"Kuwabara?!"

"Kuwabara! Kuwabara?!"

"Kuwabara! Kuwabara! Kurama, Kurama do something! He's not breathing-he's not breathing!"

Kurama ignored the chaos around him and focused instead on Kuwabara's still form lying prone on the ground. Kuwabara's life was hanging in the balance, and Kurama would be damned if he let him die. Kurama grasped Kuwabara's shirt, and ripped it from his friend's chest, ensuring that the shirt wouldn't be in his way when he started CPR. Brushing the pouch aside that hung around Kuwabara's neck, Kurama made a mental note of the item, but for now ignored its presence. Kurama was pretty sure this had been what caught the ghost on fire, and while he was grateful, Kurama could only wonder where Kuwabara got it from. With cold trembling hands he tilted Kuwabara's face to the side, and cringed as black ink drained from the unconscious young man's mouth. Kurama could hear a slight scuffle behind him, and glancing back saw Hiei was holding Yusuke back from lunging forward towards them.

"Kuwabara..." Yusuke choked, his voice shaking with emotion, and his eyes wild.

"Let Kurama work!" Hiei hissed at Yusuke, but kept his eyes locked with Kurama's.

Hiei was silently willing Kurama to fix this, and bring Kuwabara back. Guilt was waging a war in Hiei's red orbs, and Kurama had to turn away, unable to look.

'We should have listened to Kuwabara,' Kurama thought, cringing away from his own thoughts, unable to bare that guilt at the moment.

Kurama adjusted Kuwabara's head, before straddling himself over Kuwabara's waist, so that he could hover over the taller man. Folding his hands together, Kurama began to compress Kuwabara's chest, counting down from thirty in his head slowly as he compressed Kuwabara's chest. When that was done Kurama pressed his left hand to Kuwabara's forehead, and used his right to tilt Kuwabara's chin up and head back. Ensuring that Kuwabara's mouth was clear, Kurama hastily pressed his lips against Kuwabara's and forced three large puffs of air into Kuwabara's chest.

He took a moment to check if Kuwabara was breathing on his own, and when Kurama found Kuwabara was not-began the process all over again.

The group was wrapped in silence as Kurama worked, only the sound of Kuwabara's creaking rips, and Kurama's anxious efforts making any sounds. There was a startling moment when Kurama heard a loud crack, and both Yusuke and Hiei took in anxious breaths. Kurama wanted to assure his friends that sometimes during CPR this happened, ribs gave way. A broken rib or two was a small price to pay when it came to your life. But Kurama found he could not speak, his throat was too tight with anxiety. Instead Kurama shrugged off any questions, and tried to work faster.

Kurama had just lowered his lips to Kuwabara's for a fourth time, when a swell of ink began to pour from Kuwabara's mouth.

Kurama backed away immediately helping Kuwabara turn his head, so the human could expel all the ink that was trapped in his stomach and lungs.

"Oh thank God, Kuwabara!"

"He's breathing!"

Kuwabara's eyes remained closed, as his body jerked, and ink expelled violently passed his lips. After what seemed like an impossible amount of ink left Kuwabara's body, the man back down into the sand, remaining flat on his back. The two leftmost fingers on his left hand twitched, and the shallowest of breaths rattled from Kuwabara's chest.

The three were letting out shaky sighs of relief when a shriek ripped the air around them. The earth shook, and dull howl echoed from below them as the twisted form of the Yūrei burst from the sands. Her body had stretched long, her legs and arms has multiplied, while her long black her swung and wrapped tightly around her body giving her the appearance of having spikes. The inhuman form bent forward, shrieking as it tilted their face towards them.

Her white face stood out like a light against her dark hair, and just as dark eyes leered down at the small group. Her eyes were completely blacked out, and ink dripped from them as if her eyes had been freshly painted on. The ghost's form now took on that of a monstrous centipede, and the three former spirit detectives froze under her gaze. The Yūrei howled bitterly, only one solitary name echoing past her lips before she dove towards the prone group, "KUWABARA! "

It was 1645, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month.

Kazuma Kuwabara woke up.

The young monk blinked as rays of light pooled in through the window, warming his face. Stirring slowly, he wiped his eyes ridding the sleep from beneath them and with a half awake groan slowly rose from his pallet. It was another day in the village of Kakusu, a hidden village in the mountains, covered just as thickly in snow, as it was in secrets.

Kuwabara rolled up his pallet and blankets, gently placing them aside in the corner of his small room. From there, he pulled out his nagajuban, a plain robe he wore under his kimono. Once that was on, he adorned himself in a blue kimono, which signified his rank and place at the Kakusu temple he resided in. Lastly he grabbed a black Hanten, made for him from a friend he planned to visit today.

Her husband was to be sent to a battle, as ordered by their village's lord.

'More like ordered from Master Sakumoto...' Kuwabara thought bitterly, before banishing his negative thoughts. It was not good to think so negatively on the shrine's leader...

Grabbing a bamboo umbrella, Kuwabara exited his private hut, and made his way outside. Snow fell in heavy flakes making the world white and gray. Kuwabara pulled his Hanten closer, and began walking down the small path that brought him towards the temple his hut was tucked behind. Glancing at it, he could see none of his fellow monks inside, and concluded that like him they would be at the village to watch the samurai march away into what seemed like a pointless scuffle.

Lord Eizen of the village, had taken over as the villager's Lord in the wake of his father's, mysterious death. The former lord, Lord Hosen, had been found dead in his study, sitting among his scrolls and a lone sake bottle. Poison had been suspected, but nothing had been proved. A call for a thorough investigation had been asked for, but it was Sakumoto who stepped forward, and claimed that Lord Hosen was killed for some slight or another. This was argued against, but Sakumoto insisted that the Lord's death had been the man's own doing. In the end nothing was resolved, and Sakumoto was forcing the leadership of the village on Sakumoto's oldest son, Eizen.

Eizen was thirteen,not quite a man, not quite a boy, and definitely not ready to lead on his own. He listened mostly to the words of the aged Sakumoto, leader of the Kakusu Shinto shrine, and leader of 'The Many Psychic Hands,' an elite group of psychics. Their powers were sought after far and wide across Japan, the monks abilities ranging from fortune telling, to mighty spiritual powers. These monks were so powerful they had long ago settled in the mountains so those only with the purest intentions could reach them, and so that the monks could train in relative solitude. A village had sprung up around them, but the psychics seemed content to ensure the protection of the villagers, provided the villagers never questioned their actions. Counting Kuwabara, who was the youngest in their fold, there were twenty of them.

The Many Psychic Hands, had been established almost a century ago, and there numbers had been in the upper hundreds. But lately it seemed like the gift of psychic abilities was dwindling, and under Lord Sakumoto's rules, the group hardly left the mountain to seek to add to their group. Kuwabara had only been allowed in the shrine because his mother had brought him here, and before the eyes of the aging monks Kuwabara had preformed what they called, "a miracle."

Kuwabara could not remember much of his life with his mother, but he remembered spirits often followed them and sought him out because of his gifts. Because of this, a spirit had killed his father, and caused resentment from his mother. There was some small part of her that must have loved him, as she brought him to this village rather than abandon him. When she brought Kuwabara to the monks, she had fallen to her knees and begged them to take her son under their care. At first they had refused, but then one of the elders watched as Kuwabara picked up an injured bird. The boy had held the dying bird close to his chest for a moment, and then released it gently.

The bird took off high into the air and soared away, and with its flight, Kuwabara's fate to be raised at the shrine was sealed.

Kuwabara stopped walking, his feet sinking in the snow as he tried to block out the memory of his mother's retreating back. She had been so relieved to leave him.

Tilting his head to look out up at the white sky, Kuwabara thought about the rigorous training he had undergone. His powers flourished in healing, but he had even found a way to physically manipulate his energy into a weapon to battle hostile demons. Kuwabara had only used the method once, and his bright spirit energy right now resembled a rod.

With practice, Kuwabara hoped to be able to manipulate his energy into that of a sword.

While Kuwabara took much joy in helping the villagers, and any who sought their aid and powers, Kuwabara's life had been hard. Master Sakumoto regarded him cruelly, and Kuwabara was often given tasks that would have been better suited for someone with more experience. Kuwabara would somehow always manage to complete his tasks, but Kuwabara was always left injured and weakened afterwards. And if he showed any signs of resentment, Kuwabara would be given a punishment to cleanse his negative thoughts, that normally injured Kuwabara further.

It felt like Sakumoto was trying to get Kuwabara killed.

"Remember boy, your powers are for the good of all!" Sakumoto would always say, his withered face leering down at Kuwabara, "Duty comes before personal safety. You would do best to remember that."

Kuwabara took a breath, and shook the old monk's sneering face from his mind. He made to continue walking down the thin path, and towards Kakusu village, when the sound of a bell caught his attention.

Turning towards the trees that lined the path Kuwabara managed to make out a fox caught in trap. The trap was not an ordinary trap for hunting foxes, but instead was meant to capture demons who might try to set foot near the shrine. The trap was adorned with talismans and wards that would weaken the demon, and make it easy for them to catch. Lately more and more traps had been set up around the shrine, and village. When demons were caught they were taken inside the shrine, and down into the lower rooms where Kuwabara was not allowed.

Something... odd was going on. The monks didn't seem to be exorcising the demons right away... if they were the demons wouldn't be taken within the shrine. But the demons were being caught, and left alive... and then they would disappear somewhere in the shrine. Kuwabara had asked questions, but was was dismissed, his concerns clearly not mattering. Something was happening, and Kuwabara had no idea what.

Approaching the fox, the creature snarled at him, his fur bristling as he tried to make himself look bigger. Kuwabara observed the creature, nothing that it was already larger than most foxes Kuwabara had seen. The fox's eyes glowed a bright gold, power and wisdom glimmering within them. Flickering aggressively behind the fox, were three white trails. The center tail was more solid than the others, but the other two radiated with power, and warned of a demonic strength.

It would be a terrible shame if the monks got a hold of this creature... They would disappear him somewhere in the shrine, and the beautiful white fox would never be seen again...

Kuwabara approached the fox despite the animal's vicious snarls. Producing a small knife from a hidden pocket in his Hanten, Kuwabara used his other hand to cuff the fox by the back of his head, and push its muzzle into the snow. The fox was whining and screeching fiercely now, trying vainly to struggle against Kuwabara's hand. But Kuwabara was strong, and kept the fox's dangers teeth away from him. Kuwabara brought the knife down towards the rope about the creatures leg, and cut through the bonds quickly, before springing back away from the wild creature.

The fox lashed out, managing the snap at two of Kuwabara's fingers, before springing away from the man and the trap. Kuwabara winced, holding his bleeding fingers to him, and watched as the fox turned in a circle, sniffing about himself and relishing in his new found freedom. The fox then turned its wise gaze to Kuwabara, and tilted his head. It seemed unsure of what Kuwabara had just done, or if the human expected something.

"Go on now...and warn those like you to stay away. The monks here are not behaving normally... you should not linger here," Kuwabara warned.

The fox stayed a moment longer, an ear twitching in the silence the two shared. Its tails flared behind him, flashing in a warning of demonic energy, and then the fox took off, blending in with the snow as it went.

Kuwabara was stuck holding his throbbing hand, sitting in the cold as snow poured around him. The pain was a warning and a reminder of what could happen if he helped a demon.

"...I wish you had killed me," Kuwabara whispered, only the wind hearing his words.

Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama were still frozen as the horrifying ghost dove for them, when a familiar voice bellowed, "GET DOWN!"

The three flattened themselves on the ground, Yusuke and Kurama throwing themselves on top of Kuwabara's body. Hiei was at Kuwabara's feet, on his belly his sword brandished at and awkward angle. He was ready to strike even from his limited point if he need be.

A white wave of energy erupted over their heads, and crackled through the air until it collided with the Yurei. A woman's shriek rang out over the beach, loud and high making all who heard it, wince and reach to protect their ears. There was a sound much like thunder echoing in a storm, and then a blinding light swallowed the group hole. When it had passed, and everyone's vision returned to them, the twisted specter was gone. The shrine which had vanished before, was back, precariously balanced on high wooden stilts, as if it hadn't disappeared in the first place.

Shaken, the three demons sat up, and turned slowly, seeing Genkai breathing hard behind them. Her hands trembled and her shoulders shook, the energy she had just used haven taken a toll on her body. Her cane was not with her, and her knees trembled, her left lag shaking the most. Tucked behind Genkai, was Botan who was clutching her oar to her chest, her mouth open wide and eyes round with fright. The spirit guide, under Genkai's orders, had flown the older woman to this location, and the two had just barely made it in time to stop the monstrosity that had been about to descend upon the group.

"Genkai!" Yusuke gasped, relief and shock echoing unbidden in his words.

Genkai marched over to the group, and with no words placed a hand on Kuwabara's neck. After a moment she sighed tensely, "Thank God... He's alive! But it seems just barely..."

Botan rushed to join the group, sputtering questions, that went ignored as the boys were asking their own questions, until the air was a mangled mess of words.

"What's going on! What happened to you!?"

"Genkai how did you know where to find us!?"

"Can you help Kuwabara?"

"What was that attack?"

"Did you you retrieve the masks?"

"No, we didn't retrieve the masks!"

"Did you see that creature? I think it was a spirit... a Yūrei Onryō-"

"What could Kuwabara have possibly done to insight the wrath of a vengeful ghost?"

"On-ree-what'o?"

"Master Genkai-"

"SILENCE!" Genkai bellowed from her bent position. She was still looking over Kuwabara's face, and with her sleeve was scrubbing the ink of of it. He would need to a bath to get the ink out of his hair and fully off his skin... his teeth would be stained black for a month, as well as the insides of his nose from the looks of it. Gently she touched the pouch she had given Kuwabara, and felt its pulsing energy beneath her hands. She was glad she gave it to him... it had protected Kuwabara far better than she had hoped.

Falling fully to her knees, Genkai placed a hand on Kuwabara's chest, and gently pat the unconscious youth down. She cringed at the broken ribs she felt, but gently concentrated on sending her energy coursing over Kuwabara's body. Soon he would heal, and they could leave. As she mended the young man, she found herself thinking of their first meeting, and how at that time she had healed his body after the run in with Rando.

..."Hurry... You have a choice to make. A grave one. Kuwabara doesn't have much time..." Mitamura whispered, his voice almost lost as the sound of his students flooding the room echoed around them.

"Hurry. He'll die Genkai... he will die."...

Genkai closed her eyes and grit her teeth as Mitamura interrupted her thoughts. His power had revealed to her Kuwabara's fate, of his link between the past and present. Kuwabara was stuck in a loop where his sole purpose was to be born, and killed by this woman. He had revealed so much to her, that Genkai didn't know what to do with this information. She glanced behind her at the squabbling group, and her eyes rest on Yusuke's anxious, and angry face.

She had to tell Yusuke.

Kurama and Hiei would have their own parts to play in this... but Genkai had to tell Yusuke what she learned if they were to save Kuwabara.

But at this point she wasn't sure if he could do what needed to be done. And then again if they failed and Kuwabara died... would Yusuke ever be able to forgive himself.

"There are no easy choices," She muttered bitterly, gently running a hand over Kuwabara's forehead in an uncharacteristically motherly gesture.

"What kind of crazy mission did Koenma send us on?" Yusuke's voice roared over the din.

Botan flinched, her eyes misty, "I-I don't know! He didn't say anything about a giant centipede woman! He just... all I know is that those masks... They need to be retrieved."

"Well we were unable to get them, because one was trying to fucking drown Kuwabara-and OH! Damn near succeeded!"

"Now is not the time for discussion, or your petty arguments!" Genkai snapped, getting to her feet and turning to glare at the group. "We will convene back at my shrine and I will explain as much as I know. We can not stay here... the spirit had been repelled, but she is not gone. When she recovers enough strength she may come back here." Genkai grunted, and with effort lifted Kuwabara to a sitting position. Turning to look at Botan, Genkai asked, "Can you carry Kuwabara and myself back to the shrine? I need to cleanse him of the evil that has touched him."

"Oh! Y-Yes! Yes, I can carry you both!" Botan answered with a stutter, holding her oar out, "Drape Kuwabara over the front and then you will have to sit behind me... I'm afraid that's the best way I can carry us all the the shrine!"

"I can't believe he would come here after all these dreams," Genkai grumbled, bracing herself to try and lift Kuwabara.

"Dreams? Wait, what dreams Genkai?" Yusuke asked, eyes wide and alert.

Genkai looked at the group, and seeing confused faces, she shook her head, "My goodness Kuwabara you are an absolute dim-wit!"

Looking to the groups worried faces Genkai sighed, "Kuwabara has been plagued with dreams...visions. Visions of a woman haunting him... its gotten so bad he has removed himself from school and sought my help. I can see that you're all concerned-"

"Concerned!? I'm pissed off!" Yusuke seethed. Kurama placed a hand on Yusuke's shoulder, squeezing it to encourage the young man to be silent. Yusuke grit his teeth, and balled his hands into fists, but closed his mouth staying silent.

Genkai sighed, "Look... as I said I'll explain everything at the shrine-everything! We need to go now."

Genkai, again made a move to pick Kuwabara up, but Yusuke surged forward. Without being told, Yusuke hoisted his best friend up and draped him over Botan's oar. The oar faltered a little, but remained hovering in the air, managing the heavy burden with some effort. Botan saddled up behind Kuwabara, placing a gentle hand on his back, and then Genkai mounted behind her. The oar seemed to struggle with the combined weight, but Botan kicked off the ground, and slowly the trio began to rise in the air.

"Meet us back at the shrine!" Genkai called down to the Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke. She gestured towards their car, "And floor it!"

Botan titled her oar up, and the three were careening through the air and out of sight before the demons could properly respond.

"She knows something about this," Hiei muttered voice dark, and dripping with a many smattering of emotions.

"She does," Yusuke agreed, tone angry and voice unsteady, " Kuwabara's been dealing with something on his own. Keeping secrets."

"I don't think Kuwabara knew this was going to happen! He would have said something," Kurama insisted, not wanting Yusuke and Hiei to start assuming the worst.

"But something is going on, he knew something!" Hiei insisted, his face red from frustration and anger, "He knew something, and told us nothing!"

"There's no time to question this bull shit right now!" Yusuke interrupted Hiei, shooting Hiei a warning look. It was clear they were all angry, and even if Yusuke wanted to kick Kuwabara's ass, Yusuke wasn't about to let anyone talk bad about him. Hiei pursed his lips, but said nothing else, and turned his eyes away from Yusuke's angry glare.

Storming towards the car, Yusuke shouted, "Let's just go! If we want our questions answered we need to go right the fuck now!"

Yusuke's voice rippled with emotion, and golden energy seemed to sweep from his body. Kurama and Hiei glanced at each other before following after Yusuke in a hushed silence. Yusuke was right, if they wanted answers they needed to get back to Genkai's shrine. The three piled into the car, ignored the empty seat left in Kuwabara's absence, and set off, speeding down the road.

Long strands of black hair streamed from their car's antenna, unnoticed from the three in the car.

End of Chapter Four