It had been months since Meiyuki had come to Human World, and she was beginning to realize just how much she really did love it there. It was nice to relax in the calmness that these humans lived in, and a very welcome change from the turmoil she'd always known in Demon World.
She and Kurama had been practicing nearly every day to keep her strength up, and they had decided that they wouldn't step up her training to make her stronger until it was closer to time for her to leave. Of course, she found herself conflicted on that note when it came time for Yusuke to return to his father's palace in the Makai.
The parents were out when there was a rather loud knock at the door, and Kurama answered to find Yusuke standing there in his training clothes, a big bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey, Fox Boy!" he said excitedly, flashing a peace sign at him. "I wanted to come by here and give you and Meiyuki my last goodbyes until the next tournament."
"Leaving already, are you?" he asked, leading Yusuke into the living room. "Did you say goodbye to everyone else?"
"What do you take me for? Of course I did! Kuwabara could have cared less, I think, and all Shizuru had to say was 'Don't get killed and try to channel me like you did the last time you died.'"
The Fox had to laugh at Yusuke's rather accurate impression of Kuwabara's older sister and finally said, "What about Keiko?"
He shrugged and said, "I'm still convinced that she'll wait. She wasn't happy about me going back, but she knows I'll be back."
Suddenly, a voice that had obviously only recently matured said, "Hey! You're Yusuke Urameshi! I was just talking about you not long ago!" They both turned around to see Kokoda bounding down the stairs toward them. "I was telling Shuuichi and Minaku about an awesome Fox Demon in ancient legends who escaped to Human World, and I was wondering if maybe that was you."
Yusuke couldn't resist laughing upon hearing this. "That's a good one, kid! That's really funny! Don't you know that demons aren't real?"
Kokoda shrugged with a smile. "I never put anything past the realm of possibility."
"Damn, he does sound like your brother, Red," he said, still laughing.
Meiyuki cleared her throat as she appeared from the kitchen and said, "I'll ask you not to call Shuuichi 'Red', Yusuke. I'll not have you speaking to my Master in such a disrespectful manner." She then quickly turned to the younger brother and said, "Kokoda, why don't you run outside for a few minutes? Shuuichi and I need to say our goodbyes to Yusuke before he takes a long trip."
After the child was gone, Yusuke said seriously, "Well, it looks like you guys are pretty well settled here. You still sure you won't come with me? You can have all the access to my dad's training grounds that you want and plenty of monks to fight. You can't get better training that that."
"Thank you all the same, Yusuke," Kurama said before Meiyuki could even consider going back yet. "But we'll stay here for a while. We can't run the risk of Yomi knowing that Meiyuki has passed through the barrier. Besides, we're both getting good training right here at home. We wish you all the luck in the world in your own ventures. Be sure to keep in touch with us."
He nodded and said, "Of course." He then shook Kurama's hand and added, "Keep her safe, Kurama." After that, he hugged Meiyuki. "And you work hard. I'll see you in the Makai soon and help you rip Yomi apart."
"Thank you, Yusuke," she replied, hugging him back. "Goodbye, and good luck. Be careful out there."
He waved one final time before going back out the door and disappearing around the block. He'd already decided to walk far out of the city before slipping through the dimensional barrier into Demon World, so it took him about another hour to get to his intended destination. After that, it took another entire day to get to Raizen's old palace, where he found all the same old monks waiting for him.
"Hey, guys!" he said excitedly, running the last several yards. "Sure is good to see all of you!"
"Mr. Urameshi," the leader of them all said as he bowed. "We're so glad you've returned. Your friends have been here for a few days waiting for you, and another joined them just last night."
"Yeah?" he said, hurrying into the palace to see them all. Sure enough, he found them in the dining hall, sitting around the big table: Jinn, Touya, Renku, Chuu, Shishi, and…Meiyuki? "Meiyuki," he said confusedly. "What are you doing here?"
She smiled as she stood and said, "I slipped out just after you did. I'm sure Kurama knows I'm gone by now, and I expect him here any time, but I couldn't resist. You were headed back, and I couldn't take it anymore. I do love it in Human World, but I miss the thrill of this place. Besides, these guys will provide me with the kind of training I need. You don't mind, do you?"
"Mind?" he said. "Of course not! Come on, guys! Let's get out there and get started!"
They all shouted their agreements and ran after him, ready to get back to fighting since things had been so quiet lately. Meiyuki followed eagerly, also wanting to stretch her muscles, so to speak. She knew that she shouldn't have disobeyed Kurama, but this was going to be the better decision for her in the end.