Chapter 21: Eroico (Or, Heroic)

"Get ready Yusuke," Kurama said as they ran through the black tunnel.

His friend nodded and moved closer. The moment they hit the air, Kurama grabbed Yusuke and breathed life into his flying plant. It was much easier to control with two, and they effortlessly glided through the air.

"How are you going to get Hiei and Mukuro up to the barrier?" Yusuke asked.

"I'll have to ferry everyone up one at a time."

Yusuke pointed his chin at the large ladder of yokai that were attempting to get to the barrier entrance. "Just like last time."

"Yes, except this time they're trying to escape into the Ningenkai rather than destroy it."

Kurama surveyed the landscape. Everything seemed normal where they were, but he could feel something was wrong. This is what Asuka has been sensing.

When he and Yusuke landed, they leaped off the balls of their feet and ran.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to Mukuro's palace?" Yusuke asked.

"Five hours, maybe more."

They fell into a comfortable running rhythm. There were droves of yokai heading to the barrier entrance, but they were too distracted to care about Yusuke and Kurama. As a result, the two ran without being stopped.

Lightning flashed across the red sky. When the thunder boomed, the sky changed and revealed an expanse of stars. When the thunder stopped, the sky changed back to deep red.

"What the hell?" Yusuke said.

Kurama looked up. "I have seen nothing like that before."

"Neither has Koenma, apparently."

Ominous, but there was no choice but to keep going. They had to find Hiei and bring him back. No matter what.

"So Kurama," Yusuke said as they continued through the plane, "What's up with you and Asuka? Are you two fighting or something?"

Kurama's mouth set in a tight line.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, tell me. What's up?"

"We should focus on getting to Mukuro's palace."

Yusuke's eyebrows shot up. "We've got hours to kill and so far, the only thing we've done is run. I know you need to talk about it, so talk about it."

Kurama remained silent.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Kurama glanced over at Yusuke, who was looking directly at him. He knew his friend was serious and…if Kurama were honest; he did need to talk about it. He'd been bottling up so much tension the past couple of months and he knew it wasn't healthy.

With a deep breath, he started at the beginning. "Asuka has been trying to get pregnant for over two years now."

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Wait really? Keiko never mentioned that to me."

"Asuka didn't want anybody to know, and she still doesn't."

"Yeah, I understand. I won't say anything."

Kurama nodded. "We decided to hold off on infertility treatment until after she got back from her USA tour. And…it wasn't successful. They told us she couldn't have kids."

"Shit, man. I'm sorry."

Kurama swallowed. "When Asuka got back from her trip, she started having these visions about dragons in a lake. And one of them called her by her original name and told her she had to…return to wherever the dragons are."

"Just like that yokai we randomly found at the concert hall."

"Yes. And I…I am concerned that…" Kurama hesitated, then pushed on. "I am concerned that if Asuka goes to wherever those dragons are…she will never return. And she thinks the same."

"Did she say that?"

"No. We…haven't talked about that in explicit terms."

"Kurama," Yusuke groaned, "you are the last person I would ever think could ignore a problem. This sounds like some shit I would do."

"If we ignore it, then she won't feel obligated to sacrifice herself again," Kurama said flatly. "I'll do anything to keep her safe. I won't give up my wife, Yusuke. I can't."

"Yeah. Can't say I'd feel any different if I were you."

"There's more. Asuka was told that she couldn't get pregnant but…Yusuke. She's pregnant."

Yusuke almost tripped. "Wait…it happened randomly?"

"Correct. So, now I am concerned for my wife's wellbeing, and for the wellbeing of my unborn child."

"Well, fuck me. No wonder there's tension."

"I'm scared," Kurama admitted.

"Yeah."

"And…I don't know what to do."

Yusuke moved his lips around. "Can't say I have any suggestions for you. Well…no. I got a question. Do you trust Asuka?"

"Without a doubt."

"Then you should start acting like it."

Kurama's head whipped toward his friend.

"I hate to break it to you, Mister 'I-must-be-in-control-of-all-situations', but you can't control the outcome of whatever is gonna happen. Asuka is just as stubborn as you, so she's gonna do…whatever it is she's gonna do. So the best thing you can do is love her and support her."

"I can't give her up," Kurama choked. "I love her too much. And I love our child and if they're both gone...then life isn't—"

"I know," Yusuke said, cutting him off. "We don't want Asuka going anywhere, either. We keep telling you both that, but it seems like you both can't get it through your thick skulls. If there's a way to help Asuka, we're gonna help. She thinks she has to fix all of the world's problems on her own, but she doesn't. We'll be there however we can."

"What do they want with my wife?" Kurama asked. His tone was desperate. "Why can't they just leave her alone? She's suffered enough."

"Wish I knew. Koenma said something about this situation affecting the foundation of the existence planes. Is the absence of Asuka's Foresight powers causing some kind of power imbalance?"

"Perhaps," Kurama admitted.

-* ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ *-

"You doing okay, friend?" Kuwabara asked as he slid down the rock wall to sit next to Asuka.

"…I don't know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't want my powers back," Asuka said. "I just want to keep living my life with Kurama like I have been. I don't want to be responsible for the fates of yokai and Ningenkai. I don't want to stare at different timeline threads and feel helpless. I just…I've been so happy."

"But you feel like you gotta?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yes. Whether I like it or not, the fate of the Makai is on my shoulders…again."

"Not really fair."

"No, it's not."

Kuwabara sat thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen Kurama this terrified. That's not helping either."

"No."

"He doesn't want to lose you."

"I know. I don't want to lose him either. We've had our ups and downs like everyone else, but we are so happy together. He's made me happier than I've ever been—in my entire life, and I'm…old."

Kuwabara chuckled.

Asuka pushed a stray strand of her long chestnut hair behind her ear. "Our found family has made me so happy, too. I just want to be selfish and stay here."

"Maybe there's a way you can be selfish and help everyone at the same time."

"How?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "Dunno. But…you'll figure it out. I believe in you."

"I wish I had that confidence in myself," Asuka said dryly.

"Eh, that's why you have friends. When you can't believe in yourself, you get someone else to do the believing for you."

Asuka laughed.

Just then, Botan materialized and hopped off her oar. "I had to do something for Koenma. Sorry, I'm late. How are you doing, Asuka?"

"Worried sick about everything," Asuka said.

"Yeah."

The three friends looked at each other for a long while. Asuka inhaled and then changed her sitting position to lotus style. "I'm going to work on my Insight abilities while we wait for Yusuke and Kurama to return with Hiei and Mukuro."

"Let me know if you need anything," Botan said.

"I will."

Asuka turned her sight inward and loosened her ki. She moved it around the baby as she always did and kept a close eye on how they responded to increased levels of her power.

Her child seemed right at home.

Okay, here we go.

-* ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ *-

"Yusuke stop."

Yusuke skidded to a halt just ahead of where Kurama had stopped.

"What is it?"

Kurama cautiously walked forward in front of Yusuke and squatted. He pointed to a small, distorted sphere that looked like a soap bubble. Inside the sphere was a single grass stalk that reached up and was abruptly cut off at the bubble's top.

"What the hell is that?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama moved his face closer until instinct made him pull back. A wave of goosebumps shivered up his arms, neck, and to the tips of his ears. His senses screamed to put more distance between him and the soap bubble. Instead, he shifted around it to look at the other side. "Do you see how the grass doesn't penetrate the bubble?"

"Yeah. It's weird."

Kurama observed it thoughtfully. "I believe this is a time distortion. There was—or will be—grass here. Inside this bubble is a different moment in time."

"What happens if we get caught in one?"

"I don't know, so let's not find out. We will most likely see more of these as we go further into the Makai."

Kurama and Yusuke regarded each other briefly before they went around the time distortion and started running again. As Kurama predicted, the further they went into the Makai, the more time distortion bubbles they saw. Some were as small as the nail on Kurama's finger and some were larger than a house.

"Look, Kurama. See that one up ahead? It's huge and there's a blazing fire in it."

"I know that fire," Kurama said. "A thousand years ago, a great fire swept across the planes of the Makai. An S Class yokai started the fire to cleanse the Makai of weak yokai. Many died."

Yusuke watched the fire burn inside the bubble, somber. "So that means the past is merging with the present?"

"I am unsure. That is a single bubble. If time is breaking down, then the future could also be colliding with the present in different bubbles."

"But that means Asuka will save the world, right?"

Kurama scanned the area for more distortions. When he saw some, he opted for a different route. "Asuka can see multiple futures," he said. "Perhaps one such future is colliding with the present, but that does not mean our future is secure."

Yusuke blinked. "All this time shit makes my head spin. And you think it's only gonna get worse?"

"Indeed. Which is why we must locate Hiei and Mukuro."

"Yeah."

Kurama's internal clock told him they'd been running for four hours now. As they pressed forward, his thoughts drifted back to Asuka and the feel of the life that was inside her.

I said I trusted Asuka, but I don't, he realized. I don't trust her to make the selfish choice. His distrust was based on her previous actions. Last time, she ran away without saying why and almost died saving the Makai. That video message of her sobbing and telling him she loved him…he repressed the memory. It was too painful to dwell on. Circumstances are different, he reminded himself. She's pregnant now. She'll protect that life with everything she has. Maybe she'll make a selfish choice now.

That was a wishful thought. How selfish of a choice could Asuka realistically live with? And what choices did she even have? Yusuke was right. Asuka needed to find out the whole truth, and Kurama had to be by her side while she did. Otherwise, she might do something he wouldn't recover from. But if he was with her, he might prevent it.

What do you want with her? Kurama thought. Please don't let my wife die. Please don't let my child die. You can't.

Only terror answered him.

After another hour of running, they finally reached Mukuro's palace.

"Look up at the roof," Yusuke said. "Is that Hiei? I thought Asuka said he was in the basement with Mukuro."

Kurama followed Yusuke's gaze. As Yusuke said, Hiei was sitting on the palace roof wall, with one knee up supporting his arm and the other leg stretched out.

"Hiei!" Yusuke called. "We gotta go! Koenma is gonna close the barrier! Hiei!"

Hiei didn't move.

"Yusuke, wait. Look at that. Hiei is inside a distortion bubble."

"What…the hell?"

"We're looking at something that happened in the past, or in the future. I'm not sure which. Either way, we've got to be cautious as we maneuver through the castle."

Yusuke and Kurama looked up at the Hiei on the roof, and then each other before they entered the palace.

As soon as they did, they heard screaming.

"Hiei!" Yusuke shouted as they ran toward the stairs that lead to the lower levels.

The hall was narrow and the uneven stone stuck out at various distances. Torches burned at various intervals and lit the stone in flickering, foreboding shadows. Kurama's tail twitched and his ears moved from side to side.

A yokai jumped out in front of Yusuke, snarled, and lunged for an attack. Yusuke grabbed the yokai by the shoulders and pressed it into the uneven stone. "Stop! We're friends of Hiei!"

The yokai's eyes were white, and he thrashed against Yusuke's grip, snarling. Then, its head twitched, and it screeched before it threw its head back into the rough stone. It immediately went limp in Yusuke's grip.

The yokai had killed itself.

"We don't have time to figure out what's going on. We need to find Hiei and Mukuro," Kurama said urgently.

"You're right." Yusuke let the body fall to the ground. "Let's keep going."

Kurama's senses were on high alert. There were yokai all around them in different hallways. Screams echoed down the corridors. As they passed one hall junction, Kurama heard a hiss.

"Helllp me…please."

Kurama's eyes widened. A female yokai was army crawling on the floor, inch by inch. Behind her was a trail of smeared blood. She had no legs. "What happened?"

She coughed. "It…took my legs. Help…"

The yokai must've gotten caught in a time bubble distortion, and this was the result. He also knew they could do nothing for her. "I can't help you," he said sadly.

"Then…kill me."

Kurama's mind worked through the logic of her request. She was in pain, and being disabled was a death sentence in the Makai. But that was not his burden to bear. "No," he said finally.

"Kill me!" she screeched.

Kurama stooped down. "I understand the logic of what you ask. But you don't know the future. It is foolish to take such drastic action."

She hissed and swiped at Kurama's face with sharpened claws. Kurama moved his head, then stood. He gave her head a gentle pat.

"Kill me!" she screeched again.

With sorrow, Kurama stepped over her and walked away. He could do nothing to help any of the yokai who were screaming, nor could he fix the time distortion bubbles. The only thing he could do was save his friend and Mukuro—if it wasn't too late.

The anguished cries of different yokai reverberated off the stone walls into Kurama's sensitive ears. Some screams stemmed from pain, some were full of madness, and some were from fights. No yokai they met were whole.

The palace shook.

As Kurama passed a wooden door, the latch opened and a large yokai, so tall it barely fit in the hallway, stumbled out. Its eyes were white, and it foamed at its mouth.

"Rei-gun!" Yusuke shouted. He pointed his index finger and shot off a burst of ki. It hit the yokai square in the temple. It stumbled backward, then fell.

"I had to," Yusuke said. "That one wasn't gonna stop until we were dead."

"I know." Kurama's stomach dropped as he slashed another yokai with his claws.

"Hiei!" Yusuke screamed as he punched another yokai. "Hiei!"

"The stairs, Yusuke. They're close."

"What the hell is happening? Why are some of these yokai missing limbs and why are some of them straight up crazy?"

"The yokai with the missing limbs must've gotten caught in time distortion bubbles. I do not know about the others."

"We're runnin' out of time. Hiei!" Yusuke shouted again.

"Yusuke stop!" Kurama pulled Yusuke back from a small bubble that had formed low to the floor.

"We can jump over it," Yusuke said. "Hurry."

Yusuke cleared the bubble, and Kurama did the same. They ran down the twisting stairs as fast as they dared.

"Hiei!" Yusuke called again.

"In here!"

Kurama and Yusuke shot each other a glance. That was Mukuro's voice.

They ran forward and busted through the door. Two or three dozen yokai lay strewn across the cold stone floor, and Mukuro was in a combative stance in front of Hiei, who was slumped against the wall, passed out.

"What are you two doing here?" Mukuro asked.

"We came to get you and Hiei," Kurama explained. "Koenma is reinstating the barrier because of the time distortions in the Makai. He says if he doesn't, they'll spill into the Ningenkai. There's only one entrance open, and if we have any hope of getting there before he closes it, we'll have to sprint."

Mukuro nodded.

"What happened to Hiei?"

"Those bubbles," Mukuro said grimly. "There had been several around the palace, and then there was a colossal, instantaneous event. Almost all my yokai got caught in them. There were different reactions. Some lost whatever body part was encased in the bubble. If the bubble was big enough, they disappeared. But some didn't lose limbs. They made contact with the bubble and went insane. That's what happened to Hiei. I had to knock him unconscious for his own good."

"Why the differences?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't know," Mukuro said. "I—"

Another quake interrupted her.

"Mukuro," Kurama asked, "How long has this palace been here?"

"Since well before my time. Why?"

"The palace is most likely still intact because, across different times, it has been here. But if a bubble formed, and the palace was not in that time, then that would make pieces of the palace go missing."

"Wouldn't the palace just return when the bubble burst?" Yusuke asked. "Didn't Koenma say somethin' about trees disappearing and reappearing?"

"He did," Kurama said. "But time is breaking down. I suspect things are not returning to their normal state after a disruption like before."

"Then, we have to assume parts of the castle are unstable," Mukuro said, looking up.

"What's the quickest way out?"

"Two floors up. We can jump out of a window. I can carry Hiei." Without effort, Mukuro bent and scooped up Hiei. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and brought him close to her chest. The gesture was…protective. Intimate. "Can we do anything for him in the Ningenkai?"

"I don't know," Kurama said. "But there are people waiting for us on the other side with healing abilities. We can ask them."

Normally, Mukuro didn't need protecting, but since she was carrying Hiei, Kurama took the front and Yusuke took the back. Another yokai jumped out at Kurama. He spun and then flung a thorned rose into its eye. The moment it shrieked was the moment Kurama used his claws to rip through its throat.

He stepped over the body and ran up the spiraled stairs. If one of those time distortion bubbles grew inside this stairwell, they'd be trapped.

"Kurama! Hurry up!" Yusuke shouted behind him. "There's a bubble forming, and it's getting bigger!"

Kurama took the stairs three stairs at a time. When he reached the landing, he grabbed a seed out of his hair and tossed it. The lethal vines with thorns as big as his biceps snaked their way through the hall and the room to the right. They killed all the yokai who were in their way and moved to create a clear path. Kurama put on another burst of speed. Glass shattered as he jumped through the window.

-* ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ *-

With all the commotion around Asuka, it took considerable effort to get into a meditative state. Eventually, Asuka's breathing steadied. She checked the path around her baby before her ki expanded outward and went down the blackness between the two existence planes. Her consciousness hovered over the expanse of the Makai.

Dragons, where are you? What do you want?

Rather than see a specific location, Asuka's consciousness traveled. She flew over the planes and mountains. She saw yokai run. The Makai was by far the largest existence plane and it pushed on her consciousness. Asuka pushed back. More and more of the Makai became known to her as she searched for the dragons.

She saw the giant cherry tree that towered above the Makai.

We're almost past the cherry tree…the dragons really are deep within the Makai. Keep going. Where are you?

Her vision wouldn't go past the cherry tree. Asuka frowned and tried to push past it. Then, Insight yanked her back, like someone connected her to a rope and was pulling her out of the water to the shore. No! Stop! She reached her hands out and flailed as she was pulled like a zipper across the existence plane. Back…back…faster and faster. Grass and trees and mountains whirled by in a blur. When it stopped, she was at the top of the barrier's entrance again. Just below her was a hoard of yokai fighting and screaming to get through.

Kurama!

She looked down from the barrier's entrance. He was close, on the surface, with Hiei, Mukuro, and Yusuke.

"Time is up. We have to close the barrier now."

Asuka opened her eyes and gasped. She looked up at Koenma, who was talking to his Defense Force, grimly. She scrambled upward. "Don't you dare close that."

"I'm sorry, Asuka," Koenma said. "We have to."

"No, you don't."

"I'm sorry?"

Asuka gave Koenma a look that could curdle milk. He swallowed.

"They're close to the entrance," Asuka said. "Keep it open until they get everyone up."

"But our readings indicate—"

"They're not as accurate as me," Asuka said, cutting him off. "I saw what everything looks like in the Makai. We have a little more time."

Koenma rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Fine."

"Something is wrong with Hiei. Kuwabara, why don't you go through and wait for him at the top."

He nodded and ran through the barrier opening.

Asuka shivered. What's the significance of that tree? It was made during the succession tournament, so I don't understand why my vision was fixated on it. Is it because that's as far as my Insight could go? A possibility. Or maybe Insight needed to alert her to Kurama's situation because of Koenma's decision. Thank you, Insight. That was close.

Koenma looked down the barrier entrance, impatient. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Help!" Kuwabara shouted from the barrier. "Someone help Hiei!"

Asuka tucked her hair behind her ear as Hiei and Kuwabara came into view. Asuka's eyes widened at the state of Hiei. His eyes were white, and he thrashed in Kuwabara's arms.

"What happened?" Koenma asked as they crossed into the cave.

"Kurama says it's a time distortion bubble," Kuwabara said while struggling to keep Hiei contained. "Hiei got caught in one and—"

Hiei snarled and kicked himself free from Kuwabara's grasp. He lunged at Koenma, intending to kill.

One guard reacted and pointed his gun at Hiei.

"Don't!" Mukuro screamed. She activated her power and cut the tip of the gun off with it. One moment she was at the barrier entrance, and the next, she was between Hiei and the guard. She spun toward Hiei and hit him in a downward slash, knocking his jaw. There was a crack, and he slumped over.

"You killed Hiei!" Botan cried as she ran over.

"I did not. A hit to the jaw rattles the brain. You have healing abilities. Fix his jaw and whatever is wrong with his mind."

"I don't know if I can, but I'll try," Botan said as she kneeled over Hiei.

Mukuro glared at Kuwabara. "Your weakness almost got Hiei killed!" She snarled. "I should never have entrusted him to you."

Kuwabara's face twisted red with rage. "The hell you—"

"Shhh," Botan said. "I'm trying to concentrate." She closed her eyes and moved across Hiei's jaw, which glowed under her fingers. Then she moved to his temples. After a moment, she let go. "There's nothing wrong with his brain, physically at least. I can't do more. I'm sorry. What happened to make him like this?"

"Time is breaking down," Mukuro said while giving Kuwabara another glare. "The distortions happen inside bubbles. There was an event and Hiei got caught in one. He went…mad. Others in the palace lost body parts."

"Two different reactions," Koenma said, watching the barrier. "Why?"

Asuka's senses pricked. A moment later, Yusuke and Kurama barreled through the entrance.

"Shut it!" Koenma commanded.

There was a loud crackling noise as the soldiers reinstated the net. Asuka ran to Kurama and buried herself in his chest.

"I'm here, Love," he murmured.

Asuka tightened her grip on Kurama's biceps. He was back in one piece, safe.

"Botan, can you help Hiei?" Yusuke asked. He released his demon form.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I healed some…physical injuries, but I can't help with his mind. My healing abilities don't work that way."

"Can you keep him unconscious?" Mukuro asked. "We can't have him awaken until we can cure him."

"Not exactly…"

Kurama released Asuka and stepped toward Hiei. "I can." He pulled a seed out of his hair. "This will enact a deep sleep." Kurama opened his palm and blew a purple pollen into Hiei's face. Hiei's nose scrunched and then relaxed.

"How long will it last?" Mukuro asked.

"A week. I will prepare more that you can activate with your ki." Kurama pulled more seeds out of his hair and gave them to Mukuro. "Kuwabara, you and Yukina should take Mukuro and Hiei to Genkai's. That's the safest place for them."

"Will do." Kuwabara stopped. "How will we get back to Tokyo? We won't all fit in your car."

"Asuka will drive you. I'll take the train and meet you at home."

Asuka stared at her husband. She wanted to go with him on the train but thought better of it. She was exhausted from using her ki and needed to go home and rest.

"I'll be home soon, Love."

"I know I just…"

Kurama moved and kissed her head.

"I will research the phenomenon," Koenma said somberly. "I will try to figure out why Hiei had that reaction and continue to figure out what is happening. Asuka, if you gain any Insight, please tell me."

"I will."

Koenma turned and relayed instructions to his soldiers. Asuka looked at Hiei sleeping on the ground. Her Insight wasn't activating right now, but that wasn't surprising. Once she got some rest, she could try meditating and see if answers came.

Behind them, the barrier crackled.

Would it be enough to keep the Ningenkai safe? Asuka honestly didn't know.

Author's Note:

Hello! Thanks for your patience. I am back and ready to get this fic to "completed". Don't be surprised if you see lots of updates from me in the future! Summer is kinda hard for me since my kid doesn't have school but I am going to try my best to get the rest of this story out as quickly as possible. I'm feeling ready to move on to the next thing :-). I'm surprised it's taken me this long to feel urgent about completing Consolation honestly. I enjoyed weekly updating. Again, we'll see if my wish is actually feasible.

Anyway, not a whole lot to say today. The exact nature of the time distortions have been revealed and Hiei is in a bad spot, though the "why" is still shrouded in mystery. If you have theories shoot me a comment. I love reading people's theories. Buckle up and hang on tight!

-Arielle.

Katsip 12:Ahh thank you so much for commenting that you've been enjoying Consolation, that means a lot! I am back and hopefully will be able to get more chapters out soon.