A/N: Stress is my friend… stress is my friend…. rocks back and forth in fetal position
Disclaimer: I do not own Yuyu Hakusho. I don't know why fanfiction thinks that will change in between each chapter.
"Do we really have to walk up all those steps?" Jun asked, dumfounded.
"If you want, I could carry you." Kuwabara said, grinning stupidly.
"That would be much appreciated." Jun said, smiling.
Kuwabara picked her up bridal style and started running clumsily up the steps. Hiei 'hned' and ran up. Yusuke stuck out an arm.
"Do you want help?"
Yurika stared at him. "I have been wanting help for six decades. I do not expect it now." She said, taking a step.
"Wait for me, Miss Yurika!" The small boy, Kato, said running up the stone steps of Genkai's temple.
Yusuke and Kurama fell in step behind them. When they got up to the top they found an annoyed-looking Hiei, an expressionless Genkai, a serene-looking Yukina, a smiling Jun, and a passed-out Kuwabara. Yusuke nudged Kuwabara's head with his foot.
"He's really out of it."
"That's what you get for carrying a woman up over one hundred steps at a break-neck pace." Genkai said crossly.
"Nice to see you too, Grandma." Yusuke muttered.
Genkai ignored him and silently appraised the two very different girls in front of her. "Can you two protect yourselves even without your powers?" She eyes the two swords at Yurika's hip and seemed to look at Jun for something similar.
"I can't." Jun offered.
"If I must." Yurika said, bored.
"Hm." Genkai said.
The boys all knew what was coming next, but apparently so did Yurika. As Genkai's fist came down on Yurika's head, the girl moved out of the way. Genkai, stuck a leg out to trip her, and she jumped, landing behind Genkai. Her swords were drawn and were at the back of Genkai's neck.
"You would kill an old woman?" Genkai asked, seemingly surprised.
"If I must." Yurika repeated, her voice steely instead of bored. She was not backing down.
Genkai moved back to her original position and Yurika sheathed her swords in one, fluid movement. Genkai gave a half smile. "I like her."
"What? It took you weeks to like me!" Yusuke said.
"Months, actually. Come on, then. Let's get you all settled, who's staying here with them."
"I still think I can protect them at home!" Reseph spoke up.
Genkai glared at the fire demon. "I suppose that's true. And I really don't want any of you around my home…"
"I'm staying during the night." Hiei said, as they had agreed while Kurama had been lost in his thoughts.
Genkai shrugged and began walking away. "Good I like you too. At least you don't yell." She half-turned around. "I don't have enough room for him." She pointed to Kato, who seemed afraid of her and edged closer to Yuika.
Yurika did nothing to comfort the child. "It's fine. Kato can stay with me and Reseph."
Genkai gave a quick nod. "Fine." She walked them through the temple, going down a hallway. She pointed to a door. "Princess, that's your room."
Jun looked around, and then pointed at herself. "Me?"
Genkai was already moving on. She pointed to another door. "Hiei, yours."
"Hn."
"And down there is a room a little bit bigger. You can take that one." She looked at Yurika and Kato.
"Do you mind if I redecorate?"
"You haven't seen it."
'Doesn't matter."
Genkai studied her for a minute. "I suppose not. Now," she turned to everyone else, "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
The boys that weren't staying started leaving, for now it was night and each had families to get home to.
"Kato, get in the room. I'm going out to see the town."
"You can't go anywhere alone." Genkai said sternly.
Yusuke turned around to see what happens next.
"My powers aren't off until tomorrow and then still I'm stronger than anything I'll meet in an hour outside. I'll be fine." She said stoically. With that, she left the hallway and the quiet tap of the front door signaled her departure.
"Someone had better follow her. Hiei, stay here, I have to go out too." Genkai said, leaving the crowded hallway.
Kurama glanced at the others. After all he had been through with her, he wanted to not want to be near her. He wanted hate being in the same room as her. He almost wanted to hope that something did come after her. But he couldn't. He did dislike her, but wasn't sure if he could manage hate. He wanted her safe. What was worse was that he was almost glad of this mission and wanted to be in the same room as her.
You're hoping that we can make up. You are I, so you are too. You are not denying it. Neither are you. It won't work. She changed that day and has had sixty years to stay the same. She was headstrong when we knew her. It's not only that, I want to know why.
Why what? Hiei's voice said clearly.
Nothing.
"I'll go." He volunteered. The others looked at him questioningly. He shrugged. "My mother's not expecting me home all too early anymore and I believe that Yusuke, Keiko is expecting a call from you tonight."
Yusuke eyes widened and he ran out of the house screaming. "HOLY SHIT, KEIKO'S GONNA KILL ME!!!!"
Kurama left the house after a quick nod to the other three. He quickly made his way towards Yurika's ki. He soon found her, eyes closed, on top of a nearby apartment. She was concentrating, probably seeing the city by the vibrations. He disguised his ki and got as close as fifty yards away, though he couldn't see her anymore as he was below her on a small house.
After a few minutes, she jumped down from her place on the apartment roof and froze as a car went by. She started to run. Kurama followed her, jumping from roof to roof. She seemed sure of her direction. He soon found himself in the park, in a small corner that was abandoned years ago.
"This place is familiar, or at least the scene is." He heard her speak and almost responded when he remembered that she didn't know he was there.
She stepped over to the swing and hung it back where it should have been, securing it firmly. She tore out the broken planks on the slide and used shadows to smooth the monkey bars. It was summer, but the sandbox was full of rotten leaves and wet dirt and the flower boxes and bowls were barren. She moved around each of them before jumping into a tree.
Kurama moved to the side to not get caught, then jumped down to see what she had done. He saw that each flower box and bowl was filled with beautiful black lilies. Each petal was black with a dark blue-purple end that met in a star shape at the bottom of the flower. He frowned. After sixty years, she still knows how to do that?
A/N: Please review! Seriously, I have had like, three hits per chapter. Will you three people review because this is the only story out of my other seven that I'm not that sure of, so I just need a little push in the right direction. Or don't review and make me wonder.