---Chapter 1 – The Beginning---

Night swept all throughout the city. The only lights keeping it bright were the signs and the late night businesses. In the darkness of the shadows moved a fierce and dangerous creature. Finally the creature stopped and waited in the shadows of an alleyway.

A young girl passed by the alley; unconscious of the danger she was about to face. This girl had a happy smile on her face as she walked home. It was only around 10:30 p.m. and it was her curfew. Suddenly a sharp nailed hand shot out and grabbed her by the forearm, pulling her into the darkness. A quiet and muffled yelp was heard until there was a soft groan. The creature that had been in the shadows used its telepathy to calm it's victim, giving her soothing and pleasurable images that would keep her silenced.

Long fangs extended, glinting in the bare light given off by a near-by source. The mouth that housed these deadly fangs descended on the girl's neck, biting into her throat. Soon enough her life source gushed out, sucked up by the vampiric creature with a delighted sound. The vampire soothed the bite marks with its tongue, healing the wounds so she wouldn't die. With a swoosh the creature stepped out into the partial light to reveal a girl who appeared not much older then the fainted one in her arms. She made her way down the opposite direction that the girl was going, making her way to an out-of-the-way temple.

She had sniffed out the girl's scent, back-tracking her steps. She was encountered a problem along the way, there was a barrier that repelled evil beings and though she wasn't all evil she still couldn't pass. The vampire hissed and pushed her way to the top of the stairs where she was forced to stop and place the girl down. Quickly she left the place, leaving her trademark sign behind for the people living there before returning home.

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Yusuke bolted up from his futon, shaking with sweat on his being. In another room the red haired kitsune known as Kurama did so as well. Up in a tree outside of the temple and into the forest a small demon, Hiei, had his eyes flash open. Beside Yusuke's room an orange haired human woke up and was out of his room in a moment. Even the old pink haired woman who went by the name of Genkai was awake and going throughout the temple to find the disturbance.

The two humans, the half-yokai and kitsune met up with a tired looking Yukina and then they moved their search outside. Hiei then came up to them and motioned for them to follow him. Then they saw what had caused them all to wake up sweating, some more then others.

There lied Keiko at the edge of the steps. She held a white rose that had black veins and red tips. Inside the rose were droplets of blood, most likely hers. It looked as if she was dead and someone arranged her body so she was holding the flower against her chest though they could all see she was breathing, it was slow but it was there.

Yusuke bolted forward to pick her up carefully until her hair moved away from the side of her neck and they all saw half healed puncture marks. Something had bitten her.

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Kurama sat straight in his desk chair unlike the rest of the High School students who leaned into their chairs or were laid out over their desktops. He read his novel with a relaxed expression even though his mind was racing from the night's incident. Yusuke had decided to stay at the temple with Keiko along with everyone else but the fox decided to attend school since he had missed so much already.

The door to the classroom opened and closed softly with only a click for people to know it had even done so. Nobody looked up from what they were doing as they were used to people coming in and out all the time. There were a few soft murmurs and the teacher motioned to the empty desk beside Kurama, a window seat. The desk behind the girl was empty and a random bookworm of a girl sat in front of the new person.

The green-eyed, red-haired perfect student looked up from his thrilling novel to meet with a pair of cold guarded amber eyes. A chill ran down his spine and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple as they locked gazes. Do I fear her? How can this be, she is a ningen like the rest of them… He thought quietly before she continued her way to her seat beside him. It had seemed hours while their eyes were locked, and now he wished it wasn't even that second. He could feel her gaze upon him as if she was standing before him and not beside him while he looked down at his book, reading but not seeing the words. After a few minutes Kurama realized he was reading the same word over and over, trying to keep his focus on the girl beside him. A sigh came forth and he shook his head mentally, turning his focus to the book.

Nariko was her name as he learned later. Nodako Nariko. Calm child of thunder. What an odd name to have. She hadn't done anything more to bother him; it was just something uncanny about her mere presence. It was one he had felt not so long ago, but he couldn't place where it was.

And then he smelled it.

The wind blew from the window, carrying the female's scent on the breeze with other various outside smells. It was the scent of death. The smell of death never bothered him before; maybe the person had recently had someone close to them die or had walked by someone murdered? No it was nothing like that. The death smell wasn't on her...it was her.

He froze. He couldn't breathe. What was a creature like her doing in the Ningenkai? She was supposed to remain in the Makai due to laws put down by the vampire leader, not wanting to have Koenma wipe them out. The last ones to freely roam were in Yoko Kurama and Kuronue's thieving time. Vampires in the Ningenkai. He glanced up at the clock and stood from his desk to make his way to his teacher. With a quiet murmur and a bow he was excused ten minutes early from class.

Nariko's sudden blue colored eyes flashed and she allowed a slight smirk to creep across her lips. She waited two minutes before standing up and approaching her Ningen sensei. "Sensei, may I leave class? I wish to...find my locker before the rush, I fear I might be utterly lost if I do not." She carefully noted her teacher's surprised look at the manner she spoke, it was better than how she spoke when she was in the Makai that was for sure. Nariko had old manners still within her from the last time she was in the Ningenkai.

"Of course you may." She only remained for the first response then left the room softly. She trailed after the boy with red hair, he smelt familiar and also very delicious. He was practically screaming and begging to be taken from just as she would have him yelling in a matter of minutes. Suddenly his form disappeared upon exiting to the outside. Her body froze and she fought with herself. Looking down she saw a plant that had grown swiftly up to hold her in place.

"Let me go." Her deft fingers stroked the leaves of the vines, a cooing and seductive voice replacing any monotone that might have come out. "You don't want to hold me. Good baby, just pull back enough so I may escape. He doesn't have to know...Don't worry, you can stay as large as you are..." Pale slender fingers continued petting the invisible vines, feeling the hum of the living Makai plant. Finally she felt a hole widen enough for her body to slip out. The plant itself and the hole were hardly noticeable unless you trained your eyes to look for them. Blue eyes peered with an enhanced gaze for her new prey. "Come on...I just wanted to...talk with you."

Stepping away from the spinning vines, Nariko purred out her words softly as if a Siren bringing the daily catches of men to her net. That was, until her body was frozen again. A feral hiss escaped her mouth and vampiric teeth elongated. She was mad. Her body began to tremble as heat from another body behind her soaked through her chilled flesh. The barrage on her mental barriers was painful, as if a stake being driven through her heart. It wasn't him doing the attacking but it was someone close by, a psychic person.

"You are a vampire. You attacked a young Ningen female last night." His voice was as she pictured it. Cool and still seductive even though he tried to push it away. A gentleman as the Makai knew gentlemen. "You will stand before Koenma and be tried for attacking the Ningen population." Red locks of hair brushed her small shoulders. She giggled at first before laughing out right at him.

"I am Adena Tussand, the Egyptians know me as Kimi of the Nile. I am Kallie, the Greeks pray to me as one of the black goddesses. I am Nariko, hunter and assassin of Japan. What could you, my little demon do to me?" Kurama shifted behind the woman, he knew those names from his past but it was still foreign to his current memory. His counterpart, Yoko, came to life and brought forth the flood of memories. Because of this, the vampire was able to free her from his slack grip. She turned to him and admired the distant look he had the handsome fox-like features. He was familiar to her as well but it slipped after a couple thousand years. Rising from the ground, tendrils of dark shadow pulled at her form. Nariko pressed her body to his sensually and the shadows circled the two of them pulling them into a vortex of black.

When the kitsune had awoken from his miniature black out, he was laid upon a comfortable bed and his lips were swollen. Nariko was not above taking from a helpless victim, and she found she regained memories of years gone past from a simple (bruising) kiss. He tasted flecks of something on his lips and licked at them. It was tangy like fruit, but bitter like salt. "Where am I?"

"Haha. You're in my den young kitsune. Don't worry, we're still in the Ningenkai. This is just where I have been living for the past few years." Nariko materialized in a few wisps of shadow on the fluffy bed with her legs crossed. She was out of her school uniform and now in what was seen as comfortable. A black corset with red laces and a mid-thigh length skirt. Black spandex shorts peeked out from under her red and black plaid skirt, but they were unnoticeable if she was to stand up. Black fishnet gloves with the fingers gone decorated her pale hands. "I remember you now. You are almost as famous as myself, Yoko Kurama."

"I'm sorry to say I don't remember you." He sat up and she flashed a grin to show off her fangs. A warning look of gold shot through his emerald eyes until she pressed one hand to his leg and the other to his chest.

"You're lucky than. I would only bring you hurtful memories. But I have a need for you, Reikai Tantei...One I'm very sure you will help me with." Nariko removed her hands from his form to lace them on her lap as she watched his reactions. He looked moderately curious as to what she could want from him besides blood or something of the sort.

"Why?" The girl had to hold in a snort at his stupidity, why indeed. Why would she ask help from a Spirit Detective when she could just twist her vampire lord around her finger? With a roll of her eyes she looked to her window covered with a black sheet.

"Because...I intend to bring someone back from his imprisonment. He should never have to live, or rather non-live, a horrible fate like that."

Kurama sighed at the vampire girl; he was starting to get annoyed with the way she worded things. He gave her a blank look and deadpanned his thoughts, "No more riddles Nariko. Just what do you want me to do?"

"Oh so you trust me now?" She rolled her eyes again before becoming serious once more, "I want to bring Kuronue back from where he is imprisoned."