Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Half-Breed's Curse ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One
The Tantei sat outside of Koenma's office, waiting impatiently. Botan had gathered them for what she had called 'an urgent mission', yet they'd been waiting for nearly half an hour for their boss to call them in to give them information on it. Kurama was very glad that he'd thought to bring a book with his gear. The others weren't as lucky. Yuusuke was trying unsuccessfully to sleep, Kuwabara seemed to be lost in thought, and Hiei was leaning against the wall, looking rather annoyed.

Kurama looked up from his book and frowned as Hiei fidgeted slightly. It was very unlike the youkai to show any sign of emotion, let alone the unease that he was oozing. "Hiei, are you okay?"

His concern earned him an annoyed glower and a snapped, "Mind your own business, stupid fox!"

The redhead sighed. Whatever was bothering Hiei would come out in time if it was important. He could trust the fire demon to take care of his own problems, for the most part. If it had been Yuusuke or Kuwabara, he would have been much more concerned. He sighed again as their unofficial leader started complaining.

Yuusuke scowled. "He's got a lot of nerve. Waking us up at this ungodly hour-"

"It's noon, Yuusuke," Kurama quietly interjected.

The teen continued as if he hadn't spoken, "-and having Botan give us that horrible ride to the Reikai-"

"It wasn't that bad, Urameshi," Kuwabara commented, watching Botan's face flush in annoyance.

"-and he's having fun while we're-"

"Forced to listen to your stupidity? Would you shut up, you idiotic human? It's bad enough that he's being his typical self without having to listen to your petty whining." They stared at Hiei, who snorted and went back to leaning against the wall as if he hadn't just chewed Yuusuke out.

Yuusuke whistled, seemingly unconcerned. "Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the tree branch today."

"Fuck off."

"Hiei . . . That's not very nice," Botan ventured.

The fire demon sneered at her. "And since when have I been 'nice', ditz?"

Kurama winced as Botan cringed and retreated. Hiei was certainly in a bad mood--the worst he'd ever had the displeasure of seeing. Never had the fire demon had an outburst like the one he was having. "Just be patient. I'm sure Koenma will call us in soon if the mission is urgent. Yuusuke, Kuwabara . . . I brought some cards. Would you like them?" He pulled the deck from his pocket.

Yuusuke stretched. "Sure. Better than listening to Mister PMS have a temper tantrum." He yelped as a deck of cards traveling at a rather high velocity hit him square in the forehead.

Hiei leaned back against the wall, ignoring the shocked looks he was getting. "Hn."

Yuusuke sat up and rubbed his forehead, and he and Kurama exchanged a look. Something was definitely bothering Hiei, and it was becoming obvious that his attitude could affect whatever mission Koenma sent them on, something that would clearly have to be discussed when their boss saw fit to call them in.

Kurama went back to reading as Yuusuke and Kuwabara busied themselves playing poker with the change in their pockets as the ante. The fox kept a concerned eye on Hiei, who continued to fidget slightly as if he were nervous. The redhead nearly sighed in relief as George opened the door and ushered them in.

"Took you long enough, Koenma-chan," Yuusuke drawled. "And here I thought this mission was important."

Koenma glared at Yuusuke as best he could. "I was taking a call from my father. Last time I put him on hold . . . Well, we're not going to go into that. We don't have time."

"So what do you need us to do?"

The demi-god sighed. "There's been a report from one of our oni spies that someone is building some sort of device in the Aganth forest in the Makai. It's rumored that it will have the power to suck the ki from all youkai in a thousand mile radius, giving whoever controls it an unlimited amount of power because youkai regenerate ki."

Kurama frowned. "Who's building it?"

Koenma shook his head. "We don't know. Our spy was killed before he could pass that information to us. All our other spies in that area haven't been heard from." He sighed. "This is important. We need to stop whoever's doing this. I don't want him captured. I want proof that he or she is dead, and I want the tower and any plans for it destroyed."

A worried look passed over Kuwabara's face. "How long do we have before the tower is complete?"

"A week, at most."

Hiei scowled. "I'm not going."

Koenma glared at him. "Yes, you are. We need everyone on this mission. If you fail, it could mean the apocalypse, or worse."

The fire demon matched his glare. "I don't give a shit. I'm not going. You know exactly why, you asshole. You've read my file." The statement piqued Kurama's curiosity, and it was obvious that he wasn't the only one wondering about it, judging from the looks on Kuwabara, Yuusuke, and Botan's faces.

"I don't care, Hiei. You're going."

"I'd like to see you make me, infant," Hiei hissed.

Koenma's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kurama could practically feel the room grow colder. "If you don't go, I'll throw you in the Reikai prison with the general population until the mission's complete."

Whatever deeper meaning the threat held worked wonders--too well, Kurama thought as the blood drained from Hiei's face. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." A short glaring contest ensued, which Hiei lost--unsurprisingly, as Koenma's threat seemed to have taken the wind from his sails. "Well, that's settled. Botan will be going with you. Good luck."

George ushered them out, and Kurama and Yuusuke exchanged a silent conversation. There was definitely something wrong with Hiei, and they had no idea what it was.

And it wasn't likely that Hiei was going to tell them either. The only thing they could do was watch and wait.

Yeah. First chapter of a new fic. Joy. My first attempt at action adventure. I don't know whether or not this will have shonen ai pairings. I'm still thinking about it. On the one hand, pairings add to the emotion of the story. On the other hand, they take away from the action. I mean, we all saw where Doomsday Picnic went, with Hiei getting hurt all the time so Kurama could fawn over him. So I dunno if I want this fic to be shonen ai for that reason. I'll think about it.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as I take a brief break from my schoolwork and other fanfiction. The mystery will reveal itself in time. Be patient.

I'd like to thank Mina Lightstar, for her input and C&C.