Here it is, the story I've been working on for two years now, i am now writing it. This chapter begins the first of three 'books' i have planned for this story line. Trials is a slight AU that takes place during Chapter Black but i assure you it is important to the story and that i will not be retelling the season. Frankly if i wanted to retell it there would be little point, in sted this story weaves in and out of the CB season. I promises it will be entertaining I've been working hard with my Bata/Alfa reader to make this an enjoyable read.

Enjoy the first chapter - it kind of skips around a little but this is the only chapter where it will :)


Soul-Bound Detective Book one: Trials

Chapter one: setting the stage

It was somewhat annoying, sitting here and listening. My mind was too wild for this type of talk; this boring, serious talk that was worrisome and tiring. But it was important I guess, because plans were about to be set in motion. I watched them quietly, holding back the yawn that threatened to come out wondering once again why Koenma had suddenly altered my job. But I didn't question it. It wasn't my place and I suppose this was good for me, to be doing something different.

So I watched and I listened to them. The older lady – a friend of Koenma's, a well-known psychic, known to the world, unlike the one that had trained me – Genkai was interesting and wise and yet intense. One had to be so to be smirking as she helped make a plan with three boys to catch her student just to prove a point.

I looked to the boys; they were around my age, and all still wearing their uniforms, one of which was from my school. I smiled remembering the disbelieving look Kaito'd had when he'd found out about me. He ignored me for the moment, as did the rest of them, which was fine.

It took a while, but after about an hour the boys left the strange house we were in to find Yusuke. I pressed my lips, I had met the boy a few times, but we weren't close friends. We knew of each other enough not to get in each other's way. Though it seemed that was all about to change now.

Genkai look to me and smirked. "If only my mule of a student could learn from you. It might be interesting to see him quiet for once."

I laughed slightly shoving off from my place against the wall. "It's a boys nature to be rowdy, he'll calm down once he's married...maybe," I replied smiling. The older women snorted.

"How is Kyo doing these days?" she asked me and I tilted my head thinking.

"I haven't seen Master Kyo in a few months... but last time I did he was doing well. He still looks way to young for his age," I muttered laughing. Genkai nodded her head before crossing her arms behind her back and walking off.

I sighed brushing pale bond hair from my face before grunting, taking a hair band from my wrist, and pulling back my long hair to fix into a pony tail.

Kyo. I sighed again. I missed my master. I bit my thumbnail, groaning as peach fuzzy fell from my head creating a hazy stream of blond over my eyes. God I hated my hair.

While I waited I took to recalling my last meeting with Koenma. It had been a strange one. The reason for that was simply because Spirit Detective and Soul Detective were different. Yusuke took care of the more life threatening jobs, ones that had such high stakes at times; I was glad that he was doing them.

My job was simpler, but still dangerous. I was the one that normally found the problems. A hunch or a tip off to Spirit World and I'd be on the job. In short my job was this: find the problem, define it, see if I can stop it, and, if not, report back with all the critical information. My hands were dirty with the blood of my enemies too, but I wasn't powerful like the Spirit Detective; most enemies were too strong.

I had been the one to track Rando, and figure out his next target; I had found out Yukina's whereabouts and blocked out the mansion from top to bottom. Thought I had no part in the Dark Torment, I had given Koenma permission to call me in as back up if that was needed, and of course it hadn't been.

My part as the Soul Detective was mostly off the radar. I could live a somewhat normal life and let the Spirit Detective have the glory. So it had been surprising when I had come back with news of this tunnel to demon world that the prince had suddenly order me to meet up with Genkai and tell her what was going on. Further more I was to stay with Yusuke's team and help in any way I could.

Something was up, something that Koenma had withheld from all of us and I was worried. Biting my thumbnail again I sighed before I heard the shouting of Yusuke and I laughed. Boys.

"Genkai, what the hell is going on?"

I watched with mild interest as the spirited teen known as Kuwabara stood in boxers, easily towering over the older women. Genkai sighed.

"It will all be explained in due time Kuwabara," she muttered. "For now we need to see if my mule of a student can pass at lest one test in his life." Her gruff voice made the point that she did not see any reason to keep talking and so walked the short distance to the screen where a camera watched Yusuke try to figure out which one of his team mates was the importer.

I sighed looking to the redhead who was fuming silently and snorted. Walking over I tilted my head. His arms were still bound. "Easy, there's nothing to worry about. Well I guess there is but I assure you, your friends are fine." The boy blinked at me, eying me as I pulled at the rope that held his wrist bound behind him.

"Who are you?"

Stepping back I tiled my head watching him rub his wrists. "My name is Izumi Takara, I work for Koenma."

At the prince's name the boy seem to relax slightly. He scratched his head. "Can't believe I never saw a pretty girl like you there before."

I snorted and laughed waving my hand a bit. It seemed Baton's talk of him was true; even if his heart did belong to someone else, he couldn't help but hit on any girl he might see.

"Don't worry, few have seen me, or heard of me for that matter." He looked even more confused by my statement and I sighed sitting down on a medal folding chair a few feet away. When he continued to look confused I smiled and gave him a brief summery of my job.

"Oh, so you do like all the technical stuff "

"No not really, its more like-"

"Hm, the idiot did it." I was interrupted by Genkai's remark and sighing I turned my head to see the boy with the shape shifting ability sprawled out on the floor unconscious. "We better go stop him before he hurts himself," she grumbled walking towards the door that led to the other room. I glanced at the teen and then quickly stood and walked after her, not waiting to see if he was behind me or not.

"I must admit Izumi that I didn't see this coming." I rolled my eyes at the redhead in front of me. He'd stayed quiet though most of the debriefing on the Demon World tunnel situation, but it was late now, and most of the other boys had taken to sleeping in one of the rooms in this weird house so the only people left were the three of us from the prep school.

"Yes, well, you can't always see things by simply knowing a person is there," I pointed out. I was one of the few people in the school that did not follow his every move. I did not pay attention to him and I pretended as if I didn't care to know him at all. The ironic part of that being that I was one of the few people that did know him the best in our entire school, whether he knew it or not.

Kurama blinked a bit staring in astonishment for a minute as Kaito chuckled in the chair next to him. I glanced to him as he was pushing up his glasses, making the lightly catch on them. "I was surprised as well Shuichi when I found out. She is one very good actress if she able to make it seem like she leads a normal life when she's really doing something as violent as Yusuke."

I blinked raising an eyebrow, about to correct him when the redhead beat me to it. "You misunderstand her job Kaito." Kurama folded his hands on crossed legs. "The Soul Detective, also called 'Soul-bound' Detective, is not the same as the Spirit Detective. They are more like spies then anything else." He turned to look to me. I nodded a bit and spoke.

"That's true. I'm the one that finds most of the problems, but only a handful of them do I ever take care of alone. My powers aren't as great as Yusuke's so when I fail at doing the job he's sent in." I explained for what felt like the fourth time that night.

Kaito hummed a bit. "Shuichi mention 'soul-bound.' what's that supposed to mean?" At this as I glanced to both the boys I found them both at a lost.

I laughed a bit sighing. "Oh, I am so enjoying knowing something that the top two students in the school don't know!" I smiled clasping my hands together in a teasing way.

Both of them gave me looks, Kurama's was more amused while Kaito just looked slightly annoyed. I chuckled a bit sitting back in the chair.

"Spirit Detectives, like Yusuke that die and come back are give a spirit egg with their 'inner self' in it," I stated calmly. "Normal Spirit Detectives are either born with powers or have the right energy so are given the training to find their powers." I paused looking at them, they both nodded in understanding. "Soul-bound Detectives, like myself, do not have powers, but have a certain type of energy that lets them be bound with demons that have died or are in some other predicament that made them lose there body."

I gave them a minute to let it sink in but Kurama seemed to recover quickly. "So what you are saying is you, in a way, steal the powers of that demon?"

"Yes."

"So who are you paired with then?"

I smiled a bit looking upward. "I have an arrogant demon who got himself trapped in a piece of jewelry."

"Hey, I resent that!" The voice echoed in my head, male, annoyed, and loud. I cringed slightly at the volume of it; his voice was always louder when angry. But over the few years he'd been there, I'd gotten used to it.

"Oh get over it. You know it's true, besides I have to be careful." Because if certain people knew who he was because I said too much I'd be in a lot of trouble. He knew that, I knew that. It was something we had avoided talking about for a long time. The voice huffed and I could see him crossing his arms in defiant, but reluctant defeat.

Kaito chuckled a bit before shaking his head. "Seems like you enjoy that fact a fair bit." I shrugged and smiled. If I had to be stuck with anyone, I guess I would choose him rather then anyone else.

"Well I have to find some way to get back at him. As long as I wear what connects me to him, he hears, and sees everything I do, not to mention no secret is safe because my thoughts are wide open to him as well. Plus he's a god damn chatter box, going on and on…" I sighed at that, remember the days when I had first been joined with him. Made me wonder how I had not died of embarrassment.

Kurama smiled at me in a comforting way, through the amusement stayed in his eyes. "Must have taken some time to get use to." I gave him a look that seemed to scream 'you have no idea'. This made both the boys laugh and I sigh.

"So happy you nerds are entertained by my frustration." I grumbled half hearty "At least Hiei isn't here too. He'd just make it worse. Still, I'm going to kick his ass for leaving."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other." I laughed.

"There's a lot you don't know fox boy, but sadly little I do not." He glowered at me lightly at the nickname. I sat back in the chair again and closed my eyes. "But yes I do know the little fire demon. He'd helped me from time to time on missions. His third eye is quite useful."

"I was always wondering where he got off to." Kurama muttered and Kaito hummed and stood up.

"Well I'm going to turn in for the night." I opened my eyes in time to see the curly haired boy stretch. "Genkai did say we'd have to be up early." I nodded my head. I was use to little sleep though so I was hardly tired. I had a feeling the redhead had much the same story.

"Right, well I'll see you in the morning then." I muttered and waved with Kurama as he walked off down the hall.

Kurama and I talked about meaningless things for a while after that; about school and of course I grumbled at him when he told me it was all too easy for him. I had my own personal tutor myself. Of course that didn't mean I always understood the material.

An hour later we parted ways though, and I yawned as I walked in to the small room and closed the door behind me, turning on the light. The room was plain, just a guest room really, with a twin bed and a dresser with a mirror on it. Shedding off the blouse of my school uniform I turned to look in the mirror for a moment and let my eyes rest on the blood red pendent resting against my collarbone. It seemed to glow slightly in the dim light and I frowned before tuning to face who I knew had appeared.

He was transparent as always, like a ghost, but that did nothing to stop him from lounging on my bed. His clothes were dark except for the gray that trailed around his waist. He was playing with a strand of his black hair that trailed down from the high ponytail he always had. He looked the same as he had the first time I'd seen him.

I gave him a look and sighed "Kuronue come on… I'm tired." I grumbled at him preceding to pull of my skirt – I'd lost all hope of privacy when I'd been bound to him, he'd seen me naked too many times for me to care any more. Throwing my tights on to the pile of clothing I grabbed my small bag and pulled out a pair of girl's boxers and left my bra on before standing before the bat demon with annoyance.

He hummed a bit looking at me before sitting up. "You know, it's not like you wouldn't just faze right through me," he pointed out as he stood up and crossed his arms. Switching places with him I flopped down on to the mattress and looked at him glumly.

"Yeah, but its weird, and it makes my skin crawl. I'm freaked out enough as it is. Have you forgotten your old friend is my classmate and now teammate?" It was like some twisted game of cat and mouse, the invisible lines that connected us only known by one party.

"Suppose it's just that small of a world," he mused, an odd smirk forming on his face and I scowled at him. "I mean out of all the guys in the world you just had to have the biggest cr-" I through a pillow at him and watched as it flew throw him like nothing was there. Said pillow tumbled onto the dresser, slid across it and fell to the ground taking the few things I had set out with it. The bat demon laughed and shook his head.

Frowning I took the other pillow and crushed it to the side of my face in hopes of making my blush dissipate faster. "You're such an ass. And don't make it seem like I'm one of his devoted fan club members. It's hard not to like him when you know who he really is, not to mention see him through your praising eyes."

I heard him hum in thought and looked over again to see him floating cross-legged in the air. If I hadn't known better I would think he was a wind demon.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I've been debating on whether we should tell him, but I don't want him distracted seeing as how end-of-the-world this case is."

"He's not stupid… he'll figure it out when I use my powers."

"Well, until then keep quiet. He needs to stay focused."

I frowned thinking about how that might turn out for us. "He could be very angry with us."

"We don't have much of a choice. Please Izumi, just do this for me for now." I stared at him for a long time, playing out different scenarios in my head before rolling over and reaching for the light switch.

"Alright, for now I won't say anything. Goodnight Partner."

"Goodnight Izumi."

With that I turned off the light and slipped off the pendant from around my neck knowing Kuronue had withdrawn the moment I had done so and set it on the night stand. It was one of the only times I took it off, but he knew I didn't like him wondering around in my dreams. Sleep was the only privacy I could get with this job and he respected that.