Kuronue rubbed his cheek gently with his hand, wondering if he had let a branch hit him while he had been running. He was glad that Youko wasn't with him. The fox demon would have loved making fun of him for his carelessness. Yep, he was definitely glad that he was alone while his body readjusted to quick movements. He wasn't ready to risk flying yet. If he couldn't run without hurting himself, then how in the world could he fly without doing himself any damage?

Still, despite his own foolishness, he was looking forward to seeing his old friend again. He missed stealing to. Thievery was always such fun and games with Youko; in fact, nothing was ever boring around Youko, and there were always plenty of women.

He topped another snow-covered hill to the den that Youko and the gang used when in the area. Flexing his wings, Kuronue listened carefully. Above the wind he could hear people. It seemed that his friends were there, keeping out of the cold weather.

Grinning, he entered the cave, winking at the guards who merely stared at him. "Haven't you ever seen anyone come back from the dead?" he joked, enjoying every second of their shock. He knew that his black eyes glittered with good humor. 'This is even better than playing tricks on Youko and succeeding,' he thought and he shrugged off his coat and adjusted his hat.

As he walked deeper into the cave, everyone stopped to stare at him. A few stopped him to ask how he was still alive. He answered everyone cheerfully, of course. They were his comrades, his friends, and his partners in crime.

The women, including the ones who were solely Youko's swarmed around him, all but one gibbering at him and touching him as if they weren't sure if he was really there. Honestly, couldn't women make sense or think? How was he supposed to hear any of them if they all talked at once?

"Now, now, now. There is enough Kuronue to go around, I promise, although you'll have to take turns," he said loud enough to get them to shut up. "But before that, tell me where my dear friend Youko is. I'm looking forward to seeing his face."

The women looked away, and a quick glance around the cave told Kuronue that the men wouldn't meet his eyes either. "He isn't here," one of the women said quietly. "He went to Reikai."

Kuronue frowned. His friend had done what? There was no way Youko would leave Makai for any reason; they had sworn to each other that they would stand by each other and run the thieving band together. Of course, since Youko believed him to be dead, that promise didn't exactly count anymore. But still…

"Aw, fuck." The bat demon ran his fingers through his long black hair. He thought for a moment, or at least he tried to. The women kept talking, and the men were beginning to join in.

Kuronue flapped his wings hard to quiet them all. "I guess since Youko is gone, I will simply continue to rule in his place."

A man stood up. It was Gilen, the third in command. Gilen had been a loyal and resourceful addition to their team with his power over water. He was strong enough to cause the water in the air to freeze over anything, even people. "I have taken charge of the men and have sworn to protect them to my dying day since we thought you were dead. They have followed me for the last seven months, and we have gained new members who have sworn loyalty to me."

Mentally cursing, Kuronue knew what was going on. It wasn't a coup, but it was obvious that while he was welcome, he was no in charge anymore. He had much to think about, it seemed. "Well then, I will impose on your hospitality tonight and then be on my way in the morning." He wasn't going to let anything get him down. He was alive, and that was miracle enough. Besides, he had been on his own before meeting Youko, and he had to admit it wouldn't be a bad thing to be on his own again.

"I think we can allow that for an old friend," Gilen replied, smiling. His blue eyes were honest but still wary. Kuronue understood that Gilen didn't want the bat demon taking the throne from him. They were too good of friends for Kuronue to force Gilen to abdicate.

Kuronue winked at the women, and his old favorite from before his incident with the bamboo stepped forward. He could tell just by looking at her that she had missed him. She was a rare beauty with rich green hair the color of the grass in the summer and reddish eyes the color of carnivorous poppies. Tall with more than enough curves, she was a sight for sore eyes.

"Ah, how I have missed you, my dear Holii." He wrapped an arm around her waist, and he was the perfect height so that he didn't have to bend too far to kiss her.

Holii grinned at him, the twinkle in her eyes a clear invitation. "And I have missed your particular enthusiasm in bed." She grabbed the edge of his shirt to pull him down a few inches for a deep kiss.

Kuronue laughed after the kiss and glanced over at Gilen. "It seems that I will be retiring now."

Gilen chuckled and waved him off while the men went back to what they were doing before Kuronue had come back into their lives. The women sighed in regret. After Youko, Kuronue had been the best lover. Once the bat demon and Holii were gone to the back of the cave in a secluded corner, the men began talking amongst themselves, and soon they reached a general censuses. It was a good thing that Kuronue was leaving, because the men believed the bat demon to be an imposter sent to destroy them. Youko had said that Kuronue was dead, and Youko never lied to them. Someone wanted their thieving clan out of the way.

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Kuronue awoke to not being able to feel his fingers they were so numb. The problem was that the cave was warm, as was his bed partner. He sat up, working hard to wiggle them. They were stiff, but when they moved he felt the pain of pins and needles. He blew hot air on his fingers to warm them, but it didn't seem to work.

"Mmmm… what's wrong, luv?" Holii asked, sitting up, her hair in disarray. She looked beautiful, but the bat demon wasn't in the mood to appreciate it.

He wiggled his fingers some more, and damn, it hurt. "My hands are cold."

She giggled. "Let me warm them up then." She grabbed his hands with the intent to put them between her legs but gasped in shock. "They feel like ice! What have you been up to?" She rubbed his hands between hers, hoping that friction would help some. It didn't.

Kuronue shrugged. "Nothing that I can recall, unless we had sex outside in the snow and I don't remember it." He wasn't sure how to take his ice-cold hands, and despite all his efforts to warm them up, nothing helped.

Even Holii gave up. "If we'd had sex outside in the snow, I promise that we'd both remember that."

But the time the bat demon was ready to leave his toes and his arms up to his elbows were numb. The demons in the thieving group who knew anything about healing and cold couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Sadly, even the fire demons couldn't warm up his hands.

So, Kuronue set off to find a healer.

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That evening found Kuronue in a healer's small hut wrapped up thickly in blankets by a fire. Almost his entire body was numb, but the healer couldn't figure out why.

"Such a strange cold you have inside of you, bat demon," the healer stated as he stoked the fire and added another log. He was ancient and wise, which was why Kuronue had sought him out. "It is as if the cold is coming from a source apart from your surroundings. The symptoms are like a curse, but I can find no trace of one on you."

The bat demon shrugged underneath all the covers, his teeth chattering. He had given up talking unless he really needed to. It was hard for the healer to understand him with his teeth chattering so badly.

"What has happened to you recently?"

"Be-be-sides nearly-ly dying and be-being saved by-by a girl who wou-wouldn't sleep with me?" Kuronue replied, feeling cranky since he was so cold. 'This is getting insane,' he thought, eyes narrowing in anger. 'Whoever or whatever did this to me is going to die.'

The healer nodded, brown eyes staring into the fire. "If she is the one who nursed you back to heath, then I recommend you seek her out. She might know what is afflicting you." The healer wasn't going to mention that Kuronue's condition was likely a side effect of the healing the girl had done. Bringing someone back to full health from a near death experience wasn't easy. In fact it was nearly impossible; it was impossible for him, and he was an expert when it came to healing.

The black-haired demon shook his head. He wasn't about ready to do that; the girl had rejected him once. Besides, she hadn't been all that informational in the first place.

"If she's truly a healer, she will help you," the healer stated. "If she is not, I fear for you, for I cannot help you at all."

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The next morning Kuronue awoke in a completely different condition than what he had gone to sleep in. He felt like he was boiling hot, and beads of sweat ran down his face.

He struggled to get himself out of the blankets and away from the fire, tipping himself over and rolling across the floor in the process. After a moment his hands were free, but his legs were still tangled. It was a few moments work to finish freeing himself.

"Ah, that feels much better, don't you think so, my lovely warm hands and feet?" He grinned, looking over his body. It seemed in perfect condition, even if it was a little sweaty. In fact, now that he was cooler, he felt back to normal again.

He stood up and walked around for a little bit, testing out his body. It felt a little achy, but other than that, he was fine. His fingers and toes could move easily without the pin and needles feeling. To help with the achy feeling he stretched out his body, including his wings, being very careful in the small hut. He would have to go flying soon to work on the strength in his wings. Recovery from his near death experience was going to be a long one.

Kuronue wasn't sure what he was going to do once he was fully recovered. Before he had met Youko, he had spent the majority of his life stealing small things, sleeping with beautiful women, and sometimes fighting their pissed off family members. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to that for the rest of his life, but it sounded like a goal for the next few years. He did miss a variety of female company, after all.

He definitely missed Youko, despite the fact it seemed like only a few days ago when they had been gallivanting around, stealing whatever they wished. Well, for him it had been only a few days. Still, Youko had added entertainment and friendship to his life. It had been easy to tell that he was unwelcome among his old thieving group, but perhaps he could start a new one in a few years once he settled down again.

Yes, that was what he was going to do. He would make Youko proud of him.

"I see you're feeling better," the old healer said as entered the hut with more firewood. "Despite your recovery, I recommend you go see that girl who healed you."

Kuronue waved off that idea. "Nah, I'm fine, and it's not like that girl was helpful in the information department the last time. It was probably just a fluke." After the healer set the wood down, Kuronue dropped a piece of money in his hands. "Thank you for your help though. I'll be going now; I have a date with a beautiful girl somewhere."

"Does she know you're coming or even know who you are?"

"Nope, but she'll find out soon enough."

The healer laughed as Kuronue tossed on his coat and grabbed his bag of food. "Bye, old man." Then, the bat demon was out the door and wandering around again.

The old healer shook his head. "He is going to regret not going to see that girl. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, he will."