Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ In Which Stuff Blows Up and Trouble Looms ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I am not making any money from writing this. I do, however, own my plotline.

 

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Chapter 21

 

In Which Stuff Blows Up and Trouble Looms

 

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“And since he left,” Hiei replied. “There are a few vague notes about what he's currently up to, but nothing specific.”

 

“So did you find anything worthwhile?” Kuwabara asked. “Anything to help Kurama?”

 

Hiei smirked.

 

“What? What did you find, Hiei?” Yusuke demanded.

 

“Their location.”

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara shared an astonished look before turning back to their companion. “Are you serious?” Yusuke asked.

 

Hiei fixed him with a level stare. “Would I lie about this?”

 

“Not about this, anyway,” Kuwabara said with a shake of his head, pointedly ignoring the dark look the fire demon threw him.

 

“Why would Ichigaki leave such a valuable piece of information just lying around?” Yusuke wondered. “Do you think it's a trap?”

 

Hiei frowned. “It could be, but I doubt it. I don't think he expected anyone to either find this island or make it past that mechanical monstrosity outside.”

 

“Well, where are they?” Kuwabara demanded.

 

Hiei pulled out a map from a stack of papers and pointed to a red dot. Yusuke and Kuwabara leaned over the map and stared.

 

“Are you serious?” the orange-haired teen exclaimed in surprise.

 

“You're telling me,” Yusuke began slowly, “that they've been in Tokyo the whole time?” Hiei nodded. “They've been right under our noses this whole time and we didn't know it?” Yusuke felt anger rising in his chest at their ignorance.

 

Hiei crossed his arms across his chest irritably. “They've been mocking us from the beginning and only now are we realizing it.”

 

“Can we find them now?” Kuwabara asked. At looks from Hiei and Yusuke he elaborated. “We weren't able to track them before, so with only a vague location on a map, can we find them?”

 

Yusuke was suddenly struck by how much his best friend had changed while he had been away. He had always defended Kuwabara, saying there was a lot more to him than met they eye, but he realized then that he really had no idea of the extent to which his friend had grown. He suddenly felt guilty for underestimating him and oddly enough, proud to be his friend.

 

Hiei seemed to consider Kuwabara's point for a moment. “We'll have to stake it out when we get back and see,” he replied finally. Yusuke grinned at the fact the fire demon was being forced to take Kuwabara seriously.

 

“So what do we do now?” Kuwabara asked.

 

“We destroy this place,” Yusuke replied immediately.

 

“First we take some of these files,” Hiei cut in. “Some of this information could come in valuable once we have more time to look over it.”

 

“So what are we taking?” Yusuke asked.

 

Hiei pointed to two large piles on the desk and the former head detective's jaw about hit the floor. “How are we supposed to make good time going back carrying these?”

 

The fire demon rolled his eyes. “Idiot. We're not bringing it back.”

 

“Then who…?” Kuwabara asked, sharing a curious look with his best friend.

 

“The ferry girl,” Hiei retorted as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

 

Yusuke thought he might smack himself upside the head for not thinking of Botan sooner. She should be able to bring the files back on her oar in good time. It was so simple. Wait…

 

“How is she going to be able to hold onto all those files on her oar?” Yusuke asked.

 

“We'll attach something to hold them, moron,” Kuwabara replied. Hiei nodded curtly and Yusuke felt put out, as Kuwabara had just outsmarted him again. Stupid Kuwabara who actually went to high school and didn't have to be tutored by Kurama just to stay with kids his own age to stay in school… Stupid.

 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Yusuke asked, taking the whole thing in stride the best he could.

 

Hiei snorted and closed his eyes. The Jagan began to glow faintly underneath the headband on his forehead as he made contact with their allies. Several minutes passed as the unheard conversation went on and Yusuke and Kuwabara waited impatiently for it to end. Finally, the Jagan's glow faded and Hiei reopened his eyes.

 

“Well?” Kuwabara demanded.

 

“The ferry girl should arrive within the hour,” Hiei replied.

 

Yusuke blinked. “How?”

 

“She'll go back to Spirit World and come out on this side of the country through a different portal,” Hiei replied with the air of one simplifying a concept for a small child.

 

“Okay then.” Yusuke shook his head in bemusement and let it slide. He picked up the map and folded it. “What all do we want to do before we torch this place?”

 

Hiei indicated several piles of folders. Yusuke placed the map on top of the closest pile to him before picking it up. Kuwabara picked up the pile closest to him and Hiei grabbed a few loose papers and folders. He scanned the office once more before nodding. They stepped into the lab and Yusuke and Kuwabara made to leave through the doors but paused when they noticed Hiei standing at one of the large windows.

 

“Hiei?” Yusuke called out curiously.

 

The fire demon closed his eyes and Yusuke could feel a flare of the Jagan's energy mixing in within Hiei's own familiar aura. He blinked when the large windows shattered in a domino effect down the walls of the lab. The Jagan's aura faded and Hiei opened his eyes once more and leapt onto the window ledge.

 

“Coming?” the fire demon asked with more than a hint of a smirk in his voice. Yusuke felt a grim satisfaction at the property destruction. He and Kuwabara followed the shorter demon out the window.

 

They made their way a safe distance from the building and set down the papers. Yusuke felt a growing anticipation rising in his chest. He wanted to destroy this lab; he wanted to burn the lab to the ground and piss on the ashes.

 

“Shall we, boys?” he asked and was greeted with two nods.

 

Because the building was so large, the three former Tantei took three different spots around the perimeter. Hiei counted down telepathically. Yusuke took his favorite stance and felt his energy gather in his right index finger. At the end of Hiei's countdown, he let a blast go and a large explosion rocked the island as the three fighters' attacks met.

 

Yusuke watched as flames spread through the building, which was more or less reduced to rubble at this point. He smiled grimly as smoke rose into the air against the settling dust. The combined attacks of the three had succeeded in destroying the entire premises.

 

Take that, troll doctor.

 

Yusuke, the ferry girl is here, Hiei's voice rang through Yusuke's head.

 

Yusuke blinked. He must have lost track of time watching the flames burn down the cursed lab. There had been a few exciting explosions that had occurred when some flames met with some of the doctor's experimental drugs, but they had just served to cause more destruction to the building.

 

Coming, he called. When he made it back to the starting point, he found Kuwabara and Botan speaking quietly and Hiei standing off to the side. They all looked up at Yusuke's arrival.

 

“'bout time, Urameshi,” Kuwabara said. Yusuke gave him an insolent grin before turning to Botan. The ferry girl looked pale. He felt a wave of sympathy towards his friend. He knew she was hurting at the loss of Kurama and with so little they had been able to do, she was completely miserable.

 

“Hey Botan,” he greeted.

 

“Hi, Yusuke,” she replied. Gone was her normal cheery voice, though the look in her eyes caused him to pause. She looked determined. She was a strong woman and naturally she wouldn't stay down for long. Kurama had once told him that her fiery spirit had been one of the things that had drawn him to her initially. The ex-detective was glad that the spirit the fox had loved so much hadn't left the girl.

 

“How are you?” he asked gently.

 

She swallowed. “That depends on what you found.”

 

Yusuke gave her a roguish grin. “Then you must be doing well.”

 

Botan's eyes lit up. “What did you find?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

“A location.”

 

“You can find him, then?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Maybe?”

 

“We're going to have to do some recon when we get back,” Kuwabara supplied. “We have a location on a map, but that doesn't mean we'll be able to find it.”

 

“Where are they?” Botan asked.

 

“On the outer edges of Tokyo,” Yusuke replied with a grimace.

 

“He's been so close… This whole time, he's been so close,” Botan whispered painfully.

 

“Yeah. But now that we know it, we'll get him back and pay the doctor back for everything he's pulled,” the raven-haired teen said determinedly.

 

“That's right,” Kuwabara added.

 

“The sooner we get all this packed, the sooner we can head back,” Hiei interrupted.

 

Botan shook herself. “Right. Let's pack all these papers up, then.”

 

Yusuke walked over to the folders and was followed by Botan and Kuwabara. Hiei was already standing by them. Botan looked over the large piles and Yusuke frowned.

 

“How are you going to bring all these back?” he asked.

 

Botan gave Yusuke a grin that was very reminiscent of his own. “You think the only thing I can summon is a basic oar?” Yusuke blinked. In truth, he had never thought about it. He knew she could summon the oar and that she had healing abilities, but that was about all he knew about the extent of her power. “Well, it's not. It just happens to be my favorite.”

 

She held out her hand and the familiar oar appeared. Kuwabara opened his mouth to say something but a moment later the back of the oar collapsed into a large net. The orange-haired teen closed his mouth.

 

“Load it up,” Botan said. Yusuke and Kuwabara each picked up a pile and Hiei followed behind catching anything that fell. They placed their papers into the net, which held a lot more than it appeared like it should. When the papers were secure, Botan mounted her oar. She turned back to Yusuke.

 

“Hurry back so we can finish this, alright?”

 

Yusuke nodded. “You got it.” The ferry girl nodded and her oar lifted up with a speed that belied the weight that she carried with the papers.

 

When she disappeared Yusuke turned back to his friends. “Shall we get going then?”

 

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Kuwabara thought he might pass out after all the running they had done in the last few days as they stood outside the new hideout door while Yusuke knocked three times. A few moments later, the door opened and a pale looking Mitari appeared. His features loosened when he recognized those knocking on the door.

 

“Come in,” he said, stepping back to allow the three inside. Kuwabara noticed him look past them as they entered, to make sure they hadn't been followed. When he was satisfied they hadn't been, he closed the door once more and followed them back into the main room.

 

“You're back, then,” Genkai greeted, looking up from a pile of papers at a table. She and Maya appeared to have been going over the papers they had uncovered. The floors were littered with papers too. Botan was sitting on the couch, looking over more papers.

“Find anything useful?” Yusuke asked, indicating the papers.

 

“Only that Ichigaki is very well informed on the demons and spiritually gifted humans living in this world,” Maya replied, tossing another paper to the ground. Botan picked up the paper that Maya had discarded, probably to make sure they hadn't missed anything. “I can only guess how he got some of these records.” She grimaced. “And I don't like any of the possibilities.”

 

“Anything else?” Kuwabara asked, noticing the somber looks on his friends' faces.

 

“We had trouble last night,” Mitari replied. The women put down their papers. Genkai pursed her lips and Maya looked away.

 

“What?” Kuwabara asked. Something had obviously happened that no one wanted to mention; something bad for them.

 

“What happened?” Yusuke asked slowly.

 

“We contacted our allies and told them what you had found at the lab,” Maya began.

 

“And some of them decided to scout out the area the map indicated was the location of the Organization's headquarters,” Genkai continued.

 

“What happened?” Yusuke repeated tersely.

 

“Touya and Chuu were taken,” Botan finished soberly.

 

Kuwabara felt his stomach plummet. Touya and Chuu were taken? Just from scouting out the area? That meant they had to have been close to the nest of their enemy.

 

“Damnit,” Yusuke growled. “Damnit!” He dropped his head and his usually greased back bangs fell over his eyes, masking his obvious frustration.

 

“Yusuke-” Mitari began, reaching a hand out to Yusuke's shoulder, but the former head detective pulled away and stalked out of the room.

 

Mitari pulled his hand back as if burned and Maya rose as if to follow Yusuke, but Kuwabara stopped her at a glance. He shook his head.

 

“I'll go,” he told them. Right now Yusuke needed his best friend; a fighter he had risked life and limb with and Hiei, the emotionally stunted demon that he was, wasn't suited for the matter, so it was left to Kuwabara.

 

The orange-haired teen followed the hallways until he stood outside the door that stood between him and his friend's aura, and therefore his friend. He knocked on the door, but didn't wait for an answer before opening it and stepping inside. Yusuke stood at a small window and looked out blankly.

 

“Urameshi?” Kuwabara asked carefully, trying to get a read on his friend's current state of mind. Yusuke made no reply, though Kuwabara could sense his muscles tensing. “Urameshi, talk to me. You can't just keep it inside, and you know it.”

 

Yusuke turned slowly to look at Kuwabara, frustration evident on his features. “First Kurama, now Touya and Chuu, Kuwabara. It feels like it's on me, you know? I feel like I've let them down by not being able to do anything for them.”

 

“It's not your fault, man,” Kuwabara said immediately. “None of them blame you for it. None of us blame you for it.”

 

“So why does it still feel like it's my fault?”

 

“Because you're decent,” Kuwabara replied with a small smile.

 

Yusuke blinked. “What?”

 

“Because you are a decent person,” the orange-haired teen repeated. “Because you care about them; because you're still out here when they aren't and you don't want it to be like that.” Kuwabara walked up next to Yusuke and looked him straight in the eye to make sure his point got across. “But it's not your fault and blaming yourself isn't going to help them.”

 

Yusuke looked at Kuwabara for several silent moments before sighing. “You know what, Kuwabara? That actually makes some sense.” He gave his friend a wan smile. “Thanks.”

 

“Now come on, Urameshi; we've got an Organization to take down.”

 

“Right.”

 

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Touya groaned as consciousness painfully returned to him. His head was throbbing and he felt groggy from the tranquilizers he had taken in the ambush. He blinked a few times as his eyes fought against the light that, while it was in actuality dim, seemed blinding to his eyes. He put a hand to his head and tried to sit up. He felt a supporting hand on his back and looked to his side to see Chuu kneeling next to him. He gave his friend a grateful nod.

 

It was then that he noticed the silver band around Chuu's neck. He felt his eyes widen and Chuu nodded silently, touching the collar. Touya put a hand to his own neck and felt the cold metal. Immediately he tried to access his demon energy only to find it blocked from him.

 

“No…”

 

“Sad but true, mate,” Chuu said. “I tried it, too bu' ha' no luck either.”

 

“How long have I been out?” Touya asked, seeking to change the subject.

 

“Well, yah were ou' when I came to, which was `bout an hour `go,” Chuu replied with a shrug.

 

“We're in trouble, aren't we?” the ice master asked, studying the cell they were in. The door looked to be made of steel and was barred, much like the small window that was above even Chuu's height.

 

“Yes you are,” a new voice answered. Chuu and Touya turned immediately - though Touya immediately regretted it as his head spun from the lingering effects of the tranquilizers - only to be greeted by a very unwelcome sight. Touya's eyes widened in surprise. Once the surprise subsided, he felt anger rising within him.

 

“Risho,” the former Shinobi hissed as if the name were a curse. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Working.”

 

“What?”

 

“That's right. I'm doing what it takes to survive.”

 

“What are you saying, Risho?” Touya asked, though he was beginning to get a picture in his mind. Risho had always been slightly off-balance during their missions as Shinobi, but it wasn't until they had entered the Dark Tournament had his true colors shone through. The earth master was greedy and was willing to do anything to get what he wanted, no matter how many of his own men he lost. He was a bastard, plain and simple.

 

The earth master smirked at his former teammate. “Touya, Touya,” he said shaking his head in a very condescending manner, “you just never learn, do you?”

 

“What's that, Risho?”

 

“Why must you always back the losers?”

 

“Pardon?” Touya was very close to losing his temper, though in his current position it seemed there was very little that he could actually do.

 

“You could have been great, Touya; Jin too. But instead you chose to throw it all away and join Urameshi's cause.”

 

“Sorry, bu' we don' happen to think Urameshi's side is so bad,” Chuu interrupted.

 

“Ah, I thought you might say that, Chuu,” Risho said, turning to the drunken fighter. “It's just too bad you all feel such a loyalty to the Tantei.”

 

“Funny; we don't see it that way,” Touya snapped. He owed more to Kurama and the other Tantei than he could probably ever repay. Fighting the fox in the Dark Tournament and training with him and Genkai later and taught him a lot about himself and for once, he was satisfied with the way he was living his life.

 

“Well then, why don't you tell me why the two of you and the others were outside our building,” Risho said, changing topics.

 

Touya exchanged a glance with Chuu and they both knew what they had to do. Touya scratched his nose innocently. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

 

“Yer not makin' sense, mate,” Chuu added as he looked down at his fingernails disinterestedly.

 

“Don't play dumb with me,” Risho hissed and the floor underneath the two prisoners began to shake.

 

Damn, Risho is an earth master and the entire floor is dirt, Touya thought irritably. He won't kill us, not yet anyway, but even so…

 

“I don't appreciate being called dumb, Risho. You know that,” the ice master commented coolly.

 

“Then answer my question.”

 

“Touya may no' be dumb,” Chuu cut in, “but he ain't speakin' for me. I've never been accused of bein' smart.” The ice master had to stifle a laugh at the comment.

 

“I see.”

 

“Do you now?”

 

Risho shot the two prisoners a venomous glare. “How did you know the location of our headquarters?”

 

“Headquarters? Did you hear that, Chuu? We must have stumbled onto something,” Touya said, pretending to sound interested at the little tidbit.

 

“Well Ah'll be,” Chuu agreed, playing along.

 

Risho hissed and Touya immediately recognized the danger. But before he could warn Chuu, two large hands made entirely of dirt shot out of the ground and slammed the two demons into the stone wall. Touya's vision swam for a moment after the impact. He shook his head to clear his vision.

 

“Where did you get the information?” Risho repeated.

 

“We'd rather not say,” Touya replied, deciding the ignorant approach was going to get them nowhere. They might as well try the stubborn approach; it was more fitting to their personalities anyway.

 

“Where are the rest of your friends?” Risho asked the hands squeezed their prisoners. The wind rushed from Touya's lungs and he could feel his ribs straining under the pressure.

 

“Around,” Chuu replied through the pain.

 

They fell to the ground in panting lumps as the hands suddenly vanished and the dirt resettled on the floor. Touya coughed and looked back up at Risho. The earth master had a strange look in his eyes. That was never a good sign with the unstable former Shinobi.

 

“I see,” he said quietly. “Well boys, play nice. I'll be back later.”

 

Touya and Chuu looked at each other as Risho disappeared and collapsed to the ground.

 

“We're in trouble here,” Touya said looking up at the ceiling.

 

“You said it, mate.”

 

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