Chapter 8: Fight For Your Right to Party
X
Keeping his voice low, words barely audible over the sound of the van's purring engine, Kuwabara muttered, "So what do you think she's got planned for us, huh?"
Yusuke's elbow came off the window ledge, sliding down the inside of the car door as he turned to look at Kuwabara. They traded a silent stare before looking over their shoulders at the van's third row of seats. Kurama sat on the left, gazing serenely out the window at the passing mountains and verdant forests. On the opposite side of the upholstered bench, Yamato leaned her forehead against the window glass, bangs of her short black wig obscuring her eyes—eyes that were probably closed, if Kuwabara had to guess.
Yamato snored just a little bit. Like a cute baby bunny. Dainty. Not embarrassing or anything—not that Kuwabara would ever make fun of her for it! Shizuru had taught him to never make fun of a girl over something she couldn't help.
But that was beside the point. Yamato was asleep, so she clearly wasn't gonna clue them in as to where the heck they were going. She didn't even stir when the van hit a pothole and lurched, her head lolling against the pane, oblivious as the van carried them down the lonely country highway toward… well, wherever it was they were going. And their sunglasses-wearing driver up at the front of the van would also be no help, Kuwabara had to assume. Yamato had told them before getting into the van that the man had been sworn to secrecy; true to her word, he'd said nothing when they met the dude at the bottom of the temple's steps. He'd just held a cardboard sign that said "Urameshi Party" and had loaded them up into the car without a word.
"Beats me," Yusuke said, finally answering Kuwabara's question. He slumped in his seat, arms crossing over his chest. "Where do you think we're going, anyway?"
"Hard to say." Kurama's smooth voice carried through the car's quiet atmosphere like a whisper of cool wind. "There are approximately ten settlements within driving distance of Genkai's temple, but each is almost two hours away. It's impossible to say to which one she's taking us."
"Any guesses, Brainiac?" said Yusuke.
Kurama smiled. "Given the nature of our trip, I doubt she'd take us to a small village or hamlet. That leaves the larger towns as possible destinations. However… only two lie in the direction we're currently headed."
Yusuke looked at Kurama, then at Kuwabara, and finally back again. "So it's gotta be one of those, right?"
"I mean, that makes sense to me," said Kuwabara.
"I concur," Kurama said. "But even so, these towns aren't exactly bustling centers of industry and entertainment. It's difficult to say what she has planned for us at our destination's end."
"Oh man." Yusuke's knee bounced, full of edgy energy. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"
"Far from it," Kurama murmured—and when Kuwabara caught his eye in the van's rearview mirror, Kurama looked worryingly grim. "Given Yamato's gleeful disposition when she informed us of our plans, I'd say your nerves are warranted, indeed."
X
Earlier that day, Botan, Keiko, Yusuke and Kuwabara spent their morning installing wedding decorations through the temple—and Botan was absolutely loving it.
Although she seemed to be the only one. Yusuke moped about having to participate, of course. Keiko bore his kvetching with her trademark no-nonsense, complimenting Kuwabara when he hung up her chosen décor with only the smallest of complaints. It was quite amusing to see Yusuke boil, clearly jealous of Keiko's appreciation for Kuwabara, and he threw himself back into decorating with gusto. Too much gusto, perhaps, because he hung far too many streamers in one of the temple's dining halls in his haste to beat Kuwabara at an assigned task, necessitating that Keiko and Botan go through and remove half of them to use elsewhere on the temple's premises. Keiko was annoyed, naturally, but Botan just enjoyed spending time with her friends, no matter their activities. It wasn't often they could all gather together like this, after all. It wasn't like Yusuke was still the Spirit Detective. His work at the ramen stand and job as a supernatural PI kept him busy in the mortal realm, while Botan's work kept her busy in Spirit World. She could only borrow a physical body on special occasions these days, and Keiko couldn't even see Botan in her spirit form, so…
Wait. What had Botan been thinking about?
Ah, yes: Decorating, and having fun doing it!
As the day wore on, it seemed to Botan that she was the only one having any fun whatsoever. She did her best to ignore Yusuke's many grumblings and grouchy glares, but it was difficult. Perhaps that's why, when one of the temples many doors opened to admit one Yamato Rei into the courtyard, Botan tossed down the paper lantern she'd been holding and skipped over to her with a grin, practically bouncing on her heels in happiness. At last, a new face who might not be as grouchy as Yusuke! Botan was over the moon.
"Yamato!" she cried (perhaps unnecessarily, given the dimensions of the large but not enormous courtyard they currently occupied). "Hello!"
"Oh, hey Botan." Yamato wore an auburn wig at the moment, long, loose curls hanging in glossy waves over her chest. Her dark eyes sparkled when she smiled. "Long time, no see."
"Good to see you, too," said Botan. "I got back just a little while ago, right on time to help decorate."
Yamato nodded a few times. "You were… something-something-something Spirit World?"
"Telling Lord Koenma about your situation," Botan helpfully reminded her. "In case he can help, or at least shed some insight."
"Right. That." Yamato's teeth worried her lower lip. "So, uh… Who's Koenma again?"
Botan beamed. "The Prince and ruler of Spirit World."
"Right. That guy." Yamato waved over Botan's shoulder, indicating Yusuke as he tangled with a knotted extension cord. "'Baby breath,' or whatever Yusuke calls him."
Botan winced. "Oh, Yusuke. Still can't put aside the theatrics." Brushing aside her dislike of Yusuke's little pet names, she pasted on a smile and said, "You're in good spirits today, I see… but I heard you had a rough morning."
"That's putting it mildly. Training today was hell." Yamato's eyes rolled, irises black like spilled ink. "But Genkai finally got tired of her sadistic training rampage and is letting me socialize." Catching sigh of something behind Botan, Yamato cupped a hand around her mouth. "Hey! Can I help, Keiko?"
Keiko (who had been organizing some hardware beside crates of décor in the middle of the courtyard) straightened up and smiled.
"Of course. We're hanging up lanterns." She pointed at a ladder nearby. "Do you think you could…?"
Yamato made grabby-hands, then moved her arms stiffly up and down. "Point me," she said in a voice as stiff and mechanical as her arms. "I, am, your, Fixer."
"We're still saying that, huh?" Keiko observed.
"Fixing protocols initiated. Must. Fix." Yamato moved her arms like a robot for another few seconds, but then she slapped a hand over her face and groaned. "God, I'm a dork."
Botan giggled. "You said it, not me!"
Keiko directed the eager Yamato and Botan after that, instructing them to set out chairs, unfold tables, and hang lanterns from the wires painstakingly strung across the courtyard and throughout the temple. True to Botan's expectations, Yamato proved a game ally in their decorating quest, enthusiastic when helping Keiko with anything she could possibly need. "All in a day's work for Keiko's Fixer," Yamato told Botan with a wink. Botan couldn't help but giggle at that. It was just so nice to have someone like Yamato around! Her sunny personality and general good cheer (not to mention her keen sense of humor) were a boon in the flurry of stressful activity before Keiko and Yusuke's wedding, that was for sure. Why, it was a shame about the demons hunting Yamato, of course, but Botan couldn't help but feel like the universe had been looking out for them when it made their paths cross just a few days prior. Yamato made for lovely company, and if given time, Botan's optimistic heart was certain they'd soon become fast friends. Perhaps even lifelong friends! Yusuke would call her a moron (or something similarly disapproving) for saying that, and perhaps she was being somewhat unrealistic… but still. Botan kept the thought to herself, hoping in her silent heart it would prove true.
And speaking of friends: Botan's dear friends Yusuke and Kuwabara tackled the heavy lifting portions of the wedding prep, wielding tools and moving furniture with far less good cheer than Yamato chose to show. Even when Kurama wandered out of the temple to join in on the day's activities, smile pleasant yet noncommittal as always, Yusuke continued to grumble and grouse as he strung up wires from which to hang lanterns and garland. It quite rubbed on Botan's poor nerves, because every now and then she noticed Keiko noticing Yusuke's poor spirit, which in turn brought down Keiko's mood.
And that just wouldn't do! The next time Botan spotted Yusuke rolling his eyes and huffing to himself over the wedding decorations, she grabbed the nearest paper lantern, made an excuse about needing an extra bit of wire to Yamato, and marched over to him with intention blazing in each of her bright pink eyes. Yusuke stood over by the crates of décor and supplies, not noticing Botan as she stomped toward him across the courtyard.
"This stinks," he was saying when she came within earshot. "It just blows."
"It's your wedding, Yusuke." Kuwabara was busy untangling some string lights, frowning as he inspected their many tiny bulbs, not looking up from their labyrinthine snarl as he spoke. "Shouldn't you be happy to help decorate?"
"I mean, I guess?" Yusuke kvetched. "It's just when I think of what we're missing out on tonight…"
Botan stopped cold, standing just behind Yusuke like a statue carved from solid ice. Ah. So that's what he was upset about. Botan had almost forgotten. If they had been in Tokyo as planned, today would've been Yusuke's…
"It's just… damn." Yusuke glared at the ground as if it had personally caused his woes. "We could've been out having fun right about now, so…"
"Wait," said Yamato. "What's fun?"
Both Yusuke and Botan flinched, spinning in tandem to face her (Kuwabara followed suit, of course, backing away with a nervous chuckle when he spotted Yamato staring at their group). Turns out Yamato had followed Botan over to the décor crates. Judging by the confused look on her face, it appeared she'd overheard everything. And that was not good, because the questions her eavesdropping could raise were horrifically awkward, to put it mildly. Botan floundered as the weight of the conversation sank home, and soon her hands flapped beside her face, attempting to indicate dismissal but failing miserably.
"Oh, nothing, Yamato!" Botan said, voice a little higher than usual when she gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing at all." Her elbow thrust out, connecting solidly with Yusuke's ribs. "Isn't that right, Yusuke?" she said from between her teeth. "Yusuke?"
Yusuke just rolled his eyes, though. "Yeah, yeah, if you say so…" he grumbled, and he grabbed Botan's paper lantern and trudged away.
Yamato stared after him with a frown, soon looking to Botan for an explanation. Behind Yamato Botan watched as Keiko broke away from her pile of lanterns to follow Yusuke, a stormy expression of doom settling upon her pretty features. Botan had no idea how the heck she was going to get out of this very stroppy situation, but just as she considered panicking and running for the hills, Kurama sidled over and held a tangle of string lights out to Yamato.
"Yamato," he said, and pleasant silk and smooth satin—but Botan saw the clever gleam in his bright green eyes. "Can I get your help, please?"
Yamato eyed him over, scowling.
Then, movements slow, she shrugged.
"… sure," she said, eventually. "I guess?"
Although Yamato didn't look happy to follow Kurama over to a box of lights, Botan felt downright joyful about his interference. Sharp as ever, that Kurama, distracting Yamato so quickly! Whispering a thanks to the universe (and to Kurama, of course), Botan followed in the steps of the others toward the edge of the courtyard, where they'd disappeared beneath a red tori arch and into a small, connected garden. They'd already finished decorating it with benches and hanging lanterns, their light casting a warm glow over a bubbling pond, a manicured sand garden, and a thicket of carefully trimmed bamboo. A shishi-odoshi by the pond popped every minute or so, a hollow ring that echoed through the enclave like a warning shot. Yusuke, Keiko and Kuwabara stood near that water feature, Yusuke withering under Keiko's searing glare.
"Behave yourself," she was saying as Botan approached. "Please, Yusuke. Just behave!"
Yusuke threw up his hands just as the shishi-odoshi's pop rent the air. "What did I do!?"
"You know what you did, Urameshi," Kuwabara rumbled, clearly taking Keiko's side in this argument. "Put a sock in it!"
Yusuke did a double-take at him. "Hey, how am I the bad guy here?"
"Because you're gonna make her feel bad, that's how!" Kuwabara retorted.
"That's right, Yusuke," Botan chimed in. She mirrored Keiko and put her hands on her hips, the duo facing off against Yusuke turning to a trio thanks to her presence. "None of this is Yamato's fault."
"And I get that, I get it!" said Yusuke. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, eyes downcast. "It's just…"
"Just what?" said Keiko with gentle patience. "Tell me, Yusuke."
He sighed again. "Can't a guy be mad when he misses his own damn bachelor party?"
No one really had the heart to tell him no, of course. Being forced to miss a party is never fun, and Botan felt quite badly for Yusuke, indeed. But although she had sympathy that they were here tonight instead of in Tokyo living it up, there was no reason for Yusuke to wallow, especially considering the consequences if Yamato overheard him talking like this!
"Yes, of course you can feel disappointed about your party!" she said, putting an empathetic hand on his shoulder. "But making Yamato feel badly won't solve anything, so you should try your best not to mope."
"And besides," said Keiko as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're the one who said it was too dangerous to go through with the party tonight. You cancelled it—remember, Yusuke?"
"Yeah, yeah. I remember." Yusuke voiced another of his weary groans. "It's hard to forget canceling your own bachelor party." Once again, like some cosmic comedic snare riff, the shishi-odoshi popped when he threw up his hands. "Damn, I hate being a responsible adult sometimes!"
Just then, an unexpected voice rang out: "You cancelled your what?"
The garden's occupants froze. In unison they turned to find Yamato—who else?—standing beneath the red tori arch, hands hanging limp at her sides while she stared in horror at Yusuke. Botan's own hands flew to her mouth, which had parted in a gasp.
"Yamato?!" Botan shrank into Kuwabara's shadow. "Oh, heavens, this isn't good…"
Kurama, who stood at Yamato's elbow looking rather pained, bowed his head and grimaced. "Apologies. I tried to distract her, but…"
"But it was pretty obvious you were all being shady, coming in here for a goddamn secret meeting," Yamato cut in, eyes like acid on Kurama's pretty face. "And you weren't exactly subtle, Kurama, suddenly getting all friendly out of nowhere to distract me. What do you think I am, dumb?"
Kurama coughed delicately into his fist. Yamato pretended to be offended, then flipped him off and turned back to Yusuke—an action that had Kurama smiling behind his hand, apparently startled into unexpected laughter. An odd reaction, really. Kurama tended toward dry humor and subtle smiles, not outright mirth. Why, if Botan didn't know any better, she'd almost swear he was looking at Yamato with—
No. Now the time. She'd gossip about this to Keiko later. For now, though, Botan had much bigger (and much less fun) fish to fry.
"But Yusuke—really?" Yamato was saying. Her feet carried her toward him across the garden, steps uncertain but determined. "You cancelled your bachelor party?"
He heaved out yet another sigh (the biggest one yet). "Look, Yamato, before you get all offended, I'm not mad at you or anything," he said with his typical crass delivery. "There weren't any other options and it's not your fault, but it still sucks, and so I—"
"Wait." Yamato blinked a few times. "Why would I think it's my fault?"
Yusuke's eyes widened. "Oh."
"Oh, shit," Kuwabara concurred under his breath.
"Yamato." Kurama, big brain reacting as quickly as ever, ghosted his fingertips across Yamato's elbow, drawing her reluctant attention to him. "I apologize in advance for any mental distress this may cause, but…"
"Quit trying to sugar-coat it, Kurama," Yusuke snapped. "I cancelled my damn bachelor party because it was supposed to be tonight, and since Kuwabara, Kurama and me are our best fighters, it's not like we could've gone running off to live it up and leave you here all alone. You'd be a sitting duck for those demons!"
Yamato floundered, speechless. "You—oh? Oh." At last she got it, a light switching on behind her night-black eyes. "You cancelled your bachelor party because of me."
Yusuke nodded curtly.
"Because demons are trying to kill me," Yamato continued, "and because you couldn't leave me alone."
"And because all our plans were back in Tokyo, which is too far away now," said Kuwabara (trying to be helpful, bless him). "But…"
"But, yeah." Again Yusuke nodded. "That's about right."
Yamato was still processing, however. "You." She pointed at Yusuke. "Cancelled your bachelor party." The finger turned, pointing at her chest instead. "Because of me."
"That's about the size of it," Yusuke said.
Keiko rubbed her temples. "Yusuke…"
"Also it's a Tuesday and the towns around here are pretty small, so it's not like there's anything fun to do within driving distance," Kuwabara added.
Something in Kuwabara's words shook Yamato to the core, jolting her like she'd been roused from a deep sleep. "Not with that attitude, there's not!" she said, whirling toward Keiko in a flash of newly awoken energy. "Keiko. Can we chat?"
"Hey!" Yusuke said, voice warbling. "I'm the one with the cancelled party. Why're you talking to her?"
"Can it, Urameshi, I'm being a Beastie Boy and fighting for your right to party. Thank me later, listen now." Striding toward the bride-to-be, Yamato snatched up Keiko's hands and held them in her own, peering down into Keiko's eyes with sincerity writ in every last line of her wig-crowed face. "Keiko. Dear. Darling. So you don't know this about me yet, but maybe you've assumed it given my personality and general je ne sais quoi, but I love a good party and absolutely refuse to be the reason a party gets cancelled." Here she shot a glare at Yusuke, as if he were somehow the source of her ire. "Especially someone's bachelor party!"
While Yusuke returned her glare with gusto, Keiko grinned. "That seems about in-character for you, actually, yeah," she said to Yamato. "But why are you telling me this?"
Yamato beamed. "With your permission, I would like to transfer my Fixer allegiance to one Urameshi Yusuke for the period of 24 hours, starting… now?" She let go of Keiko long enough to glance at her watch. "Now-ish? Is now-ish good?"
Keiko frowned. "You want to transfer…?"
"Transfer my Fixer allegiance to Yusuke. For one day. So I can throw him a party." Her grin showed off every last tooth in her mouth. "I'm gonna throw Yusuke the best damn bachelor party you've ever seen, even if it kills me!"
"Wait—you are?" Yusuke said, as if he didn't quite believe her.
"Yup!" Yamato chirped without an ounce of hesitation. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do!"
Kurama coughed delicately, feet whispering over the garden's hard flagstones. "Far be it from me to question your charitable intent," he said once he caught Yamato's attention, "but Kuwabara made an excellent point. There aren't exactly many opportunities for social gathering in the immediate vicinity."
"Like I said: Not with that attitude, there's not," Yamato replied with prim self-assurance. She didn't pay Kurama another moment's attention, again gathering up Keiko's hands in her own. "But Keiko, if you're OK with it…"
Keiko looked toward her fiancé. "Yusuke?"
"Yeah?" said Yusuke, shifting from foot to foot in awkward trepidation.
"Do you still want a party?" she asked.
"I mean…" Yusuke shrugged, unable to keep a devious little smile off his face. "Who'm I to say no to an offer like that?"
Yamato started to cheer, but before she could say a word through the spread of her enormous grin, Kuwabara stomped forward.
"Wait, wait, hold up!" he said. "I planned Yusuke's original party back in Tokyo, and it took me a solid month to figure it out! We can't get there in time for most of my reservations, so none of my plans are gonna be useful—so Yamato, what makes you think you can plan a party in, oh, I dunno… two hours?"
She lifted her nose into the air with a petite harrumph. "Years of experience. Dogged determination. A baby voice that can charm the pants off of anyone I need to beguile into following my command." Rather than elaborate on that last thing (something Botan definitely wanted to hear more about, because it sounded quite useful;), she turned on her heel and pointed at Botan with a flutter of her wig. "You, Botan!"
Botan jumped, startled. "Who, me?"
"Yes, you! Get me a map of the area—no, the prefecture!" She turned again, hand still upraised. "Kurama, you have a laptop. Do you get internet out here? My cellphone is basically a brick. How do you people function?"
"We function well enough," he said (while smothering another laugh, Botan couldn't help but notice), "and my laptop has satellite internet, if that's what you're after."
"Perfect." Yamato counted on her fingertips, muttering to herself. "I just need a phone, a map, and Kurama's internet connection—if you're comfy with me using it, of course." She waited for him to nod before grinning and wheeling to face Keiko once again. With a spring in her step she walked forward to slip her arm through Keiko's, dragging the girl toward the red tori arch. "Keiko, I need you to set some hard limits. What's off the table from the fiancée's perspective? How do we feel about nudity, for instance?"
"Well, I don't feel great about it," Keiko said, "but it is a bachelor party, so…"
"Got it. And as for alcohol and hard drugs—"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Yusuke said, dashing after them. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?" said Yamato.
"The whole reason I cancelled my party in the first place, that's what!"
"Yes, Yusuke. You raise another excellent point," said Kurama. When Yamato's eyebrows shot up, Kurama gently told her, "Yusuke cancelled his party for fear of what might happen if we left you here undefended, considering you're the target of demons of unknown capabilities. Planning him another party is a gallant gesture, but if your plans involve taking him away from the temple, as I suspect they do considering your earlier requests for a map…"
But Yamato had already started smiling and waving one glib hand. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that," she said, words help aloft by flippant ease. "That won't be an issue."
Kurama stared at her, one red eyebrow arching. "It won't?"
"No."
"… may I ask why, pray tell?"
Her smile transformed into a grin, wide and jovial and pretty.
"Because," said Yamato, "I'm coming with you!"
And that, of course, was how Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Yamato ended up in the back of a van on their way to a secret destination after an afternoon of Yamato making secret calls and reservations, their chauffeured car heading down the winding mountain road toward… somewhere. Botan and Keiko had seen them off and helped carry their luggage down to the driver, and just before she got into the vehicle, Botan pulled Yamato aside to ask precisely where she was taking them.
But Yamato hadn't replied. Not outright, anyway. She just said not to worry, that she'd take good care of the boys, and she gave Botan an enormous wink. Kurama—the only other person who happened to witness that exchange—once again had to cover his mouth with a hand to hide a laugh, and he followed Yamato into the van with the faintest of smiles upon his handsome mouth.
Botan wasn't the only one to notice, that time. No sooner had the van departed than did Keiko turn to Botan and say, "So. About Kurama and Yamato…" She pointed at her mouth and gave an exaggerated smile, one that immediately collapsed into a searching stare. "Did you notice…?"
"I did," said Botan with a solemn nod—and then the pair collapsed into a fit of giggles, leaning on each other for support. It took quite a while for them to compose themselves, but when they did, Keiko wiped at her streaming eyes and looped her arm through Botan's.
"C'mon," she said. "Girl's night wouldn't be complete without a little gossip, right?"
"I totally agree," said Botan, and together she and Keiko began the long climb back up the temple's endless stairs.
X
"I wAnNa StArT UpDaTiNG mOrE OfTeN," I said, like a fool. Life heard me and dropkicked my face but here I am, back on my bullshit yet-a-fucking-gain. Suck my entire asshole, 2020.
Gonna try to crank out a few fast chapters in the next few weeks, but they'll be like 4-5 thousand words instead of 6-9 thousand a pop. Is that OK? IDK PLZ ADVISE THNK U?
The cool cats and kittens light up my life with their kind words. You fuckin' rock and I love you: AnimePsycho1107, InfinityMars, Convoluted Compassion, xanaldy, SterlingBee, AmericanNidiot, Lady Skynet, The Witchy Witcher, cashmeredragon, RachelM96, Sorlian and anonymous guests I guess I'll collectively name Germaine? Yeah, Germaine. You're great, Germaine(s). Love each and every one of ya glorious donuts.
Also special thanks to RachelM96 for a comment so fucking kind it actually got me off my ass to write (a miracle, truly). This one's for you.
