Consolation

21| Eroico (Or, Heroic)

"Get ready Yusuke," Kurama said as they ran through the black tunnel.

His friend nodded and moved closer. The moment they hit the air, Kurama grabbed Yusuke and breathed life into his flying plant. It was much easier to control with two, and they effortlessly glided through the air.

"How are you going to get Hiei and Mukuro up to the barrier?" Yusuke asked.

"I'll have to ferry everyone up one at a time." 

Yusuke pointed his chin at the large ladder of yokai that were attempting to get to the barrier entrance. "Just like last time."

"Yes, except this time they're trying to escape into the Ningenkai rather than destroy it."

Kurama surveyed the landscape. Everything seemed normal where they were, but he could feel something was wrong. This is what Asuka has been sensing.

When he and Yusuke landed, they leaped off the balls of their feet and ran.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to Mukuro's palace?" Yusuke asked.

"Five hours, maybe more."

They fell into a comfortable running rhythm. There were droves of yokai heading to the barrier entrance, but they were too distracted to care about Yusuke and Kurama. As a result, the two ran without being stopped.

Lightning flashed across the red sky. When the thunder boomed, the sky changed and revealed an expanse of stars. When the thunder stopped, the sky changed back to deep red.

"What the hell?" Yusuke said.

Kurama looked up. "I have seen nothing like that before."

"Neither has Koenma, apparently."

Ominous, but there was no choice but to keep going. They had to find Hiei and bring him back. No matter what.

"So Kurama," Yusuke said as they continued through the plane, "What's up with you and Asuka? Are you two fighting or something?"

Kurama's mouth set in a tight line.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, tell me. What's up?"

"We should focus on getting to Mukuro's palace."

Yusuke's eyebrows shot up. "We've got hours to kill and so far, the only thing we've done is run. I know you need to talk about it, so talk about it."

Kurama remained silent.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Kurama glanced over at Yusuke, who was looking directly at him. He knew his friend was serious and...if Kurama were honest; he did need to talk about it. He'd been bottling up so much tension the past couple of months and he knew it wasn't healthy.

With a deep breath, he started at the beginning. "Asuka has been trying to get pregnant for over two years now."

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Wait really? Keiko never mentioned that to me."

"Asuka didn't want anybody to know, and she still doesn't."

"Yeah, I understand. I won't say anything."

Kurama nodded. "We decided to hold off on infertility treatment until after she got back from her USA tour. And...it wasn't successful. They told us she couldn't have kids."

"Shit, man. I'm sorry."

Kurama swallowed. "When Asuka got back from her trip, she started having these visions about dragons in a lake. And one of them called her by her original name and told her she had to...return to wherever the dragons are."