Part Three
Chapter Thirty
Well, that just happened.
…twice.
I'll admit, when the passion and need subsided, I expected to regret what happened, but I didn't. I still don't. She and I have known each other for six years, and though I didn't realize it before, the last two have been railroading me to this moment. It was always her, and it was always going to be her; it just took me a while to see it.
And now that I have? Well…
I'm terrified. Because she and Yuuta are just one more thing in this world for me to lose.
Moving Forward
"I never expected you to be the cuddly type, Kusuo." Kokomi's voice was muffled in his bare chest as he held her. Her arms were slipped around him as they lay on their sides, facing each other, and her fingers drew soothing lines across his back. For anyone else, the sensation of fingertips dancing across bare skin would probably be arousing, but it only made him relax. Considering how sudden and passionate their lovemaking had been, Kusuo had been concerned that something inside him would change when it was over, maybe change into some sex-crazed pervert who couldn't get enough of her. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. In fact, the sex was good, but lying here like this, the room swelling with comfortable silence and ethereal warmth as they exchanged unspoken thoughts, was probably his favorite part.
"I've never had anyone to cuddle before," Kusuo said at last, twisting the ends of her long hair around his fingers. The thin cotton of his pale pink button down was rough beneath his fingertips when he occasionally brushed her back, but it didn't bother him. He liked that she was wearing his shirt. It almost made him feel—dare I even think it?—possessive. After all, she was here, in his bed, wearing his shirt, wrapped in his arms.
Does that make her mine?
"Kusuo?"
"Mm?"
"Are you ready to tell me what happened?"
Kusuo stiffened, his arms tightening around her waist as he buried his nose in the juncture of her neck and shoulder. The last few hours had been as close to heaven as Kusuo could imagine, and he didn't want to shatter the illusion by talking about the brutal reality, but she deserved to know what happened. And honestly, deep down, he needed to talk about it.
"Dad is dead." He muttered against her neck, part of him hoping she wouldn't be able to understand.
"Oh, Kusuo." She said nothing else, just slipped one leg over his hip to pull him closer as her left hand buried in his hair to massage his scalp. He swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat wouldn't go down. His eyes burned, so he squeezed them closed with a deep, steadying breath before continuing.
"He was shot by someone, a strange woman, my brother said. He died protecting Mom."
"Of course, he did." She nuzzled beneath his jaw. "Your father would never leave you or your brother or Auntie unless it was to save you. He loved you, Kusuo—loves you still." Her voice turned rougher as she spoke, and he felt her body tremble beneath his grasping hands. "I'm s-so sorry he's gone."
The lump in Kusuo's throat turned hot as it swelled. He swallowed again and again, but it only grew bigger, sharper. His eyes burned until he couldn't take it anymore. Gritting his teeth, Kusuo clutched Kokomi tighter and shuddered as the tears squeezed free of his tightly closed eyes to stain their pillow and her shirt. She didn't try to calm or sooth him with soft words and gentle noises, she just held him close and cried with him. They poured their misery into each other, two broken hearts soaking up rivers of water and salt.
He didn't know how long they stayed that way, wrapped so tightly around one another with their minds and spirits so irrevocably intertwined that they may as well be one person. He'd never felt so close to anyone before; not even when they had been literally joined had Kusuo felt so connected to her. This went beyond physical, beyond emotional, beyond even spiritual.
She's God's gift to you.
Had it really been only a few days since Natsuko had said that to him? It seemed like years. With all that had happened, the difference between then and now spanned several lifetimes.
They wound down in sync, Kokomi once again tracing intricate designs across his back. Kusuo traced a hand down her back to where his shirt rode up to draw circles on her hip with his thumb. They stayed that way for several more minutes before Kusuo felt able to talk.
He told her what he'd learned from Kusuke and Dr. Arisawa, mentioned how he'd been unable to reach Yuuta's mother. From there, he shifted to concern for their friends and realized he'd neglected to tell her what they'd learned the afternoon they'd spent at the temple training with Urameshi. He told her that his psychic powers were gone but that he still had spirit energy, and he was learning to use it on his own so he would probably, hopefully, progress quickly under an actual teacher. He told her about the Reborn and the natural psychics from Mushiori City, explained Territory and how that man on the train had been able to take Kusuo to a different dimension.
Unable to stop now that he'd started, Kusuo's confessions went back in time to their six years as sophomores. He talked backward from the volcano explosion in Oshimai-ken all the way back to round one of Year 2. He told her things he never expected to say aloud to anyone, told her things he hadn't realized he'd felt until he was saying them. Like how jealous he was of Kusuke's genius or how he admired his father's endless dedication or his secret wish to be normal so he wouldn't have to worry about drawing attention anymore.
He'd wanted to be rid of his powers so badly and for so long that he'd never considered what his life would be like without them, and now he regretted it so much. More than anything else in his life, he wanted to go back and stop himself from taking Kusuke's offer, to go back to the everyday craziness that was his life. His safe, normal, sometimes even boring life.
"This wasn't your fault, Kusuo." Kokomi drew back just enough to cup his cheek and meet his eyes. "You had no way of knowing what would happen. Even Aiura-san didn't know, right? And she can see the future."
"So can I. Could I. Sometimes." He sighed and rubbed a knuckle against his left eyebrow where a headache was forming. "I've seen and stopped hundreds, probably thousands, of disasters. I even saw a different future from this one before sealing my powers for good. So why didn't I see this one coming?"
"You had a lot of power, Kusuo, but even at your peak, you weren't God. There's no possible way you could know everything." She brushed her thumb across his cheek and smiled. "But even now, and despite everything that's happened, I know you'll figure it out. You'll protect Yuu-chan and stop Dark Reunion and we'll go back to school like normal kids even if…" Her brow furrowed, but she pressed on. "Even if things can't be the same as they were before. We're different now, all of us, for so many reasons. But we're not done, Kusuo. You're not done."
He frowned, his hand leaving her hip to cover hers where it rested against his face. "How could you possibly know that?"
Kokomi smiled, and it took his breath away. "Because," she said. "I know you."
He kissed her; what else could he possibly do? She accepted him, drew him closer, let him ease her onto her back as he rose up on one elbow to hover over her. Both of her small hands framed his face as he kissed her deeply, drank her into himself, and he felt himself growing lost in her arms. That beyond-soul-deep connection they'd cultivated as they lay together in silence, in tears, in confession, resonated between them, pulsing intangibly until the air grew thick and seemed to spark with repressed energy. He grasped her hips with both hands and pressed her into the futon as his body came alive with need, with connection, with love—
A knock on the door cut through Kusuo's hazy brain, and he pulled back with a gasp. Kokomi stared back at him with kiss bruised lips, glazed indigo eyes, her inky blue hair splayed in stark contrast against a glaring white pillow as her chest heaved beneath his too-thin shirt. Kami, she's beautiful…
"That wasn't the hall door," she said, her words barely penetrating the fog in his brain. She put a hand to his chest and pushed. He resisted at first, but she gave him a disapproving frown, and he grudgingly backed off. Another knock sounded, just as timid as the first. Kokomi climbed out of the futon dressed only in her panties and his shirt, her hair in disarray, and crossed to the door connecting their room to Yuuta's. She slid the door open, and Kusuo's heart clenched at the sight of little Yuuta, still dressed in his borrowed yukata, rubbing at his tired, teary eyes.
"Hello, Yuu-chan." Kokomi smiled and crouched in front of him, reaching out to brush the sleep and tears from his eyes with the sleeve of Kusuo's shirt. "You slept a long time."
Yuuta sniffled. "I had a nightmare, Ane-chan."
Kokomi's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You want to sit with us?"
Yuuta nodded and reached for her. Kokomi didn't hesitate to pull him into her arms before crossing the room again to nestle them both in the bed beside Kusuo. Grateful he'd pulled on his pants before settling down for their long cuddle, Kusuo sat up and made room for both Kokomi and Yuuta under his arm. Heart pounding, he shot a questioning look at Kokomi. She pursed her lips, torn, but nodded. There would never be a good time to tell Yuuta about his parents, so they might as well do it while they were already comforting him.
"Yuu-chan." Kokomi swallowed hard but pressed on. "We have something we need to tell you…"
Yuuta looked up from snuggling into them both, his green eyes soulful and knowing. "Is it Daddy and Mommy?"
Kokomi drew a sharp breath and shot a startled glance at Kusuo. He was equally befuddled and could only shrug. Kokomi licked her lips before turning back to Yuuta with a small nod.
Yuuta nodded back, tears welling up again. "Did they die?"
Kokomi's lower lip trembled, and Kusuo reached up to brush his thumb across her jaw when she tried and failed to respond. She met his eyes, and he shook his head.
I'll tell him.
She seemed to understand because she nodded, her furrowed brow easing a bit with relief.
"Yuuta." Kusuo waited until the boy tipped his head back enough to look at him. "I called your mom and dad's phones after you fell asleep. Your mom didn't answer, so I don't know how she is, but your dad…" He resisted the urge to look away and instead brought a hand up to cup Yuuta's upturned face. "A doctor answered his phone. She said he was hurt very badly, burned."
"And he died."
It wasn't a question, but Kusuo nodded at Yuuta anyway. "I'm sorry."
Yuuta sobbed and twisted around to bury his face in Kusuo's chest. He didn't wail or scream, just shook with deep, soul wrenching sobs. Kokomi was crying too, and she wrapped herself around Yuuta from behind to lend the boy the same silent support she'd given Kusuo. His own throat aching, though his eyes remained dry, Kusuo pulled them both into his embrace and held them, teeth gritted with anger and pain.
Akemi Homura, Kusuo thought, his memory brining up a perfect image of the young girl with her impassive face as her black hair and lavender school uniform rippled in a non-existent wind. She did this; she caused his family to suffer so much pain and heartache. She was the reason Kusuo's father was dead, the reason Yuuta and Kokomi were sobbing in his arms. She'd racked up a huge debt in an impossibly short amount of time, and Kusuo intended to collect with interest.
Another knock sounded, this one on the hallway door. Kusuo's head jerked up, and he lifted a hand—finger charged on instinct. He stared at the pale red glow, surprised. He'd been completely drained after his fight with Homura; he hadn't expected to regenerate so quickly or without getting any real rest.
"Saiki-san? Teruhashi-san?" Natsuko called through the closed door. "I apologize for being rude, but Yusuke-oji-san sent me to retrieve you. Your friends have arrived, and we need to discuss our plans moving forward."
Shaking himself out of his stunned silence, Kusuo released the energy pulsing at the tip of his finger. "Fine," he said, reluctantly nudging Kokomi and Yuuta out of their soggy embrace. "Give us a few minutes, and we'll be right out."
"Of course, Saiki-san," Natsuko said, and though he couldn't see her through the door, he didn't doubt she'd offered a polite bow. She and Yamato really were night and day to each other.
Kokomi rubbed the tears from her eyes and cheeks with one palm, her other arm still wrapped around Yuuta, who she'd pulled into her lap. "Was that Kuwabara-san?"
"Yeah." Kusuo climbed out of bed and crossed to the small sink situated in the back corner of the room. He dug a washcloth out of the sink-side cabinet and ran it under hot water before wringing it out. He passed the damp cloth to Kokomi, who of course used it to wipe the salt and snot from Yuuta's face, before grabbing a second cloth to clean himself up.
"You should probably call her Natsuko-san, though. Both her father and mother are here, so it could get confusing if you call them all Kuwabara."
Kokomi nodded as she finished with Yuuta. She tapped the boy's nose with a small smile before folding the cloth in quarters to use on her own face next.
"Urameshi-san is here as well?"
"And his wife."
"Keiko-san." Kokomi stood, Yuuta in her arms, and nodded. "I remember."
Kusuo cleaned himself up as best he could with only a washcloth and hoped no one would recognize the smell of sex he and Kokomi were likely saturated in. He blushed at that thought and scrubbed his face with the washcloth to hide his heightened color. Yare, yare.
"Yukina-san put spare clothes in the dresser for us," Kokomi said, already pulling open the bottom drawer and fishing out a pair of shorts and a red t-shirt for Yuuta. "She said that Kuwabara-san will get our clothes when he comes back from…wherever he is, but we'll have to make do with these for now."
Kusuo nodded and snagged the faded khakis she tossed his way. He dropped his jeans without worrying about her—it's not like she hadn't seen it all already—and finished cleaning himself up before pulling on the borrowed pants. If Kuwabara didn't come back with their clothes soon, he'd have to run to the store for some boxers at least.
"Kusuo," Kokomi whispered, and he turned. She motioned toward Yuuta with her chin. "He fell asleep again."
"Okay." Kusuo crossed the room to pick Yuuta up. The boy settled against his bare shoulder with a sigh, and Kusuo almost smiled. "Make sure you clean up before you change."
"Yes."
Once they were both clean and suitably dressed—Kokomi taking Yuuta back for a moment so Kusuo could pull on an over-sided shirt—they left the room with Yuuta once again held against Kusuo's shoulder. The Kuwabaras, etc. were only down the hall, but neither Kusuo nor Kokomi felt comfortable leaving Yuuta out of their sight for even a second.
"Kusuo!" The shout went up in tandem the second Kusuo slid open the door, and he glared his friends silent.
"You'll wake him up," Kusuo said, waving a hand at Yuuta.
"Sorry, buddy!" Nendou said, only mildly quieter than before. "We're just glad to see you're all right."
"Are you all right?" Hairo asked, his brow furrowed and bare arms crossed over his chest. He looked Kusuo over first, then Kokomi. "You don't look injured, but you do seem pretty exhausted. Your nap not enough to tide you over?"
Kokomi flushed from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, but she said nothing in response as she folded herself onto a cushion around the low table. Unaffected, Kusuo took the cushion beside her and shifted Yuuta into a more comfortable position. Aside from his friends, only Yamato and Natsuko were in the room at present, which Kusuo found relieving. Whatever the reason, he wasn't ready to face any of the adults populating the compound. Not even the unerringly sweet Kuwabara Yukina.
Yamato snorted, drawing the room's attention away from Kusuo and Kokomi. "I'm sure they're plenty rested." The implication was heavy in her voice, and Kusuo shot her a warning glare. She grinned wickedly around the lollypop in her mouth and winked but said nothing more about it. "Yuu-ji and I have been filling your friends in. They know all about what happened at the park, so don't worry about going over it again."
"Oh, Kokomi!" Yumehara grasped Kokomi's hands across the table, her eyes swimming with sympathetic tears. "It sounded awful! Are you sure you're okay?"
Kokomi managed a wan smile. "As well as I can be." She cast a questioning glance at Kusuo. His jaw clenched, but he didn't tell her no. Her brows shifted down with sympathy, and she swallowed before looking around the table again. "Yamato-san said she told you about the park, but Saiki-kun learned some other things too."
Kusuo glared at her use of his family name but ground his teeth to stay silent. Now wasn't the time to bring it up, but the second they were alone…
"I apologize," Natsuko said, her voice soft but firm. "I'm afraid I already told them about Saiki-san's discovery as well." She turned to Kusuo and bowed over the table. "My apologies for hearing your thoughts, Saiki-san."
Kusuo stiffened, and a pool of icy dread formed in his stomach. Kusuo knew exactly how telepathy worked when people were being intimate—he'd had more than enough mental scarring from years of living with his lovey-dovey parents—until he'd found that germanium ring and managed to silence his telepathy as he slept. But he'd honestly forgotten Natsuko was a natural telepath, unable to close her mind, which meant she'd been in his head when he was with Kokomi. She'd practically been inside the room!
Sickened, he wanted to be angry at her, but how could he? It's not like she could turn it off any more than he could before he sealed his powers. Fortunately, Kokomi didn't seem to have caught on to the same things Kusuo had, so she didn't fall to embarrassed pieces and instead looked relieved that she wouldn't have to rehash such a painful topic a second time.
Don't be concerned, Saiki-san.
Kusuo almost jumped at the sudden mental voice, and his eyes snapped to Natsuko's sightless red. Her lips pulled up into the barest of smiles as she said, The bedrooms are warded against telepathy. I read your thoughts in the hallway and neither saw nor heard anything beyond your door.
Unexpected relief crashed over him, and Kusuo hunched slightly around Yuuta as he tried to regain his usual, stoic face. It wasn't like he was ashamed of what had happened or that he planned to keep his and Kokomi's relationship a to-the-grave secret just between them, but he really hated the idea of his privacy being invaded so intimately. And the idea that someone else had seen Kokomi's euphoric face, heard her ragged, needy gasps, felt the rake of her nails down his back sparked an alarming sort of jealousy he couldn't shake.
Ehem, Natsuko mentally coughed, and Kusuo looked up to find her sipping her tea with a delicate blush high on her cheeks. I may not be able to see or hear your thoughts in your room, but I certainly can now, Saiki-san.
"You okay, buddy? Your face is all red."
"Never mind that," Shun said, his face uncharacteristically firm even though his arms were shaking as he braced against the tabletop. "You never answered my question! If Dark Reunion knows about us, doesn't that mean our families are in danger too?" He swept an arm around the room, encompassing their core group of friends as well as Aiura, Toritsuka, and even Akechi, who had a bandana tied around his mouth to keep him quiet. Saiko, fortunately, was missing.
"Shun's right," Kuboyasu said, punching the table hard enough to get attention. Beside him, Mera had whisked away his plate of castella just in time to save it from an untimely demise before gleefully helping herself. "We all got families, some of us big ones, like Mera. If we're here, shouldn't they be too?"
"Chill your ass, Yankee," Yamato said, lounging with one arm back and her right knee drawn up. Dressed in a white button down and too-short-shorts, she didn't seem the least bit concerned that she was nearly flashing a room full of young men. "Dad's got it handled. He has the SDF on guard duty around your families. They're kind of lame for an elite force, but they can handle pretty much anything the Human World could throw their way. And if for some reason they can't, they can open portals to Spirit World. If something major happens, they'll rip a hole into the next world and keep your families there until this shit blows over."
Shun's eyes were wide, and he was swaying slightly. Yumehara grasped his arm to hold him steady, querying him in concern, but Shun's gaze never swayed from Yamato.
"You…did you just say your bodyguard people are planning to take my family to hell?"
Yamato rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Ochibi. Spirit World is hardly hell; it's more like an airport terminal for the dead."
"Nadi-chan," Natsuko scolded. "There's no need to be so rude."
"D-d-d—" Shun couldn't get the word out and looked more and more apt to faint the harder he tried.
"Easy, Kaidoh," Hairo dropped a hand on Shun's shoulder opposite Yumehara. "Just think about the fact that they're okay and don't sweat the details, yeah?"
Shun swallowed hard but managed a shaky nod. "Y-yeah…"
"Now that that's out of the way," Yamato sat up and draped an arm over her drawn up knee, "we can get down to the important shit."
A sudden intensity settled over the room, drawing everyone's attention to the pseudo deity as she met each of their eyes with a glare. "Everything has exploded way beyond what any of us expected, even Yuu-ji and Kazu-ji. Dark Reunion is dangerous as hell, and they've got their sights set on you, Saiki."
Kusuo tensed, but Yamato waved a dismissive hand as she said, "They can't get you here. With all the wards in place, they couldn't see or sense you even if they stood right outside the gates. But they're definitely looking, and they're pissed. Especially that Akemi bitch. She's got a serious hate-boner for you, Saiki."
Everyone but Kusuo shifted uncomfortably at Yamato's course language, but it didn't bother him. What she had to say was far more important than how she said it.
"How do you know all this?"
Yamato scoffed. "My dad's the Gatekeeper, remember? He has ways of keeping his eye on this world. Which brings me to your first training assignment." Yamato looked around the room with a predatory grin. "I hope you brought your sleeping bags and popcorn cause it's gonna be a long ass week."
