A.N. (JUNE 2021) As of the time of writing, I've completed the Dark Tournament Saga and am currently finishing the first few chapters of Book 3. I didn't want to leave you guys with no content during the gap between books, so here's a fun little extra for you all.

The Golden Seal is not technically canon, and it's unclear where it actually falls in the YYH timeline. In my story, it's set in the time period between the end of rescuing Yukina and the start of the Dark Tournament.

I had way too much fun writing this bonus chapter, and now ironically this is the longest chapter in the series. Hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think!

PS. I've finally gone back and rewritten Chapter 19 of the Spirit Detective Saga. I rushed that one and was honestly never happy with it. That's changed now, so please check it out!

Sarah: Thankyou so very much for your kind reviews. Rest assured I've read every single one of them and they made me smile.

I don't own YYH, just my OCs.

Bonus Chapter: The Golden Seal

BRRRRING!

The final bell before summer break finally tolled. It was the most beautiful sound to any student.

"We're free!" Sakura spread her arms wide as soon as she cleared the front gate.

Keiko giggled. "Where's Yusuke? And Kuwabara? I thought they were meeting us here?"

"They were…" Sakura looked around, and felt her heart sink. "Oh damn… I bet I know where they are,"

"Miss Yukimura?" Mr Iwamoto appeared behind the girls. "Mr Takenaka would like a word with you before you leave,"

Sakura blinked. "What for?"

Iwamoto scowled. "I don't believe that's your concern, Miss Urameshi," he glowered. "Shouldn't you be more worried about that weed you call your twin? Wouldn't be surprised if he's already causing trouble somewhere,"

"Of course, Mr Iwamoto," Sakura replied sweetly. "That's a wonderful idea. Keiko, I'll see you later,"

The girls exchanged a glance, and Sakura hurried off towards the abandoned lot near the school.

Yusuke, if you're fighting those Rugafuchi punks again… !

"Give it a rest, guys," Yusuke smirked. "Your mommies are gonna get really pissed if I break all your faces at once,"

Kuwabara fanned his face in a melodramatic fashion. "Yeah, stop. It's not really fighting weather,"

Sakura sighed as she rounded the corner in time to see her brother kick the latest victim to the curb.

Another punk bites the dust.

It seemed the next round of the Rugafuchi versus Yusuke feud was in progress. For some reason a crowd of at least twenty more students waited nearby.

"Do I even want to know?" Sakura groaned.

Yusuke glanced over at her and went slightly pale. "Kura? What are you doing here?!"

"Looking for you," Sakura retorted. "Come on, you've made your point. Let's just go home,"

The tallest Rugafuchi student eyed Sakura. "So, Urameshi's sister decided to show up. Not a smart move, princess. You might get hurt,"

Yusuke stepped in front of Sakura. "Back off. She has nothing to do with this,"

"Ooh, I think we've finally found Urameshi's weakness," another gang member grinned. "About time,"

The self-appointed ringleader smiled. "Once you're out of our way, this whole city will be ours!" He nodded at his cronies and lunged for Sakura. "Let's finish this! The girl's mine!"

"Oh well. At least I tried for peace," Yusuke shrugged and raised his fists. "Kura, get back!"

"Yusuke!"

Sakura whipped her head around. "Botan?!"

The grim reaper was barrelling towards them on her oar, and she looked frantic. "I've got bad news. Very bad!" she cried.

Yusuke resembled a deer in the headlights. "I'm kinda busy!" he yelped.

"No time to spare! Come on, Sakura!" Botan called, and steered her oar through the enemy gang at a terrific speed. All of them were sent flying.

"Sheesh, Botan. You've been holding out on us!" Sakura reached out a hand, and Botan caught it, swinging the schoolgirl on the oar behind her.

"You wanna tell me what that was, Botan?" Yusuke was somehow managing to keep up with Kuwabara hurrying along in his wake. "I was about to set a record, you know!"

Botan barely glanced at the boys. She'd never looked so determined. "I'll explain when we get there. Something awful has happened!"

"Look, we just got on summer break!" Yusuke snapped. "If this is another stupid mission from Koenma, you can tell him I don't work holidays!"

"Not from Koenma," Botan said desperately. "For him. He's been kidnapped!"

That got everyone's attention. Especially Yusuke's. His eyes widened. "What?! Kidnapped?!"

"When did this happen?" Sakura gasped.

"Come on, we have to get back to Spirit World as quickly as possible!" Botan urged her oar onwards.

Yusuke's eyes locked with Sakura. Though confused, his expression hardened. Suddenly, it seemed like he was taking things a lot more seriously.

Botan led them through the halls of Spirit World. Kuwabara was fascinated by his surroundings (having never visited this realm before) but Sakura was still trying to comprehend what Botan had told them. Was this some kind of joke?

But as they entered Koenma's office, Sakura saw Jorge sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. A stone-faced Hiei was also present. At that moment, Sakura knew this was all too real.

She glanced at the fire demon. "Hiei? Didn't expect to see you here,"

"Neither did I," Hiei grumbled. He clearly thought this was utterly beneath him.

Sakura crouched beside the sobbing ogre. "Jorge," she said kindly. "It's alright, we're here. Talk to me. What's going on?"

Jorge looked at Sakura with streaming eyes. "Oh, Miss Sakura, it's awful!" he wailed, throwing his arms around her. "Mr Koenma… he's gone!"

"Would you stop crying and tell us what happened?" Yusuke sighed. "No offense pal, but pull yourself together,"

Sakura patted Jorge's back a little awkwardly. "There, there. Just take a deep breath and start from the beginning,"

"I was there," Jorge sniffled, but straightened up. "We'd gone to the beach so Koenma could wear his striped one-piece bathing costume,"

Yusuke looked revolted. "A bathing costume? What is this, 1905?"

"We go there once a year," Jorge continued. "It's a real treat, getting out of the office. Sure, we're still Koenma's slaves, but at least the weather's nice!"

He pressed a button on the screen in front of them, and footage from the incident began to play. Koenma was lounging around on the sand, being waited on hand and foot and surrounded by other sunbathers. The toddler looked happy as anything.

"Now this is the life!" he sipped from his drink. And yes, he really was wearing a striped one-piece. Apart from this ill-advised fashion choice, everything seemed normal to Sakura so far.

The scene changed to Koenma back in his usual robes. He had a blindfold on, and was about to take a crack at traditional watermelon splitting. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and screams filled the beach. The camera was knocked over, but kept rolling. Everyone watched in astonishment as a giant hand burst from the ground and snatched up a shrieking Koenma.

The hand belonged to a gigantic apparition. He faced the camera and spoke directly into it with an evil smirk.

"I am Garuga the Giant. I claim Koenma as my hostage. If you wish to save your master's life, you will bring the Golden Seal to the Valley of Magma by sundown tonight, or I will hurl him into the molten river below!"

Laughing maniacally, he dragged Koenma back below the sand as the tape ended.

Jorge was already sobbing into Sakura's shoulder again. "It all happened so fast. I didn't know what to do,"

"We'll get him back, Jorge," Sakura said soothingly. "Don't worry, it'll be ok,"

"So, what's this Golden Seal business?" Kuwabara asked the question on everyone's mind.

Botan crossed to Koenma's desk and began rummaging around for something. "Well, let's see… bingo!"

With the press of a button, the screen floated away. The wall behind it split open, revealing four more sets of hidden doors behind it. As the last one opened, a golden glint could be seen.

"Woah, fancy," Kuwabara sounded impressed.

Sakura gently extracted herself from Jorge, and approached the treasure. "Is that it, Botan?"

"That's the Golden Seal of King Enma the Great," Botan nodded, but didn't dare touch the seal. "It proves his reign, and makes official all the judgements of the dead. If this fell into the wrong hands, old judgements could be challenged and new, false decrees could be handed down, throwing all the Spirit World into chaos. King Enma himself could be stripped of his power and driven out of the realm,"

Kuwabara gritted his teeth. "And that monster punk's going to kill Koenma if we don't give it to him," he growled.

"King Enma would never want his seal to leave the castle," Jorge whimpered. "He doesn't even take it on business trips. But if we don't, we…" he burst into tears again. "What do we do? What would Mother say about me now?!"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Bratty toddler. Always getting me into something, isn't he?" Without hesitating, he picked up the seal and eyed it carefully.

"You can't touch it!" Botan squealed.

Jorge rounded on him. "That is hardcore blasphemy!"

"Oh give me a break," Yusuke sighed. "I can't go without the ransom, can I? If that monster figures out I'm not carrying this thing, Koenma will be dead from the start,"

Sakura nodded. "Think about it, guys. This is the only way to get him and the seal back, safe,"

"See, Kura gets it!" Yusuke ruffled her hair and tucked the seal into his pocket. "Let's not waste anymore time. Botan, can you lead the way?"

"Of course,"

Sakura looked thoughtful. "God, this mission is going to suck in my school uniform," she murmured. "But something doesn't add up,"

"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked almost impatiently.

"It's Garuga. I have a feeling he's not acting alone," Sakura muttered while massaging her temples. Her mind was going into overdrive. "He doesn't seem all that bright. And big dumb giants like him are usually just puppets, controlled by a stronger force,"

Her audience looked a little skeptical, but Sakura turned to the three-eyed demon. "Say, Hiei. You reckon you could use that Jagan eye to check…"

Crickets. Sakura blinked twice. "Hiei?"

"Hey, that's kind of freaky," Kuwabara looked around the room. "What happened to Hiei?"

"He was just here!" Botan murmured.

Kuwabara shrugged and gave a cocky smile reminiscent of Yusuke himself. "Probably got scared and ran home. No big deal though. We don't need Three Eyes to fight our battles for us. He's not the only tough guy we know!"

Sakura bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Kuwabara was about a second away from flexing his biceps.

"Good point!" Jorge gasped as if he'd just gotten an idea. "I'll go see if Kurama can help us too!" He hurried from the room.

Kurama! Sakura's heart leapt. "Maybe I should wait for him here and catch up with you…"

A hand gripped her shoulder. "Not a chance," Yusuke glowered. "We need you for scouting, Kura. Now move it,"

"Scouting?" Sakura blinked again. Her desire to see Kurama was clouding her usual intelligence.

Yusuke sighed. "Come on, scouting! You know, that thing the old guy taught you where you can see what's going on in real time? You should be able to see Koenma yourself,"

"Oh, yes. Tsunagu," Sakura nodded. "Thanks to my training, I can hold it for about a minute now. That should be enough, right?"

Kuwabara nodded. "We just need to see if he's ok,"

"Let's see…" Sakura took a breath and shut her eyes.

Yusuke's fist bopped her head. "Come on, we have to move it!"

"Jump on my oar, Sakura. You can watch while we travel," Botan urged. "There's no time to lose,"

Sakura clambered up behind Botan and made sure she had a firm grip. Botan sped towards the exit.

Tsunagu, show me Koenma! Sakura closed her eyes…

The Valley of Magma burned brightly. The river of fire bubbled, and waterfalls of magma streamed down all sides. It was a sinister place.

"No, no!" A tightly bound Koenma was dangling precariously from Garuga's hand over the molten lava, kicking and screaming.

"Your dumb little moronic pawns are leaving the Gate of Decision now!" A new voice snickered from the shadows.

"Who is this?" Koenma demanded. "Show yourself!"

"You don't recognise my voice?" The speaker gasped melodramatically. "That hurts!"

And then he appeared. A tiny little thing perched on Garuga's shoulder. He looked to be about Koenma's age, and the captive toddler recognised him instantly.

"Koashura? You're behind this?!" Koenma spluttered.

Koashura giggled and nodded happily.

"What are you trying to accomplish anyway, other than getting yourself killed?!" Koenma cried.

"Killed? Hardly!" Koashura sneered. "I'm going to be crowned King! Your little castle will be mine!"

Koenma nearly exploded. "Are you out of your mind?!"

His anger only made Koashura happier. "I'll get my hands on that seal, then it's a judgement free-for-all! Stamp, stamp, stamp! Sounds fun, right?"

"No, it sounds like a disaster!" Koenma wailed. "If my father finds out I've lost his seal, it'll be a whole lot worse than spankings for me. I won't have anything left to spank!"

Laughing, Garuga proceeded to tie Koenma to a wooden stake driven straight into the unstable cliff edge.

"At the rate these rocks are crumbling, I'd say you've got until sundown," Koashura's eyes glittered. This was better than he'd ever anticipated. "I mean, if you're lucky,"

A few more stones fell into the magma. "We go back a long time, Koenma," Koashura reminded him. "So I really hope your friends take Garuga's threat seriously. Seeing you melt would make me sad for days!"

Koenma shuddered. "Yusuke, Sakura… please hurry!"

Sakura pulled out of the connection. She was sweating slightly from the effort of holding it for that long, but it was encouraging to see the significant improvement in her skills.

Does this mean once we get to the Dark Tournament, I'll be able to hold it indefinitely?

"Sakura, give us the report. Did you see anything?" Botan had paused the oar and turned around.

Sakura nodded. "Koenma's alive, and appears to be unharmed for now. And like I thought, Garuga isn't the mastermind. He's working for someone else. It's this little brat named Koashura, and it sounds like he and Koenma have history,"

"Hang on," Yusuke frowned. "Are you saying the brains of the operation is some stupid kid?"

"In a manner of speaking," Sakura rubbed her forehead. What a bizarre case. "I wish I could've held it for longer, but I'm not strong enough yet,"

Kuwabara shook his head. "Nah, you're doing just fine, Kura. Now let's keep moving!"

"Faster, there's a long way to go," Botan was leading them into a huge quarry, apparently undergoing some kind of construction project?

Hold on, Koenma. We're coming! Sakura thought with all her might, but turned quickly when Kuwabara unexpectedly crashed to the ground.

Everyone stopped moving. Sakura jumped off the oar and took a defensive stance as Kuwabara stood up. "What's going on?" he growled.

Hands erupted from below the rocks in all directions, and in a few seconds they were surrounded by a horde of enemies.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Kuwabara demanded. Yusuke drew closer to his sister.

A green haired goblin wielding a blade stepped forward. "This land is under the control of the Jaki goblins," he grinned. "We can't let you pass without paying your toll!"

"That's cute you think we're important, but we don't have time to play games," Yusuke rolled his eyes. Bunch of weaklings. We can't afford to waste energy on them.

Kuwabara waved cheerfully and the group went to run along. "See ya!"

Another wall of goblins blocked their path. "It's dangerous for such a small group to be travelling with King Enma's seal!" the green-haired goblin called.

"What?" Yusuke snapped. He drew closer to his sister. How could they possibly know?

Green Hair leapt towards them. "It'd be safer to leave it with us!"

That was all it took for the punching to begin. "Kura, stay back!" Yusuke ordered as he leapt into the fray. But his warning reached the ears of the enemies standing closest to Sakura, and they instantly set their sights on her.

"She must be the weakest, let's get her!" one goblin nodded to his three companions. All four of them charged at Sakura with hands outstretched.

"Reflection Shield!" Sakura cried, and the four goblins were knocked unconscious by running straight into her barrier. Looks like I really am getting stronger. Thanks for the new move, Genkai!

She hurriedly looked for her group. Yusuke and Kuwabara easily took down the goblins who rushed them, and even Botan was holding her own with that oar.

"Hand over the seal, little girl!" someone snarled. A hand clamped down on Sakura's shoulder from behind, and a blade appeared at her throat.

Yusuke gasped and ran to Sakura's rescue. "Get away from her!"

But his intervention was unnecessary. Without even bothering to reply, Sakura immediately elbowed her attacker in the stomach.

"Wha-?" He choked. "How can you-?"

Having taken him by surprise, Sakura then surged spirit energy into her arms and successfully flung him to the ground where he lay motionless.

"Nice one!" Botan cheered.

Yusuke had almost reached Sakura. "Are you alright?!"

Sakura nodded quickly, but Yusuke suddenly looked up. He'd heard the rumbling. "HEADS UP!" he yelled. He was closest to Botan, and successfully pulled her out of the path of the falling boulders. Kuwabara dragged Sakura away at the last second. They could feel the impact of the stones hitting the ground. And more were on the way.

"Is everyone ok?" Kuwabara pulled Sakura up. She nodded, coughing from the dust cloud.

Yusuke was visibly relieved. "Yeah, keep moving. No time to waste!"

"Sakura!" Botan called frantically. Sakura jumped up on the oar again, and Botan began zigzagging between the falling rocks and other construction equipment threatening to crush them while still being pursued by the goblins. For Yusuke and Kuwabara, it was like the most impossible parkour obstacle course ever created.

A deep rumble made Sakura snap her head up again and she cried out. They were close to the way out, but the cliffs on either side were beginning to crumble, and in a matter of seconds they'd be trapped.

"Yusuke, hurry!" she yelled, pointing.

He was already on it. "Spirit Shotgun!" His most powerful move broke the rubble apart, buying just enough time for all four to escape.

Another chunk of the cliff tumbled into the lava. The stake Koenma was tied to began tilting backwards, "Please don't fall," Koenma whimpered. "Where's Yusuke?! Sakura, get that brother of yours here now!"

Koashura cackled. "I'm not sure those stupid twins will get here in time. Those roads are dangerous for humans!"

"What?!" Koenma spluttered. "You set up an ambush, didn't you?!"

Koashura stuck out his tongue. "I'm not telling you!" he said in a sing-song voice.

"Why would you do that?! Just to make me suffer?!" Koenma shrieked. "Please, I don't know why you're torturing me,"

Koashura growled and pointed an accusing finger. "Don't play stupid. You know exactly why! How could you forget your brutal victory and the misery you put me through? This is my revenge! Who's the winner now?!"

Neither of them noticed Garuga's devious smirk.

"How much further, Botan?" Sakura looked around nervously at the forest surrounding them. The twisted, leaf-free branches were so thick they seemed to be blocking the sun.

Botan brought the oar lower to the ground and reduced the speed. "Not much further. If we don't run into any more trouble, we should be there in time for sundown,"

Sakura shivered. "Sounds like we're cutting it close,"

"Hey, Kura," Yusuke said suddenly. "How do you figure those dumbasses knew we had the seal? It was like we'd been advertising it on a blimp or something,"

Sakura bit her lip. She'd been wondering the same thing. "I suppose it's possible that they read my mind, but it seems unlikely those creatures were telepathic,"

"Even if there were rumours in the castle, they couldn't have spread around that fast!" Kuwabara insisted darkly. "I think that Garuga dude has set a trap for us. And if that's true, he's probably set more,"

Yusuke opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly jumped aside with a scream. "Botan, look out!"

The vines around them seemed to spring to life. Botan swerved just in time while Sakura shrieked in fear. Kuwabara and Yusuke managed to avoid the initial trap, but not for long. The vines pursued all four of them, on the ground and in the air.

"Back the hell off!" Yusuke punctuated each word with a defensive blow. But as soon as he landed on his feet, the vines were upon him again. "Hey, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled as his wrists and ankles were trapped.

Kuwabara was attempting to hack through the vines with his Spirit Sword. "Kind of busy!"

"Yusuke, Kuwabara! I'm coming!" Sakura went to jump off the oar, but was forced to hang on for dear life. The vines were shooting in all directions and Botan was spiralling, tumbling and spinning in the most stomach churning choreography to evade them.

Botan raised a trembling finger and pointed. "It's the tree demon, Jugan! Over there!"

Yusuke and Sakura whipped their heads around. Jugan's emaciated skeletal body phased out of a large tree trunk.

"Hand over the Golden Seal, Detective!" He bared his terrifying fangs and shot more vines at the boys who had managed to temporarily free themselves.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke aimed, but Jugan almost lazily slipped into a neighbouring tree trunk.

Sakura called out desperately. "Yusuke, behind you!"

Yusuke pulled back, but it was too late. The flying creature Sakura had spotted struck Yusuke from behind. The vines around his ankles caused him to trip, and the Golden Seal flew out of his pocket. The newly arrived creature plucked the seal off the ground, and he carried it high out of reach.

"Damn you!" Yusuke roared.

The creature giggled triumphantly. "I hope you weren't planning to keep this seal," he crowed. "I, Shobi, will be taking this!"

"Give it back!" Botan yelled, hurtling towards the demon. As soon as they got close enough, Sakura launched herself off the oar and onto Shobi's back. She locked her arms around his neck and held on tight.

"I've got him!" she shouted. "Botan, can you grab the seal?!"

Yusuke desperately tore at the final root holding him down. "Kura, what are you doing?!"

"Stupid girl, get off me!" Shobi howled. He thrashed about, trying to shake her off, but Sakura's grip was vice-like.

Botan's fingers nearly closed over the seal just as Shobi's flailing arm smacked her in the face. Botan was knocked backwards off the oar and she fell to earth.

"Botan!" Yusuke and Sakura yelled simultaneously. Both Kuwabara and Yusuke tried to reach Botan in time, only to be caged in by Jugan's vines.

"Now I've got you!" The tree demon cackled. "Struggle all you want, that cage always grows back," Jugan shot his tendrils towards Botan for a killing stroke. "You'll perish one by one, starting with this girl!"

Yusuke's heart skipped a beat. "Botan!"

But just then, something familiar sliced through Jugan's tentacles, followed by the cage. Sakura saw a rose-haired figure leap from the ground and catch Botan safely in his arms.

"Who is that?" Jugan demanded. "Who dares interfere with me?!"

The newcomer smiled calmly. "If controlling dead wood is your only power, you're far out of your league,"

"Kurama!" Yusuke grinned briefly.

Shobi was still trying to throw Sakura off him. Sakura momentarily forgot the dangerous position she was in, and her heart fluttered at the sight of Kurama.

He's here!

Her grip on Shobi's neck slackened, and that was all he needed to wrench her arms away.

"Yusuke!" Sakura cried.

"Die, human scum!" Shobi hissed. His hands slowly released Sakura's wrists and with a shriek, she began her own fall.

Yusuke gasped. "KURA, NO!"

Sakura was braced for impact when she felt strong arms catching her. She opened her eyes to see emeralds gleaming out of the most handsome face imaginable.

Kurama's eyes showed concern. He set her down gently with his arms around her waist. "Sakura, are you injured?"

Sakura caught her breath and gave a weak smile at her saviour. "I don't think so," she stammered. "Thanks for -"

"KURA!" Suddenly Yusuke appeared, knocked Kurama out of the way and seized his twin. "Kura! Oh God, are you alright?"

Sakura's cheeks flamed. "I don't know, I might've cracked a nail, but I think I'll live,"

Yusuke glared at her. "What the hell were you thinking, you damn brat?!"

"What's this?" Shobi's furious disbelief spared Sakura from answering. "A demon, saving a filthy human girl? Disgraceful!"

"You shouldn't have done that," another voice growled from behind him.

Shobi barely had time to turn around in shock before a flash of steel ended his life. The Golden Seal fell from the demon's grasp, into an outstretched hand.

Sakura grinned in spite of herself. "So you came after all, short stack,"

"Hiei!" Kuwabara called with a smirk. "I thought you chickened out!"

Hiei snorted, but directed a faint smile at Sakura. "I wasn't going to leave this to you. Not when the Golden Seal is at stake. Here!" He tossed the seal to Yusuke and leapt up beside Kurama. "Get to Koenma. We'll deal with this!"

Yusuke waved and pulled Sakura's arm. "Don't have too much fun! Let's go, Kura!"

"But…" Sakura was torn between the desire to save Koenma, and her longing to be near Kurama. It occurred to her that this was probably the only reason Yusuke seemed eager for her to tag along and face the bad guys. All to keep her away from the fox demon.

It's alright, Sakura. Kurama was already prepping his Rose Whip. We won't be far behind.

Botan swung back onto her oar and held out a hand to Sakura. "Come on, Sakura. We have to hurry!"

Reluctantly, Sakura grabbed Botan's hand and climbed up behind her. You better be ok, Kurama. She sighed internally as they flew off.

Jugan phased out of his safe zone and charged forward as well. "That seal is ours!"

Kurama was already facing the Jaki goblins swarming in their direction with a smile. "Ambition of fools," he said lazily. "Rose Whip!"

Between Hiei's sword and Kurama's plants, the battle was over before it had truly begun.

"Think Yusuke will succeed?" Kurama asked mildly while cutting down the enemy.

Hiei barely looked up from his own adversary. "I have no idea, Kurama,"

"Clearly, you think he has some chance, or you wouldn't have given him the seal," Kurama chuckled.

Hiei smirked. "There is always luck,"

"Oh dear, look at the sun. It'll set any minute!" Botan moaned. "We're going to have to move a lot faster!"

The Valley of Magma loomed over them, but now that the quartet had made it out of the forest, they had a clear indication of how short the time really was.

"That's easy for you to say, you're on a floating oar!" Kuwabara squawked.

Sakura pointed ahead. "Oh crap, there's more coming!"

Another hive of demons were buzzing towards them, no doubt seeking the Golden Seal but Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't reduce their speed.

"What should we do about these guys?" Kuwabara wondered out loud.

"Trying not to get our heads cut off would be a good start!" Yusuke snapped.

Sakura wrapped an arm around Botan's waist so she wouldn't fall. "I have an idea. Reflection Shield!"

The apparitions who collided with Sakura's energy wall were knocked off the narrow runway edge in the manner of bowling pins after a strike.

"Nice one, Squirt!" Yusuke yelled with a grin while charging his fists and pummelling the obstacles in his path.

Kuwabara was hacking his way through the wave of demons with his trusty Spirit Sword. "Out of my way! Don't you jerkwads know you're fighting the strongest human warrior in the universe?!"

"Thanks for talking me up, Kuwabara," Yusuke called as he tossed another body aside. "But you should save some credit for yourself too!"

"Hang on tight!" Botan told Sakura, and rocketed up at a ninety degree angle. "The Valley of Magma is up ahead, just beyond those cliffs!"

Sakura looked down at the boys. "What do we do?!"

"Shoot, we're not gonna make it in time!" Kuwabara's sword sliced through three more demons which cleared a path for Yusuke. "Let me give you a boost. Alright now, Spirit Sword, get long!"

At his command, the energy sword extended past the remaining enemies and lodged into a rock pile at the base of the cliff. Yusuke leapt onto Kuwabara's back and the sword flung the boys high into the air.

"Jump, Urameshi!" Kuwabara bellowed.

Yusuke hurled himself off Kuwabara's back, as high as he possibly could.

"Grab on, Yusuke!" Sakura stretched out a hand to her brother…

More rocks crumbled from the cliff, and Koenma was officially losing it. "Damn it, Yusuke! Now's not the time to be a delinquent, you delinquent!" he shrieked.

For the first time, Koashura looked uncertain. "Let's pull him back a couple of feet," he muttered to Garuga. "If he falls in that magma, he really will be toast!"

"That's the idea sir. We didn't bring him here for the warm weather," Garuga snickered.

Koashura gave a gasp of genuine horror. "But he'll die!"

"That will be his minion's fault for not getting here on time!" Garuga replied with a crafty grin.

"Yeah, but -"

A furious voice screamed out from far above. "WAIT!"

Yusuke was standing at the valley entrance beside Sakura and Botan. He held up the treasure. "I have your stupid seal right here!"

"You brought it?!" Koenma's eyes bugged out.

"Of course I did!" Yusuke snapped. "I didn't have time to use my brain!"

Sakura went to jump down, but Yusuke caught her arm in warning. Stay right next to me, got it?! I don't trust either of them.

She nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Hang on, Koenma, we'll be down to help you in just a second!" she called out. The twins jumped to the ground.

"Alright, Koashura. We brought the damn seal, so release Koenma this instant!" Sakura's eyes flashed.

Koashura nearly fell over. "What? How do you know my name?" he hissed.

"That's neither here nor there, you little shrimp," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just let Koenma go right now!"

Koashura composed himself and puffed up his chest. "Henchman, prepare to make the trade!" he ordered.

Garuga slashed the rope binding Koenma and the toddler fell to the ground. Sakura made a move to retrieve him, but Yusuke seized her wrist again and shook his head a fraction to either side.

Don't go anywhere near them, Kura. Stay right here.

"So, you're going to hand it over, errand boy?" Koashura snickered.

"Get it yourself," Yusuke spat, carelessly throwing the seal. It bounced along the ground and came to a halt in the no-man's land between the two parties.

Koashura scampered forward and seized the treasure. "I can't believe I'm holding it. It's a dream come true! I finally won. You're finished, Koenma. I'm going to make you wait on me hand and foot for the rest of your miserable existence!"

Garuga loomed behind the boy and hauled him up in the air. "The Golden Seal is mine!" he cackled.

"What are you talking about?" Koashura raged. "You're just a hired hand!"

Garuga's smile widened. "It was useful to make you think that. Now I will be ruler of the Spirit World!"

"Say what?!" Koashura spluttered. "You tricked me!"

Sakura gasped. Oh crap! Garuga really was the mastermind!

Yusuke immediately pushed her behind him. What the hell is this?! Kura, whatever happens, stay back!

"I don't need you any longer!" Garuga hurled Koashura to the ground beside Koenma.

"You bastard! You set this thing up as a grab for power?!" Yusuke looked livid, and he barrelled towards Garuga before Sakura could stop him. "Give me back that seal!"

"And why would I do a ridiculous thing like that?" the giant laughed.

Yusuke aimed. "To save your stupid life! Spirit Gun!"

The energy beam soared through the air and hit Garuga squarely in the chest. But Sakura's heart clenched. Yusuke, that monster's chest just… opened!? What's going on?

"Mirror mirror, make him cower. Kill the boy with his own power!"

The Spirit Gun bounced off Garuga's torso and headed directly for Yusuke himself.

"NO!" Sakura shrieked and raised her hands. She'd never tried this move on anything as strong as Yusuke's Spirit Gun before, but what other option did she have?

"Reflection Shield!" Sakura's shield stopped the worst of the attack, but the force of what couldn't be blocked sent both twins flying backwards.

Botan ran to them. "Yusuke! Sakura!"

"Kura!" Yusuke hauled himself up on his elbows. "I told you to stay back!"

"Package deal, remember?" Sakura hissed. "You can't honestly expect me to do nothing!"

Now they could see what was really happening. Garuga had a reflective panel hidden under a chest plate that he could apparently open and close at will.

Garuga was eyeing Sakura with immense dislike. "So, the little girl has a few tricks," he growled. "You'll be the first to die!"

"Over my dead body!" Yusuke shouted.

The giant looked at the trio with gloating eyes. "I believe that can be arranged, boy,"

Sakura stood up with clenched fists. "No more games. Just who the hell are you?"

There was a blinding light as Garuga transformed. He emerged with much longer hair, deadly horns and a thick layer of armour around his swollen, muscular body.

"What? That's no common crook," Botan gasped. "That's Yasha, a demon on the most wanted list!"

Yusuke growled. "I'll take care of him. You two get Koenma!"

Sakura stayed exactly where she was, but Botan immediately jumped on her oar and made a beeline for Koenma, who was running around in panicked circles along with Koashura. They smacked into each other and fell dazed as Yasha loomed over them.

"You useless peons. Make way for your king!"

The giant kicked them aside, and both toddlers tumbled over the cliff edge. Koenma just managed to catch hold of a rock ledge halfway down, and Koashura gripped onto Koenma's waist for dear life.

"Botan, hurry!" Sakura cried.

The grim reaper was on it. "Hold on, Koenma! I'm on my way!"

Yasha's spiked tail swung out of nowhere and made a direct hit with Botan.

"Botan!" The twins screamed at the same time. Botan was knocked off the oar and fell to the ground at Yasha's feet where she didn't move.

Without thinking, Sakura ran forward. "Botan, please wake up!" She dropped to her knees at Botan's side just as Yasha's shadow fell across her.

"Kura, get away from him!" Yusuke yelled.

"I wonder how long you can survive against me, little girl," Yasha sneered. "If it's longer than ten seconds, I'll be astounded,"

Sakura glared up at Yasha and backed away slowly, so he wouldn't target Botan. "Funny, I've heard that from opponents before. And it's usually their last words to me, as well,"

Yasha roared with laughter. "Is that right? Well, I suppose I'll have to be the exception to the rule!"

I'm the only one who can act. Sakura glanced around, trying to come up with a plan. Botan's unconscious, Koenma's in danger and Yusuke's injured. I just have to fight until the other three get here. But how, when he can reflect all my attacks?

Yasha's claws came for Sakura faster than she expected, and she spun away a microsecond before he struck. The crater left behind in the ground showed Sakura how close she'd come to certain death.

"Kura, get back!" Yusuke hollered.

Think, Sakura! Think! There has to be some way you can damage him! She glanced up. Wait… his mirror only protects one part of him, right? In that case, I think I know what to do!

Sakura spun around again and let her energy fly. "Spirit Blast!"

"Have you already forgotten, little girl?" Yasha taunted, opening his mirror. "Those attacks just bounce right off!"

Sakura smirked. "Who said anything about aiming for your chest?"

Yasha's smile vanished. Sakura's orbs collided with the cliff face directly above his head. The rocks splintered apart and hot magma was pouring down on top of him from behind the wall. Yasha roared as the burning liquid splashed onto his back.

"What?" Yusuke's jaw dropped.

Sakura took advantage of the situation to approach the cliff edge and try to reach the two toddlers. "Koenma, I'm coming!"

Koashura went even whiter, and Koenma shrieked. "Sakura, behind you!"

She turned quickly. Yasha was advancing on her with a maddened look of fury. He didn't seem overly injured from the magma thanks to his armour, but his ego had been severely bruised by Sakura's clever move. "Insolent girl. You will pay most dearly for that!"

Yusuke was still trying to get up. "Don't you touch her!"

Yasha ignored him and swung his hand towards Sakura. If it connected with her, she'd be knocked backwards into the lava. Using the reflexes borne from her training with Genkai, Sakura flipped to the side of his hand and away from the edge.

"Missed me," she teased, but Yasha had been prepared for the evasion. No sooner than her feet touched the ground, Sakura received a deadly blow and went flying.

"NO, KURA!"

The hand was merely a ruse, a distraction from his swishing tail from the opposite direction, exactly where Sakura had landed. She slammed into the wall, though thankfully not hard enough to reveal any magma, and dropped several feet to the ground.

Yusuke could see blood dripping from Sakura's head, and his heart stopped for a second. "KURA!"

Sakura opened her eyes just in time to see Yasha's feet stopping in front of her before he seized her neck and pulled her up to eye level. She could hear Yusuke screaming her name, but it sounded strangely quiet.

Maybe I'm already dying.

"I could easily crush your throat with the slightest pressure," Yasha hissed. "But after the trouble you've caused, that wouldn't be sufficient,"

Black spots were beginning to cloud Sakura's vision as her brain was deprived of oxygen. But just as the pressure around her neck became unbearable, it released and she once again fell to the ground. Sakura coughed and spluttered, trying to crawl away at the same time.

"Where do you think you're going, girl?" Yasha's foot came down on her ankle. SNAP!

Sakura felt her bones break like twigs, and Yasha kicked her aside while Yusuke kept screaming for his twin. Sakura came to a halt at the very edge of the cliff. She raised herself up as Yasha approached. Tears of pain were sliding down her face, but she refused to scream.

"You want more?" Yasha smiled, raising his foot.

"STOP IT!" Yusuke bellowed. Yasha turned around, almost in annoyance.

Yusuke struggled to his feet. "You asshole… get away from my sister!" He was already surrounded by an aura, one fuelled by rage at what Yasha had done.

Sakura quickly glanced down. If she fell from this exact spot, she'd land directly on the ledge and be able to pull both Koenma and Koashura to safety even with a broken ankle. It was the only option. If she didn't get out of Yasha's reach now, he'd definitely throw her into the molten river, or worse, use her as a shield.

Yusuke, you're not going to like this. But please, trust me! This is the only way to save Koenma, and myself!

Her brother gritted his teeth and nodded slightly. Do what you have to do. I'll handle this jerk.

Rather than intimidated, Yasha looked pleasantly surprised. "Oh, so you're the sort who feeds off his own anger,"

"You've got that right!" Yusuke was racing at him, full force. "I'm gonna mess you up!"

He launched himself through the air and began raining lightning-fast punches on Yasha, who blocked every single one.

Sakura pulled herself closer to the edge, took a breath, and rolled straight off it. Thankfully, she only fell a few feet before she landed heavily on the rock edge in front of Koenma's terrified face.

"Sakura!" Koenma squeaked. "Help!"

Though relatively immobilised by her broken bones, Sakura crawled forward and managed to seize Koenma's hand before pulling both toddlers up. "Koenma, are you alright?"

"Yes, but what about you?" Koenma gasped, staring at the laceration on Sakura's forehead, and her rapidly swelling foot.

Sakura gritted her teeth. "It'll be fine once Botan heals it. We have bigger problems to worry about now,"

She glanced up. Yusuke, we're all fine. Don't worry about us!

"Thank you, thank you!" Koenma's tears continued to fall. He looked as though he could've kissed Sakura. "I should've made you the Spirit Detective instead of Yusuke!"

Koashura sniffled. "Th-thankyou, Miss Sakura," he couldn't seem to look her in the eye.

"Don't think you're off the hook, kid," Sakura growled. She could hear the battle between Yasha and her twin raging above. "And both of you stay close to me. This isn't over yet,"

Sakura's shimmering energy barrier swelled around the three of them. It's not much, but it should deflect any falling debris or stray energy blasts. I just hope that's enough for now.

Yasha caught Yusuke's fist in his hand. "A nicer foe would praise you for fighting through your injury, but not me!"

He held Yusuke out by one arm, and sank his own fist into the boy's stomach, propelling him backwards onto the ground.

Yusuke... Sakura bit her tongue. There was nothing she could do. If she made a sound, it might draw Yasha's attention to them. And she was useless with this broken foot. Where the hell are the others?

BANG! Yusuke didn't have time to stand or think before Yasha kicked him several metres. BANG! Another kick sent him skidding right to the cliff edge where Sakura had rolled off seconds before.

His eyes widened as he saw Sakura huddled on the narrow rock shelf between solid ground and bubbling lava with Koenma and Koashura, but again, there was no time to react properly before Yasha's hand clamped down on his head.

BANG! Yusuke crashed straight through a giant boulder. BANG! Yasha's tail knocked him through a second boulder, before throwing him clean across the magma valley and into the cliff on the opposite side.

Sakura's heart was aching every time her brother took a hit. Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei, wherever you are, you'd better hurry!

And still, Yasha showed no mercy. Before Yusuke had even put a dent in the wall, Yasha was there, ramming him further into the unforgiving stone face. Yasha sprang back and landed on the main stone platform.

"That will teach you your place," he laughed at Yusuke's limp body crumpling to the ground.

"Yusuke, no!" Koenma whimpered.

Koenma's wailing had caught Yasha's attention, and his eyes locked onto them. A smile spread across his face. He began walking over, not noticing that three newcomers had finally arrived.

Sakura's heart leapt. She couldn't see very well from her awkward position, but the energy signal told her exactly who had crashed the party. She heard someone gasp in horror, presumably at the sight of Yasha's assault on Yusuke.

Kurama! We're over here!

Kurama's eyes scanned the area, looking for Sakura. Where?

"So there you are," Yasha snickered down at the rock ledge. "Did you think I'd forgotten about you three?"

Sakura's stomach dropped. Her pain was zapping all her strength. If Yasha fired a blast, her energy shield would be shredded like tissue paper. They'd be dead for sure!

Kurama, Kuwabara, please hurry!

Kuwabara noticed the rock ledge where Koenma was cowering, along with…

"Look, there's Koenma! And… oh crap. It's Kura!"

Horror shot through Kurama. Sakura! Hold on!

"It's your choice," Yasha taunted above Koenma and Koashura's cries of fear. "You can either let me crush you, or you can take a dip in that magma below!"

Sakura glared at him. "You monster!"

A dangerous calm settled over Kurama. "Let's move!" he growled.

"Hey, what are you talking to them for?!" Yusuke's voice rang out behind Yasha. "I'm not done!"

The giant turned around. He looked half-irritated, half-impressed at the sight of Yusuke getting back on his feet. "There's no way!" he hissed. "That attack should've broken every bone in your body. How can you still be asking for more? Why are you risking your life for that privileged seven hundred year old toddler?"

"Because if it weren't for that privileged toddler, I wouldn't have a life to risk!" Yusuke shot back.

Koenma's eyes went misty. "Yusuke…?"

"And now you're paying him back?" Yasha replied mockingly. "I feel so warm and fuzzy!"

"Well, try to enjoy it, because pretty soon you won't feel anything at all!" Yusuke snapped.

He's distracted. Our chance has come. Just hold on, Sakura! Kurama glanced sideways at Hiei and Kuwabara. "Let's help the others," he muttered.

Kuwabara nodded. "I'll get Botan, you guys take care of those three,"

Hiei gave a small grin and leapt into action. He and Kurama made a beeline for the rock ledge.

Yusuke saw that his friends were there, and that they were in the process of getting his sister to safety. Kuwabara reached Botan's side and gently lifted her upper body. Kurama's rose whip was already grown by the time he arrive at the cliff edge, and he quickly lowered it within Sakura's reach.

"Hold tight," he smiled, but that quickly faded when he saw Sakura's clearly broken ankle. She shook her head before he could ask questions and handed the whip to Koenma.

"Take these two first," Sakura ordered. "No arguments. I'm the one with a broken bone,"

Reluctantly, Kurama nodded and began pulling the two small children up to the top. Sakura gripped the rocks as best she could for stability, and allowed herself to check on the resuming fight.

"You shouldn't have stood up," Yasha laughed contemptuously at Yusuke before springing towards him. "I'll leave no trace of you. Say goodbye!"

Yusuke took one look at the spiked giant, and raised his right hand. "Spirit Gun!"

Just as Yusuke's attack fired, Kurama's whip appeared in front of Sakura again. "Sakura, come on. Hurry!"

She seized the vine in her hands, ignoring the sharp thorns digging into her skin. "I'm ready!"

And not a moment too soon. Yasha's chest plate opened to deflect Yusuke's shot and the resultant shockwaves caused the ledge Sakura had taken refuge on to crumble beneath her. Kurama yanked with all his might, and hauled Sakura up over the edge into his waiting arms.

"You're safe now, Sakura," he murmured, holding her gently. "You'll be alright,"

"Kurama, look out!" Hiei called before Sakura could reply. Yasha had reflected Yusuke's blast, but Yusuke had stepped aside and caused the spirit gun to destroy the wall behind him. Boiling hot magma sprayed out of the rock, sending Yasha flying back, but the wave of lava was also heading right for all of them.

Sakura's scream seemed to stick in her throat, but the boys were ready. Hiei swept Koashura and Koenma to one side. Kurama pulled Sakura close and leapt away. They landed next to Botan, who had come around and was being supported by Kuwabara.

"Clever move," Botan breathed.

Kuwabara grinned. "He finished him! Kura, are you ok? What happened to your leg?"

Again, Sakura was interrupted by an infuriated roar as Yasha jumped out of the fiery pit. He was covered in glowing magma, but he was still very much in the game.

"I'm surprised," he sneered. "You're a dirty little trickster, but it takes more than molten rock to kill me,"

Yusuke's jaw clenched. Damn it, and here I was getting my hopes up!

"I'll make you regret that!" Yasha was already charging him. He was ready to end this.

Sakura gasped. "Yusuke, NO!"

"Alright Yusuke," He was already standing, and gathering his energy. "This is the last of your power. Make it count!" With a yell, Yusuke jumped up to meet Yasha in the air.

Yasha howled with laughter. "You're through!"

"Take a closer look at your chest plate, pal!" Yusuke roared, and aimed his hand.

"What?" Yasha looked down in horror. The magma had dried over his torso, preventing the use of his ultimate move. "My mirror, it's sealed shut!"

"SPIRIT GUN!"

The screaming giant was completely engulfed by Yusuke's energy, and his screams faded along with his evil life. Yusuke fell back onto the cliff edge. He didn't have anything left, but he grinned. It was done.

Gotcha.

Magma was still streaming from the hole above him, and it dissolved the section of rock that Yusuke was lying on.

Sakura made a desperate move as her brother plummeted towards his doom. "YUSUKE!"

Botan gasped and jumped on her oar. "Yusuke, I'll save you!" she weaved around the falling debris, and stretched out her hand to Yusuke.

"Botan!" Yusuke caught hold of it about a metre above the lava. "You're gonna hold this over my head, aren't you?"

An unexpected, bright golden gleam caught everyone's attention.

"Look, the Golden Seal!" Koenma cried happily. The seal almost lazily floated through the air, landing safely in Yusuke's outstretched hand.

"Oh, thank God…" Sakura whimpered. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, and slumped against Kurama.

He carefully lowered her to the ground and examined the cut on her forehead. "Sakura, are these the only injuries you have?"

Sakura's skin seemed to tingle under his touch. "Y-yes. I think so,"

"Let me guess, you ran into the fight without considering whether you could actually win," Hiei snorted, but his eyes were dancing with amusement. "You really are a reckless fool, Sakura,"

Sakura stuck out her tongue. "Actually, I thought it might be a good supplement for our training sessions," she snickered, then winced in pain and put a hand to her head.

"Just stay still," Kurama ordered, just as Yusuke and Botan approached.

"Kura!" Yusuke hurried to his twin and seized her in a tight hug. "Are you ok?"

She nodded. "I'll live. What about you?"

"Oh dear, let me see," Botan clicked her tongue and carefully looked over Sakura's injuries. "I can take care of the gash easily enough, but that broken bone might take a day or so to fully heal,"

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "Worry about Yusuke. He's in worse shape than me,"

"Oh, of course," Botan smiled. She reached inside her kimono, and pulled out some bandages. She handed one to Kurama, and he carefully began the slow process of removing Sakura's shoe and strapping her broken foot.

It would appear you've done us all proud. Kurama smiled. He didn't seem at all concerned with the looks Yusuke was shooting in his direction. They won't recognise you once we get to the Dark Tournament.

Sakura flushed. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to win. It was more about buying time until you three arrived.

Kurama drew closer and stroked his thumb over the gash on Sakura's forehead. "You fought bravely, Sakura. I'm proud of you," he said softly.

Sakura felt her insides melting. "Thank you," she whispered.

Yusuke cleared his throat loudly, and Kurama finally stepped back, albeit reluctantly. Botan had just finished tending to Yusuke, and was placing his arm in a sling.

"I can dress these wounds more properly as soon as we get back to the castle," she said to the twins.

"I'll be fine," Yusuke's cocky grin finally reappeared.

Everyone finally looked at Koashura, who'd been snivelling and crying since Sakura had first pulled him to safety.

"Koashura, you're far from a hardened criminal, so why would you do this?" Koenma asked sternly. "You mentioned something earlier about revenge?"

Instead of answering, Koashura burst into floods of tears. By now, Kuwabara had finally lost patience and clocked the toddler over the head.

"Shut up!" he snapped angrily. "Crying's not gonna help you!"

"I had a perfectly good reason!" Koashura screeched. "It all goes back to our 250th year of Spirit World Kindergarten! Kotennyo was a girl I'd had a crush on for decades. It was her birthday, and I'd brought her a killer present..."

Koashura nervously stood before Kotennyo, blushing and hiding a beautifully wrapped gift behind his back.

"What did you want to talk about? " Kotennyo asked sweetly. "We're missing recess,"

Koashura pawed the ground with his foot. "Oh, well, I um…"

"Hey Kotennyo!"

It was the literal definition of crashing the party. Koenma appeared from nowhere, jumping on top of Koashura's head and inadvertently trampling the gift in his hurry to get to Kotennyo.

"Happy birthday, beautiful!" Koenma presented a lavish bouquet of flowers to his sweetheart.

Kotennyo's eyes lit up. "No-one else remembered!" She kissed a beaming Koenma on the cheek and they flounced off, arm in arm.

It was as though Koashura had ceased to exist. He watched in absolute horror, and his tear-stained face morphed into an expression of fury.

"Some day I'll make him pay for that real good!" he hissed.

Not one person could believe what they were hearing. Sakura was the first to speak. "So you're saying that all of this was over a…girl?"

Koashura nodded. Yusuke's jaw dropped. "What? That seems like a good reason to you?!"

"She was pretty!" Koashura whined.

"Yeah, and we were supposed to be on summer vacation!" Kuwabara smacked Koashura over the head again, leaving the toddler sobbing hysterically.

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "I guess we can consider this case officially closed?"

Botan blinked. "Well, yes. I believe we can,"

"Great," Sakura heaved herself up on her elbows. "Can someone help me stand? I want to go home,"

Kurama and Kuwabara exchanged a look with Botan and Yusuke, and the four of them burst out laughing. Even Hiei cracked a smile.

Sakura frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Stand?" Kuwabara repeated incredulously while wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Kura, are you crazy? You can't walk like that!"

"But I -"

Yusuke reached over and playfully socked her shoulder. "You wouldn't last three steps, you damn brat," he chuckled. "Botan?"

Botan got ahold of herself long enough to summon her oar. "Your chariot awaits, my lady," she teased.

"But Yusuke, you're hurt worse -"

"Shut up," Yusuke advised. "Seriously. In case you didn't realise, my legs are fine and I don't walk on my hands,"

Sakura crossed her arms and scowled, but finally relented. "Fine!" she hissed.

Kurama was still laughing as he approached Sakura. "Stubborn as ever," he smirked at her blushing face while lifting her up onto Botan's oar.

Sakura could see Yusuke's clenched jaw twitching with annoyance at their proximity, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Kurama hadn't been this close to her since Maze Castle, but at least this time, she was conscious, and could relish the feel of his strong arms supporting her. It was only momentary, but she could've sworn his eyes swept over her lips with an almost hungry look. But then she blinked, and the look was gone.

Maybe I imagined it.

Sakura set her crutches aside and leaned back on the park bench. "So Botan, what's the latest on the Golden Seal debacle?"

Her bandaged foot was still tender and stiff. Botan had used most of her healing energy on Yusuke's more serious injuries, so she'd likely be limping around on those damn crutches for another day.

"Everything is settled," Botan reported happily. "The seal was returned safe, and the mission was judged a complete success,"

"Glad to hear it," Sakura smiled.

Yusuke ruffled his sister's hair. "What happened to that Koashura brat?"

"Well, that beating he got from Yasha counted towards his punishment, so he only got ten thousand spankings. Which Koenma also got for allowing himself to be kidnapped,"

Sakura raised an eyebrow as Yusuke burst out laughing. "Wow, victim blaming much?"

"It's not really funny, Urameshi," Kuwabara scolded. "If you hadn't figured out that busting that wall would spray magma on that guy and keep his mirror thing from opening, he probably would've killed us all. And then who knows what would've happened to Spirit World!"

Yusuke paused. His eyes widened. "Yeah, that was some kind of fluke!" he laughed even harder.

Kuwabara joined in, but only for a second as the weight of Yusuke's idiocy hit home. "WHAT?!"

"A fluke?!" Botan squeaked.

Sakura sighed. "Yusuke, you want to tell them, or should I?"

"Well yeah, it's not like I planned it," Yusuke giggled. "Kura was the one who realised there was magma in the walls. I shot him cause I ran out of ideas,"

Sakura massaged her temples. "I swear to God, Yusuke,"

"What kind of spirit detective are you, Urameshi?" Kuwabara grabbed him by the collar.

"You need more training!" Botan said sternly.

Yusuke jumped to his feet and dodged the crutch Sakura poked at him. "Ooh, I'm sorry guys. I just remembered I've got a date with Keiko. See you later!"

"Get back here Yusuke!"

"We won't take it easy. You don't take the near-apocalypse easy!"

Sakura staggered to her feet. "Don't worry, guys. I'll punch his teeth in later,"

"Oh, Kura!" Kuwabara quickly caught her unsteady frame. "We should get you home,"

Botan nodded and handed over the crutches. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I promise I'll be able to finish healing that up tomorrow,"

"It's fine," Sakura smiled briefly. "But it's hot. How about we grab some ice cream first?"

Botan opened the front door of the Urameshi apartment and helped Sakura hobble inside. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked rather anxiously.

"Of course I will, Botan. Don't worry," Sakura glanced at the empty apartment. Atsuko had gone out again. "I'll just order in for dinner, and get an early night,"

"Well, if you're sure," Botan didn't seem overly convinced, but she dropped the topic. "Rest up. I'll be back first thing in the morning to finish healing you,"

She left, and Sakura was finally able to make the slow journey to her bedroom. Her door swung open, and she was greeted by a gorgeous, unknown fragrance.

Sakura's heart started pounding. What's that?

Cautiously, she peeked inside, and saw the most perfect rose on her windowsill. Sakura froze. There was only one person in her life who would leave a flower in her room. Was this a dream?

She limped over and picked up the rose. The stem had no thorns to speak of, and the petals were a deep, rich red. She'd never smelled anything so beautiful in her life. Lying beneath the rose was a short note in flawless handwriting.

Be safe, Sakura.

Sakura clutched the note and the rose to her chest. Tears of delight flooded her eyes, and she fell backwards onto her bed with a happy sigh.

Looks like this will be the most memorable summer yet.

A.N. Hope you had as much fun reading this bonus chapter as I did writing it. Sakura sends her love, and we can't wait to see you all July 1st for the launch of Chapter Black!