Authoress here.

Waaah! Sorry! So sorry! I thought I had already updated this chapter!

START CHAPTER

"Yusuke! Shoot me!"

Yusuke was frozen with his trademark spirit gun pointed at the teenage girl's head. She had given him a pleading look with her eyes that begged him to do as he was bid, but somehow he couldn't.

The half of her that was Raidon regained control and staggered to his feet, his front half bent forward as if he was a rag doll. He straightened up, and Yusuke heard the crack of his spine; no, it was Ayame's spine.

What would happen if he were to shoot her? Yusuke did not want to take that chance, but she had begged him to!

"Make your move, Urameshi," Raidon said. He grinned and chuckled. "Let's hope it's a smart one, for your sake. You don't want to hurt the girl, do you?"

-Meanwhile-

The rest of the group had long since reached Kurama's house, but Kurama was not one of the many sitting in his living room. Having sensed something wrong, he was running at his top speed, which was quite fast, back to the warehouse.

If he had been on his way, Yusuke surely would have reached his house by now. Kurama could only draw the conclusion that something that neither of them had predicted had happened.

He knew exactly what, too. Weakened and searching for a host, Raidon must have chosen either Yusuke or Ayame. Since Yusuke had spirit energy that was off the charts and Ayame was a simple human, it would be all too simple to invade her mind. She was currently possessed. If he didn't get there quickly, Yusuke would make a simple, stupid mistake that many people make.

Kurama would never get there in time. He didn't know what Yusuke would do. Many people thought that the possessed person could fight their way into control and shun the spirit to the depths of the underworld. In reality, it was much simpler. When Raidon was in charge of the body, Yusuke had to kill him. The key was this, however: do not draw blood. A nice, clean sprit gun blast would do the job.

But would Yusuke be able to do it?

-Back at the warehouse-

"Go ahead, Urameshi. Shoot me," Raidon taunted. He seemed to be fully in control now, but Yusuke could not tell.

A moment later, and Yusuke was glad he had not fired. Ayame was back, only for a moment, but long enough to cry, "You have to hit him! Not me!"

"Give him control!" Yusuke shouted back.

"Rooting for me now, eh?" Raidon had returned, and much to Yusuke's disbelief, had not heard what Ayame said. He didn't know that Ayame had taken over for a moment. She seemed to be blocking the memory somehow.

"You see, Detective? She's given up. I have total control of the body now!" Raidon began to laugh. "She realized it was hopeless to try to fight me!"

Kurama rushed towards the warehouse door. His hands pressed hard against the cold steel door. He was inside the warehouse as Yusuke shot the spirit gun directly at Ayame's head.

"Yusuke!" Kurama cried.

The blast seemed to be moving in slow motion. Raidon summed up his energy and prepared to leap from Ayame's body. Something stopped him.

A ghostly shadow of Ayame had closed a hand firmly around his ankle. She held him there until the orb was inches away, then gave up control once more and retreated in the back confines of her own mind. The last thing he saw was her ghostly smirk.

A terrible scream issued from her lips as Raidon's defenseless soul was hit by the full brunt of Yusuke's favorite weapon. His soul was expelled from her body, hovering a moment as a greenish-gold sphere, before it shattered into a million pieces. Raidon would never return.

Ayame slumped onto the ground as if she was a puppet that had just been cut free from its strings. Kurama and Yusuke dashed towards her, unaware that the rest of the group had followed after Kurama shortly after he left. They came into the doorway as well, Botan soaring above their heads on her oar.

"Oh my goodness!" she said softly. "A soul died here!"

She fell silent as she saw the expression on Yusuke's face. Kurama checked Ayame's pulse before stepping back to give Yusuke some room. His face was marred with an emotion that seemed to be a mix of anger and concern.

Ayame was unconscious again, her breaths ragged gasps that rattled in her chest. Holding Raidon back had taken its toll on her. Her body had to rest for a while before she could resume functioning normally. For the moment, she was in a coma-like sleep.

Yusuke picked her up gently.

Kurama and Hiei, who had not said much, were standing back to watch him.

His bright green eyes lingering on Hiei's ready sword, Kurama commented, "So your loyalties do lie with Yusuke, then?"

Hiei snorted. "Do not make the mistake of thinking that I exist to serve anyone besides myself, Kurama. I am now and always will be on my own side."

Kurama smiled, and did not reply. He had known Hiei for long enough to know that Hiei would defend Yusuke's life if it were to come tot hat, and yet he refused to admit it.

Botan landed gently and let her oar slide into oblivion until she needed it again. She walked slowly towards Yusuke and placed one hand on his shoulder gently. "Yusuke, it's over. She's going to be fine." With a sudden grin, she declared, "I'm the Grim Reaper, so I know these things!"

Her bubbly mood did not seem to improve Yusuke's, and she soon slunk back, defeated. His face remained stony.

"He almost killed her," Yusuke said suddenly. He could not life his eyes to meet anyone else's. "What the hell kind of spirit detective am I that I almost let some human girl get hurt?"

Kuwabara had also, oddly, been silent until now. "Shut up, Urameshi. We all have off days."

"I can't afford to have off days, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara's eyes narrowed into a glare. Before anyone could hold him back, he threw a punch that hit the back of Yusuke's head.

Chocolate brown eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly Ayame had been transferred to Kurama and Yusuke was beating on Kuwabara.

The ex-bandit fox smiled. "He may not know it, but Kuwabara has a way of making Yusuke feel better."

"Hn."

Kurama glanced down at Ayame as she stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked groggily when she realized who was holding her. "Ku-Kurama?"

The fox nodded, smiling. "Yusuke won. You're back to yourself again."

Ayame scrambled from Kurama's arms when she saw Yusuke. Something was different, however. Yusuke was moving quickly, much faster than a human should be able to.

"Whoah."

Kurama glanced curiously at Ayame as her eyes followed the battle. "Pardon?"

"They're moving fast...but I can see them."

Yusuke heard that, and paused mid-punch. "You couldn't before?" he asked, ignoring Kuwabara as he slid to the ground dizzily.

"No, I couldn't." Ayame was confused and slightly worried. "And my hands are…they're tingling. I think I got some of Raidon's powers when he died."

That statement was proven to be true a moment later when a blast of white lighting shot from her palms and shattered a support beam to the building. She gasped, clearly startled by it, as Yusuke seized Kuwabara's collar and her arm and dragged them from the rapidly crumbling building.

They were out the door, followed by the demon twins Tomo and Tamasine, before the stone walls of the building came down and turned to rubble. Tomo was carrying Yayoi's body, his eyes downcast.

"Don't do that again," Hiei advised coolly, dusting off his shirtsleeve.

"I didn't try to," Ayame muttered, crossing her arms. "I guess I...can't control it."

"That's okay," Yusuke replied, smiling for the first time in what felt like ages. "I think we can fix that."

END CHAPTER

Dooo...doo doo doo doo doooooo... (cough) Too much Phantom of the Opera for this authoress.

See ya next chapter!