Author's Notes: Haha, sorry about the massive delay there, folks. I was really into my novel writing that I have 67 pages so far, single-spaced. Whenever I manage to get it finished and pushed out into print, I will be sure to let people know. =) I find it to be insanely liberating to write to my own world. Also I am working two jobs now with massive luck if I have more than one day off, so it is interesting at the moment!

I was struggling to come back to this one. XD; I am not sure if I'll hiatus this—I may or may not. Depends on how I am feeling.

Okuro watched the night sky from the balcony within the building his father and mother had taken over. He rested upon the railing with his knees to his chest and his black, bushy fox tail flicking back and forth as his mind wandered. Hearing someone coming up behind him, his black ears shifted behind him before he bothered to look over his shoulder to catch who was coming towards him. Seeing that it was Kuronue, he didn't know what to really say considering the words spared before between them.

"I figured you might be out here," Kuronue said, as he placed his forearms upon the railing to relax against the cool iron. "Whenever you were plotting something or pouting, you always retreated here."

"I am not pouting," Okuro grumbled, flattening his ears against his head monetarily. "I was just thinking about all of the human slaves out there in the Demon City."

"You really just need to let this go—both of you do!" Kuronue insisted angrily through his teeth. "I didn't intend for your mother to come back down to Makai only to be so upset over this slave trade business."

Okuro turned to his father with an irritable look on his face. "You chose to start something with Kurama, and yet, he is the only one with the heart to stop it!" He shook his head in disgusted disbelief. "I never thought the once feared and hated Youko Kurama would be the one to do such a thing…!"

"Do you not think I want to stop this!" Kuronue exclaimed between them, pounding his fists against the railing, nearly breaking the iron. "Every day I have to go into the Demon City and see the unclothed humans being dragged around by collars like they're some house pet or luxury! Do you not think I want to put an end to it!" His voice was quiet so as not to wake Nari, but anger clung to every word. "The only reason I don't do such a thing is because I know there are deceitful bastards who would follow me home and kill Nari and possibly you!" Kuronue pulled himself from the balcony railing with a shake of disapproval at Okuro's assumptions of him being selfish. "Kurama can easily avoid most of this because he can head back to Human World under the alias of Shuichi, but I cannot do that!"

The mix-breed wasn't sure what to say now involving his father's outburst. Okuro was beginning to feel awful for ever assuming Kuronue was just being a selfish bastard, as Kuronue got what he wanted in Okuro's eyes. "I know what you're trying to say, dad, but I know mom won't rest peacefully here until this comes to a halt."

Kuronue sighed, looking off at nothing in particular. He knew there would be no way to make his son understand what he was trying to get across. He didn't want to lose either one of them, but his son was stubborn. "Fine," he growled. "If you want to do this so badly, then I want you to go to Kurama and stay beside him, and I want you to do everything that he tells you!"

"But—!"

"No buts!" Kuronue knew that Okuro still had a fowl taste in his mouth for everything Kurama did in the past to his mother, but he wasn't about to let his son run wild in the Demon City to chase after slave drivers. "If you want to do this, then you'll do as I say, or I won't be afraid of beating you into the ground to remind you how weak you are." Kuronue would often school Okuro in spars just to remind the rebellious youth where he stood. He promised the mix-breed if he ever beat Kuronue in a duel that he would allow Okuro to do as he pleased. "Tomorrow morning go up to Spirit World and talk to Koenma about it as well. I am sure he'll have assignments for you to do."

Okuro knew this was going to be his best opportunity to help with the fight against the slave trade. When Kuronue left, however, he didn't mind covering his face with his hands and grumbling against his palms.

Even if the time in Makai was different from that in Human World, I could tell that December was coming rapidly. It was getting colder, and I could spy snow flurries outside of my window from time to time.

Sadness overtook me, however, at remembering the Christmas holiday that comes with the month. I didn't know if demons celebrated such a thing, and I wasn't too intent on asking the 'master' I currently lived with.

12/2009

Gwenevere sat upon the bed in her own bedroom to watch the frost settle upon the earth with an occasionally flurries here and there. She always had a love for the snow, but down in the south it rarely ever snowed. It was a thought and hope that it would snow rather heavily in Makai. Her fixation on the thought was broken when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she spoke quietly. Gwenevere was gradually getting used to being around the demons, but her paranoia in their actions was still there.

Jin opened the door to the room, still keeping his distance as that pentagram was still in place about a majority of the floor. "Hey, lass, I was curious if ya be wantin' to come to the market with me."

She felt that was a rather dumb question. Gwenevere was still not completely trustful of the demons she was with, and now this airhead wanted her to walk into the demon pit with him. "I think I'll pass, but thanks."

Her thanks was cold, per usual. Jin was getting used to it nonetheless. "Aye, alright then." Jin was about to leave the doorway but stopped himself, as he apparently had something else on his mind. "So when do ya plan on movin' back into me room?" He didn't mind the shocked and disgusted look on her face, but Jin preferred her to be nearby with the surgery and all. "I am sorry, lass, but I just worry for ya is all."

"I am sure I can take care of myself," Gwenevere retaliated, turning her attention back to the window.

"Well, how 'bout you read for a bit till I be gettin' home?" Jin was trying his best to keep Gwenevere's mind occupied, so she wouldn't think so much on the other things that were depressing her. The last thing he wanted to do was lose her. His intent was to save her—not rescue her and have Gwenevere die a month or so later. "I am sure the books will keep ya interested for the time bein'." He pointed over to the stack, which he had bought knowing her likes in literature.

Reading was a favorite pastime for Gwenevere, but she just didn't feel like picking up a book at that moment. She waited for Jin to leave her be before getting to her feet slowly to head over to the vanity where she had her books stacked. She shuffled through them to find her interest still not sparking. Not sure where the other demon was, Gwenevere opened her door once she heard Jin close the front door to make her way out into the hallway.

The house was rather quiet. Every time it was so, Gwenevere felt the temptation to just run for help, but she was already well aware there was no place to run. Her arms wrapped around her body, she made it to the kitchen and living room area to just stare at the front door. Her legs were almost telling her to go as well as her mind, but her heart told her differently, knowing she had to stay alive as long as possible for her friend. She still wanted to escape together with Jade.

Touya saw Gwenevere appear and just stand there in the middle of the room staring at the door. He lowered his book to his lap, wondering if the human woman had even noticed him sitting there. "You know you're not allowed out there, right?" He wasn't sure what was on her mind, but Touya didn't want to take the chance of her dashing out of the house. His fingers resting within his sky-blue hair, he looked down at the written words in front of him again. "Besides, if you try, I'll just drag you back here."

Gwenevere frowned at the ice master with a shake of her head as she made her way cautiously over towards the sofa closest to her. "I wasn't thinking about leaving," she lied slightly. "I was just thinking about a few things." She noticed the book that Touya was reading. "Why is it that you find the time to read when you could probably be out there making some demon or humans' life miserable?"

The ice master scoffed at her words, as his eyes continued to dart about on the pages in front of him. "I spent many years of my life fighting, and I feel I am fine with an occasional read here and there," he admitted, turning to the next page. "Besides, I do still train with Jin for the tournaments we have here."

"Demons fight to the death, it seems," Gwenevere pointed out from where she was still standing behind the sofa. "Where is the joy in that?" She had seen the horrible fights on the television when she was recuperating from the surgery she had endured.

"Some demons do," Touya pointed out, as he lowered his book to get a better look at Gwenevere. "Not all of us do. And besides, some ask for death when they take or harm the ones others care about. I know Kurama's human mother has been threatened on occasion just to get the man to submit in a fight. He would kill any demon who dared do that to him."

"Who is Kurama?" Gwenevere asked, not recognizing the name. She was beginning to find a bit of comfort just speaking to the ice master now. Slowly, she made her way back around to the other side of the sofa to sit down finally.

"He's a friend who spared my life in a tournament I failed at," Touya responded, looking back down at his book. He was afraid if he kept eye contact with Gwenevere for too long, she would get spooked. "When I begged him to kill me, he spared my life instead to let me wander in the light as I wished to."

Gwenevere scoffed lightly, trying not to offend the demon or anything. "You sound like you're a vampire when you phrase it like that."

"Not a vampire, obviously," Touya said vaguely, as he knew Jin wouldn't want him to explain that they were once assassins, knowing Gwenevere would hold onto the excuse to fear them. He closed his book finally, once he found a stopping space. "I could have sworn, however, that Jin told you to read while he was gone." He was hoping to change the subject.

"He did, but that doesn't mean I have to," Gwenevere pointed out, resting her arms upon the nearby armrest of the sofa. "Truthfully, I just don't have it in me to read. I am still not used to being in this God awful place."

Touya sighed at her comments. "Not to be blunt, Gwen, but you pass up every opportunity given to you to get used to this 'God awful place'." Putting his book off to the side, he got to his feet and headed over to the kitchen. "Understand that not every demon here is going to want to drag you off and kill you. Besides, with Jin beside you, I doubt anybody is going to care to try."

Gwenevere turned around on the sofa she was resting upon to watch the ice master closely. "So you're saying that if you were in a strange world full of powerful creatures, you would gladly stroll down their roads even after they tortured you?"

"I can understand where it would be complicated to adjust, but if I couldn't get back home, I could either choose to live in the new world or just rot away slowly in it," Touya said, as he shifted through the refrigerator to find whatever it was he was looking for. He pulled out a drink he had been saving for himself before shutting the door to the fridge. "So what is your choice going to be?" Touya asked after taking one sip of his drink.

I suppose he was right.

I wasn't doing much living as it was down in that hell. The way things were heading, I was either going to grow-up under the two demons' care or just waste away in that building without any hope of going back to the Human World.

I had to make a choice either way my fate was spun.

12/2009

Jin eventually made it back to the house looking rather roughed up in appearance. He knew it would probably startle Gwenevere to see him with even a trickle of blood on him, so Jin made sure to get his face as clean as possible before entering through the front door. He managed to put the groceries down on the counter within the kitchen with a toothy grin at being spared a lecture from Touya. However a sharp pain came quickly to his left earlobe. "Owe! Owe! Owe!" He griped.

"And just what took you so long?" Touya asked, keeping a tight hold on the wind demon's ear.

Managing to get free from his friend's grasp, Jin rubbed his injured ear with a grumble. "I was at the market when…a little somethin' went down!"

Touya turned to the bags to pull out an egg carton, which had apparently nothing but broken eggs within it, and it was now dripping all over the hardwood floor and within Touya's palm. "It sure must have been something, that's for sure." He made his way over towards the sink to dump the eggs within it for the time being. "What happened, Jin?"

"A few demons wanted to start somethin', so I let 'em have it!" Jin said in his defense. He didn't feel like he was in the wrong for trying to protect himself. He tugged on an out of place hair slightly before turning back to Touya. "There is no blood on me, is there?"

"No," Touya answered, "but there will be blood if you don't keep it together when you're out and about in Makai." He punched Jin's arm lightly to let him know he wasn't thrilled. "What is the matter with you!" Touya exclaimed quietly between them. "You're going out there and getting beaten on by demons when your human is back here fearful of that kind of thing. You're not helping the cause of breaking her into this world!"

Jin looked a little dumbfounded. "I beggin' your pardon, but are ya suggestin' I got beatin' in that brawl?"

"Knowing you, Jin, I have no doubt you coaxed them into beating on you." Touya knew Jin was always interested in a good fight. If there was ever a fair fight, Jin would dive within the opportunity. "Just go get yourself cleaned up. You look like hell," Touya said, as he went through the rest of the groceries to see what else didn't survive.

Jin made his way to his bedroom. He opened the door to the room to be a bit shocked by what he found there. Gwenevere was lying down upon his bed under the covers. She appeared to be out cold for the moment. It relieved Jin, as it meant he could sneak by her to get to the bathroom to wash the dirt off of his face.

"You were gone for quite awhile," Gwenevere finally said sleepily, stopping Jin right at the doorway to the bathroom. She turned around in the bed to get a good look at the wind demon in the dimly lit room. She didn't notice the dirt on his body or that his hair was messier than usual. "I could hear Touya griping under his breath out in the hallway while you were away."

"The boyo just needs to learn to relax a wee bit," Jin said with a wave of his hand at the way Touya was reacting. "Not to questin' the sudden change, but what caused ya to come back in 'ere?"

Gwenevere wasn't sure how to answer that at first. "I just had a talk with Touya is all," she whispered, but Jin's ears could easily pick up her words. "I guess I cannot find my way back to Human World, and I just have to accept that." She was silent for a moment before thinking back on her best friend. "However, if I am going to be stuck here, I would like to believe my friend is safe."

Jin smiled for a moment, hearing her sincere words. "I can help you look for her when I can. I am sure it'll be easy to go back to the place I got you from and find her." He was hoping that nobody had bought Jade yet. "Come 'morrow, I can help ya with it. Right now I have to clean up or Touya is gonna box me ears again."

She felt that if Jade were there in the same house, living within even the darkest pits of hell wouldn't be so bad for her. Turning on her side when the bathroom door shut, Gwenevere held the pillow close to her face. She was still feeling lethargic.

Once the groceries were shifted through, Touya began working on dinner for that night without Jin's consent on the matter. When he heard the door to his friend's bedroom open, he looked over his shoulder at Jin. "So how does fish sound tonight, as that seems to be the only thing that survived your 'brawl', as you call it?"

"So what exactly did ya tell the lass, eh?" Jin inquired, as he made it beside the ice master. He looked down at the salmon and shrimp he bought at the market. Admittedly, he was a bit surprised they did make it in one piece, but Jin wasn't about to tell Touya that.

"I was just telling her that she could either choose to live in this new life or rot away within it," Touya explained, as he worked on getting the fish prepared. "I guess she chose to live within this new life of hers." Taking the kitchen knife in his hand, he wasn't afraid to point it at Jin. "However, it is going to be your job to make sure she remains content to be here. I don't care if you have to pull her out of this house kicking and screaming—just do something with her."

Jin raised his hands to show he didn't want Touya to be throwing the knife around in front of his face. "Aye, aye, I'll be sure to do that with 'er."

Kurama made his way back to Spirit World the coming morning in hopes of seeing improvement within the young woman he had saved down in Makai. Fiorella was having a hard time trying to recall where she was previously held before he and Yusuke had managed to save her. Also, the demon heart within her wasn't reacting positively towards her. The redhead was worried she would turn into an enraged beast any moment or die from the slow beats—whichever came first. As he made his way through the halls, he was more than surprised to see Okuro standing within the hallway near Koenma's office. "What are you doing here, Okuro?" Kurama questioned. "Did Koenma throw you out of his office again?" He chuckled at the thought while continuing on his way to the area where the demon hearted humans were held.

"No," Okuro mumbled, following behind Kurama. "I was asked by—someone—to help with the slave trade."

Chuckling at the half-breeds words, he looked over his shoulder briefly at Okuro. "'Someone'? And just who is this 'someone'?" Kurama asked, continuing down the hall to stop at the door, which would lead him to the room where the humans were being watched over. He didn't want to open the door just yet with Okuro following so closely behind him.

"That doesn't matter," Okuro insisted, pushing the thought aside. "All that matters is that I was told that if I wanted to do this, I better do so under…" He paused and mumbled his last few chosen words, "…your words…"

"Under my words? Is that so?" Kurama admittedly felt a bit uneasy about letting Okuro along on the missions, but he knew that his son was eager to help. He was just worried about future problems with the wild youth. "Alright, fine with me. However, you have to do exactly what I tell you to do!" He wasn't about to let Okuro get himself into trouble and possibly killed. Remembering what door he was at and the feelings Okuro had about the current slave trade, he pointed at the young half-demon. "It might be wise if you stay out here."

Okuro waved his right ear, confused as to why Kurama would say that. "What's behind the door?"

"It isn't something you need to see," said Kurama, as he pushed Okuro backwards gently. "Just stay out here, or I will make sure your feet stay glued to the floor." He didn't need to egg on Okuro's feelings any further, prompting him to quickly enter the room and lock it behind him. Even if the half-fox demon was growling angrily on the opposite side of the door, Kurama ignored it, as he headed over towards the bed Fiorella's bed. The bed was within a square, iron cage. It was a horrible thing to do, but after the first few had gone insane, it was the only humane thing they could do with them.

Fiorella was having difficulty breathing, it seemed. Her eyes were closed, and she was sweating profusely. She wasn't used to the slow beating of her heart, and her body wasn't going to take much more of it, obviously. When she felt someone touching her hand, Fiorella opened her brown eyes to see a blurry vision of Kurama before he finally came into focus. "Kurama…?" She questioned weakly. "It's been awhile..."

Kurama could tell she was struggling to even talk properly. "Don't strain yourself too much," he encouraged, placing his hand upon her dyed, purple hair. He knew asking her to try and remember the details of being in Makai would be selfish, so Kurama avoided the topic. "You haven't been feeling any changes aside from the shortness of breath, have you?"

Closing her eyes and relaxing her head back on the pillow, she struggled to think clearly. "I-I don't think so…" Her brown eyes fell upon Kurama's green. "My chest is just hurting me really badly." She hissed from the pain, clenching her fists slightly upon the bedcovers before relaxing them once more.

"Your body isn't used to the demon heart they gave you," Kurama explained from her bedside. He kept her nearest hand within his, to allow her the knowledge of someone nearby willing to help her. "Why demons think it is a wise idea to transplant in a completely different heart into a completely different creature is beyond me."

"Answer me honestly," the woman said breathlessly. "Am I going to die?"

The words hit Kurama hard. He could only imagine the hell doctors had to go through just to tell patients they wouldn't make it or tell loved ones that someone they cared for passed. He lowered his head momentarily before having the courage to look Fiorella back into her brown eyes. "To be honest, I am not sure your chances are looking well." He saw the color fade from her face, and she closed her eyes at having to hear that news. "Your body isn't adjusting well to your new heart, and it is choosing to either transform you emotionally into a monster or shut down."

"What did I do to deserve this?" She asked with a shake of her head. The pain within her body was about to drive her mad. Bringing her hands to her face, she tried to make the nightmare stop from progressing onwards.

He could tell that the heart was starting to drive her crazy, prompting him to grab her by the wrists and bring her arms back down to the bedside to shackle her to the bed to prevent her from trying to hurt herself or others. "I am sorry," he whispered sincerely. "This is to make sure you don't bring harm to yourself when you forget who and what you are."

Fiorella was ignorant to what was going on. She didn't even notice that she was breathing so heavily, she almost sounded like she was growling like a disgruntled beast. "What…what are you talking about?" Her nails were digging into the covers of the bed beneath her, almost destroying it.

"When the pain becomes too much, humans cannot come to terms with it," Kurama explained, bringing his hands to his lap. "It drives them insane, and they start acting like a rabid demon. All they become filled with is a desire to kill—those that live, anyways—until their system burns out."

"No…no, that will not happen to me!" Fiorella yelled angrily, struggling to get up and leap at Kurama only to be reminded that she was bound to the bed. She was snorting angrily and baring her teeth till the agony of her new heart prompted her to flop back down to the bed with a slight whimper and a few quick breaths.

"Fiorella, I am sorry for this," Kurama said once more, shaking his head disapprovingly at the outcome of her transplant. He backed up towards the exit of the cell. Kurama made sure that the woman was secure well behind the iron bars before leaning against them to watch her just fight with herself. Realizing he was back to square one, he was about to turn around and head back out to meet with Okuro only to find the young boy standing right behind him. "Okuro? How did you get in here?" Kurama knew he had locked the doors when he came inside.

Okuro didn't answer right away, as he watched Fiorella behind the bars of the large cell she was confined within. "I didn't realize that the transplant was affecting the humans this much." His black ears slowly came to rest lazily about his head.

Kurama sighed somberly at the situation as well. "Ever since the demons in Makai have gotten wise that we cannot drag humans back to Human World if they have a demon heart, we've been getting more and more of these cases." He paused momentarily. "The first one we had went into a stage of possession, it seemed. When the insanity hit her, she started biting and clawing not only at herself but at others as well if they tried to help her. If she could, she would have chosen to kill those that dared walk near her." Kurama could never forget the insane, inhuman look in her eyes when she would stare at him.

"What did you end up doing with her?" Okuro asked, as he got closer to the cold, iron bars of the imprisonment surrounding the transforming, human woman.

"We had to strap her down to one of the beds here, like she was a mental patient," Kurama answered. "We found her dead one day, and she had chewed off her own tongue sometime before her body stopped working." He remembered walking into her room to find blood everywhere from her own handy work. "We continue to get a number of the humans that have already gone through the transplant process. It is why we are trying to find the main base of operation for this sort of thing," Kurama explained, as he pocketed his hands. "They are hiding the humans until they are sold."

Angrily, Okuro pushed himself off of the bars he was leaning against and headed back over towards the redhead. "You're taking me with you on your next mission," he practically demanded, shaking his finger at the fox demon.

"I will, if you promise me your emotions won't make the best of you." Kurama couldn't help but feel uneasy with Okuro's feelings surrounding the situation at hand. "If I have to, I'll let Yusuke watch over you, and believe me, you won't want that." He knew Yusuke wouldn't hesitate to punch Okuro around if the young boy messed up.

Hearing Fiorella stirring in the cell once more, his black ears twisted back to catch the sound before turning his head to see the woman still in absolute agony. "I don't care what you do—I just want to come along."