It began like it always did: With Shigure washing his hands.

Meticulous washing, back and forth, using a soap that could burn off any germ with it's high alcoholic content. He did not usually work with an onlooker... but for this time, he would make an exception. For this time... he would allow.

"I'll bring him out for about three hours." Shigure began, "Just enough to keep him awake and let him breath. You'll have to help him dress and prepare for the surgery. There's a soap we'll have to use- normally he'd do it himself but obviously that's not going to happen this time." Shigure chuckled.

Mukuro did not find any of this funny, and kept watch over Hiei as the pair of them flanked the sides of the oppressing table.

It was late at night, and Shigure had much to do. Mukuro knew that his ability to prepare was directly link to the outcome of Hiei's surgery and so she was willing to do whatever he asked of her. For the first time (and the only time), she would accept requests from him.

"Here we go." Shigure gave her a friendly smile, reaching up the IV drip which hung on a metal pole beside the operating table full of a clear liquid. He tapped the bag with an expert hand, so that a bubble drifted up to the top. He then turned a tiny silver knob on the side of a thin plastic tube which looped in a long low arch all the way to Hiei's bandaged right hand. With each tiny turn, a little less of the drip made it's way through the IV, till nothing came through at all. Quick reflexes gave Shigure the ability to automatically clamp down on the now dry tube, unplugging Hiei from the bag altogether and wrapping up the excess chord.

"You're my nurse." Shigure joked, and Mukuro shot him a glowering look.

"I am you boss. Idiot." Mukuro snapped, "Do not take my consent to be your moment of glory. I am here only for him." Mukuro nodded down to Hiei. "And I am not in the mood for your-"

"I know!" Shigure had grown exasperated, perhaps a little bored with Mukuro's constant foul mood, "I know perfectly well that you're uptight, I'm trying to help you relax!"

"You know what will help me relax?" Mukuro growled, "You, fucking off!"

A groan.

Mukuro froze, all thoughts of Shigure's ridiculous antics flew from her mind like birds to the sky. For there, there beneath her... a twitch of life in those familiar thin fingers... a slight flutter of the eyelids, revealing crimson beneath-

"Don't let him touch his forehead." Shigure commanded; the humor in his voice had fled just as quickly as Mukuro's irritation. Now there was only the doctor, the man who would take control and steer their tiny battered ship safely to land, "Keep him still, if you can."

"Hiei..." Mukuro murmured, gently touching Hiei's cheek which she was delighted to feel a hint a warmth in, "Hiei, open your eyes."

And with her beckoning, her command, he did.

His pupils were extremely dilated. He was disorientated, utterly lost amid a foggy medicated state that was very slowly growing into a sober trance. With a rattling breath, Hiei opened his parched lips, his tongue tasting the cracked lines in a search for water.

"Water." Mukuro asked, to which Shigure immediately handed her a small clay cup only half filled.

"His stomach must be clear. No food, only a little water." Shigure ordered. "Keep him still, I'm going to start preparing the serum for his surgery. I'll leave the explanations to you." Shigure went to walk away, but he paused, casting a glance over his shoulder.

"... Talk to him... as though you were talking to a child." Shigure offered, "Don't... get him excited."

There was much hidden behind that word, and Mukuro knew that it would be her solemn goal to keep Hiei calm during her explanation. With cup in hand, Mukuro reached up to dim the fluorescent overhead light, and sat down in a high seated chair by Hiei's table-bed.

"...Hi..." Mukuro finally spoke, staring deep into Hiei's eyes.

Hiei smiled, and her cold bitter heart melted like butter.

"...Hi..." Hiei spoke back. Mukuro gave him a few sips of water, leaning upon the operating table and putting one arm on either side of Hiei's chest so as to encapsulate him in a warm protective sphere. She would keep him safe... for as long as she could.

"We're at Shigure's hut." Mukuro began, wanting to clear the air of confusion quickly. "We've been here for about... three days. Alot has happened." she admitted, her eyes growing downcast. "Alot... And you need to be made aware of all that we've found."

Hiei looked worried, and Mukuro knew by the end he would be extremely upset if she did not handle the situation carefully. She looked over her shoulder to see Shigure hard at work on a sterilized table, mixing vials together and holding up graduated cylinders for approximate amount.

"I feel... so strange." Hiei whispered.

"Hiei... Your jagan died." Mukuro began, "Shigure took out its remains. You're on the operating table right now. We're going to give you a new jagan. A better jagan."

Hiei could not have looked more horrified.

"It'll be alright!" Mukuro soothed at once, desperate to keep him calm. She knew from Hiei's memories that the operation had been painful beyond all imagining, painful to the point of madness and longing for death. "You'll go to sleep, wake up, and it'll all be over! No implant! You've already got the hole!" Mukuro offered with a small helpful smile, "That was the hard part! Now we're just going to... fill it in."

"Died?" Hiei whispered, "But... But how? How?"

"I..." Mukuro looked over her shoulder again to Shigure's turned back. "... It may be better to tell you after the surgery. You need to lay still." Mukuro added in explanation. The look Hiei gave her could have frozen fire, full of burning anger and distressing emotional upheaval.

"Tell. Me. Now." Hiei ordered, taking a breath between each word to contain his rage. Mukuro petted his bare skin, her fingers touching the sticky residue of pulled surgical tape. "Mukuro."

Mukuro caught his eyes once more, and they were now starting to gain a sober edge, "... Tell me now."

"Shimo." Mukuro sighed, her eyes never leaving his own. "Shimo manipulated the memory of your outcast from the Hyouga. He manipulated the jagan... and the jagan couldn't handle the overload. It was cut off at the core... at its heart. Because you got your jagan for your mother. Your sister. Your homeland. Hiei, I'm so sorry." Mukuro shook her head, closing her eyes momentarily so as not to see the seething rage in Hiei's own. "You were lead to believe the jagan was unstoppable. That was a lie."

"I never said it was unstoppable!" Shigure called out loudly with his back still turned, "You assumed that. And you know what they say-"

"They say if you don't mind your own damn business I'll cut off your fucking head!" Mukuro shouted, wrenching up from Hiei's side and glaring violently at Shigure, "Mind your tongue!"

Shigure said nothing to this, unflinching as he continued to mix vial after vial. Still breathing heavily, Mukuro lowered herself back down to cover Hiei's front and resumed stroking his arm. Hiei looked somber and dejected.

"I was a fool." Hiei muttered bitterly.

"You were young." Mukuro corrected, "You had a dream, and you went for it. That never makes you a fool."

"... Shimo... did this." Hiei murmured after a moment, his eyes narrowing in slight wariness, "How."

"... I..." Mukuro met Hiei's eyes again, and though it had been difficult to tell Hiei that the jagan would need to be replanted, this would be the hardest part of all. "I don't know how to tell you this, Hiei."

Hiei stared, unblinking. He waited, and Mukuro searched desperately for a word to supply.

"You remember when you told me that I was lucky, because my father was in a pot?" Mukuro asked. Hiei nodded, only a little, and Mukuro continued on.

"... Well I'm also lucky, because my father lived alone." Mukuro added softly, "Because my father... didn't have elders."

Those eyes, so full of wary mistrust, went blank upon hearing the world 'elder'. Quizzical, they searched back and forth, growing wider and wider with strange fear.

"What do you mean?" Hiei asked in a faint whisper. "By Elder."

"Shimo isn't real Hiei. He's a puppet. A doll. Your mother's elders have realized that you are not dead and they're trying to kill you." Mukuro's tone was soothing though her words were shocking, "Again."

"... Bitches..." Hiei hissed, closing his eyes, "Vile whores- I knew!" Hiei exclaimed, but Mukuro immediately silenced him with a finger over his lips.

"Don't get excited!" Mukuro begged, "Don't, Hiei. You're very fragile right now, you have to be still, you have to be calm-"

"They know nothing!" Hiei burst out again, "They're- They're all- all ..." Hiei was growing woozy, and he suddenly made to clutch his forehead. Mukuro stopped him at once, grabbing his wrist and jerking his hand back down before he could make contact.

"Damn them all. Damn them all to hell." Hiei groaned.

"Now you listen to me." Mukuro cut him off, her tone taking on authoritative command as she determinedly make him look her in the eye. "The world is hell, you and I know that full well enough. We were lulled into thinking it couldn't be hell again. That was our folly, but not anymore. We have a mission to complete, now. We have a goal again. We have allies, we have resources, we have plans... let's use them!" Mukuro snapped.

Hiei seemed so emotionally out of touch that it was hard for him to agree or listen to her. Instead, she rubbed his cheek with her fingers, gently stroking the sunken in shelves where his cheek bone protruded.

"Hiei... I know that this is... I know how you feel." Mukuro paused, restating herself. "I know how it feels to be played by a ghost from your past. I know how it feels to be stuck with memories that are false. As I remember, you helped me during that time... You ended my pain. So let me end yours now. Let me take charge, and help you. Let me get you through this surgery and revenge on Shimo- on the Elders."

Hiei's eyes were warm but full of pain both physical and emotional. It was not in his nature to cry and so he wouldn't. Mukuro did not know if Hiei even knew how to cry or what it meant. But each man cried differently. Some cried physically, some cried emotionally... some cried mentally.

Hiei was the latter, and had there been a mirror in his mind there would be a man full of anguish.

"You helped me. You revenged me. You gave me so many things I thought I'd never have..." Mukuro's voice was soft, trailing off into a pensive pause. "You loved me, when I thought none could or should... and you continued to be an asshole." Mukuro broke into a small smile, and Hiei's look of misery softened into normal irritation.

"... Well that's because I hate you." Hiei offered with a slight sneer.

"And we hate what we love." Mukuro murmured. Hiei seemed to silently agree.

"... So the little rat is a doll." Hiei narrowed his eyes, "And he... manipulated my jagan."

"He did indeed." Shigure offered from afar. He returned to Hiei's side, with no vials in hand but instead a strange domed disk with a small hole at the very center. It was silver, and glimmered like a diamond in the fluorescent light. "But not anymore."

"No doubt you have been gloating as usual." Hiei sneered, giving Shigure a look of clear disdain, "I'll have you know I would have reached you without Mukuro's help. I'm not weak-"

"Enough with the usual banter." Shigure waved off Hiei's snide paragraph before it could begin. Hiei was not amused, "My genius must be observed. This little invention of mine is one of kind. You'll be the only bearer."

Shigure lifted the disk up high, and Mukuro stared at it with scrutinizing wariness. Hiei was unimpressed.

"Genius, is that what you call your imbecilic attempts at medical remedies?" Hiei cat called, "The madness within and nothing more, Shigure. Though you're too out of touch to know it."

"Ever the grateful one, aren't we Hiei." Shigure grimaced, "This disk is going to be the doll's downfall. I thought that would make you happy."

"And how will a pathetic piece of metal get rid of Shimo? The doll was able to ruin my jagan with a single glance, I doubt your harebrained scheme will stand up to him."

"Metal, you say?" Shigure grinned. "You think this is metal?"

"I don't care what it is." Hiei snapped.

"Just tell us already." Mukuro scoffed, "We don't have time to indulge your self-adoration."

"Fine, fine." Shigure waved them both off, put out, "This is a burroku. A blockage between you and Shimo. When the doll attempts to force your second jagan into submission, his output will hit the burroku and be rebounded back at him. With luck it will not only break his attack routine, but even kill him."

At this, Hiei looked slightly worried, and stared off into space. Mukuro decided to speak for both of them, fixing Shigure with a wary gaze.

"And you're certain that this burroku will work?" Mukuro asked.

"I am." Shigure had a pompous smirk upon his face.

"... Very well." Mukuro sat up straight, "If it fails, I'll have you hacked to pieces by your fellow guard soldiers. Are you still certain that the burroku will work?"

Shigure's grin slid right off, and it was replaced by a blank look of morbid acceptance.

"... Well..." Shigure doubted his prior words, "Every invention has its flaws."

Mukuro's jaw locked in irritation.

"The flaw will be your neck." She seethed, pointing to Shigure's beefy support with a clawed fingernail.

Shigure swallowed visibly.

"Right. Well." Shigure pursed his manly lips together, waving the odd domed burroku about in the air, "I'll just... Right..." Shigure didn't finish his sentence, leaving Hiei's side to return to his sterile table. Mukuro let out a soft sigh, staring back down at Hiei who looked up to her with a small morbid grimace of acceptance.

"Kurama was here." Mukuro spoke up after a long moment of silence. Hiei caught her gaze, and there was curiosity in his crimson orbs.

"Kurama?" Hiei repeated cynically, "What did he want."

"He's been researching." Mukuro explained, "Trying to find a lead on Shimo's true motives... Can't keep his nose out of anything."

"Never." Hiei shook his head, and though his tone was cynical there was a smile upon his lips. A true, genuine smile for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Mukuro was entranced by that smile, for there was true bliss in its folds. Was that relaxation upon his brow? Was that a breath of relief through his nose?

"... You're glad." Mukuro deduced. "I know you are."

"I am." Hiei admitted softly. "If Kurama is helping me, then Yusuke is no doubt involved too. Victory is guaranteed."

Mukuro smiled bitterly.

"You once told me that in a fight between Yusuke and myself, you'd side with Yusuke. Do you still feel that way?" Mukuro offered.

Hiei snorted.

"Always." He joked, and as he opened his eyes there was a mirth like joy within them. "The spirit detective has a way about him that only a few would understand."

"I found him to be quite engaging myself when I met him." Mukuro admitted, "I wonder if he is still the same."

"He never changes. Stubborn and fool hardy as always." Hiei agreed.

"Kurama wants me to accompany you to human world." Mukuro spoke up, and in her tone she could not suppress the slight twinge of worry. "He thinks... I'd like it there."

Hiei's mirth vanished, though he did not fall into misery. Instead he simply gazed up at her, perhaps wondering himself if Kurama's words were true.

"... You should." Hiei finally whispered. "Go."

Mukuro was surprised, and did a double take at Hiei's words.

"What- me?" Mukuro snorted, "Go to human world? You've lost your fucking mind. What's in this IV bag." She sneered, looking up at the plastic container.

"No, I mean it." Hiei cut her off, and his tone was extremely serious, "You need to go. You need to see."

"See what?" Mukuro sneered.

"...The sky." Hiei supplied, "The forests... the lakes... the mountains. All of it, Mukuro. You need to see the humans in their daily lives. No war, no violence, no bloodshed, no death... just... peace. Normalcy. Odd serenity. I can't explain it." Hiei shook his head. "I don't know if there are words. You just have to see it to understand."

Mukuro did not answer, but in her mind she was full of burning questions. In truth she could not deny the curiosity that she felt for human world. What was the strange pull that all demons seemed to have to the realm of the Ningenkai? Why was it that once they entered, they never wanted to leave? What did they know that Mukuro did not?

Then again, she'd only ever known demon world. Who was to say that upon entering human world she would not automatically be marked out as abnormal? How would she go about observing humans with her robotic limb and scarred face? How would she be able to explain her demonic aura, and the powers that went along with it?

How did Hiei for that matter?

"... Go..." Hiei spoke up in the quiet.

"It would be almost impossible." Mukuro was nervous, and had no other way of showing it than negative remarks. "I don't look human. I'd be spotted immediately."

"Why." Hiei snorted. "You're fine."

"Well for one I have an arm made out of metal." Mukuro sneered, "And half my body is scarred from acid. Don't tell me your precious human world as such rarities as well."

"There are plenty of people with fake limbs." Hiei disagreed at once. "And who gives a shit about your scars. What, are you wanting to impress humans? I would have thought you'd have liked the chance to scare them." At this, he gave her a callous grin.

Mukuro had to admit that idea was rather tempting.

"... And what if I go." Mukuro finally began to concede. "What if... I don't want to return. Look at you. Look at Kurama. He used to be the greatest Yoko in all three kingdoms. He was feared and adored, exalted like a living god... Now... he's some nameless human. And he prefers it." Mukuro shook her head at this, utterly baffled. "But why I can never understand."

"... You will." Hiei assured her, and there was a bittersweet tenderness within his voice. It was unlike Hiei to be gentle, and yet there were times when the peek of kindness could be found if you looked just past his powerful and cruel remarks. There... just out of reach. "You will when you go."

Mukuro smiled, touching his battered brow just short of the hole where the new jagan was soon to be.

"Fearless bastard." Mukuro whispered. "Are you scared of nothing?"

"Quite." Hiei sneered in agreement. "... And neither are you. Don't insult us both by lying."

On the surface their exchange was pompous and arrogant. It spoke of vain bravery in the face of nameless dangers, as if nothing could touch them simply because they were demons or hard fighters. At yet, if one were smart, they might have heard a different play on words:

'You're fearless even though you're petrified. How do you do it?'

'I learned from you.'

Shigure knew the routine well by now.

He would start by moving all the machinery out of the way, till the operating table was clear of the usual obstacle course. Then he would dress in his surgical gown and bring his table forward, all his serums and blades ready. High above in the pinnacle of the domed roof, a seething, wriggling, demonic contraption sensed that it was close to being awakened. It would begin to sway back and forth, waiting greedily for blood.

Shigure would order it to descend, using his demonic energy for authority... and then... all would play out like a work of art. Paint upon paint... blood upon chalk white... goop that would solidify, and texture that would raise up like a mountain from the sea floor.

Yes. This was where he shone. This was where he lived life to the fullest.

He watched Mukuro and Hiei from afar, careful not to be spotted gazing as he laid his supply table out and meticulously washed his hands. He let her soft words float in and out of his ears so as to give them a sense of privacy. Their exchange of words was none of his business, and yet their actions could not be hidden even still. The tender way that she stroked his arm; the small smile that played upon his lips as he gazed deeply into her one good eye; her warmth and body cocooning him from above even as he reached up slightly with pale and clammy fingertips from below. They hurt each other, violently, and often. They screamed and cursed, throwing tantrums and starting fires for no reason.

But they battle their demons through blind rage. That had always been their way.

It could not be denied that they loved each other in their bizarre little way. True, Mukuro was hardly a damsel in distress with lovely locks of flowing hair or a sparkling dress. Hiei was certainly no white knight, selfless and true with a heart of gold.

But they loved each other still, perhaps simply because they'd been battered and chained to the same horrible life. Perhaps because when they laid in one another's arms, they were no longer chained to the earth anymore, but to each other.

Shigure's pre surgery preparations were done.

It was time.

"Mukuro." Shigure spoke up, and his boss lifted her head with wary irritation. She was still angry at him for before, it seemed. But as she saw the serious expression upon his face, her anger melted away into strange blank fear. "Can I have a word?"

Mukuro touched Hiei's arm reassuringly, standing up and scooting around the operating table to come to Shigure's side. Shigure looked over her shoulder to see Hiei staring up into the fluorescent light with weary acceptance.

"What." She hissed in a bare whisper.

"It's time." Shigure explained, and the blood drained away from her face. Despite her supposed bravado... she was frightened. "Do you want to be a part of the surgery or not."

"I- what?" Mukuro demanded, confused. "What do you mean, a part of the surgery?"

"Do you want to be a part of the surgery?" Shigure repeated, "Do you want to stay up here during the operation?"

"... Is that even safe?" Mukuro snapped, starting to get angry again, "I thought you had to be sterile."

"You will be." Shigure assured her. "I'll take care of that. You haven't answered my question. Do you want to stay up here. Do you want to stay by his side? Or do you want to go downstairs and wait till the end."

Mukuro did not answer, but in her eyes the answer lay behind a veil of wrath of spiteful words.

Don't make me leave.

Shigure nodded, looking away to the large metal sink against the wall.

"Go wash your hands." Shigure began, and Mukuro gave a heavy sigh before following his odd little command.

Shigure took the rolling supply table in hand and pushed it right next to the operating table, drawing back even as Hiei caught his eye.

"What are you doing." Hiei snapped.

"Reading up on how to do a surgery." Shigure joked, "Give me a minute, I'm going to look it up real quick."

"You think you're a real gem don't you." Hiei sneered. "I don't have time for your antics."

"Is that so?" Shigure mused, snapping on a pair of gloves even as he heard Mukuro finish at the sink.

"What now?" Mukuro came to his side, looking down at Hiei with worry. "What comes next?"

"The plunge." Shigure grinned at this, tapping at a milky white serum inside a tiny vial. "Do you know what this is, Mukuro?" He showed her the vial, and she shook her head.

"They call it Kenbo... The most dangerous anesthetic known to man." Shigure smirked, feeling rather knowledgeable. "One drop too many and Hiei will never wake again. The eternal slumber. The milk of amnesia."

Mukuro did not look delighted by this.

"... Is... Is it really necessary?" Mukuro asked, her hesitancy betraying her fear.

"Well, we could do this stone sober if you want. But I'd rather not deafen myself with his screams like last time. He wailed like a cat being gutted with a fishing knife." Shigure joked. Hiei shivered visibly at the recollection.

"... Mukuro, let him work." Hiei spoke up, meeting her eyes.

"But-"

"He knows what he's doing." Hiei finally conceded, and though Shigure could have punched the air with inner boasting, he knew that Hiei's words were hardly for his comfort.

"... Fine." Mukuro's tone was bitter. "Get on with it then."

Shigure did not need to be told twice.

Taking the clean IV drip in hand, Shigure unclipped the stopper and the clear fluid began to pour into Hiei's veins once more. The effect was almost instantaneous as Hiei's eyelids began to droop... his breathing slowly becoming steadier.

Mukuro never took her eyes off his own.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Mukuro whispered, clasping Hiei's hand in a bone crushing grip. "And I'll go to human world with you when you're ready."

Hiei smiled.

Shigure injected the Kenbo into the IV.

They watched in silent unison as Hiei's eyes slowly began to close. When he finally took a shuddering, shallow breath, Shigure withdrew the syringe.

"We work as a team now." Shigure ordered, suddenly full of a charging energy. It had been far too long since his last surgery, and his body thrummed with excitement at the chance for fresh blood! He was addicted to the rush, to the heightened stakes. "Come."

He pulled Mukuro physically away from the operating table, taking her to the far wall where a large metal wardrobe was welded to the wall. From within, Shigure withdrew his old familiar faded green surgical robe. He slipped it on, and with it's strange plastic smoothness he felt a rush go through his veins. He handed a spare one to Mukuro, and she careful inserted her arms through the front holes. She looked ridiculously oversized, like a child dwarfed in their parents clothing. Still, Shigure rolled up her arm sleeves till he could see her hands again and gave her a pair of thick yellow surgical gloves. She made to put them on, but Shigure stopped her.

"Stay back. Far back." Shigure warned, "For his sake."

She looked up to the ceiling, her mouth slightly ajar as she sought the words appropriate for such a moment. But there was no japanese word for fear like this.

One did not say fear like this. One only felt it.

She stepped back, turning her head so as not to see what was about to occur. Backing all the way up to the wall, she braced herself against the metal dome and slid down to the floor. Placing her head between her knees, she wrapped her arms tight around her legs.

She would wait.

Turning away, Shigure stepped right up to the operating table, his eyes skyward to the plant which waved back and forth with delight.

"Evoko... Evoko!" Shigure ordered, raising his hands high! With his charge of demonic energy the plant suddenly burst forth from it's normal containment and Shigure heard Mukuro gasp from across the room. Downward, the plant began to descend, and the high whirring of the machine within started up like a piercing shrill call.

Silence filled Genkai's sacred dojo. Quiet was normal, rarely interrupted by the sound of more than one voice, but this particular lack of sound was different than usual. This lack of sound was... unnerving.

For in the silence, it was as if screams could be heard bouncing off every old wooden beam, from floor to ceiling like macabre and invisible spider web strands.

Yukina sat on the back porch, clad only in a nightwear kimono which revealed far too much for Kuwabara's security.

Still, he observed her without the slightest hint of lust. For to him, she was not an object of sexual worth... but an angel fallen from heaven. He was privy to her presence only because she had deemed him worthy (for whatever reason). High above a pale autumn moon waned so that a strange white light touched Yukina's porcelain skin. It made her shine... like a shimmering halo of heavenly regard.

"You are far too beautiful to be so sad." Kuwabara murmured, approaching her cautiously as he slowly slid down to sit at her side. Yukina leaned her head, giving him a sweet smile that made his nose and fingers tingle.

"Kazuma... can I ask you a question?" She proposed. He nodded solemnly.

"... Do you like Shimo?" Yukina asked. Kuwabara let out an indignant yet comical snort as he wrapped a large arm around her petite shoulders.

"Like him? Course I do, baby!" Kuwabara assured her, "He's your brother, why wouldn't I like him?"

"... Because..." Yukina opened her mouth, closing it even as she looked away. Was that shame in her eyes. "I... I feel as if... somethings... not right. I can't put my finger on what... but my heart aches. It aches."

Her voice was filled with emotional distress, and Kuwabara carefully took his other arm so as to cocoon her against his chest. There she lay, her face pressed into his pectorals with complete trust. It was moments like this that truly made life worth living for Kuwabara. It was moments like these that made him think he stood a chance of being with her... no matter how small.

"It's always ached." Yukina began to weep quietly, with grave dignity, "All my life it's ached, and I always thought that... that when I found my brother... that my heart would stop aching. That my pain would go away. But even though Shimo has returned to me at last- my heart won't stop crying."

Click! Ping! Clatter!

Three hiroseke stones dropped onto the wood, and Yukina hastily brushed her cheeks to keep more from coming forth. She sniffed, perhaps even embarrassed, and pulled away from Kuwabara's hold.

He rubbed her back, worried and morose.

"Baby..." Kuwabara whispered softly, "What can I do to make it better?"

She propped her forehead in the palm of her hand, sniffing again. Closing her burning eyes, she thought for a moment before speaking again.

"... The only thing that's ever helped is when we're all together." Yukina admitted softly. "Like a family... My heart always hurt less when we were as one." She smiled to herself. "You have no idea how... how much it hurts to be alone. It's worse than Tarukane's stronghold. It's mental torture, Kazuma."

He nodded, listening as she wiped her eyes again and scooted closer so that their thighs were squashed together. As she placed a hand upon his knee, he took it upon himself to stroke each of her delicate thin fingers like they were the ivory keys of a sacred piano. Music could be made from them, he was certain.

"'It started the day my mother died." Yukina whispered. "I remember it even though I was very young. Rui took care of me after that. She was my mother's best friend. I haven't heard from her in all these years. I miss her." She admitted softly. "You know, she was the only one besides my mother that loved my brother." Yukina smiled, "I suppose Shimo loved her too. I wonder if he remembers her?"

"You could always ask." Kuwabara offered softly. "I'm sure he'd remember something. It might be fuzzy though. I can't remember much of my mom either."

"What was your mother like?" Yukina asked, suddenly curious if not a little more light hearted. "Why don't you tell me about your mother, and I'll tell you about mine."

Usually Kuwabara did not like speaking about his mother, knowing very little. It made him feel a strange emptiness inside his chest, which couldn't be filled through physical violence or bloodshed. And yet... with Yukina...

The ache was not so poignant.

"Well-" Kuwabara smiled as he began, leaning a little on his knees as he laced his large fingers with Yukina's own. Their eyes met, crimson upon soft brown.

"My mother was very pretty. She had curly hair." Kuwabara ticked off the facts he knew on his fingers. "Dad doesn't have any psychic skills so I think it came from my mom. I know that she was very smart, but I think she was just a stay at home mom or something. I've never heard dad say that she had a job. Still." Kuwabara shrugged, "She knew how to cook the best dishes, and she always had a remedy for every problem. Plus she was tough!" Kuwabara added in fair warning. This made Yukina laugh.

"And... do you think you inherited this toughness too?" Yukina asked with a sly comical touch. Kuwabara blushed. "Along with your senses?"

"Nah, I think Shizuru got that."

They both laughed again.

"So... Tell me a bit about your mom." Kuwabara offered. "Since I told you some about mine."

Yukina's smile fell away as she stared off listlessly into the darkened forests that surrounded the temple. They were alive with the sound of crickets on a normal night... yet on this evening nothing stirred save for a bitter wind that blew the restless tree tops.

"I remember very little." Yukina agreed with Kuwabara. "And what I do recall... is full of sorrow. Strange sorrow. The kind of sorrow that cannot be spoken about."

Kuwabara listened with grave understanding.

"She was tall for a koorime, and very thin." Yukina began, "Like a wraith in the icy winds. Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow. Her eyes were blood red... her hair was akin to mine." Yukina pointed to her pate she spoke, "But much longer. Down almost to her knees..." Yukina sighed. "I don't remember what her voice sounded like, but I know that it was soft. Because Rui always demanded my mother repeat what she said since no one could hear!" Yukina snorted at this, perhaps slightly irritated. "Rui swears that before my brother was taken from us my mother was a completely different person. She changed though. We all changed."

"Understandable." Kuwabara murmured gently. "Her heart was broken. Her baby was taken from her."

"Still." Yukina smiled bitterly, "She was... strong. Until the very bleak end."

"..How did it happen."

There was no need to illiterate on what Kuwabara meant.

"I don't know." Yukina admitted bitterly, closing her eyes. "My elders said that my mother committed suicide. They said it was extremely dishonorable, that she'd tainted our whole village with her ridiculous nonsense but..." Yukina pursed her lips. "Rui said otherwise. Rui... said it was murder."

"Murder?" Kuwabara gasped, his eyes growing wide with horror. "Yukina, was she certain? If- if your mother was murdered, why..." Kuwabara's fist grew tight with a hot indignant anger, "I'd track down the scum that did it and rip their head clean off!"

His voice had grown loud, and Yukina quickly put a finger over his lips to silence his rage. He blushed, overwhelmed with the intense desire to kiss her finger. Yet he controlled himself as she lowered her hand back into his lap.

"Nothing can be done." Yukina murmured.

"But-!"

"No, Kazuma!" Yukina cut him off, and Kuwabara's rage was quelled again, "Listen to me, and hear my words."

He listened.

"... My Elders are not nice." Yukina's words were parched, stagnant and cold. With each term, Kuwabara could see just how much Yukina meant them. Tears were welling up in the corners of her beautiful eyes again- Kuwabara could barely stand the sight. "My Elders tore my family apart. My Elders made my mother's final years horrible, outcasting her from the community. They tried everything, to get me to hate her too. I refused, and so they outcasted me as well." Yukina closed her eyes.

Tears fell down her plump cheeks.

"But I couldn't hate my mother." Yukina wept aloud, her face screwing up as she began crying in earnest. "I was- I was the only one- who loved her-" Yukina broke down.

She could not bare to say more. More was not needed.

Kuwabara grabbed her tight, pulling her into his lap as he muffled her sobs.

"I love her." Kuwabara spoke gruffly to hide his own emotional state. "I love her for bringing you to me. I love her too, Yukina. You're not alone on that anymore."

"I just want my brother back..." Yukina moaned. "I just want my brother... I want my family back again."

"But you've got your brother, Yukina!" Kuwabara urged, "You've got Shimo back again!"

"I don't want Shimo!" Yukina burst across in a fresh wave of tears so that hirosekes fell all about. "I want my brother!"

Kuwabara's eyes were wide with shock, but he did not voice his concern.

Yukina's words were not those of a mad woman. They were the words of a broken heart. The words of an honest heart that could not be denied or disputed. She wanted her brother back. She wanted her family back.

... And Shimo didn't fit the bill.

"Thanks for helping me out."

Keiko smiled serenely as she washed dirty dishes in the overflowing kitchen sink. Yusuke's shop was up and running for one night, and all the usual customers were back with earnest. In order to keep up with the flow, he'd needed to bring Keiko in for support along with her father. Mr. Yukimora was more than happy to help, considering Yusuke his son in law even though the wedding date was still a year away. They would marry when they had the money, and this was the best way of getting funding for the ceremony. With overpacked tables, booths, outside benches, Yusuke was handing out dishes left and right. Keiko was the center of calm, polite and quick with the customers so that smiles were all around even as the waves just kept coming.

"Here's to all of you!" Yusuke cackled, waving a cup of sake high, "Your money is gonna get me married to my beautiful girl! A free round for everyone!"

The crowd cheered, and Mr. Yukimora toasted the happy couple even as he downed his own glass- an unused measuring cup.

Deep within the forests of Demon World, Kurama was quite content to settle high in the treetops using his massive demonic energy to create a simply hammock like bed made out of vines. Still, despite the level of comfort it was hard to sleep knowing that only a few hundred miles away Hiei was probably screaming in horrible pain.

Kurama did not want to think about it.

And so he simply thought of nothing instead.

"We'll make this right..." Kurama whispered to himself, "And we'll be together as one soon enough. I promise you."

He did not know whether he spoke to Hiei... or to himself.