DISCLAIMER: I do not own YYH – but all of my original characters and twists to the story line are mine.
a/n: Alright everyone, I don't mean to nag or anything—but desperate times call for desperate measures.
When my hit count on my status page says that '54' people have tuned into chapter 4 and only two people have reviewed…It's kinda depressing in a way T.T;; Honestly, I don't care what you people put in your reviews…but just a little 'Good chapter!' every once in awhile means a lot (hell, you can even criticize if you want (keep in mind, I still might not change anything) but I still love to hear what you guys have to say – even if you hate it n.n)
But if you guys decide not to review now, I know it was my fault for nagging n.n;; (or, at the very least, you might have some computer problems – but something tells me that it's not very possible for 52 of you to have computer issues at the same time)
Anyway, gomen nasai if that came out the wrong way n.n;; I would just like to know if you want me to continue with the story. Because if you don't, it's really no skin off my back – but you should at least tell me, right?
Ahhhh! Geez, I'm getting carried away now, aren't I? Haha, sorry! ANYwhos! Merry (belated) Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year! I know I'm a little late for both, but I tried T.T
Enjoy!
Thoughts
Forever Fornever III
:Poltergeist:
Kido dropped to his knees as the old woman stepped out from behind the shadows. He buried his faced in the ground as she walked past him, "Please forgive us, Master Genkai…" he asked her quickly.
She snorted without even looking at him, "Don't apologize, Kido," she said.
From in front of her, Kurama let out a small laugh of surprise, "Ah, so my hunch was correct…" he mused aloud and calmly place his hands inside of his pockets while both Mai and Botan stared at him curiously. Yusuke continued to gape at Genkai ("Who the hell puts their students through something like this!") as the guardian blinked and turned back towards the Genkai and the psychic still bowed humbly at the ground.
Mai suddenly snapped her fingers, "So that's it!" she exclaimed and knelt down beside the blonde-haired teen, "You, Kaitou, and Yana were the ones at Genkai's earlier today! I knew I recognized the lot of you from somewhere!"
"You just now remembered this, onna?" Hiei muttered in disbelief.
Botan frowned though, "But then how did you know Master Genkai was behind all of this?" she asked the redhead standing next to her.
Kurama smiled, "Ever since we walked through the door, I have sensed a ki similar to Genkai's – Not to mention that for this entire time, we have been up against opponents that clearly had the ability to kill us…and yet they didn't," He gestured casually towards Yusuke as he continued, "And on top of that, they kidnapped Yusuke and threatened him…but never asked for anything in return."
"I wondered about that too…" Mai said as she turned towards the akage, "I mean, who would possibly want to kidnap him in the first place?"
"Oi!" the detective whirled on her, "I wholly resent that!"
The redhead went on while the guardian punched Urameshi fiercely over the head, "But what I believe gave it away was the simple fact that Kaitou and the others knew all about our skills and lives as reikai tantei," he smiled again as his eyes turned towards Genkai, "Only two other people know so much about us…and Koenma is in Reikai," he made a curt nod with his head, "It's very nice to see you again, Master Genkai."
Yusuke massaged his scalp with a small growl, "I still don't understand how you didn't recognize these guys earlier, Mai," he muttered to the guardian – and quickly scuttled out of the way when she made a move to hit him again.
Hiei snorted and turned back to the old woman, "Was there any purpose to all of this, old hag? Or was this another one of your stupid ploys," he muttered dangerously.
She ignored this comment and lowered her head for a moment. When she finally lifted her eyes, she turned to address the team seriously, "You five may be the most powerful people alive right now…but there are still those with special abilities who are weaker," her eyes narrowed darkly, "But that doesn't mean they can't use their powers to kill you…"
Genkai snorted in amusement briefly before her eyes flickered briefly to Botan and Hiei.
"If you had used that lump three feet above your ass, you would've held onto your soul," her eyes flickered to the apparition, "Make that two feet for you, Hiei,"
He clenched his fist furiously as Yusuke laughed hysterically, "Are you for real? You actually let those jerks steal your soul – show some skill!"
The old woman whirled on him, "Oh? And what about you, dimwit? You're no different for getting your ass kidnapped!"
Urameshi snorted and waved her off, "Ah, I don't have to worry about that kind of crap…I'll easily be able to find out my opponent's abilities—!"
"Do you honestly think an opportunity like that will happen?" Genkai shouted furiously at him, "A true opponent won't just openly display what ability they have, you idiot!"
The detective blinked and glanced quickly towards Kido, "You mean to tell me…" he muttered as he turned back towards Genkai, "That these guys aren't 'true opponents'? Well then who or what the hell are they supposed to be!" he demanded.
She held his gaze, unmoving, "Kido can explain to you that one."
The psychic sat back and finally stood, "Yana, Kaitou, and I have all just recently received these special abilities…that's why we came to Master Genkai for help, and how we know so much about all of you," He closed his eyes for a moment, "She asked us to set this up, because – like us – she believes there are others out there like us…"
Botan frowned slightly, "But why is it that you just recently got these powers?" she wondered.
"That…" Genkai cut in carefully, "Is due to the effect of the tunnel leading to Makai," she said darkly as the room abruptly grew silent at the thought, "That tunnel – which separates the demon world from Ningenkai – is opening…just as Sakyou wanted it too…"
"NANI?"
"Master Genkai, that can't be possible!" Mai cried frantically; exclaiming the same reaction as everyone else, "Sakyou died when the stadium collapsed two months ago!"
The elderly woman didn't answer her. Instead, her eyes flickered behind her suddenly and the rest of the team followed her gaze as Kuwabara suddenly appeared from where Genkai had appeared earlier. In unison they all blinked – and Yusuke snorted as he tried to conceal his fit of laughter. It appeared – quite visually – that Yana had stolen Kazuma's clothes since now the redhead stood before them only in a pair of bright red boxers.
"So I guess you've answered that ever-impending question, Kuwabara," Yusuke mused, "Boxers or briefs?"
"Ah, shut it Urameshi!" he growled irritably, "It's not my fault that jerk stole my clothes!" he gestured towards Yana (who was slowly beginning to recover from Yusuke's blow) and promptly stormed over and started demanding his clothes back.
But Genkai brought their attention back.
"When Sakyou died, the ideals he believed in were taken up by someone else…who is now responsible for the tunnel…"
Kurama's eyes narrowed seriously, "I had heard there was a portal that let youkai slip into Ningenkai…but I never thought it really existed," he scratched the back of his neck, "But that's only because that's not the way I came into Ningenkai…"
Mai blinked, "What's that supposed to mean?" she wondered; clueless.
"Ohhhhh…that's right, Kurama," Botan whispered, "She's never been around when Youko has appeared…" she blinked, "Hm, I wonder why that is…" she added thoughtfully and tapped her chin.
"Does any one else find that slightly convenient?" Kuwabara asked from behind them.
"Uh, I'll explain later, Mai," Yusuke reassured her while he scratched the back of his head.
The guardian looked as though she was about to protest, but Hiei suddenly cut her off.
"Let me assure all of you, if a portal like that really does exist…I'll be going back to Makai very soon," he informed them as he snorted in amusement and folded his arms over his chest.
Urameshi frowned, "Well supposedly where is this tunnel?" he asked as he turned to Genkai.
She folded her arms as well and closed her eyes calmly, "Mushiyori City," she told him. And there was a silence through the room, as the same question seemed to hang over everyone's head.
"But how can it cover an entire city?"
-:-
The water within the aquarium rippled as the apartment door opened. From within the shadows of the hallway emerged a tall, dark-haired man, and without a word, he shed off a black trench coat – similar to the shirt beneath. He tossed the jacket on the nearby chair and made his way to the window on the other side of the room.
But from inside the aquarium, a pair of misshapen eyes followed him across the room. They blinked at him before an eerie cackle rippled an echo through the water.
"So you're back already?" the eyes asked eagerly, "Then how are preparations going?"
The man dropped calmly in the large armchair facing the window stretching from the ceiling to the floor. His finders laced around the arm rest slowly.
But his voice seemed distant as he said, "Just as planned, Ani…"
The eyes inside the fish tank flickered when he noticed the dark-haired man's hand reach slowly out towards a single picture frame sitting in front of him. That same picture that had, for some reason, captivated him every night. But the eyes narrowed swiftly when I flash of lighting stretched across the sky illuminated the photo…
-:-
BEEP.Beep.BEEP.Beep.
Botan jumped in surprise and nearly dropped the case in her hands. The rest of the team watched as she fumbled with the briefcase and was eventually able to pop it open – and in the same instant, Koenma's face appeared on the screen inside.
The demigod seemed rather anxious, "Botan? Where are Yusuke and Mai? I need to talk to all three of you—"
"We're all here, Koenma," Genkai cut in swiftly, "You were calling about the tunnel to Makai, weren't you?"
He blinked, "Wh-Wha…How did you know all of this already?" he demanded in disbelief.
The older woman snorted slightly, "The tunnel has started to influence the power of ningens. There have been three already that have come with powers developed from the growth of the tunnel…" she informed him, "And even more have come to the temple in the mountains asking for help. Everyone who has come to me came from Mushiyori…"
Koenma thought for a moment and rubbed his temple in thought, "Then it seems that it hasn't reached outside the city; it's not as bad as it could be, then…" he sighed wearily as he turned back to them, "But nonetheless, it's probably worse than I've feared…Judging by these events, the tunnel has probably already reached it's second stage…"
The detective in front of him frowned, "What do you mean 'second stage'? What the hell happened to the first stage!"
But the toddler watched him seriously, "I'm not sure if you're ready to handle what I would tell you…as it is one of Reikai's biggest kept secrets—"
"DAMMIT! Just tell us already, diaper-boy!" he shouted angrily and looked as though he was about to attack the screen if he didn't. Which, to Mai and Kuwabara, looked rather odd as it was that neither of them could see nor hear the demigod on the other end of the connection.
Koenma narrowed his eyes seriously, but the more he stalled, the more Yusuke seemed to anger. With a final sigh, he bowed his head, "The tunnel between Makai and Ningenkai has four stages to it. The first…it begins to open slightly and allow Makai insects in as the worlds begin to connect. The second stage is that humans will gain special powers that are influenced by the tunnel opening," his tone began to darken as he continued, "The third stage is that youkai of D-Class and below may freely enter Ningenkai, to do what they want with ningens…And then the final stage…That is when the radius of the tunnel to Makai reaches half a kilometer…then it begins."
Nervously, Botan asked, "What comes after that…?"
The demigod watched the group darkly, "Then youkai of C-Class and B-Class would also freely entire into Ningenkai to do as they wish…" A chart suddenly appeared beside him on the screen, showing the descending letters 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D', "In Reikai, the power of youkai are divided and ranked into classes. An example: Toguro…he was a B-Class apparition."
On instinct, Yusuke's eyes widened in horror. And at the same time, his hand began to tremble beside him, "Toguro…was a B-Class?" he whispered in disbelief. His mind reeled as visions of haunting memories flashed through his head; those of the bleeding body of his teacher and his guardian flashed across his eyes while a thin layer of sweat perspired at his brow. But suddenly, his hand clenched and he furiously turned back to the screen, "You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, "Toguro was so powerful – and he was only a B-Class?"
Kazuma and Mai glanced at one another in confusion.
"I…wonder was Koenma-dono is talking about…" the guardian said quietly.
Kuwabara glanced down at her, only to find her face shadowed by a veil of her crimson hair. But nonetheless, he was able to see her face pale considerably at the sudden memory as it flashed through her mind as well. The past held the same feeling for him too…only his feelings about it were more of a type of guilt than anything else…It made him sick to his stomach whenever he thought of how he could only just sit there and watch her die—
The demigod was quiet for a long time, "What we are in right now is only the start. The portal to Makai is very large and deep…and expands several surfaces past the entry point. Where we're at in the progress is only the first half of the first level," He met Yusuke's gaze and held it gravely, "In Makai – past all these surfaces – there exist youkai with the rank of A-Class…and a class that even surpasses the A-Class…the S-Class youkai," he sighed heavily, "Even Reikai doesn't meddle with the S-Class…"
Genkai moved closer towards the screen, "Koenma, do you at least have a plan B in case Yusuke and the others don't stop whoever is opening the portal?"
He nodded, "Yes…long ago Reikai created a barrier that allows only monsters of B-Class and below to pass through…But they wouldn't make it to Ningenkai unless the tunnel was open. A and S-Class apparitions are not capable of passing through the barrier," and as a demonstration, an animation appeared, showing the C and B-Class demons passing through a net-like barrier while the A and S-Class demons bounced back.
Koenma stared down at his hands, "Imagine if just B and A-Class apparitions made it through…" he said quietly, "And if the S-Class were to get through – it would be a complete massacre of the human race…as some people would call it, an apocalypse."
"Oi! Urameshi, what's he saying? Urameshi!" Kuwabara cried frantically. But they all seemed to ignore him – or at least they were too intent on what the demigod was saying to hear him at all. After a little while of trying, he sighed and gave up, "Well I tried…"
"It's alright, Kazuma…" Mai assured him as she calmly sat down on the floor, "They'll tell us when Koenma-dono is done…" but even so, her gaze seemed focused on the rest of their team, as if she could just listen hard enough, she'd be able to hear the conversation.
Kuwabara watched her for a moment, before he sighed again and sat down next to her.
-:-
The dark-haired man's eyes flickered behind him, "What's wrong, Toguro?" he asked quietly.
The aquarium shifted uneasily as the pair of eyes studied the photograph still held between the man's fingertips. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room and the frame was lit up once again – and Toguro felt sure of it now.
"The little on in that picture…"
He blinked and followed Toguro's gaze. An emotionless smile crept along his face. He closed his eyes and suddenly dropped the frame face-first onto the table without so much as a flinch. "Ah…They died…" he answered slowly, "…a long time ago,
"I killed them"
But Toguro was not mistaken…he had seen those electrifying eyes from somewhere. They had been on the body of that…that little whore…
Her pupil…
Another cackle suddenly emitted and rippled through the aquarium, and the apparition – or what clearly remained of him after being catapulted from the stadium two months prior – closed his eyes calmly with a hint of smugness.
"Ah…Sensui-san…"
The man's gaze flickered behind him to the tank.
"I believe…she is very much alive."
-:-
"WHAT? You can't be serious!"
The group simply stared as Kuwabara suddenly reacted over Koenma's news, after they had been able to relay it to him. Even Mai had to inch away slightly in case he accidentally trampled her on his frantic rampage.
"You mean youkai as strong as Toguro will be running around freely if this tunnel between Makai and Ningenkai opens? I mean, will only the C and B-Class be able to get – AH! But if the S-Class are so strong that even Reikai won't mess with them, what are we gonna do?" he cried frenetically, "Is this the end of everything?"
Genkai sighed, "Just calm down already…" she told him and turned towards the staircase, "We'll continue this after we give Kaitou back his soul."
Kido blinked as the rest of the group followed after the elderly woman, "Kaitou lost his soul?" he asked in disbelief.
"Uh, yeah…That's kind of how they made it up here," Yusuke told him as he placed his hands behind his head and followed behind Mai. Together, they made their way back down to the first floor of the house where the dark-haired psychic still lay on the floor with his soul hovering above him.
The older woman moved next to his body, "Just back away," she told everyone else. They all quickly obliged as she closed her eyes. Her foot slid back and her hands formed several different shapes before she suddenly opened her eyes and cried out. She slammed her hand on top of the tiny glowing orb; forcing it into the psychic's body.
At first, the entire room went silent…but then little by little, the color returned to Kaitou's face and the rest of his body. Until he finally began to twitch, he lifted himself off the ground and held his head in his hand. He glanced up around him and noticed both Yusuke and Genkai were now amongst the reikai tantei.
"Ah, so you all succeeded then…" he nodded in acknowledgement, "Congratulations."
Mai frowned slightly though as she studied him, "But…Kaitou, how is it that you weren't able to put your own soul back into your body?" she wondered in confusion.
"When a soul is taken from its body, in all technical aspects, they are dead," Genkai explained suddenly, "They do not go to Reikai, but they're dead nonetheless."
The psychic rose to his feet and casually brushed off his pants, "And I thank you for returning mine," he told the elderly woman. But then he turned back to the group and offered a short bow, "I apologize for not fully, and properly introducing myself to all of you earlier…we were under, er, difficult circumstances," He made a curt nod, "Yuu Kaitou, and I have the ability of Taboo."
Kido stepped forward next, "Asato Kido, and my power is over Shadow."
"And Mitsunari Yanagisawa," Yana answered next, "My ability is called Copy."
"They are all citizens of Mushiyori," Genkai told the tantei, "And they say they discovered their abilities about a month ago…"
Kurama's eyes widened, "A month?" he repeated in disbelief, "But that was hardly after the conclusion of the Dark Tournament…" he concluded in shock.
"Dammit," Yusuke growled, "That only means that the tunnel was already at its second stage then—"
BEEP.Beep.BEEP.Beep.
Almost ready this time, Botan placed her briefcase back on the floor and flipped it open. The demigod appeared once again on the screen inside – only this time looking, quite possibly, even more fretful than he had been earlier.
"It appears as though the tunnel between Makai and Ningenkai is increasing at an alarming rate," he quickly informed them, "If this rate is allowed to continue, the tunnel will be fully open and at stage four in hardly three weeks…"
-:-
The man closed his eyes slowly and smiled, "You don't think I remember killing a gentle face like hers? Don't jest with me, Toguro…" he told the apparition quietly.
But he laughed, "I don't jest," he insisted as a deviant gleam flashed across his eyes, "If you don't believe me…just search for her life energy, I'm sure you'll be surprised at what you find…"
The dark-haired man sitting in the armchair grew silent as his flickered back towards the picture frame.
-:-
Yusuke's body went suddenly numb. A sickly thought raced across his mind as the idea of youkai equal to Toguro in strength would be escaping and running wild around Ningenkai…and there would be nothing he could do to prevent it…
"Koenma!" the detective shouted suddenly as he turned back towards the monitor, "Tell me, is there any way to stop the tunnel from opening? Or at least a way of blocking it?"
On the screen, a map of Mushiyori City suddenly appeared next to Koenma, "In there…" he said carefully, "There is a hole that is the tunnel. At this point, it's almost 1.3 kilometers wide…But if it exceeds two kilometers, there is no stopping it. You'll have to destroy the middle of the gap and it should close the tunnel…"
"Fine," Urameshi muttered instantly, "Just tell me when you find the location of the very center – and you three," he turned towards the three psychics in front of him, "You are going to take me to Mushiyori so I can defeat the guy who trying to open the tunnel—"
Genkai closed her eyes in irritation, "Don't be rash, Yusuke," she warned. The detective whirled and looked as though he was about to make some snide comment, but the elderly woman suddenly gripped him by the arm and threw him over her back so that he landed on his head, "Are you stupid, or what? Your brain obviously needs a thorough cleaning – or do you not remember what happened earlier? You'd be an idiot if you just rushed into a fight without knowing the skill of your enemy…"
The detective growled under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well what the hell do you propose we do, then?" he demanded, "If we just sit here, the gap will just get bigger and bigger! We have to react quickly!"
"I actually agree with Urameshi," Kuwabara admitted.
But the older woman remained calm, "We have three weeks left. We need to find out how many enemies we're facing, who their leader is, and what special skills and territory they have," her eyes flickered towards Yusuke, "We need to know this before we do anything else…"
As she spoke, Hiei suddenly made his way towards the screen and knelt to be eye-level with the demigod. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Toddler," he growled, "You know about the ranks of youkai…I want you to tell me what class I belong to."
Koenma blanched at the thought and seemed reluctant to tell him at all. But when he glanced back at the apparition, there was some type of murderous glare that made him change his mind. He sighed regrettably and looked away.
"Currently, Hiei, you are considered to be ranked as a Mid-B-Class apparition…" he told him, "Toguro Ototo was ranked as a High-B-Class."
The apparition clenched his fist, "I cannot possibly be that weak," he muttered.
The demigod blinked, "Well you should be proud, honestly. When you first fought with Yusuke, you were only a D-Class youkai. That's a huge improvement in just a year's time…"
Hiei sent him a dangerous glare, "Is that comment supposed to flatter me?"
He gripped the hilt of his katana furiously as he pushed himself away from the monitor. In one swift motion, he stood and moved towards the front doors.
"Where do you think you're going?" Yusuke called after him.
The apparition snorted, "I don't care what is happening to Ningenkai, nor do I care what will happen. It doesn't matter one way or the other to me."
He turned again, but this time Kazuma called after him.
"Hiei!"
Snorting, he didn't even bother turning around this time, "You all can do what you like, I don't care; I won't stop you…but I won't help you either," he didn't say anything for awhile, but then a smirk crept along his face as he inclined his head back towards them a final time, "I'm going back to Makai."
Kuwabara clenched his fist as Hiei vanished through the doors, "Dammit," he muttered, "All this time I was beginning to think he was an okay guy – but it turns out he was just an inconsiderate asshole!" he told the others angrily.
But Yusuke smiled slightly and laughed, "Ah…let him go. He doesn't have to get involved if he doesn't want to; this really isn't his home after all…"
"He's right, Kuwabara," Kurama cut in, "It really doesn't matter. If Makai and Ningenkai merged it wouldn't only affect the humans, but the demons in Makai as well…"
-:-
The dark-haired male suddenly clenched his fist and closed his eyes…and reached his hand over the discarded picture frame
-:-
DOKUN.
Mai gasped suddenly.
Kurama turned almost instantly, just in time to see the guardian stagger backwards. In one fleeting movement, he caught her in the same motion as she fell to the ground.
The detective whirled at the sound of her slumping body, "Mai!"
"Master Genkai, what's wrong with her?" Yana asked as the older woman brushed past him – but obviously not as quickly as Yusuke, who was at her side in a matter of milliseconds after watching her fall.
The akage lifted his hand to her head and frowned swiftly, "There's no fever—"
Genkai tensed suddenly as an eerie presence suddenly filled the room. Swiftly, she moved next to the guardian's body, "Kurama, Yusuke – both of you back away," she ordered as they obliged uncertainly. She knelt beside Mai and firmly pressed her index and middle finger on the area right above her heart.
With a cry, a sudden burst of energy erupted from her fingertips and rippled across the guardian's body. The elderly woman clenched her teeth slightly as she waited for the presence within the room to disperse.
-:-
Abruptly, Sensui withdrew his hand…his eyes opened slowly just as another flash of lightning lit up the night sky.
From behind him, Toguro Ani cackled in delight.
-:-
Genkai let the orb of energy die at the end of her fingers and withdrew her hand.
"What the heck was that?" Kuwabara asked warily as the old woman stood and told Yusuke to pick her up off the ground, "Wait, is she going to be alright?" he asked, suddenly frantic. But Genkai ignored his incessant worrying.
"We'll all rest until tomorrow," she told all of them, and then turned to the two redheads and the detective, "By that time, she'll be fine – and then we'll send two teams into Mushiyori to see the damage…"
-:-
"You really are a piece of work, you know that?" Yusuke said quietly.
Behind him, Mai slept soundly in his bed as if nothing had even happened. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned his head against the mattress. The moonlight streaming in from the window stretched across the floor onto his bare feet as he listened calmly to the guardian's quiet breathing behind his head.
He felt his eyes beginning to close, but he resented the oncoming sleep. It had been nerve-racking already just knowing she had no type of ki to protect herself with…but now with her fainting everywhere, it didn't make it much easier on him…it's probably why he decided to sit there and make sure nothing else happened to her…
Yusuke turned his head onto the mattress and watched her sleep. He sat there for a long time, before he suddenly lifted himself off the grounded and seated himself on the edge of the mattress.
He heard his heart beating in his ears as he leaned forward.
A small smile met his lips as he realized…she smiled sort of like strawberry pocky…
The detective could feel her breath against his lips as he carefully let them meet hers…
-:-
a/n: Ah yes, feel free to criticize this chapter especially (Geez, my writing style is really out of wack…(too many English essays, I think)) But if any of you were wondering about the title, it simply had to do with Sensui's "disturbance"
Anyway…This took about a day to do after nearly a month ago O.O (whoops)
Haha, but until next time, minna-san! (And seriously, even if it's criticism, I would love to hear what you guys have to say!)