Chapter 20: Born a New

The door cracked open and Keiko peeked in. Ah, so she was still sleeping. Keiko smiled and walked into the room with Yukina and Botan following behind.

As a joke, the girls jumped on Jo in order to wake her up. When they made contact with the bed, Jo's body jerked up but went limp on the bed.

Botan nudged Jo, "Come on silly, you've been sleeping for almost two days now."

No responce. Not even a jerk away or a groan.

"Something's really wrong," Yukina said, looking at Jo.

Keiko ran out of the room and came back minutes later with the others behind her.

Yusuke sat down on the bed next to Jo and grabbed her sides to tickle her. She didn't flinch, nothing.

Yusuke looked back at the others with a worried look on his face.

Kurama stepped forward this time, only he went to take Jo's pulse. He felt around for a while, then finally brought his hand down.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the others. His eyes threatening to spill the tears that gathered.

Then, it hit the group.

Yukina's voice cracked, "No, she's not. Don't even say it Kurama."

No one seemed to notice that Hiei had left. As soon as he walked off, he freaked. He had to do something, kill something...anything.

One single tear fell down his cheek, an ebony coloured tear gem fell to the ground.

Five Years Later

Time had passed and tears were shed.

Come to find out, Jo had died in her sleep, her heart had simply stopped. She died not to long after she had gone to her room. She felt no pain when she died, or so everyone hoped.

Now, seasons changed and it has been exactly five years since she had passed.

Every year, everyone would go visit Jo's grave site. Raye would visit every so often, so did Deirdre and Ollie. Raye never understood what went on with Jo's life after Jo had found her brother, but she knew Jo had been happy, that's all that mattered.

Deirdre took it harder than everyone expected.

Ollie mourned, just not as bad.

It amazed everyone that when Kurama finally pronouced Jo dead, her hair turned back to greyish-yellow.

Today, Yusuke and Keiko are married, three years now, and trying to have a baby.

Kuwabara and Yukina are also married, that is, after everyone explained marriage to Yukina.

Kurama become quiet and distant from everyone, blaming himself for Jo's death. Hiei also became distant, but for other reasons.

Hiei just shut himself off to the world. He mainly stayed at Yusuke and Keiko's apartment, in Jo's old room. He refused to let anyone go near it.

They all met at the cemetary that day, five whole years later, 5 LONG years.

They all stood silent now, but that silence was not going to stay for very much longer.

"Get back her, you little homeless brat."

Everyone turned to see a little blond girl running from someone.

The girl seemed to be heading right for them.

Without thinking, Yuske knelt down and opened his arms for the girl to run in, and that's exactly what she did.

Seeing this, the persuer of the girl backed off.

Yusuke watched the girl who was now clinging around his neck. He could tell she wasn't going to let go anytime soon

"You okay squirt?" asked Yusuke.

The girl pulled back, "Squirt, who you calling a squirt? Must we still make short jokes? I should really kick you ass for that."

Everyone stood shocked.

"Yeah, I think I should, I mean since you nudged that bruise on my face a while back."

Yusuke dropped the girl at that point. He only knew of one person who had a bruise on her.

"J-Jo?"

The others looked at Yusuke, then at the girl.

She stood up slowly, smiling the whole time.

"Yeah, but I go by Antha now. Oh, and don't you people looked so shocked, you should have known that I would be incarnated...well, actually I pulled a Kurama." She looked at the red head. "Don't feel so guilty, I still love ya."

Yusuke scratched his nose, "Yeah, so that should feel a bit awkward. Um, how old are you exactly, about five?"

Jo/Antha nodded.

"Yeah, and since you and Keiko are married, hows about you adopt me, so I'm still in the family."

Yusuke stood silent.

"Fine. I'll have Kurama adopt me...Ooh, sneaking in the bathroom while he's in the shower."

Everyone anime fell.

"You're only five!" Yusuke yelled.

"Yeah, with a soul of a nearly twenty-two year old. I can't help that I'm still in love with Kurama and Hiei."

Keiko stepped forward, "Come on, we're going home. Then you can stop being a perv."

As Jo/Antha was being dragged away, she had one last comment to Kurama and Hiei...

"I'LL BE LEGAL IN THIRTEEN MORE YEARS, WAIT FOR ME!"

As I laugh my ass off, I had to leave it with that.

Now, I'm giving you wonderful readers and reviewers a note. Would you like it to stay as is, or would you like an epilogue that IS thirteen years later? Let me know and I will give, I'm feeling that generous.

I will wait for your responce.

Until the next chapter or fic, yes there is another fic in the works...I'm keeping this one a secret though, so until then, I'm outie.

-Jen