Inverted Maze Castle
Dane Soar
The very last chapter!
Chapter 15 Happy Ending (More Or Less)
(Yusuke's POV)
I drifted for a really long time in darkness…there was nothing there…I didn't know anything…couldn't think of anything beyond the darkness…didn't care about anything…why should I?… hadn't I done enough?… could I rest in piece?… or maybe…maybe…
The sound of bird song filtered through the darkness, drawing me back to life, or what ever was supposed to come next…
Opening my eyes, I blinked at the light, sitting bolt upright when I realized were I was. I wasn't in Maze Castle anymore. Where I was I didn't know, but it wasn't there.
"And so, you are awake." I looked over to were the voice had come from. Kurama was leaning against the opposite wall.
Then I noticed that I didn't know the room I was in. "Where am I?"
"Kuwabara's room." Kurama said. "back in the human world. You've been sleeping for three days straight."
I winced, feeling my body ache like I had just fought a really hard battle and almost lost. 'Oh wait. I did.' "It feels like I've been out for a while. Jeez. Three days." I rubbed my head.
A smiled crossed Kurama's face. "I'm afraid your school looks like a war-zone and most of the classes were canceled. We've phoned your mother, and she knows you're alright."
"Wait…we?" I remembered something. "What about Kayko and Botan?" And now that I thought about it, "Kuwabara too, where is he?"
Kurama averted his gaze.
Looking where he was I saw a body lying on the floor, covered by a sheet.
"You were dying, Yusuke," explained Kurama, "And Kuwabara tried to give some of his life energy in an attempt to save you. I'm afraid that he did not survive it."
"He's dead?" the breath froze in my chest. It couldn't be. Kuwabara? I couldn't relate the thought of him with the body on the floor. "But what about Kayko and Botan?"
He didn't look at me.
"What?" Leaping up I grabbed him by the front of his school uniform. "What about them?" I shouted into his face. "Hey, you'd better do more than look away and tell me what happened!!"
The door swung open. "I'd recognize that yell anywhere!" Botan's voice said. "What's up, Yusuke?"
Letting go of Kurama, I gaped at the door in shock. "Botan…" then I saw who was behind her and said faintly. "Kayko…?"
The body on the floor sat up suddenly and pulled the sheet off himself. "Oh my gosh that was great!" Kuwabara guffawed, very much alive.
"I'm sorry, Yusuke." Kurama said, covering his mouth but obviously laughing. "It was Kuwabara's idea." both the girls were chuckling too.
From between laughs Kuwabara choked out. "You…should have…seen your face, ha ha ha!"
I bristled. "Come here you jerk!" seizing him around the head I put him in a headlock. "I'll show you look!!"
"Hey! Hey!" he yelped in pain.
(Yusuke's POV)
The sun was setting and Kayko and I were walking along the sidewalks, our shadows stretching in front of us. 'Oh man,' I thought, hands behind my head watching Kayko's back ahead of me. 'I really screwed up this time. Bet she's still mad at me for ditching her at the movies, not to mention pulling a Houdini for a week and not telling her anything. Like, say, about the zombies that might be coming after her and… guess I should tell her something. Usually I just let her hit me a few times and then try to explain myself.'
"Um… hey Kayko." she paused and I ran around her so that I could see her face, saying all at once. "Everything's my fault and I'm a jerk, so just hit me okay?"
Kayko planted her foot and brought her hand down. I braced myself. 'Here it comes.'
But her hand, when she brought it down all the way, didn't impact with my face. Instead Kayko held a finger up. "I'll forgive you on one condition. I got Botan to fill me in on everything up to this point, but the next time you go off on one of these cases, you have to promise to tell me about it." she took her hand away and her voice got softer. "You've made me feel like a fool, the way everyone else around you was in on your little secret life except me."
I shuffled my feet a little, and we turned to head back. "I didn't tell my Mom." I said in my defense.
"Yusuke, you don't tell your mom anything."
"Well, I didn't tell you because I was just trying to protect you, okay?" it sounded like an excuse, but it was mostly true.
She smiled. "Yes, we can all see how well that plan turned out."
I flapped a hand at her. "You're right. If I'd known you'd get attacked by guys controlled by insects, I would have mentioned it."
"Yusuke, you still haven't promised me yet." Kayko reminded me, I looked away, whistling, and picking up my pace. She chased after, calling. "Yusuke!"
(Kurama's POV)
Much later that day I sat across the table from Hiei, watching him lift his spoon and stare at the thing on it.
"I promise you, it's not poison."
Hiei was staring at the ice cream that I had given him (as per our agreement) as if he expected it to leap up and attack him at any second.
Hesitantly he put the spoon into his mouth and swallowed, in the manner that one does to some sort of horrible medicine. Immediately, Hiei blinked and stopped glaring.
"Good?" I asked.
"It's… not bad," he said at length, digging in his spoon again with barely contained liking.
I smiled. "I see. By the way, I would like to ask you about what you said at Maze Castle."
"Right before you blacked out and forced me to carry all three of you?" Hiei growled.
"Yes, right before that." I ignored the barb. "You said that you would never care for someone enough to give your life to save them. Are you really sure about that?"
He glared up at me. "Of course I am."
I remembered when I had met him years ago, in his sleep he had murmured a name… Yukina… but I knew better than to ask him.
"Like I said before," Hiei continued. "maybe a person who's lived in this cursed place would feel that way. But I never would never do it."
This seemed as good a time to tell him as any. "Well, now that you're going to be staying in this realm, I suppose you'll have a chance to see for yourself if this place is really so bad."
"What?!" Hiei's glare returned. "Tell me what you mean by that?"
"Didn't I tell you? Koenma told me we are both banished here for the time being. You especially were ordered not to leave this city."
"That. Toddler. Will. Die." said Hiei slowly and carefully, most likely meaning every word. He took an angry bite of ice cream, red eyes promising bloody murder or dismemberment to anyone who bothered him now.
Well, anyone but me, probably.
"So, do you think this place will change you?"
Hiei snorted into his ice cream. "Hardly."
"We'll see."
Both of us sat in silence for a few minutes, though it was hardly uncomfortable.
"Koenma might make us do more missions with Yusuke, you know." I commented at great length. "Sadly, he has enough to blackmail us with."
"Let him try it," Hiei snapped. "I don't want to have anymore to do with Spirit World until I die."
"No more babysitting?" I asked.
"No more babysitting." he spooned more ice cream into his mouth. "No matter what it is, I'm never working for that damn infant again."
"We'll just have to see, as I said." I rested my head on a hand. "Who knows what they might throw at us next." even then, perhaps, I might have had some inkling how soon Hiei would be eating those words. But for now, we would just have to wait and see what was to come.
It was sure to be interesting though.
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THE END1:00(At night).
"I'm going to kill you"-- EditorEeep.