The ongoing storm didn't help much in regards to pesky wind turbulence. The enormous sigh of relief Katsumi let out once she eagerly hopped off Botan's oar said it all. 'I'll be sticking to ground travel from now on,' she thought to herself as thunder boomed off in the near distance. The duo exchanged quick goodbyes as rain abruptly began to pour on top of them relentlessly. Soon, Katsumi was by herself again, watching the grim reaper's silhouette vanish into the fast-paced storm clouds.

Botan had dropped her off between two warehouses next to Tokyo Bay, though that wasn't where she planned on staying. She knew where she needed to go was close by, but it did hurt her pride as a demon to think about it. The instructor she planned to meet was well known amongst humans. Since returning to Demon World for conditioning was out of the question, this man would have to do for the time being. Hopefully his reputation wasn't all talk.

It was a good half hour walk to the dojo, but the constant rain served as a rather strong motivation factor. When she finally reached the building she paused by the door and leaned her forehead against it, sucking in a deep breath. Was she really about to ask a human for help? "It's now or never..." She sighed, sliding the door open and stepping inside quietly. Rain dripped occasionally from her damp hair, and her clothes were practically matted to her skin from exposure. "Is anyone here?" She called, standing in the doorway in fear of tracking water inside.

The song had just ended as Hiro heard a voice call from the front room. He quickly turned the music off and pulled his Uwagi on, not bothering to tie it. 'Who would come here in the middle of a storm?' He thought as he came through the archway to see a drenched teen standing in the doorway. His eyes widened a bit as he caught a pulse of her aura, accompanied with a clash of thunder.

"Come in, come in!" he said as he rushed towards her, ushering her inside as he closed the heavy door behind her. "You must really be dedicated to come here during this kind of weather, but I don't recall you being in my classes." He said as he went to the small closet and grabbed a clean towel. He handed the white cloth to her and studied her a bit closer, reaching out tentatively to her aura with his own, curious.

"I am Shiomataru Hiro, and I don't think you can to my Dojou just to get out of the rain." He said, his deep eyes alight with energy as he looked down to her, bowing slightly as he introduced himself.

Katsumi accepted the towel silently, shocked by this stranger's kindness. It wasn't exactly something she was accustomed to. "My name is Katsumi, uh, Nakamura Katsumi." She replied softly, briefly holding the towel to her chest. Last names weren't typically used within Demon World and having been orphaned as a small child, she didn't know her real last name. The title she used as her own was adopted from the beloved Sensei of her youth. Kat wiped the moisture from her face and brushed her bangs back. Her eyes were curious and something about them revealed that she wasn't nearly as young as she appeared.

"I've come to ask you a favor," she added, looking up at him with a meek expression unfitting of a demon. Thankfully, the majority of her wounds had healed fairly well on the surface. Bruises covered random blotches of her exposed skin, but they were faded to the point where they weren't blatantly obvious to the naked eye. So, she didn't appear too pathetic.

"A favor? I can only assume you wish to be taught, yes? Not many come to me for much else, and you don't look like a raving hormonal fan." He said, joking lightly. He watched her eyes slide with mixed emotions, but the pain behind it all never left. His own jaded eyes watched hers patiently as he reached out discreetly with his aura again. 'There's something... different. Her energy is almost like that of the creatures I keep finding all over the bay.' He thought.

"Here, come into the meditation room, I'll get some hot tea to discuss this over." He said, gesturing down the hall that lead from the main room.

Katsumi picked up fairly quickly that this man knew something was off about her. She was too weak to fully mask her demon energy and that was probably what he was picking up on. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that." She said as she slipped her shoes and socks off, placing them in a neat pile by the door. She felt bad for dripping on his floor, and the least she could do was to avoid tracking water all over the place. Kat glanced over her shoulder to get a quick look at his face before she proceeded on down the hall. She could feel Hiro probe her exposed energy for answers to unspoken questions, but she wouldn't explain what she was until she knew how he'd react.

((sorry, I have to go for now, I might post again before I go to bed though))

Hiei scowled, "Then we may not have much time." He gestured vaguely to Tay, "Bring him." With that said, he blurred away towards the temple. Kurama could deal with the boy and catch up. Yukina could not be left with only the oaf to protect her. Hiei snatched his katana from where he had hidden it without breaking stride. He wasn't going to leave his sister alone until he was certain she was safe. The images from his dream mingled with those he had seen in Taykayo's mind leaving him feeling sick with dread and bolstering his determination to stop any of it from happening.

Yukina suddenly dropped her chopsticks and moved fluidly to her feet. Hiei's familiar energy was heading back towards the temple and he was obviously agitated. She wondered if Kazuma-kun could sense it too. Something was wrong, Hiei usually kept a tighter reign on his emotions and this wasn't like him. The only other time she had felt his spirit energy so agitated was when he had nearly killed Tarukane to free her.

Genkai was about twenty minutes away from the temple now. She was walking through the forest, not bothering to tire herself out with running. Besides, she had sensed the deaths of those weak D class demons, but something stronger had been close. She had felt it watching her, but it had run off farther away into the forest, as if it had known better than to mess with her. Either that or it was just trying to plan something more elaborate for later. Either way, she refused to wear herself out with running. She could sense that Yukina and Kuwabara were inside the temple, but she could also sense Hiei approaching, his emotions were frantic and she began to wonder why. If anything, it had something to do with Yukina, so she sighed and began running, knowing that she would make it there at nearly the same time as Hiei, if only because she was closer to the place than he was.

Hiei's emotions spiked once again as Taykayo finished his explanation. Kurama had not seen the clairvoyant's visions as Hiei had so he could only guess the current situation. It wasn't hard to put things together however. A clairvoyant, the name Yukina, Hiei in a rush? Obviously Taykayo had experienced vision involving the ice apparition in danger.

Time could be an important factor in preventing any harm done to the gentle ice demon and it seemed that Hiei had been thinking along the same lines. Kurama focused his attention on Taykayo as he felt Hiei dash off into the darkness. Without wasting any time, Kurama bent over slightly and held a hand out to his classmate to help the boy to his feet. "Let's go," he said flatly, still unsure of whether or not the demon could be trusted. No doubt the boy was confused but there would be time for explanations later, especially one concerning his classmate's real identity.

Taykayo had been getting ready to stand up on his own but then the demon called Hiei dashed off, followed by Shuichi lending him a hand. Taykayo smiled graciously and took it without hesitation, despite Shuichi's earlier coldness towards him. He didn't see anything wrong with his classmate, didn't even begin to think that he shouldn't trust these people. It was in Taykayo's nature to be kind and trusting, unlike his demon half who was always wary of every situation. 'You're very lucky that they aren't your enemies yet.' Patronis' voice sighed wearily in the back of his mind and Taykayo pushed the thoughts away. No, they aren't bad people. You're wrong about them. Taykayo thought back as he got to his feet, still smiling. There was no hint on his face that there had been anything going on in his mind.

Taykayo accepted his hand without hesitation and rose to his feet however the boy didn't seem to grasp the urgency of the situation but instead stood silently, perhaps contemplating the fast-paced turn of events. Looking at his classmate's face however, Kurama was slightly taken aback by the smile he glimpsed upon his lips. He didn't sense any ill will from Taykayo at the present however so he let it slide.

Still tuned in to Hiei's urgency, Kurama tried once again to get the boy moving. "We should follow him," Kurama suggested, his voice not betraying any of the urgency he might have felt. Kurama was a patient person but the seriousness of the situation that Koenma had presented them with still weighed heavily upon his chest. Perhaps the threat Taykayo had predicted to Yukina was related to the previous incident...

Taykayo nodded and looked in the direction that Hiei had disappeared to, he knew there was no way he could keep up with that pace. Taykayo wasn't really very fast, and he usually got tired too soon. It wasn't a good thing when he needed to run away from people that were after him, like the demons that had come around every now and then. Somehow he'd always known that he would be found out, but he'd never thought it would happen around Shuichi. He sighed and took a deep breath, he could run, but he would probably trip a few times. "Sorry." Taykayo said softly as he looked at his classmate for a moment and then started running.

Kurama could feel Taykayo's hesitation and understood why. Having seen his classmate winded from merely running a block or two, Kurama knew it was going to be difficult to coax the boy all the way up to Genkai's dojo. Kurama mentally chuckled as he imagined the boy's expression when they reached the temple stairs. Perhaps the boy would faint... With a pang of shame Kurama almost hoped that would be the case, it would be much faster if he just carried the boy up the stairs.

Kurama followed his classmate's lead and took once more to running, thankful that for the moment the boy seemed to have forgotten the ridiculous excuse about his mother's cat. Kurama took the lead and set himself into pace with Taykayo. The going was painfully slow but they seemed to be making progress.

Hiei quickly became frustrated with the streets and took to the rooftops. As he neared the forest surrounding the temple he put on an extra burst of speed and blurred through the treetops, moving too fast for even the birds in their nests to register his presence as anything other than a breeze. He didn't usually go inside the temple unless someone invited him but this situation was not normal. He dropped down into the yard and was at the door in less than a second. He raised his hand to knock just as the sliding door was shoved to the side by the very girl he was worried about.

Yukina dashed away from the table, using the speed she had just been thinking about earlier. She pulled the door open before Hiei could knock. "Hiei-san, what is it?" She asked in concern. The dark haired fire demon was drenched, missing his cloak, and there was a wild look on his face that was quickly replaced by relief as his crimson eyes scanned her up and down.

"Kurama will be along shortly." He said stiffly. "He'll explain." He continued to scan the area around the temple for any sign of the danger that his mind insisted existed.

Yukina nodded with a small frown. She hadn't really expected Hiei to answer with anything more concrete. He never had very good answers for her when she asked him why he was hanging around. He didn't lie outright but he usually changed the subject or tried to appease her with half truths. This added to her suspicion that he was hiding the fact that he was her brother. "Won't you come in, Hiei-san. Perhaps I can find you something dry to wear."

"No need." He said shortly as he stepped inside. A brief flare of the heat that was his birthright as a fire demon left his clothes, skin, and hair completely dry, with only a puff of steam left of the water that had soaked them. He lowered his body temperature quickly, not wanting to overheat the room and make Yukina uncomfortable. Hiei hated the rain and he hated being out in it even more. The rain weakened his fire powers and made it harder to manifest them, always leaving him feeling slightly chilled until the air dried out. He followed Yukina into the dining room and adopted a carefully neutral expression as he spotted the oaf. He nodded curtly in greeting before going to sit in the corner nearest the exterior doors with his katana leaning against his knees.

Taykayo knew that he was probably slowing Shuichi down, what with his lack of stamina, and his overt clumsiness. He fell down at least six times before he managed to find a way to run without tripping over his own feet, and even then, when he saw the stairs looming ahead, he lost it. His heart pounded faster, and he started hyperventilating. The next thing he knew was pretty much nothing but darkness. He couldn't feel the rain, or his own aching muscles when he hit the ground, nothing.

Kurama grew more and more concerned for Taykayo as the boy began to trip more and more often. He wasn't sure if it was due more to the lack of proper lighting or a lack of stamina but both factors were likely factors. Kurama slowed the pace a bit and eventually Taykayo seemed to find a rhythm. After what seemed like ages, the pair finally rounded the last bend in the forest path and the grand staircase came into view. Kurama paused and turned back to Taykayo just in time to see the boy's fragile body collapse in a heap on the forest floor. Kurama merely sighed before lifting his classmate onto his shoulders and continuing up the stairs.

A few minutes later, the fox arrived at the summit and the temple came fully into view. Light could be seen from within and he approached cautiously. Feeling the familiar energies from within and nothing else, Kurama slid back the door and entered. Quickly taking in the scene he found Hiei, Yukina, and Kuwabara present and remnants of a late meal left on a low table. "Good evening," Kurama offered in greeting before laying the unconscious body of his classmate out on the floor. The fox slipped his feet out of his now drenched and muddy slippers and pulled out a piece of black fabric from within his raincoat and handed to fire demon before taking a seat among the others.

Kuwabara was more than a little surprised when Yukina bolted from the table to greet Hiei at the door, dropping his chopsticks loudly on his plate in his bewildered state. He'd never seen Yukina move so fast before. Heck, he didn't know she could move so fast. Once he recovered, Kuwabara stood up and was just about to see who was at the door when Yukina and Hiei walked into the room. "H-Hiei? What the hell?" The oaf was about to question the fire demon further but silently came to the conclusion that Hiei probably wouldn't answer anyway. Instead, he looked over at Yukina for answers. He was kind of upset by the sudden appearance of their short friend and the resulting loss of personal time with his favorite girl, but he knew Hiei wouldn't have come around if it wasn't important. Well, just when Kuwabara had accepted Hiei's presence, Kurama came waltzing inside with a..girl.. slung over his shoulder like some kind of modern caveman. "Kurama too..and what..WHY ARE YOU CARRYING A GIRL AROUND?" He asked loudly, scratching the back of his head in obvious confusion that only Kuwabara could exhibit so well.

By now Kurama was well used to Kuwabara's overly loud voice and constant questions but he still occasionally found it difficult to comprehend just how clueless the boy could be. Mentally sighing he replied, "He's a classmate of mine Kuwabara, and could possibly be involved in the current turn of events."

Knowing that Kuwabara had no existing knowledge of the situation Koenma had presented them with, Kurama opted to continue his explanation, saving the oaf further questioning, "During Yusuke's break from Spirit Detective, Koenma assigned a patrol to watch over human world. During an investigation into a seemingly D class demon, the group was slaughtered; only one of the members survived. Spirit World information suggests that the demon could in fact be an A class who is likely still in our realm."

Yukina hurried towards the prone boy and began examining him for injuries. "What happened? Was he attacked by this demon as well?" She asked as she looking him over carefully. As far as she could tell, the boy had no major injuries. His palms were skinned and he had a couple of bruises but nothing serious. She took care of those small hurts quickly and went to get a spare pillow to put under his head.

Hiei sat silently throughout the whole explanation and didn't try to prevent Yukina from seeing to Taykayo's scrapes. He had seen inside the boy's mind and knew for certain that the kid wasn't going to hurt Yukina. He did raise an eyebrow at Kurama, as if asking how Tay came to be unconscious. He was fine when Hiei left them.

Kurama chuckled despite himself. If the boy had indeed been attacked by the demon, he would have likely been dead. Kurama knew it was no laughing matter but he just couldn't help himself. "He'll be alright Yukina. The forest trail was just too much for him I'm afraid..." Kurama took note of the healing he provided to his classmate's scrapes and bruises. It was likely for the best and would save Taykayo explanation when he returned to school.

Catching Hiei's furtive glances, Kurama smiled and relayed what had really happened to his partner telepathically, <He positively fainted upon seeing the stairs.> and added another mental chuckle for Hiei's benefit. He hoped the small bit of humor, along with seeing that for the moment all was well with Yukina, would help lighten the fire demon's surly mood.

Hiei snorted and turned his attention back out into the night. He could feel Genkai approaching and was silently relieved. The old woman wasn't bad to have around if there was a fight and the wards around the temple were stronger when she was home. 'Tell them about the boy's vision,' he told Kurama mentally, 'but leave me out of it.' Yukina had to be warned of the possible danger. In a way, he was relieved they had encountered Taykayo because it gave them a reason to be concerned that didn't lead to questions Hiei didn't want to answer.

Yukina returned with the pillow and smiled slightly at Kurama's words, relieved that it was nothing more serious. "Oh, I see." She careful lifted the boy's head and placed the soft pillow beneath it. Eying her handiwork critically she finally nodded. "There aren't anymore injuries that I can find so I guess he's just tired..." She pondered the boy more closely, something was off about him. He was human but when she really concentrated she could feel a trace of demonic spirit energy. "Is...is he a demon?" She asked with a puzzled frown. Perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

Kurama allowed himself a brief smile as Hiei snorted. It seemed his plan had worked as the fire demon's earlier frenzy seemed to have dissipated. Kurama's expression changed however when Hiei urged him to reveal Taykayo's vision to the group. He personally had not viewed the vision and so he could only reveal the bare minimum that he had speculated on his own. Still, Hiei would likely not be convinced to do so himself so Kurama gave in.

Kurama studied the kindhearted ice apparition as she reappeared with a pillow for Taykayo. After placing the object under the boy's head, she then straightened and asked the question that Kurama himself had yet to find the answer to. "We have yet to question him on that point Yukina, his full energy was revealed to me tonight however it is not solely demonic. Will will have to wait for him to awaken for a clearer answer." Then, taking Hiei's earlier cue, Kurama sighed and continued, "One thing I do know however is that Taykayo is clairvoyant. Tonight he seems to have made a prediction concerning you Yukina.." Kurama paused to let the previous facts sink into place for the others before continuing, "I believe you may be involved in some sort of danger. Given the previous attack, my only assumption is that it could be concerning the demon that Spirit World is so desperately hunting..."

Genkai was close enough that she could actually hear them talking. She was a little surprised, but not reall, to sense that Hiei was in the temple, and even Kurama, but there seemed to be one other. At first all she picked up was the energy of a gifted human, but noticed subtle demon energy mixed in and she grew even more curious. Since she had walked most of the way home, her clothes were completely soaked, so she entered the building from another entrance and headed to the room where she kept her clothes. After the quick change she walked to the room where she could sense all of them. "Alright, what's this I heard about a demon attack?" She asked as she looked at the faces of everyone in the room.

Hiei nodded slightly, just once to show Kurama he approved of the fox's version of events. It was the bare minimum but at least Yukina was warned. "I'm going to have a look around outside." He said, moving smoothly to his feet and donning the cloak that Kurama had thoughtfully returned to him. He greeted Genkai with a tiny nod of his head as he passed her and headed out into the night.

"Hiei-san!" Yukina's nervous voice stopped him in his tracks. The gentle koorime struggled for a moment to decide what to say to him. It was always difficult when she spoke to him, not to confront him about her suspicions. She sighed mentally as she decided that now wasn't the time. "Please be careful." She said instead, almost shedding a tear at the thought of him being ambushed by something that could slaughter an entire team of spirit detectives.

Hiei turned back to look at her with slightly wide eyes. Before Hiei had stolen the Reikai treasures he couldn't recall anyone ever caring enough to let him know they didn't want to see him hurt. Now he had several people who would be upset if he died and the thought was a bit unnerving. What was he supposed to say to her? He couldn't truthfully promise he would be safe if the demon that had decimated Kat's team attacked and he refused to lie to her. Hiei tried never to tell outright lies because he felt it was dishonorable and generally led to more trouble than the truth. He could see that Yukina was obviously wait for some sort of reassurance so he said the only thing he could think of. "Thank you." He said with a slight softening of his expression. With that he blurred out the door into the still drizzling night.

Yukina smiled at Hiei's answer, despite he continuing worry. To distract herself, she busied herself clearing away the remnants of her small meal.

He'd been lost from the moment Hiei had showed up with no explaination and from the minute Kurama had arrived carrying some girl. As they explained, he understood what they were saying, but it hadn't really registered until now. "Ok, so some demon is out there who killed a team from Spirit World?" He finally said slowly, trying to make sure he said the right words. And then... "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! THIS CHICK SAW SOMETHING ABOUT YUKINA BEING IN DANGER?!" If there had been glass anywhere near the area, it surely would have shattered. It hadn't registered with him yet that this unknown person was not a she, but a he.

"Hold it, Shrimp! If Yukina is in danger, I'll be the one to go out and check the place!" He almost demanded. Then he turned to Yukina with a strange lovey-dovey smile on his face. "Yukina, my love, I will protect you." He said as he pulled a headband out of his pocket. He wore it whenever he felt he needed it. Urameshi had always said it was stupid for him to wear it, but for Kuwabara, it worked as a good luck charm. "I'll find those creepy demons and send them back to hell!" He said confidently.

Feeling had already started to come back into his limbs. His body wasn't feeling as heavy as it had before. The strangest part was that his body didn't ache the way it usually did when he passed out. A startling yell brought him immediately back to reality. With a sudden jolt, Taykayo was sitting straight up, looking fearful and confused. His wide eyes staring up at the tall, broad shouldered teen with the strange orange hair. He was too afraid to take a good look at where he was. Still too stunned to speak at the moment.

Kuwabara paused and looked down. "Oh, hey, that chick from your school is awake again, Kurama." He said bluntly.