A/N: BIG NOTE TO ALL: there is a flashback scene in this one and it's in italics. I dunno if anyone would get confused by that so I'm telling you now. Hope you enjoy it.
O/C36: Kurama and Hiei learn that Misaki has already lost two of her five senses. As she loses the last one, she'll die. Coahtu brings a youkai called Tahatchi who can call back the spirits of the dead. But when Kuwabara and Yusuke find out just who he's going to call back, they protest...loudly...
"What the heck are you thinking?! He's insane!! He's never going to help us! He'll just try and kill everything again!" They both shouted.
"Wait!" Tahatchi yelled above them. They got quiet. "Who is this guy? What exactly are we doing? Do you mind spelling it out for me? Not that I've agreed to do this yet." He dodged Coahtu's attempt to grab him again, "No offense."
"You are bringing Shinobu Sensui back to life however you do it so that he can go back into the death realm and bring Misaki Ansatsusha's body back to us so that she can transfer herself back into her body."
"Oh." Tahatchi said. Everyone could tell that he didn't exactly understand. "Who Misaki?" He exclaimed, "Ansatsusha Misaki?"
They all nodded.
"Alright. When do we start?"
His sudden change into agreement was stunning.
"Why the sudden change of mind?" Yusuke wanted to know.
Tahatchi didn't answer for a minute and Yusuke wasn't sure if the youkai heard him.
"She saved my life once." He said softly, "If I have to choose: mine or hers...I'll gladly give up mine. She deserves it more than I do."
"Touching speech." Coahtu derided. But Kuwabara thought it was noble.
"So why are we bringing back Sensui? Isn't there anyone else that could do it?" Kuwabara was not looking forward to seeing the long-legged freak again.
"What if we let Misaki die?" Yusuke said. The look that everyone gave him made him retrace his words, waving his hands in apology, "Wait I didn't mean it like that. If Tahatchi can bring back the dead, why don't we wait until Misaki dies and then he can call her back?"
Tahatchi considered it, "She'll be called back into the body she just left."
"Which she would never agree to." Coahtu said vehemently.
Kuwabara turned to Koenma, waiting for an answer to his question.
Koenma hesitated before responding. "Sensui and Misaki were the best in the business. I haven't had anyone match them before or since."
"That doesn't answer the question." Tahatchi butt in.
"I'm getting to that," Koenma said irritably, "Misaki..."
"It will be easiest for Sensui. He will be able to locate her quickly because he and Misaki were in love. Or perhaps they simply cared for each other more than anyone else in the worlds, I never asked. I always thought he was too black and white. That's what killed him in the end." Coahtu finished for Koenma.
Kuwabara and Yusuke blanched. How could anyone love him? Someone would have to be practically insane themselves to be in love with him!
"Don't even try asking her about it because she'll deny it. As I'm sure he would. But the feelings were there, nonetheless."
Koenma got a faraway look in his eyes, "You remember when he reappeared? Of course you do. It wasn't all that long ago. Misaki came looking for him. Came to me in the office when you all were in human world fighting. She said that he had come to her two nights before but she couldn't find him again. I couldn't lose her too. She wanted me to help her find him but I refused to tell her anything. I finally trapped her so that she couldn't go look for him. Then I kept her locked up even after the world was saved because she learned he had died..."
--
"I could have helped him! Damn you to the eighth level, I could HAVE HELP HIM!!!" Misaki drew back her fist and punched the diamond shaped crystal she was contained in.
A teen-age Koenma's eyes were cold and hard, but his heart was breaking with Misaki's.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME HELP HIM?! I could have saved him!" Misaki powered up, but the force was enclosed by the crystal. "He's dead because of you!" The crystal filled brightly with Misaki's unrestrained spirit energy, but it held.
Tears were streaming down Botan's face because of Misaki's plea and Botan sunk to the floor, crying.
Misaki powered up even more, tapping the deep reserves of life energy that flowed through every being, and Koenma had to look away, the energy was so intense.
"You can't do what you're trying to. That crystal you're in... it won't allow you too," he said quietly.
Inside the crystal, Misaki paused, still powered up, to listen to his words.
"You won't die by expending all of your energy; the crystal will see to that." he continued solemnly.
"You killed him! It was you that did it! AND I HATE YOU FOR IT!" As she screamed those words, her energy rose even higher, but her human form could not take anymore power than that; more power and her human form would cease to exist. The crystal held her back, wouldn't allow her to destroy herself like she wanted. Her eyes were shut and she screamed again, punching the crystal harder than before. A hairline crack formed in it. "I am going to do the same thing to you that you did to him! I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID!"
The crystal broke, shattering into millions of tiny pieces, much like Misaki's heart. Misaki fell forward, but she caught herself before she hit the ground. She looked up through her hair which had fallen messily in her face at the somber teen-prince.
Koenma stood straight, his hands clasped together behind his back. He saw Misaki's eyes, bloodshot completely, find his own. She ran forward towards him with speed that she should not have been able to manage in her condition.
"No! Stop!" Botan cried out as she watched helplessly.
Misaki brought her arm back in a rage, growling fiercely at Koenma, and threw the punch for his stomach. Koenma took it. She struck him again and again, but all of her power was expended, all but the very last drop that the crystal had maintained, and she did him no harm. Tears fell from the sides of her eyes; angry tears, tears full of hatred and sorrow and loss and pain.
She was fatigued, and her punches came slower and slower and finally they stopped, she could no longer lift her fists. Koenma gathered her into his arms and she cried against his chest. Koenma's own tears fell into her hair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he kept saying over and over again.
They stood there together until Misaki had no tears left to cry.
--
"...She left soon after that. I didn't fear that she would try to kill herself. She promised me she wouldn't. Of course I was still worried about her. I sent out spies to try and find her. Especially when I found out Amureo was going to try to break into the human world. That's when my search became more urgent. She was the only one who could go up against Amureo and I didn't have any other plan. Finally I got a spy who found her—or maybe she wanted to be found by that time—and told me she was residing in a forest. I decided to make a mission for you."
"Go and get her back." Yusuke filled in.
Koenma nodded, "Anyway. Tahatchi is to resurrect Sensui in a way that I can send him back to retrieve Misaki's body. He's strong enough, has enough power..."
"And if he still carries feelings for Misaki, it won't be hard for him to find her. The death realm is vast and without some sort of anchor, someone could wander aimlessly until they became a permanent resident." Coahtu said for him.
"Okay," Tahatchi rubbed his hands together in glee, "The only place I know that could withstand what I have to do without repercussions is Misaki's house."
"That's where Misaki is right now. Along with Kurama and Hiei." Yusuke told him.
"And they also have the pendant that lets us transport there," Koenma frowned and reached over to another set of buttons, "Give me a second."
"If you have this Sensui dude's body we can get started." Tahatchi was ready to use his powers once more.
Koenma, Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other. Itsuki had taken Sensui's body with him, into that other dimension. There was no way they could figure out a way to get it back in time.
"Lucky for you, I've already thought that far ahead. And I also assumed that we would do this at Misaki's house so his body is waiting for us in the training arena. It's completely unharmed and it hasn't started rotten yet. I expect that gate youkai who had him was preserving the body somehow." Coahtu said.
They looked at her with awe.
"Itsuki must have put up some fight. That's amazing!" Yusuke commented.
"Not really. I took it out from under his nose. I have certain...advantages when it comes to knowing places."
A random thought wandered thought Yusuke's mind: did those advantages come from Eldred? The Oracle? He might be able to do something like that.
Kurama interrupted his thoughts by suddenly walking through a portal into the office.
"Ah, good. I was hoping you would get my message." Koenma said.
"Right this way." Kurama motioned towards the portal. They all stepped inside.
"What? Who is it? What do you want now?" a grumpy Zumi said from the intercom when they arrived at the receiving room.
"Zumi I am sorry about Misaki's behavior but she is dieing you know." Kurama spoke up.
Zumi sighed, "I know and it makes me irritable. I'm sorry I usually don't mind all of this coming and going..."
"I understand Zumi. I have some visitors with me."
"Oh dear! Please excuse my attitude! There really isn't a good excuse for it. I must apologize!" He responded hurriedly.
"Zumi we need to go to the arena." Koenma spoke up.
"Koenma! It's so nice for you to drop by!"
"Zumi." Coahtu said impatiently.
"What?" he asked indignantly, "You're already here if you would just look around."
No one had felt anything but they stood in the middle of the training arena.
"This will do nicely." Tahatchi took a look around.
"Thank you...I'm afraid I don't know your name."
"Tahatchi."
"Thank you Master Tahatchi. I do my best. Will you be needing anything else?"
"Tell Misaki that we need her." Coahtu said.
"I'm terribly sorry Lady Coahtu but Mistress is rather sick right now and I simply can't bring myself to bother her." He countered diplomatically.
"Zumi, we need her in here. Please do this." Koenma pleaded.
Kurama saw the expression on Koenma's face and realized how hard Koenma was taking Misaki's condition. He sounded as much like the toddler he looked like.
Zumi didn't answer for a moment. "As you wish. Only for you Koenma." They heard him sigh before he clicked away.
"Alright. I need everyone to stand off to the side..." Tahatchi took over and began directing the others around.
--
Hiei had moved to the chair when Kurama left and he sat with his arms crossed and his feet on the edge of the bed.
The Jagan forced the bandana that covered it off so it was watching Misaki.
Hiei had known that the Jagan was a sentient being residing with him. He hadn't known just how much the Jagan could affect him. They truly were one though Hiei knew that the Jagan would always affect him more than he could affect it.
Hiei leaned forward to touch Misaki on the arm, but she didn't respond.
"Misaki?"
For what seemed like a very long minute, Misaki didn't act as though she had heard him. Finally she opened her eyes.
"Misaki can you see me?" He waved a hand in front of her face like Kurama had.
She cringed and nodded before closing her eyes again.
"Two are left." Hiei said to himself.
The invisible intercom clicked on and Zumi spoke, "Master Hiei, please accept my apologies but Mistress is needed in the training arena. Could you get her standing? I need to take her there right away."
Misaki's eyes were open; she had heard Zumi speaking. Hiei helped her stand and she leaved heavily on him as the room shifted. Her breath was ragged and heavy from the exertion.
"Koenma, Master Hiei and Mistress are here now." Zumi told them.
Hiei saw Koenma, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Coahtu all turn around and he walked to them, leading Misaki forward. Hiei then noticed a small boy kneeling over a much taller body in the middle of the arena. Hiei almost dropped Misaki when he realized who the other body was.
"What is that doing here?" he grunted as Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama rushed over to him.
"How is she?"
"Not well."
"Did she loose any other senses?" Kurama wanted to know.
"Touch."
A great blast of energy erupted from the center of the arena and blew the air into a giant gust. Everyone turned back to see Tahatchi and Sensui engulfed in a beam of red light that waved and lashed around them.
"Well, well. Anyone care to tell me why I wasn't invited to the party?" Their heads snapped to the left to where Genkai stood, hair blowing every which way in the harsh wind.
"Genkai!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"Thank you for reminding me of my name. Since I've gotten older it seems harder to remember." No one could tell if she was being serious or not. "Oh stop gawking, the lot of you! Of course I was coming. I would have gotten here sooner if that Botan girl would have stopped sniveling for more than a few seconds at a time." She walked right over to Misaki whose head was down.
"You've seen Botan?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes, she came to me and it took forever to get the whole story out of her. So being stupid is your new hobby Misaki? You certainly don't have my approval. Don't give me that look Hiei." She reprimanded as she took Misaki from him and laid her down on the ground.
Genkai closed her eyes and sat down, putting her hands over Misaki's stomach where they began glowing blue. She hoped to hold off the sickness for as long as possible. Every minute counted.
Tahatchi cried out in pain.
"Yusuke, go help him!" Genkai shouted.
Yusuke ran over without hesitation.
"I can't believe you're letting him do this. But I suppose it can't be helped." she said to Koenma.
Koenma shook his head. "If I had another choice I would have taken it, gladly."
Tahatchi cried out again, and then the energy suddenly grew brighter than it had before snapping out of existence. Tahatchi and Yusuke were lying face down, knocked out. Another form rose over them.
Sensui shook his head and looked around in a daze.
"Shinobu Sensui." Koenma called.
"...Yes?" his voice floated easily over the distance between them.
"You have been brought back to life to—"
"I...I'm feeling a presence I have not felt in a long time," Sensui hesitantly interrupted, "But it cannot be her, I heard rumors of her in the other world..." Sensui walked for the group, a tad unstable on his feet.
"Hiei, Kurama, go and check on the other two." Genkai ordered. They moved to help the pair.
Sensui stroked the cheek of the body Misaki inhabited.
"This...this is Misaki?"
Genkai shook her head, "It's a long story."
"Tell me." He looked at her pleadingly.
"Long story short: she's not in her true body and her own body is in the realm of the dead. And she's quickly dieing." Koenma explained.
Sensui stared at Misaki's face. "So they only saw her body. Wake up," he whispered, moving a stray curl from her face.
Genkai looked on sadly.
Slowly, Misaki's eyes opened. Sensui picked her up, "Is there any need for this body in the human world?" he asked, standing.
"No. I'll take care of those details myself." Koenma said.
Kurama and Hiei came over supporting Yusuke and Tahatchi. Sensui shifted Misaki's light weight slightly so that he could place a hand on Yusuke's forehead, then Tahatchi's. They blinked in surprise at being so rapidly recovered.
"Follow me." He easily tore open a hole into the realm of the dead with only a thought, stepping through. The hole closed behind Tahatchi and Yusuke. The rest of them were forced to wait. Koenma pulled an hour glass from somewhere.
"They have this much time before they become permanent residents with the dead." he turned the glass upside down and the sand began to trickle to the other side.
--
A little bit longer than I'd like it to be but whatever. Thanks for reading!
-lotsm