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.

23. Ghosts and Anchors from Long Ago

Chapter 23: Ghosts and Anchors from Long Ago

The battle with Sensui stopped them from appreciating their first glimpse of home in years. But even now, when they had time to stop and take in the purple sky and dark clouds, breathe the cold air, or smell the forever lingering scent of death and decay, the journey before them was full of unknowns and uncertainties, so Kurama and Miwa hardly felt nostalgic. That would come later, or so they would realize once they were already waist deep in Gandara's plans, wading through it like a swamp full of predators.

Shunjun, the new captain of the SDF after Otake shamefully (and forcefully) stepped down, escorted Kurama and Miwa through a portal to Demon World on the first day of August. He saw them off with the same consideration he gave to Yusuke, sternly suggesting that they just stay there and never come back. However, Shunjun was thankfully more open to discussion than his predecessor, and their passage back to the Human World at the end of August was secured. Neither Kurama nor Miwa knew for sure why he would make such an allowance after his wonderful words of farewell, but perhaps the SDF still remembered just how outmatched they were against Yusuke and his friends.

Regardless of their gatekeeper's manners, Kurama and Miwa arrived safely on the outskirts of Gandara's border. But the great city before them, towering over the landscape with dark skyscraper buildings and thunder rolling across the sky, did not welcome them with kind, open arms, but an ambush of worthless soldiers. Six demons descended from the trees, radiating a power that may have given them influence in the area and their subordinates, but their measly strength was nothing to Kurama or Miwa, even in their human forms. The six soldiers were killed quickly with lashes of the Rose Whip and water streams. Their targets didn't even drop their luggage, and their deaths, a sour welcome as it may be, was all preordained. A short audition if nothing else. That much was clear when Yomi himself emerged from the surrounding brush, smiling in what Miwa could only see as mild amusement.

"Hello, Kurama." They recognized that voice, the very same from the invitation that brought them here. "It's been far too long since I've seen you."

Yomi. The ruler of Gandara standing before them, the full picture from the Spirit of Words finally complete. His long, purple overcoat with dark trim and gray shoulder guards gave him an air of regality. ...Or perhaps that was just from Yomi himself, tall and broad-shouldered, approaching them so casually with hands in his pockets.

"I don't appreciate the pun," Kurama said, hands balling into fists, "And what sort of welcome is that? I came all this way to help you, not to be attacked."

Yomi still smiled. "Don't be cross. I wasn't entirely sure it was you. Your energy feels so much different than it did before. I had to be sure I'm not advised by the wrong man."

Miwa wrinkled her nose, remembering the rainy day they reunited in the Human World. She thought something similar back then, and it was only because Kurama had vehemently sought her out upon catching her scent that she knew it was him. So, Yomi's reasoning, at least, made sense to her.

It made sense to Kurama, too, but it also brought about different doubts. "...So, you sent them to identify me," he said slowly, "That's playing it very cautious, Yomi. A trait you never had when I knew you."

"You're not the only one who's gone through changes." Yomi turned his back to them. "I can't afford to be reckless now. Mukuro and Raizen have had centuries to perfect the keeping of power. Now that I have an equal share, they'll take any chance to dethrone me."

"...A thousand years is a long time."

"For some things, it's not." Yomi seemed to look at the bodies of the dead soldiers, even though his eyes could not see. "...Forgive the attack, but if you were as strong as I heard you'd become, it wouldn't have been a threat. And it wasn't." Yomi turned to face them again. "I believe in your power. Kurama, please give me your trust."

Kurama didn't answer him, but perhaps Yomi sensed something that they could not in the silence, because he seemed satisfied. Miwa herself sensed a long, strained history in that silence of which she was completely unaware, and she hardly dared to speak for fear of stepping on an invisible landmine set between them.

Then, Yomi looked directly at Miwa. Even with his eyes closed, Miwa still felt like he could see right through her. It made her uncomfortable. "You must be Miwa," he said, smiling pleasantly. "Thank you for coming all this way."

"No, thank you for having me here."

Yomi chuckled. "I'm sure you would have come whether I invited you or not." He wasn't wrong. Still chuckling, he turned around and started walking. "Let's go. I'll take you both to Gandara myself."

And so, he did. An escort by the leader of Gandara was nothing to frown at. Yomi led them through the territory, to the capital city, and finally to the building from which Yomi ruled. The many demons they passed by, both regular citizens and those of rank, all gave Yomi the reverence one of the Three Kings deserved. And Miwa, a guest of that revered King, could not get used to the attention it brought them. She was used to living in the shadows, lurking through the dark underbelly of the world in which she lived. Even her time as Himari Shimizu was of stealth and infiltration, despite living in the bright, normal world. A rise to power such as this was the life goal of many demons, regardless of where they lived, but Miwa was quickly learning that this kind of attention was not to her taste. On top of all that were the whispers and full conversations sneering at the human stench coming from her and Kurama. Kurama's merger with a human body probably had the strongest stench, and Miwa knew living among humans for so long would make the smell stick to her for days. Obviously, none of the sneering people were really trying to hide their disgust. Yomi's ears were said to hear every word spoken in all of Gandara. The blatant gossip and looks of disgust, despite Yomi's escort and express invitation, was just a clear sign of the target on their backs from their smell alone.

"What do you think, Kurama?" Yomi asked politely as they finally found some solitude in a long corridor.

"As always, Gandara is an impressive city," Kurama answered.

"I'm flattered that you think so."

"...Welcome back, Lord Yomi," said a voice.

A tall man appeared from around the corner, standing upright with perfect posture and hands folded amicably behind his back. He had not put effort in hiding his presence, so his appearance wasn't a surprise to them at all. Miwa didn't even need to look up to know the owner of that soft voice, but hearing it still made her breath catch in her throat.

"Hello, Shirai," Yomi said. "I thought you would show your face."

"You do know how eager I am to see our guests." Shirai smiled and stepped closer. His posture, indicative of the reverence by those who served under Yomi, was much more proper than the man Miwa remembered, though the eloquence in his speech had not changed. "If you don't mind, I will gladly show them to our guest quarters."

"Not at all. Thank you." Yomi turned. "Shirai will escort you from here," he said, "There will be a meeting later this afternoon, our next Unification Conference. I'm sure you both are tired, but I would love your opinion on the proceedings, Kurama." He paused, thinking for a bit. "...And Miwa, I know you are only here accompanying him, but you are more than welcome to attend the meeting as well."

Miwa stiffened, but she nodded robotically as Yomi excused himself and walked away alone. After he was gone, Miwa realized with a tinge of embarrassment that she wasn't sure if Yomi could sense nodding. Beside her, Kurama remained silent, unmoving, and his hard expression was unreadable, as emotionless as a statue, but that face had been there since Yomi first appeared to them. Shirai paid no attention to the silence that followed Yomi's departure, but he did smile warmly at them. His lips remained tightly closed, forming his mouth into a thin line, but Miwa knew he rarely showed his teeth when he smiled. Still, it was the second welcoming gesture they received that actually felt genuine.

"It's good to see you again, Miwa."

"It's good to see you too." She couldn't help it. She had to smile back. It had been so long since she had seen that thin, whimsical smile. "You've done quite well for yourself. I was surprised when I first heard you joined Yomi's council."

Shirai shrugged his shoulders. "It was an uphill battle, believe me," he sighed, that smile never leaving, and then his sharp eyes cast over to Kurama. Shirai pulled a gloved hand from behind his back and thoughtfully held his chin. The faded, black material of his glove was striking against his pale face. "And you're Kurama," Shirai said, more like a statement of fact than any sort of confirmation. His eyes narrowed slightly as he analyzed every feature. "It's very nice to meet you. My name is Shirai, the Chief of Intelligence here in Gandara. Lord Yomi holds you in such high regard."

Kurama nodded, returning the greeting with little change in his countenance. "I hope I can live up to his expectations of me."

"Oh, I'm sure you will." Shirai's gloved hand returned to its folded position behind his back. "The others may have doubts, I will admit, but I can't imagine that someone Miwa follows so loyally is a fool."

"...Don't put me on such a high pedestal," Miwa muttered.

Shirai shook his head dismissively, and the tips of his teal hair bumped against his chin. He still favored longer bangs that frame only the right side of his face. "Humble as always," he said. "I had hoped you would have learned to think more of yourself." Kurama silently agreed with him, but neither Miwa nor Shirai knew this. "Anyway, I have forgotten my manners." Shirai turned around and continued down the corridor. "Lord Yomi had some rooms prepared for your stay. This way, please."

Shirai was the perfect guide, even politely silencing anyone they passed that complained loudly about the human stench. As they walked, he took the time to properly explain relevant locations in the compound, whether they passed by them or not, and he gave Kurama and Miwa a detailed breakdown of how the leadership and armies of Gandara were structured, since even Miwa would have had trouble gathering that information on her own. The reason, he explained, was that he wanted them to be as prepared as possible for the meeting, as no one liked to waste time bringing one or two people up to speed.

Kurama would never say it aloud, but Shirai's explanations reminded him a lot of Miwa's old briefings, from what seemed like a lifetime ago, whenever they had prepared to rob some rich demon's mansion or infiltrate a vault guarding some valuable object. Miwa herself did not, and probably could not, notice this, but seeing Shirai's gloved hands and thin smile was enough to start bringing back her own old memories. The last time she had seen that face and those hands, they were chasing after her, that calm pale face twisted to desperation and a gloveless hand making one last attempt to grab her arm. It was almost frightening, for both Kurama and Miwa, how quickly the past began folding into the present, shoving the time in between somewhere else, like it had no place in what was to come.

Eventually, they stopped between two doors across the hall from each other. Shirai graciously opened both doors and motioned towards them with his gloved hands in a gesture that looked like a lazy shrug. The polite stiffness from when he addressed Yomi had long since relaxed to a more natural, laid-back mood.

"You may use these rooms to your liking," he said. "We assumed that you would want to stay close together, given the nature of your invitation."

Just from his tone, Miwa was confident that Shirai knew more about their situation than he let on. Maybe even more than they did. "Thank you, Shirai," she said, regardless of her doubts.

Shirai seemed pleased. "I'll have someone come fetch you both and show you to the conference room. I would do it myself, but I have my own things to prepare..."

"You will be there too?" Kurama asked, surprising Miwa just a bit.

"Why yes," Shirai answered. "Lord Yomi's council is small, but everyone will be in attendance at the Unification Conference, including yourselves."

"I see..."

"Then, please excuse me."

Shirai gave them a very low nod that could almost have been a bow and left, his gloved hands folded neatly behind his back again as he walked. Kurama and Miwa wordlessly glanced at each other, shrugged lightly with their shoulders, and went into their rooms. Neither actually closed the doors behind them, just in case. The room was small with the basic furnishings, but it was more than enough for a month-long stay. They didn't expect luxurious accommodations anyway. The bed was neatly made, and Miwa spotted a folded set of clothes waiting for her on the bedspread. Miwa dropped her duffel bag and picked up the gray bundle. It looked like a large overcoat with a black trim that buttoned down the front, similar in design to Yomi's, but far less regal. Miwa immediately knew what it meant, and she had little doubt Kurama had an identical coat waiting for him. She did not know exactly what rank this garment entailed, but it would visually solidify her and Kurama's standing in Gandara as Yomi's guests, no matter how much they smelled of humans.

Miwa put it on over her clothes. The coat went down past her knees, almost feeling like a dress when she tied the belt around her waist. Miwa's room didn't have a mirror, but it did have a window. She did her best to check her reflection in the glass, moving around the room to find the best angle. Strangely, the size was exactly right, and something about the design made her feel very official. It was an odd feeling, since never in her life was she a part of something so politically important.

Neither was Shirai, Miwa found herself thinking, and she shook her head roughly.

A short, old, wrinkly-skinned demon named Youda came to fetch her and Kurama about twenty minutes later. He barked at them from the hallway to hurry up, even though Kurama and Miwa promptly left their rooms at his arrival wearing the gray overcoat. His long, white mustache and beard seemed very pronounced as he kept his nose in the air, like he was trying to look down at them even though they were much taller than he. He grumbled to himself about the human stench and the lack of any "special" demon energy coming from either of them. Why would Lord Yomi want demons like them gracing their table? Kurama and Miwa followed him silently to the conference room, occasionally glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. Youda clearly wasn't interested in making conversation with them, but that was fine since they didn't want to talk to him either.

In the conference room, Yomi and the rest of the council were waiting for them. Youda immediately scuttered away to a panel mounted next to a large screen, immediately filling the quiet room with loud button clacks as he typed. Yomi sat at the head of the table, fitting some sort of wireless device to his temple. Shirai sat patiently at the table, smiling at Kurama and Miwa when they entered. Three other demons sat with their arms folded across their chests or on the table, and none of them acknowledged the guests with more than a quick glance. Yomi kindly beckoned them towards two empty chairs at his right and left side, a strange knowing smile on his face, and Kurama and Miwa quickly sat down. Kurama was at Yomi's right side next to a red-skinned demon with fishtail-looking ears and white hair that stuck straight up like a fin. For some reason, he chose to wear heavy armor even indoors, like he had come to the conference straight from a battlefield. Shirai previously explained the council's members to them, and this demon's name was Shachi, Chief of the Military. Shachi did not turn his head, but he still glared at Kurama from the corner of his eye. Miwa sat across from Kurama, next to Shirai, and eyed the other three demons carefully. Just based on their overall reception here, and especially that glare from the fishtail-ear demon, she was beginning to think her role in Gandara was quickly changing from easing any doubts about Yomi's intentions for them to something more...natural for her. She carefully placed her water pouch in her lap, resting her right hand on the cap. Shirai noticed this, and his thin smile faded lightly, but he did not say a word.

Youda typed several keystrokes on the panel, bringing the large screen on the wall to life, and the Unification Conference began.

"Look to the screen, if you would," Youda began, "We'll start with a simple graph." The screen showed a topographical map of the three territories, and a bar graph representing the power of the Three Kings. The wireless device on Yomi's head must somehow transmite the visuals to his mind, Miwa thought to herself, since there were no other accommodations for his blindness. "I've charted the military power of each of the three territories in Demon World, based on the data from Shirai's scouts," Youda explained, "Now, the numbers are relative. They don't mean anything material. If you don't understand any of that, take a math class on your own time…" Youda surveyed the looks of the demons at the table, but Miwa knew that derisive insult was meant for them. "Now, we'll chart a projection of the same powers one year from today." He tapped a few keys, and the bar graph added a second set of data. Before, Yomi and Mukuro were of roughly the same level, while Raizen hovered at about half their strength. With the adjustment, Yomi and Mukuro's power grew slightly, but Raizen's changed drastically.

"That has Raizen's strength going down to zero!" grunted Shachi in surprise.

"That's wishful thinking," said Houju, a demon at the end of the table with sunken cheeks and a gem on his forehead.

"And reckless!" added Mamie, a demon with an oval-shaped head and eyebrows that extended far past his eye sockets.

"Is it now?" Shirai said smoothly, "We all know his power has been on the decline for centuries now."

"It's as Shirai says," said Youda, "Based on our predictions, one year from today, Raizen will be dead."

Thunder crashed outside with ominous timing, casting the room with deep shadows. Miwa clenched her teeth. Raizen's impending death was known to all territories, it seemed. At the same time, she was impressed by how much data Gandara was able to acquire, knowing it would take her years to gather any similar amount with only her underground connections. Miwa glanced at Shirai, now sure he wasn't lying when he said he was Yomi's Chief of Intelligence. His team of scouts were nothing to be trifled with.

"Raizen's ridiculous hunger strike has brought his body to critical condition. He cannot last through the year." Youda's eyes narrowed wickedly. "This comes from highly dependable sources."

The rest of the council broke into highly satisfied smirks. Shirai smiled pleasantly at Miwa, as if he knew she was wondering about his connection to this data. Miwa forced herself to look away. Only Yomi and Kurama maintained their neutral expressions.

"With Raizen gone, his empire will collapse." Youda's excitement rose with every word. "Lord Yomi and Mukuro will be in a dead heat. Our strategy should be to incorporate the defectors from Raizen's army into our own to tip the scale in our favor."

"Well…" Yomi brought up a hand to his chin. "Your tactics are by the books, Youda." Something about his tone sounded unimpressed, and Miwa wondered whether Yomi knew about Yusuke. "Kurama," Yomi said, sounding much calmer, "I'd like to hear your opinion now."

"Yes, I think we all would," sneered Mamie.

"Lord Yomi spoke well of you and now brings you to our elite table," said Houju. "We want to see how resourceful you are."

"Yes, we'd just hate for you to be a disappointment to him," grinned Shachi.

Miwa remained still. Houju and Mamie were civil enough for the time being, but Shachi's blatant sarcasm looked like he was holding back from unleashing a stream of insults. She did not fail to notice that whenever Shachi looked at her, his eyes were full of belittlement and laughter.

Kurama did not let any of that affect him. "I'm confused," he said calmly, "The power of each territory simply mirrors its ruler. I'd like to see individual stats of the first and second strongest in each land."

"Strength of the leader is strength of the team," Youda said, sounding like he was quoting an old book of tactics, "But if you need proof, I can show you stats of every single warrior."

"No, the first and second will suffice."

Youda sniggered. "I see. All that information would be too much for your brain to handle…" He turned back to the control panel, looking rather pleased with himself. "Alright, one and two, compiled by our covert agents with the latest Demon Energy scans. First, the rulers…"

Displays for Yomi, Mukuro, and Raizen appeared on the screen, broken down into various graphs to display the statistics Kurama wanted. Miwa immediately noticed that the power distribution was remarkably similar to the bar graph of the territory's power they were shown before, matching Youda's quoted philosophy on tactics. Then, Youda pulled up the second highest readings their scouts recorded. In Raizen's territory, the second in command was a Paranormal Taoist named Hokushin. For Mukuro, the Demonic Arts Guru, Kirin. And for Yomi, the Chief of the Military, Shachi.

"Happy now, or shall I graph it for you?" Youda asked, turning back to Kurama, but without waiting for an answer, he did it anyway.

Kurama stared carefully at the information, and as expected, he quickly came to a conclusion. "Well, that confirms it for me. The right-hand man of each of the lords has not been present long enough to be collected into your database."

Miwa saw Shachi's eyes dart towards Kurama, glaring more sharply than before. The water in her pouch stirred.

"Let's assume for a moment that your information is complete, and Raizen's army will collapse upon his death, leaving a two-way fight. Because Mukuro and Yomi's powers are identical, the deciding factor would normally be the strength of the number twos. But, in this case, they're all too weak to make any difference." Shachi leaned forward and growled, but Kurama ignored him. "And if they're the second best, logic follows that all warriors besides the lords are useless. The only thing that Mr. Youda's analysis shows is that we know nothing. Not until the number twos are as strong as the lords."

Shachi scoffed. "So, our only tactic is no tactic? Sounds like you've been wasting Lord Yomi's time."

"Not at all, because the whole balance is about to change."

"What?" snarled Shachi.

"As I've explained, those second in command will determine who prevails here, and in half a year, they will all be replaced."

"You damned fool! Watch your tongue!" Shachi yelled, slamming the table with his fist as he stood up. "These hierarchies of power have survived here for five hundred years, unchallenged by any demon! And only a sword will make them change..."

Mamie stood up too, but as a surprising ally. "Shachi, control yourself. He's a visitor here and doesn't understand our ways."

Shirai sighed quietly. "We should be open to all possibilities," he said, also annoyed with Shachi's outburst. "There is always value in the opinion of a third-party with fresher eyes. The power balance in Demon World has been at a stalemate for centuries, but with one key pillar on his deathbed, it is only natural that great change is going to come. That is why we are all meeting today."

"You're being soft on him, Shirai," Shachi snapped. "Just because you're old friends with this fool's guard dog."

Shirai's eyes flashed, but he leaned on his elbows and folded his gloved hands in front of his face, remaining silent. The thunder crashed again, and Shachi's shaking, clenched fist cast a dark shadow across the table.

"Shachi, please sit down," said Yomi, his stern voice cutting through the tension. "Mamie and Shirai are right. I invited Kurama here because I wanted his opinion on our situation. He and his partner are no less welcome at this table than you or I."

Shachi groaned, but he reluctantly did as he was told. Kurama was unaffected through the entire outburst, and Miwa remained silent as she watched Shachi carefully, though the cap of her pouch had popped open. Youda cleared his throat and finished explaining his by-the-book tactics, tacking on with a noticeable sigh that Kurama's suggestion will be factored into his next data analysis. Miwa really doubted he would, but Shirai smiled at her reassuringly, as if reading her mind. She resisted the urge to scoot her chair away. After that, the conference continued without further incident. The other council members presented findings from their own specialties, and Yomi asked for Kurama's opinion whenever it seemed appropriate for him.

Shirai's presentation was short and not nearly as interesting as Youda's prediction of Raizen's death, but that was understandable, given most of that prediction came from Shirai's resources. Instead, his talk was a basic outline of his intelligence plans going forward. Now that they had a clearer picture of Raizen's territory, he planned to focus his efforts on Mukuro's fortress. However, even though those efforts began long ago, he still predicted difficulties due to Mukuro's more secluded nature. Then, at Shirai's request, Youda showed two graphs on the screen. Two bell-shaped curves, distinguished by their green and purple color, showed two separate groups of Mukuro's army. The green curve was much larger on the population axis, representing a larger number of fighters, but the purple curve ranked much higher on the power reading axis, despite the smaller numbers. Small text boxes pointed to spots on each bell curve, giving the name of any particularly distinguished warrior. The highest power reading in the purple curve was labeled "Kirin," the second in command. Miwa noticed, while doing her best to not show it on her face, that Hiei's name was not listed in any of the text boxes.

Shirai pointed to the purple curve. "Mukuro's Select Guard of 77 warriors has remained unchanged for several decades now. But..." he said, next pointing to the green curve. "The numbers in the general army have started decreasing in recent months." The green graph changed. The purple curve remained the same, but the green curve dropped slightly, showing the loss of 500 high-powered warriors. "Not enough to severely impact the army's might," Shirai assured, as the total population remained at tens of thousands, dwarfing the purple curve's numbers. "But as of this meeting, I cannot yet say why this decrease is happening, and there are no reports of major battles on the front lines. As for the next steps..." Shirai looked pointedly at Miwa, and then his lips pressed together into another thin smile. "Miwa, would you like to weigh in here?" he asked.

She blinked at him in surprise, interrupted from wondering if the drop in fighters had anything to do with Hiei. She did not expect that her opinion would ever be of value here, especially after Shachi had called her a "guard dog", and she wasn't invited to Gandara as an advisor...

"I do not mind," Yomi said, probably sensing her hesitation. "I invited you to this table, and it would be rude to not let you speak. It is my understanding that Shirai was your mentor at one time." There was a small hint of a smile on his face, but the other council members stared quizzically at her.

Shirai, on the other hand, beamed at her proudly from the front, a noticeably different reception than Youda and Shachi's when Kurama was asked for his opinion. Miwa thought about her answer carefully. She wouldn't dare mention Yusuke or Hiei, nor that she knew Mukuro was already aware of Raizen's impending death.

"If we are aware Raizen will not survive the next year," she said slowly, "then it's not impossible that Mukuro will eventually find out and begin preparations. Raizen's army is no doubt preparing for it as well, but like Kurama said, we essentially know nothing. If we investigate the plans of the other lords following Raizen's death, the next steps should be clear."

Shirai's thin smile widened, almost showing his teeth. "I am glad our vision going forward is the same," he said, as if he expected that answer from her.

Miwa smiled mechanically at him.

The conference lasted for over an hour. Shachi was moody and quiet for the rest of the time, and every time Kurama spoke, his glare was murderous. When it was over, he left the room first with a quick, angry stride, but he made sure to give one last glare before storming out the door. Miwa carefully watched him leave, making a mental note to keep an eye on that guy. Yoda, Mamie, and Houju left soon after, none of them taking any real interest in Shachi's anger nor the guests to their conference.

"Kurama," said Yomi, rising from his own seat. "If you have the time, there is someone downstairs I would like to introduce to you."

Kurama remained motionless for a moment, watching Yomi with very hard eyes, but he nodded and stood up. Miwa quickly followed suit to join them, remembering that Yomi's invitation mentioned the man who blinded him. but she froze in place when she felt Shirai's hand on her arm.

"Lord Yomi, Kurama," he said, "I would like to speak with Miwa privately, if that's okay with you both."

"...Right now?" Miwa blurted out. Even though Shirai invited her to return, her job here was to make sure Kurama was safe in Gandara.

"Rest assured, it will be brief," he said, sensing her concern, and he let go of her arm. "I will have her join you with our guest downstairs momentarily."

Kurama and Yomi both looked at him, and neither showed any sort of reaction to this request. It was impossible to know whether he and Yomi planned to separate them like this, but Kurama did not protest. His face was still hard and emotionless, more focused on his own thoughts than losing Miwa's accompaniment. If he didn't need her, then Miwa had no place to force the issue, but the table length between them suddenly felt much larger.

Yomi sensed that there were no objections, so he smiled and said, "Very well, Shirai… This way, Kurama."

Kurama followed Yomi out of the conference room, and he did not look at Miwa once. She watched them leave, standing petrified by her seat at the table, and very aware of the sounds of their footsteps getting farther and farther away. Shirai stood up next to her, patiently waiting for the footsteps to fade into silence, solidifying their isolation in the conference room.

"You look like a pet abandoned by its owner."

Miwa whipped her head around. "Are you going to call me a guard dog, too?" she asked.

"Of course not," Shirai said, raising his gloved hands in feint surrender. "Forgive me, that was a poorly timed comparison."

Miwa stared at him for several seconds, but then she sighed and leaned against the table. She didn't want to sit in that chair anymore. "It's fine. That's not the first time I've been called names like that."

Shirai lowered his hands. "Even so, I do ask for your forgiveness. I know that's not what you are."

"Then, I forgive you," she said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "But, you're not really wrong. That is how I feel right now…" It wouldn't be the first time either, but Miwa did not want to say that in front of him. Kurama could take care of himself. He always could. "I mean, Yomi invited me because he knew Kurama would have doubts. That's why I'm here."

Shirai smiled and held his chin. "Did my letter to you hold no weight whatsoever? I did write it with the hope of seeing you here."

"And here I am," Miwa said, spreading her arms a bit. "Is that why you wanted us to speak privately? A reunion?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," Shirai answered, chuckling a bit. "Our first reunion earlier today was in the presence of others, where we couldn't speak freely. I would say Kurama and Lord Yomi deserve the same privilege, don't you think?"

"I guess you're right," Miwa sighed, "I'm still surprised they knew each other, but...even lords have a history before ascending the throne, right?"

Shirai nodded. "I am happy you still remember our history, even if our paths...went in different directions."

Miwa remembered again the last time she saw Shirai before they parted, being chased by his pale, gloveless hand. She unconsciously looked at his hands, laying innocently at his sides and fully covered by his signature black gloves. "Is that why you wanted to see me? To talk about that?"

"...That is one reason I wanted to see you, but I will not go into those reasons now. This is your first day in Gandara, and I don't want to potentially soil my long-awaited reunion with you."

"I see…" The possible things that could "soil" their meeting floated across her mind, but she didn't mind putting that off until later. Shirai did promise he would send her after Kurama momentarily. "Then, I guess it's because of you that Yomi was able to find us in Human World? Down to my home address, even."

"You both garnered some attention once you broke into King Yama's vault, and even more when you participated in the Dark Tournament."

"And you knew we both came to Demon World to fight Sensui…" Miwa said, nodding more to herself than Shirai, but there was a budding sense of worry. He knew about all of that, so he undoubtedly knew about Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara. But, she had no way of knowing how deep his knowledge about them went, or if that knowledge would put them in any danger. "If only my own skills in obtaining information were as good as yours."

"You knew I was serving in Gandara."

"Only from words through the grapevine. You're much more of a public figure than you used to be."

"I suppose that's true, but please do not sell yourself short. I am both grateful for and proud of your insight during the conference. The amount of information either of us can gather is just a matter of our resource channels."

"And your reach now is much wider than mine ever was. Your personal research must be thriving."

Shirai laughed. "My passion for old cultures is just as strong as when we first met."

"But, you were never one for politics or positions, Shirai. What are you even doing here?"

"I am still not one for that sort of thing. But...it helped me find you, didn't it?"

Miwa narrowed her eyes. "...That's why you're with Yomi. He has a history with Kurama."

"Yes. You took his place as Youko Kurama's right hand, as it turned out. Of course, learning that history did not come for free."

Then, something else clicked in Miwa's mind. "Then...you found the one Yomi mentioned in his Spirit of Words. The one who 'stole the light' from him…"

"I did. ...Lord Yomi is introducing him to Kurama right now."

Miwa felt the faint sparks of panic. She suspected something was wrong when Yomi mentioned that man in his invitation. It had to be connected to Kurama's doubts about Yomi's plans for him. But, thinking back to their invitations to the Demon World reminded her of one other thing that did not line up. "...You're not telling me something, Shirai," she said. "In your letter, you said curious parties were interested in me and my friends…"

Shirai was silent for a moment, and then he strode over to the window, looking solemnly outside. "I was telling the truth when I said that I wanted us to have a private reunion," he said, folding his arms behind his back. "But, I want to be honest with you too, so I will lay out the cards so we can all go forward with a mutual understanding."

"A mutual understanding of what?"

"Of where you all stand. You and Kurama in Gandara...Yusuke Urameshi in Raizen's territory, and Hiei in Mukuro's fortress."

Miwa pushed herself off the table and backed away. "You know all of that…" It wasn't a question. She should have known Shirai would know everything.

"The timing of the invitations to you and your friends was no coincidence. I refrained from mentioning it in the conference to keep Shachi's temper at bay, but Lord Yomi knows the value of information, and who is aware of it. It...stacks the deck in his favor, so to speak, so he can get what he wants."

"Does separating us stack it in his favor, too?"

"I cannot say, but it is what Lord Yomi wanted. I think it might be in Kurama's favor...and possibly yours."

"...What?"

"He never told you he was once friends and partners with Lord Yomi. He might not want you to know about the one who stole Lord Yomi's light either."

"...I'll find that out for myself."

Miwa immediately sprinted across the room, her water pouch bouncing wildly on her back, and knocked one of the conference table chairs aside with her hip. She did not notice it at all and threw out the door to burst into the hallway. To her right was where the footsteps had disappeared. That must be the way to...wherever "downstairs" could be.

"Do you think you can protect him from something unpleasant?" said Shirai, stopping Miwa in her tracks. He calmly closed the door to the conference room behind him as he watched her contemplate her next move. "Kurama followed Lord Yomi alone of his own accord, knowing which guest he will be introduced to."

"...He didn't even want me to come to Gandara, you know," Miwa said, a strange swirl of panic and futility growing in her mind. "I know he doesn't need me. He's never needed me. ...But, if there is any way that I can help-"

"He is not your parents, Miwa," said Shirai sharply. "You didn't lose them because you weren't there."

Her breathing stopped. Her body suddenly had no need for oxygen, and all thoughts in her mind immediately went silent. The color in her face drained, and the longer this went on, the strength in her legs may give out. However, Shirai could see how that remark affected her, so he slowly took a step down the hall.

"I overstepped," he said. "You cling to your anchor more than anyone I've ever met, Miwa, but it was not my place to say that." With his gloved hand, he reached out and touched Miwa's shoulder. "Again, I ask for your forgiveness."

His touch seemed to awaken her system, and Miwa jerked away from his gloved hand as if it burned her. "Then take me to where they are," she snapped.

"As you wish."

Shirai led her deeper into the compound, to the lower chambers. Neither of them spoke the entire way, Soon, there were no more windows as they descended stairs into what appeared to be an underground bunker. The windowless hallways felt cold and the air was thick, and they passed by doors locked with heavy metal bolts, some guarded, and some not. Miwa knew where they were. The lower they descended, the further they entered the dungeons of Yomi's compound. Eventually, they stopped in the middle of a hall, surrounded by silence, but Miwa could sense Kurama's energy was near.

"Lord Yomi keeps the one who stole his light in a cell at the end of this hall. I'm sure you will know when you are at the right place."

Miwa did not thank him, and Shirai did not accompany her. She sprinted down the rest of the hallway alone, with only the sound of her echoing feet to keep her company. Then, the further she ran, Kurama's energy grew closer and closer. His scent was near. And then, she heard a voice, belonging to the one she was looking for.

"You find something amusing?"

"You, Kurama. Your heartbeat returned to normal the moment you saw the awful physical state this killer was in, as if he were no longer a threat."

The closer she became, the more she noticed a foul odor growing stronger; she could taste it on her tongue. Miwa forced herself to not think about what that could imply. Finally, she saw two figures standing in an open cell ahead, speaking over the crumpled form of one other demon, and Miwa let out an audible gasp.

Light from the hallway illuminated the dark room within, and a horrid smell of decay and filth polluted the air. Inside, a tall demon man slumped pathetically against the wall, his hands nailed above his head to the wall behind him, and his head hung low and lifeless. His dark brown skin looked crusted and dry, draping over the bones of his starved, shriveled body like sheared animal hide. His torso, or what remained of it, was nearly ripped apart, just barely clinging to his hips with thin straps of skin. His exposed innards were piled sloppily and unnaturally in the gap where his torso should have been, and she could see the smooth metal wall behind him through the mess. Long, unwashed blond hair fell around his face, where the skin had tightened so much that the outline of his skull was clearly visible. There were no eyes, just black holes hollowed out in the empty sockets.

Yomi turned to look at her, but Kurama did not acknowledge her presence at all. Neither of them was surprised she was there.

"Hello, Miwa," Yomi said, giving her a welcoming smile that seemed very out of place. "I was just about to ask this demon a very important question."

Kurama remained completely motionless.

Yomi walked over to his prisoner and kicked his shoulder. "You. Wake up."

The man lifted his head. It seemed to take all his strength just to do that. "Please, your great Lordship. Take my life from me. I can't take this pain any longer..."

"Very well, Demon. I shall grant you your wish. You have suffered more than enough. But you must answer my one question your fear has kept you from saying. Who ordered you that day to ambush us and forfeit my life?"

"Okay…" His voice was barely above a whisper. "He had cold eyes… They were such cold, terrifying eyes… And silver hair… He was Youko… Kurama."

Miwa's face blanched. ...What?

Yomi growled and let out a loud, anguished scream. It was the first time they had seen such aggression from him since they arrived. He raised his foot and smashed it into his prisoner's face, splashing blood and guts everywhere, and the sharp crunch of his skull breaking apart echoed in the enclosed room. Yomi breathed heavily as the quiet returned to the room, and he quickly regained his calm.

"...Of course, I long suspected it, but I didn't want to believe," he said, like he was ending a presentation. "I should tell you right now that I bear no grudge against you, old friend. In the enterprise of power, you made a business decision. Thinking back, I was a liability. Rash. Disobedient. I lost countless men. I would have tried to kill me too." The way Yomi had so quickly returned to his calm, composed self was frightening. He sounded cheerful, like he wanted to impress upon them both that he meant no harm, but that made it harder to actually believe him. Then, Yomi turned that calm, composed face to Miwa. "Perhaps that is why you ended up with this girl. A reckless one, like I was, but she at least obeys your orders down to the last detail. A loyal, dedicated pawn, always ready and willing to be sacrificed."

Miwa glared at him, but she forced down every instinctive desire to raise her weapon.

"...What do you want from me?" Kurama demanded. His nerves disappeared, replaced with all of his cautious walls.

Yomi smiled. "Precisely as my Spirit of Words told you. I want you to assist me in any way that you can. Just as I assisted you in the past, despite my mistakes of immaturity. ...I learned much from you, Kurama. I've tried to model myself after you. I only brought up the past so we could move beyond it."

"And yet… if I say no?"

Yomi's eye twitched. A heavy silence fell between them.

"...Your human mother is on a plane right now."

Kurama drew back, horrified. The building dread in Miwa's stomach dropped like a stone, and immediately, she understood why Yomi invited her to Gandara too.

"At least, according to the schedule my agents have supplied, and Shirai has taught them well. That was nice of you, by the way, to give them that trip. I just hope it doesn't crash. Middle-aged newlyweds dying on their honeymoon is a bland topic for even your lousy human TV shows."

"You bastard," Kurama snarled, baring his teeth in his anger.

It was just like Shirai said. Yomi was laying out all of his cards, so they had a mutual understanding of their situation. He had to show just how well the odds were stacked in his favor. Or rather, how much of a disadvantaged position Kurama and Miwa were in.

"Collecting information. Another lesson you taught me. It showed me how much she meant to you."

Kurama frowned. "...Earlier today, you said you didn't recognize me. A smart lie to disguise how much you knew."

Yomi chuckled again. "I've angered you greatly, and yet your mind's already considering our every encounter calmly, trying to sniff out an advantage. While others would be overcome with real emotions, blinded by their rage, you're methodically planning how to save your mom. And no one could say if that's because you actually love her or you don't want anything to handicap your control of the situation. That's cold, and very threatening." He didn't seem to feel threatened by his own words at all. If anything, the idea of Kurama becoming a threatening presence seemed to amuse him. Yomi began to walk, leaving them behind as he left the cell. "Very soon, all of Demon World will fall into chaos. And that's when I'll need your calm and cruelty, your ability to think without emotion. ...Join me, Kurama. Help me unify them all."

And then he was gone. Just Kurama and Miwa remained, standing dumbstruck in a room with a rotting corpse of a demon as their only company. Miwa was the first to move, and she checked the corridors outside to make sure Yomi had really left. Not even guards disturbed the hanging silence. When she returned to the cell, Kurama still hadn't moved an inch.

"Kurama…"

He turned around, hands stuffed in his pockets, and brushed past her with his head down. She followed immediately. They left the dungeons without an escort, and Kurama didn't say a word the entire way. He walked so much faster than normal that Miwa nearly had to jog to keep up with him, and he never once turned back to even look her in the eye. Their hard footfalls echoed off the walls, and anyone they passed purposefully ignored them. Despite being caught up in his own thoughts, Kurama made a direct beeline back to their rooms, not once losing his way. He entered his room, still saying nothing, and was about to slam the door shut behind him, but Miwa stopped it with one hand, catching him by surprise.

"Don't you dare shut me out after that."

The look Kurama gave her as he turned back was something she hadn't seen in decades, appearing strangely foreign on Shuichi Minamino's face. It wasn't a cold look, or an angry glare, but his green eyes were narrowed sharply, and his lips pressed into tight lines. It wasn't just his silence or how he had refused to look at her. He had completely closed himself off, like he didn't want her, or anyone, to have the faintest hint of what he was thinking or feeling. It was the look he gave her back when they first met, when he had absolutely no reason to trust her.

He didn't want me to know...He doesn't need me here…

"You cling to your anchor more than anyone I've ever met, Miwa…"

Miwa forced those thoughts down and kept her palm flat against the dark wood door, ready to hold it open if Kurama attempted to slam it in her face. "You know we need to talk about this," she said, pushing the door open farther, feeling a bit glad that she was met with no resistance.

Kurama stared at her, as if testing her resolve, but after several seconds of silence, he stepped away and allowed Miwa inside. She closed the door behind her, both for privacy and the ridiculously vain hope that it would protect them from Yomi's ears, rumored to hear every single spoken word in Gandara. The curtains in Kurama's room were closed, blocking the view outside and making the tension in the small room even more suffocating. Miwa took a deep breath, but her chest still felt tight.

"What Yomi said in there, and what that demon said in there… Was it all true?"

She didn't want it to be. The thought alone made Miwa's hands tremble, and she folded her arms to try and hide it. But she knew the answer before he even said it.

"...Yes."

The queasy feeling in her stomach returned, and she lowered her folded arms to push against her middle as if that would ease the pain. She took another deep breath, but it didn't help at all. It just made her feel hollow. Why did this shock her so much? Miwa, of all people, should know just how ruthless Kurama could be. But, when she glanced at the closed face of Shuichi Minamino, somehow that all seemed like a lie. Or a freakishly rare occurrence, only ever appearing in those bright green eyes after he had killed Gamemaster in Demon's Door Cave.

But that was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. Kurama had been this way for a majority of the time they knew each other. The infamous thief that once struck fear into the hearts of demons, like a ghost story meant to frighten young children. Cruel and merciless, perfectly capable of killing even a friend. That infamous thief was the man Miwa tracked down and swore her life to all those years ago. How could she forget that? Miwa squeezed her middle again, realizing for the very first time just how much their relationship had changed in the past four years. How much they both had changed since coming to the Human World. They weren't just partners in crime anymore

"...Then why didn't you ever have me killed?" The question had spilled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "I'm reckless too, and I've disobeyed you in the past. I've strayed from plans I made up myself, or abandoned our targets completely. If you could choose to kill a friend, a nuisance would have been nothing."

Kurama didn't move, even though Miwa really wished he would. He didn't even seem to blink. "...Because, you only ever did that when you knew it would protect me. It was always in my best interest to keep you alive."

Miwa remembered what Yomi had said in the dark cell. "A loyal, dedicated pawn, always ready and willing to be sacrificed..." She should have known this. She should have known all along that her willingness to throw her life away for him was the only reason Kurama kept her alive. He never even liked her when they first met, but what demon wouldn't keep around a willing shield? Still, it was such a shock to hear it aloud. Four years really changed them both so much. Before coming to the Human World, she wouldn't have minded if he openly said he didn't care if she sacrificed her life for him…

"Why didn't you tell me all this sooner?" Miwa heard herself asking. She felt stupid and pathetic. "Maybe we could have prepared for this...somehow..."

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Kurama said coldly, "Neither of us realized Yomi had so much information on us. He would have been prepared for anything." He paused, still not finding the need to blink, and it was clear he knew exactly how disadvantaged they were. "Yomi would have invited you here even if your friend wasn't on his council. If you're here, then I can't send you after my mother. You'd never make it..."

Miwa hissed quietly to herself. She realized all that back in the cell, but hearing Kurama explain the futility of returning to save his mom made her feel completely useless. Kurama had even wanted her to stay behind before they even left, probably for this exact reason, but she thought she just had to come along. All because of-

"...I'm sorry you found out about my history with Yomi like that," Kurama said suddenly, catching Miwa by surprise. "I should have told you sooner." He was trying to force the topic closed with just his tone, but at least he was finally blinking again.

Miwa took a deep breath for the third time. It was no more helpful than the second, but she had to ignore the queasy feeling and press on. "...It's okay." It made her feel weird saying that. She wanted to ask Kurama why he never told her about it, but she couldn't make those words come out of her mouth. It was much harder than accusing him of stupid things that didn't really matter; those words had seemed to tumble out of her mouth just minutes before. But now, it was much easier for her to say, "No more surprise revelations like that while we're here, alright? We've got to have each other's backs."

Kurama nodded, and Miwa felt an odd sense of comfort that he allowed himself to show hints of remorse. They were each other's only ally here, after all.

"Well, I guess I am being a little hypocritical," Miwa realized. "I should come clean, too."

"...What?" Finally, Kurama seemed to fully snap out of his emotional numbness. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her as if she suddenly spoke another language. That look, at least, was something more familiar to see on Shuichi Minamino's face.

"I didn't tell you everything about Shirai. He's more than just the guy who taught me about the skills for Extraction." she explained, remembering again the last time she saw Shirai before running away from home. Being chased by him, and his gloveless hand stretching after her. Miwa sat herself down on the nearest chair, preparing for a long story. "He's the one...that taught me about being a mizuchi."

Shirai wasn't a mizuchi, like her, but he was the one who taught Miwa that name. Before that, she had always called herself a "water apparition." All demons did, back then...

{00}

The Shirai of her memories wasn't that different from the man she met in Gandara. His teal hair was shorter when she first met him, but his bangs were still long and dangled over his right cheek. His thin smile and the way he held his chin remained the same. His gloves changed over time, but he still preferred to wear black. When they met, he was just an amateur historian that travelled with Miwa's nomadic tribe to document the history and traditions of the Water Apparitions, who made their living as travelling performers. The dancers were known for circular movements as they and the water streams moved around the stage. Shirai floated between the various tribe leaders like a ghost, never particularly close to any one person, remaining a silent, outside observer to everything the community did. There should have been no reason Shirai would take any interest in Miwa, who was just one of many dancers in the tribe.

But, he did take interest the night she caught him hiding behind the leaders' tent.

"What are you doing?"

Shirai's head snapped towards her in an instant, one of the few sudden motions she had ever seen him do. Miwa herself was just taking a walk because she couldn't sleep, and Shirai's teal hair caught her attention as he skulked through the dark. She found him sitting by one of the corner stakes for the tent with his ear pressed against the wall.

Shirai eyed her up and down, but he showed no signs of guilt. He just gave her the thin smile she was already familiar with. "You're...Miwa, correct?" he whispered.

Miwa stared at him, surprised that he knew her name. "Yes," she said, not realizing she was whispering herself. "Are you eavesdropping?"

Shirai chuckled quietly. "What they say to me could be very different from what they say to each other."

"They will get mad at you if they find out," Miwa warned.

Shirai's thin smile grew wider, and he held a single gloved finger to his lips. "They won't find out if you don't tell."

The tent had a glow from the lanterns burning inside, and the faint murmur of voices was barely legible through its thick material. Before Miwa realized it, she had sat next to Shirai and put her own ear against the tent, feeling an excited, childish jitter in her chest. She recognized the voice of Zaiten, an older woman and head of the whole tribe, speaking with one of the dance troupe leaders. The tone of their voices was very casual, just discussing the logistics of upcoming performances and how long they would stay in this area.

"Does this kind of information help your research?" Miwa asked. It sounded boring to her.

"Maybe it will. Maybe it won't," Shirai said vaguely, "Maybe they will talk about something completely different in a few minutes. I will never know unless I listen." He slowly turned his head to look her in the eye. His smile was playful and kind. "Will you be my accomplice?"

Miwa nodded immediately.

The two of them often met up from that point on. Sometimes they would eavesdrop on the leaders' tent. Sometimes they would find a secluded area a short distance away from the camp and just...talk. Shirai would tell her stories from his previous research, and they awakened a sense of curiosity that Miwa nearly forgot she had, buried under her tribe's strict views on tradition. Shirai's stories were rich in detail and perspective, as if he was recalling something he witnessed firsthand, and it made Miwa want to learn more about the world outside her tribe. In exchange, she told him about growing up as part of the Water Apparition tribe or demonstrated and explained her techniques, feeding directly into his research. It was a calm, relaxing friendship.

It was also no secret that the two of them became very close. The entire tribe knew that Miwa was the only person the ghost-like Shirai would deeply interact with, and no one understood why. Miwa would occasionally hear curious whispers about her strange relationship with the outsider, and Kiyo, Miwa's mother, would scold her for neglecting dance practice to spend time with him. Her father, Ikuchi, thought she had outgrown her rebellious years and had devoted herself to dance. Miwa didn't care. It wasn't as if she abandoned dance completely. And what harm could there be in having a relationship with demons outside of her tribe? She felt a sense of satisfaction and pride that she was the closest person to the man who followed her people like a ghost, even closer than the leaders that allowed him to document the tribe's practices.

And then, Miwa learned why Shirai really wanted to study the Water Apparitions. The day he talked about her name...

"I really like it, you know," he told her. "Miwa, the looping snake… Much like the Ouroboros."

They met after Miwa's rehearsal and found the pond that had become their usual meetup spot, almost a mile away from the camp. The tribe had settled outside of a really large city, and they lived there for several months, taking advantage of the cityscape to showcase their dance and medicine at hundreds of venues. Miwa carried her white dance costume in a bag over her shoulder, which she had dropped carelessly when they arrived at the pond, and her hair was still done up with ornaments. It felt uncomfortable.

"That's where my name comes from," she explained. "My family have been dancers for generations, and they want me to continue that tradition."

"I thought so," Shirai chuckled. "Though, I must say how odd it is to use 'snake' in a girl's name."

"It's odd for any of our names," Miwa shrugged. She pulled a pale pink hair ornament from her hair, a remnant of the rehearsal she had that day, and lazily tossed it on top of the bag by her feet. "But, it's not like I don't understand it. You've heard our stories by now..."

"Yes, I have. Descended from the serpentine messengers of a water goddess. ...How elegant."

Miwa shrugged again and kicked off her shoes. "Most of our stories are."

"...You sound dissatisfied."

Miwa sat down on the grass, sticking her bare feet into the pond where they decided to meet that day. "It's just…" she started, trying to think of the right words to say, "Why are all of our stories so elegant and refined? Romantic tales or grand unforgettable performances for nobility. Even when I was a kid, I wanted to hear stories about...warriors and heroes, like the ones you told me. But all we do is dance."

Shirai sat next to her and put his feet in the water too. "That's not a bad thing to be known for."

"I know, and I don't dislike dancing or anything, but that kind of history is...boring."

Shirai chuckled, but then his expression turned serious and thoughtful. "If I may say so, as a historian, I also think it is strange your people don't have any stories of warriors and heroes."

Miwa turned to him. "You think so, too?"

Shirai nodded. "All cultures have stories of conflict and fighting, and all cultures will glorify their kin who triumphed."

"Even cultures that aren't fighters?"

"Yes. I think they will even invent war heroes if they have to. An unexpected hero of low birth, or a noble act of self-sacrifice to defeat an enemy, because everyone wants a role model for the community in times of strife."

"...And you haven't been told any stories like that from the leaders? Or even from Zaiten?"

"I have not," he said, shaking his head, "But...I do have a theory."

Miwa sat up. "Really?"

"Would you like to hear it?"

"...Yes."

That was the first time Miwa ever heard the name, "mizuchi."

There was once a demon race of water snakes known as mizuchi. They manipulated and conjured water at will, and early humans used to pray to them as river or rain spirits. The mizuchi had many traditions, largely in medicine and martial arts, but one ability of the warriors quickly caused other demons to fear them. Their ability to manipulate liquid water had such a wide range, and eventually, it became widely known that there was a branch of that skill called "Kisuinou" that manipulated the fluids of other living things, including other demons. It was primarily used for emergency healing, since there was such a risky toll on the user, but there was an infamous story of a mizuchi warrior that killed a warlord by extracting the fluids from his body. "Mizuchi" became a cursed name, feared for such an invasive ability, and they were persecuted by the fearful for a long time. Or at least, until they suddenly disappeared, never again mentioned in any historical records.

Shirai folded his hands in his lap, lacing his gloved fingers together. "Many suspected that they were all killed, that the race was hunted to extinction, but I have a different theory."

"...You think that we are the mizuchi. That's why you wanted to study us."

Shirai nodded. "A few decades after the mizuchi disappeared, your tribe began making a name for themselves as water dancers. As I've learned from my time here, Miwa, you and your people also can manipulate and conjure water at will...and I suspect that Kisuinou is within your ability. With some practice, of course."

Miwa stared blankly into the water before her, and then to her hands. It was a wild story to take in, but...she remembered always being aware of how much water was around her. Not just the oceans, rivers, or ponds, but in the clouds, plants, and even deep underground. A giddy excitement was growing in her stomach. "Zaiten actively discourages us from using our abilities for combat," she said. "I always thought it was because it wasn't 'elegant' enough for her, but...maybe it was like...a reset. Discard martial arts and abandon the 'mizuchi' name to avoid persecution."

"And become dancers to hide the history. I suspect Zaiten was so keen to accept my research because I called you all 'Water Apparitions,' and she wants to cement that name any way she can, even if it involves an outsider."

A gust of wind blew through the clearing, gently disturbing the surface of their pond. Inside it, Miwa could feel small fish swimming and the faint traces of algae and other aquatic plant life. "But...how do you plan to prove that?" she asked slowly.

"The same way I began investigating the mizuchi. Zaiten is a pure traditionalist and proud of her heritage, so she would never dispose of ancestral artifacts, even if they once witnessed secrets. But, as long as I can get my hands on them…" He slowly pulled off his right glove, revealing the pale skin of his bare hand. His fingers were long and thin, and his nails carefully cut short. "...then I will read the artifact's history directly, with or without her permission."

Miwa stared. A large, old scar spread across the back of Shirai's palm, like a blotch of pink paint permanently adhered to his pale skin. It was the first time she had ever seen his hand, and she felt an urge to touch it. "You can...read an object's history?"

"No, it's more like...I can manipulate the memories imprinted on anything I touch, allowing me to see them. ...Would you mind?" He pointed his pale finger at Miwa's hair ornament, the one she carelessly tossed on top of her bag. The black pin was adorned with a pale pink lotus flower that stood out against Miwa's dark hair. Miwa handed it to him without hesitation, and Shirai held the cold, metal accessory with his eyes closed. A silence fell between them, and Miwa didn't dare make a sound. "...Your father likes this ornament," he said whimsically, "...It belonged to his mother, passed down through the women in his family, and your mother wore it before giving it to you." He opened his eyes, handing back the lotus ornament with his usual thin smile. "And you wore it during your first public performance, when you tripped into another dancer because you were distracted by the audience."

Miwa took the ornament back, blushing a bit. "...That's an amazing skill." He was absolutely right about the ornament, and she felt a bit embarrassed that he saw such a mortifying event that she forced herself to forget. She could understand why he wore the glove. "Does Zaiten know you can do that?"

"No, she doesn't. It's...not a skill I openly show everyone." He glanced at the scar.

"...Can you read other demons, too?"

Shirai quickly pulled his black glove over his hand, not looking her in the eye. "If I chose to, then yes, I could. But...I try to avoid using that skill on others. Demons who know about my ability don't like me touching them. It's very...invasive."

Miwa cast her eyes down. "...Is that why you're investigating the mizuchi? Because they were feared, like you?"

Shirai leaned forward to get a look at her face. "I am not persecuted the way they were. The worst I ever got was this scar. But...I can't say I am not sympathetic to what happened to them, losing their place in history like that." Shirai lifted his feet from the pond, and the ripples floated rhythmically across the water's surface. "I'm not interested in exposing your tribe's dark secrets to the world, Miwa. If anything, it's just a...selfish gratification, knowing that I'm right, and that the mizuchi are still alive. That not all those who are persecuted disappear from everyone's memory."

Miwa looked down at her hair ornament, remembering the day her father gave it to her. How many dancers before her wore the same ornament? How long could this lie about the mizuchi have been repeated, over and over, through generations of her people? She did not know, nor did she know if her father was aware of the mizuchi ever existing. But, somewhere inside her, the misbehaving child she used to be had never learned her lesson or knew her place in the tribe. Somewhere inside her, that child wanted more from her life than complete and utter devotion to dance. There was more she could do than spin water streams in endless looping patterns to amuse an audience of demons she had never met.

"Then, read me." Miwa stuck out her hand, ignoring the shocked look on Shirai's face. "Read my memories, Shirai, and I'll help you find what you're looking for."

"Miwa," Shirai said, unconsciously tugging his glove even tighter to his wrist, "If you think I'm lying, I-"

"I don't think you're lying," Miwa said firmly. "...I'm your accomplice, right? I don't want to be an accomplice that's afraid of an ability like yours."

The look of disbelief on Shirai's face was something Miwa had never seen on him before. Wide eyes. Mouth hanging slightly open. The ghost that observed her tribe, the man she had come to know, was kind, wise, and occasionally whimsical, driven only by his goals and passions. Shirai was not very expressive; only the various extensions of his thin smile showed what he was feeling. But, Miwa did not know him to be a liar. What would be the point of lying now, after explaining his true intentions of following the Water Apparitions? She wanted to believe in the trust she felt that night she sat down next to him and eavesdropped on the leader's tent.

"It's okay if you're afraid…"

"I'm not. I'm doing this to prove that your trust in me with your secret was not misplaced." His eyes fixed on her hand as she brought it closer to him. "Because now, I'm trusting you to not read anything I wouldn't want you to."

Shirai was silent, staring at her hand as he contemplated her offer. Miwa did not move or withdraw her hand. Her stubborn nature wouldn't allow her. Then, Shirai let out a low chuckle, and it slowly built to full laughter. "Of course I wouldn't," he said, his thin smile spreading wider than ever before. "Not when someone like you offers her hand so willingly."

He removed his glove, and once again Miwa saw the scar on his pale hand. Slowly, his thin fingers wrapped themselves around her palm. He was warm. Or maybe...whatever strange power he had made him feel that way. There was no sensation of an invader trespassing in her mind. No paranoid feelings of being scrutinized. There was just that warmth from his fingers, comforting and understanding.

Shirai chuckled again. "It seems, Miwa...that the night we met wasn't the first time you tried to eavesdrop on that tent."

Miwa smirked at him. "I was quite the rebel as a kid. Why did you think I agreed to help you so quickly?"

Shirai smiled and gently let go of her fingers. The warmth disappeared with his hand, and he quickly replaced his glove. "I suppose I always knew, somehow, when I saw you watching me that night."

"My dad thought I outgrew it and learned my place. Or at least, he did until you came along."

"You did learn your place. You love your family, and you're still dedicated to dancing like they want you to."

"...Maybe I am. But, the rebel in me has found her place by you, and she's a curious one." Miwa rose to her feet. "So...let's break into Zaiten's tent."

{00}

Looking back on old memories was almost like recalling the story of someone else. Miwa was so curious about a world outside of the one she grew up in. It took an outsider like Shirai to show her that it was possible to step out of the life you live every day. To step out of your place in life with reckless abandon alongside Shirai, an outsider that walked into their tribe with false pretences and ulterior motives. Back then, when she was young and stupid, she took that step so willingly, boldly, and selfishly, knowing that if she took that step outside, she could hurt the people she loved. Yet, she did it anyway. stupidly thinking she could get away with everything, that they were smarter than everyone else, until the people she loved did get hurt.

"So, you were reckless, even back then," Kurama said, his lips curling into the faintest of smiles. "I guess working with me wasn't your first time in the life of thievery,"

"Oh, I wasn't good at it by any means, back then. All I knew how to do was dance," Miwa said, unconsciously returning the faint smile. "But, we were still successful...for a while. We found small statues of snakes inside a locked trunk, and Shirai was able to read centuries old memories imprinted on them, confirming everything he theorized about us to be true." She remembered those small statues of white snakes, small enough to balance on the palms of their hands. Zaiten used those statues for an annual ritual, celebrating their roots as the serpentine messengers of a water goddess. Maybe part of that story was even true; no demon truly knows where their race began, but Miwa and Shirai quickly learned how selective the water apparitions were in celebrating their history. "But, Zaiten eventually found out what we were doing. We were seen, and we left evidence of snooping around." Miwa laughed a bit, again feeling as if she were talking about a different person. Her skills now would never be so amateurish. "We were both in so much trouble, imprisoned in separate tents as the spy and his accomplice. They didn't believe that Shirai never intended to expose that secret to the world."

"No one would believe that," Kurama said bluntly, "Are you sure he didn't have that intention?"

"You only knew I was a mizuchi because I told you. Shirai never published anything he learned from living with us, even after he was forced to leave," Miwa explained. "Never even brought it up in conversation with other people..."

"How do you know that?"

"...Because, I followed him soon after he left, when my parents were killed."

Kurama fell silent. Her parents' death… That was a story he was already familiar with. Kurama knew Miwa used to be a travelling dancer, just an average Water Apparition, but a brutish customer named Agata followed some of her tribe back to their camp, hoping to spy on the women. There had been complaints about him since he arrived in the city where they performed, saying he often approached the dancers after the performance and made them uncomfortable. By chance, he snuck into Miwa's family's tent, and he killed her parents, Ikuchi and Kiyo, in surprise when they returned home unexpectedly early and found him inside.

"...You never did tell me where you were when they died," Kurama said slowly. He had never asked; the old him never particularly cared. But now… "You were still confined at the time, weren't you..."

Miwa nodded. "No one, not even family, was allowed to even talk to me while I was imprisoned. I didn't...even know they had died until weeks later. Zaiten only let me out because becoming orphaned was the 'divine punishment' for betraying my tribe. Even so, it didn't matter whether I was imprisoned or not. I still don't regret helping Shirai, but nobody wanted me around anymore..."

The details about what Miwa and Shirai found in Zaiten's tent never went public within the tribe, but the fact that Miwa assisted a spy was well known. Zaiten tried to force normal life on everyone, to keep the status quo as stable as possible, but Miwa was never allowed to perform in the city anymore. When she attended practice, she was forced to stand in the back, and everyone gave her dirty looks wherever she went, no matter what she did or said. And why wouldn't they? Miwa knew the only reason they never exiled her or Shirai was to keep them from exposing the secrets they discovered. Executions may not be an "elegant" solution, but imprisonment and forcing someone to become an outcast has a long-standing history, especially in the Demon World.

"Shirai escaped his prison when he heard what had happened, and he offered to take me with him. ...Maybe he felt guilty about everything, too," Miwa said. It sounded like some stupid fairy tale of two lovers running away together, and maybe that's what some demons in her tribe thought had actually happened. But, to Miwa, the only place in life she had ever known would no longer accept her. Dancing...family...a tribe...all of it was gone. She stepped out of her place, and she could never step back. Not anymore. Shirai offered her a new place to belong, and she took it immediately. "We made a deal. He would continue his research on mizuchi by helping me figure out techniques that were lost to history. In exchange, he taught me how to gather information while I searched for Agata. Avenging their meaningless death was the only thing I could do to atone for...for the shame I brought upon my family. And that path...lead me to you, because Shirai discovered you were the one who killed him."

Kurama leaned back against the wall. He had no memory of killing someone named Agata, but that didn't mean much of anything; he killed a lot of people whose name he did not know. When he first met Miwa, he thought she was either lying or delusional about this apparent connection to him. However, he ultimately didn't care, because he soon realized her skills would be useful to him. Intelligence gathering, the kisuinou; all useful skills for a thief to have on his side. He had never bothered to learn where she learned them. That part didn't matter, not as long it benefited him. But still, Kurama found it strange how he had never asked, not even when their relationship started to change.

"And...what did Shirai think of you leaving to follow me?" Kurama could not let go of suspicions that Shirai had ulterior motives.

Miwa laced her fingers together and leaned on her knees, remembering again her last memory of Shirai. That gloveless hand chasing her. "He wasn't happy... He had hoped I would stop my vengeance quest knowing Agata was dead. He used to call it my 'anchor,' because it tied me to a purpose. I felt bad for leaving him like I did, but...I was determined. I couldn't let go of my anchor when there was still something I could do. So, he tried to erase my memory."

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "He can erase memories?"

"Anything his hands can read, he can manipulate, alter...or erase."

"But why would he do that to you?"

Miwa shrugged. "To stop me? We were friends, after all. Or maybe just to make me forget what he found out about you? I can only guess what he was thinking back then, but he always wanted me to let go of my anchor one day."

Kurama didn't want to admit it to her, but he could relate to that feeling.

"I haven't seen him take off his glove since we arrived," Miwa continued. "I think he regrets it too."

"You don't know that for certain," Kurama said.

"No...I guess I don't. He did say he has something he wants to tell me." Miwa sighed deeply; she had lost count a long time ago how many times she had to do that. "And well, you know the rest of my story. I found you, and here we are."

Here they were, years after they first met, and very different people. Miwa had never forgotten her oath was based on vengeance and atonement to her parents. To dedicate her life to Youko Kurama, because he took away her reason for living. But, sometimes, she would realize that basis was rarely at the forefront of her mind for more than ten years. And for Kurama, his view of her changed to something other than a useful meat shield. Somewhere along the line, at a point neither of them would be able to identify, they began to see each other as something more than the thief and his follower. The master and his slave. The owner and his guard dog. Or at least, they were something more than that whenever Miwa wasn't recklessly putting her life in danger for him. That part of her, at least, had never changed.

Miwa sighed. "I never told you about Shirai because… I guess I was ashamed. He had done so much for me, and even though he tried to erase my memory, I still abandoned him. I didn't want Youko Kurama to think I would do the same thing again…"

She did not explain this because she wanted Kurama to tell her why she had never heard about him and Yomi. No matter how curious she was, Miwa didn't want to force it out of him if he wasn't comfortable sharing. She only explained her secret because she wanted to be honest with him, as she truly believed she was Kurama's only ally in Gandara. And truthfully, that secret coming out was no longer a danger to her or her place at his side. Or…her "anchor" as Shirai had called it.

But, that didn't mean her questions wouldn't be answered.

"It's the same with me," Kurama said slowly. "I was...also ashamed. Despite how we met, I do think of you as my friend, Miwa, and I didn't want you to know I was capable of betraying one."

"We both were," Miwa said, looking down. "A long time ago…"

This place was full of artifacts of their old lives. It set aside the time between "then" and "now", throwing them headfirst to the ghosts Kurama and Miwa thought they left behind. The influence of old ghosts would surely creep into their minds, pulling them further and further away from how much they changed. Miwa could already see it happening in Kurama, in those expressions he made that had never been on Shuichi Minamino's face, but Youko Kurama's. But for him, that was happening long before Yomi's invitation. The "biorhythms" he felt every month since the Dark Tournament, filling him with an overflowing aggression that threatened to turn him back to his old demon body, like what had happened in Demon's Door Cave. Now that Kurama was back in the Demon World, exposed to its energy and working with old friends, Miwa was certain those biorhythms would continue to pull him back to his old self.

As for Miwa...she couldn't help but wonder how far back she would be pulled once she heard what Shirai wanted to tell her. When she learned what the last line of his letter meant...

"...I do hope that one day, we will be able to reconcile our differences and find the place where we are meant to be."

---

Notes: The other council members were never named in the manga or anime, so I made my own loosely based on their appearance. Houju means "treasure gem," and is coincidentally the name of a Buddhist artifact. Mamie is an old word for "eyebrows."

Kisuinou is the umbrella term for any mizuchi skill that manipulates the fluids of another living thing, meaning "life water ability." We first saw it in this story when Miwa took control of Bakken's mist, or more infamously when she killed Rikiji. Miwa's normal manipulation of water is something I'm calling yousui, or "alluring/ominous water." I like thinking of Japanese names for everything, even though I use the English dialogue. "Water apparition" would have been yousui-tsukai if I used more Japanese terms.

Anyway, our first real peak into Miwa's backstory! There will be more.