Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Eyes, Sapphire Tears ❯ First Meetings ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Yusuke Urameshi, feared Spirit Detective, bane of demons, sat behind his desk at school, head on the polished wood surface, asleep. Every now an then a loud snore would fill the room, at which the teacher, long versed in this act, would stop his lecture and take enough time to yell at the troublesome youth before going back to work. Keiko watched this take place and sighed, poking Yusuke with her pencil. He groaned and turned his head to look at her. "What do you want?"
She gave him a stern look. "You're going to flunk out of high school if you keep this up, you know. You should at least act like you're listening if you're going to bother coming to school."
He shrugged, running a hand through his gelled back black hair. "I figure they're lucky just to have me here at all. You should be proud."
Keiko frowned. "Yusuke, don't you ever think about your future?"
He blinked at her, still clearing away the sleep. "No."
"Yusuke! You can't live your entire life a high school thug!"
"Stop trying to change who I am. We've been through this before, Keiko, I'm just not cut out for school. I suck at my work, and everyone knows the only thing I'm good at is fighting. Fighting, and winning. That's my rep."
Keiko gave up the talk, and with one last frown she looked away, her unhappiness etched on her face. He may be fine with being nothing, but she wasn't. No matter what he said, he had the ability to be much more than just a thug. If only he would try . . .

Koenma folded his hands in front of him on the desk, fingers splayed, eyes on the red-haired youkai in front of him. The youkai had emerald green eyes to set off his startlingly long hair, with an almost feminine curve to his face, but most definitely male. Though he looked young, it was merely deceiving, as he was actually hundreds of years old. His knowledge of the world equaled his years, and the dark intelligence burned strongly in his gaze as he stood silently in Koenma’s office. Only a fool would underestimate this demon at first glance. Sadly, it still happened, and those who had made the mistake hadn’t lived to regret it. Such was the way in Demon World.
“I don’t plan to tell you the full details of this mission until the others are gathered, but I believe you already knew that.” Koenma smiled.
Kurama didn’t return the smile, but amusement flickered in his eyes all the same, “Of course. You would have told me by now if it was your intention to. I am right in assuming that we will have a companion?” His voice came out deeper than one would expect from his looks.
Koenma nodded, “I would expect no less from you.”
“It wasn’t that difficult.” Kurama shrugged, a graceful movement, “The remnants of her power are still present here, even though she was gone long before I arrived. There was no way to miss it.”
“Yes, I admit she was quite a surprise. You will meet her soon. I would like for you to inform Yusuke and Kuwabara of this new assignment, and if possible, locate Hiei as well. This will be much different than missions in the past, and his help would be appreciated.”
Kurama smiled this time, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Kazumi watched the youkai leave, hidden in the trees. She let the scent of his power wash over her, and she smiled. He felt strongly of an ancient power, and of fox. She could almost see the demon that had hidden itself in his human form, concealing itself from the outside world. Maybe Spirit World would be more help than she originally had thought. If the others were like this one, then they might have some hope of stopping Yagami after all.
She was not afraid of Yagami himself, for she was the one who had trained him. She knew his strengths and his weaknesses, and she was confident that alone he would be an easy kill. But still . . . There was the fact that he had crossed over the portal in the first place. Only the elite were supposed to be able to do that. She had to assume that the power he now held was much more than before, and dangerous. She would not allow this mission to fail just because she got cocky. Better to be safe than sorry.
There might be more than one traitor among the ranks of the Malikaian, or even the normal Kyoshiran civilians. Finuvian power was opposite that of Kyoshiran, and the portal would automatically reject anything that resembled it. If Yagami had gained power, it was not from Agade himself. Either Agade had found a way to tap Kyoshiran power, or there was more to fear from her own people than their enemies. She settled herself for a long wait and prayed to whatever entity existed that the former was the case.

Yusuke stretched as he walked slowly out the school gate. He stifled a yawn, a small smile present on his face. Keiko had pestered him all day, but instead of being unhappy about it, he enjoyed it. It was nice to know she cared. She reminded him of a firecracker, loud and angry but essentially harmless. She would not be happy to hear that analogy.
He was on his way home, heading down a crowded city sidewalk when a flash of red caught his eye. He glanced up to see Kurama leaning against the worn out, beaten brick wall of the adjacent building, and a wry grin crossed his features. The fox's presence could only mean one thing, for Kurama was not the type to drop by for a chat. Yusuke let his excitement grow, but hid it well as he changed his course and headed nonchalantly towards his demon companion. His life had been exceptionally uneventful as of late, and he was looking forward to yet another mission. He hoped this time it would be fun, and not fatal, though he did get his kicks from near-death expreiences.

Hiei kept his dark look focused straight ahead as he stalked down the oversized hallway in the palace of King Enma, his other three companions not far behind. Kurama had managed to locate him within the human city in which he was confined. Though he had tried not to make this an easy feat, the sly fox was never deterred. He could always find Hiei if he put his mind to it, a fact that never failed to irritate the fire apparition. He had assumed Yusuke would be accompanying them, but Kurama had failed to mention that that useless buffoon Kuwabara would come as well.
Hiei was getting sick of Spirit World treating him like a dog that was at their beck and call. There was a limit to what he was willing to suffer in order to negate his crimes. Traipsing around to god knows where in the company of two humans was precariously close to crossing that line. The only thing that kept him from abandoning the mission altogether was his deep respect for the young Spirit Detective, Yusuke, and the prospect of a strong opponent. It was likely that this expedition would serve to further his goals.
“Cheer up, Hiei,” Yusuke said cheerfully, “With luck this will be over soon.” He’d been unusually merry as of late.
Hiei ignored him.

Koenma sat as straight up as he could in his chair when the foursome were admitted. Botan headed the small pack, looking sheepish. She flashed him a reassuring smile as she entered, then took her place beside the desk.
Koenma sighed, relieved that everything was apparently in order. He glanced up at the group, as if they finally warranted his attention. Kuwabara grinned at him, and Koenma believed he knew what he was thinking. The high school punk had not yet adjusted to receiving orders from what at first glance seemed to be a toddler sucking on a pacifier. Koenma decided to overlook the insult, having had to deal with a great amount of doubt in his day.
Skipping the small stuff, Koenma decided to get to the point. "Have any of you ever heard of the Hidden realm?"
His question caught them off guard, but he thought he saw a glimmer of recognition in Kurama's eyes.
"What the hell?" Yusuke stated, always the blunt one.
"I believe that is the name of the fourth realm," Kurama replied softly, "Though I've only heard it as a subject of legend and myth." The others glanced at him, obviously not surprised.
"Yes. The Hidden Realm was rumored to be a companion world to Demon World, Human World, and the Spirit World. It was a place of mystery, much like Demon World was when first approached by Spirit World." Koenma quickly related the small details he knew of the realm, then sighed. "Since then history has turned it to a vague myth."
Hiei was visibly agitated, "And what does this make-believe realm have to do with us?" he asked curtly.
Koenma looked at them seriously, "Because we have reason to believe that the Hidden Realm truly exists." Before they could react he nodded to Botan, who opened the door to admit a seventh person, drawing their immediate attention.
The first - and most obvious - impression that they had was that she was female, and short. Then they noticed her long, flowing blue hair, ivory skin, and flawless grace with which she moved. The two demons immediately went on guard, recognizing in her movements the stealth with which a predator stalks its prey, feline and wary, calculating. Not to be judged by first impressions, she was obviously someone not to be underestimated. Then her eyes swept over them, and they recognized in their sapphire depths a cold intelligence, assessing them with ease, but whatever she concluded about them stayed hidden. She took her place beside Koenma's desk and waited, watching them quietly.
"This is Kazumi. She came to us a few days ago as an emissary from the Hidden World." Koenma nodded to her, waiting for their reactions, "One of their own has turned rogue and is loose in one of our three worlds, and she has requested Spirit World's assistance in apprehending him."