He was bathed in a world of light, a world where there was no difference between Here and There, no sound, no silence, no movement and no stillness. A soft, timid melody grew and faded beyond his sense of sound... Images arose and faded before his mind's sight, small captions encircled in tiny crystal bubbles that drew closer and unfurled just beyond the tip of his nose. They drew him in their world, these bubbles, drew him into a place that wasn't even in truth a place at all, for a time that held no substance. The colors, the world, within the crystals were pale and fragmented, created of breathy whispers and pastel touches, a landscape borne of a child's mind and held safe by the wisdom of a thousand souls.

He watched in silence, in the sort of awe that he had not known for a million years, his lips parted and his eyes curious as he tilted his head and watched... and heard... a fox-pup's sharp bark intermingled with that of a young child's laughter. A pastel blur of green crossed the eye of his mind and the world broke into shimmering sparks of blue and pearl and green and lined in violet strips of silk that fluttered in the wind. A scream, short, sharp, smothered into silence as the colors fell in upon themselves and grew darker, shadowed. The sound of weeping, soft, innocent, followed then by broken, sobbing whimpers and tears shed in vain. And all the while that faint, beautiful melody echoed around him, teasing his senses and shedding an ethereal feel to the occurrences that he heard - saw - did not see or hear. The colors swirled and drew back... and he stood within the forest of the demon, or what would have been the forest of the demon had it been real. As it were, it looked like a water-color a child had done, the green and brown scenery blurring together, a few droplets of paint sliding down into another. The sky, where once it would have been an ominous grey or dark pink, was instead a bright, faded sort of yellow shade and the grounds beneath his feet, where once it would have been brown or black, was purple.

The laughter again, ringing in his ears, causing the world within the bubble - the crystal within his mind - to lose its focus for the breath of a moment and swirl before righting itself once more. A small fox-spirit-pup with fur the pale, pale color of violet ice and eyes of one silver and one gold came bounding from the forest and yipped at him. The fluffy mass of a single tail created a mini-cloud of non-detail behind it such that the violet color blended in with the green of the forestry and the green with the violet of the fur. The foxlet opened her mouth and stepped closer, staying upon all four of her paws upon the ground - barely reaching below his shin - yet somehow the difference was warped and she was able to lick the back of his hand with no strain upon either. This she did and pushed her tiny nose into his palm; he pet the soft crown of her head and began to scratch her ears gently, smiling as she let free a foxy little growl of contentment. She nipped at the tips of his fingers and bounded away, her tiny ears flickering as she gave a second almost-growl that would have sounded like laughter had it held the capacity to be compared to human essence. Her tiny muzzle turned up as she looked to the sky - there the clouds moved and drifted in a manner that was unlike any dream he had ever had before, to come together and form the figure of a kitsune boy, lying upon his side, his hair and fur matted with blood, his countenance dusky with grime and despair. Each cloud significant of his clothes was lined in red and a dark, faded brown; each wisp significant of his hair or tail was lined in a pale, pearling green shade that flickered silver and gold. He frowned a little for he knew that figure - knew it well - yet continued to watch as the clouds shifted and changed, the silver becoming more prominent, the green fading to nothingness. The kitsune became that of a great youko, long and slim and pale against the sky; the dirt and grime slipped away as the patches of blood slid up the length of the figure's form, burying itself in the silver main to stain the silken strands the color of the rose. The long silver tail - lying limp and seductively careless across the youko's thighs - shimmered and disappeared; the angled features of the creature softened and grew slightly younger, and there once was no youko but a human.

Still, the clouds moved and the figure changed, grew smaller, the pale robes growing tainted with the shadows of the eve and burning a dark, insidious black; the blood-red hair grew darker as well and shortened into a mane of velvety spikes set with a white starburst in the fore, lined with jewel-blue lights around each tip. And he recognized them. Each figure, each kitsune, youko, human, and half-breed - he recognized them.

The melody changed, shifted key, faded and then grew strong within his ears as he turned, looking down to the ice-violet foxlet awaiting patiently by his side. "What are you trying to tell me, kitten? I don't understand..."

Soft, whispery laughter teased around his mind and caressed the colors of the crystal world, chasing itself playfully around the forest of the demon as he stood looking upon her.

You will... Slim, pale arms moved to encircle his shoulders and settled upon his chest as a small, ragged strip of tail wrapped itself around one of his thighs. He was pulled gently back into an embrace made of a strength borne of no more than a butterfly's wings and warm spring summer mornings; he felt a slight pressure at the back of his left shoulder where the figure nuzzled him and held him closer. He closed his eyes... and drifted down from the world, deeper, into a place made of neither air nor water yet both for he needed no effort to breathe. He began floating effortlessly, held by no more than a thought... and the kitsune child at his back.

"My wings... I have no wings." He whispered, turning into the nuzzling embrace as a cat would do to a caressing hand.

"Am I truly mortal, then?" a brief, mixed surge of feeling - relief, muted joy, irritation, disappointment - and then he thought, fleetingly, of the pearl-green youko - hope, sparkling bright within silver eyes. The words of his next question formed themselves within his mind and drifted out into the non-place around them. "Am I to live?"

Disappointment came - stronger this time, whole, yet - softened by a blow he half-expected, hardly felt in this world between the nothingness and the awareness, for he could not truly feel emotion in this place - he truly could feel nothing more than peace, contentment, and simply being. Another flickering memory of velvety pearl-green fur teasing across his knuckles, tangling gently within he fingers... "Tell me, kitten... what shall become of him?"

Soft, enchanted laughter whispered next to his ear as the kitsune child at his back nuzzled the tender little place behind his ear. None can tell... ask him for yourself...

And then another presence gathered within the formless, liquid place, and another, achingly familiar voice spoke akin to his own. "Leina? What..."

One of the slim arms released him and reached out, gathering the other presence close. The kitsune child guided the Other to hold him in her stead, and he knew who it was. He knew. "Shenjin..."

A soft gasp, breathed against his ear. "Kaidei?" The Other's arms tightened around him in surprise. "Your wings..."

"I know." He reached up to set his palm over the warm flesh of the Other's arms where they lay wrapped, one around his chest, the other around his waist. "Don't be frightened. There is no pain."

"But... there will be. I can feel it - Leina can feel it... Leina, what's going to happen? Why -"

His grip upon those arms encircling him tightened in one abrupt, desperate motion. "No! Don't ask! Shenjin..." he bowed his head and closed his eyes again the world of grace, unable to block out the feel of the Other's presence from behind him so easily. "Please... go away."

"But Kaidei -"

"I don't want to harm you." His voice hardened as he spoke those words, yet still he held the presence around him tightly, unwilling to release him so soon. "But I will, if I must."

"Shenjin..." He gave the arms wrapped around his chest a quick, warm hug. "Jin-chan... protect yourself. Stay alive, for me. And learn what happiness is. I wish I could be there to help you, to show you that not every touch creates pain... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you into this. I'm so sorry."

"No, wait!" The hands slid away and clutched at his back, yet he made no move to catch them. He let them slip away into the liquid nothingness beyond him as he closed his eyes and bowed his head, that final cry - the cry of his name - echoing within his mind. "Kaidei!"

In a few wavering seconds the Other's presence had disappeared; the kitsune child came upon him once more, wrapping herself around him, her tail curling in its place around his thigh. Gomen, Kura-chan... she whispered apologetically within his mind. I tried to hold on...

"It's okay, kitten. You did try. Thank you for giving me that last moment. I shall never forget it."

One of the tiny hands slid away to caress the back of one of his shoulders. I cannot heal this pain. I wish...

He shook his head. "Do not wish. It will do no good in what shall come." He hugged the kitsune-child back within his mind, letting his thoughts wrap around her as easily, as effortlessly, as her own wrapped around his. "Will I meet you, kitten - in the fore-world?"

Aa. Came the quiet, sad reply. You will.

"When?"

Slowly awareness returned to him and he lay there in silence, the peace still easing the pain he knew he should have been feeling. All the colors, all the beauty, of the crystal world faded from his senses and from his mind... yet the sound of the melody remained, sung by a lovely voice that was both soft and timid yet assured and enchanted all the same.

He became aware of a small, cool hand brushing through the black mane of his hair and drawing it away from his neck. Slim, agile fingers brushed down along his cheek before slipping back to again drift through his hair. He blinked and reached out, touching the ragged, sprouting puddle of ice-violet fur that spilled across the floor only inches from his shoulder.

A smile was felt within the melody as the cushioning beneath him shifted; the tail before his palm slid away just a little. One small hand remained buried within his hair as another touched his shoulder and moved slowly down the length of his arm, following the trail of muscled flesh to the awkward formation of his half-healed wing. He grimaced as gentle fingers brushed across the depth of the wound, then breathed out in silent relief as cool, blessed numbness took the place of the pain. It lasted for only a moment before the hand slid back up to his shoulder and the figure at his back settled once more; he shifted and pushed himself up upon his elbow.

The small hands moved up to brush the mane of hair away from his eyes for him and he was able to see a young female youko with short, ragged silver-violet hair and slim, pale features lying half-curled around him upon the floor. She smiled up at him with the lazy, enchanted innocence of one who was both naïve and wise, the tips of her fingers trailing along his jaw as he tried to place where he had seen her before... Or not seen her, but seen her kin. Not her brother, but her brothers - plural.

Where once there may have been doubt within anyone's mind of the brotherly claim between Shenjin and Kurama, it was banished, for here she lay before him, flesh and blood and spirit. It was in her face, her hair, her body, her very ki - but mostly it was within her eyes. One stood a pure silver shade, the other a warm, softened gold; both shimmered and sparkled in the pale light given within the dungeon, each a beautiful remnant of a single of two brothers that gave away the truth to her past and soul. And when she smiled... a sharp pain dug into his heart and filled it with foreboding dismay, for gods above she had Shenjin's smile, and Kaidei knew in that moment that he had not saved his friend from pain or hardship, but only seduced it into its strength and brought it closer to the brink.

"You're hurt..." Leina breathed in the silence between them, her feathery hand lifting to brush across the wound in his wing again, infinitely tender. "I tried... I tried to Heal it, but Oniisan is stronger than I, and I couldn't..."

Kaidei reached up to place his hand over her own where it lay upon his wing. Grimacing in pain, he focused upon the wavering traces of her Healing gift and used his own Power, manipulating the ki into a stronger sense that burrowed its way into his flesh and bone. Tiny, minute scritching sounds took place of words as the sharded fragments of bone not quite placed correctly shifted and settled themselves properly. Moments later he released a tense, quickening breath and blinked his eyes open, experimentally flexing his now fully-healed wing. It was still stiff and showed signs of being a little awkward still, but considering how badly it had been damaged... it was a definite improvement. He sat back and gave the kitsune child before him a gentle smile. "Arigato, little kitten. You did more for me than you could possibly believe."

She bared her teeth in a tiny, indulgent grin and sat up, the scraps of her tail curling up to lie across her thighs. "I'm not a kitten, though..."

"Of course you are." He chirped, grinning as he set his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face a little, turning it this way and that as if to inspect it in the fickle light trailing around within the shadows of the dungeon. "You're very pretty, too. What kind of creature owns and protects such a pretty kitten, I wonder."

This produced a second, more indulgent grin than the first as she leaned forward, nuzzling his palm. "Silly! You know who... my Oniisan. And my 'niichan, but he doesn't know that yet. He doesn't believe, yet. He will, when he comes for me."

When he comes for me... such simple, wistful words that tore such a huge, gaping hole within his chest. When he comes for me... "Ah. They must be very brave and honorable creatures if you think them worthy to hold your love."

"Aa. They are." She smiled again, tilting her head to the left. "But you know that." She lifted one hand, brushing the tips of her fingers across his features as if they mystified her and held her in awe. For a moment she seemed to be searching for something... and then she found it, and her smile turned dreamy. Her voice grew quiet and breathy, barely tangible, hanging within the air between them. "...I can see now why he likes you . . ."

"Oh?" he tried to muster one of his joyful, care-free grins, and utterly failed in the attempt. Did she sense... "And why is that, kitten?"

"Because..." She sighed and crawled into his lap, curling against his chest as she did so. "You are the other half to him..."

"Shenjin!" It was Yuusuke's voice, yelling at him, but why -

A claw grabbed the back of his shirt and ripped him from his feet, slamming him to the ground. He stared in mute horror at Kurama's features twisted in fury above him, the silver wave of the youko's hair shielding them from sight for one all too brief moment before -

Those golden-amber eyes narrowed as his brother let free a hiss of pain and surged forward, forcing him to the ground again. Shenjin watched in fascinated horror as the youko's silken robes grew damp, a dark red stain spreading like wild fire across the material at his shoulder; three semi-thick blood-trails slowly began dripping from his side, falling to stain the ningen shirt Shenjin was wearing. Kurama bore it and snarled, whirling around to rake his claws across the face of one of the most hideous youkai the youko had ever seen. Without a word Kurama grabbed at Shenjin's shirt again and ripped him back to his feet, tossing him out of the way.

With a howl of rage Kurama leapt upon the youkai that had wounded him, ripping into the creature mercilessly, driven by a sudden wave of anger that he could no more explain than he would possibly wish to. That look within Shenjin's eyes - that widened looked of fear intermingled with shock, and then the complete disbelief mixed with guilt as he heard Kurama's hiss of pain and saw the blood - and worse than all those; the tiniest bit of disappointment - had enraged him. It was not - he told himself - the fact that the youkai had been about to attack Shenjin. It had not been Shenjin's vulnerability that sent a knife of fear straight through his heart the split second before he yanked that damnable youko out of the demon's way. It was not out of that same heart-wrenching fear at the thought of seeing the boy bleed which made him take the blow instead. It was not the -

He fought harder and faster, negating the use of his plants for the more feral use of his claws. He wanted to shred something in his adamant denial and watch it bleed to death, just to be rid of that horrible double-memory that shattered gaze revealed within his mind.

Memories of - a young, tiny face, triangular ears too small, almost hidden within a pale green mane, a trickle of blood gathering and spilling over from tiny lips open and trembling in disbelief and such heart-wrenching disappointment... He ripped at another demon and then another before using his you-ki to shift a leaf into a sword. He wasn't good with a sword - was more adept at using his Rose Whip - but a whip was so - impersonal - and he wanted each and every demon before him to know that he, Kurama, was the one who brought about its death. He wanted to rid himself of this useless, fear-fury that came with every whispery warning that told him Shenjin could have been harmed - and very nearly was - because of their negligence.

They should have sensed the demons coming. They should have been ready for the attack. But they weren't. Shenjin's curious hesitation and strange, dazed look had taken the full of their attention; they had watched the confusion and the awe that crossed his face as he whispered in a faintly questioning tone, "Leina...?"

It was then, as they all stood there staring back at the oblivious youko, that the demons had struck. They were set twenty to five - well, twenty to four, since the pearl-green youko hadn't appeared to notice the mass of threat that coalesced upon them within the span of three heart-beats. Yuusuke and Kuwabara leapt into the fight with the gusto of warriors who hadn't known a good fight in much too long, and Kurama had joined them with Hiei at his side. Shenjin had been forgotten.

Until that moment, when Yuusuke had caught sight of the youkai bearing down upon the pearl-green youko, and called his name in hopes of bringing him to attention. And it was that exact moment when Kurama had been taken over purely by the exact same instinct that guided a brother to push another out of on-coming traffic, completely thoughtless of the danger to his own life in his panic to protect the other.

Shenjin stumbled back, tripping over something behind his ankle yet somehow remaining upon his feet as he did so. His eyes widened in shock to reveal the placid clearing he had stood within only a short time ago... awash in blood and body parts as the Reikai Tantrei continued to make short use of the large pack of demons who had let loose upon them. His disconcerted mind struggled to comprehend the sights and sounds. One moment he had been walking calmly through a forest with his brother at his side; the next, he had been within a liquid, airy world such that he had never seen before, surrounded by first his sister's ki and then - more strongly - that of the thief's; the next, he had been thrown back into the forest, amidst a half-fought battle. And his brother... Kurama had come to his aid. Kurama had protected him... the creature he had grown up loathing and hating with every cell and fiber within his being... had risked his life to protect him...

"Move!!" The world shifted in a blur of darkness and shadows that rammed hard into his chest, shoving him to the ground only seconds before the whistle of a blade swung free over his head. Hiei summoned a tiny, feeble burst of flaming ki to his palm and threw it at the demon currently advancing upon them - a pathetically small and ineffective amount of power that only managed to stun the demon and prolong its attack. The fire-demon whirled back to the pearl-green youko pinned beneath him. He reached down and grabbed the front of Shenjin's shirt, his crimson eyes narrowed in anger as he hauled the slim form up to eye-level. "Move or die, boy!"

Without waiting for a reply the half-breed tossed him away - again, out of harm's path - and again, Shenjin watched in horror as another took the wound that he was meant to have. Hiei's strength and speed still had not fully returned; although he was able to dodge what would have been a fatal blow, the youkai's sword came down to embed itself in the flesh of his thigh and go straight through, burying the tip of the blade into the ground beneath. Hiei gave a howl of rage and pain and swung his katana around, faster than sight, to deprive the youkai of its head before he himself had fallen to the ground from the off-balance of the wound. From the up-right position of the blade, however, he was only able to fall to his left knee, letting free another snarling howl as the keen sheering of metal within his thigh jerked and dug a deeper wound, shredding muscled flesh as it did so. His hands snapped forward to catch at the sword and wrapped around the blade as opposed to the hilt, which caused trails of blood to slip free of his palms and slide down the shimmering silver to join the stain growing around his thigh.

"Hiei!" Kurama ducked under one of the last remaining youkai's weapon and quickly sliced through another before skidding to a halt before the ferociously snarling fire-demon, falling to his knees as he did so. With both hands he pulled free Hiei's grip off the blade before grabbing the sword-hilt in his own, yanking it free from the diminutive demon's leg, dropping it to the side. Hiei howled a thousand different curses in a thousand different languages as Kurama's pale hands pressed the wound from both sides, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood, with very little success.

"Look out!" Shenjin dove forward and grabbed up the sword from his brother's side, holding it out and at the ready as yet another youkai impaled itself upon the blade, unable to halt its running steps. Thick violet blood slid down the blade and spilled over his hands, drenching his wrists and arms before he gathered the sense enough to release it, recoiling from both blade and demon alike as if they were snakes venom more likely to kill him than die itself. He stumbled and fell hard upon his tail, staring as the demon gave one last ferocious bellowing sound and moved for them again. A flash of light and its head exploded; as its body fell, Yuusuke was revealed, covered from head to foot in noxious slime and dark, multi-colored blood, his finger still up and at the ready from where he had shot the creature at point-blank range.

Kurama said nothing as he stood. Yuusuke relaxed a shade and stalked off in search of a youkai that remained still in life; a flicker of dark you-ki signaled Hiei's exit as he disappeared from view, leaving the two youkos to stare at one another, Kurama towering over the younger like some silver angel of retribution. Shenjin stared back, his eyes wide and fearful, his hands stained with the blood of a demon who had been intent upon killing Kurama only the moment before.

All had happened in a series of quick, stepping moments too fast to keep up with - the vision - the shock - Kurama's protection - Hiei's protection - and then at last his own feeble action with which to protect... to protect his brother. Why? Why had he done so? Why had he grabbed that weapon without hesitation, without thought, without question to protect the one creature he had wished death upon for so many years?

Slowly, leisurely Kurama offered his arm; slowly, warily Shenjin accepted it, and was yanked effortlessly to his feet. Those amber-golden eyes were settled upon him, silent and watchful, waiting for the other's reaction.

And Shenjin stepped back.

"Seven, eight, nine... I got eleven this time, what about you?"

"I, the great Kuwabara Kazuma, laid low nine vile demons single -"

"Yare, yare." Yuusuke rolled his eyes and stumbled over the body of the last youkai left alive. He grabbed the youkai by the shirt-front and began dragging it across the ground behind him. He waded his way through the rest of the demon bodies - or what was left of them - as he made his way back over to Kurama and Shenjin. "Woa! Take a look at that one! Geez, Hiei - you think you could have left an inch of him intact?..." Yuusuke hesitated, glancing around. "Oi, where's Hiei?"

"Shenjin will get him." Kurama murmured, glancing in the boy's direction and meeting the pearl-green youko's startled gaze.

Yuusuke halted, confused. "Shenjin? But he doesn't -"

"I will go with him." The silver youko brushed a hand through his hair - which had remained remarkably clean throughout the fight - and tossed it over his shoulder. The tone of his voice, so suggestive and so calm, set Yuusuke back. As Kurama reached out and grabbed the front of Shenjin's overly large shirt, practically dragging him from the field, Yuusuke shrugged and voted on not asking. He turned away, dragging the demon he held in his grip over to Kuwabara instead, for the customary questioning-of-the-big-ugly-demon-that-just-tried-to-kill-us. Fun, fun.

"Are you wounded?" Shenjin glanced uneasily in his brother's direction as they walked, the silver youko guiding them through the forest as if he knew exactly where he was going. "Iie. Not much, only a few scratches. But you -"

"I'm fine, and my wound can wait. We must find Hiei, first." Kurama's ears flickered constantly, belying the calm, level tone to his voice and revealing the worry he felt for the little half-koorime fire-demon. They found him only a short few leaps away, leaning back heavily upon his katana - which he had stuck deep into the ground - as he pressed a hand against the wound in his thigh, snarling softly to himself. Kurama watched him for a moment before sighing and stepping forward. "Hiei..."

In a flash the fire demon had stood once more, the katana ready within his hands, his crimson eyes narrowed. "Go away, fox."

Kurama crossed his arms; his silver ears flickered and lay back. "If you don't take care of that wound, you're going to bleed to death." He took a step forward. "Let me take care of it."

"While in your youko form?" Hiei snorted crudely and bared his fangs. "Not in the mood for your hentai thoughts, fox. I can take care of it myself. Go away."

"Hentai?" Kurama made a face. "Come on, baby, don't you have any faith in me?" He shook his head, walked right up, and snatched the katana out of Hiei's hands as the fire-demon stepped back and growled thickly in warning. He knew as well as the fire-demon did that although Hiei would threaten with all he was worth, he would never willingly hurt Kurama. "Now take off your pants."

Shenjin grimaced and stepped back, ducking his head instinctively as Kurama took on the much more ferocious battle of depriving the half-breed of his garments so the wound could be taken care of. Somehow his brother managed to handle a cursing, kicking, spitting, raging fire-demon as easily as if it were a sleeping kitten instead, dodging the sharp fangs and swinging fists with a practiced ease that belief all his years of thieving and fighting. The poor fire-demon never had a chance.

He was dropped unceremoniously back to the ground, yet before he could escape the silver youko gabbed his ankle, dragging him back. Kurama promptly sat upon him, straddling his wounded leg. The long flowing mass of the youko's silver tail shifted to modestly cover Hiei's nether regions as Kurama tossed the fire-demon's black pants a little to the side - out of arm's reach. Hiei continued to snarl and curse up a storm as he fought like a wild, vampant little heathen beneath the calm youko. Struggling to shrug the taller creature off of him, he called them both - Kurama as well as Shenjin - every bad word and name he knew - and even some he currently invented upon the spot. Kurama studiously ignored these acidic threats and beckoned for Shenjin to come closer. Shenjin obeyed only hesitantly, for although Hiei wasn't likely to seriously harm the silver youko currently sitting upon him, any other person who dared to step too close could very likely become a mass of fertilizer in three seconds flat. Those furious, crimson eyes currently burning into his soul promised such divine acts of retribution and some even worse, causing Shenjin to falter a pace away, unwilling to come any closer than that.

"Take this -" Kurama ripped a shred of his shirt free and handed it to the stunned pearl-green youko, waving one slim hand to indicate a thin vein of the river nearly hidden at his back. "over there. Get it as wet as you can. And don't take forever at it, boy. Hurry up!"

"Kurama! Gerroffa me you vain cock -"

Shenjin leapt away quickly, running toward the water and shoving the strip of cloth in with the fire-demon's well-rounded curses singing in his ears. He grimaced, his ears flickering at the harshness of such sounds as dull throb began somewhere behind his eyes, promising a coming headache quite soon if that racket didn't -

...Abruptly those snarling curses halted.

...Warily he glanced over his shoulder, fearful he would see a very mauled and bloody silver youko lying alone within the clearing - and no traces of any half-breed fire-demon. His fear went by unsatisfied, however, for the only sight that reached him was that of Kurama sitting upon a now surprisingly still demon, carefully inspecting the blood-soaked wound in his friend's thigh. Being careful to keep the cloth as wet as he could, Shenjin returned to kneel before his brother. Kurama took the cloth and wiped away some of the blood, watching without a trace of emotion as more gushed up in its place.

Without a word he grabbed Shenjin's hands and forced him to hold the wet cloth around both the entry as well as exit points of the wound, grunting a little to indicate that he should place pressure upon them both. Kurama then ripped another strip from his shirt and prepared to bandage the wound as best he could.

As his brother set quickly to cleaning and bandaging his teammate, Shenjin glanced warily back at the few, small glimpses he could catch of Hiei's face. The fire-demon appeared to have a look of pain and - something else - crossing his features. His eyes were screwed tightly shut, his small fangs worried and gnawed at his lower lip as a soft, half-purring growl let itself free of his throat. Shenjin stared in growing curiosity and confusion as the half-breed's hands clawed into fists and dug into the ground beneath him, gathering up leaves and soil alike.

What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he snarling in pain?

"Kurama, why isn't he angry anymore? What did you -" He leaned back, hesitated, then glanced to the other side of his brother, where Kurama's long, silver tail lay between Hiei's thighs. When he had sat on the fire-demon to still him, the youko's tail had been still, set there out of necessity. Now, however, that tail was moving in slow, smooth strokes and...

A pale hand slapped his cheek sharply, snatching his attention to the fore - and to a pair of hard, golden eyes. "Not your business." Kurama growled shortly, staring Shenjin down in warning. Yet - there was a sparkle in his gaze, and that faint flickering-back of one of his large silver ears indicated a devious, sly sort of humor.

Slowly it clicked... and Shenjin tried to bite back the snickering laughter that came to his lips. That hentai fox... no wonder Hiei had been cautious. Although - by the looks of it - the fire-demon wasn't exactly protesting now, so...

Kurama bared his teeth in a grin that was just as ferocious as it was mischievous. He continued to wrap the half-koorime's thigh in a wind of make-shift bandages, watching the pearl-green youko's reaction inconspicuously from beneath the silken net of his bangs. Shenjin appeared to be more humored at the situation than not, and Kurama had to admit that as they two worked together to stop the blood flow in Hiei's leg, for the very first time he felt a vague sort of kinship with the boy. He wasn't about to trace that thought, though, let alone admit it to voice. Instead, he turned his attention back to bandaging his half-koorime's wound. He was just moving to tie the pale, feathery material off when Hiei gave a strangled, half-growling imitation of Kurama's name and stiffened... Kurama placed his right hand behind him, nodding for Shenjin to tie of the bandage instead as he did so. A few moments passed before the silver youko grimaced. "Damned koorime fangs..." he muttered to himself, his ears twitching back as the body beneath him shifted again. He looked Shenjin in the eye then and said very firmly - and very calmly, considering. "Leave. Now."

Shenjin tried to smother a second laugh at the obviously tense and curt tone to the youko's voice and pushed himself to his feet, leaving the two in peace. Kurama waited, watching with narrowed eyes until he had disappeared within the foliage. Still, his ears set forward and listened until all traces of Shenjin's movement had been lost, returned to the battlefield they had vacated not too very long ago. A moment later he relaxed, satisfied that he and Hiei were well and truly alone.

With a vain grimace he lifted his left arm and glanced at his tail. Ch'. Now he had to take a bath... Slowly a seductive little grin teased around his lips, revealing the slightest traces of his fangs... Ah, well. It was worth it if he got to pleasure his fire-demon...

Kurama settled himself and turned to face Hiei, stretching out along his length, shifting to wrap his tail around the youkai's hip. Gently he trailed his fingers out of the fire-demon's pliant little mouth and traced the tantalizing line of his lower lip... Slowly, lethargically a pair of dark, crimson eyes opened, softened with a look Kurama had never seen within that mesmerizing gaze; he was instantly caught within the smoldering red shadows and lost himself in their depths willingly. Hiei stared deeply within his golden eyes, his cheeks slightly flushed, breathless and exhausted... looking, all in all, the most delicious Youko Kurama had ever seen him.

In response to that tranquil, sated gaze riveted upon him, the silver youko preened like a feline and stretched more evenly across the fire-demon's length, nipping at the soft turn to his jaw and licking the tender flesh there. A rush of delight greeted him at the feel of the body trembling finely beneath him, at the sound of Hiei's warm breath panting a bit breathlessly against his ear... He licked Hiei's throat once more, a long, luxurious lick to match the mischievous smile dancing wickedly across his lips. If foxes could purr, he would have then and there as he began to nibble his fire-demon's ear, his tongue teasing the lobe with gentle, biting nips. "Hey, baby... was it good?"

Yuusuke gave a squawk of indignation as pain burst in the general region of his upper arm; Shenjin grimaced and bit his lip as he quickly lifted a scrap of cloth to catch the blood currently seeping from the human's flesh. "Sorry - gomen, Yuusuke. I didn't think the claw was buried so deep." He shifted the inch-long talisman in his hand and gave it to the boy.

Yuusuke frowned at the wicked single-claw and inspected it before shrugging and shoving it in his pocket. "Where's Kurama? Did you two find Hiei?"

"Aa. We found Hiei alright." Shenjin bit his lip again, just enough to curb the smile in coming. "He's fine. Kurama just stayed behind for a little bit to make sure he -"

They both started and looked up at the tall, silver youko in question stomped across their way, his ears snapped back tightly, his golden eyes narrowed in anger. A shadowy tell-tale bruise was making itself known along the line of his pale jaw. The two watched in mute curiosity - once the shock at seeing him so suddenly faded - which only caused to anger the youko more. He whirled to face them, his amber eyes practically radiating snapping icicles as he sent them a glare that could have rightfully withered any daisy. "What?!"

Yuusuke blinked owlishly, glancing from Kurama to Shenjin, who was currently emitting soft, muffled sounds that vaguely resembling hiccups. The pearl-green youko was attempting a look of innocence that completely belied the sparkly silver laughter within his eyes. "Nothing... I said nothing..."

With a snorting growl Kurama whirled away and stomped off, his tail snapping like a whip behind him. He was heading in the direction of a waterfall/pond they had traveled past earlier that very same day - presumably to join Kuwabara, or so Yuusuke guessed. The human chanced a second look at Shenjin - who burst into giggling peals of laughter the instant the tall, proud silver youko was out of ear-shot.

"Oi - did I miss something?"

Kaidei set his cheek upon the foxlet's hair and listened quietly as she told him everything - all she could remember - from when she was very young to the moment where she lay now, within his arms. It had taken no prodding nor questioning; she spoke freely of herself and her brother, and gave him great insight in both as she did so.

"And then..." Leina gave a tiny, secret smile that bordered on pure, innocent enchantment as she shrugged a little, her tiny shoulder shifting against the thief's chest. "We came here. Oniisan goes away sometimes, but he always comes back. He promised me, the first time he left, that he would always come back. I believe him, and he always does." She continued playing with his hand, inspecting it, turning it this way and that as she spoke, her voice quiet and subdued in the shadows of the dungeon around them. "He always comes back."

Kaidei stared in sympathy at the skinny, bedraggled youth within his arms, his violet-red eyes drifting from the very tips of her furry ears - past the three earrings upon her left ear, one harboring a pale, ice-green teargem - down to the short, choppy hair, the innocent, child-like face, the slim, half-starved body, the tiny hands playing with his own and the pathetic scraps of ice-violet fur that passed for a tail lying across both their thighs. That appeared to be a habit for both brother as well as sister - the tail across the lap or thighs - perhaps because it was the only way one could be completely sure it was out of harms way should someone step too close or - even worse - come upon them with the intent of pain. Such a tender place for the youko race, able to cause such horrible pain, if one were cruel...

"Kitten..." he untangled his hand from hers and set his palm upon her tail, waiting for her to look up and meet his gaze before he continued. "I gave your oniisan a very special gift."

She nodded, her eyes - one silver, the other gold - open and honest as she met his statement fearlessly with a whispery vision of her own. "Because you like him. I know. I could feel his pleasure when you spoke with his last night."

He blinked in surprise, a bit taken aback by this information. "You can feel him - constantly?" Was she an empath - from that distance?

She shook her head, her ears flickering briefly in guilt as she looked away. "Iie. Only when I sleep, if I want to, I can go to him, and feel him then. I did last night because I was lonely. I shouldn't have, perhaps, because I knew that you would speak with him, but I was lonely."

She... "How did you know, kitten?"

She shrugged, her shoulder again shifting upon his chest. "I'm not sure. It's just - sometimes I know things. And I can hear things, and see things. And I can reach out in my dreams and do almost anything I want."

Kaidei thought this over for a moment before giving her tail one tiny stroke. "Well, yes. I gave him a gift because I - I like him. Very much." Too much, perhaps. "I gave it to him because I feel he could be special to me, one day. I would not give just anyone such a gift. But I look at you and I think that you would appreciate my gift just as he would, and I would like to give it to you as well." He met her curious, solemn gaze and smiled gently. "Will you accept my gift?"

She returned his smile and nodded, shifting a little to make herself more comfortable within his lap, her left leg angled out, the shackle still holding her chained to the ground. Reaching as far as she could, she could just barely manage to remain curled against his chest as she lay; he himself could move no closer, for where her restraints moved no farther than that of a shackle and chain around the ankle, he himself was held immobile by a pair of shackles on his ankles, as well as a pair on his wrists, and one thick, collar-like shackle around his throat. Each one lay attached to a chain that snaked its way free to clutch the stone wall behind him in dear, reptilian facets of life.

He gave the kitsune child in his arms a brief, comforting hug and gathered a little ki in the palm and fingers of his left hand - enough to get the job done, and even a little more to satisfy Leina's innocent curiosity as she gasped and stared in delighted awe at the dark, crimson-violet glow shimmering around his wrist and brushing through the curling locks of fur in her tail. She gave a low, yipping sound of delight in the depths of her throat and burrowed her nose in the dipping curve of his shoulder, causing him to smile. Although her fur was just as soft as Shenjin's had been, she did not seem nearly so physically affected. And nor, the thief thought wistfully, was she so pleasing to touch as his fox had been. Oh, she was very pretty - beautiful, in fact, although he tried to stay away from that term, for it was obvious from both Shenjin's reaction to it, as well as from Leina's softly murmured story that they had both been called beautiful by too many despicable creatures - none of whom had their best interests in mind. And she was very pleasing, for a youko, and the thief had no doubt that the person who one day stole her heart would be one lucky creature indeed.

He found himself more interested in her brother, however, and smiled a bit ironically at that fact. Such a graceful, majestic creature lying here, trusting within his arms, and the only thing he could think of was Shenjin's snapping silver eyes and the sharp, quick words he snarled in irritation as the thief merrily goaded him on. Given the chance, he would have gladly switched the two, where they stood at that moment.

Life was unfair, sometimes.

Almost wistfully he brushed that thought away and forced a smile, looking down upon the now long, silken ice-violet tail lying half-curled around his waist. "Oh!" Leina cried in delight, reaching down to touch the soft, feathery tresses as if she couldn't quite believe they were part of her own tail. "So pretty..." Her shimmering eyes lifted to him as she gave him one of the most charming smiles he had ever had the fortune to see in his lifetime. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled herself closer and up, nuzzling his jaw before giving him a quick foxy lick upon the cheek. "Arigato, Kura-kun . . ."

He laughed softly and hugged her back as well as he could around the shackles and chains. "You're very welcome, kitten." He pet the short, soft hair at her nape, pressing his lips against her temple in a brief kiss as she pulled away. Her small hand lifted to the fluff of yellow and orange fur at his shoulder, slowly petting it in kind, gentle strokes.

"You have a very pretty tail, too." She whispered.

He couldn't help but grin. "Do you really think so?"

She nodded, absolute in her childish conviction as she continued to pet the fluff which had - to all other creatures he had encountered - been mistaken for a decorative talisman with which to stroke his vanity. Even Shenjin had not discovered the true purpose; that it was not a talisman, nor that the length wrapped around his chest from shoulder to hip some three turns was not in actuality a whip. It was his tail - and his most prized weapon, when coupled with the strength of his wings.

"Would you like to see something?" At her second, more curious nod, he took her hand and gently held it away from the fluff of orange and yellow fur. Slowly the fur shifted and out from random places about the fluff thin, black needles made themselves known, the tips of at least two wet with a certain type of poison that could kill any creature - demon, ghost, spirit, mortal, or even immortal. He didn't allow the spikes to fully extend for they were not needed at the moment; just enough so that the kitsune child could see how well such beauty lay intertwined with such danger.

She smiled and made a sound of delight in the back of her throat, yet made no move - much to his relief - to try and touch the thin black spikes. She waited patiently until they slid back into the flesh and muscle hidden beneath the fur before she began petting it once more, enchanted by what she had just seen. Kaidei returned her smile and drew her close against his chest; she wrapped her arms around his waist in a loose hug and settled once more.

"Tell me now." she whispered.

"Of what?" He asked, allowing her to take one of his hands and begin playing with it once more.

"Of my brother."

He gave a breathy ghost of a smile and a faint laugh. "Which one?"

She grinned, her small teeth catching hold of her lower lip as she delighted in tracing the stitchings of the black, finger-less gloves he wore. He hadn't taken them off once; not even when he had mended Shenjin's tail, although the want had been there. She didn't ask why, nor did she try to take them off herself. As if she sensed some great meaning behind his wearing them, she merely accepted their presence as necessary within her mind, and moved on. "Tell me..." she whispered, "Of both."

"Well..." the thief shifted, stretching out his sore wing and leaning back against the moldy wall behind him. "You know your oniisan Jin-chan well enough, so I guess I'll start with your 'niichan, ne?" she giggled as he tickled her side gently, then settled herself more comfortably as he began. "Well, his name is Kurama, and he's very tall, and very proud, and he has the most interesting ways of handling your oniisan..."

And thus he told her what he knew, often embellishing some parts and skimming over others, mindful of her innocent nature as he did so. And as the hour passed from one to another the quiet, bustling sounds of near-constant activity in the back of the shadowed world of the dungeon grew. The thief grew silent as likewise the foxlet in his arms grew still as some hidden door opened and a large, cumbersome youkai approached them from the darkness. It reached out and brushed the curtain of teargems aside easily, followed by a skittering demon that was cackling in short, coughing spurts as it dove forward to unshackle Leina's ankle. "You, foxy, foxy - you, come with me!" The demon tugged at her arm and she stood obediently, unaware of the danger she was in as she followed the skittering youkai back into the darkness.

The huge, bulky youkai left stared down at Kaidei. Kaidei stared back. The demon reached out one monstrous claw and grabbed the soft black leather of his vest, ripping him from his feet. Kaidei bared his teeth in a grimace, clutching at the fist as the chain around his throat grew taught.

"Oi, oi!" the skittering demon returned to kick the huge youkai gruffly - an act just about equal to a mouse kicking a brick wall, for all the good it did. "Wait till I undo the chains, stupid!" With that it bounded forward, quickly divesting Kaidei of all five lengths of his chains, leaving the shackles - one still clasped around his throat, the others dangling from his wrists and ankles. "Now!" The skittering demon gave forth a high-pitched squeal of giggling laughter and leapt away. "Now take him, take him!"

The huge, cumbersome youkai did as he was bid and the thief was carried by his vest - barely able to breath past the thick grip that held him - through the dungeons and beyond, into the heart of a castle more beautiful than any Kaidei had ever seen. Crystal, silver, and gold lined almost everything, with velvety textures ranging from violet to magenta to midnight blue and bloody crimson everywhere - not an inch of floor went by without having been carved of some marblesque stone with intricate details upon each fragmented square - not a chandelier was seen that was not brightly lit with candles off-set by the glow of crystal fractures. And dangling everywhere - as curtains between certain rooms, as simply decorations upon the frames or rugs or chairs or the gods only know what else - were hundred of teargems, each single one tied to another by way of fine, woven strands of youko hair.

Which ones... the thief pondered vaguely as his air constricted farther and his sight began to cloud over; which ones were Shenjin's... which ones were Leina's...? His grip upon the fist holding him shifted as he gave on last gasping breath, and fainted.

He awoke only seconds later as light pierced his eyelids - an ethereal, borealis of light that was not mortal by any means. A touch of instinctive panic stabbed through his heart and brought him back to awareness, just as the youkai halted. Kaidei strained his neck to try and view his surroundings - yet all he could see were the dark wine-colored curtains that appeared to line a strip of hallway, just like all the others they had come through. This one, however, was different. Someone was waiting for them in this one.

"Set him down, Guhra. - Gently. I don't wish him any harm."

Slowly the thief was lowered; the instant his booted feet touched the floor he shoved the huge claw away from him and grabbed the tails of his leather vest, jerking them down sharply and smoothing out the material in irritation. Frowning, narrowing his violet-red eyes, he turned to face the voice which had spoken, lifting his chin defiantly as he did so.

It was a shadow creature - at least, as first glance. A moment passed, and then two, before the swirling shadows slid back to reveal a tall, regal young man with long, flowing black hair laced in gold. He was of himself beautiful, with angled features and pale, piercing green eyes that bored into one's soul and simply radiated unspoken Power. Dressed simply in flowing black garments, his appearance suggested that of some mixture between a sorcerer, a mage, and a bard - if not all, for the grace of which he moved. Bowing his head a little, he smiled. "Welcome, to my domain."

Kaidei sent a withering glare to the huge youkai at his shoulder until the creature backed up an unsteady pace; he then turned to the mage-figure and frowned again. There were no doubts within his mind about which this creature was, shadow-wielder-mage or no. "What do you want with me?"

The Master smiled. "Oh," he purred, "I think you know what I want."

"I'm an ignorant." Kaidei muttered thickly, his hackles rising as the shadows around the room began swirling in random, chaotic dances, some rising and mocking his stance of defiance before folding in upon themselves and falling back, making way for others to arise in their place. "What do you want?"

"Only to be convinced."

Ice - that's what it felt like. The thief had always wondered exactly how fear felt, and it felt like ice - a brief, shocking surge but nothing more, for he was by no means one who admonished such feelings. It was not - ironic, but, all the same - it was not in his nature. Still, he would play the simple fool for a little longer; perhaps the shadow figure was grasping at straws. "To be convinced of what?"

"That you are the other half of that sword I have in the other room." The Master smiled as the thief stiffened and grew pale, his crimson-violet eyes flaring dangerously; his suspicions were thus confirmed. "Aah... so it is true, then. You are the one. I must admit I did not sense it at first. Even I was fooled. You would have gone by, unseen, unnoticed, unrealized, had it not been for the compassion you showed the little kitsune girl. Unfortunately, Juyie is divesting her of such a gift even now." The Master noted the thief's stiff stance and clenched fists with interest, although not a trace of it showed within his demeanor. "Only one creature has such a vague power as that which you hold. Only one kind of being can be the focus of such a great -" He stopped in mid-word and bared his teeth in a sharp-toothed smile. "Ah, but I am getting away from my graces. Come." He turned to indicate a huge door at his back, which opened without so much as a touch. "Be my guest. I believe I have found something of yours. I would like to -" A slow, malicious smile that ate away all the beauty of the figure upon which it lay stretched across the Master's features, leaving a few traces of shadows in its wake. "- return - it to you."

The rush of Power that burst and emanated from the room caused the black mane of the thief's hair to whip and tangle behind his shoulders; tendrils of feeling, of thought, reached out to touch his mind - welcoming, peace, an abyss of Power unlike any other, home-coming, yearning, pain, sadness, home-sickness, guilt, shame, yearning, peace, blessed, welcoming peace -. He gritted his teeth, his crimson-violet eyes narrowing as the first initial flare of the Power faded, to be replaced by the slow, steady thrum of ki that resembled the heaviest beat of the deepest heart in all the universes combined. His long black hair settled and slipped down to half-shield his face as he snarled one low, deadly world through his clenched fangs. "No."

"Come now." The Master took a step toward the room; the shackle around Kaidei's throat constricted and flared to life, practically ripping him from his feet as it jerked him in one long, tortuous path to follow the shadow figure through the doors. "If you just do as I say, this will all be over rather quickly, and then we shall all have what we want."

The thief dug his heels into the marble ground, yet was unable to resist the tight binding of the collar matched and added to that of the seduction of the Force within that room... even he was not immune. It had accosted him all he had to mutter that one word of negation while his whole being - body, blood and soul - screamed at him to take it, to walk forward, to accept that which he had so willingly left behind so long ago. And as the Shadow-Master's power forced him to approach the room his steps took on a accepting pace, for his physical self was more than willing to take back that which was hidden beyond the chamber doors.

A brief, painful memory was all it took to shake him of his acceptance; the memory of Shenjin's terror on that day when he had bathed was enough to weaken the double enchantments that controlled him, although it did not sever. With a violent jerk he roared in defiance - a bellow that resounded from the walls and shattered the few windows nearby as he gathered his wavering personal power about himself and struggled. His feet touched the ground, propelling him back as his small black wings flapped uselessly; he was reduced to the stance of a beast for a moment, a beast struggling desperately to escape the bindings that held it captive. Yet as he leapt back, the Shadow Master's collar gave one last, violent tug forward, yanking him from his course and throwing him into the bowels of the room. He hit the ground with force enough to bruise his still aching shoulder and rolled. His muscles coiled, his body reacted, and in the next turn he was pitched to his feet by the instinct of his mortal form, swaying back and forth slightly as his wings snapped out, his head bowing, the tangled locks of his hair tumbling down to conceal his face once more. In that one split second between stance and appearance he looked like some hideous demon from all seven hells come to enact some morbid act of revenge. The Master watched with pleasure as the thief's body stiffened and bristled, a dark, shadowy panther standing alone on a see of pale, chiseled marble. Barely had he gained his feet before his depthless eyes snapped up.

A shock wave stronger than any felt upon earth - more fierce than any ever fallen upon the Makai - rocked through his body, through his flesh and bones and blood, through his very soul - and the light of the Power Force sank its claws within his mind.