Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. I only own my OC and the bizarre plot you're about to indulge in ^^

Wow, okay, I just need a moment to process that I'm ACTUALLY working on the sequel to The Demon Journal! I've been waiting for this moment since the first time I had Kurama alluding to stuff about his past that he wouldn't further discuss, acknowledging it as being unimportant or just saying nothing at all. In any case…here we are! Finally! I had hoped to start this back in the summer, but hey, that's okay. After all, part of the delay was planning, and part of it was editing TDJ (the 2011 to 2018 gap is pretty big and my writing changed immensely since the beginning of my writing days). Better late than never!

Before we start, I couldn't respond to the most recent (back in August) guest review on TDJ. To kraison black, if you're reading this, I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and I hope you can find your way to this one. I actually had started the story back in 2011 and finished it in 2018, so I am definitely still around. I do make it a point to read all the reviews and at least try to respond to them (with guest reviewers, especially on a completed story, it's a bit harder). Anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you get a chance to read this one as well.

Okay, I'm really excited about this. ONWARD!

Backstage, pacing back and forth, Kaili tried to take a deep breath to center herself. All of this was completely new to her, and soon she would become a public face. A chuckle alerted her, her eyes traveling over to her husband, a warm smile on his face as he leaned against a table of food. He pushed himself up, walking over to his wife and entrapping her in his arms.

"There's no reason to be nervous," he whispered fondly in her ear. "You're going to be great."

Kaili grimaced and shook her head. "You don't know that. I can choke. Why did I ever agree to this?"

Kurama tried not to find amusement in the woman's plight, but it was impossible. Shortly after Kaili had sent her book to an editor, she and Shuichi had married, right before graduation. It led to less judgement from the school and their classmates. The babies were born shortly after, their beautiful twins, Souta and Hana. It had been one of the happiest days in the parents' lives.

Souta resembled Kurama greatly, save the color of his hair. His pointed features, including striking green eyes with flecks of gold inside, and brownish-red hair like that of his Uncle Chris's made the child stand out. From day one, Kurama knew he'd have to watch over this boy. After all, he was a highly aware baby, and though he didn't talk, Kurama knew he was the one behind the twins' delayed birth.

Hana was a beautiful as her mother, with beautiful brown hair and seafoam green eyes. She was like any other baby out there, but she also had a serenity about her. It was rare when she cried, something that the parents were thankful. She adored all her family members and their friends, and she was always going over to try to get her fairly stoic older brother to crack a grin. Sometimes, she managed. Their daughter was just too precious.

During that time, Kaili's book was published. The Demon Journal had become a popular, overnight best-seller. The woman tried to remain hidden in the shadows, but it was difficult. Despite only using her first initial, K. Minamino was well-known thanks to Hatanaka's business. Kurama had joined Hatanaka at his corporation, becoming quite the businessman. His tactics and strategies as Youko actually helped his stepfather acquired more business, though Kurama was for more honest than he had been back in the day, yet still just as cutthroat. His shrewd ability to read people and his daring ways became an asset for the company. He had made a name for himself, and of course that meant he went to many gatherings with his wife. It didn't take people long to connect that Kaili, the wife of Shuichi Minamino, was the author of everyone's favorite read. Honestly, the only reason she agreed to an interview was because one of the businessmen owned the television station.

She had never been on interview before, though she had done the occasional book signing. There wasn't much more they needed to do. Between the profits from her book and Kurama's status at the company, they were fairly wealthy, giving when they could to charities and raising their children not to be greedy as their father once had been (Kurama had insisted on that lesson from the very beginning). Still, the children wanted for nothing, receiving love and affection from their parents as they aged. They were happy, healthy, and had food and a beautiful home. There was not much more the family could want than that.

Of course, almost ten years had passed since their somewhat humble beginnings.

"And now, we're going to talk with the lovely author of The Demon Journal herself," the spokeswoman declared. "Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Kaili Minamino!"

Loud applause can be heard, and Kaili tensed in Kurama's arms, looking up to her mate with deer-in-headlights eyes. The redhead chuckled and shook his head at her ridiculousness. This woman had seen hellish things in her teenaged years, and yet this made her paralyzed with fear. "You're on. Don't worry; I'll be right here."

Kaili relaxed and smiled before taking a deep breath. She made her way to the stage quickly.

Out on the stage, the anchorwoman bantered with Kaili a bit, making the woman feel a bit more comfortable before the interview started. Once Kaili relaxed, the big questions started coming out. Mainly, they wanted to know where the girl was from, what her home life was like, and where she had ever gotten the inspiration for such an enthralling story.

"Well, I grew up in Italy," Kaili explained simply. "Of course, home life for me was complicated, as it is with most families nowadays. My mother had move me and my brother here to Japan, and I went to Meiou High School, which is where I met my first boyfriend and my loving husband, Shuichi."

"That's so sweet," the woman praised, a kind smile on her face. "Now, about the inspiration… Everyone has been wondering this for the past few years, but did you get your ideas from the increase in demon activity the people have been complaining over since the last five years?"

Kaili mentally laughed at that. Her book hadn't been published for five years since its submission, and honestly the integration of demons in Human World society had been happening since then. Of course, no one knew what went into all of the politics as she had. They had no idea that her book was more like a memoir, an actual historical account on how the last five years came to be. It all started ten years prior.

"Actually," Kaili responded, "I started writing The Demon Journal when I was in high school, so that material was completely unrelated to the recent reports." Well, not completely unrelated, but still…

Kurama was waiting for her backstage, leaning against the wall, listening intently and finding amusement in the little white lies Kaili told. She had certainly come a long way since the day he first met her. Honestly, lying still was not in her nature, but she didn't feel immense guilt or trepidation over keeping his secrets from his family or slightly misleading society as she was doing now. Some more questions were asked, like the inspiration of the names, and Kurama nearly paled when she said the name idea came from her husband.

What she added, though, calmed him. She merely stated that it was the initials of their names that inspired Sadie's and Kurama's names, "K" for Kaili and "S" for Shuichi. Surprisingly, that was something Kurama had never noticed when reading her story. His wife was surely a wily one, especially when she cast him that knowing smile when she came back after the interview. She knew she had made him sweat.

He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on coolly and approached her, a loving smile on his face. "So, how'd I do?" she had asked him.

"It was perfect," he assured her. "Nice save on the truth, my chiisai ran. Your book, after all, was inspired by our past which did lead to these increased sightings."

Kaili grinned asking him how the guys were since he had come from his other job, one his family save Kaili, their children, and, surprisingly, Chris, did not know. Once humans were aware that demons walked among them, they grew fearful and judged the demons even though most had yet to cause any trouble. After all, King Enki had outlawed evil towards humankind. These integrating demons were just trying to coexist, and yet humans were the ones trying to frame them causing Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama to open a detective agency of sorts.

It all started a month after Yusuke returned from Demon World. There was a start of the sightings, demons entering Human World freely. Despite the fact that full integration didn't start until five years later, this was the very beginning. Yusuke owned a food cart, a ramen stand, a very popular one at that. Who knew behind that bad boy, reckless attitude, there was a culinary genius? Even his mother was surprised, and she became one of his most loyal patrons.

His ramen stand was a front from his "problem solving" business. He used the skills he acquired from Spirit World and his days as a spirit detective so that he could handle any spiritual or demonic matters. After all, he was the catalyst for this change, and he wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly. One day, Keiko visited him, the woman becoming a teacher at her all-girls' high school. There were students complaining about a haunted room, and she wanted Yusuke to check it out.

There were random footprints that appeared and the girls were terrified, but Yusuke hadn't sensed any demonic energy at all. After he declared this, everything went crazy. The girls claimed to be grabbed and prints appeared everywhere. Keiko asked Yusuke if he was certain it wasn't a demon. That's when he decided to call on Kurama for assistance. Even he agreed it wasn't a demon. After all, Yusuke didn't sense any inkling of demon energy whatsoever, and it was not something he would miss. Whoever the prankster had to be, he or she was human.

It turned out to be one of the girls all along with the help of her volleyball friends. With the slight increase in demonic energy, those with spiritual awareness detected it. The girl was no exception, and so to rid of her roommate/teammate, she frightened the girl away. Well, Yusuke and Kurama set a trap for her, a real demon terrifying her. She would never do that again.

Surprisingly enough, this wasn't the only time something like that happened. As the years went on, humans did not want demons walking among them. They would frame beings who became their neighbors in more gruesome and sadistic ways. Some of these demons now had human families and offspring, and they were being put on trial for crimes they did not commit. It sickened Yusuke and Kurama, and even Kuwabara was getting irritated. By day, they'd have their normal day jobs, the food cart, Hatanaka's business, and Kuwabara becoming a doctor. By night, after Yusuke closed down the fort, they were out there protecting the balance between the three worlds, bringing the true culprits to justice. Old habits really did die hard. Because of their services, they kept a close relationship with Spirit World.

"Mama, papa!" Hana cried when the couple walked through the door. She practically charged at her parents, nearly knocking her mother down. A bright, beaming smile flashed over her face.

"Hey, baby," Kaili greeted warmly, lifting her daughter into her arms. "Were you and your brother good for grandma?"

"They were," Kaili's mother's voice rang. The older woman walked out from the living room, moving to give her daughter and son-in-law hugs.

"Sophia," Kurama greeted. "I thought you and Sebastian were leaving town today."

"We are," Sophia replied, "but he has some business to take care of at the office, and they promised if he did that they would leave us alone while we're on our trip."

Ah, their trip, Kaili thought, quietly reminiscing over how her family had changed over the years. After so many years, her parents had been happier, her father never relapsing to his horrid past persona. Surprisingly, she and Shuichi had become very close with her parents. Sebastian had been so welcoming to Kurama, and it was easy for the former demon thief to be around those who knew of his identity. They spent some of the holidays with her parents and Chris, Chris and Shuichi becoming even closer since the beginning. As for her parents, they had been thankful to Shuichi for what they had done for the family. About a year earlier, Sebastian and Sophia Lattanzi remarried. It was a small ceremony, much like Kurama's mother's wedding. Only family and close friends were invited, including the spirit detective gang. Kaili and Shuichi would always be close to their friends, all of them becoming aunts and uncles to their kids. Kaili still kept her father at a slight arm's length, but their relationship had improved immensely as well. There were stil times she couldn't get past the hateful feelings he once held towards her and her mate.

Anyway, Kaili's father had taken up an honest living, using the business skills he acquired much like Kurama had. He was a supervisor at one of Hatanaka's sister companies, and he did well there. Since he had started a new career, though, the couple had not been able to have their honeymoon. They were finally going to get some well-deserved time together.

Sophia turned to her daughter and grinned. "I saw the interview. You were wonderful, Kaili."

Kaili blushed over the praise, mumbling a quiet, "Thanks, mom."

"Christopher told me he was coming over tonight," the mother continued. "I wish your father and I could celebrate with you."

"That's all right, mom," Kaili assured her. "You and dad deserve this. Besides, this wasn't that big of a deal. You guys were there for the party Yusuke and Keiko threw when the book actually got published."

"Fair enough," Sophia agreed, before her attention turned to her granddaughter. "I love you, sweetie. I'll see you when we get back."

"Okay, Nanny!" Hana chimed happily before running off to occupy herself. That's when Sophia's expression darkened and Kurama asked her the question on his mind.

"Where is Souta?"

Sophia's worried eyes met her son-in-law's. "Honestly, I don't understand it," she explained. "Earlier today, we were watching their favorite show, and then his expression grew dark and cold. I've never seen that look on his face, and it worried me. When I asked him what was wrong, he very plainly told me it was nothing, and then he's been holed up in his room ever since. Hana didn't seem bothered, but I am. I really hope nothing is wrong."

"He may have had a premonition," Kaili told her mother. She looked to her husband. "You should go and talk to him. He discusses those with you more than me." Kurama nodded and took for his son's room. Kaili set her sights on her mother and smiled, hoping to change the subject, saying, "So, about your honeymoon…"

Kurama stood outside of his son's room, his gaze hardened and stoic. Souta, as he grew older, proved to him and Kaili that the boy had very strong spiritual awareness and even some demon energy. Like his father, he could control plants. He also had strong premonitions. Hana got them too, but not as often or as fiercely as her brother. It was like Souta could sense the happenings of Demon World, and that worried Kurama greatly. The little girl, Souta admitted, was the one having the premonitions in utero, and it alerted him to use his demonic aura to delay their growth and keep them safe. They could communicate through a mental link that they still had as children, although Hana did not remember anything from their time before the birth where Souta retained his memories.

Both children were intelligent, though Souta was cold and calculating as Kurama was, though he did still secretly enjoy being babied by his mother and grandmothers. Hana was the friendly and outgoing one of the bunch and very studious. Still, she was reserved around strangers who approached her, having a certain distrust that she was too young to understand.

The first year of the twins' life, where Kurama and Kaili were still in high school, had been challenging. Balancing being parents, students, and such, they had gotten married when they both had turned eighteen. At first, the school as a whole was not as supportive of the teenagers, Kaili pregnant at sixteen, thinking them to still be immature children. Certain teachers, though, were very understand and could see just how mature the teenagers were to handle all of the stress together. They went easy on them at times.

Their wedding was wonderful, a very happy memory. It was when they children turned two, and Hana was now highly aware of what was happening. Their little ones were already talking. Then Kurama had attended college and taken that desk job at Hatanaka's company. Eventually, every employee could see Kurama's merciless demeanor and sneaky yet beneficial business pitches, how convincing he could be. He wasn't malicious, but he knew how to work people. Everyone convinced Hatanaka to make him his vice president, and his stepfather didn't take much convincing.

Kurama still hadn't told anyone in his family about his true identity and past, but Kaili's family and their children knew the truth. At times, especially when the second Demon World Tournament took place, the Lattanzis covered for them. Souta and Hana didn't understand why their father kept so many secrets. It led to a strange balance of trust and distrust between the two men. It was why Souta would tell Kurama all about his premonitions, yet he would only go to Kaili for everything else. Kurama tried to be as honest with his son as possible, and as he aged and matured, there was more understanding for why Kurama did the things he did. Their relationship was improving each and every day.

"Souta," he called into the room.

Moments later, green eyes peered back at him as Souta opened the door, his eyes filled with worry and fear, but his expression completely expressionless. "Father."

"Another premonition?" Kurama asked, cutting straight to the point. He saw his son flinch, the emotions flickering across his face before the boy sighed and stepped away from the door. The fox demon entered, eyeing his son's room. He kept it so neat and tidy, unlike his sister's room which was a disaster area filled with toys and Legos. "Talk to me."

Souta sat in his desk chair, his father sitting at the foot of his bed. The nine year old nodded, a frown marring his features. "I felt something," he admitted to the man. "It was an energy, familiar yet not at the same time."

Kurama's mind immediately flashed to his old thieving partner. "Is it Yomi?"

Souta shook his head. "I mean, he's involved somehow, too. I know I never met him, but he was the one my premonition was about last time, right?"

Yomi was. Back at the second DWT, Yomi had tried to make an attempt on Mukuro's life in the round where they fought. It wasn't illegal to kill an opponent, but his reasons were simple. His old partner had never fully given up hope of "unifying" Demon World. Mukuro rather enjoyed the peaceful rule and planned to keep the laws from Enki's reign alive. The last opponent would be Yusuke, and if Yomi had killed Mukuro, he would have ended up being the new ruler. Of course, Mukuro was prepared, and she blocked Yomi's attack. Yusuke then fought the woman until he was exhausted, and the half-human bowed out gracefully, looking forward to her three year rule.

Of course, Souta had sensed something were to happen, and he called his father to warn him. Kurama had seen the docket. He warned Mukuro about Yomi's plan, and the woman took his warning to heart. She could have been ill-prepared otherwise. With Yusuke already weakened from his skirmish with Hiei, he would have done no good against Yomi who was out for the crown and not looking for a friendly spar. Mukuro at least wouldn't do lasting damage to Yusuke having grown rather fond of Raizen's heir.

"Yes," Kurama reminded him. "You're saying it's another energy?"

Souta nodded. "It…it feels like you," he said, making Kurama's heart stop in his chest for a moment. "But, at the same time it's not you…not even Youko. Just…someone…someone close. I don't know what to make of it."

But Kurama did, and it was the last thing he wanted to hear. There was only one way to interpret his son's premonition. It can't be…

"I wouldn't worry about it," he lied, his son looking completely perplexed. "I'm sure it has to do with the tournament, as always." He forced a smile, the light now fully sparking in his emerald eyes. "I must say, it's odd when your own son knows what's going to happen before you do."

Souta was about to retort with something sarcastic when they heard Chris's voice downstairs. It was then that Kurama told his son again not to focus on the premonition. Tonight was about his mother, Souta's gaze softening. The two went down to meet everyone, and a nice dinner was had by all.

And through it all, Kurama could not get his son's words out of his head.

Meanwhile, in Demon World, Yomi could be found in his study, glowering at the flames in his fireplace. He was not at all thrilled by the peace that was now holding the three worlds together. His former followers had all defected leaving only a few demons who still remained loyal to the cause. Even Mukuro had decided to support this horrific idea.

It was ridiculous that demons and humans were actually coexisting. Yes, there were stills some difficulties with the humans accepting the integration, but it had still happened. The unification he once craved for Demon World seemed like a dream getting further and further away.

"What do you plan to do?" his advisor, Youda, asked him.

"I'll figure it out in due time," Yomi stated. He would, and he would start with those who betrayed him.

Youda grew dark and serious, saying, "I understand perfectly, sir."