A Month With Suichi Minamino

By: Payne N. Uranus

.:AN:.

So...I'm only mildly embarrassed about how long this story has taken to be completed. I have vague memories of my younger self making grand promises to finish all the stories I started on this site, and making even more plots and plans with other fandoms. And then it all went south when I lost all of my work. You can imagine how destructive that was for me. I honestly lost all motivation. At the time, what constituted almost ten years worth of writing had been wiped out in seconds. Very difficult to recover from.

I had actually stopped writing for a couple years. Never even scribbled random poetry lines, for which I always carried a mini notebook around in order to jot them down before I forgot. It's taken a lot to get back here.

But I have always been inspired and impressed by the number of people who still care about this story. It truly is amazing. I mean, the first few chapters are utter crap. I'm having a rough time deciding whether or not to rewrite them (a thought that doesn't debilitate me with fear, surprisingly enough). Regardless, this chapter is for you people. For never giving up on me, for pressing me for more. It means a lot. Like wow, 30 reviews on the last chapter alone? Not even counting the private messages and the reviews on other chapters...seriously speechless.

EDIT: Ever have one of those moments that seems to be too beautiful and poetic to be true? It had to be written, planned in some way, because for it to happen naturally doesn't seem plausible? Well, this chapter was beta'd by none other than saiyuri-dahlia, the beta I had been lucky enough to work with so many years ago. Though there weren't too many edits to make, just knowing she's there to catch my mistakes makes me a thousand times more confident. My sincere thanks to her and her insight.

Still no Conscience. He must've gotten lost around the same time I did. Oh well.

Without further ado, enjoy the penultimate chapter of A Month With Suichi Minamino.

Chapter 22: They All Fall Down

Strange, how something as seemingly harmless as the absence of light could sap one's energy, slowly leeching strength from otherwise formidable limbs. Just a formless foe, an enemy that could not be struck through mere force alone, that invaded lungs with every breath, pressed in with every blink, consuming from the inside out.

Clenched fists unwillingly slackened and fell to the wayside, tensed legs and jaws succumbing to the drain of suspense. Wide eyes, their searching gaze acute in intensity, stared sightlessly into the endless black. It did not matter if this body was bound – the all-encompassing darkness was a cage all on its own.

Even the strongest tree will die if left in the dark...

He jerked at the voice speaking from beyond the realm of reality. It was like a fly buzzing at his ear, but his arms would not rise to swat it away. His scalp began to prickle, and a dull throb pulsed at his collarbone. A feverish sweat beaded his brow.

For light.

His breathing became heavy. Shuffling to the nearest corner, stiff knees were pulled close to his gasping chest, rope rasping against the ruined layers of clothes. The merest shadows of pain were building behind his temple, growing in size and clarity, a hulking mass padding its way through the hazy mist of comfort.

I'm fighting for light.

'I'm going mad,' Touya thought to himself, resisting the urge to claw and writhe as suddenly his own skin became a stifling deplorable enemy. Instead his eyes closed tight, surrendering to the endless void and silently begging it to swallow him whole.

"Are you sure this is wise, Detective?" Hiei drawled down from his post. The two were crouched in an old tree that allowed for a decent view of the temple grounds, even by moonlight. Hiei, having taken the higher branch, stood stoutly with his arms crossed, eyes fixed unwaveringly on the shoji door below. He had spent many nights in the past in a similar way, though this time his wards were not exactly worth the effort, in his opinion.

Lower and just off to the side, Yusuke was uncharacteristically calm, half reclined along the limb's length and staring in the same direction. "You heard Kurama. Over time, the hold Akio has on them most likely decays. The only way to get Touya and Jin back is to wait it out."

Hiei's eyes narrowed at the house. "You know that's not what I was referring to."

"You don't trust him?" the boy returned, surprised eyes looking up at the branch above him.

"I never said it was Kurama I don't trust."

The detective frowned but didn't deign to reply. After a minute of silence, Hiei stiffened, and held up a finger for silence. Yusuke understood and pulled his legs close to his chest in order to transition to a crouch, sinking deeper in the safety of the shaded foliage as two more figures crept onto the scene they had been observing for most of the night.

"Figures," Yusuke grumbled, earning a sharp look from his shorter companion, to which he mouthed a sarcastic "sorry."

The two settled again, watching as the duo at the temple disappeared into the room containing their victims. As soon as the demons set foot on the property, Yusuke could feel his muscles begin to tighten, but the suspense didn't last long. Short minutes later, the invaders reemerged with only the slackened bodies of two captured Shinobi masters. Yusuke grit his teeth, but otherwise made no move to stop their retreating figures as they all escaped back into the forest.

Once they were clear from sight, Hiei wasted no time. The shorter demon merely gave Yusuke a perfunctory nod, then flitted out of sight.

The dark-haired teen sighed once he was sure he was alone. "I really hate it when Kurama is right."

No longer concerned about keeping out of sight, Yusuke leapt out of the tree and landed near the front entrance with relative ease. Before making any further moves, he stretched out his limbs and popped his back, having been camped outside in that tree for most of the night. The sky was just now beginning to show a hint of lightening, meaning daybreak wasn't too far behind. Stifling a jaw-cracking yawn, the teen began shuffling his way to the front steps of Genkai's home.

Kurama had come to the two of them with a theory shortly after the gang had broken up for the night, luring Hiei down from his other tree and Yusuke from the sweet comfort of his bed with the promise of urgency and importance. Once his mind had calmed in the wake of saving his and Mitsuyo's family, the redhead had been as sharp as ever, analyzing the tactics displayed by Akio and coming up with ways to protect them all from further harm.

"I've been thinking," the fox demon had started quietly once they were all back in the privacy of Genkai's formal meeting room, eyes thin in concentration. They stood in a loose circle, Kurama and Yusuke in the middle of the room while Hiei leaned against a nearby wall. "Yusuke, do you remember what Koenma's first task was for you when we found out that Akio was hunting Mitsuyo?"

Yusuke had rolled his eyes and placed his hands on cocked hips. "Well sure, he sent Kuwabara and me to stake out his compounds, but we couldn't figure out which one the asswipe was in. 'Course if the asswipe I brought with me hadn't gotten hungry on the job…"

"Exactly," Kurama cut off with a firmness that caught Yusuke by surprise. "And since we've encountered both Jin and Touya after tonight's events, would you say we can safely assume that Rinku and Chu have been compromised as well?"

"I'd hate to think so, but yeah, probably…"

The redhead nodded then shifted his attention to the shorter demon who had been silent during this part of the exchange. "Hiei, when you were on your mission for Koenma, did you ever get the feeling that anyone at the site knew you were watching?"

Yusuke laughed, "Am I the only one who remembers this guy collapsing on Genkai's doorstep? The dude hardly returned in one piece, I think it's safe to say that they knew he was there."

"Only after I acquired the item I was sent to retrieve, Detective," Hiei rebutted acidly. Directing his answer to his comrade, he continued more seriously, "My presence went undetected until I purposefully revealed myself."

Kurama nodded in agreement, "As I assumed. So with this information, we can safely say that while Akio's powers can warp and amplify a demon's existing skills, it does not put much value in enhancing their ability to sense energy signatures."

"Yeah but what does that have to do with Touya and Jin and the others?" Yusuke asked with a frown. "You read Akio's message. The only way they can break free of his influence is on their own. How does this help them?"

"It doesn't," the redheaded teen shook his head with a subdued look on his face. "Unfortunately, the others must rely on their own strength to be freed. Right now we have them locked away in a separate part of the temple, and can only hope that they will eventually liberate themselves of this accursed power. But if my theory proves correct, the amount of time they have to do so will be significantly shorter than perhaps we currently believe."

Yusuke shot forward, panic tightening his face, "You think they'll die?"

Hiei scowled. "You think they'll be rescued."

The detective looked at Hiei confusion, then at Kurama when the fox demon nodded at his companion's assessment. "What?"

"The last thing Akio wants to do is show weakness at this stage," Kurama speculated, placing a hand to his chin. "If I'm right, he'll have someone come and relieve the two of them from our custody so that the threat of them reclaiming their autonomy is remedied. There is some comfort in that move, because it supports the possibility that it's not entirely impossible. However, this move leaves an opening that can give us an advantage to lead an offensive attack on Akio."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke leaned in even further now, less panicked and more eager.

"I mean we can track them," Kurama clarified with small upward twitch of his lips.

"He means I can track him," Hiei answered flatly, pushing off the wall and pinning the redhead with an unamused glare. "That's why I'm here, isn't it? It's not enough that I saved the life of your worthless sibling or your useless parental creatures. You want me to play fetch too."

"Hiei," Kurama warned with a sidelong look.

The shorter demon glared towards the exit of the room. "Hn."

"Hey, I can track them too," Yusuke challenged with a jab to his own chest with his thumb.

At this, Hiei turned his sneer to the detective. "Hardly. They may not be overly concerned with focusing their efforts on their surroundings to seek out potential threats, but with how close you would have to be in order to track them, it wouldn't matter. Besides, your ability to suppress your energy is pathetic."

"So you're saying you're the only possible option, Hiei?" Kurama asked innocently, eyes gazing imploringly at the shorter demon.

Realizing his mistake, Hiei braced himself and "tched" off to the side with his usual glower. "If we have any chance of making this plan work, I suppose I'll have to step in." He then made sure to lock eyes with Kurama in an attempt to intimidate when he said his next line, "Even so, if you think this makes me your family guard dog, you're severely mistaken. You'd better be aware of that."

"I'd never imply such a thing, Hiei," Kurama assured sincerely. After this was all said and done, he'd really have to find a way to make it up to his friend.

"Hn."

"So why am I here then?" Yusuke asked, leaning back with a befuddled pout. "Hiei tracks the bad guys back to the compound and I'd guess he reports back to us after. I'm not allowed to come along, cuz I'm too powerful to handle" – Hiei scoffed and Yusuke took the chance to stick his tongue out at the fire demon – "so what do you want me to do?"

"Remember, this is just a theory. We'll have no way of knowing one way or another unless we set up watch outside. That's what I'd like for you two to do. If and when they arrive, make sure they only grab Touya and Jin and escape. If they make any other moves, alert us immediately. It may blow the opportunity to find Akio's compound, but it's better than us being killed. Once they leave, Hiei will follow them. That frees you to share their escape and allow us to get ready."

"So we're both watch dogs," Yusuke deadpanned with a sigh.

"We all will be," Kurama promised. "Kuwabara and Genkai are already in rooms near my and Mitsuyo's family, and Yukina is sleeping in intervals in order to administer medical assistance to them throughout the night. Between their heightened spirit awareness and Yukina's rounds, that part of the temple should be well-protected."

"And Mitsuyo?" Yusuke prompted, giving the redhead a knowing look.

Kurama stayed steady as he responded, "I will be visiting her shortly."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?" the dark-haired teen goaded with a silly grin.

The fox demon finally showed an expression by furrowing his brows in irritation, "Nothing you need be concerned over."

That only served to make Yusuke's grin grow. "Uh-huh, suuuuure."

"And what if they don't show up?" Hiei butted in with his usual caustic attitude.

Kurama closed his eyes, "Then no harm no foul. We'll still have Touya and Jin, which gives them more time to fight Akio's control. Hopefully with some distance, the effect will begin to decay, and it'll be easier for them to overthrow the oppressive nature of his powers."

While Hiei considered this, Yusuke took the opportunity to put his own opinion forth. "Ugh. But all that missed sleep…" he whined, slumping forward dramatically.

"Fine," the shorter demon huffed and abruptly made moves to leave their little huddle. "I'll be outside when you're done acting like a juvenile. The night is already well underway. Only a fool would plan to follow thieves long after the theft had taken place."

And that was the end of that.

Now Yusuke was trudging down the halls, blearily gazing at the sliding doors as he passed while trying to remember who was in which room.

That's Kuwabara's…can tell by the snoring…I think that's the "family room"…was this one Kurama's?

After staring emptily at the nondescript sliding door in question, Yusuke gave up and knocked on the wood paneling.

"Yo, Kurama. You in there? Your plan worked, I think," he drawled, closing his tired eyes and slumping against the solid support the doorjamb provided.

There wasn't a response.

He peeled one eye open, "Kurama?"

Now worried, Yusuke pulled back and slid the door open, only to find an empty room. The dark-haired teen couldn't figure out if he was supposed to panic, because he was either too sleepy to remember which room his teammate was in and this room was supposed to be empty, or he was right and Kurama was missing.

The exhausted boy hung his head. Kurama's plan sucked. Sleepy Yusuke was Useless Yusuke.

Deciding quickly that Useless Yusuke was also Don't-Give-A-Rat's-Ass Yusuke, the detective sucked in a deep breath and bellowed towards the ceiling, "OI, KURAMA, WAKE UP AND FIND ME, DAMMIT! YOUR PLAN WORKED!"

He got results immediately, which pleased him despite the lethargic, disgruntled glares that were slowly popping out at him all down the hall. Belatedly, Yusuke realized he could have also woken the sleeping family members, but thankfully after a few beats that didn't seem to be the case, as only Kuwabara, Yukina, and Genkai seemed to have made the effort to open their doors in the first place.

"Yusuke, why are you yelling?"

"Is it counter-productive for me to kill my student?"

"Urameshi, you're gonna be…messy…when I'm…" This was punctuated by a snore, signifying that Kuwabara had fallen back to sleep. He hadn't even managed to pull his head back into his room.

And the door at the end of the hall…

Weird, I thought that room was given to Mitsuyo. Did he stay in there?

Kurama, dressed in sleepwear for the first time that Yusuke met him, stepped out into the hallway, one hand braced on the sliding shoji door while the other was pressed to the side of his half-awake face. The teen looked decidedly groggy, a sight that Yusuke couldn't say he had ever seen on him in all the time they'd known each other. It was a pleasant change, though somehow having confirmation that everyone but he and Hiei had gotten some sleep rubbed him the wrong way.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Enjoy your rest?" Yusuke asked with more than a little attitude before proceeding to swagger down the hall. He wasn't jealous. Nope, no he wasn't. "Did you hear me earlier? Your plan worked. Hiei is off tracking Jin and Touya. Don't know how much time that gives us, but knowing how our luck goes, it won't be enough. Think I can squeeze in a nap?"

Kurama shook his head, trying to bring some clarity rather than respond to anything Yusuke was saying. He took a deep, cleansing breath before pausing as a look of confusion bloomed on his face. The redhead turned around and stared back inside the room. Then he looked down the hall, meeting the sleepy gazes of his healer and host, before landing on Kuwabara's dozing body. When Kurama finally made the effort to turn and meet Yusuke's eyes, they were clear, cognizant, and alarmed.

"Where's Mitsuyo?"

No one ever talks about how difficult it is to run away.

Not that Mitsuyo really expected it to be easy – after all, it's not exactly the best thing for society to promote, so implying that would be kind of a dumb thing to do – but stressing the details that make it hard? Missed opportunity, society. Way to fail.

Regardless, running away required a lot more thought and concentration than the girl really considered. For one, packing light would have been a good idea. Mitsuyo regretted not doing that. Half of her wanted to just throw the sack off her shoulders and go empty-handed, but that would ruin her guise of actually running away. Plus, a very small part of her would feel bad losing Yusuke's bag. After all, she did kind of borrow it without permission; the least she could do was take care of it.

For another, just getting off the temple grounds without getting noticed proved to be surprisingly difficult. When she had escaped out her window, she had just missed Yusuke wandering around Genaki's property and had to hastily press herself back out of sight. Holding her breath and standing stock-still for thirty terrifying seconds was enough to get her adrenaline running full-force. Thankfully, the young detective had seemed especially tired and out of sorts, so she had been able to go undetected, but it sure as hell made her paranoid for the first leg of her trip, peering skittishly over her shoulder every other minute and jumping at any suspicious noise.

Speaking of which, being conscientious of the direction she was actually going was kind of hard. She was pretty sure she was traveling in a straight-ish line, but with all the trees and roots and having to step around large boulders and foothills, there really was no telling at this point. Mitsuyo could only hope that she was moving away from Genkai's compound and in the vague direction of Akio's. Not that she expected to find that either. No, she was more counting on Akio's henchmen finding her instead.

Her theory was that she could probably throw a stone and manage to hit a demon who was looking for her. They had followed her to her home, to the temple, even to a stupid house party thrown by people she barely even knew. Somehow, in some way, Akio was doing a pretty good job keeping tabs on her movements, much as she hated to admit it. So far, she wasn't having much luck, having been on the run for a few hours and being unable to decide if she should take a break and just sit around waiting to be discovered all alone – that didn't seem sketchy at all – or if Mitsuyo should continue to try.

Okay, she reasoned, we'll just go a little further, and if no one finds me, then I guess they don't deserve me. I'm better than these guys. Though, they do say that the best way to be found is to stay in one place. Still, I'd bet that the moment they find me, Hell will freeze over!

Which turned out to happen a lot sooner than she anticipated, when she stepped into a clearing and found four demons huddled around the smoking remains of a morning campfire, in the middle of feasting on some unidentifiable flesh that Mitsuyo fervently hoped belonged to an animal and not something that would make her lose her stomach.

At the girl's sudden appearance, all of them froze, including Mitsuyo herself, which also allowed her stunned brain to take in the scene before her with a little more detail.

For one, she realized that two of the four demons were actually unconscious and were just slumped over near the charred wood, propped up by carefully arranged rocks and logs. One of the prone figures Mitsuyo recognized as the fiery-headed wind monster that had attacked her home and lifted her out of its remains in a tornado of death while Kurama's horrified face shrunk the higher they rose—

"You!" the big oafish one roared through a mouthful of meat, leaping to his feet and pointing violently with his half-ingested limb. His blue Mohawk-ponytail hairstyle and poor mannerisms would have been laughable if it weren't coming from an otherwise intimidating man with bulging muscles and a towering figure that made the girl feel unnaturally small.

Before she could even make a move to run – why run? This is what you wanted, tempting fate and all that – Mitsuyo suddenly found her arms bound to her side by what looked like thinly wound string. She struggled instinctively, but a quick second later, and her legs were bound too, the abruptness of which caused her to lose her balance. With a sharp cry of shock and anticipated pain, the dark-haired girl immediately fell forward and landed hard on her face, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

Well, the ground wasn't cold. Hell was still burning.

Though the bridge of her nose had made solid contact with the rough terrain, the teen was thankful that nothing seemed to be broken. Bleeding at a time like this would seriously bite. Squinting through the ache pulsing between her eyes, she noticed the strings restraining her body linked her to the fingers of the other figure in the clearing. He looked like a young boy, cocky childish smirk and all.

"Great! Talk about a nice surprise, huh? What luck!" the boy crowed, the three stars tattooed on his cheek stretching with the wideness of his grin as he bounced on the tip of his toes.

Mitsuyo was still getting her breath back, so she just scowled up at him.

"I dunno, mate," the larger man grumbled, stumbling his way over to Mitsuyo's prone form. The smell came shortly thereafter, and the girl was startled to realize that the guy had to be drunk. No cologne company in their right mind would try pushing booze chic. The stench was revolting. She tried to breathe more shallowly as he knelt to get a better look at her. "It's a bit too easy, don't ya think?"

The boy just shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Does it matter? It's not like letting her go is an option."

Even so, the man with the blue ponytail continued to stare down at her, tapping the half eaten carcass against his thigh. Figuring this was her best chance to play up her innocence, Mitsuyo decided to speak up. "It's not a trick," her voice was still breathy, but she pushed on, "My name is Mitsuyo and I know that Akio has been hunting me. He's hurt my friends and attacked my family." I don't even know if they're okay. "I don't want them to be in danger anymore. I'm… I'm giving myself up."

It sounded weird saying it out loud. Sure, she had been thinking it all morning when she was packing for her escape. She had even been thinking it when she had been lying in Kurama's arms – it had acted as a mantra so she wouldn't succumb to the comfort of having him so close, the scent and warmth of his body luring the anxiety from her limbs, the promise of relief sleep always seemed to offer… But she hadn't actually said it until now. Mitsuyo felt an odd twisting in her gut that reminded her suspiciously of guilt.

Blue Ponytail leaned down, his rancid breath invading the girl's still throbbing nose and making her eyes water. Still, he peered at her, as if he could see any hint of deception in her teary gaze and sickened expression. "That so, sheila?"

Coughing, she nasally answered with a short "Yep."

You made your decision. Time to live with it while you're actually still alive.

At that, he grinned, his scruffy jaw splitting to reveal white even teeth and even more rank breath. "Then 'ello Lady Luck, pleasure to have ya."

Unbeknownst to the group, high above them in the cover of the upper canopy of trees, a small figure observed in silent, seething horror. Without much more than a rustle of the nearby leaves, the shadow darted out of sight.

It took Kurama longer than it should have to find the note that Mitsuyo had left. In his panic, he had knocked the table over, which in turn threw her scrap of a note off its surface and into the unkempt bundle of bedding he had rapidly vacated earlier. Still, it was in the rushed process of clearing the room of unnecessary clutter in order to figure out what of Mitsuyo's was missing from the room—Clothes? Books? What could she have taken with her if she was running away? Where would she even go?—that he even realized it existed.

When the redheaded teen read it at least five times, his whole body stilled and sunk to the floor in a sloppy sitting position, the paper resting limply in his lap. Kurama took a steadying breath, then another. This was nothing like when Jin took off with Mitsuyo trapped in his clutches. He had known then exactly who had taken her and how to get her back. But, not this time. There was no sign that she had even left unwillingly.

What could have changed in such a short amount of time? When Kurama came into her room, Mitsuyo seemed so on edge at first. All he wanted to do was calm her fear, show her that he'd always be there for her. Touching her was surreal, but eased the bristling beast in his chest with the soothing smell of her hair, the warmth of her touch. He remembered the bunching of her muscles, the way the tension melted when she sunk into his embrace, tangled together under the protective layer of the futon.

He had held her so close, worried she'd slip through his arms again. But Mitsuyo was his now, well and truly.

Wasn't she?

There was no telling how long he sat there, feeling lost. It was a foreign emotion to him, not having a plan. Kurama didn't even sense another presence in the room until the note was gently removed from his grasp. There were voices, more than one of them had found him here like this, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He needed to think. He needed to remember how to think.

"It could be a trick? Maybe she didn't write this, or she did but was under duress?"

"There's no way to know, it's not like any of us could recognize her handwriting. It doesn't look all shaky and weird though. If she did write this, she wasn't scared. But where would she go? Her family is here, and her house is toast, no thanks to a certain someone"—

Where would she go?

"Geez, blow up a house and suddenly everyone is a critic."

"Urameshi, you've blown up two."

"You'd think it was twenty with the way you guys are acting!"

"Yusuke, focus here."

"Don't ask too much of the dimwit, he might get frustrated and decide to blow up my house."

"Bite me, Grandma!"

Where would she go?

A light touch at his shoulder brought a bit of his focus back. When the fox demon looked up, he suddenly found himself enveloped by soft, concerned pools of crimson. Yukina.

"Kurama, are you okay?" she asked him in that quiet voice of hers, imploring some reaction from him with her clear, open eyes.

Her hand summoned sharp relief to his senses, and the voices in the room began to make sense. Yusuke. Kuwabara. Genkai. And Botan? The group as a whole was standing in a circle beside him, in various positions of concentration, no longer paying him any mind, which was a relief, though not much of one.

"I…" he tried to say it. I'm fine. But he wasn't. The one thing he'd always been able to keep was his mind. Whether succumbing to his Yoko powers for the first time since taking on a human form, to killing that young boy during Sensui's era, his composure may have been shaken but never lost. His eyes searched the group towering around him, looking for answers. He was no use like this. Mitsuyo deserved better from him. She needed to be safe.

Where would she go?

"Look, you want me to focus? Fine," Yusuke was saying harshly, shoulders bunched and arms folded angrily across his chest. "Either she's been kidnapped by Akio, or she ran away. Akio still wants her bad, so we need to start with him. The plan hasn't changed. We find him, we find Mitsuyo, and if we don't, then even better. We can find her once the guy who's trying to destroy her is dead."

A ringing silence followed his announcement.

"Give up on finding Mitsuyo?" Kuwabara squawked in disbelief, throwing his own arms in the air before gesticulating wildly. "After everything we've been through together, you wanna just leave her to fend for herself? Why are you such a jerk, Urameshi!"

Yusuke, affronted, balked at the fists the carrot-topped boy was now making in his face. Annoyed, he slapped them away and pushed himself further into the circle and Kuwabara's personal space. "What are you talking about, I'm saying she'll be fine if we just kill Akio!"

"But what if she's already in danger?! A demon could be after her right now! You're just gonna let her die?" the other teen challenged, jabbing a forceful finger into Yusuke's chest.

"No one said that, idiot, will you listen to the words coming out of my mouth! The only way she's safe is if Akio is dead first!"

"I agree," Kurama murmured, shifting his eyes to the gang's feet.

Startled, everyone swung their attention down to him. He continued to stare vacantly, but monotonously repeated, "Yusuke is right."

"Wait, really?" the boy in question asked, cocking his head in an effort to catch the redhead's attention.

Slowly, Kurama found his feet. He rose carefully, still avoiding eye contact, but managed to squeeze a bit more strength into his voice. "We kept Mitsuyo close because we knew Akio would be after her, and we had no way of making an offensive move against him. Now we do. If we bring the fight to our enemy, it doesn't matter if Mitsuyo is protected or not. After all, the best defensive is a good offense."

"But…don't you care about…" Botan drifted off when Kurama seemed to see right through her.

"Why are you here, Botan? Do you have a message from Koenma?" he asked her instead, bland curiosity snagging his attention.

The blue-haired woman stuttered, one hand clasping at her oar for stability. "I—no, actually."

"We had a message for Botan," Yusuke explained, hard eyes taking in his teammate with his critical gaze. "I told her all about your plan, and gave her a heads up that shit's about to go down once we locate Akio. Now that I mention it, shouldn't we have heard from Hiei by now?"

"Behind you, Detective."

"Jesus!" the dark-haired teen leapt in surprise before twisting around to find a haggard-looking Hiei poised urgently in the doorway. "Will you stop doing that?"

"Is the "speak of the devil" joke too obvious here?" Kuwabara grumbled to himself, planting his hands angrily on his hips.

Strangely enough, Hiei ignored the comment and quickly gave his full attention to the despondent redhead. "What's happened? Why are you all in here, and what's with Kurama?" he demanded.

"Mitsuyo's gone missing," Botan supplied, worriedly bouncing her eyes between the redhead and his fellow demon companion. In one hand, she had the other girl's goodbye note. "Were you able to find Akio's location?"

Hiei scowled and stepped further into the room, "Not exactly."

At this, both Yusuke and Kuwabara reacted with what could only be described as a full-body tantrum, taking turns trying to shove themselves into Hiei's face in order to properly express their rage.

"Are you serious right now? How of all people did you manage to lose them?"

"So much for talking the big talk! I should've been the one to go after them!"

"Now Mitsuyo really is in trouble!"

"How the hell are we going to beat Akio now?"

"Mitsuyo is with them!" Hiei barked while shoving both boys hard in the chest and sending Yusuke stumbling back several paces and Kuwabara flat on his ass. Kurama's head snapped up, features frozen over in shock. The shorter demon seethed quietly while the stunned group absorbed the information. "I was following them just fine, but then they stopped to reenergize and who should walk right into the middle of their foolish campsite but her. I left shortly after she was captured."

No one spoke, unsure what to do with this new information. Hiei took advantage of everyone's sudden paralysis and closed the distance between him and Kurama. He exchanged meaningful looks with his long-time friend and muttered, "I locked onto her energy signature long ago during our training. I can track her, but unless we want to lose precious time, we need to leave now."

"Hiei," the redhead muttered, eyes furrowing in confusion.

Kurama never could fully understand the other demon. They had worked together for a long time, sometimes on the same side, sometimes against each other, but Kurama had always had some confidence that he knew Hiei's motives. But since day one Hiei had been giving him a hard time about his human ties. Mitsuyo was no exception. What was his drive? Fear of what would happen once she was in Akio's grasp, or was it something else?

The fire demon shook his head as if reading his mind, "Fool. Now means now."

Slowly, Kurama nodded. "Now means now."

Whenever Kurama and his friends talked about "Akio's compound," Mitsuyo had conjured all sorts of weird and fantastic ideas of what it might look like. Obviously the guy was evil, so she immediately went with "haunted dark castle" levels of creepiness – dead trees, black walls that refused to allow any light, torches that had spooky green flames (somehow, it was her imagination, it didn't have to make sense), maybe even rusty suits of armor and a throne. She was really fixated on the idea of a throne.

These wild speculations had helped her deal with the fear of ever been taken to it. Deconstructing horror movies had been one of her favorite things to do as a child, so it wasn't much different. Breaking down the thing that is scary automatically makes it less scary, right? That had been her theory anyway.

Figures that would be another thing Akio would rip away from her.

Everything was actually white.

White walls, white floors, and wide open windows galore, which Mitsuyo found weird since it made escaping pretty easy to do. Not that she had attempted to, but the instinct was there and was hard to ignore.

The room she was in was pretty plain. She suspected that it served as some kind of infirmary, though given how empty the beds were and the lack of staff in the room it couldn't be a very useful one. Aside from the cot she occupied, the only other demons in the room were the ones that had been unconscious when Blue Ponytail and Star Child found her. Tornado Dude was resting furthest from her, while the other was in the bed right next to her. Unlike his companion, this one was moaning and twitching in his sleep, like he was in pain, getting louder and louder as the minutes passed.

And quite a few minutes had. Mitsuyo would have thought her arrival would have made a bigger splash, but so far it had been disappointingly anticlimactic. Didn't anyone want to use her to destroy the world anymore?

Seriously.

"Anyone here?" she called towards the large oak slabs that marked the entrance to the room. "One of your guys sounds like he's sick or something!"

Not like you all seem the type to care about that sort of thing, but oh well.

The demon – or so she assumed he was a demon, given that his hair looked like it was actually made of ice – was starting to pant, sweat glistening on his skin as his face scrunched up in discomfort. His shifting became more constant, almost to the point of thrashing.

Mitsuyo sighed and ceased to lounge on her bed in order to get a closer look at her only semi-conscious roommate. The thing was hardly comfortable anyway, and the pillows were lumpy.

"Hey, you okay?" she tried asking the demon, but even at normal volume the question could hardly be heard over the noise he was making. Mitsuyo raised her voice, "Hey!"

Then she had the brilliant idea to touch him on his forearm.

"Ah!" the dark-haired girl cried out as what only could be described as pure energy surged up her arm. It felt icy, not like frozen water but cold hard steel slicing her flesh. It cut and melted only to sear itself in her veins, dancing uninhibited up to her shoulder, but how and what and is this his doing? and why does this hurt…

Stop it!

An unfamiliar voice in her head, the one that Mitsuyo only really heard when especially mad at herself, was suddenly clear, imposing itself over the pain and making it vanish for a beat. Heat rushed to her face, and intuitively she could sense the power flowing from the prone man lying in front of her ebb as if like a tidal wave, building for its next crash through her limb.

Stop it right now!

She didn't know how exactly, but there was this instinctive urge to push and shove. At some point, Mitsuyo had closed her eyes, but they were open now, unseeing but focused in concentration. The pain now stopped at her elbow.

More!

Again something inside Mitsuyo rebelled against the invading force, the relief that came when a portion of her arm was freed from the acidic quality of the energy only spurring her on. The teen's breathing was getting drawn, and beads of sweat were already dotting at her temple.

Pain at her wrist.

More!

Fingertips.

More!

Now it only resonated at the point of contact between her palm and the ice man's skin.

More?

She paused, took a deep breath, and wondered. Could she? Mitsuyo's arm felt fine. In fact, not only did it feel fine, it felt good. It was the kind of good that normally followed a training session with Hiei, or even during a meditation session with Kurama. She felt strong, almost vibrating with energy. Calm, in control, capable.

More.

The battle entered the realm inside the demon in front of her. No longer warring within her own body, Mitsuyo's focus was at almost surgical levels. Suddenly her senses, senses she didn't even know existed, were picking up details that she had been unable to distinguish beyond her own pain. The invading energy was clearer to her now, a knowable enemy. Silver in quality and definitely corrosive in nature, as if it had every intention to suffocate and consume anything it touched. But underneath its overpowering temperament was something much smoother in texture, like carefully carved ice. It had a kinder flow to it, slower and more subdued.

From her own body, she felt a third energy enter the equation – neon blue, almost oily in composition. She pushed and felt it slip between the silver pressing on the ice, lifting and separating the two like one would with warring children. Layer by layer, the blue energy drifted, peeling the other two energies apart. Mitsuyo's eyes drifted shut once more as she slipped deeper.

Too long to keep track, or perhaps too short, eventually she successfully freed the icy energy from its even more glacial captor. Even so, the silver remained present and forceful, straining to return back where it was. Mitsuyo immediately clamped down on the squirming essence, somehow knowing just what to do. She pulled.

She pulled and pulled until the unwilling energy had no choice but to follow, flowing up and out of the body before her and back into her arm. The pain returned, but this time it was expected. Mitsuyo gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. A hand came and clamped down forcefully on her own where it pressed on the demon's limb, but she paid it no mind.

Releasing yet another loud cry, Mitsuyo's captured arm retracted and thrust forward in the air, palm out. From within came a shot of silver energy, bursting forth in a small ball of explosive light. Gasping, the demon shot up into a sitting position just as the showering glow faded and the oak doors were thrown open, hurried footsteps rushing to the duo. The two stared blankly at each other, eyes panicked while both were fighting for breath. Mitsuyo couldn't help but think the ice-haired man that she had unwittingly rescued didn't seem so evil. He looked young, and handsome, and dare she even say grateful? He'd even snagged her hand with his own just as it was falling limply back onto the bed.

"What's going on here?" one monotonous voice boomed overhead. It belonged to one of two personality-lacking demon spawn that were left to guard the doors to the room after Mitsuyo and her "companions" had been deposited inside.

Before Mitsuyo could even muster a response, Ice Man suddenly tightened his grip on her wrist and yanked her forward until she found herself staring up into eyes that had turned terrifyingly and emotionally cold. "You dare touch me, filthy human?" he hissed, his tone just as frosty as the rest of him. Caught off guard by the shift in his temperament, Mitsuyo shook wordlessly in his grasp.

Satisfied that she was sufficiently put in her place, the demon dropped her hand in disgust and turned his attention to the guards looming over them. "This silly girl tried to grab at me in my sleep. Nothing you need concern yourself with. Where is Master Isamu?"

Ice Man rose determinedly from his bed and Mitsuyo was confused to find herself blocked from the guards' view when the demon stepped forward to talk with them.

"Master Isamu is attending to a personal matter. He will be in shortly to see you."

"Good. Then leave us. I wish to teach this human a lesson," Ice Man sneered down at her from over his shoulder, and she gulped. Her heart rate had yet to slow down from everything that occurred and her head was spinning. What had she even done? Maybe he had every right to be angry.

The demon guard seemed nonplussed but otherwise obeyed, and the two turned on their heel and exited the room. Once the doors were firmly shut behind them, Ice Man turned his attention fully to Mitsuyo.

"Look I'm really sorry I have no idea what I did—!" she started to sputter, shrinking even lower in an effort to not die before she actually planned to.

Before she could ramble any further, Ice Man immediately knelt and started shushing her, "No, no it's okay! Calm down." Strong hands gripped her shoulders in a firm but painless manner. Mitsuyo blinked up at him. The kind eyes were back.

"What?" she whispered, feeling far too lost for her own good.

Ice Man sighed and lowered his voice too, "I didn't mean to scare you. I couldn't let them know that you freed me from Akio's control, so I acted the part." Well that made a bit more sense. Still scared the crap out of her, but it made sense. "My name is Touya, and I'm a friend of Yusuke's." At this, he closed his eyes in shame. "Well, I was. Before Akio got me."

This caught Mitsuyo's interest. She shifted into a more comfortable position on the tiled floor, back leaning on the now vacant bed frame. "Akio got you? What do you mean?"

"He has this…power," Touya bit out, brow wrinkled in annoyance as he bowed his head, struggling to lift a memory from his subconscious. "As soon as he touched me, I could feel him in me. I lost control of everything, and the crushing pain…before I knew it, he had me." He paused, and refocused on Mitsuyo. "Until you touched me."

Mitsuyo struggled to understand. "You mean that energy that was inside you. That was Akio?"

"Yes. I don't know how, but it tried to escape into you. I think I…I remember fighting it. It's hard to recall. But I didn't know for sure until you…how did you do it?"

The teen shrugged, her own face pulled in concentration. "I don't know. I've been trying to figure that out, but until just now I didn't even know what I did. It just came naturally. Do you think I could do it again?" Mitsuyo shifted her eyes to the oak doors over Touya's shoulder, biting her lip in thought.

Touya didn't pay the question any heed. Instead he stilled and examined her with that icy, critical gaze. "You're Mitsuyo right? The one Akio wants?"

"That's me, I guess," she sighed, running a hand through her loose brown locks, still feeling distracted.

If I could do that again, maybe this won't be as hard as I thought it would…

At this, Touya's expression tightened again, the hands on her shoulders reasserting their grip, "What in the world are you doing here? Surely Yusuke couldn't have let you go without a fight?" He looked alarmed, probably imaging all the horrible scenarios that could have possibly lead to the girl being apprehended.

Mitsuyo shook her head. "No one knows I'm here." At the surprised look on his face, the dark-haired girl chewed her lip harder as she tried to figure out how to explain to this guy that she had surrendered. In a way, that is.

"He was hurting everyone around me. I couldn't be responsible for anyone's pain," she decided instead.

Touya scowled and released the girl from his grip. He then rose, standing over her like an imposing parental figure, fists stiff at his sides. "That's not going to stop just because you gave yourself up. If anything you've sealed their fate."

Mitsuyo took a deep breath and looked up to lock eyes with the ice man, "Not if you help me beat him."

"What do you mean?" Touya asked, leaning back with folded arms, looking more than a little distrustful.

"Just because I came to him willingly doesn't mean that I'm giving up." At Touya's intrigued expression, Mitsuyo smirked, "Tell me exactly what he did to you, and we'll go from there."

When Akio finally summoned Mitsuyo to his throne room, the girl was already experiencing what felt an awful lot like stage fright. Her shot-to-death nerves made her hands cold and sweaty, and she'd been pacing the length of the infirmary for a good five minutes before the escort had opened the door.

"Master Isamu is ready for you, Miss Kajima," it said, and Mitsuyo couldn't stop the cringe from showing on her face. As bad as it was to hear Kurama say it, hearing this dinky little skeleton creature say it in its raspy voice was certainly worse.

She took a look at Touya, who was kneeling next to his redheaded companion – Jin, not Tornado Dude, as she had been calling him – for a last silent exchange of support, before the ice demon's face shifted and he growled out, "Get moving, human."

Mitsuyo straightened her shoulders, and calmly moved out into the hallway. The oak doors slammed shut solidly behind her, the sound echoing down the marbled walls with profound clarity. As the little demon took its place beside her, she realized that Akio had to know how little a threat she actually posed. Her escort was certainly slight of build, looking like a humanoid parrot with frail wings, and legs as thin as twigs. If Mitsuyo was to put up a fight, even she could take this pathetic creature.

Does he know I came here willingly?

The thought troubled her, but the girl forced herself to push the doubt it inspired aside. Now was not the time to break down her confidence. She had a job to do. If she succeeded, this would all be over with and she could go back to living her life undisturbed. If she failed…well, she'd be dead, so not much she could do then either.

Mitsuyo gulped.

Thankfully she wasn't afforded too much time to stew in her anxieties. It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the hallway and face yet another pair of immense oak doors. This time, the wood was actually polished obsidian, which meant that the black color scheme that Mitsuyo had previously predicted promised to finally make an appearance.

Score one for the human. Wonder if this is where his throne is too?

The guards who shared strong similarity to the ones that bracketed the infirmary doors wordlessly moved to grant them admission to the room. Once the entryway was wide enough, the little demon briskly led Mitsuyo into the darkness within.

Yep. This is more like it.

The stone walls were missing the green-flamed torches, but otherwise Mitsuyo was pleased that she was spot-on. Nothing but the barest hint of light managed to make its way into the swallowing shadows. An elevated dais drew her eyes to the ostentatious throne perched at the top of an extensive staircase. The only source of light in the room came from the base of the stairs, where a strange recess seemed to be filled with a glowing liquid.

"Miss Kajima, as you requested, Master," the parrot demon squeaked into the room.

"Thank you, Jikku," a smooth voice responded from above them. "You may take your leave."

"As you wish, sir," Jikku bowed, and quickly retreated out the doors, which then again closed with an ominous slam.

In the new darkness, Mitsuyo's eyes strained to make out the figure in the room. There, sitting on the throne, one leg tossed casually over an armrest and leaning on an arm propped up on the other, had to be no other than…

"Akio, I take it?" Mitsuyo called to the figure, hoping she sounded more confident than she currently felt.

"Well hello, child," the man grinned, face highlighted by the dimly luminescent basin. "A pleasure to have you in my humble abode. How are you finding your stay?"

Mitsuyo shifted nervously, taking in every slight movement her nearly blind eyes could catch in the gloom as Akio stood from his perch and slowly made his way down from the dais. "Um, well, fine I guess. No one's tried to kill me yet."

This got a laugh out of the older man as he reached the edge of the basin. The light reflecting off his clothes showed only more blackness. It could have been a suit. It could have been spandex. There really was no telling. Stereotypical villain. Would it hurt to add a little color to your wardrobe? "Well it wouldn't do to have you perish before I even had a chance to meet you, now would it?"

"Probably not." The man stepped down from the platform, and his steady footsteps echoed in the emptiness of the room. "Only a poor host would let something like that happen."

"Indeed," Akio agreed, and his voice was much closer than it was before. Mitsuyo blinked a bit to clear the cloudiness from her eyes, and suddenly she found his face just above hers. Older than she thought, but not exactly an old man, Akio had what could have been dirty brown hair not unlike her own and eyes that looked black even in the dark of the room. They could have been siblings. He was even a head taller than her, like an older brother would be. If it weren't for the overwhelming sense of danger she felt in his presence, that is. "In that case, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is, as you correctly guessed earlier, Akio Isamu. And I take it you are Mitsuyo Kajima?"

The douche actually was holding his hand out for a shake. Mitsuyo eyed it distrustfully. She didn't take it.

Instead, she bowed in what she hoped was subtle sarcasm. "Charmed, I'm sure."

The man quirked his lip up at the action, but dutifully withdrew his hand. "I admit," he started with a heavy sigh. "I've been looking forward to this moment for a while now."

"Sure didn't seem like it. I was hanging out in your little waiting area for forever," she groused just to be difficult.

Akio sighed again, "Yes, I am sorry for that. I was a bit distracted, but it couldn't be helped. Here, I'll show you. Walk with me?" He gestured politely with his arm back towards where the dais and the basin waited.

Still feeling as if she was about to step blindly into a trap, Mitsuyo began moving sideways in the direction he indicated, trying her best to keep an eye on where she was going and not letting Akio slip from her sight. Seeming to sense her intentions, the older man kept pace, his arms folded harmlessly behind his back as the glow from the recess in the platform became more prominent.

"You see, this morning I was keeping an eye on my assets," Akio explained calmly as they strolled along. "Having you suddenly appear in their custody was certainly a nice surprise, but I find myself wondering what could have possibly led to such a chance encounter? It seemed too good to be true, honestly." He said it as if admitting a shameful truth. Though the room was still plenty dark, Mitsuyo made sure her face remained carefully arranged in an expression of bland interest. "So I decided to do a little investigating. Perhaps there was trouble in paradise?"

They finally stepped up onto the raised floor, directly above the basin of water. Mitsuyo, unable to contain her curiosity, peered down. At first she thought it was just murky, but then her eyes focused and realized she was staring at a heavily wooded area. Not just any area though – it looked an awful lot like the scenery she had trudged through to get here.

And sprinting through them was…

"Yes, they're on their way," Akio smiled in what must have been his attempt at kindness, but it only served to creep Mitsuyo out. "You see, I heard what you told Chu, about giving yourself up. Rather noble, I have to say. I had to know if that was indeed the case, so I took a peek at what was going on at the old hermit's temple, and lo and behold… you spoke the truth. No one there had any clue where you went, until that troublesome three-eyed demon managed to track you down."

At this, the older man's eyes took on a murderous expression that made Mitsuyo instinctively take a step back. Akio took no notice, and within seconds he regained his benign countenance, smiling at the younger girl.

"But it makes no difference," he said lightly. "Even if they're on their way, by the time they arrive it will be too late. It's unfortunate that your actions couldn't save them from their deaths, but to be honest, their lives were forfeit the moment they defied me."

Before Mitsuyo could make any further moves, Akio's hand shot forward, arresting her upper arm in a vicelike grip. Her heels squeaked on the polished marble as he effortlessly dragged her forward, bowing his head in order to stare her square in the eye. The light from the pool caused ghostly shadows to dance across the manic look taking over his features.

"You're mine now."

They were close.

Hiei had announced as much not more than a minute ago, which prompted Kurama's blood to begin boiling. It had been at a low simmer ever since the shorter demon had showed up at the temple with news of Mitsuyo's capture. It grew in intensity as his mind broke down what he could only imagine to be Mitsuyo's thought process, which honestly failed to impress him no matter how he looked at it.

Because in all reality, what was she expecting to accomplish? Hadn't he made it clear that she was safest with them? That giving up wasn't even an option? Hadn't…hadn't last night meant anything to her? Obviously not.

Kurama tried not to feel bitter.

"Her energy signature just disappeared!" Hiei reported, voice strained, and Kurama felt his eyes flash uncontrollably.

"What?" Yusuke yelled at him from behind. "What does that mean?"

Hiei, leading the group, looked back over his shoulder in irritation. "Just that, detective – it's gone." He then focused back ahead, making his next comments difficult to hear. "She may have stepped into an energy-sealed room. I found a few of those at the other compound."

"And if she didn't?" Kuwabara pressed, casting a concerned sideways glance towards the fox demon.

"Let's just focus on getting there," Kurama found himself saying in a voice that sounded suspiciously not his own. Instead he concentrated on his breath, the steady pump of his legs as they sped through the forest. "We'll know more once we see it for ourselves."

Akio didn't plan to outright kill Mitsuyo. He wanted her alive. He wanted her as a tool. Surely she knew that. If Hiei couldn't sense her anymore, perhaps that just meant that…

"There!" the fire demon shouted, skidding to an abrupt stop at a rocky outcrop surrounded by a thin line of trees. The others quickly joined him.

In the shallow valley below them was the compound in question. Not especially large, it stretched between the trees as if it had grown with them rather than existing outside the forces of nature. Without any noticeable demon presence, the whole area seemed frozen, undisturbed, not at all like anything significant had just taken place.

"What now?" Yusuke asked, coming up from behind Kurama. They stared down at the building below with trepidation. Even though they knew the enemy was inside, they'd be walking in completely blind.

"Now we –"

But before Kurama could get anything else out, the ground seemed to erupt around them, engulfing them in blinding silver heat.

.:AN:.

Before I get flooded with angry reviews, I know. Another cliffhanger. But I promise you won't have to wait...um... seven years for the next update. I've finally got a plan, and I'm hoping that this motivation stays for good. We shall see. Anyway, thank you very much for sticking around for the ride! I hope I haven't lost too many of you.

In regards to my earlier comment, I would like to know the opinions of my readers. I could go either way on it, so an outsider's view would mean a lot. Should I, with my newfound abilities as an older and more experienced writer, go back and fix the previous chapters? Or would you rather them stay as they are? I even have some ideas as to how to improve the plot, but again, it's not the most important thing for me to do. After all, I recognize that I started writing this when I was in high school. It's bound to be problematic. Anyway, if you have thoughts you'd like to share with me, by all means please do.

Please leave a review on your way out if you have thoughts, positive or negative. I've been warned that the community has gotten rather unresponsive in the years I've been gone, so I don't have my hopes up. But it would be nice to have some feedback.

I expect to have the next chapter out by the end of the month, depending on the response I get. So until then,

Sayonara~