Kuwabara woke up with a headache from hell.
"Ugh," he groaned, propping himself up on one arm. His arm dug into something soft and unsupportive and he quickly fell over. A flurry of white greeted his vision. It was a pillow. He blinked as he realized he was in his own bed. "Wha…"
"You're awake," a voice mused.
Kuwabara turned.
Shizuru stood at his door, looking at him bemusedly.
"Morning, idiot."
Kuwabara propped himself into sitting position.
"What happened?" he said. Everything hurt, but especially the center of his forehead. He'd been in fights before, been beaten within an inch of his life before, but didn't think he'd ever suffered a headache this bad.
"You got kidnapped," Shizuru said casually. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Kuwabara furrowed his brow.
"I remember talking to Urameshi…something about a boyfriend…then I headed home, and I remember making it past the school gates…ah!" Kuwabara clasped his hands in realization. "I was a few blocks away from home when I ran into this short dude dressed in black!"
"That sounds about right," Shizuru mused. "And then?"
"And then…I dunno, the short dude seemed kinda hostile, so I asked him what his deal was and then…nothing. That's all I got. The last thing I remember is the short dude growing a third eye, but I'm not sure if that's part of a dream or something."
"It wasn't a dream," Shizuru said. "That short dude was a demon. He stabbed the shit out of you, you got possessed, you attacked Yusuke, and I tracked your energy to slap some sanity back into you. Once Yusuke defeated the short guy, we all went home."
"Hold up," Kuwabara said, blinking rapidly. "Could you…could you say that again? Slowly? With more detail? I'm hearing demons, possession, and Yusuke, which is…what?"
"You heard me. The short guy was a demon. He was after Yusuke, so he kidnapped you and controlled you to fight her. You guys are friends—"
"Rivals!"
"—Rivals who don't actually want to kill each other, so he used you against her to try to kill her."
"Is Yusuke okay?" Kuwabara urgently asked.
"She's fine. She beat the shit out of your kidnapper and a friend of hers exorcised the demonic energy from you."
"Exorcism…What…Okay. Okay. Demonic energy needs exorcism, that makes sense. Alright. What were you doing in all this?"
"Well…" Shizuru said contemplatively. "I usually don't care what you're up to but…I get the tickle feeling whenever you're in danger. The more you're fucked up, the worse my tickle feeling gets, so I found you to put myself out of my misery."
"You too?"
Shizuru raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"The tickle feeling, you get it too?"
"Yeah. Probably worse than you these days. I used to be able to ignore the tickle feeling, but now, it's almost a physical force. I have to sort that shit out if I want to get things done in real life."
"Huh," said Kuwabara. "That's weird. I thought it was just me but…Lately I swear I can sense if you're, I dunno, annoyed at work, or feeling tired, or…whatever. I swear I can sense your mood even if you're nowhere near me."
"Same," said Shizuru. She tilted her head contemplatively. "That's called a psychic connection and it's pretty common between family members who have spirit powers. I have it on good authority that our powers are getting stronger because we hang around Yusuke so often."
"What do you mean?"
"You hear about Yusuke's detective gig?"
"Yeah."
"It's a demon detective gig. She's not a Sherlock Holmes kind of detective, she's more of a find-and-beat-up-demons kind of thug-for-hire."
Kuwabara sniggered a little. "That definitely sounds like her, getting paid to beat people up. But back to demons," he said, looking at Shizuru somberly. "Whaddya mean, our tickle feeling is being affected?"
"Well," Shizuru said slowly. "You know how we all thought Yusuke died a while back?"
"How could I forget?"
"Around that time, weren't there a lot of spirits hovering around our house?"
"Hell yeah."
"It has to do with the fact that Yusuke really did die. She came back to life as, specifically, a detective who fights demons."
"How do you even know this?"
"…I talked to a psychic master."
"Okay…go on…"
"The psychic master warned me that wherever there's a spirit detective, anyone with psychic abilities will be influenced. All the spirit energy and demon energy and…general spiritual shit puts us on high alert. Our body thinks we are in danger, so it sharpens our abilities in anticipation of defending ourselves."
"Which is why our tickle feeling is going crazy?"
"Yep."
Kuwabara took a deep breath.
"So. My rival, who really did die, is now some kind of demon detective with super powers. She beat up a demon who kidnapped me and possessed me. A friend of hers un-possessed me. Your tickle feeling told you I was in danger. You found me after shit went down and brought me home and here we are."
"You got it."
Kuwabara hung his head.
"I get all that, 'cause we've been seeing spirits for ages but…Yusuke has superpowers!" Kuwabara groaned. "She beat up a demon who kidnapped me, which means she's way stronger than me now! Ack! How am I going to keep up?!"
Shizuru laughed.
"Good to see you're back to normal," she chuckled. She dug around in her pockets. A frayed business card came up. She tossed it at Kuwabara, who fumbled to catch it.
"Check out this temple and tell the old lady you're my bro. I think she'll be glad to help you get stronger."
"Right on! Thanks, sis!"
Shizuru snickered.
"I wouldn't thank me so fast. That old lady is brutal…"
Yusuke lay on her bed, dressed in a tank top and loose shorts. Botan hovered beside her, eyeing her exposed midriff. There was one hell of a bruise between her ribs which, given how many times she got sucker punched by a demon, was not that surprising.
"Ow," Yusuke grumbled as Botan poked the giant bruise. Her fingertips glowed faintly, accelerating the detective's healing.
"You're healing surprisingly fast," Botan mused. "I mean, your ribs were actually broken, so the fact that you're down to one giant bruise is actually a good thing. Kinda impressive, really, that the bone is fine already…"
"In case you haven't noticed, I fight a whole lot," Yusuke groaned. Botan's spirit glow thing definitely accelerated the healing, but the process stung like hell. "Not the first time I've broken a bone. I bet my body just got real good at healing after all the shit I put it through."
"True," Botan said. The glow of her fingers brightened and Yusuke's bruise shrunk by a few more centimeters. Yusuke gave a little yelp of pain. It felt like her bruise was being zapped by electricity.
"Sorry," Botan said apologetically. "Healing is one of my powers, but I mostly collect souls. Someone with a water-type or ice-type aura can probably heal people without the zappy feeling."
"Do you have anyone like that on hand?" Yusuke whined. "For your one and only spirit detective? Who just completed a freaking brilliant first mission?"
"Nope!" Botan said cheerfully. The bruise had diminished to a mild green color, and had lessened significantly in diameter. She slapped the detective's abdomen lightly.
"Yeowch!" Yusuke yelped.
"That's enough for today! One more session and you'll be all healed!" Botan said, getting up from beside the bed.
There was a knock on the door.
The two girls turned.
"Yusuke!" A feminine voice called. Yusuke winced. The high-pitched voice of the class rep was unmistakable. "It's me! I heard from Kuwabara that you got into a big fight!"
"That tattletale," Yusuke muttered. "I told him not to tell Keiko anything…"
"Why not?" Botan said. "She's just concerned for you. I'm going to let her in!"
"What? Wait—!"
Botan opened the door.
Keiko blinked in surprised.
"Oh," she said. "You're…?"
"I'm Yusuke's friend!" Botan said cheerfully. "Come on in! Yusuke has been busy with her new job, and is a little beat up, and could definitely use your company!"
"Botan!" Yusuke protested.
"Yusuke's injured…? How bad is it?" Keiko asked, looking at Botan imploringly.
"Ah, it's, eh, nothing worse than her usual scuffles, you know Yusuke. I gotta go, but I'm sure Yusuke can fill you in on the details!"
Botan flitted out the door.
Keiko and Yusuke were left alone.
Yusuke sat cross-legged on the bed, avoiding eye contact.
Keiko walked over and put her hands on her hips.
"Yusuke," she scolded. "What did I say about getting into fights? It's not good for you! You're missing class, and delaying your education, and at this rate I really worry if you'll manage to get into a good high school!"
"Blah! You know I hate class!" Yusuke said rebelliously. "My grades are shit anyway, and besides, this time I was fighting because it was my job!"
"Your job…? That girl did mention you had a new job. Tell me about it! What kind of job? And why are you fighting on the job?"
"It's a detective thing," Yusuke said. "She's my supervisor. She finds some thug, and sends me to throttle them and arrest them."
"That sounds dangerous…"
"Hell yeah it is! Look at this giant bruise!" Yusuke lifted her shirt to show off the green-ish bruise that no longer covered her entire midriff, but was still a solid five inches in diameter. "I got this on my latest case! Some midget asshole tried to break my ribs!"
"Yusuke!" Keiko said concernedly. She reached for Yusuke's waist, holding it with both hands. Yusuke stilled, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
"Hey, whaddaya doing?" she said. At this range, she could smell the brunette girl's shampoo. It was something light and floral, and not the most unpleasant thing in the world.
"Making sure you're okay," Keiko said determinedly. She ran a hand along the bruise. Her touch was soft and cool and Yusuke's cheeks grew warmer. Keiko pressed down on the other girl's midriff.
"Okay, that's starting to hurt," Yusuke said, batting the other girl's hands away. It hurt, but she was more concerned with hampering the rising flush on her cheeks. It was unlike her to be so flustered. She didn't have a problem with Botan poking her in uncomfortable places but for some reason, Keiko made her all sorts of nervous.
Keiko retreated reluctantly.
"Yusuke, I don't think this detective thing is the best idea. I know you're good at fighting, and I don't see you get hurt like this very often. Delinquents are fine, but real criminals…?"
Yusuke pulled her tank top down, then set her hands between her legs.
"I'm alive, aren't I? You know I won't die so easily," Yusuke reassured. "Besides…" She made a thoughtful face. "I'm not kidding when I say my grades are shit. I don't think I'd manage to get anywhere even if I took class seriously. Fighting is one of the few things I'm good at and this detective thing suits me. It's probably between being a detective or being a bum, and I catch criminals so I kinda contribute to society?"
She patted Keiko on the shoulder roughly.
"With this detective gig, I can probably grab a job without going to school, so don't you worry, Princess Fussykins."
Keiko started.
"Don't call me that," she protested. She pinched Yusuke on the cheek and the delinquent girl grinned. The brunette sighed.
"I suppose you have a point," she admitted. "At the end of the day, I just want to make sure you end up okay. With a good job, a good life…and I can't deny that your grades really are terrible, even when you try. Just…be careful, okay? And if things get really bad, don't be afraid to quit. I'm sure I can tutor you if it comes down to it."
Yusuke grinned cheekily.
"Who, me? Haven't you heard that I'm Sarayashiki's strongest? It'll take an army of demons to make me go to tutoring!"
"Yusuke…"
The delinquent girl hopped out of bed and ruffled the brunette's hair.
Keiko pouted a little as she readjusted her short locks.
From the corner of the window, a parakeet watched the exchange with interest.
"You want to keep up with the detective?" Genkai said, looking at the orange-haired boy who kneeled before her.
"Yes ma'am!" Kuwabara cried. "She's my rival and I can't just let her outstrip me like that! I'm so weak I was kidnapped and used against her and I don't want that to happen ever again!"
"You were kidnapped?" Genkai mused.
"Yes! And I couldn't do a single thing! And…it was extremely frustrating!" Kuwabara scrunched up his face in aggravation. "It's one thing for me to just be weaker than Yusuke, but to be so weak that I'm dead weight…I can't accept it!"
Genkai huffed.
"Get up, boy," she said, rising from her seated position. "Spiritual power runs in your family. I'll have you competent in a week…if you manage to survive."
Kuwabara gave a whoop of joy.
"Thank you, master!"
Kurama sat at his desk, doing homework like a dutiful human student. Shiori's health had improved tremendously, to the point that she was allowed to leave the hospital and resume ordinary activities. Her boyfriend was overjoyed. He had treated her to her favorite restaurant as soon as she was given clearance. He now hovered by incessantly, ready to attend to her every need.
Kurama smiled.
He would take good care of her.
(Otherwise, Kurama would take good care of him.)
The Forlorn Hope had been returned to the spirit world and he had negotiated his pardon without issue. In light of his good behavior, and touched by his dedication to his mother, Koenma heeded Kurama's opinions and extended the potential for pardon to his shorter, more violent companion.
There was a tap at the window.
Kurama turned.
A black-clad figure stared at him murderously.
Kurama contemplated not opening the window.
The black-clad figure reached for his sword and Kurama slid the window open with a sigh.
"Hiei," he chided as the short demon perched on the window like a disgruntled owl. "Come into the room, please. There are too many bugs this time of year for me to leave my window open."
Hiei glared at him mutinously for several moments before moving into the room at an incredibly slow pace. Kurama closed the window behind him. He pulled open one of his cabinets and held out a bar of chocolate.
Hiei's glare softened by a miniscule amount.
Grudgingly, he accepted the peace offering.
He sat cross-legged on Kurama's bed and ate his offering in quick, aggressive bites.
Kurama wanted to sigh about the crumbs he'll have to clean up afterwards, but held it in. One of them had to exercise maturity, otherwise the conversation will likely descend into violence. He had a hunch of why the short demon was here, anyway.
"You're welcome, you know," he said, gazing at the shorter demon knowingly.
Hiei scowled.
"So it was you," he said. He had finished his chocolate bar and burned the wrapper to a crisp. Kurama cringed. Not only crumbs, but also ashes to clean off his bed…
"I thought it was suspicious that the spirit world gave me such a lenient sentence. What false promise did you ply them with?"
"Nothing," Kurama replied. "I simply explained myself in full. They had sympathy for my cause, and that was the end of that."
"And myself?"
"I told them you're not usually so violent. I've known you for a few years, after all, and I must admit that kidnapping is rather out of your character. I hypothesized that the Shadow Sword may have influenced your behavior and that given the chance, you'd prove yourself…not quite so dangerous to humanity."
"I despise humanity."
"But you have little reason to actively scheme their demise. Your primary desire is to find something important to you and given no reason to be in the human world, you'd see yourself back to demon world and never return—which is exactly what the spirit world wants."
"If they want me gone, why not release me instead of confining me to serve in the human world?"
"Historically, the spirit world is perpetually low on manpower. They have a lot to gain from keeping someone like you on call."
"Because that detective is incompetent?"
"No. Because the detective is young and inexperienced compared to you, who've been around for centuries to acclimate to demonic matters."
"So, she's weak."
"She defeated you."
"I was out of my mind."
"You had all your strength at your fingertips, out of your mind or not. And she defeated you."
"Because you interfered."
"My interference or not, a defeat is a defeat."
"…"
Hiei sulked.
Kurama smiled.
"There's a temple to the north of this town," he informed Hiei. "It's in a mountainous location with forests and caverns not unlike the demon world. There are a few of our kind who reside there. There are also a few parks in the city with pleasant scenery, and my door is open if you require any particular assistance."
Hiei scoffed, getting up to depart.
"I knew that," he said, reaching for the window.
"I'm sure you did," Kurama said, rolling his eyes a little. "Stay out of trouble, would you? The human world is not nearly as bad as you imagine."
Hiei closed the window and departed into the night.
Kurama gazed after him for a bit, then turned to his bed.
Now, to clean up these crumbs and ashes…
A letter rested on Koenma's desk.
It was from the Saint Beasts who ruled a street of criminals, demanding access to the human world.
He sighed.
It seems he's found Yusuke's next mission.
a special thanks to
DarknessFlame
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