Sold

Chapter 11:

"Awaken My Soul"

"Hiei?" I called gently, placing my hand on his shoulder. I peered behind the pissed off apparition to regard my brother cooly. The demon shot me a heated looked, but reluctantly stepped slightly to the side.

Koenma didn't speak for many minutes. He seemed to be appraising me with every passing second, a fact that only served to further irritate me. I knew he was hiding something from me, there might as well have been 'GUILT' stamped across his forehead. When the man finally did speak, it was over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. "We have much to discuss," He said in between strides. I nodded my head once and made a move to follow him, but my path was obstructed by a certain apparition. "Hiei," I chided, eyes narrowing. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, but reluctantly let me follow behind the young ruler. The heavy footfalls of his boots let me know that he was closing up the rear behind me.

Koenma lead us to the smallest parlor room Genkai had to offer. I motioned for Hiei to wait outside the door for me. You could see the fury on his face, but he didn't argue. I took a seat on one of the cushions around the empty kotatsu, Koenma sat in proper seiza across from me.

"Well?" I pretended to pick a piece of lint off my sleeve.

"I'm...sorry," Koenma's voice was soft, mournful sounding. His apology caught me off guard.

"This isn't your fault Koenma."

I watched his adam's apple bob up and down as he nervously swallowed. "But it is." My heart thudded nervously in my chest with his admission.

"What do you mean?"

"I may have brought you to Master Genkai's under false pretenses and those pretenses might have lead to this…" He did not look at me as he spoke. His chocolate brown eyes were fixed on the empty adobe wall behind me. "It's true that I brought you to Master Genkai's to protect you, but I didn't specify from whom." Koenma thrummed his hands on the table nervously. It looked as though he was having trouble choking out his next words. Finally he spoke: "Our father, King Enma, isn't exactly aware that you exist in this time."

That caught my attention, "Why not? I thought you said that you were expec-"

"-It's true," He said cutting me off, "I was expecting you. I saw the signs in the demon world and sent my team looking for you when I knew the time was right, but I did not tell my-our-father."

I regarded the man carefully, the Voice's words still ghosting through my mind. "Why?"

"I wanted you to live."

"But I don't und-" He waved his hand, effectively ending my question.

"No, you don't understand. You don't remember!" Koenma cradled his head in his hands, tugging at the brown strands furiously. "You're the Pure One! You're the savior of the three worlds! Don't you get it?" If I was being honest, then no, not really. I did not have time to share my inclinations with the Prince though because he had already begun speaking once more: "You must be protected. Besides my father and myself not a soul-in any of the three worlds-knows what or who you are! If someone discovered how to activate the crystal our entire plane of existence could be annihilated."

"I still don't understand."

"The Pure One is the best kept secret in all of the universe. In days past, her identity was kept hidden deep within the castle; not even our most loyal servants laid eyes on her. Whenever she was granted permission to be outside, she was always covered completely so as not to reveal her true form. Of course all of the security is now useless since I've allowed her to be discovered!" Koenma's voice was level and withdrawn. I couldn't help but notice that he kept referring to me in the third person, almost as if he were trying hard to distance himself from me. He's disassociating me, I realized with a start. It was a basic psychological tactic that many criminals and murderers used in order to rationalize committing crimes against other people. If they didn't see the other person they were hurting as a human or as a friend, then it was easier to complete the crime."Whenever the world is on the verge of a calamity, the Pure One will use the crystal's powers to restore balance. She does this through an act of sacrifice."

"I just don't-"

"Hikari, you were born to die and if our Father finds out that you've been revealed he'll make sure that you do!" Koenma tirade was interrupted when the delicate paper door was nearly ripped off its hinges. Smoke drifted off the scorched wood and paper as Hiei tossed it indelicately to the side.

"Was that really necessary?" Genkai rasped from behind the pissed off apparition. Behind Hiei I could make out the figures of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Master Genkai.

Head spinning, I ignored the calamity my gang of friends had brought with them, in favor of asking Koenma more questions.

"You keep saying that Hozakimaru finding me is your fault, but how?"

"Hikari, Reikai's been compromised," Koenma's voice was no more than a whisper now. "Someone's broken into the vault; they stole your file and they stole...it!"

"It?" Kurama asked, his melodious voice seeming to fill the entirety of the space.

Koenma nodded his head gravely, "Yes, it. The very same tool you used to locate my sister."

"Oh you mean that little blinking rod thing? What's so special about that?" Yusuke asked scratching his head.

"You mean besides the fact that it has the ability to track the crystal's aura and subsequently Hikari?" Kuwabara pointed out.

"Oh...Yeah well, I guess it is important then," the spirit detective admitted. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yes those are all troubling details, but by far the worst part is that I will no longer be able to hold off on telling our father. When the King hears about this he'll…" Koenma did not finish his sentence, but he didn't need to.

"He'll kill Hikari to keep anyone from using her powers for destruction," Kurama supplied gravely.

"You fool," Hiei hissed, baring his fangs at the man. His hand was itching dangerously close to the hilt of his blade; without really considering my actions I placed my hand on top of his to steady him.

"But I don't understand, if Hikari was born to save the world then wouldn't killing her before she is able to sort of defeat the purpose?" The edge in Yusuke's voice was unmistakable.

Once again Kurama was right on the money when he said, "King Yama won't take that chance. As far as we know this could be the whole reason Lady Hikari was born in the first place."

"How long do I have?" Talking was becoming increasingly more difficult. It felt as though a cannonball were lodged deep within my trachea. I swallowed nervously around the obstruction as I awaited Koenma's answer. I couldn't help but notice small pearls of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"A while," He replied licking his lips nervously.

"He lies!" Hiei snapped.

"I know Hiei," I admonished, sighing heavily. He always licks his lips when he's about to lie, I thought looking down at my hands. It was a tell we both shared. "Koenma, I deserve your honesty." It was a low blow, but it was enough.

"I don't know Hikari, I just don't!" He buried his head in his hands once more.

Instinctively my hands sought the small silvery chain around my throat. Fingering the jewel I felt the familiar sinking feeling of dread spreading throughout my body. I suppose his words were not incredibly shocking; I had always had a feeling my time on this Earth was short. It was one of the primary reasons I had decided against pursuing higher education. Midoriko and Sakura couldn't understand it. "But you're so smart!" They had said. Of course they were right; I had been very smart growing up. All of the answers came to me naturally without needing much studying required. When I was asked what my secret to success was by my peers, I had often said that the answers just seemed to "come to me." It was my memories from my past life, I realized with a low gasp. I've known who I am all along. The crystal pulsed beneath my fingers, flooding the room with it's golden glow. I could feel the familiar heat filling my spirit as my body became washed in the brilliant glow.

More powerful than the crushing waves of a typhoon the memories of my past lives came roaring through my mind. Images of Koenma and I playing as children danced through my head and were soon replaced by memories of the many hours I had spent in the Spirit World library pouring over ancient texts. The memories were vastly different as they spanned from one lifetime to the next, but they each had one thing in common; I was alone. As a small child I was allowed to play with Koenma in the safety of the castle, but as soon as I became six or seven years of age I was sent into isolation. It was a lonely, miserable life.

As the savior of the worlds, I was born to die. This singular sentence comprised my entire existence for the past four lifetimes. I had no other purpose, but to save the world and in order to fulfil that purpose, I could never live in it so Father had completely taken me out of the world-out of all the worlds to be more exact. The longest I had lived was sixteen years of age, and since I was now pushing twenty one, we were beginning to enter unchartered territory. I didn't need Koenma to tell me how much longer I had left, I already knew; my time was near.

Eventually, the glow from the crystal dissipated, taking with it what little strength I had recovered. I fell backwards onto the carpet, my body puddling into a heap of limbs. Tension I had not realized I was carrying in my stiff joints was immediately chased away as two hands gripped my shoulders fiercely, by now I knew these hands well.

"I do," I murmured fighting off the pull of unconsciousness.

"Do what?" Genkai rasped.

"Know...how much time-"

"Hush!" Hiei snapped, hefting me up roughly from the floor. Unconcerned with pleasantries, Hiei breezed past the gaping stares of our friends without so much as a passing glance. Hiei threw me down on the futon, before reclaiming his spot next to the wall. His arms were crossed tightly, his eyes were closed, and his face was still, however; the apparition was anything but relaxed. Hiei's fingers were clenched so tightly around his bare biceps that small divots from his fingers were beginning to form.

"Hiei?" I called gently.

"I said quiet!" He snapped impatiently.

Fine, I thought heatedly, if he wants me to be shut up so bad then I'll just go to sleep! Unleashing a small frustrated sigh, I brought my covers to my chin and rolled over to face the wall. I wasn't surprised when I fell easily asleep.

"Get up, woman," Hiei's low voice called. It was much softer than I was used to. I looked into his wide red eyes, my face a stoic mask. From somewhere deep within the demon's throat a growl sounded. "Get. Up." He hissed through clenched teeth. I turned away from him. I didn't have the energy to fight with the man today. I'm so tired, I thought frowning out the window. When was the last time I ate? I couldn't even remember. It had been days since my attack; the exact number of which I wasn't so positive of. The revelation of my destiny had lead me to withdraw into total isolation, allowing myself to become a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. The very few times I had ventured down the stairs, I could hear the whispers and feel the stares of my friends upon me. "She looks majorly bummed," Kuwabara had commented.

"Majorly bummed," didn't even begin to describe it.

I was dying.

To say this life had not been the kindest to me would be a total understatement. The heaviest burden for me to rationalize was the fact that even though I had been abducted, raped, and tortured...this was still the best life I had ever lived. In my previous lives, I had never gotten a chance to live at all. The only knowledge I had of the outside world had come from books. Yet here I was; a blank slate. That's why Koenma had neglected to let our father know I was alive. According to the Prince, he thought he could handle whatever calamity was brewing on his own without my help; the fool. He had gone so far as to enlist the help of a young teenage boy and his friends. Yusuke, I thought feeling a wave of remorse rush through me. It's all my fault they were dragged into this life.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that a group of children had their innocence stolen in lieu of saving the world. It also wasn't fair that I had to suffer again and again to keep the worlds in balance-worlds, mind you-that I was never allowed to be apart of. I was nearly as old as time itself, and yet the longest I had lived consecutively was twenty one years! In the days following my "revival" the hazy soup of my memories had become clear. I was Lady Hikari Enma, Princess of Spirit World; the only demigod(dess) to not be blessed with immortality. Instead; I was doomed to become reincarnated whenever the world was on the brink of a crisis; which (spoiler alert) seemed to happening now. In the days following my revival, Koenma had done the best he could to convince me that he had everything sorted and that the worlds were not in peril. The fool, I thought sighing loudly. I knew that had been a lie.

"Fine," the demon spat. Hiei? When had he gotten here? I thought looking around the barren bedroom. Before I could so much as yelp, I found a hard shoulder planted firmly in my gut as Hiei tossed me over his shoulder as if I were a bag of grain. He planted one hand firmly on my knees, trapping me in place and he used the other to open the window. The sensation of falling made me feel as though my stomach was dropping out of my butt. I let out a wild shriek as I watched the ground rise to meet us. Sparing me no mercy Hiei flitted off, his feet touching solid ground for no more than a fraction of a second before sending us rocketing to our next location. The forest whipped past us in a blur of green. I tried to shield myself as best I could with my arms, but that didn't stop one or two (okay, six) branches from breaking off on my face!

"What are you doing?" I screamed into his back, as we finally reached a walking pace. When my answer was met with a wall of stony silence I resigned myself to beating upon his back. "Answer me you...you...you ass!"

"Stop that!" He grunted before adjusting me rather roughly on his shoulder. I was so incensed with the man that I didn't smell the salt or hear the crash of the waves until we were in them and then with a loud yelp I was hefted from the man's shoulder and sent plunging head first into the water.

I broke the surface, coughing up large amounts of salty liquid. The salt stung my eyes, reducing my vision. The waves were cool, but they did nothing to satiate the burning of my temper. Pushing my, now soaked hair out of my eyes I rounded on the fire demon.

"You son of a bitch!" I screamed shoving him roughly. The fire demon didn't so much as budge. He crossed his hands over his chest, regarding me through narrowed eyes. I made a move to shove him once more. At the last minute he sidestepped me, sending me careening back into the water. Oh that's the last straw, I thought spitting out the water I had inhaled. Cupping my hands into the water I tossed it at the demon. It splattered him directly in the face, dampening his bangs slightly.

I watched with great fascination as the beads of water, sizzled at the contact of his skin, before dissolving into steam and misting off. The demon's eyes opened wide and his mouth thinned into an unreadable line. From somewhere deep within the demon's throat a low growl sounded. Hesitantly I took a couple of steps backward into the water, but it was useless. Before I could so much as muster a shriek Hiei shoved me once more into the waves. My face scraped the sandy bottom, opening my mouth to yelp in protest I took on not just water, but a fish. I all but leapt out of the waves, spitting out water and fish. Resisting the urge to retch I rounded on the fire demon with a glare.

The flames of my ire were instantly doused when I realized the pure ridiculousness of the situation. Hiei was knee deep in the aquamarine waves, arms crossed over his chest, indigo hair dropping from the weight of the water. Flinging myself onto my back, I floated on the current as laugh after laugh tore out of my mouth. It was just like that…I swallowed hard, the inside of my throat felt swollen.

Just like the first time I had visited the ocean.

With Hiei.

I had been so happy and free. It was almost as if I were baptized by the sea. The sins and shame of my past were drowned by the unflinching power of the waves as they crashed all around me. I stood up, my throat becoming clogged with emotion. I walked towards the fire demon, trying to mask the sniffles that were building within my nose. The inside of my mouth felt as though it was filled with sawdust.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head, forcing back the tears that gathered at the corners. He did this for me, I thought. I focused my eyes, not on the apparition, but the rolling tide of the endless sea. As the waves crashed against my knees I thought of all the life teeming within it; life that I was entrusted to protect. For the first time in centuries I understood why a person would willingly sacrifice themselves to protect something. In the past, I was making the sacrifice as an act of duty and responsibility, but now...

Now it was love. As I watched the infinite blue stretch on to meet the sinking sun, I suddenly felt so small and so selfish. My suffering, as great as it may be, was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. This-life-was the only thing that mattered.

"Tell me what's wrong," Hiei snapped, wading deeper into the water until we were centimeters apart. After failing to answer his question he lashed out gripping me harshly by my forearms. "Hikari!" He snapped, shaking me slightly.

That did it. Oh Gods, I thought.

The proverbial flood gates corroded underneath the weight of my salty tears. Hiei relinquished his hold on my arms, but did not back away.

"Stop crying!" He spat.

I didn't.

"I said stop," He muttered dangerously. When his commands went unheeded, he resorted to what he was most comfortable with; violence. Hefting my small body high over his head, he tossed me far out into the ocean. When my head crowned the surface of the water tears were still leaking from my eyes, but the wetness of the water on my face masked them. Not wanting to tempt Hiei's patience further I floated aimlessly on my back, waiting for my tears to subside.

Eventually they died down and I was able to return to shore. Hiei was on the beach barefoot, his sopping wet boots in a heap in the sand next to him. I also noticed (much to my great embarrassment) that he had stripped away his shirt as well, leaving him bare chested. I flopped my wet body down into the sand next to him. Since hiding behind my hair was no longer an option, I hid my face by throwing my forearm over my eyes. It did little to shield me from the probing gaze of the apparition next to me. After awhile I gave into his stare and uncovered my eyes. An immeasurable amount of time (okay seventy six seconds precisely-not that I'm counting or anything) passed before he spoke.

"You relaxed you know," Hiei murmured, staring into the sky; he too was laying on his back. I turned over on my side, using my arm to pillow my head. "When I touched you," His voice still contained the rough edge, but was much softer. "Why?" His unexpected question was not half as surprising as the intensity of his gaze. He had leaned up to rest on his forearms, and was now peering down on me with eyes wide open, pencil thin brows arched with curiosity. I rolled over, exhaling loudly.

"I knew it was you," I said simply, rolling on to my back again.

"How?" His gaze, although narrowed was still trained on me.

"The flames. I can always feel your heat, long before you arrive." Something within my words seemed to trouble him. His jaw clenched tightly shut, keeping the words locked up within his mouth. Nervously I tugged on my choppy blonde strands. "Master Genkai said he cut my hair as a sign of disrespect to my throne; apparently those of noble birth keep their hair long. You know...I kind of like it," I said pushing my bangs out of my eyes. In reality, it was an absolute lie. I abhorred my new hair, but I was hoping that with time I would grow to enjoy it. Maybe Botan can turn it into one of those trendy bobs, I thought pulling on the ends. "My hair I mean," I nervously added. I knew I was running the risk of rambling, but I couldn't help it. The fire in his eyes was making me so uncomfortable I was sweating. He smirked slightly at my nervous observation before saying, "It's the cut of a warrior."

"Which I'm not," I returned, sighing loudly. Hiei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. "What? It's true!"

"A warrior's heart is not measured through strength alone. Look at Kuwabara, he's a pathetic human and yet some would still call him a warrior," The conviction with which Hiei spoke left me momentarily stunned. "You've seen your fair share of battle; those scars prove that. I don't know why you insist on hiding them." The realization that Hiei-Hiei of all people-was paying me a compliment colored my cheeks. I could feel the pace of my heart thrum erratically beneath my skin. Hiei's eyes were fixed forward on the setting sun, and for that I was grateful. It made what I was about to do all the more easier.

Taking a deep breath for strength, I looped my fingers underneath the soaked hem of my shirt and pulled it off my head. I tried to be swift about it, but in my haste the clingy material of the shirt became stuck on my head. Finally, after a short wrestle with the fabric I was able to pull it off. My strip tease, I realized, had captured the fire apparitions attention. Surprise had warped Hiei's face almost unrecognizably. Clad only in my sports bra and soaking sweat pants, I felt incredibly vulnerable, especially under Hiei's unrelenting stare. After a few awkward moments, I crossed my arms over my chest and stomach.

"This is it," I stated lamely, dropping my arm. "This is me." His eyes, no longer frozen wide with surprise, travelled up and down my body slowly tracing the intricate web of pink and white.

"He did this," Hiei's snarl was unmistakable, even in the dimming light. He didn't need my confirmation; it was not a question. "Show me." Before I could respond Hiei unfastened his white headband. I watched with morbid fascination as a slit in the center of his brow began to ooze open to reveal a third eye. The eye was amethyst in color which provided a unique contrast with the candy apple hue of his two other eyes. Kind of like...fireworks, I thought. I had the distinct impression of deja vu, although I could not remember what from. I could feel the midnight purple of his consciousness probing at the gate of my mind. Against my better judgement; I let him in.

His purple consciousness tugged on the quilt of my memories until he accessed what he was looking for; my abduction.

I was poised at the starting line of my last marathon race. The sun was beginning to rise over the city of Tokyo. Undeterred by the early hour, the crowd surrounding me was abuzz with excitement as we awaited the shot of the gun that would signify the races beginning. Several thousand people had signed up for the Tokyo Monumental Classic. The turnout was to be expected since this was the last race national qualifier. I had yet to place, but I was hoping this race would get me there.

I remember inhaling deeply, trying my best to imprint every rich detail. From somewhere along the sidelines I could hear the cheers of Midoriko and Sakura; my two biggest fans. I will make them proud of me, I vowed to myself. A few seconds later the sound I had been patiently awaited reverberated around the audience:

BANG! "And they're off!" The announcer declared. My well exercised fast twitch muscles responded instantly; seizing together to propel me forward. Within minutes I had settled into a comfortable pace at the head of the pack. I wasn't concerned with being first; there were plenty of miles left to negotiate rank. For now my only focus was maintaining a proper pace that wouldn't wear me out. Mizuki Hinatori and Yachiru Aoki were my top competitors and I knew I would need to reserve my strength in order to sprint the last few miles. That's how I would win this race.

The paper racing bib pulled at my tank top as a gust of wind blew in from the east. I could see the paper beginning to tear away from the safety pins. I ignored the gusts in favor of maintaining my pace. The sun had fully risen in the sky and it was promising to be another scorching day in the early September sun. Not that I would admit this, but I was thankful Midoriko had made me apply sunscreen liberally before the race.

Usually around mile eighteen everything begins to go wrong, this race was no different. Although instead of being plagued by thirst and muscle cramps, a different kind of problem arose. At first I thought I was hearing the screams of an excited crowd. Selfishly my first thought had been that I had lost the race already, but then I saw them. A herd of runners rushing towards me as a blaze of fire threatened to overwhelm them. Despite my better judgement I ran toward the blaze. The heat from the blast was overwhelming in intensity, but did not compare to the smoke.

All around me was chaos. Thick black smoke billowed all around, dousing out the sun. My throat burned and my nose itched, but still I pressed on. As I began to draw closer, I realized that the reason the fire was traveling so quickly was because the sea of competitors were covered in flames. Most of whom were running desperately in vain to put them out. Fanned by the desperation of the competitors the fire consumed them, leaping from one person to the next.

"ROLL ON THE GROUND!" I screamed at one girl, but it was too late, her smoking corpse fell to the ground and never moved again.

"Help me...please," a young masculine voice called out to me. The smoke was so thick now, I had to crawl on the ground. I yelped in pain as the heat of the asphalt scorched my palms and knees. "Where are you?" I choked out. My hands fumbled over the hot ground, before settling on something distinctly flesh like. I brought my face closer to my hands to inspect what I had stumbled upon and immediately vomited. My hands were pressed firmly to the face of what appeared to be (or better yet-what had once been) a young girl. Though the smoke clouded my vision, making my blue eyes overflow with tears I could tell she had been badly burned. The side of her cheek which had been pressed to the pavement had become so seared to the ground that it had become stuck. I called out to her gently, trying to scrape her face off the pavement as politely as possible. With a sickening thuwck sound, I watched in horror as the girl's face came free from the pavement; leaving the flesh of her cheek behind. I called out to her, pushing on her shoulders but she was gone. Tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes, What is happening?

"Here! Please I'm right here!" the voice called out again. Although it filled my heart with agony, I left the young girl's body behind. After crawling on the ground for several minutes, faintly I could begin to make out the form of a body. "My leg, it's broken!" The voice yelled back.

"I'm going to help you," I said planting my hands firmly on his shoulders. Trying to be as delicate as possible I hauled the man onto my shoulder and stood up, trying to stay as low as possible to the ground. The man moaned in agony as my arm dug into the break on his leg.

I ran as fast and hard as I could, but the smoke was so thick I wasn't sure which direction I was going. Black dots began to swarm through my vision as my oxygen depleted body gasped for air. I'm not going to make it, I realized with a horror filled gasp. I could feel myself slowing down as my muscles seized with lactic acid. Finally, I thought seeing a break in the smoke. The skyline of the city greeted me and I realized that miraculously I had run in the correct direction. It would appear luck was on my side. Not sparing the injured man's leg I collapsed heavily upon the ground coughing and sputtering for air.

"Thank you!" The man said wincing in pain.

"Here," I motioned for him to scoot closer. I tore off the belly of my shirt to use as a bandage. I could see the pearl white of his femur bone peeking through a deep gash on his skin. A steady stream of blood was oozing from the wound. The man bit down hard on his knuckles as I tied the scrap of cloth around the wound.

"What's happening? Where did all this fire come from?" I asked, practically spitting out the words. My words tasted like char. I hated it.

"I don't know. I was just running and then there were these balls of fire. They were everywhere and these...people came out of nowhere. They took people," As he spoke, his eyes began filling with tears. A great rumbling roared from the ground below us. The jostling movement caused the man to howl with anguish as his broken leg to vibrated with the earth.

That's when the world ripped open and spit out a man.

Hiei's usually silent, probing consciousness began to roar with displeasure at the sight of Hozakimaru which effectively severed our connection. I glanced at the apparition slowly, his fist was clenched tightly.

"It was a raid on the city," Hiei said after a while. I waited patiently for him to elaborate and with time he did. "Human slavery in the Makai was beginning to become more popular with the apparitions; they were looking for more women to sell. Wrong place, wrong time."

"Nu uh," I said shaking my head, "I don't think so." We were both sitting up by now. My knees were drawn to my chest, my hands wrapped firmly around them preventing the apparition from viewing my torso.

"Then you are a fool," Hiei crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me blankly.

"All of that...it lead me here; to this place...with," I could feel the deep thudding of my heart reverberating in my throat. "With you," I finished.

Hiei was silent for many moments, his face stoic, his eyes never leaving my face. "Like I said; you are a fool." That may be so, but even still...I didn't continue the thought. The fire demon's gaze had returned to the ocean. The tide was beginning to roll in, taking with it a blast of frigid air. Taking comfort in the warmth of my companion I scooted over to the man, until I was a few centimeters from his side.

"Thank you Hiei," I said in a low voice, burying my head into his left shoulder. Although the words weren't enough-weren't nearly enough to describe my gratitude. Our tender moment was not fated to last for very long. A few seconds later a loud, unmistakable bellowing sounded over the soft roars of the ocean.

"HEY YOU GUYS! GET UP HERE!" Yusuke hollered from atop the cliff shore some hundred feet above us. Hiei scowled at the detectives loudness, but nonetheless pulled me onto his back and flitted off to the top of the cliff.

"What do you want, Detective?" Hiei sneered, setting me down gently.

"What were you guys doing down there any-HOLY HELL WHERE IS YOUR SHIRT?" Yusuke sputtered, his almond eyes going wide. Hiei growled low in warning, before stepping in front of me, blocking me from the detectives view. "What. Do. You. Want."

It took Yusuke a few seconds more to pick his dropped jaw off of the ground, but finally he said, "I've been thinking a lot about what Pacifier Breath said and guys, I think I have a plan!"

A/N: HEY GUYS! SO SO SO SORRY for the lack of updating, but I had a lot of things happen all at once. My best friend's papa passed away very very unexpectedly two weeks ago so I went to stay with their family to make sure they were taken care of in their time of need and then immediately after that I had every bridal shower/birthday/wedding happen all at the same time. Long story short; it was a super hectic week!

Anyway! Sorry for the delay, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter should be up by Monday of next week! Not saying who, but word is some special guest characters will be stopping in to help with Yusuke's plan. ;)

Like always, thanks to: KK1372, Mediocre Dunces, and MissLini for the wonderful reviews! Special welcome and thank you to my newest story followers/favoriters: Call Me Crooked, WishingWanderer, Hebi-Ayami-Chan, Koory, Little lost kitsune chan, Mediocre Dunces, MissLini, Zinthree, and Cowgirlspirit! You guys are the best!

Please let me know how you liked the chapter/what you would like to see more/anything you really want! :)