Rain.
Rain falling light on the window pane, its resounding tap a methodical beat to which her heart kept time.
In the room that had once been her sanctuary, Yukina was lost and alone. All had changed, yet everything had remained the same. The sun had risen this morning, the moon would surely come tonight... out there, in a world full of people who knew nothing of demons, possessions, koorime or enchanted dolls, life continued on in its droll fashion. Life continued on.
Cruel, unfeeling, uncaring life.
He lay upon her bed, asleep for the moment though still unusually pale.
She'd seen his face so many times that she could paint it without looking. She'd looked into those dark red eyes in times of fiery hate and in times of peaceful calm. Their intent had always been the same... their loyalty and love for her had never wavered once.
And she'd never questioned why.
A gentle knock came at the door, and Yukina looked up to hastily wipe the moisture from her eyes. Drying her fingers on her mothers shawl, she murmured a hasty "come in" to which the familiar lanky figure of Kazuma appeared. He was carrying a tray bearing sandwiches and tea along with a tiny flower in a little clay jug. He offered her a small apologetic smile as he closed the door behind himself.
"I brought you something to eat." He offered softly, "I thought you might be hungry."
Yukina stared at him, her eyes unwavering. There was no emotion in them. No hate, no love... simply a lost little girl looking out at the world through the windows of her soul.
Kuwabara's small smile vanished, and he sat the tray down on the window sill untouched. He looked down at Hiei, who had been asleep ever since he'd come through his harrowing possession five hours earlier. It was now in the late afternoon, with the sun starting to make its descent, and most members of the Urameshi team were resting after the heated battle from earlier. Kuwabara, however, had found it extremely hard to sleep.
Because now Yukina must surely now what they all knew.
And Hiei's identity was no longer a secret.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, glancing at Hiei to see that he was resting comfortably despite his struggle earlier.
"... Everyone knew but me." Kuwabara murmured softly. "Cause they were afraid I'd tell you. And I would have." Kuwabara paused, "But... it was his choice. Not mine." he looked to his feet, unable to meet Yukina's blank gaze, "Forgive me, Yukina. Forgive me for not telling you what I knew, no matter how little the time I knew it. I hated keeping it a secret from you. I hated watching you struggle. I hated every minute of it... Please forgive me."
Yukina said nothing. Not a word of encouragement, not a bite of scorn. Kuwabara glanced up to see that she was still staring at Hiei with the same strange empty gaze.
"..Do you... Hate me?" Kuwabara whispered, fear filling his voice. Her hatred would be an ending blow. Her vice would be what killed him far more than a bullet or blast. Yet even as he feared the worst Yukina shook her head. He inwardly rejoiced, and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"
She nodded.
Kuwabara rose up, straightening the blankets on the end of Yukina's bed as he made for the door with a heaviness upon his shoulders not commonly known. He was grief stricken and full of remorse. No matter how he tried to reason his actions to himself, he felt guilty. He'd kept her in the dark, and today she had suffered needlessly. If only she'd known.
If only he'd told her.
"... I- I love you." Kuwabara stuttered, looking over his shoulder to the woman he adored. Even in grief, she was lovely beyond compare. She was the image of perfection. The ideal of beauty. Yukina did not meet his eyes, but she nodded again.
Kuwabara reached for the door, leaving without another word and pulling the oak silently to. In the dark of the hallway, he was left alone to his morbid thoughts. He wished he could sooth himself, but salvation was far away in the arms of a different Yukina who smiled and laughed freely with the summer wind.
An hour had passed.
The tea was cold.
Yukina had not moved from her spot next to the bed, still staring down on the face of her twin with such bizarre acceptance that she had a hard time comprehending it. It came naturally, to ideal that Hiei was her brother. It came so naturally that she'd wondered how she'd not seen it until now.
He'd come for her, when Tarukane had kept her imprisoned. He'd set her free, in every way that a person could be set free. He'd watched over her from afar and from up close. He'd saved her from drooling fiends, crashing walls, demonic dolls, and what had he asked of her?
Nothing.
Yet it had been her name he'd screamed out in the fits of despair and agony. It had been her name he'd screamed for... begged for.
Slowly, almost nervously, she reached out to touch his high cheek bones and lemon shaped eyes. These were their mothers features, along with her nose and thin lips. How had she not seen it until now? Had she been blind?
"... Brother..." Yukina whispered the word, terrified of what it meant for their relationship now, "... Twin...". Hiei did not answer her. "... Friend." Her voice broke at this, and she sniffed heavily as she stroked his smooth skin, "... Protector." She paused, biting her lip. "...Brother." She repeated again, bowing her head.
"...Yes..."
Yukina looked up with a start.
Hiei's eyes were cracked open by barely a slit... but they were open none the less.
Brother and sister looked clearly upon one another for the first time in over one hundred years. A thousand miles, a million lonely hours, and billions of tears had separated them. But here they were again... and so life continued on.
Hiei opened his eyes fully, and took a deep breath that turned into a groan. He sat up, looking irritable and angry as always as he held his head in his hands.
"Fuck my head... fuck!" Hiei cursed, massaging his temples, "What the hell happened? Where am I? Where's the doll?" Hiei's tone took a turn for the worst as his eyes met Yukina's once more. She had not moved to speak, and was staring at him in such a way that he was almost frightened by the blank look in her eye.
"What?" He urged; he reached out to take her hand, gripping it tightly. "Say something!"
Yukina looked down to her lap where Hiei had clutched her hand. In his tight and sweaty grip, she rolled her wrist till their palms were facing the same way. Confused, unsure of where it was going, Hiei allowed her to move their fingers till each digit was spread wide, facing its mirror.
Their hands were identical, without an inch for error.
"... Our hands match." Yukina commented softly.
Hiei pulled back, staring at his sister with wary regard.
"You're upset." Hiei stated. "What happened after the confrontation?"
"Oh..." Yukina sniffed, "Nothing. It wasn't what happened after... it was what happened during."
Hiei thought back at once: Yukina had lured Shimo into the open. They had battled. The doll had broken open, the ghost had emerged... and then his mind went blank.
"... Something happened." Hiei grumbled, rubbing his temples, "After the ghost emerged. What... happened?"
"You don't remember?"
"I cannot." Hiei admitted bitterly. "My head is fucking killing me."
Yukina reached around, taking the cold tea from the tray Kazuma had brought her and giving it to Hiei.
Hiei took the tea with silent thanks, noticing it was cold and warming it up with a simple touch so that the water went from cool to steaming in a mili second. Sipping it slowly, he cracked his neck methodically at let out a small sigh.
"Thank you." He muttered softly.
"Do you remember now?" Yukina asked timidly. Hiei thought back for a second time, recalling only that the ghost had been beaten by Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. Not him... and then?
"... Dust." Hiei admitted. "Glowing dust. I'm loosing my fucking mind."
"Not really." Yukina murmured. "That's very accurate."
"... Glowing dust." Hiei mused over his tea. "... glowing and shifting, as if alive. And then... and then..."
Faces. Faces he'd not seen in a hundred years. His mothers face, the face of the man who'd raised him from infancy. Enemies and mentors, freaks and fools, all of them tormenting him and being lead by woman behind a veil... and old and evil woman with eyes white as snow.
"... Shikei." Hiei looked back to Yukina, who nodded silently.
"Shikei." Yukina repeated the name. "Evil incarnate."
"She sits still on her icy throne, away from my threat." Hiei glowered. "But not for long. I plan on roosting her out. I'll return to the Hyouga, and defeat her in her own court-"
"Forgive me Hiei, but you say you will 'return' to the Hyouga?" Yukina paused, "Do you mean to say you've been there before?"
Hiei blanched, cursing inwardly at his clumsy error.
"Eh- in passing." Hiei muttered. "But I will go to defeat-."
"Passing what." Yukina asked. "You weren't there for long. Rui says you only stayed to see our mothers grave, and then you left."
Hiei froze.
He looked into his sisters eyes, speechless at her words.
"...What did you say?" Hiei demanded, his mouth suddenly very dry and his tongue very heavy.
"Rui told me all about you coming." Yukina murmured. "... She couldn't describe you well, but she told me you returned to visit our mothers grave. You didn't kill her even when she begged you to-"
"You're delusional." Hiei snapped, jerking up from the bed even as his head swam with pain, "You should lay down, the battle has weakened your mind-"
"Stop!" Yukina exclaimed, terrible anguish in her voice stopping Hiei's lies in their tracks, "Stop lying! I can't take it."
Hiei fell short, staring at his sister with fear and apprehension of what was to come. Gritting his teeth tight, he felt the blood rush to his cheeks and his eyebrows fly to his hair line as Yukina looked up into his eyes... eyes that were so identical it seemed impossible to reckon with.
"You seemed familiar." Yukina trembled in her chair, her eyes glistening with forming tears as she bit her lip, "But I wasn't sure why and I asked you who you were."
She did not lower her gaze, though the disappointment in her face was palpable.
"...And you said 'no one'." Yukina whispered. "Why didn't you tell me the truth."
Hiei looked away, his face flushing.
He recalled that day well, for it was the second time he'd seen his sister in the flesh. The first time he'd seen her, he'd watched from afar as she'd played on the fringe of the Hyouga forest. He'd been too wary to approach her then. The second time had been different, with intent and purpose. He'd come to her aid in her moment of dire need, and had destroyed her tormentor who'd made her his slave. In that strange room, full of controls and glass walls, all things had seemed manageable and clear. Yet Yukina had succeeded in making him unsure even as he nearly took the life of her captor. She'd begged him not to kill, and in her voice he'd heard Rui's words from so long ago. Rui had done the opposite, pleading with him to take the lives of every ice maiden in the Hyouga starting with her.
Funny how two women so similar could plead for things so different.
"Rui said a dark man in black had come to the Hyouga. She said you'd worn a black cloak and had carried a sword. And that you'd walked away from our mothers grave without a word. She said... you'd asked for our mother. Did you not know she was dead?"
Hiei closed his eyes, looking even further away so that he simply stared at the wall.
Was the truth really out now.
Or could he still save himself from the disgrace of her shame.
"... Why won't you look at me? Are you afraid of me?"
Hiei bit his lip, for though Yukina did not know it she was very close. He wasn't afraid of her. He was afraid of her judgement.
"Are you ashamed of me... because I'm not a fighter. Do you think I'm weak?" Yukina's voice broke, "Is that why you never told me the truth? Because you didn't want to acknowledge me-"
"Fool!" Hiei spat, turning around so fast that his neck hurt, "Are you even listening to the words coming out of your mouth? Ashamed of you because you do not fight? Do you think it is a good thing to fight? To have to kill in order to eat and sleep?"
"You seem to be good at it." Yukina protested. "And I am not."
Hiei reached out, taking the sleeve of Yukina's faded purple sweater and rolling it up so that several gray scars could be seen upon her pale alabaster skin.
"... You say you are not good at fighting. Tell me how you got those." Hiei argued, his expression hard as he stared into his sisters eyes. "Tell me how you got those, and lived."
Yukina blushed, gently rolling down her shirt sleeve.
"If you aren't ashamed of me then why didn't you tell me who you were?" Yukina asked timidly.
Hiei did not answer, though instead of returning to stare at the wall he simply stared at her arm.
"... Did you think I'd be upset?" Yukina titled her head, almost curious. "Or... reject you."
Hiei looked away.
For a while, Yukina simply stared at the back of her brother's head, still utterly baffled and yet content by the fact that Hiei was the one she'd been searching for for so long. The way he'd made her felt, from the very first time he'd burst through the door in Tarukane's stronghold should have been a massive clue that she was ashamed to admit she'd overlooked for too many years. Shimo's entrance had felt happy and yet fake. There had never been pure joy, untainted elation with Hiei. In a way, Yukina understood this for the better. Their mother had never been a woman of happiness, why should they? They were her identical spawn, her copies. Yukina was, perhaps, their mother's youthful delight. Hiei was in the same their mother's later regret.
And there was truly so much regret in Hiei's hunched posture.
"... You and I were born as one." Yukina murmured, "We are the same soul. How could you ever think that I could make it on my own... when all my life I've been looking for you. Do you think I was happy being alone?"
"You certainly seemed it." Hiei bit out. "Laughing, and playing with birds. Smiling."
"And what about you." Yukina looked down at her lap, still toying with the hem of Hiei's worn out cloak, "Are you happy... being alone."
"Happiness is a facade. I do not tempt myself with it." Hiei's tone was bitter, and still he wouldn't face his sister despite Yukina's imperative gaze.
"Are you not happy when you're with me? Do I not make you happy?"
Hiei turned his head, if only a little, the very side of his face looking at Yukina with a hooded gaze, "...You make me very content." Hiei murmured softly, "Very."
"Is it a facade, then?" Yukina questioned, "When you feel it so strongly when you're with me?"
"...You are the exception. In all matters."
Yukina felt flattered, though sad, and she rubbed Hiei's arm tenderly as he continued to stare at the wall.
"Maybe in a way, I understand." Yukina finally admitted, "Why you never told me. You always strive to give me everything, even when I don't feel that I deserve it or need it. And so, maybe you thought you couldn't be the brother I deserved without some type of... work." Yukina paused in her stroking, shaking her head, "But you never considered that you were my brother, and in that you were more than I deserved. You are what you are. Why be anything else."
Hiei did not answer.
There was a burning curiosity within Yukina, festering from years of being alone. She wanted to touch him. To feel his flesh upon her flesh as she knew they had once done in the womb. She wanted to smell him and know she was smelling her brother. The missing shard of her own soul. And yet-
She pulled back.
"Where's your stone?" Yukina asked, curious.
"What?" Hiei looked around, his eyes weary with inner distress. "The hiroseke stone?"
"Yes." Yukina nodded, "I gave you mine. Where is yours."
"Mukuro." Hiei shrugged. "I had it for a very long time, but I lost it in a hasty battle. I searched for it till I found it again in her mouth-" Hiei paused, rolling his eyes, "Funny how everything I find from that woman's mouth brings me pleasure and pain."
Yukina smiled.
"Then where is mine?" She asked.
Hiei reached under his white frayed scarf, digging underneath his cloak to retrieve the thick leather chord on which the beautiful hiroseke hung. It glittered prominently in the darkened room, and seemed to emit its own glow. Hiei lifted it from his neck, handing it to Yukina. She took it, letting its heavy weight lay upon her palm.
"... It's good to see it again." Yukina admitted, lifting the hiroseke stone up. "I missed it, even though I knew it was with you." She attempted to hand it back to Hiei, but Hiei stopped her.
"No." Hiei spoke gruffly, "I don't want it. You have it."
"Why not?" Yukina asked.
"...I don't need it." Hiei shrugged his shoulders, "Not now."
There was an odd emptiness in his eyes, and it worried Yukina deeply.
"Of course you need it. It's the gift of life from our mother. It fills your life with hope and excitement for the future-"
"I already know the future." Hiei disagreed. "I know what I have to do."
Yukina just stared.
"... You intend to go to the Hyouga then?" Yukina asked, nervously.
"Yes."
"And you intend to kill the elders?"
"Yes."
"... Will you kill the others?"
"... I might."
Hiei did not seem to sure about this one.
Yukina rubbed his arm with a sudden burst of energy, as if hoping to rub the miserable weariness from her brother's shoulders.
"...Don't think about it right now." Yukina whispered, chewing on her lip, "Just be here with me."
It was late, to the point where it was almost early.
Around two in the morning, Hiei strode through the halls of Genkai's dojo, headed for the front doors. He knew what he had to do, and why he had to do it. All that was left now was the simple act of doing it. Yet even as he strode from door to door, he passed familiar energies that beckoned him to stay: earthy smells of Kurama up late reading. Sated energy of Yusuke and Kuwabara, snoring at peace with the world... Hiei shook his head.
Moving towards the front of the temple, he took care to steal food from the pantry for his long journey ahead. He would enter the portal, seek out the Hyouga with his Jagan, breech the land of ice, and find Shikei in her frozen lair. He would unleash hell, as every prophecy had predicted since his birth. They had feared him, had sworn he would destroy all... and perhaps he wanted to prove them right.
He would have been content to let them be. He would have been sated to never know the Hyouga again.
But they had defiled his mothers grave, her final rest, and so Hiei's heart was full of dark rage that he hadn't known since his youth. It was dampened with the wisdom of his years, turning from irrational to planned. In his youth, heads had rolled.
In his older years... one head would gladly suffice.
He reached the door, pausing to look over his shoulder. Yukina was somewhere in the temple, no doubt asleep after the exhausting day. She'd dream of pleasant things, but wake to find him gone. She would have Mukuro though, for this time Hiei would travel without her. In an odd sort of way, Hiei hoped Mukuro would stay in human world. Perhaps, like he, she would grow to enjoy it for the peace it could provide. She deserved it... she deserved fulfilling contentment.
Hiei touched his neck where Yukina's hiroseke stone had lain for so long. He felt almost empty without it.
After decades, nearly one hundred years, of being without Yukina or her knowledge of their relation... he was surprised to find that the impact of both hardly did anything to lift his spirits. She was happy, he was not.
And perhaps he knew now that happiness did not lay with Yukina, though she obviously gave him great contentment.
Happiness lay in the Hyouga. In the land where everything had begun.
Happiness lay in going full circle, and in never having to lie again.
This could have been his home if he'd tried harder. If he'd been less cynical and more willing to believe in the good of the human race. This could have been a place for him to grow old, and enjoy life with those who had grown to show him life was worth enduring. He could have had his own room... his own bed. He could have tended the garden with Yukina, and gone to Yusuke's ramen shop for every supper tradition. He could have seen Yusuke and Keiko's wedding along with Kuwabara and Kurama. He could have watched the sun set over the reception, and marveled at how unbelievably happy the couple were.
He could have done the same with Mukuro... if he'd ever had the fucking time to focus on her and the love she gave him.
But he hadn't.
And now he'd never get the chance.
Hiei gave a strange small nod to no one, accepting his failures and taking the door in hand. He left without another word, closing the door silently behind him and vanishing into the night.
In the silent dojo, the absence of his presence was palpable. No more did his sharp words bounce from wall to wall. No more did his fiery energy warm the room. There was a cold seat a the table... a cold bed in the hall. And along with the frigid emptiness, there was a strange sadness that only loss could know. All the things that could have been, all the things that should have been... now lost to time like leaves on the wind.
In her room, Yukina winced in her sleep. She slowly reached up to touch her heart.
It had begun aching again.
Mukuro jerked up, her heart pounding though she'd been peacefully asleep only minutes before. She looked about the living room of the dojo where she'd fallen asleep on the couch, shoving off the blanket that someone must have cast over her sleeping form. She was sweating profusely, and in the heat of the moment she took off her shirt to wipe off the moisture from her back and chest.
She felt ill, but not in the normal sense.
Flapping her shirt so that it could air out, Mukuro laid it over the back of the couch and rose to her feet to stretch. It was close to morning, and the windows to the outside world were slowly gaining light. It was no doubt around five or six, and Mukuro wondered where she could find raw meat on the grounds. Perhaps a stray deer was looking for fresh vegetation- she could take out human deer easily.
Mukuro didn't know why, but she felt as if something was missing.
She looked around, scanning the dojo for the source of her confusion, but she found nothing out of place. Yet her superior senses were warning her that something very important was gone, and she strode about bare chested to find out what. The halls were empty, all the humans were asleep, and as Mukuro paced through them she noted that each energy she felt was at peace with the world.
Yusuke and Kuwabara were asleep.
Keiko was there as well, no doubt curled next to the Mazoku.
Genkai was resting, though probably still up to some extent.
Kurama had fallen asleep some time during the night, but Mukuro knew that just inside his door venomous plants were no doubt waiting to kill an intruder.
She paused, staring quizzically at Yukina's door- more importantly the door knob itself. A white scarf was hanging off of it.
Her senses were demanding that she investigate further, and how could she not. She knew the owner of that scarf... knew him like she knew her own skin. She ran to it, taking it from the door knob and holding it gingerly in her hands.
This was Hiei's scarf... and he never went without it. Bringing it up to her over sensitive nose, she smelt his familiar scent of burnt wood, blood, and the aching tenderness that had always belonged to him. She closed her eyes, letting that smell fill up her body with an odd warmth. She half expected Hiei to appear at any time and chastise her for her ridiculous behavior. Yet as she stretched out her senses and swept the grounds she was shocked to find that Hiei was no where on them.
"...What?" Mukuro mouthed silently, looking about as she scanned once again to be sure. Hiei's energy was no where to be found, and for some reason his absence startled her.
But...
Perhaps...
Perhaps he'd gone for a walk. Perhaps he'd simply gone for a very long walk- yes, that must be it.
But why would he go without his scarf, and why would he leave his scarf here?
The coincidences scared Mukuro and she immediately opened the door to Yukina's room to find her sitting up in her bed looking miserable and touching her heart.
There were tears streaming down her face.
"...My heart... hurts..." Yukina wept openly, clearly in pain as she clutched her chest with deep heaves, "My heart hurts. So much."
The ground was littered with hiroseke stones.
Outside the sun was climbing into a gray and mournful sky.
A fire was lit at once, and Yukina rested comfortably in Genkai's best arm chair with a blanket over her lap. She'd been offered tea, but turned it down twice. Still, Genkai (awakened rudely by Mukuro) demanded that she take something for the aching in her chest. Yukina begrudgingly took a bitter tea, which made her breath smell foul and her nose hairs burn.
It did nothing for the ache.
Mukuro sat at Yukina's feet, holding Hiei's scarf tight to her breast and looking as miserable as Yukina no doubt felt. Where had Hiei gone? When would he return? Why was she asking these things when so often before she'd left it all up to chance?
Why had she let so many opportunities slip by?
"The idiots gone hunting." Genkai spoke up, donned in a faded house coat with a cup of coffee and a cigarette in hand. "He won't come back. You both know that."
"He said he was going to the Hyouga. To kill Shikei for what she'd done." Yukina agreed, wiping tears from her cheeks, "He's insane, Shikei cannot be killed. It's a fools errand."
"Your mother died a foolish martyr. Maybe Hiei wants to do the same." Genkai shrugged. "Finding it very heroic no doubt. The fucking moron."
"He's confused." Yukina retorted. "Not stupid."
"You see him through a sisters loving gaze." Genkai soothed. "But I am sober when I view him, and I assure you he's as dumb as a post. Dumber than Yusuke, and that's saying something."
"What do I do?" Yukina posed the question to anyone who would answer, feeling utterly lost. "How do I correct this? I never wanted this. I wanted him to stay. Why did he leave when I wanted him to stay?"
Genkai had no answers.
But Mukuro did.
"... I'm going after him." Mukuro decided. She rose to her feet, taking Hiei's scarf with her. For the sake of symbolism, she gently wrapped it around her neck and was content with the warmth it gave her. "You stay here."
"No!" Yukina cried out, angry. She rose to her feet and dropped the teacup to the floor so that it smashed into a hundred pieces. For the first time since Genkai had known her, the girl didn't bend down to clean up the mess or apologize. Instead, she glared at Mukuro fiercely.
"I'm going!" Yukina retorted. "I'm going with you."
"You'd be a burden." Mukuro shook her head. "I travel with speeds that only your brother could ever match. Even then-"
"You'll never find the Hyouga. Ever." Yukina snapped. "It's a floating glacier that's constantly moving throughout the sky. Even if you did find it, you'd never be able to reach its summit. Only Koorime know the secrets."
Mukuro glared dully at Yukina, not in the mood for the argument. Still, the girl had a point that could not be ignored.
"And what would you have me do." Mukuro grumbled. "Take you with me?"
"Yes." Yukina nodded resolutely. "I've traveled demon world and human world on my own. I know how to survive in the wilderness. Did you think that because I was kind and soft spoken that I was meek? That I was mild, and unable to defend myself? Did you forget that the same determination in my brother also runs through my veins? How do you think I survived years of torture at Tarukane's stronghold without once giving him a gem... till the end." Yukina admitted bitterly. "Because I know how to survive! I know how to fight!"
Mukuro stared, slightly impressed.
Slightly.
"... And you could get me to the Hyouga." Mukuro added warily.
"Yes." Yukina nodded firmly.
"... Fine." Mukuro shook her head. "Fine I suppose you'll have to come. When we get there, though-"
"I'll lead you right to Shikei. I was raised in the Hyouga. I know every inch of that land." Yukina warned. "It's my home, Mukuro. Don't think me a stranger in it."
Mukuro frowned.
"...Fuck I suppose your help might be ideal." Mukuro admitted begrudgingly. "Very well. You'll come with me."
"And the others?" Yukina asked. "Kazuma, Yusuke, Kurama-"
"Baggage." Mukuro snapped. "I travel light."
"They're our friends!" Yukina retorted. "They'll want to help."
"They can want to help all they like. But I wash my dirty laundry at home and this is a private affair. They've already done their part. They helped us destroy the doll. Now we'll finish this on our own." Mukuro growled.
Yukina pursed her lips, extremely unhappy.
"If you're going to go, I suggest you step on it." Genkai spoke up. "When the others wake, they'll try to stop you."
"And will you tell them our plan, old woman?" Mukuro demanded, wary.
"I'll tell them." Genkai admitted, unashamed. "Not that you should care. Will it really stop you, Mukuro? A bunch of fools on your tail?"
Mukuro glared, but Genkai just blew a bit of cigarette smoke in her face.
"Fine." Mukuro spat. "Yukina, we're leaving now."
"I'm getting my satchel." Yukina dashed off for the hallway, vanishing into the dark even as Mukuro let out an irritated sigh.
"Damned girl." she grumbled.
"Don't curse her." Genkai warned. "If you're going to attempt to defeat Shikei, I have something for you."
"Oh?"
Genkai walked around Mukuro, heading for a small door off the side of the living room. Mukuro followed her, and realized that Genkai was taking her into what was surely the sacred domain of her house. Statues of gods were before her, lit with prayer candles and small bundles of herbal offerings. In the middle of it all, a grand alter bore a few ancestral items, and a small metal jar that was locked securely at it's lid. Genkai handed it to Mukuro, and Mukuro took it.
"What the fuck is it." She sneered.
"Hina." Genkai explained.
Mukuro blanched, looking down at the little metal jar again. Were these the ashes of Hiei and Yukina's mother? Suddenly she felt rather nervous, holding the remains of the very reason Hiei was in her life.
"... And what do I do with it- her." Mukuro corrected herself.
"You see that seal on the lid?"
Mukuro nodded.
"You break that seal when you have Shikei right where you want her. A Koorime as old as she will have few weaknesses but only one to prove vital. Hina's remains will strike her at the core, bringing the act of betrayal full circle. Note, Mukuro, these ashes are volatile. They are alive, and will work on their own agenda. It may very well be that Hina will take the fight into her own hands... Be aware of the power you hold." Genkai finished.
Mukuro stared at the jar, astounded.
"... You charged it." Mukuro realized. Genkai nodded.
"I collected the ashes when you lot were running around with your heads up your asses. I cleansed them and charged them again. She's alive in there, Mukuro... and she's pissed." Genkai added with a grin. Mukuro frowned, but she understood good and well why that might be the case.
"...So after I open the lid, I just... get the hell out of the way?" Mukuro supplied. Genkai nodded.
"She'll go home when she's done." Genkai explained. Her words made sense, though not in the literal way, and so Mukuro let out a little sigh of resolution.
"Fine." Mukuro nodded. "I'm leaving then. Thank you for your...help." Mukuro did not know if the word sufficed for the situation, but it would have to do. Heading for the dojo foyer, Genkai followed her out. They found Yukina waiting, wearing her regular kimono and clad in tennis shoes. Her satchel was slung over her shoulder, and her mothers shawl was wrapped about her shoulders.
"Here." Mukuro handed Yukina the jar. "Your mother's cleansed ashes. Don't break the lid."
Yukina gasped, staring at the jar agog as it was thrust at her chest. She looked to Genkai questioningly, only to receive a firm nod. Clutching to the jar with sudden adoration, she carefully stowed it into her satchel where it would rest peacefully.
"Thank you Genkai. For all that you've done." Yukina bowed. "You took me in without ever asking in return... and for that I will always honor you."
Genkai gave Yukina a small smile.
"Get the hell outta here, kid." Genkai chided. "Before the idiots wake up... Know that we will miss you."
Genkai turned at this, looking more aged and slow than ever as she walked away down one of her many darkened halls. Yukina watched her go, feeling sad and yet even more resolved in her quest.
Mukuro headed for the door, eager to get their journey well underway. Hiei moved fast, and took no prisoners in his conquest. It could be that by the time they'd reached the Hyouga, Hiei would have already gotten there and wreaked havoc on its inhabitants. Still, Mukuro remembered vividly that in Hiei's few memories of the Hyouga he'd not once made good on Rui's plead for slaughter. Would this journey prove the straw to break the camel's back? Yukina was on her heels, and as they crossed the threshold out into the morning air Yukina looked behind her at the ancient temple structure.
Mukuro paused.
"What are you doing." She asked.
Yukina did not take her eyes off the dojo, bowing low in japanese custom of deep respect. The doors to the temple were shut, and a soft wind blew by ruffling her hair and kimono.
"I'm saying goodbye." Yukina murmured.
She rose up.
She turned.
And her journey home began.