**Note** Hey everyone I'm back from the dead! I'm so sorry for taking so long, but life happens and even though it does please be rest assured that I will continue writing. I feel terrible for making you wait so long, I really do. I would like to also let you know that I've fiddled with the time frame a bit for this part of the story, I know it takes longer for things to get sorted out in the show but I'm tweaking it to fit my fanfic a bit more :) I would also like to inform you that this is another chapter that will be in two parts, and the second part is halfway finished so I hope to get that out soon! To those who have stuck around for this long, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! I really do appreciate it, and I do look forward to reading the comments you all post. I'd also like to assure you that this story continues past the end of the Three Kings saga. Thank you for sticking around, and if there are any new readers out there, welcome! Enjoy the chapter!**

A groan escaped my lips, oh mother! My head feels like it's going to split open, and the only relief, even as tiny as it is, is the cold surface my cheek is resting on. Even with my eyes closed I could tell I was placed, or more than likely thrown, into a small room of some sort. After living most of my earlier years in my bedroom, I could tell when there were four walls that weren't so far apart. However this place makes me picture in my mind an image of a prison cell, or a holding room. As I attempt to sit up, my bones crack and my muscles cried out in protest, and I let out another groan. What happened? When I opened my eyes it was like staring through a thinly stretched piece of cotton, my vision is that cloudy. It took a few tries to sit up and a couple of wipes to clear my vision. With my sight restored I could now clearly observe the room I've been placed in, and oh yeah, I'm in a small room alright. The comparison to a holding cell hadn't been all that far off; there's a large and more than likely two way mirror built into one wall, there's a lone chair over in a corner, and pressed up against the wall behind me is a single sized bed. Let's be honest, this place is giving off a laboratory vibe with how everything is made of a deep grey coloured metal, and how the walls, floor and ceiling are all the same light grey colour. The only object I can see that isn't metal or grey, are the bed covers; those were white. Oh and then the massively imposing mirror, by the way I have the unshakeable urge to flip off… I have a hunch my captor is behind there, and I want to show them my disapproval of me being here, so naturally flipping them the bird seems accurate.

Finally able to sit up I try to remember the events prior to now, and frustratingly come up with nothing, zip, zilch, nadda… great. Dragging my hands down my face I let out another groan; why does this crap have to happen to me? Okay Faith, don't wallow about, let's just take a deep breath and look around to assess the amount of trouble we're in. Well… there's a bed, the one my captors could have placed me on instead of the cold floor a foot away from it, a mirror, oh and a door. The door is highly likely to be locked, but hey lets try our luck anyway, because for once it might go my way and be unlocked. I tried my best to stand, but I'm so weak that my legs feel like jello and can't support me, after falling back down to the ground for the second time, I settled for crawling over to the door. With very little hope I grasped the handle and gave it a turn… the wrong way at first, corrected myself and tried again only to find that the door is indeed locked. Called it. Well there was no harm in trying, I was hoping someone would either forgetful, or perhaps even stupid enough not to lock it on their way out. Is it too much to ask to be kept as a prisoner in a candy house? At least then I could eat my way out to freedom, although I'd be risking becoming diabetic, or just get really fat and on a massive sugar high, but it would be worth it to escape. Disheartened I moved back over to the bed and sat down. So how long am I supposed to wait here for my captor to show themselves? I'm beginning to lose my patience.

"Listen here asshole, I'm done waiting around! So either you show yourself now or I'm going to start busting up the place until you do decide to introduce yourself!" I haughtily call out into the open space to whoever is listening.

A faint chuckle sounded from just outside the door, and I think I know who's behind all of this…

The door clicked as it became unlocked and is pushed open to reveal exactly who I expected it to be.

"You're certainly a feisty one, aren't you?" he said with a smile as his body filled out the space of the doorframe.

I sighed while beginning to feel irritated.

"Hello Yomi."

Yomi tilted his head to the side while appearing to be amused. "I'm surprised you know of me."

I raised an eyebrow in a mocking manner. "Are you really?"

He straightened to his full height and entered the room while shrugging his shoulders. "Not really. I've heard of your talent and I must say I'm not disappointed."

I sigh. "Of course you have."

Seeing as how it's Yomi that ordered for my capture and that can only mean one thing.

"So you're trying to lure Kurama here by abducting me."

We might as well get straight to the point.

"Clever girl," his tone highlighted with what sounds like mockery.

Exasperated over the entire ordeal, I throw my hands up as my mind finally recalled the events that lead to my capture.

"You could have tried asking me to come along, rather than breaking into my home and attacking me."

Yomi laughed and appeared highly amused. "And you would have willingly complied?"

Touché.

Quietly I grumble at how stupid I just made myself look. "Okay maybe not, but it could've been handled differently."

The imagery of Styxx being thrown at the wall flashed before my eyes, and my blood boiled; my poor baby boy for all I know he could be dead.

"If anything happened to any of my cats because of those bastards you sent to get me, I swear I'm going to go complete Rambo on your ass Yomi!"

That's right Faith, threaten Yomi and see where that gets you.

Luckily for me, or at least I hope, Yomi beamed a white toothed smile at me before laughing whole heartedly.

"I must admit I'm not familiar with your threat references, but I can see why Kurama likes you. In fact, I'm starting to like you myself. Not many are brave enough to openly threaten me like you just did, but that only shows just how much you care for… your cats?"

"Yes, my cats. They're my family, and that may seem foolish to you, but not to me. And I'm serious Yomi, they better not have been harmed."

Yomi continued to smile as he walked up and stood in front of me. "I'm beginning to like you more and more."

A shiver ran down my spine at his words; I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not… we'll have to wait and see how this will play out. Gently I rubbed my hands down my arms, in an attempt to rid myself of the awkward and chilling shivers.

However nothing goes unnoticed with Yomi and his extra tuned senses.

"Cold? Or am I unnerving you?" he knowingly smiled at me.

Well I might as well be honest; he'll probably be able to tell if I were to lie.

"I'm a bit uncomfortable given the situation and how I was brought here. You have to agree that it's not exactly the best way of going about things."

At that point my stomach decided that now would be the ideal time to remind me that I haven't eaten in… I actually don't know how long I've been out for.

"Hungry?" Yomi asked with a teasing smile.

I made a face. "Yes. But I'm not too keen on eating the type of food you favor."

Yomi's laughter rang off the walls of this small room. "You really do surprise me with your knowledge. I find it amusing. Why don't you tell me what else you know? I'm very curious."

"Sorry, but I can't."

My stomach growls again, but this time louder and angrier sounding. It sounds like a beast roaring to be fed, and of course this is all happening in front of Yomi and he's finding this particularly entertaining.

"Are you positive you don't want a bite to eat? I'm sure we can find something to your liking. There's no sense in starving yourself; you haven't had any kind of nourishment in three days."

Immediately I became shocked and forgot about my hunger at hearing I've been here for three days.

"Three days!?" I exclaim in utter disbelief.

My blind companion, or I should say host, became almost apologetic looking.

"Yes. The servants I sent to collect you were only to use one shot of the serum… not two," upon feeling my not too pleasant air, Yomi continued, "don't worry I've taken the liberty of punishing them myself."

A wave of reality crashed into me like a tsunami; this is Yomi standing in front of me in flesh and blood, when he said he punished the ones who came for me, I dread what he's done. Whatever he decided to do as punishment, it can't be good. Yomi doesn't take things lightly; look at what he's done to the one who blinded him, and who knows what else while working his way up to the top alongside Mukuro and Raizen.

Before I could stop myself, I found myself trying to ask the question that is at the forefront of my mind.

"Are they…" yet I couldn't bring myself to finish asking it.

Yomi leaned forward slightly. "Are you asking if they're dead?" he then straightened his posture and began to pace around the room slowly, methodically.

He's like a predator that's sizing up its prey, and I do not like it; another shiver ripples down through me as I continue to watch him.

"Are they or did you treat them kindly like you have with the one who stole your sight?"

Aw shit, I probably said too much. Good job Faith! I'm such a dumbass that doesn't stop to think about what's going to be coming out of my mouth.

Immediately Yomi stopped pacing, and all of the teasing and friendliness ceased. His brows furrowed as he turned to face me once more.

"How do you know of him?" his tone of voice left no chance of avoiding the subject.

Quietly I swallowed down the lump in my throat and answered.

"Well if you have heard of me, then you should know how I know certain things."

Yomi's brows sunk at little bit lower. "Your visions."

"Yes…"

More like I've seen what you've done, back when all of this was nothing more than an anime show I loved to watch.

In a second flat Yomi moved to stand directly in front of me, we stood just a few inches apart, and I had to tilt my head back to be able to see his face.

"Do you know anything else about me?"

What all should I tell him?

"I know you have a history with Yoko Kurama, and that you're on the same power level as Mukuro and Raizen."

Hopefully that wasn't too much of a giveaway.

A smile replaced the frown he had. "It seems you know a fair bit about me. Perhaps while we wait for our mutual friend, I'll have the privilege of discovering more about you during your stay here," Yomi sharply pivoted and headed for the door, "Now come, you should get some food in your stomach before you keel over."

Well that doesn't sound like there's much room for discussion on that matter. Though I suppose he is used to everyone obeying his every whim; I guess that comes with the territory of being so high on the power scale. The more I think about the situation that I'm in, the more I begin to wonder why I'm actually here; Yomi doesn't need me if he's still planning to use his threat of harming Shiori to entice Kurama to help him. So why am I here?

"Yomi… why am I here? There's no need for me to be here."

His ears twitched slightly, and without turning around he answered.

"You're here, because Kurama holds you with a higher regard than anyone else. You hold a special place with my dear old friend, one the likes I've never seen him have before. I've known him for centuries and he's never favored anyone like he does you. Once I discovered this fact, I knew having you here will undoubtedly persuade him to come when I called for him."

I hold a special place with Kurama?

I hate the feeling of being used.

"Now come, you need food."

The temptation of silently, and mockingly repeating his words like a child would, proved to be too great and I couldn't resist. Silently I repeated his last words and rolled my eyes; why would he care if I ate or not.

Yomi stopped just at the door and looked back over his shoulder at me. "That's rather childish, don't you think Faith?"

I became dumbfounded… he saw that?

"That's creepy Yomi." I stated before walking up to him.

Not missing a beat Yomi opened the door and said to me. "Not as creepy as a young woman who's had visions of you. I'm both intrigued and apprehensive about what you might have seen."

I raised my brow in a teasing manner. "You find me creepy?"

"All young females are."

I tried not to laugh as we entered into a hallway lined with doors and large windows, everything out here is the same color as it was in the room; it's all cold and sterile feeling.

"It sounds to me like you may have a phobia of the female gender."

Yomi laughed full heartedly.

"Don't worry Faith; I have my fill of carnal pleasures with females."

"Trust me Yomi, I wasn't worrying. Nor do I need to know about your sexual habits."

As we walked he smirked while 'looking' straight ahead. "Much like Yoko in the past, I can snap my fingers and have a harem of women at my disposal."

It was like I had been sucker punched in the gut at his words.

A harem?

There was a bang in my heart at the news. I knew he had been with others, but an entire harem? My heart sinks at the thought and I become quiet, all former teasing and lightheartedness vanished.

Nothing gets past Yomi.

"Your aura has changed dramatically. Has what I shared with you about Kurama, upset you?"

I didn't answer; I don't want to willingly give anything away, just in case Yomi seizes the opportunity to use it against me. Unfortunately for me however, Yomi didn't want to drop the subject just yet.

"You must have known he's been active with others, given how old he is."

Yes I know that, I just don't like the idea of him being with others. Because I'm in love with him, but he doesn't know it yet and also there's the little matter of me being a bit jealous.

"I never thought he'd have his own harem…" my voice faded as I took on a more quiet air.

Still Yomi took no mercy on my poor little naïve heart.

"Back in the day he was very sought after. I'd imagine that's not far off the mark these days."

Yomi if you keep going, I'm going to throat punch you.

Jealousy; known as the green eyed demon, slowly starts to show itself by baring its venomous claws. Along with it, jealousy conjured up an image of Maya… like I need to be reminded of her at a time like this. Nonetheless my mind flashed images of how clingy she had been with Kurama, and it made me grit my teeth together as a bad taste formed in my mouth, boy do I want to rip out locks of her hair. After quietly stewing about Maya, I brought my attention back to the tall powerful demon who is currently escorting me to where I can get food, I found Yomi looking down at me with a knowing smile. Stubbornly I look away and pray he doesn't ask me anymore questions about how I feel.

Without saying a word to me, Yomi walked ahead a few paces and stopped in front of a door, and rested his hand on a blue coloured button that is built into the wall panel beside the door. He waited until I drew closer before pressing the button, when he did, the doors slid open and he strode through the now open door like he owned the place. Well I guess he technically does own it… he is the ruler of this territory after all. I hurried after Yomi before the doors could close on me, and I just made it into the room before the door slid closed behind me. So this is his dinning hall, there's rows of tables adorned with dark blue runners and dinnerware, golden chandeliers, more grey metal walls, a few windows, and at the far end of the room is a platform. On the platform sits a single table decorated with a colourful runner, golden goblets and other dinnerware, and tucked neatly behind the table is a very throne looking chair… that set up must be for Yomi. This doesn't surprise me much; after all Yomi used to be a thief, so I can imagine he likes the finer things and aims to get what he wants. However what does surprise me is that with all of these other tables it hints that everyone must eat together, and I've always pictured Yomi being a more solitary eater, like he'd eat his meals in either his chambers or study. Upon entering the hall, the servants at the back of the room behind the platform, all immediately bowed low to Yomi. I hadn't noticed the servants during my initial glance about the room, oddly enough now that I'm able to examine them better; the servants are all female and dressed to blend in with the room. Talk about not wanting to see the help while dinning… that doesn't sit well with me, I mean if you don't want to see them why not have them leave the room? Why have them dressed to blend in with the walls? I really want to say something about this, but for now I'll quietly observe and then give Yomi my opinion on his servant dress code.

"Welcome back Lord Yomi. Do you wish to have your meal now?" a woman to the left of his throne inquired.

The woman appeared almost human, if it weren't for her mercury coloured eyes. She's tall with a slim build, and wore a tight fitting dress that matched the colour of the walls… even her long hair matched the wall colour. The other servants wore identical dresses and even had matching hair! Literally the same metallic grey colour of the dining hall, if they weren't standing in front of a window or table to disrupt the background, they would literally blend in with the walls and the only thing to stand out is their skin tones and eyes.

Yomi dismissively waved his hand. "Not now. However I want you to prepare something for my special guest. She's a human, so prepare something for her tastes."

Well that's a nice way of slipping the fact that I'm a human in there.

Hearing that a human is Yomi's 'special guest' made the identical servants stare at me in bewilderment. I have a hunch that humans aren't normally guests around here… prisoners or cattle would probably be more likely used in terms of humans around here.

Yomi directed his attention to the servants and continued in an authoritative tone. "Now. My guest hasn't eaten in a few days."

To help prove his statement, my stomach decided that now would be the most appropriate moment to let out a loud grumble. The monster that is my stomach is slowly building to the 'Hulk Smash' level of angry hunger. In an attempt to quiet the monster, I rubbed at my stomach as my face flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes Lord Yomi, at once."

In a flurry of metallic hair, and fabric, the women left us and vanished through a door to the far left of the room. The women have just left and just as the door they left through closed, the one Yomi and I had entered through opened and in stepped a newcomer. It's a male demon, though I do not know the race he belongs to, he's close to being seven feet tall, and has two long black horns protruding from his brown layered hair that looks tousled as if he just crawled out of bed. The man wore pristine white flowing pants and a matching white button up long sleeved shirt that he left completely undone, revealing his perfectly sculpted torso, complete with a well defined six pack of abs. As I took in his laid back, nonchalant air he had about him, I noticed a flicker of movement behind him, and shortly after discovered he had a long devil like tail that would softly flick every so often. The man caught me staring at him and grinned at me, soon to be followed by a flawless white toothed slightly cocky smile.

With a gait full of confidence the man walked over to where Yomi and I currently stood. "Who's your new friend Lord Yomi?" he paused to lean forward and took a light sniff of the air in front of me, "she smells delectable."

Do I really smell that good?

When the demon in my living room made the same comment, it sent chills down my spine, but when this guy says it… it kind of feels like a compliment.

"Ah Kage, just the demon I wanted to see. This here is Faith, she'll be staying with us for a while and is a guest of mine. She is to be treated well. Spread the word to the others that no one is to touch her."

The demon now I know as Kage, nodded in understanding before he took a step closer and gently grabbed my hand, and placed a light kiss on the back of it. After he laid the kiss to my hand he stepped back and addressed his Lord.

"It will be done. But seeing as how she is your guest, shall I set up a dinner setting for her next to your seat or will she be dinning down here with the rest of us?"

I glance up at Yomi and watched as he nodded in approval. "That is a good idea Kage, do this before you leave to tell the others about Faith."

Kage nodded and bowed. "As you wish."

Without another word Kage left our company and began the task of assembling a spot for me to dine. Kage cleared a space next to Yomi's throne and placed a small round table next to it, followed by a very plush appearing chair; it could almost be the mate to Yomi's throne chair. Silently I stood and observed the movement in the dining hall; other servants had shown up and went about preparing a placemat and dinnerware for me. It is certain that my opinion of this place has changed since I've arrived; this place is more sophisticated than I thought it would be, given how it's populated by a bunch of human eating demons.

"Is there something on your mind Faith?" Yomi inquired as he turned to face me, his brow raised in curiosity.

I shrugged. "I'm just observing your particular décor tastes."

"I do enjoy luxury, I find what interests me and I take it. I've been doing it for years; it's what drew Yoko and I together many centuries ago."

Is that so? Maybe I should take this opportunity and learn a little bit more about Yoko.

"Really? What else would you like to share about yours and Yoko's past?"

Again Yomi smiled as he directed himself in my direction. "Now Faith, you wouldn't be trying to use our friendly banter as a way to discover more about our mutual friend. Are you?"

Damn it! I'm not very good at weaseling out information from people!

Shyly I looked away. "Maybe…"

Yomi chuckled at my response. "You'll learn all you want to know in due time. You must also be prepared to hear things you may not want to discover."

My mouth was faster than my brain.

"Oh, you mean like the harems, and possible orgies you both had?"

For the umpteenth time today, Yomi let out a booming laugh, this one is layered with a hint of mockery.

"You must have deep feelings for him, if you're still strung up about him once having a harem."

Oh if only I could smack you or stomp on your toes Yomi, I'm sure that would be enough of an answer for you. In spite of trying to show respect because of who he is, I remain silent and picture the wonderful imagery of childlike retaliation. Luckily for me he dropped the subject that has been bugging me as of late, and he himself became silent. I hate that I'm so jealous of something that happened literally hundreds of years ago, how shallow can I get? Or am I just afraid of not living up to expectations… even though I'm technically not an item with Kurama.

"Come Faith, let us sit and get to know one another better, while you have something to eat."

Yomi didn't wait for an answer and made his way down a row of tables to his seat. Obediently I followed after my host and sat down in the chair that had been brought in especially for me. It wasn't long after I took my seat, that one of the women from earlier placed a large platter of food down in front of me. There is a variety of different food on this platter, and from what I can see they all have one thing in common, there's no meat. Do they think all humans are vegetarians? Or is human the only meat they eat here?

"Um, thank you." At least I remember my manners.

Yomi 'watched' as I examined my food, some of these vegetables look like ones from back home in the Human World, which is kind of surprising.

"Is there something wrong with the food?"

Casually I picked up a piece that I'm pretty confident is lettuce, and let it just dangle in the air from my fork.

"No… it's just… do you guys think we're like rabbits? We do eat meat you know."

Yomi must have found my little rant amusing; he chuckled as he turned in his seat to face me a bit better.

"Although a rabbit is a cute comparison for you, I am however aware that humans do eat meat. I just assumed you wouldn't want to partake in the kind we mostly enjoy here."

Did he just call me cute?

Well he is correct about not wanting to eat their delicacy… I don't particularly want to try cannibalism.

"Touché." I glance back at the vegetables on my plate, "I didn't think you had vegetables, to be honest."

A look of amusement crept across his face. "We do occasionally eat food other than human meat."

Yeah, yeah.

Unsure if I actually want to try out their food, I timidly poke at some weird purple, round, squishy thing on my plate. What exactly is this thing? It reminds me of a mix between a grape and a pickle? Yeah not sure what it is, but maybe I should give it a try… I won't know if I like it unless I do. Just as I'm about to stick my fork into this new food, I swear to the gods the thing moved on its own. Surprised I pull back my fork and leaned away from the plate; what the hell? Cautiously I scrutinize the plate a bit more; I'm positive that thing had moved. Somewhere off at the far end of the room a door opened, I ignored the impulse to see who has joined us and focused on my weird meal. Using the end of the fork I gently nudged the purple thing, and was immediately dumbfounded when it rolled and hid under a lettuce leaf! It is alive!

"What the heck is that!?" I exclaimed while dropping my fork in surprise.

A soft whimsical laughter filled the room, and when I looked up from the plate I discovered the one laughing, is none other than Kage. Without missing a beat, he casually approached the front of my table, picked up my discarded fork, pierced the strange moving purple thing and effortlessly plopped it into his open mouth. He smiled as he chewed the thing that was just moving on my plate. I'm not entirely sure now I want to try any more of their food.

After swallowing what he had in his mouth, Kage leaned forward over the plate and used the fork to rummage through its contents.

"Is this what they're serving you? Or are you having more being brought out?"

"Uh… this is it I think…"

Good job Faith, wonderful communication skills!

Kage turned to Yomi and addressed him with a tone of utmost respect. "My Lord, this isn't enough food for Faith, and some of the ingredients present in her dish may be poisonous to her. May I properly prepare a meal for your human guest?"

Leisurely Yomi propped his chin on his loosely closed fist and observed Kage. "If you wish, I however was unaware there could be poisonous items in her meal. Tell me Kage how do you know what's dangerous for humans to ingest?"

"Do you not remember? You once had me in charge of feeding our human captives. There were a few times they died prematurely from being poisoned by some of the food we had fed them." Kage explained with a small smile playing on his lips.

During his conversation with Yomi, Kage would periodically glance my way and sent me a charming smile that was sometimes followed by a quick wink. I'm not quite sure what his intentions may be, but I can say that I don't feel threatened by him at all, in fact, I feel a sort of camaraderie with him.

"Ah yes, now I remember," Yomi indicated to the door that the kitchen must be housed behind, "then I entrust Faith's food preparations to you Kage."

Kage nodded to his lord before removing the plate from in front of me. Before he could get to the door, Yomi addressed him one last time.

"Don't forget Kage, if Faith so much as gets a stomach cramp from any of her meals, I will be holding you responsible."

Oh, well no pressure there!

"Isn't that a little bit harsh?"

Once again Yomi turned in his seat to face me and placed his chin in the palm of his hand as rested his elbow on the table to support his upper body. "If you were to become gravely sick, or even die while in my care, how do you suppose Kurama will handle it? I need you alive and healthy for my plan to work."

When he puts it like that, I feel like I'm nothing more than a worm dangling on a hook in the water waiting for something to come take a bite. A quietness falls over me like a veil as I withdraw into myself a bit more; I'm nothing but a means to help Yomi lure Kurama here. There's no need to get any ideas of them actually caring about my wellbeing, because for Yomi I'm just something to help him get what he wants. A tool and nothing more, hell I should be happy that he's even feeding me! I could very well have just been left in that cell of a room until Kurama came. A flash of anger reverberates through me at the thought of being used against someone I care for, well you know what? Fuck you Yomi; I won't let myself be used like this! The first chance I get I'm making a break for it. I'm going to eat what I can to build up my strength and then I'm peacing out of this joint! However a few seconds ago I was so hungry that I could eat a mountain of whatever kind of food, but now… I've lost my appetite. It looks like I'm going to have to force myself to eat something, just so I'm not collapsing from being so weak from hunger when I go to make my move. The heavy silence that's fallen between Yomi and I felt like it's going to go on for forever, that was until the sound of a door opening disrupts it. Kage approached the table with two steaming plates filled with food, food that is still faintly sizzling. The first plate he placed in front of me looks absolutely mouthwatering; it's a lot more appealing than the vegetables. Some type of dark meat has been cut into strips, and has been tossed in a sauce before being placed on a bed of rice. The second plate is an omelet with a sauce drizzled over top, and inside the omelet is some vegetables and thankfully I don't see any purple in those vegetables. How in the world did Kage make these in such a short amount of time? Dang he's talented. With my fork in hand I examined the no longer sizzling meat; what type of meat is this?

"Relax it's not human meat, it's wild boar." Kage clarified with an amused smirk.

I looked up from my dish. "And I'm supposed to take your word for it with blind faith?"

His smile grew. "Human meat is more of a fleshy colour, this is brown."

"You could've burnt it, or slathered it in sauce to disguise it." I paused as I realized I'm using a fork instead of chopsticks, "and why did you supply me with a fork and not some chopsticks?"

Kage's smile grew as he shook his head in amusement. "This is true, but I give you my word that I haven't tried to sneak any human meat into your dish. You don't have to eat it and I won't take offense either. And Lord Yomi is very well informed."

Well that's a nice way of saying he's been spying on me.

Hm… should I try it? I mean I do feel like he's being completely honest with me, but then again anyone could be a very good liar. Maybe I should take the giant leap of faith here and give it a try?

Timidly I take my fork and poke at the meat that does look very tantalizing; slowly I use one of the fork's tines and easily separate a small corner piece off the chunk. Even as I spear the fork into the meat, I'm still unsure if I'm going to actually try to eat it. Everyone's attention is focused on me as I bring the fork up to my nose and lightly sniff at the meat, as if it would be that easy to distinguish if it's human or not. My stomach grumbled as the delicious scent permeated my nose, but sadly I just can't bring myself to eat it.

Still feeling everyone's eyes on me, I use the plate to slide the meat off the tines. "Thank you Kage for making this for me, but I just can't bring myself to try it. I'll eat the rice, but I just can't get past the idea of what this meat could be. Sorry."

I sent Kage an apologetic look, which he waved away. "No worries Faith, like I said I understand and don't take any offense."

"Thank you Kage for making Faith her meal. I hope you are able to enjoy your food Faith." Yomi spoke from his throne which he's been quietly sitting in.

Kage bowed to Yomi before walking around the tables to come and stand by my side, much like a servant would, and it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. After taking a deep breath to help calm my nerves a bit, I began to eat the rice after removing the meat.

"Tell me Faith, how long have you and Kurama been friends for? It must have been for a long time now, if you were to mean this much to him." Yomi randomly asked after he took a sip from his goblet, the goblet I didn't even notice had been filled.

Ha! So the all knowing Yomi, doesn't actually know everything.

Should I be honest or should I attempt to 'pull the wool over his eyes' sort of speak? Telling the truth might be the best thing for me to do; I wouldn't want to get caught in a lie and then have to suffer the consequences of it. But then again I'm hoping to be out of here, tonight if I can find a way out. Then there's also the little tidbit of information regarding where I'm really from, that I don't think would be wise for him to know; there's no telling what he'd do if he were to know I'm from a different universe. I best play my cards right and be cautious in what I tell him.

"Actually, I've been friends with Kurama for only over a year."

That little bit of news surprised my host. Taken aback, Yomi leaned back into his chair and furrowed his brows, making a deep wrinkle form.

"You must have bewitched my old friend well; how else could you mean so much to him in such a short time?"

Bewitched?

Me, bewitch Kurama? My heart fluttered at the idea.

"I really don't think I bewitched anyone. Maybe you've misunderstood something."

Intentionally I place a fork full of rice into my mouth and slowly chewed, I hope this will buy me some time from answering questions about how much I mean to Kurama.

Yomi quirked a brow as a sly smile stretched across his lips. "Perhaps it is you that's misunderstood, or rather, has been blinded to how people feel regarding you."

At Yomi's words I became slightly taken aback; what does he mean I've been blind? I… I don't think I have, have I been missing out on people's feelings for me?

For the rest of the meal I remained silent and thought about a few things. Has there been someone's feeling I've been ignoring, or neglected? No… I don't think I have. Having my mind go around in circles makes me want to rip my hair out! Like what the hell! I'm trying my hardest to recall if someone has given me any subtle hints, but I can't think of anyone… aside from when Kurama played with my hair that one day. Was that a sign? How the heck am I supposed to know, back home people never gave me the time of day or even wanted to interact with me, but now that I'm here I have people trying to steal kisses from me, and play with my hair. I feel so helpless in this kind of situation, because I don't know what to do, do I take the lead or do I sit back and see if someone confesses to me first? Screw you Yomi for saying what you've said.

"Did I strike a chord? You've been silent for some time now." Yomi asked before taking another casual sip from his drink.

"Whether you have or not is none of your business Yomi, and it's not like you've been holding a conversation yourself."

At that point, before Yomi could answer, the doors at the far end of the dinning hall slid open and in a flurry of motion stormed in another demon. This demon I'm able to recognize, he's Yomi's second in command, and he doesn't look happy… then again he's never looked happy.

"Lord Yomi. How can you let such a foul creature sit at your side? She belongs with the rest of the human cattle," he glared directly at me, "In the freezer."

A shiver of terror went down my spine as my blood ran cold.

Kage haughtily strode the few steps it took to reach Shachi and angrily scolded the second in command. "Watch your tongue while addressing Lord Yomi's guest. You're not much of a second in command; you're always challenging Lord Yomi's will, you ungrateful bastard."

The demon snarled. "Be careful what you say to me, you pitiful worm, or I'll send you back to the lower chambers. You remember those don't you?" a vicious gleam shone in his eyes as he mentioned the lower chambers.

For a split second, both fear and panic flashed across Kage's face before it returned to anger. It had been quick, but I'm sure I saw it before his features hardened and he directed his now hate filled eyes at Shachi

"I'll tear you apart if you so much as try."

"ENOUGH!" Yomi's voice boomed and echoed throughout the room.

Oh you've upset the mighty ruler now, watch out Fishface I think he's coming for you, you instigating bastard.

Upon hearing the tone in which Yomi had used, both Kage and Shachi halted their heated exchange of words.

"Who I decide to have as a guest in my territory, is entirely up to me. Now if anyone has any more objections against my will, we can always discuss it later. Though I'm sure you'll come to see things my way very quickly."

The expression Shachi wore clearly shows his annoyance, and just how much he wants to retort. However, he plays it smart and keeps quiet, and of course had to throw some more glares my way, because heck why not? After all I'm only human cattle that's been promoted to special guest of Yomi's, I'm sure that's just sticking in his craw right now.

"Kage take Faith to her new room. I leave her in your care; if she needs anything at all while she stays here, she is to go to you."

Kage casually strolled over to where I sat in my chair and rested his forearm on my shoulder while leaning forward, and delivered a mischievous wink my way.

"Yes my Lord." He playfully wagged his eyebrows.

Gently I pushed his forearm off my shoulder. "You wish buddy."

Kage lightly chuckled while he straightens his posture and runs a hand through his brown tousled hair.

Is it my understanding that my meal is now over with? I received my answer when Kage gently pulled my seat out from the table, and offered me his hand. I guess it is, even though I actually didn't eat much. I think I'll be taking this plate with me since I'm still a bit hungry; who knows how long it'll be before I get another meal? It's better to be safe than sorry, and besides I'll need my energy up for when I make my escape. As I stood, I quickly snatched up my plate of food before the female servant could take it, and that earned me another scorn filled look. Quickly the servant glanced over to her master and became instantly relieved when he signaled to her, with a wave of his hand, that it was okay for me to take the plate. Well I was taking the plate whether it was fine or not. From behind me came the distinct sound of laughter, and I knew immediately, without looking, to know that it's Kage; he must find me amusing by taking the plate. Kage patted me softly on the back and ushered me out of the dining hall, as we passed by people, no one said a word, not 'bye' or even a 'I'll see you later' and I'm slightly surprised by that. I don't know what I had been expecting, but I thought at least Yomi would give me some kind of farewell bidding, but nope, he busied himself with his goblet while Fishface stood and grumbled in front of his ruler. The doors slid closed behind us, leaving Kage and I in a pleasant silence, to which we walked to my new room in.

The hallways were all identical and connected to each other in a sort of maze, how in the Hades do people find their way around this place? Seriously I'm going to need to leave a trail of bread crumbs when I go to leave, so that I don't go down the same hallway again while looking for a way out. We've gone down a few hallways and still neither of us has spoken a word, perhaps I should take advantage of this time to try and get a few more answers to the questions I have rolling around in my head.

Taking my courage in both hands, I flat out ask Kage the one question that has been plaguing my mind. "What exactly happens down in the lower chambers?"

Immediately upon hearing my question, Kage stiffened and a myriad of emotions flashed in his eyes; all of them were not good and seeing the split second of pain that showed itself, it made me instantly regret asking. Me and my stupid mouth, saying things before I can think about the repercussions it might have.

I began to apologize for bringing such a sensitive subject up, but Kage stopped me before I could. "Don't ever go down there on your own, or if someone asks you to accompany them, or whatever the reason. It's not a pleasant place."

"That bad huh?"

Kage shot me a look from the corner of his eye, he tried to appear nonchalant but I could see the affect this topic has on him.

"If being defiled and used is to your liking… then no, it's not bad. But you don't peg me as the type of person who's into that sort of thing."

Hearing what goes on down there, it's revolting! How could Yomi have such a place? Suddenly it dawned on me, how Shachi used the lower chambers as a threat against Kage, and how he knows what goes on down there… it happened to him. Oh god! That's so horrible, my revelation stopped me dead in my tracks and I almost lost my grip on the plate of food I still held.

"It's so horrible… Kage, why did they do that to you?"

An uncontrollable sadness washed over me as he slowly turned around. When he laid his eyes on me, he became taken aback; and nervously scratched the back of his neck, while his tail twitched at his side.

"Faith… you don't need to cry. It happened a long time ago."

To say that Kage is uncomfortable would be an understatement, though I however, was unaware that a tear had escaped from my watery eyes.

"That's no excuse. What happened to you should never have been done."

Kage looked off to the side as he took his hand from his neck and ran it through his dark hair; all the while he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Like I said, it was a long time ago."

"I can see it still has an affect on you. When Fishface asshole threatened you, I could see the fear in your eyes. And it broke my heart."

He gently placed a hand on my shoulder and urged me forward. "I'd be a stone cold being if it didn't. And I wouldn't call him Fishface, that's an insult to fish everywhere."

Even though I've known Kage for barely an hour, my heart weeps for him; what he must have gone through down in the lower chambers, must be very traumatizing, and I don't want to even try picturing it.

The remainder of the walk to the room I'll be occupying during my stay here, is silent with a pinch of awkwardness to accompany it. During our walk I did my best to memorize the layout of this place, for when I go to make my escape, but this place is gigantic! There are so many doors to unknown rooms that it's amazing Kage knows where he's going; none of the doors have any plaques to inform what's behind each door, there's nothing, not even a 'you are here' map. Dang this is going to be a bit tricky.

Our footsteps echoed off the never ending grey walls, and remained the only constant sound that broke the silence that has settled between Kage and I. Pit-pat, pit-pat, Kage's boots made the distinct sound one often hears boots make while walking, and me? The sound of my feet made isn't very loud; I am walking around without any shoes, thanks to being abducted just after I switched my outfits. I had been looking forward to meeting up with Kurama. Kurama… I hope he doesn't think I stood him up, though I'm sure someone's gone to check on me; it has been three days now since anyone has seen me. Quietly I let out a sigh; why do these things have to happen to me? Granted, yes I wished to come here… but I didn't think I'd be living through all of these different events… well honestly, I didn't know what to expect life would be like here.

Minutes slipped by, and before I could find something that made this hallway more distinguished than the others, Kage stopped in front of a door and I almost bump into him. It's a good thing I was half paying attention.

"Here is your new room. I'm sure it's a better room than the one you woke up in," he pressed a button to open the door and allowed me inside, "at least I hope it is."

"I woke up in a room with nothing but a bed, chair and large mirror."

"Oh, well then this is definitely an upgrade for you."

Curiously I stepped into the room and observed what is now my room during the duration of my stay here… however long that might be. The room is painted a deep grey, and on the wall the large black four post bed is pushed up against, are two navy blue banners draped on either side. There's a black desk over by what I'm going to assume is a balcony door, there's only so many things a pair of white curtains would be hiding. Aside from more black furniture, there's a metallic door that leads to I'm not sure, but I'd guess it's either a bathroom or a closet. Kage had been right; this is definitely an upgrade to the room I woke in. The blankets on the bed alone look positively plush and warm, and then the white fur rug at the side of the bed looks just as soft… though I honestly have no clue what kind of animal, or demon it came from.

"Is it to your liking?" Kage asked after casually leaning against the doorframe.

This room is a million times better than the last one.

"Yes. Thank you Kage."

Kage released a puff of air he had been holding in. "Well that's good. I'll let you get settled in then. If you need to get a hold of me, there is a phone by the bed. Press eight and that will ring my room." He turned to leave, but stopped to look back over his shoulder at me, "and no, the phone can't call the Human World."

Oh… dang, I didn't even think of that.

"So, I can't call for pizza delivery then?" I teased.

Kage smiled and he shook his head while stepping out into the hallway. "Sorry princess, but it looks like you're just going to have to stomach our food for a bit longer."

If that is what you think Kage, then sure. However, I won't be here for much longer.

The door slid closed behind Kage, and I immediately went about searching for items I could use for when I leave. There are plenty of sheets to tie together as a makeshift rope, if I needed to. Behind the white curtains, is in fact a door that leads to a balcony, however I won't be using the blankets to climb down; right below my balcony is an enclosed garden. The garden also held a small pond, and the only way in or out is a door that leads back into this giant building, or there's the very tall walls that I wouldn't be able to scale. At least there's some greenery in this large and imposing city. Next I checked all of the drawers for more items, I found a book in the nightstand that is written in a language I can't read, in a dresser drawer I found what looks like a plastic orange, and a metal candlestick. Other than that, there isn't really anything in here, so I took everything and placed it on the bed. Now all I need is something I can carry this all in, quickly I glance about the room one more time and that's when my eyes land on the pillows. Ooh that will work perfectly! I'll just remove the pillow from its case, and use the pillowcase as a makeshift sac to tote everything around in. Also, if I ever get in a pinch, I can always stuff it full of rocks and swing it around, hoping to hit someone in the head… you know… if need be. Not wanting to waste any time, I crammed my things into the pillowcase and decided that now would be the best time to make a go for it; with Kage just leaving, no one would think to come and check on me so soon.

A few strides later and I was at the door, taking a deep breath to help steady my nerves I pressed the button that would open my door. Thankfully no one is standing on the other side, so I lean my head out slightly and check to see if the rest of the hallway is clear, and it is. Phew! It would've been really suspicious looking if I had poked my head out and immediately fled back into my room when I spotted someone, well suspicious, or it could've been fear of demons. Since the hallway is currently void of any other occupants, I quickly flee my room and begin my arduous task of finding a way out of here. It hadn't been long before I reached my first connecting hallways, and before I had the chance to even contemplate which way to go, I had the crap scared out of me.

"I had a feeling you were going to try and make an attempt at running away." Kage's voice softly sounded to the right of me.

Since I wasn't exactly expecting anyone to be waiting for me here behind a wall, I ended up being so startled that I let out a small scream.

At hearing my scream and with being so close, Kage jumped slightly while he hurried to cover his ears. "Ah, damn Faith! It's just me, there's no need to scream!"

Like hell there isn't!

"Well it serves you right for scaring me like that! Did you honestly think I'd immediately know it was you?"

Kage lowered his hands while rolling his eyes at me. "You're the one who's trying to sneak away, and let's not forget that you are now technically under my care."

I grew defensive. "I wasn't sneaking away… I was going sightseeing."

My unamused and not so easily fooled companion looked pointedly down to the pillowcase I still carried.

"And you normally tote around a stuffed pillowcase with you when going sightseeing?"

Before I could come up with a buyable excuse for why I carried with me a pillowcase holding items, Kage pulled it out of my hand and took a few steps back, and began rummaging through it.

"Hey that stuff is mine!" I huffed while placing my balled fists onto my hips.

Well… it's not really mine, but I stole those items so I could use them if I had to.

Kage pulled out the candlestick with a smirk, and displayed it to me. "Let me guess, you were going to use this as a sort of weapon against any possible attackers," he took notice of my agreeing nod before tossing it over his shoulder, it clattered loudly on the floor, "it would've been useless."

Really, I had thought it would've done some small amount of damage to someone, if I had struck them in the right place… like the head, or a male's nether regions. That's right; I'd go for the cheap shot if I had to.

The next item he pulled out is the fake orange, and he let out a loud laugh. "And enlighten me, as to what you were hoping to do with this lovely item?"

It feels like I'm a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and it's making me shift my weight from foot to foot.

"Throw it as a distraction."

Kage lightly wiped a small tear from his eye, while he continued to chuckle. "It's a light Faith. You blow on it and it lights up."

What? No way!

"Well how was I supposed to know it was a light!?" I huffed while crossing my arms over my chest.

He continued to laugh lightly while casually tossing the supposed light up in the air in front of him, before catching it single handedly. Curiously I watched as he tossed it into the air, all the while wondering if that orange really is a light, because I really had been planning on using it as a distraction… if need be.

"Is it really a light?"

With a wide toothed grin, Kage brought the orange up close to his lips, and blew softly onto it. Immediately a glow emanated from the center, and the more Kage blew, the brighter the glow became. Kage sent me a smile as he stretched out his hand with the light, and silently offered it to me. Intrigued by the now active light, I accepted it and marveled at how I could feel it pulse while cupped in both my hands. This is amazing, and it's even giving off a very pleasant wave of warmth, much like a warm cup of cocoa would be like on a cold winters evening. I admit that this is neat to witness something so ordinary looking, be something totally different; I had not expected the orange to be a light when I first discovered it in the nightstand.

"I'm glad you find it so amusing. Now how about you head back to your room, before anyone else catches you outside of it?"

All sense of wonder and curiosity over the light vanished at Kage's words. No… I can't go back! I have to leave here and try to get back home.

"No." I defiantly stuck out my chin.

Kage sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Faith this isn't the safest place for a human to roam carelessly about in, which is what you are in case you have forgotten."

I know he's right, I do, but I just can't let Yomi use me against Kurama.

"I have to leave; I can't let him use me…" my voice that was once so sure, now wavered and faded away.

With unflinching determination in his eyes, Kage placed both of his tanned and comforting hands on my shoulders; he leaned in and looked deep into my eyes. "I know you don't want to be used, but you have to realize Faith, this isn't the Human World. This world's citizens won't think twice about devouring a tantalizing scented human, you wouldn't last a day out there on your own. And even if you did find a way out of here without getting caught, do you even know where to go? Or where the closest rift is?"

When I shook my head no in defeat, Kage continued. "That's what I thought. Look, I know you hate it, but your best chance is to stay here and wait for Kurama, because you know he's coming for you."

I hate to admit it, but Kage is right; it would've been careless and down right stupid of me to venture out into the Demon World wilderness. My best option is to reluctantly stay here and wait for my scarlet haired savior.

A soft hand lightly ruffled my hair, and when I raised my eyes to meet Kage he greeted me with a reassuring smile. "Don't fret Faith, with you being Yomi's personal guest you'll be pampered and protected. Much more than I had been, when I was brought here."

I wanted to ask him about his experiences down in the lower chambers, but from what he's shared so far… I know better than to dig too deep.

"Let's get you back to your room. I'll even get you a tea to help calm your nerves."

Feeling defeated I resigned myself to being a pawn in Yomi's scheme, nothing makes you feel more crushed than the sensation of being inevitably trapped with no apparent way out. Kage ushered me back in the direction I had just come from, and my feet felt like lead weights as I walked. In reality the room I'll be staying in, is more of a plush version of a holding cell; because I'm sure Yomi would prefer it if I'd stay in there all hours of the day. Fat chance of that happening, if I'm stuck here then I may as well entertain myself and explore the place during my stay here.

When I went to go down a hallway that I thought led me back to my room, I was corrected by Kage as he placed both of his hands on my shoulders. "Not that way little Pixie, your room is this way."

Pixie? Why would he call me a little Pixie?

"What hat did you pull that nickname out of? I look nothing like a Pixie!"

Kage laughed lightly. "It just came to me, and it seems to fit you… Little Pixie."

Well it sure looks like I've just been given another nickname to add to my roster, at least it's not a mean or derogatory one.

"Looks like I'll have to think of a nickname for you."

Kage raised a brow in curiosity. "Should I be worried?"

"No. It won't be anything mean. But I'll have to come up with a good one."

"Well this is something I can't wait to hear."

A small smile played on my lips as Kage stopped in front of what I'm going to assume is my room. With a press of the button, the door slid open and with playful smile bowed to me with his hand over his chest, much like a butler would do. Really Kage? He really likes to joke around with his roll of being my servant. I stopped in front of him and waved for him to go before me.

"After you Kage."

Kage straightened to his full height and beckoned for me to go first. "After you, I insist."

So that's the game you want to play huh? Well game on buddy.

"Age before beauty."

He laughingly scoffed. "Oh honey, I'm way prettier than you, especially with those split ends you have. Such a shame; you have such beautiful hair, and yet you don't treat it very well."

"Wow! Okay tigress, you can put those claws away now."

Kage smirked. "Get your small ass in the room Little Pixie, before I kick it in there."

I quickly look down at my butt to gauge whether his words were true or not, I know it's not on the bigger side, but it's also not on the small side. With a huff of air I turned back towards the still open door and began to walk in, but not before retorting back to the very triumphant looking Kage.

"I happen to have a nice ass, unlike someone I've been following around today."

Kage let out a loud laugh while he clapped his hands in a slow manner. "A-ha, Shots fired! Alright Little Pixie, I'll be the grown up and leave it at that before it gets out of hand, and we start pulling each others hair. I may be a man, but honey let me tell you I can be quite the drama queen."

Hurriedly I entered the room and stepped to the side, allowing Kage to enter farther into the room. A room I'm suddenly embarrassed to have someone in; everything is still where I had left it… in a mess strewn all over the place. I tried my best to appear innocent while watching Kage gaze over the messy room, then his eyes landed on me and a teasing smirk greeted me.

"You didn't clean up?"

Lightly I shrugged my shoulders. "I wasn't planning on returning."

"Understandable…" Kage moved farther into the room, "wow, you really did go through everything. Didn't you?"

A sheepish smile crept across my lips. "I needed to see what all I could use for my escape."

"Fair enough."

I continued to walk into the room and meandered over to the bed, where Kage seems interested in something on the covers. It looks to be the book I had found earlier, the one with the language I couldn't read. Now that Kage has it, I wonder what kind of book it is; it appears to be an older book with handwritten entries of some kind.

"Are you able to read that?" I quietly ask almost afraid that the walls have developed ears.

Kage flipped through a few pages before returning to the first page. "Yeah I can read it, this looks like someone's journal."

Oh, a journal? Well this certainly piques my interest.

It's a bit odd how there's someone's journal here in, what I can assume, is a guest room. Did someone leave it on purpose for it to be discovered, or was it by complete accident? I know it's not very proper, but I'd like to know what is written inside, and maybe see who this belongs to. Attentively I lean in closer to Kage, in hopes of finding out what this mysterious journal contains.

"What does it say?"

Kage once again flipped the pages back to the very beginning. "I'll read it to you."

With a fluid motion Kage sat himself comfortably on the bed and waited for me to get comfortable before he began.

"Finally there is one who has grabbed my attention, no not grabbed… stolen would be a better word. She is an absolute beauty; no words can do her justice for they are all pale in comparison to her. Her name is Meylin, and she arrived the other night while I had been away. There were others who arrived along side her, but they cannot hold a flickering flame to her blazing fire. They came to replace the servants that had been slaughtered by those who wanted to try their luck with stealing from us, what fools! The only damage they dealt was to the servants, they never even got close to our treasure hold. Such a pitiful attempt they've made. We will show them what happens when they mock us by attacking; we will be swift, silent and we will show them no mercy. They won't know what's happening until it is too late. Retribution shall be ours!"

"Sounds like someone is taking a liking to a servant… I wonder whose journal this is. And damn they sure sound pissed about an attack made on them, like damn!" I absent mindedly say aloud, while Kage turned the page.

He continued to recite the pages. "The days all seem to be blending together it seems; either I spend my time looting treasures, lounging about in my acquired luxury, or I use it to become acquainted with Meylin. Such a shy and quiet one she is, it will take some time to get past her shell, but I have time to kill. It may seem like a lot of unnecessary effort to some, but I find myself experiencing things differently as of late; I don't wish to simply take what I want from her, on the contrary, I want to earn it. When I am rewarded with an answer to a question or a genuine smile from her, I feel a sense of joy and a blanket of warmth envelops me. Is this what love feels like? I've never before felt anything this strong, I have even gone to great lengths to forewarn the other men that I have staked a claim on Meylin, and no one shall touch her for if they do, they will have to face me. No one will be stupid enough to try anything with her now; Meylin is now safe here thanks to me and my proclamation. However, there is a dark thought that continues to plague my mind… Yoko. I sincerely hope he doesn't return any time soon from his hunts; I fear that if he does, he will not hesitate to take his carnal fill of the females and Meylin may be one of them. I could ask Yoko not to touch her… but I'm sure he would then see it as a game, and the only way for me to win against my old friend is to be with her first. I feel that my time is growing short, because once he returns and if he sets his sights on Meylin he won't stop until he succeeds. I pray Yoko does not return any time soon."

Kage pauses and soon after a knowing gleam flits across his eyes. "I think this is Yomi's journal!"

I became stupefied. No way! Why would Yomi have a journal, and even if he did why would it be here in a guest room? Anyone could stumble upon it and read its passages… much like we are right now.

"Do you really think it's his?" I asked while trying to catch a better glimpse of the old book.

He flipped through a few more pages. "Oh yeah it's Yomi's all right, there's a number of entries here that talk about him and some other guys heading out to steal some valuable items. I have to admit, I never thought Yomi would be the type to keep a journal."

I sat back on the bed and folded my legs beneath me. "Does this mean you're not going to read anymore? Because you'll want to be kept in Yomi's good favor, in case he finds out about us stumbling onto his journal?"

Kage let out a booming laugh as a mischievous spark danced in his eyes. "Hell no! I want to see what he has stored on these pages. He may be my lord, but he wasn't always, and it wasn't by my own volition to be one of his followers. I was forced into this life, and if I have the chance to dig up some juicy details on Yomi, you can damn well bet that I'll be going for it." Kage moved into a more comfortable position on my bed, "Shall we continue?"

I'm glad we think alike.

Taking a moment I readjust myself to get more comfortable and then nod. "Read on."

"It's been a month now and I have made so much progress with Meylin; I feel a profound closeness with her that I've never felt before. I never want this feeling to fade, it's like I'm on a euphoric high, and it's a complete delight. Not once in all of my long years have I felt this way before, and it's a joyous experience; I suspect that Meylin and I will consummate a union soon, she hasn't given me reason not to believe as much. Perhaps one day I'll make her my bride, and not just a mate; being a mate just means having a partner to relieve carnal desires with one another, but a wife means she'd share in all aspects of my life and I with hers. Who would've thought that a single woman could change a man so much, and awaken hidden feelings that I never knew I was capable of? That is why she is so special to me, because of her tenderness and innocence I've uncovered things I never would have seen by myself. With her here, I now see the beauty of the world around us, and I'm even beginning to consider leaving this bandit life behind to start a new less threatening life with Meylin."

Kage rested the journal on his lap and looked absolutely shocked. "Damn, he was in love! It's hard to grasp that he actually loved someone enough that he was thinking of quitting his bandit lifestyle. Like shit, my mind is blown!"

It is a bit hard to wrap my mind around it, I never though Yomi would stop his thieving ways because of a woman… a woman that isn't around here I don't believe; I haven't seen anyone or heard of anyone by the name of Meylin yet.

"Kage, is there anyone here that goes by the name Meylin?"

"No, at least there hasn't been since I came into his service, and I've been here for about sixty years now."

Well that doesn't sound too good. Something must have happened.

"I have a hunch that something happens to Meylin."

Kage nods in agreement. "Me too."

Without anymore encouragement Kage continued.

"This may be the worst day I've ever experienced. Yoko has finally returned from his hunts, and almost immediately he laid his eyes on Meylin! Why must he be interested in the woman I've been harboring feelings for? She isn't even his type! Yoko normally goes for the ones with bigger busts and is brunette, so why the fuck must he go for MY Meylin?! He could have anyone he wanted, but yet fate has deemed it necessary for him to be interested in my potential mate. The only action I can do now is to try and urge Yoko to leave her be and to explain what my intentions are for Meylin. I only hope Yoko will listen and steer clear of her… but the knot in my gut says he may not and perceive this as a game. A game he will intend to win.

Kage turned the page and continued to recite the handwritten words.

"Devastation doesn't even come close to what I feel. He's done it… Yoko the bastard has done the one thing I had damn near pleaded for him NOT to do. The bastard has taken Meylin from me! I feel a sickening hollow now where I once felt joyful warmth, a hole has now replaced where my newly found heart had been. I awoke early this morning and could not return to sleep, so I got up to fetch myself a drink, and what I discovered shattered my entire being. I discovered Meylin trying to sneak, half dressed, out of Yoko's chambers. When she found me frozen to the spot, just outside my quarters, her eyes met mine and she immediately went red as a ruby before scurrying away. Lifelessly I walked towards Yoko's chambers to confirm my fears, though witnessing Meylin trying to sneak out from where Yoko sleeps should be evidence enough… but I held on to a sliver of hope. Not hesitating I pushed open the large wooden door, and that sliver of hope snapped like a piece of twine held above a candle flame. My eyes were met with the sight of Yoko lying uncovered on his bed, and on his face was the unmistakable expression of contempt and pleasure. Rage filled in like a pot of boiling water, when it almost overflowed Yoko had told me what happened. He informed me that he had gone to bed alone, but at some point in the evening Meylin had snuck into his room and began to pleasure him. He apparently thought at first it was Ayame, another new girl who arrived with Meylin, but when he came to his senses, it was all ready too late. His words felt like poison, and I left his room in a numbness I have no words for. How could Meylin do that to me? Did she truly not feel the same for me; had she just been using me as a way of protecting herself from the other men? Had everything said between us been a lie this entire time? I feel so foolish and betrayed. In a heartbroken fury I trashed my chambers in an attempt to cleanse myself of this horrible experience. It did nothing to ease the pain I felt, and so to help ignore it, I turned to the bottle and drank my sorrows away. Instead of trying to be a gentleman, I should have just taken what I wanted from her, because look what good being a gentleman has gotten me. At that precise moment I vowed to myself that no longer will I be her defence here, no longer shall I be kind and considerate, that part of me is now dead and buried. Hours went by and to my delight, the alcohol minimized the pain. At one point during the day, Yoko Kurama had entered my room and offered me a bottle from his own collection… and I accepted, because I knew he didn't lie to me about Meylin, I've known him long enough to tell when he was lying. Although it was a brutal truth Yoko had told me, at least it was the truth because a lie would've tipped the scales, and I do not know what I would've done. All I need now is time to recuperate from this massive blow… if I can.

The silence in the room once Kage stopped reading is palpable; the words sink in and stunned us both. Yomi had been in love with a woman and she totally disregarded his feelings and slept with Yoko! I can't help but wonder if this is the event in Yomi's life that made his begin to go against Yoko? Or did Yomi really grow to be cockier like he's said before? Or perhaps it's a bit of both.

"Wow." Kage let the book fall into his lap.

"I can hardly believe it myself." I agree with his astonished reaction.

"No wonder the poor bastard has never taken a mate; he's probably too scared from what this Meylin chick did!"

Well that's certainly one way to put it.

"I wonder what happened after that. Did he confront her or maybe something worse?" I couldn't help but voice my curiosities.

Kage shrugged his muscle toned shoulders and retrieved the book from where it had fallen. "I don't know, but there's a six month time jump here since the last entry."

A lot can happen in six months.

"Meylin tried to speak with me again this morning, but I wasn't having any of it; she can't expect me to go back to how things were between us. The reasoning for her attempt at a conversation is because some of the other men are targeting her for sexual means. Some have even tried to sneak into her bed at the dead of night. But why should I care? She succeeded in ripping out my heart months ago, and now I feel nothing towards her except bitterness and hatred. Many times over the course of the day she had tried to reason with me, but when it had turned to pleading, I had had enough. With a snarl even I didn't know I was capable of, I released every harsh filled truth upon her and how she decimated me. With unflinching eye I watched as her eyes misted with tears and the lips I once dreamt of tasting, quivered. Nothing she could do would erase what was done. I no longer hold feelings for Meylin, my heart is now an empty chasm that echoes painfully from time to time. Once I was finished slinging insults at the woman, she whimpered and left. Not just to her sleeping quarters, but out the main doors and into the forest beyond. She had left, and I felt indifferent."

"And that is probably the traumatic even in Yomi's life that made him how he is today."

I agreed. "It could be. Are there any other entries about Meylin? Did she come back at all?"

Kage took a few minutes to flip through the pages and skim his eyes across the handwritten entries. After reaching the end of the book, Kage flicked the journal closed and lightly tossed it onto the bed at his side.

"Nope, there's not another word about her. The rest of it is just stuff about raids they did and what kind of bounties were placed on them."

So is Meylin the reason why Yomi began to go against Yoko, or did Yomi really just become too arrogant for his own good? My detective skills may be crap but I'm going to do my best in finding out what happened to Meylin. Is she still alive or did she perish after leaving the bandit's hideaway? And does Yomi still in fact hold a grudge against Yoko for what happened even though he claims to have moved on… hopefully I can find out some answers to the many questions I have. The plan I had been trying to come up with to help me achieve the answers I wanted was interrupted when Kage let out a loud yawn.

"Sorry Little Pixie, but I need my beauty sleep. You should try to get some rest too." Kage stood from the bed and lazily wandered over to the door.

Me sleep? Ha yeah right.

"I've been out for three days! I'm not going to be able to get a wink of sleep anytime soon."

Kage swiveled in the doorway to look back at me. "That's why I said try. Besides sleep will do you some good, you wouldn't want to be walking around with giant bags under your eyes."

With my eyebrow quirked I cross my arms over my chest. "You know for someone who has just met me, you're very concerned about my appearance."

He rolled his shoulders into a nonchalant shrug. "Well someone has to. We don't want you to look horrible when your knight in shining armor comes to rescue you. I'm sure you'll want to be as fresh as a spring daisy. Now no wandering about and come lock the door, remember this isn't a place for cute defenseless ladies. I'm serious; once I leave you come and lock this door. I'll see you in the morning Little Pixie, my luscious bed awaits!" With a flourish of motion Kage left my room and the door slid closed behind him.

Taking his warning to heart, I immediately went to the door and locked it. My imagination conjured up a few scary scenarios in seconds of what could happen if I had left the door unsecured, and just for an added security measure I placed a chair in front of the door. I figured it would be a good alarm for if someone was able to unlock the door in the middle of the night, if they did and when they entered they'd trip over it. Now that the room has been secured I walked circles around the room in an attempt to find something to do, boredom is a bastard and seems like it's going to be my companion for the rest of the night. What a bummer.

Days have gone by since I've awoken in Demon World and during all that time I haven't seen much of Yomi, which I found slightly odd seeing as how he was the one who wanted me here in the first place. I thought for sure that Yomi would have been taking advantage of this time to try and get information from me about Kurama or heck even Yusuke. Instead of spending my days in Yomi's company like I had thought I would, I've been spending them with Kage. During our time together Kage has shown me around in an attempt for me to familiarize the area, and to just help break up the monotony. So far I've been shown the library, which is gigantic! The library from Beauty and the Beast is nothing in comparison to this massive book haven, Belle would have been so jealous. After the exploring the many shelves of book collections, Kage had treated me to lunch in the gardens and it was lovely; there were so many beautiful flowers and small exotic birds flitted around near the pond. The flowers in the garden were indeed beautiful, but when I first caught a glimpse of the one vibrant orange flower it had reminded me of when Kurama had gifted me an orange flower from his special place, in the old abandoned house he found. I still have the flower he had gifted me, I remember getting back to Yusuke's apartment and immediately placed it in a small glass of water. When I was able to, I then took the flower and dried it out so that I would have it as a memento of the day Kurama treated me to a night out of sweets and pleasant memories.

On one of the other days Kage had taken me for a stroll through the city, at moments I was very glad Kage had been with me; many demon residents had tried to come close for a sniff and even some times a lick. Luckily Kage was able to discourage them from trying anything else and shooed them away, he hadn't been kidding when he said there would be demons out here wanting a taste of me. More and more I grew appreciative that he had intercepted me in the hallway the night I tried to make my escape; if he hadn't have stopped me I may have ended up in a very bad situation and realistically would have lost my life out here. In the city near the heart of it there was a market filled with stalls of all kinds of different merchandise, foods, trinkets and fabrics. There had been one stall in particular that had caught my interest, it was a medium sized wooden stall that had rolls and rolls of intricate and awe worthy fabrics. There were elaborate patterns woven in what I think are silk materials, rolls of colours seamlessly blending into one another, and I was mesmerized. The lady running the stall had been very nice and helpful in answering any questions I had while I browsed the many options available, though she could've been like that because she seemed interested in Kage. But while Kage and her spoke I examined the merchandise and fell absolutely in love with the silkiest fabric I've ever encountered, however I was torn because I didn't have any money and even if I did have some, there were two colours I couldn't decide on which I liked more. I had resigned myself to walking away and had nearly left the stall before Kage had called out to me, he had wanted to know which one had caught my eye and not thinking much of it I told him about the passionate red fabric, and the imperial purple. To my astonishment and slight horror, Kage had purchased me both of the colours… but not just a small patch, oh no, he bought the entire roll of both colours! Both! And he did it while wearing a smile and then acted like it was no big deal. I remember asking him what he thought he was doing, and the guy simply said 'you liked it, and I'm sure Yomi won't disapprove' and I just continued to stare at him and pleaded for him to return the rolls and that only a small patch of them would have been fine. Kage of course chose to ignore my pleas and simply said that I also needed new clothes and that this would take care of that problem. That had been the end to our city exploration, with the exception of stopping at a fruit stand for a few bags of miscellaneous fruits and we returned back to Yomi's residence. Once we had returned to my room Kage had called for someone on the phone, and about fifteen minutes later a woman showed up with a measuring tape and took my measurements, not too gently mind you, and then left with the rolls of fabric. Seeing me being 'bent out of shape' Kage took me again to the gardens for some tea and fruit. I must admit that it had relaxed me a great deal to be somewhere peaceful and to have something to eat. Feeling a bit more calm, and not so bunched up about the fabric, I had thanked Kage for purchasing them and grew slightly excited about what kind of clothing I'll have made for me.

During our little tea break in the gardens, Kage had felt a bit more sharing towards me and had informed me of how he had come to end up here at Yomi's place. Kage's story was sad and broke my heart to hear how he had come to be here, as it turns out Kage had been taken here against his will. Kage had been captured while out searching for his mate, a mate he lost a long time ago. He continued to confide in me and told me his story. Long before coming into the service of Yomi, Kage and his mate, he never told me his mates name because it was still too painful for him, lived peacefully in a cabin off the beaten path in a forested area far from here. It had been a paradise for them both until one day everything was torn apart; one night a band of bandits came and tried to loot the place. There had been so much commotion and chaos that while Kage had been torn from his lovers' arms, a fire had started while the bandits continued to keep them separated. But when Kage had managed to break free, he turned in time to see his home collapse to a burning heap, with his mate still trapped inside. During his horrified shock, the bandits had tied Kage's wrists together and dragged him away behind a horse. I remember crying at his retelling of his story about losing his mate, and upon seeing Kage's eyes wet with unshed tears, I threw my arms around him and gave him the strongest and most sympathetic hug I could. My friend refuses to believe that his mate went down in flames with their home, and so when he escaped the bandits he tried his hardest to find his mate. But that was when he ran into some of Yomi's 'recruiters' and was taken once again as a captive and was thrown into the lower chambers where he suffered many horrors, until one day he had gained Yomi's trust and was removed. However some time had passed and it grew harder for Kage to try and leave, until one day he had just given up hope and just took up his life here as Kage. Another thing that shocked me is that Kage told me that Kage isn't even his name! It was just a name his captors gave him while down in the lower chambers because of how viciously he'd retaliate, so they locked him in a cage a lot of the time. They had named him Kage because they caged him. How awful of a name. No one here knows his actual name because no one had bothered to learn it, so after releasing him from the hug I had asked him what his name was, and in a soft whisper he gave it to me. Reo. His is real name is Reo, and at that moment I had seen for the very first time his vulnerability, and I wanted so much to let him know how much his trust in me touch me. At the time there was only one thing I could think of that I could share with him, and that was to let him in to the secret of my newly found powers. To illustrate my whispered secret to him, I used my gift to levitate the nearby teapot and poured him a cup of tea, with a little bit of splashing but that's to be expected with how new I am to this ability. Reo chuckled softly at the spectacle and waved his hands around the teapot like he was searching for wires, when he found none and I placed the pot back down, Reo turned to me and smiled. Ever since that day we've been almost inseparable. Everyday we ate our meals in the comfort of my room, and the luxuries kept coming; on one of the days Reo had convinced Yomi to gift me a device that allows the television in my room to access Human World programming. However, with all of this pampering I still couldn't keep my mind from wandering back to the thoughts of home. My main concern is Styxx and my other cats, are they okay? Not knowing is what kills me the most.

Today Reo and I find ourselves relaxing in my room watching TV, but as Reo flipped between the channels to find something suitable to watch, I couldn't stop myself from once again thinking of Styxx, Azura, and Thunder… were they okay? Or did they dash out the front door and somehow get outside? They were my babies and I worry about their wellbeing whenever my mind isn't occupied.

Reo shifted his head from where it rested on my lap, and looked straight up at me with a curious look in his eyes. "You look troubled Little Pixie. Penny for your thoughts?"

Trying my best to appear nonchalant I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just thinking of home and if everything is okay."

Tenderly Reo reached up a hand and lightly patted my head in a comforting manner. "I'm sure everything is fine; I have a feeling Kurama has attended to things and your affairs, at least that's what I think with how everyone talks about him. He seems dependable and well organized."

I silently agreed with him, he's probably right and that Kurama more than likely handled things for me. Still… I'll feel a lot more reassured when I hear it from him that everything is fine. Not saying another word to each other, we went back to watching a show Reo had settled on and spent a few more minutes watching the screen, when the door to my room slid open and in stepped Yomi. A man also accompanied Yomi a man I haven't seen before, he stood almost as tall as Yomi, has deep blue skin, glowing yellow eyes and long tresses of lighter blue hair. This guy gives me goosebumps with how he's glaring at me, maybe he doesn't like it that I'm here and not down in the lower chambers, much like how Shachi would have liked.

"Well don't you two look cozy; perhaps I should have come earlier?" Yomi lightly teased.

In a flash Reo sat up and removed himself from the bed, he didn't seem embarrassed or frazzled in the least, in fact he still appeared to be laid back and nonchalant as he stood before Yomi. "What brings you here m'lord?"

Yomi moved farther into the room by a few steps. "I come to see Faith. And to have her temporarily moved."

Moved?

Reo grew apprehensive. "And why is he here?"

Tentatively I stood up from the bed while waiting for Yomi's answer, why is this man here and why am I being moved?

Yomi's answer was short and curt. "You know why."

The other man walked farther into the room, while he walked he made no sound, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as he came closer. My eyes shot from one man to the other while a feeling of unease crept through me; this isn't going to end well I can feel it.

Reo annoyingly clicked his tongue as he clenched his fists at his side.

"What's going on?" I asked while trying to keep my voice steady and even.

Yomi smiled. "It would appear Kurama is on his way here. One of my scouts has spotted him cross into my territory. He should be arriving in a few hours, or less, depending on how determined he is to get here."

Kurama is almost here!

"That's nice to know… but where am I moving to and why?"

Not answering right away, Yomi casually strolled over to where the TV sat on the dresser and slid his hand across the smooth surface of the wood. "I need you somewhere that isn't very… pleasant… if you get my meaning."

"No!" Reo snarled and went to place himself protectively in front of me, but the unnamed man moved as quickly as a lightning strike and restrained Reo by the arms.

Fear gripped me and before I even knew what I was doing, a protective barrier surrounded me while I watched Reo struggled against his holder. A painful throb radiated in my head making me grip it in an attempt to elevate the pain, grimacing I looked to my side and found Yomi mere feet from me, pressing his hand against my barrier.

"Well isn't this interesting." Yomi glided his hand across the translucent blue barrier and gradually pressed down harder, effectively pulling a whimper from me.

The more pressure he applied to the barrier, the more pain I endured and with not being a fighter or someone used to pain, I could feel myself getting weaker from it.

"How long do you think you can stay in there Faith? I'm not a very patient man and I will have you transported to where I need you to be." Yomi coldly stated while removing his hand from the barrier. And that's when I noticed the syringe he held in his other hand. He must be intending to drug me… again!

The sounds of a large commotion stole my attention, and I shot a look over to where Reo is being restrained. I looked over just in time to see the unnamed man clock Reo in the face with his large fist, Reo momentarily collapsed down to the floor but quickly sprang back up to his feet and delivered his own punch that sent the man reeling backwards. Reo took his chance and lunged for me.

"Faith!" but before he could reach where I stood, the blue guy tackled him midair and they went flying off to the other side of the room.

Witnessing my friend fight to get to me must have distracted me enough that my protective barrier wavered, and that was all it took for Yomi to make his move. Not a second went by before I was shoved against the wall and held there by a firm hand on my shoulder. Yomi's grip tightened on my shoulder as he used his other to insert the syringe into my neck and press down on the plunger. The fluid that has been injected into me spread quickly. The fight or flight reflex kicked in, and in an attempt to free myself I placed both hands onto Yomi's wide chest and pushed with all my might. Nothing at first happened, he remained there as if I had been pushing against a stone statue, but when I tried a second time I could feel a tingling in my palms and before I knew it I had discharged a blue flash that sent Yomi flying backwards along with the syringe. A cry of pain slipped past my lips from the syringe being ripped from my neck. True to his advanced fighting skills, Yomi lithely landed upright on his feet, skidded back a few meters and stopped just before the dresser. His expression is one of surprise before melting away to a displeased glare. The similar symptoms that I experienced at my home during my abduction returned, the fatigue and weakness, they were at the forefront of it all. Feeling like I weighed a ton, my knees buckled and I fell halfway onto the bed while clutching at my neck where the syringe had been ripped from.

Somewhere off in the room Reo called out to Yomi. "You can't take her there! Yomi you bastard!"

Yomi was unaffected by Reo's words. "Don't worry Kage." Yomi readjusted his clothing, "Faith will be safe and will be returned here to her room once I'm finished."

After fixing his clothing and dusting himself off, Yomi stuffed the now empty syringe into one of his front pockets and turned to leave the room. "You're just full of surprises aren't you Faith?"

"Have her delivered to the room I instructed you to prepare." Yomi addressed the man who now held Reo's arms firmly behind his back.

"Yomi you can't possibly think that she's going to be safe down there, just because you say so!" Reo struggled against his hold while glaring at the demon before him.

Turning back around Yomi walked the few steps it took to stand in front of Reo, and knelt down so his face is level with Reo's. "If I order her to go untouched, then she will go untouched."

It's getting harder to stay awake as my vision became unfocused. I'm scared of what will happen to me if I allow myself to succumb to this mysterious serum, I don't want to go down into the lower chambers, not with how scared Reo is for my safety if I'm to go down there. Weakly my hands gripped fistfuls of the duvet and I tried my hardest not to slip off the bed.

"Yomi…" I quietly call as even my vocal cords seem to be going paralyzed.

The demon turned back to face me and sent a sad smile my way. "I do apologize, Faith, but this is all part of my plan to… persuade Kurama to join my cause."

All of this is for his damn cause!? Has he ever thought of just asking me instead of going straight for the drugs!?

With my limbs now numb and unable to move, I lost my grip on the duvet and slid off of the bed and fell to the cool floor.

"Faith, look at me!" Reo called.

Eyes half closed I did my best to turn and look at my friend, but could only move a few inches.

Reo tried his best to lower himself to the floor so that he could be more level with me, but the guy still holding his arms behind his back wouldn't budge much.

"I'm going to stay with you, you hear me? I'm not going to leave your side! I'll protect you I promise!"

My eyelids fluttered before they slid closed.

"I promise you Faith!" Reo's words echoed through my head softly.

I hope so.

Composure, that's what Kurama is trying to hold onto as he ventured further into Yomi's territory. Ever since discovering Faith's abduction Kurama has been tense, very irritable and is ready to lash out at the slightest hindrance to his goal of retrieving Faith. Once Kurama had finished listening to the spirit of words, to help mediate the anger of having what is precious to him stolen, he had returned to Faith's home and proceeded to straighten up the place. Cleaning the condo had been both adding fuel to the fire and a sort of mind distraction. Often during the night his blood would warm as he caught glimpses of the injured cat Styxx; it angered him because Kurama knew that Styxx attained his injuries by protecting his mistress. When the home had been fixed as much as it could, chunks of plaster missing from the walls aside, Kurama attended the injured cat and did his best to console Thunder and Azura. With everything that he could do at Faith's done, Kurama headed home to proceed with securing his mother's safety and other things that needed to be dealt with. With Yomi now in the picture there's no telling who else he'd go after, and Kurama wanted to have what he cared for protected. Having everything in order at home, Kurama departed for Demon World and ultimately his reunion with an old friend.

There is no amusement in Kurama as he made his way to Gandala, the city in which Yomi has established his headquarters. Along the way to his destination Kurama had spotted the not so hidden scouts that Yomi must have placed throughout his territory, there's no doubt Yomi now knows of his arrival in Demon World. Further on into the bleak and hostile lands Kurama had been ambushed by some assassins, ones that reeked of his old comrade and it infuriated him that Yomi would sent such a pitiful attack on him. Little effort had been put into his counterattacks and within seconds had dispatched the assassins, and once the last attacker fell Kurama had called out to his hidden spectator… Yomi. Anger and annoyance clouded his mind momentarily at how Yomi planned an ambush for him, even though he had invited him here in the pretense of discussing Yomi's cause, that and to get Faith back of course. Yomi's simple explanation was that he just wanted to be sure it was Kurama, because he smelt a bit different from before. Inwardly Kurama grumbled; of course he smelt different! He's in a human body now and he knew Yomi had to know that bit of information. To say that the air between the two was filled with a tangible tension was an understatement. While they both stood there silently observing one another, a knot had formed in Kurama's gut; what if by some means Yomi had discovered that he had been the one to send that assassin so many years ago? That would explain the real reason for his small welcome party. Maybe he had taken Faith, not to lure him for his help, but to take revenge on Kurama… all probabilities were now plausible. Kurama will now have to tread more carefully with Yomi.

"You seem so tense Kurama, have I unnerved you?" Yomi inquired while a smug expression crossed his features.

Kurama stared at his old friend. "You abducted my friend and I'm here to get her back."

Yomi's expression changed to one of mild amusement as he faced Kurama. "Ah yes, Faith. Is she the only reason you've come? I thought for sure you'd come to reconcile."

Only silence answered Yomi, and he chuckled at how Kurama has withdrawn into himself as he calculated his moves.

"Lord Yomi, the demon council has gathered." A voice from a small demon with white hair and a long beard, called out.

Yomi thanked the newcomer before he came up with the idea of having Kurama join the meeting, there was no debate on the matter after a few words were exchanged, and Kurama followed after the leader of this territory.

"Where is Faith!?" Kurama demanded as he quickened his steps to become in unison with Yomi.

Yomi tilted his head slightly in Kurama's direction. "In due time my old friend. Now follow me."

There was no room for refusal in Yomi's words, and with trepidation Kurama followed after the blinded demon. Into the lions den he went.

I'm coming Faith.

The sound of voices reached my ears as I groggily open my eyes, my body didn't want to respond to the commands I tried to give it; it feels like there's a net draped over me and it weighs hundreds of pounds. It takes me several tries just to move my arm up from my side to try and brush my hair from my eyes, but I only managed to remove a few thin strands. The voices seemed to taper off for a few seconds, then an anguished yell reverberates through the odd room I'm in. With not being able to move from my spot, surprise, on the floor, I tried my best to observe the new room I'm in. My gaze had been met with walls of grey metal, pipes and lights high in the ceiling. Yomi really needs to switch it up with the grey metal; otherwise everything is just going to look the same, unless he did that on purpose… then again he wouldn't really care how things looked if he couldn't enjoy the sight of it. Now that I've seen what I can of the room, where is Reo? I can recall clearly his promise of staying by my side, yet I do not see him anywhere nor do I hear him. Something must have happened for him not to be here like he had promised. One more time I tried to get my body to move and again it was met with hardly a response, seeing as how I can't really move an inch at a time I tried to see if I could use my voice. Sadly even my vocal cords seem to be paralyzed, and only a whisper of a sound came out of me. Luckily for me one of the things that seemed to be working is my hearing, and I'm positive I just heard Kurama call Yomi a bastard! You tell him Kurama! If I could and was courageous enough, I'd be calling him a lot worse and be using a lot more fowl words.

There came a loud clicking sound followed by what sounded like something unlatching. A hissing noise filled the room as the wall opposite of me began to shift, and I watched it retract into a crevice in the far wall, like a tuck away door would do.

"And here is another enticement for you to join my cause," Yomi laughed before continuing. "This is just in case your mother's safety wasn't incentive enough."

The retracting wall pulled away enough to reveal Yomi with a very smug expression plastered on his face, and an infuriated Kurama with his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were as white as a bed sheet. Again I tried to at least get my body to sit up, but the most I could do is push myself up onto very shaky arms, and feel like that in itself was a big workout. My breathing grew deeper as I attempted to give myself one last push to try and sit up, but I didn't succeed and fell forward back towards the floor. A pair of hands caught me before I could face plant into the cold hard floor, they gingerly rolled me onto my back and I met the greenest eyes I've ever seen.

Kurama.

"Faith, are you all right?" Kurama asked while he maneuvered me into a better position in his arms.

My lips curved into a smile. "I knew you'd come for me." The words left my lips in a soft whisper of a voice; well it's better than nothing.

Kurama's body shuddered as he let out what I could only assume is a sigh of relief, the poor guy must have thought the worst all this time. How could he know for sure if I'd be safe and unharmed? Especially with the chaotic mess that my home had no doubt been left as, I really don't think the demons would have been so kind enough to straighten up my place after drugging me. Bastards, now I'm going to have to go buy stuff to replace what all had been broken.

Kurama looked me in the eyes and smiled slightly. "Of course I'd come…" Kurama's smile disappeared and is replaced with a scowl, "they hurt you."

To iterate his statement Kurama brushed away some of my hair from my neck and lightly ran his thumb over a sore spot. When he ran his thumb over the spot again I couldn't help but winch at how sore it is, and as an answer a low rumble of a noise came from Kurama… was that a growl? Did he just growl?

"Kurama?"

With his eyes narrowed at the spot on my neck that the syringe had been ripped from, Kurama drew in a deep breath. "What happened?"

Tenderly I rubbed at my neck and when I drew my hand away I noticed a few flakes of dried blood had clung to my fingertips.

"Yomi used a syringe to inject some sort of drug into my neck, and when I pushed him away the syringe was roughly taken out."

Silently as my heart thumped away in my chest, I watched as Kurama's eyes grew to a dark shade of green before he closed them and appeared to regain his composure.

"Can you stand?" Kurama quietly asked me.

"I'm not sure, but I'll try."

He nodded and assisted in helping me stand on wobbly legs, if Kurama wasn't helping me by holding me close to his body with an arm around my waist, and my arm draped over his shoulders, I wouldn't be able to stand. The drugs Yomi had pumped into me earlier are still working their way out of my system, but at least it's out enough for me to weakly stand with some assistance. Being this close to Kurama is both soothing and heart racing; my heartbeat sped up the moment Kurama pulled me close enough to him that our bodies touched, and if I wasn't still fighting the affects of the drugs I'm sure I'd be blushing like mad. Kurama took a step forward and practically had to drag me along with him, and nothing makes you feel like a useless sack of potatoes like having to be pulled after someone because your legs won't support you.

"We're leaving Yomi." Kurama stated and started to direct us more towards the door that they must have come from.

Yomi made quiet noises of agitation before asking Kurama to wait, but when Kurama made no move to stop Yomi reached out and grabbed my free wrist. The moment his hand touched the skin on my wrist, it was like a jolt of electricity went through my whole body and it made me cry out in pain. The pain filled cry had barely left my lips before my knees buckled and I fell back down to the floor with Yomi still holding onto my wrist. The electric jolt had sparked a peculiar sort of rhythmic beat from somewhere deep with in me, at first I thought it was nothing more than my heartbeat, but then the beat grew faster and separate than that of my heart. Yomi's grip on my wrist tightened as the beating dulled, my eyes warmed and developed a strange white hue in my peripheral vision. I couldn't move and darted my eyes over to my side where Kurama crouched beside me, his expression is one of deep alarm and worry as he spoke, but I couldn't hear a sound. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't understand nor hear what Kurama said to me, but I knew it wasn't good because he grew more and more alarmed. That's when the ice cold washed over me and sent my body into a violent shivering fit, it's like ice replaced the blood in my veins and all the warmth left. Still Yomi continued to grip my wrist, the spot our skin touched felt like a red hot poker against the contrasting cold of what is the rest of my body. Another cry escaped me before Kurama forcefully broke Yomi's hold on my wrist, and the second his hand no longer touched me, everything stopped and left me completely drained of energy and shaken. Exhausted as if I had just ran a marathon, I fell forward into Kurama's extended arms and shivered, I feel so cold like I've been out in the freezing temperatures all day playing in the snow.

"Faith! Faith, look at me!" Kurama coaxed as he tilted my head so that I could look at him, "Please Faith say something!"

I tried my best to answer him but all I could manage was a stutter.

"W-w-wh-wha…" I couldn't even finish the word, the shivering was so bad.

Kurama's eyes were full of worry before they hardened and he glared at Yomi. "What did you do to Faith!?"

Weakly I turned to watch Yomi and found him standing there in complete bewilderment, he held his hands out in front of him as if he were inspecting them, and that's when I caught his hands trembling slightly.

"I could see…" Yomi's voice was low and full of astonishment, "I could see everything."

A violent shiver sent me curling up deeper into Kurama's arms while I attempted to burrow my face into his warm chest, it was like I was hugging a furnace and very slowly I could feel the heat returning to me.

The sound of Yomi taking a step closer to Kurama and I, echoed off the walls before Kurama jerked me back. "Don't touch her Yomi."

"What did she do Kurama? I was able to see! I could see everything she could see!"

Kurama's hold on me tightened. "I don't know what happened, but look what it's done to her!"

There was a quiet shuffling noise. "Yes, I can feel the difference in her. Get her back to her room Kurama, I'll leave it be for now, but I will get answers."

Yomi's footsteps reverberated throughout the room, it was followed by the sound of a door sliding open and then Yomi instructing someone outside to show Kurama the way to my room. After Yomi instructed whoever was out there, his footsteps grew fainter as he left. Kurama continued to hold me as my body shivered and convulsed from being so cold, his grip tightened as he stood with me still in his arms.

"Come on Faith, let's get you somewhere warm."

As Kurama walked out of this horrible room that I'm pretty confident is in the lower chambers, I gripped the lapel of his jacket while another strong convulsion ran through my stiff and aching body. What the hell happened back there? I've never experienced anything like that before in my life! What was that weird white hue? Just as I tried to ponder what could have happened back when Yomi touched my bare skin, something white fell in front of my eyes. With a trembling hand I went to pull it away from my eyes, and shockingly discovered that the white thing is actually my hair! What happened to my hair!?

"K-k-kur-ama…" still my voice couldn't function normally.

Kurama looked down at me in his arms and I displayed the now white hair strands. His eyes took in the sight of the white hair I held in my hand, and traced it to the rest of my hair before looking straight ahead.

"Faith I don't know what happened, but all of your hair is now white and you're very pale."

I let out a whimper at the news; I feel like this isn't a good sign.

While he continued to follow one of Yomi's underlings, Kurama glanced down at me before looking back up. "Don't worry Faith; I'm sure it'll return to normal. Let's just focus on getting you back to somewhere warm, and then we can talk about what happened."

While holding the strands of white hair I nod, but then I let my hair drop and cling to Kurama as yet again a powerful shiver ran through me.