Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha

Summary of last time: They landed on Mars and there was a fight between Kagome and everyone. Yusuke and Kagome made up later, their two setrans acted oddly.

/.../ -

Chapter 15 -

Two hovercrafts stopped when the city had disappeared over the horizon. Seven people and four animals sat in each car and they shifted to look back at the city no longer in view. Then the hovercrafts were turned off and they lowered to the ground. The fourteen teenagers filed out of their cars and made a circle as they grouped together, drawing strength from the closeness of the other powerful beings that surrounded them.

Souta was the only one to turn away and stare out at the dusty red planet. The grass was sparse where they stood, and it would get thinner and almost non-existent the farther they went. And then they would come to a forest. Souta knew what waited in that forest. He could almost hear the mocking laughter.

He also knew what the prophecy said. He knew at least as much as Kagome did. He desperately hoped this wasn't the end. He knew some of them wanted this to be the end, and that somehow Resurga would just disappear, but he was wishing with all his heart that Resurga continued fighting, that they would still have to fight that demon. Because that would mean Kagome would have top live through the fight. She couldn't die if her work wasn't done, right?

"Hey, Souta, pay attention!" He heard Rin scold. He fixed a smile on his face and turned to face them again, trying to appear as unconcerned as any normal teenage boy.

"Sorry. I guess I drifted off there." His face stretched into a grin and he briefly wondered if rueful rubbing at the back of his head would be too much. He decided it would be and just looked at them through innocent, fearless eyes. They turned away and he could hear them discussing and discarding plan after plan.

"What plan could we think of that he wouldn't be able to counter?" Kikyou said in a level voice. The group paused to look at her and Inuyasha lifted golden eyes to study her.

"What do you think, then?" He tried to keep his voice as casual as he could, but there was a hint of eagerness to his voice, as if he would be pleased by any solution at this point.

"Someone needs to go ahead of us and scout out the area. And we need someone he wouldn't expect." She didn't look directly at them but Souta stiffened anyway and stepped closer to Kaede and Rin. If she picked one of them, it was going to be him. He was not going to let the girls go and get hurt while he stayed here, helpless and afraid.

"We may have an answer to that." Everyone watched in amazement as Botan stepped forward with Shippo. He was holding that same piece of wood he had been holding earlier, but this time the shape was clearer. It looked a bit like an oar to Souta.

"This is made from the wood of a tree that doesn't grow very often in the Human World. They had one that they had been cutting up in the city. In one of the enclosed gardens. We stole one," Botan explained calmly. Souta noted the fire apparition tensing just slightly as he stared at the almost-oar.

"It won't work," Hiei said flatly, shocking them all. There was a rustling sound and Dedran and Ketria poked their heads out of one car, staring at the demon and human in shock. "You're human now."

"Now?" Rin questioned. No one answered her. Souta saw Kagome's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as were most of the boys. Kikyou and Inuyasha didn't look surprised in the least. The young teen wondered just how much Kikyou was sharing with Inuyasha recently. They had talked a bit too much in the car for two people who should have hated each other.

"My soul isn't," was all she said as she stared at him, surprise on her face. "If it doesn't, I just won't get off the ground. No reason I shouldn't try."

There was apparently nothing Hiei could find wrong with that and he glared at them all, daring them to say something. Souta had already figured out that the demon didn't like being proven wrong. No one did really, but he would perhaps kill if it meant being right.

"What exactly are you talking about? You didn't mention much about the memories Hiei awoke." Souta was horribly confused as Kagome questioned her friend, and only Rin's touch on his arm stopped him from speaking out.

"I know. They keep getting clearer as time goes on. Obviously Hiei has them even clearer than I." Botan glanced at the fire apparition who glared into the space beside her. Her eyes dimmed as she looked away and she continued quickly.

"I was... wished into this human body. Or, I should say my spirit was wished into the womb of a human woman who was going to have girl child." Botan grinned quickly at Kurama who looked at her sharply in shock. Souta glanced at Rin, as did Kaede, but the youngest of them shook her head firmly. They could ask the older teens later what that had meant.

"You see, before this, I was... a grim reaper. I guided spirits to Spirit World. We had lost so much power at that point. Resurga had practically wrenched all of our territory in Makai away the instant she came into power. With all of the humans fighting to just keep their own worlds safe, they had no time for Spirit World's trouble, those who even knew of us. All we've been able to do is collect human souls. I was... sick of it. Not angry sick, but sick in the way that I wished I was mortal so I could die. It was horrible, the things I'd see when I went to collect them. Once, I had to collect one from right near Resurga..." Botan trailed off and Souta hissed through his teeth at the haunted look in the usually cheerful girl's eyes.

"We were supposed to disconnect ourselves from it all. Most of us succeeded at first. Then the first of us just... willed themselves out of existence. One of our few males too." She paused to explain, "Most of us are female, while most ogres are male. I guess it's just something that happens when we're made."

She took a few breaths and glanced at the others. Seeing that they were still interested, she forced herself to continue. "He wasn't the last. It wasn't widespread, but it made us all nervous, and depressed. It made some of us close off from everything. And some of us became too open. It was hard to disconnect myself from human death when my own kind was dying out. I blamed it on Resurga. But there was nothing I could do."

"I asked for a physical body. Koenma denied it. He wouldn't risk any of us for what he saw as suicide. So I continued on with my job." Suddenly she smiled and looked up at Kikyou. "And then one day, a little girl drowned and her father - technically stepfather - knelt over her body, doing his best to revive a body whose soul had already left."

Souta stiffened and felt Rin and Kaede do the same. They all knew the story of when Kikyou had been only a couple of years old and Kagome barely conceived. Their father had been out with her. He had said she "almost" drowned. Another lie he had told. The boy glanced over to see an impassive Kagome. He cursed his father for being so thoughtless about his sister.

"He could see me. It was odd. There hadn't been anyone to notice me in decades. The ones sensitive enough to usually didn't want to see me... so they didn't. They just pretended I wasn't floating by. This man looked right at me, and begged for his daughter's life. It was my chance. I took it. I knew who he was. I became a baby girl, less than a month away from being born." She stopped a moment to glance at Kagome.

"So the jewel does grant wishes after all," Kurama murmured, pleased that he had been correct. Sometimes he had wondered.

"It grants its Guardian one major wish. After that it refuses to do anything, even protect the Guardian. Without a Controller, the jewel is pretty useless except as a power amplifier. Only one who isn't Guardian or Controller has been able to get a wish from it," Kagome stated, giving Kurama a brief apologetic half smile when his eyes flashed gold in anger.

"That would be Resurga," Yusuke said, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Yes. I remember that day... when the barriers shattered..." Botan shuddered. "Or a part of me does. It's different, you know, than when humans are reincarnated. I gave him Kikyou's soul in exchange for him wishing me to be born as a human. But it was I, not just my soul. My memories were just blocked. I had wanted them to be."

Despite her steady voice, her hands shook slightly and Hiei shifted his weight slightly, the only sign of unease he felt. He certainly didn't care that it hurt her, only that it had made her unstable. They needed a stable team. If they continued to fight amongst themselves, he would be very annoyed.

"All right," Kagome said evenly. "So this oar thing?"

"We flew around on them," Botan answered promptly. "Technically they were as invisible as us, that was what we did with the tree. We made it into a spirit oar. But if I have a physical oar made from the same wood..."

"Then it should hold up a physical version of you," Sango murmured, the first words she had uttered since they had left the city.

Botan nodded toward her and then looked at the oar in Shippo's hand. "It had to be shaped carefully. I couldn't risk that some whittler would get it wrong. So I had Shippo do it. You know, if he practices, he could do that much faster. In the forest we're going into, the ability to shape wood into different but powerful structures will be useful."

She looked pointedly at Kagome and Yusuke and Souta was startled to realize that they were the ones that had been accepted as Shippo's closest guardians. They even looked at each other as well. It was odd. It was almost like Shippo was their kid, the way they took care of him.

Souta shuddered at that horrible though. He was definitely not ready to be an uncle and Yusuke as a parent was an odd thought. Especially with Kagome. Those were definitely bad thoughts. They just acted parent like because of the responsibility on them. They were together, sure, but it couldn't be that serious. They were only teenagers.

"I wonder if they'll get married," Rin said thoughtfully, but her look was in another direction.

"Yusuke and Kagome? Married? Never." Souta squeaked.

"Oh, not them. Anyone can see that of course they'll get married. I mean Kikyou and Inuyasha!" Rin smiled gleefully until she noticed Souta's glazed eyes. She tilted her head and looked into his eyes worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Rin, those are my sisters. They aren't that much older than me. Please don't say those things to me. I don't think my breakfast can handle it." He did look nauseated, but Rin didn't care. She straightened and her eyes got a slightly mean look.

"Something wrong with being in love, Souta?" Behind them, Kaede groaned. This happened at least once every three months. Rin's dream since she had been a little girl had been marriage and romance. Souta's was definitely not. Romance was the antithesis of the adventurer Souta wanted to be. For two thirteen year olds, they certainly fought about the strangest stuff.

Souta had grown a bit wiser from the last few fights. "Maybe not for most people. Sure, it makes them act a bit off, but I suppose they can't help it. It's not for me though."

Kaede and Rin both stared at him for different reasons. Rin's face grew red and then white, and then finally red again. Then her eyes filled with tears. "I hate you!" She screeched, and ran off into one of the cars, slamming the door behind her. In the silence that followed, everyone could hear the sobs from inside. All eyes turned to Souta.

"Kid, you had better have a good explanation for that," Inuyasha growled, taking a threatening step toward him.

"I didn't do anything! All I said is that I wasn't going to fall in love and she ran off! It wasn't my fault!" Behind him, Kaede was putting two and two together, but it was Sango who sighed softly.

"I hate to say this and sound cliché, Souta, but you are such a boy." Kagome giggled softly as Sango spoke, and then sobered, realizing that it wasn't very polite to poor Rin. Inuyasha was giving them both strange looks. Kikyou looked conflicted and hovered halfway between Souta and Rin.

"Hey! I resent that! I was never that stupid when it came to that!" Yusuke proclaimed. Keiko snorted softly where she and Miroku stood.

Miroku shook his head and walked a few steps to put his hand on Souta's shoulder. "Souta, I'm very disappointed. Have I not tried to teach you well and respect a girl's feelings?"

"No, all you've ever taught me was what you thought the best way to get a girl was," Souta said dryly, too frustrated to worry about how Miroku would fend off his offended girlfriend and all of the other girls for that matter. Instead he looked up at Yusuke, deciding he was the one to ask. "What's wrong with Rin?"

It was Kurama who answered, looking at Souta disapprovingly. "She has a crush on you."

"Rin? No she doesn't!" Souta denied automatically. His sisters gave him long, steady looks, as did most of the teenagers. Only Hiei appeared to be ignoring the by-play.

"She can't!" He said almost frantically.

Kagome sighed and shook her head, her long black hair blowing into her face as she did so. Annoyed, she brushed it back with one hand before turning back toward the vehicles. "Let's get going everyone. Botan, your plan is approved, but you need ground cover."

"That means you're going with her, Hiei," Yusuke added. Hiei raised one eyebrow slightly, but didn't make a sound, silently following Yusuke into one vehicle, and the girls all filing into the other. Miroku and Keiko glanced at each other ruefully at the tension in both vehicles and parted reluctantly.

/./

The forest was, as everyone had expected, full of trees. There were green trees and brown trees, and even a few that had been oddly colored by different atmosphere content. But ultimately, after the first few hundred yards of trees, Botan could see the forest slowly die as it reached the center. On her first trip up, she was quickly down again to report that fact.

Enthusiastically, she also reported that her oar worked fine. Everyone still looked worried and Botan shook her head. The oar was great. It felt nice to be in the air again. The rush of wind against her hair felt more solid than the wind against her spirit self and when she had dipped near the trees, she could actually feel those soft tips. It was even better than when she had been a grim reaper. She didn't mention that of course. She would end up taking them up for joy rides instead of scouting.

Before she left she glanced at where Shippo and Rin sat by their eggs. The eggs were large now, and Botan regretted the need to leave. The days it had taken to cross to the forest had done wonders on the two remaining Setrans. They would certainly hatch today, probably while she was scouting. "Take care of them, you two. They'll give you names, but probably not much else when they wake up."

"I know. It's too bad they can't be like Tairi and Elako were," Shippo said wistfully. Yusuke and Kagome gave obviously fake laughs and glanced at each other uneasily.

"Well, I suppose we have to go," Botan said to Hiei. He gave a short nod.

He paused seemingly mid thought and smirked. "Try to keep up, girl."

"Just remember to do the same," She answered, undaunted by the challenge as she situated the oar behind her and sat, grinning just a bit as she shot into the air, purposefully letting it flip over just for a couple of seconds just to hear them gasp - and long enough for her to hear Hiei's snarl of rage.

Startled, she righted herself in time to find him standing apparently weightlessly on top of a tree. He kept pace as she flew on, his red eyes glaring at her. "Don't do that again," was all he said, but the tone made Botan shrink back and she stared after him when he dropped back into the trees.

"That should be an interesting time," Yusuke remarked dryly. While they hadn't been able to hear what they said, even from there the body posture had been obvious. Hiei was angry. Or, angrier than usual. Hiei wasn't exactly ever not angry.

"Oh yeah. About as fun as suffocating in miasma," Kagome muttered sarcastically. There were a few surprised glances at the bite in her remarks But Kagome was staring fixedly off into the forest and Yusuke wouldn't have been surprised if she started pacing. They hadn't actually had that meeting yet, and Yusuke was wondering if they would manage to have it before they attacked Naraku.

The rest of them were settling back to wait, Inuyasha and Kikyou taking Rin off to one side. Kagome stopped fidgeting long enough to watch them talk to the girl and a barrier spring up around Rin. Inuyasha tested it with one hand and opened his mouth to swear, only for Kikyou to cut him off.

"I wonder what those letters said," Kagome murmured.

"Probably death threats. Sesshoumaru is the only person who can send a formal letter full of death threats and make it seem normal," Yusuke answered, also staring at the group of three. Kikyou and Inuyasha had begun, hesitantly, to attack Rin's barrier. Rin didn't even flinch, and the barrier didn't ripple.

"I wonder sometimes how he met her," Kagome thought out loud. Her brother cleared his throat and both older teens jumped to stare at him.

"It's not a story you actually want to hear. Rin's life wasn't so good before Sesshoumaru found her. I know of his reputation, but believe me, even if all of it was true, he would more than make up for it in how he cares for Rin. It's amazing that she even managed to stay so innocent." Souta was staring off at the girl as well, his face troubled. If his words hadn't been so serious, Kagome would have taken the chance to tease him about her. But she couldn't do that now.

It occurred to her that the three children were every bit as tight as she and her team had been all through training. Perhaps even tighter. Kagome had never questioned her teammates, but weren't there things she didn't know of Botan? Had Kikyou not been keeping secrets from her? "Perhaps" could be turned into "definitely". Kagome envied them to some degree but at the same time she knew that it would tear them to bits if even one of them were hurt. And they hadn't the emotional training to handle it yet. Kaede probably could. She had been raised knowing what might happen. Perhaps Souta could. But Kagome was beginning to realize that Sesshoumaru was right to worry about Rin.

Then her eyes ticked toward the eggs off to one side and she considered the bond she had with Tairi. Wouldn't even she want to go ballistic if her friends were hurt? But Tairi... if the Setran could extract herself from Kagome's rage, she could perhaps hold her back from doing something stupid. Kagome wondered if that was the real reason they had been giving the eggs - as a means of a control. They could hold each other back - and if the teens did get too strong, well... if one of the Setrans could be caught, then wouldn't that be another way to make them do what they wanted?

Kagome knew she was being cynical, but the Council certainly hadn't given them as a free gift. She studied the two glowing eggs left over and sighed to herself. Now even Shippo and Rin had controls on them. At least Souta and Kaede were free from being beholden to two cracking, glowing, and definitely hatching eggs.

The miko cursed under her breath. "Shippo! Rin!" She called shrilly. Shippo glanced up and his eyes widened as he saw his egg glowing a similar color to his foxfire. He sprinted to it. Rin couldn't hear behind her barrier, and apparently Inuyasha and Kikyou were too caught up in testing her to hear either.

She strode over, her eyes narrowed. Kikyou noticed her approach with a puzzled glance and Kagome passed her by. "Inuyasha! Stop!"

"We're just testing the girl," Inuyasha argued, ready to continue. Kagome glanced back at the egg and was seized by a sense of urgency that probably had to do with the panicked thoughts that Elako and Tairi were sending haphazardly.

"No." Kagome said firmly, and pushed him away harder than she intended. He made a surprised cry and she pretended not to notice the way her hand had glowed. Rin was watching her from the barrier with surprised eyes and Kagome pointed toward the eggs and mouthed in an exaggerated fashion, 'The Egg'.

Rin's eyes widened appropriately and then the barrier vanished. She stumbled a few steps toward the egg before catching her balance and sprinting over. Shippo's glowed brighter as she approached and flashed suddenly. There was a cracking sound as the light vanished. They all squinted to see what had come out, but Rin had reached her egg now, and her light touch, still brimming with the power she had used for the barrier, sent out another flash of her green reiki.

This time when the light faded, Kagome was relieved to find that she could see both of them clearly. Tairi's presence had gone still in shock in the back of her mind. Kagome didn't see why. Shippo had his hands on the muzzle of a horse type of Setran, blue, but a brighter more intense blue than either Tairi or Elako.

She was surprised to see that Shippo's Setran had claws instead of hooves, but no fangs. It also had a horn on its head, but no wings. Kagome was secretly relieved that at least it didn't have all of them. That would have been a catastrophe. She found her voice and asked the kitsune, "What's his name?"

"Her name. She's a she. And it's Nashi. That's all she says, but I'm getting a lot of emotions from her," Shippo reported dutifully, knowing Kagome would only hound him if she didn't get the details now. Kagome smiled in satisfaction and felt that same thrill of shock from Tairi. Something did seem a bit off to Kagome, but it didn't seem dangerous, so she turned her attention to Rin.

Rin was running her hands through black and yellow feather of a phoenix. Its eyes were black, and gave Kagome chills because of that fact, but she tore her attention away, noting the hooked beak and the sharp talons. This one seemed fine too. Kagome lifted her head and sent a quizzical thought to Tairi. The Setran didn't answer.

"Name?" Kagome asked, deciding not to make any assumptions this time.

"His name is Xellkar. He loves me," Rin said, her face shining and her brown eyes drinking in the sight of her Setran. Kagome frowned a bit. She didn't remember that she had gotten that gushy over them.

'You are more emotionally mature than them. And the bond strengthens as time goes on. Those two have unnaturally strong bonds already.' Elako answered her unspoken thought. He was rubbing his horn against one sharp hoof in what Kagome could only describe as a thoughtful manner. Considering whom he was bonded to, she knew that he was thinking and reacting to his own thoughts and emotions. Yusuke didn't do thoughtful very often.

/./

"Poor little darling, they really don't know anything about Setrans," A female voice murmured. She sat in a chair, a pool of water in front of her, watching what was going on. She didn't even turn as she heard the steps behind her. "I know its cliché to look at them like this, don't even bother saying it."

The pointed ears clearly said she was a demon, though there was no clue as to her type. Her hair was black, and everyday and normal color, and her eyes were brown with only a hint of red in them. If one overlooked the ears, she could have come off as a human. Right now, she was having too much fun watching the little brats as they merrily went along and attempted to destroy Naraku.

"Personally, I hope they succeed," She muttered half to herself, knowing the other presence wouldn't say a thing. "He's an annoyance, and it will make it all the more fun if they're a bit stronger when I crush them."

Her eyes turned a bit feverish as she glared into the water again. "The girl will deliver that jewel right back to me. It was mine! I had it in my hand before it was even finished forming properly. I need it to finish off what I started. They all deserve to die, you know. Every human, and every demon that dares even think of being on their side. They'll all die. Well, maybe we'll keep a few around. Humans are such a delicacy."

Blue eyes stared at her, a mix of sadness and resolve. He glanced away, into the water. She was clearly insane now, but he had stuck by her this long, and he agreed with her in a way. He felt a bit scornful of the Council. They couldn't wait for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and had sent the children off the moment they were old enough to be away from their parents.

"They want both sides dead. Those children are dangerous too. They have the power to reform things the way they want," the demon said to his unspoken thought. She had been around him long enough to know what he was thinking. "They hope for both sides to cancel each other out. Oh, maybe there are still a few fools in the Council who think those babies will survive, but most of them know. Most of them want them dead."

She was raving. He looked away, and then turned to go. When she was in a proper frame of mind again, he would come back and speak to her.

/.../ -

Extreme bit of hints and foreshadowing here, but probably not hinting and foreshadowing at what you think. Review please.

Review responses:

Winged Knight: Yup, poor Elako. Though, he can only get up to a certain size. After that it channels into his own strength, and his coat color. He'll still definitely be big when he finally grows. Which won't be as long as one might think. And they will all be so lucky if they manage to get through Naraku's battles unscathed with the emotional stability they have.

YAHAHEHEHEHEHE: A lot of the other pairings are evolving, but it's in the background. They still have plenty of time, and none of them are really the rushing type. Right now, they do have other things to worry about than relationships. It's actually a bit selfish of Kagome and Yusuke, but everyone else will follow suit. I'm bad at rushing all of my pairings. I can usually only rush one or two at a time. The others are scuffing their feet. As for Inuyasha admitting things... Hmm, I didn't notice it. I suppose it just must be how I see him in this. Thanks for reviewing.

rubychik09: You actually have a few good theories. Some of them are far of the mark, some of them quite close. Technically, it means exactly what it says. But that verse may not be referring to her, or for that matter, not just to her, or even could have happened already. The Prophecy is tricky, and there are a lot of misinterpretations. I almost wish I could give away a few things here, but that would be mean and spoiling it. Anyway, I love your review and how you looked past what it was saying. Thank you very much, review any time.