The cloak quivered in Yusuke's hands near midnight; he'd taken it from Hiei after a couple of hours of waiting. "He's on his way," Yusuke said, a sense of wicked excitement in his voice. He pushed up from the chair he'd been lounging in.

Kurama looked at him from where he'd been dozing, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall next to Hiei. He had paced until Hiei told him to sit, to spare his energy for when they'd need it. "On his way?" Kurama asked.

"We added a new ward," Hiei supplied, pushing himself up. "It tells us when Yomi leaves Yusuke's castle."

"Why isn't it in here?" Kurama asked as he stood up.

"The wards on this room would prevent it from working, but the ones on the room Yomi had you in have been modified."

Kurama looked at Hiei. "When did you do that?" he demanded.

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "I didn't. We had help from Koenma to do it."

Kurama recoiled, running his hands through his hair. "I'm tense," he said by way of apology.

"We all are," Yusuke said. "Let's go." He flung the cloak out on the floor. "Let's go," he said again, stepping onto the cloak and falling through it. Hiei followed without another word.

Kurama hesitated, swallowing before stepping into the cloak. He fell from the ceiling, landing lightly, crouched, looking around. A shudder coursed through his body. Though most of the furniture was gone, the room remained the same in his mind. The bed, the oppressive aura, the walls, everything, felt the same. He took another deep breath and looked around the room. The couch was still there, behind it a blue haired demon and one that looked like a child—Shishiwakamaru and Rinku, his mind filled in—watching him anxiously. Between the end of the couch and the window, a redheaded demon whose expression should have been cheerful looked at him in anxious worship and hope. Next to him, an aqua-haired demon watched. Kurama just avoided the impulse to wipe his hands down his pants. "Touya, Jin, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru," he said, nodding to each in turn.

"You do remember?" Jin asked, on the verge of a wide grin.

Kurama could feel his lips turning up despite the anxiety he felt. "Not everything yet, but my memory is returning, yes. I'm sorry you all have been left out so long. I've heard you were helping Yusuke and Hiei to look for me."

"How would it look if we lost our teacher?" Touya asked, his voice cold, though there was a warmth in his eyes.

"We're just sorry they found you first," Rinku said, lifting himself to balance on the edge of the sofa. A nervous action, Kurama recognized, his smile growing.

"I'm not sure our fans would appreciate that," Shishiwakamaru sniffed.

Kurama's smile became a full grin. "Of course not. We can omit that from the retelling of the story and begin here," he said.

"We have ten minutes," Hiei said curtly. "Do you have a plan?" he asked, looking at Kurama.

Kurama tilted his head and looked around the room. "You and Yusuke wait there, I'll take the couch, and the rest of you can stay as you are," he said, moving into position as Hiei moved to lean against the wall by the door.

Yusuke hesitated then moved next to Hiei, leaning back, his foot up against the wall, the very image of contained violence and anger. His eyes snapped, angry, ready for action, a match for the contained passion in Hiei's form.

Kurama found himself rather attracted to the two, attracted to the potential for action, for violence, for everything he saw in their posture, for the memories that teased the corners of his mind. His smile showed that attraction and drew an answering smile from Yusuke and a warm glance from Hiei.

Nodding, he flicked his hair over his shoulder again and took a seat in the center of the couch, every line imperiously set, unconsciously channeling Youko to great effect. There was no hint of the tormented and broken figure that had left this room just a few months before, no trace of the nearly five years being tortured. He was the creature that had been summoned by Uraurashima's fruit in the Ankokubujutsukai.

"And then what?" Jin asked, propped up against the arm of the couch.

Kurama gave him a haughty look. "Then we greet Yomi with all the grace and formality due him before conferring on Shura the burden of rule."

"Shura?" Touya asked, leaning against the window frame.

Kurama glanced at Yusuke and Hiei. "I have more important things to do and I can still serve as the second, if needed." It would leave him free enough to do what he wanted to. He looked at Touya. "Unless you desire it," he offered.

Touya considered. "No, Shura can have the honour," he said blandly, his eyes returning to the door.

"We did miss you," Rinku said.

Kurama turned to look at him. "I know, and I know you searched," he said. "But, Yomi has been planning this for a very long time." His eyes narrowed a little. "It will be quite satisfying to watch his expression as he realizes that his plans have failed," he added, his tone light. "Don't you think?"

"Remind me to stay off your shit list," Yusuke said.

There was a bang on the wall and Kurama jumped despite himself.

"Chuu," Rinku said, settling on his feet behind the couch again. "That's the signal that Yomi's in the building."

Kurama nodded, retaking the pose he'd affected earlier, his eyes focused on the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Yusuke and Hiei were both ready. He could feel the tension of the four around him. It did look as though he were holding court, he thought, the corner of his lips turning up at the thought.

His eyes focused on the doorknob as it began turning. He was a little surprised that there hadn't been some type of code in place, or perhaps it was merely an arranged time. Whatever it was, Yomi was supremely confident of what he was going to find when he opened the door.

The door opened and Yomi froze, frowning in the room, his sightless eyes tensing, his eyebrows drawing together. "Yusuke, Hiei," he said, turning slightly toward them, stepping farther into the room.

Yusuke pushed the door closed, raising an eye at the lack of resistance. "Yes, Yomi. You seem to be exploring my kingdom a little late, don't you think?"

"I would have to agree," Kurama said from where he said.

Yomi turned, his motions controlled, his expression tight. "Kurama, what a pleasant surprise," he managed smoothly.

"A surprise?" Jin spat, silencing when Kurama raised a hand.

"And your disciples," Yomi added. "I didn't expect to find you here," he said.

"Oh?" Kurama asked. "Which of us? Surely I am included in that list of ones you did not expect. Surely you didn't leave me here, trapped, warded, with Karasu to torture me in an attempt to break me."

Yomi swallowed. "Such weighty accusations," he said, a touch of tension in his voice.

"Then, tell us why you're here," Yusuke challenged. "This is my kingdom and there are many suspicious things about this room I'd like explained. If what he says is wrong, then please clarify it for me."

Though he knew the timing was bad, Kurama couldn't help but find Yusuke very desirable the way he was handling himself now. "I would like to know as well," he added, his tone still pleasant.

Yomi face smoothed over, his posture straightening. "As would I," he said, his tone suave.

"You're going to claim not to have come here voluntarily?" Kurama asked. He wasn't surprised, more disgusted at the ploy Yomi was attempting, but he kept it out of his voice, off his face.

When Yomi didn't answer, Yusuke pressed, "You're going to tell us that you didn't come here of your own accord?"

Yomi turned to face Yusuke. "I don't understand your question," he said.

Kurama rose and he knew Yomi's attention was focused on him even though he didn't turn to face him. "You can either tell us of your own accord or we can offer assistance," he said, his voice still light, calm. He reached into his hair, avoiding the janenju for a simple dream flower, one that would loosen Yomi's tongue. He was going to make Yomi suffer as much as possible before trapping him within the janenju. A remembered burst of energy brought the flower into bloom, and it reached out toward Yomi, its small, pink blossoms facing him. Kurama could see out of the corner of his eye that both Yusuke and Hiei were pleased with him.

Yomi backed away as much as the room would allow him to, but he wasn't that far into the room, he ran into the wall in half a step.

A smirk toyed with Kurama's lips before his expression cleared again. "Afraid of a flower?" he asked, his entire manner supercilious.

Yomi tilted his head, trying to match Kurama's attitude. "A flower in your hands is never quite a flower," he said.

"That would explain why there was absolutely no plant life in this room," Kurama said, taking a step closer, keeping the plants between him and Yomi. He could smell fear coming off the horned demon, but it wasn't nearly enough. "What I'd like to know is why Karasu? Why here?"

Yomi tried to pull off looking down his nose at Kurama, but the effect was mitigated by the fact he was pressed against the corner between the wall and the door as firmly as possible.

"Aren't you going to say anything? Defend yourself? Fight me?" Kurama asked. "Has your bravado failed you since the first phase of your plan didn't work out? Or is there something else about this room that you can't risk having discovered by its destruction?" He narrowed his eyes. "Or is it that you're trying to find a weapon? One of the wards in the wall? Can't you take me in a fight, Yomi?"

"Seven against one?" Yomi asked, trying to turn the shame to Kurama. "Are you that much of a coward?"

"Seven against one?" Kurama laughed. "No, Yomi, it is just you and me, no one else will join in. You know me better than that." He caused the flower to caress Yomi's cheek, enjoying how he flinched. "I will not allow anyone else to touch you this time." Something in Kurama's tone caused a shiver to course through Yomi's body and the others to step back. "Are you going to admit your guilt by not fighting?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes. "There's more to this room, more that you don't want Enki finding out about, isn't there? More than just bringing Karasu from the Meikai, more than just warding me within Yusuke's territory."

Yomi lunged at Kurama with a growl. There wasn't much room for him to prepare a proper attack, so it was more as though he threw himself at Kurama, trying to get behind him.

Kurama encouraged the dream flower to wrap around Yomi, his free hand going to his hair and drawing out a rose seed. This weapon he remembered, was so very familiar he felt himself calling it out before he'd consciously identified the seed. The whip came around and wrapped itself around Yomi's neck. "There is, isn't there, something you don't want Enki knowing about." He pulled on the whip, pulling Yomi's body back with it, throwing him against the wall again.

There was a shock through Kurama's body as Yomi hit the wall and his eyes narrowed, flashing more gold than they had. "I see," he said, his voice cold. "Duck," he said to the others and swung his whip over his head, destroying the walls. It was a little disappointing that Yomi obeyed the command, just barely getting below the arc of the whip as it passed him. Plaster, stone, wood all flew, filling the room until a crackle of purple energy showed. "Oh, Yomi, you've been a bad boy, haven't you?" Kurama said, narrowing his eyes at the crackling barrier. He knelt, pressing his whip into Yomi's chin, forcing him to look at him though it wouldn't do anything. The humiliation was the point. "Just how did you draw the Meikai into the Makai, Yomi? And in Yusuke's kingdom? So that if it was found, he'd be blamed?" Kurama tsked, forcing Yomi's head back. "And you fed it off of my youki, didn't you?" He could feel Yomi's youki building up, and being pulled into the wall. His lips curved into a smirk. "Oh, and now it feeds off of your youki. That is why you don't attack." He moved the whip so it traced Yomi's cheek and then across his eyes. "That won't satisfy me," he said, his voice cold. "Let's go outside and fight properly," he said. He wouldn't be satisfied beating Yomi in this room, not like this. Yomi had to suffer, in equal measure to what Kurama had suffered in these five years.

"Fine," Yomi spat.

"You would like that," Kurama said, looking at the barrier over Yomi's head. "This barrier is quite ingenious," he mused. "It is what caused my body to heal so rapidly, isn't it? Not the wards, but this," he said, turning back to Yomi, enjoying the look of discomfort on his face. "It also feeds off the strongest youki in the room, doesn't it? Which is why you're not attacking me. You can't attack with youki, you've been trying, but you won't attack me physically because you believe I can beat you, even after being locked in this room for five years. That was why you wanted me as your second," he said, pulling his whip off Yomi's neck, flinging him against the wall. "If Yusuke or Hiei or the others were to try to attack right now, it would feed off them, but since my plants take less energy than your attacks, I can still attack and beat you in a fight." He tilted his head. "You never learned how to keep yourself under cover, did you?" he asked with a smirk. "That was one thing that kept you from being a good thief, not being able to control yourself."

Yomi scowled. "You don't know what you're talking about," he spat out. "This isn't my territory."

"Of course not," Kurama agreed. "If it were in your territory, Enki wouldn't ask questions when and if it failed. But, in Yusuke's territory, with a demon from the Meikai, he wouldn't question that, either, and that was your plan, to try and continue to tear me down. You intended to have Karasu break me and then remind me of my relationship, pointing out that I was in his territory, so he must have put me there when I visited, to make yourself a hero. That was your plan, wasn't it? To break me and make me into something that would fawn and serve your pleasures without question."

Trying to look appalled, Yomi pushed himself closer to the door, away from Kurama. "I don't know what you're talking about," he spat out.

Kurama laughed, setting the dream flower on the ground and watched it wither. "Of course you don't. Why would you know your own plans? I'm surprised it took you a thousand years to come up with so little." He shook his head, his hair brushing the floor. "Oh, Yomi, such a waste of energy, of time. You spent the whole time just learning to make one barrier, to summon one demon that I fought and defeated once, to try and frame my current partners, didn't you?" He narrowed his eyes. "As well as killing Kuronue and sending the bounty hunters after me." He smiled, cold, hard, sharp. "You also are responsible for the illness that my human mother suffered, and that is why the doctors couldn't find a cure or a cause for it." He leaned back a little, pressing the butt of the whip to Yomi's throat. "Feel free to deny anything that isn't true." He waited while Yomi choked, watched the flow of his energy as Yomi tried to draw up enough energy to attack him. "How long does it take for you to figure out that the more you try to attack, the more the room draws on your energy?"

Yomi snarled. "Shut up. You have no right to speak."

"No right to speak?" Kurama laughed. "I have no right to speak after all that you've done to me, not just now, but before I sent the assassin after you. Your betrayal, your failure and all you suffered was blindness. I did not trap you, did not try to destroy your mind." He smirked. "You're still trying to attack the wrong way," he said, feeling the flow of energy from Yomi. "You spent a thousand years planning this and you can't even remember the pitfalls of your traps. I am ashamed that I ever considered you worthy of being in my group at all."

Yomi lunged, his hands out, reaching for Kurama's neck.

Laughing, Kurama threw Yomi. "It's about time you did something," he said, drawing his whip back into seed form since Yomi had finally drawn back on his energy flow. He stood, watchful as Yomi stumbled and found his feet again and turned. "How does it feel to have all your plans, a thousand years worth, undone in less than ten minutes?"

Yomi lunged again, this time managing to capture Kurama's arm. He snarled at Kuram, pulling him closer. "You haven't undone anything," he snarled. "There is nothing to be undone."

"Now you deny it? A little late, don't you think? You should have said something when I was talking, then I might have believed you."

"What do I care what you believe?" Yomi spat out, seeking a better hold on Kurama.

"You made me your second, that would imply that you care at some level," Kurama pointed out. Even as he spoke, he was surprised that none of the others had said anything yet, especially Yusuke. He was also gratified that he could remember that "But, that was only so you could watch me, have me under your thumb so that you could enact your ridiculous plan for revenge." Once Yomi had a proper hold on him, though not the one that he was looking for, Kurama moved, flinging him over his hip and into the wall head first. He glanced at Hiei and Yusuke and saw the approval on their faces and felt a thrill course through his body.

Yomi caught his balance, but not before he hit the wall. He flared, as though attempting to draw up energy to attack.

Kurama used Yomi's action to draw his whip out again. "Foolish," he said, lashing at Yomi's chest.

Ducking, Yomi snarled at Kurama. The whip just caught the tops of his horns, just breaking the skin. "You are the fool, to think you could possibly be that important."

"I don't think, I know, Yomi. You're transparent." Kurama used Yomi's flare of anger to coax a vine to bring the janenju seed to his hand. He was tired of playing and Yomi was angry enough to be stupid enough to cover the energy needed to sprout the tree and once it was begun, it wouldn't matter if the barrier was there or not, the tree would continue to grow, though he would need to bring down the barrier for it to continue to grow. Then he wondered why Yomi didn't. "You also don't want Enki to know about this barrier." He curled his fist around the seed. "Enki will know and will know who is responsible."

"You can't bring it down," Yomi snarled. Once more, he lunged at Kurama once again.

Kurama brought up his hands, thrusting against Yomi's chest. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked sharply. But, he expected Yomi to attack so directly; he was angry, not even remembering that the room would strip him of his ability to attack with yoki since he kept trying to use his yoki. Kurama intended to keep him this way until the tree was well enough established to live on its own.

"You can't bring it down," Yomi snarled again. "You don't know what will happen," he added, rubbing his chest as he glared at Kurama.

"This is an extension of the Meikai. If it were to be brought down improperly while we are in it, it would create a hole between the two. But, if brought down properly, then nothing would happen." He tilted his head, watching as Yomi let his hand fall back to his side. "And, I know who you hired for this and I know that she leaves a back door in her barriers." Since Yomi didn't look convinced, Kurama added a name, one that he knew Yomi would recognize and no one else in the room would know, enjoying the way Yomi blanched at the sound of it. "So, I do know how to get out of here safely," he said.

It was the last straw for Yomi. He howled and launched himself at Kurama again. Kurama danced back, slipping under Yomi's yoki to activate the janenju. It feed on his energy enough to cause it to sprout and then it fed off Yomi's energy, wrapping around his body, trapping him in its branches. He howled as the tree began taking over his mind, gloating over how he'd trapped Kurama.

Kurama turned to the wall, knowing he'd have to work quickly lest the tree be drained by the barrier, though it was closer to being a Meikai plant than a Makai plant. He turned to look at Yomi and then back at the wall.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Yusuke asked, edging around the room to stand next to Kurama.

"Yes," Kurama said, reaching over to brush his fingers against Yusuke's cheek. "I do know what I'm doing."

Yusuke grinned at him. "Need anything?"

"Not yet," Kurama answered, winking at Yusuke. He turned back to the wall, lowering himself into a squatting position. With his whip, he knocked a hole in the plaster covering the rocks. "Jin, Touya, come and tell me what you see."

Yusuke tilted his head and stepped back as the other two moved to stand behind Kurama, looking over his shoulders. "A keyhole," Jin said, squinting at it.

"An elemental keyhole," Touya added, lowering himself to be level with Kurama.

"For ice and wind," Kurama said, nodding. "If you don't mind, Touya, here," he said, sketching out a design over the barrier. "Do you see where it needs to go?"

Touya squinted, hesitating before nodding. "What kind of demon leaves a key like that?" he asked.

"She has a sense of humor," Kurama said. "And an odd sense of time." He glanced over his shoulder. "Though, we might want to hurry," he said. While the tree was flourishing, he could see that it needed more than was just in Yomi. If they didn't get out of the barrier soon, it would start trying to feed on them as well. It also didn't help that Yomi was now screaming about Kurama being out of reach and his body burning.

Touya focused on the barrier, retracing the pattern Kurama had drawn, a fine line of ice left behind. He tilted his head and then looked at Kurama. "So, Jin is to push the ice in?" he asked.

Kurama smiled. "Very good." He looked at Jin. "Keep your flow of energy very low. It has to be less than his or the barrier will draw energy from you."

Jin nodded. "You don't ask anything easy, do you?"

"I wouldn't be a very good trainer if I did," Kurama pointed out, laughing a little.

Jin grinned at him. "Good to see you back."

"Sometimes confronting the object of your torment is the best cure," Kurama said, glancing over his shoulder to look at Yusuke and Hiei then at Yomi. He turned back to Jin. "You're stalling."

Jin smirked and then turned to the barrier. His expression firmed as he concentrated and he drew up a tiny whir wind and aimed it at the design Touya had created. Slowly, it sunk into the barrier and blue lines began to trace through the purple of the barrier.

"Good," Kurama said, moving away from the wall. He looked at the door. "Is it open? We might want to leave soon."

Yusuke moved to the door and hit it hard enough to shatter it and send the pieces across the hall. "It's open."

The seven of them left the room, feeling the tingling of the barrier as they passed through it. Kurama stopped, turning to watch. The barrier drew into itself, not shattering, but deflating like a balloon, drawing back into the Meikai, leaving Yomi and the janenju behind. The tree took root in the floor, becoming stronger, engulfing Yomi until even his screams couldn't escape. Kurama smiled, a frightening expression. It was over, he had won his life back.