Author's note : This is a story written a looong looong long time ago, that I felt served better published rather than being forgotten about somewhere in my files deep within the confines of my computer's memory. Happy read!
Warnings : Might contain graphic violence.
Pairings : None so far. Want any, just say so.
Summary : Story set in an Alternate Universe, six years after the end of the Demon Tournament. After the Urameshi team's disbandment six years ago, Koenma, with incompetent spirit detectives under his service, decides to call his former team in for a last shot at saving the world. The catch? Well, Koenma never said anything about evil wizards, wands and magic.


Blind to the Promises
Chapter One : Reuinification


Botan winced at all the bottles of alcohol littered in the exceptionally small room. Over time, this had been Yusuke's haven away from the world, and now years later, it seemed he'd outgrown it. The blue haired girl was unable to hide another grimace as she accidentally tipped over a can, spilling its alcoholic contents all over the carpet, further spreading the smell of liquor in the bedroom in her attempts to reach the bundle of comforters and blankets situated atop the bed.

She nudged the hidden figure, eliciting a loud groan upon the gentle awakening. When her long-time companion turned over she felt herself tear up at the remains of what was once such a lively though temperamental person. Bloodshot eyes stared up at her with an unfamiliar glaze, deep bags marred the once youthful face and light stubble around his chin had made the young boy seem years beyond his original age.

"B-Botan?" he rasped softly, alcohol still on his breath.

Shakily, the addressed nodded as she swallowed the urge to sob and hug her friend. It had been 6 years since they had seen each other, Koenma having finally gotten his father to give up on Yusuke and then followed up the idea as well, vouching for new spirit detectives. In fact, it had been six years as well that the whole Reikai Tantei had split and gone their own separate ways.

Though they weren't in contact, Botan and Koenma had watched the team forlornly from Spirit World, calling it 'monitoring' among other things. Truth be told, they just wanted to keep up to date with the people they had called acquaintances once upon a time. Even the perky girl and the young prince himself had drifted apart with all the work they were set to do.

But with the death of the newer, weaker spirit detective's team mate, Koenma felt it was time to call in their friends in for perhaps one more chance at saving the human world. First starting with Yusuke.

Having gently pulled the other boy into a sitting position, Botan pulled out a flask of water and handed it to him, sitting with her legs beneath her across from him. Silence reigned over the room, the only noise coming from Yusuke's breathy gulps. Neither knew what to say, years apart having taken away the ease of idle conversation.

"So," started Yusuke.

"How've you been?" she asked awkwardly.

"Fine." He answered; they both knew it wasn't true, but Botan chose not to comment. "How's Spirit World faring without their favourite detective?"

The ferry girl chuckled weakly at the attempt to swat away at the tension.

"Not so well," she looked down at her hands, "Koenma-sama is frustrated with the new team."

When she received no answer, she continued on awkwardly. "The Demon world has been typical as of late, even with Yomi as the upholding ruler. Always fighting to be the best at everything," she said with a small smile. "The Human world… " a faraway look entered her eyes, "isn't faring as well as we hoped. There are unexpected deaths in high numbers all over Europe, the humans we found, being the cause of it all." She looked down again, "Spirit world is being mocked for its incompetence about the new detectives."

Yusuke glanced at her with some trepidation and suspicion. "And," he rasped, annoyed with his own voice. "Where do I fit in all of this?"

Botan finally turned toward him, swallowing the accumulating lump in her throat. "Yusuke, we need you back at Spirit world."

It had pained her to say it; six years without contact and now, here she is, in the worst moments of his life asking for assistance when all she really wanted was to have the whole team together and celebrating. Her bubblegum eyes commenced to tear up again.

Her head swivelled to snap in Yusuke's direction when he snorted in amusement, quickly followed up by a small chuckle that had turned into full blown hysterical laughter. She swallowed heavily again, not sure how to react to this new side of Yusuke's she had regretfully never witnessed.

"Six years," he breathed bitterly, causing Botan to look away with a wince, "six years, neither of us damned bastards ever tried to make contact with each other. Now that the world is in danger, you want us back. What happened Botan?" he looked at her fully, "What happened to us?"

They both knew who the rest of the damned bastards were, but it didn't lessen the pain of the situation. The blue haired girl was unable to stop the barrage of tears that just slipped through her lids, making its way down her cheeks and falling to her shaking and clenched fists resting on her lap. She sobbed softly and forced herself to look toward him.

"I've missed the team; all the missions and the life-endangering situations you, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama was always getting pulled into," she sobbed again, "I miss Yukina, Genkai, Keiko and Koenma-sama. I miss the old times, Yusuke. I—"

She was cut off abruptly as Yusuke pulled her into a tight embrace, his light stubble tickling her forehead as she buried her face into his neck. She ignored the smell of liquor, the stubble, the pain and just sobbed in his arms. He didn't mutter sweet nothings in her ear, didn't trace soft soothing circles on her back; in fact, he didn't do anything. He just held her, the beginning of a reforming friendship that was thought to be lost beneath all the years of disregard.

After a good hour or so, when Botan had finally calmed down, Yusuke let her go.

Sniffling slightly in the silence, she still wept for the years that they'd lost, but the next saying however, was enough to send her smiling.

"I think, Spirit and Human world, are in need of a little saving again."

A reforming of friendship, indeed.

-

Botan took a good look at Yusuke again. Although he looked the same old delinquent he did in his younger years, there were still some differences. For one, he hadn't aged past 18 years old though he should be 23 right now. Second, there was a foreign look of maturity about him and his eyes had darkened with pain. He still carried bags beneath his still bloodshot eyes, though he looked slightly livelier despite his obvious hangover.

After cleaning himself up, they had taken a comfortably silent ride to Spirit world. Stopping at the huge front gates, they stepped off Botan's oar. After identifying themselves and waiting for admittance, they found themselves in the familiarity of the busy and different coloured ogres running around with stacks of papers in hand.

One particular one caught Yusuke's line of vision and with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lip, he moved over toward the blue one in a leopard wear.

"George, it's been a while."

The ogre turned to him and smiled brightly, "Yes it has, hasn't it, Yusuke?"

George blinked and his jaw dropped. "YUSUKE?! URAMESHI YUSUKE!" he guffawed, before staring at him in awe, "and you remembered my name…"

With a small laugh, Botan waved at him before pulling an amused Yusuke away from the stares of the busy bureaucrats. The ex-spirit detective, mood suddenly brightened by the recent occurrence, found himself walking along familiar complex halls before stopping before pair of huge polished wooden door with a gold seal on it.

Curiously, his acute hearing, gained from his turning into a demon, was telling him of the shouting matches inside. Interested, he spread his senses and found two above average energies and Koenma's familiar one within the huge office.

"A-are you ready, Yusuke?" Botan asked uncertainly.

The black haired boy nodded his head and replied with a small smile to reassure her, "Never been more in my life."

And with that, he opened the doors himself with a slam and walked into the brightly lit office, the voices stopping upon his entrance. With a shake of her head, the ferry girl followed suit with a smile, ever the one to make an entrance, aren't you, Yusuke? She thought.

Koenma, still retaining his baby form after six years, stood abruptly on his desk and stared at his ex-employer in awe, completely dropping the argument in favour of taking in the boy he hadn't seen in six years.

There he stood, hair tied at the nape of his neck, a lazy smirk in all his glory fantasizing his face and arms crossed over his green tracksuit jacket.

"How's it, Pacifier breath?"

The familiarity of the long forgotten nickname was just so exhilarating that the prince let it slide with a laugh bordering on hysterical.

"Who the hell are you?" a boy in his early teens demanded.

Yusuke, however, didn't even glance at him, too focused in eating up the image of Koenma and his office to care about the other two teenagers in the room. Idle smirk still in place, he maintained eye contact with his former boss and friend.

"What's a 'matter, baby face? Cat gotcha' tongue?" Yusuke asked amusedly, waiting for a reaction.

Koenma, to say the least, was amazed. Six years and his ex-detective still hadn't improved in grammar. With a shake of his head he glared angrily at the annoying nickname and scowled, though his lips twitched, withdrawing a smile.

"Stop that, damn it! You can't just come in here and start disrespecting Koenma-sama like you own the place! You've got no right!" a girl shrieked in annoyance.

Yusuke scowled in her direction, taking in her ruffled oversized white shirt and school uniform mini-skirt. Who the hell fights in a skirt? At his reaction, the brunette recoiled in fear but glared. He couldn't find what was so special about her; her face was round with baby fat, her fashion sense wasn't right for a dignified fighter, and –screw it all—her spiritual energy reserves was weak.

"Yes, idiot. Perhaps you should start respecting me, I am, of course, of high importance." The toddler gloated with a puff of his chest and a smirk.

The toushin simply laughed, "Says you, toddler."

The blood rushed to the prince's head once more as he spluttered indignantly, but before he could retort, Botan finally spoke up.

"Koenma-sama!" she chirped brightly with a nervous laugh, "we apologize for being late. Something came up and we were delayed."

The addressee's face immediately softened into a knowing smile as he waved it off. Jumping off his desk he clambered a foot away from Yusuke and with a poof of smoke, Koenma stood eye to eye in his teenaged form.

Yusuke's reaction had been comical as usual, causing Botan and the prince to laugh as he stumbled back with a sigh.

"Still not used to havin' you eye to eye." He mumbled, running a hand through his knee-long hair, before moving over and putting his hand in Koenma's.

Looking up with his first genuine smile in months, he said, "It's good to be back."

With a nod, the prince replied by clasping his free hand on his shoulder, him mirroring the move. "Yes, it's good to have you back, Urameshi Yusuke."

At hearing the stranger's name, the two neglected teenagers gawked in shock, their mouths forming an 'o' unattractively.

-

As Botan left to fetch the rest of the team, Yusuke prompted to be left behind to 'catch up' with Koenma. Or so he called it. But nothing ever seems right, or normal for that fact, when the ex-tantei is involved.

"Pacifier breath."

"Idiot."

"Baby face."

"Dimwit."

"Toddler."

Koenma growled started screaming obscenities as he glared, waving his arms about dangerously. His companion matched him with equal zeal.

"—can't do—"

"—just did—"

Yes. 'Catching up' indeed.

Meanwhile, two figures huddled themselves in a corner of the room watching the shouting match with trepidation. The duo had been introduced as the recently inducted incompetent spirit detectives, Sky and Ryo. Sky, being the one who'd earlier just put off the Urameshi Yusuke, and Ryo, the ever-arrogant fiery red head with a pointed face and dull brown eyes that'd earlier demanded the ex-tantei to identify himself.

Both had just entered their 15 years, still children in the eyes of most. It had been three hours since Botan's departure, and three hours since the argument between ex-tantei and prince kept repeating themselves in similar fashion. Since they were being neglected, both had huddled together grudgingly and watched the match with boredom. Although the two were team mates they still didn't get along and prompted to just watch the verbal battle then engage each other in conversation.

It would be another 2 hours before Botan returned, exhausted from the events of all the meetings of old friends, fully loaded with 3 different, though still the same, people.

-

Botan teared up slightly, though refused to cry. She'd already shown her vulnerable self in Kurama's and Kuwabara's presence, but she just refused to do it in Hiei's. He would never let her live it down.

But the sight of the familiar short and still youthful boy before her sent her sniffling. He was the one that Koenma and herself hadn't been able to monitor after all these years. He was too busy running around or bugging the screen with his Jagan. It still made her explode with hysterical joy however at the knowledge that Hiei had come to see them instead of them having to have to hunt him down.

And there he stood, hair still as gravity defying as he smirked at us. A mantra had already started in her head, repeatedly chanting not to hug Hiei, lest he chop her head off or torched her. Or both. Funnily enough, that just sent another bout of joy through her instead.

"Hiei." Kurama greeted with a soft smile.

"Hn."

"Still haven't outgrown your one-syllable conversations yet, shrimp?" Kuwabara laughed.

Botan laughed as she clasped her hands together, "So, we all set to go?" she chirped.

-

Yusuke, known for his carelessness, was careless enough that he did not sense his old team mates walking just outside the door. It was for this reason, that he found himself unprepared for the sight that beheld him. He'd stood so abruptly, knocking his chair over in his hunger to wolf down the picture of his old team mates standing in the doorway of the office, much like he had earlier that day.

The first that caught his attention was Kurama. Last he'd heard of him, the redhead was on his way to America to apply for a college about four years ago. And then nothing; not a phone call, not a letter… just nothing. He'd told himself he was busy with his studies, as he'd heard from Kuwabara, was hard to be in college. But there he stood, emerald eyes probably as wide as his own and filled with excitement. His slightly aged face was curtained by his waterfall of red hair, which he was surprised to find, shorter then he'd seen him last. He wore a simple pair of jeans, high tops and a white dress shirt.

He turned to Kuwabara, who had aged slightly as well, their spiritual energies slowing down their age keeping them in form. His red-orange hair was still in neat curls as usual but there was an air of maturity around him that hadn't been there back in the days. His beady black eyes also stared at him with some form of awe. He noted unconsciously Kuwabara's full body suit as he merely stared.

Hiei, on the other hand, was someone who hadn't changed in the slightest. Hair gravity defying, face still youthful and cherub-like, forehead covered by white bandana and fanged smirk still just as he remembered it six years ago. The only thing that'd changed was the expense of his clothing that had gone from battle-worn cotton to silk wear and yet to be ruined by battle. Heck, even his height hadn't changed.

Snapping back to reality, Yusuke smiled.

"What's up, guys?"


Let me know what you think so far. Story may not be updated quickly. Ideas for pairings, say so. Yknow what to do ;)