Well now...It seem's ol' carrot-top has gotten himself into a bit of a sticky wicket wot?

Halibel: Stop pretending to be british...you're Irish.

Kyugan: Point! Gather round ye lads and lasses!

Halibel: *Watching him do the dancing Yusuke*...Children just say NO to Alcohol...

Heaven or Hell?

LET'S RAWK!!!


29th period.

"What on earth was THAT?" Hiei muttered, looking a little, make that HIGHLY disturbed, as he watched the girls, well, Asuna and Setsuna anyways, freak out over what had just transpired before him "What kind of power requires such…contact, to work?"

"That's the thing with Magic, Hiei-san…" Tsuruko chuckled, still lifting her uwagi sleeve to cover her mouth as she chuckled in mirth at Sakurazaki's fussing and Konoka's innocence "It has a few unpredictable sides to it."

"Feh…" Hiei muttered, looking down in interest, his Jagan glowing behind his replacement bandana as he watched the magical energy from the circle the rodent sprite had conjured up and Konoka flow into the slowly recovering form of Kuwabara.

'The idiot still has the devil's own luck.' He muttered, watching as the petrifaction slowly faded away, leaving only flesh and cloth where once there had been lifeless stone 'I suppose some things never change.'

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"YAY! I have a card!" Konoka cheered, giggling excitedly as she held the Pactio card she received from Negi to her face, rubbing her cheek against it "Wow! I look so cool! Like Daddy's shrine uniform!"

"O-OJOU-SAMA!" Setsuna flustered, her face beet red as she grabbed the giggling girl by the shoulder, trying to shake some sense into her childhood friend "Th-this isn't the time to be distracted! You-your first kiss-!"

"Eh?" Konoka blinked, looking absolutely adorable as she gazed at her childhood friend in confusion, almost making Setsuna pass out from the cuteness "But Set-chan, it was to save Negi-kun after all."

"Well…Yes I suppose…" the kendo-ka reasoned, looking a bit uncertain, only to shake her head, cold logic overridding her desire to glomp "But still! What about that…kiss…with Kuwabara-sensei?!"

"Oh that was an accident!" Konoka chuckled, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment as she brushed the incident aside without a care in the world "I just tripped over the bed sheet, I didn't mean to land on Sensei like that."

"Regardless! You kissed a man Ojou-sama!" Setsuna insisted, looking quite distraught over the matter, "Negi-sensei should be alright because he's only a child but if your father catches wind of this the scandal alone…I mean…Kuwabara-sensei could be in BIG trouble."

"Tell me about it…" Asuna muttered, standing over the unconscious Tantei with a deadpan expression on her face, torn between berating her friend and beating the guy up, even if it wasn't his fault technically "The Dean'll have his head on a platter."

"Maybe not de gozaru…" Kaede countered, smiling down at Asuna as she stood guard over the two recovering sensei, Negi having been knocked out when Konoka dropped him on the floor like a ragdoll "After all, it was an accident de gozaru."

"Konoka too clumsy aru," Ku Fei agreed, standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes litte white circles as she spoke to the girl in question directly "Maybe teach kempo to improve balance."

"This is all your fault you know." Asuna added, glaring at Chamo, who was doing his 'Money Dance' in the corner, holding up copies of the Pactio cards without a care in the world "You and your profiteering..."

"Hey! I didn't expect this to happen either!" the pervin' ermine pointed out, though he didn't stop kissing the Pactio cards he'd helped create "Jou-chan got herself into that one." He leered, "And besides, the princess always kisses the brave warrior, right?"

"ERO-CHAMO!" Asuna roared, swatting the ermine with her Harisen repeatedly as she tore up and down the wooden walkway like something out of Smash Brothers, earning stares from the group and looks of pity from Kotaro.

"She certainly is a lively one." Tsuruko chuckled, startling Setsuna, who looked up at the former Shihan in awe, and a little bit of fear if she was honest with herself "It's been a while, Setsuna-chan…have you been well?"

"H-hai!" Setsuna bowed, one fist on the floor and one knee bent beneath her, startling the rest with the group with how readily she slipped into the pose "I'm sorry you had to get involved, Tsuruko-sama!"

"Oh please," Tsuruko giggled, smiling at the girl disarmingly, not that it made Setsuna feel any less on the spot "I'm no longer the heir of the school, you don't have to be so formal." She smiled at the girl "Call me Tsuruko-san."

The idea of referring to the greatest warrior of the shinmeiryuu so familiarly was so grand that Setsuna could only sputter incoherently, which prompted another genteel laugh from the older woman. It was at that moment that Konoka returned from trying to save Chamo from Asuna's wrath, looking up at the former Shihan in confusion. "Excuse me, ma'am." The dean's daughter called out, a confused look on her face as she gazed up at the legend "Have we met before?"

"We have, Konoka-chan." Tsuruko admitted, though for some reason her smile seemed a little…strained, as if the sight of the girl unsettled her "I was the one who brought Setsuna-chan to your home years ago."

Konoka's eyes widened as she beamed at the woman, "Ah! So you're Set-chan's sensei?" she asked, her eyes excited as she bowed her head in thanks "Thank you for letting her play with me!"

"It was my…pleasure, Konoka-chan." Tsuruko assured the girl, a gentle, but oddly aged smile on her face, Setsuna noting the hand holding her sword trembling for some reason "I had heard you were all alone at the temple, and Setsuna-chan had always wanted a friend." She smiled at the two "So are you two getting along well?"

"Yep!" Konoka beamed, smiling up at the woman as she hugged Setsuna close, regardless of her nudity or Setsuna's flush "Set-chan's my best friend! I'll always be with her!"

Tsuruko smiled, reaching out and tentatively ruffling the beaming girl's hair with a gentle hand "Then I'm glad…" was all she said before nodding to Setsuna and walking off without a word.

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"What in the heck was THAT all about?" Kotaro asked aloud, helping Negi sit up as the young Welshman came round, Konoka holding her head in confusion "I heard the demon blade was a bit eccentric but she seemed really out of it there…"

"Who cares." Hiei snapped, startling the life out of everyone as he stood before them, his hand on his sword hilt "I want to know just what in the hell's been going on here." He eyed Setsuna and Kotaro coldly "Especially since there seems to be a half-breed convention going on."

Kotaro growled at the derogatory term, Setsuna flinching but holding her Nodachi at the ready in case Hiei started anything. "Don't even think about it." The red-eyed horror warned, a smug smirk on his face "You should know by now that the only reason you survived our little spar was because I've been reigning in the majority of my power." He nodded towards the prone form of Kuwabara "Hell, if the buffoon here hadn't dealt with the big one behind us I'd have been forced to do so myself."

He stood forward, waves of youki washing off him as his eyes glowed a dark, murderous red "But by all means…" he offered, a dark smirk on his face "feel free to try your luck."

The group shivered at the feeling of the simultaneously cold and blazing youki, Setsuna stepping in front of a concerned Konoka, Kaede's smile dropping as she slipped stiletto knives into her hands, Mana removing the safeties on her guns as her eyes narrowed. Asuna stepped in front of Negi, bringing her Harisen up to bear even as Kotaro and Ku Fei took up stances in front of Yue, the only one with no fighting ability other than Konoka.

Then something rapped Hiei so hard across the back of his head he actually spat in shock, the group blinking in surprise as they gaped at the figure standing behind the demon in surprise.

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"You're a real ass, y'know that Hiei?" Kuwabara muttered, looking haggard but other wise alright as he stood behind the startled Youkai, a smug smirk on his face "Even after all these years you never learned how to talk to women."

"Bastard!" Hiei growled, glaring up venomously at the one time weakest link in the now infamous, if defunct, Team Urameshi as he towered over him as always "How did you sneak up on me?!"

"I suppressed my Reiki so that you couldn't feel it." Kuwabara shot back, popping his neck joints with a grunt as he straightened himself out "Though it wasn't that hard…I was pretty drained to begin with."

"Feh, so you've picked up a few new tricks since we last met." Hiei muttered, glaring up at the taller man, a calculative expression on his face "But you still waste too much energy in your attacks, a foe like that should've been child's-play to someone that faced the things you have."

"Well excuse me if I haven't spent my time fighting S-class demons for a living." Kuwabara muttered, crossing his arms in annoyance as he glared down at the swordsman "Unlike you, I actually had a life to come back to here."

"Oh yes, running around gallivanting with a bunch of prepubescent schoolgirls." Hiei scoffed, running his eyes over the group, earning indignant squawks from some of them, a confused blink from Konoka and Negi, and a cool glare from Mana and Setsuna respectively "I'd forgotten your species' incessant need to procreate."

"BAKAYARO!" Kuwabara yelled, actually forcing Hiei to lean back slightly, his face red from the demon's mocking implication "Those're my students teme! Get your mind out of the gutter!" He scoffed "Beside's, Yukina-chan is the only girl for me!"

Hiei twitched at that, shooting his sister's would-be suitor a dark, piercing glare, his Jagan pulsing under the bandana. The idea of Kuwabara being within 100 miles of his twin unsettled the Koorime in ways that not even Mukuro on her period could match, but for some inexplicable reason, his sister saw something in the buffoon that seemed to bring a smile to her face every time she spoke of him. On the one hand it pleased him to see his sibling so happy, on the other it pissed him off that it was Kuwabara that could make her smile so. Ah the trials of brotherhood.

"She's too good for the likes of you." He muttered, though without venom in his tone, merely stubbornness and fraternal devotion.

"You wanna say that again chibi?!" Kuwabara snapped, leveling his fist at the red-eyed swordsman, a vein bulging on his head, even as Hiei turned his glare upon him, sword edging out of its sheath.

"…You want to die so badly, fool?" the Koorime growled, electricity sparking between them as Kuwabara's aura rose to the fore, his thoughts of Yukina, plus the healing magic from Konoka, rapidly refilling his spent reserves.

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'Whoa!' Kotaro gaped, eyes widening in awe as he felt the aura of the two as they faced off 'Man, where'd Negi hide these guys? They're in a class of their own!'

All members of the Mahora group that dealt with the paranormal to an extent shared this opinion. Setsuna was forcibly trying to keep her wings hidden, for revealing them to Konoka was one thing, but letting anyone else learn about her Hanyou-status could jeopardize her standing as Konoka's bodyguard…and friend. Kaede and Mana felt shivers wash over them from the contrasting Aura's, the coldness that burned that emanated from Hiei clashing with the gentle firmness of Kuwabara. Both of them had seen many different people in their lives, but never had they seen two such auras facing off against each other.

It was like opposites clashing, Kuwabara's warmth warding off Hiei's coldness, the Youkai's sharpness scraping against Kuwabara's stoutness, like a blade against a shield.

Naturally, both of them were keeping a firm grip on Ku-Fei's shoulders, keeping the excited kempo user from getting mixed up in the fight. Ku might be a better fighter than Kuwabara-sensei, though who knew what training he'd undergone recently, but even she wasn't ready to go head to head with someone in the same league as Aoyama Tsuruko …and had clearly been holding back. You could tell by the way Hiei's aura wrapped around him, straining for release, almost like he'd used a tourniquet on his youki. Kaede had seen Kuwabara go through a similar exercise before, so she could tell just by looking at Hiei that he wasn't anywhere NEAR 100%...pushing 60 at best.

"Kuwabara-sensei?" Konoka called out, standing up with her sheet wrapped around her for decency's sake, Kuwabara and Hiei breaking off their glaring contest at her voice, blinking as the girl beamed up at them. "Thank you for saving me…Sensei!" the dean's granddaughter chirped, "Negi-kun and I would've been in a real mess if you hadn't shown up." She turned her smile towards Hiei "And thank you, Hiei-san!" she offered, much to everyone's shock "Kuwabara-sensei's lucky to have someone as strong as you for a friend!"

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Hiei gaped at the human girl in utter confusion, ignoring Kuwabara's heated sputtering that he 'wasn't friends with no card carrying psychopathic chibi!' in favour of looking her over. 'Strong magical power.' He noted, shivering slightly as he felt his Youki flare up slightly, suppressing the urge to let the Jagan take a peak inside her head 'Strongest I've sensed in any Human since…ever.'

While magic wasn't that unknown a practice to demons, most of the ones that utilized it tended to be of a different caste than the ones Hiei associated with, as he didn't see the point in muttering a bunch of incantations to fire off some overrated projectile when a blast of fiery Youki got the job done just as well.

Of course Mukuro and Yomi had one or two stashed away somewhere, inscribing wards or runes on weapons and scrying for potential threats. Hell, one of his subordinates on the patrol team was a seer, and had predicted quite a few of the breakouts Hiei had been sent to quell, not to mention locating the few humans that managed to find their way to Makai before they rotted away.

But none of them held a candle to the amount of raw mana he could feel bubbling away inside this girl like a living lake. It was gentle too, lapping against his senses like calm water, rather than the jagged, invasive feeling that demon world practitioners gave off.

"Feh…" He grunted, allowing his sword to return to its sheath and pulling his cloak over one shoulder, a hand in his pocket "I've wasted enough time here…" he muttered, earning a blink from the group as he walked down the pier "I'm gone."

"Yeah good riddance ya freak." Kuwabara muttered, though there was a note of good humor in his tone and a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms "Next time, why don't ya bring some o' that hooch Chu's always chugging down?"

"Aho." Hiei muttered, though if you looked close, there was a slight tug to his lips "That stuff's contraband even in Makai…and you call yourself a Reikai Tantei?" he snorted wryly "And here I'd begun to think humanity had a chance."

"Up yours with a Buick." Kuwabara muttered, flipping the short Youkai off, earning a giggle from Konoka, quiet chuckles from Mana & Kaede, and a snort from Kotaro "Just make sure your ass is intact th' next time you come through…" he clenched his fist with a smirk "So I can thrash it!"

"Hn…" Hiei scoffed, pulling out his hands and snapping his fingers, the group, sans Kuwabara, gaping in awe as the air in front of the Youkai distorted, opening up like a gaping maw to reveal what looked like a barren, red tinted wasteland, Hiei stepping calmly through it without a second thought, the maw closing up behind him.

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"I'm getting to old for this shit…" Koenma sighed, sinking into his comfy office chair with a groan as he finished looking over the report he'd just gotten from Ayame, who'd been watching over the events in Kyoto for him. "Bad enough that Chigusa woman managed to summon an army of C-class Demons, but to find out there was an A, bordering on S-class sealed into the shrine? How could we have missed that?"

"We still haven't seen how far back your father's dealings went sir." George offered consolingly, the blue oni pouring the toddler monarch a stiff cup of coffee. "Speaking of which, a delegation came through from one of the depths of Makai we've been trying to treatise with…"

"Leave it on my desk, I'll read it later." Koenma muttered, gripping the bridge of his nose between his fingers "It's times like this I regret firing Yusuke…for one thing I could at least have yelled at him for this mess."

George said nothing, though he had to agree that yelling at Yusuke, while usually ending up with Koenma downing enough aspirin to kill a rhino, had a type of cathartic effect on the monarch…like yelling your lungs out at the horizon where no-one can hear it…Yusuke certainly didn't pay attention after all.

"And I suppose Mukuro'll have a few words for me too…" the monarch noted with exhausted bitterness, leaning back into the comfort of his chair with another explosive sigh "No doubt pointed ones about the lack of information…as always."

"At least Kuwabara was there to keep things under wraps." George pointed out optimistically, beaming down at his lord and master/ward and patting him on the shoulder "And he DID manage to take the thing down."

"Yes…but he had to use the Jigen-Tou to do it." Koenma reminded the ogre, his eyes half-lidded with concern "I'm all for using drastic measures if it means getting the job done," he fiddled with his mafuukan pacifier as he said this "but that thing's far too unpredictable. There's no telling the after effects slicing through dimensional barriers could have now that the Kekkai no longer separates the worlds…though Kuwabara has been sparing in it's use."

"Perhaps we should give him a raise then sir?" George suggested, only to back away, hiding behind his clipboard at the glare Koenma was leveling at him "Just kidding!"

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Kuwabara sighed as he soaked in the Konoe Family's private onsen, letting the soothing waters ease away the stiffness of the night before. He didn't know if it was because it was part of the Kansai M.A, but his wounds seemed to be healing up faster too. Tsuruko had left him instructions to recover for a while before returning to the compound, in truth she'd asked him to stay here a whole day, but the magical healing from Konoka, coupled with his own Reiki, had cut down the time dramatically, and he fully intended to be back at the compound just after lunch.

'I know she told me not to rush things,' he muttered, sighing as he leant back against the rim of the bath for support 'But I cut my training with Toguro short, if I take any longer he's gonna be pissed as hell.'

The prospect of going up against an angry Toguro somehow managed to scare the tantei more than his battle with Sukuna, which just went to show you how messed up his life really was. 'Hell according to Botan I'm the equivalent of A-rank prime.' He muttered, shaking his head at the thought 'In terms of reiki I should be able to beat the guy around the bush…but those techniques of his…'

Toguro and Genkai had never gone into detail about just what the muscleman had been like before becoming a demon, though it was clear his overall attitude hadn't changed. But upon becoming a demon, Toguro sealed away most of his fighting style, instead limiting himself to pure strength and basic martial arts…rather than utilize the techniques he'd once honed to kill demons.

'Like that movement technique.' The tantei muttered, wincing as his left leg, the one that'd been petrified first, stung slightly, the muscle tensing as if he'd pulled it recently 'Still can't pull it off properly…but damn if it ain't effective!'

He looked up as the door opened to admit a smiling Konoe Eishun, Konoka's father and, as it turned out, the elder of the Kansai M.A, dressed in nothing but a towel, his toned body riddled with small battle scars. "Ah, Kuwabara-kun." The bespectacled man greeted, beaming at him kindly as he slipped into the water "Enjoying the dip?"

"Yeah," the tantei agreed with a smirk, waving at the man and letting the onsen water drip from his hand back into the bath "Gotta hand it ta you mages, you sure know how ta brew up a mean bath."

"Just natural hot springs water…no magic at all." Eishun countered with a modest chuckle, leaning back against the rim next to the man with a sigh "Though perhaps it's one of Mother Nature's little gifts."

"Don't ever return it's all I'm saying." Kuwabara joked, the two sharing a quiet laugh as they sat in the water, simply enjoying the soothing effects of the warm waters, before the elder turned to face him.

"I owe you a great deal Kuwabara-kun." Eishun admitted, his face still cheerful, but with a solemn note to it "Not only did you selflessly rescue my daughter, but Negi, the son of one of my most trusted friends." He chuckled at the look on Kuwabara's face at the admission "Although…there are quite a few people you've annoyed because of Sukuna, he WAS sealed into the lake by my people after all."

"They wanna complain? Then let 'em." Kuwabara shot back, lifting his hand to reveal a slight golden glow "I can show 'em how I deal with uppity stiffs that like ta throw their weight around."

"That…won't be necessary, I assure you." Eishun chuckled, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek, as he was tempted, oh so sorely tempted, to let the traditional old farts do so, anything to get them to shut up about losing their precious 'ace in the hole'. The war had been over for years now, and even centuries ago they hadn't been able to properly control Sukuna. His daughter might possess phenomenal magical reserves, but untrained as he'd left her she was no more that a battery for whatever control mechanisms the next group of dissenters could have used to raise the beast.

So Eishun was quite glad, if a little amazed, to learn that not only was Sukuna apparently dead as a doornail, but most of the body had apparently vanished into thin air. Though he suspected a certain red-eyed swordsman and his goons might have something to do with that, Jagan or no Jagan, one's memories could still be read if someone of notable talent put them to good use. 'I'll have to remember to give Yamanaka-dono a raise.' He noted, nodding his head at the thought, before looking across at the younger man with a frown 'And on that matter…'

"Kuwabara-kun." He began, drawing the man's attention to himself with a sigh, knowing that this next conversation was likely to get a bit uncomfortable for the younger man "About the incident with Konoka…"

"My fault entirely." Kuwabara cut in, looking apologetic "I mean I shoulda figured that splitting up would've invited trouble…but I had ta see the Shinmeiryuu as soon as possible…I STILL need ta finish a few things there now I think of it." he shook himself out of his daze "So Don't blame Negi for the whole kidnapping thing." He insisted, looking stern "The kid's only ten, the old man at Mahora should've sent more back-up"

"Erm…that's quite alright." Eishun stammered, secretly agreeing with the man's statement regarding his father, but notwanting to make a big stink about it just yet "But that wasn't what I was referring to…"

"Really?" Kuwabara asked with a blink, looking confused before flushing slightly "Oh wait, is this about seeing her in the buff?" he stammered, holding up his hands "It wasn't intentional! That chick with the plushy fetish stripped her down for some reason!"

"Erm…not that either…" Eishun choked, shaking the image of Chigusa posing in an assortment of furry costumes out of his head. Father and priest he may be, but some things never change, especially old weaknesses "I was referring to the pactio."

"The whuh? OH! Right." Kuwabara realized, shaking his head and wondering how on earth Negi managed to get himself into these messes "I suppose that's my fault…if I'd kept my guard up that brat wouldn't have gotten my throat." He chuckled, rolling his shoulders slightly "Still, gotta hand it ta Konoka-chan, for a first timer she does good work."

"Indeed she does." Eishun agreed, a fond smile crossing his features as he'd watched his daughter gush about her healing abilities. He'd always hated denying her the knowledge of her heritage, especially on top of the other secrets, but he and his wife had decided it was for the best.

"Anyway, don't you worry about nothin'." Kuwabara assured the man, clenching his fist confidently for emphasis as he spoke "I'll make sure she doesn't run around wavin' spells around in th' open."

"While that is good news to hear," Eishun agreed, reaching behind him "I was not, in fact, referring to the pactio with Negi-sensei." He pulled out a card, holding it up for the tantei to see the name written on it in latin-english "I was actually hoping to speak to you about YOURS."

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At the Aoyama compound, Aoyama Seiko sighed as she watched Tsuruko flip through a small, well-kept photo-album, the famed demon sword tracing the pictures within with a hint of sadness and longing on her face. The matriarch didn't disturb her daughter however, knowing that an interruption would not make the mood any better, even if she longed to embrace her, to comfort her from the hurt. She merely stood there and watched, a concerned Sayo hovering nearby.

"NAAAAAAANIIIIIIIIIIIII??!?!?!?!?!"

The two Aoyama blinked, Sayo letting out a startled squeal before hiding inside her tablet in fear. The two women turned in the direction of the Konoe temple, listening as the yell died away, before looking at one another and suppressing chuckles of mirth. "It seems Eishun-kun has informed him of the events that transpired." Seiko noted with a smile, covering her lips with her sleeve "Poor Kuwabara-kun..."

"Such a shame he's spoken for." Tsuruko agreed, putting the photo album away with a smile, her eyes twinkling as she looked to her mother conspiratorially "with stamina like his, could you imagine the grandchildren?"

"GREAT grandchildren in my case." Seiko pointed out, the two sharing a wistful smile that had Sayo blinking at them in confusion.

Unnoticed by the three, a lone photo remained sticking out of the booklet, half of it covered by the pages, but the other half depicting a beaming Tsuruko in a wedding kimono.

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Cue the Nadesiko music.

Narrator: Our hero has recieved the reward for his troubles!

Kuwabara: WTF?! TT_TT!

Narrator: But before he can ride of into the sunset, one last trial remains.

Toguro: Skip out on MY training will you?!

Narrator: And what's this?! Could romance be in the air.

Tsuruko: Chu-!

Random Groupie: NOOO!! Tsuruko-sama!

Narrator: Next time on Reikai Sensei Kuwabara: Farwell Kyoto! For the women I love, I'll Shine!

Kotaro: What the hell is this guy on?

R&R!!