Ch. 5 – Power screw-up

Dark blood stains the grass and the bark on the surrounding trees are charred black from different attacks. "Too bad you came here for nothing." A black fox demon walks over from beneath the trees. "Soon she will be dead."

"… Foolish." Youko picks him up by the neck, slowly choking him. "You were foolish to hurt her."

"I… Inu… yasha… please… I … I n-… need him… to… to tell me… where… h-he… is-s." A girl with dark hair in shredded, blood-stained priestess robes slowly gets up from the middle of the clearing and slowly starts to walk over to them. "P… please… I must…. Must find him… he… is im… portent… to… me…" She collapses to the ground. Hiei caches her just before the charred and blood-stained grass is able to claim her. He picks her up and looks at Youko.

"Who is this Inuyasha? And who is the 'him' she is referring to?"

"Not now Hiei! She's starting to shake! Bring her to Koenma now!" Hiei disappears with the girl. "And you." Youko narrows his eyes and turns his attention to the demon he's been choking. "Why did you attack her?"

"She… attacked me… first." The demon coughs.

"You will tell me everything. Now." Youko flings the demon into a tree. Vines lash out and hold him to it. "You will leave nothing out and if you do nort start talking you will have a very slow, painful death that you won't be able to forget in the afterlife. I'll send you straight to hell."

(20 minutes later)

Youko heads back to the portal when Hiei appears beside him. "Answer my questions now fox."

"You were supposed to stay with her Hiei."

"Yusuke is with her. Now tell. Who is she?"

Youko sighs. "An old friend Hiei. One I've been waiting for and did not recognize me."

"This Inuyasha character?" Hiei pries.

"The one who separated her from me."

"Hn. Koenma she will be in critical condition at least until tomorrow. She is full of fearr and is having trouble healing, not to mention that her eyesight will not be the same as it was."

"What do you mean?" Youko become immediately concerned. "She's blind?!" They reach the portal and jump through.

"She might be. We won't know till she opens her eyes. But she has yet to even stablize." They enter Koenma's office.

"Where is she?" Youko attempts to ask calmly.

"The hospital wing, one floor down, last door on the left –" Youko is gone before Koenma has time to finish. "You're welcome."

(In the hospital room)

Youko rushes through the door, startling Yusuke and making Kuwabara scream. "Leave." Kuwabara is instantly out the door and down the hallway.

"Let me know if you need anything." Yusuke takes his time walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Youko pulls a chair over to the side of the bed. "Kagome…" He looks over at the girl covered I bandages and wires, gently picking up her hand and holding onto it in his own. "I'm sorry. I should've gotten here sooner. You're going to be alright. Please try to heal. I can't lose you, not when I've finally found you."

(In Koenma's office)

"Please tell me where she is." A guy with short, navy blue hair and sky blue eyes pleads with Koenma.

"I don't know why you want the priestess. But you can't have her." Koenma waves his hand at the demon. "Now shew."

The demon grabs Koenma by the collar. "Listen here toddler! You will telll me where my sister is right now or –"

"You sent for me Koenma sir?" Boton bows as she enters the room.

"Boton!!!" The demon is immediately across the room hugging her.

"… Raioushi?" Boton looks at him curiously.

"You know him, good. Now get rid of him." Koenma orders.

"Boton please! I must see my sister! I know she's hurt!" Raihoushi pleads.

"The priestess is the sister you told me about before?" Boton questions.

"Her name is Kagome. And yes, she's the only one I have. I heard that she finally returned but then she switched schools and left no address as to where she went."

"I'm sorry Raihoushi, but you will have to wait until tomorrow. Youko is in her hospital room right now. He's covered the door in vines, no on can get it. You will have to wait till tomorrow to see her."

"Youko… you mean the fox thief?!"

"Yes." Koenma replies. "He works as a Rekai Tentei for me."

"You let a killer near my sister!"

"Well he seems to care for her quite a bit."

"He's a womanizer! I don't want an egotistical, sadistic evil bastard like him courting my sister! And if you're not going to help me I'll find her myself!" Raihoushi takes off down the hall.

"Boton! Catch him and confine him until tomorrow!"

"But whats the harm in letting him go Sir?" Boton questions.

"Youko will kill him if he goes anywhere near the door! He's already killed a few of the healers because he doesn't want anyone else in that room!"

"Oh my gosh! I'll get him right away!" Boton runs off.

(In the hospital room)

The hospital door is indeed covered in thorn-bearing vines. The vines continue on the walls, ceiling and wrap around the edges of Kagome's hospital bed. However, these do not have thorns, instead they bear beautiful flowers that vary in shape, color and smell. Youko sits beside the bed holding onto Kagome's hand. "Please wake up?" He looks down at her hopefully. "Do you really care for me as much as I care for you?"

(The next morning)

Kagome slowly open her eyes and looks around. She notices someone with silver ears and hair sitting next to her. "Inu…" She gently reaches over and runs her fingers along the edge of a soft, furred ear. It twitches, tickling her fingers. Youko stirs, slowly opening his eyes and looking up, meeting her brown eyes with his.

"Kagome… you're awake." He smiles.

"Youko?" She reaches out to him and he takes her hand in his, watching her reactions.

"Its been 500 years, but I've finally found you."

"Where am I?"

"Spirit World."

"How did I get here?"

"Yusuke carried you through a portal while I took care of the demon that hurt you."

"How did you find me?"

"Koenma tracked your power."

"Why –" The door opens and Raihoushi stumbles in.

"I finally… found it… I think… am I right?" He falls over and passes out, apparently all tuckered out.

"… Who is that?" Youko turns his attention to the strange demon. "… And how did e get past my thorns?"

"I think that's… my brother." Kagome answers weakly.

"… Your what?" Youko looks back at her confused.

"My brother… Rai." Her eyes shut and she falls unconscious.

"Kagome? Alright, well get some rest. I'll be back later. Don't worry about school, Suichi will cover for you. You just work on healing." E gently kisses her on the forehead and leaves the room, stepping over Kagome's 'brother' on the way out.

(A few hours later)

Raihoushi wakes up on the floor. "Huh? Where am I?" After several minutes of contemplation he jumps up with enthusiasm. "I remember! I was looking for my sister! Did I find her?" He looks around excitedly. He spots Kagome asleep on te bed on te oter side of the room and runs over. "I found you!" He gets no response. "Well if you won't wake I will wait!" He drags over a chair and takes a seat. After several minutes he pulls out a rubber band and container of paperclips from his pocket. Wrapping the rubber band around his thumb and index finger, he proceeds to fling paperclips at the door. "You know what would be funny right about now?" He talks to the unconscious Kagome as he continues to amuse himself with flying paperclips. "If someone was to walk through that door right now." As if on cue, the door starts to open.

Youko walks through the door. "Kagome I'm bac-" SMACK! He takes a step back, a bit stunned.

"… heh." Raihoushi looks nervous. "… oops."

Youko reaches up and pulls a piece of metal off his head. "You… hit me… with a paperclip!?!"

"… Bye!" Raihoushi waves and shape-shifts into a cardinal as Youko goes after him, just barely escaping, flying around the room. He gently lands on Kagome's shoulder, watching Youko closely.

"How dare you, shape-shifter." Youko glares at the bird, standing on the other side of Kagome's bed. "Get. Back. Here." He growls.

"Can't touch this! Da na na na!" The bird bobs his head up and down moving his feathers, his way of dancing around. "Na na! Na na! Can't touch this! Da na na na! Na na! Na na – Stop!" The bird freezes. "Happy Time!" He goes back to singing and dancing, taunting Youko.

"I insist that you cease and desist at once!" Youko growls at the overly happy bird. "Or I'll rip your feathers out and serve you for dinner!"

"Hey now, hey now! Hear what I say now! Happiness is just around the corner! Hey now, hey now! Hear what I say now! I'M TOO FAST FOR YOU!" Raihoushi gets a bit louder, apparently having way too much fun. "The happy bird is coming! And everybody's jumping! D-!" A small vine bearing a few sharp thorns wraps around the bird's neck.

"Silence." Youko growls menacingly. After a few seconds the room falls into a long, extremely quiet silence. Youko sits in the chair next to the bed, sitting back and relaxing as the quietness of the room settles in.

"… Bird…" Youko looks over to see Kagome's eyes half open.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"… Bird…."

"Never mind the feathered creature. Answer my question."

Kagome shifts her head to look at him and he notices the brown coloring in her eyes has been shaded over lightly by a glossy, slightly transparent white. "… Fox…"

"… I'll be right back." Youko runs out of the room and down the hall. "Koenma!"

(Some odd minutes later)

"Hmm… Hmm…" Koenma hums for what seems like the 20th time that afternoon. "Hmm…"

"If you do that one more time without telling me what's going on you're going to end up like the shape-shifter, I garuntee it."

"… What shape-shifter?" Koenma looks questioningly at Youko.

"The bird." Youko points to the ceiling.

Koenma looks up to see a parakeet being held captive by small vines with very sharp thorns. "Oh my…"

"Now tell me why Kagome's eyes are white."

"How could you capture someone's pet!"

"What pet?"

"That parakeet could be someone's pet!"

"There's only a cardinal up there."

"Youko." Koenma scorns. "That is a parakeet." Koenma points at the captured bird. "Look at it."

Youko does so to find that it looks completely different. "Why you little snitch! You shifted again!"

"That is a regular bird, Youko." Koenma starts to get annoyed.

"No it's not! He's a shape-shifting demon!"

"Maybe you should go home and rest, you've obviously spent too much time here -!"

"Bird… fox…" Koenma looks over at Kagome curiously.

He shifts to his teenager form. "And I am?"

"… Blue-crowned." She calls out.

"You're the first to see that." Koenma smiles. "Congrats."

"Pretty blue…" Kagome falls asleep.

"Thank you." Koenma turns to Youko. "She can only see us by our animal forms."

"Why is that?"

"Well I told you the other day that her vision may be screwed up. I wasn't sure what the result would be if we combined powers."

"… Combined powers? You gave her some of your powers?!"