White Blindness
by Mina Lightstar

They had been silent for several minutes now. Or rather, the other three had been silent, neither speaking nor moving. Yukina had not. Even now she was still fidgeting, holding her teacup with both hands and tapping one fingernail against the glass. Under the table, she crossed her ankles and then uncrossed them... and then repeated the process.

Finally, she heard Yusuke reach forward and grope around a little until his hand closed on one of the biscuits Rinto had served. He stuffed the entire cookie into his mouth and chewed it before she heard his elbow come to rest on the table. She pictured him sitting with his cheek resting on his hand.

"...So, yeah."

And as though they'd been waiting for those very words, Yukina felt the table move and the chairs creak as Keiko and Rinto suddenly came back to life. Keiko sighed and leaned back in her chair. Rinto slumped forward, resting his forearms on the kitchen table.

"So... they've gone to Makai."

"And Makai is still... a dangerous place?" Keiko asked.

"I know... little of what's been going on there," Yukina supplied. "I haven't set foot in Makai for... several years now. But if I had to guess..." She shrugged. "But they're demons, remember? And Kazuma isn't what you'd call a 'normal' human... So try not to worry. I'm sure they'll be fine." She bit her lip to stop herself from babbling. How long had it been... a couple of days? A couple of days ago, she'd been wondering when Kazuma would ask her out to dinner, and now she was wondering if she'd ever see him again.

After all... regardless of the accomplishments Kazuma and the others had made in the past... a new threat was a new threat - and all new threats presented potential danger. And from what she had seen... the Tasuno brothers were not demons to be taken lightly. Itsuwari had been powerful - she had felt his strength when he'd attacked Keiko - and if Jumon was more powerful than him...

Reflexively, she checked the threads of power that had woven the shield and veil around the temple. They were still in place, of course, but she found she'd been feeling for them more often over the last twelve hours. Rinto had proven to harbor some defensive and curative talent, as well, and so Yukina had asked him to fortify the shield she and Kurama had made.

Whether by luck or a change-of-heart, Itsuwari had not returned to the temple since the attack on Keiko. Yukina couldn't say she wasn't glad for it; the thought of the demon returning to finish what he'd started with Keiko - without Kazuma or the others to help defend the human girl - frightened her. She knew that she was no match for Itsuwari, and knew that she would protect Keiko if the need arose... but would lose. But if Itsuwari didn't return to once again attack Keiko, then that meant there were other humans out there who had become the victims of the demon's spell...

"I told them..."

Yukina looked up, mostly out of habit, at the sound of Yusuke's voice.

"...I told them that if they didn't take him out... I'd take them out."

Yukina smiled, and reached over the table, groping to squeeze Yusuke's arm. "And I'm sure that's incentive enough for them to succeed."

"So," Keiko ventured, "where exactly in Maka--"

"Hold on, Shiori," Rinto spoke up, loudly so Keiko would take the hint and still her tongue. "Here, let me help you." She heard him stand up and hurried around to the hallway.

It hadn't taken Ikari or Shiori very long to learn their way around the temple. Yusuke and Keiko knew the way, of course, but that was largely due to the fact that they'd been here many times before. Still, Rinto took his duty as their caretaker very seriously.

"What did little Shuichi and Kazuya say?" Yukina asked. "Did you get a hold of them?"

"I did," Shiori replied. Yukina couldn't see what Kurama's mother was doing, but her mind provided the image of the woman now seated at another of the kitchen chairs, dry-washing her hands in her lap. "They're on their way home, and should be here by tomorrow morning, I'd think."

Yukina bit her thumbnail. "You told them to be careful, I assume?" She pictured Shiori's husband and stepson racing home... getting in a car accident...

"Yes." Shiori's answer assuaged her sudden fears. "They'll be careful."

"You should have told them to stay where they were."

Yukina blinked, recognizing Ikari's voice. She heard the scrambling of feet again - Rinto, she figured - and seconds later Ikari was being seated in a chair.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked quietly.

"I mean it may have been better for them to stay away." Ikari sounded tired. "It's everywhere; it spreads like mad. Some people still don't have it, but hundreds of others do. From what the hospital tells me, people are afraid to come out of their homes. It's like the damn blindness is contagious."

No one replied. Shiori, Yukina figured, remained silent because she was afraid Ikari's words were true.

The rest of them, Yukina was sure, remained silent because they knew Ikari's words were true.

"I'm sick of this place already," Kuwabara commented. He punctuated his sentence by kicking a small rock, sending the object bouncing along the dark, rotted soil. He pinched his nose. "And I think it's making me sick, on top of that."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Hiei said. "I said they were dead lands."

"I thought you meant they were uninhabitable."

"They are - because they're dead."

Kuwabara took a deep breath, and nearly gagged. "...Well, I was expecting a desert, or something. I wasn't expecting a desolate wasteland with air that smells like rotten eggs and tastes like liver."

"You know, when you put it that way... it almost sounds appetizing."

"Would you like some raw bacon with that? Raw bacon with mustard? Or horseradish? And then maybe some greens soaked in salty water. Hungry, yet?"

"Stop it," Katachi moaned. "I'm not sure how much more my stomach can take. It's bad enough I have to breathe it; I don't want to imagine eating it."

"That would be gross," Kuwabara agreed. "I mean, the air here stinks. Eating it? That would be like eating Urameshi's gym socks--"

Hiei raised his hands in defense. "Okay, that's as far as I'm prepared to go."

Shiryoku shook her head. "Can we stop discussing what the air tastes like?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "I suppose." He glanced at his watch. "Well, that took up about five minutes... Are we even going the right way?"

Katachi nodded. "We're heading east. Eventually, we're going to find Jumon. Just be sure to keep your ki signatures hidden as well as you can at all times. Who knows if Jumon will be able to sense us or not?"

"Regardless of his strength for detection," Shiryoku pointed out, "there are five of us, and none of us are what most would call 'weak'. With the five of us moving closely together like this... anyone paying attention would be bound to notice eventually. And while a group like us wouldn't be given a second glance anywhere else in Makai... Jumon and Itsuwari may think it a bit odd for four youkai and one human to be trekking across Morvec."

They continued on in silence, and Kuwabara listened to the rhythmic sound of their boots meshing against the soil. Again, he looked at his surroundings. It was truly a shame, he noted, for nature to end up this way. The soil was indeed rotted - definitely no good for planting anything. What little plant-life there was consisted of dead stumps and branches that were little more than sticks. They did come across the occasional body of water, but it was always small and definitely not fit for drinking from.

It was... disturbing - to look around and not see any lush tree for miles and miles...

"It wasn't always like this, you know," Kurama mumbled, kicking another rock. Or maybe it was the same rock he'd kicked minutes before, and they'd only reached it now.

"What happened to it?" he asked. He was genuinely curious, but was also looking for a way to occupy his mind, so he wouldn't stop and think about how long they'd really been walking.

"When I was a full youko, I visited this place for awhile, with some allies. It was inhabited by many, and had everything you'd expect to be included in a land. You know, towns, rivers, flora and fauna..."

"It was a long time ago," Hiei chided affectionately, but he didn't sound like he was trying to be humorous.

"So what happened?" Kuwabara pressed.

"Well, it was long after we'd left," Kurama confessed, "but we were shocked to hear it, because we had been treated well when we'd visited.

"No one knows how it began, but a plague spread through Morvec. And I mean, spread - like a shadow; it just swept over the entire nation. It killed anything and everything it touched, because there was so much to feast upon.

"Those who didn't die fled. Or tried to. When they crossed the borders to other nations, the others had walled up their cities. No one wanted the plague to spread anywhere else, and they were afraid that the demons from the 'Shadow Land' who came for help were carrying the virus."

"It was contagious?" Kuwabara shuddered as he remembered the Black Death once again. For such an awful sickness to be contagious...

Kurama shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think anyone knew. But in hindsight, considering that the plague didn't spread through the wildlife to any neighboring nations... I don't think it was. But I'm no healer, so how would I know for certain?"

Kuwabara tapped the ground with the toe of his boot. "So, then... isn't it dangerous for us to be here? Will we catch it?" Now he was curious, but not really alarmed. If there had been any real danger... why would they have come? Why would Jumon have come?

"No." The youko shook his head. "No. The plague died out a long time ago, once it ran out of living things to feed upon. We're in no danger."

"I'll assume it goes without saying," Hiei spoke up, "but just in case... Don't eat anything or drink anything from this place. Plague or no, it's poisoned."

"I can't say I feel compelled to sample anything from around here," Kuwabara assured him. "So no worries there..." He glanced around the barren wasteland again. "Jumon is really hiding out here...? How can he stand the smell...?"

"It's unlikely that anyone will stumble upon him here," Katachi supplied. "So... I doubt he even notices the stench."

"What about Itsuwari?"

"I don't think he cares, either."

"Hm."

They were quiet for another ten or twenty minutes or so, walking in a sort of fixed formation they'd simply fallen into. Kurama was in the lead, with Shiryoku and Katachi flanking him, while Hiei and Kuwabara brought up the rear. Kuwabara likened their little troupe to something out of a video game. In fact, he was starting to wonder when they'd be the victim of a random battle, but then shook that thought away with a chuckle. Random battles like that didn't happen in Real Life.

...Or did they?

"How do we know that Jumon and Itsuwari are alone?" he asked suddenly.

"We don't," Hiei answered almost immediately. "We can only assume." He nodded toward Shiryoku. "You guys--"

"We," she corrected without turning her head.

Hiei hesitated very briefly before lamenting, "We took his Galians from him, didn't we? So he has no one, right?"

"We can hope so... And I think that Jumon and Itsuwari alone are quite the match for us."

Kuwabara nodded absently. It wasn't only that Jumon and his brother were powerful demons, it was also because no matter how many they were, only one of them could really battle each renegade demon at a time. They could have brought an entire Reikai army with them, but it wouldn't change the fact that once the battle really started, there was no way for that army to all attack the same person and not injure other members of the army.

"But when we get there," Katachi murmured, "what will we do first? We don't even know if Jumon has a shelter here, or if he's just set up a tent, or something... Regardless of whether or not he's expecting other demons to be roaming around, sooner or later he's going to see us coming." She threw up her arms to emphasize the vast openness of Morvec. "There aren't exactly any trees for us to hide behind."

"We'll decide that when the time comes, I suppose," Kurama replied. "But let's hope that if he can see us, then we can see him."

"Itsuwari is an Illusionist," Shiryoku said, just as Hiei pointed out, "What if Itsuwari cloaks himself?"

Kurama didn't answer at first. He rotated his shoulders a few times before speaking again. "Like I said... we'll deal with it when the time comes."

"You what?"

Fukuro's first inclination was to recoil from the High Lady's reaction, but she stayed her ground, and even lifted her chin a little bit. "In hindsight, it was rather foolish... but I regret nothing, my Lady."

Eiyo's cold stare twisted into the slightest beginnings of a disapproving frown. She exhaled sharply, blowing the stray strands of green bangs away from her eyes, and then sat back in her chair and folded her arms beneath her breasts. "Koenma will give me an earful for this, you know."

At that, Fukuro couldn't help but wince a little. The High Lady had no great love for the prince of Reikai - and enjoyed conversing with him even less. "For that, I am sorry."

"Worry not," Eiyo sighed, tilting her head back to rest against her chair. "If it would solve the matter of Jumon, I'd take Little Enma to tea. I'd even serve it." She moved her arms to rub her temples. "But that doesn't mean I'll be looking forward to the expression on his face when he mentions one of my sisters running amuck through a human city... Do you know how hard it was for me to keep him out of this?"

Fukuro could only imagine.

"I would gladly wipe the look from his face for you, my Lady," Hwang spoke up from the far corner of the High Lady's chamber.

"That doesn't surprise me," Fukuro sniffed. "Ever eager to please, aren't you, Hwang?"

"Stop," Eiyo interjected. "Don't start. Not now. We have more important things to deal with."

Hwang shut his mouth, but Fukuro was still the focus of one of his glares. She sniffed again and tilted her chin up higher, knowing fully well that the action was childish. But she didn't care. Being reprimanded by the High Lady was one thing - being reprimanded in front of the High Lady's Second was another.

Don't take your anger out on me, he snapped irritably.

Then don't give me cause to do so, she muttered back.

"Fukuro." Eiyo's voice was stern. "Continue. What happened after you," she winced, "ran down the street waving your sword around?"

Fukuro squared her shoulders. "I cornered Itsuwari in the kitchen of a human home. He'd been attacking the human man inside. The human was unhurt, but when I attacked Itsuwari, I sliced him in half with very little effort."

"In half?" Eiyo echoed, leaning forward a little.

"With very little effort," Fukuro repeated. "It was then that I realized... that the demon I had been pursuing... was not Itsuwari at all. He was an illusion."

"Illusion?" Hwang sounded dumbfounded.

"He is an Illusionist," Eiyo lamented, "and I knew he was capable of conjuring dangerous lesser demons, but... to create a Doppelganger..." She shook her head.

"Since projecting an illusion requires that you tie off some of your ki to keep it visible..." Hwang pinched the bridge of his nose. "And since Itsuwari was able to fool Fukuro and make her believe that the illusion was him... how much ki is he able to tie off independently at any given time?"

Fukuro winced at the word "fool". But Hwang had a point. Illusionists had been given their own category in magic books for very good reasons, one of those being the ability to handle their ki expertly - even to the point of creating a seemingly living creature. In addition, the more powerful Illusionists could tie off those illusions and let them, for lack of a better term, run rampant - sometimes quite far away from the caster.

"...How are we to find him, High Lady?" Hwang asked. "If he has sent illusions like this all over the city..."

"I would cut them down for you, my Lady," Fukuro declared, "if you would allow me to do so." If Itsuwari was still out in the city somewhere... If he was still assaulting innocent humans... "If you wish it, I will keep hunting. If need be, I'll break all of his mirror images until I find the real renegade."

Eiyo appeared to consider it. "If it is something you want to do..."

"It is." It wasn't just what Itsuwari had done to her father... it was the fact that the renegade was helping to bring innocent humans into Jumon's plot - and harming them. She could understand why the two brothers were using humans in their ploy - most humans didn't even know what reiki was, let alone how to use what they possessed - but they had no business tormenting those who couldn't fight back...

...And Jumon definitely didn't have any business meddling in affairs of the Hand. The White Sphere had been discarded for a reason.

"Very well." Eiyo nodded, rubbing her eyes. "You may go. If Itsuwari is still running around in the Human World...do your best to find him and deal with him. But please be careful."

"I will, High Lady." And she would. She meant it.

When Eiyo waved a hand to dismiss her, Fukuro turned on her heel and marched out of the chamber.

Eiyo closed her eyes as the door to her chambers slammed shut, the sound echoing throughout the room. Fukuro had such a fiery spirit... Not once did Eiyo ever regret inviting her to the Hand. The woman had had incredible potential - and the Chosen were, to coin a phrase, a dying breed.

"And if she does find Itsuwari..." Hwang ventured, "...will she be able to deal with him?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I'd like to think that Fukuro would know by now how to pick her battles. She is strong, and is perhaps one of the best suited to fight either one of Shiryoku's sons, but..."

"There isn't really anyone else we can send with her, my Lady," Hwang pointed out. "Anyone else would be but a hindrance."

"I know." Eiyo did not kid herself when she referred to the faction she led as a "dying breed". Of all the Jaganshi in the Fifth, only a small fraction of them were talented in offensive magic. Those who possessed more potential for it were still only learning.

To be honest, at least with herself, Eiyo admitted that she had been much more lenient when it came to invitations to become a Chosen over the last couple of centuries. But she didn't really have a choice, unless the others wanted their faction to become nonexistent. And even becoming less selective about who joined, not many were permitted to. Hiei was the most recent, and he had been the first in fifty years to take the Trial.

She only hoped he would change his mind about the Hand, in the end. Jaganshi that powerful were very hard to come across...

"And will she find Itsuwari in time?" Hwang went on. "Will Shiryoku and the others find Jumon in time?"

"We can only hope," Eiyo replied, sinking lower into her chair. Not for the first time, she wished she were more powerful in the offensive areas of magic. If she had half the strength Fukuro did - or Hiei, for that matter - she would have gone to help.

But her strength was in other areas, and she would have to trust her fellow Chosen to fight this battle.

"I'd say this is a good place to stop."

A dead branch snapped under Kuwabara's foot as he spun around to stare at Shiryoku. "Right here?"

They had stopped in a clearing of the one forest they had come across the entire day. It couldn't even be considered a "forest", anymore, if one thought about it. The trees had no leaves at all; they were nothing but dead, bare pieces of bark. The ground under them was hard, though some places still possessed that soft, rotted soil...

Hiei couldn't say he particularly liked the atmosphere, either, but... "It's about as concealed as it's going to get," he pointed out. "At least we're not right out in the open plains, asking for any scavenger demons to try their hand on us." He finished his sentence with a tiny murmur of annoyance and glanced down at his feet. A bitme was trying to gnaw on his ankle; it was so small and frail, he hadn't noticed when it had wrapped its thin, clawed hands around his calf. He kicked it off and then crushed it under his boot. "Not all scavengers, anyway," he added. He twisted his foot for good measure, hearing the small body under it crack and snap.

Kuwabara eyed him as he wiped his foot on the hard ground. "But is it safe to stay here? The ground won't do us any harm, or anything?" He made a face at the crushed mess near Hiei's foot. "And I thought you guys said all the creatures that had lived here were poisoned. How come that thing is around?"

"Poison to one species could very well be nutrients to another," Katachi explained. "Bitme are not powerful demons, but just about anything is edible for them."

"Don't be surprised if you wake up to find one trying to chew your toes," Kurama chuckled.

Hiei had to grin at the look on Kuwabara's face. "Fire typically scares them away," he said, hoping to make the human feel better. They would all need sleep if they were to set out again the next morning, and they couldn't have Kuwabara staying up all night watching for little demons.

"And we may as well take advantage of this place while we can," Shiryoku spoke up. "This may very well be the last time we get to rest."

"Should we be resting at all?" Kuwabara asked, glancing around at the dead trees.

"If you want to be at your best when you face Jumon... then yes."

"I see your point, but..." Kuwabara scuffed the ground. "I guess I still don't like it here."

"You're not the only one," Hiei assured him, kicking away the bitme carcass.

Katachi was already kneeling on the ground and taking some supplies from their bundles. "It's a good thing we thought to bring food... There isn't much, but hopefully we won't have to eat many meals before we find Jumon."

"I'm just glad there's food," Kurama admitted. "Nothing here is good for us to eat, and who knows what would happen to us if we did try something...?"

"I'll go for firewood," Hiei offered. "I doubt it will be hard to find." It would be better to gather some from further away from their campsite, just in case the flames decided to die out sometime during the night. That way, they wouldn't have to go wandering around in the dark looking for more wood.

"I'll go with you," Kuwabara offered. "You know, just in case your pile gets too big. Might be hard for you to see over it, and all..."

"I appreciate your concern," Hiei replied dryly, and waved to Kurama before starting off into the trees.

Or, rather, what was left of them.

At one time, hunting for good firewood had been something of a difficult task. Especially after, say, a rainstorm. In all the years he'd been roughing it in the outdoors, Kuwabara was sure that he'd never had such an abundance of wood to choose from.

"It sucks, you know?" he called to Hiei.

Hiei replied as he trudged through a pile of dead trees. "What does?" It was a little hard to hear him over the crackling of branches.

"This place. Kurama said it was beautiful... and now it looks like this." Kuwabara nodded to himself. "From now on, I'm recycling everything I can."

"I see..." Hiei picked up a stick, inspected it, and then tossed it toward a spot on the ground that looked like any other. "I thought you were talking about the White Sphere."

Kuwabara picked up a stick, looked it over quickly, and then tossed it to what he figured was their pile, next to the one Hiei had just chosen. "Oh, that... No, I'm trying not to think about that, I guess."

Hiei answered him as he knelt down and dug for a few good logs under the pile of sticks. "If you're getting cold feet now, perhaps you should have remained in the Fifth with Eiyo - or gone back to the temple with Yusuke."

"No, that's not what I mean." He wasn't so much worried about having to fight Jumon, he was worried about what the outcome would be. If they didn't win, then Yukina and the others would remain blind, and the gods knew what else would happen. Kuwabara hated having that kind of responsibility; he didn't like knowing that actions he made would affect other people. So he tried not to think about it very much - especially now that Yukina was involved.

...Well, he and Hiei were alone, weren't they? That didn't happen very often anymore.

"...Say, Hiei...?" Kuwabara ventured.

"Yeah?"

Kuwabara paused, not really knowing how to start. It was odd; over the last few years, he'd formulated version upon version of the speech he never intended to make - that being, his request to court Yukina. He'd never planned on reciting it, since the reasons for Hiei to say no outnumbered the reasons for him to say yes. Kuwabara and Hiei didn't harbor any particular hatred for each other or anything of the sort, but they didn't have any great fondness for one another, either. Hiei could say no simply because the option was open to him.

"What, Kuwabara?" Hiei tossed another stick onto their growing pile.

"Well..." He swallowed, and decided that now was as good a time as any. When they defeated Jumon, he could go home and finally ask Yukina if she'd consider him for a boyfriend. He leaned his back against a dead trunk. "Actually... I was kinda' wondering if...uh...

"Well, you see... it's like this..."

"Uh-huh?"

"I... sorta' like... Well, I'm sure you've noticed, huh...? I've realized that I really like... um..."

Hiei nodded absently as he bent to pick up another log and toss it onto the pile. "Spit it out, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara winced a little and stared down at his shoes. This is damn hard. "I thought I'd ask... if... you know, I could maybe... You know, if it was okay with you... I was wondering if I could..." He took a deep breath and raised his head, "...if I could date your sis--AH!"

The projectile, to put it eloquently, scared the shit out of him. He ducked and moved to the side, wincing as the blade embedded itself into the dead bark of the tree. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself, and then dared to look up, expecting to see an angry Koorime looming over him.

But Hiei wasn't looming over him. Kuwabara turned his head to glance at the tree he'd been leaning against, and exhaled quietly in relief. Hiei's sword was buried deep within the bark, yes, but it was also impaling a small, frail, furry demon with claws.

"Bitme," Hiei explained, answering Kuwabara's unasked question. "Was going for your head."

"Thanks," Kuwabara muttered. "Though, you know, a simple 'Look out' or, 'Behind you' would have sufficed. And would have been a lot easier on my nerves, too."

"Just keeping you on your toes," Hiei assured him, striding to the tree to retrieve his weapon.

"Sure, sure..."

"So what did you want to ask me?"

Kuwabara winced at the sound the sword made when it was ripped from the little demon's body, and then cringed when Hiei put the bitme out of its misery by crushing its tiny skull with his foot.

"You know what...? Never mind."

Shiryoku blinked. "You're asking me if Itsuwari is insane?"

Kurama shrugged, and felt himself smile a little sheepishly. "Forgive me if I sounded rude about it... But I am curious."

Katachi drew up her knees and huddled to herself. "He is not mad, if that's what you mean to say."

"Well..." Kurama leaned back on his hands, "I'll admit I've known more than a few odd individuals in my time... so you'll forgive me when I say that Itsuwari is... quite strange..."

Shiryoku chuckled, but she didn't sound as though she were amused. "Itsuwari is... Well, let us say that he marches to the beat of his own drum, as you humans put it. He's always been a very... unique... individual, but I've never considered him to be particularly... touched. At least, not to the extent Jumon is."

"But," Kurama leaned forward again, "if Itsuwari isn't suffering from a mental condition like his brother, then surely he knows what he's doing. Does he have his own motive, do you think? I mean... Jumon is in love with you - not the way a son should love his mother, but in a romantic way."

"Itsu loves Jumon," Katachi offered simply. When Kurama raised an eyebrow at her, she corrected herself, "Not in a romantic kind of way - at least, I don't think so. Ever since we were children, Itsu has always been much closer to Jumon than to me. Even with Jumon's condition, it doesn't surprise me in the least that Itsu has remained by his side all these years."

"I still think he's missing a few buttons," Kuwabara called as he wandered back into the clearing.

Hiei wasn't far behind him, and both men had returned with a generous amount of dry wood. "I think he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic," the Jaganshi muttered.

"I liked my wording better."

"You would."

Kurama decided to let the conversation end there. Whatever Itsuwari's feelings or motives happened to lie beneath his actions... well, no one but Itsuwari would be able to answer that.

But, honestly, what kind of brother aided and encouraged his sibling to court and win the heart and body of his own mother? The potential energy that the White Sphere had for taking - that Kurama could understand. Greed and thirst for power were things he understood; "villains" often had such wants. But for Itsuwari to encourage Jumon's feelings for Shiryoku...

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that when Kuwabara tried to get a fire started, Kurama nearly decided to grow some fresh vegetables for them to eat. He'd only just begun to reach for his Earth, but then winced when a fist sailed into his shoulder none-too-lightly.

He rubbed his arm and then aimed a mild glare at his lover.

"No youki," Hiei reminded him curtly. "And don't look at me like that."

He couldn't fault Hiei for the reprimand, but... "You didn't have to hit me."

Hiei tried to look innocent. "Tell you what... if we're not too tired when we get back from this," he lowered his voice, "I'll make it up to you."

Kurama answered the promise by reaching out and squeezing Hiei's ankle. Yet another reason for us to stop Jumon, and live to tell about it.

Dinner was made quickly, and eaten just as hurriedly. The meal had been simple; bread, tea, fruit and meat brought from the Fifth. They didn't talk much during the meal or after it, as though none wanted to scare away the silence that had settled in.

Kuwabara added some more wood to the fire, and then they started to prepare their beds. Katachi and her mother settled theirs so that they were... rather excluded from the boys. Kurama supposed he could understand. They didn't look like they were engaging in any sort of conversation, but they were related, and were both on a quest to harm another relative - a son to one, and a brother to the other. Kurama probably couldn't begin to fathom what sort of thoughts were running through their minds at the moment, so he decided it was best not to speculate.

Kuwabara didn't stay near Kurama or Hiei, either. He didn't seem to mind being the only one without a "partner", but Kurama still had to feel a little sorry for him. He watched the big man lay out his sleeping bundle and hide beneath the covers, rolling over and seeming to fall asleep almost instantly.

Kurama settled into his own sleeping bag, wincing at the feeling of hard ground underneath him, and happy that his skin wasn't touching that ground. He highly doubted that the soil contained any danger, but he still didn't like the idea of sleeping on dead earth.

He snuggled into his sleeping bag, and then turned to face Hiei, and had to smile. Hiei was far too small for the bundles, and took full advantage of it, curling into a little ball swathed in warm blankets.

Hiei noticed him staring, and gave him a little smirk. "Jealous?" he whispered.

"No," Kurama whispered back. "You're just too cute for your own good."

"Why do you have to use the word 'cute'...?" the Koorime wondered, and then inched closer to Kurama's bundle. "Kuwabara asked me about Yukina."

"About her?"

"Yeah." In the faint firelight, Kurama could see Hiei's ruby eyes sparkle with a touch of amusement. "He tried to ask me if it would be all right for him to court her."

"Oh?" What a time for Kuwabara to make his move... "And what did you say?"

"I didn't get a chance to answer," Hiei replied nonchalantly. "He didn't get to finish the question. I think he's scared of me."

"I wonder why," Kurama teased dryly. "That's something I've always wondered about, though...why does he think he has to ask you?"

Hiei shrugged - or at least, that's what it looked like to Kurama. "He thinks I mind what Yukina does with him," he answered, sounding a little pleased with himself.

"You mean you don't?"

"Of course not." Hiei sounded a mite affronted at the notion, and slid even closer so that the compact little ball of his body was pressed up against the length of Kurama's. "Kurama, how could you even think such a thing of me?"

Kurama was torn between chuckling and glaring. "Firefly, you little..." He shook his head. "I should get up right damn now and tell--"

Hiei's hand shot out from under the covers and covered Kurama's mouth. "Greeneyes, I've done a lot for you these past few years." He smiled, taking any irritation Kurama might have interpreted out of the words. "Don't you dare ruin this for me."

Kurama smiled behind the hand over his mouth, and then licked the palm. Hiei uncovered his mouth, and Kurama leaned forward to hiss in his ear. "You're mean, Quickfire. Mean and wicked."

Hiei chuckled quietly. "But it's part of my charm, isn't it?"

Kurama pretended to consider it. "Well..."

"Answer me later," his lover interjected quickly, "when I'm making up for punching you in the arm."

"Deal." Kurama sealed the pact with a good-night kiss, and for the time being, thoughts of the Hand, Jumon, and the White Sphere were farthest from his mind - and would remain that way... at least until morning.