Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Disclaimers:
Characters of Yuu Yuu Hakusho are property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Fuji 
TV, Studio Pierrot, Shuseisha and whoever else holds the copyrights. 
Certain characters are mine, with the most obvious as Inori.
That's about all. Further references will be continued at the end...

Now, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present...

****Inori****
     (Prayer)

Hypertia

........................

Prayer 1.0: 
[Kurama]


"Minamino Shuuichi?"

I paused in my footsteps at my name. Turning around, I came face to face 
with a girl. A young girl who could not possibly be older than sixteen 
years old. And I didn't know her. I was certain of that. Yet, I found 
her familiar.

"Yes, I am Minamino Shuuichi, may I help you?" I asked politely, careful 
to keep my tone neutral. At the same time, I assessed her. She wasn't 
ordinary. In fact, reiki glowed around her like a second skin, as though 
she was made up of the energy itself. 

Her brilliance was blinding.

She removed her sunglasses, opening her eyes to reveal a pair of very 
familiar liquid brown eyes. In a soft, cultured voice, she said, "May I 
speak to you, preferably somewhere private?"

I stared at her shamelessly, stunned by her resemblance to Yuusuke. 
Aside from her braided-long hair, she was a splitting image of him. 
Especially her eyes. The same pair of expressive, warm brown eyes.

"Minamino-san?"

Snapping out of my trance, I nodded my head, blushing furiously. She 
smiled and shook her head.

"Let me guess, I remind you a lot of Urameshi Yuusuke."

It was a statement, not a question. She appeared to be amused, but I 
wasn't. I didn't understand how she could possibly know Yuusuke. As far 
as I know, he didn't have any relatives other than his mother. At least, 
none that I know of.

It only made me realise how little I knew of his family.

On the other hand, it was none of my business. Except that my natural 
inquisition as a youko was overpowering me with the need to know.

"Ojosan, who are you?" I asked, hearing the awe in my voice only too 
clearly.

She smiled warmly, and ran her fingers through her fringe.

"I am a Reikai Investigator who seriously needs to talk to you and the 
other members of your group."

I nodded my head, hearing the note of urgency in her voice. Though 
subtle, it wasn't enough to escape my notice. Offering my hand to her, I 
suggested:

"I know of a place where we can talk, and meet the rest of the Reikai 
Investigators. We'll be able to have our dinner as well. Care to join 
me?"

Just as I expected, she placed her small hand in mine smilingly, 
allowing me to lead her to Yuusuke's ramen stall. 

..................

Prayer 1.1:
[Yuusuke]

From the distance, I could already spot the familiar figure of my 
friend. 

"Yo! Kurama! Here for dinner?" I hollered cheerfully. Why shouldn't I be 
cheerful? Keiko had just accepted my formal proposal. We would be able 
to marry as soon as she graduated from the university, obtaining her 
license as a teacher.

I noticed that he had a companion, and my face fell, remembering only 
too late that I was not supposed to call him by his youko name, but by 
his human name. But for some reason, he didn't seem to mind much, and 
even waved his hand in greeting.

That had me wondering. Just who was that girl that Kurama didn't have to 
hide his secret identity?

"Hai, Yuusuke. The usual, only this time, two bowls," he said, his 
gentle face radiant. I nodded dumbly, staring at his companion. She 
looked like...me...

There was no mistake about it. Her features were the exact copy of mine, 
other than the fact that they were sharper and infinitely more feminine. 
And her waist-length hair. Green highlights that glinted in the light of 
the setting sun. She reminded me too much of myself.

If it weren't for the fact that I knew that I had no other relatives 
besides Mum, I could have sworn that she was my twin sister.

"Will Kuwabara-kun be coming today?" asked Kurama, interrupting my chain 
of thoughts. I forced myself to look away from the stranger and at 
Kurama. His vivid green eyes were glinting in mischief, as though this 
was one great joke. It probably was, except that I was missing out on 
the funny parts.

"Yeah, with Yukina. Hiei will be here as well. Seems that today's his 
break. Mukuro has finally decided to let him off for the next couple of 
weeks to attend *their* wedding."

There was no need to spell out who *their* was referring to. Yukina and 
Kuwabara's wedding. And believe me, it took hells to persuade Hiei not 
to set the Kokuryuha on Kuwabara when the two lovebirds announced their 
decision two months back. Yukina was partially the cause of it. She 
simply gave her twin a pleading gaze, one that would have melt the 
coldest of hearts. Hiei found himself unable to object or protest, and 
settled for a very angry growl.

Later, I found out that he had threatened Kuwabara with death if he ever 
hurt his sister in anyway.

It had been one of the times when Kuwabara's brain had been working, 
when he finally pieced everything into one.

He actually figured out that Hiei was Yukina's twin. He hadn't been as 
clueless as we had thought.

Hiei had been fuming for days after that.

"So desu ne," murmured the scarlet-haired young man. He still kept his 
waist-length hair, regardless of the fact that many people had mistaken 
him for a girl more than once. Even though he wore a suit, complete with 
the tie. It only proved how slow-witted some ningen were.

"Who's that girl?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. 
Kurama smiled mysteriously.

"She says that she's a Reikai Investigator, and that she urgently needs 
to talk to her senpai."

"NANI?!" I exclaimed in shock. I didn't know that the Reikai had just 
recruited new Investigators. When Koenma visited me two days ago, he 
certainly hadn't mentioned it. Not that I could remember...my memory had 
been in a complete mess that day, having drunk a little too much sake.

Kurama chuckled at my shocked expression, before stating, "That's okay. 
I didn't either, until she came up to me."

I observed her out of the corner of my eye, seeing the potential in her. 
Reiki flared around her naturally, surrounding her in a bright, at the 
same time, soft, violet glow. I blinked, confused.

"She can easily be an S-class, like Sensui."

Kurama's bright green eyes darkened at the mention of the former Reikai 
Investigator-turned-renegade.

"Let's hope that she won't turn out to be like him," he said softly.

I agreed with him thoroughly.

"What do you think of her?" he asked casually, as we watched her move 
restlessly around the stall. At her childlike amazement when she saw the 
sudden blur of black---Hiei. He scowled at her before darting to the 
seat beside Kurama. I poured him a small cup of sake, before returning 
my attention to her.

"She looks a hell lot like me," I said, getting straight to the point.

"She does, doesn't she?" Kurama conceded, "when I first saw her, I half 
thought that she was Yuusuke, except that my senses reminded me that 
you're a male, and not a whole head shorter than me."

I laughed aloud at that.

"Ask Koenma then. He should know better than any of us."

Kuwabara came storming into my stall, looking extremely baffled. The 
moment he saw me, he toppled backwards, crashing against the tables and 
chairs. The shock was apparent in his eyes as they turned to me, then to 
her alternately.

She gazed at him with amused brown eyes---my eyes, I realised with a 
start---before offering him a hand, helping him up.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Kuwabara-senpai?"

She looked like me, but she did not have my temper or attitude. While it 
was good to a certain extent, at the same time, it irked me as well. I 
had a reputation to uphold, and what would the world think of me if my 
twin---if she could be called that---continued with that saccharine 
sweetness of hers?

I shuddered. 

Kuwabara stared at her for a few moments, before rolling back his eyes 
and fainting dead away.

She gazed at his unconscious form expressionlessly before turning to 
look at the three of us.

"I think he just fainted," she stated matter-of-factly.

"You *think* he's just fainted..."

"Okay, so he *has* fainted..." she said with more emphasis.

Hiei grunted, "Weak ningen fool," before turning to his sake.

Kurama barely stifled his laughter, his amusement flashing in his 
expressive eyes. 

"Should we help him up?" he asked.

Our response was immediate.

"No!!"

.....................

Prayer 1.2:
[Hiei]

She resembled Yuusuke, and yet, she wasn't Yuusuke. She didn't have his 
personality, as displayed by her offer to help that Kuwabara fool. 

I didn't care if he was to be married to my sister. I still thought of 
him as a world-class fool, and nothing was going to change my opinion of 
him. Nothing at all.

How he managed to figure out the relationship between Yukina and me was 
something to think about.

Since he had just displayed an idiocy that was beyond me. I just didn't 
see what Yukina could see in this idiot that she would willingly marry 
him.

"Hiei-senpai, you're staring into blank space again," accused the 
Yuusuke look-alike. I gave her one of my withering looks.

"Where I stare into is absolutely none of your goddamn business," I 
snarled at her, challenging her. The fact was, I was itching for a 
fight. I wanted, needed something to remove the tension within me before 
I truly exploded.

She fixated me a cool look.

"I need your attention, Hiei-senpai, and moaning about Yukina-san's 
engagement to Kuwabara-senpai isn't going to change anything. You might 
as well just sit still and watch. If he ever hurts Yukina-san, you 
wouldn't be the only one after his hide, you realise?"

I stared at her, speechless.

Kurama chuckled. "She's right, you know. If anything happens to Yukina, 
Kuwabara-kun will find himself facing a mob of angry people."

Damn it, they were right. 

But there was a sour twinge within me, reminding me that I hadn't been 
reunited with my sister long enough. It just wasn't fair that my first 
duty as her elder brother was to send her off into that idiot's arms, 
one who didn't deserve my sister's affections in the first place.

"Look, onna ~" I began.

"Inori. My name's Inori," she supplied helpfully. I glared daggers at 
her, which she promptly returned.

"What I do is none of your business, and I would advise you to keep your 
nose out of them before I decide to do something about you..." I let my 
words trail off, a feral smile tugging at my lips. 

She was one stubborn female. She. Refused. To. Care.

And even had the audacity to retort, "You can't. Koenma-sama will be on 
your case within seconds."

Damn. She was right, *again*.

I hated smart-aleck ningen like her. 

The idiot was waking up. He groaned loudly, and sat up, muttering 
something about having weird dreams. And almost fainted again when he 
saw Inori and Yuusuke grinning at him like a pair of Cheshire cats.

"Don't," I warned him instinctively, "or I swear, Yukina or no, I'll fry 
you with the Kokuryuha."

That woke him up good.

I grinned evilly in triumph.

"Hajimemashite, Kuwabara-senpai. I'm Inori, a new Reikai Investigator. 
Pleased to meet you."

"You look just like Yuusuke..." he mumbled faintly.

Inori sighed. "I *know*. But can we get down to business first? Onegai!"

We nodded in one accord, entranced by the pleading note in her voice. 
She flashed a gold medallion on the table.

"This is my Reikai Investigator Badge. Codenamed 'Prayer', part of the 
Shiragiku Team. I come from the future, twenty-five years to date, 
actually."

She was met with cold silence.

Then, chaos broke loose.

"NANI?!"

She winced visibly at the volume, before continuing in an impassive 
voice:

"I'm here because of the future. In my time, Ningenkai, Reikai and Makai 
are in absolute disorder. Due to a holocaust in your time, most of the 
humans in my time are wiped out, with the exception of the psychics. 
Makai is long dead and Reikai is the only force opposing the unknown 
enemy."

"According to the history as I know of, on the day of the marriage 
between Reikai Investigator Kuwabara Kazuma and Koorime Yukina, 
Ningenkai is attacked by a strange unknown force, that even the Reikai 
has been unable to identify. The entire human population is wiped out, 
except for psychics like you and I."

"And you're here to stop that from happening," guessed Yuusuke shrewdly. 
She nodded absently, somewhat fascinated by the deathly-pale expression 
on the idiot's face. 

"Hai! Koenma-sama sent me here to enlist the help of the Urameshi Team, 
as well as to warn them to be careful."

I stared at her speculatively.

"Careful of what?"

"The unknown force," she replied patiently. "History in my time denotes 
that the four members of the Urameshi Team will fight for the sake of 
Ningenkai, but did not state whether you will be victorious, other than 
the fact that the four of you died."

"What?! I died before I could marry Yukina-san?!" The idiot struck 
again.

"Not...really. Hiei-senpai joined the both of you in the holy 
matrimony."

I choked on air. Me, joining the both of them in holy matrimony?! Never!

Kuwabara stared at me as though I was some sort of strange insect. I 
glowered at him, daring him to say *anything* that would snap my 
precarious state of balance.

"Actually," Inori continued in a thoughtful tone, not noticing what was 
happening around her, "the history texts went into deep detail over that 
scene, to the point of describing the scene of the kiss..."

I was not fuming. I was burning with rage inside. 

My hand was on the hilt of my katana, quite ready to hack a couple of 
things into bits, especially that *idiot*...

"Come to think of it, the historian of that particular reference was 
renowned to be a hopeless romantic. She probably exaggerated a little 
too much."

Kurama raised an eloquent eyebrow.

"Who was the historian?"

Inori considered for a moment before replying, "I think it was either 
Shizuru-sensei or Botan-sensei."

Yuusuke blinked. "I guess that explains everything. Hiei, I don't think 
you need to kill him now, do you?" 

"Hn."

But he was right. Unfortunately, that fact would not save the historian 
as soon as I find her.

And I vowed to myself that I would *not* marry my sister to that idiot!

...........................

Prayer 1.3:
[Inori]

They didn't understand the situation at all.

How could I make them understand that this was no joke, and that it 
would not be as easy as to defeat this force as they thought? They were 
all too preoccupied by other things. Kuwabara, for example, was 
distracted by his impending marriage to Yukina. As much as I wished the 
two of them eternal happiness, why couldn't he concern himself with the 
crisis at hand? I had already sacrificed so much, even to the point of 
telling them their fate, when Koenma-sama had specifically told me---no, 
warned me not to.

I hung my head in frustration. 

Hiei was more interested in trying to kill Kuwabara, and I had no idea 
of how to stop them. If they killed each other, the future would not be 
saved. And after what the Reikai had sacrificed, it just didn't seem 
like justice. After all the efforts put in by Koenma-sama...the lives 
lost...

Kamisama, I was lost. Lost and confused.

Then there was Yuusuke and Kurama, whose attentions were caught by my 
fatal resemblance to Yuusuke. So what if I resembled him? That was not 
the issue. I hated being young. I didn't receive the respect that was 
rightfully mine, and I couldn't gain their attention long enough to 
impress upon them the extremity of the situation.

And Kuwabara literally passed out at everything I said. 

Why did Koenma-sama give me this time-travelling mission anyway? He must 
have had hit his head too hard.

I couldn't hammer any sense into their heads, hence, I was technically 
of no use. If Botan-sensei was here, she probably would have done a 
better job...so why was I sent instead? I was completely helpless.

I buried myself in self-pity.

...........................

Prayer 1.4:
[Kuwabara]

I was going to be married to Yukina.

I was delirious with joy. After all, she was the gentlest, sweetest, 
most beautiful being I had ever came across. But the thought of her 
being related to Hiei gave me something to think about.

He was one heck of a jerk. Our dislike for each other was mutual, and we 
spent our time insulting each other, or fighting. 

It was only recently I found out why. 

Hiei was her long lost twin.

The twin she had spent half her life looking for, almost to the point of 
getting herself killed.

I discovered one other thing. Hiei was protective of his sister, not 
because he wanted to obstruct her happiness. Not because he hated me. 
But because he didn't want her to suffer the same way as she did in the 
hands of Tarukane. I guessed he blamed himself for that incident.

He blamed himself for being unable to protect his twin sister.

Self-pity and self-misery. Guilt.

He was filled with those emotions.

Even Oneesan felt them. He was like a walking nuclear bomb, in the most 
literal sense. Except that unlike those inanimate bombs, he was living 
and breathing, ready to explode any time.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to help him.

He would have to sort it out himself. But, not necessary by himself.

Perhaps all of us could help him. Yukina and Kurama would be the best 
choice.

At least they weren't the targets of his temper half the time. Unlike 
me.

I grimaced at the thought. 

Inori was not better. She had secrets of her own, and she wasn't telling 
everything. Telling the truth, yes, but there was a sort of wistfulness 
whenever she gazed at Urameshi. Whenever she mentioned about her home. 
Koenma.

But who was I to say anything? 

Besides, she was the perfect duplicate of Yuusuke. She might not seem as 
tough on the exterior, but she had to be one heck of a fighter if she 
was a Reikai Investigator. After all, she was trained by Oneesan, wasn't 
she?

I wouldn't want to know what my sister had taught her.

Clueless as I might be at times, I was in no hurry to find another 
Kuwabara Shizuru. One in existence was already bad enough.

..........................

Prayer 1.0 - 1.4 ~ End


Author's notes: This is a queer story. It originally began as a 
crossover with Yoroiden, but then I decided that it wasn't worth it. Too 
many characters spoil the story, and besides, it's more fun this 
way...<evil grin>


- End Part -


Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh [safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net] -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Prayer  2.0:
[Koenma]


"Koenma-sama ~!"

George burst into my office, carrying yet another stack of papers that 
needed to be signed *immediately*, lest the found souls became missing 
souls. I stared at the stack wearily and allocated it to a vacant space, 
somewhere.

It was then I realised that the office was completely packed with 
papers, papers and *more* papers.

I rested my head on the desk for a moment, dizziness with a force that 
equalled a wave of tsunami washing over me. The time on the clock said 
that it was ten, but in the hours of the morning or the night? I didn't 
know. There was no difference between day and night in the Reikai.

For all I knew, I could have sat at the same desk for the past century 
unknowingly.

I really ought to install that computer network Kurama had been telling 
me about. 

Maybe during the next upgrading project Botan had been pestering me for.

Taking another pile of papers from the stack closest to me, I began 
flipping through them.

The cheerful red invitation card on the desk caught my attention. 
Smiling wryly, I picked it up and opened it, reading the words for the 
thousandth time since the day I received it.

[You are invited to Kuwabara Kazuma's and Koorime Yukina's wedding.]

It had taken Yuusuke two months to inform me, for several reasons. 
Reikai had been on a disarray for the past few months, ever since one of 
the younger oni brought me the wrong stack of papers to sign. Correcting 
the near fatal mistake took months, and it was only two days ago when 
order was finally restored in the Reikai.

I paid Yuusuke a visit that day, and after drinking---twelve bottles?---
of sake, he finally blurted it out in his drunken stupor. 

And I still wondered at the cause of all that celebration.

I replaced the card on the desk and went back to the never ending stream 
of papers, resolving to complete them before the day was over. They were 
long overdue, and my visit to Ningenkai did nothing to lessen the load. 
In addition to the five stacks, each rivalling the height of Mount Fuji, 
I found five extra stacks when I returned from my short break, sitting 
in the office innocently and waiting for my stamp of approval.

I hadn't found it amusing at all.

But what could I do? I was Koenma, Son of Enma-Daioh, Lord of the Spirit 
World. I could not abandon my duties simply to "enjoy life and have 
fun", as what a ningen might say. I could not forget about my duties to 
satisfy my whims, no matter how tempting the thought was.

Being the Son of the God of Death came with privileges as well as a 
price. And the price I had to pay was the loss of *my* freedom.

I sighed and wielded the Seal of Reikai, fiddling it in my left hand as 
I scanned through the long sentences and phrases found in the papers. 
Despite its large size, the Seal was a very amusing plaything. I used to 
tamper with it when I was younger, when I had a childhood to speak of.

Sadly, it was taken away from me as soon as I could read fluently and 
understood enough words to use the Seal.

I came to a dead stop when my eyes fell on one of the keywords I found 
in the document. And began reading the extract over and over again.

My eyes grew to the size of saucers when I finally grasped the hidden 
meaning behind the text.

There was trouble. Big trouble. There was an intruder.

Someone who was from Reikai had broken the most basic law passed down by 
the Powers That Be since the beginning of time. 

Someone in time, future or past, had entered the Gates of Time, when he 
wasn't supposed to.

That very person had just made my timeline a Time Zone, making it 
vulnerable to time intruders. For them to create, or destroy history all 
over.

He had to be stopped, before Time herself was totally disrupted.

Without further ado, I teleported out of the office, paying no attention 
to the protests raised by George. I could not afford to wait.

Time was at risk.

But even then, that was not the crux of the problem.

The main question was: what was the intruder's mission or intention? Was 
he friend or foe? Was he going to destroy time?

I went cold at the very thought.

I had to find Yuusuke. 

The Urameshi Team had yet another mission, one that could mean 
everything to the present, past and future.

..............................

Prayer 2.1:
[Kurama]


Inori was nervous, as she looked out of the window periodically. Almost 
as though she was expecting some surprise attack or another.

For both her sake and mine, I hoped that it was the latter.

As the night progressed on, I began to notice one visible weakness in 
her. 

She was exhausted. It took almost all her willpower to stay awake, 
clearly shown by the many instances when her eyelids drooped, hiding her 
brown eyes behind them. In those instances, she would remain still, her 
face a portrait of peace. A picture that could almost be identified with 
Hiei while he slept.

Then, about five minutes later, she would abruptly snap wide awake, her 
eyes wary and tense, reflexively adopting a seemingly relaxed pose that 
would put her would-be attacker off-guarded. If she was trained as well 
as I suspected she was, the attacker would find himself in the Reikai in 
less than a minute, facing Koenma with the charge of attempting to 
attack a Reikai Investigator.

It remained plain that she was wearing herself out. Her mortal body was 
not invincible; sooner or later, she would collapse from exhaustion, and 
that in turn could just claim her life.

But how would one tell that to a girl who was a clone of Urameshi 
Yuusuke? Even though she was very different from him in every other 
aspect.

Unfortunately, she was as just stubborn, and would more than likely 
prefer her death than to hear out sensible advice.

"Inori, would you like to rest first?"

Unfortunately, the youko within me rarely listened to good advice as 
well.

She stared at me with huge brown eyes and shook her head.

"Thank you, but no. I'm...not really that tired."

She was lying through her teeth, but I declined to comment.

Next to me, Hiei snorted.

"Idiots who need rest and don't take them are only looking for death."

"Perhaps, but being caught in a war-ravaged world, I don't exactly have 
much of an option, Hiei-senpai," she whispered softly. Silence descended 
at her words, the argument between Yuusuke and Kuwabara forgotten 
momentarily.

"Which is why the four of you must win the battle at all costs." She 
smiled crookedly, before rising to her feet.

"It's late, and I really have to go. Can anyone recommend a good hotel 
where I can follow Hiei-senpai's advice and have a goodnight's rest?"

We stared at her in disbelief, even Yuusuke.

She stared back at us, bewildered.

"Dou shita n desu ka?" 

"I don't believe this, an Urameshi actually *following* someone's 
advice..." murmured Kuwabara, stunned.

Inori smiled ruefully, a look of yearning clouded over her eyes as she 
replied, "Keiko-san would have been happy to hear that. At least 
there'll be an Urameshi *without* all that sauciness and attitude."

Yuusuke regarded her thoughtfully. I could almost see in his eyes the 
questions of the future he wanted so badly to ask, especially whether 
Inori was related to him. But even he felt her sorrow, and refrained 
from asking. 

It was perhaps one of the wisest choices he had ever made in his life.

....................................

Prayer 2.2:
[Yuusuke]


She looked so much like me that Kurama almost mistook her for me. 

She said that she came from the future, which started me thinking.

Genkai-obaasan had once commented that my brain was rusty from lack of 
use, and that cobwebs filled the interior. I had argued with her over 
that, in which I lost.

When Inori said that she came from the future, the gears in my head 
started creaking.

I started using my head instead of brute force.

Could she be *my* daughter?

Was she the child I would have with Keiko?

I mean, why not? Keiko had already accepted my formal proposal, and we 
intended to get married as soon as she graduated from university as a 
teacher. It was only a matter of time before she obtained her license 
and then our forthcoming marriage.

Inori had my looks and a brilliant brain like Keiko's. 

She was polite, just like the child Keiko had always talked about of 
having.

I had already decided that Keiko would teach our children to be refined 
and cultured.

The only thing was whether Inori was indeed my daughter.

I tried to remember all the books(manga) I had read over the years, to 
see if there was anything about time-travelling kids. There were, lots 
of them in fact, but I didn't seem to remember any of them at all. As 
though my mind was completely blocked.

But, actually meeting my future daughter face to face ~

If only Keiko was here...

She was somewhere in one of the other states of Japan, teaching in a 
school as a trainee teacher. I tried to dissuade her from the start, but 
no, the stubborn woman refused to listen and followed the rest of her 
class to some other state I couldn't remember. And wouldn't be back 
until six months later.

She had just missed the chance of a lifetime.

Never mind. At least *I* knew.

I stared at my daughter in fascination, grinning idiotically at the 
thought that I would actually have a child with Keiko.

Her child. My daughter.

Gods, this was too unreal.

I was *actually* going to be a father.

.......................................

Prayer 2.3:
[Hiei]


The fool's idiocy was definitely contagious.

Yuusuke was definitely infected. Otherwise, why in the name of the 
eighteen hells was he grinning his head off? He was grinning like an 
idiot, smiling widely in a way that truly disgusted me.

All of a sudden, I felt sick.

If that Kuwabara fool's idiocy was infectious, I wanted to stay far away 
from him as possible. I wanted no part in it. Infect the entire world 
for all I care, but leave my sister and me out of it.

Or, I could simply toast him with the Kokuryuha.

Now, that was something to think about.

I grinned evilly at the thought.

"Hiei-senpai? Yuusuke-senpai?"

She waved her hand in front of me, trying to catch my attention. I 
growled, annoyed at this strange girl who popped out of no where with 
the obvious intention of ruining my life. I awarded her one of my 
infamous death looks, giving her fair warning *not* to irritate me any 
further. 

I would not be responsible if the black dragon attacked her in fury.

Kurama came to her defence.

"Hiei, you were daydreaming again," he chided gently. I scowled at him.

"I. Do. Not. Daydream," I informed him in my deadliest voice, 
punctuating each word to emphasise.

"You just did," said the Kuwabara fool. I reached for my katana, ready 
to skin his hide. The only thing that stopped me was Inori, using 
whatever powers she had to create a kekkai around me.

I swore to myself that she would pay for that later on, as I struggled 
to free myself.

Just when I thought that things couldn't get any better, Koenma-the-
second-world-class-idiot appeared out of nowhere, startling Yuusuke out 
of his trance. As well as scaring the wits out of the fool and Inori.

She lost her hold over me.

I observed her through narrowed eyes. I never thought that she could be 
startled by anyone. Maybe Koenma's sudden appearance wasn't as bad as I 
thought.

There was a weakness in her powers.

Suddenly, I felt very much happier.

I was grinning widely.

I froze. D.A.M.N I.T. I *had* been infected by the fool's virus after 
all.

I was definitely going to kill him as soon as all these were over. 
Yukina or no, I was going to toast him with my black fire.

"Nan da?" I demanded, as soon as I found my voice. As soon as Yuusuke 
regained his balance on the chair, after falling forward into the ground 
at Koenma's entrance. Together in unison, we glared daggers at the adult 
Koenma, who continued to suck on that disgusting, blue pacifier of his, 
looking grave and solemn and important all at the same time.

I hated people like him.

Inori didn't seem to take things very well, pulling back her fist to 
strike him down. Koenma didn't notice her presence or her fist.

He was immediately knocked unconscious.

As though we were using one of those Ningenkai devices called the VCR, 
he fell to the ground in slow motion. I could literally see the frames 
that covered each scene.

I met Inori's eyes that instant. And was chilled to the bone at what I 
saw.

There was no need for the Jagan. Thank Kamisama that I *didn't* use the 
Jagan.

The look in her eyes told me enough.

Blood lust, battle lust, years of consistent fighting...

War, blood, and hunger...

Confusion, bewilderment...

Horror, terror at what she had done...

She wasn't as in control as we had thought.

She hadn't struck Koenma in anger. She had struck him in a trance, a 
battle trance that took away all her consciousness. Even her 
subconscious mind.

If she hadn't been that tired, she would have had killed Koenma with 
just one blow.

Gods, I was suddenly afraid.

I was afraid of *her*.

..........................................

Prayer 2.4:
[Kuwabara]


As though Koenma's fall was the key, the last of her battle trance died 
away, leaving behind only a young confused girl who knew absolutely 
nothing. An innocent girl caught in the heat of battle and could not get 
out of the labyrinth.

She fell to the ground, kneeling beside the unconscious Koenma, and 
buried her face in her hands, body trembling uncontrollably with barely 
stifled sobs.

"Gomen nasai, Koenma-sama, gomen nasai..." 

I was reminded of the wistful look I had seen in her eyes. 

Could this be the cause?

I didn't know. She was lost and confused, trapped in a time she didn't 
belong to.

Trapped...

I almost kicked myself then and there. Of course she didn't belong to 
our time. She *came* from the future, a time when she had to fight for 
her survival on a daily basis. Peace was quite literally foreign to her.

All the natural reflexes that would have saved her life in her time were 
now working against her best interests.

My heart went all out to her.

In a way, she was like Yukina. And in a way, she was deadlier than all 
the enemies we had to face in the past. 

She was the hunter and the hunted at the same time.

She hunted death and was hunted by images of death.

Kurama was the first to regain his composure.

"Inori..."

His attempt to comfort her was rejected as she whispered in a muffled 
voice, "What I have done is unforgivable. I almost killed the one who 
was the opposing force against the enemy. I was sent back into time to 
guide and help the Urameshi Team, and the first thing I did was to 
attempt to kill Koenma-sama."

"That's not your fault, Inori, you didn't know," protested Kurama.

She shook her head. 

"Kurama-senpai, I *knew*. That's the unforgivable thing about it. In my 
battle trance, I had totally failed to recognise Koenma-sama. As a 
Reikai Investigator, I should have complete control over my powers, and 
I failed in that particular area."

"What good am I as an Investigator then?" She gazed at each of us, her 
eyes clouded with a strange haunted look.

Hiei gave her a deadpan-look, and said, "You don't deserve to be a 
Reikai Investigator if you give up this easily. We've been through 
trials worse than the ones you've ever faced, and we still managed to 
survive. In the battle with Sensui, Yuusuke punched Koenma just to keep 
him out of his way."

Inori shook her head mutely. "It's different. He was in complete control 
then. I wasn't."

"In that case, work towards the future. Koenma sent you here with a 
mission and you're here to complete it, and not to moan over an 
accident. You. Did. Not. Kill. Him."

"But..."

Yuusuke cut her off. "No buts. If you want to atone for that mistake of 
yours, then do what Koenma has assigned you to do. Besides, he's just 
asleep. Watch."

With that, he placed a well-aimed kick at Koenma, much to Inori's 
apparent horror and disbelief as her irises shrunk down to no more than 
two tiny dots. We barely hid our smiles.

Koenma sat up straight, screaming blue murder.

All was back to normal, or so it seemed to me.

It never did occur to me that there were worse things yet to come.

.......................................

Prayer 2.5:
[Inori]


My horror when I realised that I had struck Koenma-sama down was 
unimaginable.

All my life, I had been taught to respect him. Even though he was 
impossible at times, especially during the times when hordes of 
paperwork flooded his office. Botan-sensei had always told me that he 
had sacrificed a lot for the sake of Reikai and Ningenkai. He deserved 
some respite at least.

The only time when he wasn't throwing a fit over one thing or another 
was when he started teaching me the basics of Reiki.

That had been one of the rare moments when I actually saw him smiling 
rather than wearing that solemn scowl of his. 

Botan-sensei told me that Koenma-sama used to smile quite often, 
especially during the time when the Urameshi Team still existed. 

But when they died, he seemed to have lost his cheer.

It seemed to me that he blamed himself for their deaths.

I never did understand why. Shizuru-sensei refused to explain it to me. 
Botan-sensei as well. Even Hinageshi-sensei kept a tight lid over the 
matter.

Koenma-sama had thrown a screaming fit when I asked him the last time. I 
never quite dared to ask him again. 

One thing's for sure, though, when I returned home, he was going to have 
my head for knocking him out like that.

Why did just I have such a bad feeling over it?

Maybe that was just life. After all, no one ever said that life was a 
bed of roses.

Or perhaps it was, complete with their sharp thorns.

But what was I going to do with my battle trance? It wasn't the first 
time it happened, ever since the day---

I needed help. Serious help. But from who? Who could I trust?

Who would trust me after *that*?

Koenma-sama was lucky this time round, but there would be no such 
guarantee the next time. 

Gods, what if, just what *if*, I did kill someone, if unintentionally?

A cold feeling passed through me, bringing only a sense of foreboding. 
Something was going to happen, and it was more than likely to be a 
certain tragedy. Chances of anyone surviving this battle were almost 
nil.

I gazed out of the window, into the cold, lonely night.

I saw nothing.

The only thing that I saw was...darkness.

.......................................

Prayer 2.0 - 2.5 ~ End


- End Part -





Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Prayer 3.0:
[Koenma]


The throbbing in my head was killing me.

It grew worse, becoming sharper and more acute as time passed. Kuwabara 
and Hiei weren't making life any easier for me, creating a huge racket 
in the room. 

I had no idea how it started. One moment, they were talking nicely to 
each other, for once, and the next, they were ready to bring the roof, 
walls and foundation down on us. 

"You don't tell me what to do, idiot," said Hiei, gritting his teeth in 
barely suppressed anger. I blinked, my headache forgotten as I watched 
Kuwabara's face contort into various expressions of anger and confusion, 
at a total loss for words. Kurama and Yuusuke watched on. After years of 
knowing one another, they knew better than to interfere with their 
fights and arguments. 

My eyes wandered around the rest of the room, trying to find a 
distraction of some sort, to distract myself from the noise and the 
headache that plagued me. And almost immediately, I noticed her.

Inori. The cause of my headache. The time disrupter.

She was the one who turned the present time into a Time Zone, and the 
very same one who knocked me out.

I couldn't really blame her. I had appeared out of nowhere with no 
warning, scaring the living daylights out of her. She had only struck me 
in self-defence.

But still, she didn't have to hit me so hard that the pounding in my 
head persisted for hours after Yuusuke woke me up.

Though it might had been partially caused by his kicking.

She sat on the window ledge quietly, hugging her knees to her chest as 
she stared into the starless night sky in innocent wonder. And in the 
midst of her innocent wonder, a look of longing haunted her eyes. 

I regarded her with deep curiosity. The resemblance between her and 
Yuusuke was unnerving, so to speak. I didn't understand how that could 
possibly happen. Unless, of course, she was his daughter. 

But even so, the resemblance was too much. She should have inherited 
Keiko's genes as well. On the other hand, Yuusuke was no ordinary human. 
He had enough of the youkai ancestry to become an S-class, so why 
shouldn't his child inherit his powers? That could be one of the causes: 
Keiko's genes being overwhelmed by Yuusuke's. 

Of course, that was just my theory. I had no hard-core evidence to prove 
anything.

The mystery would be solved as soon as I returned to Reikai and referred 
to the Records of Life and Death. She should be listed in the 
book...somewhere. I facefaulted at the memory of the last time I 
referred to the book. 

The book was more of a huge collection of files than anything else, 
since there were always souls being reincarnated, dying, so on and so 
forth. The records had to be updated constantly, which was why some 
brilliant oni came up with the filing system. 

We would have used computers, if the ningen had not been as crazy as to 
invent the computer virus.

The records must never be deleted even if the world died.

Thus, the Reikai stuck to the good old-system of writing the report down 
on paper, sealing it with a good dose of reiki before finally filing it 
somewhere in the library to collect dust.

The last time I had to refer to the records was during the time when 
Yuusuke first entered the Reikai as a soul-in-trial. Even then, the dust 
on the file had been at least one inch thick.

It had been years since I even bothered rummaging the library for any 
sort of data. I didn't even want to imagine the dust it would have 
collected. And I did not look forward to the prospect either.

Perhaps I could get George to look it up. Or maybe even Botan.

Now, that was an idea worth considering.

Inori gasped suddenly.

We turned our attention to her.

Even Hiei and Kuwabara stopped fighting long enough to glare at her.

The look in Inori's eyes was suddenly replaced by emptiness. I stared, 
spellbound. I didn't think that anyone could have eyes that could switch 
from a dark-brown to a luminous blue.

But hers did, glowing in the dark like the eyes of a cat.

It was our turn to gasp.

Her eyes scrutinised at us for a few brief moments, before sliding shut.

Rising to her feet, she stood on thin air, literally *floating*, and 
faced us.

We stared in stunned astonishment as she uttered three words in a flat, 
foreign, deep-bass voice:

"You will die."

She stopped levitating, and collapsed on the ground.

For the next few seconds, we did nothing, said nothing.

Then, screams of terror filled the air.

We stumbled backwards at the impact of emotions, all of which were fear 
belonging to none of us.

There was a foreign 'ki' in the vicinity.

The nightmare was just beginning.

................................................

Prayer 3.1:
[Yuusuke]


The battle heat was up. I could almost taste it.

I grinned in anticipation. There was nothing like a fight that could 
capture my interest. And after having peace for the past couple of 
years, I was getting seriously bored. The only thing I looked forward to 
was the Makai Tournament, which was only held once in every three years, 
and a couple of dangerous missions Koenma would occasionally assign us.

It felt like years whenever a challenge came by.

Beside me, Kurama winked mischievously at my apparent eagerness.

Our speed was inhuman, but Hiei was even faster. He zipped across the 
city to the location of the 'ki' as one black blur to our trained eyes; 
nothing but a figment of the mind's imagination to the eyes of ordinary 
ningen. 

The 'ki' was located just a short distance from my stall. It didn't take 
us long before we arrived at the battle zone.

We stared at what was left of the park, sickened by the sight. Kuwabara 
literally turned green when he saw the shrivelled bodies of the 
unfortunate humans who had entered the zone.

It simply reminded me of the Ankoku Bujutsukai, when I fought with 
Toguro ototo. Except this was worse. Even the wildlife was not spared. 

A park devoid of any life met us in the face, and there was no sign of 
our opponent. 

We knew that he was there, using the darkness of the night as a cover 
whilst he prowled around, observing each and every movement we made.

Our eyes darted around warily, muscles tensed and ready to fight.

I was glad that Inori was not with us. If she was anything like Keiko or 
Botan, I didn't want her anywhere near the battle zone. She would only 
be a nuisance and of no help to anyone. I would have to protect her, 
since she was my future daughter.

Finally, our opponent spoke.

"Where---is she?"

The voice was too deep to belong to a female, thus, I assumed that it 
was a 'he'.

Koenma replied for us.

"Who is 'she'?"

I could almost hear the sharpening of claws in the background, which 
were probably conjured up by my imagination. 

But the uneasy looks on the faces of my friends made me think otherwise. 
Kuwabara displayed his rei-ken, providing the only source of light 
around. The street lamps were long dead, ripped out of the pavements.

I wondered if he was afraid of light.

"Don't play with me, Koenma," hissed the voice. We stepped back 
involuntarily, wondering just how the hell the youkai knew Koenma.

On the other hand, the 'Jr' tattoo on his forehead remained visible to 
the naked eye, and not to mention that it was glowing---

Glowing?!

I came to an abrupt stop. Staring at Koenma, I went slack-jaw, and 
noticed absently that I wasn't the only one. Even Kurama was affected, 
though at a lesser degree.

Hiei was the only one who remained impassive. I was glad for that.

An energy blast headed our way. Hiei unsheathed his katana and sliced it 
neatly into bits.

The scattered pieces created miniature explosions all around us.

"Nice going, shrimp," Kuwabara commented. The fire demon shot him a look 
fit to kill, before re-sheathing his katana.

"Shut up, idiot."

"Why you ~"

"That's called 'team spirit'? Obviously, the history texts have over-
estimated all of you. No wonder that weak fool of a Reikai Lord had to 
send Prayer back in time." Our enemy stepped into the light.

We squinted our eyes, trying to make out his image in the flickering 
glow of the rei-ken.

It took us several moments before we realised that it wasn't the light 
that was flickering. 

Our opponent had no solid shape, shifting and forming into faces I 
didn't recognise. Human faces.

Koenma gaped at *it*, unable to voice anything coherent.

Kuwabara gawked at it in horrified fascination, and squeaked the common 
question that was raised:

"What the eighteen levels of hell is that?!"

Taking on a solid face, it replied, "I am a Life Devourer, Kuwabara 
Kazuma, I believe."

"It can't be! Enma-Daioh destroyed the last of your kind a millennia 
ago!" cried Koenma, the horror in his voice heartfelt.

The face of a young female child stared at us and smirked, marring her 
innocent features into one ugly mess.

"He didn't and couldn't. The Powers That Be wouldn't allow him. We were 
only sealed up in a void that ceased to exist when the kekkai was 
lifted."

"I shall repeat one last time. Where is the one code-named 'Prayer'?"

None of us replied, knowing instinctively that the survival of humanity 
depended on it.

It took on another face, disorienting our senses, and narrowed its cat-
like eyes at us.

"Since you refuse to talk, I am forced to take drastic measures."

Raising its ghostly hands, it began chanting in a melodic, haunting 
tune, in a language that I could not understand. 

An energy ball the size of Genkai-obaasan's temple came hurling towards 
us and burst into a cloud of grey mist. Enveloped by it, we were 
impelled into a world without light. For a moment, we felt nothing.

Then, the pain began. 

................................................

Prayer 3.2:
[Inori]


I awakened upon hearing their screams of anguish.

I felt the 'ki' of a familiar, but he---it was no friend.

A Life Devourer. The one called Kyoei. 

The Yami no Yume Assembly could not have chosen a better Life Devourer--
-for them only. For the rest of us, it was the worst thing that could 
ever happen. Kyoei ate any life forms that came into contact with it, 
sparing no mercy to anyone, not even its own kind.

An icy wind found its way into the living room. I trembled at the 
thought of the fate that awaited the four Reikai Investigators.

I thought I heard Koenma-sama's voice.

My eyes widen when the implications finally registered in my head.

I leapt off the couch, a wave of dizziness hitting me fast and hard.  I 
ignored it, pushing it to the back of my head, knowing full well of the 
consequences. But I was past and beyond caring. I had to get to them 
fast, before Kyoei killed them.

Koenma-sama was counting on me. He assigned this mission to me with the 
belief that I would accomplish it. I couldn't let him down.

I would fight with Kyoei first.

And later, I would seek out the future Reiki Instructors for help.

................................................

Prayer 3.3:
[Yukina]


I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Doubling over and gasping in pain, I 
wondered what was wrong.

Shizuru-san helped me to a seat, her words floating away into the winds 
as I tried to pinpoint the sense of wrongness I felt.

Abruptly, I felt his presence. The presence of my twin brother. Hiei.

I could feel his danger, his pain and sorrow. His youki was weakening 
rapidly.

I was alarmed. If his youki levels went below the limits, he could die. 
I couldn't possibly lose him now, not after I had just found him. After 
so many years of searching, to lose him now was unthinkable.

I didn't know what was going on, or what sort of trouble he was in. All 
I knew was that if no one helped him, he would die.

I was the only one who could reach him instantly.

Abandoning all my restraints, I opened up the telepathic link that had 
always existed between the two of us and cried out his name.

................................................

Prayer 3.4:
[Hiei]


There was nothing in the Three Worlds that could possibly hurt worse 
than this.

Not even the memories of the Koorime abandoning me to death had pained 
me this much. Not even the time when Mukuro very nearly blasted me into 
bits hurt this much.

I curled up into a ball and whimpered softly, all my defiance and temper 
stripped away into nothingness. All that was left was...me, the child I 
should have been, but never had the chance to live my childhood to the 
fullest.

Kamisama, I hurt all over.

Memories of my past continue to haunt me, tormenting me with the sense 
of loss, despair, grief and anguish. At the abandonment by my own 
mother, the loss of the only tie I had to the Koorime, the pain I went 
through for the Jagan, and now, at the remembrance of my past. A past 
full of death and blood.

<Hiei-niisan!>

My pain forgotten, I sat up upon hearing the familiar voice belonging to 
my sister. Yukina.

Tentatively, I reached out, and clung on to the mind link desperately.

<Yukina?>

<Hai! Where are you?>

Opening my eyes, I looked around my surroundings for the first time, 
perplexed. I didn't recognise it, and it seemed like only darkness 
filled the void.

<I'm not sure. Yukina, break the link now. It's too dangerous.> I tried 
to command her as her big brother, but she just stubbornly refused to 
listen.

Why am I continuously surrounded by stubborn women? As though Mukuro and 
Inori weren't enough. And now my twin sister?

<Oniisan, you're trapped in an illusion! And it's one of the Life 
Devourers' kind!> Her young voice resounded in my head, reflecting the 
terror she felt for me.

<I *know*. Now, break the link!>

<No! Oniisan, let me help you, please...>

I couldn't let her. It was too dangerous. What if the Life Devourer 
discovered her? I'd rather she marry the fool Kuwabara than to have it 
find her.

<Yuki ~>

I never had the chance to finish my thought.

<Onegai! Oniisan, I can't help you much, but I can at least give you my 
support. There is only one way to break the illusion...> her voice 
trailed off. 

I completed the rest for her.

<I have to face up to my fears and darkest memories.>

I wasn't just afraid. I was utterly, to-the-bone terrified. The memories 
I had buried so long ago...for them to resurface just like that...I 
didn't know if I would be able to survive through all of them unscathed. 
And my fears? I had hidden them so well that I had absolutely no idea of 
what I feared most. 

I was truly helpless. 

I was pathetic. That was the truth.

I hated myself for my weakness.

<No, don't think that way! No one is perfect, which is why life is so 
beautiful. Life is all about unpredictability and change, weaknesses and 
strengths. Death is the only bore in the entire universe!>

I growled softly, angry with her for prying into my thoughts, at the 
same time, appreciated her presence as well.

I was getting as sentimental as the ningen.

And I liked it, to a certain extent.

For one thing, it took away the fear I had felt moments ago.

I realised at that moment that Kuwabara would be able to protect my 
sister better than I ever could. 

The truth was I had been jealous of his intimacy with Yukina. I could 
have just kicked myself at the realisation.

If he died, my sister would grieve over him. I didn't want to see her 
hurt in anyway. I came to a decision.

<Yukina, Kuwabara is trapped in the Life Devourer's illusion as well. He 
needs your help more than I do.>

Her mind voice was hesitant.

<Oniisan...>

<Go!> I said sharply, <he's a ningen whereas I'm a youkai. I'll survive 
one way or the other.>

I could feel her smiling on the other end.

<Arigato, Oniisan...>

I shook my head and whispered aloud.

"No, arigato, Yukina..."

................................................

Prayer 3.5:
[Kyoei]


This was getting tiring.

Prayer was taking far too long to appear.

I knew that she would definitely come. After all, she had to rescue her 
beloved Koenma-sama, didn't she? 

I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the mention of that poor excuse of a 
Reikai Lord. His principles and virtues were of no use to me. They held 
no meaning for one who took away life at touch. Besides, what I truly 
wanted was *her*.

Prayer. The first and only being to shatter my beautifully-crafted 
illusions.

She was more than just an ordinary ningen. On the other hand, the rest 
of the Shiragiku Team was as unique as her. 

But she was the only one who bore the same looks as the renowned 
Urameshi Yuusuke.

That was what drew me to her. Just how was she related to him? He was 
the only one who had ever managed to destroy a Life Devourer entirely, 
even though it had cost him and his comrades their lives. 

Still, the fact remained. It was something I would love to find out, if 
he still lived. Unfortunately, his soul was destroyed, along with his 
friends.

I smiled, my eyes narrowing. 

Thanks to Prayer, I was able to go back in time, into the past. 

Thanks to her, Lord Jashin would be able to live, and conquer the Three 
Worlds.

Koenma would rue the day he opened the Gates of Time, sending the Prayer 
to stop the inevitable. What a fool.

Humming cheerfully on a tuneless song, I began viewing the deepest fears 
of each and everyone trapped in my illusions.

................................................

Prayer 3.0 - 3.5 ~ End


- End Part -



Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -



Prayer 4.0:
[Inori]


She was the only one who could possibly help me in my hour of need. She 
was the only one who could possibly understand what went on behind the 
curtain of peace and security that blinded the rest of the world.

I appeared before her without as much as a sound. The walls around us 
stared at us silently. A gentle breeze blew past us as I gazed at her 
without a word.

She glanced up from her papers, fixing me a look with bland, bemused 
eyes. My sudden intrusion had not made much of an impression on her.

Instead, she startled me by addressing me directly.

"Inori, what can I do for you?"

My jaw dropped despite my determination not to. She couldn't possibly 
know of my existence...

She smiled wearily and answered the unspoken question.

"Being an inquisitive and unstoppable psychic such as yours truly, I 
dreamt of the...how shall I put it? The alternate future?"

I bowed deeply in respect. It was no surprise that she would eventually 
become one of the most revered Reiki Masters of my time. Her refusal to 
follow the rules and regulations passed down by the Legislative Council 
of Reikai brought her quite a bit of fame, just like it did to the late 
Genkai-sensei.

"Miyu-sensei, since you know, we have to hurry. The Urameshi Team is in 
danger. They need your help."

She chuckled softly, and said in a light, almost flippant tone:

"No, they need the support of their 'pillars', Inori."

Her statement baffled me.

....................................

Prayer 4.1:
[Kurama]


I sat up and shook my head to clear my confusion. Glancing around, it 
took a while for my mind to start working, and even longer for myself to 
realise that the surroundings were not in the least bit familiar.

Just where in the worlds was I?

There was no answer, not even from the youko half that resided in this 
mortal body.

I shrunk back, a feeling of panic rising within me. I felt detached, as 
though I had been split into two parts.

I was alone.

Without my youko self, my friends...my family...

The minions of despair made use of my momentary lapse to their 
advantage, plaguing me with images that I had sealed off from my heart 
many centuries ago. 

Impassively, I watched as frames and milestones of my past as a youko 
flashed in my mind's eye.

The suicide of my parents, my harsh childhood and my selfishness as a 
youko. Faces of the nameless people I had killed over the years, deaths 
of my partners/ lovers/ friends...

Shiori flashed before me, clutching her chest tightly, her gentle eyes 
tightly shut as though in pain. A strangely alluring, dark crimson 
liquid seeped through the tiny cracks of her hands, pouring in tiny 
streams onto the white-marble floor. I deliberated for a moment, 
uncertain of what was next, when it shifted to reveal her attacker.

Time seemed to stop, awaiting my reaction.

The world around me cracked, and splintered into bits and pieces of 
glass fragments.

I screamed in anguish, into the emptiness that surrounded me.

"NO ~!!!"

I saw myself, my youko self, bending over her with a sharp-edged dagger 
in my hand. The metal glinted evilly, reflecting the light into my eyes. 
I---he---turned to face me, a cruel, feral smile slowly spreading over 
his face. 

Doubling over, I pummelled my fists against the solid floor. For the 
first time in years, tears poured down my cheeks, like the blood that 
flowed in currents down my hands, staining the floor into one crimson 
red. The pain barely stung me as I lost myself in a sea of loss and 
despair...

The image continued to haunt me relentlessly.

<Minamino-san!>

Someone entered my mind, calling out to me. I ignored it, shaking my 
head in deep, fierce denial at what I had just witnessed...

<No! Minamino-san! Shuuichi, please, just hold on!>

A feeling of serenity, tranquillity washed over me, cradling my wounded 
soul and mind in warm arms. Soothing me, calming my stormy, unstable 
emotions in a sea of gentleness and optimism. I held on tightly, 
unwilling to let go of this sole comfort.

<Who...are you?> I asked hesitantly, responding to the mind link.

There was no answer. I feared the worst when the voice replied in a 
current of warmth.

<I'm a friend, Minamino-san, who have come to help you.>

I smiled bitterly.

<No one can help me.>

<How true. Only you can help yourself. I can only give you support and 
comfort.> There was an undertone of sadness in the voice. As though 
deeply regretting its inability.

<But, it's still unwise to give up your life.>

I laughed scornfully. It was getting ludicrous.

<I'm going to die anyway, so why bother? If I don't die now, someone 
else will die in my place,> I informed the voice, rejecting everything 
it offered me. Even my own life.

In a sober tone, it replied.

<Obviously, you have no clue as to the workings of a Life Devourer.>

<It casts you into an illusion which preys on your darkest dreams, 
memories and fears. It creates a world of sorrow for you, until you 
cease to treasure life, and abandon yourself to death.>

<How do you know that I won't betray my own mother? I am Youko Kurama, 
the--->

<Minamino-san, you're getting hysterical,> informed the voice in a 
gentle, but firm voice.

I paused and weighed its words with great consideration.

<Try to recall what you saw. That wasn't you. You are here, and can't 
possibly be in two places at one time. That's the first point. Second 
point, consider the choice of weapons. You are a master of plants. Why 
would you use a dagger instead of your 'pets'?>

It had a point there. I hadn't realised that particular mistake, which 
only went on to prove how badly shaken I was.

<So, what you're saying is that all these are just illusions?> I asked 
speculatively. The voice didn't reply.

All these were brought forth by an outside force, preying on my 
weaknesses...I raised my head, and smoothed my hair. Narrowing my eyes, 
I gazed dispassionately into the darkness. The Life Devourer had just 
made one hell of a big mistake. No one ever trifled with a youko, 
especially Youko Kurama, and got away with it.

This Life Devourer would pay for this, one way or the other.

I stood up, and headed towards the darkness, knowing that it was the 
only way to break its hold over me. I was only halfway confident that I 
would be able to face down all my fears.

Almost immediately, the voice returned.

<I'll be with you at all times, if you like...>

I smiled.

<Domo...>

I reached out my hand, the darkness rippling delicately like water in 
the lake, before parting to form a pathway. I stared at the empty path 
bleakly. 

Then, taking in a deep breath, I stepped through.

....................................

Prayer 4.2:
[Inori]


She had been trapped in suspended animation for the past twelve minutes 
and eighteen seconds.

Ordinarily, I had absolutely no need to fret, since she was capable of 
looking after herself, but the Urameshi Team and Koenma-sama were still 
in danger. What she was doing, I didn't know. All I cared was that if we 
continued to waste time, there wouldn't be an Urameshi Team left to save 
the future of humanity.

Koenma-sama was in a worse condition than the rest. He might be a divine 
being, but so were the Life Devourers. Should Kyoei's illusions remained 
intact for too long a period of time, the consequences would be 
unimaginable.

Kyoei would claim him. There would be nothing left of him to be 
remembered.

I stopped pacing and faced the night sky.

<Please, if You can hear my pleas, then send them some divine help...> I 
prayed wildly. There had to be something that I could do, other than 
just seeking help from Miyu-sensei and the gods who resided in the skies 
above.

"Inori, if you continue to distract me, I swear, I won't be able to help 
you at all," murmured the future Reiki Instructor hoarsely, beads of 
perspiration forming on her forehead. I lowered my eyes. 

She was one of the few upper S-class Reiki Masters in my time, among the 
few to retain her youth even after a quarter of a century. She was the 
one who raised me from a helpless new-born baby to the adolescent I was 
now. It was only natural that I respected and admired her, along with 
half the Reikai where I had spent my childhood.

Abruptly, the faces of the people I knew from my time spang forth in my 
mind.

Botan-sensei, Shizuru-sensei, Hinageshi-sensei, Kaguya...all my friends 
were back in the future, one which would probably cease to exist as soon 
as I accomplished my mission. Koenma-sama had warned me that since 
history had been changed, the future as I knew of would never exist.

I missed all of them.

But, as much as I wished that they were here with me, it was a dream 
next to impossible.

The only ones I could see were probably only the Reiki Instructors, who 
had and did survive the Holocaust.

The future was going to be changed drastically, that was for sure. For 
the better or worse, I didn't know. I could only pray and hope that it 
was for the better.

"We need to find their 'pillars'," she whispered suddenly, almost 
inaudible to my ears. I gazed at her with curious eyes.

"Miyu-sensei, what do you mean by 'pillars'?" 

She opened her eyes, and smiled at me reassuringly. Her eyes were the 
most fascinating things about her. She had a pair of beautiful ice-blue 
eyes that always radiated warmth and joy, no matter at which angle you 
looked at. Even in the present---future--- *whatever*, her eyes had 
enraptured many Life Devourers, which had eventually been the cause of 
their ultimate demise. That was one power many of the other Reiki 
Masters only wished they had.

I offered her a handkerchief. She accepted it gladly, wiping the 
perspiration off her brow. She frowned slightly, then smoothed her 
features before answering with a question of her own:

"What do you know about Kuwabara Kazuma and Koorime Yukina?"

I raised my eyes thoughtfully, considering her words carefully.

"They are said to be the most loving couple in all the history records 
ever written..."

"But do you know why?"

I shook my head bashfully under her stern gaze.

"Kuwabara Kazuma is one of her two 'pillars', and Koorime Yukina is his 
'pillar'."

Her words confused me.

"I don't understand."

She bit back a sigh of complete exasperation. I felt my face burn a 
faint tinge of pink. The truth was, despite my high regard for her, my 
mind usually wandered off during her classes. It was no mean feat to 
pass all of the tests she gave me. I usually killed a number of my brain 
cells days before the test, cramming all the facts and notes my friends 
loaned me into my head. 

And almost immediately after the tests, those facts would disappear into 
thin air.

"To explain in simpler terms," she said after a moment, "'pillars' refer 
to the most important people in one's lives. "

"To Yukina-san, the most important people in her life are Kuwabara-san 
and Hiei-san. As for Urameshi-san, Yukimura-san and Puu-sama are his 
'pillars'. The more formal term would be 'pillar of support'."

"Then what about Kurama-senpai, Hiei-senpai and Koenma-sama?" I covered 
my mouth, blushing a cherry-red at my sudden outburst. 

She looked away, allowing us to fall into a moment of awkward silence. 

Just when I thought that she was never going to reply, she spoke:

"There are a number of people involved, Inori. Minamino-san's main 
'pillar', however, is his mother. Hiei-san's main 'pillar' is his 
sister. The last is Koenma-sama, who's probably the hardest one to 
handle among all of them." 

I tried my best, but my burning curiosity got the better of me. I 
couldn't resist the temptation. "Why?"

Tilting her head to face the sky, I thought I saw the sadness her eyes 
would always display whenever someone mentioned Kurama-senpai. Those 
were the only times her eyes would lose their natural brilliance, 
becoming darker, distancing herself from the rest of the world.

"All his friends, Botan-san and hundreds of others who work under him, 
meet with him everyday...they are his 'pillars'..."

I choked. "That many?!"

She nodded her head slowly. 

"Then...what should we do now?" I asked, dazed. I no longer knew what I 
had to do.

She regarded me with her ice-blue eyes, the surprise in them apparent.

"I'll find their pillars. You try and stop the Life Devourer from 
harming them, ne?" 

....................................

Prayer 4.3:
[Koenma]


The books never told me how to survive in the illusions of a Life 
Devourer.

The Reikai Sensei didn't teach me the basic survival skills either.

How was I going to survive this? 

The darkness and absolute emptiness was making me claustrophobic. 
Waiting for the illusions of despair to appear wasn't entirely what I 
had expected. 

Then he---*it*---appeared.

It smirked at me, its face melding and moulding to form dozens of 
unfamiliar faces. My stomach churned in discomfort, and I gulped. It was 
intimidating me. I knew it, but still, my other senses didn't care. I 
felt sick all over again.

"You were expecting illusions, weren't you?" It gazed at me accusingly 
with its nebulous eyes. I backed away hastily, only to find myself 
cornered like a trapped rat. Glass-like walls surrounded me from all 
sides, preventing my would-be escape. I hammered at the walls 
frantically, willing it to shatter at the brunt of my fist.

They didn't, closing on me even more, trapping me in a glass cage in the 
most literal sense.

I stared at it with horrified eyes. The Life Devourer took on my form, 
my image.

It was the perfect copy of me. I almost believed that I was looking at 
myself through a mirror. But I wasn't.

The Life Devourer inspected me with obvious disdain, swirling the 
carmine robe around him almost playfully. I sent harmless, dagger looks 
at it, wishing that I had the 'ki' to spare, to use the power stored in 
the pacifier against it. If that didn't destroy it, I didn't know what 
could.

"What have you done to the others?" I snarled, briefly allowing the 
worry for Yuusuke and the rest to overcome my anger and fear.

It shrugged apathetically.

"They're trapped in my world of illusions. And don't worry, you will 
soon join them in their fate."

"Why are you doing this?" I cried, desperate with the need to know. I 
had to know its intentions, its reasons.

Its face twisted into an ugly smirk.

"Because I hate you. I hate your father, anyone from Reikai and life 
itself. I despise you, despise everything you believe in because they 
are absolutely worthless to me. I despise your so-called righteousness, 
when you are no better than us. You think that you're so damn great, 
just because you protect life, when you take life away for your own 
purposes..."

"But..." I opened my mouth to protest, only to be stared down by its 
blazing eyes. 

"Let's face it, Koenma, your dearest father brainwashed youkai to do 
dirty work for him, and allowed the Reikai Investigators to kill them 
after they did what he had commanded them to do."

"At least for us Life Devourers, it's our nature to take away life." 

It was only stating the facts. When I found out what my father did, I 
was in complete shock, unable to formulate what was going on. He had 
been the one to send youkai into Ningenkai to create disorder. Those who 
were sent were usually killed before they could return to Makai after 
their programmed killing spree. 

My father had been the cause of it. The mastermind behind all of the 
chaos that were thought to be caused by the D-class youkai.

Innocent youkai as the sacrificial lambs for the misdeeds of the humans. 
Was my father doing the right thing, using youkai as the scapegoats of 
humanity to prevent the Second Flooding? Was he right to even allow the 
Reikai Investigators to claim the lives of the youkai who did the dirty 
work for him?

Was it ever the fault of the youkai in the first place? Were all the 
things taught by the Reikai Sensei just one of the many deceptions my 
father had imprinted firmly in everyone's minds?

I could no longer differentiate what was the truth and what wasn't. What 
were illusions and what were facts.

With that realisation, I fell to my knees and leaned heavily against the 
transparent wall, feeling the hope within me disintegrating into ashes, 
away into the abyss. The wall felt oddly comforting, almost icy-cold 
when compared to my hot, feverish skin. The effect was soothing. I 
thought I heard a soft lullaby in the background, a soft gentle voice 
which reminded me of my mother.

I smiled at the reassuring voice belonging to Okaasan.

Closing my eyes sleepily, I permitted night to claim me without protest.

....................................

Prayer 4.4:
[Kuwabara]


"Hello ~?"

There was no answer, except for the echoes that the strange darkness 
reflected. I winced inwardly. My ears hurt at the volume. It seemed as 
though the volume of the echoes were amplified tenfold. I never knew 
that my voice would be so piercing.

I hated being trapped, especially when I was separated from the rest of 
the group. It wasn't the first time this had happened either.

The rest were probably faring better than me. For all I knew, they were 
probably already out and were waiting for me to appear. I scowled, my 
forehead creasing into hundreds of tiny little folds. I wanted to scream 
in complete frustration, if it wasn't for the fact that my voice would 
be reflected and I would trying to kill myself.

Bored, I brandished my rei-ken for the fourth time since I woke up in 
this cell. There had been absolutely nothing; not even a youkai for me 
to display my brilliant talent with the sword. The only thing that 
bothered me was the loneliness of the place. And that was all.

I swung my rei-ken wildly, striking the kekkai that stood between me and 
freedom, anything to kill the frustration that only increased as time 
passed.

"Hello ~? Can anyone hear me?" I yelled in complete boredom.

Silence.

I tried again.

Still no reply. 

I gave up. My ears were numb by then. I could barely hear my own voice.

I was staring blankly at an empty spot, when Eikichi materialised before 
me suddenly, purring like the cat I knew only too well. My eyes grew to 
the size of plates at the sight of him, amazed, before picking him up in 
my arms, twirling around giddily, shrieking happily:

"Eikichi! How did you get here? Where's Yukina-san?"

He mewed and snuggled against my chest, purring contentedly.

"You know a way out?" I continued rattling off, oblivious to the slow, 
but definite change that took over my beloved cat, the other joy in my 
life after Yukina-san.

Without warning, Eikichi leapt off my arms, fur raising as he hissed 
almost angrily into the darkness that surrounded me. I scratched my head 
in confusion, then gathered him in my arms.

I looked deeply into his eyes. "What's the matter, Eikichi? What's 
wrong?"

He ignored me, his glowing green eyes dilating, focusing on a blank spot 
behind me. I followed his example, turning my head and stared.

Dropping Eikichi, I summoned my rei-ken simultaneously.

"Who's there?" I called out in my loudest voice, ignoring the echoes 
that rang in my ears. I licked my lips nervously, my eyes darting all 
around my surroundings. There was a sense of wrongness, that even 
Eikichi felt it.

No answer. 

I scowled. The feeling of wrongness was getting stronger by the passing 
moment, and still, I saw nothing. Just what was going on?

Yukina's sweet voice, like gentle waves, washed into my mind. 

<Kazuma-san!>

I started.

<Yu...Yukina-san? Where are you?>

<I'm back home. Are you safe at the moment?>

<I...I think so. It's just that I seem to be stuck...> I tried to laugh 
it off, but a lump was caught in my throat. Instead, I kept silent.

<It's all right, Kazuma-san. You're trapped in a Life Devourer's 
illusion. But for some reason or the other, it doesn't seem to be 
affecting you...> Her voice was reassuring, enveloping me in a circle of 
security. She was safe; that was all that mattered to me. I would 
willingly die for her, as long as she remained unharmed, her innocence 
untainted.

<The illusion is unable to affect one who's born as a human and holds 
the Reiryoku. Unfortunately, even so, it is still able to absorb your 
soul, though at a slower rate. It is advisable for Kuwabara-san to avoid 
using the Rei-ken unnecessarily,> said a third voice, entering into my 
conversation with Yukina easily. 

I was annoyed, and pensive of the motives of the stranger. Still, I felt 
that there was no reason to be worried; there were no vibes coming from 
the third voice to be of any worry.

<Who do you think you are, intruding on my conversation with Yukina-
san?> I demanded sourly, picking Eikichi up in my arms again.

<Never mind that. How did that cat enter the illusion?> The frantic 
urgency in her voice was unmistakable.

<For your information, his name is Eikichi. And how should I know?> I 
retorted.

Yukina's voice was suddenly soft and hesitant. <Kazuma-san, Eikichi is 
here with me.>

<Eh?!!>

<Drop the cat now!!>

The intruder screamed moments too late.

Eikichi bit me hard on my neck. 

A mixture of shock, confusion and fierce denial met me, as I slowly sank 
to my knees. I stared at my beloved Eikichi dully, numbed by both the 
pain and disbelief that shot through my every nerve. He grinned widely 
at me, the cruelty in his eyes obvious, his sharp white fangs gleaming 
in the darkness, blood---my blood---dripping down slowly, drop by drop.

<Kazuma-san ~!>

I tried to conjure up the strength to reassure Yukina that I was 
perfectly fine, albeit weak. That I would be back up in no time. But 
somehow, I simply couldn't. I felt...tired...

<Kazuma-san ~!>

....................................

Prayer 4.5:
[Miyu]


Uh-oh.

That wasn't what I had planned. In fact, I hadn't been expecting that. 

The goddamned Life Devourer was *not* allowed to do that. Or at least, 
not that I know of it.

Okaasan had me specially trained for this job. According to the rules 
set by the Powers That Be, Life Devourers should not be able to trap any 
psychic in an illusion. Heck, Life Devourers *weren't* allowed to plant 
anything in the illusion that could physically harm anyone. 

So what went wrong? I was quite sure that I hadn't intentionally evoked 
the wrong spell.

Unless, of course, there happened to be a nut-case out there who broke 
the spell, allowing the Life Devourers to do just that. 

That was a good reason for me to be worried. This wasn't the best time 
for them to attack either. I was about to be married, and their 
unaccounted appearance would disrupt my wedding. Their timing was simply 
perfect.

I ran my fingers through my short, untamed hair, wondering how in the 
world did one summon a Reikai Guide. I was in desperate need of one, 
especially Botan-san. She was the one who knew everybody connected to 
the Urameshi Team. She would know where everyone was.

I needed her to find all the pillars of the various members of the 
Urameshi Team. 

On the other hand, if the Life Devourer could work its illusions on the 
psychics, what good would the pillars be?

But didn't Minamino-san snap out of the self-misery he was about to trap 
himself in? I knew for certain that Hiei-san had long snapped out of the 
illusion. His sister had reached him almost immediately. But what about 
the rest? Why was Kuwabara-san affected?

There didn't seem to be a logical explanation.

Then, a notion struck me hard, as the words of my high school science 
teacher floated into my mind. 

Two keywords: evolution and adaptation.

The Life Devourer came from the future, where only the psychics and the 
Reikai still existed, whereas the other worlds were sort of dead. That 
was as far as I could decipher from all the dreams I had been having 
recently.

Without youkai, the Life Devourers would have to feed on ningen, 
wouldn't they?

And with only the psychics surviving the initial holocaust...

I swallowed hard. This was a drastic change.

Now, everything in the world was in danger. 

There were hundreds and thousands of Life Devourers trapped in the Abyss 
of Meikai. If they were to be let loose, as predicted in the dreams...

Not even the inhabitants of Meikai would be safe from the perpetual 
hunger of the Life Devourers. Not even their own kind would be safe from 
one another. They would feed on one another until nothing, not even 
them, would be left. That was the extent of their hunger.

Would the two humans in the Urameshi Team survive? And what about 
Koenma-sama? Inori said that he was trapped in the illusion as well.

And what about Inori? I could see that she wasn't exactly stable either.

I had never been a believer in divine help, but this was an exception. 

For the first time in my life, instead of just using the name of the 
Powers That Be, I prayed hard.

I prayed for someone to survive and put an end to this madness.

....................................

Prayer 4.6:
[Kyoei]


How pathetic these people were. I could have just saved my strength and 
killed all of them.

But I had to test just how powerful they were.

And they were far below my expectations. I didn't find anything powerful 
about them. I sincerely doubted that they could even summon the strength 
to destroy Lord Jashin. The Lord of the Yami no Yume Assembly. The Lord 
of the Life Devourers.

The Urameshi Team was nothing more than a joke. They were weaklings, 
just like the weak fool Koenma. He succumbed too easily to my illusions. 
But of course, my illusions were infallible. There was nothing in the 
world that could shatter them.

Except for the Prayer and the Shiragiku Team.

They were the only ones who could not be swayed into despair. Many of 
the Life Devourers lost their existence because of them. The Prayer 
wasn't the most powerful among them. The Crow and Oceania were far 
worse. The former detonated the illusions of the Life Devourers before 
blowing them up, while Oceania blasted them out of existence.

Because of their misdeeds, the Prayer, would redeem them.

The future would suffer because of Prayer. Because of them.

The entire Urameshi Team would be destroyed. Lord Jashin would rule what 
was left of the pathetic worlds.

The future suddenly seemed brighter and even more promising than before.

I pulled Koenma's face back to form a smirk, and rubbed my hands almost 
gleefully.

The future was going to be full of unexpected surprises.

This time-travelling into the past business was getting better and 
better.

....................................

Prayer 4.7:
[Botan]


I found her by a telephone booth, her reiki carefully tuned to transmit 
the Reikai Morse code. She needed help badly, that was as far as I could 
see at the rapid blinking of her reiki. I wondered why the other Reikai 
Guides didn't respond to her signal. It was obvious that she had been 
doing that for quite some time.

Whizzing through the air in my usual loops and circles, I came to a 
complete stop before her. It didn't take a genius to know who she was. 
That pair of unique ice blue eyes could never be mistaken for anything 
else.

The only family of psychics who weren't under the Reikai. The first 
daughter of the Koujin family---Koujin Miyu.

I stared.

She smiled wearily.

"Konban wa, Botan-san."

"The Urameshi Team and Koenma-sama are trapped in a Life Devourer's 
illusions. We need to find their 'pillars', onegai."

I took in a startled breath. This wasn't supposed to happen. There was 
at least a hundred years interval before the total erosion of the 
kekkai.

"Time has changed, Botan-san. And we are running out of time as well. 
Please find Yukimura-san, before anything happens to Urameshi-san. He's 
the only one who's still unaffected."

"Kuwabara-kun?" I asked hesitantly, aware that she was ready to collapse 
any moment. Her eyes became hooded, colder than ice as she tried to 
cover up the faint hint of anguish. 

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "If Urameshi-san can shatter the illusion 
in time, Kuwabara-san will be safe. I will try to find Minamino-san's 
mother."

"You can't!" I cried in panic, aware that Kurama would never forgive 
her. In fact, he would be furious. A furious youko was bad enough, but 
Youko Kurama...gods help her.
 
Sad ice-blue eyes met mine, before averting to stare aimlessly at the 
light of the street lamps.

"I don't have a choice. He needs all the help he can get."

"Koenma-sama?" I pursued on gently. 

She hesitated, setting off the alarm bells at the back of my head. 
Something was wrong. 

"He's in the same condition as Kuwabara-san. That's why we need 
Yukimura-san and Shiori-san. Please, go now before it's too late..."

I went pale at the revelation. This was no time to be passive. Grabbing 
tightly on my oar, I nodded decisively.

"Wakatta. I'll see to it. Good luck ..."

"Same to you. We'll need it more than we think."

I zipped off to Keiko's hostel, and prayed silently for her safety as 
well as for the others'.

Later, I wondered if my prayers were heard.

....................................

Prayer 4.0 - 4.7 ~ End


- End Part -



Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -



Prayer 5.0:
[Keiko]


The night was cool. No, not cool. It was freezing.

I buried myself under six feet of blankets, and still found it too cold 
to sleep. After a few failed attempts to get some rest, I was ready to 
resort to taking sleeping pills, when I realised that Yuusuke had taken 
them out before I left.

That baka. I thought I told him to leave them alone.

But he probably did the right thing. I was becoming increasingly 
dependent on those pills to get to sleep, after weeks of sleepless 
nights.

My less-than-complete slumber had affected my performance strongly, that 
even Yuusuke started commenting on it. Kurama tried to brew one of his 
Makai tonic soups for me to drink, and after the first time, I decided 
very firmly that sleeping pills could and would taste better than the 
bitter tonic. As much as I liked and trusted Kurama, I didn't think much 
about the brew.

I sat down heavily on the bed and massaged my temples, trying to ease 
the incessant pounding in my head, the cause being the kids I had to 
handle that day. Smiling wryly, I half-wondered if Kuwabara-kun was 
right to say that I was more suited to fighting with Yuusuke.

For one thing, the kids of my class, though adorable, were more than I 
could handle.

My classmates seemed to have the same problem. It was as though the kids 
were out to torture all the trainee teachers, getting into scrapes never 
imagined before. They were a lively bunch, and more often than not, were 
in the principal's office, receiving yet another tongue-lashing 
reprimand from the principal. 

My class had been in the principal's office on many occasions that I was 
beginning to sympathise with them. 

The principal was an elegant, poised woman in her early thirties. To be 
fair, she was a pleasant lady, but one who rarely stood for nonsense, 
and honestly believed that the kids were at fault. While it was true to 
a certain point, the punishments the kids' received were rather harsh, 
in the opinion of all the trainee teachers.

I sighed, and walked over to the window, hoping that after seeing the 
stars, I would be able to get some rest.

Dark clouds hovered in the sky, shrouding the world in complete 
darkness. Not even the soft, silver light of the full moon could be seen 
through the dark heavy clouds.

Idly, I wondered if it meant that I should be expecting a thunderstorm 
soon.
 
I shivered as a cold chill found its way down my spine. There was 
something wrong. I could feel it keenly, ringing in my bones in the most 
literal sense. I frowned. I wasn't a psychic, so what was happening?

I thought only psychics had dreams and intuition of the future.

My chain of thoughts was rudely interrupted by a familiar blue-haired 
young woman on an oar, flying in the unusually black sky.

This had to be a dream. What in the world was Botan doing, visiting me 
this late? Not that I was ready to sleep. 

On the other hand, it could mean that I had just dozed off on my desk, 
and this was just another one of those disturbing dreams that haunted me 
nightly.

Upon pinching myself hard, I came to a conclusion that I was wide awake. 
More than that, in fact. Almost fidgety.

Squinting my eyes, I tried to get a better look at the Reikai Guide. Was 
it just me, or did Botan look...panicky?

"Keiko-chan!"

She levitated in mid-air, her balance precarious on her slender oar. Her 
face inches way from mine, her pink jewels had worry, and something akin 
to panic deeply embedded in them. An upsurge of foreboding rose.

Breathing heavily, as though she had just completed a running marathon, 
Botan gasped, "Yuusuke..."

His name captured my attention immediately. I grabbed her shoulders and 
shook her hard. 

"What about Yuusuke?" I demanded. My voice was almost hysterical, even 
to my own ears. I didn't sound right. I sounded hoarse, my throat 
desert-dry at the thought of him once again embroiled in another mission 
that could cost easily take him away from me. Was he in any immediate, 
life-threatening danger? 

All the inauspicious thoughts raided my mind with an intensity which I 
would not halt.

She pushed back my hands, stirring myself out of my self-created doubts, 
and whispered in a rough, emotional voice:

"He's in deep trouble, Keiko-chan. And this isn't the usual battle where 
he can win without help. He needs you..."

I cut her off. "Where is he?" 

She paused for a moment, then forged on with apparent difficulty, "He's 
trapped in a illusion. An illusion might just claim his life. He needs 
your presence and support..."

I stared at her uncomprehendingly. 

She stared deeply into my eyes, and continued, "You have to merge your 
mind with his."

I blinked.

"But I'm not a psychic!" I was on the verge of wailing to my heart's 
content. Not that it would be of any use, other than arousing my other 
classmates out of their peaceful slumber.

Botan murmured something under her breath I couldn't quite catch. I 
strained my ears to hear as she repeated her words.

My eyes bore into hers for a long moment. Then, doubtfully, I asked, 
"Will it work?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. This is the first time this technique's 
been practiced, ever since the exile of Reikai Guide Shiragiku."

"Besides," her lips quirked slightly to form a hesitant smile, "it's the 
only option we have."

"In that case, we'll do it," I said positively. There was a way to help 
Yuusuke, and there was nothing that could possibly force me pass up this 
chance without prying me from the idea itself.

I shut my eyes, clearing my mind of all thoughts. In my trance-like 
state, I heard Botan's voice softly uttering a beautiful, sweet melody. 
Slowly, our minds merged into one, as she became the only link I had to 
Yuusuke.

My consciousness over took Botan's, overwhelming her into a world of her 
own. For a moment there, I felt the faintest tinge of guilt. Ruthlessly, 
I suppressed it, reminding myself that Botan gave me this chance at the 
risk of her own life. 

The first chance I had, I yelled for Yuusuke, praying silently to my 
guardian angel that where ever he was, he could hear my  voice...

....................................

Prayer 5.1:
[Shizuru]


Gently, I laid her down on the bed.

Carrying her to Kazuma's bedroom had been easy. Yukina had always been 
small in built, and this in turn made her light, almost underweight in 
Ningenkai standards.

But she wasn't a ningen, was she? 

Still, I had a duty as her future sister-in-law. I made a silent promise 
to myself that, as soon as she was formally married to Kazuma, my first 
duty as her sister would be to fatten her up, if only by a little. 

She certainly needed it, as far as I was concerned.

The catch was, whether her fiancé would still be alive to be present at 
the church to marry her. 

I was Kazuma's elder sister, and I knew only too well how easily he 
could find himself in certain undesirable situations. As much as I 
adored my only brother, he was undeniably a complete idiot at times. 
Most of the time, to be more precise. 

The only times when his mind seemed to be functioning normally were when 
he was with Yukina, or when he truly felt like it. I wasn't joking; 
there were times when my brother was smart enough to confound me. I only 
wished that those times were more often.

My psychic senses had always been more acute than Kazuma's. Naturally, 
there were times when I saw things he couldn't see. Unlike his psychic 
senses, mine was at least stable, usually, whereas his came and went 
whenever it felt like it, resembling a spoilt brat only too much. 

A small smile took form on my lips, quickly replaced by a worried frown. 
Kazuma was in danger, I knew all of that. The problem was I couldn't 
reach him. Neither could anyone else for that matter. 

Hell, if it was possible, Yukina wouldn't be in a comatose state for no 
good reason.

It took all of my willpower not to reach for the packet of cigarettes 
that sat on the coffee table temptingly. Enticing me to smoke it to 
relieve the tension I felt in surplus. Normally, I would have given in 
to the temptation, except that I was now trying to quit smoking. 

I smiled wryly. If Yukina hadn't started bringing home books on the 
ningen ailments, I wouldn't have bothered in the first place.

Come to think of it, she said something about wanting to know more of 
the ningen health care. I had shuddered inwardly at her reasoning, all 
too sweet and mushy for my taste. The look on Kazuma's face had been one 
of pure reverence towards her.

The sweetness between the two lovebirds had been too much for *my* own 
health.

I had discussed this with a friend of mine, and all she said was, 
"That's the power of love."

I didn't blame her. She was about to be married as well, though hers 
wasn't exactly what I would call a love match.

A gentle knock on the door snapped me out of my reverie. I looked up 
with mild interest, and said dryly, "The door's not locked. You may come 
in."

Miyu stood at the doorway, her naturally pale face whiter than I ever 
remembered. 

She regarded me with sombre ice-blue eyes for a long moment.

"Where can I find Shiori-san?"

I gazed at her with tired brown eyes.

"Is it absolutely necessary?"

I sighed at the brief nod of her head. Somehow, I had been expecting 
that.

"I'll look her up myself, Miyu. You, on the other hand, try and help my 
younger brother. I'm worried about him and others," I told her, stroking 
Yukina's soft, blue-green hair, revelling at the feel of the silky 
strands that could almost rival Kurama's flames of red.

She awarded me with one of her light-hearted smiles. "Be glad I'm the 
only one to hear you say that. The others will be foaming in the mouth 
in they ever hear that."

I sent her a droll look. "I'll just deny it."

She chuckled softly before slipping away quietly. Peace and serenity 
filled the gap when she left, allowing me to collect my thoughts. I left 
Kazuma's room, careful to muffle the noises created by my not-entirely-
graceful movements.

Yukina stirred from her restless sleep. I held my breath.

She remained asleep, turning over to her side and mumbling Kazuma's 
name. 

I all but smiled.

Pulling out my pocket book, I looked under section 'M', and found 
Kurama's address almost immediately. I ripped the page out, stuffing it 
into a pocket along with the house keys and my wallet.

Kurama would probably kill me if he ever found out that I had told his 
mother the truth of his birth. On the other hand, it was a far better 
option when compared to the only other that was offered. 

I left the house and headed towards the Hatanaka / Minamino Residence.

....................................

Prayer 5.2:
[Yuusuke]


Okay, fine, so I was trapped.

By then, I knew that no amount of reiki would shatter the blackness all 
around me. Brute force wouldn't help either. 

I should know. I tried and I was still stuck.

How the hell could I shatter the darkness without light? My Rei-Gun had 
no effect at all, much less the Reikouhadouken. Or was it the other way 
round?

What the heck!

I slammed my fist against the wall that melded into the darkness. 
Nothing happened. I shrugged. It didn't surprise me. I was only trying 
to kill my boredom. There wasn't anything in here that was of interest. 
There wasn't even a youkai for me to fight against.

Idly, I wondered what this darkness was for.

It seemed pointless to me, since I wasn't afraid of the dark. I could do 
almost anything in the dark, fight, eat, whatever. If the youkai...what 
was it called again? Life Devourer, seriously thought that I could be 
frightened by this, it was seriously deluded. 

I was Urameshi Yuusuke and I was afraid of nothing.

As soon as I was out, the Life Devourer was going to find himself 
trashed.

The thing was, how did I break out of this kekkai?

Yawning sleepily, I checked my wristwatch for the time. I regretted it 
almost immediately, when I went crossed-eyed.

It was almost four in the morning. I had been trapped in here for at 
least six hours.

I was not angry. Oh no. I truly wasn't. I was incensed.

I was among the working party and I had to open my shop at seven in the 
morning. Three hours of sleep wasn't going to be of any help to 
reenergize my body and mind, even if I was the master of the 
Reikouhadouken. 

That moron of a Life Devourer was going to find himself badly trashed by 
me. I was going to enjoy every moment of it, a lot.

<Yuusuke!>

I seriously needed to get some rest. I was beginning to hallucinate, 
hearing Keiko's voice in the middle of nowhere. 

<Yuusuke, you idiot! Answer me before I decide to bash you up!>

Okay, so I wasn't hallucinating. I *was* hearing Keiko's voice. No 
hallucination could possibly retain her fiery-temper. None of mine at 
least.

At any rate, I responded.

<Keiko? Is that you?>

<Who were you expecting?> she demanded snappishly. I wasn't fooled. 
There was an undertone of worry and anxiety in her voice. I smiled. At 
least that meant she cared for me.

<Yuusuke, do you have any idea of where you are?>

I frowned thoughtfully. 

<Er...no?> 

<Urameshi Yuusuke! You are hopeless!>

<Calm down, woman, it's not as though it's the end of the world!> I sent 
back defensively.

<Call me 'woman' one more time and watch what I'll do to you!>

I backed down. Keiko in one of her moods was not a homecoming party I 
would enjoy at all.

<Fine, fine, no need to get physical!>

<Baka. Now listen to me carefully, and if you dare fall asleep, I'll 
never forgive you!> I could almost see her shake her fist threateningly.

Gods, she *was* seriously worried for my safety. Without any rhyme or 
reason, I started grinning widely. Her words floated by like wind.

<Botan-chan said that you're trapped in some sort of illusion that preys 
on your fears...>

I snorted. <I'm not afraid of anything.>

<Shut up and quit interrupting me. Back to what I'm saying, you have to 
face up to them...>

I rolled my eyes. <The thing is, I'm waiting for them to occur. I'm 
still unaffected, you realise?>

<E? She didn't tell me that!> Confusion.

Shaking my head, I asked, <Did she tell you how to shatter 
this...illusion?>

Hesitation. <...No...>

<Talk about me being hopeless. Keiko, you're just as bad. No wonder we 
make such a great couple.>

<That's not funny!> she protested almost laughingly. My grin became even 
broader.

<I know I shouldn't eavesdrop on your conversation, much less comment, 
but don't you think that it's perhaps more important to focus on the 
issue at hand, as in getting Yuusuke-senpai out of this?> asked a third 
voice indecisively.

I recognised the voice as Inori's. She was the only female I knew with a 
cultured, refined voice that resembled the light tinkling of bells.

<Inori, what the hell are you doing in my head?!> I demanded.

<Sumimasen, Yuusuke-senpai, it's just that Puu-sama is...*wants* me to 
inform you of your precarious position, and for you to hold on...>

<Yuusuke, who's she?> asked Keiko suspiciously.

I was stuck. How do I explain to Keiko that she was our future daughter?

Inori saved my life by answering:

<I'm Inori, a Reikai Investigator, Yuusuke-senpai's junior. Pleased to 
meet---I mean, hear you.> 

<...I didn't know Koenma-sama had recruited new Reikai Investigators. 
Botan-chan didn't tell me...>

<It's a bit confusing and we don't exactly have the time. But to allay 
your fears, Yuusuke-senpai didn't know that I even existed until 
today...> said Inori nervously. I wondered if she was fidgeting on the 
other end. Even if she was, who could blame her? She was after all, 
speaking to her mother.

<Oh.>

<Then can you shatter the illusion?> I asked.

Inori fumbled a bit before replying.

<Ha..hai. How much Reiki do you have left, as in percentage?>

I calculated my remaining 'ki'.

<At least eighty-percent, I guess.>

<Eighty-percent of S-class power...Kyoei's illusion should be shattered 
if Puu-sama releases his own 'ki' at the same time. If Kurama-senpai, 
Hiei-senpai, Kuwabara-senpai and Koenma-sama release their 'ki' 
simultaneously, that should do the trick.>

I had a feeling that she was trying to hide something from us.

And entered a new voice. 

<Inori, this is Miyu. We can't. Koenma-sama and Kuwabara-san are caught. 
The Life Devourer managed to trap them...> 

My daughter slipped into shocked silence.

<Chotto matte! Why are there so many voices inside my head?> I demanded, 
exasperated.

<Urameshi-san, we don't have the time to explain. If we do get out of 
this alive, I promise you, I'll tell you anything you'd like to know. 
But, for now, please listen. Do *not* flare your reiki under any 
circumstances.>

<E?>

<I can't explain it. Something went wrong and the Life Devourer is now 
able to absorb reiki without any side effects. Can you control youki?>

<Of course I can!>

<Good. Can you synchronise it to match Minamino-san's and Hiei-san's 
timing?>

I blinked, clueless. <Say it again. In *simpler* terms.>

<Yuusuke no baka. She means whether you release your 'ki' at the same 
time!> yelled Keiko on her end.

I flinched inwardly. Why did she have to yell? It wasn't as though I was 
deaf. But at least I understood what Miyu had just said.

<Yoshi. When do we start?>

Inori and Miyu replied spontaneously, their voices grim.

<As soon as the clock strikes five.>

....................................

Prayer 5.3:
[Inori]


Kyoei was going to pay for this outrage. I was certain of it.

I was going to destroy him for trapping Koenma-sama in the illusion. I 
was going to hurt Kyoei bad for even touching his soul. 

Grimly, I tugged at the green ribbon that held my hair together, and 
shook my hair free. 

This was the final battle with Kyoei. I was going to make him pay for 
all the lives he took, for everything he did to me.

I was once trapped in his illusions. Because of him, my battle reflexes 
went berserk.

Because of him, I was unable to control my battle trance, even back in 
my own time.

Koenma-sama had sent me back so as to seek help. Seek help from the 
Urameshi Team, and from Miyu-sensei. Before she disappeared into the 
fortress of Reikai, never to step out of Reikai again. Never to use her 
powers again.

Though she taught me the usage of reiki, she never once used her powers.

All because of the Life Devourers.

I stared harshly into the night sky, and whispered a prayer of mercy.

Praying that I would be able to stop myself from ripping Kyoei apart 
entirely.

Puu-sama nudged me gently. I turned to look at him, and smiled. He 
appeared the moment Miyu-sensei left. I had acknowledged him. His eyes 
were Yuusuke-senpai's.

There were only three in the world who shared similar pairs of eyes: 
Yuusuke-senpai, Puu-sama and me. 

Saddling myself on his back, we took off.

....................................

Prayer 5.4:
[Kyoei]


She was finally here.

I whispered her name softly, revelling in the effect as the three 
syllabus rolled off my tongue. 

"Inori."

Prayer. That was what she was known as. The youngest member of the 
Shiragiku Team, the third lower S-class Reiki Trainee. Opening my eyes, 
I stared into the comfortable darkness that surrounded us.

There she stood, with a blue phoenix by her side. A Reikaiju. I grinned. 
This was getting to be far more interesting than I had expected.

"I didn't come here to talk, Kyoei."

She illuminated the entire area with Reiki, brandishing my darkness into 
the Abyss. I watched her in mild amusement, the corners of my lips 
twitching. 

"You should know who I came for." Her hard brown eyes trained on me 
steadily, refusing to look away. I stared back with Koenma's eyes, 
knowing that it would pry a reaction out of her sooner or later.

I was right. But then, I had never been wrong either. Her sweet features 
were etched into a fierce scowl, the disdain she felt for me apparent.

"I do know, Inori, but I'm not giving them up this easily."

"That is true," she conceded, "but who knows what might happen?"

I laughed at her words. She was too arrogant for her own good. She had 
yet to experience my powers. Our previous battle hadn't allowed me to 
show her my true potential. 

She had underestimated me thoroughly.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Inori. Who knows what might happen?" I said, 
echoing her earlier words.

Waving my hand, her reiki died, swallowed by my beautiful night. She 
remained unmoved.

Then, our battle began in earnest.

....................................

Prayer 5.5:
[Miyu]


I arrived at the battle scene too late. They were already engaged in a 
full-scale battle.

The blue phoenix stood at the sidelines, watching their battle with 
mournful eyes, keening loudly at the same time. 

If my guess was correct, she had to be Puu-sama, Urameshi-san's 
Reikaiju.

I was at a loss. I didn't know how to handle a sorrowful Reikaiju. 
Okaasan certainly didn't teach me, and I doubted that she knew. We had 
cut ourselves off from the Reikai for as long as I could remember. 
Besides, I only knew how to arrange battle strategies to fight against 
Life Devourers, and not how to get myself caught in the midst of their 
fiery exchange.

She fell silent suddenly, her head turning to face me, knowing brown 
eyes penetrating into my soul. I froze on the spot.

I could see my image reflected in her bright eyes. As though she could 
see through the disguise I shrouded myself in, the pretence I dipped 
myself in.

----But you aren't, are you?---- her voice was almost comforting. 

I smiled wryly, and replied, <I don't know myself, Puu-sama.>

----So desu ne. I should have known better than to ask the child of the 
Koujin Family. Your family immerse yourselves in false happiness, hence 
destroying your own life.---- 

<You're right, you know, except that it's too late. I've given up on 
ever finding true love.> 

----As you ningen always quote, 'better to be loved than to love'.----
Her voice held a trace of sarcasm.

The corners of my lips lifted slightly. <Guilty.>

----I wish you all the happiness. The time is almost here, if you desire 
to know.---- 

Bowing, I replied, <Domo arigato.>

----Don't thank me. I require your help to rescue my Bonded.----

----Besides, I can't talk to him directly. He's an Empath and can't read 
anything other than my emotions.----

If I didn't know better, I could have sworn that she was laughing. 

I wondered what the joke was all about.

Averting my eyes, I watched Inori and the Life Devourer exchange blows. 
Frowning worriedly, I was beginning to think that my future self had 
taught her nothing. Either that, or she hadn't been paying attention to 
my lessons.

The distance between the two of them was too close for comfort. At any 
time in the battle, the Life Devourer would be able to reach out and 
pull her into its illusions. And with it being able to absorb Reiki, 
Inori's situation was far more precarious than anyone could have ever 
imagined.

It never ceased to amaze me that it didn't realise the fact.

I prayed that it would never. 

The second hand was nearing the twelfth position on my watch. I dragged 
my attention from the on-going battle, barely batting an eye as the 
blasts become heavier and more destructive.

I braced myself for the impact of the implosion.
....................................

Prayer 5.0 - 5.5 ~ End


Author's Notes: Somehow, Puu sounds a lot more logical than Yuusuke, 
even if they're supposed to be the same soul or something like that... 
Miyu's relationship with Shizuru is a little strange, but to put it 
simply, Shizuru knew Miyu a long time ago due to their psychic powers, 
and it appears that they're on friendly terms...wonder why I did that in 
the first place...


-End Part -



Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Prayer 6.0:
[Shizuru]


I bit my lower lip nervously, shifting my foot to draw imaginary circles 
on the floor as I awaited her reaction.

I was certain that she would never believe me. After all, who would 
believe that her son was the reincarnation of a fox spirit? The very 
sound of it was impossible to the modern world, where science, 
technology and hard evidence ruled. Science and mystics did not mix. And 
would she believe the words from a near total stranger? 

I came close to toppling off my chair when she offered me a teacup, 
smiling gently, the warm, friendly smile that shone on Kurama's face on 
special occasions.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. She sipped at her tea before 
breaking the ice.

"I've known his true form long before this, Shizuru-chan."

My eyes flew open, staring at her in open-mouthed shock. Although it 
wasn't any of my business, it still irked me to discover that Kurama had 
informed his mother without telling us.

Reading my thoughts accurately, Shiori-san continued, "Shuuichi never 
told me about his past, frankly speaking."

"Then...how did you know?"

Her smile was almost melancholy. 

"A seer once told me that I would have a son. He would be the 
reincarnated soul of a youko who had been disillusioned by life. It was 
up to me to see that he would gain some humanity in this lifetime."

"When Shuuichi first entered my life, I knew instinctively that the seer 
was right. "

I stared at her incredulously.

"Then...you knew the truth all this time?". 

She nodded. "Hai."

I leaned back against the support of the chair heavily, blinking. Kurama 
was going to have a fit once he knew about this. 

I wondered if he even suspected his mother of knowing the truth.

The only good thing that came out of this was that he couldn't tie me up 
with one of his vines for blurting out the truth to her.

I decided to discuss it over with Miyu afterwards.

Her familiar soft voice illuminated inside my mind.

<It's time.>

I rose to my feet, mind spinning dizzily as I tried to understand what 
my friend was up to. She wasn't speaking to me---not directly at least. 

Miyu was one of those people whose attention focused solely on the 
subject and no one else. 

Her distraction could only mean one thing; she was communicating with 
the others. Along with that, her shields were down, dropping the last 
barriers of her mind just to reach them. 

My heart very nearly came to a complete standstill. The consequences she 
would face for her act would bring nothing but trouble to herself. Her 
family, especially her mother, they would---

Kazuma and the rest had better appreciate her efforts. Miyu was no 
longer playing. She was dead serious this time.

Last time, it had been a joke, a dare I put her up to. This was the real 
thing.

I was afraid. Very afraid of the end.

Shiori was with me and she knew nothing of the danger that was all 
around us. Briefly, I debated whether to take her to somewhere else, 
where she would be safe. Preferably somewhere where there were kekkai to 
block the brunt of the destruction. She was vulnerable, just like 
Atsuko.

Atsuko...

This was not a good omen. Now, I *had* to find Atsuko as well. 

Miyu's quiet, steady voice entered my mind.

<There's no need to. Puu-sama has created the kekkai already. You are 
all safe.>

<How long can Puu keep the kekkai up?> I asked, half challenging her, 
half demanding.

<For as long as it takes, Shizuru.> There was something different about 
her voice. It lacked the usual soothing quality that was part of her 
character. 
 
It wasn't long before I understood everything that went on behind the 
veil of security created by the Reikai.

<You're just trying to kill yourself!> I knew I sounded accusative, but 
I couldn't help it. She was using her powers just to keep the shields 
around us up, emitting her powers for any wandering youkai to recognise. 

And her family objected any assistance offered to the Reikai only made 
things worse.

Miyu refused to respond to my accusation, cutting the link between us.

I closed my eyes tightly in frustration, at her stubbornness, and wished 
fervently that I had taken the packet of cigarettes after all. The wait 
was getting on my nerves. 

I opened my eyes and levelled Shiori an even look.

"Do you believe in Kamisama?" I asked.

She cocked her head to the side, her dark eyes, spirited, yet gentle at 
the same time, gazed deeply into mine.

"I do."

"Then pray for your son's life," I told her, closing my eyes to do the 
same.

...........................................

Prayer 6.1:
[Botan]


Many years ago, when I was still a Reikai Guide trainee, there was a 
beautiful Reikai Guide by the name of Shiragiku.

She was one of the earliest Reikai Guides, which in turn, gave her a 
status that was equivalent to megami. Favoured by the Powers That Be, 
she was Enma-Daioh's most trusted confidant and aide. Everyone in Reikai 
respected her, for she was a goddess in all but name. Her beauty and 
grace far exceeded Kurama's, and she was holy to the extent that even 
Yakumo, Lord of Meikai, was forced to bow to her.

She was the Balance that held all the Worlds in place. 

When she was banished to Ningenkai for a crime she was innocent of, the 
Worlds committed themselves to Chaos.

The Chaos in Meikai was so bad that not even the recall of Shiragiku 
would have helped much. Not that she was ever recalled to her status. 
After her banishment, she was never seen again.

Many continued to wonder at her mysterious disappearance.

News faded to legend and legend faded to myth. In time, the name of 
Shiragiku became nothing more than a story. No one in Reikai remembered 
the fall of one of the greatest, most accomplished Reikai Guide except 
for a few.

Instead, she became an example to frighten the misbehaving Reikai Guide 
trainees of the Academy, when ninety-percent of the facts the 
instructors said were lies. Complete lies.

Shiragiku was *not* a traitor. She did *not* betray Reikai to the Life 
Devourers. 

But no one cared. The instructors continued to make an example of the 
missing Reikai Guide, despite the repeated warnings sent out by Koenma-
sama.

I should know what was true and what wasn't. Shiragiku was my 
teacher...my friend.

The faint rustling of feet in the background prodded me out of my 
reverie. I continued to face the sky, knowing that I was with a friend. 
The light of the pre-dawn was beginning to peek through the dark clouds, 
along with the soft, silver light of the full moon, spreading over the 
bleakness of the land like flickering sparks of hope in midst of 
despair. I took it for a sign, a good omen that the Powers That Be were 
giving us Their blessings. 

There was still hope for everyone.

"Dawn's coming," observed Keiko in a tired voice. Her eyes followed 
mine, marvelling at the warm beauty of the pinkish-red colours lighting 
up the desolate sky, Nodding my head in absent agreement, I pondered 
over the fates of Koenma-sama and the Three Worlds.

I reflected on a lot of things. People, to be more exact. Koujin Miyu, 
Shiragiku, Koenma-sama, Enma-Daioh and the Reikai Investigators. 
Yuusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara, then Yukina, Shizuru, Keiko, Shiori, 
myself and the new Reikai Investigator, Inori.

Who was she in the first place? Koenma-sama didn't have the spare time 
to recruit new Investigators, and she claimed herself to be one. Who was 
she, really?

Her 'ki' resembled Yuusuke's too much. She wasn't from the present time, 
which meant that she had to be from either the future or the past. She 
wasn't Yuusuke's relative either; I remembered clearly that he had no 
relative by the name of 'Inori'. There was one 'Inoru', but no 'Inori'.

And Inoru was one of Yuusuke's long dead ancestors.

Another point: 'Inoru' was a male, thus ruling out any chance of Inori 
being him and from the past.

It left me with the last option, which was the future. According to the 
pocket-sized version of the Records of Life and Death, Yuusuke would 
have a child by the name of---

Of...

I couldn't remember. My mind was at a loss.

I was alarmed. True, I might be a complete airhead at times, but I was 
never this forgetful. I knew the fates of my friends like the back of my 
hand, having flipped through the Records many times when the world 
seemed to be on edge of destruction.

Their destinies had been implanted in my mind in the most literal sense.

Reaching into my kimono sleeve, I started a frantic search for the Book.

I found it, and flipped to Yuusuke's page.

And dropped the book immediately, hands flying to my mouth as I tried to 
muffle the screams that threatened to escape, withdrawing in complete 
horror.

It was empty. The page was completely blank, just a white sheet of paper 
grinning at me. A gentle breeze blew past us, flipping the rest of the 
pages. I stared with dread, stomach sinking when all the other pages 
appeared to be nothing more than just white papers, fluttering 
gracefully in the wind. I backed away even further at the sight. 

Keiko picked up the Book with trembling hands just as I sank to my 
knees. She gazed at me, brown eyes glimmering faintly with barely held-
back tears, whispering:

"Botan-chan...what is this? Please tell me it isn't true, onegai ~!" Her 
voice rose shrilly.

She knew what the Book stood for; the book spine had given the game 
away. The look in her eyes scared me even more. I shied away from her, 
averting my eyes to keep back the haunting image, the look of utter 
despair and desperation on her face.

"Shiranai, Keiko-chan..." The emptiness of my voice terrified me, 
chilling the very being of my soul.

<Shiragiku, where are you?> I cried silently. At the same time, I 
wondered whether the world was about to meet her end.

There was no fixed destiny or fate at this point. The survival of all 
the Worlds now rested heavily as a burden on the shoulders of our chosen 
knights. 

Not even Death could decide the outcome of the final battle.

...........................................

Prayer 6.2:
[Hiei]


<Kurama, what the hell's going on?! Where's the fool and Koenma?!> I 
demanded as soon as he made his presence known in my mind.

<It has them. They were unable to overcome the illusions.> he replied, 
his voice as cold as the Glacial Lands, the land of the Koorime. 

I narrowed my eyes in the darkness. Whenever Kurama had that tone in his 
voice, there was bound to be bloodshed and a fight. Just my type of 
action. 

*It* was going to pay for hurting my sister.

I knew roughly what had happened when Yukina's pain flooded through the 
link we shared. Shock, disbelief and anguish as her gentle presence 
withdrew from my mind, breaking the link. 

My first thought had been that the Fool had succumbed to the illusions. 
My sister had suffered a backlash of the mind.

I decided that the Life Devourer was going to pay for that. No one ever 
laid a finger on Yukina without a price. And the price it was going to 
pay would be death.

Not the instantaneous death I would give to most. More like the one I 
gave to Mukuro's father. A slow, torturous death.

Yes, that would be most fitting. 

Briefly, I wondered what happened to that bastard anyway. Mukuro was 
probably venting her frustrations on him again. The fox had provided me 
with a very efficient plant, one that would keep that bastard alive for 
a very long time.

<We're blasting our way out of here. Now.>

My lips drew back to form a feral smile. That was all Kurama needed to 
tell me. I had been waiting for this opportunity, perhaps all my life.

All three of us---Yuusuke, Kurama and I---flared our 'ki' at the same 
moment.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Our efforts had made no 
difference, when a loud, earth-shattering crack took away the emptiness 
of the void. 

Silence ruled again. We waited expectantly.

The glass-like darkness around us splintered into millions of tiny 
fragments, each one falling onto the ground with a light tinkle before 
further shattering into smithereens.

The very sound was as sweet as Yukina's soft humming.

I opened my eyes to the sight of the barren park. Nothing had changed 
except that only Yuusuke, Kurama and I were awake. The fool and Koenma 
were slumped on the ground beside us. I observed with detached interest 
that the colour of their skins was paler than usual. Pallid, like the 
time when Kurama's ningen mother was sick and in the healing house. The 
one Kurama insisted on calling a 'hospital'.

Hn. Stupid, troublesome humans. 

Stupid, troublesome, idiotic Reikai Lord and Kuwabara.

"Now what?" asked Yuusuke. His fists clenched reflexively, joints 
cracking every time his muscle twitched. I levelled him a deadpan look. 

"We fight."

The look in Yuusuke's eyes was as lethal as cold steel. Reiki flared 
around him dangerously, enfolding him in a circle of pure energy. The 
green highlights of his hair glinted under the silvery provided by the 
moon. He inclined his head and smiled, seemingly ready to kill. 

My image reflected in his mirror-like eyes. I was ready to kill as well.

Smiling emotionlessly, Kurama quickly shifted to his youko form. The 
clothes he wore as a ningen faded, to be replaced by the white, spotless 
tunic Youko Kurama used to wear. He stood tall and proud under the light 
of the setting moon, the soft light enhancing his slender figure, 
creating a mystical effect that befitted him.

I unwrapped the white cloth around my forehead, exposing the Jagan. The 
violet eye stared at Kurama unblinkingly, observing the melding of red 
and silver life threads with strange fascination. 

Kurama gazed at me with humourless golden eyes.

The Jagan shifted to observe Yuusuke, watching his youki and reiki as 
they battled with each other to reign supreme inside him. I was mildly 
surprised that he was still sane. His blue and green life threads 
tangled themselves into tiny, scattered ball-like objects, blinding 
those who had the guts to stare at them. 

Slowly, I uncovered the bandage on my right arm, revealing the tattoo of 
the black dragon. Glowing enticingly, the spirit of the dragon urged me 
to release it, allowing a rampage of destruction to befall on Ningenkai 
to satisfy its insatiable hunger. 

Smirking, I exerted some control, assuring it thoroughly that it would 
soon have the chance to feast.

The Life Devourer would be its next meal.

My target, the black dragon's feast. How fitting.

...........................................

Prayer 6.3:
[Kurama]


We were finally back in the open air, out of the illusions.

The voice had been more right than she had ever imagined. It was time. 
Time for us to fight, and destroy the Life Devourer.

I swept disinterested eyes over the park, noting distantly that the 
battle had been moved else where. Aside from the fallen bodies of my 
comrades, the park continued to be devoid of life, unchanged despite the 
hours we spent trapped. 

Even the air in the park was stale. 

The scent of destruction filled the air, directing us to the distance 
further up. 

Inori was engaged in a battle with Koenma. 

I wondered if she was trapped in her battle trance again. It had 
happened once before and could happen again. 

My senses registered the 'ki' that surrounded 'Koenma'. Inori was 
fighting against the Life Devourer. Not only that, she was on the losing 
end as well.

My gaze travelled further up, vulpine eyes recognising Puu's form as he 
stood on the sidelines. A young ningen woman sat cross-legged beside him 
in a meditative manner, a delicate white 'ki' shimmering around her 
protectively. Her short, midnight-blue hair contrasted sharply against 
her white dress and fair complexion.

She tilted her head towards us as we approached them.

Our gazes locked. Three pairs of cold looks could not match the icy-blue 
brilliance of her eyes. 

I could have sworn that I had seen a similar pair somewhere, as Minamino 
Shuuichi.

On the other hand, I *was* Youko Kurama. He and I were one. Minamino 
Shuuichi, Youko Kurama...there was no difference. Both bodies held one 
soul. Me.

<Welcome back,> she said politely. Her mind voice was unmistakable. 

<I am Koujin Miyu, pleased to meet you.>

"Why aren't you helping Inori?" Yuusuke demanded aloud.

She smiled deprecatingly. <I'm only a human with psychic powers 
equivalent to an A-class youkai. To interfere with battles between S-
class beings would be unwise.> 

<Besides, it's always best to wait for the experts like yourselves.>

"Can you free the others?"

She blinked deliberately, her long, dark eyelashes bringing out the cold 
blueness of her eyes.
 
<If you mean the ningen, I'm sorry. You will need the entire Reikai 
power resources just to bring back the wildlife alone. However, you 
might be able to rescue Kuwabara-san and Koenma-sama.>

"Are you helping us then?"

<Hai. That's what I'm here for. To assist you.> 

Hiei snorted. "We're wasting time."

Miyu rested her eyes on him. Puu supported her, glaring reproachfully at 
Hiei with liquid brown eyes. Which was strange, since the Reikaiju 
rarely interfered in any argument among the Reikai Investigators. 

It was a battle of looks for a while. Yuusuke's attention was more on 
the on-going battle between Inori and the Life-Devourer than the one 
taking place between Hiei and Miyu.

The psychic lowered her gaze first. Opening her mouth for the first 
time, she said in a wearied tone, "You speak the truth, Hiei-san. Our 
priority is to stop the Life Devourer and not fight amongst ourselves. 
Please forgive my discourtesy." She bowed deeply in apology.

The change of tactics confused Hiei. He glanced around furtively, 
expecting a surprise attack or another.

There was none.

She sighed. "Hiei-san, I mean no harm. Like you, I only wish the best 
for the Worlds. With my name as stake, I promise you, this is no trick. 
Please co-operate with me in this one, I beg of you!"

Gently, I nudged the fire demon.

"She's not lying, you know."

He shot a dirty look in my direction. 

"Damatte yo, fox, or it's your tail," he hissed, fingers wrapped tightly 
around the hilt of his katana to highlight his point.

That was enough of a threat to shut me up.

...........................................

Prayer 6.4:
[Yuusuke]


My daughter was fighting against the Life Devourer. Alone. When she was 
only sixteen at most.

What the hell was that woman thinking of?! Inori was so goddamn young 
and there Miyu was, expecting her to defeat that thing all by herself!

To the pits of hell about Inori being an S-class! 

Even an idiot could see that she was not experienced enough to be 
fighting with a thing like that. She didn't even know that she was 
supposed to keep out of that thing's way for as long as she could.

But no ~, she *had* to stand right in front of it, acting as its alive-
and-kicking punching bag.

I looked away when Inori was tossed into the fish pond like a rag doll.

I was ready to jump into battle when Miyu stopped me, her arm stretched 
out to block my path. I gave her a hard look.

Without turning to face me, she said softly, "Chotto matte kudasai." I 
noted appraisingly that she had added the last word out of forced 
politeness.

I glanced at the others with quizzical eyes. Kurama nodded his head 
whereas Hiei glared at her with his crimson red eyes. I took it as a 
sign of consent.

I stepped away and watched, wondering what she was up to.

And fell forward when she hollered in a singsong voice, "Hello?! Kyoei! 
Guess what? The Reikai Investigators are running free ~!"

Later, I had to agree with her methods, no matter how unorthodox they 
were. 

We now had that thing's undivided attention. All we needed was a plan to 
defeat it, sending it on a one-way trip to hell.

And frankly speaking, I didn't have one. I could only hope that the 
others were prepared.

Puu's presence reassured me, encouraging me. I grinned weakly. 

"Don't worry, Urameshi-san, I do have a plan at hand," Miyu paused to 
look at me, her blue eyes, like the pair Inori had when she was 
possessed, gazed earnestly into mine.

"Please promise me this: do not flare your 'ki' unless the time is 
right."

I wondered what time would be considered as 'right'.

She smiled mysteriously. "You'll know."

I stared at her blankly. She was beginning to sound like a nutcase 
fitted for the funny farm.

"And please, do not allow Minamino-san to summon his plants at any 
cost."

That had me thinking.

"Why?" I asked.

Her eyes averted to the battle ground. Inori was on her feet, aiming a 
shot at the Thing, distracting the attention to herself. I cursed 
mentally. Miyu had drawn attention from the Life Devourer from her to us 
for a good reason, and she had to do something as stupid as that.

"Urameshi-san, let her. She'll never survive after the end anyway."

Whipping around to stare at her, I demanded, "What do you mean by 
that?!"

A rueful smile replaced the mysterious one that had annoyed me so much. 
Softly, she replied, "What do you think will happen to her now that 
history is changing every moment as we talk, as she fights? The future 
is inconsistent, affected by the choices we make daily, to twist into 
another path, something entirely different that could mean the life or 
death of another."

"Inori is from a parallel future, an alternate timeline that is in 
danger of being destroyed utterly. A future that is closest to our 
time."

"The opening of the doors to the Abyss of Meikai is the only constant we 
have now. Defeating the Life Devourer is another. Inori's existence 
depends solely on it."

"The fact that she has passed through the Gates of Time is enough to 
erase her existence entirely, along with many others."

I blinked, unable to understand half of what she said.

"So?"

She pursed her lips for a brief moment, then forged on with cold 
amusement, "Reikai will make sure that she never exists. Enma-Daioh will 
make certain of it." She paused at the startled look in my eyes.

"Why do you think the Koujin Family is the only family of psychics not 
under the management of Reikai?"

"Even if Inori is destined to be your daughter, Reikai will erase her 
existence from the face of all the Worlds."

I went cold at the revelation. That was not what I had expected to hear, 
or even close to what I wanted to know. 

My daughter, lost just because she wanted to save the future? Wasn't 
there justice in the world anymore?

I didn't realise that I had voiced my thoughts.

"Justice is for idealists, Urameshi-san. Please keep that in mind," said 
Miyu mildly, before her eyes drifted to Kurama's direction.

Puu stared at her with sad eyes.

...........................................

Prayer 6.5:
[Kyoei]


This was getting better and better.

The Urameshi Team had been far better than I had expected. Three of them 
had managed to accomplish the impossible---shattering my illusions. 

I had believed that only the Shiragiku Team could ever manage that, 
until the accident that took place some hours ago and now.

I had given far too little credit to the Urameshi Team. Now was the 
appropriate time to reverse the mistake, as soon as Prayer stopped 
firing her Rei-gun at me. 

I despised ningen like her.

Who was that woman with the Urameshi Team? She seemed so much more than 
her outward appearance. Her grace had indicated her noble birth, and her 
powers, though they seemed A-class at most, she had the potential to 
reach even greater heights. 

All she needed was more training and an S-class sensei.

It would be such a pity to kill her. After all, she was almost as 
fascinating as the Prayer.

But the Prayer was so much more interesting, especially her attitude.

Perhaps I could keep her alive and trapped in another one of my 
illusions after I defeated her. Maybe a similar one to the last time.

Hers had been...refreshing. A Reikai Investigator afraid of The End and 
slugs. That had been most amusing.

Her reaction had been entertaining as well.

I wondered if the fish pond had contained live slugs. I should not have 
absorbed all life for myself. It would be interesting to see her 
reaction to live ones.

But since I had done so, I would just have to let it pass. 

I smiled. It was time to end all these hopeless battles. The Urameshi 
Team was going to die, and so would the rest of the Worlds.

I abandoned Koenma's image and reverted to my true form.

...........................................

Prayer 6.0 - 6.5 ~ End


Author's Notes: At least something seems done. Never thought that I'd 
ever complete it, considering that the initial two drafts were wiped out 
from my hard disk completely, thanks to my brother and his infinitely 
wonderful games...which means that when I get my own com, I'm going to 
ban the existence of RPGs from it...


- End Part -


Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -



Prayer 7.0:
[Koenma]


<Koenma-chan, it's time to get up.>

<Kaasama?> I asked, reaching tentatively for the link to my mother.

<Yes, it's me. Now, wake up, child.>

Her voice was as gentle as before, radiating gentleness, warmth and 
kindness. Just like a mother singing a lullaby to her child.

<Kaasama, I missed you so much ~>

<I know, but you have to wake up now. Your friends need you.>

<I don't have any...>

<Now, now, you do have friends. Remember Botan and George? What about 
Yuusuke-dono, Kurama-dono, Hiei-dono and Kuwabara-dono?>

<...Kaasama, you know them?>

<I'm always by your side, Koenma-chan. I know.>

<Why can't I see you then? Kaasama, Otousama never lets me see you 
anymore! I can't even mention your name to anyone!>

<Child, He has a reason to do so...>

<Just like the reason he had for exiling Shira-neechan?>

<...I don't agree with His methods with regards to that. Shiragiku was 
innocent and He knew it.>

<So did They. Why didn't They stop him? Or you?>

<I couldn't be in all the Worlds at the same time, Koenma-chan, please 
try and understand that.>

<...Of course, you're Mother Earth. You *have* to care for all the 
Worlds *and* everything else *except* your son.>

<Koenma-chan! That's not true!>

<Then why didn't you come back when Shira-neechan wrote to you about her 
dilemma?>

<You were always so full of questions, child.>

<Shira-neechan was innocent all the while, Kaasama. I don't see why 
Otousama had to banish her!>

<...She had to go, lest the balance of the Worlds shatter.>

<Shira-neechan was born to be the Balance. She had the right to renounce 
her duty. It was stated in the texts!>

<She was the only one among Us who did not have the right. Banishing her 
from Reikai was the only way to stop her love affair.>

<I hate Otousama and the Powers That Be! I want Shira-neechan back!>

<Koenma, enough of this! We have other important things at hand.>

<As in *what*?>

<As in your friends are fighting against a Life Devourer and are on the 
verge of losing the battle.>

<Nani?!>

<Don't 'nani' me now, Koenma-chan. That's why you have to awaken 
yourself now. There's a time-traveller among your group, ne?>

<Hai...You aren't going to do anything about her, are you? Kaasama?>

<That is not for me to decide. The Gates of Time are your father's 
responsibility, thus, he shall decide her fate. For Inori's case, it 
will be brought forth to the higher powers for further discussion.>

<Will you be among them?>

<No, only the Amatsu-kami are involved. Being a Kunitsu-kami has its 
setbacks at times. I have to seal the breach of the kekkai first.>

<Meikai's? I thought that was the--->

<Remember this, Koenma-chan, the Koujin Family might hold the sacred 
texts and historic references of Reikai and the Worlds, it does not mean 
that they work for us. They have their own agenda; and being 
subordinated under us will never be accepted by the First Daughter.>

<Koujin Miyu-ojosama? I have met her once. She seems to respect the 
Reikai more than her ancestors ever did.>

<Even so, please be careful. She is not all she appears to be. And Inori 
as well.>

<...Wakatta, Kaasama...>

...........................................

Prayer 7.1:
[Kuwabara]


I was floating in mid-air.

Inanely, I wondered if this was how Botan felt whenever she flew on her 
oar. The pure, unrestrained joy of being one with the sky above, to 
explore the unknown, was so much more interesting than walking on the 
flat, solid ground. It felt unnatural to be a heavy bulk treading on 
earth. 

Perhaps flying was a better choice. 

If there was a chance, I would take Yukina flying...Without knowing why, 
I just knew that she would love it. 

I wanted her to be happy, always.

But, now, I was so tired...

<Otousan ~! Please! Don't fall asleep now!>

<Wh-what?!>

<Otousan! Please! If you give up now, I will never exist!>

Groggily, I forced open my eyes, blinking vapidly to focus my blurry 
vision. 

I stared at the misty figure of a young girl. Dressed in a pale blue 
kimono, she had a Koorime's slim build, long wavy, orange-red hair 
framing her face and reaching down to her waist. Despite the darkness, 
she glowed with a blue-green ethereal light, allowing me to see her 
face.

Other than her hair and burning crimson eyes, she was the exact copy of 
Yukina.

But the innocence in both their eyes could never be dimmed. 

<You are...?> I trailed off as the familiarity of her eyes struck me.

Just like the resemblance Inori bore to Urameshi, this girl bore a pair 
of eyes that was similar to mine. 

And she had addressed me as 'Otousan'. *Her* father.

<My name is Kaguya, your daughter, or rather, your would-be daughter,> 
she corrected, helping me to my feet. 

I could predict my next move: to faint dead away.

She caught my arm in a death grip, shaking her head in exasperation. 
<Not now, Otousan. Not until you snap out of this illusion.>

<Illusion? What illusion?> I asked in bewilderment.

Her eyes concentrated darkly on the empty spot beyond my shoulder. 

<Kyoei's illusions. The Life Devourer.>

I blinked, remembering nothing of that sort.

<Otousan, trust me. You have to snap out of it. Okaasan would be heart-
broken if you leave her like this.>

I scoffed at her words. 

<Don't be silly. See, Yukina-san's right there!> I waved my hand, 
beckoning my wife to join us. Yukina smiled dazzlingly, drifting 
gracefully to our side. 

Holding onto her hand, I introduced her to our daughter.

<Yukina-san, meet our daughter.>

Kaguya jerked back violently, snarling, <She's not my mother. My mother 
is far more beautiful, far stronger, and far more solid than this...this 
thing!>

I leapt to my feet, raising my hand to smack her across her face, when 
Yukina held me back, shaking her head gently. 

I relaxed, and sat down, watching in silence as she tried to talk some 
sense into our daughter.

<Let go of my father!> whispered Kaguya, barely muffling the fury in her 
voice.

Yukina smiled patronisingly. <He chooses not to go. I cannot stop him.>

<Don't use my mother's illusion on me. She is infinitely more complete, 
more beautiful than you'll ever be! You're just part of the illusion, 
the minion of Kyoei!> 

<Oh, really? Then why can't *Kazuma-san* tell the difference?>

My daughter fell silent.

When she spoke again, the world around me crashed literally.

<Gomen nasai, Otousan, but I have to do this, for Okaasan...>

<I wish I could have stayed longer, to know you better...>

<I love you, Otousan...>

<Sayonara...>

The ground beneath me cracked, a jagged line that stretched from one end 
of the never-ending darkness to the other. Kaguya and Yukina stood side 
by side to each other, one engulfed in a circle of light; the other, in 
a circle of dark.

They were engaged in a private battle of the mind.

For a moment, nothing moved. 

Then, the ground beneath them gave way. They fell into the bottomless 
pits, before I could even extend my hand towards them.

"NO ~!"

...........................................

Prayer 7.2:
[Yukina]


My daughter's death ripped through the telepathic link that had always 
existed between mother and child since the beginning of time.

It had not been an illusion at all. My daughter, the daughter I would 
have with Kazuma, had truly died for the sake of her father.

Crystalline tears fell onto the bed sheets as I mourned for her. I 
didn't even have the chance to give her a tear gem. 

I stared grimly at the orange-sorbet walls of Kazuma's bedroom, coming 
to a decision.

I would join the battle. I could not allow my daughter's sacrifice to be 
in vain. 

Yui-san once said that if I wanted to, I could easily attain S-class 
because of my unique birth. Though I was a Koorime, I had a father who 
was an S-class. His ability to achieve that level was passed on down to 
his offspring---Hiei-niisan and I.

Hiei-niisan was hindered by his Jagan whereas I had nothing to obstruct 
the natural S-class powers within me, other than the fact that Yui had 
placed wards to suppress them.

I never found any use for those powers, until today.

Closing my eyes, I voiced the rote that would lift the wards.

I had to join the battle. Not just for myself, but also for Kazuma, 
Kaguya and my brother.

I gazed dispassionately at the neatly-arranged furniture of my fiancé's 
bedroom, gradually rising to my feet. 

Being the pillars of two different people wasn't all that bad. Through 
them, the situation was made easier for me.

I *knew* their exact locations.

Not even Oniisan could stop me from finding them. Twins, especially 
Koorime twins like us, shared a bond that could never be severed, 
regardless of the strength of the link.

I didn't know what might happen. 

I only knew that I had to be there to witness the end, at least.

...........................................

Prayer 7.3:
[His Excellency, Lord of Reikai]


Reikai stood in the middle of the raging wars, the years taking their 
toll on her. Soon, she would fall like Makai, and the war would finally 
conclude. Nothing would survive, and all would be lost, unless there was 
someone out there willing to take a hand in the events of the past.

I stared at what was left of the broken Reikai, and wondered if Inori 
would succeed in saving my kingdom. 

Nothing seemed to have changed. We were still fighting for Reikai, for 
our lives.

"Koenma-sama, Her Grace wishes to speak to you immediately," announced 
an oni at the door. He was George's replacement, after he died in the 
initial invasion twenty-five years ago. For some reason or the other, he 
decided that he wanted to play soldier, and joined Yuusuke and the 
others in their fates.

I never saw their souls again, but what was I to expect? They had fought 
with a Life Devourer, the Lord of the Yami no Yume Assembly, one so 
powerful that even Otousama could not subdue. Destroying it had cost my 
friends their lives, and I was now left alone to continue with the war.

Peace held no position in times like this. A quarter of a century was 
enough to erase any memory of the good old times, before the kekkai of 
the Abyss eroded to nothing.

I was now the only opposing force between the good and evil, as all of 
us had taken to calling.

<You are not alone, Denka,> whispered her voice fleetingly. I touched 
the link gently, acknowledging her ever comforting presence, despite the 
fact that she had lost too many people she cared about to the war.

"Shiragiku, you wished to speak to me?" I asked, wheeling around to face 
her. Attired in her usual, unchanging white, she stood poised before me, 
looking as calm as gentle waves of the sea washing ashore. For twenty-
five years, she had worn no other colour except white, forever in 
mourning for the lives lost in the war, for her beloved, family and 
friends.

"Why have you sent Inori through the Gates of Time?" she asked, her 
voice neutral.

When the Gates of Time first opened, I had known that it would 
eventually lead to this. But, as always, I could not help but hope 
otherwise.

"She is our last chance for salvation." I turned away from her and 
stared unseeingly at the fading fires of Hell.

"You are wrong, Denka, she is not our last chance. You know that better 
than anyone else. I want the truth, now. Why have you sent her back?"

I smiled painfully, watching the glass pane reflect my apathetic image.

"We have lost everything, Shira-neechan. It's only a matter of time 
before our last defences fall and Reikai would be lost as well. Inori 
loves Reikai too much; I'm only sparing her the misery and pain."

Her luminous blue eyes bore into my back for long moment, searching my 
body language for something, a clue to her suspicions. 

"You're lying," she said flatly, intertwining her fingers in a 
thoughtful gesture.

I closed my eyes, knowing that she was right. She had never been wrong 
in her speculations, and she knew me like an open book. Years of being 
human had not erased the mother within her, and that she had watched me 
grow had been part of it as well.

"I don't know. I don't know what's the truth anymore..."

Her hands on my back, gently massaging my shoulders as she spoke:

"Years ago, when I reclaimed my duty as Reikai Guide Shiragiku, you 
asked me what 'shin' was. I had answered that truth was what you 
believed in, based on the unbiased facts presented to you. All you had 
to do was to have your own opinions and thoughts, not those belonging to 
the others.

"Think about it, sleep on it. Truth is somewhere, only awaiting your 
discovery.

"What are your feelings towards Inori?"

Opening my eyes, I stared at the unmoving reflection on the glass. 
Sleeting rain fell upon Reikai, dimming the fires of Hell even more. I 
gazed at the flickering orange light reflectively, deploying the 
breathing techniques Shiragiku had taught me, long before her banishment 
from the Reikai. Slowly, my thoughts fell into a certain order, and I 
began pondering over certain factors.

"Well?" she prompted, her fingers cool against my feverish skin.

"She is the reminder of someone whom I had known a long time ago. I care 
for her well-being and welfare, despite her faults and weaknesses, and I 
want her to be happy, is that enough?"

Shiragiku smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling in faint amusement.

Levelling a bland look at me, she continued, "What is she to you then?"  

I replied falteringly, "I don't...know."

She shook her head deliberately. 

"That's not enough then, Koenma. Think about it. Do you love her? If you 
do, in what sense? Out of duty, because she reminds you of Urameshi-san? 
Or do you love her like an elder brother? Or something deeper?"

Saying her piece, she drifted out of the office before I could reply, 
allowing a brief moment of silence to descend. 

But even then, my mind rejected the quietness, insistent on immersing 
themselves in chaotic thoughts. I dealt with my problems the best way I 
could: by directing all my mental energy to the layout of the Reikai 
defences. 

........................................... 

Prayer 7.4:
[Karasu]


Damn that Aoi! For the third time that day, he had managed to send me 
flying head over heels into Toguro and Genkai, almost knocking them over 
like bowling pins. Fortunately, I didn't, when Toguro pulled Genkai away 
just in time. 

Instead, I crashed into Shizuru-sensei and Botan-sensei, earning *very* 
dark looks from both of them.

I cringed at the memory, thankful that I had always been Miyu-sensei 
student, unlike the others. Genkai had been under Shizuru-sensei for 
seven years before coming under Miyu-sensei's wing, which would explain 
her dry humour half the time. Toguro was under Botan-sensei for eleven 
years before Hinageshi-sensei, and Kaguya had been under Koenma-sama and 
Shizuru-sensei for as long as I could remember my name.

Inori had been teacher hopping all her life. It was only in the recent 
years when her circle of teachers was reduced to Koenma-sama, Shizuru-
sensei, Botan-sensei, and finally, Miyu-sensei.

Images of Aoi flying with his overly-huge blue-green wings flashed in my 
mind, infuriating me even further. I grabbed the mug of lemonade and 
gulped it all down.

And choked.

The sour taste was too much for me. My bishounen face was screwed into a 
mask of disgust as the liquid gurgled down my throat at an infuriatingly 
sluggish speed.

Gods, what the hell was I doing, drinking lemonade and thinking of slugs 
at the same time when Inori was somewhere stuck in the past?!

Why didn't Inori take her Reikaiju along when she crossed the Gates of 
Time? Why did *I* have to look after that overgrown brat in the first 
place?! Senior or not, I was not a thrice-damned babysitter.

If that ass of a wyvern crossed me again, I decided very firmly that I 
would send my bombs after it, regardless of the consequences. Koenma-
sama would probably rant the entire Reikai down for detonating a 
Reikaiju, but better Aoi than me. Genkai had been taught by one of the 
strictest Reiki Sensei, and her blasting me with her Reikouhadouken was 
not a prospect I looked forward to.

Four times of the Reikouhadouken was enough to land me in the healing 
house with broken bones, fractured arms and broken ribs. Not to mention 
a badly bruised body and face. Botan-sensei had told me straight in the 
face that I was considered very fortunate. Had I been anyone else but 
Karasu, upper S-class Reikai Investigator, I would have had added my 
neck to the list under 'broken'. 

I had enough of that, thank you very much. 

"Karasu, what the hells did you think you were doing, flying in our way 
for the third time today?! If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you 
were looking for death!" said Genkai, sliding into the empty seat beside 
me. 

I took a break from my thoughts to glare at her. "Aoi-the-stupid-wyvern 
tripped me ~! And no one can prove it ~!"

Genkai stared at me for a moment before breaking up into girlish 
giggles. I rolled my eyes exasperatedly. Girls! I would never understand 
them!

"Serves you right for teasing Inori half the time," she informed me, 
barely muffling her laughter.

"That's not teasing. It's called training!"

She snorted empathetically, tossing back her pink pig-tail. "Yeah, 
right. If you call planting wriggling slugs everywhere within one metre 
of her, 'training', I'll call blasting you with the Reikouhadouken 
exercise."

I folded my arms across my chest sulkily. "She kills all of them with 
salt anyway," I grumbled. "What a killjoy. My poor, adorable slugs.

"And your Reikouhadouken *is* a killer."

She clapped her hands mockingly. "Thank you. I'll take that as a 
compliment," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her coffee-
brown eyes met mine, twinkling amiably, almost innocently, under the 
glaring light of the cafe. 

I shuddered. Inori had that look on her every time Aoi tripped me with 
his tail. One of those incidents had me drinking soapy water for no good 
reason.

I think that was when I started rearing slugs for a hobby.

Or was it before that?

I scowled at Genkai.

"You're insufferable!" 

"Who's insufferable?" asked Toguro, appearing beside Genkai. His hand 
rested on her shoulder, a relaxed but definite possessive gesture. 
Raising my eyes slightly, I wondered whether Inori had any inclination 
of their relationship. She probably did, being Genkai's closest friend 
and all that nonsense.

"Who else but a certain pink-haired old hag sitting before me?!" I 
grinned forcefully, eyes narrowing at the same time. Genkai stared at me 
with a gaping mouth, seemingly ready to blast me with her reiki.

Toguro came near to killing himself just to restrain her temper, before 
she decided to blow up the entire area around us into ashes and dust. 

That wasn't a particularly comforting thought, especially since I was 
sitting right next to her.

I began inching my way out of the cafeteria, before she really threw her 
temper at me.

"Hold it, Karasu ~! I'm going to get you for this ~! Let go! Toguro! 
That birdbrain asked for it!"

Risking a backward glance at the struggling Genkai, I yelled back, "I 
heard that! My name might be 'crow', but I am *not* a birdbrain!" 

Genkai directed her forefinger my way, and before anyone could stop her, 
she screamed at the top of her lungs:

"Rei-gun ~!" 

Oops. I forgot. Her Rei-gun was equally as dangerous as her punches.

Shimatta ~

The world exploded into a bright light as the globe of reiki struck me 
straight on, followed by the sounds of people shrieking in the 
background.

I waited impatiently for the solitude of unconsciouness to lock the pain 
away.

Kaguya's voice filled the void for me. I wondered where she was; I 
hadn't seen her since we saw Inori off.

Gag ~ Inori...

She had to be my destined foe. Otherwise, we wouldn't be the death of 
each other.. 

That was the last thing I remembered before falling.

...........................................

Prayer 7.0 - 7.4 ~ End


Disclaimers & author's notes:

Characters of Yuu Yuu Hakusho are copyrighted to their original 
creators.
Karasu, Genkai and Toguro are not mine, despite the fact that they no 
longer exist in the manga. For anyone who's confused, they are the 
reincarnations of the original characters.

Amatsu-kami & Kunitsu-kami:
Roughly translates into gods of heaven and gods of earth respectively. 
The Powers That Be refers to the Amatsu-kami.

With due regards to Yukina's S-class abilities, just a thought I came up 
with after staring blankly at the computer screen for too long. 


- End Part -



Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Prayer 8.0:
[Miyu]


Darkness and light had been fighting since the beginning of time. No one 
knew how it began; it just happened as naturally as we humans took in 
every breath of air for our survival. Nothing was neutral, no one was 
neutral. All that existed in this world were the basic, primitive forces 
of Chaos and Order.

But, no matter what happened, within Chaos, there was always a spark of 
Order, and within Order, always existed a spark of Chaos. Thus was the 
meaning of balance.

The balance of the 'yin' and 'yang' energies.

The 'yin' energy concerned the dark side, and represented females. On 
the other hand, 'yang' represented males and was related to the light 
side. While 'yin' was passive, 'yang' was aggressive. Neither energies 
were evil, existing within both genders, forming the life-force and soul 
of the physical being. It was just there, to exist and fight against 
each other in a mindless battle.

Yet, should the balance of the 'yin' and 'yang' energies be disrupted, 
the balance of the mind was endangered as well.

Inori was in danger of losing her sanity, when the 'yin' energy wrapped 
around her tightly, threatening to suffocate her within the cover. There 
was barely a trace of any 'yang' energy within her.

----She has a Reikaiju.----

She would know. After all, Puu-sama was a Reikaiju herself. 

I levelled Puu-sama an appraising look. 

<She has to have one to have maintained her sanity for so long.>

Puu-sama chuckled dryly. ----You have a gift for stating the obvious.---
-

----What do you intend to do?----

Her gaze lingered on the battle field for a moment longer before 
shifting to look at me. 

----Well?----she prodded on gently.

A grim smile plastered on my face, I replied, <I'm opening a gateway to 
Meikai.> 

The hollowness of my voice chilled the morning air even more. I shivered 
involuntarily, seeking comfort in one fact: the spells would work more 
efficiently than any prayer to the Powers That Be could.

----Are you absolutely certain?----

I regarded the battle with a façade of indifference, confining my fear, 
doubts, and uncertainties to the darkest regions of my heart and mind, 
where they would never arise again. I buried them so deep within me that 
I doubted that I could ever find them again. 

Denial had always been part of my heritage. As long as I could remember, 
I had always been perceptive to Okasan's feelings. Thanks to my psychic 
powers, I could see life in such a way that it was so much clearer. I 
knew what went behind the veil, what went behind the false happiness 
that existed in my family. I understood the reason why my family never 
had the warmth that so many others shared.

The warmth in my family was like dying embers, fading away slowly but 
definitely. It was only a matter of time before my parents broke up to 
find their lost loves. My parents' marriage had never been a love match, 
and everyone around me knew that I was destined to face the same 
predicament.

This was precisely why I lost hope in almost everything in this world. I 
lost my faith, my beliefs, and I was determined to make myself suffer 
for nothing, by fooling myself that I loved my fiancé. I had almost 
succeeded in fooling myself that my world revolved around him, and that 
I could not live without him. Heaven only knew what he thought of me. 
Either way, I no longer cared. I had been prepared, I had been composed, 
but the appearance of the Life Devourers, the Urameshi Team, Inori, Puu-
sama, had wrecked every carefully planned detail. Not even Shizuru had 
that effect upon me, and everyone knew just how domineering she could be 
when she was in the mood.

I smiled to myself, and replied flippantly, <The sixteen spells to open 
the portal isn't all that hard, Puu-sama.>

----You are different. You are the first of all your foremothers to open 
a portal to Meikai,----she stated flatly.

<Perhaps, but how different can I be from *her*?>

---So different that you have agreed to marry a youkai. Which is 
something Shiragiku-sama would never agree to.---

<You don't know her that well then. She had been on the verge of 
marrying Yakumo when she was banished.>

---She is the ~---

She never had the chance to finish her sentence. Death ripped across all 
mental barriers, reverberating like echoes across the dead park and 
through the city, creating what was ultimately known as pain.

Puu-sama dropped half the layered kekkai to throw shields over the 
Urameshi Team. But even then, it was too late.

Even the strongest of kekkai shattered at the death of an innocent 
bystander.

Time came to a complete standstill.

The battle halted, and repose ruled, albeit grudgingly.

I watched on with indifferent eyes.

Inori screamed her voice hoarse, grieving over the death of a close one.

Minamino-san kept his mask of complete control, inhuman amber eyes 
gleaming briefly before settling back to the impassivity he held closed 
over his heart. Locking his feelings and emotions away, locking out the 
pain at the sacrifice.

But one soul knew, and could not dismiss the pain into the Abyss even if 
her life depended on it. Her soul hung on a precarious scale, caught 
between the boundary of sanity and insanity.

Kyoei would never live the immortality that was granted if the chance 
was ever presented to her. 

Hiei-san stood unmoving, his small, lithe figure suddenly seemed frail 
and vulnerable as he stared at the sky with flat, hollow eyes. The fire 
and flames were gone, to be replaced by a look of hopelessness.

I stared straight on, fists trembling uncontrollably as Kuwabara-san's 
pain struck me.

Urameshi-san shook his head violently, trying to draw a line between the 
pain and his sense of being. Puu-sama screeched painfully, trying to 
drive away the pain and death.

She would never succeed. She was a Reikaiju, but that was as far as her 
status went. She would always be another subordinate of Reikai, of the 
world that was death and justice. The twin sister world of Meikai, the 
world of death and ultimate chaos.

Meikai was not always chaotic. There was a time when a grudging peace 
settled over the deadly, but undeniably appealing world. The beautiful, 
intricate architecture of the palaces, fountains and buildings, the 
exquisite beauty of the vivid green plains that went on for acres, made 
up for the chaos in the world. Hearts wept for the loss of the beautiful 
city, when Enma-Daioh sealed the Meikai in the Abyss.

After so long, I wondered at the fate of the legendary world that became 
the home of the Life Devourers.

<Miyu! What's going on?!> demanded Shizuru from miles away. 

The moment of repose lost and battle continued, the forces of 
destruction potent.

Blinking, I wondered why I no longer felt any emotion beyond regret at 
the loss of another life. I wondered why the sight of mindless 
destruction failed to touch my soul, as I evoked the first of the spell 
sequence.

The frames of Time continued to play.

<Death, Shizuru, death...>


...........................................


Prayer 8.1:
[Inori]


Could I weep? Could I break down and cry for Kaguya? 

Maybe I should. Maybe I should just end my life here and now, and save 
Kyoei the effort of killing me, robbing him of the satisfaction. I tried 
to cry, really weep, but the tears refuse to form, refused to fall. All 
that I could do was to scream endlessly over the loss. The loss that 
struck my heart, ripping it as my childhood friend was snatched away 
from me, from this world.

I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands, waiting for 
something, someone, to knock me senseless. To take away my pain, and 
replace it with emptiness. Someone to return Kaguya to this world, to 
*my* world, where she never would have died, where she would never be 
lost to me. 

There had to be a way. 

I didn't return to the past to witness the death of my friend. I 
returned to the past to save them, to give them a second chance. To lose 
my existence for theirs. Koenma-sama had given me everything I needed, 
wanted. This was supposed to be a mission that would end in only *my* 
death, and not hers. 

It was never meant to be hers...

I knew who I was, what I was. I knew that I was different from the 
others, for I lacked the 'yang' energy. And because of that very fact, I 
had a male Reikaiju to balance my sanity. I could become insane anytime, 
should I lose control over my mentality, and it wasn't hard. Kaguya's 
death had nearly shattered the link I had with Aoi, my dragon-born 
Reikaiju.

Just one more, just erode the link one more time and all would be lost. 
It would mean my death or Kyoei's. 

This world and the future were just too small. There just wasn't enough 
space for the both of us. There was only one resolution as far as I 
could see.

Death. Its life or mine.

I stared at my hands expressionlessly. Blood. A pool of warm, red blood 
had formed in the hollow of my palms. Whose blood was it? Mine, Kaguya's 
or Kyoei's? If it did belong to me, why didn't I feel any pain? 

Then, the truth dawned on me. I began laughing. Softly at first, then 
louder, and louder, until I thought that I had gone insane. Perhaps I 
was, perhaps I was truly mad.

I laughed because I cried. Yet, I was not crying tears. I was crying 
blood. The red liquid trickled from my eyes, down my face and continued 
to flow, staining everything it touched a beautiful, sickening dark red. 
Blood trickled from my palms and continued downwards. An image imprinted 
itself in my mind. I began wondering if I looked anything like a 
waterfall.

A waterfall of blood. My tears were blood. Blood were my tears. And I 
found it funny.

I fell into peals of laughter again. 

"Inori ~! Damn it! Hiei! Your fires scorched her eyes!" shouted Yuusuke-
senpai above the buzz in my ears. I laughed even harder. This was 
getting funnier by the second. Hiei-senpai's Kokuryuha didn't even pass 
me, so how could they scorch my eyes? I ignored the blood tears, and 
stared at Kyoei as it smirked at me. I rolled on the ground in 
uncontrollable laughter.

"Don't be an idiot! My fires kill; they don't scorch!" Hiei-senpai fired 
back. I thought his voice sounded hysterical, but he was the legendary 
Hiei, forbidden child of the Koorime. There was nothing in the world 
that was certain about him, except that he left his katana to his 
nephew. I guessed it meant that he loved his sister more than he cared 
to admit. Besides, the buzzing in my head distorted every sound that I 
heard into something funnier. Hiei-senpai's voice was one example: his 
normally deep voice switched to a Donald Duck quality-like voice 
somewhere in the middle.

"Godammit, Hiei, take a good look at her! She's bleeding blood from her 
eyes, for God's sake!"

"I know that, Yuusuke! I am *not* blind!"

"Yuusuke, the Kokuryuha didn't even touch her," interrupted Kurama-
senpai. My eyes followed one of Kyoei's tentacles, quietly watching it 
as it tried to wrap around Kurama-senpai's waist. He didn't look too 
pleased, frowning as he used a sharp-edged leaf to spar against it.

I nearly toppled back in laughter.

"Inori!" hollered Yuusuke-senpai desperately. Or did I hear wrongly 
again? No matter. I still found it hilarious.

I laughed, and laughed, until my sanity and consciousness were lost to 
everyone but me.


...........................................


Prayer 8.2:
[Hiei]


Inori cried blood. Red, crimson blood, *hers*, spilled to the ground as 
tears. I knew she was crying. I could share her anguish, I could feel 
her pain. I knew why, because the Jagan told me.

When she fell, she embedded in all our minds her grief, her sorrow. She 
embedded the kanji of 'loss' in my mind, so deeply that nothing would 
ever take it away. She wasn't just bordering the edge of insanity; she 
was on it. It was only a matter of time before she totally lost it, and 
when it did come, I could only wish to be faraway, to hide myself from 
prying eyes and mourn for *my* loss.

The one who had died, in reality, was Yukina's child. Her daughter, my 
niece. She was like my sister, marked. She was marked as the twin of a 
forbidden child, a unique youki signature that could never be confused 
with anyone or anything else. 

Somewhere at the back of my mind, I quietly admitted to myself that I 
was curious to know the fate of the other forbidden child, but grief, 
both Yukina's and mine, overwhelmed all my other senses. There was 
nothing more important than my twin, and all that I could sense from the 
link was her fragility, the unnatural calmness that she wrapped around 
herself, as though she was calling upon the very powers she commanded at 
will.

When she appeared, with S-class youki surrounding her, I wondered if I 
should start worrying. I was a forbidden child, but I was no stranger 
when it came to the basic facts about Koorime. They fed on the blood of 
males, though B-class Koorime like Yukina were usually harmless. Only 
when they turned S-class then did the danger began. They would start 
feeding on blood to sustain their S-class powers, or else, they would 
lose their lives. And blood to a Koorime was like drugs. After the first 
taste, they would hunger for more, and more, until they could no longer 
survive without it.

My sister was far too important to me to turn into one of those 
monsters. She was so innocent, so free from their taint, and damn me if 
I were ever to lose her to them.

<Yukina, what the hell do you think you're doing?!>

<I wish to avenge the death of my daughter, Oniisan.> 

<And just what do you intend to do? Turn Ningenkai into a glacier?>

<No, just the Life Devourer.>

<That is a thing, and not a ningen that you trap in ice and then drag 
him back to the Glacial Lands for the others.>

<I don't need to. It shall be my first meal.>

<Are you nuts?! You might as well let me kill you to save it the 
trouble!> I swore. She remained unmoved.

<I can, and no one may stop me. Not even you, Hiei-niisan.>

<Like you said, I don't need to. You should know better than me that 
once you've tasted blood, you're lost forever. Reikai will hunt you 
down.>

<I don't care. I have lost everything.>

<Everything?> I heard my voice crack a trifle bit. <What about Kuwabara? 
What about me?> Her words cut deeper than any knife or sword. They 
burned more than any fire, and hurt more than any wound I had ever felt. 
It seemed as though she had included me as well. 

When she hesitated, I had thought that there was a chance still. But I 
was wrong. The flicker of hope died away as quickly as it appeared, and 
Yukina was lost to me once more.

<Yes, everything.

<I have lost everything, Oniisan. I've lost my life to revenge, to the 
Life Devourer, and no one may take this vengeance away from me. 
Absolutely no one.>

She broke the link, *our* link, and all that was left were the faint 
threads that used to symbolise the closeness between us. I stared at the 
fast dissolving threads for a long moment and stood very still, as 
though my sub-conscious mind hoped that she would piece those threads 
back once again. She did not.

My Jagan hurt, as though something sharp had pierced it. And the sharp 
wrench in my heart only told me more things that I did not wish to know. 
Yukina thought that she had lost everything, but she was wrong. She 
still had Kuwabara. She still had me. But when she said those words, I 
had lost the only kin I had ever known to exist. 

Was my pain any less than hers then? I didn't know. All I knew was the 
Black Dragon screaming at me to release it. Blindly, I submitted to its 
will.

"Jaoh..."

"Ensatsu..."

"Kokuryuha ~!"

Then, all I knew was just pain taking my other pain somewhere else, 
where I no longer had to face it.


...........................................


Prayer 8.3:
[Kurama]


It was just too powerful. We could never defeat it. Even as I kept those 
thoughts from the others, I could see on their faces the tightly-lidded 
fear and the grim determination to win. But they knew as well as I did, 
that this victory would be hard to come by, and no one knew whether we 
would be able to survive.

Inori had said that we would all die on Kuwabara's wedding day. Now that 
she changed history, the order of the time flow, there was a chance that 
our deaths had been pushed forward to this day. 

And when Inori and Hiei fell, I knew that I would be next. Yuusuke would 
just have to continue the battle alone. I was more tired than I had 
initially thought. I hadn't known that the Life Devourer had taken so 
much out of me.

But I could not abandon my friend just like that. I had to do something, 
resort to the last measure if I must, if not for him or myself, then for 
the sake of my mother. She is human after all, and if the Life Devourer 
laid one finger on her...

I carefully selected a seed from my hair and gave it my youki, 
impressing upon it the need to create mass destruction on the Life 
Devourer. The seed blossomed in my hands, and before long, became the 
monster I wanted it to be. I petted it gently, then quietly commanded it 
to inflict destruction upon the Life Devourer. 

This plant would work, definitely. Apart from the fact that it was a 
native plant from Meikai, it was one that could turn a Life Devourer's 
immunity against itself. 

During my early years as a youko, my parents were the guardians of these 
plants. They were not from Meikai, but because they were renowned 
botanists in the then Four Worlds, Meikai recruited both of them to look 
after her World Flower. The plant was symbolic, because despite its 
fragility like the Ningenkai orchids, when fully grown, its pollen was 
able to paralyse a Life Devourer, if not destroy it entirely. In a 
twisted sense, its fragility was like Meikai's beauty, and the ability 
to paralyse a Life Devourer was Meikai's threatening presence to the 
other worlds.

But it was also because of these plants that my parents committed 
suicide. I would never be able to erase it from my memory, the tragic 
incident that scarred my young innocent mind. And as if to spite me, my 
parents left the Meikai Nebulae---this plant---as their final gift. When 
the last Life Devourer was sealed in the Abyss, I never thought that I 
would ever use it.

But now, I guessed the time was right. I guessed I had to use it.

I offered my hand to the Meikai Nebulae. It stood on its roots 
waveringly. I imagined it gazing at me questioningly, silently asking me 
if I were sure. 

I nodded imperceptibly, feeling my strength drain out of me. Neither of 
us moved, nor did we speak. What did happen, however, was our 
understanding of each other's predicament. Then, softly, a gentle leaf 
blade touched my wrist. 

I felt nothing when the seemingly innocent leaf blade sliced into my 
hand, drawing not one, or two drops of blood, but a thin, constant river 
on its way down my hand, watering the roots. 

If only I had another, someone who could give it a second source of 
blood. Then perhaps, the Meikai Nebulae could grow to become a mature 
plant. But for now, my blood would just have to do.

I barely felt anything when exhaustion and loss of blood overrode all my 
other senses. Then I remembered. I remembered who Koujin Miyu was. 


...........................................


Prayer 8.4:
[Yuusuke]


It happened with a snap of a finger. The kekkai surrounding the battle 
zone broke under pressure, and as though I had just regained my sight, I 
noticed the 'black' areas had increased, spread beyond the park. We had 
pushed the Life Devourer back, further away from the shielded area.

At that moment, I realised our mistake. But it was too late. All had 
fallen, even Miyu, who had done practically nothing. She had fallen 
after Kurama summoned his plant, after it attacked him. I would have 
blasted it then and there, that was, until I saw the serene look on my 
friend's face. He seemed to be telling me not to worry, that he would be 
all right. There was nothing I could do, and so I took his word. 

As for Miyu, she had slid quietly to the ground. I didn't notice it 
immediately; it took the dark sky, combined with thunder and lightning 
for me look up. It took a thick, heavy, dark mist to surround her before 
I noticed her existence. Not that I didn't before, just that at that 
very moment, I noticed that half the multiple kekkai was put up by her.

She wasn't as weak as I had thought. The truth to be said, when I first 
met her, I had regarded her as just another woman the Urameshi Team had 
the luck to run into. I had thought that she was like Shizuru and Botan 
who could only sit at the flanks and watch us fight. 

I would only learn how dangerously powerful she was later in life.

But at present, I only understood one thing: I was alone in this fight 
with Puu. My friends had fallen and that Thing had to be stopped one way 
or the other. I could not allow my friends' efforts to go down the 
drain.

I summoned the last of my strength, supported by Puu, and struck.


...........................................


Prayer 8.5:
[Kuwabara]


Dazed. The only word that could possibly describe my present condition. 
I was completely dazed. 

I had just witnessed the death of Yukina's daughter, our daughter, and 
all that I could do was to sit here and stare at the sky unfeelingly, 
completely trapped in my own fantasy world. 

How long had it been since I snapped out of the illusion? Ten minutes? 
Thirty? An hour? I lost track of time, I did not keep track of time. 
Because, no matter how much time might have passed, I would still be 
mourning for the daughter I never knew, for the girl who was the child 
of Yukina-san and I. 

I felt disgusted with myself. Hiei had been right: I was a fool, and a 
great big one at that. I had been blind to everything but the illusion, 
created by my own fantasies. And it had cost me one of the most 
important, irreplaceable factors in my life. It had cost me my daughter.

If she could hear me, if her soul was still around to hear my words, I 
would like to apologise to her, as well as to wish her bon voyage. I 
promised to be a better father next time, if there ever was one.

I wondered if Botan had taken Kaguya to Reikai yet. Maybe, or maybe not. 
My daughter fell and disappeared. There had been no sign of Botan 
anywhere. And if she was anywhere near, I would have known. She would be 
all over me, predicably hammering me with her oar along with Oneesan for 
being so stupid. 

But they weren't. They were somewhere else, far, far away. They were 
lost. They were all lost to me. Either that, or *I* had lost them. 

<Yukina-san, please forgive me. It's my fault that our daughter 
died...if only I had believed her words...forgive me, both of you...>


...........................................


Prayer 8.6:
[Yukina]


I found him lying on the ground, eyes wide open and glazed over. He was 
staring at the orange-pink sky, a look of pure pain etched on his 
familiar, not-handsome, but warm face. His usual animated features were 
dull, lacking of light, as though he had witnessed a tragedy. He had, in 
fact. He had witnessed the death of our daughter.

Forever and ever, he would always bear the pain of losing his daughter 
in his eyes. I knew that just by looking at his limp figure. Maybe it 
was due to the fact that he was my pillar, and I was his.

We shared a bond that was so different from others. We shared a special 
closeness that was different from the one I had with my brother. Perhaps 
it was what a ningen called love. 

Oniisan was probably very upset over the way I cut the link, but there 
was no other way. He would continue to try and dissuade me, and I could 
not obey him in that area. I could no longer sit by and watch them fight 
as though it was none of my business. Kamisama knew how many times they 
had done that in the past, but this time, it was different. I had a 
stake on it, and it wasn't my life. It was the life of a child who would 
be ours.

I never knew that life had such sorrows that hurt so much. I knew what 
was pain, during the time when I was Tarukane's prisoner. He had 
tortured me, wringing my tears to feed his wealth. I remembered how it 
hurt when he killed everyone who tried to help me, who comforted me even 
when things looked bleak. And not even the fact that my brother hid his 
identity from me for so long had been that painful. It had not been a 
powerful snow blizzard turning my heart into an ice block. It had not 
turned me to a Koorime who needed blood, a trait that belonged to my 
kind. I had always hated it, even till now.

But as soon as this was over, I would be gone. I would never be able to 
wed Kazuma-san, because I would have to return to the Glacial Lands. I 
would be an S-class Koorime who needed blood, and Ningenkai would no 
longer be welcoming to me. I would take a position among the elders, and 
tempt men into the Glacial Lands to satisfy my thirst for fresh blood. A 
curse that I would have to bear in return for my S-class abilities.

To look for my brother and for myself, I had chosen to seal up my 
natural S-class abilities. I had Yui-san to place wards over me, to trap 
those abilities. It wasn't that I was powerless. But now, I had a 
mission, had a revenge that needed to be extacted.

Should I explain this to Kazuma-san first, or should I let Oniisan do 
it?


...........................................

Prayer 8.0 - 8.6 ~ End


Author's Notes: I keep having this innate feeling that I'm being a tad 
too long-winded...better figure out a way to get out of this mess 
relatively unscathed...


- End Part -


Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Inori

	- by Melissa Koh: safyre@jade-court.darkgod.net -
	- website: http://safyre.tsx.org -


Prayer 9.0:
[Kuwabara]


"I understand, Yukina-san."

There was a time when these words would have broken my heart, leaving me 
shattered. There was a time when this sentence would have killed me on 
the spot.

But all I felt was weariness. I was drained of strength, of emotion. 
Even if someone hammered me into the ground, I would feel nothing.

But I was still sane. I was still in control. I could understand the 
situation, I could still remember the pain I had been through, but 
despite all that, I was detached. My mind was clear. Crystal clear.

I knew that the Life Devourer had to be defeated. We, Yukina-san and I, 
we had to avenge our daughter. 

Even if Yukina-san would leave for the Glacial lands after this, I would 
always love her. Kaguya would always be our daughter, even if Yukina 
could never be my wife.

She knew me so well. I looked up at her and smiled bravely, letting my 
love for her show one last time. This would be the end.

She extended her hand towards me, smiling encouragingly. Her eyes 
glimmered, then slowly, tear gems rolled down. Three clinks on the 
ground, then stopped. I reached for the one nearest to me, fingering it 
gently before placing in on my palm. 

The rainbow colours played about, swirling in disordered spirals in the 
pinkish light. I held it for a long moment, thinking.

Beautiful, transparent and perfect. 

Just like Yukina-san. 

I stared at it for a long moment, before tilting my head. 

Smiling, burying my heartache else where, I asked:

"May I have this tear gem?"

She understood what I meant. She nodded briefly, giving her consent. 
Impulsively, I embraced her. 

For a moment, she did not react. Then, hesitantly, her arms encircled my 
waist, drawing us tightly together.

I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent for the last 
time.

If Hiei could see us, I seriously doubt that I would be standing still. 

But he wasn't, and may he never find out. 

Reluctantly, I pushed her away. We had other important matters at hand, 
and could not allow my feelings to obstruct them any longer. 

I knelt down and gazed deeply into the pink pools of her eyes. I 
blinked, clearing the mists that were gathering.

This would be the last time I ever loved, the last time I would ever 
tell anyone:

"Aishiteru, Yukina. Anata o aishiteru."


...........................................


Prayer 9.1:
[Miyu]


Shiragiku.

Koujin Miyu.

Two names, two lives, but one soul. 

I held both identities, my past and my present, melded together until it 
was near impossible to differentiate one from the other. But no one 
truly knew that I was Shiragiku.

Not even Reikai.

<You're wrong, Shiragiku. I know who you are.>

I knew this voice. She was from a distant past, when I was Shiragiku. 
She followed me into the present time, watching over me like the Mother 
she was. But she was never my mother.

She was Koenma's mother. Mother of Earth.

She was everywhere, watching everyone. The Urameshi Team, her son 
and...me.

"Knowing who I am wouldn't help much now, Your Ladyship."

Was that the way I addressed her previously? I no longer remembered. 
Shiragiku and her memories were never meant to be remembered. She was 
gone and would stay that way. 

I had hoped that was the case, but fate had a funny way of teasing 
people. 

I remembered my past, or at least, most of them. Memories were never 
complete, and I chose to forget most of them. Since it was impossible, 
now that fate was against me, I forgot whatever I could.

And hopefully, one day, even myself.

<You have forgotten much, Shiragiku. You have forgotten how much you 
meant to Koenma-chan.>

My smile was contrite. 

"Your Ladyship, I chose to reincarnate and start my life anew, not to 
hold onto the past and bear the memories of my exile."

<I'm sorry that it had to happen. But it was necessary to maintain the 
Balance.>

"I'm not bothered by that. I know what would happen if I had married 
Yakumo then."

<Then why do you continue to be so bitter?>

My smile became wry.

"Who wouldn't? Fate has chosen to return me my memories, but there are 
holes. I can remember that I loved Yakumo, but I cannot understand why I 
loved him. I didn't hate him then, I don't hate him now. But what hurts 
me most is that Fate and Reikai have taken away my right to remember my 
love for him. They made sure that this incarnation would never remember 
how Shiragiku loved him. They robbed me of my feelings."

<They have a duty to the Worlds. If it means taking away your love, then 
so be it. You should know that, Shiragiku.>

"Knowing doesn't help at all. I felt Yakumo's death. I felt it tear my 
heart. But even then, I could not summon the strength to weep, to mourn 
for him. Fate and Reikai do not have this right. They do not have the 
right to create a living hell for anyone."

<Your reincarnation was earlier than expected. We---They wanted you to 
be ready for the erosion of the barrier.>

"The barrier has been eroded."

<You did it. You used the forbidden spells. When you knew you would 
fail, that unless you become Shiragiku once more, you would never be 
able to withstand the sixteen sequences. You lied to Puu, yourself and 
so many others. Was it worth it, to destroy yourself like that?>

I closed my eyes. 

"Maybe. I want to release Jashin, that's all."

<Jashin? Your brother?!>

"His sister is dead, and will stay dead. He will destroy everything in 
revenge. Including Kyoei."

<What about Inori? What about the dreams of the future? Your students? 
They do not deserve this! For their sake, and the love of Ningenkai, 
stop him! Pick up the oar once more and become Shiragiku.>

"I cannot, Your Ladyship. I cannot summon my oar to assist those who 
have betrayed me."

<...You once swore to protect Ningenkai...do you retract the same vow 
now?

<Do not destroy everything for your vengeance. You will only hurt 
yourself in the end.>

Hurt myself? It was a joke. I had been hurt beyond all healing. Over the 
years, the pain numbed, and I learnt that ignorance was the only way to 
stop myself from being hurt any further.

<I'm asking you to spare a thought for Koenma. To spare a thought for 
the millions of lives in your hands, for Botan, Inori, and Kurama.>

A moment of silence ensued. What could I say? What could I do?

<By snapping out of this. You are Koujin Miyu, but you are also 
Shiragiku. This is your expertise. Help them. Help Koenma to stop this. 
Help save Ningenkai.>

Slowly, I stood up, and stared at the empty plain that lay spread before 
me.

In my mind's eye, I witnessed flashbacks. My past, present and future. I 
saw Inori and Yuusuke, their life-forces entwined together in an 
intricate web. 

They faced each other, both bearing the same proud, delicate features, 
the same pair of eyes. Staring at each other relentlessly, neither one 
willing to give in.

Then, both blinked simultaneously. 

The web merged to form a single, unique thread in history. Inori became 
Yuusuke; Yuusuke became Inori. It made no difference. They were one.

Before, I only knew that Yuusuke was important to Inori's existence, but 
the knowledge was taken for granted. Through this vision, I truly 
understood the complexity of the web.

"You understand it now."

She appeared in a thin cloud of mist, a warm smile playing on her lips 
as she extended her hands in my direction.

And in them, an oar, shimmering white in the darkness, greeted me. 

I came face to face with...myself. Or was she?

"I am you, but a different part. I am the part whom you have denied for 
so long. Now, I appear before you and ask you."

A momentary silence lapsed between us as I observed her.

"Yes?"

She giggled, lowering her eyelids coyly.

"Do you accept me? Do you accept me as part of you?"

I did not reply; even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Instead, I stared at 
the oar for a long moment.

Tentatively, I reached for it, apprehensive.

I ran my fingers over the delicate engravings, marvelling at the 
familiarity that struck me. My hands closed around the wooden length.

Blinded by an indescribable light, I disappeared.


...........................................


Prayer 9.2:
[Botan]


I stood up with a jerk and stared at the pink sky in disbelief.

I felt her presence, her return to Reikai. 

Keiko stared at me strangely, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"Botan, why do you look so happy?"

It took me a moment to realise how wide my grin was, but I didn't care. 
I grabbed the Book of Records and tossed it into the air playfully. 

I didn't need it anymore. Not that it mattered; everything written on it 
was erased without a backup copy. Reikai might have to start scribing 
the Records right from the beginning.

But that wasn't the point. I wasn't going to sing with joy over it.

I jumped on Keiko and embraced her tightly. My eyes stung, and my cheeks 
were wet, but I didn't care. I couldn't find the time to wipe the tears 
away, not when luck was on our side. Not when I needed to show the world 
how happy I was.

"Keiko, the Urameshi Team won't lose. Yuusuke will never lose. The 
Records will be scribed from the top again, but Yuusuke won't lose. I 
promise you."

How could we possibly lose now that Shiragiku was back?


...........................................


Prayer 9.3:
[Koenma]


This was surely a joke, a mistake on my part...but...could it be?

"Denka, wake up. We don't have all the time in the world to wait for 
you."

I jolted to a sitting position, and stared blankly before me. I tried to 
say something, but emotion clogged my throat. She knelt on the ground, 
her long tresses pulled back to half ponytail. The rest of her hair 
draped past her shoulder and down her back, while side-locks and her 
long fringe framed the rest of her face, bringing out her high 
cheekbones.

Bright blue eyes gazing at me. 

My eyes were playing tricks on me. She couldn't possibly be here, not 
when Reikai banished her. This had to be another one of Kyoei's 
illusions. 

But...she was too real...too much like *her*...

"If you think that I'm one of Kyoei's illusions, I'm going to hit you 
hard. And don't think just because you're Koenma-sama, you can get away 
with it." She playfully tapped my nose with a long finger, just like 
what she used to do when we were back in Reikai. 

The odd familiarity of the gesture almost started the tears.

I opened my mouth wide, trying to speak. Words seemed to desert me, and 
all I could do is watch her. 

Gently, but firmly, she pulled me up; leaning on her for support seemed 
the only way to stand at all. 

Yet, despite my disbelief, something in my chest surged, crying to be 
heard.

I found my voice at last.

"Shiragiku? Shira-neechan?"

"Hai, Denka. I'm back. Aren't you going to welcome me?" Her smile set 
playfully on her blood-red lips; wide eyes gazing at me with guileless 
query.

"Uh...welcome back?"

She shook her head, eyes bright with mirth. 

"Denka, sometimes, you can be so dense. Now snap out of it. I need you 
to jolt Inori awake, before she decides to kill herself."

I gazed at her, blinking in bewilderment.

"In fact, I need you to jerk everyone awake," she continued casually, my 
confusion unnoticed.

Then I looked up, and realised what she meant.

We had Inori, Kurama and Hiei down. Puu tried to defend Yuusuke as much 
as she could, but both Reikaiju and Soulbond were weakening rapidly. 
Kuwabara and Yukina were trying their best, but Kuwabara's A-class 
powers were no match against an S-class. 

Worst of all, Yukina was currently an S-class and had had yet to feed. 
Without blood, she couldn't possibly sustain her S-class powers for 
long, and eventually, might even drain her completely dry. 

But if she feeds, she would be a pure Koorime. She would have two 
choices left then: either be hunted down by the Reikai Investigators, or 
return to the Glacial Lands peacefully.

Then what would happen to Kuwabara? What would happen to their wedding?

The situation was not just bad, but terrible. 

"Denka, the situation *will* be worse if you don't snap out of your 
reverie soon," said Shira-neechan crisply, all business-like now.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know anything!" I sucked at my 
pacifier furiously, unable to come up with a better solution.

I didn't like Shira-neechan when she was all business. She was scary.

She stared at Kurama's prone form, a faraway look in her eyes. I stared 
at Inori, and wondered how could the future send a *child* to do this? 
Even Botan would have made a better choice. She was at least respected 
by the others.

But then, if Botan did pass the Gates, she would never exist. 

Inori had only one chance to change the future. After that, it would be 
impossible for her to remain in any of the worlds.

My heart wrenched painfully at the thought. Why?

"Denka, you need only do three things: wake them up, save Ningenkai and 
close the Time Gates. We can't let the time flow be disrupted. We've 
wasted enough time already. By the time this is over, we would've missed 
the wedding."

The wedding. The very mention was enough to remind me that Yukina and 
Kuwabara could never be together. Unless someone intervened. 

But who would? I couldn't name one. 

She began walking towards the fallen.

"You're asking a lot." My voice quivered. From weakness, I guessed. 

Shira-neechan gave a backward glance.

"Then pray that we succeed. If we lose, it's the last time we ever 
lose."


...........................................


Prayer 9.4:
[Kurama]


Something was poking me. And it hurt. A *lot*.

It was expected, since it was my wrist, my *wound* someone was poking.

I sat up, screaming in pain and anger.

"Can't anyone die peacefully *without* some asshole trying to torment 
him?!" I demanded, all my pain, frustrations and despair thrown into my 
voice. A woman bent over me, watching me in curiosity. She observed me 
for a moment longer, then blinked and straightened her back. 

"He's back. I'm pleased to announce that some sort of blockade has been 
placed over Reikai. His soul's staying for all he's worth."

"...What do I care? His life and death is none of my business," said 
Hiei, blurring into view. He stood beside the woman---Miyu, I 
remembered---and scowled. But beneath that scowl, I saw fatigue and 
pain. Perhaps a tinge of desperation as well.

Miyu sighed and tossed back her hair...how did her hair grow so long? 
She looked as though she just stepped out of the Heian Period.

"I know you're upset, but if you're going to kill yourself anyway, at 
least do it out of my sight. I don't want to see a patient dying in 
front of me after I spent so much effort trying to heal him."

"Shut up, woman. No one asked you to heal me," growled Hiei, eyes 
flashing with fury. I almost began worrying, though for whom, I wasn't 
sure.  

"Someone did. And I doubt your sister would be happy..."

Hiei's eyes flashed angrily, then went dark. He looked away, trembling 
uncontrollably as he clenched his fists. 

I watched on, fascinated.

"She's not my sister, and if you speak one more time, I'll kill you." He 
walked away, smashing a tree trunk as he disappeared into the woods. I 
winced. The tree was dead, but still, it hurt. 

Even if Hiei was furious, he needn't have done that.

But at least we were safe from the worst of the battle.

Which started me thinking. Where was I? 

"We're still in the battle zone, but further away. Yukina-san, Urameshi-
san, Kuwabara-san and Denka are doing their best. The Meikai Nebulae was 
brilliant, but dangerous. Kyoei was weakened, but still going strong," 
said Miyu absently, turning her attention to Inori. Koenma hovered 
beside her, gazing at the girl's broken form with undisguised worry.

"She isn't waking up at all," muttered Koenma, stating the obvious.

"Give her time. At least time's on our side, in a twisted sense," 
offered Miyu almost cheerily, wiping the blood stains from Inori's 
cheeks.

I stared at the fallen figure, and shivered involuntarily.

Wasn't there anything that could defeat the monster? I slumped on the 
ground, deflated. 

What was Yukina doing here at all? And why did Hiei say that Yukina 
wasn't his sister? What was going on?

My head throbbed violently at all the questions.

Energy hummed in the air, announcing the presence of something powerful. 
Dark, evil, and the scent of rotting death smothered me.

The energy of another Life Devourer. 

The last of my defences fell away. The hysterical urge to scream was 
near impossible to suppress. I breathed in deeply, desperate to calm my 
nerves while observing the rest of the party.

Koenma rose to his feet, his stance guarded and eyes narrowed, but 
unnaturally calm. As though this was just another usual occurrence.

Miyu rose to her feet and gazed into the distance dreamily, her ice-blue 
eyes clouded with recognition.

"Oniisama..."

I froze. Elder Brother?! It had to be a sick joke. 

No, it was a living nightmare.


...........................................


Prayer 9.5:
[Hiei]


My fist throbbed, slowly swelling into a pinkish-red shade.

But my fist wasn't the only one that hurt. My heart was near shattering.

Finding Yukina had been my goal years ago. When I found her, I struggled 
with myself, whether to acknowledge her or just leave it be. My promise 
to Shigure was just an excuse. Over the years, I found more, but always, 
I was tempted to confess to her.

When she found out, I didn't know what to do or feel. It came so 
suddenly that I had no time to think. But I loved her. I didn't want to 
see her hurt.

I tried my best to deny it, but the others, they thought they knew 
better. I couldn't blame them at all because it was my fault. If only I 
had contained my jealousy, the fool would never have guessed the truth. 
Then Yukina wouldn't have known that I was her brother.

Loving her had made me stronger, but weakened me as well. By loving her, 
I had a goal in life, and that was to protect my twin. With this 
determination, I overcame obstacles to become as strong as I possibly 
could. Everything I did was to protect her. When I lost her, I lost 
everything as well.

"Get a life, Hiei, get a life. She doesn't need you anymore." My voice 
echoed in the emptiness, reminding me of the gape in my heart. Echoing 
the bitterness, the pain and the sorrow.

Where were they? I had been walking in a straight line. That woman 
couldn't possibly have dragged us else where. Or could she? 

I didn't understand her. One moment, she was stifling all her powers, 
and the next, she was blowing them like there was no tomorrow.

Maybe she was right. Maybe there was no tomorrow.

A shriek of terror shattered the silence. I ran in the direction of the 
shriek, praying that my speed would be enough.

That voice...belonged to Yukina.

I couldn't lose her. No matter what, she was still my twin.

"YUKINA ~!!"

<Wait for me. I'm coming now. Don't leave me...>

<Please...>


...........................................


Prayer 9.0 - 9.5 ~ End

Author's Notes: After dishing out this part, the following chapters are 
most probably going to fall apart around me...not an intriguing 
prospect...<muttermutter>

Completed: 11/10/1998

First Editing: 21/10/1998


- End Fic -