There is an inevitable divergence

between the world as it is and the world

as men perceive it.

J. William Fulbright

Through the Gate

Blue skies, birds chattering in the breeze. Straggling clouds, playful waves, a salt-and-pine breeze–

A day like any other.

No, that wasn't quite right. Kurama sighed at the boyish shouts, watching on as Kuwabara chased Yusuke down the beach, the latter kicking sand into his face. The former detective held his prize high – a brown button-down shirt filled with garish flowers – brandishing it like a whip one moment, fashioning it after a cape the next. Kuwabara's threats meant nothing to him, not now.

How had a year passed so quickly?

"Careful or your face will freeze that way."

He smiled at the heady cigarette smoke, permanently entwined with the scent he loved so well. Shizuru settled beside him on the boulder, chin in-hand, glowing stick dangling between her fingers. Yellow suited her, the soft cotton knotted atop her navel, baring her abdomen in a perfect V which would have been provocative if not for the black bikini underneath. Denim shorts covered just enough to be decent, bleeding into long tan legs and sandaled feet. Slim sunglasses hid her eyes while the straw hat offered enough shade for them both, a welcome reprieve for long sleeves.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy."

"I am." He accepted her offer, lips closing around the cigarette she still held, inhaling bitter smoke. "Something just seems . . . off."

Brows raised, she palmed the sunglasses before slipping them into her pocket, honeyed eyes settling upon him. "Do you feel something?"

"No, nothing like that." He turned back to the others and she did the same. Their game of chase ended, Yusuke and Kuwabara tussled in the sand, fighting for dominance, exchanging poorly aimed blows and barbs like children. Botan and Keiko crouched further down the beach, still intent on building a sand castle in the shape of Genkai's temple. The grim reaper appeared at a loss when Keiko stabbed the structure with a twig meant to act as a pillar, glaring at her boyfriend and muttering things better left unsaid. The master herself lingered at the stairs leading back to the compound, watching on with veiled amusement. Unlike the others, Genkai was not dressed for swimming.

Then again, she'd said she wasn't coming.

Which brought his attention to the presence nestled several yards into the forest. Even though Hiei turned both his and Yusuke's invitations down flat, he'd said nothing in return to Yukina's. He'd at least returned their letters with a single word, a firm denial. It was Yusuke who suggested the Koorime send him a note, too, since today's gathering was her idea.

He knew Hiei couldn't say no to her.

Laughter drew his attention to the water, to the ocean frothing against pale skin. Somehow, the girls talked Yukina into wearing a swimsuit, a modest one piece which suited her in every way. Twin braids flying, she giggled, aquamarine fabric glistening as she bent into another wave before leaping up, arms outstretched, saltwater showering her head. Yes, today was her idea; a chance for everyone to reconnect, to unwind–

To be together again.

And he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to. Yet Kurama couldn't shake his unease, the alarm bells twisting his gut. Something was wrong; centuries of experience told him so. Yet no smells were out of place, no unknown auras or sounds. Even his plant sentries remained docile throughout the area, though he expected as much. The seeds would only react if something approached, a resident demon or–

Suddenly Kuwabara released his hold and sat up, back ramrod straight, focused on the ocean. For a moment, the human appeared to forget their presence, brow knitting as he stared at some unknown point. Kurama noted the pale pallor, the trembling hands, the goose-flesh dotting his arms and chest.

Yusuke saw none of these things when he punched the taller man, sand raining from his back, grinning from ear to ear.

"Cut it out!" Yusuke frowned, grumbling about the fuss over one shirt before throwing the garment in Kuwabara's face. "That's not it, Urameshi! Can't you–" The psychic cut himself off, jaw grinding against the quiver in his voice. "Can't you feel that?"

Kurama froze, eyes widening as he quickly checked each seed. Nothing. No movement, no sound in a forest full of monsters. Only then did he realize the wind had stopped, too, all traces of life besides their small party. The birds, the breeze, even the trees–

Color fled his face at the implications. "Run!"

Shizuru started when he bolted from the rock, uncaring of the sand filling his shoes. Yusuke and Kuwabara glanced his way but immediately stilled, uncertain, as most humans are at sudden commands. Keiko's hand missed the mark and collapsed the miniature temple while Botan looked up, brows furrowed at the suddenly dark sky. Yukina's arms fell and she straightened, eyes wide as a faint humming filled the air.

A prickling at his nape and Kurama cursed, hand already in his hair. "Get out of the water!"

But it was too late. Blinding light gripped the ocean's surface, a pink circle brimming with interconnecting lines and symbols he couldn't understand. Foreign energy emanated from the ring, thick, choking–

And Yukina stood in the middle of it.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara scrambled to his feet at dead run with Yusuke on his heels. The girls followed suit and Kurama found himself running, too, eager to reach her, to reach everyone. "Yukina!"

But she didn't respond, didn't so much as blink. In that moment, he realized she couldn't move, could do nothing to conceal her horror as the circle began to spin with her as the axis.

A black blur and Hiei took the lead, darting ahead of Kuwabara but slowed by sloshing waves, the menacing presence, the hum steadily evolving into a roar. Pressure mounted as they entered the circle, light intensifying before a weight settled in his gut, threatening to pull him down. Kurama knew this feeling, the sensation of creeping up a roller coaster's first incline:

The passage between worlds. "Grab onto someone!"

Yusuke immediately took Kuwabara's arm in one hand while Kurama gripped the raven-haired boy's wrist, never losing pace. Kuwabara's fist twisted in Hiei's cloak but the fire demon didn't seem to notice, hand reaching before him, focused solely on his sister.

There was no time to look for the girls.

For a moment, Kurama thought he felt fingers brushing his shirt but it was too late–

They were falling.

An explosion of color, a thousand firecrackers going off at once and they landed in a heap. Yusuke groaned before rising onto his elbows, cursing the cold stone chilling his chest and legs, the migraine ripping his skull apart. Kurama rested at his side, motionless, face drained of blood. Hiei lay crumpled before him, knee nearly brushing his nose, arm still reaching. Red ran from his hair, trickled down his nose and cheeks, each drop blending with the rusted lines beneath. A road laid with neat bricks; buildings made of the same material lining the street, some whitewashed and painted, others naked save for their tidy shutters. Gritty air; heavy, though not tainted with pollution–

A low gurgle betrayed Kuwabara draped across his back, gripping his arm even in sleep. Following the line of bare leg, Yusuke puzzled at the frost clinging to the mortar, the thin layer of ice chilling his chest and stomach. Puffed clouds in the night sky hinted at snow, the wet air promised it, maybe as early as morning.

Wait, that's not right. It's summer, we were at the beach–

Wet at his fingertips and he glanced down, fighting the fog threatening to pull him under. Another circle, a red circle. Empty shoes, pants, a man's jacket; a full set of clothes without anyone in them–

An entire outfit oozing fresh blood.

He cried out, rearing back until he collided with Kurama's prone form. Kuwabara tumbled forward atop Hiei who came awake immediately, shoving him away with a snarl.

"Hey man, what's your prob–" Then Kuwabara saw the copper-scented ring, the seven sets of vacant clothes at each triangulated point, the lines and symbols smearing even then on his palm.

"Yukina!" He shot up even as Hiei doubled over, bandanna in-hand, black crown brushing the pavement. "Yukina, where are you?"

"Rücken nicht!"

Light accompanied the new voice and Yusuke rose with fists raised, squinting in the sudden brightness. More bricks, then a sea of blue, uniformed men and women with blank faces and gleaming buttons. Each carried a weapon – a rifle, a pistol, a blade – all perfectly polished:

All pointed at them.

"Urameshi, what's going on?"

"I don't know." Yusuke ground out, willing a calm he in no way felt. White skin, middle-set eyes, hair of varying color but nothing that tasted of home.

Foreigners.

Weaponized Westerners.

A strangled snarl filled the air, emanating from the demon at their feet. Hiei's shoulders shook as he curled further into himself, hand pressed to his forehead, eyes squeezed shut. Pain-laced gurgles leaked from his lips, thick as the blood seeping between his fingers, adding to the carnage scenting the air.

"Hiei–!"

"Aufgeben."

Yusuke froze at the voice, muted yet commanding. A man stepped forth from the mass of blue, a man exactly his height. He wore a long coat and a uniform just like the rest, only several badges decorated his left lapel in two neat rows, a silver chain glinting where it hung at his right. Dark hair hung over almond eyes, eyes black as coal and just as cold. He kept both hands at his side and carried no weapon, yet something set him apart from the rest. Yusuke stared at those hands, the red threads tracing the back of bleach-white gloves in a pattern he couldn't hope to decipher.

However, he did understand Kuwabara's sudden tension, positioning his body as a shield before their downed comrades. "Watch out," He murmured, meaty hands curling closed. "That guy's dangerous."

The man outside the circle frowned, eyes narrowing as a blonde woman joined him. " Es ist sinnlos zu widerstehen."

Kuwabara glanced at the shorter boy, stiffening when Hiei's growls grew louder. "Any idea what he's saying?"

"Nope but I don't think he's inviting us to dinner." Yusuke shifted into a ready stance, focused on the guns, that dark look, the nonsense syllables spewing from fire demon's mouth. "C'mon, we gotta–"

A new sound shattered the sinister calm, so foreign and dreadful it curled his stomach. Yusuke spun to see Kurama writhing, mouth a gaping hole eyes wide and unseeing. Hands buried in his hair, he screamed again and again, back arching, lost to visions unknown. Plants burst from hidden seeds without warning, flowers, thick leaves and brambles erupting from his nape, his sleeves, his shoes. Alongside this, his limbs grew and shrank in tandem, hair uncertain whether to remain red or blanch white as the moon. Green irises bled gold, pupils shrinking to pinpricks while blood burst from his lips, dying the ruined shirt, mixing with the lines below.

"Kurama!" Yusuke rushed to his side but Kurama didn't respond, lost to the pain, the transformation threatening to consume him.

"Urameshi!"

He started at the warning, hands stilling just before touching the fox. The man said something else, something he couldn't make out over the screams and the roaring in his own ears. Then, he raised that gloved right hand, middle finger pressed to his thumb, gaze firm, demanding.

I can do this all night, the look seemed to say, slated cheeks unyielding. The ball is in your court.

Gritting his teeth, Yusuke turned back to face the firing squad. "This is all so stupid!" He spat, glaring at the man and his tidy uniform, spotless despite the crusted scarlet all around. "Hey, big shot! What the heck's going on? Who are you?"

Onyx eyes narrowed though he didn't respond, instead raising his hand higher.

Kuwabara stifled a gasp as Kurama's screams rose to piercing yowls, pointed ears shimmering on his head, phantom tail flailing, upsetting the lines even more. "That guy–! It's the same as at the beach!"

"Who cares?" Yusuke snarled, hairs at his nape standing on-end, not daring to take his eyes away from that still-rising hand. "We've gotta get out of here! Now!"

Hiei lifted his head then, brandishing a red-soaked palm, baring his teeth at their adversaries. Before Yusuke could blink, purple flames erupted from that hand and he punched the ground, propelling a wall of fire between the two groups.

They didn't look to see what happened next; there was no time. Yusuke grabbed Hiei while Kuwabara scooped Kurama into his arms and they ran for all they were worth, fading into the back allies of the night against the sound of an explosion.

A/N: Hello and welcome to Divergence! This idea has been bouncing around my head for about a year now and some friends in my writer's group finally convinced me to write it. Thank you guys! Big shoutout to WistfulSin, O-Dragon, WhatWouldValeryDo and everyone else! You know who you are.

So, the boys land in Armestris and are greeted by brigade of soldiers! How on earth did they get here and what happens next? Stay tuned for the next chapter, can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Rücken nicht – Don't move.

Aufgeben – Give up.

Es ist sinnlos zu widerstehen – It's pointless to resist.