A/N: I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated! I didn't realize quite how long it had been, and I've been super duper busy. That said, I hope you enjoy the latest installment!

Kurama crouched down on the edge of the cliff, brushing his fingertips across the dark stain. He sniffed, his sensitive nose catching Carmen's scent. The amount of blood here was unimaginable. If she was still alive, she'd be in bad shape. The trail led directly off the cliff and, presumably, into the water directly below; arrows lay strewn in the same area as the blood. She'd probably gone into the water to avoid being hit – the current was swift and strong and would have carried her away instantly. He looked back the way he'd come. Chloe was still waiting for him, but she shouldn't be in any danger for a while yet. Besides, the plants would take care of her so long as he kept himself alive.

Carmen stumbled to the edge of the cliff as arrows flew around her. Arrows whizzed through the air, most landing on the ground or going over the edge, one or two of them catching her or nicking her. Everything danced in her vision. She blinked, trying desperately to clear her sight. That damned poison was working its magic upon her. She looked at the tumultuous waters below her, then back at the trees. The water didn't appeal – she couldn't swim. But the alternative was even less appealing – she would certainly die. She gathered her remaining strength and sprang off the edge.

Haru stopped, giving Chloe a chance to catch her breath. "You holding up?" He asked, smiling encouragingly. Chloe nodded, smiling wanly. She was very tired, and the amount of sleep she'd gotten was negligible, but somewhere she knew she had the strength to keep going. "Let's go."

Water swirled all around her. Carmen could feel terror striking at her heart, but she forced herself to stay calm as she clawed at the water, trying to find the surface, which was nearly impossible, considering she couldn't even tell which direction was up or down.

Kurama sped along the edge of the river, his eyes scanning the edges for any place she could have exited. He didn't know how good of a swimmer she was, but if she'd been pinned down as it appeared, the likelihood is that she would have stayed in for a quite a while. No one could keep up with the kind of speed this river had, even a demon as fast as Hiei.

Kurama felt a twinge of regret. Hiei. Yusuke. Kuwabara. What had happened between them all? He'd shut himself off from this life and thrown himself into college. Somewhere along the way, he must have decided to shut them out of his life as well. He leapt to the very edge of the water, his feet barely finding traction among all the smooth rocks and boulders. He peered at one of the rocks. Blood…

Carmen was beginning to panic. Her lungs were begging for air and she still didn't seem any closer to finding the surface than somewhere upstream. Her body slammed into something and her mind reeled as pain exploded all through her skull. Suddenly her head broke surface and her lungs gasped in some much needed air before she plunged back under. She hadn't even recovered fully before she found herself tumbling off an edge. 'A waterfall!'

Kurama slowed, his ears listening carefully. He could hear a roaring ahead. A waterfall! His eyes widened. If his knowledge of his whereabouts was correct, it was a huge one. If she had been alive, and even that was an if, she probably wouldn't be after a fall like that. The force of the fall coupled with the rocks at the bottom would crush her body.

Carmen couldn't really recall what had happened after she went over the edge, but what she did know was that right now she wasn't going anywhere. The water was pushing, but she was jammed up against something. And she was breathing air. She forced her eyelids up. She was up against a stout tree that was fallen half in the rushing waters. She assessed her condition as best she could. She couldn't feel most of her body, and what she could feel hurt like hell. But she'd rather face a hundred enemies than stay in this water one minute longer.

Summoning what courage she could she brought her left arm and grabbed onto the nearest nub of a branch, her numb fingers grabbing it as best she could; she couldn't feel her right arm, so that would be of no help. She pulled, but her fingers slipped and she fell back into the water. For a brief second she imagined being swept away again. But the tree was still there and she simply bobbed back up. She took a few deep breaths, forcing her demonic powers to control her arms and legs. She couldn't feel them, but if she used her powers she wouldn't need to.

She watched as her arms moved up and latched on the tree, her nails growing and digging into the very skin of the tree. She hauled herself up, clawing her way up the tree until she was halfway out of the water. Her demonic powers slipped up and she fell onto the ground, too weak to even drag herself the rest of the way out.

Kurama climbed down the embankment, stopping by a large tree. He could see a place where something wet seemed to have climbed out of the water…or been dragged out. He turned and scanned the trees, on the defensive now. There was no way to tell who or what had found her, if in fact it had been Carmen dragged out of the river. He did however see a set of tracks. He'd been following a hunch until now, so he simply continued on.

Chloe hid behind the tree, peeking around just enough to see Haru examining the riverbank. She swallowed hard and glanced around. This whole world was so….creepy. She looked back towards the river, standing up when she saw Haru walking back towards her. "Haru look out!" She screamed when she saw a blur rushing towards him from the water. Haru had barely whirled around before it slammed into him, sending him flying.

Chloe stood frozen as a woman appeared. She was dressed all in black leather, and she held a knife in her left hand. "Well now, what is all this commotion going on around me river?" She walked over and knelt by Haru, peering at his face. "You're not a demon." She stood and came over to Chloe, likewise peering into her face. "Neither are you." She placed the knife in the sheath on her thigh, then rested her hands on her hips. "What the hell are you two doing in Makai?"

…..

Kurama crouched low to the ground, smelling the air with his eyes closed. It was hard to pick out Carmen's scent – it was being cancelled out by something, but he couldn't tell what. "One more step and you'll be dead." His eyes flew open as he spoke and he stood up.

"I couldn't tell who you were." Ethan stepped out of the shadows, hands raised passively.

Kurama calmed down. "Any sign of her?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, but she's definitely giving them a run for their money."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell? I can barely even follow her scent, and there are no tracks from her."

"Exactly. She's covering her trail and her scent. If she'd been captured, you would be able to smell her clear as day – she'd make sure of that."

….

"We're trying to find our friend. Please, she must have fallen in the river. Where is she?" Chloe stepped forward, stopping abruptly when she felt a finger poking into her chest.

"Not that close. We're not friends."

Haru struggled to his feet, pulling Chloe behind him. "We have no quarrel with you. Can you just tell us if she fell in?"

The demoness pursed her lips. "What are you offering in return?"

Chloe's jaw dropped. "Please, she's our friend! Won't you just-"

"Hush." Haru turned his head and put his fingers up to his lips, silencing the girl. "What is the information worth to you?"

The demoness smirked. "The real question is…what is the information worth to you?"

Chloe could hardly believe her ears. Why was it so difficult to get the woman to just tell them? It wasn't going to be any major effort on her part, so why all the fuss? "Please, she's our friend. Why won't you just tell us? It's not like we're putting you out if you just-"

"Silence!"

Chloe couldn't say why, but it was like her whole body just froze at the angry command.

"You may be human, but that is no excuse for your ignorance and stupidity. You're not in your pathetic human world anymore. If you want to live beyond these next two minutes I suggest you toughen up and learn that no one does anything out of the goodness of their hearts here."

Haru carefully placed himself between Chloe and the demoness. "What price do you ask, miss?" He knew in his heart it would be a hefty one since Chloe had given away how important the information was to them.

The demoness snorted at 'miss'. "Miss? Do I look like a naïve, virgin human girl to you? My name is Morana, the river goddess."

Chloe's eyes widened. "R-river goddess? But I thought-"

"You thought I was a simple demon? Hardly."

Chloe could see something in Haru's body language change, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Morana, then. What do want in return?"

Morana cocked her head, striding up and taking his chin in her hand. "Look in my eyes." She commanded. Her eyes were blue, like the Mediterranean sea, but ever changing in its shade. She stared into his unflinching gaze, seemingly straight into his soul. "Ash men tegur…" She murmured, grabbing his hand and turning it palm up. She moved her gaze from his eyes to his palm, suddenly releasing him and taking two steps back.

Chloe felt Haru inhale sharply, and she realized he hadn't drawn a breath since the goddess first looked into his eyes.

"This I require: you return to me when you have finished this whole business."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What?"

"Not you, human." Morana sent her a scathing look. "You, Haru. You must come back to me."

Haru was surprised. "I don't-"

"Of course you don't understand. And you won't. Until the time comes."

Haru looked at Chloe momentarily, then slowly nodded. "Very well."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Haru you can't!" She exclaimed, gripping his arm. "We'll find her ourselves, we'll-!" She cut herself off with a scream when Morana sprang forward and thrust her hand into Haru's chest. His whole body shuddered at the impact. The goddess pulled her hand out, covered in blood.

"Take him into the river if you want to save him. It will take you safely to the same place your friend pulled herself out."

Chloe numbly caught Haru as he toppled into her arms. "Haru!" She screamed, sitting down, staring at his white face and his unseeing his eyes.

Morana watched for a moment. If Chloe had cared to look, she would have seen something akin to pain flash through the woman's blue eyes. But it passed almost before it came, and she simply turned and walked back into the water, fading into the rushing stream.

Chloe forced herself to take long, deep breaths. She looked at the river. Did that madwoman think she was an idiot? They'd both die if they got in the river. But… She finally felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. But what did she have to lose? Haru was already dead…

"I don't know what to do Haru. I don't even know what just happened.." She reached out a shaky hand and placed it on his bloody chest. "What do I do?" Her body shook as she started sobbing into his shoulder. Her head jerked up as she heard what sound like a large animal somewhere behind her. She glanced between the river and the trees, adrenaline and panic kicking in. She sprang to her feet then reached down and pulled him up with more ease than normal. She linked her arms around his ribs so chest was against hers and gripped tightly as she backed towards the water, dragging him with her. She hadn't gotten more than six steps into the water before a sudden rustling in the trees caused her to slip and they both toppled back into the current.

…..

Carmen leaned heavily on the tree, taking careful, wheezing breaths; one of her lungs was punctured. "This is stupid." She wheezed. "I'm going to kill myself if I keep running." She fought the darkness creeping over her eyes. She didn't dare pass out now, not with killers on her trail. Her eyes scanned the darkness as she tried to force her foggy mind to think. She could just make out a cave, not too far.

"It'll do." She collected wood as she stumbled towards the opening. It wound straight back for a short distance before turning sharply. She used the wall to keep herself upright as she moved further and further into the welcoming darkness. She didn't even bother to cover her trail. If they'd followed her this far, which they probably had, then there was no point. Besides, if she didn't build a fire for warmth and start focusing on healing herself, she would die from internal bleeding and sickness soon enough.

She dropped the firewood down once she was decently sure they wouldn't see the light from the entrance, practically falling down herself next to it so she could set it up. Her hands were shaking fiercely, so much so she could barely hold two stones together to start the fire. Her first spark caught the nearest branch and burst into flames. The corner of her lip twitched up into the faintest hint of a smile..

…

Chloe coughed violently, her body heaving as it emptied the river water out of her lungs. She rested a moment before looked around for Haru. He was laying in his side with his back to her a few feet away. "Haru…" She crawled over to him, rolling him onto his back. He started coughing up water, rolling onto his side so he didn't swallow it again. She caught her breath violently.

Haru shook his head clear, turning and sitting it up.

"You're alive!" Chloe exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

He had to put an arm behind himself to keep from falling over. "Oof! What happened? How did we end up in the river?"

Chloe pulled back, using the back of her hand to swipe at her tears. "Do you remember anything?"

Haru furrowed his eyebrows. "I remember we were talking with the woman, then…then nothing." He shook his head.

Chloe swallowed hard. "She agreed to send us to where Carmen got out of the river."

"For free?" He asked dubiously.

Chloe forced her head to move up and down in affirmation. "I guess she had a change of heart."

Haru was clearly taken aback by that. "I've never known a demon of any sort to do anything for free."

Chloe knew she needed to get the topic changed fast – she didn't know how long she could keep lying to him without breaking down. "What do we do now?"

Haru looked down at his clothes, touching them thoughtfully. "Since we're magically dry, I guess…" He trailed off, frowning as he looked up at the sky. "This is stupid." He said suddenly, looking at her again. "We're running in circles, and who knows how long it could take to catch up to the others. We may as well build a fire for warmth and stay put until they come find us. It keeps us out of harm's way at any rate."

Chloe felt her heart sink. There was no way she could go on by herself. "But Haru, they won't know to look for us here. Last thing Kurama knew was that I was safe and sound somewhere" she gestured generally upriver "that direction. We can't just wait here forever."

"I know. But if we keep chasing them we're probably going to run into some trouble, or lose the trail entirely and be lost in the woods. At least here there's an open area, a river to escape into if need be, and I know basically where we are."

Chloe paused, looking at him curiously. "H-how do you know where we are?"

Haru could have bitten off his own tongue. "I've been mapping my journey in my head." He recovered quickly, hoping against hope that she bought it. There were things about him she just didn't need to concern herself with.

…

"Look." Ethan pointed ahead. "There's a cave. She's probably-" He fell swiftly silent when they saw three shadows separate from the wall by the cave entrance.

Kurama's eyes widened when he sensed the aura coming from the three; they were more powerful than he had anticipated.

'Let me out. You've already sensed their aura, you cannot defeat them in your human form.'

'Perhaps not by myself. But I'm not alone. Trust me.'

'Fool.'

Kurama ignored anything further from his dark side, instead focusing his attentions on being completely silent as they crept forward.

Carmen stood behind the fire, yellow eyes trained on the cave entrance. She didn't move a muscle as three figures stepped into the cave, black eyes and white hair suddenly illuminated by the firelight. "I knew it was you." She spoke, her voice hoarse from all her adventures.

….

Youko woke up on the ground of the cave, his head throbbing. He blinked, trying to get his blurry eyes to focus.

"Why are you doing this?"

It was Carmen's voice. The demon stopped moving instantly, his ears swiveling towards the sound.

"Why? WHY? Think real hard, Carmen, think real hard. You ruined my life!"

That was Ethan's voice. Ruined his life?

"I saved your life, Ethan. When I found you, you were almost bled dry! If I hadn't-"

"Shut up! You call this living? This isn't a life. With a thought you can control me! If you die, I die! I can't even care about anyone but you now! Your blood flows through these veins, MY veins! What kind of a life is that?"

Youko wrinkled his eyebrows. Carmen had used demon blood to somehow save Ethan's life? Impossible. I would know about such magic.

"Believe it or not I did it for you." Carmen's voice was quiet, unlike her usual confident demeanor. "I'm sorry you're not happy with the fine print."

"It doesn't matter anymore. This is all going to end now!"

Youko sat up in time to see Ethan hurl himself at Carmen. His body shuddered to a stop mere inches from her; her hand, covered in his blood, protruded from his back. Ethan dropped the sword he had been holding, reaching his shaking hand and laying it on her face. "Thank…you…" His whispered, his eyes closing as he crumpled to the ground.

Carmen caught him and laid him down gently, pulling her arm out in one swift motion. She remained crouched over him for a moment, eyes closed. "Rest in peace." She murmured, straightening her legs and turning her eyes towards Youko. "I don't believe we've met, Youko Kurama. You don't come out and play much, do you?"

"No, I don't. Why I don't remember what happened after we came into the cave?"

Carmen's lips twitched. "You don't need to remember it."

"That's not what I asked."

"Youko, I don't want to tell you. Suffice it to say that everyone here who wanted to end my life has had theirs ended."

Youko looked at the ground: six bodies, including Ethan's. "What did you do to Ethan?"

"I killed him." Carmen's eyes flashed in the firelight; she knew what he was really asking.

"You know what I'm asking." Youko stretched to his full height. "You would do well to remember who the older one in this room is."

Carmen's eyes hardened and her lip curled back in a snarl. "Don't try to threaten me, Youko Kurama. You don't know how old I am or what kind of hell I could rain down on you."

Youko stared her down for a moment; there was something in her eyes, something that made even him wary of her. "I'm not looking for a fight." He said finally, although he still didn't dare turn his back on her.

Carmen forced herself to relax, reminding herself he wasn't the enemy. "Of course not. You came to rescue me." She snorted, kicking dirt on the fire to put it out. "Leaving Chloe all by herself in a world that would like to eat her. Brilliant." Her foot caught on the ground and sent searing pain shooting up her side. She crumpled to the ground without a sound, clutching her side as the pain intensified and spread through the whole right side of her body. She twisted on the ground in agony, eyes widened in pain.

Youko felt his strength fading and so retreated, letting red-headed Shuiichi take over.

"Carmen!" Kurama stepped forward to help.

Carmen was against the wall in an instant, fangs bared as she snarled "stay away from me!".

Kurama stopped, holding his hands up. She was terrified, and her instincts made her react like any animal that is wounded. "Carmen, I'm not here to hurt you." He spoke evenly, trying to calm her. "Let me help you."

Somewhere in her mind Carmen knew he was right. She forced her lips to close. "You can't help-AH!" Her head jerked back into the wall as new pain shot through her side again. She fell to the ground, leaving blood on the wall where her head had hit.

Kurama sat between her and the wall, not knowing what else to do except keep her from seriously injuring herself on something.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Haru stroked Chloe's hair; she was curled into his chest. "Chloe?"

"Mm?" She stirred a little.

"Are you in love with Kurama?"

Chloe was silent for a few minutes, a million thoughts racing through her mind. "I don't know." She spoke finally. "I've liked him for a long time, but I've never known him well enough to love him. And after everything that's happened...I don't know how I feel. I'm just glad that you're here. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Haru smiled a little, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I'll always be here for you."

"..Thank you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Carmen opened her eyes. The fire had died, and she could see morning rays of sunlight peeking at the entrance of the cave. She swore under her breath and rolled over to hide her face from the light. When she tilted her head back she saw Kurama, propped against the cave wall, eyes closed in slumber. Her yellow eyes watched him for a moment before she got to her feet. She moved carefully, senses alert for any movement from her companion or any pain in her own body, though she seemed to have healed. How was she going to explain the last half of last night though?

She wandered to the cave entrance, basking in the light from the sunrise. Last night she'd almost..she shook her head, clearing those thoughts away. She'd come through, as always. "Like a damn curse…" She muttered, finally looking to examine the state of her clothes. They were ripped in a hundred different places, but still intact.

"You look like hell. How did you get all those scars?"

Carmen stiffened. He should be sleeping. There was a reason she didn't let anyone see her during the sunrise. She looked down at her arms; silver scars crossed up and down her arms, in some places scars on top of scars. "Fights." She forced her voice to be nonchalant and her body to remain casual as she turned and returned to the darkness further in the cave, making sure she turned away from Kurama so he didn't see her face in the light.

"There are so many." Kurama stood and stretched, stifling a yawn. "How come I haven't seen them until now?"

"Are you telling me you don't have any scars? Come now, I know you have your share."

Kurama gave up; he could tell when he wasn't going to get anything out of her. "We need to go find Chloe. And Haru."

"They're probably together." Carmen pointed out, humming a little as she rifled through the dead assassin's pockets. "Well this is annoying. They don't have anything on them. No clues as to-"

"What's that?" Kurama demanded.

"What's wh-ah!" She flinched as he grabbed her wrist in a steel grip. "Let go of me!" She snarled angrily.

Kurama pulled the collar of her shirt over her shoulder, revealing a stab wound. There was dried blood around it, but the wound itself looked black and fresh. "Why hasn't that healed?" His tone made it obvious he expected an answer.

Carmen nearly turned her head away, but remembered the morning light just in time. "It just hasn't healed yet." She shrugged, her nonchalance hiding the pain the movement caused.

"Don't play coy. Everything else healed, but that still looks fresh. Why is that?"

Carmen sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let this go. "Poison. Not fatal, but it'll make sure it takes a damn long time healing. There's no antidote, before you go getting all smart on me. Now let me go."

Kurama could have slapped her, but he didn't. He tore strips from the shirt of one of the assassins. "Take off your shirt."

Carmen raised an eyebrow, outwardly calm, inwardly thinking of nothing but the morning light. If she could stall for ten more minutes she wouldn't care. But in this light… "I didn't think you were that kind of guy." She smirked.

Kurama focused on breathing, reminding himself why he was even doing any of this. "We don't have time for games, Carmen. Every second we're away from Chloe is putting her life in danger."

Carmen hated it, but she knew he was right. In one smooth motion she pulled her shirt over her head, turning her head away from the revealing rays.

Kurama had to keep from gasping. The beams of sunlight revealed ugly, twisted scars ravaging her smooth skin. He'd never seen any demon with scarring this bad – never. And Youko had seen (and caused) his fair share of damage.

"Stop staring and just bandage it." Carmen snapped, keeping her head turned away.

Kurama wrapped her shoulder tight, his curiosity tugging at him – why was she hiding her face? But even as he tied the bandage the scars on her body faded away, leaving no marks on her skin. You couldn't even tell they'd been there now. "Finished." He stepped back, the image of her ravaged skin still in his mind.

"You can stop staring." She pulled her shirt back on, checking her arm in the light before allowing the sun to touch her face. "We should go."