Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

Author's Note: Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

Genre: Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

Rating: Mature…for obvious reasons.

DECODE

"A sinister wind blows this way." Sun Wukong muttered, narrowing his eyes as he observed the awkward movements foliage, the mighty swaying of the trees in the distance. "Something wicked is drawing near."

He stood outside, staring off into the west, feeling the chilling breeze as it caressed, tickling his golden fur and skin. It was a different kind of wind, possessing a different kind of feeling, smell, and taste altogether. Damp and numbing, carrying a darkness that was unseen by the naked eye.

Botan, who was standing near him from behind, overheard. "Evil? Master Wukong, whatever do you mean by that?"

The Martial Arts Master shifted his eyes towards her direction. "It is an evil that comes in the form of death. Wraiths, foul creatures which suck the very essence out of their prey."

"Wraiths? Don't they appear as those they warn, as a sign that death is near?" The fairy inquired, befuddled as to why they would be around this area. "And aren't they creatures of the western worlds?"

"Ah ya! No. They are everywhere, not just one specific region." He answered her sternly, raising a brow at her own ignorance. "The better, more suitable term to be used is 'GRIM', hence the origin of the word 'Grim Reaper'; or in common tongue 'Death Eaters'. They are the lost children, the ever wandering souls of deceased vampires."

"Vampires?" She repeated with incredulity, fear now trickling down her neck and causing her goosebumps.

"It is what is left, the product of despair and resentment. Misery and death is what made them, and misery and death they bring." Sun Wukong explained. "They feed on happy thoughts, leaving only dismay and fear. Positive memories they take, leaving a pour soul with those of negativity."

"But don't they only attack those who are wicked?" She inquired, now twiddling her index fingers against one another nervously.

"No." He was his immediate response. "They target their prey, for whatever reason… But usually, they attack those who are haunted by traumatic pasts, those who bare too much pain. They suck the life out of their prey, until there is none left in him to give. They only bring death when they appear as the one who is to die. But creatures are creatures, it is all the same." He then turned to her, held out his staff and accused; "You are from Reikai, you should know all this already."

Botan pouted, feeling ashamed yet also falsely criticized. "I'm afraid I do not. There is so much that Reikai has yet to teach me, and I've been of service for over two-hundred years."

"Pity." Sun coyly remarked, a thin smile forming between his lips. He then turned again, heading back towards the place of his dwelling. "Good thing I set the perimeter with wards, but I fear that this impending darkness will try to break past the barrier."

Botan turned and followed him; having noticed that, for a monkey, his posture and walk seemed much more human-like. His movements were nonchalant, his pace leisured, as though he had not a single care in the world; as though this was a bright sunny day, when obviously it was nighttime.

"First ghouls, then vampires… Now death eaters? What's next?" She complained miserably, all the while brushing back her blue hair that kept waving in the invasive wind; which she found all to be rather annoying.

"Many a terrible things, for there are many creatures who hide in the elements; like banshees, the feminine term of those who are the ghosts of female vampires." The sensei replied. "The females terrorize and bring about pain and suffering, while the males are that of warriors; a fighting breed they are. That is, if you ever manage to provoke one. Though, a better preferred term in use, then would be that of Succubae and Incubi; which is what they become. As much, you must learn that vampires come in many forms. The child, Irei, is a demon but is also a vampire. Take care, miss, for there are many things in this world that are not for the faint of heart."

The reaper made a face upon hearing those words, feeling quite uneasy as to having been placed in the middle of this investigation. Truth be told, she did not wish to be involved in the least.

All she knew was that The Devils were the ultimate evil, as told by Koenma's, they wish to destroy us all. Of course, Koenma was absolutely paranoid of the bastards… But so was the rest of Reikai, and even those of Makai.

She sure wished Yusuke was here, he could handle this… And without resorting to the use of magic and alchemy; tools in which only the wicked would use. Perhaps he could also steer Kuwabara straight, before it is too late.

The use of Alchemy or magic is blasphemous, they are used by those who wish to play god.

And then maybe get Kuwabara away from Narakumaru. If Koenma believed him to be as rotten as a barrel of years old apples, then surely he must be. And quite honestly, Hiei wasn't helping; not that the fire demon ever truly cared about the psychic anyway to begin with, because he didn't.

Where was Hiei, anyway? He didn't leave with Kurama and Yukina.

But then another question came into mind…

"Does Kuwabara really know Kung fu?" She asked hesitantly, still tagging along with the ancient deity; she didn't want to seem as pest. "I mean, is he even capable of learning that? And can he even fight those monsters?"

She could see Yusuke harnessing such skill and expertise, but as for Kuwabara… That was a whole other story.

But then again, she would be as guilty as the others for underestimating him like that; they had made such a sick hobby of cutting him down. Their main objective of keeping him around was so they could hate his guts, leading him on so as to have something to take out their frustrations upon.

Yusuke and Kuwabara had once possessed a beautiful relationship, so full of brotherly love that it seemed it would last beyond a lifetime. They used to know each other so well.

But everything suddenly had taken a turn for the worst, somehow the relationship went to pot. Not surprisingly, this occurred right after Yusuke's demon blood had awakened.

It had been so eternally beautiful, that it was destined to be damned from the start. Doomed to fail. And it was Kuwabara who carried the burden, cursed to never forget the past.

She figured that it plagued his mind, along with the death of his gang, and among other things. She could understand why he was so bitter. Kazuma had pride and he was not about to allow anyone to take it away.

Yusuke was quite the contrary, for he had finally moved on. Leaving all that was behind, like dust in the wind. He wasn't a bad man, but he handled matters far differently than the psychic. The boy had grown up into the man he was supposed to be.

Nevertheless, it was truly sad.

She supposed that they had grown sick of one another. Time, after all, changes people.

And Kuwabara was still changing, as all humans do.

"But of course!" The deity said, his words holding much pride. "He has Chinese blood running through his veins!"

Botan was taken aback. "What?"

He ceased in his tracks, then turned his head, looking over his shoulder back towards her. "You know of the province Kuwabara, yes?"

He couldn't contain himself, happily donning the widest grin that she, or anyone, has ever had the privilege to see him wear. His countenance seemed to shine, almost radiantly.

The fairy gave a meek nod, unsure of what she had provoked of him.

"Before that time, before that soil had received its name…" He began to enlighten, his tone riddled with much delight; serving as a better indicator of how this being enjoyed telling stories.

"The Kuwabara Clan had subsisted there, way before the time that the aristocrat Sugawara Michizane had called it his home, and before it had given birth to legend… The clan consisted of Ancients, people who not only possessed great power, but also were exceptionally skilled in the arts of Kung Fu. And being also merchants, not merely just protectors, they were a traveling folk as well. But they were not aborigines of Japan. No, their origin began in China. They were descendants from The Wudan Clan, better known today as The Wu Tang Clan, the founding fathers of The Kuwabara Clan in Japan."

"The…Wu Tang Clan?" Botan said with uncertainty, blinking at him in befuddlement. Mind you, she had never heard this before. In fact, she had not once laid eyes upon Kuwabara's life records, including that of his ancestry.

"Yes." Sun Wukong affirmed with a chaste nod. "As for the legend of the mulberry trees, they had brought that with them from China, and in a later era had exchanged their family name so as to seem inconspicuous. They believed that the great mulberry tree possessed a profound sacred power, especially when deflecting lightning and bad luck. As today, as it was then, the very name is a spell."

Botan stared at him, astounded.

Seeing this, the deity couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Did you think the name Kuwabara originated in Japan? Ah ya! Kuwabara originates from The Land of The Great Dragon, not The Land of The Rising Sun." He told. "Just the same, Kaguya-Hime was from that precise clan, but no one remembers. And everyone believes her to be Japanese, but I will have you know that she was NOT. And before that, she was another."

He then pulled out his self-made flask, unfastened the top, and guzzled half of the rice wine in just a few large gulps. He plugged the gourd right back, right after he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His cheeks were now rosy, flushed, now grinning goofily for the alcohol had rushed straight to his head.

Botan immediately stepped back from him, his sudden drunkenness giving her the willies.

"His family are the ones who harbor China's spirit within," He continued, though his words slurred almost together now, now that he was in stupor. "And to keep this spirit pure, they prefer to marry within their own circle. It is tradition that they marry with other kindred spirits… Meaning, other folk who are from other clans similar to their own. Hence, the Kuwabara Clan are of a sacred blood line. WEEEEEEE!"

The reaper watched as he began to twirl around in place, now balancing himself on top of his staff; making a utter monkey out of himself.

"Well, this all…makes sense…" Botan thought, thinking back to the times when she had met her friend's family.

Sada eyes were rather small and slanted, always appearing as though she was squinting; unlike most other females from this region, who possessed large baby-like eyes. Kuwabara's eyes also had this characteristic, but ever so slightly, not enough to seem highly noticeable. And like Kuwabara, Sada had high cheekbones and a strong chin; rather than the average oval or round shaped face and a weak chin.

She should have seen this before, because she had dealt with the family in the past. In fact, Sada had a sister, who had assisted Spirit World. Her name was Okimi, and she was once a good friend of Kuroko Satou; the very first Spirit Detective.

And Okimi was a skilled archer, let alone a renowned priestess.

The reaper thought she knew the Kuwabara family well, but obviously not well enough.

As for her first husband, Kuwabara didn't look one bit like him. And the very same could be said for her second hubby; who was Shizuru's biological father. Neither of these men appeared to be Chinese, so there must have been a fluke in design or an exception had been made. These men were definitely Japanese.

"…Wait. Kuwabara is Chinese?" The blue haired fairy exclaimed. "And not Japanese?" She reacted as though it had finally donned on her.

The Martial Arts Master appeared beside her, literally scaring the daylights out of her.

"Many had came and sought after my teachings, but none possessed what he has." Sun confessed in a half whisper, attempting to be secretive.

Upon smelling his booze ridden breath, tears swelled in her eyes as she choked. She tried to hold her breath, all the while fighting desperate to fan the stench away from her face, almost gagging in the process.

"His blood is not merely of this land." He continued. "Nevertheless, Kung Fu runs through his veins. And he had answered the sacred call. Though he is part Caucasian, his ancestors were Chinese. Furthermore, he is The Dragon Warrior!" He yelled the latter in her ear.

She immediately winced and coiled back away from him.

The deity was much wiser, smarter than he appeared, even in his drunken state. However, he did not have to be a genius to figure out one's genetics. His pupil's looks, his features, spoke for itself.

Also, drunken people very seldom lie; the alcohol itself serves as a truth serum.

But damn, it was so ghastly. His breath was absolutely putrid! It smelt as though his innards literally soak in the stuff; like meat in marinade.

"That would explain his hair!" Botan declared a moment later. "I mean, it's as red as a carrot! And his skin, it's so pale compared to everyone else's! …Wait, shouldn't his hair be dark at least? After all, dominate traits and all...and his skin shouldn't be so fair...if he's part white..." A few moments passed as she calculated, pensive and determined to solve this. However, she ended up pulling at her hair in a matter of frustration. "I'm SO confused! I don't understand any of this AT ALL! Is this another fluke or something? I thought he was part demon! SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME!"

"Oh, by the way… It would be wise of you to show Narakumaru respect." Sun Wukong advised, becoming dead serious all of sudden.

Botan immediately ceased in prancing about frantically, amazed to see that he was already sober.

Seriously, that was rather quick; like two shakes of a lamb's tail of time. It was enough to seem practically impossible.

"I may be a god," He continued, his tone serving as an omen for any to hear. "But I am nothing more than an insect in his eyes. And you, my dear girl, are nothing more than a speck of dust under his fingernails. Do not insult powers beyond your comprehension. He holds more power in his pinky than most do in their entire bodies."

The reaper had stopped breathing and gulped in response, her cheeks now an indigo blue.

He turned back around, and to her amazement, summoned his staff back into his hand. It literally flew to him!

He was such a strange, strange individual. Eccentric, if not a marvel all on his own.

"Heed my warning:" He told, instructing her for her own good. "You should not plan against the true ruler of The Underworld… He might have fallen, but I assure you that he had been deceived to live in misery and doom, namely when his lover had been stolen from him… But He is still the one called Hades, nonetheless. And you cannot hide from Hades; The One who is The Living and Eternal Hell."

She stood there for a moment as she watched him continue on his way, pale and stiff as though she were dead.

Her eardrums stung with news, that Narakumaru was not only the god of demons, but THE God of The Underworld. She merely thought he was considered as such, as most titles are to be held.

She heard, though she believed it to be merely legend, that Yakumo was once His left hand man; though he was a god, he was but a servant to the darkest Lord of all existence.

Narakumaru was the legendary beast from HELL itself, Hell personified. The Monster of legend in which the gods, King Yama included, had tried to control. The son of Death herself, and the Son of one of The Fallen Stars who became both the creator and master of demons…

His father was once The Creator's left hand man, that is until he had stolen His mate; Izanami, the goddess of both creation and death, His right hand.

For committing treachery, his father had been banished into the darkness, his title lowered as punishment; as to further insult him and his honor. His father, by far, was once the most evil of being that had ever existed. The most heinous of The Stars.

Thus began the taint of the golden era. Nothing since then had ever been the same… For it was not long, when He began deceiving the humans through His son.

But deep down, all Stars are wicked, as provided by their dual nature… They all possessed a darkness.

No other person was so cruel, so full of malice, as he was… Except his son, who had exceeded him in the end.

Demons tremble by the mention of his name. And for good reasons, for He possessed power over them, to do with them whichever he pleased.

And as for The Head God of The Stars Himself, The Creator of all…

From his own flesh, he had created unspeakable horrors, monsters in which He called His children… Unleashed from his mind, entitled as "sins", to plague the worlds for their betrayal. They were of Himself, created, all but only one. And that one was His true offspring.

He had taken another bride to himself, The Goddess of Reproduction (love) and Harvest who was commonly referred to as Mother Nature; The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. It was She, who had bore him a daughter.

He was once Amenominakanushi, after all, being that Izanagi was simply a minor piece of him, just as Bishamon was. The man could be seen in various places all at once. And it was He who had fiendishly devoured The Gods of Time and Space, His own "fathers", thus taking His place.

When the original Amenominakanushi had divided into three, it was He who had overcame the other two, engulfing them in the form of an enormous serpent; The Cosmic Serpent.

Today, He is known as The Amatsu Mikaboshi. He is The Chief Kami of The Seven Major Stars…

Naraku, The Goddess of Death and Creation, and Mother Nature were among these stars; the ones with the most power, after Him.

Narakumaru was known as "The Darkest Star", and his most heinous form was that of a Dragon; which he was better known for, since he was the one who had created them. He, too, had overcame his father, and in the end had devoured him. He was the only other Star that had done something so terrible. To matters worse, he had slaughtered countless of demons in his time.

Now, this much she knew.

And she knew this well, due to having overheard one of King Yama's conferences that he held with the other gods, standing at The Great Hall doors listening in; which she should not have, for the penalty of eaves dropping was severe… By snooping around, she had discovered that Angels were more than what they seemed, that they weren't merely guardians in the sky…

[In truth, this knowledge she wanted to suppress... For the life of her.

And one would assume that they would have guards, keeping watch so that no one would pass or hear what was going on... But perhaps, they wanted to not seem suspicious, for what they were conspiring.]

But not once had she ever heard his name, not once had anyone spoken of him, until now… Thanks to Sun Wukong, who had let that important piece of information slip.

Needless to say, she had to put the pieces together.

But King Yama was also a demon, not just a god, which further foretold the possible dangers ahead of him if he continued on this path. He was nothing in comparison with The Stars; The Devils. Demons were, unmistakably, lesser folk, god or not. And it was these lesser folk who were planning against The Devils; an act of sheer madness on their behalf.

From this, questions arose…

How much were the gods keeping from them?

What did this mean for Koenma?

And most importantly, did he know?

She was so lost as to what to believe in anymore, what to think, and what to say.

Cat having got her tongue, she was speechless...

"That man is a monster." She uttered, her bottom lip quivering, for fear had gotten the best of her.

Well, almost.

Though she had laid such an accusation, she soon regretted it...

They, the gods, had taken away his love. And she could only assume as to how awful it must of been.

A love and an affair, a matter in which outsiders should not meddled with.

"What could be possibly want with Kuwabara, though? And who are we really after? Oh, Yusuke, where are you?"

Though the demon had dealt her a blowing pain, she wished that he was here.

oOoOo

Kazuma had decided to take long, hot soak; to settle his nerves before carrying out the rest of the night.

There was no indoor pluming, being that this temple was an old, traditional styled foundation. So naturally, he had gathered the water from the well outside, which pumped pristine water from beneath the lake. The water had to be heated by fire. Thanks to Botan, hot water had been prepared for whatever need.

She already figured that he could be so anal at times, nitpicky if not a prude. Proper hygiene matters to him, just as one's attire. The girl was a lot more perceptive than she may seem.

Nowadays, he preferred his baths to be scalding hot. In fact, he struggled to have a decent hot bath, though he really could not tell the difference between hot and cold. He wondered if his skin was losing its sensitivity to heat, his body feeling as though it had dropped a degree or two in temperature. He made sure that the water temperature was just under the boiling point, so as not to damage his body.

Much to the reaper's dismay, she believed he was likely to hurt himself for bathing in waters at such a high temperature. Naturally, she fretted over his safety, but he reassured her that he would be fine.

His body in a loose posture, tilting slightly to his right side, with his cheek resting against the porcelain rim of the tub. His soaking we hair clung to his face, his eyes concealed behind his wayward bangs. Complacent with the silence, dwelling on matters that surfaced from the back of his mind. All the while subconsciously tracing his fingers upon the birthmark upon his right lower hip, located between his most private parts; which was such an intimate part of the body…

A peculiar shape of a crescent, with the sun behind it, a staff with wings slicing through the middle with a two headed dragon coiled around its vertical shaft, and five specks that were shaped like stars; it appeared more like a tattoo that he had been branded with.

He often wondered what it meant, what it stood for, IF it stood for anything at all.

[But one thing is for sure, that whenever he thought of Ref, it lightly tingled. And as a reaction, a bizarre effect, his heart would swell with a comforting warmth… As though all troubles seemed to be far away.

He could not explain this, however. Only that perhaps something lurked beneath the surface, dwelling somewhere deep within his subconscious.]

He was from an estrange, dysfunctional family. Life had proven to be a definite struggle, but now everything was so difficult and hard to bare.

By this time in his life, he had came to realize that he lived in a rotten world that was riddled with strife. Living in that filth ridden city had shown him the light, the ultimate truth, the error that lies in human nature. It had been no different than what he had seen on that wretched video tape, Chapter Black.

There was barely any good left in this world.

They were all children, selfish little kids who were as ignorant as they were tyrants… Hurting one another without any regret in their hearts. They were all misguidedly happy to life like this, to life lives of debauchery and self-ruin.

This was relevance.

As many demons had said before, humans are miserable and foolish creatures. They were weak… So afraid of the dark, they won't confront it, instead of trying to forget about it, and run away temporarily.

He had been too narrow minded to see it before.

[And yet, he still very much loved them. Perhaps the reason why was because he, too, was human.

He admired the way humankind engineered, reaching new heights in technology and knowledge, and in sense…became their own gods. Humans were innovators and pioneers.

A whole lot of them may be selfish cowards, but the things they could do… They were a marvel of creation, both beautiful and captivating. They merely needed guidance, so as to harness that which is perceived to be impossible. They can do anything, so as long as they put their minds to it.

They can change, they could become stronger… If they wished to.

Fear was a root leading to many evils.]

Everybody was the same.

He was well acquainted with the stench of gunpowder, the smell of blood and decay. Already he had seen death, having looked it straight in the eyes…countless times.

How can anyone be okay with living in such a society?

There was no way to win, less someone took the initiative to govern these people's lives.

...Such thinking often gave him a slight headache...

Though just as much as everything else did in his miserable, sad excuse for a life...

For far too long he had played that part of being lost within a swarming crowd, the minor character who is seen as nothing more than a joke…

A clown.

For far too long he had been trodden down, lying under the feet of those who claim to be far superior…

The skinned rug, the trophy of ultimate humiliation.

He was a laughingstock. There was no honor in this world. Chivalry was dead.

Serious people that are crowned with justice always lose in the end.

Well, not anymore.

Deep down, he didn't want to be the loser… He wanted to be the victor.

He was sick. Sick of the jokes. Sick of the betrayal. Sick of the backstabbing. Sick of the hurt. Sick of THEM.

And he was tired from bleeding.

Now here he was, on a mission to find a monster. A monster that had the power to take away his own life, and yet, had the power to take it back. A monster with a given right to heedlessly take away that which was given.

If he had the power, he would change this world… For the better. He would right the wrongs, to make ends meet, and shed the light so that everyone could at last see. He wanted was a perfect and peaceful world… Where there was no more criminals, no more war…

That was his fantasy, a naive dream. He had joined The Force to fulfill that purpose, to unleash hope into this forsaken world. And as depraved or illogical as it may seem, he would do anything to achieve something so impossible.

Though he had finally had a true taste of reality, he was fundamentally a dreamer in the eyes of the pragmatists. He fancied himself in dreams, for dreams kept him moving. And being a warrior, he'd fight tooth and nail to win at any costs.

But what could a single human do?

{"What are you getting so desperate about? Pangs of conscience? Worthless sentiment? Look at you, you can no longer bare to even look at your own face...

It is as Plato had understood…

'And you admit that every thing has a good and also an evil; as ophthalmia is the evil of the eyes and disease of the whole body; as mildew is of corn, and rot of timber, or rust of copper and iron: in everything, or in almost everything, there is an inherent evil and disease. And anything which is infected by any of these evils is made evil, and at last wholly dissolves and dies. The vice and evil which is inherent in each is the destruction of each; and if this does not destroy them there is nothing else that will; for good certainly will not destroy them, nor again, that which is neither good nor evil.'…

But man still believes otherwise, for their system of justice is corrupt. They can no longer differentiate between right and wrong. They have forgotten what evil is; unrighteousness, intemperance, cowardice, and ignorance…

They'll destroy themselves, if nothing else comes along to do the job for them…

In fact, many humans relish in the pain of others, grateful for having been spared of such sorrows themselves. It is there, lurking in some part of an individual, whether he or she would admit to it or not. All humans are tainted with cruelty, with evils, unsatisfied, and with nothing to fill the gaping hole in their hearts…

Why feel sorrow for them, but not bare the very same sentiments for demons? You've murdered demons. How is it any different? One has power, while the other is weak…

Look inside of yourself…

There will be a time when you must pick a side. Then can you tell me for certain when you defeat an enemy, that there isn't a slightest moment where you feel no remorse? That sense of unwavering victory, knowing that you have won? Take pride in your own skills and possess an immense sense of accomplishment? A battlefield, after all, is where you kill the enemy. Don't advert your eyes from death. Look forward. Look directly at the people who you are killing. And don't forget them. The enemy isn't going to forget you either…

And remember, remember clearly by holding this close to your heart...

Whatever you think now, Kazuma, no one is going to accept you. Not now. Not ever."}

She was right, though it had been painful for him to admit… Her wisdom was unconquerable…

But he didn't want to look there. No. He was still very much afraid to. As amazing as it may sound, he feared not this world or any other. He feared nothing, no animal or beast, no human or demon… No, nothing but himself. Pitiful, yes? How or when this fear came about, he could not remember.

And, alas, the power of one human doesn't amount to much. Sad, but true. Only a dreamer could ever believe in such an irrational thing…

…And he had been quite irrational, especially in his younger years…

As much, he will do all that he can, however little that may be, to protect those who are dear to him. He'll search for that Alkahestic remedy; the universal solvent that will erase the filth from this world…

He'll find those responsible for the death of his comrades.

Using his magic, he waved his left hand in the hazy air, gathering and removing the steam, by collecting all the moisture within the palm of his hand.

[Note: With the use of his right, he was sometimes backhanded. A pair of scissors was, by far, the most difficult tool to utilize at need.

From what he could recall, he had originally been a left-handed individual. However, his teachers were determined to get him to use his right, which had ultimately set him back in his education during his earlier years. And because of that, he had been considered to be a "retard" with a mental handicap.

Being a lefty meant that he was not as smart as the other kids. Moreover, he couldn't speak Japanese very well, nor did he understood the language. The other students would tease him without end for that.

On a more positive end, he could now yield a sword in both hands. Using dual katanas was fairly easy.

Speaking of which, he had wondered why he could form two swords if his blade was originally a scythe. Perhaps, unless that scythe had two blades instead of one.]

If only solving the world's problems were this easy, by a simple flick of a wrist. But bending the elements was certainly not going to bring about change. But perhaps The "Gnostic Circle", which is the key and contains the highest wisdom of our age, could…

As noted by Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet, the author of such a profound tool: "The Gnostic Circle is merely the combination of the zodiac - the occult circle which contains the knowledge of the evolution - and the structural pattern of the solar system. The Circle of 12 is the zodiac, and the Circle of 9 is our actual solar system, each orbit representing one year of Earth life. The joint harmony of these two, superimposed or synthesized in one circle, is what constitutes our key to the evolution and flowering of the seed of the Spirit. In fact we can say that the Gnostic Circle is mainly for this purpose: it shows mankind the ultimate and ideal perfection that can be attained during this particular phase of the evolution, during this great transition point from animal-mental to the more divine mankind."

Explanation: With the "Gnostic Circle", one is able to determine exactly where he or she is within the developmental spectrum and with the benefit of that knowledge is able to cooperate more fully with his or her own evolution. It offers an integral vision of wholeness and reveals the organic process by which the soul or seed of the divine in each individual is made to flower. Meaning, with that sort of knowledge, a person could find the meaning of life and the meaning behind all existence. A person could carry him or herself to higher places.

There was a shaking in his soul. Could man really become divine? Or was this achievement limited, that only those of higher power could obtain?

But there was also The Alchemical Symbol of Physical and Spiritual Transformation; which is a circle within a triangle, and that said triangle within a circle, and within was a line drawn straight through the center. With this symbol, a mortal could find the answers as to how he or she could cheat death…

But this came with a hefty price, as a requirement of equivalent exchange.

Kazuma sighed softly to himself.

He had watched the sun set from his window. Its warm, radiant hues fading into the cold and unfeeling darkness. For a moment, the sky bleed red before its passing; like a gunshot wound, deluding into pinks, blues, and purples. As the moments passed, an epiphany had occurred to him…

It represented his life, and it was drawing to an end.

Using a play as a metaphor, the curtains were about to be pulled close, but there was no audience... There never had been. No tickets had been sold. His life had been an opera, but very few listen to such masterpieces anymore.

Being an alchemist, he was a creature who sought after truth… Once an alchemist ceases in thinking, he dies.

He knew he was going to die before all of this was over.

He expected it.

…TBC…

Author's Note:

So, now Botan knows… Well, half of it, she does. And yet, Kuwabara is still in the dark.

But hey, cheers to those who saw this coming! I know Saya did. She already foresaw who or what Narakumaru is.

This fiction is a mix of faiths, as you can tell. And if anyone out there knows, religions have much in common with one another, they bare much similarity.

And don't fret, people… Action is coming soon!

SAYA: I am glad that you are glad. But alas, I cannot reveal that. You'll just have to wait.

KM17: Thank you, once again! I am glad you enjoyed the previous chapter.

Thank you all for reading. Please review or place a comment. Thank you!