IX. aid unsought

Somewhere in between dimensions feral eyes met a yellow one.

"Are you sure?" Said a whisper of a voice.

"Yes…"

"And so it ends…" It was a sighed and a promise. Both winked out into the maelstrom of the wilderness between the planes.

***

Ran moved quickly as the alarm klaxons rang from all quarters, cursing. He wondered who had made the mistake that triggered them. It better not be any of Sh—Kurama's friends or there will be hell to pay. He had been reluctant to have to do this mission with the Urameshi team underfoot in the first place. This is what happens when you let non-professionals help in this sort of work…

***

"So that's how it's going to be?"

"Hai, 'niichan."

Ran didn't want to question the plan, it got his otouto under his care after all but it split the Weiß team into two and made them work with two others who they haven't even seen in action much less coordinate with. Besides, it was the best compromise they could come up with using both teams' methods.

"Won't it be more effective if the teams were split up along the team lines?"

"Ie, you won't have powers to deal with Sohliel and others of his kind that might be about."

"Hn."

"Please be rational, 'niichan." And that was that.

***

The "plan", as insane as it was, had called for him and Siberian backed by Hiei and Kurama to take on the Estet elders while the others take on Schwartz. It also called for sneaking quietly into the base and assassinating the Estet and the Schwartz. Right now, it might well be scattered to the high winds. Someone had managed to trip the alarm before they got into position. Ran swore again. They had to fight men with guns something the Reikai Tantei had never done and that made Ran very nervous about bringing both Kurama and, surprisingly, Hiei into the fights. He constantly worried about them getting hit by bullets.

"Hn. Dodge fireballs and such." Hiei said close to his ear. He had to remember that Hiei was a telepath as good as if not better than Schuldich. Not that little Jaganashi used his gift other than for communications most of the time and Ran's strong worry must be projecting pretty far.

There were only two corridors they had to go through to their mission objective. He had drawn Hiei as his partner through the corridors. He comforted himself with the thought that they'll be seeing Kurama and Ken at the last juncture. Then realized what Hiei had said.

"Hn." Ran said. That doesn't help much…

He had not much time for thought as the corridor in front of them exploded with Estet guards.

***

Yuusuke ran with Balinese. Of all the four Weiß, he was the unknown element; Hidaka and Tsukyono were at least acquainted with Kurama. Still he seemed a good man in a fight. They had taken down several of the guards with their weapons without getting hurt though with the alarms on. They had taken to speeding through the corridors, time becoming a premium rather than surprise since they have lost that option.

***

The hall of sacrifice was large with a vaunted ceiling. The corridor where they emerge from was far from the altar all the passages were like that. The droning chant of the three went on and on as they climbed the stairs. Kurama felt uneasy. He remembered a part of a private argument before this mission. He knew his brother would have probably dismissed it by now as trivial but bothered Kurama a lot. Kurama knew that Ran didn't believe in the threat presented by youkai despite what the latter had seen and heard. It might be natural considering that he was a child of the modern world, which relied on science. He'd rather have Ran away from the coming battle but his 'niichan was adamant. Nothing was going to keep Ran away from this one short of death.

***

"Ran-niichan, be reasonable, we're probably going against more youkai, demons that have been kept in reserve. You and Weiß have no experience fighting them, you should stay out of it."

"Hn." A death glare accompanied the refusal. It was clear that his big brother wouldn't allow him to go into any danger on his own.

"'Niichan."

"Hn."

Kurama met Ran's eyes glare for glare, letting a bit of amber slip into his.

"Humph, I guess there will be enough ningen with mundane weapons to give us some trouble." Kurama conceded finally, pouting adorably as he did so.

Ran-niichan could kill a basilisk at a glaring competition…

"Hn." Cute pouts won't make me repeal my verdict.

"Hai, I know that that wouldn't work when the matter was this serious but it was worth a try." Kurama grinned at Ran making the latter smile tentatively at him.

***

Kurama hid in the shadows waiting for the rest of their team to show up Ken-kun was beside him waiting for the signal as well. Hopefully no one got caught though with the alarm raised it would be harder for everyone concerned to take out his targets. Something moved in one of the adjacent corridors. It was one of the unaccounted for corridors in the complex probably leading to the Schwartz. He tightened his fingers around his whip.

***

"Omi-kun, where to now?" Kuwabara said trying to be as quiet as he could. They had already made a mistake tripping the alarm by passing a laser beam that wasn't suppose to be there. They had taken care of the consequences of their actions and were now speeding to their rendezvous point with Yuusuke and Youji-san.

"Right then left." Omi said consulting his map. They skidded to a halt and proceeded more cautiously into the corridor that would lead them into the Schwartz antechamber.

***

"Omi-kun, Kuwabara-kun, how come you're here?" Kurama hissed in surprise as they huddled together in the corridor.

"Omi…" Ken said in half-question.

"We followed the map! We didn't get turned about. I'm positive." Omi said defensively. He was feeling a bit less confident after blundering into the alarm.

"I'm sure you did." Kurama said soothingly. Whatever was going on couldn't be helped.

"What now?" Hidaka-san asked.

"We wait for the rest of the Estet team to show up? Ran-niichan would not be pleased if we had gone on without him." Kurama suggested.

They started when another corridor showed activity but it was only Yuusuke and Youji-kun.

What happened to Ran-niichan that he…?

The thought wasn't finished when Hiei flew in with his 'niichan.

"What in hell!" Ran directed this uncharacteristic outburst to his teammates.

"We don't know how we end up here." Protested Youji.

"Let's figure it out later, the ceremony's been started. We'd better hurry." Yuusuke said. He no doubt was feeling the rise in ki energy enshrouding the summoning hall the way everyone from Urameshi Team.

The joint team didn't need to use their "Chosen One" detectors to know that the bier on stage must be where Aya-chan was.

***

The combined teams of Weiß and Schwartz hurried towards the stage. Ran felt a wave of weakness thrum through his veins as he ran but dismissed it. It must be the demon's blood in him reacting to the ceremony. Kurama looked at him in concern as he faltered but he only shook his head and there was no more time. The teams separated into small groups to deal with the telekinetic Elders of Estet and the guards in the main hall.

Odd that there weren't any other youkai at all in the ranks of guards. He was in the process of slicing one of the guards when the weakness came upon him again and he felt as if his entire being was on fire. He distantly felt his knees buckle and lost his balance, far, far away someone was screaming…

***

"'Niichan!" Kurama shouted as he dispatched the guard with his whip.

Ran was kneeling an aura of intense blue limned his form and he was screaming.

There that was the last of them…

"Everyone take care of the Elders. I'll take care of Ran-niichan." Kurama falling back to hold Ran in his arms. The blue glow traveled up Kurama's arms to enfold him too. Somehow it didn't harm him. Strange, it felt rather warm and welcoming.

Yuusuke nodded, seeing that the blue glow had not harmed Kurama. Youji hesitated but then moved on grimly.

***

One of the chanting Elders saw death approaching and broke off to hurl a wide spray of telekinetic force. Hiei and Siberian zeroed in on him and narrowly avoided being pushed by telekinetic force. Hiei's cat-quick reflexes had allowed him to bypass the wave and slash the man's throat. Yuusuke managed to shoot the woman before she could do anything. The last man was either more cowardly or more cool headed than the rest, he ran away fast as he could to a door where Schwartz must be, chanting all the while. He had only managed to survive a few more seconds as Youji managed to latch a stranglehold with his wire.

All through out these events the glow surrounding Kurama and Ran didn't falter but intensified at each beat of a silent pulse.

Hiei was finally free to use the detector to confirm his dawning suspicions.

Shit! Just as I thought…

"This isn't Aya." Hiei said.

"Sakura." Omi confirmed.

They had been deceived. Hiei ripped the ward off of his Jagan to look at the impenetrable walls for a hidden door. With an illusion master, he didn't want to take the chance that the real door was cloaked, time was running out for Kurama and Ran.

***

Elsewhere, Schwartz was meticulously chanting their version of the rite under the supervision of Sohliel who nearly yawned.

So f'r so good, everythin's fallin' i' t' place…

Sohliel looked at the bier that held Fujimiya Aya with a satisfied smirk on his alien face. It hadn't been all that hard to switch her with Tomoe Sakura. Those old fools didn't even know the first thing about this girl. They didn't even take the time to read her aura that would have saved them from being duped. But no, they were too assured of their destiny. It had been too easy. He sighed in contempt but tightened his grasp on the magical energies in the room. He had given Schwartz the rite to perform and so there they were now. His perception blurred for a moment and on a less aware level, he felt himself chanting with rest of Schwartz.

After this night there would be no more problems about budgeting his resources, of splitting his consciousness. He would be free, free of the contract that bound his soul to servitude to the Cei Lady Bolshai, free to do as he pleased. It had been a hard thing to do to fight the geas that came with the contract but he had done it. He had gotten attached to the Ningenkai's status quo and wished no earthshaking changes even if it meant that he would have great power.

No let us not lie to ourselves --myself-- it's all for His sake… Heck, I'd have to stop her plan myself, Reikai were such ignorant fools they didn't even know that my liege was a she not a he. What a bunch of weenies… Things were so under control…

It was how matters were when he felt the surge of power in the adjacent chamber.

Damned it! Somethin's gone som'ut wrong…

Sohliel dropped the illusions he wove and gathered his powers to himself. He was even tempted to…but no, not that, never that… If I did that I can never stay here in the Ningenkai any longer…

"Crawford-san, something has gone wrong with the rite. Against all expectations there seems to be a building of power in the other room." Sohliel said in his accent-less voice to Crawford who was free at the moment, the chanting had needed to be alternated between three members or so the instructions said.

"Should we…"

"No, the rite shouldn't be interrupted. I'll go and see." Sohliel knew that without him the magical semblance in the room would vanish into thin air but didn't care. Schwartz would probably attribute it to what was happening in the hall. He flitted out into the hallway as Weiß team ran in to contain Schwartz.

Iffin' Fools…couldn't they figure it out for themselves, Schwartz wasn't behind what was happening now, I had them quietly occupied with the some harmless nonsense…but at least it give me free rein to do what must be done…

***

Sohliel found himself in the room with only the Urameshi team sans Hiei and the swordsman in it. The rest of the Weiß were all rushing Schwartz trying to disrupt the latter's concentration, thinking that would stop what was happening. Tough luck, that wasn't going to stop this. He'll have to do it himself.

The kitsune and the Weiß swordsman were both glowing with a steady blue glow.

I've got to stop Her from coming through… What was that phrase again…

"Avrec kiran…"

Unfortunately the Urameshi team spotted him at that moment and decided to attack him as threat. The ningen swordsman started a slash at him as the other rushed at him. He narrowly dodged their attacks.

Meanwhile, Schwartz was fighting Weiß and the ill-tempered fire demon. Sohliel knew that they were more than a match for the three but was glad that he had took the time to build several fighting reflexes as well as canny tactical mechanisms in his "second body". He still worried. The energies unleashed were disrupting reiki powers to a noticeable degree. But all the same could only spare a glance at his teammates before he blurred back into his fight with the Urameshi team.

A glance especially at him…What a thing to contemplate at a time like this…

From the looks of things, the energies were also disrupting youki powers. The ki balls directed at him were none to steady nor did the flare of the swords. A fact that allowed him to survive while he concentrated counter-phrase.

"Ouresis…"

Fools, there be no time left…got to…

It really wasn't Sohliel's day for time just ran out. On a hidden signal both of the other occupants of the room glowed like miniature suns blinding him for an instant…

***

The pulse of the energies thrummed at the walls of the hall, threatening to bring them down. Then it stopped and in the midst of it all both Ran and Kurama started to levitate.

"Yamero, I am only trying to help…" Sohliel said finally knowing that Bolshai wouldn't have taken kindly to what he had tried to do, once she figured it out.

An' she will figure it out, th' boss-lady's been always a sharp 'un. She is. An' I'm dead a'ways.

"Help? Help him more likely…" Urameshi said sarcastically flinging a fireball in disdain at him.

"Think…Urameshi…isn't a bit odd that there is no power emanating from the antechamber of the Schwartz ceremony?" Sohliel said dodging the Reiki Sword of the other boy.

"Huh?"

"And this girl here isn't Fujimiya Aya isn't she so the ceremony here would have been useless…" Sohliel dodged another fireball.

What kind of fools were these folk?

"So what do we do?" The boy said finally convinced, hauling the swordsman to a stop with him.

A blast of ki energy suddenly barreled into them blowing them into the walls rendering the two Reikai Tantei unconscious.

So much for them…

"isther min!"

Ran floated across the room past Sohliel to the room where Schwartz still fought.

Shit! Her power's not waning…it might be a wee bit late…

***

In the other room, the combatants froze as if sensing the impending storm. For a timeless moment everyone stood in poses worthy of Roman frieze work then the door blew in.

***

"Aya-kun?" Tsukyono exclaimed uncertainly.

"Hn."

"Aya!" Both his other teammates gave voice to their astonishment.

All of them were having a hard time believing that this being of untold power and terrible majesty was their unassuming teammate.

"Kurama!" Hiei shouted seeing that Kurama was also coming into the room with eyes glazed.

"What's wrong with them?" Hiei said as he grabbed Sohliel who had followed the two glowing figures into the room. His katana was perilously close to severing the illusion-master's neck if the touchy fire demon didn't like his answer.

"This again…" Sohliel sighed.

"Hn." The expression on the grumpy little youkai's face darkened a bit further.

"They got in the wrong end of the Elders' summoning ritual. Evidently there was a failsafe to my liege-lady's plan or a factor I failed to consider. I didn't intend for the plan to be fulfilled."

"So how do we stop them?"

"I don't know, I've just managed to seal the ritual on time so it's not full possession. But we'd better block the access to the girl, she is not sealed so."

"Hn."

Both of them, as well as the rest of Weiß, decided to block the way.

"Sohliel, what in hell…?" Crawford asked. Like the rest of Schwartz, he was either on the floor or swaying drunkenly about. They had Gifts and didn't have any training dealing with demon ki that was flooding the entire room. Which was better actually, Sohliel had enough troubles keeping Weiß and Schwartz apart if they were fully functional. Explanations would take too much time.

"You don't really want to know." Sohliel said keeping his eye on the advancing pair.

"I tire of all of your interference. Especially of you, traitor. Little One…" A voice said from Fujimiya's lips. Though it was the deep baritone of the man it somehow conveyed an undertone of hissing alto that was Bolshai trademark.

At that, Kurama threw a fireball that had everyone ducking out of the way.

"Kurama! Wake up, kitsune no baka." Hiei said again daring the fiery missiles to charge in and hug the kitsune by the waist. A note of desperation entered his voice. He wasn't going to lose Kurama to this no matter what it took. Kurama, his best friend and somewhat more…

I want you to be more… I want us to have time to be more to be with each other… To be happy together, I want to learn how to laugh with you, to share, to bask in your affection and not the friendly kind either… Kurama, please wake up!

"You don't want to do this… Remember, that we're your friends!" Omi said as he closed in while dodging.

"They are nothing, Little One, destroy them all." Ran said again.

***

Kurama felt warm and safe like being in his mother's womb or in her arms. Shiori's love and support thrumming a contented burr in his mind cleansing the pain of the centuries of life.

Yes, you don't have to be lonely anymore, Little One… You have a clan now, you need not fear of ever being lonely ever again.

Contentment sang through his veins.

A family, a clan, I belong…

Far, far away was a shout, a loud babble of voices. One voice echoed through out the rest…

"…kitsune no baka."

Hiei!

With this Kurama fought free of the lassitude that had held his mind in its warm grip and came to with Hiei's tight embrace.

"You can let go of me now Hi-chan." Kurama said affectionately but grimly.

"Hn." Soul-deep relief and something more colored Hiei's tone. Kurama knew that they both needed sometime to assimilate what had just occurred. Time to reassure each other especially Hiei but not now. There was simply no time left.

***

"Noooooo!" Bolshai said in denial, sending wave after wave of telepathic fury at everyone within range.

Sohliel was concerned. At this rate, Schwartz could not last any longer under the buffeting force.

"Aniki!" Kurama yelled, running into the force storm using Hiei as anchor to keep from being swept up by the madness of that rage. The glow was now ebbing, pulsing as if it was losing power…

Yes, I sealed her jus' in a nick of time…. But it's na quite enough. Somethin' must distract t' lady… Ran is th' primary focus, tho' I doubt if the lady would wish t' be stuck in a male body…I've nothin' to lose but this shell anyhow…

With this thought, Sohliel attacked Abyssinian with all his might. He felt the tissues of the body fracture and severed under the cold onslaught of flying icicles and snapped back into his second body with a gratifying snap.

***

Hiei's eyes widened, as he understood the significance of what his Jagan had seen. Sohliel's awareness had shifted to one of the Schwartz' bodies. It was food for thought for later when they survived this.

In the chaos, Hiei and Kurama managed to hold onto Ran and force him away from Aya's body, as Bolshai was about to make a sprint for it.

Then was all over.

Hiei looked with narrow eyes at the Schwartz member.

Very interesting, it is not possession and the body has the same signature as Sohliel's… Why have we not noticed this before? Clever, there were always rumors of illusion masters that could create the reality of flesh. So it is not rumor after all…

***

: Should I start or should you? : Kurama projected hard to Hiei. They needed to know the motivations of this particular youkai even if his actions seemed to indicate that he was no longer a threat.

: Hn.:

"So what did you do that for Farfarello? Or should I say 'Sohliel'?" Kurama asked for both of them. The psycho ignored them, fascinated by the blue blood spilled on the marble tiles. His teammates were too busy in other parts of the complex salvaging what they could of the situation. For anyone with some ki sense it was obvious the "body" was an elaborate half-illusion meant to fool the senses of both youkai and ningen alike.

Kurama and Hiei managed to slip away from the joint team in pretense of going to their respective sleeping places without Ran raising hell. The latter was too preoccupied with Aya-neechan and too happy to see that she had regained consciousness to try managing his little brother. They would have a harder time of getting time alone otherwise. His aniki was such a prude.

"Do what?" The platinum blonde said, his one yellow feral eye finally looking up from the corpse illusion.

"Help us against Bolshai?"

"Let's just say I have gotten used to this world." Farfarello said in the same languid almost purring tone that he had used as Sohliel.

"Hn, he's gotten attached to a ningen he means." Hiei snorted before Kurama could find something to retort.

Kurama was amused to see Farfarello sputter at this. For once, the suave demon couldn't seem to frame a reply.

"You don't deny it?" Kurama said cruelly, playing villain to the hilt. Sohliel did deserve some anxiety for all the trouble he had caused them.

Looking back at everything that happened, Kurama and Hiei had concluded from their observations that the youkai wasn't as serious in his duty to their enemy as he should have been. He could have done serious damage to both teams if he had tried. The confusion he had caused showed a fine cunning strategist that could have pulled this off. Nearly pulled it off with half-hearted effort, this made him truly dangerous. It was imperative that they verify that he would not pose a threat. So they decided to prod him into revealing his intentions for the future.

More sputtering, the youkai was definitely flustered now.

"A weakling human, hmmm… I wonder who it is?" Kurama added. Hiei had already told Kurama of the glance he saw Farfarello had tossed to Schuldich in the fighting but decided use the taunt to push the youkai a bit more.

"Is it Crawford-san…"

"…"

"Or Nagi-kun…"

"…"

"Or could it possibly be…Schuldich-san?"

"I'll cut your heart out and make a coat out of your fur." Farfarello lunged for Kurama but he was too late the youko had dodged him easily.

"What do you want from me?" It was several futile blows later, Farfarello settled down to an aggressive pose somewhat winded.

"An assurance that you won't pose a threat to the Ningenkai ever…"

"For as long as Schuldich lives, I can assure you…" That was a truthful enough answer. No demon could really say forever. For the future was long for them, and such guaranties rarely hold.

"…And you will give us all the locations of the copies of Bolshai's summoning rite. All the copies."

"They've all been destroyed as far as I know."

"Truth?" The question was directed to Hiei who had been using his Jagan all throughout the confrontation.

"Hn."

"Our thanks then."

"So can I count on your silence." It was directed to both of them.

"Your survival will be mentioned in our private report to Koenma. But no one, not even our teammates will know about your true identity."

"That's fair enough." Farfarello said after a long moment of thoughtful silence. His stance relaxed to his usual languid pose.

With this both weary youkai had left the "madman" to his game.

***

"Kurama-chan, where have you been?" Ran said. Aya-neechan was already asleep in her bed and couldn't be bothered.

"Out talking with Hiei." Kurama said brightly. He was going to sleep in apartment above the flower shop since he had told their mother that he was to stay overnight with a friend. He got the blanket and a pillow on the couch since Ran insisted on sleeping on the floor.

"Talking?"

"Hai, talking."

"You know my rules…"

"Aniki!" Kurama said giving Ran an innocent foxy look.

"Hn, talking…just go to sleep…"

"Hai, aniki." Kurama said grateful that they were both too exhausted to make an issue of it.

I must really break 'niichan out of the habit... Review this Fic...