AHHHH!!! I am SO sorry, everyone. You probably all think I'm dead…BUT I'M NOT!! REALLY!!!

There are so many reasons why I haven't updated, but the truth of the matter is….I'm lazy. I'm really sorry, though.

Because I'm sorry, you get TWO chapters in one day.

Thank you all for putting up with me.

Onward!!

Majikku no Seirei: Chapter 4 and ½

Urameshi Yuusuke was worried sick. One could tell just by looking at the fifteen-year-old boy. He was constantly running his hands through his gelled hair, rubbing his eyes, massaging his temples.

On first guess, one would assume he was having the normal problems of a teenage boy—girlfriends, parents or school.

It would be nearly impossible to guess the true nature of his worry.

"I don't understand it, Baasan!" He complained to his mentor from where he sat on the floor of Genkai's temple. "How could they just disappear like that?"

The old spirit master glared down at her pupil, whapping him firmly across the face without spilling a drop of tea. "Baka. Quite simply. Hiei is capable of opening a portal to the Makai on a whim. He probably did so, and Kurama went with him."

"But Kurama wouldn't just leave without telling us;" Yuusuke pressed. "Before we left, he was telling Hiei that they were going back to his—Kurama's—house to get patched up."

Genkai shrugged her shoulders. "It's possible that they decided they could get better treatment in Makai."

"But Baasan, it takes a lot of energy for Hiei to open a portal, and he was stone tired when we left. Besides, it's a straining jump, and Kurama was hurt. Badly, too;" he said, almost to himself, biting his lip. "I don't think he would have risked it."

"He does seem a bit too sensible for that, doesn't he…?" Genkai mused, sipping her tea.

"Well?" Yuusuke prompted.

Genkai glanced up sharply. "Well what, baka?"

"Well, don't you have some great explanation for where they are? You're supposed to be the smart mentor, remember?"

"Remember that said smart mentor could kick your ass to Tokyo, boy;" Genkai growled.

Yuusuke cringed. "Sorry, Baasan…I'm just really worried. What if something really bad happened to them?"

"Yuusuke, they're demons. They can take care of themselves."

"Yeah, but—"

"But nothing, baka. Now get out of my temple. And don't bother Yukina on the way out, either. She's quite upset about this whole disappearance." Genkai's lips twisted in a wry smile. "She says that she's worried about Hiei, but not so much Kurama, because she knows Hiei will protect Kurama the same way he protects Yukina. According to Yukina, she feels that Hiei is much like a father to her." She grinned at her successor. "Amazing how close she is to the truth, ne?"

Feeling very unnerved, Yuusuke left.

"Oi! Urameshi!"

Yuusuke turned on the road to see his red-haired friend running up the street towards him. Unfortunately, it was not the red-haired friend he was hoping to see.

Kuwabara skidded to a stop in front of Yuusuke. "Normal people wait." He panted, glaring at Yuusuke.

"Sorry;" Yuusuke retorted, not sounding sorry at all. "So…anything?" He asked hopefully, praying for better news than the last time.

Kuwabara shook his head. "Not a spark. If they're in Nigenkai, they're not within my reach. I can't sense a bit of their youki anywhere."

Yuusuke's face fell, and he nodded. "Okay…well, there's nothing we can do, I guess, except hope they're okay."

"They're fine, Urameshi. Go home and sleep. We'll keep looking tomorrow."

"Yeah…" He started walking towards his house, shoulders slumped.

"Uh…Urameshi…"

"Yeah, what?" He didn't turn around.

There was an awkward nervousness in the psychic's voice. "I don't want to sound pessimistic or anything, but…they've been gone two weeks, Yuusuke. Don't you think they would have contacted us by now?"

Yuusuke stiffened. "They're fine. Got it?"

"Yeah. Right. See you, Urameshi."

"'Night, Kuwabara."

"Oh, good, you're home;" Urameshi Atsuko greeted her son in a drowsy voice as he entered the apartment.

"Yeah, I'm home." He looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

"This came for you." Atsuko said, handing him a letter and wobbling back to her bedroom.

Yuusuke looked at the letter. It took him a moment to recognize the fluid script on the envelope, but when he did…

"Thank the gods;" he breathed, dashing into his room and closing the door. He sank down on the bed and opened the letter, noting, with a bit of interest, that it was written on a piece of beige parchment rather than paper. He paid it no mind and eagerly read what was written.

Yuusuke,

You have my and Hiei's sincerest apologies for disappearing like we did. But then again, it wasn't exactly our idea, you see. Unfortunately, we've been temporarily sworn to secrecy, so that limits the information we can give you about what happened. But we're safe enough, and as far as health goes, we've both been better, but all aspects considered, we're fine.

In concerning our whereabouts, that again falls into the information we're not permitted to share. I'll try to enclose more next time, but it might be tricky.

I'm sorry we weren't able to reach you before now. It's been...almost three weeks now? I really haven't had a chance to reach you. I would have called, but there aren't any phones here, believe it or not. So we'll be communicating by way of letter for a while.

There's really nothing else to say at this point. I'll write with more later as soon as I can.

---Kurama

P.S. Do you think you could make something up to tell my mother? Tell her that I've gone to an elite boarding school in Britain or something, and couldn't face her to say goodbye. Something like that. Thanks in advance.

P.P.S. To write back, you'll notice a bird outside your window. You'll probably recognize her, but with any luck, she won't recognize you. DO NOT TELL HER ANYTHING. She'll be able to find me, so don't bother with an address. Just tell her the letter is to me, and she'll see that I get it.

P.P.P.S. And for goodness' sake, stop worrying, Yuusuke. We're fine.

In a slight state of shock, Yuusuke folded the letter, and slowly turned to his window.

Suzaku's bird smiled happily back at him.

"HOLY SHIT!!" He yelled, falling backwards.

The bird tilted its head slightly, hovering above the windowsill.

'Stay calm,' Yuusuke told himself. 'It doesn't remember you. Just play it cool.'

He opened the window, and Murugu flew inside, settling herself onto Yuusuke's desk. "Hello;" She said pleasantly.

"Hi;" he said nervously. Hastily, he ripped a page out of the nearest notebook and scribbled a reply to Kurama's letter. He folded it up and handed it to the bird, who held out her foot. Fishing around in his pocket for a piece of string, he tied it to her leg. "This is for Kurama, okay?"

She smiled cheerfully at him and flew out the open window.

Yuusuke slumped back in his seat. That was the easy part out of the way.

Now what the hell was he going to say to Kurama's mother?