Hello, everyone! I have another story for you! Like a few of the others, this one came to me as a dream and it's been on my mind for the past few days. I hope you all like it, I certainly did and so did a friend of mine when I told them about it. They liked it so much that they asked me to create a story from it and I am more than happy to oblige! I do not own rights to Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own rights to one character in particular but you'll find out yourself. Without further ado, I bid you good reading!

Of Petals and Thorns

Chapter 1

"Koenma, sir," a blue ogre wearing a tiger-patterned waist cloth bowed his head as he peeked into the office. "There's an emergency."

The giant chair spun to reveal a small toddler with a pacifier in his mouth. "Can't you see that I'm busy?" He was dressed in a tiny blue and white onesie along with a bonnet-like hat atop his head. "I'm currently in the middle of my snack time!"

"But, sir, someone has managed to get across the border and into the human world," the ogre twiddled his thumbs as the son of King Enma practically exploded and began shouting orders left and right. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the Prince asked for the report and background of the criminal. "The only things we know at this point are that it's an animal apparition and female."

"How do we know it's an animal apparition?" He nodded as the ogre held up a rose, but it was unlike any color he had seen before: a dark indigo with bright turquoise patterns that appeared to be glowing. The little toddler bellowed a name, smiling as the blue haired reaper entered. "There you are, Botan. I have a case for Yusuke and his group."

...

The morning was like every other; the sun was shining and the faint sounds of movement came from the kitchen. A woman with black curly hair and green eyes smiled as her daughter took her place at the table. "Good morning, Asuka"

"Morning, mom," the young girl smiled. Today she was dressed in a knee-length dress the color of storm clouds and decorated with silver stitching. Her shoulder length brown hair gathered into a single ponytail and her big golden eyes blinked sleepily from behind a pair of red rectangle-shaped glasses. "I was thinking about going to school today." The woman knelt in front of the girl, her hands cupping her face as she studied Asuka's face. "I know that I've missed a lot because of how sick I've been, but I'm feeling much better now."

"Are you sure? You were just released from the hospital last month, it's alright if you want to take a little more time." She sighed as Asuka insisted on going, pointing out that she had stayed caught up with studies and that she was feeling much better. It had been very touch and go for the past year, with her being in and out of intensive care, but she couldn't deny that her daughter looked better. "Alright, you may go. But you have to promise to come home the second you start to feel sick, deal?" Asuka smiled, hugging her briefly before turning her attention to the food on the table.

She hurriedly ate her fill, a small stack of two strawberry pancakes with a side of bacon strips and a glass of skim milk, and was out the door. She was so excited and caught up with the fair weather that she didn't notice that she had taken a wrong turn and ended up at the gates of one of the other middle schools: Sarayashiki Junior High. "Oh great, the first time in almost a year that I can go to school and I get lost..." she mumbled, searching the gathering students. Who could she ask? A bell rang through her head as her eyes fell on a youth dressed in a green uniform. There was something about him that pulled her in, something that she couldn't put to words. "Excuse me," she stepped up and tapped his shoulder lightly, flinching slightly as he turned and fixed her with an annoyed look.

"What?" he asked, blinking as he took in her appearance. "You don't look like you're from around here. What, did you get lost or something? I don't think I've seen any uniforms like that before."

She hung her head slightly, embarrassment clear on her face. "I-I'm so sorry to bother you, but can you help me find Meioh Private Academy? I seemed to have-" Her words were cut off by a youth dressed in a similar uniform, only this one was wearing one that matched the other students', suddenly appearing next to her.

"Yusuke Urameshi, you're pathetic. To think that I would catch you in the act and on school grounds no less," he shook his head as a tick mark appeared on the other youth's head but paid no mind. "Sorry, miss, but I really need to get him to class. You see, he's a bit of a slacker and likes to skip out on school."

She wilted slightly but nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for keeping you." As she turned away, a hand grasped her shoulder and she blinked in surprise as Yusuke smiled at her and offered to take her to the correct school. Asuka stepped away from him and protested, saying that she didn't want to keep him from anything, but slipped into silence as he walked past her and began walking down the street. She fell into step next to him in time to hear him ask her name. "Asuka Yamashita, and I really appreciate you helping me out like this."

"Asuka, nice name. Suits you. I take it you haven't been to school in a while," he peeked at her. "Is school a drag for you too?"

"No, I absolutely love it," she smiled, her eyes rising to the sky. "I haven't been able to go for nearly a year now because I was too sick, but now that I'm better I can start attending again!"

He chuckled. "You would get along great with a friend of mine. He actually goes to the school you said you were going. Maybe you've bumped into each other."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out," she nodded as the gates came into view. "Thank you so much for your help. I greatly appreciate it, Mr. Urameshi."

"Call me Yusuke. See ya." He waved, spinning on his heel and heading the back the way he came. Pausing in mid-step, he looked back and called for her to hold on a second. Pulling out a pen and sticky note, he scribbled something down and slipped it into her hand than darted down the road. "I wrote down his name for you, so be sure to keep an eye out for him."

"I will, and thank you again for showing me the way!" she called, waving and slipping the paper into her dress pocket as the bell rang.

The staff were ecstatic to see her and were more than willing to help her get accustomed to school again. Her homeroom teacher embraced her briefly then lead her to the classroom. "Everyone, please welcome back Asuka Yamashita." The teacher placed her hands on Asuka's shoulders. "She has been absent for quite a while, so be sure to make her feel right at home. Why don't we put you next to the window there behind Mr. Minamino." A boy with crimson red head stood and smiled, gesturing to the seat behind him. She took her seat, smiling in return briefly, then focused on the teacher as class began.

...

"Where did you run off to?" Yusuke waved a hand as he walked past Botan and out of the classroom as the final bell rang. His expression became filled with annoyance as she held up a VHS tape before slipping it into his bag. "Seriously?"

"Stop complaining. You should be able to get it done in the blink of an eye," Botan rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm sure Hiei and Kurama would make it go by even faster."

"Whatever," he shrugged, turning and heading in the direction that he had taken earlier that day as Kuwabara appeared next to him. "Let's go grab Kurama."

They found him standing between a girl they didn't recognize and the Science Club. She was clearly uncomfortable and was shaking slightly. "My apologies," Kurama bowed apologetically to the clearly desperate group of students as he spotted the Spirit Detective and Reaper. "But I must be going." And in the blink of an eye, he slipped past the students with the girl in tow and met the two at the gates. "You unknowingly just saved me from a sticky situation."

"Glad to be of service," Botan smiled curiously, casting a glance toward the girl that clung to Kurama's side. "I trust you've been well?"

"Yes, thank you. So tell me, what brings you here to greet me like this? I doubt that you are here for a social call." the fox returned her smile. He cast a look over his shoulder as the girl hid behind once more. "It's alright, these are friends of mine. I would like you to meet Botan, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. Everyone, this is Miss Asuka Yamashita."

When she heard Yusuke's name, she peeked out and offered a smile as she mentioned that he had helped her to school. "And Miss Botan," she slipped behind the young woman and began to gently stroke her hair. "I love your hair. It's so soft and shiny!"

Botan smiled and thanked her for the compliments. "You have a fine head of hair yourself. I believe I see some copper and strawberry highlights."

"I hate to interrupt, ladies," Kurama politely intervened. "but I should probably be getting Miss Yamashita home." She withered slightly as she moved to stand next to him, nodding in agreement as she looked at her mobile phone and seeing the text that her mother had sent. "Shall we be off?"

"Yes, but you don't have to walk me back if you have other plans." Asuka objected, as they began walking. He insisted that it was no problem, but she still felt as if she was keeping him from something important. She quickened her pace until her street corner came into view, then waved before darting down the street. "I'm sorry that I took so much of your time. See you tomorrow!"

Kurama blinked as she waved and disappeared down a street. She was an interesting one, he'd give her that. He turned his attention to the teens behind him as they caught up and spotted the VHS tape in the Spirit Detective's hands. "I see, so that's why you met me at school. Since we are so close to my house, why don't we watch it there?" His footsteps stalled in front of one of the houses on the street, a couple buildings away from his own home. It didn't look any different than those around it, including his own, but there was a strange scent the seemed to come from it. It was almost familiar, as if a distant memory was attempting to come to the surface. He shook his head and continued walking as his companions called his name. "Sorry about that. Let's go on inside."

His mother welcomed them with smiles and waved them on upstairs with promises of snacks and drinks. It wasn't until they were settled with refreshments that Yusuke finally pulled out the VHS. Kurama slid it into the player, switched the set on, and pressed play. The case was a simple one, a track and return assignment, but his interest peaked when a rose was held up. "That's from an animal apparition, but I can't think of any that would cause the rose to turn that color," he confessed. "I'll do some research in the demon realm to see if I can find anything."

"In the meantime, everyone else needs to keep their eyes and ears open," Yusuke instructed, earning nods. "If you have the slightest suspicion, knock 'em out and we'll interrogate later."

Well? What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear from the readers!