Disclaimer- Some really cool/rich/genius Japanese guy owns YYH. And... well.. I'm not even a guy.

A/N- I know, I know; I'm absolutely awful. Two months of no update doesn't exactly make me look good, ne? Anyway, I have three zillion excuses, and they all revolve around school. Finals, essays, blah blah blah. Actually, the only reason this is here is because I love this chapter, and Emmy threatened to kill me on more than one occassion (She knows where I live... and sees me on a regular basis. Not a good mix. xDD). ANYWAY, the long awaited chapter... I can't wait until the next one, so hopefully that'll be up sooner than this was. I won't get started for a few days, though. Sorry.\

Pairings- Yusuke/Keiko, Kurama/Shizuru, Hiei/Mukuro, Kuwabara/Yukina, Koenma/Botan

Whee. The OC mentioned in this chapter is rather relevant, though I don't think he'll be in the fic for too long. I tried to avoid it, but the situation amused me, and it works. Trust me, I think'll he'll feel a bit familiar. I'll be writing reviewer responses using the new feature soon. So, enjoy!


"Hn."

The fire apparition's eyes narrowed into a glare as he surveyed the street. It was not the cars crashed on the road the disturbed him, nor was it the buildings that remained still and deserted in the penetrating silence. Rather, it was the lifeless bodies strewn about in a careless fashion. Some were decapitated, others having joined the deceased in a more gory fashion. Even still, many lifeless humans appeared only to be sleeping, their deaths caused by what seemed to be a manipulation of some sort of spirit or demonic energy. A low growl escaped his throat as blood seeped through his shoe; so engrossed in determining the cause of the victims' deaths, he had failed to notice the crimson puddle forming at his feet. Looking up, a slight frown wormed it's way onto his usually expressionless face. His gaze inspecting, red eyes soon locked onto a most unsuspected target.

"Baka."

Hiei's fist collided with Koenma's head, though the latter hardly seemed to notice. The small youkai was a bit disgruntled, though it came to no surprise; who wouldn't be after coming across the Reikai prince drenched in blood, sitting in an almost nonchalant manner, surrounded by countless dead ningens? Hiei's frown deepened as Koenma remained unresponsive. This wasn't good. Recalling upon his 'conversation' with Kurama, Hiei wondered what Koenma was doing here in the first place. The fox had said he had been kidnapped, and yet here he was...

Koenma was sitting on the sidewalk, allowing Hiei to look the prince in the eye. Unfocused and unusually colorless, Koenma stared, unblinking, straight ahead, even when Hiei threatened to cut off his head if he didn't say something. His hand reaching up to untie his headband, Hiei wondered just what was going on behind the former toddler's mind. There's only one way to find out...

His jagan glowed, pulsing slightly as he explored Koenma's mind. It was an interesting place; not much going on, really. All his functions were working properly, though for some reason his mind wasn't quite responding. Taking the chance he knew would never come again, Hiei dove deeper, attempting to discover just what made the prince tick, and maybe what had happened during his 700+ life span. A dull day in the office... Too much paperwork... Yelling at ogres... Botan-

"GAH!"

Hiei tore his mind from Koenma's, stumbling backwards. Sweat drenched his brow, his breathing ragged as he glanced incredulously at Koenma. He knew the prince must have wielded a strong power, otherwise coming in with the mafuuken and other seemingly stupid stunts would have been completely pointless. But the barrier guarding his memories and personal thoughts was just as strong as any other barrier Hiei had encountered, unable to break, if not stronger. What, though, did Koenma find the need to keep so guarded?

"Oy, Hiei!"

Hiei turned and caught sight of Yusuke. Relief flooded over the fire demon, though he didn't show it; he was glad to see them all again, too, but that was also hidden behind his facade. The detective slid to a halt before Hiei, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Genkai right behind him. Botan arrived shortly afterwards, eyes glinting with relief and concern. They gathered near Hiei and Koenma, each holding different expressions. Kuwabara seemed confused by the situation, Kurama concerned, while Yusuke was positively boiling.

"Hiei, what happened?" Kurama tore his eyes from Koenma and fixed them on his short friend, a searching look caught on his face.

"Don't ask me," Hiei replied, retying his bandana. "I assume this... mess is his doing, considering the state of things. I can't get inside his mind, however, and he's unresponsive." He eyed Yusuke's hands, both of which were curled into fists.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Yusuke growled, looking around the street in utter disgust.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Yusuke." Eyes swiviled to the prince who stood, staring at his blood-caked hands, an odd expression on his face. "But yes, there is something wrong indeed."

"If you didn't do this, who did?" The detective's tone was bitter as he glared at Koenma. "You're covered in blood, and you expect us to believe it wasn't you?"

"I did, yes. I murdered all those people." Koenma's voice was quiet and calm, his face blank as he looked Yusuke in the eye. "But I didn't do it."

"You just said you did," Kuwabara argued, shaking his head, a confused look on his face. Yusuke, Kurama, and even Hiei, to some extent, held similar expressions.

"That's just it. It was my body that killed these people, but I wasn't.. here when it happened. There were voices and screaming... And then this." His face was so pitiful in that split-second, that Yusuke almost believed him. Almost.

"Cut the crap, Koenma! You really expect us to believe you?" Yusuke was beyond furious at this point.

"Yes, actually, I did."

"You lying son of a-"

"He's telling the truth." Yusuke and the others glanced at Hiei, Koenma's face falling back to it's passive state. "When I tried to reach into his mind, I felt something else there. Well, something that had been there. Someone was controlling him when they did this. Why they let him go, and let me sense them, I have no idea."

"They wanted us to find him...," Kurama murmured, a thoughtful look on his face. "Otherwise this slaughter would have continued until we killed Koenma, or Koenma killed us. No doubt they'll try to weasel their way into his mind again." Yusuke sighed. He was still angry, though this new fury was no longer directed at the prince. Someone would pay, however; Yusuke would see to it personally.

-------

The awkward hours that followed were a blur to Koenma. Somehow they had brought him back to Genkai's temple; or, at least that's where he thought they were. Keeping his mental barrier strong enough to keep Hiei of all people out was no easy task, and as exhausted as he was, the Prince was surprised the fire apparition hadn't already succeeded in breaking through. He vaguely remembered conversing with Genkai. A few shouts as Yusuke and Kuwabara argued over something. The worried faces of the girls as they saw him stumble inside, ready to collapsed and stained with blood. Then darkness.

Now as he peered with heavy eyes around the room he had been placed in, he felt far more relaxed. However, something did seem off... Looking down at himself in his tired stupor, he quickly realized why. He was still in his clothes he wore the day before (Or had it been longer?), the most of him caked with dry blood. The rank stench met his nose, and he wanted to puke. He needed to get clean, and he needed to fast.

"You're awake."

Koenma looked up at the gravelly voice of Genkai, lips twitching in a slight smile, the rest of his face as stoic as ever. He had meet Genkai when she was a very young girl, on the brink of death herself. Such pity had swelled in his heart, he had brought her back to life. Unlike most ningens, however, she had remembered him. Their friendship had grown, despite the large age difference. Even now he found Genkai to be wiser than he was at times.

"Take a bath. Then we'll talk."

The elderly woman promptly left the room, and Koenma was alone once again. He sat there for a few minutes longer before heaving a sigh and rising to his feet. He had the urge to yawn but refused himself such pleasures and instead set to the task of scrubbing the vital fluids of the innocent from his skin.

A half hour later, once the water had grown cold and stale, he found a fresh pile of ningen clothes waiting for him in the small room. The outfit which he assumed someone had gathered for him was composed of tan slacks, a white t-shirt, and one of those black zip-up sweatshirts that had always confused him to no end. Once he had figured out the complicated ningen wear, he poked his head out the door, his damp hair clinging to his head. Seeing no one, he emerged fully from the bathroom, walking quietly down the hall, the only sound his own breathing and the patter of his bare feet on the floor. It seemed they had forgotten to give him socks and shoes.

A slight rustle caught his attention and Koenma froze, his eyes darting about the hall (at least what he could see of it). The sound faded, and he forced himself to relax. It would seem, however, he did so too soon, as something emerged from a side-door and thumped into his side. Looking down as he gasped for breath, he realized it was Botan, and allowed himself a slight smile. It soon faded, however, as Botan found it within herself to speak.

"You're such an idiot!"

"But I-"

"You go and get yourself kidnapped, and then we can't find you, and when we do you've become some mass-murderer and no one can figure out what's going on-" Koenma winced "-and you're just... just... Oh!" For the first time since Koenma could remember, and he could remember back nearly 700 years, Botan raised a hand and slapped the Prince across the face. Yet somehow, Koenma felt perfectly happy as he rubbed his stinging face and marched off after the ferry girl whom seemed determined to ignore his protests.

-------

Watching from the hall, Yusuke couldn't help but feel that things were starting to return to normal, even though he knew they were far from it. Still, the small hope was comforting as he observed Koenma try to explain himself, a feat which, as they all knew, was impossible at this point. It was still an amusing situation, and the former detective intended to suck it for all it was worth; it wasn't often he got to watch the whiny toddler beg for forgiveness. Behind him, Kuwabara's soft, rumbling laughter could be heard, and he was fairly certain he could pick out a slight snicker from Kurama. The only one not laughing was Hiei.

"It isn't even remotely entertaining," Hiei replied when asked, his narrowed eyes glaring up at the detective. "I fail to see how getting slapped upside the face amuses you."

"Because, shrimp, it's Koenma and Botan," Kuwabara replied, as if it were explanation enough.

"Nah, I think Hiei's just bitter because he couldn't get inside the toddler's head," Yusuke teased, grinning as he gave the fire apparition a friendly punch. Hiei growled and stalked away, leaving the rest of the group to enjoy their mirth.

-------

Rolling the pacifier between his forefinger and his thumb, Koenma watched as the sun caught on its shiny surface, reflecting on the wall opposite of where he sat. Often over the many years that had passed he wondered why he had decided to store his power into such a degrading object. There must have been reasons, but if he knew them, they fled as he tried to remember. What did his father store his energy in? After all, the mighty King Enma was supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in the three worlds... And yet he trembled before demons and all their glory. He had never questioned his father, but now he wished he had.

Returning to the Reikai was an absurd idea; even Kuwabara could tell you an ambush was probably waiting there for them once they made that very move. Still, it bothered him. Spirit World's defenses hadn't been able to stop Hiei and Kurama as D class demons (a fact he was still embarrassed about), though, if what he thought he had witnessed was correct then it didn't come to much of a surprise that they had managed to slip by. No, what bothered him was the fact that everyone had been gone. No ogres, no ferry girls. Where had the Special Defense Force been? His father? Last time he had checked King Enma wasn't on vacation...

He sighed, stashing the pacifier away in his pocket. There was no point, really, in keeping it in his mouth. He'd only look ridiculous, and anyway, there was no use for it now. Spirit World was run over, the three worlds were going to be tossed into chaos, and there was next to nothing they could do to stop it. Having yet to tell the others what had happened to him in the days he had been gone which, to him had seemed like years, Koenma was dreading the talk they had planned for the afternoon. Reliving such horrid events... He wasn't looking forward to it.

Rising from his position on the floor, he glanced to the clock Genkai had finally submitted to installing in the old temple. It was nearly time. A sigh passed his lips and the Prince sauntered from the room, leaving an abandoned feeling behind.

-------

"You can't be serious." Botan's voice was muffled behind her hand, but it echoed the thoughts of everyone in the room as they stared incredulously at Koenma. "I-I mean, they're all dead, we killed them, Koenma they can't be back, it's not-"

"But they are," he argued quietly, feeling rather foolish. It didn't seem possible, despite defying the norm on a regular basis, but he knew it was true. He could feel it, an overwhelming dread that weighed heavy on his heart. He stared down into the bleak liquid swirling around in his cup. The coffee was dark enough to see his reflection, though for a moment he thought that perhaps someone was peering over his shoulder. The face in the cup looked nothing like himself. Large bags rimmed his eyes, his brown hair looking unnatural in his seldom-used teenage body. His eyes were dim, and overall he looked just about as awful as he felt. Yusuke's fist banged the table, making him jump, his reflection swirling away as the liquid sloshed.

"Well, if we killed them before we'll do it again," Yusuke growled, drilling holes into the table with his awful glare. "But... All of them, together?"

"Yes, that's what I saw," Koenma repeated for the thousandth time.

"Shit." And the award for understatement of the millenium goes to... Yusuke Urameshi! Koenma sighed.

"Shit indeed," Kurama agreed, sipping his own coffee, a morbid humor lacing his words.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Kuwabara asked, staring around the table. Everyone feel silent, contemplating the question. What could they do?

"Nothing," Hiei replied flatly. "Absolutely nothing."

"What do you mean-"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Nothing. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Hiei-"

"Don't you start on me, fox. You know I'm right. There's no way we can win. Not with the Saint Beasts, Toguro, Sensui and his brainwashed minions all working together."

"We have to try," Kuwabara retorted, eyes narrowing into a glare.

"And be killed? It'll only make their job easier."

"Then what, Hiei, do you propose we do?" Kurama asked coolly, his emerald eyes focused on the small fire apparition. The latter didn't reply, eventually shifting his gaze from the kitsune to the table. This was a disaster.

"If you're all done arguing, there's one thing we can do." All eyes turned to Genkai, shining with curiosity and fear. "My grandfather -twice removed on my mother's side, no blood relation to me- recently sent me a letter." She paused, sipping her tea, taking her time as she slowly looked around the room. "He told me he felt something was going to happen... Something big, and invited us all to prepare for a final war. Ruthless and strict, I think he'll do us all some good. We'll leave tomorrow morning." She looked to Koenma with a curious gaze. "He seemed particularly interested in you... Said you might recall his name."

"Who is he?" Koenma was curious now; he knew many old men, though he wasn't too fond of many. Something did seem awfully familiar about an old man with ties to Genkai...

"Most call him Juro."

It took several thumps on the back from Kurama before his coffee would clear his throat and Koenma could breathe again.