…..Milkshakes…..

He left.

To go see her.

I know he did.

I know everything.

Everything that he doesn't.

Everything he's about to figure out.

He won't like what he will see.

About her, and about me.

She's there.

All alone and unwanted.

Just like before, just more broken.

But in the spirit realm.

With the damned and the dead.

What will he think of her once he sees her again?

What will he do?

What will she do?

And what will She do?

If he leaves her there to die, there will be no going back for her.

But if he stays with her, his soul will be lost to Her.

What will he do?

What can he do?

I had yet to leave him alone.

Letting him go was terribly hard.

His fragile psyche needed to be guarded until now.

He needed it.

And she needed it.

If I wasn't there that day of the attack…

He would've died.

And she would've died.

Broken hearts are hard to mend.

I told her not to be with him.

I told her he was trouble.

I told her that She wouldn't like it.

I guess the pain of being lonely was too great a burden.

I can only wish her the very best.

And wish him a kind demise.

…..Kurama…..

We didn't know what to do with Hiei now that he had gone completely mad. Perhaps she did take over his mind. Perhaps she can still control him through her prison. Whatever happened to him must be dealt with as soon as possible.

And what was strange is that, I felt as if I knew her from before. I didn't quite get a good look at her face, I was much too concerned over Hiei's well-being, and I haven't even been in the same room as her until today. Though this is true, I know I've met her somewhere before. I wasn't sure how, but it was the same familiarity from that girl at the convention. And that girl knew me, or should I say, she knew my other half. The question is… Where? When? What did she know of Yoko Kurama?

But these are questions for another time. Right now, Hiei should be my greatest concern at the moment. After all, he did nearly kill two members of the SDF on his own.

When he finally came to, Lord Koenma was present with us in the infirmary. His anger was apparent on his features, his face red.

"THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Koenma wasted no time reprimanding Hiei. "You IDIOT! She could have made you kill all of us!"

"Hn. I see no problem with that." Hiei sat up, making sure to make his statement as bold and as curt as he could towards the ruler.

"You have no idea what she's capable of, and you go and break your only life line! We have communicators for a reason, Hiei! She could've killed you!"

"And what point are you trying to make exactly?" He snapped back at Koenma. Though Hiei is brash and his mannerisms are that of a recluse, he has never been one to throw caution to the wind the way he did. He would never allow the enemy any sort of advantage over him if he can help it. So what changed? What made him want to approach her without any sort of way to call in for backup?

Then there is the question of when she might've brainwashed him, and why it hasn't worked on any of the other staff. What was the purpose of taking over Hiei's mind? Was it because he was much more powerful? If that were the case, it would be much more logical to turn the loyalties of a lesser demon, it would've been much easier. We would've had to take precautions and he might retain his memories of the layout of the entire Spirit Realm castle, and how to get her back to the demonic plane. In fact, her care taker, that teenager, would've been an excellent choice for her.

So, why Hiei? And how did she do it?

The talismans that she had been covered with and the energy draining power of her chains would've been able to deal with any sort of power flux she would've needed to even be able to lift her pinky finger.

"Hiei, we're just saying that we were very concerned for you. The way she had easily taken over your mind was a surprise to us. We didn't think that she would be able to conjure any sort of ability she may have. The equipment made short work of her demonic energy." I tried to explain to him.

"Hn, stupid fools. There was no way for her to take over my mind. What happened in there was a momentary laps of judgment." Hiei was trying to avoid questioning. I can tell.

" 'Lapse of judgment?' What the hell kind of excuse is that?" Koenma started up again.

"Hn." He was refusing to answer. Whatever happened seemed to have spooked him, though he would never admit it, but I can't help the feeling that there's more to it than that. I feel as if there's a huge piece of the puzzle that's missing, and it has everything to do with that girl. However, what it is, I have no idea, and I'm sure she has all the answers to my questions, but whether or not she'll talk is a different matter entirely.

Hiei abruptly got up and started to put his cloak back on. "Are we finished? I have things to do back in the demon world that I had to take care of before you called me in with this ridiculous request to question your so called Blue Moon Maiden. Call me back when you have something useful for me to do."

"FINE! Go ahead and run back to Mukuro for all I care! I still have three days to question her! I don't need you to relay any answers to me you no good fire breathing lunatic! We were better off without you anyway!" Koenma was throwing a bit of a tantrum over Hiei's incompliance, completely frustrated over the matter.

I noticed Hiei had stopped midway to the door before looking back at the child ruler. "… What do you mean by "three days"?" He asked very coldly.

"Well, if you were here sooner, you'd know that her execution date has already been set."

"What?" I was startled. "Who decided this?"

"My father was adamant about getting rid of her before the fulfillment of the prophecy, but for some reason he kept putting off the date more and more since we got her. The fact of the matter is, he wants her as dead as a door nail as soon as possible before Arare decides to awaken."

I heard the door slam, Hiei had just walked out.

…..Hiei…..

Three days?

Execution?

What is going on?

After leaving the fools to talk amongst themselves like babbling idiots, I walked to Dr. Hazard's observation room above Sitsumi's holding cell. I didn't know why, or what I was going to do, but I felt the need to go anyway.

I saw Dr. Hazard working on some sort of machine when I walked in. He didn't stop his attention on whatever he was working on.

"To what do I owe such an honor as to have the presence of the child of fire and ice?" The good doctor chuckled at his own statement, not at all helping my already rather foul mood.

"I need every piece of information you have on the girl." I wasted no time demanding what I wanted.

"And who, Forbidden Child, gave you the authority for such a request? I'm sure you can understand that I can't just give away my research notes to just anybody. This will be the last time anyone will get to experiment on such a fine specimen. I wouldn't want anyone else to get a hold of my work." He chuckled again. Forgive me for not seeing what was so funny.

"Pft. I'm not here to steal your precious research, old man. I came here for answers."

He finally looked back at me from the corner of his beady eyes on that burnt orange face. It sickened me to look at him. "Is that so?" That awkward smile he put on made my toes curl in disgust. Whatever he was thinking, I know I wouldn't like it. He put the tools he was handling aside and moved toward a filing cabinet. He flipped through the many documents then proceeded to gently take out a manila folder. He tucked it under his arm and made his way towards me. "So, you want to know more about the pretty little gem in the chamber do you?" His chuckles at the end of nearly every sentence started to aggravate me. "Why not?" That sleazy smile on his face slowly grew with each word until his squashed face was overtaken by it from ear to ear. He reached the documents out to me. "Go ahead, Lord Hiei. Take them." He said Lord sarcastically, taunting me with his words and the papers that he held. "I'm sure you'll find everything you need."

I quickly snatched the documents from his hands, flipping through the pages, not sure exactly what I was looking for. That is, until I looked at the number of souls they had found inside of her body.

It read only one.

…..Yusuke…..

I was tired of his royal diaper rash and calling me in at three in the fucking morning just to clean up some mess that some human or demon made to try and take over this or destroy that. I think they take a kick out of ruining my life.

When I was halfway to Koenma's office, I saw Hiei walking down the hallway coming right at me.

I took one of my hands out of my pocket and raised it to say hello. "Hey, Hiei! What's going… HEY!" He walked right past me, not even glancing in my direction. "Who shit in your ramen cup?" My mood turned from irritated to sour once Lord of all sticks shoved up his ass decided to be a dick. Though not entirely surprising. He certainly looked pissed off.

I sighed, as I finally got to Koenma's office. My temper already at a short fuse. I kicked in the door, not taking my hands out of my pockets. "Alright, Binky breath. What ya want? It's three in the fucking morning and I had to stay up with the kids yesterday, there had better be a good fucking reason why I'm here."

"I'm glad you could make it, Yusuke." The pacifier bobbed up and down in Koenma's mouth as he stamped through the files on his desk. "For one, I need you to take over Kurama's shift. He's been at it for three days now. I'm sure he could use a rest. Not to mention I have a few errands for him to run down in the Demon world tomorrow. The other reason that I called you here is because my father has finally set the execution date, and he wants you to be one of the escorts for the Aoitsuki."

"Is this a joke? Why would your dad want me to escort that chick?" Yusuke crossed his arms.

"No joke. He said that he needed to make sure that she's detained throughout the entire procedure with any necessary means. And one of those means is have you with the SDF." Koenma answered before calling one of his ogres to file the papers he had just stamped.

I snorted in disapproval before putting my hands behind my head. "Whatever. So where's that creepy Doctor? He's the one I have to look after right?"

"He'll be in the control room next to the test chamber where the Aoitsuki is. And ask for directions if you get lost this time, Yusuke. I don't want a repeat of last week." Koenma scolded the detective before getting back to his papers.

"Alright, alright, sheesh. Guy can't get lost once in a while anymore."

"Thanks for taking my shift, Yusuke." Kurama walked over after finally finishing his rounds around the test chamber. He gave the detective a smile.

"No problem, fox boy. I got it covered." Yusuke gave Kurama a thumbs up.

"I never would've doubted your capability in the first place, Yusuke. Well. I should be on my way. You know how Naoko is."

"Yeah, seriously, her hormones are all kinds of jacked up when she's pregnant."

Kurama chuckled lightly at the comment, then started to head for the door when suddenly the alarm for the Aoitsuki's holding chambers started to blare. The sirens were deafening as they alerted all the occupants, the pounding glare of the lights painted every hall and room in red.

Kurama stood back form the door and sighed before running to the holding chamber, Yusuke running behind him.

"What do you think happened?" Yusuke asked, nearly missing the turn when Kurama bolted left.

"I'm not sure, but it can't be good if she's involved in this." Kurama was breathless winding through the hallways and down the flights of stairs to try and get to the holding cell. He had no idea what expect.

…..Hiei…..

I ran in front of the others when the sirens went off without them even realizing, and for once… I really wish I hadn't.

Everywhere I looked, there was blood sliding down the walls. Dried, wet, smeared in all directions. The stench was overwhelming, unbearable, the smell of iron was thick in the air. Coming into a room that was filled with nothing but dead bodies littering the floors with their hearts torn out was nothing less than gruesome. I could only stand there and stare at the carnage. The sole of my boots were slick with the red liquid. It was rivers and rivers of it still streaming from the veins, still pooling to the floor, still warm from their deceased hosts.

I felt… so sick.

Every face I looked upon was contorted in pain and horror, their last breath ending in screams of torture. And then there were some… that had… missing parts.

Holes were taken in the places of noses and eyes and ears and hair and jaws. Fingers broken, bones showing, limbs torn, hair spread, eyes wide, eyes closed, hands reaching, ligaments stiff, bodies limp…

I took a step, feeling something hard click beneath my boot. I took back that step in anxiety of what I was to see… a broken piece of skull bone. The hair stuck to the ground, pinned by the heavy weight of the slick red that surrounded me.

I felt a thick wet glob of… fall on my head, making me look up. Even with all the blood shed I've seen and created, there was nothing in this or the next world that could ever prepare me for what I saw hanging above me. Why didn't I see the crimson rain before? I saw the ripped organs of the blood soaked bodies covering the once innocently white tint of the glass ceiling. Each bleeding heart, cut intestines, stripped stomachs, were held there by thousands of tiny knives shivering in ice. Carefully placed and sloppy like the work of a child's trembling hands, taking a thick red marker and painting the ceiling… shaped into a smile, the lines thick from the paint that was used, sprinkled with the caress of absolute madness. The eyes were shaped and twisted and knotted and staring… the eyes of some sort of sick child looking at the ants it killed.

I heard the detective cough up what little remained in his stomach. I backed out, wanting to get away from the awful stench of rotting flesh.

She had gone too far.

I flitted to different parts of the castle, trying to find her, knowing that I should end it. She is not who she pretended to be, a sweet naïve and innocent human girl. No. I will not be fooled again. Whatever she is, she is not a part of any of the three worlds. Her blood thirst is just as unquenchable as mine was. The next time I see her, I'll kill her. Someone as dangerous as her should not be allowed to live. Not while I'm around.

I already knew where she would be heading. The portal to the demon plane is three floors above us. I have to get there before she does, or we will all suffer the same fate as those in the white coats.

…..Kurama…..

I couldn't believe what I saw.

All of those people. Every scientist who was under Dr. Hazard… had been killed. The brutal and indiscriminate way they've been mangled was… just gruesome. I just don't know how to describe it.

Once Hiei had left the room, I quickly followed with Yusuke in tow. Where Hiei was going, I had no clue. He vanished once we were outside the containment room, but if I had to guess, he was going after her. I knew exactly where she would be heading. The portal to the demon realm. Whatever it takes, we cannot let her go through.

I turned to Yusuke to see if he was ready to go. He was bent over, deeply breathing, possibly to clear the stench of the room from his lungs. He looked up at me, and never had I seen such anger in his eyes. The fury that was there was substantial. Before I could say anything, he ran off in the direction of the portal.

I would've gone after him if I hadn't remembered Dr. Hazard. I wasn't sure if I saw him in the room, and to be honest, I don't want to go back in there to look. I quickly headed to the control room, dreading what I was about to see. When I tried to open the door, it was locked. I rammed it with my shoulder a few times, but was still unable to get it open. I pulled out my rose whip to see if I could cut through.

I raised my hand to strike, but a heard a faint click, coming from the door. I tried my hand at the knob again… and the door was definitely open. The slight creak of the hinges were eerie to say the least, but I trickled in anyway. The room was bathed in a red glow from the emergency lights over head. I could barely find my way through the small cramped room. There were chairs overturned, filing cabinets crushed into the wall, papers littering the floor. I had no clue what to think, but I already had a feeling that the good doctor was no longer with us.

I was finally able to make out a silhouette of a person on top of the control panel. Dr. Hazard's face was turned towards me, his mouth agape, eyes wide and panicked, unmoving; he was definitely dead. I walked over to take a better look. I could finally smell the drying blood that came from him. It covered the control panel, oozing to the floor. I noticed his arm was outstretched towards the emergency button. He was the one who pushed it. He must have died immediately after all the other scientists. I turned the body over to see if he had left anything behind that might help us stop her.

Once I took a look at the back of his head, I tore my hand away, and looked up to the adjacent wall. There, hanging off the wall, trickling blood to the floor, pinned there by a pick of ice, was the brain of Dr. Hazard. Scribed in blood underneath it was the word "Brainless".

I heard something scuffle just outside the door, making me turn to look. There in the doorway was a tiny slip of a girl, drenched in blood. Her hair dripping with the liquid as her crystalline blue eyes were alight with amusement and her face was contorted to a wide and crazed smile, giggling at, what was no doubt, her handiwork. And as I looked at her, I felt realization creeping up on me, a horrible dread that overtook me.

Before I could act, the door to the control room slammed shut, leaving me with the flash of red light, and a brainless Dr. Hazard.

…..Hiei…..

I had no time to aid the injured that crossed my path. I could only follow the trail of blood and ice that trailed after her. I could not stop for those who may have been dying or asking for help. I couldn't help those who were aiding the crippled mess of people she left in her wake. I won't let anything stop me. I don't know what happened to them, I just know, she was responsible for it. And once I finally got to the portal to the demon realm, all I had to do was sit and wait. It didn't take long for her to catch up to me, how I had gotten in front of her, I had no idea, but this ends now.

I could see her in the hallway that lead to the Portal Chamber. Her right hand was sliding along the wall with the slightest touch of her fingertips… I could smell the blood. We faced each other, My stance firm and unyielding. Her presence… simply frightening. The freezing cold she brought with her chilled the very marrow of my bones, whipping the my hair in all directions. Her glittering ice blue eyes showed no fear, no remorse, hardly a glimmer of her former self. Is this the outcome of the experimenting, or is this what she was truly hiding within herself for so long?

She walked slowly towards me, that smile of deep satisfaction framed her face, her eyes wild with excitement, and anger, and joy. I could see her breath fogging in the current of wind coming from behind her, blowing into my face, making the temperature so much harder to resist succumbing to.

I stood firmly still, not allowing the bite of the wind to turn me over. I don't care what it takes, I can face her myself, alone. I needn't any help… from anyone. The only obstacle she had yet to bat away was me, and I will not let her pass.

Her steps were staggering but straight. Her goal was what lie behind me, the gates to Demon World. She'll be free to do her bidding. No turning back, no remorse. She won't stop until everything was dead. I couldn't let her pass.

We were now just a few feet apart, my hand ready at the hilt of my sword. If I have to cut her down, I will. Not for the sake of humanity, but the sake of honoring my sister's life and her children's lives. No woman should be worth that. Not even her. If she is the coming of the destruction of all three worlds, I shouldn't hesitate to kill her. I have to remember that everything that I do now has to be for them. If anything were to happen to any of them… I would never be able to live with myself. I have to stop her from passing.

She stopped in front of me, our clouds of breath intermingling with one another. The wild tortured soul in her eyes had vanished, the demented smile that she wore… was gone. Replaced by a sad and lonesome figure, in dirty, bloodied cloth, shivering uncontrollably in the wind that she, herself, had created. Her limp inky black hair whipped about her in spirals, her now turquoise blue depths glimmered with tears threatening to fall. Her cheeks red with blood, her lips a pale and sickly blue. She wrapped her arms around me, allowing me the perfect chance to run her through.

But I didn't.

She pressed her frozen frame closer to mine, seeming to leech from my own body heat. Her shivering dying down slowly, as if the burning fire within me was giving life back to her.

I didn't move.

When she finally had the sense to release me, she looked up into my eyes letting me see into the black depths of her soul. She smiled slowly, a tear finally spilling over, quickly turning into ice from the frigid temperature in the hallway.

A shuddering breath escaped.

She gently laid her delicate little hands onto my chest as she closed her eyes, the lashes dusting her cheeks, bringing with it more tears to fall and shatter. She raised herself to the balls of her feet, to the height of my stature.

I suddenly couldn't breathe.

Her frozen blue lips finally pressed themselves against my own, sealing the two of us together for just a moment in time. Letting our souls intertwine just once more, seeping into the other's hollow shell. Every thought of killing her gone. Everything that I felt, the rage, the hurt, the confusion, all of it left me.

I lifted my hands to her waist.

I wanted to hold her in my arms again, to lift her and quiet her, and comfort her, but before I had a chance to cradle her to my form… she stepped away, leaving me breathless, hollow, and cold. Before I could react, she walked past me into the gates of the demonic realm.

I didn't look back to see her go.

I stood my ground as I watched the others come to my aid. Though now it is too late to stop her. It was too late to do anything.

I had let her go.

And all I feel is numb.