A Sudden Relocation

Kamiko

The strangest thing was when Kurama came back to Human World. I didn't know why, but he had a sudden and very odd reaction when he saw me. Admittedly, he under-reacts greatly, but I knew him well enough to read at least a little underneath the surface.

He froze. His eyes got wide. He stood in one position for a full three seconds, and then he looked away and walked off down the corridor.

To any human, he probably was pulling off a perfectly ordinary "everything's fine" walk. I could see better; something was bothering him. But what?

Kurama

I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out how I could get some kind of warning to her without revealing to any watchers that there was anything between us. A note…but no, even a touch on her hand could be misinterpreted…or correctly interpreted. Could I really say nothing? Doubtless, if she noted anything strange in my behavior, she'd think I'd read her letter and taken its contents badly.

Actually, I'd nearly forgotten the letter. There was just too much to do. I was here to recruit six demons. The entire reason I hadn't put the twins on the list was…well. Neither was A-rank yet, though Machiko was close. That was the practical reason I wasn't recruiting them. The personal reason was that I suspected Hiei would take it badly if he found I'd recruited his mate to potentially fight against him. And as for Kamiko…sweet Kamiko would be eaten alive in this war.

I couldn't permit that to happen.

Then, right before I went to see Genkai about the training of the chosen six, Machiko approached me. "Um…Kurama…there's something I need to tell you."

Kamiko

I woke up just like any other morning – any other morning where I hadn't had a nightmare, anyway. I stretched out on my bed, my tail arching towards the ceiling.

"Alluring."

That…wasn't any voice I knew.

I sprang from the bed in the opposite direction from the voice and hit a steel floor on all fours, my eyes taking in a room that was most definitely not mine!

And sitting at a table was a strange robed man with long black hair, six ears and two downward-pointing horns. He wasn't quite facing me, but it was enough to where I could see his eyes weren't open.

Is he mocking me, or is he blind?

I was still wearing my pajamas, fortunately.

"Oh, you needn't worry. I'm not about to harm you. I just thought you'd like to spend more time near Kurama, seeing as he'll be here rather longer than he may have told you."

I hesitated.

"Would you care to join me for breakfast? I promise you," he gestured at the other side of the table, "I made certain your fare was human food, seeing as you spent your entire life eating it and nobody's adventurous first thing in the morning."

It was my stomach that decided me. I started to creep over.

An ironic smile came onto his face. "I never asked you to bow to me. You may rise."

I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking over to the table. "Demon overlord Yomi, I presume?"

"You presume correct."

I sat down across from him and sniffed at the bowl. Nothing more sinister than sugar-laden cereal.

"I hope you don't mind the liberty I took moving you here."

I had just been about to put a spoonful into my mouth. Instead I glared at him.

"…A poor choice of words. I hope you'll forgive my taking such a liberty."

"Why take the liberty at all? I can't believe you moved me here out of the goodness of your heart. If you're anything like Kurama, you always have your reasons."

"Indeed."

He didn't seem inclined to say anything further at that moment, so I had a few bites of cereal.

"To be honest, I was intrigued by the thought of a girl who'd attracted my old friend's attention."

That froze me for an instant. "What? …You had spies on…on Kurama?" Of course he wasn't spying on me, he probably hadn't known I existed until recently.

"Of course. And, whatever his motives, Kurama does have a vested interest in keeping you alive."

I cocked my head. "What tipped you off?" I knew I sounded snippy, but I didn't care.

"Changes in behavior patterns. My sources stated that he'd flinch, though only slightly, and head in another direction upon seeing you. And yet, his behavior hadn't changed around anyone else. Just you." He took a sip from a cup before him, and once again his attention turned to me. "The question is: why?"

I shrugged, not caring that he couldn't see me. "Not a clue."

Machiko

"Kamiko's managed to make contact with me, and she says she's fine, Yomi's being an excellent host, setting aside the fact that she was kidnapped to get there, and to keep focused no matter what he says to you about her."

I tried to read Kurama's expression, or his energy. It wasn't easy. He didn't look happy at all.

"Kamiko says she's fine. And we can't lie on this line," I tapped my temple with a finger. "She's uneasy, but she said it's better than her last visit to Demon World. Just go on as if you believe Kamiko's still with me. Three steps ahead, right?"

Finally, he cracked something resembling a smile. And it wasn't exactly a comforting one. "Right. Three steps ahead."

Four months later

Hiei

As I recovered from my fight against Shigure, I reflected on how I'd only actually told one person about my past since my operation, leaving out the part I'd had to promise my now-opponent I wouldn't reveal. Of course, Machiko was aware of who my sister is, so apparently someone told her. I'd sensed neither approval nor disapproval of my life as a murderer, merely acceptance.

A smile flitted across my face as I recalled what she'd said when I asked why she didn't despise me now that she knew my story.

"Why would I? Whether I like your past or not is moot; you marked me, so my opinion is irrelevant." Her tail swished as she stood with her back to me. "And as for the future, well, as long as you accept that there's a handful of people that mean enough to me to where killing them would leave me no choice but to try to kill you, we'll call it even."

Six months later

Kamiko

I'd seen Kurama a few times during my stay in Demon World, though he never saw me. I also spoke with Machiko, and she was covering for me in school. She'd been enrolled, she just never showed because of her nameless 'condition.' She told me she was wearing shades under the excuse that her eyes were light-sensitive, because her eyes were the one thing that couldn't be explained away.

My views of Kurama, though…they left me uneasy. He still looked the same…but at times his manner totally changed. In fact, if I closed my eyes while listening to his voice during those times, I could hear the demon that had frightened me so in my dreams.

Then Yomi walked into the room I was in. "Your friend Yusuke is coming." He walked right up to me where I sat. "I find it hard to believe that he's Raizen's heir."

"If he pulled some corny joke like making faces at the security camera, I don't want to hear about it."

He just laughed. "It was only shouting. He apparently heard the rumors about my hearing." He set a hand on my head, which caused a color-shift for an instant that I couldn't see but knew from experience. "If you'd like, you may join us in the meeting room."

"I'd rather not be seen…and Yusuke's the least predictable of all who's likely to come in unaware of me. If I can be positioned somewhere he's not likely to see…" I felt a little ridiculous talking to a blind man about avoiding being seen.

A smile crossed his face. "I'm sure you can choose a good location once you've seen where he chooses to place himself."

If Hiei appears, he'll probably notice my presence instantly. All I can do is hope he says nothing about me. As for Kurama…Machiko told me that she'd told him I was here. He's another unpredictable one. I hope he remains saying nothing.

"It's a shame you're not trained as an assassin. Can your friend even perceive you when you exert yourself?"

I sighed. "Even if you asked me outright to kill him, I wouldn't. But since you asked if Yusuke can notice my presence when I'm camouflaged, the answer is not last time we'd crossed paths. I only know two people – no, six – who can find me when I'm camouflaged: Hiei, Kurama, my mother, Machiko, Master Genkai, and you."

He seemed amused by my including him in the list.

I shed my new clothing – he had supplied clothes that weren't pajamas, but I wasn't all that comfortable in them anyway – and vanished from sight, weaving into position.

Yusuke hadn't changed…and yet he'd changed a ton.

I could hear a ton of paper-rustling from the next room. With a twitch of my nose, I learned that Kurama was behind that door. Nobody else in this world smelled of roses…with a touch of mint. Kurama…you still have that mint sprig I gave you.

Yusuke came straight to the point by saying he'd come here to tell Yomi exactly how he planned on dethroning ol' Blind Six-Ears. (No, Yusuke never called him that, I call him that.)

Then Yusuke set his bag on the table, calling it a gift. I didn't know what was in that thing, but I didn't know if I should be excited or apprehensive to find out. This is Yusuke we're talking about.

Then Yomi told Yusuke to unwrap it – all polite, of course. Obviously he thought it was a trap, because Yusuke would never have gone with a peace offering. I suspected it wasn't either; Yusuke had some intelligence, and wouldn't have blown everything on a stupid trap-in-a-sack, and besides, peace offerings weren't his style.

No, this was something else.

Small colored marbles rolled from the bag. At least three rolled right up to my clawed feet. The demon who came with Yusuke said it was their whole treasure.

What? Yusuke…what?

Then Yusuke told the lot of us that he figured there should be a new way of deciding who would be, in his words, the "big cheese around here."

A tournament. That was Yusuke's big idea: a tournament. That sounded…very Yusuke, actually.

Then the door to one side where Kurama was slid open suddenly, and a voice I didn't know proclaimed, "Sign me up, Yusuke!"

When I turned to look, I saw seven people standing in that door – one was Kurama.

Yusuke seemed to know the red-haired pointy-eared speaker, along with the others, because he laughed and demanded to know what they were doing here.

It was a big greeting-fest between Yusuke and these guys, while Kurama just stood there and smiled for a bit. I felt a little left out, because I had no interest in signing up for this. Then Kurama declared that he was only on his own side, speaking directly to Yomi.

Hoo boy, I'd better do something to protect myself, or Yomi might try to bring me up as a way to get Kurama back into line… I sprang from the floor, spreading my wings, flapped once – carefully, so as not to scatter the treasure on the table any further – and coasted over the table, making sure I was listing away from Yomi and leaving nothing within reach, not even a wingtip.

I somehow managed to glide into the room the seven people had been in to begin with, without touching any of them. My glide angled downwards, and my hands softly hit the floor. While standing on my hands, I put away my wings again, and then touched my tail-tip to the floor and had it help me continue over into a backbend that led to my feet again.

And all the while, words were being exchanged behind me.

By the time I got to my feet again, Yomi had agreed to this idea. Now all that was left was to reveal myself somehow so I could be introduced to these people.

As it turned out, I didn't have to say anything. The tall guy that Yusuke had asked about being sober took a step backwards and landed squarely on my tail.

I shrieked and took off out the back window, leaping through it and running a few paces before stopping in camouflage to examine the damage. It was fine, mostly; the damage would have been worse if he'd actually been wearing shoes.

And then I heard that guy Jin again. "Ah-hah! Found 'er, guys! Over 'ere!" Light feet hit the ground near me and he came over. "Kurama's roight, you're a tricky one t' spot if ya don't know whatcha looking for!"

The others came over, I painted a wardrobe and my typical coloration, and I got caught up in a whirlwind of names that I decided not to even try to keep straight.

"Kamiko." I turned to look at Kurama. I couldn't read his expression. "Are you all right?" His voice was very neutral.

"I'm fine. It wasn't my choice to come here, but Yomi's been respectful."

"So now that you're not being held here anymore, what will you do?"

I studied his face for a second. Then I grinned. "Demand that you buy me a front-row audience seat ticket to this tournament, of course!"

A/N: Yeah, I know, Yomi abducting Kamiko was a little out there, but I didn't want to try to write the election tournament from one of the main guy's points of view, and I couldn't think of any other way to get one of my twins to Demon World; they wouldn't have asked, Machiko's still not that good at fighting and Kamiko doesn't like fighting at all. We're nearing the end here, folks, hang in there!