Chapter 13 Know Thine Enemy

"Touya?"

Touya slowly floated back into consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw blurry images before him. After a few moments, the images came into focus and he saw that he was in an unfamiliar bedroom. He tried to sit up to get a better view of his surroundings, but a pair of strong arms pushed him back down.

"Easy there, Touya," a familiar female voice said. "Don't try and sit up quite yet. Your stab wound isn't a hundred percent healed quite yet."

It took a few moments of puzzling from Touya to recognize the voice. "Genkai?"

Genkai moved into his line of sight, looking more anxious than usual. When she saw Touya, she smiled.

"Welcome back," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit groggy. Where am I?" Touya said.

"You're in Yusuke's bedroom," Genkai said. "We brought you here after we rescued you from Doctor."

"Doctor…?" Touya murmured.

That name triggered a memory somewhere in the back of his mind, but for some reason, his brain couldn't place it. He stared at the ceiling and tried to sort through his tangled, distant memories. When it came to him, he gasped and, forgetting what Genkai had told him, tried to sit up. He was immediately overcome with a wave of dizziness and nausea that caused him to nearly pass out. He sank back against the pillows, breathing heavily.

"What did I tell you?" Genkai chided, though she looked more worried than angry.

"S…sorry," Touya said. He closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to bring himself to ask several hard questions of Genkai.

"Genkai…" he began and then stopped to collect himself. "Kurama…?"

"He went to the train station to pick up those three Psychics I've been training," Genkai said.

"Ah."

Touya remembered them vividly; three classmates had come to Genkai after one of them had detached his soul while testing the limits of his powers. Genkai had saved him and then brought all three of them under her wing for training. She must have seen potential in them to train them like this, but Touya just saw them as annoying.

"What's on your mind, Touya?" Genkai asked.

Touya shifted uncomfortably. He did not want to say it, because then that would make it more real than it had been. But he had to and if there was one person he wanted to confide in, it was Genkai. Having Kurama absent would make it a lot easier to get the words out.

"I…uh…might be pregnant," he said. "Doctor said I was and though he claimed to be a doctor, I don't know if he was telling the truth…"

"You are," Genkai said bluntly.

"O…oh," Touya stammered. "Does…does Kurama know?"

"Not to my knowledge," Genkai said. "He may have worked it out on his own, but I did not tell him. Nor will I unless you want me to."

"No." Touya shook his head. "I…I haven't even decided if I want to keep the baby yet."

Genkai nodded. "That's fair. I will just caution you that you need to make that decision sooner rather than later." Touya nodded, his throat tight. Genkai's expression softened. "For what it's worth, Kurama is a good guy. He'll do the right thing and take care of you and your child."

"I know," Touya whispered.

"I know it's a lot for you to take in right now," Genkai said in a gentle tone. "I'll let you rest for a while. The knife missed your vital organs, but it was still pretty deep. It'll need some time to heal properly."

Touya nodded and closed his eyes as he heard Genkai's departing footsteps.

He did not know how long he had dozed when a knock came at the door.

"Yeah?" he said groggily.

"It's Yusuke," Urameshi said from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah," Touya said, slowly sitting up.

The door opened and Urameshi stepped in, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Genkai sent me to see if you were feeling up to coming out to be a part of our meeting," he said.

"Yes, I should be all right," Touya said even though he wasn't certain he would be. "I just need a few moments."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Urameshi said. "Hey." Touya looked at him. "Are you really…" he lowered his voice. "Pregnant?" Touya stared at him. "Doctor told me." It was both an explanation and an apology.

"Ah," Touya said tightly.

"Are you?" Urameshi asked.

"Yes," Touya said. "I am."

"But you're male, right?" Urameshi frowned.

"Yes, that's right," Touya said, wishing he wasn't having this conversation right now. "However, there are some male species of demons that are able to get pregnant. Ice demons are one of those."

He paused, wondering how much he should actually reveal to Urameshi and then decided to just go for it.

"I'm um…not sure how much Kurama explained to you," he started awkwardly.

"He just gave me a brief overview," Urameshi said just as awkwardly. "Ice Maidens are always girls, right? That came up during our rescue of Yukina." Touya nodded. "Then Kurama said that Ice Maidens reproduce without sex…I don't really want to think about how that works…but if they do have sex, the baby is male?"

"Yes, that's correct," Touya said.

"And I'm guessing it's not a big deal that men…at least some men…can get pregnant and have children?" Urameshi said.

"Also correct," Touya said. "You see, Urameshi, demons don't have traditional gender roles like humans. Because both genders can procreate, there hasn't been a need. Males and females are seen and treated as equals. Of course, it varies from species to species, but typically, we're equals."

"I see," Urameshi said slowly. "I guess that makes sense. And you and Kurama…?"

"It was a one-time thing," Touya said bluntly. "I don't think either of us expected it to go anywhere, least of all result in a child."

"But you're gonna tell him you're pregnant with his baby, aren't you?" Urameshi asked.

"I don't want to burden him right now," Touya said. "Besides, I haven't even decided if I want to keep the baby yet."

"Shielding it with your life energy seems pretty decisive to me." Urameshi held up his hands in a placating manner when Touya gave him an icy stare. "I'm just sayin'." His expression softened. "You know, Kurama's a good guy."

"I know," Touya said.

I don't deserve someone like him, he added silently.

There was a gentle knock on the partially open door and Kurama stuck his head in.

"Is everything all right Yusuke?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," Urameshi said, standing in front of Touya. "Touya just needs a moment. He'll be right out."

"All right," Kurama said softly.

He went out, closing the door behind him.

"I'll uh…let you have a few minutes," Urameshi said awkwardly.

"Thank you," Touya said. "I'll be along in a moment."

"Okay," Urameshi said.

He looked very relieved to leave. Touya took a deep breath and slowly got out of bed. He wobbled a little bit as he crossed the room, but quickly regained his balance by putting his hand on the wall. Taking another deep breath, he forced himself upright, and walked out of Urameshi's bedroom. He followed the soft murmur of voices down a hallway and into a large open room. He was surprised to see so many people there: Genkai, Kurama, Urameshi, Kuwabara, the three Psychics Genkai was training, and even Koenma. The only one missing was Hiei, which didn't really surprise him. The murmuring stopped when Touya entered the room and he felt uncomfortable at all the gazes fixed on him. Kurama, his face pale, rose from his seat and briskly crossed the room.

"Come, sit here," he said, gently taking Touya's arm.

Touya wanted to snap that he was not an invalid and he could walk on his own, but the truth was that Kurama's hold on his arm was reassuring. With Kurama's steady, strong hand, he was able to cross the room and sit in the armchair Kurama directed him to without fear of falling.

"All right Touya," Koenma said once Touya had settled himself in. "We need you to tell us everything you possibly can, everything you can remember about your captors, their plans, anything you can think of that could be relevant."

Touya told them everything, from being ambushed in the park by a pack of demons to his attempted escape and stabbing by Mitarai. He told them every detail he could although he gave them a heavily sanitized version of Murota's death, staring at the far wall so he wouldn't have to look in their eyes as he relieved his ordeal. He told them the names he knew, though they were certainly cod names. He told them about the plot to dig a tunnel to Demon World.

He told them how Chapter Black was being used to turn humans against their own kind and Koenma said sharply, "Chapter Black? Are you certain?"

"Yes," Touya said, addressing Koenma directly now. "I'm certain."

Koenma said nothing more, but leaned back against his chair deep in thought. Touya continued to talk. The only detail he left out was that he was pregnant. When he finally stopped talking, a dreadful silence fell upon the room.

"All right, now what?" Unsurprisingly, Urameshi was the first one to break the silence.

"Before we continue, I have a question for you, Koenma," Kurama said. He stared calmly at Koenma. "You know who he is, don't you, the one who is behind this?"

He and Koenma stared at each other for a few moments and then Koenma nodded.

"I do."

There was a moment of shocked silence and then Urameshi exploded.

"YOU MEAN YOU KNEW? YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T SAY A DAMN THING?!"

"Sit down and I will explain," Koenma said with a mild hint of irritation.

Huffing and glaring, Urameshi flopped down in his chair.

"The mastermind behind this plot is Shinobu Sensui. He was the Spirit Detective of Living World before you, Yusuke." Koenma's words were calm, measured, but Touya could detect an undercurrent of anger underneath.

He showed them a photograph of a handsome young man with dark hair, tan skin, and a dot on his forehead. Touya's skin prickled because this photo matched the description Murota had given him.

Touya glanced at Genkai who returned his look and they both came to the same conclusion: this is much worse than we anticipated. The babble of voices that had risen up in the aftermath of Koenma's shocking revelation only died down after a combined effort by Koenma, Kurama, and Genkai.

"I think we would all like Koenma to explain more about Sensui and how he went from being humanity's protector to its greatest threat. I know you must have taken great care when commissioning him," Kurama said mildly.

"Yeah," Kuwabara growled. "How did you screw up so badly the whole world is in danger?"

Koenma cleared his throat. "In all my reign, nothing seemed more natural than choosing Senusi as Spirit Detective. He was a child prodigy who could sense apparitions from a young age just like Kuwabara and they were drawn to him like magnets. However, Sensui also had the ability to destroy them. He was gifted with a strong sense of right and wrong. His world was black and white. Demons were evil and needed to be destroyed and humans were good and needed to be protected. And then…he saw something that changed him forever."

"What was it?" Kurama asked.

"Grey. Truckloads of grey," Koenma said gravely. "I'd given him an urgent case." He sighed and shook his head. "If only I'd known what would happen."

"What kind of case was it?" Kurama asked.

"I had ordered him to seal the tunnel between Living and Demon World."

A tunnel? Touya thought. History is repeating itself. I wonder if this is how he got the idea for his current enterprise.

"A tunnel?" Urameshi frowned. "Isn't that wat Touya said he's doing now?"

"That's correct," Koenma said. "But the circumstances were vastly different. It was a small breach, only ten meters, and stable. Lower-class demons were able to pass through, but it wasn't free passage. It was a trap, organized by the young Black Black Club. They captured the demons that squeezed through and sold them at enormous profit."

"Black Black Club. That rings a few bells," Urameshi said darkly.

I should hope so, Touya thought. After all, it was you along with Kuwabara who stormed their stronghold and rescued Yukina.

"That's right," Koenma said. "And there was one man who had just worked his way into the group by his talent for capturing demons: Sakyo."

"Sakyo?!" Urameshi's eyes widened in shock. "You mean he was already starting shit when I was getting kicked out of kindergarten?"

Somehow, I'm not surprised Urameshi got kicked out of kindergarten, Touya thought.

"One way to look at it, yeah," Koenma said wryly. "Today there's an entire culture of demon bodyguards for corporate crooks, a multibillion-dollar industry. Sakyo began it all."

"So what happened that night?" Kurama asked gently.

A pained expression crossed Koenma's face for a brief instant. "My intelligence team picked up news of a giant transaction. All key members of the Black Black Club and the burgeoning demon trade would be there. If we were successful, we would bring the demon trade to its knees. Sensui and his partner Itsuki had no difficulty infiltrating the compound; they were skilled and the demon guards were weak. They caught the club by surprise. Perhaps too much by surprise. Sensui saw something he never should have seen."

"Something he never should have seen?" Urameshi repeated. "That sounds vaguely ominous."

Touya held his breath as Koenma spoke the next few words, "It's a reckless show of indulgence and humanity's darkest side. A ritualistic party they call the Feast of Human Vices. These privileged humans were toying with the demons they'd ensnared." Koenma's voice became soft and sad. "They tortured them with no motivation other than their own twisted pleasure."

Touya felt a wave of revulsion. He had heard rumors of such things existing, but never on a scale like this. Nothing this methodical.

"Sensui had sworn his life to protecting his race from demons, but here humans were enacting cruelties a thousand times worse than he'd seen from any demon," Koenma continued. "Black and white blurred, flipped upside down. His mind wasn't big enough to hold the change. Sensui lived his life on the straight and narrow, but what he saw that night went against everything he knew the world to be."

"A lot like we felt when we went to Tarukane's place and saw what they were doing to Yukina," Kuwabara said to Urameshi.

"Yeah, you're right," Urameshi said.

"But there is a most important difference between your reaction and his," Koenma said gravely. "There, in that room, Sensui fell into a rage and murdered every human at that feast. Something inside him fractured that night. He became obsessed with the Chapter Black tape and then…they were both gone. And now he wants the life of every human, as atonement for their collective sins."

"That's why he's opening the tunnel to Demon World," Genkai said. "To unleash the punishment."

"So what about this tunnel?" Urameshi asked.

"There is a border zone that divides Living World and Demon World," Genkai said. "A tunnel has been opened, there is no doubt about it."

"How long have you known?" Kurama asked quietly.

"I've suspected it for a while. Shut up and listen, boy!" Genkai said. Urameshi, who had been about to burst out angrily again, sat back in sulky silence. "In the past month, I've had over thirty humans come to me suddenly finding themselves with supernatural powers. These three are prime examples." She gestured to the three Psychics who had been standing in the corner trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The three Psychics glanced at each other and then the leader of the trio stepped forward.

"My name is Yu Kaito," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a nervous tic of his.

The dark-haired boy was a classmate of Kurama's, which must have made for some interesting conversation when Kurama had found out. He had been the one who had accidentally detached his soul. The blonde boy stepped forward next and introduced himself as Asato Kido. Finally, the broom-haired boy introduced himself as Mitsunari Yanagisawa, wincing at his full name; Touya knew from what contact he'd had with the boy that he hated his name and preferred to be called Yana.

Koenma frowned. "If this information is correct, that means we're already at Stage 2."

"Stage 2? What does that mean?" Urameshi asked.

"I'm not sure how much I can reveal," Koenma said, folding his arms. "A lot of this information is highly classified."

"Well how can we help if we don't know anything?" Urameshi burst out angrily.

"I think we all can agree that the time for secrets has long passed," Kurama said mildly.

Koenma sighed. "I suppose you're right. All right, here's what we know. There are four stages associated with a breach like this. In Stage 1, demon energy thickens in Living World and demon parasites thrive.

"As the size of the breach increases, we move into Stage 2. Normal humans find themselves blessed with unusual powers. In Stage 3, low-class demons spawn at will. They're not smart or strong, but they are violent. In the final stage, the hole stabilizes and allows total passage."

"What do you mean total passage?" Urameshi asked.

Koenma's expression became extremely grim. "Demons all the way through the C and B class will be able to pass through en masse."

"Classes?" Urameshi said with a frown.

"Spirit World ranks every demon according to their power," Koenma said. "There was never any point in telling you this before. However, here's a reference point for you. Toguro was considered an upper level B class demon."

Urameshi looked floored at this revelation. "He nearly killed us all and he was only a B class?!"

"Demon World is an ancient land with endless depths," Touya said quietly.

"It's like a massive underground building with basement after basement stretching down farther than anyone can fathom," Koenma explained. "Of all these basements, Spirit World only controls half of the first basement."

"Well, you're a pretty shitty ruler then," Urameshi growled.

"It would mean endless bloodbaths if we tried to take it all once," Koenma said coolly. "Our only choice has been to hold our ground and expand gradually over the centuries. Far below lurk the A and S, or Super A classes demons and we absolutely cannot awaken their anger. Not even my father and all his armies could hope to defeat the S Class demons."

Touya shivered at Koenma's blatant admission of Spirit World's weakness.

"Now Koenma, you and King Yama are not the idle type," Genkai said. "If you knew of such a danger, surely you have taken precautions."

"Of course," Koenma said. "To seal off the space between Living World and Demon World, we've raised a powerful kekai barrier. However, we had to make priorities and stop the A and S class demons above all else. Even our resources are limited. We had to spread the energy of the barrier into a net. The B class demons can get through, but the A and S class demons cannot."

"How could you sign off on such a shitty deal that allows thousands of demons like Toguro to prance on over here whenever they want?!" Urameshi yelled.

"Obviously you do not understand what it would mean if just one A or S class demon got through to Living World," Touya said quietly. Urameshi looked at him. "Complete and utter annihilation of the human race."

"Have you met a lot of A and S class demons?" Urameshi asked.

"I've met quite a few during my work as a Shinobi," Touya said. "They are not demons you want to cross."

Urameshi nodded, seeming to accept Touya's assessment. Touya's skin prickled and he had the feeling of being watched. Kurama and Urameshi turned in their chairs, their faces tight. Touya followed their gazes out the window. Standing on the roof of the opposite building were two men. Touya recognized the taller one from his photo as Sensui. The shorter one looked to be about seventeen with short dark hair. Kurama and Urameshi got to their feet and ran to the window followed by Genkai and Koenma. Sensui said something to his companion.

"What I wouldn't give to know what stupid bedazzled forehead was saying," Urameshi muttered.

"He's saying they let Touya go so they could follow him to us," Kurama said.

"No kidding?" Urameshi stared at the red-haired demon. "You can hear him all the way up there?"

"Not exactly," Kurama said.

"We are lip reading. You should try it sometime," Genkai said.

How did they know where to find me? Touya wondered silently. He gasped and put his hand in his pocket. As he suspected, there was a tracking device. Damn you, Mitarai. He crushed the device in the palm of his hand.

Sensui turned to his companion and nodded. The dark-haired boy opened his palm.

"Look out!" Kurama shouted.

Everyone scattered as projectiles came hurling at them. The assault, which seemed to last a lifetime, was over in a few moments. Everyone remained still a while longer and then, Kuwabara and Urameshi sprang to their feet.

"Ready to go kick Sensui's ass?" Urameshi asked.

"You know it," Kuwabara said.

"Wait Yusuke, it's not a good idea to run off like this," Koenma protested.

"He's right. We should formulate a plan first," Kurama said.

"Screw that!" Urameshi ground out and before anyone could protest, he and Kuwabara bolted out the door.

"Moron," Genkai muttered.

"Impulsive as always," Kurama said, shaking his head.

"Come on. Let's go after them," Koenma said in a long-suffering voice.

"Wait. I'm coming with you."

Several pairs of eyes turned to Touya and he prepared himself for the protests, but they never came.

"All right. Let's go."

"We don't have time to argue."

"I suppose there's no point in arguing. It's your choice."

Surprised but grateful for the lack of arguments, Touya followed the others into the street. They paused for a moment and looked around.

"This way," Koenma said quietly.

No one questioned how he knew where to go. Touya made to follow, but his path was blocked by someone who had unexpectedly stepped out from a side alley. After a few moments, Touya recognized the figure.

"M…Mitarai?"

.o.O.o.

Author's Note: Bwahahahahaha. Sorry, I couldn't resist ending the chapter there. I didn't intend to originally, but it seemed like it was a good place to stop. Also, it was really fun to write the events out of order.