Sayomi watched Yasuhiro's memories play out before her through a veil of consciousness. Much like with Master Genkai, Yasuhiro didn't notice her there.

She shed quiet tears when she saw her mother and trembled when she saw Yasuhiro's descent to darkness. "It was because of me. If I didn't run…"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't focus on myself right now. I need to focus on him."

She forced herself to open her eyes. The sight stole the breath from her lungs.

Just in front of her, Yasuhiro was the small boy from his earliest memories. He was huddled into a tight ball with his head tucked down. He sobbed quietly, as if trying not to be noticed. He was so transparent; she might not have noticed him at all if it weren't for his sniffles.

She took a few slow steps towards the boy and tried to rest her hands on his shoulders. When her hands phased through, she settled for clearing her throat to get his attention. "Are you okay?"

Little Yasuhiro raised his empty eyes up to look at her. Tears stained his cheeks and she yearned to wipe them away. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sayomi." She smiled. "What's your name?"

He sniffled. "Yasuhiro."

"What's wrong, Yasuhiro? Why are you so sad?"

He wiped his nose on his shirt and said, "I-I don't remember."

Her heart broke. "Is there anyone here with you or are you alone?"

Yasuhiro looked around, then back at her. "Alone?"

Sayomi frowned. He's alone? So his Shade managed to take over his body after all. Now he's about to fade away completely. If that happens...

Before he could curl back into himself, she said, "Well you're not alone anymore. I can be your friend."

Yasuhiro blinked at her slowly. "You'll end up leaving me too. Everyone always leaves."

Sayomi felt a stab of guilt in her chest. He doesn't just mean his parents. I left him alone, too.

She shrouded herself in her aura and reached out to him. "Yasuhiro..." She waited for him to focus on her. "If you give me another chance, you won't have to be alone ever again."

"How can I trust you won't break your promise?" he asked quietly.

"I can't promise I'll always be by your side, but I can promise you won't have to feel lonely anymore. You can start fresh with some new friends. I'll introduce you to them."

Little Yasuhiro hesitated for a moment. Then he reached out to hold her hand.

Sayomi couldn't feel anything from the boy. Not the weight of his hand or the warmth of his touch. She concentrated her aura into her hand. She focused on the healing aspect of shadows that she was more than familiar with.

At first, she thought of her usual annoyance with being the healer of the team. Then, her thoughts shifted to her training with Master Genkai.

"Healing?!" Sayomi asked in disbelief. "I thought I was training to fight, not heal, my opponent."

"You never had to fight another Shadow demon, have you?" The old hermit asked. She took a drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke in Sayomi's face, making the demoness cough.

"Koff! Koff!" Sayomi covered her mouth and nose while she glared down at her teacher. "Can't say I've met any to fight in the first place."

"Well, from the sound of it, your brother likes to use fear to attack and manipulate his opponents, right?"

"Yeah." Sayomi crossed her arms. How many times have we gone over this already?

"Then that means he's suffering from trauma. Perhaps a childhood fear that never went away."

"But, he told me he's been dealing with his anger," Sayomi argued.

"That's the biggest load of crap men always say. They use anger as a mask to hide their fear of something. Yusuke was afraid of losing people he cared about so he used anger to keep people at a distance."

Sayomi sighed. "What does that have to do with healing, though?"

"If you stop rolling your eyes and listen, then you might learn something useful." Genkai took another drag and directed then flicked the butt of her cigarette away. "If you want to beat him, you'll have to give it all you got. He's expecting you to come on the offensive and he may even expect some defense. However, there's still one more ace up your sleeve that he won't be expecting."

Sayomi raised her brow skeptically. "You're right, he won't see that coming."

"Cut the crap and think!" Genkai snapped. "What is the opposite of fear?"

Sayomi stared up at the ceiling in thought. Then she looked back at her teacher and answered, "Love."

"So the opposite of fearing your opponent would be to love them. Naturally, you would kill something that frightened you, but you would protect what you hold dear. Based on what you've told me, you don't want to kill your brother. If you want to save him, then you'll need to help him in a way that only you can do."

"What do you mean?"

"You're both Shadow demons, but you use them to attack and to heal. Most Shadow demons, to my knowledge, are usually assassins or thieves, so they focus on killing and illusions. To be honest, I've never heard of a Shadow demon who could heal until you came around."

"Is that why you trained me?"

"That's part of it," Genkai confirmed. "Now, your technique focuses on the heart of your opponent. With your brother, all he knows how to do is corrupt or destroy. In your case, you have the option to heal the heart."

"How do I do that?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself. You can start by learning how to multi-task."

Sayomi returned to the present when she felt the shadows in her hand get warmer and spread across her body. If I can save my brother, then I won't think of healing as a weak power. I'll use it as much as I need to if I can keep Yasuhiro from fading.

"Yasuhiro, you don't have to be afraid anymore. You won't be alone anymore."

The young boy sniffled, then slowly crawled closer so she could wrap him in her arms. He held onto her tightly as his body started to become more solid again.

Sayomi smiled. Then she frowned and held onto him tightly as a strong, dark aura started to flood the area. She glared through the darkness until a large shadow took the shape of Yasuhiro. "So, it's you."

The Shade glared down at her. His solid black eyes narrowed when he noticed his young host in her arms. "Sayomi, there's no need for you to waste your time on this weak thing. He's already hanging onto his existence by a thread."

"No thanks to you," Sayomi growled. "I don't know what kinda lies you've told him, but you're his Shade. He's the one who should be in control!"

"Tch. That's nonsense. He couldn't handle it when his parents faded. He could barely handle it when your mother died. After you left, I was all he had left." The Shade smirked sadistically.

Sayomi held onto her brother, shielding him with her body. "I know I messed up. I shouldn't have run away. I should've known he would never hurt me, but he had changed so much I was scared. That was my mistake and I can't change it, but I can learn from it and do better now."

The Shade rubbed its chin thoughtfully. "You think years of being alone and abandoned is going to be fixed that easily? You have no idea what he's really had to suffer, and I was the one who helped him through it. The least he owes me is his body."

"If you keep this up, he'll fade away for good and you'll fade along with him not long after," Sayomi argued. "The only way to avoid it is to return control to him and become one."

"If that's all it takes, we can merge right now, but I'm not relinquishing my new body. I've become quite attached to it over the years."

"You only exist because of him in the first place. It's up to him to love himself and become whole again." She looked down at the young boy shaking in her arms. "At this rate, he's too scared to even look at you let alone learn to understand and accept you."

The Shade scoffed. "He understands that I'm the reason he's still alive, so he accepts his role. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't exist at all right now."

Sayomi's glare darkened and she turned to the boy in her arms. "Yasuhiro, I can't beat him on my own. You need to be the one to overcome your fear and—"

"Kukukuku..." The Shade chuckled and shook his head. "It's pointless, Sayomi. Just leave him alone and come join me. I'm the only one who can give you what you need."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't need anything from you." She looked back down at her brother. "Yasuhiro, you need to be strong. I know it's scary, but you can do it. It's part of who you are, but it's not the only part of you that exists. You may be scared, but there's no reason to be afraid of yourself."

She raised his chin so she could see his eyes. There was a warm, wet stain on her shirt but she ignored it. "I know you're strong. The only reason he's strong is because of you. That's your strength, but you're afraid of losing control."

He blinked his tears back and sniffled. "It's mine?"

Sayomi nodded. "He's only in control now because you gave it to him. Now you need to take it back."

"That's enough." The Shade summoned his Shadow Scythe and slashed at them, releasing a dark wave of aura.

Sayomi held Yasuhiro close and rolled out of the way. She glared at the Shade and reached for her sickle. She stepped in front of her brother and spilled her chain to spin a barrier.

"You should know that won't help you," the Shade said with amusement. "I'm just getting started, my dear Sayomi."

Sayomi cringed when she heard him say her name in such a possessive manner. "I don't belong to anyone."

Yasuhiro gestured at his neck and asked, "Is that so?"

Sayomi felt her chest tighten, but did her best to ignore it. She glared the Shade down as she tried to think of a plan. I can't kill him. He's still part of Yasuhiro. If I do anything to hurt him, it'll damage him not only mentally, but spiritually. I can't lose control here.

"Yasuhiro, you need to be strong! You need to stand on your own two feet and keep fighting to survive. You can't always rely on someone to be there for you. You'll need to learn to take care of yourself!"

The young Yasuhiro watched her back through unshed tears, then looked at his Shade. He trembled when it smirked at him menacingly, its black eyes promising isolation and misery. He silently shook his head until Sayomi spoke up.

"You don't have to be alone. You don't have to run and hide. Nobody's hunting you anymore. You don't have to be scared anymore. I won't be scared of you anymore, either."

"Kukuku... Heheheh... Hahahahahaha!" The Shade cackled. "It's too late, Sayomi. There's no bringing him back from the edge." He leaped forward and slashed his scythe against her shield.

"Ungh!" Sayomi braced herself against his attacks. She kept her eyes on the Shade, but her words were for her brother. "Don't listen to him! It's not too late! You're still here and that means you can still fight back!"

Her body glowed with a dark light. Her aura shined in the darkness, spreading warmth instead of cold. "You can still exist! You don't have to fade!"

Young Yasuhiro felt her aura cover his skin like a warm blanket and he felt safe. Instead of the fear of loneliness, he felt love enveloping him in a caring embrace, much like Sayomi was doing just earlier. He looked at his Shade again and noticed that its attacks weren't dealing as much damage as he thought.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Yasuhiro asked.

"It's not really my battle," Sayomi answered. "I can't hurt him because it'll hurt you. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

The boy watched her in shock. She continued to spin her chain, but he could see his Shade's attacks were starting to take their toll on her. If they continued, she wouldn't be able to last.

Yasuhiro got to his feet and cautiously stepped closer to Sayomi. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, then stepped outside of her protection.

"Yasuhiro?" Sayomi's eyes widened when he stepped forward to confront his Shade.

The Shade smirked. "Giving up? Heh. I knew you were too weak to be in charge." He raised his scythe. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick and painless." He swung his weapon down. "It's the least I can do for bringing me into existence!"

"Stop it!" Yasuhiro shouted.

"What?!" The Shade's scythe suddenly stopped before it could even scratch the boy. It tried to force the weapon down, but it disappeared like smoke. "What the hell is going on?!"

"No more," Yasuhiro ordered, staring up at his Shade. "No more hatred. No more fear. Just… no more."

"And who the hell are you to tell me to stop?" The Shade sneered.

Yasuhiro reached out a hand and said, "I'm Yasuhiro and it's my body. What's your name?"

The Shade hesitated and glared at his host. "You're serious?"

Yasuhiro didn't falter in his position or calm expression.

The Shade snarled. "Don't have one."

Young Yasuhiro's eyes widened. Then he looked down at the floor and thought for a moment before looking back up. "Would you like one?"

"What?" The Shade couldn't understand what its host was trying to pull. "You've got to be kidding. I don't need one."

Yasuhiro shook his head. "If she's telling the truth, then only I can make things better, right?"

Sayomi watched Yasuhiro in wonder. Does he understand?

"If that's true, then let's try to be friends, okay?" Yasuhiro offered.

"Damn brat." The Shade hovered over the boy, trying to intimidate him. "You expect me to say yes and start playing nice?"

Yasuhiro shrugged. "It would be a lot better if you did, but that's up to you. I don't want to be alone and I don't want to fade. Maybe, if we can be friends, then we won't have to worry about either of those things."

The Shade sneered. "Nice try, but I'm already the one in control. I don't need you anymore." It raised a large hand and started gathering aura.

Sayomi threw her chain into the Shade's hand. It flew through harmlessly and Sayomi clicked her tongue angrily. Damn it! This is bad!

She pulled the chain back to wind around her brother instead. Then she yanked him out of the way as the Shade shot out an orb of darkness. I don't know what it can do in the Void. We need to be careful.

Yasuhiro frowned at his Shade and stood up again. "She said we're not being hunted anymore. She said we can make friends. She said if we become one, we won't fade."

The Shade grinned. Its black eyes seemed to glow in the dark. "I don't care about any of that. I just want her." It pointed a crooked finger at Sayomi. "I don't care what happens to you."

Sayomi glared at it. "If you want me, then you're gonna have to return control to him. Otherwise, I'll kill you myself."

The Shade narrowed its eyes, annoyed with her defiance. "You think you have a choice? Now that you're here, I can keep you here forever. In time, you'll look forward to my company."

"Tch. Yeah, right. You may have power here, but in the Demon Plane I still have you bound in place through your shadow. You're not going anywhere either."

"What are you saying?" The Shade asked.

"All I have to do is kill your physical body and your existence will cease to matter." She smirked, proud of her intense training with Master Genkai. "I suppose you never learned how to focus on both the Void and the physical plane at the same time. That's a shame."

The Shade hissed dangerously. "You're bluffing. That would kill the host, too."

"If you don't return control to him, he'll end up fading. If I kill you before then, then his soul will at least have the chance to reincarnate. Your move, Shady."

The Shade clenched its fist angrily. It looked down at its host standing beside Sayomi. Yasuhiro didn't show any sign of fear anymore.

Sayomi watched the Shade think over its options. Please make the right decision.

"You're not bluffing," it observed. Then it looked down at Yasuhiro. It noticed the resolve in his eyes and the strength in his stance.

Eventually, the Shade shrunk down to a more reasonable height. It stared down at the boy and asked, "What will you do if you're in control?"

"I promise I'll come visit you often so we can get over our differences. Maybe one day, you'll actually want to join together again." Yasuhiro smiled and added, "I'll ask Sayomi if she wants to visit you, too."

The Shade glanced back at the demoness curiously.

Sayomi felt reluctant to answer, but she felt responsible for what he had become. It was the least she could do. "Sure, if it'll help."

The Shade looked back down at its host and sighed. "Guess I have no choice."

Yasuhiro's smile widened into a broad grin. "Don't worry. We're going to be best friends, Shady."

As Sayomi slipped back to the physical plane, she thought of the stupefied expression on the Shade's face. Now that Shady's in the backseat, maybe now Yasuhiro will be more like his normal self again.

Sayomi opened her physical eyes. It was still dark outside, though she had no clue to how much time had really passed. Her wounds were completely healed and Yasuhiro was still leaning over her in the same position with his hand on her head. She blinked when she felt something wet drip on her face.

Her eyes traveled up to see her brother crying over her. Sorrow and regret reflected in his silver eyes and she felt a surge of relief wash over her. My brother's finally back.

She smiled and let her eyes slide shut. I'm glad he's safe now...

"Sayomi!" Yasuhiro immediately reached for his sister as soon as he could move. He lifted her from the large puddle of blood and propped her up against his knee. "Sayomi! Please, don't die!"

She cracked one eye open to look at him and whispered, "I'm fine... Just tired..." Her eye slid shut again and her breathing became slow and even.

Yasuhiro did his best to wipe the blood from her skin and check her wounds. After making sure she was as okay as she claimed, he lifted her in his arms and considered his options. "I can't do anything for her out here. She needs proper treatment. I'm not a healer. What should I do?"

A thought crossed his mind. He clenched his jaw and made his decision. He took advantage of the night and merged with the darkness to take her to the only place he knew of that might be able to help.

When Sayomi opened her eyes again, she saw another eye staring back at her. She blinked in confusion until she realized where she was. I'm back at Mukuro's?

She turned her head to observe the empty room. It was the room she shared with Hiei. She realized she was laying in their bed.

"How did I get here?" She pushed the blanket off and sat on the edge of the bed. "What...?"

She was about to get up when the door opened. She looked up, surprised to see Hiei step into the room and shut the door behind him.

The silence felt heavy as it stretched between them. Sayomi started to feel uncomfortable under his stare until he spoke up. "You were drained of aura when he brought you in."

"Where's Yasuhiro?" Sayomi asked.

Hiei scowled at the mention of the shadow demon. "He's with Mukuro. Though he seems different from before, he's still dangerous."

"I need to see him." Sayomi got to her feet and walked towards the door. Hiei stood still with his arms crossed, blocking the exit.

"You need to rest and recover your aura," Hiei corrected.

Sayomi glared at the swordsman. "What do you care? You're the one who left me with him in the first place."

Hiei's eyes hardened. "I didn't have a choice."

"Sure you didn't," Sayomi agreed sarcastically. "Now move. I need to check on my brother."

As she reached past him for the door, he held on fast to her wrist. Their angry eyes clashed and Hiei said, "Your brother is the one who prevented me from getting to you."

Sayomi narrowed her eyes and asked, "What do you mean?"

"He cut through my Evil Eye. By the time I was able to move through the pain, you were already gone. I needed to come back here for Shigure to look at it and recover. By then, I couldn't find you anywhere."

Sayomi's eyes widened as she remembered. She remembered hearing his scream. She remembered seeing his blood. She remembered her inability to do anything to stop it. I thought that was part of the hallucination...

"Where did he take you?" Hiei asked.

Sayomi felt hollow as she answered, "The Void. He trapped me in an illusion."

"That explains it," Hiei muttered. "What did he show you?"

She couldn't speak louder than a whisper. "You said that mating with me was a mistake… and you left me alone."

His eyes narrowed. "That son of a—"

"It's not his fault!" Sayomi objected. She glared at Hiei, fighting back her tears. "It's not."

"Are you crazy?!" Hiei yelled in disbelief. "He abducted you and played with your head!"

"It was his Shade!" Sayomi argued. "Yasuhiro had nothing to do with it!"

"You were gone for over two months!"

Sayomi felt stunned when she realized how much time had really passed. "What?"

Hiei stared her in the eye and said, "You've been missing for two months." He tightened his grip on her wrist. "You're malnourished and barely have energy. You need to get back in bed and rest."

"But... Yasuhiro..." Sayomi couldn't forget his pained expression as he cried over her.

"He's the least of your worries right now." Hiei jerked his chin towards the bed. "Lay down."

"Can I see him first? I need to see him with my own eyes and make sure he's okay." She stared into his stern eyes. "Please, Hiei."

Hiei stayed quiet, making her nervous and anxious to see her brother. Please...

After a long moment of silence, he closed his eyes and said, "Fine. But you're not walking."

"How else am I supposed t—"

Hiei scooped her into his arms. The sudden motion had her locking her arms around his neck to keep from falling. Before she could object, he dashed out the room and through the corridors until they reached Mukuro's room.

Sayomi's cheeks reddened when she realized how close their faces were and she slowly unlocked her arms. As she was about to slip out of his grasp, he held her in place.

"I'm not letting you go," he declared.

Sayomi swallowed her protest and let him carry her into the room.

Lounging in a large bed was the former Lord of Alaric, Mukuro. She smiled when she saw Sayomi in the fire demon's grasp. "I see you're finally awake."

A figure sitting at the small table turned to see who was there. Yasuhiro's eyes widened and he quickly got to his feet. "Sayomi!"

"Yasuhiro." Sayomi was relieved to see he was the brother she remembered, though the markings around his eyes were still present. His worry was genuine, but he kept his distance when Hiei gave him a murderous glare.

"I'm glad to see you're well enough to get out of bed," Mukuro commented.

Sayomi turned to the former king and asked, "What are you going to do to him?"

Mukuro shrugged. "That depends. He explained what happened, but his perspective was warped for the majority of the encounter. Care to fill in the gaps?"

Sayomi scowled. Then she looked at her brother. He smiled, but it wasn't as confident as she remembered. He looks worried. He probably feels guilty, but it wasn't him.

She took in a slow breath and started telling her side of events. "By the time I was able slip into his consciousness, Yasuhiro was almost gone. I could see through him and he was terrified. I couldn't leave him like that."

"Even at the cost of your own life?" Mukuro asked.

"He was about to fade. I could either save him or kill him. Besides, it was my fault he turned out like that. I had to do something." Sayomi stared down at the floor as she recalled how scared he was.

"When he carried you in," Mukuro started, "You were covered in blood, but you had no wounds."

"I was actually wounded, pretty badly," Sayomi confirmed. "Once I was in his consciousness, I started healing myself. I probably exhausted myself from the excess use of my aura and heavy blood loss."

"You're certain you were able to save him?" Mukuro asked.

"For now," Sayomi admitted. "I'm not sure if he's really stable yet, but I'll take responsibility for him."

Mukuro smiled. "I think you've done enough."

"But I—"

"Have done your part. I will take over his progress from here. After all, you're not the only one who had influence on his state of mind. As I mentioned before, you planted the seed and I nurtured it for what it was. Now you've reaped what you've sown and planted a new seed. Allow me to take care of him. It's the least I can do."

Sayomi stared at Mukuro in disbelief. "You're not going to imprison him or kill him?"

"He was one of my best men," Mukuro said matter-of-factly. "It would be a waste to lock him away or kill him. Besides, I don't think he has anywhere else to go."

Sayomi could only stare at the former ruler until Yasuhiro spoke up.

"It's okay, Sayomi. I'm just glad to see that you're not hurt." He frowned and looked down at the floor in shame. "If I had killed you, I would've gladly chosen death. Even then, it still wouldn't atone for what I've done to you."

"That's not right!" Sayomi denied firmly. "I'm the one who made you like that!"

"I did that to myself. You're the one who saved me," he said gratefully. "Please, you don't have to worry about me. Like you said, I'm not alone anymore." He looked up at Hiei. "Besides, I think I've kept you to myself long enough."

"I won't push him back into chaos," Mukuro assured. "He'll be fine under my watch."

Sayomi felt reluctant about the situation, but the smile on her brother's face convinced her to relax. "Alright. Once I'm better, I'll come by to visit."

Yasuhiro waved her concern away. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting better."

Sayomi nodded and turned to look up at Hiei. "Okay. I think I'm ready to go back now."

As Hiei was about to carry her back, Mukuro asked, "Do you think you'll be able to recover in time for the tournament? I'd like a chance to personally see what you can do."

Sayomi glanced back at the woman, then her brother.

Yasuhiro shrugged and said, "I don't mind if you fight. You've proven to me that you can handle yourself just fine. Better than me, that's for sure."

That earned a chuckle from her and she nodded. "Then I'll do my best."

"Sayomi, for what it's worth..." Yasuhiro scratched the back of his head and looked at her with embarrassment. "I'm sorry... for everything."

Sayomi smiled and shook her head. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad to have my brother back."

Back in their room, Hiei set Sayomi down in the bed. She avoided looking at him until he said, "You shouldn't fight in the tournament."

Sayomi snapped her gaze up to him and scowled. "It's not up to you. I'm already registered."

"You're going to end up killing yourself."

"I'll be okay. I handled myself just fine against Yasuhiro."

"You came back unconscious and out of aura. That doesn't qualify as fine."

"I had no choice."

"You did have a choice. You chose the most reckless path and you nearly paid for it with your life."

"He was almost gone, Hiei!" She glared at him through unshed tears. "I couldn't leave him like that!"

"What if you failed? What if he was already gone and you just willingly walked into a trap?"

"But I didn't!" Sayomi stared defiantly at the swordsman. "My brother was crying for help the best he could from the Void. That's why he was so insistent that I focus on healing. It was the only way to save him."

"He isolated you. He was trying to separate us so he could get to you. He nearly succeeded. If he faded while you were in the Void with him, would you have faded too?"

"I..." Sayomi hesitated and looked away as she thought it over. If Yasuhiro faded while I was with him, would I have faded too? She wasn't sure.

While she was lost in thought, Hiei kept his voice low and calm. He wanted to get his point across, but he didn't want to yell at her. At least she seemed willing enough to listen because he wasn't going to repeat himself. "I'm glad you're not dead."

Sayomi blinked out of her thoughts and looked up at Hiei. He looked like he was trying to carefully decide what to say, a trait that she didn't often associate with the blunt fire demon. Her curiosity piqued and she focused on what he had to say.

"I'm also glad you didn't have to kill your brother." Hiei's eyes became glazed with bloodlust as he thought of the alternative. "If anything had happened to you, I would've had him begging for death."

The look in his eyes changed as he scanned over her body. Her hair was still a mess and her clothes were stained through with blood. She was paler than he remembered and the black mark around her neck was gone. Now all that remained was the mark he left on her.

The look he gave her made Sayomi's body heat go up. "Hiei, I'm okay. You don't need to go after Yasuhiro."

Hiei scowled. Then he pushed her back and pinned her down to the bed with his body. Without hesitation, he bit down on the mark that still branded her as his.

"Ah!" Sayomi felt her back arch and she dug her nails into his shoulders. Pleasure coursed through her body as he pressed down against her and let out a low rumble from his chest.

Hiei pulled away to gently lick the shallow wound before he stared down at her. "I had to endure two months without you, so now I'm keeping you for myself."

Sayomi blushed and nodded. "I was actually worried you didn't want me any—"

Hiei cut her off with a possessive kiss. When he pulled back, he stared into her eyes and said, "You're mine. No one else will take you from me."

Sayomi swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to speak. She couldn't go above a whisper. "I love you."

Hiei stared down at her in shock. He had never heard those words spoken to him before. Unable to form them on his own tongue, he leaned down to express it the only way he knew how, through action.

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