In the Wake of What Follows

Chapter Two: New Worlds

Yusuke seemed out of place next to Kurama and Genkai. While their eyes were sharp and faces perfect masks they wanted to show the world, Yusuke was loud and wore his emotions on his sleeves. At the same time, he seemed so at home among them. Yusuke pushed Kurama's shoulder and called Genkai a granny, although Terra doubted their relation. He laughed when Kurama made a soft jab and had the decency to look shameful, a sincere seriousness washing over him when the topic came back around to the events of last night. Yusuke seemed almost normal compared to the other two.

"You died?" Yusuke asked, sounding almost impressed. It wasn't a reaction Terra had ever gotten before. Yusuke looked her over and quirked an eyebrow. "Ah, that's nothing. I've died twice." Disbelief colored her features. Once was a statistical anomaly, twice was unheard of. "Yeah," he continued. "The first time I was hit by a car trying to save some idiot kid who chased a ball into the road. I was dead for a while, actually. Had a memorial for me and everything. Only reason I got a second chance was 'cause some big shot brat in Spirit World needed a new guy to take care of the demons."

"Spirit World," Terra repeated, barely louder than a breath of air.

Yusuke nodded, looking annoyed. Terra listened with a quiet fixation as Yusuke explained his death, meeting a perky grim reaper named Botan, then the Prince of Spirit World, and becoming a detective for them once he got back in his own body. "I got powers after that. I could see and sense demons, could control my energy to use as a weapon. I knew how to throw a punch, but the energy business added a whole new layer to fighting I had never trained before. Botan sent me here to study under this hag," Yusuke grinned at Genkai.

Terra wondered how many people in the world knew about spiritual energy in such a manner. Not just believed in the supernatural, but honest to god knew demons and powers could exist in this time and space.

"After a bunch of missions, or whatever, this one dude up and killed me," he said, voice less jovial than before. "But I didn't stay dead. This time against Spirit World's wishes. Turns out I'm the great, great, I don't know how many, grandson of a special type of demon. Because my spirit power had grown so much during my time being the Spirit Detective, it awoke that part of me when my heart stopped."

"Meaning?" Terra pressed.

Yusuke shrugged. "I'm kind of a demon, too." Terra's heart kicked into overtime. He seemed to sense this and waved his hand in dismissal. "I still live like a human," he told her. "And they're not all bad. Once you get past the runts that act more like wild animals than anything else, demons are just like humans. Capable of anything. Just look at Kurama here."

Terra shifted her eyes quickly to the doctor who had saved her. He seemed frustrated with his friend. "You're a demon?" she questioned, her heart in her throat.

Yusuke's face dropped into a nervous grimace. "Was I not supposed to say?"

"I wasn't hiding it, per se. I merely thought it would be best to hold such information until she was at terms with not all demons being, well." He looked at Terra and gave his same practiced smile.

"Murderous monsters," she supplied, the slightest hint of venom in her words.

"Yeah, they got a different moral code than us," Yusuke laughed. "But there's a truce of sorts in place. It's punishable to go after humans now, not just by Spirit World but by the demon folk, too. The current King has been following tradition. Humans won't be harmed if they accidentally cross the barrier, and clan rulers have all forbidden their men to terrorize on this side of the fence. It's not so bad anymore. Kinda boring."

Terra took a deep breath, trying to take it all in. Her world view had been forced into new lights so many times since she woke up that morning. She felt numb, as if nothing was real.

"So now you know," Genkai said, cutting through the fog in Terra's brain. "I never did like skirting around things." When she stood, so did the others. "Keiko, why don't you prepare our guest a meal. I'm going to make more tea."

Terra hadn't even noticed the girl standing in the doorway. She wondered how long Keiko had been there. Genkai passed her and into the hall. When Keiko left as well, Yusuke scurried to his feet and followed like a frantic puppy. Again, Terra found herself alone with Kurama.

"You never said," he began, seemingly unsure of himself. Somehow this, too, felt like a calculated maneuver. "What caused your heart to stop? If you don't mind me asking."

"And if I do mind?" Terra wasn't in the mood to speak, especially over that matter.

"Then we'll leave it at that," he said politely. "I'm afraid you're not likely to be seeing me again. I mean to leave for town."

He took a few steps towards the door before Terra was able to speak up. "Thank you," she said. "For saving me, that is."

"It was of no consequence," he replied, and was gone.

Keiko returned sometime later, another tray of food for Terra. The rich smell hit her and her stomach growled in response. It seemed as if her appetite was back. She looked at Keiko with a lopsided grin. "It smells good. Thank you."

"Yusuke made it, actually. He runs a ramen stand in our town. He's quite popular."

"Well, thank him, then."

Keiko set the tray down and smiled, though it fell a bit before she spoke again. "I know this must be hard for you, all this new information on top of what happened. I can't imagine what you're going through. But, I do know what's it's like to lose someone you care about." Keiko looked towards the door with a sigh. "I was just lucky enough he came back." She gave Terra a sad smile. "So, if you need to talk to someone, I'm here."

"Thank you," Terra said again, and waited for Keiko to leave before eating.

Terra woke up with a full bladder and an empty mind. It took a few moments for the past day to come flooding back to her. It took all she had not to cry upon remembering they were dead. This was real. They were gone. Her breath hitched when she saw the pile of bags lying on the other side of the room. The only thing keeping her from spiraling into a panic was the pressure of her bladder demanding she focus her attention on not pissing herself.

With a wince and what felt like fire on her side, Terra pulled herself up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times, eyes itchy and raw from crying. A dull throb of a headache was forming at her temples. "Fuck," she muttered, rubbing at her eyes. She'd left her contacts in for two whole days. When she took her hands away, one of her contacts had already fallen out. The room blurred strangely as she looked around with both eyes.

It was a slow, painful process, but Terra crawled her way over to the bags. Her hands trembled as she unlatched the top and dug out her toiletry kit. With one eye closed, she found her contact case and solutions. After taking out the second contact, Terra put some of her solution straight onto her eye. It stung a little, not designed to be eye drops, but it was all she had.

Terra closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The headache was only going to get worse before it got better. Terra's headaches were always bad. She contemplated just going back to bed despite her need to pee when a knock came from the door.

For a moment, Terra was surprised. No one had knocked before. When no one opened the door, Terra gave a tentative yes to the door. It slid open to reveal Keiko. Her hair was tied back and she had another bowl of rice for Terra. "Are you okay, Nakashima?" she asked, using Terra's last name. "Your eyes are all red."

Terra dismissed this with a wave. Keiko entered and placed the tray down by the futon. "I just need to find my glasses," she muttered. The pressure on her bladder called her attention again. "And a bathroom."

"Oh, of course!" Keiko said, suddenly flustered. "Let me help you up." She came to where Terra had crawled to and gingerly placed her arm around Terra's shoulders. "I'll run a bath, too. So you can get cleaned up."

Terra thanked her. After finding her classes, she let herself be assisted out of the room and down the hall.

"You haven't met them yet," Keiko started, as they slowly moved forward, "but our friends Kuwabara and Yukina live here. They had been out of town for his sister's birthday and returned this morning. It's why Yusuke and I were visiting, really. Genkai is older than she lets on, and we haven't been wanting to leave her alone, recently."

Terra nodded her understanding. Jeremy's grandfather was put into a nursing home the year before. It had been a whole hoopla, the old man not wanting to go. But Jeremy's mother worked full time and couldn't take care of him, and he wasn't well enough to be trusted alone.

"Before your bath," Keiko hedged, pushing open the door to the toilet. "Yukina would be willing to take a look at your injury. She has some healing abilities that can help speed the process."

Healing abilities, Terra thought. The world she had stumbled into only kept getting stranger. "Yeah, okay."

"I'll be back with her," Keiko promised, leaving Terra to do her business in peace.

When Keiko came back, it was with a short girl with hair so pale it was almost white, although there was the slightest tint of blue-green to it. Yukina's face was soft and kind, but the deep ruby color of her eyes took Terra off guard. She flinched back, caught up in the otherworldliness of the girl's features. Healing abilities, she reminded herself. This girl was a demon.

"We'll lead you to the ofuro so you can bathe right after," Keiko said, "instead of making two trips."

Terra nodded mutely and let herself be half-carried to the next room where the ofuro was filling with steaming water. A little further on was a bathing pool, like a personal onsen. Keiko had Terra sit on the little stool beside the ofuro and helped her out of her shirt, setting her glasses carefully to the side. The worst of everything wrapped around her stomach and back, the bandages from the day before stained dark.

Yukina made quick work of cutting the bandages off. Her hands were cold and Terra shivered at the touch of her delicate fingers. "I won't be able to heal this fully," she said sadly. Her voice was like a bird's, singing a sad song over someone else's pain. "But you should be able to move freely once I'm done. There will be a scar."

"Okay," Terra said, unsure what else there was tosay.

Yukina's small hands rested over the marred flesh Kurama had stitched together the day before. Slowly, what felt like ice made its way into her body. It was sharp. The cold was piercing against her hot skin. Just as slowly as the pain came, it turned into a cooling comfort, ebbing away the pulsing sore like the ocean's tide. When Yukina took her hands away, Terra's breath was shallow. Every inhale was a cold punch to her lungs. Yukina seemed to know she had that effect with her healing.

"The cold will go away soon. I'm sure your bath will help."

A part of Terra wanted to comfort the girl. She sounded too sad over someone else for Terra's normally compassionate heart to handle. All Terra could do, however, was nod her understanding.

"Do you think you can manage on your own?" Keiko asked, turning off the pouring water.

"Yes," she said. Whether that was true or not remained to be seen, but Terra needed to be alone.

Keiko left a simple yukata for her to change into after her bath and let her know all the soaps and shampoos were free to use. The other two girls left her alone and Terra gripped the edge of the ofuro. The steam of the water filled her lungs, fighting against the ice Yukina left in her system.

With slow deliberation, Terra peeled off her clothes. Mindlessly, she washed herself. She reveled in being rid of all the grime she had lived in the last few days. Terra then made her way into the soaking tub.

Her lungs no longer felt frostbitten, but there was still a cold tingle to her wound. Beneath the distortion from the water, Terra watched her hand trace over the scar. Her skin was red and raw, but together. Yukina had removed Kurama's stitches. Only little pockmarks around the jagged line indicated they were ever there to begin with. The mark wrapped around to the small of her back and tapered in front by her belly button. It was as if someone had tried to rip her in half.

Another scar I'll never lose, she thought.

Long after her skin turned pruney and the heat made her light-headed, Terra returned to her room. As her glasses defogged, Terra stared at the three bags lying on the floor. At first, she ignored it. She stayed in the borrowed yukata as she ate the rice Keiko had left for her. Then, when she was full and clean and had no pain to distract her from the ache in her heart, Terra pulled open Jeremy's battered canvas duffle.

A layer of snacks fell out of the top, and then his sunscreen and bug spray before she reached his clothes. She stared at it for a moment, the slightly crumpled but still folded black shirt he had worn only four days ago lay on top. It was soft like she remembered it being, somehow unchanged despite how deeply her life had. She brought the garment to her face. It still smelled like him. Warm and comforting. She drank it in with deep inhales.

Terra opened her own bag and took out fresh underwear, sports bra, and a pair of shorts. After those, she pulled Jeremy's shirt over her head. It was the closest she would ever get to being held by him again.

Methodically, not wholly present to her motions, Terra went through their bags. She separated out the food and the trash. Her hands trembled as she folded their clothes to repack. It was almost the end of their planned trip, so everything had been dirty and crumbled. Still, she folded it. Time passed in a haze as Terra took her time and care with each item that had been the last days of the two boy's lives. She ran her hands over the fabrics as if they were fragile glass. The last remnants needed protecting.

All of Conner's shirts had tacky sayings. He'd also, for some reason, brought comic books with him. Jeremy had a notebook in a side flap. He wasn't a writer, but he had filled the pages with quotes and rants and doodles and observations. Every once in awhile, there was a dated statement on how he was feeling. Her own name was there on almost every page.

Terra wanted to cry. She wanted the tears to swell and fall and for her breathing to be stuck in her chest. But she didn't. It was as if someone had carved her hollow of emotions. While the pain resonated inside, nothing came from it.

It felt as if she were packing them away in the recesses of her mind.

With that emptiness, Terra set the notebook aside and continued through Jeremy's bag. He had some electronics and a battered paperback. At the bottom of Jeremy's pack was a small package Terra didn't recognize. It was wrapped in soft butcher paper and under a little flap card, her name was written. Oh. She was suddenly, harshly, distinctly aware that this whole hiking trip had been to celebrate her birthday. They had been going camping for years whenever they could find the time. This was their longest trip yet, and it was their last. Two days from now was her birthday, and instead of having dinner in Tokyo with her friends, she would be alone.

Terra clutched the package to her chest, afraid to open it. Afraid to admit that it was really over.

The door to her room opened with a bit of a slam. Genkai stood at the entryway; face set sterner than Terra remembered. For such a short, old woman, she carried a power around her that couldn't be ignored. "Now that you're well enough to be moving about on your own, you might as well join us for lunch."

Terra was grateful for the distraction. "Of course." Terra put the little box next to her things and stood to follow Genkai. She was nervous about joining all the others, but it quickly dissipated. Not that she became comfortable, but rather she felt… lost.

They were all laughing. Yusuke and Kuwabara were boisterous best friends. Keiko, once she had relaxed, was quite loud herself. She had a quick wit and didn't take any of the boy's idiocracy. Yukina chuckled lightly like a tinkling of bells. Even Genkai cracked a smile and a rough ha from time to time. They were all such close friends. Terra could see it in their eyes, how they looked at each other. It was a pleasant atmosphere to be around if it weren't for the heavy heart she held.

"Anyway, I should call to check on Tomio soon," Keiko said with all the unprecedented worry of a mother.

Kuwabara laughed and clapped Yusuke on the back. "I still can't believe you got a brat of your own, Urameshi. You're probably a terrible father. Right, Keiko?" Keiko shook her head in reply as the two boys continued to bicker.

Terra had figured Keiko and Yusuke were married sometime during the meal, but the fact they had a child was a bit of a surprise. They seemed so young. Perhaps only a few years older than herself. If Terra couldn't see herself doing something by a certain age, it was always hard for her to imagine others doing it. She didn't let her surprise show, though.

"Oh, Nakashima," Keiko said as a thought struck her. "We'll be leaving tomorrow. If you're up for the trip, we'd be more than happy to bring you home first."

"Oh, um, of course." She supposed there was no reason she had to stay. Terra was healed enough to move around. It meant she should be moving on, as well. "That sounds…" It sounded terrible. This temple felt as if it were set outside of society. The dread of facing normal life, former acquaintances – all of it again – was overwhelming. "That sounds fine."

After lunch and Keiko's phone call to her mother, Keiko offered to show Terra round the temple. It wasn't actually a temple. Some shrines lined the steps up the mountain, but the building itself was more of a dojo and a home. It was much bigger than Terra had initially believed, having only visited three rooms on the same stretch of hall before Keiko showed her around. There were training rooms large enough to house two elephants, winding corridors that lasted for what seemed forever, a rock garden, a second bathing unit, a tea room, the dining room where they had eaten lunch, a kitchen, and a number of rooms that people stayed in during their visit.

"Is she rich?" Terra asked. It seemed like such a large place.

"Genkai was very frugal in her youth," Keiko explained. "She still is. I think this place was her only indulgence. She owns the property from the base of the mountain to the sea on the east coast."

"Wow."

Keiko nodded in agreement. "She's leaving the place to the lot of us. Kuwabara and Yukina have moved in permanently. Although the commute is impossible, so he's not exactly working anymore."

"Are they also married?" It was terribly obvious how much affection Kuwabara had towards Yukina, and it was clearly returned. But not everyone who lived together was married.

"Engaged," Keiko beamed. She was excited about it. "Took a lot of convincing. Yukina cares a lot about Kuwabara, but demons live much longer than humans, and that worried her."

"What about you?"

Keiko seemed surprised by the question.

"Yusuke said he's a demon, too."

She sighed. "His circumstances are, well, different. Neither of us know how long his natural life is going to be anymore. We figured we should try to savor as much time together as we could. I believe love transcends the body. We'll make it work; however that ends up being."

It sounded nice, that kind of devotion. She could understand wanting to get as much time as possible with the person you loved. But now she was alone, and every time she remembered that she wondered why she ever tried to be close to anyone. She could also understand Yukina's hesitancy.

The walk around the temple was more tiring to her injured body than she had been anticipating. Terra expected they hadn't actually toured the whole building, but Keiko led her back to her room when she showed signs of slowing down.

"Get some rest," Keiko said. "You've had a long few days. We'll leave in the morning."

"Yeah, okay." Back to mind-crushing reality.

Terra woke up in the middle of the night. She had had a nightmare again. Sitting up, Terra rubbed her eyes until she was fully awake. It would be impossible to fall back asleep now. With a yawn, Terra leaned back and stretched through the pain in her side. While the skin had knitted together, it wasn't perfectly healed yet.

The darkness seemed soft as the moonlight shined through her window. Everything outside was blurry since she didn't have her glasses on. She grabbed them from the side table and set the world in focus. The moon seemed too big. Now completely awake, Terra figured she might as well get a better look. She had never been so high up on a mountain at night. A part of her didn't think it was a smart idea as she left her room and headed to the exit, but she didn't care. What reason did she have to be careful, anyway?

The night air hit her with a chill. It was still quite warm out, but the breeze was just enough to raise the hairs on her arms. She was disappointed when she couldn't easily see the stars. There wasn't enough stretch between the lip of the roof and the cover of the trees on this side of the building. She didn't want to wander too far, now that she was outside. Looking around, she noticed the placement of a statue near the entrance. Terra put her hand to her wound in quiet contemplation.

Terra wasn't very strong in her upper body, but her legs had power and she was a fairly good climber by pushing herself up. It took more effort than she expected, but that's exactly what she did. After climbing to the top of the statue, Terra was just able to grasp the edge of the roof. With one heave and swing, she was able to get her right leg up. Placing her foot down on the tile, she pushed herself up until her upper body cleared. From there, it was a scramble to get her second leg over, but she did it.

Panting heavily, Terra rolled onto her back. The curved tile dug into her sore muscles. A small laugh escaped through her heavy breaths at the thought of what she just did. Her side throbbed from the excursion, but she didn't mind the dull ache. It meant nothing in comparison to the greater pains she felt lingering in her heart. Still, for a moment, it was all forgotten as she looked upon the stars.

Never had she seen them so bright, so alive in their shinning.

For hours, Terra lay there basking in the pale light of the stars and moon as the cool mountain breeze battled the summer heat. Terra didn't have some cheesy fascination with the stars. She usually ignored them or got bored quickly. She never left her room when her father had called to her, saying there was going to be a meteor shower or a lunar eclipse. She didn't really care. But tonight was different. Her mind was full of death and loss and every reference that could possibly make it hurt less. Somehow, looking at the vast sky and knowing how far away those stars were yet how bright they shined, it made her feel calm.

Then something disturbed that.

Terra sat up in a bolt, her side screaming from the sudden movement. She had heard something, she was sure of it. The bad feeling that followed Terra when – what she could only assume meant – a demon was nearby ran down her spine and didn't leave. Fear gripped her, clutching at her stomach and sending a wave of nausea through her.

Then, as quickly as it came, it passed. Not the bad feeling, but the fear.

Just take me, she pleaded like a prayer to the stars. Terra closed her eyes to the moonlight and waited. Just take me. She waited silently in the dark for something, anything, to happen. Nothing did.

Then the bad feeling passed completely.

When she opened her eyes, the beginning of morning peaked over the horizon. "It was worth a shot," she muttered.

Terra pulled on one of her own shirts. She had her contacts in and a pair of athletic shorts on. After her late-night adventure, the need to not sit around in her room like a mop had taken over. Anxiety buzzed beneath her breastbone, pent up energy making her dizzy with it.

It was still very early. The sun hadn't finished rising. Terra headed back out to the front porch and let the early morning rays soak her skin. The timing seemed appropriate as Terra began her sun salutation. Her movements were slow, often stopping onto her hands and knees to catch her breath from even the simplest of positions. She had only made it through one rotation of the yoga piece before Genkai's voice broke her concentration.

"I see you're feeling better."

In downward dog, Terra shook her head. "I chop that all up to Yukina." Terra swooped down into cobra and winced. "This feels like I'm pulling my muscle apart fiber by fiber."

"Then why do you do it?" the old woman asked, amused.

"Distraction."

Genkai nodded in understanding and continued to watch in silence. It wasn't much longer before Terra rolled onto her back and let her muscles melt into the floor.

"You aren't very strong, are you?" Genkai asked, unimpressed by Terra's attempt at exercise.

"I did just almost die," she reminded the old woman. Terra wasn't in bad shape. She danced and did yoga and hiked with her friends. Still, it wasn't much compared to what it sounded like Yusuke got himself into. "I should get inside," she said, standing. "Probably already burned my skin. Forgot sunscreen."

Terra washed up and changed again into fresh clothes. She was tempted to wear another of Jeremy's shirts but settled for just taking in his scent for a moment.

Yukina knocked at the door and opened it. Despite the demon's soft features and gentle nature, every time Terra saw her red eyes, something inside twisted with a lurch. Blue hair excluded – lots of people dyed their hair nowadays – it was the red eyes that identified Yukina as being something other. Like the pale yellow eyes of the demons that had attacked her, the deep blood red of Yukina's eyes were unsettling and utterly inhuman. Terra tried to push those feelings away. Yukina had been nothing short of saintly since they had met.

"If you'd like to join us for breakfast, it's ready," she said with a smile.

Terra nodded and followed the apparition out. At the dining area, Terra picked at her food while the others chatted around her. Keiko told her they planned to leave soon after the meal. Terra supposed it was a good thing. Rip the band-aid off. Go home.

When she went back to her room, Terra packed her bag carefully. Jeremy's present and notebook were tucked safely inside. Yusuke popped in at one point to tell her they were about to head out. "I'll carry your bags if you need me to," he offered.

Terra slung her own pack over her shoulder. The weight was a little much for her side, especially after all the climbing and yoga she had done. Stupid, she berated herself.

"Can you take those two?" she asked.

"No prob." Yusuke smiled, although he seemed annoyed at the chore. Keiko had probably made him offer his assistance. He picked up the two packs with such ease that they could have been pillows, so Terra didn't feel too much of a burden.

The pair made their way to the front porch, sun now beating fully overhead. Terra stood to the side as Keiko and Yukina gave each other long goodbyes and the boys ruff housed a bit. Genkai came out and stood next to her.

"Nakashima, was it?" Genkai asked. Terra nodded affirmation. "Common name, I suppose."

"I suppose."

"How do you plan to use your knowledge of the other worlds?" she asked.

Terra suspected it was a test of sorts. Either way, her answer was the same. "I don't." She wanted to forget about this, forget that things no one else could see had taken away the closest thing to family she had left. Even still, watching the two couples talk, Terra almost didn't want to leave.

Genkai snorted. "If I've learned anything in my years, it's that once someone's eyes have been opened, they cannot close again."

"Plato's cave?" she prompted.

"Of a sort." Genkai looked Terra up and down. "You have spirit awareness, which indicates high spirit levels. Considering you died to get there, you probably have a potential worth training. You could probably tap into a power not unlike that of Yusuke's and Kuwabara's."

"Me?" The idea sounded ridiculous. "I'm not a fighter," Terra scoffed. "I'm not anything."

"That may be," Genkai mused. "But if you find the world out there is too much, I will train you if you choose to return." Her words were like a challenge.

Terra looked down at the old lady. She seemed very matter of fact on the situation, which only made Terra's own doubts greater. Terra didn't know what she wanted out of anything anymore. Surely, whatever path she chose from here, it wouldn't lead back to this.

Without another word, Genkai went over to the others. Terra looked down at the winding steps that led to the bottom of the mountain and out of the forest. Whatever path she chose, she had a long journey coming.