Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Poltergiest Report: The Pain of Weakness ❯ Chapter 10: A Commisson for A Criminal ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

Koenma was eating some squid on a stick when Blue Ogre rushed in waving a paper excitedly, "Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama! You have to read this!" Suddenly Blue Ogre tripped and fell leaving his hand up holding the message, "Spefull buwatin, swir." Koenma hopped onto the top of his desk and snatched the letter away.

His eyes scanned the paper furiously. "ARGH! NO! NO! NO!" Koenma crumpled the letter and began to hop up and down angrily on his desk. Blue Ogre looked up from the floor, "Bad news, sir?" "Of course you blue idiot! Extremely bad news! The siege leader has just declared and all out war! He's gathering his legions and intends to send small cannon fodder into the human world! They should be within the city in a week! Tell Botan to get Yusuke on it immediately!" "Uh, sir…that bulletin was uh...one week late. There was already an attack fielded by Yusuke and the gang. Plus a strange helper known only as Yashasama." Blue Orge said cowering. "WHAT! A week late bulletin! An attack already! Blue OGRE!" Koenma had veins of anger popping out all over his face as he fumed absolutely livid at Blue Ogre. Blue Ogre ran for his life from the room.

* * *

"Hum…ahum…hummity hum hum hum! Ahum ahum!" Sasuke sang cheerfully as she bounced down the street. "This is living! This is the way it all should have been from the start! Nothing to worry about! Not a care in the world! No one trying to kill me! For once I am completely alo-" Sasuke stopped short when she saw a familiar figure in black appeared in front of her. Sasuke frowned, "Just when I thought the day was perfect…you showed up." Hiei sneered, "It was a nice setup you had with Koenma. What did you give him for it?" "Nothing, I told him that if he didn't do as I said, I'd succeed this time in separating his head from his neck. He knew I was serious." Sasuke replied her voice losing it's cheerful ring and lowering to a growl. "Did you?" Hiei said contemptibly. "Shut it, brainless! I know when I'm serious and when I'm not. And I'm telling you now, you keep following me and you'll be missing a lot more than your height!" Sasuke replied. "Wench! Don't you dare threaten me! Yusuke would be interested to know exactly who you are!" Hiei replied bristling. Sasuke looked at him and then said, "I don't believe what I am hearing! Hiei of the Dragon Flame using black mail to get his way?! What happened to the one who would slice me down to get his way? You've become the heartless bastard that I knew you would. Tell him if you think it helps, but then…don't ever try to cross my path again. Because if you do…I'll skin you alive! Don't think I won't, part of me may be human…but it is easily controlled." Sasuke said and with a flash she had disappeared.

In the dim light of her apartment she reappeared. Her grim look disintegrated and tears began to fill her eyes. She sat down on the couch. "What happened to him? He used to be so honorable!" The tears began to fall quietly running in little rivers down her cheeks. "Stupid human! Control Yourself! You have to listen to me! Your stronger side! The demon in you wants his blood! Take it!" A voice roared in her head. "No! I can't! I still have to help him…somehow." A more timid voice replied. "Wench! Weakling! You were betrayed by him. He took your trust and twisted it until it shed gold for him! Kill him! Do what you threatened! Don't make an empty show of it! Be like you were when you were a guardian!" The voice roared in reply. "Wisdom states that for the revenge to taste the sweetest there must be a little planning. Why not plan his ruin?" A more experienced voice said. "How can I be thinking these things! My old partner! My old rival! I can't! I won't! DO YOU HEAR ME!" Sasuke stood up and shouted. All was silent in her apartment. Only the sound of her panting and the sounds filtering in from the city outside.

This wasn't the first time her energy had tried to control her. It wasn't the first time they tried to prompt her to do something she hated. Sometimes she had listened, most of the time she had struggled with this inner turmoil for days maybe weeks trying to contain the power that was bursting from inside of her. She remembered well the day that she woke up and looked around at the white washed walls surrounding her. She felt so indescribably different, so mixed… so pressured. That was it. The pressure that had always been there since that day. Then she remembered the little man who had walked in and explained what she now was, "You are a fortunate individual, Yashasama." "Fortunate?" She had replied looking down at her hands, "Why?" "Because you…you have been chosen to be the perfect warrior. A mixture of all of the best powers and energies ever collected by donors. You are the ultimate accomplishment that King Yama has been looking for." The little man had said grinning and letting this light shine on his glasses. "The last time I checked you hadn't asked my permission to turn me into this…this thing!" Sasuke said her anger rising. "Oh, but wait and see…you will thank us." The man said his grin becoming one of contempt.

The roaring demon part of her had won the battle that day. She had killed everyone in that compound using only a few minor attacks. The vivid visions of the battle still clung to her eyelids and stored themselves in her waking moments waiting to frighten her again.

She looked down. Guilt. That's what it all boiled down to. Guilt. She would never be able to completely satisfy these conflicting energies no matter what she would have to live with guilt. Guilt about everything. "I'll never have peace." She whispered.

A sandaled foot stepped into the light. It was Botan, a look of pity on her face. Sasuke growled lowly, "Well, messenger? What manner of bad news have you brought me? For I am sure no news I could receive could be good news." Botan looked down at the message she held in her kimono sleeve, "It's a commission from Koenma-sama. He has respectfully requested you to reopen your training dojo in Demon World. He hopes you will accept." "Why? Because if I don't I'll have the SDF riding on my ass? Why should I do the little runt any favors?" Sasuke said turning around and facing the corner. "Well, because…Human World needs your talents. Koenma-sama also instructed me to tell you that if you do not wish to acquiesce to his request that he will no longer ask you for your assistance." Botan said leaving the letter on her coffee table. "My fee? What am I to receive if I do it?" Sasuke asked. "He will personally see to the reversal of the energy experiment. He'll free you. Will you do it?" Botan asked hopefully. Sasuke took a deep breath and said, "I'll do it." "YAY! That's wonderful! Come with me!" Botan said making her oar appear.

As they rode Botan chattered happily about this and that while Sasuke listened. "And George said-" "Um, Botan…why does Koenma want me to reopen my dojo. He has plenty of good trainers. Why does he need me all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked. "Of all the trainers in Demon and Spirit World, you are the only one to have mastered an attack against the Sacred Energy." Botan said. "You don't mean that a demon siege leader has mastered the Sacred Energy? A meaningless whelp? A rebel? Who is it?" Sasuke asked. "They call him the Sacred Eye. His real name is Izumi Takeshama and the possessing essence is a former Spirit Detective known as Shinobu Sensui. Sensui is the one who possesses the Sacred Energy." Botan replied her voice losing all of its levity and becoming deadly serious. "May I ask a stupid question? From the videos and files I have read on the current Spirit Detective Yusuke, didn't Yusuke destroy Sensui?" Sasuke asked looking down at the millions of lights in the city below. "Sensui's soul was so powerful and strong he took the form of a low level demon. He knew that he could take control of any demon who destroyed him because of the Sacred Energy. Luckily for him, rather unfortunately for us…the first demon he came across was Izumi, a high-B class demon capable of level S with the right Spirit controlling him…If you follow me it has happened." "So…who am I supposed to train?" Sasuke asked. "The Current Spirit Detective and company." Botan replied. "WHAT! That little punk! I have to help him! What in hellfire? Are you crazy? Can't the little bugger look out for himself? He's always done it before!" Sasuke said flailing angrily as she clutched at the oar.

"SHHH!" Botan said hushing her. "What do you mean `Shhh' ? I asked you a question. I want an answer. WHY HIM!?" Sasuke shouted. Botan slowed down and came to a stop, "If I tell you this will you just do it?" After a moment of silence Sasuke grumbled, "Yeah…" Botan sighed, "Alright, what if I told you that…they are losing their powers…" "Wha…" Sasuke asked her mouth hanging open. "Think, Yashasama, haven't you noticed the serious decline in power. Didn't it register?" Botan asked. "Come to think of it…yes…they didn't seem to be even near high power levels…Hiei was lower than when I had ever scanned before and Yoko Kurama…he seems weak despite his brilliant reputation… Yusuke's blast was powerful but I wasn't really frightened of it…it was just a loud clap of thunder and a bright flash of light. What does it mean?" "It means something is happening to them on an interior level. Something you must have them put aside for a while longer. So in your training…pull out all of your stops. Let them have it…do what you must…for everyone's sake. You have Koenma-sama's approval." Botan replied. "My training is extremely difficult. It could kill them, if they don't give their all…what then?" Sasuke asked. "Then Koenma begs you to temporarily take Yusuke's place…until he finds a replacement." Botan said looking shamefully down. Righteous anger flashed across Sasuke's face, "Tell me I heard you wrong. Because that is sick. Just cause the guy is no longer up to the task you're just gonna broom him and grab the next available dope? He's gonna grow old with nothing more than just stories to tell his grand kids? That is sicker than sick that's just…messed up." Botan sighed, "I agree but…Spirit World has other more pressing problems than the future of a former Spirit Detective." "Hmph! If you ask me…he's the only reason why those pressing problems actually came to your attention at all. He's been dealing with all the shitty jobs while Lord Pacifier sucks away at his Mafuukan nyookie and takes care of all those miserable `pressing problems.' Pressing problems my ass…that's just crap." Sasuke venting angrily.

For the rest of the trip Botan remained uncharacteristically silent. As she flew through the clouds approaching Spirit World Head Quarters she thought, "Sasuke may be a wanted criminal but she has one thing straight…her priorities."