Tears of Time

Summary: For the last few years, Kuwabara Yukina has lived a content life alongside her dear husband Kuwabara Kazuma, her twin brother (as she had figured out long before) Jaganshi Hiei, and their group of friends and family members. However, when going with Kazuma on a rather routine mission to stop a demon that appeared in the Human Realm uninvited, Yukina falls-not just through space, but also through time...and now she's stuck in the past! But how does her knowledge of things to come change what is happening? How does she leave it the same? Only time will tell...

Other Notes: Names will be last/family name first, then given name, just as in the original series. There will be major spoilers in this, as is to be expected, so be prepared. Names will be spelled as I prefer them to be, although most are as they are in English, with a bit of a Brittish flair (i.e. Yoko=Youko, Toya=Touya, etc.). And feel free to drop a review! I adore knowing what people think of my work, like many writers out there. :D

Disclaimer: Not mine-the series, that is; the story is mine. Yukina seems to be getting away from me a bit (she wasn't meant to meet Hiei for a while yet, but insisted on being there for him last chapter), but since it's her story, I'll let it slide. Just so long as she sticks to the main plotpoints I have planned that is. :)

Trials and Re-Introductions

A week after her semi-reunion with her brother, Yukina woke up to find Genkai already outside smoking a cigarette, staring silently at the doors to her compound.

"The tournament starts today," the elder of the two said almost absently, flicking a bit of ash. "It's time for me to buckle down."

Yukina stared for only a moment before nodding in agreement. "When will they arrive?" she asked, setting about making breakfast. Genkai took a long drag before responding.

"Noon."

"And you know that Rando is coming, as well, for the chance to take your power."

Giving the Ice Maiden a sidelong glance, Genkai took one final breath of her cig before stomping it out. "Of course he is, but that D-Class idiot won't gain my technique without going through my crap like the rest of them."

"And if he wins?" asked Yukina, eyes trained on the pan she was cooking their morning rice in. Genkai didn't pause as she walked into the room.

"Then he is the one who shall learn my techniques."

Aware of the old psychic's views of the world, Yukina simply nodded her agreement despite the deep pit of unease in her stomach, continuing her cooking. Genkai eyed her for a long moment while they sat in silence.

"That doesn't affect you?" she asked, clearly curious. Yukina gave her a small, wry smile, finishing off the rice and bringing the bowls to the table. She sat and began to pick at her food before she answered.

"I know you would only teach your techniques to one who deserves it, whether or not he is the winner, so long as he had the power and determination to use it," said Yukina softly. "And I know you aren't as oblivious to what would happen if Rando were to gain your power as you act. You would sooner destroy him than teach someone undeserving your power. So I have no reason to worry, Master Genkai." A bright smile touched the young demon's face. "I trust you."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence, contemplative and more at-ease than it had been for Yukina's entire stay. She was suddenly more sure than ever that Genkai believed her-and only hoped that it was true.

-Tears of Time-

Yukina had decided earlier in the day that she would make her way among the crowd when it arrived, pinpointing people and seeing if she recognized any. She could have sworn she saw one of the members of Ichigaki's Team from the Dark Tournament (the one with the tendency to not wear a shirt), and even thought she spotted a low-level demon or two other than Rando, but otherwise identified nothing/no one interesting until nearly twenty minutes before the trials were to begin.

"Hey, little girl," a man's deep voice purred from above Yukina. Glancing up, deep red eyes studied the large, hulking form of a smirking human male dressed as a typical biker, leather creaking as he shifted his weight. "This ain't the place for pretty faces."

"Oh, hello," Yukina said in an innocent voice despite the suspicion in her mind. She had grown a bit more world-weary over the years, but had the "annoying" (according to Hiei) tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt, be they humans or demons. "Um, thank you for the compliment?"

The man gave a low chuckle, amused by her naivette. "You're welcome, pretty girl, but you still shouldn't be here. The wrong types get attracted to power like this."

Yukina smiled faintly. "Thank you for your concern, sir, but I'll be fine."

If the man were going to do anything untward, he apparently thought better of it, merely shrugging and turning away. Yukina went back to her search, turning-

-only to come face-to-face with the man she would and had once married.

"Oh, Kazuma!" she greeted before she could stop herself, smile warming considerably. Kazuma visibly jumped before glancing at her, recognition passing over his face and giving him a stupid grin.

"Hey, Yukina!" he cried in his slightly goofy voice, obviously having to restain himself from taking her hands. "Wow, I didn't know you were coming here! Are you going to see Master Genkai, too?"

Yukina had to stiffle a giggle, eyes twinkling mischieviously. "Something like that. Why are you here, Kazuma? For the tournament?"

Visibly taken aback, Kazuma blinked rapidly. "...tournament?"

Luckily Yukina was aware of her future/past (time travel was so confusing...) husband's tendency to be unobservent, so she merely smiled sweetly at him before explaining how Genkai was trying to find a successor for her spiritual powers. By the end Kazuma was looking rather distressed.

"So, then, she won't be able to help me?" he asked with such a sad expression that Yukina felt her heart go out to him.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll still help you, Kazuma," she soothed, putting a hand on his bicep and aware of how his whole face heated up from the innocent touch. "But probably not until after the trials are done. Maybe you could stay anyway?"

Kazuma hesitated, but upon seeing the hopeful look on Yukina's face, he semi-reluctantly agreed. Yukina smiled brightly at his decision.

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to see how you do!"

Before Kazuma could respond, he seemed to spot something over her head (she really hated being so short...) and went wide(r)-eyed. "Urameshi?" he cried out. Yukina blinked in surprise and turned just in time to see Yusuke look over in their direction, seeming just as surprised to see them as Kazuma was to see him.

"Oh," Yukina simply said as Yusuke crept over, looking at her with lingering recognition. She smiled softly at him even as she spoke to the redhead beside her. "Kazuma, is this a friend of yours?"

There was a snort, although whether it came from Yusuke or Kazuma wasn't immediately clear. "Not quite," Kazuma said with a roll of his eyes. He seemed to remember his manners shortly after and scrambled. "Oh, uh, Yukina, this is Urameshi Yusuke. Urameshi, this is Yukina; I met her a week ago in passing."

"We've met," Yusuke simply said, staring at Yukina as she stared innocently back. Kazuma blinked, but Yusuke turned his gaze away from the Ice Maiden and began speaking to him instead before any questions could be asked. "Kuwabara, what the hell are you doing here?"

Kazuma went red-faced, this time in annoyance rather than embaressment. "I should be asking you that!"

Yukina watched with great amusement and a sense of relief as the banter proceeded, the two trying to argue why the reason they were there was better without actually saying it before Kazuma gave in and told Yusuke what he had told Yukina.

"I was just going to go home when I heard this was some sorta weird-o tournament," the tallest of the group went on, "but then Yukina asked me to stay, and I couldn't say no."

Yusuke gave Yukina a sharp look, which earned him an innocent blink. "I can sense the energy flowing off of Kazuma," she explained in a half-truth. "I think it would be fun to see how far he can get." She paused here, Kazuma giving her a shocked look (she nearly laughed at how slow he was sometimes; obviously, if she was here, she was spiritually aware-to say the least) and Yusuke looking just as suspicious as earlier. "Besides, Kazuma, if you win, you would learn how to channel your energy into interesting techniques; if you lose, Master Genkai will still help you to control your powers. Either way, you get something out of it!"

Kazuma grinned at her reaction and was obviously preparing to gush about how wonderful she was, but to Yukina's slight relief the gong announcing Genkai's enterence rang. The crowd became hushed, and the trio found themselves watching the sliding doors with interest as they slowly opened, Yukina nearly laughing when Genkai arrived and Yusuke shouted out about how she was an old hag before Kazuma hit him in the arm hard enough to earn a scowl.

"Well, then, I suppose we should get things started," Genkai's croaking yet somehow still intimidating voice spread out across the crowd. Yukina already had her poker face in place when she heard two people next to her whispering about how challenging Genkai's tests were. Oh, they had no idea... "The first of your screening tests will be...the drawing of lots!"

Nearly everyone in the crowd face-faulted, and Yukina nearly cracked a rib trying not to giggle at the reaction. Genkai had informed her beforehand about the tests and this one in particular, stating not only would it root out the weak of energy, but also those who weren't prepared to listen to her every order-no matter how rediculous it sounded.

"Graaah," Yusuke groaned, hand clenched in a fist as he used the other to push himself off the ground, "how is that a test!"

"You should trust Master Genkai," Yukina suggested with a kind smile even as her eyes continued to laugh for her. Gradually, after Genkai gave some gentle(?) verbal prodding, people began to stand up and either move towards the pot holding the lots or the steps leading from the house. Yukina made her way with Kazuma and Yusuke, watching them draw theirs, but didn't draw her own.

"Hey, Yukina," said Kazuma curiously, frowning at the teal-haired demon, "why didn't you take one? I thought you were here to see Master Genkai, and since you knew about the tournament..."

Ignoring Yusuke's calculating look, Yukina shook her head with a slight smile. "No, I'm not here to compete, just to observe. After all, I'm not much of a fighter."

Finally letting out a single giggle, Yukina was saved from further questions when Genkai spoke up with a sarcastic, "You all did that rather well. I'm impressed." Yusuke's eye visibly twitched. "You should open your lots now. If it's red, then congradulations-you've passed the first of today's screenings."

A curious Yukina watched the varying reactions of those who either passed or did not (stifling a smile with her hand when Yusuke looked less than happy to have a red one while Kazuma just seemed confused and a little angered at his similar result), They both noticed the other had a red slip at the same time and shouted half-accusations of shock at each other, Genkai cutting in before they could do anything else.

"Those who passed, please follow me," Genkai went on, already turning away from the group, "but those who didn't had better get lost before I make you get lost."

Yukina enthusiastically pulled Kazuma forward, earning herself another blush, and smiled at Yusuke to encourage him as well, but before they made it to the front two large men even bigger than the biker Yukina had seen earlier appeared behind Genkai. Their snarling threats made Genkai turn, although she looked less than impressed.

"The only difference with larger fighters is that they're louder when they whine." Yukina had to admit the truth in that to herself as she slowly began to pull Kazuma and Yusuke out of the line of fire that was enevitably going to happen. "Besides, if you were really powerful enough to qualify, why didn't your paper turn red? Can't you dumbasses understand that I'm trying to save you from embaressment!"

With a snarl, the one with the headband lunged forward with his companion closely following while Genkai just watched them with a sneer. She shifted her stance just slightly, closed her eyes, then opened them again with a shout of exertion.

The men were frozen in midair by the power of Genkai's technique before being thrown back with a flash of blinding blue spirit energy, crashing past where Yukina, Kazuma, and Yusuke had been standing moments before and eventually hitting the suddenly closed doors to the path down the mountain. Both were unconscious before they hit the ground.

The gasps of shock and awe made Yukina smile and pass a glance with Genkai, who smirked faintly.

"Clearly, my powers are getting a bit rusty," Genkai casually said, shifting her stance again so she was once more standing with her back half-turned towards the crowd. "A few years ago, those oafs would have gone through those doors if I blinked at them wrong. Heh." She turned away completely with a single shake of her head, already making her way along the walkway along her main temple. "I must be older than I thought...

"Alright, red papers," she said in a louder voice that carried over the crowd, "follow me."

As the crowd began to move, Yukina noticed the impressed smirk on Yusuke's face and smiled a bit herself. It seemed everything was going fine. There was just the problem of Rando to consider...

A crackling sound drew Yukina's attention, and she was startled to find Yusuke's demon-tracking-watch (she had never bothered to learn the official name) had short-circuted, probably due to her being so close to it. She had nearly forgotten the original didn't react well around demons with powers above the D class. Well she still had her own tracking abilities, at least. Rando had not counted on an Ice Maiden in the crowd that wanted him gone.

Now it was just a question of finding him.

-Tears of Time-

The gaming section was perhaps the most amusing for Yukina. After showing off her arm at the punching game (she only got a 97, but that was still better than most of those who were there), earning a slack-jawed Yusuke and Kazuma for her efforts when she obviously hit it hard enough to knock a real person out, she found herself to have a maximum awareness just a bit below Kazuma on Rock-Paper-Sizzors (which was something she had always been curious about). But she most relished the expressions of shock on the faces of everyone when she not only sang well on the karaoke machine, but also beat every other contestant's score on her adaptability. Genkai eyed her with much curiosity after that display but said nothing.

Soon, the 20 highest-scoring contestants (and Yukina and Genkai) were standing in front of the Dark Forest, Yukina next to Kazuma as she softly played with the forest's energy in a teasing way.

Ignoring Yukina's energy's actions, Genkai explained how deadly and old the forest was before announcing the contest was to make it to the other side in two hours, which made two of the passing contestants run in horror. Genkai laughed sadistically at their reactions and taunted them lightly with the reminder of how dangerous it was.

Both Kazuma and Yusuke took the challenges from Genkai and the other fighters in stride, swearing to make it in time.

"Good luck staying alive," Genkai said sharply, "and I'll meet you all on the other side. You had best hope you don't die."

"Yukina, maybe you should stay behind for this one," Kazuma said worriedly. Glancing up, Yukina smiled at his overprotectiveness and shook her head.

"Don't worry about me, Kazuma," she softly told him. "I'll be fine."

Kazuma was clearly unconvinced. "Well, maybe...but...you should probably stick close to me, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

Half-touched and maybe a quarter annoyed with the protectiveness Kazuma was displaying, Yukina prepared to defend her own abilities only to have Yusuke cut her off.

"Geez, Kuwabara, give the girl some space," he said with arms folded behind his head, eyeing his friend with annoyance and something Yukina couldn't quite identify. "If she wants to go get her head bit off, let her, but somehow I doubt that would happen."

"Urameshi," Kazuma began to snap only for Yukina to smile and softly interrupt with, "Thank you, Yusuke. I'm glad you believe in me."

Yusuke grumbled something, but said nothing else.

"If you're done with the sobfest," Genkai said without venom, "we're going to get started. Ready?"

Yusuke got into a running position.

"Set?"

Kazuma gave Yukina one last worried glance before doing the same.

"Go!"

The group sped off, all except Yukina, who stayed behind with Genkai. The two waited until the coast was clear before Genkai eyed Yukina with expertly concealed interest/worry.

"Everything going according to plan?" the old woman wryly asked. Yukina merely smiled and dipped her head, earning a nod in return. "Well, then, I'll leave you to go through. I don't highly suggest you head through the center, however; Boldock is not a fan of ice demons and would likely spend more energy trying to kill you than any other being in here."

"Thank you for the warning, Master Genkai," said Yukina respectfully. Genkai eyed her for one more moment before speeding off herself at what she considered a jog, speed equivilant to Yukina's at this time to her surprise. She watched the forest for a moment before giving a wry smile.

"Good luck," she said to no one and everyone. Then she took off through the path she normally took, passing by Boldock's territory and many of the other dangers Genkai had warned of. It would be interesting to see if anyone could beat her there...

-Tears of Time-

No one other than Genkai herself could, as it turned out. After fourty minutes Yukina and Genkai were both at the old tree, Yukina sitting in front of it lotus-style and meditating while Genkai leaned against it reading a worn-looking book. Time stretched as the two women sat in companionable silence.

"I should probably check on their progress," Genkai said aloud in a weary voice a little over an hour after the competition began. Yukina said nothing, but did fall out of her meditation and open her eyes upon feeling her dear Kazuma coming close.

Sure enough, shortly after Genkai came out of her meditation and half an hour before the time was up, a heavily panting Kazuma ran up over the hill only to stop in front of Genkai, chest heaving. He glanced around as he did so.

"Hello."

Kazuma glanced up at the greeting and a grin began to spread across his face. "Am I the first one here?" he asked in awe. "Really!"

Genkai nodded once, clearly amused. "Indeed you are," she said aloud.

"Wow!" Kazuma let out a loud laugh and pumped a fist in the air, excited. "Oh yeah, that's right, I'm cool..."

Before he could continue reveling in his victory, two more competitors made it over the hill, specifically the man with the facial scars and the apparent monk.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), it was the monk who noticed Yukina sitting in front of the tree watching them first. He made a slight face. "I thought for sure we would be the first here," he said with a sneer, "but it seems even the little girl has beaten us."

"Little girl?" echoed Kazuma, obviously unsure what the man was talking about. He glanced around in confusion and finally his gaze landed on Yukina, at which point a wide grin once more split his face. "Oh, Yukina! You made it! Thank goodness," he gave a nervous laugh, "I was slightly worried..."

"Thank you for your concern, Kazuma," Yukina said with the softest smile in her arsonal. "I'm glad you made it here in one piece. Are you hurt at all?"

Kazuma paused only a moment before shaking his head. "Oh, no, not at all! Fine and dandy, thanks!" He laughed almost nervously as he patted his arms to show off how well he was doing, flinching slightly when he hit his elbow. "Fine and dandy, yessir...ah, yes'ma'am..."

"Oh." Getting to her feet, Yukina turned amused red eyes onto the man she would/did marry. "Well, I've been training to be a healer, and Master Genkai gave me permission to heal anyone if they made it here. Do either of you two have any wounds?"

"As if anything in that forest could have injured us," snorted the scarred man. The monk nodded in agreement even though Yukina could sense the wound on his leg, relatively minor, but it was completely possible it would split into something bigger if he did strenuous activity. Oh well. Yukina wasn't going to give medical care to one who didn't want it when the wound was non-lifethreatening.

"You're a healer?" asked Kazuma with slight awe. Yukina nodded and he grinned back, pulling up the sleeve of the arm he had patted earlier. "Oh, uh, well...then do you mind healing this up for me? Some stupid cat thing scratched me out there, although it got scared off when I flexed my muscles at it, hahaha..."

Yukina giggled back and nodded, gesturing him closer and gently touching the semi-deep wound. It was not as serious as the monk's leg wound, but it still could cause problems in the future, so after using her ice to discretely destroy any infections she carefully healed it over. Kazuma watched her do this with wide, interested eyes.

"Whoa."

"You're a healer, not a fighter, then," another newcomer noted as he walked up. Yukina turned-only to frown when she noticed his energy. The small child-like man had the energy of a demon. So, then this must be Rando.

"Yes," said Yukina simply, "although that doesn't mean I can't defend myself."

Rando tilted his head slightly, partly amused and partly annoyed. "Then why are you trying to learn her techniques?"

Yukina pretended not to hear the question.

Half an hour later, time was up, and seven people had arrived-but Yusuke was noticably not among them.

"All right, time's up," Genkai said, ignoring Yukina's look of wide-eyed shock. Had she messed something up already? Had something been tampered with that shouldn't have, like perhaps Yusuke had originally used that watch to get around the forest's demons, or perhaps he travelled with Kazuma and hadn't this time, or perhaps-

Yukina nearly face-faulted when she saw Yusuke run up and explain he had been in a fight with Boldock. /Or perhaps,/ she thought with exhasperation, /he's just an idiot who can't sense spirit energy at all./ Although the fact that he complimented Hiei's speed helped make up for his stupidity a little. Just a little.

Genkai seemed equally surprised that the teen had made it through a fight with Boldock almost completely unscathed. After watching him for a moment with narrowed eyes, she nodded thoughtfully, faint smirk in place.

"I believe I will make an exception and allow you to continue on," she said, earning herself two wide grins from the teenage boys before her and a thankful look from Yukina. At least it seemed one thing was going well...

Not that she noticed Rando's eyes trained steadily on her, trying to figure out who and what she was...