A/N: Well everyone, we're approaching the next promised chapter...in which the word count quadruples (or more?) and something serious goes down! What will happen next, you may ask? Well you'll have to wait for chapter 40 to find out. But I will tell you it's titled Free. Maybe that gives you some ideas...? ;) The physical change I'm referencing in Hiei is his green form with all the eyes, in case anyone was curious.

A hu-u-u-uge thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are a big part of the reason why these chapters keep coming. So thank you everyone for sticking with me thus far!

39 — Grace

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Hiei was mindless when he felt her fingertips brush his arm, cool and delicate against his burning skin. Her energy pervaded his neatly before curling around him like a bizarre embrace. It pushed into him and then slowly outwards, filling him with a hum.

Slowly, Hiei felt his own youki release.

It was out of his control like a wild current, but he felt his youki settle back into his body and slip into a calm the likes of which he couldn't remember feeling before. His body still ached like he'd fought for his life, but his skin tingled pleasantly where her ki gently lay his own to rest beneath it.

Sensations seemed to return to him one by one after that—his hearing zoomed back into focus; his gaze full of a dark head of hair and his nose full of the ozone flavoured scent of her miko ki in the air. Burnt foliage fluttered weakly through the clearing with a small breeze and then just like that, Hiei was anchored back in his body.

Kagome was shaking with exertion, her hand trembling as she shifted. Hiei reacted just in time to take her weight as her legs slumped lifelessly beneath her.