Chapter 15 (Epilogue): "The Rulers Reborn"

"Is this it? I'm disappointed."

Unable to believe her ears, Botan stared at the fire demon that was dismounting her oar so calmly. Sometimes she couldn't believe Hiei's bluntness.

"Everyone speaks of Hell like it's this horrible place," the fire demon continued in explanation. "I've seen so many demons that plead to spare them from death so that they can avoid this 'dreaded' place. I had higher expectations for a land full of demons and sinners."

"Sounds like your type of place," Botan muttered dryly.

"Which is why I'm disappointed."

"Of course."

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The shiny floors and strange hush of the palace reminded Yusuke of a hospital, a place that he had spent increasing amounts of time in since becoming Spirit Detective. Despite the years, he had never been able to shake the chill that such atmospheres created: as though someone had died. He supposed that in King Enma's palace the feeling was a permanent feature, along with the eerie statues and unnatural stillness that masked the flurry of movement beyond the palace walls.

Several members of Spirit World's elite defense force were bringing the ex-Spirit Detective to the palace of King Enma against his will. Not long after Botan had told him the details of Hiei's death, the soldiers had arrived, demanding that Yusuke come with them. At first he had refused and had even punched one of the operatives out cold before he could be restrained. Botan had been allowed to go free, since she had shown no resistance, but the messenger insisted on remaining by Yusuke's side for as long as she was permitted, which the teenager appreciated.

Suddenly they were in a place that Yusuke recognized from his brief time in Spirit World. Ahead of the group was a large pair of doors, which he knew led to Koenma's large workspace. Brought to a forced halt by the cuffs around his hands, Yusuke was held stiffly while one of the soldiers approached the doors. Another turned to Botan.

"It's time for you to go," he told her in a dismissive tone, but the blue-haired messenger held her ground.

"Koenma is my boss," she snapped, "and he is the one that dismisses me."

The defiance she showed helped strengthen Yusuke's resolve. The guard that Botan had smarted off to looked stunned for a moment, but he shook his head with a growl and shoved them both forward through the opening doors.

The scene that met their eyes was chaotic. Countless ogre messengers scrambled around the crowded room, dodging their counterparts and the many armed guards that had been stationed throughout the palace. Security had been visibly heightened after the catastrophic invasion of Atasu's demon messenger a few days before. The news of what had taken place in Demon World had obviously spread through the palace at record speed, because Yusuke noticed he was being stared at much more than usual, even by those that knew him.

"This is a disaster," a familiar voice said over the noise of the room, and Yusuke spun around as far as his restraints would allow. "That will do," Koenma said to the members of his defense force, who seemed to melt away.

Rubbing the circulation back into his wrists, the former Spirit Detective took a close look at the prince of Spirit World. Koenma was wearing his teenage form, which gave him at least a semblance of authority. It was obvious he was trying to appear calm, though the way his shoulders slumped and the weary look in his eyes betrayed him. He probably hadn't slept soundly since the beginning of the Atasu incident. A small amount of pity had manifested itself in Yusuke's mind as he looked at the prince, but then he remembered why he was there and it vanished.

"What do you want from me Koenma?" Yusuke demanded.

The prince of Spirit World couldn't even bring himself to snap about the teenager's attitude. "I want to know—no, I need to know what happened in Mukuro's palace. But first," the way his posture drooped made Yusuke suspect he was actually sincere, "I want to apologize for my department's poor handling of this case. It's been a nightmare. If we had been better prepared you wouldn't have had to face many of the things you did."

"You have no idea what I faced," Yusuke growled.

"I'm sorry I don't understand, but you won't tell my anything!" Koenma protested in exasperation.

"Don't apologize to me," the Spirit Detective said coldly. "Apologize to Mukuro and Hiei. They're the ones that didn't make it because of your incompetence!"

The words seemed to drain any remaining composure Koenma had. The prince sank weakly back onto a desk, eyes shadowed by a hand. The display of weakness sickened Yusuke.

"I know that this has been hard for you Yusuke," Koenma said finally. "I also know that Spirit World has made a huge mess of things. My father will have me exiled for this, I'm almost sure of it." He sighed, then continued in a softer voice. "I'm not going to pretend like I can understand what you experienced in Demon World, because as you said, I don't know what you faced. I just want the facts Yusuke. Please."

He had told Botan that he had no intention of retelling his story for Koenma's court, but as the prince spoke Yusuke realized he had changed his mind. He wouldn't allow Spirit World to distort the details of the story for its own benefit. Hiei would have been disgusted if he had heard what they had cooked up at the palace to cover his death. Yusuke owned the fire demon more than that.

"You can loosen up," the teenager told Koenma, a small trace of disgust in his voice. "Hiei didn't die from any fault of yours. So you can sleep easy; your ass isn't in trouble for that, at least."

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Yusuke thought he saw Koenma relax visibly. As he continued the story, however, the prince sat up, tension displayed in his posture. The weary look his eyes deepened, and he even winced as Yusuke described exactly what had taken place in the dungeons. Aided in part by Botan, the ex-Spirit Detective explained what had happened after the battle, how he had sealed the trapdoor to the dungeons and almost passed out before trying to find Yukina and running into Botan on the palace's outer walkway. Their return to Spirit World was told with as much malice and hatred as he could manage, and the story concluded with their entry to the palace.

"I…I had no idea," the prince whispered. He looked up at Yusuke and Botan. "But you still haven't explained why Hiei died."

"But you know, you read the file," Botan stammered. "He walked through the Gates…"

"Yes he did, and that is how he died." Looking up at Yusuke, Koenma said, "I want to know why he died."

The Spirit Detective smiled slightly. "Because he wanted to."

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The sands of her new domain swirled in the wind, shifting the dunes like waves. A demon lord even in death, she'd already staked her claim to the desert lands. Anyone that thought the devil possessed a land of fire and lava was extremely disillusioned. Hell didn't look that different from Demon World, surprisingly. It was faintly ironic.

"So you're finally dead," Mukuro commented as the warrior crested the dune she stood on. "It must have been a powerful demon that did you in."

The greeting wasn't anything more than the fire demon expected. "He was," Hiei replied, recalling how fearsome his other self had been—how he could have been, had his life been only a fraction different.

"I see you've already established control around here," the fire demon observed, glancing around them at the wide-open desert.

"Of course," the demon lord replied. "If we're going to rule this land we need a center of operations."

"The rulers of Hell," Hiei murmured, then smirked as his eyes lit up. "I think I could get used to that."

The End

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When I first started the story, I didn't plan for it to go this way, but I'm pleased with the outcome, and I hope everybody else is too. For everyone that stuck with it, thanks for reading!

---QatariPenguin