Hey, look, I'm on EST, so it's technically still Wednesday. Also, I'm ashamed to admit that I have been neglecting this story for a couple weeks. I had an idea of where to go with it, but I wasn't really entirely sure how I was gonna do it. Also, I got distracted by some really good DBZ fanfics, so there's that. Piccolo is bae.

Then I started writing and it just... went places. I got it done, thats what's important. Two more chapters guys! Now on with the "sho."

Taught by the powers that preach over me,
I can hear their empty reasons.
I wouldn't listen, I learned how to fight.
I opened up my mind to treason.
But just like the wounded, and when it's too late
They'll remember. They'll surrender.
Never a care for the people who hate.
Underestimate me now.

But a shot in the dark,
One step away from you.
Just a shot in the dark.
Nothing that you can do.
Just a shot in the dark,
Always creeping up on you.

-Shot in the Dark- Ozzy Osbourne

At the End of the Tunnel

"Now this is interesting," Mab observed the screen, a look of delicate surprise on her face. She lounged on the small sofa that had been provided for her, catlike in her intensive observation paired with lackadaisical posture.

"What is it?" She ignored Koenma, choosing instead to give the room yet another look.

It was the first time in nearly twenty years she had been permitted outside her cell. The lack of security (the two sub-demons outside the door hardly qualified as more than wall ornaments) was astounding. If she had so much as thought about stepping out before, the SDF would have been by her side in minutes. Not that they would have given her much of a challenge, but it was still something of a novelty not to be surrounded by armed guards.

She relaxed against the arm of the chaise, finally granting the tiny prince her attention. Ah, his eyes so wide and searching were something wondrous. The amount of trust he was placing in her… the adorable little fool. Truly, what was he thinking, giving her such freedom?

"Maaab!" He whined at her. Whined, like an impatient child who believes themself to be so safe that complaining is permitted. What a wonder he could be sometimes. The sub-demon attendant, or she supposed those people were called ogres now, leaned in politely, just barely encroaching upon her space.

"Lady Mab? Is everything alright?" Mab tilted her head with a manufactured smile.

"Everything is just fine, I apologize. All these new rooms and scenery, my mind tends to wander. Fairies are flighty creatures, you know." She returned her black eyes to the people on the television. How far Spirit World technology had come.

"I imagine this is very different for you," Koenma offered. "But what is it you were saying was so interesting?" She smirked to herself. Children, so impatient.

"Since passing beneath the torii arches at the base of the temple, the Yaksha's hold has been decreasing steadily." His eyes widened hopefully. "That isn't to say it's been anything terribly substantial. Two percent in the last five hours is nominal, really."

His face scrunched in consternation, tiny nose wrinkled as his thoughts raced.

"But the last time she had a jump like that, you said it could be dangerous. Is she unstable?"

Mab gave an elegant nod in the negative, reaching for a cup of something steaming that was offered to her by the sub… by the ogre. Well, the name 'sub-demon' wasn't particularly flattering. She could understand why they felt the need to change it. Though 'ogre' really wasn't that much better.

The vapors rising to her cheeks smelled of chocolate, and a careful breath assured her that it was not poisoned. That would have been quite a laughable attempt on the Prince's part, though it only further displayed his lack of caution.

"On the contrary, she's very stable. The first time, it was a sudden increase. This kind of gradual, steady growth is much more manageable. I only find it surprising, though I suppose being surrounded by human psychics like she is it's understandable. All that energy…" She sipped the drink. Whatever it was, it was a far cry from the poor excuse for tea she had been allowed before.

"Then it might be better for her to learn from Genkai," Koenma mused, eyes narrowed in thought. "She's smarter than Yusuke anyways, and if her energy continues to grow-"

She let him blather on, his palpable excitement hardly anything of note. Instead, she focused on the interaction between the girl and boy. He really was a good choice, she thought to herself with a smile. He was strong for his age, with a very potent energy that was only amplified by a personality endearingly short of obnoxious. He was an acquired taste, she discovered, but she could understand how the young girl had become so attached so quickly.

His humanity… it was blinding. Looking into his soul was akin to staring too long at the sun. He would have been quite a prize back in her day, and that was no lie. He may have even started wars with a soul like that.

It really was no surprise.

"That was close," Yusuke commented as he emerged from the darkness. I nodded, offering him his jacket back after a quick once-over. Aside from the expected bruising and the odd cut here and there, he appeared to be alright. Nothing was broken, in any case.

"Where'd you learn to be so tricky?" Kazuma asked suspiciously, looking the other boy up and down as if to reassess him.

"It's probably from being a kid thinking up reasons why he didn't come to class," Botan teased, and I offered a huff of laughter as an agreement.

"Probably that, or maybe he's been around me long enough to learn through osmosis." This earned me a tinkling giggle from Botan, who hid her laughter behind dainty fingers.

"But hey, what was that glow-ball you fired at him?" Kauma leaned forward intently, his eyes curious. "Is it like my sword thing? Ru-Ru's got that too, but yours is different." He spoke, and I couldn't help but glance down at his hands as he did. That had been most impressive. Something like that could be trained, and with the proper study, he could mold that power into a force to be reckoned with.

"That's my Spirit Gun. It's like a big explosion of my spirit energy," Yusuke explained, and Kazuma frowned, fists on his hips.

"So you've got a gun, and we've got swords. Don't you think we're cheating?" I rolled my eyes. Of course he would think something like that.

"Oh don't worry, Kuwabara," Botan assured him, patting his arm comfortably with a cheery smile. "Just think of these weapons as extensions of yourselves!" I nodded.

"She's right. Apart from that, Genkai's already given us permission to use weaponry. Your hopelessly convoluted honor code aside, that wouldn't be cheating by tournament rules." I waved my hand dismissively, then gave a dry look, pointing at Kazuma's chest. "In any case, I wouldn't call what you have a sword, it's too dull. It's more like a bat or a club- a bokutō at most."

He made a noise of indignance somewhere between a squawk and a growl, but a sharp clap stole our attention. We all turned to face Genkai, who stood just in front of the last remaining contestant, the only outsider of the entire group.

The target.

"Alright kiddies, let's start the semi-finals." Not a moment to rest. That was alright with me.

"You wanna at least throw another cigarette or something?" Yusuke tried, looking none too pleased at this news. The old woman's face didn't change.

"No, we won't be fighting the semi-finals in here." She took a step to the side, and the entire room was suddenly set ablaze with blinding sunlight when the doors opened most conveniently. It was far more powerful than the measly lamp, though that lamplight had once been something of a beacon.

I shielded my eyes when the others did, noting through cracked fingers that Genkai gave no visible reaction to the sudden change in brightness.

"Follow me," she instructed, turning to leave almost immediately. It took a moment for us to begin trotting after her, but I stopped after only a few steps. Choices were once more laid before us, and our time to act was limited.

There were three of us against the single demon, not that I would allow him anywhere ear Kazuma after the gut feeling that had disturbed me earlier. Should we continue to compete for the sake of the facade, or was it better to team up on him now? On the one hand, Genkai was likely to disqualify us if we broke protocol, and neither of us would be permitted to learn her technique. On the other, the possibility of Kazuma facing Rando was greater, should we allow the tournament to continue. There was every chance he would be paired with the demon. If that happened, the next move was obvious.

Movement behind me was not as alarming as it should have been. Nor was the rough hand that fell on my shoulder.

"What are we thinking?" Yusuke asked in a low voice, his breath right beside my ear. I frowned, humming in thought.

"It would be best… to wait and see the lineup for the next match," I finally decided. "If one of us has to fight Rando next, we continue playing the game here. If Kazuma is set to fight him…" I trailed off to allow him time to fill in the blanks for himself.

"Then we team up. Sounds like a plan." We were in agreement.

"Hey, what's the holdup?" I blinked, lowering my hand for a moment to see Kazuma squinting back at us, face pinched in a grimace from the shock of the sun. The other two stopped just ahead of him, looking back quizzically. I shook my head.

"Nothing at all."

We joined them at the door, all of us stepping out of the blackout room and setting forth back onto the path. Yusuke approached Kauma with a sly grin.

"Just trying to get Taru to back out before I embarrass her," He joked, taunting my brother in a well-executed interruption. As expected, all attention was now on the two boys as they engaged in pseudo-wrestling, and no further thought would be given to our brief conversation.

"Cut it out, you morons!" Genkai barked. I rolled my eyes and fell into step behind the old psychic as the boys disengaged, shooting half-hearted glares at one another. My gaze traveled ahead towards Genkai, and stopped when they reached a red torii. I realized with a frown that this was going to take us back up the same flight of stairs we used to get to the temple in the first place. Would the final battles be at the shrine itself?

I shifted the strap of my bag, noting for a moment how much lighter it had gotten after the boys and I had our snacks, and also realizing someone had probably taken what was left of my water. That weight was missing too now, and the culprit was most likely wearing green. I briefly wondered if Botan was hungry and if her body even required the basic human needs, but quickly decided I didn't care enough to ask.

"What's that?" Botan, walking directly beside me, was staring at me. More accurately, she was looking down at my blouse. Her squinty eyes widened suddenly and a grin split her cheeks. "Oh, it's adorable!"

Her hand invaded my space with the unsettling speed of a girl on a mission, her fingertips just brushing my throat- step back, grab the hand, twist and snap the arm, palm-strike to the nasal cavity- Stop. It's only Botan.

"I didn't realize you even owned something this cute," she gushed obliviously, face growing closer than I was comfortable with as she admired the horrendous pendant Kazuma had gifted me. I gently slapped the offending hand away, attempting to shove the thing back under my sweater. How had it even become visible?

"It was a present from my brother," I explained in a clipped tone, hoping to end the conversation.

There was suddenly another hand, larger and darker in color than the first, knuckles pressing into my skin with all the delicacy of an excavator run by a blind man. The necklace was ripped from under my collar and exposed to the light yet again. I raised a brow, giving Yusuke a look of mild annoyance. He, however, looked down in some sort of disgusted amusement.

"Holy crap that's ugly! Jeez Kuwabara, I thought your whole cat obsession was weird before! This is just sad!" He grinned impishly as Kazuma fumed. "What, you got matching necklaces or something? Let me guess, yours is black, a whole yin-yang kitty cat thing?"

"Shut it Urameshi!" Kazuma stomped over to grab Yusuke's shirt, hauling him almost off his feet. Yusuke was nearly doubled over in laughter.

"Oh come on, it's gross! You don't actually like that thing, right?" The boy turned watery brown eyes to me, and I narrowed my gaze coldly.

"I like it just fine, thank you," I replied, and made the conscious decision not to tuck it back under my clothes. I stalked after Genkai and Rando, who hadn't given the scene much more than a cursory glance. That was perfectly alright. The less of a threat Rando perceived, the easier it would be to take him by surprise later. Even after watching our fights, if he saw us as quarreling amateurs, he may be inclined to be less cautious.

"For real, Taru, I can not take you seriously with that thing," Yusuke caught up, having disentangled himself from Kazuma's grasp. "It looks like something Koenma would wear, if he was a girl!"

The heat on my cheeks spoke of embarrassment I refused to acknowledge, but I wouldn't dignify his childishness with a response. I continued to ignore him, and he predictably turned his teasing on Kazuma, their banter fading into background noise.

"Well I think it's cute," Botan offered with a smile. Internally, I growled. "Say, if I remember correctly, you've got a cat, right? We should get her a little charm for her collar to match!"

"Mami doesn't have a collar, she's an indoor cat," I replied tersely.

"Oh, that's such a cute name," Botan expressed, hands clutched to her chest in a swooning fashion. "And she's so friendly! I'll bet she'd let you dress her up in just about anything, huh? A collar shouldn't be so bad."

I closed my eyes in a slow, calming blink.

"She doesn't go outside the house. She doesn't need a collar." This conversation was pointless. Why was I still talking?

"But it could be more like an accessory," the reaper insisted, miming a necklace around her slim, breakable neck. "It can even be pink! You like pink, right?"

"It's what I'm wearing," I pointed out. Pink, and ruddy brown now that the blood had dried.

"Pink, with the little kitty charm and a bell! Or maybe a ribbon tied into a bow on the neck," a finger tapped her chin as her mind wound in devious patterns. I glanced back at the boys, whose bickering had effectively taken their attention off me. In front, Genkai and Rando couldn't be bothered to spare us a glance. No one was looking. I could slit her throat and hide her under a bush before any of them even knew what was happening.

She beamed at me, smiling more brightly than a bonfire.

I felt very tired.

"What is this place!?"

Our group stared out onto a vast expanse of land, a swamp that seemed to stretch for miles, sparsely dotted with dead or dying skeleton trees. A heavy, green-tinted mist hovered over the damp grass as the smell of rot and mildew permeated what air was left unaffected. Like the forest before, this place held an energy of its own, though significantly less malicious.

Less malicious, but no less eerie. The fog wasn't the only heavy aspect of the marshland. The weight of raw emotion was stifling, threatening to pull any who could feel it under the pressure of immeasurable pain. There was a great, powerful sorrow here, an anger that I had not encountered even within the most restless of spirits.

"This will be your new battleground," Genkai replied to Kazuma's question, an audible smirk in her voice. "It was the site of an ancient battle. An entire army was overcome by madness. Thousands of soldiers lost their minds and attacked their own men. The restless souls of the killers and their victims now fill this place, and wander aimlessly in search of the war they never fought."

Even drowning in the ghosts pain, I could still feel the spike of fear that pierced through the haze. It seemed Kazuma too understood the depth of agony these souls endured, and clearly it unsettled him. He scrambled back, closer to the pitiful shelter that Yusuke and Botan could provide.

"I'm starting to see things I never wanted to see- why the heck did I even come here?" He fretted, and I could admit that the atmosphere was somewhat off-putting. However, the decayed spirits that remained were all but gone, faded shadows of imprints against the air. They could no longer call out for help. Ghosts of ghosts, echoes of echoes. They had no desires, no business left unfinished. It was long forgotten in their meanderings over the uneven terrain.

They stared silently, eyes only registering the change in their environment as a mild curiosity. Their armor, ancient and rustic, swayed and whipped in a breeze that only they could feel. Were we ghosts to them, I wonder?

"On this hillside, spirit energy begins to overtake the body," Genkai explained, ignoring my brothers worries. "It is perhaps the best place on Earth to use spirit power, and so the best place for your fight."

I glanced back towards Yusuke, blinking in surprise as my senses detected the rise in his energy. My own fluctuated in response as his began to grow once again at a steady pace. Then, suspiciously, I glanced back at the spirits.

"Their energy is becoming ours," I stated, watching as one of the men dissolved into silvery dust, his unblinking eyes either uncaring or unaware that he was being erased from existence. The slight glimmer of a string floated almost invisibly through the air, like a tiny thread of spider silk, and latched onto my arm. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to notice the rise in my own power.

"They are dying."

Genkai frowned.

"They are already dead. Unable to move on, their souls remain trapped on Earth until their energy is dispersed or consumed. All we are doing is speeding up that process." I nodded, watching as yet another man, this time one upon a horse, was reduced to silver strings. The animal followed suit.

I think then I felt… something. Looking at these specters, like footprints in the sand, turned something in my chest to lead. It felt heavy, and cold. It wasn't pleasant.

"Well Yusuke? How do you feel?" I turned at Botan's question, watching as the teen attempted to focus his power into his fingertip. I watched the energy shimmering under his skin as it made its best efforts to comply, but it ultimately failed.

"You used up too much, there isn't enough there," I told him. He growled, shooting me a half-hearted glare, but that soon morphed into a look of worry.

"She's right. I'm feeling some of it coming back, but there's no way it's enough to use my Spirit Gun."

That was troubling. Without his primary weapon, he was a sitting duck. If he were to fight now, it was almost certain that he would lose, possibly even against Kazuma. Yet another choice might lay before me today. Should Yusuke fight next, I could give him my own power, but risk losing later myself. Or I could allow him to fight, observe, and take out Rando immediately after his win.

And lose Yusuke in the process.

"Alright, I think we've had enough time," Genkai began, and the chill that seemed to settle over us had little to do with those decaying spirits. The old woman gazed out on the open field, her attention straying my way as she spoke her next words.

"Our next match will be Kuwabara versus Kuwabara."

And even the wind seemed to freeze.

...

"What!? Y-you mean I have to-" Kazuma stared at me, mouth hanging open in horror.

This wasn't what I had in mind… but it could work. I nodded, shaking myself from the state of shock and moving to face my brother. He stared down at me with fearful eyes, hands coming up almost defensively.

"No way! I can't fight my own sister!"

Genkai frowned, but there was a certain absence of spite in her eyes.

"Then you forfeit?" she asked condescendingly. Kazuma flashed her a look that was something between loathing and disgust. He opened his mouth to speak, and I cut in before he could get whatever idiotic words he was thinking out into the open air.

"Zu, I want you to fight me."

A fish may have crawled up on land and started flapping its lips to gasp for air, or else Kazuma was doing a very good imitation of such. His incredulous eyes bugged, posture slipping.

"Huh!?" I blinked slowly, my gaze never leaving his.

"I want you to fight me," I repeated slowly. It took a moment for him to come to terms with that declaration, and I could see the moment it did, when his resolve hardened and he drew himself back up straight.

"No way. A real man doesn't beat up on girls, and especially not his sisters." I clenched my teeth as those words washed over me again for the second time in my life. They made me feel exactly as they did before. Proudly disappointed.

"A real man doesn't run from battle just because he views himself and his opponent as unequal." He crossed his arms defiantly, eyes narrowed harshly.

"He does when there's no point in fighting," he retorted, and I shrugged.

"I suppose you're right on that front. It's not like you have a chance at victory anyway." I didn't expect that to work, and it didn't. Though he flinched, it only steeled him further.

"You're baiting me, and it's not gonna work. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're right, you're not. You couldn't hurt me if you tried, and so I am asking you to try. A real man wouldn't deny his sister the one thing she asks of him."

He opened his mouth. Then he closed it. It opened again and closed, following this pattern a few more times as he attempted to form a rebuttal.

"I… I can't-" he tried.

"You can," I interrupted strongly, stepping perhaps too far into his personal space. He took a half-step back. "And you will, or you forfeit the right to call me your sister."

The fish returned, only it was dead. Its lips seemed as though they might never close.

"I will not be associated with a coward too afraid to call me his equal, and I will not respect he who will run from me. You will fight me, or you are no longer my brother."

I gave him his choices, and he looked at them with dismay. I stepped back, turning away from him to refuse whatever he might say to make a compromise. I kept my eyes locked forward on the remains of the ghost army, my feet carrying me into their midst.

Passing them by was their death sentence, as the last of them faded into the air without a sound. The field was left open and clear of the walking corpses, though more were doubtlessly still wasting away in the water beneath my feet. They fled from the sight of the battle, all those fortunate enough not to be absorbed by the living.

I reached twenty paces into the marsh, pivoting on my toes and standing with my arms crossed. Waiting.

Nearly black eyes stared me down, and even from this distance I could see that regrettable agony as his honor warred with itself. It was an unfortunate side-effect, but a necessary one. All he needed to do was follow me onto the battlefield. It was simple, fifteen or so paces for him, hardly anything compared to my twenty.

I stared back, cold and impassive. There was no regret, and no weakness for me to display. It was, by many accounts, the first time I ever let him see me. I only hoped he wasn't afraid of what he saw.

"You're wasting my time," Genkai snapped at him angrily, looking dangerously close to sending him back down the mountainside with her impressive set of smokers lungs. "Either you fight, or you forfeit."

He flinched, lips trembling as he gazed down at his hands. I felt my brow furrow just a touch. If she continued to frighten him… Then I blinked, feeling owlish as Yusuke's form interrupted my vision. However, he wasn't looking at me. His hard, doe-brown eyes were locked on my brother, lips turned up in the strangest of smiles I had seen on his face yet. What was in that expression of his? Acceptance? Comfort? Pain, even? It was a grimace of… something.

He spoke softly and with his head turned so I could not read his lips.

Kazuma's eyes flashed in surprise, now staring at the other boy. Yusuke offered a smirk. Zu looked back down at his hands. His face drew tight, lips pursed and eyes shiny. I took a breath of the rotting air, shutting my eyes with a gentle flutter.

The tiny toddler of a boy looked into his mother's arms, barely able to contain his curiosity. The older sister stood beside him, her expression one of an unusual interest, at least unusual for her. They both leaned in, though the boy had to be held back to protect the object of interest from being too crowded.

Swaddled in pink, situated neatly and perfectly into the arms of the woman, a pale-skinned infant slept. A tuft of impossible red crowned the top of its head, and from just beneath the fabric poked two tiny hands, fingers curled in a defenseless fist.

"When is she gonna wake up?" the sister asked, just a hint of irritation in her voice. The mother chuckled warmly, careful not to jostle the baby.

"She'll wake up when she's ready," the woman responded, patience exuded by her smiling eyes. The boy paid them no heed, as he was yet too young to understand what was being said. He instead stared down at the tiny face, smaller than his own. Faces had eyes, though. Where were the eyes?

He poked the face.

"Gentle, Kazuma," his mother chided calmly. Calm, warm, gentle, mother. It was so nice here, but where were the eyes? It was confusing. Everything was still the same, but now there was a face with no eyes! Where were the eyes?

He poked the face.

Eyes?

He ran tiny, stubby fingers over where they should be.

Eyes!?

Then a noise startled him, and his whole body jerked in surprise. Sudden, weird, scary! No eyes! He cried, loudly. It was all so confusing, and terrifying. He had no way to know what was going on, and this little face wasn't following the rules of what he already knew.

But as he cried, and his sister behind him shushed him very loudly herself, he happened to look down. The crying began to die.

Eyes.

Big.

Blue.

Eyes.

Blue was the best color. He liked blue, and now there were eyes! Big Blue Eyes!

Then the eyes were gone again, and the mouth opened, and the baby began to wail. The cries of the boy started up again. The sister groaned and covered her ears. The mother frowned in concern, a hand on the boys head drawing him into an awkward embrace. The father, in the doorway, snorted at the predicament. He shook his head.

"Well, that's one way to introduce yourself, Hotaru."

… … …

The little boy stood with one foot balanced precariously on the short dresser, and one resting against the bars of the crib. He looked down with a huge smile.

Big Blue Eyes looked right back up.

"Hi Eyes," he said, like a mantra repeating every few seconds. "mmmmmBlue! Hi Eyes! Blue!"

Big Blue Eyes said nothing. She blinked and wiggled a little, fists swinging and mouth contorting around the pink sucker. Kazuma leaned down, taking his own blue sucker from his mouth and dropping it right beside her head. He pulled away and looked at her expectantly.

Big Blue Eyes didn't even look at his gift. She just kept kicking, and sucking on the pink sucker.

He twisted his lips in thought, then reached down. He tore the pink one out of her mouth and placed it right beside its blue twin. She looked concerned, and surprised. Her eyes, big and blue, started to tear up and close. He panicked.

A whine built in the back of her throat, and he bent over and reached in a third and final time, taking the blue sucker and pushing it past her lips. She paused in her mission of crying, the confusion setting in once more.

Then, the eyes relaxed, looking back up, and his gift was accepted. He grinned.

"Kazuma!"

He startled far too easily, jolting and losing his footing. He tipped over and crashed to the ground, his strong grip shaking the crib but not bringing it down with him. The shock set in, and as warm, slim hands started to help him up, he began to cry.

Above him where he could no longer see her, Big Blue Eyes started to cry too. Clearly, she was just as unhappy with their separation as he was.

… … …

"Go pick out something for your sister," Mother encouraged, pointing at the section with lots of colorful things and blinky lights and soft blankets. Kazuma toddled over, the woman hovering only a few paces behind, just in case. He didn't understand "just in case" yet, and he wouldn't for a while. He understood that there was a birthday.

Not for him. That made him sad, but it was for Ru-Ru, so he was less sad.

He looked, picked things up, put them down, and looked more. After hours and hours (about ten seconds) of looking at things, he grabbed something soft and blue. He sprinted (trotted) back over to his mother and held it up. She smiled, but it was strained.

"No sweetie, not something for you. For Hotaru, okay?" He shook the toy, holding it higher.

"Ru-Ru! She want a blue kitty!" Mother raised a brow.

"Kazu, you have to get something for a girl. You can't say it's for her just so that you can get another kitty. Come on, let's look some more. Mommy will help you."

Frustration, anger. Very unhappy was that little boy. His face reddened enough that one could compare him to a vegetable patch, with orange carrots on top and a giant tomato below. He looked around for Father. Maybe he could show Father, and Father will say yes. But Father was gone. He glared up at his mother.

"No! Ru-Ru got blue eyes! She want blue!"

The mother adopted a stern look.

They didn't end up getting the kitty, and by the time the girls birthday party came around, he forgot the thing even existed. But he did get to pick out a pretty lace dress, and it was soft.

And most importantly, it was blue.

… … …

Kazuma sat peering at his mothers hands. The slim fingers tangled in strands of red-orange as they twisted and weaved Ru-Ru's hair. Hair was so weird, but Ru-Run had nice hair. It was soft, and straight, and past her shoulders. It was princess hair.

Shizuru sat on Mothers other side, watching with that same interest that was so unusual, honey eyes locking every tuck and twist into her memory as the straight hair became bumpy and small, but so, so pretty.

"Alright honey, you try now. Be gentle, just work slow."

Hotaru didn't seem to mind or care as she was turned to the left, fidgeting with the action figure Kazuma had been playing with. He didn't mind giving it up. He liked watching her anyways. She moved the arms and legs and smiled as the superhero flew around the airspace beneath her face.

The little boy watched as his older sister began to weave the hair, but the angle was wrong and he couldn't see it properly, so he went back to watching Ru-Ru. He leaned forward, pointing at the toy man.

"Blue Ranger," he said, and she smiled. She already knew what the toy was, he told her a hundred times.

"Zu!" She brandished the toy, and he laughed. He was the Blue Ranger. She always had to be the Pink Ranger, because mother told them so. Shizuru was Yellow Ranger sometimes, but she was Red Ranger sometimes too. Sometimes she was Bad Guy. Mother was People, and Father was there sometimes.

Shizuru smiled.

"Finished."

Mother grinned broadly.

"Perfect! You're so good at this!"

Excitedly, Kazuma scooted around so he could see. Two bumpy roped made of hair were on Ru-Ru's head now, and they were both so pretty. He reached forward and touched. A hand stopped his.

"Gentle, Kazuma," Mother chided calmly. He pouted, then pointed.

"Can I try?" The mother and older sister looked at each other strangely, then Mother laughed.

"Kazu, why do you want to do that? You're a boy, sweetie, boys don't do that." He frowned.

"But I wanna. Wanna make Ru-Ru pretty, please? Please, please please!" He bounced and clapped, and Hotaru, seeing her brothers energetic movement, started bouncing too, and imitating him.

"Please, please, please," she chanted with him, and the mother sighed.

"Alright, but later sweetie, okay? Mommy's tired now." Kazuma nodded emphatically. Later always happened, because Later wasn't a No, and it wasn't a Maybe. Mother stood and dusted off her legs, and Kazuma ran to grab Pink Ranger from his toy box.

"I'm going to go take a nap, Shizuru watch the kids?" Shizuru's face contorted briefly, but Mother was already walking out. The oldest child sighed, and glared down at the smallest, youngest child there.

Hotaru turned and fixed her with a cheery smile, blue eyes squinty.

"Thank you," she said simply, shaking her head so that the two braids flopped and swung around.

Shizuru's glare softened. It was okay, the kids weren't so bad anyways.

Kazuma returned with an armful of Rangers and dumped them in front of the little girl. Just as he made to kneel down, excited words already forming on his lips, Shizuru stopped him.

"Hey, Kazu, I'll show you how to make Ru's hair pretty if you want." The eleven-year-old girl's heart skipped a beat as her brother looked at her like she'd told him they were going to Tokyo Disney.

"Really!?" He was loud! Shizuru cast a worried glance at the door.

"Shush! Yeah, but we have to be quiet so we… don't wake up mom. She needs her nap." After quietly situating the boy next to her, Shizuru guided his hands over their little sisters hair.

"Gentle, okay?" she reminded him. His hands were big and clumsy for his size, and to make sure he didn't tug any strands from the scalp (and make Hotaru cry, which would wake up Mother), Shizuru was extra careful to hold onto the top of whatever part he was working on.

He put his hands down a few minutes later, looking very unhappy.

"It's ugly," he pointed out, and Shizuru sighed. Then, she gave a weary smile. She wished she could take a nap too.

"It's okay if it's ugly. It doesn't have to be pretty. You love Ru, right?" He nodded. "Then it's good. Keep practicing, and it will be prettier every time."

She paused, watching her brothers spirits rise again, and cast yet another glance towards the open door of the playroom. He began to gently untangle his braid to try again.

"Hey, Kazu?" He looked up, curious to get her direction. Instead, she looked at him with a weird not-smile. "It's okay to like stuff girls like, even if you're a boy. You can do whatever you want to do, even if people say it's girly. Real men don't care. Okay?"

"Okay," he chirped. She smiled sadly.

The lesson didn't sink in quite then, but it was stuck in his memory forever. That day was one of the thousands he could never forget. It was one of his favorite days, even if he never did get around to playing Power Rangers.

… … …

Shizuru held a pair of scissors in one hand and a comb in the other. Hotaru sat comfortably on the pantry stool, this time holding the Pink Ranger. She didn't bother paying much attention to her siblings, who stood behind her with very serious expressions.

"Hold the mirror here," the eldest directed, and the boy stood on his toes, reaching up as high as he could to get the hand-held mirror to an acceptable height. Why there was a mirror involved at all, no one could say.

"Okay, so it goes like this."

Snip!

…

…

"Uh-oh."

… ... …

The dojo was big, and unfamiliar. There were things everywhere, weapons and trophies, all a scary metallic shade. The mats were grey, and the walls were wood. There were other people there, grown-ups and kids, none of them were people he knew. It was weird. But he held tight to Ru-Ru's hand, because that always made him feel better.

It was less scary when Koori-Sensei (they had to call him Sensei, like their teachers at school) started telling them about why people fight.

"It is our duty as capable people to protect those who aren't capable," Sensei told them. "We have that power, and that strength, so we must use it for good."

Like Power Rangers, or Superman! That was an exciting thought. Even if the first day there was boring, he was very excited to go back. Ru-Ru wanted to go because he wanted to go, and Shizuru just rolled her eyes. Mother always frowned when Sis did that.

Kazuma turned his little sisters hair into one long rope every day before their class. Mother always told Shizuru that it looked good, and Shizuru told him to be quiet with her fingers. That was fine, secrets were fun!

Every class got better and better. They practiced katas like dances, but really slow, and sometimes he threw them around to "teach them how to fall down." That was dumb, but it was also fun. Soon enough, they were there for a year already! He waited on Ru-Ru to come out of the girls bathroom, sitting against the wall. He waved to his three friends as they left. They said they wanted to quit, but he didn't want to. He hoped they could still be friends if he didn't quit too.

He looked up when he saw his parents come in, and was about to wave when Koori-Sensei walked over to them. Curiously, Kazuma listened. They greeted politely in that weird adult way, then they stood kinda close and talked a little more quietly.

"I wanted to tell you, I've been considerin' movin' yer daughter up a belt early, before the others in her group." Oh? Cool!

"Is she doing that well?" Father asked, surprised. Mother frowned.

"Isn't she a bit young to be moving onto more advanced things?"

Koori-Sensei shook his head.

"It isn't so much about age as proficiency. She takes to this like a fish to water. To be perfectly honest, I've never seen a child advance this quickly before. She's copyin' the older classes moves almost perfectly just by watchin' them." Mother frowned more. Father nodded with a proud look.

"She only needs the basics. Any more than that isn't proper for a young lady," Mother argued. "What about moving Kazuma up instead?"

Koori-Sensei sighed, and Kazuma's ears perked.

"Yer son is very determined, and he is a good student, but he is nowhere near her level. I really think ye have a hidden gemstone in your family, and it isn't yer boy, Kuwabara-San. Lettin' Hotaru's talents go to waste would be a terrible shame."

Mothers eyes narrowed, and Father stepped in front of her.

"Why don't we see what Hotaru thinks, dear?" he said.

They left shortly after, Kazuma holding his sisters hand with a sad sort of look. She was better than him, and that was okay, right? Mother said fighting was for boys, but Shizuru said girls and boys can like whatever they want. Mother said braiding hair was for girls, but Shizuru said that boys and girls can do anything the other can do. Which was it?

They asked Ru-Ru when they arrived home.

She said yes. Kazuma smiled, and he was happy for her. Sad for himself a little, but happy was better than sad, so he wanted to be happy for his sister. Shizuru told him so.

Koori-Sensei took him aside with his parents a few weeks later to tell him why Ru-Ru got moved up in the class and he didn't.

"Because she's better than me," he told them with a smile. They looked surprised, and Koori-Sensei stopped frowning. His eyes twinkled.

"Well, she's a girl. Girls are better anyways." He winked. "You just need to keep practicing so you can be there with her, okay?" He glanced at the children's mother, who had a stern look on her face. "And you'll have to get better and stronger so that she doesn't have to fight," he added, looking annoyed. Mother smiled, turning to her son.

"You're a good brother, Kazuma-Kun. It's your job to be there when your sisters need you."

Kazuma's eyes widened. Of course! Big Sis was better at hair stuff, and Ru-Ru was better at fighting stuff! Girls were just better, so boys needed to help them and keep them safe. He understood now, boys were for girls to be the boss of.

"I will be!"

… … …

"Ru-Ru!"

He ran around the parked cars in the back parking lot. They weren't supposed to be here, but he saw red hair disappear this way. They were supposed to stay inside. Hotaru never listened. Usually it was fine, and she was just curious. Sometimes she was with animals like dogs and kitties.

This time, he had a bad feeling.

"Ru-Ru! Come back, we can hide somewhere else," he shouted at the top of his lungs. But it didn't matter how loud he was, because the gunshot was louder.

He froze, torn between running towards the danger (Ru-Ru's there!) or back inside to the rest of his family. His deliberation didn't last long as the second shot rang out in the evening, and his legs were moving on instinct. He ducked and weaved between cars, heart pounding in his ears, feet hurting from the force of his stomping. The shot sounded close, but not close enough to hurt his ears.

Where was she?

There weren't any screams. There was no sound, just his running and panting like a dog on the hunt. His lungs screamed in pain, heaving gasping breath after breath.

"RU-RU!"

He rounded a corner, running full-on into a car as he did, but shaking off the momentary pain. Hard heads were lucky. He shook his head, making to start running again, but then came to a halt.

"Ru-Ru!" There she was, kneeling on the ground next to a woman. They were both covered in Hotaru's hair, only it looked wet and weird, and… and her hair isn't that dark red. She looked up at him from a distance.

Big blue eyes were so scary now. But he was a man (eight year old man) and men didn't run away when they were scared.

He darted to her side, falling to his knees beside her and catching her in a strong embrace. The blood on her hands was still very wet, but the woman who stared up at the sky wasn't moving. She was a pretty woman.

Kazuma's arms closed tighter, hugging his little sister closer while they both stared at the lady.

… … …

Kazuma cried out, waking from the nightmare with a sick stomach and a sweaty brow. The blood was everywhere. He choked on it this time.

He trembled as he slipped back the covers, the routine so normal by now that he hardly registered that he was crossing the room. The other bed roll in the small room was his destination. The one with pink flowery sheets and a fluffy pillow, the one currently housing the object of his most recent dream.

"Ru-Ru?" he whispered quietly, his voice bleary from sleep, yet shaky from fear. She didn't react for a moment, and he put a hand on her. She was warm. He feared maybe if he took his hand away, it would come back bloody. Maybe she still had blood somewhere on her. Or maybe she was-

"Get in," came her low voice, and she lifted the corner of her pink blanket. He wasted no time crawling under and huddling as close to her as he could. She was dry. No blood, and her eyes were wide and stare-ey, but they looked back at him blinking. She was alive.

"I had a bad dream," he told her, the next line in his almost nightly script.

"I know," she replied, same as always.

"Goodnight," he mumbled, and she opened her arms as she usually did, and he curled up and snuggled deep into her embrace. Then he closed his eyes, smelling the strawberry shampoo of her hair and the detergent their mother used on the laundry, listening to her even breathing and feeling her lungs expand-

"Are you afraid of blood?"

His eyes popped open wide. She never spoke after he said goodnight. They always fell asleep. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Tentatively, he looked up. She was still staring straight, over his head.

"Are you?" she prompted. He nodded.

"Yeah. It's dark, and smells bad, and it only shows when someone's hurt," he explained, feeling a bit more awake. She blinked, then finally looked down.

"You shouldn't be afraid of it. We all have it. It keeps us alive, remember?" His chest hurt. Why did his chest hurt? And his stomach started turning again like there was a hamster rolling around in there.

"I can show you," she continued quietly. "I'll show you, then you won't be scared."

Shaking, sweating, sick and hurting, he couldn't even freeze from the fear. He shook his head violently.

"Nuh-uh! I don't wanna see any blood ever again!"

She paused, tilting her head to look at him. She looked… weird. He didn't know that face. Then she smiled.

"Okay, that's alright. You don't have to see it."

He gulped, shutting his eyes tight and burying his head into her chest. Her body was warm. And her smile…

Her smile made him feel frozen.

… … …

She read from a book, some book Shizuru got them. He didn't care for the books, but he liked hearing Ru-Ru talk. She read books really well, way better than he did, and her voice was nice when she read out loud.

She didn't get the weird face again, and the day with all the blood was a year ago. The dreams weren't so bad now, and her eyes were happier. They were really happy sometimes. Right now, she sounded happy, even though the book was about something sad. He knew he was doing a good job then, if she was happy.

His fingers, thick and blunt, moved more nimbly now than they did when he first started learning. It was like Shizuru said, all muscle memory. It was more than just a normal braid this time though. It was called Dutch style. His mother had been really happy to teach him. He didn't know Later meant five years, but it did eventually happen. Later always happened.

Their mother wanted him to play with girl stuff now, since it made Ru-Ru so happy. She even gave him magazines about braiding hair. They were pretty, and they looked prettier when they were red-orange.

He asked Granny Mieko what style he should try, and she picked Dutch. Nobody else knew Granny Mieko, but Ru-Ru saw her once. Granny was a really nice old woman who had a habit of disappearing very quickly when they were done talking. He wanted to show her the braid when it was finished.

Ru-Ru's hair was long now, almost as long as their older sisters. It made braiding easier, but short hair braids were still pretty. She always looked pretty with braids.

He blinked, his hands going still as he realized she had stopped reading. The book lay open in her lap and she was looking at it, but her voice had stopped a while ago. He peered around her shoulder, leaning down (she was still so little!) to catch her gaze.

"Ru-Ru? What's wrong?"

She didn't respond, just waiting a moment before she looked back up at him. Her big blue eyes were smiling, and this time it didn't make him cold.

"Nothing, just keep doing what you're doing." He grinned.

He finished the braid. She told him it was beautiful. She always said that. It made him happy. They went to search for Granny Mieko together.

… … …

She was three levels above him now. His belt was red, and hers was purple. Purple was okay, but blue was better.

Not a better belt color, just a better color color.

She was so fast! She was the best of everyone, not that there were many people left. Most of the kids quit, including his friends. But it was okay, because they saw each other at school and they still hung out sometimes. There were still three other boys and Kazuma, but Ru-Ru could beat them all. She was just too fast, and she was stronger than she looked. Koori-Sensei was always giving her praise.

Except once. Once, she hit a boy very hard and broke his nose.

There was blood…

He quit after that, and Koori-Sensei yelled at her for it. You're not supposed to hurt people, he said. She stared at her hand, and at the floor, and at the boys face. She couldn't look away, even when Koori-Sensei grabbed her arm.

Kazuma pushed him. That was the first time ever that both children were punished in the dojo.

… … …

It was a simple braid this time. It was the first one he was ever taught, and the motion and pattern was soothing, something to focus on to distract himself.

The living room was nearly silent. Their father stared blankly at the television, some news program playing softly with sports recaps and lottery numbers. Kazuma sat on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the long red hair clutched in his fingers. He twisted and tucked deftly, slowing down his movements to prolong the experience. If he could hold out a little longer, maybe he could think of something different to do than the simple three-strand braid.

Her hair was longer than anyone else's. She never wanted it cut, so it never was. He was happy with that. He never wanted it cut either.

Hotaru sat on the floor, her back straight as she stared ahead, through the TV, through the wall, probably through the whole world. She stared at something no one else could see, and they could all see many things. Kazuma thought she was staring at the gods and wishing them dead. Her big blue eyes were so… black.

The braid was finished.

He stared at his large hands, willing them to move and do something, maybe unwind the braid and do it over again. But moving was too much effort. Just curling his fingers into a fist felt like it would take up all the energy in the world. He didn't lift his head, even when Shizuru came back inside. The young woman stopped in the doorway, silent as death.

Speaking was so hard right now…

"You smell like cigarettes." Kazuma's eyes widened and he looked down at the soft voice. Only, it wasn't really soft. It was like a butterfly knife, slim and small and harmless looking. But it's also a knife.

He couldn't see those big blue eyes, but the face slowly turned up, and Shizuru regarded it with a cool nonchalance.

"Yeah, try and figure that one out," the eldest child responded. Hotaru took a breath, her shoulders shaking like a dormant volcano that just decided to disturb the quiet, peaceful village living at its base.

"How can you be so dismissive? Smoking!? Now, of all times!?"

Shizuru blinked, looking surprised. She shouldn't have been.

"It takes the edge off," she explained. Hotaru's spine straightened dangerously, and if she did that any more it would break backwards.

"What, takes the edge off life?"

Shizuru shrugged.

"Hey, whatever works."

Hotaru jumped to her feet. Kazuma watched with his mouth agape. Their father shut his eyes, refusing to watch TV anymore.

"You moron. Why would you do that!? What is wrong with you, you stupid bitch? That's the same disgusting habit that killed Mama! You know that!" Shizuru's eyes widened, her brow furrowing at the same time. She looked like a lion.

"Don't tell me what I know," the woman snapped harshly, her voice terribly soft. Yelling would have been better. This quiet anger was so awful. It hurt to hear.

"You have one life!" Hotaru wasn't giving up yet. "You're going to waste it on this? Why? What makes you think this is a good thing?"

Shizuru shook her head, gritted her teeth, and turned away.

"You want to die, just like her! You want to leave us!"

All movement stopped. The only noise was the chattering of a car commercial, and even over that, you could hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor. Hotaru stared at everyone. Everyone stared back. Big blue eyes were rimmed red and shining. Kazuma felt helpless. A real man was supposed to help. He was supposed to fix things.

How do you fix something when there are pieces missing?

He looked at Shizuru. Miserable. He looked at Father. Apathetic. He looked at Hotaru. Angry. He looked at himself, at his big clumsy hands. Helpless.

Hotaru was gone before he even had a chance to look back up

… … …

She wasn't there when she returned. Hotaru was there, sure. Ru-Ru wasn't.

But she brought home a cat, so he pretended he didn't see it. The cat was okay, a little boring, but still, it was his first pet. Even if it liked Hotaru best, he still tried to love it. Even if Hotaru liked the cat best out of all of them, he still tried to love her.

He gave her presents. Kitties and things, cute and soft, pretty figurines and toys, lots of pink things even though she looked so good in blue.

The big blue eyes made him feel like he was living in the arctic when they looked at him. Empty and cold, ice blue. He matched it with a crayon and a colored pencil. Her eyes were ice blue now. He could hardly call her Ru-Ru without choking. She wasn't Ru-Ru.

She was scary.

The nightmares came back, but he didn't go to her room. They got worse, and he still didn't go. She frightened him more than the blood. He gave her more cute presents. She loved them all, and the demon that replaced his sister was placated.

… … …

Koori-Sensei stared him down.

"Fight yer sister."

"I won't!"

The man growled, taking a step closer with his cane. Kazuma didn't back away. He glared right back, because he wasn't weak, and he wasn't a bully. He was a man. A twelve-year-old man.

"Why? Ya think just because she's a girl, she don't deserve to fight?"

Kazuma shook his head vehemently.

"I won't fight girls." Girls were better. Girls need to be respected, and fighting them wasn't respectful. If he wasn't respectful, then a mulberry wasn't a mulberry.

Koori shook his head and scoffed.

"Get out of here. Out! I don't want to see yer pathetic face in my dojo again. Ye are a weak-willed man, Kuwabara Kazuma. Ye will never have what it takes to be a real warrior if ye can't swallow yer pride and quit acting like yer better than everyone else."

Kazuma never went back.

… … …

Urameshi died.

Hotaru had that weird look again.

… … …

Urameshi's been back for a while.

Hotaru's been avoiding Kazuma. Wasn't she happy with him anymore? Was he not being a good enough brother? Why, why did she want Urameshi? Why did Urameshi want her? Why did the two people who gave his life meaning want nothing to do with him anymore?

… … …

He gave her the kitty necklace. Maybe that was it, she was too old for toys. Jewelry had to work!

She had a look… her eyes weren't as cold. They haven't been so scary lately. She smiled at him more. He missed her smile so much. Her big blue eyes were so much less icy. Like warm, baby blue. Maybe next time, something more mature, like sapphires, or aquamarine.

… … …

He saw her.

She was there.

At the tournament, with wide eyes and a look of concern.

Wearing a cute sweater and the kitty necklace tucked under the collar.

She had a bag, with snacks and clothes.

She lied, but it didn't matter.

She was there.

He saw her.

Ru-Ru.

Kazuma looked up to meet my eyes. Shoulders thrown back, head held high, chest thrust out, and hands balled to frustrated fists at his sides.

He crossed the field towards me.

And we are at the end. This wasn't as long as I thought it was. Thank God, because I was afraid it would be way too dragged out. I am extremely happy with this chapter. Like some others, it wrote itself. I find it interesting that Kazuma actually did notice the difference. Please review, give me criticisms, berate me for being late. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now. Stay safe guys, be careful out there, wash your hands, drink lots of water, just don't get sick. PSA because we just had a confirmed case of Coronavirus in my immediate area.

Meow for now!