Yu Yu Hakusho: New Dreams, Old Nightmares

DAMN, it's been a while since I updated this. A lot has happened in my life recently and I just have not had the time to sit down and write! Hopefully this will make up for it, it's my longest chapter yet with another one on the way after this one.

Time to advance the plot a little and actually cover some time lapse in here instead of real time!

Standard disclaimers apply. Enjoy!

New Dreams, Old Nightmares

Chapter Fifteen: Target Found

Kurama pulled out his phone and dialed Kuwabara's number. Kuwabara answered on the second ring.

"Kurama, is everything all right?" Yukina's voice could be heard shouting in the background before Kuwabara had a chance to speak.

"Kurama? What's going on?" the gruff voice said. He heard another demanding voice in the background but could not make out what the speaker was saying. "Damnit, Keiko, let me talk to him, let go of my arm…"

Kurama started to relate what had just happened, but a truck driving by on the road kicked up wind and drowned out his voice. Holding his other hand to his ear, he quickly ducked down a back alley to try to alleviate the noise.

"I said, everything appears to be fine. I checked out the park but I didn't find anything suspicious or unusual. Have you sensed anything? Your awareness might have discovered something that mine could not."

"No, nothing here. Yukina didn't feel anything either."

Kurama let out a sigh of relief, wiping a few beads of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm glad. It appears Hiei managed to stop them."

"What are you doing now?"

"I have to stop by and see your sister on the way home. There's a few things I need to talk with her about. I also need to check up on the girl that's injured there."

"Sis mentioned something like that, but I still don't know what's going on," Kuwabara started, the poor reception on the phone doing little to cut out the sounds of surprise in his voice.

"It's a long story, Kuwabara. She was injured last night during a yokai ambush and I saved her. She was hurt so Shizuru took her in. I need to meet with them to make sure she's alright. Call her for the details, she wants to hear from you about today's plans at any rate."

"Okay, okay. Listen, we aren't going to stop by the house first, as soon as we get a bite to eat, we're going to go straight out to Genkai's. We have everything we need. Do you know anything about what's going on with Yusuke?"

"No, I left Makai before I found out what he was going to do."

"Alright, Kurama. See you later," Kuwabara said before a beep indicated the call had ended.

Kurama closed the phone and slipped it back into the pocket of his jeans. It certainly seemed like everything was okay. There was no sense of yokai except for the constant background of the few that lived in the city. And there was no discernable reiki at all. He had tuned his senses to try to discover anything that was out of place in the park, and there was nothing.

Hiei had taken care of them. He must have. He would know when he was able to talk to the yokai this evening.

Kurama headed back onto the sidewalk, brushing shoulders with the throngs of people as he navigated a crosswalk heading to the train station. It wouldn't take him too long to get to the neighborhood where the Kuwabara residence was.

"Well I'm glad that nothing bad happened," Yukina said as she hugged Kuwabara's arm and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Yeah," the orange haired teen laughed nervously. "Business as usual, I guess…"

"I see," Keiko trailed off. Oops, Kuwabara thought. I shouldn't have mentioned Yusuke…

"So, ladies!" he exclaimed, trying desperately to lighten the mood. "Where do you want to go to eat?" The three of them started discussing as they headed towards the food court.

"Okay, kiddo," Shizuru said, stepping back and admiring her handywork. "Not too bad. The sling even matches the green in your skirt."

Hana blushed slightly and mumbled her thanks. Shizuru had just helped her slip back into her fuku top as soon as it had come out of the dryer, then readjusted her arm to put it back in the sling.

"I hate wearing one of these things."

"Not for long, I hope. That reminds me, what do you plan on wearing to the beach today?"

"I'm sorry?"

"We're all meeting at the beach later. That's where you're going to get healed. Besides, you look like you need a miniature vacation.'

Hana stammered for a few seconds. "Well, I certainly can't go into the water wearing this, it kind of defeats the purpose…"

"Hang on, I think I might have a swimsuit you can borrow…" Shizuru said, heading towards the stairs. Hana recognized something important, and started to follow her. "I don't think you'll have one that will fit, will you? I mean, I couldn't wear your bra."

"I have a shirt you could tie a knot in. The bottoms should fit you just fine since my underwear did," Shizuru overriding her objection as she made it to the landing.

"The shirt, it's not white, is it?" Hana whined, staying at the door while Shizuru entered her room.

Shizuru laughed. "No, I have a black one. It's a workout shirt made out of the same material as most swim trunks, so your modesty will be preserved just fine…" The older woman started to dig through the bottommost drawer of her dresser.

"That's good. I'll be sure to wash and bring back everything you gave me…" Hana said, her voice losing enthusiasm by the end of the sentence.

"What do you have? My socks and underwear? Don't worry about it," Shizuru said, flipping the shirt in question onto the bed behind her. "Red or Blue?" she asked over her shoulder.

"I thought we had this discussion already."

"No, not that," Shizuru intoned. "I have two different two-piece swimsuits. Do you want to wear the red bikini bottom with the strings on the side one or the blue one with the normal elastic?"

"I'll take the normal one," Hana said, blushing. "I hope you don't plan on wearing the other one today."

"Nah, I only use that one for special occasions." Shizuru moved to the other end of the room with the closet and opened the door. "It's great for a Jacuzzi or a hot spring, but one big wave at the beach and everyone knows if you dye your hair." She pulled out a hanger with a green one-piece on it, and then set it down on the bed with the rest of the clothing she had picked out. "Hand me that duffel bag, would you? It's by the desk."

Hana looked down at the desk next to the door, and saw a brown duffel bag with the ever famous Domo-kun mouth and eyes on the side of it.

"How much did you pay for this?" she asked in disbelief.

"I didn't, it was free. You think I would pay for something like that?" Moving swiftly, she took the bag from a smiling Hana, and proceeded to dump the clothes unceremoniously into it. Just as she was zipping it up, the doorbell rang.

"Better not be another salesman," Shizuru growled. "We don't want any!" she shouted ahead of her as she started down the steps to the front door.

"I heard that!" Kurama's voice was heard, although muffled, through the other side of the door.

"Oops," she muttered to herself as she opened the door. "Sorry about that."

Kurama shook his head and laughed. "You two seem to be getting along, it seems," he noted, seeing Hana come down the stairs.

"Yeah, all things considered. Everything went okay? You aren't coming here to tell us we're in grave danger or anything, right?" Hana asked timidly, her face going pale and her heart skipping a beat.

"Everything is fine, don't worry. I just wanted to come along and check on you two."

"You coming to the beach with us?" Shizuru asked. "We're gonna go get her arm healed and tease my little brother in front of Yukina again."

"Can't you come up with something a little more original now? That old routine again…"

"If it isn't broken, don't fix it, right?"

"I suppose. Hana, how is your arm?"

The brown haired girl looked down at her wounded limb, wiggling the fingers experimentally. She sucked in air through her teeth in a sharp hiss when she tried to move her shoulder. "I still can't move it very much."

"That should be taken care of. What will you do after today?"

"Go home, I guess. I just need to tell my aunt I spent the night at a friend's house. And not visit the graveyard at night anymore."

"That's a good idea," Shizuru said. "We're all ready to go. Do you want to walk two fine lovely ladies to the train station?"

"Of course," Kurama said with a smile. "But not to the beach. Some other time, I'm afraid. I'm busy tonight."

"We going, then?" Shizuru asked, pulling the strap of the duffel bag up higher onto her shoulder.

Walking down the street, Otoyo was filled with a mix of wonder, bemusement, and even twinges of disgust. She was unfamiliar with Ningenkai, and was experiencing all the emotions coming with wandering a new place for the first time.

She had read stories, talked with yokai that made the trip back and forth between the two worlds but had never been herself. Men turned their heads to look at her as she walked by, and for a moment she feared that she was visible to everyone, they could see her for what she was. A quick glance down at her own body relieved her suspicions; she had merely taken the form of the woman that she had encountered next to the alley. Otoyo did not kill her, but she did instantly drain her of all of the reiki that normal humans tend to possess. It put her to sleep, and she simply placed the unconscious woman in the dumpster. She knew better than to kill the woman. If she needed this guise for a while, then if the body was discovered they would post her picture all over the news, looking for those to identify her. A missing person took a lot more time to show interest in than a dead body.

She had been in this form for about half an hour as she walked down the street. As it was, she looked like a snazzy businesswoman, with legs that went on for miles, and a sport blazer that was tight in just the right places. "I think I rather like this form," she said in a mutter to herself. She was certainly getting the attention of everyone who saw her.

First order of business was to find the one she was after and get what she needed. Then, maybe she would have time to play.

But where to look first? She hadn't actively concentrated to scan since she first arrived, and whoever it was that came towards her made her recede in fear. She had sensed him in the middle of the city, so it had to be a populated area. She couldn't just take the time to stop and sense in the middle of the street. No, she would have to sit down in a relatively quiet area and focus.

Looking around, but still heading in the general direction, she looked for a place that would suit her tastes. Off to the side, by what would have been the train station, was a public bathroom. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought, but any place where she could get privacy was a good one.

Walking across the street with the horde of people brought her to the station. Slipping out of the wave of humanity, she quickly ducked into the bathroom, finding a stall and locking herself in.

Okay, she thought. Where is he?

Closing her eyes, she saw everything in the backdrop of her mind as she did earlier. Currents of blue running like water resembling the passing reiki outside, a few brighter stars of reds and blues losing themselves in the swirling tides that ebbed and flowed around her.

Off to the outskirts of the city was that huge source of reiki that seemed to come out of the very ground. Thankfully, she was able to mask her own energy as absolutely invisible, or as reiki as she so chose. There were a few other things she could do with it, but not at the moment.

There! It was brighter this time, and closer, but moving away at a high rate of speed in the middle of a river that was moving quicker than most could run. The orange glow was accompanied by that same smaller one next to it. Suddenly it dawned on her.

He was on a train! Where is it going?

The snake of reiki she sensed was moving towards the outskirts of town, towards the very area she was hoping to avoid.

"Damn!" she said aloud, her eyes snapping open. She had to find him, if he was truly heading there. Even if he wasn't, she still needed to get to him, and soon.

She opened the stall door, and saw that nobody was there. Heading to the sink, she washed her hands absentmindedly, seeing as how she had no need to, and thought to herself.

If she reverted back to her normal self and then turned herself invisible, she should be able to make her way towards him with a great deal of speed, as long as she steered clear of anyone that might pick her up. Yes, that would be the best course of action. If he ended up heading towards that shrine, then she would have to figure out something else.

"Are you still hungry, Kazuma? You can have the rest of mine if you want."

"Really? Thanks!" Kuwabara said, before taking the offering and digging in.

Keiko sighed and looked out the window at the rolling landscape that went by. They had boarded the train about half an hour ago after ordering their food to-go, planning to reach Genkai's with plenty of time to spare.

She closed her eyes and gave an annoyed sigh as she realized she was thinking about Yusuke. She couldn't help but wonder if he was all right.

"Oh, I got a call from my sister as we were boarding the train, she says she's on her way with a new friend."

"Really?" Keiko said, anxious to distract her thoughts. "Who?"

"Some girl that Kurama saved last night. I guess she was hurt and was hoping either Genkai or Yukina could heal her."

"I can try," Yukina stated. "My powers have gotten much stronger."

"Better than they used to be? Wow. You used to patch me up just fine after the fight against that Risho guy."

Yukina nodded. "But what about Genkai? Does she know that someone is coming?"

"No, I don't think so," Kuwabara said, dropping his voice. "I was hoping we wouldn't tell her and she wouldn't figure it out. I mean, I wouldn't want her to get mad we brought someone over uninvited."

"Kuwabara…" Keiko scolded, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"You got a better idea?" He asked defensively. "I don't want anything to happen to Yukina, there's a lot of yokai out there!"

"And I think we all know none of them are stupid enough to try something if they truly want to live and exist in this world," Keiko argued. Kuwabara didn't respond, and Keiko sighed again and looked out the window.

After a few seconds, Kuwabara said "Don't worry. I'm concerned about him too."

Keiko closed her eyes momentarily, stood up, and walked towards the back of the train where it was less crowded to find a new seat.

"Kazuma!" Yukina said angrily.

"What!?" He yelled. "What did I say this time?"

"You should be more worried about her than Yusuke. She's really upset right now. We should be doing what we can to make her feel better," she said, before standing up to follow after Keiko.

Damnit, Kuwabara thought. I'll never understand women.

She had been giving chase for about half an hour. Down the side alleys, phasing to the rooftops, running through various woods. Otoyo was invisible but did not want to run the risk of flying, or doing anything that would give away her position. That was certain.

She had been heading in a more or less straight line, only taking the time to swerve when a stronger force was in the area. She stayed focused on her goal, all the time on the bright orange star in the horizon.

A star that was now definitely heading towards the backdrop of the reiki-charged land.

Damn! I'm not going to reach him in time!

She came to a stop as the realization hit her. Sweat trickled from her temple to her cheek, forming rivulets in the slight scale pattern there. Now what? She would never catch him in time now, not even if she put all of her energy into speed. She wasn't that fast. She had always used her ability to hide and mask her energy as opposed to running.

All she needed was his blood. That was it. Just a little of blood! Why was this going to be so difficult.

What if he lived there? What if he turned into some sort of damned monk and decided to never leave that compound again? She couldn't enter it without a lot of her energy being useless, countered by the holy ground.

Perhaps she could sneak in and get him while he was sleeping? No, that wouldn't work either, she thought as she stopped, and allowed herself to become visible while she caught her breath. She was hidden among the trees, and there was nobody near her that she could sense.

Ryominaka wouldn't wait too long. They were so close to pulling this off. She would have to sneak in somehow…and wait for a chance.

Sorry, 'naka. I'm trying here, but it's hard.

"How long will it take to get there?" Hana asked.

"About forty-five minutes, give or take," Shizuru said, crossing her arms to relax. Kurama had seen them off at the train station a while ago. "We'll get there around two or so."

"Um, Shizuru?" Hana said meekly. "I knew Kurama from before but I don't want to seem like I'm intruding or inviting myself along on anything."

"Of course you aren't inviting yourself. I'm the one inviting you along so don't worry about it. You need a vacation after last night."

"I wonder if Kurama will ever let me take him out for coffee to thank him," Hana said absently.

"Oh, he will, one way or the other. He's just really busy these days, as are all of us."

"What with? School?"

"Yes. He has a lot of studying to do now before exams, but he's pretty much a shoe in for whatever university he decides to go to. Last I heard, representatives were contacting him to get him to apply. Kid's so smart, he's the one considering applications instead of the other way around."

"I see, well then he'll be thankful for the distraction. So who is there? Everyone from the photo?"

"Nah, only two. One of them is my brother. His crush is going to be there, along with the brown-haired girl. You'll also meet Genkai. She owns the property and has been a friend of ours for years."

"Sounds like fun. Who's the one who's going to heal me?"

"Either my brother's crush or Genkai. It depends."

"You know, until last night, I would have never believed such things were possible. I mean, you hear stories about tenshi and yokai and healers and other worlds, but you never really believe them. I still think I'm going to wake up from a dream."

"You're taking it well, I need to give you that much credit. It seems that most of us just had an 'Okay, so what?' attitude. We don't really care unless it interferes with our own lives, and for the most part it works both ways."

"Yeah," Hana said, trailing off. Silence descended for a few minutes.

"You're worried, aren't you?"

"Not so much about that, but what my aunt is going to do to me. She never really cared but disappearing for two days without saying anything…"

"Don't worry. I can step in and pretend to be almost any type of authority figure you need me to be if it comes down to it. If you want, we can just get you healed, and you can leave and forget this whole thing ever happened."

"I doubt that will ever happen."

"Of course, then you'll have to forget that date with Kurama…"

Hana blushed out of reflex. "Hey, I'm just taking him out for coffee, I'm not asking him for a date!"

Shizuru was smiling, enjoying the reaction. "You like to tease, don't you?" Hana asked.

The older woman shrugged. "Sorry, I've had quite a lot of practice. Force of habit."

Otoyo yawned and stretched. She had been waiting for what seemed like an hour. Sure enough, her target had reached the shrine, and was inside it. She had no choice but to wait it out and catch him once he left it, if she decided to sneak into the compound. Or she would jump him the second he left.

She hadn't sensed towards that area in some time, simply because it hurt her to focus on it, much the same way it hurt the eyes to look at the sun. It was early afternoon, judging from the position of the sun, and she was rapidly growing bored.

Oh well, might as see what he's doing now, she thought, closing her eyes and preparing to sense into the compound for the fourth or fifth time that day.

He wasn't in the shrine. Otoyo's eyes snapped open with alarm. Where did he go? He couldn't have gotten away that easy!

Closing her eyes again, she expanded the search to include the whole compound, and not just the shrine. If she lost him now, there might be a long search to find him again…

There he is! She found him, still in the compound but considerably farther away. The shrine was between the two of them, but Otoyo didn't sense anyone farther out. What did that mean? If there was nobody else out there she could sense, then…

Of course, the ocean, she realized, smiling to herself. The dark area in her sensing would have to be the ocean. That meant that he was at the beach. It looked like the faint red star was still with him. Are those two mated, or something?

If he was at the beach, she might stand a chance! The reiki emanating from the ground wasn't nearly as strong there, and she could approach it from the outskirts of the compound, if she moved quickly, without crossing through it.

Perfect…she might have to deal with the other yokai when she got there. If she was trying to avoid detection, it should take her half an hour to circle the compound, maybe more if she wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be spotted.

Making her decision, she shimmered until there was no evidence of herself, then took off towards the shrine at an angle, intent on reaching her target.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Kuwabara said, running towards the water and stripping off his shirt in the process. He ploughed through the waves until it reached midway up his thighs, then did a shallow dive and swam strongly from shore.

The two ladies were farther behind, setting down their towels on the beach before they got ready to strip down to their bathing suits. They all had arrived at the compound, paid respects to Genkai, and dropped off Yukina's purchases before they changed. Yukina had asked Genkai to join them, but she declined. "I'm sure none of you want to see me in a bathing suit anyway."

"Come on in, you two!" Kuwabara yelled from offshore. He was waving his arms above the water, as if he was afraid that they would lose sight of the only human in the water.

Yukina laughed, stepping out of her shorts and pulling her shirt up over her head. Kuwabara saw from shore, and blushed. The swimsuit she chose was a one piece covered with large snowflake patterns of deep blues and explosions of white. She undid the ribbon tying her hair, letting it flow free in the slight breeze.

Keiko had stripped down to a yellow two-piece, and pulled out some suntan lotion out of her bag. "Here, Yukina. Rub some of this on."

"What is this for?" She asked, holding out her hand as Keiko squeezed some out of the bottle.

"With your skin as white as it is, the sun's going to make you very unhappy without it."

"Hey ladies! Let's go already!" Kuwabara was shouting from the water.

"Would you shut up already?" Keiko yelled. "We'll be there in a minute. Just because you don't mind getting sunburn doesn't mean we don't!"

"Wow. That's a lot of stairs," Hana said, gazing at the mountain before her.

"It's not so bad. You get used to it," Shizuru stated, starting to walk up. "Shouldn't take too long."

"Alright then," the brown haired girl muttered. "So tell me about this Genkai person I'm going to meet."

"Quite a fighter, that one. She's considered one of the best yokai slayers that ever lived. She's trained a lot of people, including Kurama and my bro. She lives up here in this compound away from anyone and anything she doesn't want entering."

"Are you sure she'd be okay with me here?" Hana said shyly. "I don't want to intrude…"

"For the last time, stop it. 'Guests of guests may not bring guests,' or something like that. I'm sure she won't mind. Not me anyway. Considering some of the characters that have come and gone around here, you're about as normal as they come."

"What about the others?"

"Should only be two other people. A friend of ours named Keiko and a yokai girl named Yukina."

Hana's eyes went wide and she stopped climbing the steps. "What?"

Shizuru stopped and turned around to face the younger girl. "No, don't worry. We've known her for years. Just because someone is a yokai doesn't mean they're bad. Sometimes humans are a lot worse. She doesn't have horns or anything like that either. She looks completely normal."

"Is she the one that's going to heal me?"

"Yeah. If she can't Genkai will. Then we can go to the beach, right?"

"Yeah! I haven't been swimming in a long time…"

"Great. We can see what the others are doing and either eat here or go back into town to get something."

"You know, I really wish you would let me know in advance when you bring someone here, Shizuru."

Genkai looked Hana up and down, glaring once in a while at Shizuru. "What's the story on this one, besides the messed up arm?"

Shizuru told Genkai all of the events of last night, while the young girl looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact with anyone else in the room.

"So Kurama had to leave Makai in a rush, and didn't have time to get anything. Did you sense anything today?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary. Well," she said, now turning to Hana, "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss…Sakamoto, was it?"

Hana bowed. "Yes, it is. I'm so sorry to be a burden. If you don't want me here then I can just leave."

Genkia laughed. "Don't worry about it. If both Kurama and Shizuru can vouch for you then I'm sure you're alright." Hana let out a sigh of relief, and visibly relaxed.

"So then. I must ask one thing," the old mentor stated. "If I use this technique to heal you, I require something in return."

"O…okay," Hana said, suddenly unsure. What would be expected of her?

"The others ate earlier but I suspect they'll want to stay over for dinner. Simply help with the food preparation and cleaning, and that's all I ask."

Hana brightened, her green eyes sparkling. "Yes ma'am!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply. She winced when her arm was jarred, not going unnoticed by Genkai.

"Well, now that that's settled, come lie down over here. This might sting a bit, but I should be done in a few minutes."

"Hey, Shizuru's here!"

Yukina, Keiko, and Kuwabara had enjoyed the beach thoroughly. Kuwabara had bodysurfed while the girls simply floated on their backs out past the waves, occasionally teaming up on Kuwabara during one of several splash fights that broke out. All three of them had been lying on their towels on the sand, relaxing under the afternoon sun, when Yukina had spoken.

"Really?" Keiko said. "How can you tell?"

"I sense her," Yukina said. "And Genkai is giving off a strange energy, the type she uses when she heals someone with her reiki."

Kuwabara sat up. "Healing someone? My sis isn't hurt, is she?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't you be able to tell if she was?"

Kuwabara closed his eyes and tried to make out if any of the feelings bouncing around were related to pain or his sister. He found none. Well, except the ones that reflected the pain she had inflicted on him a few times…

"I'm not sensing anything. Hey! Do you think it could be that girl Kurama told us about?"

"Oh yeah," Keiko said. "Looks like Genkai must have seen we were busy, and wanted to help."

"Well that makes me glad she did," Yukina mentioned, tying her hair back. "I wouldn't want to risk hurting her. The only one I ever healed was you, Kazuma." She stood up, and shook her towel free from the sand. The other two followed suit.

"Well, you did a great job, Yukina! Of course," he added smugly, "I always was an incredibly strong and resilient guy. Try to use it on other humans and it might not work as well."

"You jerk!" Keiko said, playfully pushing him. Kuwabara fell over flat on his ass, drawing laughter from the other two girls.

"Hey! What was that for?" he shouted angrily.

"I just decided to feel offended on Yukina's behalf, since she'd never think of hitting you."

"Why the hell is it whenever I make a comment about Yukina something bad happens to me? It makes me want to cry. And I have sand in my shorts now."

Yukina could barely contain a giggling fit at the reaction Kazuma was having. "We're going to go up to the house to get dinner started. If you want, you can wash yourself off in the water and come join us."

Kuwabara stood up gingerly, trying to keep any embedded sand from positioning itself further. "Okay, okay. I'll be there in a bit. Don't wait up. Jeez, did you have to do that to me?"

"Later, Kuwabara!" Keiko said as she turned with Yukina, their arms and bags with them. They started to head back up the trail that would lead them back to the compound.

Kuwabara ran out to the water again, and dove in. He loved swimming, and didn't get to do it as much as he liked to. He turned to float on his back, shifting to remove the sand from his body.

Man, I screwed up again, Kuwabara said. I bet Keiko pushed me because she's still mad I brought up Urameshi. Damn it, Urameshi. What happened to you?

Kuwabara closed his eyes. He had shared a very close bond with Yusuke but that had disappeared over the last few years. They just weren't around each other anymore. Kuwabara had no place entering a Makai tournament, and he knew it. Truth be told…Kurama was probably his closest friend right now. Yusuke had come back and was gone in a flash. It was almost like meeting someone you hadn't seen from years. It was fun, but…without that connection anymore of constantly being around the person, being able to gauge their moods, their thoughts, their attitudes…there was always an awkwardness that couldn't be shrugged off. What did you have in common with each other except the old times?

He didn't know what exactly happened but he knew Keiko was hurting. He didn't need heightened perception to see that much. Yusuke, she's one of my best friends too…

Might as well go back up to the house. Maybe he would be able to as Keiko about it later. And if Yukina was cooking the food, well…all the better! Oh man, I couldn't believe how great she looked in that swimsuit…

And there he was.

Otoyo had snuck her way around the outer perimeter walls until she came to the beach before trying to hop over it. The reiki was much less powerful here, and it wasn't quite as difficult as before to set up her camouflage, both literally and figuratively. She made her way to the edge of the clearing where she finally saw the three of them. Two ningens and a yokai girl. Was that a girl from Koorime? Otoyo was taken aback for a split second when she saw that. What was she doing here in Ningenkai? Just who are these people?

Otoyo had waited, watching them from the shadows as they talked. Normally, she would just charge out and get what she needed, but she wasn't sure about the Koorime maiden. What type of powers did she possess? And could she fire off a warning to the others?

Otoyo gulped. How would she get him away from the others?

What's this? Infighting? She thought it might be as the ningen girl pushed him down, then laughed with the Koorime. More words, some shouting on behalf of the target. Then the women left, and the one she had been told to find went back out into the water.

Now! She saw her chance! But as easy as it would have been to run up, and kill him quickly as he swam in the ocean, defenseless…a smile crept upon her face. She had a better idea.

How strong was he, and was he any good with a sword? She wanted to find out. And why not? She wanted to have a little fun, not run around paranoid that every yokai was out to get her. She had waited this long. She deserved that much.

If Ryominaka asked, she could always say that she wanted to learn about him. She wouldn't be happy, but then, it wasn't her own ass being risked. Otoyo came to a decision, and giggled slightly. This could be fun!

She saw he had stepped out of the water. She would have to set this up fast, and then could take some time in toying with him. Otoyo shimmered until she became invisible, before her shape morphed to that of the woman she had acquired earlier.

Kuwabara used his towel to dry off his hair after shaking the sand loose from it. Nothing like a refreshing swim. His head felt clearer, and he was actually quite hungry. He ran the towel over the rest of his body, drying off quickly when –

Flash. Everything turned red, black, and orange for a split second.

Kuwabara's eyes went wide with horror. Oh no…not again.

A territory? He hadn't felt those in years, and nothing good ever came out of it. His body seemed frozen in place, but he found that he could move it when he tried. It must have been out of shock…

His head whipped around, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. What psychics were there that could do this? Hagiri, Amanuma, Mitari, Kamiya…and those kids that Genkai had recruited…who else?

He heard a rustling behind him and turned around, extremely tense with beads of sweat over his face. He saw a young woman standing there, much to his surprise.

His eyes took in all the information they could at once – expensive shoes, beautiful legs, a short skirt, and a matching navy blue blazer that was open, revealing a tight white blouse. Her dark brown hair swayed slightly in the wind, obscuring part of her face. In any other situation, Kuwabara would have been taken aback by how beautiful she looked.

"You…" he said slowly. "You're doing this, aren't you?"

The girl raised her hand in a nonthreatening gesture. "Don't worry," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm not here to kill you, or anything like that."

Kuwabara stood his ground, tensing his muscles and dropping back into a fighting stance. "Don't give me that line of crap! Why the hell are you putting out a territory around me if you aren't looking for any trouble? Humans with psychic powers are never a good thing. So who are you? Some old friend of Sensui's? Don't think I won't get an answer from you by force just because you're a woman!"

Kuwabara was still shaking inside, and trying to act tough. The truth was, he had no idea what was going on. The last time he had dealt with humans with psychic powers, he had nearly ended up dead, along with all the ones he cared about.

She laughed. "So it's true what they say. You were always said to be a tough one. I'm glad that they were right. I had hoped to meet you."

This took him back as he straightened up, confused. What was she talking about? How did she know who he was?

"I've waited a long time to meet you, Kazuma Kuwabara," she said with a smile.

Sorry it took so long to update. Life has been hell the last few months to say the least.

Can't believe it's been a year since I started this! Still have lots of things planned. Please R and R, as always. I love knowing people are enjoying reading it, and it's a great motivation to keep me writing it.

Much love to all of you!

Kusanagi