Jen and Kurama walked down one of the streets of a Northwestern city. She had a black cloak over her head that wrapped tightly around her torso, with black pants and black boots. Kurama had suggested the cloak to conceal her identity.

On her left thigh, she had a gun she had been training with lately strapped in a holister and a dagger sheathed across the back of her belt. Kurama had been dressed in his usual attire, putting off his energy as a warning to stay away more than anything.

They turned a corner and found themselves headed off by a large group of grunts. Kurama and Jen remained calm, studying them carefully. They didn't seem like much, but their sheer numbers would be a problem.

One of the grunts stepped forward, a heavy drawl accenting his words. "That there is a pretty piece ya got on yer thigh, girlie. 'At's a nice lookin' thigh too."

Jen arched a brow, but said nothing. They braced themselves for an attack but it never came. A smooth lilting female voice came from behind them. Her voice was playful, yet sultry, and you could hear the deadliness in her voice. "Now, now, Bubba. No scaring the children."

Jen turned to see the woman. Even she had to admit the woman was incredibly beautiful. Her firey red hair was in a pixie-style cut, the hair framing her face nearly brushing her collarbone. Her eyes were so light blue, they were nearly grey. Had the woman's eyes not been scanning the area, Jen would have thought she was blind.

She wore a form-fitting black three-quarter sleeve jacket with a tight tank top that matched the color of her hair. Black fingerless leather gloves covered her palms and wrists. Black cargo pants and boots completed her ensemble. Guns were strapped to both of her thighs. The woman was lean, though her womanly curves were still ample. Her lips were turned up in a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"D'aww, come on, Minnie. I just wanted a little fun. 'At too much to ask?"

The woman arched a brow. "Considering you are oogling the Queen of Aerisia, I'd say it is a bit much, yes."

Jen froze, turning a glare on the woman. Jen had made sure her energy was completely concealed. So how did this 'Minnie' know who she was? Before Jen could say anything, the woman waved her hand dismissively. "Before you get your panties in a bunch, I recognized the gun. Nykairren is an old-," she paused for a moment. "Friend," she finished with a slow smile. "Last I heard, he was in Aerisia. Just had to see your eyes to know you were the Queen."

Jen sighed slightly, pleased her energy hadn't betrayed her. "My name is Jenista," she mumbled.

The woman laughed quietly. "I know. There has been quite a bit of talk about you on the streets. My name is Minerva," she said, walking forward, offering her hand.

Jen shook it, nodding silently. Kurama spoke up. "I wasn't aware there were any phasewalkers still in existence. Zeus had them extirminated."

Minerva flinched slightly but nodded. "I had been exiled a few weeks prior to the massacre. I suppose it was the nicest thing my parents ever did for me," she said with a smirk. Minerva turned her gaze back to Jen. "I understand someone wants the Aerisians eliminated too," she said seriously.

Jen nodded quietly. "We still don't know who."

Minerva nodded slowly, tapping her chin while deep in thought. A black cat hopped up onto Minerva's shoulder and she looked at him questioningly. "Yes, Malachai?"

The cat hopped off her shoulder and shifted into a man in mid-air. His hair was long and black, tied back into a loosely. Somehow, despite having just shifted, he was fully clothed in black. He had one green eye and one gold eye, standing out against his dark-tanned skin.

"According to the whispers through out Spirit World, Enma was the one who put out the order. No one but the God himself knows why though. Theories range from it being a punishment for his son working against him to him fearing the Aerisians' ability to adapt and survive."

Jen frowned slightly. "How did you hear all of this?"

The man turned to Jen fully. He was admittedly attractive, but nothing compared to Hiei, in her opinion. His facial features were sharp, the guarded look in his eyes reminding her of her fire demon's eyes. "I am a Shadow Shifter. I can get anywhere I want and hear whatever I want."

Jen nodded slightly. Shadow Shifters were Shadow demons who were believed to be cursed because they had the ability to shift into a black cat or raven. Jen had heard about Shadow Shifters, but never met one. Between that and his mismatching eyes, Jen assumed he had been exiled from his home territory at a fairly young age. "Makes sense."

Minerva sighed slightly before looking up at the large group that was still standing around. She waved her hand. "Alright, shoo. Show is over. You boys know you aren't getting a piece of her, so get lost!"

All the men but one, the one who had spoken first, turned to leave begrudgingly. Bubba, as Minerva called him, walked up with a saunter. He was huge, nearly ten inches taller than Kurama and twice his size in width. He held a large hand out to Jen. "Sorry 'bout earlier, lass. Can't blame a guy for tryin' though," he said, his thick drawl peaking her curiousity as she took his hand.

Bubba had messy brown hair that fell just past his brow-line, spiked out haphazardly. His forest green eyes were bright and welcoming, though something seemed to lurk just behind that warm look. "No problem. Where are you from?"

Bubba shrugged a little as he dropped her hand. "Originally from the South in the human world. Family dropped me there to try 'n' hide me. Human family took me in. Far as I'm concerned, that there is my real family. Not them uppity earth demons that dun' threw me out."

Jen nodded slightly. That explains the strange accent then. She looked at the three demons in front of her. They seemed like an odd team, but she figured it must have worked nicely. Bubba was the brute strength, Malachai was the intellegence and stealth and Minerva was the beauty with a surprise up her sleeve.

Phasewalkers could cross dimensions freely, much like Shadow demons could, but more than just the three worlds. They were able to cross into the dimensions in between worlds as well, their after image sending a pulse of highly dangerous electricity into anyone who had been touching them, or moving into the space the phasewalker had previously occupied.

From what Jen remembered, phasewalkers were pretty much forgotten, which must have been a killer advantage for Minerva. No one would be able to place her heritage and strengths. Unless she comes across someone like Kurama, who had the memory of an elephant.

Jen turned her attention to Malachai. "How do you manage to shift without coming back completely naked?"

Malachai had a ghost of a smirk on his lips, as if he was pleased that Jen had been thinking about him naked. Granted it was because she was a shifter, and not being able to keep clothes on made for a few uncomfortable situations. "Minerva is an exceptional seamstress. She uses a little bit of her energy so that the clothes essentially move to another dimension when you shift, and you call them back when you wish to shift back."

Jen's eyes widened. "Incredible."

Minerva smirked with pride. "Why yes, I am," she said with a laugh. "I can make one for you, if you stick around long enough."

Jen smiled slightly. "That would be appreciated, but I don't know how long we will be here. I'm looking for someone. I'll most likely be returning to Aerisia after I find him."

Minerva jerked her head over to the left. "Take a walk with us. Our place isn't far from here and night's going to be here soon. Tell me about who you are looking for and we'll see what we can dig up. Malachai is good at finding people," she finished with a seductive smile as she glanced over at him, Malachai smirking in response.

Jen glanced at Kurama to make sure he agreed before nodding. They started walking and Jen started the story about Hiei leaving and the demon coming to Aerisia from Sundrak. From one of the alley ways came a voice. "You are looking for Hiei? I know where he is, pretty little thing."

Jen turned towards the voice with a glare and stepped towards the voice. "Where-"

Malachai grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "He doesn't know anything. He's just trying to lure you. He's been following us for sometime to gather information. Come on," he said, his voice smooth as he urged her away.

Jen turned to leave, unsure if she really wanted to leave. She could handle herself well enough and what if he did know something? The voice from the alley slid through her mind. If you want to know more about Hiei, meet me at the bar you are passing now on your left. I'll tell you where to find him. You might want to leave your friends out of this though. They don't seem to approve.

She felt the connection break with a shiver, but said nothing. She would wait for them to fall asleep before slipping out to meet the stranger who could tell her more about Hiei.

They entered the strange dwellings and Jen stared in awe. Their technical set up rivaled Amber's and the arsenal was huge. Minerva led them past the high tech gear and they entered an immaculate kitchen and sitting room.

The walls where a soft cream, matching the cream couches and counters. Dark stained cabinets and a table with chairs were a stark contrast. The carpet looked more plush than a bed and was a shade or two darker of a cream than the couches.

Beautiful paintings hung on the walls and a pool table with scarlet felt sat a few feet away from the couches. The electronics looked to be top of the line and all black, including a huge sound system and a television bigger than anything Jen had ever seen before.

Minerva laughed at Jen's awe-struck look. "You guys hungry?"

Bubba stretched as his stomach let out a loud rumble. Malachai smirked and nodded slightly as Minerva started pulling things out in the kitchen. Jen looked over to Kurama, who nodded slightly and moved to offer his assistance as Bubba and Malachai pushed Jen towards the pool table. "Come on, lass. Let's play a game of good ole billiards. I'll go easy on ya since it's yer first time," he said looking back and winking at her.

Malachai snorted. "You are too accustomed to playing with human females, Bubba. You go easy on this one, and she'll school you, even if it's her first time."

Bubba scoffed. "Naaah," he drawled. "I reckon I could at least take a first-timer on."

Malachai smirked. "You said that against Minerva, too."

Bubba held up his hand, pointing at Malachai. "Now that there don't count. Minnie cheated 'cause she's played before."

He grabbed the triangle rack off the wall, pulling all the brightly colored balls out and placing them in the rack. Malachai directed her attention to him as he handed her a pool cue. "The point of the game is simple. You have solids and stripes. Once you are designated as one or the other, by hitting it with the cue ball, that's the white one, and sinking one in any of the pockets, you sink all the balls of that type before you sink the black one. That's how you win. You can't hit your opponent's ball first and if you sink the eight-ball early, you lose. You also get penalized if you sink the cue ball in a pocket."

Jen nodded, a slight frown on her face as she let the rules sink in. After helping her with stance and how to hold the 'cue,' she hit the cue ball into the cluster, sending them bouncing all over the table. She sank a few 'solids' before she missed a shot and it was Bubba's turn.

They went back and forth like this for a couple games; Jen won the first, Bubba the second and they were on their third when Minerva and Kurama entered to announce food was ready. They set their cues on the wall and headed for the table, some kind of steak, potatoes and noodles on their plates. "Smells delicious, Minnie," Bubba said as he sat down in a chair that was way too small for him.

Watching him handle the fork and knife that looked tiny in his large tanned hands was nearly comical, but he seemed to be used to it. They sat down and began eating, and it was as delicious as it smelled. As they ate, they shared little stories of their travels.

Malachai and Minerva had been running together for nearly a hundred years and Bubba joined up with them about sixty years ago. They had actually planned to rob and kill Bubba when they first met, but his comical comments entertained them long enough to see what he was capable of.

From what they said, there was a lot more to Bubba. On the outside, he was a crazy, fun-loving, simple-minded man, who always has something funny to say; But during the time he is cracking jokes during a fight, Bubba was biding his time. He relaxes his opponent, thinking Bubba is just all brawn, no brain and doesn't take anything seriously, and then he almost effortlessly takes them out with a mix of stradegy and pure strength.

Jen was easily intrigued by this group of bandits. Malachai had eventually relaxed around Jen, she assumed once he realized that she didn't have a problem with them being bandits. She tilted her head to the side, remembering back to the conversation earlier in the street as she looked at Minerva. "How did you meet Nykairren?"

Minerva stretched as she stood up. "That is a story for another day, my dear. For now we need to get some rest. We'll start on looking for your fire demon bright and early tomorrow."

Bubba whined. "D'aww, come on, Minnie. Can't we sleep in just once?"

Minerva arched a brow. "I let you sleep in an extra two hours before I drag your lazy ass out of bed."

Bubba scoffed. "Six in the mornin' is still not sleepin' in, even if you crazy folk get up at four."

Minerva turned, walking away as she left. "Fine, since you aren't sleeping in anyway, I will just get you up when I wake up, hmm?"

Bubba's eyes widened holding up his hands. "No, no, that's fine. I'll pass. Six is right 'bout good 'nough for me. Night Minnie!"

Minerva just laughed as she disappeared into the hall, waving her hand over her shoulder. Malachai cleared his throat. "Since Min forgot to mention it, I'll show you to your rooms so you can settle in for the night. If you'll follow me," he said motioning to the hallway.

Jen nodded as she stood, bidding Bubba goodnight as he said something about continuing their game in the morning, but she was barely paying attention. Her mind was on meeting up with that demon in the alley.

They reached Kurama's room first, though it was still right next to Jen's. She bid her old friend goodnight before approaching her own door. She was stopped by Malachai's hand on her shoulder. His voice was low and barely audible. "I know you are planning on going after that slime ball that was in the alley. Take my word for it that he doesn't know anything and save yourself the trouble. I'll find your fire demon tonight and we'll go get him in the morning."

Before she even had a chance to respond, Malachai was gone. Jen sighed as she entered her room, closing the door behind her. She couldn't risk missing her chance at finding Hiei. What if Malachai couldn't find him? She didn't really know the Shadow Shifter well enough to be willing to rely on his abilities.

She laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she waited for everyone to fall asleep. Besides, the worst that could happen is the demon didn't know anything and she would kill him if he tried to make a move. He wasn't that strong anyway. That's the worst, right?

Hiei was stretched out on his bed, getting ready to sleep for the night. He was a little put off that Leta hadn't returned from Aerisia yet, but he knew not to worry. The little ghost girl couldn't get hurt and physical walls couldn't hold her.

Though as he lay there, he felt strange to not have the little wolf's presence near him. He hadn't realized it until now how much Leta calmed his mind to help him sleep.

Hiei suddenly sat up, instantly alert with his hand on his sword as he saw a shadow shift in the corner of his room. Slowly a man stepped out from the shadows, the gaze of his mismatching gold and green eyes unsettling Hiei. The man had his hands up to show no weapons were in his hands, but Hiei remained ready for attack with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Easy there, Killer. I'm just here to tell you that your Wolf Queen is about to get herself into a lot of trouble. You should probably go make sure she isn't raped and killed."

Hiei's eyes widened before narrowing back into a glare. "And how would you know this, Shifter," he sneered.

Malachai sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know what she sees in you, Hybrid. Especially since you told her you don't give a damn about her. Either way, she's about to become fresh meat at a bar in the city just south of here because she thinks some scumbag knows where to find you. You should get ready now if you don't want to show up too late. Time is already running short, since you are such a pain in the ass to find."

Hiei growled at him, standing up from the bed when he heard Leta scream from the hall. "DESSI!"

She crashed into his chest hard, causing him to tumble back onto the bed with a grunt. Hiei looked up to see the demon hadn't moved, but amusement danced in his eyes with a single brow cocked. "Dessi! You have to come quick! Jen-Jen is in trouble," she said hurriedly as she tried to pull him up by his shirt.

Leta was distracted for a second by the demon standing in the corner before turning back to pull harder on Hiei's shirt. "Why are you still just laying around! Come on!"

Hiei growled. "Because you are still standing on my chest, little onna."

Leta squeeked and jumped up, mumbling an apology but Hiei wasn't paying attention anymore. Leta had confirmed what the shadow shifter had said. He quickly pulled on his cloak and strapped on his sword.

He moved to walk out the door when the demon cleared his throat. Hiei turned to him with an agitated glare. "It would be faster to travel with me through the shadows."

"Tch," was all Hiei said as he turned and left with Leta in the lead floating ahead of him. Like Hell he was going to trust a shadow shifter that just intruded into his room. Leta explained to Hiei that Jen and Kurama had come in contact with one of Sundrak's men and had decided to come looking for him to make sure he knew someone was after him. Damn Fox. He couldn't even keep Jen safe for a day.

Hiei's glare narrowed as they continued to run towards the city Jen was at, feeling like the run was taking forever. Maybe I should have taken the shifter's advice, he thought but pushed the idea out of his head. He wasn't going to put his and Jen's life in the hands of a stranger just because he was short on time. He was fully capable of making it on time on his own.

He glanced up at Leta he was keeping up with him as she flew through the air. "Find Kurama and tell him to get his ass to the bar."

Leta nodded as she peeled away from Hiei, flying in a seperate direction as Hiei locked on Jen's energy signature up ahead, pushing himself to run faster.

Jen sighed her millionth sigh as she pushed open the large door to the bar, the reak of demon brew and urine assailing her senses. Several demons at the bar turned towards her, wooping cat calls as she walked in further. A large demon cut her off and she glared up at him. "I'm looking for someone," she said, her voice low and threatening.

"Ah, so my little pretty decided to show after all," the familiar voice hissed. "I was beginning to lose hope. Grab her."

To large demons came up beside her, grabbing her arms and Jen struggled. She forced her energy out, pushing the demons back as three more began to approach. She fell into a defensive stance, flaring out her energy around her as if she was daring them to approach her.

Still, they tried, Jen swiftly dodging and punching first demon to reach her in the gut, forcing him back as another tried to grab her arm. She spun and kneed the second demon hard in the side, sending him to the ground as two more approached her at the same time.

So caught up in the fist fight, Jen hadn't noticed the small snake-like demon slip into the fight. A sharp pain stung her thigh, and she growled in pain, back-handing the demon that barely reached her shoulder in height. "You think a little blade is going to stop me?"

She threw her hand out to throw a blast at the demon but her energy sparked and cackled out. Her eyes widened as she stared at her hand, several demons snickering as they approached her. She resumed her fight, though she was feeling weaker by the second.

One demon finally landed hit on her, his fist making contact with her jaw as she flew back, her back hitting the ground with a hard thud. She tried to push herself up, but found she didn't have the energy. "No, my little pretty," the snake demon hissed as he approached her. "I don't think a little blade will stop you, but that dagger happens to have some very special qualities, including an energy drain."

The demons closed in on her and began pulling at her clothes but abruptly stopped as the snake demon spoke again. "I want first dibs on her," he hissed.

The demons stepped back impatiently, forming a tight circle around them so they would have a chance at second or third round with Jen. The snake demon bent down and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, tearing it off along with the cloak that covered her head. Jen shuddered as his eyes ran over her bared flesh, his gaze making her feel disgusting. He was about to reach for her bra when a black blur shot over her, standing over Jen's legs as he held the snake demon up by the front of his shirt with his back to her. "You don't deserve to touch her," he snarled and Jen's heart skipped a beat. Hiei!

Hiei had come to her rescue. How; She had no idea, but here he was, protecting her. Hiei punched the demon hard in his stomach, his fist surrounded by his black flame. The snake demon let out a pain-filled shriek before he turned to ash.

He turned, his eyes wild with rage as he snarled, releasing a blast of energy that obliterated the rest of the demons around them. Hiei did a final scan of the room before he knelt at her side. "You foolish woman," he growled, though his voice was nearly tender.

She tried to muster a smile at him, but she was too tired. His eyes flicked down to the dagger in her thigh before his eyes met hers again. "Close your eyes," he commanded.

Jen closed her eyes, a shiver of nervousness running through her. This is going to hurt. "Take a deep breath," he said and, again, she did as she was told.

Hiei swiftly pulled the blade out, causing Jen to grunt quietly in pain. She opened her eyes to see Hiei tearing a part of what was left of her cloak to tie it securely just above her thigh before pulling off his own cloak.

He carefully sat her up and pulled the cloak around her. Jen barely noticed how heavy it was because she was already so tired. Hiei slid the blade carefully into his boot and slid his arms under her. Her entire body felt light as Hiei picked her up.

Jen forced herself to focus on their surroundings. Several demons were now entering the bar, and they did not look happy. Jen saw a purple flare beside them as Minerva appeared. "So you are the troublesome fire demon that Jenista has been looking for. Hmm, I suppose you certainly look like you are worth the effort," she said, eyeing him with a seductive smile.

Jen growled weakly and Minerva looked down at her, her eyes softening. "Don't worry, Jen. I've my own men that I'm interested in. He's all yours. You focus on recovering."

Jen nodded slightly, her head resting against Hiei's shoulder as she saw Malachai slip out of the shadows. She heard Bubba's hollaring from outside as he pulled open the door, accidently pulling the door off its hinges due to the door needing to be pushed open. "Whoops," he said tossing the door behind him with ease as he stepped in. "It was an ugly door anyway."

Bubba looked at Jen, smiling happily. "Hey hey! Yer okay, wolf-lady! What'cha waitin' for? Git 'er out'a here."

Minerva nodded. "We'll take care of these grunts," she said turning as she shouted to Malachai. "Mal, get them to Kurama and the ghost so they can get to the hide out."

Malachai nodded as Bubba and Minerva engaged the massive group of demons. Malachai grabbbed Hiei's arm, causing Hiei to snarl and pull away. Jen lifted her hand to Hiei's cheek, his attention turning to her instantly. "Please, Hiei. We can trust them. I need healing."

Hiei growled, but didn't pull away when Malachai grabbed his arm again, pulling them into the shadows. Shortly after, they came out onto the street and she could hear her little sister's worried voice calling her name. Malachai said something to Kurama but couldn't make out what it was before he slipped back into the shadows and Jen slipped out of consciousness. The last thing she heard was Hiei's voice in her mind. "Don't you dare die on me, onna.."

A/N~ Woohoo! Second one today! :D I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since like chapter five. xD Anyhow, Hiei's back, (Yayyy!) But for how long? :o

Read, review, favorite, follow, PM, stalk; Enjoy.

Much love ~Jessa