In the platform of a train station in Ningenkai, Kuwabara gapes. "Are you serious? Everyone was defeated?"

Kurama confirms it; even Yusuke was defeated in the Makai Tournament, despite how bravely they all had fought. Kuwabara sighs, saying it was a good thing he didn't take part in it: "I know my powers' limits."

Two girls, a blonde and a brunette, approach and greet Kuwabara, asking where he's going. "Private matter," he replies.

The brunette glances at Kurama. "And this is your girlfriend?" The blonde asks if Kuwabara won't introduce her.

Kuwabara chokes with the soda he's drinking. "You morons! He's a man!" The girls don't believe it; the blonde actually leans over to examine Kurama's face closely, while the brunette snickers, "I didn't know about this side of your life, Kazu-san..."

Kurama gazes back at the blonde calmly, but Kazuma is pissed off. "I'm not what you're thinking!"

The girls giggle and enter their train. "You should have warned us before. Bye!"

After the train leaves, Kuwabara apologizes for the incident. Kurama says he doesn't mind, and comments that Kuwabara seems to have become very popular. "Right after I entered High School I predicted an earthquake, and now no one there leaves me alone," the taller boy explains.

Later in a train, Kazuma tells Kurama how hard it was to go through the exams that allowed him into High School. Then he sighs, remembering that it's been two years since he last saw Urameshi. "With you I still had some contact, so it doesn't seem too long. But it's been two years already..."

"Yusuke didn't change a thing."

"Won't he ever come back?"

"He stayed there do deal with some unfinished business of his, and promised Keiko to be back in three years. To tell you the truth, I think he's stalling her again."

Kuwabara scowls, saying Urameshi is playing the tough guy like always. "If he was defeated, he should come back here at once. Keiko would be a lot happier."

At the exit of a girls' school, Keiko is invited by her classmates to go to the mall. "I'm sorry, I have a place to go today," she replies. One classmate suggests that she found a new boyfriend; Keiko denies.

"How would she find a boyfriend if she never looks at any boy?" comments the other girl. They ask Keiko if she's already betrothed. She doesn't answer.

In a cafe at the shinkansen station, Kuwabara asks how Kurama gets to cross to the Makai and back so freely if two years ago there was such a trouble about Sensui's tunnel. The redhead informs him that there's no barrier whatsoever between the two worlds now. Kuwabara freaks out: "But with the barrier down the demons can be anywhere in this world, Kurama!"

"What's the shouting all about?" asks a familiar voice.

"Hello, Shizuru," greets Kurama.

"Kurama! Long time no see!" she exclaims with a big, warm smile.

"Be careful, Neesan," Kazuma warns her. "We might be surrounded by demons!"

Kurama soothes him, telling him about the verbal agreement that prevents demons from attacking humans. Kazuma relaxes a little. Someone knocks at the cafe's window to call their attention.

"Keiko!"

The girl waves. Kazuma notices she had let her hair grow, and Shizuru says she looks good like that. Now that they're all there, it's time to leave.

In the shinkansen, Shizuru reads the newspapers and founds an intriguing headline about a space monster. Keiko leans over to take a look. "Hey, isn't that Hiei?"

Startled, Kuwabara stares at the rough drawing of the short spiky-haired, three-eyed "space monster". "This is Hiei alright... But I thought he was in Makai!"

Kurama explains that Hiei now works with a patrol that deals with humans that inadvertently cross the borders to Makai.

In the Makai, Hiei travels on one of Mukuro's insect-like vehicles beside another demon that sniffs the air with a huge nose: "I smell a ningen over there."

"Damn," Hiei groans. "Another?"

Finding an unconscious human lying on the grass, Hiei commands the other demons to take the man. One youkai asks if they should treat the ningen's wounded lung. "No," says Hiei. "If he dies, then that's his fate."

The human wakes up groggily on a metal bed in a strange room, and sees Hiei with the glowing Jagan, saying, "Now it's time we send him back to his world. When he wakes up he will have forgotten everything he saw here. He won't remember a thing." Hiei snaps his fingers and the human falls unconscious again.

Narrator: "According to Enki's laws, the humans that enter the Demon World must be protected and sent back to Ningenkai. The ones that lost the Tournament are in charge of this mission."

In a corridor of Mukuro's fortress, five of her men -- including Hiei and Kiren -- walk home after a day's work, some of them complaining about the 3-year job of patrolling the borders. One argues that if Mukuro had fought for real, Enki wouldn't have won the Tournament. Kiren disagrees, saying that Mukuro's powers are strongly influenced by her emotions: "In a peaceful combat, her total strength is half her real strength. We'll probably never see her real strength now; it's something beyond your imagination. We'll never see it happening again."

"Why?"

"Her eyes now reveal so much peace..."

Hiei listens in silence as his companions wonder what could have caused the change in her.

Mukuro wakes up in her bed when Hiei steps into her room. "So how was the patrol?"

"Boring."

"You are free," she reminds him. "You can go back to Ningenkai whenever you want."

Hiei sits comfortably on a chair and puts his legs on the low table. "Right," he smiles. "I'll do that if I want to."

Back to the shinkansen, Kurama says Hiei's life is now just like he wanted it to be.

Kuwabara wonders why Genkai had summoned them. He, Kurama, Keiko and Shizuru climb the staircase to Genkai's temple and are greeted by Yukina. Kazuma is more than happy to see her, of course.

Shizuru asks if she and Genkai are doing well, alone in the remote temple. "We're great," Yukina assures her, "because Kazuma-san comes to visit us often." Shizuru mockingly reprimands her brother for not saying a word to her about those visits.

Kazuma blushes. "Well, everyone left for Makai, so I had to come here and give them all the bits of news I got..."

They're all gathered inside the temple with Genkai. "Now the only missing thing is my boy to come back," the old lady says. "What is he still doing there?"

Kurama admits he doesn't know. "Fighting is all that jerk has in his head!" complains Kuwabara, receiving a nudge from his sister. Belatedly, he remembers Keiko is there and shuts up.

Keiko looks sad for a moment, then perks up. "You know, I feel a lot better now that I saw our dear Obaachan's face." The Kuwabara siblings agree. Genkai snorts, "I'm not a sedative pill for your nerves." They all laugh.

Botan and Koenma, in his teen form, join them, and Genkai finally tells them why she summoned them all. "It's a matter related to my death."

None of them feels comfortable with the subject. Nonetheless, Genkai goes on. "When I die, this place will belong to you. It'll be a long time before humans and demons can live in peace. From the town, this temple is a bit too far away, a little inconvenient. But it's a good place to hide from demons. I want you to take care of this place's nature and enjoy it as much as possible."

Kuwabara, Kurama, Shizuru, Keiko, Botan and Yukina go outside and admire the beauty of the region. They decide to take a stroll at the beach. Kuwabara stays behind, looking sadly at the staircase.

"What is it, Kuwabara-kun?" asks Kurama.

"Urameshi and I met Genkai for the first time when we climbed this long staircase to take part in the contest that appointed her successor. Then we fought against the Four Beasts, then in Taroukane's mansion... and of course, in the Dark Tournament. Now Urameshi became a Makai child himself... but I think everything started in this staircase. I can't forget..."

"So much has happened," Kurama agrees. "Sometimes it's hard to remember everything."

The girls call them, disturbing the quiet moment. "It's not proper for two guys to contemplate the sunset together," Shizuru smirks.

"YUKINA-SAAAAAN!!!!" Kazuma yells, running down the stairs. "Don't leave me!!!"

At the beach, Keiko and Yukina take off their shoes to walk close to the sea as the sun falls slowly to meet the skyline. Everything is golden and pink around them. Yukina is fascinated. Keiko suggests that they should come earlier some other day, when both sky and ocean would be deep blue.

Kuwabara calls Yukina's name; he found a giant starfish, and Botan picked some interesting shells. The Ice Maiden runs towards them to look at those treasures.

Alone, Keiko stares at the sunset and sees Yusuke's face in it. "Yusuke..." she calls longingly. "You... IDIOT!"

Everyone is surprised at her scream. "Yusuke! Why don't you come back?" the girl yells angrily at the sunset. "I won't wait three years more! You big imbecile!"

Her friends feel sorry for her, until they hear a voice they hadn't heard for quite a while. "You don't have to wait anymore, Keiko."

Yusuke is there, backpack hanging from his shoulder, broad smile on his face. "Hi! I'm back."

In shock, Keiko starts a slow walk towards him, then suddenly shouts his name and runs to hug him, knocking them both on the sand. "Are you nuts, girl?" Yusuke protests. "Are you trying to kill me?"

But Keiko doesn't seem to be listening. Very serious, she comes down to kiss him. Yusuke's eyes widen. Abruptly, a huge wave crashes right over them. Watching everything a few meters away, the rest of the gang laughs at the scene.

Yusuke and Keiko laugh too, and he runs after her into the sea, where they start a splashing war. Kuwabara chuckles only until he's also hit by a strong splash. "What are you laughing at, you big moron?" Yusuke was kicking water on him.

Kuwabara runs to grab him by the neck and rub a clenched fist on Urameshi's head. "You jerk, weren't you going to be the King of Makai?"

"Someday I will," Yusuke promised, inverting their positions. "I'm gonna start all over again, you'll see."

"But first I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!"

The two wrestle for a moment, until Kuwabara manages to throw Urameshi over his shoulder and into the water. But his victory is brief, as Botan joins the game and jumps on him, shoving him down the water too. Yukina plays with them while Kurama and Shizuru watch from the beach.

Hiei takes a nap on a tree branch as the sun sets in Makai.

George sweatdrops as Koenma, in his baby form, stamps piles and piles of papers in Reikai.

Beside the adult form of Puu, Genkai drinks her tea.

The rest of the gang watch the sun goes down at the beach.

Forever. Fornever.