Pt 15 Reunion

"It's been a while, ne?" Hiei nodded, not sure if he appreciated the human's attempts and camaraderie but decided it was probably better than the radio-silence they had kept over the years. "How's Yukina?"

"She's fine." Yusuke fell silent, not knowing what else to say. He was not about to apologize to the koorime, not without hearing the words 'I'm sorry' from Hiei. He had to give him his props though; it was completely unlike him to ask anyone, especially a human, for help.

"Urameshi, I need to ask you a favor."

"You mean after all this time of knowing each other you still won't call me by my first name?" Hiei sighed.

"You're just as difficult as ever!" Yusuke grinned.

"Now you're starting to sound like the Hiei we know and loathe!"

"Twenty years and you haven't changed a bit!"

"Oh come on Hiei! It's only been seventeen."

"It felt longer."

"So, did you miss me?"

"Not in the least."

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." Hiei gave a half-hearted growl and plowed ahead into the underbrush. Snickering Yusuke followed him. "Hey, wait up! We're supposed to be looking for her together, remember?" The yokai slowed and glanced over his shoulder, waiting for the human to catch up with him.

"If you slow me down Urameshi…"

"Yeah, whatever, I know you don't mean it, you rarely ever do." Yusuke was breathing slightly heavier than usual. "I really need to get back in shape!" Hiei said nothing. They had been on the move all day; by now Kuwabara would have complained at least eighteen times and Yusuke would agreed with him at least twice. No, Yusuke was in pretty decent shape, for a human anyway; he was just trying to get a comment from the yokai. He was unsuccessful. "Hey Hiei, what was that favor you wanted? Were you going to beg for my forgiveness?"

"Your brain hasn't grown much but your ego's on overdrive. I wanted you to take Miya back to the human world with you." Yusuke looked up strangely.

"Why? After all this time, why now?" Hiei sighed.

"I don't like the thought of it. We're going to take her away from Banshi who wants to use her to win his battles, and handing her over to Koenma, who technically wants the exact same thing. Which ever side she's on has the balance of power tipped in their direction. I've learned that the balance of power should never be tipped, whether toward good or bad. Inevitably a greater force will come along and upset the scale further. Dark and light must always exist. If we succeed then one of them might possibly get destroyed."

"Ya, so? She and Koenma destroy Banshi, who's been pulling at our strings for years. Banshi's dead, everybody's happy."

"It's not that simple! Look at it this way – you've been married to Keiko for twenty years…"

"Seventeen!"

"Whatever! You've been married for seventeen years, that means you must love her very much right?"

"Of course!"

"And although you love her when you walk down the street you can't help but notice other women, especially others prettier than she is, right?" Yusuke's guilty blush told him volumes. "You love Keiko and you wouldn't just leave her, yet you still notice when some pretty young thing in a mini-skirt passes just a little two close." Yusuke blushed an even deeper red and Hiei was unsure he wanted to know what was going on in the human's head. "That balance should never change. If it does you'll either become a womanizing letch who can't settle down or you'll be Keiko's personal lap-dog who'll jump when she tells you to. Which of those do you want?"

"I think I see your point, in a strange sort of way. How the hell do you come up with stuff like that anyway?"

"I don't know. So will you take Miya with you?"

"Okay I guess. What do I do with her after that?"

"She's a person Urameshi. You're not going to have to baby-sit her; she can take care of herself. I just want her to have what we didn't; I want her to have a choice."

It got dark quickly, night descending like a blanket. In the last few minutes of daylight they made camp not far from where Kurama and Shinbi used to live; even Hiei was reluctant to travel in unfamiliar part of the makai world at night. They settled down for the night.

"Hiei?"

"Hmm?"

"You're wrong." Hiei's eyes narrowed in momentary confusion.

"About what?"

"I have changed, but that's not what's bothering me. You've changed too, a whole lot more than I have. Remember what happened that day, why we hated each other?"

"I keep trying to forget."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yusuke, it's probably better if you and Kuwabara stay here."

"And let you two have all the fun? No way!" Yusuke crossed his arms. "We're coming." Kuwabara pumped his fist into the air.

"We'll beat the crap outta this guy just like the others!" The two ningens high-fived each other while Hiei watched in amazement. Those two idiots were making a joke out of this thing! Kurama shook his head, knowing it was useless to try to fully explain the danger to those two. In the end all four of them went, despite the yokai's misgivings.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He was right; the human's shouldn't have come. Hiei knew the minute they stepped out of the portal that it was much too dangerous. Yusuke told him to stop being a mother hen. He wouldn't listen to any of Hiei's warnings…until the attack came. Kuwabara went down first…and he didn't ever get back up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Damn it! Idiot! Look out!!" Hiei could see the blast heading at the ningens before they could. Yusuke, who carried the limp body of Kuwabara, looked up, frozen in place and unable to move fast enough to get out of the way. There was a flash of red and everything was blanketed in a blinding flash of light. Hiei protected his eyes and when the light dimmed Yusuke and Kuwabara were on the other side of a great trench.

"No!" Hiei slid down to the bottom and found the crumpled heap that was Kurama. Kurama looked up when he felt Hiei's hands support his neck.

"Hiei, I need to ask you for one last favor."

"Don't be stupid Kurama, you're not going anywhere! Koenma'll make sure you're not lucky enough to die!" Kurama shook his head slowly.

"I wish. I'm afraid, however, that today I'm going to die. I need you to take care of Shinbi and Miya for me."

"Shut up and save your energy baka!"

"Hiei! Listen to me! Please," his hand clasped the koorime's, "please take care of Shinbi and little Miya; Banshi wants her, he wants Miya because she's got a power that can be truly unimaginable. He'll kill Shinbi to get her; you must help them!" Hiei nodded slowly. He refused to wipe away the tear that slid down his face for before he could wipe it away he would have to admit that it was there. Kurama gave him one last smile and his eyes closed. The kitsune's body slowly disintegrated to dust and blew away on the breeze.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You blamed me for Kurama's death; you didn't let me forget that if we had stayed behind he would still be alive." Hiei rolled over so his back was to the human. Yusuke sighed. "I see you still haven't forgiven me for that. But tell me this, what good would my staying behind have done? The original blast would have hit one of you and you would have both been killed in the following battle."

"I don't want to talk about it Urameshi. I've avoided the subject for a reason."

"I'm just trying to help. Maybe something that happened then would give us a clue as how to act now. Since…well since we lost back then."

"Just say it! What you mean is since I lost Shinbi and Miya!" The black-haired human didn't bother trying to deny it.

"You insisted Hiei. I offered to take them to the human world where they would be safe but you wouldn't let me. You said they'd be better off in the makai world and you disappeared with them. The next thing I knew you had almost bled to death in the middle of some god-forsaken forest and Kurama's family was gone. You left me to deal with Koenma alone!"

"Damn it! How many times am I going to be forced to say the exact same thing...?"

"You know what, just drop it. We're not going to get any sleep like this and we won't get anything done tomorrow if we're still fighting. We'll deal with this after everything's done."

"Hn. Just like a human."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly out of nowhere Koenma's voice bellowed,

"Both of you shut the hell up and go to sleep!" Sullenly they obeyed, putting as much distance between them as possible.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Real mature! Koenma, sitting with chin resting on hand, tapped, irritated, as he watched to two ex-teammates on the screen. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Why couldn't Kurama have been the one who survived! Oh well, some things will just never change.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx