Hello! Hello! Happy Holidays! Big BIG Smooches to the reviewers and hugs to all of you still with me. Hope you enjoy. I realize I've screwed up the chapter numbers. Expect that to be fixed shortly!
~Yasha's Sis
Chapter 24:
Freedom
They were leaving!
"So…" Izumi's voice began cheerily as she pushed open the impromptu changing room door, "Don't panic, but we're gonna nix that stealthy escape I mentioned earlier."
The Ice Apparition tugged at the borrowed shirt carefully. "Did something happen, Izumi-chan?"
The brunette flapped her hand in a careless gesture and flickered into Yukina's personal space, mahogany eyes assessing the chosen disguise. "The clothes fitting alright?"
"I suppose." The mint haired girl returned, eyes dropping to her feet and the strange shoes that enclosed them.
Human clothing was so odd. Comfortable, she could admit, but the fabric itself was like nothing she ever felt before. The cloth was smooth between her fingers. Durable enough to withstand the increasingly harder pulls on the fabric. She wondered how it was made.
"Good enough then!" The taller girl chirped, drawing Yukina's gaze. The teen's grin pulled the human's features into something mischievous. "Time to go."
A crackle of static rang from somewhere near the ceiling and Yukina squeaked when the human grabbed her by the hand and slung her onto the teen's back. "Izumi-chan?!"
Raven hair tickled Yukina's nose once the Spirit Detective started powerwalking to the entry way, hands gripping the meat of the mint haired demoness's legs. "This might be a tad uncomfortable," Izumi began with a bounce in her step. "Just hold on tight and don't freak out."
Freak out? Why would Yukina be upset?
(At least, that was what she believed Izumi-chan to be speaking of. Humans had such nonsensical sayings.)
The door swung open with a well placed kick, making Yukina want to admonish her impromptu packmule for the apparent recklessness. At least the blow wasn't hard enough to slam the heavy cherrywood doors into the hall walls.
Arms tightening over Izumi-chan's shoulders, Yukina pressed down the concern bubbling at the base of her throat. She had dreamed of escaping this place but dared not hope for it to arrive. Enough people had been hurt trying to save her and she remembered every one of them. Even if she could some how forget, the speakers and videos Yukina had no knowledge of in her first attempt at escape recorded the pains of her failures. Failures that cost that kind man his life…
Each death was used to torment Yukina as the years stretched. To remind her of her place, of her purpose, and the consequences should she deviate towards anything but the tear inducing line under Tarukane's hold.
Despite knowing the brunette was by far the most capable to engineer her escape, no reassurance could mute the odd tumble of Yukina's stomach as Izumi-chan glanced in the direction of the Ice Apparition's tower. Anything could go wrong…
"You ready?"
Repressing the unpleasant memories, Yukina murmured an affirmative to Izumi-chan's question and hooked her chin on the taller girl's shoulders.
Which she shifted to hide in the crease of Izumi's back as their surrounding blurred in a burst of motion, wind happily snapping at her face.
"Izumi-chan!"
Whatever Izumi said back was drowned out by the voice of her tormentor, screeching out from the many speakers lining the hall.
"YAMAUCHI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? GET THAT GIRL TO MY OFFICE NOW!"
Izumi cackled and raised her hand in a rude gesture towards what Yukina assumed was the nearest camera. A small corner of her mind wondered if the machine would even be able to pick them up at the rate they were moving.
Bursts of demonic energy flickered at their back and Yukina fought the swelling urge to curl in on herself and return to Tarukane's clutches. IF she turned back now, maybe Izumi-chan would be spared-
No. Tarukane had no mercy.
Izumi was risking so much to help her. Yukina had to be brave, had to follow their plan.
Though the methodical nature Yukina assumed went into the planning was …. Dubious as Izumi sprinted at incredible speeds, blowing past enemies and barriers alike. Izumi's chipper comment before she took off into the apparent battleground of Tarukane's manor mentioned a change of plans. This though, was a little ridiculous.
They covered the whole of the compound in seconds, bursting through the last wooden blockage with a shout of laughter that Yukina found herself mimicking out of sheer disbelief.
Were they really going to be free? This easily?
Her friend, because Yukina couldn't help thinking of the crass brunette as this, gave a yelp and dropped to the ground, rolling and somehow maneuvering Yukina from her back to her chest as the human took the brunt of their fall.
Which, honestly, should have galled Yukina because this human was risking herself to the point of injury. Why for her? Why do any of this for a lone demon girl? It went against everything that she'd seen so far of the cruelty of humankind.
As Izumi spun, placing Yukina at behind her again and closest to the tree line, the Ice Apparition resolved to do better for her human friend.
She would not go back to Tarukane. No matter what.
The force of her resolve loosed the tight grip Yukina had on her Spiritual Energy and she flinched as the seal she tucked into the inner lining of her borrowed jacket cracked and split, releasing the careful blanket that smothered her demonic aura.
Izumi was relaxed at her front, muffled words directed towards the one who had attacked them, until the broken seal registered. Tension wrapped around Izumi-chan enough to make Yukina twitch, but it was the voice out of Yukina's line of sight that caused her to freeze.
She shifted, ruby gaze seeking the decidedly male tenor and Yukina stared once she locked eyes on a disturbingly similar jeweled set.
~*ADMW*~
"Hiei, what the hell!?"
Sempai huffed, garnet gaze glaring back at the path they ran from. The path that Izumi narrowly avoided getting beheaded on. "I thought you were being attacked."
"So you go in blade swinging?!" Yukina hunched closer to Izumi's back and the teen bit back a choice remark to follow it. Her sigh was explosive. "That's not like you, Hiei."
And it wasn't.
Hiei could be reckless, but never with those he had a vested interest in. Slashing at her throat like he had, caught her off guard but if he really wanted to kill her he would have aimed lower and swung faster.
Grudgingly, Izumi could see she would have avoided the blow enough for her enemy, if she had been closely followed, to get bisected without proper warning.
Hiei glanced back at her with a glare of impatience to show he wasn't appreciative of her slow leaps of logic. Scowling, she replied with a snarky, "Oh piss off. What are you doing here anyway? Yusuke, Kazuma and Boton got here ages ago. Why are you trailing so far behind?"
It was then, of course, when she felt the seal matrix collapse and Yukina flinch (no doubt guiltily) behind her.
Fantastic. Izumi set her jaw and shifted her gaze to the Mansion innards, gearing up for the first of the no doubt horde of baddies coming to reclaim their prized golden goose. They hadn't had a location before, but they sure as hell did now.
Hiei's back went ramrod straight out the corner of Izumi's eye. Curious despite the severity of the situation, she let her eyes drag over his appearance only to stare.
Complicated emotions flickered across the fire demon's face.
Which, you know, was weird because Hiei didn't do complicated emotions. He was either angry, amused, annoyed or vaguely pleased in a "about fucking time you got that right" kind of way. Izumi should know, she's experienced the gauntlet of his emotional responses.
Though apparently… not all.
"I see you were successful in your mission."
Izumi blinked. Why did he sound so… stilted? Had Kurama not given him the final file on her mission? They were the ones who did most of the leg work on devising some of the minutiae. He should have known where Izumi was. Hell if Hiei didn't even know, no wonder Yusuke was rabid.
Kurama wouldn't have barred them that information unless someone asked him to…
Ah… Koenma.
Swallowing the bitterness at Spirit World Shenanigans, Izumi tilted her head to Yukina who was peeking out behind her shoulder like a kid anxious about new people. "Hiei, this is Yukina: Ice Apparition and actual delight. Yukina, this is my grumbly sempai, Hiei: occasionally a delight. Hopefully you can rub off on him."
Hiei bristled, for whatever reason, but Izumi ignored that to watch the odd expression on Yukina's face. She looked dumbfounded, or maybe shocked. Izumi did better reading another's spirit than following facial expressions, especially demon ones. Still, there was a look of recognition flickering across Yukina's gaze that shuddered through her spirit clear enough to see.
"Do you… know him, Yukina-chan?"
"No!" Hiei barked, startling both girls bad enough to make them jump a bit at his vehement denial.
Izumi stared.
Mulish, Hiei turned away and stalked towards the entrance. "We don't know each other. Stop imagining things, girl, and get her to safety."
"I wasn't talking to you, jackass." Scowling, Izumi turned back to Yukina only to pause in apologizing for his rude outburst. Yukina looked hurt, for all of a second, before something like understanding settled and the Ice Apparition gifted Izumi with a tentative smile.
"Hiei-san is right. Lingering here will only place you in more danger."
Izumi would have scoffed if she couldn't see the sincerity behind the Ice Apparition's ruby gaze. Why did the sweetest people have to be in the shittiest situations? Christ. Izumi did not need this tender hearted demoness worrying for Izumi over her own life. It was cute, in a mildly insulting way, that Yukina honestly believed it was more dangerous for Izumi to remain.
"Ok." She answered with a sigh, mentally sending Hiei the finger and a demand to pull the boys out with all due haste. "You're right. We should get you somewhere safe."
She'd make sure Yukina was taken care of and then she'd make her way back to Tarukane's cozy little mountain hidey-hole. She had plans after all that required a deft hand.
Now, where did we put that portal.
~*ADMW*~
"SEEEEMMMMMPAAAAAAI."
Genkai didn't ruin the careful calligraphy under her hand at the exuberant call of Kuroko's pupil. She didn't even swear all that much either.
The girl sounded lively, after all. Far more animated than when the old psychic last heard her. The pink haired woman could appreciate that at least before she punted the little chit through a wall.
Gingerly laying her brush to rest, Genkai forced herself to her feet, ignoring the bitching of her joints and silently made her way to her parlor.
She hadn't felt the barrier breach, which was a testament to Izumi's budding infiltration skills, and only sighed at the demonic aura burning with anxiety and cautious hope.
"What did I tell you about barging in here unannounced?"
The stupid girl watched the psychic critically, gaze not quite pleased but not hostile either. The last words they spoke to one another were less than ideal but Genkai had never shied away from telling someone they were an idiot. She wouldn't host someone who was so hell bent on killing themselves through bull headed stubbornness.
The demoness cast distinctive red eyes between the two women, sensing the strain in the air. Genkai took in the protective hold, the arm wrapped comfortingly around the back of a small mint haired demoness, and felt her brow arch. Izumi forced a smile and waved her free hand in a mild greeting. "Good afternoon to you too, Sempai. To answer your question: you haven't told me anything of the sort. The last thing you decreed was for me to come back once I've solved my spirit problem."
Here, the girl's smile showed a bit more teeth. "Problem solved, as you can tell. More importantly, I'd like to introduce you to a friend. Genkai-sempai, this is Yukina. She could do with a peaceful shrine getaway guarded by a surly pink haired guardian with a heart of gold. I figured you wouldn't mind since you like taking in lovable strays: see Yusuke and I. Yukina's like a waterlogged puppy, all big eyes and soulful stares. You'll love her, I swear."
The demoness was looking at Izumi with justified horror as the girl continued to spout the mint girl's praise. "Izumi-chan?! What- what are you doing?"
Izumi's voice lowered into a stage whisper that only made the vein on Genkai's forehead throb. Theatrics were unlike her, but Genkai could tell Izumi sought to make the demoness more comfortable. It was odd to see Izumi go out of her way for anyone outside her little circle of trusted ones. "Tooting your horn, Yukina!" Here the girl had the nerve to tip her head in Genkai's direction. "You won't do it and sempai's a bleeding heart once you tunnel through the harsh, deadly exterior. Your personality will be like a balm for my brother's gritty fire. Play along."
Genkai could sense a headache coming on.
"Ano," The mint haired girl began with a disapproving frown. "I do not wish to be a burden, Izumi-chan. You should not expect someone to open their home to me, a demon, at your request. It is unfair."
Izumi pouted. "I'm sure as hell not taking you to Spirit World. Koenma knew what they were putting you through or he at least had an idea. My Ma is worthless when she's sober let alone if we get there and she's mid bender. Besides, the boys are still back there-"
"Enough." Genkai scowled mightily when her snot of a kouhai opened her mouth. The girl wisely shut her trap, eyes gleaming with success. The pink haired psychic enjoyed riling Koenma as much as the raven and though Genkai could see the blatant hints to draw her in, she decided she was more curious to know the one who could distract Izumi enough to take her away from Yusuke when he was obviously in danger. "I don't care if you're a demon, girl. I care if you're a burden. If you clean up after yourself and avoid nagging me when you're bored, I can abide a temporary guest."
She cursed the day she met those twins.
Grunting at the first genuine expression on Izumi's face, relief, Genkai shuffled past the dimwit's sister towards the kitchen.
She needed tea.
Air shifted and the old Psychic hissed like a sprayed cat when her bangs ruffled in a lightning fast kiss on the forehead. Irritable, she shot a shotgun blast at the cretin's back as Izumi scampered out of Genkai's home shouting 'thanks' and 'be back soon'.
"Brat!"
Genkai refused to smile when the girl dodged everything tossed at her back.
She'd gotten faster.
The pop of a portal tearing into existence followed by the quiet snap of collapse preceded the Spirit Detective's energy vanishing completely from the psychic's senses. Good.
A flutter of amusement drew Genkai's gaze to her sudden houseguest. The demoness finished sending a fond expression after the younger twin before facing the older psychic and enacting a very formal bow. "I am in your care, Genkai-sama."
She watched the girl for a long moment. "You know how to make tea?"
The mint haired demoness, Yukina (a corner of Genkai's mind reminded grudgingly), straightened with a smile that tweaked Genkai's shriveled heart.
Damn kids.
~*ADMW*~
Izumi dropped out of the sky eight feet higher than the roof of Yukina's tower and sucked her teeth as she registered the shit exit.
If these things weren't so damn convenient for long distance travel, she'd storm the Supply section of Reikai and paint the cubicles in ogre blood for their consistent incompetence. A hum of amusement rumbled from the base of her skull making Izumi roll her eyes as she angled herself towards the slanted tiles.
That thought was a bit more violent than usual.
Huffing, the teen touched down with a whisper of Spirit Energy.
Lilac threads spooled out from Izumi's skin as she spread her senses, hunting for the familiar tang of her boys. She and Yukina were perhaps gone for half an hour. The drama Yusuke and the gang could get into in that limited amount of time was frankly appalling but Izumi trusted Yusuke, trusted Kazuma, trusted Hiei to do only what's necessary to finish the job. Once her darling Ice Apparition was extracted for relocation at her new hideyhole, they should have been on their way out.
Hiei's energy burned like a solar flare, biting and harsh as the desert sun. The sting of his anger sparked familiar on the edges of the mansion's wing. He was skulking in the northern end, by Tarukane's favored conference area, and Izumi wondered at that for a moment but necessity pushed her on. The only thing over there besides the conference section was Tarukane's vaults and that weasel of a lackey's office.
Boton caught her senses next, eye catching in the way she bubbled with anxiety, soul a sour orange and upset. The reason why became glaringly obvious when the normally pearlescent shine of Kazuma's spirit hung ragged and tinged in a desperate shade of mustard yellow. His spirit sword gleamed like a star to her senses, a harsh contrast to the black hole of demonic energy warping the air around them.
Toguro.
Izumi's grip on the ceramic tiling tightened.
Her brother was there, cerulean and bright. That particular level of incandescent meant things had gone to the worst level of shit. Genkai once said that Yusuke only grew better in his desperation. He became focused, determined, fucking inspired when the need called for it.
She'd heard of it. Felt it once when they were kids in a fight with eight to two odds.
But it wasn't something she cared to view at all, let alone outside of any range to help.
Lip curling, Izumi dove, feet kissing the vertical stone that once was Yukina's prison. Her body curled, hand tapping the rough texture as she pushed off towards the main roofing.
The darkness twining between the boys stretched taut for a moment and Izumi snarled as it lashed out like a punch. Kazuma's likeness rocketed across whatever arena they chose as their battleground, crackling in mauve lances of pain.
Please-
Cerulean shuddered as the demon's youki circled and tore.
YUSUKE!
There's a moment- it's brief but later it's all Izumi will be able to think of- where fear gripped her heart so strongly it sucked her breath away. Izumi wished, desperately in that instant, that she could move faster-
And then there was laughter, low and pleased, before everything went white.
~*ADMW*~
Yusuke roared, spirit blast propelling Kuwabara sword first into the guts of big bad and his creepy shapeshifter brother.
When the giant finally toppled, face a mask of shock and pain, Yusuke sagged against the wall at his back and thanked the ever loving fuck that Izumi got out already-
BOOOM!
Of course, the moment he relaxed is the moment when the goddamn ceiling decided to blow. The Spirit detective sputtered as dust and powdered marble clogged his nose and eyes.
What the-
Kuwabara yelped, scrambling back from the heart of the dust storm to plaster himself against the River styx guide. Boton's healing energy sputtered along Yusuke's more than likely splintered ribs as she froze, tugging the older twin's attention because her hand was pressed a little too snuggly against his still matchstick bones.
"Urameshi… do- do you feel that?"
Scowling, Yusuke almost snapped back it was a little hard to ignore someone jabbing him in his tender middle when the weird feeling buzzing in the back of his skull intensified into a shriek of warning.
Boton gasped, hand pointing shakily to the hazy figure appearing in the clearing dust screen.
"Izumi?"
If his sister heard her name, she gave no outward sign of recognition. Yusuke's voice hadn't registered at all and the strange heaviness in his sister's spirit was alarming. It glimmered like amethyst shards under moonlight, dark and distressingly wrong.
Izumi's attention was focused narrowly on the fallen demon, spirit energy like a miasma as it billowed off her form.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
She eyed the bigger Toguro, fist gathering spirit energy into a corona of concentrated firepower. Power not unlike a gust of sulfurous heat spun from Izumi's frame and Yusuke had to swallow at the weight in the air. This… this wasn't right.
"Yamauchi!"
His sister's head tilted slowly to the observation box on the far side of the arena. Tarukane's buddies cut out the moment Younger Toguro fell, vanishing from the large projectors ringing the box office suite. Hiei's sister's tormentor definitely didn't sound too happy about the outcome as he lost whatever evil, rich dipshit bet they had going on the lives of the poor. It made Yusuke's lip curl just thinking about the arrogant bastards.
The fatass sputtered in disbelief. "You- you came back?!" Whatever loss of composure he suffered from his apparent loss quickly focused into pissed. "Where's the girl? Where's my-"
Pop!
The pulse of power was so subtle, Yusuke would have sworn he imagined it if it wasn't for the fact that Tarukane's voice cut out and the studio glass was suddenly sprayed a very familiar red around a pinprick of cracked glass.
Boton screamed.
Yusuke blinked, horror a distant echo in the depths of his heart, as his body jerked to tackle Izumi to the ground. Kuwabara was only half a step behind him. He felt Kurama before he saw him, paper held in his fist and youki jagged in its anger.
The Spirit Detective ended up with a fist to the face for the action, jaw cracking in a way that would have made him whistle if it wasn't on himself- which, damn sis, nice hook. Bearing down on the radiating pain, Yusuke grunted and tucked his suddenly delicate mug under her chin. "Izumi, what the fuck?!"
A chuckle answered him, amused and not his fucking sister.
Kuwabara screamed something from Yusuke's other side, but he could hardly make out the words with the whole whirlpool of energy pulsing in burning spurts. The older teen's arms were raw with blisters in the handful of seconds it took Kurama to enchant the wards and wrestle it onto Izumi's forehead to match the twin over her heart.
She went ridged, chestnut gaze bloodshot then black for a terrible moment that stretched entirely too long for Yusuke's comfort. The normal kiss of Izumi's spirit clawed as it dragged back into the wards on her chest and skull and then the girl went very, very still.
Izumi felt… empty.
Yusuke shuddered at the stillness, peeling his limbs from his sister's waist and the single arm he managed to trap with a hiss as the skin pulled and split. "Kurama. What was that?"
The ticking jaw muscle warned to watch his words but Urameshi Yusuke was never careful when it came to his sister. "Well?!"
The fox flexed his hands slowly, words dripping from his tongue with a carefulness that that spoke of someone's future pain. "When your sister spoke of influence, she outlined changing temperament, emotional strain," Emerald eyes flicked dispassionately over Izumi's comatose form, lingering only briefly on the burns that curved the column of her throat and collarbone. "The symptoms were similar to some of the demonic influences I've seen in my past." The fox breathed heavily once through his nose before turning away. "The wards severed the spirit's connection to her spirit energy. We can remove them once she returns to herself." That jaw muscle jumped again.
"Don't linger on it, Kurama." Yusuke did not yelp at the fire demon's sudden addition. When the hell did he get here? "The girl would have wanted it done quickly."
Kurama didn't say anything to that.
Yusuke frowned but didn't deny it. HE would have wanted to be stopped too. Boton's voice drew Yusuke's attention as she asked, "So the seals are temporary?"
Red was silent for a long time before saying, "Yes." Yusuke couldn't help eying him for the drawn out delay. He also didn't much like the frown marring Boton's face as she stared at Izumi.
Kuwabara wobbled to his feet, rubbing his skull where a massive welt was growing. It looked like Izumi got him pretty good too. "Come on Urameshi. This place is giving me the creeps."
"Ri-right! We best move on and get everyone sorted!" Boton popped up and fluttered around Izumi for a moment, wary but gradually growing determined. "I suppose I'll have to carry her."
Oh, hell no.
Despite his shattered ribcage, Yusuke carried his sister out of the mansion with a curled lip and dangerous glare for anyone who looked to overrule him. No way was he letting Boton touch Izumi with the weird way she kept looking at her. Kuwabara was just as fucked up as him and to be honest, Red and Hiei were in the best shape to run interference. They needed their hands free.
Still pissed him off to admit it, even if only to himself.
As they reached the final hallway to the main entrance, Kurama slowed his steps and tilted his gaze back towards the manor. When he looked to be heading back into the fat bastard's home, Kuwabara piped up. "Where you goin', Kurama?"
Kurama paused but didn't turn back. "Izumi had plans before she wished to leave this place. In her current state, I doubt they were fulfilled." With that, Red stalked off into the shadows of the building, youki pressed tight.
Yusuke didn't doubt that anyone who got in the fox demon's way would regret it, intimately.
Boton worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him walk off. "You two aren't supposed to be wandering off on your own." The comment was loud enough for Kurama to have heard but he gave no indication. Hiei spared her a scalding look.
"Feel free to reign the fox back in." The bluette squeaked and turned back to Yusuke, fussing over his injuries.
Yusuke shot the short demon a scowl. He didn't need her paying more attention to him!
The fire demon's standard response was a 'hn' of annoyance. Still, Hiei stayed at Yusuke's side, pretending not to guard his flank now that Kurama went skulking off to finish Izumi's To-Do list. The spark of amusement for the posturing almost brightened Yusuke's mood.
Oblivious, Kuwabara kicked a large splinter of what used to be the front door out of his way and said, "Am I the only one who doesn't get what happened back there?"
Well, there went that almost brightened mood.
Silence answered him, and the air about the group grew heavy.
That wasn't Izumi back there, though her body was present. Could… Could it have been possession?
Yusuke knew it was possible, hell he'd done it a time or two, but… he never considered the ramifications of a person with ill intent possessing someone who held power. When he borrowed Kuwabara's body, he used it to kick those idiots' asses. It was before the big oaf had gained his sword, before they had really even known about spirit energy and the dangers it could cause.
But, even if I had known, I wouldn't have used it on those people.
That thing, whatever it was that wore his sister's skin, killed Tarukane with Izumi's power. It was looking to make paste out of the Toguro brother's corpses even though they were dead by Kuwabara's hand. Yusuke didn't think Izumi would mourn the loss of the fat bastard, but that he was killed by her hand, without her permission-
That would fuck Yusuke up ten ways to Sunday.
Izumi's breath puffed against the skin of his throat and Yusuke grounded himself to the slow, deep inhales. His baby sister was alive. They'd deal with whatever this was and conquer it because that's what Urameshis did.
The older twin hiked Izumi up higher and ignored his bitching injuries. They'd heal. Though he couldn't believe she just left!
He ignored the snarky corner of his mind that told him turnabout was fair play.
When Yusuke went to school three weeks ago without his sister, he figured she had woken up early and left without him. She did that sometimes, since the Saint Beasts, and Yusuke figured she was in another of her moods and was gonna bug her about it after third period (because he was late and if Izumi wasn't going to nag him to be on time, he didn't see much point in going out of his way).
She wasn't in class. Keiko hadn't seen her and though the resident Brainiac was still wary when Izumi came up, she didn't outright avoid her either. Izumi just seemed to see through Keiko whenever the two were in a room. It was awkward as fuck. Yusuke couldn't wait until they fixed that shit because playing middle man was not his job. He started fights! Izumi was the one to clean up after him.
Anyway, Keiko's denial and subsequent frown of concern got Yusuke's skin prickling but he had the self control to wait until lunch before skipping out and going home.
Ma was actually useful for once and handed Yusuke a envelop once he managed to get the idea of Izumi missing through her inebriated state. The contents of said letter made his heart stop.
Yusuke,
Have an errand to run. Be back in a few weeks.
Make sure Ma goes to AA like she promised and tell Kurama I'll be set after the last drop.
Love you!
~Izumi
P.S. Hiei needs an update. Pass that on will you?
She fucking left!?
There weren't enough outlets in Yusuke for expressing himself outside of violence so some punks who thought they could mug him took the brunt of the elder twin's ire. He managed to stop at broken bones but his hands were still shaking by the time he found someone and shoved the note in Kuwabara's face.
"Did you know about this?" The Spirit Detective demanded, voice a snarl.
The grey eyed idiot blinked rapidly at the paper making his eyes cross and swatted at the offending hand. "Oi, I can't read when you hold it an inch from my eyes, Urameshi. What's got you in a tizzy?"
The question was answered pretty rapidly as Kuwabara read the note and promptly blanched. "An errand? What the hell could take weeks?! Urameshi-"
But Yusuke got his answer from the genuine concern bleeding of the spirit sensitive idiot. That was a no, then. Kurama had been ghost ever since their impromptu intervention, Hiei gone long before then. The only way Yusuke could think of finding them was through Boton and she took the mirror to have it replaced after it ended up getting destroyed during his fight with Suzaku.
They would have to wait until the River Styx guide popped back up with a mission.
Yusuke had buried the urge to swear and took a deep breath. The longest the Spirt Detectives had gone without a mission was the five days since they finished with the whistle (and Yusuke was unconscious for most of that). It would probably be a day, at the most, they'd have to wait.
Three weeks later, Yusuke's incoherent fury when he felt the familiar wash of Izumi's energy was more than justified.
Thinking of the note and the fox's sudden appearance brough all of the teen's repressed ire roaring back into the forefront. "Oi, Hiei?"
Ruby eyes slanted in his direction as Boton made a noise of concern. She found the general area of the portal apparently and was feeling around for the release. Kuwabara decided to be gentlemanly and help out letting the two brunettes have a modicum of privacy. Yusuke lowered his voice as they headed away, tracking the steady beep of Boton's portal homing device. "You and the fox knew about Izumi's mission, right? She said as much in her stupid note."
Hiei's lip curled. "I knew she sought to liberate a demoness but not said demon's identity. We planned the specifics before traveling to the City of Ghosts and Apparitions."
Yusuke's anger stuttered at that. "Koenma didn't tell you it was to save your sister?"
Hiei's eyes snapped to the teen's brown set and a rumble of warning issued from his chest. "Do not speak of it." The demon barked, causing Yusuke to blink rapidly at the hostility.
"Er… was it a secret?"
What the hell crawled up his ass?
Perhaps sensing the older twin's confusion, Hiei reigned back his temper. "Yukina does not know our relation." He paused long enough to glance at Izumi. "Neither does your sister."
A lot of thoughts tumbled through Yusuke's mind at that bit of fuckery because "Why the fuck not?!"
Hiei's glare was murderous and entirely unintimidating. "That's none of your concern, Detective."
Yusuke laughed. It was entirely unappreciated by both his body and his surly five foot friend. "If you think Boton can keep this from Izumi you're insane. If you think I'm going to lie to my sister, you're also an idiot. I don't know how Kuwabara hasn't picked up on it already."
The glower sent in his direction was positively toasty. Where were marshmallows when you needed them?
"You need not lie. Merely avoid mentioning it. It's neither of your concerns."
Yeah, sure. Because Izumi always minded her own business when people she cared about were hurting. Fucking hell. "I didn't peg you as one for denial, Hiei." Shaking his head, Yusuke allowed himself to take full sized steps in the direction of Boton's new exclamation of success. "Pushing aside your strange desire to stalk your sister from the shadows," Hiei growled at that. "We're off topic. I brought it up because you weren't here for Izumi's little confession on her maybe kinda spirit parasite, but the fox was. I want to know why he thought sending Izumi into enemy territory, alone with her control manipulatable, was a swell fucking idea?"
Glaring answered him for a long moment until Hiei seemed to give up on browbeating Yusuke into some level of diffidence. "You'd have you ask him." The next pause was more considering. "The fox came prepared, which suggests he planned for the eventuality of near-complete possession, though I doubt he approved of this endeavor as a whole."
Yusuke scowled. "If he knew, he didn't stop her."
The snort from the shorter demon drew the teen's gaze. "I've yet to prevent either of you from doing what you truly wish."
Ah… well. That's true. Hell, Yusuke had trouble talking Izumi down sometimes but he could get her to change her mind more often than not.
It's why she didn't tell you.
Sneering at the thought, Yusuke stomped his way to the familiar static buzz of an open portal. Boton had already tossed Kuwabara through and beamed when the other two exited the shadows. "Everyone ready?"
B-B-B-B-BOOOM!
Boton yelped as the ground shook under their feet and the bluette toppled unceremoniously into the portal, back first.
Yusuke spun to place the portal closest to Izumi and was seconds away from darting backwards into it as Hiei slid to stand just before him, hand gripping his sword. Possible options of what could have caused the series of explosion shifted though his mind rapidly until a head of red hair appeared out of the shadow. Kurama, toting an over stuffed duffle bag, carefully eased his way into the small open clearing.
"My apologies. Izumi-hime's closing gift left bit more of a kick that I was expecting."
Hiei snorted, posture easing as he carefully glanced over the fox's appearance. "From what little I knew of the human, Tarukane, I am not surprised by the level of spite she would give in farewell." Yusuke could feel the mix of resentment and satisfaction radiating from the little demon as he thought of Tarukane. Shit. If Izumi had been in Yukina's position…
"She's been here for five goddamned years! Koenma only let on a couple months, but this bastard had her for FIVE YEARS!"
Yusuke shuddered and hugged Izumi closer, scared just a little at the flash of hatred that slithered in his guts. He didn't know if he wouldn't have killed that piece of shit himself had the sibling dynamic been different.
"Yes," The fox's lips smiled but the look in his eyes was decidedly less pleasant as it shifted to the sleeping girl. "Izumi had quite an experience here. She'll be pleased to know her efforts resulted in a successful mission."
Kurama's voice is mild and all the more dangerous for it. The brunettes shared a glance.
"Sounds like the plan you hashed out didn't go so smooth," Yusuke snarked, deciding he'd use the tried and true method of pissing Red off to further get answers. Emerald eyes shifted off the slumbering form of his sister to level on Yusuke, very unimpressed.
Hiei shook his head, jutting his chin towards the portal. "Antagonize him once we've reached familiar grounds."
"I hope you can hold your inquiries until after we've spoken with Koenma." Youki crackled in the still air, belaying the volatile waters underneath Red's placid exterior. "This debrief is sure to be enlightening."
Yusuke smiled, all teeth. He planned on it. That Kurama met his rictus grin with something similar made the Detective's heart race in anticipation.
Next chapter: Answers!
Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
~Yasha's Sis
