Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

-Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters- by Nemesis Q. Ravens

Epilogue

Some hours later, Kurama walked into Koenma’s office where the others lounged, waiting for him to return.

“Did you get the information?” asked Botan.

Kurama nodded and set the folder on the desk that the Spirit World ruler was seated at. Then from his pocket, the red-head withdrew a tape recorder.

“It’s all there. Everything you wanted and more.”

“More?” Koenma repeated eagerly as he snatched up the tape.

“Yes. Nemesis was kind enough to tell me the whole story and any information Damien or PuppetMaster told her,” Kurama answered.

“The whole tale, huh?” said Koenma as he turned in his chair away from everyone else there, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Is that why you took so long?” asked Hiei from his place near the back of the room.

“Yes.”

Yukina looked at Kurama musingly. “Was there something you found out that you didn’t expect, Kurama?” The green-eyed youth appeared stunned at her insight for a moment before nodding.

“What?” asked Keiko, leaning forward, curious to know what it was.

“Nemesis and Damien truly loved one another,” he said plainly.

Botan raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You didn’t expect that?”

“No I didn’t. And it wasn’t just Nemesis. I knew that she loved Damien, but I never honestly conceived that he loved her in return. And I would have never thought that Kyrios would be the one to voice his love while she did not.”

The others were silent for a moment before Yusuke scoffed shrugging while he briskly brushed aside Kurama’s words.

“Well so what? They loved each other; big deal. They were evil people and got what they deserved.”

Botan nodded emphatically in agreement. “Hear, hear,” she said.

Kurama was quiet for a handful of moments before he began to speak. “It is not my intention to sound as if I’m defending the couple, but do you not think that the fact that Damien took the blast meant for Nemesis might say something for his character? That he may possibly have not been completely evil?”

Yusuke never got a chance to respond when Keiko butt in.

“Damien took the blast meant for Nemesis? You mean like he died to protect her, his love?”

Kurama nodded.

Keiko pressed her hands to her chest as she sighed and stared into midair with a dreamy look on her face. “How romantic. It’s just like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Who are they?” asked Kuwabara, his head tilted the side with a confused frown on his face.

Yusuke groaned halfway through Keiko and Botan’s telling of William Shakespeare’s famous tale of Romeo and Juliet. The girls paused and Keiko turned to look at Uremeshi with a smile.

“Is there something the matter, Yusuke?” she asked sweetly.

“Yeah.” He said. “You telling that mushy romance garbage.”

“ ‘Garbage’?” she repeated. “Dying for your one true love is garbage? Is that what your saying?”

Uremeshi missed the underlying threat and second meaning to her question when he snorted and crossed his arms saying, “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Who’s stupid enough to go and kill themselves just because their girlfriend died?”

Keiko’s face turned stony and she stood up stiffly. “I see.” She turned to the others and said, “I had better go home now. I don’t want to be around insensitive jerks.” The young woman pointedly glanced over her shoulder at Yusuke who was just now catching on to the fact that she was no longer happy with him.

“Uh, Keiko?” he questioned softly as she reached the doorway accompanied by Botan. “Are you okay?”

She spun around in a fury and glared fiercely at Uremeshi. “Oh yeah! I’m just dandy. I have a boyfriend who just doesn’t understand that if there’s two people that are meant for each other that those two people should be willing to die for each other if it comes to that.”

During her fierce tirade, Keiko had advanced on Uremeshi in a rage with a hand pointed beneath his nose. He had stumbled backward into his chair in the face on her ferocity not wishing to die at her hand.

Then she suddenly stood straight and spun around and stormed out of the room. In the wake of her departure, the four boys, Koenma, Yukina, and Ogre, who had just entered the room, all blinked in unison and stared in astonishment.

No one spoke for a moment. Then Hiei broke the stunned silence.

“ ‘Hell has no wrath like that of a woman scorned’,” he quoted.

The other males just nodded. Yukina just shook her head. “Men,” she muttered.

Nearly a year had passed since the Dark Tournament that had affected the Spirit Detectives and company. The fates of Damien Kyrios, Nemesis/Marissa, Janie, and PuppetMaster had long been accepted. They had all moved on with the rest of their lives.

Kuwabara and Yukina were now dating and Yusuke and Keiko were also a steady couple. Hiei remained as he had been and Kurama was struggling to catch the attention a fellow student in one of his classes. Koenma still assigned the Spirit Detectives missions and Botan accompanied them on occasion. Ogre could still be found waiting on the Spirit World ruler’s every desire. Things had returned to a normal plane of existence.

That was until the daily prison report was given to Koenma one morning. He read the data and stopped at one name. Frowning, he sighed and put the paper down. Botan, who’d been sitting on one of the seats in front of his desk, saw his wrinkled brow and asked what was wrong.

“I got the prison report,” he began and fingered the paper in front of him. “It has some pretty important information about one of the prisoners.”

Curious to where he was going, Botan raised her eyebrows and asked, “Oh? And what did it say?”

“Before I say, would you be so kind as to bring the boys here? I’d like them to hear about this also,” he added.

She nodded and left to fetch the Spirit Detectives. Botan found them and told the boys that Koenma wished to see them. When they asked what for, she just shrugged and told them to hurry to his office. Uremeshi and the others did that and as they entered Koenma’s office, they knew that what he had to say wasn’t good news.

As they sat down, Koenma started to speak. “This morning, like every all others, I received the current status of each of the prisoners that are locked away in our prison. The report tells me the health of each of our prisoners and any new updates that are to be recorded. And this morning’s report notified me that one the prisoners died last night.” He paused here and seemed to be looking for the right words. The boys exchanged glances.

“Who was it?” prodded Yusuke.

Koenma caught Kurama’s emerald gaze and the red-head knew then just who had died. “Nemesis was the name on the death list, wasn’t it?” he said softly.

“Yes. Janie’s daughter Marissa has died.” Kurama lowered his head. After interviewing the woman, he had come to realize that she was human, no more and no less. She had fallen victim to the love of a less than honorable man and suffered for it. Kurama knew that he should not feel bad that she had passed on, but he felt sadness all the same.

Koenma’s gaze was soft as he looked at Kurama’s bent head, but it hardened once again when he looked to Uremeshi.

“I know that you could care less about her death, but I felt that you should know that your promise to Janie had been fulfilled in every way. The murderers of Marissa have both died and she has you to thank for that.”

Yusuke did not nod. He just returned Koenma’s look and then stood and left the office. The others left Koenma’s office too. Hiei and Kurama were the last to leave.

“What are you sad about?” Hiei asked Kurama as they trailed behind Kuwabara and Yusuke. “There’s no need to waste tears for Nemesis. She was evil and is better off dead.”

Kurama turned and glared at the small demon with an anger blazing in his eyes like none that Hiei had ever seen before from Kurama. “Don’t say that Hiei! She wasn’t evil and I think that you know that. Nemesis was just misguided by love. And I’m sure that someone could have said the same for both of us at one point in time.”

Hiei did not respond. He just gazed at Kurama, his ruby eyes wide. Kurama noticed his surprise at his outburst and sighed.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I should not waste my tears for Nemesis. She would not have liked that. All that she wanted was to be with Damien and to tell her mother that she was sorry. Maybe now she will have that chance.”

Hiei nodded understandingly and the two began to walk down the corridor to the portal room again.