A/N: So, when I was first writing this, I had REAL author's notes! Can you imagine that? Most of the time it was just apologies for not updating. I think for this chapter the apology had to do with the huge paper I had to do.

O/C21: Yusuke is still fighting, the gypsy woman has a proposition for Kuwabara and Misaki meets up with the guy from Amureo's Pool, the one who just recently stole her arm. He offers to rid her of a bit of her mortality and gives an offer that Misaki cannot refuse…

The faceless man, while he appeared surprised though it was hard to tell since he had no face, easily dodged Yusuke's spirit gun attack. The blue orb dissipated into the wall, leaving a lovely black scorch mark.

Turning back to Yusuke, the man smiled, "That was a pleasant surprise. Here I thought this would be easy."

"Heh. Common mistake." Yusuke lowered his hand.

"I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Arishima."

"Yusuke. Though I don't see why it's going to matter."

"I just thought you ought to know the name of the person who killed you."

"You know, I hear that a lot, but look, I'm still alive." Yusuke grinned. He was momentarily distracted from the squishy mass in his hand, but it was still there. "Aw man. This is gross. Is there any place I can put this thing?"

"I'm afraid not. I was kind the last time you dropped it and didn't pick it up for myself. I won't be so kind the next time."

"Lemme guess. If you pick it up, I die."

"However did you know?" Arishima smiled a little.

"It seems to be the general theme around here. 'Do this, die.' 'Don't do this, die.'"

"It is rather tedious I suppose, but we can't have just anybody going to see the Oracle. One with such high status can't be bothered with ridiculous questions.

"If you don't mind, what say you to us getting started?"

Yusuke shrugged, "I'm game."

"Some how I'm not surprised to hear you say that."

Arishima disappeared, leaving Yusuke scanning the cave around him for any sign of where the no-face was at.

He felt a surge of energy coming from behind him and he dodged left, rolling over a shoulder and remaining crouched over the ground, one hand holding the heart and the other resting lightly on the cave floor.

Yusuke glanced over his shoulder, but didn't see anything. He stood up again, his eyes in constant movement around the room.

He couldn't see Arishima, but he could feel the odd energy that the being emitted. However, the energy pulsed throughout the entire cave and Yusuke was unable to get a lock on Arishima's exact position.

Arishima appeared right in front of Yusuke and began throwing punches.

Yusuke blocked as fast as he could with one arm, keeping a good hold on the heart in his other hand. He wasn't even able to retaliate with punches of his own.

After a moment or two, Arishima pulled back.

"I'm afraid with that heart in your possession, your skills are quite lacking." He regarded Yusuke with an amused expression.

"Oh yeah? Let's see you block one-handed."

"You could just give me the heart."

"That would solve all of my problems." Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Technically, yes. Yes, it would. You wouldn't ever have any problems again."

"Well let's see, could that possibly be because I'd be…hm let me think about this…dead?"

"Yes, that might have something to do with it."

"I'd rather not then."

"Suit yourself. I have a feeling I'm going to get the heart back soon anyway."

"You think so?"

"Yes." Arishima flew at Yusuke again but Yusuke locked onto his position this time, not letting the strange being out of his sight.

Arishima pulled back an arm, hands curled into a fist. Yusuke brought up his fore arm on that side and held it next to the side of his face…and Arishima attacked with the other arm.

He sent Yusuke spinning in the air across the room.

"That was pretty good, old man." Yusuke chuckled once, wiping blood from his lip, "Act like you're attacking one way and then punch the other."

"You are holding the heart with that hand," Arishima pointed to the heart in his grasp, "It leaves your side wide open."

Thoughtfully, Yusuke tossed it into the air, catching it as it fell. After about the third time, he tossed it into the other hand and rushed at Arishima. He knew he would only get one punch in, seeing as how one hand was occupied, and he meant to make it count.

He faded to the side and dashed up, full force of his body behind the swing. His fist made a satisfying crack, but against Arishima's block and not his face as Yusuke planned.

"You have a bad habit of using all of your strength with one attack it seems." Arishima turned his face toward Yusuke, smiling what was an eerie, no-faced smile. "And it leaves you with no back-up plan."

Arishima swung his body around and kicked into Yusuke's ribs, on the side holding the heart of course.

His smile weakened when he saw that it had no affect on the boy.

Yusuke stood with his arm latched over Arishima's shin. Smirking, he delivered a solid blow to Arishima's jaw, spit and blood flying out of the no-face's mouth.

Retaliating quickly, Arishima brought his other foot around, aiming for Yusuke's head.

Expecting this, Yusuke ducked, punching now at Arishima's stomach.

Yusuke couldn't help the smirk that settled onto his lips. He threw the heart high in the air, and then flung Arishima at the wall, running after him and beginning to pummel him with his fists.

After only a few seconds of this, Yusuke dodged back to where he had been standing before, holding out his palm as the heart landed back neatly into it.

The heart began to glow and a circle of white light formed around him.

…

"Get rid…of the others?" Kuwabara's eyes cleared a little. "You're…going to kill my friends?"

The gypsy woman in front of him ladled more water over the coals, releasing more of the heavy steam into the air.

"No, my good man! Not your friends! I would never even dream of touching your friends." She leaned close, her voice like silk, "I only wish to rid you of your enemies."

His facial expression proved how much he was obviously struggling with the concept. "Enemies…?"

The steam in the room was overpowering, but there was no warmth to it.

"Yes. Your enemies. Those who stand in the way of your glory! Those whom you are with even now!"

"But…Urameshi…and Kurama…"

"Betray them, Kuwabara. Before they betray you."

"No!" Kuwabara knocked the ladle out of her hand as she reached for more water from the bucket and he fought against the fog that settled over his mind. "T-They are loyal! I will not betray them!"

He stood up, his eyes furiously burning into her own, "We have the trust of friends, comrades-in-arms! But you!" He slammed his hands down onto the table between them, leaning towards her.

The crystal ball rolled off the table and rested at the ground near his feet.

"You are the one who would betray! And you would take me down with you! There is no honor in you!"

The hag cowered in fear before him, the gaudily painted nails glimmering as she covered her face with her hands.

A white circle of light lit up the ground around Kuwabara.

…

"I will give you the information first as after you receive blood, neither of us will be in any condition to comprehend anything."

"I have one question for you."

"Just one?"

"You seem to know who I am, however you came about that knowledge, and yet I haven't the faintest idea who you are. I keep referring to you as 'the mysterious man' for lack of a better pronoun."

He looked amused.

"May I have a name to go with your face?"

"Names are made of powerful stuff, Ansatsusha."

"Just tell me your stupid name."

"Drake."

"Drake. Alright them, 'Drake.' What is this 'information' you have for me?"

"Someone in your family has committed a crime unforgivable and a great evil has been unleashed because of it."

No duh. Misaki knew this. He was most likely referring to her. She didn't get the name 'Ansatsusha' for dressing in frills and doing the cha-cha.

Trusting him about as far as she could throw him, Misaki didn't dwell on the information he gave her. In her current state, she didn't think she could even pick him up. He was freakishly tall.

Drake eyed her for a moment though whether with suspicion or something else, she wasn't unable to tell.

"Your turn." He said after a moment. He phased in and out, arcs of electricity snapping around him, the air around him becoming blurry.

In place of the human that was Drake, an enormous black dragon appeared before her. His wings stretched upward, far beyond their now miniscule pool of light, his body mostly curving off into the darkness around them.

He snorted once, a puff of electric cloud emitting from his nostrils.

Misaki's memories immediately flashed back to the battle she held with this beast and she crouched, every muscle awaiting any command.

Intelligent amethyst eyes considered her and he lay down on his stomach like a sphinx, huge claws only a meter from her face. His tail snaked into the light, just the tip visible. It swished once thoughtfully.

"There is a small blade over there made for this." He gestured lazily with one claw, voice rumbling quietly in the air. "Retrieve it."

She was curious as to how he could still talk in words. Perhaps he was just making her think that he was actually talking out loud.

Not daring to disobey or offend such a domineering being, Misaki walked in the direction he indicated without protest and picked up a dagger that she found.

"Yes, that's the one. Come here."

Obediently Misaki returned to his side, waiting his next order.

Even the claws he had dwarfed her and the top of his arm rose high above her head. Was he bigger this time?

The immense dragon shifted his forearm, plunging his claws of the arm closest to her deeply into the ground.

"Stab. But stab against the direction of the scales."

Of course, the scales would be going in a direction that would make it easier to use the new arm Misaki had. She sighed a little, brandishing the dagger with her good arm anyway and just taking an awkward angle.

The miniature sword sliced right through like the scales were melted butter and Misaki felt his muscles contracted underneath the tip.

The wound wasn't a large one but the blood hissed as it came in contact with the blade. The area around the gash turned an awful yellow color.

"You don't have to keep it in there." His lips pulled back in a snarl, sharp, large gleaming teeth winking at her. "Take it out."

Careful not to make the cut any larger, Misaki pulled it out. The yellow color was quickly spreading over his entire arm.

The once silver steel of the dagger had been blackened by his blood.

"Quickly. Ingest some."

There were still a few drops that had not dried to black hanging onto the tip of the weapon and Misaki licked them, especially careful not to slice her tongue off.

The dagger clattered to the ground as she grabbed for her throat.

She would have screamed if not for the scalding blood that burned at her esophagus. Misaki's throat closed and she couldn't breath. Seconds past, seeming like an eternity.

And then it stopped.

A relieving liquid coated the inside of her damaged throat, repairing and soothing it.

It took Misaki a moment to realize that the blood tasted like nothing she had ever tasted; sweet and spicy, sour and salty. All at the same time. It would be a flavor she never forget.

Slowly getting up from where she dropped to the floor, she saw that Drake was on his side, his huge chest heaving as he struggled to breathe. All of his scales had that nasty yellow tint to them, smoke rose from his nostrils and his once intelligent, bright eyes now appeared dull.

"Take…take the dagger with you…"

Misaki picked it up.

"Stab it into the ground. I bet you can't find the right place." His mouth hung open, his tongue uselessly hanging out the side but there was a hint of challenge and smile to his words.

"And I bet I can." Her eyes narrowed.

Drake's body began to glow and shrink, continuing to diminish in size until he was small enough to carry in one hand.

An elegant black-onyx figurine with amethyst eyes, poised like a sphinx of old, rested on the floor in his place.

Misaki put the dagger in the belt of her hakama pants for safekeeping, picking up the statuette.

A white circle of light glowed underneath her feet.

…

"How is he?" Misaki asked, her body still phasing into the cave.

Kurama stood as the three circles suddenly glowed a pure white, "Misaki, she just slipped into some sort of trance." Kurama sounded urgent. "She's weak."

Kuwabara ran over to Yukina, shaking her shoulders, "Yukina? Yukina!"

The girl didn't answer , her eyes blankly staring forward, her hands still healing Hiei.

"Kuwabara! Grab her hands!" Misaki dashed for them, "Get them away from Hiei!"

Kuwabara gently took Yukina's hands in his own.

"You idiot, she's going to die, don't be nice about it!" Misaki exclaimed, shoving him out of the way. She jerked Yukina back, "Stupid girl!"

In her arms, the koorime's eyes fluttered before they began registering the cave, and Misaki looked over her with concern.

Her face was white as a sheet and her skin was clammy, her breath coming in raspy pants.

"Is he healed?"

"You could have killed yourself." Misaki's eyes narrowed.

"I was just trying to help-"

"You will help no one if it requires you to sacrifice yourself in the process, especially not someone like…" Misaki glanced at Hiei, not finishing her sentence.

Yukina's eyes filled with tears.

"As soon as his condition was stable, you should have stopped." She looked back at the girl.

"What's your problem, Misaki?" Yusuke made a face at her.

"She was doing what you told her too!" Kuwabara protested angrily.

"Hm. Interesting." Kurama said from behind them.

Their attention wavered from the situation to what Kurama was talking about. Yukina tenderly sat up to see.

The three other objects now floated up into the air with the others, the onyx dragon with amethyst eyes, a diamond ball and an emerald heart. They rotated mesmerizingly in a circle above the group, the cave beginning to shimmer and change.

Everything dissolved into mist around them and a moment later the mist disappeared, the cave disappearing with it.

They were standing on solid rock. It was actually a rock shore, an endless sea lapping around them.

Behind the group was the cave, or at least an entrance into a cave but they all had enough of caves for a while.

The rock shore created a small island around them. A desolate island in the middle of the sea. But not quite completely desolate.

Five stone statues were a few feet in front of them. From the left, there were two birds—a hawk, a raven—then a pedestal, then two more birds—an eagle, a falcon.

Each bird was carved into a different position, one preening its feathers, another looking back at the sea. They stood about five feet off the ground, rather large for birds, but they looked so real that they might turn their heads to stare at the newcomers any moment.

-lotsm