You Are My Strength
By Shei McCall (Darkfire Dragoness)
--This was a commissioned story for a frined on a different site. Credits are as follows:
Mayumi Kimura is (c) Yumiko12345 at quizilla. com
Hikari and Kurai, or the "Yuumei" are (c) me, Shei McCall
Kurama, Hiei, Yu Yu Hakusho and all things related are (c) Yoshihiro Tagashi
There was not a cloud in the clear blue sky as she looked up to admire the sheer beauty of the heavens in the afternoon. School had already been out for an hour, but she was not ready to go home yet. Her classmates were all out together, probably going to the mall or the movies or whatever people with friends do. Her? Her name is Mayumi Kimura. She had no friends…at least, none she could think of. Sure, she made near excellent grades at her high school, Meiou, and granted she was one of the nicest people anyone knew, but there was something about her that made people want to keep their distance. In all honesty, She were already familiar with the problem: she was a human anomaly.
For starters, she had pink eyes. One may ask, "Who judges a person's normality by the color of their eyes?" Well, a lot of people believed that humans with unnatural eyes were demons incarnate. It was not true, of course. She was born with a pigment disorder in her eyes, a medical phenomenon that really has no known "cures." It did not really bother her to be judged by her eyes. After all, she had no control over that, and she was quite happy with the way she looked. However, the second reason she was avoided was because of a very rare and aberrant talent she possessed: the power to heal.
Mayumi did not know she had this power until she witnessed a teacher having a heart attack one day during lunch. He was her favorite teacher in the whole school, and she was scared that he would die. She had rushed over to him in a panic, begging for someone to call an ambulance, but they were just as scared as she was. In her desire to save him, she placed her hand on his chest in an attempt to calm his breathing a little. That was when it happened: a soft blue glow emanated from her palm as it rested upon the man. Before she even knew what she had done, her teacher had stopped convulsing and sat up slowly to face her. Even he did not know what to think, but he was thankful to see her beside him. Then, someone had shouted: "Demon! Mayumi Kimura is a demon! No human has that power!" The words hurt her. The kids threw things at her, demanding she leave and never return. She ran off in fear of being ripped apart by these young radicals.
That was nearly three months ago, but no one has forgotten. Mayumi had been allowed back into school, but no one dared come near her. Even the teacher she saved looks at her differently—this did not change the fact that he was her favorite teacher, though. She tried even harder than her peers to keep her distance even to the point of requesting the furthest seat in the back of the classrooms. It was the only way she could disappear—she even sometimes used her long black hair as a shielding veil from condemning eyes. Mayumi continued to make excellent grades in school and did her best to stay out of trouble. She even managed to teach herself how to control her healing power and even use it without being seen by "normal" people. She could project her healing energy from a limited distance of about three feet—she had been practicing on injured animals that would pass by her bedroom window. However, she did not dare use the gift on a human again unless she was asked to, or if it were a matter of life or death to that person. If the former were ever to actually happen, it would mean the end to Mayumi's silent torture, but if the latter happened first, she would more than likely be alienated for the rest of her life.
Mayumi just stared up at the sky from the opened window in the empty classroom. She had promised a teacher she would help grade papers for him before going home, but she was long done with that task. She was grading history quizzes for students who were one grade level above her when she had decided to take your trip down "memory lane." She knew most of the student's by reputation, but she had never actually spoken to any of them. Shuichi Minamino's paper was flawless—he was the highest-ranking student of all Meiou High, and he was the most chased after boy by just about every girl on campus. Mayumi was completely head over heels for him, but she could never express that feeling publicly. It seemed being a crazed fan-girl would make her seem stranger than she already was. Still, she would be more than satisfied if Shuichi simply said "hello" to her.
She sighed tiredly and closed the window then organized the quiz papers for the teacher before leaving the room. She locked the door then proceeded to the principal's office to return the key, but she did not make it because she was knocked down onto the floor. Mayumi looked up to see that she had unwittingly bumped into another student who had been studying after hours.
"Oh, my apologies!" he said in a soft, sincere voice, "Are you all right? I didn't notice you there."
"It's okay, really," Mayumi responded meekly with her head down, not wanting to meet eyes with this boy, "Not many people notice me anymore anyway. I'm sure it was my fault…"
"Nonsense," the boy chuckled, "Here, let me help you up."
Still not looking at him, Mayumi blindly took the boy's hand, and he gently pulled her to your feet. She adjusted her skirt and blouse and fiddled with her hair a bit, but she kept her eyes on the floor. Whoever this boy was, he did not need to see her face only to be scared off, so she thought. The young man, however, did not seem to want to leave without apologizing to her face, so he bent down in a squat and looked up at her; it was Shuichi Minamino! Oh no! she thought, Surely he thinks I'm a freak just like everyone else does! Mayumi quickly covered her face with her hands and turned her back to him.
"What's the matter?" Shuichi sounded hurt, "Is my breath foul?" he breathed into his hand and sniffed then he went on, "No…did I say something to offend you? I'm really sorry…honestly."
"It's not you…" Mayumi mumbled through her hands, "I just don't like people looking at me, that's all."
"Hmm," Shuichi pondered, "you're Mayumi Kimura, right?"
She finally looked at him—but slowly; "You know me?" she asked in surprise, blushing a little, "I mean…of course you know me. Everyone knows 'Demon Kimura,' right?"
"Demon?" he chuckled, "I see no demon here. I remember you from last year's spelling-bee, Mayumi. If I recall, you finished at the top of your class."
Mayumi only nodded shyly; she was confused and a little happy at the same time. Wow, she thought, I'm talking to the cutest boy in school right now…and he's not scared of me! I think I'm going to faint! Shuichi was staring at her now with uncertainty, and it brought her back to your senses. She quickly gathered up the things she had dropped when she fell; then she quickly—though partially—regained her composure as she faced Shuichi again.
"Sorry about…bumping into you, Shuichi," she stammered, "I-um-I gotta return this key and head on home. Um…s-see ya around."
She did not wait for a response as she quickly dashed away. She could feel the flush in her cheeks, and she just knew she was redder than the Devil himself. What was I thinking? she scolded herself, Shuichi wouldn't want a freak like me around him. After she returned the classroom key, she shot out of the school as though she were being chased by some fell creature. It seemed like Mayumi was going to have to avoid Shuichi from now on. That would not be hard; after all, she was a whole grade level inferior to him.
Once outside, Mayumi took a deep breath of the refreshing afternoon air and sighed sadly. She did not really have a home to go to, being as that she was an orphan. She was considered too old for adoption, so she basically volunteered herself at the orphanage trying to give hope to the younger kids still yearning for a home. Mayumi's own yearning had been quenched long ago shortly before she entered into high school. Memories of her parents usually prevented her from liking certain couples while she was still eligible for espousal, so she pretty much gave up trying to impress anyone. Besides, she got tired of people asking her what happened to her real parents—not that anyone believed her anyway.
The walk to the orphanage was a quiet and lonely one. Even the girl's thoughts were silenced because now she was trying to imagine away her encounter with Shuichi Minamino. So she accidentally bumped into him, and he helped her back up, that does not mean he liked her, right? I was just being clumsy as usual, she rationalized rather unjustly to herself, and he probably just felt sorry for me, yeah. I mean, just because he's more of a gentleman than the other jerks at school doesn't mean he's any less of a jer—oh, but he's soooo handsome! Those green eyes…his red hair…that soft, sexy voice…ahh…he talked to me. Well, so much for silencing her thoughts. Mayumi smiled secretively at these images in her mind, but that smile quickly faded when she reached the orphanage.
When her foot stepped onto the property, she felt a strange sensation as if something were amiss. An eerie chill ran through her body, and she felt extremely cold as she trudged her way up to the building. She opened the door and was hit by a musky, dirty wind as though the structure had been abandoned for years. But Mayumi knew better. She was just here eight hours before when she was preparing to go to school. She walked in certain that it was the same orphanage she had left this morning, the floor panels creaking and groaning at the weight of her footsteps.
"Hello?" she called out only to have her voice echo back to her, "Mr. Hoya? Madam Hiru? Hotoru? Anybody?! It's me, Mayumi! Can anyone hear me? Where is everyone?!"
Each word bounced back to Mayumi so fast that it sounded like she was surrounded by ghosts. Then all was silence again. She felt something brush against her leg that made her jump then stumble backwards onto a pile of toys. Then she heard a cat meowing. Mayumi looked up to see the feeling on your leg was the house cat Eiji that belonged to the house masters Hoya and Hiru's son Hotoru.
"Eiji, you mongrel!" the girl exclaimed, pulling the grey feline towards her and holding it protectively in her arms, "Don't scare e like that! Help me find the others."
Eiji writhed in her grasp as he tried to break free from her. He was scared. Mayumi had never seen Eiji act so aggressively before, and it worried her to see him now. She voluntarily released him and allowed him to lead her wherever, though she hoped it would be to one of the orphans or caretakers. It was neither, of course. Instead, Eiji lead her to a room that looked to have taken fire damage where his mate Nikichi had been trapped with her kittens beneath charred rubble. Mayumi began digging desperately through the debris, all the while pondering how this room could have been burned while the rest of the complex remained untouched. And where was everyone else? She were more than certain there were at least a hundred orphans here before she left for school. Where could they all have gone? Her thoughts dissipated as she pulled Nikichi and her three kittens out from the death trap and saw that the mother cat was badly injured with a fractured vertebra. She had obviously put herself over her children when the roof came collapsing on them, saving them from certain death. Nikichi howled in pain, and Mayumi's heart broke for her. She looked around to make sure there really was no one around to see her.
"It's okay, Nikichi," she said to the cat cradling her in her lap, "I can make you better. Just lay still…"
She concentrated hard on her inner strength and produced that secret blue glow from her right hand and centered it into her index finger. She then gently touched Nikichi's back where the spine was almost broken and put her healing power to work. The cat would feel a little pain as the bones began to meld back together, but it would be a very temporary hurt. When it was over, Nikichi propped herself up on Mayumi and licked her face gently then turned, gathered her kittens and left the home with Eiji. Mayumi stood up and dusted herself off, looking around for any clue as to what happened. Then she heard something in the shadows.
"She's the one, all right," said a sinister, female voice, "right where the boss said she'd be."
"H-Hello?" Mayumi called out shakily, "H-Hotoru? I-Is th-th-that you?"
"Ooh," said a calmer, male voice, "she can hear us. Her Spirit awareness must be higher than he thought."
"This isn't funny, Hotoru!" the girl said angrier, "Did you drag Shiki into it, too?"
"I believe you have us confused with the former tenants of this building, young lady," Calm answered her, "They're…no longer here."
"Who are you?! Where are you? What have you done with the children?"
"Don't be so dramatic, little girl," Sinister cackled, "we didn't do anything with them. We just…scared them out of this building. It made for a good base outside of the Makai Realm, and it was perfect for catching the boss-man's quarry—you!"
Mayumi were suddenly mortified. The two voice owners stepped forward into the light of the room. They were strange-looking to her. Calm was a six-foot tall, well-dressed man in a pure white pant tuxedo. How he managed not to tarnish it in this room was a mystery to Mayumi. He had short, spiked silver hair and tantalizing red eyes, and four tiny horns poked out from his brow. Sinister looked exactly like Calm in all her features except her hair was long, mid-back length and black. Her clothes, which looked like they belonged to a skater punk, were also black. Mayumi looked at them curiously yet with fear.
"Who…who are you?" she asked again, slowly taking a step back.
"We are called by many names," Calm answered, "In the west, we are called Luck and Calamity. In the middle east we are Virtue and Sin. In China, we are Yin and Yang. However, in the Makai, we are called by our birth names: I am Hikari, and this is Kurai, my twin sister. Together we are the Yuumei."
"Light and Dark?" Mayumi deciphered their names, "What are you?"
Kurai scoffed at her ignorance; "You can translate our names but not our realm?" she spat, "Why does he want her, Brother?"
Hikari did not answer. Mayumi watched fearfully as he instead pointed a steady finger at her. A bright stream of light shot out towards her from his fingertip; she covered your eyes and tried to scream for help, but as she was enveloped by the devastating flash, she could not form sound save for a single word…
"SHUICHI!"
When she opened your eyes, Mayumi found herself completely unharmed but surrounded by a familiar blue light. She looked down at her hands and realized this is the same energy she emitted whenever she used her healing powers. She pondered, I created a shield? But how'd I do it? Her gaze shifted back to Hikari who was smiling confidently now.
"Her healing ability, Sister," he spoke to Kurai, "It forms a protective barrier around her, absorbing and negating any attack fueled by one's energy. Such power can be siphoned and used as a potent defensive weapon…or transferred into another vessel. That is what the Master wants."
Kurai grinned sinisterly; "Well, let's not keep the Master waiting!" she said as she launched into a dead run in Mayumi's direction.
The young girl just cowered again knowing her new shield would not protect her from a physical attack. These two Demons were going to take her away without argument, and they were more than willing to knock her unconscious to do so. Kurai was just inches away before Mayumi felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and lift her up off the ground. She shrieked in horror; she was certain that Kurai had caught her with the plan of slamming her onto the floor. Then she found herself being set gently back onto the floor. She looked up and saw two more figures standing in front of her with their backs to her. She was now at a safe distance away from Hikari and Kurai. These two new boys faced the Demons with a fierce authority. One looked to be no more than five feet tall—hair not included, though it probably gave him an extra foot. He was dressed all in black, and his hair was noir with a hint of blue that could be seen when the light hit it just right. He took a quick glance at Mayumi, and she saw that he also had a starburst design forelock at the front of his hair. His eyes were red like the demons, and around his forehead was a white sutra headband. Mayumi were standing directly behind him, so she knew he was the one who pulled her out of the way. She began to thank him, but he cut her off bitterly.
"Stay put!" he said to her in a harsh manner, "These two will try to attack again, so if you want to stay alive I suggest you do as we tell you to."
"Hiei," the taller boy scolded, "don't you think she's scared enough? Show some consideration. This is a rescue mission, remember that."
That voice was so familiar. To "Hiei's" immediate right stood the taller boy with flowing red hair and dressed in the uniform of a Meiou High School student. Mayumi could not believe her eyes! He did not turn to face her, but she knew her guess was right!
"Shuichi?!" she called out in shock.
He still did not turn, but Hiei glanced between the two of them; "A classmate, Fox?" he sounded disgusted, "You think you could have told Koenma this news? This'll just make things more complicated!"
"Ask questions later, Hiei," Shuichi replied then he turned to the other demons. He acted like he had seen them before…as though they were old acquaintances; "This is a bit beneath you, isn't it, Hikari?" he said, "We were expecting lower level grunts, not legends such as you and Kurai."
"Spirit Detectives," Kurai hissed.
Hikari stepped forward in front of his rampage-desiring sister; "Kurama and Hiei," he said mockingly, "Koenma's Demon lap dogs. Yes, perhaps grunts would have been less of an attraction for creatures such as yourselves, but the Master required servants with competence for this mission. We just happened to be in the neighborhood."
They stood their forever just talking back and forth. Hiei, the short one with the temper, was shaking furiously. He obviously hated this "information gathering" that Shuichi was doing. Mayumi was not even paying attention anymore. Her thoughts were centered on what Hikari had said about Shuichi being a Demon, calling him "Kurama". Hiei had addressed him as "Fox." What is going on? she thought, Why is this happening to me?! Once again, her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the attackers.
"Enough of this!" Kurai exclaimed, apparently feeling the same way Hiei did, "We came here for the girl, and no Demon traitor—Spirit Detective or not—is going to stand in our way!"
Kurai charged again, but before she could even get close, Shuichi's voice echoed through the halls of the abandoned orphanage.
"Rose Whip!" he cried as he took a beautiful rose from within his jacket and transformed it into a ten-foot thorn-encircled whip! "You're not taking anyone today, Kurai!"
Mayumi scooted back quickly into a dark corner when she saw this, totally scared out of her wits. My god, Shuichi, she thought, how can this be possible? The whip barely grazed Kurai's cheek as she managed to dodge at the last minute. The sinister Demon ran her forefinger across the shallow wound then licked the blood off her fingertip.
"You deliberately held back, Fox," Kurai sounded insulted, "Why would you do something so foolish? I'll only strike again from a different angle!"
"One of Kurama's traits," Hiei sneered, "He's keeping you alive so you can give us information. It's a waste of time but not foolish."
"Indeed," Shuichi spoke up, "Who sent you here after Mayumi?"
They all suddenly heard a dark laughter within the shadows that sounded like it was all around them. Hikari and Kurai bowed respectfully as the one they referred to as "Master" stepped forward, walking between his two servants.
"I thought you'd never ask, Kurama," he said softly.
Another Demon? Mayumi quivered, When will this nightmare end? This newcomer stood maybe five inches taller than Shuichi with long, dark, and flowing black hair. He was sleek and slender with pale white skin and piercing eyes, and he wore a mask on the lower half of his face. Shuichi seemed to be shaking fearfully as was his companion Hiei. It was as though they were looking at a ghost.
"Karasu!" they shouted in unison.
"You're supposed to be dead," Hiei jeered, "explain why you're not rotting in that grave we left you in!"
"And I thought you hated long explanations, Hiei," Karasu mused, "and in respect of that notion, I think I'll kill you first and explain later!"
As Karasu charged for the three of them, Shuichi turned to his friend and shouted: "Hiei, get Mayumi out of here! I hold off Karasu!"
Hiei reluctantly nodded his agreement and turned to MAyumi and extended his hand to help her to your feet. She were so frozen from fright that she refused to accept his aid and instead recoiled in her little corner. Already aggravated enough, Hiei forcibly grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her out of her hiding place and swung her over himself into a piggy-back position. She withheld a shriek as the two of them flew out of a busted window several feet up, falling back to the ground at an accelerated rate. Mayumi could feel her stomach crawling upwards from the motion; she felt slightly nauseous, but despite her protests, Hiei kept moving further and further away from the orphanage, jumping across rooftops like he was a cat. It was not long before the two of them reached the forest where there was a strange anomaly (that looked a lot like a tear in reality) in the clearing wherein they had stopped. Hiei would not allow Mayumi off his back as he began walking through the "tear."
Once on the other side of the rip, Hiei dropped Mayumi off his back and onto her posterior; "Don't move from here," he ordered, "I'm going back for Kurama."
"But…" she whined softly, massaging her derriere from the fall, "…why are those men after me?"
Hiei scowled at her in annoyance; "How should I know?" he growled, "I'm just following orders to protect you; I don't ask questions about it!"
"You mean to tell me you take jobs without knowing the details?" the girl cried softly.
"Believe me, girl," Hiei's voice became softer as well; "I prefer not to know. Because if I did, I would probably be the one attacking you and not protecting as Koenma wishes. Now, stay put. I won't be long."
He disappeared back through the rip, and she was alone once again. Mayumi curled her knees up against her chest and pressed herself up against a large tree. She did not know what to do or think. Vaguely, she remembered some legends about the Yuumei, Hikari and Kurai…Light and Dark. In these fables, they were always referred to as Yin and Yang…Kurai was Yin, and Hikari was Yang respectively. As Mayumi recalled, the Yin Yang was supposed to represent balance between opposing elements making it a concept of neutrality and harmony. So then, why are they in the service of a Demon? The thought had barely escaped her mind when a voice from beside her made her jump in fright.
"Why indeed," the voice said in a high pitch, "the Yuumei do not usually take on jobs that would cause an unbalancing in the natural and unnatural worlds."
Mayumi looked to see a toddler standing there beside her dressed in blue robes. He had a large round blue hat with the suffix "Jr." etched into it, and he held a silver pacifier in his mouth. At first Mayumi thought she was hallucinating, hoping now that everything she had gone through today was just a terrible nightmare and that she would be waking up soon to Madame Hiru's legendary breakfast. The toddler reached up and pinched her arm, and it hurt.
"Ow!" she whined, "You little brat! Why'd you do that?"
"To show you," the child answered, "that this is not a dream, Mayumi Kimura."
The girl blinked in surprise. Not only was this toddler speaking to her, but he knew her name! "Who are you?" she asked, "How do you know me?"
"I am the Mighty Koenma," he bowed, "son of the Great King Yama, Ruler of the Spirit World. For nearly a year now, you, my dear, have been under the protective watch of two of my Spirit Detectives, Hiei and Kurama, or as you know him, Shuichi Minamino."
"But why? What have I done to deserve all this?"
"Believe me, it's nothing you did or didn't do, but this isn't the place to divulge information. Let's go up to my castle where we may speak more freely, after all, even the Spirit World has enemy spies."
"But Hiei told me to—"
"Don't worry about him," Koenma laughed lightheartedly, "I make the rules and he follows them, not the other way around. Come along."
Mayumi looked around cautiously then promptly followed behind Koenma, whose infantile frame was now floating in mid-air before of her. She quickly stifled a startled gasp, not wishing to offend the ruler of Spirit World.
Thirty minutes later they were sitting in Koenma's throne room as he explained the details of Mayumi's predicament. As it turned out, her healing powers were far more unique and valuable than anyone could even begin to imagine. In fact, Koenma sai that Spirit Healers were something of a rarity in the Demon world, considering most were of the elusive, all-female Koorime breed that dwelt in the Ice Lands of that realm. Human Spirit Healers, however, were spoken of only in Demon mythologies. Mayumi asked about religious healers, but Koenma hastily pointed out the differences between those and Spirit Healers: Religious Healers were merely servants who called upon the deity or deities they followed to do the healings, but Spirit Healers used a combination of the Spirit and Life energies from within their own bodies. According to lore, there had not been a Human Healer in two-thousand years!
"For some Human Healers—" Koenma went on, "—again, according to myth, of course—the power can act as a second consciousness, manifesting itself independently to protect its vessel should it ever be put in jeopardy."
"So," Mayumi pondered, "if my body were ever in danger of being damaged, my inner power will protect me from it?"
"Yes…" Koenma hesitated, a bit taken aback by the question, "…in theory. The legends say it is possible, but not even the Healer of Two-Thousand Years Passed was said to have such an ability…you act as though you'd seen it happen, Mayumi."
The girl nibbled nervously on her thumbnail as she tried to think up the best way to explain to him that indeed she had witnessed the event. It was kind of hard to miss since she was the one who performed it. However, once she found the proper words, she was unable to speak them as the doors to the throne room were thrust opened forcefully as though by the wind of a typhoon. Hiei burst inside angrily and marched towards Mayumi with Shuichi close behind trying to slow him down.
"I thought I told you to wait for us at the portal!" he yelled then turned to Koenma, "When you put someone in our charge, Koenma, I expect them to listen to what we say and not follow someone who claims to be of importance!"
"Hiei, please!" Kurama exclaimed, "Calm yourself!"
"Right! Like the 'Mighty Koenma' wouldn't hold it over our head had the girl been kidnapped by another demon! She's obviously too stupid and naïve to check to see if maybe he were a shape-shifter. And what about the two of them being school—?" he stopped short when an incessant tapping caught his ear. He turned to Koenma who had his remote control aimed at him, "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Koenma answered, "I'm trying to mute you XD… seriously, Hiei, your 'concern' for her safety is noted. What's done is done, and making up hypothetical scenarios about what could've happened is simply a waste of everyone's time. Now, let's talk about what's important.
"First off, Hiei, I knew Kurama and Mayumi were school mates. That's why I assigned him to her. It was helpful that Kurama is one year advanced from Mayumi because his vigil would go completely unnoticed by anyone looking for that type of behavior. I don't make rash judgments all the time, sheesh!
"Now, Kurama, did you get all the information we needed?"
"Yes," Shuichi answered (Mayumi did not care what everyone else called him; he was Shuichi to her), "the Yuumei will be reporting in shortly as planned."
Mayumi looked at him in horror; "Wait!" she protested, "Are they not the ones who were trying to capture me?"
Koenma turned his attention to her realizing that she, having arrived in Spirit World for the first time in her life, had no idea what was truly going on. "As I stated before when we met," he clarified, "the Yuumei do not take jobs that upset the balance of dark and light. Hikari, Kurai, please enter."
The two demons she had encountered earlier in the orphanage stepped into Koenma's room and bowed with respect to the youthful ruler. At first Mayumi were scared, but the feeling she was receiving from them this time was different than before. Hikari, the man in white spoke first.
"It's true," he said, "When we learned a new Healer had emerged, we knew it wouldn't be long before a strong demon would set its sights on you. We made a pact with Koenma to help us prevent the scales from tipping in either direction of light or dark."
"We later found the one called Karasu," said Kurai, the woman in black, "He was seeking revenge for his defeat in the tournament then heard through the grapevine of your emergence. We would have simply brought you here to Koenma had we 'captured' you, but seeing the intervention of his detectives, his trust in us was not very strong."
"Just being cautious in case something went wrong," Koenma justified.
"It won't take Karasu long to learn of our betrayal, My Lord," Hikari jumped in, "but we've gathered the information needed. We learned that his Spirit wasn't fully quenched after his battle with Kurama in the Dark Tournament, and he was able to recover after months of being buried under the rubble."
"I understand all that," Koenma cut him off impatiently, "I don't really care about his resurrection; we can deal with that later. What did you learn about Mayumi's healing power?"
"I can manifest itself into a protective shield around her," Shuichi butted in, "She is the rarest of Healers of Lore."
"She's one of those?" Koenma's eyes widened with fear; "Then Karasu wants to—?"
"Siphon that power into himself," Hikari finished.
"That can make him invincible," Kurai added, her edgy features becoming softer and more caring, "She's not safe here in the Spirit World."
"We can't take her back to the Human World either," Shuichi stated, "He would surely sense her presence amongst normal humans."
"I suppose your suggesting hiding her in Demon World?" Hiei argued, "A weak sheep in a pack of wolves?"
They all quarreled like this back and forth for nearly fifteen minutes, and it was making Mayumi sick. She yelled out (much to her own surprise) to shut them up: "HEY! Don't I have a say in all of this? I don't know anything about the Spirit or Demon Worlds or about this Karasu or even about any of you. I think it should be my decision as far as what should be done." She waited until everyone was in agreement to let her speak, "I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I want to go home. The Orphanage is destroyed, but surely you Yuumei know where the children and caretakers relocated to. If you've been able to watch over me all this time without my knowledge and keep me safe, then it can continue to be done as such."
"Yes," Shuichi agreed, "I can still watch over her as I have been."
"Oh, Please, Kurama," Hiei remonstrated, "I am much better apt to protect her than you are."
"That's her choice, my friend! I will not stand here and fight for her affection while her life is still being threatened by someone as dangerous as Karasu."
Mayumi tugged on Shuichi's sleeve and linked her arm with his; "No more fighting, Shuichi," she said, "I'm most comfortable with you because I've known you longer, but I don't need bodyguards…I need friends. I've long forgotten what it was like to have one of those."
Shuichi nodded in understanding. Hiei only grunted in annoyance (later Shuichi told Mayumi this was Hiei's way of saying he liked her). After all was said and done, Koenma agreed to let the girl return to the Human World to look for her "family" with Shuichi and Hiei guiding her back safely. Hikari and Kurai even revealed that they had salvaged some of her clothes from the orphanage, so she changed into a blue tank-top and white capris for the trip home. Hiei remained in the shadows, constantly looking out for any approaching danger, while Shuichi walked at Mayumi's side. She decided not to tell him about the crush she had on him, still feeling that he would dismiss her confession as another fan-girl obsession. She suddenly remembered that it was his name she called out when her power formed the shield around her. Whenever she thought about him, she felt strong, and when she was next to him, she felt invulnerable. He led her towards the bus station because Hikari had told them Master Hoya and Madame Hiru had moved their business to a different city when they thought their building had burned down. The gentleman at the ticket counter informed them that the couple had indeed departed from there some time ago, and he was just about to sell them a ticket when all of a sudden, a loud explosion overpowered the sounds of the people within the station! Mayumi looked behind her to see that one of the busses had been blown up by some unseen force, and many of the would-be passengers were lying on the ground severely, if not mortally, wounded from the blast. She wanted to go help those people, but Shuichi forced her behind him as Hiei came out of his hiding place and joined his friend. Karasu had indeed tracked them down as Shuichi had predicted, though none of them thought it would be this quickly. The ebony haired demon strutted through the flames of the destroyed bus without any remorse for the civilians he hurt for no reason. Shuichi and Hiei pulled out their weapons and stood boldly before Karasu, daring him to come closer.
"It ends here, Karasu," Shuichi declared, "and this time, there will be no coming back for you!"
"Mighty strong words, Kurama," Karasu mocked, "I hope you have what it takes to back them up!"
Shuichi suddenly launched himself towards his adversary, taking all present completely by surprise. Mayumi had never known him to be so aggressive—then again, there was quite a bit that she and many others did not know about him. He slashed rapidly at Karasu with his Rose Whip, but he did not seem to be landing any of his hits. Obviously realizing it himself, Hiei charged into the battle, leaving Mayumi unguarded. She watched in horror as Karasu then unleash a powerful wave of energy sending both Shuichi and Hiei careening into the support columns of the bus station, temporarily knocking them out. Karasu took advantage of this "down time" and began walking towards the girl. He did not move very quickly, just ever so casually as though taking an afternoon stroll. Even so, she was too petrified to run from him.
"Kurama really seems to like you," he said, "I can't blame him…you're a cute girl, Mayumi Kimura, and a unique one at that. Unfortunately for you, that only adds to my reasons for destroying you and taking your power for my own…and the more Kurama likes you, cares for you, even loves you, the more I want to take you from him then take him away from the living." He came closer and reached his slender, delicate hand out for you and slightly pushed a tendril of hair from your eyes; "So beautiful," he continued, "so powerful."
Then all sound was silenced as an evil glare fell over his eyes; Mayumi were almost certain he was grinning beneath that mask. Quicker than light could move, his hand was around her throat as he lifted her up off the ground. She immediately began gasping for air, kicking her legs wildly as she tried to pry his hands from her neck to no avail. As she felt her body begin to go limp, she heard someone calling her name; she strained to see that Shuichi had managed to stand back on his feet and charge again for Karasu. The demon did not as much as look at Shuichi. He waved his hand to create that same power wave—though apparently stronger—pushing Shuichi further away through another bus. He then sent his Spirit Energy through the ground towards the vehicle and caused it to explode with Shuichi still inside it! Filled with sorrow, Mayumi began struggling again.
"N-no!" she protested through gasps of breath, "W-why? You…killed him! No! No! Please…god…NO!"
"Yes," Karasu whispered calmly, "let your power escape you so I may take it…"
"Shu…ichi…" she huffed, "……SHUICHI!"
All the strength within her manifested itself once again on its own, engulfing her, Karasu, and all who were within a five mile radius from them. It wanted to fulfill her desire to help those in need, all those injured by Karasu found themselves free of pain as they were bathed in the rays of her energy. Hiei too emerged from beneath a pile of rubble to see what had happened in his unconsciousness. Karasu was laughing, siphoning the girl's energy as she let it out. Hiei was too weak to stop him, and Shuichi was nowhere to be seen.
"Yes," Karasu sighed victoriously, "I will be invincible!"
Then all of a sudden, his laughter was silenced. The power faded and retreated back into Mayumi's body as she had been somehow released from Karasu's grasp. She fell to her knees, hacking and violently sucking air into her lungs. Once she gathered her senses, she looked up to see Karasu doubled over and howling in pain from a severed hand and two new faces standing just off to the side. One was sporting a reddish pompadour hair style and wielding a shimmering orange sword (obviously used to cut off Karasu's hand), and the other was dressed in green with a juvenile smirk on his face.
"Mind if we join the party, Karasu?" Juvenile asked mockingly, "After all, it can't be much of a party without us!"
"Y-Yusuke Urameshi," Karasu grunted in pain, "and his blundering friend Kazuma Kuwabara…yes, I thought there was something missing! You're all dead, you hear me? Dead!"
"No!" Mayumi contradicted as she ran towards where Shuichi was last seen, "You're wrong! I know Shuichi was healed, too! He'll defeat you!"
Karasu only laughed at her, but she ignored him as she began digging through the debris for any sign of Shuichi. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and the skies turned crimson as up through the wreckage a stranger arose. He had long, silver hair and ears and a tail like a fox. His visage was that of a young man, but his eyes showed the wisdom of many hundred years. Karasu was now the one shivering in fright.
"Yoko!" he shrieked, "No, not him again!"
"Shut up, you retarded pretty boy!" Kuwabara shouted, holding his sword at Karasu's face, "or I'll cut your head off next!"
"It was a lucky shot, human," Karasu scoffed, "That blade of yours isn't strong enough to actually kill me!"
He began a new battle with the two boys and Hiei, unwittingly stalling himself from realizing the danger about to befall him. Mayumi ignored them and focused on this new being.
The fox demon turned to her hand held out his hand; "Do not be frightened, Mayumi," he said, "I am Shuichi's true form, Yoko Kurama. I need your help to defeat Karasu once and for all."
"How can I do that?" the girl asked asked.
"Just lend me your strength…"
He took her hand in his. She felt strong again, and it made her realize he was speaking the truth: he and Shuichi were on and the same! Through her new found strength, she was able to summon her powers once again, completing Shuichi's—or rather, Yoko Kurama's healing and boosting his Spirit energy. Karasu realized it a little too late as Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei jumped out of the way of Kurama's Bamboo Spike Trap as it traveled through the ground towards Karasu, piercing his body all over as it raised him into the air.
"This…this…can't be," he wheezed, "I…lost…Kurama! Kill me…now! End…this…as you said…you would!"
"I'm afraid you will not be getting off that easily," Kurama said as his form slowly returned to human, "The Yuumei…would like a word with you…" He collapsed, but Mayumi caught him before he hit the ground, and he continued, "You should have known better than to actually believe they would side with anyone who desires unbalance."
Hikari and Kurai then appeared at either side of Karasu; "Karasu, for your crimes against the balance of nature," the two spoke in unison, "your soul will never know peace nor calamity. You shall wander as a powerless spirit in a constant state of Limbo where you can never again interact with the living." They each placed a hand on his back as he screamed out his remonstrations against them. His soul was forcibly extracted from his body (which immediately turned to ash) and released into nothingness. The two siblings bowed to Mayumi and the Spirit Detectives; "All is now balanced once again," they said, "and you, Mayumi, may return to your life as you have expended the last of your Spirit Energy. Peace be to you all."
And they vanished into the sky. Mayumi and the four Spirit Detectives stood together now, but her attention was focused on Shuichi. He had enough strength to sit up on his knees, so she set herself in front of him and looked up into his jade colored eyes. He in turn gazed upon the lovely pink pearls of hers and smiled.
"I'm glad you're safe, Mayumi," he said, "I don't know if I could have survived without you."
"No, Shuichi," she smiled back, "it was you who saved me. My power only came forth when I was thinking about you…and when I thought you had been killed, it all fell out at once. You are my strength, Shuichi…I…love you."
There was no response. Shuichi pulled Mayumi towards him tenderly and the two of them became locked in a long, passionate kiss. He loved her, too. He loved her for who she, not what she looked like or what strange power she once had. For the first time in a long time, she had a true friend. For the first time in her life she was in love and was loved back. She knew her life would never be the same, and she looked forward to walking through it with Shuichi. Indeed, he was her strength.
The End