Oathkeeper

by Seichou Maki

Miwa had pledged an oath to Youko Kurama, an oath that defines many things about her life and her choices. However, encountering the Spirit Detective, called to retrieve the Artifacts of Darkness from four demon thieves, begins the chain of events that forces her to rethink the oath she made long ago.

18. Dissonance

Chapter 18: Dissonance

After Yanagisawa awoke, he opened the final door for them with smug confidence, knowing they couldn't hurt him as long as Yusuke's life was on the line. Behind the final door was a row of colorful staircases, each presumably leading to the next floor up. Yanagisawa explained that Yusuke was being held on the next floor up, but everybody would have to choose a different staircase to get there. Immediately, red flags shot up at those instructions; separating from each other in a house controlled by kidnappers with strange powers was inadvisable, at best. But, with Yusuke's life on the line, they really had no choice.

Luckily, Botan had a fantastic plan to make sure everyone was safe, even while separated. She opened the briefcase full of detective items and introduced the Mejiru Seals. The round stickers had a black border with small, red shapes as its design, but the center remained white. According to Botan, the white center would change color based on the physical condition of whoever applied the seal, and in addition, only the original applier could remove the seal. They decided to write their names on the seals and apply them to the others' clothing in order to keep track of everyone's condition. Thankfully, Yanagisawa didn't care whether they used the seals or not. Everyone applied the seals with the white center turning blue, showing that everyone was okay. However, Hiei was reluctant wear any seals of his own because he thought they looked ridiculous, and far be it he admits he actually cares about their well being. But, once Kurama forcibly stuck the seal on Hiei's chest and pointed out Hiei's soul was the first to be lost, Hiei begrudgingly let the others put their seals on his clothes.

The stairs were...odd, to say the least. But, everyone reached the top of the stairs at roughly the same time and exited the crooked doors. They found Yusuke, standing unusually still in front of a backlight that cast long shadows across the floor, while the supposedly final kidnapper stood across him like a calm guardian. Seeing their friend in his familiar green uniform, his greeting full of his usual wit despite the danger, his signature slicked-back hairstyle, and his bright brown eyes passing over the faces of each of his friends; it was such a relief, a huge weight lifted from their chests. They struggled through this house, pulled along by the whims of human kidnappers holding the life of their friend hostage, and now that they could see Yusuke was okay...alive, the end to the horrible night was almost in sight.

From what they could see, Yusuke was completely unharmed and unrestrained. But, as always, nothing in this house was as it first appeared, and there was one more trial before the night would end. Yusuke revealed that the last kidnapper's power was Shadow, and if he stepped on anyone's shadow, like he did Yusuke's, they would be frozen in place too. Everyone but Hiei took a cautious step back, away from the blinding backlight, but that power wasn't what they needed to worry about. According to the Shadow psychic, someone among Kuwabara, Botan, Hiei, Miwa, and Kurama was an imposter. Somehow, despite such a short time passing as they climbed the stairs, a second hostage had been taken, and Yusuke was given ten minutes to identify who among the five was the fake, or else their second hostage would promptly be killed.

Another life on the line. They had no choice.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke asked, "What's your blood type and when were you born?"

"Figures! You hafta suspect me first off!"

"Oh, get over yourself and answer me!"

"Okay, Mister Crabby-pants, but do you even know my birthday and blood type in the first place?"

"Uh, I guess I don't." Kuwabara and Botan both sighed in disbelief, but Yusuke ignored them and moved on. "Kurama, please tell me your mom's name and how old she is."

Without hesitation, Kurama answered with a smile. "Her name is Shiori. She is forty years old and she will be married in the fall."

Yusuke's face lit up. "That's great! Tell her congratulations for me! Hey, am I invited to the wedding?"

"Only seven minutes," cut in the Shadow psychic, and Yusuke frowned.

"Miwa," Yusuke continued, still frowning, "Where did the two of us first talk?"

Miwa folded her arms across her chest. "It was at the park, near your house. You were with Botan and I was standing on top of the jungle gym when I called out to you." Miwa could feel a curious glance come from Kurama and she giggled nervously. That meeting was supposed to be a secret from him.

"Cool. Alright, Botan." Yusuke's expression suddenly changed. It was a strange mix of…seriousness and urgency. "Prove to me who you are by telling me your boob size."

Botan gasped loudly in horror. "Have you lost your mind completely!? You and I both know I've never told you anything of the sort!"

Yusuke grinned. "You told me when we were on the roof of the school, remember?"

Botan flailed her arms in a panic and she put a finger to her lip as she tried her best to remember. It seemed so outlandish that she would give that information out, especially to Yusuke, and even Kuwabara looked at her with a look of disbelief. Then, Botan shook her head, screaming, "You just made that up! You disgusting pervert!"

"Dammit, and she almost fell for it too."

"Hn," Hiei huffed. "This stupidity is making me nauseous."

"Fine, we'll go to you," Yusuke groaned, "What's your little sister's name?"

Hiei stiffened as his expression turned to stone. The others looked over at Hiei's silence, and for a brief moment, a small sense of doubt overtook them all. Yusuke looked excited, like he had actually hit the nail on the head. Could Hiei be the imposter? It wouldn't be the first time this house captured him. But, Miwa had a feeling it could also just be something more, especially after seeing Kuwabara's wide eyes.

"You know her well enough," Hiei snapped. "I refuse to play this nonsense game."

Yusuke frowned, accepting the very Hiei-like answer.

"Hey, that's weird. I didn't know you had a little sis, Hiei," Kuwabara said, striding over with his hands in his pockets. "I bet she's a pint-sized pain in the you-know-what like you! Probably ugly too."

"I will kill you."

Miwa sighed and held her face in her hands. Botan blurted out that Kuwabara was the only one in their group who didn't know the relation, and that made him angry. Hiei completely ignored him, but Kuwabara yelled at everyone else, demanding to know why no one clued him in earlier. Kurama and Miwa kept quiet, trying to change the subject despite Kuwabara's begging. Finally, Kurama promised to talk to him about her later, and Kuwabara reluctantly accepted, turning back to Yusuke and the actual danger at hand. Miwa internally groaned; they were getting way off track, but all of this banter...it felt just like their normal interactions with each other. Creating a disguise so perfect in the short time they were separated should be impossible, yet all their words and actions felt so genuine. Unless the power of Territory was coming into play once more; Yanagisawa hadn't shown his face since they separated on the stairs...

Then, Yusuke noticed that they all were wearing four Mejiru Seals on their clothes, and although Botan scolded him for not recognizing them at first, he did remember that only the person who applied the seal could remove it. Everyone wearing a seal gathered in a circle, realizing that the fake among them would be exposed if they attempted to remove the seals. They each reached across the circle, peeling the stickers off each other's chests. But, to their surprise, every single seal peeled off, and the five of them stood with all seals in hand, dumbfounded and confused.

"This is rather troubling," said Kurama.

"What the hell?!" Yusuke exclaimed. How could all of them be removed?

"This smells fishy, guys," Kuwabara said.

"But this is impossible," Botan said, "These things are supposed to be foolproof!"

Miwa grit her teeth. "Not even the slightest resistance when removed..."

"So there was never an imposter to begin with," Hiei growled, crumpling his seals angrily in his hand. "He's been bluffing the whole time!"

"Good guess!" said the Shadow Psychic, "but I assure you there's a fake."

He explained that Yanagisawa's power was "Copy." He could mimic a person in their entirety. Looks, personality, memories, mannerisms, and even the Energy Prints the Mejiru Seals identified. A complete, perfect copy. So no matter what Yusuke asked, Yanagisawa would be able to answer exactly as expected; rendering their answers to Yusuke's questions completely pointless. The Shadow psychic released Yusuke's shadow, finally giving him the freedom to move, but there were some grim instructions. The only way to end Yanagisawa's power was to knock him unconscious. Yusuke needed to decide who was the fake and hit them as hard as he could.

Yusuke made his decision; then he did exactly that.

"I hope I'm right!"

He ran across the room, filling his fist with his bright blue Spirit Energy, and smashed Kuwabara's face with everything he had. Kuwabara's body crumbled under the force and flew backwards, spiraling towards a pile of random objects stacked against the wall. In midair, his face twisted and morphed, and the face of their friend Kuwabara turned into that of the kidnapper, Yanagisawa. He crashed into the pile with a loud bag, slumped back as his body settled, and his bruised face stared blankly at the ceiling. Yusuke chose correctly and exposed the fake; even the Shadow psychic seemed surprised. He asked how Yusuke knew the imposter was Kuwabara, and Yusuke answered,

"I chose him because I know he's used to me pounding his face in, if nothing else."

For a moment, it sounded like a ridiculous reason, but then he explained further. Yusuke reasoned that overall, Kuwabara was the safest bet. Kurama, Miwa, and Hiei were too smart and untrusting to just let themselves get captured. Of course, Kurama just had to give both Hiei and Miwa a certain look, which Hiei willfully ignored while Miwa giggled nervously again. Either way, Yusuke's reasoning still left out Botan, but he believed that if Yanagisawa had stooped so low to attack the only non-fighter of their group, it wouldn't matter if he chose incorrectly, because he would just come back, come hell or high water, and drop kick their ass. In the end, it didn't matter what Yusuke asked his friends or how they answered. He probably would have come to the same conclusion.

With the fake exposed, everybody rounded up on the Shadow psychic demanding that he return the real Kuwabara. But, the kidnappers still had one last surprise waiting for them: the introduction of the kidnapping mastermind, who told the three strange teenagers about Yusuke Urameshi and his friends. Large, circular doors that opened along a diagonal axis slowly pulled apart, and a short figure emerged from the darkness within. Genkai, the surprise coordinator of their crazy night, calmly walked out with quiet footsteps and her hands folded calmly behind her back. And she, along with a conveniently timed briefcase screen call from Koenma, explained the apocalyptic truth about why Yusuke and his friends were introduced to the power of Territory that night.

A tunnel to the Demon World was being opened.

{00}

Miwa refrained from punching a wall out of sheer frustration. How did she miss this?

But it wasn't just her. Spirit World missed it as well. The sudden appearance of humans with the power of Territory was no random coincidence, but the byproduct of the tunnel's formation. As Koenma explained, the first stage was the appearance of Demon World bugs in the human world, just like the one Miwa found on Taichi's shoulder. Humans with the power of Territory indicated that the tunnel's creation already reached Stage Two a full month before Genkai summoned them to the house. Kaito and Kido, the Shadow psychic, both said that they only had their strange powers for about a month, and along with Yanagisawa, they and many others sought Genkai's council when their unusual powers first appeared. Stage Three would bring in a flood of demon energy, allowing lower class demons to arrive en mass. The fourth and final stage would be the tunnel's stabilization, allowing even the C and B-class demons to enter the Living World without hindrance. Genkai brought Yusuke and his friends to the House of Four Dimensions to teach them all an important lesson about using their minds instead of strength against the unknown enemy causing all this trouble. She actually chided Yusuke, Hiei, and Miwa for getting captured, intentional or otherwise. Yusuke and Hiei were captured due to their own arrogance, but in Miwa's case, despite it being a part of her strategy, she impatiently left Kurama alone against Kaito, with two other kidnappers waiting in the wings. Such arrogance and impatience could cost them their lives against a new, still unseen enemy.

Their new enemy was building a tunnel in Mushiyori city. According to Genkai, the only commonality between the people who suddenly developed strange powers was they all lived in that city. If the tunnel were to be completed, demons of up to the B-class level could freely enter the Living World at will. Miwa, in comparison, took two full years, with help, to get to the human world. Demons thirsting for human flesh and blood would no longer have to wait for tiny portals to open up in the Pseudo Space, or search for demons who could create temporary portals at will. The biggest glum overtook their group when Koenma revealed that Toguro himself was only a B-class demon. But no one was more shocked than Yusuke, who reached a power level beyond what any of them could imagine, just to defeat one B-class demon. Demons of that caliber having free reign to enter Living World would upend humanity and their entire way of life.

Genkai lead everyone downstairs to revive Kaito. When they entered the room, Miwa felt a strange, dissonant feeling. The last time she was in this room, she threatened to drown Kaito in water, had given up her soul, and angrily turned the room upside down searching for the third hallway key. Now, they were there to save the same person she threatened to drown. What's more, Yanagisawa was calmly and innocently following behind her, but before she searched this room for the key, she had dug her foot into his ribs and threw crumpled paper at him while he was unconscious just because she was frustrated with the whole kidnapping business. It was just...surreal, like those emotions were almost waisted. Kaito's soulless body lay exactly where they left it, still frozen in pointed laughter. Genkai thrust her palm forward with a blast of Spirit Energy, and the green soul orb slowly phased into back Kaito's chest. His face slowly returned to normal, and small twitches in his cheeks showed the signs of life returning. Kaito sat up, observing the various people standing around him, and he realized that their little charade was over. Kurama complimented him for putting on a great opening act, but Kaito revealed he really did his best to defeat them all, and Miwa frowned.

Then, Koenma called them back with more grave news: In only three weeks, the tunnel would open and complete.

"There's gotta be something we could do! Can't you like, close the hole back up?" Yusuke's desperation in his voice was almost palpable. It wasn't easy to hear the world as you know it would end so soon.

Even Koenma had never looked so grim and nervous. "The only way...is to stop the tunnel's creator."

They had to stop the tunnel before it reached a diameter of two kilometers, the stabling point. The psychic creating the tunnel should be at the center of the spherical distortion, so if they went to the center and defeated the psychic… Yusuke hastily marched up to Kaito, Kido, and Yanagisawa, demanding that they show him around their turf so he could put an end to all this. But, Genkai knocked him on his head to remind Yusuke the dangers of being so impatient. They didn't know anything about this enemy. How many were there? What are their powers? ...Who is their leader? They had three weeks to figure it out. Then, as if to break the urgent tension, Hiei stepped forward with an out of nowhere question.

"Koenma, if these fools are done, I have my own question. In what class do you rank me?

Miwa sighed quietly to herself, and Kurma frowned. "Hiei.."

"What? It's a fair question," Hiei snapped, "If his Spirit World lackeys are going to place a letter on me, then I deserve to know."

"Oh very well, Hiei, I'll tell you," Koenma relented; anything to move their mission along quicker. "As I've said, the Toguro Brothers were considered in Upper B. And as of the end of the Dark Tournament, you were ranked in the middle of B-class."

Hiei growled. "Underestimate me, even now?"

"For the record," Koenma said, sounding impatient himself, "When you fought Yusuke, you only had an upper D-Class ranking. But in less than a year, you've jumped at nearly two full classes. Quite an astounding feat, to be sure. You have much to be proud of."

Miwa folded her arms across her chest. Koenma was right. Hiei definitely became a lot stronger since the two of them first met, when Hiei first came to the human world. But, she couldn't ignore a strange feeling in her chest. A certain instinct telling her that she needed to act quickly, or Hiei would be gone. Without pausing to deliberate, the cap of her pouch quietly popped open, and a tiny drop of water floated free, right towards Hiei as all eyes watched the briefcase screen. It would be a lot to ask for Hiei to never notice this, or even overlook it, but if she didn't act now and something happened...

"You're a child. Don't father me." Hiei turned his back to the group, making his way to the front door.

The door automatically opened, and Yusuke stepped forward too. "Come on…"

"You already have your fox, your snake, your clown, and your hag. I'm a moot point."

Kuwabara clenched his fists. "You're just gonna walk away?!"

Hiei glared back at them. "This is your world to look after, not mine. I don't intend to hinder your cause, but I'm not going to help it, either."

Miwa widened her eyes when Hiei sent a very quick, pointed glance at her. Did he know? Or was he trying to say something else?

"Coward!" Kuwabara said, "Real men help when they're needed."

"...Save that idealism for your fairy tales."

He turned around, and the doors closed behind him. Surely, if they tried to open it back up, Hiei would be long gone.

"Well, I'm not gonna shed any tears, Hiei! In fact, I'm happy you're gone!" Kuwabara shouted. "He's the same selfish punk he was from the start."

"Yeah, he's the same." Yusuke said, but he had a strange half-smile on his face. "He'll come rescue us at the end when we need him the most."

Kurama wasn't as convinced. "It's hard to predict what he'll do. Humanity's destruction was Hiei's former dream. These new developments leave him much to consider."

Miwa stared down at the floor. "He'll come to his own conclusions and do as he wants. That's how Hiei has always been..."

"This is your world to look after, not mine..."

Now that the kidnapping mission was over, Hiei's part of his deal with Botan was complete. Again, there was no reason for him to stick around, and his parting speech really solidified his stance on the so-called "Team Urameshi." None of it was his business. Yukina was rescued from Gonzo Tarukane, and Toguro no longer threatened him to be a part of a team. If Hiei could go back to the Demon World, he would quickly do so. Miwa held her hand to her chest, feeling the now familiar warmth from her fluctuating core. She had wanted to avoid this question since the tournament ended, but with the threat of the tunnel, it became more relevant than ever. What would Miwa do if Hiei decided to leave them forever?

What should she do, as someone who swore her life to someone else?

Regardless of who was going to protect humanity, Genkai's plan for them all would continue as scheduled. Kaito, Kido, and Yanagisawa would lead them to Mushiyori City and they would split into groups to investigate the scene first hand. For Miwa, a reconnaissance mission felt familiar and nostalgic at the same time, but the stakes of the mission had never been so grave. For Yusuke, this may be his first time he ever investigated like a real "detective." It was just a shame that Hiei wouldn't be around to complete their old "team." ...In the meantime, everyone would stay the night at the House of Four Dimensions, never leaving the group for safety.

And in the morning, they would willingly walk into the opening jaws of Hell.

{00}

It was quiet, devoid of any human presence, and the only movement came from the wind rustling the overgrown plain of grass. Abandoned buildings and equipment sat along the edge of the field, fixed in stillness and just as devoid of life, like an fixture that moved along only with time instead of the lively world around it. Kurama, Miwa, Kuwabara, Botan, and Kaito stood at the edge of the abandoned field, staring curiously at the spot that supposedly should be the center of the dreaded tunnel.

"Are you sure this is the center of that distortion thing?" Kuwabara asked.

"I don't see any big tunnel," Botan said, peering across the grass with her hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

"And unless he's invisible or looks like grass, the psychic's not here either."

Miwa wanted to smile at Kuwabara's levity, but any lack of evidence for the tunnel was just unsettling. Was it good for them that the enemy was nowhere in sight? Or was his absence just increasing the challenge of closing the tunnel?

"No, a distortion zone always takes the form of a circle around its creator," Kurama explained, characteristically knowledgeable in this unusual occurrence. "Right now we're standing on the circle's center. The psychic has to be here." He turned to look at the group, already arriving at the conclusion. "We just have to think. If the man's not here at the surface…"

"Then obviously, he must be below it," said Kaito, adjusting his glasses.

Kuwabara stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared. "Underground?"

Miwa knelt down and placed her hands onto the dirt, cold to the touch from the cool air and dew. The grass, soil, and rocks would be a hindrance, but if she concentrated hard enough, and with her hands directly touching the cold, moist dirt as a guide, she might be able to do it. Miwa closed her eyes and released her Spirit Energy into the ground, feeling it seep through earthy life below. At first, she sensed nothing; just her energy going farther and farther away, or small hints of water-based life wiggling and growing below, but if she just dug deeper, eventually…

"There's an open cavity in the ground," she said quietly. "An intricate cave system, I think, with a large body of water at the end, far below our feet. Maybe...a few hundred meters down."

"Woah, you can sense all that?" Kuwabara asked with wide eyes.

"Kinda." Miwa stood up and brushed the dirt off her hands. "It's not exactly a precise map we could use, but I'm just sensing for any groundwater or moisture in the earth and making a guess based on how it's shaped." She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "There's a lot of rock in the way, which makes it harder for me to read, but luckily that pond gives the cave enough moisture for me to find it…"

"Can you sense any people down there?" Kurama asked.

Miwa's expression darkened. "...One...or two? There is definitely something at the center of the lake, but with the rocks…"

"So, what should we do now?" asked Botan.

"Dunno," Kuwabara shrugged. "Gotta find a way to that underground lake, I guess."

"We need to hurry," Kurama said, "If the center of the distortion is below the surface, the tunnel itself is larger than Koenma's first estimation."

They fell silent, and the wind continued rustling the grass around them. Just what they needed. A bigger tunnel closer to completion. Miwa clenched her fists again, frustrated that she had missed something this big. The human life...the peaceful human life…Worrying about her class standing with Saya, playing basketball with Tsutsumi...It was distracting, especially from who she used to be. Was Miwa losing her grasp on her own specialty?

Wait...someone's here!

Miwa and Kurama simultaneously sprinted towards one of the abandoned buildings. They rounded the corner, but there was no shadowy figure in the darkness waiting for them. Just an empty back lot. Whoever watched them was very fast. The others joined them, and Kurama explained that they were being watched.

"So they already know we're looking for them," said Kaito.

Miwa pouted. "Well, aren't they on top of things. We only found out about all this yesterday."

Kurama glanced at her, but there were more serious things at hand. "In any case, we should play it safe and reconvene with Yusuke's group immediately."

Kuwabara took a quick look around for their tail, not knowing for sure if everything was safe yet. "But how are we gonna find him? I can't sense anything right now, not even the guy that was just here."

Miwa started to chuckle to herself. Kuwabara and Botan looked at her strangely, but she didn't care. Finally, her skills were becoming useful again. "I've got us covered on that," she said.

Kuwabara furrowed his eyebrows. "How? You got a tracking device on him, or somethin'?"

"To put it simply, yes," she grinned. The cap of Miwa's water pouch popped open, and a small bead of water floated into Miwa's hand, where she held it up for the group to see. "Before we split up, I seeped a small ball of water, like this one, into his skin. It has my Spirit Energy inside, so I can track down Yusuke if I just sense for its location." Miwa closed her palm and grinned up at Kuwabara. "I used this trick against Kagao in the tournament, remember?"

Kuwabara nodded slowly. Some time ago, Miwa used the same trick to narrow down the main body of Kagao, the member of Team Rokuyukai that could split his body into multiple clones. But...did Yusuke even know she did that?

"Fascinating," Kaito said, adjusting his glasses once more. He remembered theorizing that Shimizu helped defeat his Territory by manipulating the fluids in his own body, but to use that skill to survey the land and track down others was fascinating in itself. "I guess it's true what they say about water being the essence of life."

Miwa turned to him and bowed gracefully. "Your recognition is all I desire, oh Master of Taboo."

Kaito flinched slightly at her odd gesture, but he didn't say anything.

"Let's hurry," Kurama said, "If we're being followed, Yusuke's group could be in danger as well."

{00}

When they returned to the main areas of Mushiyori City, the number of Demon World insects dramatically increased, but the crowds of people were still completely unaware. But, the sheer number of insects was troubling. You could not look in any direction without seeing two or three insects crawling around. It might as well be an infestation, so perhaps they were better off without normal humans seeing them. Things were bad enough with invisible demon bugs flooding the streets. The last thing they needed right now was a full panic. Although, Kuwabara wished he could see them; he was already feeling left out without his Spirit Awareness. Miwa lead the way through the city, following the signal of her trace. At some point, the person tailing them disappeared, but that only made everyone more worried. If following them was no longer important, it must mean the enemy was making another move. Perhaps against Yusuke…

Miwa pointed to the end of the block, towards a large hospital. "That building, over there."

Botan worriedly clasped her hands together. "Oh dear, I hope Yusuke isn't there as a patient..."

Miwa frowned. Her trace told her nothing about the mark's health condition. But, no matter what state he was in, Yusuke Urameshi was definitely in that hospital. Was Yusuke hurt? Was someone else? Or...did they manage to find information?

It's so quiet here...

The sound of breaking glass destroyed the silence. A big, blue orb of light burst from a window on the first floor, launching into the air and out of sight.

"Urameshi's Spirit Gun!"

Miwa clenched her fists. "He's in a fight. The enemy must have found him too."

Kuwabara eagerly stepped forward, ready to help his friend. "Alright, lets go!"

"Wait." Kurama shot out his hand to stop Kuwabara's eagerness. He too noticed just how unnaturally quiet it was at this place.

"It's the cause without the effect." Kaito looked around the empty courtyard. The fallen glass from the broken window twinkled in the sun. "We saw Yusuke's Spirit Gun blast through a window in the middle of the day. Yet, there are no doctors, nurses or guards taking a look at it?"

"So what?!" Kuwabara yelled, grabbing Kaito by the shirt collar.

"So, curiosity is one of man's most predictable forces. If people don't come to see, it's because they are not able. We assume the worst for everyone in that hospital. They're either detained, hurt, or dead. And that is why we are not being followed."

"Well, that makes sense," Botan said, "They wouldn't walk into their own trap."

"It's too dangerous for us all," Kurama continued, looking at each member of their group, but only Miwa understood where plan was headed.

Kuwabara could fight, but his condition leaving left him spiritually blind. Botan and Kaito would be able to see and sense anything strange inside that hospital, but neither of them were fighters. But if Yusuke was in trouble, standing around outside would be equally unhelpful. So, Kurama and Miwa both decided to infiltrate the hospital together, leaving the others to wait at the entrance for safety, and Kuwabara's protests about not making a team decision. If worse came to worst, the three remaining could possibly use Kaito's Territory to escape physical harm. Knowing the main entrances, both front and back, would be too dangerous, Kurama used his Rose Whip to scale the building, while Miwa leapt her way up using her water as small platforms. The moment their feet touched the tiled flooring of the roof, a strange sensation overcame them. A feeling of distortion, and a wave of an unusual power.

Someone manifested their Territory.

"Yusuke's still on the first floor of the next wing, probably fighting whoever's Territory this is," Miwa said. She kept her water stream coiled around her arm, just in case.

"But, the Territory extends six floors higher. The Psychic must be powerful. We need to be cautious."

Kurama opened the door, and together they descended down the stairs. It was still so very quiet. Kurama and Miwa were both familiar with hospitals, and even though hospitals aren't known to be particularly noisy, there were always the sounds of small chatter between doctors, nurses, and patients, or the quiet footsteps of everybody walking down the halls, and even the rhythmic bleeps of medical equipment. But not here. This place was just silent. They left the staircase leading to the rooftop, entering the main hallway of the top floor, and finally understood what was happening in this place.

"This is…"

Nurses, doctors, patients, friends and family members alike. They all were collapsed on the floor, some unconscious, some moaning weakly in pain, many shivering from a chill neither Kurama nor Miwa could feel, and their skin was a horrific shade of green. Miwa knelt down by the nearest fallen person, a young man in the patient's garb. She placed her hand on his forehead, and his temperature was dangerously high. A hospital full of sick people, and not even the medical staff could help.

"Something in the Territory has infected them," Kurama concluded. If it were the Territory itself, Kurama and Miwa would have gotten sick too. "But one psychic doing all this alone is…"

"There!"

From down the hall in both directions, a swarm of large insects flew right towards them. They were as large as the demon insects outside, and their proboscis looked long and sharp, resembling a needle more than the anatomy of a bug. The abdomen was bloated and full, and if one psychic couldn't infect so many people alone… Miwa's stomach lurched. A swarm of diseased bugs certainly could. Not waiting to see if their suspicious were true, Kurama and Miwa attacked the swarm. Rose Whip lashes and water streams struck in all directions, killing every bug in the swarm before they got too close. The sliced bodies of the bugs fell to the ground in a gooey mess, but just like the bugs outside, they slowly vanished until nothing was left of their remains.

"That's one mystery solved," Miwa grumbled.

"There will undoubtedly be more. We must find Yusuke and the psychic responsible."

Kurama glanced down at all the sick people lying helpless on the ground. They had no way of knowing just how long they were sick, or how long they could survive being sick.

They continued their trek down the hallway, following the various posted signs to the closest set of stairs or elevator and dodging every insect or fallen sick person they could. The amount of insects flying through the hospital was as impressive as it was horrifying. Supposedly, only one psychic created this Territory, but not only did the psychic's Territory create a living creature, it created so many of them, and each insect was extremely effective. They only had to look down at all the sick people to confirm how quickly the infection spread. The people here didn't even have time to get outside before a total epidemic; all of Kurama's group saw just how quiet and empty it was in the courtyard. If Yusuke's Spirit Gun was aimed at this psychic, this hospital was more dangerous than any of them first thought. At first, they ran down a couple floors of the emergency stairwell, but just as they passed the third floor, they spotted below a giant swarm of insects waiting by the door to the first floor. At least a hundred bugs were probably waiting down there for someone to try and escape. Even with their weapons, Kurama and Miwa would be unlikely to get through those numbers unscathed, so they abandoned the stairwell and returned to the main hall. The swarms were smaller, but the number of ill people just continued to grow.

If they found an elevator, perhaps they could make their way down, and they could see one up ahead as they ran, but unexpectedly, the doors opened. Two thin figures emerged from inside, falling unceremoniously onto the floor. Kurama and Miwa immediately recognized them as Keiko and Shizuru, but there was no time to wonder what they were doing here. A swarm of infectious insects chased them from the elevator, so Kurama and Miwa leapt into action. Miwa sent her water stream forward, stretching it out into a veil to shield the two girls, and Kurama's whip made quick work of the bugs.

Shizuru looked up, cradling a sick Keiko in her arms. "Kurama? Miwa?"

Kurama gathered his whip into his hand. "What on earth are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We followed Puu here," she said, sitting up, "But Keiko is sick, and the bugs got into the elevator we hid in."

Miwa kneeled down and put her hand on Keiko's forehead. Her skin was just as green, and her temperature was just as hot as all the other infected people here. If Yusuke found out that Keiko was in danger too, he might act thoughtlessly like Genkai originally feared. Miwa looked back to the elevator. For now, the bugs were gone, but they would certainly be back. The sign above the elevator call buttons showed they were on the second floor. Yusuke was one floor below, right where they saw the Spirit Gun blast. He was so close, and he might need help against the Psychic. The sooner Kurama and Miwa found him, the better. But leaving these two alone, when Shizuru was still susceptible to the Territory's disease, wouldn't be good either.

"I'm sure Yusuke is fighting the guy who started this disease," Miwa said. "Keiko should get better if that Psychic is knocked out."

Shizuru nodded. "But, the bugs..."

A loud crash echoed from the floor below, and the ground vibrated from the impact. Yusuke's Spirit Energy was continuously rising, growing more with power fueled from his emotions. The Psychic was only a human, but if Yusuke's energy rose to such a level, he was either extremely dangerous, or he pissed Yusuke off.

"Yusuke…" Keiko whimpered.

Shizuru gasped. "Look out!"

Swarms of the infectious insects approached from both sides of the hall, as if they could sense three healthy people still lingering in the Territory. Each swarm was a dark cluster of nearly fifty bugs, the biggest swarm they had seen attacking anyone, and Shizuru inched herself closer to Keiko while Miwa and Kurama guarded them from both sides. Did they leave the emergency stairwell door open? Or did the swarm they first saw actually see them and chased them to the hall? They didn't know. Miwa glanced down at the stream around her arm, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kurama looking at it too. Their eyes met for a moment, and in an instant, a plan was formed. Miwa threw her stream to the side, pressing the "Down" button to call the elevator, and they heard the machinery whir to life. The stream bounced off the button and darted towards the swarm, slicing through each bug it came across while Kurama and his Rose Whip held off the rest. The elevator doors quickly opened, and Miwa held her arms above her head. The water stream gathered at her hands and spiraled downward, creating a protective bubble around herself, Shizuru, and Keiko, whose eyes marveled at being so close to such powers for the first time. Kurama took the cue to make his way towards the elevator. Small streams sprouted from Miwa's bubble, like it had sprouted a bunch of snake heads, and chomped down on any bugs that got too close to the elevator. Kurama pressed the buttons to go one floor down and close the doors, but just before the doors closed, Miwa grinned back at him.

"I'll catch up."

Kurama nodded, and the doors closed, cutting them off from each other.

The snake heads continued consuming the bugs that dared to come close to Miwa's bubble, and without Kurama, they focused their efforts on infecting Miwa and Shizuru. The number of snake heads could only fend off so many bugs, and the ones that made through landed directly on top of Miwa's bubble. They stabbed their proboscis onto the water veil, but Miwa's Spirit Energy hardening the bubble stopped them every time.

"That should keep the bugs out," Miwa said.

"What about Kurama?"

"...He can take care of himself until he finds Yusuke."

For some time, the only sounds was the grotesque gushing of bug guts every time Miwa's water killed them, and the amount of bugs that landed on top of her bubble nearly blocked their vision of the outside; the sight actually made Miwa and Shizuru gag. But, with careful swings of Miwa's arms, the snake heads thinned out the swarm until it was just the three of them. The hallway was empty, except for the moaning, sick people littering the floor, and the bugs were gone...for the time being.

Miwa stood up, purposefully breaching the protection of her bubble and stepping free, but the bubble itself remained intact, protecting Shizuru and Keiko. Miwa pushed the elevator call button, and only a small stream water remained around her wrist. If Kurama came across another swarm...

"Don't go for any walks, Shizuru," she said, "I'm going to find the others."

"...Is that little sip of water enough to defend yourself?" Shizuru asked.

Miwa held up her hand, inspecting the thin stream that only wrapped around her wrist twice. "I'll make it work."

The elevator doors opened, but a small swarm was waiting inside. Miwa jumped back, cursing loudly, and the bugs flew towards her as soon as they noticed some fresh prey. The water stream uncoiled, but another loud noise interrupted everything. It was the sound of glass shattering to pieces, right below them, and a dull thump shortly followed. The bugs froze in mid-air and fell to the ground like stones. The very space around them shifted, changed, and Miwa felt the unusual power disappear as the Territory dissolved. The bugs vanished into nothing, and all of the infected, including Keiko, slowly lost their sickly green skin tone. A few of them sat up, wondering aloud what the hell just happened, and Miwa quickly pulled her water back into her pouch. She and Shizuru both looked out the nearby window, and they saw a man in a doctor's coat lying unconscious, surrounded by shards of glass making the grass appear to sparkle, and Genkai stood up from a kneeling position at his side.

Shizuru chucked. "I guess Yusuke beat him."

"Is he alright?" asked Keiko, who already looked lively and healthy.

"I think so," Miwa answered. "Let's go find them."

The three girls hurried down the stairs, not even bothering to wait for an elevator this time, and no infectious bugs got in their way. Through the confused chatter of the doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors, they quickly caught wind of rumors that a "Dr. Kamiya" was responsible for all the commotion. Miwa lead the way, following her trace to an oddly abandoned corridor; perhaps the fighting had scared off the sick. Up ahead, they spotted Kurama's familiar red hair, and further down that hall, was Yusuke Urameshi, the powerful Spirit Detective with a heartwarming hero's smile, triumphant in his first major clash with the enemy. Kurama smiled at them as they approached, and together they reunited with Yusuke.

They had to leave the hospital quickly, before hearing exactly what happened, because a nurse had called the cops. Somehow, either though coincidence or interference, it took long enough for the entire hospital to become infected before the cops even got close. Either way, they bolted before the police could hinder them down for questioning, but the Psychic, Dr. Kamiya was promptly arrested for the murder of several doctors and nurses. Yusuke explained Dr. Kamiya's abilities beyond the infectious bugs; healing and physiological manipulation that Miwa could only dream of, and very befitting of his, for lack of better word, "evil" pseudonym: the "Doctor."

But, he wasn't the only one, and the orchestrator of the upcoming apocalypse was still roaming free.

{00}

Yusuke told them everything he learned on their first day of reconnaissance. Yusuke's group met a human named Murota with the ability to read the minds of anyone in his Territory, and they learned there were eight psychics trying to open the tunnel to the Demon World, each with their own nicknames: Black Angel, Gatekeeper, Gourmet, Gamemaster, Navigator, Sniper, Seaman, and Doctor. Based on Yusuke's explanation of the Doctor's powers, all of their nicknames were likely related to their powers; Sniper supposedly was the one who shot Murota with a pencil eraser from over 500 yards away with enough force to break the skin. The others...absolutely no clue what they could do. Miwa, in particular, was curious about the one called "Seaman," but she forced herself to not make any assumptions.

But it all still raised the question: Why? Why would humans, with or without the power of Territory, come together to cause certain destruction for all the human race? Doctor had called humanity a "disease," consuming and destroying each other for their own selfish desires at the detriment of the world. It wasn't a view uncommon among demons, but to hear it as the main motivations for human enemies was...strange. What would turn man against their own kind? What would turn eight of them against humanity? The tunnel to the Demon World was the main threat, but that was the real mystery here. The why.

"Himari! You have a phone call!"

After a quiet knock, Takeo Shimizu called for his daughter through her bedroom door, and Miwa heard his voice clearly. She adjusted the collar of her red school uniform in the small mirror she kept on her desk and exited out to the hall. In just a few steps, she entered the small living area of the apartment she shared with the human unknowingly acting as her father. A small phone rested on a table near the kitchen, lying off the hook, but Takeo was nowhere to be seen. He was probably in his room, gathering the last of his things before he left for his job at the local city hall. Miwa picked up the receiver, but she knew who it was before she even said hello.

"Hey, Shuichi."

"Himari…" Kurama's voice sounded oddly serious and quiet. He used Miwa's human name just in case, but Miwa had a strong feeling his mother wasn't in earshot of their conversation. "I won't be at school today."

"Why?" Miwa asked, glancing down the hallway just to make sure Takeo was still in his room. She lowered her voice and asked, "Are you investigating something?"

"Yes. I need to see Koenma face to face. There is something I want to ask him."

Miwa paused. They both knew Yusuke had a handy briefcase phone they could use to communicate with Koenma if they needed, but if Kurama wanted to go out of his way to see the Ruler of the Spirit World, it had to be something serious. Something that Kurama wanted to confront Koenma about, leaving him without escape by being there in person.

"You think he knows something," Miwa said.

"Yes. I just can't believe that this new foe is someone who never appeared as a person of interest to Spirit World Intelligence. Even if he doesn't know for certain, I suspect Koenma has a strong suspicion that he is not telling us."

"...Do you really think he'll just answer you if you accuse him of that?"

"He will if I'm right."

Miwa sighed. Kurama's intuition was nothing to take lightly, so if he suspected Koenma knew something, then that was enough for Miwa to believe it was true, especially if he was willing to make the effort of going all the way to Spirit World just to ask.

"Would you care to join me?" Kurama suddenly asked.

Miwa paused, weighing her options, and then she had an idea. "No, you go ahead. I think there's something else I can do here."

"Alright." There was a small rustle from Takeo's room, but the door didn't open. "Miwa…" Kurama said, trailing off as if debating whether to say what was on his mind. "Did you put a trace on someone other than Yusuke?"

"Hm? Why would you ask?"

Kurama didn't answer; it was too obvious. If he sensed for Miwa's trace on Yusuke yesterday, he would surely have sensed any other trace that wasn't too far away. "If you've had a trace active all this time, then you haven't properly slept since we were at the house."

Miwa opened her mouth to answer, but Takeo's door opened. Takeo emerged from his room with his black suit buttoned closed, and a pale green tie peeked out from his collar. He glanced down the hall, saw his daughter still on the phone, and quietly tiptoed into the kitchen so he wouldn't be a bother.

"Okay," Miwa said, "I hope you feel better, Shuichi. Bye."

"Miwa-"

Miwa put down the receiver, cutting off the call and Kurama's last words. Takeo glanced up from packing his bento in his bag. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Shuichi isn't feeling well, so he won't be at school today."

"Oh, that was very nice of him to call you."

Miwa chuckled. "He just wanted me to know that I would be walking to school alone today." Miwa glanced up at the clock in the living room. "Dad, don't you have to leave? You'll miss your train"

Takeo glanced at the clock, and his face paled. "Yes! I need to go!" He jogged to the entrance and stuffed his feet into his shoes.

"Have a good day!" Miwa said, waving as her human father disappeared out the door with a hurried wave.

The door closed behind him, and Miwa was left alone in their small apartment. It was a very average home with more than enough space for two people, and certainly nothing conspicuous or unusual. It was meant to be a home for a young demon refugee, after all. Miwa looked through the very simple decor of a single man. A small kitchen with the basic necessities and a wooden dining table at its side, a living space with a small off-white couch facing a TV, and a hallway leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom. Her bedroom was also rather simple. A bed with blue sheets and comforter, a desk cluttered with well-used reference books atop a pile of notebooks, and a closet for enough clothes befitting a teenage girl that honestly didn't care much for fashion. Four years ago, Miwa waltzed into this apartment under the guise of a long lost daughter, unable to stay with Takeo Shimizu's ex girlfriend. He kindly agreed to be her new guardian, with the help of some brainwashing from a few demons that helped Fuura hide refugees. Four years living in this apartment, and Miwa did come to think of it as a home. A very calming, simple home.

But, storming the hospital the day before reminded her of something else. She used to be a thief, infiltrating places to accomplish specific goals. At Kurama's side, they used stealth, tactics, and their individual skills to avoid the dangers within. Avoiding those infectious bugs, guarding Keiko and Shizuru, and searching for Yusuke. They could have been hurt, infected, or even killed during it all, but at the same time, it was...fun. Like a nostalgic trip back to the days before either of them came to the human world. It all reminded her of one thing. This house, this family dynamic with Takeo, the school that her uniform belonged to; it was all fake. Himari Shimizu didn't really exist. Shiori Minamino gave birth and raised Shuichi Minamino. Even if it wasn't his original world, it was his world now. Miwa's place in this world was completely fabricated. In truth, she was a thief. A mizuchi. A demon. The human life was not the life she always had. Miwa returned to her bedroom and quickly took off her school uniform; Kurama wasn't the only one ditching school that day. She pulled a common pair of jeans, paired with a black shirt and jacket, out of her closet and threw them on. With nothing but her wallet and the full water pouch on her back, Miwa left the apartment and walked in the opposite direction of her school. She could hear the whispers of middle-aged housewives out on the street, watching the school-aged girl walk around during school hours, clearly not in school and sans her uniform; she didn't care.

Kurama was running off to Spirit World, but there were still things she could do.

{00}

Miwa walked down a dark alleyway with her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets and her hood pulled over her head. Tall, rough-looking men leaned against the walls with their arms folded over their chests. Most of them just talked to each other in deep, dangerous voices, but a couple eyed Miwa as she walked by. She hoped the hood would hide her obvious female features, but there was nothing she could do if they happened to look directly at her face or her thin frame compared to the wide shoulders of human men. A stern look managed to keep a few away, and most were more interested in the bottles of alcohol or beer cans they managed to attain. However, that didn't stop a middle-aged creep from approaching and pulling Miwa's hood down.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in school?" he asked. As he spoke, Miwa could see a gold tongue piercing in his mouth. His arm slithered around her shoulder, pulling himself uncomfortably close, but Miwa didn't flinch. She just glared at his left hand hanging precariously low over her shoulder. "Are you lost? Don't think I've seen you before."

Miwa could smell a ridiculous amount of hairspray that supported his hair to stand up in spikes. "I'm looking for someone," she said, still staring at the guy's hand.

"Someone?" The hairspray guy parroted. "How can I help you if I don't know who you're looking for?"

Miwa elbowed the guy in the chest to shove him away. He took a couple steps back with a quiet "oof," and Miwa continued on her way. "I don't need help," she said calmly and brushed off imaginary filth from her shoulder.

"Look, little girl." That guy's filthy hand grabbed her shoulder again. "You should just be good while I'm still feeling nice."

Miwa smiled to herself. "Nice?" She grabbed the guy's wrist and lifted it off her shoulder. His fingers dragged across her jacket as he tried to keep hold, but his pathetic human strength was nothing to her. The surprise on his face as his large hand was crushed in her thin fingers was amusing. Miwa rolled her fingers, and she felt muscles and bone shift unnaturally in her grip, making the poor bastard wince. "Interesting way of showing just how nice you are. I feel so welcome here."

She dropped his hand, and he cradled it in his arm; the skin was already turning red. Miwa lifted her hood and continued on her merry way. The creep just stared at her as she left, wondering who the hell he just tried to hit on, and at the same time ignoring the other idiots snickering at him for getting brushed off by a much younger girl. Thankfully, the show allowed Miwa to walk the rest of the way without disturbance. She turned a corner, and the loiterers were thinning out quickly. One person hung out in this area that everyone else liked to avoid. Then, Miwa found a lanky man sitting on a piece of cardboard. His brown hair was a wild mess, and both his jeans and tank top were tattered and dirty. There were no empty bottles of alcoholic beverages littered around him like most of the people here, but he didn't seem to have anything to keep him occupied, like his favorite pastime was just staring at the wall. But, when he saw Miwa's feet in front of him, he looked up and smirked.

"Well well well, long time no see." His grin showed sharp, yellowed teeth. "You've been quite busy since I last saw ya, Water Apparition."

Miwa pulled down her hood of her own accord. "Nice to see you, too, Kanra."

He straightened his overly slouched position and crossed his legs. "Robbin' secured vaults full of treasure again?"

Miwa smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I'm here to ask if you've heard about any unusual humans recently."

"Oh, that again." Kanra lifted one leg and slowly stood up, leaning most of his weight on his right leg. "I already gave ya the one who plays with grass. What more do ya need?"

Miwa mirrored his pose. "No one in particular. But if you've heard about any strange humans, I want to find them."

Kanra eyed her carefully, and his teeth hid behind a deep frown. "You're looking into that bug crap going on in Mushiyori, aren't ya?"

"As always, your information is so current."

"Ya learn a lot just sitting on yer ass while demon idiots talk their teeth out around ya." Kanra pulled a crumpled box of cigarettes from his pocket and quickly lit up. "It'll cost ya, girlie," he said. The wrapped tobacco balanced precariously over his lip, but even as he spoke, it did not fall.

Miwa pulled down her jacket zipper and reached inside. She pulled out a large case of cigarettes; the same brand Kanra was smoking, still wrapped and everything. A rubber band was wrapped around the middle of the case, trapping a wad of bills. She tossed the case, and Kanra caught it with one hand. "You'll get more if the information you give is legit."

"Yes yes, just as always." Kanra held the box to his nose and took a sniff. With one finger, he ran over the edge of the wad of bills, making a quick count, and then he giggled. "Didja steal these, girlie? I doubt they would be sellin' these to someone who's supposed to be underage." His giggles turned into laughter that echoed in the empty section of the alleyway. "I guess runnin' with the Spirit Detective didn't change yer ways."

"I don't 'run with the Spirit Detective' because I've changed my ways. I'm just doing what I need to do."

"If ya say so." Kanra pocketed the cash and tossed the box onto the flattened cardboard he was sitting on. "I've been hearin' a lot about strange humans lately, but some guy has been goin' around tryin' to recruit a few."

Miwa's eyes widened. "Do you know who that is?"

Kanra shook his head. "That guy's just been callin' himself 'Black Angel,' from what I hear. Dunno his name yet; he's a slippery one."

Miwa frowned. That piece of information was something she already knew. According to Yusuke, Doctor had mentioned "Black Angel" in a way that suggested he was the leader. The man in black Yusuke saw in town could possibly be the Black Angel, but it was too early for assumptions like that.

"But, I bet ya anything he's trouble." Kanra spat his cigarette out as he already finished it, and he immediately lit another one with well practiced hands. "This is just my theory, but if this is some precursor of a portal to the Demon World, it's probably just a trap by Spirit World."

"Why is that?"

Kanra grinned. "Spirit World's had it against our kind for centuries. What d'ya think would happen if demons do end up coming through the portal?"

"...Spirit World would just be waiting on the other side to capture or kill them all."

Kanra snapped his fingers and pointed cheerfully at her. "Ya got it."

Miwa chuckled. Kanra wasn't wrong. If the Tunnel did get completed, surely Yusuke would be there to guard the humans for as long as possible. "Then, if you do not know who is recruiting unusual humans, can you help me find one? Recruited or not, I need something to get closer to this Black Angel guy."

Kanra took a long drag out of his cigarette and blew the smoke in Miwa's face, but she pretended not to notice. "Yeah, I got one," he said. "There's this kid that goes to a cram school near your school. He's a common thread in the disappearance of three classmates that the police are investigating. It's quite spooookyyyy," he teased, wiggling his fingers in Miwa's face and grinning widely.

Miwa brushed his hands away like they were flies. "And his name?"

Kanra sighed at the girl's lack of a sense of humor. "...Shou Nishida."

{00}

Thanks to Kanra's information, Miwa found her way to the cram school Shou supposedly attended: Hayashida Academy. It was an impressive school, taking elementary to high school aged students; anyone preparing for an entrance exam or just looking for extra learning. Some of Miwa's own upperclassmen attended this cram school to prepare for college entrance exams, but Miwa herself had never been inside. The academy was a plain white building placed strategically in the middle of a busy market area near the train station, getting a lot of advertisement just from foot traffic alone. But, since most of the students came in the late afternoon or early evening, the school was all but deserted at noon. Miwa easily broke in through the back door, slowly sneaking her way through the quiet building. Four floors total, most of the rooms acting as classrooms, but the first floor was mainly administrative with a small office on the side where the teachers did their work; a very typical layout for a business like this. Miwa found the door to the teachers office, clearly marked with an obvious sign, and peeked into the door's glass pane. Three teachers were inside, two men and one woman, focusing intently on their paperwork at their desks, and none of them noticed Miwa at all. This room was the most likely place for her to find any specific information about Shou Nishida.

How shall I get inside?

Unlike most break-ins Miwa ever took part in, this one was very spontaneous and unplanned. She had no information about floor plans, security, or even the work schedules of the employees. But with the end of the world coming within an unspecified amount of days, there was no time for any such preparation. Miwa had to improvise a way to get into the teacher's office, search blindly for any file with information about Shou, and leave without getting caught. It shouldn't be difficult; there were humans that did this sort of thing. Hell, students occasionally did this. Miwa, an experienced demon thief, should have no trouble.

Miwa peeked into the office again, and she saw red metal spouts fixed into the ceiling. She could sense traces of water within the plumbing inside the walls. Miwa chuckled to herself just thinking about it. The simplicity was almost...charming. She raised her hand, and it glowed a faint blue. Inside the walls, the water began to stir in ways the plumbing had never seen before.

"Oh my!"

"What the?!"

Each metal spout in the ceiling released a torrential rain of water over the heads of the three teachers. They raised their hands over their heads to protect themselves from the water, but it was no use. Miwa forced open the in-house sprinkler system and increased the water pressure in just this room. No fire alarm alerting the rest of the building. Just an isolated incident with a malfunctioning fire safety device. Miwa grinned as she took several cautious steps back, hiding behind the corner as she waited for the teachers to leave the room. She could hear their voices from inside the office, panicked and confused, until finally the three teachers evacuated the room, but they blankly stared back inside, wondering what in the world was happening. To feed the illusion, Miwa next forced open the sprinklers in the hallway, as if the malfunction was following the teachers. The three teachers, shrieking in surprise, escaped down the hallway, and they never noticed Miwa hiding in her corner.

"That was fun."

Miwa held her hand above her head, and the water fell around her, keeping her dry with her little Spirit Energy umbrella. She quickly entered the teacher's office and stopped the sprinklers. Twenty desks and several file cabinets were dripping wet, and perhaps some of their work was damaged, but that wasn't Miwa's concern. The water soaking everything was to her advantage. She used the dripping water to force open every single drawer in the office at once, and the loud slam echoed in the small room. She walked between the desks, scanning all the folders she could see, looking for any student records. As she passed the fourth desk in the third row, Miwa noticed something oddly out of place: three "Missing" posters laid neatly out on the table. On each poster, the face of a young child stared right back at Miwa.

Three missing boys: Ken Morita, Eiji Asai, and Hiroshi Saito, twelve years old. Last seen going home from their cram school, this cram school, three weeks ago.

"He's the main common thread in the disappearance of three classmates."

Miwa knelt at the desk and rummaged through the drawers. She quickly found the teacher's attendance book and found each of the missing boys' names on the roster. The posters said the boys had been missing for three weeks, and their attendance record matched. But, Miwa also found "Shou Nishida" on the roster as well. Shou had regular, perfect attendance up until the three boys went missing, and since then, Shou was absent from cram school for days at a time. He attended class properly the day before, but whether he would come later tonight was a mystery. Miwa returned the attendance book to where she found it, and dug through more files to look for anything about the missing boys or Shou. She found another notebook that had notes on each student; this teacher was especially diligent, much to Miwa's pleasure and convenience. She flipped through the book, straight to Shou's page, and...there was a surprising amount written about him in the teacher's neat handwriting. Miwa skimmed through it all, but certain points stood out to her.

"Nishida may be getting bullied… Kawada told me he saw Morita, Asai, and Saito pushing him towards a closed train crossing...Nishida denies these claims, but he is such a quiet boy; he is the type that could get targeted for bullying..."

Miwa glanced at the missing posters. Three suspected bullies...suddenly gone missing.

"The police visited the school to question the teachers about Morita, Asai, and Saito's disappearance. Nishida was apparently the last person seen with them, but he said he doesn't know anything…Nishida has been skipping class a lot lately. I am worried the disappearance is affecting him..."

Miwa checked Shou's home address, and just as she suspected, he lived in Mushiyori City. Hayashida Academy was well known for their prep courses, but to think Shou would travel this far outside his own city just for cram school. If Miwa knew anything about humans, she suspected the parents must have pushed him into it. But, as the teacher's records further showed, his grades were not the best despite commuting so far. Miwa didn't know if this was why Shou was getting bullied, but that didn't matter. Shou Nishida was the only lead she had on unusual humans, so she needed to find him. Based on his home address, Miwa could guess the route Shou would take home, and there was one train crossing that came to mind. That might be the next place to look. But, if Shou had the power of Territory, could he be responsible for the disappearance of three boys? There was no way to know for sure...not with the information she currently had.

A quiet murmur of voices echoed in the hallway outside. It was time to leave.

Miwa mentally thanked the Shou's teacher for her diligent note-taking and returned the notebook to its proper place in the drawer. Using the water again, Miwa closed all the desk drawers and file cabinets with a loud bang, further agitating the voices outside. Miwa heard a female voice say something about ghosts, and Miwa didn't even try to hid her giggle, as if to feed the illusion. The door was too risky an escape, so Miwa quickly opened the office window and jumped out into the alleyway below.

Shou Nishida...where are you now?

{00}

The area was lacking in life without the frequent blaring sound of warning signals, but the yellow caution tape blocking the train crossing brought a certain reality to him, proving that things here were not well.

"Why do you even go to this school?"

The rush of wind from trains passing by pushed his small body back with ease. Pedestrians paid no mind, thinking him just a boy that loved to watch the trains.

"You're just so dumb!"

The quiet crinkle of old papers posted on the community bulletin board sounded louder than even the train. Each poster had a face that watched every person who walked by.

"Just get on the train and go home!"

Every crinkle of paper carried with it a quiet whisper of voices he hadn't heard in weeks. Voices that always spark fear in him, that would never leave him alone, following him like a vengeful ghost the longer their owners were away.

"Go away!"

Three weeks ago...and just yesterday. Purple light. All he remembered was the purple light.

A sharp pain raced across his brain like a bolt of lightning, but not even his painful screams could block out those ghostly whispers.

{00}

Taichi and Saya walked home from school together, as they always did. The sun was setting, and most of the pedestrian traffic had thinned to nearly nothing. The streets were quiet, except for their quiet footsteps on the pavement, as the world was bathed in a rich orange light. They both had a very good, normal day at school. Sitting in class and taking notes, meeting during the breaks just to talk, and Taichi playing basketball in the rear courtyard while he waited for Saya to finish her badminton practice. The only difference that day was they each had a missing classmate, and Taichi ended up playing basketball alone. Taichi was worried that both Shimizu and Minamino were absent that day without notice, but it wasn't as if it never happened before. Saya, on the other hand, just kept giggling about it whenever the subject came up, and Taichi rolled his eyes at her each time.

"Do you think the train crossing is open again?" Saya asked.

"It wasn't open this morning, but we can go look if you want." The nearest open crossing was quite the detour, after all.

Saya's eyes lit up. "Maybe we can find a clue about what happened…"

The missing pieces of the train crossing were a hot topic of conversation at school that day, but the amount of ridiculousness the rumors managed to reach was astounding. Taichi wasn't the only one who noticed that the edges of the remaining pieces were cleanly cut. The stories about the missing pieces ranged from a group of punks pulling an elaborate prank in the dark to samurai thieves whisking away pieces for some unknown purpose. It was fun to speculate what could have happened, and the student population seemed much livelier that day as they discussed their own theories and rumors with each other. Taichi thought the train crossing would be crowded full of curious students once school was over, but he hoped that, since it was already so late, most of them would have gone home to their families. Soon, Taichi and Saya reached the mysterious train crossing, and as expected, the area was still blocked with yellow caution tape.

Taichi looked ahead, and other than one little boy, he was surprised there was absolutely no one else around. Most students would probably be home, but Taichi thought for sure at least one curious adult would still be loitering around. Not even a local police officer to keep watch, like this morning. The little boy stood in front of a nearby community bulletin board, staring intently at three posters. Taichi knew what they were about without even looking since they had been posted there for nearly three weeks. Three elementary school boys, similar in age to the boy standing there, suddenly went missing on their way home from a nearby cram school. The local police were hoping anyone with information would come forward, but sadly, no one did, and those posters were slowly growing tattered from being exposed to the elements for so long. The little boy seemed quite thin, and his black hair was messy. Something about him seemed so frail and shy, and the way he stared at the posters made him appear almost frightened. A brown backpack lay discarded at his feet, but...something wasn't right. Even from afar, Taichi could hear him quietly whimpering to himself, and then, the boy suddenly clenched tightly at his head and sank to his knees.

"Oh! Are you okay?!" Saya immediately ran forward and knelt at the boy's side, and Taichi followed. The poor boy squeezed his eyes shut, like he was suffering from an extremely painful headache, and small tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. "Where are your parents?" Saya asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll find them for you."

"No!" The boy screamed and pushed Saya away. He took a few steps away from them, but then he collapsed to his knees again, clutching his head once more and whimpering. "I...c-can't…" His eyes peeked open, and he stared at the bulletin board once again.

"Saya, I think we need to get an ambulance. This isn't normal."

"Okay." Saya stood up and glanced around. They weren't near any main roads, but there should be a pay phone or a police box if she backtracked a short distance. She took one step, and then the boy screamed again.

"Go away!"

An orb of purple light materialized in front of them, enveloping a section of the bulletin board. A loud crack resounded, and a line sliced right through the bulletin board along the edge of the purple orb of light. Taichi and Saya scurried back, startled by the sound and light. The line divided the bulletin board into two, stretching diagonally from the upper right to the bottom left, but the upper half, the side where the three missing posters were placed, slowly floated deeper into the purple light. Taichi and Saya stared, wide-eyed at this impossible phenomenon, but then the floating piece stretched and flexed within the purple space. Then, in the light's distortion, the floating bulletin board piece vanished into thin air, and the light quickly faded. On the edge of the piece that remained, untouched by the purple light, the line left behind a smooth, clean cut on the edge. Just like a katana slicing through bamboo to clear a path. Just like the remnants of the mysterious train crossing.

Saya screamed, and Taichi pulled her back. This place is dangerous, he thought to himself. This kid is dangerous... Those thoughts repeated in his mind, just barely coming through in moments of clarity amongst his instincts screaming at him to run. Behind him, he heard the scream of a lone housewife who just happened to walk by and the quiet clacks of her shoes as she followed her own instincts to escape. He pulled at Saya's arm again. "We need to go," he said urgently.

"But, the boy!"

The little boy stood in the middle of the street, still holding his head in pain. But, noticeably, he did not seem surprised at all that somehow, a bulletin board vaporized right in front of him. It was insane. It should be impossible. It was like something out of a movie. But, Taichi couldn't ignore the other thought making its way through his instincts: this boy somehow did it himself. The boy finally began to cry, and the tears dribbled down his cheeks, but the pain in his head did not go away. Whatever this was, that light was probably connected to the boy and his headache, and what would happen if Taichi or Saya got caught in that strange purple light?

"Get back, you two!"

From out of nowhere, Shimizu appeared on the other side of the train crossing. Then, she leapt over the entire train track, soaring through the air at an impossible height, and landed on the other side without injury. She ran over, putting herself between Taichi, Saya, and the boy, as if protecting them from the small child. Taichi almost didn't recognize her since she wasn't in uniform. Between the dark jacket, jeans and a black pouch bouncing on her back, her only immediately recognizable traits were her voice and face.

Saya binked a few times, making sure everything she's seeing wasn't a dream. "Himari?"

"How did you do that?" asked Taichi.

Shimizu ignored them and instead called out to the boy. "Shou Nishida! Call off your Territory!"

Taichi and Saya glanced at each other. What in the world was she talking about?

The little boy, who Shimizu called Shou, briefly glanced up upon hearing his name. But, he still held tightly to his head.

More tears streamed down Shou's cheeks. "I...can't," he repeated.

"Yes, you can," Shimizu said gently. She took a step closer and raised her hands cautiously. "It's your power. You can control it."

Shou shook his head, squinting his eyes shut. Shimizu glanced back at them, but for a moment, Taichi didn't recognize the seriousness in the eyes he saw, even though they were undoubtedly her own. It was like seeing a different person.

"Just...go...away…" Shou sobbed. "...Leave me alone!"

A small orb of purple light appeared again, surrounding Shimizu, Taichi, and Saya. Shimizu's eyes widened, and the top of the pouch on her back suddenly popped open. A translucent substance slithered out of the pouch of its own accord and quickly spread into a glowing blue wall. Before Taichi and Saya could ask questions, the wall pushed them both back at an alarming speed; they nearly tripped on their own feet trying to keep up. But, the moment the wall touched them, the cold, liquid-like sensation on Taichi's skin made him realize the wall was made of water. Shimizu matched pace with them, running alongside her strange water wall, and the three of them escaped the purple light. The light faded, and Shou still sobbed quietly in his spot.

"You two need to get out of here," Shimizu said sternly.

"Himari, what's going on?!" Saya shrieked.

Her hands shook, and she peeked out from behind Taichi's shoulder to ask her question, but Saya was too stubborn to leave out of fear. Not when a good friend and classmate would probably stay behind with this strange boy. Taichi also had no intention to leave. Not without understanding just what the hell was happening. There was a strange feeling in his chest, like he was about to uncover something he suspected about Shimizu all along, but could never quite figure out.

Shimizu sighed and kept her eyes focused on Shou. "I think this boy is losing control of a power he doesn't fully understand…"

"Power…?"

The water wall...that came from the pouch on Shimizu's back. Shou created orbs of purple light that erased anything trapped inside. Special powers. Inexplicable phenomena. The fantastic abilities of books and movies were coming to life before his eyes. Shou had powers. Shimizu had powers, and she had been hiding them all along.

"It was an accident…" Shou whimpered. "I didn't mean to…"

The posters…

Shou was staring at the missing posters before things became strange. The missing posters featured three boys around Shou's age that suddenly went missing, as if they suddenly disappeared, like the bulletin board or the train crossing. Gone without a trance or witness. Missing for nearly three weeks, last seen right in this area. Was it possible? Did Shou somehow make those three boys...vanish into the purple light?

The water wall collapsed and turned into a long, stream of water that coiled around Shimizu's arm. To Taichi, it looked like a snake, wrapping itself around its master's limb while raising its head to appear threatening. Shou sank to his knees, and this time, five purple orbs appeared at random around him. Three formed around nothing, but two orbs captured small parts of the fences lining the road, and once the light faded, they left small, circular holes in the fence, giving everyone glimpses into the backyards of two different houses.

"Dammit."

Shimizu ran forward, with her arms raised, and she once again yelled for Shou to call off his "Territory," but Taichi still didn't understand what she meant. She threw her hand out, and the water stream uncoiled itself from her arm. She and the stream shifted from side to side, dodging more purple orbs that appeared around them. Taichi had never seen Shimizu move so fast; she was nearly a dark blur. If she had used that speed when they played basketball, Taichi would have been screwed. In a lapse of awareness, Taichi thought that maybe she was the one who made his water bottle spill on his feet when they last played together. Realizations aside, Shimizu and the water stream quickly approached Shou, still dodging purple orbs like she could sense them forming just before they appeared.

Shou opened his eyes, took one glance at Shimizu approaching quickly, and he screamed again, "Go away!"

Ten orbs appeared, creating a barrier around Shou's body, leaving no room for Shimizu to possibly get close. Through small openings between orbs, even Taichi could see that they were dangerously close to Shou's body. If the boy moved even an inch, he could be caught in the light as well.

Shimizu pivoted on her feet and jumped back. The purple orbs actually clipped a bit of Shimizu's water stream, and it vanished into thin air. "Shou, please calm down!" She raised her hands in cautious surrender and took a tiny step forward. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but if you don't calm down, you'll lose control and hurt someone."

"...I already did."

Tears welled up in his eyes again, but the small boy still winced from what must have been a terrible headache. Taichi didn't understand the bigger picture, but he was slowly putting together some pieces. Whatever power this was, it probably gave Shou that headache, and the stress from the pain was making him lose control of how and when he created those purple orbs of light. Those three missing kids from the posters. Shou must have made them disappear. The posters showing their faces right by the train crossing might have triggered his guilt every time he walked by, and he made parts of the train crossing disappear.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault…"

More purple orbs appeared, scattered across the area. They enveloped roofs, telephone poles, fences, the remnants of the bulletin board, each materializing into the air like popcorn popping in a microwave. Ten...twenty orbs...Taichi was quickly losing count, and everything they touched disappeared into the light in seconds.

"You two need to leave!" Shimizu ordered from afar. "I can't protect you both and stop him!"

"Then let us help you!" Saya retorted.

Shou cried out in pain, and the purple light appeared around Taichi and Saya.

For an instant, fear was the only thing that flashed through Taichi's mind. This was a mistake. They shouldn't have stayed here. Some stupid, immature notion in Taichi's mind convinced him that he could be of some use here, that he was too young for anything really bad to happen to him. He was just a normal kid after all. Hell, he was just playing basketball without a care not even an hour ago. But, this wasn't normal; he could actually die here, disappear into nothingness, and he had no way to defend himself, like Shimizu did. He had to run. Saya had to run. The purple light grew brighter, but...his legs wouldn't move. He knew he had to get out of this purple light, but his body just wouldn't listen to him. He wasn't a fighter. He wasn't a hero. Taichi...and Saya too...they were both just teenagers. Completely normal teenagers. They weren't supposed to be here, defending themself against a kid with crazy powers that could kill them!

Shimizu groaned, and she thrust both her hands towards Taichi and Saya. The water stream quickly formed another wall and pushed Taichi and Saya backwards, each letting out a loud, "Oof!" in surprise, and the force nearly knocked the wind out of Taichi's lungs. The wall pushed them much faster than before, and they both literally fell over their own feet this time around. In an instant, Taichi and Saya were forced out of the purple light, pushed about ten meters away from Shou, and rolled unceremoniously on the ground when their feet could not handle the wall's speed. They pushed themselves up, brushing debris off their face, but through the water wall, they both saw a purple orb of light form around Shimizu too. The space within the light began to distort, flickering Shimizu's body in and out of sight. She bent her knees, ready to jump her way out of the light herself, but suddenly, Shimizu winced in pain, and she held her hand up to her chest. Taichi recognized this; he had seen the same ailment afflict her at school. She can't escape like this…

"Shimizu, get outta there!"

"Himari!"

Her body disappeared. The space within the light continued to flicker and distort until it finally faded. Taichi and Saya stared wide-eyed and frightened at the open space. Shou continued to sob in the background with his head in his hands, repeating that it was all his fault. An awful feeling overcame Taichi's chest, as if the pit fell out of his stomach and dropped into a bottomless abyss. Did...she just…?

"Tch. I told you not to get killed because of a side effect."

A deep, stern voice neither Taichi nor Saya recognized spoke beside them. They turned, and there, huddled on the side of the road, stood Shimizu and a guy neither of them knew. He was short with spiky hair, wore a long black cloak, and a white bandana covered his forehead. His bandaged right hand held a tight grip around Shimizu's left arm, still holding fast from when he grabbed Shimizu and dragged her out of the light. How was that possible? One minute Shimizu was wincing in pain in the light, and mere seconds later, she and this guy appeared somewhere else entirely. But, considering what Shou and Shimizu could do, super speed or teleportation or whatever wasn't particularly unbelievable anymore. Shimizu looked between the man's face and his hand on her arm. Her eyes were wide like dinner plates, as if the man's sudden appearance was something she never expected either. But, Taichi noticed that with every passing second, her cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

"Hiei…"

Hearing her breathless voice call his name was the moment Taichi knew: he was the one. He was the guy Shimizu had feelings for.

The man, Hiei, let go of Shimizu's arm and glanced over at Taichi and Saya. "Friends of yours?" he asked.

"...Yeah, stumbled into this completely by chance." Shimizu sighed, and the redness in her cheeks slowly faded. "Tsutsumi. Saya," she called, "Don't go past the wall. You're just outside of his Territory, so he can't hurt you."

Taichi and Saya glanced at each other, and then they nodded in agreement. They had no idea what she meant, but this was something beyond either of them, no matter how much they wanted to help their friend.

"Make it go away…"

Shou's headache was getting worse. The boy was on his knees, clutching his head with fingers that were slowly turning white, and his sobs grew into wails of sadness and pain, but with everyone around him some distance away, the purple orbs seemed to randomly spawn around his body, popping in and out of existence at a constant rate, each illuminating Shou's tear-stricken face. Patches of matter around them disappeared whenever they were caught in the light. The fences, ground, and even some house roofs around them were all slowly resembling swiss cheese. Shimizu and Hiei, who were supposedly still "in Shou's Territory," dodged each purple orb with an incredible speed, beyond what should be humanly possible.

"The rate these orbs appear is getting faster," Hiei muttered. They were so busy dodging, it was impossible for them to get close to Shou, even at the speeds they were moving.

"Shou, please!" Shimizu called. "We can't help you if you don't calm down!"

He didn't answer. He just continued to wail. Taichi couldn't possibly imagine just how much pain he was in. Shou's screams came from the deepest pits of the boy's soul, so loud and anguished that it would probably damage Shou's throat. The sound was unforgettable. Taichi had never heard someone, adult or child, cry out in such torturous pain and suffering, and there was no ordinary doctor that could help him. Any curious passersby that wanted to investigate the noise quickly ran away when they saw the purple orbs of light. But sooner or later, actual police officers would come to investigate too, and that would probably just make the situation worse.

Shimizu took a step forward. "Shou…"

"Just...make it stop!"

The purple light created a large dome around Shou. He screamed in pain again, as it finally reached its peak.

Shimizu's eyes widened and she sprinted forward. But, more purple orbs appeared around Shou, stopping her in her tracks and keeping everything away. Inside the light, Shou's body flickered in and out of sight, morphed into impossible shapes, and Shou continued to scream. Taichi slammed his fists against the water wall. Somewhere in him was this morbid curiosity to see this as close as possible. He heard a dull sound, and he realized it was his own voice, shouting at Shou to try and convince him to escape the light. Seconds passed by in what felt like hours. The world around Taichi seemed to move in slow motion. Saya's voice joined his own, calling out to Shou. No one could get close. Shou had to get himself out of the light. Shou opened his eyes, and for the first time, he saw that light surrounded him too.

The light faded, and Shou's body disappeared along with it, his crying voice suddenly stopped mid-scream.

The purple orbs vanished, but everything they erased remained gone. The holes in the matter around them were not restored. The ground, fences, and the roofs were all punctured with perfectly spherical shapes. Shou's ability to erase matter was permanent...even on himself.

The water wall in front of Taichi and Saya dissolved, returning to its stream shape and to the pouch on Shimizu's back. Shimizu and Hiei stood calmly off on the side, but Shimizu stared downcast at the ground. She failed to save him. Saya leapt into action once the water wall was out of their way. Without even minding that a stranger called Hiei was standing right there, Saya ran right up to Shimizu and grabbed her arm, confirming Shimizu really didn't disappear in that purple light too.

"Are you okay!?" she asked.

Shimizu gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I've been through worse."

Strange powers. Impossible speed. There was no doubt about it anymore: Himari Shimizu was not human. Some...non-human entity, hiding among normal people. And Minamino...he was definitely in on it too. Now Taichi understood why they sometimes disappeared from school. They were probably doing things like this. Taichi also jogged up to them. He noticed that Hiei was watching them carefully, and Taichi did his best to ignore those...red eyes. "Shimizu, just what is going on?" he asked.

"Uh…" Her eyes darted between him and Saya, trying to piece together a feasible story, but after everything they just saw, that was impossible. She sighed and, instead of answering Taichi's question, just said, "I'm sorry you guys got involved in this."

Taichi refused to let his question go unanswered. "...You're not human, are you?"

Shimizu's eyes widened for a split second, but then she actually chuckled. "No. I'm not." Taichi was expecting that answer, but somehow, it still stunned both him and Saya into silence. It was true. She really...wasn't human. "What was Shou doing before his powers went out of control?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Um, I think he was looking at the bulletin board," Saya answered.

"The one with posters of the three missing kids," Taichi added.

Shimizu sighed again. "I thought so."

Saya looked back to the empty street, right at the spot where Shou once stood. "...What happened to him?"

"I think Shou was the one responsible for those missing kids. He couldn't control his power...he's only a kid. And his power ended up...consuming him."

They were silent for a moment. The missing boys...and now Shou, all consumed by that weird purple light. No one would ever believe what happened to them, and they would just be…"missing" forever. A horrible, nauseous feeling pooled in Taichi's stomach. He was almost caught up in that same light. He managed to escape, but Shou...Shou was gone. Taichi almost couldn't comprehend what that actually meant. Was Shou dead? Teleported somewhere else? He had know way of knowing. The nauseous feeling grew stronger, but Taichi worked hard to keep it from showing on his face.

"Miwa." Hiei suddenly spoke, speaking to neither Taichi or Saya, but directly to Shimizu. "Stop wasting time."

"...Right."

"Miwa." ...That's her real name.

Shimizu reached into the front pocket of her pouch and pulled out a small bag full of a white powder. She opened the bag and poured the contents into her palm, and the extremely fine powder seemed to glisten in the evening light. Taichi and Saya both stared at it curiously.

"I'm sorry...for always lying to you guys."

"Huh?"

She didn't elaborate. Instead, she held up the powder and gently blew a white cloud into Taichi and Saya's faces. They stepped back, but it was too late. Their surprised gasp ensured they breathed in some of that powder, and it immediately made them feel drowsy. The world around them blurred, and strength quickly faded from their legs. Taichi felt a thud ripple from his knees, but his mind felt so fuzzy that he felt no pain. The blurry world turned dark, and consciousness slowly faded away. ...What were they doing? ...Why were they so worried?

Then, Taichi drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

{00}

Miwa stared down at the sleeping bodies of her two schoolmates, and she pocketed the now empty bag. Pollen of the forgetfulness plant was really effective and quick-acting on humans, and she always carried a small collection in her pouch for occasions like this. But, she never expected to use it on people she personally knew. Hiei stood beside her, also staring down at their still forms, but he was much less interested.

"Thanks for saving me, Hiei," she said.

Hiei looked off to the side, but he didn't say anything.

Miwa chuckled quietly to herself, expecting that answer after the last time she thanked him, and she turned away, making sure Hiei didn't see her cheeks turning red again. For a moment, Miwa actually thought she was actually going to disappear. She did not expect Hiei to even be nearby, much less save her. The heat in her core flared up just as she pushed Taichi and Saya out of the light, momentarily immobilizing her. If Hiei hadn't shown up… Miwa shook her head, but her cheeks were still red, and she couldn't get it to go away. Miwa was used to protecting others. She was the one that always jumped into reckless situations to help Kurama, and she rarely gave him to the opportunity to do the same. As someone who swore her live to serve another, her pride wouldn't allow her to be saved by that same person.

But...Hiei saved her. Hiei, the same person who plainly said he did not care about how this tunnel to the Demon World adventure turned out. Hiei, a person whose loyalties were never crystal clear, a person Miwa actually held some feelings for, and whom she admired for his strong will and resolve. A person they had to bribe to save Yusuke. That person went out of his way to save her, without even being asked. Miwa never expected it. She wasn't used to being saved by others. But, being saved by that person made brought forth feelings she had never thought possible.

As a distraction, Miwa busied herself by propping Taichi and Saya's bodies up against a fence on the side of the road. They would be out of the way of any foot traffic, and probably more comfortable than just sprawled out on the ground. When she was done, Miwa expected to turn around and find that Hiei had vanished, but to her surprise, he patiently waited for her, and the look on his face told her that there was another purpose for him seeking her out.

Miwa let out a light laugh. "So, you noticed, huh?"

Hiei held out his left hand. "I saved your ass, so get rid of it."

Miwa smiled and stood up. She reached out, and for a moment, she hesitated. Was her face still red? She didn't know, and she threw in all of her thieving experience to keep those racing feelings in her chest at bay. Miwa placed her palms on the top and bottom Hiei's left hand. "For the record," she said, "I wasn't trying to keep tabs on you again. I just...wanted to be able to find you in case something horrible happened."

"I can take care of myself."

"Kaito would probably say otherwise."

Hiei frowned and averted his eyes, deciding to remain silent.

Miwa's hands glowed as she released her Spirit Energy. The more she focused on her task, the less she noticed her nervousness. The energy seeped in, and Miwa carefully raised her top hand, letting it hover just above Hiei's. Then, a small drop of water phased through the pores in Hiei's skin, and a glowing droplet floated in the space between their hands. Hiei remembered seeing a similar trick when Miwa fought Rikiji, but this was a lot less violent; he didn't even feel the water seeping through his skin. Hiei only knew the droplet was there at all because he just happened to sense Miwa's familiar energy nearby while knowing she was somewhere else.

Miwa closed her fist around the droplet and pulled back her hands. "There. You are officially trace-free."

Hiei didn't thank her or anything, only taking a moment to stare at his hand. But, it wasn't a look of scrutiny, like he thought she was lying. Instead, it was...curious and thoughtful, like there was a sensation on his hand that he didn't quite understand.

"I thought you said you weren't going to help us?" Miwa asked.

Hiei made a face at her. "...I needed you to get rid of your trace."

"But, if I disappeared, the trace would have just become water."

"..." Hiei scrunched up his face and turned away. His business here was done. Miwa removed the trace in his hand, and the kid was gone, removing the immediate threat. "...Why are you trying to close the tunnel?"

"Huh?"

He turned back to look her in the eye. "This isn't your world, Miwa. You weren't even born into it, like Kurama. You're just hiding in it, like I am."

Miwa immediately wanted to retort that Hiei should know exactly why Miwa was living in the human world, but she stopped herself. That wasn't what Hiei meant, and he was right. This world, the life she had been living for four years wasn't real. It was all a lie. Takeo Shimizu was literally brainwashed into believing he had a daughter. Miwa's recent frustrations about limitations in a human city reminded her that her skills were not applicable in her current life. This whole day, talking to Kanra, breaking into the cram school, and even fighting against a strange power; it made her feel more at-home than infiltrating the hospital, or even fighting in the Dark Tournament.

Miwa glanced at Taichi and Saya, still sleeping peacefully on the side of the road. She just apologized to them for lying all this time, hiding her identity and never being honest with them. Their world wasn't her own, but...she liked them. Taichi's eagerness and pure joy whenever he played basketball. He played because he loved it; simple as that. And Saya, Himari Shimizu's cheerful and energetic classmate. Probably the only normal human other than Takeo to really support and encourage Himari Shimizu's future. They were good kids; good friends. They almost made Miwa's human life not seem like a lie. Opening the tunnel would put them in danger too...

"If the tunnel opens, you should go back, too," Hiei said. "Fix what is wrong with your seal, or just get rid of it."

"...You know why I'm here, Hiei."

"I know why you're here," Hiei repeated sternly, "But I think you don't."

Hiei vanished, leaving Miwa alone to figure out just what he meant by that.

{00}

From a distant tree, Hiei watched Miwa adjust the body positions of her two human friends. He didn't know why she was so concerned with their comfort. She smiled to herself for some reason, then turned around and walked away casually with her hands in her jacket pockets. Police sirens wailed in the distance, and she did not want to be around for any of that. The random holes in nearby objects would be impossible to explain. She was going home, likely to meet with Kurama and share what they learned that day. Fixing her seal was probably the last thing on her mind.

Hiei didn't care about any regular humans she chose to associate with, but that fool nearly got herself erased trying to protect them. Her core fluctuated again, bringing her to her knees in that weird light. Whatever was wrong with her at the end of the Dark Tournament hadn't been fixed. If Hiei hadn't stepped in, she would have disappeared into the light too, and her oath would have amounted to nothing. Hiei sighed. It was obvious she would protect the human world for Kurama's sake, and maybe even for her two friends, but...she never did anything for herself, like use the tunnel's formation to fix the seal that could actually kill her. The battle with Rikiji may have strengthened her resolve for her oath, but no matter how much Miwa insisted she did all of this of her own will, she still continuously trapped herself in her own constraints. When would that girl ever stop looking out for other people and actually do something selfish for once? When would she realize that she was letting circumstances dictate her life, rather than her own will? It was like she didn't know how to do anything else; that foolish snake...

Hiei looked down at his left hand. The trace was gone, but there was still a sensation he could not get out of his mind. Miwa's hands, gently holding his as she removed the trace, were warm and small; smaller than his own, even though she was taller. Warm, small, and gentle, not even worn or rough from the many battles she has fought, especially compared to Hiei's own hands. It wasn't often that anyone actually reached out to touch him, unless they were trying to punch him in the face. Hiei didn't expect the sudden physical contact from her, but...why did she bother with the trace at all? She joked about how Kaito's territory stole his soul, but even she knew Hiei would never allow himself to make such a stupid mistake twice. By her oath, it would make more sense for her to put a trace on Kurama.

"I just...wanted to be able to find you in case something horrible happened..."

She knew he wouldn't help them with the tunnel.

Everything Miwa did was for Kurama, so why did she try do something for Hiei?

---

Notes: An even longer chapter than the last! The events of this chapter took a very different thematic direction than I originally planned, but I like Miwa's growing distance from the human world, and we got to see a bit of her thief side, going more than half the chapter without Kurama. I took Kanra's name from Izaya's username in Durarara, since he acts as Miwa's information broker, but for this story's purposes, his name means "sees well." Shou Nishida is meant to sound like a normal name since he is a regular human, and "Shou" is written as "bright" or "shining," but I chose this name because it's a homophone for the character meaning "erase."

(Irrelevant Trivia: I watch the House of Four Dimensions episodes so often that wrote most of the canon dialogue from memory, with a few corrections afterword.)