Kurama, she reminded herself. His name was Kurama. He was a youkai -- a youko -- who had lived centuries before being born in her son's body. She closed her eyes, remembering the day he'd been born, and fought tears.

She moved to stand next to the table, fidgeting her fingers, and looked down at Hiei. He turned wide slanted eyes up at her -- such a peculiar colour! -- and waited for her to speak.

"Shuuichi," she began, and hesitated. "Kurama -- is he -- do you know where he is?"

"Uhn," Hiei replied.

"Is he -- "

"He's alive, obasama," the girl cut in. "Are you his mother?"

"H-hai," Shiori replied, hesitantly. The girl stood up, took Shiori's hands in hers.

"I'm honoured to meet you," she said. "And I promise we're going to bring him home alive, and he'll be fine." Shiori stared at her. She was a beautiful child, small and slender, with long silvery hair and delicate features, offset by large, reddish eyes that looked remarkably like --

"Shiori-san," Yuusuke interrupted her thoughts, "this is Juei. She's Hiei's daughter." That was it, then; the girl had her father's eyes. But she looked exactly the same age as Hiei. On the other hand, knowing now that Hiei was not Human, she could hardly guess what age he was; if her son was really centuries old, Hiei could be millennia, for all she knew.

"I think," Shiori said, "I would like to sit down." Juei led Shiori to her own chair and let her sit; Shiori did not miss the furtive look the girl shot toward Hiei. Hiei examined the ceiling.

"I would like," Shiori went on quietly, clasping her hands in her lap, "to know exactly what's going on. I want to know what's happened to Shuuichi, and where he is, and what you're going to do to get him back." Hiei turned to look at her. Shiori lifted her head and met his eyes. "Tell me everything," she said softly. "His soul may be that of a youko, but he's been my son for nearly twenty years. I have the right to know everything."

Yuusuke and Kazuma exchanged looks. Juei bowed her head and looked at Hiei through her hair. Hiei continued to look into Shiori's eyes; she blinked, startled by what she saw there; she hadn't noticed it before. She wondered if that pain was what had drawn her sensitive son to this little -- this little youkai.

She looked around the table again, and waited for someone to speak.

"What now, kitsune?" Hiei's smooth, low voice interrupted his thoughts. "How do you feel?"

"Bitch," Kurama mustered. "You're...not Hiei."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Want me to tell you about the first time you fucked me? I gave you the tear gem, then." Kurama closed his ears, closed his mind, refused to listen. It wasn't Hiei, he told himself, over and over. It wasn't Hiei.

Dull pain invaded his thoughts, and he realised he'd been kicked. He wasn't sure how many ribs were broken; he couldn't feel anything down there, anymore.

"I want you to listen to this, kitsune. I'm going to stay with Reikaze, here in the Makai."

"You are Reikaze," Kurama attempted, cursing his Human body, not for the first time, not for the last. Hiei grabbed his hair again, lifted his head, spat in his face.

"Are you sure, kitsune? I don't think you'd know your own face from a hole in the ground, right now." The firm lips settled on his, kissed him tenderly. Kurama tried to pull his head away. Hiei pressed forward, his tongue darting between Kurama's teeth. His slender hand snaked down between Kurama's legs, stroked him to erection.

"You see?" Hiei laughed, pulling away. "This, at least, knows who I am."

"Baka," Kurama said, sinking to the floor as his hair was released. "The Human body...responds...even when the mind is not aware of it."

Hiei's foot connected with his groin. Kurama felt a half-smile cross his face as he passed out again.

It didn't hurt when he was unconscious.

"How do you tell?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Projections don't last very long," Juei shrugged. "They can't stand up under really close scrutiny. That's why the projection of me was so weak," she nodded to Yuusuke, "when you were asking me questions the other night."

"But why would she project you as such a little girl?" Yuusuke wondered.

"Attempting to appeal to my father, I guess," Juei said, ducking her head and casting a guilty look at Hiei. He said nothing, only continued staring into middle space, apparently ignoring her.

"She doesn't know Hiei very well," Yuusuke laughed. "Cute doesn't work on him."

"She doesn't know him well at all," Juei agreed, with a sigh.

"Why did she kidnap my son?" Shiori interrupted.

"For obvious reasons," Juei replied. "He's a hostage, to be traded back when my father agrees to stay with her."

"Hiei-kun," Shiori began.

"Talking is getting nothing accomplished," Hiei informed them, getting to his feet and heading toward the door.

"Wait," Juei called to him. He halted, turned his head to glance over his shoulder at her. "You haven't heard my plan."

"You didn't appear to be in any rush to tell it," he pointed out. Juei flushed; she'd guessed he was an impatient person, and his lover _was_ in danger.

"Gomen nasai, otousama," she apologised. "It's not a terribly involved plan, but I think it will work." He turned, folded his arms, waited.

"You have to go to her," Juei said simply.

"Give myself up to her?" Hiei snorted.

"Exactly." She held his gaze with her own, keeping herself calm, half-afraid he would kill her.

He was strong, stronger than she had ever expected a Human to be, though he was not exactly Human. Even his Human body was beautiful, she thought, savouring the memory of his soft skin against her fingertips. Little softness left to it now; there was barely a smooth patch of skin left that hadn't been cut or bruised or bitten through. Still, physical injuries healed, she mused.

She should have found him before she ever found Hiei, she told herself, and laughed aloud. One of the many youkai in the palace jumped at the sound of her laugh. Just for the fun of it, Reikaze imploded his head.

Then she went to have her breakfast.

He'd been here for days, weeks, a year. Surely someone missed him, at least in the Ningenkai, even in the Makai. Yuusuke should have noticed he was gone, even Kazuma. Shiori --

His stomach clenched at the thought of Shiori. She would be worried half to death about him. He had a sudden image of her in his mind, wan and weeping.

For the first time since he'd been held prisoner, Kurama cried.

"Reikaze!" he shouted. "I'm here!"

The image of a face appeared on the wall of the palace, at his eye level. Reikaze. "Omoshiroi," she smiled. "I wondered when you'd show up."

"Let me in," Hiei snapped.

"Have you come to stay with me?"

"Yes," he told her. "Let me in." The image faded, and a door appeared in the wall. Hiei stalked through it, not bothering to check for ambushes. None of Reikaze's youkai could match his speed; and if she wanted him to stay with her, she would know better than to have one attack him, anyhow.

He looked around the cool white walls inside the palace and fought nausea; the memories he had of this place were terrifying. He suppressed those memories, and stood still, waiting.

Reikaze appeared in front of him, and smiled. She reached out to take his hand. "Irasshai," she said.

Hiei slipped his hand into hers, and followed her inside.