"You gotta be kidding me, Koenma!"
For once, Hiei had to agree with the buffoon. This assignment was simply ridiculous.
"I am not kidding," Koenma glared over his pacifier. "You will all be taking dance lessons to compete in a dance competition in two months' time."
"What the hell good is that gonna do us, pacifier breath?" Yusuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We have received some information regarding the notorious demon lord Kazai."
Hiei stiffened slightly at the name and felt Kurama do the same next to him. Yusuke blinked at their reactions before turning his brown eyes back toward the toddler prince in front of them.
"Care to explain the significance, Kurama? Hiei?"
"Hn."
"Kazai is a shadow demon involved in one of the biggest trafficking rings in the Makai."
"Trafficking?" the buffoon asked stupidly.
"Human trafficking," Hiei clarified, barely preventing himself from rolling his crimson eyes.
"Exactly," Kurama continued. "He also deals a lot with assassins and is a participant in the black market. Essentially, Kazai kidnaps humans and sometimes hanyou, sells them on the demon black market, uses his profits to invest in drug trades, and uses those funds to hire assassins to take care of the opposition, as well as to pillage for treasure. He lives luxuriously off the money from the treasure and what is left over from his other ventures."
"Sounds like the normal demon scum. What's got you guys in such a huff?"
Hiei leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "Kazai had once sent assassins after both Kurama and I."
"What?" Kuwabara exclaimed, his jaw dropping.
"Yes, indeed he did. Hiei and I were both bandits at one point in our lives. We posed a threat to those he hired to steal the things he hoped to sell on the black market. We have both had his target on our backs for a while. Although, Hiei's became much bigger than mine," Kurama chuckled.
"Whadja do, shrimp?"
The fire demon glared at the name before snapping, "Cut off his finger as a warning to back off."
Yusuke nodded slowly. He raised his hand to cup his chin, his eyes roaming toward the ceiling. "So what has this got to do with a dance competition?"
"Kazai is hosting a dance competition under the pretense of earning a spot in some human musician's music video. In actuality, we believe he is looking for more humans to add to his slave trade. You must go in undercover to take down Kazai once and for all."
"So we have to be contestants in a dance competition? Couldn't we simply go undercover in his residence?" Kurama inquired, raising a red eyebrow in question.
"You need to be in the competition- actually, you need to win the competition- in order to prevent any humans from falling into the trade and the competition ending prematurely should Kazai find everything he is looking for."
Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded their understanding.
"I do not dance," Hiei stated, looking down the bridge of his nose at the Reikai prince.
"Not yet you don't!" Koenma said cheerfully. "In addition to the dance competition, you will be guarding your dance instructor. Boys, I'd like you to meet Mai Takashi!"
Mai rolled her eyes at the dramatic entrance Koenma had given her, and stepped into his office. She flashed a smile at the Spirit Detectives, giving them each a brief once over. First, she spotted Kazuma Kuwabara. He was certainly not a looker, and may not have been the brightest bulb in the box, but she knew he was passionate and an extraordinarily determined individual.
Her green eyes moved to the black haired boy she knew was Yusuke Urameshi. He grinned at her cheekily and she nodded slightly in response. His defiance against authority could become an issue.
Next she turned to Kurama. The first thing she noticed was that he was incredibly handsome. Mai felt no shame in admitting it to herself; it was undeniable that his symmetrical features, the elegant shape of his face, his flaming red hair and deep green eyes all added up to him being a very attractive man. He smiled at her kindly and she had the distinct impression she would be challenged in her efforts to teach him to dance by his manners and gentlemanly conduct.
Lastly, she looked at Hiei. He was only a few inches taller than her, but that wasn't very hard as she stood at a mere four feet, eleven inches. The fire demon was attractive in a way Kurama simply was not; he was more rugged somehow, handsome in a less refined way. What really drew her in were his eyes. Eyes were the window to the soul, that's what everyone said, but Hiei's were no such portal to his inner self. They were shields he had erected to hide who he truly was and what he had seen and done. She wrenched her eyes away from him before her appraisal became too long to be considered acceptable.
"Hey guys," she smiled, giving a small wave of greeting.
"Nice to meet you," Kurama greeted and inclined his head politely.
"Yo," Yusuke said, stretching his arms behind his back casually.
Kuwabara stood up straighter and raised his arm into what he certainly thought was a dignified position before saying, "Hello. I know you may be overcome by my many appealing features, but I am taken. "
"No worries there," Mai replied through a soft, tinkling laugh. "It's my pleasure to be working with you all, though."
Hiei ignored the woman's presence and turned to Koenma again. "You are brave to choose her for this assignment."
"What do ya mean, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, jumping to Mai's defense. "She's probably got all the qualifications for the job!"
"You are a hanyou, correct, Ms. Takashi?" Kurama questioned.
Mai smiled and replied, "Yup! My mom was a demon, dad was a human. I get the best of two worlds."
Unlike some hanyou, Mai was proud of her mixed bloodline. She knew the ways of the Ningenkai and the Makai. She could live and function in either, and the culture blend was often pretty phenomenal. Experiencing the best and worst of both worlds gave her a good perspective on life and she was quite happy about that fact.
"It seems foolish to choose a woman who will easily become a target for Kazai," Hiei pointed out.
Koenma opened his mouth to bark out his reasoning, but Mai interjected. "I am part demon, and am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And on the chance I cannot, you all will be there as well. Besides, I challenge you to find another demon who is as talented in ningen dance as I am. You will do well to remember that I am going to be the key to your success in this mission, Hiei Jaganshi."
Hiei frowned at the woman before him, both angered and impressed by her retort. Very few people ever stood up to him, and none had been a female hanyou, especially not one of her incredibly unthreatening demeanor. She was certainly petite, being even shorter than him. The woman had wavy, honey colored hair which fell just past her shoulders. Her eyes were green, but not like Kurama's. They were a dark, moss green that seemed to sparkle even in the artificial light of the office. Unlike most of the ningen women he knew, this woman was of a healthy weight. Hiei did not lie to himself; she was an attractive woman. And although he was not fool enough to try to convince himself otherwise, Hiei was determined to ignore that fact, complete the assignment, and move on with his life.
"So," Koenma began when it became apparent that Hiei would not try to kill Mai for her earlier declaration, "You will be spending the next two months with Mai learning to dance for the competition. I have rented you the apartment next door to hers. I expect you to be looking out for her in case any of Kazai's goons catch on to who you really are."
"Hey, pacifier breath," Yusuke spoke up. "If this demon lord knows Kurama and Hiei, won't he catch on as soon as we show up to the competition?"
"Kazai will not be present at the competition until the finals. By then, hopefully it will be too late to do anything about it."
"So… when does training start?" the Spirit Detective looked between Koenma and Mai expectantly.
"Tomorrow morning," Mai answered. "Tonight, we can make better introductions and I will fill you in on what kind of hell you will be faced with for the next couple of months."
She smiled sweetly at the group and almost laughed at their faces of apprehension. They would certainly be out of their comfort zone for a while.