Hi readers. Sorry it took me so long to update. If you didn't see, Hetalia came out of nowhere, and snowballed me into writing fics. I do have one question though, and this goes out to Demonbloodfeeder, just because I'm curious: Where did you get the notion that I would have Kurama revert to a demon form? Technically speaking, he s in his demon form.

Karasu watched Botan as she placed the reports in a metal basket atop a file cabinet, spun on her heel, and left the office. When he heard the last echoes of her footsteps die away, he went towards the tray and began to look over the information filled out on the chart. However, as his eyes scanned the data, he thought not of the red-haired fox, but the cerulean-locked lab tech instead. It seemed he'd found Toguro's first test subject. Karasu sighed as he placed the reports back in the basket. There was just one problem. How was he going to announce an in-home test and have no one react negatively towards it? Unfortunately, everyone else at the lab, him and Toguro excluded, shared Koenma's sentiment of demons being important to the lab. How would he change peoples' minds so they could smoothly move onto the next step? Botan's image flitted through his mind again. Her, it would have to start with her. But how? The moments past tumbled from the short-term memory file, one standing out in particular: she had called Subject 0119 by his personal name, thus insinuating she possessed some sort of bond with the demon. If her mind could be changed, others would start to follow.

Shaded by ebon bangs, Karasu's eyes sparkled with mirth as a dark plan ballooned into an insidious form. The only thing he would need to do, would be to sever that bond, and do it in the most attention-catching way possible.

The sound of the door shutting echoed throughout the semi-empty house. Botan sagged against the rough surface of the wood and sighed. Meeting Karasu definitely fell under the category of an unpleasant surprise. As she walked upstairs, she hoped her slip of the tongue would not cause a misfortunate event further down the road. When she reached her room, Botan flopped down on her bed, apprehension gnawing away at her gut. Something was wrong. She rolled over and clutched a pillow. Please, she prayed, don't let Kurama be caught up in all of this, not before I have the chance to talk to Koenma about letting him out. Botan sighed, releasing her death grip on the poor pillow. What was Koenma doing right now? Botan swung her feet up into the air and off her bed. She needed to talk to him, to ask him what their plan of action would be now that Toguro was showing his hand. Botan picked up her cell phone, scrolled through the contacts, and hit the green button when she found Koenma's cell number. Muted ringing from the other end played over and over again. White-knuckling the phone, Botan almost breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a clicking sound, but let it deadpan when she realized it was Koenma's voicemail. His home number merited the same response. Either he was at home and asleep (highly unlikely), or he was out of the house and had his phone turned off. Closing her phone, Botan sat down on the bed and sighed. Talk about being at the bottom of a dark well with no way to climb out.

Try as she might, Botan could not put her apprehensions to rest as she settled into bed. She closed her eyes and wished for sleep to come quick, lest she be up all night tossing and turning. Outside, the night wore on, hiding its secrets in the myriad of shadows.

Darkness. Botan closed her eyes, and inhaled. Her back felt cold. She shifted slightly, and felt the unyielding surface of metal beneath her body. The silence around her was absolute. Then, just as the thought crossed her mind, tiny, muffled sounds began to break the auditory barrier. Before she could open her eyes as to inquire their origin, hands grabbed her arms and pinned her down. A dull thump came from behind as her head slammed back into the metal table she was being forced upon. She squirmed, but to no avail. The grip of her captor was just too strong to break. Heart hammering away at a record-breaking speed, she forced her muscles to relax so she could better understand why she was being held on this table in the first place. Sensing that she was not going to try and fight, her unnamed, unseen captor let her go. Botan sighed, and opened her eyes, tentatively peeking at her surroundings.

Sterile white walls encased the room she was in. Off to her left, large machines sat beeping and blinking small lights. A closer beeping sound caught her attention. She turned her head to see a heart monitor standing close to the metal table. The spike on the screen became less and less frequent the more she relaxed. Botan swept her gaze further around the room. More machines, papers, Kurama, a window with the shades drawn-

Wait, Kurama?

Sure enough, strapped to another metal table a few feet away and unconscious, lay Kurama. Fear chilled Botan's blood. What was going on? Why was Kurama here? An impulse swelled up in her mind: she had to get him out of here. She could figure out everything else later. As she started to rise, a firm hand gripped her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to stay lying down for this. Don't make me do to you what I had to do to him."

That voice!

"Karasu?" Botan leaned her head back. Staring back at her, needle in his free hand, was Karasu. Botan's eyes flew to the needle resting in the ready position: poised between his first and middle finger with the thumb on the plunger. Adrenaline flooded her veins and she began to struggle once more. Karasu's iron grip tightened on her shoulder, causing her to yelp in pain and cease her thrashing. His grip loosened, but not much. Botan sucked in a shaky breath, trying to still her jumping nerves. "What are you doing? Why is Kurama here? Why is he strapped to that table?"

Unmindful of the quivering in her voice, Karasu leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"This is the second phase of the Phoenix Project. You and the demon will help us usher in a new era."

"The heck are you talking about? Let Kurama go!" To punctuate her order, Botan tried wriggling herself free of Karasu's grip once more. The response she received was the vise-like grip pinching a nerve. Pain skittered up and down her arm. A yelp tore itself free from her throat. Karasu smiled and gave her shoulder another hard squeeze.

"Just lay back and be a good girl Botan. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Botan growled, trying to keep the shaking out of her voice.

"It means what it sounds like. You have no reason to fear this because it will be beneficial to you. The demon on the other hand...well, who cares about the fate that awaits him? He played his part, now it's our turn."

Enraged, Botan somehow summoned the strength, and tore herself free of Karasu's hand. She spun off the table and whirled on Karasu. Amethyst eyes flashed with unsuppressed fury.

"Excuse me! It may not be evident to you, but I care about Kurama! And just what do you mean by 'now it's our turn'? Turn for what? And how is this whatever the heck you're going to do to me be for my benefit? Tell me, and no cryptic crap either!"

Karasu chuckled. He stepped around the table and walked over to the one on which Kurama was being held. Pale fingers toyed with the strands of scarlet that fanned out around the demon's head.

"It's beneficial to you because you, as a person, will be greatly improved by this. What I meant earlier was that it's now our turn to contribute to the Phoenix Project. Enough of letting those monsters get all the credit." He turned back to Botan, needle still poised. This time however, the point was aimed right at her. "Well, Botan? What do you say? Are you ready to make scientific history?"

"If you think I'm going to do anything that will come at the expense of Kurama's life, you-" Her leaping forward motion was brought to a halt. Confused, Botan glanced down to find her legs bound by leather straps. When she tried to move her arms, she found them in a similar situation. Confusion became speckled with icy pinpricks of fear. Alarmed, Botan looked up at Karasu, who shook his head.

"Oh dear, and after I went to all that trouble to convince myself that I should not strap you down." A sigh of mock despair issued forth, "I guess there's no use crying over spilt milk." He began to walk toward her, needle out and ready. "Now..."

Botan thrashed as best she could. Cold metal kissed her back, informing her that somehow the table had materialized beneath her, and she was back at square one, only now in a much worse position.

"Why are you doing this? Stop!" Her gaze darted around the room, landing on the bound fox demon lying a few feet away. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. If she let Karasu do what he was about to do, Kurama was going to die! "Kurama!" she cried. If only she could wake him up! "Kurama!"

"It's no use." Karasu stated, unwrapping one of her arms, but keeping a firm enough grip on it to where she couldn't use the freedom of the limb to her advantage. "If you would have been on our side from the start, things would have gone a lot smoother for you."

Heedless to his words, Botan continued calling out for Kurama. "Wake up!" she screamed.

Karasu set the needle down and placed both hands on either side of her head, turning her face away from the comatose demon. Botan closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see what was coming.

"Botan, Botan. Everything's going to be alright." Botan stilled. Was it her, or was his voice starting to change? "There's nothing to fear, I assure you that." Yes, it was! In fact it was starting to sound like-

"Look at me, Botan."

Botan's eyes snapped open. Instead of Karasu's steely, guarded purple eyes, Kurama's gentle green gaze stared back at her.

"Kurama! But how-"

"Hush Botan." Kurama said, cutting her off. Botan scrutinized his face. Something was wrong. A dull throb of pain began spreading through her body. Flinching a bit at the sudden wave of nerve signals, Botan glanced down at herself as best she could. Before she could take stock of her body, Kurama leaned forward and covered her eyes.

"Don't look. Look only at me." Kurama's voice sounded off. A bit sad, and with an underlying current of something Botan couldn't name. Botan relaxed and allowed Kurama to block her eyesight, closing her own eyes in turn beneath the veil of his hand. Who cared how he had gotten free? He was here and Karasu wasn't. She was going to be alright. Kurama was here.

"I'm sorry Botan, but Karasu's right."

What? What was he saying? Botan tried to turn her head out of Kurama's grip so she could look at him, but the hand over her eyes pushed her head back down. Once the task was accomplished, the hand retreated to the right side of her face, leaving her to open her eyes so should she wish. Botan laid there for a moment, trying to take in what Kurama had just said. Karasu was right? How? Why?

Botan's thoughts came to a shattering halt when she felt something wet drip onto her face, right on her lower lip. Instinctively, she licked it off, and almost choked when the taste settled onto her tongue. Salty, coppery, and warm.

Blood?

As if to confirm her response, her body exploded in pain. Her arms, her legs, and even her neck groaned in agony. Botan whimpered. What was going on?

"I'm sorry." Kurama repeated. "Look at me Botan." he pleaded again. Botan slowly began to open her eyes. If she could just look at Kurama's face, then everything would be okay. This was not happening. She opened her eyes, looked at Kurama's face, and froze.

Dripping from Kurama's mouth was the same blood she had tasted but a moment before. White fangs peeked out from the confines of his mouth, both stained in blood. In her peripheral vision, she could just see Kurama's fingers cradling her face. Each one was tipped with a claw and stained in blood as well. Against her will, Botan began to tremble. Another whimper sounded from her throat. Kurama stroked her face, leaving a red smear behind on her skin.

"How did this...why are you..."Botan choked out through shaking vocal chords.

"Karasu was right Botan. You should have been with him from the beginning. Then things wouldn't have had to be this way."

Before Botan could respond, Kurama lunged forward, fangs burying themselves into the tender flesh of her neck.

Botan sat bolt upright in bed, shrieking. Panting, she took a look around her room. Silver light sailed in through the window, illuminating her room in its dreamy glow. The clock on her nightstand proclaimed the time to be 4:45. A shaky hand placed itself over her face. What kind of dream had that been? Botan sighed. Her heart continued to hammer away inside her chest. She was surprised it hadn't burst out of her rib cage. Still somewhat frightened, Botan laid back on her bed, snuggling deep into her mattress.

Twenty minutes later, and sleep still failed to grant her its peaceful bliss. Botan groaned in aggravation and threw the covers off of her. Screw sleep. As she stepped out into the hall, she clicked on the light and made her way down the stairs. Looked like she was going to be up for the remainder of the night. If I'm going to stay up I might as well get something to eat. Botan thought as she flicked on the kitchen light. A moment later, she sat down at the table with a bowl of chips in front of her. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but they would do to keep her energy up, and her mind off the nightmare. Sadly, a mere ten chips gone from the bowl, and her mind kept returning to the dreamscape. What did it mean? Why had Kurama been in it? There was significance she knew, but what? Unaware of her eyelids beginning to droop, Botan continued scrutinizing her dream, turning it over and over, searching for a hidden meaning.

She awoke the minute her head made contact with the table. Shoving the barely touched bowl aside, Botan wiped the grogginess out of her eyes and checked the time on the stove clock. 5:25. Forty minutes had passed. Strange, it only felt like five. Botan shrugged her shoulders and pushed her chair back from the table. In about two hours her alarm clock would go off, so there was no sense in going back to bed. Leaving the kitchen behind, Botan went back upstairs and began getting ready for the day. As she went to pull her school uniform out of the closet, she caught a glimpse of her lab coat lying over the back of her desk chair. Uniform in hand, Botan stared at her coat, thinking about her dream, about Karasu, about Kurama. She needed to go to the lab. She needed to see Kurama. That decided, Botan tossed her uniform back in her closet and proceeded to grab a pull-over shirt and a pair of jeans to wear under her lab coat.

A quarter after seven found her downstairs, preparing to leave. As she opened the door, she was shocked to discover Keiko standing on the other side, fist raised in preparation of knocking. Upon seeing her friend, Keiko put her hand down and smiled.

"Morning Botan. I thought that since the weather was wonderful, we could walk to school together." Keiko chuckled. "To be honest, I'm surprised you're up and ready..." her voice trailed off when she noticed Botan's lack of school appropriate attire. Chesnutt orbs scrutinized the girl in the doorway. Botan looked at the patch of grass off to the side of the front step. Guilt gnawed at her heart. Truth be told, Keiko didn't live that far from Botan, but still; she did something like this for her, and Botan was gong to turn it down. Botan didn't want to hurt Keiko further, but what could she do? Botan sighed and forced herself to look Keiko straight in the face.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be going to school today."

Keiko took a small step back. Her gaze wandered to the ground and evaluated the cracks in the pavement.

"Oh. I see." Keiko responded in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I have to be at Libra this morning."

"Why?" Keiko asked without looking up.

Botan bit her lip. With her head down like that, Botan couldn't tell if her friend was about five seconds away from blowing up in her face, or ready to cry. She hoped it wasn't either of those reactions. She couldn't tell Keiko about the dream, but could she afford another lie? Releasing her lip from the death grip of her teeth, Botan omitted the truth.

"Because with everything that's been going on, they're going to be needing a lot of my help."

"I see."

"Look, Keiko, I know you wanted to walk with me today, and I appreciate the gesture, really I do, it's just that I-"

"It's okay."

Stunned, Botan blinked at Keiko. Keiko was letting this slide? Surely she was bluffing, or at the very least covering up her emotions. Confusion froze her vocal cords, and so she could only stare at her friend. Keiko looked up, smiling.

"Botan, I understand. Your job is demanding, and it's also important to you. I don't mind you heading off. I just hoped I'd be able to get you to talk about yourself more today."

Keiko's smile faltered for a brief moment. Botan sighed, irritated at herself. Should she go back into the house and change into her uniform? Images of her dream flashed through her head and her apprehension renewed itself tenfold. No. If her gut instinct was screaming at this loud of a volume, then she needed to go to the lab. She turned her eyes back to Keiko's face. Her smile seemed chipper enough, and her smile was sincere, but deep within her eyes the light of loneliness was shining. Botan pulled her friend into a tight embrace. Keiko didn't deserve to be hurting like this, especially not because of her friend. Unsure of how to respond to the unexpected hug, Keiko stood there, frozen in Botan's arms. Botan leaned looked over the brunette's shoulder. Across the street, the houses were beginning to take on a saffron glow the higher the sun rose. With each passing second of time, Botan felt her anxiety increase. Pushing it to the very bottom of her mind, she squeezed the girl she'd known since elementary school.

"One day, when everything's blown over, and I am in a position to do so, I'll tell you everything I can about Libra an what I do there. That's a promise."

She let Keiko go and began walking towards her car. Keiko turned back and called after her.

"Botan, what are you saying?"

Opening her car door, Botan tossed the reply back over her shoulder.

"I'm making a promise to you that you cannot, under any circumstances, forget: one day I promise to tell you all that I can about Libra and what it is I do there." she looked back at the girl standing on the front step, smiling, "Okay? Remember the promise Keiko."

Without waiting for a reply, she waved a final goodbye and crawled into her car. As she backed out of the driveway, she took one last glance at Keiko before continuing on. She may have imagined it, but she could have sworn Keiki had been smiling.

The first thing Koenma noticed upon awakening was the steady ascent of the sun as it sneaked further and further above the horizon. The second thing was the stiffness of his back and the fact that he was sitting up in a rather uncomfortable chair instead of laying down in his soft bed. Blinking sleep from his eyes, Koenma tried to discern where he was.

"Well, good morning. I thought you were going to sleep the whole day away with as many logs as you were sawing in that chair."

As soon as he recognized the voice, Koenma became wide awake. He looked over in the direction from which the voice had come. Sitting upright in bed, smiling at him, was his father. At first, Koenma couldn't think of anything to say. His throat was paralyzed and his mouth hung, both unable of working properly. Enma chuckled.

"What's wrong son? You trying to catch flies for me?"

At that playful taunt, Koenma found himself able to speak again.

"D-Dad! You're awake! Um...do you need anything? I'll call one of the nurses."

Enma waved his hand dismissing his son's concern. "No need for that. I'm fine. One of the nurses already came in here earlier this morning and told me that I'm doing much better."

Relief warmed Koenma's entire being. He smiled at his father. "That's good. I'm glad."

"As you should be. The nurses tell me you've practically made this place your home with as many visits as you've been making."

"If I've inconvenienced them, I'm terribly sorry. I-"

"Relax Koenma, they were simply joking. As am I."

Koenma sighed an sank back into the chair. His father gave him another warm smile.

"How have you been doing, son?"

"I've been doing alright."

"And the lab? How goes the Phoenix Project?"

Koenma gulped. His palms began to itch as a nervous sweat trickled down the skin. He glanced over at the window behind his father. The contents of Toguro's letter filled his mind as he thought of a way to answer the question and at the same time ask one of his own. What Toguro said couldn't be true. There was no way Enma would ever give that man control. His gaze fell back onto his father, waiting patiently for his son to answer a simple inquiry. Koenma swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and proceeded to answer.

"It's going pretty well, or rather it was. Toguro's literally pushing the envelops about going onto stage two, and, well, he's assumed full control."

"He's done what now?"

The ice in Enma's tone seemed to drop the room temperature a few degrees. Koenma shuddered when he looked at his father's face. Dark anger offset by the fierce glow in his eyes, silently demanding his son to explain. A small puff of carbon dioxide made its way out of Koenma's lungs, alerting him that he'd been holding his breath. Inhaling, he began to explain.

"Toguro sent me a letter stating that Libra would proceed onto phase two of the Phoenix Project. He told me that since I do not have the details, and that since you are currently in the hospital, he will be taking full control. He didn't tell me what plans he had for the Phoenix Project, only that should I have any questions, I would be to take it up with Karasu."

A thin thread of silence stretched between the two men, pulling tighter and tighter, until is finally snapped, and Enma's voice crept out, burning with rage and a hint of regret.

"I should have known he would try something like this. Even though I tried to convince myself over and over, things would be safe in your hands and they would all play out if we waited long enough, deep in the back of my mind I knew Toguro would pull something like this." Enma leaned back against the wall and sighed. He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander the expanse of darkness behind the lids and concentrate. The one thing he'd feared the most had finally happened. He should have put more restraints on Toguro from the start. He returned his mind back to the present and opened his eyes, focusing them on his son, sitting by the bed in a wooden chair set with a blue cushion. Sitting in that chair, hands folded in his lap, upright, looking so prim and proper with his mother's eyes and his mother's face, Koenma regarded his father through a frightened stare. That fear needed to be put to rest. The whole story would have to be told. "Son," he said, drawing strength from the image of his wife in his son's face, "have you ever wondered why The Phoenix Project is called so?"

Koenma shook his head.

"It is called thus because it started out as a search in finding humans with abnormal, or as we termed it, superior qualities. Such as magnificent eyesight, borderline supernatural intuition, and the like. Once the demon was discovered in the group of human test subjects, as you know, things underwent a whole one-hundred eighty degree turn. Demons were studied, the findings utilized, and it was all for the purpose of excelling the human race. In laymen's terms, everything was done for the sole objective of improving humans."

"But I don't understand," Koenma interjected, "what you just said is what everyone at Libra is already aware of. That's the information we're given."

"Think about it, have you ever wondered why the word Phoenix is in there? Seems a little strange for a mythical bird to be the name of a scientific study."

Koenma sat back in the chair, indicating to his father to continue.

"The phoenix," he explained, "is a bird that originates in the myths of Ancient Greece. It is a bird comprised of fiery feathers that will glow brighter the more it ages. However, a phoenix can die, for despite all its wonderful attributes that set it apart from other birds, it is not immortal. When the phoenix dies its body disintegrates into a heap of ash, but that is not the end. From the ashes a new phoenix arises. Strong, powerful, better that its predecessor.

"Do you see my meaning now, Koenma? The Phoenix Project is an objective to bring about a new breed of humans through researching and utilizing the powers of the demons used as test subjects."

Amber eyes as wide as saucers, Koenma could only stare back at his father in shock. His mouth moved in an attempt to form words, but hung slack after a moment, giving up the fight. That was the sole purpose of the Phoenix Project? To bring about a better human species and toss the old ones aside like trash? No! Koenma thought, It can't be! It can't! My father, my father would never allow such a-

"Koenma?" Enma prodded, interrupting his son's wild train of thought, "Not to point out the obvious, but you're looking quite shocked if I do say so myself."

"But Dad, you...you...would never allow such a thing. You wouldn't! You would fight it tooth and nail, and-"

"That's right, I would have." Enma interrupted. He gave his son a sad smile. "If I had been the one running the lab from the beginning."

Shock plunged an icy weight straight into Koenma's heart.

"What? What are you saying?" Koenma's voice began to rise, "You and Toguro both founded Libra. The lab stemmed from the partnership you two developed while in college, this doesn't make any rational sense at all! Why are you telling me all this now?"

Out in the hall, an orderly carrying some clean sheets jumped and peered into the open doorway. What he could see was a young man, feet planted on either side of him and fists clenched at his sides, grinding his teeth and glaring down at the somewhat older man seated on the bed with all the ferocity of a cornered wolf. The man on the bed looked up at the one standing and shook his head.

"Must you raise your voice in a hospital? I thought I taught you better than that. Besides, you need to be careful," he looked past the young man and fixed the eavesdropping orderly with a pointed stare, "we can't afford to have this conversation overheard."

The orderly took that as a cue and scampered off. Enma turned back to his son. Taking his cue, Koenma sighed and sat back down, motioning for his father to go on.

"Allow me to go back, quite a ways back, to the days when I attended college alongside Toguro. We happened to be partners in a cell biology class, a two-thousand level lab course that, for once, had more than one instructor teaching it. As the days went by, Toguro came to admire me. He said I possessed clear, precise cognitive skills, a sharp mind, and a well-organized manner of thinking. He felt that we were kindred spirits in the scientific world, and that we should strive together. It was after he said that, that I began to notice some strange things about him. He had a cold, unapproachable demeanor towards anyone besides myself, including professors. While he possessed intelligence almost surpassing genius level, and by rights should have bee awed by our fellow classmates, he was feared and all too often avoided.

"Although these things unnerved me, I didn't think too much on them for very long. However, it was one night, when we were working on a project, that everything clicked into place and I fully understood the man who is Toguro. The television was on for the sole purpose of background noise, and a news bulletin aired about how a young girl had been found brutally slaughtered. They gave a few details of the state of the corpse. The limbs had been cut to ribbons, the eyes removed and placed within the palms of the hands, the tongue split in two, the intestines cut out and wrapped around the neck like a necklace. Disgusting. I was unable to say anything, I merely dropped my jaw at the television screen. How, I wondered, could someone, sane or otherwise, commit such a heinous act?

"Toguro however, glanced up once, turned back to the project and muttered 'Tough break.'. It then became clear to me that that man did not value human life at all. To him, they were no more than the dirt upon which he strode. I went back to my apartment that night nauseated over the comment he had made. All night I tossed and turned, wondering if I should say something to someone. But to whom? My other colleagues? Then the word would spread, and I had no idea what would happen to me. The campus counselor? No. Knowing that man, he would try to track down Toguro, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. I made up my mind that night that I would stay close to this man. I would observe him, and wait for the moment that would someday bring about his downfall."

"But there's one thing I don't understand."

"Oh?"

"If Toguro was the one who started Libra and the Phoenix Project, then it would stand to say that he is the founder and director. That being the case, why is he referred to as the co-director?"

"Once the demon was found amongst the human test subjects, Toguro wanted as little to do with his visionary dream as possible. He transferred control and title over to me, and began searching down new avenues with which he could take his dream, but to no avail. The Phoenix Project was his one and only choice."

Enma looked out the window, now blazing gold as the sunlight streamed directly in. "It is my suspicion that Toguro was behind those attacks on the staff members. Once he realized that using the demons was his only option, he asked me if there was any way to integrate them into the lab as willing test subjects. I informed him that I didn't think such a thing would be possible, as moving them from their respective environments to a sterile lab, where we would have to keep them under constant observation, was bound to cause strife He warned me that my decision of keeping things as they were would prove fatal, as the demons were too dangerous to be trusted. A week later an attack on a scientist occurred. As the attacks became more frequent, I became concerned for my staff, and took Toguro up on the offer. I was so worried about the well-being of the workers, that I completely disregarded Toguro's warning and the timing of which the first attack occurred." Enma sighed. The expulsion of air was heavy with regret. "If I'd been paying more attention to my surroundings, perhaps things would not have ended up as they did."

"So," Koenma said, "if Toguro founded the lab, he also came up with the lab's name. is that correct?"

Enma nodded. "Do you understand the significance of that name?"

Koenma shook his head.

"Libra: a Greek zodiac sign bestowed onto those born between the days of September twenty-third and October twenty-third. The only inanimate symbol if the Greek zodiac, it is represented as a pair of scales, symbolizing balance and order.

"Through the lab, Toguro would bring about his own version of order, and with it, re-balance the world to what he saw as fit."

Sorry about the cliff-hangerish ending. Um...yay! I'm back! Sorry about the delay in updating. Anyway, le gasp! The big reveal! There will be more in the upcoming chapter. Sneaky, evil Karasu! The dream Kurama comes to life! Hiro as a spy? Stay tuned readers!