The Beginning

The stone cold floor she laid upon was like ice to her heated skin, sending shivers up her spine. Her snowy white locks were fanned out beneath her naked form, arms spread out a little to the side and legs parted and relaxed. Her eyes were closed as the young woman slept, despite the icy shakes she experienced. Her soft, pale skin reflected the dim glow of the lights in the cell like room, giving a sexier ambiance to the women in the rooms farther down from her. A clang made the girl cringe, eyes snapping open as she pushed herself to a sitting position. The dimmed light casted shadows about the corridor outside her cell and as figures began to filter in, she tucked her chin to her chest, bowing her face as she sat, exposed to the wandering eyes that fell upon her body. The routine was the same and one she had no choice but to keep. This was her way of life. There was no other way but to do as told and always keep your eyes to the floor.

The female could hear the clanging of metal followed by gasps and shouts. Some of these girls held in this corridor were new and did not know any better. They shrieked and fought before being overwhelmed by the men who were bigger and undoubtedly stronger than them. Soon, as the girls were dragged across the way to the rooms adjacent their cell, the clang of her own cell door echoed and the young woman glanced up through her bangs. The man who chose her was older than most who came and she could see his tongue flick over his lips as though he were outrageously thirsty and she swallowed the fear that tried to bubble in her chest. He came to her and told her to be good and stand up. He just wanted to give her a better place to lay than the 'nasty, cold floor' as he put it. The girl complied and stood, her hair swaying behind her as her thin and frail body moved. She kept her eyes downcast and let the man guide her across the hall, into the room across from her cell. The mahogany door opened and she stepped in. Picking her head up, she finally saw the room she knew a little all too well, a decent sized room shrouded in a deep blue up lighting and a dim glow of the florescent lights that were spotlighting the queen sized bed with the creamy white sheets and a deep red comforter.

The time went by slow, the girl surviving the long span with her concentration on doing her task properly, and as the male's time with her ended, he grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look up at him so he could remember her face. He made a crude comment and a wicked grin crossed his features before he released her and began to redress himself. She waited patiently standing and moving behind the male as he exited the room, quite content with her service, and she stepped back into her cell, the door closing behind her with a loud clang! She was alone in her own room again and shivered. Moving to the darkest corner of the cell, the girl sat down and buried her face in her crossed arms which laid above her knees which were pulled to her chest. She felt as though she had been violated and although every fiber of her being still shook with adrenaline, she wanted nothing more than to have the bath bucket dropped in her cell so that she could scrub away the feeling of that man's hands upon her body. She was filthy and dirty now, nothing more than a vessel to relieve others with. Her pale back, littered with old scars that were whitish with age, touched the stone wall and she shivered. Bringing her head up from her arms she turned her attention to the ceiling and stayed that way until the bath pan was brought to her and she was able to clean herself.

Suds dripped down her body as she scrubbed furiously at her skin, hands losing grasp of the sponge two or three times in the process, and her pale skin became blotchy with the pressure. She brought the pan up and over her head, letting the lukewarm water cascade down her kneeling frame. A relieved sigh escaped her as she felt better and she return the pan to the small door with the sponge inside of it. Another demon who was paid to guard her and the other females picked it up and moved from her cell, waiting for the next pan to return to the door. Not bothering to watch the routine, she moved back to the opposite corner and found her small pillow like bed. Lying down upon it, she moved her wet hair off of it to the tip of her head and she curled into a ball upon it, falling to a semi-peaceful slumber as the sun began to rise outside, signaling the start to a new day for those outside these walls.

As the dark sky became lighter with various hues of purples and blues, the world outside came to life. Birds began to chirp and animals arose from their slumber. The night was over and the day was just beginning. A ways away a group was awakening from their nightly slumber, stretching and yawning as the sun's morning light fell onto their faces. They moved about and stood, talking briefly about their purpose in the area before moving forward. Their destination was still a few miles away and any spark of Spiritual or Demonic energy could very well tip the suspect off, giving him time to flee. As they walked through the underbrush, the sole female of the group began to frown, eyes glued to the path in front of her as they progressed forward.

"Botan…Are you all right?"

The tender voice that could send shivers down the spine of any girl who found him as handsome as she did belonged to one of the boys which were following her. She turned her head, bright blue locks swaying in the ponytail she had it up in and smiled at the red headed male.

"Oh, yes." She said, "I just…well…I was just thinking."

The red headed boy smiled at her, keeping pace with his long legs clad in dark blue jeans, and he gave her quick nod.

"About what if I may ask?"

"Well," she began, turning back to the path ahead, pushing branches out of her way, "You all haven't done anything for Spirit World in a while, after all the Makai has become quiet with the peace that you boys brought with the Tournament thing and I just worry about sending you guys on another mission."

The other three listened intently to the conversation.

"I mean, yeah, you guys are strong and I shouldn't have to worry about you, but I feel bad, you know? After months of peace, Koenma needed to call you in for another mission."

"Hey," the tallest of the group piped up from behind her, quickening his steps to fall in line next to the blue hair girl, "Don't sweat it, Botan. At least it wasn't during exam week. Otherwise I might have told Koenma to screw off."

The grin he gave her was a goofy one, filled with a carefree vibe. The girl laughed lightly.

"Well, I am glad that it didn't. You've worked so hard to get where you are in school now, Kuwabara. But…What I feel awful about the most is the fact that we really don't know much about the demons we're sending you to fight except that they've stolen from King Enma's throne room. That dagger he had is infused with energy from countless generations and could wreck tremendous havoc on any of the three worlds if used for the wrong purpose. I just…I don't like the idea of sending you all in blind."

"Don't worry about it."

Turning, she saw the unspoken leader of the group. He walked behind her and made his way between her and the orange haired boy.

"Oh Yusuke," she said with a smile, "How much you have grown. Why I remember when you started this job for Koenma. You were so mad and annoyed every time you got a mission."

She laughed as he glared at her with his dark brown eyes. His hair, a deep jet black, was slicked back and he ran his hand through it, keeping it tamed down as he growled softly.

"You act like I was that bad." He responded.

"Hn. I'd say you're still as immature as ever."

The brown eyes boy turned with a scowl on his face.

"Like you've changed at all, Hiei." Yusuke retorted to the shortest member of the group at five foot five, "Cold ass bastard."

The short male glared, crimson eyes seeming to spark with a challenge. He lifted his chin, the white bandana adorning his forehead seemed to reflect the oncoming sunlight and he smirked.

"Why would I need to change? The living world is nothing special."

The short male, a fire demon, had been living in and out of the living world, crossing the borders to the Makai often to check on the border patrol in which he ran under the Demon Lord Mukuro scoffed and moved forward, continuing their trek. Although Enki is currently the actual Demon Lord, the three territories have been left to run as normal, as long as they do not threaten the lives of the humans in living world. Although his feelings for the living world have undoubtedly changed, he still believes that he's more on a babysitting duty than not. A laugh echoed behind him and he smirked. Obviously, the Detective got the attempt at a joke.

They group emerged from the bushes onto a large plot. The green grass lead up to a large gate, surrounding a big abode, making it seem as though it were a mansion. The grounds seemed quiet and the only sound they could hear were that of the birds chirping in the morning light. The four boys went on alert and tried to sense just how many people were on the property and Botan dug into her pocket for a Detective device that Spirit world had just recently made, mimicking that of an inferred scanner which humans use in wartime. She puts the device to her bubble gum pink eyes and starts the scan. She sees bodies, both male and female; big and small, and frowns.

"There looks like a lot of them." She says, turning off and pocketing the device.

"Tell me something new." Yusuke said, shrugging his shoulder, "It wouldn't be the first time we've barged into a place with a lot of demons."

"Yeah." Kuwabara said, grinning as he crack his knuckles, "Besides, Urameshi's a demon dude now. I think it'll be easy getting in there."

"Yes, easy for the three of us." Hiei said.

"Hey pipsqueak!" Kuwabara exclaimed, scowling at the fire demon, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." The crimson eyed demon retorted, gaining a chuckle from the red haired male to his side.

"Now, now." Kurama began, biting his thumb to keep from laughing, "Let us fight our enemies not each other."

"Oh shut it fox boy." Yusuke chortled, grinning at him, "You can't say that it feels good to have Hiei and Kuwabara fighting again."

"I'll second that." Botan said with a smile.

The redhead nodded, "As much as I do enjoy their quarrels, I believe that we should finish this mission before fighting one another."

"I can dig it." Yusuke responded, turning to look at the gate.

The leader of the group moved forward and smirked. He decided that they should just make their presence known and the Detective steps back a little just to bring his leg forward and kick in the gate, breaking the lock and sounding an alarm. The alarm was high pitched and he stuck his finger in his ear, pretending that the high pitched ring hurt. A group of demons emerge from the front door, armed with various weapons. He lifted his hand and made a gun out of his index finger and thumb, like a kid did at a young age playing cops and robbers, and the tip of his finger began to glow a bright blue.

"Who are you?" growled out one demon, ears mirroring that of a cat.

The question fell on deaf ears as the light grew brighter. Besides him, Kuwabara summoned a sword of orange energy and bent his knees to prepare for a fight. Off the his other side, Kurama pulled a red rode from his hair and put it to his lips, ready to call out his weapon should they charge at them and Hiei stood off in the back, smirking slightly. His hands were in his pocket, but he was too fast for these low class demons to even see him pull out his katana, should he need to draw it out. The cat eared demon growled, a low hiss coming from his throat and he repeated the question. Yusuke smirked and pointed his finger at the cat demon, the blue light glimmering with power. As the demon grew impatient, he took a step forward and Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective for the Spirit World, grinned.

"Bang."