InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Ally ❯ Plans for the Day ( Chapter 4 )

Unexpected Ally

 

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

 

Chapter 4: Plans for the Day

 

Yuusuke sat on his sofa, the communicator in his hand, impatiently pushing button after button trying to get a response from the blue-haired Lady Death. Kuwabara was on the other end of the sofa, Kurama had sat himself in a chair, and Hiei was perched at the window, staring out into the bright lights of nighttime Tokyo. All three were silent as they listened to Yuusuke curse the small dead screen once more. He had been at it for about ten minutes already.

 

“C'mon, Botan! You're the one that told me to keep this thing with me! Now answer the damn call!!” The Spirit Detective yelled into the open communicator. The screen, however, remained blank. The boy glared at the disobedient device, as if it would somehow spring to life out of terror of further invoking his wrath. Still nothing. Growling under his breath, he began tapping the screen impatiently with his index finger.

 

Tap, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, tap. He brought it up to his face again, squinting at the dark screen. Nope, still nothing. Silence settled in the room, finally, until… tap-tap-tappity-tap-tap-tap-tap!

 

Swish! Swipe! Thump! Click-snap!

 

It all happened quicker than sight would allow, but now that the movement that had produced the sounds had ceased, no one had any doubt of what had happened. Hiei stood before Yuusuke now, holding the now-closed compact, a disapproving glare directed at the detective. The latter boy had been pushed back as the spiky-haired youkai had swiped the communicator from his hands, effectively ceasing the incessant tapping.

 

Kurama hid a smile behind his hand as Yuusuke stared back at the Jaganshi in disbelief. Hiei ignored both, returning to his spot at the window after tossing the stolen item to the confused Kuwabara, who caught it with both hands, nonetheless. Yuusuke crossed his arms as he adjusted his position on the couch, in order to treat the hybrid to his darkened scowl. Greeted with the back of the spiky-haired head, as Hiei had purposely turned his back to the boy when he'd returned to his perch, the tantei then turned his attention to the still stunned Kuwabara.

 

Just as his fist came up to strike the boy and retrieve his lost item, a shrill ringing broke the silence. Yuusuke's fist froze in midair as his carrot-topped friend jumped a mile at the sudden loud noise emitting from the previously silent device, causing it to be tossed into the air with the abrupt action. Both boys dove for it, scrambling over each other and making no real headway towards the small gadget as it plummeted towards the floor, still trilling shrilly. Before it could hit the floor and, inevitably, be smashed to pieces, it was easily caught by Kurama.

 

The two struggling teens both puffed a sigh of relief as the kitsune straightened from his bent position to answer the call. The previously black screen now glowed brightly and the pleasant face of a familiar pink-kimono-wearing Reikai employee stared back at the green-eyed boy.

 

“It's about time,” the girl exclaimed, “I thought you would answer right away with how urgently you were calling just now!”

 

At this, Yuusuke leapt to his feet to confront the girl on the screen. “You're one to talk! What the hell took so long? You're the one always on my case about keeping this thing with me, but I can't expect the same thing from you can I?!”

 

The girl blushed slightly at the accusation, but kept her usual cheery disposition, chirping through the monitor, “Did you need something, Yuusuke?”

 

“Yeah, we need to see the toddler! There's something strange going on here with the barriers. There've been five escaped youkai in the last 24 hours.” As the boy spoke, there was a great commotion behind the ferry-girl, as three paperwork-laden oni crashed and brought Botan down with them. As a result, she did not hear the last part of his statement. Botan struggled to get up as Yuusuke and Kurama watched from their end of the screen.

 

“Are you okay, Botan?” Kurama asked.

 

The girl picked up her communicator once again and spoke distractedly, “Huh? Oh, yeah… just a bit hectic around here right now, guys. Anyway, Koenma-sama needs to see you, but he won't be able to until at least tomorrow afternoon. He's been summoned to see Enma Daioh in the morning, and it's expected to be a long meeting. Actually, I'd be surprised if he comes out of there at all tomorrow, all things considered.”

 

Kurama felt his interest spark, “What's happening there, Botan?”

 

“Oh, nothing to concern yourselves with,” she casually waved off his concern with a flick or two of her hand, “just a little error with paperwork. Enma Daioh isn't too happy, though, since he came home early tonight before things were straightened out.” A shout from the hallway behind her caused Botan to turn her head, wave, and shout an affirmation. Turning her head back to the compact in her hand, she spoke again hurriedly, “Okay, guys, just needed to let you know that! I'll contact you again when Koenma-sama is able to see you. Bye now!” Without waiting to hear the protests that followed, she ended the call with a press of a button and snapped her compact shut.

 

The two boys stared once again at a blank screen after the blue-haired girl dimmed from view. Kurama closed the monitor and handed it to Yuusuke.

 

“I suppose there's nothing to do but keep our eyes open while we wait on Koenma,” Kurama sighed with a shrug.

 

“Feh, what, just wait around here uselessly while who-knows-what escapes into our world?!!”

 

“Hn.” The non-committal reply was heard from the window. Hiei stood on the ledge of the window, opened it and disappeared into the night.

 

Kuwabara went to the window, staring out into the night, finding no trace of the small fire apparition.

 

“Forget it, Kuwabara, he's long gone into Makai by now.” Yuusuke walked over to the window to stand beside the taller boy.

 

The remaining three boys settled back into their previously-seated positions, too wary of the situation to sleep, though they were exhausted from their day of traveling the city. They knew they should at least rest, though, and around midnight they agreed to doze in shifts. Kurama took first watch.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

A few hours later, Kurama awoke to the first rays of the day. Kuwabara was propped up on the couch, arms crossed, head back, snoring loudly. Kurama smirked in amusement at the picture. Kuwabara had had the last shift of the watch for just this reason. Kurama, knowing that he himself would awaken with the dawn, had decided it would most likely be the least dangerous time to have a sleeping guard. Kuwabara had been awoken little over an hour ago to have the shortest shift, yet had obviously not been able to fight off his lingering sleepiness.

 

Kurama stretched out the kinks in his back from sleeping in the chair, relaxing his body in order to make better use of his senses. Slipping onto the balcony of Yuusuke's apartment from the nearby sliding glass door, he fanned out his senses, searching for anything out of the ordinary. A strange scent, a spark of youki, an unusual collection of energy; any one of these would earn his special attention. Yet, there was…

 

`Nothing. Just the usual energy signatures of Ningenkai and its inhabitants.'

 

Kurama frowned. There had been no further encounters in Tokyo since about one the previous afternoon. There had been another breakthrough, yes, but, as Hiei had told them, that was about four hours driving distance outside Tokyo. If the weakening of the barrier was spreading, wouldn't that mean Tokyo would start to be overrun with Makai creatures by now? Perhaps they were looking at this all wrong… Perhaps, just perhaps, the threat was not spreading, but on the move. Kurama felt the excitement of anticipation leap in his soul. It seemed he would have another puzzle to satisfy the inquisitive nature of the Youko that filled every fiber of his being.

 

(Don't act as if it is my nature alone that drives us to seek out the answers to our questions) A voice slightly deeper than his own, slightly more cunning, but just as silky smooth, interrupted the silence he had been enjoying in his head.

 

`Of course not, Youko, this is definitely a case worth our utmost attention. I was merely thinking that this one seems it may be enough to keep even you entertained.' He offered a bit of flattery to the silver fox, hoping it may earn him peace inside his mind once again.

 

(Must I remind you that I am several centuries old? I am not a child with such a short attention-span that I must be constantly amused.) Youko huffed pretentiously.

 

`Certainly not, Youko, but you do get bored when your skills are not challenged. Seeing as how we haven't had an interesting case in months, I thought you would look forward to the opportunity to test your refined abilities. We will both enjoy the challenge on this one, no doubt.' Kurama finally found the right words to placate his Youko and received his desired reward, as the silver kitsune wordlessly preened and settled back down into their soul; though how long it would last was yet to be seen. He would surely be near the forefront of their combined consciousness for the remainder of this mystery; of this, Kurama had no doubt, but he would enjoy the temporary quasi-solitude while it lasted.

 

Kurama sighed deeply as he returned through the sliding glass door of the porch, preparing himself for the upcoming battle. Neither of the sleeping boys would be too happy about waking up this early during their summer break. Perhaps if breakfast was prepared for them… Kurama decided it was worth a shot, and bypassed the main area of the living room in favor of the direction of the kitchen.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

George's head hung as he accompanied his Master through the endless hallways to King Enma's throne room. Koenma was dragging his feet, sucking furiously on the soothing reiki his pacifier provided him. He normally fed reiki into it, but today he definitely needed a little pick-me-up; a little dip into the stores wouldn't hurt the supply much. Finally, they reached the large doorway, pausing to rap the knocker and receive the call to enter. Koenma nervously ducked into the room, leaving George awaiting him in the hallway. Only a minute or two had passed before the oni could hear the sound whack of his dear Koenma-sama's punishment.

 

With every whack, George flinched and mourned, not only for his Master's rear end, but also for his own inevitable treatment later. Koenma would surely be in a cross mood after receiving over 2,000 spankings--one for each soul either misplaced or delayed rightful judgment in the past few days, and the poor blue oni was sure to bear the brunt of his Master's bad mood as usual. George sighed heavily as the pink morning light of Reikai began to stream in through the windows at each end of the hallway. It was sure to be another long day.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Meanwhile, in Koenma's now paper-free office, Botan had been entrusted to the job of watching the monitors that registered ki activity for Ningenkai. Specifically, the monitors sensitive to reiki, as there was still the unexplained issue of the extreme spike in reiki that had been picked up the day before. Actually, there had been two times, within the span of fifteen minutes, and in seemingly the same general area. They hadn't been able to pinpoint the location exactly, though, because of the interfering reiki registering from a Shinto Shrine in the same area.

 

At first, the spike of energy had been dismissed as the workings of a keeper of the shrine. After all, it was a shrine in use and it was very possible there were duties requiring that amount of reiki to be expended. However, nothing had ever set off the monitors that high in that area before, and the priest that resided within had been thoroughly checked out, finding nothing extraordinary about him whatsoever. In fact, they could almost go as far as to say he actually had less reiki than the average ningen, which had caused the Reikai employees that had done the inspecting to scratch their heads in wonder at how he was a shrine keeper in the first place. They suspected, however, that he had inherited the shrine, as most shrines were passed down through families for ages, and the amount of reiki in his family line must have dwindled through the years out of disuse.

 

Nevertheless, at the second spike of reiki, Koenma had decided it may be a situation in need of further investigation. However, he had still been in the midst of the Great Judgment File Crisis at the time, and as it seemed there was nothing else amiss involving the reiki, he had had to put it aside for later. Later being today, after he'd had his `audience' with his father, of course.

 

So, waiting for her employer to return to his office sporting a severely smarting bum, Botan twirled slowly in his chair as she tended to her temporary monitoring duties. She'd already been at it for a good four hours, and her usually chipper self was beginning to feel boredom creeping up on her. She was just considering actually laying her head on the desk for a short snooze, when a sudden blip on one of the large monitors on the wall caught her eye. She quickly fumbled around in the desk drawers for a piece of paper and a pen to make a note of it.

 

“Let's see… Ningenkai Reiki Monitor 1, 9:24 AM, a sudden rise in ki was detected in district…” Botan's dictation of her own writing trailed off as yet another blip registered on the same monitor, slightly higher than the last. Quickly continuing her note, she made sure to add the specific level for each detection. Both had lasted less than two minutes, but had been extremely high; close to Genkai's low levels when not using most of her reiki, which was still pretty high.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“That was so cool!” Souta exclaimed, his eyes wide, staring at his sister and his idol as the pink glow that engulfed them died away to nothing. He had barged into her room without knocking just as the last few words of the incantation to hide Tetsusaiga were said. Luckily, Souta was the only one that had barged in, so the secret was still safe from the other members of the household.

 

“Souta!” she exclaimed, rushing over to shut the door behind him, “You should know better than to barge in without knocking, especially with Inuyasha here! What if someone had followed you in?”

 

Souta gulped and answered sheepishly, “Sorry, nee-chan, but man that was still really cool! How did you do that?!! The Tetsusaiga just disappeared and the room's all pink and glowy!”

 

Kagome explained the spells to her brother and why they were using them, earning more exclamations of how cool it was. She rolled her eyes at him and asked him what he'd come in for in the first place.

 

“Oh yeah, I was wondering when you and Inu-no-nii-chan would be ready to go down to the beach?” Souta looked hopefully at his sister and Inuyasha.

 

Most boys his age might've already snuck off to the beach, ignoring their mother's orders to stay with their sister and do as she said, but Souta was not most boys. No, Souta was the little brother to a time-skipping reincarnated miko with an inu-hanyou for a best friend, neither of which he got to see very often, though he wished he could. After all, their lives were so full of adventure, and they had seen and done so many awesome things, how could they not be cool to hang out with? Therefore, he had been looking forward to the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with the two of them, as well as his three friends, while on this vacation.

 

“In a little bit, Souta, we were just getting ready,” Kagome explained, “Now, would you please leave the room? Go eat some breakfast!”

 

Souta obediently left the room, closing the door behind him. He met Aki, Haru and Satoru at the kitchen table and joined them in eating the simple breakfast of miso soup and rice Kagome had prepared earlier.

 

Kagome grumbled a bit to herself after her brother left, reminding herself to start locking her door before doing spells from now on. It was bad enough that she had to renew them everyday, since they weren't powerful enough to last through to the next day while she was sleeping. She wasn't sure she was ready to have an audience to her spells on a regular basis, and Souta would definitely be snooping around to see more considering his initial reaction.

 

Kagome left the room to shower and change while Inuyasha got dressed in the bedroom. After spending most of the previous morning trying on clothes, he was now able to dress himself in the modern clothing with no trouble at all. He chose a pair of swim trunks--red with a black dragon design--and a blood-red T-shirt. Red being his favorite color, he had picked out quite a few items in the color, though Higurashi-san had insisted he have somewhat of a variety of other colors, also. He tied a black bandana over his ears, secured the now-invisible-Tetsusaiga to his hip, and went to wait for Kagome on the living room sofa.

 

By the time Kagome was ready, Souta and his friends had joined Inuyasha in the living room and started another video game tournament. Currently, Satoru was getting his butt kicked onscreen by Inuyasha, amidst cheering from the remaining three boys. None of them noticed Kagome enter the room, though Inuyasha could've easily caught her fresh-from-the-shower-scent of sakura blossoms if he hadn't been concentrating so intently on executing the complicated button maneuvers for his game character's special attacks. Kagome watched the excited antics of the boys for a couple minutes in amusement before drawing their attention.

 

“Well, I didn't think you guys would want to wait another minute to get down to that ocean, but I guess I was wrong.” She teased them.

 

Two suspicious triangles perked up a bit beneath a black bandana, as four smaller heads than that wearing the bandana turned to the girl. Kagome nonchalantly gathered her things, tying a sheer, ocean-blue sarong over the bottom of her bikini before shouldering a large beach bag. As she turned to leave, the younger boys finally starting to follow her, she realized she was forgetting something. Retrieving the forgotten item from a corner near the front door, she turned to hand the beach umbrella to Inuyasha and realized he was not with the other boys around her.

 

“Inuyasha!” She called sternly, about to give him a piece of her mind for causing a delay. Her words died in her throat, though, as she saw his face from across the room.

 

Inuyasha had fully intended to follow the pack of boys trailing Kagome, but had stopped dead in his tracks when he was greeted with the view of her bikini-clad form. Sure, he had seen her naked before, but he had really tried not to look. Really! Not only because he knew he would get in trouble, but also from being a little embarrassed about seeing the unclothed beauty. Now, here she was, wearing something that barely covered those parts she had been so embarrassed about him seeing before! Was she really going out in public like that? Was he allowed to look at her, or was he to avert his eyes? He felt his face warm a little as he continued to stare at her, fully believing he shouldn't, but unable to look away.

 

Actually, Kagome wasn't all that scantily clad. It was a simple classic bikini, light-blue with a white tropical flower design, which completely covered the important stuff. There were sure to be many girls on the sand wearing much less than she was. In fact, some of the newer swimsuits were no better than body floss, it seemed to Kagome.

 

It had taken a bit of courage for Kagome to actually buy and wear the bikini, however, as she normally wore the same one-piece suit that she had to wear for swimming in school. Her friends from school had insisted on it, though, when they had found out earlier that school year that Kagome would be going to the beach for her summer break. After all, how would she ever meet a guy if she wore her plain old green one-piece on the beach? Butting in as usual, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had dragged their friend to one of their favorite stores in the mall, pushing several cute bikinis into her arms before shutting her in a dressing room. Kagome had chosen the most tasteful one out of the bunch, earning a momentary look of disappointment from her friends before gaining their approval at the fact that she, at least, had a two-piece now.

 

Seeing Inuyasha staring at her with that dumb, shocked look on his face brought her self-consciousness to the surface and she felt herself blush. This only made the dog demon do his own impression of a tomato even more, still unable to tear his eyes from the modern-era miko.

 

“Kagome,” Souta called, walking up behind her, “when are we gonna-hey, what're you two doing just standing around staring like that?”

 

The spell was broken and the two teens quickly looked to the floor, both still blushing, though Inuyasha perhaps a little more than Kagome, as his thoughts had had nothing to do with the self-consciousness that had caused Kagome's blush.

 

Souta looked from one teen to the other, realization dawning on him finally, and exclaimed knowingly, “Oh, I get it! You've never seen a bikini before, have you, Inuyasha? Just wait `til we get down on the sand!! You'll never believe what some girls can get away with!”

 

Kagome noticed a dreamy look cloud Souta's eyes and shook her head at the realization that this vacation was probably going to turn into a pubescent, girl-ogling-fest when it came to her little brother and his friends. Gaining her lost composure back with the realization that she actually was still tastefully-clothed compared to what Inuyasha would soon see, she took charge of the situation once again. Crossing to Inuyasha, she handed him the aforementioned beach umbrella, ordering him to carry it for her since she had to carry the beach bag. He took it from her hands, grabbing the beach bag off her shoulder as well before she could protest. It was the least he could do to try to ease the guilt of the lingering images his mind was treating him to.

 

Finally, all things gathered, the group of six vacationers slipped on their respective sandals, Inuyasha choosing to stay barefoot, and made their way down the trail through the woods to the beach. The warmth of the sun bathed their bodies as they stepped out from the shade of the trees, and even Inuyasha couldn't help a contented smile from spreading across his lips, his fangs peeking through momentarily. They quickly set up their beach site, a full day of fun in the sun ahead of them. Kagome had even packed the pails and shovels to show Inuyasha how to make sandcastles. She hadn't done that in ages!

 

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Juri was bypassing the usual morning tea with a much needed stronger dose of caffeine. After staying up half the night studying, even the bitterest of coffees would be welcomed by her as long as it kept her eyes open and her brain operative for another full day of studying.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Master,” a figure, bowed low before our villain, spoke softly, “will we not attack them now? They have been back for nearly two days, yet we have not even gotten close to them. All we've done is attract the attention of those Spirit Detectives. Wouldn't it be easier to get it if we just--“

 

“Quiet, boy. I have my reasons for taking my time with my true purpose. Yes, they have been here for almost two days, but it hasn't been long enough for them to completely let their guard down. See how Inuyasha keeps scoping the area for danger everytime Kagome moves more than a foot from him? And though they have been under our virtually constant surveillance, we've yet to actually set eyes on our prize. They must have it, but where?” The last question was more to itself than the bowed figure, as the villain became contemplative.

 

“But Master,” the boy continued, “that still doesn't explain the involvement of the Reikai Tantei. Won't they complicate things for us? If they're on our case then—'' Once again, the boy was cut off.

 

“Their involvement is well justified, I assure you. After all these years, I shall finally have my revenge on all my enemies, including all of Reikai. The Tantei are merely a means to an end, though I will thoroughly enjoy breaking them with my little game.”

 

A hollow chuckle echoed around the large, cavern-like room as the villain and the boy continued watching their prey. Anticipation began to set in as they went over more of their plans for the very near future.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“Ungh!” Yuusuke grunted as he collapsed on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building. “I can't believe it! Nothing. Not even a tiny E-class youkai. And you and Kurama say there's no residual youki or Makai energy from the holes in the barrier yesterday and the night before.”

 

Kuwabara sat down, exhausted, beside his friend, “Yeah, all that walkin' around for nothin'. And I'm still not sensing anything out of the ordinary, either. It's weird…”

 

`It's as if the energies were completely sucked back into Makai, as if someone were cleaning up the evidence.' Kurama thought from his position leaning against the building. He voiced the opinion to his fellow detectives.

 

(That, of course, would suggest there was someone pulling the strings behind all this.)

 

`Indeed, it would,' Kurama answered his other self.

 

“If that's what really happened, wouldn't that mean someone else came along to do it? Like there's someone else planning these escapes rather than it being random?” Yuusuke pondered aloud.

 

(What do you know, it seems our appointed leader is capable of using his brain.) Youko drawled condescendingly.

 

`Youko, you've always known Yuusuke is smarter than he seems. He just doesn't focus on learning from books as much as learning from life experience.'

 

“That is, indeed, what it would suggest, Yuusuke,” Kurama answered his friend out loud.

 

The discussion went no further, however, as Botan suddenly popped through a portal in front of them on her oar. “Hi, guys! Ready to go?”

 

In no time at all the three detectives were standing in front of a seated Koenma in Reikai. Koenma seemed a bit taller in his seat than usual, causing a curious Kuwabara to peer around the side of his desk to see if he had actually grown some, or if he had just gotten a taller chair. He laughed heartily as he saw the pile of cushions beneath the Junior Ruler of Reikai, earning a glare and a grumble from Koenma as he shifted uncomfortably atop his cushions.

 

“It's about time you got us in here, toddler, so let's just skip the small talk and get right to the good stuff. What's up with the barriers now?”

 

Koenma looked puzzled at the question, “What in the seven hells are you talking about, Yuusuke?”

 

“What in the seven hells, indeed. That is exactly the question we pose to you, Koenma.” Kurama responded easily.

 

“Wait, if you didn't call us here for that, does that mean you actually don't know about the breakthroughs in the barrier? And, if so, what the hell did you call us here for?!!” Yuusuke spewed at the diminutive ruler, becoming frustrated.

 

“Perhaps there should be an exchange of information, similar to the one I took part in last night,” Hiei spoke, suddenly appearing in the corner of Koenma's office.

 

“Oi,” Kuwabara blurted out, “where did you come from?”

 

“Hn,” was the only reply.

 

“Okay, then, perhaps we should put all the cards on the table. I believe you should go first, since I already know what I'm going to tell you, and should know exactly what else we're dealing with before I get down to your new assignment,” Koenma spoke matter-of-factly around his pacifier.

 

A while later, both sides had told their stories, including, courtesy of George, the part about the filing mishap and Koenma's recent punishment. Kuwabara had once again burst out laughing, along with Yuusuke, as he realized the reason for Koenma's stack of cushions. The two youkai also snickered a bit at their boss' misfortune, though not as noticeably as their human companions.

 

Koenma merely grumbled about loudmouthed oni, giving a deathglare to the subject of his grumbles. No further punishment was given, though, as there were more pressing matters at the moment.

 

Once they had calmed down and Koenma was able to get their attention again, he brought up the replay monitors to show them exactly what had been detected and where. He suspected there may be a connection between the periods of heightened reiki and the instances of escaped youkai, since it seemed Hiei had been near the most recent reiki-monitored location when he had dispensed of the C-class youkai.

 

Koenma began replaying the monitors at a high speed, slowing them down to point out to his detectives the specific instances of peaking reiki.

 

(Wait a minute. Did you notice that?) Youko spoke up suddenly.

 

`I think so… on the replay of the Ningenkai Youki Monitor?'

 

(Yes. Every time there's a spike in reiki, there's a severe drop in youki in that same general area. In fact, it disappears completely.)

 

`There shouldn't even be any youki in those areas as far as we know, right? How is Koenma not catching that?'

 

`That's a question I'd like an answer to as well.' Hiei interjected into the kitsune's internal conversation.

 

`What could the connection be between the two? Is it like Koenma thinks, and this person is somehow using their reiki to bring youkai into Ningenkai? Or could it possibly be someone like Yuusuke, and they're actually getting rid of the youkai that seem to be following them?' Kurama spoke to both of the voices now sharing space in his head along with his own.

 

(You really have come across an extraordinary puzzle for us this time, Kurama.) Youko spoke approvingly.

 

Hiei smirked at the remark. Kitsune pride could surely only be rivaled by kitsune vanity, as he was certain he had just heard Youko pay himself a rather large compliment by way of Kurama.

 

`Perhaps you should take time from praising yourself to tell Koenma what you have discovered, as he seems to still be in the dark about it. He also seems to want our attention for some reason.' Hiei spoke into his friend's mind with a roll of his eyes for only Kurama to see.

 

Indeed, Koenma did seem to be staring at them intently, and Kurama wondered just how long the silent conversation had lasted after the replay on the monitor had finished.

 

“Something wrong, Kurama?” The demigod questioned.

 

Kurama opened his mouth to tell Koenma what he had noticed, when a sudden blip on a different monitor registered, catching the whole room's attention with the steady beeping that showed movement.

 

Kuwabara looked towards the sound, which was coming from a large monitor with a green grid-map being quickly traveled by a tiny red dot. “What's that?” He asked, squinting and pointing at the screen.

 

“Ningenkai Youkai Monitor 1,” Kurama read the monitor label to the boy.

 

Kuwabara sweatdropped as his face turned slightly red from embarrassment.

 

“It would appear there is another youkai loose in Ningenkai. Not only that, but it's in the same district that the reiki was detected in this morning,” Koenma answered more specifically.

 

“Wait,” Yuusuke demanded, “you mean this huge screen right here, with this annoying `bleep' sound, is what detects new youkai youki signatures in Ningenkai? How the hell did you not notice the other five?”

 

“Yuusuke, as it was explained earlier, things were a little busy around here the past few days. My office was filled with paperwork and-we can discuss that later. Right now you four need to go after that youkai. Botan, open a portal for them in that district,” Koenma pointed urgently at the screen to indicate which district he was talking about. There were so many, he didn't even try to remember all the names and numbers anymore. Having a second thought, Koenma called after his detectives just before they stepped through Botan's portal, “Oh, and guys, if at all possible, try to bring it back alive. I'm sure we all have some questions we'd love answers to right now.”

 

Nodding their understanding at the last order, the Reikai Tantei stepped through the portal between Reikai and Ningenkai.

 

End Chapter 4

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Four:

Jaganshi:those with a third eye (I've also seen this translated "one wielding the evil eye" or "master of the evil eye"; basically it's talking about Hiei having the Jagan eye implant, no matter what the literal translation is)

Enma Daioh: Great King Enma (will be known simply as "King Enma" when I write it in English, as that's what the dub says)

ki: energy

oi: hey

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A/N:  Just a note about the Japanese school year, as it may be confusing later on if I don't explain it.  In Japan, the school year starts in early April and lasts into the next year around the end of March.  There are 240 school days in the year, compared to between 180 and 195 in the average U.S. school.  They have a spring break between the old and new school year that lasts about 10 days from approx. March 25 to April 5.  During the actual school year, there is a summer break of 40-some days from about July 20 to Aug. 31.  This approximately coincides with the end of the "rainy season", though I'm not completely sure if that is the reasoning behind the timing.  There is also a winter break of about 10 days from around Dec. 26 to Jan. 6.  So anyway, with this information in mind, Kagome is on her summer break in the midst of her first year of high school (Grade 10 in Japan).  If you're interested in more about school in Japan, google it!!

 

HIEI LOVERS: Happy to hear..err..read that you think the story's cool! ^____^ I haven't decided the end pairing for this yet, but I can say that unfortunately Hiei isn't in the running. I like that pairing, but this time around it wouldn't fit in with my plot I'm working on. Hope you'll keep reading anyway, though! I'm trying to at least update once every two weeks, if not faster.

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Please read and review!!