Disclaimer: I do not own Yuu Yuu Hakusho. That pleasure belongs to the one and only Yoshihiro Togashi. I do, however, own Mr. and Mrs. Furubashi, Michi Furubashi, Machiko, and this plot; so please do not plagiarize. Note also that the legends within the story are all taken from F. Hadland Davis's Myths and Legends of Japan.
Note: I refer to several Japanese myths within the course of this story. Small notes and summaries of legends will be made at the end of each chapter, as necessary; so while a general knowledge of Japanese mythology is not necessary, it is preferable, as it allows for better appreciation and understanding of the allusions as well as the characters.
There Is No Love in Death
Chapter 1: The Case
Yusuke lay basking in the sun, sprawled out on the gravelly roof of the school. Sure, Keiko would probably come searching for him during the passing period, but at least he could sit and relax and think for the moment.
Something had been off for the past several weeks. He was not sure what it was, but he was not the only person to notice it. Kuwabara had been sensing a large number of spirits in the area, much more than usual, and Kurama had recently called, wondering if either Botan or Koenma had contacted him.
Even Shizuru had voiced her concerns on the ominous presence that had been doubling in size the past few days.
He reached into his pocket and fingered the circular object in there. He wished Koenma would call him, or that Botan would come flying by on her oar. He would not mind that at all; living a normal human life for the past two months or so had been boring him anyway: no matter which gang he fought, he could find no challenge.
He would not find that in a human, no.
He needed a mission; he needed a fight – a real one, against a demon.
His heart raced and his blood boiled as his fighting spirit reawakened. A smile passed over his face as he imagined beating the tar out of one of the monsters that he was frequently sent to destroy.
Yes, that was what he needed.
Something other than taking care of his drunk mother or putting off his homework and Keiko's nagging.
He sighed. It was not like he could call in to ask for something to do. Koenma would contact him if he ever needed him, but he was on his own until then.
Yusuke closed his eyes, savoring the few precious moments he had left until the bell rang and Keiko barged through the roof door, yelling at him to get his butt back to class. He listened to the silence, noting the birds chirping from the large shade trees scattered across the school grounds, the cars whizzing past on the toll roads, the rumble of the subway that went underneath the nearby street, the wind whispering through the leaves of trees and around the buildings. Clouds floated over him, plunging him into cool, relieving shadows every once in a while. When he was up here, relaxed like this, Yusuke could swear he became connected to nature, a part of it.
He even heard it calling to him.
"Yusuke!"
It started out as a distant cry, barely as loud as a whisper.
"Yusuke!"
It was getting louder now and the voice took on tonal qualities. A girl's voice, that's all he could tell at the moment.
"Yusuke!"
The boy grimaced. The voice was getting impatient with him now, but what was he supposed to do?
"Yusuke!" the voice cried shortly, finally right next to him. The raven-haired boy jumped, startled, clutching at his chest, wheezing, trying to regain his breath. He looked down and scowled.
"I'm not going back to class, Keiko," he told the girl to his left.
"Silly Yusuke," the girl lightly giggled, "It's me, Botan."
Yusuke, shocked, looked to the voice to see that it was, indeed, the ferry woman, but something was wrong.
"You look like crap," Yusuke blurted out, and he was speaking only the truth. Botan's normally neat blue hair was falling out of its pony tail, stray pieces flying into her face or sticking out at odd angles. Her kimono was crumpled and she had dark bags under her bloodshot eyes.
"That's why I'm here," she said pleadingly.
She sounded desperate.
"Well, I'm not the one to come to for tips on how to hide the bags under your eyes, Botan, and I don't think Keiko is either, so-"
"Oh, Yusuke! Be serious! I have a case for you and the team!" she snapped.
Yusuke looked at her startled; since when did Botan lose her temper so easily?
"I need you to get Kuwabara up here-" she began, but was cut off as the door to the roof slammed open.
"Where is she?" a masculine voice called out, "Oh, there you are Botan! I knew I sensed you!"
Botan turned around and Kuwabara grimaced, "Eek! Man, Botan, you look like crap!"
Botan closed her eyes and counted to ten, her hands clenched into fists and her right eye twitching until she reached eight.
"How I look right now doesn't matter," she told them, "What matters is that you two come with me. Kurama and Hiei are already waiting for information on the mission."
Botan summoned her oar and hopped on, her shoulders sagging and her back slouched.
"Grab on," she told them and Kuwabara and Yusuke did just that, despite Yusuke's promise to never do so again. He understood that this mission, whatever it was, was important, and he did not have time to fool around.
Botan finally stopped in front of the Gate of Judgment and Yusuke and Kuwabara happily let go of the oar, sitting on the ground while trying to quell their nausea.
She had become even worse at flying, if that was possible.
"Hurry," she rushed them as soon as they were able to stand, "We don't have a lot of time."
The long path to Koenma's office seemed to go by quickly and the next thing the two boys new, they were being shoved through two large doors.
"Finally!" Koenma shouted as they entered his office.
"Yeah yeah, binky-breath. We're here," Yusuke waved it off, "Can you cut the crap and tell us what's up or what?"
"Sit down and pay attention!" a red faced Koenma shouted at his impudent employee, his binky remaining in place despite nothing holding it there.
Yusuke blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Now he knew something was off. He sat down.
Koenma took a deep breath and calmed himself, "Thank you. Now that that's settled, we can get onto more important matters."
Yusuke sat up a bit straighter in his seat, for once in his life paying attention to what a superior was telling him to do.
He looked around the room and noticed Kurama waiting patiently for Koenma to begin his explanation of their newest job.
Hiei leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He gave off an aura of apathy, but Yusuke noticed how Hiei's head was tilted, his left ear facing Koenma. Whether he would ever admit it or not, Hiei was paying attention.
Kuwabara sat slouched down in a third chair, looking at the prince of Spirit World. With Kuwabara's short attention span, they would probably have to clue him in on what their job pertained before beginning the mission, but it was okay, an accepted part of the team, a normality.
Yusuke smiled as he turned his attention back to Koenma; things were finally getting back to how they were supposed to.
"Several years ago, sixteen to be precise, a member of the Spirit World was brutally attacked and fatally wounded. Until recently we thought her dead, but due to the circumstances of these past few weeks, we have deemed that earlier theory implausible. The only possibility for the large migration of spirits to this area is that she somehow survived and is now living in the Human World," Koenma explained to the group.
"Who is this girl, Koenma?" Kurama asked, "What do you want us to do with the information you just gave us?"
"Her name is Machiko and she is Shi no Yuurei, or Death's Ghost, otherwise known as Shinigami, the grim reaper. Different from Botan and other ferriers, she draws the souls of the dead to her; she is the connection between Human World and Spirit World that Botan and her coworkers are able to draw on when transporting lost souls," Koenma replied.
"Then why is her ability to attract spirits coming out only now when she has been missing for as long as we have been alive?" Kurama then questioned.
"What I want to know is: if the problem's been going on as long as it has, then why are we just being put on it?" Yusuke asked a little disgruntled, "And what is the mission anyway?"
"Yes, well, you see, when spirits of the dead began to amass in Tokyo at such an alarming rate and we finally decided that Machiko must be alive, we had to first pinpoint her exact location."
Koenma sighed before continuing, "I know this might be difficult for you, but this mission will involve a lot of care. We have found Machiko, but she is not as we remember her. She pulled something similar to what Yoko pulled, Kurama. When she was at the brink of death she must have separated her soul, her essence, from her body and escaped to the Human World. Unlike Yoko, however, the fact that she is a lesser god allowed her to take her own form instead of taking over another fetus' body. Machiko now goes by the name of Furubashi Michi."
Kurama chuckled, "From what you have told us about her occupation, it sounds like a fitting name."
"Yes, well, it cannot be helped," Koenma responded lightly before continuing.
"Anyways, something must have gone wrong in the soul extraction because her memories are all suppressed, as were her powers until recently."
"What do you mean by that?" Yusuke asked. He wanted to get the debriefing done and over with, he was getting bored.
"I mean Machiko's latent powers surfaced on Michi's sixteenth birthday but her memories did not. Michi is now drawing spirits to her without understanding the reasons and it has left her in a very fragile and mentally instable position."
"Are you planning on telling us what you called us here to do, or are you just going to give us a history lesson?" Hiei asked from his spot against the wall.
His vermillion eyes were half-opened, barely enough to show his irritation at how long this was taking. Not only had he been waiting patiently through the entire debriefing, but he had also had to wait for the two humans to arrive. This was definitely not how Hiei had wanted to spend his day.
"Ah, yes, the reason I called you here," Koenma began.
"I want you to go to Michi and talk to her. Assure her of who she truly is and what that means. When she is calmed down, Botan will arrive to complete her task in the mission. You will receive any other orders then."
"So you mean all you want us to do is talk to some girl who can see spirits?" Yusuke asked incredulously. "No offense man, but, do you really think me and Kuwabara should be doing this? I mean, don't you have any demons that need beating or something?"
Koenma sighed haggardly, "No, Yusuke. All four of you will be doing this together. I would rather be over-prepared than have to worry about fracturing the girl's psyche and possibly losing Machiko forever, she is very important to us."
Yusuke sighed in defeat and turned to his orange-haired friend. "Can you believe we got called in here for a toddler to tell us to talk with a girl?" he asked.
"I don't care, as long as she's pretty," Kuwabara answered honestly.
Chapter 1 Notes:
Furubashi: old bridge
Michi: pathway
I know that Botan is considered the grim reaper, but I changed the position slightly for the story. Botan and other ferriers are only used to bring souls to Spirit World. Machiko is the one who ends their lives and calls their souls to the afterlife. When ferry girls pick souls up, they use Machiko's power to pull the spirits to the next world and send them to their proper places.