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"Wild, dark times are rumbling toward us, and the prophet who wishes to write a new apocalypse will have to invent entirely new beasts, and beasts so terrible that the ancient animal symbols of St. John will seem like cooing doves and cupids in comparison."

Heinrich Heine

Here it Comes


Yusuke's initial reaction to our finding out that Genkai was behind everything we'd just gone through was quite true to his character.

"What the HELL?! You backstabbing, crazy, old HAG...!"

What? I didn't say it was a good thing...

The rest of us exchanged a puzzled/suspicious look, and Botan gasped quite loudly and dramatically. I frowned suspiciously at Genkai, trying to process just why she would orchestrate this. She glared at us all.

And the shadow-stepper, the last psychic that we had faced in this insane house, dropped facedown on the floor, and he bowed his head.

"I'm sorry...!" Astonishingly enough, he was trembling. "I—I failed you, master...!"

"Quit the theatrics, Kido," Genkai grumbled, flicking her gaze over to the psychic, her frown lines deepening. "If we're being honest here... I was counting on you screwing it up."

The psychic, Kido, slowly lifted his face from the floor, and shot Genkai a puzzled look.

Kurama, however, was looking oddly bemused.

"You never cease to surprise me, Genkai," he informed her, a weird, almost abashed half-smile slipping on his features. "I'd thought that you might have been behind all of this..."

Yusuke's face was contorted in the potency of his confusion.

"This... doesn't make any sense...!" he managed, throwing his arms into the air. He turned and glowered at Kurama. "Why don't you explain it, fox boy—because I'm obviously going nuts...!"

"You were already doing that, Yusuke..."

"Ha," Yusuke said sourly, frowning at me. "I'm freaking laughing my socks off."

I shrugged. "You set yourself up for it." I shot him a smile to let him know I was joking.

"She was trying to teach us a lesson," Kurama interrupted, as Yusuke opened his mouth to retort. Kurama was still regarding Genkai with that bemused expression lodged on his features. "A lesson about... perception."

"Yeah," Genkai grunted, folding her arms across her chest. "And I promise you that this won't be the last time you come in contact with individuals who have the use of territory. In fact..." she pointed a finger at me, over her elbow, "...you've had one in your group for a year now."

I blinked, pointing at myself. "What's... hang on, just what do you mean by that?"

Genkai shrugged. "Educated guess. I really don't know what the hell you are."

"Thanks," I huffed, frowning.

"Kurama..." Botan began, still looking very perplexed. She blinked up at him. "When did you realize that Genkai was behind all of this...?"

"When we had reached the top of the stairs," Kurama replied, glancing over at Botan. "If they had truly used their resources..." he nodded to Kido, who was still crouched submissively on the floor, and Yana, who was bleeding and unconscious in the corner, "...then we most definitely would have been defeated."

"Yeah," Yusuke snorted, disagreeing. "Right."

"There was an ulterior motive here," Kurama continued, ignoring Yusuke's doubtful words, "I realized that whoever orchestrated this must have been trying to tell us something about ourselves."

Genkai watched Kurama as he spoke, not saying anything.

"That would require someone who knows us well," Kurama concluded, shooting Genkai a small smile. "And also one that meant no harm."

There was a silence.

Hiei, surprisingly, was the one who broke it.

"You still haven't given us a reason," he growled, glowering at Genkai. "You haven't sufficiently explained what you accomplished by rubbing their powers in our faces."

Kido shot him an irritated look.

"The four of you that I asked to come here—Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke—are all well-trained fighters," Genkai replied, brow lowering in annoyance, but she otherwise didn't react to Hiei's rudeness, "And you all faced an ordeal in which you couldn't use your physical strength—you could only use your minds."

Genkai's eyes narrowed, and she glared at Hiei.

"If you'd used that lump that's three feet above your ass, you might've held onto your soul," she snapped. Her lips quirked up a little bit. "Make that two feet for you."

Hiei let out a low growl, and his eyes flashed, but he didn't do anything else.

"Yusuke didn't have any physical, or spiritual power," she continued, flicking her gaze to her dark-headed successor. She looked at Kurama. "You're used to always having an advantage. In your test, you had to improvise.

"And you," Genkai continued, and I felt a shock when she set her gaze on me. "Your test was an afterthought. I was curious." She frowned at me. "Your test was in the staircase. And it focused on your ability to keep a cool head in even the most dire of situations—which you failed. Work on it."

Something knotted in my stomach, and I averted my gaze to the ground. Of course Genkai would know about the damn staircase...

"Understood," I murmured, and I felt Kurama's searching gaze bore into the side of my head.

"However, good job on figuring out who the impostor was," Genkai added.

"Thanks for your appreciation of my insight, Genkai," I replied. Then I frowned. "However… you were going to let them freaking molest me. I'm not too happy about that, grandma…"

All Genkai did was snort derisively and shake her head.

"Wait, hold up," Yusuke interrupted, looking around Botan, Kurama and I and giving Hiei a disbelieving look. "You let those jerks steal your soul...? Show some skill... seriously..."

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU, DIMWIT?!"

Yusuke flinched. Then he seemed to compose himself a little bit—though he took a careful step backwards, away from his irate mentor.

"If I'd known about that shadow-stepping thing, they never would've nabbed me..." Yusuke muttered resentfully, shooting a glare at Kido.

"Oh yeah?" Genkai growled. "You really think an adversary is going to give you that kind of information up front?"

Yusuke cringed. "Eh..."

"If an enemy captures you, you're as good as dead," Genkai informed him sternly. "If you remember anything, then remember that."

"Okay, okay," Yusuke said, waving his hands as if warding off a blow. "Time out, old lady. You keep talking about enemies, but these guys aren't really bad, right...? So who the hell are they?"

Genkai frowned at him. Then she glanced over at Kido. "Go on, Kido. Inform them."

"Yes, master," he assented, still on his knees. He lifted his face and looked up at us. "Yana, Kaito and I—we all went to her compound when we developed our powers. That's when we learned about all of you... and, what's more..." Kido dragged a hand over his forehead, removing beads of nervous sweat, "we've only had our powers for about a month. Like all the other new psychics."

"New psychics?" Botan questioned, looking startled.

"All the others…?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, Botan, Reina," Genkai said grimly. "The cause of which is our greatest threat."

I shifted nervously.

"You're making me nervous, Grandma..." Yusuke said, now fixing her with his undivided attention.

Genkai ignored him. "I'm sure that some of you have noticed the demon insects flying through the city."

A chill raced up my spine. "Yeah," I blurted without thinking, remembering. "I zapped one tonight, when we were looking for Hiei."

Kurama shot me a startled look, then glanced back over at Genkai. "You don't mean..."

She set her jaw. "Someone is carving out a tunnel to Demon World." She looked us each in the eye. "Sakyo's plan from the Dark Tournament was not buried with him."

Sakyo...? Oh yeah, that maniac who blew up the stadium.

"What did Sakyo plan?" I asked, throat going dry.

Genkai didn't answer. Kuwabara did.

"Genkai just told me."

We all looked up to find Kuwabara striding in through the doors in which Genkai had first appeared, his features grim, and...

I averted my gaze to the ceiling. He was wearing nothing but his boxers. Not a pretty sight.

"Apparently Koenma found out something that he never told us," I heard Kuwabara continue. "Sakyo was planning on building some sort of... doomsday tunnel."

"But, more importantly..." I heard Yusuke snigger, and made the mistake of looking over at him, catching a brief (and painful) image of the half-naked Kuwabara. "we've answered one question—boxers or briefs?"

Kuwabara turned as red as the little red hearts on his underwear. "Would you be serious for once, Urameshi?!" He stomped past our group, and I averted my gaze to the floor, blocking my periphery of him with my hand. "It's not my fault if that idiot stole my clothes..." Kuwabara muttered at he stormed over to where Yana was laying.

"But..." Botan's voice was confused. "Sakyo died when the stadium collapsed..."

"Yes, he did," Genkai assented. "But now he's rolling in his grave... because someone continued his plans without him."

"To open a tunnel to Makai," I clarified, feeling as if my insides were churning.

Genkai shot me an unreadable look. "Yes."

My fingers trembled. I crossed my arms.

Crap. All of that demonic aura...

"A tunnel?" Yusuke asked, and, judging by his tone, he was still confused. "But... how?"

"There is a border zone dividing our world and theirs," Genkai explained, voice heavy. "And, somehow, a giant breach is opening in that zone."

"It is called the pseudo space," Kurama put in. He was staring hard at the ground, brow furrowed in thought. "Tiny portals have been opened in it from time to time, allowing demons—such as Hiei and myself—to slip through. But they are unstable, and close quickly... trapping demons here, in Ningenkai, and humans there, in Makai, on occasion."

"You're mistaken, old hag," Hiei grunted disbelievingly. A small, cold smile appeared on his features. "If there was a way out of this vile world, I would've taken it."

Genkai shot him a look that said that she really didn't want to deal with him right now. "I knew getting you to believe me would be a pain in the ass." She cocked her head. "I'll let you see it yourself."

Okay, then, I'm leaving, I thought to myself weakly, remembering what a breach between the two planes felt like. Botan had had one opened for Kuwabara and Yusuke, when the boys were going after the Four Saint Beasts. I'd been unable to even get close to the portal; the demonic energy had been intense. Like a bonfire.

"Okay, enough suspense!" Yusuke said after a long moment of tense silence. "Where is the damn thing?"

Genkai fixed her gaze on him.

"Mushiyori City."

Another silence.

"What?!" Yusuke gasped. "That close?! That's like—like a Sunday afternoon's drive from here..."

I was already shaking my head. "No way. I would've sensed it."

"No, you wouldn't," Genkai growled, frowning at me. "Not with that amulet. Your powers have been cooped up this entire time—and, besides, the demonic aura is going to be suppressed, because the tunnel isn't finished yet."

"If anything, your psychic senses are going to be heightened," Yana said, coming up behind us (somehow, already dressed back in his own uniform). "Like Kaito's, Kido's and mine. And all of the other psychics in Mushiyori City." He rubbed his cheek, where Yusuke had punched him. It had already turned purple.

"Then why're my psychic powers all screwed up?" Kuwabara grumbled, coming up behind Yana. Thankfully, he'd gotten his clothes back from Yana, but there was still an embarrassed/angry expression on his face as he glared at the psychic.

Yana lifted his hands in defeat. "Dude, I'm not an expert or anything. Don't ask me why your powers are retarded."

Kuwabara curled his hand into a fist, Yana shot him an indifferent sort of look, and I stepped between them, frowning at the both of them.

And Botan's Detective item briefcase started beeping.

All of our heads swiveled in her direction, and she started, placing the briefcase on the ground, and unlatching the clasps in a flustered way.

"Must be Koenma..."

As soon as Botan lifted the briefcase's lid, the screen on the inside of it flickered to life, and Koenma (who was in toddler form) began speaking.

"If Yusuke's there, I've got an emergency!"

We all leaned in, peering at the infant lord over Botan's head. I pulled off the Barrier Stone so I could see the screen—the image was tampered with spirit world energy. The last time I had seen video footage from Reikai was when Koenma sent us a tape telling us about Yukina and how we had to rescue her. Then, I could barely see the footage because I had very recently started using my powers.

Now, after all this time that I'd been using my energy, it was crystal clear.

"We're all here, Koenma," Genkai said tiredly. She frowned. "Want to tell us about the border tunnel?"

Koenma blinked rapidly. "Oh, Genkai! Heh... I forgot I brought you back to life..." he chewed on his pacifier nervously.

"You're slow on the uptake this time," Genkai informed him, frown deepening. "It seems that the person behind all of this has used the typical lull after the Tournament to catch even you off guard." Genkai's brow furrowed, making the worry lines on her forehead crease. "In the last month, over thirty humans have come to me for help—because they've found themselves endowed with supernatural powers. And all of them have come from Mushiyori City."

Koenma seemed to consider that, peering at us over a stack of papers around his desk.

"I guess a small part of me is glad that the effects of the tunnel haven't spread too far yet," Koenma admitted. "But that means that we've already advanced to stage two..." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Stage two?" Yusuke asked, leaning in closer to the screen. "Wait, hold up. What's that?" Yusuke allowed a small smirk to appear on his features. "Does that mean you've moved up to training pants?"

I snorted into my hand, and Koenma shot me an irritated look.

Koenma was not amused. "No, it doesn't. And I don't know what all I can tell you... this is all very classified information."

Hopefully he wasn't talking about his potty training success.

"Then how can I help you if I don't know anything?" Yusuke asked in an exasperated voice.

Koenma regarded him coolly. "Well... you pose an interesting point..." He gestured to someone outside the camera's view, and the screen flashed to black, while Koenma's voice continued:

"Okay, there are four stages in an apocalyptic breach. Stage one:" A number appeared on the screen, and Koenma read the words as they scrolled across it. "Demonic energy increases in the Human World. Causing demonic parasites to thrive."

Terrific. Demon World leeches were one of my most favorite things... not.

"As the breach widens, we move on to stage two," I heard Koenma continue, and his words popped up onto the screen. "Which is when humans find themselves... blessed... with supernatural powers.

"And then there's the third stage. This is when it gets ugly."

We waited.

"Stage three," Koenma continued, "is when low-class demons flood the streets. They aren't very smart, or powerful, but they are excessively violent."

The scene changed, and the camera settled back on Koenma's grim face.

"Then there's stage four. That happens when the breach's circumference reaches over two kilometers, and stabilizes... allowing total passage."

Kurama sucked in a breath, and Hiei's eyes flashed briefly, betraying some emotion that was too swift and fleeting for me to get a read on. The tension in the room was palpable.

"The tunnel is so large that it allows demons through the C and B classes to enter the Human World."

"Classes?" Yusuke asked, sounding confused again.

Koenma nodded, and the camera panned to the left, allowing a visual of a chart that went from A to E, with A at the top, and enough room off-camera for more letters.

"Spirit World ranks demons in classes according to their powers. I didn't tell you this before, because there wasn't any point. But... here's a frame of reference." Koenma sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The Toguro brothers were in the B class range."

"Toguro was just a B class?!" Yusuke cried, recoiling. "He nearly killed us all and he's just a B class...?!"

Koenma nodded grimly. "The Demon World is an ancient land, and its depths are endless. In truth, there are vast parts of that plane that Spirit World has no control over..."

"What?" Botan gasped, looking stricken. "I...I never knew that..."

"Think of Demon World as a large, underground building," Koenma continued, ignoring her. "There's basement after basement, continuing on endlessly. Out of all of that..." Koenma pinched the bridge of his nose again, and sighed, "we only control half of the first basement."

I froze. Oh wow... what a thing to have a spiritual power geared against... My situation now seemed even more hopeless.

"Then you're a really crappy ruler," Yusuke pointed out, frowning at Koenma.

"It would be bloodbaths and Armageddon if we tried to take it all at once," Koenma informed him, glaring. "We don't want to awaken the anger of the A class, S class, and Super A class demons at the bottom. All we can do is hold our ground, and expand our territory gradually over the centuries..."

Koenma gave us each a level look. "Because not even my father and all of his armies can take on all of the S class demons."

We all gasped in unison; Genkai was the only one who didn't seem perturbed. She only looked grim.

"You and your father aren't the idle type, Koenma," she growled, crossing her arms and glaring at the screen. "Surely you have made precautions."

"Well, of course!" Koenma looked offended. "We set up a Kekkai Barrier in the pseudo space."

"Oh, good," Botan laughed, looking relieved. "You had us all worried over nothing...!"

There was a silence.

"Then how..." I said slowly, frowning at Koenma, "do demons in the B class like Toguro manage to get in the Human World?"

Koenma sighed. "We had to prioritize, Reina. Our main goal was to stop the A and S class demons—above all else. Even our sources are limited." Koenma shoved a piece of paper out of sight. "The only way to make the Barrier large enough was to spread it into a net."

"Oh, I understand," Botan supplied. "Like a filter."

"Yes," Koenma replied. "While the B class demons can squeeze through, the larger A and S class demons cannot."

"What?!" Yusuke yelled. "How could you sign to a crappy plan like that? You made it so that hundreds of demons like Toguro can just prance on over here—whenever they want?!"

I exchanged a look with Kurama, then glanced back down at the screen.

"You have to imagine the alternative, Yusuke..." Koenma said tiredly. "If just one S class demon got into the Living World..." He sighed, and rubbed at his forehead. "When I say apocalypse, Yusuke, I mean it. Thousands would die. Cities would be destroyed in a flash."

There was a long, long silence.

"My life!" I heard Kuwabara yell, and we all jerked around to see him hunched over, eyes wide and terrified. "It's just starting! There's—there's things I still need to do! I need to marry a girl and grow my first mustache!" With a animalistic-sounding yell, he threw his hands out, in a gesture of hopelessness. "So now you're telling me that someone's digging a big hole that's going to let in a whole bunch of demons like Toguro... and they're going to start attacking us all at once?!"

"Kuwabara..." I ventured, taking a hesitant step in his direction, but drawing back when I saw the feral-looking fear in his eyes.

"And don't even get me started on the S and A class demons that even Spirit World can't control!" he yelled, and fell to his knees, turning his stricken face to the heavens. "THIS IS THE END...!"

"Get over it!" Genkai snapped, and, with a painful-sounding thwack, she slapped Kuwabara across the face.

He jerked back, startled, then seemed to get a handle on himself. He rubbed his cheek, wincing as he stood.

"We'll talk about our plan in a second," Genkai growled, crossing her arms. "But we need to rescue Kaito first."

"Oh." Kuwabara blinked rapidly. "The bookworm. Forgot about him..."

"You aren't the only one," I muttered, shifting guiltily, which was odd, because I didn't particularly like the psychic much, even if he was really on our side.


After Genkai had gotten Kaito's soul back into his body, we all waited impatiently for him to come to his senses.

Eventually he did, sitting up, straightening his glasses on his nose and peering through them at us.

"Full house," he commented, and, with a grimace, he rose to his feet. "I guess your plan worked, Master Genkai..."

"You played your part well," Kurama informed him with a small, tight smile. "You lost, yes... but it was a stirring introduction."

Kaito sighed, and frowned at him. "I wasn't playing along," he admitted, frown deepening. "I tried my hardest to beat you—for once, I wanted to see you lose..."

"Nice going, Brain Boy," Yusuke commented, raising an eyebrow in Kaito's direction. "You put your soul on the line, just because he beat you on a few math quizzes? What if Grandma hadn't been here to save you...?"

"Simple," Genkai grunted, glaring up at Kaito as the nerd averted his gaze. "He would've faded into nothing."

Kuwabara made a choking sound at Genkai's lack of tact.

"Kaito's a risk taker," Genkai continued. "That's why these three came to me for help." She inclined her head in Yana's, Kido's, and Kaito's directions. "He'd removed his own soul, and they didn't know how to put it back."

She frowned at all of us. "A soul is fragile without a body or a ghost to protect it. In just one day, it would break apart, and would be lost forever."

As one, the majority of our group shot Kaito a disapproving look.

Kaito shrugged. "I had to know what would happen if I broke my own rule."

"Formally introduce yourselves," Genkai ordered.

Kaito nodded at her, and looked back at our group. "My name is Yuu Kaito, and my power is Taboo."

"Asato Kido," Kido added. "My power's Shadow."

"And I'm Mitsunari Yanagisawa," Yana finished. "And I call my talent Copy." He shot me a knowing look, and I remembered—he could copy memories too.

Well, crap.

"As I've told you," Genkai continued, "they all live in Mushiyori City. It's been a full month since they've developed their powers, and there are many others like them."

Kurama's brow furrowed. "That's only a few weeks after the Dark Tournament's closure," he noted.

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed, frowning. "And that's the beginning of stage two, right? So that means that all of this started just days after I beat Toguro..."

Beep, beep, beep!

We all turned and looked at Botan's briefcase, which was resting on a spindly table, closed.

"Koenma's not wasting any time..." Botan commented, before striding over to the briefcase and opening it.

Koenma started speaking before the screen was even visible.

"We've calculated the growth rate of that tunnel," he burst out without taking a breath. "And it's bad."

We all waited with baited breath.

Koenma let out a heavy, worn sigh. "As is, the tunnel will reach stage four in... three weeks."

"Three weeks?!" Yusuke cried.

"There has to be something we can do," I said, shaking my head, not wanting to believe it.

"Yeah!" Yusuke looked between me and the screen. "Can't you... close the hole up or something?"

Koenma eyed him levelly. "The only way is to stop the tunnel's creator."

"Can't you just get a big pile of dirt or somethin'?" Kuwabara asked weakly. "You know... just dump it in there?"

Koenma gave him an exasperated look. "No. The hole isn't physical yet, Kuwabara. Right now, it's a distortion in space-time. It's 1.3 kilometers wide as of now... but will become a true, physical entity when it reaches equilibrium, at two kilometers."

"Then how's it being made?" I asked. "If it's just... an energy conduit?"

"They're using a psychic," he answered. "At the center point of the distortion."

"So you know where the guy is, right?" Yusuke asked. He shrugged in a relieved way. "All right... so all I have to do is turn his brain into mush!"

"Not so fast, Yusuke," Genkai growled, eyeing him in a disapproving sort of way.

Yusuke ignored her, stomping over to Yana, Kaito, and Kido.

"You guys know the city, right?" he asked, looking at the three of them. "So take me to that hole!"

Genkai, with an irritated grunt, reached out and took a hold of Yusuke's leg. Then, with a casual movement, she made him flip into the air. I barely got out of the way in time.

"Dammit!" he howled, glaring at his mentor. "What is this—Be Bitchy Day?!"

"Here's a brilliant idea—learn from your mistakes!" she shot back, glowering at him. "What I wouldn't give for a successor with a brain..."

Her glare increased tenfold. "Haven't you learned anything, dimwit? If you go into this blindly—without knowing anything about your enemies, you will lose!"

"And you've just gotten deaf again!" Yusuke shouted, jumping to his feet. "We've got three weeks until Armageddon! We can't wait!"

"If the tunnel completes, we're doomed!" Kuwabara shouted in agreement.

"We. Have. Three. Weeks," Genkai gritted out, glaring at both of them. "And we have three questions to answer—how many fighters are in their group? Who is their leader? And what's the true nature of their powers?" She glanced at all of us. "Without those answers, attacking would be suicide."

"Koenma."

We all turned to look at Hiei, who was looking sullen as usual. He was glaring at the screen.

"If these fools are done, I have my own question."

"Alright, go ahead, Hiei," Koenma said tiredly.

Hiei's mouth turned up into a sneer. "What class does Spirit World rank me?"

"Hiei..." Kurama warned.

Hiei shot him an aggravated look. "It's a fair question," he shot back, and turned his attention back to Koenma, who was looking very put on the spot. "If these Spirit World lackeys are putting a letter on me, then I deserve to know."

Hiei waited.

I couldn't believe how self-centered he was being. Seriously. Here we were, contemplating our soon-arriving apocalypse, and he wanted to know what Reikai thought of him.

Hiei shot me a glare, and I returned it, not caring that he was a telepath.

"Very well, Hiei," Koenma sighed. "As I've said before, Toguro was an upper B class. And at the conclusion of the tournament..." Koenma took a prepatory breath, "...you were ranked in the middle B class."

Hiei's eyes flashed. "Underestimate me even now?" The question was a threat.

"For the record," Koenma continued, cutting him off, "when you met and fought Yusuke, you only had an upper D class ranking. In less than a year, Hiei, you've almost jumped two full classes. Quite an astounding feat..."

"You're a toddler," Hiei sneered, turning away. "Don't father me, fool."

He strode over to the front door, and pushed it open. A cool breeze blasted into the room, rustling his cloak.

"Hiei, come on..." Yusuke started, stepping towards the short demon.

"You already have your fox, your clown, and your hag," Hiei retorted, before Yusuke could even get his protest out. "I'm a moot point."

"You're just going to walk away?!" Kuwabara cried, looking irate.

Hiei slowly turned. There was a vindictive smirk on his features. "This is your world to look after—not mine. I don't intend to hinder your cause..." he turned back to the door, and stepped out onto the threshold, "...but I'm not going to help it, either."

"Coward!" Kuwabara accused, staying Hiei again, though this time, the demon didn't turn around. Kuwabara glared at his back. "Real men help when they're needed."

"Hn," Hiei shot back, over his shoulder. "Save that idealism for your fairytales."

Then he took a hold of the door, and slammed it shut behind him.

"Well I'M not shedding any tears, Hiei!" Kuwabara roared at the closed door—vainly, I thought... Hiei would have already disappeared. "In fact, I'm GLAD you're gone!" Breathing heavily, he rounded on the rest of us, and I flinched, prepared for more screaming.

Kuwabara glared at all of us. "He's still the... same selfish punk that he was from the start..."

"Yeah, he's the same," Yusuke agreed, frowning at the ground, brow furrowed in thought. "He'll come save us in the end, when we need him the most."

I disagreed with that one.

"It's hard to predict what he'll do," Kurama put in, his eyes a little distant—he was also in deep thought. "Humanity's destruction was Hiei's former dream..."

Should've known, I thought, frowning.

"...These new developments give him much to consider," Kurama finished, and flicked his gaze back to the briefcase's screen, where Koenma was still visible.

Koenma shrugged helplessly. "I wish I could help you with him... but I have to get back to work. Sorry." The screen blacked out.

Botan closed it with a sad, worried look on her face.

"So what now?" Kuwabara asked.

Genkai folded her hands behind her back. "We move into the city at dawn, and begin scouting. These three," she jerked her head towards Yana, Kido, and Kaito, "are going with us."

"You guys game for that?" Yusuke asked doubtfully, looking over at the trio.

"What do you think?" Yana replied, frowning. "It's our hometown, man... we're not going to sit around and watch it turn into some demon parade."

"We've already been given our powers," Kaito added. "The way I see it... we can either help out the humans or the demons... and to tell you the truth, I prefer my own kind."

"Same goes for me," Kido finished.

"All right," Genkai said briskly, looking around at us. "Right now, your jobs are to get what little sleep you can. In the morning, we'll divide into two groups, so we can cover more territory. Until we know more, nobody goes home, and nobody leaves the group. There are four bedrooms, so you'll have to pair up. They're through that door." She jerked her head to her left, where the said door was nestled between two of Kaito's tropical plants.

"Wait a sec!" Kuwabara protested. "We're all sleeping in this creepy house?! I didn't even bring my pillow..."

He eyed Botan appraisingly.

"Um, Botan..." he ventured pleadingly, "could you pet my hair until I fall asleep...?"

Botan shot him an outraged look, and slapped his shoulder. Kuwabara cringed.

"Yukina wouldn't appreciate that!" she reminded him severely.

"I... I meant it in a mom kind of way...!" Kuwabara protested, flinching away from her.

"Reina," Botan said breezily as the others filed through the door, "Let's go find a room—far away from that jerk." She shot Kuwabara a glare, and he mumbled resentfully before disappearing through the door.

"Yeah," I agreed, and started to follow her.

"Reina. Kurama."

Both of us paused, and turned, glancing back at Genkai, who regarded us grimly. Botan also glanced back; I shrugged at her and she disappeared through the door.

I turned completely in Genkai's direction, shooting a confused glance at Kurama—which didn't relieve me much; he looked expectant. And worried.

Of what?

"Genkai?" I questioned, flicking my gaze back to her. My brow furrowed.

She seemed to ignore me, because she was looking at Kurama.

"I've come to a conclusion about what you told me," she informed him quietly, her mouth set in a solid, uneasy frown.

I looked between them, perplexed.

"I told her... about your dreams," Kurama gave in, shooting me a careful look. "And our suspicions that they are real."

"Oh," I said, eyebrows shooting into my hairline. I was more startled than embarrassed, surprisingly. Kurama looked as if he were expecting me to tell him off. "Okay."

"And it's not good," Genkai growled, reclaiming our attention. Kurama's and my heads swiveled back in her direction, and I felt a pang of wary anxiety knot in my chest.

"All right," I said after several tries, and crossed my arms. "What's—what's so... bad about it?"

Genkai shot me a stern look, and crossed her arms as well. She heaved a short, quick sigh. "You're a smart kid. Both of you are." She inclined her head towards Kurama, and frowned at me. "Think about it, Reina. Every time you take off that amulet, your power probably... rushes out, doesn't it? Like it's... eager."

I shifted uneasily. "Yes, it does. Because it's been cooped up so long... it's just trying to find an equilibrium, that's all."

"But after you dream about Kuronue and Masuyo..." Genkai's words were slow, deliberate, "it's not as eager, is it?"

I drew back a little, and frowned to myself.

"Yeah," I realized, blinking as I remembered. "I... I guess you're right. I never really noticed..." I met her gaze, frown deepening. "What does that have to do with anything, Genkai?"

She sighed again, exasperated. "Think about it. What kind of souls are in the amulet?"

I thought about that for several seconds. "A human psychic—that's Masuyo, and a demon. Kuronue." I thought it over several times, but still couldn't make the connection—whatever that connection was. I made a helpless gesture.

Genkai tapped her foot impatiently. "Think. Your power's cooped up behind the amulet. It wants to go find some demons to electrocute. And then..." she made a wide motion with her hands, "it finds a demonic aura. It's inside the amulet. Your power goes after it."

Kurama let out a low sound—it almost sounded like a hiss, and his eyes widened. "You aren't saying..."

Genkai nodded, expression grim. "Yes, I am, Kurama. It makes sense."

They exchanged a weighted look.

"Okay," I said, a little peeved, after a few seconds of heavy silence. "You guys might understand... but I don't. What are you saying, grandma? What is this all about?"

Genkai turned her gaze to mine.

"What I'm saying, kid..." she said, her words weighted and harsh, "is that your psychic power, and the pull of Kuronue's spiritual energy... is forcing your soul to separate from your body."

I froze, eyes going wide. My breath was caught in my throat, and I couldn't say anything.

"...And if it continues, Reina," Genkai went on, her voice forbidding, "your body's going to fail. Botan and Yusuke dealt with a case like this one time... and that kid almost died. The only reason you've survived this long is because you're a psychic, and your soul is used to strain. The other one was just a regular human."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said, waving my hands to stay her. "It still doesn't make sense. I can't sense any demonic energy coming from the Barrier Stone. I never have..."

Genkai was shaking her head before I finished.

"You've made a little bit of progress in controlling your power—only a little. By the time you got the amulet, you and Kurama had been training for a while, right?" She glanced at Kurama, who nodded in assent. Genkai looked back at me. "You automatically keep tabs on it... but when you're asleep, that's when you're the weakest—both physically and spiritually. Your defenses go down. You're vulnerable," she concluded matter-of-factly, re-crossing her arms.

I felt cold. Genkai was right...

"That would explain..." I said, stunned, staring unseeingly at the ground, "why I was... sick, earlier."

"You weren't sick, Reina," Kurama corrected quietly. "You were weak. Your very soul was weak."

There was a long silence.

"Wearing the amulet isn't like being close to a demon," Genkai informed me. "That's because Kuronue's energy is bound by the wards on the pendant. But your energy went looking for him. So you... met in the middle.

"Never wear the amulet when you're asleep," Genkai continued, and dug in her pocket. She pulled out several paper wards, and handed them to me. Kurama drew away from me, eyeing them warily.

"Those aren't nearly as powerful as the amulet," she said, tapping her foot again, "but it'll keep you from sensing demonic energy tonight, so you can get some sleep."

I pulled my backpack from my shoulder, and shoved them into one of the pockets. Then I held up my hands again.

"Genkai... wait. Let me get this straight real quick..."

Genkai, frowning in her usual irritation, waited. So did Kurama. He was looking at me.

"What you're saying..." I said slowly, "is that I can't wear the amulet when I sleep. That I can't visit Kuronue and Masuyo anymore."

"That's right," Genkai grunted.

I shook my head. "But, Genkai... they're stuck in there! That's the only way I can communicate with them—"

"—Don't be a dimwit, kid," Genkai cut me off, her frown lines deepening in her wizened, severe-looking features. "If you try to save them, you'll die."

"But...!"

"It is not your responsibility, Reina," Kurama interrupted me this time, shifting in my direction despite the wards. He looked disturbed. "And... well... they chose their fates." Something like regret flashed briefly in his eyes, but I was too preoccupied to really notice.

"Listen to me," I said clearly, pleadingly, looking between Kurama and Genkai. "You have no idea, either of you… what it's like in there! It's complete oblivion. And all that Kuronue has is Masuyo, and vice versa." I threw up my hands. "And they hate each other! I know he killed her, but you think that a few centuries of solitary confinement would make them at least get along..."

"You're rambling," Genkai informed me in a very displeased-sounding growl.

I let my hands drop, and breathed an exasperated sigh, looking at her. "Okay, maybe I am. But I can't not help them..."

My fingers moved almost of their own accord to the Barrier Stone. My fingertips brushed over the pendant. Despite what Kurama had said, it was my responsibility. Maybe I was being stupid, but I truly believed that. There had to be some way to help them.

To free them.

"Dimwit," Genkai growled, her voice snapping me back into the present. Her eyes flashed. "You're still needed—preferably among the living."

I let out another sigh. "Genkai..."

Her wrinkled hand shot up, stopping me in my tracks. "If my claims of your usefulness aren't enough to convince you... then take a look at his face," she said gruffly, and jerked her head towards Kurama.

I eyed her for a second, then turned my head in his direction, and studied him.

He stared back at me levelly, his face carefully expressionless.

But he had slipped, this time.

There was a slight tightening around his eyes, a small hardening in his mouth. I could tell, from the stiffness in his face, that his jaw was clenched. His eyes—so meticulously composed—betrayed a small fraction of whatever sentiment I was causing him to feel. He was very, very good at masking his emotions, so I couldn't put a finger on just what that feeling was, but I had a good guess, and averted my gaze guiltily. I stared hard at the ground, head bowed.

Genkai continued to speak.

"Think about Yukina, Reina. Remember her? She would die if she came back from Demon World and found out that her closest friend had gone and killed herself. Just because you felt like entertaining some stupid notion about heroism. (1)

"And your parents?" Genkai let out a sharp, un-amused laugh. "Hell, kid. They don't know what you're even doing right now. And I don't want to be the one to make up some damn cover story to explain your death to them."

My eyes squeezed shut, and I listened in silence.

"It's only a sacrifice if something's gained in the trade. And if you try to save those souls stuck in the amulet, it's just a profitless gamble. You die; they stay trapped. No one wins."

Her last words rang true, dropping my argument like a stone. I knew she was right.

"All right," I mumbled gruffly. "I understand, Genkai. You're right."

"Good," she assented. Then, without saying anything else, she brushed past me, and headed off to another door, which probably led to the room that she was sleeping in.

My hand shook as I lifted it to my face. I covered my eyes with it, and sighed heavily.

"One thing after another, huh?" I asked, and let out a wry, un-amused chuckle. "Death seems to be just waiting for me to make a dumb mistake..."

In my periphery, I saw Kurama shoot me a pointed look. I let my hand drop, and rolled my eyes.

"Okay, not literally. Botan probably doesn't want to see any of us die. But you know what I mean."

Kurama shook his head slowly, staring hard at the ground. "I just... cannot believe that I did not see this." He rubbed the back of his head, disbelief etched in his tone. "You could have died, and we would not have known why..."

"Please, don't do that," I groaned, and stepped over to him, taking hold of his arm and shaking it to get his attention. Oddly, he flinched, and shot a sharp look at my backpack. I sighed and jerked it off my shoulder, tossing it away so that the wards wouldn't bother him.

"Do what?" he asked, voice calmer than before.

"Take the blame for everything, that's what," I replied, frowning up at him. "I mean... I'm the only person here who has the right to do that. You and I both know that talking to dead people usually isn't healthy..."

His lips quirked a bit at that, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. Then, after a beat of hesitation, he slipped his other arm around my waist, and embraced me.

I was slightly startled, but wasn't complaining. I let my cheek rest on his shoulder.

"Just give me your word..." he breathed, and his fingertips slipped up my spine. I suppressed a shudder. "on one thing."

"What?" I mumbled, looking up at his face.

He looked down at me, face expressionless for a single second, and then, in the next, a smirk appeared on his features, and he released me.

My aura branched out, and I let out a startled gasp, unprepared for the fire.

"Not necessary anymore," he said smugly, twirling the Barrier Stone around one finger. "I have already been thoroughly convinced of your trustworthiness."

"Not fair," I huffed, watching my amulet as it whirled through the air. "You're a highly trained demonic thief. You could have at least given me some warning..."

Kurama shrugged, still smirking.

I copied his nonchalant gesture. "Well, then. I guess... no goodnight kissing for you." I shot him an innocent smile.

Kurama cocked his head at my dare.

Then, smirk widening, he strode over to me—I made myself stay very still—and dropped the Barrier Stone around my neck. His aura disappeared off of my zap radius, and, with a low, amused chuckle, he bent his head, and gently pressed his lips to mine.

Our physical relationship was just like that—a hand on the shoulder, a brush on the cheek. An occasional kiss. Nothing else was really necessary, and, if truth be told, I was still a little... wary of anything more. I mean, after a year of zero-contact because of the daunting repercussions of my psychic powers, this was all very strange to both of us. Baby steps, I'd told him once. Distance was fine.

But, admittedly, so was closeness.

Surely, this was weakness. Every time this happened, something inside me trembled almost excitedly, if not nervously. But it was a good weakness.

Kurama pulled away, and, with another smirk, he let go of me again, lifting the Barrier Stone from my neck for the second time.

I smiled a little wryly at him, and then picked up my backpack, shouldering it.

"You know I keep my promises, right?" I asked him, peering at him from across the space between us. The presence of his aura burned dully in my veins. I took a breath, frowning a little. "I'm not going to go back on my word and try to save them. As much as I dislike that idea."

"I know, Reina," he replied lightly, and pocketed my pendant. He smiled. "But I like to be thorough. After you."

He gestured to the door, and, after a beat of hesitation, I took him up on his offer, striding past him into the hallway.


I'd been packed for a sleepover at Keiko's, so when I pulled out my pajamas from my backpack, my hair still wet from taking a shower, Botan eyed me in an envious way. Though every member of our group had been able to bathe (there was a bathroom for each bedroom; this place was absolutely huge) they had had to put on their old clothes again.

"Sorry," I apologized, stepping over the paper wards and climbing into bed. As soon as I did that, Kurama's aura dulled a little bit, almost to the point where I could ignore it. "Just using my resources. You can borrow some of my clothes in the morning if you'd like. I just don't have another set of pajamas."

"Thanks," Botan replied happily, beaming at me. She elbowed her pillow before pulling it against her chest, resting her chin on top of it. She sat there, cross-legged, and studied me. "Are you all right?" she asked.

As soon as I'd gotten to the room, I'd set out the paper wards, and told Botan about the whole situation about my soul being sucked into the amulet. She'd been startled, and worried, but I'd calmed her down before I took a shower. She seemed to be fairly at ease now, though her brow was still puckered in a concerned way.

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied easily, smiling and jerking the covers over my legs. I stretched my legs under the covers; they were aching from all the standing I had done tonight. I sighed and looked back up at Botan.

"Seriously," I assured her; she looked doubtful. "I can't hardly sense Kurama's energy, and that probably wouldn't even matter anyway." I yawned, and looked at my watch. Three in the morning. "I could probably fall asleep standing up…"

"Me too," Botan mumbled, shoving her pillow against the headboard, and plopped down, resting her head on it. She eyed me blearily. "Just wake me up if you need anythi... any..."

She'd fallen asleep, snoring lightly, mouth partly open. I chuckled a little bit, and turned off the lamp on the bedside table, and rested my head on a flat and lumpy pillow. I closed my eyes.

And this time, I didn't dream.


(1) Yukina, I'm assuming, is back in Demon World. At the close of this arc, when she returns, she says that she had been given permission to return to the Human World to search for her brother.

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