Tsubaki caught Yusuke's arm as he tried to leave on his final note on Nagisa. She pointed above her head like she was about to fire a Spirit gun and paused.
He waited. The two stood in silence among the ambiance of the square. It had become darker than when she had first pulled him aside.
Panning between her face and her finger, he finally asked. "What the hell is it?"
She glanced above her head, at the clouds, the trees, the stars for all he knew. "You don't see anything? Nothing at all?"
"What the hell am I supposed to see?"
She didn't answer. When he met up with Kuwabara, he kicked a pebble down the pavement.
"I know what you talked about," said Kuwabara and Yusuke cringed, unconsciously glancing away from Nagisa walking ahead with Keiko.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain that…"
"Explain what? I saw everything! What she did with her finger," said Kuwabara.
"Wait, you don't mean Nagis—I mean, you saw? What did she do?"
"Oh piss off Urameshi, you were standing right there. It looked like green smoke spinning from her finger that formed words. Just spun inward, over and over: Don't it twist out of control, if so, don't get sucked in yourself. I see you. See, see you. Seriously, Urameshi, it was right there like a glowing billboard."
"Tell me, have you seen other weird signs whenever she's around?"
He scratched his chin. "Well, there was one in the alley. 'Raise the Roof' then the advertisement about cold mint before I saw the frost monster, 'the world is about to get cooler'. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention at first, but when I realized they disappeared, it made sense. She wants me to find clues."
"So you can see these clues but I can't?"
"'Fraid so."
"Good thing you don't need the Spyglass. That ability should come in handy."
Kuwabara hushed his voice though Tsubaki was far out of earshot at that point. "She didn't see the…you know what, right?"
The doll, he thought freely in his mind like he had held his breath the entire time he spoke with her. He thought of the doll, but not of the person who held it at that very moment. "No, she doesn't know who has it."
The streetlights flicked on and the town once fatigued from long work hours glimmered with new life. Dinner service was in full swing, judging by the mouthwatering smells wafting through the square, blending with fruity and wheat alcohols she couldn't touch.
After watching countless people flick coins into the fountain near her, she reached into her pocket. She found a ¥5 coin and shut her eyes to make a wish.
Think of something good. To a good peer reviewed essay? No, something else. To date Tamuro-san when I'm out of high school and of age? Pft, get a grip. To win? Too vague. To not die? To get rid of Kurama's stupid plant? Maybe I should think of something bigger than me. Happiness for all Illusions—even the ones I can't stand? She pressed the center hole of the coin. Why am I so bad at this?
Feeling dumb for clutching the coin for so long, she finally it let slip through her fingers and plop into the water.
A flash of red reflected in the water's surface. "Wishing for something?"
The bones in her hand, stiff from the plant, cracked before facing Kurama. "You're late, again. I may have to tell your mother." She bit her tongue too late. She had remembered the moment his mother had slapped him on the back of the head for being late. Oops. In a normal situation, with a non-demon, she could joke. Not with a death plant one word away from blooming under her skin. She couldn't read his expression for his long fringe had fallen over his eyes.
His death plant squeezed, reaffirming its presence entangled around muscle and bone. As if I could forget you're there.
"Pardon my tardiness. I was late finishing with my prior engagement." An explanation that didn't explain anything to Tsubaki. He spotted the glass jar in her possession.
"Healthy, well-hydrated, flowers blooming, which means it's fed very well." He read the name on note tied to jar's lid. "Ah, one of Riya Kapoor's plants. She's an excellent botanist."
"How do you know Riya?"
"Ao-domu. I've seen her and others use the greenhouse."
That's right. Local high schools share facilities as part of an association. That could explain why Minamino is well known even by Aoshoujos. Could also explain why Esumi knows him.
"Did you plan to talk here?" she asked.
He shrugged as if to suggest that he had no preference and hadn't put much thought to it. "It is in a public space, yet it is loud enough that no one can eavesdrop."
"Well, you made me wait and I'm hungry," said Tsubaki, picking up her jar and bags and led them towards the Short Ichigo cafe.
Back in Spirit World, Botan marched into Koenma's office. Footage from Earth played on the overlarge tv.
"Again, Ogre," said Koenma, his knuckles white as he pressed fingernail ridges into the leather of his chair.
Ogre turned the dial left and the images scurried backward.
"Stop! Zoom in there, Ogre!"
Botan caught images from the industrial bay Yusuke had described. Koenma climbed up in his chair, standing so close to the screen his cheek almost touched the fuzzy paused image.
"Koenma, sir, sorry to interrupt," said Botan within arms distance of both Ogre and Koenma. Not even particularly loud in her opinion, her naturally cheery voice must have been cold sandpaper to their ears because they turned to her with color-drained faces. "Good, you've returned from your discussion with the King. I have important news—"
Koenma flailed helplessly. "Urgent! Emergency! All hands on deck and change course!"
"What's wrong, sir?"
He almost punched a hole through his tv. "That doll! Do not under any circumstances let them destroy that doll. You need to bring it here at once! Go!"
"I'm going, I'm going!" Botan almost tripped on her long kimono as she swiveled around, summoning her oar in her hand, to dash right back to human world.
Soft piano played inside the charming, yellow-lit cafe. Tsubaki sipped her espresso while Kurama ordered tea. Well, look at him. He plans on sleeping tonight.
She rounded her gaze. Despite being located near the entertainment district, the cafe was well occupied but relatively low in public noise. A college-age student sat with his large medical textbooks, nursing his second mug of coffee. A pair who had ordered before Tsubaki coupled under the yellow lamp, the warm hues adding extra romantic spark between them.
Pft, gross.
Their nerves just yelled 'first date'. The way the girl twirled her straw in her frothy drink just to do something with her nervous hands and the way he both fluffed and smoothed his hair and their laughter, the sound of bells intermingling.
Two cute plates of cute cake slices, the kind that might have looked better than they tasted, arrived at their table. Oh, Mikata would have a field day if she saw this scene.
Tsubaki barely took in the sight of her food before she ate the strawberry off her shortcake from its bed of cream. Then syrup-soaked sponge cake with cream filled her mouth and for a moment, she couldn't remember the pain in her elbow or the twitching plant. Instead, the cakes tasted even better than they looked.
Kurama hadn't picked up his utensils, opting to continue drinking his tea while Tsubaki, if she allowed herself, could devour her slice in two more bites.
Her finger drew circles on the table as she chewed.
The illusion she conjured was a foot from his face. It sees, sees you, Kurama, but can you see it?
He brushed his long fringe aside, his green eyes meeting hers for the first time since they stood near the fountain.
After hearing about the famous Minamino, renowned for his smarts, but especially for his looks, there, facing him, just a tiny bit, she could understand Esumi's infatuation with him.
Tsubaki was no fool; it was all tricks of warm light. In the yellow, orange hues in the café, that embellished his red hair, emphasized his green eyes, the shadows conturing his features and exuded alluring mystery… No wonder Mikata had been so distraught to hear 'nothing' romantic happened between her and Minamino. He could have escaped directly off the pages from one of the many beautiful shoujo mangas in Mikata's over-stuffed book shelf. Still drawing circles on the table, she began to wonder, what exactly was Mikata's shoujo archetype for her?
"Is there a reason for the smoke?" he asked.
Her finger had formed a perfect circle print on the table. "Can you see it?"
His senses extended to their limits behind his concentrating face. "Wisps of green cloud from the table, is that all?"
She stopped circling her finger. "Better than Yusuke but not as good as Kuwabara. That makes my solid theory wobbly now." So what can explain their improving senses? I've seen Kurama the most but he never saw the frost monster, so, my theory is that he can see from exposure to me. Second I've seen is Kuwabara and he is a psychic AND he has seen the frost monster, and he can see the best. So exposure to me AND the frost monster helps. Yusuke I've seen third, but despite being exposed to the frost monster, he can't see zilch. And then there's Hiei, somewhere out there...
Wait, I forgot to account for exposure to Gunah, and there go my calculations down the toilet.
One thing is for sure though. Poor, poor Nagisa, the girl with the cute sugar spun hair. Unless Kuwabara is around when she finishes cooking, she's royally screwed. Tsubaki sighed, before taking a bite of cake.
"You saw Yusuke and Kuwabara earlier today?"
Her mouth still half full and her fork stacked with more cake, Tsubaki asked him, "By the way, what should I call you? I see two names and it was rude of me not to ask when I visited your house."
"What do you see?"
"Two names. Shuichi Minamino and Kurama. Kurama, I can tell, is very old, Shuichi is newer, but of an equal bearing."
"Equal bearing," Kurama repeated, while he arranged his napkin and picked up his fork. "Either name is fine in private. But in front of humans, I'm Minamino. I know in front of humans you are Tsubaki. You're Anahtar among Illusions, but in private circles, does anyone ever call your old name, Yeshil?"
She wasn't sure when or how Kara slipped from her mind but it was the second time that day the boys had dropped information on her that made her pause. If she were a better liar, she could at least hide the slips in her composure. She ground her teeth together, restraining the questions she was dying to ask but she worried her excitement would put her even more at his mercy. "You've had a very busy day."
"Would you like to ask about your friend?"
The piano changed key and Tsubaki put her fork down to listen.
"Kara wishes you well, but he is ambivalent at best about your cause. Meanwhile, Güzel supports your cause, but seems ambivalent at best…about you." His voice trailed off for a moment. "Otherwise, he was…charming. He spoke fondly of you. He thinks you're mad at him."
"I would be more than happy to speak to him now."
"I suggest you tell him yourself," said Kurama but then paused. "But you can't at will, can you? So you're very isolated from other Illusions."
For some reason, Kara's signature Bingo! echoed in his head.
"He is one of the few I wouldn't mind seeing," she said, thumbing the clear bracelet on her wrist. "How much of the beans did they spill? They told you my old name and my current predicament, right?"
"They did not, but I figured it out."
Images from their meeting with Kara poured out once Tsubaki gently prodded. She longed to see her old friend's face, but the flash of Grim Reaper's Breath from Kara's deck and blue threads made her mentally prying grind to a stop.
A doll?
Visions of viewing it from Gunah's hands, then Spirit World's Grim Reaper, all held from a distance. He gave them the doll. He didn't want it after smashing my elbow. I could repair it if I can just get my hands on it. Does Kurama have it now? Each image flashed in his head with the doll held far in the distance. No, he doesn't, so who? She searched for the answer, sure it was Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Hiei. She dove in, like the many times she dove into a pool but the water turned out to be much shallower than she anticipated. What is this? She hit against a mental wall, blocking the answer from her because even Kurama didn't have it. He doesn't know which of them has it.
She found a scene Kurama seemed to share generously.
"I will see her later, so someone else has to take it," Kurama said to the others, soon after Kara left. And then he turned and the exchange of the doll between the three behind his back. The scene turned black as the three decided.
Expectations lay derailed, yet Tsubaki was charmed and a smile settled on her lips.
Clever.
"How did you figure it out?" Tsubaki asked finally.
"I ventured into Spirit world to see what I could find."
"It would be a miracle if you found something. Everything about us was erased from history."
"Call me miraculous."
"Don't keep us waiting, Mr. Miraculous."
"Of course, you're right, historical archives showed nothing, but I changed research methods and explored fiction. You were erased from history but translated into mythology. I understood from Kara that Illusions are not specific beings, but rather forms of the abstract. You may exist now as Anahtar, but there could have been another Anahtar in the past. I read through old tales to search for Anahtar's role. Through reading, I found out that your role is the key holder."
He peered up now to read her expression. If there was meant to be any tension in the moment it was ruined by her shoving a bite of cake into her gob. "Go on," she said, very unladylike between chews.
"That could be a literal key or something more abstract. Either way, you acquired that role, which means you're guarding something, an idea, someplace, or someone."
He had been watching her careful and saw the animation in her eyes at someone.
She didn't confirm or deny. Getting warmer, Kurama.
"If you go back to the Illusions, you'll use the key. If you could go back on your own, you would have already. Your prior imprisonment prevented you from using the key. Kuvvet is trying to stop you from using it."
Getting colder again. But he's not far now.
Tsubaki drank more coffee and thought of ordering another.
"Yeshil confused me. The name, as I deciphered means green. Literally green, but I read it used in various contexts. Yeshil could be flora and verdure or in a darker context, jealousy, and envy. I realized there is a duality to Illusions, depending on what you want to inspire: To bloom or deteriorate."
She licked her spoon, the sweetness conflicting with the bitterness from his words. "Can I confess this? You'll think lower of me than you already do but I enjoyed being the Jealous Illusion. Like Kara enjoys his unnerving pranks, Güzel and her awful beauty, I enjoy seeing how jealousy take roots then grows and festers. It can eat through you and you spiral out of control or it may spur change, inner growth, creativity.
"You, Kurama, are a spectacle. The people around you stand on a fine line between admiring you and envying you."
Her cake disappeared in five bites and now she scraped her fork on her plate to catch the sweet crumbs.
He offered her some of his moist brown cake. She took a hearty bite.
"People around you don't know if they can admire or fear you. After you lulled Osamu into a false sense of security, you struck and somehow inspired both embarrassment and jealousy. You mock the meat you feed on," he said, putting his fork down, allowing her to finish the cake she seemed to enjoy.
"No one in that auditorium thought I was wrong. Granted many people thought I was a 'huge bitch' and thought I took it too far, but unanimously, everyone thought I was right. What kind of cake is this?"
He told her. "Vanilla pudding cake soaked in dark rum."
Her throat tightened but she managed to gulp. Another second then she devoured an even bigger bite. She checked her watch.
"I haven't forgotten. You never answered my question. Why does your mother have such amazing Goz?" Tsubaki asked, taking them back to her living room where she first blurted the question. "I want to know." She leaned forward in her chair as if to give herself a better view of Kurama's mind.
He pressed a palm against her forehead to kick the trespasser out of his head.
"If you'll be patient, I'll tell you, but only after I ask my next question."
She obliged and sat but at the edge of her chair ready to stand in a heartbeat.
"Are good relations between the worlds feasible? Kara gave me a very short summary on the politics but I cannot help but feel that with Koenma's lack of knowledge on Illusions means he is a blank slate. That he would be more than happy to negotiate a treaty that would allow generous movement for Illusions, if not open movement between your world and the others."
Tsubaki blew air from her nose. "Are you suggesting we are being the difficult side? We should be allowed to come back but Spirit World would not relent in the past. Enma wants us to follow his order and face his judgment when we pass."
"Pardon me and I don't mean to be offensive, but is that so wrong? As a demon, for all of their perceived superiority, in death, demons and humans are equal. We go through the same judgment as humans."
"You're suggesting the impossible. There is no heaven and hell for us. We just cease to exist. Though I shouldn't be giving you any ideas." She put down her fork and despite the coffee she drank, her eyes began to droop. "Now will you answer my question?" Impatience edged in her voice.
He told her of an artifact in Spirit realm that could grant your deepest desires. He had used it to save his mother's life as the end of her natural life loomed closer. Willing to pay the artifact's price and give his life, on a moonlit night Kurama used the mirror. Yusuke had foolishly yet sincerely intervened and saved both their lives.
"My wish for my mother's happiness was granted. That's why you see a strong spiritual presence."
An artifact that could grant wishes at the expense of life must have yielded amazing power.
"What was the name of this artifact?"
Kurama didn't know why he hesitated before uttering, "The Forlorn Hope."
The name seemed to ring a bell in the Illusion as recognition flashed undeniably in her eyes and the tautness of her jaw. Before Kurama could prod she changed the subject.
"I really messed this up." She checked her watch for the second time in less than five minutes. She yawned and she stood with haste he noted, taking her bags and jar. "You should now walk me home now. There is still more to be said, but we should head in that direction. We'll never make it, but we can at least try."
Outside, she pressed the cross-walk button, blinking for her eyes to focus. She shed tears from a heavy yawn but she gave herself a shake, to fight the exhaustion.
"You've had a lot of coffee. Are you feeling tired?" he asked.
"Sssomething like that," she said, starting to slur. "This kind of burnout even caffeine won't fix."
She fumbled her step, not indistinguishable from the drunks who were bar hopping. She carried her face in her hand, trying to shake off whatever wanted to pull her to the ground. "Thiisss faster than I exxpected."
"Is everything alright?"
She waved her hand dismissively but shook her head to say otherwise. "Not really, but it's nothing bad, just sssstartling when it happens—"
"Tsubaki?"
Her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, zapped of her wakefulness. By the grace of his good reflexes, Kurama caught her before she hit the concrete but he missed her glass jar, which shattered to pieces.
AN: Spirit World, good news, Koenma is back, bad news...he's kind of worried about something after talking to his father...Tsubaki, she finally got the answer she wanted from Kurama and she knows about the doll but doesn't know who has it and the whole dropping midstep thing...
I've been laying out the pieces for several chapters and I hope it will all fit together in a way that is satisfying for you readers. I estimate we are 45ish percent through the story so soon there will be more answers than new questions. Spoiler: it does end well for the poor plant that was dropped.
Thank yous to Star Charter, Yileen and Anon for reviewing since the last update. Thank you for your sweet words :)
It's no longer a spoiler to talk about some names! Anahtar means key, Yeshil means the color green or flora, Güzel means pretty and good, Kara means dark, goz really does mean eye, Temiz means clean, and Kuvvet means strong. Tsubaki means camellia flower, which symbolizes death in some circumstances... and Yabu, her surname I just derived from yabu-tsubaki or wild Tsubaki flowers.
Thank you for reading and see you all in the next chapter :)
