"Where is that damn Yusuke!" Koenma yelled with impatient frustration as he paced about his office with an unstamped file in hand. "I sent Botan for him ages ago! Why isn't he here yet?!" He whined.

Ogre stood there, rather pestered. "Koenma sir, it's been less than fifteen minutes, maybe you should preoccupy yourself." He suggested, trying to sound as agreeable as possible. "You know, there's a ton of paperwork to do." He hinted.

Koenma glared at his faithful employee. "Paperwork... huh?"

"Yes Koenma, sir. It'd take you're mind off this little incident, I'm sure. And your father wouldn't like to find you here wasting time pacing like that, would he? See? Every thing's right there on your desk." Ogre continued, unwittingly.

"Ogre..." Koenma began, sounding deceptively thankful to garner his friend's unguarded attention. "How the devil do you expect me to do paperwork at a time like this?!" Spirit World's great prince, in an angry huff, shouted at his companion, and struck him roughly. The Ogre bore a large bump on his head, and winced slightly as he attempted to nurse his pain.

"Ouch! Koenma wha'd you do that for!" he cried.

The infant growled. "You don't seem to understand the importance of our situation, Ogre."

"Well, no, I don't quite see what's the big deal, sir. It's just you're run of the mill demon-in-human-realm case, right? Yusuke and the others handled much worse, what with Rando, and Maze Castle—"

"The big deal, Ogre, is that this isn't you're ordinary demon!"

"Really? He a tough one then?" Ogre suddenly looked grim.

"Yes! I mean, kind off… maybe… well… we don't know!" Koenma confessed. "We don't have any information on this guy at all! That's partly the trouble! He could be causing discord, plotting, killing puppies— he could be something vile and heinous, and we'd have no idea because we don't know who or what he is! But we do think he's a tough one. Botan was set to give to Yusuke a new demon compass yesterday—an updated one, preset with a beeper to alert the presence of unregistered demons; before she touched ground the thing flared up and busted! And this morning, I sent several associates in search of information— they all reportedly sensed a presence, but they couldn't determine exactly where it came from, how powerful it was, or what type of energy it was. We simply have nothing to fall back on!"

An annoyed expression returned to the Ogre's face. "'We don't know', 'no information,' 'sensed a presence,'" He quoted. "That sounds like rather dry evidence to call in a spirit detective, doesn't it?"

"May be to you, Ogre, but I can't take my chances! This guy could be a monstrosity!" Koenma yelled.

The ogre contradicted his boss. "Or a silly baboon—if anything at all." he added.

"Oh ha, ha. Ogre. Listen, I know what I'm doing!" Koenma retorted. "And it's not just Yusuke who's coming—that clown wouldn't have the patients to do something like this himself. And if it were just he and Kuwabara, they'd end up getting distracted. Kurama's coming too. And Hiei, as well—I hope."

You're seriously going to trouble everyone… for no reason? Ogre thought, trying to justify Koenma's behavior. "Your father said you'd be getting spankings if you screwed up again, didn't he?" He concluded.

Koenma cried, "He said that if anything disturbed his vacation, I'd never be able to sit down again! It'd be at least ten thousand this time, I'm sure of it!"

Blue Ogre was embarrassed for Koenma. He put on a grin and anime sweat drop, as he tried to comfort his confounded boss. "Calm down Koenma sir, I'm sure it wouldn't be anything that drastic."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Koenma hastily dried his tears.

"I'll get it!" He said, perkily.

Koenma jogged across the room to the door, bounced up to reach the knob, and gave it a turn. In came Botan followed by the spirit detective himself, Yusuke Urameshi, along with Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei— just as the good prince expected.

"Come on in, have a seat." Koenma said, returning to his desk, acting as though he'd kept a calm countenance.

The four detectives sat in chairs Ogre had arranged for them; he and Botan stood next to them, at Yusuke's side.

"So what's up tot?" Yusuke asked curiously.

"Yes, please; whatever's the matter?" Kurama inquired, much more politely.

Koenma tried to devise a way to describe the case without causing uproar, a difficult task because of Yusuke's quick fuse. As he put off his explanation, a short silence befell the crowd.

"This'd better be worth my while, infant." Hiei stated, pleasantly as ever.

Koenma, intimidated, gulped deeply and wiped his face with a handkerchief he kept nearby.

"Uhh... Oh! I just remembered! I have to go check on the… the filing machine!" the ogre excused himself hastily, fearing Hiei's response after realizing there was nothing to the case Koenma was about to present.

"Ogre!" Koenma yelled, outright peeved, and abandoned. "Jerk." He mumbled, under his breath.

"...Well?" Hiei demanded. "Don't waste my time! I haven't got all day!"

Koenma took a deep breath, and cleared his throat. "It seems that there is a demon roaming around human world."

"Oh alright, so we've just gotta catch him. Where is he? Wha does he look like?" Kuwabara asked.

"He's getting to that, moron!" Yusuke declared.

"Actually Yusuke, I'm not."

The detectives looked surprised.

"You see..." Koenma resumed. "Though we have sufficient evidence to understand a demon is probably around Tokyo, more than that, we really can't say. We just don't know."

Yusuke stood from his seat. "What?! Idiot! How the hell are we supposed to find a demon there! Even if he had neon green skin, God Zilla teeth, and eight rhino horns sticking out of his chest: in Tokyo he'd blend right in!" Yusuke irritably complained.

Kurama agreed. "He's got a point there. With all the commotion going on in such vicinities, it's hard to seek out anyone."

"Pfft. I'm surprised you were good enough to tell us anything better than 'he's somewhere in Japan.' Well done." Hiei added.

Koenma sighed. "...Well now that you mention it..." he started.

Botan, Yusuke, and Kuwabara anime fell, Kurama rubbed his temples, as though he had a migraine, Hiei closed his eyes and turned his head away, scoffing.

"What! You don't even know what town he's in!" Kuwabara yelled

"Really Koenma! Have you found anything beyond what I told you yesterday? Heck if he or she were strong enough he or she could have sent those wavelengths from Australia!" Botan informed.

"Now is there really a need to mix pronouns up too!" Koenma whined.

"Can't handle the mental exercise, I assume." Hiei guessed.

Boton looked at Koenma and asked, half jokingly "Do you know what gender he or she is?"

Koenma looked down and shook his head, ashamed.

"Well then, I guess I will. I'd hate to be calling this mystery demon a boy all the while, to later find out she's a girl, or vice versa!"

Chatter was mixed throughout the group as they argued with Koenma. Finally, the young prince had enough.

"Will you all just shut up!" he exclaimed. The group settled down to let him speak. "The demon could be anywhere between Aomori and Osaka. A portal opened near Lake Tama a few months ago—in early December, and my men reportedly sensed something odd in Tokyo. That's why I'm suggesting it. I don't know how you'll find him, but you'd better! You're the detectives, aren't you? Start investigating!"

The spirit detectives, dreading the tremendous amount of work ahead of them, and faithful Botan, very discontent with Koenma's findings, and empathetic to the burden the boys were set to endure, made their exit in disdain: Kuwabara especially.

"Why I ought a! The nerve of that little punk! I could just strangle him right now!" Kuwabara muttered "Hey! How do we know this ain't a wild goose chaise anyway?" He stated in frustration.

"Essentially Kuwabara, it is." Kurama replied.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

Yusuke barked out in response. "He means we're going to be walking around for hundreds of miles with no leads trying to find some guy—" Botan tapped his shoulder and interrupted him, she said nothing, but looked at him expectantly. Yusuke rolled his eyes, "or girl," he appeased, resuming his rant "In the middle of big cities, towns, forests, and everywhere else; and it's the middle of February, and there's nineteen inches of snow on the ground, and it's freezing, and the chances of us finding anyone important is zero!" Yusuke shouted, pissed.

"Are." Kurama corrected. "And, no. they'd only be so if we don't start looking. This'll be tedious at best, but we should at least try."

Yusuke looked at Kurama, unconvinced. "Alright then, Einstein, any brilliant ideas?"

"A few." Kurama chuckled, almost gloating. "We should first inspect Tokyo, Japan. Koenma's investigators sensed something there, after all, and if the portal this demon went through opened near Lake Tama, as Koenma professed, that's most likely where he wound up."

"How do you figure that?" Kuwabara inquired.

"Simple. Most demons leave their world for one purpose: food. Many eat humans. Lake Tama is just outside west Tokyo. If our demon friend is a man-eater, one could hardly imagine a better location. In such a metropolis, demons are completely inconspicuous, providing them with shelter from people like us—not to mention such towns would produce a constant source of nourishment."

"Gee, that was comforting." Yusuke cut in, disagreeably.

"Of course… there are demons who plot their rise in power, for whatever purpose, much like Hiei and I, when we first arrived. These demons are hardest to predict, but most of them sell themselves out to humans, working as bodyguards or mercenaries for black market tycoons. If that's our man, he could easily find work in Tokyo. Large cities often attract notorious persons—and very often, businessmen with criminal affiliations."

Botan was unnerved. "Oh dear." She stated.

"Any type of demon would see a city as place of opportunity, and any ordinary city would do, but it's unlikely a demon would leave Tokyo—it's too perfect."

"Unless he foresaw the portal unveil his location, like the intelligent sort." Hiei interrupted. "Or simply prefers the way of life most demons are familiar with, and decided to dwell in a forest."

Kurama sighed, "Yes. That's very possible. Mine is not the best of conclusions, as it's based on probability alone. We don't have many other options, however. In this situation, we must rely entirely on chance. It's generally better to start with what's more likely." He explained. "Hiei, using your Jag--"

"Kurama, you really expect me to help out with such a trivial matter?"

"No, but I was hoping you might. It'll prove to be very difficult without your particular talents."

"It's not my concern; I have more important things to attend to."

"Oh come on, Hiei! You stupid shrimp!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Someone of your intelligence, fool, only deludes himself when calling others 'stupid.' And Kurama, it wouldn't be much help anyway. I may be able to see the demon, but I wouldn't be able to distinguish him unless he gave himself away."

"Hiei…" Kurama pleaded.

Yusuke tried to bribe Hiei into following them. "Think of it, Hiei… This guy could be really tough. You may get a kick ass fight out of it!"

"…Thrilling… But you forget; he may also be a weakling."

"You don't have a choice in the matter!" Botan exclaimed. "Or have you forgotten about that little item you stole a while back?!"

"That infant cleared me of my charges for helping you with the four saint beasts. Besides, do you honestly think I care?" Hiei professed defiantly. "Hmph. We're done here—good luck with your 'mission.'" With that, Hiei was gone.

"This complicates matters." Kurama admitted.

"Selfish little punk…" Kuwabara mumbled.

Botan groaned. "As if we needed this case to be any more troublesome."

"We'll just have to make due." Kurama started, again. "We'll split up, and scour surrounding towns, reuniting only in populated cities. In this way, we'll scan the south. We'll head north after we've searched Osaka to make sure the demon hasn't traveled from one city to another. In the same pattern, we'll go all the way through Aomori." He suggested.

Kuwabara was exasperated. "Whaat! That could take months!" he shouted, vexed

"You have any better ideas?" Yusuke posed.

"Uh...well…"

"Exactly. No matter what we do, this is gunna be a pain in the ass. Might as well follow Kurama's lead so we don't end up with more crap to deal with."

The clock struck six; the gang spent ten minutes devising their plan. The spirit detectives, hardly eager to start their search, gathered around Botan, as they tried to mentally prepare for the bother the newest case promised. Botan raised her arm, and her oar suddenly appeared in hand. No one was ready to leave; they were already lethargic from simply imagining the countless hours they were set to endure looking for what very well could be an imaginary demon across the entire country. Still, they went.

"Right. Everyone hold on tight! Next stop: Tokyo, Japan!"

***

"Ah! Man, I'm beat! It's pretty late huh?"

"Yeah, as always; since you've juggled these jobs, you haven't gotten an hour of peace until three AM."

"True, I've been pretty busy. But hey, check out what I brought you, boy!"

"Thank God. I'm starving. Sure smells good. Where'd you get this?"

"I raided a local butcher shop. I wish you didn't eat so much, sometimes; that cost me six months pay."

"Six months?! Watanabe... little bastard."

"It's not so bad; besides I don't have much of a choice. I was lucky he took me in."

"You say 'took me in,' like he's fathering you. The guy is using your ass to rank up profits. Really, Tariq, quit."

"Eh. He doesn't pay much, sure, but I can live."

"Really, kid. You make me feel like a jerk. I'd hunt for myself, but I can't exactly live off squirrels."

"Don't worry about it!"

"Hmm? What've you got there?"

"A whole watermelon. Check it out; it's as big as your head!"

"Uh… I'm flattered?"

"Hahaha. Sorry."

"That's all you brought for yourself? I'm surprised you eat like a mule, if given the chance."

"Like I said, I already owe the butcher. And with this scooter, and the clothing I took the other day… I couldn't afford much else."

"You know, generally, when people steal they don't pay for the stuff they took afterwards."

"Yeah. I know. Still. That feels wrong."

"And taking things without permission doesn't?"

"Yeah, but we've got to live somehow… I don't know. Call it a tab. Like an IOU. People would let me borrow stuff all the time if they trusted me to either pay 'em back or return their things—but you can't expect them to trust a lousy street bum with that."

"Heh. True enough. What about the sympathy card? You could pull it off."

"That's manipulation—just as bad as steeling, except it's tasteless. I don't want anyone to feel bad; especially not for me."

"I know, but you shouldn't be cutting expenses on food. Your body has to prepare for when provisions are in short supply."

"Not anymore! That's the great thing about cities—there's food everywhere!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'd notice if you left this park every once in a while. All the food, the shops, the lights, the colors… the skyscrapers and roads and sights, and all the opportunity! You've got to love city life!"

"You're the type that'd love life in an Asylum, Tariq."

"Come on; cities are awesome."

"I dislike humans, and I prefer stars to fluorescents, and sky to smog. Cities and I don't really mix; I'm more suited for the wilderness."

"Like in demon world?"

"You know what they say—there's no place like home."

"Heh. Well, why don't you like people?"

"They have a very limited sense of integrity, loyalty, and brotherhood."

"Not all of them! And how's that different from most demons?"

"I never said I liked demons, but at least they own up to their flaws. Humans are willing to shoot their best friends for an extra buck walk around believing they're saints."

"Hah. I've certainly never met anyone like that."

"God damn, everyone you've come in contact with so far-- honestly reasoning with you is like talking to a wall."

"I'm telling you Liger, this town's were I'm gunna make my break. Something big is coming. Something huge. I can feel it."

"It's certainly not your paycheck."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding. Truthfully, I've had that same feeling all day."

"Really? Yeah! That's great! You're never wrong about these sorts of things!"

"There's a first time for everything, you know."

"Come on! We're in Tokyo! Biggest city in the world! If it'll happen anywhere, it'll happen here!"

"That's if it'll ever happen, kid."

"What's that supposed to mean? Pfft. Aint we on the same side?"

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up. You've been let down before."

"Well, not this time. Besides, there's always tomorrow, right?"

"Guess so. Guess so."

There was a brief pause as the two ate their meal.

"Want me to start up a fire?"

"Nah, that's fine. Just get some rest."

"Alright, whatever you say, Liger-boy. Good night."

"G'night."

"And thanks again."

"… Don't mention it, squirt."

***

"Ugh, so tired… can't move." Yusuke whined as he walked along with his teammates who, for the most part, kept an assiduous search.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a cow." Kuwabara agreed.

Botan complained as well. "We've been at this for hours. By this time we wouldn't be able to tell a fire hydrant from something suspicious, and I for one am practically frozen solid! Let's call it a day!"

Kurama did not feel the same desire to stop, but understood their needs. The five worked diligently since sunset. By now, it was about midnight. The three caught no sign of anything.

"We have to keep going for now. We'll stop soon."

"Kurama you can't expect us to inspect every inch of Tokyo in just one day!"

"I don't, but at this rate this city alone will take us weeks. We must continue. Let's at least cross Rainbow Bridge, and finish up Minato."

***

While the others searched valiantly for their demon-world renegade, Hiei traveled independently to settle his private affairs. He too was searching, and ironically, his search led him to Tokyo as well, but he was dealing with very different business. The information he'd gathered directed him to a certain gentleman, a very wealthy businessman; a well-known black-market magnate who talked of a "demon gold mine," "A girl who could make jewels out of thin air." The "property" of one of his rivals—property he intended to steal. Hiei wanted to interrogate this man—to scare him into confessing just where this girl was taken, and under whom she had been kept, and stripped of her will. He hoped to discover her whereabouts, and finally retrieve her. That "demon gold mine" had to be found, and by any means necessary. Hiei knew who man spoke of was in fact an ice apparition: his sister, Yukina. There had been no mistaking it. Hiei wasn't about to prance around the city in search of a demon who, for all he knew, didn't exist; not when his sister's well being was on the line, and when such a promising lead was well within his reach.

"Hold on Yukina." Hiei thought.

Hiei stood at the crest of Tokyo Tower, the tallest structure in all of Japan. He looked over the hustle of Tokyo's city streets; despite the hour people were everywhere; many traveled through public means, by trains and busses that went about their regular routes, others drove, several walked, many biked along their merry ways; like bats, these creatures ruled the night. Everyone—locals and tourists alike, prowled about the town in search of entertainment; movies, music, diner, dancing, clubs, bars and joints. A city never sleeps. Hiei stood among several other men atop the popular attraction, but it mattered not, his Jagan was on full display; they were well under his control. Hiei concentrated on finding this man, but was distracted by a very unusual sensation. Energy, and a great deal of it, was nearby, but very well repressed—it was so very well concealed, in fact, the mass hardly felt withdrawn at all, but, rather, buried. It was sunken deep under a strange pressure. It felt neither strong, nor weak; Hiei couldn't describe this feeling with much accuracy, except that it was very, very unfamiliar. He looked to the source of this aura, and attempted to pin point it as best he could. It was difficult to lock down, exactly, but after a few modest attempts, Hiei found the source.

A young, scrawny boy—a child, in tattered in tattered clothing wearing no shoes, and carrying a large brown sack made of material resembling burlap. Three priceless looking gems dangled from his neck—odd that a person who looked so hopelessly impoverished would wear such expensive, and exotic jewelry. An olive cap obscured his face, but such identification was hardly necessary; the youth was conspicuous enough. He nimbly crept through alleyways until he approached a butcher's. Evidently, the store was closed, but the vagabond discretely made his way in through an air vent. Once inside, he headed for the freezer, where he thieved the carcass of nearly every animal in sight, jamming whatever he could fit into his sack, before he strapped it tightly shut, lugged it over his shoulder, and made his escape through the back door.

Hiei observed the peculiar boy flee from the scene; he was small, and when he stood, in certain spots, he was about knee-deep in snow. Despite the temperatures, and his untimely apparel, he didn't show a sign of discomfort. Not a shiver. The sack he hauled was filled with more than his body weight in meat, but he managed to transport it without strain. Hiei thought him suspicious, but waited for these suspicions to be confirmed before he made any moves. The boy, while running along, uncovered a toy buried under snow, a Razor scooter with orange handlebars and wheels. The boy dried off the icy remains on his scooter with his shirt, and road it along speedily. He road it almost too quickly, and without a sign of weariness, or exertion. Hiei originally supposed that the boy's haste, though hardly typical of a human, could be pulled off, but as his pace quickened, Hiei grew more skeptical; especially because the boy continued on, perfectly at ease.

"Hmm—?" Hiei noticed something daunting about the child's scooter; it was as though the device wasn't affected by obstacles in its terrain. On the sidewalk, despite various cracks and breaks, the scooter wasn't impacted. It never needed to jump, or veer, and its rate was constant—it never slowed down, even when the friction around it changed. On ice, grass, concrete, or small puddles, the boy wheeled along, as though on a smooth surface. Evidently, something was amiss. It wasn't until the child scootered on a snowy path that Hiei understood. Whenever something that weighs a couple ounces touches snow, it leaves a track. The scooter left no imprint whatsoever. Hiei smirked. He didn't realize it, because of his bird's eye perspective, but finally it became clear; the boy was floating. All the while, he'd been millimeters above ground.

"Koenma's boy…" Hiei concluded. "A wind demon?"

***

"Well, I suppose that's all we can manage for today…" Kurama yawned, and dusted himself off after a hard day's work. "Not so bad, we covered all of Minato, and Tokyo Bay."

Kuwabara dropped onto the floor. "Ugh! Finally, we could get some sleep!"

Yusuke did the same, but grunted. "Only to wake up in like two ours and start all over again."

The two moaned in aggravation. Botan sat with them, completely worn out. "It's ten past three." She griped, looking at her watch.

"Yes, well, no one said this was going to be easy."

"We knew it wouldn't be easy, Kurama, but this is impossible! I don't care what Koenma thinks—there's no way we can do this through all of Japan!" Yusuke shouted.

Kuwabara blamed Hiei for his misfortunes."This is all that shrimp's fault. If he were here, I'd be in bed by now."

"Now, now. Hiei would have had a tough time finding him, as well." Kurama stated. "Let's just find a hotel room and call it a night."

"Spirit Detective! Kurama!" a familiar voice called out.

Yusuke and Kuwabara sprang to their feet and with Kurama walked toward the voice that beckoned them. Botan followed the boys sluggishly. Hiei, who summoned them from the top of a skyscraper, jumped down as they approached. The five were reunited.

"Speak of the devil! Hiei! Good to see you back, pal." Yusuke greeted, with a grin.

Kurama was surprised with Hiei's return, but pleased to see him. "How are you? What's the matter?"

"I know what it is! Shorty here pissed me off, and know he's come back to apologize 'cause he knows that if he didn't, I'd track him down and beat him to a pulp!"

"Actually, fool, I'm doing you a favor." Hiei clarified. "I came across the demon your searching for."

"Good show! Is it a boy or girl? And what's he or she like?" Botan exclaimed.

"He's a small, scrawny child and looks like a beggar carrying around an ill-sized potato sack, filled with twice his weight in meat products; he has the ability to float and apparently enjoys kid's toys, and burgling." Hiei recounted.

"You don't say." Yusuke thought out loud. "Where'd you find him?"

"I found him in Shinjuku, and he's currently headed for Shinjuku Gyoen."

Yusuke's face grew confident, and his weariness escaped him. "That's not such a long run." He stated, ready to go.

Kuwabara agreed. "Yeah. Might as well get this over with."

"My sentiments exactly." A smile crossed Kurama's face.

"Yes! Let's go!" Botan rose to the challenge.

"Be aware—this demon has a very unusual energy… it's hard to describe. You'll know it when you feel it." Hiei warned.

"Hey—wait!" Yusuke bid. "You're not just gunna ditch out on us again, are ya?! Come on, Hiei."

Hiei rolled his eyes, he was unwilling to let his precious discovery go to waste, and wasn't thrilled about joining his companions because doing so would divert him from his purpose. Never the less, because he went out of his way to alert them, and because he'd be headed to Shinjuku either way, Hiei went along with it.

"Fine." Hiei said. "Just as long as we get this over with quickly."

"Haha! Just lead the way!" Yusuke insisted.

Hiei smirked. "Just hope you can keep up."

Botan, on her oar, followed Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara who, in that order, raced after Hiei, toward the illusive demon child. As they entered Shinjuku, they were surrounded by the ever-glowing landscape of neon lights, electronic billboards and busy city streets. Through the conurbation, they ran. Hiei stopped only every so often so the stragglers wouldn't get lost in the vast urban jungle, but never bothered to let the others catch their breath. Through the commercial portion of town, Ichigaya, through the artistic scene in Golden Gai, through the red light district, Kabukicho; the group didn't rest. They climbed fire escapes and jumped from building to building past one borough to the next. They charged with haste and boldness. Finally, they reached their destination; Shinjuku Gyoen. They entered, quietly.

Kuwabara's heightened senses alerted him: the demon was near. His body was momentarily shocked.

"What? He tough?" Yusuke asked

Kuwabara tried to answer Yusuke, but he honestly didn't know. "I can't tell. It's strange… I've never sensed something like this before…"

"So your not getting the typical tickle feeling, huh?" Yusuke acknowledged. "Maybe he's not a demon; couldn't he just be a human with a bizzaro wave length or something, like me?"

Hiei shook his head. "He was floating in mid air." He affirmed. "He could be a sky apparition. Wind or air, or something of the like."

"'Guess it's no wonder why Koenma and his associates couldn't pin point this demon after all." Botan recalled.

"Very true…" Kurama said. "Let's keep going. It'll be morning soon." he directed.

The five traveled through the many magnificent gardens in Shinjuku Gyoen. The picturesque beauty of the scenery immersed them. Even with every leaf stripped from it's tree and every waterway frozen over, even with snow covering all the grassy fields and overtaking the shrubbery, the garden was striking; it made winter glow. Though enamored by their surrounding beauty, the detectives kept on task. Each by now had a clear sense of where the demon lay; they strolled toward him. It wasn't long before they discovered a demon child and a large animal. They were together, just beyond a bridge, under a tree, hidden by bushes, neighboring a small, quiet, river.

"O-kay…Hiei, did you forget to mention the giant cat?" Yusuke joked.

"It wasn't there before." Hiei confirmed. "It probably lives in this park. Maintenance will come after it soon enough."

"It's a shame we have to separate them, the two do look quite peaceful together." Kurama chuckled.

"What are you mad, Kurama?!" Botan questioned. "By morning that beast will eat him alive!"

"I guess it's a good thing we came." Kuwabara laughed.

Hiei veered the conversation to a more serious note. "Let's not get comfortable. This demon may not come quietly."

"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke shrugged. "So we'll jump in and take him out; if he puts up a fuss, we'll dump him in that potato sack you mentioned, and I'll blow his face off." He plotted.

"It's a wonder you're still alive, given your wonder-boy strategies."

"Alright. Alright, you two." Kurama mediated. "We'll proceed with caution. Everyone, keep silent." He instructed.

The five approached the demon, cautiously, planning their course of attack, should it prove necessary; the boy lay there in slumber all the while. It was about three thirty in the morning, after all. The squad was hardly surprised. As they drew nearer to the demon, elements from Hiei's description became more apparent. One couldn't see his facial features due to the ratty olive hat he wore over his face, and his body was shrouded under an old, rancid sack of burlap, but he was short and young; that much was evident. The creature he slept on was frightfully large beast, strongly resembling a lion because of its full head of dark mane. The creature was light reddish brown in color, with dark stripes and a light tan stomach. Its paws alone were bigger than the boy's head. One was placed on his chest, protectively. Bones of various types of fish, livestock, and poultry surrounded them.

"I see." Hiei understood.

"What's up shorty?" Kuwabara wondered.

"He was robbing a meat-shop. Apparently, to feed this animal."

"How sweet." Botan cooed.

"Jeeze. Give me a break." Yusuke protested. "I'm sick of this park, let's take this kid back to spirit world, and get the hell out of here."

"Well said" Kurama decided.

Botan hesitantly removed the old hat from the boy, and, gently, she tossed the piece of junk onto the creature, finally revealing the demon's face. Everyone was caught off guard by his youthful cuteness—his soft, lightly tanned skin, his lemony-yellow, sun-struck blond hair, his innocent, angelic features. His face struck the team with a sensation of happiness. Even Hiei, who restrained himself, couldn't help but bear a smile-- if only for a second.

"He's fiendishly adorable!" Botan exclaimed with a hushed tone.

"Yes. He certainly has a pretty face." Kurama observed.

Kuwabara was taken aback. "Dang—you sure he's a demon?"

"Well duh!" Yusuke said. "All that energy is coming from him."

Kurama nodded. "Indeed."

"So, what? Do we just carry him away?" Hiei asked.

"I suppose so. It'd cause the least commotion." Kurama affirmed. "I'll carry his things." He volunteered.

The rest of the troop stared at Kuwabara, insinuating he carry the boy.

"What?! Why me?!" He objected.

"Why not?" Kurama replied, lifting the boy's sack from his body, and collecting his various, scattered possessions.

"Come on Kuwabara, after all—you are built like an ox." Yusuke prompted.

While grumbling inaudible non-sense about "respect" and teaching his companions a lesson, Kuwabara, as carefully as he could, tossed the shabbily clad youngster onto his shoulder.

"Whoa… This kid's pretty light." Kuwabara stated, very surprised.

"He's a little boy, Kuwabara. Wha'd you expect!" Yusuke retorted.

"You wanna lift him, Urameshi?!" Kuwabara taunted.

"Fine." Yusuke took the child off Kuwabara's shoulder, and had the same reaction. "Damn…" he said, stunned.

"It's no wonder—the poor kid's half starved." Botan sympathized.

"Yeah." Kuwabara said, hoisting the child up onto him again.

Hiei was uninterested, and rather pressed for time. "Do need me to hold your hand until you get to Spirit World, or may I leave now?" He asked.

"No. Feel free to go, Hiei. Thank you." Kurama replied. "If it weren't for you, we'd never have found him."

"Whatever." Hiei nonchalantly remarked. "I only helped you out because I happened to catch him on the way."

Hiei vanished, again, leaving Botan, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama to transport this young demon boy off to Spirit World. The group had a unanimous premonition. While the mission was complete, and the boy in their possession, they felt, somehow, that their adventures were only just beginning. Each moment with the spirit detectives was filled with endless adventure, each escapade entailing something more. As the four floated back to Koenma on Botan's oar, Team Urameshi could only wait to see what the future laid in store.

***

[Author's Note]: Let me apologize in advance if I miss interpreted the metropolitan architecture/schematics/design of Tokyo; I did research my information, but I'm afraid I only grasped a vague understanding of the city's structure. I'm sorry if you desired more action, but this chapter was rather long; I don't want to bore you with too much text. Please, don't hesitate to rate/message/review my story. Be as harsh as you can, I implore you! I do, very much, wish to improve, and I won't if you all go easy on me. I'll try to have a new chapter up every-other-Sunday. Anyway, thank you once again. See you soon, and I hope you enjoyed the first edition of Star Child!