InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Puppet Master ❯ Chapter 2

Title: The Puppet Master

Author: Bondage Fetish

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Lemons, language, violence and character death.

Theme: Dangerous Liaisons

Disclaimer: If I owned either Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho, I'd actually be rewriting both series instead of having to content myself with fan fiction of it. And no, I make no money off of this story.

 

Written for The Deadliest Sin's contest.

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

It was nearly a week later before Kurama finally had the chance to pull himself out of the books he'd been forced to immerse himself in for midterms. Normally he didn't mind studying in the least, but he knew that Hiei was still waiting on his answers. Truthfully he was rather surprised that the apparition hadn't popped up again to ask what the hold up was. However, his luck wasn't going to hold out forever and he'd prefer to have something to give to his former teammate instead of nothing but more questions. Dangling tidbits of knowledge to the hybrid would be the easiest way to get his own answers.

 

And that was precisely the reason why he was at the library now. A quick search on the computer had revealed nothing, which wasn't exactly surprising. Without an approximate date, he had no way of determining just how far back he needed to go.

 

The problem was, he knew he'd be forced to deal with the same problem here. His best bet lay in the librarian behind the reference desk. If anyone would know where a good starting point would be, it would be her. So he put on his most charming smile and approached the desk, “Excuse me, I was wondering if you might be able to help me find some information.”

 

“I can try,” she said, smiling in welcome, “What can I help you with?”

 

“I'm looking for information on a shrine in Tokyo. One of my friends told me that it had burned down some time ago, yet I can't find any information on it,” Kurama replied and leaned forward, engaging the woman in conversation. The surprise that showed on her face nearly had him smiling. No doubt she'd been expecting him to ask for something school related. A book on chemistry perhaps, or something that would be equally frustrating to most of the students who passed through here on a daily basis.

 

“You'll find the information you're looking for on microfilm, although I must say that's an unusual request.,” she said, surprised that he'd want to know of a shrine fire. She knew of the exact event that he spoke of and it was a terrible tragedy in her opinion.

 

“Well, I'm afraid it's for one of my classes. I have to write an essay on religion and how modern life is affected by it. After consulting with my study partner, I decided that this was a good event to focus on. I'm sure that a lot of people were affected by what happened. Unfortunately I misplaced my notes and I can't remember what year it occurred in,” he replied, the lie falling easily from his lips. To tell her that it was none of her business would be terribly rude and it surely wouldn't gain him the help that he needed. The look in her eyes told him that she knew something about it, and that would shorten the amount of time that he would be forced to spend on the search.

 

“That's easily remedied. It happened five years ago, in October during the Edo Tenka Matsuri festival. I don't think they ever caught the person responsible. There were so many people in the streets, watching the parade,” she said before shaking her head. She could only hope that the person who was sadistic enough to do such a thing would get their punishment in the afterlife since it couldn't be meted out in this one.

 

“That narrows things down considerably,” Kurama replied, “thank you, you've been a big help.” Now that he had a specific date in mind, it would be simple to find the information. Now it made sense as to why he couldn't find anything about the fire. No one would want such an important festival to be tarnished by something so horrendous. Information was likely to be limited at best, and most likely Hiei would be unsatisfied with the results. However, there was only so much he could do, unless he managed to come across a witness which was highly unlikely.

 

Determined to find what he could, he ventured into the room where he knew the microfilm was kept. Thankfully the room was mostly deserted, just the way he preferred it. It only took a few minutes to find the slide that he wanted, and carefully he laid it on the reader. It took more than a few minutes before he found the article in question, and he wasn't surprised to find there was very little detail in it.

 

Sometime between 9:30 and 10pm on the night of the festival, a fire had broken out at the Higurashi shrine. Witnesses claimed that the fire appeared out of nowhere and at first it was believed to be set by some fireworks. However, the fire spread too quickly for that to be the case and arson became an immediate suspicion. Two people had perished in the blaze, the mother and her youngest child. The eldest child was presumed dead although they'd never found her body.

 

Kurama sighed, there just wasn't a lot to go on. Apparently there had been one survivor, an older man who had served as the priest for many years. Quickly he dug out a pencil and some paper to write down the name. If necessary, he could track the man down and see what information he could get from him.

 

There were a few eyewitness accounts, but nothing that would lead him to believe that a demon had caused the blaze. However, he trusted Hiei's assessment. Just because the crowds hadn't noticed a demonic presence didn't mean there hadn't been one lurking in the shadows. Still, he couldn't understand why the shrine had been targeted in the first place. There had been no mention of the bodies being mutilated, only burned almost beyond recognition. 'That rules out someone looking for a midnight snack. Perhaps it was personal, or the demon was looking for something in particular.'

 

That idea had potential since he knew most shrines and temples held a lot of ancient relics and artifacts, some of which might still hold certain powers. Of course, the abilities of each item had probably been lost to the ages since humans with any true powers were few and far between. There was no way of knowing what could have been taken either, since the house and all other buildings had been completely destroyed. There would be little to no evidence of the things they once contained.

 

Even if he were to go with that particular theory though, it still didn't explain why they'd wish to steal something in the first place. Most holy artifacts couldn't be used by anyone demonic in nature. In fact, touching the wrong one could easily get the demon in question purified. Somehow bragging rights just didn't seem like a big enough draw.'I would have heard if anyone was attempting to usurp my reputation. No, I need to speak to the old man and find out what he knows.'

 

It was tempting to make a trip to Tokyo to visit the shrine himself, but at the moment he just didn't have the time. Although he trusted Hiei's judgment on the situation, he knew that there were things he was withholding as well. 'I may have to make the time. Even if he hasn't omitted anything important, there may have been some clues that he overlooked.'

 

Just as he was about to shut the machine off and file the film in its proper place, another piece of the article caught his attention. 'Curious, there had been three other fires set on that day and they believe that they were all set by the same person. If that is indeed the case, whoever this was didn't want anyone to know what they were after.'

 

Uncertainty was something he disliked intensely, and now that he'd been drawn into this little mystery he was impatient to have it finished. As an afterthought, he made a copy of the article to take with him. Even though there was almost no information there, he had a feeling he would need it for later. If nothing else, this was proof that he could present to Hiei that almost nothing was known about this incident. If he could prove that they needed to look deeper into it by provoking the apparition's suspicious nature, they'd get it solved that much quicker. Once he had the page firmly in hand, he placed the film in the proper draw and exited the room.

 

Once back in the main room, he gave a polite nod to the librarian who had helped him and began making his way to the door. However, before he made it a familiar voice called out to him. He repressed a sigh when he realized that he was going to have to exchange pleasantries with Keiko, even if it was only for a short amount of time. While the girl was pleasant enough, he didn't have the time for idle conversation.

 

Only when he was sure that his mask of indifference was in place did he turn around to greet her, “Hello, Keiko. I didn't expect to see you here today.”

 

The brunette gave him a long suffering sigh and a weary smile, “I've got a paper to write for class and the last time I stayed home to study, Yusuke stopped by. This is the last place he'd want to be, so I figure I'd get a few hours in before I have to go home. How have you been?”

 

“Very well, thank you. I just finished with midterms myself and I'm looking forward to a break,” he replied, wishing he could just brush the girl off. However, he knew she wasn't likely to detain him long if she'd come to this place for some peace and quiet. His keen eyes took in the small stack of books she was holding and he smiled, “I'm assuming your paper is on world history?”

 

“Quantum physics actually, I just escaped from my history class and came here without bothering to drop my books off at home,” she said and then looked at the redhead curiously. The only thing he happened to be carrying was a pad of paper and a few loose sheets of computer paper. He'd already said his midterms were over so... “Are you here to get a head start on your studying? I wouldn't mind company if you are.”

 

“No, that's quite all right but thank you for the offer. I'm just here investigating some old news articles for a friend,” he replied easily. The girl always had been curious, but this wasn't something that she needed to be involved in. Unless she knew the family that had perished in the fire, she'd be all but useless to him at this point. He was already hindered enough by the lack of information, adding an oblivious female would just make things that much more difficult.

 

Immediately Keiko's eyes narrowed in concern, “A friend? It doesn't have anything to do with... you know...”

 

Kurama nearly sighed at the way she cast her eyes upward in an indication of the Reikai. Really, she could have just asked if it had to do with Koenma and the other people in the library would have been none the wiser. “No, everything is quiet where that is concerned. This isn't related to any of that business.”

 

Although he was reassuring her that wasn't the case, Keiko couldn't help but feel she was being lied to. But to outright call the redhead on it would be impossibly rude, and she had no right to demand information from him in the first place. That didn't stop her from trying to catch a peek at the papers he was holding. After all, it wasn't like he was going out of his way to conceal them.

 

“If you're sure,” she said and then trailed off when she caught the headline on the topmost paper, “That's... Kagome's shrine. Shuichi, do you know something about her disappearance?” Both hope and anxiety welled up within her as she awaited his answer. It could be just chance that he was looking into the fire, but somehow she didn't think so. When he stared at her in surprise, she grasped at his free hand, “Please, you have to tell me! What happened to her?”

 

“Perhaps it would be best if we were to sit down,” he said quickly and led her over to a nearby table. Now he was ready to kick himself for his previous thoughts, but he'd had no way of knowing that Keiko might actually have information regarding the shrine. One look at her face though was enough to convince him that he'd been wrong, although he couldn't be sure of just how much she did in fact know. “Tell me, Keiko, how do you know of the shrine?”

 

“It's not important. Just tell me! Is she alive?” Keiko asked again, desperate for the knowledge of just what had happened to her friend. When he attempted to placate her, she shrugged his hands off, “You know something! What is it?”

 

Now more than ever he wished that he could dose her with something that would calm her down. However, that was an impossibility with how much attention she was drawing to the both of them. His best bet was to reason with her and hope that this little fit would pass soon. “I can't answer that, Keiko. All I know is what I've read in the newspaper. Hiei is the one who came to me looking for information and now I'm looking into it. But I can't do much if people won't talk to me, and that includes you. So I'll ask again, how do you know of the shrine?”

 

“I stayed there briefly, back when I was attending the University of Tokyo. My parents could barely afford the cost of my tuition, and staying on campus was an impossibility. One of my mother's friends knew someone in the area and they arranged for me to stay at the shrine. That's how I met Kagome, but she disappeared a few months after I moved there,” Keiko said, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't afford to run Kurama off, not now. Then it was unlikely that she'd ever be able to corner him for information again. And she wasn't so much of a fool to think that he might actually care about her mental state after dropping this little bomb on her. 'The only reason he's still here is because he thinks I might know something that could help him.'

 

The small tidbit of information had him raising a brow in surprise, “You mean she didn't disappear at the same time as the fire?”

 

This put a whole new spin on things and he was forced to reconsider his earlier theories. It was possible that the girl herself had started the fires, although why she'd do such a thing was unknown. The other possibility was that the demon had kidnapped her for some sort of information, and after he'd gotten it, he'd returned to take whatever he was looking for. In that case, the girl was probably dead and her body just hadn't been found because it was likely somewhere in the Makai.

 

“No she didn't. Her schedule was really erratic and she'd often disappear for days at a time, but she always came back. The last time though even her family had begun to worry. But I just figured she'd come back like she always did and then I came back here for the holiday. That's when the fire happened. I got a call the next day from her Grandfather and he told me what had happened, but he still couldn't tell me where Kagome was,” she explained, hoping that whatever small amount of knowledge she had was enough to help solve the mystery. “Please, Shuichi, are you looking for Kagome? Do you think she might still be alive?”

 

To this question, Kurama sighed and shook his head, “I'll be honest, Keiko, it's very unlikely. Hiei was at the shrine not that long ago and he made no mention of the girl. The only thing he could say that the fire was not... normal.”

 

Keiko's eyes widened in understanding and she nodded. The redhead wouldn't come out and speak of demons or their abilities in such a public place, but his words threatened to destroy what little hope she still had for her friend. Although she'd managed to control her grief over the situation, having it brought up again so abruptly had opened old wounds. She could only pray that wherever Kagome was, she was safe and sound.

 

“Kurama,” she whispered and turned pleading eyes on him, “find out what happened to her. Please? I... I need to know. I may not have known her long but... she wouldn't just leave her family willingly. She didn't deserve this to happen, none of them did. If you would have met her, you'd understand. I know it's asking for a lot, but if you can help find her... and maybe put her spirit to rest, I'd be grateful.”

 

~Meanwhile~

 

Deep within the forest some distance from Tokyo, Kagome's spirit stirred restlessly within the jewel. For days she'd been watching, waiting for the apparition to fall asleep and allow her to sift through his memories, but the man had been persistent about remaining awake. It was irritating, but if she were to admit the truth, she only had herself to blame. 'If I'd checked his mind again that first day, I wouldn't have had to wait this long! Stupid, Kagome, you need to stop worrying about whether or not someone is going to notice. They can't touch you here!'

 

Yet no matter how much she berated herself, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of worry. What would happen if someone with enough power, like Mukuro, made a try for the jewel? Would she be able to overpower the demon lord with enough purification energy before she managed to make it to the jewel? It was a question she liked to believe that she had the answer to, however, without it actually occurring, all she had to go on was suppositions.

 

It was because of her insecurity, and most likely her anxiousness over what he might have seen, that had stopped her from going through his memories of the shrine. But now enough time had passed that it was unlikely that he'd notice her probing, if only he'd go to sleep. 'I should have known that Inuyasha was telling the truth every time he thumbed his nose at us for needing sleep. This guy just takes the cake.'

 

In fact, she was beginning to wonder if Hiei suffered from a severe case of insomnia and debated on how hard it would be to convince him to try some sleeping pills. As it was, his mind was hovering on that edge like it had done several times since she'd established the connection in the first place. However, she knew that wasn't a guarantee since the least little thing would have him jumping out of bed and her chance would be lost.

 

So it was a great relief when he did finally slip into slumber and she wasted no time in insinuating herself deeper through the channel. The first thing that she explored was whether or not he had mentioned what had happened to anyone. A wave of consternation filled her when she realized that he'd taken the problem directly to Kurama, the very person that he couldn't trust. 'It's no wonder he's had so many problems with people turning on him. Even I know that if someone burns you once, you keep them at arms length!'

 

The only consolation that she had was that he hadn't really mentioned what had happened in its entirety. It would be exceptionally difficult to tie the location her spirit rested in with the shrine unless Hiei decided to part with the information he was withholding. However, the conversation between the two gave her the answer about the shrine and she wished that she could weep. The shrine was gone and the status of her family was unknown.

 

Now she was unsure as to whether or not she wanted to go any further into those memories. Could she handle seeing her birthplace, her home, laying in ruins? There were so many memories tied up in that place and to see it utterly destroyed would surely be her undoing.

 

However, the knowledge that a demon had caused it made her steel here resolve. There was nothing she could do to take back what had happened, however she had the power of the jewel at her disposal. If the creature responsible was still alive, she'd make sure they paid for what they'd done. It would be difficult to be sure, but she'd use every method at her disposal to track the demon down, even if it meant using Hiei to do it. 'All I'd need is for him to bring that bastard and let me take care of the rest.'

 

Long ago, thoughts of vengeance would have been foreign to her but centuries of being trapped within the jewel had hardened her to the realities of life. So she braced herself for what was to come and delved deeper into the apparition's mind, needing to see what was left from her childhood. Ruthlessly she skipped past his thoughts of irritation at the time, and settled on what he'd seen. The images though, stopped her cold. 'It's... really gone.'

 

There was a difference between knowing something and actually seeing proof of the fact, and all the preparation in the world couldn't have prepared her for the reality of the situation. With the exception of the Goshinboku, nothing was the same as when she'd made that final trip through the well.

 

It was clear that Hiei's assessment had been accurate as well. She could “see” the demonic energy that laced the shrine grounds, tainting everything with its malevolence and overpowering the sacred energy which should have been prominent. That alone would be enough for her to trace the power back to the source and if the person responsible was still alive, there would be hell to pay.

 

But there was more to the scene that unfolded before her, and she gave an involuntary sob. Three spirits roamed the grounds, looking lost and forlorn. She knew that they could have no peace, not until their spirits were laid to rest and she knew in part that was her fault. She hadn't done enough to protect them, and her family had paid the ultimate price. Were they waiting for her to come make things right?

 

Oh how she wished to be able to reach out and touch them, reassure them that she would make things right again. The afterlife was surely better than being tied to the spot of their horrific deaths and she had to wonder if she could speak to them, could they give up their eternal suffering? Just because she was bound to this world, trapped within a cursed jewel with no hope of escape didn't mean she'd wish that they'd be doomed to suffer as well.

 

Before she could ponder the problem further, a violent tug on her mind had her recoiling quickly. For some reason the apparition was awakening, and her tentative hold on his mind slipped through her fingers. Without having him in close proximity, she couldn't hope to control him any longer.

 

Uneasily Hiei sat up, pushing himself away from the bed. A frown marred his face as he tried to figure out just what he'd been dreaming of. Having a nightmare wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence for him, however, this was missing the distinct feel of the terror that came with free falling from the island.

 

Instead he was assaulted with a grief so intense, yet completely unfamiliar that he had to wonder just where it originated from. It was, he supposed, what he might feel if he learned Yukina had died, but it was missing the smoldering anger that would surely follow from being unable to protect her.

 

A scowl marred his face and he moved to put his boots on. He didn't have time for this, nor did he desire to try and figure out just what a dream that he couldn't remember meant. Time was running short and he'd been hoping that he could catch up on some sleep before he was summoned by Mukuro to attend the annual meeting with Enki, Koenma, Yomi, Kurama, and Yusuke, assuming the Toushin even bothered to show up this time.

 

'That would be a miracle considering he doesn't give a rat's ass for the politics behind keeping his precious world safe.' Of course, he couldn't exactly blame Yusuke for his view points. Give him an ass to fry any day and he was happy but sticking him in a room to discuss policies? It was pointless for him to even be there, but Koenma wanted the demonic members of the old team present to give their opinions on how things were working. His lip curled in disgust at having to deal with Koenma's demands for the border to be more heavily patrolled. 'If he was that damned concerned he should be sending his own troops to the border as well. No, the brat just wants us to be jumping through hoops because it keeps his father off his ass.'

 

The slight swell of energy in the air told him that his time was up and as expected, an imp appeared from nowhere. “Let me guess, I'm expected in the conference room.”

 

“Yes, Lord Hiei. Mukuro summons you to the chambers immediately.”

 

“Inform her that I'm on my way,” he replied, trying not to allow his resignation to show. There was a small hope that the meeting would be short, but he wasn't going to count on it. The only consolation that he had was that he'd have a chance to speak with Kurama after it was over and find out if he'd learned anything yet.

 

Quickly he grabbed his cloak from the back of a nearby chair and threw it over his shoulders. Now that the message was delivered, it wouldn't be proper to take his time, not that he much cared for the dispositions of the people he'd be meeting with. However, pissing them off would likely drag the meeting out even longer than it normally would, and that was something to be avoided if at all possible. So he wasted no time in making his way to the conference room and as soon as he opened the door, his lips tightened into a thin line, he was going to kill the both of them. “Tell me why, exactly, I'm forced to be here if not only Yusuke, but Kurama as well can't be bothered to attend and deal with this pointless bullshit?”

 

Unaware of the stir he'd helped to cause, Yusuke was currently seated at a restaurant with Keiko and waiting on lunch to be delivered to their table. Oh, he'd been aware of the fact that there was a meeting he was supposed to attend, but just like the last two years he'd brushed this one off as well. As far as he was concerned, Mukuro's team was doing a fine job and the incursions over the border had been minimal at best. Had they been twice as frequent he might have cause for concern, however that was not the case and he felt no guilt in letting the others deal with it.

 

Especially when he had things to deal with on this end that needed his attention. Case in point, Keiko. She was being exceptionally withdrawn today which was rather unusual. When she'd asked him to accompany her more than a week ago, he'd only accepted because it did get him out of the meeting in the Makai. A day of following her from store to store was preferable to listening to the statistics that were sure to be prattled about at length.

 

However, Keiko had only taken him to two stores and her normal forays with trying on clothes had been strangely absent. Something was bothering his girlfriend and he was determined to figure out what it was. “All right, Keiko. What gives? You've been acting weird all day and I doubt it's because of your classes, so spill.”

 

Keiko frowned, unsure of whether or not that she should even mention what was bothering her. After all, Yusuke had gotten to know Kagome as well during the times that he'd come to visit her at the shrine and her disappearance had bothered him as well. Yet, this didn't seem to be the kind of thing to keep from him either, not when considering the fact that both Hiei and Kurama were his friends. Finally she sighed, and quit toying with the straw in her drink, “Do you remember Kagome?”

 

“The girl you used to room with, back in Tokyo. Yeah, what about her?”

 

“Kurama's looking into her disappearance and the fire at the shrine, but he wouldn't tell me why. Just that it had something to do with Hiei,” Keiko said quietly, her mind still in turmoil over the fact that it had been brought up after all this time.

 

Immediately Yusuke's attention was caught and he looked at the girl curiously, “That's odd. I didn't know that Kurama knew her.”

 

“That's just it, he didn't. After he left I went and talked to the librarian he'd been speaking to a few minutes before I arrived, he didn't even know when the fire had happened,” she said, still unsure of what to make of the situation. “Yusuke, do you know what's going on? Do you think they might know who did it? Kurama said that the fire wasn't normal.”

 

“I haven't seen him in a few weeks, so this has to be something new,” Yusuke said, pondering over this new development, “He specifically said the fire was demonic?”

 

Keiko shook her head, “He was careful to say that it wasn't natural because he didn't want someone listening in, and you should do the same. Keep your voice down, someone might hear you.” Just because the few tables that surrounded them were empty didn't mean that sound wouldn't travel.

 

“Screw them. If it wasn't “normal”, that might explain why the case hasn't been solved. The authorities can barely keep up with things as it is,” he said, his voice growing thoughtful, “The fire happened after the border came down right? So why didn't Koenma let one of us know that there had been an attack?”

 

Keiko didn't have an answer, considering how often Koenma had been on Yusuke's back about demons that had made it across the border. While they didn't make it often, there had been a couple instances where he'd been forced to go hunting. “Can't you ask him then? If nothing else, he could tell you whether or not Kagome's still alive, right?”

 

“I don't see why not,” he said and then fixed Keiko with a serious look, “You know that if it was a demon who did this, she's probably dead, right?”

 

The chance of a demon leaving her alive were virtually nonexistent. However, they couldn't know for sure without checking with the Reikai to make sure her soul was processed. If she wasn't dead, her options still weren't good and there was a likely chance that she'd been turned into some sort of slave. With attractive as she'd been the last time he'd seen her, he could easily imagine the kind of torture that she'd been put through.

 

“I know, but don't we owe it to her to make sure? They didn't have to take me in, and they accepted you without question, remember?” Keiko insisted, hoping that Yusuke felt as strongly as she did about solving Kagome's disappearance.

 

“Don't worry, I'll look into it but Koenma's in a meeting today and it'll be hell getting him out of it,” he said, knowing that he didn't dare contact the demigod now to ask for a personal favor. Most likely Koenma would be more than a little pissed off at him for not bothering to show up, and he'd probably tell him in polite terms to fuck off.

 

Her heart sank hearing that they'd have to wait, but then she brightened considerably. Koenma wasn't the only one with access to the records. “What about Botan? She'd be able to tell us!”

 

Yusuke had to admit that the idea had merit and it would get him off the hook with Koenma. If he didn't have to fact the demigod anytime soon, the man would have calmed down by then. Quickly he nodded, giving his agreement, “All right, I'll contact Botan after we finish lunch. Where's our food anyway?”

 

“Who cares,” Keiko said and tossed a handful of bills on the table to cover their drinks, “We can eat later, let's get a hold of her now.” To say she was impatient was a bit of an understatement and the look of surprise on Yusuke's face would have been amusing under any other circumstances. Without waiting for him to protest, she snatched up her purse and grabbed his hand to all but drag him from the restaurant. “Come on!”

 

“I'm coming, geez,” he groused but allowed himself to be led from the restaurant. Several looks of surprise were thrown their way, but he didn't much care. They'd paid, that was all that mattered. Well, that and wherever Keiko was dragging him off to. “You mind cluing me in on where we're going? It'll look like we're crazy if we just start talking to thin air you know?”

 

“Of course I know that, I'm not stupid, Yusuke,” she said and dragged him down a side alley. She wasn't afraid of who might be lurking down there, not when she had him by her side. Any person who thought that they might be an easy target had one hell of a surprise coming to them.

 

“Gee, Keiko, if you aren't careful people might think we're coming down here to do something... a bit more fun than just talking,” he said, giving her a lewd look. The small smack he received in the arm had him chuckling. No matter how much time past, she just wasn't going to change. Knowing that if he didn't get a move on she was going to start nagging, he pulled out the communicator. It was one of the few remnants he had from his days as spirit detective, and at times he wondered why he still carried it. Now though, he was glad that he did. It took a few moments, but before long Botan's face appeared on the screen. “Hey, Botan. Do you have a minute? We need to talk.”

 

And as expected, it only took a moment for her to appear out of nowhere, rendering the communicator unneeded. “That was quick, guess you weren't busy.”

 

Immediately Botan's expression became one of irritation, “Yusuke! You're supposed to be in a meeting with Koenma and the others! What are you doing here?”

 

“You know that they don't need me to be there,” Yusuke said, brushing the question off. “Besides, I had a date with Keiko and I wasn't about to run out on her so don't bother with the lecture. We need your help.”

 

“Of course you're needed there,” Botan said, her voice tight with indignation. If Koenma could clear his schedule, then Yusuke could as well. “So if you're not wanting to talk about the meeting, whats could you possibly want to talk about?”

 

Impatiently she tapped her foot while waiting for the answer. So help her if this wasn't important Keiko was going to end up watching while she knocked the girl's boyfriend unconscious. Then she was more than ready to drag his limp body to the meeting and deposit him straight into Koenma's care. 'It would serve him right. How are people supposed to take his authority seriously when he can't even be bothered to show up!'

 

“There was a fire a few years back, not long after one of our friends disappeared and we need to know if she's dead or not,” Yusuke said, ignoring the look that the ferry girl was giving him. One way or another he intended on finding out what the girl knew, even if it meant going to the Reikai to hunt through the records personally.

 

'Yusuke, you know I can't divulge information like that without Koenma's permission, all death records are sealed,” Botan said uneasily. The request was odd to say the least, but she wasn't allowed to interfere in the lives of humans and if this girl was still alive and Yusuke went looking, it could change the fate that had been planned for her. If that happened, Koenma would have her ass for getting involved.

 

“Botan, you know I'm going to find out one way or another, and don't tell me this is none of my business. The fire was demonic in origin, so if Koenma has a problem with that, you can tell him I'm doing my job here and trying to keep the Ningenkai safe,” Yusuke stated flatly. He was unwilling to take no for an answer, not when Keiko was depending on him to find out. Sure, the girl asked for things more often then she'd like to admit, but this was important to her and he wouldn't tell her no.

 

“Wait, a demonic fire? When did this happen?” Botan asked, blinking in surprise. Most of the times a demon managed to sneak through they were apprehended before they could do any damage. If something of that nature had happened and Koenma was unaware of it, the man would have a fit.

 

“About five years ago, at the Higurashi shrine,” Keiko said, finally speaking up. She'd been willing to allow Yusuke to talk, but the ferry girl seemed to be resistant to answering his questions. Botan couldn't hold out against her as easily and she knew it. After all, it had been her insistence that had finally earned her and Shizuru safe passage to the Dark Tournament.

 

“The Higurashi... shrine?” Botan paled at the mention of the shrine. She was very familiar with the case and she wanted to know why they were bringing it up now.

 

“Apparently Kurama's been looking into it at Hiei's insistence. You want to tell me what's going on there that's so interesting? And while you're at it you can tell us if Kagome's safe or not, I know you know,” Yusuke said, immediately picking up on the fact that she knew of the incident they were speaking of. That alone was enough to convince him that there was something odd going on. What were the chances that she'd knows of the very event that both Kurama and Hiei were looking into?

 

“There's not really that much I can tell you both,” Botan began, her fingers caressing the wood of her oar as she thought over the details of the case, “there was a fire there, as you already knew and yes a demon caused it. There were two people that were killed in the fire and I was the one that was sent to collect the spirits, but they refused to come with me.”

 

“Is it because they died in the fire? I've heard that violent deaths can tie the people to the place that it happened,” Keiko asked, trying to figure out just why Kagome's mother and brother would refuse to follow the ferry girl.

 

“Well, that does happen sometimes, but that wasn't the case in this instance. When I couldn't tell them what had happened to Kagome, they refused to budge. I tried telling them that they couldn't stay there any longer, but they were rather insistent in saying they couldn't leave yet,” Botan said, recounting the exact details behind the conversation. The woman had been rather polite but insistent whereas the younger boy had been downright rude.

 

Having intimate knowledge of being dead, Yusuke could just imagine the spirits in question telling Botan where to go. He hadn't wanted to leave either and in the end, he'd been forced to jump through hoops in order to regain his life. Quirking a brow at the taller of the two girls, he continued to probe her for information, “So did they give you a reason why they wouldn't leave then? Koenma didn't offer them a deal in order to come back to life did he? Cause last I heard you couldn't come back if you didn't have a body.”

 

“The rules haven't changed, Yusuke. Their bodies were burned beyond recognition, so it'd be pointless for Koenma to offer them a second chance like that. No, the reason they didn't want to go was because of the daughter, Kagome. They demanded to know if she was still alive somewhere, but I couldn't answer their questions. I even looked up her file and it's like she never existed, but they weren't willing to accept that either. I remember speaking to Koenma about it, and he brushed it off as a clerical error,” Botan said, her brow furrowing in thought. Such mistakes weren't exactly uncommon, but she was sure of one thing, if her soul had passed through, they would have had some record of it. “If she's dead, most likely her soul was taken by the demon who started the fire in the first place. If that's the case, we wouldn't have been able to find any trace of it anyway.”

 

“What about her grandfather? Would he know where she was? The last time I talked to him she was still missing, but maybe he's found her since then,” Keiko said, grasping at any straws that she could find. If even the Reikai couldn't find the girl, then she had to accept the strong possibility that she was dead. But she refused to give up hope before all of her options were exhausted.

 

Botan shook her head, her eyes reflecting the sadness she felt for the girl's plight, “The grandfather passed away last year and when I went to ferry his soul, his response was the same. He refused to leave and he returned to the shrine to wait with the others. I'm afraid that their souls will remain there in that place for an eternity. Even Koenma cannot force them to leave if they do not wish to go.”

 

“Then there's nothing that can be done?” Keiko asked, distraught over the fact that they'd apparently hit a dead end.

 

“Unfortunately not,” Botan said, confirming the girl's suspicions, “Without finding Kagome, there's not much that we can do. Something the mother said was rather strange though. It just didn't make any sense at all.”

 

“Well, are you going to tell us, or are you going to make us guess?” Yusuke asked and then promptly winced when Keiko elbowed him in the side.

 

“She kept crying about how the well had burned down and that she couldn't come back. When I asked her what she meant though, Souta stopped her from saying more. He said that someone named Inuyasha would make sure that she got home safely,” Botan replied uneasily. She'd even went so far as to hunt through the records looking for anyone named Inuyasha, but the only record she had of anyone by that name was a hanyou that had died centuries before. That clearly couldn't be the same person that the spirit had been referring to, so again she'd found herself at a standstill.

 

The mention of the well had Keiko blinking in surprise, “There was a well on the property. Has anyone looked into it? Maybe it was a portal into the Makai or something!”

 

At this, Botan gave a nervous laugh and shook her head, “No, Koenma didn't have the man power to spare at that point. Besides, all portals in the Ningenkai have been marked and there wasn't one anywhere near the shrine.”

 

“Then we need to get them to talk. That's the only way we're going to find out what they were talking about, it's the only lead we have,” Yusuke said, his mind mulling around just how he was going to convince them to open up. “What about Kuwabara?”

 

“You mean by letting one of them possess him so they can speak to us?” Botan asked, her tone one of skepticism, “Yusuke, if they weren't willing to talk to me before, I doubt that'll change now just because you ask.”

 

“Yeah well, they didn't know you. They know both me and Keiko,” he said, convinced that this was the way they needed to go. “Kuwabara's got a way with dead people, if anyone can get them to talk, it'll be us.”

 

“Yusuke, you don't even know that he'll want to be drawn into something like this. He was perfectly happy going back to living a normal life,” Botan said, uncertain as to whether or not this was even going to work. She didn't want to get Keiko's hopes up regarding her friend, only to have them crushed if the man declined to help.

 

“Trust me, he'll be willing to help. Just tell him that some of Keiko's friends are trapped at the shrine and he'll come running. It'll take us some time to grab a train to get there, so we'll meet you both there,” Yusuke said, knowing that the ferry girl would manage to convince him. If nothing else, Kuwabara's deep sense of responsibility with his gift would cause him to come. The man couldn't stand the fact that someone might possibly be trapped and unable to help themselves. The incident at the Dark Tournament with Dr. Ichigaki had proven that much.

 

“All right, Yusuke, I'll see what I can do,” Botan said, even though she had her misgivings. Nothing said the spirits would be willing to talk to him, but it was worth a shot.

 

Keiko watched the ferry girl disappear and looked at her watch, gaging the amount of time it would take to get to the train station, “Come on, Yusuke. If we hurry we can catch the two o'clock train. And before you ask, yes, I'll buy your ticket.”

 

It was nearly three hours later when Yusuke and Keiko arrived at the shrine, and neither of them were surprised to see both Kuwabara and Botan waiting on them. Neither one of them had ventured up the stairs though and they were certain it was out of courtesy. Immediately Yusuke picked up on how uneasy the redhead was, and he really couldn't blame him. He hadn't even stepped foot on the property yet and the place was already giving him the creeps.

 

“Hey, glad you could come, Kuwabara,” he said once they came within conversing distance, “Got any feelings about the place yet?”

 

Kuwabara didn't bother answering him immediately, but instead turned to look up the stairs, “Somethin' bad happened here, Urameshi. I'm not sure what, but I can feel it. They're sad, and waiting for something.”

 

That had been pretty much that the answer that Yusuke had expected and he nodded, “Yeah, they're waiting for a girl named Kagome. Are you ready to talk to them, see if they can give us any clues where she might be?”

 

“We can try. I don't know if they'll talk to me though since it doesn't quite work like that. In order to hear them they'd need to possess one of us,” Kuwabara stated as he began to climb the stairs, knowing that the others would follow him.

 

“Or Botan can just repeat everything that they say,” Yusuke said, giving the woman a considering look. He knew that possession was a dicey thing at best, not to mention rather having a rather limited time frame. Assuming that this conversation went anywhere, they might be here for far longer than an hour.

 

“Yeah, or that,” Kuwabara said and repressed a shiver. Even though Botan had told him that the fire had happened years ago, he could still feel the pain and emotions of the people that had perished in it. It was a horrible way to die, and he hoped that he could give them some measure of peace.

 

“I know that you're here,” he whispered into the wind, knowing that the ghosts were close, “and I wanna help you find your daughter Kagome. Will you talk to me?”

 

“What do you know about my sister?” Souta said, moving closer to the tall redhead. He'd been curious as to their presence, especially since he recognized three of the people there. Immediately he turned to glare at the ferry girl, “And you, I told you we weren't going anywhere with you!”

 

Kuwabara's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the boy's voice plain as day, “Wow, I didn't know that my powers growing stronger would have this side effect! Now, don't worry about Botan, she's not planning on taking you anywhere. Right now all we want to do is to help find your sister. Do you have any idea where she is?”

 

Souta immediately became suspicious and glared up at the taller man even though he knew that the human couldn't see him. Having these people show up so soon after having a demon stop by couldn't be a coincidence and he wasn't anywhere near as trusting as his sister was. “Why should I tell you anything?”

 

“Because our job is to help people. We keep the world safe from demons and if your sister is in trouble, we need to know,” Kuwabara said, trying to gain the boys trust. He could feel the other two spirits moving closer and knew they had to be listening to what he had to say.

 

“Then you should have been here, doing your job to protect my daughter and grandson! What kind of people are you, picking and choosing like that. You claim to protect people from demons? What proof do you have other than words meant to confuse?” Grandpa spat out, anger coloring his voice. What he'd suffered all those years, knowing what had happened to his family was nothing compared to what they'd gone through!

 

“They couldn't be everywhere at once! They had other cases, some so important that the world might have ended! Is that what you would have wanted? If the barrier between the worlds had fallen, the entire human race would have been decimated by demons,” Botan said, stamping her foot in indignation. Sure, a lot of things had happened that they couldn't control, but they were small issues compared to the cases that the team had been put on instead.

 

Grandpa looked at the blue haired female skeptically, “What barrier do you speak of, girl? And assuming you're telling the truth, why don't you have more people protecting it? How can we trust you to find my granddaughter when you can't even get that right?”

 

“Don't tell me what we should have been doing. The Reikai Tantei were sent out on the most important missions, and this one didn't even cross Lord Koenma's desk at the time, but we're here now. The sooner you tell us what you know, the sooner we can get on with finding your granddaughter,” Botan said impatiently. She didn't expect these people to understand the importance of what she was saying,especially seeing that most humans were oblivious to the existence of demons. They just happened to get caught up in something they shouldn't have been a part of.

 

“You must excuse my father,” Mrs. Higurashi said at last, realizing that they weren't going to get anywhere with the way tempers were flaring, “he's understandably upset by what happened. Maybe if you explained to us what this... Reikai Tantei team is. What's their purpose?”

 

“Like I said, we protect the human world. When a demon comes across the border, we apprehend them,” Kuwabara said, glad that someone levelheaded managed to step in between Botan and the old man. He was beginning to wonder if having the ferry girl there was a bad idea. Obviously there was some bad feelings there, at least on the part of the young boy. He hadn't stopped glaring at her yet.

 

Mrs. Higurashi stared at them all critically, “Just demons? What about the humans that kill people every day? Do you just leave them to the justice system here?”

 

“Normally, yes... but there are special cases that demand our attention. If it's an important enough matter, like if the person has high spirit energy then the team is send out after them as well, and they're apprehended just like everyone else. Lord Koenma is the one that passes judgment over them all,” Botan said quietly. The few people who learned of the spirit world and its purpose generally didn't take it well when they learned that for the most part, the Ningenkai was left on their own. However, in instances like Sensui, they were forced to step in.

 

Immediately Mrs. Higurashi became guarded. The importance of the ferry girl's words were not lost on her and she just knew that Kagome would be considered one of those special cases. How could she not be when her daughter was the guardian of a precious artifact with immense power? “And these humans that your... Lord Koenma passes sentence on. What happens to them?”

 

“Well,” Botan began uncertainly, “it depends on what they've done. Some of them might only come away with imprisonment for a specific amount of time. Others... could have their souls removed and then destroyed, it all depends on the circumstances.

 

Souta looked to his mother, his eyes wide with horror. He'd known just where she'd been going with the questioning, and it didn't look good at all. Kagome hadn't done anything wrong, at least not on purpose. But it still didn't change the fact that she'd shattered the jewel and a lot of people had died. Even if she was still alive and these people found her, there was a good chance she wouldn't stay that way for long. And if she was already dead... her soul could very well be destroyed. He had no reason to put his trust in these people, regardless of whether or not Yusuke and Keiko were her friends.

 

“I'm afraid that we cannot help you,” Mrs. Higurashi said after a moment's thought. Given what they said, if she revealed what had happened to Kagome with her trips to the past, it might give them a starting place of where to look. But would that be doing her daughter any favors if they found her just to condemn her for what had happened? No, at that point she'd just have to continue to put her trust in Kagome, and pray that she was safe. In the meantime however, she would not give up her silent vigil.

 

“Are you sure? I mean, anything at all would give us a starting point. I know you want your daughter found,” Kuwabara stated, trying to appeal to the other woman. He could feel her uncertainty, and he had a feeling that she knew more than what she was telling them. “Think of what she could be going through right now! That's the reason you refuse to move on right? You need to know for yourself that she's safe?”

 

“And turning her over to you people would be any better? Like I said, we cannot help you. Leave this place now, you no longer have any reason to be here,” Grandpa stated firmly, dismissing them completely. He'd known they were trouble the moment that they'd arrived, and they'd proven him right. Kagome was better off wherever she was now, rather than in their hands and being punished for something she couldn't control.

 

“But...” Botan started before falling silent. Already the spirits were leaving them, most likely returning to the tree where she'd seen them at the first time she came to this place. “Ohhh, you stubborn, old goat, why can't you see reason?”

 

She stamped her foot when the insult garnered no reaction and she turned back to face the others, “We should go, apparently they don't care enough to want Kagome found.”

 

“But what do we do then?” Keiko asked, unsure of just what had happened that she'd missed. “Maybe if I try to talk to them, it'll make a difference.”

 

“I doubt it. These people are stubborn and obviously they're hiding something to do with her,” Botan replied irritably, “I should return to the Reikai and start going through the records again. There may not be a file on Kagome, but there has to be something about the shrine itself. If I can find that, it might give us a starting point on what's going on here.”

 

When Keiko looked ready to protest, Yusuke put his hand on her shoulder, “Let it go for now. You know as well as I do they'd want her found. Somethings going on here and they're worried about what we're going to do to her. They're not going to give us anything, not when they think we're going to hurt her.”

 

The look on his girlfriend's face turned to one of understanding and he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. If he were in the old man's position, he probably would have done the same thing, seeing as there wasn't anything that he wouldn't do to protect his own family. Yet at the same time he knew Kagome well enough to know that she wouldn't have done something wrong, not on purpose. But whether or not the Reikai would take that into consideration, he didn't know. All he could do was wait and when the time came, speak on the girl's behalf if necessary. Until then, he had other things to deal with, like finding out just what the hell Kurama's part was in all this.