Second Chances - YYH RP Lynx/Vamp

"Is she finally dead?" Hiei heaved, leaning on his sword, stuck in the dirt and rock so he wouldn't fly off the cliff during Yusuke's massive blast.

Kurama had tied himself to a tree with his vines, and after unwinding himself peered at the huge trench that spanned for miles. Yusuke had collapsed at the start of the trench, breathing heavy and sweat falling off his forehead and nose. His Mazoku markings were fading. He'd resorted to a spirit wave attack to defeat the Queen.

Who was currently a matted mess of seared flesh and broken bones several yards away.

"It is." Kurama told Hiei who finally got up, pulling his sword out and sheathing it.

The Queen had been the winner of the last Makai Tournament yesterday who'd immediately started wreaking havoc. Yusuke had not participated, and had troubles with Keiko. He'd given up his life in the human world with her to help them defeat the menace, knowing that the human world would have suffered eventually if he'd stayed out of it. The wedding ring on Yusuke's finger had been removed, leaving a white mark because he never took it off. She was divorcing him immediately and moving abroad to go to college there. Yusuke refused to talk about it. The only reason either of them knew was because the fight had happened at the Temple, upsetting Yukina's twin babies which had made the new mother quite unhappy.

Kurama got to Yusuke's side, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "It's over. I can call Botan for a portal to the desert palace where we can heal and recover." Hiei had walked over to the corpse and was burning it to ash with what little energy he had left, /just/ to make sure. "Yusuke?" He asked when he heard a sniff, but of course when the young man, now King, looked up, the tear tracks were the only evidence, his eyes clear. Bottling it up, like he always did. Kurama only sighed. "You told me once...if you were ever King, you would make me your Adviser. My first advice to you...come to me if you need me. For now, I'll call Botan."

"Thanks Kurama," Yusuke's voice was raw with emotion. He cleared his throat and he slowly got himself up, wobbling a little from the massive amount of energy that he had drained in order to defeat the Queen. It baffled him, how someone could do so much damage in such a short amount of time. He knew the responsibilities were going to get harder from here. He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the sweat and dirt and grime go through the strands. Healing, bath, and then once he felt more like a person he could start assessing where to start fixing things.

Botan summoned a portal immediately after Kurama's contact and they jumped through. The desert palace still was ominous looking, but at least there wasn't a sound of a grumbling stomach that mimicked thunder. Yusuke never been so pleased to see it, happy to know that Hokushin and the other two monks would be there to help them.

"Welcome home." Kurama said gently with a small smile. Yusuke likely wouldn't go back except to see Yukina and the babes, so, home it is. The three of them got to the entrance of the Palace and Hokushin greeted them with wide eyes and a shocked but happy smile. They were ushered down the the basement, where the bathing spring was, and brought supplies to patch up.

The first place Kurama went instead of finding a room, was the study area. There was a lot to do, and while he was exhausted, after a fight like that he would need to be nearly falling asleep at his desk before he tucked in. The study wasn't all that dirty or dusty, just cluttered, so he set to work on cleaning it up.

Before long, he heard a knock and smiled mostly to himself. "Come on in, Yusuke."

"You know, I knew you were going to be in here because you're terrible at taking care of yourself." Yusuke said, pushing the door open and looking at the study. Kurama had just barely started cleaning, but he could tell that it was an itch that he needed to scratch. Sighing, he shook his head. "You really want that advising job? You know I wasn't going to hold you to it...you got your mom in the human world to look after."

"It's been enough years since then. I wanted to see my step-brother grow up some as well. Honestly, I'll resign from my step-father's job and just move here full-time anyway. I can easily say I'm moving to the temple to help Yukina since Touya travels too much, and if anyone comes by not only am I easily contacted, they can say I went out for a while." Kurama explained to him, finding a box he could put things into off the desk. "All I need from the Human World are some supplies and a few personal items that I treasure. I feel comfortable in Makai clothing just as well, so a trip to Yomi's market will do me fine. We should establish a treaty with him immediately. I'll work on that."

"I did like him," Yusuke agreed, sitting down on the desk and crossing his legs. He could hear Kurama's exasperated sigh, but he didn't budge. "An alliance with Yomi, should we cross Mukuro too? Maybe that's something to talk to Hiei about. He knows her better. We just got out of a battle. I'm not gonna make you run around while your energy is probably just as bad as mine and Hiei's. He's passed out somewhere knowing him. Poor guy. So...chill for a bit yeah?"

"The sooner Hiei gets out of Mukuro's clutches, the better. I'll talk to him about it, too." Kurama brushed his bangs from his eyes, "I did say to rest, and I will when I feel I can't do anymore tonight. We will be given a reprieve for a couple days, I'm sure, as things settle down and get their bearings after the carnage that happened. There will be threats after that, though, as there were before. The sooner we quell them, the better. Hiei and I demon traitors and human sympathizers, you a hanyou. We took down the Queen, but we will need to be firm. Hiei will no doubt enjoy his position as your Second and make a reputation for himself threatening those who oppose you. A little fear to start is good, to stay steady, and then ease up as people understand you /aren't/ going anywhere this time."

~+~
That respite that Kurama was talking about lasted two days exactly. Yusuke heard of different towns and cities lighting up to do celebrations that the Queen was dead and he couldn't help but to be reminded of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz after the Wicked Witch of the East was dead. However, just like Kurama predicted once the celebrations died out and after the realization that they had a new King in town, people got concerned.

A treaty with Yomi was critical, and Yusuke was kind of pleased that Yomi was willing to meet with them as soon as he possibly could. It would take a bit of time, as he too had to control his own Kingdom after the disaster that struck. However, he assured them that even if it wasn't written on paper yet, that he trusted Kurama and that his alliance was with them.

News of /that/ in particular had split a good amount of people. A lot of them were appeased with knowing that a King of a demon city was good with Yusuke being King. However, Mukuro decided that Yusuke should know the terms of agreement for a treaty with her ahead of time, saying it was best for him to have options. Her demands were as followed:

1) The destruction of the Assassin Guild.

2) Hiei's abilities and time split between the Kingdoms.

3) The usage of part of any territories Yusuke conquered or acquired during his time as King or any that were passed down to him by Raizen.

"It's like she thinks you're not even a person," Yusuke was a little outraged by the second and the third part of the list that Mukuro sent him. The four of them were sitting around a desk and he tossed the paper on it, kicking his feet up. "You know, I thought I could at least respect her as a fighter, but Jesus. What's /wrong/ with her?"

"Unfortunately in Makai that type of thinking is typical." Hokushin answered, his mouth thinned. "Especially asking for the lands that we acquired. I wouldn't take this treaty, Your Highness. It doesn't sound like it's a good idea. None of it."

"I have heard of the Assassin's Guild. It's a hidden village in the mountains. I wonder what her problem with them is." Hiei had his arms folded and he was leaning against his chair. His face was also grim. "We need to get our feet wet and understand what and who they really are, if they will treaty with us instead. If they did, I wonder if Mukuro would back down off that point of her demands. I can split my time with the usage of my speed and portals. However, you're too fresh. You need me more than she does. She already knows what I can do and she's being greedy. The territories...is debatable. There might be a few we can give her or share with her that wouldn't hurt us any."

"Hiei speaks the truth. I'm worried what she'll do if we deny her. We need to find a middle ground, but no signatures. We need time and I'm doubtful of her giving us much." Kurama rubbed his chin. "How would we get a hold of the people on the mountains, Hiei? You can't go into the Underground, they know your face. That might cause problems if you make things known."

"They make a living off of contracts. You just need to find the ones they station for people to find to make those contracts. I can do that. I need time as well to visit old haunts." Hiei pinched the bridge of his nose, "This is a disaster, but we need to make it work."

"Leave it to Mukuro to make this interesting." Yusuke said dryly, and he looked over at Kurama. "I don't know about the territories, I agree with Hokushin about that. Any territory we lose, isn't something we can gain back. Let's worry about the Assassin Guild first, and then we'll worry about the rest." He turned to Hiei. "But I'm not liking making you into split roast, Hiei. I'm not accepting that. You do what you want, but not because of some fucking treaty that isn't taking you into consideration. Like fuck that."

"At the moment, the only thing I can think of is she knows you, even if it's been years. You did impress her. Hiei, for now, you focus on finding that contact. Yusuke, you and I will go see Yomi and maybe we could get his opinion on how to appeal to Mukuro and hold back the tides." Kurama sighed deeply.

"Hey at least you get out of something boring Hiei," Yusuke teased his friend lightly.

"It's never boring with you." Hiei drawled back, rolling his eyes and the four of them stood up, "I don't know how long I'll be, but I have the compactor."

"Good luck." Yusuke said, turning solemn a little. He didn't know the Assassin's Guild, but...well...Hiei always could handle himself. He /was/ Yusuke's right hand for a reason.

~*~

The old Inn had changed at yet at the same time it was still the same. It looked like there had been a fire, by the charred brick on the far wall. So being rebuilt or renovated afterwards had given the Innkeep incentive to expand and grow. The bar was bigger, there was a better fireplace with stupid knickknacks on it that people wouldn't bother stealing such as vases and big shiny rocks, some polished and some raw. The Innkeep did have a soft spot for children, and children liked to collect things they thought were pretty.

When he got closer, the Innkeep looked up from polishing a wine glass, "Well, well. I never thought someone like you would ever come by here again."

"Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean, old man?" Hiei scoffed, but it was a banter he remembered and felt at ease.

"Famous, human sympathizer, the second in command of now two of the most powerful monarchs around. You name it, you don't have a reason to be here. Unless you're travelling, which would be unlikely considering the battle you just endured." He pushed his glasses up and then set the glass in the cabinet behind the bar.

"I'm looking for someone." Hiei explained, taking a seat and crossing his arms on the dark wood counter. "I never paid them much mind, before, but I hope I'm not too late and they haven't moved on."

"They, boy?" The Innkeep arched a brow at him. "You've changed. You're not nearly as gruff and out to chop heads as you used to be. Fighting will do that."

Hiei knew it was mostly and outward observation, but it still made him growl low and the Innkeep only smirked and went back to cleaning. "Contacts." He answered the query anyway.

That got the old man to still and he gave him a slow, calculating look over his shoulder. "They're still around. There's one who's been booking a room here so long I gave him permanent residence after the big fire that nearly destroyed everything. He is a good worker in general, but he's particularly good with fishing."

"Whose good with fishing?" A man spoke behind Hiei and sat down next to him. He had two short horns on his head and a scar that went across his cheek. His hair was spiky and untamed and his eyes carefree though questioning. "You're good grandpa, I got this from here." He assured the barkeep.

"Here I was thinking I might have to go to the river next." Hiei arched a brow at the young man. He wasn't much older than himself it looked, but in demon world looks could be deceiving. He'd likely stay as he was until he was two hundred, if he lived to be that old. "If you're a Contact why do you live here? Or are you a medium?"

"Medium." The man answered, "Though considering you went all this way to find me, and it'd be kinda rude to just send you off to someone else, I can be a Contact." He shifted. "Just don't be surprised when it's my blood on the ground. But that's not exactly why you're here. You're not questioning me. Why does the Royal Family need a Contact?"

"This might be the oddest thing you've heard for a while, but we need answers, not blood. I need to talk to whoever is in charge of the Guild, and see if we can create a treaty or come to an understanding." Hiei didn't quite understand why they were called the Royal Family, but he would let it go for now. Another question to ask at a later time.

The man raised an eyebrow. "That is odd." He admitted. "Last time there was a treaty talk, I was a little. Alright. I can bring you to the Leader. But I gotta ask, you sure you wanna go into the area alone without the King? I'm not talking trust here. I know you're second. Whatever you say is practically him talking. I'm just wondering if you're not afraid I'm gonna backstab ya."

"Would you risk trying to kill me?" Hiei answered a question with a question.

"You? Nah." The man shook his head. "King Urameshi's got a mean streak a mile wide and yours is wider and faster."

"Good man. Then no, I don't mind going alone. Yusuke is preoccupied at the moment, anyway. If there's any problems, or if it's necessary, he will come, but right now it's fine." Hiei stood, "If you can give me a location closest to the village, I can have a passage made and we will go the rest of the way on foot."

~*~

It had been a long time since he set foot on the mountain peaks. The gates and the guards recognized him instantly, but considering they didn't shoot him down, he knew that it was either going to be a public trial or worse. He knew he shouldn't worry about that now, when he had someone that needed his help right now.

Going through the gates surprised him. The village had grown significantly since his time in exile. There were people who wore the traditional uniform of blues and masks as well as chainmail and tights and boots. There were weapons seen and unseen that dangled from their wastes and hidden inside their clothing and on their bodies. The people who didn't wear the uniform either wore thick clothing since it could get cold up on the mountain peaks during the night, or they were so hot blooded they wore the same style of clothes he was wearing, a short sleeved top and shorts. The buildings themselves were closer together and there were signs for homes that had businesses inside them. Blacksmith, apothecary, herbalist, healer, it was a you name it they probably had it kind of deal. He even found a bar which was quite surprising.

He lead Hiei to the outskirts of the town, just past the training grounds where a few of the green-clothed teenagers were practicing with wooden weapons, where a wide and large building greeted them. It was very much like the temple architect back in the Ningenkai. Guarding the front of the building was a large lion like creature that had orange yellow fur and a red orange mane that flicked and acted like fire. It's tip of the tail also had that type of flame as well. "Man, Kei grew huge." He whistled. "Hey boy."

There was a loud /snap/ as the door was slid open aggressively. A tall, slim man with an open yukata and his arm hanging out of it came out. "You!" He snapped as he walked and aggressively came after the other. The man that had escorted Hiei tensed, but didn't make a move to defend himself as the other got close and had a dagger pulled out and pressed against his neck. They both heard the swish of a sword being pulled out it's sheathe, but instead of pressing it against the horned one's neck, it was against the white haired one.

"He is under my protection and his death would mean your destruction." Hiei's voice was even, but he was poised and tense.

"I'll take it though I thought it was the other way around." The man said a little sarcastically. "Torga, come on. Put the knife down. I didn't come here armed."

"You're a fucking lunatic, if you think I trust you after what you did." Torga hissed, but he jerked his knife away from his neck. "What made you come back? You should've stayed a Medium. You'd be happier for it."

The man's lips curved down and opened his mouth to say something when a woman's voice snapped. "For the love of anything that's holy will you two /stop fighting like children my god/."

Torga whirled around and standing at the door was a woman with reddish brown hair tied up in a high ponytail. She wore two long layered skirts and a corset that was tight against her body. The shirt that she was wearing was low to her shoulders, showing off her neck and collarbone. "You can't be serious, Hisako. After what he-"

"I didn't exile him, he exiled himself and that's the only reason why I'd agree that he's a lunatic." She snapped, stepping down the porch and heading their direction. She shoved Torga out of the way and she hugged Takei tightly. "Welcome home."

Hiei hadn't put his sword away, and he didn't know what exactly compelled him, but he extended it towards the woman named Hisako. He didn't say anything, just waited to see what she would do in turn. Torga tensed horribly and looked ready to bare his fangs again, but he didn't put the blade down.

"Hisako this is Hiei from the Royal Family." Takei said slowly, but he didn't think he was being heard. Hisako's attention was taken and drawn and he knew that look too well. "I'll just let you two do you."

Hisako took her sword that was on her hip since she wasn't in a fight and drew it. She took a step back and swung hers towards his, letting the metal clang together, she swung hers over his and he under hers and they did it again on the opposite side of the blades before they twirled their swords in their hands and sheathed it. Her breath hitched and her eyes wide.

"When I said your destruction, Torga. I wasn't just talking about you." Hiei's head was slightly tilted up, regarding her in a guarded curiosity. "The lives of the Assassins Guild ride on what happens between us. As Takei said when we met, I speak as Yusuke's envoy."

"Sounds like a conversation best to have inside." Hisako said with a frown and she gestured for them to come with her. "Tiki! Put on the tea for us please." She called down the hallway as she entered the home. She heard a voice call out an affirmative and she moved them to a large sitting room that had a nice table and a few floor chairs to be sat on. She sat down with ease and Torga took her side. Takei and Hiei sat on the opposite. "So we're talking about what exactly here?"

"Yusuke is trying to get treaties established for his reign. Yomi is already guaranteed, but Mukuro was another story. She wanted your annihilation as part of her conditions. We decided against it because we don't know anything about you or why she hates you so much." Hiei told them bluntly.

The three of them simultaneously groaned. Hiskao had her head in her hands and Torga was looking up at the ceiling. Takei was just shaking his head from side to side.

"Well." Torga said after a moment of looking up to lower his head to look at Hiei. "I can't say we're surprised. Only that it took her so long and that she's using you guys to do it."

"Using." Hisako mocked as she lifted her head. "More like forcing them to do genocide for no reason besides the fact that she's /scared/."

"Anyone would be terrified of you, Hisa-chan." Takei teased though it came out pretty flat. "Your horrifying when you're angry."

"I made tea Hisa-cha-" The door opened and a small boy came in. He was round and had only one horn on his head. His hair was just as untamed as Takei's and his eyes were the exact same in carefree demeanor. "Takei!" The tray accidentally left the poor boy's hands, but Hiei had left his seat within a second and the tray didn't even make it to the floor. "Awah?!"

"Tiki be careful!" Hisako gripped her chest as she felt her heart go up her throat. "Oh thank god for a fast Hiei."

Hiei put his hand on the boy's head to steady him as well before he fell on his face, "Brother's, then?" His question ended up being rhetorical because once Tiki had his balance he rushed over to a choked up Takei. This reunion was fulled with more tears than the first and Hiei brought the tea to the coffee table.

"By a few years." Hisako said as Tiki and Takei hugged each other. Her smile crinkled the corner of her eyes and she turned to Hiei. "Sorry for the emotional drama, but it is your fault for finding one of our missing." She passed the cups around and without missing a beat, picked up the kettle and started pouring it, leaving herself for last.

"One of our missing." Torga muttered under his breath.

"Watch it." Hisako warned. "I'm wearing a dress and can still kick your ass."

"Children, Hisako!" Takei gasped theatrically but he didn't bother trying to cover his brother's ears. Hisako stuck her tongue out instead. "Hey, Tiki why don't we spend some time together. Leave the adults alone for once?"

"Okay!" Tiki practically vibrated and the brothers quickly left the room.

They waited for a good moment and Hisako let out a slow breath. "So, what were your questions again? Why does Mukuro want us dead? It's because of what we are. We don't have an alliance with anyone or anything. We're bought and sold by any side. We were getting requests about trying to assassinate the Queen before, but you guys got to it first and may I say you did a /fantastic/ job. Nothing but ashes, I was quite pleased with that."

"So you investigated it. Yes, Yusuke left a mangled mess, and just to make sure she wouldn't spontaneously come back to life, or possibly be used as a lifeless puppet, I burned what was left." Hiei explained with a smirk, sitting just a bit straighter. "So Mukuro is afraid of you? She isn't afraid of a lot of things. Did you do her wrong in the past?"

"We probably did, but who knows really." Hisako said slowly. "We do have an agreement that a King can use us to their leisure. So if Yomi wanted to kill you guys off, if he had the money for it, we would do it. Same with Mukuro. Same with you. I believe that she fears that Yusuke may decide to use us against her. Or perhaps that Yomi might. She's not exactly popular and she got showed up by you. She's not Queen. She's not a savior of anything. She's powerful, yes. But anyone can die if they're not paying attention. Assassins are good at lowering guards. You don't know what they'd look like."

"But you came to us for a treaty." Torga continued, taking the cup of tea and blowing on it. "That changes the game somewhat. No one bothers asking us for our opinion, they try to end it as violently as they possibly can without getting their hands dirty."

"Yusuke is well known for doing things differently. We aren't going to kill any of you without grounds to do so. It's hard to be a good King in a kill or be killed world. Yusuke is what binds us all together, so we will all do what we can to make his life easier and help him. I know his other friends are going to try and contact him soon. As soon as the dust /really/ settles and Yusuke secures his position well enough, they want a celebration. They've been waiting." Hiei sipped his tea so he could continue, his throat no longer dry. "A treaty with the Assassin's Guild was thought of first as a way to appease Mukuro, because Yusuke will leave her alone as long as she leaves us alone. I believe if a treaty is made with the lot of you, she won't feel as threatened."

"But then where does that leave you?" Hisako asked tilting her head. "Second in Command of two monarchs isn't exactly ideal on either side of the fence."

"I'm really not for it. Yusuke needs me, Mukuro doesn't. She's still infatuated with me even though I denied her." Hiei made a scowling grimace and sipped his tea again. He was surprised that it tasted as good as his sisters. "Is this a personal brew?"

"It is." Torga smirked, "My family does tea for a living and I taught Tiki since he's hell bent on not wanting anything to do with assassinations. He's a better hunter anyway. Tracks better than I can and he's /ten/ for lord's sake."

Hisako thought about it and then bit the corner of her lower lip. It was an idea....it could backfire. But it could work too. "What if you told her you were courting someone?" She said slowly.

"That's a great talent." Hiei told Torga and then the two men froze, looking at Hisako like she'd suddenly grown two heads. "Excuse me?"

"I asked what do you think would happen if you told her that you were courting someone?" Hisako gestured to herself. "Me for an example."

"Seriously." Torga deadpanned. "You just met the man."

"You shut up." Hisako held her finger up like she was about to press it against Torga's mouth force him to.

"I have to agree with Torga. Why are you suggesting this?" Hiei's eyes narrowed. He would usually outright deny something like this, but since she met his blade with hers something had rung through his body he didn't quite understand. He was intrigued and he really shouldn't be. "Mukuro would immediately be suspicious. She suggests wiping you out and then I say I'm courting one of you?"

"Think about what I can offer." Hisako pointed out. "An Assassin's Guild has no treaty to offer any single Kingdom. Therefore there's freedom in information gathering. Also, if I'm courting you in particular, not only are you courting a leader of said Guild, but you won't need a treaty with me at all. My loyalties are unquestionable. I wouldn't betray you. Just the same my blade would be yours and the Royal Family's to use as they please. My entire focus will be and can be on the Kingdom. Meanwhile, everyone else's focus can be and will be on the outside. So protection, loyalty, information. I can also offer shelter should things go down hill. We're not as easy to destroy as one might think. I take pride in that in our people. Just because not everyone is an assassin doesn't mean everyone doesn't know how protect themselves, even if it is a bit unorthodox."

"She's....not wrong. Mukuro might rethink her steps if she finds out that you're courting someone. In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise if you say that you've been courting for a while." Torga said grudgingly. "She hates us enough to maybe let you go. Of course, that can backfire and she could use you against us too. This is a little too risky for my taste."

"You can always blame the Bond." Hisako answered quickly.

"Oh good god." Torga groaned looking up at the ceiling. "This just gets better and better."

Hiei took a deep breath. "The Bond? Do explain that, as well as what you mean by Royal Family. Takei used the term before as well."

Torga gave Hiei a look, "You're going to make her go into a long detailed history about stalking all of you. Do you really want to go there?"

"Yes." Hiei gave no room to wiggle out of it. "I don't understand it, so explain it to me."

"Shhhhhhhh." Hisako hissed. "He asked me a question. What's wrong with you? So the Bond. I guess it's rare nowadays...so I'll explain the best that I can. Humans have a term called "Soulmates" and every single human has a different way of saying they found their one. They saw them and knew, they touched them and knew, or maybe they just spoke to them and just knew right off the bat that they're the one. It's the same thing here, only it's a bit stronger. A bond feeds off of energy and it feeds off of connectivity. A bond can be felt in either of those three ways, but the moment the Bond is consummated, like marriage, you kind of have to work at the Bond to make sure that it can handle distances. Some Bonds already can handle distance. Some Bonds can't even handle a day's separation. How you can tell you're Bonded is different for everyone. Some would say they felt shocks, or tingles go up their arm or wherever their intended touched. Maybe a conversation plays in their head and won't get out. Or maybe, just maybe it was they looked. Of course, I suppose a Bond could be made from an action, but...those are so rare I don't even know how to explain that."

Hiei could see what Torga meant. It took a while for him to think about it, and Hisako seemed content to sip her tea as he was while she waited him out. "My sister might have a Bond." He said first, slowly, contemplating his words. "Touya is her mate. They met back during the first Makai Tournament, when he went to train at Genkai's Temple. They had seen each other before that, but didn't really interact. It was immediate, she told me. He acted different around her than anybody else, shy, even. I didn't think Touya could be shy. Reserved, yes. After the Tournament, he would take time between but he always came back just as she was missing him. They just had their twins last week."

Hiei took a deep breath, "I won't do anything if it's not real. A Bond isn't something you can fake, even if it is rare. Touch me."

Hisako was a little surprised at the bluntness, but she reached over the table and touched the back of his hand. At first, she was a bit skeptical herself. Talking about Bonds with him was one thing, but actually testing to see if she was one? It was pretty laughable. Until she felt the static sparks go up her arm and her heart felt like it dropped a good few meters into her stomach. "Well." She said slowly, "That's unexpected."

Torga's expression was incredulous and then he laughed. "That's what you get for talking, Hisa-chan."

"He's going to laugh his ass off for this." Hiei muttered under his breath, thinking of Yusuke's and Kurama's reactions. He stared at his hand like it didn't belong to him, and the fact she hadn't moved hers. "Mukuro is going to hate that all of her conditions can't be met. If I have a Bond, I can't stay with her. What of you? Would you so readily move to Yusuke desert palace? I'm not asking you to leave your people. You won't be some sort of prisoner, but you said some Bonds can't take distance. I imagine a particularly fresh one is extremely susceptible to damage."

Torga pursed his lips together and looked at Hisako who was also thinking. "You could play the Royal Family card." He said slowly, after a moment. "That King Urameshi's thinking about reviving the Guild to be what it was thousands and thousand of years ago. It'll appease the people to know that you're going to be a Medium between the Guild and the Royal Family. Whose better than you in honesty? You know the Royal Family better than most."

"That's true, but what about Takei and Tiki?" She pointed out. "Takei just got back, you hate him."

"I don't like what he did to you. But I can't go against your orders. Technically he wasn't exiled, he wasn't punished or anything. It's been long enough that if you said that he's part of the Guild again, well." Torga pointed out, "As for Tiki...well. He's old enough to make his own decision. Of course, Takei might be upset that you're going to go to the castle alone. It...might be wise to take your personal guard and Takei with you. Not only will it establish a treaty, but it'll also establish that you're firm to be part of the-"

"If King Urameshi makes a Council I swear to anything that he better make sure it's people that he can talk to because the last time there was a Council, shit hit the fan so fast and so /hard/ because his niece had the mindset to actually remind people that he was King and that everyone should keep their mouths shut." Hisako pointed out and then frowned. "What's your thoughts, Hiei?"

"If Takei isn't wanted here, I already gave him my sword. Granted it was a split-second decision, but we need people to populate Yusuke's area anyway." Hiei drummed his fingers on his knee in thought when he suddenly tensed as the door burst open.

"I saw Tiki playing with his brother! I didn't know he had one! Hisa I thought we were friends!" A girl with short black hair and vivid amber eyes burst in, she then blinked at Hiei slowly, "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU COURTING SOMEONE?" she pointed at Hisako's hand which was still on Hiei's, "You're so mean! Not telling me anything!"

Torga covered his face with his hands as Hisako quickly let go of Hiei's hand, her cheeks burning. "I wasn't going to say anything." He let his hands down. "But I was wondering how long you were going to just hold his hand."

"We didn't talk about it because I didn't want to hurt Tiki's feelings, yes, Takei's back. We're still friends. Hiei this Haru, mercenary, not assassin and not part of the Guild, only outsider that survived me." Hisako introduced, her cheeks still flaming as she shoved Torga. "Haru, Hiei, King Urameshi's second."

Hiei released a breath and flexed his hand, still uncertain how he felt about this bond situation. "Mercenary?" He asked first.

"Second in Command...shit that's right, that Queen Bitch nearly destroyed Makai in two days. I kinda forgot about that, I've been training the kiddos." Haru rubbed her neck, "Yeah, Hisa nearly killed me during one of her contract missions and I fought so well she saved me. Then I saved her after I nearly killed her back like a year later. Had to bring her here to do so and they kinda accepted me into the fold. I mean really, I'm basically just like Tiki in my non-Assassin-ness."

"Non-Assassin-ness." Hiei echoed, blinking slowly at her, oddly reminded of Yusuke and how he could be ridiculous sometimes. "So that means when Hisako leaves you'll follow."

"Whoa, what? What's this about leaving?" Haru turned to Hisako.

"We really need to make Haru our Medium or something." Torga placed his hands down and he looked at Haru. "Hisako just discovered that she has the ability to jinx herself. She got Bonded to Hiei after trying to tell him that he could throw excuses at Mukuro to stop her from encroaching too much on King Urameshi."

"I'd make a horrible Medium. I talk too much." Haru folded her arms. "Bonded...jeez, way to go. I don't know much about it, but yeah. You can't stay here if you are, at least for what was it, a month? Until it settles and seals." She nodded mostly to herself, "So are Arata and Hina going with us, too? Would I even be welcome since I'm unexpected?"

"I don't see why not. Yusuke is going to be amazed so many people came, but he won't be opposed. There's these massive pillars which could house all of you until we can knock a few down and start building a village of our own in the canyon." Hiei explained.

"I'm almost disappointed I won't be there to see Mukuro's face, but at the same time I think that's probably a good thing too." Torga said and he stood up. "I'm going to go and find Arata and Hina and let them know that they finally have a mission. Tiki and Takei should probably also be warned too."

"What shall I do while people pack?" Hiei asked, "How long will I have to wait?"

"Uuuummm, Torga could probably pack your stuff for you, Hisako. Why don't you show Hiei the training grounds? I can go talk to everybody who's going."

Torga nodded, "I can do that. You wear the same outfit anyway with different colors." Hisako flipped him off and he grinned as he headed out the door.

Hisako turned to Hiei, "You'll like the training grounds. You're welcome to use them when you find yourself up here. Come on, I'll show you. Thanks Haru."

"She's the only person to survive you? You are the leader of the Guild, so that must be the highest honor." Hiei said as they walked through the village, people giving them interesting looks when they went by. "What kind of abilities does she have? Is she your personal guard as well or just Arata and Hina?"

"She has the ability to summon weapons at will and as many as her energy allows it." Hisako said as she tucked the front of her skirts up her corset so she wasn't kicking them into the dirt. The length could stay in the back. "Of course, depending on your awareness level you can't see them or you can. The higher the better. Or unless she lets you. I thought about making her apart of the Guild, but...well...she likes her freedom."

Hiei snorted thinking of her made-up word, "She sounds like someone Yusuke would like, as well. He enjoys bantering with quirky people, such as Jin and Chuu. You sounded quite upset about that Counsel, but if Yusuke creates one, he will no doubt chose both of them as well as Touya. That would make my sister happy, if Yusuke is the one who has to approve his missions instead of accepting them as they come."

"At least he's not already dealing with something that was handpicked." Hisako made a face. "As long as it's people he picks, I'm all in for it honestly. I think having the Ninjas around would be vital. It'll give people some ease, considering they can work the shadows as much as some of us can manipulate them. Most of us /are/ shadow users after all. It'll put some people's mind at ease. Ninjas versus Assassins should the need arise."

Her eyes flicked towards him and she thought about what she needed to say. "Do...you mind telling me a little about your sister? Considering she's already Bonded, I'm going to assume she's a twin? That'll explain why you can Bond."

"I find it amusing that we're getting shinobi and Assassins, you two run the same lines." Hiei arched a brow at her, "She is my twin. She is an Ice Maiden, and I am Fire. I've never been able to use ice abilities, but I am extremely resistant to the cold and attacks. Yukina's her name. For the longest time I didn't tell her we were related; I was afraid. She already knew, and saved me the trouble when she came to me when she discovered she was with child. I was the first person she told until Touya came home."

"I'm gonna jump the gun and say that she has twins. That's so cool." Hisako beamed happily. "How did you take the news that she knew and had babies on the way?"

"I was happy for her, and she does. I don't like it when she cries, but she was so nervous and excited and wasn't sure what to think or feel herself. She calmed down at my assurance that I would be there for her." Hiei explained, "Touya stayed the whole time, but participated in the Makai Tournament. I am glad he didn't go against the Queen, she would have killed him. He fought against Jin and it was a hard-fought duel knockout and draw." Hiei knew they reached the training grounds as he heard the clanging of weapons and shouts of children.

"Looks like we got in time to see a training session go down." Hisako said amused. The children were wearing green and plenty of them were sitting on the ring, calling out cheers and jeers to the two that were on the field. The two that were on the field were adults, and wearing blues along with mask and chain mail. "Since they're wearing green, these are just children who want to learn the basics. If they were wearing purple, they're more dedicated to the pathway of the Assassin and are looking to complete their training into blues." They reached the ring and she got herself up and crossed her legs. "The greens learn footwork, handwork, and knifework. It looks right now the teachers are showing them what a real fight's going to look like when they're a purple and that the tricks they learned as a green are going to have to change. See the way he used his legs to trip up the guy, but he caught himself and used his leg to do a surprise kick? A green wouldn't know how to do that yet, but a Purple can and will use it."

"I was about to ask the meanings of the colors. You beat me to it. What about you? You are wearing browns and blacks, too." Hiei looked between her and the trainers and then the kids. What would Haru wear?"

"Haru would wear blue if she was an assassin. She already graduated, she almost killed me." Hisako explained. "So if she ever wanted to become an Assassin, I'd just hand her the uniform and tell her go for it. As for me, my colors don't really....mean anything nor does the style. I don't like sounding like this, but considering I'm leader, the norm doesn't apply to me. Which is why I'm wearing something completely ridiculous. I worked hard to look ridiculous, so ridiculous is what I'll go for." She thought about it. "Now healers would wear red because it'll match blood and if someone's afraid of blood, they won't know that they're getting it all over the healer, which means that the shock could go down some. Black Smiths wear a lot of blacks and browns so that it's easier to wash the soot and metal shavings off. Everyone else kind of wears whatever they want really."

"So Torga is your second in command, technically, so he also wears what he pleases." Hiei concluded and nodded, "That makes sense. I like what I'm seeing for the fighting style. Thinking of some of your people moving to Yusuke's area is appearing to be more appealing. You can't particularly see into the canyon. People won't even know there's a village there. Kurama also wants to make a forest, so you'd not only be hidden by the pillars but the trees. Yusuke needs to make a lake and then the rest of us can terraform the rest for small rivers and streams and we can create a well for drinking water." He hoped Kurama and Yusuke wouldn't be opposed to any of this. He felt pretty proud of himself for coming up with so much and solving a few problems.

"We have some who can manipulate earth and we do have water manipulates as well." Hisako mused, tapping her finger in thought to her chin. "That'll save you trying to commission others from outside sources. You're making a treaty with Yomi right? I know that his technology is advanced. Add that into the mix and you're pretty well guarded and informed. That'll give people pause if they want a revolution. Not that one already hasn't happened. They just might King Urameshi as a scapegoat. It's happened before in the Royal Family. I'm sure it'll happen again. Only he's more thick headed and stubborn so I doubt things will go as planned."

"Yomi wants to give us electricity and the like instead of using candles for everything." Hiei agreed, "We have a lot of work ahead of us no matter what we do. I was apprehensive at first, but I can see this was a good trip. May I ask why Torga dislikes Takei, or is that a story for another time?"

"Haru's not the first person to nearly kill me, though I wasn't half the person I am now." Hisako said slowly. "We were purples turning into Blues and we already passed two of the three exams. Fight against a peer, fight against our sensei, make our first kill was our next one. We completed the task just fine, but...it left us with some nightmares. I survived mine. Torga had no problems, he didn't even get hurt the lucky bastard. Takei...Takei had a hard one. He had to kill a family. He had a nightmare and I happened to be nearby and I must have startled him or something. He attacked me. Brutally. He left soon afterwards, ashamed. He really thought that I'd press charges or Torga would. Torga tried, but I basically said that since I was the one attacked, it was my decision and I said that he didn't do anything wrong. Not many agreed. Not many wanted to agree. But people deal with their nightmares differently. I just happened to catch him at a bad time. That's all."

A family. He wondered what that family did to be on an assassination hit list, but that was long past and didn't matter anymore. "What happens when you can't go through with a contract? I know very little how your system works; if there's any repercussions besides shame."

"Well, you can drop out. You can say that assassination wasn't for you if you're a student and you were going to get your blues." Hisako said swinging her legs. "But if you're already a blue and you drop out of a Contract, you have to prove that there was a reason behind it. Too dangerous to self, too dangerous to the clan, or you can prove that it would be an unethical killing. Example being killing off a bunch of orphans in an orphanage or on a street. We're not murderers. Okay, let me rephrase that. We're not savages."

Hiei snickered just little that she had to catch herself, "Have you ever shot down a Contract?"

Hisako thought about it. "After Takei's attack on me and him leaving, I shot down quite a few because it was a danger to me. Well, more like I was a danger to myself. So I got myself stuck in some really, really sticky situations. I wound up sticking around the Thieve's guild a /lot/ more than coming home. He had a radar for me I swear. "Oh Hisako's in trouble again because the damn brat doesn't know when to throw the white flag" I was not a very good judge of things. I was the worst at it. I got better though. I found Kei. That made loads of differences. And I retrained myself to fight and use shadows without using my shadow manipulation ability. Ninja-style stuff."

"You...are you afraid of the dark?" Hiei's eyes widened just a little as he put two and two together quickly. Finding other ways to use her shadow powers, and a pet made of literal fire. It was pretty obvious. She looked highly embarrassed and he tried to sooth her, "A traumatic event would cause something like that. I'm sure you didn't used to be. It's an understandable fear. It is good you have Kei."

Hisako was a little surprised that Hiei would be understanding about it. Bonded or not, she knew that there were people in her clan who thought that she should be over it by now and that she could use her powers. Of course some people thought it was an added bonus, for if she was hard to kill weapon wise, then using her shadow abilities would be going the extra mile. She turned back to the training session thoughtfully and spoke, "You're an interesting guy. You may have the ability to manipulate fire, but I wouldn't be too surprised if you could do water. You flow with things pretty well. Bonded? Alright. Girl afraid of the dark? Meh."

"Ice is a form of water, but no. I am a Dark Fire, but a Fire." Hiei shook his head and watched two of the greens spar, on doing a tricksy takedown and the sensei calling the match. "I'm taking things as they come because I always have to be on my toes with Yusuke. You learn quickly or you get a swift kick in the ass. I was taken by surprise a little for the Bond, but at the same time I was not. After all, what else would explain the sword greeting? It wasn't even a thought. I just did it and it made no sense to me. Now it does."

Hisako paused for a moment and then blinked. "You know that did strike me as odd why you turned your sword on me." She said slowly. "I didn't really know what you were going for. My parents used to use that type of greeting to assess if they were impostors or not. It happens sometimes where impostors do grab one of us and pretends to be one of us. Of course they're usually easy to figure out, you can't mimic someone's habits all too well when you don't know where they live."

"Yet you knocked your sword with mine with ease. It was like we had done it before, but we haven't met." Hiei turned to her, "Where do you suggest we go from here?"

Hisako watched a couple of greens get into the training ring and the sensei called them to the ready and she watched them try to fight. It was really amusing watching the new ones, they really haven't worked out too much on how a fight worked, but it was a need. "Courting's a good idea, get to know each other. I don't think you nor I are really feeling the need to mate energy, which makes our lives a bit easier. It's weird. I only know a of a few Bonds that have the natural flow type of Bond, the very at ease thing. I know the Fundir Line is kind of famous for it." She shook her head. "I think getting to know each other and courting should be the way to go. If we feel like the courting should cut short and we mate, awesome. If we think it should go on for longer than necessary, cool. I'm not all that picky."

"Fundir line? I haven't heard of them in many years. They sort of went silent around the time Yusuke started making a ruckus." Hiei tilted his head, but he shrugged. "I am an action type of person. What you do speaks louder than your words. A lot of the time, emotions and empathy don't make sense to me. I lash out, I don't like feeling weak, even if I really am not. If I feel weak, I feel threatened. Fight or flight. I don't know how to court, I just know the basics. Provide, strength, and shelter. Not all in that order, obviously, but ultimately we both have Shelter checked off. As your Bond, this will be my home as much as the Temple in Nigenkai and Yusuke's Palace will be yours. "

Hisako could get that. It was Makai after all, showing weakness no matter it's to a friend and ally or a Bond was just as dangerous as showing it to an enemy. She swung her legs again. "I'm...weird I suppose. I respond best to touch. It doesn't even have to be like a hug or anything. A casual brush of skin on skin is usually enough for me. The basics are fine, by the way, I think everything else will just...come. It always does. I like conversation too. I'm emotional and empathetic if the time calls for it. I have my own code I follow, and I don't like it when people try to make me break it. It never goes well."

"So we have an understanding." Hiei folded his arms, "Yusuke's going to have a field day with this."

~*~

The city hadn't changed a bit since the last time Yusuke came in, and the rooms that Yomi had in his palace was just as lavish, spare, and stylish as ever. He and Kurama sat on the ends of the table, Yusuke leaned back on his hands. It didn't matter to Yusuke that Yomi was going to keep them waiting. He might be impatient as fuck, but...Yomi had his own matters to attend to and running a Kingdom no matter what was hard. "You know, I just realized. Do you have other friends around here?" He turned to Kurama curiously.

"Friends? In Yomi's city?" Kurama asked, just to clarify, eyebrows raising up a bit at the question.

"No, I mean in general. Makai. Other places you can think of that we can build treaties off of. Though if you do have friends in Yomi's city, you certainly aren't stopping to say hello." Yusuke answered.

Kurama put his tea down, cradling it still in his hands. 'There is someone I've been thinking about since the Netherworld Incident." He admitted, staring into the colored liquid, at his reflection. "I don't think you ever saw his face, but I remember you were shocked to see me so injured. Hiei saw him. His name is Kuronue. A demon of disguise took his form, but it made me wonder if he really is alive, or if they killed him to get his appearance. It's not always necessary, but sometimes they do it instead of just touch like Mitsunari did to Kuwabara."

Yusuke frowned, "He someone from your thieving days?"

"Yes...yes he is. He was the catalyst to me becoming a horrible monster before I was severely injured and fused with this body. I'm over three thousand years old. So is he. We were trained and practically grew up together since we were very young...Kuronue is five years older than me. I was nine and he was fourteen." Kurama smiled wistfully.

"Inseparable too." The doors opened and Yomi walked in alongside with his son. He smiled faintly as he sat down across from them. "The three of them were practically attached to each other's hip. Depending on what was going on, you'd always see at least a pair running around."

"Three? We were just talking about a guy named Kuronue." Yusuke blinked slowly.

Kurama visibly winced.

"You didn't mention Shi-chan, Kurama?" Yomi tilted his head curiously. "...I suppose you wouldn't."

"You have a girl." Yusuke deadpanned. "All this time, you had a /girl/. No /wonder/ you turned down all of the others when they asked you out."

"Not after what I did. What I said." Kurama agreed to Yomi. Then he sighed as Yusuke's comments. "They're also human, and naive. Kuwabara's Kerica was a surprising exception, but even you had to spend time as a ghost first before you really accepted things. No one...no human would've been able to handle the things we do, are doing. Kuwabara didn't even join us for the fight."

Yomi chuckled softly, "I've heard plenty about your friend. No matter how human he is, he certainly went through a lot of trials and tribulations to help you on your cases. I heard that he's very vocal about Ningenkai being a good, safe place for demons who don't want to deal with the animosity of this place. Which is understandable. Even demons who live here are usually born in the wrong world. They get killed off faster."

"If there was a time to apologize, now would be that time." Shura told Kurama bluntly. "Whatever happened. You made it right with Father. You can do it again."

"They do." Kurama remembered meeting kind hearted demons through his years who he'd find dead or hear had died later on. "Things have gotten better for demon life as of late. Raizen's friend who was King the last three years made sure of that." He took a sip of his tea. "I wonder if Shika moved on. I would expect it."

"If she did, she'd be pretty dumb." Yusuke said bluntly, causing Yomi to laugh.

"You would have fit in so nicely with our group, Yusuke." Yomi said fondly. "Though I'm sure your stealth abilities aren't to be admired."

"I think you guys wouldn't know if I should be slaughtered or not." Yusuke shrugged, "I'm a pretty decent pickpocket, but that's from years of practice. I'm not really on par with Kurama's skill. I'm not exactly the stealthy type of guy."

"Slight of hand doesn't always have to deal with stealth." Kurama smiled fondly. Then he looked at Yomi sadly, "Would Shika accept me back, if she hasn't moved on? I expect so many things, but I don't expect her to forgive me. Then again, I never thought you would."

"I understood where you were coming from, once I cooled my head and learned how to deal with my new disability. It's when you lose something that you take for granted do you realize." Yomi shook his head and his smile gently faded. "You think so lowly of her, when you used to think her highly. You were talking about people you might want to reach out to. Besides the Assassin's Guild, I'd suggest going back to your village and making a connection with them as well. You will find you find more friends Underground than you do in polite society. This is merely facades. I know that Mukuro already reached out to her. I'm going to guess from the change of aura, her demands were unreasonable, as usual."

"Funny you mention the Assassin's Guild, Hiei's already there." Yusuke said slowly. "And you're not wrong about Mukuro's demands."

"She wanted possession of part of our territories, the destruction of the Assassin's Guild, and she wants to keep Hiei. She hasn't let go that he shot her down." Kurama grimaced, "Hiei already said he wants to focus on Yusuke as he gets into the swing of things. I'm really glad we have you, as well. You can give him a lot more advice to start us off and I can keep things afloat."

"I wouldn't doubt that Hiei told Hisa-chan everything that's going on too regarding Mukuro's treaty. You might want to prepare for her bringing people into your home." He turned to Yusuke. "The Assassin's Guild was once a long time ago used to be called the Assassin's Order. They were wielded /primarily/ by a family before your father's. They have a strict code, and a stricter sense of justice. You can be assured that if you were looking for protection, knights, and information gatherers, you hit jackpot if Hiei manages to win them over. Which shouldn't be hard. If Hisa-chan wasn't taken by your fighting prowess, your family line would be next."

"Why would Mukuro want them gone if they're so easy to get on your side?" Yusuke asked slowly.

"It's because they have no sides. Basically, they were an ace in the hole for each and every King." Yomi folded his arms. "It's only by mutual agreement none of us decided to use them at all. We wanted to fight on our own terms, and using a dirty method like the Assassin's Guild wasn't a good one. Of course, you're not the first one who reached out the Guild to ask for a permanent treaty. But Mukuro had nothing to offer them."

"What about you? Your offer?" Yusuke questioned.

"And risk getting slapped by Hisa-chan? No." Yomi shook his head. "While I do have more to offer the Assassin Guild, I have no need for them. I wouldn't insult them by keeping them grounded."

"We will get to associate with them, anyway, through you. If Hiei's bringing people from their place in the mountains, they will need to build another village. The ravines would be perfect for that. Meanwhile we will install tech, and perhaps a stairwell along your main pillar." Shura tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well said," Yomi said, ruffling Shura's hair.

Kurama smiled as Shura brightened and straightened at his father's praise. "We have a lot to do. We also wanted to see what your ideas were in pacifying Mukuro in the meantime while we work on things."

"Offer her a territory that's inconsequential to you." Yomi said after a moment, "But don't give up Hiei if you can help it. If she's that adamant about having him on her side, then demand military support if she won't give in. Though, you might not need to worry too much about that considering that we also have fighters on our end and you have the Guild on yours. Having too much firepower on your hands and not enough livable and welcoming spaces aren't exactly going to bring people in. I'd also suggest that you visit the territories first /before/ you give them to Mukuro. Find out what they have, don't have and the type of people. Ask them themselves if you must what they think about having someone in their territory. Gauge their reaction. That way if you don't have an unoccupied territory, you can warn Mukuro about mutiny. While she is demanding of a territory, and conquering is one of her strong suits, a mob isn't something anyone wants to go up against. Especially since you warned them first."

Yusuke sighed loudly, "I could just punch her in the face or something. That solves a bunch of issues."

Yomi huffed a laugh. "Politics aren't everyone's strong suit. I know it's certainly not yours, which is why you're letting Kurama do all the talking."

"I'll think of places we can go, send her a return letter letting her know we're reviewing them." Kurama tapped his chin. "I don't know how many you have or where they're all located. It's no doubt buried somewhere in that office. I haven't completely cleaned and organized it, it's only been three days."

"Three days and you're already working on treaties and what not." Yomi nodded, impressed. "That's good. It means that the demons can't say you're not taking this seriously and go against you. That's a good establishment on its own, I don't think you'll have a riot on your hands yet so you do have some time before someone gets a bright idea. Though it might take longer. You do have a lot of demon's admiration."

"At least you're a ray of sunshine." Yusuke sighed, "I'll hold on to that hope, but I won't get comfortable yet."

()

Kurama was absolutely shocked. Hiei brought way more people back than he expected. Three adults, one he recognized as Hisako, the other two he had no idea about. Also three children, two looked to be twelve, the other only ten. He reacted to Hisako first, walking over to her quickly, and resisted the urge to snatch her up, "Hisa-chan! You're the leader?! So Jiro passed on?"

Hisako beamed happily and before anyone could say anything, she hugged him tightly. "Kurama! Long time no see!" She let him go with smile. "Jiro did. It's been a year now. But I'm doing alright." She gestured to the group. "I found Takei! Well, Hiei found him, but it all works out now. I also have Tiki with me." She pointed at the youngest. "My two favorites, Arata and Hina, and then I got a Haru."

"Look at Mr. Popular." Yusuke teased, his eyes glinting. "How did you manage to charm them into coming here, Hiei?"

"A Haru. /A Haru/. What am I? A /pet/?" Haru scoffed in mock offence.

"At least you're a pet and not a traitor that could be hung?" Takei offered his consolation.

"My god, Takei, you lost your humor in self-imposed exile." Kurama stared at the boy, but he came over and clapped him on the shoulder, "Welcome back."

"Thank you Kurama." Takei's cheeks flushed. "It's nice to see you again too. It's still a little jarring seeing you in human form. Your hair is so freaking vibrant."

"As you can see, all these people followed Hisako." Hiei told Yusuke. "Arata and Hina are Hisako's personal guard. Tiki is technically a part of that, but he is more of a tracker. Apparently Takei is good at fishing so hunting runs in that family."

"I know it is. I have yet to understand why. Neither human parent had red hair, and I of course had white hair as Youko." Kurama shrugged just a bit, "I soul jumped, if you weren't aware."

"Wait, that's possible?" Takei turned to Hisako with a shocked expression. "But the research we did for fun about that...." he turned back to Kurama. "That was really risky. Your resolve has to be really strong and action-oriented so you're not a fixated ghost." He shook his head. "You're absolutely bonkers. No wonder you get along with King Urameshi."

"Oi, right here." Yusuke deadpanned and turned to Hiei. "So, we got a few hunters, a few protectors...what exactly is ren-fair going to do for me?"

"Hisako can answer for herself." Hiei shrugged, and then jabbed his thumb towards Haru, "She's not an assassin, but a Bodyguard."

"I can speak for myself, too! Everyone else is just talking to fast to get a word in edgewise!" Haru huffed.

"Only unless I need to go back into my village. Then I'll high-five Torga and he takes my spot. Tiki always comes with me though, but everyone else will stay behind unless I need one of them with me." Hisako said smoothly and turned to Haru. "Then talk woman."

"I thought she was your pet." Yusuke teased.

"Sometimes I wonder."

"No love for Haru." Takei patted Haru's shoulder.

Haru shoved Takei but rolled her eyes, looking right at Yusuke. "At this point, who hasn't heard of you? You look pretty bitchin' up close and personal, though. Haru Minori. Hanyou like you, and like Hiei said, a Bodyguard."

"A Hanyou?" Hiei and Kurama echoed. "I didn't know that part." Hiei admitted. "You like to have things be surprises, don't you?" He drawled.

Haru smirked, "I do."

Which was why she didn't mention she was a Quest class, either. Hiei shook his head but didn't say anything.

"It makes for interesting parties." Hisako bit her lower lip. "On par with Kuro-kun's."

"Good god..." Takei looked torn between relieved and horrified. "So glad I wasn't around for any of those."

Kurama's entire demeanor shifted and he paled. "Kuro was especially rowdy when he had fruit, being a fruit bat." He added, voice weak.

"You had no idea he was alive, did you?" Hina finally piped up, giving Kurama an unimpressed raise of her brow ridge. Being a purple reptile demon, she didn't have hair or eyebrows.

"Funny we were just talking about them." Yusuke mused. "So is Shika still sore at Kurama after all this time to while we're at it?"

Kurama gave Yusuke a sour look but still looked at Hisako for her answer.

"Hmmm." Hisako tapped her finger to her chin, "I wouldn't say sore. You should take a look at the village though if you really want an answer. I think seeing's believing." She turned to Hiei. "Actions speak louder than words right?"

Hiei eyed her a moment before he humphed with a small smirk, "Indeed they do."

"So, yeah, is there food? It's almost dinner and there may have been portals but we had to do a lot of packing." Haru broke the silence that ensued.

"If you show me the kitchen I can cook something." Tiki offered immediately.

"Tiki's a better cook than me," Takei nudged his brother fondly. "So you might as well take up his offer. Haru will just burn stuff."

"Haru will just beg me to do it." Hisako retorted.

Haru didn't rebuke any of it, "If it fits on a sandwich or it's coffee I can make it."

Yusuke snorted and then turned to Tiki. "Since you offered little guy. I guess we'll take you up on it. I don't think sandwiches are going to fly with how much running around all of you did."

Tiki nodded solemnly. "I gotcha."

~

This wasn't a household that converged for dinner. Kurama showed everyone around while Tiki made dinner and once everyone had their own rooms, they took their food and went to unpack. Takei and Tiki shared a room on a the floor above. Arata and Hina shared a room next to Hisako's on the second floor. Hisako had picked a room close to Hiei's, which surprised him. Haru was the only one who actually sat out in the living area with her food, poking the fireplace alive for the evening. She hadn't picked a room, her bags behind the couch. Yusuke liked eating outside, so he probably didn't know.

So Kurama made his way up the stairs once he finished eating Tiki's food, which was pretty good, and knocked on Hisako's door, "Am I disrupting?" he asked through the wood.

Hisako opened the door. Instead of wearing something outlandish like she did that evening, she wore a gentle pastel blue and white yukata. Her hair was already tied up in a loose braid with a playful purple hairtie. "You're good." She told him, leaning against the doorway. "Come in." She held the door open for him to enter.

"You look ready for a date." Kurama blinked at her but he stepped through into the room she'd chosen, "You made short work making this place your own. First thing you unpack; your ritual stuff."

"Well. I was getting tired of sitting in a corset, so I decided to wear something a little more breathable." She smiled over at the little alter and a few of her affects to go with that. "I feel more exhausted than I do when I go on a date, honestly. Though I'll take the compliment where I can. It's been forever since I last seen you. I still can't believe I'm talking to you."

"There is so much we need to catch up on, and it seems you at least have been keeping in contact with Kuronue and Shika a lot better. I didn't even look, and I feel ashamed for that." Kurama took a seat at the desk while she sat on her bed.

"Kuronue I found out by accident." Hisako said after a moment of thought, "I was really out of the loop. I assumed he was dead, much like you. But Shika saved his little boy from a fire and...well...once that rumor got ahold of me, I started dropping in. I didn't talk at first. I just waited till I was noticed and then ran away. Naia didn't do anything about it, and Kuro. Well. I think he figured it out after his kid called me an imaginary friend or something like that." She watched Kurama. "Shika on the other hand, I did keep in contact with a lot more."

Kurama felt his throat tighten. Kuronue had a child, a son, and what sounded like a mate. "How old is his son now?" His voice was thick with emotion and ran his hand over his face.

"About twenty one." Hisako said gently. "Old enough to have a mate himself honestly. He's a good kid. A Water Priest. He has a talent for healing like his mother. He looks a lot like Kuro sides the eyes."

Kurama's breath hitched. It was so easy to imagine a spitting, much boyish version of Kuronue, "That's...I really, really should see him again, and Shika. This life is full of righting wrongs that I've made. I fixed my relationship with Yomi, might as well keep going. I have to ask...how you feel."

"How I..." Hisako blinked slowly and then smiled, "You always did treat me like one of you, even when I really wasn't. You let me stay in the village even though you knew I'd go back home and you had people questioning that. I remember thinking that the pressure would get to be too much and you'd finally tell me the village will move and I won't know where to find you guys. But you never did. You were a second safe spot. Not a lot of us get that, no matter the profession or way of life we have." She paused. "I was so angry when you let yourself go. I understood you were grieving. I know I lashed out too, when Takei disappeared after I got critically wounded, but you were always...you had a level head. I knew you'd be sad, but...I hadn't expected the fall. I hadn't expected you to turn cold, and ruthless. I mean, you had a mean streak but it...it wasn't a streak anymore. It was /you/. Shika was so scared and I was worried. I remember that you two got into a fight. I know Shika told you that she wouldn't hesitate to pick the village over you and kill you if you endangered them and I knew that hurt you. I don't know exactly what you said back, I just know Shika's side and she didn't tell me that part." She shrugged. "But I did get over it. I saw you fight in the Tournament, I heard about your accomplishments. I stalked you a bit in Ningenkai."

She shrugged, "But seeing a few moments, isn't...talking to you. But I know Shika was prouder than hell of you. And talking to you now, I feel like you changed for the better. Ningenkai really /was/ good for you."

"No surprises though, considering that he's a spirit type." Hisako smiled brightly. "He certainly knows how to get people together. The Makai Tournament was incredible. It was a wonderful idea. I feel bad that it just...didn't work out in the end. That Queen destroyed everything he worked for and now he has to build it back up again."

"Not everything was destroyed. I just have to find a way to pull all the threads back together after they frayed. A new person in power is always jarring, you have to prove yourself worthy to handle the job, and then things will settle." Kurama assured, "Yomi helped a lot today. I simply have to put it into action. Do you know...if Shika would join me? Not just...come back to me, but help me with diplomacy? You say I should see the village, but I can remember that fierceness when she threatened me. She was dead serious and I wasn't about to cross her. That's leader material."

"You always had a healthy respect and fear for her." Hisako said lightly, but her eyes softened. "She saw the same changes I did. She rooted for you all the way. If you asked her, she'd follow you, just like she promised you when she took your mark."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she has to take it again." Kurama sighed. "I can transform into Youko, but I am an entirely new and different person. I want her to know me as I am, not as I was." He ran his hand through his hair, "I want to see her...so badly. I want to apologize even though she will no doubt tell me I don't need to. I really do. Would tomorrow be too fast? Am I too eager?"

Hisako decided now was a better time than any, "if you want to see what fast and eager looks like, I accidentally bonded myself to Hiei because I was trying to get him out of Mukuro's grasp. So you wanting to see Shika tomorrow isn't really fast or eager at all. I'm sure she'd be happy you wanted to see her."

"I thought your comment about actions speaking louder than words seemed strange." Kurama still stared at her, "That isn't an accident. Things happen for a reason; that I do believe. I think I should take you, Yusuke, Hiei, and Haru along. Hokushin and Takei can take care of the little ones, but I am prepared for a celebration."

Hisako smiled sympathetically. A celebration at the Thieves' Village was always something big and loud. There was never a "small" celebration. Someone's birthday? Big celebration. Someone's mating? Big celebration. It was never a quiet affair and she knew that Kurama's return was going to be /huge/. "I wouldn't call Arata and Hina "little" considering they're blues." She teased him. "But you're right about leaving them behind. Not many should know where Shika's village is located at. Hopefully we get there without too much problems, though I probably just jinxed us. Sorry in advance."