Second Try

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yuu Yuu Hakusho, or any of its characters. Those belong to Yoshihiro Togashi-sama, who made a lot more out of them than I ever could have. ^^;; I just do fanfiction for fun, and earn no monetary rewards for writing it. Reviews are, of course, worth as much as silver.

Title: Second Try

Chapter Eighteen: Consideration

Word Count: 7,131

Anime: Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Pairing: HieixKurama, KanisawaxKurama

Warning: Suspense, violence, language, implied BL

Author: Kita Kitsune

Date: Friday, March 16, 2012

Miscellaneous Notes: Yes, yes, I know it’s been almost a year since I last updated. I’m sorry~! x.x Last semester of college, and all that, and then some crap showed up. But~! I do have the next few chapters planned out (for once) and things are going to start coming to a head (after all that build-up, it’s about time, right?). :3 So! I realize this may seem a little bit of a random chapter, but I hope it’s still likeable.

( And I am NOT happy that AFF changed their format for everything. @.@ I miss the old style! jAj ;;; )

Also, Vixen-of-Ice, I will MISS you on FF.net! jAj I always looked forward to your reviews on there, but I’m glad you’re still keeping with this story, even if it’s taking me forever… x///x~ Thank you!

And a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all~! :D

: : : : : : :

            Botan crashed—still on her oar— through the doors to Koenma’s office, eyes wild and hair askew.

            “Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!” Papers flew every which way as the wind from her sleeves sent a few haphazard piles of paper teetering dangerously. Koenma squawked in fear, diving and managing to keep the stacks standing.

            “Botan! Calm down, what is it?!” She hurriedly leaned over his desk—hands white-knuckled—so close that this time the end of her oar bumped into a particularly tall stack and sent it sprawling onto the floor and his desk.

            “Koenma-sama! Something more is going on in Hokkaido! I felt it! Right after I dropped Kurama-kun off I felt both concentrated demonic and barrier energy from a cave nearby and hurried back here to tell you of it!”

            Her speech didn’t have the reaction she’d hoped for, as Koenma tugged at his collar and looked away.

“W-Well, I’m sure it’s just—” Fuschia eyes narrowed.

“You knew about this! Koenma-sama! Tampering with the kekkai between Ningenkai and Makai is against Reikai Law, and any demons caught breaking that law are subject to—”

           “What was I supposed to do, Botan?!” He jumped up on his chair, palms splayed on the mess of papers crowding his desk, and clearly at his wit’s end. Shocked, she recoiled back, eyes wide in light of this sudden outburst. “After the paperwork for the Tournament was cleared up, I realized there had been a notification of a burglary.” At her gasp, he eyed her, frowning. “Yes. I was made aware of this months ago, but upon receiving no demands supposed that one of my Father’s Spirit Defense Force had taken the item into protective custody. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Do you know what was stolen?” Botan shook her head furiously and he continued, flopping back into his chair. “The Kuro-no-Shou.”

           “The Black Chapter?!” He winced at her shriek, hissing and waving his hand for her to be quiet.

           “Dammit, Botan, keep it down!” Pinching the bridge of his nose, and closing his eyes, Koenma released a noisy, whine-like sigh. “This recent altercation concerning Kurama’s safety has been unfortunate, but I received a letter this morning concerning the theft. Apparently the thief did not find a need to inform me of his demands until such a time that he deemed necessary.”

           “His demands, sir?” Botan put in meekly, and Koenma leveled her with a serious look.

           “That we not interfere with the Tunnel currently working its way between the Ningenkai and Makai, lest the Black Chapter be broadcast throughout Japan.” Eyes wide, Botan covered another gasp with her hand.

           “But who would—” Koenma’s fist tightened, and his head bowed.

           “This thief was kind enough to sign his demands, providing no question as to his identity.”

           “Then we can capture this demon and—Koenma-sama?”

           “It is not a demon. The thief is Yuusuke’s predecessor—the human, Sensui Shinobu.”

: : :

            They sped through the cavern’s infinite passageways, safely buffered against the stalactites by the whirlwind encircling them. Both demons felt presences ahead of them—two human, two youkai. Curiously enough, they felt the strange youkai’s ki sweep over them, but it allowed them to pass unhindered. In fact, the ki gave them a point to head towards, even though Jin tried Touya’s nerves more than once by simply barrelling through the rock in what was (as he thought) the shortest way to rescuing her. Touya was just thankful the caves didn’t come crashing down around their ears.

            When they came to the largest cavern of all, landing neatly with a circular sweep of air around their feet, Jin’s narrowed eyes immediately fell to the broad-shouldered human reclined against the sofa, his back to them. Touya’s gaze slid quietly to the demon standing at his side, robes white and teal hair falling against a pale countenance. Yukina was nowhere to be seen, and the garish sounds of the human boy playing some shooting game on the television echoed around them.

           “Welcome.” It was the bored tone of a human given too much time to think, and had to have come from the man sitting on the couch. The strange demon and Touya stared impassively at one another, gauging the perceived threat, while Jin ignored them all, simply taking off in the direction he felt Yukina’s ki. He disappeared into a smaller passageway on the other side of the cavern.

: : :

            Jin followed the familiar pulse of Yukina’s ki onward, and burst into the where it was most powerful, crying out her name in earnest. She was lying on a cot, and started upward at the sudden call, the cloth pressed to her face falling away. He stared, aghast, then ran to her, hands rising, but not quite daring to cup the sides of her face.

“Y-Yuki-chan—w-what—” She smiled at him sweetly, despite her sweaty, pallid face and the rather visible blood sticking to her face and neck. Her left eye was untouched and perfect, still red and crystal clear, while the right one was swelled and grisly, nothing but a milky-white orb leaking pus and obviously unseeing. Jin began to shake in rage, and upon seeing this, Yukina raised her hands and curled her fingers over his, trying to both calm him and keep him from launching off for vengeance.

            “Who did this.” Jin seethed, his usual good humor fleeing before the red which enveloped his vision. Yukina smiled uncertainly at him, not quite used to seeing the mercurial demon this incensed, and stroked her thumbs gently along the backs of his trembling knuckles.

            “I-It doesn’t matter, Jin-san, I—“ Wholly unexpected, the wind demon embraced her, hiding his face in her neck—nonwithstanding the blood there—and clamping his arms around her waist. Hands freezing in shock—and her arms now pinned between them—Yukina’s good left eye widened over Jin’s shoulder as he merely held her like that, for a few moments. Then she spoke, voice soft.

            “Jin-san. I am all right. You—”

            “How could anyone do this to you, Yuki-chan. You’re so kind and sweet and patient and helpful and always do your best in Touya’s training even though it’s obviously hard on you and you’re always smiling, Yuki, how could someone—” That tone was hoarse, and Yukina found herself speechless again—and then honored, at having such a friend as this, who would so worry for her. Something warmed in her chest, something unseen and unfulfilled, which until now had remained buried.

            Someone was actually seeing her, for once—was actually upset at her being injured. Hina had never seen her, never embraced her like this—not even Rui, when she had come home from school covered in bruises and scrapes. No one had. She couldn’t have expected it from anyone, wouldn’t wish to impose in that way—and Jin-san was offering it freely. He wasn’t even asking her permission, not that she was offended because he felt warm and safe and for the first time as though she wasn’t merely part of the background, but an important person, a person who was worth seeing—

            Hiei-san had rescued her, once, but after concluding that he was her brother Yukina realized he had likely been ordered to rescue her by Koenma. There was no proof at all that he’d come to her aid of his own accord, and he hadn’t said anything about it, so it was quite unlikely he cared for her that much. Especially considering he’d lied about who he was, to her, for all this time…

            Her vision in the good eye blurred, and she pressed her face into Jin-san’s tunic. But she wasn’t quick enough to stop the hiruiseki from forming, and it rolled down his tunic and luckily into her curled hand, where she clasped it firmly. Swallowing back her emotions, Yukina’s voice was gentle, if tight.

            “Jin-san, did you come to rescue me?” Heat radiated from her shoulder and Jin abruptly jumped back, cheeks pink and stuttering as she couldn’t help but smile at him.

            “W-W-Well, we heard you’d been abducted and—” He trailed off as she looked up at him, face soft as a small, grateful smile whispered its way across it. Even as she watched, his ears turned red and started to twitch. Yukina had to hide another smile behind her hand.

: : :

           Keeping his eyes on the largest threat in the room (the youkai), Touya afforded the human a calm, polite reply.

           “Thank you.” At this, the man on the couch tilted his head, but didn’t turn to face him. The teal-haired youkai standing at his side remained as a statue, just as steadfastly keeping his eyes on Touya.

           “Is it customary in Makai to intrude upon one’s home without introduction?” That bored tone began to unfurl in the air against him, and Touya cautioned himself to be wary of this man, as well. There was a wolf beneath his human innocence.

           “You will excuse us. A friend of ours has lost her way and we are merely here to collect her.”

           “Oh?” At this, the man finally turned, smiling congenially towards him. “Then what is her name?”

           “Yukina.” Touya’s voice was firm, pupiless eyes narrowing only slightly when the man stood, spreading his arms out in seeming agreement.

           “Then you are her friends. Be at ease, Itsuki.” The teal-haired youkai glanced towards him uncertainly, but when he received no look from the tall man in return, Itsuki seemed to relax. He bowed.

           “I will assist your friend in fetching her, then.” He then headed towards the entrance into which Jin had earlier disappeared. Touya tensed, but this strange tall human laughed, waving a hand.

           “Do not worry, we have no interest in harming either of you. Provided—” He cast a sharper look at Touya, then, and the ice youkai felt his jaw stiffen slightly. “—you do not tell Urameshi of this location. Otherwise I cannot guarantee your safe departure from this cave.” Touya remained silent, and the man cast him another engaging smile, the broad sweep of his gestures somewhat charming.

           “Our business does not concern you, friend youkai, and I would rather you were not caught up in things that were better left alone. Ah—” He raised a hand as though he perceived Touya bristling inwardly at his arrogant speech.

           “Please, really, excuse any offense I may inadvertantly cause. My fight is not with you.” Touya’s eyes narrowed, but his response was kept at bay by Jin’s return. He perceived—from his peripheral vision, as he dare not glance away from this human’s cunning face—that Yukina was wrapped up in what seemed like sheets, her face buried in Jin’s shoulder and her body fully supported in Jin’s arms, her own around his neck to help ease the burden. But Jin’s ki was jittery, upset bordering on frantic, and Touya judged their best course of action to be to leave. Yukina’s ki was odd, as well—as though she had suffered a great loss of blood and energy. Remaining still until Jin stood beside him once more, Touya gave the human a terse nod, muttering under his breath to Jin in the assasin’s tongue as he wrapped a hand around the wind master’s elbow.

           “Let’s go.” Bright blue eyes snapped to him, mouth ready to protest—but Touya cast him a sharp look, and a flash of conflicted emotion flickered across Jin’s face before it gave way to the trust he had in Touya’s judgment. A swirl of wind, Jin’s knuckles tightening over Yukina’s one visible shoulder, and Touya was tugged along with the other two demons as they beat a hasty retreat out of the strange man’s presence.

: : :

            Kurama gazed upward at the breaking dawn in the sky, elbows propped against his knees, shoes firmly set against the sand beneath to bolster his weight. There were pinkish and pale orange hues dusting across it, and a small bitter memory untucked itself from his mind, reminding him of another beautiful sunrise seen through a window, many months ago.

            He was still quite aware of Yuusuke’s eyes on him as his friend waited for an explanation. Smiling softly to himself, Kurama glanced towards his friend from the corner of his eye, still keeping that expression. For being so impatient, Yuusuke was certainly proving himself now. The brunet sat with his knees thrust out to either side, soles of his sneakers together and hands wrapped around the ankles. The blond teenager they’d apprehended still lay unconscious between them. Kurama would have rather had this conversation while standing—preferably while walking over the beach—but they dare not leave Seaman alone, lest he either wake and escape or Hiei reconsider his agreement not to slay him.

            Glancing back up at the pastel hues crawling their way across the heavens, Kurama smiled again.

            “It’s about Hiei, isn’t it.” A little surprised he had been read so easily, the fox moved to blink at his friend with wide, innocent eyes. Yuusuke puffed out his lower lip at him, pointing at him blandly. “Don’t give me that, Kurama. You’ve both been avoiding everyone like they’ve got the plague, but all of us know that you and Hiei are sleeping together, so that means—”

            “Were.” Kurama’s voice was soft, cutting off Yuusuke’s ranting. The detective jerked his eyes back to Kurama’s face, but the fox was again gazing at the sunrise with as much serenity as a portrait.

            “What?” Yuusuke noticed a small, depreciative smile tug a corner of Kurama’s mouth down. It was such a human, flawed expression that he almost missed it when the youko continued.

            “We were… ‘sleeping together’, Yuusuke. No longer. Please refrain from—” But Yuusuke lunged at him over Seaman’s prone form, grabbing the fox’s shoulder and forcing him to turn and face him, brows furrowed.

            “Wait, hold up! Since when has he been—” Kurama steadfastly ignored his gaze, now watching the sand a little ways to the side.

            “Since a month after the Tournament.” Yuusuke’s frown turned deeper.

            “So six months?!” A hand rose, resting over Yuusuke’s wrist, pushing slightly for him to let go.

            “Approximately.” Yuusuke’s grip only tightened, his jaw setting.

            “And all that time he’s—” Another unfelt smile crossed Kurama’s face, and he bowed his head so his eyes couldn’t even be seen, now.

            “Been unreachable, yes.” Yuusuke clenched his fist further into his friend’s jacket, now incensed.

            “So—back up, what happened and why did—” Letting out a sigh, Kurama gently pried his friend’s hand from his jacket, idly smoothing out the fabric before answering.

            “He left, because he was bored.” Something twisted Yuusuke’s mouth to the side, unpleasantly. Something felt too familiar.

            “What.” At that, Kurama at last looked back at him, smiling a little in the way one does when speaking to a child about things they could never understand.

            “He left, Yuusuke.”

            His mother lifted her head off the table littered with empty, mostly full and half-empty beer bottles, smiling through her tears, eyes red and swollen, long hair unkempt and sticking to her face—and her white apron stained with splotches of brown and beige.

            “He left, Yuusuke.”

            Kurama was giving him the same look. Sure, he wasn’t crying or drowning his sorrows in booze, but—the eyes were the same. The same eyes Atsuko had given him after… that man had left them. The same eyes that were still suffering, somewhere, before—only a year later—it was gone entirely, replaced by the glazed-over look of the drunkard.

            Yuusuke’s eyes hardened. Kurama noticed the change, and subtly eyed his friend.

            So that’s why Kurama’s been so distant…

            “Like hell—” —Hiei’s getting away with that. Like hell.

            “Yuus—?” Yuusuke roared, springing to his feet and scrambling for the forest line.

            “I’m gonna knock some fucking sense into that thick skull of his!”

           “Wait!”

           “Hie—OOF!” Yuusuke tripped over a root—but, knowing Kurama, it was no accident. In another moment the plant was fully restraining him, pinning him to the ground and coiling around his ankles.

           “Yuusuke! Be quiet!” He struggled, naturally, too pissed off to heed the admonishing hiss.

           “No way! He disappeared, Kurama! And you’ve been isolating yourself because of it, haven’t you?!” The hold on him lessened a bit—he’d struck a nerve. Yuusuke took advantage of that, rolling over and and shouting angrily at Kurama from where he lay on his back. “I’m gonna kill him!” The fox’s face subtly hardened in anger, and he knelt down to the detective’s level.

           “Yuu—” Yuusuke managed to kick out a leg, freeing it, but the fox jumped away just in time to avoid being hit.

           “No, you listen to me! He doesn’t have a right to treat you like that, Kurama! Hell! If I’d known this sooner I’d have kicked his ass back when I first saw him today, and—” There was a sharp pain in his neck that forced him to stop, and Yuusuke involuntarily curled backward with a pained grunt. It didn’t hurt all that much, but it forced him to silence and Kurama glared warningly at him, clearly not pleased with the constant interruptions.

           “Yuusuke, stop jumping to conclusions.” He tried to wriggle, again, but against Kurama’s plants and centuries of experience he couldn’t budge.

           “But I’m right!” He saw the fox’s head drop in exasperation, the inside of Kurama’s hand pressing against his forehead, his fingers mostly unseen due to his bangs.

           “Yuusuke, listen to me. You are not to jump into my affairs as though you were righting a wrong done to a ‘damsel in distress’, do you understand?”

           “B-But I wasn’t! And we’re friends, doesn’t that mean—”

           “Yuusuke, you do not know Hiei’s past. He has been through—”

           “Enough with us to know how to treat his friends!” Frustrated, Kurama’s voice began to rise, trying to make himself heard in lieu of the over-reacting teenager scrambling anew for freedom.

           “Hiei has never had friends before us!” Yuusuke stopped, then, peering up at him.

           “…What?” The fox smiled a little, then, soft and sad. Friends, no, but lovers… He cautiously relaxed his hold, for Yuusuke to be more comfortable.

           “Is it really so hard to believe?” Yuusuke frowned, fight gone from him in light of curiosity and so Kurama called back his plants, moving to once more sit beside Yuusuke as the detective sat up, rubbing his arm.

           “But… I didn’t grow up with any—” Kurama sighed, interrupting him.

           “You had Keiko. And Kuwabara-kun.” Yuusuke’s cheeks puffed up, a little pink.

           “But they’re not—”

           “You had more than Hiei ever did as a child, Yuusuke.” The brunet glanced at him, but Kurama was already subconsciously watching the waves, his profile again lit by the pale, early-morning sun.

           “…He told you, didn’t he.” One green eye slid back to him. Yuusuke frowned. “Hiei told you about his past.” To that, the fox chuckled, hiding his soft laughter (and the accompanying saddened expression) by bowing his head. “What’s so—”

           “No, Yuusuke. He did not tell me.”

           “Then how—” Still a bit tragically amused, Kurama smiled sideways at him, tapping his own temple.

           “Do not underestimate the power of the Jagan~”

           Yuusuke gave him a weird look and Kurama had to bite the inside of his cheek in order to smother his laughter.

           Evasion successful.

: : :

            Kanisawa disembarked from the bullet train, a long, black wool greatcoat nicely setting off the clothes he’d borrowed from Kurama. There was a curious scent to the air that caused him to tilt his head upward, eyes narrowing off in the direction of the disturbance. As was customary when he went out, his dark hair was pulled back into a low, unobtrusive ponytail which trickled down between his shoulderblades. He squinted at the treeline, judging the distance he felt between him and Kurama. It was some kilometers north—naturally, beyond any stops on the shinkansen, because the train tracks would freeze if it got too cold.

            Shaking his head, Kanisawa sauntered quietly forward, trying to keep his ki low. If this were a Reikai mission, he would have to take great care not to have Kurama’s associates discover who he was. Not that he was afraid of them, no—it would simply be terribly inconvenient to have his plans led astray in such a spontaneous manner. His fingertips tingled, so Kanisawa flicked them, once—irritated with the sensation, it reminded him too much of what he had lost—before tucking them into his pants pocket and disappearing into the forest.

            (The reincarnate didn’t notice the handful of detonations which dotted the light layer of snow just beside where he’d been standing—the burns almost identical to those left by cigarettes.)

: : :

            Hiei jerked to his feet on the branch he’d been reclining on, a few needles rustling down onto the forest floor beneath him. His hand clenched around Yukina’s hiruiseki held within it, eyes narrowing as he felt a spark of a strange ki. It seemed familiar enough, but he couldn’t place from where—it was low, negligible, but what was odd is that one moment it was reiki, the next, youki. It actually reminded him of Kurama’s energy signature, but it couldn’t be… Kurama was still on that beach with the detective, guarding the prisoner. But—

            After another second, his eyes widened and he ripped the ward off the Jagan, searching desperately. Yes. Yes, he’d found her! Granted, it was worrisome that she had been untrackable for days, but perhaps he’d been over-reacting and now that she’d forgiven him she decided to make herself known—perhaps that ice shinobi had taught her stealth, as well? Whatever the reason, Yukina took precedence over the strange energy signal. First, he would see to it that she was safe, and—

            Already leaping over the frozen ground at a breakneck, almost reckless, speed, he stopped cold beneath a lone conifer encrusted with snow.

            She knows. She knows.

            Swallowing an uncomfortable lump at the back of his throat, Hiei glared down the sudden uncertainty brewing in his chest. He had to see that she was safe, but was under no obligation to speak to her if that be the case. Reassured by this, the fire youkai resumed speeding towards the first point where he had sensed his sister’s ki in days.

: : :

           They arrived at the mouth of the cave, Touya’s nerves a little worse for the wear as Jin insisted on barrelling straight through the walls of the cavern, not even taking the time to try and follow the path they’d carved out on their way in. He eyed the knuckle-white hand on Yukina’s shoulder, recalling faintly the emerald-eyed Yuri as Jin helped her and Koto escape the chaos of the exploding tournament arena. But Jin hadn’t known her as well as he did Yukina, so his feelings hadn’t gone any further than the pink on his cheeks when she’d given him a kiss in gratitude. And before that, there had been a few merchants’ daughters he’d won the favor of, girls naturally drawn to his innocent smile and reckless charm. It had ended well with most of them, but Jin had never been one for stability.

            They moved through the forest, some distance away from the cave, until they came to a frozen stream. Jin gently settled Yukina against a tree as Touya retreated to the water, unfazed as he knelt, despite feeling a surge of youki head in their direction. He gazed solemnly at the thin layer of ice beneath him, and only straightened when he felt a small rustle in a tree across the way. When the ice demon looked up, Hiei was standing on the other side of the stream, hands hidden in his cloak’s pockets and his entire being tense and agitated. Red eyes briefly flicked over his shoulder, towards where the other two youkai were, Jin’s back to them. Touya saw the look, but he kept his solemn stare, nonetheless.

            “It is a shame that her brother is absent.” Red eyes snapped back to him, but Touya kept his face carefully impassive. “Families tend to care for one another in times of need, after all.” That gaze narrowed at him, and Hiei’s fist clenched around something in his pocket.

            “She has no relation to me.” To that, Touya only watched quietly as Hiei turned briskly away.

            “Of course.”

            “Hiei-san!” Touya smirked a little to himself as Hiei froze on the spot, and heard Jin’s concern drowned out by the frantic rustling of fabric as Yukina hurried to her feet, rushing past Touya and stumbling a bit as the stream drenched the bottom of the sheets wrapped around her. But she crossed successfully, and so caught the black material covering one of Hiei’s elbows, tugging on it to make him face her. “Hiei-s—”

            Yukina’s voice faltered as Hiei’s eyes fell upon her, his expression darkening rapidly. With the hand connected to his captured elbow, he grasped her forearm, moving the other hand upward to tersely push up her bangs and better examine the bad eye. It left an instant later.

            “Who did this.” Hesitating only a moment, Yukina managed a small smile, expression kind.

            “Does it matter? It is over with, and—” She paused as Hiei’s hold tightened marginally, rage swarming barely beneath the surface of his gaze. Her patient expression fell, and she frowned a bit, placing her free hand over where his held her arm. He jerked—an instinct to bolt—but she held him fast. “Hiei-san. Why did you run away.” Clearly reluctant to forcibly remove her, Hiei stilled, turning his face from hers and to the trees, chin raised a small stubborn notch and his voice deceptively quiet.

            “That is not an answer to my question.” Yukina’s reply was even, her tone firm.

            “Answer mine, and I will answer yours.” He glanced back to her out of the corner of an eye, at that, then quickly looked away—hating how she had been so maimed, hating who had done it and hating himself for not being there to prevent it.

: : :

            Kanisawa Meirin sat in a small corner of a large room, large glasses encircling her brown eyes and knees drawn up to her chest. Her long, thin, black pigtails cut out from her neck in a scythe-like arc that fell to the middle of her back and made her bony shoulders seem even frailer. She paid no mind to the spirits joking around with one another amidst the tables and chairs. A spirit waited here for the judgment on where it would spend its afterlife. But not she. Koenma and Botan had been otherwise engaged for a while, and Meirin and Minamino-san had been brushed off to the side. This was the place where—in the chaos of dozens of oni clamoring at the door for Koenma’s attention—a distracted green oni had directed them to wait. Meirin could feel that she would not be thought of, again. At least, not for a long while…

            A hand settled atop her head, right atop her straight, severe part and she glanced up, short black bangs completely covering her forehead. Minamino-san smiled gently down at her, patting her head a bit before he sighed. He wasn’t here waiting for jugdment, either. He just—

            “I know it’s hard to accept, but there’s nothing you can do for him.” Meirin bit her lip and looked down at her knees, which were covered in a borrowed sky-blue Reikai kimono. “The living  have a different set of rules than us. They can go anywhere in their world, across countries and oceans. We have only three places to go—heaven, hell or purgatory. Readmittance into Ningenkai as a human is nearly impossible to attain, which is why—” Meirin immediately snapped her gaze up to him, eyes bright and hopeful.

            “Nearly?!” Minamino-san looked at her pityingly. “You mean, there’s a way to—”

            “No.” His tone was so forceful that she dare not continue, and instead resumed staring at her knees. She heard him sigh, again, and a paternal arm found its way around her shoulders. Despite the lack of warmth, it was still a comforting gesture. She didn’t lean into it. “Meirin-chan. Only exceptions gain readmittance. Your date of death is too far removed to consider a resurrection—your body was burned six months ago, so there is no vessel in which you could return to Ningenkai.” Meirin lifted her hand, palm up, and watched as her fingers moved gently. Minamino-san allowed her a moment to digest the information.

            “But… But I’ve still heard about spirits staying in Ningenkai. For months, even years. Why couldn’t I just—”

            “Meirin-chan.” Minamino-san’s voice was firm, this time. She flinched a little, wrapping her arms around her knees and hiding her face in them. She could still hear him, though. “Ningenkai is not a safe place for spirits. There are demons waiting to devour souls—especially naïve, unguarded ones like yourself. They would consume you before you could even get your bearings after passing through the portal. It is not an option. Any attempt to help your brother will only end with your soul becoming lost, or worse, cursed—” She couldn’t quite help what slipped out, next.

            “Cursed?” Minamino-san’s arm shifted around her, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. She supposed he was nodding.

            “Yes. Some souls give into dark emotions—such as anger, hatred or jealousy—and grow stronger because they only focus on that negativity. But this strength comes at a price. If given too long to fester, the soul will become possessed by that dark emotion, and will become unable to remember anything else—not who they are, not their life before death, not even the loved ones they left behind. They will become cursed—an evil spirit. At that point, if they are apprehended, they are isolated in Oblivion and barred from entering Reikai, lest they wreak unimaginable damage on the uncursed souls waiting for judgment. One evil spirit begets more.” Meirin was quiet, for another few minutes. When she spoke again, her voice was very soft.

            “How do you know this is what happens?” Minamino-san gave a soft, unhappy laugh.

            “I have been dead for over ten years, Meirin-chan. In all that time, I have traveled between Ningenkai, Reikai and heaven enough to know much of what can happen.” She blinked up at him, then, confused.

            “But—how? How can you travel back to Ningenkai?” He smiled down at her, ruffling her hair a bit.

            “There is one day a year when every ghost is allowed to make an appeal to travel back to Earth.” Her mouth fell open in surprise, but before she could voice it, he raised his index finger, grinning a bit, now. “That’s right. On each anniversary of their deathday, every ghost has the right to request they return to the Human World, in order to see how their surviving friends and family are getting on. A nice rule, isn’t it? Ah, and every year I’ve gotten to see my wife and son—did you know she’s finally started dating again?” He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. “Took her long enough. Shiori’s a serious one—oh, motherly to a fault and she does have a mischievous side to her, but utterly serious and set on her plans when it comes to the important things. Why, once she wouldn’t even let our boy go to school—it was raining outside—if he didn’t put on his raincoat and galoshes! Haha, Suuichi looked so grumpy in that squeaky, bright yellow outfit covered with baby ducks—”

            Kanisawa Meirin had stopped listening to Minamino-san’s ramblings roughly three sentences in. The fact was, she had set her mind upon the beginnings of a plan.

            What does it matter if I’m lost or cursed, so long as the demon who stole my big brother’s body gets what it deserves—?

: : :

            Shizuru stirred, wincing as she felt a few things stuck in her arm that hadn’t been there when she’d fallen asleep.

            Asleep… ? Wasn’t I… wait… where—?

            Internally calming herself, she sighed, sinking further into her bed, and concentrated on sending out telepathic feelers to the people around her. A no-nonsense woman, concerned but hiding it well. A man helping her. Further away, another man, a woman, and two teenagers. Who—

            Kazu! Her eyes shot open, and she winced further at the bright light, trying to sit up. The no-nonsense woman she’d sensed, before—a nurse, going by her uniform—scuttled forward and chided her, firmly telling her to stay put.

            “After what you’ve been through, no sudden movements, Kuwabara-sama!”

            “W-Wuhht… ? Bu’… m’ bro—” Shizuru stopped talking, foggily bewildered.

            Is that my voice? So slurred and slow—

            The nurse looked at her, and sighed, shaking her head. Then she glared at Shizuru, whipping around to head out the door, voice curt.

            “They can come in for five minutes, if you can stay awake that long.”

            Huh… ? Shizuru blinked sleepily, trying and perplexedly failing to lift an arm to rub the back of her hand against an eye. ‘Stay awake that long?’ What’d she mean…

            “Hey, Ane.” Shizuru blinked, slowly focusing up and spying her brother’s face. But her eyelids felt so heavy, it was hard to keep them up.

            “Kah… zu? Wuhrz Dad—”

            “Right here, kid.” Shizuru slowly looked behind her brother, blinking languidly, again. She smiled a little, not really sure what had happened, but trying to make the best of the situation.

            “S-Sorry fer… whuht… ?” She was frustrated—why was it taking so much effort to speak?! Her father swallowed and went to sit by her bedside, taking her hand in both of his. Kazu stood nearby, still as a statue and face carved with palpable concern.

            “It’s okay, kid, we’ll get through this together. You just get some rest, all right?” Her brow knit—What? What is he talking about? As though sensing her confusion, Kazu spoke up, voice quiet.

           “You overdosed on a benzodiazepine, temazepam. You were at Kurama’s when you collapsed. Sis, where’d you get—” Kazu fell abruptly silent, and it took Shizuru a moment to slowly look at their father, who was giving her brother a ‘cease and desist’ look. She would’ve liked to know more, but Kazu shook his head and slowly turned around to leave the room. “I’ll tell Keiko-chan and Yukimura-san that you’re all right. But just take it easy—all right, yeah? No rush.” Before she could stop him, he was gone, and she was left with her father holding her hand—like she was two, again. She mumbled something and he laughed—but it was a tight, fearful sound.

            “Yeah, I know it must be frustrating—but you gave us quite the scare, kid. Just take it easy. The doctor said it should be out of your system in a few hours, since you’ve been sleeping since yesterday evening.”

            Yesterday evening? Where was I— Her father continued on, babbling a little in his anxiety.

            “Minamino-san was kind enough to get you here right after you collapsed, and Kurama and his friend helped carry you to her car—

            What… ? I… don’t remember… any of that. Is that… what happened? I’m not sure—

            Her father’s voice soon became just another background noise as he went on and on, venting his nerves through talking as he always did, and gradually Shizuru felt her eyes fall shut to the soothing sound—much like when he had read her stories as a child—and her breath start to even out.

            And then she was just floating.

: : :

           Slightly disgruntled with this turn of events, Toguro Ani thought over his possibilities. He had covered some ground since Itsuki had informed him of Sensui’s knowledge. In the cavern, Sensui had calmly assured him that his talents were still useful and that Ani could yet have his revenge on Urameshi, but for him to take some time to ‘cool off’ before the fast-approaching final showdown. So, right after that—not willing to risk a confrontation with Itsuki’s pet if he didn’t follow Sensui’s orders—Toguro had wandered out into the forest, some ways from the cave’s mouth. Itsuki would call him when he was needed, but until then—Toguro grinned a little, as he felt a lone human who was likely wandering inward from the nearest bullet train stop. Toguro hadn’t really gotten to sufficiently ‘appreciate’ that little ice bitch before Itsuki rescued her, so he’d take the next best thing.

            It is amusing Sensui would rather protect demons than his own kind.

: : :

            Sitting in the waiting room, Keiko kept her hands folded tightly together, Puu perched on her shoulder. Her mother sat beside her, leafing through a cooking magazine, although Keiko knew she was just reading it to distract herself. When the double doors opened, she glanced up, Kuwabara’s drawn face attempting a small smile as he headed over to them. He collapsed onto a chair next to her, and Puu cooed softly at him, making him smile a little more and rub the tuft of black hair on its head.

            “Heya, buddy.” Keiko bit her lip, looking down at her hands.

            “Should we call Yuusuke?” Kuwabara sighed, nodding and rummaging in his pocket.

“Yeah, I guess.” He flipped out the compact and dialed, frowning a little when nothing but static filled the screen. He huffed loudly, stuffing it back in his pocket and muttering.

            “We need to get these things fixed. First Kurama’s, and now—” Kuwabara paused. Something reminded him of something. His brows knit, recalling a conversation a while back.

            “Na, Kurama-kun.” Kurama blinked, softly.

            “Hm?” Here Shizuru exhaled a cloud of smoke, still eyeing him quietly.

            “Have you—been feeling all right, lately?” It was a curious question, and he looked perplexed, for a moment, before smiling warmly.

            “Aa, just fine, thank you. Although I’ve perhaps been working myself a bit too hard, it’s nothing a little sleep won’t cure.” Shizuru nodded slowly, gaze lingering on the fox as he politely excused himself. She remained staring after him long after he’d gone out of sight, and even as Kuwabara offered a comment.

            “Maybe he’s really all right, and Reikai’s just—“ She interrupted him, eyes narrowing.

            “No, Kazu. Something’s darkening his aura—and it’s not just the youko aspect. Something’s definitely hovering around him.” Here her eyes flicked to seriously regard him. “Keep Kurama in your spiritual sight. He might need help when we’d least expect it.”

            Shizuru had said something, afterwards, over the possibility of that ‘dark presence’ interfering with the Reikai compacts’ signal. It wasn’t unlikely—after all, that same signal had gotten scrambled when they’d invaded the castle of the Four Saint Beasts. Kuwabara frowned, tapping thoughtful fingers over his chin.

            What could it mean? Has Yuusuke been affected by this thing, too? He sighed, shaking his head and dismissing the thought as too coincidental. Or maybe these compacts are just on the fritz. Damn out-of-date Spirit World technology.

: : :

            Hagiri sat quietly in a corner of the hospital’s waiting room, pretending to be asleep. He was leaned against the wall, eyes slit open and subtly watching the three people sitting together— two junior-high school students (one gawky orange-haired guy, one cute brunette) and (most likely) a parent—through straight, inky-black bangs. His fingertips gently caressed the bits of ki-hardened eraser cupped against his palm, and he considered what he should do next.

            Kamiya-sensei was right—having Urameshi’s friends fall right into our laps was pure luck.

            He remembered Sensui-san’s directions for such a situation. Of course, the way they’d gotten here wasn’t the way they’d planned, but at this point that was moot. The two teens were engaged in a soft-spoken conversation, but Hagiri knew they weren’t related. It would be best to keep them here, or else they wouldn’t have the leverage they needed to keep Urameshi out of Sensui’s plans. He shifted, standing and heading over to the pay phone. Kamiya was busy, so he had best inform Sensui-san of the arrival of the last of their hostages.

           It was smart of Kamiya-sensei to allow the strong one to escape, as it avoided tipping off Urameshi’s two weaker friends. Kurama would have been harder to hold, anyway. Kuwabara and Yukimura are much more likely to yield to our methods.

: : :

            Kanisawa stopped, hands in his pockets, glancing up at the trees around him. His eyes narrowed.

            The birds have gone silent.

            He peered over his shoulder, then looked forward, again. There was a large shadow against the trees. He felt something in the pit of his stomach solidify into sludge, as a too-familiar youki washed over him. It was a faint trickle—a suggestion under a smothering amount of reiki, but it was there, all the same. He could never mistake that presence. His shoulders tensed, setting themselves back as the figure stepped out from behind a tree—a tall, broad-shouldered human, but the grin on that face told all. Those slivered eyes sliced into him, trying to lay his entire soul bare as a satisfied cackle seeped through the air.

            “My, my, my, this is a surprise.” The human’s head canted back and to the right, sharpened teeth showing as his lips curled from them. Kanisawa stood still, an unwelcome fear gripping his throat as he kept his expression carefully devoid of any reaction, tone firm and brisk.

            “Toguro Ani.” Shrill, head-splitting laughter echoed against the treetrunks as the abomination clapped his hands before him, fingers clasping and expression reeking of glee. Kanisawa kept himself from shying away—he remembered this, remembered how to act around him so as to give as little as possible away. A few months of play-acting hadn’t erased his memories.

            “So, even in that powerless human shell, you do remember me! And you still recall our deal, correct?” Ani tipped his head to the other side engagingly, beginning to saunter forward, fingers splaying as his arms spread out from his stolen body, his eyes wide with deranged pleasure. “You didn’t forget~? My dear brother and I own you. But since he has departed, that means you get an upgrade to me. You’d best plan to follow orders like a good little bitch, Karasu, else you want for me to tear you and that shiny new packaging into useless chunks of flesh~”

~*~To Be Continued~*~