Part Nineteen: The Beginning of Something More

Kuwabara wakes up a few hours later feeling really disoriented. "Wh-what happened?"

"You fainted," Ani answers from above him. The carrot-top looks up and sees Ani stretched out atop the couch looking down at him.

"I fainted?"

"Yes, you fainted."

"I have been doing that a lot it seems. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Do you want to know why that is?"

"You know?"

"Yes, though I could have someone else tell you so that you aren't learning something important from me again."

"That's all right, you can tell me."

"You are turning into a demon."

Kuwabara stares at him incredulously. "I'm what?"

"You're turning into a demon," he repeats.

"How?"

"That I am not sure of, but I have a good guess as to why you would be."

"And what is that?"

"Your powers have grown exponentially since we first met you. I don't know if it is possible but it might just be that your powers have grown to such an extent that you have no choice but to change to control it."

"I don't think that it is possible for a human to become a demon just because their strength increases. If that were so then wouldn't it work that way for Shinobu?"

"Well, I don't really know. It could be that it is your deep psychic abilities that are causing this."

"How do we find out?"

"That would involve calling Koenma."

"That is not a thought I really want to entertain at the moment, Ani."

"I know this, Kuwabara, but it might be detrimental that we call him to see."

"If you think it would help."

"I'll call him."

"All right."

Ani slowly hops off of the couch. He really didn't want to leave the room, but he knows that it is very important that they figure out what was going on with Kuwabara. He walks over to the phone and picks it up before dialing the Prince's office. An ogre picks up. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"I need to speak to Koenma, it is important," Ani tells him.

"Prince Koenma is very busy at the moment and wishes not to be disturbed."

"I don't care. I WILL speak to Koenma, NOW!"

The ogre obviously has enough intelligence to realize that whomever he was speaking to wasn't about to suffer people denying him his request. "Just a minute, please."

Ani waits a bit before hearing a familiar tone. "I thought I made it quite clear that I was not to be disturbed."

"Since when do I follow your orders, Koenma?"

"Ani! Umm…what do you need?"

"I want to know why Kuwabara is turning into a demon and what exactly that will mean for everyone else."

"You want to know what?"

"You heard me, Prince. Tell me why a human is turning into a demon without having prior knowledge of a demon lineage."

"Well, if I knew I would tell you. Kuwabara's case is the first we've ever had. Yusuke was a descendant of one which explains his transformation but with Kuwabara, well, we have no idea."

"When did his transformation start?"

"Soon after the fight with Sensui."

"Could it have anything to do with his deepening powers?"

"That is a very definite possibility but again, we don't know."

"So there is no way to tell what the end result is going to be is there?"

"No, which is why I didn't want him having any descendants. Between the both of you those children are going to be extremely powerful and very, very dangerous. I don't even want to get into Yoko's brood."

"The children are none of your concern, prince. I just wanted to know if you had any idea of why Kuwabara would be turning into a demon."

"He's a very special case. You might want to be careful when he finishes his transformation. You never know how his attitude might change."

"I know Kuwabara well enough. I think I can handle it. Thank you for your time, Prince." Without waiting for a response, Ani hangs up feeling no better than when he had called. 'Great, so there is no definite reason for him changing. Things just seem to get better and better all the time it seems,' he thinks. He slowly walks back into the living room.

"What did you find out?" Kuwabara asks.

"Well, it seems that once again, you have exceeded everyone's expectations,

Kazuma," he answers.

"You didn't find anything out did you?"

"Beyond that Koenma has no idea why, no."

"Wow, lucky me. I am turning into a demon for no known reason, how in the world do I end up doing this?"

"You're just you, Kuwabara."

The carrot-top laughs with a little bit of bitterness. "Yeah, that would be the truth wouldn't it?"

"There is NOTHING wrong with who you are, Kuwabara!"

"You don't know that."

"I was human once. I know what it is like to live in a world that cannot accept those of us with special gifts. You have to stop looking for acceptance from everyone. If you want to be universally popular, you're wasting your time. No one has the vote of everyone…ever. You need to understand that the only person whose opinion of you that should matter is your own."

"I don't want a lecture from you, Ani."

"I am not lecturing you, Kuwabara. You just seem to need a bit of guidance is all."

"You're beginning to sound like my sister."

"Well, your sister is obviously right."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

The question startles Ani and he looks at the carrot-top. Kuwabara looks back at him just as intently. "Is my answer important to you?"

"Yes, your answer is important to me."

Ani slowly walks over and hops back onto the back of the sofa. He sits along it and looks down at him. "The simple truth of it is that somewhere along the line, I am not really sure where, I stopped seeing you as my enemy. I started seeing you as someone who was very big-hearted and deathly loyal to his friends; someone who wouldn't ever lower his morals for any reason whatsoever. I started seeing YOU, Kazuma, and then I realized that I was becoming attached to you."

Kuwabara looks at him completely shocked. He hadn't expected THAT to come from Ani. He has no idea what to say in response but it seems something in him has some sort of an idea. "I can say the same for you. When I saw you dropped onto the floor in that room I can remember being so aggravated that of all the enemies that had to end up there, it was YOU. I figured that seeing you three times in one lifetime was enough yet fate seemed to enjoy sending you to me. I have to admit that I was almost smug realizing that you were just as helpless as I am though part of me was angered that a demon like that had managed to bind YOU. When he made his demands I was utterly horrified at the implications of such a thing though I have to admit to being rather pleased that I would be the one doing it to you. It was probably pretty cruel of me but I couldn't help it. I hated you at that time…or at least I thought I did. When I actually had you, I made a realization that you still had some very human traits still left in you. It was that realization alone that caused me more grief than the memories of what actually transpired.

It was when you were kidnapped that I realized that I was beginning to really care for you. My heart almost stopped when I received the call that you had disappeared. I was absolutely ready to take on all of Rekai, Makai, and Ningenkai that I had to in order to get you back. I must admit that it scared me to realize that I could actually be fond of an enemy of mine who had scared me so thoroughly, but here we are. I don't regret it…not at all. Will Yusuke be angry? Yes, yes he will be very angry with me. Do I care that he will be angry? Well, that is the interesting thing. It's interesting because for being my closest friend, his opinion of the current circumstances means shit to me." He takes a deep breath realizing that this is probably the most he's ever spoken at one sitting and probably the most serious discussion he would ever have with Ani but it needed to be said. Deep down, Kuwabara knows that it is time to begin a journey to the rest of his life. And that would begin with the demon seated behind him on the couch. For once, Kazuma Kuwabara feels no fear at all, just the sense of rightness about this. "I want to get to know you, Ani. Would you let me?"

Ani stares at him in shock. Was Kuwabara asking what he thought the redhead was asking? He had been startled as he had sat there listening to him speak and hearing that question…well, he has no idea what he should do. He closes his eyes to try and gather his thoughts. The one thing he DID know beyond a shadow of all doubt, was that he felt safest with the carrot-top. "I don't know to the extent of what I feel for you is, and I will be the first to admit that I am terrified of discovering just what that happens to be. Be that as it may, I would like to discover that with you. So my answer to your question is yes, yes I will let you get to know me…if you'll do the same for me."

"Agreed," Kuwabara answers smiling at him. For some reason that makes Ani's cheeks feel really, really hot. 'Am I blushing?' he wonders startled, 'What in the world have I gotten myself into?'