OOC: Not a problem, she did see a bit of the fight, and then she saw the transformation... and was like... 'oh shit' *runs*

Akira nodded vaguely as she thought back to the night before and she clutched the pendant tighter. She sighed and sat back a little starting to spin the chain again. "What about the other one?" She asked, clearly she meant the person he'd been with the night before. She had barely caught a glimpse of them fighting, but it had just seemed so strange, she hadn't gotten too good a look at him. "There was someone else last night." She said as she took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for anything.

Kurama caught her hand in a flash. "It can't be." He muttered. He was careful not to touch the tips of her fingers. It only took a moment to spot what he sought. Small amounts of a greenish liquid were seeping out from under her fingernails. "Acid." He breathed. "What exactly did you dream?" He asked her, an awed look on his face as he began to piece the facts together. she seemed inordinately attached to Kuronue's pendant, she wasn't freaked out by his demon appearance and then she dreamed about him, she displayed the same nervous fidgets that the chimera once did, and now she was exhibiting the same powers though her skin apparently wasn't as impervious to the caustic liquid as Kuronue's once was. If her powers were only starting to develop, it was possible that such resistance would come with time.

Hiei watched with an impassive look on his face. He had already begun to suspect the girl wasn't quite human. He could feel just a bit of youki emmanating from her when she began producing the acid.

Kurama blinked as she called him by his demon name. He hadn't told her that and her dream sounded suspiciously like Kuronue's last moments of life. The redhead took a moment to formulate his answer. "I'm not certain. I can tell you that you are exhibiting the mannerisms, memories, and powers of an old friend of mine. The pendant you purchased the other day was once his." He hesitated, steeling himself against his memories. "However, I don't know how that is possible. My friend was killed almost five hundred years ago." Despite his efforts not to let his emotions regarding Kuronue show, his voice broke ever so slightly on the word killed.

Hiei also noted that she used Kurama's name without being told it. Hiei laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder to comfort him. He would have done more if they had been alone, but he assumed from Kurama's description of them as friends that the fox wanted to keep their relationship a secret from the girl. Hiei knew thinking of Kuronue was hard for the fox. After the imposter, the fox realized that his friend's death hadn't been his fault but the fire demon knew that the fox still felt some guilt for leaving his friend behind. 'If you want me to, I could look inside her mind.' He offered the redhead silently. He didn't particularly care what was happening to the girl, but it was obviously hurting his fox. Therefore it became his business. The only reason he hadn't already entered the confused girl's mind, was the fact that she hadn't yet proven herself to be an enemy.

Kurama considered Hiei's offer. "Perhaps my friend can help you find the answers to those questions. Hiei has telepathic powers, you see." He explained with a disarming smile. "If you will allow it, he can enter your mind and possibly assist you in locating the source of this." He gestured at the ruined fabric of her skirt to indicate her acid powers.

Hiei waited patiently, watching the girl closely with an impassive expression. If she accepted the offer, he would attempt to help her for Kurama's sake. If she rejected it, he wouldn't be overly upset but she might not sort out what was happening to her until after she burned the skin off of a loved one.

Kurama shrugged, "Then we have some other friends who might be able to figure something out." He said confidently. "Don't worry."

Hiei finally spoke up. "We should move somewhere less public." He pointed out. He would have to uncover his third eye for such delicate work. The jagan was hardly inconspicuous and they were standing in a public park.

Kurama nodded and stood. "You're right. Kuwabara-kun's home isn't far from here." He said after quickly assessing where they were. He ignored the unpleasant look that passed over Hiei's face at the mention of the orange haired boy. "If you wouldn't mind, Akira-san. Hiei's powers might appear rather startling to passersby. One of our friends lives with his older sister, not far from here. If you would please accompany us there, it would simplify things greatly."

Kurama nodded. "Wonderful. This way." He led the way to one of the park's exits and wound his way expertly through the city until they reached a mid-sized apartment building. He took the small group up to the third floor and knocked lightly on the door to the Kuwabara family dwelling.

"Kazu! Your demon friends are at the door! I'm fixing dinner so get off your butt and let them in!" Shizuru could be heard bellowing even through the tightly closed door.

That was followed a moment later by the sound of heavy footsteps and very distinct grumbling. "Alright already. Don't embarrass me, Sis." Kuwabara pulled the door open roughly but he smiled upon seeing the redhead. "Hey, Kurama. What brings you here?" Then he spotted Hiei and his face fell. "Why'd you bring the shrimp? Trouble?" Hiei didn't have much reason to come around the orange haired boy's home since the team had been fired. As far as Kuwabara knew, the fire demon spent most of his time in Makai.

Hiei started to say something but Kurama cut him off, causing the fire demon to scowl and cross his arms in displeasure.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. However it isn't anything too dangerous." He stepped aside so the tall human could see Akira more clearly. "This is one of my classmates, Akira Miyakashi. Akira-san, this is Kazuma Kuwabara. Akira-san is having some unexplainable problems recently and Hiei has agreed to try and help her find the cause of them inside her mind." He paused for breath, smiling. "We were nearby and wondered if it would be alright if we used your house?" He finished, having shoved the whole story out rather quickly.

"Uh, sure. I don't see why not. Pardon the mess. Sis has been working a lot and I have cram school. The house wasn't really all that messy, but a few things were out of place in the small apartment. "You can do whatever you need to do in the living room, or you can go to my room if you need somewhere less smokey." He shrugged. Kurama and Hiei knew their way around the apartment well enough.

Kurama gestured for Hiei and Akira to go ahead of him into the apartment and then followed them in, slipping off his shoes. He smiled reasuringly at Akira, fairly certain she had heard Shizuru's yell, but hoping the idea of them being demons wouldn't put her off of letting them help.

Hiei entered the house, not taking off his boots because such customs seemed stupid to him. What if they were attacked and needed to leave in a hurry?

Kuwabara bowed politely to the girl. "Nice to meet you." He said, smiling his big, goofy grin.

Shizuru spoke up from the kitchen doorway, a cigarette dangling from her hand as she waved at the visitors half heartedly. "If your friends are going to stay for dinner, you better get in here and help me, little brother." There was just a bit of threat in the tone and the tall boy paled.

"Ah, excuse me guys. Make yourselves at home. Okay?" He scratched his head sheepishly and then hurried away to help his intimidating older sister in the kitchen.

Hiei snorted. Shizuru was one of the most frightening humans he had ever encountered. She had minimal powers, more sensory than offensive and yet she had stood up to demons that could have crushed her into paste and not batted an eye. Plus, she had raised her idiot brother for years without giving in to the urge to strangle him. The short demon had a lot of respect for her, though he would never admit it out loud.

Kurama laughed musically at the Kuwabara family's antics. "This way, Akira-san. I think Kuwabara-kun's room will be quieter." He said with a slightly crooked grin. When the Kuwabara siblings were in the same room for very long, yelling inevitably occurred. Kurama didn't doubt that they loved each other, they just had such strong combative personalities. It was bound to lead to constant conflict.

Kurama led the way to Kuwabara's room. It was actually surprisingly clean and the redhead took a seat on the bed, leaving the desk chair for Akira.

Hiei waited patiently for the girl to settle herself. It would be easier to enter her mind without doing any damage if she could stay relaxed.

"Ready?" Hiei asked as gently as he could manage. He walked over to face Akira. "Keep your eyes closed and it will be easier for you." He said firmly before uncovering the jagan and entering her unresisting mind.

Kurama kept silent and watched, curious to know what Hiei might be finding but knowing better than to interrupt. Instead he fought the urge to fidget impatiently and focused instead on Akira's death grip on Kuronue's pendant and small changes of expression on Hiei's face.

OOC: I will leave what happens in her head up to you, okay?

Akira was fine with keeping her eyes closed for the duration. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see anything else going on around her as images and memories began flashing through her head. Some of them too hard to keep track of they moved by so fast. The memories started with just the dream she’d had, which felt even less like a dream now that it was being seen through a different set of eyes. Running through the forest, the feel of the wind on her face and in her hair, though something about the memory was off. As the eyes trailed down, one could see that it was not in fact a woman running through the dense forest but a man. Something held in a tight grip fell loose and immediately the person turned, and suddenly it was no longer a first person memory. The man who turned to catch the pendant was certainly more than ordinary, what with the large black wings protruding from his back. “Kuronue!” Another voice called out, but the man kept going back. As he picked up the pendant he sighed and held it tight, but just then a trap was triggered. “Sh-“ A load scream tore through the man’s mouth as a shaft of bamboo pierced through his lower leg, just above the Achilles heel.

“Kuronue!” The other voice called out and a silver haired fox came running through the trees to help. The one whose name was apparently Kuronue looked up at his friend. “No, Kurama! Get out of here!” He yelled at the fox, wanting nothing more than his friend to escape alive, even if he himself could not manage the same feat. “No, not without you.” Kurama returned as he drew closer. “Kurama, I said go! Run! Save yourself, dammit!” Kuronue yelled and as the fox started backing away, he felt a sense of relief. “Go on! Get out of here! I’ll be right behind you!” Kuronue said, even Kurama knew it was a lie, but he had to say it. “Liar.” Kurama’s voice said darkly. As the fox ran off, Kuronue turned his head to look behind himself. “Looks like my life is about to end.” He laughed softly. “So be it, as long as they don’t get Kurama.” He said as he closed his eyes and waited, trying his best to ignore the excruciating pain in his leg. After a few minutes of dealing with the pain he heard a deep laughter by his right hand side. “We’ll be taking this, and your life.” Kuronue simply lowered his head as if trying to look at the ground, but didn’t open his eyes, and shortly after that, all feeling was gone.

OOC: I took a few liberties in this... cause it's Kuronue's memory... >.>

OOC: It's fine. I haven't seen the movie in years anyway so I couldn't really tell. ^_^'

Hiei watched the memory impassively. He had seen that same scene from Kurama's viewpoint a number of times, though the scene played out slightly differently in the redhead's nightmares. Time and guilt could warp a memory. Hiei pressed further into the girl's mind, trying to discern where the memories were coming from. Had the pendant been cursed somehow or was she really Kuronue in a new form?

OOC: Last memory for now... yikes... it's kinda longish...

The whole dealing with the vessel thing took a lot longer than he’d thought it would. Almost five hundred years later, Kuronue was pulled back to Spirit World. He walked into the main office and folded his arms across his chest and stared at the wall again. This was the most annoying thing he’d ever had to deal with, and it was getting ridiculous. “So what did you jerks find out, anyway?” He asked, showing his annoyance with Spirit World in that one question. Koenma glanced at the chimera and sighed. “We’re very sorry it took this long, there have been many other things to deal with.” Kuronue waved his hand dismissively, indicating he didn’t want to hear it. “I just want to know what you’re going to do with me.” He said as he looked at the toddler. Koenma took a deep breath. “We’ve decided that your unique talents may be too valuable to let your spirit pass on. We’re not sure what’s going to happen to you, but we’ve decided to give you the chance at a new life.” Kuronue looked at the toddler, clearly shocked by this, it wasn’t normal for Spirit World to allow a demon to be reborn, though he was guessing that he wasn’t quite going to be a demon once this was over. “So what now?” Kuronue asked as he took a deep breath himself, not that breathing mattered at the moment. “We need to find a suitable vessel for your spirit, one that will be compatible with your powers whenever they should awaken.” Koenma replied softly and Kuronue narrowed his eyes. “So, what is that supposed to mean?” Koenma glanced at the chimera. “You won’t remember your past life for probably most of your new life. If your memories start to awaken, your powers will do the same, and that could happen after twenty or more years.” Koenma said. Kuronue frowned, “That long? Well then, before I let this happen, can I request a favor?” The toddler nodded his head. “I want to ask that you don’t mess with Kurama. If anything happens to him, you sure as hell better not pull this crap with him, or I will personally see to it that you and everyone here experiences their own personal hell.” He said darkly and Koenma sighed. “Very well, we will see what we can do if the need arises.” He called for another guide. “Ayame, please try and find the most appropriate vessel and see to it that Kuronue get’s his new life, without his memories.” He said and Kuronue was led out of the room by the woman. Almost an hour later, he was staring at a young couple, the man who appeared to be a business man, the woman was clearly pregnant. “A human?” Kuronue asked skeptically. “Are you sure that’s the most appropriate vessel?” The dark haired Ayame sighed. “Yes, this child is the only one who possesses an energy signature compatible with your own. In any other vessel you would likely not regain your memories or your powers. This is the only way.” Kuronue frowned. “You must go quickly or you will lose your chance.” Kuronue glared at the woman. “Shut up.” He said simply as he took the one step that would bring his spirit to rest in the mortal shell waiting for him.

Hiei broke the connection and closed the jagan. There it was, the girl really was Kuronue, at least her soul. He covered the eye and waited for Akira to come out of her memories. He glanced at the redhead sitting on the bed. Kurama was looking at him expectantly and Hiei nodded once. "She is Kuronue." He said simply, too tired for mental communication. He flitted over and sat down on the window sill, not wanting to sit on the oaf's bed.

Kurama's eyes widened and he looked at Akira with new interest. He was thrilled that his old friend had a new chance at life. However...if she remembered her death, would she blame him the way he did himself? His eyes fell and he turned his face away from her, not wanting to see the betrayal he was sure his old partner would be feeling.