File 50: Endgame

Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke and Mitarai headed further into the cave, to the center of the distortion where their friends and their enemies were waiting for them... but neither them nor the citizens of Mushiyori City were aware that the Makai bugs and low level youkais that had been swarming the town disappeared all in an instant, along with the thunder clouds, as if afraid of something. It was the calm before the storm. They didn't know either that Kamiya Minoru had escape from jail. Keiko in the city, and Botan at the entrance of the cave believed it was because Yusuke had defeated Sensui. The Prince of Reikai, who had just returned, contradicted his subordinate. The spatial distortion had just entered a period of stability. In another two hours, it was going to reach its final phase. The reason he had gone to the Spirit World was to obtain his father's permission to remove his pacifier should the worst happen. Botan recoiled, shocked. Koenma ordered her to remain here on stand-by. If in two hours there was an earthquake that would be mean that the hole had completely opened. At that time, she should instantly fly back to King Enma and inform him of the situation. Koenma entered the cave.

"Koenma-sama is finally going to remove his pacifier... Oh my! I was so surprised but I don't even know what it means in the least!" The spirit guide giggled.

The four boys walked through the tunnels. Yusuke was worried about Kurama since he had seemed quite upset. Then, following Mitarai's instructions, they arrived at the end of the tunnel. They saw Sensui's back. He was sitting on a couch watching TV. A man with green hair and dressed in light colors was standing next to him. And in the middle of the cave lake, there was a small craft with a man and a tied up Kuwabara. Yusuke and Kazuma cried each other's name. He was there... but what about Akari?! Where was she?! The green-haired one went to the couch and picked the girl up. Her friends called her name but no response. She seemed to be sleeping.

"Given her abilities and personality, I had to take some precautions and put a device in her body. She can't use her reiki and she won't be able to move properly for awhile but I'll free her once the tunnel is open." Sensui reassured them. And above the lake was the spatial distortion where a number of youkais were waiting and reaching out. So that was the entrance to the Demon Realm. What creepy, putrid, evil air. Urameshi couldn't even tell if it was warm or cold. Hiei warned Yusuke. A breath from pure Demon World air would kill a regular human. "A fine spectacle isn't it?" Sensui spoke. "The destruction of that revolting species which we call 'humanity' begins here. You are most fortunate to have come here as you are about to be witnesses to an important historical event. That is, assuming you survive." He turned to them. "Welcome to the entrance to the Demon Realm." He smiled ominously. "The movie was pretty good but there's only 30 minutes left. To tell you the truth, the plot's pretty standard. It's about slaughter for the love of humanity. But the song at the end is very beautiful. It should start playing right when the tunnel is completed."

Only 30 minutes left! Yusuke thought as Mitarai voiced his surprise about Itsuki. Why was he standing there? He was supposed to be sitting on that boat the whole time.

"The hole is already out of my hands. In time, it will open on his own. I can no longer stop it." The Gatekeeper explained. Demons were extending their claws towards Kuwabara, their first piece of human meat in centuries, though he did his best to dodge them. Those were C-class youkais with no regard for anything but food. When one caught the boy's throat and was strangling him, Sensui sent a wave of energy, burning their arms and forcing them to retreat. In time, they'd be able to freely enter this world. They should behave until then. B-class youkais though developed what could be described as higher intellects and a sense of reason, just like Hiei and Kurama. And even higher, there were beings once considered as gods and mythological beings in the Human world... the A-class youkais that were surely calmly watching this hole open, waiting for the opportunity.

Genkai, Kaito and Yana came out of the cave and told Botan of the situation. They had passed by Koenma on the way too, though Genkai had no idea what would happen if he removed his pacifier.

Akari woke up to the noise. She heard Yusuke swore he wouldn't let any of those demons enter the Ningenkai, although Sensui pointed out that he'd be able to see creatures of legends. Well Kuwabara sure as hell didn't wanna see them. The girl pretended to be still sleeping to get a better grasp of the situation. She was in someone's arms, a man whose smell she didn't recognize. An enemy no doubt. Apparently her friends had arrived. But she had really screwed up. If Yusuke teased her now for that, she wouldn't be able to bear it. Better pretend for a while longer and wait for the right moment.

And since the former detective kept rambling, Urameshi told him to shut it since that made him want to puke. Sensui smiled and called Makihara who jumped onto the shore. He told them that if they defeated him, the Gourmet, he'd return Kuwabara and Akari to them. Ordinarily, he could have used him as shield to put a halt to their actions. That offer surprised everyone. Itsuki, as his long time partner, instantly saw through his aim. Sensui had stopped them psychologically. This way, it would be easier to read their actions than if he had provoked them by threatening the hostages. Makihara walked forwards. Yusuke tensed up. Kurama cautioned his friend not to trust them. They should find an opening and take Akari and Kuwabara-kun back, but act like they had brought the story. The Reikai Tantei smiled, reassured that the fox had kept his presence of mind after all. The Gourmet stopped at a distance.

"Mitarai, your head is just full of thoughts about how to rescue Kuwabara, but if you try anything funny, Sensui-san might change his mind. After all, he said he would give him back after you defeat me." He warned tauntingly. "As for the one named Kurama... "Are you really that upset over killing Amanuma? The truth is, you're furious over what you've done, aren't you? You were cruel enough to kill a child you knew was just being manipulated." He continued maliciously. Minamino's green eyes narrowed. Akari took advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was focused on the Gourmet to open her eyes very slightly and observe the situation... and notably Kurama's expressions. So in order to save this world, to save Kuwabara, and her... he killed a child. Even if this situation had been forced upon him, he was still the one who knowingly made a choice and saw it through. She really screwed up big time... if only she hadn't gotten captured, she could have something! And he wouldn't have had to go through this! Wait, was it really the case? Strong guys like Yusuke and Hiei were there... if strength couldn't have resolved anything, then what the hell could she have done?! At least... she could have been here for him... Urameshi innerly cursed Makihara for moving from one thing right to the next, almost as if he could read their minds. Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed over his features. "Bingo! I swallowed that Murota guy's 'tapping' ability." He had cornered him in an alley and literally eaten him. The detective was going to rush at him out of anger but Kurama stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't do anything. I'll take care of this guy." The fox said as he stepped forth. Urameshi was worried since that Makihara could read thoughts and predicts his moves and Kurama had lost his composure. There was no need for that though. The enemy was unable to hear the voice inside the red head's mind, but before he had the time to be disconcerted, Kurama took a rose from his hair, turned into a whip, and with a few swings of his arm, coiled it around the Gourmet's head at mouth level. He pulled the whip, cutting the head off. The corpse fell backwards. Everyone was stunned. Yusuke gritted his teeth. Kurama had killed Makihara in the blink of an eye. He had become completely ruthless! But then, the kitsune walked towards the body. "Drop the obvious act. Get up, Toguro!" He commanded contemptuously, shocking the current detective of the Spirit World... unlike the former one who smirked knowingly. "The only stench coming from that body now is yours, Toguro-ani!" He continued. And indeed, an evil chuckle left the corpse that rose to a standing position and Toguro's head emerged from the throat above the lower jaw and tongue... much to Yusuke's and Mitarai's disgust.

"Nicely detected. Your nose has become sharper than before." The wicked demon praised. Kiyoshi asked about Makihara's consciousness, but it was clear he had already guessed what had happened. That guy had taken over the Gourmet and his ability! And he even explained how it came to be. After being nearly obliterated by his brother, he had regenerated little by little in the sea. The only thing he had thought about was taking his revenge on everyone. He had drifted to the shore while continually sending out a signal at a special wavelength detectable only by someone steeped with both strength and wickedness. He had been prepared to wait for years but was quickly picked up by Sensui-san.

"When I heard about the actions of Urameshi Yusuke-kun, my successor, from him, it felt like fate... Now I am certain it was. It was time to turn my plans into reality. I would kill everyone!" Sensui's cool and arrogant expression momentarily twisted into a bloodthirsty one. "I gathered like-minded companions, those who could be given abilities from the influence of the tunnel."

"It's a good thing they found this guy." Toguro pointed at Makihara's chest. "I love how his ability is pretty brutal and nasty. You remember how he ate me, don't you, Mitarai? But then, the thing he wasn't expecting is that I'm tougher than a cockroach! He started panicking when he felt himself slipping away. And the more I took over, the more his terror turned into madness! It was so hilarious!" He laughed manianically.

"Enough. I'll end it here. Worthless scum." Kurama walked away from his friends and to the enemy's left, a distance away from him and glared at him with scorn.

"Finish this, you say? How interesting! Kurama, don't take me for the same person I was before! I can regenerate myself endlessly and now I'm able to absorb any ability! I'm invincible!" The despicable youkai boasted. If he couldn't die, how could he be defeated?! "And that goes for your puny abilities too!" He lunged. Kurama released smoke from his sleeves that engulfed them, hiding the two of them from view, and from each other. Wary, Toguro stopped his charge. But it really seemed to be just a smokescreen. However, that was useless against the tapping ability. Whether it was that rage had made his mind go blank and now his composure made him think rationally again (allow his thoughts to be heard) or he had forced his mind shut earlier and the anger that was still there was going to make him lose his cool... That fox was sure to slip up one way or another...

And indeed he soon heard Kurama's mind voice... and his strategy to hide in the smoke, track him by scent, keep his distance so he wouldn't be caught and finish like Murota. Toguro located his prey, turned his fingers into long sharp claws and attacked. He pierced the kitsune right through the heart, killing him on the spot. His joy was short-lived though.

"Did you do something?" Kurama questioned coolly, unfazed, after spitting blood that trickled down his chin. Unnerved, Toguro kept slashing furiously. But despite his blood splashing around, the fox kept smiling disdainfully. His opponent was panicking. Why won't he die?! And outside, all everyone else could hear was Toguro's screaming. And then, Minamino came out of the smoke without a single scratch. It was over already. But who the hell was that guy fighting against?! The smoke cleared. Makihara/Toguro was prisoner from a spooky tree and its tendrils. Sensui and Itsuki narrowed their eyes but the others' widened in surprise. A Janenju, a Tree of Depravity or Sinning Tree, responded to the memories of the victims, ensnaring them in hallucinations of wickedness, replaying their fears again and again as it fed off their life force, never stopping until its host was dead. He had planted the seed right at the start when he had beheaded Makihara. Incidentally, the mold he had powdered and used as smokescreen helped in the growth of that tree, and it also served to keep the hallucinations from leaking out and affecting them. The Janenju kept feeding off its victim until it died, but Toguro couldnd't die, and kept regenerating himself.

"You will battle with the illusion of myself for eternity. You are not worthy of even death."

Sensui smiled good-heartedly. Kurama had truly been a cut above. Itsuki understood from his eyes that in his heart must lie an unfathomable baggage of affection and carnage. No wonder something like Murota's tapping couldn't read into the depths of his mind. Since Toguro kept screaming, cursing and struggling, the tree grew more tendrils that held him in place and silenced him. That was how you defeated someone who could never die. Now only two enemies left. Sensui praised him. Yusuke walked forward and reminded Sensui of his promise to return Kuwabara and Akari if they beat Makihara. He told him to relax as he had already kept his word. They were shocked to see the empty boat. But a second later the teenagers heard noise behind them and saw Kuwabara sitting there and Akari lying next to him. Kurama rushed to the girl and slightly raised her upper body and pulled her against him while Yusuke removed the gag from Kazuma's mouth and asked how he had come here.

"I'm not sure, some weird hand grabbed me and dragged me into some dark void and the next thing I knew I was here!" And just as he said that, a shadow moved across the ground and under them. They were on the mouth. They saw eyes open before the mouth under them and they fell into a different space. The thing spat Yusuke back out and moved across the lake and over the wall. The boy fell on his head. He got up and glared at the two.

"I'll handle the others." The Gatekeeper said as he too disappeared into the ground.

"You give them back just to take everyone away? That sounds like something you'd do!" Urameshi shouted, disgusted.

"You misunderstand. I have no intention of exposing them to danger directly. I just wanted you and I to be alone."

Hiei, Kurama, Mitarai, Kuwabara and Akari were floating about in some sort of dark dimension. There were partly destroyed buildings, ships and weapons of different eras, skeletons, and various debris. Mitarai wondered what on earth this place was.

"This is subspace." Akari answered, shocking everyone, although they were nonetheless glad she was okay. "If I were okay, I wouldn't be in this position, morons!" She sharply barked, startling them and making them recoil instinctively. "I've practically recovered from my injuries but now I'm as hungry as hell, and I can't use reiki because of this shit in my body even though there's this bastard I want to rip apart for having made a fool out of me. This is the pits!" But as her anger rose, so did her reiki, and she clutched her chest in pain. Kurama gazed at her worriedly as a drop of blood beaded at the corner of her mouth. She didn't mention a single thing about the opening of the tunnel, as if things that didn't directly relate to her were secondary and not worth mentioning. "But if you pip a single word about it, I'll kill you, whether now or later." She glared fiercely and menacingly, all the more due to the frustration she was feeling. There were those she could kill without using reiki. And for others she could still deal damage, or chose to pay back a thousand times over later. Taunting her now would not be wise. In any case, she seemed well enough. That said, she was the type that could curse and threaten others even if she was at death door... There was more important though. Her arms wrapped around Kurama's neck and she hugged him tight and whispered words in his ear only he could hear. "I'm sorry... but thank you. I'm here. I love you. It'll be alright." Even though they were so simple, they couldn't be more gentle or earnest. He knew what she was talking about and pain crossed his handsome features. He squeezed her as tightly as he could and let her comfort him, her love warmed him, and her presence in his arms filled the hole in his heart.

Mitarai untied Kuwabara. Hiei looked away from the couple and hurriedly reported everyone's attention to the matter at hand. This wasn't the time and place for touching reunions. It appeared they had been swallowed by an Uraotoko, a planar youkai that lived between dimensions. The fox noted it couldn't have been a coincidence, someone must have tamed it. The green-haired demon appeared and confirmed their suspicions. The uraotoko was his pet. He was Itsuki, the Yaminade. The Yaminade was a youkai that possessed shadow hands and could freely travel through dimensions. They were one of the few species able to make lower-order youkais their servants. Kuwa snapped and wanted to fight him or he wouldn't be able to contain himself. However, the Gatekeeper had no intention to fight them.

"What?! Then why the hell did you bring us to that place?!"

"I would like for you to observe the fight between Sensui and Urameshi. Our position may be different but we are both drawn to a single man and take action together with him, am I wrong? Observing their battle is our duty to them."

"Sheesh, what the hell are you talking about? Then there's something I'd like you to tell me. What is it about Sensui that you're so keen about?" Kazuma retorted.

"Everything. His strengths, his weaknesses, his purity, his sorrow... everything to do with the air of humanity about him has captivated me. When I first came across the man named as Sensui Shinobu, we were enemies." At that time, Shinobu, who was only a high schooler, was already so strong that he was whispered about in the world of darkness... 'no demon seen by Sensui comes out alive.' He had killed every youkai he had defeated. Itsuki alone had been the exception. When he had fallen after being done by the detective's technique, Shinobu asked him if he had any last word. 'If possible, I wish I could live for one more day. Tomorrow, the series finale of a TV drama I've always enjoyed watching will be on.' It had been a joke, the slightest bit of humanity he had put into words must have bowled Shinobu over with shock then since instead of finishing him off, the teen had replied he watched this series every week too. Then they had started chatting. The Spirit Detective understood that even among demons there were all kinds. Sensui's face had looked younger than his age then. The hyper-first-rate assassin that could brutally murder his victims also had a face of innocence, like freshly fallen snow. "I felt I obtained both a time bomb and a lover at the same time."

"He-hey, now, this story is getting more and more suspicious." Kuwabara noted uncomfortably.

"You should have been able to stop Sensui before he came to be like this." Kurama blamed.

"You don't get it, do you?" Itsuki chuckled. "I only wanted to watch on as he got hurt and fell even further into corruption. Ink drips onto a sheet of white paper. The paper absorbs the ink and turns black right before your eyes. That's what it was like. Watching Sensui's reactions as he continued to see the ugly parts of humanity was most ideal. Because of his purity, he couldn't rationalize it away, nor could he close his eyes to it. So it just wounded him and made him fall into despair. And every time it happened, he became stronger."

"You're making me sick you psycho-bastard... You're the cause of his wickedness, aren't you?!" Kazuma pointed accusingly at him.

"You musn't misunderstand. It's not like I coaxed Sensui along. I was only his shadow. I watched him as he changed and leant him my hand when he wanted. And I will likely continue to do so. Akari, you're quite similar to him. You have a bright, warm, caring and cheerful face and a dark, cold, cruel and ruthless one. You were taught darkness and despair by Toguro-ototo, you got stronger and stronger as you suffered. But Kurama, she met you. And you did the opposite I did. As her soul was being tainted and she was losing her humanity, instead of watching, you made yourself a growing place in her heart to supplant everything else. You turned her towards you and forced her off course. What a waste."

"If it were possible, I'd like to kill you right here." The fox voiced his feelings. Hiei kept quiet. During the Dark Tournament he had often wondered and asked Kurama why he was continually stopping Akari and holding her back. Now things seemed to be clearer to him. Kurama might be a demon, but he was also human. Itsuki was a demon. Hiei was a demon, and a little bit like Itsuki with Sensui, he wanted to see Akari get stronger and stronger still, regardless of anything and everything else. He wanted to see her growing closer to his world, to him... without knowing if there was a way for her to turn back, without thinking or caring about it. That... had been the difference between Kurama and him. But now, he was able to understand them. Surely that meant his position in regard to them had changed since then... that meant he had grown closer to them, and to her, right?

"As wise as you are, you know you cannot do that, right? If you kill me, you will never leave the Uraotoko. All we will do is watch their battle." And behind the green haired youkai, eyes opened and they could see the interior of the cave... and Urameshi and Sensui facing each other.

"I wonder if you've noticed it, Urameshi-kun. As I continued being a Reikai Tantei, I could tell that some part of my heart was rotting. But I didn't feel like making the effort to stop it. Do you know why that is? It's because I started realizing that those rotten parts were who I really was. As I fought for something, for someone, I began to search more and more for a purpose to my fight. And eventually, all you want to see is blood and death. It sounds like I had the cart before the horse, doesn't it? You'll become that way someday too."

"You really do seem to have rotten." Yusuke commented. Sensui chuckled.

"To be honest, I don't even care about the tunnel connecting the realms anymore. Whether A-class and S-class youkais invade the Ningenkai or not doesn't really matter to me. It doesn't have anything to do with me personally, you see. What is most important to me at this moment is my fight with you. I get the feeling that the whole reason I tried to create this tunnel was so that I could fight you." He let out a booming laugh. Bored, Yusuke picked his ear and suddenly vanished. He lunged and dived under to the side before going for a punch to the face. Sensui shifted his stance and kicked. The boy dodged and managed to land a really good punch in the face. Momentarily surprised by this speed, the senpai was blown away but recovered in midair, and skidded to a stop.

"What are you, a crazy idiot? Blowing your own horn like that... all you had to say was 'let's fight to the death' or something. Why didn't you come out right at the start? You thought I'd run away if you didn't do that, huh?! You piss me off!"

"How nice for you to be so simple. That's fine too. Urameshi-kun, supposing your power is at 10, mine would probably be between 6 and 7." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and made a ball of energy hover over his hand. "Speed, strength, stamina, you're superior to me in every area. But you still cannot beat me."

"What the hell is he going on about?! Is he trying to psych out Urameshi?!" Kuwabara snapped. The red head contradicted him. Sensui was speaking with great confidence. And Itsuki confirmed. It had been a long time since he had seen Sensui enjoy himself this much... although he had unfortunately not been able to see his fight against Akari. Still, his eyes had been sparkling when he had told him about it.

"That's gross and creepy in its own way." The girl retorted drily. She was truly ill-humored. The Gatekeeper smiled amusedly and told her not to worry. Sensui intended to let her have her revenge and fight properly with her when the time was right.

"You're better than me, and yet you cannot win. Care to guess why?" The former Reikai Tantei inquired.

"Simple. Because you're a complete psycho! And I'm not gonna let you kick that ball!" Urameshi shot back and charged. He rained blows on his opponent who dodged and blocked everything. Sensui retaliated with a kick that grazed Yusuke's cheek. The teen responded with another punch that was parried and he was kicked away. He crashed against the wall of the cave and fell down. He sat up and rubbed his head before glared at his adversary.

"You liar! If I'm so much faster then how come I can't hit you, eh?!" The child snarled, bolting on his feet.

"The first reason why you can't win is: I can more or less read your attacks."

"'More or less'?! What are you, a kid?! Explain to me exactly what the hell you mean!"

"In short, it's my career. I've been fighting demons since I was a child. You could say my battle sense moves my body before my mind and nerves react and I avoid any serious injury, even when you catch me with a surprise attack like earlier."

"Your career, huh? When it comes to the number of fights you've been in, you haven't got me beat!" Yusuke lunged and suddenly punched the ground in order to blind his opponent with dust and debris. Sensui sensed movement from above, but it was a boulder. When he dodged it, Urameshi attacked him from below with a barrage of punches. They all hit his bust, boring holes in the pullover, and a particularly powerful one sent him in the lake. Kuwabara cheered. The 'Internal Organ Killer' off of Urameshi's finishing moves menu! Kazu hadn't been able to eat for a week after taking that. "Get your ass back here! You're not retarded enough to drown, are ya?!" And indeed, Sensui soon resurfaced and walked back on shore... topless.

He complained about having his clothes all torn up. Everyone gasped when they saw his upper body. Those scars, those muscles, that skin... the epitome of a 'battle-hardened body', such toughness like tempered steel... However, he had brought those scars on himself during training, not a single of them had been given by an opponent... or so he he'd like to say. There was only one exception. Katsuyama Akari. Hiei, Kurama, and Mitarai sharply turned their heads to her, shock written all over their faces. Itsuki looked at her with an appreciative smile. Yusuke was growing apprehensive. When he had pounded him, it had felt like hitting some thick truck tire. And Akari had managed to injure THAT?! Sheesh!

"Now, the real fun begins..." Sensui approached, his piercing blue gaze fixed on Urameshi.