FINDING MY WAY HOME

Okay guys, let's see how this works. I am currently in a hotel in Phoenix waiting to go see my Diamondbacks hopefully sweep the Cubs. We've already won 2 of the 3 game series. This isn't very long but I hope it's not as boring as the last few chapters have seemed. I was a little wicked and left you with a cliffy. Hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 22

The Youko female’s eyes widen. Before she can say anything though the doorbell rings. As she turns to go answer it she calls back over her shoulder. “You must have hit your head really hard.”

When she opens the door she sounds relieved. “Oh Shiori, I’m glad you’re here. Kurama just hit his head.”

The two women hurried to my side. “Kurama, are you alright? What happened?”

I shake my head, hoping to clear it. “I’m not sure. I think I hit my head. Mother, who is that female Youko and what is she doing in my apartment?”

She looked surprised. “Uh oh. Kurama, where’s Hiei? I think we need to call him.”

I don’t like the sound of this. “Mother, answer my question. Who is she?”

The Youko looked shocked. “Kurama, I’m your mother. Don’t you remember?”

I frown at her. “No, Shiori is my mother. What’s going on?”

Realizing I’m getting upset, Shiori holds up a hand. “It’s alright Kurama. This is Iris, she is your Youko mother. Remember, you’re part demon.”

Trying to remain calm, I whisper. “It’s hard to forget when I’m sporting these pointy ears and this fuzzy tail, but no one ever told me about her. Mother, I think I’m missing more than just her. It happened again, didn’t it? Where’s Hiei? I want Hiei.”

My mother looked at Iris for the answer. “Hiei went to Makai.”

Mother nodded and reached into her purse for her cell phone. “Kurama, everything is alright. I’m going to call Hiei in just a moment. First, I want you to tell me what you remember last.”

Trying to stay calm, I answer. “I think Yusuke was here. He was helping me work on the speech I’m going to give at the luncheon for your club tomorrow.”

She smiled. “Good, it sounds like the only thing you’re missing is after your memory returned.”

I’m almost afraid to know. “Mother, I’m remembering March. What day is it now?”

She seemed to hesitate. “It’s mid-September.”

I nod. “I need Hiei.”

Looking at her phone, she dialed the number. From her initial response, he must have answered by asking what was wrong. “No Hiei, he’s fine… They’re both fine… Yes, something did happen. Kurama hit his head. Hiei, he lost his memory again… No, not completely. He remembers the last time he lost his memory, so he does know you and me, but not Iris… No, we haven’t gotten to that yet… Yes I know, I’ll be careful… Alright. We’ll head to the temple and meet you there… Hold on.”

When she held the phone out to me, I almost snatched it from her. “Hiei!”

“Kurama, are you alright?”

“Yeah Honey, I’m fine. I just wish you were here.”

“I’m on my way. Shiori’s going to take you to the temple. I want Yukina to check and make sure everything is alright.”

“Hiei, is she going to explain why I’m all swollen too?”

Surprisingly, he chuckled. “Shiori and Iris are going to explain about that. Just promise me you’ll remain calm. I promise, your swollen belly is a good thing. I love you Fox. I’ll meet you at the temple in about an hour.”

“I love you too Hiei.”

Handing her back the phone, I look between my mother and… well, my other mother. “Alright ladies. Hiei says this thing moving around in my stomach is a good thing, but I can’t imagine how some parasite growing inside me is a good thing.”

Both women laughed. Then Iris came forward and took a seat beside me. “That’s not a parasite. Trust us Son, it is a very good thing.”

Standing next to me, Shiori put a hand on my shoulder. “Now, take a deep breath and remember to stay calm as Iris explains a few things about Youkos to you.”

Several minutes later I am staring at her in shock. “I’m pregnant? Definitely wasn’t expecting that. Wow. I’m a bit confused, and really terrified, but this so cool. Hiei and I are going to have a baby. Is the baby why I’m Youko in the Ningenkai?”

Apparently relieved at my reaction, Shiori sighed. “Partly, yes. The baby makes you dizzy if your energy gets too low, and as a Youko it’s easier to maintain it at a higher level. Also, just as you try to be Shuuichi for me, you try to be Yoko for Iris. Now we should get going. Hiei will be frantic if he gets to the temple and we’re not there.”

At the door, I pick up my wallet and phone, then hesitate. “Mother, we won’t all fit in my car.”

She grins and hands me a set of keys. “Don’t worry, Hiei bought you a new car for the baby.”

Stepping off the elevator in the garage a few minutes later, I’m relieved to see the Z still parked in its usual spot. Since Hiei and I technically occupy the top two floors, several parking spaces are dedicated just for our use. One is occupied by my mother’s Lexus and another by a Mercedes SUV. “Is that mine? It’s gorgeous.”

When I open the passenger and rear doors for them, Iris gives me a look of concern. “Kurama, are you sure you should be driving? You hit your head pretty good.”

Seeing Shiori’s equal look of concern, I smile. “I’m fine, really. Besides, I really want to drive the new car.”

Luckily, neither of them asked if I had a headache as they reluctantly got in the car. When I slip behind the wheel I take a moment to appreciate the luxury of the vehicle. With a grin, I start the engine. “Hiei has very good taste. This should be interesting. I don’t remember ever driving as a Youko.”

Less than an hour later we arrive at the temple. I barely make it around the car to help the ladies out when Hiei comes streaking down the temple steps. I have a split second to turn and hold out my arms before Hiei is in them. “I’m alright Hiei. I just got a little bump on the head.”

Tilting his head back, Hiei frowned. “Hard enough to lose your memory again. What the hell did you hit it on this time?”

After thinking a moment I shrug. It’s Iris who answers his question. “We were doing the breakfast dishes. As he turned to put the glasses in the cupboard, he hit the hood over the stove. He didn’t lose consciousness, he was just stunned a bit. After that, he didn’t know who I was.”

Hiei’s hand caressed my swollen belly. “What about the baby?”

I give him a happy grin. “Can you believe we’re having a baby? That is just incredible. As far as I can tell, the baby is fine.”

Taking my hand, Hiei drags me up the temple steps. “I want Yukina to confirm you are both alright.”

At the temple, Kuwabara is standing on the porch with a twin in each arm. “It’s a good thing you finally got here Kurama. Yukina had to practically sit on Hiei so he’d stay put when he arrived and you weren’t here yet. She’s waiting inside.”

Pulling my hand from Hiei’s, I pause a moment to caress the twin’s cheeks. “Oh my, look how big they got.”

Inside, Yukina barely got to say hello before Hiei was insisting she check me out. With a smile she got right to her exam. As she examines me, I feel the familiar tingle of her energy. When she checked the baby though I feel it move in response and smile. “Did you feel that Yukina? It moved for you.”

Returning my smile, she nodded. “Yes I did, and you’ll be happy to know everything is fine. Hiei, they are both just fine.”

When I smile at him, Hiei gives me an odd look. “Kurama, are you really okay with us having a baby?”

Remembering both him and my mothers warning me to be calm at the news, I frown. “Dragon, is there some reason I wouldn’t be alright with us having a baby?”

He smirks. “Let’s just say you weren’t thrilled with the news the first time you heard it.”

Suddenly his eyes widen. “Wait, did you just call me Dragon?”

Realizing I had, I nod. “I guess I did. I think it suits you, is that alright?”

They all exchanged looks. When Iris looked confused, Shiori smiled. “Kurama has always called Hiei Dragon. He didn’t remember that though the last time he had amnesia. In fact, Kurama remembered a little something about each of us except Hiei. Yukina, what do you think that means?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure. It could indicate that something is different this time. We’ll have to wait and see.”

I give Shiori a curious look. “Alright, one more question. Mother, when did you start calling me Kurama?”

She smiles. “When you and Hiei first brought Iris home with you, she and I were causing you a bit of stress competing for your attention. She calls you Yoko, I call you Shuuichi and everyone else calls you Kurama. After Hiei had enough and basically told us to play nice, Iris and I agreed that we could make things easier if we started using the name you chose.”

Beside her, Iris was grinning. “You probably don’t know that Kurama isn’t just a random name you chose. It’s actually my family name.”

Funny how that little tidbit of information suddenly gave me a connection to her. “That’s really cool. So you both call me Kurama now, what do I call you? I’m sure Mother and Mother would get confusing.”

She chuckled. “You’ve never called me Mother, I was always Mom. Luckily, the different names helped us know who you mean by which name you use.”

Shiori nodded. “You’ve never called me Mom, even after Kazuya and I were married and Shu-Chan started calling me Mom. When Iris and I asked you about it, you said that Iris had been your Mom for so long before me, it was easier to give me another name. You also said calling me Mother helped remind your ancient Youko soul that I was the adult and you the child in our relationship.”

Just then Yusuke came rushing in. “Alright, we’re here! What’s up? Kuwabara said there was an emergency.”

From outside Keiko cried out. “Yusuke! You jerk!”

His eyes widened comically. “Oops. Guess I forgot to help Keiko with the kids.”

We all laugh as he runs back out. As he returns with the baby carrier and diaper bag, he’s grinning. “I’m going to be in trouble for that one for a while. So, what’s up guys?”

Kuwabara answered him. “Kurama hit his head and lost his memory again. He’s back to where he was six months ago.”

Big brown eyes turned to me. “Damn Kurama, you’re going to give Hiei a heart attack with all this. Maybe I could just hit you again and your memory would come back.”

Hiei growled but didn’t move when Keiko whacked Yusuke on the back of the head. “The only one getting hit on the head around here is you Dimwit. Besides, Hiei will kill you if you lay a hand on Kurama. Now get your son out of his carrier.”

Yusuke rubbed the back of his head as he squatted down to the baby. “Damn Keiko, I was just kidding. One of these days you’re going to give me amnesia hitting me on the head.”

When he rose with the baby in his arms, I hold out my arms. “Benji, look how big you are. You were an infant the last time I saw you.”

When I took Benji in my arms, everyone froze and stared at me. “What? Is there something wrong with me holding the baby?”

Hiei shook his head. “No, we’ve just never seen you do it unless we trick you into it.”

I frown. “Really? He’s a baby not a rabid demon. Damn, he… I… the other me must have had a real problem with kids for everyone to be shocked over such a little thing.”

Beside me, Hiei muttered under his breath making me laugh. “You have no idea.”

XXXXX

A week later I’m still adjusting the news that I’m going to have a baby. Hiei of course had returned to watching me like a hawk. It had taken him months last time to relax enough to leave me for more than an hour or two. Pregnant, I expect he’ll never leave again. Shiori has been around a lot. She and Iris have apparently become friends.

Right now I’m sitting in the nursery with Iris. As we go through all the adorable baby things she is telling me who gave us what. Picking up a soft cloth baby carrier, I slip it over my shoulder. “Mom, this looks like the one you made Uncle Jasper when he had Celly.”

Iris smiled. “That is the one I made Jasper. He gave it to you at your shower. Wait! Son, I didn’t tell you about Jasper. Do you remember him?”

Thinking a moment, I shrug. “Sort of. When I do remember things, the memories are just flashes of things that pop into my head. The baby carrier probably triggered the memory. This will be great for when we are in Makai. Somehow, I don’t think the stroller would hold up to the terrain.”

It was nice spending time with Iris. She told me about my Youko childhood and taught me things about being a Youko. Some of what she taught me helped me understand better how to control my plants. Hiei however was over cautious of me using my energy and wouldn’t let me practice much.

That evening, as we lay in bed, I excitedly told Hiei some of the things I’d remembered. “Without even thinking about it I had a great memory of my Uncle Jasper when my cousin was a baby. I had one of my brother Royce as Mom told me about my childhood. It’s really different this time Dragon. I’ve even had several images of you. Not anything I can make a whole memory out of yet, but I definitely saw you. Did we ever make love on your motorcycle?”

Hiei grinned. “Oh yeah, we sure did. That was just a few months ago too. What else do you remember?”

My cheeks hurt from trying not to smile. “Most of the images I’ve had have been pretty dirty. That doesn’t surprise me though, since we do have a very active sex life. A couple of the images have scared me though. The other day when I fell asleep while we were watching that horror movie, I dreamt your dragon ate you.”

When Hiei’s expression changed, I knew that was no dream. “That happened at one of the dark tournaments a few years ago. That was a bad time for us. We weren’t lovers yet, but it still wasn’t easy for either of us to stand by and watch as the other was almost killed in the ring.”

I’m kind of glad I don’t remember that. “Oh Hiei, that must have been awful. I hope for our child’s sake that we never put him or her through anything like that.”

He strokes my hair. “That’s why we’ve always fought so hard. So the ones we love will have a better future and be safe.”

At times like this I know why, with and without my memory, I fell in love with Hiei. Something about his protective nature also makes me really horny. “So, my sexy mate, other than motorcycle sex, is there anything else new in our sex life?”

His pupils dilate as his hand skims down my body. “Well, there is this one new thing.”

For a moment he strokes my already hardening length. Then he gives my balls a firm squeeze. When his hand continues exploring, I part my legs willingly. I don’t feel the familiar probing I expect though. Instead my body jumps at a sudden unexpected pleasure. “What the hell?”

Hiei chuckles against my throat. “Apparently, during mating season you and I found another way to make love. That’s how you got pregnant.”

At this point my body is quivering under his expert fingers. “So, we found the female parts that he… I… wanted to keep secret. Gods Hiei, that feels so good. Please tell me there’s more.”

Hiei growls as he moves over me. “I love it when you beg. Let’s see what else I can make you beg for.”

XXXXX

Sitting in the nursery, I look around at all of the baby’s things. There are clothes to dress it in, bottles to feed it with, and diapers to change it. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to do any of those things. In fact, I don’t know how to do any of this. I don’t know what to do with a baby. Hell, I don’t even know how to have this baby.

Pushing myself up out of the rocker, I rush out of the nursery. “Hiei!”

Hearing my cry, Hiei came running out of the library. “Kurama, what’s wrong?”

I rush into his arms. “Dragon! I can’t do this! What was I thinking? I don’t know anything about babies!”

Grabbing my arms, he pulls back to look at me. “Kurama? Is that you?”

I think my heart stopped. Pulling out of his arms, I stare at him. “Hiei, you’re sorry I’m back and that you lost him again, aren’t you? Oh gods, what am I going to do? I guess I could stay with my mother. Wait, she and Mom went to the movies.”

I jump when Hiei yells. “KURAMA! ENOUGH! Now sit down!”

Startled to hear him speak so harsh to me, I do as he says and sit on the end of the sofa. With a grunt he sits on the coffee table in front of me and takes my hands. “Now, take a deep breath and relax. Foxie, you’re having a panic attack. You had a lot of them when you first found out you were pregnant. A lot has happened in the past few weeks. Besides, the baby hormones have been making you insecure. It must have all just overwhelmed you.”

When I don’t answer, but just stare at him, Hiei sighs. “Kurama, have I ever given you any reason to think I don’t love you?”

I know I’m pouting, but I can’t help it, so I just shake my head. “When your memory came back, you… he… cried out ‘Dragon’, then ran across the living room into my arms. He never wanted to have a baby and had panic attacks for months just thinking about it. You were thrilled from the moment you heard you were pregnant. It’s understandable I thought your memory had come back.”

Feeling guilty for what I’d accused him of, I can’t meet his eyes. “Kurama, look at me. Memory or no memory, Youko or human, baby or no baby, I love YOU!”

With a little smile, I lean forward to kiss him. “I love you too Hiei. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. One minute I was fine, then suddenly I was freaking out. Sounds like I’ve been giving you a hard time this whole pregnancy.”

Moving from the table, Hiei sits beside me and reaches out to wrap a thick strand of my red hair around his finger. “I mated with a Youko, I knew you’d be trouble from the moment I met you.”

Luckily I could see he was trying to hide a grin. Scooting down on the sofa, I snuggle against his shoulder. “I was trouble was I? What about you? You had delusions of taking over the world and turning humans into zombies.”

Hiei turned to look at me. “Who told you about that?”

I frown. “No one told me. Wait, Hiei I remember that clear as day. You tried to turn Keiko into a zombie. I helped Yusuke beat you. You even stabbed me.”

We didn’t get a chance to celebrate the memory when the door opened and Shiori and Iris came in. Like my spot in Hiei’s arms, I waved. “Hey you two. How was the movie?”

Iris grinned at us. “It was great. Why don’t we have things like that in Makai?”

I smile at her excitement. “I don’t know Mom.”

Shiori gave us a curious look. “Did something happen?”

When I give her a surprised look for being so perceptive, Hiei grunted. “Hn. You call it mother’s intuition. Everything is fine now Mother. Kurama just had a panic attack.”

She relaxed. “Well, it’s been a while. He was probably due. Was it bad?”

I love how playful Hiei can be with my mother. “He was packing his bags to move in with you.”

That made her giggle. “Oh my. I love you Son, and it would be wonderful to have you and my new grandbaby living with me. Hiei however would probably have a few things to say about that.”

Hiei growled and Iris laughed. “Oh, Hiei would definitely have a problem with that.”

We all laughed. Realizing I was still cuddled against Hiei, I blushed and tried to move away. Hiei however had other ideas. “Just relax Fox. It’s not like they haven’t seen us cuddle before.”

Iris laughed. “Oh cuddling is nothing. When he was a kit I’d find Yoko making out with one vixen or another.”

I gave her an indignant look. “Oh no Mom, that was Royce. I was much more discreet. I wasn’t partial to vixens, remember.”

She frowned a moment. “You and your brother looked so much alike as kits, it was hard to tell sometimes.”

Shiori sighed. “I couldn’t even get Shuuichi to date. I was so grateful when I realized he and Hiei were secretly seeing each other I almost burst in on them to congratulate them.”

Together Hiei and I gaped at her. “You knew?”

She laughed when we spoke at the same time. “Of course I knew. I was suspicious long before I heard you though. I could see how much you cared for each other.”

I looked at Hiei. “And we thought we were so sneaky. Right after we were mated Yusuke told me he knew too.”

When I looked back at my mothers they were giving me an odd look. When she spoke, Shiori was excited. “Honey, why didn’t you tell us you got your memory back?”

Realizing what I’d remembered, I smiled. “I haven’t really gotten it back. I just seem to know things I didn’t know before. It happened right before you came in too.”

Iris seemed excited too. “You just had both Youko and human memories. I’d say that’s a huge step in the right direction. Let’s celebrate.”

The ladies decided celebrating meant dinner out. The rest of the evening was spent with them regaling Hiei with stories of both of my childhoods.

XXXXX

Something is going on with Hiei, and he doesn't want me to know about it. Yusuke's been hanging around a lot and they've been exchanging looks that tell me something is up. Normally, I might not have noticed, but my instincts have been sharper since my memory began to return. Even though the memories have been coming back more frequently and more clearly, I'm still not me yet.
Right now, as Hiei and I walk home from the market, I can tell he is alert and watching for something. He was like this the other night when we walked to the Italian restaurant around the corner with my mothers. I also heard him on the phone this morning telling Yusuke our plans, so I wouldn't be surprised to find him nearby. "Hiei, what's going on? I know you're keeping something from me."
He tried to give a casual shrug, but I can see it's forced. "I'm just thinking about a case Yusuke mentioned.”

I frowned. “Since when are you and Yusuke taking cases again?”

Realizing his slip, Hiei thought a moment before answering. “We take them occasionally. It’s nothing really.”

Suddenly Hiei stiffened. “Kurama, didn’t you say you wanted to go in here sometime? Maybe you don’t remember.”

When Hiei tried to push me towards a ladies boutique I stopped and growled. “Where is the threat Hiei? I can tell Yusuke is less than a block behind us.”

I would have turned to look behind us but Hiei grabbed my arm. “Thirty feet back on the left, next to the pink flowery thing.”

We had just passed a pink bougainvillea. Without turning I reached out my energy to it. A second later its branches had trapped the demon standing in front of it. Turning, I heard Yusuke yell. “Damn it! NO!”

I only got a glimpse of the demon before a shiny blade tore a hole in space and swallowed him up. Hiei and Yusuke both ran and made a jump for the portal, but almost as fast as it appeared it was gone. Somehow they managed not to collide. “Damn it Hiei, Kurama had him! What happened?”

By now I had joined them. “Kurama didn’t know to keep him from using the Dimension Blade.”

Feeling my anger growing, I growled at both of them. “HOME! NOW!”

Stalking off, I hear them arguing behind me as to why they should and should not have told me their secret. Reaching the apartment building before them, I took the elevator leaving them behind. Luckily no one was home because when Hiei and Yusuke came in I turned on them. “I want to know what the hell is going on right now!”

Looking at Hiei, Yusuke waited for him to nod his approval before starting. “A little over a week ago I was notified about an unregistered demon popping in and out of the Ningenkai. He was using an artifact that Koenma thought had been lost or destroyed a millennia ago.”

I interrupted him. “The Dimension Blade was fought over and used by demon lords during the feudal era to cross into the Ningenkai and kidnap humans for slaves and food. The Blade tears a whole between dimensions creating a portal, then with the reverse side, knits the tear together again as if it was never there. It is rumored to have been dropped into the Azul volcano over a thousand years ago.”

Yusuke nodded. “That’s what we’ve heard.”

I look accusingly at Hiei. “What aren’t you telling me about the demon?”

Hiei stared at me a moment, then sighed in resignation. “His name is Donte. Two years ago he was a member of my guard. I dismissed him for incompetence and insubordination.”

I frowned at something in the tone of Hiei’s voice. “Dismissed?”

Frustrated, he growled. “When he was unable to perform to my expectations and I called him on it, he went crazy, screaming that I had humiliated him in front of the rest of the guard. When I stripped him of rank and had him thrown out, he vowed revenge.”

Annoyed, I paced twice before turning on them. Both men flinched at my anger. “So my mate has been stalked by a revenge crazed demon for over a week and neither of you thought I needed to know this? What if he had attacked me to get at Hiei and I didn’t know to be on guard?”

Hiei sighed. “You have enough to worry about right now. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, one of us has been watching you every minute.”

Still annoyed, I nod. “Of course I knew, I’m pregnant not stupid. You still should have told me. And in case you haven’t figured it out, I got my memory back.”

Turning, I left them staring after me as I go into the bedroom and slam the door.

XXXXX

The next few weeks had passed pretty quietly. The demon Dante seemed to have backed off, probably to regroup. Of course I am no longer mad at Hiei and he makes sure I know of any new developments. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many. Yusuke’s still hanging around a lot, but I don’t mind now that I know what’s going on.

As I had told Hiei and Yusuke, my memory returned when I tried to capture Dante. It’s different this time though. This time I have both my memories as well as those from when my memory was gone. It’s like the two sets of memories merged seamlessly.

I’m getting frighteningly close to my nine month due date, and Yukina is checking the baby every few days. As I sit on her exam table at the temple, she smiles at me. “You and the baby are just doing wonderful Kurama. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

I try not to show my nervousness as I smile back at her. “Thank you Yukina.”

The look Hiei gives me says he’s suspicious of my calm reply. “Kurama why don’t we go for a walk in the forest while were here?”

Once again, I’m reminded of just why I love this man. He always know just what I need. Taking his hand, I follow him out of the temple and we head for the trees. We had walked for several minutes when I turn to him and smile. “It’s so beautiful out here. Somehow, it makes me homesick though.”

Hiei gave me a look. “What’s going through that beautiful mind of yours Fox?”

I lean over and give him a kiss. “You know me too well Dragon. I know it sounds impulsive, but I’ve been thinking about this a while. We’re demons Hiei, our baby should be born in Makai.”

He looked at me a moment before answering. “You won’t hear me argue with that. What about all the plans for the delivery though?”

I shrug. “We change them. Yukina would probably be willing to come with us to Alaric, and if not, I’m sure Mukuro can find us a midwife and I know she has excellent healers. Shiori and Iris will probably insist on coming too, so we’ll be in good hands.”

Hiei’s smile tells me he’s pleased with my suggestion. “Guess we’d better go tell everyone that plans have changed then.”

I give a little whoop and hug him. “I love you Hiei.”

Stepping away from him I turn back the way we had come. Suddenly, there is a disruption in the energy around us. Spinning back around I see the demon that has been after Hiei. He had ripped open a portal directly behind Hiei, grabbed him and was pulling him with him through the portal. Without thinking, I scream “YUSUKE!”, and jump through the portal after them.

I land hard, but manage to stay on my feet. With Hiei’s extra weight, Dante was thrown to the ground when he went through the portal. He quickly recovered though and jumped to his feet, the Dimension Blade in his hand. My heart stops when I notice Hiei lying unconscious at his feet. “What have you done to my mate?!”

Circling me, as if he wants to get behind me, Dante laughs. “Don’t worry Kurama, I just drugged your forbidden bastard so I could catch him.”

Keeping an eye on Dante, I kneel beside Hiei. Sure enough there is a syringe sticking out of his neck. As I pull it free and toss it away I realize my mistake. Dante had moved to the portal he had created and was using the reverse of the Dimension Blade to seal it shut. Just as it closes I see Yusuke running at the portal, but he doesn’t make it in time. “KURAMA!”

Dante laughed again. “Looks like it’s just you and me Kurama.”

Rising to my full height I gave him a cold stare. “Yes, it is. I’m curious Dante. Just what were you planning on doing with Hiei after you got him? There is nothing around here for at least a mile.”

He smirked, and flipped the Dimension blade in his hand. “You forgot about this. I’m going to open another portal to my hideout in the Ningenkai. In the meantime that stupid spirit detective will be searching Makai for him, but all he’s going to find is your dead body. Killing you wasn’t in my plan, but Hiei will suffer even more knowing he caused the death of his mate and unborn child.”

Moving away from Hiei, I slowly circle Dante, making sure to keep him away from Hiei. As I do, I reach up and run my fingers through my hair. “That would have been a good plan Dante, except for one thing. I’m not going down without a fight, but then I probably won’t need to actually fight. Besides, do you really think I will let you live after daring to threaten my mate and child?”

As I continue to circle him, I can see he is trying not to let me see his previous confidence is slipping. “I don’t see where you are a threat to me. All I’ve ever seen you do is grow a few flowers, and I don’t see much in the way of plant life around here. Besides, how well could you possible fight as swollen with child as you are. I didn’t even know male Youkos could do that.”

Completing my circle, I’m beside Hiei again. Shaking my head I can’t help but laugh. The look on Dante’s face tells me it must be a pretty scary sound. Must be the bad mood I’m in. “Oh Dante, that’s not the only thing you don’t know. Have you ever heard the name…Yoko?”

As I say my true name I flare my energy. Dante screams as a plant springs up beside him and bites off his right hand, Dimension Blade and all. He made a vain attempt to turn and run, but found himself surrounded by more of my carnivorous pets. Wildly, he stares at me over their snapping pods. “YOKO? The bandit Yoko? Please, I beg you! Have mercy!”

Knowing he would have shown Hiei no mercy, I glare at him. “Since you know who I am, you also know, I don’t show mercy.”

His screams last only a few seconds as my plants devour him. Turning away from the sight, I kneel down to my mate and try shaking him. “Hiei! Dragon, I need you to wake up! Hiei!”

Whatever drug Dante injected him with had him out cold. Looking around, there is nothing but desolate waste land for what looks like at least a mile. I know I don’t have my cell phone, having taken it from my pocket when Yukina examined me. After a quick search I’m disappointed to find Hiei doesn’t have his either.

Turning to my plants, I reduce them to seeds. As I scoop them up I see the Dimension Blade. Realizing that is the answer, I pick it up. Experimentally I slice it through the air. Nothing happened.

Turning the blade over, I try again. Still nothing. After thinking a moment, I channel my energy into the blade and try again. This time a portal opens. I am about to celebrate when I realize it isn’t the Ningenkai on the other side, but one of the lower levels of Makai. Having caught the attention of a rather large and disgusting yellow blob of slime with eyes, I reverse the blade, channel my energy and close the portal. “Guess that’s not the answer after all.”

Weighing my options, I rub my tummy. I know I’ve overdone it, because the baby is making me real uncomfortable right now. “Don’t worry Little One. I’m pretty sure I know where we are. I don’t think I’m in any shape to carry Daddy though. Just let me figure out what to do with him, then it will take us about an hour to get to one of my dens. Then we’ll be safe and you and I can get some rest while we wait for Daddy to wake up and take us home.”

Reaching into my hair, I pull out several seeds. A few minutes later I had grown two long bamboo poles and woven them with long, leafy vines, fashioning them in to a litter. Positioning it beside Hiei, I manage to roll him onto it. Squatting down in front of the litter, I use more vines to strap it to my shoulders. When I stand the front end of the litter, where Hiei’s head is, lifts off the ground. Testing the weight distribution, I’m happy to feel my legs and shoulders taking most of the weight.

I walked a few yards then looked back to check Hiei and the litter. Behind us is an obvious trail where the back of the litter dragged on the ground. Extending the reach of the leafy vines behind the litter, I instruct them to drop three leaves in the shape of an arrow at the end of the trail. Should Yusuke manage to find the point we came though the portal, he’ll at least know which way we went. From that point on though, the leaves should brush away our trail, preventing anyone else from actually tracking us.

I give my tummy another rub, trying to relieve some of the tension in the muscles there. “Alright Little One, just a little longer and we can rest.”

Setting off, I’m tired and uncomfortable, but nothing I can’t handle. For Hiei and our baby, I can do anything. As we get closer to the mountains we’re heading for, our location is confirmed. We are in a sparsely populated area at the edge of leaving Yusuke’s territory and entering Yomi’s. As the vegetation began to thicken there have been a few rodents and reptiles, but none have bothered us so far.

We’d traveled the mile or out of Yusuke’s territory but have almost another half mile to a den I have in Yomi’s. Just when I think we’re almost home free a rabid looking dog jumped out in front of us. Though he was a lower level demon, he could still be deadly. Releasing my grip on the litter, my hand flew to my whip just as he leapt at me. With a flip of my wrist I slice through him, killing him.

Though I now kept my whip close at hand, I returned my grip to the litter. Just as I turn to go around the dead demon, the muscles in my stomach contract painfully, taking me to my knees. With a strangled cry, I wrap my arms around my stomach. When the contraction released my, I’m panting. “Oh Baby no, not now.”