Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ Conflict ( Chapter 14 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: purplehairedwonder 
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.20.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 418 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.20.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 418 | Status: Completed
Author’s Note: This is the sequel to Between Death and Reality. While it is not required that you read that first, some of the things referenced here may not make a whole lot of sense.
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Chapter 14
Conflict
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Botan left Spirit World with a new determination. Maybe Kurama didn’t need her help, but the others did. When the whole thing had started, she had been Yusuke’s assistant after all. It seemed like a good time to return to her former duties, even if the Tantei we no longer a group. Besides, Yusuke and Kuwabara would be much less able to keep themselves from being seen like their demon counterparts could. Yes, she was making the right decision.
Flying through the usual portal she took when coming to Human World, she found herself flying into the rising Japanese sun. Good, she thought. Yusuke and Kuwabara would never be able to rouse themselves before sunrise. They would undoubtedly still be at Keiko’s. But the longer they remained there, the more danger they would all be in.
Steering her oar, Botan took the familiar route through Yusuke’s city. Looking down at the streets, Botan blinked. There were a lot of cars out for this time of morning. She flew lower out of pure instinct to get a closer look. The closer she got, the more the vehicles took shape. She started in surprise when she realized most of the vehicles were trucks. And not just any trucks; they were Organization trucks. The deity cursed under her breath as she pulled herself higher in the air to keep from being seen. These guys were not going to give up until they caught their prey.
But, Botan wondered not for the first time, why the ex-Tantei? What were these guys after? It was obvious they weren’t trying to help the greater good as they said. But what was their motive? What could they gain from capturing demons?
Her thoughts drifted as she found herself floating above Keiko’s home. She floated down parallel to Keiko’s bedroom window and looked in. Inside she saw all of the people she had been looking for, much to her relief. She urged her oar forward to the window and knocked.
Yusuke immediately sat up from his sleeping bag, followed by Kuwabara. They must have been awake already to rouse so quickly. They blinked when they recognized the visitor. Yusuke rose and opened the window before stepping back to allow the deity to enter.
Botan barely had her feet on the ground before she was barraged with questions from the two teen boys.
“Botan? What is it?”
“Did something happen to Kurama?”
Botan felt her chest restrict for a moment at the mention of the fox’s name. Only after the breathless pain subsided was she able to reply.
“No, nothing happened to,” she felt her throat clench but forced herself to continue speaking, “him. I just came because I thought your need was greater.”
“Need?” a sleepy female voice asked and everyone turned to see that both Keiko (who had asked the question) and Shizuru had woken up as well.
“Need of help,” Botan clarified. She turned back to Yusuke and grinned. “Just like old times, right?”
Yusuke blinked. “Are you feeling alright, Botan?”
“Of course. I’m fine,” Botan replied, attempting to keep her normally cherry tone in tact. The others didn’t need to know what had happened. And she didn’t need it to interfere with what she needed to do.
“So you came to help us?” Kuwabara asked slowly and Botan nodded once more.
“So where are Kurama and Hiei?” Yusuke demanded, obviously concerned for his friends.
Again, Botan felt her chest restrict at the mention of Kurama’s name. “K-Kurama is with an underground group of rebel humans and demons who have avoided capture by the Organization. Hiei is at Genkai’s with the other six, holding up a barrier to keep the Organization out.”
“So the temple is probably not the best place to hide out, then,” Shizuru mused.
“So what are we supposed to do now?” Yusuke grumbled, though a weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders since he found out his demon friends were safe for the time being. “Where can we go?”
Botan reached inside her kimono and pulled out the communication mirror, pausing only for a split second before tossing it to Yusuke. The startled teen juggled it for a moment before realizing what it was. He looked up at the deity in surprise.
“A communication mirror? What for?”
“Kurama,” Gods it was hard for her to say that name, “has the other one.”
Yusuke’s face lit up. “We can contact him.” He blinked. “Why don’t you contact him?”
Botan bit her lip a moment before speaking. “No reason. I just, well...” She trailed off uncertainly, feeling the frowns of her friends baring down on her very soul.
“Botan,” Keiko asked hesitantly, “did something happen between you two?”
Botan remained silent, unable to find the words to express the betrayal and pain she felt when she saw the kiss. She didn’t think she could ever vocalize what she had witnessed, especially not to her friends. She blinked when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Yusuke standing next to her.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly.
“Fine,” the deity whispered.
“Liar.”
“It’s not important right now,” Botan replied, regaining some strength in her voice. “What’s important is your safety. All of yours’.”
Yusuke pursed his lips a moment before nodding in acquiescence. “All right. I’ll call Kurama.” He grinned roguishly. “I miss that big brain of his.” Everyone laughed but Botan, though she managed a weak smile in response. Yusuke flipped open the mirror and waited. A moment passed before the fox’s handsome features came into focus on the other end. He looked... haggard. Like he hadn’t slept much the night before. He blinked when he saw Yusuke’s face on the other end of the mirror.
“Yusuke?” he asked. “Why do you have the communication mirror?”
Yusuke looked over at Botan questioningly, but the deity only shrugged her shoulders. Yusuke sighed and turned back to the screen.
“Botan gave it to me,” he replied.
“Is Botan with you?” the fox asked in surprise.
“Yep.”
A silence fell between the two teammates. Botan could practically feel Kurama’s brain working on the other end. That, and she knew Yusuke had learned not to interrupt the red-head when he was thinking. After what felt like hours, Kurama broke the silence.
“Where are you, Yusuke?”
“Keiko’s.”
“You can’t stay there.”
“No, you’re right. But we don’t know what to do next.”
“We need to regroup. But that’s easier said than done.”
Yusuke nodded. “Tell me about it.”
They lapsed back into silence, the gears in Kurama’s brain grinding painfully loud in Botan’s ears. The fox was the quick-witted backbone of the team, so Yusuke and Kuwabara generally left mission planning to him (and Hiei when applicable).
“Where are you now, Kurama?” Kuwabara asked from over Yusuke’s shoulder, snapping the ferry girl from her thoughts.
“Underground,” the fox replied. “Though, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure where. I was a bit... distracted when I was led here.”
“Well that makes meeting up hard,” Yusuke grumbled.
“We need to move. And soon,” Kuwabara put in.
After a moment of silence, Kurama spoke up once more.
“I have an idea. Hold on.”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
To say that Kurama was surprise to see Yusuke on the other end of the communication mirror would be an understatement. He had been more than surprised not only at that, but to hear that Botan was with them as well. What was the deity thinking? He had pleaded with her to keep her from returning to Human World the day before so she would not be in danger. So why would she be there now? And why wasn’t she the one to contact him?
It didn’t help matters that he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. So his mind was trying desperately to put all this new information together but was doing so at a sluggishly slow pace compared to normal... and it was driving the fox crazy. He didn’t have time for this right now.
But his sudden stroke of genius caused a surge of confidence in the fox.
“I have an idea. Hold on.” Kurama barely waited for Yusuke’s nod of understanding to close the mirror. He put it in his pocket before rising from his pallet and slipping out of his room. He paused a moment just outside of the door, suddenly unsure of where to go. The obvious choice for what he needed to know was Maya, but after the night before, he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable going to see her alone just yet.
The fox started as realization hit him. The night before... The kiss... Had Botan seen it in Spirit World? That would go far in explaining her rash decision of coming to Human World and why it had been Yusuke to contact him and not the deity herself. He would have to clear that up. But, what if she hadn’t seen the kiss and her strange behavior was the result of something else entirely? He would hardly want to bring it up if she hadn’t seen it. The fox cursed under his breath at this complication in matters.
Kurama shook his head, bring himself back to reality. What he needed right now was information in order to hopefully bring some order to their situation. He was wondering whether to go see Maya or Mitari first when he heard voices coming from what he thought might be the main room he had been in the night before. Focusing on the voices, the fox was able to discern their sources: Mitari and Maya. Perfect. He followed the sound of the voices to the main room and indeed, Mitari and Maya were having a serious conversation.
Mitari noticed his presence first - or at least recognized it first bu looking up at the fox.
“Kurama,” he said, rising from his seat.
Only then did Maya look up at him. Was she blushing slightly? “Good morning,” she said a bit stiffly.
“Good morning,” he greeted in return.
“Did we wake you?” Mitari asked, obviously having taken in Kurama’s disheveled appearance.
“No,” Kurama replied with a shake of his head. He pulled the communication mirror from his pocket. “They did.”
“What’s that?” Maya asked curiously. She wasn’t blushing now. Had he just been imagining it?
“A communication mirror,” the red-head replied. “For,” the fox paused a moment, “intra-Tantei communications, you might say.”
“Cool,” Mitari whistled.
“Anyway,” Kurama continued, “some of our friends - human friends - are in danger. Yusuke and Kuwabara are with them right now. They can’t stay put but-”
“Need a safe place to go,” Mitari finished and Kurama nodded. The boy really was coming into his own since Kuwabara had defeated him those few years before.
“One of our bases would probably be the bet place for them to stay for now,” Maya said.
“Bases?” Kurama asked in surprise. There were more than one?
“Yeah, we have several around the city so everyone isn’t in the same place at once in case of a raid.”
“Smart.” Kurama nodded in approval.
“We just have to get them there without being seen,” Maya said with a thoughtful frown.
“Where are they now?” Mitari asked.
“Keiko’s,” Kurama replied, “though I don’t know the address off-hand.”
“I’ve got it!” Mitari rose and walked out of the room only to reappear a few moment later holding a phone book. He set it down on the table.
Kurama opened the book and turned the pages until ‘Yukimura’ came up. He pointed to the address.
“There.”
Maya studied the address a moment, then nodded. “All right, here’s my idea...”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan stood at the head of an alley watching on as Keiko and Shizuru made their way toward a man leaning against a wall reading a newspaper.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kuwabara asked nervously as a truck drove by across the street. The three pushed themselves flat against the wall and the truck didn’t pause.
“This is the plan Kurama set up, alright?” Yusuke growled, trying to hide his own nervousness.
“How so we know we can trust these people?” Kuwabara pressed.
“We don’t,” Yusuke allowed, “but Kurama trusts them. That should be enough.”
“Well I don’t have to like it,” the orange-haired teen grumbled.
“No,” Yusuke agreed. “But it’s the best option we’ve got to keep the girls safe.” Yusuke turned to look at Botan. “Speaking of, why aren’t you going with them?”
“I’m no sure to you in hiding, Yusuke,” Botan said. “And you can use all the help you can get.” That was a point the ex-detective couldn’t argue.
“Kurama’ll kill me if anything happens to you,” Yusuke grumbled, images of the one time he had really seen the fox angry popping into his head. The alacrity with which he had disposed of Gourmet still caused shivers to run down his spine.
“I’m a big girl, Yusuke. I can take care of myself,” Botan retorted. “I don’t need to be baby-sat.”
“Hey, Urameshi, Keiko is giving the ‘okay’ signal,” Kuwabara whispered as he poked Yusuke in the arm.
Yusuke looked up, and indeed she was giving a slight wave to say things were all right. The raven-haired teen let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding.
“Okay. Phase one is complete. Keiko and Shizuru should be safe underground,” Yusuke said. “Now to meet Kurama.” He pulled out the communication mirror and opened it. Seconds later, Kurama’s face appeared.
“Well?” the fox asked.
“The girls have been dropped off,” Yusuke replied. That sure made it sound like an errand when he said it that way...
Kurama nodded. “Good. We’ll meet you behind the mall in ten minutes.”
“Right.” Yusuke closed the mirror. “Now we need to get to the mall unseen.”
“It’s still pretty early. Most stores aren’t even open yet,” Kuwabara said, stifling a yawn as if to prove his point about the time.
“But the streets are crawling with Organization trucks,” Botan put in. The three took a few steps further into the alley with one look at the street.
“She’s right. We’re lick we even made it this far without being seen,” Yusuke muttered, raking his hands through his hair.
“We can’t stay on street level than,” Kuwabara mused.
“An idea hit Yusuke at the same moment it must have hit Kuwabara, as they shared a glance before saying, “The roofs!” in unison. But immediately their enthusiasm faded.
“What?” Botan asked, catching the sudden deflation.
“Well, Urameshi and I can jump the roofs, but...” Kuwabara began, but trailed off.
“Don’t worry about me, boys,” Botan said as she summoned an oar. “I’ll be able to keep up.”
Yusuke looked over at Kuwabara, who shrugged. “Alright, let’s go.”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Kurama stood next to Maya in the shadows of the back of the mall, waiting for Yusuke and Kuwabara to show up. The longer they waited - though they had arrived early so the other two teens weren’t late yet - the more Kurama ran the plan through his mind, poking at all the holes in it and praying to Inari that something didn’t go wrong.
The plan had been straight forward enough: one of the ‘rebels’ in the hideout closest to Keiko’s home would meet the girls halfway between the two points and take them to the underground hideout where the would be safe - well, safer than at Keiko’s, anyway. Then, Yusuke and Kuwabara would meet Kurama and Maya behind the mall and they would take a fairly discreet route to the hideout Kurama had been taken to the night before. From there, they would make more plans without (much) fear of being seen or overheard by prying eyes or ears.
Yusuke had let the fox know the girls had been dropped off safely. They could only hope now they would bot be caught trying to make it to the hideout, though they had a better chance of a safe escape than the ex-Tantei did. Yusuke had wanted to accompany the girls but had finally come to see the problems with that. Now they had to hope Yusuke and Kuwabara could get to the mall without being recognized by unfriendly eyes.
Kurama bit his lip. They were sure relying on a lot of luck for this plan to take shape. The fox hated relying on luck. That wasn’t how he had survived for as long as he had. But they really didn’t have any other options.
Maya looked down at her watch. “Ten minutes,” she said.
“I guess we’re on time then.”
Both the fox and the girl started as Yusuke landed in front of them, Kuwabara just behind him, and... Kurama froze.
“Botan?”
There was no denying it. The deity floated down behind Yusuke and Kuwabara on her oar and slipped off gracefully, her blue ponytail swaying hypnotically behind her. But her face... her face was slightly pale. Her teeth were clenched as if she were trying to avoid speaking. Now that was odd.
“She wouldn’t go along with Keiko and Shizuru,” Yusuke said apologetically. “She wanted to help and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
The fox frowned. There was something amiss here, and, by the way the ferry girl was staring at Maya, he had a sinking suspicion he knew what the cause was.
“Kurama, gonna introduce us?” Kuwabara asked and the red-head jerked out of his reverie. Yusuke and Kuwabara were looking at Maya curiously (Botan hostilely) and the human girl was feigning disinterest in it all.
“This is Maya Kitajima. She’s an old, uh, friend of mine,” Kurama hastily obliged. “Maya, these are my friends Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara.” The two boys nodded at their name. “And this is-”
“Botan,” the deity cut in. “I was Yusuke’s assistant when he was detective.”
Kurama’s eyes widened in surprise and even Maya’s eyebrows rose slightly. Both Yusuke’s and Kuwabara’s jaw dropped. Kurama felt a stab at his chest at this.
She knows...
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
The five fugitives made their way in silence, using shadows, alleys, and back streets whenever possible to avoid the main streets where trucks and people were patrolling. Kurama made a determined effort to memorize the path they took to the hideout and compare it to the one they had taken to get to the rendezvous point, but found concentrating hard after what had just transpired with Botan.
There was no doubt in the fox’s mind that the ferry girl had seen the kiss now. And he didn’t blame her for being angry about it. But he had to clear up the obvious misunderstanding that had taken place. The kiss had meant nothing to him after all.
Are you so sure? a small voice in the back of his mind demanded.
Yes, I’m sure! the fox growled to himself. I love Botan. I would never do anything to hurt her!
Not purposefully, anyway, the small voice chided. You’ve already hurt her.
Which is why I have to make things right!
How can you prove Maya’s kiss was nothing to you?
I know it in my heart.
Really? You’re sure you didn’t enjoy it even a little?
That part of me is gone. It was never meant to be between us. That’s why I erased her memory.
You did it because you cared about her.
And I still care!
Ah-ha! the little voice trumpeted triumphantly.
But not like that! Not anymore! I love Botan! Kurama mentally shoved that little voice down as far as it would go. Though he sure did seem to be arguing with it a lot more often these days.
Kurama sighed. That was, he supposed, the price he paid for choosing his humanity above all else. He had to deal with his demonic conscience on a human level.
And it really wore him out.
The rest of the escape was made uneventfully. Miraculously they didn’t run into any Organization patrols on the side streets. Something about that felt off to the fox, but he just couldn’t place the source of his discomfort. He was getting that feeling a lot lately as well. It was a disturbing sort of deja vu.
At last they reached the familiar hidden stairs and door from the night before. Maya repeated the ritual from the previous night of banging on the door three times before opening it. She led the way into the main room, followed by Kurama, Yusuke, Botan, and finally Kuwabara.
Mitari, who had been sitting at the table studying some maps, rose at the group’s entrance. “Welcome back,” he said to Maya and Kurama before turning to the newcomers. “You made it. Welcome!”
“M-Mitari?” Yusuke stuttered in wide-eyed surprise.
The blonde teen grinned and Kurama mentally marveled at the fact that Yusuke had remembered the boy’s name. The ex-detective was terrible with things like names.
“What are you doing here?” Kuwabara asked, equally surprised.
“Somehow the Organization got wind of my powers and came after me,” Mitari replied with a shrug. “I managed to get away and here I am.”
“Does that mean the Organization knows about those with the power of Territory as well?” Botan asked with a frown.
Mitari shrugged. “Hard to tell what they know.”
“I spoke with Kaitou just the other day,” Kurama put in. “He didn’t mention anything.”
“It’s hard to distinguish between what they know and what they’ve acted upon,” Maya said with a sigh as she collapsed onto a sofa.
“Fair enough,” Kurama conceded. “But that makes making plans even tougher. We’re going to have to be very careful, whatever we decide.”
“No joke,” Kuwabara grumbled.
“Well, at least we have some cover while me make our plans,” Yusuke said with a shrug. “That’s better than nothing.” The teen collapsed into a chair across from Maya, followed by the rest of the group. He looked around.
“So... plans...”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Author’s Note: I’m so sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I’ve been really busy with school and now softball has started so I’ll have even less time to myself. That, and I’ve just been lazy. Anyway, this was kind of a slow chapter, but it was necessary to set up what happens next, which will have some good action, I promise. Anyway, hope ya liked. Leave me a review, whether you did or didn’t. Reviews are motivating. I like them.
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Chapter 14
Conflict
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Botan left Spirit World with a new determination. Maybe Kurama didn’t need her help, but the others did. When the whole thing had started, she had been Yusuke’s assistant after all. It seemed like a good time to return to her former duties, even if the Tantei we no longer a group. Besides, Yusuke and Kuwabara would be much less able to keep themselves from being seen like their demon counterparts could. Yes, she was making the right decision.
Flying through the usual portal she took when coming to Human World, she found herself flying into the rising Japanese sun. Good, she thought. Yusuke and Kuwabara would never be able to rouse themselves before sunrise. They would undoubtedly still be at Keiko’s. But the longer they remained there, the more danger they would all be in.
Steering her oar, Botan took the familiar route through Yusuke’s city. Looking down at the streets, Botan blinked. There were a lot of cars out for this time of morning. She flew lower out of pure instinct to get a closer look. The closer she got, the more the vehicles took shape. She started in surprise when she realized most of the vehicles were trucks. And not just any trucks; they were Organization trucks. The deity cursed under her breath as she pulled herself higher in the air to keep from being seen. These guys were not going to give up until they caught their prey.
But, Botan wondered not for the first time, why the ex-Tantei? What were these guys after? It was obvious they weren’t trying to help the greater good as they said. But what was their motive? What could they gain from capturing demons?
Her thoughts drifted as she found herself floating above Keiko’s home. She floated down parallel to Keiko’s bedroom window and looked in. Inside she saw all of the people she had been looking for, much to her relief. She urged her oar forward to the window and knocked.
Yusuke immediately sat up from his sleeping bag, followed by Kuwabara. They must have been awake already to rouse so quickly. They blinked when they recognized the visitor. Yusuke rose and opened the window before stepping back to allow the deity to enter.
Botan barely had her feet on the ground before she was barraged with questions from the two teen boys.
“Botan? What is it?”
“Did something happen to Kurama?”
Botan felt her chest restrict for a moment at the mention of the fox’s name. Only after the breathless pain subsided was she able to reply.
“No, nothing happened to,” she felt her throat clench but forced herself to continue speaking, “him. I just came because I thought your need was greater.”
“Need?” a sleepy female voice asked and everyone turned to see that both Keiko (who had asked the question) and Shizuru had woken up as well.
“Need of help,” Botan clarified. She turned back to Yusuke and grinned. “Just like old times, right?”
Yusuke blinked. “Are you feeling alright, Botan?”
“Of course. I’m fine,” Botan replied, attempting to keep her normally cherry tone in tact. The others didn’t need to know what had happened. And she didn’t need it to interfere with what she needed to do.
“So you came to help us?” Kuwabara asked slowly and Botan nodded once more.
“So where are Kurama and Hiei?” Yusuke demanded, obviously concerned for his friends.
Again, Botan felt her chest restrict at the mention of Kurama’s name. “K-Kurama is with an underground group of rebel humans and demons who have avoided capture by the Organization. Hiei is at Genkai’s with the other six, holding up a barrier to keep the Organization out.”
“So the temple is probably not the best place to hide out, then,” Shizuru mused.
“So what are we supposed to do now?” Yusuke grumbled, though a weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders since he found out his demon friends were safe for the time being. “Where can we go?”
Botan reached inside her kimono and pulled out the communication mirror, pausing only for a split second before tossing it to Yusuke. The startled teen juggled it for a moment before realizing what it was. He looked up at the deity in surprise.
“A communication mirror? What for?”
“Kurama,” Gods it was hard for her to say that name, “has the other one.”
Yusuke’s face lit up. “We can contact him.” He blinked. “Why don’t you contact him?”
Botan bit her lip a moment before speaking. “No reason. I just, well...” She trailed off uncertainly, feeling the frowns of her friends baring down on her very soul.
“Botan,” Keiko asked hesitantly, “did something happen between you two?”
Botan remained silent, unable to find the words to express the betrayal and pain she felt when she saw the kiss. She didn’t think she could ever vocalize what she had witnessed, especially not to her friends. She blinked when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Yusuke standing next to her.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly.
“Fine,” the deity whispered.
“Liar.”
“It’s not important right now,” Botan replied, regaining some strength in her voice. “What’s important is your safety. All of yours’.”
Yusuke pursed his lips a moment before nodding in acquiescence. “All right. I’ll call Kurama.” He grinned roguishly. “I miss that big brain of his.” Everyone laughed but Botan, though she managed a weak smile in response. Yusuke flipped open the mirror and waited. A moment passed before the fox’s handsome features came into focus on the other end. He looked... haggard. Like he hadn’t slept much the night before. He blinked when he saw Yusuke’s face on the other end of the mirror.
“Yusuke?” he asked. “Why do you have the communication mirror?”
Yusuke looked over at Botan questioningly, but the deity only shrugged her shoulders. Yusuke sighed and turned back to the screen.
“Botan gave it to me,” he replied.
“Is Botan with you?” the fox asked in surprise.
“Yep.”
A silence fell between the two teammates. Botan could practically feel Kurama’s brain working on the other end. That, and she knew Yusuke had learned not to interrupt the red-head when he was thinking. After what felt like hours, Kurama broke the silence.
“Where are you, Yusuke?”
“Keiko’s.”
“You can’t stay there.”
“No, you’re right. But we don’t know what to do next.”
“We need to regroup. But that’s easier said than done.”
Yusuke nodded. “Tell me about it.”
They lapsed back into silence, the gears in Kurama’s brain grinding painfully loud in Botan’s ears. The fox was the quick-witted backbone of the team, so Yusuke and Kuwabara generally left mission planning to him (and Hiei when applicable).
“Where are you now, Kurama?” Kuwabara asked from over Yusuke’s shoulder, snapping the ferry girl from her thoughts.
“Underground,” the fox replied. “Though, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure where. I was a bit... distracted when I was led here.”
“Well that makes meeting up hard,” Yusuke grumbled.
“We need to move. And soon,” Kuwabara put in.
After a moment of silence, Kurama spoke up once more.
“I have an idea. Hold on.”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
To say that Kurama was surprise to see Yusuke on the other end of the communication mirror would be an understatement. He had been more than surprised not only at that, but to hear that Botan was with them as well. What was the deity thinking? He had pleaded with her to keep her from returning to Human World the day before so she would not be in danger. So why would she be there now? And why wasn’t she the one to contact him?
It didn’t help matters that he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. So his mind was trying desperately to put all this new information together but was doing so at a sluggishly slow pace compared to normal... and it was driving the fox crazy. He didn’t have time for this right now.
But his sudden stroke of genius caused a surge of confidence in the fox.
“I have an idea. Hold on.” Kurama barely waited for Yusuke’s nod of understanding to close the mirror. He put it in his pocket before rising from his pallet and slipping out of his room. He paused a moment just outside of the door, suddenly unsure of where to go. The obvious choice for what he needed to know was Maya, but after the night before, he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable going to see her alone just yet.
The fox started as realization hit him. The night before... The kiss... Had Botan seen it in Spirit World? That would go far in explaining her rash decision of coming to Human World and why it had been Yusuke to contact him and not the deity herself. He would have to clear that up. But, what if she hadn’t seen the kiss and her strange behavior was the result of something else entirely? He would hardly want to bring it up if she hadn’t seen it. The fox cursed under his breath at this complication in matters.
Kurama shook his head, bring himself back to reality. What he needed right now was information in order to hopefully bring some order to their situation. He was wondering whether to go see Maya or Mitari first when he heard voices coming from what he thought might be the main room he had been in the night before. Focusing on the voices, the fox was able to discern their sources: Mitari and Maya. Perfect. He followed the sound of the voices to the main room and indeed, Mitari and Maya were having a serious conversation.
Mitari noticed his presence first - or at least recognized it first bu looking up at the fox.
“Kurama,” he said, rising from his seat.
Only then did Maya look up at him. Was she blushing slightly? “Good morning,” she said a bit stiffly.
“Good morning,” he greeted in return.
“Did we wake you?” Mitari asked, obviously having taken in Kurama’s disheveled appearance.
“No,” Kurama replied with a shake of his head. He pulled the communication mirror from his pocket. “They did.”
“What’s that?” Maya asked curiously. She wasn’t blushing now. Had he just been imagining it?
“A communication mirror,” the red-head replied. “For,” the fox paused a moment, “intra-Tantei communications, you might say.”
“Cool,” Mitari whistled.
“Anyway,” Kurama continued, “some of our friends - human friends - are in danger. Yusuke and Kuwabara are with them right now. They can’t stay put but-”
“Need a safe place to go,” Mitari finished and Kurama nodded. The boy really was coming into his own since Kuwabara had defeated him those few years before.
“One of our bases would probably be the bet place for them to stay for now,” Maya said.
“Bases?” Kurama asked in surprise. There were more than one?
“Yeah, we have several around the city so everyone isn’t in the same place at once in case of a raid.”
“Smart.” Kurama nodded in approval.
“We just have to get them there without being seen,” Maya said with a thoughtful frown.
“Where are they now?” Mitari asked.
“Keiko’s,” Kurama replied, “though I don’t know the address off-hand.”
“I’ve got it!” Mitari rose and walked out of the room only to reappear a few moment later holding a phone book. He set it down on the table.
Kurama opened the book and turned the pages until ‘Yukimura’ came up. He pointed to the address.
“There.”
Maya studied the address a moment, then nodded. “All right, here’s my idea...”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan stood at the head of an alley watching on as Keiko and Shizuru made their way toward a man leaning against a wall reading a newspaper.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kuwabara asked nervously as a truck drove by across the street. The three pushed themselves flat against the wall and the truck didn’t pause.
“This is the plan Kurama set up, alright?” Yusuke growled, trying to hide his own nervousness.
“How so we know we can trust these people?” Kuwabara pressed.
“We don’t,” Yusuke allowed, “but Kurama trusts them. That should be enough.”
“Well I don’t have to like it,” the orange-haired teen grumbled.
“No,” Yusuke agreed. “But it’s the best option we’ve got to keep the girls safe.” Yusuke turned to look at Botan. “Speaking of, why aren’t you going with them?”
“I’m no sure to you in hiding, Yusuke,” Botan said. “And you can use all the help you can get.” That was a point the ex-detective couldn’t argue.
“Kurama’ll kill me if anything happens to you,” Yusuke grumbled, images of the one time he had really seen the fox angry popping into his head. The alacrity with which he had disposed of Gourmet still caused shivers to run down his spine.
“I’m a big girl, Yusuke. I can take care of myself,” Botan retorted. “I don’t need to be baby-sat.”
“Hey, Urameshi, Keiko is giving the ‘okay’ signal,” Kuwabara whispered as he poked Yusuke in the arm.
Yusuke looked up, and indeed she was giving a slight wave to say things were all right. The raven-haired teen let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding.
“Okay. Phase one is complete. Keiko and Shizuru should be safe underground,” Yusuke said. “Now to meet Kurama.” He pulled out the communication mirror and opened it. Seconds later, Kurama’s face appeared.
“Well?” the fox asked.
“The girls have been dropped off,” Yusuke replied. That sure made it sound like an errand when he said it that way...
Kurama nodded. “Good. We’ll meet you behind the mall in ten minutes.”
“Right.” Yusuke closed the mirror. “Now we need to get to the mall unseen.”
“It’s still pretty early. Most stores aren’t even open yet,” Kuwabara said, stifling a yawn as if to prove his point about the time.
“But the streets are crawling with Organization trucks,” Botan put in. The three took a few steps further into the alley with one look at the street.
“She’s right. We’re lick we even made it this far without being seen,” Yusuke muttered, raking his hands through his hair.
“We can’t stay on street level than,” Kuwabara mused.
“An idea hit Yusuke at the same moment it must have hit Kuwabara, as they shared a glance before saying, “The roofs!” in unison. But immediately their enthusiasm faded.
“What?” Botan asked, catching the sudden deflation.
“Well, Urameshi and I can jump the roofs, but...” Kuwabara began, but trailed off.
“Don’t worry about me, boys,” Botan said as she summoned an oar. “I’ll be able to keep up.”
Yusuke looked over at Kuwabara, who shrugged. “Alright, let’s go.”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Kurama stood next to Maya in the shadows of the back of the mall, waiting for Yusuke and Kuwabara to show up. The longer they waited - though they had arrived early so the other two teens weren’t late yet - the more Kurama ran the plan through his mind, poking at all the holes in it and praying to Inari that something didn’t go wrong.
The plan had been straight forward enough: one of the ‘rebels’ in the hideout closest to Keiko’s home would meet the girls halfway between the two points and take them to the underground hideout where the would be safe - well, safer than at Keiko’s, anyway. Then, Yusuke and Kuwabara would meet Kurama and Maya behind the mall and they would take a fairly discreet route to the hideout Kurama had been taken to the night before. From there, they would make more plans without (much) fear of being seen or overheard by prying eyes or ears.
Yusuke had let the fox know the girls had been dropped off safely. They could only hope now they would bot be caught trying to make it to the hideout, though they had a better chance of a safe escape than the ex-Tantei did. Yusuke had wanted to accompany the girls but had finally come to see the problems with that. Now they had to hope Yusuke and Kuwabara could get to the mall without being recognized by unfriendly eyes.
Kurama bit his lip. They were sure relying on a lot of luck for this plan to take shape. The fox hated relying on luck. That wasn’t how he had survived for as long as he had. But they really didn’t have any other options.
Maya looked down at her watch. “Ten minutes,” she said.
“I guess we’re on time then.”
Both the fox and the girl started as Yusuke landed in front of them, Kuwabara just behind him, and... Kurama froze.
“Botan?”
There was no denying it. The deity floated down behind Yusuke and Kuwabara on her oar and slipped off gracefully, her blue ponytail swaying hypnotically behind her. But her face... her face was slightly pale. Her teeth were clenched as if she were trying to avoid speaking. Now that was odd.
“She wouldn’t go along with Keiko and Shizuru,” Yusuke said apologetically. “She wanted to help and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
The fox frowned. There was something amiss here, and, by the way the ferry girl was staring at Maya, he had a sinking suspicion he knew what the cause was.
“Kurama, gonna introduce us?” Kuwabara asked and the red-head jerked out of his reverie. Yusuke and Kuwabara were looking at Maya curiously (Botan hostilely) and the human girl was feigning disinterest in it all.
“This is Maya Kitajima. She’s an old, uh, friend of mine,” Kurama hastily obliged. “Maya, these are my friends Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara.” The two boys nodded at their name. “And this is-”
“Botan,” the deity cut in. “I was Yusuke’s assistant when he was detective.”
Kurama’s eyes widened in surprise and even Maya’s eyebrows rose slightly. Both Yusuke’s and Kuwabara’s jaw dropped. Kurama felt a stab at his chest at this.
She knows...
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
The five fugitives made their way in silence, using shadows, alleys, and back streets whenever possible to avoid the main streets where trucks and people were patrolling. Kurama made a determined effort to memorize the path they took to the hideout and compare it to the one they had taken to get to the rendezvous point, but found concentrating hard after what had just transpired with Botan.
There was no doubt in the fox’s mind that the ferry girl had seen the kiss now. And he didn’t blame her for being angry about it. But he had to clear up the obvious misunderstanding that had taken place. The kiss had meant nothing to him after all.
Are you so sure? a small voice in the back of his mind demanded.
Yes, I’m sure! the fox growled to himself. I love Botan. I would never do anything to hurt her!
Not purposefully, anyway, the small voice chided. You’ve already hurt her.
Which is why I have to make things right!
How can you prove Maya’s kiss was nothing to you?
I know it in my heart.
Really? You’re sure you didn’t enjoy it even a little?
That part of me is gone. It was never meant to be between us. That’s why I erased her memory.
You did it because you cared about her.
And I still care!
Ah-ha! the little voice trumpeted triumphantly.
But not like that! Not anymore! I love Botan! Kurama mentally shoved that little voice down as far as it would go. Though he sure did seem to be arguing with it a lot more often these days.
Kurama sighed. That was, he supposed, the price he paid for choosing his humanity above all else. He had to deal with his demonic conscience on a human level.
And it really wore him out.
The rest of the escape was made uneventfully. Miraculously they didn’t run into any Organization patrols on the side streets. Something about that felt off to the fox, but he just couldn’t place the source of his discomfort. He was getting that feeling a lot lately as well. It was a disturbing sort of deja vu.
At last they reached the familiar hidden stairs and door from the night before. Maya repeated the ritual from the previous night of banging on the door three times before opening it. She led the way into the main room, followed by Kurama, Yusuke, Botan, and finally Kuwabara.
Mitari, who had been sitting at the table studying some maps, rose at the group’s entrance. “Welcome back,” he said to Maya and Kurama before turning to the newcomers. “You made it. Welcome!”
“M-Mitari?” Yusuke stuttered in wide-eyed surprise.
The blonde teen grinned and Kurama mentally marveled at the fact that Yusuke had remembered the boy’s name. The ex-detective was terrible with things like names.
“What are you doing here?” Kuwabara asked, equally surprised.
“Somehow the Organization got wind of my powers and came after me,” Mitari replied with a shrug. “I managed to get away and here I am.”
“Does that mean the Organization knows about those with the power of Territory as well?” Botan asked with a frown.
Mitari shrugged. “Hard to tell what they know.”
“I spoke with Kaitou just the other day,” Kurama put in. “He didn’t mention anything.”
“It’s hard to distinguish between what they know and what they’ve acted upon,” Maya said with a sigh as she collapsed onto a sofa.
“Fair enough,” Kurama conceded. “But that makes making plans even tougher. We’re going to have to be very careful, whatever we decide.”
“No joke,” Kuwabara grumbled.
“Well, at least we have some cover while me make our plans,” Yusuke said with a shrug. “That’s better than nothing.” The teen collapsed into a chair across from Maya, followed by the rest of the group. He looked around.
“So... plans...”
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Author’s Note: I’m so sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I’ve been really busy with school and now softball has started so I’ll have even less time to myself. That, and I’ve just been lazy. Anyway, this was kind of a slow chapter, but it was necessary to set up what happens next, which will have some good action, I promise. Anyway, hope ya liked. Leave me a review, whether you did or didn’t. Reviews are motivating. I like them.