Furby: You are so pathetic.

*sobs* Shut up! Who asked you? You're just a stupid FURBY!

Furby: Ah, but I'm right. Poo-tah.

*flips through ancient Furbish-English dictionary* 'Die'?

Furby: Yup.

Oh dear spork, why did you have to get resurrected? *brightens* But not even evil great as you can dampen my mood! Cause guess what people? WATCH OUT WORLD, CAPRI'S ARMED! With knowledge that is. I have seen all of the almighty series, in all its almighty glory! Sure, the subtitles sucked ass, but what can you do? *sobs with happiness* Those were the happiest 48 hours of my life. But down to business. It has taken forever for me to get up a chapter…again. And I have lost the few wonderful reviewers I had…again. But here are my thanks anyway!

reign: Yes, I used your idea…did you ever doubt me? Wait…this is you I'm talking about. Of course you did. HOW COULD YOU?! But thanks for reviewing.

Hinooki Silvertail: You really liked it? Thank you! Every review boosts my nonexistent morale… (Furby: Self-pity gets you nowhere.) Shut up furby…

carla: THANK YOU! If you are actually still reading this (uber kudos if you are) thanks for not flaming. I love criticism! (I'm my own oxymoron) I hope this chapter lives up to your standards…I never had standards before…*sniffle* I really hope that my two villains don't turn out stereotyped, I'm sorry. And as for the episode with Zeru…well, I missed that when I first started writing this. So, thanks!

Lauren: YAY, I'm glad you liked it, especially considering how good your writing is. And as for the bit about Hiei…you know where that battle will lead.

LaUrEn*321: Hehe, thank you soooo much and I hope your furby doesn't kill you. ALL HAIL KELPIES!

*bows* Again, thank you people sooooooo very much. I'd give you something except that after buying the series I'm virtually broke! I'm so stupid. Obsession is not healthy. Eh, oh well, here's chapter three.

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to a nice man in Japan. I'm an evil girl in USA. If you have a brain, kindly use it.

Chapter Three: Musings and Recovery

            Hiyoru dabbed delicately at a shallow cut just below her eye. "We are soooo in for it, aren't we, Kata-chan?" "Most likely," agreed her partner, wrapping a bandage around her midriff. Hiyoru frowned and stuck a strand of hair in her mouth. "Y'know," she said, chewing on it pensively. "I didn't expect that much from a little ol' human. They did pretty well." "They did exceptionally well," Katana replied. "And let it be said that I did try to warn you." Hiyoru sighed. "Can't ya just say 'I told you so' like a normal individual?" "…No." Hiyoru's eye twitched. "Whatever. Hmm, I can indeed see why the Spirit World bothered choosing them. Powerful… That old lady was really scary, too. Maaaaan, I reeeeeally thought she was gonna kill me for a minute there. If you hadn't stepped in when you had, that could have been the end of me!" "Makes me wonder why I bothered cutting in," mumbled Katana sullenly. Hiyoru grinned. "Awww, you don't hate me THAT much!" She snapped her fingers. "By the way, how many more do you need?" Katana held up a single finger. Hiyoru's eyes were positively dancing with delight. "Only one more and the real game begins? Oh, this is gonna be FUN!"

            Botan leaned against the wall and sighed, rubbing her hand again. Beside her, Hiei did not stir. 'I just hope that what I'm doing is hurting Hiyoru's magic, not killing Hiei instead.' She and Kurama had agreed to take shifts on healing the demon; Yukina and Hinageshi were aiding Yusuke, who had fortunately regained consciousness a half an hour ago. Kuwabara had decided to go home, promising to be back the next morning. Luckily for the team, 'Shuichi's' mother had ended up needing to go on a business trip, and would be gone for the rest of the week. Kurama had declined the offer to join her, using the excuse that he wished to keep up with his studies. So, the Reikai Tantei could do as they pleased in the house. Botan glanced back over at Hiei. 'Kurama said he didn't see any improvements. I don't either. Oh dear, I hope this is really working. We can't afford to lose a team member, not with Meikai back in the game.'

            Hiei moaned softly in his sleep, causing Botan to jump in surprise. 'Well, that's the most he's done in the last three hours,' she thought, breathing hard. She peered down at him. 'Aw, he looks almost cute in his sleep. You'd never guess that he's a warped sadistic telepath who's threatened me about fifty times.' She shuddered slightly. 'Yeesh, I will never blab out another secret again, thanks to him. I think I'm traumatized.' She absently brushed his bangs away from his face, then settled back against the wall again. 'I never met Hiyoru or Katana before…if I recall correctly, they only became Ferry Girls about fifty years before the Netherworld was sealed away. We know next to nothing about them. But they seem deadly…' Unnoticed by her, Hiei had begun to stir slightly. He suddenly shot up in the bed and looked around in alarm. Botan had been far from expecting that, and screamed—almost directly in his ear. Hiei glared at her. "Where the hell am I?!" he snapped at her. "I…uh…well…Kurama…" The poor Spirit Guide could not find the courage to even squeak out a comprehensive answer, but he'd already gotten up and was on his way out of the room. Scream in my ear like that again, Ferry Girl, and I can promise you pain like you've never felt before in your life, he stated flatly via telepathic link. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving a hyperventilating Botan all alone in the room. 'Well, I think it's safe to say that HE'S not a morning person.'

            Kurama stood outside, his hair fluttering slightly in the soft evening wind. 'An illusionist, and a death sword user. I suppose you could expect nothing less from Meikai. What troubles me more is that their mistress has yet to make an appearance. Yakumo had shown up quickly enough. I wonder why Sadako doesn't do the same?' "Does something trouble you, my dear Kurama-kun?" murmured a voice quietly into his ear. The speaker ran her fingers softly through the kitsune's hair. He jumped and spun around. "Hi—Hiyoru?!" The silver-haired demoness smiled, putting a finger to her lips. "Shh. I will not harm you, my fellow fox. Not yet. I only want to talk." Kurama glared at her, bright green eyes wary. She laughed. "I don't expect you to trust me. In fact, it would be better for you if you did not. But…" she sighed, a faraway look in her eyes. "It's been so long since I've had another Silver Fox to talk to. Another Youko."

            She looked at him expectantly. He said nothing. She frowned a little. "We won't be as easy to defeat as the three Demon Gods were. They were an arrogant bunch. I think that King Yakumo vastly overestimated their talents. Not to mention, Katana has that sword of hers. She's a very smart demoness with a very powerful weapon. That sword can do it all. Steal souls…grant death…resurrect whomever the user chooses… And it's in the hands of a Shinobi spiritualist. Think of the possibilities. Oh, and by the way, I'd tell that fire demon friend of yours—what's his name? Hiei? If he recovers, I think you should tell him to keep a closer eye on his dear twin—family is always the weak point of a strong warrior, ne?" Kurama froze in shock. 'How does she know? How CAN she know?' "What did you do to Hiei, anyway?" he asked finally. "Oooh, the great Kurama finally graces me with a sentence! You need not worry—I merely let him see what he wanted to see…whether he himself realized it or not. And my inverse seems to be doing a decent job at curing him. I wouldn't be surprised if he regained consciousness within the next few minutes." She gave him a coy smile and jokingly checked an imaginary watch on her wrist. "Oh dear, I'm all out of time. Tell the others I said 'hi'." Before he could do anything, she'd leaned in and given him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Save the last dance for me, Kurama-kun," she whispered almost seductively in his ear. Another slight wind stirred, and she was gone, leaving the other kitsune alone with his troubled thoughts.

            "LET ME GOOOO!!!! I HAVE RIGHTS, YOU KNOW!!! YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP ME IN HERE FOREVER!! I'M FINE! FULLY HEALED!!! NOW LET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN FIND THOSE TWO MEIKAI CREEPS AND BLAST THEIR FRIGGIN' HEADS OFF!!!!!" Yukina and Hinageshi both sweatdropped and smiled nervously at one another. "Yusuke…?" asked Hinageshi timidly. "Um…you need to rest a little. You aren't entirely healed yet." Yusuke glowered at her. He was currently tied to his bed by the sheets (courtesy of Hinageshi), with the knots frozen as an extra precaution (courtesy of Yukina). "Oh yeah, and this is real restful." "Well…you WERE trying to escape," countered Yukina. "Yep, and I still am. So let me go before I decide to blow apart this entire room." Hinageshi pointed a finger at him. "There's no bluffing me, Yusuke. I've been studying my stuff and I know for a fact that you have absolutely no Reiki left." A vein popped out as he continued to strain futilely against his bonds. "I…hate…you…"

            The door opened and Botan popped her head in. "Well, I've had the scare of my life and some time on my hands, so I thought I'd stop by and see how you're all do--" She suddenly processed the scene in front of her eyes and paused. "Um…am I interrupting something?" Yusuke gave her an icy glare, and Yukina and Hinageshi simultaneously sweatdropped again. "…No…" "Would you get me the hell out of here, Botan?" pleaded Yusuke, giving the bed-sheets a slight tug. "I've got places to be, Meikai demons to get revenge on." "No, Yusuke, I will not," said Botan, uncharacteristically stern. "If both Hinageshi and Yukina are so set on having you rest awhile, you obviously should. They are, after all, the authorities on healing." The boy gave her an unnervingly rabid-sounding growl, but said no more. "Botan, weren't you supposed to be watching Hiei?" asked Hinageshi curiously, cocking her head to the side. "Yeah, well, he woke up, and from the heart-stopping scare and random death threats he gave me, I would say that he's back to normal." "Oh, sure, let HIM walk around freely," complained Yusuke from the bed. "But when I want to get up, it's all flewy-dewy." Botan face-faulted. "First of all, Yusuke, Hiei wasn't physically injured at all, secondly, when you run out of Reiki, you don't have a scary katana blade to fall back on and threaten to decapitate people with, and thirdly, in his case, there's a one to three chance that he may actually DO it." The Spirit Detective twitched slightly. "Gotta get that creepy personality…" Botan frowned. "And what in the world is 'flewy-dewy'?"

            Kurama stood alone in silence. 'Hiyoru…seems to enjoy fun toying with people…' His fingers lightly touched his cheek, where she had kissed him. 'She must have been awfully confident, to come and tell me all of that. What do they WANT? Are they really after the same thing as Yakumo, like they claim? Or do they have a different goal?' He shuddered slightly. 'And how could she possibly know about Yukina?' "Something on your mind?" He jumped, startled, and whipped around, almost ready for another Meikai demon to be standing there. It was indeed a demon, though of the Makai variety, not Meikai. Hiei was leaning rather casually against the doorway, his crimson eyes trained on Kurama. The kitsune breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you're up." "Hn." "Wonderful answer," said Kurama, smirking. Hiei's eyes got a little colder, as they always did when he was annoyed. "Is anything actually wrong, or are we just going to make smart-ass comments at one another the entire night?" Kurama's face darkened. "Hiyoru came." "Just now?" He nodded slightly. "Hiei…I don't know how…but Hiyoru knows about you and Yukina." Silence. "WHAT?!"

            Meanwhile upstairs, silence also filled Kurama's bedroom. Yukina, Hinageshi, and Botan had all finally become fed up with Yusuke's screams, and were now settled quite comfortably in a corner, playing cards and wearing earplugs. Yusuke remained on the bed, breathing hard from his efforts. His brown eyes gazed dully up at the ceiling. "Genkai," he murmured, remembering his teacher. He still couldn't believe she was gone. A single, solitary tear ran down his cheek and fell onto the pillow. He had to believe she was still alive. Had to. Yusuke wished he could wipe the tears falling from his eyes, but his hands were still restrained. Each seemed to follow its own path, trailing across his cheek in all directions and landing silently on the bed beneath him. Genkai...he couldn't believe she was gone. Forever. 'No,' he told himself. 'She's not gone...' but it was no use. He still knew deep down, in the darkest corner of his heart, that she was never coming back. He would never again hear her mocking remarks again - hell, he would never hear her voice again. Already, the picture he held of her face in his mind seemed to become dimmer, her memory fading.

            "No!" he cried out to no one. There was no one to hear him. Genkai...what would she think of him now? Would she want him to mourn her death as so? 'Probably not,' he thought bitterly. He was exactly what she had always called him in some way or another - an idiot. A soft at heart, good for nothing, slacking idiot. 'She's wrong. If she lived longer, she would know she's wrong...I'm better than she thought I was!' 'But,' said a cold, nasty voice from the depths of his mind, 'you couldn't save her then. You weren't strong enough then, when you needed to be - ' "SHUT THE HELL UP, ALREADY!" He literally exploded, ripping free of his restraints and hugging his knees to his chest. "Genkai…!" he sobbed to the ceiling, praying his cries could somehow be heard, he could at least hear her sarcastic voice one last time...

            There was a hand on his shoulder. "Yusuke." Yusuke didn't move, the tears flowing freely now, his body wracked with sobs. He didn't look up. He didn't have to. He didn't need to see Botan kneeling next to him, his own grief mirrored in her eyes. He didn't need to see Hinageshi or Yukina, hovering nearby. He didn't need their pity. Hell, he would have given his left arm to have someone like Hiei or Kurama or Kuwabara there right now. Someone who would beat some sense into him. Someone who would realize the necessity of the Netherworld's defeat and make him snap out of it. But oh well, he was stuck in room full of sympathetic women. Yay. Life sucks.

            Hiei listened to the screams coming from the second floor. "Well. Looks like someone's snapped again." He noticed the reproachful glare Kurama was giving him and rolled his eyes. "We can't afford sentimentality at the moment, now can we?" "Don't blame Hiyoru's knowledge on Yusuke's grief—" "I'm NOT!" Hiei snapped, then tried to calm down. Not an easy thing to do. Both of them had remained silent after Kurama's announcement, but Hiei was calculating. The enemy obviously knew where and how to hit them. Genkai's death, Hiei's illusion, Hiyoru's threat…these weren't your average adversaries. But what to do? They had no idea when Meikai would strike next. "The Meikai Power Sphere," Kurama said quietly.

            Hiei jumped. "Nani?" "The Sphere. They need it. Koenma said that it hadn't been destroyed, and if they had it why would they bother paying us a visit? They're looking for it. All we need to do is find it first. Then they will come to us." "Somehow I doubt it will be that simple," the jaganshi snorted derisively. "You have no idea…" murmured Kurama. He noticed Hiei staring at him. "I get the feeling that there's something we're missing. Something that they need, something that Yakumo and his minions had that they don't…" "…But you don't know what it is," Hiei finished. Kurama shook his head despairingly. "Precisely. All we can do now is contact Koenma about the Sphere and see how this plays out." "Hn…" Hiei stared quietly into the darkness. "But what if there's more to it than that?" Kurama noticed his pensive gaze and suddenly remembered Hiyoru's words. "You need not worry—I merely let him see what he wanted to see…whether he himself realized it or not."'What did you see, Hiei?' he asked himself, knowing that the other would never tell him.

            The fire youkai's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Contact Koenma," Hiei commanded, almost as pushy as he had been back in the days of their partnership in stealing the Treasures of Darkness. Kurama gave him a steady glare, but he was actually rather amused by the other's personality change. "And what will you be doing?" "Snapping Yusuke out of this idiotic phase he's in." This somehow furthered the kitsune's amusement and now it was beginning to show, much to the annoyance of a certain shorter demon. But the youko would not volunteer information, and the other was too dignified to ask, so after a moment or so of this strange, silent exchange a blur of black headed in the direction of the second story window and one of violet streaked toward Reikai, and the first plan of the Tantei in this little war of worlds was put into action.

            Hiyoru prodded at the map disinterestedly. "At least the other sites were less blatantly obvious," she sighed. "So, all we need to do is steal a little something from each of these places and life is good once we find the Sphere? Doesn't sound TOO hard. Plus there's the added entertainment of you getting your final ingredient. Fun fun fun!" "Would it be too much to ask for you to just SHUT UP?" Katana muttered sullenly. "Touché," Hiyoru murmured, looking at her sullenly. She stared at the ceiling. "Do you think the Tantei can beat us?" Katana blinked. "You worry?" "Sometimes. I have a good reason." "Perhaps…we shall see when the time comes." The youko sighed. "I guess you're right. Oh well… Win or lose, the game shall be interesting, ne?"

PROCRASTINATION IS EVIL AND MUST BE ELIMINATED!!!! Along with furbies. And writer's block. Ooooh yes, can't forget about the writer's block. *pokes chapter* I hope someone somewhere enjoys this. I shall write faster this time! I shall!

Furby: Liar.

Can it. Okay, I shall TRY to write faster this time! I shall! So, uh, read and review! Yeah, that's it. Oh, and ideas are very welcome, because this story has a general direction but no road map. Ciao!