Chapter 11

Wonder what's been new here.

Yusuke wandered down the hallway. He was back after having gone home for a week, which was mostly for Keiko's benefit and to stop her nagging about his missing school. She had questioned him about whether he was working on a new case, to which he replied yes, but he wasn't sure what details he could release even to her. It seemed to satisfy her for the moment, especially since he promised her he would be home relatively often.

Not like they need me too much for this assignment right now, since we're kinda stuck as far as what to do with it.

He'd been to see Koenma already, who had told him as much. The prince seemed pretty annoyed, especially since he wasn't being given a lot of time to focus on the case with all the work his father was insisting he take care of in the wake of the Sensui incident. "What I would like to know," fumed Koenma, "is how exactly this demon's inhabited Kate without leaving a trace for so long, and how she was still able to dwell in her body even with such a strong anti-demon charm working against her!"

"Hey…things happen?" Yusuke had said hesitantly; Koenma proceeded to throw a slight tantrum. The prince had a tendency to be pissed when he didn't know what was going on, as Yusuke knew all too well by this point.

There has to be some way to figure this out, someone who would know about the…collision of spirits or essences or something like that…

Yusuke turned a corner, and was surprised to suddenly come upon the subject of their conversation. The girl was curled up on a windowsill reading a book. Yusuke waved as he approached; she closed the book on her finger and waved back.

"Hey, Kate. What's up?"

"Hey…Yusuke?" He grinned and nodded. She jabbed a triumphant fist into the air. "Yes! Sorry, I'm usually very bad with names, so remembering is always good for me. Not too much is up. Found the library," she said, indicating the book.

"They…have a library?"

"Mhm." She pulled her mass of brown curls over one shoulder, then rested her chin on a hand. She looked a bit less tired than the last time he'd seen her, but not much. "Or a whole lot of books on a bunch of shelves, at least. The place was HUGE; I couldn't see the end of it."

"What are you reading? Looks dense," he said, eyeing the small print.

She laughed. "You could say that. Jane Austen. I was surprised they had it."

Yusuke snagged the book from her, flipped open to a random page and read, "'Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?'" He blinked, then snickered and handed it back to her. "Definitely dense. As in, I didn't understand a word of that. You read a lot of this kind of stuff? And like it?"

"Yup, and yup. That's my job as a future English teacher." She leaned back against the frame and hugged the book to her chest. Then her gaze darkened. "Although I guess that depends on when I get rid of this little problem." She blinked and focused on him again. "So, uh…where's Kurama? Shuichi? Whatever you call him? Haven't seen him in a few days." She sounded more interested in this than she looked.

"Ha, well, it's Kurama in these parts. And he went home to be with his little sister. I think she got sick the other day and his mom wanted him back. He should be back here again pretty soon."

"Stepsister? Oh yeah, he told me that." She placed the book in her lap and traced circles on the cover, smiling slightly. "So that part was true too. Cool."

"Um, I'm pretty sure everything Kurama said to you was true. He's probably the most sincere person I know."

"Hm. Yeah, well, guys have funny definitions of each other sometimes," she said with a touch of bitterness.

"Eh, maybe." Yusuke shrugged as he leaned against the wall across from her and folded his arms. "Hey, so…if you don't mind me referring to what you're, um, dealing with, I do have something you might want to know about."

She eyed him for a moment, then gestured for him to continue.

"Believe it or not, I kind of know how you feel…"

"She longed to know what at that moment was passing in his mind; in what matter he thought of her, and whether, in defiance of everything, she was still dear to him."

Kate let her gaze slide from the page, sat up, closed her favorite Austen, and stretched.

That's enough unlikely but destined love for the moment. She climbed off of the windowsill, tucked the book under her arm and walked down the hallway. She eyed each door as she passed it, wondering what was behind each of them.

Her mind wandered to her situation. She still hadn't totally faced the fact that she was…well, where she was. The Spirit World? Sounded like something out of a comic book. She missed Lily…she hoped the little girl was getting along without her. And she couldn't really get over the fact that the sky was purple.

It was nice to have talked to Yusuke, though. At least she wasn't alone in the…experience. Although he'd only been used for one, not four…

M-murders.

Her breath caught. The dark shadow she'd been warding off for the past few days suddenly rose to threaten her again. She stopped and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Don't think about it. Just don't.

She forced herself to take a deep breath, and her head slowly cleared until she could focus on the hall ahead of her. Above all else at the moment, though, she thought, I'm just really bored.

She continued walking, turned a corner and suddenly came upon a door left slightly open. Curious, Kate nudged it open and stuck her head inside. The room, besides an overflowing desk and a shimmering screen, was empty. She cast a glance down the hallway on either side, then slipped all the way into the room.

Hey, if you leave the door open, you're asking for it.

She walked over to the desk and examined it. It was covered with papers, and a nearly-dried stamp lay idle on top of the smallest pile. The only corner of the desk that she could actually see was covered in buttons. A bright blue button stood out among a few smaller black ones. Kate regarded it with interest as she placed Pride and Prejudice next to it on the wood.

Probably makes the Human World self-destruct or something.

She stared hard at the button. Nah. He wouldn't put something that dangerous right there on his desk. Then again, what do I know? Hm.

On impulse, she reached out and pressed the button, then jumped as a ten-by-ten section of the floor nearby slid away to reveal rows and rows of video tapes. Kate knelt slowly next to them, reading the labels written neatly in black.

Maze Castle: Kuwabara vs. Byakko

Dark Tournament: Yusuke vs. Jin

What are these? Boxing matches?

Her eyes continued to rove over the labels, then she froze. Some had Kurama's name on them.

Maze Castle: Kurama vs. Genbu

Dark Tournament: Kurama vs. Touya

Dark Tournament: Kurama vs. Karasu

This last tape caught her eye. There was a slight quaver to the letters, as if the writer hadn't really wanted to finish the inscription. She slid it from between Genkai vs. Suzaku and Hiei vs. Bui. She looked around for some sort of VCR and found one in the side of Koenma's desk. She stared at the tape, looked towards the door, then shrugged and inserted the tape. Might as well.

The huge screen on the opposite wall immediately switched on. There was a second or two of static, then the image of a packed stadium appeared. The audience members didn't seem human…at all.

Demons, she realized with a jolt. They must be demons.

The cameras were aerial, shooting from the high walls of the stadium. The two figures on the center platform were small. A closer shot flickered onto the screen, and the red haired figure on the left was unmistakable. Kurama crouched on top of a pile of debris, dirty and exhausted. On the right, a pale, thin man with long blonde hair stood on a large platform. She assumed this was Karasu. The intense gaze he had focused on Kurama chilled her to the bone. In his eyes she saw malice and a desire for…possession.

What is this?

The camera switched back to Kurama, who suddenly looked fierce and determined. He threw away the rose he was holding, then leapt into the ring once again. For the next few seconds, Kate couldn't see much except occasional blurs of color. But due to some apparently amazingly receptive microphones installed somewhere, she could hear every word the fighters said.

Karasu's voice rang clearly in her ears. "I think you've finally lost your mind. If you come any closer, you are a dead man!"

Kurama returned vehemently, "I will not be afraid of something I cannot see!"

A huge green ball of light shot from the blonde's hand and rocketed towards Kurama. With an agility that made Kate's breath catch in her throat, he leapt over it and delivered a solid blow to Karasu's chest. The redhead's opponent skidded backwards some yards before grinding to a halt.

Kurama's expression was murderous, but Kate could tell that he was tired. Karasu, on the other hand, looked far from winded. "You're just full of surprises. But I thought you would be more original." He put a hand over his heart, then pulled a small seed out of his skin. A trail of blood leaked down his pale chest as he smiled mockingly.

"You really thought this would work! It's called tact, Kurama. You should really consider using some. I must congratulate you, though. You've injured me more than once and that is practically unheard of."

There was a second of static, then the sound cut out. A cloud of green orbs had appeared around Kurama. Kate gasped at the expression on the boy's face; it was one of pure terror. Karasu said something else, then raised his hand. The orbs bombarded Kurama one after another, exploding with sprays of blood. The sound chose that moment to fizzle back on, and Kurama's agonized screams ripped through her chest as she stared transfixed at the screen.

As suddenly as it had started, the barrage stopped. Kurama stood motionless for a moment, then pitched forward onto the ground. His clothes were soaked in crimson, and his eyes were closed.

Oh…my God.

The screen suddenly blurred, then switched to static. Kate abruptly became conscious of herself again; one of her hands gripped the desk like a vice and the other was pressed over her mouth. She lowered the second, and saw that it shook like a leaf in a hurricane. She looked back at the fuzzy screen. What WAS that?

A new voice, actually in the room, startled her.

"There's no point to being so horrified. Kurama obviously survived."

Kate started and looked up to see a short, black-haired and black-clad man standing nearby.

"Who are you?"

He shot a contemptuous glance at her. "We've met. Or at least, I've met the spineless demon hiding like a coward inside you." He eyed her warily but expectedly, as if waiting for some violent response he really wanted. He seemed disappointed when she only glared at him.

"Um…okay. And who was he? This Karasu guy?"

"An arrogant fool who underestimated Kurama and paid dearly for it. Although Kurama did come within an inch of death. It wasn't his smartest fight either."

"Fight? What the hell was this, some kind of sick-?"

He looked at her, his red eyes suddenly laser-intense.

"Has she said anything to you?"

"Who?"

"Haya."

She couldn't suppress a shudder at the name. "Um, no. And I'd rather she didn't."

Again, he seemed disappointed. What the hell's his problem? Kate thought, her hackles raising. "What, would you like me to set up an appointment for you?"

"Hn. Be grateful that necklace even exists. You could never hold her back on your own."

"I know. Believe me, I am grateful for this ugly thing. And what do you care, anyway?"

The demon looked sharply at her again.

"The demon hiding in your body killed a partner of mine one hundred years ago. Just before he died, he made me promise vengeance against her. The bandit's honor code I grew up with is a strict one. It's my sacred responsibility to see her dead."

He didn't move, but Kate could feel a decidedly unfriendly energy stretching out towards her from the demon. She slowly stepped away from him around the desk.

"I'd love to see that too. But I kind of need this body. Sorry. Won't help me if you run it through."

He stared at her for a moment, then disappeared. She braced herself for an attack, but none came.

The screen cleared of static, and the same image of the stadium came back into view. Kate winced to once more see the blood-covered Kurama on the ground…but he suddenly raised himself onto his elbows and looked up at his attacker. Karasu lifted his hand and formed a crackling ball of green energy, which he then hurled mercilessly at the downed redhead as Kate exclaimed, "No!"

"Kate?"

Kate jumped and whirled around to see Kurama standing in the doorway. He took a few steps into the room.

"Are you all right?" His concerned gaze flickered from her to the screen as he spoke. "What did Hiei want?"

When he took in what the screen showed, his gaze darkened.

Kate looked back and gasped again, this time in disgust. A huge, spiny plant extending from Kurama to Karasu was sucking the life out of the whitening blonde as it rapidly grew over him. The camera zoomed in for a close shot of the gruesome death, then switched back to Kurama. He lay on the ground, pale and lifeless.

In a second, Kurama was next to her. "If you don't mind-"

He reached past her to hit the eject button on the desk. The screen went dark and the tape popped out into Kurama's hand.

Kate couldn't help but take in the boy for a moment as he stood examining the tape. Calm, cool expression. One hand straying to his pocket. Searching green eyes. It was all so different from what she had seen on the screen a moment ago, and she felt an odd sense of relief. The boy looked up at Kate, and she averted her gaze from his face to focus on the tape he held as he spoke.

"The Dark Tournament. A fighting competition for demons. The four of us- that is, Yusuke, myself, Hiei and Kuwabara, whom you have yet to meet- were blackmailed into taking part." He walked to the shelves, knelt by them and slid the tape back into its place. "This was the first fight of the final round. Myself against-"

"Karasu."

He glanced at her and nodded. "Yes." His gaze drifted away as he sat back on his heels. "Not my best fight."

"But you won. I mean, you must've won, you're alive and he-"

"No, actually." Kurama smiled ruefully. "I lost. By the slightest increment of time." He looked at her. "Every second counts. Always."

"It...um...looked painful."

He shrugged, his expression oddly serene. "I survived. There's no point in dwelling on it further."

She stared at him for a moment, then sat down where she was and fiddled with the hem of her robe as she spoke. "Listen…about the other day. I'm sorry. You were trying to help me, and I-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Please don't worry about it, it was completely understandable behavior. We hadn't given you any sort of explanation at that point."

"Heh, I most likely wouldn't have believed you, no matter what you'd said. Unless you had run with the ransom kidnapping bit I came up with."

"Well, someone actually did have that idea."

"Really? Hm. That would've sucked a lot, though. Probably would have just stayed in the room forever. Kept bashing you and everyone else when you didn't really deserve it. And," she added, casting a glance at the ceiling, "it would have meant everything that, uh, happened back home was just a cruel plot for my family's money. Which wouldn't have gotten you much, by the way."

"What do you mean?"

"Um, did you see my house? Were you expecting the Banks family?"

"Excuse me, I am not referring to that. I meant the things you said happened."

"Oh. Well, you know. Deflecting Mark's fist twice, being really sweet to my stepsister, walking me home." She smiled slightly at the memories, then her face fell as she stood and retrieved her book from the desk. "Or was that also some plot, to find out where I lived so you could pin down the demon?"

He stood as well, shaking his head firmly. "No. We had no idea she was using you that way; we only discovered the connection that night. And…I am exceedingly sorry it took us so long to figure it out. I should have seen it far sooner." They left the room and started walking through the hallways. It seemed to Kate that he sank into a dark reverie, then he suddenly looked back at her, eyes clear and insistent. "All of those things, those instances, were completely genuine. Of course they were. And I suppose…they just happened."

"Like fate?"

"Hm." Kurama looked away again. "Perhaps."

They stopped at a balcony overlook, and Kurama repeated his earlier question. "What did Hiei want?"

"Oh. He told me that she killed a teammate or something of his years ago, and he'd promised vengeance on her. So in Hiei's eyes, I'm basically harboring a fugitive. Doesn't make much of a difference to him whether or not I actually want to."

He looked quickly at her. "He won't hurt you."

She didn't notice his intense gaze. "Right. What makes you so sure? That's a pretty sharp sword he carries around. I think it would only take him an easy second to make me chop suey."

"Just trust me on this. He would not dare."

"Well, don't expect me to be hanging out alone with him anytime soon."

The girl ran a hand along the railing as she stared out at the landscape, then she suddenly gasped. Kurama looked at her, and saw that her eyes had gone blank and dark. "Kate?" he said worriedly.

She let go of the railing like it was a red-hot poker and stumbled backwards, nearly falling. The book she carried tumbled to the floor. He moved to catch her, but she pushed him away. "No!" she said, shaking her head vigorously as she clutched it between both hands, sinking to her knees.

What is wrong with her?! He took a step backwards. Is it possible the necklace has stopped working? Could she be about to transform? He unconsciously put a hand to his hair, ready to pull out his whip. But could I attack? Now that I know-?

She suddenly lifted her head, feebly pushing her hair from her face. Her gaze had refocused to the present, but she avoided his. Kurama offered her a hand, but she stood unsteadily by herself. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

He asked quietly, "Does it happen often?"

Kate turned away and squinted out at the yellow mountains. "Not TOO often."

He watched her for a moment, glanced down at the book on the floor, bent to pick it up and ran a hand across its cover. "Has Elizabeth rejected Mr. Darcy's first proposal yet?"

She started and blinked incredulously at him. "You-you've read Pride and Prejudice?"

"For extra credit in English class a couple years ago."

She took the book from him and turned it over in her hands. "Well, what did you think of it?"

Kurama shrugged. "It was fine. I didn't particularly care for it. It's very hard for me to take stories like that seriously."

"So you don't believe in it. Love, I mean."

"In love? Oh, of course. It's what made me who I am today."

"Oh, and what were you before?"

Kurama cleared his throat and took his turn staring at the mountains. "Nothing worth mentioning. Just a very different person."

"But, I guess what I really mean is romantic love. The type where two people are brought together against all odds. That kind of stuff."

Kurama furrowed his brow in response. He wasn't really used to conversing about these sorts of things…and for some reason, it was even harder to do so now...

"I just find it very…rare. And unreliable." He looked at her. "Do you believe in it?"

She looked away. "Well, I agree with you on rare and unreliable. And...I guess I haven't, for a while."

Kate released a huge yawn, then grimaced at Kurama. "Ugh, sorry. It might seem really lame when I'm on such a grand adventure, but I think I'm going to try for a nap." Kate wasn't sure how much luck she would have with that…her body and mind never seemed to want to let her sleep. Or at least never for very long.

"May I walk you back to your room?"

"Sure."

When they reached Kate's door a few minutes later, Kurama handed the book to her, then his eyes lit up. "I nearly forgot. I found this in the hallway near my room." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver ring. "Is it yours?"

Kate's heart leapt; she nodded and held out her hand for the ring. "It is, thanks!"

"You're welcome." Without any hesitation and to Kate's slight surprise, he nonchalantly took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. "Well, I'm off to find Koenma- I hope you have a good nap." He turned and began walking down the hallway.

"Kurama!" called Kate. He turned back around, and the girl held up the book. "I'm past the first proposal. She just read his letter, and...now she's wondering what he thinks of her."

Smiling, Kurama held her gaze for a moment, then his expression became oddly serious as he backed away. "I'll see you later, Kate." He abruptly turned and walked down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.

Feeling a bit dazed, Kate looked down at her hand as she entered her pale grey room. He had put the ring on the opposite hand from the one she usually had it on…it now rested on the ring finger of her left hand. Her eyes widened and she felt her face flush slightly. Oh.

Botan flitted around Koenma's desk, straightening the mountainous piles of papers on the desk and muttering irritably, "This is what the OGRES are for, why can't they keep anything-?"

Kurama's voice came from behind her. "You're quite right about the ogres. You don't have to do that, Botan." She turned to see him watching her, amused.

Botan blushed and scurried away from the table. "Just thought I'd tidy it up for him, he has enough to do."

"Is he here?"

"Well, I can't promise he'll be here right away, but I'll try and find him." Botan headed for the door.

"Botan."

The ferry girl turned around and looked at the kitsune curiously. "Yes, Kurama?"

"You're taking care of her?"

"Of course," she said softly. Oh, Kurama. Always so considerate.

Kurama nodded his thanks, but as soon as Botan turned to leave, Koenma entered, followed by Yusuke. The prince went to his desk and sat down, glancing at the somewhat neater piles of paper. "Huh, that looks different. George finally did something useful."

Botan sighed; Kurama caught her eye and winked, and she grinned. Oh, might as well give George a break.

Koenma leaned back in his chair and gestured to Yusuke. "So, Yusuke had a good idea that I should have thought of first."

Yusuke jumped in excitedly. "Who knows the most about spirit energy and that sort of thing besides, well, us?" He looked around at them all. "Genkai! What d'you think? I'm sure she has time to talk to us, since she doesn't have many students nowadays."

Kurama nodded. "Not a bad idea. You'll communicate with Genkai, Koenma?"

"Yup, I'll give her a call now. Is Kate in her room?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure she'd want to know as soon as we took action." Koenma reached for the button for the screen connecting the two rooms, but Kurama put out a hand.

"She's napping, we can wait and tell her later."

"You saw her?" said Yusuke as the two boys walked out of the office together. Kurama nodded, and Yusuke continued. "I just talked to her a little while ago."

"About what?"

"Well, about my own little possession experience. Thought she might like to know she wasn't alone. I said I understood how she felt, kind of, y'know?"

Kurama stopped walking. "Wait," he said urgently. "Did you tell her anything about Sensui?"

He shrugged. "Not too much. The basics. Um, why?"

He relaxed slightly, but not completely, as they continued down the hall. "I just feel that normal humans should not know how close their world came to a near-apocalypse."

"Well, I have a feeling Kate's a pretty tough girl. She barely blinked when I mentioned that part."

"Did you say anything about-"

He faltered, and Yusuke leaned forward curiously. "Yeah? About what?"

Kurama studied the tiles for a moment as they walked. He wasn't sure why that had come to mind…

"This isn't about choosing one life over the other. You know what Sensui plans to do. I can't say you aren't responsible for your fate."

He heard the clicking of the joystick…the boy's frantic cries…

"I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

A thud as the boy fell to the ground…rumbling as his territory crumbled…then Yusuke's voice saying quietly, "Kurama, don't blame yourself-"

He heard his own voice. "I have no regrets, Yusuke." The reality of the cold, dark cave rematerialized. He walked on.

As necessary as it was, I wouldn't want her…no, I wouldn't want anyone to know about that particular action of mine.

Kurama looked up again and shook his head. "Nothing."

"She seemed really curious about everything we've done. I remembered I had promised to do something for my mom at that point and had to leave- it is her birthday tomorrow, after all- but maybe you could fill her in sometime."

"Maybe." Kurama cast a glance at Kate's door as they passed it. "I'm glad we're going to talk to Genkai."

There suddenly issued from the room the peculiar scream of one awakened by nightmares. Yusuke and Kurama looked at each other, alarmed, and the Spirit Detective reached for the knob. Kurama moved to stop him, and when Yusuke began to protest, the kitsune held up a hand. Her muffled screaming changed to muffled sobbing, which soon subsided. Then Kate began muttering, "Stop it, stop it. You're okay…oh God-"

Kurama whispered, "We…can't help her. She has to fight these memories herself." He didn't voice his other reason for stopping his friend…

I know that she doesn't want anyone to see her like this.

Kate took a few deep breaths, then began to hum to herself.

They continued walking, and Kurama wanted with every step to go back...