White Blindness
by Mina Lightstar

Itsuwari felt his illusions shatter. One by one, the doppelgangers and beasts he had sent loose around Makai and Ningenkai vanished, dissipating into puffs of youki. It returned his freedom to him, granting him the use of his magic once again. The glow of his youki was the only thing that made him realize the illusions were gone; he was far too entranced by his brother's body to notice anything else.

Jumon had been still for a very long time. His body had not moved an inch, his limbs were perfectly placed in the positions he had left them in when he'd begun. Only his face occasionally displayed differences. Sometimes, he would wince, other times he would wrinkle his nose, and other times he would raise an eyebrow. To Itsuwari, it looked as though Jumon was interacting with someone only he could see. Itsuwari had no idea what his brother was searching for, exactly, nor did he have any clue how his brother was going about it. But given his brother's strength – strength in areas Itsuwari could only dream about ever delving into – he figured it was probably better that he didn't know what Jumon was doing. Very likely, it couldn't be explained, anyway.

Because sometimes… things just couldn't be explained. It was literally all in one's mind. From what little Jumon had shared, it was near impossible to put into words the atmosphere of the Planes. It was simply something one had to see for himself. Jumon had given him a slight idea about what the Planes looked like. Alive with color, yet darkness at the same time; so noisy, yet desolately silent; lonely beyond all comprehension, yet in the company of a thousand souls – some Lost and some Found… It was a world Itsuwari could never venture into – his talents and skills lied in other obscure areas – but had made him green with envy. Those with the ability to enter the Plane – Pure Telepaths, Callers, and the like – were truly skilled. Or, at times, lucky.

After watching his brother faithfully for another few minutes, Itsuwari decided to occupy himself with other things. Jumon would likely be busy for awhile yet, and Itsuwari could be doing much more productive things than staring at his brother's motionless body.

So he stood up, brushed himself off, and started circling the grounds of their tiny camp area. He was careful not to tread too closely to the circle that was made of Spirit orbs, with Jumon in the center. He didn't know how close he was allowed to get, and quite frankly, wasn't interested in finding out. At best, it would disrupt Jumon's concentration – and then where would they be? Could a ceremony such as this be duplicated? At worst, it would cause Itsuwari serious harm. He wasn't interested in either option.

First, he circled the campsite itself. If it could even be called a "campsite". They had brought the bare minimum of equipment with them: some food, the orbs of reiki, and their sleeping bundles. Nothing more. With any luck, they wouldn't be residing in Morvec for much longer, anyway. Itsuwari wasn't sure exactly what Jumon's first act with the White Sphere would be, but he figured it would be something useful. And soon after that, they wouldn't really have to worry about food or clothing again.

After pacing around the immediate edges of the campsite a few times, Itsuwari decided it wouldn't hurt to venture further away. There was nothing to be seen for miles; it was unlikely that any threat to Jumon would be able to get to him before Itsuwari noticed.

It was then that Itsuwari remembered that his magic had been returned to him once again. Now, he was no longer blind, as far as youki went. He had sent his magic out to so many different places at once, he'd been left with practically none at all. Certainly not enough to search across miles of Morvec for danger. And if his illusions had been dealt with… did that mean there was someone – or several people – out and about the Shadow Lands…?

By the time that thought hit him, he was already a little ways from where Jumon was still sitting. He wasn't, however, too far away to defend his brother if the need arose. So, he remained where he was and closed his eyes, preparing to embrace his youki.

And then… vertigo.

It was as though the entire world – the air, the ground, all that was – decided to become one giant, slow-moving wave. Itsuwari would have sworn on his brother's head that the entire Makai moved, and his eyes opened and widened to their limits when his suspicions were proved correct. The very matter of the Demon World was moving, rolling, suddenly looking like a valley full of hills…

All he could do was go along for the ride.

He stumbled as the rolling waves went right through him, fearing he would begin to distort, as well. Once again, his fears were justified. He felt his own body twist and crunch, hearing his internal organs move and slide around, his bones crack and snap… but felt no pain. Too stunned to question the logic of that fact, Itsuwari tumbled along the waves, wondering when it would stop--

--And it did, and Itsuwari fell with a loud thud to the rotten soil. He took three deep breaths, amazed that he was still without damage. ...It stopped... Or at least, the vertigo had stopped; the thrumming in his spirit, the quiet tremors he heard… they had not halted. Itsuwari struggled to raise himself on his elbows, wanting to see if whatever Jumon was doing had stopped, or if the movement had been nothing but the first step in the Summoning.

Jumon was too far away for Itsuwari to see his expressions, but it appeared as though his brother had not moved once during the entire event. Itsuwari cleared his throat, preparing to try calling out to his kin, asking if it was over, or if it had just begun.

But then the ground under him heaved, and he knew no more.

"Gods," Kurama breathed. "Gods and heavens, lords and ladies… Inari, Inari, Inari under the Moon…"

For Kuwabara, the youko's incessant invoking soon faded into the background, becoming nothing more than murmurs. He was far too stunned, horrified, awed, to hear much of anything. The exceptions being the beating of his own heart, and the horrible droning that now filled his ears as the tremors became more violent. He could barely hear his own voice when he could no longer contain the words.

"What the fuck, Jumon? What the fucking fuck?"

"Oh, gods almighty," Katachi moaned as the latest tremor faded. "Jumon, what have you done? What have you done?"

"We have to go," Hiei stressed. "We have to go now."

"It turned us around," Kuwabara declared, fully aware that he was stating the obvious. "It turned us the fuck around!"

"The Orb," Kurama moaned. "It's the Sphere, isn't it?"

"Fucking weird shit," Kuwabara stated. Absently, he noted that the more at a loss he was, the more vulgar he became. "What the hell is that thing… to… It fucking turned the planet around."

"I know," Katachi wailed. "I know, I know…" She dug her fingers into the rotten dirt that was Morvec's soil. "If this… if this is an indication to its powers, I… I don't want to think what Jumon will do…"

"But is it in this World?" Hiei asked. "Or is this its 'grand entrance'? Do we have time to get to Jumon before it's here to stay?" For all his talk of going on, Hiei was the only one whose gaze hadn't wavered from the rising sun.

"I don't know," Katachi groaned. "I don't know…"

Kuwabara had the sudden urge to smack her. She was supposed to know. She and Shiryoku and Eiyo and Fukuro and… Kuwabara didn't know what to do. He didn't think Hiei or Kurama did, either.

"What do you know, then?" Hiei snapped. "Tell me what you know, and I'll use it as I see fit."

"Can you get us to wherever Jumon is?" Kurama asked. His tone was friendlier than Hiei's, but no less insistent. "Katachi, can you do it – and can you do it fast?"

Kuwabara shuddered violently, feeling that something – something infinitely dangerous – was coming. If it was too late… If they were unable to get to Jumon in time… He turned his head to see Katachi's answer.

The Tasuno woman swallowed visibly, shivering with the tremors, but managed a nod. "I can do it, I think," she said, affirming her previous claim. "It will be hard, but I still say I can do it."

She closed her eyes, presumably doing her best to concentrate. How she managed to focus her energies on Teleporting when she was trembling with magical convulsions, or feeling something so… intense… Kuwabara didn't know. He was only grateful that she was able to do as she claimed. She was the only one among them who could teleport, and if she couldn't do it, they were as good as done for.

When she pushed herself up and beckoned blindly for them to come to her, Kuwabara went without hesitation. He didn't know how much time they had left, and wasn't intent on wasting any of it. He was pleased to note that Hiei and Kurama were as quick as he had been.

They huddled close to the silver-haired woman, and close to each other – much closer than they would have been on any other circumstances. They pressed closer together still, hoping that perhaps their nearness would aid in transporting them all across Morvec – toward the pulsating power that was probably the Summoning of the Sphere. Katachi's youki churned to life, somewhat difficult to notice amidst the loud, demanding power that was coming from where Jumon and Itsuwari were. But it churned nonetheless, swirling with Spirit and Air – and probably a little Water or Ice to help supplement what she lacked in the other two areas. The spell wrapped around them, preparing to take their very essences – mind and body – from one location to another in the blink of an eye.

Kuwabara was so entranced with experiencing Teleportation for a fourth time, that for a moment he was able to forget why he was being zipped across a country.

But he could have sworn he felt the earth move beneath his feet before the magic became everything.

Hwang felt, as he was sure every other Jaganshi in the Fifth had, the opening of the void. Whether the power was just so intense it couldn't be ignored, or if the Chosen were infused with the ability to sense it during their Trial, he didn't know. However, a quick Scan of the Palace, catching glimpses of the more unguarded thoughts, proved that every soul had felt it. And even if some had not, they would surely hear of it from those who had.

And those were only some of the thoughts that Hwang managed to catch. Young or old, strong or weak, everyone had heard of the beginnings of the Summoning.

But Hwang was the only one who heard the High Lady scream.

He was up and across his office in no more than three strides. The doors to the High Lady's chambers opened far too quickly than doors of that size really should have, but Hwang didn't care. Had the shock of the Summoning done something to the High Lady…? He stormed into the room as the large doors hit the walls.

"Eiyo!" he cried, forgetting his place and using her name. "Are you all right?"

He paused for a moment, long enough to glance around the room, before propelling himself to the High Lady's side. There was nothing amiss in the chamber, but High Lady Eiyo had apparently slid from her seat. She was now a kneeling form on the floor.

"Ei--my Lady," he gasped, taking hold of her shoulder with one hand and cupping her chin with the other. "My Lady, what…" He trailed off when her eyes opened. She looked frightened, and her Third Eye was still glowing with its power.

"Hwang," she breathed, reaching up and taking his hand, "it comes. Jumon is… He's…"

"I felt it, my Lady," he informed her. "We all did, I think. Everyone knows he's… The fool; does he know nothing of…?"

"I was Looking, when it happened… I saw…" The High Lady shook her head, her fingers curling more securely around Hwang's. "I knew… I always knew why it was Sealed away… But now… now I see why…"

"My Lady…" Hwang had no words. He could neither comfort her nor try to give her hope. All of their hope was pinned on the small band that had left nearly a day ago. And now, it seemed as though they were too late. "Shiryoku and the others… Are they…?"

"I don't know," Eiyo murmured. "I do not know… All I can tell you is that they did not reach Jumon before he began the ritual – and they have yet to halt the Summoning."

"We still have Fukuro--" he began, and cut himself off immediately. Fukuro had yet to return. Or perhaps she had already returned, and he had just not Felt her, because of what had occurred.

"Even Fukuro," Eiyo swallowed, "would not be able to get to Morvec in time to… to stop this…"

Hwang opened his mouth to protest, to point out that they may still have time. If Fukuro had returned she could--

"Look with me," Eiyo commanded, pulling Hwang close to her – so close that their Eyes nearly touched one another. The misty green aura that was Eiyo's youki started pulsing with life, stemming over to Hwang's hand, asking him to open up to her. "Look with me."

So Hwang closed his eyes and linked with the High Lady, their youki becoming one, their thoughts becoming nearly interconnected, and their strength doubling. It wasn't hard to find Jumon now; it was near impossible to hide the power of the White Sphere. And together, he and Eiyo pinpointed that energy. Relying heavily on Eiyo's Seeing abilities, the two of them worked together to create an actual, visual map out of the energy and images they were Seeing – a map with a bird's-eye view of Morvec, and what was going on in the dead nation.

The sight made Hwang exceptionally grateful that Jumon had chosen the Shadow Land as his point of Summoning.

Whatever Jumon was doing to get the Sphere back, it was wrecking havoc on the earth that was already dead. The ground was moving, bending, twisting around… Hwang was shocked, almost to the point of losing his concentration and possibly causing damage to himself and Eiyo.

Itsuwari? he wondered. Where is he? Where is Jumon?

I don't know. Eiyo said nothing more.

But where were the Tasuno brothers…? Could they really be down there, amongst that destruction? The entire area around the Summoning Ritual was alive with quakes; who in their right mind would be…?

They watched the distorting of most of Morvec for a few minutes longer, both relieved that the land had already been dead and uninhabited. When they accepted the fact that there was nothing they could do from their vantage point, they withdrew and released both their youki, and themselves.

Hwang swallowed, still awed and horrified by what he had seen. "With any luck, the fool will kill himself trying to bring the White Sphere back."

"Unimaginable power," Eiyo declared. "Unimaginable. I have never seen a youkai cause that much damage to such a large area on his own."

"Generally, only the Summoned are capable of such a feat – and even then, for the Black Dragon to do… that… to nearly an entire nation…"

"If only He Who Has No Name were our enemy," Eiyo moaned. "It would be far easier to deal with. Unfortunately, what we are dealing with is an insane youkai with one of the most powerful enhancers ever created at his fingertips – and he very likely has no idea how to use it."

"Where is he?"

The new – but very familiar – voice made both Hwang and the High Lady start. Their heads spun as one to face the newcomer, recognizing her as Fukuro. The Sister was standing in the doorway, illuminated by the lights of Hwang's office, her sugar-pink hair loose and tumbling about her face and shoulders. Her cloak was rumpled and her shoulders heaved with slight pants – as though she had been running.

"Fukuro," Eiyo stated. "You've returned…"

"The illusions are dealt with?" Hwang asked. "You've defeated them all?"

"I felt it," Fukuro said, ignoring both questions. "I felt it and I feel it now. I feel…" She closed her eyes for a moment, looking as though she were about to swoon. "Jumon… he has begun."

"He has," Eiyo agreed. Hwang gathered she had no reason at all to hide it. "But we don't know if it is in Makai already, or if he is still trying to Summon it."

"How long would it take, my Lady?" Hwang asked.

"The gods only know…"

And even then, maybe not. The gods were not known for paying any mind to the Worlds any longer – especially when the Worlds caused their own problems. And the Elder Gods were very nearly no more than myths, so long had they been absent from the Universe.

"Morvec," Fukuro uttered. Hwang glanced at her again, and she opened her eyes, closing her third one in the process. "Morvec, am I right?"

Eiyo rubbed her temples. "Fukuro, I am not sure if you'll--"

"Please, Lady, tell me: is Jumon in Morvec? Am I right?"

Hwang bit his tongue, choking down his reprimand for Fukuro's tone of voice, and words of choice. Emotions would run high in a situation like this. That was to be understood. The thing that had nearly destroyed them was returning to finish the job. How could they not want to fight back?

"Yes," the High Lady proclaimed. "Yes. Jumon, Itsuwari, and the White Sphere are in Morvec. Shiryoku, Hiei, and the others are on their way…"

"And are too late." Fukuro did not sound condescending in the least. She sounded… hopeless and a little scared. "Gods above, they are too late…"

"Perhaps," Eiyo declared, a little of the strength she was known for returning to her voice. "Perhaps, but perhaps not. If the Summoning is not yet complete… if Jumon has not yet gained control of the Orb…" She smacked her palm down hard onto her floor. "Go, Fukuro, go. Follow them and see if you can be of help. May your Eye guide you to where you are needed most."

Fukuro bit her lip, swallowed, and then turned around and tore out of Hwang's office. She'd left without even a "by your leave".

And it was apparent that Eiyo most certainly couldn't care less.

The earth was moving, shifting and lifting, turning and twisting… But despite all of the movement, nothing was altered. The rocks and soil were left in their original lifeless state.

At least, for the longest time nothing was altered. That changed all too soon.

Rocks were torn from deep under the earth, bursting out from under the soil to travel closer to the center of power – toward the magic that was summoning them. Rocks came, and dirt, and wind to maneuver them around according to the wishes of whoever was summoning them.

Piece by piece, the rocks and dirt, with the aid of magic – it had to be magic – drifted from all over Morvec to build whatever structure that was forming. Koenma wished he could get a closer look at the events taking place. Any attempts to zoom in with his vidscreen had proved to be useless. The force emanating from the area was far too potent for him to get near it. And judging from the periodic spurts of static, perhaps it wouldn't be long before the vidscreen would fail him completely.

But at the moment, he was entranced with what was happening to the landscape. The debris that had drifted to the near-center of Morvec, it appeared to be building a… tower?

It is a tower, he realized, watching the structure gradually build itself up. He couldn't see very well, but he could now tell what it was doing. The tower was being constructed of the rocks and dirt – rocks and dirt that were now touched with magic and appeared to be of the purest white. And the construction went on for quite some time.

Koenma was well aware that his jaw had hit the floor some twenty minutes ago. He didn't care; there was no one else in the office to see, anyway. He was alone, the doors shut and locked tight. He suspected it wouldn't be long before oni would be gathered on the other side, their fists and panicked voices demanding his attention… They would, in time, learn of the business in the Demon World. Koenma had already resolved not to answer the door, not even for Enma Himself.

Not that Enma would ever arrive. And even if He did, this was out of Reikai's jurisdiction. Koenma had not known just where his limits lay in this situation, but the High Lady of the Fifth and a search through his father's documents had clarified that for him – although he had put up a fight about it. Enma's dominions were well known to Him, and if the gods of the Demon World had not yet attempted to intervene, then it was likely that They saw the situation as the Demon World's problem.

Only it wasn't exactly Makai's problem; it was the Fifth's.

And whatever gods had helped found the fifth World and form the Hand were long gone. And this was the Hand's problem – they had to deal with it themselves.

"You made your bed. Now you must lie in it."

Koenma eyed the white tower again. This… this structure, built with debris and magic, by a force with power Koenma could only dream of ever witnessing…

"That is your bed, Eiyo," he murmured softly. "And Heavens Above, I hope you know what you're doing."

It had come to him, but it had not come easily.

It had been a long battle – a long, tiring battle of will. It had resisted him in ways he had not thought possible, seeing as how the White Sphere was not a living being with thoughts and emotions.

Despite that, it had appeared to "talk" to him, drawing him deep onto the Plane – the Far-Plane – showing him flashes of color that may have been some sort of language. He could not understand what it was trying to say, if it had been trying to say anything at all. All he could do was try harder to tighten his hold on it, and grasp it.

It had been a long journey from the lowly First Sight. He had abandoned himself, letting his spirit – his very essence – enter the Plane. The beautiful, dangerous, incredible Plane that many demons wished to be able to see just once in their lifetimes.

He had avoided all possible confrontations with the Lost and Found, all but a scant few, which had been unavoidable. But his mind and will were powerful, and he had escaped their ghostly hands unscathed. He had moved on, searching and Looking for the keys and strength to go beyond the Plane. He had tried to gain access to a place unknown and unseen to most other living creatures. He used his own power, augmented with the reiki and spirit threads, linking together to propel himself from one Plane to the next.

It was impossible to put the entire procedure into words, even for himself. But he'd done it. He had gone from the Plane to one of the Far-Planes. And where the former was populated with colors and darkness, and voices and souls… the latter was desolate, absent of anything resembling… anything.

Except one thing; the White Sphere had been encased in its very own Plane, imprisoned in a tower of spiritual energy.

And he called to it, beckoning it to him. He reached out with his soul and begged it to come to him. He wanted it, he needed it to carry out his plan of revenge – revenge against a faction that had imprisoned and enslaved the one he loved. In return, he conveyed to it, the White Sphere would be free. Jumon would take it from the Far-Plane, from the place it had been sealed, and return it to the Three Worlds.

It had not been a simple task. Jumon had picked apart that tower of energy, one block at a time, freeing and calling the Sphere. It had resisted, it had fought back, it had denied his authority… but in the end, Jumon had emerged victorious.

And what an emergence it was.

As soon as the White Sphere – the Orb of the Fifth – had ceased its struggle and had become his, the Far-Plane that had been created for it collapsed.

It very nearly took Jumon with it. It may have, had he not acted quickly enough. When the dimension that had been created for the sole purpose of keeping the Sphere lost its charge, it attempted to self-destruct. Jumon managed to pull himself out in time, without doing his soul any harm, which was a feat in itself, considering how fast he had withdrawn.

Another amazing feat: not only had he managed to escape the Far-Plane, but he'd managed to Call the Sphere back with him….

He felt heat as soon as he came back to himself. He realized that he had collapsed into a heap on the floor, curled into a fetal position. He could also tell that he was no longer lying on the rotten soil that was Morvec's land.

So he raised himself to a sitting position, shook the dizziness out of his head, and blinked away the dots in front of his eyes. One dot in particular would not go away. He blinked again, hoping it would clear from his vision. When it didn't, he was suddenly aware of the size of this persistent dot. And next, he became aware that it was a bright circle, not a dark spot.

He shook his head again, not trusting his eyes after such a grueling experience on the Plane. The mind could play tricks sometimes – nasty and cruel tricks, Jumon knew. But when he'd rubbed his eyelids, focused on his hands to assure that his sight was still satisfactory, and cleared the dizziness from his system, he looked up again.

And it was still there.

He tripped over his own feet on his way to the White Sphere, wanting to touch it, to feel it, to be one with it. It was the Orb; one of the most powerful focal points of the Worlds, the lost treasure of the Hand… and it was here. He had succeeded, really and truly succeeded! The stories Shiryoku had told him, the experiments he'd endured, the trouble he and Itsuwari had gone through to get enough supplemental energy for Jumon to perform the Ritual… it had all been worth it. Jumon had Summoned the White Sphere; his revenge was only a hairsbreadth away.

He stumbled again on his way across the ground, falling hard on his chin. He winced as his top teeth but into his bottom lip, but the pain was unimportant. He scampered to his feet once again and reached the Sphere.

It had appeared on a sort of… altar. An altar that Jumon knew had not been there before, but he didn't pay much attention to the details of it. The point was, it was his to do with as he saw fit.

It was rather large, for an orb; approximately the size of a ball a child might play with. It was white, the purest white, and had a texture very much like crystal. It shone bright, like a fallen star, emanating a soft glow.

Jumon swallowed, shuffling his feet in front of the object. Now that he was actually within arm's reach of it, he felt… intimidated by its power. It was an inanimate object, and therefore could not use the power it possessed, but… Gods, there was more raw power in that sphere than… Jumon couldn't even think of a worthy comparison.

Take it, fool, he scolded himself. You have it, and She's waiting for you. Take your revenge.

So he reached forward, intending to take the Sphere into his hands, to feel what it had to offer him--

"Argh--!"

He recoiled violently at the sight of smoke and the shrill, hissing sound that accompanied it. He stumbled backwards, away from the shining orb, shocked beyond words. He had expected nothing like that. Gods, it had burned.

It was only a few moments later that he realized how much it had burned. His hands started to throb, finally registering the pain the orb had caused. Jumon turned his hands palm-up to inspect them, and his eyes widened in mild surprise. The skin of his palms had been burned, and was now a tender shade of red. A few stray smoke tendrils continued to float from them, and Jumon found himself blowing on them the way a child would if he'd touched his mother's stove after being told not to.

He shook his head, wondering how that could be. The White Sphere was supposed to be used, wasn't it? How could one use it if it was so hot it couldn't be touched? Why...? Unless the heat was simply a side-effect of being on the Plane in exile for such a long time? Was that possible?

"Then I'll…" He swallowed, and then resolved, "I'll wait for it to cool off. It can't stay hot forever, not if it's supposed to be touched."

He wondered faintly where Itsuwari was. His brother, he remembered, had been with him at the beginning of the Ritual. Surely Itsuwari wouldn't have left him unattended for long; his brother knew how important it was for Jumon to be uninterrupted during the entire process. He wouldn't have wandered far, would he…? Had he been gone for a long time?

"Itsu?" he called quietly, strangely afraid of disturbing the Sphere if he spoke too loud. "Itsu, are you here?"

"Jumon…"

At first, he thought he had dreamed the reply. The voice had spoken so softly, and had sounded so awed… He had barely heard it over the humming of the Sphere. The voice… it did not sound like Itsuwari at all…

"…Jumon…"

With his heart in his throat, Jumon turned around. Absently, he noted that his "campsite" had morphed into something completely different. Absently, he noted that Itsuwari was nowhere to be found. Absently. When he saw that he had no imagined Her, his heart returned to its proper place in his chest and expanded to fill his entire torso.

"Shiryoku…" So many times, She would come to him… What else could it mean other than a testament to Her love for him? Looking at Her now, standing in a newly-formed doorway, Her robes dirty and torn, Her hair in disarray that only She could make look good… it all came together. This beautiful, beautiful creature would be a prisoner no longer. Now he could free Her, and they would be together until the flame of their lives burned out.

She bit Her lip, looking past him and beholding the Sphere that he had brought back. "Jumon," She breathed, "what have you done?"

Her question puzzled him. To be honest, he had thought that the answer was obvious. "What I've promised," he replied. "What I've been promising for years." He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face, and he half-turned to wave an arm at the glowing Sphere, as though displaying a large fish he had managed to catch. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Her next answer made him gape. "…Jumon, you're insane. You're insane!"

He didn't even manage a "What? Why?" before She went on, surging ahead with her voice on the edge of panic.

"What have you done?! Don't you understand why this was sealed away in the first place? It's not a game, Jumon. It's not a toy. It's dangerous, destructive, and forbidden!"

He shrank back in the face of her displeasure, confused – utterly confused. "But… It depends…" His stuttering didn't last for long; soon he had recovered his composure, and rushed ahead to clear Her mind of the gibberish They had surely stuffed Her with. "It depends on how it's used!" he argued. "They used it for evil purposes; of course it was dangerous and destructive! They're a cult, Shiryoku, a cult!" He took a step backwards, as though preparing to protect his new treasure should She attempt to do what They had surely ordered Her to.

But She didn't move an inch. Instead, She rubbed Her temples, looking very exhausted. "Jumon, what do I have to do to make you understand…?"

"No, no! Shiryoku, I…" He bit his lip, feeling terrible for being the cause of Her tiredness. But at the same time, he felt even angrier at the Hand for making it so hard for him to restore Her to Her old self. "Shiryoku, why do you believe what they say to you? Why? Tell me why?" He went on before She could answer. "They tower above us all – or try to – acting like they are the very Hands of the Gods. They revel in the misery of others, because it brings them more poor, lost souls… So saddened, so easy to corrupt." He noticed the change in Her eyes at the word "corrupt", but he didn't let it deter him. "They offer sanctuary, a purpose – but do they tell you what that purpose is? Do they tell you that you will be a slave, bound to them and their ways for the rest of your life? Do they?"

Shiryoku took a step forward. For the first time, Jumon saw anger in Her eyes – anger directed at him. "Jumon, has it really not been enough? All the years of explaining, the fighting, the arguments…" The anger vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared, and She looked tired again. "If you l-love me…why can you not see that I am happy with the Hand? Why do you continue to delude yourself?"

Happy… The word sounded so strange to him, especially where the Hand was involved. Again, he heard his sister's voice…

…and again, he attributed Her "happiness" to the fact that the Hand had had their way with Her.

"It is you who are deluded, my love," he whispered. He shook his head, wanting to destroy the Fifth for what they'd done to Her.

"Am I, Jumon?" She countered. "Am I? I think you're mistaken, child. I think you're gravely mistaken. I think you are delusional."

He took a step forward, eager to help Her through this no doubt trying period. "Love--"

"You see? 'Love'?" She seemed to be at the barest ends of Her patience. She took another step forward, bringing Herself closer to him. "You love me!" She stretched out Her hands, honestly looking as though She wanted to shake him. "You love me!"

Jumon held onto his own patience, wanting to calm Her down before She hurt Herself. She was confused, She was still very much in the Hand's power, and curing Her would take more than five minutes. "Of course I love you," he soothed. "I've always loved you. Sometimes, I think that is why They took you from me – because they didn't want me to interfere with what they had planned for you." She shook Her head wildly, the golden locks swaying to and fro, but he didn't skip a beat. "I loved you then, and I love you now. I vowed to save you from them, and I shall do good on that vow. Then I can show you just how much I love--"

"Jumon, I'm your mother!" She shrieked, taking another step toward him. "Do you understand me? Your MOTHER. I gave birth to you! You wouldn't be here if I hadn't--" She paused, swallowing, and then shook Her head again, sharply. "Jumon you're ill. Ill. Can you understand that? Can you? You've been ill for a long time, Jumon – a long time. You… you don't love me. You think you do, but you don't – you can't. You can't love me the way you want to; it's not done. You're confused, and you're ill."

Jumon's patience was swiftly wearing thin. He knew that She had been thoroughly corrupted, but he hadn't thought that She'd believe him to be the one with the problem. "Shiryoku, please, you're not well." He stepped back again, closer to the Orb, and felt its siren call. "Stay there, love. Just stay there, safe and sound. I'll protect you." He glanced back at the pulsating orb. "I'll learn how to use the White Sphere, and then we'll do away with the thorn in the Universe that is the Fifth… And then…" He smiled warmly at Her. He really couldn't blame the poor woman; it wasn't Her fault that the Jaganshi were so adept with their corruption. "Then you'll be all right. I'll cleanse you of all the evil they fed you during your time with them, and everything will be all right." He turned away from Her, hoping that the Sphere would be cool enough to touch--

He felt the youki pulse from Her body a second too late. He sensed Her weave Her threads of Air, and the next instant he was being pushed. A hard, solid wall of Air was shoving him across the room, pushing him away from the White Sphere. He felt a sliver of panic race up his spine, and glanced back over his shoulder.

Shiryoku, after staring at him to make sure Her magic was holding him where She apparently wanted him, tore across the room toward the Orb. Jumon panicked when he realized that She intended to take the Sphere from the altar – probably to keep it from him.

"No!" he cried. "Shiryoku, don't!"

But Shiryoku did.

And then She screamed, as loudly and strongly as Her lungs would permit.

Jumon's panic escalated to terror. Fearful for Shiryoku's safety, he embraced his youki, filling himself with it, and then pounded down Her shield of Air. It fell to pieces like fine glass thrown against a wall, and as soon as he was freed, he sped across the room to join Her. The smoke coming from where Her hands were resting on the orb frightened him, fueled his desire to rescue Her.

When he reached Her, he took hold of Her shoulders and pulled. She screamed harder, and Jumon realized that the White Sphere had burned Her so badly, She was stuck to it. He pulled on Her harder, commanded the Sphere to release Her, sensed Her complete and utter terror…

And finally, the orb freed Her, and the two of them tumbled to the hard floor together. He rolled atop Her, scrambling to see if She was all right. He made wild grabs for any part of Her he could reach, wanting to see if any other part of Her body had been damaged.

She screamed again, this shriek a louder, continuous wail. He was stunned for a moment, and then was forced to press himself harder upon Her when She started to buck and shout. He tried to seize Her wrists, wanting to calm Her down. Her response was to rake Her nails across his cheek, slashing deep into his skin, and no doubt drawing blood. It hurt, but not as much as the realization that She had attacked him.

He tried to subdue Her, tried to weigh Her down. But She just fought back harder, biting and scratching, making a huge racket, kicking and punching…

He had no choice but to release Her when She jabbed the heel of Her palm up against his chin. The action thrust his head painfully backwards, and for a moment he thought it would roll right off his head. The shock made him release Shiryoku, and he sensed Her roll away as soon as he did so.

When he lowered his head again, feeling his neck crack, he started crawling forward to where Shiryoku had settled Herself, only a few feet away. She was huddled almost into a little ball, shaking. Jumon wanted to hold Her, to make Her fears vanish.

"Shiryoku," he gasped, his throat very dry. "Here, I'll--"

She looked up at him, and when She saw him coming, Her eyes widened to an alarming degree. This time, Jumon was aware of what Her youki was doing, and his acted on instinct alone.

He raised his hand a second before She did, and his gust of Air was faster, stronger, and far more powerful.

He'd had no idea that a small, frail body like Shiryoku's could move so quickly. She flew through the air, looking like nothing more than a blur, and hit the wall on the other side of the room with a loud "crack"; a twisted, sickening sound that Jumon had not thought possible for a body to make.

He watched, stunned, as She seemed to remain stuck against the far wall for a few moments. She did slide to the floor eventually, and it was only then that he realized what he'd done. He'd hurt Her. He'd been careless and he'd hurt Her. He should have known better; She wasn't really trying to hurt him. She was scared. She was confused. She was… She was corrupted.

And instead of being more supportive and caring, he'd hurt Her. Unintentionally, perhaps, but he'd still done so. He had to apologize.

He was still shocked, and so his stumbling scramble across the room surely looked comical. But he didn't care. He scampered all the way to the other side of the room, swearing that he would find out what had happened during the Ritual and Itsuwari's whereabouts as soon as he made sure She knew he was sorry.

She was quiet, limp, and sprawled on the ground in an odd angle. Sure that She would be uncomfortable in such a position, Jumon gently reached over, hoping She wouldn't scream at him again. He took hold of Her shoulders and rolled Her over, lifting Her upper body into his arms. Her eyes were closed, but She was obviously as stunned as he was. She didn't utter a word of complaint when he shook Her gently, and didn't open Her eyes.

He chewed his lip, wanting to make sure Itsuwari was all right, wanting to try and master the White Sphere, wanting to figure out just why they had shelter above their heads…

But he wanted to be the first thing She saw when She opened Her eyes, so he could tell Her that he was sorry – so very, very sorry for hurting Her. It would only take a moment, surely. She would awaken any moment now.

Any moment now.

Any moment now.

Any moment now.

They stumbled through the portal in a flurry of arms and legs. Despite all their effort, they ended up a pile on the hard ground. It could have been worse, Kurama lamented, rubbing his chin where it was sore. It could have been a lot worse; Katachi had stumbled on the last leg of the journey, and she was the one in charge of the Teleportation. The results of her losing concentration would have been exceedingly dangerous.

Kuwabara gasped, and Hiei cursed quietly in his native tongue. Kurama struggled to raise himself, so he could see what had surprised them.

And he couldn't stop something very uncomplimentary from slipping past his lips.

"What… the hell…?" Kuwabara uttered. "What the bloody hell?"

The white tower reeked with power. Kurama rubbed his arms, almost thinking he could wipe the residue off his clothing. It was borne of magic, that much was certain. From the Orb? he thought with dread. Did the Sphere… did it do this?

"I can't feel anything else but the Sphere," he told the others. "Or at least, I'm guessing it's the Sphere. I don't…"

"It must be the Sphere," Katachi replied. She couldn't see, but she could still feel. "I can't feel anything but its power. Jumon, Itsu, Mother… I can't feel any of them."

"The Sphere is up there, isn't it?" Kuwabara murmured. "It's up there with Jumon… He succeeded – he called it back from wherever it had been."

"The madman in his tower," Hiei said, "who has no idea what he's playing with."

"We have to stop him," Kurama stated, reaffirming what everyone already knew. "We have to stop him before he hurts somebody."

No one disagreed.