Demon Sword
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin Crossover Fan Fiction Story by Chester Castañeda
Original Concept by Chad Yang
Kurama is the new target of the Shin Ju, particularly the original Kanji Killer and the reincarnation of Jine Udo.
Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV, and Studio Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Viz, Sony Studios, Fuji TV, Studio Gallup, Studio Deen, and ADV. This disclaimer also covers all the other copyrighted material that are far too many to mention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
Chapter 39: Red Rose in the Darkness (Part 7)
At a park bench outside the Shinjuku Police Station, Kurama and Daiji Matsudaira discussed the Shin Juppon Gatana's next move.
"Actually, the fact that Jine Udo... now Officer Hamada Takumi... was the Kanji Killer was what helped muddle my investigations against Xinhai Feng." Daiji squinted his eyes and clenched his fist.
"I made a mistake," confessed Kurama. "Both Natsuki and I presumed that Jine impersonated Hamada, when all this time, they were one and the same. Hamada was not killed by Jine nor was he replaced by him. Udo, Hamada, and the Kanji Killer are all the same person."
The Aoshi reincarnate slammed his fist into the railing of the bench he was sitting on, bending it slightly. "All this time, one of our own kept us from solving the Kanji Killer murders because he is the Kanji Killer. There's enough irony there for me to choke on."
One other thing occurred to Daiji. "His hypnosis probably helps him commit his crimes more covertly, which is why the cops has yet to gather evidence against him; that, coupled with the fact that he is part of the police, is why he's still at large."
"I'm kind of wondering how his hypnosis works. He must've used it multiple times a day against all of you at the Shinjuku Police Station in order to hide his features and keep him from being connected to the rumors of a thin, maniacal version of the Kanji Killer that's not Xinhai Feng," supposed Kurama.
"That's an interesting theory," said Matsudaira while tapping his finger on his pointy chin. "It would make sense if that's the case, although it honestly sounds more like an excuse than anything else. Does that mean that Jine has the ability to create unlimited illusions every time?"
"I somehow doubt that," said Kurama.
"Why so?" asked Daiji.
"My theory is that he can only create a limited number of fantasies at a given time, like within the span of a day or so, although the number of people he could hypnotize with his constructed realities are unlimited," answered Kurama.
The detective shrugged. "What makes you say that? I mean, he could've easily had Yanagisawa, myself, and you hypnotized three times... even if it's same dream... then did it again with me when I tried to kill him."
Kurama reasoned, "Think about it. When I first met Shinkai Natsuki, rescuing her from the wrath of the Kanji Killer, he used his Evil Eyes on us three times, each time with a different fantasy. However, he had to look into our eyes every time he did so. In essence, he'd have to use his powers more than three times to hypnotize all of us."
Detective Matsudaira nodded, and Kurama continued. "However, he only managed to produce three fantasies, two of them preventing him from dying, and the third one involving twin doppelgangers of Tsukayama Yutaro, Miss Shinkai's past reincarnation."
"I don't get it. What makes you think that the Kanji Killer can only make three illusions with his hypnosis?" asked Daiji. "Didn't you tell me that it was your old enemy Suzaku who shot Natsuki as she was about to apprehend the Kanji Killer?"
"Exactly," said Kurama. "Suzaku had been watching us all that time, but he only really bailed Jine out at the last minute, with what I believe is his last illusion. They weren't yet aware of the power of the Mugen Dai no Hyogo, so Jine's fellow Shin Ju member must have allowed him to escape for some other reason... such as the fact that he'd run out of energy to create more illusions. It's only a theory, but it makes sense."
Matsudaira stood up. "All the same, now that they know how much of a formidable opponent you are, the Shin Juppon Gatana and the 'Chojin'... who might actually be Kenshin's murderer, the rebel Shishio Makoto... might actually start targeting you this time around."
Kurama smirked. "You should watch out yourself, Detective Matsudaira. You were the tactical genius that figured out Xinhai Feng's modus operandi, who is himself a high-ranking official of the Shin Ju and the Chojin's army on top of being a serial killer copycat of the Kanji Killer."
"I'm aware of that, but the Shin Ju are after you because you can do something that even I cannot," said Daiji. "I'm no expert in spiritual matters or the different power levels, but even I know about your ability to summon Himura Kenshin's truest form, the Youkiri Battousai, whenever you take hold of the Demon Sword."
"As expected of a great detective! No one, not even Botan, has told anyone about the incident involving Koenma Daio and myself back in the Spirit World, yet you already know about it." Kurama applauded.
"Are you implying something, Kurama?"
"It's almost as if you have spies in the Spirit World to tell you all about it, even though you've just realized you're one of Kenshin's reincarnated comrades a few weeks back."
"Is that so?"
The nearby pigeons and sparrows flew away as Kurama and Daiji leapt into action.
At that very instant, as another Daiji appeared from behind a mailbox, his gun out of its holster while he summoned a spiritually created kodachi for good measure, Kurama summoned a Tsukeyaki (Grass Leaf) Blade and stabbed the Matsudaira he was talking to with it... which was fine because he wasn't the detective at all, but Jine Udo in disguise.
"OFFICER HAMADA! FREEZE! So it is true! You are part of the Shin Ju! You are the Kanji Killer!" said the real Daiji as he pointed his gun at the de-transformed Jine.
The Kanji Killer's hand bled after blocking Kurama's blade with the palm of his hand while his other hand drew his wakizashi and put the edge of the blade unto the demon's jugular.
"Magnificent. How long before you figured out it was me, Kurama?" asked Jine while ignoring Detective Matsudaira.
"Around the time you were bragging about your modus operandi and easily dismissed the One-Eight-Ten Killer, when Detective Matsudaira would've been more interested in talking about Xinhai than you. When I saw the real Detective Matsudaira walking towards me, I signaled him via telepathy to hide and wait," said Kurama with nary a stutter or a flinch as the cold blade's edge bit his human flesh.
"I guess this all but confirms Kurama's three illusion theory. You still had one illusion left before the day was done. You couldn't hold yourself back, so you came here to attempt what you failed to do back in Aokigahara, which was to finish off Kurama: The one target you couldn't kill," concluded Daiji as a crowd started to gather around them.
"What are you going to do now, Matsudaira-kun? Arrest me and claim I'm the Kanji Killer? Or shoot me here and now, like you would Xinhai if you had the chance?" asked the rogue policeman who, instead of being garbed in his traditional Meiji Era clothes, was wearing his police uniform.
"What do you want, Hamada?" demanded Daiji.
"You can both relax," said the reincarnation of Udo as he extricated the leaf sword that plunged into this palm while simultaneously removing his short sword's edge from Kurama's neck, leaving a bleeding imprint that almost sliced the redhead's Adam's apple in twain. "I was only testing you. I'm also here to send a message from the rest of the Shin Ju."
"The Shin Ju's next target is me, correct?" said Kurama. "Just like you said earlier."
"You were always quick on the uptake. I like that about you, Kurama," said the corrupt cop turned serial killer as he swung his blade to rid it of Kurama's blood and sheathed it back into its scabbard. "I can see why the Mad Bomber is as obsessed with you as a scorned woman. You're almost a match wit-for-wit against Xinhai and good ol' Matsudaira-kun here."
Jine eyed the circling Daiji. "Of course, if you want to battle me here and now, feel free to do so. Go ahead. Test your theory about my Evil Eyes producing only three illusions. Fair warning, though; I remember all the injuries I gave you earlier in Aokigahara, and I'm more than willing to... reopen them."
"So the Shin Ju sent you to assassinate me," concluded Kurama.
"You could say that," grinned Jine with his large, perfectly symmetrical teeth before licking them clean, his eyes as black and devoid of sclera (eye whites) as an animal's, which was fitting of his "Jagan".
"It's always been a habit of mine to warn my prey of my approach so they'd have a sporting chance of fighting back. So heed my warning: Unless you make use of the Youtou Shinnoken and summon the being lurking within that sword known as the Youkiri Battousai, you will never stand a chance against me."
"Hamada" proceeded to walk away, cackling like a madman as the onlookers parted like the Red Sea to Moses as he sauntered off into the darkness.
Daiji took Jine up on his earlier offer and shot at him with his pistol, but the Shin Ju member easily sliced the bullets apart and otherwise deflected them away from him, all the while not even looking back.
Meanwhile, Kurama felt something he hadn't felt since he first discovered that Yomi, his former comrade in his guild of thieves, had his sights set on him: That foreboding feeling of something amiss.
All the same, the redhead had a vague idea of what Jine had planned thanks to his perfect "mind-meld" with Kenshin after they first "fused" together via the Youtou Shinnoken.
Right after the Spirit World's failed attempt at locating a new "master" for the Demon Sword aside from Yusuke, Kurama, Botan, Yanagisawa, Kido, and Kaito (specifically after Kenshin and Botan brought back Kuwabara's spirit to his body at the Kuwabara residence)...
'The Demon Sword isn't a sword made to kill demons, but a sword that's made for demons,' was what Kenshin remembered Suzaku say to him.
In light of what had happened to Kido because he was drunk with the power of the Youtou Shinnoken (and even Yanagisawa, who'd developed fear of the Reikai artifact), perhaps this old enemy of Yusuke Urameshi had a point, Kenshin reckoned.
For the longest time, Kenshin believed his Battousai self was something he could control because it was essentially a part of him. However, what if there were something else inside of him beyond Battousai the Manslayer that had a mind of its own, like what had happened to Youko Kurama when he decided to inhabit the body of a human, but in reverse?
Instead of the spirit of a youkai developing a human personality with its own sentience as soon as he was forced to enter the body of a baby and possess it, Kenshin might've ended up being a ghost of a human who became guardian of a demonic sword and, as a result, developed a demonic personality that was self-aware.
The Hitokiri Battousai had somehow evolved into the Youkiri Battousai without Kenshin noticing it... and everything came to a head during World War II, a good sixty-seven years after his death and appointment as guardian of the Demon Sword, when he went insane and almost unleashed the wrath of the Demon World on the United States of America.
Kenshin didn't even know how to deal with such a foreboding concept.
"Hey, Kenshin? Are you listening to me?" Botan... no, Kaoru, because that was definitely Kaoru's voice he was hearing, although it came out of Botan's mouth... asked.
"Oh. Sorry, Miss Kaoru. What were you saying?" said an apologetic Kenshin.
"I said I'm glad that Koenma is looking good after he collapsed the last time we met him," said Kaoru. "That... spell or whatever he used to summon every last Meiji Era warrior reincarnated or otherwise almost took his life, right? Although I am unclear how the Prince of the Spirit World is supposed to die..."
"Even ghosts can 'die' by ceasing to exist in humanoid form, Kaoru. When a spirit loses its identity and consciousness, then that serves as its 'second death' as it transforms into spirit energy," explained Botan this time around.
"Huh. Well, I guess it's a good thing that I haven't had my 'second death' yet. Right, Kenshin?" said Kaoru while smiling using Botan's face and mouth.
Kenshin nodded while he himself smiled. "That it is, Kaoru-dono. That it is."
"Well it's too bad that Kuwabara wasn't able to make your sword thingy work. Wait, that sounded dirty," brought up Botan. "Didn't you mention that the same thing happened Kaito, the glasses dude back in Mushiyori City?"
"Yeah, I did," said Kenshin while rubbing his scarred cheek. "I guess some people react better to the Youtou Shinnoken than others," he supposed while he remembered the uncharacteristic (so claimed Yanagisawa) sadism that Kido displayed after his powers were magnified by the Demon Sword.
"It's a shame, too." Botan sighed. "Kuwabara-kun's gotten really strong. After studying his butt off with Human World exams and whatnot because his allies were facing enemies so powerful, he's become more of a burden than actual help, he's now picking up where he left off. A power boost from the Demon Sword would've been perfect for him to even the odds out and..."
"I'm not one to speak," Kaoru suddenly interjected in between Botan's rant, "but I don't think that boy has been properly trained in swordsmanship. That may be the reason why the Demon Sword isn't reacting yet to his capabilities. He still has much to learn, or the special ability he's supposed to get from the Demon Sword is something that can only be earned by hard work."
Botan shrugged as she "switched places" with Kaoru and got control of her body again. "Yeah, I guess. He's more of a baseball fanatic than a guy who's interested in kendo. The only reason he'd be wielding a wooden sword around is if he's off to win some student gang war, delinquent-style."
"But I agree with Kaoru-dono this time around, Botan. Although Kuwabara has done superbly in the Aokigahara battle against the Shin Ju, he has much to learn when it comes to actual kenjutsu. He can't merely rely on his one-of-a-kind talent for long."
"But that's not the point! You haven't known him as long as I have, you two! This should've been his big chance to hang with Yusuke and the others like equals! Instead, the whole thing became another dead end! He must be devastated right now! Crying in his sleep, even!"
"Uh, Botan..." a sweaty Kenshin tapped the shoulder of the blue-haired Angel of Death, but she would not even heed the redhead's attempts to catch her attention.
"While Kuwabara had his moments, he was a total laughingstock during the Ankoku Bujutsukai! He was beaten by a kid with yoyos, teleported twice out of the fighting arena by two separate fighters, was beaten to a pulp and knocked out by the Ichigaki Team, and was used as the Krillin to Yusuke's Son Goku in the finals of the tournament, when the Younger Toguro fake-killed him to make Yusuke release his full power."
"Well, gee. Sorry for being a laughingstock and a Krillin, then!"
"GAAH! KUWABARA-KUN! How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to hear your entire rant," said Kuwabara, his arms crossed, his eye bags so saggy he looked even older than the usual forty-year-old yakuza that people mistook him to be.
Botan slapped Kenshin upside the head. "Why didn't you tell me Kuwabara-kun was behind me?"
"I tried to, but you wouldn't listen!" protested Himura.
"Never mind that, Botan! I have something to say to Kenshin," said Kazuma.
Kenshin blinked. "Oro? What...?"
Kuwabara took a deep breath and said, "It was kind of embarrassing how I wasn't able to make your sword work for me back in the Spirit World, but as Botan said, I've been through far more embarrassing things."
"I'd say," said Botan, which earned her a flick to the nose care of Kazuma. He continued.
"It's also true that I've had a bit of an inferiority complex over how much more powerful my allies... Yusuke, Kurama, and that bush-haired, skunk-striped shrimp... are."
Both Kenshin and the Kaoru inside Botan wondered who was that last guy Kazuma mentioned.
"I don't care anymore, though. I'm a dumbass, yet I was able to get into Gai Tech. That proves to me that anything I put my mind into, I can accomplish."
Kuwabara grabbed hold of the smaller Kenshin by the collar of his kimono and lifted him up.
"Your sword doesn't work on me the same way it did Urameshi and Kurama? Fine by me. I'm not the kind of person who wants shortcuts and freebies when it comes to becoming stronger anyway! But if there's a way for me to earn the right of using the power of your so-called Demon Sword, then by Buddha, I'll find it."
Kenshin chuckled, and Kazuma gave the ex-rurouni the best Takeshi Kitano "angry yakuza face" impersonation he could muster. "Are you making fun of me, punk?"
Himura waved Kuwabara off. "No, no. Nothing like that. It's just that I've now figured out why Sanosuke and you get along so well. You both think the same way."
Botan's jaw dropped as Kuwabara went behind Kenshin and gave the swordsman a German suplex. "Don't compare that birdbrain to me! ROOSTER HEAD AND I ARE NOTHING ALIKE!"
As the swirling-eyed Kenshin twitched in shock, Kaoru mentally blurted out to Botan, 'Kenshin's right. He's just like Sanosuke. Right down to the random suplexes and wrestling moves. Sano's much more handsome than him, though.'
A week after Jine threatened to kill Kurama, warning him that he needed the power of the Demon Sword to stand a chance (incidentally, it was also more than a month since Rando and the Shisejyu attacked Genkai's temple, three weeks since Kurama first fought the Kanji Killer, and two weeks since Sanosuke and Yahiko reunited with Kenshin)...
"H-How...?" said an armadillo-like Class-S warrior of around Sensui's level of power. "Y-You're only... human! A Class-A, at that!"
Jine spat the pooling blood inside his mouth on the face of his enemies, all S-Level to A-Level youkai shinobi guarding every nook and cranny of the Hatenaka-Minamino residence.
It was as though the Oniwabanshu were alive and well, guarding Kurama's dwelling place as though it were a shogunate castle.
'How thrilling. How... nostalgic. It's like the Bakumatsu all over again,' thought the limping and cackling Udo before stabbing the hidden assassin from beneath the manhole right in the eye, slicing open his skull and severing the connection of his brain to his spinal cord.
Knowing full well how long it'd take for him to acquire S-Level powers to fight against the Youkiri Battousai (whom he knew deep in his heart would awaken one way or another), he made a deal with the Chojin and his dark servant... not the Onmyouji, but the man known as Edward Gein... to surgically improve his Nikaido Heiho's Shin no Ippo, turning his eyes into jagan and himself into a jaganshi.
'How clever. He was able to deduce that I planned to use the Minamino and Hatenaka Family against him and had a veritable army to guard them while he lies in wait for me. As expected of the Legendary Youko Kurama.'
Yes, it was unusual for a Class-A... a human, no less... to take down a Class-S. Three A-Level beings... Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei... couldn't even stand a chance against Sensui and the full might of his Sei Kou Ki. However, Jine was no ordinary martial artist and swordsman.
For example, to finish off the dozens of Class-S warriors Kurama had somehow gotten to guard his family round-the-clock, Jine used his power of illusion to covertly plant an organic controller (the same one that Raizen's right-hand man, the monk Hokushin, planted unto himself and two other companions in order to pass through the Reikai Barriers despite being S-Level) that reduced their power levels to Class-D, which made them easy pickings for Udo and his blade.
Besides, the S-Level Yusuke was himself defeated by a D-Level Hokushin (using his stretching ability), the C-Level Asato Kido (using his shadow bind technique), and, just recently, the (at the time) B-Level Rando (using all sorts of techniques, particularly the dreaded Kugai or World of Suffering). When faced with raw power, a lower-class being had other ways to deal with those stronger than him.
Jine decapitated, diced, and minced several other A-to-S-Level demons, taking advantage of the fact that they were in a residential area, so they had to take care not to unleash their full power lest they blow up the suburb like blockbuster bombs. Udo also took care not to engage them directly or let them combine their forces.
It was just like the cunning Youko Kurama to delegate all his dirty work to either his plants or his minions. Nevertheless, Kurama's plans to keep the Kanji Killer away from his family worked like a charm.
From the information Jine had taken from Itsuki (who himself depended on Sensui's spies to get background checks on their enemies at the time), the Kanji Killer learned his targets were Kuarama's his stepbrother (his namesake, Shuichi Hateknaka), his stepfather (Kazuya Hatenaka), and his mother (Shiori Minamino-Hatenaka).
Hamada had been stalking the young Hatenaka to school, the older Hatenaka to work, and the remarried human mother of "Minamino Shuichi" to various places that housewives usually went to, such as groceries, clothing stores, and the homeowner's association.
Kurama's bodyguards for the entire Hatenaka-Minamino clan wouldn't let up, though. Day and night, they came, and each and every one of them were aiming for Jine's eyes, at that. 'So they were even informed of my Jagan, eh?"
Once again, the mastermind behind the thwarting of the Aokigahara mass suicide had taken all possible precautions, considered all contingencies, and created all sorts of safety measures to keep even someone as dangerous as the former Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi Hitokiri turncoat from easily killing a family composed of a man, a woman, and a child.
Jine could also take the option of simply facing Kurama then and there, but what fun would that be? Even if Udo were to kill the former fox demon, what would be the point, murdering the shadow of the once great Youko Kurama?
No. He half-expected that Kurama would pull this sort of stunt. The kitsune, true to his nature, was wily and cunning. The fact that he was so hard to kill even without the assistance of the Youtou Shinnoken was what made him worthwhile prey in Jine's twisted mind.
'I'll make you use that Demon Sword and summon the Youkiri Battousai, Kurama. I want your legend and the legend of Himura Kenshin to reemerge, so that I can get the fight that I've been waiting for a century: First, as a demon, then again as a human!'
A week earlier, in Makai's Gandhara, otherwise known as the city that Yomi, one of the former Three Kings of Makai, was ruling over...
"Back so soon?" asked Yomi with his booming, deep voice as his former partner and master, Kurama, entered his military meeting room, his multitude of ears twitching as the half-demon approached. "To what do I owe the honor this visit, old friend?"
"I need to call in a favor, Yomi."
For once, acting like Yusuke for a change, Kurama became direct and straight to the point instead of his usual modus operandi of carefully considering all the pros and cons of his actions before deciding on anything.
However, "Minamino's" uncharacteristic and hasty request was only met with a raised eyebrow from the closed-eye, scowling Yomi.
"I owe you a favor this time? That's rich. Please, indulge me. What favor do I owe you, Kurama? Was it for blinding me with an assassin you hired? Or was it for planning my demise?"
"I don't have time to argue about this, Yomi. If you want to take my life in exchange for this favor, I'll gladly give it to you and complete your quest for revenge."
Yomi's scowl turned into a smirk before the multi-eared demon laughed to his (nonexistent) heart's content at Kurama's antics. "That's probably the closest I'll ever get to you seeing you begging. Now I'm curious. What is this favor you wish of me that you're willing to lay your life on the line for it?"
"I ask you to get bounty hunters from Gandhara to protect my Human World family," answered Kurama, which prompted Yomi to guffaw even more.
"You ask this of the demon who once threatened to kill your mother and foster father on their flight to their honeymoon, Youko Kurama?" asked Yomi, and Kurama nodded.
The demon continued. "Who are you protecting them from?" Kurama proceeded to tell Yomi of the details surrounding the Shin Juppon Gatana and the Kanji Killer known as Jine Udo to some and Takumi Hamada to others.
"A human? A mere human has you this scared for your family's life, Kurama?"
"He's no ordinary human. He's about as human as Yusuke was before he transformed into a demon himself. Jine's even more of a demon than many of the demons I know."
"You're losing your touch, Kurama. You're Class-S. You're on the brink of achieving your former glory, and yet you act like this. Also, I'm not interested in your life, despite what you might think. I bear no grudge against you."
"Then what do you want?"
"Can you give me full control of Makai?"
"No, I cannot."
"Then you have nothing that I want. Begone."
A thought occurred to Kurama, prompting him to bring up, "This man who's after me... He is also an A-Level jaganshi."
"...Like Hiei, Mukuro's present right-hand man?"
"Yes, but his jagan is capable of producing hallucinations and delusions. Even a Class-S around the same level as you or Raizen's former comrades would have trouble fighting such a human."
Yomi withheld his chuckles as an idea occurred to him. "Well played, Kurama. As usual, your cleverness has pulled you through. Fine. I'll do as you say. I'll even assign some of my elite guard for the task... in exchange for one thing."
"What is that?" Kurama asked as he narrowed his green eyes. Even though his family's life was on the line, he was not so desperate to say, "Yes. Anything. I'll do anything you ask." He was smarter than that.
"Get me that man's eyes." Yomi's grin stretched from ear-to-ear, almost to the point of splitting his face. "Give me back the sight you've robbed me of centuries ago. Get me even better eyes than the ones I've lost."
Kurama remembered the parasite that invaded his stepbrother's brain... Kara was his name, the youko believed... when Shuichi Hatenaka was only thirteen years old.
The parasitic demon arrived around the time the Three Kings were bracing themselves for a shift in power once Raizen kicked the bucket.
Kara was actually under the control of the (former) right-hand man of Yomi for half a millennium, the fishman-like Shachi.
Kara had again taken possession of Kurama's (human identity) namesake, Shuichi Hatenaka (who was now around fourteen going on fifteen at present, while Shuichi Minamino himself was eighteen going on nineteen).
This time around, it wasn't for the sake of spying on the redhead half-youko with a human avatar.
At the behest of Yomi himself, Kara helped save Shuichi from the wrath of Jine. The parasite was many things, but stupid was not among them.
As expected of the demonic possessor, his survival instincts helped him and his host, Shuichi, escape the approaching Udo while Kurama and several other bounty hunters kept him at bay every time the human-turned-monster attacked.
"You were right, Kurama-sama! This Jine person's modus operandi is quite easy to follow. He immediately targeted all of your loved ones. In many ways, he's just like Yomi-sama," said the sycophantic brain leech as he revealed himself by moving out of Shuichi's ear like a macroscopic tapeworm with a face.
Kurama harrumphed. "Don't compare Jine to Yomi. I've taught Yomi well when it comes to subterfuge. He'd have a Plan B to Z to whatever I'd throw at him. On the other hand, the Kanji Killer is only concerned about kidnapping my family in order to have a showdown with me. He's much more simpleminded."
"Ah, yes. Of course. My apologies." If Kara could perspire, he would've had a cold sweat right then and there.
Thanks to Kurama's mind-meld with Kenshin during the brief time he possessed the Demon Sword, the demon-turned-human-teenager was able to access the swordsman's memories, particularly the ones involving Udo kidnapping Kaoru to force the Battousai to fight.
This was what prompted Kurama to place guards and bounty hunters after Jine's head (and Evil Eyes) round-the-clock. He couldn't pull the same trick he pulled when Yomi was after him (that was, get his parents to travel abroad so that they'd be out of reach of the forces of Makai).
At this point, it was safer for the green-eyed redhead to keep an eye on his family and friends by keeping them close by instead of far away.
"As long as Shuichi, Mother, and Father are safe, then it's all good," he murmured to himself, the cogs in his brain turning in regards to the many different ways he could kill (or give a fate worst than death) to the warmongering Kanji Killer.
"Kokoda," creaked Kara.
"Hmmm?" prompted Kurama. "What did you say?"
"Didn't you know? This kid I'm possessing has had his classmates call him Kokoda now instead of Shuichi for quite sometime. It surprised me when I found out."
"Kokoda...?" Incidentally, "Kokoda" wasn't really a name, but a Japanese phrase meaning "I'm here". Kurama asked, "Why would he give himself such a strange name?"
"Perhaps it's because he couldn't live up to his larger-than-life stepbrother? It's his way of saying 'I'm here', because compared to you, he's all but invisible. Seems that once again, you've unintentionally overshadowed those close to you."
Kurama took out a seed from his hair, stating, "Do you remember our conversation many years ago regarding my knowledge of all the things I could do to someone that could be considered a fate worse than death? That never changed."
"D-Don't shoot the messenger," said the demonic tapeworm. "I was joking. It was all just a ruse, Kurama-sama. Then again, even the humans around you feel as if they're inferior to the human version of you. As expected of a legend."
The redhead narrowed his eyes as he repeated, "Messenger? What are you getting at?"
Kara continued. "Rumors have it that you've grown soft. You refused to use your full power against Shigure in the Demon World Unification Tournament."
Speaking of Shigure, if memory served Kurama correctly, the demon with the hula-hoop-like blade had committed suicide after their Demon World Unification Tournament fight, only to reemerge as one of Mukuro's men once more; like Schrodinger's Cat, Kurama wasn't sure if the new Shigure was an imposter/zombie or it was the old Shigure who'd somehow survived his fall from the ancient tree that the redhead summoned. Curious.
"What's you're point?" Kurama snapped at Kara.
"You seem awfully desperate for someone who could've been one of the great Kings of Makai and Raizen's replacement. Are you really this afraid of a mere human? He's not even Class-S. All you need to do to finish him off is to transform into the youko and..."
Kara trailed off as golden eyes stared back at him.
"Even S-Level warriors fall under the might of that A-Level human."
Kurama should know. He was a Class-S demon that was somehow injured by a hunter in the Human World. Granted, special circumstances were at play at the time, but being S-Class didn't mean you were completely impervious to injury, sickness, or death. Raizen himself was an S-Class whose powers were reduced by his own willingness to fast and starve himself from eating human meat.
"Ah, but you're no ordinary S-Level, are you not? The only reason you sustained grievous injuries when fighting Shigure was because you insisted on fighting as a human. You could've ended up in the finals of the tournament and faced off against your former ally, Yomi, had you gone back to being the youko."
Kurama bit his lip. His fangs that weren't there before bit back, drawing blood from his mouth. It acted up again. His demonic nature. Ever since the Demon Sword awoke the sleeping monster inside him the same way the potion Suzuki invented that could make creatures go back to their past form, he'd been restless.
After the Dark Martial Arts Tournament and before Kurama's momentous Pyrrhic Victory over Shigure in the Demon World Unification Tournament ("Shuichi" was too injured to advance to the next round), the half-youko's bio-rhythm made him revert to being the "whole" youko.
Thanks to the time-reversing potion used by Ura Urashima and made by the "Handsome" Suzuki (wherein Kurama reverted to his fox demon form), the redhead had since been feeling as though he were turning back into Youko Kurama even while he remained in Shuichi Minamino's body.
Every month way back when, like clockwork, he'd act aggressive, combative, and belligerent. The intervals for his transformation had also been getting shorter, to the point that he felt like he could snap at any moment. It was a miracle how he was able to seal his youko self away and continue living as Shuichi Minamino by sheer force of will.
It was through his desire of keeping his bio-rhythm in check that kept him from going all out and finishing Shigure off in the Demon World Unification Tournament. But why exactly didn't he revert back to Youko Kurama? Why didn't he do what Koenma Daio presumed he would do, which was to retake his rightful place as one of the upper Class-S monarchs of Makai?
He wasn't quite sure why. All he knew was that he had to do it. He had to fight Shigure as Shuichi Minamino, even at the cost of him becoming too injured to continue fighting afterwards... like a wolf in sheep's clothing insisting to fight like a ram instead of the apex predator he was supposed to be.
It didn't make a lick of sense.
"What are you afraid of? Why can't you let go? Why can't you be your true self?"
"This is my true self," said Kurama, while pointing at Shuichi Minamino's face.
"That is a lie. A wolf in sheep's clothing can never be a wolf. Or are you claiming that your spirit has been broken by the humans, like a wild stallion whose been tamed to become a beast of burden?"
"I am who I am because I've chosen to be like this. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh really? Remember, deceit is one of the fox demon's main attributes. Have you become such a master of deception that you've managed to turn into a fox who has deluded himself into thinking he's a man?"
Kurama remembered what he said... or rather, what his other self said... in regards to that dream he had involving mirrors and the amalgamated images of "Shuichi" and "Kurama" together as one person.
However, were they really one person or did Kurama merely wish that they were so? Why would he wish to be sheep when he was one of the wolves? Which was the lie and which was the truth?
"It's not a lie. This is the truth. My truth. And nothing is going to change it...!"
"KURAMA-SAMA! URK! STAAAHP!"
"..."
Soon enough, the redhead found himself wringing the tapeworm-like demon's neck almost to the point of ripping him out of the other Shuichi's ear without regard to the young boy's health.
It was only a little later that Kurama heard Kara say, "Uncle!" or whatnot, which led him to let go of the parasitic youkai before he did anything he'd soon regret. He noticed that his trim nails had, for a second or two, turned into long talons before reverting to normal.
"Why'd you strangle me, Kurama-sama? What did I do?"
"You were asking too many questions."
"I only wanted to know why you've remained human all this time, Lord Kurama!"
"That's not justification enough to call me a liar. Know your place."
"...I beg your pardon, milord? I would never do that! I don't have a death wish! Maybe I was being a little harsh to say that you've grown soft, but I was merely curious why you'd remain on the Human World now that you've regained power!"
"...What?"
"I-It's true! I'm so sorry! If this is a sensitive subject, I'll never bring it up again!"
Kurama considered Kara's words as he rubbed his pointed chin. So it wasn't Kara who asked him those pointed questions about himself? Then who...?
It was at moment point that he realized it was someone else who spoke back to him regarding him being a wolf in sheep's clothing; a predator among lambs. It was his own voice. Or rather, the mocking voice of Youko Kurama.
His bio-rhythm that had somehow stabilized after his momentous fight with Shigure had started acting up again. His mask was slipping. His sheep's clothing was being unraveled. His lies were being exposed.
The Demon Sword. Ever since the Youtou Shinnoken unleashed the power of his youko self, he'd come back to returning to his true nature. Even if he didn't want to anymore.
Or did he want this kind of conclusion after all? Did he want the Reikai artifact to awaken his true self after the youko's nearly two-decade "slumber"?
A wounded Takumi Hamada... the Heisei Era reincarnation of Jine Udo and the version of the Kanji Killer who had never been captured or had enough evidence to pin him for his countless murders... entered yet another seedy hotel that was under Shinjuku Triad protection.
He couldn't get money from his old account as "Hamada Takumi" (even though he'd been on sick leave the whole month thanks to being "injured" by the "Kanji Killer") because it had been frozen by the bank by request of the authorities.
'Hmmm. Even Matsudaira-kun is assisting Kurama in his quest to keep me away from his family. I'll have to find a way to deal with that goody-two-shoes detective later. For now, I need to breach Kurama's defenses. Otherwise, I won't be able to force him to use the Demon Sword.'
The rogue copper plopped down on his chair, his blood soaking the upholstery. This hotel was controlled by the Chinese mafia through and through, right down to the in-hotel clinic that doubled more as an emergency room for dying Triad members. They even had their stained sheets and whatnot dry cleaned nearly daily.
The Kanji Killer's 100% kill rate had already been tampered with after Kurama and Natsuki Shinkai survived their encounter with him, but now he was even having trouble killing civilians (albeit with the help of Kurama's Makai connections, but still).
'We've only met a few weeks ago and yet he knows me like the back of his hand. Maybe it has something to do with how he reacted to the Youtou Shinnoken. Perhaps he saw Battousai's memories of when I took his woman to force him to revert to his hitokiri self,' reckoned Jine.
'So am I at a dead end now? Of course, not. If you can't open the door, bust through the walls or windows. There's more than one way out of this prison Kurama trapped me in.'
"I'm guessing the youko is 'outfoxing' you at every turn," said Yaminade no Itsuki (Itsuki the Dark Comfort) as he appeared from out of the blue in his signature lotus position, his (healed) body floating above the bed.
By reflex, the startled Hamada stabbed his sword at Itsuki's chest, only for the youkai to synthesize two portals... one on his chest, the other on his forehead, that returned the tip of the uchigatana right back at its owner's face. Had Jine thrust any further, he would've stabbed his own forehead.
Takumi retracted his katana and sheathed it along with his wakizashi (i.e., his pair of daisho). "The information you've given me so far has gotten me nowhere. The school that Kurama's little brother is attending, the school that Kurama used to go to, the workplace of his father, and especially their home is crawling with A-Level and S-Level guardians. I couldn't get through."
Itsuki answered, "My apologies. I have outdated information. That was the only available data that Shinobu was able to share with us about Urameshi Yusuke and his group during the time when we were attempting to open the Reikai Barriers. Kurama's connection with one of the Three Kings of Makai wasn't even known to us back then. He probably called in a favor with Yomi."
"They're strong and they're more than willing to lay their life for this mission. But they're not the warriors I'm after. Nothing less than fighting the Youkiri Battousai himself will satisfy me."
"That's not what Xinhai assigned you to do."
"Xinhai could go fuck himself. If he wants me to kill Kurama, then let me do it my way."
Hamada took a pipe and started smoking it. "Even those who weren't strong soldiers were troublesome because they were as wily as Kurama himself, like that annoying low-level parasite demon that controlled his little brother's actions so that he'd be unaware he was being stalked while still protecting him. It's like Kurama was able to plan for everything in less than a week."
"That's Kurama for you. He's always one step ahead of his enemies. The reason why you can't kidnap or otherwise kill his loved ones at all is because he has your every move figured out. You're far too predictable to outmatch him."
"We'll see." Jine chuckled. "Anyway, have you gotten me what I asked for?"
Itsuki opened his one unharmed, non-scarred eye. "That depends. What's in it for me? You promised that I could get something out of this."
The bloodied Udo tapped the ash off of his pipe on the nearby ashtray, leaned forward, and looked Itsuki in the eye.
"I was able to figure out that you were a twisted being the first time I met you. I was wondering how a fruit like you who's totally head-over-heels in love with Sensui could possibly have such a menacing presence. But now I 'get' you."
Itsuki tilted his head in askance. "You figured out I'm 'twisted' because of my 'presence'? I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow."
"You and I are more alike than you think. I don't like men the same way you do, but we think alike. I don't need to swing that way to understand the real reason why you're so enamored with Sensui."
"I really don't understand where you're going with this. How is all this related to Shinobu?"
"Black and white."
"...Pardon?"
"You're far too bleak an individual to feel any sort of 'sentiment' for Sensui. No, the thing that made you absolutely fascinated by him was his descent to darkness. How a fallen angel could become a devil. How an innocent young virgin who doesn't even know the birds and bees could become a porn star. That's what you revel in. Seeing something so pure turn into filth."
This time around, Hamada had Itsuki's full attention.
"You have a chance to see another breakdown like Sensui's happen. Not just Kurama returning to his merciless self known as the 'Legendary' Youko Kurama, but also seeing his fellow legend, the pacifistic Himura Kenshin who wouldn't even dare kill a rampaging demon, succumb to his dark alter ego, Battousai the Demon-Slayer."
Itsuki grabbed his mouth and stifled his laughter. His inside joke. Someone else other than "Shinobu" understood it. "Very well. I'll give you what you asked for. A way to find a loved one of Kurama that not even Kurama is aware of."
After the first day of classes of Gaikou Fuzoku High School (the high school that Kuwabara studied hard to get into while Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei fought in the Demon World Unification Tournament)...
"I can't believe you guys are actually my classmates on top of us all going to the same school. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get into this school, only to have you two kooks waltz in with zero effort whatsoever? What a revolting development," said Kuwabara as both Yahiko and Sanosuke hung around him like satellites would a planet.
Yes, the Spirit World had used its influence to turn the two century-old ghosts into undercover high school students.
At present, the Youtou Shinnoken (which was wrapped in cloth like a shinai) was in the care of Kazuma for the simple reason that, at the very least, the teenager wouldn't go rogue against the Spirit World or anything since the Reikai artifact had no particular effect on his powers (much to his chagrin and embarrassment).
"That's cold, Boke. We'll have an easier time keeping an eye on you this way. Aren't we your pals or something?" chided Sanosuke.
"Don't call me Boke, Rooster Head!" snapped Kuwabara.
The special wardrobe that the two acquired... Yahiko and his Hawaiian shirt and jeans as well as Sanosuke and his leather-garbed outfit... were in full display, which startled Kuwabara because just a minute ago, they were wearing the same high school uniform as he was.
The pair of spirits could change their clothes into anything they wanted (including their original Nineteenth Century attire), but this was the default look they went with, for good or for ill. Kuwabara personally found both ensembles tacky.
"Where are you off to now, Boke?" chimed in Yahiko.
"Not you too, Samurai Boy!" gasped an exasperated Kazuma as he gave Myojin a cross look.
"All right, fine. My bad. Kuwabara. Where are we going?"
"I am going to scope out our kendo club's closest competition, Toyama High School's kendo club, and see who their newest recruits are. The Captain asked me to spy for him and everything," Kuwabara explained.
"That's in Shinjuku, right?" asked Yahiko with a wistful, faraway look.
"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded.
Sanosuke concluded, "Then we're going with you, Boke."
"Like hell you are. Go back to your graves or something, you creepy, solidified ghosts!" yelped Kazuma.
This would've ended up into another impromptu fistfight had the two not noticed how far Yahiko's head was in the clouds. "Shinjuku, huh..."
The two soon leered at the pensive youth with gleeful looks on their faces.
"Yep. That's where your girlfriend lives. Right, old man?" teased Kazuma while Sanosuke nudged Yahiko's ribs.
"Wha...? Girlfriend? HEY! You don't mean...?"
"Yep. It's the gender-bent version of Cat Eyes, the Chinese girl he reincarnated into. Shinkai Natsuki is her name, isn't it?" asked Sanosuke, referring to Yutaro Tsukayama's present self.
"EW! That's gross! Why would Cat Eyes' be my girlfriend, you perverts? He's a guy!" Yahiko blanched.
"Was a guy, Pipsqueak," Sano reminded. "That's how reincarnation works. Besides, from what little I saw of the action, you two were able to beat that Scarecrow guy to a pulp! You were quite the lovely pair!"
"Ooh. So in her past life, Miss Shinkai was a dude?" asked Kuwabara.
"His best friend," answered Sanosuke. "There were times when I'd swear those two were even closer to each other than Yahiko was with Tsubame, his own wife."
Kazuma turned towards Yahiko. "I don't know about you, Samurai Boy, but that Chinese girl with the cane couldn't take her eyes off of you. If you don't like her that way, the feeling might not be mutual," said Kuwabara, not noticing that despite his previous protests, the two were following him anyway into the JR Line train station.
"Mind your own business, Boke!" Yahiko exclaimed. He then muttered, "Besides, I'm a married man. I'd never betray Tsubame for anyone."
"Then make Cat Eyes your mistress!" joked Sano.
Yahiko went blue. "No. Just... no."
Forgetting himself, Kazuma remarked, "You're a little young to be married."
"Dude, I'm a ghost and I'm technically more than a hundred years old, okay? I'm older than I look!" reminded Yahiko.
"Do they even have divorce in the afterlife?" supposed Kuwabara.
A shuddering Yahiko asked, "...Why are we still talking about this?"
"Ah. So you're not the cheating type of guy," said Sanosuke as he cleaned his ear with his pinky finger.
"Of course not! And especially not with Cat Eyes! I don't swing that way!"
"Pfft. Yeah, right. You'd totally bone Cat Eyes if he turned into a girl."
With a half-lidded look and a raised eyebrow, Yahiko retorted, "I'd say the same thing about you and Kenshin!"
As Sanosuke turned red and stuttered a half-coherent response, Kuwabara doubled over in laughter. "Oooh, burn! Yeah, I can totally see Rooster Head doing Kenshin. He has the hugest man-crush on him. He couldn't shut up about him at all when he finally got to meet him again!"
"Shut up, Boke!" was the only response Sanosuke could come up with in short notice.
The Demon Sword that Kuwabara held vibrated as though it were reacting to the taunts, which made the youth imagine a sheepish Kenshin going "Oro?" and panicking from their conversation while hidden inside his magic sword like a genie in a bottle.
After taking a train to Shinjuku and getting visitor passes to see the Toyoma High School Kendo Club in action, guess who (and what) immediately greeted the trio at the entrance of the club's dojo.
Groaning bodies were lying everywhere. It looked like the entire Toyoma High Kendo Club had been wiped out by the sheer intensity of their practice. Some of them even had their kendo gear in splinters, as though they'd been thrown into a wood chipper.
Amidst all the devastation stood one lone figure in kendo gear while holding a bamboo blade that had seen better days.
"He looks strong," appraised Kuwabara while Sano did a low whistle. As the stranger turned, all three Gai Tech students froze as they heard a muffled, tomboyish voice ask, "Y-Yahiko-kun?"
For his part, Yahhiko gulped as he probed, "I-Is that you, Cat Eyes?"
The half-Chinese girl from Taiwan took off her kendo helmet and pouted at the Tokyo Samurai Descendant. "I'm not Yuta-kun. I'm Shinkai Natsuki. We're too different people, remember?"
"Uh, right. Sorry," apologized Myojin. Not knowing what else to do, he began helping up the injured and tired members of the Toyama Kendo Club.
"Who are you guys?" one of the groggy, black-and-blue kendoists asked.
"Uh, I'm Kuwabara Kazuma and these are... my acquaintances from Gai Tech," Kuwabara introduced himself with a grin, a bow, and a firm handshake. "I'm actually here to scope out the nearest competition. I'm also part of my school's kendo club."
"So you've come to spy on us?"
"Naw, I wouldn't say that. You were one of the top four teams in the prefecture, though."
"Is that kid part of the Gai Tech kendo club? He might just be National level!" said another one of the Toyama kendo club's members who looked at least twice as big as the comparatively waifish Natsuki.
"Him?" Sanosuke pointed his thumb at Shinkai's direction. "That's actually a girl. Maybe if our school had a girl's kendo club, she could join."
The members of the devastated Toyama High School Kendo Club cried a collective "Eeeh?" at the discovery.
"It's not as if I was hiding my gender or anything," said the cross-dresser without irony.
Yahiko then turned towards Natsuki in excitement, which startled the young Shinkai. "You did all this, Natsuki? That's amazing! Just like Cat Eyes, you're a quick learner! Weren't you into fencing before? But why are you beating people up from some random kendo club?"
The half-Chinese girl fidgeted and brushed her short-cropped hair back. "Kaoru-sensei told me the best way to learn kendo was to actually face different opponents. Yamabuki High doesn't have a kendo club, so I had no choice but to do this. Yuta-kun still helped me from time to time in the middle of the fight, but I myself am getting the hang of it."
As Kuwabara and Sanosuke wolf-whistled at the pair, Yahiko transformed from his Hawaiian-and-jeans garb into his traditional kimono-and-hakama battle gear. Without looking away from Natsuki, he then threw his inherited sakabatou at the Rooster Head and Boke's faces and have it return to him like a boomerang.
"I want to duel you," said Myojin as drips of sweat fell on the side of the blinking Natsuki's cheeks.
After recovering from her initial shock, Shinkai reiterated, "Didn't I just tell you? I'm not Cat Eyes, Yahiko-kun! If you want to have a duel with Yuta-kun, then tell him yourself."
"Huh? I wasn't talking about Cat Eyes. We've been dueling each other since time immemorial. Our rematch can wait. I'm eager to fight you, Natsuki. Your counterstrike style might even give me problems, but I'm up to the challenge!" clarified Yahiko.
Natsuki bit her lip and looked away. "If I'm okay with you, then fine. I accept your challenge. But not today. Maybe sometime soon...?"
"I can't wait for us to have our duel, then!" Yahiko grinned.
"But Yahiko-chan, what would Tsubame-chan think if she heard you now?" needled Sano in a mock falsetto. A nerve popped up on Yahiko's temple.
"DOU GAMI!" Still in his battle gear, the Tokyo Samurai attacked Sano with impunity, although several recovering Toyama High School kendo members were caught in the landslide, with no escape from reality.
They opened their eyes, looked up to the skies, and saw the truth. "Oh my god! Is this the true strength of Gai Tech kendo? We're no match against them!"
Kuwabara sighed and told Natsuki, "We were just teasing Samurai Boy. I hope you don't take us too seriously."
"Um, no. Not at all. Don't worry about it," Natsuki reassured with a bow. She then smiled wanly as the now-white-garbed Sagara and Myojin exchanged Futae no Kiwamis and Tsui Gamis against each other. "So her name's Sanjo Tsubame, huh?"
Kazuma reddened despite himself. 'Hey, hey. Is she really treating our teasing of Samurai Boy as a joke?' What was it like to fall in love with a gender-bent version of your best friend anyway?
An unbidden thought of a female Yusuke popped up in the ex-delinquent's mind. In his mind, the girl Urameshi also poked her fingers up Kuwabara's butt. However, the context seemed somehow different.
'No! We're not going there! Bad brain! No biscuit! Stop it!' In response, Kazuma's mind made him remember the dream he had of him sharing a kiss with Yusuke, except this time around Yusuke was a woman.
"?" wondered Natsuki as she saw Kuwabara squirming on the dojo floor, his contorted face a mixture of disgust and confused pleasure.
"TSUKI-CHAAAN! Are you done kicking the butt of an entire kendo club again?" a chirpy voice declared, which somehow reminded Sano, Yahiko, and Kuwabara of Botan's voice. Or maybe Kaoru's.
The guarded Shinkai relaxed and grinned as her own best friend finally arrived in the scene. "No, I was already done a while ago. I just happened to come across a couple of my... acquaintances. From... work."
"Oh. Officemates, huh?" The other girl giggled.
As Kuwabara stood up, he noticed both Sanosuke and Yahiko stop dead on their tracks in mid-strike, their lower jaws seemingly unhinged from their upper jaws. 'Hmmm? What gives? Is she a really hot chick or something?'
"Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself!" The braid-wearing, bespectacled girl in a maid uniform turned towards the two revived, thunderstruck ghosts. "I'm Likka! Ikumi Likka! It's nice to meet you both!"
Hearing Sanosuke and Yahiko's lack of a response, Kuwabara interjected, "Uh, I'm Kuwabara. Kuwabara Kazuma. These are my... er... classmates, Rooster Head and Samurai Boy." Even the insulting nicknames didn't wake the two from their shock.
'What gives with these two? I mean, Likka's pretty cute, I guess, but Yukina-san is way hotter than she is,' thought Kazuma. 'Why are they reacting this badly to her?'
Natsuki herself added, "Likka-tan is actually Matsudaira Daiji-sempai's sister-in-law. They're living together in Shibuya. Likka-tan, this is Myojin Yahiko, and that's Sagara Sanosuke."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yahiko! Sanosuke!" said Likka as a feeling of deja vu crept up inside her. Strange. Why did these two gentlemen look so familiar?
Sanosuke was able to squeak out, "A-Aoshi's living together with her?"
"Aoshi?" Kuwabara repeated. 'Who's that?'
Meanwhile, an embarrassed Likka slapped Natsuki's back hard and said with squeezed eyes and a weasel-like smile, "Don't tell them that I'm living together with Uncle Jiji! They'll get the wrong idea!"
"Ah. Sorry. Don't misunderstand. She has her own mansion and everything. She just likes to stay over Daiji-sempai's apartment every so often."
"AH! YOU'RE MAKING THE MISUNDERSTANDING WORSE, TSUKI-CHAN!"
"I-I'm sorry, Likka-tan!"
"S-So she's related to Shinomori Ao... I mean, Matsudaira-san?" Yahiko made a face as he said the actual name of Aoshi's present incarnation, as though he just ate a particularly sour umeboshi.
"Yeah, I guess. Like I said, she's his sister-in-law," said Natsuki before beckoning to Likka, "Let's go back home together, okay?"
A beaming Likka bobbed her head in assent. "Yeah! Let's! Goodbye, Rooster Head! Goodbye, Samurai Boy! Goodbye..." The young Ikumi thought long and hard before settling with, "Boke!" when referring to Kuwabara.
As the curly haired youth's mouth went agape, Sano and Yahiko couldn't help but give Likka a thumb's up sign for coming up with the same nickname as they did.
"Don't call me that, you cheeky brat!" raged Kazuma while shaking his fist at the diminutive, braided girl in a waitress outfit.
"E-heh! I'm just kidding! Goodbye, Kuwabara!"
After Likka and Natsuki finally left, Kuwabara turned towards the pair of resurrected spirits and asked, "What the hell was that all about? Did you two fall in love with that little girl or something?"
Kazuma then stumbled back as the pair screamed, "SHE'S WEASEL GIRL, BOKE!"
"Who in the world...?" asked Kuwabara. "Hey, that's not a nice thing to say about someone you just met! Even if she did call me Boke."
"No, you don't understand, Boke! That's Weasel Girl! I mean, Misao! Makimachi Misao! We've already met her a long time ago! She's one of our allies back in the Meiji Era! She's one of the Oniwabanshu, just like Aoshi!" said Yahiko in one breath.
Kuwabara blinked. "You mean like Natsuki, this Likka chick is also a reincarnation of one of your friends? Man, that's trippy. Small world, huh?"
"She's also the spittin' image of her past self, like Aoshi's reincarnation. You know, the detective guy!" said Sanosuke as he gave his bushy hair a tug or two. "Holy shit, does Aoshi know about this? I can't believe she can't even remember us!"
To Be Continued...
Next: A two-shot reunion.
Heto na,
Abdiel