The rain had stopped some time ago. Sayomi opened her eyes and blinked slowly as she adjusted to the morning light. She looked around and noticed her mud-stained clothes and arms had started to flake. The ground was still wet and squishy under her feet as she started walking.

"What now? Hiei doesn't want me around anymore. I guess all I can do now is go back to Yasuhiro."

As she wandered, she expanded her senses to try to find her brother. "Would he be willing to lift the curse if I choose to go with him willingly? How would I even know it's him? How can I be sure of anything?"

Eventually, she felt her stomach rumble. She sighed and started to look around. I wonder if I can find anything to eat. Then again, whatever I find might end up killing me one way or another. Hiei was right... I can't survive on my own like this.

"That's probably why he left me..." She muttered.

"Do you understand now, Sayomi?"

"What?" She turned and saw Yasuhiro watching her from behind a tree. "Yasuhiro? Is that really you?"

Her brother smiled. "Don't worry. Once he left, I saw no more reason to hold you under my spell. You're not hallucinating anymore."

Her eyes widened. "So, did all of that really happen?"

"It did." His smile didn't show any sign of pity or remorse. "In fact, I gotta say it's a relief. Now we won't have to worry about him. Although, that does still leave the issue of..." His eyes traveled down a bit.

Sayomi pulled her cloak tight around herself to cover the mating mark on her neck. "I don't get it. Why would he...?"

"He's a low-class bandit, Sayomi. He got what he wanted and realized it wasn't worth the trouble. That's what his kind does. You needn't worry about that with me. I'll never abandon you."

"You really expect me to trust you after you put your curse on me?" Sayomi glared at him from under her hood. "For all I know, this is just another nightmare."

Yasuhiro sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know. That was going too far, but I didn't have a choice. It was the only way to make you see him for what he really is."

Her storm-gray eyes narrowed. "You don't know who he really is."

"Then why isn't he here with you, Sayomi? Why did he leave you alone if he cares so much?"

"That's because..." She realized she didn't have an answer. Regardless of the reason, he had left her alone.

"Sayomi..."

She refused to look up from the floor. This isn't happening, is it?

"Sayomi, please look at me."

On reflex, her eyes traveled up to meet his. He looked hurt, as if her rejection caused him physical pain.

He watched her and kept his distance. "Sayomi, please. I love you. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's the truth."

"Are you really Yasuhiro?" she asked.

"If I said yes, would you be disappointed?" he asked. His hand reached up to cover his heart. "Would you be happier if I said I was actually the thief?"

Sayomi bit her lip as she felt a pang of guilt. "I didn't mean—"

"Yes, you did." He pointed at her. "That mark is all the proof I need. If I had found you in Tourin, would things have turned out differently?"

If he had found me? She tried to imagine such a scenario. Would I have gone with him and accepted his feelings? Then I never would've met Hiei or the others. Would it have made a difference? Would it have mattered if I was there with them or not? Yasuhiro might not have lost himself, but...

"Sayomi." Yasuhiro beckoned for her with his hand. "Please give me the chance to prove myself to you. I can overlook your mistake if you can overlook mine."

"Why did you attack us?" Sayomi asked quietly. "Why did you let your Shade take over?"

"You saw that, did you?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "You can't blame me. To see he had claimed you in such a way, how could I not lose it?"

"So you knew your Shade was still there? You said before that it was gone."

"I needed you to trust me again. I know it was the reason you ran away in the first place, but I have better control of it now. I can teach you to do the same."

"You were in control?" She crossed her arms beneath her cloak. "It didn't look that way to me."

"Your mind probably distorted your perspective of things if I wasn't."

"And who's fault is that?" she challenged.

Yasuhiro raised his hands in surrender. "Fair enough, but I won't hurt you. I would never hurt you. I promise I was in complete control."

Sayomi bit her lip as she thought it over. I know he wouldn't physically hurt me, but what about that curse? Hiei was right about him hurting me mentally. He doesn't seem to know that I've merged with my Shade, either. Should I keep that a secret?

"Sayomi…" Yasuhiro took a few slow steps towards her. "Please just give me a chance. I can show you how to do it. I just want my sister back."

"That's fine, but that doesn't mean you have to take me away from everyone else. I'm not a child anymore and neither are you."

"I can't let you go with them. They nearly killed you, and I don't want that thief anywhere near you."

"He's my mate, Yasuhiro. You can't expect to keep us apart forever."

"He abandoned you, didn't he? It's obvious how he really feels. You don't matter to him."

"You're wrong," she whispered. He has to be wrong.

"Sayomi, I need you with me." Yasuhiro held out his hand for her to take. "Please give me a chance."

Sayomi stared at him. She tried to think of an alternative, but she couldn't come up with one. This is what I've been hoping for, isn't it? The chance to be alone with him so I can take care of him personally. Did he really lift the curse? Whether he did or not, I could at least hear him out first.

She didn't take his hand. Instead, she lowered her hood and faced him openly. She noticed his eyes flicker to her neck and felt a sharp sense of wariness. "I'll give you a chance to tell me the whole truth. No more lies or secrets."

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Then he sighed and nodded. "Fine then, but not here."

"What's wrong with here?" Sayomi asked. She scanned the area, but didn't pick up on anything threatening.

"We're too exposed. We would be better off in the shadows," he reasoned.

"I don't think we're in any danger."

"We're demons of darkness, Sayomi. We don't handle ourselves well in broad daylight. It's a wonder you've kept your sanity for so long." He looked at her with disapproval.

"Seriously?" Sayomi raised her brow skeptically. "I've been out during the day since I was in Tourin. I don't think anything of it anymore."

"Really?" Yasuhiro crossed his arms. "No accidents?"

"Well, at first there were some, but then they had me meditate and heal. They did their best to keep me out of fights." Sayomi didn't like his judgmental stance. He thinks I should've stuck to that instead. Figures...

"Not good enough if they left you alone in the Human World. What else would they expect?"

"Raizen knew what I wanted and he knew what he was doing. Hokushin did, too." She didn't care too much for many of the other monks, but they had always treated her as an equal.

"Okay, there's no point getting mad about the past. The important thing now is how you move forward. We can start by going to the Void."

Do we really need to go there? Sayomi narrowed her eyes when he melded with a nearby shadow. He's not leaving me much choice, is he? In the end, she followed him through the shadows and they were alone in the abyss.

She faced Yasuhiro and prepared herself for a long talk. "You seem to know enough about me. Mind sharing your side of things?"

Yasuhiro ran a hand through his long hair, letting it out of its tie. He held a purple ribbon in his hand and stared down at it with a distant gaze. "Do you remember this, Sayomi? You gave it to me a long time ago."

Sayomi arched her brow. Since when did I use ribbons? "Sorry. I don't remember ever needing to tie my hair back."

Yasuhiro looked at her hair and smiled sadly. "I remember when you did. You noticed my hair was always getting in the way. Since we were always on the run, I could never afford the chance to cut it properly. Then, one day, you came to me with this clenched in one tiny fist and a small dagger in the other. You told me that you would keep your hair short if I kept mine long. You said that you liked my hair and that you didn't want me to cut it, but you didn't seem to care about your own." He looked at her sadly. "I miss your long hair."

Sayomi couldn't imagine having to deal with long hair. It always got in the way. It could get caught on stuff and hurt like hell if it got tangled. Then there was also the fact that it was usually always hot in Tourin and long hair would've been torture. How old was I when I had long hair?

"Anyways," Yasuhiro continued, "you gave it to me when Mother took me in."

Does he mean...? Sayomi's voice trembled. "W-what are you talking about?"

"We're not related by blood." Yasuhiro smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Mother found me alone with a set of clothes that were way too big for me. She assumed it belonged to one of my parents and let me come with her. That's how I ended up meeting you. She told me it would be my job to protect you and one day start our own family if we wanted to."

"You're kidding, right?" Sayomi tried to wrap her mind around the idea. "Mom never mentioned it to me."

"I'm not lying when I say that she wanted us to always be together. She wanted me to take care of you as mine." He glared at the mark on her neck left by the fire demon. "If only I had found you sooner."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Sayomi felt betrayed. The only family she had left had turned out to not be her family after all. Though she felt shaken, she couldn't think of him as anything else.

"Back then, you looked up to me as your big brother," Yasuhiro explained. He tied his hair back with the ribbon as he remembered their childhood. "You always wanted to be near me. You always wanted to hold my hand and play with my hair. At the time, I could only think of you as a little sister."

His eyes darkened as he spoke. "Before she died, she did tell you to be strong, but she also told me to take care of you. She wanted us to be strong for each other. Since the moment I first laid eyes on you... I couldn't shake the need to protect you from harm. You were so small and fragile, yet you always managed to find a way to get into trouble."

He smiled, but it looked sad. "Eventually, you started calling me Hiro. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I was starting to really fall for you. Mother probably noticed and trusted me to take care of you once she was gone."

When he stared at her, Sayomi felt a shiver run through her body. It looked too similar to the way Hiei would look at her sometimes. This can't be real. This isn't real.

He walked towards her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Aside from my own family, you and Mother were the only other two shadow demons I've known. When she died, you were all I had left. I didn't want to be alone again. I became strong to protect you, but I still lost you. I regret it every day."

Sayomi felt a sharp pain in her chest as his words echoed around them. He was alone. All this time, even while he was training under Mukuro, he felt alone. The pain melted to a scorching sense of guilt that flowed throughout her body. "What about the young girls you targeted?"

"What about them? I was desperate to find you. Now that I have, I won't lose you again." He wrapped his arms around her in a firm, but gentle hug. He leaned down to nuzzle her throat. "I don't care about this mark. I staked my claim on you long before he showed up."

Sayomi's eyes widened and she tried to put some space between them. She couldn't push him further than a few inches. "No, you didn't. You're my brother."

"But I'm not. Please, Sayomi. You're all I have left." He pulled her closer, embracing her so tightly she struggled to breathe against his chest. "I won't hand you over to anyone else."

"But..." Sayomi thought of Yusuke and Kuwabara. Their goofy grins and pointless skirmishes felt so normal, she had trouble imagining life without them. Kurama had become a good friend that supported her more times than she could count. When she thought of Hiei, she couldn't imagine where she would be without him. Then she remembered how he left her alone to fend for herself. Her heart ached with confusion and loneliness.

She couldn't bring herself to return Yasuhiro's hug, but she couldn't pull away from him either. She couldn't comprehend Yasuhiro as anything but her brother. The idea of having a family with him was too bizarre. I couldn't be with him like that anymore than I could be with Yusuke. I can't imagine it.

"Let me prove myself, Sayomi. Let me prove to you that I'm a more suitable partner. I would never hurt you or abandon you like he did." He started to stroke her hair, making her relax automatically.

"What are you...?" Sayomi tried to struggle, but she couldn't deny how good it felt. Her eyes started to feel heavy as she settled in his arms.

"Shhh..." Yasuhiro whispered. "Relax. Close your eyes and let me show you the life we could have together."

Though she tried to stay awake, she couldn't fight off the sudden drowsiness that washed over her. Before she realized it, she had dozed off in his arms.

When Sayomi opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, she got up and looked around. The walls were plain and the only furniture was the large pallet of fur and straw that made up the bed. It was dark in the room and outside the window, but she didn't feel tired. Was I dreaming about something? I feel like it was a very long dream.

Before she could dwell on it for too long, she caught a whiff of burning meat. She followed the smell down a hallway to what she assumed was the main room of the small dwelling.

She hovered by the doorway as she watched Yasuhiro cook a small beast over a fire pit in the middle of the floor. Her eyes roamed around the rest of the room, but the bare walls and dirt floor didn't tell her much. Where are we?

Yasuhiro paused to turn around and smile at her. "I see you're finally awake, Sayomi. Did you sleep well?"

Sayomi hesitated. She couldn't remember if she did or not. Did I actually dream? It's hard to remember. "I guess so?"

"Ha ha ha! You guess?" He returned his attention to the fire. "I suppose that's better than an outright no. Come on over, the food's almost ready."

Sayomi slowly moved to sit next to him. She watched him as he fed another log into the fire to keep it going. "Where are we?"

"You don't remember?" Yasuhiro finished stoking the fire and leaned back on his hands. "We found this place a few days ago. Surprisingly, no one seems to live here, so we decided to squat here for a little while. Until we need to leave again, that is."

"Why would we need to leave?" She asked.

"The Hunters." He raised a hand to touch her forehead. "You feeling okay? You should know all of this already."

"The Hunters?" A blurry image of men and women in uniforms came to mind. She couldn't make out any faces, but the uniforms were familiar enough. "They're after us? Why?"

"Same reason as always. They don't understand us, so they're scared of us. When people are afraid of something, they try to kill it before it can kill them." His hand slid down to caress her cheek. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Sayomi glanced down at her hands. Her nails were clear and pale. For reasons unknown to her, she felt confused about it. She imagined them painted black. Have they always been like this?

Without looking up, she asked, "Yasuhiro, did my nails used to be black?"

"No. That only happens when we lose control of our power." He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb in smalls circles over her skin. "As far as I know, you never had to worry about that since I'm here to protect you. Did you have a dream of fading?"

"Maybe..." Sayomi stared down at their entwined hands.

Yasuhiro smiled as he let her go and reached for the meat. "Let's eat. Maybe a good meal will help you wake up."

He manifested a solid black knife from the shadows to carve small chunks of meat. He set some on a large leaf and handed it to Sayomi. She accepted the food and started to eat.

The meat was cooked thoroughly and its juices spilled in her mouth with every bite. Though it was a normal enough meal in the Demon Plane, she couldn't help but feel like it was missing something.

This would be great in ramen. She paused. What is ramen? The image of a bowl came to mind. There was meat, greens, an egg, and noodles sitting in some kind of brown liquid. As she tried to see more, the blurry image of someone trying to take it from her came to mind. Before she could focus on the stranger, the image faded away completely.

Unsettled, she set her food down and looked at Yasuhiro. "Have you ever worn a solid black coat before?"

Yasuhiro paused mid-bite to quirk an eyebrow at her. "No, I prefer what I'm wearing now. Are you remembering parts of your dream?"

"Is that what it is?" Sayomi stared down at her plate. Despite the scarcity of food in the area, she couldn't find her appetite. "I can't remember much. Most of it is blurry, but the things I can remember don't make sense to me."

Yasuhiro reached out and ruffled her hair. "Try not to worry about it too much, okay? Whatever it was, it can't hurt you. Now eat up. If you want to come with me, you'll need all the energy you can get."

"Come where?" Sayomi forced herself to keep eating. He's right. I do need the energy, but...

"Didn't you want to come with me to get supplies? I got paid from my last job so now we can get things without having to steal them. Otherwise, I wouldn't put you at risk."

"Why would I be at risk?"

Yasuhiro smiled. "If we get caught stealing, we'll need to rely on the Void to escape. I'm not willing to put you in danger of fading, so you can only come with me when we have the money to actually buy things." He leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips. "That was our agreement, wasn't it?"

Sayomi blinked and reached up to touch her lips. Her mind was assaulted with blurry images of the figure in black. Who is that?

Yasuhiro waited for her to finish eating before he led her to the marketplace. She looked around at the vendors, but there was nothing that jumped out at her as something she needed. "What are we shopping for?"

"Anything to help us survive." He avoided looking at his money in public. Best to not draw the wrong attention. "We'll prioritize food and water, but we can afford a few more things. Cloth we can use for bandages or spare clothing, medicine, anything useful. We don't want too much, though. We need to be able to leave on short notice without needing to pack."

Sayomi looked down and frowned. Her clothes were torn and dirty, looking closer to rags than actual clothes. Even her cloak was practically useless with all the holes. How long have I had these?

Her eyes wandered. Before she could do the same, Yasuhiro clasped her hand in his. She pointed at a booth and said, "There's some clothes I want to look at."

"I'll go with you. I don't want anyone to try anything with you if I can help it." He guided her to the booth and asked the vendor, "What are your prices?"

"Depends on what you want." The demon spat at the floor near their feet. "If you ain't buyin', then keep movin'."

Yasuhiro scowled. Then he looked down at Sayomi and tugged her hand. "Let's go somewhere else."

She ignored him as she browsed the selection. When her eyes landed on a pair of black cargo pants, she reached for it. She held them over her legs to gauge the fit. Then she turned to the vendor and asked, "How much for these?"

"Those'll be 65 coins. Take it or leave it."

Sayomi turned to her brother. "Do we have enough?"

Yasuhiro glared at the vendor and clenched his teeth. "Fine. Anything else you need?"

Sayomi scanned the shirts and picked out a purple muscle shirt. "This should be it."

The demon smirked. "That'll be 90 pieces total."

Yasuhiro reached for his coin pouch and counted out the money to pay. Once the demon had the coins, he pulled Sayomi away from the booth. "Let's focus on the necessities now."

Sayomi scowled at his attitude, but she was grateful to have a fresh set of clothes. The sooner I can change, the better. Then I could just use my old clothes for bandages. I can keep them in my new pockets.

She scanned the area for somewhere to change. Unfortunately, she couldn't find anywhere she could duck away for a couple minutes without Yasuhiro's supervision. So she waited patiently with her new clothes folded over her arms while Yasuhiro shopped for supplies.

In the end, they managed to get enough food for a couple days and medicine. After her clothing splurge, they couldn't afford much else. Scavenging shouldn't be too hard. I've been doing it since... since when? Images blurred through her mind, giving her a mild headache. Why can't I remember anything?

When they made it back to their temporary home, Sayomi went straight to the room she woke up in and shut the door. She immediately changed into her new clothes and started tearing up her old ones into strips. She held onto her cloak. As old as it is, I feel naked without it. I can wait till next time to get a new one.

"Sayomi!" Yasuhiro yelled from the main room.

"What?!"

"Come eat!"

Sayomi finished tearing the last of her old clothes and joined him. He poured her a bowl of stew and she noticed there were only a few vegetables in the broth. She bit back a sigh and drank it down.

"We couldn't afford meat this time, so we'll have to make due." Yasuhiro poured himself a bowl and said, "You should eat what you can then get ready for bed. I'll be gone for another job, so you'll need your strength in case you need to make an escape."

Sayomi quirked her eyebrow curiously. "Can't I just go with you? What kind of job is it?"

"You can't," he said sternly. "It's too dangerous and you can't defend yourself."

"What if I learn to defend myself?"

His eyes darkened and narrowed at the thought. "No. You won't put yourself at risk of fading."

"But we'll have a better cha—"

"No." He set his bowl down and reached for her chin. He leaned in and gave her a long, desperate kiss. "Promise me you won't put yourself in that kind of danger."

Sayomi bit her lip and looked away. "I don't like to just sit around and wait to see if you come back or not. Besides, if we work together, it could make these jobs that much easier."

He smiled. "You're worried about me like I'm worried about you, but you're not a fighter. You should stay here where it's safe."

"I don't think anywhere is safe with the Hunters after us," she argued. She set her bowl down and crossed her arms. "If I can protect you too, then there would be less to worry about."

"Please, Sayomi. I don't want you to put yourself in danger for my sake. Just trust me. I'll be back before you know it."

"When are you leaving?"

"After we finish eating. It might take me a couple days, but you have enough food to last until I get back. Just don't go off on your own. It's too dangerous."

Sayomi scowled. "Fine. I'll stay put."

Yasuhiro smiled. "Good. That really puts my mind at ease." He leaned in to kiss her forehead before he finished his stew. "I should head out now. Be safe until I get back."

"Sure," she mumbled, annoyed with the situation.

After Yasuhiro left, Sayomi went to the small room to lay down on the pallet. She folded her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. "This sucks. I want to be out fighting with him. I don't like sitting around and doing nothing when I know he could be killed."

She sighed, frustrated with herself. "If only I wasn't so weak, then I wouldn't have to get left behind."

She closed her eyes and let her drowsiness take over. Before she fell asleep, she imagined herself fighting next to someone, the figure in black again. If that's not Yasuhiro, then who is it? Why can't I see his face? She picked up a brief glimpse of red eyes before the image faded away completely. Who are you?