Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Quietus ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer:

I do not own YYH and the characters.

My objective is not to hurt any sentiments or be biased in favor of or against any particular person, society, gender, creed, nation or religion. Kindly do not read if you believe that kind of content may be offensive to you.

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Chapter I

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"So, you are telling me to give up already?"

The resentful tone in his usually calm voice made Koenma slightly shrink on his seat. He is threading on thin ice when he breached the subject, but Shun-jun has been complaining to the Elders about a particular ex-detective who keeps on meddling on their most delicate and extremely dangerous mission to date. It did not even help that the old men were beginning to question his dominion over the realm and his employ - or ex-employ on that regard.

"Kurama." Koenma shifted uncomfortably when piercing green eyes narrowed at his placating tone. He bit on his pacifier in clear agitation, but the need to exercise his authority is a must. He is the Prince of the Spirit World for goodness sake! And Kurama needs to have some sense knocked back into his mind. Koenma rested his elbows on his desk and hid half of his face behind his laced fingers, regarding the fox demon with a disapproving stare. "You can't keep on doing this. It's been almost a year since you initiated this unofficial investigation and as discreet as you have been, Shun-jun is starting to loathe the effort ever since you started probing on their leads first."

"They are delaying while she is still out there and I refuse to stop unless a body is found." Koenma briefly wondered if he is going in the right direction with their conversation. It is a useless endeavor to engage in a debate with a highly intelligent individual like Kurama.

"I'm afraid the term 'we' is not applicable, Kurama. You know that. Allowing you to come and go from Spirit World already raised disapproving eyebrows from the Elders and her case has been in the hands of SDF, they are doing everything they can so to speak. You've seen it yourself. Furthermore, you are no longer part of my employ which means that you are not supposed to be involved on missions anymore - "

"Then hire me." Kurama interjected, cutting his inane admonishment.

"W-what?" Koenma stammered. The proposal immediately sent warning bells to Koenmas' consciousness. The Elders will throw a fit if he let Kurama intervene, considering what is at stake.

"Hire me, if that is what it is needed for me to gain access to all pertinent information and act on behalf of Spirit World. View it as an honorarium for all the unofficial assignments you gave me. I want in." Kurama propounded assertively.

I knew it. Koenma thought massaging his temples. This pressure is worse compared to the time when the fox confronted him about his knowledge of Sensui. From the looks of it, turning Kurama away in this situation means severing relations with an invaluable asset, since the halfling proved to be an effective counsel and Koenma had utilized his incomparable wisdom on several occassions even if his contract as Spirit World Detective has long been terminated. The fox is using the favors as leverage, as wily as it is, it's difficult to say 'No' to that. "You drive a hard bargain, Kurama. Accepting your offer means employing Yusuke all the same. He won't let you go alone on this one considering the frequency of his visits here in Spirit World to ask about relevant matters. Not to mention Hiei and Kuwabara."

"I do not see anything wrong with that."

"You're humans and demons. This is Spirit World. Everything is wrong with that." Koenma stated frivolously in a futile attempt to dismiss the case. The remark was biased, but it still held some truth. He gulped when Kurama let out a sardonic smirk with a single fang dangerously glinting on one corner of his slightly crooked lips, sharpened green eyes seemed to flash gold in a brief instant. It's as if Kurama is fighting over whether or not to let out the fox who wanted to play. "I find it foolish of you to fret over a trivial matter when it did not stop you from recruiting us antecedently."

Koenma leaned back to his chair, placing one arm on his chest while his other elbow rested on it to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Then is different from now, Kurama. Spirit World had undergone a major transition since the All Holy Warrior Siege. Every inhabitant of Spirit World is in debt to the gang because of your aid, including the Elders. However, they can no longer afford to designate the decision-making from the keeper of the Gate of Judgement, ridiculous as it may seem, because they believe we are susceptible to the influence of outside forces such as yourself. It is hard to trust anyone within Spirit World after the coup and it is also why they are reluctant to let anyone handle this mission aside from SDF."

"I would not be surprised if you got stripped off your title when it is very easy for you to bend on someone else's will." A slender red eyebrow raised in mockery while a lone brown twitched in annoyance. Koenma fixed the arrogant demon with a hard stare as he slowly lowered his hand from his face. "Don't even go there, Kurama. I am not the only governing body in Spirit World, mind you."

"Perhaps. However, she is under your employ, hence, making her your responsibility." Kurama stated derisively, resulting to Koenma sighing in defeat. Even if it is a huge slap on his face, the fox clearly has a point, and he doesn't want to let things escalate any further considering Kurama seems hell-bent to get his hands dirty again. It would have been easy if only the Elders knew nothing of his little affair. On the other hand, this predicament does not only concern the Spirit World if things go out of hand, which it already has by the way, but the situation can still be remediable since her essence is still in Spirit Worlds' possession - the only indication that she is still alive. But why don't they want her found? Koenma gently shook his head to relinquish the thought. "I want to find her too, Kurama. But please, stay a low profile if you do not intend to stop your activities and let me go over your proposal before I give you my answer. This is out of my hands after the Elders took over the case. However - and I am not promising anything - I will do everything in my power to grant you authority for you to be able to aid in the search, but it will require me to pull the strings that I've never pulled before." He internally breathed a sigh of relief when the austerity in Kuramas' countenance subsided.

"Very well. Though let me remind you that I have no penchant in waiting and months of playing hide-and-seek is more than enough." Kurama said as he turned to walk to the door.

"You've chosen a peaceful path, Kurama. Hasn't it been your intention to live a normal human life? Away from all of this?" The question made Kurama stop from reaching the door handle, yet, he didn't turn to regard the seated prince when he muttered. "I intended to, but it is not what I want anymore."

"You will have to go back to your old ways to deal with this. What will she make out of it if she knew? Do you think it will make her happy that you threw away everything that you worked for - everything that you ever wanted, just for her?" Koenma asked in a last form of persuasion. This is literally a matter of life and death, and a slightest mistake can throw all the realms into chaos. He loathe to hit him below the belt but if he is about to risk everything in his position just to let the former Reikai Tantei take a shot on the case; aside from the gang's fondness of her, he wants to know the depth of their motivation to succeed. Just then, his amber eyes widened in astonishment when Kurama met his gaze with smothering golds full of treacherous promises and unwavering fierceness that made him almost choke on his own spit.

"That everything was stolen from me the moment those filth got their hands on Botan."

Koenma couldn't have been more convinced.

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The continuous pelting of warm water soothed his taut muscles as he braced himself against the bathroom wall, under the shower head. Weary green eyes peered under thick wet lashes, following the rivulets of water going down the drain. Kurama heaved a sigh before straightening up himself and turning off the water. He wrung his hair on one side before grabbing the white terry cloth of his bath towel and patted his body dry. The languid movement of fastening his pants paused when he sensed a couple of familiar energies on his doorstep followed by the resonating chime of the doorbell. Without bothering to put a shirt on, he went out of his personal bath to make his way to the threshold of his apartment.

"Hey, man! We hope you can accommodate a gate-crash again." Yusuke greeted when Kurama opened the door. Lifting the plastic carriers of a dozen cans of draft beer on both of his hands.

"It's been a while since we've had a manly get-together and we figured that you might want to join us, Kurama. We hope we are not intruding." The crunching of chip wrappers sounded when Kuwabara let himself in after the red-head motioned for them to enter.

"Not at all. Please, make yourselves at home." Kurama smiled reassuringly then chuckled when Yusuke ungracefully flopped himself on the sofa after settling the alcohol on the coffee table. He gently shook his head in mild amusement before walking towards his bedroom to grab a shirt then proceeded to the kitchen to dish out some ice.

"We need a bowl for the chips and a sauce cup for the dip." Kuwabara said absentmindedly while rummaging through kitchen cabinets. His visage brightened when he found the tablewares he was looking for. "I know I was the one who put it here last time." He muttered and gave Kurama a sheepish grin.

"I kept it in the same drawer should you repeat your visit." The red head chuckled before filling up a bucket with ice. They made their way back to the living room just as Yusuke opened his first can of beer. Kurama settled the bucket of ice and glasses on the coffee table before sitting himself on the lounge chair beside the sofa. He poured himself a glass before making himself comfortable on his perch.

"How are you holding up, Kurama?" Yusuke asked all of the sudden while drinking his beer, glancing at his friend from the corner of his eyes. Kuwabara stopped halfway from pouring the pack of condiment on the sauce cup to nudge Yusuke on his side. The mazoku gave him an incredulous look before mouthing the word 'what'.

"It is alright. We will address the subject sooner or later and I need to discuss relative matters with you anyway." Kurama stated, settling his glass on the table.

"Did Koenma gave the go signal?" Kuwabara asked as he resumed preparing their finger foods, swatting Yusukes' hands when he tried to grab a hold on to a bag of chips.

"Not yet." Kurama sighed in displeasure, recalling his dialogue with Koenma.

Kuwabara stopped from opening a wrapper, his face looking forlorn all of the sudden. "I hate to ask this but how do we know if she is still alive?"

"You cannot kill death that easily, Kuwabara. And the fact that Koenma is not saying so, I would very much want to believe that she is." Yusuke said with conviction that made Kuramas' mood lighten a little. The mazoku fisted his hands, crumpling the empty can of beer on his hand before carrying on. "Spirit World is starting to piss me off. This is Botan we are talking about. I don't understand why they are taking so long to find her."

"Precisely what I needed to talk to you about." Two heads whirled to regard the red-head. They exchanged curious glances as Kurama crossed his arms on his chest.

"What do you mean, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

"The Spirit World seems to be holding out on this case which led me to believe that this is not a normal pay-for-ransom kidnapping or a simple form of abduction." Kurama informed them. He briefly paused to guage the reaction of his friends. "They are hiding something and using SDF to withhold the truth."

Kuwabara was thoughtful for a moment before an idea crossed his mind. "Wait. If that's the case, are you telling us that Spirit World is intentionally delaying the search?"

"That is what I believe, yes." Kurama nodded, inwardly applauding Kuwabaras' astuteness. Apparently, getting a college degree gave him a quicker grasp on things.

"Those bastards. What is the brat doing, huh? Don't they care what happens to her? They just used her loyalty then let her rot somewhere when she needed their help? Tch." Yusuke snarled, glaring at the beer can on his hands. He remembered all the instances when Botan went out of her way to aid him. She was dear to him and it made him hate himself for not being there for her on her time of need.

Kuwabara sighed in frustration when he felt that he was starting to mimic the unpleasant thoughts of his best friend. "How did you come up with that conclusion, Kurama?

"I did not prod on the investigation just to solely look for Botan. There is a reason I bypassed Shun-jun in acquiring leads on her case." Kurama answered, briefly appreciating their empathy.

"Aside from taking their time, you mean." Kuwabara added, munching on the chips.

"Indeed. I wanted to know why they took her. Why Botan, out of all the others." Kurama stated as he glanced away from his friends and onto one of the framed pictures on the tv console.

"It's been bugging me as well. I mean no offense, Kurama. But I think they made a mistake when they kidnapped Botan." Yusuke remarked nonchalantly. The sudden spike of demon energy, coupled by the cold look that Kurama fixed him made him realize that the fox took offense. But he is not one to apologize for what appears for him as an honest statement.

"Tell me, Yusuke. To what extent do you know Botan aside from being my intended, a ferry girl and your ex-assistant for you to deduce that?" The undisguised claim daring Yusuke to say something irrational. One wrong move and he might find his throat wrapped in a thorny vine. Kurama eased up a little when he saw Yusuke shrugged his reply, knowing the mazoku got his message. "I thought so. None of us has enough information on her aside from those facts." And it makes me feel like an incompetent fool for not being knowledgeable enough.

"That's also why her abduction came to a surprise to everyone, even to you, Kurama." Kuwabara said earnestly.

"Yes. Even to me." Kurama admitted somberly. His eyes travelling back to the photo of him and Botan clad in traditional clothing. The candid picture was taken when the gang decided to spend the Shogatsu together, days before Botan went missing. It was the moment when she turned to thank him when he helped her catch a gold fish on one of the fish scooping stalls in the festival. His hand twitched involuntarily when his eyes settled on the way his arms encircled the small waist of the diety. He recalled how her lithe form leaned onto his body; how her eyes sparkled with utter glee; how they stayed like that, staring into one another; how she adorably blushed and uttered his name when their friends started teasing them after a flash of Keikos' camera.

Kurama...

Yusuke and Kuwabara shared knowing glances. There is always this recurring moment everytime they meet when Kurama will stay pensive and stare with open fondness on the photo. It made Yusuke feel like a jerk for his earlier statement and it made Kuwabara take pity on his friend.

A few moments of silence passed with only the clinking of melting ice on an empty glass sounded before Kurama spoke. Turning his attention back to his sympathetic friends in doing so. "Which is why I am doing my best to gather key points of her mystery. Koenma is yet to give out any information and the fact that the Elders took it upon themselves to oversee her case means that it is vital intelligence of Spirit World."

"What were you able to gather so far, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

"Nothing definite, aside from a particular information that keeps on popping out and points to a time when you and even I have yet to exist." Kurama briefly closed his eyes in contemplation, hoping to not scare the living daylights out of his friends. The discomforting thought of Botan having to do anything with it still sends a cold shiver down his spine.

"It concerns an ancient malevolent entity that forcefully harvested the souls of worldly beings and Botan is somehow a common denominator."

Yusuke and Kuwabara blanched. They did not like the sound of that.

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Mysterious charcoal gray orbs swept through the vast field of city lights. Hair as dark as midnight, loose from its classic combed back, brushed lightly against the pale forehead of a deceptively handsome face as the gentle night breeze carry on with its caress. The light from the full moon that peeked from the dark clouds illuminated the surroundings as the tall and imposing figure of a man clad in black trench coat stands near the roof-edge of the Tokyo Tower's Top Deck.

"Reality cannot compete with imagination, would you not agree?" The man uttered when a presence appeared behind him, his voice as smooth as silk.

"Indeed. I can feel my powers returning. It has been a while since I felt this good." The shorter but more muscular man said, blue eyes stared at his flexing hands infront of his body, his long blonde mane swaying with the wind. He looked ahead when his companion turn to regard him with an amused stare, gray eyes glinting eerily under the moonlight. "There is no remedy for death, but death itself is a remedy."

The blonde chuckled while walking to stand beside his companion on the edge of the roof, overlooking the buzzy streets of Tokyo. "What makes you certain that she is still here?"

"The stench of the humans who took her still lingered in our old sanctum and this is where she spent her time out of Spirit World." The dark-haired man disclosed, resuming his prior position.

"How do you plan to conduct the search then, brother?" Curious blue eyes regarding the other one in a side glance.

"Let the rotten realm do the searching while we entertain ourselves with the humans." Gray eyes gleamed mischievously, contradicting the serene impression of his angelic face as he spoke.

It has been a while since humans fear our existence. The blonde smirked at his thought. His blue eyes followed the leisure movement as his confederate made his way towards the overhang. He spoke when the dark-haired man turned to face him. "Our brothers will be delighted to hear that, though it would have been more fun if we are able to force the humans."

Gray eyes fluttered close as his handsome face tilted up, savoring the soft breeze that passed them. "Hn. It does not require us to utilize our ability to be feared, brother. We only need to spread a conception of our existence. Unlike superior beings, humans are too ignorant to be terrified of Death. What they fear most, however, is dying." The man irreverently said before letting himself fall off the ledge.

He hurled shut-eyed through the darkness of the night sky. Plummeting head first before his body turned into a swirling dark smoke shifting like a ghost in the zephyr. An invisible spectre of foreboding that sailed above the buildings and onto the ground. A phantom that knows no name when it passed through mortal bodies before materializing in the the middle of the street.

Human features shrouded in a dark hooded robe, the silk of the long fabric swaying hauntingly as the figure walks on the stone pavement of the bustling intersection. Pale ghostly hand grips the snaith of his inhumane weapon. The curved hardware of the scythe glinting dangerously amidst the colorful lights that bounces off its exceptionally sharpened blade. Hollow cries of anguished souls echoed with every step he takes.

He is unseen. He is unexpected. He is inescapable. He is the first son from the ancient legion.

He is Ichiro. A Bringer of Death.

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A/N:

Forgive me for the sloppy writing and grammatical errors. Just badly needed to get this one out of my head. Might or might not continue... Depends on the feedback, I suppose. But who knows...

BTW, few facts of the story..

Shun-jun is the new captain of SDF after Ootake took part on the seige.

Shogatsu is Japanese New Year's Festival

Ichiro literally means 'first son'

Lemme know what you think by leaving a review.

Thank you for reading.

Xoxo