White Blindness
by Mina Lightstar

For a few moments, as he hovered between sleep and wakefulness, Kurama was almost able to forget where he was. Almost. He was aware that he was still in the guest room of the Crystal Palace, a friend crippled, people in danger, and Jumon still plotting a revenge that would affect more than his intended targets. However, all he wanted to be aware of was the fact that he was nestled in a very large, warm bed with his head resting on a big, fluffy pillow, and that his limbs were entangled with Hiei's. He sighed contentedly and tightened his grip on his smaller lover, pressing their naked chests closer together. He smiled and started stroking Hiei's sensitive back, lazily, listening to the Jaganshi's even breathing.

It felt so good, and so comfortable, Kurama was reluctant to rise. It was one of those days where one just didn't want to wake up - which was unfortunate, because there was much to be done.

Regretfully, he opened his eyes and gave himself a few moments more to enjoy the cozy embrace he was sharing with Hiei, smiling fondly at the younger demon encircled in his arms. "Time to wake up, Firefly," he cooed softly. "We still have work to do."

Hiei made a face and snuggled further into Kurama's chest. "But I don't want to," he mock-whined.

Kurama chuckled and squeezed him tighter. It was nice to see Hiei attempting to be humorous again, after the way he had acted the night before. "But you have to."

"But I don't want to."

"Not even for me?" Kurama asked sweetly.

Hiei pretended to think about it. "Well... maybe for you." He looked up and gave Kurama a slight smile. "'Morning."

Kurama gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek. "We should wake the others - unless they've risen before us and we're keeping them waiting."

"Mm-hm."

Several moments went by, but they remained in their post-coital embrace. Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"...I really don't want to move," Kurama confessed.

Hiei chuckled and rolled away, gently breaking the circle of his arms. "Come on, Greeneyes."

"Coming," Kurama replied around a yawn. He threw the covers aside and sat up. Hiei hopped out of bed and made his way to the closet on the other side of the room. Kurama bent to pick up his boxers and jeans, watching as Hiei studied the contents of the closet.

"Never had such a large selection, Firefly?" Kurama teased, pulling on his undergarments. He glanced at the wardrobe Hiei was admiring and noted that there was an abundance of green clothing. At first he figured that it was simply coincidence... No, he corrected himself, it's true. Nearly every piece of clothing in there is green.

Hiei pulled out a pair of black breeches and a matching sleeveless shirt, and Kurama had to roll his eyes. The garments were practically akin to the ones normally found in his lover's wardrobe. But he also pulled out a green sash and a green cloak. As though sensing the eyes on him, Hiei looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Problem, Greeneyes?" he asked with a hint of amusement, tossing the clothes onto the bed.

Kurama grinned. "No. I think you look good in green." As Hiei dressed, Kurama folded his arms and watched. As he stared at the green fabric, he couldn't help but remark how nearly everyone he'd seen from this palace had worn something green. "Hiei?"

"Hm?"

"Why is there so much green here?" Realizing he hadn't made much sense, he clarified, "On everyone's clothing. Nearly everyone is wearing green."

"Everyone of the Hand, you mean," Hiei replied quietly. "It's a norm they're - we're," he corrected reluctantly, "supposed to conform to. Green is something of a symbol for them."

"What does it mean?"

"To them? To them, the color green is symbolic for noble courage and hope. It seems as though it's their color. Everyone is somewhat required to wear at least one article of green clothing."

Kurama couldn't resist. "And you're letting someone tell you how to dress?" he teased.

Hiei finished tying the sash around his waist and gave Kurama a soft smile. "It's a rule I don't mind following. Green is the color of your eyes." He reached forward and took the cloak from the bed.

Kurama seized his wrist and gave it a squeeze. "Firefly, you are getting romantic."

"It's all in your mind, Silvertail." He gestured to the shirt Kurama had worn the night before. "Finish getting dressed. We have to meet Kuwabara and Yusuke."

"Yes, Mother."

When Kuwabara heard the knock on their door, he stood from his bed and moved to answer it, hoping fervently that the visitors were Kurama, Hiei, or both. Not that he particularly disliked the servants who had been taking care of his and Yusuke's needs, but he still wasn't comfortable in the Palace. And to be honest, at least to himself, he didn't mind the fact that he wasn't comfortable there. He had no intention of remaining in the Crystal Palace long enough to get comfortable. He wanted to leave - the sooner, the better.

He opened the door a crack, sighing in relief when he found himself staring into one of Kurama's green eyes. He opened the door all the way, and grinned down at Kurama's companion. "Hiei! You made it! I knew you would," he added with a wink, feeling the slight worry he'd had for the Jaganshi diminish.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Hiei replied with a hint of a smile. "I'm almost touched."

"Good - I wouldn't want you to start thinking I liked you, or anything."

"Gods forbid."

"Will we be seeing Eiyo?" Kurama asked suddenly. "Or will Eiyo be coming to us?"

Hiei gave his lover a wry smile. "She doesn't seem like the kind of person to 'come to' other people. We may have to go to her to get out of here. I don't think any of us have any Teleport technique, let alone Skimming talent."

"No," Kuwabara agreed. "I should go back to school and take a course on that..."

"Hiei?" Yusuke called from his own bed. "You're one of them now, right? Can we see Eiyo as soon as possible?" Their former team leader sat up and looked in their direction, but he was still looking right through them. "I want to be able to get on Jumon's trail as soon as we can. We can't let him get too far."

Hiei hesitated, looking from Kurama to Kuwabara. Someone has to answer him, he mind-spoke. He gestured to Kuwabara. I nominate you.

Kuwabara blinked. Why me? he asked, impressed by how seamlessly he had managed the reply. His talents had improved steadily over the years. He asked you.

"Yusuke," Kurama began gently, "you... won't be coming with us."

Kuwabara turned in time to see the surprise and slight anger flash across Yusuke's face. "What?" the raven-haired young man breathed. Part of Kuwabara found it odd that Yusuke, knowing very well that he was incapable of seeing anything, had still thought he would be going along. The other part didn't find it surprising at all. Yusuke was the kind of person who didn't let a weakness impair him for long. Hell, not even death had held him back before...

"You won't be coming with us," Hiei restated, coming immediately to Kurama's aid.

"You're leaving me behind?" Yusuke demanded. He glared. "Just like that? I'm no good to you guys anymore so you're just dumping onto the side of the road?"

Kuwabara frowned. "Well... that's a pretty negative way of putting it, Urameshi. But you're not too far off."

"I can still sense ki," Yusuke insisted.

"Sometimes that's not enough," Hiei put forth calmly. "We can't keep an eye on you all the time."

"I'm not a child," Yusuke retorted, but the reply didn't have much force.

Kuwabara scuffed one of his sneakers against the carpet. "Urameshi, you know you can't come with us..."

"There's a first time for everything," Kurama offered. There wasn't an ounce of humor in his voice. "...Would... would you like to be brought back to Keiko? Or would you rather stay here?"

Yusuke didn't even hesitate. "I'd like to go back to the temple. If I can't do anything to help the situation, I want to at least be with Keiko and the others."

Kurama glanced at Hiei. "Firefly?"

"I don't think Eiyo would mind," the Jaganshi replied.

"Then shall we?" Kuwabara asked, gesturing to the door.

Before anyone could move, however, someone else knocked on the door. Kuwabara raised an eyebrow. "Seems someone heard we were having a party in here," he remarked as he opened it, revealing Sayra on the other side. "Well, hello there," he greeted as she gave him a quick curtsy. "We've been seeing a lot of you lately."

"To be expected, Sir Kuwabara," she answered, "since I am your guide for your stay here. And I bring a message. The High Lady would like to speak with all of you. She says they will resume the hunt for Jumon as soon as possible, and seeing as how you four were so intent on ensuring that you would be able to participate, she thought you would like to be involved."

"We would," Kuwabara assured her, speaking for everyone. He glanced over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Kurama helping Yusuke to his feet. "We're ready."

And so, not two minutes later, the four former Tantei were once again following Sayra to Eiyo's chambers. Kurama was helping Yusuke along, and Kuwabara and Hiei were behind them. Kuwabara took a moment to concentrate on projecting messages to only his friends, knowing he was fairly compatible with all of them.

No, Yusuke replied, his answer sounding fuzzy and faded. Of all of them, Yusuke had the least Talent when it came to Telepathy. This whole thing is fixed.

I agree, Kurama spoke up. The woman says that Outsiders are not welcome or permitted to participate in affairs concerning this cult, yet as soon as Hiei agrees to join it, suddenly we are invited to take part in this Jumon situation.

I think it may have something to do with what Eiyo said about 'culling', Hiei suggested. She says that getting new members to join is very difficult, and there aren't nearly enough of them to handle everything. So she's bending the rules a little.

Kuwabara thought about it. And this way she gets help dealing with Jumon, and she gets a new Jaganshi at the same time...

I don't like her, Yusuke remarked. She's taking advantage of the situation to further her own needs, whatever the circumstances...

Kuwabara nodded, even though no one but Hiei could see the gesture. They walked the rest of the way without speaking - mentally or otherwise.

"We're here," Sayra announced, coming to a halt before the doors to Hwang's chambers. Before she could knock, however, the door opened. Hwang thanked Sayra curtly and shooed her away, and then quickly ushered them inside.

They moved passed Hwang's desk and entered Eiyo's chambers. Once inside, Kuwabara noticed that Shiryoku and Katachi were also there. The silver-haired demon woman spared them a tiny smile, but said nothing. Her mother was fingering one of her golden tresses, and merely gave them an acknowledging glance. The High Lady was sitting at her own desk, but she was not absorbed in any papers or books. Instead, she was sitting with her arms folded, one leg crossed over the other.

"My Lady," Hwang uttered in greeting.

She gave them a small smile. "Good. You're here."

"Do you have any idea where Jumon could be?" Kurama asked immediately.

Eiyo shook her head. "Not yet, but we may have a chance to get one. Jumon's guard may be down now, and so it is a perfect time to try and track him."

Hiei frowned. "Why wouldn't he be on guard? It was only yesterday that he was unearthed."

Kuwabara agreed. "He can't be that insane...can he?"

Eiyo motioned to Shiryoku, and Jumon's mother cleared her throat before explaining. "You need to understand how Jumon thinks. Usually, when a criminal is on the run, he will remain quiet for a period of time until it becomes safe for him to act. Therefore, the hunters who seek this criminal know that for a little while, it will be difficult for them to find any trace of him. What Jumon thinks is, since no one is expecting him to make a move so soon, he will do so and thus won't be caught. He won't be as careful, especially if his mind is focused on other things."

"Like getting the White Sphere," Kurama supplied.

"Precisely," Eiyo replied. "I have sent Fukuro to continue the hunt for Itsuwari. She left a couple of hours ago."

Shiryoku took a step forward. "Is she to simply apprehend him or... or...?"

"I told her to do what was necessary to stop him," Eiyo said simply. "I'm sorry, Shiryoku, but you must forgive Fukuro if she decides not to show mercy."

Kuwabara raised an eyebrow. "I've noticed that Fukuro becomes a little... hostile when it comes to Itsuwari and Jumon," he commented, wondering if he was venturing onto dangerous ground.

Shiryoku lowered her head and looked away. Eiyo shook hers sadly. "Fukuro's past is her own to share if she wishes it, but years ago, one of our own, Fukuro's father, was killed."

"Her father was murdered?" Kurama gasped. He looked as though he'd been trying to put together a puzzle and had found one the pieces he'd been missing.

Hiei was looking at Shiryoku. "How did he die?" he asked, but his question was directed at anyone in the room who could answer.

Eiyo started shaking her head again, but then Shiryoku said, "My life-mate killed him." Eiyo shot her a look, and she said no more.

So that's it. Kuwabara was suddenly able to put some more pieces of the puzzle together, himself. Shiryoku and Fukuro didn't get along very well. Both were members of the same society, yet a member of one's family was responsible for the death of the other's parent. One wanted to rescue her children from the fate that awaited them when they would be caught, yet the other wanted to avenge the death of her father. Perhaps, he mused, the promise of revenge was what allowed Eiyo to coerce Fukuro into becoming part of the Hand. If the High Lady had used that kind of subtle manipulation, Kuwabara wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.

"And how are we going to find Jumon?" Hiei asked, changing the subject. "How do you plan on locating him?"

"Hopefully not the old-fashioned way," Kuwabara added. Jumon could be anywhere - most probably in the Demon World, granted, but that was still a large amount of territory to cover. No matter how adept one was at locating ki signatures, it would still be difficult - especially to distinguish Jumon from all of the other demons.

"No," Eiyo assured them, "not the 'old-fashioned way.' I have sent word to several other Brothers and Sisters to form a Circle with me. We will try to Feel him with that."

"What's a 'Circle'?" Yusuke wondered.

"A form of linking one's ki with another," Kurama explained. "It can be performed by two or more, though it grows more powerful with the number of people added to it."

"It functions rather like a wheel," Hiei added. "The power of each person participating will flow freely through the Circle, circulating all of the combined magic as one around everyone." He stared at Eiyo pointedly. "It's not a skill used regularly, because it requires absolute trust."

"The act of entering a Circle means that you will give your ki up to any others in it, so that all may use the magic freely," Kurama continued. "While this means that technically each person's ki will multiply by the number of people in the Circle, there is much more risk involved."

"Using any sort of power - reiki or youki - is risky all on its own," Hiei went on. "I know little of reiki, but I'll assume it shares the same principles as youki. Trying to use more than you can handle, or pushing yourself too far, is always a danger. Being able to use magic finely and precisely - to make it do only what you want it to do - takes practice and patience to learn. Not all demons take the time to acquire those skills."

"And participating in a Circle only increases that danger," Kurama stated. "Not only are you responsible for managing your own ki, but you're in charge of everyone else's, too. And if one person should do something wrong, or decide to betray the others..." He let the sentence trail off, and then shrugged. "Anything could happen. Myself, I've never seen it, but I can imagine what that would do to a demon..."

Eiyo was staring at them, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you. It seems I didn't have to explain it, after all... Yes, we will be forming a Circle to locate Jumon. I have already called for some of the Brothers and Sisters who are strongest in Spirit to take part in it. You are all welcome to observe the process, but are not required to participate." She glanced at Yusuke. "Sir Yusuke, I'll have Hwang himself escort you back to wherever you wish to go. You will not be taking part in this battle, am I right?"

Yusuke gave her a little nod. "I'll be returning to the Human World. From there I'll be..." He nodded again, though this time more to himself. "...I'll be watching over the others who are already at the temple."

"Very well. Hwang?"

The High Lady's Second was already taking Yusuke gently by the arm to lead him away. "As you wish, my Lady."

"Take care, Yusuke," Kurama called.

"You, too," their former leader replied. He grinned in their general direction over his shoulder. "And make sure you kick this guy's ass, or I'll kick all of yours when you get back."

"Will do," Kuwabara replied with a grin. And then the doors shut behind them, and Yusuke was gone.

Shiryoku raised a fine eyebrow. "That was not much of a goodbye... You realize that you may not come back from this battle, yes?"

"Long farewells never were necessary," Hiei replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Besides, drawn-out, tear-filled goodbyes would mean that we have doubts about whether or not we'll come back."

"And we are definitely coming back," Kuwabara added.

"Then a moment while we wait for the others to arrive," Eiyo spoke, "and then we will hurry to send you off, so that you may return as soon as possible."

"So pretty," Jumon cooed, one hand holding his latest batch of reiki, the other hovering over the glowing sphere. "So fragile... Odd, that so much power could reside in something so small... Or perhaps that should be expected..."

"Good things come in small packages," Itsuwari remarked, leaning over his shoulder. "I take it you're pleased with the newest batch?"

Jumon released the gathered reiki trapped within the sphere, and the tiny orb floated back to the altar to rest with the others. "Itsu," he breathed, pulling his brother's arms around his chest, "I can't thank you enough for what you do for me. If it weren't for you, I don't know how I would have managed getting this far."

Itsuwari squeezed him gently. "My loyalty is to you, as always, my brother. Wherever you go, I shall follow." He brushed his cheek against Jumon's. "By your leave, shall I go and extract the last of the energy?"

"You have my leave," Jumon murmured, rubbing their cheeks together. "My dearest, loyal brother...you will always have my leave."

"Then I shall depart," Itsuwari declared, breaking their embrace and straightening. "I shall return shortly, Jumon."

Jumon watched his brother's silver wind snake around his body, and gave the other demon a little wave before he vanished. Once his brother was gone, Jumon took a look at the territory they had selected. Not too large, but desolate enough so that they wouldn't have to worry about any stray demons wandering into it. Not for the first time, Jumon cursed the Hand for seizing his Galians. Now he had no one but himself and Itsuwari...

He pondered it for a moment, and then decided that Veiling would indeed be his best course of action for the moment. Until Itsuwari returned with the last of the power he needed, there would be no way for Jumon to summon the White Sphere from wherever it had been exiled.

Aside from Hiei, there were now eight Jaganshi in the chamber. Kurama folded his arms and settled his back against the wall. While they had been permitted to watch the Circle, they were to remain as far as they could from it. A precautionary measure, Kurama knew, and a wise one. He doubted that any of them would lose control of themselves, but still, better safe than sorry.

The Jaganshi were seated in the center of the chamber in a circle. Among them were Hwang, Shiryoku, and Eiyo. The others, he didn't know. It had been several minutes since they'd started, and now each of them were glowing with their youki. The auras varied in color and shade, pulsating in a rhythm akin to a heartbeat.

"They don't say anything while they do this?" Kuwabara asked, his voice a soft whisper.

Hiei shrugged. "I've never met a demon who could manage without disrupting his concentration."

Kurama watched with fascination as the colored auras began to spread to each member of the Circle, gradually becoming white. He'd had the pleasure of witnessing a Circle or two during his time as a pure youko, and it was incredible to watch so many different patterns of magic fuse into one driving force. Himself, he'd never considered any one of his companions trustworthy enough to share his youki with. Even now, given Yusuke and Kuwabara's inexperience in the area, the only person he would think of linking with would be Hiei. "It's a very fine procedure," he said. "It takes a lot of concentration. A single slip could be very harmful to everyone involved."

"It's not easy to handle seven others' youki as well as your own," Hiei added. "Let alone control it so precisely so that you can join it in a Circle..." He closed his eyes and leaned forward a little, and Kurama could see his Third Eye glow for a moment. "I want to, though..."

"You want to what?" Kuwabara inquired. "To handle that much youki at once, or to join the Circle?"

Hiei frowned a little. "Maybe both." He sighed and sat back again. "It's a strong pull. Feel it, Kurama?"

Kurama nodded. For him it was faint, not strong, but it was there; a tugging feeling, the urge to fill himself with his own youki and show his strength to the participants of the Circle.

They remained silent and tried to be patient as Eiyo and the others searched for any sign of Jumon. It was only a good amount of time later that the light surrounding the circle of demons abruptly winked out. Several of them sagged visibly, and Eiyo wiped her brow.

Kurama gave them a minute or so to gather their bearings, and then cleared his throat. "Any luck? Did you find him?"

"We did," Eiyo replied.

Kurama blinked in mild surprise. Part of him had been expecting them to apologize for not being able to get a trace of the renegade demon. "You did?"

The High Lady nodded. "Just for a moment; he was in the process of putting up a veil when we found him. But we managed to get his location." She brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "He is taking refuge in the eastern regions of Morvec."

"They're dead lands," Hiei spoke up. "Nearly uninhabitable."

"Must be why he chose them," Kuwabara said thoughtfully. "So can we get there? Preferably sooner than later?"

"Sooner..." Hwang mumbled. "Fukuro is our best Skimmer - especially when it comes to groups."

"I can Skim," Katachi offered. "I am fairly good with groups. I took Yusuke and Hiei from Ningenkai to Makai. All I need is someone to take me from here and back so I can learn how exactly to get here, and thus how to leave."

"I could manage a person or two," Shiryoku spoke up. "And I am going, High Lady," she added when Eiyo opened her mouth. "Forgive my rudeness, but I will accompany them. Jumon is my son, and I will not be excluded in this as I was last time."

"If you come with us," Kurama answered, "then there will be none of this 'running off on your own to Jumon' nonsense." He had no intention of them having to put their lives in danger simply because Shiryoku wasn't using her head.

Shiryoku glared at Kurama, but didn't reply to that. "Between Katachi and I, we will be able to take these three. Besides, we don't have time to wait for Fukuro to return. She is busy with Itsuwari."

"Very well," Eiyo replied. "If that's what you wish, I will grant it. Just don't do anything foolish. It would be wise not to appear too closely to Jumon's new territory," she went on, ignoring Shiryoku's look. "I do not know Jumon's range for sensing ki signatures, but if he decides to be mindful about it, I'm sure he'd be able to discover you all. Morvec is not far from Dander at all. If you were to Skim to the northern regions of Dander, it would take little time to find Jumon."

"Done, then," Hiei stated.

Kurama nodded his approval. Now they knew Jumon's whereabouts and had a way of getting to him. He glanced at who his allies would be, and decided that they would also have a well-balanced party. If they fought right, they definitely had a chance at beating Shiryoku's son.

Fukuro ran as quickly as her legs would permit, one hand already calling forth a sword of flame. The street she was running down wasn't exactly deserted; more than once she heard tires squeal as a car would skid to a halt so the driver could stare at her. The few pedestrians she went by were quick to leap out of her way.

The High Lady would be upset, she knew, when Fukuro revealed how carelessly she had shown herself to the humans. But at the moment, she could care less about the consequences. She had Itsuwari. She had found him - after hours of searching for him, she had found him. And she would kill him before he had a chance to harm another innocent soul.

She found the house quickly enough. The door was open, so she merely barged inside, sword at the ready. She listened for a moment, and once she heard the human scream, she followed the frightened shout to the kitchen.

"Itsuwari!" she shouted, halting in the middle of the doorway.

The silver-haired demon lowered his captive so he could grin at her. He glanced at her sword, and flicked the human he was holding away. Fukuro winced as the poor creature hit the wall and tumbled onto the stove. But instead of hesitating, she used her free hand to throw a fireball at the other demon.

While the attack had primarily been executed to distract him and give her a good opening, the fireball actually slammed into Itsuwari's chest and started to sizzle. The renegade released some sort of screech, and seconds later his whole form was ablaze...

What...? Fukuro blinked and shook her head. It couldn't be that easy... could it? No... of course not... So why...?

On impulse, she dashed forward, raised her flaming sword over her head, and swung it down. It sliced through Itsuwari's flesh as though he were butter. Before she knew it, Fukuro was on one knee, her blade of fire resting on the tiles of the kitchen floor. She gasped and cooled the flames before they could cause any damage. Impossible. She had just cut down Itsuwari with two blows. She stood, still shocked, letting her blade vanish. Then she looked for the pieces of Itsuwari's body...

There were none.

But then how...?

"An illusion," she breathed aloud. She had been chasing an illusion. Itsuwari was an accomplished Illusionist. She had all-but forgotten that, and the renegade had just forced her to pursue a mere illusion instead of him.

She spat a curse in her native tongue and spun on her heel to leave the house. As an afterthought, she took the human from the stove and laid him on the couch in another room of the home. Then she left hurriedly, knowing that human sentries would be along shortly to investigate the disturbance she knew she had caused.

"Oh, are you afraid?" Itsuwari cooed to the little girl in his arms. "Why? There's no need to be scared." He held the sobbing creature at arm's length from him. "Oh, look now..." He used his free hand to gesture to her pants' damp bottom. "You've wet your clothes. I wonder how old you are..."

He paused, sensing one of his illusions dispel, and grinned. "Dear, sweet Fukuro has found one of my toys. I'm sorry, little girl, but we'll have to move quicker than I'd expected." He rested his hand over her forehead and began to draw out her reiki. He wasn't really certain if he had time to incinerate the eyes this time, so he refrained from doing so. It wasn't as fun, but sometimes work was more important than play.

The energy was drawn easily enough. The girl was probably too young to even have developed a subconscious resistance. He gathered the reiki in one hand and immediately encased it into one of the crystalline Spirit orbs Jumon had taught him how to make.

By the time he was finished, the little one had lost consciousness. He dropped her unceremoniously onto her bed and turned to leave. On his way out, he paused to bow to the unconscious mother sprawled on her side in the hall.

"Pardon my intrusion." He smirked. "I won't touch anything on my way out." He fingered the delicate ball of rei in his hands. The little girl had been a good source. With this, along with the others he had brought the last time, he was sure that Jumon had enough to complete the rest of the links and perform the ritual to call back the Orb.

And when Jumon became all-powerful, surely he'd be willing to share that power with his loyal, loving brother.

When Kurama and his friends entered Eiyo's chambers after gathering some supplies, Katachi and her mother were already present and packed. The two demon women gave them tiny waves.

"Katachi," Shiryoku began, adjusting her emerald robes, "I will take Hiei. He's smaller, so it will be easier for me to Skim with him."

"Good idea," Hiei remarked. "It'll be easier than you having to drag Kuwabara's fat ass all over the Three Worlds."

"At least I have an ass," Kuwabara retorted slyly.

Hiei winced. "Ow... That round's yours."

Kurama grinned and propelled Hiei forward with a hand on the middle of his back. "We're ready whenever you are."

"Then we leave now," Shiryoku decided.

"Be careful," Eiyo cautioned. "Remember that Jumon is very powerful and should not be underestimated."

"We will," Katachi replied, putting an arm around Kurama and Kuwabara's waists. "You first, Mother. I'll follow."

"I'll keep the pattern as open to you as I can," Shiryoku replied, her own hand around Hiei's waist. "That way, you should be able to follow my movements without any problem."

Kurama watched as Shiryoku closed her eyes, and a moment later, she and Hiei were gone. He felt his lover's ki signature vanish from the Palace. Hiei? he Called, just for experimentation. No answer. Hiei was probably in the Demon World.

"I have the pattern she used," Katachi spoke up. Her eyes were closed and her grip on Kurama's waist tightened. "Hold tight. We leave now."

His surroundings started to blur, and Kurama closed his eyes as he felt the confining walls of the Crystal Palace disappear from arround him.