Kage silently stood behind her best friend as she remained seated at her desk, wearily moving the cursor softly back and forth on the computer screen while she read their new mission to herself. Kage had already read the briefing earlier that day – in the confines of her own room – and had forwarded the message to Hikari so that she will be updated. She knew better than to explain the situation to her out loud in the mood she was currently in… and knew that the young deity must've had a death sentence on his mind if he was thinking of sending the pair on another mission so soon.

"I know I shouldn't complain since we are the ones that had broken the law and came to the Human World… but…" The frozen smile on Hikari's face – the natural expression for the vixen – slowly fell as a glare took its place with a burning in her eyes that made Kage fear for whoever's path she passed on her way to the child-like ruler. "What. The. Hell. Does that little shit honestly think we need to do this? Hire a goddamn assassin for this kind of job! It'll go by much smoother that way!" Hikari continued shouting curses and damning the little prince to all seven levels of Hell and back before standing to her feet with the raging fire still burning in her eyes. "Come on, Kage-Chan, I think it's time to pay Prince Koenma a short visit."

Kage – though being the gentler one of the pair at times – couldn't help but agree that a little payback and revenge was in order if this was indeed how Koenma planned on treating them for the duration of their probations.

"Where is Prince Koenma, Botan?" Hikari kept her voice light and calm, almost cheerful, as she addressed the reaper in front of her, looking at the vixen with evident fear because of having known this sort of response would come from the pair. Kage was trained by assassins and therefore knew to hide her distaste for the orders easily. Hikari, though, was only half vixen; being half wind demon on her father's side made her act a little more brash in her own times of stress. Her way of relieving that stress?

Violence.

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Botan's feet dangled inches off the floor as she looked down at the ground, halfway wishing she was still standing on it as the doors to Enma Jr.'s office opened to reveal the child-like ruler and his four favorite Spirit Detectives. Hikari didn't even glance at them as she dropped Botan and stalked up to the prince.

"Now Hikari," Koenma knew the look on her face all too well and knew that the predicament would not end well while she was smiling at him like that. He always thought her smile was scarier than her glare at times… especially when it had hidden intentions behind it. "You wouldn't kill me, would you? I mean, that's one of the reasons you and Kage are in this situation."

"Ah, yes; it is, is it not?" Hikari stated with the frozen easygoing smile on her face that seemed greatly fox-like at that moment when it curved upwards further. "But… there's not much that I care for at this very moment besides…" Reaching out, she yanked Koenma up from the ground by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall behind him; the calm cheerful expression on her face dropping like a rock as a dark glower took its position, shutting up all complaints and explanations the prince was likely to spout. "Fucking maiming you here and now because of giving us another goddamn mission after being home for only ten minutes!" she pulled him away from the wall shortly before pounding him against it once more.

"Hikari-Chan…"

"Yes, Kage-Chan?" Hikari questioned her sole friend lightly, never being angry with her even when she was at ends with the rest of the worlds.

"We're going to end up going back to prison."

"Like your father would see you in chains for a second time," Hikari said to her while looking at her from over her shoulder, the anger not present on her face any longer as she conversed calmly with the younger psychic demon. The four Spirit Detectives – that had originally thought that their times together were long sense over – looked between one another, having been brought here by Koenma himself under the pretense that they were to be introduced to their replacements and join them for their newest assignment and deem them good enough or in need of training in their own personal opinions. "He would go through the very fires of Hell for you and we both know it."

"And where would that leave you, Hikari-Chan? Stranded in a prison cell by yourself in one of the lower levels of Hell?" Kage, being the voice of reason in times of Hikari's emotional rampages, reminded the vixen just what her life was like before they had met… much like how her life in prison would be if she threatened and manhandled the prince any further. Hikari locked gazes with her best friend's violet orbs for a few moments before sighing and relinquishing her grip on the scared witless ruler; glaring at him darkly as he hurriedly made his way back into his towering chair and the safety he felt behind his large desk.

"What is the big idea anyway? I told you that they would react this way once you sent that message to Kage." Botan took refuge on the other side of the room perched on top of her oar, hovering beside Koenma's desk while eyeing Hikari frightfully; Botan was – under no circumstances – going to get between the vixen and her prey ever again after that last experience. "It's an easy mission and you could easily get an assassin to do it or even one of the soldiers."

"That's not the reason I wanted the two of them to go on it."

"Then what – pray tell – is the reason you have to brief us on yet another mission when we have yet to have time to fully recover from our previous escapades?" Hikari asked with slight venom in her voice that made Kage reach out and touch her arm gently before pulling her hand back to her side, the touch being enough to bring Hikari back to her senses and calm her down. While Kage has had time to rest her eyes and body, Hikari has had no such luxury. Sleep-deprivation made the usually calm and graceful vixen highly irritable and quick to anger.

Kage mentally pitied the poor soul of whomever she ended up with… her having kits would be a living nightmare because of that little flaw and the stereotypical pregnancy of human females.

"Ah, yes, have the two of you heard anything about my other Spirit Detectives? The ones I had before you two?"

"You mean the Urameshi Team? What demon nowadays doesn't know of them? They're almost as famous as the King of Thieves himself when he was still in his prime." Hikari stated, laughing lightly at her last statement because of always making off-handed jokes about the Youko Kurama – the King of Thieves – without ever meaning to half the time. Her wind demon nature made it so that she could make jokes casually, mostly never noticing she was doing so until others began laughing. Kage noticed the tone and felt a smirk coming to her face; glad she had made friends with the one female that would refuse to bed Youko Kurama if she met him for a first time, regardless of what he would or could try in order to change her mind.

There were times when Kage wondered if there was a personal experience Hikari wasn't sharing with her concerning the thieving king; like having already met him face-to-face or such.

"Yes, well… say hello." Koenma said with a sweat drop sliding easily down the back of his head, knowing it was risky to introduce the currently-testy vixen to the team because of how she seemed to react differently to people she didn't like… though, what he was honestly more concerned about was why she made fun of the King of Thieves. Prince Koenma silently hoped that she only hated Youko for his reputation and had never actually met the fox demon in person.

Both girls turned their heads to look over their shoulders at the four previous detectives, sizing them as their different colored gazes traveled up and down the lengths of the boys' bodies; causing a shiver to run up one of their spines because of never having been scrutinized by two females before. Both sudden relaxed when they felt that the group was not much of a threat in their current passive states.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Hikari bowed at the waist – as was a customary greeting in Japan – with Kage mimicking her moves to her side. "My name is Hikari Yasui, and this is Kage Matsudai. We're – as I'm sure Prince Koenma has mentioned – your replacements." Hikari said the greeting with her natural smile back in place, her anger long since depleted after Kage's soothing gestures and calming words when it had arose. The four couldn't remove their own gazes from the girls and could only look them over as well… two in particular not bothering to keep their comments to themselves.

"Please tell me that Heaven is filled with people like her!" The team leader, the infamous Yusuke Urameshi, said about the youthful blond that caused her to lift an eyebrow in reaction with her smile growing ever so slightly. Flattered as she was, Hikari had no interest in returning the compliment without knowing exactly who he was instead of just his reputation. Kage quirked a brow in reaction to the statement and only glanced at her best friend instead of questioning the statement from the boy.

"Yes please! And look at her! She's almost as short as the Shrimp! I didn't think that was possible!" the tallest of the group – Kazuma Kuwabara – shouted out while throwing his head back and laughing, not noticing how he wasn't only receiving a glare from the 'Shrimp' – as he had called the fire demon on the renowned Team Urameshi – but also from the smaller girl's best friend as her smile fell slowly and was replaced with a fierce glare that rivaled even Hiei's darkest looks. Hikari did not take kindly to those who insulted Kage…

"What did you just say…?" Hikari rhetorically questioned him darkly, her voice barely over a whisper as she took a measured step closer to the towering male; fully intending on putting him in his place that her demonic side was yearning for her to do. Her demonic side was the third one she listened to when angered, the first two being her mother and Kage, respectively. Kazuma Kuwabara could only turn his head in the blond's direction before finding himself flung into a wall by a sudden rush of wind, the breathe being knocked right out of his lungs as the team around him remained more concerned on just what happened at the moment than their fallen comrade.

"Hikari-Chan…" Kage's short warning tone was all that was required for the fired up blond to cool down and stand back, taking her place beside her once more and closing her eyes in order to attempt to calm down once more. She hated not getting much sleep because of the mood it put her in. Hikari knew all too well what she acted like at the moment but didn't care; she would apologize later when she would begin to feel guilty. Kage nodded her head in Prince Koenma's direction as a sign for him to go ahead and inform them of their newest mission better because of the emails only giving rough descriptions and details. The two girls – though having grown used to the vague information received for their missions – still preferred to have as much info as they could get before starting the jobs.

"Ah… Yes," Koenma said with a slight nervous grin coming to his face when both of his teams, past and present, turned to look over at him. "As you both may know, this is a relatively easy mission. Hikari and Kage; the two of you will be the only ones actually participating in the mission, Team Urameshi is to just tag along and observe what it is that the two of you will be doing." Prince Koenma paused when he noticed the way Hikari gaze flashed a bright cyan color when he mentioned the two of them being watched. "But, it is the only mission that this will happen in." He added quickly so as not to bring about the vixen's wrath once more upon everyone in the room.

"This has better be the last mission for a while, Prince Koenma." Hikari stated lowly, her smile having yet to return as she gave him a dark look once more; not enjoying the fact the she had practically been at the palace for five days now with little to no rest. Kage nodded her head, having only rested a few times herself thanks to Hikari's personal persuasion. Botan watched the two female demons agree to their own terms after this last mission and silently hoped that neither one was told the real reason Team Urameshi would be observing them any time soon, Botan knew the pair well enough to know that in their current states neither one would handle the news well.

"Of course," Prince Koenma agreed with the conditions readily and nodded his own head with great enthusiasm, not wishing to deal with temperamental demons anymore than he had to. Hikari and Kage gazed at him for a little while longer as if to determine whether or not his words were the truth when they finally seemed to verify that they were and waited on him to open the portal to the mission's location.

"Please answer any questions that the team may ask of you while you're at it; they're there simply to gather information." Botan informed the duo as they were about to descend into the glowing mass of energy. Hikari made no motion of agreeing to such a thing while Kage just gazed at her silently; neither one willing to tell of every aspect of their life should they be asked about them. Both reached up to their necks and tentatively touched the leather chokers there, undoing the clasps holding them in place before their energies began to surge within their bodies once more.

The chokers acted as restraints and hid their energies from the senses of those around them; in addition to hiding their energies, it also makes them appear like normal humans with regular energy signatures and granted them human-like forms for the duration of the use. As long as the material is fastened around their necks, the ability is in effect and no one can tell just what they truly are.

Hikari's brown leather choker came off first and with a sudden rush of wind going around her – so thick that no one could see through it – she started and completed her transformation. When the air settled and calmed, Team Urameshi was finally able to see what had become of the vixen. Needless to say, they were surprised at what they had found. Hikari's blond hair was in spite of everything still up in the simple ponytail it was originally in that trailed down to her upper thighs, tied back with the thin black ribbon they could see, with her bangs still in place mostly on the right side of her face and her eyes remained the burning emerald color they had been since her birth. The clothing had changed drastically, shifting from her casual human wear to the kunoichi clothing she was known for.

Golden fox ear were perched on top of her head with her ruby earring still in place at the tip of her right ear, twitching slightly from the feeling of everyone's eyes glancing at it. Two fox tails moved separately in different directions, stretching their stiff limbs; thankful to finally having been released, regardless of the fact that they had been in almost constant use for nearly a solid week. Hikari did not look pleased at being the center of attention – nor while Team Urameshi stared at her with mixed expressions – but did nothing to stop them because of knowing it was a well-known reaction to others that knew nothing of her blood.

Kage's choker was still clasped loosely against her throat and, after a moment of deliberation and letting the team gawk over her closest friend's transformation, slipped from the pale skin and into her own light grasp so that her own powers could return freely. A bright violet cube appeared around her own form, hiding her from view as her own exterior changed with the rush of energy that returned to her. The walls slowly fell from the top of her head to her feet and Team Urameshi was – yet again – having mixed feelings about what they see. Her clothing changed, just as Hikari's did, and most of her appearance remained unaltered; her soft black hair still spiked at its tips ending at her chin in the back and neck in the front with the three thin metal clips still in place on the left locks of her bangs.

Save for the white feathery angelic wings spouting from her shoulder blades.

"I suppose we don't have a time-limit for this mission, do we?" Kage questioned Botan, having ill-feelings towards Prince Koenma at the moment just as Hikari did. Koenma shook his head in a 'no' response and allowed the girls to venture into the portal with the three remaining boys of Team Urameshi trailing shortly behind them, Kazuma Kuwabara still slumped against the wall unconscious from Hikari Yasui's wrath.

"Are you sure that it was a good idea to let them go with the girls while they're still in those ghastly moods?" Botan questioned her boss and young ruler.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore." Prince Koenma groaned in reaction, slouching back into his office seat while thinking of what might all happen to his two teams on the mission that should be there-and-back quickly… but might take a little while longer since Hikari had some steam to blow off and would more than likely require a visit to her mother. Kage would not return by herself, which meant the Urameshi Team would most likely venture with the girls to see Hikari's mother…

And that worried the infantile deity.

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Hikari and Kage silently agreed to just go on about their mission as if it was any other job and pretend Team Urameshi wasn't with them; they knew it would be easier to work that way and just answer their questions when they asked them instead of talking aimlessly about nothingness and making mistakes in the mission because of such. Team Urameshi – on the other hand – wanted to know more about their replacements than they let on and two members took it upon themselves, once more, to try and converse with the duo. "So… Hikari was it? What type of demon are you exactly?" Yusuke asked, trying to smooth things over with the temperamental vixen in place of Kazuma Kuwabara.

Considering he was knocked unconscious by the angered female.

"A fox quite obviously, but only half on my mother's side." Hikari answered simply, choosing not to elaborate further on the subject as she turned her attention back towards the area around them all. Hikari recognized the land as well as Kage did, it was one of the places they had fought in; killed many in order to stay alive just a little while longer. "Home sweet home…" Hikari breathed quietly with her natural smile coming into place with the small curve of her rosy lips.

"Nothing is better." Kage agreed with her own smile while Team Urameshi looked between each other with slight confusion. This desolate inhabitable wasteland was their home? They didn't understand but decided that it was best that they didn't question it. Hikari moved closer to Kage and lifted a hand, offering to help her in her flight so that the mission would be over quicker and they could return to their homes in the Human World. Kage allowed Hikari to lift her with one hand and throw her in the air, allowing her wings to catch the wind around her and keep her in the air.

"What do the two of you usually do on these missions?" Shuichi Minamino – also known as Kurama – questioned the vixen, having a growing affection for the girl that he found immensely odd. Then he reminded himself that Youko Kurama was residing within himself and had not seen a female fox demon since the Dark Tournament. He didn't question the King of Thieves on why he felt something towards this fox and not the announcer; he felt that he wouldn't want to know at this point.

"This is a retrieve-and-leave type of mission. Meaning we could take many different kinds of paths; today we're going to scout out the area first to make sure no one is trying to foolishly escape with the pendant we need to recover before actually taking on the castle itself." Hikari answered him, moving her eyes away from Kage's flying form and over to him as she did so; finding something extremely odd in the way he was looking at her. She didn't ask though… she never did when it came to men or males of any race in general.

"When we get to the castle, on most occasions, the fools will have more than one entrance; possibly one actually being the real entrance while the others are filled with death traps and ambushes. That is when I will use my own abilities to determine which door is the right one. Usually, I do not have to do this but demons have been getting smarter nowadays, I surprised to say, and have learned not to just mark their doors with spirit energy. Granted, not all do this, but it's better to be safe than to come back with a missing limb or two." Hikari continued, waiting patiently on Kage to give the go-ahead before actually doing any of the things she mentioned.

"If I may ask, what sort of abilities are you talking about?" Kurama asked, finding the vixen more and more alluring every time she spoke. He could feel Youko's approval within his very soul… and was shocked to find that he was excited himself. More often than not, Youko Kurama would admit that a female would be attractive or would be good in bed or something else of the sort; there are not many times that Kurama could recall Youko giving his approval over everything about the female. In fact, he didn't think he could mention one occasion if he tried to.

Hikari locked gaze with Kurama and grinned widely, her eyes flashing cyan briefly before she said, "That's a secret…" Whispering the words to add to the charm, Hikari didn't care much more about how he reacted by turning her attention towards the sky once more to find Kage gliding down to the ground once more. "Are we clear?"

"It seems as if they do not expect our arrival." Kage answered, "Although, we may not be certain until actually reaching the castle whether or not that is true. I suggest sealing off the back entrance in case they plan to make a surprise attempt at fleeing."

"Dude… Are you OK?" Yusuke decided to ask Kurama while the two girls were currently talking strategy. The red-head had a look in his eyes the worried the Spirit Detective leader and he could see the tell-tale signs of gold in his gaze while it remained fixated on Hikari, meaning Youko definitely was planning a few things for the girl should they ever be caught in a room alone; any room, Yusuke was positive, even if it was the kitchen…

Now he worried for his food's safety…

"Yes, Yusuke, I'm perfectly fine."

"You sure? Because your eyes tell me otherwise."

"The fox merely desires the vixen herself as his human side is struggling to remain in control at the moment. It would seem as if they both agree that she is a very potential mate." Hiei explained to Yusuke, deciding to just now speak up since it seemed as if Kurama had no desire in explaining his demon instincts to Yusuke at the moment he was going through them. Hiei didn't care for such dilemmas; he found that it would be best to just state facts to the idiot of a leader instead of dancing around them. Easier for the Spirit Detective to understand.

He was silently thankful that the other baka wasn't there… or he would've had to dumb down on his own words for the towering human to understand.

"Mate…? Wait, as in…" At Hiei's nod in confirmation, Yusuke turned his gaze back over to look over the blond vixen once more; taking in the way she stood her ground, the way she spoke, how her eyes remained on her companion's while they spoke, the emerald shade of the orbs… her golden blond sunset colored hair that resembled─

"I suggest you look away from her if you intend on having offspring, Detective. When a demon finds a potential mate, they get fiercely possessive of what they deem as their own." Hiei warned upon hearing Kurama's low growl in the direction of the Detective upon taking notice of his gaze as well. Yusuke quickly looked away upon being caught and just lifted his hands as a sign of surrender and stated, "Just looking over the future married woman. No reason to get testy… I got Keiko waiting for me at home, remember?" Yusuke questioned his older companion as he glanced back to see Kurama back to his normal self – though with some gold still lingering in his eyes – and see him nodding his head in confirmation.

"Sorry Yusuke; there are some things I just cannot control and one of them happens to be Youko. He seems to find her more appealing than the other women he's been with." Yusuke lifted an eyebrow at question in response to Kurama's sudden confession; glancing back to find the two girls looking at the group silently as if waiting for them to cease their talking so that they could continue on with the mission. Yusuke grinned sheepishly in reaction to the looks before nudging Kurama in the ribs in order to get him to speak to the blond more.

"What's the plan?" Kurama asked more out of curiosity than out of Yusuke's persuasive rib crushing attention getter.

KM: Hello. ^^ Reviews Are Love! ^^ ... Seriously... -_-;... Reviews Are GREATLY Appreciated.