Kurama mixes an herbal sedative for the humans on the way back to the fortress. Once there, Hiei starts the hypnosis to erase their memories, a standard procedure—but Kurama tells the others this with a slight frown.

"It's for the best that they forget everything, isn't it? The poor dears would be traumatized otherwise," Botan says.

"They may still be," Kurama says. "Their captivity has taken a toll on their minds and bodies. Usually the patrols find humans who simply fall into Demon World, and even then sometimes some of their memories are accidentally left intact. We should be able to keep Demon World secret, but I can't promise the humans will return unscathed."

He does promise to find and deliver them to their homes, as does Botan. "It's on my way, anyway," she says with a sigh. "I've had a nice romp, but I'll have to report back to Spirit World. Thank goodness I'm not taking the humans that far."

Urameshi jams his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'll go back to training. Don't really have any business outside Demon World right now." Botan touches his shoulder.

Through the plans, Yukina sits staring at her newly bandaged fingers. She listens for birds that have long gone and hears the crack of the guard's skull, wondering if she'll forever regret not checking his body. And the humans—their dead eyes, their suspicion, their chaffed wrists. Even if they forget about the demons' horns and her ice, will a human doctor know how to treat them?

A thought blinks like a light in the fog, and she bolts upright. "Genkai," she says. "We should take them to Genkai. She'll—she'll know what to…"

Her mouth hangs half-open. The others give her pitying looks. Urameshi turns away, and Botan leaves him to touch Yukina's shoulder instead. "Sw—Yukina, why don't we get some shut-eye? I'm beat." She fakes a yawn. Numbly Yukina lets her steer her out, but she can't stop wondering about those humans, about who in their world they can go to now.

Dreams break up Yukina's sleep. In one, the demon guard rises to taunt her, asking how an ice maiden could have killed him. In another, he grips the human girl in both hands and squeezes until feathers burst out, his head transforming into the elder Toguro. In a third, he doesn't rise at all.

Still half-asleep, she reaches for Botan, her fingers clawing empty sheets. She pulls them in, hissing at the pain. For a panicked second she thinks Botan left until she realizes Botan only tucked her in before returning to the others.

She gets up, doubting she'll rest much and fearing she'll miss her friends. In the spaces between wake and sleep she's thought about what to do. The only question is what she'll tell Mukuro.

The few clothes and toiletries she's unpacked return to the suitcase, where the rest of her belongings are still wrapped up. After a moment of consideration, she leaves the embroidered sheets and curtains. Perhaps Mukuro will use them, or another guest will come to her doors…or perhaps they'll be waiting there when Yukina returns.

Yukina finds Mukuro alone in a training chamber, kicking dummies. Dust plumes when they tear and fall, making Yukina squint from the doorway, where she's clutching the suitcase with her non-throbbing hand.

"If only I hadn't gotten rid of that bastard. This isn't the same," Mukuro mutters. Louder, she says, "It's been a while since I kept up with my training. Strangely enough, few are eager to spar with me." She flips her bangs. "If you're going to leave with them, you'll have to hurry."

"I will soon. Are you all right?"

Mukuro peers over her shoulder. "I'll be fine." Unmoving, Yukina watches her, and Mukuro bends to pick up the remnants of her dummies. "Really. Thanks for lending him to me."

"Thank you for doing the same. And…for everything." It's not the list she'd constructed in her mind, all the reasons and gifts to express her gratitude, but her eyes are beginning to sting from more than dust. "Perhaps we didn't get off on quite the right foot, but…"

"I never get off on the right foot with anyone. I think we've done rather well."

When Mukuro straightens, she's smiling. Yukina smiles back. She dares to think of Mukuro as almost an older sibling—she does remind Yukina of Shizuru, a little.

"I wish I could have met her, then," Mukuro murmurs, making Yukina jump—she didn't realize Mukuro was touching her mind. "Don't worry. I'm flattered, I'm sure."

Now that she's aware of it, Mukuro's consciousness feels like static electricity. She girds herself and leans into it, feeling the current buzz in surprise. For a moment she sees a fierce inferno burning inside a container of ice, and she is not sure who she is seeing, or through what lens.

When Yukina is again alone in her mind, Mukuro approaches, unwrapping her scarf. It's the one Yukina made her, and at first she thinks Mukuro will give it back—but instead she unclasps her necklace. Yukina swallows.

"I told you, I don't want…"

"I know. I thought those humans might need it. Of course, I expect you'll return it someday."

Yukina can't contain her shock, even as she realizes how rude she's being. The gesture's meanings hit her in waves until she's flooded with fondness for Mukuro and guilt for having ever doubted her.

"That's…thank you. That's very kind of you. But don't you need it right now?"

"Hiei's will do. I don't feel like letting him run off for a while."

Nodding, Yukina reaches to take the necklace. "I don't blame you," she says.

Hiei is outside, sitting under the shade of a tree that wasn't there before Kurama came. Its base curls against his back, the thick roots spreading to provide space, and branches with brightly colored leaves and berries curve over him. Not wanting to encroach upon his haven, Yukina kneels a short distance away. She thought his eyes were closed, but now she sees he's staring at the necklace in his palm—his necklace. Though her own around her neck unsettles her, the warmth emanating from his stone soothes her nerves.

"Did they all leave?" he asks.

"No, I said I wanted to see you first."

He looks up sharply, his pupils tiny slits. "You're…?" Pursing his lips, he drops his chin back down. "Then go. You've seen me."

By now Yukina knows better than to take it at face value. She rests her hands on her knees, folding her thumb under her bandaged fingers. His eye burns into them.

"You know, you're powerful," he says. "Not many could summon flames from another realm once, let alone several times without being swallowed up."

"I don't think I summoned enough to be swallowed by," she says, inwardly pleased. "But thank you."

"How much does it hurt?"

"I'll tell you if you let me check your wounds."

"I don't have any." She stares evenly at him. "Kurama checked them already." Though his spot is tailor-made, he shifts this way and that. "Fine. It's a waste of your time, though."

"Never," she says, scooting under the shade. He peels off his shirt, revealing a latticework of scars and bruises to which she forces herself not to react. Instead she tries to gauge their age. Some look recent while others are little more than raised skin.

She reaches for a new cut. He presses back against the trunk, raising his knee. "You only said you were checking them. It's my turn."

Suppressing a sigh, she yields. None of his newest injuries look terrible, and she doesn't want to lose his tentative trust. "All right." She holds out her hand. He pulls his shirt back on along with his necklace before taking it, unwrapping the bandages. Though it's nothing compared to his arm, the sight of her blistered skin makes her wince.

"Can you move them?"

"Not much." She hesitates. "Will I ever again?"

"Maybe." His face unreadable, he bandages them back up. She almost asks what he did to treat his own burns, then realizes the folly and clenches her other hand.

"I don't blame you for leaving," he says. "I failed your challenges, and then I let this happen."

"No! No, it isn't you! I'm worried about the humans. I'm just going to make sure they're okay, and then I'll be back, I promise."

His blank eyes don't reveal whether or not he believes her. She reaches to stroke a leaf from the lowest hanging branch, following the ridge between the smooth half-moons. "Plus…to be honest, deep down I can't believe that our friends are gone. I have to go visit them to truly get used to the idea."

At that, he nods. The leaf separates from the branch, making her flinch. She lowers her hand and pockets it.

"Genkai told me once that you weren't a child," he says. "That's when I figured you…knew. But I didn't want to believe it. I thought if I just stayed away, you'd be safe from my curse."

The root of Kurama's tree bends to accommodate Yukina as she crawls to curl beside Hiei. The trunk is solid behind her, his low breaths ragged now that she's close enough to hear.

"If you're cursed, it's only because they placed one upon you." She tries to cool her anger, not wanting to tense up while their shoulders are pressed together.

"I fought so hard to prove them right."

"So prove them wrong. Isn't that what a rebel does?"

"You're starting to sound like Yusuke." But a smile twitches at the edge of his lips.

She's wedged herself on his left so their burned sides can rest safely on the roots. His fingers drum against one, and hers try to mimic the motion, though they're still too stiff.

The drumming stops. "I guess you don't really need me to go on walks with you."

"I'm coming back," she says again. "And then you can accompany me on walks, if you want to."

Usually the heat from his body is palpable from a distance. Close enough that there's hardly space between their elbows, he's gone cold.

"Mukuro promised me she'd take care of you," Yukina says. "Take care of her, too, okay?"

"You don't need to tell me." He touches his necklace. "You have to go."

She nods, biting her lip. Exhaling, he slips his arm in between the trunk and her shoulders. She needs no more invitation to bury her face against him. His hand doesn't quite curl to grip her, and her arm stretches across his stomach, fingers just as stiff.

"I'm not that delicate, you know," she says. "I won't shatter if you hold tight."

"I might," he says. Her grip loosens just as his tightens.

During muggy, toxic days in Demon World, Yukina remembered Human World's air as clean and pure. That memory is the only thing the pollution around the city clears. With her bandaged fingers she shades her eyes from the sunlight, the sky strikingly bright despite the distant smog. There's grass under her feet—thick, lush grass—and she'd have taken off her shoes to squish her toes around it were they not on a mission.

With their dubious appearance, they have to wait until dark to enter the city proper and return the victims near their homes. Yukina wishes she could see their families find and welcome them, but they can't afford to stick around for the questions. Botan promises that she'll watch from a distance to make sure they're all settled in where they're supposed to be.

One by one they leave them where they'll be found, making sure they're dressed warmly enough to last the night, and each time Yukina slips an address into their pocket with a note telling them to come if they need to talk about something they can tell nobody else.

Botan hugs Yukina tightly before flying off. With a ferry girl's duties, she can't possibly ask anything of Botan—but she mentions to her that she'll be in human world for a little while, in case Botan happens to be working nearby.

"We'll see each other again," Botan promises.

"I don't know if I want it to be sooner or later," Yukina says.

"Oh, that's the problem with this line of work. Why couldn't I have been a nice ice cream seller!"

When Botan is gone, Kurama remarks upon the grim sense of humor Yukina's developed. "Perhaps being in Human World will do you some good after all," he says with a twist of a smile. Like her he's going to stay for a while, stating that he'll have to pay some visits, though she knows he doesn't mean to her.

The address on the notes was a gamble, but it pays off. Genkai's temple stands firm, dusty as it is. Yukina wipes away the dust, performs long-neglected rituals, and makes preparations to get working power and water. She tries to get some of the game machines going, though she never figures them out.

For how empty the building is, the land around it teams with demons. They live in tree trunks, in spaces between roots, in coves by the sea. Their trills almost sound like the chirping of insects, if one expects a cicada thrown in the mix. None of them are as strong as the fighters at Mukuro's fortress, or as big. She greets them as she circles the land, earning curious stares in return.

Back inside, she sets down her suitcase, kneeling in front of it for a long time before easing it open. The first thing she picks up is round and smooth. Carefully she unwraps the puffy plastic wrap protecting it, gasping when it falls away to reveal the snow globe Keiko bought her. Before she can open anything else, tears run hot down her cheeks, bouncing off of the ground. She ignores the stones for now and shakes the snow globe, watching the glitter swirl around the figurines. Two children are making a snowman together, one that hasn't melted after all these years.

She sets the snow globe aside, trying to forget what she's only now remembered: she hated it. A world of ice, trapped inside…it had hit too close to home, though of course Keiko couldn't have known that, and Yukina responded with the utmost gratitude, keeping it on her windowsill.

In her haze after the funeral, she packed an odd assortment of things. She discovers a set of three toothbrushes—blue, yellow, and minty green—that set off a fresh wave of tears as she pictures the three of them crowded around the mirror.

When it's all unwrapped, she leaves it on the floor, unable to bear finding a place for it just yet. She curls up on the ground, promising herself she'll find a pallet later, and sleeps deeply, if only because her body cannot last longer without it.

Over the next several days, Yukina spends much of her time at her friends' graves. The only thing keeping her from leaving them is the possibility of the humans turning up at Genkai's temple. She wants to have proper electricity and water for tea waiting for them, at least.

New flowers sprout each time she visits, none of them local or seasonal. They wither away within the day, to be replaced before she arrives. She never sees Kurama there; she assumes he comes in the dead of night, spending most of the time with his mother.

For all she goes through the motions of respect for the dead, Yukina can't feel the connection she hoped for. The mementos, with their captured scents, meant more; Botan told her they've long passed on, giving her no hope of encountering them here. Still she visits, bringing candles and gifts (a cat toy for Kazuma, her own flowers for Shizuru), and warming the ground each time before leaving.

She goes a week without saying a word out loud except to people from whom she buys supplies or speaks with about utilities. When the first human arrives at Genkai's door, Yukina scarcely recognizes her own voice.

It's a pair of humans, really: the mother with the baby. The way she stares at Yukina confirms that she remembers her, however vaguely. Yukina pats Natsume's ribbon, which miraculously hasn't been crushed or burnt and which she still means to return, and welcomes her inside. The mother kneels in front of the table, rocking her baby gently.

"I can't be apart from her for even an instant," she confides. "Maybe that's not unusual at her age, but I don't have much to compare it to."

Yukina doesn't either. Though she's past the age where ice maidens undergo parthenogenesis, the differences in her heritage prevented it.

The mother looks around several times as if expecting someone to appear in the space between the tilts of her head. "Did…I imagine all of that? You were there? And you…those people…"

Yukina nods, waiting for the mother to say more. "I was there," she confirms when the woman only continues her furtive looks. The mother breathes in.

"I don't dare tell anyone what I saw. They wonder if I'm fit to raise her as it is."

"I won't wonder," Yukina promises. "And I won't tell."

The baby gurgles, and the mother breathes out. "Thank you. If she were taken from me…"

Yukina's chest tightens. Watching the mother, she'd finally begun to forgive the ice maidens for trying to stay safe in a violent world, but the flame in this realm calls to her.

For now she ignores it. There's no need for it here, in this haven she's trying to maintain. Still, the book Mukuro gave her is the one thing she hasn't unpacked, and she doesn't think she will soon.

A few days later, the mother returns. Yukina has at least put out some flowers that were left for her along with a packet of tealeaves in the graveyard. She steeps the tea while the mother hums the baby to sleep.

"I have to watch what I eat now that I'm eating for her, but it's so hard to stomach anything at all."

"The tea will settle it, and it will be good for both of you," Yukina says.

The mother drinks quietly, then feeds the baby when she wakes. Yukina doesn't break the silence, getting up only to water the flowers.

"I still haven't told you our names, have I?" the mother asks.

"No. Would you like to?"

"To be honest, I'm scared to, after what you know. But I've been horribly rude, and infringing upon your hospitality like this when I've nothing to repay you…"

Yukina's hand on the mother's makes her flinch. Yukina whispers an apology. "Please, don't feel you're infringing. I don't mind at all. If there's some peace I can offer you here, then you are welcome. I feel that's what the psychic who used to run this place would want."

She doesn't say that this is the only company she gets. The mother opens and closes her mouth several times before bowing her head with tearful thanks.

The baby whimpers. "Oh, don't start crying, don't start crying—I'll stop," the mother says. Yukina digs into her pocket for her necklace, which she hasn't had the heart to wear, and dangles it over the baby, who closes tiny fingers around it.

"It's just jewelry," Yukina says to the suspicious mother. But the baby returns to sleep without a sound.

The next human to arrive is a stranger. He dips his head around the entryway before tilting it down to stare at Yukina. "Um, excuse me," he says. "I heard a renowned psychic lived here, but…"

She wonders if the woman said something after all, or if rumors just got mixed up after she ordered the utilities to be turned on. "I can see why you heard that," Yukina says. "Will you come in? I'll put on a kettle."

"I dunno. I don't mean to be rude, but I've seen…some strange things lately. I'm not sure if I can tell just anyone about them, and I don't want to waste your time."

"It won't be a waste," Yukina says firmly. "And this is the home of a psychic, and I'd like to hear what you've seen, if you don't mind. I promise it's confidential."

The man's hand stays on his neck, but he follows her in. When he leaves, his arms hang loosely at his sides.

"Make the humans leave."

The voice startles Yukina. She's never seen a demon enter the temple, but one sits on the counter upon which she had been going to prepare a midnight snack. The demon is a third of Yukina's size, front claws hooked around the edge of the counter. Thoughtlessly opening the fridge with her burnt hand, she cringes and scans the shelves for something they might like to eat.

"There shouldn't be any humans here this late," she says.

"Not right now. But they keep coming. Before you came, they knew this land was ours." Yukina heard as much from the man who visited: rumors spread about the strange monsters sighted around the temple, never widely substantiated but sowing enough fear for people to stay away unless dared.

"You're welcome to live here, but it doesn't belong to you. The human who owned this temple left it to my friends and I. She wanted it to be a middle ground for demons and humans." She emerges from the fridge empty handed, but the demon sticks out a tongue to catch a bug, and Yukina closes the door.

"If humans come, it won't be safe."

"I promise it will. Believe me, they're as scared of you as you are of them."

The demon balks at the suggestion that they're scared of humans. Yukina ignores them. "Tell everyone they're welcome in the temple anytime," she says over her shoulder as she leaves.

The girl Yukina endangered and saved stands sullenly in the doorway, not taking off her sneakers, while Yukina tries to welcome her in. Seeing she's getting nowhere, she suggests a walk, and the girl follows her around the edge of the forest.

"This tree's moss looks the same as it did decades ago," Yukina says without thinking, wanting to fill the silence with anything that won't make the girl feel pressured.

"I knew it. You're not human." For the second time Yukina flinches at the statement, but the girl only seems smug. "I told them. I told the kids at school what you did, and they all thought I was nuts."

Yukina's attempt at explaining why the girl shouldn't tell anyone else what she saw is interrupted by the girl pointing at her bandages. "Is that from the fire? Are you sure I can't do that?"

The conversation goes in circles. When they finish a round about the temple, Yukina again tries to invite the girl inside. She hasn't managed an introduction from this one, either, and she knows better than to ask for one. She only manages to convince her to enter when the girl learns about the video games. Though warned that Yukina doesn't know how to operate them, the girl manages it, talking about how jealous everyone will be that she got to play such retro games. She doesn't notice the demon watching the screen from the corner, and Yukina says nothing.

After a series of loud complaints, the girl stands and announces that she'll be back to beat them later. Her chin juts up, as if daring Yukina to say she's not welcome. Despite her boldness, her eyes remain glassy. Instinctively Yukina feels that this is someone who's not used to seeing herself reflected in others.

"Come as often as you like," Yukina says. "You're always welcome here."

The girl runs off without saying goodbye, and Yukina sets about cleaning the place up for the next guest.

By the end of the day, a snow globe sits on her windowsill, and three toothbrushes are lined up by the sink, waiting for someone to use them.