Leela sighs while looking at Koun. Hiei saunters up to her and wraps his arm around her. "Are you all right? I know I shouldn't ask after what you saw on their old planet and seeing this poor piglet suddenly all alone in his life."
"I just know the pain of being orphaned and I know what he's going through. I know you know the pain too. Maybe if we got to the planet sooner. I'm psychic, right? I should have seen this before it was too late. Maybe his family would still be alive. Why didn't…"
"Leela, stop this what-if stuff. I know you wanted to save them, but how could you know everything? Not even Genkai can see everything, and she's been a psychic all her life. But Leela, if it wasn't for your smarts and instincts to see beyond what this war was, and go to his planet in the first place, Koun wouldn't be alive. Even if all you did was allow Kurama and Shizuru to search the planet and find him, that's more than enough. Leela, because of you, this piglet was found. He will have a new home and a new life."
He insists her to kneel and embraces her. "Leela, have I failed to tell you what an incredible woman you are? You are a brave selfless woman who puts others needs before your own. Because of you, you've allowed the higher-ups to end this senseless war. I know this will save a great deal of the pigs' soldiers' lives, as well as those fighting to defend Earth. You saw through all the lies some of the superiors were giving off, including that Lrrr guy and Zapp. I don't know if Glab will see you as a hero or not, but to me you are."
"Thank you. Hearing you call me that feel more meaningful than hearing it from her. I've been thinking about the stuff I got for Hiro, maybe Koun should have them instead."
"Hiro has enough things as it is. Plus he's not alone. He's staying with his little cousin, Yuki and with sis and moron taking care of them. I think giving that stuff to Koun would be great for him."
"We'll need to stop by the supermarket too. If what the king says is true, he may need leak-protection underpants for kids."
"Diapers you mean?"
"No that's for babies. Koun is about the size of a three-year-old child, and he's potty-trained. But you know how it is when you're young and some parts of your body aren't fully developed yet."
"I get it. I've experienced that with both Yusuke's kids and Kurama's. I've woken up to 'Mama, I had an accident' and it was back in the cave."
"So, what's you're plan? I know you've got something on your mind, I can read it as clear as day," replies Leela.
"I know you can. Makes things hard to surprise you with something. I was going to ask if you want to go out tonight, just the two of us. No kids, let those two worry about Koun. They're experienced. It'll be just us."
"Should I call my car?"
"Up to you. We could also fly. How about just that? I don't see any battle ships flying everywhere."
"Yeah, especially if Glab is conducting peace talks. All the fire fights have ceased," Leela replies, gazing out the lounge area's window. "You want to go to McDrake's. They've got incredible buggalo burgers served with Wong style bar-be-que sauce."
"Amy's family makes bar-be-que sauce for commercial use?"
"Why do you think they're on Mars? They own the only ranch that raises buggalo and sells them for meat. That's how they're so rich."
"You're going there to check on Koun, aren't you?"
"Of course not," Leela replies, crossing her arms, "I'm going to eat there with you and that's it. I will not interfere with anyone. We'll just eat and leave."
"Leela," Hiei chuckles, "You think you're the only one to read someone's mind. It's okay, Koun might not be as intimidated if he sees your face there."
"Well I could still give the car to Kurama tonight, especially if they want to do something for Koun. Besides it'll give us the freedom to fly around the city. We could even ride a tube to Ellis Island and see Lady Liberty."
"Promise me you won't meddle."
"I'm not going to that. Don't you trust me? Since when have I meddled?"
"Just making sure."
"Hey if it'll make you feel better, we'll go to Crusty Joe's and eat fish instead. We can have buggalo some other day."
"Naw, McDrake's is fine. If we don't go to where I know you want to go, you'll be torn too much and not eat anything. Please just erase the meddling idea from your mind."
"How do I do that? How do I clear my mind? Do you know how to do that?"
Still kneeling on the floor, Hiei looks at her. He holds her hand gently and begins kissing her loose fist. "Maybe I can help you erase your mind."
"What did you have in mind? I promise I'll try not to read it."
"What if we had sweets before dinner?"
"Here, in the lounge?" Leela asks seductively.
"Well not all the way, of course, but there's nobody in here so we can just…" she interrupts his words with a smooth kiss. 'That's what I was thinking, Leela. And you said you wouldn't read my mind.'
'Deal with it, mister, because I couldn't help it.' Leela continues to kiss him, 'If you have to blame anyone, blame Koenma for opening that channel.'
'Naw, I'll be too busy making love with you to do that.'
As they continue kissing, Leela starts hearing Keiko's voice drift through the docking bay door, followed by Zoidberg's. "As I was saying, I've been in Japan my whole life. I was born there."
"I went to Japan once. But it was for a conference for mad scientists."
"I heard in your time, the U.S has added Japan as a territory."
"Yeah, but you still have your traditions. The whole planet is owned by the US and Japan is part of it."
Leela sighs, "Don't we ever get a break."
"With one of your friends chatting it up with the wife of one of mine, doubt it."
"Oh, Leela and Hiei, sorry I didn't know you were in here."
"We weren't doing anything, Keiko," laughs Leela, "Nothing serious anyways. What do you need?"
"I've misplaced my other half. I thought he was in here."
"We were all in the conference room earlier, but I think he was heading to McDrake's. That's where the Minaminos are with that piglet boy. You want to follow us there, it's just a block from here."
"I don't want to ruin your…uh… 'plans here'."
"They aren't ruined," laughs Leela, "Can't make love anyways, it was breakfast since I ate anything and this old man here…"
"Hey, that wasn't nice," Hiei pretends to protest, "But you're right, this old lion is hungry."
"I thought you were a dragon."
"Leela, you wouldn't want to know the roar of a dragon's empty belly. That'd be earthquake mode, like an 8-pointer."
"Is that right? So how about we feed the dragon so that doesn't happen?"
"I thought I got that on sweets." Leela stands on her own and offers him a hand up off the floor.
"You should know that sweets do nothing to satisfy hunger."
"Hate to butt in, but Leela's right. Sorry, couldn't help myself," laughs Keiko.
"That's okay. You can have candy tonight. You own that 'Pez Dispenser'."
"Sometimes he gives me chocolate."
"You go, girl," smirks Leela.
All three walk out of the building and head towards the crosswalk heading left. "Why isn't Zoidberg with us?" asks Hiei.
"He said he had to put stuff away in his office, and he wanted to check on Mr. Farnsworth," shrugs Keiko, "So where is this McDonald's at?"
"It's McDrake's," corrects Leela, "The restaurant's mascot is a large white duck with a red jumpsuit. Wobble McDrake is the owner of the places."
The three cross the street and turn right at the first intersection. Keiko spots a large white building with a red mansard roof. "That's the place, looks no different than back home."
"And yet you have some poor schmo wearing a stupid duck costume…" Hiei starts to grumble.
"Hey, pal," interrupts the six-foot white duck standing in front of the door, "How dare you call me stupid! You don't even know me."
"That's not a costume, Hiei. That's actually is McDrake himself. Sorry McDrake," replies Leela, "My friends here have never been to your place."
"It's what I get from moving to Earth. I was ordered to work so I open one of these human eateries."
"They are called restaurants, Mr. McDrake," sighs Leela, rubbing her forehead, "Can't you even remember that? Restaurants, not human eateries."
"Have you been open long?" asks Keiko.
"Have I, uh…?"
"It's Leela, sir. You really need to work on your memory."
"How bad is his memory?" asks Keiko.
"He makes Hector seem better. You've been on Earth for five years, McDrake. You and your wife opened this place right after that."
"How good is her memory?"
"Delores…?"
"Sharon, Mr. McDrake," interrupts Leela, "She manages the place. She's got a great memory. Wobble stands out here and greets customers. He hasn't the wits for anything else."
"I've noticed that," sighs Hiei.
The three walk inside and approach an open booth. Keiko tries to find the front counter. "What are you looking for? There are no front counters in this place. The menus are on the tables." Leela pushes a button on the wall next to them. Immediately a holographic menu appears in front of them. "Now all you have to do is select what you want." Leela taps the screen for buggalo burgers. "Do you want cheese and super evolved lettuce leaf?"
"Buggalo burgers? What's that?" asks Keiko.
"They're huge. Maybe split it in thirds. You're not going to eat a whole buggalo."
"Just how big are buggalo burgers?" asks Hiei. Leela sizes a holograph to actual size and shows it fill the whole table. "Okay that's big."
"Yeah, I'm getting fat just looking at it," sighs Keiko, "Is there a smaller size?"
"Juniors are a fourth this size. You want feelers on the side."
"Feelers, don't you mean fries?"
"No, potatoes aren't a favorite anymore. Feelers are good though. Don't worry, they're hairless. The cooks here run the feelers through a zapper."
"So we'll have a junior buggalo burger with feelers," sighs Keiko.
"Cheese? I thought cows were extinct. That's what you told Shizuru."
"It's buggalo cheese. It'll taste the same. Majority of buggalo taste the same as cows. There's just hardly any fat to them."
"So what's there to drink?" asks Hiei.
"Slurm, orange Slurm, soylent cola, Gleezo, Peps fly…"
"Beer, wine coolers, motor oil? At a fast food place?" asks Keiko in disgust.
"That's for robot customers. You're looking at their menu."
"Oh okay. Now I see. I'm surprised they've got orange Slurm already. Didn't we give those worms those berries just the other day?"
"Yes and the queen cloned them and is already eating them."
"Hey darling," chimes Yusuke, approaching the table, "When did you three show up? Just now?"
"Sort of," sighs Keiko, "I've been reading this weird menu."
"I know. I've been reading it, too. What weird food items! Are some of these even edible? Green amoeba, mouse poppers, chicken-flavored alien brains, veggie-jello with ogden sauce, fried oil pies…soylent brisket, who'd eat that?"
"The McDrakes' serve all sorts of customers from various planets. Earthicans aren't just it. Don't take soylent cola, by the way. Both that and soylent brisket are for man-eaters."
"Are chicken burgers just that?"
"They are. Chickens are still around. But the burger is ground chicken. It's a kid taste."
"Yeah that piglet is here eating it. I think Kurama's eating it because it sounds normal."
"We're splitting a buggalo burger with feelers on the side. Buggalo taste just like beef, and they are just as harmless."
"Isn't a buggalo…?" Yusuke starts to ask.
"Giant beetles the Wongs raise on their ranch on Mars. They're very tasty. It won't kill you to try buggalo. Taste is like bar-be-que beef. If you want a taste of buggalo, we're splitting an order and this booth can seat one more."
"I guess it can't hurt. Maybe it's even better than some of our crazy foods. You've had to suck down Japanese treats."
"Yusuke, you know very well there are American stores in Tokyo. I didn't have to eat your food, I wanted to. I like what you guys have anyways."
"Would you eat puffer fish?"
"Except that one, I'm not eating that. I don't want to risk dying from that, especially not when I'll just be starting my new job with Spirit World. That would look really bad on a resume."
"The ogres eat it, you know. They'll bet you to try it."
"Screw the ogres. If they die, they'll still have job security and still be working. I highly doubt Koenma would have his men dead for long anyways."
Leela notices Fry across the room talking to a green-haired girl sitting next to him. "You say you were in the war too. How come I never saw you?"
"It's because I was your enemy," she replies.
"My enemy?" asks Fry, "But you're human, not a pig."
"It's true, I'm originally from Earth just like you. However I've lived on their planet for four years. I fully understand why the pigs wanted this war."
"Why though? Is it because of us?"
"I wish Zapp Branaggan had lived there too, then maybe he would have sympathized with us, I mean Porso's people." The green-haired woman stares at her 32oz Slurm, seeing her reflection in the soda. "If you were in their situation, wouldn't you do the same?" She tries to stifle her urge to cry, and slurps her soda. She glances at Koun sitting a couple rows from herself and Fry. "I know him. Him and his family."
"Koun? How do you know him? My ex-lover Leela and her friends found him orphaned on the planet, in front of his house."
"Leela, you say? Then you must be Fry. I know because you delivered supplies to Porko 09 two years ago."
"Yeah and I saw you there. You were the only human there. But back then you also didn't have this eye patch. What's up with that?"
"I got shot in the head by an arrow. A race of alien wolves showed up and demanded entire planetary sacrifices. We battled with them and blew up their mother ship. However one of the wolves shot me in the eye with an arrow and completely ruptured it. Now I have nothing left of it."
"You can clone yourself a new eye. We have the technology now."
"I know that, Fry, but this patch is also a constant reminder of the tragedy that continues on Porko 09. Those wolves only added fuel to the fire. The planet was already in the first stages of Armageddon when they attacked it."
"But you came last year and attacked Earth."
"Because you guys won't listen. What were supposed to do? Those pigs needed a new home. Last year would have been ideal. But no, you Earthicans don't listen and put on this arrogant act like you're superior to everyone else in the galaxy."
"So how do you know Koun?" asks Fry, changing the subject.
"I lived next door to them. I'd talk to his mother all the time. What a gossip queen she was. I still don't understand why her son is here. He's not Koun by the way. His name is Ariaco Hamparo. He was born just last year in Earthican November."
"Ariaco?" Kurama asks, overhearing the conversation, "When we asked his name, he didn't know. He was pleased to be called Koun."
"I would suspect he was so traumatized by all that's happened to him in these last 24-hours that he forgot his own name," replies the woman, "I know what it means anyways."
"It's a Japanese word."
"I know, I'm originally from Japan myself. Heir to a very powerful dragon actually."
"Ryuku?" asks Kurama, "We came here to learn how to destroy him. But then you won't exist."
"Ryuku's lineage extends back to 2000 years. One of his sons, Ryunamaru transformed himself into a human and married the princess, Taki. Those two are my branch of the Ryuku family line."
"I've heard of humans having demonic or dragon ancestors. In fact, the guy sitting across from Leela-san has demon blood in him and yet he's human."
"What about the man next to Leela?"
"He's a demon too. So am I."
"I see. Yet you know my ancestral grandfather and want to kill him."
"I've seen his terrible actions back in the Feudal Era myself. So has Hiei, who is the name of the man sitting next to Leela-san."
"And you've come here to destroy Ryuku, but he's already sealed up."
"Leela brought us here from the 21st century in her time-machine car. We're training to defeat him in our era."
"Okay. But then you just get stuck in this war."
"Yes but this war is more than what we bargained for. I've been in wars and witnessed many others. But one where the sole purpose was to prevent a mass extinction and total annihilation of an ecosystem…"
"Yes, don't have to tell me. I was there and witnessed the extinctions. That's why Porso was so desperate. He had enough of his people dying. So he gathered what remained into the mother ship and was desperate to find a new home in the new Porko planetary system."
"Glab is letting them on by. We were there in the meeting with her and the leaders of each planet."
"I know. She held a broadcast and I caught all of it in my ship."
"Ms. Kokoro," chimes Ariaco, running up to her. He leaps up on her lap and tries to hug her.
"Did you miss me? I've only been gone since yesterday."
"Momma wants to tell you a secret when you go home. I'll bet it's about me, right?"
"Koun…I mean Ariaco, it's too late for that," sighs Shizuru, "Whatever it was…she's gone baby. I'm sorry. When we found him, his family was…"
"We think his family shooed him outside…" Kurama starts to explain.
"They wouldn't do that. Ariaco usually walks outside on his own. Most of the time he plays in front of both our houses. His little brothers and sisters are out there with him. On several occasions, his mother has scolded him and his brothers because they stand there with their pants down and urinate in the street. It's not because they're poor, it's just they're boys and they like to create little games with it, like how far can they aim their pee."
"We'll certainly curb him from that behavior. We've got a son like that too," sighs Kurama, "I know he does that with his buddies sometimes, but I tell him real men don't do stuff like that. It's so uncool."
"By we…you mean."
"We're adopting him. We've got Porso's approval."
"So it really is true. Amiaca and Poro really are dead. I should have known when I left for Earth last night that was the last time I would see them again. I've lived beside them all this time. But now Ariaco is all that's left. Everyone else…his brothers…his sisters…Amiaca. It was just yesterday, but…I…will you excuse me…" Ms. Kokoro bolts from her table and races towards the Ladies room. Fry follows close behind her and grabs a hold of her just before she enters. Kokoro grasps onto his shirt and sobs as hard as she can. Fry embraces her, trying to console her.
Leela watches Fry embrace the woman. Leela sighs while looking at her portion of buggalo. "If I only knew more about this family, if only we got there in time, then none of this would be an issue."
Hiei rubs her hand. "I know you want to save anyone and everyone you can. It's okay. We saved his life at least. I know it hurts, and Ariaco will be hurting the most. But that was all you could do was save him. In a way you did save him family. His immediate family is gone, but because of your intuitions and heart, Ariaco and his fellow citizens are going to a new home."
Keiko reaches across the table and tries to sooth Leela. "It's okay. I know what's it's like to be in your shoes. You're a good person. I know with this new job, you'll be doing that everyday. You kill and destroy any demon trying to inflict harm on the innocent."
"You're the one who saw through this war for what it really was. Sometimes I can't even do that. It's almost like you've got hindsight better than some demons," comments Yusuke.
"Don't look at me when you say 'some demons', bonehead!"
"Could you see this battle for what it was, Hiei? You just kill first and ask later."
Leela glances back over at Ms. Kokoro. "I know that woman. A year before the first war with Porso's people, Fry, Bender, and I delivered ten crates of food and medical supplies. She lived on Porko 09. Name is…" Leela tries to remember the name, "Oh yeah, Captain Kokoro. Supreme Captain Fiery Kokoro."
"Did you say Kokoro?" asks Hiei, "I know that name. I used to know a Ryunamaru Kokoro. He's the son of Ryuku, though he used to profoundly distant himself from his father. Kokoro was even a general in Mukuro's army, specifically targeting his own father."
"So Ryuku's own son was against him. I'd doubt it sit well with Ryuku to have his own offspring become a turncoat," shrugs Leela, "So what happened with Ryunamaru?"
"He's with the border guard. You saw him, Leela, back in May in fact. You remember there was a man sitting next to Chuu, on his left with long green hair, at Genkai's place. He didn't say anything."
"I remember him sitting there listening in on all our input," recalls Leela, "It looked like he want to say something, but it was like what was on his mind was already said. He looked to be as tall as Chuu but was as slender as Kurama, muscle-wise. He had green-piercing eyes and long flowing hair."
"That was Ryunamaru Kokoro."
"So how old is he?" asks Leela.
"In our time, he's 1000 years old. But like Kurama, he prefers the human form. He also detests the human-hunting business."
"I do remember seeing him again at Mukuro's wake and the next day at her funeral," recalls Leela, "At the funeral, he was standing on the opposite side of the pyre from us. I don't know why he didn't accompany us in the city, the night of the wake though."
"He stayed back incase any demons attacked wake goers."
"That was good," replies Keiko, "Because I lack your eyes to see invisible threats. My spirit energy is almost nonexistent, and I'm spiritually blind to danger."
"And I'm nervous whenever Yukina's in Demon World. I know she can take care of herself, but when Yuki and Hiro are with her, I feel uneasy when she's alone. There are so many malevolent apparitions that would take advantage of her, if they were given the chance to."
"Do you think Ryunamaru has the strength to rise up again to help defeat his old man again?"
"When he's released then yes. He despises his father. He used to love him, but when Ryuku tarnished his family's name and disowned Ryunamaru for appearing human and marrying one, then that's where the hatred started. Ryuku went so far as to eat one of Ryunamaru's own half-dragon children. When that happened Ryunamaru separated himself from Ryuku and never forgave him."
"I can't imagine what hating ones own father is like," sighs Leela.
"I can't either," replies Yusuke, "I know I'd get pissed at Raizen, but never really hated him. I envy him, and at times feel sorry he died the way he did."
"At least you knew your father. I never knew mine."
"Isn't that him on your arm?" asks Leela, "or at least his likeness."
"I'm not sure. No I don't…"
"You sound unsure of yourself. When you transformed in my dream, you looked like Ryuku. Is it possible your father was a dragon?"
"Leela, I'm a demon not a dragon."
"But you are a fire apparition, not just a demon. And you're able to call upon the dragon and now you transform into one."
"That comes from training. I had to train my body to transform like that. Earlier I had to summon the dragon. I know what you're thinking Leela. I'm not related to Ryuku. Just like there is a deep rift between humans and demons, there's another between demons and dragons. Dragons have almost unlimited power and take more than one person to tackle. We may have to ask for Ryunamaru for help in our own war against Ryuku."
Leela excuses herself and stands up from the table. She walks briskly by Fiery towards the ladies' room. She glances at Fiery with a sympathetic look in her eye. Fiery makes motions to leave Fry's embrace. "I'm sorry, but the Slurm has gone through me." Immediately, she follows Leela into the restroom.
"I'm surprised to see you here," replies Leela, " I didn't know you were in the war, Fiery."
"I was opposing you guys. I know it's treasonous of me…but…"
"I saw the planet myself. I understand what it was like. Even two years ago, I thought something had to be done. We had room on the Planet Express ship. We could have moved you somewhere safer than that. I'm so sorry Earth acted too late."
"Don't apologize, Leela. I know you tried to do everything you could, you still do. I'm not angry with you. It's Zapp who bugs me. He never listens to anyone, to the point of forcing a whole planet to stay and face the apocalypse alone."
"They're going to the new planet, though."
"Porso had been to conference for ten years with Glab. He wanted to save all his people. I've only been on the planet for these last four years, and even back then I knew they had to move. I saw my own neighborhood becoming a graveyard. Ariaco and his family were right next-door, and Amiaca was such a good neighbor. But I know the secret she wanted to share with me was to make sure her son lived on. Adopt him if you want."
"That's what my friends, the Minaminos, want to do. Kurama and his wife Shizuru have two kids already and are prepared to adopt him."
"Leela the reason why is he's healthy. His family was sick from the lack of moisture and death of the ecosystem. They must have allowed him go outside so he wouldn't see them all die. Amiaca said she bought a bottle of quick-kill pills from the pharmacy in town. They chose to die and avoid even more agony. I just wish…no I'm not going over this again. I didn't come in here just for talking about it. I spoke the truth to Fry." Fiery heads straight into a stall and closes the door. Immediately she sits down. "Oh yeah! If we talked further, I would have peed on the floor."
"Well I didn't drink that much," laughs Leela, "I came in here to think." Leela quickly senses Shizuru heading towards the door. "Hey, there you are. I thought I sensed you. Where's…"
"Men's room. That piglet is a handful. Polite but he loves to play game."
"I know," replies Fiery from behind the stall door, "Ariaco is like that. He and his brothers love to play the 'Aim your piss' game. You need to watch that."
"Don't worry, we got our ways to break that stupid habit. Our son does that too. What we do is make him clean it up himself. And if he continues it, no friends."
"And what else do you do to Saito…?" pressures Leela.
"Make him sit like a girl. That's the ultimate thing too, especially with this all macho-phase he's in. Fiery, is it, my son is the stereotypical boy. He's the G I Joe-Ninja Turtle-He-Man boy. Hard core, or thinks he is. Last fall, for Halloween, he wanted to dress up like Optimus Prime. He saved his allowance and Kurama brought him to the costume shop at the mall and let him buy the costume."
"I've seen Transformer costumes in my time," replies Leela, as she walks through another open stall, "At Halloween time at Macy's, they are sold in the Toy Department. But even now they are so expensive." Leela sits on the toilet and pees. "I know you have costumes for other holidays in Japan and those tags are all marked up."
"Bless those of us with bigger paychecks, I guess," sighs Shizuru.
"We had bigger paychecks, but never did that," laughs Fiery. She stands up and lets the automatic flush kick in. "My goodness, I think I filled this bowl."
"Yeah, you've been sitting there awhile. Just how much did you have to drink?"
"Two helpings of Slurm. About sixty-four ounces in total."
"No wonder then," replies Leela, "I don't even drink that much. I ordered tea with my meal, but I only had sixteen ounces."
"Yeah but sixty-four is my norm."
"If I did that, I'd be fat as a pumpkin," replies Shizuru, "I didn't even drink that much tea both times when I was pregnant. I had enough with the unborn kid in the way."
Leela sighs, "I know you say I have it easy with adopting Hiro, but regardless, I want to go through this too. One day I want to be the one carrying Hiei's baby, giving birth to this daughter Koenma wishes to have reincarnated as our own. It'll be strange to work up there and get to know her before having her."
"That'd be one advantage you alone will have. What mother gets that chance, to know the spirit of their child before the body is even formed?"
"You can do that, Leela? How is that? Are you working for Heaven?"
"Fiery, I've changed since you last saw me," Leela explains as she rises to her feet, "One reason I saw through this war is we captured a POW and I was able to read his thoughts. We wouldn't even have Ariaco here and alive if I didn't peer into the pig's mind. We wouldn't have even thought to search the planet with the probe from my ship if I didn't see his visions."
"Leela's able to read thoughts, fight with spirit energy, and fly because one of my and my husband's friends opened up her spiritual channels. Koenma's very good at doing that for people. He did this fourteen years ago in our era to one of Kurama's best friends."
"Someone else is like Leela?"
"Did you see me sitting there with a brunette woman and two black-haired men? The guy with the short hair is the one Shizuru is talking about."
"The one sitting by the brunette," replies Fiery, "I saw him while Fry and I were talking. He didn't look anything special. I've seen guys like him. I'm originally from…where are you from?"
"Japan. Twenty-first century Tokyo, Japan, is where we're all from."
"Yeah and you would have remained there if I didn't crash in my time-machine. While you were finding Ariaco, I was talking to Yusuke. I didn't tell anybody else this, but the night before I crashed, Mukuro appeared in my dream. She basically told me to take the car and she'll handle the rest."
"So she took over your car's voice and told it to disobey you. Sounds like a Mukuro move. Usually when she wants you to do something, you do it, like it or not. So I take it you haven't told Hiei your dream then."
"I didn't know what time was appropriate. He's still trying to get over her death, even though she introduced herself this morning in front of the Nimbus. Still I don't know if that was enough. I will eventually know, maybe tonight."
"Who's Hiei?" asks Fiery.
"He's the guy you saw sitting beside Leela," explains Shizuru, "He's a twenty-first centurion just like the rest of us and Leela's new boyfriend. This was the person Leela first met in Demon World's forest. I was surprised how you weren't afraid of him back in May, but now by us coming here and seeing his alien double, I understand why you weren't scared."
"You mean McLark?" asks Fiery.
"If you stood Hiei and McLark Trilo in front of each other, you'd think you had a mirror between them," replies Leela, as she stands up and walks out of the stall. "Hey Shizuru, where do you think Botan is? I haven't seen her all day."
"Is she another friend of yours from Japan?" asks Fiery.
"Yes and I don't know. She might be flying around the city. There are still injured victims, despite the war being over. Or she's flying for the heck of it. She's never been to New York City before. Not in our era and definitely not in yours."
"So is she in a space craft?" asks Fiery.
"No, Botan flies naturally on her own," explains Leela, "She rides on an oar that she herself materializes using her own spirit energy. She's been doing that for 700 years or more."
"So what are your plans tonight, Leela?"
"I'm giving you and Kurama the car tonight. He knows how to pilot it. Plus you can spend time with Ariaco, especially since this will be his first night orphaned and on a strange new planet. Near the apartment, there's a twenty-four hour Kwiki Mart. You can get stuff for him. I figured you could handle that."
"His king says their young have small bladders so we'll see if there are overnights here. Sakura wears overnights too, because she has a tendency to wet the bed."
"They've got kid-sized diapers. Nibbler wears those."
"So if we have the car, what will you and Hiei do then?"
"I'm thinking about taking him into the sewers tonight. I want to introduce him to my parents."
"Is that far?" asks Shizuru.
"Their house is right under Planet Express. Besides we can fly through the sewers."
"Will that leave Keiko and Yusuke at a disadvantage?"
"Not in the least," laughs Leela, "He told me that they were touring the city. They want to try the space tubes. I told them if they wanted, they could go to the New New York Opera House. That's where 'All My Circuits' is being performed. There are also new exhibits at the Head Museum. The entire cast of 'Scrubs' has been unfrozen."
"Which did they pick, or did they pick at all?"
"Yusuke was unsure about either place, until I mentioned Calculon was the main actor. I know he hasn't seen a robot actor before, especially not Calculon, so they're going to his show."
Leela sighs and heads out of the restroom and walks back to her table. She sees the menu displayed across the table. Hiei sits alone, studying the display. "Trying to get something else, babe?" she smirks.
"No, I was reading out of…this menu is all over the map. It's got things here I didn't know was food, or what it was. Toad burgers, fried leg of horse, French fried human rods, frog ala king, tacos with fried soylent green, crispy human fingers. The man-eaters back in Mukuro City have this sort of menu."
"That's for the man-eating aliens," replies Leela, "You're reading their menu." Leela taps a toggle button for Earthican customers. "That's the menu for us. Chicken burgers, buggalo brisket, miniature squab salad, Calamari gumbo…this is the menu most appealing to humans. The signature item is the Grand Chicken. That has two chicken patties, two slices of buggalo cheese, buggalo bacon, lettuce, tomato slice, and Wong-styled barbecue sauce."
"Is it good?"
"I've had it. It's wonderful, especially after a long delivery run." Leela sighs and looks at him, "So are you done with this thing?" She taps the panel on the wall next to them and turns the menu off. "So do you have plans tonight?"
"Not really. Yusuke and Keiko already left for that robot show. Your friend, Bender, insisted to tag along."
"He does that, especially if it's Calculon," chuckles Leela, "If you haven't got any plans, the sewers are always open for visitors. I was thinking about introducing you to mom and dad. It's been awhile since I've seen them."
Hiei shrugs and pulls himself away from the table. He escorts Leela past the main entrance. He gazes at the street in front of him from the sidewalk. "Call me stupid for asking, but how do we get in the sewers?"
Leela points to a manhole cover in the middle of the street. "These are the entrances to the sewers. The sewers run all over the city, well under it. Years ago it used to be dark underground, but because of what Bender did, who dumped neon toxic waste down there, there's an abundant source of light from the sewer lake."
Leela leads him to the manhole cover in the street. She bends down and pries the cover off. "Amazing, this thing used to be so heavy for me. I had to use a crowbar just to visit my parents."
"Must be all that training with old woman, Genkai, is paying off," Hiei smirks, stating the obvious.
"That and the spirit energy your friend helped me reach."
"Koenma isn't really my friend, but yeah."
"Now that's surprising you would say that. I thought you were personal friends with the guy. Certainly appears that way to me. You don't even get pissed off at him. You even suggested I get the spirit tap from him."
"I'm not saying I hate the guy, but just not…never mind. You're the one who'll be seeing him everyday for work. I would pay money to see how you handle the ogres. I wish I were there the other day when you were in his office with Kurama."
"Well how about on my first day, you come up with me? We could even do lunch up there. I'll order it and you pick it up."
"You want me to go through some drive-thru."
"Hiei, you know very well I'm the only one in your era with robotic devices. Besides it's Spirit World. You expect some human delivery boy would even get up there?" Leela finally pries the cover off and reveals the Sewer Lake. "Ugh how many times must I ask Raoul to fix this ladder? He's the supreme leader, but he's also a big time procrastinator."
"We can fly down, can't we? It doesn't look that far down."
"Yeah," Leela sighs, "Well that would be faster. I was sort of hoping not having to fly so the buggalo can settle." Leela leaps off the ladder and soars towards the lake, followed close behind by Hiei.
"So this is what the sewers look like. I was expecting something small, but this is huge."
"This is where the decaying ruins of Old New York resides. We aren't actually there, but we're not too far from it. We'll be going through there anyways to get back to the apartment. We are living directly above the old city." Leela lands in front of the lake. Immediately she sees a short woman with a pig snout and gills looking at her.
"Leela, it's you," snorts Vyolet, as she draws a hit from her cigarette, "How did you fly like that?"
"I've been training with a new martial arts technique."
"So what's with the sudden visit?"
"I'm just here to see my parents. Are they available?"
"Morris and Munda? Yeah. Morris and Raoul were fishing here earlier today, but all that commotion on the surface was scaring the fish. Sounded like you guys had another war."
"We did, but Glab has called a ceasefire now." Leela watches her lover fly towards the lake. "Dear, please don't land in the water. You'll be mutated immediately."
Hiei changes course and lands next to Leela. "How would I be mutated? I'm not even mortal."
"It doesn't matter. If you even wade in there, you'll come out not even looking human."
"Who is he?" asks Vyolet, "New boyfriend?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," chimes Leela, "His name is Hiei."
"He's a cutie. He's even better looking than Fry. Can I have him when you're done with him?"
"First of all, you're married to Raoul. Second, I'm not leaving this guy; he's for keeps. And third, I found him first."
"So you're together with him forever. That's not like you, Leela, to be attached to a guy like that. For how long?" Vyolet asks, as she draws a puff from her cigarette.
"Two months."
"Two whole months? You've been steady for that long? Wow that's neat," replies Vyolet, "The only other person you've been that way towards was Fry. But wasn't on-again off-again?"
"Yeah. I just don't feel the same way about him any more."
"You told me last September, and then again in February of this year. You looked like you wanted to break up but didn't seem to know just how to do that."
"So you were planning to break up with Fry before crashing into my era?"
"I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure how. My feelings were changing before I met you. I didn't want to hurt you, but I…please don't think I was using your century to runaway. I was told to go there in a dream."
"By whom?"
"I never told you this but Mukuro appeared in my dreams the night before I left. She had been doing that for a couple of weeks. She didn't even say come to the era, just said take the gift from your current lover and she'd do the rest. I told this dream to Yusuke earlier."
"I should have known. I was so blinded by grief over the motions of losing her. But that'd be something she'd do. She knew she was dying but she wanted someone to come and fill the void. Someone with a pure heart who knows nothing about darkness or torture. But of all the people from the thousands of years of searching and from any continent, she chose you. Maybe she knew you wanted an out, that's why she summoned you."
"Could that be why she picked me over Fry?"
"I've been talking to him. I've got the feeling he's happy here. This was the era he was meant to exist in. He seems at home here."
Leela sighs, "Yeah it's just like how I feel about Tokyo in the 21st century. I don't feel constrained and I love hanging out with you and your friends."
Vyolet pitches her cigarette and wanders back towards the cardboard housing complex. "That was my last cigarette, at least for awhile."
"Why's that?" asks Leela, "You're quitting?"
"Just for…I got back the test results from the doctors, and…"
"You and Raoul are expecting?"
"That's the other reason why his fishing trip was lousy. He was in a daze out on the lake. He was…"
"I know the feeling," sighs Hiei, "I'm a father too. I've got an infant son at home. I was in a daze too when Mukuro told me she was pregnant."
"Who's this Mukuro person?" asks Vyolet.
"She was the woman I thought I was going to share the rest of my…"
"Hiei, you don't have to tell her everything. That's the woman who died on him. She's alive again inside a tiger's body now."
"I get it. I understand. Sorry about that, mister. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No need…uh…Vyolet-san."
Leela, Vyolet, and Hiei round the corner of the narrow stretch of metal sidewalk and head in the direction of the Turongas' makeshift house. "Aren't you coming inside?" asks Hiei.
"Naw, my house is further down from this one. I was out strolling here, trying to clear my head. I'm just as buzzed about the whole new parent thing as Raoul is."
Leela knocks on the door flap. "I guess I'll see you later. Congrats to the both of you."
Vyolet waves goodbye and strolls past the house. Leela knocks her fist on the door flap again. "Are you guys home?"
"Morris, who's that? Go see who it is," utters Munda.
"Mom, it's me," Leela replies through the door.
"Oh! Munda, it's Leela. She's come back through again." He opens the flap and greets his daughter with a hug.
"Dad, how have you been?"
"Great, dear. Did you hear Raoul's wife is expecting?"
"We were outside with her just now."
"Who's this handsome young man you've got with you?" asks Munda, "Morris, let our daughter inside." Morris escorts the young couple into the house and offers them a seat on the stiff-cushioned couch.
"Mom, Dad, part of the reason for my visit is to introduce him. This is Jaganshi Hiei. He's the guy in my life now."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jay…gun…how do say that?" asks Morris.
"It's Japanese, sir. Just call me Hiei. Nobody calls me by my full name."
"So you met him in Japan?" asks Munda, "Where exactly?"
"Tokyo. Twenty-first century Tokyo. I had a time-machine mishap and ended up stuck in the first part of the twenty-first century. It happened two months ago."
"Neat. So that's where you're from. So what's that like? What do you do there? Do you pull automocars?"
"Mom, the twenty-first century isn't what we on the surface make it out to be. There's barely any difference in the two eras. The only thing is it's mostly manual. You have to physically do stuff."
"Is it hard to do?" asks Morris.
"Not really, well at first it was…"
"Leela, admit it. You forgot what century you were in when you tried making coffee the first week after Mukuro's death. You put the cup under the machine and asked it to produce coffee. You didn't know you were supposed to put in a filter and fill it with ground coffee beans. I watched you stand there getting pissed off at the stupid thing."
"What did you expect? I've grown up in this era and robots do things for you. Robots prepared that dinner we had. That's why we got our order so fast."
"So what do you do, Hiei was it?" asks Morris.
"I'm a border guard for Demon World. My job is to keep wandering humans out of Demon World and kill any pests trying to hunt and eat their human prey. That's what I was doing when I met Leela. I thought she was just another stranded human across the border. Then she told me her 'border' was here in the thirty-first century in New York City. Thousand years in the future is way out of my league. I was pleased she flew herself to Mukuro City to the tower. Usually my underlings and I have to stun the human and carry him to the tower to erase his memory. Most humans are afraid of the supernatural and are chicken shit of demons. This girl of yours, Leela-san, isn't like that. She wasn't at all scared."
"Ha, what can anyone do there that can frighten me? If they try to kill me, I'll strike back with Spirit Bombs and destroy them first."
"Besides you've got the advantage of reading someone's mind. That's why scaring you or surprising you is difficult now."
"And it keeps you out of trouble. I'm not having you kill any of my friends. No way. Threaten Botan all you want, but you're not killing her."
"Who's that? Friend of yours?" asks Morris.
"She's my best friend. Botan is also visiting this era, but is really from his. We've also got two more couples here too."
"One of them will have a young child with them on their way home."
"You're adopting a child from this era?" asks Munda.
"Not me, my best friend and his wife have a young alien child staying with them."
"Ariaco is that Porko-09 orphan they rescued."
"I heard about Porko 09," sighs Munda, "Their old planet is doomed. Raoul held a conference in the sewers about that. We feel saddened by their predicament. I'm glad Glab is allowing safe and easy passage for King Porso's people. She also said she wants you to go to the DOOP Headquarters tomorrow for a major conference. She wants to meet the Earthican couple wishing to adopt one of Porko-09's own kind."
"What else can you tell us, young man?" asks Morris, "I'm sure working a border isn't the only thing."
"I've got a three month-old son. My sister is helping me take care of him. Yukina and Kuwabara also have a daughter, named Yuki, a month younger than him."
"So you've got a son. What's his name?"
"Hiro. Mukuro and I have Hiro, well I do."
Leela wraps her arms around Hiei and rubs his back. "It'll take time."
"What's the matter with him, Leela?" asks Munda.
"Mukuro is one of reasons I was in his era. Just a couple days after I arrived there, she passed on. Her soul is still here, in a tiger's body. But, back there…she's gone."
"So sorry, sir. Didn't know you were in that kind of pain," replies Munda, "I know what that's like. My favorite aunt passed on not too long ago. I'm still grieving for her."
"You mean great aunt Marietta. I loved her. When did she die?" asks Leela.
"In May on the 10th. She had been sick for such a long time."
"I knew back in February, when I visited you, she didn't have long to go. If I only knew she died when I was in the 21st century…but the stupid flux capacitor broke. Does she have a grave at least?"
"It's in Old New York in the old Central Park," sighs Munda.
"That's on the way to the apartment on the surface," informs Leela, "New Central Park is where we were this morning. Under the surface are the decaying ruins of the old park."
"I thought it was Monument Park."
"That's the nickname we give it. Those monuments used to be on the beach in New Jersey, but alien pranksters were always attacking them. So the monuments were moved to New Central Park, then the park was dubbed Monument Park."
"Is it far from here? That war of yours was okay for me, but this whole day has worn me out."
"Yeah, besides we've got a busy day tomorrow. Aside from meeting with Glab face-to-face, we've got to get the virtual headgear for our tour through the Feudal Era. I've got the video all set up. I want to see this dragon first hand for real. Just showing me a dream about him isn't enough."
"You've got a dragon to worry about?" asks Munda in a bewildered tone.
"At the moment he's dormant inside a shrine behind the temple I spirit train at. But someone is trying to free him. He's got an undead monk trapped with him, and the monk is just as evil and scary as the dragon, maybe worse. Hiei showed me a dream where I saw this man. So much for his humanity, he was a monster in his own right. Notaku scared me more than Ryuku."
"What's he like?" asks Munda.
"He's a cannibal, which is a serious offense for a Buddhist monk, especially in the Feudal Era," Leela explains, "Back then the ultimate punishment was Obligatory Seppuku, which is a government-assisted suicide. If the shogun gave you that punishment, not only would you be forced to kill yourself, but also your entire family would suffer. The head of the household would be stripped of his land, children would be sold as slaves, and any women would be forced to work in brothels the rest of their lives."
"Oh my," gasps Munda, "What a harsh time. Will you experiencing that dear?"
"Not really. We aren't physically going to the 1500's. We are merely observing it. I want to see what our friends and us are up against if Ryuku wakes up."
"Well I know you can handle it, dear," assures Morris, "You're a brave woman with a good head on her shoulders."
"Don't count me out," replies Hiei, "I'm preparing to fight this monster too. Leela-san won't be alone. My friends will also assist in defeating him."
"You should see these people attack an enemy, Dad. One of our friends is able to point his index finger and fire it like it was a real gun. Weirdest thing I've seen. He says he's been doing that for fourteen years ever since he got the ability as a kid."
"You can do that too, Leela. Your way though is to materialize bombs and create that lance."
"Spirit Bombs are just as effective as that Spirit Gun he has. Besides the bombs make up for my lack of depth perception. If I need pinpoint accuracy, drawing a proton gun from my belt is my solution. It only taking a few nanoseconds to prep that."
"I thought you were weaning yourself off the gun. Isn't the old woman teaching you to do that?"
"I'm not completely done with using a real gun. Genkai knows of my problem with depth perception. Give me a break; I'm still brand new at Spirit fighting. Why do you think the sparring matches are as short as they are? I'm trying to fight like that, but it's not easy. You've had 700 years to perfect your style, Kurama and Ashanti had a millennium to perfect their style, and I know O'Falla is the same age as Kurama and Ashanti and she's a master fighter. I'm a newbie in this mixture of warriors."
"Wow more friends of yours? How old did you say you were, young man?" asks Morris.
"Morris, it's not polite to ask a person's age," Munda scolds.
"That only applies to you women. Men don't have that rule."
"It's all right, Lady Turonga. I'm really 754 years old."
"How is it you live for that long? Leela, didn't you mention another fellow that age? No human, and certainly no mutant lives that long," replies Morris.
"He's right. Aunt Marietta lived to be only 160."
"I'm not mortal. Demons outlive humans by several centuries or millennia. Old age hardly kills a demon. I'll eventually get old, but that won't be for several more millennia."
"Demons die by other means than age alone. If you are stronger than your demonic opponent, your power will take him out. Demons can even starve from certain nutrients, especially if the 'nutrients' happen to be human," explains Leela.
"Slow poisoning on top of afterbirth does that too. That's how my Mukuro died. As strong as she was, it took bearing Hiro and that slow poisoning by Seiichi's group to…"
"Hiei, don't. Can we change the subject, please? Her death is still hard and very tender. It's not like Great Aunt Marietta, whose time was up. This Mukuro was his first true love and she promised she would stay with him and end his loneliness. She held her promise for ten years and even bore him a son. But then she died a month after Hiro's birth. Even though she's transferred to a new body, he can't forget her. At nights I've slept beside him because he cried for her. I've promised not to leave him either. I'm not going to die, I can't."
"So you've got him in your future plans. Are you going to marry him?" asks Munda in a dreamy voice.
"Yes and adopt Hiro. I'm taking care of him already."
"Can we see him?" asks Munda. Leela flips on her wristband and brings up his holograph, "Aw, he's so cute. I can see why you want to make him your son, Leela." Tears form in Munda's eye, "Oh I feel like a grandma."
"After we're done with Ryuku, we'll come back here and introduce you to him for real. You'll get to do all the new grandma stuff you want. Hiro's got the cutest giggle too."
"New grandma. Oh Morris, our baby will have a baby of her own."
"I'm not pregnant though."
"Details, details. What does that matter? When he says 'Mama', he'll direct the word at you, Leela," assures Hiei.
"I know. I'm still new at that idea, even more than the spirit energy stuff. That and the job I have waiting back for me in Tokyo."
"You've got a new job?" asks Morris.
"It's not in Tokyo, really, but yeah. As soon as we travel back, I'll be working for the same man who helped me channel spirit energy. Koenma's my new boss. I'll be working up in Spirit World every day. My title will be Spirit Lieutenant."
"Where is this Spirit World place?" asks Munda.
"Heaven, Mom. But I won't be dead. Not everybody who goes up there is dead. There's an entire office staffed with ogres and ferrymen. Botan is one of the ferry-people."
"She's a fairy?" asks Morris.
"Ferry, dear, not fairy," corrects Munda, "Ferrymen are folks who lead you across the River Styx after you die."
"Right, but I won't be dead. I'm just working for the man in charge."
"Actually, Leela, the man in charge is King Yama. You'll be working for his son. When you get your paycheck, it'll have Yama's seal stamped on it."
"Will it be cashable? What bank will believe where I work?"
"There are banks in Mukuro City. That's where Mukuro's money is. If you want to put it in Tokyo, ask Yama yourself. He's got a stamp for making it appear legit. He's got money in all three worlds. It's the same yen Human World residents get."
"Yeah and you're still living off Mukuro's money."
"It's not her money anymore. Tigers, especially brand-new cubs, have no use for money. She wasn't about to have the Human Japanese government get their grubby mitts on all her yen and gold. That's why she gave it to us."
"How much money?" asks Morris.
"Again with the rude questions," scolds Munda, "You don't ask people how much they have. It's their business, not yours. For all we know, Leela might be well off with half a million in her pocket."
"More like a billion. Plus you've got to count that as Japanese yen, not American dollars," corrects Leela, "And that would be 10 million by equivalents."
"You're rich and still want to work for Koenma."
"Hiei, I don't work for money alone, I love working. Besides I want to put the money Mukuro gave us to good use. Like making a home for Hiro and us outside of Tokyo. I want to buy the land required and build it like the old garden in our dream. I want to build a house and make it look aged, like it had been there for a hundred years."
"So you want that. No mansion, no rich life, but live for real in the dream you gave me."
"Hiei, I wouldn't last ten minutes in a mansion full of squeaky floors and crap I can't touch. What kind of a life is that for Hiro anyways? Children love fun and making him live in a museum doesn't interest me. Besides I want to have our friends over with their kids. I want a place for Hiro and Yuki to play. And someday I want that little girl Koenma has in Spirit World to live with us. I want to have her."
"What little girl?" asks Munda.
"Mom, there's a soul of a little girl who died prematurely. She barely had a chance at life and Koenma wants to have her reincarnated in a new body. I want to help the child out by providing her a new body. I'm really interested in creating the new body with Hiei."
"So you really are determined to stay with him," sighs Munda, "You were never this determined with Fry. And never with other men. But it's this man sitting here tonight that has you loving him truly, and not just infatuated with him."
"It's true, Mom. I really love him. I love everything about him, including his flaws."
"That's wonderful, dear," Munda chimes.
"Yes and now I can tell Raoul that he's not the only one with a baby in his life. And I've got the advantage of already knowing my own grandson," boasts Morris.
"Just don't upstage him, Morris. You know how he gets when you do that."
"Can't wait until he gets a little older so I can take the boy fishing," ponders Morris with a dreamy look in his eye.
"You'd take Hiro fishing?" ask Hiei.
"Son, that's what grandparents are supposed to do," explains Morris, "It's your job to raise the child and it's ours to spoil him."
"And Dad, you can even go outside with him in twenty-first century. People there aren't even bothered by mutants. We look like demons to most humans. There are even some teenagers who think my one eye is awesome."
"Which ones? You mean…?"
"I'm taking Japanese as a second language from the school Yusuke teaches at and Keiko is the principal of. Lately, I've seen students in the hallways with needless uses for eye patches. A group of young girls have even dyed their hair purple. I've even heard murmurs from behind the doors of the Teacher's Lounge like 'I wish I had her natural looks' or 'How did she do that to her face? I want to look like that too.'"
"Is that right?" smirks Munda, "If you're popular there, then I guess we'd be that way as well."
"Yeah, so I really can take my grandson fishing, like what a real grandpa should do."
"Yes and I can bake both of you cookies or brownies after you get back. And…and when Leela gets pregnant and has that little girl, why I can knit her little booties, and make her little pink dresses. I also want to make little blue overalls for Hiro."
"Don't get carried away, Mom," laughs Leela.
"Wow so this is what being a kid is like. I wish I had that. The fire demon that impregnated my mom disappeared from her life. Giving birth to a son in that village was a serious crime. Mom suffered for it by the village elders. I was cast aside, literally into the cold, cruel world. She killed herself as a result. For hundreds of years I had nobody. I had an extra eye implanted in my forehead to keep track of the village. After a while I learned I had a twin sister, but because of the surgery, I wasn't allowed to see her or let her know who I was. Then ten years ago, in my era, I found Mukuro, or rather she found me. She described her childhood was equally as bitter. Then last year she became pregnant. I had the idea of marrying her. I thought it would be the most perfect thing. But…"
"Oh Hiei, we had no idea," sighs Munda, "So sorry you had to go through that."
"If you'd like, I can simulate a childhood for you. I'll do it tonight in our dreams," promises Leela, "We can play as children. We can even look like children."
"You'd do that f…for me. Thank you," Hiei replies with tears in his voice. He presses his fingers over his eyes, trying to wipe away tears. "Leela is it all right if we head back. I'm not interested in crying in front of your folks here."
"It's okay, son," reassures Munda, "With such a painful existence you've had, every once in a while a good cry is all you need."
'I'll ask Hina to come,' thinks Leela. Leela closes her eye and immediately sees an icy village. She spots an older woman dressed in a white kimono. Leela approaches the woman and asks her to call upon Hina.
'As you wish, ma'am. Who's it for?'
'Tell her that her son needs her.'
'Hina's son? I know that child. Wait a few seconds.' The woman quickly disappears into the village.
Leela stands in the path to the living world. Immediately she spots a woman approaching her, looking very similar to Yukina.
'You're Leela. I know my son's in love with you.' Hina confirms, bowing to her.
'If you could stay awhile, tonight I'm planning to simulate a deserving childhood for him.'
'You want me in it. I don't have anything else to do. Sure. I can be there tonight.'
Hiei closes his eyes and sees Hina standing in front of him. She kneels in front of him in a materialized ghost form.
"Morris, are you seeing this?" whispers Munda, "Leela has conjured up this ghost."
"I've not conjured her," replies Leela, still with her eye closed, "I just asked her to come here. I invited her here. Talking to the dead is what a telepath can do. I've got the ability to read minds and talk to spirits."
Leela sees Hiei as a small boy clinging to his mother. He tries to mouth Mama but barely has the strength to even move his lips.
Just as Hina wraps her arms around him, Munda does the same with her tentacle arms and wraps them around his physical body. "Precious son, I'm here for you," Munda whispers in Hina's voice.
Morris looks at his wife with curiosity in his eye. "So are you Munda or someone else?"
"Dad, the spirit of Hina has entered her body," informs Leela, "This is how the dead reach those of us in the living world. They temporarily occupy the body of the closest person. In this case, Mom was open and suitable enough to channel Hina."
Leela rubs Hiei's back. She sees his child-like face buried in his mother's kimono. Hina kisses her son's cheeks, as tears stream from his eyes.
'Leela, I've been watching over you. It pleases me how well you're taking care of my son, even though you've only known him for this short time.'
'Hina, I understand he's been through such a horrible life. I want to make up for those lost years and fill his remaining years with happiness. He deserves that at least.'
'I see, my dear. I have faith in you.'
'But I'm not very good…'
'Leela, I know about other men you've been with, even Fry. But they weren't for you. You're willing to share your happiness with my son. I know you wish to be mother to my grandson. You have my blessings, child. To be wife to Hiei and mother to Hiro, I'll be honored for such a thing. I want to call you daughter-in-law.'
'Mama, do you have to go?' asks Hiei, between his child-like and his adult voices, with tear-soaked words.
'Pumpkin, I've spent as much time as I can in this woman's body. However her own spirit wants to return. We'll meet again as Leela promised in that dream she wants to create for you.'
Munda lets go of Hiei's body and returns him to Leela's arms. "When have I ever broken a promise to you?" whispers Leela into his ears.
Munda shakes her head and blinks her eye. "Are you okay?" asks Morris.
"I think so. What was that Leela?"
"It's called a possession. Hina took over your body. That's how the dead connect to people in the living world. The day of Mukuro's funeral, she possessed my body to reach out to him. Since the ability for telepathy is an inherited trait, and Hina was able to successfully possess you, than you have the gift too, Mom. However one of the drawbacks is it's temporary. If you are possessed for any length of time, it drains your body's energy and makes the dead soul unstable."
"Now that you mentioned the energy drain, I'm feeling tired."
"We'll just get out of here and take a space tube to the apartment. We can tour Old New York some other day."
"I'll be all right," assures Hiei, trying to stifle his own tears, "I'm starting to feel better."
"Are you sure?" asks Leela, "You don't look okay."
"I know but I feel better. The idea of having Mama join us as we play and make ourselves look like little kids, makes me even more excited about sleeping next you tonight. She missed out on raising me and it'll be a nice treat for her to simulate the experience. She can play the role, even just for this one night."
Leela smiles and embraces him in her arms. She doesn't say and words and clears her mind of any lingering thoughts.