((Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, and I am not making money off of this story.))

Kurama walked towards Genkai's dojo, still in his outfit from when he went to go talk to Yusuke. He found Genkai staring out at the ocean, Puu next to her devouring his way through a box of crackers, and stood next to her.

"What did you tell him?"

"Enough."

Genkai snorted, causing the spirit beast to look up at her with concern, but crackers overruled his concern when she didn't do anything else.

Kurama stayed silent, staring out into the nothingness, sensing the person in question's presence getting slightly stronger as time went by.

"The demon king's back in Japan," she said, with a sigh.

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Home.

Yusuke undid the locks that led into his and his mother's apartment, and sighed. It looked down-right dirty- pizza boxes, takeout boxes, t.v. dinners, pretty much anything that had a box and could be eaten was thrown around the place, strewn out on the floor, as well as cigarette boxes, cartons, empty liquor bottles.

After a quick check around, he found that his mom wasn't home. No big surprise there. He started to pick up some of the mess, piling up empty boxes on the kitchen table for him to take out later, but that ended when he found the half-pack of cigarettes. Yusuke quickly lit one up, making his way to his bedroom, where he dug out a clean outfit, and let the water warm up as he glorified himself in the smoke.

Yusuke spent nearly an hour in the shower, he changed into a new pair of under-drawers and jeans, along with a clean blue shirt.

He opened up the bathroom door as the front door opened up. His mom, in a half-way decent looking pair of black pants and blouse, looked at him for a moment before throwing her purse at him, nearly losing her balance, as the door closed behind her. "Gud-fer-nuthin' son." She got even madder when the purse fell short.

"Blue button said yous gonna be gun fer weeks, one munth at most. Yous gun fer almost year!" Atsuko yelled at him, throwing the empty boxes at him.

Blue button? Oh. "Botan came here?"

"Yeash, after that gurls fun-er-al. Said yous went aways to...dun 'emember none. Buts that doesn't mean you can'ts come by!" More boxes in the general direction of Yusuke, but the anger had been lost.

"I'm sorry mom. I'm here now," he said as she collapsed in the kitchen chair.

"I was worried about you," Atsuko said as she tipped forward. He moved from the bathroom frame, and caught her before she hit the floor. He picked her up and put her on the couch. As he turned to find a blanket to throw over her, she grabbed his pant leg.

"Don't leave me 'gain."

"I won't, mom."

"Prom'se?"

"I promise."

Her fingers went lax as she fell asleep.

Yusuke had started to clean again - even when he lived at that abandonded building, it hadn't gotten this bad - when he heard persistant knocking on his bedroom window. He went to the back of the apartment, and opened up the window. Botan flew in, grinning from ear to ear.

"Genkai wants to see you."

"I'm only back an hour and already that oban wants to see me?"

"Yup. Now lets go- I got work to do."

"In a moment." He rummaged around in his dresser, and found a silver chain necklace, which he hung the ring from, then around his neck. Botan, in the background, was humming a marching tune, impatient.

Yusuke rolled his eyes and got on the back of the oar, resuming his death-grip. Botan kicked off, and flew through the window, speeding towards the dojo.

"Everyone's missed you."

"Uh-huh."

((-fin-))