The Day Hell Froze Over
A good intention, a party, a kidnapping, an explosion, a mission. "AAHH, SPARE ME! Blame Botan! She was supposed to be chaperone!" "I don't think he's listening."

It wasn't that the Prince of Spirit World needed to be in the good graces of the Forbidden Child. If anything, it should be the other way around. However, the facts were obvious. Lord Koenma was a huge coward, and Hiei was only complying with orders to stay in the human world because Kurama had asked him to. Really, Koenma thought it might calm things down between everyone if Hiei were a little less stressed over a relationship between a certain buffoon and ice maiden. And so Koenma threw a party with some of his better behaved friends and associates, and invited Yukina. If he'd really been thinking, he would have at least invited Kurama to keep an extra set of eyes on Yukina.

Now, the point was to introduce her to some well mannered, respectable people- people that would be considered a good match for the quiet girl. Of course, as the host, Koenma would be flitting between all the guests, so he instructed Botan to stick by Yukina's side. The cheerful grim reaper assured her boss that she would do an excellent job of chaperoning. Unfortunately, Koenma and his friends were more or less at the "young adult" stage in their lives. This meant that alcohol, (and Spirit World alcohol is about 200 times stronger than human alcohol) was inevitably going to cause Koenma a headache the next morning, in more ways than one.

"Koenma sir, you're drooling on the report."

Koenma forced his head to rise from his desk and willed his eyes to open. "Be quiet Ogre, I'm trying to think about how I'm going to explain this," he said with much less force than usual. Still in teenage form, he kicked his shoes off and slunk down in his chair.

Jorge knew his boss was going to get mad, but it was part of his job to ask pertinent questions. And besides, maybe if he had been invited, this wouldn't have happened. Jorge didn't drink alcohol, so he was a more than capable candidate for chaperoning Yukina! Oh well, such was the poor ogre's life. Taking another step away from the desk, he asked, "Explain to whom, sir, your father or-"

The young ruler's face reddened. "Either! Both! Neither! Shut up!" he shouted, standing abruptly, knocking the papers he was working on to the floor. He gave a loud sigh as he picked them up. "Go find out if she's awake yet." He sat back down to the papers in front of him, finishing the report for the official file.

The door opened shortly after he finished, the door to his office opened. In came Ogre, with a deranged looking Botan clinging to his arm. Her hair was frizzy, her party clothes rumpled, and her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying. It was obvious that she was still feeling effects from the previous night. She looked the way Koenma felt, and he realized that he couldn't really bring himself to give her the full tirade he'd been planning on. Motioning for her to sit down, he knelt in front of her.

"How are you feeling?"

At this, the waterworks began to flow. "Oh Koenma sir, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" she sobbed, rubbing her eyes furiously with her already damp sleeves. "I was right next to her, just like I promised, I don't know how they got in, I don't know when they left, it's such a blur, I looked away for just a second-"

Koenma stopped her. "Botan, I've reviewed the footage. Do you remember ogling a blonde guy, and he came over and brought you a drink?"

Botan's cheeks flushed in shame and embarrassment. "Yes sir," came her whispered answer.

"He wasn't someone I invited. Neither was the dark haired guy you let Yukina sit with when you left to dance with the blonde. I'm fairly certain they're demons, obviously working for someone nefarious. You're probably lucky they didn't take you, too." Koenma stood up and offered her a tissue. "I'm really disappointed in you Botan, and honestly I'm a little hurt that your romantic interest in someone you don't even know got the better of you. However, getting this taken care of is more important than my feelings right now. So get cleaned up, and go get Yusuke and the guys over here. I'll explain it to them." He turned to sit back at his desk, reverting to his toddler self.

Botan stood and bowed deeply, tears and blush still on her face. She didn't trust her voice to be steady, so she left without a word.

"What's binky breath want now? Doesn't he know it's Saturday morning? Normal people sleep in on the weekends," Yusuke grumbled groggily to the girl floating outside his window.

"I'm sorry Yusuke, but this is extremely important," Botan plead as she fiddled with the sleeve of her pink kimono.

Yusuke stared hard at her. This was very weird. First, she had quietly tapped on his window until he had woken up thinking it was raining. Then she wouldn't give him any of the details. She looked like she hadn't slept, and she was speaking barely above a whisper. Whatever was going on, it was sure to ruin everyone's Saturday morning.

"Alright, let me get dressed. I think Kuwabara's still asleep in front of the TV, I'll call Kurama." He stood back from the window to allow Botan in, and she quickly made her way downstairs to wake the other teenager.

Yusuke sighed then pulled on his jeans and a tee shirt. He picked up the phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. "Hey Kurama, did I wake you?"

"No Yusuke, I'm up. Is there something I can help you with? I know eight is early for you," the redhead chuckled.

Yusuke laughed too. "Yeah well, Botan's pretending to be an alarm clock. Think you can find Hiei?"

"Of course. Hiei, we're going over to Yusuke's."

"He's… in your house?" the boy asked, feeling strangely awkward.

"Well yes, we're having breakfa- DON'T EAT THAT, IT'S MEANT TO BE COOKED FIRST!" came the answer. "Ahem. Breakfast."

"Uhh... Anyways, head over here so we can go see what's got Koenma in a fit," Yusuke said, trying to steer the conversation back to where it was originally intended.

"Sure, we'll be right over."

Yusuke hung up the phone and decided he wasn't going to dwell on it. Heading downstairs, he found Kuwabara chugging orange juice in the kitchen, Botan quietly sitting on one of the stools.

"Leave some for the rest of us," Yusuke said, swiping the carton from his friend and putting it back in the fridge.

Kuwabara tried to get it back out. "Come on Urameshi, you know my blood sugar is low, and if I don't have something when I wake up then I won't be able to kick any tail!" the carrot top whined, grappling with the other boy.

The sound of polite knocking came from the front door, but the two were too busy fighting to hear. A louder, angrier knock came after a few seconds, followed by, "Open this door you buffoons, unless you want me to break it down!"

Kuwabara broke out of the choke hold Yusuke had him in. "Heh heh, sounds like Shorty isn't a morning person!" he gloated. Yusuke rolled his eyes and went to open the door, only to find himself a little shocked.

Kurama was dressed in nice clothes, as usual; a pair of dark slacks, a white button down shirt and a green jacket over it. Nothing odd there. However, Hiei was a different story. He was clad in black shorts with a red tee shirt with a navy blue, hooded zip-up tee over it. He looked… like a normal person.

"Hey guys, uhh… come on in. Kuwabara and Botan are in the kitchen," Yusuke said, trying not to stare at Hiei and failing. Kurama chuckled and gently pushed Hiei inside as the smaller demon glared daggers at the detective.

As they entered the kitchen, Kuwabara couldn't hold back his laughter. "Wow, the shrimp really looks like a normal human! How'd you do it, Kurama?" he tittered.

Kurama smirked at the boy and glanced back over at his fuming friend. "Well, when you sleep in the woods, eventually your clothes will get dirty. Washing them in a pond only makes it worse. Hiei allowed me to do his laundry while I found some of my old clothes for him to wear in the meantime," he replied.

"Are we here to discuss my life, or was there a reason you called us over here?" Hiei ground out, trying to curb his irritation. He directed his inquiry to Yusuke, who was also snickering a bit.

"Watch out guys, we have a domesticated fire demon on our hands!" Kuwabara guffawed. "Maybe you and Eikichi can be playmates!"

Hiei turned and snarled at the tall teenager. "I'll eat your worthless pet!"

This, of course, caused more chaos. Botan cleared her throat, reminding everyone that she was the one who had called them together. "It's very important that you see Lord Koenma at once. If you're all done, let's go."

Hiei directed his gaze to the unusually quiet ferry girl. Some dark feelings were hanging about her, but she had shut up her mind to him. Koenma must really have a problem. Kurama also noticed Botan's lack of spunk, and shared a glance with Yusuke, who just shrugged.

Botan opened the door to Koenma's office and ushered the four boys in. Koenma was sitting at his desk, a stack of paperwork in front of him. "Come in gang, we've got a lot to talk about." The four Spirit Detectives assembled themselves as he began. "Last night, I threw a party-"

He was immediately interrupted by Kuwabara. "Oh come on man, we slave away to save humanity, then you go and throw a party without even bothering to invite us! What kind of a guy are you?" he whined, leaning both hands on the desk.

The toddler sized ruler also leaned on his desk. "Pipe down Kuwabara, this is important!" he yelled back. Kuwabara straightened back up, muttering to himself. "Anyways, my gathering was infiltrated by two demons." His television screen showed a picture of a blonde demon with silver eyes. "This is Atsushi. He is a D-class demon with some strong psychic abilities. His specialty is convincing others to do as he wants." Koenma hit his remote and a picture of a black haired demon with crimson eyes appeared. "This is his brother Ayumu. This is what he currently looks like. His power is a little tricky, and we're not sure about how far it's progressed due to training and things like that. In basic terms, he searches your soul for a person you are looking for, then shape shifts to fit the general mental image."

This time Yusuke interrupted. "Wait a minute, that doesn't make sense. If you know what the person looks like, won't you know he's a fake?"

Koenma leaned back in his chair. "That's the trouble. But let's try a few examples, Yusuke. Say you are an employer, wanting to hire someone responsible. You're looking for someone, are you not?" he asked. Yusuke nodded. "Now hold that thought in your head." Koenma leaned forward to press a button on his intercom, "Fumi, please come to my office."

Instantly the door opened, revealing a white haired young woman in a grey kimono. "Yes, Lord Koenma?" she said with a bow.

"I'd like to show off your abilities, if you don't mind. Please start with Yusuke," Koenma said, motioning to the youth with the confused look on his face. "You see, Fumi has the same kind of talent as Ayumu. However, we know all the training that has strengthened her abilities. Ayumu is a blank for us. Now Yusuke, concentrate."

The woman stepped towards Yusuke, piercing his eyes with her light purple ones. Instantly, her eyes began to turn emerald green and her hair became a bright red color, coming out of its bun and flowing in slight curls down her back. Her facial features shifted, and in less than a minute she was a completely different person. The group stared at her. She seemed… kind of familiar…

"Hey, she looks like a female Kurama!" Kuwabara exclaimed, after staring hard at Fumi.

Kurama, who was standing next to Fumi, chuckled, "Yusuke, I'm flattered."

Yusuke started to blush. "I wasn't thinking of you specifically!"

"However, you already associate Kurama with being responsible. She now has similar physical traits to him, thus your mind is more convinced that she is who you are looking for," Koenma explained. "Now, that was just a 'surface need' example, if you will. We'll do another. Fumi, please demonstrate on Kuwabara next."

"Wait a minute, who am I looking for?" the orange haired boy asked as the woman stepped up to him.

"We shall see," Koenma answered. Fumi's hair began to turn a light brown, her eyes melting to a dark brown hue. Again, her facial features changed, and a new person stood in front of them. However, this woman looked angry and cruel, her eyes harsh and unyielding. Even her lips were darker, giving the appearance of maroon lipstick. Her clothes morphed into a long black trench coat with black leggings, red high heels on her feet.

Kuwabara took a sharp breath, then looked away, clearly unnerved. "That's… what my mom looked like, the very last time I saw her," he said quietly. "She walked out on us when me and Sis were just kids, and my dad couldn't handle it. He got real sick, and died about a year later. Shizuru has been raising me ever since."

Yusuke immediately put a hand on his friend's shoulder. He remembered when that happened. Kuwabara had been trying to fight him since that day, years ago.

"Why are you looking for her?" Kurama ventured, genuinely curious. He knew his teammates well enough, but the personal lives of Yusuke and Kuwabara were mysterious to him still.

The teenager clenched his fists and thought for a moment before looking back at the shape shifting woman. "I guess if I ever saw her, I just want to give her a piece of my mind. I want to tell her that she shouldn't have left, that my dad loved her to death- literally. I want to tell her that my sister has had to give up her whole life to take care of me. I want to tell her that she was wrong! I want-" Kuwabara stopped, choking on the emotions that had suddenly released themselves, "I want to tell her that we needed her, but we made it. Sis and I might be a little messed up, but we made it without her."

A sad silence fell over the room. Kurama looked a little guilty at asking the initial question. Yusuke still had his hand on Kuwabara, and squeezed in a brotherly way before letting go. Hiei, who believed that the oaf was completely empty and there solely for comic relief, was surprised to find that he had some deep personal issues.

Fumi changed back to her grey kimono and white hair, leaving it around shoulder length. She bowed to Kuwabara before speaking. "I am sorry to hear of your past, Mr. Kuwabara. I hope that, though I am not actually your mother, this experience leaves you feeling a bit better."

Kuwabara grinned in an apologetic way. "I didn't mean to take it out on you, it all just came out. Thank you," he said before bowing as well.

"That was an example of a subconscious need. You didn't know you were looking for a specific person. Changing clothes to match the physical appearance takes a lot of skill, but as you've seen, it can be done. Next, Kurama," Koenma directed, watching everything unfold with great interest. He was learning a lot about his misfit band of detectives.

Kurama smiled pleasantly at Fumi as her gaze turned to him. Her hair shortened to around her ears, turning black in color. Her eyes remained a dark brown, but her whole face became soft and kind. She actually looked boyish. "I see. I'm searching for someone who would have been a proper son for my mother- her true son, perhaps," Kurama asserted.

Yusuke moved to get a better look at Fumi. "You're right, she looks a lot like a boy version of Shiori now."

"This is an example of subconscious non-specific, correct?" Koenma nodded. "Then all we have left is conscious specific. That must be for you, Hiei," the former thief said, turning to the silent fire demon.

At this, Hiei did not look pleased. He already knew who he was looking for, and do did Kurama. The detective he could care less, but he did not want the oaf knowing about this. He showed his fangs to the kimono clad woman, but she was unfazed. Stepping towards him, her eyes widened and took on a crimson hue. Her hair lengthened and changed to a blue-teal. Her face became rounder, younger. Her kimono also took on a light blue color, and red hair pieces formed around a ponytail behind her. She even became shorter, coming down to just shorter than the disturbed demon in front of her. Hiei stepped back, not believing his eyes. He immediately felt a surge of anger. Was he going to have to explain himself in front of the buffoon?

"It's Yukina!" Kuwabara shouted, circling Fumi and looking at her in awe. "You really are amazing, Miss Fumi!"

"Thank you, Kazuma. That's very kind of you to say," Fumi said, in Yukina's voice. This caused Kuwabara even more awe.

"As you see, she can also copy voice and speech patterns. If it's someone specific, she can be a perfect double," Koenma explained.

"That's kinda like our pal Yanagisawa, but she doesn't even have to touch the person to become them," Yusuke interjected. "That's pretty impressive!"

Kuwabara nodded his agreement, then looked at Hiei in sudden confusion. "Wait, why's the runt looking for Yukina?"

Koenma could feel the tension of the room spike. Why did Kuwabara have to be so blunt? "Actually gang, that's who we're looking for. I'm sure Hiei read my mind to find out about the mission," he answered.

The fire demon gave him a nasty glare, then looked back at Fumi-turned-Yukina. It was giving him the creeps. He hadn't read Koenma's mind, he already knew Yukina was missing when he had gone to Genkai's temple the previous night. The old hag had told him that Botan had whisked her off, and Hiei had decided to enlist Kurama's help in marching over to Spirit World and demanding to know why she was there.

"Thank you Fumi, you may return to your office," the small ruler said.

The woman became herself again, and bowed deeply to everyone. "Very nice to have met you all," she said as she departed. Yusuke and Kuwabara waved as Kurama bowed as well, with Hiei remaining silent.

Kurama was the first to speak once the door had shut. "So, you said that it is Yukina we are looking for. Is she not currently under Master Genkai's care?" the redhead prompted, watching Koenma squirm under Hiei's unrelenting glare.

"Well, like I said, there was a party. Yukina attended. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped by the demons you see here on the screen. Obviously your mission is to get her back, find out who the big boss is, and get rid of him," Koenma answered, avoiding Hiei's eyes. It was definitely getting hotter in the room.

Kuwabara reached across the desk again and shook Koenma. "You lost my precious love muffin!? What kind of sicko are you, throwing parties, inviting innocent girls, then getting them kidnapped!" He let go and took a step back, glowering at the toddler.

"It's not like this all happened on purpose!" the young ruler yelled, then leaned back in his chair. "You'll be going to Demon World, so you'll be getting a few gadgets from the labs. Botan will take you now," he said, dismissing them.

"Alright, I haven't seen rubber-neck and my other faithful lackeys for awhile," Yusuke laughed as he and Kuwabara followed Botan out of the office. Kurama hung back after noticing that his smaller friend hadn't moved.

"Koenma," Hiei said in a low, dangerous voice, "I have business to discuss with you."

A visible sweat formed on Koenma as the temperature of the room increased dramatically. "Hiei, I can explain-" He stopped when he saw the black and purple flames around Hiei's right arm. "AAHH, SPARE ME! Blame Botan! She was supposed to be chaperone!" he squealed in terror, too paralyzed to even hide under his desk- not that it would have helped.

"I don't think he's listening," Kurama offered before closing the door snugly behind him.

BBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! Sizzzzle….

Kuwabara put down the improved Psychic Spyglass he was fiddling with. "Urameshi, did you feel that power spike?"

Across the room, Yusuke put down the new Spirit Listener that had been next to his head. "Man, you should have heard it!" he said, rubbing his ear in discomfort. "I dunno who or what caused it. Either they're playing with the wrong chemicals, or someone really pissed somebody else off."

Okay, long first chapter! Some things aren't completely explained, but they will be! The entire situation only gets crazier and more ridiculous, folks.

R+R if you feel like it :)

~Momo