The Yearning - 2
The six visitors stood, mouths agape at the figure who stood in front of them. He was a distinctly feminine male, with long, flowing hair that dangled in locks over both of his ears. He was of average height, and was wearing a simple white T-shirt and black sweat pants. He looked to each of them and smiled, taking the opportunity to kneel down on a cushion that he had placed on the floor.
He was nearly knocked over by the flush of his friends, who engaged in a continuous mixture of hugging, hand-shaking and otherwise friendly notions of welcome. After each of them calmed down, Kurama beckoned to six blue cushions, similar to his own, that had been placed in a row.
"Welcome to my home, all of you," He said, smiling. "Please, have seats. You probably have many questions for me."
"Yeah, like, 'Did you send out these notes'?" Rinku asked, pulling his note out as he did so. The others followed suit after him.
Kurama nodded. "Yes, it was I who sent those to you. I had Botan and Hiei looking all over the place to track all six of you down, but I think it'll be worth it that I did so." He grinned.
Jin laughed. "So that's how you were able to find us! You had some messengers helping you out, eh?" He flashed a toothy grin to Kurama, who nodded in turn.
"Indeed. There was no way I would have been able to find you all without their help. Botan looked all over Ningenkai, and Hiei just added you all in his rounds of Makai. I hope I didn't intrude on any pressing business."
Rinku laughed. "Of course not! So what have you been up to lately, Kurama? Have you stayed in Ningenkai this whole time? None of us have really seen you around, I don't think."
Kurama nodded. "Yes, after we last parted ways, I spent six years in a human university to receive a degree in botany. After that..."
"Botany?" Shishiwakamaru asked in his best attempt to sound uninterested. "What is that?"
"It is the study of plants." Kurama explained. "After I finished, I decided to put my new knowledge to the test, and spent a few years journeying all over this country of Japan, studying its plant life. I put all notes together and hope to publish it soon."
"A book? Is that the kind of book that you read?" Chuu asked, tossing both of his empty flasks on the ground.
Jin groaned and covered Chuu's mouth with his hands. "Don't mind this idiot." His eyes began wandering around the dark room. So are you living in this place now? Is this your home?"
"Yes, the local humans were under the impression that this mountain was haunted by demons, and that there was a beautiful house at the top that was abandoned. After a bit of...exterminating, I was able to claim this place as my home. The humans don't know of this, so they leave me alone." Kurama laughed.
Rinku elbowed Chuu. "That's why that crazy ningen wouldn't give us a ride all the way up the mountain." He said quietly.
"That's fantastic, Kurama." Suzuki said, glancing around the room as well. He turned back to Kurama. "So how are Yusuke and Kuwabara and Hiei and everyone else doing? Are there all still doing well in their lives?"
The six saw Kurama look down slightly. "Most of us are doing well. Yusuke and Keiko were married several years ago, as were Kuwabara and Yukina." He chuckled a bit. "We were going to invite you all to the weddings, but we could never find you."
Jin's eyes widened. "Yusuke and Kuwabara...Those fools actually got married? Wow." He said, contemplating the thought. "It seems strange to think of Yusuke as a married man, now."
Touya looked at Jin, surprised. "You honestly didn't think that they'd get married to Keiko and Yukina sooner or later? It has been a decade, after all." He looked to Kurama. "What of Hiei? I had heard rumors that he and Mukuro were planning marriage soon as well."
Kurama laughed. "It seems that everyone wants Hiei and Mukuro to get married except them. But no one is doubting their love, and I expect that it'll happen soon enough. Those two will take a long time to admit their feelings for each other, though." He smiled again. "Did any of you hear of what happened at last year's Makai Bujutsukai?"
The others nodded, prodding Kurama to continue. "They actually met in the finals, so there was obviously no point in them fighting since they were on the same side. The crowd was quite disappointed to have duel winners for the first time."
An owl could be heard hooting outside as everyone laughed. Rinku sighed. "Well, that's good. What of Genkai? How is she?"
Kurama frowned. "Unfortunately, Master Genkai passed away two years ago. She is now in the spirit world."
A pin could be heard dropping in the room. The others looked at Kurama in surprise. Jin was having trouble biting back tears. "Master Genkai is...dead?"
"Sad but true." Kurama said. He waved a hand in front of the others. "Please don't fill your hearts with sorrow. Genkai was over eighty years old when she left us. She lived a wonderful life, and Koenma had better be rewarding her well for it."
An awkward silence followed for several minutes, as Kurama realized it would be best to let the others soak in the information. Suzuki finally spoke. "Did she go peacefully?"
Kurama smiled and nodded. "Yes, in her sleep, with all her friends at her side."
"That's good." Rinku managed to blurt out. Another moment of silence ensued, finally prompting Kurama to continue. He breathed heavily, and began speaking again. "In any event, you're all probably wondering why I've summoned you all here. Would any of you like some tea before I begin?" He asked.
Shishiwakamaru shook his head vehemently. "Just get on with the matter of why we're here."
Kurama laughed. "I can see you haven't changed in this past decade, Shishiwakamaru. Very well. I shall begin explaining now. You see..."
"Is Makai...Is Makai in trouble again?" Chuu asked, beginning to stutter. Suzuki smacked his cheek. "Fool!" He cried. "Kurama was just able to tell us why we're here! See if you can shut up for five seconds!"
"Thank you, Suzuki." Kurama said. "As I was saying, it all began..."
"There, it's been five seconds!" Chuu laughed again. He was met with five blows to his hard head immediately after, and he tumbled onto the floor of the dojo, apparently content with his resting place.
Kurama only looked on, amused. "Perhaps it would be best if he took a little rest, I suppose. Very well. As you all know, next year is 2005, and time again for another Ankoku Bujutsukai. Have any of you been keeping track of that tournament, and who's been winning?"
Touya closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, none of us have really been in the same place for too long to hear things of that nature."
"I see." Kurama nodded. "Well, Team Urameshi has been the victor for the past three tournaments, in 1993, 1997 and 2001..."
"Wow!" Jin exclaimed, starting to hover in the air. "That's some accomplishment, Ku! I don't think any team's won three teams in a row! You oughta be proud of yourselves, ya know!" He said, managing to suppress a small yawn as he spoke in the air.
"Yes, we're all happy we've been able to win. And we're going to be entering the tournament again next year. Unfortunately, it will be Team Urameshi's final entry into that tournament."
Chuu got back on his knees. "W...Why's that?"
"Yes, why ruin such an excellent winning streak? You could probably be the victors for several more years." Touya added.
A small drizzle began falling down in the night sky outside. Kurama shrugged. "Several reasons, I suppose. I imagine that the audience is getting tired of seeing us holding the trophy every time."
Shishiwakamaru grunted. "That's no reason to give up. If you're the best, you could continue showing it."
"It's not just that. Yusuke has expressed interest in settling down with Keiko as well. And then there's the problem with Kuwabara."
"What problem?" Suzuki asked. "Is he in poor health?" The others looked to Kurama in alarm.
"No, no, not at all. You see..." Kurama thought for a moment. "When we first entered the tournament, the team was Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and Genkai. Now that Genkai is gone, only four of us are left. And after this tournament, there will be just three of the original team members left, and..."
"What do you mean?" Suzuki asked, narrowing his eyes.
"What I mean to say is that Kuwabara is 28 years old now. In another four years he'll be 32, an age that's really too old for humans to be putting their lives at such an alarming risk. Kuwabara's at the peak of his power right now, after all."
Rinku shrugged. "So? Why should that stupid ningen keep you from fighting?"
Kurama sighed. "Kuwabara has been a tremendous partner and friend all these years. None of us - Not even Hiei - really want to continue participating in the tournament if Kuwabara's not on our team. I'm sorry if you don't understand that, but we're all happy with being four-time champions and nothing more."
"We understand, Kurama." Touya nodded. "But what does that have to do with summoning us? Did you want us to be in the audience for the tournament? Because if you do, we'd love to."
"Yeah!" Jin laughed, flying in the air hurriedly. "We'll see Yusuke get to tear everyone to pieces again! That'd be great!"
Kurama closed his eyes and smiled. "It's so good to know that none of you have changed." He said to himself. Looking up at the air, he extended his arms. "Calm down, Jin. That's not exactly what I had in mind."
"Then what?" Shishiwakamaru asked a bit impatiently.
"We all would be honored if the six of you would enter the tournament together. As a team, I mean." Kurama added quickly.
"What!?" Kurama was met with six surprised stares. "It's been a full decade since we were last in the tournament!" Rinku exclaimed.
Kurama nodded. "Exactly, and that's why we want you all to enter again. Seeing that this is our last time in it, Yusuke and all of us would love the opportunity to fight with you all again, one team against another." He smiled.
Jin and Chuu looked at each other, grinning. "The chance to fight Yusuke again? Sounds like a good idea to me." They said in unison. "Count us in!" Jin said, facing Kurama.
"I shall." Kurama grinned. He turned to Rinku next. "What about you, Rinku? I know Kuwabara's itching for a rematch with you."
Rinku stuck out his tongue. "That stupid ass doesn't stand a chance against me, but I'll go along, just so I can crush him into the ground again." He said, whipping out his yo-yos and twirling them around.
"That's not exactly how I remember things happening, but it's fine nonetheless. Touya? I'd be honored to fight you again." Kurama said.
"And you shall." Touya said slowly, forming two swords of ice on his hands. "And this time I intend to win."
Kurama laughed. "We will see." He looked to the final two. Shishiwakamaru had his eyes closed, apparently in deep thought, and Suzuki was playing with different rainbow colors in his hand. "Are you two interested in fighting again? I know that neither of you will be able to get a rematch with Genkai, but..."
Suzuki looked up. "That's no matter. If Shishiwakamaru wants to fight, I won't be the only person not to. What do you think, Shish?"
"Don't call me that." Shishiwakamaru snapped. "You know full well that I prefer to go by my full name, Shishiwakamaru, and nothing else. And to you, Kurama, I am undecided." Suddenly Shishiwakamaru's body began dissipating and shrinking. After a few seconds his body had shifted into that of a strange demon creature, somewhat resembling his normal form. Equipped with fangs and clawed feet, the creature was dressed in a tiny white kimono. It fluttered onto the shoulder of Suzuki and glared at Kurama. "Very well. I'll participate, but only because all these buffoons are partaking in it as well. I must ask a question, though."
Kurama nodded. "Yes, what is it?"
"What's the point of that tournament, anyway?" Shishiwakamaru asked, a bit angered. "After all, we have the Makai Bujutsukai now. It seems pointless to enter a tournament that's pretty much worthless."
"It's not worthless." Kurama said. "It's like...Well, do you know the two most popular tournaments for humans to participate in?"
"One's the one where all the guys hit that stupid little ball all over the place, right?" Jin asked. "I never understood that game."
"Yes, they play football at one of them, called the World Cup. The other tournament is called the Olympics. Are you familiar with both of those games, Shishiwakamaru?"
Shishiwakamaru sighed and nodded. "Of course, but what do those have to do with anything?"
"The Makai tournament is like the Olympics in that everything rests on just yourself to win. With the World Cup, as well as the Ankoku tournament, there is a team, working together. With that regard, the tournaments are quite different from each other, each with their own merits. Do you see?"
"I suppose. Still, I think it's pointless. But in any case, I shall join, if just to please everyone else."
Kurama laughed. "I understand completely." He clasped his hands together. "Well, this is excellent. I was truly hoping that you would all fight in this Ankoku Bujutsukai. It will make Yusuke very happy when I tell him."
"Who is going to be on your team, now that Genkai is no longer with us? They demand that you have six members on your team."
"We're still unsure. Hiei was considering asking Mukuro to fight with us, and I understand Yusuke might even recruit his pet, Puu. That's certainly be interesting to see in a fight."
The others nodded. "Where is Yusuke now, anyway?" Jin asked, eyeing Chuu to see if he was still awake. Smacking his face around did no good, and Jin looked back at Kurama.
"He and Keiko are running a ramen house in their hometown. It used to belong to Keiko's parents, in fact."
"A ramen house, eh?" Rinku mused. "We should all go over there and crash it sometime." He laughed. "I'd eat some human food if it meant being able to visit with those two again."
Kurama smiled. "That's a possibility, considering where you're going to be training. It's not too far from Yusuke's home, only an hour or so."
"What do you mean?" Touya asked. "You already arranged a place for us to train for the next year? Sounds like you expected the answer we gave you about being in the tournament."
"Well, not exactly." Kurama said, blushing slightly. "You see, this is a place you've all spent time in before."
"Where?" All six asked together.
"Master Genkai's dojo. You see, before she died, she asked all of us to take care of her home for her. Now that she's gone, no one lives there, her gardens are beginning to grow unkempt, and..."
Jin began laughing uncontrollably. "I get it. You want us to be caretakers at Master Genkai's for the next year, don't you? Seeing that we're free labor and everything."
Kurama laughed. "I suppose if you want to call it that, than yes. But all of us continue to visit the dojo. You wouldn't be isolated from the world at all. I can take you all there, if you'd like."
"How?" Suzuki asked. "We're hours away from the dojo. We'd have to climb down the mountain and everything.
"Not really. It's actually quite easy for me to take you there. All you six have to do is close your eyes and focus your energy upon me. It's a little trick I learned while I staying with Yomi a few years ago. Teleportation isn't as hard as it seems." Kurama said.
Rinku and Jin looked at each other uncomfortably. "Well, if you say so, Kurama." They said. One by one, the six closed their eyes and began thrusting their power in Kurama's direction. The red-haired kitsune, in turn, closed his eyes as well and began manipulating the waves of matter around them.
Suddenly all of them could begin to feel themselves growing lighter. Rinku snuck a peek momentarily and could see that his entire body was actually turning invisible. In a bit of shock, he closed his eyes again.
Suddenly the seven could all feel themselves moving. Alarmed, all but Kurama opened their eyes and found themselves hovering around in some sort of portal, coating in shades of dark blue and dark gray matter. Though all six immediately felt uncomfortable in the situation, only one felt it necessary to speak.
"Ahh!" Chuu let out a bloodcurdling scream. "Where are we? Stop this! I'm gonna die here! Please!"
Kurama winced, though he closed his eyes. "Relax, Chuu. We're just in a parallel dimension I temporarily created. As soon as we leave, this place will disappear forever. So all you have to do is close your eyes and relax."
In hesitation, the six closed their eyes again, hoping they wouldn't fall in some dimensional pit or something. A minute or two passed in total silence, until the six heard Kurama speaking. "We're back at the dojo. It's okay for you all to open your eyes now."
Chuu was the first to, and rubbed them immediately after he did. He looked around, and instantly recognized the main living room of Genkai. The six bunk beds that they had used were even visible in the next room.
"Da-amn!" He cried, walking around the room. "This place hasn't changed a bit!" He shouted out.
"Yeah!" Jin said, flying in the air to move around easier. He looked out one of the back windows. "Oh yeah! There are all those mountains we used to train on! And there's the swamp that's filled with spirits! Man, this feels so good to be back here!"
The others began poking through the various rooms to help jog their memory. Rinku immediately ran to the Genkai's arcade and began playing a spaceship game. Chuu collapsed on his old bed, hoping to avoid throwing up from the alcohol. Shishiwakamaru hovered out of the room to rest in a tree nearby, leaving Kurama, Touya, Jin and Suzuki in the room.
After looking over the dojo for a moment, Touya nodded as well. "Yes, it looks as if we've been here all this time. Kurama, have you been the only one taking care of this place the whole time?"
"Not at all." Kurama shook his head. "Kuwabara and Yukina only live a short distance from here, so they come up every once in a while."
The conversation was cut short by some shouting outside. "Who's in there? I'm gonna bust all your asses!" A voice hollered on the other side of the front door. Kurama laughed.
"Speak of the devil. Excuse me, friends." The three watched Kurama open the front door. A very tall man almost burst down the door as he did so. He was about the same height as Chuu, with incredibly broad shoulders to match. His light brown hair was arranged in curls across the top of his head, and he was wearing a dark blue jacket and jeans. He was carrying a broom in one hand as he eyed the people in the room.
"Kurama, what's going on? How did these guys get here?" He asked in a very gruff voice, closing the door behind him.
Kurama rolled his eyes. "Relax, Kuwabara. I just used my teleport spell to get some old friends back here."
"Old friends...?" Kuwabara's voice trailed off as he began to recognize the three men in the room. A light bulb seemed to go off in his head suddenly. "Woah!" He cried. "Those are the guys from the tournament!"
"In the flesh!" Jin cried happily.
"Geez, where have you three been all this time?" Kuwabara asked, running up to each of them and hugging them all. "It's been, what? Twelve years since we last saw each other?"
"Something like that." Suzuki said, struggling to get break of Kuwabara's bear-like hold. "Uh, Kuwabara, you're..."
"Oh, sorry." The taller man said, releasing his grip. He turned to Kurama. "So why'd you bring these three here? Are they going to be taking care of the dojo? Because I'm getting kind of tired of sweeping up every weekend!" He said.
Kurama blushed. "Yes, Kazuya, they will be spending time here. And not just these three. Shishiwakamaru, Chuu and Rinku are here as well. You see, they're going to be entering next year's Ankoku Bujutsukai, and..."
"They are? Awesome!" Kuwabara said. Another light bulb went off, however, and he turned back to Kurama. "Wait a second. Did you say that little punk Rinku is here, too?"
"Somebody call my name?" Rinku asked, skipping his way out of the arcade and into the main room. As soon as he saw Kuwabara, he stopped and began laughing. "Ooh, look who it is! The guy who swore that he was going to beat me during the tournament all those years ago!"
Kuwabara blushed. "I would have done it, too, if you hadn't been so cheap with those damn yo-yos. And you can bet your ass that if we fight again, I'll win! I've been practicing!"
"That's a good one." Rinku snickered. "You seem to forget that out of all of us, I'm the only one here that actually won his fight. And it was against you." He pointed a tiny finger at Kazuya mockingly.
Kurama stepped in between the two, hoping to nip any possible confrontation in the bud. "That's enough, both of you. Any fight the two of you will be had next year. It'd be very inappropriate if you fought before then."
Kuwabara grunted. "I guess you're right. Well, listen, Kurama, I'd better get back home before Yukina starts worrying about me. You know how she gets if I'm gone too long and all that, so..."
Jin smiled. "So you tied the knot with that girl after all? That's good, considering all the crap you were going through for her back then."
"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked. "Yukina and I have been in love with each other from the very beginning. It's totally foolish to deny our eternal, undying love for each other, and..."
"Do you ever stop talking?" Jin asked playfully. Kuwabara started to say something, but he realized that Jin was just joking and smiled.
"And in any case," Touya began, "I think it's safe to say that, had she not appeared, Reishyo would have pummeled you into the ground. You might have even lost your life." He sat down on the ground.
Kuwabara shrugged. "Maybe. But even so, I like to think that I did pretty good in there. After all, I was the only human in the entire damn tournament."
"Don't worry, Kazuya. We all know that." Kurama said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You go ahead and head on home. I'll take care of things from here on out, alright?"
Kuwabara nodded. "Sure thing." He made his way to the front door of the dojo, turning around and waving as he did so. "It was great seeing all of you again, even you..." He allowed himself to point a finger at Rinku. After he did so, he opened the door and headed outside.
Rinku blew a raspberry at him just as he left. "Hope you aren't eaten by some hungry demon, stupid ningen!" He called out before returning to the arcade.
As the two doors slammed shut, Kurama glanced at Jin, Suzuki and Touya, all of which were looking around the room. "Well, you guys, perhaps I should be off as well. You can all spend the next couple of days getting used to the place, and I'll return during the weekend to see how your training's going. Is that okay?"
"What, you mean we don't get a trainer this time?" Jin asked. "I thought you'd be helping us again or something."
"Yes, the sessions with Master Genkai were very helpful. They gave us all tremendous power." Suzuki added.
Kurama laughed, noting that Shishiwakamaru had rejoined them in the room. "I'd help if I had the time, but as it is right now, I have a job in the human world that prevents me from doing so."
"Hey!" Shishiwakamaru interrupted in his tiny voice. "Who was that leaving just now? Was that one of Yusuke's friends?"
"Yes, that was Kazuya. I believe you beat him last time you two met." Kurama said as Shishiwakamaru fluttered over to Suzuki. He checked a watch he was wearing. "And with that, I had best be off. You have no idea how happy I am that you've decided to accept my invitation. Yusuke will be very surprised."
"Surprised?" Touya asked. "You mean he doesn't know about all you asking us to join or anything?"
Kurama shook his head. "None. He had mentioned to me that he really wanted to see all of you again, but that's it. This is something of a gift." He said, firmly shaking each of the four's hands. "Tell Rinku and Chuu that I said goodbye, alright?" He asked Suzuki. "I wouldn't want them to think I'm impolite."
"Sure thing." Suzuki said. "Take care of yourself, Kurama." Kurama smiled and nodded. He headed out the front door and closed the door behind him. The four looked at each other, each sighing a breath of relief.
"What a day. So much has happened, I feel like my head's gonna burst or something." Jin sighed, lying face-up on the ground and staring at the roof.
"Indeed. In the span of just a couple of hours we've agreed to enter another tournament and train for it for an entire year." Touya said.
"Don't remind me." Suzuki groaned. "But all of the training will be worth it if we're able to meet Yusuke's team in the tournament. I don't even care if we see them first or last, I just want to be able to fight them."
Jin shook his head. "Not if, Suz. It's when." He emphasized the final world of the sentence. "And until then, we've gotta train and train and train."
The four heard a door open and shut, and saw Rinku enter the room, fluttering his yo-yos. "Stop saying such things, Jin. I don't have to spend fourteen hours a day honing my skills again, like we had to do before."
"Well, how else do you expect to beat Yusuke?" Suzuki asked. "He's going to be undergoing the exact same training, so if we want to beat him, and Kuwabara and Kurama and everyone else, we must train."
"You're right, of course." Touya said. "Training is the very way for us to accomplish that goal."
Jin sighed again. "It's just a real bummer knowing that we won't be able to visit Makai for an entire year."
"Oh, come on." Rinku said, sitting down next to him. "Do you really have anything that important to do there? If you do, maybe you should go down tomorrow and get anything done."
"No, it's not that." Jin said. "But I did kind of form my own crew of demonlings to train. It's kind of fun to watch all those little kids become killing machines." He laughed to himself.
Shishiwakamaru shook his head. "So that's where you've been. Well, there's not much time left in this human day. Is there anything any of you want to do?"
Rinku shrugged. "I'm kind of hungry, but I guess it can wait until the morning before we eat. I'm not in a big hurry to eat human food, anyway. A lot of it tastes really funny and weird."
In the silence that followed, all five could hear the loud snores coming from Chuu in the bedroom. Jin and Suzuki looked at each other and grinned. "He really seems to be enjoying himself." Jin said.
"Apparently." Suzuki said. He turned to Rinku. "Did he really used to get drunk all the time?"
"All the time." Rinku said. "A typical day would go like this when we'd be training: Zeru, Roto and I would begin training. Chuu would be with us until the afternoon, where he'd start drinking. By the end of the day he'd be at a brother or something, and we'd have to bring him back to our place. It got really annoying." Rinku said, yawning.
Touya looked on in silence, until Rinku was finished. He looked to the other four. "Well, it appears that for the moment, he has the right idea. Perhaps we should take his lead and get some rest."
"What makes you say that?" Shishiwakamaru asked. "We're not doing anything particularly stressing tomorrow."
"Maybe not tomorrow." Touya said. "Still, I'm feeling a bit strange right now. Almost as if I can get a feel from the building itself. And besides, I think it can be agreed that this is the last time this place is going to be quiet for a very long time."
The five looked to each other, each seeing if what Touya had said was true. As they looked on in silence, each person's mind began to fill with possible events that would happen in the coming year. After several minutes, the five all headed into the bedroom together, in silence. They each climbed their way into their respective beds and laid down to rest. It took several minutes, but eventually the six let themselves sleep into sleep.
The six visitors stood, mouths agape at the figure who stood in front of them. He was a distinctly feminine male, with long, flowing hair that dangled in locks over both of his ears. He was of average height, and was wearing a simple white T-shirt and black sweat pants. He looked to each of them and smiled, taking the opportunity to kneel down on a cushion that he had placed on the floor.
He was nearly knocked over by the flush of his friends, who engaged in a continuous mixture of hugging, hand-shaking and otherwise friendly notions of welcome. After each of them calmed down, Kurama beckoned to six blue cushions, similar to his own, that had been placed in a row.
"Welcome to my home, all of you," He said, smiling. "Please, have seats. You probably have many questions for me."
"Yeah, like, 'Did you send out these notes'?" Rinku asked, pulling his note out as he did so. The others followed suit after him.
Kurama nodded. "Yes, it was I who sent those to you. I had Botan and Hiei looking all over the place to track all six of you down, but I think it'll be worth it that I did so." He grinned.
Jin laughed. "So that's how you were able to find us! You had some messengers helping you out, eh?" He flashed a toothy grin to Kurama, who nodded in turn.
"Indeed. There was no way I would have been able to find you all without their help. Botan looked all over Ningenkai, and Hiei just added you all in his rounds of Makai. I hope I didn't intrude on any pressing business."
Rinku laughed. "Of course not! So what have you been up to lately, Kurama? Have you stayed in Ningenkai this whole time? None of us have really seen you around, I don't think."
Kurama nodded. "Yes, after we last parted ways, I spent six years in a human university to receive a degree in botany. After that..."
"Botany?" Shishiwakamaru asked in his best attempt to sound uninterested. "What is that?"
"It is the study of plants." Kurama explained. "After I finished, I decided to put my new knowledge to the test, and spent a few years journeying all over this country of Japan, studying its plant life. I put all notes together and hope to publish it soon."
"A book? Is that the kind of book that you read?" Chuu asked, tossing both of his empty flasks on the ground.
Jin groaned and covered Chuu's mouth with his hands. "Don't mind this idiot." His eyes began wandering around the dark room. So are you living in this place now? Is this your home?"
"Yes, the local humans were under the impression that this mountain was haunted by demons, and that there was a beautiful house at the top that was abandoned. After a bit of...exterminating, I was able to claim this place as my home. The humans don't know of this, so they leave me alone." Kurama laughed.
Rinku elbowed Chuu. "That's why that crazy ningen wouldn't give us a ride all the way up the mountain." He said quietly.
"That's fantastic, Kurama." Suzuki said, glancing around the room as well. He turned back to Kurama. "So how are Yusuke and Kuwabara and Hiei and everyone else doing? Are there all still doing well in their lives?"
The six saw Kurama look down slightly. "Most of us are doing well. Yusuke and Keiko were married several years ago, as were Kuwabara and Yukina." He chuckled a bit. "We were going to invite you all to the weddings, but we could never find you."
Jin's eyes widened. "Yusuke and Kuwabara...Those fools actually got married? Wow." He said, contemplating the thought. "It seems strange to think of Yusuke as a married man, now."
Touya looked at Jin, surprised. "You honestly didn't think that they'd get married to Keiko and Yukina sooner or later? It has been a decade, after all." He looked to Kurama. "What of Hiei? I had heard rumors that he and Mukuro were planning marriage soon as well."
Kurama laughed. "It seems that everyone wants Hiei and Mukuro to get married except them. But no one is doubting their love, and I expect that it'll happen soon enough. Those two will take a long time to admit their feelings for each other, though." He smiled again. "Did any of you hear of what happened at last year's Makai Bujutsukai?"
The others nodded, prodding Kurama to continue. "They actually met in the finals, so there was obviously no point in them fighting since they were on the same side. The crowd was quite disappointed to have duel winners for the first time."
An owl could be heard hooting outside as everyone laughed. Rinku sighed. "Well, that's good. What of Genkai? How is she?"
Kurama frowned. "Unfortunately, Master Genkai passed away two years ago. She is now in the spirit world."
A pin could be heard dropping in the room. The others looked at Kurama in surprise. Jin was having trouble biting back tears. "Master Genkai is...dead?"
"Sad but true." Kurama said. He waved a hand in front of the others. "Please don't fill your hearts with sorrow. Genkai was over eighty years old when she left us. She lived a wonderful life, and Koenma had better be rewarding her well for it."
An awkward silence followed for several minutes, as Kurama realized it would be best to let the others soak in the information. Suzuki finally spoke. "Did she go peacefully?"
Kurama smiled and nodded. "Yes, in her sleep, with all her friends at her side."
"That's good." Rinku managed to blurt out. Another moment of silence ensued, finally prompting Kurama to continue. He breathed heavily, and began speaking again. "In any event, you're all probably wondering why I've summoned you all here. Would any of you like some tea before I begin?" He asked.
Shishiwakamaru shook his head vehemently. "Just get on with the matter of why we're here."
Kurama laughed. "I can see you haven't changed in this past decade, Shishiwakamaru. Very well. I shall begin explaining now. You see..."
"Is Makai...Is Makai in trouble again?" Chuu asked, beginning to stutter. Suzuki smacked his cheek. "Fool!" He cried. "Kurama was just able to tell us why we're here! See if you can shut up for five seconds!"
"Thank you, Suzuki." Kurama said. "As I was saying, it all began..."
"There, it's been five seconds!" Chuu laughed again. He was met with five blows to his hard head immediately after, and he tumbled onto the floor of the dojo, apparently content with his resting place.
Kurama only looked on, amused. "Perhaps it would be best if he took a little rest, I suppose. Very well. As you all know, next year is 2005, and time again for another Ankoku Bujutsukai. Have any of you been keeping track of that tournament, and who's been winning?"
Touya closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, none of us have really been in the same place for too long to hear things of that nature."
"I see." Kurama nodded. "Well, Team Urameshi has been the victor for the past three tournaments, in 1993, 1997 and 2001..."
"Wow!" Jin exclaimed, starting to hover in the air. "That's some accomplishment, Ku! I don't think any team's won three teams in a row! You oughta be proud of yourselves, ya know!" He said, managing to suppress a small yawn as he spoke in the air.
"Yes, we're all happy we've been able to win. And we're going to be entering the tournament again next year. Unfortunately, it will be Team Urameshi's final entry into that tournament."
Chuu got back on his knees. "W...Why's that?"
"Yes, why ruin such an excellent winning streak? You could probably be the victors for several more years." Touya added.
A small drizzle began falling down in the night sky outside. Kurama shrugged. "Several reasons, I suppose. I imagine that the audience is getting tired of seeing us holding the trophy every time."
Shishiwakamaru grunted. "That's no reason to give up. If you're the best, you could continue showing it."
"It's not just that. Yusuke has expressed interest in settling down with Keiko as well. And then there's the problem with Kuwabara."
"What problem?" Suzuki asked. "Is he in poor health?" The others looked to Kurama in alarm.
"No, no, not at all. You see..." Kurama thought for a moment. "When we first entered the tournament, the team was Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and Genkai. Now that Genkai is gone, only four of us are left. And after this tournament, there will be just three of the original team members left, and..."
"What do you mean?" Suzuki asked, narrowing his eyes.
"What I mean to say is that Kuwabara is 28 years old now. In another four years he'll be 32, an age that's really too old for humans to be putting their lives at such an alarming risk. Kuwabara's at the peak of his power right now, after all."
Rinku shrugged. "So? Why should that stupid ningen keep you from fighting?"
Kurama sighed. "Kuwabara has been a tremendous partner and friend all these years. None of us - Not even Hiei - really want to continue participating in the tournament if Kuwabara's not on our team. I'm sorry if you don't understand that, but we're all happy with being four-time champions and nothing more."
"We understand, Kurama." Touya nodded. "But what does that have to do with summoning us? Did you want us to be in the audience for the tournament? Because if you do, we'd love to."
"Yeah!" Jin laughed, flying in the air hurriedly. "We'll see Yusuke get to tear everyone to pieces again! That'd be great!"
Kurama closed his eyes and smiled. "It's so good to know that none of you have changed." He said to himself. Looking up at the air, he extended his arms. "Calm down, Jin. That's not exactly what I had in mind."
"Then what?" Shishiwakamaru asked a bit impatiently.
"We all would be honored if the six of you would enter the tournament together. As a team, I mean." Kurama added quickly.
"What!?" Kurama was met with six surprised stares. "It's been a full decade since we were last in the tournament!" Rinku exclaimed.
Kurama nodded. "Exactly, and that's why we want you all to enter again. Seeing that this is our last time in it, Yusuke and all of us would love the opportunity to fight with you all again, one team against another." He smiled.
Jin and Chuu looked at each other, grinning. "The chance to fight Yusuke again? Sounds like a good idea to me." They said in unison. "Count us in!" Jin said, facing Kurama.
"I shall." Kurama grinned. He turned to Rinku next. "What about you, Rinku? I know Kuwabara's itching for a rematch with you."
Rinku stuck out his tongue. "That stupid ass doesn't stand a chance against me, but I'll go along, just so I can crush him into the ground again." He said, whipping out his yo-yos and twirling them around.
"That's not exactly how I remember things happening, but it's fine nonetheless. Touya? I'd be honored to fight you again." Kurama said.
"And you shall." Touya said slowly, forming two swords of ice on his hands. "And this time I intend to win."
Kurama laughed. "We will see." He looked to the final two. Shishiwakamaru had his eyes closed, apparently in deep thought, and Suzuki was playing with different rainbow colors in his hand. "Are you two interested in fighting again? I know that neither of you will be able to get a rematch with Genkai, but..."
Suzuki looked up. "That's no matter. If Shishiwakamaru wants to fight, I won't be the only person not to. What do you think, Shish?"
"Don't call me that." Shishiwakamaru snapped. "You know full well that I prefer to go by my full name, Shishiwakamaru, and nothing else. And to you, Kurama, I am undecided." Suddenly Shishiwakamaru's body began dissipating and shrinking. After a few seconds his body had shifted into that of a strange demon creature, somewhat resembling his normal form. Equipped with fangs and clawed feet, the creature was dressed in a tiny white kimono. It fluttered onto the shoulder of Suzuki and glared at Kurama. "Very well. I'll participate, but only because all these buffoons are partaking in it as well. I must ask a question, though."
Kurama nodded. "Yes, what is it?"
"What's the point of that tournament, anyway?" Shishiwakamaru asked, a bit angered. "After all, we have the Makai Bujutsukai now. It seems pointless to enter a tournament that's pretty much worthless."
"It's not worthless." Kurama said. "It's like...Well, do you know the two most popular tournaments for humans to participate in?"
"One's the one where all the guys hit that stupid little ball all over the place, right?" Jin asked. "I never understood that game."
"Yes, they play football at one of them, called the World Cup. The other tournament is called the Olympics. Are you familiar with both of those games, Shishiwakamaru?"
Shishiwakamaru sighed and nodded. "Of course, but what do those have to do with anything?"
"The Makai tournament is like the Olympics in that everything rests on just yourself to win. With the World Cup, as well as the Ankoku tournament, there is a team, working together. With that regard, the tournaments are quite different from each other, each with their own merits. Do you see?"
"I suppose. Still, I think it's pointless. But in any case, I shall join, if just to please everyone else."
Kurama laughed. "I understand completely." He clasped his hands together. "Well, this is excellent. I was truly hoping that you would all fight in this Ankoku Bujutsukai. It will make Yusuke very happy when I tell him."
"Who is going to be on your team, now that Genkai is no longer with us? They demand that you have six members on your team."
"We're still unsure. Hiei was considering asking Mukuro to fight with us, and I understand Yusuke might even recruit his pet, Puu. That's certainly be interesting to see in a fight."
The others nodded. "Where is Yusuke now, anyway?" Jin asked, eyeing Chuu to see if he was still awake. Smacking his face around did no good, and Jin looked back at Kurama.
"He and Keiko are running a ramen house in their hometown. It used to belong to Keiko's parents, in fact."
"A ramen house, eh?" Rinku mused. "We should all go over there and crash it sometime." He laughed. "I'd eat some human food if it meant being able to visit with those two again."
Kurama smiled. "That's a possibility, considering where you're going to be training. It's not too far from Yusuke's home, only an hour or so."
"What do you mean?" Touya asked. "You already arranged a place for us to train for the next year? Sounds like you expected the answer we gave you about being in the tournament."
"Well, not exactly." Kurama said, blushing slightly. "You see, this is a place you've all spent time in before."
"Where?" All six asked together.
"Master Genkai's dojo. You see, before she died, she asked all of us to take care of her home for her. Now that she's gone, no one lives there, her gardens are beginning to grow unkempt, and..."
Jin began laughing uncontrollably. "I get it. You want us to be caretakers at Master Genkai's for the next year, don't you? Seeing that we're free labor and everything."
Kurama laughed. "I suppose if you want to call it that, than yes. But all of us continue to visit the dojo. You wouldn't be isolated from the world at all. I can take you all there, if you'd like."
"How?" Suzuki asked. "We're hours away from the dojo. We'd have to climb down the mountain and everything.
"Not really. It's actually quite easy for me to take you there. All you six have to do is close your eyes and focus your energy upon me. It's a little trick I learned while I staying with Yomi a few years ago. Teleportation isn't as hard as it seems." Kurama said.
Rinku and Jin looked at each other uncomfortably. "Well, if you say so, Kurama." They said. One by one, the six closed their eyes and began thrusting their power in Kurama's direction. The red-haired kitsune, in turn, closed his eyes as well and began manipulating the waves of matter around them.
Suddenly all of them could begin to feel themselves growing lighter. Rinku snuck a peek momentarily and could see that his entire body was actually turning invisible. In a bit of shock, he closed his eyes again.
Suddenly the seven could all feel themselves moving. Alarmed, all but Kurama opened their eyes and found themselves hovering around in some sort of portal, coating in shades of dark blue and dark gray matter. Though all six immediately felt uncomfortable in the situation, only one felt it necessary to speak.
"Ahh!" Chuu let out a bloodcurdling scream. "Where are we? Stop this! I'm gonna die here! Please!"
Kurama winced, though he closed his eyes. "Relax, Chuu. We're just in a parallel dimension I temporarily created. As soon as we leave, this place will disappear forever. So all you have to do is close your eyes and relax."
In hesitation, the six closed their eyes again, hoping they wouldn't fall in some dimensional pit or something. A minute or two passed in total silence, until the six heard Kurama speaking. "We're back at the dojo. It's okay for you all to open your eyes now."
Chuu was the first to, and rubbed them immediately after he did. He looked around, and instantly recognized the main living room of Genkai. The six bunk beds that they had used were even visible in the next room.
"Da-amn!" He cried, walking around the room. "This place hasn't changed a bit!" He shouted out.
"Yeah!" Jin said, flying in the air to move around easier. He looked out one of the back windows. "Oh yeah! There are all those mountains we used to train on! And there's the swamp that's filled with spirits! Man, this feels so good to be back here!"
The others began poking through the various rooms to help jog their memory. Rinku immediately ran to the Genkai's arcade and began playing a spaceship game. Chuu collapsed on his old bed, hoping to avoid throwing up from the alcohol. Shishiwakamaru hovered out of the room to rest in a tree nearby, leaving Kurama, Touya, Jin and Suzuki in the room.
After looking over the dojo for a moment, Touya nodded as well. "Yes, it looks as if we've been here all this time. Kurama, have you been the only one taking care of this place the whole time?"
"Not at all." Kurama shook his head. "Kuwabara and Yukina only live a short distance from here, so they come up every once in a while."
The conversation was cut short by some shouting outside. "Who's in there? I'm gonna bust all your asses!" A voice hollered on the other side of the front door. Kurama laughed.
"Speak of the devil. Excuse me, friends." The three watched Kurama open the front door. A very tall man almost burst down the door as he did so. He was about the same height as Chuu, with incredibly broad shoulders to match. His light brown hair was arranged in curls across the top of his head, and he was wearing a dark blue jacket and jeans. He was carrying a broom in one hand as he eyed the people in the room.
"Kurama, what's going on? How did these guys get here?" He asked in a very gruff voice, closing the door behind him.
Kurama rolled his eyes. "Relax, Kuwabara. I just used my teleport spell to get some old friends back here."
"Old friends...?" Kuwabara's voice trailed off as he began to recognize the three men in the room. A light bulb seemed to go off in his head suddenly. "Woah!" He cried. "Those are the guys from the tournament!"
"In the flesh!" Jin cried happily.
"Geez, where have you three been all this time?" Kuwabara asked, running up to each of them and hugging them all. "It's been, what? Twelve years since we last saw each other?"
"Something like that." Suzuki said, struggling to get break of Kuwabara's bear-like hold. "Uh, Kuwabara, you're..."
"Oh, sorry." The taller man said, releasing his grip. He turned to Kurama. "So why'd you bring these three here? Are they going to be taking care of the dojo? Because I'm getting kind of tired of sweeping up every weekend!" He said.
Kurama blushed. "Yes, Kazuya, they will be spending time here. And not just these three. Shishiwakamaru, Chuu and Rinku are here as well. You see, they're going to be entering next year's Ankoku Bujutsukai, and..."
"They are? Awesome!" Kuwabara said. Another light bulb went off, however, and he turned back to Kurama. "Wait a second. Did you say that little punk Rinku is here, too?"
"Somebody call my name?" Rinku asked, skipping his way out of the arcade and into the main room. As soon as he saw Kuwabara, he stopped and began laughing. "Ooh, look who it is! The guy who swore that he was going to beat me during the tournament all those years ago!"
Kuwabara blushed. "I would have done it, too, if you hadn't been so cheap with those damn yo-yos. And you can bet your ass that if we fight again, I'll win! I've been practicing!"
"That's a good one." Rinku snickered. "You seem to forget that out of all of us, I'm the only one here that actually won his fight. And it was against you." He pointed a tiny finger at Kazuya mockingly.
Kurama stepped in between the two, hoping to nip any possible confrontation in the bud. "That's enough, both of you. Any fight the two of you will be had next year. It'd be very inappropriate if you fought before then."
Kuwabara grunted. "I guess you're right. Well, listen, Kurama, I'd better get back home before Yukina starts worrying about me. You know how she gets if I'm gone too long and all that, so..."
Jin smiled. "So you tied the knot with that girl after all? That's good, considering all the crap you were going through for her back then."
"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked. "Yukina and I have been in love with each other from the very beginning. It's totally foolish to deny our eternal, undying love for each other, and..."
"Do you ever stop talking?" Jin asked playfully. Kuwabara started to say something, but he realized that Jin was just joking and smiled.
"And in any case," Touya began, "I think it's safe to say that, had she not appeared, Reishyo would have pummeled you into the ground. You might have even lost your life." He sat down on the ground.
Kuwabara shrugged. "Maybe. But even so, I like to think that I did pretty good in there. After all, I was the only human in the entire damn tournament."
"Don't worry, Kazuya. We all know that." Kurama said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You go ahead and head on home. I'll take care of things from here on out, alright?"
Kuwabara nodded. "Sure thing." He made his way to the front door of the dojo, turning around and waving as he did so. "It was great seeing all of you again, even you..." He allowed himself to point a finger at Rinku. After he did so, he opened the door and headed outside.
Rinku blew a raspberry at him just as he left. "Hope you aren't eaten by some hungry demon, stupid ningen!" He called out before returning to the arcade.
As the two doors slammed shut, Kurama glanced at Jin, Suzuki and Touya, all of which were looking around the room. "Well, you guys, perhaps I should be off as well. You can all spend the next couple of days getting used to the place, and I'll return during the weekend to see how your training's going. Is that okay?"
"What, you mean we don't get a trainer this time?" Jin asked. "I thought you'd be helping us again or something."
"Yes, the sessions with Master Genkai were very helpful. They gave us all tremendous power." Suzuki added.
Kurama laughed, noting that Shishiwakamaru had rejoined them in the room. "I'd help if I had the time, but as it is right now, I have a job in the human world that prevents me from doing so."
"Hey!" Shishiwakamaru interrupted in his tiny voice. "Who was that leaving just now? Was that one of Yusuke's friends?"
"Yes, that was Kazuya. I believe you beat him last time you two met." Kurama said as Shishiwakamaru fluttered over to Suzuki. He checked a watch he was wearing. "And with that, I had best be off. You have no idea how happy I am that you've decided to accept my invitation. Yusuke will be very surprised."
"Surprised?" Touya asked. "You mean he doesn't know about all you asking us to join or anything?"
Kurama shook his head. "None. He had mentioned to me that he really wanted to see all of you again, but that's it. This is something of a gift." He said, firmly shaking each of the four's hands. "Tell Rinku and Chuu that I said goodbye, alright?" He asked Suzuki. "I wouldn't want them to think I'm impolite."
"Sure thing." Suzuki said. "Take care of yourself, Kurama." Kurama smiled and nodded. He headed out the front door and closed the door behind him. The four looked at each other, each sighing a breath of relief.
"What a day. So much has happened, I feel like my head's gonna burst or something." Jin sighed, lying face-up on the ground and staring at the roof.
"Indeed. In the span of just a couple of hours we've agreed to enter another tournament and train for it for an entire year." Touya said.
"Don't remind me." Suzuki groaned. "But all of the training will be worth it if we're able to meet Yusuke's team in the tournament. I don't even care if we see them first or last, I just want to be able to fight them."
Jin shook his head. "Not if, Suz. It's when." He emphasized the final world of the sentence. "And until then, we've gotta train and train and train."
The four heard a door open and shut, and saw Rinku enter the room, fluttering his yo-yos. "Stop saying such things, Jin. I don't have to spend fourteen hours a day honing my skills again, like we had to do before."
"Well, how else do you expect to beat Yusuke?" Suzuki asked. "He's going to be undergoing the exact same training, so if we want to beat him, and Kuwabara and Kurama and everyone else, we must train."
"You're right, of course." Touya said. "Training is the very way for us to accomplish that goal."
Jin sighed again. "It's just a real bummer knowing that we won't be able to visit Makai for an entire year."
"Oh, come on." Rinku said, sitting down next to him. "Do you really have anything that important to do there? If you do, maybe you should go down tomorrow and get anything done."
"No, it's not that." Jin said. "But I did kind of form my own crew of demonlings to train. It's kind of fun to watch all those little kids become killing machines." He laughed to himself.
Shishiwakamaru shook his head. "So that's where you've been. Well, there's not much time left in this human day. Is there anything any of you want to do?"
Rinku shrugged. "I'm kind of hungry, but I guess it can wait until the morning before we eat. I'm not in a big hurry to eat human food, anyway. A lot of it tastes really funny and weird."
In the silence that followed, all five could hear the loud snores coming from Chuu in the bedroom. Jin and Suzuki looked at each other and grinned. "He really seems to be enjoying himself." Jin said.
"Apparently." Suzuki said. He turned to Rinku. "Did he really used to get drunk all the time?"
"All the time." Rinku said. "A typical day would go like this when we'd be training: Zeru, Roto and I would begin training. Chuu would be with us until the afternoon, where he'd start drinking. By the end of the day he'd be at a brother or something, and we'd have to bring him back to our place. It got really annoying." Rinku said, yawning.
Touya looked on in silence, until Rinku was finished. He looked to the other four. "Well, it appears that for the moment, he has the right idea. Perhaps we should take his lead and get some rest."
"What makes you say that?" Shishiwakamaru asked. "We're not doing anything particularly stressing tomorrow."
"Maybe not tomorrow." Touya said. "Still, I'm feeling a bit strange right now. Almost as if I can get a feel from the building itself. And besides, I think it can be agreed that this is the last time this place is going to be quiet for a very long time."
The five looked to each other, each seeing if what Touya had said was true. As they looked on in silence, each person's mind began to fill with possible events that would happen in the coming year. After several minutes, the five all headed into the bedroom together, in silence. They each climbed their way into their respective beds and laid down to rest. It took several minutes, but eventually the six let themselves sleep into sleep.