"So tell me more about these people," Yusuke requested, leaning back in the coach and doing his best not to shake about. They had left Ningenkai early in the morning; he'd been gone long before Keiko had even risen. They had reached Toranin easily enough, and from there he'd packed a few supplies - not much, though, as Destin and the others had cautioned him not to disallow Tenrai's royal house to provide for him. He wouldn't want to appear rude. Once he had been ready, Yusuke and a small escort had departed to travel overland to the north. Apparently, it would be a long trip.

"Not much else is known of Tenrai, my Lord," Destin replied apologetically. "They are primarily an isolated nation. They make contact with the other nations of Makai purely for trade purposes. They have a lot of natural resources on their land, and they know it. The people are Onhi, like us and many other demons. As far as youki is concerned... While it may not be the case for the High Priest, the onhi of Tenrai do not possess the ability to do anything with their youki."

"High Priest?" Yusuke repeated. At least they were Onhi, one of the most common races of Demon, which meant they would have a human appearance. Yusuke was open-minded, but he still had a hard time having a serious discussion with a scaly person who had six eyes and four arms...

"The High Priest is the one who rules the nation. They do not have a monarchy. And from what we've experienced, the High Priest can be quite a character. He's apparently quite stubborn."

"Is that so?" Yusuke folded his arms. "And I'm supposed to sway him into either remaining neutral or joining Toranin?"

"I'm afraid so," Destin said sympathetically. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I know how much you dislike political debates, but they specifically asked to meet with you, and not a member of our council."

"It's all right," Yusuke assured him. "I suppose it will be good for me, since it's part of my responsibility as the heir to the Tiger Throne..." He yawned, and realized he was drowsy. "But it's going to be hard." And no doubt, boring. No one was going to be there with him, and he didn't know anyone from Tenrai. "But I'll do my best," he said around another yawn. He closed his eyes, letting the movements of the coach ride him to sleep...

"My Lord Yusuke..."

Someone was saying his name...

"Lord Yusuke..."

Yusuke grumbled and squirmed in his seat. "What?" he mumbled.

He could hear the smile in Destin's voice. "Forgive me for interrupting your beauty sleep, my Lord, but we have arrived at the border, and your escort to Tenrai is here."

Yusuke opened his eyes and sat up immediately. Thankfully, no one was in the coach except for him and Destin. He didn't want the escort to see him sleeping on the job like that... "Thanks," he said to the councilman, and crawled out of the coach. He heard Destin chuckle as the demon followed him out.

The escort was a few feet away, with another coach. Like the one Yusuke and his companions had used for transportation, the coach was plain, and looked more like a wagon. There was a demon standing outside of it, holding the door open - presumably for him - but Yusuke couldn't say the demon looked like any sort of servant. He was wearing purple robes lined with a golden fringe, and he looked elderly and...distinguished. Definitely *not* a servant.

"The Lord Urameshi Yusuke, I presume?" the demon asked.

"I am," Yusuke replied with a bow of his head, trying to keep his voice professional and polite. Destin had admonished him more than once over the years for sounding too...informal when speaking with demon lords and ladies. And while Yomi and Mukuro didn't seem to mind his language, he couldn't assume that every other influential party in the Demon World would feel the same.

"I am Ruka," the demon introduced himself. "A member of the Tenrai Council. I shall be your guide for the duration of your stay with us."

"Very well," Yusuke replied, accepting his bundle from the servant who'd retrieved it from the coach. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Ruka."

"We are ready to depart for the capital whenever you are, my Lord," Ruka went on. He sounded polite, but obviously he was eager to get back to the royal house.

/Maybe he's not used to being out often,/ Yusuke thought. Or perhaps, Ruka was uncomfortable in the presence of so many strangers. "I'm ready to go now," he replied. He cast Destin a sidelong glance. "I will send word to you when the negotiations are finished. It shouldn't be too long."

"As you wish, my Lord," Destin replied with a low bow. "Enjoy your stay in Tenrai. I hear it is a beautiful nation."

Yusuke gave the demon a wide smile, and then turned his gaze back to Ruka. "Ready when you are," he said.

"I have been ready, my Lord Yusuke," Ruka replied. He didn't *sound* like he was being sarcastic, but... "If you would follow me...?"

Yusuke gave Destin and the rest of his small escort one more little wave, and then joined the onhi in the coach headed for Tenrai.

It had seemed like a fairly long trip, but perhaps that was primarily due to the fact that Yusuke wasn't really comfortable in Ruka's presence. The demon seemed professional and polite, if not friendly, but Yusuke was still having a hard time "warming up" to him. The trip had been spent with Yusuke staring out the window, following Ruka's finger as the demon pointed out various landscapes and identified them.

He didn't know how long it was before the nitemares pulling the coach slowed to a stop. When they did, he snapped out of his daydreams and looked out the window. They had halted in front of what looked like...

"And this," Ruka went on, stepping out of the coach and gesturing to the structure in front of them, "is the temple."

Yusuke followed the councilman out and looked up. "That's the temple?" It was a tall building, and it looked...magnificent. But did temples usually have turrets, stables, and other such things...?

"Would you like to be escorted to your chambers now?" Ruka asked. "Or would you perhaps like to roam around the city for awhile? You are free to do whatever you wish."

"The negotiations?" Yusuke wondered.

"Tomorrow morning. It is late - nearly sundown. We shall talk tomorrow. And surely, my Lord Yusuke, you are tired from your trip. We would like to give you a night to rest before we begin."

"That's very considerate of you. Thank you." Yusuke glanced at the sky. He had a couple of hours before sundown, and he *was* curious about the city. He hadn't seen much from the coach, and he'd always liked exploring things on foot. "I think I would like to see the city," he added. "I shall return soon." He gave the councilman a little wave and turned to be on his way.

The capital of Tenrai - Ruka had given it no other name, so Yusuke assumed that the capital shared the same name as the nation - was quite large, from what he gathered as he walked through the streets. He took his time strolling through the busy districts, watching the people go about their business. The streets weren't as full as they probably would have been earlier in the day, but there were still a lot of demons out and about. Yusuke noticed that, unlike many other nations of Makai, the only species of Demon around were onhi. Since Tenrai was primarily an Onhi nation, it wasn't odd for it to have a primarily Onhi population, but still...there were usually different kinds of demons in every nation - an exception being, of course, the Koorime Glacier. Perhaps Tenrai was so isolated that they didn't even allow outsiders to come to live in their country.

He stopped at one of the benches strewn about the city and decided to sit down for a moment. Tenrai was...familiar, but foreign. The city itself looked rather medieval, as most Makai cities did, but it also had lights, like Gandara. So, it was difficult to classify, but so far, from what he'd seen, it was an impressive place to live.

"It's a beautiful town, isn't it?"

The voice made Yusuke start. The streets had been rather empty, and he certainly hadn't been expecting anyone to approach him. He looked over his shoulder and followed the newcomer with his eyes as he sat down next to him. "Yes... It is." He took in the demon beside him. He was Onhi, but that was to be expected. He was rather tall, with a slender build, and had hair that was the color of flames.

"It's too bad you're here for business purposes and not for pleasure. There are many attractions in this nation I'm sure you'd love to see."

"Well," Yusuke began, drawing one leg up on the bench, "I've seen much of the city, and it's certainly impressive. And everyone seems so...content, I suppose. It's quite quiet here."

"It usually is," the demon replied. "Only onhi live here, and generally everyone is at least civil with one another. There's not much to complain about around here - or at least, nothing that's worth talking about out in the open." He chuckled. "Have you seen the Garden, yet?"

Yusuke blinked. "The 'Garden'?"

His companion nodded. "The Floating Garden, to be precise, though the name is usually shortened. It is the most beautiful place in Tenrai, in many people's opinions." He shrugged. "However, few are allowed to enjoy it. It is located on the temple's property. When people are permitted there, they are fortunate enough to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of one of the most beautiful places in the world."

"I wish I *were* on vacation," Yusuke remarked. "Then I could enjoy the tranquility more."

"There are few of us who are ever on vacation, my friend. There is always someone who needs us."

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed reluctantly. "There's usually someone who--"

"Sometimes the one who needs you is so close, you don't even know how close you are to him, until you step on him."

Now Yusuke was beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Excuse me?"

"Sometimes you are needed when you least expect to be," the demon went on. "And everything happens for a reason."

Yusuke felt his features contort in confusion. "Look... Whoever you are, I don't think--"

"Everything happens for a reason," he stated again, his green eyes staring at Yusuke, looking much like ice, "to help someone fulfill their purpose."

"What are you--?"

He was cut off when the demon shoved a fist at him. Half-expecting a fight to start, Yusuke tensed and glanced down. He watched as the hand unfolded to reveal a tiny treasure contained within it. It was a silver ring, made for both men and women, with a sparkling pink insignia on it.

"This is your purpose for being here. The Rose Signet."

The pronouncement was made in a confident tone. Yusuke frowned and held out his hand. "What are you talking about...?"

The red-haired demon placed the ring in his palm and closed his fingers over it. "You remember that."

Yusuke stared down at the ring for a moment before shaking his head. "What the hell are you babbling about, you--" He fell silent when he looked up and realized that he was no longer in the company of the other demon. /What the...?/

He stood up and looked around. He was alone; the demon had vanished. There weren't even any other demons walking around, so he couldn't ask them where the red-haired demon had gone. /But how could he have left without me knowing it? I lowered my head only for a moment!/

He remained rooted to the spot for a few moments more, searching around him for any sign of the other demon. When it became apparent that the red-haired stranger would not be returning, Yusuke gave up and decided to head back to the temple.