SailorStar9: Sorry for the long wait people. My bro's on the com for the last two weeks. Anyway, this is Chapter 57. Read and review.

Disclaimers: YYH, Magic Knight Rayearth and Sailor Moon aren't mine.

Chapter Summary: With the fight between Yusuke and Yomi finally over, everyone prepares to leave for Human World. But Yusuke lags behind to resolve some of his own problems.

Chapter 57: Closure


Yusuke and Yomi continued their violent, amazing, happy fight.

Yomi created one of his green energy balls, which sent Yusuke flying backwards through a dozen trees.

And the boy was still flying when Yomi reached him again and shot a second ball, which now threw Yusuke against a mountain that did not resist the impact.

Yusuke resisted bravely though, and the next second he and Yomi were exchanging socks and kicks again.

Yomi's next attack spiraled fast and powerfully towards Yusuke, burying the boy in the battlefield's ground and making a huge hole through the floating platform.

But soon Yusuke emerged from the sand and jumped like a missile towards Yomi, using his Shotgun.

Yomi defended himself with his kekkai spherule, which exploded under Yusuke's strikes.

Both warriors land on the battlefield; none is seriously hurt, and both are more than willing to go on fighting for as long as it takes.


The public was so overwhelmed at the two fighters' skills and enthusiasm that even the ones who were cheering for Yomi applauded Yusuke, and vice-versa.

"Soon, we'll have the final result." noted Mukuro.

"Yusuke's chances are minimum." Hiei commented.

"He's persistent." she countered. "He won't bow out."

"Yomi won't throw in the towel either." Kurama mused.

"Two very stubborn adversaries. This should be very interesting." Icy nodded.

Mukuro pondered, "What inspires him to be so persistent?"

Kurama smiled, "Yusuke, in his turn, isn't thinking of anything either."

Hiei added, "Only one thing must be in his mind."

Mukuro prodded, "What? Tell me!"

Kuwabara laughed, "Hah! Kicking the adversary's ass, of course!"

Kurama blinked. "Kuwabara!"

But as he looked beside him, the image of the friend that had stayed behind in Ningenkai disappeared; only Jin and Touya were there.

Kurama smiled.

Thinking too much hon? Icy teasing voice entered his head.

Maybe. Kurama replied.


Yusuke also had voices talking in his head: Genkai chided him, "Yusuke, don't make the same mistake. You're never alone. You'll become stronger for someone. You'll be fighting for someone."

Then he saw his friends calling his name.

Botan and Koenma.

Chuu.

Kurama and Icy.

Kuwabara, Yukina, Puu and Shizuru.

Jin, Touya, Rinku, Shishi and Suzuki.

Kido, Kaitou, Genkai and Yanagizawa.

Hokushin and Raizen's men.

Botan, Koenma and George.

Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei.

Keiko.

Everybody.

Yusuke's powers formed a hurricane around him, and he focused all that energy in his fists.

Yomi grinned and copied him.

"I'd love to go on fighting with you for all eternity." he told Yusuke. "But…"

"But unfortunately the fun will have to end sometime." the boy amended with a mirrored grin.

"Exactly. Come, Urameshi!"

Yusuke attacked and the two of them fought boldly, using only their power-glowing fists.


The public yelled their names in frenzy.

Tears ran down Hokushin's face, "Urameshi, you are incredible."


Yomi and Yusuke ran towards each other for the last strike; one hitting the other in the face, with all their strength.

An explosion of ki forms a column of light that rose to the sky and blinded everyone for a moment.

Yusuke fell.

He heard Koto's countdown and tried to get up.

But when he did, he was not in the battlefield anymore.

He was on a hospital bed and a female youkai wearing a nurse uniform was staring at him.

"So? Feeling better now?" she asked

Yusuke was too confused to reply, but the next moment Rinku, Touya, Chuu, Shishi, Suzuki and Jin entered the room, happy to see their friend awake.

"What am I doing here?" Yusuke wondered.

"Yusuke, I'm sorry, but you lost." Jin told him.

"Do you know you've been sleeping for a whole week?" Touya informed him.

Chuu told Yusuke that in the end Shura's encouragement had been fundamental to Yomi's victory.

After that last sock, Yomi was about to fall too, but having heard his son's voice calling his name, that gave him the strength to keep on standing.

Even learning that he had been defeated, Yusuke smiled.

He asked about the Tournament, and Kurama came with Icy to announce that the event had just ended.

Kurama helped Yusuke to go back to the stadium, followed by the others, and they were there just in time to see Koto announcing the name of the winner of the Makai Tournament and, consequently, the new King of the Demon World.

Enki.

"But what happened to Yomi?" asked Yusuke.

Kurama replied Yomi lost the next fight after Yusuke.

"Fighting without energy using only sense and audition demands lots of concentration and stamina. We couldn't expect so much from him after spending so much of his ki fighting with you." he said.

"What about Mukuro?" Yusuke pressed.

"She defeated Natsume, but was out of the competition after the semi-finals." Icy supplied.


Koto handed Enki the microphone.

"Well, after many fights combinations I ended up winning this post." he said.

"I admit that in reality I'm not the strongest. But luck has always been part of my life, and for the next three years as the Champion, I promise to give all of myself to form a good government."

The crowd was very excited as they were reminded that there would be a new Tournament -- and a new King -- in three years.

"The rule of this Tournament." Enki continued, "is that, no matter what, everyone will obey the ruling of the new governor. In my three-year administration there'll be only one essential law." He cleared his throat. "Never to disturb the Ningenkai."

As Enki gave more details about his upcoming administration, Yusuke asked Kurama about Yomi.

"He left for a trip right after being defeated." Kurama told him, and remembered the moment of their goodbye.

Yomi had said that he would train his son, so the kid would become stronger than Yusuke.

"That guy is nothing." Shura boasted. "I'll become stronger than my father, and stronger than you too, Kurama!"

Kurama smiled. "Then I'll be waiting, okay?"

"Kurama, when Urameshi wakes up, tell him that our fight was really extraordinary." Yomi requested.

"For the first time I plunged head-first in a real combat, and next time I can't tell what the consequences will be."

Before leaving with his son, Yomi still added, "Kurama, it was good to see you again." while Shura stuck out the tongue at Kurama.

"Interesting kid." Icy remarked, seeing Yomi and Shura's disappearing backs.

Kurama nodded silently.


The Tournament was over and everyone was leaving.

Yusuke, Icy and Kurama bade goodbye to Jin, Touya, Chuu, Rinku, Shishi and Suzuki.

"We'll meet again in three years." noted Jin.

"I'll practice a lot." Chuu promised. "And next time I'll win."

Touya mocked him.

"Win what? The Tournament or Natsume's hand?" Icy teased.

Chuu blushed.

Everyone else laughed.

"I could never imagine we'd have such a happy ending." Suzuki admitted.

Touya asked Kurama about his plans.

"I'm going back to Ningenkai." the redhead replied.

They all waved and parted.

In the forest, Kurama found Hiei leaning against a tree.

"Where's Yusuke?" the fire demon asked.

"I think he'll go later." replied Kurama. "He has things to do first."

"Are you leaving?" Hiei pressed.

"I'm going straight home, Hiei." Kurama told him.

Hiei flung at him a necklace with a pendant. A teargem.

Kurama stared at the bluish jewel on his palm.

"I'm touched, but I can't accept this present. I'm not in the habit of wearing…" he protested.

Hiei sweatdropped. "And who says it's for you!" he growled, clenching his fist.

The redhead giggled. "Easy, I'm just kidding. I know, you want me to return it to Yukina."

"That's right!" Hiei spat. "And give her this message: tell her that her brother is dead."

"And why don't you give it to her yourself?" Icy asked, coming up to the two guys.

"I'll remain here." Hiei retorted. "I want her to give up the search for me."

"How about Hotaru?" Icy asked.

Hiei looked surprised and turned away.

"In this case it'd be best if you return this to her yourself." Kurama replied gently. "Even if it takes many years."

He handed the necklace back to Hiei.

After a moment, Hiei accepted it back. "All right, I won't insist."


In the stadium, Yusuke found Koenma in his teen form.

"Each one chose his path and left." said the Reikai Prince. "In less than one year you bugged the plans of the most powerful ones in Makai and stopped a war that would involve everybody. Your tactics are quite versatile."

Embarrassed, Yusuke waved the praising off.

"I'm not praising you!" Koenma snapped. "What you've done could have ended in a war between Makai, Reikai and Ningenkai"" He sighed. "At least we'll have a bit of tranquility for the next three years. I hope that until then, Makai will change. Your idea worked after all, Yusuke."

"No way, I did everything without thinking." Yusuke countered. "Really, I hate thinking. I prefer simplicity and always look for the easiest way to act. I fought thousands of times, many of them against my wish."

He remembered Kuwabara, who once thought, "I'm always being beaten, but when I fight him I feel great!"

"Some people only learn the hard way." Yusuke smirked at his memories, and 'heard' Kuwabara yelling at him for talking on his back.

Koenma laughed. "If you can only solve problems with a fight, be my guest. I hope someday the Three Worlds can get along."

He shifted into his baby form. "Anyway, everybody will die someday."

"Although I've been in Death's list for a long time already…" Yusuke grinned.

"We won't see each other for a while."

Yusuke asked him to take care of himself; they bade goodbye to each other.

Before leaving, Yusuke told him that he looked better in that form.

Koenma blushed.

"No matter what, he's always cheerful," Koenma commented, seeing Yusuke run out of the stadium.

"That's why I like him." Botan replied, joining her boss. "He's a good kid."

The narrator's voice was heard, "The battle is over. But for as long as Man lives, he will constantly fighting for something, and must never abandon the fight."

In this moment we find out that the narrator of Yu Yu Hakusho was George -- who was reprehended by Koenma for his boring speech.

Yusuke visited Raizen's grave. "It's over, old man. And I lost."


He saw Raizen's ghostly figure sitting on the grave and smirking at him. "And you thought you could win? It's too soon. You'll be up to winning in three hundred years. What are you going to do with your life, Yusuke?"

"Practice, of course."

"To win the next combat... Are you planning to travel around?"

"Travel? That's a good idea... really good idea."

"Makai is a very large world."

"Yeah... but I got a promise to keep. So I'll be leaving." Yusuke waved goodbye, but promised to come back someday. He also met Hokushin and three other men of Raizen's and told them the same thing, "I've got some private stuff to do, so I'm on my way, but someday I'll drop by, okay?"

"I understand." Hokushin nodded gravely. "We'll be looking forward this day. Until then... Farewell."

He and his party blurred away as Yusuke contemplated the sunset.

So many memories will remain. Each one followed his own path. And Yusuke...


SailorStar9: This is the second last chapter of this fic. Read and review.