A/N: 2022.02.19
Welcome back, one and all!
Now, what do we have here?! A brand new Yu Yu Hakusho story! Why? We'll get to that! So, for the most part, my stories follow the anime and not so much the manga, but there will be a plot point here that follows the manga, specifically. I'll explain that and more at the end. And this story takes place after "To Love One So Hurt". I know I already confirmed that in the description but I like to make everything clear.
I hope you all enjoy it!
New Spirit Rising
"Humans," Arata said. "Such a lovely feeding source." He stood looking at Sarayashiki Junior High from the shadows of the alley across the street.
"Now, then… let's begin."
He smiled and let his fangs shine through.
Rina Ishikawa awoke the next morning and got ready for school. After getting dressed, she ran a comb through her bright red hair and stared at herself in the mirror. She let out a depressed sigh and gathered her wits about herself. She headed for the door, grabbing her backpack along the way, then stopped and stared at her mother, Kanon, who was passed out in an easy chair.
"I'm leaving," Rina said.
No response came.
She didn't expect one. Rina sighed and walked out of the door.
She walked down the street and had a look around. There was a demon in the crowd that looked human, but he had horns no one else could see. She'd seen a greater number of demons lately. The demon didn't seem to mean any harm to the humans, so Rina didn't call any attention to it.
She walked into Sarayashiki Junior High and headed for her home room class. The day went by as mundane as the rest. She would constantly look out of the window she sat by, answering questions whenever she called upon, and was handed back her papers that read A+ on a pretty consistent basis. She looked around her classroom and took notice of the kids who were always occupied with this or that. But none of it ever interested her.
She did notice, however, that one of her fellow classmates was nodding off at his desk. Takeshi Namikawa, who was the same age as her but was a bit of a slacker. She often wondered why he came to class at all. But he tended to stay awake to cause trouble.
Her teacher went over and shook Takeshi awake but, as opposed to how he usually is, Takeshi didn't retort at all. He just lazily sat up.
Rina stared at him for a while and realized something: his latent spirit energy was rather low, even for a normal human.
Rina narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong.
After school let out for the day, Rina just made it to the entrance gate when she heard someone calling out to her. "Rina!"
Rina turned around to see her one and only friend, Michiko Ito, approach her. "Oh, hey, Michiko."
"Hey!" Michiko ran up next to her and stopped. "I thought you'd be gone already."
"Not yet."
"You goin' home already?"
"Of course not."
"Oh. The usual spot?"
"The usual spot," Rina answered. "Wanna come?"
"Sure!" Michiko smiled.
They walked until they came to a small ramen shop, called Seishin Ramen, a few blocks from the school.
"Hey, hey!" the man behind the counter said, "Welcome to…" he saw girls, "Oh! It's you two! I swear, you don't go anywhere else!"
"Maybe we like it here, despite your grouchy attitude," Rina joked.
"Ow. That hurt me." He chuckled. "The usual?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Urameshi."
Yusuke smiled, "No worries, Red. I got you covered."
For the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening, Rina and Michiko ate and talked, even staying long enough to have dinner. Rina and Michiko looked when the door opened and a red-haired man walked in. They had seen him before, with Michiko even joking he could be Rina's actual father. Rina always laughed and said it would be better if he was than the parents she had.
Kurama sat down at the counter, "Good evening, Yusuke."
"Hey, Kurama," Yusuke said.
Kurama looked over at Rina and Michiko, "Ms. Ishikawa, Ms. Ito, it's good to see you."
"You, too, Mr. Minamino," Rina said, as Michiko waved.
"What's good, Kurama?" Yusuke asked his friend.
"Nothing new," Kurama said. "I just wanted to stop in and say hi to you."
"Cool. How's Botan?"
"Doing just fine."
Rina looked over at Kurama while he spoke with Yusuke. She'd sensed demon energy from both of them ever since she met them, but Yusuke's also had a combination of spirit energy mixed in, with the spirit energy being even stronger. She didn't know what that meant but she hoped one day to find out.
Over the next week, Rina noticed more and more that students at the school around her were getting tired. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was going on, but she didn't like it regardless. At lunch, Rina and Michiko sat together and looked around at cafeteria, taking note that there were a few people missing and quite a few exhausted students.
"More kids have been feeling exhausted and having fevers," Michiko said. "This is getting bizarre."
"Yeah," Rina said.
"Why do you think it's happening?"
"No idea. I wish I knew though." Rina looked around at the students and did a mental check of who was tired and missing. "I think… some of the students are athletes."
"Huh?" Michiko looked at them. "Oh, yeah. You're right. But wait, Takeshi isn't an athlete."
"No, but he does stay for detention. Like every day."
"That's true. So… what do you thinks going on?"
"I don't know," Rina admitted. "But I want to find out."
"Why?" Michiko asked. "Is it one of your bad feelings?"
That was how Rina had always decided to explain away any psychic feelings she had when it came to approaching danger. She nodded, "You can call it that, yeah."
"Are you gonna do something stupid?"
"Probably."
Rina stayed after school, reading in the library then waited until she knew that some of the sports teams would be practicing. Around 5 o'clock, she headed down to the soccer practice ground. She stayed off the field, looking out at the students. She noticed that some of them seem to be moving along just fine, while other students were somewhat sluggish.
She felt a pull in the air, like the energy was slowly being drained. But it was coming from one direction. She tried to track the feeling of the power until she came to a hallway where a janitor was sweeping up. She stared at him for a while then, looked around, realizing that they were alone.
"Who are you?" Rina asked the janitor. "And I mean, really? What are you doing?"
The janitor stopped sweeping and smiled. "Impressive, little human." He turned around and stared at her. "You seem to be more aware than your counterparts."
"A little. Now, who are you?"
The janitor took off of his disguise as Arata revealed himself. Arata's appearance being remarkably similar to Rando, save for his hair was blue.
Rina's eyes went wide as she took a step back.
"You little humans are pretty good power source," Arata said. "And as long as it's done in small doses, you never notice." He stared at Rina and chuckled, "So, what are you gonna do, little human? Are you going to tell? Who would believe you? Are you going to try and stop me?"
Rina's body felt like it was made of lead, but, once Arata took a step toward her, Rina's fear got the better of her and she ran at top speed out of the school.
Arata laughed, "Wise for a human."
Rina ran out of the school and down the block, stopping to get her breath back. She looked at her hands and saw them shaking; she'd never been so scared in her entire life. She knew something bad was going on, but she never thought it would be a demon.
She wouldn't be able to stop this on her own. She would need help.
Rina hurried back to Yusuke's restaurant and found him cleaning up.
Yusuke looked up and smiled, "Well, well, Red! What's up?"
"Hey, Mr. Urameshi," Rina greeted with a slight smile. "You got a minute?"
"For one of the best customers in the place, I got two. What's up?"
"It's… kinda personal."
Yusuke stopped cleaning up, "Okay." He motioned to the chairs, "Have a seat." He sat down as she did the same. "What's up?"
Rina sighed. "Well, first, I know that you're… not a normal guy."
"I heard that all my life," Yusuke smiled.
"What I mean is…" Rina looked around, making sure that no one was coming in, "I can sense spirit energy and demon energy. You've got both."
Yusuke stared at her, blankly. "Damn it, I hate it when Kurama's right."
"Huh?"
"Kurama. Guy with the red hair you and Michiko joke could be your dad. He said you were a psychic and I didn't believe him."
"He… could tell?" Rina asked.
"You'd be surprised at how little he misses," Yusuke admitted.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about it," Yusuke said. "You'll find out soon enough, I'm sure. So, what's up, kid?"
"My school is being attacked by a demon. And I need your help to stop it."
After hearing Rina's news, Yusuke called Keiko, asking her to come back to the restaurant. Yusuke didn't tell Keiko what was going on just yet, figuring it was better to explain everything in person. When Keiko arrived, she took notice of Rina sitting across from Yusuke at the table.
"Hello, Rina," Keiko greeted.
"Hi, Mrs. Urameshi," Rina greeted. "How are you?"
"Fine. Are you alright, sweetie? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"A demon, actually," Yusuke said.
"What?" Keiko whispered.
"Kurama was right." Yusuke motioned toward Rina, "She's a psychic."
"Kurama's usually right." Keiko sat down next to Yusuke and put her hands on top of Rina's. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
Rina smiled. She always loved being around Keiko. Something about her was always soothing and comforting. "Just… a slight bit terrified," Rina answered. "This demon's hurting the students at my school. I only have the one friend, but… she could be next in line. I don't want her to get hurt or anyone else."
"No problem, kid," Yusuke reassured. "We'll give you a hand."
Just then, there was a knock at the door; they all looked up to see Genkai standing at the door, smiling and waving.
"Genkai?" Keiko asked.
Yusuke opened the door and Genkai walked in. "Long time no see, Grandma," Yusuke said. "What brings you off your mountain?" He closed the door back, locking it again.
Genkai looked at Rina and smiled. "The girl, here. I think she's my new successor."
Rina blinked a few times. "I beg your pardon?"
"Wait, what?!" Yusuke asked. "And what about me?"
"What about you, Mazoku?" Genkai asked, smirking.
Yusuke thought about that. "Oh. Yeah, right."
Genkai walked up to Rina and offered her hand to Rina, "Nice to meet ya, kid. I'm Genkai."
"Pleasure, ma'am," Rina said, shaking Genkai's hand. "I'm Rina. Rina Ishikawa."
"Manners." Genkai smiled as they released the handshake. "I like her more already."
Yusuke scoffed. "Whatever." He sat back down.
"What did you mean 'successor'?" Rina asked.
"Well," Genkai sat down, next to Rina, "for a long time, I've been looking for someone to replace me. Give my power to. And I gave it to Yusuke once upon a time. But I don't think he needs it anymore." She stared at Yusuke. "Honestly, I think you've formed your own version of the Spirit Wave Orb."
"I think I did," Yusuke agreed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Nothing's happened since the tournament a few months back for me to really test it."
"Well, don't worry about it yet. All this kind of depends on the kid, first."
All eyes shifted to Rina, who looked at everyone nervously before she focused on Genkai.
"No offense, ma'am," Rina said, "but, aside from being a little psychic, that's all that's really special about me. I've never been a person who gets a lot of attention."
Genkai chuckled. "You'd be surprised how often the people who don't think they're important turn out to be the most important."
"Before we go any further with this," Keiko said, "Rina, aren't your parents worried about you?"
Rina let out a light scoff. "Not a chance. It's just me and my mom. My dad lives in Osaka with his real family. Haven't seen him since I was 10."
"What about your mother, kid?" Genkai asked.
Rina looked down, "She doesn't know I'm gone. She barely knows when I'm there. She's always drunk for one reason or another." She took a deep breath. "Each time she sees me… she says she thought I ran away."
Yusuke, Keiko, and Genkai looked at each other, concernedly.
Yusuke turned back to Rina, "So, your mom sucks, too, huh?"
"That's one way of putting it," Rina said. "Was your mom like that?"
"Kinda. She's nowhere near as bad as she used to be. We actually talk more since I moved out and got married than we ever did when I lived with her."
"Maybe that'll happen for me someday."
Keiko put her hand on top of Rina's. Rina looked up at Keiko, who was giving her the warmest smile she could. Rina felt a warmth all throughout her body. That smile alone made a lot of things feel better.
"But, we can talk about that later." Yusuke looked at Genkai, "How do you know she's your new successor?"
"I had a dream last night," Genkai said. "That she'd be here. Talking to you. Saw another flash. She was fighting. Throwing a punch, her body charged with spirit energy. The kind of power she has… I've only seen in you, Yusuke."
"Whoa," Yusuke and Keiko said, simultaneously.
"I take it that's a big deal?" Rina asked.
"Huge," Yusuke answered.
"When did you first discover your powers, Rina?" Genkai asked.
"I was about seven when I really started to see things," Rina explained. "Demons and whatnot."
"How'd you know they were demons?" Keiko asked.
"I didn't at first. They just looked like regular people. I could see something fuzzy, never anything concrete. I turned 12 and I could see it really clear. I thought about telling my mom but… well, whether she'd believe me or not wasn't the issue. She just wouldn't listen to me."
"Know that story," Yusuke muttered.
"So, what's your story right now, kid?" Genkai asked Rina. She motioned toward Yusuke, "Why come to the dimwit?"
"Because I really need your help," Rina declared. "My school's getting weird."
"It's school," Yusuke said. "It's supposed to be weird."
"Yusuke," Keiko said, dryly.
"I'm kidding!" Yusuke exhaled.
"There's a demon," Rina continued. "I… think he's taking everyone's strength of the students."
Genkai nodded, "And you just need help bringing him down."
"Yes, ma'am."
Yusuke grinned. "Alright! As much as I hate the idea of going to school again, I'll meet you there tomorrow."
"Thanks, Mr. Urameshi," Rina bowed.
"You're not goin' without me, nitwit," Genkai smirked.
Yusuke groaned, "Greeeeat. Another outing with Genkai. And what could go wrong?"
The Following Evening.
Rina was standing in front of the school, checking her watch. She looked back and forth up the street. A few seconds later, Yusuke and Genkai appeared down the street.
"Hey, kid," Yusuke greeted when he and Genkai were near Rina.
Rina smiled, "Hey! Wow. I didn't sense you guys coming."
"We're suppressing our power so the demon won't know we're here," Yusuke replied. "We have a rep with these guys."
"Oh, that's smart! Great! So, how do we do this?"
"We go in the school and find this jackass," Genkai answered. "Then? We take him down."
"Been a minute since I punched a demon in the face," Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles. "Been forever since I punched someone in a school. Ah. I miss those days."
"You guys are crazy," Rina said. "But… I feel like you know what you're doing."
"Both are true."
"Where's the demon, kid?" Genkai asked Rina.
Yusuke looked Genkai, curiously.
"Oh!" Rina looked around. "He's…" she pointed toward the field, "…he's that way."
"We'll follow you."
The trio walked into the school, following Rina's pull. They walked toward the sports field to see a man in a janitor uniform standing in the middle of the field.
Rina stopped as her eyes widened.
"That him?" Yusuke asked.
"Uh-huh," Rina answered.
"Okay. I got this."
"No," Genkai said, grabbing Yusuke's arm.
"No?" Yusuke asked.
"Rina…" Genkai said, "…you can handle this."
"I'm sorry, what?" Rina asked.
"Yeah," Yusuke added. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You need to confront this demon, kid," Genkai advised. "It's time to overcome your fears."
"Uhhh, no offense, ma'am," Rina replied, "but I can't do anything."
Genkai smiled. "You can do more than you think, kid." She nudged her head, "Go. It's time you learn to fight your own battles."
Rina stared at Genkai. "You don't look like the kind of person who jokes around."
"More than you think but not right now. You can do this, Rina. Go." Genkai looked at Yusuke then back at Rina. "We'll be with you. But you have to fight this. You've spent your whole life on the sidelines, kid. Passively making it through life."
Rina paused.
"Don't get me wrong: I get it. You're a kid. And sometimes, that's how you gotta get through life. But sometimes… you gotta stop wading through… and swim against the current."
Rina swallowed. "You drown if you do that."
"Only in the deeper waters," Genkai admitted. "And only if you don't know what you're doing. But not in this river, kid."
"You call fighting a demon a river?"
"Compared to what you might have to deal with in the future? Bet your ass, I do."
"Oh, gee," Rina said, sarcastically, "that's so comforting."
"Sad thing?" Yusuke said. "It actually is comforting."
"You're not meant to sit on the sidelines anymore," Genkai continued. "Get in the game, Rina."
Rina took a deep breath then walked over to the door and walked onto the field.
"Okay, Genkai," Yusuke asked, once Rina was out of hearing range. "What the hell's up with this?"
"Just wait, Yusuke," Genkai replied. "And trust me."
Rina walked out onto the field where Arata stood. Arata sneered as Rina approached, "Well, well, well. Look who came back to face me again."
Rina swallowed the lump in her throat. "L-Look… I-I don't want any trouble, okay?"
Arata laughed.
"Just… j-j-just leave. Leave my schoolmates alone and go."
"Oh? And what are you gonna do if I don't?"
Rina took a few deep breaths. "I'm… I'm gonna make you leave everyone alone!"
"Ooooh!" Arata laughed. "That sounds like fun! LET'S GO WITH THAT!"
Arata rushed at Rina and hit her with an open palm strike to her chest, sending her flying back.
Yusuke let out a worried grunt while Genkai continued to, stoically, observe the scene.
Rina pushed herself up, onto her elbows, steadying her breathing. Usually, she'd already be running away from this. But something about that hit awakened something inside of her.
She didn't even really know it was there. But, at the same time, it was something she had kept restrained.
And whatever it was told her to get up and fight.
Rina stood to her feet and glared at the demon. "Look. I really don't want to do this!"
"Then stay on the ground," Arata declared.
Rina stared into Arata's eyes. "No."
Arata rushed at her and tried to punch her. To everyone's shock, Rina dodged the punch, ducking underneath it. She moved away from Arata and they looked at each other in shock.
"Whoa…" Rina whispered.
Arata growled and rushed at her, swinging at her every way he could. As Rina dodged, she felt something strange. She felt like she was getting a bit stronger, her spirit energy was growing. She was doing it subconsciously at first but now she was actively attempting to gather power. She wasn't sure where she was coming from and she was hoping it wasn't dangerous. After a few missed strikes, Arata kicked Rina in the gut, sending her flying back and causing her to hit the ground hard.
Yusuke growled, "Rina!"
"Stay back, Yusuke," Genkai blocked his path.
"Look, Genkai, I get it when you did this to me and you're looking for a worthy successor. But she's been at this a grand total of two minutes! At least, when this was my job, I was getting in fights so much it was practically a schedule. She's a good, sweet kid, who actually studies! Hell, this isn't even her job yet!"
"And she's already smarter than you."
Yusuke looked at Genkai, curiously. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but what are you talking about?"
"Take another look, dimwit," Genkai said.
Yusuke looked back at Rina and just realized what he had been sensing most of the fight: Rina's spirit energy was growing and Arata's demon energy was getting weaker.
"Whoa," Yusuke whispered.
"Give her a minute, Yusuke," Genkai implored. "We'll step in if we need to. But right now… it is her job."
Though Arata managed to land a few more blows on Rina, Arata could tell he was getting winded. But Rina realized she wasn't as hurt as she expected to be. In fact, considering the blows she had taken, she only felt a bit bruised.
Rina pushed herself up to her feet again and took a few breaths. "Look! Just leave! I don't want to do this! Just go back to your world!"
"My world?!" Arata shouted, angrily. "Those fools…! All they care about now is training for that ridiculous tournament! Making a pact with that fool Urameshi! A stupid move." He spit. "You humans. You're a food source. Nothing else."
Yusuke grunted. "I'd be offended if I wasn't used to being called 'stupid' for coming up with that tournament."
"To be fair," Genkai said, "that was actually one of your smarter ideas."
Rina steeled herself. "If humans are so easy beat and feed off of… why haven't you killed me yet?"
Yusuke had to stifle a laugh. "Rina with the comeback!"
Genkai smiled. "I like her even more."
Arata growled. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!" He generated energy in the shape of a triangle in his hand then launched it at Rina.
Though she saw it coming, at the speed it was moving, Rina knew she didn't have time to dodge. She panicked, covering her face with one arm while lifting her other hand up.
When nothing happened, Rina slowly looked up and saw she caught the energy.
"What?" Arata asked, dumbfounded.
"Whoa…" Yusuke whispered.
Genkai smiled, triumphantly.
Rina stared at the energy. She braced herself then converted the energy to spirit energy, then launched it back at Arata.
Arata didn't have time to dodge. The energy detonated right in front of Arata, sending him flying back.
Rina was struggling to catch her breath.
Arata pushed himself up and stared at Rina in total shock. "How… h-h-how did you do that?!"
Rina looked at her hands then at Arata. "I… I don't know."
Arata came out of his stupor and growled. "ARRGHH! YOU WON'T DO IT AGAIN!" He, furiously, charged at Rina.
Rina looked up at him and held her hands out again.
To test a theory.
As Arata ran, he felt himself getting weaker. And Rina felt herself getting stronger.
"Genkai?" Yusuke whispered in shock.
"Yeah," Genkai nodded.
Arata stumbled as he got closer to Rina.
While Rina felt stronger than she ever had before.
Once Arata was close, Rina charged her fist with the excess spirit energy. Drew her fist back. And threw it forward with all the power she had, aiming at Arata's chest.
The punch connected and the power exploded into light, causing Yusuke and Genkai to stare in wonder.
Rina opened her eyes and saw Arata unconscious on the ground. Rina looked at her hand, "Whoa…"
Yusuke started chuckling then burst out laughing. "HOLY CRAP! THAT WAS AWESOME!"
Genkai grunted, approvingly. She and Yusuke walked up behind Rina. "Nicely done, kid!" Genkai congratulated.
Rina leaned over, clutching her knees and catching her breath. She gave Genkai a thumbs-up.
Suddenly, Hiei landed on the other side of Arata. Hiei glared down as the unconscious demon, "I finally found you. You cowardly, pathetic buffoon." He looked at Yusuke, Genkai, and Rina. "Yusuke? Genkai?"
Yusuke smiled at him, "Hey, Hiei!"
"What are you doing here?" Hiei focused on Rina. "And who's the kid?"
Rina looked up at Hiei and scooted back, moving behind Yusuke a bit. "You're… really strong…"
"You don't have to worry about Hiei, Rina," Yusuke reassured. "He's a friend."
"Okay. He's still really strong!"
Hiei scoffed and smirked a bit, "She's smart enough to respect my power. This human is wise. I like her already."
"Figures your ego would get a kick out of that," Yusuke groaned. "Anyway… Rina, Hiei. Hiei, Rina."
"A pleasure, Mr. Hiei," Rina nodded.
Hiei nodded in return.
Rina stumbled a bit and Yusuke caught her. "You good, kid?" Yusuke asked.
"Y-yeah," Rina groaned. "Just… exhausted."
"She's strong," Hiei noted. "Her body may be tired, but she's still commanding a wealth of power."
"I'm starting to get that." Yusuke looked at Hiei, "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Hiei looked back at Arata, "I've been trying to track this fool for a month. But every time I came close to finding him, he would hide himself again."
"He's been feeding off the spirit energy of the students."
"Now that he's defeated, they should recover fine in a few days." Hiei looked at Rina, "Did you defeat him?"
"Took a minute, but yes, sir," Rina answered.
"She has manners and she's powerful." Hiei looked at Yusuke, "Well, Yusuke. I think we've met your replacement."
"Ha, ha," Yusuke replied, cynically.
Hiei grabbed the unconscious Arata by the wrist. "I'll dispose of this garbage."
"Appreciate that. Hey, come by this week. We'll hang out."
"Will Kuwabara be there?"
"Nope. He's working a lot lately."
"I'll be there then."
Yusuke laughed. "Oh, come on! You guys get along better now! He is your brother-in-law!"
"Don't remind me! Yusuke. Genkai. Rina." Hiei dragged Arata behind him as he walked off. "Farewell for now."
"Later. Tell Mukuro I said 'hey'."
"Bye, Mr. Hiei," Rina said, tiredly.
"Later, kid," Genkai nodded.
Hiei gave a quick wave as he hauled Arata away, disappearing around the corner of the building.
Rina let out another exhausted sigh.
Yusuke chuckled. "Alright. Free bowl of ramen then you go home."
"Best news I've heard all day," Rina said, wearily.
After getting dinner for Rina, Yusuke and Genkai escorted her home. After seeing Rina off, Yusuke and Genkai headed back to his restaurant. As they walked along, Yusuke let out a begrudged sigh.
"What's your problem?" Genkai asked.
"Rina," Yusuke said. "I just… feel bad for her. Life's never gonna be same after tonight."
"You've really grown up, Yusuke."
"I guess. Just… when I first started this… wasn't a big deal to me. It wasn't like I had anything else going on. Hell, doing this made me a better person. But she really is a sweet kid, Genkai. Always respectful. Pays and tips. Even when I let her eat free, she still leaves money. And I know she doesn't have a lot. When she's not eating, she stays in the shop to study or just to read. She reminds me of Keiko. A good person with a good heart."
"I think she'll always have it," Genkai reassured. "She seems too determined to let other dimwits ruin her."
"I hope so." Yusuke blinked, "Hey, why'd you ask Rina where Arata was when we first got to the school? We both knew where he was. We sensed him before we even got there."
"The kid's gotta learn how to do things on her own," Genkai replied.
"I think she's already got a good handle on that skill, Grandma."
"You know what I mean, Yusuke. If she takes your old job as a spirit detective, she won't always have you to run to for every little problem. She's gonna have to stand on her own two feet in this life. Better to start her early."
Yusuke sighed. "Yeah. I guess."
Genkai stopped and looked at him. "You're actually worried about her."
Yusuke stopped. "I guess. It's like you said… I don't want her to lose that good heart. She reminds of Keiko with her smarts and dedication, but she reminds of Kuwabara, Botan, and Yukina, too. She's loyal and way too kind to be around me."
"I don't know about that. You may not show it, outwardly, but your kindness kept Hiei and Kurama from turning into supervillains."
"Didn't stop Toguro or Sensui."
"Yeah, but they were nuts."
Yusuke and Genkai laughed.
"I mean it, Yusuke," Genkai said, "you're one of the few guys who had the heart to keep them from going over the deep end. If and when Rina takes this job, she may not be able to go to you for everything, but she'll have you to go to. Call it fate, destiny, God, whatever you want, but I know there was a reason she feels safe at your ramen shop as oppose to the dozen others around here."
Yusuke shrugged. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you got a point there." He looked back toward Rina's apartment. "Get ready, kid. You're in the mess now!"
Over the next couple of days, the students and faculty returned to Sarayashiki Junior High and things went back to normal, almost immediately.
Except for Rina.
The Saturday after the incident, Rina asked Yusuke to meet her by a riverbank near her apartment. When Yusuke arrived, he found Rina sitting on the grass, with her knees pulled up to her chin and forlorn look on her face as she stared at the city. Yusuke approached and leaned against the tree next to Rina, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Nothing's ever gonna be the same again, is it?" Rina asked Yusuke.
"Nope," Yusuke answered, honestly. "Never."
"Can I ask a favor?"
"Sure."
Rina looked at him, "Can I count on you?"
Yusuke looked at her and smiled, "You got it, kid." He looked back the city, "I got your back. Always."
"Thanks." Rina gazed at the city. "I have a feeling I'm really gonna need it."
Yusuke exhaled. "Like you wouldn't believe. Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. An easy life… I kinda figured I'd never have that."
"Wow. Maybe we are related."
Rina was quiet for a while. "Mr. Urameshi?"
"Yeah?" Yusuke asked.
"Thanks. For being there."
"Sure, kid. Anytime."
A/N: So, what did you guys think?! Please, let me know!
So, the manga reference was Yusuke owning a ramen shop. The next question, why this story? Basically, I have some more stories planned and I wanted to bring in a new character. I may add a couple of more.
But that's pretty far down the line as I have a LOOOOT to get to, especially this year. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it! See you later! Take care!
