Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei had wound up spending the night on Genkai's floor as they discussed the new threat. The whole night had been one big argument and debate. Who was that man? Where did he go? Why was he attacking? All questions were turned over, and over, only for no answers to be found. When Botan arrived, the poor grim reaper was also dragged into the mix, and the arguing increased.
It was around four in the morning when Genkai put her foot down and ordered everyone to sleep.
"We're upset, and wound up. This conversation is getting nowhere. Let's sleep. You three clearly need it!" Genkai shouted pointing an accusing finger at Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. "It's clear you haven't slept, maybe for days! And it's no wonder... you've been running around all of creation for months, trying to prevent a group of slavers from upsetting the balance of two words! We sleep now. Tomorrow we'll eat, and only after that will we try and figure this mess out again."
Yusuke opened his mouth to argue, but Genkai slapped her palm over his mouth and forced his head down on Puu's wing.
"Shut up brat and sleep! We'll discuss this tomorrow," Genkai ordered, before retiring to her own room before anyone could stop her.
Yusuke's nostrils flared, and he looked ready to explode, but after a moment he turned on his side swinging an arm around the large Phoenix's body. He grabbed Puu tight, nuzzling his face in Puu's feathers, he fluffed up with a pleased expression. Puu let out a soft chirring sound, before tucking his long neck around Yusuke and closing his eyes. It seemed both man and beast fell asleep instantly. Taking a cue from Yusuke, everyone else found spots in the room, and laid for sleep. They were all clearly anxious about what had just transpired.
Though the room was silent, and everyone did eventually drift off, the tension of the room was too high for anyone to get a real proper rest.
In the morning, Genkai woke early as she normally did. She did not feel any better awake, then she had when she'd gone to sleep. She sighed as she slowly got up, and began to get dressed. Today was not looking to be any easier than the one before. Once dressed, she checked on the group of people piled in her living room, counting the bodies to assure they were all there. Hiei in the far corner, Botan and Yukina on the couch, Kurama next to the coffee table... and Yusuke...?
"Dammit, where is that boy" She muttered as she saw Puu, now back in his smaller form, sleeping alone on a pillow.
She turned for the kitchen, and as she entered, spotted Yusuke, up and getting out food for breakfast.
"Making a feast?" Genkai asked as she made her way to the sink, and proceeded to wash her hands.
Without missing a beat, or turning to look at Genkai, Yusuke answered, "You said we had to eat right? I'm making food."
"I also recall saying we needed to sleep. Did you?" Genkai asked pulling out a slap of uncut bacon from her fridge.
"...A little," Yusuke muttered.
"You need more... but I won't decline the help. Just promise me you'll get some more rest later," Genkai muttered, pulling out a sharp knife.
"Fine, I promise," Yusuke swore grabbing a skillet from underneath the stove, "Just later. It's impossible to rest now."
As they worked together in the kitchen Genkai broke the silence by asking, "I don't want to launch into what happened last night, but I do want to know about the mission you were just on. We were all expecting you back much later... what happened?"
"Well we weren't really doing it all on our own," Yusuke explained flipping over a pile of eggs in the skillet, "Yomi had all his ears listening, and Mukuro had sent men out to help look for this group. Like Kurama thought, it really was human and demons working together to kill humans and make it look like some demon trafficking humans group. They were trying to damage what little good we'd managed to do in the last years. Mukuro managed to find out where they all were, and Yomi actually snatched them all up. The ringleader was a bit tough, but I blasted his ass to Kingdom Come!"
Genkai nodded, smiling a little, "Well I'm glad you're back. We all missed you."
"How's Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked, his voice soft.
"Doing well. But there is something new to tell you, and no, it's not bad," Genkai answered sensing Yusuke snap his head towards her, "But breakfast first, and then we'll discuss everything."
Yusuke seemed ready to press for more information, but sighed and went back to the task at hand.
It took maybe an hour for them to all eat, and even longer for everyone to relax. Everyone's nerves were frayed, and it was hard for everyone to settle. But Genkai didn't want to discuss anything that had transpired until everyone could be level-headed. She herself was anxious to carry on as well, but she'd be damned if they had another screaming match. When it was just past eleven, and the group were seated in Genkai's living room, Genkai cleared her throat, "I think we can all talk with level heads now. Or we can at least try! I want to catch you boys up on things that have been happening here, then I want to hear what you have been dealing with in demon world... then we can discuss our guest from last night."
Hiei made a sound of irritation, from his place against the wall, "We haven't been gone for years, we don't have anything to catch up on? What news could we possibly learn?"
"Well, for instance, Kuwabara is gone," Botan said with a sigh at Hiei's temper.
She had chosen a poor choice of words, for Yusuke had slammed his palms hard on to Genkai's coffee table, cracking the wood, "WHAT? What do you mean gone?!"
Kurama was also sitting up straight, and Hiei was so shocked he'd dropped his aggressive stance, and now stood staring at Botan, shock clear on his face.
Botan paled, realizing her mistake, "N-no, it's not bad... Kuwabara is almost done with school. He is now in the phase of his degree where he has to go help students. So he moved to Tokyo to teach at a small school in the Juuban district."
All three demons let out soft relieved sighs.
"It's good to hear he's working hard," Kurama said smiling.
"He should be back in six months to a year," Genkai added, "He should be up for visitors-"
"Not now," Yusuke said quickly, drawing attention in the room. Yusuke's ears tinged red, and he looked away from everyone as he continued, "We shouldn't visit him right now. He's working, and now some fucker is here. Kuwabara might try to rush back. He doesn't need to give up anything else...he's already given up a lot"
Hiei and Kurama both nodded, seeming to agree. "He'll be safe wherever he is," Kurama agreed, "We can contact him when this is all done."
"No reason to tell him at all. We can take care of this new threat, and meet back up with Kuwabara when he's done doing whatever you humans do," Hiei added, crossing his arms and looking at the floor.
Botan's head was swiveling between her three returned friends in the room. Their conversation was startlingly similar to what Kuwabara has said when she'd gone to visit them, and the same sad lonely look was echoed in all their eyes.
"Oh you boys are all so stupid!" Botan cried suddenly bursting into tears.
"Botan. What-"
"You're both worried about the same thing!" Botan choked, flinging her hands out in front of her with anger. "Kuwabara's not just teaching in Tokyo, he's up there spying for Koenma! And he said the same stupid thing about not wanting to tell you because you were all working so hard! You idiots are just trying to protect each other by keeping secrets-AND ITS ALL SO STUPID!" Botan cried hysterically.
"What do you mean he's spying for Koenma?" Genkai asked before Yusuke could explode.
Botan wiped her teary face, "There has been odd sightings and weird energy spikes in Tokyo. Koenma wanted Kuwabara to investigate-"
"How could Koenma be so stupid!?" Yusuke roared, jumping to his feet.
"It's not a dangerous mission. Koenma is almost certain that there are forces working against bad-" Botan tried to explain.
But Yusuke was furious. His eyes flashed, and his cheeks flushed red. His fangs had grown, and his spiritual power climbed high as Yusuke shouted, "Anything could be dangerous! If whoever he's spying on catches wise to him, he could be in real fucking trouble! What gives Koenma the right to send Kuwabara anywhere? We don't fucking work for him anymore, and on top of that-Kuwabara never worked for him!"
"I hate to agree with Yusuke when he's screaming his head off, but I do," Hiei interrupted, "A spy mission is no laughing matter. And shouldn't he be concentrating on that school thing? How the hell can he do that if he's out trying to perform heroics?!"
"Let me explain-" Botan tried again but to no avail.
"What could possibly explain this action?!" Kurama interrupted, his own frustrations spilling out of him like boiling water from a kettle, "When we started our mission, two months ago, Kuwabara was still limping! I know for a fact that limp isn't gone, and his leg must still be hurting. Sending him on his own to investigate odd sightings and weird energy spikes? That should be a team effort!"
"Others were sent beforehand! There are risks, but Koenma and Kuwabara both agree, that Kuwabara is capable," Botan stuttered trying to get a point, only to be interrupted further.
"Letting him go off on his own! I can't-" Yusuke let out a frustrated growl that exploded into a roar, "He should just be worrying about his godamn school! He shouldn't worry about this shit anymore! Sending him alone, when his leg is the way it is! Koenma's just a fucking, selfish piece of-"
"Stop it! Stop it!" Yukina suddenly cried, her voice high and cracking as she jumped to her feet. "Kazuma hates being left behind! He hates it! He can't stand being on his own without you! He wanted to do this to prove that even if he stumbles, he can still keep up! He's not a bird you can keep in a cage!"
A shocked silence settled over the group. Shocked at their anger, their fear, and at Yukina's passionate reveal.
"Did...Kuwabara say all this to you?" Kurama was the first to break the silence.
"No... not really," Yukina sniffled, wiping gems from her face that fell with a tinkling clatter, "Kazuma hated when you left for the makai tournament years ago. He was so proud though... so proud that he studied really hard. He said as long as he was trying his best he didn't feel like he was being left alone. But... but that's what you're doing now. You're trying to protect him, but you're just making him be on his own. And he hates it. He hates to feel like he's being left behind. I could see it clearly in his eyes last time we were together."
Yusuke balled his fists into his hands and cursed as he turned away. He walked to the wall behind him and pressed his forehead against it, sniffling suddenly, "I'm not trying to leave him alone. I can't stand all this. If I'd just gotten to him sooner I could have stopped Harumi-"
"No! Yusuke you can't blame yourself for that again," Genkai interrupted, her voice harsh but her eyes full of understanding and sympathy.
"We can't blame ourselves for Harumi's deeds," Kurama agreed, even as his tone sounded conflicted, "I... I understand wanting to. We all do, but we can't. Kuwabara would hate for us to do so."
Hiei declined to speak, though he turned his face away from the group, a quiet anger burning in his eyes as he remembered the past.
Yusuke let out a shaky breath but did not speak anymore, or turn from the wall. Eventually, Genkai sighed, "We will discuss more about Kuwabara's mission later. For now, let's set it aside... I want to hear more on what you three faced. Have you been injured, do you need to recover, etc, etc. I want to know what your condition is, now that we might be up for another fight."
"There's not much to explain than what I already said. We caught the group, found their stupid fucking leader, and I blew him up," Yusuke muttered.
"We're really fine. We rested before we came back," Kurama assured Genkai.
Genkai snorted looking hard at Kurama's face, "Bullshit. You're all exhausted."
The three demons, while arriving at the nick of time last night, did not look in the best of health. Though no injuries could be seen, dark rings hung in heavy bags under all the boys' eyes. All three were paler, and their tempers short. No doubt the three had gone days without consistent sleep, maybe even weeks.
"The only complaint we could possibly have is fatigue, there is nothing wrong with us," Hiei growled defensively, gritting his teeth.
"That shittier than normal attitude proves my point. You're all exhausted. We need to try and see to that. You may not like it, but you all must get some rest. A day 's worth of rest at the very least. This Lyrae guy, seems the type to wait and formulate a plan, he had that arrogant piece of shit look about his eyes. We should use his ego to our advantage, and rest. We can take shifts if it makes you all feel better, but after we're all well and recharged then we can come up with a plan," Genkai snipped, voice firm. She was having none of anyone's bullshit today!
"Wait?" Kurama repeated confusion in his eyes.
"It sounds foolish, but if we try and find Lyrae without thinking anything through, that will be even more foolish!" Genkai snorted, "You all look fried, and working with frayed ends is no good. We need rest, we need to plan...caution is our best step."
"So can we finally talk about this mystery visitor?" Hiei asked, his tone sharp and aggravated, his impatience clear.
Genkai sighed but nodded, "Yes. No use putting it off any longer. This will sound...crazy."
"Crazier than a kid getting hit by a car, dying, making friends with a grim reaper, and then coming back to life after making a deal with a demi-god?" Yusuke snorted, finally turning back around, and sliding down the wall, before crumpling into a seated position. His voice was tired, but he sounded less angry than before.
"No, it's not much crazier than that," Genkai answered with a half smile, "There was a meteor shower last night, and I'm pretty sure this man who calls himself Lyrae fell from the sky."
All eyes were now on Genkai, mouths slightly open as they squinted at her in blatant disbelief.
"I told you, it sounds crazy," she said simply with a shrug. "Last night as the stars fell, I felt a great evil pierce our atmosphere. And then a meteor crashed into the middle of the forest. Soon after that, he arrived. He had this strange ability. His eyes glowed black, and then I found myself barely able to move. Puu was also affected by it. He also clearly had a great amount of strength, as he took Puu head on. They appeared evenly matched."
Kurama made a sound in the back of his throat and shook his head, "That's not good. When we arrived we could sense something... but it didn't feel like demonic energy."
"Or human energy," Yusuke added.
"No... he was different. Very hard to read," Genkai agreed. She rubbed her eyes, before jolting, and straightening back up, "He also gave some other information, his name of course. He said he'd been sealed away, no he said he'd been imprisoned for millennia," Genkai hastily corrected herself, wanting to remember everything she'd heard him say, "He was also after someone. Epsilon. He said he could smell Epsilon here. On me, on Puu, on Yukina...he thinks we're giving him sanctuary."
"Sounds like we're dealing with a basket case," Hiei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Could...Yusuke be Epsilon?" Kurama suggested as he titled his head in thought.
"Yusuke?" Botan looked over at the red-head puzzled.
"Yes... The man acted as if he knew Yusuke," Kurama explained.
"Yeah. Said he was happy to get a second chance at me. Said he was blessed even!" Yusuke snorted as he recalled Lyrae's delighted face.
"A case of mistaken identity? He thinks you're Epsilon?" Botan questioned, pointing at Yusuke who shrugged in response.
"It's a theory..." Genkai sighed tapping her fingers against her chin, "And it's not a bad one. Yusuke has been here, been near all of us. And he left quite peacefully when he saw you..." She glanced over at Yusuke and studied his face. "This could be a case of mistaken identity..."
"We could run the name Epsilon by Koenma. And mention Lyrae. Perhaps he can give us more information," Kurama suggested.
"That's exactly what we should do. Two of you can go, while the rest of us get some sleep. We need to be prepared for his next attack," Genkai declared, nodding along with Kurama.
"I'll go," Yusuke said quickly, rising to his feet.
"Yusuke," Kurama began, clearly getting ready to protest.
"I'll rest after," Yusuke snapped, voice firm, "I need to talk to Koenma. I can't sit here and take a nap!"
"I'll take you," Botan sighed, "but you do have to come back and rest. Genkai is right... you three are exhausted."
Hiei ignored Botan, but turned to head out the shrine door, Yusuke following in step. Kurama sighed and shook his head, pressing both palms into his eyes. "I am tired...I will rest. I need a clear head," Kurama sighed. His insides twisted against the thought of sleeping when there was still danger all around, but logically he needed to rest. He couldn't plan or even concentrate if he was this exhausted. Genkai placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder, "Rest, and then force your stupid friends to do the same alright?"
Kurama smiled and weakly nodded to Genkai, no longer able or willing to fight his exhaustion.
As he got up to retire to a spare bedroom, he turned to Botan, "Hey... make sure Yusuke doesn't punch anyone in the face."
The first thing Yusuke did when he saw Koenma, was punch him square in the face.
"YUSUKE!" Botan cried appalled, grabbing the young man's arm.
Koenma was collapsed against his desk, holding his bruised cheek, and sucking on his split lip, "It's fine... he held back."
"I did," Yusuke admitted, words steely as he glared daggers at Koenma, "Because as angry as I am that you sent Kuwabara somewhere, alone... I know that he wanted to go. And I just... you're lucky," Yusuke growled, "Because if you were anyone else I'd think you were playing on Kuwabara's emotions to get a favor!"
" You know I would never," Koenma snarled, spitting blood as he talked. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he steadied himself against his desk, "He wanted to go, he really did." Koenma dropped his hand from his face so that he could look Yusuke's gaze dead on. "I didn't send him to do anything fool-hardy, or anything that will put him in danger. I had sent teams out to investigate this earlier. For months even! They did encounter some danger, but it was all because they tried to approach the danger. He's not to do that, Kuwabara's just there to listen and learn about a few people of interest. He's to call me at the first sign of trouble. It's been days now and all he's done is taught at a school, and listened to rumors."
"I still can't believe you sent him somewhere-even for a small mission-without telling m-us!" Yusuke shouted, quickly catching himself.
"Are you his friend, or his jailor?" Koenma asked, his words icy.
"What?!" Yusuke snapped, shaking Botan off and taking a step closer towards Koenma.
"A cage of love is still a cage, and we all had him locked up tight in it! If we want Kuwabara to recover, physically and mentally, we cant hover over his shoulder. He doesn't want to live that way!" Koenma boldly stated, staring straight back at the Mazoku's flashing eyes.
The room was tense, with Hiei baring as a quiet witness. His stance was aggressive, and he clearly was on Yusuke's side, but he made no motion to attack the demi-god.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Please!" Botan sobbed, breaking between Yusuke and Koenma, throwing her arms around Koenma protectively, "Please don't hurt Koenma anymore! Please stop fighting! What good is attacking each other doing?!"
Koenma seemed startled, and his arms immediately wrapped around the woman in comfort, "Botan..."
Yusuke let out a hot breath and unclenched his fists. He looked at Botan's tightly closed eyes, and tear ravaged face, and felt a sharp stab of guilt. Taking a slow breath Yusuke muttered, "I don't know what's worse. Hating that Kuwabara's alone, or knowing that you're fucking right." Yusuke turned from the pair, and raked a hand through his hair, mussing it as he did so.
Hiei reached out and touched Yusuke's arm, offering silent words of comfort.
"I care about Kuwabara too," Koenma said to Yusuke's retreating back, "I wouldn't put him in danger either. I promise... this is something he can handle. Believe me. Believe in him."
Yusuke sighed, turning back to face Koenma, "I'm not apologizing for punching you in the face, I still owed you a punch, but I'm done. He's gone... a decision he made his own. I'll stop... I'll stop throwing a tantrum about it. Botan... please stop crying."
"You boys!" She sobbed in a watery voice, "So stupid! All of you!"
"I know," Yusuke sighed, half smiling, "You've already said that before."
"Well I really, really mean it! You're all stupid!" She shrieked, her high-pitched squeak and angry wet face coming off as rather comical. She had an iron grip around Koenma's waist, and her cheek was flattened against his chest. Koenma just smiled helplessly, keeping Botan in a loose comforting embrace.
"Next time we see Kuwabara... we'll work this shit out. Promise," Yusuke said.
"Now that that's done, we have a few questions," Hiei finally spoke.
"It's about last night right?" Koenma asked, "Botan called and roughly explained it to me. Some guy attacked Genkai's shrine."
"Yeah some weirdo that fell from outer space!" Yusuke snorted incredulously.
"What?" Koenma gasped, his face twisting in confusion.
"Genkai and Yukina claim that after a meteor shower, and one of the meteors fell in the forest. Then a man calling himself Lyrae appeared and attacked," Hiei explained.
"He was looking for someone called Epsilon," Yusuke added, "You ever hear those names before?"
Koenma's lips pressed into a thin flat line, and with some reluctance, he released Botan. He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before heading to his desk and pulling a thick book from under a stack of papers. "I really feel like I have heard those names before. But not...not recently," Koenma murmured, flipping through the pages of the book. "I've heard the names... from back when my father was in charge. Back when I was a child, an actual child," Koenma gave Yusuke a sharp look, and Yusuke closed his mouth, disappointed he'd missed a chance for a snarky joke.
"Do we need to look through your father's old files?" Botan asked, her voice thick, but her eyes finally dry.
"Yes I think so... it would be in the special cases. I know that actually doesn't narrow it down too much, but I remember my father panicking. He kept saying the name Epsilon over and over, but there was another name too," Koenma's voice fluctuated in volume as he spoke. He was already working on the task Yusuke had asked of him, and it seemed his focus was already divided in two.
"Do you remember it?" Yusuke asked, approaching Koenma's desk, and trying to peak at the book Koenma was flipping through.
"No. I was younger then, much, much younger!" Koenma sighed, "I''m surprised I even remember the name! But... I dunno. I think I have vague memories of my dad in a panic about something. It had to do with... a dispute or jurisdiction."
"Juri-what?" Yusuke cocked an eyebrow.
"The right to decide if you have legal judgment," Hiei answered joining Yusuke's side, "My guess is something happened, and Koenma's father was trying not to deal with it. Or he wanted to stick his nose in it and had no right to."
"Sounds like my dad," Koenma sighed. He set the book down, "It will take a while for me to go through all this... but I can promise I'll contact you all when I find out anything." Koenma looked Yusuke in the eyes, and frowned, "You should go back to Genkai's get some sleep. You just finished a mission. Rest up while I work on this."
Yusuke let out a disgruntled noise, and rolled his eyes, "You sound like Genkai."
"Then you really should take the advice. Is she ever wrong?" Koenma asked with a smug smile.
"What about Kuwabara," Hiei suddenly interjected, "Should we let him know about this?"
"Yes!" Botan cried, exasperated that the subject was being brought up again.
"I don't know," Yusuke said slowly. At Botan's seething look, Yusuke held up a hand, "Here me out. I'm not speaking out of concern... not completely. Koenma already has Kuwabara on another assignment, and on top of that, he's in Tokyo for school. What good is it to let him know? As far as he knows, we're all supposed to be gone still."
Koenma folded his hands together and rest his chin on top of his laced fingers. He was frowning, "I... I don't know what to say here. If we're being attacked here, I don't think cluing Kuwabara into it all is a good idea. He'd be stressed out, and he is supposed to be gathering information over there. If he can't concentrate he can't do any good, and if he gets too concerned he'll drop everything and come back. If he does that, he risks his degree!"
"But not telling him isn't fair!" Botan cried, "I convinced him to tell all of you," Botan gestured to Hiei and Yusuke with a wave,"what he was doing when you all got back. If he knew you were back, he would have told you where he was!"
"Would he have told us he was on a mission?" Hiei asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.
Botan's face flushed with anger, "I don't know. I can't fully speak to that, but he was going to contact you as soon as he was informed you returned! You can't not say anything! It's not fair! When he finds out, because let me remind you-he's a clairvoyant-he'll be heartbroken!" Botan waved her arms becoming more exaggerated as her anger grew, "If you do this to him... it may break all his trust in us."
There was a long silence as the three men in the room took in Botan's words.
Koenma pulled his pacifier from his mouth and set it on the table, "This is very complicated. I am not trying to dismiss Kuwabara's feelings, or him. Kuwabara is a strong ally, no matter what state he is in now. But... I still don't think telling him what is going on will be beneficial! He can't quit what he's doing now. We could ruin his educational career. We're not in a good spot here."
"Then we tell him we're home," Hiei declared, silencing the squabbling.
"We tell him we're here. He was going to contact us when we came back and tell us where he is," Hiei continued, "If he tells us what mission he's on... then we tell him what we're doing. Quid pro quo."
Yusuke sighed, "I really don't want to hurt Kuwabara. That's the last thing I want. But I think a half-truth is all we can do."
Botan sighed unable to argue against it. Kuwabara had made no real promises to tell Yusuke and the others about his mission. Botan wasn't sure if she could fault Hiei and Yusuke for keeping their new mission a secret.
"We'll call him, but after some rest. I'm starting to feel how goddamn bone tired I am!" Yusuke moaned, rubbing a knot between his neck and shoulder. This whole situation was really starting to wind him up.
Hiei turned from Koenma making his way towards the exit. Yusuke sighed watching Hiei walk away. He turned to Koenma and shrugged, "Get back to us as soon as you can."
Koenma nodded, "I will. I promise."
Hiei slipped out without a sight. Yusuke wasn't sure if Hiei would actually go to Genkai's or instead go and see Mukuro. It was a tough call. Hiei wasn't one to follow orders or instructions, but since the incident with Harumi, Hiei tended to hang around more often. Yusuke had just made it to the door when he heard Koenma say a soft word, "Serenity."
Yusuke blinked and turned back to Koenma, "Koenma?"
Koenma was sitting still, and staring blankly at the book in his hands. When Yusuke said his name, Koenma looked up. He blinked before shaking his head and waving a hand dismissively, "It's not anything, not really. I just remembered another name I heard a lot of. It was being said alongside with Epsilon. Serenity."
"Serenity?" Yusuke repeated.
Koenma nodded absently, going back to his book. Botan walked over to the second desk in Koenma room and began to look under a stack of papers. Clearly, she would be staying behind to help her boss. Yusuke watched the scene for a moment longer, confused at the second name Koenma had said.
"Serenity."
End of Chapter 5