Chapter 22

"We need your help."

The moth demon's words did their best to echo around the cramped storeroom, but the thick carpet of dust and piles of junk leached away much of their volume and power. Despite the lessened impact, Rin was still stunned. For a moment, she was so surprised that she forgot that she had been kidnapped and tied to a chair. A plea for help was the last thing she had expected. It took her a few moments to form words.

"Why me?"

Mayuga's fluffy rainbow antennae stood straight up, like a dog's ears pricking at an interesting sound, then relaxed again. She tilted her head and said, "An excellent question, I'll give you that. And one that has a rather complicated answer." The demon hummed distractedly under her breath as she thought, then continued, "Let's just say that you were the most convenient target who was likely to be amenable to our predicament: no great loyalty to Spirit World, a firm sense of justice, and close ties with Raizen's ancestral heir."

Rin nodded, mulling that over. "I see. So if I agree to hear you out, will you untie me?"

Mayuga laughed like Rin had told a most delightful joke, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. "A valiant effort, but sadly, no. I require a captive audience, if you'll forgive the pun. Can't have you escaping before I explain further. There are some nuances that I'm afraid I haven't illuminated for you just yet."

Rin sighed. It had been worth a try, but she figured it wouldn't be that easy. Back to working on summoning her Spirit Energy. As she stretched her fingers, she felt a small spark. Maybe if she just kept the demon talking, she could get her powers back and get out of here.

"Fine. I'm listening."

The moth demon clapped her hands. "Excellent. Now, please, let me explain. Those of us who are anthropovores, or carnivore demons who can only consume human flesh, have found each other over the years and formed our own community. A peaceful community, mind you. We only want to live our lives. And yet… We are outcasts from all worlds: left behind and abandoned, through no fault of our own, by this glorious new age of peace and all those demons lucky enough to be born omnivores. We are all starving, we are all dying, and no one cares. No one will listen to us." As she spoke, her eyes flashed with an anger that the demon could not quite control and her fists clenched; the air in the room fairly vibrated with rage as Mayuga's great power slipped its bonds.

One of her bodyguards stepped forward and touched her arm. "My lady…"

Mayuga inhaled with control; with her exhale, the tension in the room dissolved and her eyes softened. "Thank you, Daisuke. I'm all right now." She turned back to Rin. "My brother and I are… were… the leaders of the anthropovores, and we have been lobbying Spirit World and our own Demon King for years to help us. But the King is reluctant to anger Spirit World, threaten the fragile peace, or alarm anyone with the distasteful words 'eat human flesh,' and Spirit World is, well…" Mayuga paused, looking for a polite way to end the sentence.

"Useless?" Rin volunteered. She had no great love for Spirit World or its endless bureaucracy, and it didn't hurt to agree with your kidnapper.

Mayuga's gaze sharpened on her face. "Exactly. Over the years, our group, once united in need, in common cause, has begun to fracture. I speak for those of us who still believe that all of this can be resolved peacefully. My brother, on the other hand, was the leader of an extremist faction that is tired of diplomacy, of being ignored, that will only accept victory through violence, bloodshed, and the death of humans. So far, since my brother's demise, I have been able to placate these radicals, but only just, and my control is slipping. Sanzu's ill-fated attack on your friend's wedding was only the first salvo in a war that I suspect that they have been planning for many years."

Rin considered for a few moments, then said, "Look, I hear what you're saying, and I sympathize. But I can't promise anything on my own. I'd have to talk to Spirit World, go through the official channels - ."

Mayuga shook her head, her antennae fluttering. "You don't understand. We can't wait on Spirit World's infamous bureaucracy to make a decision in twenty years. We need this now, or everyone in Human World will be in danger."

Rin chuckled. "I don't know why you think I can do anything to make Spirit World move faster. If you know anything about me, you know I quit fifteen years ago. Besides, I think we can handle a few starving demons."

"I'm afraid you don't understand the gravity of the situation," Mayuga cut in, her gaze serious. "How many demons do you think there are in Demon World? Thousands? Millions? By my calculations, around a third of them are anthropovores. There are, at bare minimum, hundreds of us across Demon World, at all levels of power." At Rin's skeptical look, she said, "Yes, even your so-called 'A-class' and above. The Kekkai Barrier is gone, and now any demon may cross to the Human World, including those who were confined to the deep down dark of Demon World. They are half-mad with hunger, and my brother's violent rhetoric is spreading. When one is starving and exhausted, one will do anything to make it stop."

When Rin didn't reply, just calmly held her gaze, Mayuga continued, "Most demons don't have half the control or self-martrying instinct that our dear Lord Raizen did, to starve to death. As for me, my dignity and ethics are important to me, to our cause, which provides the motivation I need, but only just." She smiled ruefully. "I hate to be crass, but you have no idea how hard I am struggling not to tear out your throat and drink your blood right this instant."

The demon's smile was still genteel and pleasant, but her gaze had sharpened, along with her pressing aura. Rin felt a spike of primal fear and tried in vain to back away, but the ropes held her fast.

Mayuga continued, "If the violent faction organizes itself and decides to attack all at once, like I fear they will soon…" Mayuga paused and took a breath as her ominous aura withdrew, then said with finality. "If something isn't done, if we don't work together, it could mean the end of Human World."

Rin's stomach dropped. This was not her first 'end of the world' rodeo, but it wasn't something easy to get used to. She wondered if Mayuga was lying, if this was all some elaborate plot, but the moth demon's gaze was steady. Rather than try to convince her further, Mayuga was waiting for Rin to respond.

"Fine," Rin said. "I'll do what I can."

Mayuga smiled and opened her mouth to speak, her shoulders relaxing for the first time.

"But," Rin continued, "I have to check with Spirit World. I can't just take you at your word."

The moth demon nodded, said, "Yes, I - ."

Daisuke, the same bodyguard who had intervened before, stepped forward again. "My lady, we have to go. I can't shield us anymore."

"Are you sure? I still - ."

"They've found us. We need to go now." He tugged at her arm, pulling her into the shadows at the back of the storage room.

Rin sat, still tied to the chair, and now confused.

Then the wall to her right exploded.

Rin coughed and gagged, her ears ringing, her face and throat caked with grit. Something glowed with a yellow halo in the cloud of smoke and kicked-up dust. A figure charged through the hole in the wall and towards the back of the room where Mayuga and her guards had gone. There was a fleeting black flash in front of her and a breath of wind with the faintest whiff of campfire smoke before it too disappeared after the fleeing demons.

Someone grabbed her hand and asked her something. Rin flinched and then made out Yukina mouthing words at her.

"...all right? Rin, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. What's happening?"

Yukina was busy with the ropes behind Rin's back. There was a snick and the old rope fell away. Rin rubbed her wrists and rolled her shoulders as Yukina took a gleaming, sharp-edged ice knife to the ropes around her ankles.

"I'm so glad you're alright. We've been looking for you for hours."

Hours? Rin knew she had been knocked out, but it hadn't felt like that long. Which was a ridiculous thing to think. No one could tell how long they had been unconscious. Unless they could… Sometimes she thought she could tell how long she had been sleeping. Especially if her dream seemed long…

"Rin?"

Rin realized that Yukina must have been calling her name a few times already. The ice demon was looking at her with concern, her hands already glowing with her healing power.

"No, really, I'm okay," Rin said. "Where am I?"

As she spoke, Yukina pulled Rin to her feet. "Still in the amusement park. An old warehouse. It took my brother ages to find you. He thinks they were shielding your energy signature somehow. You should have seen him - he was frantic." A ghost of a smile crossed the ice demon's worried face.

"That doesn't sound like the Hiei I know," Rin said, as Yukina led her through the hole in the wall.

"It seems you don't know everything about my brother," Yukina replied with another of her coy smiles.


"I'm fine, I swear," Rin said, batting away the water, bandages, food, helping hands, and everything else that Kuwabara kept offering her. It did make a certain kind of sense that, out of anyone in the group, Kuwabara was the clucking mother hen. He knew what it was like to be a normal human fighting impossible odds, totally out of his depth against insanely powerful demon foes.

Rin was curled into one corner of the couch in her apartment, surrounded by at least five different beverages, two snacks, covered in three blankets, and the concerned faces of Yukina, Kuwabara, and Botan. The ferry girl had been contacted (both as a friend and as a representative of Spirit World) by Yukina and hurried over to Rin's apartment as soon as she could.

After a brief but intense fight in the amusement park parking lot about where they should go to regroup, Rin's desire to go home had won out.

"Like I said," Rin had said for what felt like the thirtieth time, "They weren't trying to hurt me. They just wanted to talk. She isn't going to come after me again."

The Kuwabaras had tried to argue with her, but Rin wouldn't budge. She just wanted to go home. Hiei had not joined in the discussion but only watched balefully, his arms crossed.

Rin was not looking forward to whenever he got her alone, like a cat who senses an approaching typhoon. He was standing at the patio door and staring out into the night, but she could feel his attention on her.

"I'll have to talk to Lord Koenma," Botan was saying. "We need to verify Mayuga's story. I haven't heard anything about these anthropovore demons, but Spirit World hasn't always been the most forthcoming about skeletons in its closets in the past, so…" The ferry girl shrugged, and her magenta eyes focused on Rin. "Rin, you're sure you don't remember anything else?"

Rin sighed. It had been such a long day and she just wanted to sleep. "I told you everything I know." She could not stop a huge yawn from distending her face. "Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm really tired."

A discussion ensued about whether someone should stay with Rin to protect her; she protested that she could take care of herself, but everyone ignored her.

"I'll do it." Hiei's voice rang out, silencing everyone. He was still staring out the patio door, his posture was stiff and tight, like a rubber band about to snap. No one dared contradict him.

With well wishes and promises to check in tomorrow, Botan and the Kuwabaras made their exit, leaving Rin alone with Hiei. She was not looking forward to whatever was about to come her way. Finally, the fire demon turned away from the door to look at her. She was taken aback at both the intensity and raw fragility in his red gaze. Though Hiei was as stone-faced as ever, she could see the turmoil in his eyes; it was threatening to break through his mask of impassivity like a wave pounding at a lighthouse window in a storm.

Rin was so tired, the stale adrenaline pulling at her bones, but there would be no putting off this conversation. The only way out was through. It was going to be a long night.


Author's note: Thank you to everyone for your continued patience with me - the last few weeks have been hectic with a long-awaited vacation, random bouts of cold/flu, and just general life busyness, and this story has gone longer than usual without being updated. I apologize for the lateness of the chapter. It's also a little harder to write without an established "event framework" like a wedding, but I am doing my best, and I hope you all are liking the result!

Thank you to AnImEfReAk4994 for the follow and to Hellang for the favorite!