Twenty four

"Why isn't she waking? Her body is healed..."

"Yes, and her energy is recovering, if slowly. But I can't find her soul. Without that, the body is just a body."

"...and how do you intend to fix this?"

"I have people combing the river banks. If she's there, they'll find her."

She could hear water flowing nearby, a steady, soothing rush that beckoned her forth. A river, she decided as she listened closely, broad, but shallow. It was probably the best landmark she was going to find, wading through all this mist.

If this was the land of the dead, it was honestly kind of boring. She was wrapped in a thick, deep fog, and had been ever since she'd opened her eyes in this place; only the fact that she had faintly heard the river had given her a direction to go in.

She trekked through the mist in silence, feeling tired, and somewhat regretful. Dying hadn't been on her list of things to do when Koenma had woken her up, but apparently it had been her time, as well as her master's.

The thought of Genkai's death made her heart ache, both in pain and in anger; Genkai had gone into that fight knowing she would die, knowing that her death would spur Kimiko's powers out of their confines and to far greater heights.

She could almost hate the old woman for that.

Almost.

"If you go any farther, you'll walk right into it," came a familiar, crabby voice. "Then there won't be much chance of you getting home at all."

Kimiko stopped. Turned slowly.

Somehow, this empty fog had sprouted a rock, and on that rock sat Genkai.

"... so it's okay for you to die, but not me?"

"Don't be a dimwit like your brother," Genkai advised. "It was always going to end like that, even if I wanted to pretend it wouldn't. If I had just killed him at the end of that tournament, before he'd had the chance to grow so powerful, this nonsense never would have happened. I stupidly thought that he would realize how much of a dumbass he was being, and come back to get help from me..."

The old woman sighed, shaking her head.

"And then he never did. Typical jackass."

Kimiko didn't know what to say for a moment, so instead she looked around; the gray fog hadn't lifted even slightly, but she got the sense that Genkai could see perfectly clear.

"...where are we?"

"This is a space between life and death, on the river of souls," Genkai replied. "I'm just waiting for the boat to arrive so I can go figure out where I can relax for a while. No more idiot apprentices taking up too much time, demanding training and attention."

"You know you enjoyed it," Kimiko retorted, smiling a little.

"I admit to nothing," was the somewhat crabby response. "You're not even supposed to be here, but since you are, why don't you tell me what you remember."

"I..." Kimiko hesitated. "Not... not a lot. I was so focused on... just killing the younger Toguro brother I kind of lost track of everyone's fights. I... I did win? I think I Spirit Waved the cave out of existence, though..."

Genkai snorted, shaking her head and smirking.

"That certainly would have been something to see. Wherever his soul was slated, it hasn't come here. We may still meet on the other side... But you, girl, need to head back. The longer you're outside your body, the worse it'll be."

"But... Master..."

"Oh, don't give me that look," Genkai said irritably. "I'm eight five years old, girl, I think I've more than earned this rest, and I'm not going back just because it'll make you feel better. You're grown up, time you took over the compound and helped demons and apparitions more."

"T... take over? Me?"

"Well, I don't know how you'll do as a teacher, but probably better than you think. So yes, girl. I left the temple and the grounds to you, so long as you keep things going as they are."

Kimiko just blinked, stunned into silence. The compound was hers? But...

"You can even keep the video games~"

Kimiko giggled weakly, and rubbed at her eyes, trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry... I know... I remember what you said, I just..."

"Everyone has their time," and Genkai's voice was surprisingly gentle. "You took care of the Toguros, so I have no more stupid regrets to tie me down. Well," and the old woman bared out a brief laugh, "I suppose I can get a dispensation to watch you marry your demon~"

Heat rushed to Kimiko's cheeks, and Genkai snickered again.

"Just for that, I'm naming my first daughter after you," Kimiko retorted.

"I look forward to it~"

Genkai smirked at her, then hopped down off the rock; Kimiko turned to see a boat making its way towards them, poled along by someone in a somber black and white kimono.

"My ride is here, girl. And so is yours."

"But... didn't you just say...?"

"Kimiko! There you are!"

Kimiko jumped a foot and looked up to see Botan, sitting on her oar looking very relieved. The pastel pink kimono was definitely new...

"...B...Botan?"

"Of course, silly! You didn't think we'd let you wander out here forever, did you? You have a very upset boyfriend who wants you back, and I'm pretty sure he'd try to eat Koenma-sama, so you hop up here, and let's get you home, okay?"

"I..."

She dropped to her knees, abruptly throwing her arms around her master, who appeared to have been waiting for that, because she returned the hug with one just as fierce.

"You go prove me right, girl, and take my teachings farther than I ever could. And marry your demon. He's good for you."

He hadn't left her side since they'd brought her back to the apartment, other than the necessary trips to the bathroom and to eat. He sat by the bed, her hand held in both of his, and slept only a few hours at a time. Every time he woke, he hoped for some change, some difference...

But three days had passed with no change. She remained pale and still, her breathing shallow; only the barest rise and fall of her chest indicated that her body was still living.

Shuuichi hadn't been able to bring himself to call her family. Not until he knew, for certain, if she would come back, or if they would lose her. It was going to be difficult enough to say that Genkai was awaiting funeral rites, her body held preserved by Koenma's energy as they waited to see what would happen with Kimiko.

If he lost her...

Shuuichi bowed his head, pressing her fingertips to his face. He could just faintly smell the strawberry body wash, and it made his breath hitch just slightly.

He hadn't meant to fall in love. Not so hard, so deep as this. To love not just her, but the people she found herself surrounded by, to feel as though he had come home every time he was in the presence of her, of them. He hadn't set out to have her fall in love with him either, but that quick, bright friendship had blossomed into affection, and from there she had halting stumbled her way into his arms.

If he lost her, would he lose everything that had come with her?

Would it matter?

He fell to the worst case scenario; Yusuke blaming him, hating him for letting her die when he was there to be her partner, to fight at her side. Kazuma... quiet resentment, if not Yusuke's outright loathing. Keiko's grief, and Yukina's... Atsuko's, once she learned. Shizuru's anger would be as much of a burst as Yusuke's...

He closed his eyes wearily. If her soul did not return, what would happen to her body? He supposed there were hospital things he could get for a coma patient, but... first he would have to take her to the hospital. To have a professional opinion, and then concoct some story...

He didn't notice at first, the faintly golden glow that was rising up her arm. Hiei had often said he could get lost in his own brain, and this was one of the rare times it was happening. But he did sense Koenma as he simply appeared in the apartment, not bothering with the front door.

"We found her," he said. "She was waiting on the bank and talking to Genkai."

Shuuichi sat bolt upright, almost dropping Kimiko's hand in the process.

"Where is she now?"

Koenma pointed wordlessly, and Shuuichi turned, realizing that the light in the room was being augmented by the glow that suffused Kimiko.

"She's waiting," he replied.

He needed no prompting; Shuuichi leaned over, and lightly pressed his mouth to Kimiko's. He pulled away after a moment, and lightly stroked her face.

"Please come back to me," he breathed.

The glow faded, then died away completely.

They waited in tense silence as Kimiko's breathing deepened, and her eyelids fluttered. Shuuichi watched her face intently, willing her to wake up, needing her to wake up.

She rolled onto her side, and groaned a little, slowly pushing herself up on one arm.

"...Did I fall off a truck?"

"Nothing so dramatic," he said softly, reaching out and cupping her face lightly.

"I'd say far more dramatic myself," Koenma replied, relief in his tone. "Talk about luck."

She sat up the rest of the way, slowly, then lifted her hands and rubbed at her face.

"I'll give you a better debriefing once you've finished waking up. Come by the store in a few hours if you're up for it," Koenma said, then winked out of existence, making Kimiko start in surprise.

"...when did he learn to do that, and why didn't he do it at New Years?" she asked.

"I believe he was much to frightened at New Years to properly teleport," Shuuichi said, moving from his chair to perch with her on the bed. He wanted, needed to hold her... but he didn't want to scare her. "Kimiko..."

She pushed back the blankets, and turned to climb into his lap. Her arms went around his shoulders, fingers wrapping in his shirt, her legs around his waist, and she pressed her face against his neck. It surprised him, but he wrapped her up in an embrace of his own, pressing his cheek into her hair and holding her tightly against his chest. He could feel her heart beating, but that wasn't half as comforting as feeling the strength of her grip.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again," he said softly.

She just nodded silently, and as he'd half-expected, it didn't take her long to start crying. He did too, as much from relief as sharing in her grief at the loss of Master Genkai.

"...Shuuichi?"

"Hm?"

"I don't want to talk to Koenma today..."

His hands flexed lightly on her back, and she felt more than saw him nod.

"You don't have to. You can just continue to rest."

She shook her head a little. Oh her head ached from all that crying, but she didn't want to try and sleep.

"Don't want to do that either..."

"Then what would you like to do?"

"Be... be normal for a little bit," she said falteringly. "Go... shopping for food, and maybe for clothes, go... go out on a date afternoon... I want to visit my brother and see my niece, and not... not have to think for a little bit."

He shifted a little, and kissed her temple.

"I believe we could do all of that," he said, and she could hear the warmth in his voice. "You have more than earned it. We could even combine a good deal of that... catch the train to see your family, and then do all the necessary shopping there. Would you like that?"

"...you just wanna see Shizuru turn me into a dress up doll," she grumbled half-heartedly.

He kissed her again, softly, and she felt his smile.

"Perhaps," Shuuichi agreed. "Perhaps."

Despite saying it, it still took Kimiko several more minutes to actually start disengaging from the clinging hold she had on him. There was immediate comfort found in his arms, and really, she could have stayed there all day... But after three days of unconsciousness, she needed a bath, and to wash her hair. New clothes wouldn't go amiss either.

He seemed just as reluctant to let go as she was; only when she brought her arms down against his chest did his own grip loosen, and she could feel his unwillingness to let her go.

"Shuu?"

"Hmm..?"

She felt heat flare up in her cheeks. Silly to be embarrassed, and yet...

"Would you... like to take a bath with me?"

There was a heartbeat's worth of silence. Two. Three.

Then he kissed her lightly.

"Yes."

She unwound from him fully then, and he helped her to stand; She was stiff after three days of unconsciousness and his hands on her elbows helped to keep her from tripping over her feet too much.

When they made it to the bathroom, she stopped short in surprise, then reached up and curiously prodded at the glimmering golden strands that wound their way through the black.

"What the hell?"

Shuuichi only offered a mild shrug.

"When you released the spirit cuffs, they appeared," he said after a moment as she started undoing her braid, pulling it over her shoulder to get a better look at the way the gold simply shot through her hair. "I would hazard that they simply signify this new level of power you hold."

"That's... weird. Really weird. Like something straight out of an anime."

"Well," and he smiled a little, "sometimes they're not wrong."

Curious, she tugged at the hair, separating out the golden strands. It wasn't anything like a natural blonde color, this was true metallic gold... with the flexibility of hair.

"...I wonder if I could dye it?"

"Somehow, I expect the dye simply would not take."

After a moment Kimiko sighed in agreement, and shook her head a little.

"This is too weird..."

Shuuichi chuckled a little, and lightly ran his fingers through her hair, making her shiver a little.

"I think it's quite lovely. At least you know you won't be in trouble with an employer over it."

"...that is true..."

And it really was... interesting. She'd gotten used to the purple eyes after a while, so surely she could get used to this too. It wasn't like she looked in a mirror all that often anyways.

After a moment Kimiko shook her head a little, and turned to strip out of her pajamas.

The clothes went into the hamper, and she moved into the room with the tub so she could scrub everything before actually starting the water to soak in. She liked Shuuichi's bathroom; it was big enough that she didn't feel cramped, and it was free. Much better than having to soak with other people in a bathhouse, especially after an adventure like this one.

Curious, she examined herself as best she could before turning to start the shower; now new scars decorated her body, though she was willing to swear that she'd taken more than a few hits that should have left them.

After a moment she shrugged and sat down under the stream of hot water to let it soak into her hair, closing her eyes and tipping her head back in an effort to relax. She heard Shuuichi come in, but wasn't even tempted to peek, and just felt the general air of faint anxiety drifting away the moment the door closed behind him.

The kiss he pressed on her after a moment wasn't even remotely surprising.

Kimiko rested her head against his shoulder, almost too worn out to even want to move. The initial plan of washing up to go out seemed almost pointless now; Shuuichi had managed to work out most of the energy she'd regained in sating he needs.

She didn't actually mind too much, though. Post-coital cuddling had become something of a favorite with her, and just running her hands through the tangled, still damp red strands of his hair was soothing.

But it wasn't an entirely comfortable position to maintain for very long, once the sex was done, and so with reluctance she moved, pulling away just enough so that she could shift to a position that didn't make her legs hurt quite as much. Shuuichi resisted for a moment, before seeming to realize she wasn't moving off his lap, just... shifting to be more comfortable.

"...are you awake enough to continue washing up?" he asked after a moment, once she'd resettled herself.

"Maybe. But this is nice too..."

Well, it was mostly nice; once the sweat started to dry, she'd start to feel more chilly and then it wouldn't be half as comfortable, even being cuddled as she was.

After a moment where she just let herself lay in his hold, he leaned forward, and turned on the shower again. She squeaked—the water always started out as so damn cold—and made a faintly complaining sound, which only elicited a chuckle from him.

"I know, but... it would be a good idea," he said, gently prodding her. "I'll help with your hair and wash your back if you'll do the same?"

She snugged into his hold, then sighed a little and nodded. It probably was for the best that they at least try to clean up before seeking a nap. Or some tea. Whichever idea was more appealing by the time they got out.

Reluctantly, Kimiko moved to get up, and wobbled a little, blushing as Shuuichi helped to steady her. He really did look rather smug... but it also seemed to have helped smooth some of the jagged edges he'd had, and that had been the whole point. She could put up with being a bit sore and wobbly to have him calm again.

As the water warmed, she moved the soaked towels off to the side, hanging them up in a vain effort to dry them, then carefully nudged the stool until it was sitting under the stream of water.

"You first," she said firmly.

Obligingly—and with a wince for what she suspected was numb legs—he moved to the stool and sat down. The water ran over his crimson hair, quickly saturating it, and she gathered up the damp strands so that she could run the shampoo through it. Hesitantly she touched his back, where her fingers had dug in; she didn't have nails just on principle, but that didn't mean he was unmarked.

"Mmn?"

"Ah... I... scratched you," she said sheepishly. "Would you like me to-"

"It's all right," he interrupted gently, tipping his head back a little so that he could look at her. "I don't mind them, as long as they're not bleeding heavily..."

She took another glance, feeling rather embarrassed now; they all looked fairly shallow, and it was hard to tell if any of them were bleeding or not... After a moment she sighed and kissed his forehead lightly.

"There are days where I can't tell if you're a sadist or a masochist," she muttered. "Good thing I love you too much to care."

He laughed softly as she just shook her head and gently started washing his back.

Playing with her hair was almost as relaxing as playing with her body had been; the golden strands glimmered between his fingers, not quite glowing, but not far from it, and she seemed inclined to lean into his touch. Whether it was because of love, relaxation, or some combination of both, he wasn't really inclined to care.

He started the tub filling while she finished up the rest of her personal grooming, watching carefully out of the corner of one eye to make sure she didn't overbalance. But it seemed the abundance of energy that had been Genkai's last gift to her student was working as it ought to... and slightly as it shouldn't, since he'd wanted a few of those hickeys to last more then a few minutes. Even as he watched, some of the bruises faded out, and he stifled a faint sigh.

Of course he could always replace them, but it might have been quite amusing to hear Kimiko's stammered explanation for them.

She glanced up, and caught him staring, then grinned a little.

"Yours are disappearing too," she pointed out. "The bite marks, anyways. I know I got you pretty hard on that shoulder..."

He glanced down and saw that she was correct; the bite had actually broken the skin, but now it was barely a shadow of a bruise. After a moment Shuuichi smiled ruefully.

"If nothing else, it does seem this energy of ours prevents awkward questions."

It was Kimiko's turn to laugh a little, shaking her head as she ducked under the shower again to rinse off the last of the soap and conditioner. He couldn't help but admire the way she slicked back her hair, the way the water glistened on her skin...

She slanted him another wry look, and he could only smile back, knowing full well that his body was working to produce the proper salute just from seeing her like that. Alive.

Instead, he carefully wound his hair up into a towel, then climbed into the tub, making himself comfortable. He wasn't too surprised to watch her wring out as much water from her own hair as she could, then braid it up and coil it around her head in her typical fighting style before she came to join him.

The tub was just big enough to hold the two of them if they sat upright side by side, or they both laid at an angle, snuggled close. Choosing the later option had seemed easier, and he steadied Kimiko as she climbed in, and curled up beside him after she turned off the water. Her head on his shoulder let him breath in the faint scent of her conditioner and bodywash if he turned his head just slightly, and her arms draped around him went far towards continuing to ease his mind.

He admittedly didn't have anything funny in mind when his fingers curved around her hip. He just wanted, needed, to hold her.

"...Kimiko?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you still like to go and visit your family?"

She yawned a little, and snuggled her head down more firmly against his shoulder.

"Maybe..." but her voice was drowsy. "If nothing else, I ought to call Yuu and apologize for being MIA for three days... I don't..." her voice faltered, and he felt a shiver run though her that was grief more than anything else. "I don't want to tell him what happened over the phone though. That... that needs to be a face to face conversation. With all of them."

Gently he stroked her cheek, but it seemed either the tears were all spent, or she was just too tired to shed any more. He kissed her forehead, and that seemed to soothe her so that the building tension leaked away.

"...let's have a nap first," she said, stifling a yawn. "And see how we feel after waking up."

"That sounds like an excellent plan."

Smut version over on AO3