DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of it's characters. But my original characters—and twists to the storyline are mine.
a/n: hmm…I'm sleepy…
Well guess what everyone? I'm bored out of my mind and it's only the first day of summer…
Heh, this is gonna suck (at least I'll have time then for that summer reading crap…)
Anyway—cookies to my reviewers!
XxXHellzFireAngelXxX: Heh-heh…um about that…
Umeko Saito: AWWWWWW! Thank you so much:glomps: Well, I'm glad you didn't mind that Kurama cried (I was kind of surprised…I mean, guys cry too don't they? LoL)
Sarah1281: Holy crap…I can't believe you actually wrote that…Hehe, but it's still funny! And the scary thing is, I can almost see Kurama doing that…weird…(Kurama: now I feel silly (LoL))
Little Sakura 87: Hehe, yup! I can't wait though to get started on the next one! (much plot twists and complications! YAY! I think…) T.T but it was sad that Genkai died! But we all know how the season ends, right?
Shadowkitsune7: Hey, well the good news is—SCHOOL'S ALREADY OVER! Haha, at least for me that is…so here's another chapter!
Thoughts
Forever Fornever II
:Overcoming Grief:
A gust of wind moaned through the cave in front of the detective. The breeze rustled his clothing, but he did not stir. He sat cross-legged before the tunnel and did nothing but stare down at his hands forlornly. To anyone else, he might as well just have been a statue sitting in the center of the clearing.
Behind him, Mai leaned up heavily against a nearby tree; her hand braced against it to keep her standing. Her violet-speckled eyes remained on the detective worriedly. She was almost tempted to go and slap him upside the head and hope to get him out of that trance…
But something told her that Yusuke would have to come out of this on his own.
The guardian winced suddenly when she glanced down at her hands for the briefest moment. Her fingers curled into her bloody palm slowly as her eyes trailed down to her other hand drenched in blood…
…Genkai's blood…
For an instant, she felt like she was going to be sick. She covered her mouth with her hands—but when she realized what she was doing, she quickly dropped her arms to her side and closed her eyes forcefully.
Why…? Dammit, you knew this would happen…
She knew she would die…
'We all have to die sometime…'
But she was supposed to die of old age! Not by some insane apparition who supposedly loved her fifty years ago—and not during a time when they needed her the most! It just wasn't fair—!
"Heh…" the detective suddenly let out a hollow laugh, "…remember how happy she was, Mai…? I finished that test…and she seemed…she seemed really happy…"
She noticed his expression darken, "But…I…I killed her…" he whispered harshly, "…If Genkai had her power, she would have been able to fight off Toguro. But she didn't—she gave it to me like the old bitch she was…so I killed her…"
The guardian watched him sadly, "…Yusuke…"
But Urameshi had suddenly gone back into his depression and hung his head without another word. Mai watched him only a moment longer before she sighed sadly.
A single tear raced down her cheek suddenly, "…You didn't kill her, Yusuke…" she whispered too quietly for him to hear and bowed her head.
Away from them, near another cluster of trees, the blue-haired ferry-girl emerged abruptly. She paused when she caught sight of the pair hovering around the cavern entrance, but it was then also that she noticed the demigod standing not too far away…
She moved beside him, "…So this is where they've been…" she said quietly. For a moment she was silent, as if waiting for Koenma to say something—but suddenly she shook her head, "Please, Koenma sir, isn't there any way we can reverse this?"
But even before all the words had left her mouth, the toddler had started shaking his head. Botan cut herself off as he sighed.
"…Genkai has already passed down all her powers…" he told her quietly, "…It was their destiny what happened—"
"What about Kira?" she interrupted, "We were able to find another body for her—we can simply use Genkai's to—!"
He shook his head firmly now and sighed again
"…It's over Botan…"
-:-
Hiei frowned suddenly as he began passing a clearing. His eyes narrowed darkly when the scent of death and blood filled his nose.
The apparition averted his course—but had hardly stepped into the area before he had to stop at the edge of a giant crater. His eyes widened as he stared across the vast basin…but it didn't take a genius to realize what kind of creature had created this hollow…
He paused a moment and stared down at his fist.
In an instant, he had disappeared into the air. He dived rapidly towards the earth and cried out as his energy skyrocketed around him. And only a second later, his fist made contact with the ground beneath him. Rubble flew up into the air while the apparition continued to dive further into the earth.
By the time his attack had finished, debris was still falling down around him. The demon panted for a moment before he was able to recover. By that time, he was already making his way out of his own crater.
But the instant he had reached the surface, his eyes narrowed even further. Furiously, he whipped his head between the two basins…
Only to find that Toguro's greatly outsized his own.
Hiei's fingers dug into his palm angrily. He was almost ready to disappear back into the trees a second time…but something stopped him.
His eyes flickered briefly off to his side. The apparition frowned slightly and moved towards where a deep-red pool of blood swirled nearby. From there, as he looked further, smaller droplets of blood led away from the scene through another grouping of trees.
The demon sniffed the air quickly; his eyes narrowed. He was able sense the onna and the baka tantei in that direction…but this blood was not theirs…
-:-
The raven-haired apparition smirked from beneath his mask as he stood before the akage. Kurama gritted his teeth and changed his stance.
He suddenly charged towards Karasu—and in the same motion, swiftly withdrew his whip from within the folds of his hair. He lashed out at the apparition furiously—
Only to find that he was no longer there.
Kurama's eyes grew wide—until Karasu suddenly appeared directly in front of him. He cried out suddenly as an explosion erupted in front of him, throwing him backwards at the same time. The redhead rolled along the floor and felt blood trickling along his skin. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to his knees; fervently searching for his opponent.
But when he finally did, his heart stopped.
"She had such a pretty scream from earlier…making her sing will be quite enjoyable…" Karasu told him villainously; suddenly holding Mai within his grasp. His pale fingers laced around her throat and he placed his head up against her cheek.
The akage furiously shook his head, "No…NO DON'T!"
Karasu smirked, "…So let's sing a little song for him, shall we?"
And all Kurama heard was her screams of pain—
The redhead suddenly snapped out of his hallucination and clutched his head. Beads of sweat formed along his brow as he heaved in the air around him. He panted heavily and was nearly ready to drop to his knees, but he caught himself.
He ran his hand through his hair absently.
"Damn…" he whispered quietly to himself.
It was no mystery that Karasu outmatched him…and in his human form, there was no possibly way that he would be able to take him on. He was his superior in speed, power, and games of the mind…and with that, Kurama had no chance on making out of that match alive…
He suddenly clenched his fist and his nails dug fiercely into his palm. But what he had said…what he had told him…
Kurama narrowed his eyes; there was no way in hell that he was dying without a fight—
"Hey, Kurama!"
The akage turned suddenly to find Kuwabara entering the clearing with him. It might have just been him, but Kazuma looked rather peeved…
"You haven't seen Mai or Yusuke have you?" he wondered as he approached, "Both of them ran off right after they woke up—even after I told them Genkai didn't want them following her!"
This caused Kurama to go cold.
'...Because one of you will die today…'
Did Kuwabara not know? He wondered uncertainly…
…And…
And had Genkai really died—?
Without warning, Kurama's head suddenly snapped to the side. Nearby, several bushes were rustling restlessly. The redhead narrowed his eyes and changed into a fighting stance defensively (along with Kazuma after he had noticed the foliage as well).
But both of them frowned however, when the intruder emerged from the bushes.
"Suzuka…?" Kurama wondered aloud, but his eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
The blonde-haired fighter folded his arms over his chest. Without the makeup or the crazy clown costume, he actually looked somewhat normal…although there were still bandages covering Genkai's 'souvenirs'…
He snorted unhappily, "My body was never meant for fighting…" he told him and frowned, "And it really sucks that all my techniques went to waste—"
"You still haven't answered our question," Kurama stopped him irritably.
Suzuka rolled his eyes, "Fine…" he sighed. He rummaged with something before drawing out a pair of items. The fighter eyed the other two seriously as he held both artifacts aloft.
For a moment he paused, but then he turned towards Kurama and held out a clear, glass jar filled with a sickly red liquid. Inside floated an oddly shaped purple object.
"This…" he began, "Is the Fruit of Previous Life. It was the same fruit that Uraurishima derived from to create the smoke of the Idunn Box…" the apparition's eyes narrowed slightly, "…With it, you will be able to revert back into Youko…"
Kurama eyed the jar inquisitively before cautiously taking it from Suzuka's hands. Then the blonde-haired demon turned towards the second redhead and held out the hilt of a sword.
"…And this is the Trial Sword…" he added to Kuwabara, "It has been carved from an ancient cedar that grew by sucking up life…For Shishiwakamaru it became the Banshee Shriek," he seemed to take humor in Kazuma's horrified reaction, "Oh, but I assure you that your sword will be much different…"
Both of them eyed the two items suspiciously…however Kurama seemed to be considering how the effects of the fruit might benefit him…
"Though…" Suzuka continued, "Even I don't know exactly how they work…or for that matter what the side effects may have on the user…" he paused before he shrugged casually and turned to leave, "Well, good luck—"
Kurama narrowed his eyes, "Why would you want to help us, Suzuka?" he demanded.
He turned back around; serious again, "Oh don't get me wrong, I still dislike your team…but I hate Toguro…" his eyes narrowed angrily, "I fought him once, and that bastard only used three percent of his strength for my humiliation—then he didn't have the courtesy to kill me…"
-:-
The detective stared down absently at the palm of his hands. Even after several hours, he hadn't even moved…
He gritted his teeth as he fought back his tears of despair.
That bitch…she had known she was going to die—almost as if she wanted to! She didn't even want them coming after her to help…
…Was she that desperate to get herself killed?
Was she that intent on leaving them behind to fight alone in this god-forsaken tournament?
Urameshi's fist shook furiously. It wasn't fair…she shouldn't have had to be the one to fight Toguro—he had her fucking powers; dammit, it should have been him! He should have been the one to take on that bastard!
But he didn't…Genkai had…
And she had died…
…I killed her…
Mai suddenly switched her gaze from the detective to find Koenma calmly making his way towards them. She studied him curiously; he seemed almost too calm…did he not know what had happened? Or was he just being oblivious to the facts…?
"So this is where you two have been hiding…" he started and casually glanced around the clearing, "…Seems a little gloomy to me…"
The guardian could only watch him in wonder; what the hell was he doing? Did he just not care that Genkai was dead?
The guardian cocked an eyebrow towards the demigod inquisitively, but he seemed intent on watching the detective in front of him…
Koenma checked the sky briefly, "…It's getting kind of late—"
"…I should have woken up sooner…" Yusuke suddenly muttered. His gaze remained hooded and he continued to stare down at the ground.
The demigod narrowed his eyes towards him unexpectedly as he tucked his hands into his pockets…
"…It makes me wonder how Genkai could pick such a moron apprentice…"
—!
Mai cried out suddenly as Urameshi whipped around with lightning-fast reflexes and gripped the toddler by the collar.
"Ah! Yusuke, STOP!" she shouted at him. The guardian raced from beneath the cover of the trees to the detective's side; grasping him firmly by the arm and trying to get him to let go of the demigod. But Urameshi refused to loosen his grip.
Koenma however, did not seem fazed by Yusuke's reaction. His eyes only narrowed further, "Genkai came here knowing she would die—and Toguro came knowing he would kill her!" he told him almost to the point of fury, "Tell me this: how were you planning on interfering with their dispute when your mother wasn't even born when their conflict began?"
Urameshi gritted his teeth, "I would have killed that fucking bastard—that's how!"
"Don't flatter yourself!" the demigod responded harshly, "All you would have done was give her more grief to bear before she died! Are you willing to throw away everything for her just so she could live? She knew she was going to die, Yusuke! That's why she gave you her powers! Dammit, she died for the two of you!"
The detective gritted his teeth a final time as the trio remained frozen in time. Mai still hung onto Yusuke's arm, but by now her eyes were wide as she watched Koenma.
The toddler narrowed his eyes further, "Now, are you going to let go of me, or are we going to stand here and do the tango?"
Without warning, Urameshi let go of the demigod and fell back to the ground. He hunched his back as he hung over his hands. The guardian could have sworn that she saw several tears drop to the ground…
Koenma sighed heavily as he turned his back on the pair…
"…It makes me wonder…
"…Maybe overcoming his grief is his final test…"
-:-
"I must say…you've quite outdone yourself, Sakyo…" one of the gamblers congratulated as he sucked on the end of his cigar.
Another one of his companions nodded and let a puff of smoke drift into the air, "…You should get the usual forty trillion for being the owner of the winning team…" he continued and smiled, "That being said, what do you suppose you'll do with all that money?"
The raven-haired man smiled as well…but almost to the point where it became a smirk, "…I have a good idea of what I'll do with it…" he mused aloud and tapped his fingers together, "…I plan to make a tunnel…a tunnel that will connect the demon world with the living word. Unfortunately, these tunnels are very expensive to build—and right now there are only a few lower-class demons that are able to sneak their way through…"
He paused a moment, as if thinking over his plans, "Even though I've won a lot of money…I'm afraid it's not enough combined with Tarukane's fortune; the real money, I believe, is in the bets…" he smirked as he watched he fellow gamblers' faces, "But since Toguro is such a favorite and no one bets against him, I simply used Team Urameshi as a wild card…"
At this, the other gamblers narrowed there eyes towards him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" one of them asked seriously.
"Are you trying to say you helped them?"
Sakyo shook his head and smiled in amusement, "No, no…Urameshi made it here on his own…" he paused and smirked, "…The only thing I did was kill Butajiri…oh and Tarukane of course…"
One of the men shot up to his feet furiously. His fist shook at his side and he glared at the other man wrathfully, "…How…how dare you!" he shouted and whipped his head around towards the door—where a group of demons stood waiting, "KILL HIM NOW!"
But Sakyo only smirked as the assassins approached him. He didn't have to do or say anything before Toguro suddenly emerged from behind him.
He looked down at his hands and smiled as the screams of pain and slicing of flesh could be heard in front of him. The gambler watched as a splatter of blood splashed next to his foot before he lifted his head to view the rest of the room.
The gambler seemed unaffected by the fact that the floor was now drenched in the sickly red liquid and the rest of the gamblers and the demons lay strewn about in bits and pieces. He calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the residue of blood off of his boots
"I assume you took care of that business of yours, Toguro…" he started casually. He tucked the cloth back into his pocket and leaned back in his chair comfortably, "…So what do you think of my plan…?" he wondered.
The apparition said nothing for a moment, "…It's a bit complicated…" he answered, "But as for the idea…I agree…"
The room was quiet for a moment until Toguro spoke again.
"Although, not that it matters to me…" he added on, "…I've acquired so much power that I wouldn't be able to enter Makai even if I wanted to…"
He suddenly smirked.
"…And when Urameshi dies…there will be no one left in Ningenkai to challenge me."
-:-
Yusuke was furiously fighting back his tears by now. His fingernails dug into his palm and his fist began to shake violently.
The more he thought about it…
The more he couldn't get it out of his mind…
He knew that no matter what happened he would never be able to forgive Toguro for what he had done. There was no way in hell that he would let that bastard get away with his sin…
And he would personally make sure of that.
Urameshi fiercely gritted his teeth; Toguro had no reason to kill Genkai…he had no reason to take her away from them!
…He was only after blood…
The detective realized this with a start and his eyes grew wide as it finally occurred to him.
It didn't matter who or what got in his way, Toguro would find some way to get exactly what he wanted…and if that meant killing, it didn't matter. If it meant that Yusuke would get stronger, it was all the better that he used force…
He felt his heart nearly skip a beat…
There was no stopping him…
The demon's grip tightened around her throat and she let out a small gasp of air. Her eyes opened weakly so that she was just barely able to make out Toguro's form. Her hands tried desperately to pry his grip away from her neck…
Yusuke froze.
"Dammit, Mai! What the hell is wrong?" he hissed—trying not to alert their companions, "If it's about Toguro, get over it! I'm going to make sure that bastard never touches you again, don't you understand that?"
He found himself gripping her by the shoulders and lifting her halfway off the bed. Mai looked up at him blankly—but there was a hint of sadness deep within those violet-speckled eyes. When the detective noticed this, he blinked in surprise and gently loosened his grip.
"Mai…?"
"Please, Yusuke…just…go away…"
His fist clenched in his lap…even though his eyes seemed to fill with horror…
If…if he wasn't able to stop him…
Then he might—
Urameshi's eyes shot up suddenly.
He sat there for a moment, frozen in shock as he stared into the cave before him…
"Hey, dimwit…"
"Genkai…"
Mai glanced up at the detective. She noticed him staring into the cavern when he said this, but to the guardian, there was no sign of the old woman.
She watched him sadly, "…Yusuke…"
"…How long do you think he's going to stay like this…?" Koenma wondered from beside her.
The guardian slowly shook her head, "…I…I'm not sure…"
He waited for a moment before he began making his way towards the detective. Mai watched him curiously as he stopped behind Yusuke. The demigod placed his hands in his pockets casually as he watched the detective.
"…Genkai left a message for you…" he told him.
Almost immediately, Urameshi whipped around to face the toddler; as if silently demanding him to tell him what it was. Koenma studied him for a moment before he continued:
"She said the last year of her life sucked because you were a pain-in-the-ass student…" he paused and his tone softened a little bit, "…She also asked that you stay alive for a long time so she could finally get some peace and quiet…"
There was a pause that filled the clearing…
But then Mai noticed the detective wiping at his eyes.
And unexpectedly, Yusuke suddenly jumped backwards into the air. His body flipped several times before he landed back on the ground several yards away.
He slowly straightened…and a smile reached his lips. He hesitated for only a moment, but in the same motion he raised his hands to the sky where his index finger pointed to the heavens…
"Heh…I have a message for the old bitch too…" he said, "…I'm going to show her what I can do with this power she gave me…"
Without warning, the area around the detective exploded in a burst of blue light. His energy whipped around him furiously in a glowing cyclone and swirled above his head. The air around him shuddered at the mass of its power and the ground began to crumble beneath him.
A fierce wind blew through the clearing, and on instinct, both Mai and Koenma raised their hands in front of them.
Even the earth began to shake beneath Urameshi's power and steadily began to give way as debris was lifted up into the air.
Yusuke would not let his eyes leave the sky, "…This is my way of showing her I understand…"
The energy swirling around him almost froze in time. And as if it were in a vacuum, it was suddenly sucked to the spot where his finger pointed to the sky. But it continued to grow at that location…almost to the point where it nearly surrounded him.
As if it slow motion, Yusuke's body was forced backwards by the blast as it erupted into the air. The ground shattered beneath him and his feet dug deeply into the earth. And the clearing was suddenly filled with the bright blue light that took off into the sky.
The blast shot off into the air like a rocket; furiously charging through the sky and even the highest clouds.
Mai couldn't help but watch it in awe as it spiraled through the sky…but then her eyes found their way back to the detective sitting at the base of the newly-formed crater…
She saw him grit his teeth…
…and several tears trickle down the side of his face…
"…Yeah…" he said quietly, "…I think she got my message…"
-:-
Toguro smirked as he stared out the window. Calmly, he placed one of his hands into his pocket and watched the blast of energy charge through the air over the island.
So…he finally had the power to take him on at one-hundred percent…
…But did he have the heart to do it…?
-:-
Kuwabara eyed the hilt in front of him suspiciously. He had not touched it since Suzuka handed it to him…and he almost had no intention of picking it up again.
The giant moon was steadily rising behind him as he sat across from the weapon.
Well…for the most part, it didn't look dangerous…
But then again, Suzuka had said that he didn't exactly know what the side-effects would be if he decided to use it—for all he knew, he could explode or something!
Cautiously, Kazuma picked up a twig lying next to him. He prodded the hilt uncertainly as if it would spontaneously combust if he tried to touch it. When nothing happened, he furrowed his brow determinedly.
"This is stupid!" he told himself irritably, "I'm not gonna wuss out on something like this! Come here you stupid sword!"
He grasped the hilt furiously and held it between his hands. The redhead glared at it as he began to channel his energy through his arms and into his hands—
In an instant, a blast of light erupted from the hilt. The glow was so strong, that Kuwabara squinted and held the sword further out in front of him. When he was finally able to open his eyes, they grew wide in awe at the weapon he held in his hands.
Energy crackled through the hilt and Kazuma could tell that the power that resonated through his hands was much greater than his spirit sword…
"Whoa…cool…" he said, unbelieving, "It didn't explode…"
A grin suddenly popped onto his face, "Wait'll till Urameshi gets a load of this!"
The energy retreated back into the hilt as Kuwabara raced across the clearing. He quickly made his way through the forest surrounding the island until the hotel was in clear view.
He was so excited about his new technique that he hardly even noticed Mai heading towards him…
"Hey, Kazuma!"
The redhead nearly fell over at the speed he stopped. He staggered for a moment before he was able to steady himself and grinned yet again.
"Hey! We were wondering where you two were! Speaking of which…" he continued when he remembered why he was so excited, "…Where's Urameshi? Is he back at the hotel?"
She paused for a moment and shook her head, "No he's—"
The guardian was cut off suddenly when a blast of light erupted from the direction of the beaches. The ground beneath the two of them shuddered as the glow hovered eerily in the air.
Kuwabara heard Mai sigh.
"No he's on the beach," she finished quietly.
-:-
Yusuke folded his hands together in front of him while his spirit energy continued to engulf him. The blue light surrounded the detective in almost an ocean of energy; almost to the point where the power was intoxicating.
The detective narrowed his eyes fiercely.
…If Toguro was willing to kill Genkai…
…He would make sure that that bastard would never have a chance to kill again—
He would make sure he killed Toguro first.
Urameshi's energy pulsed stronger now, and his eyes seemed to flare with an anger that could not be quenched.
The demon's grip tightened around her throat and she let out a small gasp of air. Her eyes opened weakly so that she was just barely able to make out Toguro's form. Her hands tried desperately to pry his grip away from her neck…
The detective growled under his breath and his eyes narrowed further. The energy that resonated around him brightened fiercely to the point where it would have blinded anyone else.
"Mai…?"
"Please, Yusuke…just…go away…"
Kuwabara stared awe-filled over the ledge he and the guardian were standing on. The earth beneath them trembled, but for the time being, neither of them took notice.
"What the hell is that!" he demanded, "That's too bizarre—it can't possibly be Urameshi's energy, can it?"
Mai only nodded as she kept her eyes locked on the detective.
The redhead gritted his teeth, "Well, when the hell did he get that strong—?"
He was cut off suddenly when the pair noticed Yusuke withdraw the energy back into his body. He paused a moment even as the ground shuddered a final time—but it was just enough that it caused the ledge both Kuwabara and Mai were on to crumble.
The guardian easily noticed this, and stepped out of range…
Kazuma however, did not pick on as quickly.
He fell onto the beach along with the rest of the ledge; letting out a groan that was quite comical. Mai nimbly jumped down after him and helped him to his feet while Yusuke watched the pair with his hands resting on his hips.
"Nice entrance there, Kuwabara…" he said bluntly.
The redhead grumbled something incoherently under his breath—before he suddenly whipped out the Trial Sword from his pocket, "Yeah, laugh it up, Urameshi!" he told him, "But you won't be laughing too long when you see my new, wicked awesome sword—!"
"Shut it, baka."
The trio turned to find Hiei standing near the face of the cliff. He moved from beneath the shadows, and almost immediately, Kazuma let out a small cry of horror.
"What the hell did you do to your arm?" he nearly screamed.
The apparition glanced down at his right limb absently. It was severely cut and was still bleeding freely over his hand, "Oh this?" he wondered and his gaze darkened, "My arm disobeyed a direct order from me…so a punished it…"
By now, Kuwabara was steadily moving away from the black-haired demon, "The only people I know who do that are in psychiatric hospitals right now…" he muttered, before he quickly shook his head to rid himself of the subject, "So where's Kurama?" he asked hoping to get his mind off of Hiei's crazy tactics.
"He's been standing next to you for the last three minutes," Mai told him calmly and gestured.
Kazuma jumped when he found the redhead leaning against the rock next to him. The guardian could have sworn she heard him mutter something along the lines of 'They're all crazy!'
But his surprise quickly past as he glanced around the group, "…Wow, we're basically all here—all we need is to find Genkai—"
At this, it was almost as if Yusuke and Mai stiffened in unison. The guardian turned her head away while Urameshi had to force his fist into his pocket.
Both Kurama and Hiei noticed this and raised their eyebrows suspiciously. And the redhead noticed Mai bracing herself either against tears or what Yusuke was planning on saying…
Obviously, it was not what she was expecting:
"She's not coming, Kuwabara," the detective said without looking at him, "…She…she said she needed some time to rest…"
-:-
Mai kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, unmoving. The detective walked beside her and the rest of their teammates appeared ahead of them as they returned back to the hotel.
He violet-speckled eyes closed a moment, "…Why didn't you just tell them, Yusuke…?" she wondered quietly, "Just…told them the truth…"
For a long time, he was silent. The guardian listened to their feet shuffling along the dirt path and watched several pebbles skitter ahead of them. It seemed as though the remaining three of their companions had gone quiet in order to listen to their conversation…
But she knew it was just her imagination.
When the detective finally answered, it was hardly more than a whisper…
"…I couldn't do it, Mai…" he told her quietly, "…I couldn't bring myself to tell them. Because…deep in my heart, I'm still holding on to the hope that she's coming back; that she'll just appear and make one of her snide comments…"
"…or give us another piece of wisdom…" Mai finished softly.
Yusuke sighed, "…Yeah…" but quickly his gaze became hooded for the countless time that day, "Truthfully…I was afraid to tell them the truth, because…because if I did, I'd just be admitting to myself that she was gone for good…
"And that's just something I don't know how to do…"
-:-
a/n: okie dokie! I'm done with another chapter! HURRAY!
Anyway…sad, yes…
But so is the next chapter (Sarah1281, you know what's gonna happen—and you better not say anything:goes and sharpens knifes just in case: I'M WATCHING YOU!) hehe, but anywhos…
I should probably go find that summer reading book…(hah, random thought, ah well…)
Hey did anyone watch Saturday's Inuyasha w/ Jankotsu? IT WAS HILLARIOUS! Haha, at least I thought parts of it were…but that's just crazy kitkat—so what can you do?
…Well…
That's enough pointless drabble for tonight! I'm going to bed everyone!
PEACE OUT!