A Month With Suichi Minamino

By Payne N. Uranus

.:AN:.

(Payne mumbling) How much is that doggie in the window? How much is that doggie for sale?

Conscience (singing too): You had better think smartly before you answer. If you don't, you'll get anthrax in the mail!

-_- ...That's not how the song goes.

Conscience: Look, do you want the dog or not? Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

(blinks at Conscience) I don't want a dog. This is not a desperate times. Stop doing drugs, they're bad for you.

Conscience: WHY would you ask for the price of a dog if you weren't going to buy it? You people make me sick! Confusing us nice and helpful people when you can't even decide on what you want! Make up your stupid minds! And don't knock the drugs, okay, it's what makes my existence bearable!

Okay, what kind of conscience does drugs? Honestly. Did I kill kittens in my past life? Steal candy from babies? Beat old people with sticks? What did I do to deserve this punishment?! Give me some of those drugs, my life is more unbearable than yours is!

Conscience: Speaking of punishment.

....What about it?

Conscience: Nothing. Was announcing the fact we were speaking of punishment.

(Payne slaps forehead) Oh boy. (turns to readers) All right, this chapter's update is due to the lovely saiyuri-dahlia and loveanime18 duo and their awesome help with the betaing!

Conscience: Let it be known that Payne is a slave driver, has many slaves at her disposal (including me), and should be arrested.

(Payne takes out a huge mallet and knocks Conscience out of the ballpark)

As I was saying -- (leaning on mallet) -- I hope you enjoy the following chapter. I've decided that being twenty chapters into a story and not having a significant mushy-gushy moment on Kurama's end is very bad, so...yeah. The next chapter -- YES, THE NEXT CHAPTER -- will make you happy, so keep tuning in, folks! And please don't forget to review on your way out!

Speaking of reviews, give some love to these wonderful people who reviewed last chapter!

Death101- Fox Version (Cool ones? --confused--), UPDATE SOON!!! (Dude, whoever you are, you're support is awesome. It definitely was responsible for the last push of inspiration necessary to get this chapter finished! Thank you!), Black Cat Soul Reaper (I'm a slow, sad, writer), SillyMoose8 (Haha, yes, I'm leading up to something, hinted in this chapter!), inperfection, OneOutOfControlChick (psychic reader!), Tateno Atsukino, tiggeranddash (that's intentional, don't worry, Kurama will kick ass soon!), rheaclairet, and Out-Of-Control-Authoress.

Conscience: (comes back screaming from the opposite direction Payne sent it)

(Payne looks down at watch) Wow, around the world in eighty seconds. I'm getting good at this.

Conscience: (flips the bird before passing out)

Chapter 20: Swept Away

Mitsuyo didn't really know what to think when she saw the hallway explode feet from where she was standing. Her first reaction was fear, wondering where the blast came from, and if it had done something other than just tear out large sections of her house and expose it to some slightly violent night winds. Then a rushing sense of anger that such damage was occurring to her lovely home came instead, along with a small feeling of worry that her parents would be more than a little pissed off that she brought on such architectural destruction.

"Yusuke, be honest, do you just like blowing up houses or do you really NOT think before you shoot?" she heard Kurama scold from behind the door that was still miraculously hanging on its hinges.

"Yes, Kurama. You got me. Who cares if Akio's damned demons get a hold of Mitsuyo and completely annihilate you? I just had the strongest urge to see bits of plaster fly up into the air, and figured this would be the best place to do it!"

"I'll be sure to thank you for getting it out of your system, then...after I clean up the mess you just made!"

"I saved your LIFE with this mess, damn it! Twice! I've saved it TWICE! Show some respect, Foxboy!" the angry teen shouted, sounding a bit stressed.

Mitsuyo sighed in relief, for one, having found out where Kurama was, and for another, feeling rather pleased that the brazen Spirit Detective was there for extra protection. Not that she doubted Kurama's abilities, but sometimes it was nice to have a boy with an exploding finger around as backup.

She contemplated on whether or not to enter the desecrated room, since it seemed that the two were winding up for a rather fantastic argument easily heard through the thick wooden door. Given the fact that the girl hadn't been around long enough to really grasp the group relationships, Mitsuyo found nothing out of the ordinary about Kurama and Yusuke exchanging verbal blows. She had to admit hearing the redhead's normally smooth and calm voice reaching scathing levels was something new, though.

"Perhaps I WILL, once you react APPROPRIATELY in the situation!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want me to get my ass kicked too? Is that what's appropriate?"

Mitsuyo slowly started backing away, hearing the abnormally strained tones in each of their voices.

Maybe I'd better deal with the demon downstairs first? she wondered to herself, but stomped her foot in frustration when she remembered, Hell, I don't know how to fight! I just know how to run! Damnit!

"At least I didn't blow away half the building!"

"No, you just waved your stupid flowers around! How scary!"

"I suppose your way is any better? At least when I was fighting him, Jin was in one place! Now he has completely vanished through the gaping hole you put in the wall!"

"Hello! The guy can fly! Like a dinky room with a broken window would stop him from escaping! The only risk MY attack had was defeating Jin!"

"And we're back to the fact that you ALSO blew up another house!"

That's, of course, when the screaming started.

It was rather naive to think the other residences of the household would sleep through such a racket. Hiroshi came bursting out of his room, hands tightly clasped over his head as if afraid it would fall off and running blindly towards the staircase, all the while screaming bloody murder. Seeing as Mitsuyo just happened to be standing in front of the staircase, she was in full view as her little brother came scurrying down the hall towards her.

Mitsuyo reached out quickly, grabbing a fistful of his pajama's collar in order to stop him. She hadn't forgotten what she had left downstairs, and the muffled groaning gradually becoming louder told her that the monster-zombie thing wasn't exactly waiting for her to come down either.

"It's alright, Hiroshi!" she tried to say calmly over his incessant yelling, but the strange paste gluing her mouth shut prevented any words from coming out. So, feeling the growing headache intensify, she pulled her hand back and slapped the poor boy right across the cheek.

It shut him up immediately.

The shaggy-haired kid stared at his sister with watery eyes, and Mitsuyo did her best to gesture for him to calm down. He didn't really understand why she wasn't talking to him, but nodded shakily anyway, eyes wildly darting towards where the guest bedroom had once been intact. The violent sobbing didn't really stop, but at least it was at a volume that was easier to handle.

The brunette also observed the room, hearing more shouts and expletives, and decided immediately to stay away from there while her brother was in her company. The stairs creaked, telling her that the slimy apparition was coming up that way, negating that exit as well.

Her parents' bedroom. That'd be safe, right?

Hand still gripping the back of her brother's clothes, she dragged him towards the opposite end of the hall, opening the door enough to peek inside at the still slumbering forms -- Mitsuyo wondered if the two slept with earplugs, or really were having a hard time hearing things nowadays -- before throwing Hiroshi inside unceremoniously. She motioned that she wanted him to stay there and to be quiet, before closing the door and heading in the direction of Kurama and Yusuke. It was a bit disconcerting to see that the door really was just reduced to a slab of wood hanging crookedly in the doorjamb, and that the roof no longer existed at this side of the house, but did her best to ignore it. Right before she reached for the doorknob, Mitsuyo couldn't help but sigh as she heard the two still bickering.

"Okay, Fox-boy, if we could put this whole torturous lecturing on pause for a second, mind telling me what the hell that buzzing noise is coming from?"

"If you would stop throwing a temper-tantrum, maybe I'd actually get around to explaining the situation to you!"

"I AM NOT THROWING A STUPID TEMPER-TANTRUM, PLANT-NERD!"

"What is it with you and your ridiculous name-calling??"

Maybe it would be better to wait a bit? she thought with a worried frown. But, I still need Kurama to get this gunk off my face! Why, God, why? What the hell have I done to you to deserve this?

Still unbearably conscious of the slimy demon groaning around downstairs, and the fact that her family was all locked away in one room, Mitsuyo tried to think the problems through.

Okay, well...Jin's still flying around out there somewhere. Apparently coming for me. I think. Family is in danger, so first thing should be to move them somewhere else. But there's the demon downstairs. Do I have any weapons?...Um...No, no I don't. So can't tackle that... And Kurama and Yusuke are arguing in the room. Should probably break it up, but they sound particularly agitated... Wait. If Yusuke's here, then that means that Kuwabara and Hiei should be here, too, right?

As if in answer, the hallway window exploded in glass shards as the orange-haired boy catapulted through with his trusty Spirit Sword. Mitsuyo immediately ducked as the splinters rained down, clasping her hands around her neck. Kuwabara seemed to be completely oblivious to the danger his dramatic entrance posed, instead concentrating on his -- probably prepared -- speech.

"Fear not!" he exclaimed in what was probably supposed to be a strong, heroic voice, but actually came out a bit shaky. "For I, Kazuma Kuwabara, Man of Honor and Protector of justice, am here to-to...Aaaahhhh!!" The rest of his introduction was forgotten as it seemed his sword failed on him, flickering out of existence before he reached the upper floor's balcony.

Kuwabara remained in the air for a few short seconds before the poor, muscular teen plummeted to the ground floor of the Kajima house, screaming in his raspy voice as he went. A loud crash followed not moments later.

"Kuwabara!" Mitsuyo cried out in concern, or at least tried to, for the name came out extremely muffled. She rant to the railing, leaning down in time to see Kuwabara pushing himself up from the wooden floor, littered with the glass that fell from above. Without really thinking about it, the young girl leapt onto the bar and pushed off, intending to help out the ridiculous boy.

Landing at his left side, Mitsuyo immediately knelt down and checked Kuwabara over. He pushed her fussing hands away as soon as she touched him. "I'm fine," he said gruffly, rubbing his head. Kuwabara's eyebrows were furrowed, and in that moment, Mitsuyo thought he looked a lot more serious than she'd ever seen. "Wow, that was stupid. Why did I do that?" He grumbled to himself, then looked down at his hands, now cut from all the slivers of glass. "And what happened to my sword? It's never done that before..."

Frustrated, Mitsuyo reached for the injured boy again, but suddenly he stood up, hands clenched tightly. Blood leaked through his grip, dripping onto the messy floor, but he paid no heed. Instead, he screwed his face up in concentration, and suddenly his sword flared back to life in his right fist.

"Mitsuyo," Kuwabara started lowly, bringing his other hand out in a protective gesture, "Get behind me. Now."

And then Mitsuyo realized why Kuwabara had reacted so seriously. Standing in front of them, half-way across the room, was the seaweed demon that Mitsuyo had temporarily forgotten about.

Stupid, she cursed, Stupid! Leaping in there like that? Why isn't ANYONE think--

Mitsuyo's eyes brightened.

It's the demon! He's messing with our ability to think! That's why Kurama and Yusuke were fighting upstairs, and why I jumped like that, and Kuwabara -- well, Kuwabara might've done that weird entrance anyway, but it explains why his sword gave out once he was in here! Mitsuyo prepared to share her thoughts with the orange-haired boy, but belatedly remembered -- again -- that she couldn't talk. Well. That sucks.

"Get back!" Kuwabara repeated, shouting this time, before he charged. Sword raised high above his head, the young man jumped, preparing to throw all his strength behind his stroke and cleave the glowing apparition into two.

His opponent didn't react.

The luminous blade made contact.

And stuck.

"Gack!" Kuwabara grunted, yanking on the vibrant hilt of his sword, teeth gritted in determination. The sword had barely sunk an inch into the demon's supposed flesh before it was caught in its invisible vice grip. No matter how the boy tugged, the weapon could not pull free. The demon stared sightlessly at his contorted expression, no hint of pain evident on its face. After allowing a few seconds of struggle, the apparition raised its hand and placing it on the Spirit Sword's blade.

Kuwabara cried out, not necessarily in pain, but more in frustration and bewilderment. His grip on the sword slipped, and the blade flickered once more out of existence. He stumbled back, hands now holding his head, eyes wandering, looking lost and confused. Muffled grunts and groans coughed out from between his teeth, the orange-haired boy's body twitching and flinching from whatever it was that connection did. To make things even more unsettling, the slimy green apparition almost seemed to be glowing with a fiery, yellowish light.

"Kuwabara!"

Yusuke's panicked voice ripped through the tense quiet, forcing Mitsuyo's attention upwards to the balcony she had descended from not too long before. There, he and Kurama stood, peering down with varying looks of concern and anger. Yusuke looked particularly unbalanced, fists spastically gripping the banister, his eyes wild with untamed urgency.

Before Mitsuyo could even recognize the stance, Yusuke suddenly ripped his hands from the railing and prepared to unleash his Spirit Gun attack. Her eyes widened, she had never seen the black-haired detective so reckless with his power. Granted, the young girl hadn't known Yusuke for too long, but she had been around him enough to get a reliable understanding of his temperament. This demon was doing more damage than she had thought was possible.

Yusuke's index finger started charging.

Realizing this, Kurama lunged for the boy's aiming arm, shouting angrily, "Yusuke, no!" mere seconds before Yusuke screamed, "Spirit Gun!" and released the blast, fully charged.

The electric blue blinded all parties for what seemed like eternity. Mitsuyo had rushed to Kuwabara's side at the last possible second, mindlessly shielding his now crumpled form with her own and bringing her arms up to cover her head. She braced herself for the pain, for while she had never been hit with a spirit attack, the brunette had a feeling that it would be a painful experience. However, all she felt was what she assumed were various pieces of debris raining down on her head, light and harmless. Still, she checked the desire to lift up and see what had happened, just in case it led to something more.

A few more beats of silence.

Nothing came.

Hesitantly, Mitsuyo unfolded, blinking through all the dust and smoke that had risen from the blast. Breathing it in made her cough awkwardly a couple times, but she ignored the small burning in her nose. Anxiously, her eyes searched for Kurama and Yusuke, hoping that neither of them had been injured. Not for the first time, she wished she could speak and call out to them. The brunette couldn't catch sight of either one of them. Nor did she see the demon. Her gaze did, however, catch sight of the immense hole in the roof of her house -- it's size actually put the fact that there was still technically a roof up for debate.

I'm with Kurama on this one, she thought dazedly. Yusuke must have a fetish for destroying houses.

Still unbearably worried, Mitsuyo returned her attention to Kuwabara. She touched his shoulder lightly, grateful when he shifted and opened his eyes, appearing to have gotten over whatever it was that had incapacitated him earlier. Hesitantly, Mitsuyo put her thumb up in question, asking whether or not he was okay. She got a jerky nod and a small, almost bitter smile in response, though Kuwabara still seemed hesitant to move.

A crunched footstep behind her.

A grating moan.

Oh, c'mon! Mitsuyo groaned, eyes closing in despair. Is this thing indestructible or what?

Feeling somewhat unsteady on her feet, the brunette pivoted around in her crouched position, bringing her arms up in one of the few defensive forms she knew. The zombie-like apparition took another shuddering step towards her and her fallen comrade, its goopy feet rasping against the glass splinters decorating the floor.

Okay, she tried to reason with herself. So there's this big seaweed monster coming after me. Big deal. So far, all I know is that he makes it hard to think, makes it hard to control maintaining Spirit Energy, and has that glue stuff on him that kinda destroys things after a while. Crap, speaking of which, my lips are hurting. Geez...Mitsuyo, focus. Big seaweed dude. Nothing to worry about, right? Yeah, sure! Just make sure he doesn't touch me, and I don't touch him -- again -- and everything will be dandy....I hope...God, my inner voice is sooo pessimistic. Need to work on that. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive...Okay, not working. Stupid seaweed monster!

The apparition was scarcely feet away. Those eerie, pasty white eyes pierced through her and caused Mitsuyo's train of thought to derail. Idly, she figured the demon's powers were much more effective close-range, but was incapable of pursuing any further as suddenly everything seemed really fuzzy. The buzzing, which had somehow managed to fade into the background throughout all the chaos, was suddenly much louder, resonating through her head as if a fly was currently zooming around between her ears. Small shocks of pain pulsed in her temples, but Mitsuyo couldn't muster up the muscle to rub away the sensation. Things started spinning. She felt she was going to throw up. For a second, she thought her eyes had crossed, but that could've just been the room tilting the wrong way. More shocks of pain, now feeling more like stabs, behind her eyes, the back of her neck, her jaw, her forehead, it almost felt like her whole face was going to explode...

And suddenly Mitsuyo hit the ground, the pain in her head dulling and relocating to her kneecaps. Her stomach twisted as a raw, acidic taste bubbled at the back of her throat that, coupled with the unsettling fact that her lips were still sealed, forced her to gag reflexively. Mitsuyo swallowed roughly, and shivered when the urge didn't readily dissipate.

Demon, she thought unsteadily, eyes blearily lifting and searching for her enemy. Demon. Demon. Can't. Let it get. Kuwabara.

Mitsuyo found the demon.

In pieces on the floor.

Hiei stood in the middle of the carnage looking down in disgust at the blade of his sword dripping with a wite, creamy liquid. Mitsuyo's gaze slowly slipped down to the seaweed apparition's severed parts and noticed the glistening milkly puddles on the wooden floorboards. The sight didn't help with Mitsuyo's stomach problems, but it certainly earned a sharp sigh of relief.

Hiei...thank you, God...

Mitsuyo couldn't risk making any sort of sounds of acknowledgement, but hoped that the intuitive nature of the shorter fire demon would alert him to the fact that the paste on her mouth was reaching the unbearable stage, and he would do something to get it off.

Though Kurama IS the plant expert...maybe Hiei can do something..?

Even before she had finished the thought, her former tutor crouched in front of her, hardly having to bend to reach Mitsuyo's level. His eyes flickered to the glowing mucus sealing her lips together, brow furrowed in concentration.

"What the hell is that unsightly paste on your face?" Hiei demanded, leering at it as if it would burn off from the intensity of his gaze.

Typical Hiei, Mitsuyo couldn't help but think. Ignore saying hello, forget the proud "You owe me for this" remark. Insult with questions, that's Hiei.

Unable to gather the energy to be annoyed at such a question, the brunette limply indicated the now deceased sludge apparition with her wrist in answer.

Humming in thought, the swordsman brought two fingers up and pressed them to her lips. Mitsuyo allowed this warily; if it weren't for her entire exhaustion, the only thing that would've stopped her from slapping them away was the look of utter concentration on his otherwise scowling face. After a moment's pause, the muted girl noticed that her mouth felt suddenly warmer, looser, and the goop seemed to become a lot more flexible. Within a few seconds, Hiei had successfully pulled the green slime away, letting it fall to the floor with a resounding, sickening splat.

Mitsuyo had no time to express her gratitude. Her nausea had had lasted long enough. Immediately, she lurched forward onto her palms, abdominal muscles heaving up the family dinner that almost felt like it had been eaten days ago, not hours. There the young girl stayed, hunched, for a good minute or so, coughing and gagging as her stomach struggled to regain equilibrium with the rest of her body. It was only when she had spat out the last of the bitter taste, and her breathing was back under control, that Mitsuyo truly noticed the absence of the buzzing, and, in fact, the absence of...everything.

Out of relief more than anything else, the young brunette let her body fall backwards onto the ground, ignoring the slight prick of the glass shards against her skin. Mitsuyo's eyes had slid shut without her consent, but she didn't mind.

This must be how Kuwabara felt like when that demon touched his sword, she mused listlessly. At least he didn't throw up, though. She then wondered how he was doing now.

Mitsuyo was vaguely surprised that Hiei had let her get away with this behavior. During her training, the fire demon had never let her rest for long, always claiming that the more she rested, the more it would detract from any improvement she gained that session. Maybe he was being nice?

Or maybe he's doing that silent glare thing... As if to check to see if her hunch was right, Mitsuyo allowed one eye to crack open. She wasn't particularly shocked to find the dark-haired apparition staring down at her, arms customarily folded across his chest as usual, but the look on his face was a new one. He seemed almost...concerned. Yeah, right. Hiei's a good guy and all, but he never outwardly shows that he cares about someone... Just like --

Once again, reality finished her thought before she had the chance. Mitsuyo's vision still swam a bit, but out of all the stale, cold colors of the remnants of her house, the red hair and green eyes stood out even more in the young girl's mind. Her eyes fell shut once again. She had memorized every facet of his appearance long ago; she didn't need to look at him just yet.

"Mitsuyo?" She felt him speak more than she heard him, right beside her head. There was a small flutter in her stomach as she heard him speak her name, but it turned into a lurch soon after. Such strain in his normally level voice, a tension she hadn't detected present during any of the disastrous times she'd seen him in trouble. Mitsuyo prayed he wasn't hurt -- she wasn't sure she could bear that. A cool hand pressed against her forehead, brushing away loose bangs, gentle pads running along the miniscule cuts and bruises she had obtained throughout the night. Those caresses were quavering; even the smallest of hairs on Mitsuyo's skin could feel the fox spirit tremble.

He never outwardly shows that he cares...but that doesn't mean he doesn't... Mitsuyo almost smiled tipsily at the thought.

"Hey, Kurama," she heard her voice mumble back. The touches paused, but then returned. It was impossible to imagine anything more delicate than this attention he was now giving her, as if he were afraid she'd crack under any more pressure.

"How?" Kurama muttered, and somehow Mitsuyo knew he wasn't talking to her. The rhythmic petting didn't stop; the brunette figured it was probably as calming to him as it was to her.

"This mess of a demon absorbs spirit energy, transforming the power to a more concentrated frequency that disrupts the Spiritual flow inside of our bodies. The closer the contact, the stronger the effect. It's a wonder the buffoon is still alive. It goes without saying that the detective's blast would have made things worse for the girl's reaction, too."

"Botan contacted you?"

"Hn. While on my way here. Koenma somehow picked up the information."

"So, since your blade was of metal and not energy, you were not harmed? Fascinating." Kurama didn't sound too fascinated, in Mitsuyo's opinion, but she kept quiet. Those warm hands were nearly as hypnotic as those glittering green eyes, and swishing red hair, and smooth, calming voice... Yeah, she was gonna stay quiet. God knows what would come out while she was mentally gushing like a schoolgirl.

Even if...she was.

Beside the point.

"The buffoon's fine. We found your...human. He's unconscious and in the room with the girl's family. The Kajima boy was in there as well. Somehow he was roused from sleep, but I gave him another dose of your powder."

Kurama made a small noise of understanding. His fingers drifted from her forehead to her jawline and cheekbones, tracing the smudges of dirt, the curves of her face. "That's good. They'll need to be relocated soon. The pollen keeping the parents from waking will probably wear off before long, and Jin's still out there. He will pose a threat to their safety, especially since any significant noises like the ones previous will rouse them unlike before."

"Touya is out there as well," Hiei informed him, voice as cold and uncaring as usual. Mitsuyo didn't know who Jin or Touya were, but figured they were other demons like the one Hiei had killed who were out to get her. The pollen comment also confused her, but she, once again, decided to be mute. "Also, from what I'm sensing, the pollen you administered to the boy has worn off. He'll no doubt need another dose, though it seems the boy is unconscious now."

"I see," Kurama said, not giving anything away in either response or tone. It almost irritated Mitsuyo enough to open her eyes again and glare beseechingly at the two of them, but the feeling quickly passed, partly because it was too exhausting to maintain, but mostly because at that moment, a loud crash resounded from somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen.

"God damn it, Kurama!" bellowed a very pissed Yusuke. He stalked up to the group, his face scrunched up with rage as he shook off the various scraps of rubble that tumbled from his form. "I get that you didn't want me to shoot and all, but I thought you were smart enough to know better than to grab my friggin arm!"

Kurama didn't reply in any way that Mitsuyo could tell, but his gentle brushes suddenly became firmer against her face. It didn't hurt in the least, in fact it increased the sense of security she felt, but that fact alone also triggered a sense of worry. Yusuke, on the other hand, remained oblivious.

"Hey," Yusuke huffed, getting a bit defensive when the redhead didn't react to his complaint. Without giving much thought to action or what the consequences might be, the delinquent gave a pointed shove to the back of Kurama's shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. "Hey, Kurama!"

Mitsuyo didn't like not knowing what was going on. It was one thing to hear the two arguing after a fight with a demon, but for Yusuke to continue acting like this afterwards? Either the boy was still reeling from the explosion, or the demon had messed his head up more than Mitsuyo had originally thought. The latter wasn't totally implausible -- the young girl could barely think straight herself, though granted she had experienced closer contact than Yusuke had. Whatever the reason, she knew that Kurama wasn't acting much like himself either, and it worried her.

When she finally managed to crack open her eyes, she had to stifle a gasp.

Kurama's glittering green eyes suddenly weren't so green anymore.

~`*`~

All was quiet back at Genkai's temple. The old woman herself was tucked away in her bed, sleeping soundly, with the resident ice maiden occupying the adjacent room in the exact same state. No observer could have ever suspected that the two were in immediate danger. None could have ever thought they would be the receivers of such malicious intent, for in sleep they were so innocent and defenseless, it wouldn't take much effort to end their lives. Not a sound could disturb them. No movement would be detected. Just one, simple, unhindered stroke of tooth, nail, it didn't matter what weaponry was used, so fragile those beings were, laid bare in the night, it would all be over quickly.

Oblivious, one would believe. Utterly oblivious.

So thought the hundred mosquito-like demons circling inside the woods as they took in the sight before them.

They had gotten their proud snickering out of their system long before approaching the property borders. Exposing their large, glistening fangs to each other with delight, shrieks of excitement escaping their gaping mouths, the miniature army had already celebrated an easy victory. Master Isamu would reward them generously for their success at attacking and demolishing the Detective's headquarters. The first encounter these Spirit World lackeys had experienced of their kind had led to failure on Master Isamu's side. Their kin had been slaughtered swiftly and mercilessly, left to rot in the midst of the very trees that sheltered them. This would not be a repeat performance. Each parasitic ghoul formed some glorious vision of its prize awaiting the army's return back at the base in its tiny mind, salivating over extra human rations, or perhaps an unruly demon to slaughter?

All it took to fulfill these fantasies was the death of two frail females and the destruction of the temple walls.

It was unnatural for demons of this rank and intellect to concentrate so hard, to focus and plan out every aspect of the invasion. Yet every tiny mind, personally warped by their master, was intently trained on its mission.

Perhaps that was what prevented the large group from detecting the drop in temperature in the forest.

Just as the flock prepared to leap as one silent, violet cloud, a single demon in their mist screeched in alarm and pain. All pairs of beady eyes immediately turned to the imbecile that dared to jeopardize their element of surprise. They continued to stare at their noisy comrade, trying to ascertain what exactly had happened to the purple demon's wings.

They had frozen together.

The unfortunate individual proceeded to leap from branch to branch, squawking and struggling to free the membraned appendages, while the others merely watched in confusion. Then, and only then, did they note how frosty the air had become, how the sky had taken on a icy blue hue, and how the bark on the trees were suddenly gripping their clawed feet much more tightly than their claws were gripping it. Another member tried to take off and free its limbs, but quickly emitted a similar crow of concern, for its wings were also solidly welded together.

It didn't take long for the failed ambush to lose balance, knocking into one another in their attempts to escape this strange place. Consequently they plummeted out of the trees to the ground, stunned and delirious in the panic this new surprise had thrown them in.

Stepping out from behind the shoji doors of her bedroom, Yukina looked on with a serene smile. Inwardly, she found the sight repulsing -- pitiful -- and was not the least bit amused, but the young ice maiden forced herself to remember these demons had no hope left. As soon as Akio's hands had touched their bodies, any goodness in them was lost, leaving an empty, easily manipulated shell of evil intents that would kill its own flesh and blood if given the order without a second thought.

Joining her in her observations was Genkai. While she was just as pleased with the sight as her companion, the weathered woman was not afraid of expressing her feelings. The wrinkles of her wizened face were hard and unfeeling, cold brown eyes delivering such a dangerous look, it sent the apparitions into a wilder frenzy than before.

They never had a chance. Now it was they who were defenseless, at the mercy of their prey, completely unsuspecting of the fate that had befallen them. Without their ability to flee, this mass of Soeki-ka had no defense against an attack. It was almost enough for Genkai to feel sorry for them.

Almost.

"Shot gun!" the aged warrior called, her strong voice drowning out the melee of suffering apparitions.

The light of her blast lit could be seen for miles.

Oblivious, she thought with a sigh. Utterly oblivious.

~`*`~

Hazel, Mitsuyo first thought. No, no, gold? Maybe, but it's not sharp enough. Hazel, then. Oh, but that's too faded...yellow? Ugh, too bright. Gold. Yes, gold. Not sharp, but cold. Cold gold.

It was a good distraction, or so the brunette thought. It kept her still rather frazzled mind distracted, from the hands that were suddenly too tense, fingers too still, eyes too hard and closed off. The color was much easier to debate over -- the intensity was far too dangerous a mystery to delve deeper into.

Honestly, Mitsuyo didn't even want to consider why her -- teammate? friend? crush? -- protector's eyes were no longer the color they had been for as far back as she could remember seeing them. It had to be a demon thing. She recalled the many stories Yusuke and Kuwabara used to exchange over dinner back at Genkai's about their past conflicts (it was always in an effort to show that Akio wasn't the hardest bad guy they'd have to beat), and how Kurama was the scariest opponent an apparition could face if the wrong buttons were pushed. Despite all the chaos Mitsuyo's life had experienced in the past few weeks, it was strangely difficult to look at the redhead boy and remember he wasn't wholly human. So much of him was: the warmth, near-softness of his body, the compassion in his eyes, the caring tones as he spoke reassuring words to her... Such a contrast to what she was seeing now.

It troubled her deeply, which was why she focused solely on the different shades she could see as Kurama's harsh gaze seemed to turn inward, looking as though he were struggling to suppress the feelings suddenly rioting inside him. They were definitely gold, Mitsuyo decided mutely. Very rich, very attractive, but there was no warmth. Nothing human. She felt a painful lurch in her chest.

"Kurama," Yusuke said a bit more forcefully, giving another inquisitive shove to the other boy's back. "Hey, will you at least answer me?"

Abruptly, Kurama stood, back rigid, head bowed slightly. As if guided by instinct, Yusuke took a step back, looking half-way torn between alarm and irritation.

"What's gotten into you?" the detective asked his friend's back, sounding a bit calmer, but still hard with his words. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Ever since you left Genkai's, you've been all over the place! I get that you're concerned and everything, and that the demon veggie man had something to do with it, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were losing your touch. You would never have been able to protect Mitsuyo if --"

He didn't get the chance to finish the sentence.

Kurama had always tried never to resort to violence when words and reasoning could produce a much cleaner, simpler, and more mature outcome. Granted, there were times when physical fighting was necessary, especially in the line of business he was in nowadays, but he had never lost his cool.

Kurama's cool was lost.

Before Hiei could make a single move, the romantic soldier struck. A solid crack broke through the deathly silent house, the fox spirit throwing all of his weight and muscle behind his fist before it connected with the side of the younger teen's face. The sound instantly forced Mitsuyo to sit up, and see what had happened, knowing instinctively that it wasn't good. Yusuke hadn't been expecting it. Head snapping to the left, he took the full impact, almost getting knocked off his feet in the process. The punch had no spirit energy laced in its strength, and so it wasn't nearly as dangerous as it could have been, but it was enough. Pivoting back into his original stance, Kurama glared daggers at his comrade, who was still reeling from the blow.

Yusuke blinked, his head still turned while he hollowly stared off into space. Slowly, a hand rose to touch his cheek, not wincing, but feeling the light sting where a bruise was undoubtedly starting to form. His eyes were wide, and when the detective turned to lock gazes with the redhead, they widened even more, for he finally had the opportunity to see their color.

"I..." he started to say, but couldn't find the words to continue. The teen merely stood there, hand still to his face, as his face contorted into something akin to guilt and confusion.

There wasn't enough time to wait for the rest of his sentence, a fact that the group suddenly seemed so glaringly aware of. Kuwabara, still curled on the ground, let out a shuddering groan in the quiet, catching the attention of the others.

"You need to get the family out of here," Kurama finally spoke, and Mitsuyo couldn't help but tremble at the gravely roughness of his voice. It seemed it wasn't only his eyes that had chilled.

"You?" Yusuke repeated, still a bit stunned.

Hiei's gaze slid to the emotionless face, regarding him with his typical icy concern. Immediately, his eyes narrowed. "You plan to take on Jin and Touya alone." It wasn't a question.

"Kuwabara is in no shape to fight. With both Kajima's family, Suichi, Kuwabara and Mitsuyo to take transport back to Genkai's --"

This time, Mitsuyo lept to her feet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said loudly, holding out her hands both for balance and to physically interrupt. She swiveled around to face Kurama a bit too fast, and almost tripped over herself. At the last second, she regained her balance, and was able to stand straight again. The only problem was her stomach had taken a bit of an upsetting lurch, so it took a beat for it to settle. Mitsuyo tried to ignore the fact that Kurama hadn't moved to catch her, like he would've before. It stung a bit, but she pushed past it. "You can't expect me to just leave you here to fight --"

"Miss Kajima, this is not up for discussion," Kurama cut her off sharply, not even bothering to look her in the eye. Once again, Mitsuyo felt an unpleasant tug in her chest. Somehow, hearing him address her as "Miss Kajima" hurt a lot more than ever.

'Maybe it has always hurt,' she wondered solemnly. 'Maybe it always hurt, but I didn't...it didn't...I couldn't let it.'

"Kurama," Mitsuyo said, her voice breaking between a whisper and a whimper.

But he wasn't listening anymore.

"Hiei."

The fire demon locked eyes with his closest friend. It took only a brief pause before the dark-haired warrior bowed his head silently in consent. The next second, he flitted out of sight. Kurama turned to Yusuke, who's expression had darkened during the whole exchange. Again, there was muted communication that passed quickly, and Yusuke also nodded before rushing towards the direction of the stairs.

Mitsuyo couldn't give up. "C'mon, Kurama, why can't I just --"

"They are after you," the redhead said again in his husky voice. "If you're not here, then they can't capture you, it's as simple as that."

"Then what was the point of training me?" she demanded, glaring heatedly at Kurama, who still refused to look at her.

"That was a safety precaution. A last line of defense. If somehow we were unable to protect you, then you had to have a way to escape, if only to buy us time."

The young girl seethed for a moment, letting his blunt explanations sink in. Still, she stared at him, wishing that he'd just look at her, needing to see at least a hint of the warmth she had detected in him before all this had happened. But his eyes were now directed to the shuffling form of Kuwabara, who seemed to have finally regained a stable conscious.

He knelt, touching a light hand to the orange-haired boy's shoulder.

"I'm okay," Kuwabara grunted without any prompting. As if to prove his point, the muscled teen pushed himself up into a sitting position, gripping his head with the other hand. His face was set in a grim scowl. Mitsuyo half expected him to join in the conversation, but he stayed silent. It was a fact that the girl couldn't stand.

"You don't trust me." She couldn't let it go. It was the only thing she could think of. "You don't think I can take care of myself. You don't trust me."

As childish as it was, Mitsuyo felt oddly pleased when she noticed the minute narrowing of the redhead's eyes. "Three weeks ago, you'd never even known that a demon existed," Kurama stated lowly. "It's a world that takes months, years, to grow accustomed to. Your experiences are an insubstantial basis for measuring aptitude."

"So, that's an round about way of saying 'yes', right?" she spat angrily.

Kurama didn't answer. Before Mitsuyo could push the issue, Hiei appeared back in the room, the collar of a sleeping Hiroshi in one hand, and cradling the unconscious body of Suichi beside his waist with the other. The thumps of Yusuke's descent from the steps echoed shortly after, which seemed to urge Kuwabara into a standing position.

When Yusuke finally came into view, Kuwabara slowly met him halfway. "Here," he held out his hands in offering, and the black-haired detective wordlessly passed over Mr. Kajima, who was in a similar comatose state as the two boys and the man's wife.

"Miss --"

"I know," Mitsuyo snapped, folding her arms stubbornly over her chest. "But I'm not going. I don't care what you say, or what you do. I'm staying with you."

Kurama growled softly, his discontent obvious in the way his shoulders rose. "Leave, before you are forcefully removed."

"Oh yeah?" the girl taunted, one hand falling to her hips while the other indicated the busy bodies of the other boys. "By who?"

"I think I can be some help to ya on this one, missy!" an accented voice announced above them.

Mitsuyo already knew what was waiting for her. Hesitantly, she raised her head to the large hole in the ceiling Yusuke's Spirit Gun had created, and bit back an agitated groan. Another demon, she huffed silently. Always with the dramatic entrances...

She had only finished mentally complaining when suddenly a hefty wind kicked up, sweeping all the glass shards and debris up into a violent whirlwind. Immediately, all available pairs of arms crossed over exposed fronts for protection. Mitsuyo's eyes were squeezed shut, oblivious to anything but the deafening roar of the tornado now spiraling around inside her house. She thought she had heard her name shouting, but she could have easily been mistaken.

And then out of nowhere, two arms wrapped around her waist, and tugged -- upwards.

At first, Mitsuyo was able to convince herself that it was Kurama, that he had got to her despite the force of the cutting gusts pushing back and lashing out, that it was the currents that had lifted her and nothing else. But when her hands came down to instinctively grab at the foreign wrists, the possibility was shot to hell. The arms were bare -- Kurama was wearing long sleeves. Before long, her feet had left the ground, the wind encompassing both her and the stranger so that all she was aware of was the whistling in her ear, so like the buzzing before, but so much sharper, colder, more terrifying.

Mitsuyo was dimly aware of screaming, the bone-chilling scream that almost seem to freeze time, dull perception. The small slivers she could see of her house through the swirling air were gone, replaced with the stark blackness of the night. The earsplitting tempest was like white noise, overriding all other sounds.

And yet the screaming rang.

.:AN:.

Yeah, so I wasn't sure about the ending of the chapter. I'm kind of special that way, writing things and going "ehhhh..." But oh well. People have been complaining (in a very nice, understandable way) that Kurama isn't kicking demon butt like he usually does. I just want to say that I intentionally did that, not because I like having Yusuke pop in and blow things up -- even though that is VERY fun haha -- but because it does serve a purpose. That purpose will be explained in the following chapter, and the ones after, as far as I know.

So yup! Thanks to everyone who stuck around to review and stuff. You people just....gah, you're gorgeous. All of you, free cookies. And free candy canes and snowballs for whoever reviews for this chapter! Lurkers, you're loved to, even if I don't know where to send that love. Peace out, y'all.