I ran towards the general direction of Susano's house. I didn't know exactly where it was, but I had the gist of it.
What was I going to tell him? I hadn't even made my choice yet. I wanted to stay with Susano, but all of my new friends in life…
"Tera? What are you doing here?" Susano's puzzled voice asked. I stopped short of the house I'd just been about to pass. He was leaning over a garden full of flowers. I smiled slightly. He'd always loved gardening.
"Sorry," I panted (yeah, apparently dead people can run out of breath), "but there's something I need to talk to you about."
Susano put down the pruning shears he was carrying and walked over to me. "Is everything alright?"
I sighed. "I don't know. I was hoping…You could help me figure it out."
"Of course. Come in."
Susano's house was much different than mine. More practical, with far less decorative trinkets. Manly, and boring. He showed me to a pair of comfy chairs, and went to fetch tea. My mind was in turmoil over what I needed to tell him.
"Okay, talk to me, Tera." He said. I bit my lower lip, unsure of how to begin. He smiled, recognizing that as when I didn't know what to say. "Come on, you can talk to me."
I sighed, trying to let go of all my anxiety. "I'm…I've been giving another chance."
His eyes lit up. "At life? This is great, Tera!"
He was so excited, but I couldn't share his enthusiasm. I brought my knees up to my chest.
"Tera, what's wrong?" Susano came over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Do you not want to live again?"
"Well, I do…But then I don't." I answered, my words slightly muffled when I buried my head in between my knees. "I don't…Because you're not there. But I do…Because he's there."
Susano stuck a finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. "But I'll still be here when you die again. Because you will, most definitely. However, being given a chance to be alive again…And to be with the one you love…That might not ever happen again."
"You sure?" I asked him sheepishly. He smiled brightly.
"Well, duh. Now, give me a hug. I think there's someone else here to see you."
I peeked around in surprise to see Ayame standing by the front door, smiling at me. Well, I guess I had made my decision…I threw my arms around Susano, before trotting off to follow Ayame. I made sure to imprint an image of Susano's smile on my memory to keep until I saw him again.
**************
The oar ride back to Lord Koenma's magnificent palace was pleasant. Ayame told me that it was only enjoyable because she was the one driving. If someone like, say, Botan, were to be taking me back…Well, I might die of a heart attack the second I was resurrected. Within minutes, I was once again standing before Koenma's desk. He smiled at me.
"Welcome back, Tera."
I bowed. "It's good to be back."
"Well," he said, all business-like, "you don't have to waste any time here. I can get you sent back to life right away. Don't worry, they haven't buried or cremated your body."
"Good to hear…" I didn't want to know what would have happened if I had been cremated. Would I be forced to re-inhabit a pile of ashes? Or given a new body altogether? Anyways, none of that mattered now. I graciously thanked Koenma, bowing once again. As a response, he blew a puff of dust in my direction. I only wondered the reason for this for a moment, before I began to glow, and the room around me became fuzzy.
"Do you want to know who made it possible for you to be brought back to life?" Koenma called as I began to disappear.
"Yes!" I cried. I wasn't sure if he heard me, because to me, my voice sounded hazy and distant.
He smiled a moment before answering.
"Hiei."
**************
Whoa…Disorientation, major. I felt woozy, like I had just woken up from a year-long nap. Which, as far as I knew, was how long it had been. I shook my head to try and clear the fog to no avail.
"Tera!" A loud voice cried. Too loud. Suddenly, it felt like I had a hangover.
"OW!" I yelled, as someone literally jumped on me. I fell back on the bed and blinked a few times before my vision was clear enough that I recognized my attacker.
"A-Atsuko?" I gasped, finding myself quite out of air.
"You're alive again!" She shrieked. "Just like my Yusuke! Isn't this wonderful?!"
I saw Yusuke standing behind Atsuko, watching her nearly smother me. Alive again? I mouthed to him. He smiled a gave me an expression that said, 'I'll explain later.'
Yusuke, Atsuko, Yukina, Kuwabara, Tao, and Kurama were all in attendance…But not Hiei. My heart fell in disappointment. He'd been the one person I'd been most eager to see again. I didn't want to ask where he was, because I didn't want to know the answer. However, my expression must have given my feelings away, because Kurama smiled that famous foxy smile of his, and pulled me up off the futon I had been lying on. He began to take me somewhere.
"Where are we going?" I asked him in confusion. I still felt the aftereffects of being dead, and I didn't know if I was up to walking at this point. But still, he only took me down the hall to another room. I didn't quite recognize this place, but I figured it must be his. He pulled open the door and flicked on the lights, showing me inside.
Hiei was lying, fast asleep (or maybe passed out was a better term) on the window sill. His black clothes were in tatters and covered with his own blood. I could see scratches and bruises on almost every part of his exposed skin. He looked awful! I spun around to Kurama.
"Kurama, what…?" I asked, wanting an explanation. Hiei looked worse than I did, and I'd been dead for who knows how long!
Kurama smiled, apparently unperturbed by my alarm. He pointed at the unconscious fire demon. "He's the one who endured Koenma's excruciating trials to bring you back to life. Apparenlty, they are ruthless tests that only demons have a hope for surviving, and he barely did. He's the one you have to thank for being alive again."
I covered my mouth with my hands, on the verge of tears. Hiei had done this…for me?! I walked into the room, pulling a chair up beside the window sill. I took one of his bloody hands in my own, laid my head on the window sill. I was so…Tired…