Chapter 25 Andantino (Or, the Fifth Consolation)
With one hand on the wheel and with the other holding his phone, Kurama tore through the city. He rang Asuka again with no response.
"My Love," he said into the phone. "Please pick up. Please. Don't do anything rash, I—" he swallowed. "I need you."
Something was wrong. He could feel it around him as he navigated the streets of Tokyo. The air had an electrical singe that he could taste.
Asuka.
He whipped the car aggressively around a turn and almost ran into a police car. It flashed its lights and Kurama reluctantly pulled over.
He didn't have time for this.
With deft fingers, Kurama fished through his hair until he found the flower of forgetfulness seed. He palmed it and glanced in the rearview mirror. The police officer slowly got out of the car, stretched, and adjusted his pants before moseying toward the Maxima.
Kurama tapped his foot impatiently.
When the officer arrived at the car, he indicated Kurama should roll down the window.
"Yes, Officer?" Kurama asked politely.
"You were driving aggressively. Let me see some identification."
Kurama turned toward the seat and grabbed his wallet out of his attaché case. Then, as he turned with it, he blew the pollen of the flower into the police officer's face.
The police officer stumbled backward, and his eyes glazed over. Kurama rolled up the window and drove off. After that encounter, Kurama tried to keep his impatience in check. He couldn't speed through Tokyo, anyway. Better to drive slower than risk getting stopped again.
The electrical current singed as he drove. Kurama recognized its potent energy. Though it had been over a decade since he'd last felt it, he knew. That was Asuka's original ki. Her seikoki.
Kurama gritted his teeth as the tingling sensation increased. It popped and an explosive wave shot through the air. It shook the car windows and rattled his bones. After, the electrical sensation ceased.
He was at least fifteen minutes from home. If she had brought out her original power, that meant she was planning on traveling to the Makai. He needed to catch her before it was too late.
Oh, my love.
If only he hadn't left her alone. If only he had stayed home like he wanted. He should never have prioritized work over her. He should've talked to her and been more supportive somehow.
His anxiety skyrocketed.
"Asuka, please pick up. I felt your power. Pick up, please," he said into the phone again.
She never responded.
Ten minutes. Ten minutes away.
The people walking in the streets hadn't noticed the ki explosion, but the birds had. Crows squawked and city pigeons flew in weird patterns. A dog owner soothed their dog while he barked.
At a red light, Kurama overhead two women talking on the street. They wondered if it was an earthquake. You're not far off.
Kurama pulled up to their apartment with a screech, slammed the car door, and bolted inside. He felt Asuka's power blowing through the building like a thunderous gale.
She's still here. I can catch her.
But then, a fresh worry pricked. Maybe she was at home because she had no other choice. Maybe something terrible had happened when she transformed. How would he find her? Another image of her bleeding in the shower flashed through his memory.
The lights in the building were out, which meant he couldn't use the elevator. He tore through the building and took two stairs at a time. He stumbled out of the top stairwell and inserted his key into the lock.
When Kurama opened the door, he stopped short.
Broken glass covered the floor. All the vases had shattered, the TV had shattered, and the windows were blown out. But amid their trashed apartment, Asuka sat with her back to him—playing the piano. Her hair glowed like molten bronze that flowed from the roots down to the long tips.
Kurama recognized the piece she played as one of the Consolations she'd been practicing for her CD concert. He was too stunned to speak.
Her fingers went up and down the keys as she played a melody that was bright and calm. Her playing was more assured, somehow. Like she believed in the very notes themselves.
He kept silent until she finished. Her fingers rested on the keys for a moment. Then she turned to face him. Her eyes were iridescent purple, and the Kanji for Fate glittered on her forehead.
"Hello, Love." Her voice was a shade lower in pitch than her Yosei body.
"Asuka?" he whispered. "Should I call you that?"
She stood. During the transformation, she had gotten new clothes. She now wore an iridescent dress that matched the new color of her iris'. The skirt seemed to swish of its own accord. "Don't worry…still me. And yes."
"I thought you'd be long gone by now," he said carefully.
She looked out the window. "A part of me wanted to because I'd do absolutely anything to protect you. Even if that meant leaving you behind again. But…" she turned, "I don't need Foresight to see how that would end. If I left, you would come after me, and if you did that, you would most certainly die. "
"Why? The time distortions?"
"Yes. In order to navigate them safely, we need my Foresight. So, I thought it would be best to wait for you and try to get used to being in this body again. I feel so strange."
Kurama blinked back his emotions.
Asuka's expression softened. "I wish I could convince you not to come with me, but I know I can't."
"Not any more than I wish I could convince you not to go."
She sighed. "I wish I didn't have to. But the barrier to the Makai will soon breech and this plane will be overrun with time distortion bubbles. I have to go to where the dragons are. It's our only chance."
"Do you know what they want?"
"No, I can't see that far. I can only see where they are. It's strange." Asuka's eyes flickered around. "There's more. I think we're going to need some help."
"What kind of help?"
"From our friends."
"Best not waste time, then. Should I get on the phone and begin calling people?"
"You can't," Asuka said. "Electronics don't work in the building right now. But it's fine. Koenma will be here any moment."
Right on cue, someone knocked.
Kurama opened the door for Koenma, who stepped through.
"Maeko," he said. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I didn't think it was possible."
"Just Asuka still. And I didn't think it was possible either."
Asuka gestured for Koenma to sit on the couch. Her hand gracefully moved in a manner befitting a queen or goddess. And her power was unlike anything Kurama had witnessed before. It radiated from her like a summer thunderstorm, crackling with an energy that could split the sky if she so chose.
She awed him.
"How did you get your powers back?" Koenma asked after they'd all sat.
"Thanks to a friend, I learned that creative spirit can power ki just as much as fighting spirit, so I used music. It resonated with the emotions I had and amplified them, which then gave me the power to reconvert my ki."
"A task infinitely more difficult with a ki of less power," Koenma said.
"Yes."
"I am impressed, but," Koenma hesitated. "Still…that was dangerous. Very dangerous. Several things could have gone wrong converting from that unstable ki of yours to Seikoki."
Asuka looked at her glowing hair. "I know. I was terrified something bad was going to happen. But I had to try. For the sake of everyone and the world, I had to try."
Kurama's heart ached. He didn't want to think about coming home and finding Asuka after a failed transformation. She could've…
"Do you know what the dragons want?" Koenma asked.
"I don't. But I know where to find them. They are somewhere deep and ancient."
"But in the Makai?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"Okay. What do you need?"
Asuka's eyes darted around for a moment before she said, "The barrier is going to fail soon. I have to be on my way before that happens. I need you to open the barrier just long enough for us to get through and I need our friends to help us punch a hole through the swarm of yokai who have gone mad."
"I think we can get everyone together."
"We need Hiei too. He should be in the Makai when the time goes right. There's a chance he'll be restored."
"But you don't know for sure?" Kurama asked.
"I don't."
"Still," Koenma said. "There's hope."
"Always."
Koenma was quiet. He looked at Kurama as he no doubt contemplated the same question on Kurama's mind.
"What is it?" Asuka asked.
"What will happen to you?" Koenma asked.
Asuka's eyes fluttered. "I don't know. My visions end at the place the dragons are."
"Perhaps it will be the same as before," Kurama suggested. "You lose your powers at that place."
"Maybe." Asuka hesitated. "But…I don't think so. I think…something else will happen."
"But you don't know," Kurama said. "There's hope." His eyes bore into Asuka's, daring her to say anything different.
"Always hope." Her voice was quieter.
"Well," Koenma said, interrupting them, "We don't have time to waste."
"We don't, but the others will be here soon. Yusuke and Kuwabara felt my power when my ki converted so everyone is rushing over. We just need someone to get Mukuro and Hiei. Boton will need to ferry them through the Raekai. I know it's unpleasant, but it's the only way they'll get here fast enough."
Koenma dug through his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open, dialed, and called Botan. After he finished explaining the situation, he hung up.
"New technology?" Kurama asked.
"We've been working on it for a while, but yes. It runs on Raeki."
"Then…in the meantime, I should clean this up," Asuka said, looking around at the shards of broken glass covering the floor of their apartment.
"I'll do it," Kurama said as he stood. "It won't take long."
Asuka nodded.
Kurama wanted nothing more than to talk to Asuka, but it seemed like he would have to wait. Her behavior was so antithetical to what it had been the past few days, and it was jarring.
He got out the dustpan and swept the floor while Asuka and Koenma talked over the gentle tinkle of broken glass. As he swept, he stole glances. Asuka's radiating power and the glow of her hair were impossible to ignore. Ethereal light, she was.
There was another knock on the door.
"Come in," Asuka called.
When the door opened, Keiko, Yusuke, and Shizuru entered their apartment.
"Woah!" Yusuke exclaimed. "I didn't think you could go back to your other self."
"I didn't either," Asuka said, "But…well—"
Without a word, Shizuru ran over to Asuka and grabbed her hand. She led Asuka down the hallway to the spare bedroom. Keiko followed.
Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, Kurama? What happens to the baby if Asuka switches bodies?"
Kurama slumped on the sofa, his mental and emotional exhaustion getting the better of him.
Yusuke sat. "Kurama?"
Kurama looked at his friend. "She already…lost the baby," he whispered.
Yusuke swallowed, put his hand on Kurama's shoulder, and gave a small squeeze. Kurama nodded. There was nothing else to say while Koenma was in the room, and Asuka was just down the hall. But Kurama appreciated the gesture all the same.
There was another knock.
"Come in," Kurama called.
Yukina and Kuwabara came in. Yukina glanced all around the room before her eyes settled on Kurama. "Is Asuka alright?" Yukina asked. "Where is she?"
"She's in our room with Shizuru and Keiko. She'll be back in a moment."
"I will join them. Kazuma, please take Maeko."
Kuwabara swooped in and took the fussy baby into his arms. He bounced and swayed her as she cried. Yukina didn't look back as she went to find Asuka.
The minutes ticked. Kurama wondered what they were talking about. The pregnancy? The conversion to her holy form? All of it? None of it? He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. So much had happened today, and more was going to happen. The love of his life had already suffered so much, and on top of that, her grieving process had to be cut short for the emergency of saving the world. That's how it was back when the gang were teenagers, but he had gotten used to a quiet life with Asuka.
And…if Kurama were honest, this human body, while strong, was feeling worn out.
"Yo, Kurama," Kuwabara said.
Kurama looked up.
"You uh…have had a rough time, eh? I don't really know the details, but I can tell from your face."
"Yes," Kurama said quietly.
Kuwabara nodded as he bounced Maeko. "We're gonna do whatever we can."
"Thank you."
Yusuke squeezed Kurama's shoulder again.
The men sat in relative silence until there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Botan, Mukuro, and Hiei, who was unconscious in Mukuro's arms.
"You can set Hiei down over here," Kurama said as he got up to direct Mukuro.
"No," she said simply. "He needs constant watching. If he abruptly wakes up again, he'll need to be restrained. I will sit with him, as I have done."
Kurama saw himself reflected in her behavior. It seemed they were similar in some aspects. "I understand. Please have a seat in our large chair."
Mukuro gave a single, firm nod and moved herself and Hiei to the chair.
"How has he been?" asked Yusuke.
"He has woken twice and got away from me once. But I took care of it," she said simply. "I hope a cure has been found."
"Asuka thinks he might be restored when, in her words, 'time goes right'," Kurama said.
"Might?"
"Guess we'll see what Asuka says," Kuwabara said.
"Where is she, anyway?"
"Right here," Asuka said. "Hello everyone."
"Wow," said Kuwabara.
Asuka gave a small smile. "I spent most of my life like this, but then I got used to my yosei body. It's strange, being back in this one. I'm sure Kurama understands what I mean."
"I do," he said softly.
Shizuru gave Asuka's hand a silent squeeze before going around the couch. Everyone else followed and sat down, save for Asuka.
"Thanks for coming, everyone. I…" Asuka looked away for a moment. "Obviously, I have reconverted my ki. And because I now have access to my full power, I know where to go in the Makai. I know where the dragons are."
"I get the Makai is a big place," Yusuke said, "but nobody here or anyone else has come across ginormous dragons in a lake. So where, Asuka?"
Asuka ran her fingers through her glowing bronze hair. "Nobody has seen them, because the dragons are not in this Makai plane. They are deep under the Makai."
Everyone was stunned.
"Of course," said Koenma. "The circles."
"The what now?" Yusuke asked.
"It's best to think of the circles of the Makai as different existent planes stacked on one another," Asuka said. "The deeper you go, the smaller the circles get and the stronger the yokai become. And at the bottom, in the ninth circle, is a lake. That lake is where the dragons reside. And…that's where I need to go."
"Then we will come with you," Yusuke said.
Asuka shook her head. "You can't, but thank you."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not sure what awaits me when I meet the dragons, and journeying to them will be perilous. And—" Asuka held up her hand when Yusuke started to protest, "my powers are necessary to get through the time distortions. I can only take one other person with me, which will be difficult enough."
"I admittedly know little about the circles," Koenma said, "but I imagine it will take decades to get through them. The Makai can't survive that long. This realm and the Raekai can't survive that long, either."
"We'll be fine," Asuka said simply. "And so will all the existence planes."
Kurama knew his wife well enough to know there was more information that she wasn't willing to share, for whatever reason.
"What about Hiei?" Mukuro asked. "Why is he like this?"
Asuka's eyes searched the air again. "All time travel fiction assumes you can be in two places at once, but you can't. If you enter a time you don't exist, you'll just be erased because you never existed there. But if you go to a time when there's another version of yourself, it will create a weird feedback loop that drives most people mad."
Kurama nodded. "So, the time distortion bubble Hiei got caught in was a time he already existed in, whereas…if my hand got caught in a bubble where I didn't exist, my hand would be erased."
"Yes, basically."
"And your Foresight will help you see where those distortions will pop up, so we can avoid them?"
"Partially."
"Even if we can't go with you to the dragons, we gotta do something," Yusuke said.
"I do need help with something. The barrier is going to breach soon. Before that happens, we will need help getting past all of the yokai who've gone mad," she continued. "I was wondering if you all might join me for one last fight?"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "One last fight? What are you going on about, Asuka? You're coming back, right?!"
"I…don't know."
"Bullshit," Yusuke exclaimed. "You're gonna come back, Asuka. Make it happen."
"Well…" Asuka sighed and then closed her eyes. "I can't see past getting to the lake at the bottom of the Makai, Yusuke. I don't want to make promises I can't keep."
"Then promise and keep it," Keiko said firmly.
Asuka opened her eyes. "I love each and every one of you so much. I just want you to know that. All of you mean the world to me and—"
"Save it for when you get back, Asuka," Yusuke said. "So, Koenma. Do we really gotta go all the way to Mushiyori City or is there something else you can do?"
Koenma thought for a moment. "That's the biggest barrier entrance and must always be opened first. After that…I shouldn't open any other gates. It's dangerous."
"How about where I came in the first time?" Kurama suggested. "That is not far from here."
Koenma shook his head. "Too risky. The mad yokai could flood this entire existence plane."
"That's what you've got us for," Yusuke countered. "And all of us are much stronger than we were ten years ago."
"And you've got me," Mukuro said.
Koenma thought for another moment
"Come on Koenma," Yusuke said. "Asuka's got to get going. We don't have time to drive all the way down. Once we're through, you can seal it back up."
"Fine. Botan, will you tell the team at the Mushiyori city gate to open the breach? Let them know I am going to open a smaller one up here."
She nodded. "Before I go though…" Botan walked over to Asuka and embraced her. "I love you. Whatever happens, I want you to know."
Asuka's eyes brimmed with tears. "Thank you. I'll miss you."
"Come back to us, so you don't have to miss us too long," Botan said.
"I'll try."
Botan got on her oar and flew away.
Everyone else looked around before they stood up. "We'll wait here," Keiko said. Then she gave Asuka a hug. "I love you." Shizuru was next. Yukina after that.
"Thank you," Asuka said to Shizuru and Keiko. Asuka leaned over Maeko and planted a gentle kiss on her wispy hair. "I love you, Maeko."
Asuka then gave Kurama a look that said, Are you sure you want to come with me?"
And he looked at her back with a gaze that said, "I will follow you to the depths of hell."
She tightened her lips, but Kurama kept his gaze square on his wife. If she had to give up her life or do anything perilous, he would not let her do that alone. "For better or for worse," he said, silently. "I promised I'd bear your burdens with you."
Asuka nodded. And her mouth formed two tiny words. "Thank you."
Everyone else had already begun filing out of their apartment. Kurama watched Asuka take one last look around. He waited for her to come around the couch and slipped his hand into hers.
She didn't flinch.
Author's Note:
Phew! Okay. We know where we're going, what the plan is and everyone is going to help Asuka and Kurama get to where they're going. There's a lot unresolved still, but exposition has been expedited.
This next chapter is going to require some more work to get it up to snuff but I will continue doing my best.
If you're in a part of the US that's hotter than the surface of the sun, please stay safe. Know that I'm thinking of you. And if you're in another part of the world that is also blazing, I am thinking of you as well.
Please shoot me a comment. I love reading them!
-Arielle