Kat sat patiently as everyone spoke up. She hadn't felt anything happen last night, but she was probably just too tired to notice. Though she wasn't as starved for energy as Hiei was, she was subtly to stay awake. "I started having these dreams last night." She replied to Hiei. "If this is a territory, the only way to put it stop is to incapacitate the person who initiated it." Her eyes narrowed slightly and she gave a frustrated sigh, "And we don't know who that is."

Kurama's attention was rapt on what Katsumi and Genkai were explaining. 'Territory powers?' In all his years he had never heard of such a thing and wondered how the psychic Genkai had come upon the information. It seemed from what Katsumi and Genkai were explaining, that these powers seemed to be limited to a designated area, in this case the minds of Katsumi and Hiei. 'If this is a territory, the only way to put it stop is to incapacitate the person who initiated it.' Something suddenly jolted in Kurama's mind and he recalled the man in the alleyway. He had felt a strange shift in energy at that occurrence, "Perhaps tracing the man who injured your shoulder would be a place to start..." Kurama suggested after his sudden revelation. The fox doubted that that boy was the cause of the nightmares given the power that he had demonstrated, however it was possible that finding that man could provide more clues. Still, it was not a fight he was eager for.

Hiei looked to Kurama in confusion, silently asking, 'What man?' with his expression. He had assumed that Katsumi's injuries were all from her dreams. Maybe he had missed something in his fatigue.

Yukina was quietly processing the information. She hadn't heard of these new psychics but they sounded like very bad news to her. If they couldn't find the one that was causing the deadly dreams, then there was no way to stop them. If they couldn't stop the dreams, her brother was going to die. The thought made breath catch in her throat. 'No!' She told herself firmly. 'There must be some way to track the person who has them in this territory.' She had a very thoughtful and serious expression as she tried to come up with something.

Sniper made it back to Mushiori City, finding himself entering the cave where Itsuki was building the tunnel. There were other places he could go to, but it felt easiest to bring the kid straight to the main area. The poor kid was still unconscious as Sniper lifted the boy over his shoulder and walked inside. It wasn't until he spotted the lake that he gently laid the kid on the ground, standing over the frail body, waiting to see when he'd wake up. It probably wouldn't be at least for another hour, at least, he couldn't tell when the boy would wake up.

Sensing Hiei's gaze nearly burning into him, Kurama decided to explain at least part of what had happened on during his absence. "After meeting with Yusuke this morning, I sensed Katsumi's energy and followed it. I wasn't the only one to find her however. There was one of these territory psychics there and it seems his ability is to project objects with the force of a bullet. Fortunately he seemed intimidated by our presence and left after inflicting only one wound."

Hiei absorbed that information silently for a few moments. "You say there is a shift that can be sensed when someone uses one of these territory powers. If someone knew what these territories felt like, would it be possible to track them telepathically?" He asked slowly. He wasn't sure if he could use the jagan for very long in his current condition, and definitely not without passing out, but if they could get close to the enemy he might be able to use it to pinpoint the territory user so they could take him out.

Yukina looked at Hiei sharply, correctly suspecting him of planning to try and use his jagan. The shy koorime started to say something but Hiei glared at her. She faltered and averted her eyes. It wasn't like she had any better ideas and she had no right to tell him he couldn't defend himself.

Kurama wasn't 100% certain about the answer to Hiei's question but offered his theory anyway, "I'm not certain that would be possible Hiei..." he responded hesitantly before continuing, "I believe that one can only sense a territory once he is inside." After concluding his statement he looked beyond Hiei and to the Genkai and Katsumi for confirmation. He could tell that Hiei was desperately trying to come up with any possible solution but he couldn't blame him. Kurama himself was desperate for a solution as well...

Hiei scowled. There had to be a way of tracking the territory user. "If only someone inside the territory can sense it, then shouldn't I be able to track it with the jagan?" He asked, not sure whether it was fatigue that made that suggestion make so much sense.

Yukina bit her lip. She wasn't sure how these territory psychics worked but she was rather hoping Hiei's idea would get shot down. Hiei couldn't use the jagan to locate a powerful and hostile mind when he was barely able to stay conscious just sitting there.

Kurama was having a difficult time following Hiei's logic. According to Katsumi's theory, the territory that was causing the dreams was actually inside Hiei and herself and in this case Kurama didn't think it would be possible to track. On the other hand, if Kurama was inside a territory then it was likely that Hiei would be able to locate him using the jagan unless the territory was actually another dimension like Genkai suspected. Kurama furrowed his brow, unsure of what to tell Hiei. He hesitated before finally responding, "I don't think the jagan will be able to track the mental territory you're experiencing Hiei..." he said sadly.

"Hn." Hiei scowled and turned his face away from the others. He didn't like feeling helpless and between that and his lack of sleep, he was beginning to feel more cranky than usual. He rather hoped the oaf would show up soon so he would have someone to fight with. Surely the idiot should be getting out of school soon. Hiei didn't know why Kuwabara even bothered to attend, it wasn't like he was getting any smarter.

Yukina suppressed the urge to sigh in relief. Kurama didn't sound one hundred percent certain of his conclusions but at least the doubt might keep her brother from doing something stupid. If Hiei were to exhaust himself to the point of passing out, without succeeding in locating the psychic. He would likely be gravely injured before they could wake him.

Genkai listened to the idea from Hiei but knew that it was coming from exhaustion. He hadn't been able to get much sleep since this mental territory had begun attacking him in his sleep. Genkai sighed as she thought about it. "There wouldn't be any way to track the territory that way regardless. Once the territory is activated, only those who happen to step inside and sense it are even capable of knowing that it's there at all. Trying to track that would be like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands." She took a deep breath. "It's quite the idea, Hiei, but not likely to work."

---

Shadow lurked around the area outside his cave, hiding in the dark shadows of the forest. He was bored again, and the demons in these woods made for good entertainment. They weren't very good as a challenging prey, but it was fun to watch them, especially when they made fools of themselves. Many of them were frightened by the presence of his aura, and he could see all of theirs from a distance. His eyesight had never been the sharpest among other demons, but he could see a person's aura, and that alone could tell him exactly where his opponent was if he ever needed to fight. He tilted his head to the side slightly, baring his fangs and letting out a soft growl as he moved closer. The little imps were growing even more nervous, entertaining, watching their lights move around like some kind of crazy dance.

Kurama could tell Hiei was in pain; the emotional stress of the situation was getting to him. Kurama brushed his hand lightly against the other's as a discrete way of providing the smaller demon with some moral support. Though they hadn't found any concrete leads thus far, Kurama would do anything in his power to help Hiei. It seemed Genkai was under the same impression that Kurama had been when she explained that a territory could not be tracked. Although that made things more difficult, Kurama was almost relieved that it was the case as it wouldn't be possible for Hiei to use the jagan eye in his current state anyway.

Hiei glanced back at Kurama with slightly wide eyes at the light contact. After a moment he blinked and nodded almost imperceptibly to show his gratitude for the support.

School was finally over, and Kuwabar knew exactly where he wanted to go first. He ran past his friends, muttering a quick, "see you guys later," as he headed for Genkai's temple. He was eager to see Yukina and catch up on anything that might have happened during school. Sure he couldn't sense anything weird going on, stupid powers not working, but he was still a member of the Team, and he at least needed to know what was going on.

He rushed up the steps, having to stop just before the top of the stairway to catch his breath. Finally he burst into the main room. "Yukina, I'm here!" He practically shouted for joy as he searched the faces in the room, and finding Yukina, he rushed over and sat next to her, a big smile on his face. He looked at everyone else. "Okay, what's going on?" He was happy to see Yukina, but he realized that Yusuke must have been here most of the day, so that meant something serious.

Yukina tried to smile for Kuwabara's sake but it fell flat due to her extreme worry for her brother. "Tea, Kazuma-san?" She offered politely, holding out a cup.

Hiei looked at the oaf, a calculating gleam in his dull eyes. Yukina might not like it, but it would keep him awake and entertained, and hopefully relieve some of his frustration. "Oaf, don't sit so close to my sister." He ordered. "I don't want her catching your idiocy." It wasn't his best insult but he was tired so it would have to do.

Kuwabara smiled at Yukina. "Sure thing, Yukina, my love." He said sweetly and then turned to look at Hiei. Sure he'd promised Yukina he wouldn't fight with her brother, but he simply couldn't let that slide. "Hey, Shrimp, I'll have you know I am smart. Maybe not so much in school, but I'm not stupid. Besides that, I really like Yukina, so you're just gonna have to deal with it." He finished with a huff of breath as he turned his head away from Hiei.

"Konnichiwa Kuwabara." Kurama was actually glad that the orange-haired boy had shown up, 'The more the merrier...' If they did in fact plan on tracking down the territory psychic from earlier it wouldn't hurt to have extras on the team. The question remained however as to how he would convince Hiei and Katsumi to return to Spirit World for testing and rest. Although Hiei wouldn't be happy about it, Kurama felt he would be easier to convince than Katsumi. She seemed to fear returning to the Reikai which seemed unreasonable. As far as Kurama knew, she hadn't committed any crime. On the contrary she had worked to protect the Ningenkai in Yusuke's absence. What was it that had caused the girl to flee from the protection of Spirit World resources?

Kurama sighed when the two started squabling immediately. It seemed Hiei was itching for a fight and had managed to strike a chord with Kuwabara. "Now now boys..." he said, trying to calm the situation before it evolved any further. There were more important things to worry about at the moment...

Yukina blinked at Kuwabara's statement of affection for her and started to say something but Hiei cut her off, totally ignoring Kurama's attempt to mediate.

Hiei scoffed, "If you were smart, you'd be able to come up with a better insult than shrimp. Honestly, so what if I'm short. It's better than being a big, slow, stupid, clumsy oaf." He smirked. "There I used small words so you would be sure to understand." He knew he was being a bit cruel but he had to lash out at something, and watching the oaf cozy up to his sister made Kuwabara look like an excellent target.

"Oniisan!" Yukina snapped furiously. Her tone was harsher than any of them had ever heard her use before. "Apologize to Kazuma-kun this instant." She ordered in a cold voice. At that moment, it was obvious the two were siblings because they turned nearly identical glares towards each other.

Hiei wasn't about to say he was sorry like a guilty child. He angrily stared at his beloved sister. How dare she embarrass him like that. She hadn't even known he was her brother for a full day yet and already she thought she could tell him what to do? 'Not happening.'

Yukina's crimson gaze softened first. She never could hold a grudge. "Niichan, I know you are frustrated, but fighting with Kazuma-kun won't fix anything."

Hiei looked away, "Hn." It was as close to an admittance of guilt as they were going to get out of him.

Kuwabara resisted the urge to stand up and shout profanities at the fire demon. And then Yukina began acting as peacekeeper and Kuwabara gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright Yukina. Let him blow off some steam. Sounds like a lot has happened since I've been in school anyway." He said reassuringly, letting her know that he would try to control himself even if her brother could not.

Kurama did his best to ignore the bickering. He understood that Hiei needed to let off some steam but to attack Kuwabara immediately after his arrival was impolite. Suddenly realizing that he had forgotten introductions in light of the argument, Kurama said, "Kuwabara, this is Katsumi, Katsumi, Kuwabara," he motioned to each of them respectively though the gesture was not needed. "And yes, it does seem that you missed a bit. Genkai and Katusmi were just discussing the rise of new territory psychics. Katsumi, Yusuke, and I had the unfortunate experience of running into one of them this afternoon."

Kuwabara turned to face Kurama and noticed Katsumi then. "Oh, hey there." He said to her and then listened to Kurama. He bit his lip as he slowly processed the information. "So what exactly do these new psychics do anyway? And what's with the territory bit?" He asked in the usual manner, like he had no clue.

Hiei decided he had ignored everyone for long enough that his earlier rudeness should have been forgotten, and turned his face back towards the rest of the group. "They also suspect that one of these new psychics may be responsible for the dreams that Katsumi and I are having." He added. He was talking civilly while explaining something to the oaf. That was almost an apology...sort of.

Yukina smiled at Hiei. She could tell he had decided to make an effort to be at least somewhat polite.

"It seems that they transform a certain area into their territory, for example the land around them, and can only use their abilities within this territory. The one we met today was able to use marbles as bullet-like projectiles and as Hiei said, it is likely that there is another that has created its territory in the minds of others that injures them physically via nightmares which it induces..." Kurama summarized for Yusuke's classmate.

"Woah, that's really creepy. I'd hate to have nightmares like that. I mean I saw firsthand so I know it's nothing to joke about." Kuwabara paused. "I didn't see that kid on my way here. I was certain he was gonna come here after school. You know that Tay kid. I wonder if he went home instead or something." Kuwabara said as he actually realized he had not seen the girly boy who was clairvoyant.

Shiori bustled around her kitchen happily preparing the lasagna. She really hoped Shuuichi would like it. She glanced at the clock on the microwave and frowned. 'Shuu-kun should be home by now.' She shook off the concern. Sometimes he stayed after school to help his classmates go over assignments, and he was almost always late when he brought Hiei home with him. She suspected he had to go out of his way to pick the homeless boy up. She wouldn't worry just yet.

Hiei looked at Kuwabara. The idiot was being unusually insightful...and he was right. If school was over for the day, the clairvoyant boy should have come to the temple. Though he might have been delayed by his weak constitution.

Yukina's face became immediately concerned. She too had been under the impression that Tay was coming back today. "Maybe he went home to take a nap first." She suggested hopefully.