Silverwing013: Okay, I'm back with this one. This chapter was written a long time ago, forgive me, when my writing style was changing. Although, my writing style probably is still changing. In any case, this chapter has been held onto for a very long time. I am really hoping to get this story properly finished but I am warning everyone here. My main focus right now is on LAST. Very different type of story and when I look at it, it sort of reminds me of some old Korean dramas I was into watching. Little, but important, moments type of thing. Anyway, I am only warning everyone. Not to mention I do have that annoying life outside of fanfiction… If only one was paid for fanfiction writing. I wonder what type of system we would have to figure how much each writer received? Number of hits? Reviews? Anyway, here is my update on this story after a good year and a half I believe. Sad, when I think I first came up with the entire story in my head way back in 2004. No wonder the writing style has changed so much! But this writing style here is old as the chapter was actually written some time ago. It'll be updated to my current style in the next update I'm sure.


Three weeks later:
The red head rushed down the street, hardly pausing as he went. His step bounced, only trained will not allowing the eager sprint. He turned the corner, emeralds sparkling as he spotted the groomed house down the street. His mood could hardly be crestfallen. Not by the cloudy sky or by the three week wait of fan girl squeals upon spotting him. Nothing could ruin the fact that he was ALIVE and heading home to family.

Palms shoved at the front gate, legs broke into jog.

"Mother! I'm –"

His over exuberant voice fell quickly, echoed across the silent yard for but a brief moment. His shock lasted longer. The scene of a small fox pinned to the door by still blazing arrow, demon energy vibrant to his renewed senses. The fresh scent of blood caused him to cough up a gag. And fully cause action.

"Mother!"

He bolted for the house.


"Mama! I'm home!"

Kagome dropped her backpack at the door, and scuffed off her shoes. The temple was rather quiet…

"Sorry! Auntie ain't here," yelled out the now familiar voice of her cousin.

Kagome sighed. Her cousin Yusuke was much better than what she thought he'd be. Atsuko and Yusuke had moved in much sooner than planned due to her son's insistence.

Souta, who revered his elder cousin greatly, told Kagome in a manner of fact tone that Yusuke was worried about his mom. Even though Yusuke teased her brother constantly, he also kept him company. Kagome couldn't always be around her family as much as she liked.

She may not trust Yusuke within a mile's throw of her school friends but he genuinely seemed to care about the people around him. He wasn't as bad as rumors said. Perhaps it was she who couldn't trust her school friends around him.

"You're spacing," Yusuke informed her as he went past.

"I am not!"

He merely laughed at her. "Careful Kagome or I'll use duct tape. I'll have to inform your prince charming you are unfit to bear children."

Kagome fumed at the words as Yusuke tossed her a very demonic grin over his shoulder. She channeled her anger and calmly closed the door. A very audible click was heard, followed shortly by Yusuke's yells, promptly followed by Kagome's laughter.

"Hey! Kagome!" Yusuke yelled back with a laugh at her strike back at him. "You know I have to get back in there with more boxes!"

However, a horrible feeling filled Yusuke shortly after he finished speaking. There was a demon inside the temple! Dropping the boxes, he pounded on the door. "Kagome, get out of there! I mean it!"

"No way Yusuke! You brought it on yourself in your perverted ways! Does that Yukimura girl know you're a perverted jerk?"

"This is how you spend your time here!?" A very disgruntled voice spoke from Kagome's side of the door. Startled, she stopped laughing to see who it was. "We could be shard hunting instead of you doing nothing here!"

"Kagome! Hey! I don't want to break down this door!"

Kagome's eyes widened, spinning around to unlock the door. "Yusuke Urameshi, don't you dare!"

"Who the hell is this guy!?" Rang out two enraged voices.


"Just keep going! It's right ahead!"

Panic rushed through the three running on the outer edge of the amusement park. The smallest one of the trio actually turned his head around to spot the flashing of shadows behind them. Gulping down both saliva and a fresh breathe of air, he nearly gagged as his vision seared with rainbow colored white dots. The adult pair was falling behind.

"Hurry!"

Another voice shouted from ahead.

"Over here! Hurry up!"

The breathless trio stumbled and crashed over the doorway. The two waiting at the building went into immediate action.

"All right," the girl said walking back in as she brushed off her hands. "That circle of dirt should cover most of these shadowy demons. Most are D Class, right?"

She turned to the guy double-checking his shield up around the building. "Yeah, but there is a lower B Class demon feller in charge of them all. Better hope the feller in charge does not get too enraged. My shields only work so far."

The girl gave him a disbelieving look. "Then why did I reassure Shuichi that we could protect him here?"

The guy flashed a grin. "Because of my amazing prediction abilities Dani honey! Besides, I may be renovating parts of my karaoke place, but I still have," he turned to flick on the flashing array of lights.

"Oh!" The youngest of the trio who had literally fallen in, stood up to hand the girl his flashlight. "Thanks for the warning and the flashlight."

The guy took over though. "Ah, it's nothing Shuichi feller. This heavy-duty flashlight comes from another crazy friend of Dani honey's. That honey is a real rabid chipmunk taking steroids from a government quality computer system."

All eyes stared at him. The girl with him finally cracked up into a smile. "Stephanie would find praise in that outrageous statement. Well at least I don't have to worry about my second drawing anymore."

She picked up a worn sketchbook; flipping to a drawing of the young Shuichi beaming a flashlight at dark shadows much like a super hero.

Shuichi smiled at the portrait of himself. "Sweet."

"Shuichi," came a stern voice as the two adult forms sat up from the floor. The young preteen flinched, turning.

"Yes dad?"

"That's our cue Dani honey," the guy stated. "Ellie will be finishing up reading her promo songs soon."

"Don't you two move," the father figure said barely turning his eyes to the pair. "Now, will this attack of the shadows be explained to Shiori and I?"

The young preteen fidgeted. "Well, I'm not sure on how that information falls." He glanced up to Dani for unanswered help.

"What was on the door?" Shiori finally spoke. "Who would put that unfortunate animal up on our door like that? And such a newspa—"

The young boy cut in. "That was a dead fox pinned to the door with an arrow." He mentally winced at the message clearly being sent with that. Dani could be heard gapping at the thought of a dead fox. "And I'm sure Kurama would verbally flay and mince me with guilt if I told anymore."

As if to accentuate his pronouncement, the shining shield around the building reverberated as one of the shadows attacked it. The two parents turned to each other questionably, asking the preteen about this 'Kurama' character, while glancing at the shield. No information the preteen held was worth holding back in a situation like this, right? Shuichi, however, turned to the other, older boy. "Jets!"

Jets grinned, running a careless hand through his messy black hair. "Oh don't worry. They'll break it."

Another girl with puffy brown hair had entered the room on this pronouncement, freezing along with the rest of them.

"WHAT?!!?"

The new girl steamed forward. "Jets! What do you mean they'll break it? They're dead, you told me so!"

Jets merely pointed out the window at the barrage of shadows. "They'll break it," he clarified calmly.

"Shadows?" She asked him almost conversationally.

"Yep," he answered back in the same tone.

She turned around; going back to the room she came from. "Okay. Go back to playing that weird game again. It's not like I'm awake to witness it."

There was a lengthy pause.

"You know, I really like her when she's on those sleepy pills."

"JETS!" Dani and Shuichi yelled at him.

Jets turned to face them. Shuichi had managed to heave up the heavy-duty flashlight once more while Dani clutched a pot of dirt close to her chest. "It's the truth. Imagine if it was Stephanie honey acting like that."

A look of horror passed over Dani's face. "Lord no. I can't even imagine what she'd do." She gave Jets a look. "Just why are you so calm about shadow demons coming after us?"

"Yes! Why are my wife and I supposed to just sit here?"

Shiori turned to her husband. "Kazuya, calm down. We need to be calm and take it one step at a time. Now, should we worry or not?"

"No," Jets answered easily.

"Good," Shiori answered. "Now if my questions on why we are being chased by…shadow demons you called them?"

She glanced up at Dani and the girl nodded, taken aback. Dani spoke up. "I am going to have to side with Shuichi here."

"That is what I'm worried about," Shiori replied. She held up a bloody note. Everyone in the room turned to read the message. 'Traitor son ain't alive to save you now pathetic human.' After a pause, Shiori continued. "There was a newspaper on that door as well. I may have only had time to register the word 'dead' and the picture of my Shuichi but—where is my son?"

Her voice took on a higher trill. Both Dani and Shuichi winced at her worried eyes glancing about for answers.

"Funny how Kurama's paper hates him so much," Shuichi muttered. "Ironic really."

The preteen boy froze and turned to Dani. "Please tell me I did not just sound like him!"

"Well that sounded like the feller," Jets said satisfied.

Shuichi's face paled dramatically. "NO!"

Jets gave Shuichi a rolling the eyes look. "If you would get over your self conscious issues of yourself and listen, you would properly hear it sounded like the feller."

Shuichi blinked in fear of the stressed words. Then his face alighted with joy, racing for the window. "It did! Dani! He's back!"

Jets's shield broke as he promised it would, letting a long off call penetrate the shocked silence of the group's protection failing.

"MOTHER!"


"Oh!" A voice said startled. "It's so good to see you up Hiei."

Hiei nodded at the comment before resting his head back down.

"Hn."

At the door, Yukina smiled. Hiei was often around the temple away from the loud city. Unsurprisingly then, Yukina had picked up on the different tones of his grunt. Appreciative, she decided. She turned to place the tea tray on the bedside table next to Hiei's bed. After weeks of not eating, the three would have to work up the easier to eat foods and use their energy wisely. As it was, Hiei seemed to manage to sit up against the wall with one leg giving his chin a place to rest and the other leg lying across the bed.

Yukina turned to leave, prepared to leave him be.

"I take it Kurama didn't take the resting advise," Hiei's voice rasped out.

Yukina turned back to face Hiei with a smile. "Kurama took it, but said mentally he would rest better going home to see his mother."

Hiei snorted. "Figures."

There was a pause in the conversation then. Yukina tended to amend to the invisible rules around people, making conversation if her voice seemed to be wanted. However, there seemed numerous times when Hiei followed the invisible rules around her in familiar way. Kurama followed them but would have an underlying teasing note under the pleasantries. Genkai, Yukina was familiar around as well, but Genkai would pry if she could. The others acted as they only could, especially Kazuma and Yusuke. But with Hiei, Yukina never had to worry like she did with the others.

Yukina had never broken the unspoken relationship between herself and Hiei. But it was with sincere affection she now broke that relationship.

"I'm glad for you."

Hiei took his eyes off of the bed next to him to look at Yukina and blinked. "Hn?"

Yukina smiled lightly. Confused but interested.

"When she wakes up, I'd like to talk to her. Properly introduce myself so I can get to know her. She must be something special."

His eyes blinked at her again and widened as he took in the statement. His eyes drifted back over to the bed beside his own. "Something certainly," he rasped in reply. The rasp was slowly disappearing the more Hiei talked. "Stupid girl."

"I can judge for myself when she wakes," Yukina said. "But I really am glad for you."

Choosing to ignore the repeated opinion on how Yukina felt over the matter, Hiei spoke up once more.

"You said when, not if."

"When," Yukina said. "For I doubt you would leave the unfairness be and Koenma seems scared of you."

Yukina left the room, pleased that Hiei had smiled at her "you're welcome" to his "thank you". She smiled. Not many people were allowed to be so close to Hiei to realize "you said when, not if" was actually a thank you.

And don't think it got past Yukina of the affection on Hiei's raspy voice when he said "stupid girl".


"So the traitor son returns," the deep voice of the shadow demon spoke up in sarcasm. Everyone paused in hiding or flashing lights or chucking earth at the shadow minions to see the visual appearance of a certain red head. "Quite a pity you are played so easily by such a pathetic and worthless human."

"She is not worthless. I gave her health and happiness at the cost of my life. No one is going to negatively touch her."

The dark shadow laughed. "But even you deem her worthless. Worthless of knowing your history."

The red head visibly flinched at the statement, looking up to where his mother stood.

"The minute great Yoko Kurama disappears, the minute any demons attack her, she is just another ignorant worthless human." The shadow demon cocked his head slightly, staring curiously as the traitorous demon fox's face became colder and colder.

"Ignorant," he stressed.

Emerald eyes hardened, his jaw clamped down in such a way that the shadow demon took pleasure in. He was gnawing on his own tongue, a sure giveaway sign of normal restraint being broken down. Anger was the shadow demon's favorite friend. Surging anger was always his opponent's downfall when they finally cracked.

A wide arrogant grin broke across the shadow demon's face. He was going to crack Yoko Kurama, it was only a matter of time.

"Worthless," he hissed, a gleeful sadist hiss.

The shadow demon crinkled up his eyes. The traitor's chest had hitched its breathing motion. His fingers had wrapped up into fists, leaning on his toes as if to burst forward in physical action.

That's right, Yoko Kurama, thought the shadow demon. Attack me. Come get me with your own two hands and punish me, he goaded. One touch is all I need. Come on. Come strangle me! My shadow minions can easily overtake their defenses! Act or I will shatter you!

The shadow demon burst out into a loud, low-pitched cackle.

"Human," he finished.

As if on cue, the red head burst into action. Just not the action anyone there expected.

He ducked.

Curiously, he glanced behind him to see a large heavy-duty flashlight go careening off to smash beautifully into the road. Intact. He turned back around as the young Shuichi immediately began apologizing frantically.

"I didn't mean to! I really didn't!" Shuichi yelled frantically as his arm reared back to throw a pen from his pocket. "Hey!"

The shadow demon grinned, a low cackle bursting out once more as the traitor's face paled drastically. Shiori and Kazuya found themselves in the same position as the youngest member of the family, voices frantic. Jets and Ellie had at some point wandered through the door, throwing whatever they could at the red head.

Options blanked out on the red head at the moment as he ducked from each of the throws.

"Ignorant worthless humans," the shadow demon repeated from the sidelines. "My shadow minions can control every action, their frantic sense of loss and then forced submission coming out in every word you hear traitor. I can make them attack you. I can make them commit serious criminal offenses. I can make them kill one another in cold blood and be forced to watch every moment of the deed. I can make them kill themselves, yelling out for someone to stop their actions. I can make them assist me to your inevitable doom traitorous fox."

The shadow demon's grin grew larger. Too bad, he thought. I decided to not let you attack me. I decided to shatter you. The shadow demon strolled closer to the red head, the random objects ceasing to be thrown as combined voices spoke in combined frustration and worry for the said red head. The red head frowned, glancing down at his two arms that were slowly rising up as if he were willingly giving up…

"Ah, you noticed have you?" The shadow demon continued approaching the traitor. He grinned. "They have already assisted me in doing so."

The objects, the red head realized. The objects had shadows and shadow minions could contort their shadows! Each one of the thrown projectiles had a shadow minion inside its shadow!

His thoughts moved at a frantic pace, thinking quickly as the shadow demon approached less than cautiously. So arrogant at the fact of gaining control of mere humans! Even he had blanked at the sheer emotion of it to not notice the results of a plan the shadow demon was so assured in. He couldn't let harm come to any of them! None of them had any source of power or action of their own to fight back against the shadow demon. Only he—!

Danielle! His emerald eyes snapped back over to the group yelling for him to run. There was a serious lack of her aim hitting him with her growing spirit energy. Sever lack! There she was, arms shaking and sweat running down her face. She was fighting and the shadow demon didn't seem to notice her power. Why? Earth, throws rocks at an uncanny ability, fingertips touching the dirt…

"Shura! You should know I'm smirking at you! Compatibility!"

The red head's eyes widened at Jets's call. Of course!


"Shizuru," Kuwabara called out into the house. "Something's wrong."

Annoyed, Shizuru yelled back at her younger brother. "A what that I give a damn about or a what that I kick your ass into a sign post!"

From outside, Kuwubara winced and wisely chose not to open the door like he was going to a second ago. His sister had made good on that threat once before and he had to have 7 stitches where the corner of the metal sign had actually sliced into his…behind. It wasn't something he showed people.

It was one of two times he should have never crossed paths with his sister. She did pound on him on regular, teasing, basis. But those two times where not one of those times. He learned from those two times very well. All future times he realized it was not a teasing voice or do-as-I-say mothering voice, he knew exactly what it meant if he stayed within his sister's warpath.

Giving the question some thought, Kuwabara yelled back to the house at sidewalk distance from it. "A what that's neither but still worth the what!"

"YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF FOR A WHAT THAT DOESN'T PERTAIN TO ME!!!"

Kuwabara shot off down the street. "NO! IT'S A WHAT THAT IS LEAVING YOU ALONE FOR THE NEXT WEEK!!"

"GOOD! A COWARD'S WHAT THAT BECOMES YOU!!"

Kuwabara continued his mad sprint around the corner; positive he was leaving dust in his wake. He wasn't about to turn and look.

He wasn't a coward. He didn't bring up anything that didn't need to be brought up. He definitely did not piss off his sister. He didn't do anything wrong.

Slowing down his pace, Kuwabara released a loud meaningless, "Grah!" He was not a coward. It was a tactical retreat. It was safer to piss off Hiei than his own sister.

He caught his breath back. Now where in the hell was he going to stay for the next week? Yusuke and his mother were in the midst of moving right now and Kurama wasn't really here, so it'd seem a bit odd to stay over at a friend's house if the said friend was not there. Kuwabara scratched the back of his neck. Of course there was the gang… But none had the room.


Shizuru turned back to the other occupant in her room, pinching one of their inside arm veins rather painfully. She was very much proud of her brother leaving, even if she did yell at him about being a coward. But she couldn't show a moment of weakness. Not when she was this pissed off.

A puff of smoke targeted the occupant's face easily.

Shizuru leaned over the other occupant; the other not having a life lesson that crossing her path was not something you did. Pity. Time to teach. She yanked the arm she held by a vein farther behind the owner's back, glaring at the back of their head.

The butt of her cigarette pushed slowly but surely down on the inside of the arm she held. Her grim set violence was rewarded with a howl of pain. Legs kicked harmlessly from under her, and any other power the occupant held was dismantled by her earlier.

"You are not killing my brother."

Gasping to get their breath back, the voice of the one being threatened yelled back. "Me sister is gone! I'll give my proper grief to your own sibling but I'll have no such feeling for Nekoyami!"

Shizuru raised her arm, dropping the burnt out cigarette to smack the back of the head below her, effectively sending it to the floor with a loud crack. Good, she thought adamantly, if not happy at the situation. Sounded like a nose broke. The only result of the injury seemed to be blood on the carpet and only a small hiss.

"It's been three weeks! I've had enough! Cat demons that high up—upmm!"

Shizuru pressed harder on the skull, pushing it determinedly to the floor. "I know very well. You are not killing my brother. Kazuma is under a powerful thread binding. Nekoyami is not an open threat with that. It gives us time to figure out if there is a way to break the Nine Lives and if not, Kazuma can live his own life even with the angry and very misguided conscience yelling at him now and then."

The head pressed against Shizuru's hold, snarling back one very valid point.

"Nekoyami broke it once before, he ain't gunna sit and twiddle his thumbs!"

A vein in Shizuru's head pulsed. She released her former hold to yank up on the long ears. There was an answering scream of pained anguish at Shizuru's tearing grip on the fleshy appendages. She always figured that was a sensitive spot to hit.

"I know! But you're not killing my brother Jin! Damn! Where is a hot poker when you need one!?" Shizuru yelled in frustration. "I should flay your ass with a damn hot poker and give REC-tal a whole new meaning for your ears!"

She yanked harder on the ears, rewarded with another scream.

All further actions of Shizuru's path being crossed cannot be mentioned due to how graphic and gut wrenching such an event is. Let the people say it was now understandable to Jin on why the younger Kuwabara feared (and rightly so) his elder sister.


"Well…I should probably start explaining," Kurama's voice broke the uncomfortable ten minutes of silence. "You really deserve to know…mother."

He raised his eyes up, head still lowered to the group standing before him. His eyes fell back down, his resolve dropping the second he saw his mother's eyes looking back.

The silence dragged for another minute before someone decided to invade Kurama's inner conflicts.

"Forget being old and wise. I'm going to give it to you straight," Shuichi stated. "Now, don't let simple childlike wisdom elude you. She is your mother. You are her child."

Kurama let out a chuckle, reaching up to ruffle his stepbrother's hair. "Thanks. I tend to think of the complications before that sort of logic."

Shuichi rolled his eyes, knocking the arm away.

Kurama then turned back to face his mother and his stepfather, Kazuya, standing next to her. "I am sorry about this whole affair."

"Affair?" Kazuya broke in. Shiori shushed him.

Kurama continued. "Yes, affair. I really must apologize on behalf of my former self."

Here Kurama paused before turning full attention to his mother.

"Yoko Kurama. A plant using, fox demon thief. No Shuichi Minamino, but my soul born to the body that bore the name. Taking the place of a human miscarriage to save my own skin."

Shuichi snorted at his father and stepmother's expressions.

"Dramatic enough?"

The pair continued to stare at the red head with confusion and shock.

"Oh right. Adults are weird like that," Shuichi stated. No one paid attention to the boy as Shuichi decided to contort his face and stick out his tongue at all of them. Shuichi sighed at being ignored. It ruined most fun.

Shiori reached out, knowing that if her son was flinching and staring at her hand with good reason. He could only be telling the truth. That wasn't her main concern though. Her son wasn't looking too good right now after that fight and now telling her the truth after years of hiding it. He had been protecting her from the violence and brutality side of his truth, as she had just been given an example of.

"Shuichi. Do you want to sit down? I can tell this is very important to you in having me understand. But you don't look too well and I believe you should sit down before worrying about me over your own health."

Her hand rested fully on his shoulder. Son looked stunned at his mother as most children do when they fully realize a mother's love cannot be measured. He smiled and knew with absolute certainty that he no longer felt the need to hide half of himself to her.

"Thank you, mother, thank you."

"I am your mother, the thanks were already there. Are you going to sit down? Your face seems rather pale," she looked at him concerned.

He let out a small laugh. "That may have something to do with these last three weeks. My head is feeling light."

"Don't say that so lightly," Shiori intoned. "You know I still worry. Now you are going to sit down, let me help you."

"Yes mother," Kurama said with a smile. He let his mother lead him inside.

"Don't worry dad. There's nothing to worry about really. He's about the coolest stepbrother I can get. Don't let him know I said that though," Shuichi informed his father.

"About?" Kazuya asked with a tone of worry.

"Yeah. The whole looking like a stepsister works against him."

Kazuya wasn't sure if laughing at his son's statement at that time was appropriate.


A girl whistled the tune of Colonel Boogey's March.

There was not much importance to this girl whistling Colonel Boogey's March as she wandered the less traveled streets of the busy city.

The importance to this girl was the parts surrounding her wandering.

She had passed a household earlier, barely giving notice to the female screaming inside.

"I know! But you're not killing my brother Jin! Damn! Where is a hot poker when you need one!? I should flay your ass with a damn hot poker and give REC-tal a whole new meaning for your ears!"

All she did was huff as she heard the screams following those words. She knew what it meant to be the eldest sister. But then, she also felt sorry for this Jin person and wonder why this Jin wanted the brother dead.

Sometime later, she came across an interesting looking boy who was sitting on a park bench muttering about not being a coward. She greeted him with a friendly hello, knowing he looked familiar. It wasn't until the next block she realized why he did. The boy had been at the Am Trans Apartments not even a month ago.

She had then decided a Dr Pepper would taste good and went inside a store that sold her brand of soda pop. The older lady in the checkout line before her was grumbling about a Kurama as she picked up her bags.

"The same one who has not been here the last three weeks?"

The lady turned to give the girl a nasty look.

"Hm, sorry. My friend Danielle has been worried about him not returning. And if she should tell his mother something if he doesn't return."

Here, the lady paused. "Ah, Dani. No. He's back."

"Oh good. It's one of the few times I've seen her worry so much. Thanks," she said to the check out guy before leaving.

"Perhaps the dimwit isn't so wrong about that," the lady muttered as the girl left.

She sipped her bottle of soda pop, the girl wandered the streets some more. Then she noticed a group of friends up ahead. "Hey!" She crowed out.

"Hey Stephanie! What are you doing in this area?"

The girl shrugged. "Felt like it. But hey, when I was buying my drink there was an older lady who was grumbling about a Kurama. He's back Dani."

Dani laughed. "We know. Ellie thinks she was dreaming. I made this really awesome dirt clod fly at—! And Kurama's wicked cool plant thing exploded from it to hit the demonic guy!"

"Good thing too," the boy with the group said. "Shura is under enough stress right now, but he'll be fine. That feller worries too much."

"Isn't it good he worries about his family Jets?" Dani asked.

Jets made a face. "Worrying about family members is too stressful. I'd rather stay the black sheep and love the people I choose."

"But you can't," Stephanie broke in.

Jets huffed slightly. "Yeah. Can't you get rid of your weird sense of observing?"

"Nope," Stephanie answered easily. "Can't you be the man and help Ellie back to the apartment?"

"Aren't you the farm girl honey?" Jets complained lightly as he lifted the sleeping Ellie to his shoulders.

"Farmer's daughter," rang out both Dani and Stephanie's voices in unison.

The trio walked down the sidewalk, Jets shifting the girl in his hold.

"Hey," Stephanie started. "Ever get the feeling that someone is being forgotten by everyone else?"

Dani thought about it. "Yeah, been that someone too a few times."

"No. A feeling that they are important and shouldn't be forgotten, but you have never met them, you just know everyone else who did have forgotten."

"What are you talking about?" Dani asked for proper explanation.

Stephanie waved a hand, choosing to take another sip of Dr Pepper. "Well, going to happen technically, but never mind. It'd make a great storyline though."

Jets and Dani merely looked at each other at Stephanie's remarks, then to the girl. "Weird-o."

Stephanie's face brightened. "Thanks!" With that, the girl began whistling Colonel Boogey's March once again as she skipped ahead of Jets and Dani.


"You okay Kurama?" Shuichi asked as he entered the room.

"Shiori seems to understand the whole thing better talking it over with dad in the bedroom. You don't have any reason to worry. Shiori's about the nicest one my dad has meet and the only one I liked because of her openness. I don't see why you're half freaked out."

"I didn't want to tell her this way."

Kurama's fingers clenched tighter around the backpack at his feet. "Even though I was going to tell her before this," his other hand waved in the air to accentuate the word. "It feels too weird, too perfect, too much suiting my highest hopes on how she would take it. I don't feel right about something, I'm not sure what. It feels…surreal."

Shuichi plopped down on the bed beside Kurama. "Your mom is what is surreal. You tell her you used to be a thief and she laughs about you as a toddler snitching her jewelry to hoard it in your baby booties."

Kurama scowled at Shuichi's enjoyment of that particular moment of his life. "Just because I had the past of a demon, doesn't mean I was physically different from any other human toddler."

Shuichi shook his head, poking Kurama good naturedly. "Mentally different." He threw himself backwards, staring up at the ceiling. Kurama sat and kept hold of his backpack, eye on the door.

"Hey," Shuichi started.

Kurama waited for a moment and then turned to eye his stepbrother. Shuichi continued to stare at the ceiling.

"If I stop giving you crap about fan girls and appearing too girly…would you stay? It's just," Shuichi tacked on hurriedly. "Shiori's health and happiness has always been important to my dad and me. She's nice. And I don't want…"

Shuichi frowned, failing to notice Kurama's shocked face.

"I don't want her to be hurt by her own son," Shuichi stated with sudden certainty.

The younger boy sat up to glare at Kurama. "You don't see Shiori whenever you're gone. You don't have to hear the worry in her voice when she looks at a clock. You don't have to be coming home after school to see her first aid kit disappearing back into the closet. You don't hear her wonder questions of bullies on you since you seem to be hiding you're in pain. I'm the one who gets to see her being hurt and want to hurt you for it. But then I see you do the exact same thing and can never manage to figure out how to fix you two."

"I'm sorry," was all Kurama could say to Shuichi's rant.

Shuichi sighed. "I know."

"There is no worse pain than seeing a mother cry for a child," Kurama quipped. "Perhaps from the difference of worlds, I didn't see the truth in Yusuke's words before."

Shuichi stared blankly at Kurama. "Huh?"

"When mother was in the hospital, I stole an old artifact from Spirit World in desperation. Neither the doctors nor I could find anything to save her. With that artifact, I made a wish to be granted; health and happiness for her."

Shuichi made an "oh" of understanding. "So that's how Shiori had her miracle."

Kurama shook his head. "Not exactly. Yususke interrupted, pissed off at my choice."

Shuichi gapped. "What? Why would he be pissed off at saving your own mother?! If Shiori wasn't still here, happily married to my dad, I think I'd punch him for risking our family!"

"Yusuke actually saved our family."

Shuichi became confused. "But he stopped you from saving Shiori."

Kurama turned away from his confused stepbrother. "No. Yusuke saved two people that day. I almost killed one. It's not an action I wish to announce and parade about."

"You had to kill someone to make the wish come true?!" Shuichi said incredulous.

"Something like that," Kurama replied uneasily.

Noticing and understanding at least the tone in his stepbrother's voice, Shuichi let the subject drop. He had to get Kurama feeling better, not worse! He came in to reassure his stepbrother, not depress him. There must be something he could do… Wait, Yusuke had asked Shuichi about this not even two days ago and it was perfect material for getting a good rise from Kurama if true!

"So Kurama," Shuichi started mischievously. "Have you found a girlfriend despite your lack of boyfriend appeal?"

Kurama blinked. Now he was the stepbrother confused. Why would Shuichi tease him about finding a girlfriend? "I thought you wouldn't give me crap about my looks or fan girls."

Shuichi grinned at his clueless stepbrother. "Don't divert the topic. You know who I'm talking about."

"I'm not diverting the topic Shuichi. And you are forgetting I try to avoid fan girls who are "in love" with me."

"Oh no, she's the complete opposite of a fan girl."

Kurama blinked and then understood. "Oh, Danielle."

"Yeap! Dani!" Shuichi grinned. "Your face lit up thinking about her. Don't think I missed it Kurama."

Kurama scowled. "Only because I figured out whom you were talking about. I don't plan on pursuing anything farther than friendship with Danielle."

Shuichi snorted. "Yeah, right." He was defensive on the topic. Yusuke could be right in his theory, Shuichi thought.

Kurama sighed and shook his head at the younger boy.

"You should kiss her," Shuichi informed the elder impishly. "Muah, muah, muah! And then—AH!"

Kurama had grabbed Shuichi into a headlock, giving the impish preteen a thorough noogie attack. Laughing, Kurama teased the helpless boy under his hold. Shuichi struggled, laughing at Kurama's reaction to his teasing.


Kick.

Kick.

Kick.

The small boy paused slightly, and then raised his foot back.

Kick!

With a heavy sigh, he chased after the four soccer balls he had just kicked. This boy really enjoyed playing soccer, truly he did. But today, his heart just wasn't into it. He was in the top league for boys his age, one of the youngest ever in the category. It was something he held with relish and pride, enjoying every time he saw how far he had improved.

Heck, it was even his birth—Kick!—day.

But that was part of the problem. He remembered all too well last year's birthday.

"I want him back!" He kicked the soccer ball in anger.

He couldn't very well go up to the person in question. His mother still thought that impossible.

Kick.

She didn't know anything.

Maybe if…

Taking aim, the small boy positioned the last soccer ball just so, stepping back to eye to top of the fence. The fence that separated him from the busy street that he had first met the person he wanted back. Maybe it would work. Taking a hasty moment to glance about the empty grass, the boy hurriedly took his striding steps to the soccer ball. He reared one glowing black foot for the moment of truth…

KICK!

"GAH!"

The small boy's face lit up as he raced to the gate, looking to see just some tall teenage boy. His face fell. "Sorry," he grumped out. "It didn't work."

"You should watch where you're kicking that soccer ball," the teenage boy said in a nasally sort of voice. The soccer ball was handed back as the small boy's face winced in noticing the soccer ball had hit the teenager square on the nose. "This street is dangerous. I know Yusuke was nearly killed on this street… Huh, I guess it was a year ago."

The small boy's face suddenly brightened. "You know him!?"

The teenage boy blinked. "Shouldn't I ask how come a little boy like you seems to like him? He ain't very nice to kids. Well, I guess he is now after Mikko left. Seems to get along quite well with Sota."

The small boy scowled. "Sota? Why does this boy think he can take my place?"

"Uh… Look kid, I know Yusuke and he never exactly mentioned you."

The small boy snorted. "That's because my mom thinks he's 'sleeping' still."

"Huh?"

"Doesn't matter. It seems like if this Mikko never came along, he'd never even think about putting a kid in my place. He's my funny man. Got that mister?"

The teenager scowled at the attitude of the boy. "Look, my name is Kuwabara and I think you have the wrong Yusuke."

"Titch! Says you," the small boy intoned. He turned away from Kuwabara. "I'm going to make sure this Mikko never cost me my funny man. Masaru is the boy he's nice to. Not this Sota character."

Kuwabara blinked as the gate slammed shut. "Masaru huh?" He snorted. "Damn cocky kid." He blinked again, staring at the wooden gate. He squinted and reached out to touch it. "Ow! What the—!"

He blinked once more, noticing that the entire area was spitting and sputtering out thin black spirit energy. He frowned. "Well, that's a random pattern." The black spirit energy suddenly burst out, dots of it shooting up into the sky, several spewing off in different directions about the city. Then one shot for Kuwabara.

"Gah'!"

With a startling reaction, he realized something.

"Why aren't I at Yukina's birthday picnic!?!"

Masaru smiled from inside the wooden fence as he heard the teen run off. "Goodbye Sota," he relished. He went back to kicking his four soccer balls. He then snickered. "Sota didn't have any chance with me being Chaos. I may be chained to follow my mother's rules because of that stupid limitation on my age, but I can certainly work around them."

Pleased with his birthday at last, Masaru kicked another soccer ball into the net with a pleased grin. However, not even he as Chaos could completely control his powers. He had no idea that he had completely erased all memories of Mikko. Even if he did, the young boy wouldn't realize the damage he had just done to his 'funny man' and friends.


Silverwing013: Note Stephanie's random weirdness and what Chaos manages to do. Mikko Songs…forgotten by all. Well…that statement could be a stretch…

Lathya: I know you made the promise to review sooner such a long time ago and must highly apologize as I took later in my own chapter update. (Read above and very involved paragraph) Thank you so much for reviewing in the past, even if I was very late in the update.

Time on my Hands: Thanks for that. It is nice to see that people still are looking at my old things even after me not updating these for so long. I am trying to fix that as I've 'come back from the dead' so to say. My writing style in this one is old, but hopefully I can keep working at this story and have my updated writing style in the next update. I was not really offended by the lack of reviews, but rather began to doubt myself (something I do very frequently I'm sorry to say) and my writing style had changed. So I took a break, looked back at this above chapter, couldn't stand how it was written but had no idea how to change it. It was untouched then for quite some time as for my fanfiction account until I said to myself enough was enough. Going back to this old story is still difficult as I read it and shake my head at it. Like I said—lots of self doubt in this one. The lack of reviews caused my self doubt to rear its ugly head. So not offended, but… Anyway, I left my writing style alone in this chapter and will continue to just keep writing the story as my writing style changes and try not to go back and doubt how it is written. Ah. Sorry on the long type. But thank you, thank you.

Silverwing013: It's good to be back on this. Apologies once again to everyone. I will try around my life to work on this story more often. Coming soon (within a year I swear!) a very confused Jin and a very confused everyone really. Hiei has his head on straight though, because he's leaving. Ah ha! But this is good news for his dear sister, do not fret but wait to find out next time on…The Forbidden Past!