The sun has yet to rise as Yukina summons her companions to the kitchen for breakfast. First she wakes her human companions, knowing Kurama and Hiei will be much easier to wake. After several pleas and threats the ice maiden is finally able to rouse the former spirit detective by dumping a bucket of ice over him. A simple threat of similar treatment is all that is needed to coax the carrot top from his room. Awake but bleary eyed, Yuske and Kuwubara drag themselves to the table at the far end of the kitchen, and begin mechanically shoveling food into their mouths. Satisfied the ice maiden exits the temple in search of Hiei; she knows he's more likely outside than in.

Kurama leans against the counter sipping his tea as Yukina reenters the kitchen, leaving the door ajar for the fire demon. Though awake, he's wrapped himself in a large comforter to ward off the cold autumn morning. Ivory sleeves peak out from under the blanket as the red head shifts the cup to his mouth and takes a slow pull from the steaming contents. She greets the fox with a smile, grateful he's saved her the trouble of fetching him. The red head nods politely in return before refocusing on the tea he's nursing. Turning to the bento she's prepared the ice maiden places the finishing touches in each before closing them up and placing the owner's name on the lids. By the time she's finished the small task Hiei is standing just inside the doorway, frost from the morning chill coats the tips of his hair and the hem of his cloak.

"Hiei, there you are! I gathered some human clothes for you, if you'd like them." Yukina states as she smiles sweetly at the koorime. Unable to verbally rebuke the kind demoness, Hiei simply wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. The ice maiden shrugs her shoulders, causing her long hair to sway slightly and fall down her back. Kuwubara slurps at his breakfast to disguise the drool gathering in his mouth at the sheer beauty of her. Her mint colored hair contrasts sharply with the black turtleneck dress she wears. The garment is cinched at the waist with a maroon belt; matching boots cover her calves and knees allowing for only the tiniest bit of skin to show. The carrot top's eyes follow the ice apparition as she seemingly floats about the kitchen, a rather obvious blush spreading across his face as he imagines her skirt shifting just a few inches higher.

Yukina ducks out of the kitchen momentarily to catch her breath, she feels better this morning but continually flaring her energy throughout the night didn't allow the ice apparition to sleep, instead she opted to meditate in a restful and aware state until she was to rise in the morning. She glances up and down the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when she doesn't see her young guest. It's a little odd though, I thought I would have seen or heard her by now. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't look a horse's gift in the mouth…or however that saying goes. Taking a deep breath Yukina plasters a smile on before returning to the kitchen to shoo the boys on their way.

Having finally ridded herself of her friends for the day, with promises supper will be ready upon their return, Yukina allows her energy to dwindle down to almost nonexistent. Her arms stretch above her head as the ice maiden stretches in relief. She hums contentedly to herself as she sets about cleaning the remaining breakfast dishes. I need to run into town today, the temple needs some groceries. I do need to talk to Rumiko though, I guess I could do that after; the guys won't be home until late this evening…

Mae jolts awake, panting, eyes darting to take in her surroundings. Panicking, she rises and begins to pace. She wrings her hands with each step, uncaring that her carefully maintained make up will smear. Deep breathes, she tells herself, trying to back away from the mental ledge she teeters on. The sound of the waves crashing violently upon the rocky cliffs surrounding the beach draws her attention, allowing her panic to momentarily subside. Her breath comes in puffs due to the cold wind from the oncoming storm evident by the rough waters. I should try to get back, I really don't want to get caught here during an autumn storm; besides it should be fairly close to dawn, not that the sun will be coming out today… As if to confirm her suspicions raindrops begin to patter onto the sand, within seconds the soft rainfall becomes a downpour. Mae quickly gathers her things silently cursing the rain for stealing the warmth of her fire and heads into the forest, determined to find her way back to the temple before she's missed.

Despite her early start Mae is no closer to the temple than she was hours ago. At least I think it's been hours, the sun still hasn't come out and even if it did I don't think I'd be able to see it through the trees. Rain filters through the foliage, landing on the surrounding terrain with soft plinks and hollow plops. Thunder rumbles through the clouds above, causing some of the smaller trees to tremble as if afraid of the sound. With a small sigh and a glare towards the sky she continues on her way and manages to stumble over yet another log, probably the fifth one since starting her trek. The lack of light due to the storm and having had to sleep in her contacts wasn't helping her vision at all. I really thought this was the way I came. At this rate I'll be lucky to make it back to the temple at all. Mae was beginning to grow frustrated; it feels as though she's walking in circles even though she hasn't changed direction once. She swears the forest is messing with her, if that were at all possible.

"Fucking hell!" She shouts as her feet go out from under her, bag sliding away and down the hill she has been trying to navigate. Instantly she claps her hands over her mouth and looks around, but there's no one there to hear. It has been so long since she'd spoken that she's almost forgotten what her voice sounds like. Silently she berates herself for cursing; the nuns at the halfway house would've had her hide for talking like that. Mother Mary forgive me she prays silently out of habit, more for breaking her vow of silence than the curse that had left her mouth.

Mae sits up brushing the leaves and dirt from her hands, past the point of trying to save her make up. She's resigned herself to planning to sneak back into the temple so her hostess won't question her further; with a sigh she looks around for her bag spotting it a few feet down the hill, caught on a sapling. Swiping her hair out of her face she makes her way down the steep incline. Her mind begins to wander back to the first time she'd found out about her curse, the cause for her vow of silence.

"Mae, come here." Mother Prior said gently sitting on the edge of the small bed in a row of beds and pulling the twelve year old into her arms. The child's white hair floats in a tangled mess around her head, reminding the nun of a dandelion. The girl has buried her face in her knees and is hugging herself tightly as snot and tears run down her face in a salty mess.

"Just leave me alone," Mae sobbed, swiping at her nose in anger. "I'm a monster."

"Now why would you say that?" Mother Prior asked, wiping the tears from Mae's cheeks gently.

"Because" she sniffled, "I make people do things. I make them do things and I don't mean to, honest!"

The child once again dissolved into hysterical sobs, but didn't pull away from the comforting figure. The elderly nun sighed, petting the girl's hair "like what?"

"I- I told Billy Joel…I didn't mean to! He just pushed me and it made me so mad!" Twelve year old Mae explained, her little hands balled into fists. Her face was red and tears still leaked from the corners of her eyes, but at least she was sharing the blame at this point the Mother consoles herself.

"And?"

"And I told him to eat shit" she finished, her voice soft. "And he did! Someone didn't pick up the dog poo and it was sitting there and- and he just ate it!"

Mother Prior looked shocked, but believed all gifts, no matter how strange, were from God and was to be looked upon as blessings. Still, she put a hand over her mouth to hide a bemused smirk. Billy Joel was a terrible child and cruel to the other children, maybe this would serve as a lesson.

"I see" the nun said, knowing that Mae would have to suffer the consequences of her actions. "Well Mae, this is why God tells us to only speak kind words. Understand?"

The little girl nodded, blue eyes still shining from unshed tears.

"Good now come to supper." Mother Prior rose to lead the girl from the room; her punishment could wait until after the evening meal she decides.

A twig snapping brings Mae back to the present. The forest had grown darker since she had last noticed. I've been wandering around all day! She realizes feeling a sense of dread overcome her; she looks around, her breath catching in her throat when she spots a pair of glowing eyes looking back at her.

Yukina makes her way up the path leading to the temple, carting two nearly overflowing bags of groceries with her. Upon entering the kitchen she hefts the over full paper bags onto the counter and summons the energy to place the items in their proper homes. Her energy has begun to return to normal levels, but she still feels exhausted after covering her guest's energy with her own for so long. I will definitely be taking a nap after I talk to Rumiko, the ice apparition decides, there should be plenty of time after sending her off to put supper on… Now where is she? Yukina makes her way toward the far room, peeking in the larger areas to check for the girl. Having arrived at the room Yukina raps lightly on the frame before poking her head in.

"Rumiko? Rumiko are you here?" The ice maiden stepped into the room, glancing at the copious amounts of makeup piled on the writing desk. A small frown creased her features as she realized her guest hadn't been back to the temple since the previous night. Her scent was stale within the room and only a single set of worn clothes rested in the corner, indicating they were dirty. Becoming increasingly worried Yukina made her way back to the kitchen. I'll have to tell the guys when they get home….Hiei's going to be furious, not that the others will be especially happy with me…

It was late into the evening when Yuske and Kuwubara returned, practically dragging themselves to the dinner table before flopping down exhausted. They'd been through this town and two others during the day, searching for strange energy signatures and hanging posters with the girl's picture on it. Yuske sighed as he stretched, his joints popping. Granted it was only the first day, but he'd been hoping they would find the girl almost immediately and close the case quickly. Hiei stormed into the dining room, glaring at the carrot top who returned his hot gaze evenly. After a moment the fox demon joined the three looking equally worn and frustrated by their futile search.

"No luck?" Kuwubara asked shifting his gaze.

"What gave that away" Hiei snapped stomping past them, not even bothering to look at the meal Yukina had prepared for them slouching in the window.

"What's his problem?" The carrot top muttered resting his head on the table once more.

"Ah, you know…" Kurama trailed off, tilting his head to the side. "Do either of you sense that?"

"Sense what?" Yuske asked with a yawn, stretching until his joints popped.

"Yeah, I just can't figure out what it is." Kuwubara muttered scratching the back of his head with one large hand, sitting up to stretch.

"Oh there you are!" Yukina exclaimed carrying the last dish into the dining area. She hadn't been sure when to expect the return of her companions so she'd prepared dinner to be ready just after dark, thankfully her guess was correct and the food was still hot. She took a breath, preparing to explain herself to her friends before too many questions could be asked. The demoness had refrained from flaring her energy during the day in hopes that the guys would be able to begin sensing her missing guest.

"Yes here I am sweet Yukina!" Kuwubara boasted, earning a withering glare from the small fire demon. Yukina chuckles, setting the remaining serving dish on the table with a blush. She tucks a stray hair away and folds her hands in her lap; staring at the table where she is seated, trying to gather the courage to admit her mistake to the people she holds dearest. Kurama's eyes narrow ever so slightly, he can barely feel the ice maiden's energy in comparison to the levels it was at the day before. He laces his fingers together, looking pointedly at their hostess.

"Yukina…" he begins, unwilling to outright accuse her with Hiei in the room. Instead he changes his posture, resting his chin on his hands and relaxing his shoulders to appear less threatening and more receptive. "Is everything alright?"

"Honestly? No," She begins, dropping her candy colored eyes even further to escape the shame she feels at her secret. The energy in the room rises at her simple comment; Yuske and Kuwubara are suddenly tense and alert while Hiei rests his hand on the hilt of his katana, energy scanning the surrounding area for threats. "I've made a terrible mistake… I allowed a visitor-"

"You what!" The carrot top shouts, the question nonexistent in his rage. He has pushed himself from the table, his spirit energy swirling dangerously around his hand in preparation to form his trademark sword. "I swear if the bastard laid one finger-"

"Calm yourself Kuwubara." The fox interjects, though his eyes are locked on Hiei whose fury dwarfs their human friend's. As if knowing the message is also meant for him the fire demon swallows the growl building in his throat and resumes his seat on the windowsill. "Yukina, why would you allow someone to stay at the temple? Furthermore why would you keep something like that from us until now?"

"I knew you wouldn't approve." She sighs, slumping in defeat. "It was a human girl, but there was something odd about her…"

"So not only do you allow a stranger into the temple, but there is something odd about her!" Hiei spits, causing the ice maiden to flinch. His eyes have narrowed to slits and his weapon is half drawn, it is apparent the small demon is ready to kill the intruder. Kurama rubs his temples wearily, "If you would just allow her to finish-"

"Yeah shorty don't you know it's rude to interrupt people!" Kuwubara growls, and turns his frustration to the fire demon.

"Please!" Yukina exclaims, rising to her feet. The men turn back to face her, tension still high though they are no longer at each other's throats. "I know it was a mistake, but please allow me to explain. This girl, Rumiko, she asked to stay here. I don't know why, maybe I was curious, maybe I felt bad for her, but I let her stay. I placed her in Genkai's old room. It was only supposed to be for a few days, I thought you'd never know. She's human, I thought it would be harmless, but now she's missing… I think she may have wandered off into the forest, and- and I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me."

"Yukina…" Kurama starts, this is beyond complicated. "Have you done something like this before?"

"No, this is the first time." She sighs, reclaiming her seat. They sit in silence, the four shocked that the gentle demoness would go behind their backs in such a manner.

"It's not your fault if the human gets eaten." Hiei's voice cuts through the air like a knife. The ice maiden's head snaps up, her eyes locking on his.

"How dare you." She growls, "After all Genkai did for me, for all of us. You'd think you of all people would understand giving shelter to a helpless child. Shame on you Hiei, of course it's my fault, I shouldn't have hidden her presence from you that much is true. But it is my fault if something happens to her, she's my responsibility, ever since she stepped on the property she's been my responsibility. If you won't help me look for her then I'll go myself!"

At the conclusion of her speech the fire demon let a low growl resonate through the room before flitting away. Yukina huffed, crossing her arms and refusing to look at the now empty window. The remaining three exchange glances before rising to follow their companion on the search. Yuske, who's been surprisingly quiet through the whole ordeal stops in the doorway. "Just to be clear Yukina, we're doing this for you, not her- as far as this stranger's concerned I'm with Hiei."

"Yuske!" Kurama scolds before turning back to Yukina. "To clarify, what does this girl look like? Not that I expect there to be many human girls wandering around Genkai's enchanted forest."

"Oh, um, she's relatively short; medium length dark hair, dark eyes… nothing really stood out about her." The demoness pauses, tapping her chin with a single elegant finger. "Except her energy, it seemed to be human, but something was off about it, I can't really place it though. That's all."

"I see." Was her only response as her friends disappeared into the night, Kurama pausing just within her line of sight. "You should stay here in case she returns on her own."

The small fire demon flits through the trees grumbling to himself about foolish ice maidens and manipulative siblings when he spotted her. He drops to the ground, a twig snapping beneath his boots. The girl's head snaps up, eyes wide. He can only just make her out in the dim moonlight filtering through the trees. From what he can see she's nothing special. There's literally nothing interesting about her, she's just a normal, stupid human girl. How typical Hiei smirks humans never pay attention to their surroundings. This could be fun. He chuckles darkly deciding to make a game of catching her, scaring the young girl would be the most fun he's had in weeks. Plus she won't be hard to subdue, like hunting a mouse he says to himself. She looks around wildly paling when her eyes meet his. Smirking to himself he steps into a gap in the foliage, allowing the starlight to illuminate him. The fire demon makes a truly terrifying picture. Blood red eyes the only discernable feature, his hair casting his face in shadow and his cloak obscuring the rest of him; Hiei looks like something out of a nightmare. Mae steps back crossing herself. She could feel herself shaking like a tree in a hurricane, she wasn't sure what it was, but something about this man felt wrong.

He took another step toward her, his eyes narrowing. What the hell is she doing with her hands. Mae gasps; his eyes were glowing in the dim light. Without further thought she did the only thing she could, she ran. Hiei growled, of course she would run. They dodge around trees and boulders, the girl is faster than Hiei expects, not that he has any trouble keeping up with her; then just as he's sure he has her, the girl ducks his grasp and sprints away. The game no longer amusing him the fire demon catches up to his prey with little effort and grabs the strap of the bag she was carrying. Mae shrugs it off and runs harder leaping over large rocks and exposed roots. Hiei growls again becoming annoyed at the girl's determination to get away from him. The threatening sound echoes in the night air, a predator closing in on its prey. Mae feels hands on her and spins out of his grip, there is a clearing just ahead, If I can get across the clearing maybe I can lose him. The fire demon scowls; he was done with this game. He snatches her up at the tree line, one arm around her waist and the other holding his katana to her neck.

"Struggle and I'll slit your throat." He snarls into her ear, the moonlight glinting off the edge of his weapon. She's smaller than Yukina he notices, surprised; the demoness was small by demon standards, though she did range at average human height. Mae stills instantly and allows herself to go limp in his arm, ignoring the press of steel against her throat. Hiei sheathes his sword disgusted at her sudden surrender. "Pathetic."

As soon as his grip loosens Mae jerks away with all her strength and she almost breaks free too, but Hiei is too fast and too strong. Her shirt shifts during their brief struggle, exposing part of her stomach; as the fire demon's grip tightens his hand brushes her bare hip. He's shocked at the girl's actions, but that shock quickly turns to anger how dare she! How dare she think she could over power and outsmart me! Without thinking he rips off the cloth covering his Jagan and forces his way into her head, intent on causing as much pain as possible. He meets an invisible barrier in the girl's mind, unable to fully enter Hiei settles for pounding against the mental barrier with all his strength, a satisfied smirk playing across his lips as the barrier begins to fracture. Mae's eyes glaze over, she didn't know what was happening; all she can focus on is the pain, the extreme, excruciating, white hot, blinding pain. A voice pierces the air, ringing through the pain clear as a bell and bringing it to a dizzying halt. Mae shivers at the sudden absence of the presence in her head, she feels feverish and the cool night air chills her to the bone.

"Hiei" the fox demon stands across the clearing, arms crossed. "I see you found her."

The Jaganshi's eyes met Kurama's emerald. Hiei looked dangerous, sword half drawn and fangs bared an angry snarl distorting his face. The girl hangs limply in his grasp, if it wasn't for her fluttering heart beat and gasping breaths the fox would have assumed her dead. The fire demon blinked once, twice, his face returning to its usual neutral frown. He drops the girl, allowing her to crumple to the ground in a shuddering heap and steps back. What had come over him?

Mae lies in the grass; her vision was too clouded to make out what was going on around her. She blinks in an attempt to clear it; there was someone else in the clearing-someone that could help her! Help me she signs desperately, her hands shaking hard enough the fox was having trouble understanding her frantic movements. Please help me. Kurama looks at her curious, not many people in Japan can sign or even know sign language exists; the fact that this girl is silent in light of her trauma and signing for help intrigues him greatly.

"Hiei" he states dangerously. "What did you do?"

The smaller demon doesn't answer, only glaring at his companion, daring him to do anything. His eyes snapped down as Mae struggles to stand. Only his eyes follow her as she takes three staggering steps before her legs collapse out from under her. Kurama glances at Hiei, who can't hold his emerald gaze, the red head strides across the clearing stopping a few feet from the girl. She must be who Yukina had been hosting: dark mid length hair, and short stature paired with her human energy are all confirmations of this, though Kurama isn't close enough to see her eyes. He notes how easily it would be to pass by her and not notice the girl; sparing Hiei one final look he approaches the girl slowly. The fox periodically glimpses at the fire demon to make sure he isn't going to change his mind about the fox's interference. Something about her had pissed the fire demon off, more than humans usually did, and this alone gives Kurama reason to be cautious.

Mae manages to regain her feet and was holding her arms out for balance. Her ears are ringing and she still can't see; tears fill her eyes as terror begins to set in, but she blinked them away not willing to give her attacker the satisfaction of seeing her cry. I can't go back, I can't…She hates these stupid contacts, but with others here she couldn't risk letting them see her real eye color, if they aren't sure who she is seeing their true cobalt color will definitely assure her identity. Mae manages to take another step, ignoring the hair in her face. One more step. She'd lost her shoes running through the forest; she could feel the damp of the ground on her feet. One more step. She'd sprained something, probably when she'd been grabbed; gritting her teeth she ignores it. One more step.

Mae felt hands on her and every muscle in her small body tenses. The gentle hands remove themselves momentarily before reappearing; Kurama moves his hands to support her, careful not to startle the jumpy girl. The fox pauses as he feels a jolt run through him, for some inexplicable reason he felt a sudden animosity toward the girl. Kurama shudders, fighting the urge to let his plants tear her to pieces. Mae feels his hands stiffen around her biceps, where previously she was being supported; it now felt like she was going to be restrained once more. He notices she's trembling under his touch and pushes the strange feeling away, "Shhh, I'm not going to hurt you. Let's get you back to the temple. Yukina is worried sick about you."

Yukina she signs weakly. Is she mute? Kurama wonders, once again noting the oddness of her lack of speech but thankful he knew a bit of sign language. "Yes, Yukina, would you like me to carry you?"

Mae tenses further and shook her head, but after a moment nods knowing she'll never make it back to the temple shoeless and unable to see. Kurama moves to pick her up and she collapses into his arms exhausted, no longer caring if these are her captors. It's too late to escape anyways. The red head raises himself to his full height, holding her like a small child. Her arms are draped over his shoulders and her face rests against his neck, her breath coming in even, but shallow puffs. One of his strong arms supported her legs which hang limply around his waist, the other supports her back to make sure she didn't accidently fall backwards. He feels the strange anger fade away; curious, he thought, I'll definitely have to do some research about this.

Hiei had watched her stumble away from him. I don't understand; how could I lose control like that? He plays the events of the last few minutes over in his mind, watching himself attack the helpless girl over and over. He made no move to help or stop Kurama as he approached the girl. A sense of disgust begins to fill the smaller demon, never before has he attacked such a defenseless creature with no reason; even in his years wandering he'd only chosen opponents who he felt could handle themselves in a fight. Even now, as the fox cradles the child, she's only a child, the fire demon realizes, and turns to face the smaller demon the red head's eyes are cold and his face stoic.

"You coming Hiei?" Kurama asks, narrowing his eyes at his companion's indifference. The fire demon ignores the glare, keeping his face carefully neutral and follows them back to the temple where the others were waiting.

"Put her down here." Yukina instructs, gesturing to a couch in the large entertainment room. Kurama nods and gently places the girl on the couch careful not to disturb her; the girl had fallen asleep on the short hike back, and Kurama was beginning to understand why the ice maiden had allowed the girl to stay, though he still didn't trust the girl. After placing her on the couch and pulling a throw blanket over her delicate form the fox straightens and turns to his companions. "There are some things we need to discuss."

"I agree." The detective states, crossing his arms "I felt Hiei's energy flare out there, what happened? Did she attack you guys?"

"No" the red head replies, his eyes sliding across to meet the smaller demon's. "Unless there was something I missed?"

Hiei glares at his companions, refusing to look at the girl in question. He can feel the weight of their stares all but crushing him. The fox steps forward, less accusing than before, but Hiei steps back his boot making contact with the wall. Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer he grinds out "I don't owe any of you an explanation."

"Hiei, what happened?" Yukina inquires, tears threatening to fall. More ashamed now than before, the fire demon decides to offer an explanation. "I found her wandering around; when she saw me the stupid girl ran. I caught her easily… and used my Jagan to subdue her."

"You what?" Kuwubara shouts, grabbing the smaller demon by his cloak. Hiei's eyes narrow dangerously as he bats the carrot top's hands away. "I don't stutter, oaf."

"Kuwubara, back off," Yuske says, pulling the large man away and effectively backing the fire demon into a corner. Hiei bears his fangs, taking a defensive stance at being cornered. His eyes are dangerous now, his demonic energy swirls through the air menacingly. Before more accusations can be uttered a groan draws the group's attention. Their guest pushes herself to a half seated position, her hair falling across her face and obscuring her features. Yukina kneels by the couch, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder to gain her attention.

"Rumiko… Rumiko are you alright?" The demoness asks gently, her face filled with concern for a girl she barely knows. The ice maiden notices the tears and snags in the girl's shirt, revealing paper white skin beneath. Her hands and face are paler than I remember, why would she go through so much trouble to hide the color of her skin? Yukina frowns; this girl is turning out to be a lot more trouble than the ice maiden had originally bargained for. The girl shivers in her damp clothing, pulling the throw blanket up to cover herself once more. "You're safe now. We're at the temple…"

Yukina trails off, noticing the girl doesn't seem to be reacting to what she's being told. Mae blinks slowly, trying desperately to clear her vision. She knows her make up is a mess, and is sure she'll be discovered if she looks up. "Rumiko?"

Kurama kneels next to the ice maiden, Yuske and Kuwubara gathering behind them leaving Hiei across the room. Kuwubara glares at the smaller demon, daring him to join the group; as far as the carrot top is concerned their guest's state is entirely the fault of the Jaganshi. Kurama offers his companions a reassuring smile, though the action seems strained, before turning to speak to the strange girl. "Rumiko, isn't it? My name is Kurama; I'm the one who brought you back to the temple. Rumiko, can you hear me?"

At the red head's final question she nods, allowing more of her hair to fall over her face further obscuring her features. Kurama sighs wearily. "There's no need to be frightened. We aren't going to hurt you-"

"Yeah, kiddo, you got nothing to worry about!" Yuske interjects, slapping her back playfully. A large rip in her shirt allows his hand to brush her bare back, earning a shudder from both parties. Yuske jerks his hand away, his claws threatening to lengthen as he fights reverting to his demonic form. Rage threatens to consume the detective as the fox rises and physically pulls the dark haired man away from the couch. Yukina and Kuwubara watch, eyes wide, as Yuske takes deep shuddering breaths in order to regain control. Once composed a low, threatening growl rips itself from his chest. "What the hell was that?"

Hiei's crimson eyes snap to the group gathered around the couch. So it's her…but what exactly is it? Deciding to risk using his Jagan once more the fire demon attempts to enter the girl's mind, but finds himself once again blocked by a seemingly invisible barrier. Deciding stealth is the best option he retreats to his own mind only to catch the fox casting a questioning glance his way to which the fire demon shakes his head. At the Jaganshi's response Kurama's mouth sets into a stern line, "Yukina, perhaps Yuske could help you make some tea?"

The spirit detective knows the suggestion is a ploy to remove him from the room, but doesn't argue as he is ushered away. The ice maiden pauses in the doorway, her crimson eyes filled with concern. "I'll bring a rag to clean her up as well."

This earns a nod from the fox as he returns to the couch, pulling the coffee table closer in order to sit on it. Giving the girl no warning he grasps her chin, forcing her to face him. Startled she thrashes violently, her nails ripping at his hand and wrist leaving small scratches and cuts behind. "Kuwubara go call Koenma."

The firm tone of the fox's voice leaves no room for argument. As the carrot top rises to call the spirit prince he winces at the rough treatment of the girl when Kurama slaps her hands away, tightening his grip on her jaw. Though his code of honor pushes him to say something about the rough treatment the large man's worry for his friends outweighs his concern for the stranger seated on their couch. Once Kuwubara is gone the fox jerks the girl's head so she would be looking directly into his eyes. His brow furrows when her eyes refuse to focus, his frown deepening upon noticing the costume contacts she's wearing. Muttering he expertly removes the offending lenses, "What exactly are you hiding from? Why go through all this trouble to disguise yourself?"

Mae refuses to answer, though she does remain still for fear of him taking out an eye while removing her contacts. She fights the tears that threaten to build behind her eyes, unwilling to show any weakness to her captors. Having removed the contacts Kurama is now able to properly observe the damage done to the girl's eyes. "Your eyes have over dilated, can you see anything?"

A little, I can make out colors now. She signs warily, not sure whether or not to trust the man who seemed to be her savior only a short time prior. The red head releases her with a small sigh, rubbing his temples wearily. "I figured as much, it must be an effect from…earlier. I will have to administer a medication for your eyes to return to normal."

"Kurama, the tea's ready." Yukina announces, reentering the living area with Yuske in tow. "However, I believe it would be better if Rumiko were to bathe and change… if that's alright with you?"

"Yes, I believe you're right." He replies, noting how tense the girl had become at the mention of medicating her. Determined to receive some answers, and relieve his suspicions the fox pulled a seed from his hair. Feeding energy to the plant he plucked a single violet bloom from the demon plant before retracting his energy and allowing the plant to become dormant once more. Handing the blossom to the ice maiden he offered a simple explanation for his actions. "This should help to remove any poisons from her skin from wandering around. Please have her use the sap as she would soap when bathing."

Understanding that the demon flower would remove all of her makeup much more easily than human soaps the demoness simply nods in return, taking the offered bloom carefully. She then places a gentle hand on part of Mae's arm that is still covered and helps the girl to her feet. They leave the room in slow shuffling steps, Yukina leading the young girl gently; trying to make sure she didn't run into anything. Once their footsteps disappeared Kurama rose and seated himself in one of the arm chairs, glaring heatedly at the couch.

"Koenma's on his way." Kuwubara announces, leaning against the frame for the entertainment center. The fox nods, but says nothing, continuing to try melting the offending furniture with his gaze. Who is this girl exactly? I have my suspicions that she is the one from the file, though she looks too young. Her energy signature is strange though; if only Koenma had given us more in that file…I suppose the point is moot now…

"Kurama, earth to Kurama, is anybody home?" Yuske asks waving a hand in front of the red head's face. This action only earns him a glare from the man in question. "I was asking what you're thinking so hard about over there."

Kurama hmms in response, but says nothing to reveal his thoughts. "We'll discuss my suspicions once Koenma is present."

Mae allows her hostess to lead her from the room of hostiles back to her previous quarters. They walk in silence, pausing only to open the door to the room and flick the lights on. Once in the room the cool grasp of the ice maiden disappears as she moves to heat the water for the shower. "I will wait here while you bathe. I trust you don't need my assistance?"

Mae shakes her head and moves to the bathroom, sliding the door shut. Stripping the ruined clothing from herself Mae steps into the warm spray of the shower, popping her shampoo bottle open and grimacing at the scent of the plant Yukina had squeezed into her soaps. Blinking a few more times Mae sighs in relief as she notices her vision beginning to return to normal. Knowing she can't hide in the shower forever and the hot water will eventually run out she squeezes the offending smelling gunk onto her hand before working it through her hair. Despite the strange smell the shampoo tingles pleasantly on her scalp, though she doesn't notice the dark, sickly color of the water as she rinses her hair. Continuing to scrub Mae smiles to herself at how easily this soap removes her makeup, relishing the pleasant tingle of the plant. Though a slight frown replaces the smile at not having to scrub herself raw when she remembers she will be unable to reapply the makeup before rejoining her captors. Feeling the water begin to cool and the fragments of an escape plan pawing at the edges of her mind Mae finishes quickly, shutting the water off and wrapping herself in several oversized towels. Her vision having returned to normal Mae slides the door open with little trouble and reenters her room to find Yukina waiting for her as promised. The ice maiden gasps at the sight before her, the girl is unrecognizable. Before where her skin was a typical burnt almond tone it was now the color of freshly fallen snow; her hair was hidden beneath one of the monstrous towels, though the demoness could see a few white strands clinging to the girl's neck. More striking than either of these were her eyes, the contacts had been a forgettable brown, but her true eye color rivaled the blue of sapphires.

"I couldn't find any smaller clothes in your things." She says with a small blush, "but I did manage to find an old kimono I believe might be your size. Would you like help putting it on?"

Mae scowls, her plan of escape out the window, there's no way she can run in a traditional kimono. Her sour expression causes Yukina to gasp lightly, place the folded clothing on the desk and retreat into the hall. Mae knows there's no chance of escape with her door being guarded, one wrong move and her host turned jailer would alert the others. With a resigned sigh she picks up the offending clothing, the kimono itself is a blush pink. Setting the outer layer aside she slips into the juban which is a deep plum. Covered she drops the towels, twisting her hair into a simple French twist, and applying eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss before her arms become too restrained by the fabric. I may as well look good, I mean what's the point in wearing nice clothes without the rest of the package…Having finished dressing, with only minimal difficulty Mae admires herself in the now defogged bathroom mirror. The kimono adds color to her without drowning her out. The soft pink of the dress is contrasted sharply by a black obi and tied with a rose colored obi chord. If she weren't sure she would be walking back through the temple to her doom Mae may have truly appreciated the beauty of her borrowed clothes. A knock at the door pulls Mae from her thoughts and she leaves the bathroom, clicking the light off to find Yukina waiting for her once more.