Previously, the world was under threat of destruction from the clones of Kurama, led by a female version called Rose. The other Kurama clones were destroyed, and Rose was dealt with by assimilating with Kurama. The earth was safe again, but as the new spirit detectives, Kaisei and Fubuki, dismantled the orb for Spirit World, Koenma stumbled across some disturbing information. The Foliage Fortress was originally meant to be one of the Gifts to Deity. With mysterious modifications, the world was in fact not in danger, but demons were. What could this troubling new discovery mean?
Episode 21 : Suspicions Arise
[Pan across Spirit World. Ghosted flashback from the original series of Itsuki taking Sensui into another dimension.]
Itsuki Voiceover: Your Spirit World will have to create another enemy so you can keep on fighting; as that is, after all, what you do.
* * *
[Inside Koenma’s office, Botan stands in front of a perturbed Koenma.]
Koenma: Botan, I need you to have Fubuki do something, [pause] without Kaisei.
* * *
[Snow gently falls around Genkai’s compound. Two pairs of feet crunch in the snow while ascending steps. It is Yusuke and Kayko, with Kayko holding Kazuki. They reach the temple. Yusuke taps on the door. The door slides open with Yukina on the other side.]
Yusuke: Not too late for the party, are we?
Yukina: [shakes head] We just started.
[Kayko and Yusuke enter the room and take off their coats and boots. Kuwabara jumps behind Yusuke and chokes him in a headlock.]
Kuwabara: About time you got here, you punk!
[Yusuke flips Kuwabara, landing him on his back. Yusuke falls on him as they sprawl.]
Yusuke: What, you missed me? Sorry to break it to you, but I’m already taken.
Kuwabara: You know that’s not what I meant!
Yusuke: Yeah, sure. And being single has nothing to do with it?
Kuwabara: Oh lay off, the timing hasn’t been right.
[Yukina looks down with her hand covering her mouth. Shizuru approaches.]
Shizuru: [to Yukina] Nice to see someone’s having fun.
Yukina: Will they be okay?
[Shizuru slides open the door and walks over to Yusuke and Kuwabara’s brawl.]
Yusuke: I don’t believe it, but you’ve gotten weaker!
Kuwabara: Oh I’ll show you weak!
[Shizuru picks up Kuwabara up by the collar]
Kuwabara: [side-phrase] Hey! Let me down!
[Shizuru starts punching his face with her free hand.]
Shizuru: If you boys are going to rough house, then take it outside!
[Shizuru throws Kuwabara out the door. He slides face first through the snow. Shizuru slaps the door to shut it and brushes her hands off.]
Shizuru: There. That takes care of that.
[Sounds of running to the door are heard. The door moves back and forth a few times, then Kuwabara busts back into the room. His skin is all blue with icicles hanging from his nose. He falls to his knees in front of Yukina, grabbing her shoulders. Yukina is taken aback.]
Kuwabara: [chattering] Oh, my dear sweet Yukina, I think I got frostbite! Can you make it all better, please?
Yukina: Ummm…
[Kuwabara lowers his hands to grab Yukina’s hands and brings them up to hold his face. Kuwabara turns from blue to steamy red.]
Kuwabara: Ah! I feel better already! You’re amazing!
Yukina: [hesitant] But, I didn’t do anything.
Kuwabara: Sure you did. That’s the power of our love shining through!
[Yusuke and Kayko walk over to Kurama and Midori. Midori sits, rocking a baby girl.]
Yusuke: What’s up? How are you guys?
Kurama: Fine. Natsuko has been quite the bundle of joy.
[Yusuke leans to get a look at Natsuko.]
Yusuke: So we got pipsqueak and pipsqueak junior? Nursing or bottle?
Midori: [controlled anger] I’m not in the mood, Yusuke.
Yusuke: Come on, Kazuki’s all ready for his Christmas kiss.
[Midori attempts to hit Yusuke with her free hand, but he catches her fist. Kayko slugs Yusuke from behind, knocking him over. Yusuke’s foot twitches in the air.]
Kayko and Midori: Don’t talk about our children like that!
[Yusuke springs upright.]
Yusuke: Geeze! Since when did you become such grouchy old hags?
Midori: Shut up, dimwit.
[Kayko sits with Kazuki near Midori. Yusuke makes a face at Midori as he retreats from the girls.]
Yusuke: Old hag pipsqueak. [to Kurama] What’s the deal? She’s as crabby as the old bat.
Kurama: [sighs] Recently, sleep has been a scarcity at our house.
Yusuke: [experienced acknowledgement] Kids do that to you, huh? Welcome to the club. But you don’t see me biting everyone’s head off for it.
[Party scene still shots with sounds of laughter: Kuwabara flirting with Yukina; Yusuke sneaking into the kitchen; Kayko and Midori chatting; Yukina and Shizuru bringing food from the kitchen, Shizuru dragging a knocked out Yusuke by the foot; Kazuki and Natsuko playing on the floor, Kazuki pulling Natsuko’s hair.]
* * *
[Yusuke and Kuwabara come outside into the chilly night air. Kurama follows, gently closing the door behind him. The three begin walking and see blue hair coming up the shrine’s stairs. Botan arrives with Kaisei and Fubuki behind her.]
Yusuke: Who invited her?
Botan: Greetings chaps! You’re not leaving so soon, are you?
Yusuke: Nah, we’re just going for a walk. We finally got the babies down, and the girls needed naps.
Botan: Babies? Oh, I want to see the adorable little things! Come on Fubuki!
[Botan grabs Fubuki’s wrist and runs off inside, leaving Kaisei.]
Fubuki: Hey! Wait!
[Dismayed, Kurama raises a hand to quietly call after them.]
Kurama: Please don’t [sigh, finishes sentence] wake them.
Yusuke: I say we split before the wives wake up. Then they’ll take their anger out on Botan instead of us.
Kurama: [desolately] Or bottle it up until we get home.
[Yusuke irks. Kaisei takes a step towards the trio.]
Kaisei: Mind if I join your walk? We need to talk.
Yusuke: [not listening, groaning] Yeah. Sure.
[The four start walking into the woods. Kuwabara nudges Yusuke.]
Kuwabara: So what’s with the fake ring?
Yusuke: What fake ring?
Kuwabara: Tch. I noticed when we were wrestling that your wedding ring didn’t seem like real gold.
Yusuke: They really are turning you into a brainiac at that university. [grumbles] Hmph. I think I might have lost the real one while we were in that flying Foliage Fortress. This one was the best I could do to cover it up.
Kuwabara: Oh, so you lost your wedding ring, [sly] and Kayko hasn’t noticed yet?
Yusuke: Shut up! If Kayko finds out, she’ll kill me!
Kuwabara: [snickering] Well, there are these concert tickets coming on sale soon…if you get a couple for me and Yukina, then maybe I was ‘mistaken’ about it being phony.
Yusuke: Oh! You wouldn’t dare!
Kuwabara: Ho no?
[Yusuke starts pounding Kuwabara. Kurama and Kaisei stop walking and turn towards Yusuke and Kuwabara. Sweatdrops appear on the back of their heads as they watch.]
Yusuke: How about I convince you of your ‘mistake’ by letting your face feel how real this ring is!
***COMMERCIAL BREAK***
[Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Kaisei stand on a moonlit hill, staring up at the stars.]
Yusuke: [to Kaisei] So has pacifier-breath have you taking big bad demons down still?
Kaisei: Ha! I dealt with tougher ones at home when I was a kid.
Kuwabara: You’d think demon problems would have gotten worse after free passage between worlds; but they aren’t all as bad as people make them out to be. After the holiday, I need to start my thesis statement. I was thinking about doing it on the misconceptions about demons.
Kurama: That could be quite thought-provoking to read; and beneficial towards demons that have come to Human World to seek refuge.
Yusuke: [to Kaisei] So shrimp, you wanted to ask something?
Kaisei: Yeah, a couple of things, actually. Now that we’re away from the others, I was wondering, does this detective business make your mind go wak?
Yusuke: What do you mean?
Kaisei: Well, Fubuki has been acting funny lately. I can’t explain, but I’ve known her, her whole life, and something has been [searches for a word] off recently.
Yusuke: Well, my mind’s still intact, and your mom’s seemed to be too. Although Sensui was off his rocker. Maybe it skips detective generations?
[Kurama twitches. He inhales deeply through his teeth.]
Yusuke: Hey, Kurama, are you okay?
Kurama: [concentrating] Odd. The name Sensui seems to ring a bell for Rose.
Yusuke: Oh yeah, I forgot about that crazy chick and how she’s inside you now.
Kaisei: That master mind from the fortress? Is she human or demon?
Kurama: Both. The other clones appeared to be completely human, but she relishes in the fact that she can achieve her demon transformation.
Kaisei: Have you figured out why she was playing like she was going to destroy the world?
Kurama: Is Spirit World still investigating that case?
Kaisei: Koenma’s been thinking about it. He said the motives didn’t match up.
Kuwabara: Why’s that?
Kaisei: If she finished her plan, then the power orb would have destroyed the demons, not the planet.
[Yusuke’s and Kuwabara’s jaws drop. Kurama closes his eyes in uncomfortable thought.]
Kuwabara: What twisted demon would try to destroy their own kind?
Yusuke: [yelling] So does that mean we got called to that fortress to get captured so we wouldn’t be hit by that power beam?
Kuwabara: Then why was I involved? I’m completely human!
Yusuke: Maybe so you wouldn’t kill yourself trying to protect Yukina?
[Kuwabara fumes, but is interrupted as Kurama lets out struggling noises. His body hunches forward.]
Yusuke and Kuwabara: Huh?
[Kurama opens an eye towards the others.]
Kurama: [suppressed struggle] Rose is angered by this news. So much so that she is trying to take control. She had no knowledge of that outcome. She intended all of us to die, the world included.
Kaisei: [gasps] So how did she find the fortress, and why did she think it would do something else?
Yusuke: Yeah. And while you’re at it, what was her motive for killing us all?
Kurama: It has been difficult to get information from her. It is like her memory has been covered up. There is no recollection before the Fortress. As for motives, her reasoning is twisted. My knowledge that she did inherit plainly contradicts her way of thinking.
Kuwabara: Well, that’s a load of bunk! First she says you won’t know about the cloning stuff if you kill her. Then you let her live, and she still doesn’t give out the answers.
Kurama: I have been working at uncovering her memories. Perhaps this new Sensui lead will prove useful.
Kaisei: [remembering] Oh yeah, Koenma also has a request for you guys.
Yusuke: And what’s that?
Kaisei: To see him in Spirit World.
Yusuke: No thanks, I’m done with that detective stuff.
Kuwabara: What does he want from us anyway?
Kaisei: Didn’t say.
Kurama: And he didn’t send a note or anything? He insists that we see him directly?
Kaisei: That’s right.
Kurama: Interesting.
Yusuke: What could that mean?
Kurama: It appears there are deeper matters at work here.
* * *
[Back inside, Kazuki and Natsuko are both crying. Botan and Fubuki are holding them, frantically trying to calm them down. Two bottles of milk are rattling in a boiling pot of water.]
Fubuki: [tense] Are you sure this is how you prepare a baby bottle?
Botan: [frantic] It was last time I had to take care of a human baby.
Fubuki: Are you sure they’re hungry? Didn’t they eat before their nap?
Botan: [unsure] Of course! Babies are always hungry.
Fubuki: What’s that smell? Oh, don’t tell me we have to change their-
[The glass bottles explode in the pot.]
Botan: [pleading] Oh, do stop crying! Just wait a little bit longer.
Fubuki: [wails] How are we suppose to clean this with our hands full? [screeches] Ew gross! She just spit up on me!
* * *
[Shizuru and Yukina sit in the living room in front of the TV. Shizuru is casually browsing a newspaper.]
Yukina: Shouldn’t we go help them?
Shizuru: [not looking up] They woke the babies up. They can take care of them.
* * *
[In a bedroom, Kayko and Midori lie in rolled out beds. All the commotion from the kitchen can be heard. Midori rolls onto her stomach and covers her ears.]
Midori: [growls] I’m going to kill them.
Kayko: [groans] I’m sure they mean well. Just try to rest.
Midori: Through this racket? [mumbles under breath] Why couldn’t grandma teach me something other than healing powers? I’m going to catch them, then rope them, then string them from the highest yardarm by their toenails over a shark infested pond of hot acid whirl pooling down to sharp jagged rocks that have been layered with salt and brimstone!
* * *
[Back in the kitchen, Fubuki is now holding both babies whom are still crying. Botan is trying to get the water to stop boiling over from the pot while cleaning the mess. Botan takes a break to straighten her back. While she’s up, she nears Fubuki’s ear.]
Botan: [whispers] So how did things go on your assignment?
Fubuki: [confused] What assignment?
* * *
[In Demon World, Hiei is patrolling on Mukuro’s moving fortress with Mr. BigNose. A scent floats through the air. Mr. BigNose sniffs and picks up the scent.]
Mr. BigNose: I’m picking up a new scent. It’s not demon, but it’s not human either. Should we check it out?
Hiei: [shrugs] Might as well.
[The fortress changes the direction it is moving and goes off through the demon forest.]
Narrator: New scents lurk about Demon World, while back in the Human World, the aftermath of the previous adventure unfolds. What plots are hatching in the Spirit World?
“You missed the part about me loosing my ring, right? You didn’t? I guess I’ll have to kill you now. [slight pause] Just kidding. So I go back to Foliage Fortress to try and find it so Kuwabara will stop blackmailing me. I do find something: Spirit World goons are swarming all over the place like it was a beehive! And it looks like Kurama’s curiosity led him to answer Koenma’s request. Not to mention what Hiei finds on patrol. At least in all the mess-up, Kuwabara is going to do us all proud with his own findings. More adventures await when you tune in next time to YuYu Hakusho Beyond!"
