[Back in the bedroom, Midori hears a gunshot. She sits up, which causes her immense pain. She rolls onto the floor crawls out to the hallway, and braces herself against the wall as she heads to the living room step by step. Turning the corner to see the front door, she sees Kurama lying by the open door with a gunshot wound in his chest. She picks up the nearby phone and presses a speed dial button. She waits a short while for it to pick up.]
Midori: Hello? Mr. Hatanaka? Yes…this is Midori. I’m afraid Suichi will be unable to come to work today…No, you don’t need to worry mother about it. [dial tone is heard] Hello? Shoot! [hangs up phone, picks it up and dials again] Yukina? ...This is Midori, can you come over quickly? Something just happened to Kurama, it’s an emergency! [drops phone and falls on the floor] Ow!
Kurama: [eyes closed and teeth clenched] What are you doing? You need to stay in bed!
[Midori starts to crawl over to Kurama.]
Midori: How do you expect me to stay in bed after hearing a gun?
Kurama: But your health…
[Midori reaches Kurama and props up over him and positions her hands over the hole in his chest.]
Midori: Don’t forget your own!
Kurama: You didn’t need to call father.
Midori: He’s your boss.
Kurama: But now he is coming over, isn’t he?
Midori: I would presume so.
Kurama: He will be unable to understand that I can recover quickly and inform mother.
Midori: We can explain to him.
Kurama: I may have to erase his memory.
Midori: That would be terrible, please don’t. Perhaps it is time to tell him the truth.
Kurama: Then he’ll tell mother, and how do you think she’ll react?
[A bullet emerges from Kurama’s wound.]
Midori: Got it!
Kurama: [covered in sweat] Thank you. Now go back to bed. I can handle it from here.
Midori: Hold on…there is something wrapped around the bullet…[unwraps the paper] It’s a note and… [rubs finger on it and inspects finger] Oh no! [drops paper and ferociously casts healing spells on Kurama] This is amalgam polycarbonate; if any of it is absorbed in your bloodstream, it will kill you!
Kurama: That would explain the onset of dizziness, but if you continue exerting yourself, you will die also!
Midori: No…I must. You can’t die…
* * *
[Feet are running up apartment building stairs. The feet turn a corner on a landing and run down the hall. The feet stop in front of an open doorway. The camera shot backs up to show Mr. Hatanaka as the owner of the feet as he turns to see Midori healing Kurama on the ground inside the apartment.]
Hatanaka: I got here as quick as I could, [sees the scene] OH NO! What happened? Have you called for help yet?
Midori: [wearily] Yes, it’s on its way.
[Yukina appears in the doorway. Midori sees her and passes out on top of Kurama.]
Kurama: Midori? NO!
* * *
[Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei stand around in Kurama’s living room, Midori lies on a couch with Mr. Hatanaka sitting nearby. Yukina is working on healing Kurama on the floor. Yusuke is looking at a note.]
Yusuke: [reading] To Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei—You are invited to front row seats for the end of the world. If you do not wish to meet the same fate as Kurama, you will come to the inscribed location of the Foliage Fortress and see if you can change your fate. Be prompt for time is short. Destruction begins ‘fore the new moon.
Kuwabara: Is this some sort of sick joke?
Yusuke: Well if it is, I’m not laughing. The world is at stake and they’re asking for us of all people to show up and kick their butts.
Hiei: Yes. But why invite us? And why target Kurama?
[Midori groans and tries to sit up.]
Yusuke: Hey take it easy.
[Midori relaxes with a sigh.]
Midori: Sorry. I feel rude trying to talk to you lying down. [breaths] It seems the opponent sees your group as an obstacle for their objective. Apparently this foe has a plan to defeat everyone but Kurama. That’s why they stooped so low as a bullet. The poison powder his body absorbed would have killed him if I stayed in bed like I was supposed to.
[Kurama forces himself to sit up with a grunt.]
Kurama: Unless they knew you would go beyond your capacity in order to save me, meaning you are in more danger at the moment than I am.
Yusuke: So Kurama, you got an old jealous girlfriend pulling the strings on this or something?
Kurama: [shakes head] None this powerful.
Midori: If that were the plan, it was easily thwarted by a working phone between the bedroom and the front door. Amalgam polycarbonate does not come by easily, much less to amateurs. Doesn’t the note emit a demon aura? Demons understand little about the power of the human heart and would consider me, being bedridden, not an obstacle. Besides Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei all discovered notes around the same time telling them to come here, which, judging by the wording, was probably after the anticipated time of your death. They will now consider you dead. So going with the others would be a great secret for our side.
[A moment’s pause. Kurama tries to say something, but does not have a comeback.]
Yusuke: I’d never thought I’d see the fox outfoxed!
Kurama: [nervous light laugh] That is why I married her.
Kuwabara: Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go kick some tail!
Kurama: Thank you Yukina. I think I’ll be all right now.
Yukina: You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to help.
[Kurama stands up. He walks over to Mr. Hatanaka and Midori while Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei head for the door. Sweating, Mr. Hatanaka is massaging his temples with a look of awe on his face.]
Hatanaka: So the whole world is in danger? And you are able to help stop it? This is overwhelming; I can’t believe it!
Kurama: I am sorry that you had to find out the way you did. I never told Mother in order to protect her.
Hatanaka: I suppose [pause] that is understandable.
Midori: Please, you won’t tell her, will you?
Hatanaka: I don’t think she would believe me if I did. But what should I tell her?
Kurama: Tell her I had to go out on a mission; perhaps an emergency business trip that only I could handle.
Hatanaka: A decision like that might not bode well, considering Midori’s condition.
Yusuke: [turning] Hey, don’t sweat it pops! I’m sure Kayko would be more than happy to keep an eye on Midori while we’re gone.
Kurama: Thank you, Yusuke. [kneels in front of Midori] Forgive me for leaving. Assuredly I would rather not.
Midori: [grunts] You know our child’s due date. Just don’t miss it.
Kurama: Right, no coming back late this time.
* * *
[Koenma sits at his desk in Spirit World looking at a piece of paper.]
Koenma: Hmm…This report is quite interesting.
George: What does it say, sir?
[Koenma jumps up and hits George on the head.]
Koenma: That you’re big and stupid!
[George rubs the fresh bump on his head.]
George: Ow! That wasn’t very nice, Koenma sir.
Koenma: Well it isn’t very nice of you to disrupt my thought process with your blubbering. If you must know, there is a strange spot of energy concentration in the Human World. It is well masked though, so humans and demons can’t sense it, except for brief moments when its cover wanes. [yelling over the intercom] Botan! Get in here!
George: So is there something special about this masked energy that we should be alarmed about?
Koenma: I would like to say no. But the fact that it is being hidden probably means something is up. Besides, from the readings of when its cover was down, the energy was growing exponentially without even increasing size. Considering the concentration, if this keeps up, whatever is holding the energy will break and the outburst of energy could do some great damage.
[The office doors slide open and Botan enters.]
Botan: You called, Koenma sir?
Koenma: Yes! I have a case I need you to take to the Spirit Detectives to look into!
Botan: [saluting] Yes sir!
