Yes! I managed to finish this chapter in time to upload it tonight! Success is mine!

I don't have much to say about this chapter, really, except it is one of the last few of this story. If things end like I'm thinking they will, though, I'll probably write a sequel to this story. We'll just have to see, though.

As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.

To say that Ashton was miserable would be the understatement of the year. Having been confined to the castle to 'keep her safe,' she'd quickly found out that there wasn't much she could do in the building.

It was about ten in the morning. Ashton had been awake for nearly an hour, but she hadn't motivated herself to get out of bed yet. She'd barely moved from where she was laying, content with staring up at the ceiling thinking over the dream she'd had the night before. She'd dreamt of a man with hair as red as the petals of the rose he was holding and eyes of emerald. They'd been sitting together talking, though she couldn't remember the conversation they'd been having. It seemed as if the man knew who she was, but she couldn't remember ever meeting anyone like him.

"If only he was real… I think I'd enjoy meeting him," she softly giggled, letting her eyes slip shut. She couldn't help allowing a childish smile to light up her face.

"Oh, act your age, Ashton…" she soon told herself. She sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair. Once she was sure she'd worked out all of the tangles, she pushed the covers back and climbed out of bed. Set out for her to wear that day was a gown of white satin, embellished with glass beads. The neckline and hems of the three-quarter sleeves and the long, flowing skirt were ornamented with silver braid.

"These dresses just keep getting fancier and fancier," the girl commented as she changed out of her night clothes and into the gown. She'd turned to put her night clothes away when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the full length mirror. She smiled, making the comment that the dress seemed as if it was more suitable for some special occasion than for just everyday wear. She put the clothes away and then walked over to the French doors that opened out to her balcony. Throwing them open, she stepped outside, the frigid air caressing her face and lower arms. She let her hands rest lightly on the balcony's railing as she looked out at the land. Snow flakes steadily floated down from the cloud-filled sky so that a thicker blanket was made. To the west of the castle were the Silverloch Mountains, their peaks disappearing high into the clouds. There were no plants or animals in sight.

"It's nice to have such an amazing view from my room," Ashton happily said as she walked back into her room. She closed the double doors and then left her room. The hallways, as usual, were empty, but she could hear the buzz of activity from the first floor below her. Curious, she made her way to the grand spiral staircase. She peeked over the railing as she descended. She quickly discovered that all of the noise was coming from the throne room, so she opened the doors and walked inside. Demons of all sorts –she assumed that they were her father's servants– were decorating the room.

"Kilala!" Ashton called when she spotted the girl. She hurried over, casting another look around as she did. "What's going on here?"

"Don't you remember, m'lady?" Seeing the blank look that Ashton gave her, she sighed softly. "I keep forgetting that you've lost all of your memories… Tomorrow's your wedding day, Princess Ashton. Everybody's busy preparing for the ceremony and celebrations."

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"This snow's beginning to be a pain in my ass!" Yusuke exclaimed. Botan had dropped them off as close to the town of Winterhaven as she could without bringing unwanted attention to them. They had been traveling since late that afternoon, but although it was well after dark, they were still several miles outside of the town. The snow had been falling steadily since they'd arrived in the Demon World, and it showed no signs of letting up.

"Chill out, Yusuke," Madarao told him. Upon realizing what she'd said, she began to laugh. The detective glared at her.

"Sorry, sorry!" the neko told him when she stopped laughing. She smiled sheepishly. "But really, we're almost there! I can already see some of the town's buildings." The fact seemed to motivate the five, for it was not much longer before they were in the town.

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From the moment she was woken up the next morning, Ashton found herself rushed as Kilala prepared her for the wedding early that afternoon. Her strapless dress was one of white silk, with a long train and a tight-fitted bodice. Sequins and beads adorned the dress, sparkling in the light with each movement. Her hair was curled and pinned up, and a tiara of diamonds and sapphires rested atop her head. A strand of pearls and a touch of makeup completed her look.

"You look lovely, princess," Kilala commented with a smile. Ashton's cheeks colored slightly at the compliment. Hearing piano music from the first floor of the castle, Kilala picked up a bouquet of white roses and handed them to the princess.

"It's time, Princess Ashton," she cheerfully said as she led the kitsune from the room.

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The sound of Pachelbel's Canon in D filled the air, the notes carried to every corner of Winterhaven on the wind. Madarao's eyes narrowed as she studied Snowcrystal Castle ahead of them.

"The music's coming from the castle," she bluntly stated. Kurama nodded and followed her gaze.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" the redhead added.

They'd originally planned to not break into the castle until late that night when everyone would be asleep, but upon hearing the wedding music, they regrouped, quickly deciding that it would be best to enter the castle with no further delay.

The castle's guards were off duty, so it was all too easy for the group of five to slip into the castle undetected. The music was much louder in the foyer; it seemed to be coming from behind a set of closed doors off to the right. Ahead was a pair of spiral staircases. Through the music, a single voice from the second floor reached their ears moments before two women appeared at the top of one of the staircases. One was wearing a dress of pure white silk. The second was dressed in lilac. They caught sight of the group and froze, the second woman's words stopping in her throat.

"Ashton," Kurama said quietly, his words lost in the music's sweet notes as he caught and held the kitsune's gaze. Kilala did not turn to look at Ashton, but she said something to the girl, who nodded once. She dropped the bouquet, kicked off her heels, and lifted her skirts before she turned and ran down the hallway she'd come from.

"No, wait! Ashton!" Kurama yelled. Running up the second staircase, he followed after her, leaving his friends to deal with Kilala and any demons she had on her side.

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"You brats just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Kilala sighed heavily as she slowly descended the staircase. She watched the group closely, studying their expressions and movements closely. She pulled a fan seemingly from nowhere. She opened and closed it several times before reaching the bottom step.

"She's happy here," the neko went on to add. "She's getting married and beginning a new chapter in her life. Why can't any of you accept that?" Yusuke glared at Kilala and took a slight step towards her.

"Like hell she's getting married today!" the detective replied, fighting for his words to be heard over the music from the other room. "I don't know what you've done to her, but Ashton would never agree to any of this!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Kilala's laughter filled the foyer as the music abruptly came to an end. "Ashton no longer has any say in what happens to her. And once we have what we want from her, she will be disposed of accordingly."

And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.

Much love,

Pandah