[FFML] [yyh][ry][rewrite] Youtou Shinnoken Chapter 17: To Protect Loved Ones (Part 5)

[Abdiel]

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Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin fic
By Chester Castañeda
chester.castaneda at gmail.com
gabriel_gabdiel at yahoo.com
Original concept by Chad Yang
chadjill at ms3.hinet.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/~abdiel

I guess it's fair enough to warn you that, well, this is essentially a
debate and philosophy chapter. It's TV Tropes inspired, even. You've
been warned.

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Chapter 17: To Protect Loved Ones (Part 5)
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Outside Genkai's dojo, the slightly worn and exhausted Kenshin and Botan
continued to idly converse to each other as they did their best to get
over their recent trauma.

Botan stared blankly at Kenshin as she covered her mouth, feeling as
though she'd just inadvertently burped out an entire soliloquy or
something. Not that it was a bad monologue or anything--in fact, she, or
at least her subconscious self, had quite the point. Kenshin should stop
being so unsure of himself.

The redhead was not a murderer, but a warrior of justice. The peaceful
kind, in particular. Disciplined. Kind. Friendly. Good with children.
Botan knew the type. Kenshin was the sort of pacifist who'd often try to
solve his problems with words first, and swords a distant second,
typically resorting to violence only as a last resort. However, when
that happened, he'd mop the floor with anyone dumb enough to challenge
him. But he would not kill anyone unless he had no other choice, as
killing mostly went against everything that he stood for.

'Wait... What? Are you now putting words in my mouth, Kaoru? Who the
heck are you in the first place? Why do I keep feeling an extreme guilt
trip whenever the subject of, well, _you_ and _my_ past life comes up?
Do you have something to do with any of that? ANSWER ME!' Botan mentally
screamed at the top of her, well, mind. Yes, at the top of her mind.

"Before I forget, thank you again," Kenshin told the distracted Botan as
he smilingly yet unwittingly invaded her personal space once more,
putting the shinigami in an even more awkward position than the one they
had hours earlier, when Botan had just escaped from Hiruma's trap.
"You've already saved me twice this day; first from myself, then from
Hiruma. I owe you more than my life... well, continued existence,
anyway. How can I ever repay you?"

Forgetting Kaoru's antics in the meantime, Botan giggled a perfunctory
yet self-satisfied "Ohohohoho!" before waving off Kenshin's praise and
insisting, "Oh, stop. That was the least I can do after getting
kidnapped... thrice. Besides, the way you're blowing things out of
proportion, you make me sound like Uchika Kimona."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow at that. "Who's that? And why does her name
sound like something a foreigner who had no idea how to speak Japanese
would come up with?"

Botan's eyebrows furrowed, startling the Spirit Guardian as she worked
herself up to a storm. "Oh, it's this annoying, foreign-looking
shinigami trollop that dresses in black lace even during the time when
Gothic still meant 'A Medieval Art Movement'... or so I've heard. I'm
not that old."

Kenshin sweatdropped as Botan primly coughed and continued, "She has
this annoying habit of going to the Human World in human guise and
cheerfully warning a month in advance the people she's about to 'reap' 
that they're going to die! She even gets away with her behavior because
she's an oh-so-perfect angel who has a Swiss-Army-Knife-load of powers
and talents that she might as well join the Soul Society's Seireitei
district!

"She has saved the day more often than not, doing things outside of her
job's jurisdiction and getting praised for it! Can you imagine? She
also picks up skills unusually fast and succeeds at almost everything
she does, despite the fact that she has the unique charm of a root
canal. The worst thing about her is that she wants total credit for
everything good that happens and accepts no responsibility for anything
bad that occurs. Stupid Miss Perfect Shinigami. Well, once I get back to
my outpost in Reikai, I'll let her know the harsh reality of being--"

"Botan?"

Botan blinked, seemingly roused from a deep trance, then blearily looked
at Kenshin as if she'd noticed his presence just now. "Uh, yeah?"

"You're blabbering," Kenshin bluntly observed. 

Botan blushed. "Yeah, well, my point is, don't put my actions on a
pedestal or anything. It's the least I can do after being such a load to
you, your fight, and all. I mean, I was captured not once, not twice,
but three times by those two youkai punks who used me as kidnapping bait
to distract you from using your full power on them.

"I've forgotten that I could fly during critical times where it could
have been most useful, acted carelessly in key moments of the fight, and
screamed at you to stop just as you were about to finish the Hiruma
brothers off, making your battle drag on needlessly. In fact, I
shouldn't even be telling you off for being a hypocritical pacifist,
since I'm the one partly responsible for keeping you from killing Iehog
and Iehik."

Kenshin sweatdropped yet again. "I believe you must follow your own
advice to me, then. It's better not to think about it." The Ghostly
Guardian of the Demon Sword chortled effeminately at Botan's contrary
nature. "You know, when you screamed at me to stop from killing Iehog
and Iehik, you kind of reminded me of someone. Actually, you've been
reminding me of someone special ever since you've welcomed me back to
Tokyo, even."

Botan froze, the hairs at the back of her head stiffening as she smiled
crookedly at Kenshin's pinpoint observation. "Oh really? I do? Did I
remind you of someone special, then?" Her cheeks heated up. "An ex-
girlfriend of yours, perhaps?"

"We've shared the most intimate of intimate relationships, deep in the
darkness of the night and within the flames of passion that only the
hearts of lovers know amongst themselves," Kenshin murmured to Botan
with dreamy, half-lidded eyes.

The Kaoru inside Botan made the ferry-girl's heart skip a beat. 

"Just kidding," came Kenshin's tongue-in-cheek reply, which prompted
Botan to again repeat the running gag of hardwood-on-noggin hilarity.
Repetition made the skit funny--if humor was meant to be repetitious.
No, that wasn't a koan.

Honestly speaking, Botan didn't know whether she wanted to coddle the
smartass melancholiac before her or whack him upside the head again
with her oar for good measure. But by then, Kaoru's constant usurping of
her mental and physical faculties on a whim was what bothered her the
most. As such, she suddenly felt compelled to 'offhandedly' ask the
redhead, "Or maybe I'm reminding you of some bossy and violent pony-
tailed kendo tomboy who can't cook for the life of her and has a
tendency to get kidnapped despite the fact that she's supposedly the
adjutant master of her dojo and whatnot."

Kenshin raised an understandably suspicious eyebrow at Botan's long and
loaded statement. "Hmmm. That's... strangely specific for a mere guess,
Botan. It's bordering on character assassination, even. How'd you get
all that information by yourself?"

Botan wanted to jibe, "Er, Reikai Gossip Circles?" at Kenshin, but her
own dainty little hands abruptly wrapped themselves around her smooth,
thin throat, keeping her from matching wits against the snarky redhead.
From there, the bewildered Guardian of the Demon Sword proceeded to
sweat in vexation thrice over as he witnessed the shinigami slowly choke
herself out.

"Who's violent? Who's bossy? Who can't cook? Who always gets kidnapped?
Who's the tomboy? Who, Botan, WHO?" the Kaoru in Botan's mind demanded
in such a way that she ironically confirmed quite a few of Botan's
accusations. All the raccoon-girl needed to do now was cook terribly and
get kidnapped, and she'd be all set to eat an awfully large helping of
her own crow pie.

"Oh, _put a sock in it_, KAMIYA KAORU! Oops," came Botan spit-take once
she regained some semblance of control over her bodily functions.
Warily, she looked over her shoulder and checked out Kenshin's response.
The shocked expression on the redhead's face after hearing Kaoru's name
wasn't unexpected; however, his frantic outburst afterwards was somewhat
surprising, considering how reserved he usually was.

"Botan! Did you just say Kamiya Kaoru? How do you know about Kaoru-dono?
Please, tell me! Were you her grim reaper when she finally died? How did
she die? Did she die a happy death? Was she able to move on after I left
her for the other world? I've got to know, Botan! I beg of you!"

Unbidden, Botan's hands started to travel towards Kenshin's cloth belt,
the ferry-girl's movements controlled by an overeager and emotional
Kaoru.


***


Many hours later, inside Genkai's dojo, after Rando and the Hiruma
brothers' eventual defeat...

Yusuke awoke, not having any idea of how much time had passed, and found
himself looking at a wooden ceiling that appeared to have turned into
Swiss cheese by unknown forces. Something from the outside must have
done a number on the training hall's roof to incur that much interior
damage; light from the early morn danced through and across its surface,
refracting into rainbow hues that shimmered on the cracked walls. He
blinked. "What...?"

Yusuke subsequently scowled, his brow furrowing as his mind refused to
yield up a particularly important memory. It was like having a word at
the tip of his tongue, or song lyrics to a forgotten tune--in short, it
was an overlooked reminiscence at the back of his mind. He may even be
suffering from an episode of the Zeigarnik effect, wherein a current and 
immediate task of utmost importance would stick to his mind up until its
eventual completion. Now that Kenshin and Botan were presumably out of
immediate danger, he apparently had other things to prioritize. But what
was it? What did he need to do next?

The half-demon struggled with his blurry mind, trying desperately to
grasp the vague concept of urgency in his head. He was... what?
Forgetting something important, something pressing; the memories and
images were there, just at the edge of his consciousness, yet
maddeningly out of reach. He knew that if he could only focus enough--
concentrate over the pain and his own weakness--he would have it. He'd 
understand how he had come to be there, in that devastated room, staring
up at the rafters of a pockmarked ceiling, incapacitated with agony.

How did he get there anyway? He remembered going to work today... at his
ramen shop, he definitely remembered that... before he and Keiko went to
see some sort of sappy chick movie, which he hated, and strolled to the
city park for a picnic, which he kind of liked _if_ only Botan and that
red-haired swordsman he'd just met hadn't gotten in the way. No, he was
confusing things. He skipped work because the Spirit World offered him a
job to retrieve a special sealed sword from some random cave in the
outskirts of town.

He subsequently remembered the last thing that occurred to him as he
slipped into unconsciousness. Rando had forced him to use up all his
remaining spirit energy in their momentous fight, so to make up for his
failure to keep his part of the bargain to Kenshin, he summoned--more
like begged telepathically--Puu to somehow help the hapless spirit
guardian and the captured Botan out. He still felt a bit worried about
what happened later on, but once he confirmed the swordsman's strong,
warm presence, he let out a breath of cathartic relief.

And then, a flicker of... something... a brief image of Kuwabara,
Genkai, and a marionette-like Keiko flashed into his mind so quickly
that...

"Keiko," he choked before he willed--_forced_--his beat-up and bruised
body to stand. He felt his world collapse into oblivion, like glass
exploding from inside him with a shriek of anguished torment. It erupted
from every pore of his skin and every part of his body. Nothing mattered
now except his painful remembrance. 

Yusuke fought against the torturous yet hallow agony with all the drive
and resolve he could muster as he hobbled towards the shut dojo doors.
He needed to get to Keiko _now_, before it became too late for her. Or
perhaps it was already too late, and it was only his denial that was
pushing him forward.

No. Dammit. It was never too late. Time and time again, Yusuke and his
friends found a way out of these tough situations, so it shouldn't be
too late for Keiko. And even if it were, it wouldn't be for long. Not
even death could stop Yusuke Urameshi from eventually prevailing, the
Chojin's diabolical plots be damned. If he couldn't make use of his
great power, luck, and influence over death to save his loved ones when
it really counted, then what good were they?


***


The threat of remembering her forgotten memories continued to haunt
Botan to this day. Fortunately, the faces of people she had known, the
places she had been, the things she had done, and the rest of her
memories of her past life were all gone now. Unfortunately, she kept
seeing memories of another soul that was currently residing inside her
mind care of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge's mysterious side
effects.

A tight feeling of apprehension started building in Botan's chest as
Kaoru took hold of the hilt of Kenshin's Youtou Shinnoken. 'K-K-Kaoru?
What are you doing with Kenshin's sword? Stop touching it! Hands off!'
That didn't quite sound right to the ferry-girl, but she didn't know
what else to say.

'Let me touch it, Botan! Please! I need to touch the hilt of Kenshin's
sword!' Kaoru begged, which didn't sound quite right either.

"Oro? B-B-Botan-d-dono? W-What are you doing? Ahhhh!" Kenshin panicked,
not quite sure what to make of the girl who was fiddling with his obi
and sword.

'I need to talk to Kenshin, Botan. The Demon Sword--that magical sword
that the Spirit World trapped him in--reacts to whomsoever touches it in
unique and random ways, doesn't it? Though it's a long shot, maybe if I,
with your help, touch Kenshin's youtou, then I could somehow talk to
Kenshin at long last,' Kaoru explained to Botan equably.

"Kenshin's youtou isn't a _microphone_ you can talk into, Kaoru! In
fact, I'd rather it was as far away from my mouth as possible!" At that
point, Botan realized that, regardless of her intentions, she went too
far with her tasteless double entendres concerning Kenshin's sword. The
look on the redhead's face after hearing what she just blurted out was 
beyond words, though.

'M-My...?' Kenshin muttered in his mind as his spirit brain got
scrambled and fried into a Spirit Brains Benedict.

Taking quick advantage of Botan's shame-induced stupor, Kaoru declared,
'It's been a long, long century, Botan; I can't wait any longer. I have
to talk to Kenshin _now_," as she reached forward, grabbed hold of the
Youtou Shinnoken's hilt, and pulled it out of its sheath. 

Kenshin was shocked by what happened next. He opened his mouth, but no
sound came out. In his throat was a glurge of bittersweet sorrow and
exultation that choked his voice out. He felt himself at a loss;
everything was happening far too quickly for his perplexed brain to
fully comprehend.

'But--but this isn't _possible_!' Kenshin reasoned to himself at length.
After all these centuries, _she_ had finally found a way back into his
life. Unbelievable. The spirit guardian felt like he was in some sort of
fairy tale--a dream that he didn't want to wake up from as he looked
closely at the transfigured Botan and gulped hard.

As Botan held onto the Youtou Shinnoken like a cane, embedding its tip
onto the stony ground, a strange transformation happened to her. Her
face didn't change, nor the color of her hair and eyes, nor the shape of
her face, nor the shape and build of her body, but something about her
was undeniably different: different yet familiar.

Her demeanor had changed. The way she was looking at Kenshin had also
changed. The way she carried herself, the way she handled the Demon
Sword so naturally, and the way her current stance reflected more of a
martial arts background was also noticeable. 

Most of all, the words "Botan" spoke next clinched it for Kenshin.
"Don't look so surprised, Kenshin. We all come and go beneath heaven.
Why can't our paths simply cross?"

"M-Megumi-dono?" Kenshin sputtered out uncertainly.

"MEGUMI-DONO? Megumi-dono _this_!" Okay, the next few words _after_ her
first few words clinched it for Kenshin. From there, "Botan" proceeded
to thrash the swordsman within an inch of his undead life, with the coup
de grace of using his own weapon against him. 

"ORO?" Kenshin oroed. Thankfully, the shinigami only used the flat and
non-bladed portions of his weapon, but it was still a rather harrowing
experience for the hapless Demon Sword Guardian. Because of the noise,
Puu woke up, looked at the arguing couple, chirped a tired sigh, and
slumbered some more. He wanted no part of their nonsense.

"Okay, I get it! It's Kaoru-dono, isn't it? The violence convinced me!
I mean, I'm sorry I got it wrong the first time!" Kenshin yelped out
after the possessed ferry-girl "forgot" to flip the sharp edge, the
"mistake" nearly costing him an arm and a leg. 

"Of course it's me! You should have known it was me from the very
start!" the Kaoru inside Botan's body berated as she pointed the tip of
the youtou at its original owner's throat threateningly.

Meanwhile, as Botan's dazed and confused consciousness drifted in a
bottomless ocean somewhere below the surface of consciousness, the
usurped personality couldn't help but repeat to herself, 'Kamiya Kaoru;
who is she exactly? What's she doing in my head? Was she a soul I helped
ferry across the River Styx before? More to the point, what's with that
'It's a Wonderful Life' flashback I had about Kenshin, Kaoru, and the
Hiruma brothers? Those weren't even my memories in the first place! What
the heck do I have to do with Kenshin and Kaoru? And how dare she use my
body to talk to Kenshin without my say so! What a bitch!'

Perhaps it was the lack of a survival instinct after becoming a ghost
that led Kenshin to compound the volatile situation by remarking,
"What's with that weird greeting about crossing underneath heaven
anyway? That's the thing that really threw me off on my first guess,
Kaoru-dono."

"I wanted to be poetic and classy during our first meeting, Kenshin! Or
is that wily kitsune-lady your only idea of a classy woman?" Kaoru
griped as her... well, Botan's... eyes smarted, the sharp tears blurring
her vision as she shook her head and scattered salty droplets all over
herself. It would've made for a very dramatic scene had Kaoru not
transformed Botan's irises into large, red tennis-ball-sized saltwater
fountains as she pathetically bit on the sleeves of Botan's pink kimono.

"I see that you haven't really changed much after all these decades,"
Kenshin appraised as he looked at the girl in front of him in wonder, a
flood of nostalgia and reminiscence drowning his senses. He wanted to
say more, but he was again grasping for the right words.

Should Kenshin ask for her forgiveness? For leaving her hanging all
those years ago? For failing to keep his promise to her to return to
Tokyo safe and sound? For dying alongside Shishio after their respective
final blows were struck? For depending on the heroes of tomorrow to
finish the mission he wasn't able to complete at the time? For not being
strong enough to protect both himself and his loved ones? He had so many
things to say all at once that he couldn't even manage to follow up his,
in hindsight, patronizing greeting.

Luckily, Kaoru alleviated Kenshin's burden by unceremoniously grabbing
him in a tight and warm embrace. "...K-Kaoru-dono?"

It was at that point that Botan's hidden consciousness stirred. 'Wait a
second. If the Forbidden Fruit is supposed to be a cure for
forgetfulness, then the Kaoru in my mind must be...!'

'Yukishiro Tomoe,' Kaoru finally confessed to Botan, much to the ferry-
girl's added befuddlement. 

'...That's right, Yukishiro Tomoe! Wait, no. What?' bungled Botan as her
train of thought was not only derailed, but had also caused a thirty-car
pileup that completely muddled up her thinking process. 'Who the heck is
Tomoe? I have enough trouble as is wrapping my brain around _your_
existence in my head, so throwing in another surprise personality is
simply too much for my brain to handle! AAAAAARRRGH! You're confusing me
again, Kaoru!'

'Some things are better left unknown, Botan,' Kaoru enigmatically
answered as she held onto Kenshin's body tight, her eyes shimmering in
both hesitant exultation and unacknowledged guilt.

At that point, Botan felt like she was back in that flashback scene with
the Hiruma brothers, with her not at all having any impact to the
outcome of the events happening before her eyes. She had become an
unwilling spectator yet again--a voyeur to other people's private lives,
in her own body to boot. 'Boy, this day sucks.'

In Kenshin's own perspective, small pinpoints of green firefly light
danced around him and Kaoru-Botan, further convincing him of the
displaced ghost's true identity. A thousand more questions popped up
inside the former vagabond's mind: the very same questions he had told
Botan earlier, plus several more concerning Kaoru's current situation.

What was Kaoru doing in Botan's body? What happened to their friends
back in Tokyo? What happened to Sanosuke Sagara? Megumi Takani? Aoshi
Shinimori? Yahiko Myojin? Misao Makimachi? Tsubame Sanjo? Sekihara Tae?
The surviving Oniwabanshu? The surviving Juppon Gatana? How much of an
impact had his death left to his loved ones? Perhaps he hadn't left that
much of an impact at all? The whole situation felt so surreal to him
that he didn't quite know what to make of it.

In any event, Kenshin elected to just stick to the first thing he was
supposed to tell Kaoru or any of his friends back in Meiji Era Tokyo
once he saw them again. "Kaoru-dono, I'm so glad to see you. I've missed
you. There wasn't a day where I wasn't thinking about you. And I'm so,
so sorry for breaking my promise to come back to you. I really am."

Kaoru held Kenshin at arm's length and gave him a shy, gentle smile--
something that looked rather uncharacteristic on the normally
'bombastic' Botan's face. 

'Who are you calling bombastic?' complained the ferry-girl.

If Kenshin had a thousand questions to ask Kaoru, then Kaoru had a
million more things to say to Kenshin. She wanted to tell him the impact
of his death to all their friends and foes back in Meiji Era Tokyo. She
wanted him to know that his penultimate "unfinished business" had come
back to haunt them. She wanted to divulge to him how they were able to
handle that terrible circumstance and what sacrifices they'd made to
survive.

Kaoru had suffered through a myriad of interconnected events that
depressed and shamed her so badly that, once dead, she begged Koenma to
send her to the pits of hell. Feeling sorry for her, the young god
instead sent her straight to the Elysian Fields, where she was purified
of her sins and purged of their horrible memory. From that point on,
everything was a blur.

That was, until Botan came along and ruined it all by eating the
Forbidden Fruit--the one thing that undid the effects of the Lotus
Blossoms of the Elysian Fields. Of course, it still begged the question
of how Kaoru's spirit somehow ended up in Botan's body, but the answer
to that still lay buried within their shared subconscious, its trauma so
great that one bite out of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was not
enough to fully unlock its secrets.

She wanted to bare her soul to Kenshin and more, but stopped herself
short of doing so after seeing the look of concern and reprieve in the
ex-rurouni's eyes. Who was she to destroy that expectant gaze with her
own sullied fate? She had no right. So instead of confessing to what
happened to her more than a century ago, she instead chose to reassure,
"Don't worry, Kenshin. It's not your fault. What's past is past. There's
no point in worrying about such things. What's important is the here and
now."

'Yes, this is for the best. No need to add to Kenshin's worries,' Kaoru
assured herself while Botan kept demanding, '_Hey_! Who's Yukishiro
Tomoe? What the heck are you doing in my head? Why did the Forbidden
Fruit work on you instead of me? Why are you so bossy? Aren't you
supposed to be friendlier and more cheerful than this? Or was that
flashback I got from you a lie? Answer me! Answer me, you freeloading
ghost!'

Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he scowled at Kaoru's feeble attempts at
hiding her emotions, but not in the usual "Hitoriki Battousai"
deliberateness, but more of "Kenshin Himura" worry. His gut told him
something was wrong, but he eventually opted to give his instinct no
mind. Whatever it was that was bothering Kaoru, it could wait. He never
even expected to see her again... and now she was there, right in front
of him. Sort of. Kenshin was not a person to look a gift horse in the
mouth.

"Kaoru-dono..." Kenshin trailed off before smiling and hailing, "Welcome
back," in the same manner as she did in his dreams--his unfulfilled
dreams of coming back to Tokyo with all his loved ones.

Botan blushed for Kaoru's sake, wanting urgently to not be anywhere near
the couple during times of intimacy, feeling too awkward about watching
this tearful reunion between the two past... unrequited lovers, she
guessed. Besides which, in this world of memories, there was no need for
strangers--which was what she was, she surmised. 

Kaoru let go of Kenshin's shoulders, took his hand to hers and greeted
back, "I'm home," before moving in and tilting her head on the redhead's
chest.

To Kenshin's heart, Kaoru whispered at length, "If things were to change,
do you think you could ever fall for me? Or fulfill a dream we wanted to
come true? The world has already changed. Our world is long gone, erased
from living memory. But I'm here now, awaiting my closure... and that
closure is you, Kenshin."

"Hmmm? What was that, Kaoru-dono?"

Her lips curled up secretively as she nuzzled the ghostly swordsman's
neck. "Nothing."

Kenshin murmured something back, and when it was Kaoru's turn to ask,
he gave her the same answer.

Just then, from behind them, the dojo doors opened, and out flew a
fettering but determined Yusuke, which startled the Kaoru-possessed
Botan so badly that she dropped the sword that she was holding, thus
ending Kaoru's control over Botan's body--which was such a shame,
because had Kaoru insisted on knowing what Kenshin mumbled to her, she
would've found out that he did hear her pensive wish, and that he was
actually answering it back with his pledge of:

"Even though I was the Hitokiri Battousai, you kept me from leaving. You
said you didn't care about my past, and that made me very happy. So now
I'm giving you the same benefit of the doubt. I don't care about what
you did after I died, Kaoru-dono. I'm just glad to finally see you
again, after such a long time."


***


Back to the relative present, on the moon-like surface of what was left
of Genkai's patio, Yusuke suddenly burst out of the broken-down training
hall, his body trembling with fear and exhilaration. He was as spry as a 
youngster on a sugar rush, not at all minding his various collection of
bodily injuries both mental and physical; whether it was the adrenaline
or demon blood pumping in his veins that made it possible, he neither
knew nor cared.

"Botan! Kenshin!" Yusuke called out after spotting his two other
companions in the middle of the damaged temple stairs. "Thank the gods
you're all right! Puu was able to make it and help you at your time of
need, didn't he? He was able to save you from harm, right?" 

"Yes, Yusuke. Puu was able to save our butts," Botan confirmed as she
hastily wiped the tears that Kaoru cried using her sleeves and
straightened herself up. Her mind's abrupt transition from being a mere
voice in her own head to gaining voluntary control of her bodily
functions was a bit disorienting to her.

"He did? Oh man, that's great! Good boy, Puu! Good boy! I owe you one,
buddy," Yusuke cooed to the large blue bird as he patted him on the
head. Puu, in turn, shrieked to his half-demon twin brother in kind.

Before either the freshly roused Kenshin or Botan could get an edge on
the conversation word-wise, Yusuke was already demanding, "Botan, can
you still fly? Is Puu too injured to fly as well? I need to get to Keiko
right away!"

"Keiko-dono? So did something happen to her, Botan?" Kenshin asked the
ferry-girl, his own worry and guilt growing after hearing Yusuke's plea.
He knew he shouldn't feel responsible for whatever it was that befell
the young Yukimura, but his own personal Messiah complex had always left
him feeling partly responsible for any casualty that happened near or
around him.

Botan nodded sadly. "Yes. I witnessed it myself, while Iehog and Iehik
held me hostage. Seiryu put Keiko into some sort of trance, turning her
into a living battery that provided him limitless negative energy power.
If that weird policeman guy hadn't come to stop him, only Enma Daio
knows how far gone Keiko would've been. Besides which, Seiryu would've
ended up killing her, Kuwabara, Genkai, and Byakko had he gotten his
way."

"Weird policeman guy...?" Kenshin repeated, then thought, 'Saito Hajime
fought both Seiryu and me? Why? What's his game? Who's side is he on
this time around? In this day and age where the Bakumatsu and the Meiji 
Restoration were nothing but chapters in a Japanese History Book, what
would he achieve with fighting both me and the forces of the Chojin?
What's his goal? What does he want to achieve?'

Meanwhile, in his desperation, Yusuke replied to Botan, "But Keiko isn't
that far gone yet, isn't she?" Not even waiting for the blue-haired
angel of death to respond, the young Urameshi requested, "Keiko told me
that you helped her soul get back from the Spirit World to the Human
World. Well, do you know where her body is? We need to get to her right
now and find a way to get her soul back into that body!"

"Yusuke, it's not that simple," Botan broached the sensitive subject
gently, not quite sure what to tell the despairing, do-or-die hanyou.
She couldn't blame him for hoping against hope on behalf of Keiko's
wellbeing despite it already being after the fact, what with his
experiences as an earthbound ghost giving him the wrong message about
the permanence and inevitability of death.

The Toguro Brothers escaped it. Genkai, because the plot, er, the Reikai 
demanded it, was also given a free, if temporary, pass. Kuwabara,
Kurama, and Hiei almost died through various degrees, reasons, methods,
and circumstances, but they'd managed to survive anyway. Hell, Sensui
was able to live through a terminal disease for ten years by simply
being a million times more powerful than the average terminally sick--or
even completely healthy--human. Even now, the Chojin had found a way to
defy death as well, reviving Yusuke and Kenshin's old enemies by use of
the deadly yet all-purpose and versatile substance known as jaki. Most
of all, Yusuke himself had escaped death time and time again. There was
no way he'd believe Keiko's death was irreversible, given the broken
life lessons his experiences gave him.

"It's a mistake, isn't it? Just like my very first death care of a car
accident, right? It's just a miscalculation of fate that can be fixed by
some sort of side quest, good deeds, and whatnot! She can still be
saved! If Genkai can be revived with a snap of Koenma's fingers, then
what more Keiko?" Yusuke asserted, his voice high-pitched and near-
hysterical as he dementedly tried to convince himself that everything
was going to be all right, his expectant smile hinting at the edge of
madness.

"Er, not exactly," the shinigami hedged, her eyes darting all over the
place. True, she had managed to pluck Keiko out of the Elysian Fields,
but it was more because she wasn't supposed to be there in the first
place; she was able to sneak in Reikai because Koenma was too busy
researching about the Chojin. That, and because Keiko was the only one
who could bring Yusuke out of the Kugai's trance. It certainly wasn't
because Keiko could still be saved. But how could Botan tell Yusuke that
awful truth?

To the sleek-haired, jacket-wearing Houdini of Death, for good or for
ill, death was a mere inconvenience that didn't apply to him or any of
his closest friends. Just how could Botan explain to Yusuke that,
through the diabolical circumstances concocted by the Western devil
known as Satan himself, this time around, Keiko couldn't be saved by
loopholes, miracles, determination, hot-bloodedness, or hope? 

However, in a more cynical viewpoint, the reason Yusuke and his friends
had survived for so long was because Koenma was on their side--he was
their personal backer who took care of the 'little' details. Once they'd 
outlived their usefulness, they'd have the same random chance of
survivability as the rest of the human/demon race, give or take the
factor that their enormous strength and special gifts might still extend
their lifespan considerably.

"Botan," Kenshin called out, startling both Botan and Yusuke awake from
their states of respective depression and denial.

"W-What is it, Kenshin?" Botan hesitantly queried.

"Tell us where Keiko is. I have no idea whether we're too late or not, 
but we can't give up without even trying. We just can't!" Kenshin
determinedly stated, meaningfully gripping his Youtou Shinnoken tight. 

"Kenshin," Yusuke mumbled before grinning and slamming his fist on his
open palm. "That's more like it, wimpy! We're not licked yet! I didn't
bust my ass fighting Hiei and Suzako just to see her die now! We'll find
a way to save her or be pioneers and invent a new way of saving dead
people! If the Chojin can do it, so can we!"

Botan looked at the two men as though they'd gone stark-raving mad. She
wasn't quite sure what Kenshin's intentions were. Was it to teach Yusuke
a lesson on the grim realities of life once his luck ran out, or did he
truly believe that they could beat reason to a pulp and achieve the
unachievable one more time, against all odds? Therefore, she hoped for
the very best and expected the very worst; pragmatically speaking, that
was all she could do. 

Meanwhile, the Kaoru inside Botan's mind cheered her host and the two
determined Spirit World Warriors on, figuratively gripping Botan's hand
and encouragingly cheering, 'Kenshin believes that you all can get
through this problem, and so do I. Have faith and take heart, Botan.'

After a short pause, Botan finally nodded in assent. "Okay. Let's go.
Yusuke, go ride with Puu. Kenshin, you're coming with me. I'll show you
both the way."


***


Genkai had just finished drying Keiko's clothes and re-clothing the poor 
comatose girl when Kenshin, Yusuke, Botan, and Puu finally arrived at
the scene. 'Good. They've made it in one piece,' the old woman reflected
in bittersweet relief as she gently rubbed the sleeping school girl's
cold hands with her warm, wizened palms.

Even though Genkai could sense all their life forces even from that
distance, she was still deathly afraid that they'd suffered a fate worse
than death, with them missing several limbs, going blind, or even
becoming completely paralyzed from the neck down. 

All she knew a few minutes earlier was that they were alive; she wasn't
sure if they were still in good condition. It was a morbid yet valid
concern, especially considering the relentless drive that the Chojin's
minions had. There was no place for honor, dumb luck, or mercy with any
of those revived, single-minded zombies.

Kuwabara, on the other hand, was despondent to the arrival of the
foursome, even as the wind from Puu's humongous flapping wings compelled
the puffy strands of his course pompadour to move--which was
understandable, considering that he was currently mourning the recently
deceased.

"What took you so long? What, were you ballroom dancing with Rando or
something?" was what Genkai wanted to say to Yusuke, spouting off one of
her patented insult-greetings that relied a lot more on subtext than
context. But she wasn't in the mood for such small talk; one look from
her was enough to tell Yusuke everything he needed to know about the
dire straits Keiko was in.

However, the old woman didn't like the glare of defiance in Yusuke's
eyes for the simple fact that she knew it would do him no good. It was
for that reason that she callously yet straightforwardly warned, "Don't
even think about it, moron. It's far too late. Keiko didn't make it.
She's already dead." 

Without even missing a beat, Yusuke kept on walking forward, every last
trace of his shambling gait earlier melting away as waves of pure energy
started to run a frenetic course--more like a marathon--in his veins. 

As usual, his anger and sheer stubbornness was the catalyst for him to
unleash even more of his unadulterated power even after depleting most
of it in his fight with Rando (not one of his better performances,
especially considering that Rando only got up to the Toguro-Ototo-level
of Class-B+ while Yusuke was a powerhouse capable of achieving Class-A-
to-S, but that was neither here nor there).

"Oh no. Don't give me that bullshit! Wasn't it far too late for _you_
when Toguro murdered you in cold blood? I seem to remember the Spirit
World suddenly reviving you for... I don't know... good behavior? Or
rather, they revived you in order to help us out with Sensui." Yusuke
harrumphed as his martial arts master steadfastly stood in his way. "You
and I both have no right to say that Keiko is a goner. We know better.
There's still a way. There's _always_ a way!"

"Yusuke..." Genkai muttered, but then her eyes flared with azure plasma
as she quickly punched her stubborn, impetuous student right in the
gonads. Yusuke didn't even flinch, though he was certainly sweating far
more heavily than before.

"Are you a complete idiot? Just how arrogant can you be? Just because
you've risen up a couple of times from the grave doesn't mean you have
some god-given right to decide who lives and who dies! Koenma and I have
done everything that we could to protect you kids from the realities of
life... from reviving the dead Doctor Kamiya in order to stop you from
becoming a human murderer, to making Kuwabara only 'pretend' to be dead
for your sake... but you can't always rely on us to bail you out. Now
stop acting like a spoiled brat and face facts!" 

But Yusuke wasn't even listening to Genkai; he was already beside
Keiko's body just as the old woman finished her long and involved
monologue. A collective dripping of chagrined sweat was had by all. "So
you really want to save Keiko, knowing full well that you may only be
wasting your time?"

"Yes," Yusuke insolently hissed, blinking away the tears induced by
Genkai's low blow as the pain of seeing Keiko's still and doll-like body
stung his non-beating heart far more than physical pain ever could. He
remembered a quote about brick walls and scaling them in the corner of
his frenzied mind, but he felt that his own actions were enough to
demonstrate his immovable resolve.

However, Genkai wanted Yusuke to realize that not all brick walls were
there to test people--some brick walls were there because you weren't
supposed to climb over them no matter how badly you wanted to. Sometimes
giving up was the only answer; regrettably, it would probably take a
heavier dose of reality to make Yusuke realize that painful truth.

"Fine. Do whatever you want," Genkai ultimately groused as she crossed
her arms and sat down on the ground in petulant defiance. She knew
Yusuke needed to learn this harsh life lesson the hard way, but on the
other hand, she inwardly wished him the best of luck nonetheless.

Meanwhile, in the background, Botan and Kenshin hurriedly scampered
beside the Spirit Wave Master, with Kenshin giving a cursory bow and
greeting to the dazed and entranced Kuwabara.

"Hello, I'm Himura Kenshin."

"Er, yeah. Kuwabara Kazuma. Nice to meet you," Kuwabara listlessly
acknowledged the friendly swordsman, thinking to himself, 'Did Kurama
have an orange-haired cousin from the province or something? I could
almost swear they have the same voice!'

Keiko's alive-but-not-quite state wedged her appearance firmly in the
uncanny valley, which startled Yusuke. Then again, he'd never seen her
look more hauntingly beautiful in his life--like a butterfly in a glass
case or a marble statue created by one of the old masters. She certainly
didn't look anything like the annoying busybody of a schoolgirl she
usually was. Alas, for Yusuke, he'd rather have the annoying busybody of
a schoolgirl than the creepy yet gorgeous mannequin before him.

As such, Yusuke lifted the prone Keiko's head up and started slapping
the bejeezus--or perhaps bebuddha--out of the poor girl's face, which
made the jaws of his companions drop to the ground in aghast
incredulity; the impetuous Urameshi had that effect on everybody. He
must have figured that whatever woke Keiko during her trance in the
Ankoku Bujutsukai would be enough to wake her up now. Yes, he was an
idiot.

"SUPINE KICK KOUGEKI!" Genkai shrieked as she did her special martial
arts move that made pigs fly.

"KNICK-KNACK-PADDLE-WHACK!" Botan screamed as she did her special
paddling move that silenced sarcastic swordsmen, giving it a 'cute' name
right on the spot.

"Oro? Should I join in too?" Kenshin politely asked a boggling Kuwabara
as he began to unsheathe the Youtou Shinnoken, to which Yusuke yelped,
"Like _hell_, you are!"

Once calmer heads prevailed and everything was sorted out--with Yusuke
gingerly walking off his latest collection of cuts and bruises--the
half-demon swiftly turned towards Botan and asked her, "Where's Keiko's
soul right now? Is there anything we can do to help her get back to her
body?"

Botan was hoping Yusuke wouldn't ask that, but she knew that he needed
to know the truth. "In limbo--that is, her soul is in the Dream World,
right in between the Spirit World and the Human World." The blue-haired,
pink-eyed girl sighed. 

"Listen. It's important that Keiko severs all worldly connections as
soon as possible, just so her soul can finally pass on without any
trouble. Otherwise, she'll just be another earthbound spirit, trapped by
the weight of her guilt and the strong feelings of denial from those who
just couldn't accept her death. You have to let her go for her own sake,
Yusuke, because you'll needlessly damn her to a life of misery and
broken dreams if you don't."

"But she was able to help me get through Rando's Kugai, Botan! I owe her
my life _again_, and I'm willing to offer this unkillable yet worthless
life she just saved to bring her back!" Yusuke passionately argued, but
Botan's steadfast stare told him far more effectively than words that
mere moxie just wasn't going to cut it this time around.

Genkai stirred and froze at Yusuke's revelation. 'The Kugai? Rando knew
that deadly technique? That damn bastard is far more dangerous than we 
initially gave him credit for! No wonder he was the leader of the
Chojin's preliminary attack on us!' The wizened old woman scrutinized
Yusuke's ki-flow, feeling something was amiss. 'He may look fine now,
but empathy to suffering is just part of the Kugai's first symptoms. I
better observe him and his health from now on.'

"...Let me try, Botan. Please. If I fail in bringing Keiko back, then
I'll let go of her. I'll accept her death. It's just that... I don't
want to have any regrets," came Yusuke's ultimatum to Botan as he
grabbed hold of his chest, his dead heart throbbing in what he presumed
as Kugai-induced pain.

Yes, he knew that he was still infected by Rando's damn Kugai spell,
though its influence was far less insidious than before. As such, if
Keiko truly was a goner, then the half-demon saw no sense in risking
everyone else's safety by letting the World of Suffering take advantage
of his grief and transform him into a mindless berserker demon with a
taste for human flesh, just like Raizen. But he was willing to take that
risk for Keiko's sake. 

"Contrary to what you all believe, I do know when I'm licked. But
please, _please_ let me try to save Keiko anyway. You all know me,
right? Well, not Kenshin, but most of you do. I can't possibly forgive
myself if I don't even try to do something about Keiko's condition!"
Yusuke beseeched to Botan and everyone else present.

Despite herself, the shinigami nodded to the half-demon's stipulations.
If there was anyone who could really, truly defy the impossible, then it
was Yusuke. She didn't know how, but she knew that he'd find a way,
knowing him. Yet again, the rambunctious teenager demonstrated the
effects of his unbendable enthusiasm on other people--giving them a
glimmer of hope where there was no hope to be found. Of course, whether
his talents was an asset or a liability this time around was yet to be
seen.

"I've never seen you more pathetic in all my life, Urameshi. You make me
sick," Kuwabara snidely remarked as he slung his arm over Yusuke's
shoulders like some sort of drunken fool. "It can't be helped, then.
I'll show how I saved your life back when you used your life energy up
to defeat Suzako."

"...You will? How? Show me how!" Yusuke enthusiastically insisted, and
Kuwabara readily complied, stating, "Hold your horses, son. Watch and
learn," as the tendrils of his golden aura rose from the pores of his
skin and enveloped Keiko's body. 

Once Yusuke had a general idea of how to go about saving Keiko's hide,
he followed Kuwabara's lead and turned his unacknowledged rival's
shining aura into a shimmering, cool cerulean oasis of untapped power. 
They were both running on adrenalin. Emotion. Hope. Fear. Desperation.
Guilt. Faith. Love.

Yusuke stood with his arms extended beside him, a bestial growl escaping
his throat as he gave in, just this once, to the rumblings of the Kugai
inside him. The rest of them could see his aura flaring to life: the Jyu
Rei Jyou Ante; a bright pulse, like the heart of a blue sun. It became
brighter and stronger with each moment that the half-demon concentrated.
Even as Kenshin caught Kuwabara after he fainted from exhaustion, Yusuke
kept on going.

"I am not going to give up on you, Keiko! NEVER!"

The others figured it out almost as soon as Yusuke did. First, Botan
rushed to stand beside the impetuous young man, bringing forth her own
brilliant light of shinigami reiatsu to life. Then Kenshin joined on
Yusuke's other side, followed by Genkai and even Puu. Those that could
hold hands held hands, their auras of kenki, youki, reiki, and whatever
else kind of ki they possessed blending, merging, and surging the same
way that Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke's powers combined through
the Meikai Crystal's help, their hearts and emotions burning as one. 

Soon, one by one, they all gave in and buckled down from the sheer
exertion of giving away their life energies to Keiko... crumpled to
their hands and knees, gasping for air, quaking with weakness... all
except for Kenshin, Yusuke, and Puu, who reestablished their bond
through Reikai magic and achieved perfect synchronization, which in turn
unleashed unbelievable amounts of energy from the bottomless pits of
their shared wealth of willpower and determination.

But nothing happened. Keiko's body remained as it was: completely still
and as cold as death, unmoved by the fiery energies that surrounded it.

"Enough, Yusuke! Himura-san! Puu!" Genkai panted from her kneeling
position on the ground, admonishing, "If you continue to do this, you'll
only put yourselves at risk. Also, too much energy with no focal point
will burn Keiko's body out. This method only works for people who are
mostly dead, not completely dead."

Unwillingly, Kenshin, Yusuke, and Puu ceased their concerted efforts to
revive Keiko, the three of them giving in to the unbearable weight of
fatigue and failure. Puu wailed in mourning while Yusuke cursed under
his breath and punched the ground in frustration, creating a person-
sized crater underneath him. "Dammit, Keiko! Dammit! Was it all for
nothing? Was our efforts all for nothing?" 

"Not really. We're just starting," somebody beside Yusuke and Kenshin
staunchly declared. It was Genkai. "I guess it's my turn now. Himura
Kenshin-san, may I have your sword, please?" the Mistress of the Spirit
Waves politely asked Kenshin as she carefully stood up on her wobbling
feet, her shaking hands seemingly suffering from a bout of arthritis.


***


To be Continued...

Next: Idealism versus reality.

Keiko: Yusuke, meet my cousin, Yukimura Seiichi-chan! A champion
player at tennis!

Seiichi: Domo! ^_^

Yusuke: Wow, Keiko! Your cousin's a way hotter girl than you! ^.^

Keiko: -_-;

FYI: Before Mayo Suzukaze ever took the role of Kenshin in the
Rurouni Kenshin TV anime, Megumi Ogata (Kurama's seiyu) provided
the silly ol' rurouni's voice for the Rurouni Kenshin Drama CDs. I
just wanted to let you all know. ^_^

If Youtou Shinnoken: Demon Sword was exhausting for you, the
readers, to wade through (what with all the nuances both obvious
and subtle in this fic), just imagine how 'fun' it was to write
it! :P Lots of things have been added to the story that probably
shouldn't have been added, but in the end, what's done is done,
and I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's all just move on,
shall we?

Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro
Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the
rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. This disclaimer
also covers all the other copyrighted material that are far too
many to mention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

Yosh!
Abdiel