Hi all! I'm back! School has kept me pretty busy so I managed to convince Raven and Shadow to lay off the pestering 'til I took my semester exams. I did manage to sneak in the chapter you are going to read in sideways. Hopefully spell/grammar check will catch any mistakes  .

More information on Raven and Shadow can be found in my first story Twins of the Shadows. How the team met them is contained in the story itself.

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Shadow to anyone

Raven to Shadow

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or related indicia. I do HOWEVER own Raven, Shadow and Nataka Odore. BUT if you desire to use them, tell me in a review leave your e-mail and I will get back to you.

(If you're wondering where Raven and Shadow are I currently have them locked out of my office area. No pestering or breathing down my neck!)

Raven's thoughts were drifting back to her and Shadow's past. One person in particular stood out in her mind, Nataka Odore. He had pretended to befriend them, but when they parted it had been under the shadow of betrayal. She didn't know if he truly had betrayed them or if he'd been tricked too. Hey! Stop brooding! Kurama's been trying to get your attention. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?" Raven apologized/asked. "It's alright. You seem distracted, is there any thing I can do?" Kurama replied. "Remembering old friends and fights. I lost a good friend in a trap; I've never been sure if he betrayed us or if he was tricked too." Raven murmured back thoughtfully. "I've been in that situation." Kurama reflected, Raven glanced at him. "Losing a friend, I mean. Trying to get away from a successful heist, we ran right into a trap, I escaped, he didn't." Kurama clarified. "I'm sorry." Raven said "Next time you see Boton, ask her about him. She's the one who'll know or can find out." Kurama told her. "Thanks, I'll do that." Raven replied.

Later that day, when the entire team was assembled at the dojo (with the exception of Shadow, who was asleep on a nearby rafter.) Boton filled them in with the latest news from the Makai. Yomi had managed to really piss-off Mukuro, and she was currently blasting away at his walls. The prelude to Lord Muerte's attempted take-over (now dead, see Twins of the Shadows' ch 9 for details) had been filled with unusual silence, everything was now back to normal, unfortunately. Koenma wanted them to Cool Mukuro down using any means necessary, should Yomi manage to deflect a blast, things could quickly get into really hot shit. After this briefing of sorts, Raven pulled Boton aside, "The fate of a friend of mine has been plaguing me for some time. I was wondering if you could find out what happened to him." Raven asked the ferry girl. "Sure, what's his name?" She asked "Nataka Odore" Raven replied "I'll get on it as soon as I get back." Boton told her. "Thank you." Raven replied.

'Calming Mukuro ain't gonna be easy. Someone's gonna get hurt.' Yusuke mused, 'According to Raven, she and Shadow have never been in this area before. Of all of us Kurama and Hiei are the only ones who've been in Yomi's territory so they are going to be indispensable here.' The group stepped through a portal and found themselves…..elsewhere. "This isn't anywhere near Yomi's territory. Koenma has, yet again, messed up the portal." Kurama noted with a calm that could be described as eerie. Hey, Raven, isn't this near where we were led into that trap? It is. We will have to guide them here. Goody. "Shadow and I have been here before. We know the lay of the land and some of its residents. None are friendly. They may let us pass if we are there. Silence is key here." Raven told/instructed them.

Whew! Ch 1 done! I'll get Ch 2 up as soon as I find the time. I really do enjoy writing, but I like feedback even more! (That translates to: REVEIWS PLEASE!!!!!) It is what makes writing fun for authors. Once again, Raven, Shadow and Lord Murete's profiles may be found in ch 9 of Twins of the Shadows!

See you next ch!