TheHeartsPath: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Things have been just plain crazy around here. Please read and review! Hope you like the chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its' characters. They are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi. I own only Ayla, her family, and any other characters that do not show up in the series.

"Talking" Thoughts ~Telepathy or mind-reading~ Intinctual/Unconscious Thoughts

Chapter 13: I'm A What?!

Ayla's POV

Yusuke just called Grams an hold hag?! That jerk! I felt my own energy level spike because of how angry I was. All I wanted to do right now was give Yusuke hell. Try to keep a hold of yourself Ayla. Don't let your anger ruin what control you have.

Slowly I turned to Yusuke, my anger obvious on my face. "Don't. You. Ever. Call. My. Grandmother. That. Again." I told him in a clipped voice.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Kuwabara was slowly backing away from the table saying, "Urameshi, I think she means when you called Genkai an old hag."

"I call her that all the time, so what's the big deal?" Yusuke asked.

He calls her that all the time?! My energy spiked again in response to my growing anger.

"Detective you are an idiot." Hiei deadpanned. Why is he calling Yusuke detective?

"Agreed." I heard Grams say.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Shuichi nod, "I'm afraid I have to agree as well."

"You call Grandma Genkai an old hag all the time?!" I shouted at Yusuke.

"I just said so or are you deaf Natura?" he replied. I glared at him like I could burn a hole through him and growled. "Is that supposed to scare me?" Yusuke said in a condescending tone.

First he calls my grandmother an old hag and now he's just being a jerk! HE IS PISSING ME OFF! That was the last truly, conscious thought I had before I suddenly felt something inside of me come to the surface.

Threat to self! Threat to kin! No let threat kill self! No let threat kill kin!

Every sight, sound, and smell suddenly became even stronger. Yusuke was sitting about five feet from me, yet the things I could see, hear, and smell from him was amazing.

I could see the sweat on Yusuke's face, the individual hairs on his head, of his eyebrows and eyelashes.

I could hear him breathing, his heart beating in his chest, the blood pounding in his veins.

I could smell his sweat, his breath, his blood beneath his skin...and something else. Something that was weaker and yet so much stronger than everything else I was smelling.

Whatever that scent was it excited me.

Fear. Smells of fear. Is afraid. Afraid of self. Afraid of death.

Yusuke wasn't Yusuke to me anymore as I looked at him. All I could think of him as now...was food.

Tear flesh with claws. Sink fangs in flesh. Rip flesh from bone. Feed on flesh. Feed on blood. Kill prey. Kill threat. Kill. Kill. KILL!

I was aware that I was moving, but that's all I was consciously aware of. As I moved toward the threat, my prey, I growled and it made some noises that I couldn't understand. There were more noises coming from the area around me but I ignored them. The closer I came to my prey, the stronger the scent of fear became.

I continued to move forward slowly, slowly, wanting to get as close as possible before I struck. Before I went for the kill.

My prey started to move backwards, away from me. I growled again, louder this time. It stopped for a second before it moved again and made to stand, to run. My prey was going to try and run. I didn't want that. I launched myself, going for the throat, but would take another body part as long as it meant slowing my prey so I could kill it and then feed.

Something slammed into me, pinning me to wood. I screamed, enraged at whatever would dare to stop me from making my kill. Whatever had stopped me loosened its grip for a moment, and that moment was enough. I wrestled my body from my enemy's grip and rammed my body into theirs, sending them flying away.

Something else grabbed me, flinging me to the ground and trying to pin me there. We rolled around for a few moments, each trying to pin the other. My enemy succeeded, but not before I had injured them with my claws. I growled in frustration this time and looked at my captor. My eyes met crimson and I froze.

I heard strange noises, but not with my ears, coming from somewhere. At first the noises didn't make sense but then slowly they started to. ~...onna! Onna can you hear me?! Answer me! Onna!~ I could only mewl in confusion as I tried to respond. What did those noises mean? I didn't understand.

~Onna, it's me Hiei! You have to control yourself! Do you understand me onna?! Onna!~ It was that last strange sound that finally got through to me, to my mind, allowing me to gain a small amount of control.

~H-Hiei?~

~Yes onna, it's me.~

~What's going on? What's happening to me?~

~We're not sure. Your anger got the better of your control and you started acting like a wild animal.~

~A wild animal?~

~That's what I just said isn't it?~ There was annoyance in his voice about having to repeat himself.

~Hiei I...~ My slim grip of control started to slip away again. ~HIEI! HELP ME! I...~ As I felt myself slip away into some unknown corner of my mind, I screamed. And I knew it wasn't a human one.

~ONNA!~/"ONNA!"

Kurama's POV

I was already on guard. Ready to either move away or intervene, depending on what happened if Ayla lost control. The moment that Ayla's growl changed to one that sounded more animal than human I knew something was wrong, very wrong.

I was sitting on the other side of the table, but was where I would in a way, be between Ayla and Yusuke. As I watched Ayla I saw her mind, who she was, slip away from her eyes. The part of me that is Yoko demanded that I kill her before she harmed anyone. I shoved that part of me away. I would not kill Ayla, subdue her yes, but not kill.

Suddenly she started to move towards Yusuke, somehow managing to crawl in her kimono. The crawl wasn't like how a person crawls. It was more animal-like, more feral. She growled as she made her way towards Yusuke.

"What the hell?! Her eyes changed!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"How exactly?" Genkai asked.

"Her eyes look like a cat's now! The pupil is a slit instead of a circle!"

"Calm down Yusuke." I said.

"Calm down?! She looks like she's gonna eat me and you want me to calm down?!" he yelled as he started to move back. Ayla growled again, but louder. Yusuke stopped moving for a second and then started to stand.

"Yusuke don't...!" I started to warn him, but it was too late. Ayla launched herself at Yusuke, intending to kill him.

I jumped over the table and slammed into Ayla, pinning her to the wall. The scream of rage that came out of her throat wasn't that of a human, but that of a feline. She sounds like one of the big predatory cats.

My grip loosened for a moment at my shocked reaction not just to her scream, but also from seeing her canines looking more cat-like too. She wrested out of my grip and rammed her entire body into mine, sending me flying backwards into the table. Damn. I sat up in time to see Hiei grab Ayla and fling her to the floor. He was trying to pin her so she wouldn't be able to attack anyone else.

The two of them rolled around on the floor in a blur of black and sage green for several moments before Hiei managed to pin Ayla to the ground. He had his body on top of hers and had her arms above her head by holding her wrists. I noticed then that her nails were longer than they had been just moments before. Hiei was sporting some scratches on his face. The left sleeve of his cloak was ripped as well. There were more scratches on his arm from his shoulder to halfway down his forearm.

Ayla growled once more and looked at Hiei. Their eyes met and Ayla froze. "Hiei try talking to her telepathically." Genkai said. Hiei didn't make any outward show of hearing what Genkai said, but we all knew he had.

For a moment there was no sound from either of them, but then we heard a sound that resembled a smaller cat coming from Ayla. She was mewling and from the tone I knew that she was confused. I could tell the moment she managed to come back to her senses and speak to Hiei through telepathy.

When a few moments later Ayla once more let out a feline scream and I saw the look on Hiei's face, I knew she had lost what little control she'd had again. I heard Hiei yell both physically and telepathically, and knew that everyone else had as well. "ONNA!"/~ONNA!~ The anguish in Hiei's voice was clear to all of us in the room.

Hiei's POV

When Ayla's energy spiked I stood up, giving myself both a better view of the room and allowing myself to be able to move towards her quicker if things got out of hand. The detective was being an idiot baiting Ayla like he was. Hearing the growl that came out of Ayla wasn't something I had ever expected to hear from her.

The window that I was standing at placed me basically behind Yusuke. I could see Ayla's face clearly and as I looked at her I saw her slip away into her mind. Until the only thing left was something that wasn't Ayla at all, but something feral. When she started moving towards Yusuke I saw the shape of her pupils change to slits, like those of a cat's.

"What the hell?! Her eyes changed!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"How exactly?" Genkai asked him.

"Her eyes look like a cat's now! The pupil is a slit instead of a circle!"

"Calm down Yusuke." Kurama said.

"Calm down?! She looks like she's gonna eat me and you want me to calm down?!" he yelled as he started to move in my direction. Ayla growled at his movement in a louder tone. The detective stopped moving for a moment before he started to stand up.

The fox tried to warn him, "Yusuke don't...!"

It was too late, Ayla had already launched herself at Yusuke, quite obviously with the intent to kill him. I tried to move but it was as if that part of my brain couldn't take in that I needed to move to keep Ayla from killing Yusuke.

It was a good thing that the fox was close enough to stop her by jumping over the table and pinning her to the wall. When she screamed all of us froze, that sound coming from her was in its own way, worse than hearing that feral growl. The fox had loosened his grip on her for only a moment and she used it to her advantage. She pulled out of his grip and rammed into him, sending the fox flying backwards and into the table.

I finally snapped out of whatever it was that had kept me from moving before and grabbed Ayla, flinging her towards the floor so that I could pin her there. Unfortunately I wasn't expecting her strength and speed to have increased so much. We ended up rolling around, each trying to pin the other. I caught a glimpse of her teeth looking more like the fangs of a cat and painfully found out that her nails were more like a cat's claws. She managed to scratch my face a couple of times before she started scratching the hell out of my left arm.

After I managed to pin Ayla, she growled and looked at me. The moment our eyes met she froze. "Hiei try talking to her telepathically." Genkai told me. Like I wasn't already going to do that.

~Onna you need to listen to me! You need to calm down! You need to do as I say onna! Onna can you hear me?! Answer me! Onna!~ She didn't seem to hear me but then I heard her making a small noise. It took me a moment to realize that she was mewling in a confused manner. She hears me but she doesn't understand?

~Onna, it's me Hiei! You have to control yourself! Do you understand me onna?! Onna!~ If I hadn't been looking Ayla right in the eyes I wouldn't have seen her regain at least a portion of her control.

~H-Hiei?~ Hearing her say my name after trying to get through to her relieved me a little.

~Yes onna, it's me.~

~What's going on? What's happening to me?~

~We're not sure. Your anger got the better of your control and you started to act like a wild animal.~

~A wild animal?~

I couldn't help but be slightly annoyed with repeating myself. ~That's what I just said isn't it?~

~Hiei I...~ I felt her start to slip away again and heard the fear in her mind's voice. ~HIEI! HELP ME! I...~ As she slipped away completely she screamed and again it was that of a feline.

~ONNA!~/"ONNA!" I yelled at her, trying to reach her both telepathically and physically. The feeling of despair I felt as Ayla slipped away shocked me. I have to get her back!

Ayla stopped screaming and fell unconscious. I moved so that I was kneeling beside her and cradled her in my arms. Looking at Genkai I said, "She's slipped away into some part of her mind that I don't think she knew existed. I'm going to use the Jagan and bring her back."

"Hiei, be careful that you don't get lost in her mind as well." Kurama said.

"Hn, I won't get lost."

Kuwabara asked, "Are you even sure that you can bring her back Hiei?"

I froze. What if I couldn't bring her back? I looked down at this strange, human girl that I have felt drawn to from the moment I saw her. The one who made me feel a sense of peace when I am near her. Taking my bandanna off I spoke, "I will bring her back." I have to, I need to.

"Hiei?" I turned to look at Kira who had spoken my name. "You'll bring her back. I know you will."

Puzzled by her words I asked, "How can you have such confidence in me?"

Smiling she answered, "Because you and Ayla are connected. The connection you have with her will help you to bring her back." She moved away from Yukina towards me, stopping when she was beside me.

Quietly, so that only I would hear her she said, "I worry about sissy because she worries about everyone else and forgets to take care of herself. But you watch over her and protect her. I know that you'll take care of her Hiei and she'll take care of you."

I was shocked. In the same quiet tone I said, "You heard me that night."

She nodded, "Bring Ayla back Hiei. She needs you. And you need her. Even if you both don't know it yet."

Something about the way Kira spoke made me wonder if she was more like Kurama than a normal eleven year old human girl.

"Kira come back over here. Just in case Ayla unconsciously lashes out with her spirit energy while Hiei brings her back." Genkai said.

"Okay." Kira went back over to Yukina.

Genkai nodded, letting me know that I could begin when I was ready. I looked again at Ayla's face before closing my eyes and focusing on entering her mind with the Jagan. Ayla, I'll bring you back.

Ayla's POV (Ayla's Mind)

"Where am I?" I asked myself.

I was in the middle of a forest, filled with trees and plants from different parts of the world, and some that I doubted were from the Ningenkai at all. A lake with a river connected to it was nearby. Walking to the lakeshore I noticed that there were also animals, from present day and the past Ningenkai. Some of the animals were unusual looking. Are those animals from the Makai or Reikai?

"It's different from the forest I picture as a mental shield. I've never even seen most of the flora and fauna that are here, whether from pictures or in person. But this place seems so familiar. As though I've been here before..."

I heard leaves rustling behind me and whirled around to see what had caused the sound. Out of the bushes came a panther, its fur a dark, shiny black. There were a couple of differences with this panther in front of me and the ones I've seen in zoos. The first difference was that this one was quite a bit bigger and the second difference was the color of its eyes. Instead of the typical greenish-yellow that panthers are known to have, this particular panther's eyes were an exact replica of my own.

As I looked at the panther, I somehow knew it meant me no harm. It slowly walked towards me, watching me as if waiting to see what I would do. Once there was only a few feet separating the two of us it stopped and continued to watch me as I watched it in return.

~At last, you begin to awaken.~

My jaw dropped in shock. "This is probably a stupid question. But I'm gonna ask it anyways just to make myself feel better...Did you just talk?"

A rumbling sound, like a feline's version of a laugh, came from the panther. Apparently it found my question amusing. ~You already know the answer to that kitling.~

I chuckled, "True, still I had to ask. Um, by the way, where are we?"

~What is the last thing you remember?~

Frowning I said, "I take it that means you aren't going to just be a nice panther and tell me." The only reply I got was the panther flicking its tail.

"Okay, fine, be that way then. Last thing I remember was getting mad at Yusuke...No that's not right." I said, narrowing my eyes as I tried to remember. "Crimson eyes. Hiei. I remember Hiei. He was trying to help me. Trying to help me regain control. But I couldn't and I slipped into my mind."

My eyes widened as I realized what I'd said. "Wait a minute! I'm in my mind? But I've withdrawn into my mind before and never been in this particular place. Hell, I didn't even know this part existed. What part of my mind is this? And don't go all mysterious or whatever and say I already know, cause I don't have a frigging clue."

Again I heard that strange feline chuckle. ~This is the part of your mind with our bloodline's knowledge and memories.~

"Our bloodline? What are you? A representation of an ancestor of mine or something?" I asked completely confused.

~This form that I have is one that those of our bloodline are able to take, as are the forms of all the animals you see here. And yes, I am a representation of your ancestors.~

"My ancestors could take on animal forms?"

~As can you, once you have fully awakened.~

"Right...So what are you saying? That I'm a druid or some..."

It felt like something inside me snapped open the moment the words 'I'm a druid' left my mouth. As if part of me had been waiting to be acknowledged.

"Holy shit! I'm a druid?!"