A/N: Wheeee fight scenes :D Also, title is a bit different because the full 'Arc' description wouldn't fit with my complete title. And I didn't want to have to sacrifice my title. ^^

O/C30: Koenma gets his pacifier back! Koenma is concerned for Hiei and Kurama's safety in the Ningenkai as whatever had engulfed the agency backed off to try and find them, so he sends the pair and Misaki back to Zumi and the mansion. Kurama and Misaki spar outdoors at Misaki's request…

The prospect of an opponent that got better as a fight went on intrigued Misaki. She knew the vessel would analyze her every move, and looked forward to it. She couldn't recall the last time she fought with anyone, much less a kindly spar. Her methods were more…discreet most of the time. One who wants information does not go about destroying everything in her path, lest something killed hold the information needed. It was a lesson Misaki learned too late, but had not forgotten.

Practically flying across the short grass that spanned the distance between her and Kurama, Misaki cleared her thoughts, pushing the young man to fight head-to-head for once and let his fists do the talking.

Kurama shifted his left foot back and dropped his center of gravity by contracting his core, preparing for Misaki's onslaught. He wrinkled his nose at the prospect of more melee combat weaponless, but felt that for the moment he might as well abide by Misaki's preference. It would give him a chance to work on something he didn't particularly feel was his strong point.

Misaki stopped short of him just as Kurama readied himself for her assault.

Surprised by this move, or rather lack of movement, his expression became quizzical.

Misaki began laughing at him, snickering first, then unable to contain it, doubling over herself and clutching at her stomach.

Hiei glanced around his branch to see what was going on, slightly perturbed at the sudden outburst of noise.

If Kurama had the poignant ears of his Yoko counterpart, they would have been flattened backwards in annoyance. As it was, his lips pursed lightly and his brow frowned in an aggravated manner.

"What?" His voice rang out with an obviously peeved lilt, feeling sure that she had this eruption at his expense.

In the midst of her laughing, Misaki managed to hold back for a moment, "Just… get out your rose whip if it bothers you so much." She giggled again, snorting after a moment of deterring her laughter.

"I thought perhaps we would start out with some simple hand to hand combat."

"But you absolutely hate," She emphasized the word, managing to hold back another bout of laughter, "hand to hand combat."

Kurama preened himself for a moment, his face taking on a haughtier look as he tossed a section of his hair behind a shoulder.

"And what relevance, pray tell, does that have to your laughter?"

Misaki threw her hand up to cover her mouth and subsequent grin, but the laughter in her eyes voiced her mirth and Kurama didn't miss it. Yoko's ears would have twitched.

Taking a deep breath, Misaki composed herself, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't look at Kurama and crack up again.

"You've always hated melee fighting." She opened her eyes and met his gaze, a smile creeping back onto her face.

Caught off-guard, Kurama looked puzzled.

"Or rather, I suppose I should say: Yoko Kurama was not found of melee combat, vessel. I found it rather amusing that your expression mirrored his exactly. In a very similar situation, nonetheless." The last part was a bit quieter, but her smile had not diminished.

"If it is something I don't particularly enjoy, it is quite possible that the emotion comes from a lack of skill in it. Should I not attempt to better myself, improve that which I have found myself lacking?" His continuing emotional perturbedness added to his already articulate nature.

Misaki's smile became a larger grin as she teased him farther, "Not when you're looking like that, I should say."

"Like what, exactly?"

Misaki's face dropped all hints of amusement and her eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam that Kurama had never before seen.

Feigning to the side, Misaki appeared behind Kurama with a quickness he did not expect, one arm locking around his neck and the other hand planting against the back of his head.

"Scared out of your mind," She practically purred into his ear, making a jerking motion with both of her limbs that he knew by the cracking of his spine would have broken his neck if she had wanted.

"Ow!" Misaki exclaimed as she released him, quickly putting a finger in her mouth where something had bitten and draw blood.

"My apologies." Came Kurama's knee-jerk response as he stepped away and turned to face her. His hand went up into his hair and he pulled out the white rose she had given him. "I don't usually store a fully grown rose, it's kind of awkward." He fluffed his hair back into place with his other hand.

"What do you store in there? Encyclopedia?" Misaki mumbled through her finger.

One of Kurama's eyebrows rose at the prospect.

"Nothing quite so heavy, I assure you. Usually, just a simple seed."

"Of course."

Kurama took a deep breath as the fragrance of the white rose wafted up to his nose. He held it closer and inhaled again, briefly closing his eyes.

Hiei's mind cleared and his troubled thoughts, though they did not vanish completely, diminished notably as the smell made its way up to where he sat in the tree. He blinked a couple of times and took an experimental sniff. It smelled better than the blood of a thousand decaying corpses. And that was saying a lot. For Hiei at least.

As Kurama looked up from the rose, he saw Misaki considering the flower with a small smile. Infusing the rose with his spirit energy, he manipulated it, morphing such a simple flora into his trademark, deadly whip.

"Fascinating." Misaki breathed, watching Kurama work. "Does the whip come out the same way every time?"

"In what way?" Kurama's head tilted a bit to the side with his inquiry, his composure restored from earlier.

"I…I mean," Misaki's eyes darted left as she searched for the wording, "Does…is every thorn in the exact same place, the whip the exact same length, tip the same breadth?"

"It is relatively the same length and breadth, or I would not be able to wield it as I do each time. However…" Kurama released his hold on the rose and it shrunk back to its normal, albeit stunning, petal form. Surprisingly enough, master of details though he was, the question of the thorns had never arisen in his mind. He wanted thorns on the whip, so there were thorns on the whip.

Misaki made a motion for him to change it back, stepping closer so that her eyes could better scrutinize the process.

"I believe the answer is yes." Misaki marveled. "A creature of habit you are, vessel."

"And I didn't know the inquisition would be present to quiz me." His lips turned up into a light smile.

Misaki shrugged, "I suppose I've had my fun. Ready?" She leapt back well out of reach.

Kurama made an experimental snap with the whip in the air.

"I'll take that as a yes. At your pleasure, vessel." Misaki put her hands in the pockets of her pants and rested her weight on one leg and caught his gaze, holding it.

Kurama didn't move, taking in every shift of her muscles and then staring into her eyes. There was a challenge in them. The time had come for him to make the first move.

Misaki waited as he started first left, then right, making his way closer with every zebra-like turn and breaking into a run. Having seen him snap the whip once already, Misaki surmised that Kurama would be able to hit several marks at once in rapid succession, almost at once.

When close enough, Kurama brought his hand holding the whip up to his ear and lashed downwards sharply.

Misaki briefly saw his wrist pull the whip up for a strike and while her eyes told her she still had time, she forced her body to back-pedal and the tip cracked the air in front of her several times.

His advance on her continued and her retreat happened in response.

Feeling her foot catch on the root of a tree she neared behind her, Misaki lowered herself so as not to fall. Kurama had just flicked his wrist again and the whip snaked forwards.

This time, Misaki did not fall back, but instead pushed forwards and met the whip in the middle, the tip making contact with her upper arm once and drawing blood. After that, Misaki maneuvered her hand about the oncoming whip, wrapping it about her arm and then taking hold and jerking Kurama, who still maintained a grip on the other end, towards her.

With quick hands, Misaki deftly wrapped Kurama's wrists in his own whip, undoing her binding in the process.

"The same thorn positioning every time, hm?" Kurama sounded mildly amused.

Misaki looked up into his face with a smirk as she finished her knot-tying upon him, their noses almost touching. She snorted and turned to examine her arm.

"Not quite, no." Swiping her other hand over her arm, she came away with blood on her fingers and grimaced. There were several deep points of puncture wounds the thorns had made, but not as many as one would expect. "Very close, but different enough."

Does it always do that?" She stared down at the whip after a moment, catching a pulsation of a glow.

Interested, Kurama released his energy once more and caught the flower in the air, subsequently releasing himself from Misaki's work.

"I don't believe so. It's nothing of my doing."

Misaki frowned, "Glowing, I understand. Pulsating…?" Another second passed and Misaki's eyes widened.

The flower shattered like glass and Misaki had just enough time to throw her arm in front of her eyes. Kurama did the same, turning his face and dropping the rose.

The pieces hit their forearms, but did no damage, vanishing in the air noiselessly.

Kurama lowered his arm, then his body, not seeing Misaki where she had been standing moments ago. He smelled the air, hoping to catch her scent and possibly the direction in which she had drawn back for an attack. The smell of the dispersed white rose still remained, however, and since it and Misaki shared the same aroma, Kurama could not tell where she had gone. His eyes expertly scanned the trees above him, but he caught no sight of her and heard no uncommon rustling of leaves.

"Here. Catch."

Kurama whipped around to see Misaki standing a few feet behind him and he reflexively grabbed for the item she threw in his direction: another rose. A plain, red one was her gift this time, though Kurama did not see any rose as simply 'plain.' The flowering petals were opening beautifully as all roses do.

"That should do, no?"

Kurama nodded graciously, though he never went unprepared and had a back up or two tucked away. The gesture and Misaki's generosity was not lost on him.

"It's basically normal."

Suddenly, Kurama felt wary and held the rose away from his face, "Basically?"

"This rose won't break on you."

"Basically?" He repeated again, glancing at her.

"It won't break on you, but a rose grown within Zumi's walls could hardly be considered completely normal, wouldn't you say?"

Kurama opened his mouth to say something, but Misaki hadn't noticed and continued.

"You remember what I told you when you saw the rose garden? That was an old rose, about to die. It only glows when its life can be counted in mere days. Had I known it was that close to death, I might not have given it to you. Or at least perhaps provided a backup."

"Perhaps." Kurama noted dryly.

"I'm sure you carry a few spares around." Misaki pointed out, "Though, this could be considered an optimal time for it to break. I can think of several more… inconvenient moments than this one."

Misaki looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to the tree where Hiei still watched them through half-lidded eyes.

"Hiei…would you like to join us?"

He jumped to the ground, as if just waiting for an invitation.

"Three on three would be interesting." Misaki turned to Kurama for his opinion.

"A free-for-all?"

"If Hiei would be so kind as to oblige…" Misaki bowed at Hiei as the fire youkai approached.

"Hn. Whatever."

One of the shorter chapters that I've written, but a good place for a break. Thanks for reading!

-lotsm