✔ | At Least We Have Forever

Chapter 23 - It All Begins Here

In a few seconds or so, the team reached Master Genkai's house. Though they figured out that it was indeed hassle-free to use a portal to reach Master Genkai's place, they couldn't help but feel suspicious about it. Something was wrong and they knew it. But for some unknown reasons, no one wanted to voice out their concerns as if their minds were in their dimensions. But then it was stopped when the door suddenly slid open and Yukina came out.

Just like usual, Kuwabara was the first to approach the ice apparition and greeted her. But they noticed that even though Yukina was smiling, her eyes looked troubled and sad,

"Yukina, is there any problem?" Botan asked.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" Keiko added.

That was when Yukina's forced smile slowly faded and she faced the rest of the team with troubled eyes. "Master Genkai said that you should proceed to the backyard. She and the others are waiting for you there," Yukina said before turning around to lead the way.

Though puzzled as to why she was acting like that, the team followed Yukina to where they would suppose to head out, unmindful of their heartbeats pounding louder and louder by the second. All of them could feel that something was about to happen, once they reached the backyard where Master Genkai was. They just couldn't figure out what could it be or how would it happen.

Like what Yukina had told them, Genkai was in the backyard. But what gave them the shock of their lives (so far) was the fact that it wasn't only Genkai who was waiting for them. Six people—extremely familiar people, to be exact—were there having a serious conversation with the old lady.

Hisakawa Yumi, Kirisawa Ayako, Hondou Soujiro, and his younger sister Yukari, Yanagi Akane, and her older brother Noboru—these were the six people talking to Master Genkai. And upon seeing Yumi, only led the whole team—including Botan and Keiko—to realize one certain conclusion. They were about to face one of the greatest battles of their mission.

But they were hoping it won't lead to that even though Koenma told them that such a possibility could happen since it was a part of their mission. The one person who was immensely against the idea of fighting Genkai's guests was Kurama. Not just because of what Yumi had told him about Riya but also because of the strange actions of Ayako, Soujiro, and Yukari earlier. Something was telling him that this confrontation would give him answers to his questions which was making him all confused right now.

"Looks like they're here," Genkai said before facing the team as soon as she turned around. She smirked at the sight of the gaping and wide-eyed team looking at the six people who were supposed to be the spirit detectives' enemies. "Still in shock?"

"What's going on here, Genkai? And what do these people have something to do with this?" Yusuke confusingly asked the moment he recovered from the shock.

Yumi sighed heavily and beckoned Noboru to answer the boy's question.

"The answer is already in front of you, Urameshi Yusuke," the orange-haired guy named Noboru stated. "Didn't my sister already told to your girlfriend earlier? Meet us here and we'll tell you everything. Was that hard to grasp?"

"Oh, yeah? Like I would easily believe that!" Yusuke retorted sarcastically and without warning, charged toward Noboru with his hand balled into fists. He didn't even notice one of the girl wielders materialized her weapon and hit him hard to his stomach. And because of that, he was sent flying backward. Of course, most were surprised to see that. Well, it was a given since Yusuke or even the entire team realized that the girl's strike would be that powerful.

And worst of all (at least on Yusuke's part), it was a GIRL who sent him flying backward with her weapon which infuriated him the most. But he couldn't do anything to counter that yet since his stomach was actually in so much pain. He didn't anticipate such a girl could give him that much pain from that attack. How did she even do that?