Authoress here.

I really have no idea how to end this. I mean, it's been going on for over A YEAR. Without the Chronicles, what'll happen?

(Snorts) That's easy. I'll retire our five favorite leading ladies and I'll start my personal long awaited Inuyasha fic. But I still don't know how exactly to end the Chronicles. Let's just see how this goes…

Yujo Chronicles: The Final Chapter
Chapter Sixteen: Snags, Toils and Snares

Somewhere in Demon World

"Ankara, over here."

The Ice Apparition trudged wearily over to where Hiei stood on the pinnacle of a large cliff. Her dark eyes followed Hiei's pointing finger.

"What am I looking at?"

"That large black smudge on the horizon. The others are there."

"Your friends?"

"Yes. And apparently, their idiot rescuers."

"And how do you know this?"

Hiei gave Ankara a scathing look. "I'm a psychic. When I know what to look for I find it."

Ankara gave a dry laugh. "No need to get angry over it."

Hiei's scowl deepened. "I am not getting angry."

Ankara laughed again, and wrapped her fingers around his. "Never mind. How are we getting there?"

Hiei knelt, knees pressing into the dark soil. "Get on."

Ankara complied, straddling his back and holding Hiei securely about his shoulders. Hiei stood, shaking his head. "It's a good thing Kuwabara isn't here right now."

"How so?" Ankara's voice sounded right behind his ear. She was unable to see the wry expression that crossed the dark-haired demon's mien.

"He would have taken that- Oh, never mind." Hiei broke off, and started to leap down the cliff-face. He reached the juncture of ground and the steep upward slope and took off at a sprint towards the rising sun.

"You care for them deeply, don't you?" Ankara waited for awhile, and Hiei merely kept silent and continued with his terrific speed. "You do, don't you?"

Hiei still didn't respond, but doubled his pace.

Inside of the fortress

Between the two of them, Katsu and Ran managed to get Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara out of the tanks, free of machines, and lying prone on the concrete floor.

Katsu peered worriedly into Yusuke's still face. "Why aren't they waking up?"

Ran was busy at a nearby computer, eyes running over the schematics listed there. "I don't know, and I can't understand a word of this gibberish." He glared at the screen for a moment.

"Oh!" Katsu gasped. "Here, Ran the walkie talkie!"

Katsu fumbled with the small machine for a moment, and then passed it over to the red headed man. "Who's on the other line?" Ran adjusted the volume back to normal, looking at Katsu.

"Seto Kaiba and my friend, Kiamo. Seto's-"

"The multimillionaire computer kid." Ran cut in. He shook his head. "How he's connected to you guys I have no idea, but after everything I've gone through with you kids I shouldn't be surprised anymore."

Katsu gave him a small grin, which he returned before speaking into the walkie talkie.

"Seto? Kiamo. This is Ran Fujimiya; I'm here in Demon World helping Katsu and Emiko."

After a period of static, Kiamo's voice responded. "Hey, Ran, this is Kiamo. Everything okay on your end?"

"Yes. We have achieved recapturing the three prisoners, but we don't know how to wake them. I'm here at a computer, but I don't understand the coding. Any help?"

"Yeah. Hang on." Kiamo's voice got louder and soft again, like a badly tuned radio. After a minute of silence, Seto came over the line.

"Ran, is it?"

"Yes. Any help?"

"Look for repeating code fragments. Any string of symbols, numbers or letters will do."

Ran perused the screen's data quickly. "A695RSQ is here twice."

"Excellent." Seto responded. "Kiamo, take the walkie talkie, please."

Ran waited, until Kiamo spoke again. He could hear Seto dictating instructions in the background. "Okay, find as many repeating codes as possible, then use- Oh, wait, is it a human keyboard?"

"I think so." Ran squinted at it. "Yes, I see a brand here."

There was a moment of silence as Kiamo relayed the information. "What brand?"

"Tsukioh."

"Does the computer have an ID number? It would be….where, Seto? On the front of the computer tower."

Ran scanned the machine over, until he saw a small number etched into the computer. "Yes. 769054MD."

"Okay. Seto's checking to see if he can hack the system and do the decoding manually. Hang on a second."

"All right."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes. Katsu's here with me, she's fine, Narrin (my wife) is just tired, and Emiko's unconscious. She'll be fine, though."

Kiamo blew a noisy sigh of relief. "Good. Oh, this is so weird! I'm still trying to get over the concept of other worlds, let alone Komiko and the others being demons! Oh, Seto's finished…Anything happening on your end?"

Ran glanced at the screen. Fragments of the code were disappearing and coming back as readable sentences. "Yes. But how is Seto able to do this? Different worlds would be rather hard to string Internet connection between, I would think."

"Hang on."

"Stuff happening?" Katsu looked over at Ran from her spot on the floor by Yusuke's head.

"Yes." Ran nodded. "Seto Kaiba's working on all of this stuff."

"He says it's possible, the demons had designed it that way, because they needed human power and technology to keep the nanites running." Kiamo reported over the static. "He also says he's about done."

Ran checked the screen. The coded sections were indeed the minority. He started reading, trying to find something to wake up the captives. "Nothing helpful yet."

"Seto's says that if nothing showed up yet, it isn't likely." Kiamo sounded a little nervous. "All the data is…what?"

Ran could hear Seto's answer in the background. "Tell him it's mainly just directions on how the nanite compository network and the relative infostructure of the mainframe system are laid out."

"I heard." Ran interrupted Kiamo's recital. "But it's no good. We need to wake them up, and we need to do it now. Tell Seto to search the rest of the system."

Katsu gently cupped Yusuke's cheek as Ran spoke with Kiamo and Seto. "Yusuke, you big idiot. Time to wake up."

Yusuke's face looked like death itself; his eyes were still beneath the lids, face relaxed, and mouth stern. Katsu bit her lip, holding in the sob that threatened to overcome her. She bent, placing her lips on his, ever so gently. Breaking away, she searched his face for any sign of response. Nothing had changed, but Katsu took heart in the fact his lips were warm.

Ran was still glaring at the screen, which was seemingly changing of its own will. He knew that Seto was scanning the files on the computer from Human World; but he did not like this sort of waiting. Doing nothing made him more nervous than any other type of situation.

"Seto says that he's maybe onto something of relevance." Kiamo reported. Ran caught his breath, and Katsu looked over.

"Well?" Ran snapped.

When the walkie talkie sounded again, Seto was speaking. "Listen, I'm not sure how to tell you this-"

"Do not waste my time, Kaiba-san," Ran cut him off. "Just say what you know."

"There is a memo here on the message folder and a Kahiru to Tei file was selected by the word analysis I activated to search for any revival instructions. I'm bringing it to your screen now."

Ran watched the monitor intently as a document folder opened, and a certain file was selected.

Kahiru to Tei dated four-seventeen-oh five, hour 22

Make sure Tsurukai knows to add to the bid description about the solitary hypnosis constitution process. The nanitory-induced hypnosis complete revival can only be configured on the procedure of nanite removal. The specific instructions set into the individual devices must be reprogrammed to allow an exit from the host. As the nanites are fed on the hosts' brainwave energy, they also need a certain amount of energy to completely exit the host.

Tsurukai already knows about the full revival process, as you should yourself, but with the glitches the nanites have produced with the mental lapses allowed with subjects Urameshi and human Yoko Kurama, I've determined that by simply leaving the host or losing power the hypnosis falls away quickly. I've placed safeguards of my own psychic energy reserve on the minds of the captives; they will not be able to be awakened except by another demon or spirit aware being with capabilities matching my own.

Ran cursed. "What is it?" Katsu's voice shook a little, but she sounded more or less calm.

Ran reread the message aloud. "And hidden inside all of the technical shit, it basically says that this Kahiru set mental blocks on them under the weakened state provoked by the nanites." Ran added bitterly.

"So…d'you think Emiko could undo this mental thing?"

Ran shook his head. "You tell me. From what I know about her, she's still working on regaining the full power she once had. Not even realizing that she was demonic until only a few months ago might not have given her enough time to get up to Kahiru's psychic level."

"…What are you saying, then? That they're stuck like this?" Katsu demanded. "Why don't we just bring them to Koenma? He could wake 'em!"

"So let's just travel back, with two weakened comrades and three unconscious enemies of just about every other demon in this world!" Ran flared at her, and then quickly realized his harsh words. "I'm sorry; that was unfair. But it's true. It would almost certainly be a fatal mistake to try that angle."

Katsu blanched a little. "Then…what do we do?"

"Blundering fools. I should have expected something like this would happen once I left. Competency was never a strong point in Urameshi or Kuwabara, and Kurama's been spending too much time with idiots. Bound to rub off."

Katsu and Ran whipped around to face the door, where Hiei stood with some strange, dark haired woman.

"Hiei?" Katsu said in amazement.

"Hn." The apparition scowled darkly. "What's the problem? I saw the dead in the hall; what more can you not do?"

Ran wasn't perturbed by Hiei's barbs. "Their captors put a mental block on them when the nanites had weakened their minds." He explained quickly. "Because of their popularity here with the locals, we don't dare move them, but we can't break the block."

"Hn." Hiei uttered his indefinite answer to everything. "Are you going to get away and let me do all the work, or do I even have to ask?"

"You can do it?" Ran asked, somewhat hesitant.

"Fool!" Hiei snarled. "I found you, and yet you still question my abilities? If you weren't under the protection that bungling excuse for a prince I'd cut you apart."

He turned briefly to the three lying prone on the floor. His Jagan implant glowed briefly beneath his headband, and his eyes narrowed unseeingly. Then Yusuke groaned, Kurama gave a sharp intake of breath, and Kuwabara half sat up. They were awake.

Katsu didn't hold back her sob any longer, but burst into relieved tears as she flung herself on the bemused Yusuke. Kuwabara fell back onto his back with a groan, one hand flying up to massage his temples. Kurama groggily sat up, and looked around.

"Katsu? Aya? Hiei?"

"Kurama." Ran smiled, shoulders sagging with thankful release. "Good to have you all back."

"What in the hell happened?" Hiei cut in, coldly. "I don't know how you get yourself into these kinds of situations, but-"

"I'm glad to see you as well, Hiei." Kurama laughed shakily. Kuwabara propped himself up on his elbows.

"Wha-? The last thing I remember is Yukina doin' somethin' weird- and some demons putten' us in tanks- and then horrible…terrible things…" He shook his head, and then groaned. "My head hurts like a son of a bitch. What happened?"

"Later." Kurama cut off Ran as he started to answer. "Where's Emiko?"

"Unconscious, I expect. In the hallway, next to the goddess bitch from France. No idea why she's here, if I weren't in a hurry I would have finished her off-"

Ran interrupted Hiei's reply firmly. "Narrin has been acquitted of her actions and she's also my wife. She came here to help free Yusuke and the others."

Kurama struggled to his feet, and Yusuke started to do the same, hugging Katsu all at once. "Whatever the hell happened, I'm guessing it's over, right?"

"Yes. Thank goodness." Katsu sniffled.

"You're snotting all over me." Yusuke said gruffly. Katsu sent him a glare.

"I'll snot as much as I want to, Yusuke Urameshi! And if you even think-mmph!" Yusuke firmly cut her off, using his mouth to cover hers. She kissed him back, smiling through the kiss.

Kurama walked unsteadily towards Hiei, gaining strength and control of his mobility with every step. He paused, looking at the dark haired woman at Hiei's side. "Ankara, I presume?"

The woman smiled, bringing sunlight to her face. She extended a hand. "Kurama?"

Kurama took her hand, glancing wryly at Hiei. "I've heard much about you."

Ankara noticed the look and grinned even wider. "And I've heard much about you. Hiei has told me-"

"I told her what a foolish, human-loving emotional prisoner you are." Hiei cut in harshly, glaring at the fox. "And that you, Kuwabara and Urameshi are some of the most unpleasant bastards I've ever met."

Kurama met his stare evenly, and then placed a hand on the apparition's shoulder. "Thank you for coming, Hiei."

Hesitantly, and with the ultimate air of uncomfortable male embarrassment, Hiei returned the gesture, throat too constricted to speak. Kurama smiled, and hurried off down the hall.

Ankara smiled at the flustered Hiei, and took his hand again. "No need to answer my earlier question. You have good friends, I can tell."

Hiei didn't respond, except Ankara felt him give her fingers the smallest of squeezes.

Kurama, followed shortly by Ran, hurried down the corridor to where Emiko lay, close next to Narrin, who sat propped against the wall. Narrin's eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply and evenly.

Kurama fell to his knees, gathering the still unconscious Emiko in his arms, shaking slightly with emotion. Every dream, every nightmare, he had seen his friends dying, his family torn apart, his mate savaged and killed. But now, the dreams only made the reality sweeter.

Back inside the lab room, Katsu, Kuwabara and Yusuke had made their way to the door where Hiei stood waiting with Ankara, fingers still intertwined. Ran had left the walkie-talkie on the computer desk, and Katsu picked it up as Kiamo's worried voice sounded over the frequency.

"Ran? Katsu? Everything okay over there?"

"Hey, Kiamo?" Katsu spoke into the small machine, smiling as her face shone with happy tears. "We're all comin' home."

The End

Authoress here.

There will be a short epilogue, but otherwise, we've witnessed the end of the Yujo Chronicles. Hot damn, I can't believe it's been OVER A YEAR since I started these!

Well, review, please.

(Zips away on the broom 'o' doom.)