Welcome to How Four Became Five; HTLWMY, or How to Live with Moody Youkai.
Let's get a few things straight. I only own any OCs, and the story ideas. Or maybe they own me... I'm not sure which way that goes! The YYH cast belong to their copyright holder.
Despite my wish that they were mine... So I could kill off Keiko and dye Botan's hair and give her coloured contacts...
Anways. This story is the pequel to Caught Between Worlds and shows how the Tantei became the way that they are in CBW. Alright without further interruption. On with the show.
The Reikai is quiet, the darkness absolute, despite the guards on patrol and the odd researcher or spy who is up with the late night or just returning from only they know where, and one very unfortunate members of these late night residents is followed into the Reikai from the Makai, by a silent spectre.
A spectre with hip length platinum hair and almost glowing pale blue-green eyes, wearing a tattered peach haori over black hakama with a white obi and a long white tail flicks behind it, this particular spectre, is a queen amongst thieves, one who has never been caught in hundreds of years.
Among Youkai it is believed that only a thief as great or greater than her could ever catch her, perhaps they are right, but she would never give herself up without a fight and everyone who has ever met her knows that, she is known as the GinRei. She follows her unsuspecting guide right into the Palace, past all the security without ever triggering anything because of the person ahead of her, then she slips off down another hallway, silent and unseen, despite her platinum hair and her peach haori.
She never reaches her goal, and she knows that she is caught before she even sees the ones who have caught her, she merely turns before they turn the corner into the same hallway as her and she raises an eyebrow then sighs and her pale icy gaze gleams before she launches at them, and straight over the top of them both, racing through the hallways at her highest speed.
She is almost out of the Palace, literally only feet away from the outside world when a shadow launches down in front of her and she skids to a stop before launching backwards, landing low to the ground, as she bares her fangs in a warning hiss and her tail curls upwards.
The dark haired being stays exactly where he is, appraising this pale form, both hands on the ground, keeping her low, muscles tense, ready to respond to any move he might make, those bared fangs are trademark of an animal Youkai, but he knew that instantly, not just from the tail but her large silvery white ears. Now flicked as far back as they can go in response to the threat his mere presence makes and he smirks, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness before he speaks up slowly and calmly.
"I would let you go Queen of Thieves, GinRei… If only I hadn't been seen following you"
"The other who came around the corner" She utters softly, with a hissing tone that would be a warning for any who might think her a weak target.
"Was the one who alerted you to my presence. I was happy to let you get on with it and perhaps even assist you in escape if you were caught by guards…" He states, explaining his reasons for not helping her now, when idealy she should already be back in the Makai having made a failed attempt but with the chance to try again.
"Tch. Typical. You know of me then?" She changes the subject, curious about this Youkai who would have given her assistance if he hadn't been seen himself.
"Every thief knows of you GinRei. Your tales of thievery echo through every dark alley and market place where we gather"
"So you are a thief also"
"I was brought up as a thief. I survived because of thieves…"
"We shall end this conversation here" She utters before she launches at this crimson eyed thief, and he launches in also on sensing what she had, so that they are fighting viciously by the time that the boy, for he truly is little more than that, arrives on the scene and he immediately jumps in to help his companion capture this vicious Cat Youkai thief.
So the infamous GinRei finds herself before the Prince of the Reikai, completely calm, her pale icy blue-green gaze fixed on the teenage formed prince, her expression blank and her tail waving gently from side to side, her ears are held in an inexpressive placid position and her platinum hair shimmers in the lights, the tattered sleeves of her haori covering her hands and never moving.
To her this is a meeting of Nobles, and he believes that this is a fortunate day, a chance to get rid of one of the most prominent thieves for hundreds of years, and when his Reikai Tantei arrive to be witnesses, the red head, Kurama stops instantly as he spots the female with her silvery countenance, his emerald green eyes widening as his mouth opens and nothing comes out.
She immediately turns her head to look at him, her ears flicking up in interest and she tilts her head, frowning slightly as she tries to puzzle out what she is smelling from what she is seeing, but she speaks softly for the first time since the night before and this time there is no hiss, only a soft and rather vibrantly toned voice, one that could easily claim nobility and regality.
"Step towards me, onegai" Kurama obeys, helplessly, because Youko is partially taking over, trying to force himself forwards, so desperate to be in his own form, to greet this Cat Youkai in front of him, and Kurama races through Youko's mind, through memory after memory of this same beautiful Cat Youkai. "You smell like a master thief I once knew… Why?"
"Hn" Hiei utters softly from the back wall, he can understand why she is confused though, had he not found out about Shuuichi he would never have guessed that he hosted the Gingitsune either, yet she doesn't even twitch her tail when the red head speaks up to explain.
"I am Minamino Shuuichi… My companions around us call me Kurama… After the Youkai I host"
"Kurama…" Her gaze drifts over his features for barely a moment before she suddenly smiles a breathtaking smile and her icy blue-green eyes light up with unhidden joy, unfurling into a stunning silvery blossom from a solemn little white bloom. "Youko?! I knew he hadn't died! I knew he was too smart for those…"
She trails off as her gaze catches the movement of the teenage formed Reikai Prince and she returns to her passive stance from before and Kurama blinks in surprise, wondering how Youko had ever met such a creature, and just how old she is, but Youko is merely replaying every time he had ever seen her turn, making her platinum hair shimmer, or her eyes light up on seeing him.
"I know nothing more of you than that you are called GinRei by those who have seen you, and The Queen of Thieves by all who have ever known of you"
"Then you know all that I want the Reikai to know of me" She states passively and she glances at Kurama who had been about to grasp her name, but it is snatched away from him as Youko realises that his memories are open to his host and that he cannot allow that, especially not if she is not willing to give her name freely.
"You attempted to thieve from the Reikai Palace"
"I came here to find something that rightfully belongs to me" She retorts calmly, not even deigning to change her tone of voice and Koenma moves around his desk.
"What would that be then?"
"A white crystal sakura slide. It belonged to my 'Kaa-sama and passed to me when she died. It was stolen by one of your spies right from my family home, even though I rarely go there now. I do have it guarded and watched at all times"
"That artefact cannot belong to you. The Cat Queen Tsukiyo died over two thousand years ago"
"Yes she did. At the hands of her own sister, who in turn died by my own hand. She poisoned my 'Kaa-sama and I would never have allowed her to live even if I had only been a kitten at the time"
"You only appeared five hundred years ago!"
"Why don't you ask Youko if he knows how old I am" She finally states while crossing her arms serenely and Kurama blinks before Youko gives him the answer and he suddenly realises why Youko was so shocked and pleased to see her standing in the middle of this large room looking just the same as she had when he had known her, well apart from her hair being longer, and her clothing less regal.
"Youko last saw GinRei over one and a half thousand years ago, and before that he had known her for hundreds of years, she was once one of his highest ranking thieves and a good friend"
"That I was" She states softly before lifting her left hand to check her claws boredly and Koenma falls back against his desk in shock and she glances up at him slowly. "Figured out who I am yet?"
"That makes you the lost Hime"
"That it does. Merely because I never claimed the throne of my clan, because by the time I came of age we had failed and I am one of the last"
"That also makes your name Sakurain Mayoke"
"It does doesn't it" She utters merely because he is pointing out the obvious truth, and she is just merely allowing him to piece it all together and allowing the information to sink in.
"That does not change the fact that you attempted to steal from the Reikai Palace! In punishment I sentence you to two years probation, you are not to have the crystal slide until you finish your probation"
"And what terms would you impose upon me during my probation?"
"You are not to commit any act of thievery, nor harm any Ningen no matter what the situation, and no matter what the cost. You are to work with the Reikai Tantei that are around you right now until your probation is over"
"When the two years are up I may slip back into obscurity and return to the Makai with my crystal sakura and return to my life as it was before?"
"Under the condition that if you ever attempt to steal from the Reikai again then your life will be forfeit"
"Very well. I agree to these terms" Mayoke states before she relaxes and she uncrosses her arms as Hiei appears beside her, his black spiky hair making him seem no taller against her than he would if it were flat, she is easily taller than Yusuke also, but not quite six foot, and then comes a conversation about her quarters and what things she will be entitled too.
Mayoke settles in with the Reikai Tantei relatively easily, Kuwabara is just enthralled with her, what with her being a Cat Youkai, and the fact that when her ears are scratched she purrs adorably, Yusuke soon finds out that she is stronger than him, much stronger, much faster, and much, much more agile, and Hiei seems to respect her.
Kurama is nervous around her, constantly afraid that she will see him as a lesser being than the Youkai he hosts within him once more, and that she will see him as being unworthy, but that fear is soon quelled when she tells him that she will not judge him against Youko, having decided to treat him as someone else entirely, because he is.
The first day is of course always one of the hardest, well, the day in which the unknown becomes the known, for the Reikai Tantei it is a rare day when they have no missions come in, but there is plenty of fighting, first Hiei and Mayoke have a fight over breakfast, courtesy of Kurama, during which Hiei becomes his usual temperamental self again.
Mayoke soon gets fed up of it, and of course that puts her in a bad mood then throw in Hiei's decision not to let this Cat Youkai find out a single thing about him, and that makes Mayoke furious, with Kurama watching amusedly, due to Youko's forewarning this exact outcome, and Yusuke and Kuwabara staring open-mouthed.
That fight ends with Hiei nursing his head and Mayoke stalking away to the common area especially for the Reikai Tantei and their friends, clearly agitated and clearly wanting to be alone, and so she is left alone, for an hour, before Yusuke pokes his head into the common room to find the platinum haired Youkai making intricate shapes with a tied piece of string, deftly moving her hands in order to change the shapes.
Mayoke just continues to make her shapes in the string without seeming to realise that Yusuke is there, and it is then that he notices that the string is old, fraying at the knot and in areas dotted all along the strings length where she obviously practises her little inane talent often.
He stays there for a long while, entranced by the deft movements of Mayoke's fingers changing the shapes of the string, and finally she stops, allowing the string to go slack in her hands as she utters with utter calm in her tone.
"It's rather hard to try to remain oblivious to someone who just stands there and stares for so long Yusuke. Was there something you wanted?"
"Ah… Well… Y'see, I was thinking that since we're gonna be working with you from now on… Maybe we should get to know your tactics and your attacks… See how we can fit you into our teamwork, y'know?"
"I would imagine that Kurama would work with me seamlessly just as Youko always did"
"But the rest of us need to learn how to work with you"
"Very well" She states softly as she tucks her string into her obi and she stands and then walks across to Yusuke before she asks softly. "And where can you go to train?"
"Oh… We have an area out in the grounds" Yusuke states before he leads the way, and she blinks when she realises that Kuwabara is standing out in the hallway, she would never have noticed that, but then she has never really cared about Ningens and their movements.
Before they are even out of the Palace Kurama and Hiei have joined them, Hiei remembering his respect and awe for the Cat Youkai known as the Queen of Thieves, and deciding it might be better not to be so irritable with her again, at least not until he knows the boundaries of what she will allow.
Kurama on the other hand slips in beside Mayoke without a word, and she doesn't speak to him either, both of them are wondering about the same thing, if Youko's instincts can allow his host to work with her as perfectly as he used too, and then Kurama says slowly.
"Youko tells me that you use a whip like I do…"
"Youko never used… I guess you can't use his death plant then?"
"I never know whether that is a fortunate occurrence or not…"
"It is fortunate for your enemies" Mayoke utters before they leave the Palace and the group of five head for the area that has been dedicated for their training as Mayoke mutters softly. "I haven't used my whip in two hundred years. It will give you a chance I think… I must be rusty"
"How long has it been since you last truly fought?"
"A while… With my reputation so well known, nearly every Youkai steps away from the challenge when they face me. Demo. My whip was only my favourite weapon, I have others" She states with a slight smile and Yusuke frowns.
"Kuwabara refuses to fight you, so he'll just have to watch"
"Whatever…"
"So. Who would you like to fight first?"
"Do you think I care? Which one of you can easily adapt to fighting something you don't know?"
"Actually" Kurama states with a small smile. "I'll fight her first. I have an inkling of how she fights" Mayoke smiles slightly with the knowledge that this could be allot of fun for her also, especially as she doesn't know the extent of Kurama's abilities in his current form. Mayoke and Kurama place themselves in the middle of the dusty area where nothing grows and Kurama reaches back into his hair and pulls his rose out while Mayoke merely stretches and then forms a small sakura blossom in the palm of her hand, which hovers over her palm and Kurama bows his head slightly. "Youko has asked me to tell you that he wishes you good fortune" Mayoke smirks then bows her head in return before uttering softly.
"He had better hope that you aren't the one that needs that good fortune" Then they both release their whips from their concealed forms, Mayoke's a slim vine which seems to have a mind of its own as it coils around her and Kurama allowing his to coil beside him on the ground as he tilts his head slightly.
"Youko states that you used to follow a strict procedure for sparring with him"
"That we did. We have spoken our formalities, and given each other our due respects. Now we just need to ensure the terms of combat and terms of winning and then we can begin"
"What would you like the terms to be?"
"Our terms of combat are easy. We both only use our whips, neither of us cheats by using any of our other talents. If the whips fail us, we move to hand to hand. The terms of winning… Well. What would you like them to be?"
"Down for more than ten seconds, or knockout to win?"
"Very well. That suits me down to the ground" Mayoke states with a purr and then she flicks her whip lazily as it uncoils from around her form and Kurama lifts his and they both attack in the same moment, and Kurama gains the upper hand, forcing Mayoke to dodge and then she attacks again and Kurama has to leap to the side to avoid being hit.
"Hiei, which one of them is gonna win?"
"Hn. If she's rusty with that whip, then Kurama's not the master he thought he was"
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asks as Kurama blocks an attack with his whip in the last possible second and Mayoke flicks hers backwards then attacks from the side and Kurama has to pull the same stunt again in order not to get hit by that powerful and viciously fast whip.
"She has him on the defensive and I don't think she's going to give him the chance to get back on the offensive" Kurama and Mayoke then seem to change tactics fluidly, whips meeting in lightning fast clashes of thorns against pure, silky vine, and her whip never seems to come off worse, and then Hiei begins to notice that Kurama's whip is being damaged.
"You've changed your whip" Kurama states finally as they both flick their whips back, Mayoke's coiling around her form again, practically floating on the air, while Kurama coils his whip and inspects the damage, several thorns have been ripped out, and the vine is torn in many areas, and almost ripped right through near the tip.
"I have indeed" Mayoke utters before in a flash six inch spines extend from the smooth vine and Mayoke smiles there are only perhaps ten or eleven of these spines, and all in one particular line but they are vicious and very close to Mayoke's skin as the whip is coiled around her.
"Hey. How come I never saw them?!"
"They must have only extended for flashing instants at a time"
"I suppose they extend when the whip finds its target"
"Most of the time" Mayoke states as the whip tightens around her slightly and the spines retract in a split second and she tilts her head before she flicks her whip so that it coils beside her and Kurama just nods slowly then the two of them attack again, and this time it turns into a bit of a running fight as they both keep evading each others attacks and have to move to account for the others movements.
Then the fight becomes a test of endurance, and the longer it goes on, the more Mayoke seems to be enjoying herself, her movements becoming more graceful and pronounced with movements of her tail, her hair flowing fluidly as she moves and seeming to take longer than it should to settle around her.
Her icy blue-green eyes shimmer and glint in the sunlight and none of the boys seem to notice the way that she is attracting their attention, keeping it away from where it needs to be, in Kurama's case, on the movements of her whip, and in the case of the other boys, on Kurama.
Kurama's yell of shock and pain is what breaks the enticing enthrallment that had gathered up all four of the boys and Mayoke just runs her free hand through her hair, while Yusuke and Kuwabara look from Kurama who is bound tightly in the smooth vine of whip, and back to Mayoke in complete and utter shock.
Then with the lightest of flicks she brings Kurama crashing to the ground and she leaves him there, bound in her whip while she simply smiles towards the Kitsune Youkai's host and he stares back at her, his emerald green eyes widening as the two of them silently count down their ten counts and finally Kurama sighs.
"Alright. This spar goes to you Mayoke-san"
"Arigatou. You fought well Kurama-kun"
"Arigatou gozaimasu. Youko believes you held back" Mayoke just smiles at the red head as she releases him from the coils of her whip and her whip vanishes, exploding into hundreds of sakura blossoms before just one settles on her hair just in front of her left ear and it remains there while the others vanish, and Mayoke bares her fangs slightly in that smile of hers before she states simply.
"I'll go all out when he's on the receiving end of my attacks" Then she turns towards the rest of the boys, Yusuke and Kuwabara are still gaping, while Hiei is staring at the creature he had heard so many stories of in his lifetime, the thief of all thieves, the one creature that no thief would dare to try to cross, and as he sees it, a chance for him to prove himself. "Well, which of you fine members of the Reikai Tantei wishes to take me on next?"
Hiei is opposite her so fast that even Kurama doesn't see him move, and Kurama just smiles when he spots Hiei in the middle of the dirt arena opposite Mayoke who is already facing the fire Youkai with a serious gaze, her icy blue-green eyes are cold all of a sudden, as if she knows that Hiei isn't going to allow her to play with him.
Kurama moves to stand beside Yusuke while Hiei and Mayoke bow to one another, and then in a split second they have both vanished, with only flashes of white and black to give away their positions to anyone watching and even each other.
"Since when could any animal Youkai move that fast Kurama?"
"Mayoke is obviously built for speed and stealth. The Sakurain clan were the greatest of the Cat Youkai clans, one must assume that means that Mayoke-san has every single one of the best attributes of an animal Youkai"
Mayoke rather suddenly drops into a crouch out of her high speed fight with Hiei as he slows enough to be seen forcing through a high spinning kick above Mayoke's form and when he begins to drop she launches her own attack, using a fluid spinning kick which has Hiei hit the ground some fifteen foot away and he rolls out of the little dirt arena while Mayoke brushes herself off and runs her hands through her hair.
As Hiei rises he tenses then launches back into his speed techniques and Mayoke just smiles pleasantly, her icy gaze hardening and sharpening, her pupils becoming vertical slits so narrow that they seem to disappear altogether, and then Hiei skids to a halt as a large vine bursts out of the ground.
Even Hiei is not fast enough to avoid it as it binds him in its grip, then as Hiei struggles the tip slams against his spine and he yells out in pain while another vine bursts out of the ground to join the first vine, and then another and another, until Hiei is completely encased in vines.
Mayoke just starts to laugh when Hiei tries to burn his way through the vines, and Kurama steps forwards when Hiei howls with pain Mayoke tilts her head then calls loudly to the fire Youkai in his binds of vines.
"Stop attacking them! You're going to get yourself killed!"
"Mayoke! What're they doing to him?!"
"You don't recognise it?" Mayoke asks before finally the plant emerges from the ground fully, a beautiful silvery flower the same height as Mayoke herself, along with being wider than she is tall which makes Kurama's eyes widen. "As Youko had his death plants, I have my Rei draining plants. Mah. Have I shown you enough?"
"I think so" Kurama utters and Mayoke's eyes return to normal and her draining plant releases Hiei before it shrinks and then the tiniest little silvery flower lands in Mayoke's hand and she drops it into her obi before she brushes her haori off and she tilts her head at the look that Kurama is giving her before she turns and walks back towards the Palace, clearly bored of the little arena.