[A/N: It's finals week and I'm freaking out! I decided to post this because A) Wednesday was supposed to be my original update day and it's technically Wednesday now, B) I'm procrastinating from studying in anyway possible (Even if that just means taking 10 minutes to edit and post this online) and C) My update last week was late anyway! So here you go! Only one chapter after this. We'll see how much time I spend crying about finals and worrying about my grades before I get to work on the last series, but I've got a busy summer ahead of me, so we'll see what happens! In the meantime, enjoy and thanks for sticking around! Don't forget to review!]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Some Other Beginning's End

I knew I was in trouble when I actually woke up in a bed, and not in line in Other World ready to be scolded by King Yemma. I was alive and apparently well.

"Well, it looks like you're conscious now. Everyone will be pleased to hear that."

I knew that voice and I sat up quickly, despite how tired I was. The sense of relief that came over me, seeing Kurama sitting next to my bed, clearly ready to scold me for my stupidity and obviously prepared to be condescending was more than I could handle.

I quickly climbed out of bed and hugged him.

"You're alive. I can't believe you're alive," I said hugging him tightly.

"I could almost say the same for you," Kurama said. "Keiko and I didn't get to experience your fight first hand, but thanks to King Kai we were all present for your near final act of stupidity."

"Like you've got room to talk. Didn't you throw yourself in the path of a million Saibamen to save me?" I asked sitting back down on my bed.

"I suppose that's true, of course, I was able to be wished back, unlike some people we know," he said. "What were you thinking?"

"That I was going to die and everyone was going to get to live. I am my father's child after all," I said. "Speaking of it, how exactly-."

"Kairi!" another voice I was happy to hear.

Keiko had appeared, being piggy backed by Yusuke.

"Tell him to put me down," she said.

"Kairi can talk all she wants. I am not letting you out of my sight," Yusuke said.

"I'm on your back. You can't even see me," Keiko pointed out.

"I'm still not putting you down," Yusuke said. "And how are you doing Kairi?"

"Well, I'm alive, so okay I guess," I said.

"Yeah, about that stupid stunt you pulled, what the hell was that all about?" Yusuke asked. "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."

"What was she supposed to do? Wait for you to think of something oh, brilliant one?" Kuwabara asked entering the room.

"I'm glad someone supports my decisions," I said

"Oh, no, I think you're crazy, but given that you survived, I'm willing to forgive you," Kuwabara said.

"Yeah, again, about that—how did I do that exactly?" I asked. They all stared at me blankly. "I went into this not expecting to come out, but here I am, so just tell me-."

"What do you mean you went in not expecting to come out?" Kurama asked.

I immediately clammed up. Some how, nearly dying had shorted my memory and I'd forgotten that I hadn't told anyone that I'd predicted my own death. Oops.

"Right. . . So. . . Maybe when I fainted before I might have. . . You know. . . Predicted my own death," I said.

"You knew you were going to die the whole time and you didn't tell anyone?!" Yusuke scolded me. "Keiko, get off my back, I have to hit Kairi now." Keiko did as instructed and Yusuke marched right over and whacked upside the head. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"I did tell. . . Sort of," I said. "I told Bardock, because I knew after I'd seen it that the reason he'd been so sketchy the whole time was because he knew I was going to die. And Hiei's just one of those annoying psychics who probes the brains of other unconscious psychics."

"Wait? Hiei knew?" Kurama asked. I nodded. He looked over to Yusuke and Kuwabara. "I suppose that puts things into perspective doesn't it?"

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Well, after you went down and your boyfriend took down Janemba, Hiei got up. Obviously I knew that it was weird because you can usually expect him to be out for at least six hours after that dragon, but before Kurosaki and I could even get to you, Hiei was there giving you his energy, except you were dumping out yours so fast still, you were practically dead before it seemed like it was working. We thought you were both going to die," Yusuke said.

"But he's fine isn't he?" I asked.

"He is now," Yusuke said.

". . . What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, it's not like he had a crap ton of energy leftover to give you after that attack. You know what that Dragon does to him," Yusuke said. "He had to tap into his reserves to help you out."

"You mean his life energy?" I asked.

"Our Team Cynic died saving your life," Kurama said. "Obviously he's alive and well now, thanks to the Dragon Balls, but for a brief moment the world was without Hiei."

I was shocked. Hiei. Of all people, Hiei. One of my very first experiences with Hiei was him telling me that he wouldn't die for anyone else ever and that was all out of the window now because of me.

"It puts things into perspective because, the only reason Hiei would have had the forethought to make sure he had enough energy to sustain consciousness after the dragon would've been if he'd known you weren't going to make it in the first place," Kurama said.

"I guess that does make sense," I said.

"Naturally, he's not speaking to any of us right now because he knows we'll question him, but we'll have to leave the Lookout eventually," Kurama said.

"Hey, you're up."

Now Ichigo had appeared.

"Yep. Alive and well," I said.

"Good. You're gonna wanna see this," he said.

We all left the room and came out to the main area of the Lookout and it was covered in hundreds of blanks.

"Holy shit," I said. "Where did they come from?"

"After we released the soul from the Orb these all just kind of. . . Stuck around here," Ichigo said.

"That means the Shinenju is close by right?" Yusuke asked.

"It's been here the whole time," Bardock said. He walked over to one of the blanks and touched it. It changed instantly into the form of an old man. Then, all around us, the blanks changed into people, regular pluses, all standing around us.

"Yes, I suppose that would make sense," Genkai said.

"So all this time. . . You've been the Shinenju?" I asked.

"Don't be too upset with him, it's not like he could have known who he was, not until he actually got to the Valley of Screams anyway," Kisuke said.

"So. . . What happens now?" I asked.

Slowly all the souls around started to disappear until only we were left standing there.

"Now that all the memories have been returned to their souls, the Shinenju—Bardock, will disappear," Kisuke said.

"And then we'll all forget he was ever here?" Goten asked.

"Yep," Ichigo said.

Mostly, I had found my grandfather annoying since he'd gotten here, but now that it turned out he was leaving, wasn't even real to begin with, and that I wouldn't see or remember any of this, I was a little sad. He hadn't been all bad after all. And he was family.

"So I guess this is goodbye then," Dad said.

"You know, if I were going to be able to remember this, I think I'd spend the rest of my life wondering if you were really an asshole or if you acted the way you did because you were the Shinenju," I said.

"Definitely a real life asshole," Bardock said.

"Darn, now we won't remember where you inherited your genetic assholery from," Goten said. I rolled my eyes.

"You raised some good kids, Goku," Bardock said. "But keep an eye on that one—she's trouble."

"We've known that for 16 years," Dad said, putting his arm around me.

"I'm 15," I corrected him.

"For 15 years," Dad said.

"And barring her doing anything else as stpid as she did today, hopefully she'll be around to give us grief for another 15 years," Gohan said.

Bardock started to fade away in front of us.

"Take care of yourselves," he said.

And then he was gone.

888

It was weird being back at school like nothing had happened. There were no giant holes in the building, everyone's lockers were intact. I never ceased to find life post Dragon Balls to be bizarre. It erased everything like it had never happened at all.

Of course, some things had changed now.

Ichigo and I had barely spoken a word since we'd left the Lookout the day before. I knew we were both thinking the same thing and just waiting for the opportune moment to go through with it.

It wasn't until lunch when we were sitting in class together, no longer being hovered over by teachers or our friends that he finally spoke up.

"I think we need to talk," he said.

I sighed. "I wondered when this was going to happen."

Ichigo blinked at me. "What?"

"You breaking up with me. I wondered how long into the day it would take for it to happen," I said.

"How did you-?"

"I am not an idiot. Just an emotionally torn 15-year-old girl," I said. "I really do like you, Ichigo."

"I know," he said. "It's the whole you also liking other people that I find bothersome."

"I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm not," I said.

". . . He cares about you, like, a lot. Hiei does," Ichigo said.

I shrugged. "Kind of impossible to be able to tell that."

"I think purposefully giving up your life to save somebody else is all the evidence you need to prove that he does care about you," Ichigo said.

"So, are you breaking up with me because you want me to run back to him now that he can't lie about his feelings anymore?" I asked.

"I'm breaking up with you because I don't want to share you. And I want you to be happy. If you're happy with Hiei, then you're happy with Hiei," Ichigo said.

"And if I'm not?" I asked.

"Then feel free to come complain about it to me—as a friend," he said. "I think we'll be better off that way."

I nodded. "You are going to make some other girl so incredibly happy, Ichigo. I mean that."

"And I really do think you're too good for Hiei," he said. "So, whatever you do, be careful."

"I'd actually have to see Hiei and I know where he is for anything like that to happen, so I think I'm safe for the moment," I said. "But thank you. Even though breaking up is totally going to break my mother's heart."

"And my dad's. . . And Yuzu's. . . Karin probably won't care," Ichigo said.

888

"I think it says a lot about you that you were able to break up so amicably with Ichigo," Kurama said as we walked into the house that afternoon. "I think you've actually managed to grow up a bit."

I nodded, slipping out of my shoes. "I guess. It also helps that I've decided to no longer live in denial."

"About that," Kurama said. "Just because you are no longer in denial, it doesn't mean that Hiei isn't."

"Well, it's going to be very difficult to prove that now after the stunt he pulled," I said.

"You know that won't matter," Kurama said.

"Well, I'm stuck either way, Kurama. I can't move forward until I finally talk things out with him," I said.

Kurama sighed. "Be careful. You both aren't exactly known for your good judgment. Especially after yesterday. And whether he was willing to risk his life to save yours or not, I still don't know if I trust him with you."

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

"Nope," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "I just need to talk to him."

I plopped down on the couch and pulled my book bag up beside me as Kurama's phone rang. He answered it as I pulled out my math homework.

"Hello, Mother. . . Actually, yes. Kairi and I just walked in the door as a matter of fact," Kurama said.

I groaned. Shiori was getting married next month. Her step-son and her husband were moving in here. I was going to be leaving to go stay at Capsule Corp., and I just knew that she was calling to invite us to some wedding preparation event that I seriously didn't want to go to.

"Did you want to come to dinner with us tonight?" Kurama asked.

"Oh, no. I've just got so much homework and packing to do," I said sarcastically. I knew eventually I'd have to meet my future Uncle-In-Law and cousin, but at the moment I wasn't sure I could do it without embarrassing Shiori and upsetting her. I had to wait until my sarcasm levels died down and I could pretend to be interested.

"No, she says she doesn't want to," Kurama said. ". . . Yes, no problem. I'll just head there now."

Kurama hung up his phone.

"Leaving me already?" I asked.

"Sadly. I'm going to walk Shuichi home from school," Kurama said.

I paused. "Shuichi?" Kurama stared at me. "Your name is Shuichi."

". . . So it is," he said, slowly moving to the door. "I'll just be going now."

". . . Is your step-brother's name also Shuichi?" I asked. Kurama paused, but eventually nodded. I laughed. "And how long were you planning on keeping that a secret? How long did you think you'd be able to? Wow! That is amazing."

"Will you just let it go?" Kurama asked.

"Absolutely not," I said. "I can't wait to meet the little tyke so I can make fun of him too."

"Have fun during your evening alone," he said.

"I will try," I said. "Bye, bye, Shuichi."

Kurama rolled his eyes at me before walking out the door.

I laughed to myself as I collected my math book. There was no point in sitting in the living room if I was going to be by myself. I walked upstairs to my room and tossed my stuff down on the floor. I collapsed onto my bed, instantly no longer caring about homework.

I grabbed my phone and called Yusuke.

"How is life, Kairi Son?" Yusuke asked.

"It's fine," I said. "I just found out Kurama's step-brother is also name Shuichi. I'll be laughing at that for a few days."

"That's weird. I wonder if that's why your aunt started dating that guy in the first place," Yusuke said

"So she can raise a whole herd of children named Shuichi?" I asked.

"You never know," Yusuke said.

". . . Ichigo broke up with me," I said.

"I'm sure you're heartbroken," Yusuke said, his sarcasm evident.

"Ichigo's a great guy," I said. "I just-."

"Are crazy about a boy who's a whole foot shorter, and about ten times as irritable," Yusuke said.

"I don't appreciate your bluntness, but yes," I said.

"I told you. Didn't I tell you?" Yusuke asked. "I told you that you still had feelings for Hiei, and now that he's almost up to admitting how he feels about you, you're rethinking it. I knew it was going to happen."

"Everyone knew. That's why I was dumped. That's why I'm okay with it. Just try not to rub it in anymore," I said. "It's not like I even know where he is to talk to him about anything."

"He'll turn up eventually," Yusuke said. "I'm sure he'll have a hard time staying away once he's done arguing with his conscious. He probably wants to talk to you to?"

"And what do you think he'll say?" I asked.

"Either that you and your feminine wiles are ruining his life and he can never see you again, or that he'd be willing to risk his life to save yours any day of the week," Yusuke said. "Either way it warrants a conversation."

"I guess so," I said. Just then, my window slid open and in climbed Hiei. "Hey, Yusuke, I've gotta call you back."