The little birds had returned once more.  They always came, day after day; even in the heart of the human world's winter there were one or two waiting nearby, ready to greet me as I stepped outside each morning.  Some mornings they were the only reason I had to do so, the only motivation I had to look beyond myself, to reach out to the world in which I was required to live.  There had been too many such days recently, yet this was not one of them.  This day at last I would begin my task, a duty I fully intended to complete.

I knelt down, stretching out my seed-laden hands for my tiny friends as they sang to me of the newly-come spring, of the return of warmth and colour to the ningenkai.  I smiled sadly at their songs.  For them this was the rebirth of the world, a world filled with life and hope.  For me, spring would always be a season of death.

Death.  Decay.  Destruction.

My smile faded into my memories, taking my soul with it.  I continued to feed my sweet, innocent little birds mechanically.  They didn't notice the difference.  They'd known me too long to fret over my strange mood.  They knew I would not hurt them, not intentionally.

I could, though.

I let them perch on my fingers, dusting my skin with their plumage.  Their small lives were scarcely any burden at all in my hands as I carefully stood, lifting them to the freedom of the skies.  Most followed my direction, winging their way to the surrounding trees.  One stayed, flapping desperately as she clung to the cloth at my breast.  I caught her gently and sent her on her way to join the others.  She belonged with them in this greening world.

I did not.

I was unable to remember the moment in which I decided that I could no longer stay here, that it was time to leave my home once more.  All I could remember was the pain, the anguish that I felt.  The humans had a saying: that home lay where your heart was at ease.  In that respect it had been some time since this house and its gardens were truly my home - but they were so for far longer. In my mind, my memories took control, drawing me back to those happier days.  I was told that that was an unhealthy lifestyle, one that would lead only to more sorrow and heartache for those around me, to have to watch me fade away into the past.

I could think of worse.  I'd known the anguish of not knowing what was happening to a loved one - and the consequences.  The edge of truth's blade was far sharper after the soft comfort of hope.

I had made no secret of my pain, and could only believe that they would understand and accept that I had chosen to leave this world in preference to enduring further.  My one hope was that they would not discover just how it was that I intended to leave them, and what I intended to do afterwards.  That, I feared, they would not be able to understand - and I prayed that they would never be able to.

The little bird had rejoined the rest of her kind, flying joyfully amongst the budding flowers.  Soon I, too, would be headed back to my kindred.  My reunion with them, however, would be a far more serious occasion.

"Aunt Kalei!"

Kalei winced as the young male cry echoed piercingly through her skull, shattering he peaceful silence, and resigned herself to the teenager's company.  Two teenagers, she noted as she caught sight of the second, less vocal figure accompanying the first on his way towards her.

/Children!  I seem to recall being that young, but it must have been an awfully long time ago!/  Her own estimation of time was admittedly somewhat skewed, however...  /What I wouldn't give  to be their age once more, my worst worries whether I could convince my parents to let me go out on a Saturday night even though I'd only just passed my latest test...  To simply have parents... /  She sighed at the darkened tone of her thoughts, and put down the old book she had been reading as the young Kuwabaras finally reached her chair on the veranda.

/My, does Kazuya's voice carry a long way./  Her amusement quickly turned to concern, however, as she took in the sober expressions on their faces as the halted in front of her.

"What happened? She prompted as they hesitated, exchanging glances that clearly said: 'You tell her!'  "One of you is going to have to talk, or we'll be standing around for a very long time," she pointed out, eyeing them both meaningfully.

"But you're sitting, Aunt," Kazuya pointed out immediately, impudent as ever despite whatever was weighing on his mind.  "Ugh."  Hikari calmly extracted her elbow from her brother's stomach while Kalei simply closed her eyes and prayed for patience.

/I think I used up my lifetime's patience quota when I was in Durlah's prison./  Before she truly lost her temper Hikari spoke up, in her characteristically direct manner.

"Grandmama's gone."

/Also succinct./  Kalei frowned as she considered the brief statement.  "What do you mean by 'gone'?" she queried.  /It doesn't sound like she's dead...  They would have been more upset about that./  Both children truly loved their great grandmother, which was no great surprise.  /All of us love her, Kuwabara most of all./

"She's just gone!" Kazuya broke in.  "We can't find her anywhere and we've been looking for her for hours!"

"She's not in any of the places she usually visits, and she doesn't like going to strange places by herself," Hikari contributed.

/She's right,/ Kalei realized.  /It's not like Yukina at all to have simply left without telling anyone or taking someone with her - unless she was going someplace she knew others would not be welcomed.../  "If you were hoping to find her here, then I'm afraid you'll have to be disappointed," she informed them, picking up her book once more.

The Kuwabaras had to have been running out of alternatives to seek their missing member at what had once been Genkai's temple.  Yukina's granddaughter-in-law had taken exception to her husband's ageless aunt, and had made her feelings on the matter abundantly clear.  Hikari and Kazuya were under standing instructions not to associate with Kalei in any manner or form.  Consequentially Kalei had seen quite a lot of the pair from the moment they hit their adolescent years and the inevitable accompanying rebellious stage.

/Thank goodness Kireina didn't stay in that stroppy mood for too long.  These two might take a bit longer, though.../  She sighed a little, recalling the two generations of Kuwabara children she had watched grow up previously.  /Everything in the ningenkai changes so fast - even us while we linger here.  I'm glad I'm so removed from that in these grounds.  Humans can be a nightmare to keep track of.  I can barely keep up with the Kuwabaras, let alone the rest of the population.../

Indeed, if she hadn't known that Hikari was Yukina and Kuwabara's oldest great-grandchild, she would never have recognized her.  Kazuya on the other hand was much more easily identifiable, his great height for his age topped by familiar carrot-coloured hair.

/At least he's better looking than Kuwabara was, although seeing his expression when he was with Yukina made him one of the most handsome humans I've ever seen.../  Kalei dragged herself out of her memories only to find both young Kuwabaras still standing before her expectantly.

"She's not here," she repeated.  "What else do you want me to say?"

Again the exchange of sidelong glances, but this time it was Kazuya who answered her.

"Just how old are you and Grandmama?" he asked tentatively.  "I mean, the way you look and all..."

Kalei mock-glared at him.  "Old enough.  Hasn't anyone ever told you it's impolite to ask a lady her age?"  She brushed him off lightly, seeing the direction he was headed and wanting to know just how far he would dare to go to get his answer.  /If they're not willing to ask me straight out then I'm not going to tell them./

"What are you and Grandmama?" Hikari obligingly inquired.

/I had to ask...  Perhaps she inherited a little more of the family talent that I first thought./  She shrugged, laying aside her book again.  "I'm a youkai from the Makai, come to gobble you up," she informed them.

Kazuya burst out laughing while Hikari rolled her eyes.  Kalei started to reach for her book.

"No way!"  Kazuya chortled.  "I can believe that you're a demon, Aunt Kalei, but wanting to eat us?  You're a vegetarian!!!"

"What kind of youkai is Grandmama?" Hikari asked calmly, halting Kalei in mid-reach.  Her brother stared at her.

"You can't be serious!"

"She is," Kalei replied on Hikari's behalf.  "So was I, at least in part."  She raised her left hand to chest-height, first clenching then opening it to reveal a tiny sphere of yellow light dancing just above her palm.  Kazuya screeched and hid behind his sister, who looked on impassively.

"She was koorime," Kalei answered her, dispelling the ball of light.  "An ice maiden."

Hikari tilted her dark head to the side, considering the matter, then slowly nodded.  "Do you know where she might be now?"

Kalei shrugged.  In all likelihood Yukina had returned to her home on the koorime's floating island.  It wasn't as though she had anywhere else to go.  "Back with her youkai family, unless I miss my guess.  We can't really stay in the human world for too long without being noticed, as I'm sure you're aware."  She waved a hand at herself ruefully, her youthful appearance belying her age.

"You really are serious!" Kazuya exclaimed softly, having managed to shut his gaping jaw by that point.

"You aren't telling us everything," Hikari accused, a frown creasing her brow.  Kalei gazed back at her steadily for a long moment.

"Your grandmama might not be very welcome amongst the koorime.  From what I've gathered, she originally left to find someone who had been exiled from the koorime's floating island."

"She did?  Who?  Did they try to stop her?  What will they do now?"  Kazuya pounced onto the possibility of danger and excitement like a kitten on a ball of string.  He was promptly brought back to reality by his sister's foot on his toes.

"Only Yukina could tell you that," Kalei declared.

"But how are we going to do that when she's who-knows-where and we're probably going to get grounded for life if Kaasan finds out we've come here-"

Hikari's reflexes didn't quite cover her brother's blunder.  Kalei suppressed her smile as Kazuya groaned.

"Please, Aunt Kalei," Hikari requested.  "Could you tell us how to find Grandmama?  We just want to make sure she's alright."

Kalei shook her head, but reconsidered her initial denial when she saw the hope die in their youthful faces, their despair amplified in her mind by her own empathy.  "I don't know how to find her - but I do know who to ask."

Hikari's eyes brightened once more, and Kazuya flashed her a grin.

/I won't lead these children into Makai, but I will see if I can get some assurance about Yukina's well-being.  After all, they're not the only ones who love her - and I can think of one in particular who stands out, now that Kuwabara's gone.../  She shook her head sharply to disperse the cloud that had drawn over her thoughts.  /Hiei probably knows where she is already, anyway, and finding him will be as easy as asking Kireina.../

With those optimistic thoughts Kalei lead Hikari and Kazuya towards the rosy bower that was Kireina's ningenkai home.