"So I got a call today, from Prince Enma Jr.," says Yukimi before taking a sip of green tea from a brown clay cup.
"The bane of my existence! How is he?" says the strawberry-blonde, putting her cup on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"I didn't ask, Naoko. All he did was tell me that I needed to come right away," Yukimi says, sighing and looking down at the fine powder next to the cup on the table.
"Come where? He called when you weren't lucid, didn't he?"
"Yep, the dude was talking about some little girl who is just like me. What does that even mean? Is she a fox or a demon stuck in human flesh? How else could she be like me?"
"Wait, did he say she was like you or like us?"
"I don't know. If she's like me she could be anything, if she's like us Well, we only have the two things in common," Yukimi's eyes widened as though she realized something when she said this and she stood up from the couch.
"What are you doing?! You can't be in contact with anyone but me and Reiko for three more days," as Naoko said this she put a hand on Yukimi's right shoulder and she fell back onto the couch.
"I hate youso much... Wait, why can I only be around you and Reiko?"
"Because I'm immune and Reiko… Oh, that's right! I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you! Satchiko called and said Reiko has been…exposed… Satchiko was over at her apartment and Reiko was jaundiced, apparently. Don't worry, I sent Satchiko out to steal some tetracycline. Things should be better by now."
Yukimi sighs and calmly stands up again.
"…You sent someone with the Black Death out get the cure, thus infecting dozens of other people? And what do you mean things 'should' be better by now?! Either things are or they aren't," Yukimi shouts with her hands pressing her tear ducts as though she has a headache.
"It's not like we had any other choice! You're still sick and teeming with bacteria and Reiko was a mere day and a half away from dying!"
Yukimi closes her eyes and groans before speaking "The right decision was to let her die. You know that and I know that."
"Yukimi, that's your daughter you're talking about," Naoko shouts, the anger and shock plain on her face.
"…Do you want to live, Naoko? Do you honestly want to be alive?" Yukimi asks, her eyes open now and looking directly into Naoko's.
Naoko looks like she might cry for a moment and then says "No.", before looking down in guilt.
"What makes you think that Reiko wants to be alive? She had and lost the same things you did and she's not nearly as strong as you."
"Good point… but what's done is done. Satchiko exposed humans to the Black Death and Reiko lives to see another day."
Yukimi walks slowly over to the telephone and dials.
"Hello? Reiko? How are you feeling? Ohhh, good. Yeah, I heard. No, Reiko. It's fine. It wasn't your fault, it was mine. You had me worried for a minute. Yeah, we almost lost you. Yeah. Yeah, that's what Naoko was telling me. Yeah! That's what she said! What is it with you people and Shakespeare? Ok. Alright. Yeah…uh-huh. Well, how is Satchiko? Good. That was smart, yeah. Dude, I gotta go. No, I'll be up and at 'em in a few days. Yeah, sure. See you then. Bye." Yukimi hangs up the phone and sighs, leaning over against the table the phone is on.
"Is everything alright?" Naoko asks.
"Yeah, Reiko is fine. Satchiko is fine. Um…I should go to Koenma's in as soon as I'm better. Reiko invited herself over for tea, will you take care of that?"
"You could call her back later and tell her yourself."
"No, dude, I should just sleep and recover, dude. I'm gonna catch some Zs, dude. Let me know if I'm needed," Yukimi says, stumbling over the word dude and sounding as if she's on the verge of tears. When she says 'Let me know if I'm needed' she walks away from the phone and looks Naoko square in the face.
"Yukimi, do you want to be alive?" Naoko asks as Yukimi walks toward the bedroom.
Yukimi turns, beaming from ear to ear and says "Of course! Life is a wonderful thing! Besides, I didn't lose much so I'm not all sad and stuff."
Naoko's eyes narrow and she gives Yukimi a dirty look that says "I'm not buying it."
"Well… I don't have much of a choice," Yukimi says with a slight accent before walking into the bedroom.
Reiko sits up in her bed and sighs.
"I don't know how it happened, Satchiko."
Satchiko rolls her eyes and says "Yeah, right. How many people in this day and age contract the Black Death without knowing how they contracted it?!"
"Quit yelling. I still have a headache, you know." Reiko says hoarsely.
"Well, whose fault is that?! How many times have you gone outside in the past 7 days?" Satchiko shouts, waving her arms and stomping around Reiko's bed.
"None. I have plenty of groceries and no reason at all to go outside."
"What about work?!" Satchiko says, pacing around.
"I got fired, remember?" Reiko says angrily. "Why are you blaming me?! Dammit, not everything is my fault!"
"Don't yell while your throat hurts! Besides, I didn't say everything was your fault. Catching the Black Death is your fault. Well, yours and hers!"
"Just go away, Satchiko. You don't know anything…" Reiko says before covering her head with a blanket and turning away from her friend.
Eventually Reiko falls into an angry sleep. Satchiko opens a pill bottle and dry swallows a tetracycline. Then she walks out of the bedroom and then makes her way out the door, locking it behind her.
At Genkai's templeKuwabara sits and waits patiently outside the sliding doors of a room he doesn't seem to want to go in.
"I don't get it. What's wrong?! Why can't I see her?! Is she in pain? Is she sick? Why doesn't she want to see me?" Kuwabara thinks to himself, hanging his head.
Outside the temple in those same woods Yukina had come out of hours earlier Yusuke sped through, looking for clues. Suddenly, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. Kurama ran up to where Yusuke was waiting and then stopped.
"Hey, what are we looking for anyway?" Yusuke asked as he looked at Kurama.
"We're looking for who hurt Yukina. Weren't you paying attention to Genkai?" Kurama asks curiously.
"Yeah, I know that. But how will we know when we find a clue?"
"She was bloody so look for blood on the ground, the twigs and the branches," Kurama says, looking down to examine the ground.
"I wonder why she won't let anyone in there but Genkai? Kuwabara must be going crazy back there," Yusuke says, grinning at the thought of it.
"You don't get it, do you, Yusuke? Yukina wasraped," the words stick in Kurama's throat as he says the final words.
"Are you serious?!" Yusuke shouts, blushing "That's horrible! Who would do something like that? I thought someone just beat her up in the woods,"
"Yusuke, that's who we're trying to find," Kurama says emphatically.
Yusuke looks at him, his face full of guilt and then turns to look at the vast wood.
"Let's find this prick," he says before running off to search again, Kurama right behind him.
The brunette Keiko is walking on a sidewalk on a city street carrying an umbrella. The rain is light but continuous and the sky is dark grey. She walks past an alleyway between two shops when something catches her eye. The blonde, Satchiko is kneeling down in the alleyway, groaning profusely. Keiko walks up to her.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" Keiko asks, clearly concerned.
"I'm fine. I'm just trying not to throw up." Satchiko says without looking up or moving.
"Oh. Are you sick?"
"Yeah, I guess. I really should be out right now."
"Oh. Well, are you sure you don't need help?" Keiko asks, moving to look the blonde in the face.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Satchiko says, moving her head to hide her face from the girl. Suddenly, Satchiko slumps over. Keiko shakes her twice.
"Hello? Are you ok?" Keiko asks, sounding really worried.
Keiko shakes the woman a few more times and then sighs. For a moment Keiko looks around, helpless. Then she looks at Satchiko and pulls her up and practically carries her out of the alley. Keiko is not extremely strong so she only makes it a few feet before leaning Satchiko up against a wall and resting. Satchiko stirs and opens her eyes. She looks over at Keiko and cringes.
"Did you touch me?" Satchiko asks calmly.
"Yeah, you passed out."
"Um, thanks." Satchiko says, putting a hand behind her head. Then Satchiko's knees give way and she starts to slump down the wall. Keiko grabs her and smiles.
"Look, this rain isn't letting up anytime soon. If you're sick you really shouldn't be out in this storm. I don't live far from here. Would you like to stay with me until you feel better?" Keiko says kindly, watching as Satchiko slumps down and fidgets.
"Yeah," Satchiko says, looking up at her. "I'd like that" Satchiko smiles at her and slowly rises to a standing position. Once she's sure she can stand Satchiko holds out her hand to Keiko.
"I'm Satchiko. Thanks for all your help."
Keiko smiles and shakes her hand. "I'm Keiko." The two of them walk slowly to Keiko's house in the rain, chatting and laughing.