Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ In Which the Stage is Set ( Chapter 27 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, kiddies.

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Chapter 27

In Which the Stage is Set

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Yusuke paced behind the make-shift command center. Maya and Mitari had taken it upon themselves to man it since there was little else they could do. Every now and then, one of the humans would look back at the fidgety raven-haired man, but said nothing. Kurama watched as Yusuke attempted to burn off his restless energy, but was getting dizzy as he watched his friend follow his repetitive path.

“Yusuke, you're going to wear a hole in the floor,” the fox commented lightly. The ex-Spirit Detective stopped and looked over at the red-head.

“I want to do something,” he muttered. Yusuke was not the type of person who liked sitting around when there was trouble, after all. Of course he would be anxious.

“We are doing something,” Kurama countered. Yusuke opened his mouth to argue but the fox cut him off. “This is the best plan we have.” A wry smile reached Kurama's lips and his eyes sparkled. “Besides, we'll have all the action we can handle in a couple of days.”

Yusuke ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I know you're right; you're always right, fox boy. Doesn't make it any easier to sit here and wait.”

“I know it's hard Yusuke, but we'll get our turn yet. Ten days will be up the day after tomorrow.” And then they would bring the fight to Ichigaki; things would be decided one way or another.

Yusuke nodded absently and returned to pacing. Kurama shook his head with absent dismay and turned back to the papers that Touya had brought back from the first infiltration. The group had gone over them several times and found some disturbing information.

Ichigaki had been experimenting with methods of stealing his prisoners' powers. He was working on a method to leech the powers from his victims, but had only managed to succeed on lower level demons and weaker human psychics. According to his records, he needed to gain entry into his victim's mind—which was why he was trying so hard to break through Kurama's mental barriers during his captivity—and from there, he could learn about the power inside.

The papers Touya managed to steal from Ichigaki's office had been a basic outline of Ichigaki's current method for stealing powers and a list of powers he had at his disposal as well as those he was working to attain. Kurama's name had been at the top of the latter list, though crossed off after his rescue. Undoubtedly, though, the names of all the former Tantei and their allies were at the top of Ichigaki's mental list of wanted powers.

Among the powers Ichigaki had already managed to harness with his inventions was dream influence. That had caught Kurama's eye immediately, considering he had begun dreaming about Karasu again shortly after his capture. If Ichigaki needed access into his victim's minds to learn about his power, he likely was using dream manipulation to break down his victim's mental defenses—even lower level demons had some sort of protection around their minds; anyone who lived in Makai without such a protection would be captured or killed in short order.

At this point, though, Ichigaki could not use the powers himself. He had developed special accessories to channel the powers through. The list of powers he had attained also mentioned the specific item that controlled that power, so that was a definite advantage for the Tantei. The problem was that Ichigaki also knew what papers had been stolen from him, so would likely try to change anything he could before the ten days were up.

Jin and Touya hadn't been able to get a camera into Ichigaki's inventing lab. It was too far into the interior for them to risk visiting without a good escape route in place, so they could only guess at what Ichigaki was up to at this point from the footage they had.

“Hey Kurama, come look at this,” Yusuke said suddenly. The red-head looked up from the papers he had read a dozen times already and realized that the former detective had stopped pacing and was looking intently at one of the monitors. Kurama rose and made his way to his friend's side.

“What is it?” he asked.

“That demon looks familiar,” Yusuke said with a frown. Kurama followed Yusuke's gaze to the monitors and recognized immediately which demon the raven-haired man was referring to.

Kurama swore under his breath and Yusuke looked at him curiously. Kurama didn't swear often, so those around him learned to recognize that something was up when he resorted to foul language. “Gouki,” Kurama clarified.

“The one I supposedly killed and then turned up in a sick travelling circus act of Ichigaki's?”

The fox nodded. “The very same.” For some reason, the memory of Gouki's eyes meeting his in the park that day with Shuichi gave him chills. Kurama had plenty of enemies, alive and dead, who wanted nothing more than to see him die a slow, agonizing death—you didn't become a legend in Makai without making hordes of enemies, after all—and yet, there was something about the Kyuukonki that seemed off to him. It bothered him that he couldn't pinpoint the problem, and seeing him on the monitor caused the discomfort to increase.

“What's he doing?” Yusuke wondered, looking intently at the screen.

Kurama watched the screen as well. Gouki was pacing around a tiny room—likely a cell—and Risho stood in a corner of the room. That was odd. Touya and Jin had been in the building shortly before, and yet the earth master was visiting with this low-level trash. They weren't picking up any sound from the room so couldn't hear what was being said between the two demons, but apparently whatever the earth master was telling the Kyuukonki was angering him.

Suddenly, he started glowing and Risho smiled. Kurama frowned. If Risho wasn't attending to the havoc in the building and was happy about something, it couldn't be good for them. It was then that Kurama realized what was out of place.

“He's still collared,” the fox breathed.

Yusuke and the two sitting humans blinked and turned to him. “What?”

“That glow is unmistakably demon energy,” Kurama replied, “but Gouki is still collared.”

Three pairs of eyes widened. “How is that possible?” Mitari asked softly, as if afraid to speak any louder.

“Wouldn't that just mean the collar was too weak for him?” Yusuke asked after a moment. “I mean, when they caught us, we had several collars,” he pointed out. Kurama shrugged.

“Perhaps it isn't about the collars so much as it is Gouki's apparent strength,” he replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Touya and Chuu only had one collar each.”

“Oh. Well, shit.”

“Exactly.”

“That's just one more obstacle, though,” Yusuke said after a long pause. “We still have the greater numbers.”

Kurama shook his head. “There is a lot of area that our cameras don't cover, Yusuke. If this is happening in an area we can see, you can bet Ichigaki has something in the works somewhere we cannot see.”

“Way to be optimistic,” the ex-detective grumbled.

“Realistic and optimistic are two different things.”

“Oh shut up,” Yusuke muttered without any heat.

Kurama couldn't help but smile fondly at his friend. “I'm not saying to give up hope, Yusuke. We just need to take into account all possibilities. We don't know what we'll be facing when we arrive the day after tomorrow. We need to be ready for anything.”

“Yeah yeah, you and your planning.”

“Have saved your life countless times,” a new voice said from behind. Yusuke and Kurama looked up to see Hiei enter the room. Yusuke scowled but didn't contest the statement. It was true, after all.

“Anything new?” Kurama asked the fire demon. Now that they knew the exact spot the Organization's headquarters were located at, Hiei had been trying to access it using the Jagan.

He shook his head in frustration. “Nothing.” It was unusual that Hiei would be unable to locate something with the Jagan he could find physically. Apparently the wards Ichigaki had used to hide his building were first-rate, after all. “Any progress on a battle plan?”

Kurama shrugged. “I'm still looking things over. I want to discuss a few things with Genkai before we decide anything concrete.”

Just then, there were three loud knocks at the door. Maya and Mitari jumped, but the three demons in the room had sensed the new arrivals coming. Yusuke went over to the door and opened it to admit Touya and Jin.

“How'd it go?” Yusuke asked as the two entered the hideout.

“No problems,” Touya said. He pulled out a folder and handed it to Kurama. “Ichigaki was out of his office when we arrived so I managed to grab this before they realized we were there.”

Kurama opened the folder to find more lists of experiments and items. He smiled. “That's perfect, Touya.”

“We managed t' cause some hell,” Jin said with a broad grin.

“That's what we like to hear,” Yusuke said with a grin. He slapped Jin on the back and the wind master grinned back at his friend.

“Hopefully we did enough damage,” Touya said, throwing himself onto a couch. This was the last mission they would go on before the final confrontation. Everyone had agreed it was too dangerous to make one last trip the day before they accepted Ichigaki's offer. “I left the note on Ichigaki's desk when I stole that folder.”

Kurama smiled. “Perfect.”

The note told Ichigaki that they would accept his terms for a televised battle the day after tomorrow and that they would enjoy beating his ugly troll face into a pulp; it had been signed by the former Tantei and their allies. Yusuke had drafted it himself with Kurama giving his approval with a laugh when he finished. It had been too priceless not to use.

“Ichigaki's heading back into his office,” Maya said suddenly, and the group gathered around the monitor to see the troll doctor's reaction to the note. He made a beeline for his desk and grabbed the note. His face contorted with rage as he read it and he finally crumpled it and threw it violently to the floor. Yusuke was howling with laughter and even Hiei had to hide a smile. Getting those little jabs in at the demon doctor made their situation slightly more bearable.

In their temporary amusement, none of them saw Ichigaki's scowl turn into a cold smirk.

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Several hours later, Botan found Kurama sitting alone in the main room with the papers Touya had stolen spread out around him. She was surprised that no one was manning the command center, but she was more surprised to find Kurama looking over all the papers alone. The entire group had pored over the new papers for hours, comparing the information in them with what they already had and what they didn't know. Since then, most everyone had taken either a break for food or a nap. They were going to meet later to formulate their final plan so everyone could prepare the next day.

“Where are Mitari and Maya?” Botan asked, indicating the command center.

Kurama looked up, unsurprised at the grim reaper's presence. Sometimes it really irked her that she couldn't sneak up on him. Right now, though, she was glad he could focus. “Getting some coffee and a snack. They needed a break from staring at the monitors for hours on end.”

“Don't you need a break, too?” the blue-haired woman asked, walking up behind the red-head. Kurama looked up from the paper in his hand and gave the deity a wan smile. “I'll have a break once this is finished.”

Botan frowned. “You've been working on this for hours. Sometimes a break can be productive, you know.”

Kurama shrugged and turned back to the paper. “I don't want to miss anything. All our lives depend on this.”

Botan sat down next to Kurama and gently pulled the paper from his hand. He looked at her quizzically. “Botan…” he began, but she put a finger to his lips to silence him.

“You're right that all our lives depend on what happens in a couple of days,” she said, “but you guys are a team. That's how you work. And this time it's not just the four of you. You don't need to take all the pressure on yourself, you know. That's what the team is for.” She grinned at him. “Take a break. That's an order.” And she kissed him squarely on the lips. He was momentarily startled but returned her kiss after he recovered. After a moment, they broke apart.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Then he grinned at her in return. “I guess I needed a break, after all.”

He leaned in and kissed her once more, and she returned the favor, wrapping her fingers in his long, fiery hair. Yes, Botan decided, this would be a productive break.

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That night, the entire group gathered in the meeting room. All the papers that Touya and Jin had managed to steal in their guerilla missions sat on the table in front of Kurama. Botan sat next to the fox. Yusuke and Kuwabara sat opposite them. Genkai and Kuwabara were adjacent to them. Hiei perched on the arm of Kurama's sofa while Jin floated freely behind Yusuke and Kuwabara with Touya resting lightly on the back of the sofa next to the wind master. Maya and Mitari sat at the command center, though they had turned their chairs to face the group. Rinku sat on the floor in front of Chuu, who occupied a single chair. Shishi and Suzuka stood on either side of Chuu.

There was a grim silence in the room before Genaki finally spoke. “It's time.” The tension with those two words was palpable.

“What we need to do,” Kurama said at last, “is play up each of our strengths to the fullest. To take down Ichigaki and whatever he has in store for us, we have to be ready for anything. We have some idea of what is coming and we have managed to throw Ichigaki's office into disorder, but we won't know fully what is in store for us until we arrive. They are expecting us, and that is both to our advantage and disadvantage.

“The question left to us now is how we will face this.”

“Without knowing exactly what is in store for us, it's hard to plan exactly what to do,” Shishi said coolly. “What exactly can we plan at this point?”

“We know some things,” Genkai replied. “We know that Ichigaki is overly proud and wants this fight televised because he assumes he will win. He wants this broadcast across the nation, even the world, so others will know the price of defiance. We know that Risho is his right hand man and that he will undoubtedly fight.” Touya's hands clenched into fists and Jin put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

“We also have some idea of what powers Ichigaki has stolen and that he needs certain accessories to use them,” Hiei added.

“Though this isn't nearly enough,” Kurama conceded, “it's more than we had to begin with, and even the smallest detail can shift the tide of battle.” Shishi nodded silently, conceding the point.

“Since we know that Risho will be there,” Touya said, “Jin and I want that fight.”

Kurama nodded with a slight smile for the ice master. “I thought you might say that.”

“He's all yours,” Yusuke agreed. “Take that bastard down.”

“Wit' pleasure,” Jin agreed with a cold grin.

“With Touya and Jin taking Risho, it makes the most sense for us to split into teams,” Genkai said, looking around the room. “Rinku and Chuu, Shishi and Suzuka, and you four,” the psychic said, indicating each group in turn.

“As much as we would love the fight,” Suzuka said, “I think we can all agree that you four are best suited to take Ichigaki down.”

“As much as it pains us to admit it,” Shishi muttered under his breath.

“Then that leaves us four as your backup,” Rinku said.

“We'll make sure no one gits in your way,” Chuu said with a determined nod.

Yusuke looked around the room at their allies. “We'll do this thing right. We'll take the bastard down on his home turf.”

Kuwabara coughed before grinning. “So, we just need to save the world? No big deal, then. Sounds like an average for us, guys.”

Yusuke smirked. “Some things never change, huh? A day in the life of the former Reikai Tantei.”

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Kaito hung up his cell phone and turned to his companions. “Tomorrow is the day, guys.”

Yana and Kido nodded.

“It all changes tomorrow.”

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Doctor Kamiya hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. Tomorrow would mark day ten since Ichigaki's ultimatum. Tomorrow marked the day the “good guys” would make their stand. Where will I stand?

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Amanuma stared at the phone long after the call had ended. The former Tantei and their friends would make their stand against Ichigaki the next day. Tomorrow would be the day that determined everything. He walked slowly over to the box that contained all his game cartridges and dug around until he found the game he was looking for. He blew the dust off the cartridge that hadn't been used in a long time.

He mouthed the game's title unconsciously: “Goblin City.”

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The man once called Sniper looked at the phone in surprise from the moment it rang and remained surprised long after the call had ended; and it took a lot to get a reaction out of him.

“Tomorrow, huh?” he murmured, absently fingering the gun on his belt.

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Koenma strode into the room determinedly and barely spared a second look for the table where the three most powerful demons in the Makai currently sat. He made his way to the head of the table and, without preamble, spoke to the demon lords.

“Tomorrow.”

The three demons looked at him in confusion (though, of course, Yomi didn't really look). “What do you mean?” Mukuro asked finally when Koenma didn't elaborate.

“Tomorrow is the day that decides the future of the three worlds,” the Prince of the Spirit World replied. “Tomorrow the former Tantei will face Ichigaki.”

“Ah,” Enki said with an understanding nod.

“If they win,” Yomi said slowly, “balance will be restored to the three worlds.”

“But if they lose, we must go to war,” Mukuro finished.

“And it will likely be against the Tantei themselves,” Koenma agreed glumly. “If they lose, Ichigaki will use them as his best weapons to take over the worlds.”

“And you think our best armies could lose?” Enki asked quietly.

“Not could,” Koenma said darkly. “Will.”

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