Shooting his brother an annoyed look, Kurama rubbed his temples. He could already feel the headache coming on and Kuwabara had only been awake for an hour. "Did you have to tell him like that?"
"Ah, he was already about to keel over from your announcement about Hiei," Kuronue retorted, snorting in amusement. "I just finished the job."
The kitsune sighed. "Kami help us. Yusuke, could you take him until he's re-adjusted? It'll be easier to keep him hidden from Yukina if they're not in the same castle, and Hiei and I return to the Ningenkai the day after tomorrow."
"Maybe for a day or two, but I promised my generals that I'd go do something all political-ish soon, and I've been putting it off for a while now."
"He should come with us to the Ningenkai," Kuronue offered, raising his hand as though in class. "We could introduce him to Tro and Cathy. That'd cheer him up."
"It's a possibility," Hiei agreed. "But he's not staying with us."
"We have an extra room," Heero said, glancing toward the KO'd man.
Kurama nodded. "It's settled then. Kuronue and Heero will take him to Yusuke's lands, and they'll leave the Makai from there. Hiei and I will meet up with you for breakfast before work on Monday at the usual café."
Unaware that his plans were being made for him, Kuwabara slept on.
When next he was awake, the first thing Kuwabara noticed was that he was moving, and quickly. Eyes opening, blue feathers filled his entire vision, making him sneeze suddenly. The sound apparently caught someone's attention.
"Welcome back, sleeping beauty."
Yusuke? He thought blearily. He gathered his tattered thoughts for a moment before the day's events caught up to him. Eyes wide, he sat up suddenly, taking in the vast forest rushing by below them as he and his rival flew above on a giant blue bird. "How long was I out this time?"
"Just a few hours," Yusuke informed him cheerfully. "We're on our way to Kamaitachi, my lands. You can stay there for a bit until the others go back to Ningenkai. Kurama and Hiei are doing a turn of human life right now, working with the Preventors, a peacekeeping corps that started up a bit ago after the end of a global war. Kuronue and Heero are some of the top agents, actually."
"So the Makai is still secret?" Kuwabara asked, trying to gather as much information as possible.
"To the general public, but a good portion of the government heads know about it because Kuronue's friends with the former queen of Earth," the hanyou explained. "Nice kid. Used to stalk Heero when they were teenagers though. She's actually dating a nephew of your great-grandson's husband. Not sure which nephew. It's a big- oh no."
That didn't sound good. "What is it?"
Groaning, Yusuke pointed down at the trees in front of them, particularly at one that appeared to be growing taller to meet them. There was a flash of red in the branches. It flickered from sight just as they passed by and Kuwabara yelped as an unfamiliar red-head landed on the bird's back next to them.
The youkai grinned. "Hello, Uncle Yusuke. Fine day to be flying. Good to see you not-dead, Uncle Kazuma."
"Uncle?" Kuwabara squeaked, eyes wide. He looked the stranger over, taking in red hair and eyes, and that familiar style of cloak. "You're Fuji!"
Fuji eyed his uncle for a moment before turning to Yusuke. "Okay, what went wrong?"
"Damn, you really do take after your father, don't you," Yusuke said with a wry grin. "Kuwabara's memories cut off during the Dark Tournament that we participated in back before my second death. Anyway, Kuwabara, meet your nephew. He's a plant master like Kurama, but seems to have inherited Hiei's speed as well."
"Best of both worlds, I think, but Mum's fire or Aunt Yukina's ice would have been useful growing up with Hina," Fuji said with a tilt of the head. "You look a lot different young."
"Aren't you on your way somewhere?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, to see Atsuko," the youkai said cheerfully. "With how much time see and that Chang guy have been spending together, I figured that it's about time that they had a chaperone. And who better?"
"Hey, isn't Atsuko your mother's name?" Kuwabara asked the hanyou. "Is she still alive too?"
"Na, she died before before you did," Yusuke said. "This Atsuko is my daughter." He correctly read Kuwabara's gaping stare. "Yes, I have a daughter. Keiko was her mother, and she definitely took after her in her punches, though she looks a lot like Mom. Parties like her too. I think my generals are planning to run for the hills when I retire from the throne."
"Oi! We'd like to get there before nightfall!" Kuronue yelled up to them from where he flew just under the canopy level. "Quit stalling and get a move on!"
"They're coming too?" the human asked, noticing the pair for the first time. Kuronue was carrying Heero in front so that his wings were free to keep them aloft.
"Told you, those two are our contacts to the human government," Yusuke said. "Oh, that reminds me. In the human world, Kuronue goes as Maxwell Duo, or Duo Maxwell as he usually puts it. Lived on an American colony for a couple of years. Heero uses the same last name. Oh, and Kurama's using Minamino Shuuichi again. Let's see, Hiei's using his real name, your grandson goes by Winner Trowa, but his sister's Bloom Catherine, though most people nowadays use the western way of saying their names in the human world. Trowa's husband is Winner Quatre, and Catherine's wife is Catolina Dorothy. Try not to be weirded out by the eyebrows. The lady they're working for is called Lady Une, and I have no idea what her first name is, and I'm not sure if they do either. She's the head of the Preventors. Whatever you do, don't upset her adopted daughter, Mariemaia. Kid tried took over the world a couple of years back. Almost managed it too. Any questions?"
"Just one," Kuwabara said, pointing to the large structure looming in their path. "What's that?"
Yusuke grinned. "That, my old friend, is home."