Chapter Two
Yusuke Urameshi flopped down into a defenseless office chair in Koenma's office with an irritated snort and glowered at the child prince, fairly radiating malcontent. Keeper of the human world or not, the detective was getting a little fed up with the prince's continual badgering and never ending list of missions; he had hoped to catch up on just a little rest after the Dark Tournament had concluded.
Not to mention Keiko would have his ass for sure if she knew he was there.
"You rang, your royal pain in the ass?"
"Suck it up Urameshi, you don't see me complaining."
"Can it, Kuwabara!" Yusuke growled. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to Kuwabara's smug ass. What was he even doing there? "Shizuru know you're here? Maybe I should just give her a quick call."
The other teen paled noticeably but didn't have enough sense to let the matter drop cleanly. "Now you listen here, Urameshi," he retorted, pointing directly into the detective's chest. "I don't need her permission to do nothin'."
Kurama cleared his throat audibly in an attempt to defuse the oncoming argument before it got out of hand. He could sense Koenma's apprehension from the moment he arrived and thought it unwise to irritate the Reikai prince further. Something was definitely off about the situation — the child leader's face and body were taught with tension, and he absently wrung his hands. If his body language were any indication, the next mission would most likely be unpleasant, at best.
"Riiiiiight," Yusuke replied, dryly. "And I suppose you didn't need to ask her for bus fare to meet me this morning either? Or have her pack you a lunch and cookies for the trip?"
Kuwabara flushed, and Kurama scowled a little as his subtle effort proved futile, and the argument ensued. It came as no surprise, though. He would have been more shocked had they actually caught on to his hint. The fox sighed as the dispute dwindled from statements, to one-word insults. He cleared his throat once again, about to intervene when a much louder, much angrier voice stepped in.
"Enough!" Koenma yelled, voice heavy with annoyance and exhaustion. Silence filled the room as the pint-sized prince fixed the two offenders with his most intimidating glare. His expression softened somewhat as he turned slightly to see Kurama's eyebrows raise in question, and the flinch of a very concerned ferry girl. Returning his gaze to Yusuke and Kuwabara, in a tone much more subdued, he continued, "I didn't bring you here to listen to you bicker."
"Then why did you bring us here?" Yusuke questioned, his eyes flashing with previously forgotten knowledge when he realized that they were, in fact, in Spirit World. Generally, he would receive his missions through Botan, or even by way of communicator. seldom did Koenma actually bring them to the Reikai to issue his orders.
"This," the young sovereign stated, as he extended a hand out to the ogre at his side and took the file offered to him. He flung the package into Kurama's lap and continued on as the kitsune flipped through its contents. "In the last three days we've received several reports of a human boy wandering the Makai."
"A human? Are you sure?" Yusuke questioned, clearly skeptical. "I mean, how did he get there?"
"We're sure," the prince replied coolly as he pressed a small button and nodded toward the image that appeared on screen before them. "Though we aren't certain of how he managed to cross the barrier unnoticed. The kind of energy required for such a task would have been detectable in powering up."
"So that's him; but he's just a kid!" Kuwabara exclaimed looking at the shadowed features of the boy on display. He was young, that much could be determined from his size alone, though his face told a different story. His expression was weary, and his eyes seemed to embody the fine line between the treacherous duality of life and death. Kuwabara shuddered unconsciously, and muttered, "He is kinda freaky, though."
"Freaky or not, no way did some kid just wander into the demon world unnoticed," Yusuke said, frowning.
"Perhaps he didn't." Kurama paused as the detective sent a questioning glance in his direction and then turned his attention back to Koenma. "Is this all you have?"
"Unfortunately," Koenma sighed and brought his hands up to rub his temples, practically broadcasting his unease with the situation. "No name, no age, and no history; it's almost as though he didn't exist until three days ago. We didn't even have an image until this morning."
"Wait a minute, if that isn't his file, what is it?" Yusuke gestured toward the folder in Kurama's hand, clearly confused. "And just what do you mean by 'perhaps he didn't'?"
Kurama closed the folder and passed it on to Yusuke. "It's a list indicating each date, time, location, and circumstance where the boy appeared," Kurama informed them as Yusuke skimmed through the pages, and Kuwabara leaned in, reading over his shoulder. "Look at the dates and locations. The earliest accounts begin three days ago at the edge of the eastern realm. Notice, he isn't spotted in the areas surrounding the barrier until almost two and half days later."
"So?" Kuwabara questioned, feeling rather lost at the moment.
"The area of the eastern lands where he was first sighted lies at a considerable distance from the barrier separating the Makai from the Ningenkai," Kurama paused, allowing a moment for his words to sink in. "As the earliest accounts begin much further away than they end, it seems reasonable to assume that he's not heading deeper into the demon realm, but rather, back toward the human world."
"So if he's leaving, and it took him three whole days to get this far, it should've taken him a good while to get out there no matter where he came in from," Yusuke pondered, confusion still evident in his voice. "But then, if he's stirred up all this commotion just on the way out, why didn't anyone see him when he came in? Unless ..."
Kurama smiled slightly as Yusuke picked up on his train of thought. "Precisely."
"Huh? Unless what?!" Kuwabara was now completely lost.
"Unless, he didn't enter demon world through the barrier," Kurama replied and cocked an eyebrow at the suddenly quiet spirit prince. "He was already there."
Koenma squirmed slightly at the thought, though it was nothing he hadn't realized already. He really didn't like the idea that a human could manage to exist in the demon world without his knowledge, and this was most certainly going to be nothing but trouble, especially if the human turned out to be who he thought it might. He groaned inwardly and hoped he was wrong.
But if he wasn't? He had to be, though. It was just a legend, a ridiculous youkai myth, right? Undead human boys simply did not roam the demon world for hundreds of years unnoticed, he asserted himself. No, there had to be a reasonable explanation for everything.
"Koenma…"
So why was he so worried? His face scrunched unconsciously when he thought of his father.
"Earth to Koenma. Sir?"
Gods, his father would murder him for sure if he'd let this one slip. His stomach twisted up when he realized the gravity of the situation. Supposing the legends were true, he may have just caused one hell of a mess by dismissing them as folklore. Damn it. He should have known better; there was no such thing as folklore where demon world was concerned. No, no—it wasn't true, so it didn't matter—there was no undead boy, and there most certainly was no Shikon no Tama. Why should he worry?
"Yo, diaper drawers!" Koenma snapped out of his introspection and physically jerked when he heard Yusuke's oh-so-lovable term of endearment. He suddenly realized all eyes were on him. Oh hell, had they been talking to him?
"What?" Koenma tried to brush his inattention off casually.
"What's with you anyway?" Yusuke continued, not really wanting to know, "So, what do you want us to do with this kid?"
"Find him and bring back here to me. You may as well start looking in the Ningenkai, I have a feeling by now he's made it across the divide."
"Right," Yusuke drawled out. "This kid won't be easy to find with nothing to go on but an idea of how he looks. Maybe we should get Hiei for this?" The temperamental demon was the best tracker he knew, and they could definitely use his help.
"Oh yeah, where is shorty anyway?" Kuwabara questioned, just now realizing the fire apparition hadn't been present. Not that anyone really expected him to be there. Who would have told him after all? A person didn't just go out and find Hiei unless he was indifferent to the notion of being found. No, you didn't find Hiei; he found you.
"He's … indisposed at the moment," Koenma replied vaguely, not really wanting to tell them that out of paranoia he'd sent him to the Makai to dig up dirt on the youkai equivalent of a ghost story.
"Indi-wha?" Kuwabara said, a little confused.
"He's busy," Kurama supplied. His brow furrowed when he realized that the Reikai prince had no intention of disclosing any more information than that, and he wondered what exactly Hiei was doing for Koenma without them.
"Take this with you," Koenma said, a little hurriedly, as he handed a photo of the boy to Yusuke. He wanted them out before any more questions could be raised. "Now, go. I want this thing wrapped up quickly."
"Alright, alright—don't get your diaper in a wad," Yusuke mumbled on his way out of the prince's office. Botan shuffled them through the great gold double doors quickly, and it wasn't until then he'd even noticed her presence. She had been unusually quiet during the meeting, and Yusuke was beginning to wonder if she knew something they didn't. Needless to say, he had a bad feeling about this.
The twin-tailed fire neko watched him from a safe distance, just as she always had, while he drifted through the alleys and streets of this strange new world. She decided almost immediately that she had much rather be in her own realm, as this one smelled particularly foul in her opinion. However, she would never willingly desert her 'companion.' Kirara had resigned herself, loyally — perhaps foolishly — to his side, though he was not her master. He hadn't been in more than five centuries, and until they had crossed the great divide, when he took her into his arms, it had been at least that long since he had even acknowledged her presence. Yet she was drawn to shadow his movements, protect him if she must, and so she had.
It was a lonely path she'd chosen, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She was certain he knew she followed him, but never did they offer companionship to one another, and she was glad for it. It had not been his fault, that much she knew, but her distance was a necessary evil. She could not allow herself to feel an emotional bond with the pitiable creature he had become; to do so would condone his cursed half-life, and in her complacency, condemn him to remain the abomination hiding behind his face.
Giving up was simply not an option.
No, he was not her master; he was fiction, but she'd follow him just the same. Besides, she had nowhere else to go.
Hiei stood silent a moment, letting his senses drift along the atmosphere, before ascending the mountain pass on the edge of the eastern territories. His investigation had pointed him in the direction of a tribe of wolf youkai rumored to have had a rather unpleasant encounter with the rouge ningen. He scowled at the thought of having to deal with the wolf demons and cursed Koenma for what must have been the thousandth time since he began his excursion for putting him in such a position.
He despised wolf demons almost as much as he did humans. They were a crude, obnoxious bunch, possessing no real skill in combat and very little intelligence — in his opinion, quite undeserving of the youkai blood in their veins. Yet here he was, practically scaling the side of a mountain in pursuit of them.
He made short work of the rocky stretch, bounding over crevices and boulders with ease as he moved toward his destination with preternatural speed and agility. Once at the top, he immediately closed in on the large cavern that served as the tribe's den. He made no attempt to creep in unnoticed, as they had most likely sensed his approach. They might be stupid, but that didn't mean they were nose-blind.
He stopped short as the breeze shifted slightly and brought the unmistakable stench of death to his sensitive nose. It was recent, he determined, and though there was bloodshed, it had not been a massacre — fighting amongst themselves most likely. Hiei sneered at the notion. "Hn. Fools," he muttered.
Typically, he wouldn't have cared less, but this had been his most legitimate lead, and the only one said to have actually made contact with the ningen. Hiei narrowed his eyes in annoyance and gripped the hilt of his katana, preparing himself for whatever may be waiting to greet him beyond the cave's entrance. Cautiously, he continued deeper into the caverns.
He had not been expecting this … unsettling quiet … in the den of wolves. A heated confrontation, he could have seen. Hell, he would have enjoyed it. The wolf youkai were easily provoked into violence, and he would have likely pushed them into an all out brawl. Not that he wouldn't have been alright with that. Hiei liked nothing better than a good fight, and if he had to suffer through one with a lesser demon, well, he would have been alright with that too.
No confrontation awaited him, though. As a matter of fact nothing at all awaited him, and the unusual calm was a bit unnerving to the fire apparition. He had not expected this.
He stepped silently into the growing shadows of the wolf demon den, letting the blanket of darkness sweep over him completely as he drew further from the entrance. The eerie silence seemed to cling to the sound of his intruding footfalls and the rhythmic intake of breath in his chest. He could have been stealthier, but there was really no point. They were gone; he was almost certain of it.
He came to a halt when the darkened passage he had been traveling split in to three separate, dimly lit corridors that he could only assume wound deeper into the mountain. He had to confess a bit of surprise at the depth and precision of the wolf lair. It was a virtual labyrinth, a home unusually overdeveloped for this kind of demon. He didn't trust it, not one bit. Reluctantly, Hiei closed his crimson eyes and removed his bandana, letting the jagan probe the stony channels in search of life.
His lids snapped open, and he secured the bandana back in its place with a rough yank before continuing down the far left tunnel. Someone was here, he was sure of it. It was time for some answers — surely whatever had occurred between the wolf tribe and the boy couldn't have been serious enough to drive an entire pack away from the den, could it? Hiei pondered thoughtfully how a human boy could have managed to survive an altercation with a pack of any youkai. It just didn't add up.
As the passage Hiei traveled on opened into a large chamber, two figures — one stretched out carefully on a bed of wood and flame, the other knelt at his side, head bowed in silent respect — came into view. He paused at the entrance and chose to wait for the living demon to stand and face him before pressing him for answers.
"Come in, fire apparition." His voice was deep and melancholy but remained steady as he spoke. He stood slowly, a long rust colored braid slipping from his shoulder to his back and coming to rest just above a rather bushy tail. He turned, revealing a lean, well-defined form adorned in the plain attire of a nomad. His jaw was set and his green eyes thoughtful as he fixed his attention toward the demon in question. "I've been expecting you."
Hiei gave no immediate response but unconsciously moved further into the room as he pinned the stranger under piercing red-eyed scrutiny. He had sensed something oddly familiar before the demon had been fully exposed to his vision, and his eyes widened slightly as his suspicions were confirmed.
"What business has a kitsune in the den of wolves?"
"I am … was … a steward to the wolf prince, Kouga," he replied despondently. "This is my home." He had no intention of discussing the true nature of his relationship with the wolf youkai clan, or its prince.
Hiei shot an incredulous glare at the fox. Somehow he highly doubted the wolf prince would tolerate a kitsune in the pack, servant or no.
"Hn. Do you honestly expect me to believe you? Wolf youkai are not the most tolerant of beings, they'd have sooner stripped the flesh from your bones than taken you in."
"You know nothing of it," the fox snapped.
"You presume too much if you think I would want to," Hiei countered, quickly becoming bored with the situation. "I have other concerns at the moment."
He frowned inwardly when his gaze caught the funeral pyre. Unfortunately, it seemed there were no wolves left to question. Not that he cared to anyway. Interrogation seemed a waste of time to him — he had much more effective ways of extracting information (bloodshed was always a plus for him), and if need be, he could always resort to his telepathic abilities and avoid speaking all together.
However, at the moment the kitsune was making this difficult, his mind was much more disciplined than Hiei had originally given him credit.
"I assume you are here about the boy."
The fox demon glanced back unconsciously to the body of the fallen prince behind him and sighed. He really hated to pin such a nasty rumor on the child, but it had to be done. True, the boy had not touched Kouga or his mate and children, but he simply could not allow Kouga's memory to be thought of dishonorably. He almost choked at the thought. No, better they die by another; it was best for the clan, best for him. He only hoped the fact that the boy had managed to survive in the demon realm at all would make the rumor seem plausible.
Of course at the time he had no idea exactly who he'd blamed for their deaths. The whisperings of a human presence had been convenient for his purposes. Yet, the more he learned about this human the more frighteningly familiar he became. He had to be certain; it was just pure dumb luck on his part for Spirit World to get involved. If he could get to Koenma, he could get to the boy, and he knew just how to do it.
"Tell me, did the Reikai prince send you?" The fox demon smirked, already knowing the answer. "Really, I was rather surprised to learn that the infamous forbidden child had gone to work for the prince of the spirit realm."
"My motives are none of your concern," Hiei spat. Although his face retained its reticent mask he was livid from the kitsune's taunting of his damnable servitude. The fox struck an nerve, and judging from the gleam in his eyes, he knew it. Hiei was suddenly glad his telepathic abilities would not suffice. Oh yes, this was definitely a situation that called for bloodshed.
"It isn't wise to play games with me, kitsune," the fire apparition spoke, his tone dangerously malicious. He fingered the hilt of his katana, almost playfully, in warning. "Tell me what you know—I won't ask again."
"You didn't ask in the first place. Though I feel I should tell you, it isn't in your best interests to kill me."
He reached quickly into the neckline of his top when Hiei drew his sword and pulled out what appeared to be a tiny bottle on a chain around his neck. He held it away from his body, letting the firelight reveal the tiny sliver of a jewel inside. "I'm sure you've heard of the Shikon no Tama?"
Hiei nearly dropped his sword. He had most definitely heard of the fabled jewel. What youkai hadn't? But what did that have to do with anything? If it was ever even real it had been destroyed centuries ago, hadn't it?
"Hn. Legend, nothing more."
"Are you so sure?" He absently played with the bottle around his neck. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order."
The fox demon scanned the cavern until a slight movement in the crevice between two large boulders caught his attention. He snatched the tiny lizard, now desperately trying to escape, from his haven and held it by its. The fox unsealed the bottle around his neck with the other and let the shard fall into his palm. Whispering a quick apology to the lizard, he slipped the fragment into the reptile's back, just up under its skin.
Hiei watched in utter amazement as the dark, hateful glow filled the room and the pitiful creature grew to roughly 10 times its previous size, taking on some rather vicious characteristics. The kit dropped the disgruntled reptile when it took a snap at him with its newly acquired, very lengthy teeth. It remained a small animal, though, and as it scrambled toward the nearest exit the fox quickly ran it through with his dagger and returned the shard to its container.
"Talk, kitsune."
The kit couldn't help but smile; the fire apparition really was a demon of little patience.
"You may call me Shippou, if you prefer. I'm really not one for formalities," said Shippou in a half chuckle. Hiei gave him a particularly steely glare, and Shippou sighed. The next few days would be very long indeed.
Kurama let his gaze drift out along the horizon as the sun began to set over the city. They had been walking around Tokyo all day, hitting every source they could think of, and flashing the boy's picture to nearly everyone they met. Definitely not their most discreet investigation, but they were beginning to get desperate. They had nothing, and if he was being totally honest, he was more than a little irritated with Koenma for not giving them any more information.
And he had more, Kurama could tell. His brow furrowed at the notion. It wasn't like Koenma to hide things from them, and he couldn't decide if he should be concerned for the Reikai prince or angry with him for leaving them so unprepared. He hated feeling unprepared. Sure, he was quick to adapt to almost any situation, as were most of his teammates, but without time to develop a proper strategy things could get messy; people could get hurt.
Yusuke was shaken from his own thoughts when he heard Kurama let out a heavy sigh. The detective snuck a glance at the troubled kitsune walking beside him. He had been quiet most of the day, not that he was an overly talkative demon anyway, but Yusuke could tell something was bothering him. In truth, he wasn't alone.
Yusuke knew just as well as Kurama that the toddler was hiding something, and what ever it was it wasn't good. He scowled, not even Botan had been any help. She hadn't said two words to them that morning, and then she just dropped them off without so much as a 'goodbye' or even a 'go to hell.' They had a lot of nerve pushing him into this blindly.
"Damn them anyway," he muttered to himself.
"Pardon?" Kurama asked quietly.
"Nothing," came Yusuke's sulky reply. He would have liked to pick Kurama's brain about the whole mess, but to be honest he didn't want to bring Kuwabara's attention to his suspicion. The last thing he needed was to deal with a paranoid Kuwabara driving him nuts. He groaned inwardly. 'This whole situation just re—'
"—Umph!" His thought was immediately cut off. He shook his head in an attempt to focus as the source of impact stood up and brushed herself off. He hadn't even noticed when they rounded the corner, and apparently neither had she.
"Oh, excuse me! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention," came the girl's hurried apology.
He didn't answer, but took a moment to look her over; now why couldn't Keiko's uniform be that short?
He was answered with a quick jab to the ribs from Kuwabara who now stood beside him. "Jeez Urameshi! Watch where you're going! You could at least say you're…"
Kuwabara stopped cold and snapped his attention toward the raven-haired girl. His face scrunched in utter confusion, and she began to fidget under his scrutiny.
"Oh, yeah, sorry" Yusuke's voice broke the quickly forming tension.
"No, it's OK. My fault," she said brushing past them.
"Kagome, are you coming?!" Another girl some distance ahead on the sidewalk called out to who they could only assume was Kagome.
"Coming, Eri," she called and ran to catch up with her friend. 'Well, that was weird,' she thought.
Kuwabara continued to stare after the retreating girl, frozen in place. In all his time working with Yusuke he'd never felt anything like that. It was so subtle he hadn't noticed it at first, and had he been anyone else he would have missed it altogether. The faintest hint of a powerful spirit energy lingered on the girl, more potent than any other he'd encountered; but it seemed such a tiny trace he didn't understand how it could even sustain a physical being. It was virtually undetectable, and Kuwabara's sixth sense went berserk.
"Is something wrong, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked, beginning to get a little concerned.
Kuwabara finally snapped out of his self-induced trance, and without words he abruptly changed direction and followed after her.
"Just where the hell do you think you're going?" Yusuke called after him.
He didn't answer. He wouldn't be able to explain it if he tried. So, he just kept going.
Yusuke shouted again. "Hey! You can't just walk out in the middle of a—" Kurama's hand on his shoulder cut him off. "What?!"
"Over there," Kurama replied quietly and nodded his head in the direction of the city park. There, walking in the shadows of the wooded area, and heading in the very same direction as their wandering teammate, was a very familiar boy.