Song for Chapter:
Would You Still Be There - Of Mice and Men, Restoring Force

Chapter Twenty: Strategies
Three Weeks Later...

The island itself was a block of ice and snow freely danced to ground. Only two figures trekked through the barren land, leaving their other two companions on the safe, warm ground far below.

"Even as a demon, I'm freezing," the only one wrapped tightly in a cloak grumbled and pulled the cloth around her tighter. "Remind me why we left Shoichi and Tadao on the ground alone?"

Koume, despite being an ice maiden herself, was uncomfortable with their location. She had never been here before and coming now was not something she had hoped to do. Her mother, Yukina, had not come back here in over a century and long before Koume was even thought of. There was a reason for it.

"Because two males would send these women into a panic. We must be delicate." She smiled slightly at the Mazoku. "See, we have barely made it into town and already they're hiding in their homes and frightened of us. If Shoichi and Tadao were with us, they would be in hiding underground."

Yuji and Shoichi had arrived at Genkai's Temple a short few days ago, informing the entire group of the happenings in the Fire Clan. The women had gushed and picked at Yuji, trying to ascertain if he had more scarring than the few blemishes on his skin.

~:.:{If I Could Turn Back Time Would You Still Be There?}:.:~

Flashback

"Tortured?!" Mizue had given up her newborn, Akiyome, to Akiye, fussing heavily over the dark-haired teenager. "Those damn... I swear..." She could not even come up with the words to voice her rage. "Are you sure Avaron will be alright?"

Yuji had simply smiled and nodded his head, trying- in vain- to retreat from the prodding hands. "They respect her. She'll be a fine ruler of them and now they ready themselves for war."

"As we have." Youma, despite having known Yuji for such a short time, had also shown concern over hearing of the foreboding news of where they had been for the last month. "Now you go to the Island of the Koorimes? That is hardly dangerous."

Yukina had been less inclined to allow her children to make the trip. It was not the Floating Island that worried her, but instead the path to get to it. Not only was the place nearly impossible to find, but demons defecting from the war were sure to be waiting for any they could devour. Shoichi, being as human as he was, would attract them like flies to rotting meat.

"I don't know if I approve of this," Yukina had whispered, wringing her hands together.

"Mother, Yuji and Avaron have sacrificed a lot for this cause. Hell, so has Shoichi and Izume! We have to do something too." Tadao proudly puffed out his chest and nodded to the women. "We will be back, we promise, but first we have to take care of this."

"Avaron knows the plan. In a month, we move to Tourin to join the battles." Yuji delicately crossed his legs. "I shall remain here to keep a watchful eye on this temple. When it is time to move, I'll stand beside Youma and we shall take the kaze youkais to the fray."

"And Ava will meet us there." Shoichi held his hand up into a fist. "In the meantime, we have one last stop to make. Don't worth Mother, Aunt Yukina, Aunt Mizue, Aunt Akiye, we'll be safe. This is the least dangerous part of our trip."

"I agree with the kids," Akiye added begrudgingly from her seat on the couch, bouncing Akiyome in her hands to placate the giggling babe. "They've made a difference. Whether it is a huge significance is left to be seen, but they are trying to assure that our mates come home to us."

The silent deliberation went on for what seemed to be hours, though in reality had lasted only a handful of minutes. When it subsided, Yukina moved to her twins and embraced them fondly. "I trust the two of you. Your father would be proud of the difference you are making."

Keiko did the same to her kids, smiling sadly. "You two as well. Yusuke would be bragging if he knew what you've gone through."

"Yeah, then he and Kuwabara would squabble and Hiei would set things right," laughed Mizue. She patted Yuji on the shoulder, sitting next to him after taking Akiyome back. "Hiei and Ko probably know you're doing your part, but it still would make them happy."

"Thank you," the teenagers chorused. Yuji continued it, "They must be going, I'm afraid. We have little time if we all want to convene on this war together. I'm sure Ava is getting her troops prepared to depart now. It takes much longer to move hundreds than it does to move four or five of us."

"Be safe, all four of you."

And that was the end of it.

End Flashback

~:.:{I Left You Sinking With No Escape}:.:~

Izume and Koume made it through the village without any confrontation. The curious glances were still suspicious of the outsiders, but not nearly as bad as it would have been if their brothers had tagged along.

They trekked straight up to the largest house, one that was surely where the elders resided, and pushed open the frozen wooden doors effortlessly.

Three stunned pairs of eyes surveyed them as they moved through the room and up to a table that sat three women. All three were old, their faces worn and bodies frail, but the one at the head of the table stared at Koume with such a ferocity the twin nearly cowered. Nearly, but not quite...

"What is the meaning of this?" The elder to the left rapped long nails against the tabletop, beady eyes boring into the pair. "Who are the two of you?"

"Izume and this is Koume," the Mazoku answered when it did not seem like her friend would. This was Koume's territory and she needed to step up quickly. "Koume, you need to do this."

"And what is your purpose?" The elder to the right wheezed, hacking into her fist. "We do not get outsiders often. Have you come to join our village?"

"N-No," the ice maiden stuttered at last. Izume placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort the girl as best as she could. "We need your aid."

"Oh, another koorime?" Again, the one on the left had spoken, leaving the head of the table- the youngest looking of all three, but still with her fair share of wrinkles- to remain blissfully silent. "And what sort of aid do you need, if we can give it, child?"

'Well, their attitudes changed,' huffed Izume, though she did not dare speak the words aloud.

"The war that is going on-"

"We know of it and we want no part of it," the head woman finally said, her words soft but firm. "If you come to ask our people to join, we cannot agree."

Where Koume was dejected and her eyes cast down, Izume was pissed. Thus, she threw a tantrum that Yusuke Urameshi would have been proud of.

"You filthy old hags!" She ground her teeth together and successfully gathered the attention of all four women in the room, Koume being included in that. "Do you realize that people out there are dying?! Good people, some of which have protected your island without any of you old croons even realizing it! My father is one of those damn men that try to keep your god-forsaken island free of horny males that want nothing more than a forced lay and a bite of virgin flesh! But still, here you are hiding from the world and hoping your troubles dissipate like the nut-jobs you are! This is pathetic!"

"I believe it is time you go," the left elder mumbled, but even she seemed to shy away from the verbal assault. They could see the markings of the Mazoku beginning to appear on Izume's skin, which caused more panic than expected. "Now. Leave our village."

"You know what, we will!" Izume turned on her heel and snatched up Koume, stomping fitfully through the room. It was not until she was halfway through that she stopped and rounded on the old women once more. "Wait a minute, I haven't chewed your asses out for this part yet and it has been a long time coming! I just wish Ava could have had the honor!"

"Izu, I think that's enough," whispered Koume, tightly clutching the Mazoku's wrist.

Instead of shaking her off, Izume merely strode closer to the elders again. Her hazel eyes were blazing with a fury they had never seen before.

Save one of the three old women.

"My cousins," Izume began, "have more cause to hate you people than anyone, but even now Koume bites her tongue and is nothing but accommodating to your wishes! Well, you know what, I feel like throwing a tantrum that'll make this entire island shake! And hell if you're going to stop me so just shut up and listen for a damn minute!"

"You insolent girl-"

"I said shut up you old bitch!" Izume bared her fangs and successfully quieted the three elders. "You know, my cousins Ava and Yuji are products of a demon your people sought to kill! They tossed him clear from this damned island in hopes he would die, but he didn't! Now, he and his mate are out there trying to fight to keep this god-forsaken piece of rock from being part of the war spoils, despite how fucking nasty all of you are!"

She had not seen the strange look in the head elder's eyes, but if she would have looked closer, she would have been surprised. Guilt... pity... remorse...

"And let's not forget Koume and her twin Tadao! Aunt Yukina went through hell popping those two out and I swear to everything holy she has never uttered a foul word against this abominable race of virgin looneys! You know what, I wished Uncle Hiei would have come back and slaughtered every last one of you! None of you deserve to take another fucking breath and-"

"Did you say, 'Hiei'? 'Yukina'?" The head elder stood, her hands on the table and the bangs of her hair shadowing her face. "Hina's kids...?"

"Yeah, you old bitch, I did!" Izume was on a Yusuke-worthy tirade and did not plan on stopping so soon. "As I was fucking saying-"

"I did not know the two were still alive, much less with children." When the head elder lifted her head, her eyes were only for Koume. The teenager could see the tears that collected there, threatening to spill out and turn into hiruseki stones.

"Obviously, you dimwitted old-"

"We will help you in any way we can."

"WHAT?" The other two elders rounded on the head, gaping and clearly offended. "Rui, what are you doing?"

"I have lost track of time, but I know it has been centuries," she began, eyeing Koume with that same pitiful gaze. "Long ago, I was made to do the unspeakable. I was forced drop my best friend's babe over the side of this island in hopes he would die, a male born to an exclusively female race. I told him to come back and take my life, should he survive the fall, and years later he did. He did not do as I asked and allowed me to wallow in my misery up until now. This time, I will have a choice in the matter... I owe them this much."

"You're... Ree..." Koume's eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. "You are the one my mother spoke of..."

Ree smiled sadly, allowing those precious gems to fall from her eyes and clatter against the ground. "Yes, I am. We will help you. What do you ask that we do?"

"I can't condone this!" The left elder stood and slammed her hands on the tabletop. "You may be our head, but you do not have final say in our affairs!"

"I agree!" The other old woman mirrored the first. "We will not expose our people to the men! We refuse!"

Koume elbowed the stunned-silent Izume, the quick jab sending the girl from her processing thoughts. "What the...? Oh hell... Shit..."

"We will aid them." Ree's decision was final and they had simply not come to terms with that.

"Over my dead body!" The right stretched her claws, though violence was forbidden by these people.

"That can be arranged!" Izume snatched the little old woman up by the front of her shirt, yanking her up to be at eye level with the Mazoku. "If you say 'no' one more time, I will be forced to bite your head off! Do you understand?" And cue an inward thanks to her father for teaching her that line...

The gulp was heard by all and the old woman nodded carefully. Izume dropped her back to her feet and rounded on the other protesting hag. "Do you understand, I said?"

"Y-Yes!" She nervously wrung her hands together.

Ree stepped from behind the table and closer to the two girls. She took Koume's hands in her own and the tears flowed even swifter. "Please, tell me what we can do. Our people owe your family a great debt and it must be repaid."

"In one week, we will be meeting our other allies at the war in Tourin," Izume whispered for her stunned friend. "We need healers. We have plenty of brute strength, but none to patch up our dying, our wounded."

"We just need those capable of healing," repeated Koume. "We do not ask your violent-free people to die in our name. Can you do this much for us?"

The smile on Ree's face was genuine and she bowed to the teenager. "Of course we can. If any gives us problems, I'm sure they can be persuaded." The furtive glance towards the Mazoku made the dark-haired girl crack her knuckles.

"Oh baby, you can count on it!"

~:.:{I Lost My Halo When I Fell From Grace}:.:~

Kotone had begun to grow impatient and had taken to pacing no matter what was going on around her. For instance, the meeting to discuss strategies before the group departed the next morning.

"Would you sit down?!" Genkai grabbed Kotone and threw her at Jin. "Keep this dumbass seated so I can think properly!"

The Windmaster grinned as his sister angrily stuck her tongue out at the psychic, but he kept a firm hold on her.

"Good, now back to what I was saying..." The young version of the beloved female psychic unraveled a scroll to show the majority of the territory of Tourin. "Yuji and I have decided on what teams will be together and where they will come from. Yo, clown, have you finished the damn toys of yours yet?"

Suzuka, still unabashedly ashamed of the fond terminology the woman had for him, glowered, "Yes, everything is completed."

"Excellent," Yuji murmured and took up the conversation. He pointed to the paper and everyone leaned in closer. "Jin and Kuronue, the two of you will come from the air at this point. Take out all you can of Yomi's army over here."

"Ya got it, lad!" Jin grinned excitedly.

Kuronue simply nodded and continued to clean his scythe. "I figured I would be stuck with him."

Ignoring the brash line of insults that came from the Windmaster, Yuji pointed to the opposite sector. "Genkai and Toguro, the two of you will come from here and destroy as many as you can from behind enemy lines."

"Sounds easy enough." Toguro lazily put his hands behind his head. From what Kotone had been told, his demeanor in this second life was much more relaxed than before.

"Now, Raizen and I will also come behind enemy lines and try to take out this portion," Yuji motioned to another blip of red on the scroll.

"Don't get in my way," the former king grumbled, but all knew he did enjoy the company of the lightning apparition.

Ignoring this also, Yuji then motioned near Yusuke's castle. "Touya, Suzuka, you two come from here and blast your way through."

"Got it."

"Yeah, fine."

"And that just leaves the dimwit and bird-brain to move through Mukuro's army." Genkai placed a wary eye on the two before settling on Kotone. "I know you hold a grudge against the old bitch, but keep your vendetta in your pants and just go for Yomi's forces."

Kotone barred her teeth and chose not to speak to save herself from the unrelenting scolding of the pink-haired female. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned further back on the log. Jin still had a carefully-placed arm around her shoulders, if only to keep her from pacing once more.

"Then, since we have been instructed that our entrance should be flashy," Yuji chuckled, his brilliant blue orbs flitting to the wind demoness for a moment, "we will convene in the middle and drive back Yomi's forces to try and give Yusuke the advantage. Everyone understand?"

The chorus of agrees caused the lightning demon to lean away from the scroll, contented with everyone's complacency.

"We leave just before dawn. Now get some damn rest or whatever else you want to do." Genkai turned her attention to Toguro and Yuji, most likely to discuss more of the plans and contingencies if anything went wrong.

"I think I'll get some sleep. It has been a few days." Kotone shrugged away from her brother and gave him a reassuring smile. "You know, in a few days we will be in the fray."

"Do love the fight, I do! Have ta be a ninny not ta!" He ruffled her hair and stretched once he was on his feet. "I'll be gettin' me rest too, Ko. Nighty night!"

She nodded to the exuberant, albeit exhausted, Windmaster and made her way over to a nearby tree. She used her element to boost her into some of the highest branches. The moon was blocked by the leaves, though a few slivers came through. It brought her a sense of peace; the calm before the storm, in a manner of speaking.

Kotone would have been lying if she had said she was not surprised to feel a presence a branch below and to her left. Another had successfully snuck up on her, but she credited it to the sense of safe familiarity that this island had brought. After all, not another soul had been here since Jin and Touya arrived.

"Can I help you, Karasu?" She quirked a brow down at him, though never moved. He was one she still worried over, if only due to his wavering loyalties, but for now she had to trust him. Well, trust in a very, very liberal sense.

"After what you have told me," he whispered and the noise came out as a hiss through the mask, "I would expect you are not pleased that Mukuro's armies are off-limits."

Kotone rolled her eyes and positioned her back against the trunk of the tree, legs out on the branch she occupied. "Hmm, obviously I am much more disinclined to be content over our current orders, but if they think we should ignore Mukuro for now, I will."

The reverberating laughter caused her pale eyes to meet his once more. "Should they happen to get in our way, perhaps an exception could be made."

She knew where he was going with this and the woman grinned euphorically. "Yes, it would be tragic if they did not see your bombs flying at unnatural speeds and happened to be directly in the line of fire, no?"

"It would be a shame, obviously."

"Perhaps we should be careful to not injure them," she played along, the smirk on her face growing devilishly. "We don't want friendly forces dying."

"But it cannot be helped if they do not move when told," he finished, closing his eyes and leaning back against the trunk as well. He blended into the darkness almost too-well, but her immortal eyes could see him clearly.

"We will simply have to see."

With that and a goofy grin on her face, she closed her eyes to drift into a peaceful sleep. The crow did the same to her left, soon followed by a lightning apparition on the ground against the trunk with an Ice Master around the tree from him, a bat a little further up in the branches, the Windmaster further below, and a former king close nearby.

Next in 'Revelation, Defamation':
Finally, they would see the frontlines of battle. Finally, Kotone would be proven a hero or the villain for resurrecting those that could not be controlled. Golden Warriors... but Yomi had more secrets than the sacrificial waves he sent in for slaughter. He was always known for his brains, after all.