond of this way of marking territory.) The bond replied with unveiled immodesty. (And when it grows back, it'll be the lushest area of the forest.)

Shikiyoku linked arms with the one Hiei hadn't occupied with a demon child, entwining both of hers with it down to his hand where her fingers curled around and between his and as she slowly began moving them back towards the temple grounds proper, in no hurry.

She seemed to take a particular sort of pride in what the bond told him she attributed to 'her' work with that same sort of sly lewdness of her original commentary.

"I freely admit I'm out of practice, though." She said mildly aloud, frowning where she saw some places that had been mishaps. "And with you, I can't always know how you're going to react to something yet, so I just get to wait until you flare up real strongly and then torture you more intensely for a while when you're less likely to ignite on me."

There was another entire tree they went by just gone save for a scorch mark on the ground. That was the result of a very specific moment where Shiki recalled a fleeting thought regarding how she might have figured out Hiei's favorite position on only the second try, that is, a different one than where they'd started. And there were two more similarly new, nonexistent trees to prove it.

Between her cashing in on the drinks from Kurama especially recently, and her awakened Consort's newfound eagerness...

Needless to say, noting to herself that she walked with a more tender gait, Shiki had not considered at any point over the past thirty some odd years that being sore would be a problem she would ever have again.

She chalked it up not only to being rusty, but also the grace period with a new partner-and basically a new body-and all of the adjustments that came along with trying to figure out what worked best for them. 3

Hiei squeezed the hand that took his briefly, affectionately, as he listened to both her words and the bond. He gave a brief nod - more than aware that the reason more of the forest had remained intact was due to her influence in his more charged moments - and he cast a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, a brief gleam shining there.

That was 'out of practice'?

His eyes roamed from her head to her feet at the thought, remembering more than one instance where he'd been glad for her life experience and her willingness to teach him all the things he now knew he never would have been happy with learning from someone else.

And as he looked her over, he did not miss the more careful steps she took next to him, and as he made sure to match her pace, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"Well, considering I am unreadable to you in the usual way you read others, I'd say you did rather well at reading me," he murmured against her hand, his stare at her briefly shifting from observing her to watching her. "And, I'm-"

He paused, realizing he was letting himself go down a very distinct path of thought that would rather disrupt their current path, and he distanced himself from those thoughts before they could spill over into the bond and possibly get him into even more trouble. Trouble they didn't really have time to get into at the moment. *

Shiki gave Hiei's arm a short, playful shake as she smiled at his incredulousness in what he'd just been experiencing over the past night.

"Yes, Hiei, 'out of practice.' I may have been with other fire demons before, but that was some time ago. Contrary to the word on the street, I haven't exactly had a lot of sex in the last thirty years." She made a nebulous circular gesture with a hand in the air next to her, "Something about completely locking away one's personality behind an intense survival instinct and then being pacted to an extremely powerful demon whose Koorime blood essentially made him come across as asexual and aromantic. My pact was meant to adapt me to best benefit you, you know."

Her eyes lifted as she let out a breath, "Or at least it should have. I hadn't the faintest idea what I was doing with you when you didn't seem interested in a damn thing I knew I could offer." 3

Hiei let their joined hands fall to hang between them again, swinging lightly as they walked. As she explained that the bond had meant to help her adapt to him, his lips tugged down into a frown, aware enough that he hadn't had this sexual desire for her until more recent months, and even then he had been overwhelmed by her in a few instances.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said of the Koorime blood. And, as he thought about the fact that if he'd wanted it sooner, how he could have had all of this with her the entire time he'd been at her side…

For the full thirty years

He blinked, realizing suddenly that the pent-up frustration he'd felt over the last handful of days, she had been feeling for the last three decades.

"...I am so sorry." *

Shiki just laughed, "It might have been worse if you'd accepted my first proposition. I think we spent about ten years apart when I got stuck on the Ninth at first, right? I was in that pain form, so I would've been fine, believe me. But by the time we'd had a fresh, supposedly perfected bond before we went to war, then it was at least ten years for us trying to get back together again. Can you imagine?"

She let a puff of breath out of her lips as her gaze fell to the side and mumbled, "I might've Nitenwa-danced my whole way to the Ninth, that being the case." 3

Even the idea of being stuck on the Ninth, waiting for her for another ten years, made his skin crawl. It had already been awful the first time, but if he'd been stuck there after having her as he did now?

"More of the Ninth would be on fire, I'm sure," he conceded. "And no amount of alcohol would have been enough to distract me."

At her mention of Nitenwa dancing, he raised a brow down at her briefly. "That's how you managed it?" He hadn't ever seen her dance other than their time on the Ninth and in the bar, though he realized that was likely the point. *

Shikiyoku got a funny look on her face and looked over at Hiei out of the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah, I-" She let out a little sigh and looked forward again, "I hadn't danced like that since my first Champion. I mean, there were court dances with Kit, but Kurama certainly had no use for those kinds of dances, so it had definitely been hundreds of years at least by the time we were back down there."

She got quieter, speaking of her first Champion again, "He...tended to deny me things. All kinds of things. Anything he could. It was how he controlled me. And I think somehow the sōke knew that. And that was actually why he agreed in the first place. Because he knew this might be the only way I could ever get any help. Sōke could never say anything outright. He was too wise for that; my Champion was always allowed within earshot cuz Kami know he couldn't have figured out how to make the steps work. But sōke dropped hints about just how deeply the serenity of Nitenwa could be felt." Shiki shook her head, "I was never so free of my chains that I could even consider them in outright acts of rebellion, but as far as survival? You can't learn the technique unless you have a strong sense of self-preservation. Some reason to keep living. I never knew what that was for me, but sometimes those steps...it was the only thing that kept me together."

She finally smiled, "Dancing for the tribes on the Ninth...I hadn't done those sorts of dances since him. I don't remember exactly what it was that reminded me of the Nitenwa technique I'd learned specifically, but I know by that time I was really struggling without an outlet for those urges I kept having for you. And I refused to dishonor you or torture myself with fantasies of what could have been."

Her lips actually spread wider, "And seeking out other warm bodies only occured to me the once when you first released me-a leftover of my time pacted with Kurama, I assure you-and after being foiled from it, the thought never occurred again until I had my demon form back."

"I- uh, I kept it a secret from you, did it while you slept sometimes when we were traveling, or when you'd leave for guild work more recently, somewhere private where nobody could see, because-" Her neck flushed and she definitely couldn't look at him, "I was...kind of embarrassed that I had to keep it up. But dammit sometimes you'd do things, or say things, or, hell, just even lookat me a certain way and-"

Amusingly enough, as she got herself slightly worked up about it, her energy started buzzing through her veins, the sensation a pleasant effervescence in the bond, but no actual shimmers occurring over her body aside from a bit of the air around her hair smelling sweeter as her scalp prickled and she lifted her hand to cover her face for a moment, red to the ears behind it and taking a deep breath through her nose to gather her composure before she let it drop as they kept walking.

The moment had captured the attention of the demon kids around them and the tanuki wriggled in Hiei's grasp until he loosened it whereupon he planned to crawl behind Hiei's head across his shoulders to sit on the one nearest to her and try to reach for a strand of hair.

Seemingly out of reflex, Shikiyoku suddenly let go of Hiei and bent down to pick up the wolf cub walking next to her, who looked pleased, and the naga boy slithered out from where he'd been riding at the cub's back and disappeared into her long hair completely, a pair of eyes eventually gleaming out at Hiei from just over her shoulder as he clutched, mostly hidden, at the back of her shirt.

Meanwhile, the small oni started rhythmically hopping from one foot to the other around Shikiyoku and Hiei, chanting in a singsong voice some short repetition of words, part of which contained the word 'Kiki.' 3

As Shikiyoku talked, Hiei listened attentively, occasionally squeezing her hand when she would pause - partially to reassure her, and partially to let her know he was still listening. He nodded his head here and there too, his lips slowly turning into a frown as she talked of her first Champion before flattening out into a calm expression once more.

He'd known all of this, he realized. When he'd accepted the Consort bond with her, their happiness and grief had been shared, and among those memories and feelings, he'd seen at least some of the details about her time with that first Champion. While it had all been shared so quickly at the time, it was almost as if he were recalling her memories with her as she spoke, though he wouldn't dare say he knew the pain she'd felt.

At the last, at her admittance of being embarrassed about it, he let the bond fill with his warm love, affection, and admiration for her, reassuring her that she had no reason to be embarrassed.

"I don't blame you in the least for doing what you had to to be able to stand being near me. I…" He frowned, remembering all the times even his stare had made her energy come to life around her. "I had no idea what influence I had, or what it meant when your energy would sparkle around you. I thought it was pretty, and that your confusion was funny." He remembered all the times he'd stared at her to get a reaction, and finally understood why she reacted the way she did. "I was no help, and didn't even know I was a tease." He grinned then, "And the worst kind, I realize."

As the Tanuki scrambled around Hiei's shoulders, the fire demon made sure to keep himself steady so that the child could come to sit on his shoulder, and he watched the boy reach out to Shikiyoku.

He couldn't help the softening of his gaze as she scooped down to grab the wolf pup.

"And now it won't be a problem anymore," he finished, his smile this time more sly as the bond hummed with mischief. *

Shiki blushed again at 'pretty,' eyes preoccupying themselves with the absent adjusting of the wolf cub's wild mane of hair and almost getting ahold of herself until she felt the bond shift with his emotions between them.

"You stop that," She echoed his earlier sentiment with a playful grin as she bumped her hip into his and sent the tanuki scrambling for balance, falling off and landing on the oni's head as he made a pass, in the midst of his black hair, only to quickly recover and join in the chant, waving his little brown paws back and forth above his head in time to the beat.

"Not doing something when you've never done it is a much easier task than when you have." 3

Hiei might have been able to catch the falling Tanuki if he didn't think his quick movement would startle the kids. Instead, he watched the little demon land on the oni's head, then shook his head ever so slightly as the boy joined the song his friend had been chanting for a while now.

As they emerged from the treeline and the compound finally came into view, Hiei gave Shikiyoku a small smile. (I will do my best to stay focused during the reading…)

He'd already considered running off with her once during their walk back. *

"Well, if you get bored-"

(-I could certainly occupy your attention.) She offered mildly, bending down to set the wolf cub on the ground and give the naga a chance to climb down into his hair again as Shizuka's voice rang out from over near one of the buildings and the rest of the assorted pack of orphans dashed their direction.

(Though I suppose even here if I mention what I could be doing to you, someone might notice.)

As they walked towards the dojo, there was a bit of time where they stayed ringed by the children doing the same chant and dance that had been started, and when Shizuka marched their direction to gather them up, they all laughed and scattered and she threw her hands up in the air and turned away. 3

Hiei blinked at her, truly not having considered the thought of using the bond in such a way. Then, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, just enough to give a hint of a warning akin to her 'you stop that' from moments before.

(It isn't boredom that I'm worried about. It's impatience.)

Though, as he considered the thought of listening to her describe where they could be and what they could be doing, the tiniest hint of charcoal perfumed the air ever so briefly.

He actively worked to push the thought away altogether. *

(Well...I'd give you some of my patience, but then I'd have none, and we'd be right back where we started.)

~!**!~

Yusuke looked around the old dojo, as he stepped into the main doors, remembering the very first time he'd been in the room and simultaneously missing Kuwabara and the old bag.

If he were being honest, he felt like Shizuru was to blame for how the place was looking, though. Much brighter than back in those days, and the sort of well-kept that spoke of many generous hands doing good work.

The newest addition was to the altar in the side of the wall, scrolls of Genkai's tenants hanging on either side of a picture of Genkai in a plain frame.

Yusuke moved over to Yukina to kneel next to her for a moment, seeing her tray with tea prepared that she was pouring out for him when he first entered and waved.

Everyone else filtered in one-by-one after lunch, some accepting the tea and others just sitting near the altar where the lawyer in the dark suit sat with his briefcase next to him. Not nearly as many there as there had been at the ceremony the night before, though. This meeting was just for those in Genkai's will.

Kurama came in with the last needed and the lawyer called out to him about proceeding, to which Kurama gave him the go-ahead.

Somewhat solemnly, he moves the briefcase onto the floor in front of him and opens it, taking out a box to set it aside and then closing the briefcase, putting it back where he had it.

Taking a key out of an inner jacket pocket, he unlocks the box, sets the key down near it, and opening the lid reveals some papers with something like a large, dark, ovoid paperweight on top.

The lawyer took the tear-drop shaped device in his hand and set the bottom of it on the floor, pressing his fingers into little divots at the narrowest part near the top before releasing it.

Joints unfold to prop up the device on the floor as it unhinges at the top and after a moment, a few lights on the sides begin glowing as a holographic image of Genkai sitting cross-legged hums to life and then begins moving a bit as she shifts in place and asks a question of someone off-scene.

"Is it on?"

Kurama's calm voice drifted out from the device, presumably somewhere nearby at the time of the recording, "Yes, senpai."

"Alright. Hey hotshots! By now you've probably done enough to pacify my spirit and I swear if it wasn't by the letter, I'll haunt your asses."

Several of those gathered let out murmurs of amusement.

She seemed to be contemplating her next words and finally sighs.

"I never thought I'd say this, and Shizuru will tell you it took me just as long to realize it as it did for her to convince me my teachings deserved to be passed along, but...

"I want demons and humans and any denizens of Spirit World who stayed behind to live in peace with each other somehow. Now I don't know exactly how that's supposed to get done. I think that's something beyond someone of my time, so I'm gonna leave that to all you young idealists to sort out for yourselves. But I figure the one thing I can do is set you up for success as best I'm able.

"You'll find in that box the lawyer's opened by now a deed to the temple and the surrounding lands and all it lacks are a few signatures of those of you in the room.

"Now, I know territory and land-ownership is a big deal for you demon-types. Gets you clout down in a lot of places below. Well, there's plenty of land here, and who the hell's gonna know how much of it is yours when you're elsewhere and talking about it.

"I want you all to share it. As a place where human and demon and everything inbetween is welcome. Safe. There's been a lot of strife for a long time, and many demons-and humans-being persecuted and involved in those escalating land fights over territory they all think they have some claim to. And those fanatics left over from Spirit World aren't helping matters. Lots of people dying for reasons that don't mean much. Well. As long as the temple's teachings are seen to by Shizuru and you let her steward the land, as far as I'm concerned, it's all yours and you can tell everybody you know. Maybe if they hear how people from all three worlds are sharing it, it'll make a difference somehow. What do I know. Now there's room on that deed for a few more signatures than are here. Maybe you'll find a couple more from Spirit World who aren't out of their gourds to help even it out. And I don't know any half-breeds myself, but I know they're out there and that sometimes they've got it much harder than the rest of us. You find some that fit the bill, you get 'em involved.

"Your job is gonna be to make a safe haven. I want you to work on it together. You come across someone you think is up to snuff, looking for a place to improve themselves and make their way in the world, you call 'em in.

"Now I know one isn't gonna be enough. And it's not gonna be for everybody. So, Jin and Touya, I know it's not much room right now since you're taking care of a lot of the displaced, but I've got a whole island to give yah." She grins a little, "Make those living spaces you've got a bit more permanent, yeah? Get that blacksmith friend of yours to make a trip up here to your new place and get your dojo all settled like we talked about.

"And for that ridiculous triumvirate that's got anybody aware of anything in our country in such a hissy, I've got a joint-ownership arranged for a little piece of land around a familiar location. You three be good and share. And make sure those coming and going don't get into any trouble, yeah?"

She finally shifted again as if she'd gotten through everything she meant to say, though she looked straight at the camera as she finished:

"Do good, yah hear? And where you can't do good, do well."

The message ended, Genkai's image disappeared, and the device powered down.

After a moment of what was likely silent shock, those gathered started talking amongst themselves, almost all the demons turning to congratulate Jin and Touya, who were likely the most speechless of the group, but then the rest of them began to express their feelings on having territory of their own. Shared territory, but still. For a lot of them, it was an opportunity they weren't likely to get otherwise.

Shikiyoku similarly seemed to be speechless, turning to give Kurama, standing behind everyone, a shocked look. He only shrugged and nodded back-he had known, but understood her reaction as it had been his own at the time-and she returned to her forward position to stare at the floor in front of her knees where she'd knelt. 3

After lunch, Akari had walked alongside Botan and Keiko to the dojo, their conversation having lulled to a comfortable silence as they each considered their own thoughts regarding the presentation of Genkai's will.

For her part, the dog demon hadn't even been able to begin to guess at why she had been included; she hadn't seen Genkai in so long that she almost felt as if she shouldn't have been included at all. She kept this to herself, of course, and once in the dojo, she took a seat next to Kita, giving him a welcoming smile as she'd gotten comfortable on the floor.

They'd talked in whispers while people gathered, occasionally turning to include this person or that one in their general conversation, if only to ease the air just a little more as the room steadily became more populated.

The conversation ended, of course, when the sharply-dressed man at the altar asked Kurama if they were ready to proceed, and Akari shifted ever so slightly to settle in place on her knees with her hands in her lap.

She blinked at the projection of the aged woman, but didn't have time to consider the hologram and its creation before she was giving a good-natured chuckle to herself about being 'haunted'.

And then Genkai went on with her wishes.

At first, Akari listened to Genkai's talk of demons and humans, along with Spirit World entities, getting along and living in peace, and she couldn't help but admire the old woman's vision for the world.

But at the mention of signatures being needed by the people in the room, confusion set in. But before she could really think too much about this, too, Genkai was going on to explain in further detail.

Then, the topic of sharing land was revealed, and Akari couldn't help but take a look around the room. As Genkai's voice went on about strife and struggles over territory between the denizens of the once-separate worlds, she watched the various reactions of those around her.

Some faces held surprise, and others held admiration. Some held a form of grim understanding that, in that very moment, made her realize she did not understand.

She hadn't been aware of any territory disputes, nor did she know what was being referenced when Genkai talked about "Fanatics left over from Spirit World", though she briefly wondered if that was the RKT she had heard mentioned a couple of times over the last few days. And, as that realization dawned on her, so did another, more crushing one:

Each person in this room not only knew about the things that Akari had, apparently, been purposely avoiding, but they all were involved in it in some way or another. From Shikiyoku somehow being tied to the gathering of the demon kids now residing on the lands, to Jin and Touya taking in elementalist orphans. Hell, Yusuke had his ramen shop, which she had known for some time was a front for some sort of information gathering and hubbub for dispatching others out to deal with 'issues' among the levels. Kita and Shizuru oversaw the temple and its grounds, as well as the training of those residing on it.

Hiei had his guild who hunted Infected with him.

Kurama… well, all of Kurama.

But Akari? ...I just own a coffee shop.

Unable to look at anyone else in the room, she cast her eyes to her hands in her lap, suddenly feeling very alien and as if she either didn't know who she was or who anyone else in the room was. She didn't understand why she was in this room with all of these people who had been so active in their efforts to better the world, when all she had done was… make coffee.

I don't deserve to be here right now.

And at the last line before Genkai's recording ended, a ton of bricks fell into her stomach.

"Do good, ya hear? And where you can't do good, do well."

She closed her eyes as if she could close herself off from the world, suddenly feeling not just alien, but lost. Shame sank into her heart.

Kurama's voice suddenly rang in her head from the night before:

"Many demons prefer to simply...do as you are doing when something doesn't affect them directly."

She cursed herself mentally, and while she did open her eyes again, she couldn't bring herself to lift her head and look around the room again, too afraid that if she did, someone might see her and the mess she'd just melted into mentally.

Why did you include me on this, Genkai?

~!**!~

Hiei had lowered himself to sit cross-legged next to Shikiyoku, his knee just touching her thigh when he settled in to listen to the recording.

Truth be told, he did struggle to listen. Not because it was boring in any way, or even because he thought it didn't pertain to him, but…

He occasionally stole a glance at the woman next to him from time to time, his ears hearing the words from the will but his mind wishing he were elsewhere.

So, when the recording ended and Shikiyoku's side of the bond suddenly became filled with stunned silence, he realized he'd likely missed something he really should have been listening to - though he was certain he'd never heard Shikiyoku's name said, or even his own for that matter. That much he'd been actively listening for.

So when Shikiyoku looked up at Kurama, then down to the floor, he reached out to take her hand as if to comfort her surprise, his own side of the bond wordlessly conveying his curiosity on what had affected her so much. *

Shikiyoku looked over at Hiei with the same wide-eyed expression she'd given Kurama.

(Uhm...)

Though all of the defenses Shiki had built up over the years between herself and Hiei had completely crumbled overnight, behind her absolute shock Hiei would find in their bond all the explanation he was looking for.

Shikiyoku and Kurama never fought. Got even with each other, sure, but didn't fight. It was beneath them.

Except they had fought, and vehemently, over one thing.

What to do with the land surrounding the entrance from the First Level of New Human World to the Second: Demon's Door Cave and its labyrinth layout of caverns at the outskirts of but beneath Mushiyori City. Where Hiei had first interacted with Shikiyoku and now traveled to and from whenever he had missions on other levels.

Kurama thought they needed regulation on any who immigrated to the First from below. There was always trouble stirring between the lords on the Second-a similar situation to the Eighth, though these lords were not nearly as strong as Yomi, Mukuro, or Raizen-that threatened to spill up onto the First from time to time, not to mention the fact that the First had enough trouble of its own what with the displacement of all the demons from Old Demon World who had been dumped here, some with their lands either completely gone or otherwise vastly different and occupied by those from Old Human World, and they hadn't even made a dent in getting everyone settled.

Shikiyoku meanwhile argued that they could make do. There was more land to be had, or hell they'd raise islands from the sea if they had to, but the situation down below with the Infected was bad and she claimed they could handle any trouble that came of it and there was no reason to regulate anything when Kurama was just worried about someone they let up starting an outbreak and decimating 'his' citizens. She knew more intimately about how the strange nanite-like strain in their very blood-energy would either activate or it wouldn't and there was no point in wasting breath about it.

She had thought perhaps the possible new fire lit under Hiei to create a guild hall somewhere would give her some kind of leverage to lay claim to the land in his name, if he decided he wanted it close to the entrance as he mentioned, but it had been a fleeting thought at the time when he first brought it up after his recovery from the infection, not even fully formed and thus completely undiscussed with either Hiei or Kurama.

But Genkai had forced their hand, in Shikiyoku's mind. Something obviously needed to be done with it, in respect for the old lady's request if for no other reason, and now-if the deed they would be asked to sign in a moment was written up like Shikiyoku assumed it had been-they had to work together.

~!**!~

Probably the least surprised of them was Kurama, but he had been there during her speech, after all. And a legal assistant to the paperwork, next to the lawyer.

He watched and listened to the reactions standing behind those gathered, barefoot near the entrance where any shoes had been removed.

His eyes caught Shikiyoku's look when she shifted to glance over her shoulder at him and he nodded in understanding of it.

The two of them had purposefully avoided the bit of land Genkai mentioned because it was something of a dispute-their stalemate resulting in a, if uneasy, truce to leave it completely alone-between them as to how to handle it, but the old lady had jumped through the hoops and gotten it for herself there towards the end, and neither of them had been able to guess at her endgame.

And now they were going to have to work together on it.

Or maybe we can just leave it like it is and pretend like it didn't happen. He mused to himself, since agreeing on what to do with it had stagnated between them.

His gaze shifted to the hybrid next to her as Hiei turned to her and he felt the relief wash over him from head to toe again just like it had when they'd come in together still smelling of recent sex and with scents otherwise mingling together so completely it was difficult to initially distinguish them from one another.

No more worrying about Hiei setting his city ablaze.

Her hair was still down, too. Which he found to be a nice perk.

Kurama spied Akari near one of the disciples, only able to see a pair of shoulders slump beneath copper colored hair under the weight of something he could only guess at, though he did have a guess.

"Many demons prefer to simply...do as you are doing when something doesn't affect them directly."

For the first time in a very long time, there was a crack in Kurama's expression as his own words from last night echoed back to him from where she sat with her head bowed forward.

He didn't really think there was anything inherently wrong with how she'd been-

No, okay. That was a lie. There sat an exceptionally skilled demon who had not only sought to overcome her own sort of demons from her past and saved countless lives during the collapse of the worlds, but also served in wartime-

-and, what, self? Abandoned the cause for-

He shook his head a little to clear any pending thoughts away.

It didn't matter any longer. They'd both apologized for their mistakes.

But there was no denying the fact that, yes, he agreed with her realization:

Compared to the other people in this room, she'd been the one to pick the path of least resistance. To choose to flounder instead of thrive.

And not even he could tell her why Genkai decided to include her in the will.

She had brought it up as a name and the lawyer obliged.

~!**!~

As the reactions died down, the lawyer spoke up again and the lull faded completely.

"It's a little unconventional, I'll admit, but she gives a list of names of those she'd like to claim the grounds and surrounding lands as their own. Specifics as to what to do with that land, she told me, were intentionally left out, aside from the general care and maintenance and the dojo, which Shizuru will take over stewarding, and as Grandmaster.

"She didn't want what she called her 'old way of thinking' to interfere with anything you decided to do, and she said she knew those listed well enough to let them work things out themselves." He shook his head a little as if he had tried to dissuade her from it and failed.

"So, I'm going to call out each name and as I do, if you would please come up-" The lawyer had opened the box again and set out the necessary items on a tray that Yukina moved to put in front of him and when he looked into the crowd and made a motion with his hand, there was a Notary who stood and padded up to kneel on the other side of the tray with him.

"While you're here, if you want to go ahead," He encouraged Yukina before she stepped too far away, the teal-haired woman kneeling in front of the makeshift desk and being handed the pen once the Notary had settled, a place on the deed being indicated for her to sign.

As she started to rise, the lawyer began to call out names one at a time.

Shizuru was of course included, as well as Kita, Keiko, and the other disciples who were there. Those demons who had trained under her for Kurama's sake in the War of the Three Kings were all called: Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Chu, and Rinku. Yusuke and Akari were also called, and lastly Botan, who looked just as confused and ashamed as Akari to have been included.

"Let's go, doggo," Yusuke elbowed Akari from where he'd been sitting on her other side, giving her an encouraging grin when he knew they were up and even offering to help get her on her feet.

There were four columns of lines for signatures on the deed. Shizuru's name headed the list of humans, and everyone under Yukina's column were demons. Botan's name was at the top of a column by itself, and then there was a fourth, unspecified column which remained completely blank. 3

"Mm, to be honest I've done a pretty good job of staying out of trouble. I've all but buried my head in the sand and have been letting the world move on around me most of the time."

Akari's hands balled into fists in her lap as she remembered her own words to Kurama the night before, and she felt the shame rise to her throat, constricting and heavy. She reached up and rubbed at her left eye, not sure if the burning she felt there was from tears or from going so long without blinking.

In truth, she'd lost the room, so when Yusuke addressed her and even nudged her to get her attention, she blinked and slowly lifted her head to look at him. Then she realized the lawyer was calling names, and that there were people signing paperwork, and she glanced at his offered hand.

I don't deserve this.

I don't deserve to be here right now.

I don't even deserve to be associated with anyone in this room.

She swallowed and, against her usual instincts, she let her hand reach up to take his so he could pull her to her feet. She managed to give him a clumsy, half-hearted smile and a murmured 'thanks', but she couldn't quite bring herself to look at him again.

As she followed him to the front of the room, she did her best to make her expression go neutral, to hide away all of the thoughts and feelings that raged in her heart so that she wouldn't burden anyone else with them.

When it was her turn, she signed her name with a trembling hand, and the very second she finished dotting her I's, she passed the pen back to the lawyer as if she couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Then, without more than a single glance around the room, she made her way back to where she'd been sitting, and quietly planted herself on her knees once more, her hands again curling together to rest on top of her thighs and her eyes on the floor.

~!**!~

Hiei blinked as the bond opened up to tell him about all of the things he hadn't been privy to until this moment: the land and her dispute with Kurama about what to do with it. Her thoughts on how she may be able to convince the kitsune to sway in her favor with the idea of his guild hall, and that it really hadn't even been a fleshed out idea - that which he knew.

And how Genkai's giving them the land meant the three of them would have to work together in that area to come to a compromise.

The bond gave a little sigh as he took the information in; he hadn't ever really and truly considered owning land on this level until the idea of the guild hall had come up, and even then, as Shikiyoku acknowledged, he hadn't had much time to give it a lot of thought. Sure, he'd mentioned it to Akihiko, who had responded rather positively to the idea, but he hadn't really and truly sat down with Shikiyoku to talk at length about what would be within those walls, or even if where they'd talked about him placing them, was concrete.

But now Genkai had wishes for Kurama, Shikiyoku, and himself to work something out about it?

He wondered if a guild hall being there would even be something Kurama would entertain the thought of, since the impression Shikiyoku gave was that Kurama wanted to implement regulations to travelers in that area.

And that wasn't something Hiei knew anything about, or even would have the time to help with, what with his guild's work and his management of it and all.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly, the bond filling with his calm presence.

(We will… figure it out. Even if it takes time.) *

~!**!~

It took some time to get through everybody on the list and make sure all the 'i's were dotted and the 't's crossed, but eventually a second set of papers came out of the box and there was a bit of whooping and howling from the demonic section of the room, the lawyer only shaking his head, if with a bit of a smile, and motioning for Jin and Touya to come forward as their companions around them all but pushed them to their feet and towards the little tray waiting for them.

The silence only lasted long enough for them to stand up again, and they returned to where they'd been sitting only to be welcomed by friendly rough-housing and continued uproarious congratulations.

"Mr. Minamino?" He gestured for Kurama to come forward, then looked for the other two needed for this paperwork, finding them and nodding at each, "Ms. Inyoku. Jaganshi."

Shikiyoku realized she hadn't taught Hiei how to write his first title, though his name was certainly one of the first things.

(You can just write 'Hiei' after an 'X,' okay? That'll be official enough for anyone.) She shared a private smile with him as they stood, though she didn't move until Kurama crossed in front of her, speaking only loud enough then that he, and likely Hiei, could hear as they started walking.

"I can only imagine how difficult it was for you helping to make all this legal paperwork work without demons being legal citizens in the nation that's upholding them." Anyone looking would have seen such a cheerful look on Shikiyoku's face as to be slightly unnerved by it.

"That's funny, I was about to say something similar to you." Kurama had a similar expression.

"If you accept everyone that registers, I don't see the problem."

"If you accept that not everyone can register, then we agree."

They silently fumed at each other as they'd gotten too close to the desk to continue and Kurama was being handed the pen, though their crackles of energy manifested more as overwhelming politeness as two of the superpowers in the room clashed on a level none of the rest of them present could quantify except perhaps Shizuru.

The moment there was a sense of dismissal in the air, the entire party of demons presently grouped together in the room all but poured out of the dojo looking for whatever was left of the stock of alcohol that had been gathered for the event, expressly intent upon draining any contents that remained. 3

The moment he felt eyes on him and he heard his title called, Hiei uncrossed his legs and pushed himself to stand. He returned the smile she had for him in the form of warmth in the bond, though the smile didn't quite reach his lips before he turned to look at Kurama passing by.

Hiei had intended to make his way to sign the papers, if not for the charge in the air between his friend and his Queen.

He blinked, briefly taken aback by the veiled hostility for this particular subject. He recovered his neutral expression and raised a brow at the two of them, realizing this could go on if they were left to their own little power struggle.

We're at a will presentation, you fools.

He stepped between them, paused briefly to look at each of them, then plucked the pen from Kurama's hand and bent over the paperwork.

As he paused with pen over paper, he telepathically reached out to them both simultaneously:

"Enough." *

The unquantifiable 'tension' in the room immediately lifted as the two of them answered him at the same time with an eerily similar, contrite:

"Yes, Hiei."

And they finished their business without further interaction with one another. 3

As Shikiyoku instructed, Hiei only signed his name following the 'x', and then he stepped away to watch Kurama and Shikiyoku sign their own names. He half expected them to turn and at least give a look to one another, what with the tension they'd had before, but when they simply moved on and to their respective places, he let out a breath.

He genuinely hadn't expected them to listen to him when he'd intervened, but he couldn't deny that it amused him to no end that they'd responded the exact same way at the exact same moment.

He wondered if that would happen often, as he realized he would now be a part of that particular conversation from now on.

He turned his eyes to Shikiyoku as the rest of the group began to file from the room in search of alcohol. (Care for a drink?)

~!**!~

Once all of the papers had been signed and the celebration gravitated toward the door, Akari finally lifted her head to watch the others move beyond the door, celebrating with Jin and Touya.

She wondered briefly if they would notice her not following the group to the celebration area - wherever that may be - and quickly decided that the group was far too small, and that her chances of getting away unnoticed were slim to none.

So, she silently trailed after the group, her expression a careful mask that, when someone occasionally turned to look at her, sported a small, hopefully calm-looking smile. *

No one was surprised when it was Yusuke leading this party, though Chu was certainly directly behind him, and Shizuru had joined her friends after being reassured by Kurama that she wasn't needed for anything else. But it was only then that they actually had a direction, the new Grandmaster too keenly insightful and having prepared the room they held the wake in on the first night.

Meanwhile, as the others made tracks, Shikiyoku leveled a stare on Hiei meant to-like his had always done to her-make the back of his neck prickle.

(Only if it's a tall glass of you.)3

Hiei certainly felt the weight of her stare, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, though he managed to only raise a brow at her.

(I am the specialty on the menu. Unfortunately, you're at the wrong establishment to order this beverage.) He finally gave her a sly smile. (Any other requests?) *

Shikiyoku still hadn't moved, her stare immediately intensifying at his words about the wrong establishment, and a calculated gleam of golden energy crawled across her eyes until disappearing to the other sides in nothing more than a quick shimmer as her reply came slowly articulated across their bond.

(I order where I want when I want. Because I know how to make all the drinks. And anyone who doesn't like it can leave.) 3

The intensity of her stare made his energy give the slightest flux, and the tiniest little spark came to life over his head, though it disappeared just as quickly as he watched her gleaming energy move across her expression as well.

It took everything he had not to just scoop her up and run away from the compound with her. If he hadn't already decided to approach Kurama about the job on the Seventh, he would have done just that.

Instead, his expression softened just a little.

(Well, before we dive into drink mixing for the day, I do want to make a stop by Kurama and get details on the job he has for my guild.) *

Her stare immediately relented as she looked over his shoulder in mock-impatience.

(I suppose I can go have Yusuke make me something while I wait.)

She turned to follow after the others, unsure if Hiei meant to talk to Kurama now as he was finishing up with the lawyer and notary.

(But don't make me wait too long.) 3

Hiei's amusement filled the bond at her response, and his eyes followed her as she turned to go.

(We both know any amount of time is 'too long',) he replied, his own impatience filtering between them in the bond briefly before he continued, (but I will make it as short as possible.)

As soon as Shikiyoku was out of sight, Hiei turned his attention to Kurama, and the fire demon leaned against the door frame to wait patiently until he was done with whatever he was doing.

When he did appear free to talk, Hiei finally said, "If you're not on your way to something else just yet, I would like to get more details from you about that job on the Seventh you have for me and my guild." *

Shikiyoku had disappeared following after the group, even trotting a little to catch up.

(Well, I do hope you're fully restocked. The word on the street also claims I'm known to...be quitethirsty.) Their bond simmered with the implications of what she had actually meant to say, but she pulled away from it before anything else could pass over, trying to respect his desire to work.

When she made it over to the room where they'd stopped, Yusuke was definitely already in the midst of making several things, appearing to have handed out a handful and Shikiyoku wasn't entirely sure they weren't just shots, but she didn't bother to look.

"Yusuke, if you'd be so kind, I could use something strong."

He appeared to size her up, lips spreading wide, "You want I should just hand you a bottle."

An expression passed over her face that told him she was considering it before she shook her head.

"No, not yet."

He laughed, and passed her one of the concoctions within reach, as he topped it off with something she also didn't bother taking note of, only accepting it and throwing it back, turning her head to let out a breath as it stung all the way down.

"Good?" He eyed her, already grabbing three or four more to deliver while he knew he was still sober enough to do it.

"Adequate." She told him, and he lost sight of her as he turned to the rest of the room, making a point to hand a drink to both Botan and Akari this time, if they didn't already have one.

~!**!~

Finishing a bit of conversation with the lawyer and notary, Kurama glanced Hiei's direction as they gathered their things and stood when he noted the other had not left the dojo yet.

He gave Hiei a nod even as he gestured for the other two towards the main door, directing his thoughts Hiei's way.

"I need to escort these two back to the entrance, but you're welcome to tag along if you like.

"Was there something specific you meant to ask me?" 3

Hiei stepped outside and away from the doorframe as Kurama made his way toward the door, making sure to be out of the way as the kitsune escorted the lawyer and notary from the room.

He trailed behind the trio at a respectable distance, truly not wanting to interfere in Kurama's business, and only going on with his curiosity when Kurama prompted him to ask.

"The only details I've managed to get from Akihiko over the past week or so has been that we're going to the Seventh to retrieve an artifact." Hiei's eyes trailed to the side briefly as he noticed Shikiyoku's energy moving away from the compound."Where exactly on the Seventh do you need us to go, and what artifact will we be looking for?"

~!**!~

She didn't know when she'd come to stand next to Botan, but Yusuke passing a drink to the two of them made Akari blink at the blue-haired woman. Just as Botan did, Akari accepted the drink from Yusuke with a mumbled 'thank you', though the canine was much quicker to take a drink from it than Botan was.

When she lowered her glass, she cast a glance in Botan's direction to see if the other would be paying attention enough to notice Akari's stepping away to linger elsewhere. Instad, she found Botan's eyes staring down into her drink, threatening to spill a few tears.

Ah.

She reached out and patted her friend on the back, intimately aware of the turmoil behind Botan's silence.

The thought that she was not alone in these feelings, however, did not ease any of her own shame or guilt.

I've been complacent.

She threw back the last of her drink.

And I'm not sure what to do with myself anymore. *

~!**!~

"Ah."

Kurama bowed to the two, who returned the gesture, and watched them begin the long trek down the stairs until he could politely turn away, moving back in Hiei's direction and heading for the party.

"That was honestly more than I meant to let slip, but they seemed as if they needed something pleasant to think about at the time.

"Truly my intention had always been to keep as much to myself as I could until we had left the First. I can't accompany you all the way there, of course, but due to the results of some recent events, I will be able to make time to at least grant you safe passage through the Third.

"However, given your discretion, I have no issue with telling you generally how there is a mansion on the Seventh harboring an item of great interest to me, but that I'd prefer not to say more until we're off the First. None of my people would actually dare to go inside, but my sources say what I'm looking for is most certainly there." 3

Hiei waited for Kurama to catch up before he matched his friend's pace, keeping stride to the other's right as he listened to the brief but vague summary.

At the mention of a 'mansion' specifically on the Seventh Level, keen red eyes slid to watch Kurama's expression, as if he could find confirmation there that this mansion being spoken of was the same one he'd remembered Shikiyoku referencing during their talk of her being the 'first' Crusnik.

Between that specific bit of knowledge - yet to be confirmed by Kurama and would go unconfirmed until the fox was willing to divulge more information - and the fact that none of Kurama's 'people' had "dared to go inside"...

He turned his eyes forward again, ruminating over the obvious warning of danger Kurama was giving.

"Well, since you gave so little to the guild, I have no doubt that Akihiko will keep it under wraps as much as he can; He's good at picking up on cues like that."

He stopped just shy of coming into view of the party room, his hands in his pockets lazily.

"As for the rest… I'll look forward to getting more details once we've crossed to the Second." He turned his head to glance in the direction of the treeline, still able to sense Shikiyoku somewhere in the forest. "I promised I wouldn't make her wait too long, so unless there's some other important detail you want to share…" He turned to Kurama again, a ghost of a smile hinting across his features. *

"Indeed. As little can be said about it as possible, the better, I believe."

Kurama came to a stop next to Hiei, following the other's gaze off in another direction and wearing a similar distant smile.

"Not making someone like her wait would be advisable." He waved him off and turned to go himself, though he also didn't head for the party. "In fact, I would say she's waited long enough. I assumed at this point you'd be occupying yourself with her for the next several days anyway. There's no rush." 3

Hiei's lips spread into a slightly wider smile as Kurama turned to go, silently agreeing with him about Shiki having waited long enough.

So without another word, the fire demon disappeared from where he'd been standing with Kurama, making no sound as he flitted to the forest and through the trees and underbrush, sinking just a tad lower into the bond so that it would guide him to her.

And as he drew closer, he made a comment in the bond about her 'ordered drink' being on its way. *

(Good.) Shikiyoku kicked up off from the bottom of the lake to resurface and catch her breath. (It's very cold and I could use something to warm me up.) 3

If Hiei could move any faster, he would have. He even leaned forward into his run a little more, as if that would help his wind resistance on this admittedly short run. He didn't even slow down as he pulled his shirt up over his head, knowing that as much as he'd enjoyed her removing his clothing, it would save him just that much time if he at least did half of that work.

Especially since he could sense her to be at the lake that they hadn't quite made it to the night before.

He broke through the treeline and managed to slow himself down until he came to a stop at the water's edge, his shirt in his hand and his eyes down on her as she moved for the shore.

Whatever response he'd had faded in the bond, leaving him only with his stare leveling on her and the tiniest little spark coming to life nearby. *

Shiki just stared back, starting to rise out of the water when she was able to stand and making her way for him.

"So, Hiei...Do you want to put what you've learned into practice? Or would you rather have another lesson?" 3

~!**!~

Akari had snuck away from the party the very moment she knew she would go unnoticed - though definitely not before having a few more heavy-handed mixed drinks from Yusuke. She managed to get herself to her room, and that was where she stayed for the remainder of that day and well into the night, sitting with her back against one wall, her eyes staring straight forward at another, and not moving an inch for many hours. She hardly even blinked.

When the very earliest of the morning hours began to tick by, when people had all either just gone to bed after a long night of drinking or were only beginning to stir to start their day, she packed up her things and cleaned up her room.

She stuffed the book Botan had given her into her bag, along with her hair brush, phone charger, and all other little things she'd left out for easy access over the course of the wake. Then, with that duffel bag over her shoulder, she'd silently moved through the compound, gathering the trays and tins she'd used to bring cupcakes and pastries on the first night.

She didn't bother counting them, so when she made her silent exit from the temple grounds, a part of her wasn't even sure she'd rightfully grabbed everything that she'd originally brought with her.

Though she knew for sure there was one thing she'd lost during her stay here:

Her pride.

She dropped through a shadow to get herself back into her own apartment, though she stood in the entryway and looked around the space, finally seeing how barren it was of decoration, of any sort of personality that one would typically find in someone's "home".

This space had been merely functional, the only evidence of her actually spending any sort of time there being the magazines on the coffee table and the one book still sitting on the arm of the couch where she'd left it, as well as the scattered dog toys around the apartment.

She kicked her shoes off and left them by the door, her eyes finding the shadow at the bottom of the entryway door that had been allowing Nabu and Kiyoko to come and go as they pleased during her time away.

When there was no sign of her companions coming home in the two minutes she stared, she turned and padded her way through the apartment. She unloaded her duffel bag silently, dumping the dirty clothes into her hamper and putting away everything else where it belonged.

It felt like an eternity had passed just by doing those few things, but when she looked at the time on her phone, hardly even a few minutes had passed.

She set it face-down on the bedside table, then shucked off her clothes from the day before. Those didn't quite make it into the hamper that she'd thrown them at, but they'd landed close enough on the floor that she didn't bother picking them up. She bypassed them altogether to rummage through her drawer, finding her favorite tunic, soft and warm as it settled over her shoulders and down her thighs.

And then she crawled into bed.

She buried herself under the blankets and pulled her extra pillow tight against herself, curling around it before going still. For a while, she stared at the fabric of the sheet laying over her shoulder, her mind racing over all of the things she'd been 'up to' the last several months and what they amounted to in the grand scheme of her life.

She had no idea how much time passed, only that the sun had slowly risen to light the blind-covered window on one wall of the room, and then set again, casting the room into the same darkness it had been in when she'd arrived 'home'.

Likewise, she did not know when Kiyoko or Nabu entered, or if they even spoke once they saw her. She only dimly became aware of Nabu using his nose to crawl under the covers and then under her arm, laying on the pillow she had been hugging. Then, after a bit, she felt Kiyoko's head fall to rest on her side.

She blinked and turned her eyes down to Nabu first, looking up at her with quiet concern. She couldn't bring herself to smile reassuringly at him. All she could do was lower her head to kiss him on the nose, then she lifted her arm from over him to reach behind herself and pat Kiyoko's side.

She only realized she'd drifted to sleep when she opened her eyes again and found the sun was shining. She laid there in silence for a while, listening to the world go by outside of her little apartment.

And then her stomach growled.

She ignored it at first, instead turning her attention to the two dogs laying in front of her. The hand that rested on Nabu slowly began to pet him along his spine, gentle and slow as she appreciated the stiff texture of it. Then she reached out to do the same on Kiyoko's side, who had moved to rest behind Nabu and with her white head resting on Akari's pillow, almost but not quite touching the top of Akari's head.

Kiyoko twitched at the attention, then her eyes came open to watch Akari as she continued to stroke the long, soft fur. "You're awake."

"Mm-hm."

Kiyoko watched Akari for a few minutes, but said nothing more. Even when Akari's stomach grumbled a second time, then a third shortly after, the white canine did nothing more than stare.

Akari shifted her head and kissed Kiyoko's nose, then slowly, carefully so as to not wake Nabu, shlid her way from the covers and the bed. She stood there for a moment, gathering her wits about her, then released a sigh and moved for the kitchen.

She didn't put much thought into her breakfast, opting only to grab a bowl and the box of cereal in her pantry that had been there for at least a couple of weeks.

It was a bit stale, but she ate it.

She took another long look around her apartment, once again seeing its emptiness.

Staying cooped up in here won't change anything or make me feel better.

She put her empty bowl in the sink and trudged her way to the bathroom, where she turned the shower on to the hottest setting she could possibly get it.

She washed her hair and her body, then made herself up for the day. She blow-dried her hair, using a diffuser to bring out her natural curl more, and then put on the slightest bit of makeup to hide the little darkness under her eyes that had remained from her unorthodox sleep schedule.

"You're going to work?" Nabu called from the bed as she entered the bedroom and moved for the closet. "But you just got back yesterday."

Akari pulled an outfit from the closet, scrutinized it for a moment, then put it back to find something else. "Things don't stop happening just because I'm not taking part in them, Nabu." She pulled another outfit from the closet, gave it a once-over, then moved to the drawers for undergarments.

She dressed herself perhaps more casually than she normally would have, though the slacks definitely helped up-sell the half-sleeve sweater she chose. She stood in front of the mirror in the corner of the room and fluffed her hair ever so slightly, then gave a practiced smile.

It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it definitely was better than the other expression she'd been wearing.

"Are you coming with me, or staying here?" she asked, her eyes finding his in the mirror as she finished adjusting her top.

"If we come with, can we get snacks?"

"Of course."

He sprang from the bed and ran to the next room, his nails clicking on the floor. Kiyoko dropped from the bed shortly after, though she only moved when Akari did, lingering a few steps behind.

The trio made their way through the neighborhoods and toward the coffee shop in silence, and once they'd arrived, Akari gave that same practiced smile to Hideo behind the counter who greeted her.

She moved through the shop like she would any day, taking note of stock and ordering what was low if Ryouta hadn't ordered it already, and then sitting at her computer to look at payroll for those who worked under her.

As the day went on as normal, she found herself more and more often looking around the room and wondering what she'd thought to be so 'great' about this little mundane shop. That it kept her 'busy'?

Laughable. It's not even that busy.

When Hideo left in the early afternoon, she took his place behind the counter, taking orders and making drinks when a customer occasionally wandered in - some human, some demon she realized.

And it just was not enough for her anymore. There simply weren't enough customers to keep her busy, or enough things to do around the shop to keep her mind from wandering.

As the afternoon hours turned to evening, she found herself wondering what else she could be doing with her time. Her eyes followed people as they passed by on the storefront, going home from work or out to dinner.

By the time the sun had set and she'd locked the doors to the shop, she'd considered reaching out to Shizuru to ask about the kids in the temple and if there was anything she could do to help there. She even had her phone out, ruminating over calling Yusuke to see if there was anything nearby she could do that would break her of this… this cycle of letting the world pass her by.

But as she made her way back to the apartment, Nabu and Kiyoko having already headed that way hours before, she slid her phone into her pocket again, unsure of what to say to anyone she might reach out to for something else to do.

The next morning she'd gotten up before dawn and dressed for work, though with far less effort than the day before, and had arrived at the shop just before Ryouta strolled through the door.

She didn't look up when she felt his stare land on her, as intrusive as always, but she did call out, "Good morning, Ryouta."

"Indeed," came his curt reply as he moved through the room and to the back.

And they worked in silence for the morning, both of them finding their own things to do as Akari ruminated over her newfound dissatisfaction with her current endeavors. She even felt a little angry at herself for stalling so long on reaching out to someone, anyone, because her problem would be solved so much faster if she would just drop the last of her pride and admit that she didn't know what she wanted to do or where to start, and-

Her phone buzzed on the counter behind her, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts. She turned and picked it up from where it'd been laying face-down, seeing the initials 'KY' on the screen.

Her heart dropped.

She couldn't imagine what he thought of her, considering what she'd realized and come to think of herself.

She drew in a deep breath and unlocked her phone to read the message:

World needs saving, you in?

Her breath hitched in her throat and she stared at it for a long minute, a sort of relief spreading through her so fast that it was dizzying; He was offering her a chance. An opportunity.

And while some part of her was afraid that she would somehow bungle this opportunity, she welcomed his offer to let her join in and help.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard until she hit send:

When and where? *

~!**!~

In the three days since the wake, everyone had gone their separate ways.

It took longer than it should have for the slight buzzing in his head to pull him from hibernation, but eventually Kurama shifted an arm out from under his pillow in the apartments at the top of his building and pressed his fingertips to a place near his ear. With a small flux of his energy, the buzzing stopped.

"I assume it's bad."

He hadn't even lifted his head from the pillow, still laying on his stomach and only shifting his head far enough to the side that he wouldn't be speaking directly into it.

"Definitely. Sorry to wake you up." Shizuru could tell he wasn't coherent yet.

"No, it's fine." With a grunt, he started to rise, rotating until he had his feet on the floor and squeezing his eyes shut like it would help as he sat there for a moment, still disoriented and squinting at the clock.

It was midnight. He should have been up by now anyway, but there had been a lot to make up for while he was at the wake, and with everything going on, he hadn't bothered to sleep while he was there.

"What is it?" He wiped his hand down the front of his face and leaned over his knees, resting his elbows on them.

~!**!~

"...and that's where we're at."

The other side of the line was quiet for a moment before Yusuke finally replied.

"That's a bit out of the depth of anybody I've got working for me."

"I know."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

It was easy for Kurama to hear the slow grin taking over Yusuke's features and the redhead sighed.

"That I'm going to need to arrange for some more days off?"

"Yeah. Let's get the old gang back together."

Another sigh, "Who exactly are you thinking of, Yusuke."

"Well, having Shizuru there to explain to everyone at once."

"Of course."

"...Everybody's already left, haven't they?"

"Mm-hm."

"What if we went really old school?"

"What does that even mean?"

"Botan... ...Keiko because she'll kick my ass if I don't tell her what's up."

"Hiei. And the guild."

"Sure, that's great."

"Shikiyoku."

Kurama could feel the eyebrow from the other.

"You think she's got time?"

"I've already involved her Consort. She should at least be in the loop."

"Alright.

"Yukina, Akari-"

"What?"

"You got a problem?"

"First Botan and now Akari?"

"... ...you saw their faces at the wake."

"Which is all the more reason why they shouldn't be there."

"Come on, Kurama. What's gotten into you?"

"They're going to get hurt."

"No-"

"Or get someone else hurt."

"Kurama-"

"I just don't think it's wise."

"Humor me?"

Kurama's side of the line was silent for almost long enough for Yusuke to say something again, but the other finally replied.

"Fine."

"Excellent!" Yusuke's excitement had returned, "Can you take care of getting a hold of everyone? I need to wrap up a few things around here."

"Of course." 3

~!**!~

Hiei and Shikiyoku remained at the lake for the remainder of the day of the will reading and well into the next day, staying close enough to the water that the damage to the area seemed far more minimal than their previous rendezvous location. About the time Hiei considered that it would be fun if that weren't the case, he'd become aware of little feet running in their direction.

The pair had delved deeper into the forest, but as the day wore on, it became a more frequent problem that Shikiyoku was being searched after, and Hiei made a plan:

Get their things from the temple, then go back to the bar and their shared apartment above it.

The plan itself was simple enough, but the execution of it took several attempts as one or the other of them would make a comment, give a look, and then they would be distracted from their agenda until the next set of children tracked them down and reminded them why they'd been on their way to the temple.

Hell, they'd even gotten into the room and picked up the bag, then took one look at the other and absolutely got lost again, though Hiei did manage to block the door as he had the last time they'd truly utilized the room.

They didn't truly make it to the apartment above the bar until the late hours of the first night after the wake. It had been so late, in fact, that when they'd reached the bar, not even Akihiko was at the usual table, and they'd managed to slip up the stairs unnoticed or unbothered.

Time truly slipped away from Hiei once they were in his fireproof room. He didn't know if it was day or night, weekday or weekend, and he didn't care to know. The only job he'd put on the roster was not an 'urgent' one that required him to keep track of the days.

So it genuinely startled him when, just as he leaned down to Shikiyoku to kiss her in the midst of one particularly enjoyable lesson, Kurama's voice intruded upon his mental space with something about the guild and a meeting and-

The flash burn he'd left on her thigh this time was not born out of pleasure, to say the least.

He murmured an apology to Shikiyoku as he pulled away, sitting up on his knees on the bed and closing his eyes so that he could compose himself and actually hear what Kurama had to say.

Because he knew Kurama would not have reached out if it wasn't important, especially not with information about a meeting place.

A frown settled over his features and, when he finally opened his eyes again, he let out a little sigh. "Apparently," he began aloud, not brave enough to let himself in the bond just yet, "the job Kurama had for my guild has become urgent, and more people are getting involved." His lips fell into a disappointed frown and he made himself slide off of the bed and head for his drawers of clothes. "We're being asked to jump in on this - Me, the Guild, and You - and get to a meeting. ...Soon."

He just hoped this 'saving the world' thing didn't become an even more frequent issue. *

To Shiki's delight, exploring every inch of her Consort's body was an activity she could in fact quantify just how much he relished in even without his desires washing over her and guiding her like they might have with anyone else.

And it was a simple matter to-when he did flare up for her-ask as if she didn't know, the responses she received varying as much as the tone she asked in: from the strange static in their bond that she now understood correlated with the occasional scents of charcoal coming off of him to whatever verbal confirmation he could manage in the moment.

Meanwhile amidst his own fluctuations between bashful mess and bold confidence, while Shiki never quite found herself out of her depth, there were certainly times when his 'exceptionally quick study' backfired in the most pleasant way for her and it was during one such 'lesson' when he'd been the one with the coherence enough to catch wind of the children from the dojo growing closer.

The interruption was short-lived when he made quick work of grabbing the pile of their clothing in one arm and her in the other and moved deeper into the woods where perhaps the danger would keep them away.

It didn't, and while it was fun to find out that sometimes he really liked it when she enjoyed something, over time the amount of conflagration Hiei did to an area lessened as they continued being forced to retreat or be caught in the middle of the lesson.

The sort of frustration Shiki felt bled over into the bond until both of them could hardly stand it and only then did Hiei finally come to the conclusion that they had their own nook secreted away back in the city and they would have better luck there.

That's when the burned out spots in the woods started following a pattern back the other direction, but the demonic children had yet to be dissuaded and Shiki finally put her foot down, made them both dress, and all but dragged him back to their room near the temple.

(I can't stand being interrupted.) And considering how truly that rang in the bond, it was surprising she'd let it go on as long as it did.

She had every intention of following through with Hiei's idea of going to his bedroom at the bar, but also didn't argue when they seemed to mutually ignite again, Hiei quickly barring the door behind them before they got too distracted and forgot.

Granted, it didn't help that the kids were aware they were inside and when she realized everyone else was avoiding that side of the temple grounds, with a grin during the next lull, Shiki suggested they attempt to make their way down the mountain. Without Kurama's portal, they were going to have to get back to the bar on their own.

The return started off fine, both of them equally keen to the promise of privacy their apartment held, but truthfully Hiei surprised Shiki when after deciding to carry her at some point down the mountain, he began kissing at her again and they got distracted for at least two incinerated trees worth of time.

They managed while dressing after that to continue being affectionate, but Shiki did her best to keep them on track, knowing that once they reached civilization again, their best option was to keep going until they got to the bar.

It had been there Shiki introduced Hiei to the concept of showering together, determined they would wash the woods off of them before retiring to his bed and the idea was sound, but in the execution she hadn't accounted for the scorch marks that burnt the walls or his hand melting an inch or so into it from where he'd propped himself with it when he'd decided his easiest means of satisfying their wants including lifting her up in an arm and pinning her to said wall.

They did manage to make their way to his room, only dripping partway down the hall when he thought along the way to gently steam it off of them as they traveled with lips typically locked together.

Already having lost all sense of time ever since the first lesson she'd taught him, there was nothing left to hold them back once they'd fallen into his bed together, her knowing the sort of pace they could set at present since she had found her own current limit on consecutively intense activity the morning before.

When this interruption came and Hiei pulled away from her all at once, she only huffed a breath of frustration at him instead of saying anything-since he did apologize-only vaguely aware as her feet came to rest on the bed that her left thigh throbbed.

She only half-heard his words, fully noting him leaving her by herself on the bed and actually making an incoherent noise of protest while going to sit up when he did. What had been a tightly strung bundle of sweet bliss was now draining away until her face had a frown of dissatisfaction, unhappy he had made it far enough away from her that she couldn't reach out to him in time to stop him.

"Someone else can save the world," she finally said, having gathered that much.

While she couldn't specifically quantify why these past few nights had been so important for her, she did realize somewhere that having him this close for this long had helped heal the part of her that had been so afraid of losing him to the infection: the affection, the love, the love-making. In fact, it had been crucial on some deeper level, where just their proximity over the past few weeks had only barely begun to settle her soul on the matter.

"I need you." 3

Hiei definitely did not miss the dissatisfaction or the frustration from Shikiyoku, as her emotions easily mirrored his own about the matter. As he pulled out a top and a pair of pants, his energy fluctuated briefly as his temper flared.

Damn world and its damn problems. Damn fox.

He shut the drawer and turned to look at Shiki just as the words 'I need you' fell from her lips, and for a moment he couldn't decide if her reaction made him all the more angry at the interruption or calmer for not being the only one upset.

He tossed the outfit to the end of the bed carelessly, not noticing that one of the two articles slid to the floor, and moved to the edge of the bed. Once his legs bumped against the sides, he planted a knee on the mattress and leaned over the edge and toward Shiki, both of his hands coming up to rest on either of her cheeks.

"If I thought for a second that we could keep Kurama from entering that door, I would do whatever it took to do so," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her, his own heated emotions taking the back burner for the moment so that he could soothe her.

When he broke the kiss again, he only pulled far enough away to meet her gaze evenly. *

Shiki reached out to him when he got closer to her, palms to his chest at first and then sliding them down and around to his ribs as he kissed her, hands smoothing back and forth over his skin.

When he pulled away, Shiki's gaze had softened considerably and after a pause, she gave him another short kiss.

That's when she heard him.

"Kurama?" Blink. Small frown returning as she realized she hadn't heard what Hiei said a moment ago.

"What did you say before?" 3

The fire demon lowered himself to sit on the mattress in front of Shikiyoku, one leg hanging over its edge and the other bent at the knee to cross in front of him. He watched her mental gears switch, and his lips twitched into a rueful smile.

"I hadn't mentioned it to you yet because it hadn't been urgent. I also hadn't planned to go soon." His hands slid away from her cheeks - his fingers gently caressing her skin until the very moment he reached her jawline and pulled away - then took her hands in his own. "Kurama had mentioned a job he had for us to the guild the day I woke up from the Infection. Akihito relayed what little information had been given, but since I've been recovering, I hadn't asked Kurama about it.

"The last day of the wake - after the will reading - I made sure to ask Kurama for more details about this job on the Seventh Level; I wanted to make sure he knew that I knew of it. He didn't give me many details. Said he didn't want to until we were on our way down, and that it was not urgent to fetch this artifact he has his eye on."

He lifted one of her hands to his lips, using his own fingers to spread her hand open so he could lightly kiss her palm.

"Apparently it is now "world-endingly urgent", as he's calling for not just my guild, but for your presence too. And I have the impression we won't be the only ones going." He kissed her palm again. *

Shiki sat there for a moment when Hiei had her hands in his, but as he started explaining, it wasn't quite enough and she let go of his hands just long enough to shift forward and crawl behind him, settling back down and extending her legs to either side of him before leaning into his back and resting her cheek against his skin, arms wrapped around his body so he could take possession of her hands again and letting out a contented sigh.

There was nothing particularly charged about the affection and closeness, either, even as she moved to plant a gentle kiss or two against him, just another quiet moment together like other similar ones they'd had over the last couple of days where once they'd felt 'too far away' and now finally found a relaxing, contented closeness in each other's presence.

She made a thoughtful noise once he'd finished, and after a beat or two of silence pulled back from him like she could look over his shoulder.

"Wait...Kurama talks to you?" She knew it had to be a Jagan thing. "Has he always done that?" 3

Hiei hummed thoughtfully, his lips still resting against the palm of her left hand. He considered her question, trying to remember how long it had been since he'd figured out how to keep his mental walls up for most telepathy, except for a select few people who could reach him almost any time if they needed to.

"He has been able to for a while," he answered after a moment. "Yusuke too, though he doesn't always get my attention as quickly as Kurama does." He tended to attribute that to Kurama's stronger 'intent' to get Hiei's attention without remorse, unlike Yusuke who tended to seem to prefer not to reach out unless absolutely needed, and almost always seemed to feel some sort of hesitation about doing so.

Maybe it was because he didn't want to pull Hiei from Shikiyoku or his helping her in the bar.

"When you had a reaction to Kurama's mark, he knew instantly. Reached out from halfway across Japan; it doesn't take much since he's one of the few I tend to allow past my mental walls that almost anyone else would have to…" his eyes glanced at her hand as he searched for the right wording, "break through, I suppose." *

"Knock, I think?" Shiki said thoughtfully, recalling the phrase from long ago when she interacted more with telepaths.

Sitting up a bit more after a few more kisses, she rested her chin on his shoulder and leaned her face against his neck.

She hadn't realized Kurama knew when she collapsed. That was interesting. But also-

"Halfway across the country?" She murmured, turning her head briefly to press her lips to his neck. "That's quite impressive of you. I don't know any other demon half so strong as that." 3

Hiei turned his head ever so slightly in her direction, lowering her hand to rest in his lap. "I'm not sure about my telepathy, but I do know the Jagan can see a large distance. It's made jobs on the lower Levels easier, being able to scan a certain distance if I'm looking for someone or something."

He nudged the top of her head with his chin gently.

"And as much as I enjoy sitting with you like this, we should get going before Kurama runs out of patience." His lips stretched into an amused smile, and despite his words, he didn't move to leave her. *

Shiki huffed out a small breath, lifting her arms to wrap one around his waist and slide the other up until her palm lay over the center of her mark on him.

"I was going to ask you when this war council was meeting, but I suppose that's answer enough."

In the next moment, the demon behind him had returned to her true form and she squeezed her arms around him as she bent and kissed his cheek.

"I need to run by the house and I guess you need to gather the others. Did you want to meet back up and all go together?" 3

As Shikiyoku shuffled around him, he let go of her hands so she could move them as she liked, and he settled with his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of her one hand coming to rest over his core. When she kissed his cheek, he leaned into it briefly as he felt the slightest bit of her hair feathering against that arm, and he opened his eyes again, seemingly unsurprised by her change in form.

Just as the last time she had been in that form, he noticed the bond seemed more open, feeding him more of her presence and feelings as if it could actually register more of those things than before, and he gave a slow blink at her.

Then he saw her outfit, felt the tear in the material as she hugged against him as well as the oddness of it where her blood had dried after her spar with Uryo in the meadow some days or weeks ago.

He shifted and pushed himself away from the bed then turned to face her, looking her over.

"I will see if the guild is here, and gather those who aren't. We can meet back here, but you may consider changing." He reached a hand out to poke his finger against her exposed skin, then lightly tugged at one of the blood stained holes in her outfit. "This may not be comfortable for a longer trip," he added. *

This time when he pulled away from her, it was much easier, and though outwardly she gave the barest sigh and her longing for him only meandered somewhere at the back of their bond, that was the only bit of her emotions aimed at him specifically.

Inwardly, there was a spark of indignance and irritation at Kurama, who knew she couldn't stand being interrupted. Whereas earlier, the children on the temple grounds were a source of amusement and their chase leveled more on the side of fun, in this regard, Kurama knew better. And therefore would know that her only course of action would be to 'get even' with him.

She would come when he called. But he knew it would be so she could better exact her revenge.

They'd been dancing this dance for a very long time. Since their Champion days.

Shiki smiled when Hiei poked at her, a mild little inconsequential thing that only hinted at a danger stirring in the bond. Where another time she might have stuck her face in his and grinned wickedly, here she chose to only raise an eyebrow and speak from this distance away.

"Be careful where you go poking around, my little fire. Or even Kurama the Youko will find himself in over his head." She kept any direct references away from their bond, for the moment content with not stirring up trouble.

"As for changing," her head tilted to the side a little, "that is my reason for needing to stop by the house. I don't have a single article of clothing here suited to this form; it's all packed away in trunks in the storage room. And if Silver Tail wants me at a meeting to prepare for a war, then it is me he's going to get. It isn't my fault if he's forgotten what he's asking for." She stuck her nose up in the air a little, the bond simmering with their 'old days' where Kurama rarely called on her unless he had no other choice, and always regretted it. 3

The bond fluctuated briefly with Hiei's reaction, alternating between a sort of self consciousness and then contrasted by his sudden enjoyment of the 'threat'.

And if the bond didn't tell her of it, the slight color to his cheeks as he narrowed his eyes at her certainly would have, the unspoken "you stop that" hanging in the air between them.

As soon as she continued on, his hand fell away and he turned to grab the pants from the edge of the bed and, once those were secured in place around his hips, he had to take a moment to search for the shirt that had fallen to the floor before he could fully dress.

His lips twitched up into a smirk at Shikiyoku's clear intent to make Kurama regret calling for her too, quietly enjoying that he would get to see such a reaction from her. He'd not had that opportunity yet.

He turned back to face her now, "then, meet back up here?" *

She gave a short nod and said almost off-hand:

"If that is what you desire," before scooting to sit at the edge of the bed and reaching out to him, "Kiss me?" 3

"Of course."

Hiei missed no time in closing the distance between them to stand in front of her and, with his left hand on her cheek, guided her closer to give the kiss she had asked for.

(Ask and you shall receive.) *

There was a slight tension in the bond at his commentary and she pulled away before she really meant to, turning her face to the side so she wouldn't just give in anyway and close the distance again.

Up to this point, there hadn't particularly been any energy hanging in the air around her, though he'd summoned some at his touch to her cheek and across her lips with his kiss.

A brief curl of it wafted faintly from her hair as she struggled to control herself.

"I think...I'll be going now." She stood more abruptly than she meant to, "Before you say something that gets us both in trouble."

After a step beyond him that took a more concerted effort, she reached for the door and started moving for the bar. 3

Hiei stood up straight as Shikiyoku stood, and he took a couple of steps back to allow her the space to move as she wished, sensing as well as seeing the tension that he'd caused.

Despite his own thoughts on the matter, his lips tilted up in a smile and his eyes shone with amusement as she took her leave.

He didn't stop her. She was right, after all. The longer they lingered, the more likely they were to get distracted from their reason for his being dressed and her being in her demon form in the first place.

So he tore his eyes away from her as she left, knowing his stare would not help their situation, and decided it best to linger in the room a bit longer.

~!**!~

Ikigai leaned back in his chair until only two legs were on the floor, one hand on the edge of the table as he balanced himself and the other wrapped around a glass of ice water. "I understand that you're restless, Raion, but all of that," he uncurled a finger around his glass and waved it up and down at the mopey lion, "won't help Mom come back faster."

Raion grumbled something into the table, not quite tangible enough to be heard since he'd rested his forehead on the wood.

Aki raised a brow at the two and sipped at his own water, knowing full well that the only thing that would solve Raion's sour mood would be the return of Shikiyoku and Hiei, who hadn't particularly announced how long they would be gone.

"Mommy would be sad if she saw you moping like that," Chisai added, a frown of concern on his face. "If you need a distraction, I'd be happy to run with you. I may not be Raiton or Tsun, but I can keep up with your lion form if you need to expel that energy."

Raion turned his head to rest his cheek on the table. "I thought you had something to do this morning?"

"They cancelled last minute. Something about a family emergency."

"If you don't want to run, we can spar." Gai offered, a grin slowly forming on his face. "I have a new metal I've been wanting to throw around."

Raion sat up, seeming more interested in the thought of a spar than anything that had been offered in days prior, "We haven't sparred in forever, Kid. I'll kick your ass."

Akihiko shook his head, "I'll bet a round of drinks that you can't."

Raion's eyes snapped to Aki, sparkling with the challenge, "Two rounds."

"Deal."

Raion jumped from his seat and smacked Gai on the arm. "Let's go, kiddo. I got a couple of free drinks to secure."

Ikigai stood from his chair and pushed it back under the table, a similar gleam of excitement on his features, though he shared a knowing look with Akihiko. "If you win this spar, I'll buy another round."

"You're on, metal head."

As the two turned in place toward the door, Gai was the first to stop and blink at the demon crossing the room, his reaction quickly drawing the attention of the others - he hardly ever stopped to stare at anyone in the bar, especially with any sort of interest or prolonged time - and silence fell around the group as they all spied Shikiyoku.

They watched, speechless, as they realize she'd not only snuck in at some point, but that she was in her demon form, and after a half-second, Raion's nostrils flared and his eyes flickered to the door by the bar, and then to Akihiko, who similarly seemed to do a double take. *

Nothing floating around her energy-wise except her usual scent-though for any with the animalist's sensitivity in the room even that smelled more of Hiei than her for now-Shiki didn't really see the guild at first, eyes focused on the door opposite her and not even bothering to say any words to her staff.

She did feel their eyes on her after a moment though, and her pace slowed as she gave them a smile and turned her steps in their direction, walking right up to Raion and reaching up to push back the hair at his forehead as she bent down to kiss him there.

"How are you my little lion?" She asked as she stood back up and shifted her fingers down his cheek to his chin, holding it and moving his face this way and that with an assessing gaze, "Moping again?" She made a couple of 'tsking' noises and shook her head a little. "Such behavior is unsuiting for a magnificent beast like yourself." 3

Akihiko's lips twitched ever so slightly when he noticed Shikiyoku's pause, glad to see her around even if she was on her way out. A sort of relief filtered through him, knowing that Raion's mood would drastically improve with even the tiniest interaction with the designated matriarch of the group.

And as if on cue, the second Shikiyoku's hand even so much as twitched in Raion's direction, the lion immediately relaxed, the tension at his shoulders gone instantly even before her lips met his skin.

"I was not-"

Ikigai nudged the lion from where he'd come to stand just behind Raion. "He totally was moping."

"It's good to see you Mommy," Chisai greeted from where he still sat at the table. "Business to attend to today?"

And as if on his own cue, Hiei emerged from the door on the other end of the bar, looking much healthier than the last time any one of the guild members had seen him, and wasted no time in approaching the table.

"Hey, boss. Good to see you looking so healthy again. You feeling better?" Gai asked, leaving Raion to his enjoyment of Shikiyoku's attentions, murmuring something to the woman about 'finally coming to their senses' with a sly grin.

"Much, Gai." He turned to Akihiko, "have you heard from Tarou, Raiton, and Tsundora this morning?"

Aki shook his head, already pulling out his phone. "Who should I call first?"

"Whoever is the easiest to get through to of the brothers."

"Oh, are we having a meeting?" Gai bounced briefly in place.

"Is it about that job?" Chisai followed up. "You know, on the Seventh?" He turned his eyes to Shikiyoku.

Raion, having missed none of the conversation, raised a brow up at Shikiyoku, "Is that the business you're so dressed up for, mother?" *

Shiki had continued toying with Raion's hair, putting the pieces back in place and raising her eyebrows as if she hadn't the faintest idea what Raion's comment meant.

She looked down at herself when he mentioned her attire, eyeing the blood and hole Hiei had played with earlier, "It is the business I intend to be dressed up for. This is not the outfit I would wear to any meeting called by Kurama the Youko. Especially not one that was invoked so abruptly upon my person."

"Speaking of which, allow me to excuse myself." Reaching over to cup a hand to Gai's cheek affectionately for a moment and giving him another smile where he stood nearby, Shiki winked at Akihiko as she began to step away and blew a kiss in Chisai's direction. 3

As the others get their moment with Shikiyoku, Hiei watched with the most neutral expression he'd had in days, simply enjoying the thought that she would be working with them on this particular job, and that the guild would be thrilled to have her around.

"-already on your way?" Aki said into his phone, his eyes glancing to Shikiyoku just as she winked at him. He gave a nod of acknowledgment and a hint of a smile, but otherwise let the phone keep him occupied even as the door to the bar swung open and the wolf brothers made their entrance, both on phones.

"More like already here," Raiton called across the establishment with a grin, the phone held in the direction of the others already gathered. He and Tsun both smiled at Shikiyoku as she passed, but noted that she seemed headed out and respectfully stepped out of her way.

Tsun lowered his own phone and shook his head, "No answer from Tarou."

Hiei turned to Aki in time to see his Second in Command put the phone to his ear again. "You remember where he lives, right?"

Akihiko nodded. "He's not that hard to track down, since-" He held up a finger as the ringing abruptly stopped, "Tarou, Hiei's back, and we're gathering to-" He paused, a frown slowly pulling his lips down as Tarou's gruff voice mumbled into the phone at a volume Hiei didn't quite catch. Then, giving up just as quickly as he'd called, Akihiko shrugged and passed the phone to Hiei. "Might wanna give him a wake-up call."

When Hiei took the phone and put it to his ear, Tarou was mid-rant, "-day I wanna shleep in and you fucks keep-"

"Tarou."

The other immediately silenced.

"You can either sleep in this morning or miss out on the job for Kurama. Make your choice, we're leaving soon with or without you."

Tarou sounded more coherent this time, "Yes, Boss. See you in a minute, Boss."

Satisfied, Hiei passed the phone back to Aki as the others moved to take their places around the usual table. "When Tarou and Shikiyoku get back, we'll be meeting Kurama and a few others to get the full details. Gai, if you need to run home to get more metal, go. It will be a long trip, and we want to be prepared."

"Yes boss, I'll be back!" And he dashed from the bar.

"Plan to borrow a sword from Tarou, Hiei?" Raion asked.

"If he has one better than the ornamental one I have at my current disposal, then yes." *

After giving the two wolves a smile, Shiki made her way across town to Toriko's home, making little ceremony of getting inside and back to the door in the wall across from the entrance.

She couldn't actually remember the last time she'd had any clothes on in this form before putting the Nitenwa uniform on at the meadow, and that meant any actual outfit was probably still locked away in one of the trunks that had been transferred to her person from old haunts.

It took a bit to find the one she wanted, having to do some digging, but she was not disappointed and placed the uniform atop one of the chests for dealing with later as she changed and then made her way back to the bar as Hiei requested. 3

By the time Tarou threw open the front door of the bar, Hiei had placed three glasses of ice cold water at his usual place at the table, and the weapon's master wasted no time in dropping into his usual chair and throwing back the first drink in one go.

Hiei, seated in a chair he'd pulled up on Akihiko's left, watched the hungover demon reach for the second glass with silent relief - he had half thought Tarou wouldn't be sober enough to join them on this trip to the Seventh on such short notice.

But as Tarou finished the second glass and lowered it to the table, he seemed more awake and aware of his surroundings, finally looking up to meet Hiei's stare. "So, Boss, we just waitin' on Gai?"

Hiei nodded. "When Gai and Shiki get back, we will be meeting with Kurama and a few others."

"Others?"

Hiei nodded and Tarou, picking up on the hint that this was more serious than they had originally perceived the job to be, threw back the third glass of water and quickly stood to get a refill from the bar.

Akihiko let out a breath and glanced at Hiei from the corner of his eye, "He'd never have let us live it down if he'd had to stay behind on this one."

Raion nodded next to Chisai, "He would have moped for weeks."

"Like a certain someone we know," Chisai added with a look in Raion's direction.

Ikigai dropped into a chair between Hiei and Chisai, his various metal adornments announcing his presence even before the scraping of the chair had, "I don't know about you guys but I am super excited to finally get to see what we're going for. Airi has gotten so sick of hearing me talk about this trip-"

"Maybe you'll get a good reward from Kurama to show off to her," Raion chimed with a grin. "It's hard for a human to know how big of a deal this job is, or how great it is coming from who is hiring us." *

Too distracted from the scents they were picking up not only from the demon who had met them at the door, but also from the guild leader sitting nearby, Raiton and Tsun let the others continue the conversation around them, talking in hushed tones with one another and neither one of them able to hide their conspiratory grins particularly well, though they were trying.

It didn't help that Raion also sensed the energy of their discussion and shot them a toothy smile of his own, though on some level he was aware just like them that there would be better moments to bring up the bet that everyone appeared to have lost in some way or another. Or tease the fire demon about it all.

Like on the way to the Seventh. Where he wouldn't have any distractions like the pending meeting or otherwise reasons to excuse himself.

They all assumed Shikiyoku was getting closer when Hiei stood and moved for the door and the rest of the guild followed after, having the pleasure as they got onto the street of watching the tall, dark, and white-haired woman stepping smartly down the sidewalk towards them.

"Ho-ly shit," Tarou managed, somewhere recognizing the demeanor as a mix of the confident, intelligent, but human-looking woman when helping set up Akari's cafe and some new aspect to her attitude he couldn't rightly say he could place, eyes unable to stay glued on any one part of her.

"Now that's hot." Raion tilted his head Tarou's direction, but similarly didn't take his gaze from her, trying to quantify for himself all the changes he couldn't exactly grasp, not just this sultry and sleek appearance he felt fit her better than any other way she presented herself previously. While he wouldn't mind seeing her without the clothes again, something about her having them on in the first place captured his attention even more than whatever of her skin he'd managed to spy on any other occasion. And it only partially had to do with the amount of pleasure he would get in taking them off of her.

She stopped in front of them and seemed to take them all in like she wanted to make sure they were all there.

Slipping between the paused bodies and stepping beyond Hiei at the front of them, Tsundora was the first to react with anything other than a stare, closing the last bit of distance with Shikiyoku and making a gesture up and down to include her in entirety.

"This is almost perfect, mother, but this-" He leaned in and pressed a finger into the right side of her exposed chest in the midst of the tails of the fox-marking which appeared out from under her collar to wind together in all but full visibility in the dark ink-looking tattoo.

Tsun's grin was wolfish, but his eyes had narrowed at her and he practically stuck his face in hers, "Ruins the look."

In the next moment, his hand found her elbow and slid down her arm to raise it in his direction and he bowed over her hand to kiss it with Shikiyoku looking on with the air of someone used to such interactions.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better-" She started as Tsun stood back up, her eyes gleaming as it was her turn to lean forward and say into the wolf's ear, over his shoulder and at a volume the entire guild could hear her articulate, "When Yo-chan gave me this marking, he forgot what I looked like."

It was certainly true that, while the tattoo was visible, the darkness to the ink made it less visible on her darker skin, whereas it stood out something fierce on the pale complexion of her human form.

Turning to lead the way, Shikiyoku lifted her arm to make something of a lazy motion with her hand over her shoulder and golden energy spiraled out of it to settle over the group as they began the walk through the city.

Her energy was otherwise noticeably absent from the area for anyone typically able to see or sense it, even more so to Hiei who had been a witness to it floating more closely to her several days ago while walking with Kurama in this same form and had likewise before that seen it in the meadow seeping out into the others surrounding them. By right of his position as both her Consort and a Jaganshi, it was simple enough of a task to assess that Kurama's methods and conjectures were correct ones and there could be no other explanation for the change: due to certain activities, her energy was not leaking off of her into the surrounding air like usual, and though she still seemed incapable of completely hiding the stuff herself-possibly on some level directly unaware of how little control she had over it-for now it was settled about her immediate person in something more akin to a breathing, golden aura.

"Woow," the word didn't quite turn into a howl, but Raitoningu had tilted his head to the side as he watched Shikiyoku as Tsun fell in step beside her, "I just thought I liked the front view."

Akihiko just let out an audible sigh as his gaze flickered in Hiei's direction trying to gauge the fire demon's reaction to all of this.

"Alright, but we already knew you were an ass-man." Raion also hadn't looked away.

"Like you would ever turn down some tail."

"I never said I would."

"Why are you like this?" Chisai complained.

"Just give it a few years kid, you'll understand." Raiton waved a hand dismissively at the younger demon.

"Gai isn't ogling Mom!" Chisai made a gesture over to his guildmate who looked a little bashful, but didn't argue.

"That's because unlike some of you, Gai understands that just because you find something attractive doesn't mean you have to be attracted to it." Shikiyoku told them from over her shoulder.

"Momma, what's this glittery stuff?" The demon in question lifted his hand to try and pass his fingers through the golden energy of the spell he could see swirling around their number.

"People who are accustomed to being noticed oftentimes pick up on how exactly one remains unseen."

Appreciating the shift in conversation, and trying to ignore how Raion next to him was continuing to openly eye Shikiyoku, Chisai turned his attention to those around them on the busy street, who seemed unaware of how they skirted their larger, rather motley crew.

Anyone who glanced their way seemed to either pass their gazes over the troupe or look straight through them without focusing on them directly.

"Neat." Gai said as he similarly caught how they were being ignored.

"It is easiest with humans-" Shikiyoku allowed, perhaps downplaying the skill, "-who so often do not wish to see." 3

As the group began to move away from the bar and toward their destination, Hiei let himself fall behind Shikiyoku to walk in the midst of the guild, his gaze lingering on Shikiyoku only long enough to appreciate her and her presence before it slid away to watch the others, fully aware of the danger to their concentration his staring at her for too long posed.

He fell in step beside Akihiko silently, simply enjoying how much of Shikiyoku he could sense in the bond and how she seemed to be so much 'more' of herself in her interactions with those around her.

This was what he'd wanted, he realized. His entire life, he'd chased this moment right here, wanting nothing more than to feel the comfortable feeling of being…

The bond hummed briefly as he considered himself in relation to those around him.

Home.

Yeah, that was it.

Among these people, in this moment, he felt like he belonged, as if nowhere else in the world would ever be able to match the energy of those around him who not only wanted him around, but searched for him by way of glancing in his direction every once in a while as if to check that he was still there, or to see how he reacted to this or that being done or said amongst the group.

And as his eyes briefly traveled toward Shikiyoku again, the bond simmered with his gentle appreciation of her and all of the things - and all of the people - he'd gained in this world since having met her. In this moment, he was very certain that had he not met her, he would not exist as he did now.

That's the soul I want to exchange mine with.

After a few beats, his eyes skipped away from her again to watch the grin that Raion flirtatiously threw at Shikiyoku after some comment or another that the fire demon didn't actually hear, then passed on to see the look that the wolf brothers shared in response to such comment before sliding over to Akihiko.

The look on his Second's face was one that did not surprise Hiei, as the other seemed to exude a sort of recognition, a sort of understanding, as if he were the telepath taking a peek inside Hiei's thoughts and feelings in that moment.

The fire demon briefly met Aki's calm stare, quietly acknowledging the other's observation with the smallest, barest hint of a smile that, despite the brief flicker of something darker in his eyes, the other returned before breaking the stare.

Hiei turned his eyes forward again, this time focused on the hanging aura around Shikiyoku and its tame existence around her frame, only reaching out by way of tendril when she directed it to keep them hidden from the passing humans.

A calm satisfaction whispered at him briefly, glad to know that if she so chose, she would be able to be in that form whenever she wished now that he'd finally fallen not only into the same book she'd been in all along, but perhaps on the same page. *

The guild had begun pestering Shikiyoku for more information as to this 'quest' Kurama meant to send them on.

"I told you: I haven't the faintest idea what would possess him to so intensely desire something somewhere else. He'll tell you when he's good and ready to tell you and not one moment before."

"You really don't know anything?" Tarou frowned, hardly able to believe it.

"I really don't care. It's none of my business." She blinked.

Well, except it is since I lost the bet and now I have to babysit for him.

"I wonder if we'll have to fight everybody at The Last Stand." This time it was Chisai frowning, as the idea of it troubled him. Everyone there was really strong.

"What makes you say that?" Raion wanted to know.

"Well, the only thing on the Seventh is that bar, right?"

Tsundora noted the way Shikiyoku's attention suddenly shifted to the conversation behind her, but said nothing.

"At least, I haven't been anywhere else but there." Chisai continued.

Raion appeared thoughtful, "No, you're right. I certainly don't know of anything else even worth visiting the level for. "

Raiton by this time had grown tired of the incessant guessing the guild had been doing ever since he and Tsun had been back and piped up from where he was bringing up the rear of the group, "Hey, boss, you know anything we don't?" 3

If Hiei hadn't been at least half listening to the conversation happening around him, he might have missed the context of the question tossed in his direction. It did take a second to process, however, and he turned a raised brow over his shoulder at Raitoningu as if mulling over his response.

"Truthfully, you know about as much as I do about this one, Raiton," he admitted after a beat, aware all at once of the confused expression Akihiko turned at the guild leader, and the more bewildered look Tarou whipped his head around to give Hiei; he'd never not had details before a job for them before this one. "I do have my suspicions about the destination, but that's all."

Ikigai did a little jog-in-place motion as a grin widened across his features to show his teeth, "Oh man, I can't wait! The Boss trusts this one person enough to not demand details ahead of time, and it comes with a reward from the most famous thief in all of-"

"Well, now I'm nervous," Tarou grumbled as he turned forward again, his right hand coming up to rub at his left shoulder. "I don't like not knowing things."

Akihiko took an extra step forward in the group to walk next to Tarou, "Just remember we're all going. It'll be fine, Tarou."

The weapon's master nodded, but said nothing more of his unease and instead turned to Shikiyoku. "You comin' with us, Shikiyoku?"

Chisai leaned into Hiei with a slight frown, eyes flickering from Tarou's back to Hiei's face. "I've never seen him this nervous, Boss. You think it will be that bad?" The younger demon turned to stare at Tarou some more. "He never addresses her by her name anymore."

Hiei cleared his throat, "Let me reassure you: we are not going in blind. While I do not have the details for you now, Kurama has already stated he plans to run with us at least to the Second, if not further, after this meeting he's called."

Tarou made a face at Hiei as if to argue, but Akihiko cut in, "the only thing different about this job and all the others we've ever done is the person asking it of us."

Hiei nodded. "I would not send you into a job you had no chance of surviving. If I didn't think whatever request from the fox was achievable, I'd have declined regardless of the gains from its completion."

Tarou sighed and turned to Shikiyoku, less tension in his shoulders but still wanting her answer. *

Akihiko somehow found himself leading the group, blinking in surprise despite the fact that he knew exactly where they were going.

Shikiyoku meanwhile had slipped back to the other side of Tarou, slowing their steps a bit so Akihiko pulled into the lead and when Aki caught sight of her back there, he shook his head to himself and kept moving for the office building he'd been to twice now.

When Tarou turned to Shikiyoku, he found her next to him with a mischievous smile and she gently bumped her shoulder into his as she looked at him.

"If I left the first with you, big guy, the entire level would fall to shambles around everyone's ears and then you'd have nowhere to come home to!" She turned away to watch their path and pouted a little, "Not to mention the fact that I'm not allowed to go with you on this little venture. I lost a bet, fair and square, so that pleasure goes to Kurama, who will see you to the entrance of the Fourth and not a single step farther."

She gave him a wink before she went on, "I will, however, leave you in the quite capable hands of my Consort Gouka, who will do everything in his power to ensure you return to me in one piece. Isn't that right, Hiei?" She turned on the fire demon with a cheshire grin. 3

If he thought for a second that Akihiko did not want to be at the forefront of the group, Hiei would have stepped out of the midst of the guild to take the lead himself. However, with the resigned sigh he caught from his Second in Command followed by his turning forward to lead the way, the fire demon decided to remain where he was so he would not miss the reassurances going around the group - or any looks of doubt any one of them might have about the ordeal.

At Shikiyoku's prompting, he nodded his head in curt agreement, unsure if it was better to ignore her commentary on his capable hands or if he wanted to send more than the brief look of 'stop that' in her direction. "And once we return, I plan on there being a break between jobs so you all can relish in your rewards."

Raion's eyes snapped over to Hiei, a devilish glint in his eyes and his lips curling into a smile not unlike that of Shikiyoku's, "If we focus on the rewards to come with our return, I'm willing to bet we'll make it home faster, right Boss? I'm sure it will be well worth the reward."

Hiei raised a brow at Raion and the edge of his lips twitched, though whether to smile or frown had yet to be seen. "For some more than others." *

Shikiyoku immediately left the conversation as Hiei spoke of a break between this job and their next, looking thoughtful and even tapping her index finger against her lips, appearing to consider something.

Their bond had already been simmering with her teasing remembrances of the hands she had spoken of, in truth lamenting that they were going to be too far away for far too long.

Now, if Hiei were paying attention to it, she was musing over exactly what kind of 'reward' she could have for Hiei on his return, and truthfully hadn't heard anything Raion said in relation to the word.

"Mother, are we headed for the elevators?"

Shikiyoku blinked and her other thoughts drifted away as she imitated Akihiko's blasé use of the nickname in return for his own, her nose rising a little in the air.

"Yes, Father. Of course." 3

If only to preserve himself and keep any sort of awareness of his surroundings, Hiei chose deliberately to let the simmering bond wash over him, the emotions and musings within it going ignored if only to keep his sanity.

Raion, ever the one to push at Hiei's buttons, opened his mouth to say something more, but Hiei's stare leveled on the lion in quiet warning. To his surprise, Raion's smile widened, but the other said nothing more on the topic and instead settled on turning to Tarou. "We'll just handle it like we always have."

"Hiei trusts Kurama, and we trust Hiei," Ikigai added with a reassuring smile. "Plus, you've got an endless supply of weapons and, like Mommy said, Kurama will be with us through the Third. That means we'll only be going a few levels deeper on our own."

Tarou finally let out a long breath and deflated, the tension at his shoulders lessening further until only the slightest hint of it could be found in his straighter-than-usual posture. "And we kick ass all the time. This is just more ass kicking."

Raiton slapped a hand across Tarou's back with a laugh, "There he is! He's back with us!" *

Akihiko ducked inside the doors of the building and even though he tensed a bit as he moved beyond the receptionist's desk like he was meant to be there, he managed to relax when even the bodies in here ignored them.

Feeling a gentle nudge, he looked up to see Shikiyoku giving him a little smile and a 'thanks' as she moved past him with bold confidence towards one of the elevators in this area.

For the sake of their numbers, she strode towards one at the back, stepping inside the larger elevator first and over to the buttons, pulling out a swiping card from somewhere and using it while pressing the buttons in a particular order.

Once everyone was inside, the elevator began its descent, lowering past the point where the numbers for the levels on the sign above the doors stopped.

Slipping through the group of them once again, Shikiyoku made for a set of hidden doors on the other side of the elevator from where they entered just as it began to come to a stop, waltzing into the room beyond without hesitation.

The ceiling seemed unreasonably high, out of sight even, of the warehouse-looking, long room that extended beyond the elevator doors, and its walls were covered in some kind of underground flora that seemed to be thriving with the way it had woven itself across what they could see.

On closer inspection, the giant lights overhead that clanked on the last time Akihiko was here were already lit, and not in fact made of metal, but instead seemed to be some kind of glowing plant hanging down over the rows of plantlife in this area of the room.

The scent was distinctly earthy-they were most definitely walking on moss-and despite the fact that there was no particular echo to the large space, there was a large crash and the sound of shattering glass that suddenly permeated the otherwise unobtrusive liveliness of the plant-filled space as the group moved farther into the room.

A small smile played across Shikiyoku's lips and she seemed to be focused on something at the other end of the plant cave.

"I thought this was a war-council, Yo-chan."

"Ah, yes. I suppose." Came his reply, though the owner of the voice was nowhere in sight.

Kurama refused to look over at Shizuru standing nearby to see her expression, bending over the fragments of the bowl he'd dropped when she'd stepped out of the doors and into the room and too flustered to do anything but pick it all up himself.

He'd always hated that nickname. And it was worse coming out of those lips, harkening him back to his 'infamous thief' days where she had a penchant for using it with what he read as condescension, usually as a reminder of his inexperience, when she knew something he didn't or thought his way was wrong.

As if out of protest, he silently made himself promise he wouldn't switch from his human form just because she showed up like that and when he stood up again to turn towards a waste bin and rid himself of the pieces of glass, it was still as the redheaded Shuichi.

This was his meeting and he'd regain control of it. And himself. Somehow. Despite, or perhaps in spite of, the intensity of the stare he was now getting from the long-limbed woman who had settled herself exquisitely leaning against one of the nearby tables with the self-assurance of a woman who knew exactly how to best present herself in most situations.

He couldn't help the glance he sent her way out of the corner of his eye, or the spike of irritation about how-

She's taller than me like that.

Damn woman.

He cursed to himself at the state of the mark in that form. Yes, he had won the bet, but dammit she had been right too in the end and that annoyed him.

The next time I get that mark on you, it'll have staying power.

His eyes zeroed into the delicate blue glimmer hanging from her neck and framed just shy of her chest by the black collar of an outfit he had completely forgotten she owned. It had been so long since he'd seen it...

"You're staring." A low voice murmured from near his shoulder and he realized he'd stopped next to Shizuru near the equivalent of a trash can for the room.

He quickly returned his gaze to his task.

"And you're not?" He replied back just as quietly.

Shizuru shrugged.

"If you'll recall, I prefer 'em tall, dark-haired, and handsome." Shizuru took another long drag on her cigarette and tapped the ash off onto the pile of glass in the container.

The image of Sakyo flickered past his mind's eye and he huffed out a breath that could have been a laugh.

"But she is definitely easy on the eyes. No matter what you like, I imagine."

Before he could reply, his ears twitched as he caught Yusuke's voice echoing down from the nearby corridor: a backdoor he had sent everyone to except Shikiyoku and the guild, apparently. 3

As they neared their destination, the guild fell silent, each person occasionally sparing a glance at their surroundings before turning forward to follow the lead once more, lest they fall behind.

When it came time to exit the elevator, Hiei made a point to be the last off, making sure the others filed into the large room ahead of him before he followed suit. He watched the awe that filtered through the guild members one by one, each person's eyes flickering from one place to another.

The sound of shattering glass sent half the guild into a nervous bewilderment, none of them able to see the source of the commotion, only able to hear Kurama's voice from somewhere near the table when Shikiyoku had addressed the fox.

Hiei shook his head to himself as the guild members hovered around the door, only Akihiko brave enough to step away from the group and make his way further into the room, seemingly unbothered by anything happening thus far.

Hiei too stepped around the guild and moved to stand next to Shikiyoku, his eyes briefly looking her up and down as she settled against the edge of the table with her hip. He said nothing and only crossed his arms over his chest to watch the interaction play out between Shikiyoku and Kurama.

He couldn't quite help the amusement that trickled through the bond and tugged at his lips, and he made no actual effort to hide it either.

~!*!~

After making a stop at her apartment to make arrangements for Nabu and Kiyoko to head to the temple during her duration away, Akari left her phone on the bedside table and left for the meeting place Kurama had indicated.

She hadn't been surprised to see Yusuke, Keiko, Yukina, and Botan already at the entrance to the tunnel. In fact, as she drew closer to the group, she met them with a small smile that felt somewhat out of place on her face since she'd spent the last few days contemplating her life and all the choices she'd ever made.

"Yo! Ace! Good to see ya!"

Akari paused mid-stride to blink at Yusuke, her lips turning down into a frown at the 'nickname' he'd employed in lieu of the one he'd once called her by. She much preferred the unoriginal 'Red' he'd called her once all those years ago, though she said nothing of it and instead took up residence next to the quieter-than-usual Botan.

"Good to be here," she finally responded after a beat, her attempt at a smile slowly returning. "Who else are we waiting on?"

"Just you. I think I sensed Hiei on the other side of the building, so I bet the others went in the front doors."

Akari nodded and turned her smile to Yukina, then to Keiko, who looked as if she'd just come from her medical school class or shift with her white lab coat over her outfit.

And after an exchange of pleasantries, Yusuke marched forward, leading the group of women into the tunnel and along the pathway, the others filling the silence that neither Botan nor Akari seemed up to filling unless directly spoken to.

When the group did finally exit the corridor and enter the large underground plant room, Akari found herself reminded of the days she'd spent in a room at Yomi's palace that had been taken over by plantlife in a similar fashion as this room, and she wasn't sure if it calmed her or made her more tense.

For a moment, she wasn't sure if she had made the right choice by jumping into whatever was dooming the world this time, but she stubbornly set herself into the intent of seeing it through to the end.

I will contribute. Properly, this time. She breathed in a calming breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly released it through her nostrils. It's time to stop burying your head in the sand, Akari. You can do this. *

~!**!~

(Now, I know you know what that looks means, my love.) Shikiyoku eyed Hiei from where he had come to stand next to her with a small smile, her own gaze wandering over what of him she could see from this close. (But I find myself wanting you to tell me if you like what you see.) 3

Hiei's eyes remained pointed forward, though his stare did glaze over briefly as the bond whispered Shikiyoku's interest at him and his skin seemed to prickle at the awareness he had of her own gaze giving him a once over.

(If I told you I like what I see, that would be a lie,) he responded after a beat, and the bond rang true with the statement. He let the line fester for a moment before the haze over his eyes dissipated and he turned his stare carefully to her face, the slightest glint shining in his irises. (But, my Beloved, if I told you what I was thinking right now, we'd be in much deeper trouble than I'm sure we want to be in at the moment.)

Hiei turned his eyes forward again, careful not to let his stare linger too long lest he agitate her energy and make the situation 'worse'.

…or perhaps better, depending on how he looked at it.

Because we'd have to leave.

~!**!~

As soon as her mask settled back into place to hide away her momentary lapse in judgment, Akari let her eyes wander the room and take stock of who all had been called into this meeting.

She watched as Yusuke lead Keiko and Yukina toward Hiei's Guild, and after a brief glance at Botan, decided to follow after the two if only so Botan didn't feel so alone in her own doubt as she was introduced to the others in the room.

"Yusuke!" Tarou clapped his hand on the other's shoulder roughly, a big, goofy grin on his face. "You were invited to this Shindig too? Hell yeah!" When he noticed the ladies accompanying the detective, Tarou seemed to dial back his enthusiasm, aware that his height and build could be intimidating for humans, and he stretched his hand out to Keiko first to introduce himself to her.

And as introductions went around the guild, Akari only giving her greetings, she saw the wolf brothers with their heads together, muttering back and forth - one looking confused and perhaps even slightly concerned while the other adamantly insisted on…. Whatever it was they were discussing.

"-fry you…?"

"Yeah, hurry."

"...Are you sure?"

"Just…it, Raiton."

"...ask you later…."

"...'s fine, jus-" the energy in the room shifted ever so slightly, then, "Not that hard!"

"You said-"

"Akari! Are you helping on whatever this is too?" Ikigai asked, pulling the canine's attention away from the other two in the room and she gave the boy a smile.

"I am, though I have no idea what it is I'm helping with. Do you?"

"Nope, just that it's Kurama the Youko's request. Everyone's pretty excited." Ikigai moved to stand next to Akari, though he did lean around and offer his hand to Botan with a friendly smile. "Botan, right? I'm Ikigai. Nice to meet you!"

Akari's eyes followed Yukina as she too made her rounds with the guild, smiling and saying hello to each person in turn - obviously having met them before, indicated by her lingering with one of the wolf brothers longer than the rest, her eyes looking over the blue-eyed demon's arm as he indicated to something or another near his shoulder. *

~!**!~

There was a very strong sense of 'doubt' that went over the bond at Hiei's assertion, but finally she couldn't take it any longer and her face completely cracked into the widest smile as she leaned down and threw her arms over his shoulders. She came to rest with her chin on the left one, peeking around the side of his face at him as she gave a small squeeze where she'd hugged him.

(I love you.) 3

The tension that had slowly straightened Hiei's spine and raised his shoulders melted the second Shikiyoku's arms came to rest against him, and the bond gave the slightest hint of a sigh of content as he uncrossed his arms and his hands came up to rest against her arm.

He turned and briefly nudged his nose into her face, his lips stretching into a small smile of appreciation.

He knew once this meeting was over, he'd be without this for a while. A long while. He couldn't help his eyes closing to enjoy the contact for the moment, her affectionate sentiment warming the bond.

He returned the statement to her with a kiss on whatever part of her he could reach, not yet truly having lost the room or his surroundings but not seeming to care about it either.

~!**!~

As Botan and Ikigai exchanged greetings, Akari's eyes again scanned the others in the room, seeing Raion and Tarou conversing with Yusuke and Keiko while Yukina's hands fell away from Tsundora's arm with a small smile on her face and a grin on his.

Chisai had moved to stand by Ikigai at some point, and after a nod hello between him and Akari, her eyes continued on to see Akihiko standing a bit away from the group, his eyes pointed elsewhere, expression unreadable even as he turned away from whatever he'd been looking at and finally made strides toward Yusuke to say hello.

And then Akari's eyes fell on Hiei and a woman she only knew to be Shikiyoku due to the fact that Hiei hadn't ever been so close to anyone but her. And again, she was struck by several things at once:

Hiei was not only being embraced by Shikiyoku, but also seemed to be reciprocating in a way she'd not seen before, even going so far as to lean into her seemingly without realizing it.

Shikiyoku had taken on the form she'd only ever seen in the meadow, and again, she was struck by the similarities between that form and the demons she'd seen when she, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara had been blasted from the Eighth Level to the time before the world had split into Levels… or layers… or whatever it was that she couldn't rightly recall at the moment.

And finally, when Hiei's energy gave the slightest, barest little ember off and the scent just barely managed to reach her over the overwhelming aroma of the plant life around her, it smelled of Shikiyoku. …More so than it had the last time she'd seen him, and not by any small amount either.

As her eyes moved away from the two, she couldn't help but be reminded in that moment of how much everyone in the room she'd known for any length of time had changed, and just how stagnant she herself had been in all her time with them.

Her lips twitched up into the barest hint of the first genuine smile she'd had in days. *

~!**!~

(I am loathe to call us to order, but it seems I have truly rattled the young fox from his high chair as I intended.) Calling them to order meant they were closer to the inevitability of Hiei taking his leave from her, but she certainly felt more than a little amused at how deeply Kurama's calm seemed to have been disturbed.

Letting out a large sigh and kissing Hiei in the midst of her marking, little shivers of her yellow energy briefly curling into place on the tattoo before disappearing, Shikiyoku stood back up, leaving her right arm hanging down the front of Hiei even as the left found a place at her hip.

"Alright, out with it, fox. I hate waiting and as I'm sure you're well aware, you interrupted a particularly enjoyable lesson I was in the middle of earlier." Shikiyoku called over to him, her eyes flashing.

Kurama blinked at her, flashes of dozens of previous encounters he'd 'interrupted' and the consequences for him therein filling his brain, and just nodded once, glancing to make sure everyone else was in the moment before making a gesture at the wall behind the table where he'd dropped the glass when she'd entered, plantlife parting to reveal a screen of some kind that after several moments flickered to life into an overhead view of the entire country before focusing in on the metropolis and nearest cities surrounding it.

"My deepest apologies for calling you here on short notice," he began, speaking to everyone, "Things were stable," here he glanced at Shizuru who hadn't moved from her place where she seemed to be keen on holding up the wall but nodded agreement as he qualified: "until the last three days, and have fallen apart quickly since then. I'm not even sure of the accuracy of my information, but suffice it to say there are multiple proverbial pots on the stove that have all begun boiling over at once."

He shook his head, "They appear to be concocting into a brew that will turn out disastrous for the First as we know it."

Shizuru picked up the thread after taking another drag on her cigarette and the dark circles under her eyes that were not there during the funeral might have given dawning realization to the fact that perhaps it was the wall holding her up instead.

"I've received visions since Genkai's death of various circumstances and at first it was just the one: darkness consuming the dojo. Students, children, dead on the ground, overtaken by it. Slaughtered. Then came the one about the refugee camp. Erupting into fire. Jin. Touya. The shinobi. All dead without help. And then the entire country. In flames."

The screen backed out from where it had centered on their current location until both the small island off the coast where the shinobi, and subsequently the refugee camp, were located, as well as Genkai's dojo in the mountains, became little outlines on the screen.

"I didn't want to believe it at first." Kurama admitted, "But it's been all but confirmed: the RKT are plotting to target both the dojo and the refugee camp."

"What?!" Yusuke all but jumped up and Kurama sighed with his resignation of the information being true as he knew it.

Yusuke had only heard about this task force in passing: a group of denizens of Spirit World who hadn't gone with Koenma. But until his recent talk with Terepo-who teleported Jin and Touya to Genkai's funeral from his ramen stand-he hadn't known they were doing anything bad, per se.

But this...was bad.

"I'm not sorry, the what?" Raiton raised a finger to interrupt before Kurama could continue, and he wasn't the only one in the room who had no frame of reference for the initials.

"Rei Kai Tokubetsu."

The answer came from Raion, who had most of the guild looking at him in surprise, and not just because of the suddenly dark look in his eyes.

"When the three worlds were merged together, many of Spirit World's former denizens went with Koenma when he crossed over to become King of the Realm of the Dead so that they could attend to his court. But not all of them." Kurama explained.

"RKT draws its roots from Enma's old Spirit World's Special Defense Force. Hunters." It was Shikiyoku's turn to fill in details, and her look was just as dark as Raion's.

At the word 'Hunters,' however, many of the other demons in the room looked uncomfortable. While it was true on the lower levels that certain demons in New Human World who excelled at the capture or execution of Infected had adopted the name for themselves, many of them still remembered the terror of the 'old days' when the word was used in relation to Spirit World. And those who knew the story of how Kurama-and Shikiyoku-ended up in Human World would understand her expression, or otherwise wonder how Raion came to his.

"Those who had been loyal to Enma and his machinations against the whole demon race," she went on, "Who died protecting their king during the assault on the palace and the imperfect union of the three worlds."

"This new RKT claims to be loyalists of Koenma, carrying out 'the intention of the Veil' from this side of things in his name. But in truth, they're nothing more than zealots and hardly worth the effort or attention it takes to find them. Or so I thought." Kurama added.

"They're difficult to track," Shikiyoku provided, "Even harder to pin down, and thus highly secretive, except in regards to their whole doctrine, which consists solely of the notion that accessing the 'other side' is an act strictly forbidden to everyone, and to even hint at doing so, much less attempt it, is a crime against the Veil itself, and so Koenma, and thus punishable by death. Or worse."

Yusuke remembered that Terepo had said something about Shikiyoku helping him 'slip away from 'em.'

"But why would people like that want anything to do with the dojo? Or the refugees?" Yusuke wanted to know.

"That's a very good question," Shikiyoku agreed, gaze turning back to Kurama, "Between a fox, a witch, Hellfire, and their mazoku friend who's decided to settle with them, I had thought the RKT to be meddlesome, but effectively harmless."

"I know. I thought the same." Kurama reached up with both hands and rubbed at his forehead like he could get his thoughts to coalesce, but could only form something akin to a pained expression across his features. "This is where it gets complicated. If it was just the RKT, just these two pending attacks, the world as we know it wouldn't be in danger of tearing itself apart, hm?"

"That seems...ominous." Yusuke's gaze flickered over to Shizuru and he finally realized maybe the cigarettes were helping her cope with the stress.

Kurama made a gesture at the screen and it backed up all the way to the view of the entire country again, giving visual examples to his explanation as he described them.

"Now, let me give you my information and we'll weave the whole end of the world bit in from there.

"The expedient version is as follows: dark pulses have been emanating upwards into our home Level from down below for about six months as time runs on the First. Each time a pulse occurs, it covers more and more area and comes at a faster rate than the one prior. At first, they barely breached beyond Demon's Door Cave-the epicenter-but eventually they overtook Mushiyori City and beyond."

Keiko, still in her white coat from being at the hospital that morning, glanced over at Yusuke to see him concentrating very hard on the map and the pulses as they happened and she elbowed him with a small grin.

"Don't strain a brain muscle, yeah?"

"Nah, I can follow. He's explaining it pretty well."

"Thank you. I was trying to dumb it down."

"Hey-! ...no, that's fair."

Kurama was obviously trying not to smile as he continued.

"While I have by now triangulated the origin-the hypocenter, as it were-down through the other levels and can fairly accurately predict the increase in diameter, the effects of these pulses only recently came to my attention when I was trying to ascertain why the RKT could possibly be interested in the camp and the dojo."

The screen zoomed in again to center over their city, but still included both Genkai's lands as well as the island where the refugees were located. This time when the pulses occurred across the screen, they were slower and stayed visible at their largest expansion point-soon forming concentric circles-on top of which were little pockets of small dots that showed up in something very like a pattern across the circular lines.

"The dots you're seeing now," Some of the dots turned blue or green, "Are the reported location of humans and denizens who claim to have seen themselves, or something that looks very much like them, doing the same things they were doing, except not exactly, all approximately at the same time, which was the moment of greatest expansion of the pulse."

This was the sort of thing Kurama had mentioned to Akari while they were at Genkai's, and the idea of it had a couple of those in the room murmuring to one another about how unsettling the notion made them feel.

"This would be bad enough if not for the fact that the majority of demons at these locations," the blue or green dots faded and any that had not been colored now turned red. Kurama worked his jaw for a moment as he had only recently discovered this next tidbit, "have all gone missing except for one.

"I know only a couple of us are familiar with Terepo, but Shikiyoku will vouch for his honesty, and his escape from the task force as she's the one who helped."

Shikiyoku blinked, but nodded when a few glances were sent her way. She obviously hadn't the faintest idea how any of this connected together and otherwise remained quiet.

"I spoke with him myself," Kurama went on, "and while his story goes along a similar strain of having seen something like himself, he claims that one of the demons he had been with started acting like he had seen an old friend who wasn't exactly the same as he remembered, and the other began talking with someone they apparently thought to be long dead."

In the wake of the silence that followed as the information began to settle as to perhaps why those demons who were now nothing more than red dots on Kurama's map had gone missing, Kurama made one more statement.

"This is the predicted expansion point for the next pulse."

One more circle appeared on the screen concentric to the previous.

It passed through both the camp and the dojo.

"And this is where the next pattern of dots is projected to occur."

No one looked away as the little dots popped up in those two places.

Shikiyoku had gone very still staring at the screen, but the sort of all-consuming passion that had seemed far too large for her tiny human form finally made sense this time as it swept through her from head to toe like an inferno focused singularly against the RKT:

I will kill them all. 3