Word Count: 4200
Chapter 25: Exchanging Information
"I hate sunlight," I groaned and tried to pull the sheet over my head. I heard a deep chuckle, and I just burrowed further under the sheet. Why did my room have to have a window in it? It just wasn't fair. I felt someone pull at my sheet, and it was gone before I had a chance to react.
"Time to get up, my lady. Raizen wants to talk to you," Tiger said.
"Raizen always wants to talk. Can't I sleep in today?" I mumbled. I heard Tiger's booted foot repeatedly hitting the stone floor, and I mumbled a few choice words as I finally rolled from the bed. Tiger smiled when I finally looked him in the eye, and he gave a quick wave before disappearing. I quickly got dressed for the day and pulled my heavy hair into a high ponytail. My shorts were completely black, and I was wearing a dark blue tank top that stopped just above my bellybutton.
"About time you woke up. Open the door." I blinked at the harsh voice and looked up at Cook. She was still a little over six feet tall, but she wasn't as wide as she used to be. I knew now that she was an earth demon, which explained her brown skin and excellent skills with all kinds of herbs.
"Good morning, Cook!" I yelled in a sing-song voice and threw open the door. Pale brown eyes glared down at me, and I was staring at the back of her head a moment later. Hmm, I wonder how she gets all of her hair into one single ball?
"Ray, quit annoying Cook," Raizen said from his throne.
"I wasn't annoying her! Honestly, I wasn't," I said and walked farther inside. Cook passed a tray of food to Raizen, and she laid two more on the ground for Tiger and me.
"I believe Hokushin is not feeling well this morning. I would like you to take him a tray," Raizen said as he looked up at the older woman. She made a loud "hmpf!" noise before leaving, but we all knew that she would do it. Hokushin was the only one of us that she actually liked. She respected us, mostly, but she didn't like us at all.
"So, why am I up so early?" I asked. I picked a piece of bread and bit off a huge chunk while waiting for an answer.
"I need you to run another errand," Raizen said as he smiled down at me. I was sitting on the floor, and I leaned back on my hands.
"Another errand? Where? I'm banned from Gandara and Alaric, so where else can I go?"
"To Spirit World. I want a trade of information."
"Trade of information?"
"You need to tell your little prince about my upcoming death and its consequences. In return, I want you to see if he has any information on why all the lower level demons are in such a frenzy."
"The lower demons are in a frenzy? I hadn't noticed."
"Yes, something's causing them to get a little overexcited. Something close to the barrier," Raizen said with a pointed look.
"The barrier? Really?" I had been close to where the barrier between Demon World and Human World was, but I had never gotten too close. Demons of the higher classes couldn't pass through the Spirit World-made barrier; only the demons with the lowest levels of energy could pass through.
"Yeah, alright, I'll go see Koenma. I'll go back to training the men when I return," I said.
"I'll see you when you return, my lady," Tiger said as I stood up. I took one long last sip of water before sitting my cup down, and I smiled at both male demons. My hand raised in a quick wave, and I was standing in Koenma's office a few minutes later. My hand instantly pressed against my quivering stomach, and I groaned a little as the dizziness slowly washed away.
"Ray! What on earth are you doing here?" My still pounding head got a little angry at the screech of Koenma's voice, and I opened my eyes to glare at him.
"Information exchange," I said and stumbled over to his desk. I sat down on the top of it, and a teenage Koenma was looking up at me a moment later. I was sitting directly in front of his chair, and he was leaning back as stared at me.
"What brings you here, Ray?" Koenma asked, quieter this time.
"Before we move onto the important stuff, can I ask you a quick question? I meant to ask it sooner, but it kept slipping my mind," I said. I pushed a piece of white hair behind me so it wasn't in my sight and sighed.
"Yes, of course."
"My mother, Azura, didn't just send me away because the Demon World was a dangerous place, did she?" I asked.
"I'm not exactly sure what you mean, Ray." Koenma's golden brown eyes really did look confused, so I decided to tell him what I now knew.
"Tiger and I traveled south when I first started looking for my fox cousin." Realization dawned on Koenma's face, and he looked away from my eyes.
"I had hoped that your true form wouldn't—"
"It's okay, really. Raizen and all the others protected me from the truth for years, but it was only a matter of time before I found out. I'm guessing that my father had white hair, and he passed it down to me. And we both know that most white animal demons are outcasts," I said with a small smile. It had hurt to know that I was considered an outcast, but it was something I had put behind me.
"Yes, Kage passed his coloring down to you. Azura knew that none of the other wolf packs would accept you, so she did the only thing she knew to do. She brought you to me."
"Thank you, again," I said with a slight bow to my head.
"How could I have refused her? You were such a cute baby," he said with a wide smile.
"So, when I changed into my demon form the first time, why wasn't I white-haired?" I asked. The first time I had seen my demon wolf form, I had looked almost the same except for different ears and a tail.
"Because that wasn't your strongest form. Your true self only emerges when you're at your most powerful."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"Indeed. Is there anything else you wanted to know?"
"Personal? No. I'm afraid the rest is purely business. Raizen wants us to do an information exchange."
"Very well. What do you have to tell me?" Koenma asked. I squared my shoulders and tried to make my voice as professional as possible.
"As I'm sure you know, Raizen has been steadily decreasing in power for the past few centuries. He will die within the next year; the starvation has become too much. When Raizen falls, the Demon World will become a war zone. Mukuro will attack Yomi, and the two will battle for sole control.
"If Mukuro is the victor, then Demon World will become truly chaotic. He likes chaos, and I can guarantee that the entire world will be painted in blood if Mukuro gains control. If Yomi comes out on top, he will unite all of Demon World and be the sole ruler. After that, nothing will stop him from wanting to conquer both Spirit and Human World. Raizen has always been the balance between chaos and control, but he will not be here for much longer."
"And what will you do, Ray? When Raizen is gone, where will you stand?" Koenma's golden eyes were worried as stared up at me, and I suddenly realized that he was squeezing my hands.
"I will stand where I always have. Raizen might be gone, but Tourin and the Demon World is still my home. I have met with both Lord Mukuro and Lord Yomi, and I have informed them that I intend to fight for Tourin. So, for either them to become the only ruler, they will have to defeat me."
"Ray…"
"Don't try to talk me out of it, Koenma. Raizen doesn't have an heir, so things will fall apart after his death. As second-in-command, Hokushin will step up. I'm still the general of Tourin's army, and I intend to fight."
"And there's nothing I can say?"
"Nothing." My eyes were locked with his, and I knew that he understood. I couldn't run away and let everything my brother had fought for just fall apart. It wasn't who I was.
"Very well. What do you need from me?"
"Raizen said that the lower level demons have been acting up just recently, especially near the Kekkai Barrier. What's going on, Koenma?" I asked and leaned towards him.
"So, the demons of your world are aware of the situation," Koenma muttered to himself.
"Apparently so. What's happening?"
"It's Sensui." Two words nearly had me falling off the desk, and I had to force my mouth to close.
"What's Sensui got to do with the barrier?" I asked.
"He's…He's trying to find a way to get rid of the barrier between the two worlds. Yusuke and the others are on the case, but…"
"Are they all okay?" I asked quickly.
"Yes, they're all okay. Sensui has changed these past ten years, Ray. He's stronger than I ever imagined, and there's another thing. I believe it was Sensui that stole the Chapter Black video," Koenma said with a large sigh. I did slip off the desk this time, and I landed right in Koenma's lap. I locked my arms around his neck, and I felt his arms wrap around my body in response.
The Chapter Black video was incredibly dangerous; it showed all of mankind's sins. I'm sure it was more than enough to drive a person to insanity, but I believe that Sensui was already past that. If he had possession of that…he could start an entire war. I shuddered as I thought about the S-Class demons of Demon World roaming among the unsuspecting humans. It would be like an apocalypse.
"None of this was your fault, sir," I said as I looked up at Koenma.
"It was my fault. Sensui wasn't ready, but I didn't care. What if I do the same thing to Yusuke?" I smiled as I pushed some of light brown hair back, and nuzzled against him for a moment.
"Yusuke is stronger than Sensui, I can promise you that. He can survive anything. Now, I'm gonna get out of here before King Enma finds out. If you need anything, I'll be in Tourin preparing the men. If I need to, I'll face down the S-Class demons that will try to pass through. I doubt I could defeat many of them, but that won't stop me from trying," I said with a wide smile.
"Ray—"
"Be careful, sir. And tell the others I said hey and I miss them, yeah?" I leaned down to lightly kiss his cheek, and I jumped up so that I could portal myself back to Tourin.
"That was fast." I blinked a little as I looked around, and I fell backwards into Tiger's lap. The world stopped spinning a few moments later, and I smiled up at Raizen.
"Yeah, well, King Enma doesn't really like me so I try not to stick around for too long," I said with a small shrug. Tiger rested his chin on my shoulder, and I reached up to play with his ear.
"Did he give you any information?" Raizen asked. The smile slid from my face, and I told him everything that Koenma had just told me. Raizen and Tiger were both silent when I finished, and I sighed as I leaned back against Ti.
"So, I guess I'll go start training the men. We need to be ready for anything, right, brother mine?" I asked.
"Right," Raizen said. He accepted my kiss on his cheek with a faraway look in his eyes, and Tiger and I were walking down the massive staircase a minute later.
"What shall we do, my lady?" Tiger asked.
"Pray that Yusuke manages to stop Sensui. I can't imagine the kind of devastation that the S-Class demons could wreak in the Human World."
"Then we'd better start training immediately, either to save the Human World or the Demon one," Tiger said.
"Yep, it looks like we're gonna be regular save the day super heroes," I said with a small smile. Tiger returned it, and we walked outside to begin the training.
.xXx.
"Is that the best you can do? What have you been doing this past year? Having a free vacation!" I yelled. A few glares were sent my way, but not a single demon spoke up. I heard Tiger panting at my side, and I looked over at him.
"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on them?" he asked.
"No, not really. Why? Am I?" I asked. Tiger's yellow eyes glared over at me, and I pushed some hair out of my eyes.
"They can't fight any wars if they're all dead from exhaustion," Tiger stated. I had been working the men for a few days straight, and they did look really tired. Maybe I was working them too hard, and a little break never killed anyone.
"Alright, men, my apologies! I think the heat is starting to fry my brain!" I yelled. I heard a few rumbling laughs from the men, and I glared up at the two suns in the bloodred sky. The first sun rose in the morning, and the second one usually rose at noon.
"Starting to? It's been fried for centuries," Tiger mumbled. I cut a glare at him before smiling at the tired men.
"Take some time to relax, you've all definitely earned—!" An enormous wave of energy washed over me, and I felt my knees shake in response. The men had been cheering since I said the word relax, so the only person who noticed me was Tiger. I felt his hand on my shoulder, and I swiveled my head away from Raizen's palace. The energy was coming from further east, close to the barrier…Nearly right on top of the barrier…
"My lady?"
"He's here. Come on, Ti!" I yelled and instantly started running. I heard Tiger just behind me, but I couldn't slow down to explain. Another wave of that energy hit me, and I forced my legs to go faster.
"Who is it?"
"It's Sensui, but something's different! It feels like…"
"Sacred Energy!" Tiger replied. With a sinking stomach, I realized he was right. It did feel like Sacred Energy, which was not good.
"I know! Come on, we gotta go see what's happening!" I yelled.
"My lady! It's—"
"Kurama!" I could feel Kurama's unique energy, and Hiei and Kuwabara were with him. If those three were together and fighting Sensui, then where was Yusuke?
"My lady, who is with him?"
"That's Hiei and Kuwabara."
"Where's the Spirit Detective?"
"I'm not sure!" I called over my shoulder.
We had been running in silence for a few minutes when I felt the newest wave of energy, and I slid a little as I stopped. Tourin wasn't too far from the barrier, but we still had a small ways to go. That energy though…it was familiar yet different.
"It's a Mazuko!" Tiger was right, it was the aura of a Mazuko demon. The only problem was that there were no Mazukos here in the WasteLands, and the only Mazukos that powerful were Raizen and Mukuro.
"No…it's…it can't be!" I started running again, and I could hear Tiger grumbling under his breath. That aura felt like Yusuke's, but the distinctive power of a Mazuko was mixed in. Tiger and I ran until we could clearly feel the power coming off of two S-Class beings, and together we jumped onto a high plateau just on the outside of the WasteLands. There was nothing but sand and the random rocky structure out here, hence the name.
"My lady, do you know them?" Tiger asked. I focused on the two beings on the ground, but it was hard to see anything since a giant tornado was all around them. I could see people hovering in the air, and I blindly reached out for Tiger as I finally recognized them. Kurama, in Yoko's form, was using a giant plant to stay airborne. Hiei, Kuwabara, and Koenma were all on some giant beast's back…a beast that looked like Puu on steroids. The wind on the ground suddenly died down, and I watched as a body flew outwards.
"Yusuke!" I yelled and stepped closer to the edge. Tiger's arms locked around my waist to keep me from falling, and my hands gripped his arms.
"That is not a human boy, my lady. That is a Mazuko demon, an S-Class from the feel of it," Tiger whispered.
"No, that's definitely Yusuke! I don't understand how this could have…And that's Sensui! It really was him using the Sacred Energy," the last part was whispered to myself. Yusuke emerged from the sand a moment later, and I watched as he and Sensui talked.
"My lady, the boy's energy! It's changing!" I could feel Yusuke's swelling and shifting energy, and I had to shield my eyes from the sand flying around. Yusuke's scream ripped through the air, and my nails dug into Tiger's arm out of reflex. The next time Yusuke stood up, he was a completely different person.
"He looks just like…"
"Raizen," Tiger finished with a whisper.
Long, thick white hair nearly brushed the sandy ground, and dark blue Mazuko markings covered his body. The energy around him was pulsing with Mazuko power, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as his voice reached my ears. It was definitely Yusuke's cocky tone, but there was another voice echoing just under it. Raizen…but how?
"Something's not right. That's not Yusuke! Tiger, I think that's…"
"It's him, my lady. But how could he?" Yusuke's body might have been pummeling Sensui within an inch of his life, but Yusuke was not the one in control. I could see Raizen in every move he made; I could hear Raizen in every word he spoke; I could feel Raizen in every pulse of energy. Yusuke's body moved to fire his spirit gun, and I heard the real Yusuke yell for Sensui to get out of the way. His hair went from white to the usual black, but the Mazuko markings remained. Sensui disappeared into the forest next to the WasteLands, and Tiger and I followed the others as they tracked him down. We stayed in the trees with our energies completely masked and listened.
I listened as Yusuke confirmed my suspicions, and I felt a slow-moving fire burn through my veins. Yusuke had never killed a human, and I don't think he ever wanted to. He had been willing to kill Sensui, but he hadn't. A certain demon had taken possession of him and forced his body to carry out the deed. I listened with half an ear as the green-haired demon talked about Sensui's illness. Sensui then explained why he was the way he was, and why needed to come to Demon World. The green-haired demon then took Sensui's now dead body into a portal, and both of them disappeared.
Yusuke then explained what had happened. After Yusuke's energy went through another transformation, Raizen took over. Yusuke wasn't back in control until after the spirit gun had been fired; Raizen had been in control the entire time. As I listened, I realized that Yusuke kept saying "my ancestor" and everything finally became clear. Raizen had once loved a human woman, and that was why he was dying now. After falling in love with a human woman, he had refused to eat human flesh. But if she had gotten pregnant…the Mazuko genes would have been passed down until a carrier was strong enough to handle it. Yusuke had already proved himself to be more than strong enough after becoming Spirit Detective, and so he had transformed…My little Yusuke was a half-demon.
Kurama could probably see the resemblance and I was sure that Koenma could too, but neither of them said anything. I listened as Yusuke yelled about going to find his ancestor and teaching him a thing or two, and then Koenma explained about the barrier. The SDF (the bastards who had injured Yoko) were currently working on re-sealing the barrier, so he could either return to the Human World now or be stuck in Demon World forever. Thankfully he used his head for once and left for the Human World. The others started to climb onto the beast's back, which really turned out to be Puu, and a pair of golden eyes met mine. I smiled down at Kurama, and he smiled back in return. I watched with wide eyes as they flew off, and I turned to Tiger after they were out of sight.
"What now, my lady?" Tiger asked. That burning feeling was back, and in full force. I knew what I wanted to do…
"We're going to have a talk with a certain brother of mine," I mumbled before taking off. I could hear Tiger saying something just behind me, but red had completely clouded my vision. I don't know how long it took us to get back to Tourin, but I went straight for the palace. The door to Raizen's throne-room clanged open, and Raizen was actually standing when I came in.
"Ray—" I never gave him a chance to speak. My fist, which was now glowing white, crashed into his cheek. His neck bent an angle from the force and a little blood flew from his lips, and I was dangling in midair a few moments later. Sharp claws pierced the side of my neck, and I sputtered a little as I tried to breathe. My feet kicked in an attempt to find something solid to stand on, but it was pointless. Raizen had a good grip on my neck, and my vision swam as his grip tightened.
"You would dare hit me?" he growled. The palace shook a little under the power in his voice, and my own hands clawed as his wrist. I pulled myself up long enough to get in a breath.
"I would hit you, for him," I choked out. Raizen's violet eyes narrowed on me, and he pulled me closer to his face.
"And who is he to you?" Raizen asked.
"He is the one I love as a son," I whispered. My vision was just starting to turn gray when Raizen dropped me, and I started coughing as soon as I hit the ground. Raizen knelt down in front of me, and one clawed hand pushed my hair away from my face.
"You had no right to hit me," he said quietly.
"You had no right to take control of Yusuke's body," I said. Raizen sighed, and I let him pick me up. He walked over to his throne and settled me in his lap, and I sat still with my arms crossed.
"The boy didn't know how to control his own power. I just gave him a push in the right direction." It might have made him feel justified, but I still wasn't convinced. I was sure that Yusuke wouldn't be either.
"He had never killed a human before, Raizen. You don't know what this is going to do to him."
"He was prepared to kill the human."
"Yes, he was. He was. You interfered though, and it's just not going to be the same for him."
"Ray, you need to think about what all of this means. Forget about what I did for a second and think about it really means." My arms slowly unfolded to rest in my lap, and I tipped my face up to his. A large bruise covered his cheek now, and the corner of his lip was still bleeding slightly.
"What do you mean?" My voice was still a little hoarse, and I coughed a little at the sandpaper feeling.
"My descendant has returned. My son, your nephew," Raizen whispered.
"Tourin's heir." I turned to see Tiger and Hokushin in the doorway, and what they were saying finally dawned on me.
"Yusuke is your heir," I said and smiled up at Raizen. Yes, we might have just assaulted each other but this was great news! Yusuke could come here to the Demon World and take over for Raizen, and it just might be enough to keep the balance of power from shifting.
"He is blood of our blood, sister mine," Raizen whispered. I let out a loud squeal as my arms went around my brother's neck, and I could hear Tiger and Hokushin laughing just behind me. Maybe everything would work out after all…
Ending Note: The next chapter should have a small surprise in it, and I'm really excited for it. And I want to say thank-you to everyone who's reviewed this story, or added it to their "favorites" and "alerts" lists! It means a lot to me, and I love you all!