[FFML] [yyh][rk][xover] Demon Sword Chapter 39: Red Rose in the Darkness (Part 7)

[Abdiel]

========================================================================


Demon Sword
A Yuyu Hakusho/Rurouni Kenshin Crossover Fan Fiction Story
By Chester Castañeda
chester.castaneda at gmail.com
gabriel_gabdiel at yahoo.com
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/223441/
Original concept by Chad Yang
chadjill at ms3.hinet.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/56473/

Kurama is the new target of the Shin Ju, particularly the original Kanji
Killer and the reincarnation of Jine Udo.


========================================================================

Chapter 39: Red Rose in the Darkness (Part 7)

========================================================================


At a park bench outside the Shinjuku Police Station, Kurama and Daiji
Matsudaira discussed the Shin Juppon Gatana's next move.

"Actually, the fact that Jine Udo... now Officer Hamada Takumi... was
the Kanji Killer was what helped muddle my investigations against Xinhai
Feng." Daiji squinted his eyes and clenched his fist.

"I made a mistake," confessed Kurama. "Both Natsuki and I presumed that
Jine impersonated Hamada, when all this time, they were one and the
same. Hamada was not killed by Jine nor was he replaced by him. Udo,
Hamada, and the Kanji Killer are all the same person."

The Aoshi reincarnate slammed his fist into the railing of the bench he
was sitting on, bending it slightly. "All this time, one of our own kept
us from solving the Kanji Killer murders because he _is_ the Kanji
Killer. There's enough irony there for me to choke on."

One other thing occurred to Daiji. "His hypnosis probably helps him
commit his crimes more covertly, which is why the cops has yet to gather
evidence against him; that, coupled with the fact that he is part of the
police, is why he's still at large."

"I'm kind of wondering how his hypnosis works. He must've used it
multiple times a day against all of you at the Shinjuku Police Station
in order to hide his features and keep him from being connected to the
rumors of a thin, maniacal version of the Kanji Killer that's not Xinhai
Feng," supposed Kurama.

"That's an interesting theory," said Matsudaira while tapping his finger
on his pointy chin. "It would make sense if that's the case, although it
honestly sounds more like an excuse than anything else. Does that mean
that Jine has the ability to create unlimited illusions every time?"

"I somehow doubt that," said Kurama.

"Why so?" asked Daiji.

"My theory is that he can only create a limited number of fantasies at a
given time, like within the span of a day or so, although the number of
people he could hypnotize with his constructed realities are unlimited,"
answered Kurama.

The detective shrugged. "What makes you say that? I mean, he could've
easily had Yanagisawa, myself, and you hypnotized three times... even if
it's same dream... then did it again with me when I tried to kill him."

Kurama reasoned, "Think about it. When I first met Shinkai Natsuki,
rescuing her from the wrath of the Kanji Killer, he used his Evil Eyes
on us three times, each time with a different fantasy. However, he had
to look into our eyes every time he did so. In essence, he'd have to
use his powers more than three times to hypnotize all of us."

Detective Matsudaira nodded, and Kurama continued. "However, he only
managed to produce three fantasies, two of them preventing him from
dying, and the third one involving twin doppelgangers of Tsukayama
Yutaro, Miss Shinkai's past reincarnation."

"I don't get it. What makes you think that the Kanji Killer can only
make three illusions with his hypnosis?" asked Daiji. "Didn't you tell
me that it was your old enemy Suzaku who shot Natsuki as she was about
to apprehend the Kanji Killer?"

"Exactly," said Kurama. "Suzaku had been watching us all that time, but
he only really bailed Jine out at the last minute, with what I believe
is his last illusion. They weren't yet aware of the power of the Mugen
Dai no Hyogo, so Jine's fellow Shin Ju member must have allowed him to
escape for some other reason... such as the fact that he'd run out of
energy to create more illusions. It's only a theory, but it makes
sense."

Matsudaira stood up. "All the same, now that they know how much of a
formidable opponent you are, the Shin Juppon Gatana and the 'Chojin'...
who might actually be Kenshin's murderer, the rebel Shishio Makoto...
might actually start targeting you this time around."

Kurama smirked. "You should watch out yourself, Detective Matsudaira.
You were the tactical genius that figured out Xinhai Feng's modus
operandi, who is himself a high-ranking official of the Shin Ju and the
Chojin's army on top of being a serial killer copycat of the Kanji
Killer."

"I'm aware of that, but the Shin Ju are after you because you can do
something that even I cannot," said Daiji. "I'm no expert in spiritual
matters or the different power levels, but even I know about your
ability to summon Himura Kenshin's truest form, the Youkiri Battousai,
whenever you take hold of the Demon Sword."

"As expected of a great detective! No one, not even Botan, has told
anyone about the incident involving Koenma Daio and myself back in the
Spirit World, yet you already know about it." Kurama applauded.

"Are you implying something, Kurama?"

"It's almost as if you have spies in the Spirit World to tell you all
about it, even though you've just realized you're one of Kenshin's
reincarnated comrades a few weeks back."

"Is that so?"

The nearby pigeons and sparrows flew away as Kurama and Daiji leapt into
action.

At that very instant, as _another_ Daiji appeared from behind a mailbox,
his gun out of its holster while he summoned a spiritually created
kodachi for good measure, Kurama summoned a Tsukeyaki (Grass Leaf) Blade
and stabbed the Matsudaira he was talking to with it... which was fine
because he wasn't the detective at all, but Jine Udo in disguise.

"OFFICER HAMADA! FREEZE! So it is true! You are part of the Shin Ju! You
are the Kanji Killer!" said the real Daiji as he pointed his gun at the
de-transformed Jine.

The Kanji Killer's hand bled after blocking Kurama's blade with the palm
of his hand while his other hand drew his wakizashi and put the edge of
the blade unto the demon's jugular.

"Magnificent. How long before you figured out it was me, Kurama?" asked
Jine while ignoring Detective Matsudaira.

"Around the time you were bragging about your modus operandi and easily
dismissed the One-Eight-Ten Killer, when Detective Matsudaira would've
been more interested in talking about Xinhai than you. When I saw the
real Detective Matsudaira walking towards me, I signaled him via
telepathy to hide and wait," said Kurama with nary a stutter or a flinch
as the cold blade's edge bit his human flesh.

"I guess this all but confirms Kurama's three illusion theory. You still
had one illusion left before the day was done. You couldn't hold
yourself back, so you came here to attempt what you failed to do back in
Aokigahara, which was to finish off Kurama: The one target you couldn't
kill," concluded Daiji as a crowd started to gather around them.

"What are you going to do now, Matsudaira-kun? Arrest me and claim I'm
the Kanji Killer? Or shoot me here and now, like you would Xinhai if you
had the chance?" asked the rogue policeman who, instead of being garbed
in his traditional Meiji Era clothes, was wearing his police uniform.

"What do you want, Hamada?" demanded Daiji.

"You can both relax," said the reincarnation of Udo as he extricated the
leaf sword that plunged into this palm while simultaneously removing his
short sword's edge from Kurama's neck, leaving a bleeding imprint that
almost sliced the redhead's Adam's apple in twain. "I was only testing
you. I'm also here to send a message from the rest of the Shin Ju."

"The Shin Ju's next target is me, correct?" said Kurama. "Just like you
said earlier."

"You were always quick on the uptake. I like that about you, Kurama,"
said the corrupt cop turned serial killer as he swung his blade to rid
it of Kurama's blood and sheathed it back into its scabbard. "I can see
why the Mad Bomber is as obsessed with you as a scorned woman. You're
almost a match wit-for-wit against Xinhai and good ol' Matsudaira-kun
here."

Jine eyed the circling Daiji. "Of course, if you want to battle me here
and now, feel free to do so. Go ahead. Test your theory about my Evil
Eyes producing only three illusions. Fair warning, though; I remember
all the injuries I gave you earlier in Aokigahara, and I'm more than
willing to... reopen them."

"So the Shin Ju sent you to assassinate me," concluded Kurama.

"You could say that," grinned Jine with his large, perfectly symmetrical
teeth before licking them clean, his eyes as black and devoid of sclera
(eye whites) as an animal's, which was fitting of his "Jagan".

"It's always been a habit of mine to warn my prey of my approach so
they'd have a sporting chance of fighting back. So heed my warning:
Unless you make use of the Youtou Shinnoken and summon the being lurking
within that sword known as the Youkiri Battousai, you will never stand a
chance against me."

"Hamada" proceeded to walk away, cackling like a madman as the onlookers
parted like the Red Sea to Moses as he sauntered off into the darkness.

Daiji took Jine up on his earlier offer and shot at him with his pistol,
but the Shin Ju member easily sliced the bullets apart and otherwise
deflected them away from him, all the while not even looking back.

Meanwhile, Kurama felt something he hadn't felt since he first
discovered that Yomi, his former comrade in his guild of thieves, had
his sights set on him: That foreboding feeling of something amiss.

All the same, the redhead had a vague idea of what Jine had planned
thanks to his perfect "mind-meld" with Kenshin after they first "fused"
together via the Youtou Shinnoken.


===


Right after the Spirit World's failed attempt at locating a new "master"
for the Demon Sword aside from Yusuke, Kurama, Botan, Yanagisawa, Kido,
and Kaito (specifically after Kenshin and Botan brought back Kuwabara's
spirit to his body at the Kuwabara residence)...

'The Demon Sword isn't a sword made to kill demons, but a sword that's
made for demons,' was what Kenshin remembered Suzaku say to him.

In light of what had happened to Kido because he was drunk with the
power of the Youtou Shinnoken (and even Yanagisawa, who'd developed fear
of the Reikai artifact), perhaps this old enemy of Yusuke Urameshi had a
point, Kenshin reckoned.

For the longest time, Kenshin believed his Battousai self was something
he could control because it was essentially a part of him. However, what
if there were something else inside of him beyond Battousai the
Manslayer that had a mind of its own, like what had happened to Youko
Kurama when he decided to inhabit the body of a human, but in reverse?

Instead of the spirit of a youkai developing a human personality with
its own sentience  as soon as he was forced to enter the body of a baby
and possess it, Kenshin might've ended up being a ghost of a human who
became guardian of a demonic sword and, as a result, developed a demonic
personality that was self-aware.

The Hitokiri Battousai had somehow evolved into the Youkiri Battousai
without Kenshin noticing it... and everything came to a head during
World War II, a good sixty-seven years after his death and appointment
as guardian of the Demon Sword, when he went insane and almost unleashed
the wrath of the Demon World on the United States of America.

Kenshin didn't even know how to deal with such a foreboding concept.

"Hey, Kenshin? Are you listening to me?" Botan... no, Kaoru, because
that was definitely Kaoru's voice he was hearing, although it came out
of Botan's mouth... asked.

"Oh. Sorry, Miss Kaoru. What were you saying?" said an apologetic
Kenshin.

"I said I'm glad that Koenma is looking good after he collapsed the last
time we met him," said Kaoru. "That... spell or whatever he used to
summon every last Meiji Era warrior reincarnated or otherwise almost
took his life, right? Although I am unclear how the Prince of the Spirit
World is supposed to _die_..."

"Even ghosts can 'die' by ceasing to exist in humanoid form, Kaoru. When
a spirit loses its identity and consciousness, then that serves as its
'second death' as it transforms into spirit energy," explained Botan
this time around.

"Huh. Well, I guess it's a good thing that I haven't had my 'second
death' yet. Right, Kenshin?" said Kaoru while smiling using Botan's face
and mouth.

Kenshin nodded while he himself smiled. "That it is, Kaoru-dono. That it
is."

"Well it's too bad that Kuwabara wasn't able to make your sword thingy
work. Wait, that sounded dirty," brought up Botan. "Didn't you mention
that the same thing happened Kaito, the glasses dude back in Mushiyori
City?"

"Yeah, I did," said Kenshin while rubbing his scarred cheek. "I guess
some people react better to the Youtou Shinnoken than others," he
supposed while he remembered the uncharacteristic (so claimed
Yanagisawa) sadism that Kido displayed after his powers were magnified
by the Demon Sword.

"It's a shame, too." Botan sighed. "Kuwabara-kun's gotten really strong.
After studying his butt off with Human World exams and whatnot because
his allies were facing enemies so powerful, he's become more of a burden
than actual help, he's now picking up where he left off. A power boost
from the Demon Sword would've been perfect for him to even the odds out
and..."

"I'm not one to speak," Kaoru suddenly interjected in between Botan's
rant, "but I don't think that boy has been properly trained in
swordsmanship. That may be the reason why the Demon Sword isn't reacting
_yet_ to his capabilities. He still has much to learn, or the special
ability he's supposed to get from the Demon Sword is something that can
only be _earned_ by hard work."

Botan shrugged as she "switched places" with Kaoru and got control of
her body again. "Yeah, I guess. He's more of a baseball fanatic than a
guy who's interested in kendo. The only reason he'd be wielding a
wooden sword around is if he's off to win some student gang war,
delinquent-style."

"But I agree with Kaoru-dono this time around, Botan. Although Kuwabara
has done superbly in the Aokigahara battle against the Shin Ju, he has
much to learn when it comes to actual kenjutsu. He can't merely rely on
his one-of-a-kind talent for long."

"But that's not the point! You haven't known him as long as I have, you
two! This should've been his big chance to hang with Yusuke and the
others like equals! Instead, the whole thing became another dead end! He
must be devastated right now! Crying in his sleep, even!"

"Uh, Botan..." a sweaty Kenshin tapped the shoulder of the blue-haired
Angel of Death, but she would not even heed the redhead's attempts to
catch her attention.

"While Kuwabara had his moments, he was a total laughingstock during the
Ankoku Bujutsukai! He was beaten by a kid with yoyos, teleported twice
out of the fighting arena by two separate fighters, was beaten to a pulp
and knocked out by the Ichigaki Team, and was used as the Krillin to
Yusuke's Son Goku in the finals of the tournament, when the Younger
Toguro fake-killed him to make Yusuke release his full power."

"Well, gee. Sorry for being a laughingstock and a Krillin, then!"

"GAAH! KUWABARA-KUN! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to hear your entire rant," said Kuwabara, his arms crossed,
his eye bags so saggy he looked even older than the usual forty-year-old
yakuza that people mistook him to be.

Botan slapped Kenshin upside the head. "Why didn't you tell me Kuwabara-
kun was behind me?"

"I tried to, but you wouldn't listen!" protested Himura.

"Never mind that, Botan! I have something to say to Kenshin," said
Kazuma.

Kenshin blinked. "Oro? What...?"

Kuwabara took a deep breath and said, "It was kind of embarrassing how I
wasn't able to make your sword work for me back in the Spirit World, but
as Botan said, I've been through far more embarrassing things."

"I'd say," said Botan, which earned her a flick to the nose care of
Kazuma. He continued.

"It's also true that I've had a bit of an inferiority complex over how
much more powerful my allies... Yusuke, Kurama, and that bush-haired,
skunk-striped shrimp... are."

Both Kenshin and the Kaoru inside Botan wondered who was that last guy
Kazuma mentioned.

"I don't care anymore, though. I'm a dumbass, yet I was able to get into
Gai Tech. That proves to me that anything I put my mind into, I can
accomplish."

Kuwabara grabbed hold of the smaller Kenshin by the collar of his kimono
and lifted him up.

"Your sword doesn't work on me the same way it did Urameshi and Kurama?
Fine by me. I'm not the kind of person who wants shortcuts and freebies
when it comes to becoming stronger anyway! But if there's a way for me
to _earn_ the right of using the power of your so-called Demon Sword,
then by  Buddha, I'll find it."

Kenshin chuckled, and Kazuma gave the ex-rurouni the best Takeshi Kitano
"angry yakuza face" impersonation he could muster. "Are you making fun
of me, punk?"

Himura waved Kuwabara off. "No, no. Nothing like that. It's just that
I've now figured out why Sanosuke and you get along so well. You both
think the same way."

Botan's jaw dropped as Kuwabara went behind Kenshin and gave the
swordsman a German suplex. "Don't compare that birdbrain to me! ROOSTER
HEAD AND I ARE NOTHING ALIKE!"

As the swirling-eyed Kenshin twitched in shock, Kaoru mentally blurted
out to Botan, 'Kenshin's right. He's just like Sanosuke. Right down to
the random suplexes and wrestling moves. Sano's much more handsome than
him, though.'


===


A week after Jine threatened to kill Kurama, warning him that he needed
the power of the Demon Sword to stand a chance (incidentally, it was
also more than a month since Rando and the Shisejyu attacked Genkai's
temple, three weeks since Kurama first fought the Kanji Killer, and two
weeks since Sanosuke and Yahiko reunited with Kenshin)...

"H-How...?" said an armadillo-like Class-S warrior of around Sensui's
level of power. "Y-You're only... human! A Class-A, at that!"

Jine spat the pooling blood inside his mouth on the face of his enemies,
all S-Level to A-Level youkai shinobi guarding every nook and cranny of
the Hatenaka-Minamino residence.

It was as though the Oniwabanshu were alive and well, guarding Kurama's
dwelling place as though it were a shogunate castle.

'How thrilling. How... nostalgic. It's like the Bakumatsu all over
again,' thought the limping and cackling Udo before stabbing the hidden
assassin from beneath the manhole right in the eye, slicing open his
skull and severing the connection of his brain to his spinal cord.

Knowing full well how long it'd take for him to acquire S-Level powers
to fight against the Youkiri Battousai (whom he knew deep in his heart
would awaken one way or another), he made a deal with the Chojin and his
dark servant... not the Onmyouji, but the man known as Edward Gein... to
surgically improve his Nikaido Heiho's Shin no Ippo, turning his eyes
into jagan and himself into a jaganshi.

'How clever. He was able to deduce that I planned to use the Minamino
and Hatenaka Family against him and had a veritable army to guard them
while he lies in wait for me. As expected of the _Legendary_ Youko
Kurama.'

Yes, it was unusual for a Class-A... a human, no less... to take down a
Class-S. Three A-Level beings... Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei... couldn't
even stand a chance against Sensui and the full might of his Sei Kou Ki.
However, Jine was no ordinary martial artist and swordsman.

For example, to finish off the dozens of Class-S warriors Kurama had
somehow gotten to guard his family round-the-clock, Jine used his power
of illusion to covertly plant an organic controller (the same one that
Raizen's right-hand man, the monk Hokushin, planted unto himself and
two other companions in order to pass through the Reikai Barriers
despite being S-Level) that reduced their power levels to Class-D, which
made them easy pickings for Udo and his blade.

Besides, the S-Level Yusuke was himself defeated by a D-Level Hokushin
(using his stretching ability), the C-Level Asato Kido (using his
shadow bind technique), and, just recently, the (at the time) B-Level
Rando (using all sorts of techniques, particularly the dreaded Kugai or
World of Suffering). When faced with raw power, a lower-class being had
other ways to deal with those stronger than him.

Jine decapitated, diced, and minced several other A-to-S-Level demons,
taking advantage of the fact that they were in a residential area, so
they had to take care not to unleash their full power lest they blow up
the suburb like blockbuster bombs. Udo also took care not to engage them
directly or let them combine their forces.

It was just like the cunning Youko Kurama to delegate all his dirty work
to either his plants or his minions. Nevertheless, Kurama's plans to
keep the Kanji Killer away from his family worked like a charm.

From the information Jine had taken from Itsuki (who himself depended on
Sensui's spies to get background checks on their enemies at the time),
the Kanji Killer learned his targets were Kuarama's his stepbrother
(his namesake, Shuichi Hateknaka), his stepfather (Kazuya Hatenaka), and
his mother (Shiori Minamino-Hatenaka).

Hamada had been stalking the young Hatenaka to school, the older
Hatenaka to work, and the remarried human mother of "Minamino Shuichi"
to various places that housewives usually went to, such as groceries,
clothing stores, and the homeowner's association.

Kurama's bodyguards for the entire Hatenaka-Minamino clan wouldn't let
up, though. Day and night, they came, and each and every one of them
were aiming for Jine's eyes, at that. 'So they were even informed of my
Jagan, eh?"

Once again, the mastermind behind the thwarting of the Aokigahara mass
suicide had taken all possible precautions, considered all
contingencies, and created all sorts of safety measures to keep even
someone as dangerous as the former Shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi
Hitokiri turncoat from easily killing a family composed of a man, a
woman, and a child.

Jine could also take the option of simply facing Kurama then and there,
but what fun would that be? Even if Udo were to kill the former fox
demon, what would be the point, murdering the shadow of the once great
Youko Kurama?

No. He half-expected that Kurama would pull this sort of stunt. The
kitsune, true to his nature, was wily and cunning. The fact that he was
so hard to kill even without the assistance of the Youtou Shinnoken was
what made him worthwhile prey in Jine's twisted mind.

'I'll make you use that Demon Sword and summon the Youkiri Battousai,
Kurama. I want your legend and the legend of Himura Kenshin to reemerge,
so that I can get the fight that I've been waiting for a century: First,
as a demon, then again as a human!'


===


A week earlier, in Makai's Gandhara, otherwise known as the city that
Yomi, one of the former Three Kings of Makai, was ruling over...

"Back so soon?" asked Yomi with his booming, deep voice as his former
partner and master, Kurama, entered his military meeting room, his
multitude of ears twitching as the half-demon approached. "To what do I
owe the honor this visit, old friend?"

"I need to call in a favor, Yomi."

For once, acting like Yusuke for a change, Kurama became direct and
straight to the point instead of his usual modus operandi of carefully
considering all the pros and cons of his actions before deciding on
anything.

However, "Minamino's" uncharacteristic and hasty request was only met
with a raised eyebrow from the closed-eye, scowling Yomi.

"I owe _you_ a favor this time? That's rich. Please, indulge me. What
favor do I owe you, Kurama? Was it for blinding me with an assassin you
hired? Or was it for planning my demise?"

"I don't have time to argue about this, Yomi. If you want to take my
life in exchange for this favor, I'll gladly give it to you and complete
your quest for revenge."

Yomi's scowl turned into a smirk before the multi-eared demon laughed
to his (nonexistent) heart's content at Kurama's antics. "That's
probably the closest I'll ever get to you seeing you begging. Now I'm
curious. What is this favor you wish of me that you're willing to lay
your life on the line for it?"

"I ask you to get bounty hunters from Gandhara to protect my Human World
family," answered Kurama, which prompted Yomi to guffaw even more.

"You ask this of the demon who once threatened to kill your mother and
foster father on their flight to their honeymoon, Youko Kurama?" asked
Yomi, and Kurama nodded.

The demon continued. "Who are you protecting them from?" Kurama
proceeded to tell Yomi of the details surrounding the Shin Juppon
Gatana and the Kanji Killer known as Jine Udo to some and Takumi Hamada
to others.

"A _human_? A mere human has you this scared for your family's life,
Kurama?"

"He's no ordinary human. He's about as human as Yusuke was before he
transformed into a demon himself. Jine's even more of a demon than many
of the demons I know."

"You're losing your touch, Kurama. You're Class-S. You're on the brink
of achieving your former glory, and yet you act like this. Also, I'm not
interested in your life, despite what you might think. I bear no grudge
against you."

"Then what do you want?"

"Can you give me full control of Makai?"

"No, I cannot."

"Then you have nothing that I want. Begone."

A thought occurred to Kurama, prompting him to bring up, "This man who's
after me... He is also an A-Level jaganshi."

"...Like Hiei, Mukuro's present right-hand man?"

"Yes, but his jagan is capable of producing hallucinations and
delusions. Even a Class-S around the same level as you or Raizen's
former comrades would have trouble fighting such a human."

Yomi withheld his chuckles as an idea occurred to him. "Well played,
Kurama. As usual, your cleverness has pulled you through. Fine. I'll do
as you say. I'll even assign some of my elite guard for the task... in
exchange for one thing."

"What is that?" Kurama asked as he narrowed his green eyes. Even though
his family's life was on the line, he was not so desperate to say, "Yes.
Anything. I'll do anything you ask." He was smarter than that.

"Get me that man's eyes." Yomi's grin stretched from ear-to-ear, almost
to the point of splitting his face. "Give me back the sight you've
robbed me of centuries ago. Get me even better eyes than the ones I've
lost."


==


Kurama remembered the parasite that invaded his stepbrother's brain...
Kara was his name, the youko believed... when Shuichi Hatenaka was only
thirteen years old.

The parasitic demon arrived around the time the Three Kings were bracing
themselves for a shift in power once Raizen kicked the bucket.

Kara was actually under the control of the (former) right-hand man of
Yomi for half a millennium, the fishman-like Shachi.

Kara had again taken possession of Kurama's (human identity) namesake,
Shuichi Hatenaka (who was now around fourteen going on fifteen at
present, while Shuichi _Minamino_ himself was eighteen going on
nineteen).

This time around, it wasn't for the sake of spying on the redhead half-
youko with a human avatar.

At the behest of Yomi himself, Kara helped save Shuichi from the wrath
of Jine. The parasite was many things, but stupid was not among them.

As expected of the demonic possessor, his survival instincts helped him
and his host, Shuichi, escape the approaching Udo while Kurama and
several other bounty hunters kept him at bay every time the human-
turned-monster attacked.

"You were right, Kurama-sama! This Jine person's modus operandi is quite
easy to follow. He immediately targeted all of your loved ones. In many
ways, he's just like Yomi-sama," said the sycophantic brain leech as he
revealed himself by moving out of Shuichi's ear like a macroscopic
tapeworm with a face.

Kurama harrumphed. "Don't compare Jine to Yomi. I've taught Yomi well
when it comes to subterfuge. He'd have a Plan B to Z to whatever I'd
throw at him. On the other hand, the Kanji Killer is only concerned
about kidnapping my family in order to have a showdown with me. He's
much more simpleminded."

"Ah, yes. Of course. My apologies." If Kara could perspire, he would've
had a cold sweat right then and there.

Thanks to Kurama's mind-meld with Kenshin during the brief time he
possessed the Demon Sword, the demon-turned-human-teenager was able to
access the swordsman's memories, particularly the ones involving Udo
kidnapping Kaoru to force the Battousai to fight.

This was what prompted Kurama to place guards and bounty hunters after
Jine's head (and Evil Eyes) round-the-clock. He couldn't pull the same
trick he pulled when Yomi was after him (that was, get his parents to
travel abroad so that they'd be out of reach of the forces of Makai).

At this point, it was safer for the green-eyed redhead to keep an eye on
his family and friends by keeping them close by instead of far away.

"As long as Shuichi, Mother, and Father are safe, then it's all good,"
he murmured to himself, the cogs in his brain turning in regards to the
many different ways he could kill (or give a fate worst than death) to
the warmongering Kanji Killer.

"Kokoda," creaked Kara.

"Hmmm?" prompted Kurama. "What did you say?"

"Didn't you know? This kid I'm possessing has had his classmates call
him Kokoda now instead of Shuichi for quite sometime. It surprised me
when I found out."

"Kokoda...?" Incidentally, "Kokoda" wasn't really a name, but a Japanese
phrase meaning "I'm here". Kurama asked, "Why would he give himself such
a strange name?"

"Perhaps it's because he couldn't live up to his larger-than-life
stepbrother? It's his way of saying 'I'm here', because compared to you,
he's all but invisible. Seems that once again, you've unintentionally
overshadowed those close to you."

Kurama took out a seed from his hair, stating, "Do you remember our
conversation many years ago regarding my knowledge of all the things I
could do to someone that could be considered a fate worse than death?
That never changed."

"D-Don't shoot the messenger," said the demonic tapeworm. "I was joking.
It was all just a ruse, Kurama-sama. Then again, even the humans around
you feel as if they're inferior to the human version of you. As expected
of a legend."

The redhead narrowed his eyes as he repeated, "Messenger? What are you
getting at?"

Kara continued. "Rumors have it that you've grown soft. You refused to
use your full power against Shigure in the Demon World Unification
Tournament."

Speaking of Shigure, if memory served Kurama correctly, the demon with
the hula-hoop-like blade had committed suicide after their Demon World
Unification Tournament fight, only to reemerge as one of Mukuro's men
once more; like Schrodinger's Cat, Kurama wasn't sure if the new Shigure
was an imposter/zombie or it was the old Shigure who'd somehow survived
his fall from the ancient tree that the redhead summoned. Curious.

"What's you're point?" Kurama snapped at Kara.

"You seem awfully desperate for someone who could've been one of the
great Kings of Makai and Raizen's replacement. Are you really this
afraid of a mere human? He's not even Class-S. All you need to do to
finish him off is to transform into the youko and..."

Kara trailed off as golden eyes stared back at him.

"Even S-Level warriors fall under the might of that A-Level human."

Kurama should know. He was a Class-S demon that was somehow injured by a
hunter in the Human World. Granted, special circumstances were at play
at the time, but being S-Class didn't mean you were completely
impervious to injury, sickness, or death. Raizen himself was an S-Class
whose powers were reduced by his own willingness to fast and starve
himself from eating human meat.

"Ah, but you're no ordinary S-Level, are you not? The only reason you
sustained grievous injuries when fighting Shigure was because you
insisted on fighting as a _human_. You could've ended up in the finals
of the tournament and faced off against your former ally, Yomi, had you
gone back to being the youko."

Kurama bit his lip. His fangs that weren't there before bit back,
drawing blood from his mouth. It acted up again. His demonic nature.
Ever since the Demon Sword awoke the sleeping monster inside him the
same way the potion Suzuki invented that could make creatures go back
to their past form, he'd been restless.

After the Dark Martial Arts Tournament and before Kurama's momentous
Pyrrhic Victory over Shigure in the Demon World Unification Tournament
("Shuichi" was too injured to advance to the next round), the half-
youko's bio-rhythm made him revert to being the "whole" youko.

Thanks to the time-reversing potion used by Ura Urashima and made by the
"Handsome" Suzuki (wherein Kurama reverted to his fox demon form), the
redhead had since been feeling as though he were turning back into Youko
Kurama even while he remained in Shuichi Minamino's body.

Every month way back when, like clockwork, he'd act aggressive,
combative, and belligerent. The intervals for his transformation had
also been getting shorter, to the point that he felt like he could snap
at any moment. It was a miracle how he was able to seal his youko self
away and continue living as Shuichi Minamino by sheer force of will.

It was through his desire of keeping his bio-rhythm in check that kept
him from going all out and finishing Shigure off in the Demon World
Unification Tournament. But why exactly didn't he revert back to Youko
Kurama? Why didn't he do what Koenma Daio presumed he would do, which
was to retake his rightful place as one of the upper Class-S monarchs
of Makai?

He wasn't quite sure why. All he knew was that he had to do it. He had
to fight Shigure as Shuichi Minamino, even at the cost of him becoming
too injured to continue fighting afterwards... like a wolf in sheep's
clothing insisting to fight like a ram instead of the apex predator he
was supposed to be.

It didn't make a lick of sense.

"What are you afraid of? Why can't you let go? Why can't you be your
true self?"

"This is my true self," said Kurama, while pointing at Shuichi
Minamino's face.

"That is a lie. A wolf in sheep's clothing can never be a wolf. Or are
you claiming that your spirit has been broken by the humans, like a
wild stallion whose been tamed to become a beast of burden?"

"I am who I am because I've chosen to be like this. Nothing more,
nothing less."

"Oh really? Remember, deceit is one of the fox demon's main attributes.
Have you become such a master of deception that you've managed to turn
into a fox who has deluded himself into thinking he's a man?"

Kurama remembered what he said... or rather, what his other self said...
in regards to that dream he had involving mirrors and the amalgamated
images of "Shuichi" and "Kurama" together as one person.

However, were they really one person or did Kurama merely wish that they
were so? Why would he wish to be sheep when he was one of the wolves?
Which was the lie and which was the truth?

"It's not a lie. This is the truth. My truth. And nothing is going to
change it...!"

"KURAMA-SAMA! URK! STAAAHP!"

"...."

Soon enough, the redhead found himself wringing the tapeworm-like
demon's neck almost to the point of ripping him out of the other
Shuichi's ear without regard to the young boy's health.

It was only a little later that Kurama heard Kara say, "Uncle!" or
whatnot, which led him to let go of the parasitic youkai before he did
anything he'd soon regret. He noticed that his trim nails had, for a
second or two, turned into long talons before reverting to normal.

"Why'd you strangle me, Kurama-sama? What did I do?"

"You were asking too many questions."

"I only wanted to know why you've remained human all this time, Lord
Kurama!"

"That's not justification enough to call me a liar. Know your place."

"...I beg your pardon, milord? I would never do that! I don't have a
death wish! Maybe I was being a little harsh to say that you've grown
soft, but I was merely curious why you'd remain on the Human World now
that you've regained power!"

"...What?"

"I-It's true! I'm so sorry! If this is a sensitive subject, I'll never
bring it up again!"

Kurama considered Kara's words as he rubbed his pointed chin. So it
wasn't Kara who asked him those pointed questions about himself? Then
who...?

It was at moment point that he realized it was someone else who spoke
back to him regarding him being a wolf in sheep's clothing; a predator
among lambs. It was his own voice. Or rather, the mocking voice of Youko
Kurama.

His bio-rhythm that had somehow stabilized after his momentous fight
with Shigure had started acting up again. His mask was slipping. His
sheep's clothing was being unraveled. His lies were being exposed.

The Demon Sword. Ever since the Youtou Shinnoken unleashed the power of
his youko self, he'd come back to returning to his true nature. Even if
he didn't want to anymore.

Or did he want this kind of conclusion after all? Did he want the Reikai
artifact to awaken his true self after the youko's nearly two-decade
"slumber"?


===


A wounded Takumi Hamada... the Heisei Era reincarnation of Jine Udo and
the version of the Kanji Killer who had never been captured or had
enough evidence to pin him for his countless murders... entered yet
another seedy hotel that was under Shinjuku Triad protection.

He couldn't get money from his old account as "Hamada Takumi" (even
though he'd been on sick leave the whole month thanks to being "injured"
by the "Kanji Killer") because it had been frozen by the bank by request
of the authorities.

'Hmmm. Even Matsudaira-kun is assisting Kurama in his quest to keep me
away from his family. I'll have to find a way to deal with that goody-
two-shoes detective later. For now, I need to breach Kurama's defenses.
Otherwise, I won't be able to force him to use the Demon Sword.'

The rogue copper plopped down on his chair, his blood soaking the
upholstery. This hotel was controlled by the Chinese mafia through and
through, right down to the in-hotel clinic that doubled more as an
emergency room for dying Triad members. They even had their stained
sheets and whatnot dry cleaned nearly daily.

The Kanji Killer's 100% kill rate had already been tampered with after
Kurama and Natsuki Shinkai survived their encounter with him, but now he
was even having trouble killing civilians (albeit with the help of
Kurama's Makai connections, but still).

'We've only met a few weeks ago and yet he knows me like the back of his
hand. Maybe it has something to do with how he reacted to the Youtou
Shinnoken. Perhaps he saw Battousai's memories of when I took his woman
to force him to revert to his hitokiri self,' reckoned Jine.

'So am I at a dead end now? Of course, not. If you can't open the door,
bust through the walls or windows. There's more than one way out of this
prison Kurama trapped me in.'

"I'm guessing the youko is 'outfoxing' you at every turn," said Yaminade
no Itsuki (Itsuki the Dark Comfort) as he appeared from out of the blue
in his signature lotus position, his (healed) body floating above the
bed.

By reflex, the startled Hamada stabbed his sword at Itsuki's chest, only
for the youkai to synthesize two portals... one on his chest, the other
on his forehead, that returned the tip of the uchigatana right back at
its owner's face. Had Jine thrust any further, he would've stabbed his
own forehead.

Takumi retracted his katana and sheathed it along with his wakizashi
(i.e., his pair of daisho). "The information you've given me so far has
gotten me nowhere. The school that Kurama's little brother is attending,
the school that Kurama used to go to, the workplace of his father, and
_especially_ their home is crawling with A-Level and S-Level guardians.
I couldn't get through."

Itsuki answered, "My apologies. I have outdated information. That was
the only available data that Shinobu was able to share with us about
Urameshi Yusuke and his group during the time when we were attempting to
open the Reikai Barriers. Kurama's connection with one of the Three
Kings of Makai wasn't even known to us back then. He probably called in
a favor with Yomi."

"They're strong and they're more than willing to lay their life for this
mission. But they're not the warriors I'm after. Nothing less than
fighting the Youkiri Battousai himself will satisfy me."

"That's not what Xinhai assigned you to do."

"Xinhai could go fuck himself. If he wants me to kill Kurama, then let
me do it my way."

Hamada took a pipe and started smoking it. "Even those who weren't
strong soldiers were troublesome because they were as wily as Kurama
himself, like that annoying low-level parasite demon that controlled his
little brother's actions so that he'd be unaware he was being stalked
while still protecting him. It's like Kurama was able to plan for
everything in less than a week."

"That's Kurama for you. He's always one step ahead of his enemies. The
reason why you can't kidnap or otherwise kill his loved ones at all is
because he has your every move figured out. You're far too predictable
to outmatch him."

"We'll see." Jine chuckled. "Anyway, have you gotten me what I asked
for?"

Itsuki opened his one unharmed, non-scarred eye. "That depends. What's
in it for me? You promised that I could get something out of this."

The bloodied Udo tapped the ash off of his pipe on the nearby ashtray,
leaned forward, and looked Itsuki in the eye.

"I was able to figure out that you were a twisted being the first time I
met you. I was wondering how a fruit like you who's totally head-over-
heels in love with Sensui could possibly have such a menacing presence.
But now I 'get' you."

Itsuki tilted his head in askance. "You figured out I'm 'twisted'
because of my 'presence'? I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow."

"You and I are more alike than you think. I don't like men the same way
you do, but we think alike. I don't need to swing that way to understand
the real reason why you're so enamored with Sensui."

"I really don't understand where you're going with this. How is all this
related to Shinobu?"

"Black and white."

"...Pardon?"

"You're far too bleak an individual to feel any sort of 'sentiment' for
Sensui. No, the thing that made you absolutely fascinated by him was his
descent to darkness. How a fallen angel could become a devil. How an
innocent young virgin who doesn't even know the birds and bees could
become a porn star. That's what you revel in. Seeing something so pure
turn into filth."

This time around, Hamada had Itsuki's full attention.

"You have a chance to see another breakdown like Sensui's happen. Not
just Kurama returning to his merciless self known as the 'Legendary'
Youko Kurama, but also seeing his fellow legend, the pacifistic Himura
Kenshin who wouldn't even dare kill a rampaging demon, succumb to his
dark alter ego, Battousai the Demon-Slayer."

Itsuki grabbed his mouth and stifled his laughter. His inside joke.
Someone else other than "Shinobu" understood it. "Very well. I'll give
you what you asked for. A way to find a loved one of Kurama that not
even Kurama is aware of."


===


After the first day of classes of Gaikou Fuzoku High School (the high
school that Kuwabara studied hard to get into while Yusuke, Kurama,
and Hiei fought in the Demon World Unification Tournament)...

"I can't believe you guys are actually my classmates on top of us all
going to the same school. Do you have any idea how hard it was for _me_
to get into this school, only to have you two kooks waltz in with zero
effort whatsoever? What a revolting development," said Kuwabara as both
Yahiko and Sanosuke hung around him like satellites would a planet.

Yes, the Spirit World had used its influence to turn the two century-old
ghosts into undercover high school students.

At present, the Youtou Shinnoken (which was wrapped in cloth like a
shinai) was in the care of Kazuma for the simple reason that, at the
very least, the teenager wouldn't go rogue against the Spirit World or
anything since the Reikai artifact had no particular effect on his
powers (much to his chagrin and embarrassment).

"That's cold, Boke. We'll have an easier time keeping an eye on you this
way. Aren't we your pals or something?" chided Sanosuke.

"Don't call me Boke, Rooster Head!" snapped Kuwabara.

The special wardrobe that the two acquired... Yahiko and his Hawaiian
shirt and jeans as well as Sanosuke and his leather-garbed outfit...
were in full display, which startled Kuwabara because just a minute ago,
they were wearing the same high school uniform as he was.

The pair of spirits could change their clothes into anything they wanted
(including their original Nineteenth Century attire), but this was the
_default_ look they went with, for good or for ill. Kuwabara personally
found both ensembles tacky.

"Where are you off to now, Boke?" chimed in Yahiko.

"Not you too, Samurai Boy!" gasped an exasperated Kazuma as he gave
Myojin a cross look.

"All right, fine. My bad. _Kuwabara_. Where are we going?"

"_I_ am going to scope out our kendo club's closest competition, Toyama
High School's kendo club, and see who their newest recruits are. The
Captain asked me to spy for him and everything," Kuwabara explained.

"That's in Shinjuku, right?" asked Yahiko with a wistful, faraway look.

"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded.

Sanosuke concluded, "Then we're going with you, Boke."

"Like hell you are. Go back to your graves or something, you creepy,
solidified ghosts!" yelped Kazuma.

This would've ended up into another impromptu fistfight had the two not
noticed how far Yahiko's head was in the clouds. "Shinjuku, huh..."

The two soon leered at the pensive youth with gleeful looks on their
faces.

"Yep. That's where your girlfriend lives. Right, old man?" teased Kazuma
while Sanosuke nudged Yahiko's ribs.

"Wha...? Girlfriend? HEY! You don't mean...?"

"Yep. It's the gender-bent version of Cat Eyes, the Chinese girl he
reincarnated into. Shinkai Natsuki is her name, isn't it?" asked
Sanosuke, referring to Yutaro Tsukayama's present self.

"EW! That's gross! Why would Cat Eyes' be my _girlfriend_, you perverts?
He's a guy!" Yahiko blanched.

"_Was_ a guy, Pipsqueak," Sano reminded. "That's how reincarnation
works. Besides, from what little I saw of the action, you two were able
to beat that Scarecrow guy to a pulp! You were quite the lovely pair!"

"Ooh. So in her past life, Miss Shinkai was a dude?" asked Kuwabara.

"His best friend," answered Sanosuke. "There were times when I'd swear
those two were even closer to each other than Yahiko was with Tsubame,
his own _wife_."

Kazuma turned towards Yahiko. "I don't know about you, Samurai Boy, but
that Chinese girl with the cane couldn't take her eyes off of you. If
you don't like her _that way_, the feeling might not be mutual," said
Kuwabara, not noticing that despite his previous protests, the two
_were_ following him anyway into the JR Line train station.

"Mind your own business, Boke!" Yahiko exclaimed. He then muttered,
"Besides, I'm a married man. I'd never betray Tsubame for anyone."

"Then make Cat Eyes your mistress!" joked Sano.

Yahiko went blue. "No. Just... no."

Forgetting himself, Kazuma remarked, "You're a little young to be
married."

"Dude, I'm a ghost and I'm technically more than a hundred years old,
okay? I'm older than I look!" reminded Yahiko.

"Do they even have divorce in the afterlife?" supposed Kuwabara.

A shuddering Yahiko asked, "...Why are we still talking about this?"

"Ah. So you're not the cheating type of guy," said Sanosuke as he
cleaned his ear with his pinky finger.

"Of course not! And especially not with Cat Eyes! I don't swing that
way!"

"Pfft. Yeah, right. You'd totally bone Cat Eyes if he turned into a
girl."

With a half-lidded look and a raised eyebrow, Yahiko retorted, "I'd say
the same thing about you and Kenshin!"

As Sanosuke turned red and stuttered a half-coherent response, Kuwabara
doubled over in laughter. "Oooh, burn! Yeah, I can totally see Rooster
Head doing Kenshin. He has the hugest man-crush on him. He couldn't shut
up about him at all when he finally got to meet him again!"

"Shut up, Boke!" was the only response Sanosuke could come up with in
short notice.

The Demon Sword that Kuwabara held vibrated as though it were reacting
to the taunts, which made the youth imagine a sheepish Kenshin going
"Oro?" and panicking from their conversation while hidden inside his
magic sword like a genie in a bottle.


===


After taking a train to Shinjuku and getting visitor passes to see the
Toyoma High School Kendo Club in action, guess who (and what)
immediately greeted the trio at the entrance of the club's dojo.

Groaning bodies were lying everywhere. It looked like the entire Toyoma
High Kendo Club had been wiped out by the sheer intensity of their
practice. Some of them even had their kendo gear in splinters, as
though they'd been thrown into a wood chipper.

Amidst all the devastation stood one lone figure in kendo gear while
holding a bamboo blade that had seen better days.

"He looks strong," appraised Kuwabara while Sano did a low whistle. As
the stranger turned, all three Gai Tech students froze as they heard a
muffled, tomboyish voice ask, "Y-Yahiko-kun?"

For his part, Yahhiko gulped as he probed, "I-Is that you, Cat Eyes?"

The half-Chinese girl from Taiwan took off her kendo helmet and pouted
at the Tokyo Samurai Descendant. "I'm not Yuta-kun. I'm Shinkai Natsuki.
We're too different people, remember?"

"Uh, right. Sorry," apologized Myojin. Not knowing what else to do, he
began helping up the injured and tired members of the Toyama Kendo Club.

"Who are you guys?" one of the groggy, black-and-blue kendoists asked.

"Uh, I'm Kuwabara Kazuma and these are... my acquaintances from Gai
Tech," Kuwabara introduced himself with a grin, a bow, and a firm
handshake. "I'm actually here to scope out the nearest competition. I'm
also part of my school's kendo club."

"So you've come to spy on us?"

"Naw, I wouldn't say that. You were one of the top four teams in the
prefecture, though."

"Is that kid part of the Gai Tech kendo club? He might just be National
level!" said another one of the Toyama kendo club's members who looked
at least twice as big as the comparatively waifish Natsuki.

"Him?" Sanosuke pointed his thumb at Shinkai's direction. "That's
actually a girl. Maybe if our school had a girl's kendo club, she could
join."

The members of the devastated Toyama High School Kendo Club cried a
collective "Eeeh?" at the discovery.

"It's not as if I was hiding my gender or anything," said the cross-
dresser without irony.

Yahiko then turned towards Natsuki in excitement, which startled the
young Shinkai. "You did all this, Natsuki? That's amazing! Just like Cat
Eyes, you're a quick learner! Weren't you into fencing before? But why
are you beating people up from some random kendo club?"

The half-Chinese girl fidgeted and brushed her short-cropped hair back.
"Kaoru-sensei told me the best way to learn kendo was to actually face
different opponents. Yamabuki High doesn't have a kendo club, so I had
no choice but to do _this_. Yuta-kun still helped me from time to time
in the middle of the fight, but I myself am getting the hang of it."

As Kuwabara and Sanosuke wolf-whistled at the pair, Yahiko transformed
from his Hawaiian-and-jeans garb into his traditional kimono-and-hakama
battle gear. Without looking away from Natsuki, he then threw his
inherited sakabatou at the Rooster Head and Boke's faces and have it
return to him like a boomerang.

"I want to duel you," said Myojin as drips of sweat fell on the side of
the blinking Natsuki's cheeks.

After recovering from her initial shock, Shinkai reiterated, "Didn't I
just tell you? I'm not Cat Eyes, Yahiko-kun! If you want to have a duel
with Yuta-kun, then tell him yourself."

"Huh? I wasn't talking about Cat Eyes. We've been dueling each other
since time immemorial. Our rematch can wait. I'm eager to fight _you_,
Natsuki. Your counterstrike style might even give me problems, but I'm
up to the challenge!" clarified Yahiko.

Natsuki bit her lip and looked away. "If I'm okay with you, then fine. I
accept your challenge. But not today. Maybe sometime soon...?"

"I can't wait for us to have our duel, then!" Yahiko grinned.

"But Yahiko-chan, what would Tsubame-chan think if she heard you now?"
needled Sano in a mock  falsetto. A nerve popped up on Yahiko's temple.

"DOU GAMI!" Still in his battle gear, the Tokyo Samurai attacked Sano
with impunity, although several recovering Toyama High School kendo
members were caught in the landslide, with no escape from reality.

They opened their eyes, looked up to the skies, and saw the truth. "Oh
my god! Is this the true strength of Gai Tech kendo? We're no match
against them!"

Kuwabara sighed and told Natsuki, "We were just teasing Samurai Boy. I
hope you don't take us too seriously."

"Um, no. Not at all. Don't worry about it," Natsuki reassured with a
bow. She then smiled wanly as the now-white-garbed Sagara and Myojin
exchanged Futae no Kiwamis and Tsui Gamis against each other. "So her
name's Sanjo Tsubame, huh?"

Kazuma reddened despite himself. 'Hey, hey. Is _she_ really treating our
teasing of Samurai Boy as a joke?' What was it like to fall in love with
a gender-bent version of your best friend anyway?

An unbidden thought of a female Yusuke popped up in the ex-delinquent's
mind. In his mind, the girl Urameshi also poked her fingers up
Kuwabara's butt. However, the context seemed somehow different.

'No! We're not going there! Bad brain! No biscuit! Stop it!' In
response, Kazuma's mind made him remember the dream he had of him
sharing a kiss with Yusuke, except this time around Yusuke was a woman.

"???" wondered Natsuki as she saw Kuwabara squirming on the dojo floor,
his contorted face a mixture of disgust and confused pleasure.

"TSUKI-CHAAAN! Are you done kicking the butt of an entire kendo club
again?" a chirpy voice declared, which somehow reminded Sano, Yahiko,
and Kuwabara of Botan's voice. Or maybe Kaoru's.

The guarded Shinkai relaxed and grinned as her own best friend finally
arrived in the scene. "No, I was already done a while ago. I just
happened to come across a couple of my... acquaintances. From... work."

"Oh. _Officemates_, huh?" The other girl giggled.

As Kuwabara stood up, he noticed both Sanosuke and Yahiko stop dead on
their tracks in mid-strike, their lower jaws seemingly unhinged from
their upper jaws. 'Hmmm? What gives? Is she a really hot chick or
something?'

"Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself!" The braid-wearing,
bespectacled girl in a maid uniform turned towards the two revived,
thunderstruck ghosts. "I'm Likka! Ikumi Likka! It's nice to meet you
both!"

Hearing Sanosuke and Yahiko's lack of a response, Kuwabara interjected,
"Uh, I'm Kuwabara. Kuwabara Kazuma. These are my... er... classmates,
Rooster Head and Samurai Boy." Even the insulting nicknames didn't wake
the two from their shock.

'What gives with these two? I mean, Likka's pretty cute, I guess, but
Yukina-san is way hotter than she is,' thought Kazuma. 'Why are they
reacting this badly to her?'

Natsuki herself added, "Likka-tan is actually Matsudaira Daiji-sempai's
sister-in-law. They're living together in Shibuya. Likka-tan, this is
Myojin Yahiko, and that's Sagara Sanosuke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yahiko! Sanosuke!" said Likka as a feeling
of deja vu crept up inside her. Strange. Why did these two gentlemen
look so familiar?

Sanosuke was able to squeak out, "A-Aoshi's living together with _her_?"

"Aoshi?" Kuwabara repeated. 'Who's that?'

Meanwhile, an embarrassed Likka slapped Natsuki's back hard and said
with squeezed eyes and a weasel-like smile, "Don't tell them that I'm
living together with Uncle Jiji! They'll get the wrong idea!"

"Ah. Sorry. Don't misunderstand. She has her own mansion and everything.
She just likes to stay over Daiji-sempai's apartment every so often."

"AH! YOU'RE MAKING THE MISUNDERSTANDING WORSE, TSUKI-CHAN!"

"I-I'm sorry, Likka-tan!"

"S-So she's related to Shinomori Ao... I mean, Matsudaira-san?" Yahiko
made a face as he said the actual name of Aoshi's present incarnation,
as though he just ate a particularly sour umeboshi.

"Yeah, I guess. Like I said, she's his sister-in-law," said Natsuki
before beckoning to Likka, "Let's go back home together, okay?"

A beaming Likka bobbed her head in assent. "Yeah! Let's! Goodbye,
Rooster Head! Goodbye, Samurai Boy! Goodbye..."  The young Ikumi thought
long and hard before settling with, "Boke!" when referring to Kuwabara.

As the curly haired youth's mouth went agape, Sano and Yahiko couldn't
help but give Likka a thumb's up sign for coming up with the same
nickname as they did.

"Don't call me that, you cheeky brat!" raged Kazuma while shaking his
fist at the diminutive, braided girl in a waitress outfit.

"E-heh! I'm just kidding! Goodbye, Kuwabara!"

After Likka and Natsuki finally left, Kuwabara turned towards the
pair of resurrected spirits and asked, "What the hell was that all
about? Did you two fall in love with that little girl or something?"

Kazuma then stumbled back as the pair screamed, "SHE'S WEASEL GIRL,
BOKE!"

"Who in the world...?" asked Kuwabara. "Hey, that's not a nice thing to
say about someone you just met! Even if she did call me Boke."

"No, you don't understand, Boke! That's Weasel Girl! I mean, Misao!
Makimachi Misao! We've already met her a long time ago! She's one of our
allies back in the Meiji Era! She's one of the Oniwabanshu, just like
Aoshi!" said Yahiko in one breath.

Kuwabara blinked. "You mean like Natsuki, this Likka chick is also a
reincarnation of one of your friends? Man, that's trippy. Small world,
huh?"

"She's also the spittin' image of her past self, like Aoshi's
reincarnation. You know, the detective guy!" said Sanosuke as he gave
his bushy hair a tug or two. "Holy shit, does Aoshi know about this? I
can't believe she can't even remember us!"


===


To Be Continued...

Next: A two-shot reunion.

Disclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi,
Shueisha, Fuji TV, and Studio Pierrot. Rurouni Kenshin is the rightful
property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Viz, Sony Studios,
Fuji TV, Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and ADV. 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.

Heto na,
Abdiel
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.chez-vrolet.net/pipermail/ffml/attachments/20140807/a09a73e3/attachment.html>