Nanashi felt worn out the next day at school, but things had been easier since the exam at least. She looked Kurama in the morning, but he was not there. After school, she was surprised to see Botan, Genkai, Kaito, and Yanagisawa had come over to discuss what Yusuke news had. The others were gathered in the kitchen and Yusuke dropped news on them from Prince Koenma. He said the time line jumped and now they only had a week left until the tunnel opened, which was not good news. The only good news there was was the entrance to the tunnel was in the heart of a cave on the outskirts of Mushiyori City. She found out Kuwabara was away off at a concert, and that she was not the only one who did not know the whereabouts of Kurama.
She had pulled out her phone, checking to see if he had seen her messages from earlier asking him if he was alright and why he was not at school. He still had not answered her messages. She looked outside at the rain. It was raining almost as hard as it had been the night she had slept with Youko alone. Her mind wondered to those memories. It was an intense night, but had not been all bad before he lost control. Part of her wanted to see Youko again, see what that part of him had to say about the accidental mate bite.
She jumped back into the conversation with Yusuke storming off in a huff, but no one followed him. She hummed to herself, hearing Genkai comment, "I think he's worried about Kuwabara."
Yusuke was gone for a while, long enough for Nanashi to make dinner for those staying over and for the rest of them to clean up afterwards. When Yusuke did come back, Genkai did take him to the hallway to yell at him. Nanashi could hear the raised voices of the two of them, but could not quite make out the words said. Yusuke ran off yet again after that, with Genkai coming in, mumbling to herself. She sent Yanigisawa and Kaito home after Aunt Astuko went to work.
The three of them puttered around, waiting on something, anything to happen. Nanashi did her homework, wish Kurama or even Kaito were there to help her out. She texted both of them, with Kaito responding first to just give her the answer, rather than just the hint towards the answer, the way Kurama would have. Kurama messaged back soon after though, giving her the hint she wanted, even though it could hardly do any good now.
'Where were you today?' she asked him after thanking him for the hint anyway.
'Spirit World. Doing research,' he answered back simply.
'On what?' she asked, liking that he was somewhat engaging her in conversation.
'Our new enemies,' he replied.
'Get a name yet?' she asked.
'Unfortunately, no,' he answered.
'Will you be at school tomorrow?' she asked.
'Most likely,' he simply replied.
She tried to think of what else to text back, unsure how to keep the conversation flowing. She missed talking with him, even if it was just about school. She finished her homework instead.
She put her homework away once finished. She was in the kitchen when she heard a loud kerfuffle in the hallway, and an annoyed voice that sounded a lot like Yusuke's. She ran out of the apartment, looking down the hallway to see Yusuke, rain soaked and dragging Kuwabara and four other guys out of the elevator, which seemed to defy physics.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I don't know, found him outside dragging these four with him. Dumbass half assed explained and then passed the fuck out," he said. "Help me get them into the apartment."
She ran over to to him, helping him with the others to get them into the apartment, small though it was. She recognized only Kuwabara, but none of the others. Each were in various states of injured and drenched.
"I'm calling Kurama," she decided, phoning him quickly to explain what happened. She hardly got three sentences in explaining when he was quick to say he was coming straight over before hanging up.
Two of them had woken up by the time Kurama arrived. Those two were friends of Kuwabara, explaining what happened with the smaller, blonde guy with them attacking them with water monsters, nearly drowning them and how Kuwabara saved them with a massive sword he conjured up out of thin air. Kurama listened to them, and then made them a cup of tea, saying it would soothe their nerves. While the tea was brewing, Yusuke gave them some spare, dry clothes of his own. Once the two were changed, the other one of Kuwabara's friends woke up, spilling the same story. He changed clothes as well. Kurama brewed more tea, and then had the three of them drink it up at the same time.
Nanashi, as well as the others, were surprised to see once the three of them finished the tea, they looked like they were in a trance. Kurama told them in a soothing voice to that nothing out of the ordinary happened after the concert, the clothes they were now wearing had always been theirs, and to go straight home and off to bed.
Nanashi watched with the others as the three left without another word or response. It was almost eerie the way they walked home without a fuss, especially after what they had been through. Nanashi took their mugs that they drank from, washing them extremely thoroughly to be on the safe side.
Once the three had left, Yusuke and Kurama took Kuwabara and the blonde guy into Yusuke's room to tend to them. They both looked pretty beat up, even with Botan helping to heal them up a little bit, as best she could.
"What should we do now?" Botan asked tiredly.
"Wait til blondie wakes up and see what he has to say," Yusuke ruled. He looked over at Botan and Kurama. "You two should head home. It's getting pretty late."
Both shook their heads. Botan said she would sleep on the floor in case they needed her help. Kurama echoed the same excuse. He did call his mother to tell her he was with a friend and would be back late, knowing he could probably get away with claiming he came home late and left the house early in the morning once more.
Botan slept on the floor in Nanashi's room while Kurama slept on the floor with Yusuke in Yusuke's room. Nanashi wished, blushing at the idea, that Kurama could be in her room instead, with the world possibly ending and all. To float him the idea of her seeing Youko one more time, but only to talk.
She fell asleep on those thoughts, waking up muddled with dreams of Youko intermixed with everything else she had experienced recently. It all seemed quite odd. She woke up drowsily when her alarm went off for school, seeing Botan groan and wake up with her.
"What is that sound?" Botan said, sitting up.
"My alarm clock," Nanashi explained. "For school."
Botan shook her head, laughing a slight bit. "I don't think any of you will be going today," she said, stretching. "Not with an enemy sleeping in the next room, waiting to spill the beans."
"Oh," was all she responded.
She was debating then whether or not she should roll over and go back to sleep. She looked down to see Botan had laid back down, eyes closed but not quite asleep. She looked outside, seeing the rain had ceased and it was rather quiet outside, almost too still this early in the morning. She could hear someone in the kitchen, with the sound of the kettle boiling. She groggily climbed out of bed, feeling a drive for a cup of coffee overriding a drive to go back to sleep like Botan.
She stepped out of her room, and into the kitchen, seeing Kurama standing there in front of the kettle, the clothes he had been wearing last night were hardly rumpled. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked her softly. He held a cup in his hand, a green tea bag already in it and ready for the hot water.
"No," she answered softly. "My alarm for school did."
He shook his head. "Until we know more about him," he nodded his at Yusuke's bedroom which had the door half ajar, "none of us should leave this apartment. Your aunt came home and went to bed about twenty minutes ago from work. I told her the same thing."
She nodded, understanding. She brush some stray hair out of her face, feeling a bit shy. When the kettle finished boiling, he poured himself the water into his cup and stepped away from the counter for her.
She made herself some coffee, adding a bit of sugar to it this time around. She looked in the fridge, noticing there was more food in their then there usually was. Perhaps her aunt somehow managed to get more groceries on the way home.
"Well, if we are all staying here, I have plenty of time to cook in the morning. Is there anything I can make you?" she offered, thinking to eat whatever he wanted with him.
"Whatever you want to eat is fine. If it is not too much trouble," he accepted.
She turned away from him and back to fridge, taking out ingredients to make a breakfast she knew Yusuke liked, making a large enough batch of it to feed everyone in the apartment whenever they decided to get up, even the blonde guy.
While she cooked, he asked her questions about what happened in class yesterday, coaxing her to engage in conversation. She served him first, then herself second. She sat down at the low table across from him, eating and only speaking when he engaged conversation with her.
"Something else on your mind?" he asked her after awhile.
She blinked up at him, shaking her head and humming. "What if we don't manage it? Closing the tunnel?"
He looked at her, cocking his head. "We will," he said, not sounding at all confident. "Then you can ask whatever else is on your mind." He rose up after that, cleaning up the kitchen for her after she cooked.
Genkai was awake next, followed by Yusuke, and at last Botan. They ate in relative silence, waiting for the blonde guy and Kuwabara to wake up.
Three hours ticked by, and yet both of them stayed asleep. Aunt Atsuko had woken up and left the apartment, even though Yusuke tried to warn her not to. Nanashi felt tempted to go with her to keep her safe, but she waved her off, saying they could come rescue her if anything bad happened.
Yusuke, Kurama, and stayed in Yusuke's bedroom to wait while Genkai and Botan stayed in the living room. The blonde guy woke up finally on Yusuke's bed, then winced, and then looked around the room at the three of them.
"Hi," Yusuke said, meeting his eyes.
"Where am I?" the blonde guy asked.
"In my bedroom," Yusuke answered. He pointed his thumb over at Kuwabara who was still on the floor passed out. "I spent time looking for him and I finally found him in front of my house with four guys on his back."
Kurama spoke next, "the three others are safe, they talked about you. Next, we made them forget all what happened."
Yusuke spoke again, "now you're going to tell us everything. No use hiding anything. Yana is with us." He was bluffing, but the blonde guy did not know that.
The blonde guy looked scared, but more sorrowful than anything else. "In fact, we shouldn't have the right to live," he said blankly.
Kurama asked, "who are 'we?' you friends?"
The blonde guy shook his head. "I'm talking about mankind!" He exclaimed unexpectedly. "I'm sure that if you watch that videotape, you'll agree with me."
Nanashi frowned at him. "A videotape?" she asked.
"Which one?" Yusuke echoed.
The blonde guy continued, "the one name 'The Black Chapter.' You'll know all the terrible things human beings can do."
Nanashi felt her ears draw back at the sound of that.
"The black chapter? Impossible!" Kurama tsked, looking calm, but revealing his surprise in his voice.
Yusuke turned his head, looking up at him. "Kurama, you know of that videotape?"
Kurama explained, "A videotape taken from the archives of darkness... A secret document that shows all the bad things humans did. I know Hiei wanted it. There are thousands of hours of dreadful things. I knew that document exists... But I didn't think it would have a link with this story... It's getting clearer."
Nanashi looked over at him as he explained, feeling her throat constrict. Thousands of hours... Things that would have been similar to what Kaze did to all those demons seeking refuge... She recalled how intrigued Hiei had been when she told him of a few of Kaze's kills.
The blonde guy was shouting now. "You don't know what the humans did, that's why you're still playing heroes! If you could have watched that tape, it would change your mind. Humans don't deserve to live!"
Yusuke got agitated first, kicking his chair over and getting in the blonde guy's face. "Yeah so what..." he said challengingly.
The blonde guy was sweating as he responded, "so what?!"
"Is that why humans should end up as meat for monsters?!" Yusuke shouted back at him, clearly riled up now.
"Yes!" the blonde guy shouted back, whimpering now. "You don't know what you are talking about. You're just lucky to live in a peaceful place. But you don't know the true nature of humans." Nanashi felt her ears draw back more, sweating a bit as unbidden memories of Kaze's kills came to her mind, not dis-similar to how he explained next. "Did you ever see a line of children waiting to be killed? And the glance of the torturer who's taking delight in looking at his next victim?" A mental flash of Kaze looking excitedly as he killed a demon the size of a child. "The sight of a mother whose child that is killed in front of her?" She imagine on her own how Shiori would have reacted had Kaze attacked her or, worse, Kurama as an infant. She sucked down a breath, still listening. "Do you understand how someone can like this? Humans can kill one of his friends and still laugh! Maybe you know know it, but I'm sure you can do it, too!"
Nanashi flinched, having seen the mind of someone who could exactly do that. She wrapped her arms around the underside of her ribs, trying to keep herself in check, but struggling at the thoughts of Kaze's mindset.
She felt Kurama soft gaze on her. "Could you get him something to drink?" he asked her, nodding over the blonde guy.
She meet his gaze, ever full of patience. He nodded towards the door, giving her an out of the room while Yusuke was talking a bit more calmly with the blonde guy. She left the room, stepping into the kitchen and towards the kettle, pausing just long enough to tell Genkai and Botan the blonde guy was awake.
The kettle was older than most, taking its sweet time to boil, which was exactly what she needed right now. She grabbed a cup down from the cupboard, nearly dropping it with how much her hands were shaking.
'Master Kaze was a killer, you're not, Mistress,' the wind serpent told her.
She set her hands down on the counter, willing herself not to crack under pressure. She wondered at how Kurama could manage it, time and again. He had such immense self control, which made her wonder at how as Youko he could have ever lose control at the taste of her blood in the first place.
The kettle had been more than boiled by then. She looked back, hearing Kurama and Yusuke step out of the bedroom. "He needs to rest," Kurama said to her softly. She nodded up at him feeling a little bit better now.
Yusuke shook his head. "A videotape which would compile all the dreadful things done by humans... It sounds scary," he commented. He looked over at Nanashi. "I wonder if your buddy Kaze made the director's cut?"
She frowned at him. "That's not funny. "Besides, he killed demons, and never intentionally harmed another human in the same manner."
"Oh yeah, that's true," he commented. "You did say the one he sparred was part human."
Kurama shifted the conversation back. "That video tape... I guess an average human wouldn't be able to stand more than five minutes. It must have changed his sight of the world."
"Stop, you're giving Nanashi the creeps," Yusuke said, shoving his hands in his pockets. She gave him a look, which made him add, "and me."
Kurama continued, "no need. It's only one aspect of humans. But I'm not surprised all the humans are like this to him. Just a few people in the darkness have the right to watch that tape."
"See, you want to scare us," Yusuke griped at him.
"I'm sorry," Kurama said with a sigh. "By the way, Yusuke, I didn't tell you where I was yesterday."
"True," Yusuke replied.
"I went to see Koenma," he explained looking between the two of them.
"Koenma?" Yusuke asked. "Why didn't you use the computer instead of going?"
"I had to see him," Kurama explained to the both of them. "I think Koenma know who the enemy is. After what that guy told us, it's getting clearer."
"What?!" Yusuke exclaimed.
Kurama continued, "yesterday, I didn't say anything, but I think it's time to ask Koen-"
"We want explanations! Right now!" Yusuke exclaimed, in the living room. Nanashi rounded, not even realized he had moved. He was sitting on the floor with the computer up and Prince Koenma already on the other line. "Right now! We'll stop everything otherwise!"
"He's fast," Kurama commented, stepping over to her.
"Yeah," she agreed.
Kurama stepped closer to Yusuke on the computer, brushing past her as he did so. She stepped over with him, standing next to him. Prince Koenma explained how the man, this Sensui, used to be a spirit detective as well. It did not take long after that brief explanation that Prince Koenma decided to come over to Yusuke's apartment to explain in person. While they waited, the blonde guy, who finally gave them his name, Mitari, was in a calmer disposition. Botan coaxed him into eating the lunch Nanashi made in Yusuke's room, while the rest of them ate with Prince Koenma while he explained more in his teenage form. Kuwabara had finally woken up by then and ate with them. She listened intently as Prince Koenma explained about Sensui, the former spirit detective who went rouge, flipping from kill all demons, to kill all humans. The thought of kill so many of any kind sent a chill down her spine. While she could not find fault in him for breaking, she did find fault in him for wanting in slaughter the human race because of it. It was not his place to judge those he hardly knew as guilty, be they human or demon.
Yusuke was talking now, "that's why I have a problem with that kind of guy! They go from one extreme to another."
"That's why I decided to choose a new detective who's a little irresponsible," Prince Koenma explained.
"I see," Kurama hummed nodding.
"Kurama, no need to add more," Yusuke griped.
Prince Koenma continued, "I can't explain why he showed up ten years later. Neither what he did during those years. Another thing. Once he has begun something, he usually goes until the end."
Nanashi felt her stomach drop. A determined, genocidal monster of a man. 'Great...' she griped to the wind serpent, lips moving slightly.
'Look out!' the wind serpent picked up on something just before she did. Yusuke and Kurama were faster, both turning their heads out the window a fraction of a second faster than the wind serpent sensed it. She was a fraction of a second behind them.
"Sensui!" Yusuke exclaimed, jumping up.
Nanashi looked out the window, seeing two men standing on the rooftop of the next building over. The man with him took aim on their apartment and shot... a bunch of somethings... straight at their apartment.
"Ah!" Kuwabara shouted. "Mitari is in danger!" He took off running towards Yusuke's bedroom where Botan and Mitari were.
Kurama was staring out the window intently, reading Sensui's lips, revealing he knew Mitari would be a traitor from the beginning, having manipulate him to be like that. Before Kurama could relay anymore information however, Kuwabara went barreling past the lot of them and out of the apartment. Yusuke went running after him.
Nanashi looked from the door to out the window, seeing Sensui and the other man with him were gone from their rooftop. She looked back at the door, hesitating slightly.
"Stay here," Kurama told her firmly, moving past her, heading for the door.
"What?" she said after. "No," she rushed out, chasing after him. She caught up with him half way down the stairs, passing him around a tight corner. She knew these stairs better than he did. She could have sworn he was smirking when she passed him.
She was outside and next Yusuke and Kuwabara next, with Kurama, Genkai, and Prince Koenma coming up to them not long afterwards. Of all the people, Aunt Astuko rolled up next to Yusuke, strolling casually up to them. Prince Koenma drew Yusuke's attention back to him, warning him about Sensui. Nanashi stepped over in front of Aunt Astuko protectively just in case. "Please go inside," she asked, looking behind her just enough to catch Aunt Astuko's eyes.
Aunt Astuko shook her head, "no way. I didn't get to be up close and personal like this at the Dark Tournament."
Nanashi sighed, but said no more, turning to watch the fight ensuing. Yusuke stepped up to fight with words, then fists with Sensui. Nanashi seethed, seeing Sensui was almost toying with Yusuke, only blocking his strikes and moving away. In another minute, he had a ball of energy in his hands, kicking it towards them. At the last second it curved, striking right into their apartment, where Botan and Mitari still were.
Yusuke sent Prince Koenma, Aunt Astuko, and Genkai off to see to the others in the apartment before charging at Sensui with renewed determination. Only to get kicked aside. Kuwabara charged him next, pulling out only his regular looking spirit sword, which looked nothing like the sword as it was described from last night. He seemed just as surprised by it regularity as well. Sensui was able to kick him away without a problem.
Nanashi saw Kurama grabbed his rose out of his hair out the corner of her eye, so she moved first, before he could. She had the wind serpent up and out in axe form before she could think to back down. She swung it at him over and over, dancing on the balls of her feet. Being so close to him made her stomach sink and twist, but she kept at him, using her shorter height to her advantage, as Kurama had trained her to be.
After her last swing, he snatched up her forearm, halting her swing and move. "Kaze's heir?" he was all he said, but it was enough to make her freeze up. He smiled down at her so humanly. Then let her wrist go. Then got her out of the way by punching her in the throat.
She flew backwards, rolling uncontrollably a few tumbles before coming to a stop. She cough forcefully, hands coming to her neck. The wind serpent joined her there, helping her to breathe until her throat would reopen again after such a shock.
Kurama ran at him next, but halted when a truck with two others reared up. One man, sitting unsafely outside of window shot his fingers out in a way that sent chills down her spine like a night terror. The fingers flew passed Nanashi's head, snagging up Kuwabara. Once Sensui jumped in the truck, the driver, tiny those he was, put the pedal to the metal and drove off. Kurama tried to catch it with his rose whip, and missed. Yusuke shot off a spirit gun bullet, but Sensui just sent it back at them with his own ball of energy. Yusuke, without thinking, snagged up the first unlocked bike he could find and was pedaling furiously after them.
Nanashi thought to go after him, but halted herself, looking over at Kurama. "Can you drive after them?" she asked hoarsely with her throat still smarting yet, not knowing how to drive herself. She nodded over at a nearby car.
"I can, but I'm not going to," he said smoothly. "We know where they are going to end up anyway," he reasoned. "I think it's time the others and I head to the cave."
"You and the others?" she asked, frowning at him. She cleared her throat, wincing.
"If you're just going to freeze up like you just did, you're not going," he said flatly.
She gaped at him. "What the hell? Are you kidding?" she swore incredulously. She stepped up in front of him, toe to toe. "How should you know? How do I know you didn't freeze up, attacking after me?" she accused, not believing the words as she said them.
"You are a target twice over alone being a powerful human with a demon's bite on you," he warned her. "You go and you flinch, you are dead."
She met his gaze with a harsh one before slipping passed him. She went towards the apartment in search of Genkai, knowing if she stuck with the older woman, there was no way in hell she could be left behind. When she sauntered passed him, she could have sworn he looked amused, which made her bristle.