Yusuke Urameshi was thinking. Stop laughing.
He stared absently out of the window at the garden, the leaves of the sakura tree just tinted by early morning sunlight's pale rays, a light mist clinging to the dewy lawn. For some reason, ever since Botan had left he had found himself unable to sleep. Finally giving up at around two in the morning he had gently pried himself from Keiko's arms and wandered into the kitchen where he sat, sipping a cup of tea more because he had nothing else to do than because he was thirsty.
Hiei was missing, Kuwabara was dead and the last time he had seen Kurama their meeting had not ended on good terms, or rather Yusuke had yelled some rather insensitive things at him and had, now he thought about it, more or less blamed him for the whole incident with Keiko and Kuwabara. For not being there in time. His fist unconsciously tightened on the cup as he thought back to that day.
He dashed through the pounding rain, under flickering streetlights that cast an eerie blood soaked glow over the darkened streets. He didn't know what the huge youki he had just felt was but it had come from his house and that was all that mattered to him right now.
Keiko, Keiko, Keiko…
She would be alright, she had to be, someone would be there, Hiei and Kurama would be flitting around like they always were…
But then why couldn't he feel their youki anywhere near here? Wait, no, there it was, a flash of skillfully concealed youki, a twisting, slippery and deceptively mellow shape: Kurama! The fox was there so everything would be okay; Kurama would know what to do. He always did. Then why wasn't his youki acting as though he was fighting? Why couldn't he see the evidence of a fierce battle taking place across the shadowed rooftops?
Tearing around the last corner, he skidded to a halt, water splashing around his feet, his eyes suddenly unaware of the lashing rain, the battering, howling wind. His house was gone. The space where it had stood was nothing more than a wide patch of blackened earth, scorched dry. The freezing water of the rain barely touched the smouldering surface before evaporating in a hiss of white steam that hovered around the ruin like a white shroud, masking whatever lay beyond.
Into the eerie fog Yusuke plunged, uncaring of the vicious heat that melted his shoes and scorched his feet. He had to know what lay beyond that mist, no doubt that was where Keiko would be waiting, and Kurama, with a dead demon lying at their feet. That was what was supposed to happen.
"Yusuke!"
There! Keiko's voice! But why was it so distressed, so hysterical, so full of pain? Whoever had done anything to hurt Keiko would die, that he would make sure of.
"Keiko! I'm here! Where are you?"
His voice was urgent and for some strange reason, quite hoarse. Was it the smoke? What was this horrible feeling of foreboding he felt?
"Yusuke? Yusuke! Over here!"
Kurama's voice, to the left. But, it sounded so different… anxious, restricted… fearful even. What was going on? Why was everyone so afraid? It was just a stupid demon wasn't it? Why was everyone so worked up? A voice was in his head, whispering things to him, horrible things: how big that youki was, why hadn't Kuwabara come running yet? Why couldn't he feel Hiei's youki anywhere when he had spoken to him only this morning and he had managed to coax the disgruntled fire youkai to stay for dinner? He wouldn't listen, he blocked it out. Because it was wrong.
There! A gap in the mist… there was a faint flash of orange hair. Kuwabara? So the idiot was already here. But why couldn't he feel his energy? He hadn't known Kuwabara could mask his energy this well. The voice was whispering louder. He blocked it out. The mist had rolled across again. And then a horrible scream rent the night. It was a cry of pure and utter misery and pain. His head whipped around and he stood there, desperately, unheeding of the pain in his bare, blistered feet.
"Keiko!
Keiko! Kuwabara! Where the hell are you!"
He finally stumbled clear of the scorching hot earth and felt his sore feet touch cool grass. Cool, wet grass. For some reason, his instincts told him that the liquid he was standing in was not water. Dreading what he would see, he looked down. His sharp demon night vision immediately picked up the thick red colour against the green of the grass, even in this meager light. The liquid was spattered thickly across the grass, as though each of the small blades had sliced deeply into flesh. There was something else the voice was whispering and Yusuke heard it clearly. This blood was not demon blood.
"What the hell happened here?" he whispered, trying to understand. Had humans attacked Keiko? But then why had there been youki? Had that been Kurama finishing them off? And if that was so, then why hadn't he recognized the youki?
His sharp hearing picked up a sound, hidden in the mist before him. Someone was sobbing, unrestrainedly, their breath catching in their throat, whimpering as though in horrible pain. He knew that voice, the tone, the pitch, but he had never before heard it in such agony.
"KEIKO!"
He pitched headfirst through the warm fog, desperate to find his wife, his childhood friend, the one who had saved his life all that time ago when he had first become a spirit detective, the one who had stood by his side through thick and thin…
He stopped upon a very strange sight. For some reason, Kuwabara was lying face up in the middle of his lawn. It seemed like a rather stupid thing to be doing, but then Kuwabara was an idiot so… he approached his resting friend, intent on waking him up and sending him home with a good few bruises. It had probably been Kuwabara who blew up his house and now the idiot was asleep, exhausted. And why did he have red paint on his forehead? The voice was screaming in his ears.
"Yusuke," a shaky voice, a dry, brittle voice that he did not recognize reached his ears. He whirled around to see who else had been messing around with his house only to receive a shock as he came face to face with a familiar red head. He was about to open his mouth to demand just what the hell was going on… but stopped. Kurama's face was pale, far paler than it had ever been before, and there was horror lurking behind his clouded green eyes. Something about that fear that he saw in the fox demon's frozen countenance made the voice louder which was annoying because the voice was screaming things that obviously couldn't be true.
"Kuwabara… he…"
Kurama did not finish. Silently, the Toushin turned and knelt beside his friend and took him by the shoulders, giving him a firm shake. What was this hot, burning sensation in his eyes? What was this horrible clenching feeling in his chest? He knew he recognized it, perhaps he was ill?
"What's wrong with you?" he snapped, shaking Kuwabara harder, his friend should have woken up and punched him by now. So why? "Dumbass wake up!"
He felt a hand on his shoulder, tugging insistently at that increasingly loud voice that Yusuke refused to hear.
"Yusuke he's – "
"You shut up!" he pushed the hand roughly off his shoulder, shaking his friend desperately, what for he didn't know. All he knew was that this was wrong. His friend should not be sleeping now. It was be his demon senses alerting him to some danger, perhaps the demon that had destroyed his house was still around. That was why he was so desperate to wake him. Okay, this had gone beyond a joke, now his friend was just being stupid.
"Kuwabara!"
"Yu…suke…"
His heart froze in his chest. Whipping around, he sought out the source of that pained whisper. He could see Kurama's lithe form knelt beside some sort of inanimate object lying on the ground. When had the fox left his side? Why did it matter? He knew there was something over there he needed to see. Standing slowly, in a daze, he walked over the soaking grass, unaware of the burning pain in his feet or the rain that stung his skin like a thousand bees, drenching his clothes.
What he saw tore the floodgates of his mind open, the voice slamming its way into his consciousness. He knew why Kuwabara had not woken up, he knew that the huge youki he had felt before had been S-Class and not one he had recognised, he knew that the flame smouldering over the timbers of his house had been a deep, sickly purple and he knew that what he was seeing now, was not something he wanted to see.
"Keiko… oh my God."
He stumbled and fell to his knees by her side, staring in horror. Blood streaked her pale, bruised throat, weaving intricate patterns and staining the skin pink as it mingled with the beating rain, running down her cheeks, a macabre imitation of tears that would no longer fall. He didn't understand. How could this be…? This couldn't be… Keiko couldn't…
"WHO THE HELL DID THIS!"
CRACK.
"Itai!"
He gritted his teeth as an unexpected stab of pain shot through his hand, jolting him forcibly out of his reverie. The small clay cup lay in broken pieces in his palm, scalding hot tea dripping slowly down his wrist, mingling with dark blood from where a sharp edge had jabbed into his skin. He sighed and dragged his uninjured hand across his face.
"Well, I suppose that's the living proof that the past hurts."
Yusuke froze. A pale, slender hand took hold of his and deftly pulled the thin sliver of pottery from the cut.
"You'd better run that under some cold water."
Had he fallen asleep? Was he dreaming? He had to be because there was no way this was happening. First Botan and now…
"Kurama."
He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, almost as though someone else was speaking. As he said the name, a jolt ran up his spine, scattering the muffling blanket that had been cast over his senses. It was as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped on his head, he suddenly felt wide awake, the air cold against his skin, the pain in his hand suddenly doubling and mist distinctly he caught the soft scent of roses.
"Good morning Yusuke."
He stood up very slowly and felt the figure behind him move back a few steps, creating a modest distance between the two of them.
"If I asked you what the hell you were doing in my house, would you tell me?"
Kurama's voice was perfectly neutral as he replied.
"I don't know. You've never had to ask me that before."
"I'm asking you now."
A small sigh came from behind him and when Kurama spoke again his voice was laced with cold steel.
"I'm here to pull you from this stagnant pool of self pity you have immersed yourself in for so long."
The fox demon easily caught Yusuke's fist as the Toushin whipped around, eyes burning.
"Self pity? Is that all you think this is?" Yusuke snarled.
"You have responsibilities Yusuke," Kurama's eyes were flecked with gold, "You have shirked them long enough."
Yusuke tugged his hand out of Kurama's slackened grip, eyes narrowed.
"Keiko is my responsibility. You want to keep playing Reikai's pawn, go ahead."
To say Yusuke was surprised when vines sprouted up from the floor and wrapped around his ankles and torso would not be entirely justified. It did, however, enlighten him to just who he was dealing with.
"Given up on Shuuichi then?"
The red haired demon's smile developed a sinister edge.
"Hardly. Shuuichi merely ran out of patience and requested that I deal with this."
Yusuke's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah well, that doesn't surprise me. He likes hiding from difficult situations doesn't he?"
Kurama laughed lightly, "And you still love to be a hypocrite."
Yusuke looked away.
"How did you get in?"
"Through the door."
"I meant how did you get past the wards?" Yusuke amended tersely.
Kurama gave him a complacent smile.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me that question."
"Right," Yusuke muttered, "legendary thief and all that crap."
"Oh no, not that," Kurama's eyebrows rose, "have you already forgotten? Those wards were designed to keep out enemies. Not friends."
Yusuke's scoffed, "Don't assume that by not being my enemy it automatically makes you my friend."
Kurama sighed and tucked a stray strand of red hair back behind his ear, noting the way Yusuke tensed at the movement.
"Yusuke, I could use the very ground we're standing on as a weapon."
"Thought you already had," Yusuke nodded down to the vines which still restrained him. Kurama shook his head.
"I just wanted to make sure you heard me out. You can be ever so impatient sometimes you know."
Yusuke gave the fox demon a cool stare.
"Don't give me that crap, the Shuuichi I knew wouldn't tie down a fr – "
He cut his sentence off with a slight curse. Kurama chuckled and the vines fell away, shrinking back into the floor.
"You see? You did miss me."
Yusuke wrenched the sliding door open rather savagely, stalking out into the garden so as not to wake Keiko.
"Why are you here Kurama and don't mess me about."
"Well, after Botan visited I would have thought you would at least have an idea," said Kurama mildly. Yusuke scowled.
"Are you going to try to drag me back to Reikai as well?"
Kurama smiled, "Not unless I absolutely have to. But we are going back to Reikai."
"There is no "we"," snapped Yusuke angrily, turning on the fox demon. "Don't you get it? I'm not coming back! I'm staying here with Keiko, I refuse to let that stupid toddler destroy the rest of my life."
"No, you seem to be managing perfectly well by yourself."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing."
Kurama wandered over to the sakura tree, running his hand over the rough bark. Under the fox's touch the tree seemed to twist gently, its branches creaking, almost as though it was purring. Kurama smiled wistfully up at the branches, his eyes distant.
"Hm, I thought that about my mother for a while. I thought that I would never leave her side again. I thought of hiding from Reikai after the whole business with the three artifacts of darkness. I could have you know. I could have defended our house with all of my most cunning traps, I could have hidden us away, lived a normal life. But then I thought… no. I couldn't do that because I still had something left to do."
"Spare me the preaching session," Yusuke snapped, "I don't have anything left to do 'cept live my life. The brat told me; Hiei tracked down the bastard who did this and killed him."
Kurama's eyes darkened.
"Yes… I'll imagine he did. You obviously thought that was better than setting you off onto a wild killing spree. His excuse was that the demon was far too powerful and would kill you."
Yusuke turned very slowly to where the fox stood in the shadow of the sakura tree, his green eyes dark and cold.
"What?"
"Oh, did I not tell you?" Kurama smiled placidly at him although, now Yusuke was paying attention he could see the fire burning in those eyes. He had seen that fire once before, back during the Sensui incident when Kurama had been forced to kill the Game Master. He also remembered what Kurama had done when they ran into the elder Toguro shortly afterwards. Kurama was angry. Very angry.
"Tell me what?"
Yusuke's fists were clenched tightly, his shoulders tense, eyes narrowed. His body knew what his old team mate was talking about, even if his brain hadn't quite got there yet. Kurama's smile had turned somewhat feral.
"Koenma lied. The culprit is alive."
Afterwards, Yusuke wouldn't really be able to describe just what he felt when he heard those words. It was anger certainly, but not just that. For some reason he felt his throat tightening slightly and sharp, excited feeling twisting in his stomach. It made him want to grin. Something… some heavy weight somewhere in his heart was shattered into a million pieces and he felt a roaring in his ears. It was as though… he was… happy.
Slowly… very slowly, his lips curled into a smile. A single soft sound made its shivering, delighted way from his throat.
"… Heh."
He looked up again at Kurama and saw his expression mirrored in the fox's eyes.
"I think, I'd like to hear what really happened. From a friend."
He met Kurama's gaze and held it.
"I'm listening."
Koenma sat at his desk, ignoring the mountain of paperwork around him. His head was buried in his hands and his mind was strangely blank. Everything was out of his control now and perhaps that was not such a bad thing. If his father got wind of this he'd be stripped of his position for sure. First Sensui, now he was going to help a know felon to –
"Koenma."
Koenma looked up to see Botan opening the door. Without asking for permission she closed the door and came to stand in front of his desk. Something about her expression made him frown.
"What is it Botan?"
She looked down at him, her gaze set firm.
"I want you to tell me what really happened. Right from the start."
Koenma stared at her. He felt like laughing. This was just ridiculous. Well, why the hell not, he had already told everyone else, what would one more hurt? Sighing heavily he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
"Well, it started when Jorge brought in the forms for Kuwabara and Hiei's passing."
Botan blinked. She had thought he would spend at least five minutes pretending not to know what she was talking about. He was actually going to tell her? Hang on…
"Hiei's death form?" she stared at him, aghast, "He's dead?"
"Shut up," Koenma snapped, glaring at her, "If you're going to ask me to pour out the secrets of my worst doings then at least have the courtesy not to interrupt." Botan blinked. When was the last time she had heard him use that exasperated tone of voice?
"I immediately went to see my father of course, to find out what the hell was going on," Koenma continued, chewing on his pacifier, "and he expressly forbade me to interfere."
Botan conjured her oar and sat down, sensing that this would be a long talk.
"But you did. Kurama told me you – "
"Botan please," Koenma sounded slightly hysterical. She swallowed and fell silent.
"Now I looked into the circumstances myself and found out that a portal had been opened against regulations and without Reikai's permission. Well, naturally that could only be done by an exceptionally powerful demon. I began to monitor the highest signals of youki in the area and saw one heading towards Yusuke's home town at great speed."
Koenma sighed and looked down at his clasped hands, his eyes distant.
"I knew that I couldn't tell them to run. They never would. They would stay and fight."
Botan stared at him with wide eyes. "You called Hiei here…"
Koenma nodded curtly. "I had him summoned here and kept out of harm's way. Unfortunately…" Koenma sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly, "It turned out that the demon was considerably more powerful than I had anticipated… I didn't have time to get Kuwabara out."
Botan looked carefully at him for a moment before staring at her own feet.
"You know… those forms aren't always accurate. They're based on probability after all. I mean, look what happened with Yusuke."
Koenma smiled faintly.
"Yes… I think I've realized that now… after all these years. They were the most improbable group in the world…"
Somehow, Botan found all the anger and betrayal she had felt towards him, ebb softly away. It was replaced by a sort of calm resignation. The recognition that things had been and passed and really… there was nothing they could do.
"You did what you thought was right," she murmured, looking up at the ceiling, "and learned from it."
"Yeah: that I had to get a new job. That one fell through."
She laughed in spite of herself.
"No, silly, I was just thinking… you need to trust them more." She smiled gently at him. There was a feeling inside her, one she had not had for a long time. The feeling that what she was saying, what she was doing, was the right thing. Without a doubt. "They are an amazing bunch Koenma. Give them time. They have their faults. We all do, it's not a bad thing. This is something we can't interfere in."
"My father will," Koenma said gloomily, "when he finds out."
Botan felt a real smile stretching her lips for the first time in a while, "He can try."
Koenma looked up at her to see her eyes were sparkling.
"After all, they're strong enough to bear this," she shrugged, "they can deal with your grumpy dad any day."
Koenma, to his horror, felt tears welling up in his eyes. Hurriedly brushing them away he pretended to busy himself with paperwork.
"Botan… um…"
"Hm? Yes?"
"I… I just wanted to say… sorry."
Botan cocked her head to one side and gave him an appraising look.
"Well… I can't blame you. You're only a baby after all."
"I'M STILL YOUR BOSS YOU IMPUDENT LITTLE - "
"You're the little one."
"OUT!"
Giggling, she fled the office. Now what had she done with that pink kimono...?
Yusuke sat quietly on the grass.
"So… Koenma knew."
Kurama nodded silently. Yusuke's eyes narrowed at the dewy grass in an inscrutable gaze.
"Why do we need to go back to Reikai? I have nothing to say to him."
Kurama stretched gracefully, basking in the first warm rays of the sun as it rose over the trees.
"To collect the last member of the team."
Yusuke looked up at him.
"Shorty's in Reikai? Are you nuts? I would have thought he'd have killed Koenma by now. And where did you find him anyway? Botan said he was missing."
Kurama's smile was thin lipped and held not a shred of mirth.
"Oh he was. That's where I found him."
He looked over at Yusuke with one eyebrow raised.
"Did you never wonder why he never turned up at the house?"
Yusuke stared disbelievingly at the fox.
"You are kidding."
Kurama shook his head.
"He's been imprisoned in Reikai. For ten years."
"Rubbish." Yusuke scoffed, "they couldn't keep him there, he'd break out easy."
Kurama chuckled coldly.
"Ah, but that's where the problem lies. It wouldn't have been so bad if that was all they had done."
Somehow Yusuke felt that he could believe anything now. Finding out that the one responsible for his best friend's death had had the sort of affect he imagined either a large amount of alcohol or some dubious white powder would have had. Kurama looked rather calm, cheerful almost. His expression could have been worn by someone remarking how lovely the weather was.
"He was charged with forcing his way into Reikai and was arrested and put into cold sleep. For eternity."
Yusuke's expression did not change.
"You are kidding right?"
Kurama shook his head although it wasn't really necessary.
"Apparently when he attempted to get back down when he figured out what was going on, that was when the SDF pounced." There was a strange look of satisfaction on Kurama's face as he added, "It took the whole squad to take him down and he permanently put at least half of them out of the service for good."
Yusuke found himself chuckling. "On their own turf as well."
Kurama smiled nostalgically for a while before turning businesslike once more.
"Koenma has agreed to get us to him as long as we deal with the demon. We had to give him a small deposit first for information but that's been taken care of."
Yusuke looked up at him curiously.
"We?"
Kurama smiled brightly, hopping to his feet. "Oh did I not say? Jin and Touya are here. They're going to watch Keiko-chan for you while you're away. They like it here anyway."
Yusuke stared up at him. For the first time in a long while, he realized just how lucky he was to have died all that time ago.
"Hey, fox boy."
Kurama half turned on his way back to the house to look at Yusuke, the wind ruffling his red hair, warm sunlight glinting in his eyes. Yusuke got to his feet, staring awkwardly at his foot.
"I guess… thanks. And sorry for… you know… blaming you. I wasn't really thinking."
Kurama's face softened and some of the anger seemed to leave his eyes.
"Don't worry about it. After all," his eyes glittered mischievously as he bared his white teeth in a smirk, "thinking has never been one of your strong points."
"That was uncalled for."
"Not when it's you."
"Gee, I'm flattered," Yusuke said wryly, following his friend back into the house, vaguely registering the fact that his hand had stopped hurting. Slipping off his shoes, he turned to slide the door closed. Then he paused. Dropping his hand, he walked inside, feeling the cool breeze at his back. No harm in leaving a door open after all.
Argh, I have a horrible feeling I made it mushy and pathetic. Don't worry, the next few chapters will be Yusuke and Kurama sneaking in Reikai so there will be fighting! Action at long bloody last. Hope you enjoyed this and please review!